Disclaimer: If I stole it from someone else, it's not mine.

The coordinates took them to the middle of nowhere. There was no stars for several dozen light years in any direction. "Draco, what did you do?" Cryos demanded.

"Nothing!" He insisted. "I went right where you told me!"

"Then why isn't there anything here!?"

Actually Cryos, Mewtwo's 'voice' drifted over from the other ship. I am picking up faint life signs from that large asteroid down there.

"Where?" Cryos looked again and saw a large asteroid floating beneath them. Actually, it was far too big to be an asteroid, it was either a large moon or a small planet that had escaped from its gravity well and was drifting through space. "Draco, scan that hunk of rock."

"Eh, I see some rocks, and some crusty stuff growing on them." He offered uselessly.

"Use your scanners…"

"Oh ya!" Draco chirped and Cryos sighed. "I'm showing small life forms, all living off the heat rising from the deep core of the planet. I don't see anything that looks like a town or a base or OH! I found something! This cave is made of some kind of metal, I can't scan through it, but it lights up on the scanners like a light bulb!"

"Take us there." Cryos said.

"Cryos!" Zeethra shouted through the loudspeakers, "It's a pretty obvious trap."

"I know, but it's our only clue. What are we supposed to do? NOT go there?"

Zeethra made a noise, but followed him anyway.

They landed, but didn't get out yet. The air was practically non-existent due to low gravity. So it was decided that only Cryos, Zeethra and Pahrac would go outside. Everyone else would stay in the ships, ready to run if it was a trap.

When the twins and the mutated Kelbrid reached the cave, they found it blocked off. Pahrac nodded to them and spit his acid saliva on the thick metal door. It bubbled its way through in a few moments and the snake-like alien slithered through. After a minute, the door slid open and he beckoned them through.

Inside the cave was surprisingly bare. Thick shields covered the walls and towards the back of the room was a tall glass tube covered with thick ice.

Cryos realized that the ice was not water but some ultra volatile chemical when it started to melt from just the diffuse light of the stars. He nodded, "Ya, it's a trap alright…" Just as the ice exploded outwards in all directions.

From the pile of fragments, a huge beast started to rise. It was heavily armed and had muscles far bulkier than anything nature had ever designed. Instead of fingers, it had long hooks. On its face was a pair of goggles that appeared to increase its eyesight in the dim light. And it had a long whip like tail that ended in a collection of razor spines.

It turned to face them, then spoke. "I have been raised my whole life for the purpose of killing you, Cryos." It smiled and revealed innumerable rows of sharp teeth. A green tongue flicked out and tasted the air. "I am also your next clue. To receive the hint, you must kill me."

"How do we get the clue if you're dead?" Zeethra asked.

"That's your problem. Now I must fulfill the purpose of my existence." He leapt at Cryos, who easily dodged it. The creature, whatever it was, was huge but slow.

"Get out of here!" He shouted at Kentra and Pahrac. "I can handle this." A sudden thought occurred to him. "Elfour," the tiny droid still hung from his neck. "See if you can identify what this thing is. Maybe that's our clue."

"I'll try," She said, "but I can't make any promises. He's been pretty heavily modified."

Cryos spun as the beast swung its massive hooked hand at him. He almost swung into its pointed tail, but rolled under at the last second.

The 'fight' if it could be called one as Cryos never swung even once, continued for a few more minutes. After a time, Elfour spoke up. "Of the more than 14 trillion species in my memory banks, I can find none with more than a vague similarity to this creature. I am sorry Cryos.

Cryos gave a short groan, then suddenly an idea flashed into his head. It was one of those strange ideas that seems to come from nowhere and sounds really good in your head.

Of course! He thought. If we can't ID its mutated form, I'll 'heal' all the things they've done to it!

He powered up a shot and blasted it right through the creature's belly. The beast made a gurgling noise as it fell.

"Cryos!" Elfour shouted. "How do we find out the clue if it's dead?"

"Simple. Like this." Cryos extended a blade and sliced the palm of his hand open. He quickly made a fist and squeezed a few drops into the creature's wound.

The beast moaned and screamed as the massive wound closed, but even after it was healed, he kept screaming. Cryos's immortal blood was healing all the effects of the surgeries and drugs that had turned it onto a monster.

Its huge muscles shriveled, all the metal blades fell off as its fingers regrew, and finally the creature shrank down to a meager three feet tall.

The alien sat up and looked at them with bulbous eyes. "You… you saved me… But why?"

"Because what was done to you was wrong, and, no offence, but we still need that clue."

"Yes, the clue, of course! The evil one is on my home planet! You are powerful, you must destroy him!"

"That's what I'm here for." Cryos assured the tiny creature. "Elfour, do you know what he is?"

"Of course." She said, sounding almost offended. "He's a Kranotarian. Notable for extreme cuteness and unusually strong immunity to psychics."

"Odd, why would Darth Posh use one of them…" Cryos thought out loud. "Oh well, do we have the coordinates of their home planet?"

"Yes, it is in a rather unusual place however. Their planet circles a black hole. It receives enough substance to survive from the dust and light drawn in by the black hole, but none actually from it of course."

Something seemed off to Cryos. "Very odd…" He muttered. Too many strange happenings were going on. But, he had no choice. The Sith had to be stopped, and no one else could do it.

"Well, come on." He said to the alien. "Lets get you home."

They arrived back at Draco to a few confused stares.

"This little guy is our clue. Darth Posh is on his homeworld. His name is, hay do you have a name?" He asked the tiny alien.

"No, I never received one as a larva."

"You'll be Stiney!" Draco shouted from all around them.

"Stiney?" Kentra asked. "Why Stiney?"

"Why what?" Draco asked.

"Why name him Stiney?"

"Name who?"

"THE LITTLE ALIEN!" Kentra screamed.

"Little alien!? Let's name him Stiney!!!!!" Draco squawked.

Cryos sighed. "Fine, he'll be Stiney. Can we go now?"

"Sure!" Draco shouted and took off so fast that everyone was knocked to the floor.

……………………………………………………………

Deep out in space, on a small dark planet locked in a fast orbit around a small black hole, a pair of dark eyes opened.

Excellent… Thought the master of the eyes. I planted the suggestion to 'heal' the Kranotarian without the psychic cat even noticing. Now hopefully that pathetic little alien can fulfill the rest of my plan so easily…