A knock on my door jolts me awake. I sit straight up in the bed and barely notice a tiny yelp as the pango tumbles to the floor.

"Hello?"

The knocking stops.

"It's Leanna. Are you about ready?"

No. I want to sleep, go away. Yeah, right. As if I could say that.
I rub my eyes and blink at the feeble rays of light outside.

"What time is it?"

"It's past dawn. We need to get a move on if we want to make good time."

Dawn?! There's no good reason anyone should be awake at this hour...
I attempt to lay down in my bed when the knocking starts again.

"Alright, alright! I'll be there in a minute."

The noise stops. I yawn and stretch, then notice the pango on the floor.

"What are you doing on the floor? Weren't you sleeping on the bed?"

The pango wiggles and shoots me an accusatory look.
"Poi p-poi poi!"

I glance at the slight indentation on my pillow and back at the blue mass on the floor.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to knock you off."

He looks cautiously at me, then hops onto the bed and then up onto my head.
"Poi poi!"

He nips at my hair and then jiggles.
I guess that means he's forgiven me.
I push myself on my feet and begin getting dressed. Once I've grabbed all of my things, I push open the door and nearly collide with Leanna... again.

"Woah!"

"Are you ready to go?"
She seems eager.

"Yes."

Leanna nods, then leads the way out of the inn.
I follow her through town as we head north. It's a lot quiter than when we first arrived as the town gradually begins to wake up. We don't run into too many people on the street. Although the shops aren't open yet, I can see the shopkeepers busy prepping for the day.
Right before we reach the edge of town, a guard stops us.

"There has been heightened bandit activity reported on these roads."
Bandits? I don't see a problem there. At least not for me.

But Leanna's brow creases.
"Are the roads closed?"

"No, but until we get a handle on the bandit activity, we're advising anyone to stay in town."

"We can't stay."
She seems a little impatient.

"Where are you headed?"
That guard sure is nosy. But it's good to see a guard taking their job seriously, I guess.

"We're headed to Illumia."

The guard notices the sigil on Leanna's manipulator.
"You're a Mage-Knight?"

Leanna nods. Jedi knight, I called it.

As the guard turns his focus on me, I draw attention to the blade on my hip.
He nods gruffly then moves out of the way.

"Just be careful out there."
You have no clue who you're talking to...

"Thank you."

She gives the guard a grateful smile, before she motions for me to follow her.

Once we're back on the familiar dirt path, I take one last look at Meadowhill Village before refocusing on the road ahead of me.
Our trek along the path is peaceful. The forest gradually awakens with birdsong an the scuttling of woodland animals. Being used to hostile fauna I glance at every rustle of the leaves.
Leanna, though, seems unfazed. Her eyes routinely survey her surroundings.
Suddendly, she freezes. I nearly bump into her.

"What the-"

"Shh!"

I fall silent as she listens. When she speaks her voice is a whisper.

"Did you hear that?"

I concentrate on my ears, listening for anything out of place. Then I hear the voices among the trees.
"Bandits?"

A strangled scream pierces the air, scaring a flock of birds into flight.

"Someone might be in danger!"
Well, one does not make such sounds out of joy...

Her previous caution abandoned, Leanna sprints towards the sound and I follow at her heels.
We both take cover as the trees open up, revealing a man in a trenchcoat surrounded by five bandits. One more bandit lies motionless on the floor.
Upon seeing their fallen comrade, the bandits all unsheathe their weapons. Three of them hold longswords and two of them point guns. The trenchcoated man doesn't stir. His dark hair falls over his eyes and I can't see his face.

"You won't get away from us this time! Take him out!"

The man pushes open his coat and draws two guns as the bandits converge. That move reminds me of a certain smuggler...
Leanna sets her jaw.

"Stay here!"

As soon as the words fall from her lips, she races out from the trees. Her hair whips behind her and her white coattails billow in a graceful arc.
She is moving faster than a normal human, as if the air is pushing her forward instead of dragging her down. Having control over the air sure seems useful.
Her gauntlet hand clenches and a blue sphere glows, then disappears as she smashes her fist into the nearest bandit.
He flies away from her and crashes into a tree before crumpling into a heap.

"A Mage-Knight?!"

"She must be with him!"

"Or she's after the bounty! Take her out, too!"

The mysterious man fires a hail of purple blasts at the bandits, catching one of them in the chest.
Leanna deflects the sword from another bandit with her own blade.
I contemplate if I should step in. They seem able to hold their ground, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
Ignoring Leanna's command, I unsheath my sword and charge into battle. I could end this easily with a Chain Lightning, but I don't want to give away my powers just yet.
I engage the nearest bandit with a sword. He notices me soon enough and manages to block my opening strike. And the first ones after that, as I get used to the weight of the blade.
But being schooled in Makashi, also known as form II of the lightsaber styles, which excels in duels, a mere bandit doesn't stand a chance and I soon cut him down.
I look around myself as I sheath my blade, and the other two seem to have won their battles as well.

Leanna breathes heavily as she surveys the bodies around her. She glances at me and the stranger who's still standing.

"Anyone hurt?"

I dust myself off in that typically arrogant manner.

"No, I'm fine."

Leanna nods, then fidgets with her manipulator.
The man stays silent as he inspects his gun.
Now that I have a better look at him, I realise that although his fierce scowl makes him seem though, he doesn't look that much older than me. His hair has a habit of falling around his eyes, but as he pushes it back, I notice a long scar across one eye. It reminds me of Destra, as she has a nasty scar across one eye as well.
Once satisfied, he tucks the gun back into his belt and gets to his feet.
He nods at us.

"Thanks."
His voice is deep and husky, and along with that crimson trimmed trenchcoat of his he reminds me of Jack 'Lynx' Vizla, one of the two champions of the great hunt. I bet he's a bounty hunter or mercenary.

But after saying that, he turns away.

"Wait!"
Leanna seems eager...

He pauses.

"Where are you headed?"

"Why?"

"There might be more bandits around. We should team up if we're going in the same direction. Safety in numbers."

He studies us in stony silence. Then his gaze flicks to her manipulator and he relaxes slightly.

"Where are you going?"

"We're headed to Illumia."

"Me too."
Although his voice is a bit gruff, it also seems friendly to an extend.

Leanna nods.

"You're from the Mage Guild?"

"Yes. I'm Leanna."

"I'm Xerath."

"Zack."

"Poi poi!"

All of us glance at the little blue pango who seemingly popped out of nowhere.
"And, uh, this is our little friend."

"I see."

"Poi!"

The pango blinks at Zack, who stares him down. The pango bounces uncertainly.
"...poi?"

Zack's unblinking stare never wavers, so the pango scoots behind my leg for safety.

"Now that introductions are over, let's get moving."
Man, he's at least as pragmatic as Lana. I'm sure we'll get along just fine.

Zack waits for us to collect our things, and once we're all set, we head back to the road.
Leanna and I lead the way, the pango keeping pace with us, while Zack hangs a few steps behind us.

"Leanna, I saw you during the fight. How were you able to move so fast?"
It didn't look like Force Speed.

"Oh, I cast wind magic to manipulate my movements."
Thought as much. I wonder how it works, though.

"To what extent, if I may ask?"

"They're just small adjustments, like shifting the draft to move me forward or using a breeze to help lift me during jumps."

Hmm, the results may be similar to using Force Speed or a Force Jump, but the way of achieving it differs greatly, I see.
"That sounds quite useful."

She grins.
"The next time you're lagging behind I'll use my wind to give you a little boost."

Lagging behind? You have no idea what you're speaking of, woman.
But I don't want to offend her. I fancy myself quite diplomatic.
"That would be amazing."

Leanna seems pleased by my reaction. Success.
But on another note...

"How did Zack know you are in the Mage Guild?"

"He saw my emblem."
She lifts up her arm and points to the sigil on her manipulator.

Now I am quite curious...
"What exctly does the Mage Guild do?"

"We investigate any type of magical anomaly. The Mage Guild in Havengarde is actually headquartered in Illumia."

Hmm, that sounds less like the Jedi and more like a civil police force. Although a mean one could say that the Jedi are just that, a glorified police. Luckily, I am not one of those.
"Sort of like a police force?"

"'Police'?"

"Um, like how detectives go out into the field to solve mysteries."

"Um, a little like that."

It now makes even more sense as to why both the guard in Meadowhill Village and Zack relaxed after seing Leanna's emblem.

As the curious soul that I am, I wonder if these pistols are like blasters.
"So, what type of gun is Zack carrying?"

"You mean his discharger?"

Even though I'll probably sound like a complete idiot, I need clarity.
"What's a discharger?"

I hear a sound behind us. Zack raises an eyebrow when I turn to look at him.

"Did you hit your head or something?"
Not in recent history. But I could hit your head if you insist.

Leanna looks a little uncomfortable.
"He's... not exactly from around here..."

Zack crosses his arms.
"I see."

There's a pause. I mentally sigh.
"Soooo, a discharger...?"

"It's a weapon that uses crystal spheres to power it."

"So it is a gun."
Sounds more like a blaster type of weapon than a mass based weapon, but that term is widely usable.

"Maybe?"

"The 'spheres' are the magazine, or the energy pack in this case, since it fires bolts of energy. I see..."

Leanna looks uncertain.
Although it makes sense in my head, I can see why she might be confused.
"Nevermind, I got it. Thank you."

"Sure."

She smiles and I return it. It sure is infectious. I feel Zack's gaze on me but his expression is hard to read. He would make for a good mandalorian, I'm sure.

"Well, it looks like that guard was telling the truth. There definitely are bandits on this road."

"Yeah..."

There's something in her voice which makes me think she doesn't completely agree.

"What is it?"

"It's just... Well for bandits, they were pretty well equipped."
Hm, I couldn't tell. Some of the goons of the Hutt Cartel or any other crime organisation I faced before where partially better equipped than the actual armies of the Empire and the Republic.

She stares hard at Zack, but he doesn't react. That's a face and not a helmet, right?

"What does that mean? Are they not bandits?"

Leanna continues to look at Zack.
"I'm not sure-"

"They were bandits."
He crosses his arms as he pointedly interrupts Leanna. I can tell when someone is hiding something. And there is definetly more to him than meets the eye.

Leanna, however, looks sharply at Zack, clearly caught off-guard.

"Sure..."
That didn't sound too convincing.
The subject drops, but I still feel a tiny bit uneasy. If those guys weren't bandits, then who were they? And why were they attacking Zack? One of them also said he wouldn't get away 'this time', meaning they already encountered him before. But then again, Zack looks like a merc, and depending on how successful he is, there's a good chance of a bounty on his head. So maybe they were just bounty hunters, then? They mentioned a bounty, too...
The questions circle my mind as the conversation lulls to silence. Leanna leads the way though she seems to have something on her mind.
Zack trails from behind, he remains on heightened alert.
We travel together for quite some time with no further interruptions. I can feel my legs start to tire from all the walking. Oh, how I miss my scout walker. Leanna squints at the sky.
"We should make camp before it gets dark."

Zack nods.
"There's a good spot up ahead which hides us from view. It'll still give us visibility on any intruders, though."

Mercenary alright.
"Sounds good."

Zack leads the way and soon we reach the clearing.
The three of us get to work setting up camp. I roll out my bedroll near the campfire and notice how thinly it spreads on the ground. Can this thing really be comfortable?
I guess there's only one way to find out.
I lie down on the bedroll and place my hands behind my head.
This isn't as bad as I thought. A yawn escapes my lips. I could definitely fall asleep here...
My gaze lingers on the night sky above. The moon of this world hangs in the inky sky, dotted with so many pinpricks of silver light. They sparkle vividly, as if trying to chase away the dark.
I breath out a breath in wonder.
This is wonderful. It's been a while since I've got so simply gaze at a star-dotted sky in peace like that. I try to pick out a few constellations, but the star patterns above are unfamiliar. Well, from any planet the stars appear different.

"What are you looking at?"

I quickly sit up at the sound of Leanna's voice. She holds two steaming bowls in her hands. I accept one of the bowls with a smile as she sits beside me.

"Just admiring the sky. This place is really beautiful. Back where I live, you don't get to see so many stars."
Well, you do on Odessen. But I also have a private appartment in Kaas City where I reside from time to time, so it's not technically a lie.

"How come?"

Well, I could say that it's because the whole planet is permanently covered in a wild thunderstorm, but that's too specific for Dromund Kaas.
"Light pollution. Our cities are filled with so much light that it drowns out the stars."
Especially true on worlds like Coruscant or Ziost, before Valkorion almost turned it into a second Nathema.

Leanna gazes thoughtfully at the sky.
"Right, it's a little harder to see the stars in town than it is out here."

I shake my head.
"That's not the same. Some nights I don't see the stars at all."

Her eyes widen in suprise. Then she places her chin in her hands.
"A night sky without stars..."

She looks at me as I look at her. I can tell that she already became close to me. I stop myself before my thoughts go further in that diretion.

"What's your world like?"
She looks at me with innocent curiosity and interest. It should be fine to tell her the truth by now, I think.

"It's more than one world, actually."

"What do you mean?"

"How do I explain this? Hmm... So, remember when I said that Odessen is my Terra?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, Odessen is not the only world, or planet, I live on."

"What?! How is that possible? Do you use magic to travel between worlds?"

"Not quite. How can I phrase that...? Ahh, right. You see all these stars up there, right?"

"Of course, why?"

"Every single one of those stars is just like the sun, with countless planets orbitating around each of them. We call the entirety of stars in this area a galaxy, while a star and the planets in it's gravity form a system."

Her eyes grow wider the more I speak. This is a lot to take in at once, but since I started, I have to cover at least the basics.

"And we travel between systems with spaceships, which are giant constructions of metal. As you can guess by that, we are technologically quite advanced."

Her eyes are wide in wonder and her mouth is slightly agape.

"I... I'm sorry if that was too much at once... I didn't meant to overwhelm you."

"No, it's fine. It's just a lot to take in."
She speaks slowly as if still processing all this information I just dumped on her.

I nod understandingly.
She tilts her head back and returns her gaze to the sky. Underneath the moonlight, her pale skin seems to glow amidst the darkness, contrasting to my dark tanned skin. She is unbelievable beautiful, and I feel myself falling for her by the minute. What? A Sith learns to always be sure of his emotions, and I ain't dense. It's just that I haven't felt this way since a really long time, and I don't really know how to act upon it. Well, I'll be me, I guess, and see where this is going.

Her face softens as she smiles.
"You're right. The stars really are beautiful."

We fall into a comfortable silence as we enjoy the tranquility of the night.

After we've finished eating and cleaning up, Zack approaches us.

"It's getting late."

Leanna nods.

"I'll take first watch so you can take rest."

"Alright, I take second watch."

"I guess that just leaves me with third."

Zack stares unblinkingly at me, while Leanna coughs nervously.

"That's okay. We had an early start and I'm sure you're tired. We should rest up and sleep through the night."
It seems they don't trust me. If only they knew...

She has a point, though. I am tired. Guess I'll just take her up on that offer.
"Alright, thanks."

She smiles warmly.
"Goodnight then."

And it was already worth it.

"Goodnight."

Zack nods. Then Leanna crawls into her bedroll.
As she lies down, Zack positions himself against a tree and takes a seat.

If we're going to be traveling togehter, I should make an effort to get to know what kind of person he is, although I think I already have a solid grasp.
I walk over to Zack.
"Hey."

"Hmm?"

"Mind if I sit?"

He gestures for me to join him, so I do.

...

Obviously, I'll have to lead the conversation.
"Soooo, how's the weather?"
I never was great at this so called 'small talk'.

Zack stares at me.
Alright, let's switch gears.
"Um, are you a feline or a canine person?"
Even I know of those, and I'm more of a feline person. Manka Cats and Nexu are just adorable. When they aren't trying to tear you apart, that is.

"...Is this going anywhere?"

I sigh.
"I'm trying to build up some trust here but you've got to meet me halfway."

Zack looks away. Great, I guess he doesn't want to talk...

"Dog."

"What?"

"I prefer canines."

"Oh, cool."

The silence creeps in again.

"So, we're all going to Illumia."

"Yup."

"What brings you there?"

"I'm meeting someone."

"Oh? A friend?"

"Someone from work."

"What do you do?"

"I'm a mercenary."
Hah! Nailed it.

"It all makes sense now."

"What does?"

"Everything about you. The angst, that hard-boiled exterior, the frequent cold shoulder... Actually, a friend of mine is quite similar to you. I'm sure you would make a fine mandalorian."

"What are you talking about?"

He stares at me and I smirk. That's exactly how Lynx would react.

"So why are you going to Illumia?"

"Leanna's taking me to the Mage Academy."

He studies me again.
"Are you a mage? You don't have a manipulator."

I shake my head. To delve into that would consume too much time.
"No, I'm looking for answers."

He nods in understanding and doesn't pry. Although I try to stop it, a yawn escapes.

"You should get some sleep. We have an early start in the morning."

I'm basically a god but still need sleep. Tch. Well, at least I'm immortal by now. Anyway...

"That sounds familiar."

I push myself to standing.

"Goodnight."

He nods.

I lie down in my bedroll and scooch around to get comfortable. I try closing my eyes to sleep, but something still doesn't feel right...
Oh yeah! I need a pillow.
Sitting up, I look around for anything I can use. My gaze falls on the pango who now rests beside Leanna.
The little pango rolls over in his sleep. I don't want to disturb him... plus, that would be pretty rude.
I don't find anything else suitable and decide to just make do without one. Lying back down on the bed, I close my eyes and eventually drift off to sleep.