Salaarg:

Reeve's voice resounded through Kara's ears, jerking her awake. She looked up to see the familiar hold of the Shadow Blade. Kara swayed to her side trying to make sense of her surroundings. She couldn't feel any more disoriented. Her mind raced, piecing together her memories. The pirates. Salaarg. Where was she now?

She looked around to see the entire team filling the hold. She was on the floor. Nobody had responded to her waking up. She looked around. Was she losing her memory? What was happening? Something wasn't right. The lighting of the hold was strange. It was like she had a filter over her eyes, tinging everything in a monochrome shade of blue. And the voices, they seemed to echo all around her, ringing in her ears. Ringing loudly. Her vision was slightly blurred, distorted by the blue light.

Kara looked at Reeve and felt hopeful. Maybe everything was alright. He was looking straight at her. Kara knew she must be forgetting something. She stood up, walking towards him and he scowled at her.

Kara stopped. What had she done? Reeve started walking towards her. Kara took a step back but before she could react, he had stepped through her. Kara gave a start and spun around. Reeve had walked right through her, like he was a ghost or something. Or was she a ghost? Was she dead? Had the pirates killed her. Images flashed through her mind. The bridge. KT. No, the pirates hadn't killed her. Not directly at least. She knew she'd made it to the Phantom Fighter.

Kara quickly realised Reeve hadn't been scowling at her. He'd been scowling at what was behind her. Thane. They were talking, but their words became meaningless, bouncing around in Kara's head. White light shone up in front of her, blinding her and Kara stumbled back.

Kara fell to the ground and suddenly found herself sliding across a grainy surface. Sand. Her hands dragged in it, and she could feel the gritty grains clinging to her nails. She could sense that her hair was stiff, matted with sand and something else, blood? She felt the sands sift through her fingers, painfully slowly. She could hear the throbbing in her head over the ringing that buzzed in her ears. Her right arm was in pain and her left leg was completely numb. She forced her cracked eyelids open and was blinded by the brightness of the red sun that shone above her, beating down on her. She slammed her eyes shut again.

Her lips were parched, and she could definitely smell blood. She was increasingly sure of it. She let out a low moan and heard a hissing behind her. She tried to get up, but her body refused to cooperate so she allowed herself to keep being dragged. Wherever she was going, it couldn't be any worse than the hell she was experiencing. Kara turned over, the bright sun burning through her eyelids until the darkness swallowed her up.

She tried to open her eyes again and found she was standing. She could feel ropes digging into her arms yet couldn't see anything there. She looked around and saw she was back in the hold of the Shadow Blade. It all felt so real, but Kara could sense that something was off. She turned to see Reeve and Thane bickering. Nothing new there, but there was something about the way Reeve yelled with such vigour that told Kara something was wrong.

Suddenly, ear splitting cries of anger broke into Kara's mind and she planted her hands over her ears. Kara took her hands off her ears as the pain subsided. 'Reeve' she called, running to Reeve's side. He didn't respond, content to keep yelling at Thane. 'Reeve!' Kara yelled, placing a hand on his shoulder. Instead of grabbing him, her hand passed straight through him. Kara looked down at herself and saw she was semi-translucent. She was a ghost, gone.

Kara dropped to her knees, beginning to cry as she realised what it meant. She was dead. She tried to figure out what had happened. The escape. Steering the Phantom Fighter towards Salaarg. Then, nothing. She had been shot down. She had let down her crew. Reeve's words pierced her thoughts.

'How do you know she's dead?' he yelled, spittle raining over Thane's red face.

'She sent us a transmission saying she was captured by pirates and then the Phantom Fighter's tracker vanished over Salaarg. Face the facts. She's dead, Reeve!'

'Please no', she was shaking in horror. She was gone, but why was she being forced to watch on. She could still feel burning pain throughout her. She wanted to succumb to the dark void that was threatening to swallow her up but somehow, she knew she had to keep watching. She couldn't give in to the battle that raged inside her.

'You don't know that!' Reeve roared. 'You don't know.' he repeated, tears filling his eyes.

'Well, unless she springs up from the grave, we need a new commander,' Barko responded, standing next to Thane.

'Kara appointed me to be in command while she was gone' Reeve declared, fists clenched.

Thane grinned, a look that told Kara he knew something that no one else did. 'She appointed you for temporary command. This is not going to be temporary. Grand Moff Tarkin has sent the orders for the appointment of a new commander, as Kara has not selected a successor.'

'She chose me' Reeve grunted. 'I'm not giving this Order to you Thane. I'll die before you boss me around.'

'Well I can't say I'll be disappointed when you die.' Reeve stared at Thane.

'Who did the Grand Moff select?' Reeve asked, already dreading the answer. Thane opened his mouth to respond, and the whole world swirled away. Everything went black. Kara felt vomit pour out her mouth and a voice echoed in her head.

She tried to open her eyes again, and this time she was able to get a look at what was around her. She was tied up with a cloth, being dragged through grey sand. This was Salaarg, but was she alive? What was happening? Across from her, a sack was also being dragged by a rope. She had crash landed on Salaarg. She knew that much. She looked at the scrap sack, and, she was able to make out the limp form of KT resting atop it.

Relief flooded through her as she came to terms with the news. KT had made it. She might have been broken or deactivated, but as long as her memory chip was still intact, she could be revived. As Kara lay still, she realised how fond of the small droid she had become. Kara looked at the rope that was dragging KT and the fabric sled she was riding. She traced the rope to the silhouette of a massive two-legged beast, trotting forward at a gentle pace. Sitting on its back was a figure, shrouded in robes.

Kara's thoughts were cut off as she was spun around. She soon found herself back in the hold.

'Who did the Grand Moff select?' Reeve repeated, louder this time.

'He chose me' Thane responded smugly. Kara's stomach dropped as she realised what was happening. She was on Salaarg, only semi-conscious and yet, somehow, she was seeing what was happening back aboard the Shadow Blade. She knew what she'd seen was the truth, but how…Kara jerked upright, looking around her.

She was on a short bed. Her armour had been removed and she was clothed in a ragged tunic, that had perhaps been white long ago. A sheet was pulled up to her waist, and she was already sitting up right. She looked around her. She found herself in a thatched hut, the walls and ceiling slightly crooked. The floor was covered in specks of grey sand tracked in from the door. Across from her was a small table. On it, was her ring and her helmet, with a large crack across the visor. Yet another helmet depleted from the Empire's inventory. Kara tried to pull herself upwards, but found that she was strapped to the bed by a rope.

'I see you're awake' crowed a voice from behind her.

Kara jumped, not liking the fact that she couldn't see whoever was behind her. 'You're lucky to be alive. Fortunate I found you before the Kobane did.'

'Where am I?' Kara strained her neck to try catch a glimpse of her captor.

'Salaarg. Wild Space. Beyond the reach of the Empire,' returned the voice. For a desert dweller, it sounded distinctly icy.

Kara looked at her helmet and knew that whoever had captured her, would already be well aware that she working with the Imperial Forces. There was no point pretending she wasn't who she was. 'My team will come for me,' she said, but she knew it wasn't true and her captor seemed well aware of it.

'Don't try to cover up who you are, Kara Kinata,' spat the alien, finally moving into Kara's field of view. It was a female figure. She was clad in grey robes and wore a dull red mask. A black staff was strapped to her back as well as a blaster pistol strapped to her belt. She was shorter than Kara, but stockier in build.

'Who are you?' Kara scowled.

'I am a scavenger. You may call me Via.'

'And what's the Kobane?' she said, knowing she would have to make the most of Via while she was still willing to speak with Kara. She didn't seem the type to bandy about information.

'They're the band of pirates who destroyed your ship. You'll hear more when you need to' Via responded, walking behind Kara again. She returned to her field of view, holding a misshapen mug. Kara could see steam rising off it, and Via begun to sip it gently. 'Can I ask you a question?'

'Well, I'm not going anywhere' said Kara.

'Why do you choose to serve the Empire? You're a smart woman, I read your academy records. However, you're evidently lacking in morals.'

Kara was surprised by the forthright question. 'I joined because I believe in Sheeve Palpatine. He saved us from the Jedi and I support that. The Jedi are filthy, lying scoundrels.'

'What makes you say that?' Via quizzed, obviously intrigued.

'How long have you been here?'

'You answer my question and maybe I'll answer yours' Via responded, pressing her hands against the cup. Kara took a deep breath, looking around her. It was getting dark outside and she guessed that it was nearly night time. In the desert, it would be freezing cold.

'The Jedi took my parents when I was young' responded Kara.

'So, your parents were criminals? Would the Empire have allowed you to join the Phantom Order if they'd known where you came from?'

'You sound like a Jedi' Kara. Via leaned past Kara, pulling a wooden spoon from behind her before using it to stir her drink. 'What are you going to do with me?'

'You will stay here while you recover. Once you are fit for duty, I'm sure I will find uses for you.'

Kara shuddered. 'You can't keep me here!'

'On this planet you are salvage. Any scrap I scavenge belongs to me.'

'Scrap? I'm a commander of-'

'Not anymore. Now you're what they call a servant. Get used to it.'

'I'll get out and get back to my team.'

Via shook her head. 'You wouldn't last a day out there.' Behind her the blazing sun lit the sands of Salaarg. Via turned away to the table and unstrapped her staff. 'But, I might be kind to you and leave my staff with you. You'll probably need a walking stick, especially with the leg.' Via turned and exited the hut.

Kara stared at Via in anger as she left, before the words sunk in. Scared at what she might find, he reached down, tearing away at her sheets. She pulled them away, still strapped to the bed, to reveal her lower body. Kara gasped, horrified at the mess. The lower part of her left leg had been fully removed. Her knee was just a stub, stitched together messily. Kara knew she could never serve the Phantom Order again.