A/N - *smiles* I was afraid that last chapter wouldn't get a good response. I thank all of you who are reading this story and for all of the lovely reviews you are giving me, even the ones that are not so lovely. So, in that case, I take back the thing about taking it away. It gets to stay. On that note, here is the next chapter. And, just what happened to the man no one could take down? The man whose armour is famous the galaxy over? Well, you will just have to read on to find out. Heh heh heh

Oh, and if I haven't already mentioned it, I changed the name of Keilana's ship from Oracle to Scrimshaw. I don't think it affects this chapter, but it's just a heads-up.

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Never Again



Key? Key, what happened? Ganner placed a hand on Keilana's back. She glanced up at him before scuttling away to curl up in a ball next to the track. With legs hugged against her chest, Keilana's cheeks were already moist from the fall of silent tears.

He's gone, she muttered, over and over. He's gone.

Who's gone, Key?

He is, she whispered, barely audible. He's gone. He's always been there, even if he didn't care about me. He was always there, but now he's not. He's gone.

The bounty hunter was rocking back and forth muttering to herself. Her dark eyes unfocused and leaking tears as she stared at nothing.

You felt him die, didn't you? Ganner asked quietly, moving slowly toward Keilana. You felt your father die.

Keilana looked up at the Jedi, surprise in her eyes. She could not figure out how Ganner knew it was her father, but she did not try to hide it. Nodding slowly, Keilana put her forehead on her knees and continued to rock.

It's always hard the first time, Ganner said softly. It's hard anytime. He put a hand on Keilana's hair, expecting her to flinch away. She did not. As if it were the natural thing to do, Ganner started to stroke the back of her head, taking her dark hair in his fingers. It was soft to the touch, softer than any woman's hair he had felt to date. As the light caught it, it almost turned a deep red colour, at the same time turning black. Slowly moving his hand to her back, Ganner tried to no avail to calm the woman.

Eventually Keilana's rocking stopped. She moved her head and Ganner stopped his gestures of comfort. This made Keilana look up at him and what he saw surprised him. This once strong woman looked pitiful. Mascara was streaked down her face and her bright eyes were dull and puffed red. There was a deep sadness lingering there. Other emotions floated by as well, but Keilana had shut herself off from the world and almost completely out of the Force itself. Ganner could not sense a thing coming off the woman and barely the woman herself.

Don't stop, she said under her breath. Ganner did a double take before he understood her words. You heard me, poster boy, don't stop. It's been so long since I've felt cared for.

What do you mean?

I think you understand, Ganner. Dad never let me touch him, not even when I was a young child. As soon as I could walk, most physical contact stopped between us. He didn't even show me that he loved me, at least not often. I don't even know if he knew how to truly love someone. Keilana shook her head. But I loved him, she added at a whisper.

Keilana pulled herself across the floor to sit next to Ganner. Pushing her way beneath his arm and placing her forehead on his chest, she closed her eyes tightly and leaned into him. Ganner rose his brow, unsure of what to do.

You have been so kind to me, Ganner. You've looked past all of my faults and got to know me as a person and not as the ki Keilana's eyes flew open as the word killer nearly slipped out. Sighing softly and leaning closer to Ganner, Keilana wrapped her arms around his stomach. She then continued as if she had merely stumbled over her words in her anguish.

You're not a kiss-ass, Key, Ganner said, slowly putting one arm around her back.

Yes I am. I am the biggest brownnoser this side of the galaxy.

Nah, I've seen worse.

So you're saying I do suck up? Keilana laughed lightly.



You don't have to rub it in.

But I Ganner pointed with the fingers on his other hand and Keilana laughed a bit harder. There was no humor lingering in the soft sound.

Don't worry about it. Keilana moved her head to rest her cheek on Ganner's chest. Unconsciously pulling his hand out of the air to play with his fingers, a sudden wash of emotions flowed over her. There were some that belonged to Ganner but most of them belonged to her. Over the great undertone of pain and despair, there was confusion, attraction, lust, need. Each one confused her more than the last. Then she noticed Ganner's hand in her own two.

Ganner noticed the same thing. Gently curling his fingers around hers so as not the scare the woman off, Ganner pulled on the hand slightly. When he was met with no resistance, Ganner lifted Keilana's hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles lightly. Her response was possibly the last thing the Jedi expected. Throwing her arms around Ganner's neck, Keilana slammed her face painfully against his, kissing him with a desperate need even alien to her. This sudden movement nearly knocked the two of them over onto the track. Within moments, Ganner was not surprised when she forced her tongue into his mouth. He responded in kind, running his fingers through her soft hair.

Their tongues danced, caressed, explored Keilana had never felt anything like it. This was not like the other times, the other men. They had been anything but gentle, as Ganner was being, or at least trying to be. They had wanted her then just as much as she needed Ganner now. Gripping the Jedi's shoulders, she pressed her breasts against his chest, moaning into his mouth.

Tearing his mouth away from hers, Ganner set his lips on Keilana's neck, kissing and nipping. He felt Keilana's hands on the back of his head, nimble fingers playing with his overly long hair, her breath rasping against his ear. Running a hand up her back to clutch the base of her neck, Ganner growled deeply in the back of his throat. In turn, Keilana moaned his name softly in his ear, her hands clutching his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin even through the tunic.

she moaned again.

Straddling his hips, and catching his mouth once again with hers, Keilana ran her hands down Ganner's chest to grip the leather of his belt in her long fingers. Pulling on it, Keilana made little sounds of frustration when it did not give way immediately. Trying harder, Keilana was not surprised when Ganner's hands joined her own. His response to her actions, however, surprised himself probably even more than it did Keilana. The large Jedi gripped Keilana's wrists and pushed her back and away from his body.

he said, putting his face next to hers. Keilana's ragged breath fell across his skin, her eyes half closed and dark with desire. She tried to catch his mouth once again, but Ganner pulled back further. Key, not now, not while you are in the state you're in.

Ganner, I know what I'm doing, she rasped, trying to force herself back against him, her hands trying to wriggle themselves free. Ganner was stronger.

No, listen to me. You're confused. You need to go work things out, by yourself and alone.

I wouldn't mind your help, Ganner, Keilana said, her voice low as she tried once again to get her hands free.

Much to his dismay, Ganner's body screamed to help her. Fighting down his own lust, Ganner nearly choked out,

Keilana tried once again and Ganner could feel his body giving way despite what his mind was telling it.

Go back to your room, Key.

You shouldn't play games, Ganner, she growled suddenly as she pushed Ganner away from her. Gathering her legs beneath her, Keilana stood up and glared down at the Jedi, adjusting her tunic. You shouldn't break promises or toy with a broken heart.

I didn't

Don't give me some half-ass excuse, Ganner. I'm not just some dumb girl off the streets who doesn't know any better. Once again, tears welled up in Keilana's eyes. She wiped at them angrily and paced away from Ganner.

Than what are you?

Keilana whirled back to look at Ganner, her hair flying around her head to whip her in the face. The look she gave him made the big man flinch, anger flashing in her eyes like a flame. It was quickly replaced, however, by utmost despair as the woman crumpled to the ground, tears flowing down her cheeks.

I'm nothing, she muttered into her hands.

Standing up, Ganner walked to her side. He placed a hand on her shoulder only to have it batted away as Keilana suddenly stood back up.

Don't touch me! She screeched before flying out the nearest door.

Ganner's blue eyes followed her out and lingered on the door as it shut behind her. He did not know where to go or what to do. His body told him to follow Keilana out of this room and into another to comfort her in whatever way possible. He wanted to apologize. He wanted to comfort her, touch her, please her Ganner shook his head and kicked at the floor with his boot. He had to listen to his mind, his common sense. They were telling him to leave her alone. She is too fragile, they told him, too fragile.

Nodding with his decision to stay here, no matter what, Ganner wandered off to find something to occupy his time and to distract his body.




Once outside, Keilana leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. Holding her head in her hands, she started to cry again, her shoulders shaking with each sob. Not only was she in mind-numbing pain over the death of her father, she was confused by both herself and Ganner. Had she actually thrown herself at him? Had she actually tried to? On the track? Keilana could not believe that she had done so. But, at the same time, something deep inside of her did not care. Something there wanted him. Something wanted him more than any other man she had ever known. But Ganner was right, she decided reluctantly. She was in no state to make any decisions, no matter how big or small. No matter what her mind was telling her or what her body yearned for.

When Keilana finally looked up, it was not the dark hall of the Jedi Temple she was looking at, but a hall on Kamino. She was looking through the eyes of a frightened, confused little child into the unnaturally green eyes of a woman.

Keilana had blacked out.

She did not know it, however, for the enticing green eyes of that woman beckoned her attention. There was something familiar about those eyes, something so utterly familiar. But at the same time, they were more alien to her than anything else she had ever known.

And then she remembered




The woman held Keilana's gaze for several moments before she shifted her eyes to look at Boba Fett once more. Striding forward with a sort of superior air around her, she smiled a soft, cruel smile. Flecks of gold in her eyes caught the light and to Keilana she looked almost feral; so near a hunting feline, Keilana was unsure if the woman was actually human.

So you didn't get rid of her, Fett, she said in that voice that made Keilana cringe inside. Deeper down, the child knew this was a voice she had heard before. She recognized it, but not the face that it belonged too. I'm surprised.

What the fuck are you doing here, Fett growled. Before the woman could answer, Fett turned to Taun We, asking her to take Keilana away. Keilana started to protest, but when her father turned his gaze on her, she closed her mouth and reluctantly followed the Kaminoan away.

As she rounded the corner, Keilana strained her ears to hear her father's voice. It was soft, but still there.

How can you still be alive?

I have my ways, Fett. You of all people should know that. I lost my arm doing staying alive, but at least I have my life. The woman's voice was almost painful to listen to with all of the anger and hate in every word.

I suppose you want her back, Fett said, an odd sadness in his voice. This only confused the child further. The only emotion her father ever showed was a lack there of. Chasing the thought away, Keilana was able to catch the woman's next words, though she was nearly out of earshot.

Not even if my life depended on it.

The young girl assumed then and there that the adults were talking about Fett's ship. Keilana did not know where it came from and it could have come from this woman, possibly. There was no other possibility of what they could be talking about. At least none that Keilana wanted to face. Not even in the worst of nightmares. Shaking her head, she slowed down a little more to see if she could catch anymore of the conversation.

Why do you say that?

She ruined my life, remember Fett? A sharp click of heels hit the ground as the woman started to move around the hallway.



Don't do that, Fett. She's your daughter now, not mine. Maybe eight years ago she was, but not now. Never again.

She was, but not now The words resounded through Keilana's head as she followed Taun We the rest of the way to a large waiting room. Never again.

The child was not even aware that she was sitting on a large white couch or that her father had shown up until he placed a hand on her shoulder.

You told me she was dead, Dad, was all she could say. She did not even look at her father. Her dark eyes stared straight into the storm outside as it battered against the windows, begging to get inside. She could feel her father's gaze upon her, but she did not turn, she did not want to face the reality and the truth of what she had just overheard.

As far as you and I are concerned, your mother is, came her father's response. The words barely registered.

You told me she was dead, Keilana whispered again. You told me she was dead.



When Keilana came to, she was still in the hallway and very alone. In fact, she felt even more alone now than she had only moments earlier. It was then that she figured she had not been out for more than a few minutes, but it had felt like hours. The memories, the painful memories, seemed to fill her mind still, swirling around into a dark, terrible mess. That horrid realization that her mother was still alive washed over Keilana again, just as it had thirteen years ago. The hate that had been in her mother's eyes and the loathing in her voice hurt Keilana to no end, even now that she was grown.

Now that she remembered, it was hard to believe that she had ever forgotten. But, at the same time, it was quite easy to figure out why. Why would anyone want to remember a night such as that? A night when the biggest lie of her life had been revealed. Trying desperately to push the thoughts away once again, Keilana failed.

But, oh, how she wished she could.

Unable to bare both the thought of her once dead mother and her now dead father, Keilana stood up and started to sprint down the hall. She did not know to where she sprinted, just as long as she kept moving. Maybe that way she could force the pain out of her body and become a numb, uncaring shell. A shell she had been once before as an eight-year-old child. Back when she had found out her mother was still alive.





Sifting through a pile of trash, a human body is the last thing one would expect to find. Any body, for that matter. However, that is exactly what a young child found while looking through a heap of garbage in the lower levels of Nar Shadda.

Mommy! Mommy! Look, it's a man, the small boy yelled. A man here in the trash! His mother, an older human woman with thinning brown hair, sprinted to her son's side and stared down at the body her child had discovered.

Come away from that, Yoron, she said, holding out her hand. The boy backed toward his mother's side and did not mind being pushed behind her as she slowly walked forward.

The man was laying face down, stark naked, and covered in deep purple and black bruises. His black hair had been unevenly shaved off and in places it looked as if it had actually been torn from his scalp. Deep cuts and gashes made parts of his body look like ground nerf meat.

The woman, Caitern Jiuol, reached down to touch the body, though she was unsure what possessed her to do so. It was still warm. Recoiling back and looking at her son, she told him to run to find the repulser sled. she hissed.

As soon as the boy was out of sight, Caitern approached the body once more. Placing her fingers against his neck, she found a pulse. It was very faint and erratic, but there. A small surge of joy flowed through her veins. Perhaps her skills as a nurse could save this man. Rolling him on to his back and wrapping her shawl around his lower body, Caitern looked over the injuries on his chest, face, and arms. A nasty cut tore the man's face from his forehead, over the bridge of his nose, and across his cheek to his left ear. It was not a deforming injury, but it would mend into a scar, which, by looking at his skin, was nothing new or unwanted.

Gazing quickly over the rest of his body, she took in his other injuries. His chest was badly cut and another nasty cut had been dealt to his abdomen. Caitern figured he had been left for dead, and she could see why.

Yoron returned within a few minutes, the repulser sled close behind. It was piled high with treasures they had found that day, but Caitern quickly pushed most of these off. The boy started to scramble around to pick up much of the things and replace them when he picked up the look his mother was giving him. Reluctantly dropping the items, Yoron walked to her side and looked at the man.

What are we going to do, Mom?

We're going to take him back with us. Perhaps if we heal him, he will do some favors for us because kindness is often repaid in kind. Caitern nodded and moved forward to pull the man onto the repulser sled. Ordering her son to lower it, the woman pulled the body forth and quickly had it settled in place.

Now, Yoron, it is time to go home.

But there are still many hours of daylight in the sky.

We can scrounge around longer tomorrow or the next day. For now, we need to get this man home. There I can heal him with what precious herbs we have left. Caitern sighed as she started walking slowly behind the sled.



To feel useful once again, she said sadly. Besides, it is not right to just leave a body torn up as this one is out for the rats to eat, especially when the man is still alive.

the boy responded, still confused. He knew his mother had once been a healer for the Rebellion, and that she had once been highly sought after, but no more than that.

The two of them walked through the back alleys of Nar Shadda, only passing by a few people on the way—two drunks and an aging prostitute. They were quickly back at their small shack which was hidden away and in one of the many poor districts of the Smuggler's Moon. The neighbours were kind enough, many with children and in the same state as Caitern—despondent, lonely, and dirt poor.

The warmth of their tiny house was a small comfort for Caitern as she returned, as was the smile from her eldest child. Her twenty-four-year-old daughter, Jikala, was bent over the small hearth tending the fire they never let go out. The woman looked up at her mother as she walked in and hurried to her side.

You looked saddened, Mother, and more so than usual. What's wrong? Jikala asked, wiping her ash covered hands on the front of her already filthy garment. Caitern pointed out the door to where Yoron was waiting by the sled.

I found someone who needs our help.

Not again, Mother, Jikala sighed. She placed her hands on thin, boney hips and shook her head.

What do you mean, not again'?

Last time you brought someone who needed our help he was half mutilated and dead before you got him back. The younger woman regarded her mother when she did not respond and sighed again. Fine, okay, have it your way.

Yes, that's right, my way, Caitern nodded. Now go fetch him and lay him in my room.

Of course, Mother, Jikala said, leaving the shack at a brisk walk.

It took about an hour to get the man settled in Caitern's room. He was heavier than he looked and the former healer decided that it was his muscle mass that made it so. He was lean, fit, and had muscles that could make any man jealous and woman swoon. And Caitern could see that in her own daughter. As soon as Jikala had laid eyes on the man, she seemed a bit more willing to help.

The first thing Caitern did was clean every wound on the man's body. While she was doing this, she had instructed Jikala to start mixing pastes and medicines from their short supply of herbs. Once the first paste was finished, she spread it over the man's broken arm and quickly set it. She then began to spread the same paste over the deep gashes in his face, abdomen, and back.

It took another two hours to tend to this man. He had many new cuts and scratches that appeared as Caitern and her daughter had closed and cleaned his wounds. They had wrapped up his face and head in a long bandage, leaving only his nose, mouth, chin and jaw free. As well, they had shaved the rest of his hair from his head for better access to the wounds there.

Once finished, they had dressed the man in loose pants that had belonged to Caitern's former husband and brought the sheets up over the man's body. Jikala was slowly shaking her head at the state of the man,doubts crossing her mind of his survival. She did not say these out loud, however, because of the look on her mother's face. It had been such a long time since her mother had been able to heal someone as she once had. Jikala even feared that her mother was starting to lose her mind over the matter, but that, once again, was something she kept to herself.

Giving the man once last look, Jikala turned off the lights and followed her mother out the door.

Now, all we can do is wait, Caitern muttered to her daughter as they closed the door behind them. This left the man in the pitch darkness of the room, for no fire blazed and no window had been left opened and uncurtained.