Mill violently shakes his head to ward off the disorienting effects of his newfound force ability; Every strange force power he employs acts like a leech, draining him of his energy. After the bridge incident on Mygeeto, he entered a momentary state of torpor, like an intense lethargy depleting him of any will to act on. This time, along with the enervating effect of whatever strange force acted on the assassin, he felt muddled and detached, as if he had not just witnessed somebody die a few meters away from him. Even now, he is lost in his thoughts, completely unaware of Sbeit's frenzied pacing and hysteric gesticulations.

Mill stands up, walks with a pitiful slouch over to the largest block of stone amongst the scattered ruin— the same column now acting as a coffin lid to the dead Jedi below it— and sits back down with a thud, forcefully propping himself up against the debris at his back. He looks up to see the remains of the once beautiful courtyard: long shadows produced by scorching plasma conceal the intricate stone carvings, hollow craters dot the hillside behind where the central statue once stood, and the wreckage of said statue is strewn across the plaza, hiding the corpse of the man responsible. Mill sees Sbeit, acknowledges his fervent panic, then peers to the left of him at an orange figure standing at the outskirt of the arena. Menyoo is sporting a look of shock and fear while anxiously rubbing his knuckles and gravely staring at the site of the fallen statue a couple meters to Mill's right. Seeing Menyoo in distress invigorates Mill. He picks himself up from the rubble and makes his way over to the impressionable Jedi. Sbeit intercepts him during his walk, "are you not listening? We need to get him out of there, find out who he is, and report back to the council!"

Mill puts his hand up to Sbeit's chest to distance him. Struggling to force words around the lump in his throat, he calmly says, "Just a moment Sbeit. Let me speak with Menyoo first." Sbeit snorts angrily, then stomps away from Mill toward the pile of stone. Mill trundles to Menyoo, trying to read the expression on his face. Menyoo stares fixatedly at the same spot; he redirects his stare to Mill only after he gets within a meter of him, but the look of shock and horror remains. The sound of Sbeit hauling chunks of broken stone is the only disturbance in the otherwise silent courtyard. Mill lowers his head and tilts it to the left, then to the right, tracking the speed of Menyoo's eyes; they move pensively, burdened by the weight of distress. "I didn't mean to do… whatever I did. He just stopped moving, and then fell. I didn't want him to die. You saw. I spared him every chance I got. I uh…"

"Save it, it's okay." Menyoo says back in a docile tone. Mill suspects he means to comfort more than just him, "I'm just trying to figure out what happened, and what all this means. A Jedi coming after you. And so viciously. I mean you did what you had to, I understand." A few seconds pass before he adds to his statement, "But that power. I…" They stand directly ahead of one another, 30 centimeters away, avoiding eye contact by looking down at the shared ground between them. Mill waits for him to finish his statement, but the lengthy pause does it for him.

A particularly loud thud from Sbeit's excavation transitions them out of their moment of shared quiet. "We should help him," Mill utters faintly under his breath. Menyoo looks up and gives a light nod, prompting Mill to lead the short walk to Sbeit. Once they get within 3 meters of him, he whirls around and flounces the remaining distance to Mill. Menyoo, anticipating the incoming outburst— and fight that normally follows— circuitously veers off from behind Mill and hides among the pile of rock, disguising his presence by working diligently to uncover the Jedi's remains in Sbeit's stead.

Sbeit—as predicted—points his finger in Mill's face and begins admonishing him, "You are going to answer for this! You have to take responsibility for what happened here. If we do not make a report first, and they learn of his death and your part in it, you will be far worse off. We must make for Coruscant. You cannot keep hiding from the Council! I know you. You want to continue this silly scavenger hunt, but things just got very real very quickly."

Mill waves his hand in front of his face, fatigued by the battle and indisposed to more conflict, "Sbeit, please, enough. I know this is serious. I know you are serious. And you should know I am too. This study is important, and I think larger than you, me, or the Jedi that attacked us." He says pointing down at his buried remains, "He could not be Council sanctioned. Sending assassins is not our way, and I acted appropriately in self-defense. A report must wait, otherwise I will be sequestered on Coruscant and unable to finish my study."

Sbeit answers even angrier than before, despite Mill's temperate response, "You may have been acting in self-defense, but whatever you did to him, that dark trick stealing his force powers, that is not council sanctioned. This whole trip should have never happened, and I am done sneaking around. I am going back to Coruscant with or without you."

Mill places his hand on Sbeit's shoulder, and to Mill's surprise, Sbeit does not reject it, "I know you are, but I cannot bring you. Menyoo and I have somewhere to be, so this is where we part ways. I know there is no changing your mind." He pauses to amplify his following statements, "Take care Sbeit. It truly was nice seeing you again." Mill then pats his neck before turning to Menyoo, "Menyoo!"

Menyoo, mid-lift, drops the heavy stone he was hauling and turns his head to Mill, still crouched in a lifting stance, "Yes?"

"Sbeit and I are going our separate ways. I unfairly volunteered you to continue the trip with me, but ultimately it is your choice. You understand the circumstances call for us to return to Coruscant, and you understand I cannot. So, what will it be? Will you follow me to Jaguada?"

Sbeit chips in before Menyoo can answer, "You should also know that since you are a new Jedi, that will likely lead to your dismissal. Keep that in mind. Up until now, you have only followed orders. That ends if you step on that ship with Mill."

Menyoo wipes his dirty hands into his robe. Facing Mill, and avoiding eye contact with Sbeit, Menyoo says, "Yoda said I have something to gain from this trip too. I know it would be better to return to the temple, but I have not finished my mission, and I want answers just as bad as you. I'm along for the ride."

Mill smiles, then turns and bows respectfully to Sbeit, "I wish you a safe trip."

Disappointed, Sbeit shakes his head, "As do I." Then turning his back to Mill, he walks past Menyoo without acknowledging him and picks up from where he left off removing the rubble. Menyoo looks down at the back of Sbeit's head, trying to decide whether he wants to say anything to him before leaving. He looks back to Mill for confidence, but he already began his walk back to the ship. Menyoo forgets his dilemma and chases after Mill. He reaches him as he rounds the corner to start up the hill. Menyoo turns back to face the arena one last time, remembering that he wanted to see the image depicted by the stone engravings. He is met with a regrettable sight; the destructive battle undid the artist's work, rendering it completely imperceivable. Disheartened, Menyoo turns back toward his companion and follows him back into the camouflage of the dark city.

Mill walks in silence; any excitement he had about being back on Socorro, he left in the plaza. Menyoo walks by his side, trying to think of reassuring things he could tell him. He goes back and forth on what he could say: should he mention Sbeit? Distract him? Or maybe the silence is good? At one point he feels flustered because he reasons that Mill should be the one trying to comfort him, not the other way around. His emotions settle and he mulls over Mills part in the silence, before concluding that he is being immature. Regardless, it becomes clear he needs to figure out how he feels before trying to console Mill. Consequently, they walk quietly side by side until shops begin appearing alongside the road. Mill tilts his head into the air and says out loud, "I think it will be light soon, we don't have much time. We also need some supplies before we leave so we'll have to be quick."

Menyoo looks into the sky and says back to Mill, "It doesn't look like it. The sky is pitch black. I know you said it changes fast here, but we must have enough time for a quick stop."

Mill chuckles to himself, the first playful thing he has done since his encounter with the rogue Jedi, "That isn't the sky you are looking at. Vakeyya is built into a massive rock hollowed on one side. The stone is warped around the top of the city far above our heads and curves out for many kilometers that way," he points to the west with his finger, "That isn't a sky above us, it's just more rock." He laughs out loud again, then picks on Menyoo, "You didn't think it was strange that there were no stars in the sky?"

Menyoo does not take well to being teased, "Well, no! We're in a city, it could be polluted or, you know, the lights."

Mill laughs again and nudges him with his elbow, "Sure, on Vakeyya the dimly lit lights outshine even the stars." Mill says while spreading his hands apart above his head, then laughs one last time, "Come on, this way." Menyoo growls softly to himself, then follows Mill into a nearby shop. When they walk in, the owner hurries to the counter and settles defensively behind it, watching the two of them like a neebray. His staring makes Menyoo uncomfortable as he walks, shoulders tensed, along a row of produce. He tries to watch the shopkeeper without making it obvious. This makes the shopkeeper more nervous, and this cycle continues until Mill brings their stuff to the counter. After paying for the goods, Mill leaves confidently, with the goods stowed in bags. Menyoo follows, maintaining a mistrusting glare until they are safe—kind of—outside.

"It isn't far from here, and the tunnels back to port are shorter than the ones entering the city." They make their way to the district exit, hidden by a set of palisades behind a butcher shop. Mill peels back the divider and they enter back into the musty tunnels. Mill tells Sbeit more about the structure of the city as they walk back. The smugglers port was made from a slim crack on the back side of the enormous boulder that contains the entire city.

A thick wall of the rock stands between the port and the city itself, hence the tunnel system leading in. The tunnels only connect to the commercial districts, which just so happen to be in the back end of the city against the section of rock that separates them from the smuggling port. The city slants at a downward angle from the innermost commercial areas, to the lowest point closest to the massive stone's open exterior. The lowest points are the residential districts, consisting of shantytowns held together by low wages and dilapidated building materials. In the center, between the commercial and residential districts, are the government buildings, industrial complexes, public service stations, and nicer homes contained in guarded communities for the well-off inhabitants.

According to Mill, the uphill climb to the commercial districts is so difficult on the residents, that every few years there is a movement to have a number of shops move into the lower districts. Since the smuggling business is so lucrative, the proposal is refused by both the businesses and the government. The result is a group journey to markets every couple of months resulting in mass mobilizations of people through the city streets. The merchants—in true commercial spirit— collectively raise prices before they arrive, and price gouge the poor. This day is infamous for leading to a multitude of fights, arsons, and murders. The trip has taken on an almost religious identity, leading to its apt appellation: the poor man's pilgrimage.

Mill recalls for Menyoo being a kid and seeing the selection process to determine who would make the trip, picking among the population those who would fight for better prices—in the literal meaning of fight. Mill remembers Darren was selected one year, but he ended up paying somebody else to go in his place; Mill leaves out the part involving Darren. Menyoo is amazed to hear about such a horrible tradition. He asks why the government never steps in to minimize the violence. Mill shrugs in response, then proceeds to tell him about how the politicians and law enforcement have their own tradition: to hide comfortably in their luxurious homes, prepare speeches, and wait for reports.

Mill starts to tell Menyoo about some of the public services, when they reach the tunnel exit, featuring a burly, armed human guard in front of it. Mill curses to himself. Menyoo asks him what is wrong, to which Mill replies, "The guard. He is going to collect a tax on the stuff we bought, but I wasn't planning ahead. We don't have money on us, just the credit chit. Okay, follow my lead, and keep a hand on your lightsaber just in case. We may be fighting our way out."

Mill walks with an insouciant swagger, looking around blissfully at the tunnel walls, then out at the port as he nears the exit. His self-assured strut almost takes him passed the guard, until he puts his beefy arm out to stop him, "A tax must be paid on all items entering the port."

Mill looks at the guard with a scrutinizing scowl, then answers with more feigned confidence, "You appear to be ill-informed. I am one of mayor hurkshaw's guys. I don't pay taxes, I collect them. So move along"

Mill takes a step forward without so much as looking the guard in the face, but the guard reasserts his command, this time placing his rifle across Mill's chest in place of his hand, "And you appear to be behind on the news. Mayor Hurkshaw was banished to the desert four years ago. Corruption and abuse of power. Something about profiting off of large-scale smuggling operations throughout the city. Hurkshaw got off lucky. His followers on the other hand, they didn't. Sure you don't want to change your story?"

Mill juggles with a few other excuses, trying to decide which one will get them in the least amount of trouble, when Menyoo walks up beside him, "Look, we are new here and didn't know the rules. We have a credit chit, but no physical money on us, and didn't know about the tax. Can something be arranged? Traded perhaps? Our ship is in the bay."

The guard waves his hand lazily as a nonchalant gesture, "No need, a credit chit is fine. We have readers on us now. Take it out." The guard pulls out a small square object from his pocket and holds it up for Mill, "Here, you just have to hold it up to the screen like so." The guard goes on to show them how the device works. "I'll add the standard tax, seeing as you only have food on you."

Mill pulls out the chit and waves it over the device. A small circle spins on the screen, then a checkmark appears to give them the okay to pass. Mill muses, "Wow, that is so convenient. Things really have changed since I've been here last." The guard moves to let them pass by.

The port is chaotic, as it always is before sunrise. Last minute bartering in front of half-packed, make-shift stalls devolve into screaming matches between rushing traders. Men desperate to avoid paying another full day's stay drag chests and racks of goods onto their ships. A small strip of red light forms on the awning suspended from the top of the departure bay. Clusters of port workers come out to prepare for the transfer of ships and goods— and other necessary tasks— to ensure a smooth transition from one business day to the next; some of the workers carry marshalling wands, others wield batons and riot shields.

Mill hurries through the crowds, shoving his way through the congested byways— a tactic employed by most of the competing smugglers. Menyoo tries to avoid being aggressive by staying close behind Mill, filling one void to the next. The spaces fill faster as the walkways become more congested, forcing him to be aggressive in order to keep pace. As they near the ship, Menyoo notes the neighboring vessel with the large dogs has already left. He looks over to his left to see if he can spot the creepy old man, but he appears to be gone too. Menyoo then wonders if he didn't tip off the Jedi hunting Mill, since he somehow knew they were Jedi himself. That whole exchange made Menyoo uncomfortable; chills return to him as he thinks about it again.

They reach the ship. Mill nearly trips into his knock on its side, "TC, it's Mill. You can open up. We've got to leave fast."

A faint, "Aye aye captain!" can be heard from the inside of the ship. A puff of smoke is released from the bottom of the doors as it swings open for the Jedi. Mill places one foot on the inside of the ship, but before he steps up, Menyoo stops him, "Hey Mill, hold up. I know it's too late now, but I've got to ask. Will Sbeit be okay? It feels wrong leaving him here like this."

Mill exhales from his nose and looks down, as if he were expecting the question. He then lifts his head impudently and says quickly, "No he'll be fine. He made his choice. And besides, he was the Order's man on the inside. They'll get a ship to him if he asks for one, or have somebody here supply him with one. The assassin had to have come in a ship too. We have nothing to worry about, he can take care of himself. I spent years making sure of it."

Menyoo nods, then steps passed Mill onto the ship, assisted by a guiding push by Mill. Mill picks himself up over the ledge and closes the door behind him, lowering the bunk into a normal position. The first thing Menyoo sees is the corner where Sbeit left a bag packed for the trip. He lets out a sigh, "You really think he was a spy for the council?"

Mill walks over and drops into his bunk, still exhausted from his near-fatal encounter. He answers, "I know he was. Not for the whole council, probably just those who sent us here. Yoda, Rancisis, your Uncle. He is a dear friend of mine, truly, but he's their lap dog. Loyal to them over his own master." He says the last statement with a sad intonation, then allows it time to settle before continuing, "Speaking of, I never did thank you for not telling the council about Mygeeto. The vortex over the bridge I mean." Menyoo gives a half-hearted smile, having never considered it an option to tell them in the first place. It wasn't his business; it was Mill's story to tell. He just hopes he won't come to regret allowing him such freedom, or following along for the remainder of the trip. Mill sits up and slaps the bunk with his hand, "Anyway, with him gone we are free of prying eyes. That being said, I think it's about time we shared some things. Especially seeing that we may have become outlaws together."