The bounty hunter led them to a small, secret room tucked into the apartments, and Atton's hands never left his blasters. Once they'd packed in she closed the wall behind them, sealing off the docks.

"Someone want to tell us what's going on?" Atton asked. She pulled herself up on a crate, her feet dangling off the side, but didn't answer.

Answering, then, fell to Zez-Kai Ell. And, if he was being honest, that was the last person he wanted here. "It appears you know who I am," he said, almost... hesitantly? "This is Mira."

"I've been watching you all stumble around this moon causing trouble for a while," she said, looking at Atton. "And now you've got Goto's attention, and he's the last person you want watching you."

"And why were you there?" the Handmaiden asked. She was cradling her staff, still somehow threatening. Zez-Kai looked at Mira, who shook her head with a disgusted frown.

"I got taken down like an amateur — I'd never been inside the Jekk'Jekk Tarr before, but they won't do that to me twice. I intercepted your friend and left her here while I took the suit and went to talk to Visquis for her, 'cause he was going to kill her and wrap her corpse up for Goto."

The sick feeling that settled in Atton's stomach was unfamiliar, yet very familiar, and very terrifying. "You let her walk in there without an envirosuit?"

"Look, I wasn't expecting what I got, okay? As far as I was concerned, she'd take a nap back here, I'd deal with Visquis, and then I'd get her to Goto myself."

"Yeah, and cash in that bounty."

"Damn right. But I'd've gotten her to him alive, which is a damn sight more than Goto was gonna do."

"None of this matters anymore." Zez-Kai Ell, at least from appearances, seemed to have the same calm demeanor and level tone as every other Jedi Master he'd had the misfortune of meeting. He now saw what Trista had meant every time she'd described him — 'if you saw him, you'd know.' "Trista has been taken by Goto's people. We were too late to stop it."

"Okay, well." Blondie spoke now. "We will need to find her."

"That won't be easy," Mira said. Atton frowned.

"Aren't you a bounty hunter? Don't you know where Goto is?"

"It's not that easy. The only way to reach Goto is if we had a Jedi, but now that he's got your friend, he doesn't have anyone else he wants captured."

Atton motioned to Zez-Kai Ell, then to Blondie. "We've got two of them."

Zez-Kai glanced at the Disciple, but didn't comment. He looked away — almost nervously, Atton thought.

"Yeah, but he only needed one. I'm sure..." She pulled a datapad off the crate behind her and thumbed through it. "Yeah, bounty's already suspended. Ik'aagota, there goes the moon I was gonna buy."

"But don't you know where his ship is?" the Handmaiden asked. Mira shook her head.

"The only way you get to Goto is if he summons you. His ship's cloaked, and he's the one that arranges all the meetings. We can't even call him to ask for an audience."

"There must to be some way," she replied with a frown.

"Trust me, if anyone found his ship? He'd have every bounty hunter and criminal on Nar Shaddaa gunning for it."

"There has to be a way." The Handmaiden stared at them, and Mira continued shaking her head.

"Well, we aren't giving up," Atton said. "We're going to go after her. Somehow."

They stood in silence for a moment, as Atton wracked his brain. Hopefully the others were too, but he wasn't able to tell. HK, meanwhile, was tapping his blaster with a rhythmic, metallic noise that was pushing him further over the edge.

So, Goto had wanted a Jedi. But he was a crime boss, so there must be other things he wanted. What could he need? Not credits, he'd have his hands in enough pies to take care of that, especially if he had a million odd credits lying around for a bounty.

But... He snapped his fingers. "Vogga's freighters."

"What about them?" Blondie asked.

"He's been snapping them up every time they launch, but I don't see—" Mira stopped halfway through her sentence. "What are you saying?"

"We change the Hawk's ID signature to one of his freighters, then take off. He'll grab us, we'll board, and we'll bust Tris out of there and get the hell out."

The Handmaiden nodded. "That... may work. Deceptive, but I see no other way."

"Thanks for your approval, your worship."

"You will need a blank transponder card, which are difficult to come by," Zez-Kai Ell said. "And to know where Vogga keeps that information, and how Goto knows which freighters belong to the Hutt."

Atton frowned. "You got any helpful information to add?"

"I know where we may find all three."

"Vogga's warehouse?" Mira asked. Zez-Kai nodded again. "We can't get in there."

"We could infiltrate," Blondie said.

"Can't. He only has droids in there."

"Droids?" Atton asked. "What type of droids?"

"Utility I think. Few protocols. Why?"

Trust the damn trash can to be useful, for once. "I have an idea, but I need to get back to the ship."

Mira nodded and popped off of her crate. "There's a back way, as long as you're not opposed to dust."

"How do you know where we're parked?"

"Your leader's not the only one that can pay for information."

"I knew that refugee was up to something."

#

As they rounded the corner to the Hawk, they found everything blissfully unaccosted by bounty hunters, the walk covered with no more bloodstains than those that were there when they'd left.

"Hm," Zez-Kai Ell said about halfway there. "How long have you had this ship?"

Blondie answered. "According to the ship's droid, Trista's had the ship for over a month and a half."

"Hm," Ell mused. Atton glanced back at the Jedi Master, narrowing his eyes. "What's this droid's identification?"

"T3-M4."

"Hm."

If he made that noise again, Atton could not be held responsible for his actions.

The ramp clunked down as they approached and closed when they were still on it. Atton headed into the main hold, finding T3 plugged into the central holotable, with Visas and Bao-Dur loitering around him. Kreia was conspicuously absent, not that he'd complain about it.

"Hey, trash can." T3 responded with an angry beep. "I need—"

"What happened?" Bao-Dur asked. "Where's Trista? And who is—"

"That is the Jedi we were seeking," Visas interrupted.

He barely glanced at Zez-Kai Ell. "That does not answer the first half of my question."

"Goto has her," Blondie said. "We found Mira and Master Ell—"

"Just Zez-Kai, please. I'm not... fond of the other title."

"Right, uh, we found them when we got to the Jekk'Jekk Tarr. They say Goto captured Trista and is now on his freighter, which is somewhere in orbit."

"But we'll have to sneak up there," Atton said, "'cause he's got a cloaking field. So I thought, if Goto's been snapping up Vogga's freighters—"

"We can change the Hawk's transponder code and get on board that way," Bao-Dur said. Atton nodded.

"Yeah. Because your friend knows how to change those. So we just need a blank card and some of Vogga's transponder codes. Which, according to Zez here—"

"I would prefer to not be called that, however."

"Yeah, okay. They're in Vogga's warehouse, which is staffed by droids."

There was a pause as everyone looked toward T3, who chirped with a "who, me?" head-tilt.

"Yes, you," Atton said. "Think you can get in?"

T3 pointed to a panel on the holotable, and Atton leaned over it. Text began flooding the screen, and the others leaned in.

YES, I can get into some Hutt's stupid warehouse 100% it isn't even the hardest thing I've ever done but you could be a little nicer to me? I do understand all your insults and you could be a little nicer sometimes? because every time something breaks it's 'hey, trash can, go fix that. Hey, trash can, go fix this. No I'm not playing pazaak with you because you cheat'

I've been in some rough places the last several years, and even the Sith in the last war weren't that rude to me! they just tried to kill me which I prefer because it's at least fun to shock their knees while someone else fights them, but I can't even come back at you because it's always just 'droids break in the head' this and 'memory wipe' that and all this other stuff that is very hurtful. and I have done nothing to you

you took a nap when we were on Telos and I spent all my time hooked up to a rude and invasive computer that tried to hack all my deep memory processes and I wasn't even allowed to fry it! I did not like it. And I'd complain to my Master about it, but the one isn't here and the other is also not here, and also there are very familiar and troublesome pheromones that—

Atton slapped his hand on the screen. "All right, I'm sorry. Is that what you want to hear?"

The text cleared and started again.

Sure I guess it's good enough for now I'll also tell you that the guy you beat in pazaak that gave you the gold card does trades with Vogga's droid people so if you trust a dumb trash can to go take care of that I'll be back in two hours

"Okay, sure. I'm going to hold you to that."

T3 unplugged with a vulgar chirp and rolled toward the ramp. Atton shook his head.

"Nobody laugh at that, okay?"

Bao-Dur, despite the admonishment, was grinning a little. "You did just get told off by a droid."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, Bao."

His remote beeped, and the Iridonian nodded. "Yeah, his programming seems a little off. Too bad he can't be rewired."

"Ugh. Hey, Murderbot, go watch him."

HK's head turned toward him. "Assessment: The trash can does not need my help."

Atton pointed. "Look, it's not just me."

"The assassin droid agrees with you. Congratulations."

Atton glowered at the Handmaiden before looking back at HK. "Well, if you don't want to cut through a sea of assassins and bounty hunters, by all means, stay on the ship."

HK paused, his metal fingers stilling on his blaster for a moment. "Feigned Reluctance: I suppose there may be more aggressors than such a small, poorly designed Astromech can handle. If you insist, meatbag, I will render assistance."

"Yeah, I'm gonna insist."

"Feigned Reluctance: Very well, meatbag. We will return shortly."

#

As Atton and Bao-Dur sniped about T3's lecture, Mical stepped back to the medical bay and began preparing a kit for whenever they went after Trista, his mind turning as he tried to calculate what bandages, kolto patches, and injectables he might need for whatever condition she was in when they found her. After a few minutes, someone tapped on the door. He looked up to find Zez-Kai Ell in the doorway.

"You are welcome," he said, and the man stepped in.

"She's training you?" Zez-Kai asked.

"In her own way. She insists it is not as a Jedi."

"She may insist all she wishes, but there are precious few ways to train in the Force." Mical looked for the judgment the Jedi Master had held during Trista's trial, but saw none. "I suspect I should come to you for information."

Mical frowned, then nodded to the door. Zez-Kai tapped the panel, and the medbay door shut with a finite hiss. "What type of information?"

"Do you know whose ship this is?"

He nodded. "Revan's." Mical glanced back as Zez-Kai raised a brow. "I'm working for the Republic. Trista knows of my mission, at least. There are, ah, admirals in the fleet who have an interest in restoring the Jedi. I report back to one of them occasionally."

"Admiral Onasi?"

"How did you—"

"A... lucky guess. I know the nature of the relationship he had with Revan, and I suspect he would be, as you put it, 'interested in restoring the Jedi.' Does he know what ship you're on?"

"I understand he lost an entire Hammerhead cruiser to the Sith trying to find it."

"Hm. The Sith?"

Mical nodded again. "I have not encountered them yet, save one of our companions whose loyalty to the Sith I doubt. But Trista says she has encountered them in force, and I do not doubt her."

Zez-Kai nodded, but Mical felt there was something he was holding back, something he would not share. "If that is true, then it changes the battlefield. Who have you located so far?"

"We..." He felt... wary? Like something was encouraging him to hold back, to not tell Zez-Kai everything. At first he tried to shove it away, but then he remembered one thing he and Trista had talked about — about trusting instincts. About trying to see the source. About how the Force was a more subtle read than any body language, and that only the most powerful Jedi or Sith could hide their true intentions in it.

And instead, he held back. Not that he didn't trust Master Ell, quite the contrary. But he didn't trust him with the safety of their mission, that was certain.

"I have confirmation that Masters Atris and Vrook, and Bastila Shan, are alive and safe," he said. "I have not seen Atris myself, but Trista has. We have a list of the missing Jedi that survived Katarr. From that, I reason that Jolee Bindo, the Jedi he took with him, Juhani, and Belaya are alive as well."

"Katarr." He sighed. "How many in total?"

"Surviving? Twenty-five, including Revan. We don't know how many Initiates survived."

Zez-Kai shook his head. "We should have waited for an official death toll. A few died since?"

"Five."

"Twenty. Our Order reduced to twenty, all because..." He shook his head again. "I am sure you are also investigating if she is connected to this."

"I am. As far as I can tell, including when I spoke with her droid, Revan is not involved in these attacks. Bastila Shan believes she is not."

"As I suspected."

Mical raised a brow, then lowered it when he realized it was one of Trista's tics. He didn't even know he'd picked it up. "The Council was divided?"

"Before Katarr, some of us did not agree that Revan could be involved. Vrook and Atris were the loudest proponents of her guilt. But I don't believe even they think she could have been behind Katarr. Or... I hope they do not."

"Then where do you believe she is?"

"In the Unknown Regions, as she said. I doubt she even knows what has happened to the Jedi... though I also doubt she would return if she did, and I would not blame her for leaving us to this fate."

"What do you mean?"

"It is up to you to interpret. How has Trista been in the time you've traveled with her?"

Mical knew an awkward subject change when he saw it, but decided to not comment on it.

"Tired. Did she truly lose the Force for a time?"

"That is not something I can speak of, not even to her. Not yet."

"You know, this secretive language is a large part of the galaxy's distrust of Jedi."

"And matters of the Force are often delicate." Zez-Kai Ell turned back for the door and opened it. "I will let you return to your preparations."

#

One hour, twenty-five minutes.

T3 rolled through Vogga's warehouse, rolling just short of a pair of droids. He may have miscalculated a bit when he estimated a two-hour time frame, but he was determined to hold to it. The annoying organic would not get to gloat over his estimate being wrong.

The protocol droid needed some maintenance — not a full wipe, T3 was opposed to those as a strict subroutine of his programming. However, a good oiling and maybe a defragment of some of its core programs might suffice. He made a mental note to do the same to his own.

"This area is restricted. Please return to your designated area."

T3 cocked his head. But the T1 unit at B-4D4's side responded with an abusive threat.

"Please excuse my companion, he is excitable and takes our duty seriously. To avoid an incident, I ask you to please return to your post."

"/Incident?/"

"Yes, an incident. He is easily excitable."

"/Incident about door?/

"Door? I'm sorry, I don't know what you are referring to."

T3 cocked his head again. "/Door = behind you?/"

"You must be mistaken. There is nothing of the sort. Now, please move along."

"/Door = literal = there/" He jabbed with his manipulator arm to the wall behind the droid where his own scanners were indicating a large bulwark door. It wasn't even well hidden. "/T3-M4 = looking at door = right now /B-4D4 = lying?/"

"Lying to you? I am afraid that such a thing is against my core programming."

"/T3-M4 = not constructed yesterday/"

"/Door = absent/" The T1 unit chirped. "/T3-M4 = wrong = leave now/T3-M4 + stay = T3-M4 + deactivation/"

"Oh, no," B-4D4 said. "T1, you're much too sensitive about these things."

"/T1-N1 = obsolete /T1-N1 + T3-M4 = T1-N1 - core processes + deactivation/"

T1 responded with an irritable screech. "/T3-M4 = bad programming!/Tarisian code = 128,123,213 bugs/T3-M4 = deactivate now/"

Two could play at that game.

"/T1-N1 = Gammorean code/"

T1 screeched again.

"Oh, my. This is what I was afraid of," B-4D4 moaned.

A panel on T1's chassis snapped open, but T3 was faster. One on top, two on either side, all popped out — two ion blasters and a regular blaster. Before T1 could react, T3 fired. T1 rolled back with a screech as the ion blasters routed through his core systems. For good measure, T3 popped out his shock arm and let loose, frying the droid's systems.

As T1 blasted back into the wall, smoking, he looked back at B-4D4 with a chirp and popped his weapons back into their places.

One hour, thirty minutes.

"I don't know what came over my companion," B-4D4 said. "He has always been excitable, but recently he's been like this. I could not stop him, and if I tried to leave, he would threaten me! But now I am free, thanks to you!"

B-4D4 tromped past him, and T3 spotted a small wall panel behind where the droid had been standing. He rolled over with a curious chirp, studied the lock, and sliced through it. With only thirty minutes to wrap this up, he didn't have time for this.

The door zipped down to reveal a small room with a single protocol droid shackled to a massive screen and keypad, diligently working away. His head turned as T3 rolled through with a happy greeting chirp.

"Oh, my! You startled me. What are you doing here?"

"/B-4RS = doing what?/"

"What am I doing? Oh, I monitor the transponder codes of all ships leaving the docks, then transmit departure information for any of Vogga the Hutt's freighters."

T3 cocked his head. "/Transmit departure data = where? + why?/"

"I send the information to a remote computer system. I do not know why."

One hour, thirty-seven minutes.

"/T3-M4 = remote system!/ System = links down = T3-M4 + codes?/B-4RS = blank transponder card?/Code + card = proper transmission./"

"Oh, I see. In that case, I will upload the transponder codes to you. And here is the card you need." T3 opened a slot on his head and the droid inserted the card as he plugged into the computer. Just in case, he downloaded everything.

One hour, forty-five minutes.

T3 chirped goodbye and sped back through the warehouse, only slowing as he rounded through the last arch and spotted a trio of very familiar droids gunning down a C6 droid. He chirped for them to move.

"Confident Assessment: You have the list of Vogga's launch codes. You will give these to us, or else we will be forced to take drastic action."

"/No./"

"Surprised Statement: You are foolish to think we will allow you to take that information back to your master."

T3 chirped. "/T3-M4 = lives here now/"

If droids could laugh, they would have. "Amused Statement: You belong to the Ebon Hawk and intend to return the codes there. We have been following your master for some time."

"/HK-50s = bring it/"

"Amused Query: I think you will find the odds are in our favor. Now will you be giving us the codes, or not?"

T3 popped out all three blasters and his shock arm again. "/T3-M4 = not afraid = half-rate assassin models./HK-50s = bad coding + junk code = unoptimized + insult to Maker./"

"Incredulous Statement: Then we will have to take them from you, which, I assure you, was our preference."

T3 responded by firing his shock arm straight into the closest HK-50's chassis, sending the bolt up its leg into the central core. It jerked, and his shields flared as the droids opened fire.

One hour, fifty minutes—

There was the slightest clatter of a small object attaching to the right droid's chassis, and it promptly burst into a shower of sparks as an ion charge wracked through it. T3 directed a confused chirp towards it before laying into the center droid with all he had. Another shot took out the first droid's center chassis, burning a hole straight through it. The third fell with a few more ion blasts, and he was off before the droid reactivated.

One hour, fifty-one minutes.

"Query." T3 didn't stop as HK-47 de-stealthed next to him, matching T3's speedy pace. "Do you have the codes the meatbag needs?"

"/T3-M4 - (HK-47 + help) = fine/"

"Assessment: You would not have been fine, trash can."

"/HK-47 = 1 + ion charge = functional uselessness/HK-47 + stay on ship = same effect/"

"Objection: It is not my fault that I seem to be incapable of harming my lesser descendents. Assurance: I will be finding this troublesome code and deleting it at my earliest convenience."

"/Performance issues + older models = common/" T3 said, only partially trying to be soothing. HK smacked the top of his head with a metal thud, and he responded with a rude chirp.

T3 skidded past the front desk, causing a shout of alarm from the droid overseer.

"Wait! Where are you going? You are not authorized to leave the warehouse!"

T3 zapped the door open and chirped, "/T3-M4 = 8 minutes./"

"What does that—" HK pointed his blaster at the droid as T3 took off across the docks.

"Obvious Threat: The trash can is coming with me."

T3 didn't bother waiting for HK to catch up, zapping the very few bounty hunters with a shock blast as he raced across the docks, his internal counter continuing to tick. Fifty-three minutes... fifty-four minutes... The two returned to the plaza. Fifty-six minutes... fifty-seven minutes... fifty-eight minutes...

Fifty-nine minutes and thirty seconds

He skidded around the corner again, going up on two wheels as he banked. HK was still jogging behind him, but he struggled to keep up with the Astromech as he raced toward the Hawk at top speed.

Fifty-nine minutes and forty-five seconds — T3 transmitted a code for the Hawk's ramp, which settled on the ground at fifty-nine minutes and fifty-five seconds, and scooted up just as his timer hit two hours.

He did, at least, wait until HK made it up the ramp before closing it.

#

"Have you noticed that she has not joined us since Ell has been on board?"

Atton glanced back at Visas where she stood, framed in the cockpit doorway. "Yeah, I noticed."

"It is as if she is avoiding him."

"Yeah."

"Curious."

"Not if she is, yanno..." Atton made a vague motion with his hand that, fortunately, Visas seemed to understand. She nodded, the cloth covering her eyes swaying with the motion.

"Indeed." Her head turned back toward the hold as the "ramp lowered" notification blinked on his console. "I believe the droid has returned."

He checked the time. "Exactly two hours — damn it."

They returned to the main hold just as the others (again, minus Kreia) did. T3 rolled in last.

"What took you so long?" Atton asked. T3 did a quick victory lap around the holotable, chirping triumphantly, before plugging himself back in.

I said I'd be done in two hours it wasn't even hard. we have a choice of freighters to choose from also the droids in Vogga's warehouse are the ones transmitting the freighter codes to Goto but I don't think any of us care so let's go get our friend back!

Atton took the codes and the transponder card as T3 popped them out of his chassis.

You could AT LEAST SAY THANK YOU

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yes, thank you, trash can."

T3 chirped again and unplugged. Atton held the card out to Bao-Dur. "You, me, and Visas'll run to that Sullustan's shop and get this changed. You ready?"

Bao-Dur took the card. "Ready."