"So, what's the plan, pipsqueak?"

Canderous asked this after he got his blaster rifle back from the annoyed Echani guard. Dark clouds billowed in the sky, blocking out the bright Manaan sun. As we left Takaon Corporation with a bitter taste in my mouth, I finally answered.

"I don't know."

There was a brief moment of silence. Almost as if the Mando had been shocked.

"Well, that's a first..."

A few raindrops hit my nose. I paused to stare at the flower water fountain, crossing my arms in thought.

"We could break Verena out...but why?" I glanced over at Canderous. "Carth has a point. She was a Sith soldier and is possibly a murderer now. The only reason she deserted in the first place was out of vengeance. I was fine with letting her tag along since I wanted to keep an eye on her. But to save her? To risk our necks? I don't know..."

The Mandalorian's scar bent with his eyebrow.

"I didn't think you were a coward."

I glared up at him. "That...this isn't cowardice. I'm being realistic."

"No, it's cowardice. There is one thing we Mandalorians value other than the fight. Loyalty. You ask whether we should risk our necks. The answer is always yes. It shouldn't matter who or what this risk concerns."

"Loyalty?" I snorted. "Alright, well, back during the Mandalorian Wars, would you have risked yourself for a Republic soldier? A Jedi?" I raised a brow as I watched Canderous' face twist. "No? Thought so."

A few more raindrops hit my head. The Mando let out a long sigh. "Whatever you decide to do, pipsqueak, I'll follow your lead. Whether it's rescuing the Echani...or not."

"Honestly, before I make any decisions, I think we need to get more information on Erina Takaon. She was able to boss the Republic Ambassador around. Isn't that strange?"

Canderous shrugged. "Credits can do a lot to motivate someone. Your politicians aren't immune."

Oh, I knew that was true for some—credits were very motivating. Yet, Roland Wann didn't have a real need for credits based on the state of his office and his station on Manaan. His attitude screamed, "I'm a trust-fund spoiled brat." So, unless he was indebted to Erina Takaon…or maybe blackmail...

Hmm, well, those were all just hypotheses. To get answers, I'd need to interrogate some of the Republic officers. And the only way to "interrogate" without looking suspicious would be during a party involving copious amounts of alcohol.

I'd be lying if I said it wasn't my favorite interrogation technique.

"What do you mean you can't take them?"

The rain had started to come down hard on the tent coverings as I stood before a shady stall in Ahto City's large market district. The Selkath narrowed her watery eyes.

"Yes, we sell exotic creatures, human, but gizka...no gizka."

On the way back to the hotel, I decided to make a pit stop at the markets to deal with the gizka situation. Finally. Though, I hadn't expected it to be this difficult to pawn off the damn pests.

Canderous escaped the moment I started asking around about the gizka. Smart move. I...think I was wasting my time. No one wanted to buy them. The first three merchants asked for credits to take the creatures. To eat. The last two tried to sell poison to me instead. When I mentioned that there was no way I was going to kill them, they looked at me as if I was the crazy one! As if I could kill something so cute and innocent!

Okay, yes, I might have eaten gizka before, but so what? I had a change of heart.

My attempts at trying to sell the gizka in a humane fashion forced me to go deeper and deeper into the market depths within the metal husk of Ahto City. The rain didn't hit my body anymore as I approached another "exotic creature" merchant near the edge of the city—this one was for tourist exhibits.

After a few minutes of haggling, and a little bit of Force persuasion, the Selkath merchant gave in—paying me 200 credits too. With a wide smile, I typed in the location of our ship and comm'd T3 about the situation. Finally, finally, no more gizka.

I was going to leave after that success, but…

"High pay! Low hours! Join the Sith Army today! You won't regret it."

A grey-dressed Sith woman shouted at the mostly Selkath crowds. Five dark-armored soldiers marched behind their leader, passing out datapads to anyone interested. It was bizarre seeing the Sith recruit like a normal organization. Their "recruitment" practices usually consisted of taking over worlds first.

And I thought most of the Selkath around me would have laughed in the Sith recruiters' faces. Or walk away with a huff. But a few young Selkath reached out and took the datapads eagerly. Most wore scraps of clothing or were very thin—impoverished. Perfect targets to be manipulated by an evil organization.

The sight caused my body to tighten. I took a step forward so that I could try and stop this from happening, yet one of the Selkath marched in front of the Sith before me.

"How dare you!" The Selkath woman took some of the datapads from the young ones and threw them to the pavement. "How dare you parade down here! After twenty of our youths disappeared in your embassy!"

The Sith woman huffed. "Shaelas. For the hundredth time, we do not keep your daughter against her will. She made her own decision to stay and—"

"She would never!" The Selkath, Shaelas, smashed the datapad with her webbed foot. "Her own father was kidnapped and killed by you monsters years ago. She would never go!"

All of the Sith guards shifted, some placed a hand on their blasters. The Sith woman rolled her eyes.

"That incident was cleared up already. The courts agreed that your stupid husband died after getting too close to the Progenitor. Your conspiracy theory has only pushed your daughter away, Shaelas." The Sith woman stood up straight. "Now, move out of the way, or we will call the SSF."

The Selkath didn't move.

"Never." Her chest rose and fell. "I would...rather die than to see this continue."

Oh, no.

At that moment, I sensed the intention to cause harm from Shaelas. A detonator. It was...in her pocket. Reacting quickly, I used the Force to push the device away. The dangerous weapon flew out of her pocket and over the side of the balcony to the waters below. The Sith flinched at the strange event, but no one realized the flying object had been a live mine.

Before the Sith could realize that they were almost blown to pieces, I marched towards Shaelas and grabbed her slimy wrist.

"Wha—wha—who—?"

I didn't give either the Sith or the Selkath a chance to speak as I dragged her away into the confused crowds. Shaelas had been so stunned that she didn't even struggle as I pulled her deep into the halls of the Ahto City marketplace.

After turning down a few corridors, she finally pulled back. I released her wrist with a frown.

"What the hell was that about?" I shouted. "You almost killed them and yourself there. Probably would have taken some innocents with you!"

She blubbered a sigh. "It...I...there is nothing left for me, Jedi, you don't—"

"If you want to help your daughter, it won't do her any good if you're dead, would it?"

The poor Selkath grabbed her smooth head and her body shook as she slid to the ground.

"Yes…you're right. I'm all she has left now. My little flounder…why did I…? Shasa…"

My breathing froze as that familiar name blubbered past Shaelas' lips. Images from the vision of Revan interrogating that Selkath overlapped Shaelas' face. The pain inflicted on the poor Selkath scientist. The torture. The warmth of his love persisted through the pain. His desire to…protect those he loved from a monster.

And he'd been rewarded for that love with death.

Shaelas lifted her head as if it weighed a ton.

"You..." Her gaze drifted to my belt. "You're a Jedi—?"

I raced away as a strange sickness boiled within my gut. I ran for a long time, getting lost within the endless maze of Ahto City's halls. A few bodies collided with mine. Some shouted at me. But I kept running.

Eventually, I stopped and leaned on a metal rail—out of breath. The rain hit me once more. I...must have found my way back to the surface. The images from the vision had disappeared, yes, but that sick sensation still cloyed on me. Like the stench of death. I covered my mouth.

Sick. What Revan did. Was sick. Made me sick.

Sweat beaded down my face, mixing with the rain, and I really wanted to throw up again. But…a cool sensation entered my mind, calming my breathing.

Bastila.

I clenched my fist as I forced the warm sensation away.

Cantina music blasted to my right. Booming music. Laughter.

That's right. I had 200 credits to spend.

The red lights flooded over my lap. A half-naked Twi'lek danced on one of the poles. Some Mandalorians—a merc group—threw credit chips onto the dance floor. Sleazy music rumbled out of a tuba. Pazaak players shouted curses. The winner took the pot. Cigar smoke covered the ceiling.

Even with all of these sensations, all of this stimulation, I felt nothing.

There is no emotion, there is peace.

I tipped my head back to drank the rest of the liquor.

Thunder rumbled outside the claustrophobic cantina. A green arm wrapped around my neck. Hands moved to rub my shoulders.

"Hey there, knockout." A sensual voice whispered into my ear. "You look like you need a little bit of R&R. How about...a massage—"

I threw the hands of the propositioning Twi'lek off me. She hissed and there was a small thump. That had been the last I heard from her as I raised a hand to the bartender for another round. The Bith responded with a glare, but my drink arrived a minute later anyway.

The couch I sat on shifted.

"Strange place to find a Jedi."

I stopped drinking and looked to the right at the voice of the stranger.

A dark Jedi sat next to me. Her sharp gaze watched the stripping Twi'leks with mild interest. I shoved the glass onto the table in front of me and placed a hand on my lightsaber.

"What do you want, Sith?"

A light smile drifted onto her lips. "I'm Elassa. Elassa Huros. My troop reported an incident down in the Ahto City marketplace. When they mentioned that you were a Jedi...well, I felt that an introduction was in order."

I grabbed my drink again. "How about you introduce yourself to a blaster instead. One less Sith to deal with."

"Yes...I wasn't sure before, but now I'm certain. You are the neophyte. A normal Jedi isn't so...violent with their threats."

I stopped drinking. "Didn't know I was famous."

"Famous? No, you're just Bastila Shan's pet. Though from what I hear, you recently…embarrassed Darth Malak's apprentice. He's out for revenge for what you did. Placed an enormous bounty on your head, in fact."

"Ah, so are you going to try and claim it?" I asked. "In front of the cameras? In broad daylight?"

"I'm not stupid, Jedi. I only came to...chat."

I took another drink. "You aren't as entertaining as the Twi'leks, I assure you."

The dark Jedi, Elassa, leaned onto the table—her sneer wrinkling her face. "I saw the refugees from that planet...what was it called? Uyter?" She clicked her tongue. "Heard it went up in smoke. Millions dead. Wounded. Except...no one is helping them. Too bad."

Memories of the pain from those on Uyter flashed through my mind. I lowered the glass. When I last saw the wounded refugees, they were all taken away in stretchers. Why wouldn't the Selkath help them?

"What do you mean?"

Elassa looked up at me with that smarmy grin. "Let me ask you a question, neophyte," she started. "Who would the Republic help first? Their own? Or some nobody refugees from a backwater planet? Because with the way the war has been going, the way your Republic has been acting, there isn't enough kolto to spare."

My chest rose and fell as her words sank in. After all, how long had it taken the Republic to help the Outer Rim during the Mandalorian Wars? Deralia fell twenty years ago and the Republic only started to care when the Mandos started attacking their planets. Seven years ago. It took them thirteen years to start caring.

My body shook.

"No answer? Of course. It is like a Jedi to do and say nothing."

I shot up and Elassa stood with me. A wide smile spread on her face. A few moments passed of her waiting for me to go on the attack. Yet, I responded with a smile of my own.

"Should have waited." I finished the liquor. "I'm not a lightweight."

Elassa peeled back her lips. "You have chosen the wrong side in this war, Jedi. Your presence in the Force is...overwhelming. Strong. With power like yours, no one could stand in your way. But you refuse to take advantage of the dark side." She snorted. "It will mean your death."

My face twisted. "I'd rather die than become a murdering monster like you."

I collapsed on the couch again and waved at the Bith bartender. Needed to spend the rest of these credits, after all. Elassa's shadow hovered over me for a minute longer before she gave up with a huff.

An hour later (or hours?), I stumbled out of the shuttle in front of Takaon Hotel.

The rain had stopped and the sun had started to set…which meant I'd been in that sleazy cantina for longer than I'd anticipated. Other than that run-in with the Sith, it did the job of blasting all of those terrible thoughts out of my head. Thanks to the alcohol, of course.

Now? Well, now the thoughts were returning. Along with a massive headache. Force, I was getting too old for this…

As I stumbled into the lobby, I glanced at my datapad.

I froze.

Kriff. It was almost 2000. The Republic party was about to start. I'd wasted precious time drunk out of my mind when I should have been preparing for the interrogations—er, conversations.

The old man at the reception desk shot me a look as I rushed down the halls, following the glowing signs directing towards "Sunry's Retirement Celebration." A few older women stood in the hall chatting to each other, all wore extravagant gowns that touched the marble floors. It was a sign that I was going the right way. They also shot me looks, disgusted looks, as I hurried around the corner.

At least a hundred people or so crowded within the large hall. The walls were all made of glass and past that glass the Manaan sea reflected the sunset. Classical music hid calm voices that came from the well-dressed Republic dignitaries, soldiers, and retirees. Some of those dignitaries danced with partners at the center of the room. Yup, this was definitely a Republic party.

Oh, and food. Entire tables filled with food and drink. My stomach rumbled at the sight.

A Republic soldier stepped in front of me.

"Invitation, Jedi."

Ah, well, that's a problem. I searched the room for Jordo, yet there was no sign of Carth's energetic friend.

"Uh…"

"Ah, ha! There you are, kid."

Jolee pushed the soldier aside. Wait, where did he come from? Before I could ask, he grabbed my shoulders and guided me past the doors. My headache and the slight tilt of the room forced me to go along with him.

"Wha…what are—?" I stuttered.

"Better late than never. Thought you'd decided against…" Jolee stopped pushing me and sniffed. "Eugh, what happened to you? You smell worse than the old socks I wore on Kashyyyk."

I almost fell over at the sudden loss of momentum.

"Um, yeah, I…that is…heh..."

Jolee looked me up and down then sighed. "You...do know you get drunk during the party, not before, right?" When the room stopped moving, I glared at him. As usual, he ignored my glare with a tutt as he bit a thumb. "No, no, this won't do. We gotta get you sobered up. Cleaned up. Can't have you make a bad impression in front of...well, my old pal, Sunry."

He grabbed both of my shoulders in one hand and corralled me back the way we came. The soldier guarding the door gave me a confused look. Believe me, guy, I was just as confused.

"W-Wait!" I called back. "'Old pal...?'"

Jolee nodded with a large grin.

"Uh, huh, that's right. Old Sunry—we shared many battles together during the war. Had no idea he became a General. And on Manaan of all planets! Small galaxy, ain't it?"

I'd honestly never seen him so ecstatic.

We walked past the older women who, once again, crinkled their noses at me. Yeah, maybe it hadn't been a good idea to arrive at a fancy party wearing rain, sweat, and cantina-stained clothes. But it wasn't as if I had better options.

A short journey in the elevator later, we stopped at my door. I opened it with my datapad and stumbled inside after Jolee slapped my back.

"Take a shower. Shave. And for Force's sake, use some damn body spray! You'll look and smell less like an alcoholic. I'll scrounge up something better for you to wear than...that."

My mouth twisted into a held-back grin.

"Uh...yeah, you really don't need—"

But the old man closed the door in my face. Typical.

For once, I listened to Jolee. Ignoring HK's frozen form in the corner, I took a shower, shaved, and found some body spray that had been left out. My mind once again felt clear and the thoughts I'd suppressed resurfaced two-fold. That tired, worn-out Padawan in the mirror needed a nap, honestly.

No rest for the wicked.

A knock interrupted my thoughts along with a muffled voice.

"Open up, kid!"

I sighed and grabbed a towel to wrap around my waist.

Waving the door to my room open, I was met with the mischievous face of Jolee Bindo. He tossed a dark bundle that I only caught due to my quick reflexes.

"Think this'll suit you. Go on, make sure it fits."

I held up the articles of clothing. It was a black jerkin made of some high-quality leather of unknown origin, a dark tunic, and a red rope belt to go with it all. These clothes were probably worth...more than I could afford.

I narrowed my eyes. "Where did you get this?"

"I didn't steal it, if that's what you're thinking—cameras, remember?" The old man grinned wide. "Let's just say I'm...calling in a favor."

I knew better than to ask for details. Knowing Jolee, he'd go on a rant about horrible fashion statements or worse. And I was not interested.

Rolling my eyes, I stormed back into the bathroom to change. Surprisingly, the clothes fit perfectly. Somehow.

I grimaced as I stepped out into the room. Jolee had been leaning against the wall, waiting for me. He looked me up and down, rubbing his chin, observing the outfit he chose.

"Hmm...not bad. Could be better but beggars can't be choosers."

I rubbed the bridge of my nose. "Look, can I go now? I have better things to do than to play dress up."

"Has anyone ever called you impatient?" Jolee asked.

When I answered with a furrowed brow, he chuckled once again and skipped out of my room. I had no choice but to follow him.

As we walked down the hall, Jolee started one of his rambles. "Ah, I used to go to a lot of parties back in my day. Some more secretive, some more formal. All of this really brings me back...so, could you blame me for living vicariously through you a little?"

I grimaced. "Don't."

He elbowed me in the chest, his bright face sinking. "Hey, you need to relax, kid. I've noticed you've been rather...tense lately."

I glanced away—not answering the unspoken question on why that would be. Fortunately, Jolee didn't continue to pry like I expected him to.

We returned to the first floor of the hotel, back to the party. The sun had finally sunken below the horizon and the stars reflected within the Manaan ocean. Jolee wasted no time guiding me towards the man of the hour—Sunry.

The retiree stood near an extravagant fountain, chatting to an older woman at his side with a glass of wine in hand. A large golden badge with the symbol of the Republic was pinned to his dark ironed out coat. From what I remember, he also used to be the military contact for the Embassy. Of all the soldiers here, he would have the most information on what was happening on Manaan. Hopefully, he didn't have any reason to hide anything. I mean, if he was Jolee's old friend, I doubt he would.

Sunry stopped talking once he spotted Jolee and me approaching.

"Jolee!" He let out a warm laugh. "How long does it take to piss?"

The old man patted my shoulders. "Sorry, pal, I happened to pick up a stray."

The wrinkles near Sunry's eyes tightened as he smiled at me. He pointed at my chest with his empty glass.

"You must be that 'kid' Jolee's been raving about." Sunry waved at someone—a waiter carrying a tray of wine glasses. "Well? Does the kid have a name?"

"Wes." I crossed my arms. "Jolee's been 'raving' about me?"

The old woman at Sunry's side poked her head forward. "Oh, Jolee's been going on and on about you all afternoon. Heard you took on a Terry-tek...whatever it's called...all by yourself. Impressive!"

A small smile drifted onto my face at the unexpected praise. I shot it at Jolee.

"Well, had to after the old man fell flat on his face."

It was Jolee's turn to glare at me. Sunry let out an explosive laugh.

"Yup, sounds like Jolee. Always was a clutz."

"Oh, I'm the clutz?" Jolee crossed his arms. "May I remind you about that one time you almost tripped into a sarlacc pit on I'vorcia Prime? You're lucky I was there to catch you with the Force."

Sunry winced. "Uh...I actually forgot about that. I try to purge the Hutts from my mind…"

The waiter finally arrived. Sunry placed his empty glass on the tray and took two. He passed a wine glass over to me with a warm grin. I sipped at the dark wine...Force, that was smooth. I tried to keep my face composed, but it was hard not to while surrounded by all this luxury.

"Oh! Right, right. Sorry, forgot the introductions. I'm Gorlias Sunry. Please just call me Sunry. This is the wife." He weaved an arm around the older woman at his side. "Elora. We've been happily married for over twenty-five years."

"Twenty-six," Elora huffed.

Sunry waved a hand. "Bah, who's counting."

Elora took a drink from her own wine glass while rolling her eyes. Sunry, oblivious to his wife's dissatisfaction, continued to talk.

Oh, he liked talking. A lot. Must have been a trait of the generation…

The old retiree asked general facts about myself. Where I was from, what my folks did, etc, etc. The type of topics an old man would ask. A normal old man. He'd actually been to Deralia before—surprisingly. I raised a brow, I'd never actually met someone who'd been to my homeworld.

"You lived in the middle of nowhere, huh? And the Mandalorians…" He sighed. "Sorry about what happened. I wish we could've been more helpful, but at the time we didn't even think the Mandos were a threat." Sunry frowned. "I had it scouted out maybe…eight years ago? Before the Mando war. A troop and some Jedi Knights were on a routine patrol when they ran into an abandoned freighter. From what I heard second-hand, they found…bodies. Bodies of women and children from Deralia. Would have passed it off as a raid, but one of the Jedi had a vision. All of them had been killed by Mandos. It was odd. Normally, they would have sold them off as slaves to the Hutts...maybe they were more trouble than they were worth."

I glanced at my boots—my face felt stiff.

Elora slapped Sunry's arm. The old soldier rushed to speak again. "Oh, no, sorry, son. Didn't mean to bring it up like that. You probably have some bad memories."

I sighed. "No, it's fine…it was years ago."

Jolee frowned at me while holding his hips. Great, something else he was going to hound me over. Though part of me was actually glad that some soldiers in the Republic remembered and cared about what happened to my homeworld. Enough to regret not saving it.

Sunry relaxed. "In a way, it's a good thing we ran into each other. When we investigated the planet, we didn't think there were any survivors…" He snorted. "But I have been wrong before."

Fortunately, we moved on from that topic. Sunry started describing his soldier days, along with some of the adventures he and Jolee got into. Occasionally, the old man interrupted with his own takes. As we talked, we were occasionally interrupted by older Republic soldiers and delegates. That made the conversation go on for far longer than necessary.

Oh, and Jolee apparently let them know that I'd been a smuggler. I'd shot him a glare once that was revealed, though Sunry hadn't seemed phased by this info. No, he was interested. So interested, he asked about what sort of runs and adventures I got myself into.

I really hated disappointing him. I rarely got into many "adventures." Unless sitting on a freighter dealing pazaak, drinking booze, fucking, and waiting to arrive at our destination counted as "adventures." All of the adventures in my life had been condensed into this last month alone, really. I could tell that the old retiree thought I had been the most boring ex-smuggler he'd ever met. And I wouldn't correct him.

After exhausting that talking point, I decided to finally ask my own questions.

"So, retirement?"

We'd moved to a set of couches near the window wall. As we talked, we'd also grabbed something to eat—though we'd finished long ago. Jolee and Elora had gotten bored with the smuggling topic, so they left me behind with the old Republic soldier.

Sunry sighed. "Yeah, it was a long time coming. Ambassador Wann took over my duties at the start of the Sith War. For these last two to three years my role has mostly just been for show. There wasn't a need for an old scout like me to negotiate treaties, ha." His body sank back. "Honestly, I'd keep going if I had to. The Sith have been causing problems recently, and I know how to deal with Sith. Now that you're here I'd wish I could help, but...well, Elora wants to go back home to Alderaan. This is more of a 'going away' party than a retirement one, really. "

I finished the wine in my glass. "You know why we're on this planet?"

Sunry nodded. "Jolee told me all about it. You're trying to find this Star Map."

"Wann told us that the Sith have been smuggling in submersible parts. He also said that the Sith broke the treaty..."

That last part wasn't entirely true. He was looking for proof at the moment, supposedly. But Sunry didn't know what Wann told us.

The old soldier tilted his head. "Strange. That isn't like him. He rarely divulges information like that. Even to a Jedi given...well…you're prone to fall to the dark side. No offense."

So, that was why Wann hadn't been so upfront about this.

"Is it true then?"

Sunry twisted his wine glass between his fingers. "Before I was a General, I was a scout—an intelligence agent. And, well, I'll let you in on a little secret. We've suspected that the Sith have built an underwater base for some time now. The proof though…" He took a drink. "The Selkath need definitive proof. Which is why we have never come forward with an accusation."

I sat back. "Why can't you tell them without proof? They can swim down there and take a look themselves."

"Hmm…" Sunry narrowed his eyes at me. "It isn't that simple. If the Sith were smart, they would set up their base at the source of kolto—the Hrakert Rift. It is a protected zone by the Selkath. They aren't allowed to disturb the place. They aren't even allowed to put droids down there. It is Manaan's only source of kolto, so they are rightfully very protective of it."

I pursed my lips while staring out at the mingling and dancing crowds. There was no doubt in my mind that the Sith could have put a base down there. They didn't care about preserving this world, after all. The only reason they haven't blown it to pieces was because of the kolto. If they cut out the middle-man…then made sure the Republic had poor relations with the Selkath…

"How could they possibly build a base down there without anyone noticing?" I asked. "The Selkath would be keeping an eye on the Rift."

"Connections, son. Connections." Sunry sighed. "Some of the Selkath hate the treaty. Some support the Sith. Some the Republic. The Sith could convince these Selkath faster than us though. They can threaten and torture anyone to do what they want. You would know."

Yeah, I knew. Force, I knew. I really wish I didn't.

I crossed my arms and looked out at the hall again. This...wasn't good. If the Sith had constructed an entire base down there, they would have all sorts of protections on the Star Map. Breaking into a Sith base above ground was hard, what about one that was underwater? Then there was the fact that we needed to get down there without being noticed by the Selkath too.

I sighed. This was going to be more complicated than the other Maps, wasn't it?

Sunry groaned and his bones cracked as he stood.

"It was nice talking to you, Wes, but I have to go. My wife has been shooting me glares." He passed me a quick salute. "I hope you succeed in your mission, son. In the meantime, enjoy the party. You remind me a lot of Jolee when he was young, heh, so that shouldn't be a problem for you."

I smiled up at the old soldier. "Thank you, Sunry. I think I will."

He nodded then left, making his way across the ballroom. What Sunry told me was what I'd already guessed. Perhaps getting aid from the Ambassador was the safest move here. Yes, I could always try barging into the Sith Embassy...yet, this wasn't Kashyyyk. This wasn't Tatooine. Or Taris. Any crime committed here and I'd be arrested. And we didn't have time to deal with Selkath courts.

So, in the meantime, I suppose I could...relax? Yeah. Sit back, relax, forget all of my troubles…

If only it were that easy.

A burst of whispers and mummers erupted near the entrance to the hall. I only had to hear the words Battle Meditator and Shan in order for my whole body to snap out of my seat.

A large crowd had formed, blocking whoever had entered the party. No way. There is no way she'd show up to a party like this. Especially after what happened. She should've been...meditating. Repeating the Jedi Code a million times. It's what I would have expected her to do.

Yet, hadn't it already been proven again and again that Bastila was anything but predictable?

I made a snap decision to figure out what exactly was going on. There was some room near the middle fountain that I could both spy on what was happening and hide at the same time. Perfect. Shoving away some tubby Republic politicians and retirees, I took a spot behind the statue of the fountain—peering past the streams.

And when I saw her, it almost felt like I was drowning.

Sad gray eyes watched the eager crowd. A long blue dress made of thin fabric with an intricate cut covered her lean body like water. It was a dress that almost seemed to be crying. Her hair had been pulled back into a bun, her pale face stoic. If I didn't have a bond with her, I would've thought this was someone else entirely. Not Bastila.

Yet, always she was like a radiant light. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

A heavy force collided with my back. I almost fell into the fountain, but fortunately, I had better balance now. Mission, who wore some purple fancy attire, snickered behind her hand.

"Whoops! Sorry, Wessy, sorry!" She beamed up at me, tossing her decorated headtail to the side. "This crowd is crazy. No one is paying attention. Idiots. Some fatty almost stepped on my foot." As she complained, my gaze returned to Bastila (who was now being greeted by Sunry). A moment passed and Mission sighed. "She is pretty, huh?"

"Yeah…"

Mission paused then chuckled. "I didn't even have to drag her here or fight her on the dress—which is so weird! I thought I'd have to pull her by the headtails. She just followed me. Without saying anything…" Her face twisted in concern. "I hope she's doing okay. Is...is she doing okay? You can tell with the bond, right?"

I frowned, carefully sensing the bond. Depression. Sorrow. I was drowning in it. When she ran away yesterday, I'd thought she would have returned to her emotionless, numb state of being. But no, it was like...her father had died ten times over.

Why? Why did she feel this way? Not even the bond could give me answers.

Before I could lie to ease Mission's worries, Bastila finally made a move. Cursing under my breath, I ducked under the lip of the fountain before she could catch a glimpse of me. Or, well, she probably knew I was nearby due to the bond, but she couldn't know exactly where, right? Not with all these people…

Mission ducked under the fountain with me.

"Uh...what are you doing?"

Hmm, what was I doing? Hiding. Right. My heart beat loudly against my chest—drowning out the sounds of the crowd.

Something grabbed my shoulder. "Hey, Wes?" I turned to the side. Mission smiled softly at me. "I...don't know why you look like a rancor just stepped into the room, but Bastila isn't a rancor. You don't have to be scared, yah know."

I narrowed my eyes. "Wha—I'm not scared. I'm never scared."

"Liar."

I huffed. "It's more complicated than that, alright? Let's just...hang out. Under here. It's actually rather comfortable—"

"If there's anyone who could cheer up Bas, it's you." She hugged her knees with a sigh. "I...don't like seeing her sad, do you?"

Mission's stark blue eyes never wavered. But there was a glisten. Like tears.

Coward. I sneered as the thoughts, which had built up over the day, finally broke loose. Bastila is suffering and you respond by hiding like a child. Blocking her out. Pretending like she doesn't exist. Because why? Because she ran away? Because you're afraid of being rejected? What. A. Fucking. Coward. Who cares how you feel? Who. Cares. Because what she feels...how she feels...is more important. More important than anything else.

My tight expression relaxed. I'd been an idiot. Once again, I'd chosen to run away from my problems when I should have ripped off the kolto bandage. You'd think I would have learned this lesson by now, but, well people change. And I wasn't one of those people.

I pushed myself up using the fountain. Mission stood with me. The small quartet started to play a sorrowful ballad as I searched the crowded hall. Business had mostly returned to normal, so it was difficult to find the Jedi. Yet…

There. By the window. I didn't spare Mission a glance as I left.

Bastila blended in with the canvas of stars in front of her. As I drew closer, the sensation of pain only increased. Pain. Sorrow. Force, this had to stop. Eventually, I was only a few meters away from her. It was close enough that she probably knew I was there.

So, I decided to finally stop being a coward.

I walked up to her side and stared out at the stars with her. A long moment of silence eclipsed, only broken apart by the chatter of the party and the ballad lasted for what seemed like an eternity. Hours could have passed, really, and I wouldn't have realized. So, I decided to break that silence with a whisper.

"Beautiful."

I peeked to the side, a small grin stretched on my face. Her expression hadn't changed—no red covered her cheeks, her body hadn't twitched. Her red lips, however, parted.

"Yes. I...I suppose."

"Well, good. It would be terrible if you didn't think so. Since you are beautiful."

That finally got a reaction from her. The shadow of her kinrath-expression formed on her brow and her gray eyes, which had been consumed with grief before, narrowed at me.

"That isn't—! I wasn't—! You—!" She huffed and her serene expression returned. "I didn't dress like this to impress you. Mission insisted and you know how hard it is to say no to her when she gets started…"

I sighed, rubbing the side of my face. "Yeah, it's damn near impossible."

A grin still remained on my face and the stress I thought would double as we spoke...melted away to nothing instead. In fact, just hearing her voice was enough for this ever-present wave of anxiety to disappear.

I turned away from the window, my face dipping. "Bastila…about what happened, I—"

"No." She looked up at me, gray eyes wavering. "Don't apologize. Please don't. That...this is my fault. I made a terrible mistake approaching you like that. Giving in like that. I—"

"Mistake?"

Her thin shoulders fell. "It wasn't supposed to be this way." She whispered then took a breath. "I'm not supposed to feel this way. About you. It's not...right."

"No. You're wrong." I grabbed her hands. "It felt more right than anything."

Her hands slipped out of mine.

"Why?" she whispered. "Why aren't you afraid?"

"Why would I be afraid?" I whispered back.

"The dark side—"

"This again?" I sighed, rubbing my forehead. "How could I be afraid of something that isn't there? I didn't feel the dark side. When we...kissed, touched, I felt alive. More alive than I'd ever felt before. The only thing I feared...was for you. When you left me."

I took a deep breath. Everything that I'd been holding back was now out there. And...it felt good. Relieving. "Did you feel the dark side?" I asked. "It was just a vision. That had nothing to do with what we felt—you said that we shouldn't let it affect us, remember?"

"That's right, you don't—" She interrupted herself. "You don't know."

"Know?"

"This can't—" Her chest lifted in a painful breath. "This won't work. The mission. That will always come first. Always."

I snorted. "Well, the mission is on hold until Wann decides to stop being obstinate. We have plenty of time. And I can focus on more than one thing you know. Is this really so mutually exclusive—"

"You don't understand!" Her voice finally broke. "You will never understand why this will never work!"

My expression fell. "I won't understand if you won't tell me."

"I…" She shook. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"It…" Her lip quivered...she spoke as if to herself. "It would destroy you. Hurt you. And I can't...I won't let that happen."

Her wet eyes wavered as she met my own. I thought she was about to let the tears fall, but she remained firm. Obviously, she wasn't going to tell me what was bothering her, and if I kept pressing the point I'd make her feel worse.

Another song started playing, this one had more of a rhythm so many were heading for the center of the hall, hand in hand.

I held out my own hand.

"You know how to dance?"

She gave a wet huff. "I told you—"

"Don't let me be the reason you're in pain, Bastila. Because your pain hurts. It hurts me...more than anything. Alright?"

Bastila sank back. A few more bars in the music passed when she finally took my hand.

"Yes. I know how to dance."

"Good. I don't."

She flinched. "Wait, what? But then why do you want to?"

"You helped teach me my lightsaber forms. This isn't that different, right?"

"Yes, but I don't know how to dance well. Father showed me when I was a child. After my Jedi training, I barely remember—"

I ignored her excuses and pulled her by the wrist to the dance floor. There were a few minor protests from her still, but really, that was just due to a lack of confidence. And I knew for a fact that I was in good hands.

We stopped after I pulled her to the middle of the floor. Some of the dancers gave us a look and moved around us. Bastila seemed to notice these stares and froze—her eyes twitching every which way. Of course, a dance could be perceived as romantic, but not for a Jedi. There is no emotion, there is peace. We just had to dance without emotion. Which for a Jedi should be easy.

Oh, who am I kidding?

When she didn't unfreeze, I stepped forward. I held out her hand while wrapping my left arm around her hip, placing a hand on the small of her back, pulling her close—mimicking the other dancers. Raising a brow, I waited for her to instruct me. A moment passed before she let out a long sigh, shaking her head.

"You're not left-handed."

She moved my right hand around the other side of her waist then grabbed my left.

"Uh, actually…" I moved back to the previous position. "I'm ambidextrous."

Her eyes rolled. "Well, I'm not." She huffed, a piece of her hair went flying. "Please, it'll be easy for me if you just do what I say. For once."

I let out a mock huff. "Fine." I returned to the position she wanted. "There. Happy?"

Her response was to hold my shoulder. "Okay, move forward with your left foot then move right." I followed her instructions and we wavered to the right. "Now...step back with your right then move to the left. And just keep repeating..."

Hmm, simple. I did as she said and repeated the steps again and again. It was way easier than a lightsaber form. I could only imagine how I would have fared without Jedi training. Or without the Force. Huh, imagine that. One of the many benefits of becoming a Jedi had been dance proficiency of all things. Old Wes would have slapped his face at the idea.

We danced for a while—I tried to keep time with the music, but it was hard to. Hard to when I felt her warm body against mine. When I could sense her pain drift away into the stars. When I didn't want to pay attention to anything or anyone else but her.

A song passed by. Another one started. A smile finally drifted onto her face.

"You learn quickly…"

A smirk drifted onto my face.

"Well, what else did you expect?" I winked. "I am a man of many talents."

Her lips pursed—to some, she would have looked unamused. Yet the edges of those lips were upturned.

"Yes, a man with many talents who still hasn't learned to be humble about them."

I led us closer to the center of the dance floor. "A talented teacher could help me with that. You wouldn't happen to know someone?"

"Hmm." Her thin brows rose, a smirk of her own appearing on her face. "No. Sorry. I'm afraid there's no amount of teaching that could help you with something so innate. Guess you aren't so talented after all."

I winced. "Ouch."

She flinched. "I…I didn't step on you, did I?"

"No, but your words hurt, sunshine."

A moment passed where concern filled her face. It didn't last long. She gave me that hooded, unimpressed look.

"No, it didn't. You're teasing me. Again."

I bent close to her ear to whisper. "But you like it when I do that, don't you?"

Her feet skipped a step and I felt her heart thump hard in her chest. My own heart matched the rhythm of hers—my entire body felt warm. Too warm. She was burning. I peered down into her gray eyes.

"I…" She swallowed. Pupils dilated. Her lips shook as they parted. "I'd like it if…you did something else. Something better."

Images flooded my mind—memories of when we first kissed. It was involuntary…from both of us. My chest rose and fell. It took all of the restraint that I could to not kiss her there—in front of everyone. There is no emotion, there is peace.

Who am I kidding?

"I could," I whispered back, leaning close again. "Later."

Her chest rose and fell with mine. Her voice had become breathy.

"Where?"

"Where we left off." I smiled. "From last night."

Her gray eyes wavered. She was thinking. Thinking about whether or not she should deny her desires. She didn't make a decision, though, before the music had come to an end. Most of the dancers left the center of the room, and we had no choice but to let go of each other. Or else…it would have appeared romantic.

Through the bond though, I knew her answer. Yes. A million times, yes. But something…that something was making her hesitant. This something that would apparently "hurt" me. Force, why didn't she understand that her suppressing herself like this was hurting me more than whatever it was that she imagined would hurt me.

Her gaze drifted to the entrance of the hall.

"Good night, Wes."

"Bastila—?"

Yet, she left the party before I could ask for her answer—leaving me alone, once again.

This time, however, she hadn't run. Because that desire still hung within the air between us—cloying to us like the stench of death.

Got this chapter out a bit early this time ;)! I hope you enjoyed - these romance parts are equally difficult and entertaining to write. Though, that really sums up Wes and Bastila's relationship at the moment XD.

See you next time!