Disclaimer: I don't own KOTOR. If I did, I'd be a lot richer than I am now.

Another rather short chapter. I'm sure I disappointed some of you. Get over it. But we're in Anchorhead, and we'll met my favorite droid pretty soon. And also, if you can take ten minutes or whatever to read my story or chapter, you can take thirty seconds to write a reveiw! (Now you may read on.)


Ash tightened the last bolt on the synthesizer. "Alright, Mish, see what we get!"

There was a sort of squirting sound. "Uh… it's purple this time."

"What kind of purple?"

"A real pale one. But it doesn't smell absolutely awful."

Ash popped up and dipped a finger in. She tasted. "Well, there's a little improvement. But I sure am glad we got fresh food from Dantooine."

"Yeah. Hey, how come you can fix a droid but not a synthesizer?"

"Haven't a clue, my dear. Haven't a clue. But I've been good with droids as long as I can remember. Maybe I'll find a fixer-upper on Tatooine or something. And I have improved it."

"Slightly."

"Zaalbar and Canderous will eat it."

"Ash, Zaalbar and Canderous will eat just about anything." Mission grinned. "Hey, think we can convince Bastila to let us give her a make-over?"

Ash snorted. "Yeah, right. She's more likely to win a game of Pazaak than do that. Hey, wanna play dejarik with me?"

"Only if you play pazaak." Mission grinned.

"Force, I'm glad we got that dejarik board."

"Yeah, maybe I'll beat you one of these times."

"Keep dreaming, kiddo."


The Tatooine wind blew up sand, swirling it into my hair. I felt exposed without my robes and mask, exposed in the simple white clothing I had worn. Instead of my lightsabers, I had a pair of vibroblades and a blaster at my belt.

I was incognito. Tatooine was tiny and insignificant, but not that tiny and insignificant. At least I hadn't brought Malak. The fool wanted me—but I did not want him. Once he was my best friend, but he was too far gone. As was I, I supposed. Anyways, I had far more important things to deal with than potential lovers.

I spared a thought for Kaye. She might have been able to join me in this fight, but she had never been able to see the picture as completely as I could. She hated death, too. Yes, she was a loyal general. A good general, a useful one. But she couldn't fight this kind of war.

The cave ahead had a yawning black mouth. But that was not my primary fear. The Jawas had said a great monster had moved into the cave. I had no doubts as to what it was—a krayt dragon. A good thirty meters from the mouth of the cave, I stopped.

I concentrated. A massive head poked out of the cave, ragged yellowy teeth gleaming in the light of Tatooine's three moons. I walked forward, smushing the fluttering in my chest. After a few moments, the krayt dragon and I were no more than a meter from each other. I reached out, putting a hand on its nose. The scales were warm and leathery, dark in color.

Then, carelessly, I brushed a tooth and walked into the cave. The Star Map opened and I sensed immense awe from the massive beast behind me…


"Ash, you awake?"

"I am now, Mish." Ash said, sitting up to rub sleep from her eyes. She pulled on some loose, light-colored clothing.

"Tatooine's coming up."

"Be there in a minute, kiddo."


"So this is Tatooine?" Ash asked, looking out the cockpit windows.

"Yep." Carth said.

"I hate it already." She announced.

"…why?" Bastila asked.

"It looks boring." Ash said simply. "And really hot. And sandy. I didn't like it being hot and sandy on Korriban, so I really doubt I'll like it here."

"Ash, what planets do you like?" Dustil asked, exasperated. He was learning to fly the Hawk. Ash guessed it was for father-son bonding. Force knew they needed it. "You say Dantooine is boring, Korriban is weird, Taris was slimy…"

"Kashyyyk was nice." She retorted indignantly. "Cool, not too warm or too cold, not too sunny. Maybe a few too many kinrath and Czerka, but I liked it. Nar Shaddaa is nice, too, so long as you keep a careful eye. You can con somebody out of their credits all day."

"So you like Kashyyyk, the Wookiee planet, and Nar Shaddaa, the Smugglers' Moon."

"Shut up!" Ash growled. "Annoying little twerp…" She muttered darkly.

Bastila made a noise that sounded something like a snort, or a strangled cough. "So you can stand Mission, but not Dustil?" She asked a moment later.

"Never said that." Ash grumbled.

"But it's clear enough." Bastila was having a rare moment of emotion. "And Mission is twice as annoying as Dustil."

"I resent that!" Mission half-yelled. Ash wasn't quite sure why Mission was in the cockpit.

"Tone it down, kiddo." Ash said, as she happened to be standing right next to Mission. "So, who wants to go out onto the dustball with me?"

"I'm coming." Mission was serious.

"I know, kiddo." Ash replied softly. "We'll find him, okay?"

"What are you two talking about?"

"Doesn't concern you, Bas. I think the Star Map is out in the Dune Sea, in some kind of cave."

"Why the Dune Sea?"

Ash shrugged. "It makes sense. The problem is that there's no way to really pinpoint the place. Sadly, I don't think that's the only problem. I think there's a krayt dragon at the cave."

"Yes… there was something strange in the dream. A presence." Bastila murmured, "But I doubt it was a krayt dragon."

"It was a krayt dragon." Ash said adamantly. "A big one. I don't know if it's still at the cave, but I'm betting it is."

"Ash, what's a krayt dragon?"

"Remember the rancor in the sewers?" Mission nodded. "The krayt dragon will be bigger than it. Two or three times the size, if we're lucky."

"If we're unlucky?" Mission asked, not sure she wanted the answer.

"It will be the greater krayt dragon. And that will be at least quadruple size. However, we may be able to find some hunters to help, if we need it. Krayt dragon pearls are very valuable. But it's a risky business. Krayt dragons have no problems eating anything they can get their jaws around." Ash shuddered a little—Revan had actually touched the dragon.

Revan was brave and powerful, for all that she had fallen. But she also felt fear. Ash felt too close to the woman who walked in her dreams, tracing the path to the Star Maps.

"Alright, well, let's get going, whoever's coming. Somebody needs to go and buy some supplies, too. I vote you, Brass." She snickered at the indignation that spread across his face. "So, Dustil, you wanna come with me and Mish and Bas?"

"I thought you didn't like me." He half-growled.

Ash laughed. "I said you were annoying, not that I didn't like you. There's a big difference. And, after all, you did tell me about the whole Malak-wants-my-head-on-a-platter deal, sooo… I can live with you." Then she smirked again. "If Malak puts my head on a platter, it had better be a gold platter, with plenty of jewels." Mission snickered at the outrage on Bastila's face.

"And you criticize me for pride!" Bastila huffed. "Shall we go? Perhaps we can be done with this… foolishness."

"Loosen up, Bas. I could be inviting you do go out drinking, couldn't I?"

Bastila didn't respond. The foursome trooped out, leaving the remainder of the crew to their own devices. Ash's only instruction was: "Don't get arrested. I'm not paying bail." To which Canderous had laughed and Carth looked offended. Jolee had only raised a gray brow, with a tiny smirk. Zaalbar… well, she couldn't read his expression.

But standing in the Tatooine sand, she doubted the Wookiee would leave the ship. Tatooine was ten times hotter and dustier than Korriban. And Wookiee fur wasn't exactly cool.

"I hate it." Ash scowled at the sand. She looked up as a Czerka officer approached.

"There is a small docking fee of—"

Ash smiled ingratiatingly and waved a hand lazily. "I don't need to pay."

"You don't need to pay." The officer repeated in a monotone. "Welcome to Anchorhead."

"How do I get out to the Dune Sea?" She demanded.

"You'd need a hunting license. You should be able to purchase one from our office. Town's that way."

"Right…" Ash drawled. "You got a map?" the Czerka man handed her a piece of flimsi, which she glanced over briefly, fixing it in her memory. "Let's go, people."

The troop of four were almost out of the docking bay when an Aqualish came up to them. "Hello there, captain. Let's see… ah, yes. Here it is. It looks like the shipment has been delivered to your ship, as you requested."

"But I didn't have a shipment. I've been here twenty minutes." Ash said, very calmly.

"This is docking bay 32, isn't it? Yes, it is, and that's what I have here on the registration form. Everything seems to be in order. The gizka are your problem now."

"But I didn't order a shipment of gizka. Get it off my ship!" Ash snapped.

"It says right here on the manifest that you ordered a crate of gizka." A giggle sounded behind Ash, and she turned to glare at the blue-skinned source. "To be delivered to docking bay 32… that's right here." Bastila, next to Ash, couldn't help a smirk coming to one corner of her mouth. "Now all I need is your thumbprint for… wait a second, where did the datapad go?"

"That means you take the gizka back, right?" Ash made her voice as flat as she could, but now that snickering had joined the giggles, it was difficult.

"Nothing is ever organized around here." The Aqualish grumbled and stalked away.

"Somebody wanna tell Canderous to get his gun? Gizka steaks are a delicacy. I'm sure Jolee will know how to cook them up. Well, better than me."

Bastila let out one little snicker before they continued on their way.