We had ten minutes until the Leviathan pulled us into their docking bay and boarded the Ebon Hawk. Carth called everyone to gather at the main hold over the comms.

The tension in the air could have been cut by a lightsaber as Carth explained our situation. Mission leaned on the holoprojector, lekku dangling. Verena and Canderous were, for once, at attention as Carth spoke. Juhani and Jolee had a similar aura even though Jolee sat on the bench, otherwise relaxed. T3 had even rolled in (HK was still sitting in the garage). Bastila…her worry mixed with mine. So much so, I only felt her worry now.

It wasn't good. Not good at all. The Leviathan hadn't opened communications so that we could negotiate. Not like they'd let us negotiate. There was no point in trying to escape. We were going to be captured, killed…or worse.

Bastila's face tensed when Carth finished. "I thought the fleet cleared a window for us in this hyperspace route. We shouldn't have been ambushed."

"The Sith took a gamble—there is only one starcruiser in the system," Carth answered. "Any more and the Republic would have noticed."

"They still should have noticed," Bastila hissed. "An interdictor-class starcruiser should have been easily spotted."

"No, not particularly."

Bastila's heart beat hard and a cold sweat built on her forehead.

"This is the Leviathan. They should have scanned—"

"We don't have time to argue about things that no longer matter," I interrupted, leaning on the holoprojector with Mission. "We only have eight minutes before the Sith capture us. Don't you think we should be planning our escape?"

"Escape?" Bastila's voice was cold. "We haven't been captured yet. We won't need to escape if we get out of this."

"We can't take on a starcruiser ourselves," Verena said. "Gale is right. We need a plan."

"Maybe the Republic Fleet could rescue us." I faced Carth. "Are we able to send out a holomessage?"

"No. The gravity well prevents hyperspace travel of any kind," Carth said.

"Then we'll have to escape on our own." I cursed under my breath. "Great."

"Yes, it won't be easy." Carth crossed his arms. "Saul's no fool and he won't underestimate us either. You can count on plenty of guards watching every move we make."

Bastila's gaze went from Carth to me to the rest of the crew. "Then someone here will have to rescue us," she said. "It will have to be someone with the best chance at avoiding capture. Someone that the Sith won't be keeping a close eye on."

I nodded. "No problem. I've escaped prison before. Once. Or twice."

She thought about that for only a moment before she shook her head.

"No. That won't work. Admiral Karath will be keeping a close eye on you."

Me?

"What about Verena then?" I faced the Echani. "You know the layout of this ship, right? You were a Sith before."

"Yes, but the Sith will be keeping a close eye on me as well," Verena said. "I have a bounty on my head, remember?"

Right. I looked from person to person, and they all looked back at me. Waiting for me to come up with something. A plan.

Canderous wasn't exactly stealthy. Mission was a child and I did not want to put her in danger again. Jolee…maybe if they didn't know he was a Jedi. Juhani would also need to go undercover. And the droids…

I rubbed my chin then turned to face the other Jedi.

"They don't know how many Jedi are on board. We'll take your lightsabers with us and you and Jolee can use the Force to escape."

Juhani shook her head. "Without our lightsabers, it will be difficult to move around the ship. Especially if we run into dark Jedi."

"And if we use the Force too much, the dark Jedi will sense our presence," Jolee said. "And while I can fend them off without a lightsaber, if we are outnumbered things won't go well, kid."

That was true. Which meant there was only one machine fit for the job. Carth sighed—probably noticing the glint in my eye.

"No. Not again. You're not going to suggest—"

"Obviously, only HK-47 is suited for this task."

"That insane tin-can?" Canderous muttered. "Isn't it currently missing an arm? What's going to stop the Sith from throwing it into the trash compactor?"

"Well, since he's a Sith droid, they'll try to repair rather than salvage him."

"What?" Bastila leaned forward. "What do you mean it's a Sith droid?"

Oh. Forgot.

"Uh…" I rubbed the back of my head then spoke quickly. "Actually, HK was Darth Revan's assassination droid. So yeah. Sith droid. He'll be perfect."

Bastila gaped. Rendered speechless. Shocked. Her body began to shake and her face became red as if she was enraged. The rest of the crew were only mildly interested. Except Carth who was giving me stink eyes.

I cleared my throat. "Anyway—"

"No," she hissed as she stomped to my side, pulling my sleeve. "No, we are not going to ignore what you said there."

"Yes, agreed," Carth spat.

I crossed my arms. "Actually, we are."

"How?" Carth waved at the garage. "How can we trust Darth Revan's droid—"

I sighed. "Look, we don't have time to argue about the morality of it all. Not when it can save our asses."

"The morality isn't what I'm concerned with," Carth hissed. "I'm concerned it'll turn around and shoot us in the back!"

"He's been fine so far. And, anyway, he gives us the perfect cover. Right, Bastila?" Bastila's mouth opened than closed. I took the chance to continue as she was in a shocked state. "HK's audio receptors are still active while in shutdown mode. That means he has a backup power supply and a reserve memory chip." I paced back and forth. "If I deactivate the main circuits then upload all of the data into the reserve memory chip, he'll look defunct. The missing hand would make this story believable too. They'll 'wipe' his memory, of course, but if I put him on a timer to activate the backup power supply after shut down, HK should be able to pull from the reserve memory chip."

"Uh…did anyone catch that?" Juhani muttered.

Carth shook his head. "But we don't have time to deactivate or reactivate or upload anything."

I pulled the hydrospanner out of my pocket and twirled it with a grin.

"Don't underestimate me, Carth."

"But…" Mission stuttered. "But what if the Sith take out the backup power supply from HK before the timer ends?"

"Then…" I twirled the hydrospanner again. "T3 is high tech. He should have the same setup as HK. I'll do the same to T3."

"You won't be able to do both in time," Bastila said. "We only have five minutes."

"I'll help." Mission stepped up to me. "I can work on T3 while you work on HK, Wes."

I watched the Twi'lek for a moment. I almost said no—she could mess something up. Yet, she had come along far…and T3 was a rolling computer anyway.

I nodded.

We got to work in the garage immediately. Carth and Bastila ran to the cockpit to keep an eye on the Sith. Everyone else waited in the main hold.

I didn't hear HK's quip as I unscrewed his panels as fast as humanly possible. It didn't even matter if I could screw them back on—he was supposed to look defunct anyway. I plugged my datapad into the data core and programmed a timer to initiate the back-up power supply after one hour.

I froze as I looked over the datapad screen. The charge. The backup wasn't charged enough. Maybe, just maybe, it could last an hour. Enough for HK to hobble to a charging station. But if it wasn't going to last long enough, the timer would freeze. If that happened…HK would never wake up. Not without outside assistance.

"Mission."

The Twi'lek stopped unscrewing T3.

"What?"

"HK…his battery…it's almost dead—"

Before I could elaborate, Carth's voice shouted over the comms.

"Sith fighters incoming! They're pulling us into the docking bay!"

Mission cursed. The datapad finished uploading HK's memory in time, enough for me to shout one final command to the droid.

"HK, when you wake up, do not start shooting. This is a rescue and stealth mission. Find T3 first, then Jolee, Juhani…everyone. All of us."

The droid sighed. "Again? Really, Master?"

"Really!" I growled. "Look, you can kill other meatbags when we're making our escape—"

I was interrupted by the creaking of the ramp's gears at my left. I ordered HK to shut down and dropped the hydrospanner. Mission did the same. A high-pitched sound from a droid echoed off the Ebon Hawk's walls. Before the ramp was forced open, I grabbed Mission's arm and dragged her with me to the main hold. I turned to face the garage and unleashed my lightsaber just in case they decided to be trigger happy.

Dark-masked Sith troopers thundered into the main hold with blaster rifles raised just as Bastila and Carth rushed in from the cockpit. Bastila's lightsaber blades hissed on as well. Trooper after trooper piled into the Ebon Hawk. We were outnumbered. Surrounded. My heart beat hard in my chest as I held Mission's wrist tight, forcing her behind me.

They could kill everyone else if they wanted to. Anyone who wasn't "important" enough. Force, I…I didn't think about that.

"Lay down your weapons."

A voice with a smooth-lilt boomed over the heads of the Sith troopers. They moved to the side to allow the owner of that voice to march on board the Ebon Hawk.

A shrewd older man in a decorated jacket sauntered in the main hold as if he owned the ship. Cold eyes watched me with hesitation. I would have thought it to be an expression of fear if we weren't currently surrounded by an army. The man crossed his arms behind his back as he spoke.

"Put down your weapons or I will order my troops to kill the Twi'lek."

We had no choice. I extinguished my lightsaber and dropped it to the ground then let go of Mission's arm so that she could do the same with her blaster. The Sith near me raised their rifles as they approached to pick it up. Bastila, Carth, and the rest of the crew copied me.

"Saul Karath."

Carth's voice spewed disdain.

The older man, Saul Karath, looked back at the pilot.

"Carth." He walked up to him with slow steps. "It has been far too long since we last spoke. I see the recent months have not been kind in your case. I barely recognized you."

"But I recognize you, Saul. I see your face every night when I dream of killing you for what you did. I remember that day you surrendered Telos' defense codes over to the Sith armada. You looked the same then as you do now. Remorseless."

Saul's back tensed. "Did you learn nothing in your time under me? As a soldier, you should know that casualties are unavoidable. It was an act of war."

Carth took a dangerous step forward. Blaster rifles pushed into his chest. "Unavoidable? Your fleet bombed a civilian target into oblivion without warning or provocation. Why? Why did you do this? I trusted you! The blood of those innocent people are on your hands!"

"The Sith would not accept me until I proved I had truly turned my back on the Republic by bombing the planet."

"No one forced you to join the Sith, Saul." A dangerous glint grew in Carth's eye. "My wife died in that attack. And for that, I swear I'll kill you."

"You used to be a man of action, not of empty words. Cling to your lust for revenge if you must, but spare me your tired threats. I've heard them all before." Saul marched away back towards the ramp. He looked me up and down as he walked. "You are an insignificant part of these events, anyway. Lord Malak is far more interested in Bastila Shan." He stopped in front of me. "And you."

I took a threatening step closer. The soldiers raised their blasters again. Saul took a final step and we were only a foot apart. His cold eyes were calculating.

"The Dark Lord would probably reward me if I killed you once and for all, but I'm sure he would want to do the honors of questioning and killing you himself after all the trouble you've caused."

"You'll get nothing from me," I hissed.

"Yes. Of course." He turned. "Though, still, I have to know. Why have you joined the Jedi? Surely they weren't that convincing."

I scoffed. "The Sith were less convincing given they destroyed Taris and Uyter. Oh, and they threatened to kill me."

"So you joined the Jedi in order to gain allies? Odd. I would have thought you'd be too repulsed by the idea given your…history."

"History?"

Saul twisted around, raising a white eyebrow. "Yes. History." He studied me for a long time. Then, he glanced at the Sith troops then Carth then back at Bastila. "Wait…do you not…?" He laughed. "Ah, you don't know what's going on here, do you?"

My chest became cold.

"What's going on?"

Was Saul mental?

Bastila moved behind me and the Sith troops forced her back.

"Don't—please don't—"

"Oh, don't worry. I'll leave this surprise for Lord Malak to discover. And, fortunately for you, he's currently in another sector. It will be a few days before he arrives, so I suppose I will have to fill in for him until then." He pointed at Carth, Bastila, and I. "Take those three to the Block—the others will be placed in detention to deter escape. Knock out and collar the Jedi."

I raised my hands to defend myself, yet the hard butt of a blaster rifle collided into the back of my skull, causing my ears to ring and my vision to blur white. In the distance, I heard Mission shouting. Another hit to the temple knocked me to the ground—

"I know it's you."

"Me?"

"You."

"..."

"I told you, didn't I? I'll back you up in a heartbeat. I'll follow you to the very end. You know what they say, 'Would you jump off a cliff if he told you to do it?' Something about peer pressure, blah, blah, blah. Thing is, yeah, I would. If you want me to jump, I'm jumping."

"Okay, I get it, I get it. Force, you can be so annoying sometimes."

"Rather annoy you than abandon you."

"..."

"So then why?"

"Why what?"

"I never abandoned you."

"You didn't."

"And I'm your best friend."

"You are."

Blood poured out from a pale, jawless face. Yellow eyes flashed. Somehow it was still able to speak.

"So then why did you abandon me?"

Water crashed into my head. I sputtered as a million sensations pounded at me all at once. The cold air blew from above, causing my bare skin to grow bumps. My mouth tasted metallic, dry. Eyes were heavy—I couldn't focus with the collar around my neck. Hunger clawed at my stomach. Arms twisted—hands locked in shackles. My shoulder sockets ached at the pressure of gravity. I'd been hanging by these shackles for…ever since I woke up the first time.

It hurt to lift my head.

Bastila stared at me from the humming force cage. She shivered, cold. The Sith dressed her down to her undergarments like Saul had done with all of us. To humiliate us. In the cage next to her, Carth was kept in a similar state. They hadn't touched either of them yet, but they had been forced to watch as I "suffered." Of course, I made sure that my "suffering" wasn't very entertaining.

Round three. An hour had long passed. HK's battery must have died. We were screwed. Fucking screwed.

I shivered as the water dripped over my chest. My lips cracked as I smiled. Saul Karath stared down at me. Unamused.

"Good morning," I said. "You know, maybe your pal here should see a therapist. I'm not exactly qualified to be his punching bag—"

A hot and cold flash stabbed my abdomen. I sucked in a breath and, in the distance, I heard Bastila gasp in pain. The sparks traveled through my body, through the water streams. I focused on the depths of my mind. On memories.

"Wesley!"

Memories of home.

I ran through the red door of the farmhouse. Mother smiled down at me—I didn't remember her face. The local boys crowded behind me as we reached for the sweets mother provided. Father—his voice, I couldn't remember his voice—told us to keep quiet as he focused on repairing one of the protocol droids. I ran up to him with a sweet in hand. He sighed before he took it from me with a wide grin.

The hydrospanner sparked—

The flashing of sparks ceased. My body shivered and twitched after the stun stick left my chest. The chains above clattered together. A gloved hand pulled my head back by the hair, forcing me to look Saul in the eyes.

His voice was dangerous. Low.

"Why did you become a Jedi?"

"Why not?" I spat, coughed, then smiled. "I'm a talented individual."

He sneered. "The Jedi don't train adults. Talented or otherwise."

"Well, I must be extremely talented then." The Sith torturer pulled my head back further. I winced. "The Jedi wanted to train me because of my potential. Oh, and because they were afraid that I would fall to the dark side. I have no idea why you care enough to ask. Unless this is some sort of fetish. You have strange tastes if this is—"

The Sith torturer removed his hand from my hair, yet before I could recover a fist crashed into my face.

"No backtalk, you—!"

Saul raised his hand. The dark-dressed Sith stopped before he stabbed me with the stun stick again. My nose throbbed and blood dripped to my lip. Not broken, but… The Admiral's paler skin wrinkled as if he smelled a foul stench. He paced away towards Carth and Bastila.

"We know that you were trying to find the Star Forge. Considering these…new unusual circumstances, I find it odd that you knew about the maps." He stopped before Bastila's force cage. She stood on shaky legs. In the bond, I sensed intense rage. She wanted to kill him. Just as much as I wanted to kill him. "How did the Jedi know, Bastila? And why would they take such a risk?"

Her face tightened under the blue light of the shield. "You could torture us all day, Karath. It won't matter. The Jedi Council will get suspicious of our absence. It won't be long before they send the fleet to rescue us."

It was a nice bluff. Yet, this hadn't affected Saul Karath.

"Hmm, no, I don't think so." He paced towards Carth's cage while looking back at me. "The Jedi are…busy saving themselves. To them, the Republic is inconsequential."

"You're wrong," Carth said.

"Surely you've felt the same way, Onasi?" Saul tilted his head. "Most of the Jedi refused to join the Mandalorian Wars even while the Republic suffered loss after loss. Serroco burned and the Council did nothing in response. Do the Jedi really care about the Republic when they abandon them time after time?"

Carth didn't answer. He couldn't answer because…he made that argument before.

Bastila answered for him.

"The Jedi didn't…they didn't abandon the Republic!" She shouted while pressing against the force cage. "The vision—"

"Ah, yes. 'The vision.'" He snorted. "You really believe that? There weren't any visions, Bastila Shan. The Jedi needed an excuse to remain in their ivory tower. Revan and Malak saw through their cowardice." He faced the pilot again. "You asked me why I did what I did. You only understand revenge, Carth, so I will put my reasoning into perspective. My father was killed by the Mandalorians during the war with Exar Kun. His murder was the reason why I joined the navy. Yet the navy had become…incompetent. I joined Revan and Malak because they were the ones who defeated the Mandalorians. Not the navy. Not the Republic. The Sith defended the galaxy better than the Republic. Better than the Jedi. When it came down to it, it was either Telos or the galaxy." He turned to face me again. "I chose the galaxy."

Carth wasn't moved by Saul's monologue.

"Did you choose the galaxy when you destroyed Taris too?"

The Admiral's face twisted before he snorted. "Darth Malak needed Bastila Shan dead or alive. When it became too inconvenient for the latter, he chose the former. Taris was a…casualty of war. Among many."

He paced towards me again while shaking his head. His cold eyes met my gaze as he stopped on my right. "It is a shame that it ended up like this. I used to look up to Revan—he commanded the battlefield like a well-oiled machine. Under his leadership, war was an art form. But, like all leaders, he became burnt out. Wasted our time on worlds of no consequence. The Sith could have taken the Republic ages ago if we used the full might of the Star Forge. But Revan never wanted this war to end." He shook his head again as he looked down at me. "What a waste. What a shame."

I grabbed onto my chains with a sneer. "You have your new lord, Malak, to thank for killing his master."

He searched my eyes then walked over to the silver table at my left. I was familiar with the tools there—all of them were the same as the ones we found in the Sith base on Manaan. He waved the Sith torturer away. The door swished open then closed as he left.

"I'll ask you once more." He picked up a long hot poker. "Why did the Jedi bring you into their ranks?"

I leaned back as my muscles ached from being hung in place.

"Why do you care?"

"Nah, ah." Saul waved the glowing rod. "I'm the one interrogating you here."

I looked at Bastila. She stared back. Even though I could only faintly sense the bond, I could tell how much she wanted this to stop. Yet, the moment I told Saul about our bond, he'd find a way to turn it against us.

So, I leaned forward and smiled.

"Eat bantha shit."

Saul sighed. "Torture won't convince you. Of course."

I ignored the red glow emanating from the poker as it came too close to my bare chest, then glared at the Admiral.

"So, you're wasting your ti—"

Hiss. My vision flashed red as hot pain throbbed at my side. My body tightened—my fists, my jaw, my knees locked as I tried to hold in the scream. Nothing. I could feel nothing but the burning. The chains, the shackles tugged at my wrists as I held onto them too tight—

Then, it stopped.

"Waste?"

I released a breath—almost missing Saul's taunt. Sweat fell off my brow onto my lips. I tasted salt and I smelled…burnt flesh. I didn't dare look at the damage.

Bastila…she was…in pain. I think.

"This isn't a waste." He waved the hot metal up to my face. The heat brushed my cheek. "I'm doing this for my own amusement."

My other side. Burning. I closed my eyes as my body once again tightened to stop myself from screaming. My teeth clenched against my tongue. Salt from the sweat mixed with the metal tang of blood as I bit down too hard, making a painful cocktail.

Bastila. She sat beside me, holding her drink. Her rebellion. I raised my glass with a smile. She took it from my hand before I spilled it in my lap. She rubbed my cheek. With kind eyes, she pressed a deep kiss to my lips. Peeled off my robe. Peeled off her tunic. I held her close. So close. I didn't want her to let go. I needed her…to stop…the pain…

When the burning stopped, Bastila gasped. I blinked away the sweat from my eyes then looked at her with concern. She had fallen to her knees. Carth stood and pressed his hand to the shield. Saul lowered the hot poker to his side and looked at Bastila with suspicion. Dread. It…burned my chest. More than when he'd pressed the poker into my sides. Ignoring the pain, I tugged at my bonds then spat blood at Saul's feet.

"Got more where that came from?" I let out breathy laughs. "This only turns me on. I'm a kriffing masochist—"

A hot flash radiated from my cheek as the poker pressed into my face. I yanked back but that wasn't enough to escape. This time I couldn't stop the scream from leaving my chest. My vision flashed again and again…the pain only got worse as I heard Bastila screaming with me.

Reality blurred into dreams…

A cool breeze blew into my face. The wide-open plains of Deralia spread out endlessly before me. Clean air. Quiet countryside. Peace. The willow tree I sat under rustled with the wind. Were there willow trees on Deralia? I sighed at the pointless question as I leaned back against the bark. A shadow, a presence, came from behind.

"There you are."

I turned. Bastila. Her hair was down, not up as it usually was, and she no longer wore Jedi robes. She smiled at me—the pain I usually sensed from her was no more. Paint…red paint was on her hands. I smiled up at her.

"Here I am."

Her eyes sparkled. She sat next to me with a long sigh. I wrapped an arm around her body and pulled her close.

"I've been looking for you."

I held her hand and she laid her head on my shoulder. We sat there for a long time. Watching Deralia's landscape. Doing nothing. Co-meditating beneath this tree.

Eventually, she turned and stared into my eyes. Asking. Desire. I pressed a kiss to her lips, over and over—she pulled off my tunic, I pulled off hers. We took off everything. The warm breeze tickled our naked bodies. I felt her, held her hips—she felt me, rubbed me. Her lips slacked open into a long moan as I kissed her.

The sun began to set. We stopped, both of us breathed heavily as we stared deeply at each other. Love. I loved her.

"Come on." Bastila grabbed her clothes and stood. "We can't be here all day. We need to go home."

"Home?"

"Did you forget?"

"Forget?"

"Your dream. The one you told me about."

Bastila waited for me to respond but then frowned after I stared at her with confusion. I frowned with her then shook my head.

"What dream? I don't—"

—have a dream. Not anymore.

Bastila huffed. "I can't believe this. Why am I not surprised that you forgot something this important?"

"If my dream was so important, I wouldn't have forgotten it."

"Well…" She tucked hair behind her ear as her eyes became sad. "You've forgotten a lot of important things."

"Like what?"

She looked at me. Concern. Pain. Like before. I could sense it. She didn't answer as she took my hand and pulled me to my feet. We got dressed then walked past the willow tree up a hill. On the crest of that hill down below on the lakeside, a small farmhouse had been built in a field of flowers. The sun was now setting beneath the horizon. The stars were starting to twinkle in the dusk.

"Here it is." She wrapped her arm around mine, weaved her fingers with mine. "Your dream. Peace. Remember?"

The door to the farmhouse was freshly painted red—that must have been why there was paint on Bastila's fingers. The sight of it caused my tongue to grow bitter, my face to grow hot. Warm tears trailed down my face. I couldn't…stop them from falling.

"Wes?" Bastila stepped in front of me and blocked the view of the house. She touched my cheeks. "Why are you—?"

"I love it." I closed my eyes, but even that didn't stop the tears. I pressed her hands into my face. "I love it."

"Then why are you crying?"

I took a deep breath as I regained consciousness. The humming of the shields thrummed within my ears.

"Wes!"

Carth's shout was distant. Distant over the burning pain in my chest and face. My head had been squashed against the blue shield, disturbing the burns. I blinked rapidly as I tried to clear my vision.

"Is he finally awake?"

Saul. The burning pain fueled my anger. Even though the Force was dulled with the collar…I sensed it buzzing around me with pain and anger. It was enough that I found the strength to stand. Only…I wished I didn't.

Bastila was hanging from the same chains I'd been on. I pressed my hands against the shield even though I knew I could do nothing to bring it down.

"Let's try this again." Saul walked up to my cage. "Why did the Jedi train you? If you do not give me the answer I expect…" He pointed the hot poker at Bastila. "She'll suffer the same way you did."

I rolled my eyes. "You think I care about her?"

"Yes." He smiled. "I know. It's rather out of character for you. But…" Saul twisted around, approaching Bastila. I pushed myself closer to the shield. He waved the poker near her sweaty face. "I have a hypothesis."

"Hypothesis?"

"You really are forgetful. Remember, only I ask the questions." Saul twisted to face me. "Why were you trained? Why did the Jedi let you join them? How did you learn about the Star Forge?"

I pursed my lips, eyeing the hot poker. It was so close to her. If I didn't tell him…if I didn't—

Tell him nothing.

Bastila's harsh voice boomed in the bond. It was enough to convince me.

I smirked. "Alright. I'll tell you." Saul raised a brow. Bastila became concerned. "You see…we found Malak's diary."

Saul frowned. Unamused.

"Diary?"

"Yup. Diary. Wrote one on his pink datapad like a teenage girl—"

Saul stabbed the poker onto her thigh. Bastila gasped as…as the burning sensation melted into her skin. I grabbed my own thigh as I felt her pain—I had to lean onto the shield or else I would have collapsed. My skin crawled as he grew closer, grabbed her hip—don't touch her. He gripped her hard, hard enough that I could feel bruises forming. I sensed her discomfort, her disgust—get away—at his proximity. His touch. It moved away from her hip…up her stomach…

He pulled the poker off her then took a step back before he went too far. Bastila and I let out a held breath at the same time.

"I think I understand now." He grabbed Bastila by the chin. Tight. I could feel it. Sweat fell off my brow and I couldn't hold myself up anymore. I slid to the ground. "You share a connection in the Force. Both of you."

I twisted my head so that I could glare up at Saul's back.

"I will kill you. And when I do, it will be painful."

He ignored me.

"That's how the Jedi learned about the Star Forge then. Interesting." Saul didn't react when she spat. His grip on her face tightened… He pushed her away then placed the hot poker on the silver table with the other tools. "If you share a bond, that will have to be rectified."

Rectified? He was bluffing. There was no way the Sith could break our bond. Not even the Jedi knew how to do that. And even though I wanted to break it off at the beginning, the bond was a warm comfort now. If Bastila wasn't there with me…I would feel incomplete. Empty.

He paced towards the door while eyeing me. He must have noticed my confusion. "Of course, when I say rectify, I mean when Lord Malak kills you. For now, this bond will serve in gaining more information."

"Stop playing games, Saul," Carth said. "You don't want information. You're toying with us."

Saul blinked at the pilot, then soft laughs came from the Admiral.

"Ah, yes. No one but you knows me better." He turned around. "I bet you're wondering why you haven't had a turn yet, Carth."

"Not really."

Carth appeared unaffected, but I could tell he was…disturbed.

"It's simple." Saul walked up to his pod. "I can tell with every torturous scream from the Jedi that your hatred for me grows. Look at you. Look at how helpless you are, Carth Onasi. You couldn't save your planet. Couldn't save your wife. And now you can't save your friends. This is what happens when you allow incompetence to fester. When you do nothing. Sure, you can try shouting at me from in there but your words save no one." He smiled. "Lord Malak will have no need for you. So, you'll watch your friends suffer until he arrives. While he's busy with them, you'll have your turn. Then, in the end, I'll let you in on a little secret. You'll die with this secret, knowing that you failed. That your words meant nothing."

Carth pounded on the shield.

"Go to hell, Saul!"

The Admiral laughed then turned and made for the door without acknowledging the worthless threat.

"Oh, and I do hope you've enjoyed the show so far, Carth. It must hurt to see the ones you care about suffer. If only you'd had the strength. I hope you realize how pointless your precious vengeance is now." Saul opened the door and waved at a Sith soldier. "Knock her out and place her back into the pod. Heal their wounds. We will continue tomorrow." Saul went to leave but then stopped. "Ah, and I forgot." He walked up to the computer panel then eyed me. "Good night."

He pressed a button. Static filled the air around me and before I could move, electricity shot into my limbs. Up my spine. I couldn't control the pain, the shaking. I could hear Carth screaming.

My head slammed against the shield.

"Daddy!"

I flinched at the shout. I was standing on that hill on Deralia again—the sun was setting on the horizon. A little girl that looked five or six popped her head from behind the farmhouse. She smiled wide before running up the hill—her black hair waved wildly in the wind. My mouth felt bitter—almost as if I was reuniting with someone I'd missed for years. I crouched and the girl collided with me then hugged my neck tight.

"You're home!" The girl rubbed her face on the crook of my neck. She was sniffling. Crying. "Daddy, you're home! I'm so…so happy!"

Confused, I hugged her back—feeling…love. Safe. Warm. I stared up at Bastila. She smiled—eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

"She missed you."

"Missed me…?"

"You…do remember her, right?" I didn't answer. Only stared back—lost. Bastila frowned. "You forgot our daughter?" She narrowed her eyes, holding her hips. "Typical."

I narrowed my eyes back.

"Well, you didn't tell me about her! How was I supposed to know!"

"You should have remembered it yourself! Like her name—do you remember her name?"

I sighed.

"No."

Our daughter looked up and between us. She opened her mouth.

"It's—"

"Oh, no, no." Bastila waved. "Your father will remember it himself."

I pouted. Why was she playing these games? It wasn't my fault that I forgot. Yet, she stood there with crossed arms. Waiting for me to remember.

So, I closed my eyes. And remembered.

When I awoke for the fourth time, everything was numb. Something wet pressed on my face, my chest. I couldn't move—paralyzed. Yet, even though I couldn't feel my own body, I sensed pain. Bastila's pain. It came and went in waves. She was still unconscious beside me. The dream…it was a dream, right? Or had it been a vision? I focused…on the bond. Tried to send warmth. Dreamed of Deralia again. Of a child that was imagined or real or…

"You alright?"

I shivered as I placed a hand on the cold metal floor and pushed myself up, sitting. Carth stared at me through the vibrating shield. I took the chance to observe the damage. They patched me up with kolto bandages wrapped around my chest. I peeled it back a bit and hissed as I saw puss. Yeah, that was staying put. One felt heavy on my left cheek.

"No. I'm great, Orangy."

He didn't snap back at my sarcasm for once.

"Where's the droid? It should have rescued us by now, right?"

I coughed, rubbing my forehead as a headache split my brain. Being knocked unconscious multiple times…was not healthy.

"I…don't…" I laid back—hope gone. "I don't know." Silence. Carth was disappointed in me. After all, I was the one who came up with the idea. The plan had been made at the last second, so I hadn't had time to think it through. "The backup…" I cleared my throat. "The backup battery was too drained. If the Sith didn't plug HK in, the timer wouldn't have gone off. They must have…" T3 should have worked though. Did Mission…? No. "They probably took T3 apart—"

"Don't worry about it." Carth sent me a faint grin. "It's not your fault. The others would have noticed by now. One of them…will think of something."

"What if they don't 'think of something?'" I raised a brow. "What if Darth Malak arrives before then?"

Silence. Again.

"You're a genius. You'll think of something."

I sighed. "Why don't you think of something…mister commander." I sent Carth a grin. He rolled his eyes, yet a grin returned to his face. I sat up more, eyeing Bastila's force cage. "Is Bastila okay? She hasn't moved."

"They threw her in there when I woke up." Carth winced. "Saul…I can't believe it. I never would have…never would have dreamed he would torture people like that. He—"

"—won't live for long when we get out of here."

Carth nodded. "Exactly."

We sat in silence. I couldn't go back to sleep. Not when Bastila was unconscious…hurt…in pain… Guilt rose in my chest. If I hadn't been mouthy. If I hadn't taunted Saul, would he have hurt her like this? If I just told him about the bond, then—

"Stop."

"What?"

"You have that look on your face." He raised his brow. "You're blaming yourself for what happened. Stop."

I shook my head. "It is my fault though. I shouldn't have—"

"Saul would have hurt her anyway. Believe me. Anything you could have done or said wouldn't have mattered."

I sighed, exhaustion finally released. I didn't want to think about it anymore. Part of me wished I was…on that hill on Deralia. Holding my daughter in my arms. Smiling up at Bastila who scolded me. As always. It would never happen, of course, but…

"Do you really think Dustil is dead?"

Carth didn't answer and from what I could see through the shield's distortion, he hadn't expected the question.

"I…" He sighed. "I don't know. That's why I didn't kill Verena. The part of me that's his father feels like…I feel like he might still be alive."

"Describe it."

"Huh?" Carth laughed once. "Describe what?"

"What was it like? To have a family."

"I mean, don't you know what it's like?" he asked. "You had a mother and father, didn't you?"

"No, actually I—" I blinked. A brief wave of confusion washed over me. For a split second, my headache felt distant along with my body. I rubbed my head again and the pain and sensations returned. "Oh, right, yes, I did. Of course, I did. On Deralia." How could I forget that? I paused, looking down at my hands. "I meant—what was it like being a father?"

I honestly expected him to laugh at the question. Or to ask me to take our situation seriously. Yet, he sat back with a tired sigh, resting his head on the shield.

"For those first five years, I would have told you stressful. Dustil kept us up half the night and then during the day we had to make sure he didn't kill himself by walking off a cliff or drowning or anything else. But…" He grew silent. "Now? War…it wears on you after a while. Morgana always asked when I would retire. Settle down. Back then I hated the idea. The Republic navy was my family just as much as the one I had on Telos. But now…I wish I could go back. I would take a thousand sleepless nights to be with Morgana and Dustil again."

I closed my eyes and a smile drifted onto my face as he spoke. Imagined. Dreamed.

"I mean, you can go back in a way," I said. "I went back to Deralia when…when Saul was torturing me. In my dreams. In my memory. You could do the same. As sappy as that sounds."

"No, you're right." He shuffled in the cage next to me. "I could. Only sometimes…I can't remember Morgana's face. When that happens...it's like she died again."

I frowned at that, slumping over. I tried to recall my mother's face again. My father's. Even though I could get the impression of their existence, it was blurry. Indistinct. Like the details of a drawing hadn't been filled in. The more I thought back, the more I realized that…some of these memories of Deralia weren't entirely accurate. Maybe my mind was trying to fill in the gaps from what I forgot—trying to make sense of what remained. Like what Carth said, if I forgot their faces, it was like they had died again. Maybe these reconstructions were my weak attempt at trying to retain their existence—even if part of it was false. And how could that be a bad thing?

Minutes if not an hour passed when a thought crossed my mind.

"Why…"

Carth shifted. "Why what?"

"Why is Saul focusing on me? Torturing me?"

"Because he's a psychopath."

I sat up and eyed him. "I know that. But why me? I joined this war two months ago. Literally. I'm just along for the ride—at least in his eyes. Why is he toying with me? It almost feels…personal."

Carth leaned on the shield and crossed his arms.

"That is…strange."

"And what's even stranger..." I crossed my arms as well, huddled to keep myself warm. "I thought the Sith knew about our bond. Otherwise, why were they after me? Without the bond and the visions, I'm just a Jedi. It makes no sense."

Carth's serious face watched me for a long time as he thought. Probably trying to make sense of it all too.

"Maybe…maybe you just pissed off Malak."

"They placed a bounty on my head at the start of this mission. A Sith attacked me in the streets of Tatooine, remember? He had my description and everything. They didn't describe Juhani. What was the point of that?"

Carth didn't answer. I thought he wouldn't answer, yet eventually…

"I hate to say it, but I think you're being paranoid now. I've known the Admiral for a long time. He doesn't care about who he torments. If it hurts me…that's all that matters."

I smacked my dry lips and hung my head. "You're right. I'm overthinking this. It's…dehydration. This headache. Hunger."

Strange dreams.

"Try to get some sleep," he said. "When we escape, we'll need to be well-rested."

"I'm not sleeping until I know Bastila's alright."

"She wouldn't want you to suffer on her account."

"She's already suffered because of me." I glared at the chains. "It's only fair. And I can't sleep anyway. Headache."

Carth didn't argue with me this time. Even though I could tell he wanted to.

Dantooine…burning…dying. The courtyards exploded. Dark ships hung in the twilight. The children all huddled within the temple. Masters Vandar and Dorak stared up through the glass ceiling with wide eyes. The glass rained down on them all. With a single small hand, Vandar froze the glass in place before it collided with the children.

Dorak helped the small Jedi Master.

"We need to get out of here! Malak—"

Darkness. It clouded our vision.

Dantooine burned. The fields burned. The farming communities were hit the hardest. Unprotected by the sturdy walls of the Jedi Enclave, they were vulnerable to the onslaught.

Sasha shouted in terror. A moment after the young girl became ash as the Sith's torpedoes—

I gasped as I shot awake. I'd gone to sleep. It was just a dream. A nightmare. Carth slept to my right. Bastila. She coughed at my left. I pushed my hand to the hot shield.

"Bondy."

Her eyes fluttered open. Her breaths were heavy. I sensed terror. Anguish.

"They destroyed—"

"No." I shook my head. "No, that was just a nightmare."

"But it felt real."

"It was too…too shadowy. It didn't feel real to me. The Sith are getting into our heads," I said. "They want you…to feel hopeless."

She didn't respond for a while.

"I failed."

My brow creased.

"Bastila—"

"I failed to protect you." She hugged her knees. Her fragile eyes stared at me through the shields. "Failed at being a Jedi. Failed at the mission. Failed—"

"You didn't fail." I punched my fist into the shield. "It's my fault. If I didn't taunt Saul, if HK actually rescued us, you wouldn't have—"

"No." She shook her head. "No, this is my doing. I'm the leader of this mission. I should…should have anticipated…"

She buried her head into her knees. The depression I'd felt from her before tripled, consuming her mind. I leaned in and spoke softly.

"Sunshine?" Her head only moved a centimeter. "We'll get out of here, I promise you."

"Don't…make promises you can't keep."

I smiled. "I'll keep these. We'll get out of here. We'll find the last Star Map. Find the Star Forge. Destroy Malak. Be free. All of this suffering will be worth it."

"Wes." She paused. More silence. "Nothing. Nevermind."

Yet, it wasn't nothing. Was it?

"Bastila…" She didn't answer, but I continued anyway. "Did you see those visions? The ones where we're on Deralia."

Her voice shook when she finally answered.

"Yes."

"And do you remember the one where I attacked you? Where I was dying? The one where Dantooine was destroyed?" She said nothing about that. "Those were nightmares. The dreams we had…where we're together...at peace…with our daughter. Those were real. That was the future. I know it."

More silence.

"No. It was just a dream. I don't…can't see it happening. I can't see myself as a mother. I'm a Jedi. We can't have children. And I…I fear I'd be a terrible mother. Like my own mother."

"No. I don't think so." I frowned. "You're nothing like your mother. Me though? If anyone was going to be a bad parent, it would be me. I'm a drunken mess. Childish. I...sort of hope that dream wasn't the future, actually. I'd be a terrible father."

That made her look up at me.

"You…" Her voice wavered. "You want to be a father, don't you?"

I raised a brow, smirking. "No? Not really. I mean, this is me we're talking about here. It's a given that I wouldn't."

"You saved that boy—Liam. You wanted to help him and blamed yourself when you failed to protect him. You helped that girl back home to Dantooine—I…I saw you taking care of her. Mission loves you. Those children that you played with…you were so happy. I could sense it. That wasn't a vision. It was your dream. You want to be a father."

My face grew hot. Once again, she'd peeled me back. Revealing the thoughts I didn't even realize I'd had.

"Bastila…that—" I huffed. "Sorry. You shouldn't have seen that. That…I shouldn't even be thinking about having something like that with you. It's…too..."

It was embarrassing. Mistaking my simple unconscious desires and dreams for the future. For a vision. Only…it felt comfortable. With all the pain, all the suffering, the torture, the only thing I had left were these dreams. I wished she hadn't seen it though. She didn't want to be a mother. I would respect her wishes on that and suppress these foolish dreams for her sake. I would be a terrible father anyway.

"It's not..." Her voice cracked. "It wasn't a bad dream, Wes."

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it. It was a delusion induced by the torture. When we get out of here—"

The door swished open just as I finished speaking. Saul marched in with loud steps and two dark Jedi followed him, faces masked with a dark cloth. Carth jumped awake at the loud sounds. I got onto my feet slowly so that I was at eye level with the bastard. He smiled when he saw us.

"Good news." He crossed his arms behind his back as he paced in front of us. "I have informed the Dark Lord of your capture. We are currently in-transit to meet with the Sith fleet. He's been busy you see—there were a few loose ends he needed to take care of."

I stopped breathing.

"Loose ends?"

"Dantooine." He let his back face us as he walked towards the chains. "Malak saw no reason to keep a threat like Jedi trainees around. Dantooine is an empty graveyard now. Nothing remains but a smoking ruin and the charred remains of your former Masters."

"No…" Bastila whispered. "No, you can't…"

"Saul, not again! Damn you!" Carth shouted.

"You're lying!" All those people. Sasha. My face heated up—because I knew he wasn't lying. He couldn't be. Not when we saw it to be true. "This is just a trick to make us reveal…reveal something."

Saul shrugged. "It doesn't matter whether you believe me or not. The fact remains that the Jedi on Dantooine have been eradicated, along with any hope of someone coming to rescue you."

He waved at one of the dark Jedi. They pressed something on the computer. Shocks rained down onto Bastila—I felt their warmth numbing my skin. I punched the shield, defenseless, helpless as she went into a daze.

Bastila's force cage shield disappeared and the dark Jedi dragged her to a chair. They locked her arms and legs in place.

"We should arrive in a few hours. In the meantime, my Lord has given me permission to begin the process…" One of the dark Jedi dumped water onto Bastila's unconscious form. She sputtered and coughed awake. "My interrogation techniques are considered merciful among the Sith. I may not be able to turn you to the dark side, Bastila Shan…" A loud ring muffled Saul's words. One of the dark Jedi lifted their hand. "...but I will break you."

Mind twisting. Pain like a million daggers yet there was no wound. I held my head yet the ringing didn't stop. The pain didn't stop. Mother shouted at me. Screamed at me. Glass shattered near my head. I flinched. Clean it! A million reflections. I tried to pick up a shard. I cut my hand. Blood splattered the ground. Mother was angry. Angry. I ran into the cupboard, closing it shut. Mother stop. Father will come back. He'll clean it! I swear. He would. Tears fell. Glass shattered. I told you to clean it! Clean it! You're worthless. Worthless. I never should have had you! Never. We would be free without you. Free. I wish you were gone!

I focused on the bond. Took a deep breath.

She's wrong, Bastila. She's wrong. You're not worthless.

Cool air hit my face.

Father sat by my side underneath a willow tree. His eyes were pained as he wrapped my hand with bandages.

Why does mother hate me?

Father sighed. Your mother doesn't hate you, sweetheart.

Yes she does.

Father finished wrapping my hand. The blood seeped through.

Your mother…she had a dream, once. Long ago. I had a dream too. And it…conflicted with hers. It's my fault. She doesn't hate you. She hates me.

Then I hate her.

Father frowned. Don't say that.

Why not? I hate her. Why don't you hate her back?

Your mother was a kind woman once. I believe with all my heart that the woman I love is still there. Somewhere. It's my fault she is the way that she is. So, it's my responsibility to help her. She needs compassion. Love. Not hate.

Compassion?

Yes. Father smiled. Compassion.

I opened my eyes. Bastila shook as the dark Jedi held their dark glove to her face. Tears were streaming down her face. Yet, she remained strong. Her own eyes opened and met mine. Then the other dark Jedi raised their hand. Another piercing ring.

Mother!

The Jedi held my shoulders tight.

Ma'am, you can't just leave her here. Yes, she's Force sensitive, but she's too old. The Jedi Order doesn't—

I don't care. Mother's eyes were sharp. Take her away. I don't want her. Throw her into an orphanage if you can't take her.

But—you can't—

Mother didn't let the Jedi finish. She walked away without even giving me a second glance. Tears ran down my face. I wiped my eyes. She hates me. Why does she hate me? I hate her.

The ringing. I forced the ringing to stop. The darkness to clear.

I love you.

Warmth erased the darkness.

The Jedi bent down. His soft face was filled with compassion.

I'm sorry. He wiped my tears with a sad smile. Let's get you something to eat. What's your name, child?

I didn't want to answer. I didn't want to be there. I wanted Father. But, I answered.

Bastila Shan.

The dark Jedi hissed with frustration. Saul's face twisted. He was angry. Furious that Bastila hadn't been broken yet. I smiled at the Admiral. He noticed my grin and narrowed his eyes. Without a word, he marched to the computer and pushed a button.

No.

The world filled with sparks and the last thought I had before succumbing to the darkness again was of Bastila.

I have most of the Leviathan arc written...so I figured I may as well start editing the chapters and posting! There will be three chapters for this arc. Since everything is from Wes' perspective (mostly), I'm doing the break-out a bit differently to make it entertaining. You'll see ;)

Thanks for reading, and I'll see yah next time!