Andrew sat in the cockpit of the XS freighter staring out into hyperspace. He reminisced about his old life, living in his apartment with his parents. Waking up on a Saturday morning to the smell of pancakes and bacon. He smiled gently at the thought. That life was long gone. His smile faded. "I can't believe I've been here for almost two months now." he looked down, and he wasn't wearing his cloak but dark pants with matching boots. He wore a white shirt along with a brown jacket. His hair grew out a bit. He also had a blaster pistol holstered on his hip.

He's been helping Karina with her smuggling operation in order to earn enough fuel to fly out to the Dagobah system. He probably made enough to cash in that flight, but he liked her and was content with where he was. He'd given up on what he desired and decided to live in the moment. To many, it would be a wonder as to why she continued to let him stay with her, but he could tell she was starting to like him.

The door to the cockpit opened. Karina walked in with a giant smile on her face. "Well, good morning York," The two had a heart-to-heart about where they came from, and once she heard he was from a place called New York, she's been calling him 'York' ever since.

"Good morning Kari," he said in monotone while staring into hyperspace. She sat down in the chair parallel to him. "We still have four minutes until we reach Nar Shaddaa," she told him as she threw her feet up on the console. "I can't believe I haven't had any dreams or even heard from the voice in my head since I left Yavin,"

After listening to Kari ramble for a few minutes, they came out of hyperspace and entered Nar Shaddaa's atmosphere. They landed the ship in the main city starport and disembarked.

Andrew was pushing a cart with four crates on it. Kari was in front of him, leading the way. He had kept his head on a swivel since a couple of weeks ago when he was robbed of the cargo he was transporting on this very street. They arrived at a run-down building. Kari banged on the door a few times before it opened. The two walked in. It was a small garage that had a couple of speeders and a workbench. There was a staircase that led up to a smaller room. There were a couple of windows in the upper room that looked over the garage.

They were met by three people. A tan male, Zabrak, wearing all black. He had slanted green eyes and no hair. There was a human male that was about a half foot taller than Andrew. He had a scruffy beard and long brown hair. He was heavyset and had dark eyes. He wore a dirty white shirt and blue pants. The third and final person they couldnt see since they wore a ragged brown cloak and had scared silver armor, Jedi armor. They leaned on an ammo crate.

Andrew eyed the last person hard as he realized that they were a Jedi or at least had stolen their armor. "Hey, guys!" Kari said happily. The bigger guy spoke. "Hey, Davis, how are you?" the two hugged. "Hi, Oda. I'm doing well, and we brought a nice haul." the tan Zabrak walked over to her. "So, who's he?" the horned man asked.

Andrew could only stare at the cloaked individual. Their face may have been covered by the hood, but he could tell they were staring right back at him. He felt something, something dangerous. He could somehow tell this was a warrior, someone not to be trifled with. The whole world was silent to him. He could feel this person's presence. "This wasn't anything like how meeting Vader or Sidious was. I guess that's expected when you meet the two most powerful beings in the galaxy." He didn't break what he thought was eye contact. He could swear this person was sizing him up, but he was doing the same.

"Andrew!" Kari said while slapping him on the arm. He broke eye contact and looked at Kari. She nodded toward the other two. Andrew looked over at them and waved. "Hey, I'm Andrew."

The Zabrak walked up to Andrew. He stuck out his hand. "Hey, pal, the name's Zash." Andrew shook his hand and looked back at the cloaked individual, but they disappeared.

"So, what brings you here?" Oda asked. Kari closed the door behind them and opened one of the crates they had brought. It was filled with spice. "70% pure." Zash's jaw dropped. "70?!" he exclaimed. Oda chimed in. "That could get us a new starship." Kari closed the crate. "Or enough gear to finally do the heist." Zash backed up. "We sure that's something we still want to do? I mean, I get it'll pay well, but that's a lot of heat for some ancient artifact." Zash sat down on a small couch near where the cloaked person was. "What's this about an artifact?" Andrew asked. "Our Rebellion contact asked for us to steal this artifact some high-ranking imperial has. Says it'll give them an edge and are willing to pay 500,000 credits." Oda told him.

Kari looked around. "Where's Jada?" Zash looked to where the cloaked figure was. "She was right there…I'm not sure." "So that's her name…Jada." Andrew thought to himself.

"Hey, new kid," Jada said from the railing in front of the door to the upper room. Her hood was still up. Andrew looked at her. She signaled for him to follow as she went into the room. Andrew walked up the stairs and looked over at everyone else. They were gathering the spice and packaging it to make it easier to sell.

He arrived at the top of the stairs and walked into the smaller room. It was dark, pitch black once the door closed behind him. "So I take it you know what I am?" she asked. Andrew couldnt figure out where she was as her voice came from all around him. She must be using force to manipulate it. "...Yes, I believe I do. A Jedi?" Andrew asked. "You're far too young to know what a Jedi is, so how do you know?" she asked him. Andrew took a deep breath. "My mother use to talk about them." Jada was silent. "I sense conflict in you. Damage and a need for revenge, and yet you long for peace. Explain." Andrew began. "I use to be bullied and made fun of. I realized I had the ability to use the force, and I used it on them. I hurt them. I should feel good, but I feel regret. Shame even." Jada took a moment. "Where does your heart lie now?" she asked him. "All I really want is to start over and live a peaceful life with Kari. Nothing else really matters. I've given up on that dream." he told her.

The lights turn on. It was a small room with cabinets scattered around the room and a desk in front of the windows with a chair between them. There was a couch across from it, with a small table in front of the couch. Jada sat on the desk. Her hood was down. She had a fair complexion, light brown hair cut at her shoulders, and hazel eyes. He also noticed he wore a necklace with a wooden pendant in the shape of a leaf. She stood up. She was around 5'7 and had a fit figure.

Andrew spoke. "So tell me about yourself. Did you fight in the Clone Wars?" Jada got up. "I did. I fought for the Republic for a long time until a Sith took my arm and my lover's life…I went down a dark path…" she lifted the sleeve of her left arm and revealed that she had an all-black robotic prosthetic.

Andrew felt sorry for her. "What was your lovers name?" Jada looked at her feet and gave a small smile. "...Tai…Tai Yukon…he was perfect. He was ambitious, fearless, and compassionate." she paused and looked out the window to the garage. "I'll never forget the day we met. We were on Illum, and our class was with Master Obi-Wan and Yoda. We were told last minute a fellow Padawan was joining us. He and our Master, Val Cosa, arrived. He was so arrogant. He went straight into the cave before anyone else could and ignored everyone. He completed the trial faster than anyone else in the order…" she gently played with her necklace.

She cleared her throat and straightened herself, then turned back to Andrew. "We should get down there." she walked past Andrew, but for a split second, he saw her lightsaber. It was sleek, all-black, and glossy.

The two made their way back to the group. Kari looked at Andrew as he walked up and gave him a gentle smile. "So I see he's not dead. I guess you like him, Jada?" Oda laughed. Jada smirked. "He'll have to prove himself, but he shows promise." Jada walked over to an ammo crate and set down a holo communicator. A map of a two-story apartment building appeared. Everyone gathered around.

Kari took the lead. "So with the five of us, we'll have enough people for this job, and with the extra credits, we can get the proper gear. In a couple of days, this high-ranking Imperial will be out of town, and security will lessen. Zash and Andrew will take out the guards at the front and sneak in. I will provide overwatch and make sure they aren't interrupted. Jada will provide reinforcements if things get hot. Oda will be on a speeder waiting for Zash and Andrew. Once inside, they'll have to get by four guards. Two downstairs and two upstairs, which will be guarding the Imperial's private study, which is where we suspect the artifact to be." Everyone nodded in agreement. The holo turned off, and Jada spoke. "Oda and Zash sell off this spice, then Andrew and Kari will get us all the gear we need to make this happen. We'll reconvene once we have everything we need."

It was getting late, so Kari and Andrew left the garage and made their way back to the ship. They were walking through the streets of Nar Shaddaa. "So that's the crew, huh?" Andrew asked without looking at her. She looked at him. "Yep, that's them. Sorry I didn't tell you about them earlier. I just wasn't entirely sure I wanted to bring you on board." she returned her gaze to the streets. It was his turn to look at her. "What changed your mind?" she looked into his chocolate eyes and smiled. "Make it through this mission, and I'll tell you." she punched his shoulder playfully. "Stupid," she hid it from him, but her face reddened a bit at his question and not to mention the way he looked at her. Those soft chestnut eyes piercing into her soul, she couldnt take it. It made her feel safe and vulnerable. It scared her, and yet she longed for it. They arrive at the ship and head to the crew quarters, and fell asleep.


A/N: So this might seem a bit outta nowhere, but it just felt right to have this arc begin this way. Please review and like! It truly does mean a lot!