Quick note: The title of the previous chapter in a line from a Loreena McKennitt song. The lyrics belong to her and not me.

My, my, my, what have I done to our dear little bounty hunter? Have I come off as incredibly sadistic yet or what? Wow. I knew I was able to kill entire families in a prologue (The Shieldmaiden), but this? Well, I guess I am. What an evil little deity I truly am. Anyway, a quick note about the poem below: I wrote this for Keilana so don't go thinking that I am suicidal or anything. Yeah, anyway, on to the next depressing chapter.


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The Banshee's Cry



O sharp pangs of death come unto me now,
Come quickly and I will lower my brow.
I shall not fight if you promise me thee,
For from this universe I must be free.
The rhyme of pain has let itself be heard,
And by that rhyme I care not to be cured.
I can forsake this life if death will come,
I'll fall into the depths for my freedom.
This life I have is not worthy to live,
Come to take me and I shall surely give.
Come and take me away, for this I plea,
I shan't cry at the wail of the banshee.
Darkness will come and I shall fall away,
And darkness will come, let it come today.

-The Banshee's Cry; Gwendolyn Rogan




As he stalked through the recesses of Lower Coruscant, Boba Fett could not help but think about his daughter. He stopped momentarily at an intersection and looked at a single street lamp. It was the only one on the street that was lit and he half expected some woman carrying a baby to step out of it.

Grow up, Fett, he muttered to himself as he continued his way through the streets. At the moment he was not on the hunt and was actually on the way back to his ship after delivering a bounty. He was quite pleased with himself, but the nagging thought of Keilana kept reappearing in his mind. He would never be able to forgive himself if she ended up bringing in Skywalker. He had been unable, even after multiple attempts, to bring the Jedi Master in and he knew that his daughter was far closer than than he had ever technically been. It was true that he had Skywalker captured once, but the Jedi had escaped. It was one of the few things that bothered the bounty hunter, but now that his daughter was most likely gaining the trust of Skywalker, it was almost unbearable.

Without further thought, Fett quickly made it to his ship and, upon entering, he made his way directly to the cockpit. There, he shed his helmet and laid his blaster in the co-pilots seat. He quickly ran through the pre-takeoff sequence and was in the air within minutes. Earlier that week, he had received a call from another likely client across the galaxy and was actually supposed to be there two days prior. He was annoyed to be running late, but the client had not appeared too upset when he had contacted her earlier that day.

Fett was just emerging from the top levels of Coruscant when he caught sight of blaster fire with the corner of his eye. Despite everything that was screaming inside of him, he turned his ship around. It's not everyday one sees a blaster fight taking place over the span of several buildings, he told himself as if it would make things just fine. He piloted his ship a little closer and, through his altered vision, Boba could just make out the figures. There were three men, each on on a different building, and one woman standing on a balcony attached to the Jedi Temple. He lowered his ship just out of view and landed, despite the screaming once again, before he realised that the Jedi did not carry blasters.

Keilana? He wondered and, grabbing his helmet and blaster, he rushed outside to get a better view. As soon as he reached the edge of the building, he witnessed his daughter as she shot a forth man behind her. A swell of pride rose in his chest as he watch the man fall and Keilana go after her attacker and prey. A smirk danced across his concealed lips as he watched his daughter do many of the things he had taught her. Fett's pride, however, was shot when the injured man stood up and stabbed Keilana deep in the gut with a vibroblade before he collapsed once again. Keilana doubled over and pulled the blade out of her stomach before kneeling next to the fallen man.

Fett was about the rocket to his daughter's side when a man in dark robes jogged around the corner. Fett swallowed his pain as he watched the Jedi and turned away from his daughter and back to his ship. Walking in through the hatch, he hit a button to close and lock the door behind him. After slowly making his way to the cockpit, he sat down without removing his helmet and ran through the pre-takeoff sequence quicker than he ever had before.

Watching the sky rush toward him was almost as painful as forcing himself to watch the fight had been. Blinking, Fett tried to control the tears that stung his eyes and he furrowed his brow under the helmet. He quickly got his emotions under control and started plotting a course to Tattooine as soon as he was in open space.

As the Slave 1 eased into hyperspace, Fett stepped out of his chair and exited the cockpit. The lights in the hall were completely out, but Fett knew his ship well enough to find his small quarters without them. As soon as he stepped in the door, he tore off his helmet and threw it with all his strength across the room. He heard the dull thud of the helmet making contact with the wall on the other side of the room, but he didn't care. A scream of pure rage, pain, and hate escaped his lips as he sank to his knees with his head thrown back. The thick gloves covering Fett's fingers were the next thing to go and they too were flung across the room.

Forcing his head forward, Fett gathered his face in his hands and let tears fall. As far as the bounty hunter knew he had never cried, not even when he was a young child. What brought about this sudden burst of emotion was unknown to Fett and he tried with all his might to stop the drops of salty water from escaping his eyes. Each time he tried to stop, however, more memories of his daughter popped up in his mind and another tear began it's journey down the rough and scarred cheek. His lips started to move with unspoken curses and at first, his muttering was incomprehensible to even himself. However, his voice soon rose as he tried to force his pain to disappear.

Damn you Aena. Damn you for ever letting yourself have her and damn you for giving her to me! He roared for no one's ears but his own as he stood up. Damn that whore and damn that motherfucker who took the child! He kicked the wall, leaving a sizeable dent, and started stalking around the cabin. Damn you for raising that child, Fett and damn you for becoming attached to her. All she managed to do was turn you into some sick, overgrown baby who can't control it's feelings. He kicked the wall again, causing the dent to grow even larger. You are sick and twisted, Fett.

Fuck you to hell for loving her.

Fett slowly sank to the floor once again as he broke down to the point where no words could do anything for him any longer. He wasn't sure what he was going to do now that the only thing he had been able to love since his father had been ripped from him. Bounty hunting was a dangerous business, but Keilana had skill and accuracy that was rare. She had been one of the few that could have lived long and retired with a considerable sum beneath her. But she is dead now and there is nothing you can do, you sick bastard. There is nothing you can do but cry like a baby or move on with your life and I suggest the latter.

Fett stood up as he nodded to himself and looked around the dark cabin. Pulling his armor and then his undershirt over his head, he fell on to his bed face first and landed painfully on his nose. With only a slight twist of his head, Fett removed himself from much of the pain and blinked several times. He closed his eyes and it didn't take him long to fall into a fitful sleep full of images of his father, his daughter, and the deaths of them both.





Key! Key, are you okay? Key! Ganner was banging on the door to Keilana's room with his right fist. He had rushed to her room, leaving the droids to clean up the dead body, when he felt something through the Force. He wasn't sure what he had felt, but he knew something was wrong.

After several minutes of banging on the door with no avail, Ganner stepped back and pushed the button to see if, by chance, Keilana had not locked the door. When the white door slid open in front of him, he knew something was seriously wrong, especially when he noticed the blood stains on the carpet. He stepped into the dimly light room and squinted to peer through the dark.

Lights one hundred percent, he said and the lights obediently turned to maximum. Ganner looked around the room and, when his eyes grazed over the opened door to the refresher, he walked that way figuring that's where she would go. As he stepped closer, he heard the shower running and furrowed his brow. he asked cautiously before stepping inside. Once inside, Ganner looked at the shower and his eyes opened as wide as they could. Keilana was sitting slumped over on the floor with a dark red puddle of blood and water forming around her body. The puddle had started to leak out onto the floor for she was sitting on top of the drain.

Ganner took one step to cross the tiny room, turned off the water and knelt next to the shower as he slowly eased Keilana back. A small moan escaped her lips as her back hit the shower wall but Ganner ignored the vocalisation as his eyes focused on the wound. He reached out about to touch it when he came to his senses. Looking up and around, Ganner spotted a low shelf full of white towels. He grabbed one and covered the still bleeding wound. Then, lifting Keilana in his arms, he stood up and realised just how injured she was. Her normally glowing skin had turned cold, clammy, and pale and her breathing was short. He took a step back and sat Keilana on the toilet. With one hand supporting her, Ganner wrapped the towel around her body and closed it with a loose knot. He lifted her again with his right arm under her knees and his left below her shoulders. Keilana moaned as her head rolled and landed against Ganner's left shoulder and forward. He looked down into her face and sighed lightly.

What have you gotten yourself into, Key? Ganner shook his head as he exited the refresher. He moved across the room and out into the hall when Keilana started to roll into a fetal position. Ganner knew he would have to hurry to get her to the hospital ward if there was any chance of saving her.

Several minutes later, and after many questions and staring, Ganner walked into the hospital.

Is there anybody here who could help me? He bellowed as he stood just inside the doorway. Several young Jedi rushed to Ganner's side and led him to a place where he could lie Keilana. As soon as he let go of her, Keilana's body rolled into a fettle position around her wound and she started to shake. Ganner put a hand to her clammy forehead and gently wiped a chunk of hair from her face. With his other hand he tried to stop her from shaking but it only became worse. The young healers shooed Ganner away as one removed the towel wrapped around Keilana's waist and two more held her still until she stopped shaking.

They started to mutter amongst themselves as they looked at the cut in Keilana's smooth skin. One of the Jedi took hold of Keilana's tunic and ripped it away from the wound. Ganner winced as the swelling around the cut became more apparent and the injury more obvious. Keilana coughed in her comatose and a trickle of blood started to flow at a constant rate from her mouth.

I'm sorry, a young woman put a hand on Ganner's shoulder and he turned to look at her, but you will have to wait outside. She pointed toward the door and Ganner followed her finger with his eyes. He then looked back at the round-faced woman and nodded.

I have to go, actually. Can you call me if anything happens? Ganner wrung his hands together behind his back and shifted slightly from foot to foot.

Yes, I will try to keep you updated, the woman nodded. However, I can't make any promises. The cut is deep and it will take time to heal completely.

How deep?

It pierces clear through the muscle and, luckily, it missed any major organs as far as we can tell but the bleeding from her mouth might indicate something more serious. The cut it clean too which will make it easier to heal, but she has lost an awful amount of blood, the woman pushed a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear and sighed. If we don't find blood that is proper for an infusion, she might not make it. Now, please, we have a lot of work to do.

Ganner swallowed visibly and nodded. He lowered his head as he started to walk away and put his hands in the opposite sleeves of his cloak. He sighed and started heading for the door. Before leaving, he heard Jedi Healer Cilghal's voice as she began to examine Keilana.

she said slowly. We will need to find some blood for her as soon as possible and then put her in the bacta tank. This injury is deep, but it should heal quickly. Now The door slid shut behind Ganner as he left the ward and cut off the rest of the Jedi's words. He stopped just outside the door and leaned his right shoulder against the wall, sighing once again as Luke Skywalker approached from behind.

It's Key, Ganner answered Luke's unspoken question.

Luke stepped in front of Ganner and spread his legs shoulder width apart. What trouble could she have possibly gotten herself into.

Ganner said shortly as he looked at his master. In the stomach.

Luke furrowed his brow.

A man, or several, attacked us while we were on the second balcony. She shot one of them and he stabbed her when I was around the corner. Ganner leaned his back against the wall and slumped down a little. Had I only followed Key directly around the corner rather than gaping after her.

What did she do to?

The man who was shot was came from behind. It was almost as if she felt his presence before turning and shooting with deadly accuracy and she wasn't the least bit surprised by the accuracy as far as I know. A muscle in Ganner's cheek twitched as he met his master's gaze. I would say she's been relaying on the Force for quite some time.

So the man is dead, Luke nodded, ignoring Ganner's last statement.

The man is dead, yes.

And the girl?

Ganner did not speak for a long while before he sighed and looked his master directly in the eyes. The girl is dying.




That night, Ganner could not sleep. Instead, he sat on his bed, bare chested and barefooted, with his head in his hands. He replayed that evening's events over and over in his mind trying to figure out some way he could have saved Keilana from her wound. However, try as he might, he could not get over the great feeling of guilt that welling up inside his body.

I could have stopped it, Ganner said as he pulled his hands away from his face. Had I only followed her right around the corner.

It's not your fault, Ganner.

Ganner sat up straight and peered through the dark room. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Grabbing the tunic laying on a chair, he pulled it over his head and looked around the room once more. There was no one there besides himself. Despite the fact that he could not see anyone in the room, he could not feel anyone around either.

Something touched his mind again and he swirled around, caught completely off guard. The presence disappeared as quickly as it had come and Ganner turned around, this time facing the door. He shook his head clear and, walking to the door, he exited and started down the hall, his bare feet making soft sounds as they hit the floor. Ganner wasn't exactly sure where he was heading but was not very surprised when he found himself at the door to the medical ward. He reached out to open it but his hand fell back to his side. He stood there and looked at the door for awhile longer before actually opening it.

When he stepped inside the ward was completely dark except for the glow of a single bacta tank hidden in the back of the room. After looking around for any healers, Ganner started toward the back and to where he assumed Keilana was. He passed empty bed upon empty bed and quickly realised that Keilana was currently the only patient. All of the beds were neatly made and the curtains were all pulled back, all, that is, except for one. The sheets around the bed on which he had laid Keilana were pulled taut.

Upon approaching the back of the room, Ganner was bathed in the soft glow of the bacta tank. He looked up from the floor and looked at the girl floating in the thick and translucent fluid. Keilana was wearing shorts and a short tank top with a breathing mask over her mouth and nose. Her shoulder-length, dark brown hair floated about her head almost like a halo and her long eyelashes brushed lightly against her cheeks. Her knees were slightly bent as she floated and her fingers moved with the gentle current from the filter system. A large tattoo was printed on the skin of Keilana's right arm from her shoulder to her wrist. The tattoo was black and consisted of many thin swirls, arcs, and circles and covered a little less than half of the skin on her arm. It was only on the outer side of her arm with a few tendrils reaching the sensitive skin on the inside. Ganner cocked his head as he first looked at the tattoo and found himself intrigued by it. It seemed masculine but when he looked at Keilana and the tattoo as a whole he found her even more attractive than he previously had. He shook the thought out of his head as soon as he realised they were there and continued to look around the tank for any implication of how good, or bad, she was doing.

Upon further investigation, Ganner noticed a long needle stuck the back of Keilana's left hand that was, in turn, attached to a long, clear tube. The tube was filled with red liquid which he could only assume to be blood. From her left arm, Ganner moved his eyes lower and across her body until they fell upon the wound. A two inch slash was low on the right side of Keilana's abdomen and was stitched up. The skin around it was no longer red from swelling and all of the bleeding had stopped. Ganner glanced at a medical droid quickly and then back at Keilana. Her chest was rising and falling in a steady motion now and the beeping sound of a machine indicated that her heartbeat had returned to normal.

How is she doing? He asked the medical droid without looking at it. The droid turned to him and appeared to be cocking his head.

You should not be in here, sir. This area is closed at night. The visiting hours are

Could you just tell me how she is doing? Ganner said, his patience with the droid already failing.

Well, uh, the droid looked at Ganner and would have furrowed his brow had he been able to. I really must insist

Will you just tell me.

Her vitals have stabilised, sir, the droid answered and was obviously uncomfortable in doing so. She is receiving blood, as you can see, and the wound in her stomach is cleaned and sealed. She should be out by tomorrow evening.

Ganner looked again at the now closed gash in her stomach and unconsciously touched the scar on his face. He sighed slightly and turned once again to the droid.

She doesn't feel any pain, correct? As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Ganner flinched. He knew the answer perfectly well and could not figure out what had made him ask the question.

That is correct, sir, the patient is in no pain what-so-ever, the droid said as he punched a code into the bacta tank. After a few seconds, the bacta around Keilana started to swirl and she was lost in the cloudy liquid. Ganner took it as a sign to leave and, looking at the tank once more, he turned around. He walked swiftly across the floor and out the door. Once outside, Ganner stopped for a moment and then proceeded to the left and away from his room. He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his loose black pants and wandered into the dark with no place in mind.




She was floating. Warmth wrapped around her body and was the only feeling there was to feel, besides that of floating, of course. There was no searing pain in her stomach nor was there there any other ache or ailment. She was floating. She felt free.

After several minutes, Keilana managed to crack her eyes open. She had to blink for several moments before realising that she was in a tank of bacta. She tried to open her eyes wider, but it was to no avail. Working with what she had, Keilana moved her eyes painfully slow to the right and noticed two figures standing outside the tank. The one on the far right was obviously a medical droid and the other appeared human but it was hard to tell through the bacta. She continued to gaze at the two beings for a little while longer until the bacta that surrounded her started to swirl. She lost sight of the beings and all she could see was the darkening swirls of bacta around her. With a sigh that resounded through the respirator, Keilana's eyes rolled back in her head and she fell unconscious once again.

When Keilana next opened her eyes, the bacta had settled down and was once again calm. There were two figures standing outside the bacta tank who were looking in on her. She could tell, even though she couldn't see their faces, that they were regarding her. Even with her ears full of bacta, Keilana was able to pick up bits and pieces of the conversation.

How is A distinctly male voice asked. Keilana squinted her eyes to see through the thick liquid and glass, but to no avail.

She isdoing fine, Another male voice answered. The voice sounded mechanical and Keilana figured it was the medical droid from the night before.

The first man asked and Keilana matched the voice with the person who moved his head to look into her face.

are open. Shestable andthis morning.

One of the other figures turned to regard Keilana and a voice echoed through the tank. There is a microphone attached to the breathing mask.

Keilana moved her head as if to acknowledge what the droid had said and blinked.

Laughter sounded from outside the tank and Keilana blinked again.

Good morning, Key, the first male voice answered. It took Keilana a moment to recognise the voice as Luke Skywalker's and, as soon as she did, she had to hide the smug look threatening to cross her face.

Master Skywalker, she said softly, not even recognising her own voice.

You gave us quite a scare last night, Luke nodded, or at least Keilana assumed he was the one nodding.

Keilana attempted to laugh but a flash of pain that pulsed through her body made her stop. It's just a small wound, nothing major. I'll be up and out of here before you know it.

That's what we are all hoping for, Key, Luke answered, his voice friendly and surprisingly assuring.

Keilana started to thank Luke when her eyes suddenly rolled back in her head and her body fell limp in the bacta.




Luke spun around to look at the monitors as they started blaring. Cilghal walked over and stood next to the droid as it tried to figure out the problem. It looked at the Mon Calamari who in turn looked at Luke.

What's wrong? He asked as he looked at Keilana's body, which was hanging in the bacta.

Her body is refusing the transfusion we completed several hours ago, Cilghal said calmly. We will have to find a more compatible source of blood for her now.

Do you have any? Luke turned to look at the droid and the healer. The blaring alarms had stopped and Cilghal had called a younger healer to her side. She talked quickly with the red haired boy and sent him away.

Gil is going to look right now, Cilghal answered calmly once again. Do calm down, Master Skywalker, the patient will be quite all right.

Luke turned to look at Keilana as her head lolled from side to side with the soft current of the bacta. The beeping of the heart monitor started to slow as time wore on and Keilana's breathing was growing shorter. Luke was actually quite surprised to find himself so concerned about this woman he had met the day before, but there was something special about Keilana. He wanted to learn more about her and find out just how strong she was in the Force. This girl was different from other's he had taught. She was already strong in so many ways and so young. Luke did not want to see someone as young and strong as Keilana die from an injury that was so simple. In a way it did not seem fair, but to a Jedi, there was no fair. Everything happened for a reason whether that reason was liked or not.

The boy Cilghal had sent away to look for blood came back within a few minutes and waited to catch Cilghal's attention. When she turned to him, the boy nodded with respect and started to talk.

There is enough blood of type B for five full transfusions and enough type O for two, Gil reported as he glanced down at the datapad in his hand.

What does she have now? Cilghal asked the medical droid.

She is receiving type O at the moment, the droid answered. Cilghal looked at the droid and back at Gil.

Type O should work, I don't know why her body is refusing it, Cilghal shook her head. She looked at the limp Keilana again and then at Gil. Did you check the midichlorian count?

I'm not the one who gave her the transfusion, ma'am, but I can go find the blood she needs, Gil offered as he ran off. Cilghal yelled after him to hurry and then turned to Luke.

Midichlorian count?

The receiver of the transfusion, if Force-sensitive, must receive blood with either the exact same midichlorian count or a count that is very close. If Key received a transfusion with significantly more or less, her body would react in ways such as this. No clotting is involved, which is odd, and the body supposedly just starts to shut down. However, I have never seen something such as this and have only heard of it through word of the mouth, Cilghal turned to look at Keilana. It is very rare indeed.

How close does the count have to be? Luke stepped next to the healer and looked at Keilana as well.

Within a hundred, Cilghal answered quickly.

What is Key's midichlorian count?



Luke looked at her. Did I here you right? 13,600? That's a higher count than most of the Jedi here.

Yes, that is right. Cilghal punched a button on the console and turned to look at Luke.

What was she receiving?

Cilghal nodded. Whoever gave her that will be out of here as soon as I find them. Every one of the healers has to be aware of what they are doing and I have drilled it into their heads about the Force-sensitive and blood transfusions, she shook her head. But that is not something I will worry you about. The Mon Calamari turned as Gil approached with the blood that was needed. He handed it to Cilghal who read the labelling before telling him to start the procedure. The Healer then turned to Luke and nodded. Everything should be just fine now, but Key will take longer to heal than originally expected.

How long? Luke asked as he visibly relaxed.

About two or three days, Cilghal answered, nodding her great head. But she will be back on her feet quickly after that and ready to start whatever training you wish to throw at her.



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I guess I will comment down here too. It's fun making up medical stuff. To those of you who are in medicine or are majoring in it, I am sorry if I got any facts wrong. I am simply going off the things I learned in a few science classes. I did look some stuff up, though. Research *shakes head* who would have thought I'd have to do research for a fanfic? Anyway, just in case none of the midichlorian stuff made sense and you are all completely lost, here is a website (and the one I used) that will help you put Keilana into the perspective of things as far as midichlorians go:

http://www.supershadow.com/starwars/midi.html


Anyway, after looking at the chart it might seem as if Keilana has a particularly high count, but it will all fall into place, my faithful readers, it will all fall into place and make sense in the end. Well, it will make sence a little later at least.