**Hey friends, I've got a new chapter for you! But first, I'm going to take this opportunity to shamelessly plug my newest short story, "The Lands of the Dead", which acts as a sort-of-prequel to Enter the Foreign. It takes place in the future timeline and focuses on some of the Sith characters – I won't spoil who, but I'm sure you'll figure it out fairly quickly. ;) It also gives a bit of a look into what Jacen was up to before the events of EtF. The genre is a bit more angst and psychological horror, definitely darker than this story. The idea grabbed hold of me and wouldn't let go until I wrote it. See my bio for the link, and let me know what you think! And, as always, I hope you enjoy this newest chapter of Enter the Foreign!**

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Chapter Fourteen

After spending the better part of a day navigating the less-traveled hyperlanes from Vjun to the Inner Rim, the Jedi and their allies finally reached the edge of the Transitory Mists – a vast region of beautiful and dangerous nebulae that formed a protective barrier around the Hapes Cluster, their destination. It had been several months since Tahiri checked on this particular enclave, and the ever-changing nature of the nebulae meant that they would have to tread a careful path through the Mists, lest they end up getting pulled into one of its many hidden stars.

Tahiri checked her navicomputer, plotting a series of micro jumps that should take them to Haven, a small, uninhabited planet gifted to the Jedi Order by Hapan Queen Mother Tenel Ka Djo shortly before her death. It didn't appear in any Hapan records, and though it technically fell within the boundaries of the Hapes Consortium, it had never been explored or claimed by their government. Less than a parsec from Terephon, it was nestled in a particularly hard-to-reach pocket of the nebula. Tahiri had to adjust her course every time she came here, using the Force to detect fluctuations in the ionized gases that could wipe out old hyperlanes and reveal new ones. Charting a course to Haven was often a long process, but it was worth it.

"Sending coordinates," Tahiri said into the comm as her fingers flew across the navicomputer's screen. "With any luck, we'll be at Haven in time for breakfast."

"Don't you mean dinner?" Myri's voice held – as usual – just a hint of mischief.

"It's the middle of the night, as far as I'm concerned." Syal yawned a little as she spoke. "I really am getting old. Can't pull the all-nighters like I used to."

Tahiri shook her head and smirked. "Wait until you're pushing forty. It doesn't get any better."

"Okay, we get it," Ben's voice broke in, exhausted. "You're all so old."

"Hey!" Myri said, a hint of resentment in her voice. "Don't pick on me, I just said it's dinner time."

"Listen, kids, I'm going to Haven, if anyone wants to join me." Tahiri finalized her course and prepared to make the jump. "See you on the other side."

Comms went silent as Tahiri made the first jump, coming out of hyperspace in a field of brilliant blue-violet gases. While she waited for the others to arrive, she stretched out with her senses, checking the navicomputer's course against the swirling nebula before her. Satisfied that the hyperlane was intact, she prepared for the next jump. The others arrived, and she gave the all clear.

This process continued for several jumps – nine in all – until the bright vortex of hyperspace gave way to a small green planet, tucked into the deep blue folds of space like a smooth, sparkling emerald.

Tahiri leaned back in her seat for a moment and sighed. Then she opened a comm channel as her companions reentered realspace behind her. "Welcome to Haven," she said.

They touched down on the planet's dark side – or what was closest to its dark side, as there was hardly ever true night in the Hapes Cluster. The Daybreak and the Last Call landed first, maneuvering into a hangar hidden by a rocky overhang. Tahiri followed after, setting her X-wing onto a floor made of tightly packed earth. Before she even opened her hatch, she saw Jysella Horn and Orion Tivas hurrying across the hangar to meet them. Tahiri popped the hatch and climbed out.

"The children?" Jysella said quickly.

Tahiri jumped to the ground and nodded toward the Daybreak. "Ben's ship."

"How many?" Orion asked. He was the resident Jedi Healer at Haven and the only fully trained one besides Tekli that they had left. Orion had been trained by Tekli and was very skilled, but he was also young and relatively inexperienced.

"Not sure. I got there after they were on board. But I know Tredo Kohr was wounded pretty bad."

Orion exchanged a glance with Jysella. "I'll take care of Kohr if you'll look after the younglings."

The Daybreak's ramp began to lower, and Orion ran to meet Ben and Elias as they exited the ship, carrying Kohr on a stretcher between them. The boy was still unconscious, and his clothes were covered in the blood from his head wound. Geridan Ames was at his friend's side, looking as though he was still somewhat in shock. Orion took over for Ben, and he and Elias hurried down the ramp with Ames close on their heels.

"Come on," Tahiri said to Jysella after they'd gone by. "Let's get these kids inside." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Myri and Arden Veiss jogging over from the Last Call. They watched solemnly as Kohr was carried into the enclave, then made their way over to the Daybreak.

"How can we help?" Myri said.

Ben was still standing on the ramp, staring off in the direction Elias and Orion had gone. He shook his head as though a jolt of electricity had just shot through his body. "This way," he said, turning to head back up the ramp.

They entered the cargo hold and found about a dozen younglings strewn about the room in various states of dress and consciousness. Valin was holding what looked to be the youngest of the children, a small, dark-skinned, human boy who looked about five years old. Syal was next to him, pressing a hand to the child's forehead.

"This one has a fever," she said as Valin stood up with the boy. "I'll take him to the medcenter, Valin."

Valin nodded at Syal and put the boy in her arms. She hurried past them as the other children watched with wide eyes. Tahiri's thoughts traveled briefly to another time, another cargo hold filled with frightened, battered younglings. At least this time there were no mothers weeping over lost sons and no sons screaming for lost mothers. Her eyes found Ben's, and – as if sensing the direction of her thoughts – he looked away quickly.

Jysella stepped past Tahiri and flung her arms around Valin's neck. "You are such an idiot," she said quietly.

Valin let out a tired laugh as he wrapped his sister in a tight embrace. "Glad to see you, too, Jys."

Tahiri joined the Horn siblings, eyes sweeping over the cargo hold again. "How are the rest of the kids?" she asked, keeping her voice low.

Valin released Jysella, and his eyes clouded a little. "Physically intact, I think, but they've obviously been through a lot. They'll need a lot of care." He sighed and moved to the center of the hold.

"Everyone," Valin said gently. "My name is Master Horn. These nice ladies and I are here to help you. We're going to get you clean clothes, some food, and a warm place to sleep. I promise, you're safe now."

Some of the children rose quickly, without prompting; Tahiri recognized most of them from her visits to the enclave on Denon. A few of the children were noticeably slower to stand up. Fear and mistrust clouded around them, a gray, wispy smoke that refused to clear. She stepped out of the way as the kids shuffled toward the ramp where Myri and Arden were waiting. She caught Myri's eye over their heads.

"Think you can manage without me for a few minutes?" Tahiri asked.

"Sure, we've got this." The Corellian woman nudged Arden in the side. "Come on, kiddos! Follow me!"

As the children followed Myri, Arden, and Jysella down the ramp, Tahiri joined Ben and Valin. "We seem to be a couple of hands short. Where's your apprentice?"

Ben looked over his shoulder toward the interior of the ship. "I told her to get some rest. She's probably still sleeping."

"I'm surprised you let her go in there with you."

"I didn't let her; she snuck off the Daybreak once we were on our way in."

Valin patted Ben's shoulder and shrugged. "She did find the hidden entrance into the mansion. You trained her well, Ben."

Ben looked more irritated than proud. Tahiri shifted her gaze to Valin and smiled. "Valin, could you give us a few?"

The older man smiled knowingly. "Sure. I'd better help with the kids." A moment later, Tahiri was alone in the cargo hold with Ben.

"Is there a reason Anakin isn't with the healers?" she said, careful not to sound too accusing.

"He's stable," Ben said. "I didn't want to move him if it wasn't necessary."

"Uh-huh. You sure there isn't something else going on you want to tell me about?"

Ben rubbed at his eyes. "Like what, Tahiri?"

"Like how your time-traveling grandfather ended up hanging off a cliff, cut off from the rest of your team, looking like he was beaten halfway to hell? Or why you're hiding him on this ship instead of getting him the medical attention he probably needs?"

"I'm not hiding him, and it's not my fault he couldn't handle the Sith Master all by himself."

Tahiri blinked a couple of times as she processed this new information. "Krayt was there?"

"Yeah," Ben said, voice cracking from fatigue. "And I already told Anakin about how Aunt Leia died, so you can guess what happened when he saw Krayt."

"I'll bet," Tahiri murmured. There were moments when she thought about how crazy it was that she believed this time travel stuff, but there it was. "Did he… are you worried he might be starting down that path?"

Ben's voice was very far away when he answered. "I don't know."

Tahiri watched his expression carefully, but he was back to his usual closed off self. Whatever it was that was really bothering him – and she had a couple of guesses what that might be – he wasn't going to share it with her. Not right now.

"I think you need to take him to Orion," she said firmly. "Healers work on more than just the body, you know."

Ben sighed audibly and nodded. "I know, I know. Fine. Help me get the stretcher. But I'm warning you, he is heavy. He doesn't look like he should be, but he is."

Tahiri gave him the side-eye as she pulled the extra stretcher down off the wall. "Might as well wake Allana up while we're at it. She and Geridan both should make some time for a counseling session after they've eaten and gotten cleaned up."

Ben picked up one end of the stretcher and helped her carry it to the crew's quarters. "Do you really think that'll help them?"

"Just because you don't like counseling doesn't mean others don't find it helpful."

Ben raised one eyebrow. "Spare me the lecture?"

Tahiri stopped in front of the door to the men's cabin and set down her end of the stretcher. "Stop getting so defensive. This is about Allana and Geridan, not you. Maybe counseling won't help, but they should least have the opportunity to find out."

Ben was silent as he lowered his end of the stretcher. He stayed crouched to the floor for a moment, staring into space. Tahiri wondered what was coming next; what secret burden was he about to unload on her?

"Why did you go to Vjun when you said you wouldn't?" he finally asked.

Tahiri stared down at the top of his head. Why had she gone? Out of loyalty, or friendship? Because she didn't want to see Ben get killed? Because she knew what it was like to be experimented on and turned into something unnatural? Because even though she knew it didn't make sense to risk so much, she also knew deep down that Ben was right? That it was what Luke Skywalker would do, and wasn't he the standard she still secretly wished to hold herself to? Maybe it was all those reasons. But when it came down to it, there was one reason that stood above the rest:

"Because I'm a Jedi Knight, and you and your crew and those children are a part of my family. And it's my duty to protect you all."

Ben looked up at her and gave her the smallest of smiles. "I'm glad you came. I don't think we would have made it without you."

Tahiri took a deep breath and cracked a smile in return. "Don't let Syal or Myri hear you say that." She gestured toward the cabin door. "Shall we?"

Ben helped her lift the stretcher, and the two of them entered the cabin to find Anakin sitting on one of the lower bunks. His eyes were puffy but dry, although that didn't really matter with all the bruises on his face. Darth Krayt had really given him a beating.

"We're going to take you to our healer," Tahiri said, nodding toward the stretcher.

Anakin stared up at her, blankly at first but then with slow recognition. "I can walk," he said. He sounded hollow, like the only thing inside of him was the words he'd just spoken. "Where are we?" he continued.

"At one of our enclaves," Tahiri answered. "We're safe for now."

Anakin nodded in a way that suggested he didn't entirely believe that, but that wasn't surprising given what they'd just been through. Hell, she wasn't sure she really believed it either.

Anakin stood up slowly, looking only briefly at Ben. Something was going on between those two; the uneasiness she'd sensed from Ben earlier was multiplied here in his grandfather's presence. Tahiri set her mouth in a grim line. "Come with me; I'll show you to the medcenter and get you cleaned up."

Ben stepped out of the cabin first. "I'll wake Allana and meet you two inside."

Tahiri nodded, then began to head for the ship's exit. Anakin followed close behind. They walked across the dirt floor hangar and entered the enclave, which was itself buried deep under a heavily forested mountain. It was one of the newer ones and was under the supervision of Jysella and Orion. The latter was working on training a new generation of healers, but Tahiri couldn't help wondering how much they would be able to do for Anakin, not to mention Kohr or the poor younglings. They simply didn't have the necessary experience or resources.

The corridor they were in sloped gently upward, leading to the enclave's common area. A few teenaged apprentices were eating at a table in the corner, but the room was empty otherwise. Tahiri supposed most of the older Jedi were assisting with the new arrivals. The younglings from the Denon enclave would probably adjust well enough, but the Force-sensitive children who'd been kidnapped elsewhere would need a lot of care and time to get used to their new environment.

Tahiri turned down another hallway opposite the apprentices and walked for about thirty meters before stopping in front of a white door. She keyed it open and led Anakin into the medical center. A very young Togruta woman named Yasha – one of Orion's trainees – approached them. She seemed a little uneasy as she looked Anakin over.

"Master Tivas is tending to Jedi Kohr," she said, "but I can see to your injuries until he is free."

Anakin nodded and stepped away from Tahiri. She felt as though she should say something to him, some words of encouragement to get him through the pain that was so clearly eating away at his heart. She wasn't good with all the emotional stuff.

"You'll be all right," she said with as much certainty as she could muster. Still, the words sounded empty to her own ears.

Anakin turned and met her eyes. He didn't smile, and he didn't say anything in return; but he did give her a nod before following Yasha into one of the healing rooms. The door slid shut behind them, leaving Tahiri alone. She took a long, weary breath.

You have to be.

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"Is he going to be okay?"

Arden stood slightly behind Ames as he spoke with the Jedi Healer. Kohr had been in there for over an hour, but Arden had just arrived after helping to get the rescued younglings settled, so she didn't know what was going on with their friend. Apparently, Ames was equally in the dark, despite having waited in the medical center for every second of Kohr's stay.

The Jedi Healer – who could hardly have been much older than her – placed a hand on Ames's shoulder. "He needs some uninterrupted rest, but I believe he will make a full recovery."

Ames's shoulders relaxed, and the look on his face was nothing short of grateful. "Thank you, Master Tivas. When can we see him?"

"No earlier than tomorrow. I'll let you know when he is awake. In the meantime, let's get some bacta for that shoulder."

Ames looked like he'd forgotten about his blaster wound, and Arden had to hide the smile that crept up on her. The boy sure had a one-track mind when it came to his best friend.

"Right," he said, following the healer into another one of the medcenter's rooms. Arden watched them go, wondering which of the other doors Kohr was behind.

She heard the main door slide open behind her and turned to see Elias walking in. "Where did you get to?" she said. "I thought you'd be in here or helping with the younglings?"

Elias looked down at his hands and wiped them on his pants. "I started repairs on the Daybreak. She took a few good hits back there, but I think I can sort her out in a few days."

Arden nodded, returning her attention to the row of closed doors. "Kohr is going to be okay," she said with a sigh. "Ames and I just heard the news."

Elias stepped toward her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Thank the stars. I wasn't sure what would happen. There was so much blood…"

Arden turned in his arms and laid her head against his chest. "I wasn't sure any of us would make it out of there." She closed her eyes for a moment, thanking every deity both real and imagined that they had made it off of Vjun alive, intact, and without losing anyone.

"Yeah. We got lucky." His voice had taken on a kind of far-off tone, like he wasn't quite present in the here and now.

She leaned her head back to look up at him. His eyes had clouded over, unfocused.

"Hey," she said, curling her fingers against his shirt. "What's wrong?"

Elias shook his head, and his gaze refocused on her. "Nothing."

"You had that look on Heibic before the Sith showed up," Arden said, the beginnings of true worry rising up in her. "Is this some kind of Jedi thing? Like when there's danger?"

"No, it's not that," he said quickly. "Just a bad memory."

A word came to her then. A name.

Yalena.

She wasn't sure why it had popped into her head. She'd only heard it mentioned during their mission briefing before Vjun. Something about a failure to kill the Sith doctor many years ago. It had been a passing mention, but Elias had almost definitely been involved, and the mere mention of it had shaken him.

Arden reached a hand up to his cheek. "You know you can tell me anything?"

There was something in his eyes that she'd never seen there before. It reminded her of an animal caught in a trap, or of the way she'd felt the first time she tried to swim on her own and got stuck underwater for a few seconds too long. Elias grasped the hand that was pressed to his face, turning into it to kiss her palm. "I know, Arden. I just… I can't…" He averted his gaze. "I'm sorry. It's hard to talk about."

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tight. "Don't be sorry. Forget about it; let's go work on the ship."

He pulled back a little. "You want to?"

"Sure, what other use am I in a secret Jedi base?"

She saw the ghost of a smile on his lips. "Okay. Let's get out of here."

When they arrived at the ship, they found Syal and Myri working on the Last Call just a few meters away. Myri was whistling a tune as she tried to pry a panel off the underbelly of her ship; Syal had on a pair of goggles and was busy welding something back together. Myri noticed them first.

"Hey there, you two. Come to join our little party?"

Syal turned off her torch and pushed her goggles up onto her forehead. "Looks like the Daybreak could use a little love. Okay if I give you a hand?"

"Fine by me," Elias said. "I'll never argue against more help."

Myri held her hands out at her side. "Hey, sis, remember me? Your flesh and blood who you were in the middle of helping?"

Syal flashed a smile that was far too sweet. "It is my fault the Daybreak got banged up in the first place. Yours was barely scratched. Guess you're just a better pilot than me."

Myri folded her arms across her chest. "Who are you, and what have you done with my sister?"

Syal winked at Arden and Elias, then waved at Myri as she walked over to examine the Daybreak.

"Sith got a few lucky shots in while the shields were down," she said, running her fingers along a scorched length of metal on the ship's underbelly. "Managed to punch a shallow hole in the hull. Not enough to put us in real danger, but it needs to be fixed or the integrity of this entire section will be compromised."

Arden wasn't well-versed in ship mechanics, but the gaping hole that Syal was pointing at seemed plenty dangerous to her.

"I noticed some sluggishness in the controls while I was flying her," Syal continued, "so I'd like to run some diagnostics and see if I can tune her up a little. If Ben doesn't mind, that is." Arden got the feeling the elder Antilles didn't particularly care if Ben minded.

Elias shrugged. "Should be fine. I'm sure he wants the Daybreak in top condition. And no one knows how to fix 'em up like you do."

Syal glanced over her shoulder as she fiddled with a cluster of wires near the open hatch. "Flattery," she said with a shake of the head.

Myri's voice drifted over from the Last Call. "Is that all it takes to get your help? Flattery for my talented, beautiful, incredibly intelligent big sister?"

Syal didn't miss a beat. "Go back to work, Myri."

Arden stepped onto the ramp. "How long will this take?"

"A couple days, tops. I work fast, and I'll have you two for help, right?"

"Of course," Elias said. He looped his arm around Arden's waist. "Should be fun."

Syal picked up her torch and pulled her goggles back down over her eyes. "And let's keep the tender gazes and touchy-feely stuff that you think no one notices to a minimum, okay? It's all fun and games until someone has a circuit board blow up in their face."

Arden looked at Elias and grinned. "Has that happened before?"

"Yeah," Elias groaned, a sheepish look crossing his face. "Twice."

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Twin suns burned bright overhead as smoke enshrouded the horizon. He ran back to the camp, rousing the occupants of every tent he passed. Children and adults stumbled out onto the hot sand, some crying frantically, others staring at the chaos in stunned silence. The smoke was coming closer, dark and thick as it licked at the edges of the camp.

He corralled as many people as he could toward the opposite edge of the camp; those who remained behind began to scream as the smoke enveloped them. From deep within the smoke he saw a fire raging, angry and wild and unfettered, destroying everything in its path. Tendrils of flame wrestled for dominance, climbing higher and higher into the air.

Suddenly they were surrounded on all sides by fire and smoke, and then he heard a sound that curdled his blood.

The war cry of a Tusken Raider.

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Anakin's eyes flew open, and he sat bolt upright, still screaming at the top of his lungs. He reached for his lightsaber, but instead of its hilt he felt the thin material of the pants they'd changed him into in the medbay. He looked down at the matching tunic. No smoke, no burns. His bionic arm was completely exposed, and the fingers and palm of his left hand were freshly bandaged. He turned them over just to be sure there were no burns on the other side, either.

The door across from his bed slid open, and the healer – a slender, dark-haired young man whose name he couldn't remember – rushed in. "Are you okay? I heard a scream."

For a moment, Anakin was tempted to tell the healer that it was just a dream, nothing to be concerned about. But how often were they just dreams, really? The cliff on Vjun, Padmé's death, his mother on Tatooine…

Tatooine.

Anakin swung his legs over the side of the bed and tried to stand up; the healer was there in an instant, muttering reassurances that he was safe while trying to coax him back into bed.

"Ben," Anakin said, resisting the healer as best he could. "Where's Ben?"

"You need to lie down before you tear the sutures!"

Anakin grabbed the man by the front of his coat. "Where is he?"

"I haven't seen him since he arrived. Now would you please lie down?"

Anakin pushed past him, staggering a little as he headed for the door. "My robes?"

The healer looked at him incredulously. "They're being cleaned, although they were in pretty rough shape." He pointed toward a shelf on the adjacent wall. "I brought you some spare clothes to wear for now. Better than those scratchy things." He indicated the stiff medcenter garb Anakin was currently dressed in. "I'm Orion, by the way. I treated you while you were passed out."

Anakin nodded absently as he turned to reach for a folded stack of clothing. He began to strip right there. The gray pants were utilitarian, though not uncomfortable. They hit above his ankles, but they would do for now. As he went to pull the black shirt over his head, he realized it didn't have sleeves. He frowned at the shirt, already missing the generous cut of his Jedi robes. Then he put it on and looked over at the healer. "Where are my boots?"

Orion nodded toward the foot of the bed. His boots were there, along with a long black glove. Anakin picked up the glove and studied it for a moment. It was much thinner than his old one and was made of some kind of synthetic leather. He pulled it on over his prosthetic and flexed his fingers, listening to the material creak. Then he slid on the boots and turned once more to face the healer.

"What did you do with my lightsaber?"

Orion looked surprised. "You didn't have one."

An aching hollowness in his gut, followed by a stab of white-hot anger. "What do you mean, I didn't have one?"

"When Yasha brought you to the exam room, you had no lightsaber."

Anakin fought down the panic that was already rushing through him. He shouldn't assume anything; maybe he'd left it on Ben's ship. He told himself it didn't matter right now. What mattered was that they get to Tatooine before it was too late.

He sprinted from the medical center, reversing the path he'd taken with Tahiri to get there. As he entered the common area, he spotted Allana talking quietly with the boy called Ames.

"Allana!" he shouted, drawing her attention away from Ames. Her gray eyes lit up.

"Anakin! You're okay!" She stood up and ran over to meet him. She stopped just short of flinging her arms around him and looked him up and down. "You are okay, aren't you?"

He waved her concerns away, ignoring the pain in his side. "I'm fine, but we need to find Ben."

"What for?" The voice came from behind him, and Anakin turned to see Ben standing there. His grandson looked as though he hadn't slept in days. How long had they been here?

Anakin held out a hand toward him. "Ben, we need to get back to Tatooine. Right now."

Ben's eyebrows knitted together. "Why?"

Anakin's breath caught in his throat as he remembered the Tuskens' war cry. "Because the enclave is in trouble."

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Allana sat with Anakin outside the holotransceiver room, waiting for Ben to return. The man who had saved her life on Vjun – she thought of him as her friend, whether or not he felt the same – was hunched forward, bouncing one leg up and down with impressive speed. She wanted to ask him what he'd seen that made him think the Jedi on Tatooine were in danger, but the expression on his face made her think better of it. She also resisted the urge to tell him everything would be all right because most of the time she hated it when adults said things like that. It was so rarely true.

Finally, the door to the transceiver room slid open, and Ben emerged looking calm, though not as relieved as she'd hoped.

"They're fine," he said. "I spoke to Karanya, and she said everything is normal. No disturbances in the Force or otherwise."

Allana frowned. "You sound like you're trying to convince yourself."

Ben scowled at her, but he didn't deny it. Next to her, Anakin stood up.

"We have to go to them," he said.

"Based on what?" Ben shot back. "One of your visions?"

"Exactly." Anakin took a step closer to Ben. "One of my visions."

The two men stared at each other for a long moment, and Allana got the distinct feeling of being pressed against a pane of transparisteel, trying in vain to reach something vital on the other side. She didn't know what it was she was missing, exactly, only that it was important.

"You know we need to go," Anakin said, his voice quiet but intense.

Ben glanced at Allana; she was surprised to see concern in his eyes. Why would he be worried about her right now? Unless it wasn't actually her that he was worried about. Her stomach churned as she realized what that look meant.

"Davin and Dolan," she said. "They're on Tatooine?"

Ben swallowed hard and nodded. Allana looked back and forth between him and Anakin.

"Well, shouldn't we go now?" she said.

"Yes," Anakin said, but Ben was already shaking his head.

"Why not?" Allana asked, eyes narrowing a fraction at her cousin.

Ben turned to her, and she already knew what was coming. "I'll go, but you are staying here." She opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off with an abrupt wave of his hand. "No. I don't care how much you hate me for it, I am not putting you in danger, not when the boys are already at risk." He looked up at Anakin and jerked his head in the direction of the hangar. "Let's go."

Allana felt tears warming her eyes as every separation, every excuse, every false promise came back to her. "Ben, wait!" She tried to go after him but was stopped by Anakin's hand on her shoulder.

"Please stay," he said. There was a slight tremor in his voice that Allana couldn't ignore. As angry as she was at Ben, as hurt as she was that he was leaving her behind again, she began to feel the first stirrings of doubt.

"Okay," she said, rubbing her eyes quickly to erase any evidence of tears. "But be careful."

Anakin gave her half a smile before hurrying after Ben. As the two men turned toward the hangar, she saw her cousin look back at her. Part of her wanted to wave or smile or shout at him to stay safe. But she couldn't make herself do anything but cross her arms and stare at him. He tilted his head to one side, and then he was gone, and Anakin with him.

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Arden was on top of the Daybreak holding a panel in place for Syal when she saw Ben Skywalker and Anakin-the-crazy-stowaway jogging across the hangar toward them. Well, maybe jogging wasn't the best word for what Anakin was doing. More like labored shuffling, but that was probably normal when one had a hole in his side that even bacta couldn't quickly heal. She'd heard the mysterious Jedi was unconscious for a day and a half after the healers worked on him, and that he'd spent part of that time thrashing about, muttering things that were too garbled to be deciphered.

Below her, Elias emerged from the ship and met them at the bottom of the ramp. She leaned forward to get a better look and noticed that Syal was doing the same.

"Is the Daybreak ready to go?" Ben was saying.

Elias wiped his hands on a rag. "All the major repairs are done. We were just working on some modifications to the controls."

"Modifications?" Ben looked up to where Arden and Syal were perched. "I didn't think you were going to completely change my ship."

Syal made a noise somewhere between a grunt and a snort. "You've never cared that much about this ship. What's going on?"

Ben's expression was stern. "I'm leaving, and I need the ship to be ready now."

Arden and Syal exchanged a worried look. "It'll be a couple of hours before I can finish," the older woman said.

Anakin looked more curious than worried. "How much external work do you have left?"

Arden glanced down at the panel she was holding. This was the last thing they had to do outside the ship, but Syal still had to do some recalibrations and other technical stuff that Arden didn't have terms for.

Syal frowned at Anakin. "We're almost done out here, just a few minutes. Why?"

Anakin turned to Ben, and she heard him say, "It's fine. I can finish the modifications in hyperspace."

Syal was clearly appalled to hear this. "You haven't even seen what I did!"

Anakin glanced up at her. "It's not a problem, believe me."

"Oh, believe you, okay." Syal rolled her eyes. "Ben, I'll have her ready in less than two hours."

But Ben was staring at Anakin, a faint smile on his lips. Arden thought maybe he was almost as crazy as Anakin.

"No, Syal. We have to go now." Ben finally looked up at her. "But thank you. If you could get the hull patched up, we'll get out of your hair." He and Anakin disappeared from view, heading into the ship.

Elias rubbed the back of his head, then craned his neck to meet Arden's gaze. She shook her head. "What was that about?"

Elias shrugged. "I'm not sure. But I think we might be tagging along. Come on in when you're done?"

Arden nodded. "See you in a few." When she looked back over at Syal she saw the older woman shaking her head.

"Damn Jedi think they're all born mechanics and starpilots," she grumbled. "I'm an Antilles. Starships are in my blood!"

Arden tried to placate her with a smile. "I think you're doing a great job."

"You're just being nice," Syal said. "But that doesn't mean you're wrong. Here, hold that steady while I finish welding."

Arden did as instructed, and within a few minutes Syal had finished the patch. They climbed down through the ship's top hatch and met the others in the cockpit. Ben and Elias were readying the ship for launch while Anakin lay on his back between the pilot's and co-pilot's chairs, fiddling with some wires under the main control panel.

"So where are we going?" Arden asked.

Ben raised one eyebrow. "We?"

"Well, yeah." Arden folded her arms across her chest. "Am I not still part of your crew, Captain?"

Ben smirked. "I guess you are. We're going to Tatooine."

Arden had heard of the desert planet that was once home to Luke Skywalker, but she'd never been there. She didn't imagine there were many who would want to go there. "What's on Tatooine?"

"One of our enclaves," Elias answered as he dropped into the co-pilot's seat.

"Ben!"

Arden looked behind her and saw a blonde woman with a distinct scar on her forehead walking down the corridor. Just behind her was one of the Jedi from the Vjun mission – Valin, maybe? It was the woman who had spoken.

"Allana commed me; she said the Tatooine Jedi are in danger?" The woman's eyes widened as she spread her palms. "What's going on?"

Ben had one hand on the back of the pilot's seat. He glanced down at Anakin, who had stopped what he was doing and propped himself up on one elbow. "A disturbance in the Force," Ben said steadily. "We're going to check it out."

"Then I'm going with you," the woman said.

"Me, too," Valin added.

Ben looked around at the cockpit that was practically bursting with people. "That's not necessary. I've already got these three." He gestured to indicate Arden, Elias, and Anakin.

"My children are on Tatooine," Valin said. "Of course I'm going."

"It's not up for debate," the blonde woman said in a tone that brooked no room for argument. "We're all going."

Syal raised a hand and started to inch toward the doorway. "I'm not. I just came to see if you'd change your mind about… this." She pointed at the mess of wires hanging near Anakin's head. Or maybe she was actually pointing at Anakin. Arden couldn't be sure.

Ben offered Syal a patient smile. "We'll be fine, don't worry."

"How can I not?" Syal muttered as she backed out of the cockpit. She put a hand on Valin's shoulder as he brushed past him. "Give Savl and Carin hugs for me."

Valin smiled. "I will." He reached up to squeeze her hand before she left them.

Arden was a little sad to see Syal go. After working with her for a day and a half she realized she really did like the Antilles sisters. They weren't Jedi, but many of their closest friends and allies were; and if they could do all right surrounded by Force-users, maybe Arden could, too.

Beneath her she felt the deck rumble as the engines came to life. Ben's fingers flew over the controls. "Everyone grab a seat," he said. "We're out of here."

Arden sat down behind Elias, but she found her eyes drawn to the mysterious Jedi stowaway, who had stopped what he was doing under the control panel and was staring off into space. There was something hard in his expression, the same look she'd seen on the captain's face so many times over the last six months. The one that had always scared her a little. She shivered and looked away.

As the Daybreak lifted into the air, she couldn't help wondering what was waiting for them on Tatooine, and if it was possible they were bringing something worse with them.

.