Luke's eyes kept roaming all over the city, taking it all in. He wondered why there were so many crystals here as well, but then he saw the Voidbreaker was not far away from them now, and he remembered why they were here. He steeled himself; he didn't know how yet, but they weren't leaving until that weapon was a pile of rubble.

"You look like you're ready to take on the Empire," said Zar, as they approached the black temple.

"Not yet," Luke replied. "Still have some ways to go before that happens…but I have to admit, thought it'd be easier after the Death Star was destroyed. Instead, the Empire is doubling down on us, and it's still hard getting more recruits."

"That's the Empire for you," Dendro grunted. "Palpatine's had twenty years to strengthen his grip on the galaxy. He's not giving it up without a fight."

They finally reached the foot of the temple, where several other buildings with heavy doors had been built around it. A massive staircase led up to the top of the temple. "It's going to be a long walk up there," Zar noted.

"For the love of…" groaned Dendro and slapped his head. "Zar, stop being stingy about your jetpack, and use it!"

The Mandalorian glared at the Besalisk, who glared back. Then Zar grumbled and took off. "Apologies about that," Dendro told Luke. "We can thank Noctu for some of his more irritating habits; the Colonel drilled into him to use his jetpack sparingly, since several of his recruits and followers got picked off by snipers and the like for using their jetpacks too quickly."

Luke nodded and started to walk around the temple's base, poking and prodding for any hidden switches or entrances…or perhaps that mysterious voice would give him more instructions. But all too quickly, he got fed up with looking, and turned his attention to the other buildings. Several of the others had walked up to them to examine the doors. Luke began to approach them…but the closer he got, the more this cold sinking feeling wrapped around him. He stopped in his tracks and the others looked up. "Hey, Luke!" said Bariq, and gestured him over. "We're not having much luck with these, they're sealed tight. Think you can use that lightsaber of yours?"

Luke tried to step forward, but that cold feeling was now overpowering, it felt like his body was being turned into ice. "No," he replied. "We shouldn't go in there. I sense something…the closer I get to it, the worst the feeling gets."

Nailah and Kashvi looked at Luke with concern, while Bariq and Ru glanced at each other with familiarity. "Alright," Ru said, "we're not fool enough to ignore a Jedi's senses."

Nailah looked for a moment like she was about to make a smart comment, but amazingly, she restrained herself this time. Luke caught Kashvi's eye, who had noticed her Twi'lek friend's reaction, and they both grinned.

"Nothing over here!" shouted Han's voice; he and the others came around from the other side of the temple. "Bugbot is still looking for a way in though."

A noise from above caught their attention; Zar flew down, and landed in front of them. He took his helmet off, and if his troubled expression was anything to go by, he hadn't found anything good at the top of the temple. "Luke, hold this for me, would you?"

Luke took the helmet, then Zar immediately took out a canteen of water, and gulped it down. "Didn't see any signs of an entrance up there," he told them. "Only something pretty disturbing. No, don't ask, let's just blow this thing to hell and be done with it."

Luke only vaguely heard what he was saying; whenever Luke had looked at the helmet, his attention was usually focused on the visor. No matter who wore a Mandalorian helmet, that pitch-black visor was always intimidating. But now he noticed the four markings on the helmet more. He had assumed they were just stripes, but instead they were actually a blade-like pattern. "Hey, Zar," he said. "Any particular meaning behind these?"

Zar glanced at Han and Chewie. "Does he always keep asking annoying questions?"

Han nodded exasperatedly and Chewie gave a growling chuckle. Zar took his helmet back, put it on again, and then asked, "By the way, where's SN?"

SN grumbled as he continued to examine the temple. The others had walked off and left him to do all of the hard work. Such was his existence in this tedious life. But at least he had a better chance of finding a way into the temple, unlike that fast-talking smuggler, or his walking fuzzball—

His hand froze over an image of a Zavar. It was identical to the one in the archway aboveground, the same pose, and the same crystal. SN went back to the recording of Luke and the archway; he had put his hand on the crystal, and then it had rotated. He grabbed the crystal carving as best he could and tried to turn it. It turned and then the figure parted, revealing a secret entrance. SN would have grinned if he had had a mouth. He stepped inside to scan for traps.

And then the walls sealed shut behind him. "Oh, fusst," SN snapped.

Thankfully, he could still see, another perk of being a droid. He carefully walked down the passage, scanning everything he could see, tentatively making each turn the corridor threw at him. And then finally, he walked out into a massive room.

Despite everything he had seen before, he was awestruck by the chamber's contents. Elaborate mechanical workings and machines, control consoles, but more unexpectedly, kyber crystals. They were in various machines, likely as a power source, and they came in all sizes. Some were as small as the one in Ru's lightsaber, others were bigger than the Shyyyo Talon. And at the center of the space, was a crystal that was bigger than a Gozanti, encased in a great machine.

Suddenly, the crystals all gleamed brightly. SN drew his weapons, in case he had activated a defense system. A disc made of metal and kyber crystals floated down from the ceiling and came to a stop in front of him. It glowed for a moment, and then an image of a hooded figure appeared. "Welcome, my friend," it said in an old, unnaturally tired, male voice. "I would greet you in person, but I am unable to move around much these days. Please, step on the disc. It'll take you straight to me."

"And how do I know you're not trying to turn me into scrap?" asked SN, his rifle and blaster aimed at the disc.

The figure chuckled. "If I wanted you destroyed, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Even in my current condition, I would have no problem turning you into a molten puddle on the floor. But I need your help, so please, come."

The image vanished and the disc glowed again. SN sighed and walked on. The sooner he got this over with, the better. It floated back up to the ceiling, where a segment had opened up around the central machine, allowing him entry. This new room wasn't as tall as the other, but it was still just as wide, with many more control consoles along the walls. A doorway was at the back, with stairs leading up somewhere. SN reluctantly made his way towards them and walked up.

He had made it up one landing, where a door was set in the wall, and the stairs continued to go up. SN groaned, dreading a longer climb, when the door opened. He quickly walked in, eager to avoid more stairs.

This new room was much smaller than the others; various bits of furniture were set up here and there, and SN knew this was a living space. And standing against a strange machine, one clawed hand gripped on it for support, and a crystal held in the other, was the hooded figure.

SN observed the figure with wariness and fascination. Going off the clawed hands, this was an alien not listed in any database. The hand was covered in black reptilian skin and its claws were razor sharp. Its clothes were a simple set of grey robes and its feet and legs were hidden by it. "I must say," the alien said, "out of all the crew, I wasn't expecting you to be the first to arrive. But if the Force wills it, who am I to judge? Please, come closer friend."

Not one to trust strangers, especially one of an unknown race, SN raised his weapons again. "Who are you?" demanded SN. "And where's all the treasure?"

The alien sighed. "Not one for manners, eh? Well, I suppose I have put you all through a great ordeal. To answer your first question, I am Zotz, one of the race known as the Zavar, Elder of Yuca, Guardian of the Voidbreaker. As for the treasure, there are valuable items and metals here, but that can wait. You are SN-16, yes?"

But SN would not be denied; he wasn't leaving here until he had what he needed to get a nice pile of credits. "Give us the treasure, and I might answer that important question for you."

Zotz shook his head. "I'm amazed they haven't turned you into scrap yet. I'll tell you what; help me operate the Voidbreaker. I am too old to work this infernal weapon on my own. Help me use it to destroy the others who followed you here, and I will give you all the riches that the Zavar here managed to pilfer from the galaxy."

SN paused. He could walk away as one of the richest droids, no, one of the richest beings in the galaxy…but…he couldn't destroy his team. Not after all they had been through. As much as he complained and whined, they were closest thing to a family that a droid like him could have. And then he remembered how it all started…

"Why doesn't he have the same agility as our other infiltrator models? We need our undercover droids to be at peak efficiency, otherwise, any potential internal rebellions could prove fatal to the Empire!"

If he weren't a droid, SN was sure he would be grimacing right now. Hearing his master's complaints were pure torture, especially when it was about SN himself. "I'm sorry, sir," stammered the technician on the holoprojector. "But in order to prevent hackers, and in order for the weapons you wanted to function, we needed the extra space and power cells to—"

"Enough! Fix this oversight at once, or you'll be the next test subject for the droid's combat simulation. Dismissed."

Grand Moff Tarkin leaned back in his chair as the hologram faded. "You should be pleased, droid. Inept though you often are, at least you're marginally better than the worst minds we have in the Tarkin Initiative."

SN just stood at attention stiffly. He would have strangled the meatbag right there and then if not for the restraining bolt. Tarkin sighed. "That being said, I have a job even you can't fail to do. I need some errands done, and my staff and I are too busy to deal with it now. I know, such mundane tasks should be below you, but sacrifices have to be made. I'll send you the list when you arrive at your destination. Oh, and on your way out send the Jawa in, will you? It's once again time we put what few skills he does have to work."

SN mentally grumbled to himself as he opened the door. The Jawa was on a seat not far away, sulking to himself. SN waved him to come in, and the Jawa slowly trudged past him. SN didn't envy him; no one, not even a creature like the Jawa, deserved to be abused by Tarkin. As he exited the Grand Medical Facility, he noticed a Drabatan dealing with broken equipment in the maintenance room. As the rain from one of Coruscant's rare storms battered him, SN made sure to note to go to the Drabatan in case the rain played havoc with his systems.

He took an Imperial speeder to the area where the shop was. As the speeder left him, Tarkin sent him the list. SN swore. Groceries. He was shopping for groceries for Tarkin's dinner. What had he been reduced to? But as he shopped and purchased what Tarkin wanted, SN appreciated that at least he wasn't listening to Tarkin's ceaseless babbling. Then he exited the shop, and that was when everything changed. Whether for the better or the worse, SN still couldn't say.

First, an ion blast hit him, and he winked out. Then when he reactivated, he was in a dark, dingy hangar, being probed at by filthy organics. "What did I tell you?" leered one of them, a Mon Calamari. "Imperial droids are worth a fortune, all sorts of good stuff inside. The latest tech from our dear Galactic Empire. Get a new restraining bolt; we'll need it after we pry this Imperial one off of him."

A Twi'lek gave the Mon Calamari a tool, and with one good yank, the restraining bolt was pried off of him. SN was delighted; after this, he could go wherever he wanted. To thank his naïve benefactors, he grabbed the Mon Calamari by the throat, used him to bash the Twi'lek in the face. Another alien, an Aqualish, fired his blaster, but SN used his new makeshift weapon as a shield, and then raised a hand and fired a blast from his palm. The Aqualish dropped to the floor, and then SN dropped the Mon Calamari too, ready to get on with his new life.

And then he stopped. He had seen how droids were treated; little better than slaves, worked until they literally fell apart. At least with Tarkin, he had his upgrades. Resignedly, SN took the crooks' speeder, and headed back to the Medical Facility.

As soon as he entered the building, the Imps were all over him, noticing his restraining bolt was gone. They used handheld scanners to scan him ten times over, until they were satisfied that he wasn't carrying any explosives or other forms of sabotage, and sent him to the Drabatan. The Drabatan was still fixing broken medical equipment, but was now with the Jawa as well, both cursing Tarkin under their breath. "Our glorious masters sent me here to be repaired," interrupted SN, and both of the slaves jumped. "Though I love hearing you verbally abuse them, I really need to make sure I haven't suffered any permanent damage, and I suppose I need a new restraining bolt. Make it snappy, meatbags."

The Drabatan sighed and readied his tools, but the Jawa stopped him, and whispered something. "Didn't you hear me?" SN repeated. "I want to be checked out now, so I can continue with my miserable existence."

The duo shared a glance, and then walked up to him. "I take it you don't like Tarkin and the rest?" asked the Drabatan, a curious glint in his eyes.

"Who doesn't love one of the coldest monsters to ever govern the Outer Rim?"

"Exactly!" said the Jawa, nodding. "So why don't we work together to bust out of here?"

SN stared at him incredulously. "A gang of crooks tried selling me for credits today. Why should I assume you'll treat me any differently?"

"We were forced into service too," the Drabatan pointed out. "If we went out into Corsucant right now, we'd be in the same position as you, right?"

SN was about to give a lippy response when it hit him. The Drabatan was right. Their situations actually were pretty similar. But he still wasn't entirely convinced. "How do I know for sure you're the lesser of two evils? And how do you propose we elude Imperial authorities?"

"There's a patient here," began the Jawa. "A test subject for a project they've got going for the Death Trooper program. You know him?"

The droid nodded slowly. Tarkin often brought SN along to watch him perform the latest torturous experiment on the poor soul. "He's got the firepower to blow past most Imps," the Drabatan continued. "Plus, there's all the stuff that old fossil has had his lab rats putting into you, right? The four of us should be able to escape Coruscant."

SN crossed his arms. "And what assurance do you have that I won't be just another service droid or potential sell item for you?"

The duo raised their hands. "We swear we won't," the Jawa promised. "You'll be an equal crew member. Besides, do you really want to hear Tarkin complaining for the rest of your existence?"

That got him. "No, I don't," SN admitted. "Fine. Partners?"

He extended his hand and the duo shook it. Then after SN broke off their slave collars, they began to plan their escape.

"Excellent work, SN-16," Tarkin admitted. "Escaping a gang of armed criminals proves you're not entirely worthless after all."

SN kept quiet as they walked down the hall…just a few more moments… "Though I must say," Tarkin went on as they entered his office, "I'm still annoyed you returned here without the items. You can redeem yourself however—"

He stopped as the duo leapt out from behind his desk. "Hello, Tarkin," snarled the Drabatan. "You're going to help us get out of here."

Tarkin smirked. "Really, slave, do you think your collar won't act up if you strike your—?"

SN tapped him on the shoulder. Tarkin turned around and SN punched him right in the face. SN made sure to record and capture the look on his face just before he passed out. Priceless. The Jawa waved him over, and after SN ripped off his fake restraining bolt, he brought Tarkin over to the cabinet next to his desk. He put Tarkin's hand on the scanner and the doors gently slid open. The Jawa put as many of the items inside as he could into a bag. "The Moff here has had me accessing all of these for him," the Jawa mentioned. "So many of them have maps to various parts of the galaxy, pointing out long lost cities or treasures the Empire wants."

"Any regrets now?" asked the Drabatan as he stood guard by the door.

"Well," answered SN, "I got to punch Tarkin, so no."

As soon as the Jawa was done, they snuck towards the room where the patient was. Luckily there was no staff or security around…yet. SN put Tarkin's hand on the door scanner and the door slid open. The room was dimly lit, and besides the patient on a table, the only one in there was a doctor sitting in front of a computer. "Good evening, Governor," said the doctor. "All upgrades to the patient's prosthetic limbs seem to be operating as expected. How do you wish to proceed now—?"

SN bashed the doctor on the head and hurled him away from the computer. The Jawa typed in some instructions, then a hand and eye scanner asked for Tarkin's authorization. Yet again, SN put Tarkin's hand on the scanner, and opened Tarkin's eye. The screen turned green for approval, and the table's restraints popped open. The Drabatan went to the patient and shook him. "Hey," he said. "Random patient. You awake?"

SN and the Jawa walked over to look at the patient. He wasn't much to look at; he was shaved bald for the experiments, and already had his fair share of scars. The only really noteworthy thing about him was that an arm and a leg had been removed, and replaced with mechanical upgrades. His left eye was still intact, but it had been damaged, and they had placed a metal prosthetic strip over it, one of their latest pieces of experimental tech. The patient's eyes opened; his normal one was grey, while the prosthetic was an eerie green. "This another one of Tarkin's games?" he groaned.

The Jawa nodded, and SN injected the patient with a stim. With a burst of energy, the patient scrambled off the table with his fists raised, ready for a fight. "Come on, meatbag," said SN impatiently. "We can escape first, exchange fisticuffs later."

The patient blinked. "Yes, escape," repeated the Jawa. "You help us escape, and we'll have the galaxy's riches at our fingertips!"

The patient blinked yet again. "What did he say?"

The trio groaned. "Just come on," snapped SN and walked towards the exit.

As soon as they walked out, a Stormtrooper spotted them. SN blasted him before he could fire. The Drabatan picked up his fallen rifle and tossed his blaster to the Jawa. They barely got to the elevator when another pair of troopers spotted them. SN and the patient charged into the elevator while the Jawa and Drabatan shot at the troopers. Unfortunately, their shots missed, and the alarm sounded as the elevator doors closed. "Great escape so far," the patient said sarcastically. "Who are you guys anyway?"

"Bariq!" answered the Jawa.

"SN-16," replied SN.

"Rusco'Draba'Snar Scal'Ro'Tek Chal'Nek'Ri'Bit'Skar'Grit'Ton'Lee'Rul," said the Drabatan. As they all stared at him, he sighed and spoke in strained Basic. "Or…you…call…Ru."

The patient nodded. "I'm Zaram Atoll. Call me Zar. Now get our hostage ready, the troopers won't dare try and be the ones who let Grand Moff Tarkin get hurt."

SN raised a hand to Tarkin's head just as the door opened to a small army of troopers. Thankfully, they held their fire. "Anybody move," shouted Zar, "and you can explain to Palps why he suddenly needs a replacement for his favorite Moff!"

A moment passed…and then the troopers stood down. "Bring a speeder," added SN. "Or I'll start breaking fingers. I'm sure Tarkin will understand why you let him get injured the longer you waste time, of course. And get out of our way."

The troopers hastily scrambled to move. The group inched through, past the troopers, around the security desk in the front, and straight to the doors. As they had demanded, a speeder was waiting for them outside. Bariq hustled over and checked it up and down for trackers or traps. He nodded and waved them over. "If anybody follows us," Zar spoke up, "feel free to do more than break some fingers, SN."

The troopers might as well have been statues. The group got in with Tarkin and took off. "I know some crooks and smugglers on the lower levels," Bariq noted. "They'll get us out of here."

"What do we do with him?" asked SN, gesturing at Tarkin, who was beginning to come to.

As they passed over a park with a deep enough pond, Ru casually pushed the Moff off the speeder, where he landed in the water with a splash. SN made sure to record that too, and in record time, it became one of the most viewed and illegal recordings on the holonet. The next time they went to Coruscant, they had discovered the park had been demolished by Tarkin, but the site was still marked with crude drawings of Tarkin floundering in the pond.

It had only been a few months, but already SN was almost wishing he had stayed an Imperial droid…almost. "This is a stupid idea," he remarked as he and Zar walked through the crowd. "How can we be sure that those two can pull this off?"

Zar had already regained his old gear, including his red and white Mandalorian armor. Even with it on, SN could immediately tell him apart if he was in a group of other Mandalorians, he was too lax and casual most of the time. Zar shrugged as he picked a pair of seats for them. "My mechanical friend," he noted, "you complain too much. They've pulled off difficult jobs before, snatching a necklace off a drunk Imp will be like outrunning an overweight Hutt. And we need that necklace if we're going to find the next treasure. Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the show."

SN grumbled but sat down. The Imperial prison had allowed a few makeshift bleachers to be set up outside for today's event. The prison itself was on a mudball planet on the very edge of the galaxy, so that meant inspections were few and far between, which allowed the Warden to make some extra credits off of the locals. He had set up an arena where prisoners fought each other for the audience's amusement, so long as they paid for it. The Warden himself was on a roofed balcony jutting out from the prison, and he waved at the audience with one hand, and a drink in the other. "Thank you all for coming!" he roared, a fancy necklace rattling on his chest as he made grand gestures with his hands. "I won't bore you with small talk, so let's cut right down it: are you ready for death and bloodshed?!"

The crowd screamed their approval. The Warden nodded at his guard, who spoke into his commlink. Two containers were hauled out into the middle of the arena. "Our first contestant, is an outlaw you all know and love!" shouted the Warden. "He made his name attacking Imperials who had unearthed sacred items! His fame only grew when he was incarcerated here, where he often bit off the heads of any inmate stupid enough to taunt him! Give it up for the Conqueror from Karkaris…Toooooor Nitros!"

The container opened and a Karkarodon wielding an electrostaff walked out. He looked at the ground as the audience chanted his name. "Not the kind of prisoner I was expecting from this dump," noted Zar, and SN nodded his agreement.

"And as for our newcomer!" yelled the Warden. "When we captured him, he was using a self-made weapon made out of an A-Wing's cannons!" The crowd booed and shouted their disbelief. "Even after we captured him, he beat down two squads of guards with his bare hands…all four of them! Don't believe me?! Then please, lo and behold, the Titan of Ojom, the Berserk Besalisk…Dendrooooo Argus!"

More than one audience member gasped, Zar and SN included. Out of the container walked one of the biggest Besalisks anyone had ever seen. He was carrying a pair of cannons with one set of hands, the controls in the other, and had one of the nastiest snarls that had the front rows screeching in terror. Then the audience immediately started shouting new bets. "Not so fast everyone!" warned the Warden with a grin. "To make things fair for Tor, the cannon's power has not only been reduced, but to make it even more exciting, the cannon has been rigged to explode if Dendro doesn't beat Tor in time! Now you may place your bets! Choooose wisely!"

There were a few tense minutes as the audience placed their bets. But Zar and SN listened to their own comms instead of betting. "We're cutting through now," said Ru. "If we're lucky, we'll have the necklace in a few minutes."

"Time's up!" shouted the Warden. "And here…we…GO!"

Dendro immediately opened fire at Tor. The Karkarodon moved with surprising swiftness, dodging each blast. In no time at all, he reached Dendro, and the duo started to trade blows. Zar and SN ignored the match and glanced up. With their enhanced vision, they could see a line lower from the balcony ceiling. A roar from the crowd had them glance at the match, and the duo were now struggling over the staff, Tor actually using his teeth to try and bite at Dendro's head and neck as he tried to heave his staff back. The match had the audience on the edge of their seats.

Which is of course when it happened.

There was a yell from the balcony and people, including the combatants, looked up. The Warden had noticed and yanked down the line, but Bariq had fallen on his head, and the Warden struggled to get him off. The guard started to raise his rifle, but Ru had swung down, and cut him down with his kukri. He tried to help Bariq but it was too late. The Warden had hit the balcony railing and the duo fell to the mud below. Luckily the Warden was beneath Bariq, so he took most of the fall, while the Jawa fell off facefirst into the mud, necklace in hand.

Guards and Stormtroopers started to come out from the prison, just as Zar and SN cut through the fence into the arena, and the audience booed their disapproval. They had paid for a match, and they wanted to see it continue, interruption or not. Dendro let go of the staff and started to open fire on the Imps. His guns may have had their power lowered, but they still sent the Imps sprawling. Bariq tried to make a run for it, but the Besalisk snatched him up. Zar and SN were feet away when Dendro demanded, "Deactivate this bomb!"

"Let him go, big guy!" ordered Zar, one of his pistols aimed at Dendro's head.

The Besalisk glanced at him, a slight note of panic in his eyes. "Shoot me," he pointed out, "and you'll still have a bomb that can take out half the arena!"

There was a splotch as Ru landed on Warden, and he rushed towards them, taking out some more approaching Imps with a blaster pistol. Then Tor ran to them and made a shocking suggestion. "Do as he says!" he said. "We're going to be up to our necks and gills with Imps soon, but if we work together, we can all get out of this mess!"

They all shared a quick look and Zar told Bariq, "Do it. We'll cover you!"

The rest of them provided cover fire, Zar giving Tor one of his own pistols, while SN helped Bariq with the cannon. "This won't take long," muttered Bariq. "SN, make a slight adjustment here…"

SN did as he was asked. There was a satisfying bleep and the Jawa gave a triumphant shout. "Cannon is back to normal! Fire away, big guy!"

Dendro roared with glee and opened fire. His cannons tore right through the crowd of Imps with deadly ease. "Alright, let's go!" ordered Zar. "Back to our ship!"

"Please tell us it's a fast one," pleaded Dendro as they shot through the fence, and the audience started to flee in panic.

"The Shyyyo Talon may be a Mandalorian ship," SN admitted, "but it'll fly circles around these incompetents."

"Shyyyo?" asked Tor as they ran through the small spaceport town near the prison. "Like the guardian bird of Kashyyyk?"

"You know your lore well," Zar complimented him. "Yeah, I named it that because—"

A missile flew over their heads, barely missing them. It hit the building next to the docking bay, sending debris flying everywhere. They saw an ITT charge towards them, with a trooper hanging out the door with a rocket launcher over his shoulder. Before the ITT itself could fire its cannons, Dendro opened fire yet again, quickly tearing its cockpit to pieces. It veered and crashed into another building, and the trooper fell off of it, his launcher rolling to a halt at Tor's feet. "This will do for now," he said, and they continued into the docking bay.

They quickly ran into the Talon and Bariq got to work on his controls. "Tor, do me a favor!" said Bariq. "Scanners are picking up an AT-DP, use your new toy to turn it to scrap!"

Tor nodded and ran down to the exit. As Bariq began to take off, he aimed the exit towards the walker, which was priming its weapons. Via a camera, they saw Tor on the ramp, as he carefully aimed, and fired. The missile hit it right in the center and the whole walker exploded. The unlikely group whooped and cheered as they flew off, quickly leaving the planet behind them. "Sorry for the rough treatment before," Dendro apologized, and offered Bariq one of his hands. "No hard feelings?"

Bariq took it. "Get me a dish of the finest sooga in the galaxy, and we'll call it even."

Tor entered the cockpit. "Excellent flying, Sir Jawa. I know this may be a bit early, but if I may, please allow me to join your crew. You saved my life and I am in your debt."

Dendro clapped him on the shoulder. "I have to admit, I'm with Tor on this one. I'll join too, I have a lot of mouths to feed back home, and could use the credits."

Bariq glanced at the others. "I won't say no to a Karkarodon and Besalisk with heavy weaponry," SN admitted.

Zar nodded. "Fine with me. I'm Zaram Atoll, or Zar for short. The droid is SN-16, the Jawa is Bariq, and the Drabatan…we just call him Ru for short. Ask for his full name at your peril."

The newly formed crew of the Shyyyo Talon then exchanged proper greetings, and SN noticed Tor say to Dendro, "By the way, my apologies for nearly biting your head off."