Megari came in then, her long brown hair damp and bound back in a braid. I was wildly envious; the tail nearly reached her waist. I briefly wondered how long it would take to grow my hair that long, and decided on the spot to at least let it get down to my shoulders. Between the hair, clear skin, beautiful bone structure and those gorgeous eyes, Megari was a breathtakingly lovely woman, even with her customary sober expression. I smiled at her, and she briefly smiled back. It transformed her from merely lovely to outright beautiful for a nanosecond. I heard Bao Dur's breathing change, just for a moment.

"Hello there," I said, my most friendly expression on my face. "How are you settling in? Everyone treating you all right?"

"Yes, thank you," she said quietly. Her voice was a rich contralto, almost as compelling as Ladria's but lacking the steel behind it. Ladria couldn't help her tone; she had been a leader so long she rarely spoke without that authority behind her words. Megari had learned the hard way not to show her backbone; it could have gotten her, or worse yet Danni, killed. But even so, I could feel the strength in her, and admired it.

"I'm glad you chose to stay with us," I said sincerely. "I'm sorry I've been a rotten hostess and not spent more time with you and Danni. I hope you're enjoying yourself?"

"I am, rather," she answered, almost as if she were surprised. "And you've been an excellent hostess. Danni and I are being taken care of very well. I thank you."

"I noticed some clothing was found for the two of you. We don't have much by way of female amenities here, I'm afraid. But we're going to go up to Onderon to purchase some supplies and personal shopping in a few days. We'll stay the night, make a couple days of it. I hope you and Danni will join us, or if not, allow me to purchase what you need, if you'll give me a list?"

"I'd be glad to come along, it would be lovely to have more than two sets of clothing, and get Danni some things as well. Not that everyone hasn't been generous," she said hastily, wincing as if I might scold her.

"I know just how you feel," I said with a smile. "Two weeks ago, all I had was the clothes I was wearing, the credits in my pouch and no way to apply one to increase the other. I didn't even have a weapon. Everything I owned had been blown up when a couple of bounty hunters tried to kill me by tossing grenades into my apartment. I met Canderous that night in a cantina – remind me to tell you about that some time when Danni is napping – and he took me to the Ebon Hawk. If it hadn't been for Ladria and Mira being generous enough to shop for me, I'd be in rags right now. As it is, I still only have, let's see, maybe six changes of clothes, not including workout gear."

Megari smiled, a genuine one that lasted longer than a microsecond. "It sounds like you've had quite an adventurous life. I'd love to hear about it sometime."

"Oh, don't get me started; anyone around here will tell you I'm a chatterbox. You might regret asking me to talk," I grinned at her.

"I don't mind. It's better than having someone rant at you, pretending manners while they think of some new psychological terror to use on you. Falken Rikes was a genius for scaring one with a word," her tone was matter-of-fact; no pity or self-loathing or fear; just plain acknowledgement of what her life had been.

"How can you be so calm about it?" I asked wonderingly.

I was scanning her psyche and finding none of the shattered pieces that usually would be there after the year she'd lived through. There was no sign of insanity either, which might account for the calm. Her aura, when I checked, was brightly blue-white, with some bitter yellow mixed in that indicated outside trauma, and the usual amount of red. I saw one black slash that almost pulsed; she had killed, and it ate at her. Who, I had no idea, but I was willing to bet it was in self-defense. She was firmly on the side of Light, and had a reasonable sensitivity to the Force, though not enough to be Jedi. Danni, when I looked, did. Her aura, like most children, was brilliantly white, almost no red at all, but it was lightly streaked with the yellow she shared with her mother. Her Force sensitivity almost glowed, and I resolved to speak to Megari about it soon.

She looked at me now, her expression calm. "I made up my mind when we were taken that no one was going to take away who I was, or Danni was. For her sake, I kept faith that we would escape somehow, and that no matter what they tried, when we got out of there, it would be as whole as when I got there. To keep them from harming my child, I was obedient, and everything they wished. They never understood that they never really touched me."

"Not even Rikes?" I wasn't doubting her perception, or trying to bring up bad memories. But Rikes had struck me as extremely intelligent, not as easy to fool as you might think under the arrogance. He'd had a full year to observe Megari and her daughter. On the other hand, if he had regarded her as nothing more than booty he may not have looked much closer.

"Rikes was intelligent, but arrogant with it," Megari echoed my thoughts. "He enjoyed toying with people, and frightening them. I simply made sure I wasn't much of a challenge. He thought I was simple-minded and biddable, so scaring me wasn't much sport. He left me largely alone," she said quietly.

"That was very brave, and smart of you," I said softly. "I couldn't have done it."

"You could, if you had your child to think of," she answered, shrugging. "And you're a trained fighter. I am not," she added.

"I'm good, but eighty against one... I couldn't have fought my way out, especially if I was protecting my daughter." I smiled, a little coldly. "I'm glad Rikes is dead. I just wish you could have been rescued sooner," I added regretfully.

"Things happen for a reason," Megari said with a fatalistic shrug. "I am grateful we were found at all."

"You're an amazing woman," I said sincerely, and I saw Bao Dur nodding at my words.

"No," she said simply, shaking her head, blushing faintly. "I am a mother, that's all."

Danni had abandoned her corner and reached up for her mother, who picked her up and rested her face on her child's soft flyaway brown curls. She made little fffft sounds in the little one's ear, and Danni giggled. I smiled at the sound.

Three days later, a rather large group headed to Onderon for the shopping trip. Bao Dur volunteered to stay behind and look after Danni, and help set up the enlarged battle circle with the energy dampeners. Megari, somewhat to my surprise, seemed serene about leaving her daughter behind. Not that anyone who knew Bao Dur for ten minutes wouldn't trust him with their life, entire fortune and virgin nubile daughter, but I thought it was amazing she was willing to leave Danni in a Mandalorian camp. Tentatively, I asked her about it, and she merely smiled.

"I have been among you almost a week, and have been treated with the utmost kindness and respect. No one would dare cross the Mandalore, or you. And I've seen even the meanest looking warriors there treat Danni with affection. She's become quite a favorite. Besides, if anyone even looked at Danni wrongly, Bao Dur would rip their arms off and beat them to death with them," she said with a mischievous grin.

"You've got that right," I said, chuckling. I marveled at the change in Megari over the last five days. She had gone from a quiet, rather grave person to someone with a lively intelligence and sense of humor. She was still on the quiet side, but much less so. Her manners were as perfect as Visas' or Disciple's, but under that she seemed to be regaining her sense of whimsy. I was glad to see it.

The rest of the party consisted of Canderous, Ladria, Atton, Mira, Dax, Kex, Xarga, Kelborn, Visas, Zuka, and Tagren. We had decided to bring the honor guard so that both Canderous and I would be escorted at all times. I had insisted, wanting to take no chances. Jarxel stayed on Dxun as second in command. I had conferred with Bao Dur before leaving and he had assured me that short of a completely blown engine, he could repair any ship I found. Even in that case, he could still fix it, he just wouldn't recommend me buying it in the first place. In the mean time, Atton could help me just as easily, and Bao Dur felt that getting the battle circle up and ready was a higher priority. I agreed. Atton promised that he'd run any repairs that might be needed by Bao Dur before we committed to buy.

We were a happy little group, chatting away on the short trip to the main planet. We docked, paid our fees and collected the visas, and headed toward the shopping district. As I emerged from the docks, I heard my name being called and turned to see who had spoken, a quizzical smile on my face, expecting Atton or Dax to address me. I caught a blur of brown robes out of the corner of my eye and suddenly several things happened at once.

I was picked up and whirled around, engulfed in a warm and familiar embrace, a voice babbling in my ear.

"Thank the Gods you're alive! Jennet, I was certain you were dead, I've been looking everywhere for you…"

The presence was ripped away from me, and I was suddenly on my feet, dazed and blinking, Canderous in front of me, his blaster out, his other hand having just shoved me behind him. I looked around his wide shoulders and saw Kex and Kelborn restraining a handsome man of middle height and age, bearded, fair hair slightly mussed, in the robes of a Jedi Master. He looked startled, and was starting to be angry. Dax was behind me, blaster also pointed at the Jedi, the other hand protectively on my shoulder, and the other guard members all had the drop on him. I blinked again.

"Wait!" I shouted, and everyone froze. "Let him go," I said to Kex and Kelborn, and they looked at Canderous briefly, who was glancing over his shoulder at me quizzically. I sent a brief thought and his face tightened, but he nodded at his men, and they released the Jedi.

"Hello Stefan," I said brightly. "Sorry about that."