We arrived at a locked door that led to the torture chambers—I mean "guest" chambers. Canderous mentioned that the pilot of the Ebon Hawk had skimmed some spices on the last flight he took. Now that pilot suffered under droid tortures. That was a little extreme—it wasn't as if there was a lack of spice what with all the smugglers out and about. Maybe on Taris though now that I think about it. They've been blockaded...what, three times already?

Carth stared pointedly at me then to the locked door. Right. I was the "rogue" in our little group after all.

After I sliced into the door, Bastila drew her lightsaber then ignited one of the blades. Two dark torture droids shot at us with stun blasters and the Jedi deflected them away with ease. The things were stuck on the ceiling so they had no hope of surviving the heat from Bastila's lightsaber.

Canderous peered in after the firefight and approached the computer. Beside the module, a poor man slumped in a cage in a fetal position. The Mando switched off the system. In response, the man muttered nonsense words.

The Mando grabbed the poor man by the collar and shoved him against the wall.

"Tell us the codes to open the shields guarding the Ebon Hawk or I will cut you open here and now."

"Please...don't hurt me!"

"I'm going to have to if you don't give us the codes."

Bastila somehow shoved the brutal Mandalorian aside. "Ignore him." The poor pilot almost tipped over, yet the Jedi grabbed him by the shoulders so that he wouldn't fall over in pain again. She sighed. "Please give us the codes before the Sith—"

An explosion accompanied a distant boom.

The walls surrounding us vibrated and the glass of the windows split. I stepped away from the door to the chambers and faced those windows. Far in the distance, fire and smoke filled the skies. T-They were really bombing the planet? My mouth dried. We didn't have time before the fleet was on top of us.

I stomped towards the prisoner and shoved Bastila aside. I pushed my blaster into the man's face.

"Give us the codes or I swear I will cave your head in."

"A-Alright! I wasn't going to say no..."

After the spice-addicted pilot punched the codes into T3-M4, he sprinted down the hall towards the hangers. Great, he was probably going to warn Davik. Thankfully, the Mandalorian pointed his repeating rifle at the pilot. No loose ends. After he took care of that problem, we followed after the Mando, making sure to avoid the debris already starting to litter the ground.

"Was that really necessary?" Bastila shouted.

Canderous scoffed. "If you want to get out of here alive, then yes!"

T3-M4 stopped at another door—this one required advanced authentication. "Hurry up toaster!" I shouted as the halls vibrated again. T3 beeped a nervous response. I really wanted to kick the damn thing for taking so long.

Carth had the face of a soldier during battle. Canderous had the face of a bloodthirsty psycho. I wasn't sure what expression I preferred but it sure wasn't calm. For Bastila, she was always angry by default but this time fear had crossed her face.

Finally, the door hissed open. We were met with a deep red sky and harsh winds. It was like the atmosphere above us was bleeding as the Sith ships sent laser bombs and chemical waste onto the surface. Fortunately, our apartment was further North. We still had a few spare minutes to get Mission and the others.

Davik's ships sat vigil in the hanger but only one mattered. The only one that had shield pillars surrounding it. The Ebon Hawk—a Dynamic-class freighter marked white with a red stripe. It looked fast—much faster than my old ship. The computer beside the shields glowed blue and flickered as the sparks of fire rained down near it.

Unfortunately, two had beaten us there.

"What do you mean you don't know the codes, Calo? You've flown this ship before!"

The bounty hunter. Calo Nord, had a scowl deeper than any Nar Shaddaa alleyway.

"You sent the pilot to the guest room, Davik, not me."

The crime lord looked like he wanted to shoot the control panel before he caught sight of us. He raised his blaster rifle.

"Look at what we have here? Thieves in the hanger."

I raised my blaster in response. "Don't pretend you aren't one yourself, Davik," I said.

Boom.

The hanger shook violently and the lights flickered. The Sith were close enough to make a direct hit on Davik's Estate. Everyone balked when the lasers hit the fragile skyscraper. The metal beams of the hanger screeched as they tried to hold up the collapsing floors above.

Calo snorted. "I knew you were going to betray us someday, Canderous."

"I'm sorry it had to come to this, pal."

The bounty hunter smirked at me. "How ironic that you've decided to team up with him though."

"Save your breath, Calo. You won't have much left when I kill you," the Mando shouted.

Another shot from the Sith yet...this one was precise. So precise that it missed the shields surrounding the Ebon Hawk and hit Davik Kang.

So ended the great crime lord Davik. How...anticlimactic. Fate was out to get him apparently.

Calo Nord rolled away from the debris that was now Davik Kang towards the other ships. He then began to shoot at us with his thin pistols. I cursed when the shot almost hit me and dove beside one of the Ebon Hawk's shield pillars. I tried to get a good shot at him but, unfortunately, the building shook too much for any of my hits to be precise. Canderous and Carth had the same success as I at hitting the bounty hunter while Bastila reflected the blaster shots.

Eventually, I came out of cover when I noticed Bastila's deflections in order to get a clear shot. And I was able to hit his arm squarely. I almost made the killing shot too. But, that's when Calo Nord rushed to the shields by the Hawk and raised a hand. A detonator flickering in the red lights in the gloved hand. An explosion like that would rip clean through a shield of any kind.

He wheezed. "Kill me and no one gets the Hawk."

This man was crazy. I eyed Bastila and gave her the signal to use the Force on his ass, but she didn't see my expression. Instead, she extinguished our only protection.

Fine. I'll do it myself. I aimed for Calo's hand. If I could just get closer and—

Another rumble from above. The Sith shot out another laser. The light was blinding as the skyscrapers were consumed in eternal fire. T3 screeched in horror and I held my hand up to my face to shield myself from the rays. A few unprotected ships were destroyed in the hanger. In the skies, people trying to escape Taris were disintegrated by the damn automatic turrets.

"Wes!" Carth shouted.

More screeching from above. The roof! Kriff! Metal from the hanger ceiling collapsed onto Calo Nord. His detonator had been thrown to the wayside. I took a few steps back but it wasn't enough. It went off, taking the rest of the metal wall. Towards me.

A strong force pull me away when the wall collapsed. Another flash in my peripheral vision and I was dragged to the ground. White pain exploded in my leg and gray hollow eyes observed me. She was like an angel of death. It was mesmerizing yet...terrifying. The red world around me slowed to a halt as if the flames could freeze time itself.

I was dying. Suffocating. Pain.

I tried to sit up but that's when I realized what was wrong. Part of the beam had trapped my left leg. The shimmer of the Ebon Hawk's shield flickering off drew my eyes away from the worried group above me. Bastila tried to move the beam off my leg along with Carth. But it was useless. Pointless. I was trapped, dead, and these two dumb-asses were trying to save me.

"Idiots." I pounded the floor. "Get out, both of you, before the Ebon Hawk is torn to pieces!"

I don't even know why I shouted those words. Mad ravings of the dying. I liked my life after all. But still, I would hate myself if Bastila and Carth died for me.

I didn't deserve it.

For some reason, my pleas for them to run only strengthened the Jedi's resolve. Carth, meanwhile, stopped his rescue attempts.

"He's right. We need to go. Now," he said. "You're the only hope the Republic has, Bastila."

You know, I'm so glad that Carth found me so important to this mission that it wouldn't take him a second to ponder leaving me behind. Knew the damn soldier hated me.

The ground shook. We only had a few minutes before the Sith fleet disintegrated our asses. I held my breath. Prepared to die. I definitely did not like the prospect, but what was I supposed to do?

I knew my good fortune would catch up to me eventually.

At least, that was true. Until...

The Jedi sat beside me in a meditative-like pose. Then, the air grew warm—the good warm, as if I was beside a crackling fireplace instead of an untamed blaze. Carth shouted at the Jedi for this out-of-character reckless maneuver.

But then the beam moved.

The pressure from the weight of the beam lifted and the energy in the air focused on pushing it away from me. It clattered to the ground and I was free.

Amazing.

"Come on we have to go!" Canderous shouted by the Ebon Hawk's ramp.

Carth pulled me to my feet and I winced as he dragged me after Bastila. Fortunately, the pilot didn't seem concerned about my pain, because as soon as we entered the ship the half of the room we'd been standing on collapsed. If I had been slower, both of us would have died.

I didn't get the chance to observe the ship as we rushed to the bridge. A speeder...a med bay...a few rooms with beds and a bathroom. My lifeline, Carth, released me once we arrived at the bridge. I hissed while I leaned against the wall. My bloody damaged limb could not hold me up for long so I slid to the floor. Bastila shot me a concerned look but Carth was all business. He pushed the Mandalorian away from the pilot's seat and started the Hawk's engines.

"Hold on!"

The Hawk shot into the sky and we all shifted when Carth pulled back on the thrusters. I hissed again in pain. No, pain wasn't a big deal; not when we still had friends on the ground.

I shouted at Carth. "To the apartments!"

He didn't even hesitate. "On it!"

Canderous faced me. "Are you serious? We have to leave now. Screw them."

Bastila held onto the wall of the Ebon Hawk with one hand—a comm in another.

"We're coming, Mission. Hold on."

Mission's frightened voice crackled on the other side.

"It's getting crazy down here! Be careful when you arrive. Everyone will try to climb on board with us."

Taris was a damaged ship and the rescue pod named the Ebon Hawk only had enough room for the "special" passengers. The flames. The screams. Soldiers fell, dead, in the mud. I ran, and ran, but I couldn't outrun the Mandalorian hoards. My mother. Dead. My father. Dead too. Too many—

I hadn't thought about that day in years, but the attack on Taris forced that mental wound to resurface.

Focus, Wes.

The Ebon Hawk shook after it was struck. The shield flickered and cracked. Fortunately, we were able to avoid most of the debris. Carth weaved around falling skyscrapers like they were asteroids, proving to all of us he really was the best pilot in the Navy. Canderous still had that smirk on his face as if the destruction of billions was a riot. Bastila hurriedly typed something at the control panel. Probably the codes to let us off this rock.

A few stray red lasers hit the Ebon Hawk. That's when I heard it. A million screams. Only it was impossible to hear people screaming from here. They were pleading for mercy. Some of them held dead children in their arms. Some jumped from the burning buildings. Most were crushed. Silenced. Disintegrated.

How could these Sith do this to a planet? To any planet?

The images were...painful. I squeezed my injured leg in order to get them out of my mind. To focus on the here and now. But they were still clear as day. Every explosion followed with the screams. Eventually, squeezing my leg wasn't enough. The pain from the destruction of this planet was greater than that. Sweat coursed down my forehead as I closed my eyes.

A dream. It was only a dream.

A presence caused me to open my eyes again. The Jedi knelt before me.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

I tried to process her question, but it was impossible. What in all hells was she doing? She had to help Carth!

"Does it look like I'm alright?" I shouted over the explosions.

Another laser beam hit the Hawk. Carth cursed as the shields flickered. We were getting close to our apartment. Almost out of this hellscape...

Bastila sunk lower. "No...you don't."

"Shouldn't you be, I don't know, helping Carth with getting us out of here?" She ignored that comment as she slid closer to my leg. I lashed out when she touched the crushed thing that it was now. "Don't touch it," I hissed through my teeth.

"You will have to be on your feet helping us soon."

Canderous shook his head, probably at our continued insanity, then stomped past T3.

My next words were filled with pain. "Why did you save me anyway? You could have died if the whole Force thing didn't work out."

But the Jedi didn't answer my incoherent questions. Instead, T3-M4 rolled up to Bastila and produced...a medpack? Where did he get one of those? The strange droid beeped when Bastila took the med pack, rolling back towards...oh. The med bay. I took in a sharp breath when the Jedi wrapped the bandage around my crushed leg. Would I ever be able to walk on the damn thing again? It sure felt like I wouldn't.

The Ebon Hawk slowed to a hover.

The kolto stuck easily onto my bloody leg and I was able to stand with Bastila's help. Outside the windows beneath the Hawk, people ran to the ships that were left by the Sith and to the elevators. The only crazy ones to remain near a burning skyscraper never mind strolling around on one of the balconies were Mission, Zaalbar, and the kid.

The pain in my leg began to numb, however, I wouldn't be able to help a seven-foot Wookiee never mind a frightened little boy. So, Bastila and Canderous helped the three on board while I took the copilot's seat. I glanced over the unfamiliar coordinates Bastila had typed earlier along with the codes. Carth concentrated on hovering the ship by the apartment complex. Sweat beaded down his forehead as he eyed the oncoming fire.

While they were busy rescuing our team, a few figures rushed out of the apartment complex.

They were Upper City dwellers. Most of them were aliens and all of them spotted us rescuing Zaalbar, Mission, and the kid. A laser beam rocked the apartment and all of them—every single one—vaporized into nothing. And the screams followed.

A green light blinked, signaling that the hanger doors had closed. Carth gave the controls a smirk.

"Hold on!"

The Ebon Hawk glided up into the atmosphere through explosions and fire wakes. Once the gravity wells switched on, Bastila marched into the bridge. I stood in order for her to take the reigns as copilot.

The Sith fleet pointed all of their weapons at the planet so none of those dangerous blasts hit us directly. Bastila turned on all of the Hawk's space systems with a flick. We were soon in space, rocketing past the automatic turrets towards the system's star.

Out of all the smuggling heists and getaways, I have never been this close to death. And I have been close to death before.

The Sith fleet was still close—close enough to notice that someone was getting away.

"Shit..." Carth cursed then swerving the Hawk.

Hundreds of small fighters rushed towards us. I blanched at the reaction Malak had to us leaving. We couldn't fend off hundreds of fighters. We were not an army!

Celebrated too early.

I limped away, and Bastila called after me. The ship had a confusing layout and wasn't like a normal Republic ship. The halls twisted on each other and I had to stop when the ship rumbled.

Some of the fighters catching up to us.

I finally found them, the Ebon Hawk's turrets. Might as well fight them till the end.

When I climbed in, after cursing my damn leg to Hoth's frozen tundra, the comm at the panel buzzed.

"You are insane," Carth shouted. He cursed when one of the fighters hit our ship. I pulled the triggers out and multiple lights and glowing sights followed the moving fighters. I haven't used a turret since...well, actually, I've never used a turret gun in my life.

Many firsts I suppose.

I gripped the triggers with a smirk. "You don't need to tell me twice."

The turret began to twist around; the gun had a tracking system installed. How advanced was this Ebon Hawk anyway?

I pulled the triggers multiple times and missed the fighters by a hair. They hit the Hawk's shields in retaliation and I sucked in a pained breath.

The Hyperdrive needed to warm up for a few minutes before we could jump. I had to fend off these annoying bugs until then. When the autotargeting failed again, I gripped the triggers hard. Turning the turret manually, I faced the dying planet. The thin line that had been Taris' skyscrapers had become a row of flames. I almost didn't react when a fighter began shooting directly at the turret ports.

But, he ended up directly in my line of sight. And he became a trash compactor's lunch.

Despite the victory, I didn't rejoice. Five of them replaced the one. I swung the triggers around to follow the path of the annoying fighters then winced when I felt the pain in my leg again. Without the aid of the stupid autotargeting system, I shot at the fighters. Two more joined the first and fell to the destroyed planet below.

"We're ready to jump!" Bastila shouted through the comm.

We were escaping. We actually did it. We did the impossible.

However, I couldn't celebrate with them. The last of the fighters shot a volley at the Hawk. The force of the tremor and the hyperspace jump shook the turrets so much that I released my hold on the triggers.

My head smashed into the metal—

A tall figure with metal encasing his chin stood before me. The room was dark yet I could see this tall man clear as day. His yellow eyes smiled. His laugh reverberated through the metal that replaced his chin. He was more machine than man— programmed to continue the chaos.

"You're alive."

I awoke with a start. A white room—the Ebon Hawk's med bay. Florescent lights blinked—possibly due to the beating we took from being attacked by the Sith. A small amount of weight moved beside me. The dark-haired boy snoozed at my side and frowned after I moved. I lifted my head in order to get a better look at my surroundings.

A figure walked by the med bay. Bastila leaned in the door frame with raised eyebrows.

"You're up? Good."

I rubbed the back of my head only to feel the cold sensation of kolto gel. This was, what, the third time this week my head has gone through abuse? No wonder why I was going insane with these visions.

This little boy stirred then lifted his head like it weighed a ton. When he saw that I was up he jumped at me.

"Mar'e!" he shouted.

He spoke Mando'a too? Who was this kid and how many damn languages did he know?

I waved a hand. "Yes, yes, I'm alright. You didn't have to worry."

He began to speak in another language that I didn't understand. Had this boy been raised with a combination of many dialects or was he doing this on purpose? Bastila was giving the boy a strange look as well. I pursed my lips as I ignored the boy and crossed my arms.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

She crossed her arms. "Dantooine. There is a hidden Jedi refuge that we can hide out in until the Sith leave the Outer Rim. We were...heading in that direction before the Endar Spire had been destroyed."

I narrowed my eyes. This Jedi still wanted to do her little "mission" for some reason. Well, I wasn't going to do it. Not after witnessing Taris' destruction. This wasn't what I signed up for. And, honestly? I would have preferred a cell. Of course, I was free unless Carth or Bastila put cuffs on me. But I doubted they would after I saved their necks. Multiple times.

I stretched and smiled at the prospect of freedom. My left leg was still numb from the pain relievers.

"I guess that will be where we part ways then. It's been nice knowing you but I have better things to be doing than risking my life. You understand."

Her raised look told me otherwise.

"There is still your strange connection with the Force."

That again? True, events had been strange as of late, and I was able to do things that were considered "impossible," but that didn't make me a Jedi. Whatever Bastila planned to say, I wasn't going to hear it.

She must have seen the defiance on my face, so she sat at my bedside like a parent reassuring a little kid that it was just a nightmare. I gave her a hooded look that I reserved for her.

"You sensed Taris, didn't you? I could tell. It wasn't just your leg that pained you back there."

I gritted my teeth. The screams from the dying echoed in my mind.

I whispered to myself without thinking.

"How did you know that?"

"So you did?"

I flung my feet over the side of the bed only to be reminded why I was injured in the first place. There were more wrappings around my left leg. The salty smell of kolto almost made me want to vomit. We really needed a proper medical droid? I doubted T3 knew the necessary programs—well, I would have to fix that later now, wouldn't I?

No, not that it mattered since I was leaving the second we landed on Dantooine. And no one was going to stop me. Not even a damn Sith fleet.

Bastila crossed her arms and challenged me with her eyes. I sneered.

"So what?" I asked. "Schizophrenics also hear voices."

I'd rather be crazy.

She sighed. "You will have to see the Jedi Council on Dantooine then. An adult this strong in the Force is...abnormal."

Lovely.

I used the bed as support when standing. The Jedi took a step closer with worry on her face. Yes, my damn leg hurt. No, I didn't need anyone's help. Especially not some Jedi that was trying to convince me to join her little cult.

The little boy shot up and trotted after me. I grabbed a crutch that popped out conveniently from the med bay wall then limped down the hall.

Bastila followed me when I entered the main foyer of the Ebon Hawk. A holoprojector sat in the middle with flashing blue lights. The Mandalorian sat by the projector, tapping his fingers on the glass.

When I passed, Canderous sat up with a smirk. "Nice display there, Wessy. You might want to check what's behind you next time."

Kriff...that nickname was spreading like wildfire.

I laughed—with sarcasm—and limped to go to...I had no idea. The ship was a maze. The halls would be fine I guess...if the Jedi wasn't still stalking me.

"Stop following me."

Why wouldn't she just take my answer as is? Didn't the Jedi not accept adult trainees anyway?

"Haven't you asked yourself why you were able to do all the things you were able to do on Taris? Aren't you at all...curious?"

Well, maybe I was. But before that dangerous thought could take hold, I twisted around then pointed into her chest with my right hand.

"No, actually. I'd rather return to the Outer Rim while avoiding the Sith in my own ship in the middle of nowhere. Alone." I turned back around. "Now, excuse me, but I would like some peace and quiet without some nosy Jedi-prick stalking me. I still have to figure out how many credits I need to get the next ship transport—"

Something like wind tripped me and I fell flat on my face. My leg was not spared and I had to suck in breath in order not to shout a curse at this stupid woman.

"What was that for!" I shouted at her.

"For being a selfish nerf herder. And to stop you from walking away again."

I wasn't sure if the Jedi would approve of the Force being used for such nefarious purposes.

"Well, now I'm crawling away. Thanks a lot."

Instead of crawling, I tried to stand only to find another hand helping me up. Kriff...why was she trying to help me when she was the one who used her damn powers to trip me in the first place?

She held my arm tight. "You are only making things difficult for yourself. You've seen what you were able to do. What you've felt. What if you hurt someone by accident someday? Would you want that on your conscience?"

"Well, I was going to avoid people for the most part."

Bastila still hadn't released my arm.

"And what are you going to do when the Sith take over the galaxy? Nothing?"

Now that she mentioned it, sitting around the Outer Rim with no one around sounded very depressing. And lonely. I was a man of adventure, not one to sit around playing Pazaak all day. I... just couldn't justify risking my life for these people anymore. Billions of people died today. And the chin-masked man. The Sith. I didn't want to think about it.

I shook the Jedi's hand away.

"Why not? Better than dying."

And she didn't bother following me again.

Good riddance.

I limped around the Ebon Hawk. The little boy had crawled away somewhere else. I was left to my own thoughts.

Some part of me—that part that was insane—screamed at me for not taking Bastila's offer. For being a coward. This was the same part that convinced me to ride in a swoop race of all things.

The other part of me—the more sane part—congratulated me on fending off the Jedi. Why would I fight some battle I had no stake in? Foolish people died for causes.

I was about to head for the dorms before I heard small sniffles. I stopped then listened for the sound. It was coming from one of the small rooms. I arrived at said room.

Mission had collapsed over her bed—crying into the sheets. I didn't know what to think after seeing the poor teenager like that—that same Mission who always smiled and pranced around the Lower City without fear. Despite professing that she wasn't a kid, her fast maturity damaged her soul.

She sat up after hearing the clacks of my crutch. She wiped her eyes of tears but I had already seen them.

"Go away," she snapped.

I pursed my lips. "If you want me to..."

Before I could leave, the Twi'lek shot to her feet.

"Why did this have to happen?" She shook her head. "Zaedra...Gadon...they're dead! All of them! Because of her. If Bastila had never been on Taris—!"

"The Sith were the ones to drag the Endar Spire to Taris in the first place." I limped closer to the teenager. "I don't think...you should blame Bastila for that."

Funny. Because I blamed that Jedi for everything happening to me right now.

Mission's face softened. She wiped a stubborn tear from her face then sighed. Her shoulders sank along with her anger when I said those words. She sat on her bed while holding her head. No kid should see the destruction of her own planet.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, Wessy. It's just...I was raised on Taris. It was my only home ever. My brother brought me there when I was little. I thought that by following you, I could find him again. Instead, I escaped from my own planet and lost everything."

I raised my eyebrows, "Wait, you have a brother?"

I never saw him anywhere around Taris. I'm pretty sure blue Twi'leks were a rare bunch.

She nodded her head, sniffing.

"His name is Griff. You've been around the galaxy, right? And you're a smuggler? Have you seen Griff anywhere? Anywhere at all?"

Whoa, wait. Why did she assume that I would know this Griff? Was he a con too?

I shook my head. "Sorry." She deflated. Worried that she might start crying again, I rushed to speak. "But that's normal for me. I don't really stick around for too long."

I pissed around in the cantinas drunk. Doubt I would remember anyone, even a blue Twi'lek. Mission sighed before leaning back, looking off into space.

"It's all because of that bitch Lena. If she didn't take my brother away...well." She paused. "I probably wouldn't have met you guys and escaped."

I didn't really know what to say about that. To be honest, I didn't want to become emotionally attached to any of these people. Because I was going to leave. I didn't know most of my crew before they all exploded. For good reason. If any of them talked to me as a person—or thought of me as a friend—I wouldn't have been able to space them when they inevitably betrayed me.

Yeah, that really worked out for you in the end, didn't it, Wes? When they betrayed you.

Damn it.

I sat next to her, my leg had begun to throb.

"You know what I say?" I began. "These what-ifs don't matter. But the here and now? That matters." What, was I trying to convince myself? "Actually, you remind me of myself, kid. I went through a similar situation when I was young."

Her sad gaze looked up at me. "What happened?"

No emotional attachments. Remember that, Wes.

That had been my sane side. But for the sake of this kid...

"My home planet, Deralia, was taken over by the Mandalorians long before the Republic even bothered getting involved. It's been...twenty years? Twenty-two? Anyways, you aren't alone. That's what I'm trying to say. And what matters..."

Is the Sith. They destroyed a whole planet rendering a strong girl like Mission Vao crying. All those billions of people, dead. I've been running for years. Jumping from planet to planet like a coward. Maybe I should stop running?

It was that insane side again. And that side wanted vengeance.

"What matters now is that Malak pays for what he did." Mission watched as I grabbed my crutch then limped away. I made sure Mission heard as I added. "Oh, and you still owe me credits. That matters too."

I spun in a chair in the Ebon Hawk's engine room, bored to death. We would be making planetfall in an hour. Meanwhile, I could either listen to Canderous go on about the Mandalorian Wars like an old man or listen to Zaalbar's silence. Hanging around either Bastila and Carth wasn't an option.

So, I was stuck with the kid.

"Guess I should have asked you before. What's your name?"

He looked up at me and tilted his head.

"I am Wes. Wes get it?" I pointed to him. "And you are?"

He didn't answer.

I leaned back with a huff. "Have you understood us at all? Nod your head if you have."

He didn't nod his head.

Great, a little boy that didn't even understand Galactic Basic had decided to follow me around. I was not in the mood to teach him. I guess the only thing I could do about that was for me to learn...whatever he knew.

So I started with Mando'a. He knew some words. Perhaps he knew more?

"What is your calling-er-name?" I asked in shaky Mando'a.

Okay, don't shoot me. I don't speak other languages often.

The boy smiled and jumped up like a tach.

"Liam," he said.

Well, that was a start. Liam smiled wide—probably relieved that I could understand him. I know that I would. Maybe he soaked in some basic words surrounded by all those alien slaves. That was how I learned after all, out in the field, submerged in the languages. Maybe eventually he will learn Basic enough to speak fluently. He was young after all.

I leaned forward and bent closer to his eye level.

"Where are you from? How did you come to Taris?"

He tilted his head, trying to listen to what I said probably.

"Taris...you are?"

So, he wasn't fluent in Mando'a either? Kriff...at least be consistent! What sort of brain did this child have? From here it looked all messed up and uncontrolled. That first language he spoke was unknown to me so I couldn't communicate with him in that so I had to deal with Mando'a.

"Where was your...home?" I asked, struggling with the word myself.

His eyes brightened.

"Home? Are we going home?"

I sighed. This conversation was more frustrating than normal when dealing with children. Liam sounded like a Basic name, not Mandalorian or Rodian or anything weird. Which meant his parents had to have been normal citizens of the Republic. Or not. Either way, he had been taken from them long ago, otherwise, he would have wanted me to bring his parents with him. He had been in Brejik's slave pens, so maybe his parents owed a debt. In that case, his parents were probably long dead.

Yet, there was something about this kid that made him...different. He didn't cry when Taris was destroyed. Didn't cry at all actually. For a kid, that was unusual.

I decided to try one last time.

"What planet were you born?"

He nodded his head.

"Malachor."

My head jerked when I heard the name of that planet, twisting myself to give the kid a closer look.

What?

How the hell was that even possible? That planet had been destroyed...by Revan. He didn't even look old enough to be four or five. That placed his birth around the end of the Mandalorian Wars. After the planet had been decimated. I may have avoided all contact with the greater galaxy, but I didn't ignore current events. I had to be up-to-date else I would risk running into something terrible, like Mandalorians or Sith, after all.

Perhaps he misunderstood my question again. Still, why would this kid even mention a planet like that?

"A-Are you sure?" But he didn't understand since I asked him in Basic. I shook my head again. "And how did you get captured? Where are your parents?"

He frowned. "Capture? Ship. I ran from home, see? Parents...I have don't."

Yeah, communicating further would get us nowhere. So, I grabbed my crutch and stood. Liam gave me a confused look as I limped out of the engine room heading towards the cockpit. That child...he was the strangest out of all of these people. Including myself.

I limped to the bridge with intentions of asking the "are we there yet?" question to the two Republic fiends. Bastila leaned in the copilot seat making herself sick staring out into hyperspace. She didn't look up when I clacked in so I assumed she didn't want to be bothered.

Carth, on the other hand, still looked tense even after we escaped Taris. The random beeps coming from the controls distracted me long enough before the pilot gave me the time of day. He turned in his chair. I limped to the Star Map and eyed Dantooine and its coordinates. We were about an hour away. And I was bored. Bored enough to poke the rancor. I approached the Jedi and tapped her chair.

"Rise and shine."

Bastila stirred from her reverie to glare up at me. I smiled back at her.

Carth sat forward in his chair—trying to appear more relaxed than he was. He gave me a look again. "What do you want?"

I turned and narrowed my eyes at his posturing.

"Can't I walk around wherever I damn well please?"

"This isn't your ship."

I smiled. "It was Davik's last I checked. And he's dead."

"This ship wasn't Davik's last I checked." Carth crossed his arms. "He stole it from the Republic. There are military codes here and everything."

Bastila groaned as if our voices had been broken wine bottles then sank deeper into her copilot chair.

"We are almost to Dantooine. Can you please not fight until we get there?"

Carth swiveled in order to face the Battle Meditator. He was going to ask his annoying questions again. Wonderful.

"Why are we even going to Dantooine in the first place? Why would we hang around a Jedi Enclave when there is still a war to be fought?"

The Jedi leaned forward and held her forehead in a way that I had once done. This pilot created headaches as if his own voice was a docking horn. At least he wasn't interrogating me this time.

"Because, Carth, the Sith could ambush us again. We need to lay low."

The pilot huffed. "Alright, but what about your mission—you know, the one you took over my ship for? Why were we even jumping around the Outer Rim like that in the first place? And to end up at Taris? A Sith-controlled planet? Sure, if Malak's fleet hadn't been there, we could have jumped out in time. But we shouldn't have ever risked that kind of maneuver without prior knowledge of the Sith's movements. And don't lie to me and say that the Admiral ordered to attack the Sith. If we were attacking Malak's fleet, we'd take more than the one command ship."

Bastila sighed. "But we did have prior knowledge of the Sith's movements. Or at least I thought we did. Only a week before we left Coruscant, Malak's fleet had been devastated. Neither the Council nor the Admiral believed they would regain strength so quickly and do so at a world like Taris."

"The Mandalorians never stopped attacking even after they were weakened. What is the difference?"

Great. Now they were talking politics. My favorite subject. I leaned against the wall with a sneer. Thankfully, I was the perfect wallflower who wasn't participating in a debate. For once.

"The difference, Carth," Bastila began, "is that the Mandalorians never regained their numbers like this so quickly. And even though the Republic had more troops, the Mandalorians fought a war of attrition."

"Yes, and we wouldn't have had to fight a war of attrition if the Jedi helped us from the beginning. But we can't always get what we want."

The Jedi huffed. "And all of those Jedi would have joined Revan and Malak at the end of that war. Where would we be then?"

"Would they have been corrupted in the first place if the Council had supported them instead of dragging their feet?"

Bastila's face looked like a red Chando pepper. "Do not blame Revan's corruption on the Council! Your Republic saw only the threat of the Mandalorians, but the wisdom of the Masters saw beyond the immediate threat."

Wisdom? "What did they see?" I finally interjected. This was the first I heard of this.

Bastila addressed me. "There was something lurking out there, something that devoured Revan and Malak—and many other Jedi. Had the Council sent us all into the unknown, how many more would have fallen?"

Ah, so they saw nothing. Just a vague something. But I didn't want to get into a political argument with the Jedi. I had enough arguments.

Carth interjected instead. "So, you're saying we should have done nothing? Just let the Mandalorians conquer us unopposed? I mean, the Republic was under attack, and the Order abandoned us!

"We did not abandon you! But the Council were not about to throw lives away foolishly. In time, we would have aided you against the Mandalorians. But you couldn't wait. Revan and Malak offered a quicker answer, and the Republic chose to walk the easy path rather than the path of wisdom. Now we see the results all around us." She met my eyes briefly before she continued. "If Revan had only listened to the Council, millions of innocent people would still be alive."

"Yeah, right. And every single one of them would be speaking Mandalorian." Even Carth was beginning to grow tired of this discussion. Honestly, so was I and I was barely participating. "Look, that isn't the point," he said. "The point is that you took the Endar Spire away from the war effort for some vague mission. Because of that, countless lives were lost."

The young Jedi found something interesting in the corner and ignored the pilot's accusations. The pilot glanced towards me and I tried to ignore him by looking in the same spot that Bastila was. Try to look inconspicuous...breath like a flower. He twisted in his seat in order to get a better look at me.

"And what about Gale?"

I rolled my eyes. "Don't get me into this..."

"You've always been a part of this. Don't think that I just forgot about your little smuggler, Bastila."

If Bastila had been a Paaerduag, both of her heads would have looked at us with expressions of shock. I would have crossed my arms if I had one free. After all, I was curious as to why I had to be with the Jedi on the Endar Spire and not some other ship. Unless all of this really was just a coincidence.

Her face returned to its stoic nature. "Because we were heading out to the Outer Rim, we needed more people with knowledge of exotic languages. Even though Gale has a...questionable past, we didn't have time to find someone with the appropriate—"

"Bullshit," Carth snapped.

Bastila sighed. "Then I don't know what to say, Carth. Believe me or don't."

Carth laughed sardonically once before settling back down in his pilot's seat. He didn't look like he wanted to fight anymore.

"Fine. We'll do things your way. For now. But don't think that I will just up and forget about this. Because I won't."

I looked between them before groaning with frustration. Kriff and I thought my fights with the Jedi were bad. They both looked at me curiously. I decided not to answer their unasked question and limped out, ready to take a short rest before we arrived on Dantooine.