The air was cold and filled with malice. A monster towered Aleena, a coal-black armor, so dark its features were barely discernible. It had the shape of a man, but couldn't have the soul of one; it was far too large, too terrible. Yet something was inside. A beast, growling, sniffing. Sunlight flickered over its shoulderpads, pale as if robbed of life.

The fingers of its gigantic left hand firmly wrapped around the neck of Kolhem Sakkar.

"Dad?" Aleena whimpered.

"Give it to him" his voice was shaking "Give him the lightsaber, Aleena."

The creature held out its right hand, waiting. Numb with fear, Aleena reached into her pocket. The lightsaber was strangely warm and heavy. As she had it in her hand, it seemed to pulse. A little throb every second, like a heartbeat. Aleena held it over the monster's hand and opened her fingers… but the saber wouldn't let go.

It was stuck to her palm.

The grasp on Kolhem's throat tightened. He struggled to breathe.

"Aleena… please…"

"I'm trying!" she shook her hand frantically, to no effect. The monster started to slowly retract its arm.

"No, no, wait!" she grabbed the lightsaber to tear it off, along with her skin if need be. The heartbeat became stronger. Or was that her own? She couldn't get it off. However hard she pulled, the lightsaber refused to yield. She realized with terror that now both her hands were stuck.

"Please… he's going to kill me…"

Aleena began to cry.

"I can't… it won't let go…" she strained with all her strength to free herself from the evil weapon, satisfy the shadow monster, save her father and make this horror go away.

It wasn't enough. The saber pulled on her hand ever stronger, twisting and curling her fingers around itself. Skin and metal fused; she could no longer tell the end of either. The weapon grew into her flesh.

In a crazed, desperate thought, she considered cutting off her own arms.

As if reading her mind, the lighstaber burst into life. The monster shrieked… and Aleena roused, gasping for air.

The terrifying screech vanished in the distance along with the flying creature it came from, and with it, the terror of the nightmare faded away. Aleena's senses slowly accustomed to the real world: the cool air, the uncomfortable, ribbed metal floor, the gentle vibration of the hovertrain below. She nestled into the corner of the wagon, shivering. Even though the sky was clear and the sunlight almost blinding, it was getting colder by the minute.

She sneaked onto a cargo train the day before to hitch the thousand kilometers ride to Caraboro. From what she could learn, this was the only regular line between the two settlements, completing a roundtrip once every week. It hauled some reddish ore – a few chunks of which were still lying around – from a northern mine to the capital for processing and export. The other way, however, it travelled empty. It was damn slow, but it did the job. And most importantly, did it for free.

She checked her shoulder. It was healing nicely, given the circumstances. A bacta spray could have fixed the injury in a matter of minutes, but that kind of medication was beyond Aleena's budget. Even the ten credits for a clean bandage roll was a painful expense to make. However, an open wound is an open wound; she couldn't leave it to fester.

Another twenty two went for two loaves of buri, a kind of spicy bread she brought for the trip. It was surprisingly tasty and much more filling than its size suggested; in hindsight, it was a mistake not to buy more. What kind of food she would be able to get in Caraboro and at what pricepoint remained a question, and one with grave implications. The spoils of her adventure with Prenna's gang ended up extending her budget by a thin week only, three days of which had already passed. Beyond that lingered the spectre of starvation.

Hopefully her luck would soon change.

The train came to a stop. Aleena grabbed the edge of the wagon and pulled herself up to peek over. She hadn't taken a look outside since she got bored of the monotonity of the flatlands some time the previous day and now the view caught her by surprise. The plains were gone. Imposing mountains dominated the horizon instead, rising sharply over dense forests of evergreen, bathing their icy peaks in the rays of the morning sun. At the foot of a lesser hill in front of her steeply angled rooftops popped out of the landscape, sending sporadic columns of smoke towards the sky: the homes of Caraboro. Between the rail line and the settlement a meadow spanned about a kilometer wide, covered with drying yellow grass and patches of snow. No wonder she was cold; winter was knocking on the door in this country and she was still dressed for the early summer days of her own home.

She pushed herself over the edge with a grunt and jumped out. She glanced towards the engine half-expecting someone to yell at her. But the train was long and the tracked curved; even if the driver did mind someone hitching a ride in an empty cargo car, they weren't in sight to discover it. Aleena paced away towards the town.

Caraboro looked more like a big village than a city, though its population supposedly counted well in the ten thousands. Truly urban buildings were few and far between; small family homes dominated the townscape instead, closely built but separate. She noted the generous use of some deep red metal throughout the architecture: gates, fences and as sheeting on the sharp roofs hanging almost to the ground. Certainly the product of the nearby mine, available in abundance for the inhabitants of the town. The material must have played a central role in the life of Caraboro, Aleena speculated, much like how everything in Moryag revolved around stalk honey and logging. She liked that parallel. It made this frosty little place look a bit more like her old home.

Her mind was split between excitement and anxiety. One part of her was looking forward to finding the aliens Prenna told her about, the other was nervous at the prospect. What little faith she had left after being betrayed twice already in Camp Arlette, she placed it into this one lead. The promise that she will be safe and welcome among her countrymen, and maybe, just maybe eventually find a way to return home. However small the chance, the hope that she could see Yag again was too dear to let go of. The sense that the realization of these dreams could be mere minutes away filled her with enthusiasm and optimism. Yet, she took every step with growing reluctance.

Fantasizing about impending salvation was easy, seeking out what really lies ahead was a lot harder. The thorning doubts in the back of her mind persisted. Is this colony some kind of a criminal organization, too? What can she really expect from then? She doesn't have anything going for her other than some vague sense of shared heritage. Is that going to be enough? Or is she about to make the same mistake again, allowing herself to be seduced by a few kind words only to be tricked and left alone in the end?

And above all, how could these 'aliens with the hide of a rancor' be from Excio, a planet of almost exclusively human population?

The town was eerily empty. After thirty minutes of strolling around, Aleena was yet to meet a single soul. She was on the lookout for places that could hold a crowd: a bar, a market, a library, anything. Finally she noticed a wide, single-storied building, with an uncharacteristically flat top for the town. The Hearty Miner, a flashing sign advertised over the entrance. Must be a cantina of sorts. A good place to warm up and start asking some questions.

Unlike the public spaces, the Miner was packed. An array of scaly, slimy, feathered, furry species, more than Aleena bothered to count. Squeezed or spreading at the hexagonal tables unconcerned with the patrons' wildly different sizes, each sipped at a drink of their often strange preference or conversed through some exotic means. Chirping, growling, murmuring filled the air, thick with various fumes and smells. There was one thing, however, that unified the colorful cavalcade: the unmistakable aura of a simple man who makes his living with the strength of his arms. Is it a weekend? Aleena had long lost track of the days.

She navigated to the counter. The bartender, a bulking, four-armed alien from an unfamiliar race greeted her curtly in his own language.

"Hello, er, I'd like to ask a question" Aleena said shyly "I'm from Excio and I heard there are others here. Do you know how to find them?"

The alien examined her with an unreadable expression, absently mopping a perfectly clean mug with his lower two hands.

"The Jatu clan" he said slowly "They are from Excio, alright, or so they say. They moved out of town a few years back, set up their own place somewhere in the mountains."

"Where? Can you tell me how to get there?"

"No. I don't think anyone can. They're not very fond of visitors, you see, that's the whole point. It's no good for their business. But they do come by for a drink every know and then. I don't know what good will it do for you to talk to those people, but if you insist" he leaned forward slightly and furtively pointed with one of his many fingers "Those two, they're with them, I think."

Aleena followed the line of his finger to a table halfway through the room. Her heart jumped a little. Two humanoid aliens sat there, chatting over a pair of pints. Their leathery brown skin and a set of three unappealing bony protrusions on either side of their jaw rhymed with Prenna's portrayal perfectly. Aleena's conflicting feelings spiked simultaneously. The moment of truth had come. She mumbled a thank you to the bartender and started towards the pair, trying to collect her thoughts and some words of introduction.

She had already been standing by them, but still not been noticed. She knocked on the table and tried to put on her best smile. Finally, the duo looked up.

"Sorry, can I bother you for a minute?"

"Sure, beautiful, have a seat" answered the taller one with a wry smile.

"Thanks" Aleena pulled a chair and sat down.

"So, what can we do for you?" the other one asked. She was not sure which to maintain eye contact with.

"I'm looking for someone from the Jatu clan" she replied, staring somewhere between the two "I was told you're members."

The aliens exchanged a quick glance.

"Yeah, we are" the first one said, a bit more cautiously but still smiling "I'm Bock, and this is Dalen. Who is this person you're looking for? Perhaps we know him."

"I, uh, I didn't mean a specific person, just wanted to talk someone from the clan in general. My name is Corla Chau, I've moved here recently and I'm looking for employment."

"Oh, that shouldn't be a problem for a beautiful young lady like you" Dalen grinned "Can you dance?"

"Shut up, you prick, you embarass me in front of our guest" Bock admonished his companion, though without any edge in his tone.

"Not… that kind of employment."

"Well what is it then? Do you have a proposal for us?"

"No."

"Do you know anything about our business?"

"No."

"Why come to us then, darling?"

"I'm, well, I'm in a really rough spot and I could use some help. I'm from Excio and I heard someone mention…"

"Excio!" the aliens exchanged another look. Aleena thought to discover a slight change in their expression. Not the compatriotly warmness that she hoped for, however, but rather a sly, uncanny edge that creeped her out "Which part?"

"Northern continent, Yag province, Tahnyag area. I heard someone mention you're from the planet too."

"Well, we're not."

"We're Weequay from Sriluur, actually. But we did live on Excio for a while. That's where we started our humble enterprise, in fact, some, what, fifteen years ago?"

"Closer to twenty five now" Dalen waved.

"You're joking."

"I'm not. Time flies by like a crazed mynock, doesn't it."

"Sure does. Man, I miss that place."

"Yeah, it was so much better than this icehole."

"Twenty five years, damn. For a temporary location, it sure does feel quite permanent."

"What business were you in?" Aleena inquired, trying to reinsert herself into the conversation.

"Well… the honey business, what else" Dalen chuckled.

"Sure, sure, more like the sit around all day and drink beer business!"

"It was good beer, alright?"

"No argument there. The peasants knew how to brew a drink, that's for sure."

"And the women! Beautiful, beautiful women!"

"Here you're lucky if they don't have a beard."

"So, uh, why did you leave? Planet's still there."

She began to feel it before, but now it became clear something was wrong. Dalen's expression changed. He measured Aleena with unveiled contempt. She flinched a little, unsure what to make of the sudden hostility. She didn't think her joke was that bad.

"You're such an idiot."

"What…"

"Give her a break, man, she's just young. She wouldn't remember the good old times."

"I don't un…'

She trailed off. Yes, she did understand. The pieces came together in an instance. The alien race on Excio, Dalen's disdain, the twenty five years… it all made perfect sense. Aleena felt a chill down her spine.

"You're Monga's gang…" she said quietly "You extorted the farmers in Moryag"

"Oh, hey, you're not as stupid as you look!"

"Smart as pretty, aren't you, darling" Bock joined in "And so very nice. You came all this way to work for us. We'll get you a job, beautiful, don't worry!"

The aliens guffawed. Aleena stared down the table, stunned by the realization. So this is what these 'Excians' are. This is what the whole damn planet is. Thieves and murderers. To think she hoped to get help here… from these despicable gangsters. The very people who killed her mother. A fire flared up in her chest.

"Oh, why the frowny face" Bock scorned, amused by her anger "You don't want to dance for the big ol' baddies anymore, darling? Come on, I'd give five credits just to see that beautiful smile again!"

That was it. Aleena snapped. She reached forward below the table. An invisible hand tore Bock's weapon from its holster and delivered it into her palm. She pulled the trigger instantly. The gun coughed and spat out a blood-red stream. Another two followed. Bock's jaw dropped in a dumb shock, then he slumped onto the ground.

Dalen fumbled for his own blaster, but he didn't get a chance to use it. Aleena grabbed the table and pushed it over. It crashed down on the Weequay, pinning him to the floor. The gun fell out of his hand. With a flick of her wrist, Aleena moved it out of reach. The gangster freed his leg and scrambled to back away. She followed with measured steps, keeping the blaster aimed at him. The background chatter, buzzing steadily so far, was abruptly cut off. A couple patrons seated near the door got up and hurried out of the building.

"Scared?" Aleena hissed. The voice wasn't hers. Cold and sharp, yet boiling with hateful rage.

"I'm the right hand of Jinjek Monga" Dalen panted with a distorted face "If you shoot me, you might as well shoot yourself too. Monga will find you."

Aleena leaned closer, with a smirk.

"I look forward to meeting him."

Aim and fire. The Weequay twitched in final agony, then dropped lifeless. The crowd rustled. Aleena lifted her sight. Every face in her direction, yet not a single gaze to meet hers. All popped away like insects fleeing footstep in the grass. Nobody dared to move or give a sound. She noticed a wallet protruding out of Dalen's front pocket. She grabbed it. She turned around and started towards the door. From the corner of her eye, she saw the creatures along her path tuck away their various limbs and appendages not to provoke her with an unintended touch. The fire burning inside her flickered with satisfaction. If this is the only way to be respected in this savage land, then this is how she's going to play. She will show these miserable drunkards and criminals their place. They think they're scary with their laughable weapons? A mere glimpse of the forces she can summon with but a blink of her eye will make them cower in fear. She should have done this earlier. It felt so good… and so easy.

Fate had not abandoned her after all. She came to Caraboro for a plate of food and a pillow to rest her head on, but in the end, she found something better. Resolve, pride – and above all, a purpose to give meaning to her hollowed out life.

A clear, simple purpose: track down and kill Jinjek Monga.

She released two shots into the ceiling before exiting the canteen.

A bird poked about in the snow, drilling its head into it again and again. It stumbled upon a cache of seeds under, a lucky find this time of year. Its long, snaking neck curved low and stretched high to send another beakful down its gullet.

Something crackled nearby. The bird paused and turned an eye towards the noise. A predator in the underbrush? A rival aspiring to its feast? It could see nothing. Nothing that moved anyway. But courage is no virtue for a seed-picker, and its belly was almost full already. The bird flapped its wings and lifted into the air.

Only it couldn't. A mysterious force grabbed its body and pushed it onto the ground. The bird screamed, writhing in invisible bonds, unable to break free. A strange noise came from the bushes and a brilliant flash; a patch of snow evaporated into steam. The animal struggled even harder. A second flash and a third. Pain rushed through its body, then numbness. The bird collapsed, softly whimpering. A shadow overhead and a fast, crushing blow to its neck. Then darkness and silence.

Aleena grumbled something about wasted rounds and the unpleasant meat of this particular species. She picked up the carcass and headed back to her hideout.

Revenge is tricky business, it turns out, when one has to eat. With the money plundered from the dead Weequay, Aleena purchased winter clothes, a backpack and some supplies, then plunged into the wilderness in search of the clan's secret base. But tracking down the gangsters proved to be a challenge. There was no clear trail to follow and they never travelled on foot. Instead, they used speeders and sometimes ships to move cargo around, too fast for her to pursue for long. She had to map the way turn by turn, stone by stone, proceeding a little further every time she caught sight of one of their vehicles. And she had to eat, drink, sleep. Find food and shelter every day. The task was tenuous. But the fire fuelling her prevailed, burning steadily with a predator's deadly patience.

She skinned and gutted the bird, and jagged its flesh into bite-size pieces so that it would fry faster. Sourbirds, that's what she called these. They were big, dumb and slow, but had one defense: tasting awful. It would have worked, too, if Aleena had a better choice of game.

It was a quick catch at least, and a fairly generous one. She had a day's food secured already before noon; that meant she could spend more time hunting the prey she really prized.

After finishing her lunch, she nestled into the underbrush at the edge of a large clearing, close to the place where she last saw a speeder disappear among the trees. It wasn't the best time of day. Most transports concentrated around two peaks, one already past and one still many hours away. But out of schedule runs did happen, and having been through the morning watch without luck, she thought a higher chance of catching a latecomer.

The guess turned out correct. Just a couple minutes later the wind carried the roar of engines and shortly afterwards a weathered speeder emerged from the forest across the clearing. Aleena strained, preparing to launch into a chase as soon as the vehicle passes. She'd flouted her last chance by being too careful around the clearing; hardly fifty meters of track on open field. This time, she was determined to make good progress.

A loud bang shook the glade. For a moment Aleena thought she had been discovered and fired upon, but then noticed smoke bursting out of the vehicle's side. One of the repulsorlifts failed. The driver hit the brakes, but to little effect: the lopsided propulsion sent the speeder into an uncontrolled spin. It tumbled through the field and crashed into a large tree right in front of Aleena. The hull creased into a shapeless pile of metal, the cargo crates flew off and scattered in the vicinity.

Aleena froze as she was, eyes on target, muscles primed to sprint. This was an unexpected development… but not necessarily an unwelcome one. She settled back down, and watched the wreckage. Sure enough, the driver emerged from the smoke soon, coughing and cursing: one of Monga's Weequay.

What an opportunity.

Aleena crawled towards him, weapon in hand. She had had plenty of practice sneaking up on things while hunting, and she was getting pretty good. Nine successful ambushes out of ten, a reverse rate compared to three weeks ago. And this man was not nearly as perceptive as her regular prey. She was just a few steps behind him now, but still it seemed it would fall on her to make herself noticed.

"Hello there."

The Weequay spun around, reaching for his blaster. He grabbed only thin air in its place; the gun was already flying and soon was in Aleena's left, pointed at him. The gangster stared at the two barrels terrified.

"H-Hello. Who are you?"

"You work for Jinjek Monga?"

"I'm just a delivery guy, I…"

"Yes or no."

"Yes… look, pal, come over here, look at the cargo, take whatever you want."

"I will. Then you will take me to Monga."

The alien swallowed. Glimpse of a racing mind reflected in his eyes, searching for a way out.

"I can't, my speeder's crashed…"

"We'll walk."

He shook his head.

"It's a long way…"

"We'll walk" Aleena restated, raising her blaster for emphasis. The Weequay twitched.

"Alright, pal, alright. We'll walk. You're the boss. Just keep it easy, okay?"

Aleena smirked. Like she's the nervous one.

"Hands in the air. Away from the speeder. Face to the tree."

The alien complied. Aleena holstered the newly acquired blaster and walked up to a crate, lying on its side. She flipped it back up and pried open the lid. There was a rack inside filled with about a hundred fist-sized metal balls, each equipped with a red indicator light and a switch. She checked another container; same contents.

"What's in the boxes?" she barked.

"Thermal detonators."

"Food?"

"No, it's not food, it's…"

He was silenced by a blaster shot aimed mere centimeters above his head.

"Do you carry any food, professor?" Aleena repeated the question with deadly calmness.

"No… just detonators."

Aleena grumbled. She took a few and sunk them in her backpack. Might come in handy later.

"You can drop your hands. Let's go."

"You sure you want to walk there, pal?" the Weequay asked "I wasn't kidding when I said it's a long way."

"Shut up and get moving."

Reluctantly, the alien started forward.

"Oh, and if we bump into your buddies, I'll kill you first and then kill them. So we better don't bump into any, understood?"

"Understood."

The forest was full of noises and life. It was a mild day, the mildest in weeks; warm sunlight penetrated through the gaps of the foliage drawing sharp shadows and golden ponds on the forest floor. If only for short while, winter eased its icy grip on the land. On the hilltops, snow started to melt away, fuelling a number of small streams trickling down the slope. Their rattle mixed with the crackling of still intact patches under their step and the occasional sound of a breaking twig. Now-familiar cries came from the heights – the sound of 'screechers', as Aleena called them. Large, bony avian creatures she often saw in the air but rarely on the ground. Down at their feet, small furry rodents popped up every now and then, watching curiously from the distance and racing up a tree trunk once they got too close. She didn't hunt those, therefore they didn't have a name.

Almost an insult to the joyful backdrop, Aleena marched driving her hostage-guide in front, ready to pull the trigger on the slightest sign of treachery. The tension was palpable. They walked for a good two hours before the alien gathered the courage to speak again.

"So, you're the one who shot Dalen and Bock in Caraboro, right?" he tried to strike a conversational tone "Good riddance, really. Biggest jerks I knew. The boss wasn't happy, though. He put a bounty on you and everything."

Aleena smirked. Monga's famed vengeance. Hiring mercenaries for the dirty work.

"Some business back on Excio, huh? Can't fault you, I hear they did some nasty stuff back there… we new guys don't know much about it, though… my name is Brigo, by the way…"

"Silent."

The alien waved in defeat and shut up. Good for him. She felt like she was going to reply with the blaster if he carried on with that transparent pity speech.

Just a few moments later, Aleena picked up something that stood out of the ambient noises of nature. A low hum from behind, getting closer and closer… a repulsorlift.

"Behind the bush" she snapped at Brigo.

As the alien turned to the side, Aleena caught a hopeful glance in his eyes. As if.

"Hurry up" she ordered "Down on the ground."

The alien obeyed. Aleena took position a couple meters further, kneeling behind a thick trunk. She watched tensely, one eye on the Weequay, one eye on the path. Are they looking for the missing driver? Or just another haul? She readied the blaster. If they are seen, Brigo gets the first round. The driver the second, if he is a threat. If he is not – well, it might be nice to switch this rat for someone less pathetic. The sound was really close now.

A speeder burst out from behind a shrub, close to their trail, but not precisely following it. Similar in design to the one Brigo crashed – and similarly packed with crates. It speeded past them, shortly disappearing among the trees again. And that was all.

Aleena stayed still for a while, tracking the fading sound of the engine. Then, she stood up, her eyes casting flames at Brigo.

"Up" she barked "What the hell was that?"

"I don't know" the alien protested "We don't normally use this route, I swear. But look, pal, my delivery is due soon, they're going to look for me if I don't show up."

"Well make sure they don't find you" Aleena snarled "That was your last shot, do you understand? Another trick like that and you're dead!"

"It wasn't a trick, I…"

"Do you understand?"

"Yes… yes…"

"Let's go."

They resumed their journey, Aleena even more watchful than before. Brigo's words got her thinking. This whole thing just came out of the blue, she hadn't really had an opportunity to plan things out in detail. She hadn't considered having to deal with searchers for one. In hindsight, she should have set the wreckage on fire or something; set it up to seem that the driver was killed. There were plenty of munitions there to create a nice big blast. Too late or that now, though. She glanced back. The snow cover on the forest floor was not continuous by any means, but they still left plenty of footprints for anyone to follow.

A few kilometers later, their path came to the foot of a rocky slope. Sensing an opportunity to break the trail, Aleena ordered Brigo uphill. He noted it wasn't the shortest way to their destination. She didn't bother to reply and the Weequay had enough sense not to press the argument.

The slope was steep and the rocks just wet enough to be slippery for the step. Brigo had the advantage of using all fours, Aleena, refusing to be unarmed even temporarily, had to settle for three.

The hillside eventually tamed into a milder angle and grew a coat of grass again, but it was still some time before they reached the top. Daylight was already in its last hour when they got there; the air cooled and colors started to blend into grey. Aleena hoped to discover some structure or building from the height, but there were only trees and rocks. The goal was still out of sight.

Suddenly, Brigo stopped and turned around.

"Look, pal… shoot me if you must, but I need some rest."

"You can rest when we're there."

"No, no, we're just past halfway yet, we make these detours, and I haven't eaten all day. My legs hurt. I need to rest."

Aleena hardened her expression. She suspected ulterior intent behind the alien's request, but the truth was, she could use a break herself. They had a long trip behind them, challenging not just for its length but also the vigilance she had to maintain throughout. Sitting down a little won't hurt, and after sunset, she can continue recharged and having her plans sorted out. Darkness is her friend now anyway.

"Fine. You'll collect some firewood. Then you get two hours."

"Thank you."

They settled down under open sky a few minutes later at the foot of a large rock. Aleena made Brigo pick up some dry branches along the way. Soon, they got a campfire going to battle the encroaching cold.

The alien lied down on a dry spot opposite of Aleena. She watched him closely, but if he was planning something, he hid it well.

"We did something really bad to you, didn't we?" he said quietly, almost apologetic "Can you at least tell me what it was? Why do you hate me so much?"

"None of your business."

"It's not my business why do you want to kill me?"

"Shut your damn mouth, do what I say, and I might just not kill you."

Brigo sighed, turned his head away and closed his eyes.

With the alien asleep, Aleena finally had some time alone with her thoughts. What exactly was she going to do after finding Monga's camp? Charge the place all by herself? Try to sneak in? And what to do with Brigo? She can't let him just walk away. What if he really was innocent? Excio was a long time ago, after all.

But innocent of what? Killing her mother, maybe. He's a rotten gangster regardless. Who knows what else he has done, how many other lives he ruined. He was certainly not innocent of associating himself with this scum. He knew about Excio, he said it himself. The fire demanded vengeance. For her family, for the humiliation and treachery she suffered. The clan must pay. Wretched, disgusting excuses of men, all of them. She used to spray insecticide on the plantation without caring if the lice took a bite already or were just about to; why should she start caring now.

A Jedi mantra flashed through her mind, about the perils of hatred and the Dark Side. No, her old masters at the Temple certainly would not approve of what she was doing. Neither her parents, probably. But they're dead. They're all dead. And she has nothing left but that hateful fire burning inside her.

The first stars lit up against the dark of the sky. Aleena watched them with a heart of guilt and sorrow. Somewhere among those shiny dots, at a distance her mind can barely comprehend, is her home. A heart-shaped lake, a mountain range and a vast forest climbing it, a small town in the valley full of smiles and life. And up there, just below the tallest peak, an abandoned farm overlooking it all. Lights out, the kitchen window slammed open. The plantation in disrepair, stalks sprouting in all directions, choking one another. The elevator is broken and shows patches of rust. People come to the farm, friends, acquaintances, worried not hearing of its residents. They see the blaster marks on the facade. They don't know what happened, but they know the Sakkars are gone. Word travels, visitors shy away. The farm is avoided, left to stand alone against the siege of elements. Decaying and yet frozen forever in that fateful day.

Or maybe there's nothing left. The Imperials razed it all to the ground.

Something rustled. Aleena spun around. Her heart stopped for a second. She thought to see a dark figure glide past among the trees. She rose to her feet and cautiously started towards the forest, keeping her index finger on the trigger.

The foliage blocked out moonlight and the trunks behind her back hid the campfire. She was blind and deaf, stumbling forward in the dark. A new noise emerged from the silence: the sound of heavy breathing. Something… someone was there. She could feel it. An evil presence. An enemy.

"Hey" why was she shouting? "Hey!"

The sound drew closer. Aleena wanted to run, but her legs wouldn't obey. It was too late to escape. The blaster slipped out of her hand. She fumbled for the lightsaber and powered it up.

And then she saw it. A massive shadow between the trees, charging at her.

The monster.

She came about to a suffocating grasp on her neck. The bared teeth of Brigo flashed into her eye. The alien pinned her onto the ground, putting his weight on her throat. She flailed her arms in panic at his head. Sharp pain in her fingers; the Weequay bit her hand. The world started to sink into darkness. With her last strength, she pulled up her leg and kicked him in the guts.

Freedom! She rolled to her stomach, scrambling to fill her lungs with air. But it wasn't over yet. One of them had to die now and they both knew it. Brigo grabbed a stone and jumped at Aleena again. The first strike hit her shoulder, she managed to dodge the second.

Just as she was about to finally fight back, the alien suddenly ceased his attack and launched himself towards her feet. The blaster… Brigo's blaster had been in her hand. She must have dropped it. She threw a blind kick. Her boot connected with something hard… the weapon tumbled away and disappeared beyond the fire's circle of light.

There is another on her belt, she remembered.

The second it took for Brigo to turn on her again was enough for Aleena to sit up. She summonned the Force against his assault, propelling him through the fire. He cried in pain as he crashed into the large rock across and fell helplessly on the ground.

Aleena yanked out the second blaster and fired. Five shots, ten or twenty; she didn't count. By the time she was finished, Brigo was reduced to a smoking carcass.

Aleena stood up on shaky legs, swearing under hear breath, still piecing together what had just happened. She must have fallen asleep. The damn alien tricked her… but it's okay. He's dead. And the monster… the monster isn't real.

A glassy blink caught her eye. She crouched down to examine it. It was the cracked screen of some device, stomped into the soil. Not something from her own inventory. Brigo must have lost it during the fight. She picked it up. An inexpensive-looking gadget, a monochromatic display, some buttons on the side. She tried pushing one of them.

Grey letters formed on the screen, along with an arrow that wiggled for a few moments before settling on one direction. "CARABORO, 30 km". With sudden interest, Aleena mashed the button. Terbond, Salcor, Truk… and there it is. 'Home base', twenty-one kilometers to the north. Her lips stretched to a satisfied smile. Now isn't that convenient. A compass to Monga. Brigo was not indispensable for her venture, after all. It was smart of him to keep that a secret. Better check what else the bastard had been hiding.

She emptied his pockets. A few papers, some cash and a flask. Nothing particularly useful. The papers went into the fire, the money to her pocket. She opened the flask and took a sniff. Some kind of alcohol.

Is it safe to drink? Hell, why wouldn't it be. And she earned it. A simple prize for a small victory. She took a sip, and spat it out immediately. The liquor burned. Her tongue went numb with ache.

But then, with a sudden impulse of determination, she lifted it back to her lip. It's just some goddamn booze. If Brigo could take it, so can she. She forced a mouthful down her throat. It scorched her gullet and fogged her brain. Aleena was not a big drinker and this stuff hit hard. But it was down, she could feel it in her belly. She smirked. There! Child's play. She could drain the whole thing in one go if she wanted.

In fact, she will. She won't be outdone by a stinking alien. Another pull.

The ground lurched. A violent cough shook her chest. She drowned it in more liquor. Every drop was hell, and she was gulping it. She was gulping hell. How's that for a princess? That's right. Better shut up. Who's the tough one now? More, more! She sucked on the flask, but more did not come. Hah! It's empty. Defeated. Vanquished!

The campfire chased the forest, and the forest fled to the sky. Where the sky went was a mystery. Everything joined in a crazy spinning dance of trees and flames and stars, shadows tugging and poking to push her off balance. She held her ground. It was all blurry and silly, she almost felt like laughing. Or crying. What is going on? A body obtruded into her sight, an ugly dead body by the fire. She looked at it. And through the play of smoke and shifting lights, the body looked back at her.

Grinning.

"Wha… what's so funny?"

No reply. Aleena became agitated.

"You're laughing… you're laughing at me?" she demanded "Huh? You think I'm funny? You… you hideous… worm!"

She flung her leg to kick the smirk off its face. But the ground became wobbly and she fell. Foul smell and painful heat. Did somebody snicker? Her hair was on fire. She rolled to the side cursing and slapping her head and shoulders to put it out.

Done. She sat up. The body still looking at her, still with that obnoxious grin on its face.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you" Aleena growled. She dug into her pocket. No, the other one. There. She drew the lightsaber and lunged forward with a warcry.

The first strike severed an arm. It tumbled to the ground, pulling a lazy red stream behind. The second and third opened up the torso, the fourth chopped off the head. Blood everywhere, blood and raw flesh.

Brigo must have found that amusing, because he smiled.

"Stop it! Stop it! STOP IT!"

Driven by impotent furor, Aleena grabbed his head and shoved it into the fire. The flames flared high. An arm, a leg, a hand followed. With a grunt, she lifted the rest of the torso and dropped it on top of the blazing heap. Countermomentum propelled her the other way. She lost her balance once again.

Her head hit something hard and the world went dark.

The first thing Aleena sensed in the morning was a cool breeze on her face. The second a conjoined feeling of nausea and splitting headache. She opened her eyes. The sky was still there, alright. She laid still for a minute, trying to figure out where she was and why she felt so miserable. Noises, smells and images whirled in her brain, loading it to a breaking point, but she was unable to shape them into memories or indeed tell if they were imprints of reality or just lingering shards of a bad dream.

At last she concluded that she wouldn't want to stay the whole day wherever she was and sat up. Without warning, a charred, mutilated carcass popped into sight. She quickly turned her eye, overcome with disgust at the gruesome view. The events of the previous day finally started to fall in place. The fire, the monster in the woods, the fight, the mad, drunken rampage that followed.

She pulled up her knees and rested her head on it, trying to steal a moment of clarity from chaos within. The corpse was Brigo's remains, the Weequay she captured yesterday. He attacked her and she killed him… she found a flask on the body. Some hard liquor. She drank it, then… it took an effort not throw up. She didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to think about anything. Her guts swirled and her head ached.

Let's just pack up and get going.

The weather turned cooler, or at least it seemed so through her dizziness. The sunlight was gone. A thick blanket of clouds spread over the sky. There could be snowfall today, it flashed through her mind. There's a good shelter at the foot of the hill, a nice overhang with enough place for a fire. No, wait… that's a different hill. Way back towards Caraboro. She was in new land now, far out of familiar territory.

Well, that settles the first task: exploration. Find shelter. Food? Less of an urgency. She has some leftover sourbird meat from the day before, and it feels like it's going to be a while before her stomach stops rioting anyway. Locating a water source would be nice, though.

That was a respectable display of logical thinking, Aleena noted with satisfaction. Slowly but surely the cogs started turning. She observed the environment with improving efficiency. A dead tree here, good to prime a fire. She broke off some branches. A dry spot over there. Not windproof, but a decent backup, should she fail to find something better.

Routine helped keep her mind off the trickier questions. A small weight pulled down her pocket: Brigo's navigator. The device saved her possibly weeks of snailpace progress, and all at once brought the goal within reach. Now the enemy's home was no more than an afternoon's march away. But like a wild beast snarling from the safety of its cage, she was startled when the barrier suddenly evaporated. Whether she was willing to acknowledge it or not, her chances were slim. The fight with a single Weequay nearly claimed her life already, and she'd no doubt meet a force hundredfolds greater in Monga's lair. Dozens, possibly hundreds of armed gangsters, maybe even expecting her arrival – if Brigo figured out who she was, so could they. It was hard to look this menace in the eye, so she didn't. The mundane tasks of survival kept her busy enough and worry-free for the moment.

A small creek crossed her path. She knelt down to drink. The water was clear and cold to the point it numbed her throat, but soon she started to feel its benign effect: like a filth on the banks of a flooding river, the nausea was washed away. She felt cleaned, refreshed, and suddenly in much lighter mood.

Gentle touch of cloth slid down her left arm. The bandage covering the blaster wound loosened up in the battle and the knot became undone. She checked the injury. Brigo's hit opened up the scar, but exposed only pink skin below; no bleeding. She refastened the bandage over it anyway. Perhaps unnecessary, but it's not like she could put it to better use.

She continued upstream until reaching a cliff where the creek snaked away into a narrow canyon between the rocks. She placed the water source on her mental map then waved goodbye to it, following the wall instead around the summit. Massive stone formations like this are bound to have some nooks and crooks; she was hoping to discover one large enough to protect her from hostile weather. There were some good candidates. She tried to memorize the locations of the best.

The terrain altered between sloped and even, barren and forested. At one point, standing on top of a rocky elevation, she noticed a group of berry bushes below her level. She immediately turned to descend. Berry was like that; if she saw one she dropped everything to get it. The small, purple fruit ripened late in the fall, and was plentiful during that period, but as the days turned cold harvesting the dwindling supply became a race, both against time rotting the precious food and the other inhabitants of the forest consuming it.

She crawled into the thick of the bushes and got to work, taking the occasional sample of her bounty. Though initially wary of consuming a foreign plant, she eventually grew very fond of it. Of all the meals the land had to offer, this was to only one to cater to her sweet tooth, and one of the few that didn't try to run away. She took her time to reach the roundest, fattest specimen, protected among thorny branches. The past weeks had been stressful. Hunt, forage, stand in long and often futile guard for another speeder. Always watchful, always burning with fire. It was nice to do something at pace for a change.

Alas, vengeance is not the only thing to force hurry; the sky turned a darker shade of grey and it started to snow. Aleena quickly wrapped up the berry-picking and headed back to one of the places she marked as a possible shelter earlier in the day. A split in a large rock, covered by a stone plate on top. The snowfall turned heavy soon. Luckily, favorable winds kept her corner dry. Aleena watched the accumulating white stuff at her feet. It would cover up Brigo's remains, it occurred to her suddenly. The campsite would vanish from sight for days. She still hadn't seen evidence of a search party into the afternoon. Seems like the Weequay complied with her demand to steer clear of established routes. Or maybe they aren't even looking for him. Who knows if those animals care for their own.

The clouds broke up some two hours later, but Aleena decided not to go out again. She stayed in the shelter for the rest of the day, munching on birdmeat and berries, trying how much snow she could throw with a single kick. Not much; she had small feet.

She went to sleep before the sun did. Stocked and cozy under the stone roof, she saw no reason to stay awake.

And besides, she needs to be well rested tomorrow. Because tomorrow, the hunt continues.