Chapter 3

Sand in All the Wrong Places

Basic Force-healing was considered a rudimentary skill for apprentices, but it still was tiring work, even when augmented with the copious medical supplies aboard. The Ebon Hawk had one room close to the bridge that had been designated a sickbay, though it likely had been a stateroom at one point. Kairi had demonstrated great aptitude for healing under Zhar's tutelage, but this was no exercise.

Hauling in an unconscious and injured Mission sent the whole damn place into an uproar, and that made it more difficult for Kairi to block them out. Zaalbar's fear was the worst. Bastila herded Zaalbar away from the scene, her hands full with soothing the panicked Wookiee. Carth was backing Kairi up with the medpacks, adding his limited field medicine skills. Kairi thanked the Force for his presence. Years spent in war had given him the ability to push aside his own emotions to focus on survival.

Kairi concentrated on reaching Mission. The injuries were awful, vibroblades doing much greater internal damage than a simple knife would. She had lost a dangerous amount of blood. Dropping into a Force-assisted trance, not caring about the horrible suffocating feeling it brought, Kairi searched for that little light that was Mission's life.

She found that light. Despite the gravity of the situation, Mission had an immensely strong will to live. Gripping the girl's hand, Kairi willed strength into her injured companion, pulling the injuries into her own being.

Kairi's own muscles went rigid from the pain while seeing flashes of the battle through Mission's emotions – the panic, the fear of dying, and the intense pain of injuries. She could feel the vibroblade's sting, the blood seeping out her back. It threatened to make her black out. The temptation to let go was almost overpowering, but Kairi stubbornly continued.

The cost to her didn't matter - Mission wasn't going to perish.

In the Force, Kairi took the pain and injury, transmuted it, too far into the trance to notice the rasping, gurgling sound of her own breathing as she did. The vibroblade had glanced off Mission's shoulder blade, which slowed it somewhat. Blood and leaking gasses were pulled out as vessels and tissue knitted.

During the process, Mission regained consciousness. HK-47's pyrotechnics had left second-degree burns on her arms, legs, back, and (most painfully) her head-tails. The girl was gritting her teeth and going ashen trying not to scream. Carth told her she was taking it like a soldier, and that she was free to curse like one if needed. That brought a chuckle, followed by a barrage of gutter-speak that would have impressed a master sergeant.

The kolto and Force work did their job. Kairi felt that wonderful feeling of surfacing from the dark, pulling Mission with her as they surfaced. It was done. Conventional medicine could handle the rest. Bandages applied, a treatment cuff of more kolto and saline helping with the blood loss, Mission's injuries were sure to heal now. Kairi was barely conscious from the exertion, but held herself together long enough to administer Mission a sedative.

"You're safe now," Kairi assured her. "Your wounds will heal with some rest."

"You okay, Kairi?" Mission asked. "You look –"

"Just tired," she said, taking a blanket and pulling it across Mission's slender shoulders. "I was using Force powers to help ease the pain and speed up your healing. You're safe. That's what matters."

Mission weakly squeezed Kairi's hand as the sedative took effect. "Thanks…"

Kairi leaned over and kissed Mission on the forehead like a mother would do to comfort her child. The girl was asleep in minutes.

Carth leaned back against the bulkhead. "Thank the Creator," he said, exhaling a tense breath. "Four Dark Jedi?"

Kairi nodded shakily. "One of them got the drop on Mission. I have to be glad he was the apprentice and was just using a vibroblade, or else…" She shuddered, watching Mission sleep.

Carth nodded. "She'll be okay, Kairi. The differences between Twi'lek physiology and human worked in our favor. A couple centimeters either way, and it could have been much worse."

She stood up and tried to walk out, her steps wobbly from exhaustion. Carth caught her as she was about to stumble. He guided her over to a bench and sat next to her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders to keep her upright. His unshielded mind was blasting out concern and relief. He was also shaken by how close they came to losing Mission.

"Hey, Kairi. Take it easy."

"Somehow, word must have got out that Bastila escaped Taris, and that she's traveling with us." Kairi said, exhaustion catching up with her. "Mission…I was able to help her this time, but…

He looked over at Mission. "That was close…too close." Carth swallowed hard. "I don't like losing people under my command. Had to see it too damn often. Never gets easier, and Mission…well, she's an asset – a powerful one. Her skills, her street smarts…"

Kairi looked up at him, eyebrow raised, trying to smile through her weariness. It only made him laugh.

"All right…I should know better than to try that with you, shouldn't I? All right, I'll admit it. I like the kid. She's bright, she's tough…you and she are the only ones I'd wager could charm credits from a Hutt. Seems hard to believe that we only met her a couple months ago. Seems hard to believe I met you a couple months ago, actually."

Kairi nodded tiredly. Carth brushed away her black hair and started rubbing her neck. She leaned into it, sighing as he worked the knots from her neck and shoulders. "I…I guess I shouldn't be surprised at you choosing to be a Jedi, Kairi. It…it fits you."

"Considering what you've said about Jedi, that is no compliment," she said.

"That…that was pretty dumb of me. Come to think of it, I've been acting like a complete jerk towards you this whole time, and you've been the last person to earn that. I'm…I'm sorry, Kairi. Guess I got so used to expecting the worst…believing the worst."

His callused thumb pressed in to loosen a particularly tight knot at the base of her neck. A brief, licentious thought crossed her mind about what those hands might be like when it came to something far less chaste then a neck rub, but she scolded herself for it. Enough people on Taris had looked at her like a pleasure-object – damned if she would look at someone else like that.

"Thank you," she said. "For being here."

Confusion from him, and curiosity. "Why's that? I mean… We're running around the galaxy on a search for these Star Maps, and I don't know how much help I can be. I can fight, sure, but I'm no Jedi.."

"Not that," she said. "It's you…your presence. I wish there was a way to let you understand just how helpful you've been, just by being…being you."

He pulled his hand away, looking into nothing. "Kairi, don't take this the wrong way, but… How well, really, do you know me? For all you know, maybe I'm not such a good guy. I…I must be one of the first things you can remember, so it's small wonder you think I'm this great person when you haven't seen -" He cleared his throat, scooting away from her. "Well, you probably think I'm a better guy than I am."

There was a long silence as they watched Mission sleep. While the minds of sentients were unguarded as they slept, they did not have the will and active concentration behind their emotions. It was like listening to echoes. Right now, Mission was having happy dreams, maybe remembering something with her brother or scampering about Taris.

The thought of Taris devastated Kairi. So much suffering and death, and not a damn thing they could do but save their own skins. Had she been Jedi at that point, it might have overloaded her...maybe even killed her. Even now, thinking of it made her feel hollow. The place of her earliest clear memories was gone forever. The only people who had a chance of surviving it may have been the Outcasts if they reached their Promised Land before the Sith razed the surface.

As if reading her mind, Carth told her, "I recognized who shot us down over Taris, Kairi. It was Saul. His ship led the bombing, too. I was actually looking forward to facing him. We were so close. If he hadn't got the drop on us…"

"And when Saul bombed Taris, it must have been like…"

"Not quite," he said quietly, looking up at Mission. "At least on Taris, there was someone I could save." Leaning forward, he studied the deck plates as he spoke. "If I went back out to the front, I'd just be one more officer out there against the Sith fleet. This…well, if this 'Star Forge' is what the Jedi suspect, then we can bring Malak to his knees by cutting his supplies. This might actually make a difference."

Kairi could do little but agree. "A promise, then. I promise I will not keep anything about this quest from you, if you promise that you will work with us. Does that sound fair?"

She put out her hand, and it got another smile out of Carth. He reached over and shook on it. "You cut a pretty hard bargain, beautiful," he said. "But it's more than fair."

Canderous awoke, and almost wished he hadn't. Cold iron chains confined him to a thick wall. He had been dragged down here roughly, judging by the bruises and cuts that his implant was regenerating. It was still working on filtering out the poison, too, judging by the way his guts were cramping.

No sooner had he dared to open his eyes than a violent backhand slammed his head against the wall.

"Welcome to the Mandalorian Quarter, Canderous."

That voice…He gasped and his eyes flew open. The man's armor was battered and rusted, but it was definitely Mandalorian. The markings were of his own clan! His captor took off the helmet. He was a bit smaller then Canderous, but had the same iron eyes. His long, unkempt hair was only starting to go gray, but his square-jawed face boasted several scars and an eyepatch.

"J…Jagi?"

"Surprised to see me? You left me to die, kinsman. Because of you, I had similar accommodations in an Altheri dungeon. I thought it appropriate."

"Resorting to poison and the aid of Calo Nord?" Canderous laughed despite his position. "Didn't think it was your style."

"And I hadn't believed that you would abandon your people to seize glory. I found out otherwise. At least you could have died in Mandalore's cause, drowned in the gravity well at Malachor, but no…you live on while the rest of our people are reduced to petty raiders and mercenaries, or have to eke out a living herding bantha on a gods-forsaken rock like this."

"What is it you want from me?"

Jagi folded his arms. "Nothing more than for you to sit and rot. Calo Nord has other plans, though, and so do I…I've told the other clans about your arrival here, Canderous. They thought you died when Revan boarded Mandalore's flagship, but once we got word you were alive, we figured out what happened. You must have fled like a coward."

"Damn it, Jagi, that's not what happened. And if I were free of these chains, I would snap your neck for that kind of slander!"

"Slander? Slander was telling us you would support us when you were actually leading us to die. You disobeyed orders to attack the Altheri flagship to seek glory for yourself. I watched the Altheri slaughter my brothers, and my blood will be paid for with yours. No one here will aid you. Farewell, kinsman…"

Jagi turned around and left.

Bastila and Kairi led Carth down the dusty alleys of Anchorhead, hurrying past the spot where they'd fought the Dark Jedi yesterday. Black scorch marks and the stench of smoke hung in the air. To no one's great surprise, the place had been stripped - no bodies, no equipment. Even the remains of the trash bin had been claimed, though only the Force would know who would have use for such a thing.

The Ithorian in charge of the hunting lodge, Fazza, was operating one of the only thriving business ventures in Anchorhead. Weapons behind the counter, drinks and meals in a side room, and the boisterous atmosphere of post-hunt boasting made for a thriving trade. Paying their fee, he proudly issued the hunting licenses.

Most hunters come here for desert wraid or for howlers. Some of them hunt the bone-gnawer birds – those are nastier than they look, but live young are worth a fortune. Czerka, though, pays the big credits for gaffi sticks. You'd have to be stupid to hunt for those. The Sand People blend in with the desert and hunt in packs. Most hunters don't last a day. The gaffis that do come in are from when someone loots a corpse or has to shoot a scout in self-defense. Czerka won't ask questions, though...

The three of them split up to work the room. Hopefully, they could find a good scout to take them into the desert, or maybe one of these hunters knew of old ruins. Kairi found a Rodian with a Pazaak deck in the far corner.

"Greetings, stranger, I am Kudos. Fewer new faces come to his planet."

"Greetings yourself, I'm Kairi. Are you a hunter?"

"Used to be a hunter," Kudos said, stretching out a crude prosthetic leg from under the table. "But got my leg injured. I make my living playing Pazaak and doing odd jobs. The owner lets me stay in the apartments above here. Not much, but it's home. The hunters, they trust me. Care for a game?"

Kairi sat across from him, pulling the Pazaak deck from the inside pocket of her robe. Bastila had looked at her strangely for wanting to bring it along, but Mission chimed in saying that it might be a good way to earn a few credits and that in a place like this, a game of Pazaak was always a good way to start a conversation. Turned out Mission was correct after all.

"Has anything odd been found of late? Artifacts? Ruins?"

"Ah! You not an ordinary hunter then – you a digger. Well, there is a lot under the sand, I think. No one wants to bother, though. Easier to destroy than dig." The Rodian shrugged as he dealt the cards. "Might want to ask Fortuna when he gets here. He's a yellow Twi'lek. Doesn't talk much. He's the best hunter in this lodge – goes out further than anyone. I like him, he has a Rodian's appreciation for a good hunt – most Twi'lek and humans are…well, I think they're too lazy. No offense intended."

Kairi chuckled. "None taken."

"Other hunters…Well, Venn is a human. He comes here for wenching. And he hunts with droids! I pity his wife, married to a bad specimen. Few of us like him much. The Gammorean trio tends to bring in scrap and weapons. They call it salvage, but I think they hunt two legged prey…" Kudos smiled. "But Komad Fortuna, he tougher than all of them put together…"

Bastila shook her head, watching as Kairi and Kudos dealt the cards and conversation. "She never passes up an opportunity to squander our credits at the gaming table, does she?"

Carth waved it off. "I think I know what she's really doing. Besides, she's good at this – it's what bought us most of our supplies on Taris."

"Using the Force for gambling? Oh, the Masters would be appalled to hear of it."

Carth rolled his eyes. "We're parsecs away from them, Bastila, and I don't think Kairi uses the Force on that…not actively. Maybe her empathy, but that's switched on anyway." He shrugged. "She's got a decent set of instincts. It's what I'd do."

"Sit and play while there's work to be done?"

That got a laugh out of him. "You really are wet behind the ears, aren't you? No, I learned a while back that the best way to find out what's really going on in a place like this is to head for the most burnt-out specimen you can find that's still sober enough to answer a few questions. The official reports and the unofficial reports are vastly different entities, believe me."

Bastila crossed her arms, tapping her foot. "And where did you pick up such a disrespect for authority?"

"A fellow named Goresh. He was my bunkmate out on one of my tours. Bothan, really bright, angered his family when he signed up for the military. Those guys prefer the quiet and sneaky life to one of a soldier. Still knew just where to find the dirt, though." Carth stopped his jovial recollection. "He later joined Republic Intelligence. Got killed by the Mandalorians." They headed for the most crowded of the two back rooms, Carth watching Bastila out the corner of his eye. "Speaking of Mandalorians, Bastila, did you ever think about joining the Jedi who were running off to follow Revan and Malak?"

Bastila shook her head. "That was five years ago. I was an apprentice then. My Battle Meditation hadn't even manifested itself. Yet, even then, I had the wisdom to obey the Council's will - unlike Revan."

"I guess. Still, you ever wonder if things could have been different? Would Revan and Malak still have been corrupted if the Council was supporting them rather than dragging its feet?"

"Do not blame Revan's corruption on the Council! Your Republic saw only the Mandalorians. The wisdom of the Masters saw beyond the immediate threat."

"Excuses, excuses…"

"There was something out there, something that devoured Revan and Malak and took many Jedi with them. Had the Council sent us all into the unknown, how many more would have fallen? The Republic armies only incited them further."

"You're sitting here, with a straight face, telling me we should have done absolutely nothing - just roll over and let them conquer us? Oh, I'm sure Canderous would approve."

"Canderous is little more than a common thug with delusions - as were all the Mandalorians. It was not our fight."

"Same osik, different planet."

"For a man who's battled Mandalorians, you certainly have a great fondness for their ruder phrases."

"Those settlers on Dantooine had a point. The Jedi put on this big show about being the great defenders of the Republic. We were getting our tails kicked, Bastila. You were shut up in your Enclaves, gazing at your navels, while planets…Republic worlds and citizens… burned. When we needed your aid the most, you up and abandon us."

"We did not abandon you! In time, we would have aided the Republic, I'm certain. The Council wasn't willing to throw lives away foolishly, and your kind couldn't wait."

"You didn't see what those guys were dishing out. So long as it didn't affect your kind, you couldn't be bothered. The citizens on Dantooine needed help against the Mandalorians, and the Enclave didn't lift a finger. It took Canderous and me to take down Sherruk, and he'd been trotting around for a year before that."

"Yes, and you both acted like bored little boys - only with heavy weapons and your lives at stake, thinking it was some grand game. Perhaps Revan and Malak charged in with the same attitude - just another adventure. They offered the quick and easy path, and the Republic grasped at it rather than trusting the path of wisdom. The results speak for themselves."

"Do they?"

Her voice was just shy of a snarl. "You ask me if things would be different? I know they would be different. Had Revan heeded the council, millions of innocent people would still be alive."

"Yeah, right, and every last one of them would be speaking Mando'a."

Bastila shook her head. "I can see that discussions with you are a waste of time. I shall go to the other back room and try my luck there."

After finishing a friendly hand with Kudos, and learning the lodge's gossip, she left to find Bastila and Carth, taking the crowded back room first. Three Gammoreans squealed with delight in a corner as they sharpened their axes and counted credits. One human man studied a datapad while another was enjoying a stiff ale. Upon noticing Kairi, the second human leered at her, a predatory lust stirring the air like a smell.

Kairi gave that human a wide berth, coming close to the Gammoreans' table. Their leader squealed with laughter when Kairi walked over, grunting in his porcine language. "What you want, humee sow? Gurke has no time for you."

"Yeah, you tell 'em, Gurke!" said the one to Gurke's right, snorting.

"What if I wanted advice?" Kairi said, attempting to flatter them. "I'm sure you three are very smart."

"Ha, ha, boys, it talk to me. You trying to get my secrets, I bet. Try to find where I hunt, eh? I tell you nothing."

"Yeah, you get nothing." said Gurke's second toady.

"Actually, I'm looking for something out in the desert. Are you three good scouts?"

"Oh, we the best among everybody, but not for you. We hunters know more than everybody," Gurke chortled. "Gurke and his boys hunt! That's what we do and who we are, and we don't train babies like you."

The smallest of the bunch pointed at them. "Yeah, you go out to the dunes yourself. Then, maybe you tough enough to talk to us. Probably not, though."

"Heh. Yeah, probably not," heckled the second. "Bet you don't come back."

"Shut up, stupid."

"Why don't you let him speak?"

"What? You deaf? Gurke laughed. He stupid and talk too much! You leave us alone now."

"I am not stupid! You stupid!"

"You too stupid to know you stupid!"

Kairi felt Carth's presence even before he put a hand on her shoulder and spoke. "Lost cause, Kairi. Only thing Gammoreans understand, apparently, is a blaster pointed at their foreheads."

The second lead was Tanis Venn, the human that was leering at her earlier. He was sitting in the back corner, blaster on the table next to a stack of credit vouchers. He slicked back his dark, thinning hair, and wore clothing that had been battered by the desert with far too much cologne. Kairi approached his table.

"Mr. Venn?"

He looked up from counting his money. "Did the wife send you? Tell her I'm busy."

"Fazza and Kudos sent me, not your wife," Kairi explained. "I may be in need of your services."

He stood up and stuffed the credits in his pocket, putting on a smile that he supposed was charming. "Sure, darlin', Tanis can take really good care of you out on the dunes." He maneuvered himself so that he was a little too close and Kairi wouldn't be able to escape gracefully. He was still sizing her up. "An itty-bitty thing like you could use the company of a strong man, and I'd not mind one bit."

The sleazy lust rolling off him made Kairi feel dirty, and it disgusted her even more that she found herself locking down involuntary responses – blood rushing to her face, her heart rate increasing. This man viewed women like the desert beasts he slew – something to trap, overpower, and then boast about until the next prey came along.

Force, it would be easy to push disgust into his mind, pull on his vanity or the fears of impotence that lay beneath it. She set her jaw and fought the temptation, summoning a mental shield to get him out of her mind. Force bless Zhar for teaching her ways to block out someone's presence.

"Mr. Venn," Kairi said, keeping her voice even. "I'm really not interested. Just tell me what you know. Have you seen the Sand People with anything unusual?"

"Yeah, my blood. Those natives are only a bit friendlier than my wife…but don't you worry, lady. I'll be really good to you…" When his hand started going from her shoulder to her breast, she tried to twist out of his grasp.

Instead, Tanis was yanked away and slammed against the wall. Carth was glowering at him, holding him by the shirt. That got the attention of some of the other hunters who were apparently going to cheer on Carth if a fight did break out.

"You treat her with some respect, or you'll finish this conversation minus a few teeth." For emphasis, he jerked Tanis's shirt a little harder. Tanis's eyes fixed on the holster on Carth's hip.

"Hey, hey. No…no need to get sore. Didn't know she was yours," he stammered.

I appreciate the thought, Carth, but that's not the smartest tactic. Kairi thought. This wasn't the first (and probably would not be the last) time she had been mistaken for his girlfriend. It was an easy enough assumption to make, she supposed. The spaceport prostitutes didn't pounce on him, and it kept most of the predatory men from harassing her. That unspoken arrangement they made on Taris proved to be for mutual benefit, and neither of them seemed inclined to call it off just yet.

"Let him go," Kairi said. "Not worth the fight."

Carth let go of Venn's shirt. Wisely, Venn slinked off. She sighed with relief. She could still feel Carth's fuming, but it had calmed down somewhat.

"Was that necessary?" she asked.

He attempted to make light of it. "Hey, told you I wasn't a nice guy, didn't I?"

Kairi shook her head. "I don't want you getting hurt because of me, especially with fools like him. You know that I could have handled it myself."

"Yeah," he said with a sigh. "Guess I did go off half-cocked back there. You Jedi probably have a rule or two about laying a guy out in a bar fight, but I don't have that restriction." Another flash of anger from him before he regained his control. "Besides, guys who run around on their wives are right behind traitors on the list people I'd like to shoot. Makes life more difficult for the rest of us human males."

This actually got a chuckle out of her, followed by a pang of sadness. She noticed the promise ring on Carth's left hand some time ago, but neither of them said a thing about it. She took his hand, turning it so that the dim light glinted off the gold band.

"She is lucky –whoever she is."

"No, she wasn't," he said, pulling his hand away as a solid wall seemed to crash down around his emotions, locking her out.

As they were about to find Bastila and leave the lodge, a Jawa blocked their path. Barely a meter high, and with all features other than glowing gold eyes hidden beneath an orange-red cloak, he waddled up to Kairi and started chattering in trade pidgin.

"You there, of your kind. I have watched you. Can you help Iziz of Jawa? There are troubles from the ghosts among the sands."

Kairi knelt to better look the Jawa in the eye. The powerful, musky smell of the Jawa was unpleasant, but still better than Tanis's cologne. "What is it you'd like help with?"

"Iziz I am. Leader of the tribe that is mine. You are the same in kind, a leader that stands before your tribe?"

"Leader of our tribe?" Carth said. "Heh. That's a new one."

"There are troubles we have. The giants made of sand, they are horned ghosts that take us away."

"Giants of sand…" Kairi scowled. "You mean Sand People?"

"That is how you know them. Giants are different for us, we being smaller. People of Sand are who I mean. There has been no help given by the great group that digs with machines. Now, Iziz asks you. Long have we scavenged, among you and those who came before. We have things you will like for this service."

"They take your people? Why?"

"We find things, and they use them. Jawas slave, serving. They lead us with whip and gaffi. With the group that digs, we trade and are free. With People of Sand, we serve and die. We prefer you."

"I can see why," Kairi said. Dropping her voice, she asked. "You mentioned 'those who came before.' Who were they?"

"You stand on Anchorhead, a place named and named again. You came to dig, but it was already dug, settled over and over. Also, long ago, ships fell from the sky after battles above. Now, we scavenge and find the pieces. You dig the ore and dirt." Iziz stretched out his covered hands. "In time from now, we will dig you."

"Hmm," Carth mused, "I wonder just how long ago the little fellow is talking here."

Kairi dropped her voice. "We are looking for a relic…possibly from those who came before. It's called a Star Map."

"These are things I know! From those who came before, the guide to lights far and away. I can tell you! East of Sand Giants – in dragon's cave. Dragon BIG - stops us from digging, but maybe not stop you!"

Bastila mulled this over. "It may seem convenient, but we've no reason to disbelieve this creature."
Carth sniffed with disbelief. "You're joking, right? Just because he's small doesn't mean he's any more trustworthy than those stupid Gammorean hunters, Bastila. Don't be naive."
"I am not being naive, Carth. I simply sense no deceit here," Bastila said. "And the vision Kairi and I shared indicated the Map was in some kind of large cave. The lair of a krayt would certainly qualify."
Kairi stood up, brushing the sand off her leggings. "She's right. He's being completely honest...well, as honest as a compulsive trader can be."
"Well, you might have pointed that out in the first place. Jedi senses I'll trust..." The "reluctantly" didn't have to be added. "Wishful thinking I don't."

"I'm headed to the Sand People's encampment, anyway. I'll look for your tribe's people, Iziz."

"Iziz hopes you have the luck you need!"

The three of them went back to the ship to gather supplies and sleep through the worst heat of the day. They would set out in the early evening to avoid the worst of the twin suns' blistering heat. Hopefully, the claim about the droid's translation abilities was not exaggeration. At least its combat capabilities were impressive.

T3-M4 and Kairi were spending the few hours they had available to make repairs to HK-47. Kairi held the small sonic spanner in her mouth while she had the droid's back open. The tangle of circuits and badly wired components made her cringe. Yuka Laka certainly would get no endorsement from her! She wondered how the droid even functioned with such inelegant tinkering to its innards.

Pulling out a chunk of burned-out wires the wrong size, Kairi shook her head. Sloppy, sloppy job! Picking the spanner off the floor, she tightened another connection. In mid-twist, she stopped herself, and put the instrument aside.

There was something familiar about this. Where had she learned all these skills? Carth had been right. Despite the new skills trained into her by Zhar and the other Jedi Masters, she still knew as much about herself now as she did when she had to read her own name from a salvaged datapad. Her translation skills could be explained, her Force abilities could be explained, but when it came to anything else – fixing droids, handling a sword, driving a swoop…she was no closer to knowing how she could do any of it.

"Query: Why have you stopped, Master?"

Kairi shook her head, as if to dislodge something. "It's…it's nothing, really." Deciding against hiding her condition, she spoke to the droid. "This will seem odd, but it's like I've worked with your model before. I'm not certain where, though."

"Statement: I am of superior design and construction, and my protocols would be attractive to certain buyers. Certainly there are other droids like me, master."

"Maybe they pulled you off the assembly line and figured you were just too much of an annoyance to make another." Kairi said.

"Statement: Oh, yes, Master. Humiliate your pet droid."

She soldered another connection. "You've told me about those other owners of yours. They had a tendency to end up dead."

"Query: Do you know what the odds are of puncturing that sole actuator? I would have congratulated my owner if he were not sizzling and incoherent at the time."

"And the Senator? And the Hutt?"

"Clarification: When I had found the Senator's wife and her male companion sharing sleeping arrangements, I proceeded to launch the attack, but my master interposed his own body and was destroyed. It was a rather strange meatbag thing to do, do you not agree? As for the Hutt, I was not present for Bochaba's demise, but I appreciated the brutal methods used."

"Hutts are brutal if you cross them."

"Statement: Bochaba's demise was marvelous, even by the standards of Hutts. I estimate that the locals were picking Bochaba bits from their soup for weeks. Hopefully, with your repairs, Master, I will recover more of my memory core."

Kairi sighed. "Well, that makes one of us." She soldered a connection and explained. "My…well, you could say that my memory core was also damaged. Irreparable, according to all I've talked to."

"Exclamation: How tragic for you, Master! I had not been aware that organics such as yourself could endure that indignity."

Kairi didn't answer that. Instead, she made her last adjustments and closed the back of the droid's access panel. "How does that feel?"

"Diagnostic: I am nearly at optimum performance, Master. With these repairs, I can access most of my deleted memory core and performance enhancements."

"Good," she said. "Are you ready for new protocols?"

"Statement: Always."

"All right," Kairi said. "One, your new function is to guard and protect the Ebon Hawk and her crew. Two, you will attack no member of this crew or guest of the crew. Lastly, should I be incapacitated or terminated, you are to become the property of…"

She thought hard. Bastila and Juhani would not want this dangerous droid, even if it were useful. By contrast, Canderous would have a little too much fun with it at his disposal. Mission and Zaalbar wouldn't know what to do with the droid.

"If I am incapacitated or terminated, you retain your protocols and become the property of Carth Onasi."

Mission sat in the pilot's chair, examining the controls and trying to discern what each gauge and panel meant. Her lekku still in bandages and the wound in her back healing, it meant she was stuck on the ship with little else to do.

Gee, there were a lot of switches and knobs here. How in the heck did Carth keep them all straight?

"Feeling better, Mission?"

She just about jumped out of her seat, and felt her cheeks get warm. Busted. "Oh, uh…Hi, Carth."

He chuckled. "Interested in piloting, Mission?"

She shrugged. "Yeah. I always want to know how things work, and I guess I'm feeling a little useless."

"You and me both," he said.

"Really? Gee, you're the last guy I'd call useless," she said. "I'm well…I feel like such a stupid kid. I'm not a soldier like you are. I'm not big and tough like Zaalbar or Canderous, and then there's…" She admitted sheepishly. "I know Big Z's gotta stay with Kairi, but I'm surprised you guys haven't dumped me off at a port somewhere."

"Why would we do that?"

Mission didn't really have words, just a shrug.

"Well, if you switch over to the co-pilot chair, I'll start you out with what the gauges mean."

Mission got up and settled in the co-pilot's seat. "Already figured some of it out, I think. That's the engine readout…the jump calculator…and over there's the emergency bank for power rerouting."

Carth sat in the pilot seat. "You've got it. How long you've been studying the readout on this anyway?"

"Well…since we got on Dantooine, actually," she sheepishly admitted. "Picked up some data cards to study and watched you fly sometimes."

Carth laughed. "Shouldn't be surprised. You're smart."

He talked Mission through some of the basics – what the functions were and what they did, joking a bit about some of the mistakes he made in training. He'd been so into teaching her that he didn't realize how far ahead of himself he was getting.

"Dustil? Who's Dustil?" she asked.

It stopped him cold. Oh, damn.

He must have been obvious in clamming up because Mission fidgeted in the co-pilot's chair and stammered. "Maybe I shouldn't have asked," she said. "But back when you were explaining how the shunts worked, you called me 'Dustil.' Are you okay?"

He rubbed his forehead. "I'm okay. Just losing it, that's all." He leaned back in the chair. "Slip of the tongue, I guess. Last person I ever explained a cockpit to was my son."

"Your son? You're a dad?"

"I was a dad…" he said sadly. "Sorry, Mission. I…I didn't mean to call you that."

"Well, I'm not Kairi, but you can talk to me if you want," she said. "Or not. I respect Big Z's privacy, and I'll also respect yours."

"Thanks, Mission."

She folded her hands on her lap. "Um…Carth…I've got something I gotta ask you. Is it okay?"

"Fire away."

"Do you trust Bastila? I mean, I know she's a Jedi and all, but…well, something's not right. Kairi and Juhani would probably find some explanation for what she did, but I'm not sure if they'd be covering for her. Not like lying, but they'd excuse it, y'know? Canderous wouldn't care, and human nature kinda flies over Zaalbar's head…but I trust you."

"It's okay, Mission. What did you see?"

"Did you know Bastila's mom's in Anchorhead?"

"Bastila's mother? No, I didn't."

"Well, her mom's been looking for her. She's sick – really sick. I'm not human, but even I can tell that much. She wasn't the friendliest lady, but Bastila acted really nasty to her, saying she was lying about being sick. Well, now her father's dead and her mom wants her to find his holocron. She said something about not having time and stormed off."

"Did she cool off later?"

"No. On the way to the droid shop, Kairi had to convince her that they should give it a try, and she said something about being angry with her and wanting to keep the holocron for herself…" Mission looked confused. "Now I know people can get upset sometimes, but that…that's not the way Jedi are supposed to act, is it?"

"Well, we all can have a bad day once in a while," he said.

"Well, the stuff with her mom confused me the most…I mean, I did kinda deserve it when she used the Force to trip me. I was acting like a brat."

Carth's face darkened. "Wait a minute, she used the Force to trip you? What were you doing?"

Mission shrugged. "Well, I asked her if she ever used the Force for fun. She told me that Jedi didn't do that sort of thing and that she was beyond 'childish' stunts like that. Well, I told her she was being stuck up. Next thing I know, I'm picking myself up from the sand."

"Starting to notice a pattern here. Did Kairi say anything?"

"Well, Bastila did fly off at her, too."

Carth was trying to keep his jaw shut – street rat or not, there were some words he did not want to use in the presence of a kid. If this were the Endar Spire, it would be addressed as a discipline issue. But what does one do on a boatload of mostly civilians and Jedi, and the discipline problem is technically in charge of the mission? On capitol ships and the like, there were procedures, but here?

"Define 'flying off'…"

"I…Well, I might have been seeing things or misreading, Carth. I don't want to make it sound like Bastila's a bad person or anything…"

"Mission," Carth assured her. "If there is a problem, then you can come to me with it, okay? And Bastila's behavior does bother me. But what the heck is this about her and Kairi?"

"Well, I was on my way to tell them both we'd landed when I heard Bastila giving one of her 'Dark Side is bad' speeches. This one was talking about how Jedi shouldn't have friends or family because they get in the way. Well, I balked and so did Kairi. Bastila just flips out and grabs her!" Mission shook her head. "I'm not sure what she was thinking about doing, but Bastila saw me and let go. I don't get it, Carth. Back on Dantooine, I kept hearing the Jedi say Bastila was on the Light Side. They didn't worry about her. Kairi and Juhani were the ones they worried about. So, if she's such a good Jedi, why is she doing this?"

"I don't know, but I'll talk to her about it, okay. As for you…" He leaned back in his seat. "I've got my own suspicions and a lot of unanswered questions. And extra set of eyes and ears would be helpful."

"You want me to spy on them?"

"Not so much 'spy' as keep an eye open. Last thing I can take is putting you and Kairi in more danger. This assignment's dangerous enough without being kept in the dark."