Welcome back! Sorry for the delay, but I had a few exams at the same time, and I had to focus on them to succeed at the university XD. Also, I have some news. I've decided to create a discord server to make my communication with you a lot easier. I mean, the author's notes aren't that good, and I think that it would be fair if you could talk to me, and direct messages aren't that great as well. So, if you want to be able to communicate with me at any time, the link will be on my profile. Also, you'll be able to make me write faster XD. Meanwhile, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 33

Atton pulled the lever in his direction, causing the Ebon Hawk to leave the hyperspace. Bao-Dur punched in the coordinates for Nar Shaddaa, and they've entered the Nal Hutta System. Meetra leaned forward in her seat, observing the moon that was their destination. She had to admit that she didn't want to arrive there, and it had little to do with the bounty on the Jedi Knights. She recalled Atton's words about him visiting the Red Sector. She took a careful glimpse at the man to her left; his face was betraying nothing. He seemed not to care at all about that place.

"Well, here we are," he announced, placing his hands behind his head. "The Smuggler's Moon. It's the gaping maw of Nal Hutta, swallowing all the cargo and spaceport thugs the Galaxy has to offer. It means 'Glorious Jewel' in huttese," he informed her, looking at Meetra. "But don't let that fool you," he quickly added, stretching his back. "It's the central breeding grounds for the Hutts. And Nar Shadda orbits it. Nal Hutta is as slimy as the Hutts – lots of swamps and bloated gas. It's where those slugs reach out and grab chunks of the Galaxy. Trust me, we're not going to go anywhere near the place unless we want to be washing the stink out of our clothes for the next few years."

"That bad?" Meetra commented with a small smirk. "I didn't think anything could compel you to bathe," she teased him, chuckling slightly. Atton rolled his eyes at that.

"You spent all day thinking up that joke?" he countered, though he relaxed visibly after seeing Meetra's subtle smile. "Maybe you and Bao-Dur should start a circus?" he suggested, earning another chuckle from Meetra.

"Calm down, I'm just teasing you," she replied, shaking her head.

"Mandalorians, mercenaries, war veterans, and pilots from the Mandalorian Wars and the Jedi Civil War ended up on Nar Shaddaa," he continued explaining, returning to their previous topic. "From all sides of the conflict," he added quickly. "When the last war ended, there was no place for them to go. Nar Shaddaa is a rough place and easy to get lost in or for someone to get lost. If we wanted to keep out of sight from the Sith for a while, you couldn't pick a better spot. There's so much traffic on Nar Shaddaa that finding anyone on the moon's surface is going to be hard."

"Then we have the answer why Master Zez-Kai Ell came here," Meetra commented with a heavy sigh, watching as the Smuggler's Moon was growing bigger and bigger as they were approaching it steadily. Then, something clicked inside her mind. "You're not going to sell me to the Exchange, are you?" she asked seriously. Atton seemed to be surprised by her question. "You said it yourself that you are a bounty hunter," she explained. He chuckled humorlessly at that.

"Yeah, but I'm not a backstabber," he replied, shaking his head. "I was hired by Kreia, and I'm going to live up to my end of the deal. Besides, look at me," he added, turning his seat to face her. "Do I look like I would be able to take down a Jedi?"

"Well, you rushed at that Sith Lord quite eagerly," Meetra countered, lifting her brow. "So, I don't know. I still haven't figured you out entirely."

"You're more welcome to do so once we are alone again," Atton replied, making her chuckle. Meetra felt a small blush appear on her cheeks. But she was used to having the last word, and she wasn't going to back down so easily.

"Perhaps I'll do just that… once we have some free time, and we'll make sure the others are busy," she replied in the same teasing tone, winking at him. It was Atton's turn to blush. He cleared his throat and turned around, facing the Ebon Hawk's viewport. Meetra laughed victoriously.

"We're going to touch down in the Refugee Sector," Atton announced, changing the topic once again. "There's usually more traffic there, and it's harder for people to spot you coming in… or find you once you arrive," he explained, navigating the Ebon Hawk. "Once we land, we should be able to breathe easily. There's no chance anyone's going to find us here," he added with a smile.

"Let's just hope we will be able to find whom we came for," Meetra countered, standing up from her seat. She left the cockpit, allowing Atton to fly the ship towards the Smuggler's Moon. "Oh, one more thing," she said, turning around to look at the pilot. He turned his head, signalizing that he was listening. "I don't want to find you in the Red Sector," she clarified, pointing her finger at him. He raised his hands in a defensive manner.

"Don't worry," he replied immediately. "I was already aware of that," he added. Meetra seemed to be somewhat satisfied with his answer and turned around to leave the cockpit.

Meetra walked to the crew quarters, where she knew she would find Kreia. She caught with the corner of her eye Channa, who was walking slowly towards the front of the ship. She ignored her, just as the purple Twi'lek ignored her. Meetra passed by the holoprojector and headed towards the crew quarters.

As she was approaching the room, Meetra started hearing a conversation coming from there. From what little she heard, the Exile has managed to recognize those voices as the ones belonging to Lonna and Kreia. That surprised her. It seemed they were arguing about something. But as she was getting closer and closer to the crew quarters, which Kreia was using as her chambers, the conversation was over.

Meetra stepped from around the corner hesitantly. She quickly noticed Kreia and Lonna, staring at the entrance intensely. From the former Jedi Master's expression, Meetra quickly deducted that the conversation was a heated one. Her cheeks were red, and her teeth were gritted. She was also breathing heavily, and her eyes were casting daggers.

"Am I interrupting something?" Meetra asked hesitantly. Never before had she seen Lonna so angry, even during her trial.

"No," Kreia replied immediately, earning herself a hateful look from Lonna. "We were only talking," she clarified, returning the gaze, refusing to back down. Even despite the hood that was cloaking her eyes, both Meetra and Lonna felt the intensity of her gaze. That seemed to work on the former Jedi Master. She exhaled loudly and nodded her head.

"Yeah," Lonna agreed. "We were only talking," she confirmed. Meetra didn't fail to notice that her hand was dangerously close to the hilt of her lightsaber.

"Well, then I'm sorry that I have disrupted your… conversation," Meetra replied, observing the former Jedi Master's movements. She silently sighed with relief when she saw that she increased the distance between her hand and her lightsaber. "But we have already dropped out from the hyperspace," she informed them. "We'll be landing on Nar Shaddaa in no time, and I think we should start looking for Master Zez-Kai Ell as soon as possible."

"Yes," Lonna agreed, once again nodding her head. "I can already feel the strong currents of life of the Smuggler's Moon approaching," she stated.

"Finding anyone on Nar Shaddaa isn't going to be as easy as you think it might be," Kreia countered. "That's why Master Zez-Kai Ell came to this place – to hide in plain sight. Whatever we're going to do, the Force won't help us to find him on this moon."

"Come, I'll call the others, and we will discuss our next moves," Meetra decreed, earning a confirmative nod from both women. She turned around to leave the crew quarters and headed back towards the main hold of the Ebon Hawk.

Atton heard a soft echo of footsteps that was getting louder and louder with each second. He didn't turn around, still focused on piloting the ship. They were already entering the Nar Shaddaa's atmosphere, and he had to stay focused if they wanted to land in one piece. He decreased the Ebon Hawk's speed and engaged the air brakes. That's when he heard the door to the cockpit being closed, and the same footsteps echoed right behind him.

"Missed me already?" he asked, assuming it was Meetra who joined him. He still didn't turn around, all the time focused on piloting the Ebon Hawk as it entered the moon's atmosphere.

"That's not what I would say," the person behind him replied. Atton quickly recognized that voice as the one that didn't belong to Meetra. He risked turning around to catch a quick glimpse of who was that person that entered the cockpit. He couldn't allow himself to look at his guest for longer than a split second, but it was all that he needed to recognize that person as the purple Twi'lek.

"What do you want?" he asked, clearly annoyed.

"Nothing," Channa replied, approaching his seat. "I want nothing from you. I'm just sending the message," she added. The purple Twi'lek unclipped the lightsaber from her belt and pressed the hilt's tip at Atton's abdomen, aiming it right at the spot where Sion's weapon impaled him. The pilot was going to scream out of pain if it wasn't for the woman's hand pressed tightly against his mouth, extinguishing all sound that threatened to come out. When Atton seemed to calm down, Channa released him from her hold, though she still kept her lightsaber on his wound.

"What message?" Atton asked, breathing heavily, trying to make the pain go away. Despite Lonna using the Force to heal him, it still required some time for the wound to heal entirely.

"Lord Revan sent me to you," she informed him, speaking calmly. Channa quickly saw the man's face pale visibly at her words. She smiled slightly. "I'm supposed to watch over you since you seem to be unable to do this task on your own," she clarified, adding insult to the injury. "But that is not the message. I had to remind you of who you're loyal to. Lord Revan assumed that you had forgotten it already."

"I did not," Atton countered through gritted teeth. "If Lord Revan has truly sent you, then he must have told you who I am," he said, attempting to get Channa's lightsaber away from his wound.

"I know who you are," she confirmed, making sure that her weapon was still tightly pressed against his abdomen. "But it seems you have forgotten it. You are NOT Atton Rand," she said, speaking those words directly into his ear. The pilot trembled after sensing her breath on his skin. "You are Jaq – the assassin trained to capture or kill Jedi, not fall in love with them."

"If you know my name, then you must also know that I am one of Lord Revan's most trusted men. I am his best spy and assassin. That's why he has sent me after Meetra," he countered, still trying to break free from Channa's tight grip, though his efforts proved to be in vain. "Besides, my mission was to find Meetra. From there, Traya was supposed to take the lead and retrain her. As far as Lord Revan's orders go, my task is complete. I could have already returned to him, but I chose to stay with Meetra. Right now, it depends on Traya on how long it will take to prepare her. Then, Lord Revan will come for her.

"You are wrong," Channa informed him with the same calm tone. "You are not his man. You are his dog. He tells you to go fetch a Jedi - you go fetch a Jedi, and not play with your prey," she said, applying pressure to his wound. Atton hissed with pain, still trying to stay focused on piloting the Ebon Hawk. His eyes were stinging; the tears were threatening to betray him at any moment. He wasn't sure if it was due to her words or her actions. He decided to go for the latter. "And he has also ordered me to remind you that the Exile is your target, not your lover," she hissed at him.

"Oh yeah?" he asked her, still not looking at Channa. "You wouldn't be talking to me like that if he was here. You are in no position to boss me around! I answer only to Lord Revan himself!"

"And that's where you're wrong again," Channa countered with a small chuckle that sent shivers down Atton's spine. "I am Yuthura Ban," she informed him, making sure that he heard her correctly. "I am Revan's Shadow and his apprentice. I am his right hand and, for as long as this mission goes on, I am your superior. From now on, you answer to me, and I pass it forward to Lord Revan. Did I make myself clear?" she asked, noticing that his face has gone even paler. She smirked proudly. Atton only gulped loudly at that. Yuthura twisted the hilt of her lightsaber that was threatening to break through his skin even without being turned on. "Did I make myself clear?" she repeated.

"Yes," Atton murmured. He sighed with relief when he felt that the purple Twi'lek removed her weapon from his wound. He massaged the sore spot on his abdomen, doing his best to get rid of the pain.

It seemed that her timing was perfect because just as Yuthura released Atton, the door to the cockpit was opened, and Meetra walked in. She was surprised to see the Twi'lek standing there, so close to the pilot. She raised one of her eyebrows, crossing her hands on her chest.

"What's going on?" she asked, looking at Yuthura and Atton alternately.

"I was just checking on him," the Twi'lek replied, faking a smile. It didn't help to resolve Meetra's doubts. "I wanted to make sure if he's okay after his… injury and if he is capable of piloting the ship," she explained, still maintaining her smile. Atton rolled his eyes at that, though he made sure not to face either of the two women.

"I can assure you he's capable of flying the Ebon Hawk," Meetra countered, still not convinced by her explanation. "I've been accompanying him ever since he left the medical bay."

"I understand," Yuthura replied, joining her hands in front of herself. "But still, I wanted to make sure we'll reach Nar Shaddaa safely," she added, doing her best to sound sweet. Meetra sighed at that, finally accepting Twi'lek's explanation.

"Speaking of which," she said, uncrossing her arms. "I want both of you to meet me in the main hold, now. We have to discuss what we should do once we land. Atton," Meetra addressed the pilot. The man turned in his seat after hearing her saying his name. "Can the Ebon Hawk go on the autopilot now?" she asked, receiving a nod from him.

"Yes," he answered, pressing a few buttons, setting up the autopilot. "We've already made it into the atmosphere, and now there is only a matter of finding a landing pad. The computer can do that."

"Great," Meetra replied, turning around to leave. "Meet me in the main hold," she reminded them and left the cockpit, attempting to find Bao-Dur, the handmaiden, and T3.

Atton stood up from his seat, stretching his back. He heard a few joints in his spine crack after doing it. He scowled quickly, though, feeling the pain coming from his wound. He looked at Yuthura, who was still standing next to him. She didn't say a word, but her eyes said everything that Atton had to hear. He nodded his head, looking down at his feet. Yuthura smirked slightly; any trace of her sweet smile that she showed to Meetra was already gone. She quickly put on the mask of Channa Mae, though, when she left the cockpit, heading towards the main hold of the Ebon Hawk. Atton followed her closely, allowing the ship to fly on autopilot.

He stopped after a few steps after feeling something wet on his abdomen. He moved aside the right front of his ribbed jacket, only to see a red spot on his shirt that was growing larger and larger. His eyes widened in shock and fear; his wound was bleeding again, most likely due to Yuthura's actions. He touched that spot, feeling the warm blood on his fingers; he raised his hand, examining the red liquid. Atton cursed silently, wiping it against his trousers. He corrected his jacket, making sure that it was hiding the red spot on his shirt.

Meetra couldn't help feeling a pang of jealousy after seeing Channa and Atton leaving the cockpit together. She still wasn't convinced by the Twi'lek's explanation, but she decided to drop that topic for now. She would question Atton later. They had a more important matter to attend to; it didn't escape her notice, though, how the man she was slowly falling for scowled slightly.

"We're going to land on Nar Shaddaa in a few moments," Meetra announced, glad that everyone gathered around the holoprojector. "This is our target," she announced, displaying a portrait of Zez-Kai Ell. The image was rotating slowly, allowing everyone to see it. "According to Atris's records, he is somewhere here, although those records haven't been updated for the past few years."

"So, we can't be sure if he's still here, right?" Atton asked, scratching the back of his head. Meetra failed to notice how he corrected his jacket to hide the right side of his abdomen.

"No, we can't," Meetra confirmed, rubbing her eyes. "But it's our best shot at finding Master Zez-Kai Ell. Even if he isn't here, there must be some traces of him left. Or at least his corpse," she added grimly.

"He has to be here," Lonna countered. "I didn't understand at first why he decided to hide on Nar Shaddaa, especially with the bounty on us so high, but I see it now – this place is so vibrant that the Force can nearly be touched with one's hand. Finding a Jedi, or anyone who can feel the Force is nearly impossible here."

"He hid in plain sight," Kreia added, examining Zez-Kai Ell's portrait with her unseeing eyes. "If the Sith and the bounty hunters failed to find him, then we won't be able to locate him through the Force. The strong currents of life here on Nar Shaddaa make detecting one's path impossible."

"Never before have I been to a place so alive with the Force, yet so dead to it," Lonna commented, crossing her arms on her chest. "The contrast is like a blade."

"Well, this moon does not get any smaller while we wait," Meetra replied with a heavy sigh. The Ebon Hawk has already landed, and they could start their quest. "This sector is as good as any place to begin our search, so let us begin."

"Well, if we're going to search a moon of a few billion inhabitants for one Jedi that even our own can't sense, might as well start as soon as possible," Atton commented, shaking his head.

"If the bounty is still on, it wouldn't be wise for you to walk on Nar Shaddaa dressed like the Jedi," Bao-Dur said, looking at the four women. Atton nodded his head, silently agreeing with what the Iridonian said.

"He's right," he commented. "There are more bounty hunters here than anywhere else in the Galaxy, and every one of them is well aware of the prize for a living Jedi. If Nar Shaddaa is a spider's web, then you are like flies without wings. You won't be able to escape this place if someone even thinks you're a Jedi."

"He's got a good point," Yuthura said with a nod of her head. "Staying low is our best chance at surviving in this place long enough to find Master Zez-Kai Ell."

Meetra nodded her head in agreement, seeing the reason behind their words. She sighed heavily again.

"I'm pretty sure there are some spare clothes somewhere in the cargo hold," the handmaiden offered, speaking for the first time. "They aren't much to look at, but at least they will allow us to blend in with the crowd around here."

"The lightsabers will give you away as well," Atton said. "Might consider leaving them behind."

"I'm not leaving this ship without my weapon," Lonna countered immediately, leaving no place for an argument.

"Neither do I," Meetra agreed.

"Me too," Yuthura added. "Changing our clothes will have to be enough. The lightsabers are too important to leave without them."

"Suit yourselves then," Atton replied, deciding not to argue with the three women. "But do your best to keep them hidden," he added quickly, before they left the main hold, heading to the cargo hold. When Atton was sure they were gone, he headed to the medical bay, making up an excuse about cleaning his wound. He quickly found a kolto pack and a spare bandage. He quickly removed his jacket and the shirt.

Atton unwrapped the small package with the healing liquid and applied it to his reopened wound. He hissed quietly, feeling the medicine having its effect almost immediately. When he was content with his actions, he wrapped the bandage around his torso, making sure to apply enough pressure to keep the wound from opening again.

He returned to the main hold just in time to see Meetra, Lonna, and Yuthura enter it after changing their robes to some ordinary clothing. He couldn't stop a small smirk that appeared on his face after seeing the Exile's new attire.

"Nice outfit," he commented, moving his eyebrows up and down a few times. Meetra rolled her eyes at that, recalling how he said those words the first time they have met on Peragus. She felt heat spreading across her cheeks. She anticipated that kind of reaction from him when she was changing her clothes, though she still wasn't ready for it. Unfortunately for her, she had little to say about the choice of her outfit since it was the only one that would fit her.

She wore a form-fitting, perhaps a little too small for her, shirt with a deep cleavage that left little to the imagination. She was forced to put on pants that also amplified her woman features. Luckily for her, she has also managed to find some old cloak that helped her to maintain at least some part of modesty. She wrapped it tighter against her body as if she was attempting to hide in it. Both of her lightsabers were clipped to her belt, hidden carefully by the old cloak.

"Let's go," she commanded, refusing to reply to Atton in any way. "The sooner we start, the better."

Okay, that's it for today. As always, let me know what you thought of this chapter and this story as a whole. If you haven't done that already, make sure to add it to your favorites and follow it, so you can be notified when the next chapter comes out. Also, a little late but honest, merry Christmas and happy New Year! See you in 2021!