Jaina led the way through the thick underbrush, relying on the force to pinpoint the location of the trail that would take them back to what was formerly the Great Temple and Jedi Academy. Brodey recalled seeing holos of the academy when he was back on Eclipse. It was a truly magnificent structure, but he knew from the shaping of Coruscant that it no longer took the same form as it once had. If it still stood at all. They'd already encountered wildlife that seemed foreign, proving that the shaping of Yavin 4 was in progress, if not complete.


"See anything, oh Great One?" He asked apprehensively during the third hour of their journey. Something told him that Jaina's search for a familiar trail was not unlike searching for a ship in an asteroid belt.


"Of course I see something!" Jaina insisted stubbornly. 'A whole lot of creepy plants,' She thought uneasily as she cut through another one with her lightsaber. The vine let out a blood-curdling scream as a thick, clear sap dripped from where Jaina had severed it in two.


"I don't think we're getting anywhere," Jag sighed as he mopped his brow with his sleeve. "We've been walking around for hours and still no trail!"


"Both of you mortals shut up now!" Jaina commanded harshly. "I know what I'm doing."


"Mutiny now?" Brodey asked, giving Jag an elbow in the ribs.


The older man gave him a glance of suspicion, looking almost stung that Brodey would suggest something of that nature. Brodey could see the fierce loyalty blazing in Jag's eyes, the kind that only came through a deep love and admiration. He decided to drop the idea of revolt, mainly because he figured that he'd get his nose broken again by one of the two.


"Do you have any better ideas, Your Highness?" Jaina asked snottily, turning back around and sticking her violet blade at his chest.


"Oh, I've got your great idea, right here!" Brodey snapped boldly as he stuck his hand out, showing her his favorite vulgar gesture.


"Brodey, that's enough!" Jaina boomed in frustration. "If you're not going to be helpful then you can just find your way back to the ship by yourself."


"Goddess, don't tell me you'd leave me out here to die," Brodey answered back loudly in a tone that was almost whining.


Jaina smirked evilly, telling him that she was indeed considering it. "I have great faith in your ability to survive."


"Consider the alternative," Jag said softly, staring up at him with eyes that looked dark-rimmed and haunted in the fading dusk light. "You could be here with us, and put up with a little stupidity, or you could be back at the ship with Anja and Kyp, and put up with a whole lot of screaming."


"Fel, I think there's enough screaming going on right here, don't you?" Brodey responded obstinately. "I'd be a lot happier in that situation. I'd drug Kyp up so he didn't remember anything and Anja and I could have a nice evening alone. However, I'm here with the two of you, getting eaten alive in a stinking jungle, just so we can survive! So step off, because the sun is going down and we need shelter, a fire, and some food!"


He didn't wait to see the shocked expression on Jag's face from his outburst. Right then he didn't want to see much of anybody, except for the one man that might bring an end to the constant fighting and sneaking around that came with the war. It looked very probable that they'd never make it to the rendezvous. They'd never meet up with the shady man who might or might not be able to help them. Such issues seemed moot next to the dilemma they currently faced. Survival was first on the agenda.


Jaina shrugged as Jag looked to her for some support. "He's got a point," She muttered, watching the back of Brodey's sweat-soaked jumpsuit as he pushed his way through more brush, toward the setting sun.

~*~*~

Anja sat lazily on a mattress she'd placed on the wall of the ship and read from her datapad. Even the newest holonovel couldn't take her mind off her intense anger. She hated Kyp for being so much of a jerk that Brodey had to drug him and make her stay here to take care of him. She hated Brodey for trusting Jagged Fel at his side more than he trusted her.

'God forbid that Jaina and her lover boy should ever be separated for one instant of the day!' She thought furiously as her arm wanted desperately to chuck the datapad across the room.

Her wrath deepened as she thought about the previous night. She thought that things were finally improving between them, that they'd opened the flood gates of communication in their relationship. She'd opened herself up to him completely and she thought she had no regrets about that. Now, with nothing but the buzz of piranha beetles in the dark background of the night to keep her company, regrets began to surface like bubbles in a stream.

The one good thing about the situation was the absence of Kyp Durron. The jedi master had been asleep in a back compartment of the ship for the past three hours. The lack of his annoying presence was certainly a stroke of luck.

She buried herself deep into her reading, hoping to ignore the dismal reality around her. The story was a particularly morbid romantic tragedy that she'd downloaded from the computer on Brodey's ship before the power failure. She had just reached the part where the young couple, cousins by blood, was torn apart by relatives in the middle of consummating their love. She found that she couldn't put it down, even though Brodey informed her that the book was nothing but downhill from the start. He'd explained to her that it was a classic in his culture, and all secondary school students were forced to read it.

'What kind of culture elevates such a horribly depressing book to the level of classic?' She thought wryly, pleased that she'd found another thing to hold against Brodey.

Anja read on as the family of the star-crossed lovers executed them in a ghastly and ritualistic fashion. The story, while gripping, left her with a disgusted feeling inside. She couldn't think of any point to it, besides the obvious one that told you it was a bad idea to marry your cousin.

A slight change in the surface of the mattress alerted her to changes in the external world and startled her to the point where she almost went airborne. She nervously looked up, expecting a Vong warrior or something equally as bad. It was worse than she'd expected. To her right, sitting cross-legged, was Kyp. He said nothing, only staring at something interesting about his boots.

"Kyp," She said softly, almost feeling concern for him. "Did the injection wear off?"

"I'm going to take that little twerp and disembowel him," Kyp said seriously as he nodded his head languidly.

"I'll take that as a yes," Anja answered as she turned back to her novel.

"Where does he get the idea that he can drug me?" Kyp cried in outrage, slamming his fist down onto the soft mattress. "I did a lot of bad things in my life, but I never took drugs to 'mellow out'."

"You didn't willingly take it," Anja muttered as she read through the story's epilogue.

"No Sith, I didn't! He thought he was making things better for me by knocking me out. All I remember is a tribe of overzealous ewoks attacking me! It was a nightmare!" Kyp exclaimed, resting his head against his knees.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Anja mumbled, although she secretly savored his torture.

"Why are you here instead of out exploring the jungle with your idiot of a boyfriend?" Kyp asked candidly. "I'm surprised he'd leave you behind after last night! I couldn't get a moment's rest with your antics!"

Anja's temper rose at his accusations but she resisted the urge to punch him out. She told herself that he'd been through just as much as she had, if not more. Even though she hated every ounce of his being she decided to let that comment pass. "Brodey felt that Jag was a better man to have along on the trip. He stuck me here, with you."

"Maybe he just didn't want to be distracted from his duty," Kyp hinted wryly.

"Durron, I've got a vial of extract sitting over there that has your name on it!" She threatened piercingly. "Now, if you're going to stay alert and ewok-free then shut your pie hole and sit down!"

"Yes Ma'am!" Kyp laughed, falling silent.

"I don't know what it is," Anja said, staring blankly as if deep in thought. "I just feel like everything changed for us. We just opened things up and now he's pushing me away again."

"Maybe he feels pressured," Kyp advised, drawing her attention. "It takes a lot of effort for him to open up to anybody. He still hasn't completely opened up to me."

"So, what do you think I should do?" Anja asked sulkily. "I don't know if I can be in a long term relationship with a guy who keeps secrets from me! I need a guy who's open and wants me around him. He shouldn't be afraid to show me affection or worship me like a queen!"

Kyp struggled to remain straight-faced through her description but he couldn't restrain his smirk. "That's certainly a tall order!" He chuckled softly. "I think you should just give him some space and some time. He'll grow out of the shell he's currently in. Just wait and see."

"That's all fine and good, and if I was Brodey's age then I might go for it," She said tensely. "But, in case you didn't notice, I'm pushing thirty here! What I want is a marriage and a family."

"Thirty?" Kyp mocked. "I never would have thought. You look so young for your age."

"I'm not thirty yet, gungan-brain!" She snapped deprecatingly. "I'm only twenty eight."

"You make thirty sound like it's such a curse," Kyp drawled slyly, his olive eyes twinkling. "I also think that trying to hurry up and get married so you can start a family is a mistake. Our life spans are getting larger every year."

"Not counting those who die in this infernal war," Anja interjected.

"Well, of course not counting that," Kyp nodded, continuing on with his speech. "I just think you have plenty of time. Besides, who would want to bring a child into the galaxy during a period of such unrest?"

"Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker certainly didn't have any reservations about that," She pointed out. "And their son was doing well, the last time I saw him."

"I'm sure they both had tons of reservations," He insisted. "There's no such thing as the perfect time to start a family, but people do it anyway. They either have one by accident or because they want one more than they want that brand new passenger ship."

"A brand new passenger ship?" Anja snorted cynically. "That sounds like a bad analogy to me. I wouldn't want to be around the people who value fancy possessions more than having children."

"Some people don't want children," Kyp explained. "You might substitute a particularly fun one night stand for the ship. Some people like their freedom."

"Are you one of those people, Durron?" Anja teased, poking him in the ribs. "Do you value a good-looking club girl over having any intimate relationships or a family life?"

"That's an awfully personal question, Anja," He commented, looking at her with his head slightly tilted.

"Have you even asked yourself? Do you know the answer?" She asked doggedly.

His eyes bore intensely into hers for a brief moment and he drew his lips into a taut, straight line. "I don't have any answers yet."

"I didn't think so," She replied.

"Why does it matter so much to you?" He challenged tensely, leaning toward her.


"I'm not sure," She shrugged idlely. "I guess I'm just curious. I don't really understand your motives half the time and I sometimes wish I did."


"I didn't know you cared," He snorted as he looked to the side for a split second, grinning. "Most people that can't stand me just fabricate motives for me."


"What do you mean, fabricate?" Anja asked, smiling broadly as her interest grew.


"Well, imagine that you hated my guts," Kyp began.


"Not that hard to imagine," Anja interjected with a giggle.


"Believe me, the feeling is mutual," Kyp muttered with a dark stare. "Anyways, you hate my guts. You couldn't care less about what happened to me. Would it be convenient to just believe everything that people tell you about me that supports your claim that I'm a jerk?"


"I suppose it would," Anja commented hesitantly, unsure of where this conversation was headed. "But you are a jerk."


"I suppose I am, sometimes," He agreed.


"All the time," She added mischievously.


"You're free to believe what you want about me," Kyp stated, ignoring her remark.


"I'm still curious about what motivates you," Anja chortled. "You didn't tell me anything except that I was wrong for thinking you're a jerk who doesn't care about anybody else besides himself."


"Well, I guess that's a start," He laughed. "You have to begin somewhere. Let's see. What motivates me more than anything? Probably the concept of freedom. Freedom from the Yuuzhan Vong invasion. Freedom from a nearly constant loathing of myself and the things I've done. Freedom in a sense that there might one day be some way for me to repay my debt to the galaxy."


"Interesting," Anja whispered, somewhat skeptically.


"I know it seems like wishful thinking," He added sheepishly, his face full of regret. "But it still motivates me nonetheless."


"I never would have thought you were such a deep person," She chuckled, trying to lighten the mood of the discussion.


"That's because you, like almost everybody else, didn't give much consideration to the destroyer of Carida," He said with a slight grin.


"It's not like you're Mr. Open with everybody," She snapped defensively, pointing a finger straight at his face. "You're almost as bad as that apprentice of yours!"


"Almost," Kyp nodded in agreement. "Except that I'm talking to you right now about personal matters that I don't normally discuss."


"Why not?" Anja questioned.


"Because they're uncomfortable," He said sharply, his eyes filling with what looked like pain before he averted his gaze.


"And you think they're going to get any better if you keep them hidden away inside?" Anja asked harshly. "Or do they serve to motivate you too?"


"I. . ." He stammered, his voice suddenly sounding like it was about to crack. "I just don't like to talk about them," He finished meekly, still not looking her in the eyes.


"You don't like to or you can't?" She asked in a barely audible voice.


"You try murdering billions of people and then tell me if you think you're entitled to live, let alone worry about whether or not you'll ever settle down and start a family," He hissed as his vision became blurred with hot tears forming in the corners of his eyes.


Anja wanted to respond, wanted to scold him for wallowing in self pity, but found that she was too taken aback by the situation. Never, not in a million years, would she expect to see cold and heartless Kyp Durron, slayer of worlds, on the verge of tears. Something deep within the recesses of her being was moved by his abrupt display of emotion. Perhaps it was her maternal instincts coming to life but she was overcome with an inexplicable urge to reach out and comfort the man she had vowed to loathe until the end of time. She reached out to him, pulling him into a comforting embrace, and was rewarded with a hug so tight that she feared it might squeeze the life out of her.


She glanced up, observing the expression on Kyp's face as he continued to cling to her for dear life. His eyes were shut tightly, only allowing a single tear to travel along his dark eyelashes and fall down his cheek. He seemed so vulnerable and frightened, not at all like the monster Anja envisioned in her head to represent him. It was then, in his most human moment, that Anja felt all of her past prejudices fall away. In their wake was a simple yet strong gravitation toward him. She didn't even think, for she didn't see a reason for thought. She just allowed the pull of gravity to guide her head, her lips up to meet his own.

~*~*~

"That is the single, most disgusting thing I've ever seen!"

Brodey looked up from his food, a sinew hanging from the corner of his bloody mouth. "What?" He asked innocently. "So I like my food a little rare. So what?"

"That's not rare," Jaina groaned, looking like she was seconds away from getting sick. "It's practically still squealing!"

"Maybe you should stop kidding yourself and appreciate me for the predator that I am," Brodey said happily as he licked the bone and his fingers clean.

"He did hunt and kill tonight's dinner," Jag pointed out as he turned the spit over the blazing fire. "With his bare hands."

"I know, and it's grossing me out!" She cried, almost sounding panicky.

"You would have done the same thing yourself, except that the meat would be burnt from the lightsaber," Brodey clarified, picking off another piece of near raw animal flesh from the spit. "This way tastes much better."

"Of course it does, for you!" Jaina snapped. "You didn't even cook yours!"

"Can you stop picking on me because of what I eat?" Brodey asked in indignation. "I'm not so juvenile that I make a big deal out of the sn'aala food you like to eat!"

"Sn'aala?" Jaina inquired. "Is that another obscure reference to something from your galaxy?"

"Maybe yes, maybe no," Brodey replied vaguely. "You can't possibly know every type of wild creature that dwells in this galaxy."

"Oh, and I suppose you do?" She contested smugly.

"I know more than you might expect," He responded and then paused for a second. "Anyway, it's a marine mammal native to my home planet. It's also an herbivore, thus my comment about your eating habits."

"I eat meat!" She said with a pout. "I just like mine cooked. That's all!"

"You're missing out on a whole world of delicious flavor," He answered flamboyantly, as if he was making a commercial.

"What was that comment about not picking on people for the food they ate because it was juvenile?" She growled angrily as she cut a cooked piece off the carcass with her utility knife.

"Less arguing, more eating," Jag snorted, digging into his meal as well. The others complied eagerly.

In less than fifteen minutes the twenty pound animal was reduced to near-nothing by the ravenous trio. It made a filling meal, sadly enough the most filling meal they'd consumed in months.

"I'm stuffed," Jaina mumbled lazily, yawning from her sudden fullness.

"Don't fall asleep now," Brodey said encouragingly as he struggled to pull himself to his feet. "We still have a few things we need to take care of."

"It's after dark," She offered. "I just want to sleep now."

"Sleep all you want down there on the ground," He laughed mockingly, pulling supplies out of his pack. "But when you get attacked by poisonous creatures I'm going to be hanging safely up above you in a hammock."

"Well, if you put it that way," She moaned, reluctantly standing up to help.

"I've only got one tarp, so we're going to have to share," Brodey added hesitantly.

Jaina stared incredulously into his sky-blue eyes as she shook her head, her ponytail flopping from side to side. "Correction: Jag and I are going to have to share. You're going to find some other place to sleep."

"Now who's the one acting juvenile?" He spat back. "Man, my bug bites are going to have bug bites come tomorrow morning," He complained softly to himself as he scrounged for materials with which he could build a makeshift cot.

~*~*~

She was suspended in a state of numbing tranquility, more bizarre than her wildest dreams. Somewhere inside her head a tiny inkling of a thought informed her that she was betraying her boyfriend with every flick of her tongue in his mouth. The rest of her screamed back at it and told her that this was the right and only thing she should do.

If she'd been a jedi she could have sensed the distress that was pouring off him, though he hid it well. He rarely knew what he wanted, and this was no exception. He was also considering the painful death that awaited him with sharp, pointy teeth if he didn't stop kissing his apprentice's girl. Kyp considered the fact that he was relatively well-fed during this time of war. Horrible thoughts of being Brodey's next good meal finally jerked him back to reality.

"No," He grunted firmly, pushing her away by the shoulders. "I don't care how you feel about your boyfriend at this moment in time. This is still wrong!"

"Huh?" Anja asked, still stunned. "Who said this had anything to do with me being mad at my boyfriend?"

"I can't think of any other reason why you'd kiss me like that," He said with a spiteful snort as he scooted farther away from her.

"Really? None at all? She clucked, pretending to have pity for him. "You can't imagine that I'd ever care about you and how you felt?"

"Not if past experiences speak for themselves," He replied with a small smile as he leaned back against the wall. "Feelings just don't develop out of thin air."

"You've obviously never been hit with an infatuation," She commented vaguely.

"You wouldn't think, but I've got a few stories in that department," He claimed proudly with a smirk. "And are you implying that you only kissed me because you were infatuated with me?"

"Don't get too excited," Anja warned flatly. "I only did it because you looked pitiful, bawling like a baby."

"Amazing," He commented wryly. "You go from sweet to Sith in under six seconds!"

"I'm talented like that," She returned with a glare. "So, since we have so much time on our hands, why don't you tell me about these past infatuations?"

Kyp chuckled slightly, nodding his head at her as his eyes took on a sinister twinkle. "You really want to hear all about my past failures, don't you? Probably should have downloaded another holonovel. That might keep you busy."

"Please!" Anja begged, looking up at him with her wide brown eyes. "I promise that I won't make fun of you!"

"All right, but if you forget and insult me then you'll have to pay the price," He advised softly.

"I'm not going to insult you! Just tell me the story!" She cried anxiously, beaming widely.

"A year or so after the destruction of Carida I ran into a woman who I credit for setting me back on my feet and giving me the strength to keep on going. I didn't really feel anything for her at first. She was attractive, in a rugged sort of way, but nothing jaw-dropping. I gradually began to feel something once we really got to talking and after she practically saved my life I was hooked," He said, then added awkwardly. "She didn't feel anything remotely close for me. I guess it was due to my past, or the fact that I was over ten years younger."

Anja clucked her tongue sadly for a second, shaking her head. "Poor you! She wasn't looking for a sugar daddy," She taunted, covering her mouth only after the words had tumbled out.

"I'm sorry, but I believe that was a wisecrack aimed at me," Kyp said menacingly as he inched closer to her. "Now you're going to have to pay."

"What kind of payment?" Anja asked nervously as she felt the warmth of his breath against her face.

"This," He whispered, leaning in to deliver a tender kiss to her waiting lips.

"Yeah," Anja said in awe when she finally was able to speak. "I think I'm going to have to insult you more, you nerf-brained, wretched piece of poodoo!"

She shrieked piercingly as he pounced.

Kyp yelped out in pain as he landed on his fractured arm. He hadn't considered what it would feel like now that the painkiller was wearing off. As he lay on the ground in a frazzled heap he could hear Anja snickering into her hand.


"Having fun yet, Kyp?" She teased. "That'll teach you to try and attack me!"


"I wasn't trying to attack you!" He grumbled obnoxiously, trying to sit up but failing. "I was just kidding around."


"Since when does the mighty Kyp Durron kid around?" She contested.


"Since your wonderful boyfriend injected me with that stuff!" He spat back as his temper flared.


"You mean this stuff?" She asked, pulling a syringe from her jacket pocket. She didn't give him time for an answer before injecting him with a new dose. Kyp gently fell back against the mattress, once again dazed beyond response. "Sleep well, Kyp. Tomorrow is a busy day."