"I know I'm an idiot, Carth, but don't you think punching me is going a little too far?"

My voice once again sounded like a docking horn as I held my bleeding nose. Nothing was broken—Carth had held back—nothing but my pride. Even though I'd sensed the pilot's intentions, I hadn't expected him to actually follow through.

The edge of the Upper Shadowland precipice stayed on our right as we stomped over vines, roots, strange plants. Carth marched at my side—shouting at me of course. HK-47 took my rear. Everyone else had gone far ahead of us with Canderous leading the way. The Mando knew how to track in dense jungles like this (something, something, Dxun), so we already had a lead on the reckless teen.

Carth hissed. "Too far? No, going too far would be sending you over the cliff. Mission is walking around the Kashyyyk jungle alone because you were a petty son of a bitch. She could be dead because of you."

"Come on." I released my nose—ignoring the dribble of blood falling on my cleft. "She's not helpless. For all we know, she's already succeeded at rescuing the Wookiee."

"There is no chance in hell that would ever happen. Not in this galaxy."

"O ye, of little faith, Carth. Mission'll probably skip around that tree over there and ask us why we were taking so long."

"You...why are you so frustratingly apathetic all the time?"

"Simple. I'd rather not stress out over everything."

"But she's fourteen. What if she was your actual child? Would you care about her safety then?"

I cringed at the thought. All those hormones and emotions...

"Err...thank the Force I don't have children. Nor will I have any, seeing as how I'm a Jedi now."

The pilot smirked. "Yes, thank the Force for that. With your track record, I'd fear for any child raised by you. Actually, you'd probably abandon them on the side of the street. Or forget about them entirely."

A flicker of anger that I hoped Bastila didn't sense heated my chest. That was a low-blow bringing up Liam like that. I'd thought we'd come to an agreement to never mention that incident again.

I didn't hide the anger in my voice. "Why are you being so kriffing antagonistic about this? Mission has saved your ass plenty of times. If we find her before nightfall, she'll be fine."

"I…" Carth stuck his hands in his jacket pockets then avoided tripping on a root. "That is none of your business."

"Oh, so we're doing this again?"

"Again?"

"The whole 'I'm a paranoid nerf herder with trust issues' schtick."

"You are…" He sighed. "Honestly? Yes, I don't want to tell you because I don't trust you."

"Why? 'Cause I lied about something?" I snorted. "You sure you're a soldier? Because your upper officers probably lied to you all the time in order to keep things on a need-to-know basis."

"Yes...but you're not my upper officer, are you? You're an arrogant asshole. I find it hard to trust people who lie to me."

"Well then, it's no wonder why you don't trust anyone, Orangy. People lie all the time."

"But not to our friends." He raised his brows. "We are friends, right?"

I pursed my lips and stuck my own hands in my pockets. "You changed the subject again, I see. Good job, almost fell for it, but I'm smarter than that." I leaned closer to him. "Why are you so kriffing worried about Mission?"

Carth kicked a rock, causing it to spin into the darkness of the Lower Shadowlands.

"You never let anything go, do you? Fine, I...I'm worried about her because she reminds me of Dustil."

"Dustil?"

"My son. Dustil."

My body sank and my chest hollowed with guilt. Great, now I really felt like an asshole. No, wait, I was an asshole.

"Have nothing to say now? Figures." Carth sighed like he was collecting himself before he continued. "Dustil was Mission's age when the Sith fleet attacked Telos. After the battle, they never found his...body. The colony was a complete ruin. I made inquiries and followed the reports for months, but after a while, it just...wore on me. I stopped." His body tightened. "If only I'd searched for him that day. I'd been so focused on trying to get help for Morgana that I…" A sneer grew on his face. "But you don't care, do you? Maybe if you'd lost anyone close in war, in battle, you'd be just as worried for her as I am."

I avoided Carth's accusing stare and watched the darkness of the Shadowlands. Before I could come up with something to say, Canderous called out for us to stop.

He'd found the Czerka encampment.

All of us gathered around the edge of a cliff, making sure we were out of sight from the manmade clearing. Multiple beacons dotted the outskirts along with turrets facing the jungle. The precipice that led down to the Lower Shadowlands was the only side of the encampment that was left exposed as a natural barrier.

Makeshift tents with the Czerka insignia littered the gray ground. Dead creatures hung over racks in the middle of being processed and packaged into ice bricks. Energy-shielded cages of all different sizes trapped live creatures. Tachs, ullers, katarns...Wookiees. They were guarded by turrets and sentinel droids. Anyone who let out those creatures would be rewarded with a face full of blaster burns.

A flash of blue peeked out from the lip of the precipice. Mission pulled herself up into the clearing then snuck towards the cage's control panel.

"There." I pointed. "Kriff, what is she doing? She's completely exposed."

I'd normally not feel as worried about her...if we also had her back. She was too far for us to be of any help. That and this clearing was armed to the teeth with Czerka's latest gadgets. Sure, if the reckless teen could use the Force, she could avoid turret fire. But she wasn't a Jedi. If she took too long...or didn't keep an eye out...

Bastila edged closer to me. For once, she hadn't shot me a look of judgment. Instead, it was a look of concern.

"I'm surprised she hadn't been caught," she muttered. "We need to act fast."

Verena crouched to my left. "We could draw them away from the child. There aren't many droids and the Czerka fiends only look armed with stun batons. We could take them out no problem."

"You mean murder them in cold blood?" Juhani hissed near my ear. "That isn't the Jedi way."

"Canderous, Carth, and I are not Jedi. We could do the honors."

"It doesn't matter." Juhani spat. "If we let you, we'd still be endorsing ruthless killing."

"Ruthless? No, no, I'll make it clean."

"Ignoring that dark statement." I turned to face the young Cathar. "We don't have time to worry about the ethics of it all. Mission could die if we don't act now."

"Yes, but—"

Bastila interrupted. "What are those?" She pointed to the beacons surrounding the clearing.

Canderous answered. "Repulsor fields. Saw the Republic set those up plenty of times on Dxun to keep beasts away from their medical clinics."

"So...say we take down the repulsor fields," Bastila said. "They would be exposed to these beasts. And they wouldn't want to be attacked while completely defenseless now, would they?"

I smiled. "Yes, and because they're Czerka, they'll run away screaming into the trees. Good thinking."

Bastila smiled back.

The Mando shifted behind me. "But...you need to disable most if not all of them for that to work. Taking out one won't be enough. Because of that, we're more likely to get shot in the ass by those turrets. More trouble than it's worth. It's quicker to go in blasters blazing."

Those turrets did put a damper on that idea. Either we take out Czerka quickly or waste time to scare them off. It was an easy decision to make then.

"And even if we get those repulsor fields down," I started, "we won't have much time to rescue Mission and leave the area before we get overrun by the Kashyyyk wildlife. It's better if we—"

Bastila's gray gaze met mine. And with that single look, I could tell she didn't want to cause unneeded death and destruction. Not when there was another way. I didn't need to sense the bond to know that. But of all things to care about, Czerka, really?

No one deserves execution, no matter what their crimes.

She really will be the death of me.

"—at least try it. Yes, it'll be risky." I nodded. "But we've dealt with worse, haven't we?"

Verena threw her hands and Canderous snorted while muttering something about Jedi. Bastila, Juhani, and Carth seemed to relax after I took their side. What? I was the deciding party here?

"Okay." Carth finally spoke. "But how will we disable all of the disruptors without getting shot at by those turrets—alerting Czerka in the process?"

"Hmm…" I rubbed my chin again. "Perhaps if the turrets focused inward instead of out…"

The red blinking photoreceptors of HK-47 glowed in the darkness of the jungle.

An evil grin spread on my face.

"Things could get...crispy."

"Indignation: I cannot believe this, Master. This is the sixth time you have given me a task that does not involve wanton slaughter."

"Wait, sixth?" I blinked. "You're keeping count?"

"Affirmative Statement: Of course I keep a record, Master. Your tasks have included: hauling luggage, translating sand meatbags, guarding the ship, following this blue meat bag, following that hairy meatbag—and now this...

"Observation: I am beginning to question your intelligence and your ability to make rational decisions. You have wasted my potential on numerous occasions that only a dithering, idiotic, meatbag—"

"Force, why do you keep that thing around?" Bastila interrupted. "It's so insulting."

"You hear that, tin can? It's not just me who thinks it." I pushed up onto my elbows and raised a brow at the Jedi. "We all need a verbal punching bag to let out the stress, right?"

"No, we all don't. Only you do." She narrowed her eyes. "And it verbally abuses you right back. I'm not sure how that could relieve any stress."

"Well, you could also say that I'm a masochist. But that isn't very romantic, is it?"

She rolled her eyes—clearly not impressed—though there was a faint smile on her face...

Bastila and I laid in wait within the bushes for the signal. We were as close as we could get to the encampment without being spotted by the turrets.

Mission was still working hard at the panel for the last five minutes. Maybe if she was lucky, she'd get the shields down, but...that would only draw attention towards her. The wrong sort of attention. Turret attention.

A distant bird call. Canderous. Everyone had finally gotten into position.

Now, we couldn't have HK torch the entire encampment (as much as he would like to do so). It needed to look as natural as possible. Which was why we hid near the generators. Of all things that could start a fire, a malfunction was one.

I held out my hand towards the turret guarding the repulsor along with this section of the perimeter. I closed my fist. The metal crushed into itself as I focused and the sights blinked shut.

Once I was sure the turret died without anyone knowing about it, I waved at HK and, with a final hiss, the droid crouched towards the tents pitched closest to the generators. A burst of fire puffed onto all of the tents and none of the Czerka goons were the wiser. When HK needed to be quiet, he was surprisingly effective. Before the fire could catch, the assassin droid shuffled back then hid behind us in the brush.

When the smoke began to rise, a few of the Czerka goons shouted in panic and dropped whatever they were doing. One of the poor fools tried to put out the fire with a water bucket. Some began to join in...but fortunately, I'd already thought far enough ahead to consider that. I'd chosen the machine part storage tents in particular.

It was, after all, surprisingly difficult to put out a grease fire.

The fire continued to eat at the storage tents no matter how much water they threw at it. The pithy extinguishers from the droids barely contained the blaze once they realized their folly.

The first repulsor blinking off was Bastila and I's signal to move. While Carth, Canderous, Verena, and Juhani were busy trying to take down the repulsors, we would go and protect Mission from the turrets. Then, once the field was down, we had a few spare minutes to get the hell out of there. And since Czerka wouldn't give chase, we'd get a clean break.

We rushed around the fire while avoiding the gaze from the confused turrets. Mission had stopped hacking the panel and watched the fire with horror in her eyes. That, in turn, meant she hadn't been paying attention to the live turrets spinning around from watching what was going on outside the camp to...

"Mission!"

Bastila shouted then unleashed her lightsaber and reflected back the bolts from the turrets before it hit Mission in the back. That caused all of them to twist away from the forest towards us. My own blue blade snapped on and I took position on the other side of the reckless teen—deflecting all of the blaster fire into the trees.

"What the fuck were you thinking!" I yelled at her over the chaos. "We are supposed to stick together down here!"

Bastila grunted—the blaster fire ramped up. "Is now really the time to be arguing?"

Mission had gotten down to her knees and shot back as well. Yet, her shots didn't make a dent in their shields.

"I was breaking Big Z out—unlike someone!"

"I told you that it was too much of a risk!" I threw a crate with the Force to block a stray bolt from hitting Mission. It fell into the Lower Shadowlands. "As you can now clearly see!"

In the corner of my eye, a few of the repulsors blinked off.

Mission growled. "I don't care—Big Z needs my help! You ran off plenty of times to help people before!"

She has a point, you know. I glared back at Bastila due to those bond thoughts then at Mission again.

"Oh, so your own stupidity is my fault?"

"Hey! I'm not stupid!"

My arms began to tire from deflecting the turret's fire. Enough. Closing my eyes, I focused on one of the machines, feeling the warmth of the Force, and pulled. Lifting a hand, I grabbed one from the ground and shoved it into the other. Like cantina dominos, they collided into each other until they all fell into the depths of the Shadowlands.

Bastila followed my lead, disabling the ones shooting at our rear. The blaster fire finally cleared up. And the last repulsor went down with it. The Czerka employees rushed about in a panic, grabbing what they could, before heading into the jungle.

I extinguished my lightsaber then grabbed Mission's wrist. "We're leaving. Now."

"No!" She tugged back but I didn't let go. "Not without Big Z! I almost bypassed the operation—"

"We do not have time!"

"I'm not a child!" Mission shouted back, waving her free arm. "I don't care if you don't want to do it, Wes, but I want to! And I can do it—just let me try!"

"No. You're going to get yourself hurt. I'm trying to protect—"

"I don't need you to protect me!"

Mission's blue eyes watered with tears as I stared down at her—the heat of the fire drawing closer. Bastila's face darkened with the shadows. She might have sensed my desire to knock the teenager out and drag her out of there.

Yet…

I released Mission's wrist.

"Five minutes," I muttered. "Then I'm dragging your ass out of here."

Her shoulder's lifted and her tears cleared. She nodded, her lekku shaking. Mission approached the panel once more and began to type at the machine. I crossed my arms as I watched, the foreign sensation of anxiety pound within my chest. Bastila and I watched the surrounding jungle. Czerka cleared out and the rest of our team waited near the edge of the encampment. Obviously, they were confused as to why we were taking so long.

Then, about three minutes later—

"Done!"

The shields trapping the Wookiees flickered before collapsing. All of the furbags rushed away from us with their arms still bound together. Even they knew it wasn't a good idea to stick around.

Zaalbar shuffled towards us—his face hidden in the shadow of the jungle as he looked at his feet. Mission ran up to him and hugged the Wookiee tight.

"Big Z!"

Bastila met my eyes. "We need to go. Before—"

A wall of ice collided with my body.

Revan.

Drumming. The sound of pumping blood. Terrifying, tortured screams, muffled down below. No one else heard them—if they had, they would have mentioned it. The metallic smell, taste, cloyed the air. Cold fingers gripped my head and pulled towards the darkness of the Lower Shadowlands.

Carth ran up to Bastila and I—saying something that I couldn't make out. Everyone else had rushed up to us as well except for Juhani...who probably also sensed it.

Bastila sounded distant when she spoke.

"What...is that?"

I am the dark.

That wasn't Bastila. No, for once, I wish it was Bastila.

Something boomed down below and shook the ground—in the direction of that slithering, seductive voice. Animals—tachs, kinraths, bats, bugs—screeched behind us. Despite the repulsor field being shut down, none of them approached the corpses. Carth took out his blaster along with Canderous. Both pointed their weapons at the precipice. Verena grabbed her vibroblade. Yet those of us who could sense it didn't move.

I am your fear.

Juhani staggered past Canderous towards the precipice, towards the voice. No, stop! My eyes moved and my mouth opened to shout at her...but the fear of what called out to us froze me in place.

"Guys." Carth charged his pistols. "What is—?"

Massive claws broke into the lip of the cliffside, breaking it into a million pieces. A giant mass pulled itself up from the darkness like a hulking firaxan. Canderous didn't wait for it to pull itself up over the side of the cliff. He sprayed the bipedal spiked rancor with volleys of blaster rounds. The creature—the Great Beast—roared at us, mucus spittle flinging at our faces.

How?

The beast continued to roar as the blaster shots soaked into its hide. Carth began to shoot next while Mission had fallen onto her back.

Its yellow eyes rolled around as if searching for something.

The eyes locked onto me.

I unleashed the blade of my lightsaber. Bastila did the same, yet Juhani remained in that strange...trance. Whatever aura this thing was sending out affected Force sensitives negatively—except for Bastila and me for some reason.

The beast thundered towards us.

I met Bastila's horrified gaze.

"Run!"

The fires licked at the brush at our sides, barricading us from the easiest route of escape. Zaalbar grabbed Mission and rushed towards the protection of the jungle. Canderous cursed before hooking his blaster rifle over his shoulder again. Carth and Verena didn't hesitate and dashed after them.

"Juhani!"

Bastila, for some reason, lagged behind in order to shake Juhani's shoulder. The young Jedi remained motionless as if she hadn't heard us. Kriff, the beast had done something to her. I stopped running and twisted back towards the beast, Bastila, and Juhani. Sensing the darkness around the creature, I tried to calm it with a burst of the Force. To stop it before it killed them both.

Yet, it did nothing.

No. I shook as the beast stormed towards the women...completely powerless to stop it. But, before it killed them both, it ran past like they weren't worth the effort.

What?

Its yellow eyes honed in on me.

I was the prey.

I'd been so shocked, stunned by the darkness, that I almost didn't notice Verena running past. She twirled Yusanis' blade and tried stabbing into the beast's thick hide. The blade rang as it was deflected away. It switched gears and batted Verena with its massive claw. Her body flew over the fire and into the darkness of the forests.

"Verena!"

Before it could go for me again, Bastila extended her hand, and the warmth of the Force aimed for its legs. The beast stopped, yes, but not because of the Force. Its yellow eyes landed on her now.

I focused on the beast myself and tried to stop it from approaching her. Somehow. Someway. Yet...no matter how hard I focused, how much power I used, the beast brushed it aside like I'd been poking at it with a stick.

It roared. The power of that roar pushed all of what we'd been using on it outward. All of us who were close were sent to the ground

And Bastila—

"No!"

Bastila disappeared over the side of the cliff. Even though she'd fallen, I didn't sense pain. She was still alive—must have grabbed ahold of one of the roots.

Each of the beast's clawed feet shook the jungle floor. Carth had been knocked unconscious by the Force blast. Canderous staggered to his feet though blood leaked on his forehead. Juhani had also gone off the side of the cliff, but half of her body gripped the edge. Zaalbar, despite his size, had been thrown into the crude cages. And Mission...blue blood ran down her cranium—also knocked out from the blast.

I scrambled to my feet holding my lightsaber out, my arm shaking as the dark fear poured out from the spiked rancor.

Bastila!

I'm fine...holding on…climbing back up...

What could I do? Nothing affected this thing. I couldn't even get close to it without it batting me away like a botfly. And, for some reason, it was only after me. You could run—draw it away. No, I wouldn't abandon her. I promised. I had to face it alone.

Its hot breath stunk worse than a hundred Wookiees and its tusks were brown—faded blood from past kills. For some reason, it carefully approached instead of running at me like a normal rancor would. It...it was weary of my lightsaber. So, it was smart. Great.

Nets from Czerka's supplies laid exposed on the ground. With a small burst of the Force, I tugged up at them, causing them to hook onto the creature's spiky legs. It shook its body to try and free itself, which it did five seconds later, but it had been enough of a distraction.

I shouted as I stabbed at its club-like arm while trying to avoid the spikes. My lightsaber hissed and I managed to take out a portion of its claw. The thing flailed as I continued to hack into it. Blood warmed my arm and wrist as I accidentally cut myself on its spikes.

For some reason that had been enough for it to go into a mindless rampage.

I was once again thrown to the ground, this time due to the physical force of the beast. I'd been lucky—it hit me with the smooth portion of its arm. My vision blurred despite only feeling dazed from being thrown to the ground.

Something...burned my blood. I hissed as I forced myself to stand once again. The creature roared as it waved its injured arm around. Enraged. It was going to kill me. That was a fact. I could barely hold up my lightsaber—blood caused my grip to slick.

Run.

A shadow blurred from the cliff. A yellow light shined in the darkness. Bastila had gotten between me and the beast.

No… I regripped my lightsaber. I told you—

Run, idiot.

Never.

Then...I will.

Before I could argue, Bastila lifted her arm. The most powerful blast I've ever felt before hummed within the air. The beast's yellow eyes focused on her once again and before it could attack, she dove into the jungle. The creature smashed fallen branches, shrubs, creatures, as it chased after Bastila.

Kriffing hell.

Canderous coughed. "Where is she—?"

I ignored the Mando and I ran after them. The thorny vines cut into my tunic, the roots almost tripped me twice, the gray eternal twilight of the Shadowlands became darker. The burning in my blood and the fatigue from battle wore on me. They became distant, blurry forms. Blurry shadows...nothing. I staggered to a stop near a wroshyr root and some overgrown shrubbery.

I'd lost her.

No...no, I could sense the bond. I could find her with it. Closing my eyes, I focused outward into the Shadowlands. Yet the burning...ruined my focus. I fell to my knees and gripped my bleeding arm.

"Hey, idiot!"

A cranky voice called out, but I ignored it as I once again tried to focus...

"Those are my cabbages you're sitting on!"

Fear. Pain. Anguish.

"Do you have any idea how long it takes to grow those down here?"

I pushed myself up again, ignoring a wave of drowsiness, and took a step forward.

"Whoa...kid—"

The darkness consumed me before I hit the ground.

Running...danger…

Sweat beaded down my forehead and a yellow lightsaber cast its light onto the jungle floor. Bastila. She ran deeper and deeper into the Shadowlands. The Great Beast continued to chase her. It wouldn't stop—

Pain. It filled my chest. My blood burned. A hammock swung beneath me. Cold fingers brushed across the wound. In the darkness, an old, cranky voice muttered to himself.

"Kids these days...so reckless…" Something metal jostled. "Blasted. How do you take off this ugly thing? Heh. Fashion really changed for the worse—"

The voice was interrupted by a dark burst of the Force. The hands disappeared. A body slammed against the wall.

She stopped near the edge of the Shadowlands once more. It had cornered her. Nothing but the darkness at her back. The Great Beast lowered its head, prepared to charge.

Bastila raised her lightsaber.

My body shivered. Something wet brushed my brow. A warm liquid rolled down my throat.

Figures, shadows, danced. Visions—faces of the parents I didn't recognize became the faces of the Jedi Masters. Then they became Mission, Zaalbar, Carth, Canderous, Juhani, Verena, and...Bastila.

I held a lightsaber. Its red hum burned the air.

Mission was the first to approach.

"You couldn't protect me."

We should have left Zaalbar behind.

My arm moved and I couldn't stop it. The lightsaber stabbed into Mission's face.

She faded only to be replaced with Zaalbar.

"But you did nothing. For me or my people."

We should have attacked Czerka.

Zaalbar fell to his knees then disappeared after I cut him in half.

Carth stomped up to me with a red face.

"No, it's not our fault we're dead, is it?"

Right, I'd provoked Mission. If I hadn't—

I cut off Carth's head.

Verena kicked Carth's body aside.

"Stop it with this pathetic self-loathing. You should have been there for us anyway."

But I hadn't.

When I killed Verena, Juhani was next.

"The way of the Jedi didn't help you to protect me, did it?"

There is no emotion, there is peace.

The heat pierced the Cathar's throat.

Canderous pushed Juhani's body away then marched forward.

"You faced the darkness alone."

No one else could.

The Mando died without complaint. Then, finally, Bastila. There were tears in her eyes.

"Because you wanted to save them all."

I couldn't stop it. The red light pierced into Bastila's chest. Tears fell down her face. My breath froze as I stared into the dark abyss that were her eyes.

Yellow eyes.

You failed to do even that.

Pain. My hands shook. Colorful skies. Red laser beams mixed with green blurred my vision like mist. I tried to shake my head but I couldn't move.

A red mask.

She was dying. Bastila held her chest as she desperately crawled into a fallen, hollowed-out tree. Death clung to her body but something kept her going. The bond. The beast had long since given up trying to reach her. But it stalked the tree, waiting for her to take her last breath—

"Bastila!"

I shot awake and tried to get up, but something heavy forced me back down.

"Whoa, kid, stop moving. You're still—"

"Let me go!" I think I shouted. "Let go!"

The body holding me down was flung across the unknown room. I pushed myself up. Something cold had been wrapped around my arm. My body shivered as I tried to stand from the hammock.

The claustrophobic room blurred. I could only make out something steaming from a pot and a few stumps surrounding a broken table. The dark-skinned old man I'd used the Force on grunted in pain but remained motionless on the floor.

"You know, kid...my back will not survive another decade if you keep on doing that."

I ignored the stranger and made for the blurry form of the door. Or staggered at least. My hand shivered as I reached out for the handle.

Someone grabbed my shoulder. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?"

I shook it away.

"Why do you care?"

"Well, I've been nursing you from the brink of death all day. I'd rather not have all of my hard work go to waste. You have a bad habit of stinking up my hammock by the way. At this point, I have the right to—"

I yanked the door open, yet before I could take a step outside, I became nauseous. The world tilted causing me to lean on the side of the wooded curved walls. Blue, greens, and yellows swirled around the floor—faces, a brith…

Bitterness clawed up my mouth and I threw my lunch up onto the floor. A foul stench wafted in the air.

There was humor in the old man's voice. "Yeah, that's the Dingla root. You'll feel nauseous and funky for a few hours. And by 'funky' I mean the 'high on spice' type of funky. Which is fun, but I would ignore the dancing gizkas. Or the seductive Hutts. Hopefully, you don't get the seductive Hutts..."

"You…" I coughed. "...drugged me?"

"Uh, yeah? You've got some toxins in your system. I don't have kolto lying around."

Force...I was rescued by a senile, demented old man. That would be my luck, wouldn't it? A shadow jumped near my face. Darth Malak...riding a bantha. I flinched and batted it away, but my hand only hit the air.

"No offense," I spat remnants of my lunch, "but I don't have much time."

"You'll have nothing but time if you don't take what help you can. You can't afford to go galloping off into the night high as a glider. You don't need to be down here for twenty years to know that isn't—"

"Bastila is dying." Another chill rippled through my blood. "I can't...leave her…"

The old man looked me up and down as if I'd grown two heads like a Paaerduag.

He sighed. "Do you know where you last left her?"

"You're an old man. There is no way—"

"Do you want my help or not?"

I closed my eyes, taking in a few breaths. I cast my mind out, focusing on the bond, trying to see where Bastila was. It was...difficult. Everything was dark. But I remembered in a vision the last place she'd been.

I had no choice—I had to trust this insane old man. Or else Bastila would die.

"She's...in a tree. A fallen, hollowed-out tree. Hiding from...that beast. She's injured."

"Close by?"

"Yes. Very."

The old man didn't say anything else to me as he stormed through the door. I tried to call back to the stranger, yet the chills ripped through my system. I slid to the floor and the darkness took me again.

One moment was darkness, the next my caked eyes opened to a worn, pale ceiling. The chills from before were gone, replaced with sore muscles and...strange memories. Instead of the hammock, I was laying on a bunch of fronds on the floor. My arm throbbed with numb pain and the fever had broken into sweat.

Before I sat up, I made sure to sense what was in the hut. Two people. One…

Bastila.

I shot up, ignoring the feeling of nausea. Bastila laid in the hammock beside me—pale, lifeless. Whoever rescued us had also dressed her wounds. The beast grazed her chest with its claws and numerous cuts marked her face. The stranger had wrapped leaves tight around her torso—her tunic had been shredded. And she shivered—fever. A scratchy blanket covered her legs. I pulled it up so that it covered her wounded chest.

The bond...I focused on it, desperate to feel something, yet it was ice. Distant. It wasn't the same numbing distance like when she pushed me away on Tatooine. This was worse. It was like...trying to shout at someone while drowning in a deep ocean. While it did feel cold, her heart still beat within her chest, and it rose and sank with her breath. Whatever the stranger did, it was helping her at least.

Someone cleared their throat.

I dropped Bastila's stony hand—I hadn't even realized I'd taken it up.

The mysterious old man from before sat back on a stump on the opposite side of the hut with crossed arms. He watched me with suspicion, yet a curious grin curved his lips.

"She's fine. See? Safe and sound."

I went for my lightsaber, yet when I grabbed at my belt, I felt air. The old man raised his white brow as I searched the hut for my weapon.

He chuckled. "I've hidden it—your lightsaber. Was afraid you'd skewer me with it in your drugged sleep. Was talking about killing them...it being your fault...lot of hogwash."

"Who…" I tried to swallow but my mouth was too dry. "Who are you?"

"I'm Jolee. Jolee Bindo."

I blinked a few times. "No, that isn't—why are you here?"

"Why am I here?" His shoulders shook. "That's what you ask after awakening in a strange place after being high on roots? Does this...happen to you often? Not judging if it does, of course."

I hissed after bumping my injured arm. "You must be that crazy old hermit the Wookiees were talking about."

"Crazy? Ha! Well, that sounds unlike them. They've called me mystical before but not crazy."

"They should call you crazy. Why would anyone want to live down here?"

"Hmph. Well, it isn't because I like the stink of dead kinrath."

"Can you just answer my questions straight?"

Jolee kicked one of his stools over then made for the kitchenette. "Why don't you pull up a stump and get comfortable. I'm sure you're starving after your ordeal."

I closed my fist while eyeing the door.

"Who are you to give me orders, old man?"

"Oh, ho! Orders?" He grabbed a bowl and poured a watery soup into it from a bubbling cauldron. "Didn't think it was a command so much as an invitation. No need to be so on edge, kid. You shouldn't try so hard to make enemies."

"I don't have time to care." I waved at the door. "My friends are all out there—who knows where. That beast will get to them if—"

"They're fine." Jolee sipped some of the soup then coughed. "You'll probably protect them better from the terentatek sitting in here rather than stomping around willy-nilly—getting lost in the process."

"Te-terentatek?"

"Yes, the terentatek, did I stutter? Or maybe you're just slow." I narrowed my eyes, yet Jolee continued before I could snap back. "The terentatek are dangerous to those who threaten it, sure, but they only really hunt Force sensitives. Which is why you should stay here..."

"You don't need to protect me, old man."

"Hmph! Just another fool with a big chip on his shoulder. That's a dark road, child." Jolee sauntered over to the table and slid the bowl onto it. He sat with a sigh on his stump. "Look, you can sit and chat with me if you want to. Or not. I'm too old to care whether you think I'm babysitting you."

I glanced back at Bastila's paling face. I'd never seen...well, I never wanted to see her look so vulnerable. The old man was right about one thing. I was starving. And I'd been out of action for an entire day possibly already. I'd only get lost trying to find everyone—not to mention I wasn't sure if I wanted to leave Bastila behind with this stranger.

I pushed myself to my feet. My body still felt numb from whatever drugs Jolee gave me along with the beast's toxin that flowed through my system. I only took a few steps before I reached the old man. This room (home?) barely spanned the width of the medical bay on the Ebon Hawk.

I collapsed onto the stump Jolee kicked over and eyed the steaming soup.

"Go on." He threw a wooden spoon into the muddy liquid. "Don't think about the taste—it's the health benefits that matter. Good for the liver."

Can't believe this…

I picked up the spoon and dipped it into the soup. Force, something's...floating. Before I could mynock out of this situation, I forced the spoon into my mouth.

And immediately spit it out.

"Are you trying to kill me!?"

Jolee chuckled while flinching away. "Oh ho, your manner is fearsome! Like the little ullers I shoo from the garden. May need to grab the spray..."

"That's healthy? A Gamorrean couldn't digest this!"

Jolee's wrinkled face grew a few more. "How dare you! People always compliment my cooking. Your taste buds are off. Possibly a side effect of the Dingla—"

I pounded the table—the soup sloshed. "Enough games, old man. Who are you and what do you want?"

Jolee's smile froze and his old eyes sharpened. He studied my face for a few moments before he pulled the bowl of soup towards him. He sipped at it then waved the spoon at me.

"Did I say I wanted something?"

I leaned closer. "Obviously you want something. You wouldn't have risked your life saving Bastila otherwise."

Jolee sipped once again at his soup. "This isn't bad at all. Kids these days, always whining and complaining about something."

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Oh, I'm listening." He shrugged. "Not worth the effort to respond though. The ullers are like that too. Once they let out all that pent-up anger, they go right to sleep. Like a toddler napping after a tantrum."

"Oh, so this is why you're down here," I said. "You're so annoying that no one wants to be around you."

"You're the annoying one, kid. I saved your life and you repay it with attitude." Jolee scooped up some more of the soup, his shoulders sinking. "But I guess some people don't change."

I scoffed. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means what it means. Does there have to be a meaning to what I say?"

"No, yes...no! Just tell me why you're down here."

"Why are you down here?" The old man raised a white brow—he seemed to like to do that. "This is my home after all. You wouldn't find me barging into your dwelling and demand why you live there, would you?"

I sighed. "Well, no I guess not, but..." Kriff, this old man was impossible. Probably should play nice or else I'd get nowhere with him. "The Wookiees banished us after I tried to help with their slavery problem. Didn't exactly work out. We've been stuck—"

"You're a bad liar."

I twitched. "What? I'm not lying."

"Or not telling the full truth. Same thing as lying, really. No…" The old man brushed at his white goatee while searching the wood of his table as if pondering something difficult. "The problems of a few Wookiees don't amount to anything before...your concerns." He glanced over to Bastila's pale form. "You're here for the map, aren't you?"

I flinched. "How...how did you know about that?"

"Nah, ah, you've asked enough questions." Jolee stood up and took the empty bowl from the table. "Kashyyyk is an interesting place, more so than anyone suspects. If Czerka Corporation knew, heh, the planet would be a strip mine. The Wookiees have their legends that they were not always here, but it is more than that. The trees themselves are strangers."

I rubbed my aching head. "Can you...get to the point?"

"What I'm saying is that there are literally walls in your way—a precipice, in fact. I also may know where your friends ran off to—I hear a lot of what goes on down here. So, you won't find what you need without my help…and my help has a price."

Something collided into my head then rolled onto my lap. A yellow fruit—like a mango. Jolee grinned at me from his kitchenette.

I picked up the fruit with a sneer. "So...you do want something."

"Yes, yes, I had other motivations to help you and your lady friend. Motivations, I'm sure, you would be unable to deduce." The old man threw something else. It was a miniature beacon-like device. It beeped occasionally. "You'll need that when you go back out there in case you run into the terentatek. It should scare it off long enough for you to at least make a run for it."

I looked closer at the device. It seemed...shoddy. Barely put together.

"Where...did you find this?"

"Found it on the corpse of a Jedi—one of those terentatek hunters they send on occasion. These beasts always come out when the dark side is strongest. Need a culling every time...well, when the dark side is strongest."

Perhaps that Jedi had been the one who saved Revan. Which meant that lead was literally a dead end...

"Oh! And this."

Jolee chucked something at me again. My lightsaber. It spun a few times in the air, yet landed perfectly on the table. I picked it up and made sure there was nothing wrong with it.

"And what is it that you need me to do, exactly?"

"I need you to scare away my new neighbors. They set up shop yesterday—probably due to the terentatek destroying their other camp. They've been bothering the local wildlife, you see, and they are destroying my garden."

My chest warmed. I'd thought they would have run off after their camp went ablaze. But once credits were in Czerka's eye…

"Really? The old man wants me to get some kids off his lawn? That's it?"

"You make it sound so trivial, but my garden is important. More important than...whatever it is you're doing. Oh, and you did smash half of my cabbages when you took your little nap, by the way. Call it payback if you want."

I sighed. "Okay, but what do I do?"

"I don't know—you think I have all the answers? Wave that around, call them fat or...hairy, stinky. I don't care. Just make sure they don't come back. Hate it when they do."

"Why don't you do it, old man?"

"Don't talk back to your elders, child. Look, they know me quite well, and are always on alert when I approach. The only way I could get rid of them would be violence, which would lead to trouble."

"Violence? What could you do? Hit them over the head with your cane?"

Jolee narrowed his eyes, almost as if he was concerned instead of insulted. For once he didn't address my quip.

"I want them gone, but with as little fuss as possible."

I tilted my head. "Wait, you don't want me to kill them? Why? They enslave the Wookiees—probably better if they were dead."

"If a few Czerka employees go missing...then they may bring high-tech weaponry next time. The Wookiees would never stand a chance after that."

I pursed my lips. The logic...was not sound. High-tech weapons cost a fortune and Czerka liked credits. No, if Czerka feared the Shadowlands, then they would be less inclined to waste credits to send hunting parties down here. They were complete cowards, after all. But there was no convincing this stubborn old man who probably hadn't seen a normal human being in generations.

"Where are they? How many men?"

"Not far—five clicks northeast of here. There are six of them—all weaponless, so you don't need your lightsaber. Probably better to leave it behind, really."

I didn't listen to his "advice."

"So, if I get rid of them, you'll tell me where my friends are and the location of the star map?"

Jolee sighed. "Are you sure you are not hard of hearing?"

I ignored the old man's insult and pocketed the device. Munching on the strange fruit, I glanced down at Bastila's still form. Should I wait until she was awake? I really did not like the idea of leaving her behind…

Jolee cleared his throat. "I'll watch over her—Bastila, was it?" He pulled up a stool and sat beside the hammock. "Was barely alive when I pulled her out of that log. But she's a fighter. Something kept her alive in there…" He bent down and placed a wet cloth over her brow. "She'll be out of action for a bit, body needs to heal, but she'll be up and about before you know it. Don't you worry—don't want to start graying at your young age."

I raised a brow of my own. It almost sounded as if...he was trying to cheer me up. Which was out of character for a grumpy old man living in the middle of a jungle. Though, strangely, it worked. If the old hermit wanted to harm us, he would have already done so, after all...

No. That's not why you're worried, my mind insisted. You don't want to leave her behind because you don't trust anyone but yourself to protect her.

I twisted around and made for the door.

Stupid thoughts. Probably a side effect of the Dingla root. Among other things...

I'm sorry, I couldn't help using that pun for the title of this chapter. Don't kill me, please.

Oh, and this story broke 200k words! Probably the most I've written...ever. Thank you guys for still somehow reading this mammoth :)!