KOTOR II Elevation of an Outcast

by Noun of Nouns

AU Once the Jedi Order was a strong embodiment of the Republic's very nature, now it is an order with dwindling numbers scattered across the galaxy. In the aftermath of the Jedi Civil War, dark forces converge once again and it will be up to...

3. Unexpected Detour

17,300 words. Largest chapter I think I've ever written. Of course length isn't nearly as important as quality, but I think I've reached an acceptable balance. I wanted to get through Peragus as quickly as possible, and get on to the more exciting implementations, a majority of which start on Telos.

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Pain, it had been a constant companion in the recent years of Kaelan's life. Whether it was during the Mandalorian Wars or delving through the galaxy as an explorer and surveyor, it was always present. It manifested in different ways. Memories were the most common. The sights of friends long dead, worlds ravaged by conflict, and derelict ships floating in space were the more prevalent. The outcast had taken great care to suppress such things, locking them away in the dark recesses of his mind, but the memories could only be caged for so long. When they did come out, there was no stopping it. Kaelan was forced to relive the events, as though a part of himself were trying to make him confront and accept it. He never did though. The former General only watched as the events played through, a repeating cycle that could never be changed, never escaped.

The visions suddenly shifted and a different kind of pain could be felt, its effect so strong it eclipsed the emotional distress. Just when the exile felt like giving in, to end the searing pain that coursed like a fire through him, he felt a distant feeling of emptiness. It felt like a distant void, as though Kaelan could reach a place where he could end this torment and rid himself of his agony. The thought was more than a little appealing and so the former Jedi reached out, coaxing the sensation closer. It responded after several moments, drawing nearer and nearer until the agony had vanished. Delving fully into the strange phenomenon, Kaelan felt a mixed sense of familiarity before his perceptions went dark.

()()()

Awaken

The command echoed inside Kaelan's mind, jump-starting his previously inactive limbs. The sudden activity triggered the release system of the tank he was submerged in, his mind conscious enough for him to recognize the feeling of immersion within a kolto tank. The grates of a wide drain on the bottom of the tank snapped open, the healing fluid slowly receding into the storage chamber below. The veteran felt the familiar feelings of gravity take hold; his body slowly sank to the bottom of the tank. The transparisteel covering opened once the tank's independent systems registered the container was clear of kolto, leaving Kaelan's weak form to slump forward. Only a quickly extended hand saved him from smacking his face against the deck plating.

The exile stayed like that for a few moments, breathing deeply to try to fully regain his senses before he rose to his feet and took in the unfamiliar surroundings. The arrangement of more kolto tanks around the circular room made it clear to Kaelan that he was in the treatment section of a medical bay, the design of which did not conform to a Hammerhead class vessel, making it clear he was no long onboard the Harbinger. Gazing at the tanks themselves, he could see he was not the only one in the room. Humanoid forms could be seen suspended within the mildly opaque, white healing fluid in the tanks. Kaelan briefly considered starting the reviving process but checked his movements when he realized they were dead.

The sudden awareness made him freeze. He hadn't even looked at the displayed bio-readout, he had just known, as though he had sensed it. Impossible, the former Jedi thought, it has been gone for years. The mental statement did nothing to dissuade him, however, as he tried to call on the feeling again. It took a great deal of concentration, but he could feel that the life had left the others within the tanks long ago. The Force, which had once been so vibrant within him was a dull shadow by comparison now. Kaelan imagined it was how a Naboo Nightspider would feel if its giant web were reduced to a single spindle. The enhancement to his senses was back, but only if he focused in a single location, and even then it took a high degree of concentration that made it not as practical as it once was. It didn't really matter to the ex-General though; he had learned not to rely on the Force since his exile and, in four years, had become highly adept in a wide range of skills.

Pushing his thoughts away, Kaelan caught sight of an adjoining room and he moved inside. Various medicals beds and shelves positioned within a rectangular room a third the size of one on the Harbinger met his wandering gaze. A console positioned near the bay's exit promised to provide some sort of explanation and it was one Kaelan hoped would be kept as he moved toward it. Medical logs from the officer in charge were the first piece of stored data to catch his eye and, on instinct, he brought his left forearm toward the system to download the data. Instead of the sight of the transceiver attached to his armour, however, bare flesh was present instead. The sight made Kaelan realize his only apparel was his green and brown jumpsuit. He hadn't noticed at first since he had grown accustomed to wearing the protective attire, so much so that he rarely took it off.

Shaking his head to dispel his distracting thoughts, Kaelan accessed the first log, selecting for the text of the entry. Curiously only the logs from the past three days were the ones shown, but he accessed them all, hoping to shed some light on his current situation. The entries raised just as many questions as they answered, however. According to the medical officer, he had been recovered when the freighter Ebon Hawk touched down on the facility he was in, named Peragus. Kaelan could only assume he had somehow been transferred from the Harbinger to the Ebon Hawk while he was unconscious. It was a theory that seemed to fit since the last thing he remembered was the Hammerhead warship responding to a distress call that could have involved the freighter in question, though he knew that there could be other factors involved.

Apparently, trouble seemed to follow him to this facility as well. A number of accidents had occurred with the miners and their droids, a few bad enough to leave a group of miners both dead and critically wounded. A detonation was the last thing to be recorded by the logs, with a general order for lockdown being issued by the facility's failsafe systems not long after.

The Force Sensitive regarded the system's other functions. Video feed to the hallway outside and the morgue were the only other options of interest. Selecting the recording of the hallway, the sight of a damaged door filled the console's small display. It was easy to surmise that an effort had been made to lock the door either in response to the facility lockdown or manually, as evidenced by the entry way's rapidly moving locking mechanism on the left side, as the built-in electronic systems continually tried to form a seal. A brief scowl adored Kaelan's expression; the only way to get through the door would be to destroy the locking mechanism. Not an easy thing to do without weapons.

Switching to the morgue camera, the veteran could see a lot of bodies within the large chamber. He let out a snort when he realized that the morgue was larger than the medical bay, a fact that gave testament to why there were so many dead. "Fantastic medical care," Kaelan muttered to himself dryly as he unlocked the door.

Crossing out of the medical bay toward the now open door on the opposite side of the narrow hallway, the former General's gaze first fell onto an old woman just right of the entrance. He gazed at her for a moment, comparing her appearance to the others in the room. While the rest all wore similar blue and brown uniforms, the woman was dressed in robes. There was something else about her that gave him pause, something more than just her outlandish garb and it compelled him to reach out with the Force and try to sense what it was his instincts were telling him. After a full minute of Kaelan visibly straining with effort, he pulled back, having discovered something to give substance to his feeling. The woman was, in fact, still alive, though her heart rate and neural activity were incredibly slow, as though she were in some kind of stasis.

The former Jedi knew he didn't have any knowledge of how to attempt a revival so he simply looked to the other bodies, searching for something that could allow him to break the locking mechanism on the hallway door and move away from this section. While it was possible for the veteran to use some of the chemicals in the medical bay to form a corrosive substance to burn the lock on the hallway door, the creation and application could take hours and he wasn't one to wait for so long unless he had to. That being the case, Kaelan was aware it was just as unlikely for there to be anything of significance on any of the corpses. The lockdown, however, gave a strong possibility that the medical staff had left in a hurry and it was plausible that something of value still remained on some of the corpses.

He searched all of the bodies in the area, a search that passed quickly since most of the corpses had been stripped of everything prior to their placement in the room. Three of the bodies along the far end, however, were still in uniform. A utility belt with a few tools clipped to the sides, along with a first-aid kit and datapad within two of the pockets, caught the Force Sensitive's eye. Removing the belt from its previous owner and putting it around his own waist allowed him to examine the tools more closely. A plasma torch was the most prominent find among the survey equipment. A standard mining tool for most miners, the plasma torch was used to burn away the rock around a layer of located resources. The piece broken away could then be sent to a refinery, allowing for a greater collection of resource since the deposit could be harnessed in its entirety. Kaelan knew it would also be capable of burning through the lock on the door.

"Find what you're looking for amongst the dead?"

The veteran might've been startled if he hadn't already sensed that the old women near the morgue's entrance was alive. He turned to face her, unable to see her eyes now that the hood of her green robes was pulled over them. "I'm curious as to why the medical staff left someone alive in here."

It was an offhand statement but spoken in a way that demanded an explanation, something that the woman seemed to pick up on. "I was close to death, closer than I would've liked." She paused for a moment as though her atrophied eyes were looking him over. "You have the smell of the Kolto tank about you. How do you feel?"

A frown was her only reply at first as Kaelan mulled over her sentence. Kolto was a near odourless substance, only heightened senses could possibly discern the scent. While it seemed possible in her case, given her blindness, it didn't strike him as being possible. "A little disorientated," He finally answered cautiously, "Was it your voice I heard in the tank?"

"Yes, I had hoped as much. I slept here too long and could not awaken. It may be I reached out unconsciously and your mind must have been a willing one, or perhaps you have been trained for such things."

A small smirk played across her lips with her last sentence and it unnerved Kaelan a great deal. Her confession of speaking to his mind made it clear she was attuned to the Force on some level and the former General wondered if she had been sent by the Jedi to look for him. An undercurrent of rage poured through him at the thought, the idea of the very people who exiled him now looking for him was far from a welcome prospect. No sooner had the emotion appeared than it dissipated, however, something about the woman made him think that she had as much ties to the Jedi as he. "So you can touch minds and feign death," Kaelan said, listing off the abilities he had already learned she possessed. "Who are you?"

"I am Kreia and I am your rescuer as you are mine. Tell me, do you recall what has happened?"

Kaelan was left perplexed by the second half of her first statement, feeling as though there were more to the words than he thought. It took a moment for him to realize she had asked him a question. "Last thing I remember I was forcibly sedated on the Republic cruiser Harbinger," He had considered omitting his sedation but decided against it, there was nothing to be gained by such an act.

"Your ship was attacked," Kreia spoke, filling in the gaps. "You were the only survivor, a result of your Jedi training no doubt."

"If you think I am a Jedi, then you are mistaken." The veteran snarled, the thinly veiled rage returning.

"Your stance, your walk, say otherwise. You walk is heavy, you carry something that weighs you down."

A brief flash on the surface of Malachor V filled his mind before Kaelan suppressed the unwanted memory. "Let's deal with the now. Where are we?"

"I do not know." Kreia replied with a shake of her head," I was removed from the events of this world as I slept. A survey of the surroundings may provide the answers you seek." She looked around the room briefly, as if trying to focus on something. "The ship we arrived in must still be here, we should recover it and leave."

"Care to explain the sudden rush?" Kaelan asked, a single eyebrow raised at her hurried tone.

"We were attacked once and I fear our attackers will not give up the hunt so easily. Without transport, weapons, and information, they will find us easy prey indeed."

The former General nodded in acceptance of their pressing need. If everyone on the Harbinger had been killed by their mysterious pursuers, as Kreia caimed, it stood to reason that they were in danger. "I'll see if I can find a way out of here then."

"You may wish to extend your search to some clothes," A small amount of amusement in her voice, "If only for proper first impressions."

"Indeed," Kaelan said with a raised eyebrow. While his current state of undress left him with a slight problem when it came to defence, finding clothing was more of a secondary priority now that he knew he was being pursued.

"I'll leave you to the explorations of this place, here I will remain in an attempt to centre myself."

The ex-Jedi felt another stab of anger at the woman's inaction. Another Force Sensitive who just wants to meditate while a crisis brews around them, he thought with a barely suppressed growl. He managed to curb his anger long enough to offer a curt nod in acknowledgement before moving out of the room. Making a short detour to the medicaly bay, Kaelan withdrew the datapad from his captured belt and downloaded the medical officer's logs. Something told him it wouldn't hurt to have them for future reference. The veteran quickly made his way to the locked door, replacing the datapad and withdrawing the plasma torch. The plasma flow sparked to life with a touch of the ignition switch, an orange flame erupting from the end. Kaelan brought the torch near the door's locking mechanism, right in the centre. The metals used in the entryway's construction were not meant to be thermal resistant and it didn't take long for the locks to melt and the door to open.

Stepping through, Kaelan was met with the sight of destroyed droids and the scattered corpses of miners. Pieces of metal littered across sections of the room, faded scorch marks on the walls, and discarded pistols gave the indication that a battle had taken place. Moving further into the carnage, the former General picked up the closest pistol. It didn't take him long to realize that the weapon wasn't a blaster, but a mining laser.

Known for having a low temperature discharge, the lasers were used to excavate minerals that were more sensitive to heat. There were two firing modes on the equipment. The first was a continuous beam that made finite cuts into a harvesting site, reaching areas that could not be touched by plasma torches. The other mode was a single concentrated pulse that made it seem similar to its blaster counterparts. Only three shots could be fired every four seconds, however, a feature due to the equipment's built-in temperature regulator. The device monitored the laser's thermal output and would lock the trigger once it reached a specific level, a lock that would disengage once the levels returned to normal.

"Not exactly Vericon disruptors," Katelan muttered as he gathered two of the lasers that were in the best condition.

The veteran looked at the corpses of the miners, searching for holsters. Two of the fallen miners had a holster each, in addition to a vibroblade gripped in lifeless hands. Kaelan removed all of the items from their previous owners and equipped himself. Two of the laser holsters were tied to his belt, the lasers placed within, and the vibroblade was fitted through his utility belt.

Now full equipped, the outcast moved to another door that barred access to the rest of the facility. A quick touch of the enter button on the electronic interface near the centre of the entryway, allowed Kaelan to overcome such an obstacle. The section beyond was larger than its predecessor with the familiar sight of miner corpses and destroyed droids. Unlike the previous area, however, two of the mechanicals were active. They turned to regard the former Jedi, allowing him to analyze their model.

The mining droids were quatrapedal, a stocky head protruded from a small carapace that looked to have a complement of power rods attached. Extra mechanical limbs extended a foot away from the head, the ends of which were fitted with mining laser attachments. Further observation was cut off when the single photoreceptors of each droid focused on him, their laser equipped appendages discharging in single bursts. Kaelan didn't even bother moving as the shots went wild, he quickly withdrew his own ranged weapons and returned the favour, sending two blasts from each pistol in the heads of the droids. The pulses impacted into the optical centres of the mechanicals, effectively disabling them.

The exile holstered his pistols and pushed on, stopping briefly to look at a door built into an area where the metallic plate covering on the walls ended and the bare rock underneath was exposed. The entryway seemed to lead to one of the harvesting areas of the facility, but with no discernible way to open it the veteran moved on to the next section. Lockers lining the walls made Kaelan think the area was a storage room until his gaze fell on a cluster of consoles and terminals near the centre. Recognizing it instead as the facility's security centre, the former General wasted no time in raiding the lockers. The containers had all been cleared out, however, and so he switched his attention to one of the security stations.

It took a minute for Kaelan to bypass the station's own encryption and gain access to the facility's security network, but once he did he had access to nearby cameras. He cycled through the visual feed of adjoining sections, gazing intently at the console's small display. All of the areas the Force Sensitive saw either contained dead bodies, were crawling with droids, or were abandoned and he was about to terminate his interface when he caught sight of a person in the holding cells. It was hard to make out the individual's appearance on the small display, other than the fact that the person was a human male and that they were contained within a force cage. Kaelan wondered whether or not it would be wise to free the man but he eventually settled on a wait and see approach.

A few logs had been recorded by the senior security officer and the entries caught his attention just before he logged out. Not wanting to waste time reading more logs at this point, Kaelan withdrew the datapad from his utility belt. The miner it once belonged to had uploaded his designated mining locations on the day he was killed. The veteran deleted the entry and, instead, used it to download the security officer's logs.

The former Jedi left the security station behind as he continued his exploration, passing through a vacant area before standing just outside another door. His hand reached for the enter button, only to be stopped by the sound of a familiar voice. ::Be careful, there is much energy in the room beyond, yet it stems from nothing that lives.::

Kaelan stopped dead in his tracks, instinct taking over as he erected mental barriers that had long laid in ruins, obstacles that protected the sensitive areas of his mind. It was possible to force the foreign presence away, but the familiarity he felt from the voice made him stop. ::Kreia?::

::Can you not sense them? Reach out, cast aside your corporeal perceptions::

The exile hesitated, part of him still not sure if he wanted to immerse in the Force more than he already had. The hesitation was brief, however, barely a split second pause before he did as instructed. Immersing himself into the Force, Kaelan probed the adjoining section, seeking anything of interest. Such an interest came in the form of blurred outlines scattered across the massive chamber beyond. It didn't take him long to realize that the outlines were in the shape of the mining droids he'd recently encountered.

::Ah, you can feel them. The droids themselves you cannot percieve, but the small oscillations of energy can be, as they echo outwards::

It is starting to get easier to draw on the Force, Kaelan thought, realizing it had only taken a fraction of the original time to utilize the mystical energy field, with slightly less concentration.

::As it should. With more time, you will be able to feel the Force as strongly as you did before and, possibly, even more so::

The former General was left startled by Kreia's statement, either he had inadvertently sent his thoughts to her or she was able to read them. Either way it was clear he had to learn more regarding control. The old woman's presence left his mind after her last communication, allowing Kaelan to fully concentrate as he stretched out with the Force again and continued to probe the next section. His perceptions extended beyond his body as though he were using the energy currents excluded by the mechanicals to carry him across the room. He mentally marked the locations of the five droids in the chamber, only withdrawing his probe once he was satisfied he had it committed to memory.

With his hands on his holstered mining lasers, the veteran opened the door. The entryway had barely slid apart before he moved in, mining lasers gripped in his hands. Kaelan didn't move more than five metres before he rounded a corner, side-stepping to face a mining droid he already knew was there. A pulse from each of the lasers impacted into the droid's power system, rendering it useless. He was already moving before the last pulse had even found its mark, however, spinning to his left to fire at another droid on the opposite side of the room. The Force Sensitive veered to the left, stopping to fire off three pulses at each of the two droids on the far side of the chamber. He moved toward the other side as soon as he had confirmed the droids were inoperative, destroying the last mechanical with two pulses into its lone photoreceptor.

The former General holstered his weapons once he was sure the area was secure, letting his wandering eyes survey the chamber he had stepped into. The last mining droid had been positioned near a cluster of consoles toward what could have been designated as the 'front' of the area. Holographic display boards showed the current path of the asteroids around the space station, with projections for future changes in their orbit. Three enormous viewports had been fitted into the wall, the transparisteel enabling a view of the thousands of asteroids in the sector, in addition to incoming ships.

He moved toward the centre console and tried gain access to its systems, only to be met with failure. He had to resist the impulse to slam his hand on one of terminals in frustration when his attempts on the other stations yielded the same results. Realizing his efforts were wasted, Kaelan turned around and explored the rest of the area, looking for a clue as to how to proceed. Such an indication came in the form of a door protected by a security field. It was obvious to him, even without the use of the Force, that he had found the holding cells on Peragus. He studied the door intently, looking for a way to shut off the security field by conventional means. The lack of any discernible switch or interface made his search prove fruitless and so he turned to the Force. The power grid of the field, something normally impossible to touch while a field was active, was shutdown, allowing Kaelan to step toward the door unhindered.

His hand hovered near the enter command on the door's interface, when Kreia's voice entered his mind once again. ::Be mindful of the one that lies ahead. His thoughts are….difficult to read:: There was a pause as though she were still evaluating the prisoner. ::But you have nothing to fear from this one and he may yet prove useful::

The veteran sent his acknowledgement of her advisement and keyed the door to open. The prisoner turned to regard him as he entered, allowing Kaelan to get his first real look at him. The man was garbed in a loose fitting, sleeveless brown jacket, a white shirt visible underneath. Black boots and pants completed his attire and gloved hands ran through his short black hair while he scratched his head. A small smirk played across his lips as he saw Kaelan's current state of dress, or lack thereof. "Nice outfit. What, did you miners change regulation uniform while I've been in here?"

"Yes," Kaelan replied simply.

The prisoner took note of the man's stern looking face and hesitated briefly, "Uh…" He trailed off unable to form any kind of response at the newcomer's strange reply.

Kaelan moved until he was a few metres away from the man before continuing, a grin on his face and his tone woven with sarcasm. "I was about to stake a claim, can't you tell? The name's Kaelan Nalto," He continued once the captive let out a laugh, "You?"

"Atton, Atton Rand. Excuse me for not shaking hands," He said dryly, "The field only causes mild electrical burns."

"I suppose I can overlook this small oversight," The former General replied in kind, his grin still in place. His amusement faded from his expression, however, as he asked one of the many questions he wanted answers for. "Care to explain why you're locked up?"

"Security claimed I violated some trumped up regulation or another," He said with a shrug, "Take it up with them if you want. But they stopped listening to me shortly before they stopped feeding me. Now that's criminal."

Not being able to sense anything aside from a disregard for the rules he was referring to, Kaelan decided that Atton would be able to help him. "The facility is deserted, what happened?"

"You mean before or after that Jedi showed up?" Atton asked with a snort. "Either way it's a real short story. See, this Jedi shows up and you know what that means. Where there's one Jedi the Republic will soon be crawling up your ion engine in no time. But the story gets better," He said with a smirk, "See, some of the miners get it into their little ferrocrete skulls that since the Jedi is unconscious, they can collect the bounty the Exchange has posted for live Jedi."

"There's a bounty on Jedi?" Kaelan asked with a snarl, his anger returning to levels he hadn't felt in years, "Why?"

Atton cocked his head at the newcomer's anger, but decided not to ask about it. "Don't know much about it. Maybe the Exchange wants one as a trophy or one of the higher-ups in the organization has a grudge against Jedi. Aren't many of them left now, wouldn't surprise me if the bounty's pretty high."

His last sentence stopped Kaelan's thoughts cold, "Not many Jedi?" He echoed in disbelief. "What happened to them?'

"The ones that weren't killed in the Jedi Civil War ended up switching off the lightsabers long ago, word is there's not even a Jedi Council anymore, but who knows."

The former General wanted to ask what exactly the Jedi Civil War was. He'd heard stories in his excursions throughout the Outer-Rim, rumours and second-hand accounts of battles raging above and on scattered worlds, battles involving the Sith. He hadn't paid too much attention to them though, as far as he was concerned galactic wars no longer had any significance to him. Angry at himself for letting his distractions get the best of him, he pushed his thoughts aside and took measures to try to suppress his rage. "Look, I need to know exactly what's happened here."

"Yeah well, no offence or anything, but your weird half-naked interrogation isn't my..," Atton trailed off, suddenly studying Kaelan carefully. "Hey, wait a minute! You're the Jedi the miners were talking about! Are they still alive?"

"Not from what I've seen so far and I wouldn't put much faith in the thought either."

"The miners can't all be gone," Atton thought to himself, his gaze switching to the bottom of his force cage. "But if they are…" Again, he broke off, his downcast eyes suddenly locking with Kaelan's. "Look, let me out and I can help you. I can. I've gotten out of trouble countless times."

"I'm sure you'll forgive me if I don't feel terribly convinced," The exile said, wanting to coax more answers from Atton before he agreed. He may not have sensed anything wrong with him through the Force, but after years of living without it, he found relying on his traditional senses to be more dependable. "Telling me your plan might convince me otherwise."

The prisoner thought about it for a second, a look of respect dawning on his face. "Smart not to take things at face value. Alright, this facility is far from a military installation, so its lockdown protocols will be easy enough to circumvent. I just need access to the emergency systems and I can get us a path straight to the hangar. We grab a ship then we fly out of here."

Kaelan could tell from the way he spoke that his offer to help was genuine. "Sounds simple enough," He said while he deactivated the force cage, allowing Atton to finally step out.

"Feels great to be free again," Atton said as he walked to the entrance of the holding cells. "Well, figuratively speaking of course," He added once he caught sight of Kaelan's amused expression, realizing the both of them were still confined within the mining facility.

The two ran to the control section of the facility, with Atton moving to the central station once he was close enough. "Alright here we are," The former convict said as he started to key into the system, to Kaelan's surprise. Now this section is usually set for automatic hail, you probably heard it when you came in."

"Yes," Kaelan said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "Because I'm always aware of my surroundings when I'm unconscious."

"Right," Atton said with an offhand glance to his companion, "Well anyway the hail warns incoming ships to keep their distance until the asteroid drift charts can be transmitted. Then it provides docking instruction to incoming ships, usually freighters. Thing is," Atton continued, a grip spreading across his face, "You bounce that same transmission back to the COM here and suddenly you've got access to the communications from the inside. Pure pazaak, the console's ours!" A whoop of self-congratulation escaping him, "Now all we need to do is activate the tuborlifts, cancel the emergency lockdown—," His hands, which had been a flurry of activity, came to a sudden halt, a cry of indignation escaping his lips.

"Don't tell me," Kaelan couldn't help but guess, "More problems?"

"Afraid so," Atton replied, a sour expression etched on his features as he turned to face his Force Sensitive companion. "This section has been severed from the main hub."

It didn't take much thought to know that no emergency lockdown would result in isolation from the rest of the facility. Specific sections might be sealed but they would still be able to be opened, not to mention that no electronic system would be disrupted, such a thing would be counter-productive to the safety concept behind the procedure. "That wouldn't be a result of the lockdown."

"No it wouldn't, someone wanted to leave us here, trapped."

Kaelan thought about their predicament for a few seconds, "You're better with these systems than I am, anything else you can do?"

A shake of the head was his response, "All we have is communications back."

"Maybe we can contact some of the miners. It is possible some of them are still alive."

"You could try," Atton said warily, "But if the miners were trying to kill you and sell you to the Exchange, why not call them and chat?"

"Point," The veteran conceded, "But there's no question that we're going to need help if we want to go anywhere; might as well access the COM system."

"Be my guest."

The former General moved to the central station, keying for a listing of sections with still active COM systems. He decided to avoid the dormitories unless he had no other choice; the thought of contacting people likely to betray him at some point was not a welcome prospect. That left the main Hangar Bay as his only other option, he sent out a broadband emission to the area's system. The signal would trigger the COM in the hangar, letting those in vicinity know that they were being contacted. Several seconds passed with no follow up transmission forth-coming. Kaelan was considering trying a different approach when a faint whirr could be heard emitting from an established link.

"Is anyone there?" He asked, his tone portraying a sense of doubt. The noise resembled more of a feedback pulse from his broadband emission, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was something else.

The noise was repeated, much louder this time, and with the unmistakable tone of a droid. From the soft whistles and beeps, the mechanical was most likely a utility model, a damaged one at that. "Are you operational?" Kaelan asked once the mechanical's transmission finally came to a stop.

A string of louder, and if the former General wasn't mistaken, more confident sounding beeps met his statement, letting him know the droid was indeed functioning. "Is it possible to provide access to other areas of the facility? We're on the administration level but there's no way out."

The droid sent back a slightly alarmed sound whirr, citing the mining tunnels as the only other section he could access. "I'd appreciate it if you could open up the tunnel entrance for this level."

A soft whistle portrayed the utility droid's concerns but it acknowledged the order and signed off. "Tell me you're joking."

Kaelan turned from the console to meet Atton's disbelieving gaze. "I'm not joking."

"I heard an explosion earlier before you came to see me; I'm guessing it's what triggered the emergency lockdown. If that's the case, than those areas are going to be filled with superheated rock and collapsed blast tunnels, you'd be crazy to go down there."

"Then I'll be crazy," Kaelan said with a smirk.

"Alright," Atton said with a shake of his head, "I can stay here and try to monitor your progress when you go down."

With that said, Atton turned back to the communication console and started to move his hands along the interface once again. Kaelan contented himself with simply sitting on the ground, happy for the break so he could finally immerse into his thoughts. His life had changed dramatically within the last four days, he had boarded a Republic ship for the first time since his status as a General, learned that he was being pursued by a mysterious group, and had a brief history lesson on galactic events.

The last was the more disturbing, learning that the rumours in the Outer Rim of another war had been true, that the Jedi were all but extinct, and that the Exchange, the notorious criminal organization, was interested in hunting the remaining Jedi was more than he had expected. While Kaelan had felt an intense anger when he first heard the status of the Order, it had since subsided, and he found he wasn't really sure whether to care or not. It was a line of thinking that unnerved him to the core. For him, the word Jedi did not refer to the ones that blindingly embraced the Jedi Code, rather it was a more fitting title of the Revanchists, the ones who had defended the Republic in its greatest time of need while the others only watched as the galaxy burned.

The very thought was enough to rekindle the rage he had taken pains to suppress and he found himself forcing to get it under control. When the outcast finally did, he couldn't help the guilt that replaced it. Part of him felt he was disgracing the Order by making such claims of what a Jedi was, disgracing those who hadn't followed Revan and Malak, people he once considered friends. Another part of him didn't care, however, it was a part of him that strongly believed in the reasons he went to join the Mandalorian Wars in the first place. The further he thought about it, the more his emotions continued to grow and he had to fight to get them under control. The exile shook his head in an attempt to dispel the wanderings of his mind; it wasn't something he wanted to indulge in, especially not in hostile territory.

Loud beeping from the central station gave Kaelan the reprieve he craved. He moved back to his feet, just as Atton turned to face him. "Well what do you know, that little cargo cylinder came through."

"So it seems," He responded with a quirk of his lips. His hand moved down to the mining laser on his right side and he pulled it free of its holster. "Take this," Kaelan said as he tossed it at the ex-convict, who caught it with his right hand. "Given the state of this facility, I wouldn't be surprised if more mining droids were around."

"Thanks for the happy thought." Atton stated dryly, laying the weapon down on the communications console while he retrieved an item from the bottom of the terminal. "Since we're exchanging gifts," He said as he threw the retrieved object at his companion, "Here. It's a COM-link so we can stay in touch."

"I didn't know you cared," Kaelan stated with a slight grin as he placed the small rectangular item in one of the pouches on his belt.

"I don't," Atton said with a shrug, though the veteran could tell it was false. "Now get going."

Kaelan gave a nod in acknowledgement and moved back in the direction of the medical bay, veering to the right once he reached the sight of the mining tunnels. The blast door that previously barred access was no longer present, leaving him with no further obstacles as he made his way into the tubrolift within and keyed for a descent.

Three minutes passed before the rapidly descending lift reached the bottom. The turbolift doors parted to reveal a wide hallway reinforced with durasteel beams that ran across the ceiling and walls. Lights imbedded within the walls provided adequate illumination as the former General continued to move forward. A simple touch of the entry key on the far door was sufficient to allow it to slide open, revealing a small room containing plasteel cylinders and bulky storage containers. Believing it to be a supply or staging area for miners, Kaelan moved to the closest container and opened it. To his surprise, he found a mining uniform inside the first. He withdrew the blue shirt, overlaying brown vest, brown pants, and brown shoes from the container.

Working quickly, the exile was able to don the attire in two minutes, all of his gear now attached to the uniform instead of his jumpsuit. On a whim, he checked one of the other containers and found a cache of energy shields inside. Utilizing rechargeable power cells, the devices projected a field of energy that protected the wearer from specific dangers. Different models protected against different things, some provided shielding against standard energy attacks, while others were designed to protect against melee attacks, or even environmental hazards. Given that it was a mining shield, the veteran believed it to fall into the latter and so he tied the shield around his right upper arm.

A soft ping from one of the pockets of his belt made Kaelan withdraw the COM-link he'd been provided. "I'm here."

"Good," Atton's voice came from the unit, slightly distorted. "It's hard to hear you though, there's a lot of static."

"Same on this end."

"I'm tracking your position with the COM-link and it looks like you're in the miner's staging area. Any supplies left?"

"Now that you mention it I did find a uniform in one of the storage containers."

"About time," Atton said with visible relief, "The whole half-naked Jedi thing was starting to take its toll."

"I'm sorry Atton," The veteran said, a grin in place, "I didn't realize I was such a distraction to you."

There was a few seconds of silence and Kaelan's grin only grew wider when he realized that Atton was probably glaring at the communication console. "I haven't been in prison that long," He finally responded stiffly, though there was an undercurrent of amusement there too.

A chuckle escaped the former General at the ex-convict's tone, "Anything interesting to report?"

"Yeah, I've tried to narrow down some of the ID signals in the tunnels and, well if what I'm seeing here is any indication, you're sharing the area with a good hundred mining droids."

"Fantastic," Kaelan muttered dryly.

"I can't isolate where they are exactly, most of them could be in different parts of the tunnels, or they could be straight ahead of you. Stay alert."

"Let me know if detect anything else." The former Jedi waited for his companion's acknowledgement before placing the COM-link back into his belt.

Withdrawing both of his two remaining weapons, mining laser in his left hand and vibroblade in his right, the outcast advanced. Moving out of the staging area, he found himself in a hallway where the durasteel plating ended and the bare rock of the hollowed out section of the asteroid was left exposed. The sound of metal clacking against rock as the former General reached the end of the first hallway made him glance into the adjoining section. The sight of a group of mining droids holding position near the rock walls made him consider whether or not to use the mining laser.

He didn't need to make use of the Force to know that the mechanicals were mining and, since he still had no idea what the valued commodity here was, he decided to holster the laser and rely on the vibroblade. The thought of a melee weapon becoming his primary weapon once again threatened to drudge up memories but he quickly suppressed them. Anger surged through him once again as he couldn't help but wonder why his recollections seemed to surge forth every few minutes. He had taken pains to ignore them for five years and had been relatively successful, but ever since his connection to the Force had returned, the part of him that wanted to confront and accept the past had grown in strength and he was finding it harder to block it.

Rather than wait for his anger to dissipate, he used it to his advantage, allowing it to give him more focus. The emotion had been something he had fallen back on throughout his exile, an anchor that kept him steady through the worst of storms. Stretching out his senses, Kaelan could detect seven mechanicals in the area ahead. Most of them were clustered together so he knew using only a vibroblade wouldn't pose much of a problem. He only pulled back once he memorized the locations of the droids and then charged ahead.

The quatrapedal mechanicals, with their photoreceptors focused on the rock, never noticed the advancing veteran until he struck with a whirlwind of motion. His melee weapon slashed across the head of the closest droid and then was brought in a swift diagonal uppercut against the carapace of the neighbouring droid. The next mechanical was just out of range, giving it time to turn to face its aggressor before the vibroblade was thrusted forward, piercing the lone photoreceptor. A blade by itself wouldn't have harmed the droids in anyway, but vibroblades were named so for the ultrasonic generator placed within the handle. It caused the blade to vibrate at incredible speeds, allowing it to pierce through the droid's plating enough to sever circuitry. A searing pain shot through his right arm just as the thrusted blade impacted into its intended target, making him look to see that another mechanical had joined the fray.

The newcomer had neglected to switch the firing modes of his mining laser attachments, however, resulting in a beam discharge rather than a pulse. While this prevented his arm from becoming unusable, it left him with a deep wound that would need to be treated. Ignoring the pain from his arm as he maintained the grip on his melee weapon, Kaelan brought it slashing across the droid's head. With the last mechanical disabled, the exile holstered his vibroblade and inspected his wound.

While the lasers fired low temperature discharges, they were still capable of searing through flesh; it just took a couple of more pulses than a blaster. The droid's beam had burned away the clothing around his forearm, cutting through his skin and ending just shy of the nerves. Withdrawing the medical kit from his pouch, the former General applied a layer of disinfectant that stung to the point where he had to grit his teeth, and then sealed it with a kolto patch. The patches were less strong than their injection or tank counterparts but the concentration of the medical substance was enough to increase the body's natural regeneration capability.

With that accomplished, Kaelan placed the med-kit back in his utility belt and continued pushing forward. Various durasteel support columns were positioned against the rock walls, though it was clear to him as he passed by a collapsed section that the columns could only provide so much support. A few minutes passed into his journey until he caught sight of damaged refineries in the area. Large cylindrical tubes sprouted from a wide base. The tubes were filled with a yellowish substance that Kaelan could only assume was the commodity being mined. The refineries featured collecting ports where miners and droids would deposit the extracted rocks with the desired resource. From there, the refinery's systems would analyze the sample, strip away the unnecessary components and siphon the resource itself into a storage chamber above.

In this case, however, the side of the refinery had been damaged; the tube had been breached and was leaking its contents into the tunnel. That in itself wasn't a problem but a glance to the next passage showed that part of the leak had been caught in the wake of explosion Atton had mentioned, a fact supported by the sight of superheated rock in the section beyond. Pulling out his COM-link he contacted his companion, "Atton, I've got a problem here."

"I was just about to tell you that," Atton replied with a note of surprise. "That explosion has superheated the section near you. I wouldn't recommend stepping in, that stuff will cock the skin off your bones."

"Any suggestions for getting past this?"

"Checking," There was a pause as Atton could be heard tapping away at the one of the consoles in the control centre. "There's another tunnel that intersects that passage about ten metres behind you."

"I've already seen that, it collapsed."

"Huh, strange that it doesn't register on the readout here." The former prisoner paused, as if wondering why such a thing would occur. "In that case, the only other way to continue forward is to get a mining shield and switch it on. They'll protect you against heat but you've got to be quick if you want to make it in one piece."

"Understood,' Kaelan responded, switching off the COM-link and putting it back in his belt.

His attention turned to the mining shield on his arm as he keyed for activation. Almost instantly, the exile could feel the field project around his body. He moved to holster his vibroblade and was immediately reminded of why he hated the devices. Although the energy field projected as close to the skin as possible, in order to allow weapons to be held, it was still far enough away that it made him feel as though his movements were cumbersome. After a fashion, he holstered his blade and ran into the superheated section of the tunnel. Visibility proved to be extremely low within the thick steam clouds; he had to rely on the Force to be his second sight as he sprinted for the end of the passageway. The former General made it with seconds to spare, if the power readout on his shield were any indication.

Powering down the shield, Kaelan withdrew his vibroblade once again and advanced further into the tunnel. He paused when he was close to a point where the tunnel linked to a large chamber. Several mining droids were moving around the area, but while the other group had been actively mining, these ones looked as though they were on patrol. Pushing the consideration aside for later, the veteran knew it would be a risk to engage seven droids with just a vibroblade so he decided to thin their numbers first. Exchanging the blade for the laser, Kaelan took aim and fired off three pulses. Two of the discharges impacted into the photoreceptors of the droids, as he had intended, but the last once impacted into the droid's plating. The single pulse only had the strength to weaken the plating and not damage it, leaving the five droids to switch their attention to the aggressor in their midst.

A barrage of laser pulses was easily avoided with a quick side-step, only two of the discharges managed to be fired in his direction. Kaelan had time to fire off two more shots of his own before the next salvo. His aim proved to be sufficient this time, both of the pulses impacted into the photoreceptors of two droids, disabling them. Taking out his vibroblade, the outcast charged forward, rolling once to evade fire before he was within striking distance. Two of the mechanicals to either side of him were quickly disabled with downward slashes, while the last had the vibroblade pierce through the top of his head, rendering enough circuitry useless to bring an end to the last threat.

With the obstacle out of the way, the Force Sensitive proceeded forward into a large chamber completely covered in durasteel plating. Containment fields were active in the corners, the sight of refineries and mining droids visible behind them. In the centre, a walkway stood over a shaft below, with an antenna array above. The walkway segments at opposite ends of the pit met in a circular platform that housed a databank. Further observation was interrupted by the ping of the exile's COM-link. "Yes?'

"If these readings are correct, you're in the main ventilation shaft. The central droid controller should be nearby, keep an eye out for it."

"I'm looking at it already."

"Good, then you should be able to gain access to the droids."

"Understood."

The lack of any potential threats made Kaelan holstered his vibroblade and moved onto the walkway and toward the databank. Various numbers and listings scrolled across the terminal's displays, he recognized them as transmitted priority signals to droids in the area pertaining to mining. The databank was connected to the various electronic systems scattered throughout the tunnel, enabling the system to provide automatic updates to the droids in the field. Tapping into the droid network, the exile was left puzzled by the fact that the mining signals had been rerouted to reflect them back onto the databank, effectively preventing the commands from reaching the droids. He tried to track the source of the rerouting command but was met with an encryption that would take hours to bypass.

Ignoring it for the moment, the veteran accessed the droid file itself and keyed for a display of the schematics. A display of the quatrapedal mechanicals appeared on the databank's screen. Written specifications revealed that the droids utilized a thermal optic interface, letting Kaelan know he would be able to blind them by raising the temperature, He promptly inputted the command, able to feel the heat level build by several degrees right away. The last obstacle to take care of was the containment fields, he watched with satisfaction as the purple coloured fields faded away. The satisfaction quickly turned to wariness as he felt a small flutter beneath his feet and Kaelan knew that a 'flutter' in an area composed exclusively of durasteel was not good.

His COM-link gave a sharp ping, the former General had a bad feeling withdrew the device. "I'm reading that the containment fields are shutting down," Atton's voice came in before he could say a word.

"I take it that's bad?"

"You could say that. Without containment the automated systems are going to start venting fuel to the asteroid surface, through the tunnels."

Atton didn't need to finish for the former General to realize what would happen. With scattered sections of superheated rock, there was a high chance the fuel would ignite on its way to the surface, turning the tunnels into an inferno. "Can you override the system?"

"Not from here, I don't have enough access and even if I did, I doubt I'd fix it in time." There was a pause, the sounds of Atton keying in commands on his console audible even over the COM-link. "I'm locking down the turbolift to the administration section now to keep the blast from spreading, but I estimate that you've got two minutes before the fuel starts to vent in your area."

Not needing any further encouragement, Kaelan quickly placed the COM-link back in its pouch and stretched out with the Force, with four possible ways he wanted to be sure he picked the right one. It didn't take him long to know that the top right corner led to another turbolift so he took off in a sprint, avoiding the now blind mining droids as they wandered about the tunnels aimlessly. The former Jedi moved through small durasteel covered passages and knew he was getting close, he also knew that didn't have much time so he started to step out further and faster with his feet.

After a while he caught sight of the turbolift door he so desperately searched for, a flicker of his sense told him he didn't have long. The veteran reached the turbolift just as he could feel a violent shake in the tunnels, a sound quickly followed by the sight of a fireball already moving toward him. He had just enough time to close the door and key for an ascent, finally grateful that the lift was fast moving.

It didn't take long for the tubrolift to grind to a halt, the doors opening onto the one of the surface levels. The outcast didn't take more than five steps before he caught sight of a corpse, an individual garbed in a miner's uniform was laid on his back, his lifeless eyes staring at the ceiling. Upon closer inspection it was easy to see how the man died, sections of his body were scorched, suggesting that mining droids had used the beam mode of their lasers to 'mine' the man.

"Greeting: It is a pleasure to see you alive Master," An eerily familiar voice called from the other side, the sound of its mechanical limbs clacking against the durasteel floor as it approached him. "Provided my receptors are not off focus, how may I be of assistance?"

"You can assist by telling me everything you remember between the Harbinger and here." Kaelan replied, wanting to know how the quirky protocol droid had escaped the Republic cruiser when no-one else had.

"Irritated Answer: Master it is such a long, dull story and not terribly relevant to our current situation."

"I disagree, so why don't you tell me anyway?"

"Hesitant Explanation: That has been the subject of discussion since our arrival here Master. Many have attempted to claim you, and this unit, as salvage." The droid's vocabulator allowed it to say the last word with utter revulsion. "I was crudely interrogated concerning our brief history onboard the Harbinger before it was seized by hostiles."

"Why don't I remember any of this?" Kaelan managed to ask the question with a convincing tone of confusion. He knew perfectly well that he had been sedated, but there was something about the HK unit that had been nagging at him ever since it first escorted him to his quarters on the Hammerhead class cruiser. Now he wanted to see if the feeling was justified.

"Speculation: It is possible you were incapacitated and locked in one of the well shielded cargo compartments."

An oddly specific theory, the former General thought with a raised eyebrow, a difficult thing to even speculate on unless it was responsible for the incident. "So how did I get from the Harbinger to here?"

"Recitation: After responding to a distress call from a freighter with unknown ID codes and discovering that it was under attack by a warship, the Captain sent boarding parties to secure the ship. It was after the soldiers returned that your cargo compartment was breached and you were taken onboard the freighter. I, too, managed to board the ship before the Harbinger was destroyed. We were both fortunate to have survived Master."

First it speculates about the cargo compartments than it talks about them as though it were a well known fact. Kaelan couldn't help but be more suspicious of the droid the more it spoke, the chances of a protocol droid boarding an unknown ship and leave the vessel it was programmed to serve on were practically astronomical. As shifty as the mechanical was, however, he need more answers. "What was this freighter that sent the distress signal and why was it there?"

"Explanation: I believe it was a smuggler's vessel by the name of the 'Ebon Hawk.'" The droid was silent for a moment before continuing, "Speculation: As for its purpose, I do not know. Perhaps it was always its intention to play dead, kidnap you from the Harbinger, and rob me of my bounty."

"Bounty?" The exile practically snarled. If the mechanical was programmed to be a bounty hunter, it would explain the erratic behaviour demonstrated both on the cruiser and here, the role of a protocol droid would be hard to maintain. But if that was true it brought up the question of why he would have a price on his head to begin with.

"Quick Clarification: By bounty, I refer to your life Master. It would pain me to see you damaged in anyway. That is why the arrival of this 'Ebon Hawk' caused me considerable distress."

"I'm sure it did," Kaelan replied, making no effort to his sarcasm. "What happened once we arrived here?"

"Explanation: Despite my market value Master, the miners were far more interested in you. It did not take me long to ascertain the reason for this. While an HK protocol droid is a valuable piece of property, Jedi are worth much more in certain…exclusive markets across the galaxy."

Collect the bounty the Exchange has posted for live Jedi, the words Atton had spoken to him earlier came rushing back at the droid's words.

"Painful Admission: I must confess to feelings of inferiority at the speculated differences between my market value and the price for your capture. I was forced to remind myself that it was not due to a failing of model or function, but because you were a Jedi."

Ignoring the 'protocol' droid's rant, Kaelan continued to press for answers. "How exactly did they find out I was a Jedi?"

"Surprised Answer: Why, I told them Master. You are the exiled Jedi who served with Revan in the Mandalorian Wars, are you not?" The HK unit took a moment to pause, as though making himself look regretful for his actions. "I hope all that has happened has not been due to a miscommunication. If so, then the problem lies with the coreward databases, which are notoriously spotty."

"Information about Jedi would not be in coreward databases…only in the Jedi Archives." Even as the words fell from the veteran's mouth, part of him couldn't help but wonder what exactly had happened to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and the enclave at Dantooine. If there were only a small number of Jedi left, as Atton said, then the temple and enclave would most likely be abandoned. If that was the case, then the information in the databanks wouldn't be as secure as it once was.

"Indignant Exclamation: Master, I am only a protocol droid! But it is part of my function to know such information and relay it to any interested parties."

"Yes, yes," Kaelan dismissed tiredly, not even bothering to listen to the droid's lies. "What happened to the miners then?"

"Answer: All that has happened has been because they believe you to be a Jedi, Master. They debated what to do with you as lay unconscious in the medical bay. One group seemed intent on selling you as property, the other group opposed this. Three standard hours after the division within their ranks became apparent; accidents began to occur throughout the facility. A result of improper maintenance I believe."

There had been a slight hesitation before the droid spoke the last statement, a hesitation that only reinforced his already strong suspicion that the droid was an employed bounty hunter.

"These accidents," The HK unit continued, "Coincided with the degradation of the mining droid behavioural cores, crude models are prone to such failures. This resulted in murderous rampages, leaving the mortality rate of organics to rise quickly. Many miners began to join you in the medical bay as a series of flawlessly timed detonations occurred in isolated gas pockets in the lower levels of the facility. The explosions herded the miners into emergency sections of the stations, quickly and efficiently cutting them off from communications and facility control."

The pride in the droid's voice on the words flawlessly, quickly, and efficiently was unmistakable and it was clear that droid had been behind the disaster at the facility. Not to mention his explanation of the mining droid's behaviour cores degrading did not make any sense. Kaelan had to resist the urge to pull out his mining laser and fire, there was no guarantee the pulses would be able to pierce through the mechanical's armour. His anger was back full force with the knowledge that the droid before him was responsible for the death of the facility's entire personnel and it demanded to be sated.

Remembering Kreia's lesson from earlier about feeling for droids, Kaelan stretched out with the Force and sensed the energy rippling out of the HK unit. Taking it further, the outcast plunged his senses forward, following the energy current to its source. It took only a few moments until he found his mark, the droid's power core. With an extension of his hand, the Force Sensitive completely disrupted the droid's energy source, leaving the now deactivated 'protocol' droid to fall onto the deck plating.

Withdrawing his mining laser, the exile set the firing mode to its steady beam and slowly started to cut away the armour protecting the power core itself. It took a few minutes before the item in question was exposed and he wasted no time in removing it and tossing it aside. Now without the threat of the droid reinitializing, Kaelan grabbed a hold of the mechanical and started to drag it away with him. If this was a bounty hunting droid, it was possible there were more of them. If that was the case, he wanted to know all he could about them. Since there wasn't enough time here on Peragus, Kaelan would just have to take the droid with him.

Moving back into the hallway with the turbolift in it, droid in tow, the outcast looked for where to move to next. A door at the opposite end of the corridor, relative to the lift, seemed to be the next logical step. Emerging from the door, he found himself in an enormous area where a large section of the asteroid had been hollowed out, with durasteel plating used as structural reinforcement. A security field barred access to the left and so Kaelan moved to the door on the far right. When he was within twenty metres, however, the entryway slid apart to reveal two mining droids. While the other models had been quatrapedal in design, the newcomers were bipedal. Constructed with the thought of echoing humanoid shape, the droids were two metres tall with two power rods protruding from their backs. One arm was fitted with a mining laser attachment while the other had three grasping appendages, presumably to make it easier to get a hold of extracted rock.

Before they even had a chance to fire, Kaelan's laser was already in his grasp and aimed at the mechanical threat, his right hand no longer holding on to the HK unit. A flick of the selection switch changed the firing mode back to a pulse and the veteran wasted no time in squeezing the trigger. Due to his quick, snapping movement he didn't have time to aim for the droid's vulnerabilities so, by default, he aimed for the centre of mass. The three discharges struck the mechanical directly in the chest plating, making the droid stagger with every impact until the final pulse broke through the weakened plating, destroying the systems beneath and leaving the useless droid to fall to the deck.

By then, its partner was opening fire and Kaelan was surprised to find the need to evade the pulses, as the majority of them were fired in his direction. By the time he recovered from his sideways roll, his laser was ready to fire again. A precise hit to one of the power rods jutting from the mechanical's back caused an overload of its systems. A power surge caused sparks to emit from several areas on the droid before, it too, collapsed on the floor.

The former General waited a moment for any more droids to show up. When none appeared he grabbed the arm of his mechanical burden and continued forward. The area where the bipedal droids had come from led to another turbolift that the Force Sensitive hoped would lead back to the administration level as he stepped inside and keyed for an ascent. For once, the former Jedi was lucky, the turbolift door parted to show he was back on the level he had started on. It didn't take long to spot Atton furiously inputting commands into the central console in the control area and he quickly made his approach.

"Atton," He called when he was only ten metres away.

Startled, the former prisoner started to make a grab for the mining laser on the console, but checked his movements once the familiarity of the voice registered. "Kaelan," He said once he turned around to face his approaching companion. "It's about time. I lost your signal after the fuel vent in the mining tunnels; I was beginning to think you were dead."

"Sorry to disappoint," Kaelan said with a shrug and a small smile.

Atton's only response was snort of laughter and a shake of his head, though he stopped once he caught sight of the droid at Kaelan's side. "Friend of yours?"

"Hardly," The former General said with a scowl as he tossed the mechanical forward a bit to bring its form more into the former convict's view. "Only the reason this facility is in shambles."

"A protocol droid?"

"It's no protocol droid," The veteran replied, narrowed eyes fixated on the droid in question.

Before the smuggler could ask what his companion meant by that, the COM station started to beep softly. Atton moved toward it with an intrigued expression, one that quickly tuned to a look of sheer disbelief. Kaelan noticed the look as soon as it formed, "What's wrong?"

"I don't believe this," Atton said, trying to confirm what was already on the display. "There's a ship coming in, sending a docking code."

"Could it be a freighter making a pickup?"

The ex-convict looked out of the central viewport and his eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the approaching ship, "That's no freighter."

Kaelan followed Atton's gaze and felt a surge of apprehension. Approaching the mining facility was the very ship he thought he'd never see again, the Republic Hammerhead class ship Harbinger. While every ship of similar class was the same in design and specification, the unique pattern of colour stripes shipyard workers were allowed to apply at the end of completion, distinguished each ship. The red bordering on the bow of the incoming vessel was the exact same he'd seen on Eriadu and it left no doubt in his mind that the cruiser had, in fact, not been destroyed as the HK unit believed.

"I've got a bad feeling about this."

Kaelan could only nod in mute agreement, though he shook away his feelings and concentrated on the task at hand, a task made all the more important by the approach of the Harbinger. If the bounty hunting droid was right, then the cruiser had been hijacked by enemies and Kaelan had a well founded suspicion that they were the very individuals Kreia had first warned him about. Thinking of Kreia made him realize she was still in the morgue. He tried to reach the woman's mind as she had done to him but found that he could not. Realizing he would have to physically tell her, he told Atton to wait for him and then sprinted for the medical bay.

The exile only made it past the security room before he could see the old woman he was trying to reach running towards him. He met Kreia halfway, her expression clearly showing that she already knew what he had sought to inform her of. "Our enemy has arrived, we must leave at once."

"Who exactly is this enemy you keep mentioning?"

"The answers are long and time is short, come."

Kaelan nodded, filing away his questions for later, as he moved back to the area he had just come from, Kreia at his side. The pair found Atton as Kaelan had left him, gazing out at the cruiser now docked with the facility. At the sound of approaching footsteps, the former prisoner turned to look at them. His greeting for Kaelan died in his throat when he laid eyes on Kreia. "What in space is going on? Who's this, another Jedi? What did you start breeding when I wasn't looking?'

"Atton, there's no time. Grab your weapon and let's move."

Kaelan's tone was sharp, one he'd only used during his days as a General and it instantly had the former prisoner's attention. "Uh, alright. I'm guessing that Republic ship isn't carrying friends of yours."

"I hope your talent for understatement is offset by your skill with a blaster. If not, I fear our time together will be short indeed."

"Yeah," Atton drawled as he looked at the strange woman in front of him. "I'm also good at running and drinking, your majesty."

Kreia scowled at the ex-convict and opened her mouth to retort. Despite the amusement garnered by the scene between the two, Kaelan stifled any further argument. "Enough, we need to get out of this facility and that warship is the key."

With that said, the exile draped the HK unit over his shoulders and the group of three moved to the docking hardpoint on the facility. A branching passageway to the left of the control room was their destination. They found the airlock already opened when they arrived, a sign that those onboard the cruiser were already scouring the facility. Moving through Peragus' extended umbilical, the veteran opened the familiar elliptical doors of the Hammerhead class vessel and boarded the cruiser once more.

Instead of being met with the bright interior lighting as he had on Eriadu, however, a dull flickering was present instead. Kreia was the first to put the uneasiness into words. "Something is wrong, I sense no-one on board."

Atton glanced down the vacant corridor they were in and the equally abandoned adjoining section. "Now who's the one with a talent for understatement."

"Everyone here has been slain," Kreia continued, blatantly ignoring Atton's remark. "Yet there are no signs of battle, no carbon scoring. This place has been hit by assassins of a strange sort."

The old woman's calm conclusion on the presence of assassins did noting to allay Atton's fear. "Then what are we doing on this ship? We were better off in the facility! You two are supposed to be Jedi," The former prisoner said with a glance between his two companions, "You two are the worst Jedi I've ever met!"

"Maybe you'd like it back in your cell," Kaelan said as he turned to face Atton, a small smirk etched on his face.

"Maybe I would! At least I was safe there."

"At least until you starved."

"We cannot go back," Kreia interrupting any further comments, "Our enemy has sent search parties into the facility. Be silent, I need some time to think."

Kaelan called on his memory of Hammerhead class ship docking procedures to answer the dilemma. "As long as this warship is still docked we can use the fuel pipe near the engines to quickly make our way to the main hangar and reacquire the Ebon Hawk."

"That's great and all," Atton said in a tone that clearly portrayed otherwise, "But we'll need the asteroid drift charts to make it out of this sector, unless you want to have the shortest flight out of Peragus ever recorded."

"Right, so we'll just get the charts from the Harbinger's navicomputer and make out way to the hangar." The veteran glanced between the two, "Any objections?"

"Well." Atton replied with a thoughtful look, "We'd have to get to the bridge…"

"You're right Atton," Kaelan spoke with a tone that fit the very definition of sarcasm, "We'd have to make a twenty metre walk. It's too much."

"Both of you, be silent."

Kreia's sharp reprimand made the former General's lips quirk up in a small grin before he started walking toward the bridge. The group arrived at the Harbinger's command centre to find it completely filled with corpses. Officers that had once been seated at stations were now leaning against either their consoles or chairs, or were scattered across the deck in a manner that suggested that had enough time to react to their unknown attackers. A quick inspection revealed blunt trauma to be the cause of their deaths, an unusual occurrence in itself, and it made him wonder just how skilled the assassins Kreia mentioned were.

Ignoring his distracting musings, the Force Sensitive headed straight for the navigation console at the head of the bridge. Withdrawing the datapad from his belt after accessing the necessary files, he downloaded the drift charts to the electronic device then placed it back in his belt. With their primary task accomplished, Kaelan led the way back out of the bridge the way they came, heading in the direction of the crew quarters. The group was outside the area of the cruiser's long range communicator when the exile felt a feeling of uneasiness, one magnified by his newly returned Force connection. Clearly, something was wrong.

The realization was swiftly followed by the whisper of danger to his front and right. Acting on quickness forged by the Jedi and amplified by the Mandalorian Wars and his exile, Kaelan used the HK unit as a lance, throwing it in the location of the danger to his front. With his movements no longer restricted by the droid on his shoulders, he was able to draw his vibroblade and thrust it completely to his right. As expected, the blade met with resistance halfway into the stroke, but the veteran continued to push. He was rewarded with a sharp gasp of pain as a figure seemed to materialize out of thin air. The unknown life-form was garbed in black robes, its face obscured by a metallic mask with large, red-tinted goggles.

With the element of surprise lost, the attackers saw no further point in camoflauge and materialized in the same manner as their fallen comrade. Their remaining number capped at seven, the assassin who the exile had thrown the droid at was only left temporarily stunned. Those seven didn't hesitate to charge, three of them moving to engage the outcast, two heading for Kreia, and the last starting towards Atton.

The assassin heading for the ex-convict had to move into melee attack range, a delay which proved more than sufficient to allow Atton fire off three pulses from his laser, all of which shredded through the attacker's chest and left him slumping to the floor. The three assassins heading for Kaelan found their double-sided quarterstaffs intercepted by his lone vibroblade, the sounds of metal clanking against alloy echoed within the once silent corridor. The assassins to his left and right were constantly spinning their staffs in an intricate set of flurries, coupled with the threat of the attacker to his front performing precise thrusts and it was easy for the veteran to see how the Harbinger's crew had been killed.

Quarterstaffs were lined with heavy alloys, strategically positioned to allow for balance. A single hit from one of the weapons could damage the intenral organs of a target as much as a stab from a vibrbolade. The regular officers and soldiers of the Harbinger would not have been prepared for such a thing.

He was far more adept, however.

Now that he understood their offensive style, it was a simple matter to counteract it. The next time the assassin to his front thrusted his staff forward, Kaelan ducked, positioning himself as far down as he could, and leaned forward. When the attackers on his flanks made their next set of flurry sequences, they found the alloy ends of their staffs deflected off their comrade's extended weapon. As soon as the sharp thunk could be heard, the former General stood back up. The one with the extended blade didn't have time to react as Kaelan grabbed the handle of his weapon and pulled the assassin toward his left side. The attacker on his right was recovering by now and made to strike against his target, but was stopped by a quick stab. Before Kaelan's prisoner could struggle, he brought his extended virboblade back to slash at the captive's neck, pushed the now dead body to the side, and brought his blade in a precise, upward diagonal strike that tore through the torso of the last aggressor.

With the immediate threat to his person eliminated, the exile expected to hear the familiar silence in the hallway but, was instead, able to distinguish the sound of a steady hum. Even though he hadn't heard the sound in five years, Kaelan recognized it instantly; a lightsaber. He turned toward his companions to see exactly what he expected, Kreia wielding an activated green lightsaber, the two assassins that had chosen to attack her lay slain at her feet. His gaze wasn't directed to the blade so much, as it was the hilt. Unique to every Force user, the hilt was often seen as a reflection of the user. In Kreia's case the hilt was made up of curved grooves for ease of grip with claw-like blade guards sprouting from the emitter, in addition to the bottom of the hilt.

A sense of nostalgia gripped the outcast at the sight of the exotic weapon, but he shook it off once the pressing need for escape engrained itself in him. Retrieving the HK unit from where he'd thrown it, he draped it over his shoulders once more and started moving to the crew quarters. The group passed by several more clusters of corpses as they stepped through the corridors leading to the centre of the Hammerhead class vessel. Though there were no more attacks from the assassins, Kaelan could feel faint flickers of their presence in the corridors they walked through. He didn't need to look at Kreia to know that she sensed the same; he could feel her probing the area with the Force in an attempt to locate their mysterious pursuers.

The fact that no more ambushes were forthcoming left Kaelan even more apprehensive. Brief though his encounter with the stealth killers may have been, they didn't strike him as the type that waited to attack when they had their quarry surrounded. The flickers he felt in the Force seemed deliberate, and the possibility that the trio was being herded into an ambush did not escape him. Nevertheless, there was no choice but to stay on course; a deviation from their current route would add on time that the group didn't have to spare.

The outcast had been so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't realize they had already reached the crew quarters and that he was right outside his quarters. He came to an abrupt halt, wondering why he could have possibly let himself et so engrossed in his thoughts as to be unaware of his surroundings, in enemy territory no less. "Are you alright?"

Kaelan turned to face Kreia, her atrophied eyes seemed to study him intently. "Yeah, I just need a second. This was my room."

"This was your room," Atton queried, his voice woven with confusion, "When?"

"When I was picked up in the Outer Rim and given passage onboard."

"We do not have much time. Whatever you intend to do, do it quickly."

Taking the old woman's advice to heart, the exile set the HK unit down by the door and moved into his old accommodations after asking the others to wait outside. As soon as the elliptical doors closed behind him, Kaelan opened up the footlocker near his bed and was immensely relieved to see that his Vericon D5-A2 Disruptors were still present, as was his dark gray cortosis woven plate armour, and custom fitted cloak, all of which was donned in five minutes, after he stripped off the mining uniform and tossed it aside. The datapad from his captured utility belt was placed in the one already on his armour with the mining belt itself being cast aside like its uniform counterpart; his disruptors and vibroblade were holstered in their usual spots.

Feeling immensely relieved to be fitted back in his armour, something he'd feared had been lost forever when he'd awoke on Peragus, Kaelan stepped out of his quarters and rejoined his companions. He picked up his mechanical burden once again, tossed Atton his spare mining laser, and started moving forward. The trio made it to the corridor that led to the engine room, a section that branched off the main hallway near the medical bay, before they had their first indication that the assassins had indeed led them into a trap. Roughly a hundred metres away, a truly gruesome looking humanoid stood. Even from such a distance it was easy to decipher the mutilated and cracked flesh.

Kreia withdrew her lightsaber from her robes, "This battle is mine alone. I am not defenceless," She added the last statement once she sensed Kaelan's objection forming. The old woman took a few steps forward before turning back to face the others. "He cannot kill what he cannot see and power has blinded him long ago. Run, I shall be along shortly."

Kaelan watched her go, knowing there was no way he could stand against a Sith Lord at the moment, even if his Force connection had returned. He motioned to Atton and the two headed toward the engine room, closing the door behind them as they ran down a hallway with dim lighting. The former prisoner stopped halfway through, a look of worry on his face. "I got a bad feeling about this."

The exile turned to regard his companion, "What do you mean?"

"Don't you feel it? Something's going to get real wrong, real quick."

Now that he mentioned it, if the outcast concentrated hard enough, he could feel the faintest whisper in the Force, signifying the approach of danger. "How did you…" He trailed off, wondering how Atton could've sensed something even he, with his Force connection –weakened though it was, couldn't have.

"Trust me, you don't survive on the Rim as long as I have without knowing when trouble is coming."

Kaelan nodded in understanding, filing away his thoughts of Atton's intuition for later analysis. "Be that as it may, we still need to keep moving."

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you."

The two continued to run toward the end of the hallway, Kaelan relying on his memories of Hammerhead class schematics to head to the maintenance access point for the vessel's ion drives. Just as the pair were about to turn onto the corridor leading to the walkway next to the engines, the warning within the Force, that had once been a faint whisper, was now a blaring siren. The mysterious threat materialized in the form of a loud bang that reverberated within the small hallways of the Harbinger. Kaelan turned to see the entrance to the engine room now wide open, a cloud of smoke dissipating near it.

Figures, covered head to toe in silver armour, emerged from the smoke. Their black coloured faceplates completely obscured facial features as they scanned the corridor ahead, blaster rifles at the ready. That was all the observation Kaelan had time for, as the Sith soldiers spotted the two unknown life forms in their midst and opened fire. Kaelan had his Vericon disruptors in his grip as soon as the first burst was fired, the red bolts from the soldier's rifles countered with those of his own weaponry. Two of the veteran's bolts struck the closest trooper, the disruptor's payload shredding through his armour in a picosecond, leaving the corpse to fall backward from the force of the impact.

The rest attempted to take cover in the hallway, but the flat sides made that impossible. The soldiers settled for moving low to the ground while they continued firing. Their scattering provided a break in the fire, however, and Kaelan was quick to order Atton to move to the maintenance walkway. The former prisoner eagerly complied, sprinting through the adjacent hallway and out of the line of immediate fire. The exile followed, firing off one last series of bursts from his pistols as he side-stepped after his companion.

The pair ran down a meandering, narrow corridor until they emerged onto a metal walkway, portions of the vessel's ion drive visible on the right. To the left lay a grouping of terminals used by maintenance crews to perform diagnostics of the ion systems and directly correct any possible problems. If the problem was unable to be corrected electronically, then a hands-on approach would be required. Maintenance procedures were stored in the system's databanks and it was one such procedure, regarding the fuel storage tanks, that Kaelan accessed. The command called for the doors leading to the fuel line to opened, so that crewmen could manually check the system of the storage tanks and fix any problems. In the outcast's case, it would allow him and Atton to move into the fuel line and cross back into the Peragus facility, something they quickly did, the sound of pursuit echoing in the shaft behind them.

()()()

"I sense you my Master. Faint, weak."

The deep voice of Darth Sion resonated within the small rectangular room the two were in. He willed his scarred body to move forward, barley sensing Kreia's presence as the old woman stayed close to the walls. Utilizing Force Camoflauge, she was able to affect the minds of those around her and allow her to move unseen while in plain sight. It had been some time since she had used it, however, and it was no surprise that she was unable to completely conceal her presence from her former pupil. Though the fact that he was so foolish as to assume that Kreia wasn't even a threat brought a thin smile to her lips.

"Your senses betray you," She chided while she continued circling him, "As you betrayed me."

"After all that has happened still you live. You are difficult to kill."

"For one as limited as you, perhaps," Kriea said with a scoff. "To have fallen so far and learned nothing, that is your failing."

"The failure is yours! No longer do your whispers crawl within my skull. No longer do I suffer beneath teachings that weaken us."

Kreia used Sion's brief pause to come up behind him.

"And now you run in search of the Jedi," the Sith Lord continued, "They are all dead, save one. And one broken Jedi cannot stop the darkness that is to come."

"Perhaps," Kreia whispered, "We shall see."

Reaching for the hilt of her lightsaber, her finger was near the activation switch when her control with Force Camoflauge failed entirely. Her presence was now clearly broadcasted to Sion, who activated his lightsaber and brought the crimson blade in a tight arch behind him. The energy beam severed Kreia's left hand, cutting clean through tendons and bone. The old woman could only let out a brief scream as her lightsaber hilt clattered to the deck. Desperate, she managed to reform her Force Camoflauge before the Sith Lord above her could do anything more. Kreia snatched up her lightsaber with her remaining hand and started running towards the Peragus Hangar.

()()()

"Atton, get to the ship! I'll hold them off!"

The barked command from Kaelan could barely be heard over the blaster fire in the corridor leading to the Hangar Bay. Pursuing Sith soldiers were keeping up a steady advance, despite the constant fire of Kaelan's disruptors, Atton's lasers, and the lone blaster fire of a utility droid. The outcast had found the utility droid deactivated in the fuel line of Peragus after they had crossed over from the Harbinger. After activating it, he had asked the droid, whose designation he had learned was T3-M4, to accompany him. Their group had been just outside Hangar control when the Sith troopers had caught up. Kaelan and Atton had kept them occupied while T3 opened the door leading to the main hangar bay.

From there it had been an all out fire fight as wave after wave of soldiers reinforced their comrades until their attacking number reached a platoon in strength. Three against twenty-two was hardly favourable odds and so the group began a slow retreat to the ship, firing rampantly to keep the enemy combatants at bay. As Kaelan and his companions moved closer to their objective, however, the need to escape led to a more frantic withdrawal; something the former General knew would not play in their favour.

"I'm not going to leave you here to die!" The former prisoner shouted back. After everything the man had done for him, the last thing he wanted to do was abandon him to his death.

Kaelan's response was cut-off by a searing pain that flared through his senses, making him drop the disruptor in his left hand and a strong grimace erupt from his throat as he fell to his knees, the droid that was once draped over his shoulders clattered to the ground beside him. He was no stranger to pain, but this feeling was stronger than anything he'd felt before. At first he thought he'd been struck by a stray blaster shot but the idea was dismissed as quickly as it came, blaster shots weren't nearly as painful. The next thing he was aware of was Atton pulling him towards the door to the hangar, the disruptor he'd dropped in his left hand now in the ex-convict's grasp as he fired off a quick burst.

"Hold on, damn it. It's only a little further. Don't give up on me now!"

Slowly the pain receded from his mind and he was able to bring himself back to his feet. He snatched the disruptor from Atton's hand and moved forward, despite the former prisoner's protests to the contrary. The Force Sensitive sprinted to the HK unit that had fallen from his shoulders and dragged it back with him. He dropped it at Atton's feet and shouted a single command, "Go."

Atton nodded solemnly, pulling the HK droid with him as he moved toward the Ebon Hawk, T3 moving with him after Kaelan gave the mechanical the same command. He turned his attention to the Sith infantry, finding himself more on a course of evasion rather than engagement as all the remaining blasters were focused solely on him. The exile side-stepped, rolled, and sought cover to dodge, firing his disruptors all the while. Only two of the enemy soldiers were killed by his discharging bolts, and he believed that to be more luck than skill. He was calling on all of the combat experience he had had in his lifetime simply to survive, but in the end, he found himself sprinting onto the Ebon Hawk.

He had wanted to keep an escape route open for Kreia, but had been unsuccessful. With a heavy heart, he keyed for the ship's boarding ramp to close as he stepped inside. "Atton," He yelled as he sprinted to the cockpit, "Get us out of here!"

Atton demonstrated his compliance by starting up the ship's thrusters. The Ebon Hawk hovered above the ground as the pilot reoriented the ship's bow. Enemy fire from the Sith soldiers impacted against its bottom fore as it rotated, but the craft's shields were more than enough to protect it against small arms fire. Atton sent the freighter at its top speed, letting it rocket out of the Peragus Mining Facility and into the asteroid field outside.

They didn't get very far before the port laser cannons of the Harbinger opened fire, the cruiser already undocking from the facility and in hot pursuit. Its forward turbolasers took over once it rotated to bear its heavier firepower down on the nimble craft on its scanners. Kaelan put his hand against one of the empty chairs in the back of the cockpit to stabilize himself as the ship shook from the near misses of turbolaser fire. The sound of approaching footsteps made the former General reach for the disruptor on his right side and aim it in the durasteel covered corridor behind. He expected to see a Sith trooper that had somehow boarded the ship before he, not the green robes of someone he thought he'd regrettably left for dead.

"Kreia?" He asked in sheer disbelief as he holstered his weapon. "How did you escape?"

"A strange question from one with the ability to draw upon the Force."

Puzzled by her reply, but knowing anymore questions would have to wait, he only turned back to look out the transpariseel windows as green bolts could be seen impacting near asteroids as Atton continually weaved the ship in tight rolls and arcs. A loud curse came from the pilot as he moved the ship in a dive to avoid an asteroid, "Kaelan I need those drift charts if we even want to have a chance of getting out of here.

Withdrawing the captured datapad from his belt, the former Jedi moved over to the navigation computer on the side wall and uploaded the drift charts. "You should have them now."

Atton spoke a confirmation as he plotted a new course out of the dense field, the Harbinger matching their heading as the cruiser continued its bombardment. The sight of a turbolaser flashing straight by the transparisteel windows made the former prisoner grimace once again. "If they hit us we're dead, but if they keep missing us, we're still dead! That's great odds." T3 tootled a warning as the freighter passed by a large asteroid, just barely avoiding it. "Somebody shut that trash compactor up!"

"Just keep evading them until we clear the field."

The pilot risked a glance at Kaelan as he frowned, "Hey I'm doing all I can. The problem is if they don't hit us, they'll hit an asteroid, which will make the whole field go nova."

"Then why not fire on the field ourselves?" Kreia asked, "It can be destroyed by us as well, can it not?"

"It could, but it'll take out the whole field, the colony, and maybe us. There's no guarantee we'll be able to jump into hyperspace before we're caught in the blast."

"Then we die here," Kreia said in response to Atton's remark. Her sightless eyes switched to Kaelan, "Choose now."

The outcast hesitated, he knew enough about Hammerhead class ships to know the cruiser would most likely be caught up in the blast. It wasn't a certainty, however, and the logs from the medical officer made him think this place was important in someway, and until he knew what that was he couldn't risk destroying it. Decision made, he looked out of the cockpit and uttered two simple words, "Evade them."

"Hold on, this is going to get a little rocky!"

The Ebon Hawk approached the end of the asteroid field, closing at 20,000 kilometres. Just as the freighter passed underneath another large asteroid, a series of turbolaser blasts targeted the orbiting rock. The energy blasts triggered the high concentrations of Peragian fuel within, triggering a detonation that spewed thermal fragments in every direction. A chain reactions started as the fragments riddled neighbouring asteroids, each one exploding as the thermal level spiked beyond tolerance.

Kaelan found hts grip tightening on the empty chair as the ship rocked from the resulting blasts. Just when it looked like the shields would fail, Atton pulled back on the hyperspace lever. All of the ship's occupants watched as the stars streaked into starlines and the ship entered the extra dimension home to faster-than-light propulsion. All of them breathed their own sighs of relief when Atton said, "We're clear!"

---

A few changes made at the mining facility.

I don't know about you, but I always wanted to be able to take the HK-50 unit with me. A lot of questions can be answered now.

HK-47 can also be active on Telos, or will he? To be honest, I'm not sure if that is a workable addition. But the possibilities make it extremely tempting....