Author's note: First of all, I want to apologize for it being two weeks without an update on this story. All I can say is lately, life has just gotten in the way, and I've had better weeks. Secondly, the new story, or rather, the extention of this one, And Fear Itself, was one that came to me all at once, at least Disciple, Atton, and Bao Dur's points of view; Visas was slower to speak up. It was one of those write me NOW moments, and when the muse shouts, I obey. So it sort of took up some time away from Jennet and Canderous. Thirdly, curiously enough, Jennet has been quiet lately, and I couldn't get her to talk. She seems to be perking up now, so hopefully I'll be able to get in the next few chapters much quicker than the last.

I want to sincerely thank everyone who has hung in there and kept checking for updates, and sent encouragement. The reviews have meant a lot to me and knowing there are people out there enjoying what I'm writing is indescribably fantastic. I promise I WILL finish this story; it will not be one of those hanging out there for two years before I get around to the next chapter sort of stories. I have read fan fiction that is fabulously written, original ideas that are as long as mine is turning out to be (and honestly, I never intended when I first posted for this to be so long! Blame Jennet; until recently the woman wouldn't shut up...) that I got emotionally invested in, was being updated regularly, I couldn't wait to read the next installment...and then the author just stopped. Two years later, they have scads of new stories, some actually finished, but not one word on the story I had loved. So...I'm saying now, this will never be me. If I publish an unfinished story, unless I have a death in the family, or I myself get hit by a bus, I will continue to update, and I will finish it. This is my promise to you, gentle readers.

I hope this chapter isn't too unbearably boring to everyone...but as in everyone's life, sometimes you just have to take some time to do your little chores. As always, please feel free to review; the muse always enjoys honest feedback.

Always, LJ

Jennet

Buying a spaceship is a pain in the ass; don't let anyone convince you otherwise. Even with outstanding technological knowledge and flight experience, (Atton), ability to read the sales guy, (most of us), intimidation factors, (Kex and Dax) and charm enough to make a wookie smile (Ladria, Visas and Megari), it's STILL a grueling experience. As soon as the salesman, a Rodian with blue-green skin and an insincere smile, spotted Jedi, he put on aural dampeners to keep from being persuaded. I was rather irritated by the implied insult, myself, but Ladria just raised an eyebrow and smiled. The little man bustled up to us, tentacles quivering, sycophantic expression firmly in place.

"Ah, ladies, gentlemen, how can this humble person serve you today? I am Rahid, and I have good ships, good prices. I see you're looking at the latest Hawk class model, it is beautiful, yes? And such a bargain, only 50,000 credits, plus registration fees," he almost simpered, sensing a big sale.

Rodin's faces are hard to read, what with the huge pupil-less eyes, tubular mobile mouth, and habit of talking fast. They also prefer their own language as their vocal cords and mouth structure make it hard for them to use Galactic Basic. They make great salesmen – among other, less legitimate occupations - because most humans are somewhat prejudiced and don't pay as close attention to alien languages. Fortunately, as a race Rodians tend to be less than brilliant in the intelligence department, so they don't cheat people nearly as badly as most of them probably want to. As criminals, they often end up the scapegoat, being slow to see the setup. I've met a few very smart ones, but even they admitted their IQ was a rarity among their people. I smiled brilliantly at Rahid.

"I'm looking for a personal long-range ship, with dorm space and at least one private cabin, more than one 'fresher, and an adequate galley," I said, gazing at the spanking new Hawk class cruiser with admiration.

"Oh, yes missy, this Hawk is perfect," he simpered. "Very comfortable, very fast, lots of room. A bargain."

"More than I want to spend," I said dismissively, knowing 50,000 credits was at least 15,000 more than the usual list price. If this one was a basic, no frills model, you could take another 5,000 or more off, depending on what sort of engine it had.

I'd already done my research and had a working knowledge of the going rate for a good condition used or new personal ship with long-range capability and enough room to transport both people and cargo. Atton and Bao Dur had helped a lot in educating me. Basically, I wanted something along the lines of the Ebon Hawk, possibly a bit bigger. I expected that when we traveled it would be with at least some of the honor guard and I didn't relish sharing dorm space or bathing facilities if I could help it. I was a decent pilot, Dax was much better and I assumed Canderous was pretty good too. With our tendency to find trouble, I also wanted something fast, maneuverable, and armed.

Rahid had six new in stock, and about a dozen used. I let Atton do a quick look over of the used and his verdict was that eight of those were barely flyable. We looked closer anyway, to see how much work they would take to make comfortable and, most important, safe. Three proved to appear worse than they actually were, the other five not worth the trouble. We saved the last four decent-looking ones for later. The salesman busily hovered around, naming ridiculously high prices for the new ones, slightly more reasonable for the obviously good condition used, and far more than they were worth quotes for the junkers.

We toured the new Hawk class simply because those types are reliable and can take a beating, as well as being fairly comfortable. And hey, a new ship is wonderful; fewer 'what the hell were they thinking' modifications to deal with. They also smell good. When you're traveling long distances, you literally live on board; I wanted to find something that would suit as a mobile home.

This model was an improvement on the Ebon Hawk as it had one tiny cabin that shared a 'fresher with a regular four-bunk dorm, and a larger Captain's cabin with its own decent sized bath facilities. Two more bunks were outside this cabin, with a third miniscule 'fresher tucked into a corner. It was barely big enough for the average sized Mandalorian male to turn around in, but it was adequate.

I liked this one well enough, and Hawks are almost always a good choice, according to Atton and Bao Dur. Take the Ebon Hawk, they had pointed out. She's a good ten years old, but was a stout ship that could take a beating, was well armed, and reasonably comfortable for crew to live on. She had a lot more light years in her, despite her adventures. Looking at this new model, I had to agree that it seemed as well-built, spacious, and as comfortable as a small non-luxury class ship can be. She had twin gun turrets, not just one, so defense was better, as well. Atton was happily poking around, opening doors and checking the engine room before heading to the cockpit, his approval obvious.

But I don't like buying big things without checking out all angles. I also didn't look forward to bargaining down to a reasonable amount from Rahid's ridiculously inflated quote. So we checked out all the new ships. I was hugely disappointed with the selection. Two were just slightly more than short-jump shuttles. Two were extremely scaled down; big on weaponry, low on personal comforts. The last one was inadequately armed, had only one big dorm, one tiny 'fresher, and I knew from unfortunate personal experience the kitchen synthesizers on board were of a manufacture that made everything taste like slightly moldy bread. Ugh.

Wrinkling my nose in distaste at the thought of meals on board this ship, I didn't even bother to ask Atton what the engines and cockpit looked like. He had trotted off straight away to inspect them. I was taking a step toward the cockpit to let him know I wasn't interested when he reappeared, a frown of disapproval on his handsome face. He gave me an eloquent look that suggested his opinion of me would crash and burn if I considered hitching a ride on this ship, let alone purchasing. I grinned, and shook my head. He nodded with approval.

Making sure our erstwhile salesman was out of earshot, Atton murmured, "The best so far is the Hawk. Great engines, and I'm itching to see how she handles. If she's better than the Ebon Hawk, it'll be a dream to fly her."

"I agree. But humor me, and let's see the last four," I answered in an equally quiet voice.

"Absolutely. But I have to say Bao Dur would love to tinker with the new Hawk. I'd bet within a week he'd have her outrunning anything of its class in the galaxy. As it is, only a Republic scout ship would have a chance of it," he said, practically dancing with glee.

"Well, fast is good," I smiled. "And I like the gun turrets; they're exceptionally good quality. It's also very comfortable, passenger-wise."

"Yeah, I figured you'd like the galley," Atton grinned. "It looks like it could keep up even with your appetite without the synthesizers exploding."

I elbowed him in a friendly manner and caught Dax and Mira laughing. I grinned back. Ladria, Visas and Megari had been poking around the cabins and dorms, and joined us in the main cabin.

"So what do you think?" Ladria asked politely.

I looked around to see where Rahid was. He was earnestly trying to talk to Kex, who was stoically ignoring him. I stifled a chuckle and quietly repeated Atton's and my plan. I saw the other three women's smiles fix a little. I wasn't surprised that another hour or two of inspecting space ships wasn't their idea of a fun time. Truthfully, it wasn't mine either, but I couldn't see any other way to acquire one.

"How about you guys go on and start your own shopping," I offered with an understanding smile. "No telling how long this will take, and there's no need at all for you to have to suffer along with me. If I'm really nice, will you pick me out a few more sets of clothes? Maybe even something a little less...practical? I'm hopeless when it comes to fashion."

"Of course," Ladria said, without the slightest hint of the relief I was sure she was feeling. The woman has class. Visas and Megari chimed in their gracious assent as well. I was somewhat surprised when Mira elected to go along with the ladies; I thought for certain she'd want to stay near Dax. But apparently girl time outweighed the joy of listening to the pros and cons of engine performance. Not that I blamed any of them; I would have loved to just let Atton choose something for me, and escape the tedious business of finding the perfect ship.

But Canderous would kill me if I left the honor guard, and it wasn't fair to let Atton shop alone without someone to share the chortling over lifter schematics. And it wouldn't really be my present if I let Atton do all the looking.

Buck up, Jax, I told myself sternly. It was your idea in the first place. And it's a good one, so quit whining.

The women left with a speed that confirmed their lack of enthusiasm of the finer points of personal transport. Dax and Kex reestablished themselves between me and any possible outside confrontation. Atton all but sprinted toward the next ship. I couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm; he was like a child getting to choose a new toy.

An hour and three ships later, I was ready to throw it in and just start the haggle for the Hawk. Although they proved to be in decent working order, none of the three we'd seen so far were even close to being what I was looking for. One was designed for pure cargo hauling with the sleeping berths being little more than mattresses shoved in niches randomly scattered in various cargo holds, garage, and engine room. I almost couldn't find the 'freshers, they were so obviously an afterthought. The galley was surprisingly spacious and high quality, though. As for the other two, they were nice enough, sturdy, and relatively comfortable, but had room for only four passengers, and that if the pilot slept in the cockpit. Atton admired the third one especially, and I could see him practically rubbing his hands together, wishing to take it for a spin. But he regretfully admitted it wasn't what I needed, and we moved on to the last ship.

Atton hadn't done more than give the used models a quick once-over the first time around, basically checking for obvious damage and level of maintenance. We had checked more closely the ones that he'd initially dismissed, hoping to find something we could fix easily but argue down to a real bargain. We still had three of those in reserve, so to speak, one of which was another Hawk that had obviously seen better days and could have used more conscientious owners, but Atton felt Bao Dur could polish up. I approached this last ship thinking that if it proved inadequate, I'd take a better look at the used Hawk and make up my mind between it and the new one.

"Wait a minute," Atton said, stopping short. He stared hard at the rather funny-looking ship, his face starting to register excitement.

"What?" I asked, and looked around at Kex and Dax. They both were starting to look interested, and I shook my head, bewildered. It didn't look that special to me.

"I've never seen one, but I think this might be a Falcon class," Atton said with a hint of reverence. He obviously thought this was adequate explanation, and started to slowly walk around the ship, inspecting the hull and looking for model numbers. Rahid hadn't caught up yet, so we had a moment without him listening in.

"Oooookay," I said, exasperated. "Are they anything like Hawks?"

Actually, this did look a bit like the Ebon Hawk, but more streamlined, with the cockpit leading and the body of the ship curving back from it, rather than being nestled in between the two wings. Retractable gun turrets were on either side, and the loading ramp was in the rear, set back a little. It did look sturdy, and someone had taken good care of it, from the looks of the outside. But it didn't look special to my untrained eyes.

Atton looked at me in astonishment. "You're kidding, right? Falcons are supposed to be one of the best ships on the market. They're made by the same people that manufacture Hawks, but they're the elite class. Fast, very comfortable, and each one is custom-made. Every pilot in the galaxy has heard of them, but I've only met one that has ever flown one, and I wasn't sure he wasn't just trying to impress the girl he was with."

"So you're saying they're good ships, then," I said.

"Hell, lass, Falcons are the best of its class out there," Kex put in unexpectedly. "I've always wanted to try one, and I'm not one to care over much about ships."

Dax's eyes were gleaming as he gazed at the Falcon. "I would've given my right, er, arm," he said with a quick glance at me, "to fly a broken down Falcon, let alone one in good shape. To find one new..." he trailed off, a dreamy look on his face. He wasn't the pilot Atton was, but then not many are. Dax was a good one though, and would likely be our primary pilot when traveling. He was obviously smitten with the idea of flying a Falcon.

"Well, let's take a look," I said, starting to get excited in spite of myself.

It was fabulous. Much like the new Hawk, it had two cabins, situated on either side of the ship. The larger Captain's cabin had a good sized 'fresher, complete with laundry recycle. The other cabin was smaller, and shared a bigger 'fresher with a five bunk dorm. Three bunks resided outside the larger cabin, with a third tiny 'fresher of their own. There was a galley big enough for two to work comfortably, three if you didn't mind squeezing a bit. All the food processors were the best to be found. The common area was large enough to seat twelve, with extra fold-away chairs tucked into a little storage area off the galley, along with two sturdy tables that broke down to compact flat packages. The tables and chairs could all be attached to the floor of the common room with a series of ingenious little automatic clamps.

There was less cargo space than either the Ebon Hawk or the new Hawk cruiser, but more than adequate space for anything we'd be hauling. The med bay had its own lab bench, and the garage was big enough for two swoop bikes or a medium sized speeder, with enough room left over for workspace and a built in workbench. The engine room was big enough to set up a camp bed for the duration of any trip, without having to break it down to work on said engines. The gun cannons were nearly new; they had been upgraded from the originals fairly recently.

Atton practically drooled on the instrument panel when we hit the cockpit. He was careful not to show too much enthusiasm in front of Rahid, though. He immediately checked the hyperdrive and gave me a nod and a wink, confirming it was excellent quality and in good working order. The seats were comfortable and sturdy, everything was in easy reach of even my shorter arms. They even had individual environmental controls. I sighed in pleasure.

"What's her name?" I asked Rahid, trying to sound offhand and only mildly interested.

"She a good ship, yes? Very clean, runs like a dream. Her name is Soul of the Phoenix," the little salesman said.

I had a vision of the Mandoa, rising from the ashes of their culture, becoming strong and a part of the life of the galaxy again.

I bought her on the spot.