Killian of Earth

by Mando-Vet

Killian has been in the foster system his whole life and known only abuse at the hands of his foster mother; the only place he feels safe is in the world of Star Wars. But when an accident suddenly grants his wish and transports him into the world of his dreams, will it prove to be a dream come true or a nightmare? *Set during The Old Republic*

8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"It'll go easier for you if you just accept what you are, you know." The Twi'lek said softly to Killian as he loaded the tray he was carrying with more drinks,

"And what am I exactly?" He asked, turning to look at her; she was lithe, with dark green skin and a very revealing outfit. She had just finished her dance and had walked off the stage as another female, this one human, took her place. For over a week now, she and the other slaves had watched the young boy with pity as he was subjected to the worst of punishments and cruelties. Yet, despite it all, he refused to give in no matter how many new bruises he earned from the pirates as a result.

"A slave, of course," she said sadly, "Like the rest of us. Once you realize that and accept it, the pirates will stop punishing you."

"I am no one's slave!" Killian growled back; with such ferocity that the Twi'lek was left momentarily stunned into silence, "My people will come for me, and when they do, they will kill every last one of these bastards!"

The Twi'lek looked at him sadly for a few moments as he returned his attention to filling the tray. Finally, the Twi'lek spoke in a low voice filled with sadness,

"I used to think like you when they attacked my ship, and I was taken." Her voice grew thick with emotion as she stared at him, her eyes glazing over in memory, "I was once a part of a group of performers who would travel from planet to planet and perform acts for the wonder of the crowd."

"Like a circus?" Killian asked, turning back to her,

"Sort of, yes." She said with a warm smile, "My specialty was dancing and acrobatics, but on our way to our next gig, we were attacked by Captain Torg and his crew, and I was captured."

"Torg," Killian growled, hatred echoing in his voice, as he looked across the room at the Devaronian who was sitting at a table playing cards with some of his crew, "So that's his name."

The Twi'lek nodded solemnly before continuing, "I was like you, I was sure that someone would come and save me, one of my crew assuredly. But after a year here, I realized that no one was coming," her voice sounded hollow at last, "I've been a slave here for almost eight years now, boy. I learned that the only way to survive is to accept what you are, accept that no one is coming for you."

"You're wrong," Killian growled, showing teeth, "My people WILL come; you'll see."

The Twi'lek shook her head, "You're only fooling yourself, and the longer you keep up this stubborn attitude of defiance, the worse it'll be for you."

"You think this is the first time I've been on the receiving end of some cruel bastard?!" Killian sneered, "My whole life has been one of cruelty and despair. I used to curse the fates daily for putting me into the hands of such people! But then they finally decided to cut me a break, and I was saved by Terra and Argyle; they took me in and showed me what it was like to actually have someone who cared about me; they BECAME my family. I know they will not abandon me! I know this because they are Mandalorians, and they do not abandon their own!"

The Twi'lek sneered at him at the end of his rant, and her voice took on a hard edge as she said, "You're a fool, boy. These Mandalorians are either dead or have forgotten you, accept it or don't; I really don't care. I was just offering you some advice to make your life easier."

With a final sneer, she turned and walked over to a nearby table where three pirates were sitting, two human males and a female Weequay, before sitting on the lap of one of the males and giving a seductive smile.

Killian watched as the human began to nuzzle her neck while she giggled, shaking his head in disgust; Killian turned back to his tray and resumed filling it as black hatred coursed through his veins for them all, the pirates and slaves alike.

He understood why the other slaves all questioned his continued defiance; they had all been here for years and been forgotten by any who might come and help them, their spirits had been broken a long time ago, but that would not happen to him, Argyle and Terra would come for him, and when they did, they would exact a terrible price on these pirates, Killian smiled grimly at the thought.

As he turned to walk away from the bar, his tray weighed down with drinks, a grey-skinned Duro walked into him, causing him to drop the tray with a crash as the various glasses and bottles smashed to the floor.

"Watch where you're going, slave!" The Duro barked as he began to wipe his hands down his front,

"You watch where you're going. It was you who bumped into me, after all." Killian snapped back, making the Duro stop and look at him in disbelief,

"What did you say to me?" He snarled as the bar went quiet; before Killian could respond, the Duro had backhanded him and sent him to the floor with a cry before finishing up with a swift kick to Killian's stomach.

"It seems this slave still doesn't know his place!" The Duro thundered, bringing a laugh to the crowd, while Killian gasped for air.

"Perhaps he needs another reminder of it!" A female pirate called from a nearby table, "Go on, then Fergus, remind the runt what happens when slaves step out of line!"

Killian struggled to breathe as the pirates voiced their support that Fergus the Duro should punish him for his insolence, and his anger grew with each new voice that cried out in jeer. He hated them, he had finally been happy, and these jerks had snatched it all away, just as everything good in his life had been snatched away.

"Do you want to make them pay?" The dark voice in his head said softly, as tears of pain and rage began to run down his face, "You have the power to do so, to make them suffer for their cruelties, simply say the word, and it will be done."

Fergus was grinning down at him like a predator in anticipation as the crowd began to cheer him on to hurt the boy at his feet,

"Aren't you tired of being powerless? Of always being the victim?" The voice whispered to him,

"You have the power to make it stop. All you have to do is let go of your fear, just let go."

"No more," Killian growled angrily as the familiar power that he had felt on the ship once again filled him, "NO MORE!"

With a roar of rage and hatred that had been built over years of abuse, Killian jumped to his feet and struck both his hands in front of him at the Duro, who was instantly sent flying backward against the room and crashed hard against the wall with a painful 'crunch.'

"NO, MOOOOOOOOOORE!" Killian howled as he let the power guide his actions, seizing the Duro in an invisible grip from where he lay on the floor moaning in pain; Killian raised him into the air and sent him crashing to the floor, again and again, imagining the face of everyone who had ever hurt or lied to him.

Mrs. Murray and her sadistic pleasure in causing him pain,

SLAM.

Officer Donnely, who had promised that he would never have to go back to Mrs. Murray,

SLAM.

Mrs. Kuwalski, who knew what was happening and did nothing,

SLAM.

The other kids at the foster home who heard his screams every night and ignored them,

SLAM.

Fergus the Duro no longer made any noise. However, still, Killian did not stop, raising him again and slamming him into the ground as his blood showered the ceiling, floor, and walls in droplets. Then, with a final animalistic scream of hatred, Killian brought both his hands together before wrenching them apart and watched as the Duro's body was ripped in half at the waist before the bloody mess fell to the ground in a heap.

Breathing hard, as though he had just run a marathon, the power finally began to dissipate, leaving Killian suddenly tired and feeling as though he had been doused in cold water. His arms fell limply to his side; looking around, Killian saw the whole bar was staring at him in horror and naked fear. Several pirates had drawn their blasters and pointed them at him with shaking hands. Even the Devaronian captain, Torg, looked shocked by what he had just witnessed, though he quickly mastered himself and a new look came over his face,

"Well, well, well," he said as he rose to his feet and walked over to Killian, who took a step back quickly, "I had thought you worthless, boy. But it would appear that you've been keeping secrets, haven't you?"

Killian suddenly felt very weak. It was taking everything he had to just keep standing, and yet he refused to show fear; he had been afraid for long enough,

"Captain, what WAS that?" A female human with a drawn blaster said, slowly approaching the pair, "He just tore Fergus apart without even touching him!"

"THAT, my dear Angela, was the power of the force," Captain Torg said, looking down at Killian with a cruel smile on his face, "And it means that this boy is about to make us all filthy rich."

"What do you mean, captain?" Another pirate said from across the room,

"The Sith pay very well for anyone who can use the force." Captain Torg said quickly, "They need fresh recruits to help them against the Jedi, which means that all we have to do is call them, and they will pay us a fortune for this brat!"

The pirates began to murmur amongst themselves as Killian's eyes went wide at what he had just heard,

"I can use the force?" He thought, "Of course! Why didn't I realize it before? It's so obvious that that was what that strange power was!"

But just as quickly as the thought entered his head, so too did the realization of what he had just done, and as he turned to look at the broken body that had once been the Duro, Killian suddenly fell to his knees and began to throw up in violent spasms, making the Devaronian laugh cruelly,

"What's the matter, boy? Can't stand to look at your own handiwork? Pity, it was impressive, to be sure."

"I will NEVER be a Sith!" Killian snarled as he finally stopped puking, "I am a Mandalorian!"

"What you are is property," captain Torg said, bending down onto one knee and taking Killian's chin in his hand, forcing him to stare into the Devaronian's eyes, "MY property, at least until I manage to get a hold of the Sith and sell you to the highest bidder. Then you're someone else's problem."

Killian tried to respond, but he suddenly felt so weak; in the corners of his vision, he saw darkness creeping in on him and desperately fought against it.

With a chuckle, he roughly shoved Killian to the floor before motioning to two of his crew,

"Take him away and make sure that he's properly secured, can't risk something so valuable getting loose now, can we?"

The two looked at each other warily, making the Devaronian chuckle,

"You're not afraid of a little boy, now are you?"

"After what he just did? You bet we are!" One of the pirates said quickly, making captain Torg throw his head back in laughter,

"Are your eyes working? Look at him! After that little display, he can't even stand up, let alone hurt anyone. Now take him away before I decide to fire you both from my crew."

Captain Torg lowered his hand to the blaster on his hip as he finished, making clear what he meant by 'firing them,'

with a gulp, the two pirates quickly moved forward and grabbed Killian's arms in a rough grip that made him cry out in pain; as they began to drag him away, the noise in the bar resumed as the pirates started to talk amongst themselves at what they had seen and how much they would make from selling him.

The last thing Killian heard before the darkness closed in around him was the captain shouting orders to a pair of slaves to clean up the mess that had been Fergus. Then, with one last growl of defiance, Killian's head drooped as unconsciousness took him.

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Far away on a Sith battle cruiser, a woman was sitting alone in her quarters meditating when she felt a surge of dark-side energy, so powerful that it momentarily broke her concentration.

As she focused on it, she began to slowly rise into the air as the feelings of pain, hatred, and rage-filled her,

"Who is responsible for such a delicious array of negative emotions?" She thought as she let herself follow the power back to its source. When she had, her eyes flew open in astonishment before a smile slowly began to spread across her face,

"Killian…" She murmured softly, reveling in the image that the force showed her of her son destroying the cruel pirate who had hurt him.

Lowering herself back to the floor, she rose to her feet and approached the large window that dominated the room; looking out into space, she could still hear his scream of hatred and rage and felt pride at the impressive display of power that her son was exuding.

The door to her chamber hissed open, and her daughter entered; as the woman slowly turned, her smile still on her face, the girl stopped short, a puzzled look on her face,

"What's happened, mother?"

"Your brother has just taken his first step down the dark path, and one day that path will lead him back to us, my child."

The girl looked at her mother in surprise at the revelation, before nodding her head in approval,

"I look forward to that day, mother."

"As do I, Cassandra. As do I."

The woman turned back to the window, and there was silence for a few moments before she spoke again,

"I told you not to disturb me. Is there a reason you have done so?"

Cassandra dropped to one knee in submission as she answered,

"Lord Malgus' ship has just docked with us; he wishes to speak with you at once."

The woman turned sharply at the words and stared at her daughter for a moment, feeling the fear that was rising from her like mist,

"Has he said of what he wishes to speak?"

"No, mother, only that he meet with you without delay. And given his reputation, I don't think you should keep him waiting."

The woman turned one last time to stare at the darkness outside her window as she felt the power finally beginning to dissipate; before turning back and striding toward the door, her daughter waited a few moments before rising and following.

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"He's shorter than I thought he'd be," Terra said to Argyle as she stared at the man who for the past two days had been helping them repair their ship, lying on his back underneath a control terminal; Argyle laughed at her comment,

"What did you expect, exactly?" He asked as he poked his head out for a moment to look at her,

"I don't know," she shrugged, "Someone more heroic-looking, I guess. I mean, this is the guy who managed to outfly the Sith fleet when they attacked Korriban and saved a Jedi to boot! If it weren't for him, the Republic would never have been warned that the Sith had returned and been able to prepare a defense. So I just thought he'd be…I don't know."

"I think the story of what happened has been exaggerated, to be honest," Argyle said quickly, as he reached for another tool and went back to work, "His debts are almost as legendary as his deeds, so I'm inclined to only believe half of what I've heard about him to be true."

"The trick is figuring out which half is true and which is a load of poodoo," Nico Okarr laughed as he approached the pair, bringing a laugh from Argyle and a smile from Terra.

"So how much of the story of Korriban is true?" Terra asked with a raised eyebrow as she leaned against the terminal Argyle was working under and crossed her arms,

"That depends on which version you've heard," Nico said with a wry grin, "I must have heard at least fifty different accounts in the two years since it happened, and they all seem to get bigger with each new telling."

"I heard you got captured trying to smuggle goodies off the planet and were arrested by the Jedi; it was only the Sith attack that saved you from a cell." Terra said with a grin, "And then they released you on the condition you help them escape so they could warn the Republic."

"Yeah, sounds about right," Nico said, scratching his chin thoughtfully, "Granted, there were a pair of Sith trying to kill us all, and a fleet of warships trying to blow us to hell, but other than that, spot on."

"You faced a pair of Sith and managed to getaway? Impressive." Terra said with a nod of respect which Nico returned,

"Unfortunately, not everyone managed to," Nico added darkly, "The Jedi who escaped with me lost her master as we were trying to get away, he bought us time to escape, and the Sith killed him."

"That's unfortunate," Terra said with forced sincerity; like most Mandalorians, she didn't have a splendid view of the Jedi, especially after what Revan had done to her people three hundred years before.

"So, what have you been up to since?" Argyle called out from under the terminal as he reached for another tool,

"Same thing I was doing before," Nico called back as he sat down on a nearby box, "Taking whatever job pays me the most, though now that there is a war going on and I've proven how fast my ship is, the Republic is one of my best clients for smuggling food, medicine and the like to their troops through Sith blockades."

"Sounds dangerous," Terra said with a smile,

"Extremely," Nico said, smiling back, "But it's the dangerous jobs that pay the most credits and are the most fun."

"You and my wife are going to be fast friends, I can tell," Argyle laughed from under the terminal, "Both of you seem to find danger an excellent remedy to boredom."

"Is that right?" Nico said with a laugh, giving Terra a wink,

"Careful, smuggler," Terra said back, "You'll find Mandalorian women harder to seduce than the other tarts you're used to, and our husbands tend to act violently towards those who try to snatch their wives."

Nico laughed aloud at that, as Terra smiled wickedly at him, while Argyle peeked out at the pair before returning to his work with a shake of his head.

"You've no need to fear me on that account, ma'am." He said as he took off his hat and wiped his forehead, "I spent some time with a Mandalorian female once, it's not something I wish to repeat, no offense, but your people are kind of crazy."

"None was taken. I take it as a compliment, actually." Terra laughed back with a wink.

"So tell me about these pirates that absconded with your boy," Nico said as he put his hat back on,

"I'm guessing Aola told you about that?" Terra said, casting a glance at the little Twi'lek who was laying on her stomach nearby, reading a data-pad.

"Now, don't be sore with her, ma'am," Nico said with a smile, "I was just making polite conversation while my droid was making repairs, and we got to talking about the boy; Killian is his name?"

Terra nodded, a dark expression slowly coming to her face,

"Yeah, we found him on Alderaan and took him in as a foundling. He had been the victim of cruelty at the hands of his foster mother and ran away. He's been with us for about six months now before the pirates attacked."

"Can you give me any more details?" Nico asked, leaning forward slightly and resting his forearms on his knees,

"Why?" Terra asked, giving him a suspicious look

"Because being a smuggler, I have had my fair share of run-ins with pirates; perhaps I can tell you where they've taken your kid."

Terra looked at him in desperate hope for a moment before regaining her composure, but Nico had seen her expression, and his voice softened as he said,

"The boy means a lot to you, I take it?"

Terra nodded, looking away as she replied, "He does. And as to the pirates, there isn't much I can tell you; the crew was made up of a bunch of different species."

"What about the captain?" Nico prodded, "Did you get a look at him?"

Terra nodded as she remembered the Devaronian, and a scowl came across her face as she growled, "He was a red Devaronian, big ugly bastard."

"Hmm, did he have a scar across the left side of his face? One running from his ear to chin?" Nico asked, frowning as Terra shook her head,

"Well, that rules out Captain Pike. The only other Devaronian pirate I know is Captain Torg, but he usually sticks closer to home, attacking lone ships that come too close to the planet where he makes his base. I don't know what he would be doing this far out."

"You got a picture of this 'Torg'?" Terra asked, her voice barely a whisper,

"T7, come over here!" Nico called to a nearby astromech droid that was busy repairing another terminal further down the hall; with a shrill whistle, it quickly made its way to them, stopping a short pace away,

"Bring up the files that the Republic has on pirates," Nico said quickly, "We're looking for a bounty on a Devaronian named Torg."

The little droid chirped a reply before getting to work; a few moments later, it shone a hologram of a wanted poster into the air, and Terra felt herself go cold with rage as she looked into the face that had taken Killian,

"That's him, alright." She growled, "Impressive bounty. He must be one hell of a pirate to be worth that much."

"He is," Nico said in a serious tone as he stared at the hologram, "He's a murderer, a slaver, and an all-around scumbag of the highest order. The last time he and I came across each other, I was working for Vulga the Hutt delivering some spice to a contact of his; that's when Torg here decided to try and 'liberate my cargo' for himself, almost managed to pull it off too, almost."

"What happened?" Argyle asked, as he came out from under the terminal and rose to his feet, wiping his hands on a cloth as he did so,

"Let's just say I taught him a valuable lesson about not getting in the way of another man's paycheck."

The three shared a smile for a moment before the hologram disappeared and the little droid rolled away to finish his work,

"You know where he is now?" Terra asked, watching the droid go for a moment before turning her attention back to Nico, who nodded.

"He's made his base of operations on the planet Dantooine. Remote enough that no one would go looking for him there unless they knew he was there, to begin with."

Argyle and Terra shared a dark look for a moment before Terra said softly,

"Guess we don't need our 'guest' anymore. You want to tell him, or should I?"

"What guest?" Nico asked, making the two turn to him,

"We found one of the pirates still alive after the rest had fled," Argyle said as he put his thumb under his chin in thought,

"We've been 'interrogating' him for the last week in the hopes that he would give up the whereabouts of his crew, but he has proven stubbornly silent about it," Terra added, her face turning into a scowl at the last part,

"We still might need him, Terra." Argyle said, looking at her, "All we know is where they are; the prisoner still has information that could prove useful. Such as defenses, how many fighters they have, what types of weapons, there are still too many unanswered questions for us to properly plan an attack on their compound."

"He hasn't spoken before now; what makes you think that will change? Terra asked with a sneer,

"Because now we know where they are, and his usefulness is in jeopardy," Argyle responded softly, "He knows that we no longer need him, and therefore will be more forthcoming unless he has some sort of death wish."

"I'm beginning to think he does," Terra scoffed, "That or he's just completely insane."

"Only one way to find out, I suppose," Argyle said as he turned and began walking to the room where the prisoner was being held, followed closely by Terra,

"Mind if I join you?" Nico called, rising to his feet and making the two Twi'lek stop and look at him; they shared a look before Argyle replied,

"You can if you want to; just be warned that my wife was a little overzealous with her interrogation. It's not a pretty sight."

"I've worked for Hutts, I'm sure whatever you've done, I've seen worse," Nico replied, falling into step behind them,

"Hold that thought until after you've seen him," Terra said with a dark smile as they reached the door, and Argyle pushed the button on the wall.

As they entered, Nico's eyes widened for a moment at the figure tied to the chair in front of him, and he let out a whistle of astonishment,

"You weren't kidding. You really did a number on him. I'm surprised he's still alive, to be honest."

"As am I," Argyle replied, "The scum's fortitude is to be admired, if not his intelligence."

The pirate raised his head to stare at them, and his face went slack when he saw who was with the Twi'lek,

"Nico? Is that you?"

Nico stared at the man for a moment before recognition flashed in his eyes, and he snapped his fingers as a smile broke out across his face,

"Well, I'll be damned, Hector Tez. I thought I recognized you!"

The pirate tried to smile, but his bruised face made it look more like a scowl, his missing teeth not helping the matter,

"Been a long time, Nico. How have you been?"

"Better than you, by the looks of it. What are you doing running with Torg? I thought you were smarter than that, Hector. I told you that there is no future in piracy, smuggling is where the money is, and it's safer too."

"Didn't have much choice after you left me to the 'tender mercies of those Trandoshans back on Nal Sharddaa, Nico," Hector said, venom dripping from each word,

"Now, don't go getting mad at me for your mistakes. I only did what anyone would have done."

"You left me!" Hector spat, straining against his bonds, "We were partners, and you left me!"

"You're correct, Hector. We were partners, and once we got back to Nar Shaddaa, our partnership ended. Had you not tried to cheat those lizards in that game of sabacc, perhaps our partnership would have continued. But, unfortunately, you chose to be stupid, and that choice had consequences."

Hector tried to spit at Nico at that but found the action impossible and fell back into a glaring silence, while Nico shook his head with a wry smile on his face,

"So, how'd you end up with Torg?" Nico asked with a raised eyebrow,

"After I managed to escape those scum you left me too, I hopped the first ship off-world," Hector said, eyeing the two Twi'lek warily, "Torg attacked the ship a few days later, killed most of the crew, took the rest to sell into slavery. I managed to convince him that I could be of more use to him as a crew member than as a slave."

"That's debatable," Nico laughed, making Hector growl in irritation, "Doubt you'll be of much use to anyone, now." He said, indicating Hector's missing hands which only made the pirate angrier,

"It's here that did it!" He raged, nodding at Terra, "For days now, she's been cutting me apart demanding that I tell her where the captain is!"

"What I can't understand is why you refused to tell her, Hector," Nico said, moving closer,

"You've never been one to hold out like this for your partners, so why now?"

Nico scratched his face thoughtfully for a moment before continuing, "There must be a reason why you're willing to endure such torments for Torg, so what is it?"

"None of your damn business, Nico! I can't believe you're with these Mandalorian bastards!"

"Oh, I'm not with them," Nico clarified, "I'm just helping them repair the ship that Torg tore to pieces when he kidnapped their boy."

Nico bent down onto one knee in front of Hector and stared at the pirate for a moment before a grin began to form on Nico's face,

"It's a woman, ain't it, Hector? That's why you won't give up, Torg; he's got your woman, doesn't he?"

Hector looked down quickly as Argyle smacked his forehead in exasperation,

"You have GOT to be kidding me?!" He said, "You went through all of this torment for a woman? A woman we weren't even interested in, in the first place?!"

"She may not mean anything to you, but she does to me!" Hector spat, as Nico rose back to his feet and leaned against a nearby wall, crossing his arms as he did so, "And if I tell you anything and Torg finds out, he'll cut her throat as sure as Tatooine is sandy, so I'm saying nothing!"

"We don't need you to say anything, scum," Terra growled as she drew her knife slowly, "Mr. Okarr here was kind enough to tell us that your crew is on Dantooine, so we no longer need you at all, really."

Hector's black eyes went wide, and he began to struggle against his bonds in fear, as Argyle put a calming hand on Terra's arm, only removing it when she had sheafed the blade,

"The deal still applies, pirate." Argyle said as he took a step towards Hector, "Tell us how many fighters your captain has, as well as any other information that might help us get the boy back, and in return, we won't kill you, sound fair?"

Hector stared at the Twi'lek for a moment, his mind obviously racing, before he finally said in a gruff voice, "If I tell you what you want to know, you have to give me your word that you won't hurt my Sarah. Promise me she'll be unharmed, and I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"Unbelievable," Terra said, shaking her head, "You could have told us this before and avoided all of this pain, to begin with, you know?"

Hector merely glared at her for a moment before turning back to Argyle,

"You said that you don't break your word, Mandalorian, so give it to me now. Promise that my Sarah will be safe, and I'll give you everything you need to get your kid back."

Argyle stared at the man for a moment, seeing the desperate hope that radiated off of him, before sighing in exasperation and nodding his head,

"Say it!" Hector growled, lunging forward at Argyle in a futile expression of anger,

"If you tell us everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING, and if we find Killian alive, then I promise that no harm will come to your girl, deal?

Hector slumped back wearily and shut his eyes in relief at the words before looking back at Argyle and Terra and nodding his head in acceptance,

"We have a deal, Mandalorian."

"But if we don't find Killian alive," Terra growled, menace dripping from every word, "I'll make what I did to you look tame compared to what I'll do to her, understand?"

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Alone in the dark, with his hands tightly bound behind his back, Killian tried to get the memory of what he had done out of his head. Still, no matter how much he tried, the images ran on repeat before his eyes.

"What have I done?" He thought in horror as he watched the scene play out again in his mind,

"I tore that poor Duro apart like an animal!"

"You have nothing to feel ashamed of," the dark voice said soothingly, "That pirate has probably killed more innocent people than can be counted, now he'll never kill anyone again."

"It still doesn't make it right!" Killian retorted angrily, "What I did to him goes way beyond what he deserved. It wasn't the way a Mandalorian should behave; it wasn't honorable!"

"Honor?" The voice sneered contemptuously, "What does honor matter when compared with power? Do you think that scum gave a damn about honor? He would have gutted you and thought nothing of it afterward! Do you think your precious Mandalorians cared about honor when they committed such horrible acts during the war with Revan?"

"Shut up." Killian spat at the voice, "You're not even real, just my mind playing tricks on me."

"Oh, I'm very real, Killian," The voice said back softly, "And in time, I will show you how pathetic your naivety about good and evil is when compared with the sweet taste of power."

"SHUT UP!" Killian roared into the darkness, wincing slightly as the rope dug into his wrists at his violent movement.

A moment later, the door swung open, and a Weequay entered with a drawn blaster,

"What's going on in here?" He growled, looking about the empty room, "Who were you yelling at?"

"No one," Killian growled back, fixing the pirate with a glare,

"Well, keep quiet, freak." The Weequay spat back, "If I have to come in here again, you'll get a good kicking, I swear it!"

Without another word, he walked out and slammed the door behind him, leaving Killian to his misery.

"The Sith will show you the truth of my words, boy." The voice said softly, "They will show you how to do things you never thought possible."

"I will never be a Sith!" Killian thought angrily, bringing a chuckle from the voice,

"We shall see, boy. We shall see."

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"I don't think this is a proper way to thank you for helping us," Argyle said as he handed over the purse filled with credits to Nico, "But hopefully, it will pay off some of what we owe you."

Nico took the purse and bounced it in his hand with a smile before stowing it in his pocket,

"Always happy to help people in trouble, especially when credits are involved,"

Argyle chuckled at that; he had grown to like the scoundrel in the few days that he had known him and was about to offer a snide remark when Nico cut him off,

"There's actually something I wanted to talk to you about if you're up for it."

Argyle nodded at him to continue, and Nico leaned against a nearby wall as he spoke softly,

"You and your missus are going to rescue your boy, I take it?"

"That's the plan," Argyle said with a nod,

"Just the two of you?" Nico asked with a raised eyebrow, "Against a whole horde of pirates?"

"Just the two of us, unless you were thinking of offering to help? Which we would gladly accept."

Nico grinned at Argyle, scratching his chin thoughtfully,

"I might be willing to help, Mandalorian. It all depends on the terms we agree to."

"I'm listening,"

"Torg has a bounty on his head of almost ninety-thousand credits, no telling how much the rest of his crew are worth. Plus, there's all the loot that those pirates are bound to have stashed around their compound, so here's my idea, I help you get your boy back, and in return, we split the profit 50/50, sound fair?

Argyle pretended to be thinking about it. Truthfully he had been worried that odds would be too heavily stacked against him and Terra and had been about to make the same deal to Nico; having him make it first just saved Argyle time.

After a moment of silence, Argyle pretended to come to a decision and nodded his head, making Nico grin as if he already knew what Argyle would decide.

Terra appeared suddenly, and when she saw the two, she approached with a sarcastic smile on her face,

"And just what are you two conspiring about all alone back here?"

"Conspiring? Me? Terra, I'm offended you would make such an accusation!" Argyle said in mock affront, making her snort,

"I was just offering your husband here a helping hand in recovering your boy, for a modest fee, of course," Nico said with a wry smile,

"Of course, can't have it be said you acted out of the goodness of your heart, can we?" Terra said with a wry smile of her own,

"Goodness, no." Nico laughed, "My reputation might never recover such a slight."

"The pirate gives you the coordinates?" Argyle asked to which Terra nodded,

"It's on the far side of the planet, no one else around for hundreds of miles, according to him."

"Sounds about right," Nico said, "Torg never was one for neighbors."

"Once we land, we'll wait for nightfall before we attack," Argyle said, "Hopefully, we'll catch them unawares and make an easier fight out of it."

"How do you want to play it?" Terra asked,

"I've no desire to participate in a slaughter," Argyle said grimly, "So those that surrender will get to live and be turned over to the proper authorities for the bounty on their heads."

"And those that don't?" Terra asked. The dark look he gave her was all the answer she needed.

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"Good news, brat!" Captain Torg said with a smile to Killian, who was glaring up at him from the floor where he sat, "My contacts managed to get a hold of someone in the Sith empire about you. They said they would pass on my message about having a kid for sale who can use the force and get back to me as quickly as they can, so it looks like you'll soon be out of my hair; well, if I had hair, that is."

The red Devaronian rubbed his bald head and laughed at his joke, while Killian glared at him in impotent rage,

"The Sith can't be trusted, you know," Killian growled, "The more likely outcome will be that instead of paying you, they just kill you and take me."

"You think I'm some kind of fool, boy?" Captain Torg said with a grin as he bent down to face Killian, "I wouldn't have survived this long if I was, so allow me to tell you what will happen. First, I'll discuss payment with whoever gets back to me; when we've come to an agreement and the credits have been transferred to my account, I'll have one of my boys take you somewhere far from here to be picked up, simple and easy business."

"If you think it'll be that easy, you really are a fool," Killian said with a sneer, bringing a smile to Torg's face,

"You got spirit, kid, I'll give you that," Torg said as he rose to his feet, "But I wouldn't bet on it lasting long once the Sith get their hands on you."

Without another word, the Devaronian swiftly turned and left the room, the door slamming shut behind him, and Killian was once again alone in the dark,

"Not much longer now, boy." The voice whispered softly, "They're coming,"

"Shut up," Killian growled, trying to sound brave, but inside, fear began to churn in his guts, and he felt suddenly very cold.

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"This captain is either supremely over-confident, or he's an idiot," Terra said as she viewed the large stone building through the scope of her rifle, "I count only three guards, one on the roof, one by the front door, and the third walking the perimeter. You'd think with his reputation that he would have more."

"He probably doesn't think he needs more," Nico replied, watching through his binoculars,

"There's no one else out here for miles, and no one knows that this place even exists, so what need does he have for a lot of guards?"

"Then he's careless," Argyle growled, like Nico he too was watching the building through binoculars, "And unfortunately, today that carelessness will be his undoing."

They had landed a mile away from the compound a few hours earlier, Terra had been worried at first about the possibility of scanners that might pick up the ships as they landed so close to the pirate's base, but to everyone's surprise, there were none.

Aola had wanted to come, of course, but Terra had firmly put her foot down and told her that she was not to leave the ship under any circumstances and to ensure she followed her mother's orders, Terra had locked Aola in her room, much to the little Twi'lek's objections and tears of rage.

When they had come to within sight of the building, the three had quickly taken cover and spent the next hour silently watching and waiting as the sun slowly lowered towards the mountains behind them.

Terra and Argyle had their armor on, while Nico was wearing a simple black blast vest under his long grey trench coat,

"You sure that'll be enough?" Argyle had asked when he saw how little protection Nico had on,

"This vest has saved my hide enough times that I trust it to do so again," Nico had replied with a grin.

Now the three were simply waiting and watching at the abysmally pathetic defense that the pirates were presenting,

"This will be easier than I thought," Terra said with a grim smile that was hidden behind her helmet,

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, honey." Argyle said thoughtfully, "We still don't know how many are in there."

"Hector said there were only about thirty," Nico said quickly,

"And you believe him?" Terra asked, turning to look at him,

"I trust that he knows what will happen to his girl if he lies," Nico responded, bringing a chuckle from Terra.

"We'll wait an hour or so after nightfall," Argyle said, "Then make our move. If all goes well, we'll have the element of surprise on our side, and it should be over relatively quick."

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"You ready?" Argyle asked into the radio that was built into his helmet as he looked down at the compound beneath him,

"Ready when you are, honey," came Terra's reply, making him nod in satisfaction.

The sun had been down for about two hours when the three began their assault on the compound; Argyle had used his jetpack to fly high above the building and was currently watching the guards as they lazily conducted their business.

Without another word, Argyle guided himself towards the guard who was walking the perimeter and slowly lowered himself to the ground behind the human, landing softly and quietly drawing his knife.

With a sudden explosion of movement, Argyle rushed forward and grabbed the man's head, placing his hand over the human's mouth to stop him from screaming, and quickly drew the knife across the man's throat. The human gurgled for a moment and then was still; Argyle breathed a sigh and carefully lowered his victim to the ground as a light flew over his head, followed by the sound of a body falling to the ground.

"Second guard has been neutralized," Terra said over the radio, making Argyle smile under his helmet,

"Next time, I get to play sniper; how about that?" He asked, smiling as a chuckle rang out over the radio,

"Learn how to shoot better, and I'll think about it."

"Hey, I'm a great shot!" He whispered with mock offense in his voice as he crept slowly around the building, drawing his blaster,

"I love you, honey, but with a rifle, you really are awful."

Argyle grinned even as he internally admitted the truth of the words,

"You got eyes on Nico?" Argyle asked, peeking around the corner at the last remaining guard,

"Yeah, I see him." Terra replied, "He's about to make his move, be ready for it."

Before Argyle could ask what move Nico was about to make, he heard a whistle and peeked around the corner in surprise to see Nico leaning against the wall of the building with a smile on his face,

"Excuse me, sir," Nico said to the stunned guard, "I seem to have gotten lost. Is this Maria's Cantina?"

Before the guard could respond, Argyle holstered his blaster, activated his jetpack, and flew at him, grabbing under his arms and flying them both into the night sky; once they were a reasonable distance from the ground, Argyle calmly released one arm to draw his blaster and promptly fired two rounds into the guards back before releasing him to fall, already dead, to the ground with a thump.

"You are certifiably insane, you know that?" Argyle said as he landed in front of Nico, who was grinning and simply tipped his hat in response.

Before Argyle could say more, Terra landed next to the pair, her rifle slung across her back and two blasters in her hands,

"Enough joking around!" She growled, "Let's do what we came here to do and be done with it!"

Nico nodded as he drew his blasters, his demeanor turning suddenly serious. Then, with a nod of understanding, Argyle pulled a sonic grenade from the pouch on his belt and pressed the button, activating it; without another word, he opened the door slightly and threw it in, pulling the door tight when he had done so.

There was a moment of silence, and Argyle feared the grenade was a dud when the windows suddenly shattered as a vibration of sound exploded throughout the building, followed by screams and curses. Argyle quickly drew his blaster, kicked the door open, and ran inside, Terra and Nico close behind him.

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"What's going on out there?" Killian asked himself as the sounds of battle reached his ears; he had been asleep when a shriek had woken him, followed by screams and cursing; not long after that came the sounds of blaster fire.

"Guard this door!" Came the familiar voice of Captain Torg from outside Killian's room,

"If anyone but me approaches, kill them, understand?!"

"Yes, captain!" Came the quick reply, followed by the sound of running feet,

Killian weakly rose to his feet and peered through a small crack in the door but could see nothing, and with a weary sigh, made his way back to the other side of the room and slumped back to the floor,

"Whatever it is, can't be good," he thought wearily. After almost three days of no food and barely any water, Killian was too weak to care about anything except the gnawing fear that he would soon be sold to the Sith and most likely tortured until he gave in and became one of them.

Suddenly the room shook as though a bomb had gone off, and dust rained down from the ceiling onto Killian's head, making him stare at the door in shock and confusion,

"Seriously! What is happening out there?!"

A moment later, the door swung open, and the captain entered, heavily bleeding from a wound on his shoulder and with a look of pure rage upon his face,

"On your feet, brat!" He roared, grabbing Killian roughly by the arm and hauling him up, "We're leaving!"

"Where are we going?" Killian gasped as the rope tore into his wrists, and he was pulled into the hallway, "What's going on?"

"It would seem I owe you an apology, boy." The captain snarled, "The Mandalorian scum that you won't shut up about has actually come to rescue you!"

Killian's eyes went wide at the revelation,

"They came for me!" He thought happily, tears coming to his eyes, "They actually came!"

The knowledge seemed to give Killian strength where he had had none before, and he began to struggle as captain Torg dragged him down the dimly-lit hallway. With a snarl, the Devaronian backhanded Killian, sending him to the floor, before grabbing him by his hair,

"I'll be damned before I let some Mandalorian filth take my prize from me, you little brat!" He roared, showering Killian's face with spittle,

"Let me go!" Killian yelled back, eyes shut against the pain from his scalp,

"Terra! Argyle! Help!"

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The attack had gone perfectly, the sonic grenade had brought most of the pirates and the slaves to their knees as the trio rushed into the room, and Argyle had quickly dropped four pirates in less than a moment; looking over at his wife, Argyle smiled as he saw that Terra and Nico were also having no trouble with the stunned enemy. Quickly, however, the pirates were getting over the sudden attack on their senses and began to fire back, forcing the trio to find cover,

"So far, so good!" Nico called from behind a nearby pillar, making Argyle smile from behind the table he was using for protection,

"You truly are one mad bastard, you know that!" Argyle called out,

Nico laughed in response as he fired from behind the pillar and dropped a Weequay female and Rodian male in quick succession.

"We don't have time for this!" Terra growled as she rose to her feet and bent over, pressing a button on her wrist; as she did so, instantly, the rocket on her jetpack fired, hitting the back wall in an explosion of fire, blood, and screams.

"I may be mad," Nico coughed, "But your wife is worse!"

"You're damn right!" Argyle coughed back, slowly rising to his feet and taking in the carnage around them, as he moved slowly, looking for any sign of danger.

Smoke filled the room, and a large hole had appeared in the wall where Terra's rocket had hit, from which the smoke billowed out like a chimney, quickly clearing the room, around them pirates were either dead, dying, or unconscious, with the few that were still able to fight, running for the stairs to escape the smoke and the three who were responsible for it.

"YOU!" Someone roared, and Argyle turned his attention to the stairs to see the red Devaronian captain glaring at him, a pair of blasters in his hands,

"HOW DARE YOU DESTROY MY HOME!" Captain Torg roared, rage dripping from every word as he opened fire, forcing Argyle to kick over a nearby table and jump behind it for cover,

"You shouldn't have stolen my kid!" Argyle yelled back, "Now you're going to die for it!"

"I'LL RIP YOUR HEART OUT, YOU MANDALORIAN SCUM!" Torg roared, unloading his blasters into the table, which was quickly being turned to kindling from the assault,

"I need some help here!" Argyle called out, "He's got me pinned down!"

"On it!" Terra yelled back from across the room, and as Argyle peeked out from behind the table, he saw Terra move from behind a nearby pillar and fire a well-aimed shot right into the Devaronian's shoulder, making him cry out in anger and drop one of his blasters.

Spinning quickly, Torg opened fire with his remaining blaster, and Terra ducked back behind the pillar as shots rang out past her; Argyle growled in anger and rose from behind the table and took aim, just as he fired, he was tackled by a human male and knocked to the floor, his shot missing Torg's head by inches.

"Die, you bastard!" The pirate screamed, blood pouring from the wound where his left eye used to be, as he wrapped his hands around Argyle's throat and began to squeeze,

"You first!" Argyle gasped out, raising his blaster to the pirate's stomach and firing three times in rapid succession; the pirate glared at him for a moment in hatred before his eyes rolled into his head. He fell onto Argyle, making him gasp at the sudden weight.

Pushing the pirate off of him, Argyle jumped to his feet and spun around to where Torg had been a moment ago but found him suddenly gone,

"Where is he?!" Argyle yelled, looking at the wreckage around him,

"He ran up the stairs!" Came Nico's reply as he rose from a nearby table where he had been taking cover.

"Then let's get after him!" Argyle growled as he made his way toward the nearby staircase, Terra and Nico following close behind, Argyle stopped suddenly, and his eyes went wide as he heard a voice echo out from above them,

"Terra! Argyle! Help!"

"Killian!" Terra yelled, relief and fear in her voice in equal measure, and Argyle snarled in anger as he ran up the stairs, quickly killing a Rodian who had been waiting for them, with a drawn knife,

"Out of my way!" Argyle yelled, firing point-blank into the pirate's skull and shoving his body to the floor.

A shot bounced off Argyle's armor, and he was forced to take cover in a nearby room, Terra and Nico doing the same in the room across from him as blaster bolts raced down the narrow hallway, giving them no chance to return fire.

"Help! Argyle! Terra! Help me!" Killian's scream rang out again, making Argyle roar in anger as he dove sideways towards the room that Terra and Nico were in; as he did so, Argyle fired and killed a blue Twi'lek who had stupidly chosen to stand in the center of the hallway and fire at them, rather than take cover with his crew. Argle rolled into the room and quickly came to his feet, pulling a grenade from his pouch before Terra grabbed it from his hand,

"No!" She barked, "You could hit Killian!"

Argyle grabbed it back quickly and walked to the nearby wall of the room,

"I wasn't planning on using it on them, woman!"

Without another word, he activated it and grabbed the nearby mattress, pulling it over the trio for cover as the wall behind them exploded, leaving a hole to the next room,

"Why didn't you say so!" Terra teased, making Argyle shake his head in exasperation as he stepped through, followed by Terra and Nico,

"On three," Argyle said, "Three!"

At once, the trio dove from the room, surprising the pirates and instantly dropping another four of them, before the trio retook cover in another room.

"Drop your weapons!" Argyle roared down the smoke-filled hallway. "If you do so, your lives will be spared, or you can all die here. I personally don't care!"

"Don't listen to them!" a voice rang out from somewhere down the hall, "The moment we drop your weapons, they'll kill us all!"

"I give you my word that any who choose to surrender will not be harmed!" Argyle roared back, "I swear it on my clan and on my people, now choose whether you wish to live or die!"

There was a moment of tense silence, and Argyle feared that they wouldn't take the deal when suddenly a voice rang out,

"Okay, don't shoot Mandalorian; we're coming out."

"Hands up!" Terra called out, "I see a single weapon, and I'll shoot!"

There was a sudden clattering on the floor, and as Argyle peered out, he saw four pirates walking out from the smoke ahead of them with their hands above their heads; two humans, a Rodian and a pale skinned Zabrak,

"On your knees!" Argyle called out, watching for any sign of deception as they slowly lowered themselves to the ground.

With a nod to Terra to cover him, Argyle slowly moved into the hallway and approached them, his blaster at the ready,

"Are you all that remains?" Argyle asked the Zabrak, who nodded quickly,

"We lost most during a raid with some Mandalorians a few days ago," the Zabrak's eyes went wide as realization set in,

"You! You're the ones who did it!"

Argyle nodded quickly, leveling his blaster at the Zabrak's face,

"That's correct, and I would have been happy to let the matter go at that, but you stole something very important to me, and I want it back, so I'll only ask you one time, where is the boy you kidnapped from me?"

"That little freak is yours?!" The Rodian exclaimed, "You can have him! He's a monster!"

"What do you mean by that?!" Terra asked, stepping from the cover of the room and approaching the pirates, Nico slowly following.

"A few days ago, one of our crew smacked the boy around a bit," one of the humans said,

"That little freak tore him apart without even touching him! Boss said he was going to sell the brat to the Sith, that they'd pay good money for the boy because of what he can do."

Argyle and Terra looked at each other for a moment, dumbstruck by the revelation, before turning their attention back to the pirates kneeling in front of them,

"Where is the kid, now?" Argyle asked in a shaky voice,

"The boss dragged the kid to his room," the Rodian said quickly, "It's the last room at the end of the hall."

"Nico, keep an eye on this scum," Argyle said, "We'll take care of the captain."

Nico nodded and spun his blasters in his hands before turning them to face the pirates who were looking at him warily,

"Be careful, you two." Nico said as the pair began to move down the hall, "Torg won't go down without a fight."

The two Mandalorians said nothing as they slowly walked down the smoky hallway, checking each room before moving on; at last, they reached the end and could hear noises inside as though someone was tearing the room apart; Argyle looked at Terra, and she nodded quickly before raising her blasters, with a sigh Argyle kicked the door hard. It flew open with a loud 'crash.'

The two rushed into the room to see Torg holding Killian several inches off the floor by his hair, a curved dagger pressed tight against the boy's throat,

"Let him go," Terra growled, holding her blasters at the ready.

"Not a chance!" Torg snarled, "This boy is going to make me rich; I mean, do you even know what he can do?!"

"We heard," Argyle said dryly, "And we don't care, now let him go, last warning."

"Don't care?!" Torg cried, his eyes bulging in surprise, "This brat can use the force! Both the Jedi and the Sith would pay a fortune for him! You let me go, and we can split it; there will be more than enough for the three of us!"

Killian looked at the two Twi'lek in fear, tears forming in the corners of his eyes, and Argyle felt his rage turning white-hot at the pirate's words,

"Not interested," Argyle growled, taking a step forward and wincing as Torg pressed the blade into Killian's neck as a result,

"Then you're a fool, Mandalorian!" Torg snapped, "Sooner or later, word will reach either the Sith or the Jedi about what this brat can do, and when that happens, they will take him away from you anyway. So I'm simply offering you the chance to make some money off the exchange rather than walk away with nothing!"

"Let. Him. Go." Terra said, malice dripping from every word as Torg's eyes shot back and forth between the two Mandalorians.

"As I said before," Torg's said, his voice showing a hint of panic, "Not a chan-"

Before he could finish his sentence, his eyes went wide, as Terra fired her blaster and sent a bolt through the center of his head, his hand released Killian, who promptly fell to the floor with a painful 'thud,'

Torg stood standing for a few moments, his eyes wide as though refusing to believe what had just happened before finally, his eyes rolled into the back of his head. He fell sideways to the floor with a loud 'crash.'

Terra quickly dropped her blasters and raced to Killian, drawing her knife and cutting through the rope around his wrists in one swift motion before bringing him into a tight embrace.

For several moments there was silence before Killian finally spoke in a soft whisper, as though he couldn't believe it,

"You came for me."

Pulling away from the boy, Terra removed her helmet and fixed Killian with a soft yet warm expression, one filled with love,

"We will always come for you, Killian. You are ours, and we will never abandon you like others have done, I promise."

Killian stared at her for a moment and knew that, unlike all the rest who had made the same promise before, she was telling the truth, and he finally collapsed in her arms, sobbing.

"Mom," he sobbed, making her hold him tighter, "I want to go home."

Terra smiled as she gently stroked his hair, while Argyle watched with a smile that was hidden under his helmet,

"Then let's go home, my son."

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The following two weeks went by in a flash for Killian; after the battle, Terra had taken Killian back to the ship while Argyle and Nico (who Killian had stared at in open-mouthed awe upon meeting) had stayed behind to tear the compound apart in search of loot, Aola had taken Killian in a great embrace and had refused to let him go for some time, both crying and laughing at his safe return, and then promptly gave him a stern lecture to never do something as stupid as that again, to which Killian had laughingly agreed.

After loading up everything of value onto the two ships, a process which had taken nearly four days, the group then had to decide what to do with the pirate's slaves, who had survived and now had nowhere to go.

It had been Killian who had suggested that the slaves be given the pirates ship and allowed to leave and go wherever they wanted to, that they had suffered enough and deserved to be free, the slaves had stared at the boy in shock at this suggestion, and when Argyle had agreed, the slaves had promptly bowed to Killian in gratitude, some with tear-streaked eyes.

When it was time for them to go, the green Twi'lek that Killian had spoken with before approached him, and her voice had shaken with emotion as she thanked him for setting them free,

"No one deserves to be enslaved," Killian had said, "Now go find your circus friends and get back to doing what you love."

The Twi'lek had pulled Killian into a tight embrace at that, much to his surprise, and then hurried to the waiting ship, followed by a dark-skinned woman and a heavily bruised man with no hands that had glared at Killian for some reason.

Leaving Dantooine far behind, the two ships had made straight for Nar Shaddaa, where they collected a significant bounty on captain Torg and his crew which was equally split between the Twi'lek and Nico Okara.

After Argyle had thanked him for all his help and promised that he would one day repay his debt to the man, Nico Okarr had tipped his hat to the group and thrown a wink at Terra, who had flipped him off with a smile, making Nico grin mischievously, he then promptly vanished into the crowd. Killian had then been dragged by Terra to a nearby medical center and dropped into a bacta tank to heal the injuries he had sustained. At the same time, she and Argyle took their ship to a nearby mechanic for repairs, which it desperately needed if it was to ever be in top shape again.

After his injuries were healed and the ship repaired, Terra and Argyle had taken the children shopping to replace the clothes the pirates had taken from him, and to Killian's surprise, later that night, they had celebrated he and Aola's birthday, complete with cake and presents, Aola had received a brand new data-pad filled with hundreds of hours of books and games to occupy her, while Killian had received a beautiful silver necklace in the shape of the Mandalorian Mythosaur,

"It's beautiful!" He had gasped upon seeing it,

"And it will protect you as well," Terra had said as she draped it around his neck,

"What do you mean, mom?" Killian asked, bringing a smile to Terra's face,

"This necklace has a built-in tracker in it; I had it made special for you. If you're ever in trouble, this necklace will let us know where you are, and we'll come running."

Killian had been unable to keep himself from grinning at that and promised that he would never take it off, much to Terra's delight.

Finally, after far too long as far as Killian was concerned, their ship was returned to them, looking even better than before, and the group had happily loaded up their gear and put Nar Shaddaa behind them,

"So, where are we going now?" Killian asked as Argyle prepped the hyperdrive,

"Now," Argyle answered with a grin, "We go home, and you get to meet the rest of your family."

Killian grinned happily at that, as the hyperdrive came online and the blackness of space tore open into a brilliant stream of bright blue; as the ship disappeared in a flash, Killian hummed to himself happily. He didn't know what would happen when they reached Mandalore; all he knew was that first time in his life, he had a family, and that was enough.

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Author's Note:

This chapter took FOREVER, lol. I made it extra long for a couple of reasons, the first being that I don't know when I'll be able to sit down and write again as my life is becoming a bit more complicated, so I hope this will satisfy you for now until I can post the next one. The other reason is a simple one. I just couldn't stop, lol.

Every time I would stop and say, "That's an excellent place to end the chapter, a new idea would pop into my head, and I'd keep writing, so I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. As always, reviews are most welcome and appreciated as they help me make a better story, enjoy.