Omen's permanent crew came from the same human stock as Korsin: the debris of a noble house, launched skyward centuries before in the whirlwind that formed the Tapani Empire. The Sith had found them, and found them useful. They were skilled in commerce and industry, all the things the Sith Lords needed the most but never had the for with their world-building and world-destroying. His ancestors ran ships and factories, and ran them well. And before long, mingling their blood with that of the Dark Jedi, the Force was in his people, too.

They were the future. They couldn't acknowledge it, but it was obvious. Many of the Sith Lords were still of the crimson-hued species that had long formed the nucleus of their following. But the numbers were turning-and if Naga Sadow wanted to rule the Galaxy, they had to.

Naga Sadow. Tentacle-faced, Dark Lord and heir to ancient powers. It was Naga Sadow who had dispatched Omen and Harbinger in search of Lignan crystals; Naga Sadow who needed the crystals on Kirrek, to defeat the Republic and its Jedi.

Or was it the Jedi and their Republic? It didn't matter. Naga Sadow would kill Captain Korsin and his crew for losing their ship. Seelah was right about much.

Yet Sadow need not lose the war, depending on what Korsin did now. He still had something. The crystals.

But the crystals were high above at the moment.

It had been a night of horrors, getting 355 people down the lofty plateau. He wondered how long they could survive.

"You should have kept us in orbit!"

"We were never in orbit!"

Korsin recognized the voice of the navigator, Marcom, coming from over the dusty rise. He already knew the other one.

Old Marcom was trying to push his way out of the crowd when Captain Korsin topped the hill at a full run. Devore's miners weren't letting their victim go."You don't know my job!" Marcom yelled."I did all that I could! Oh, what's the use talking to..."

Just as Korsin reached the clearing, the crowd surged forward, as if pulled down a drain. One sickeningly familiar crackle followed another.

"No!"

Korsin saw the lightsaber first, rolling toward his feet when he breached the crowd. His father's old helmsman lay ahead, gutted. Next to Seelah and Jariad stood Devore, his lightsaber glowing crimson in the lengthening shadows.

"The navigator attacked first," Seelah said.

The captain gawked.

"What difference does it make?" Korsin charged into the center, lifting the loose lightsaber into his hand with the Force. Devore stood his ground, smiling gently and keeping his lightsaber burning. His dark eyes had a wild look, a familiar one. He was shaking a little, but not from fear-not fear Yaru Korsin could feel. The Captain knew it was something else, something more dangerous. He turned Marcom's unlit weapon tip-down and shook it."That was out navigator, Devore! What if the star charts don't work?"

"I can find our way back," Devore said smartly.

"You'll have to!"

"Uh," Said a voice out of nowhere."Am I interrupting anything?"

Suddenly, many of the miners activated their lightsabers or pointed their blasters to the source of the voice."Who's there?" Yaru commanded."State your business!"

A young man, a very young man, possibly twenty or twenty-one, walked out behind a tree, revealing himself. He had brown hair and brown eyes and was of average height. He did, however, wear odd clothing that seemed to have made out of fur.

He looked at Marcom's corpse for a few seconds but he didn't seem to react to it, as if he had seen something like this before."Captain Korsin," He said to which surprised the Sith Captain. Did he know him?."I see that you and your crew are quite in a pickle." He smiled.

Captain Korsin was full-on cautious and suspicious of the young man."Who are you?"

"Tom. Tom Rake." Tom then turned his head to the left, looking deep into the forest, and he then looked back at them."I suppose you're hungry, right?"

Yaru said nothing but Devore did."Yes...we have some supplies but we fear that they won't last long with this many and the Massassi-"

Tom waved his hands as if it were not a problem."Don't worry. We have food at the pack and I'm sure I could convince Winston for you guys to stay awhile." He smiled.

The elder Korsin raised an eyebrow."Wait, did you just say pack?"

Tom Rake led the Sith crew throughout the forest and into the place where the western pack lived. He kept a smile on his face, a thing he didn't do very much, as walked through the pack.

"Wolves." Yaru said."You've been living with wolves...were you raised by these wolves as well."

Tom shook his head."No, we met these wolves about two months ago. They're nice. I just have to convince Winston, their pack leader, to let you stay."

"Uh...sure...okay...do that...just don't take to long." Captain Korsin said, nervously. Tom had to wonder why the man was even feeling nervous. He was a Sith. Maybe not a Dark Lord, but still. That, and their plenty of other Sith, and there were plenty of Massassi to fight the wolves.

"What is this?!" Yelled an old voice. Tom saw Winston, and the rest of the Heroes of the Universe, walking towards him, staring at the Sith crew behind him."Who are these humans and...red-skinned, tentacle-faced, abominations?!"

The Sith species that was with the crew seemed offended but the Massassi, who knew if they even thought, didn't react."Don't worry, Winston. Their friends."

"We are?" Devore asked. Tom, out of the corner of his eye, then saw Yaru nudge Devore lightly.

"Yes, we are friends. Our mining ship, Omen, crashed out of the sky. We are in desperate need of help."

Winston looked at them."I don't know..."

"Come on, Winston. You owe me." Tom said.

Winston's eyes widened."Owe you?! Were the ones that let you here in the first place!"

"Yeah, but who's been defending your pack from bears and rogue wolves for the last two months?"

Winston was silent, obviously seeing his point."And think about it," Tom continued."If we have more of them, your pack would be feared throughout Jasper Park! Nobody would ever attack your pack again!"

Winston remained silent for a few moments before speaking."Alright...they can stay...only if they do not cause any trouble."

Tom nodded."They're my responsibility. If they do anything, I'll deal with them."

Winston nodded back and turned to the Sith crew of The Omen."You are allowed to stay here but I must warn you, winter is coming and we do not have the stuff that will keep you warm."

Yaru nodded as well."Don't worry. We'll just go back to our ship and hopefully, we'll find some stuff to keep us warm."

Winston smiled."Good. You are also allowed to celebrate Christmas with us."

Devore raised an eyebrow."What in Ajunta's name is Christmas?"