Sorry about removing this chapter. I've extended it. The first stage of beta is complete, and I've reread it, so while I'm still open to suggestions, I shouldn't be tweaking this chapter anymore.

I dreamed. My dreams always seemed to be a little different from night to night, ensuring that I never could tell what was just dreams, what was memory, and what was vision. This was complicated further by the fact that sometimes the dreams were so vivid and my own memories so vague that I couldn't always tell them apart while waking. It had, however, been somewhat easier to identify visions before I found my first tenuous reconnection to the Force. Without the Force, I saw no visions. Only my memories and my imagination could battle to control how I perceived my own reality.

The first portion of my dream was utter nonsense. Something about pink and purple gizka riding a bright green rancor, which was for some reason jumping about like a gizka itself. For no apparent reason, Master Vrook was there wearing a blue shimmersilk gown, writhing like a Twi'lek dancing girl. It made perfect sense at the time, although I couldn't say exactly why. Silly dreams seem to be like that sometimes.

My dream turned gradually from silly to serious, as the fantastical images melted away to be replaced by familiar images. Unlike my normal dreams, I did not watch myself as a insect on the wall. I saw everything through my own eyes, and although I knew it might turn into a nightmare, it was sure to be an interesting dream. I vaguely tried to wake, but curiosity got the better of me, and I started to observe my own actions.

I saw my fingers dancing over the keys of a sophisticated computer console. I was so self-assured, so confident that I would find what I was seeking. My fingers were much shorter than I remembered, but I recognized the grubby nails as my own. I watched the view screen as my own records came into view. I couldn't make out most of the text, probably because I could remember actually doing this once, when I was nine years old.

This was a dream, derived from a memory. When I looked up my records on that occasion years before, I did not bother to read most of the text; it made sense for me to not recall it now. The parts I had ignored, evaluations and reprimands, were blurry and indecipherable to my dream-memory eyes. My dream self recalled that I'd looked up those censures a few times in the years previous, usually to assess the damage of some prank or another. I hadn't really been concerned with it that time around. I skipped to the very bottom of the record, to the earliest entries. I was looking at where the Jedi had found me.

Origin: (Sector, System, Planet, Moon if applicable)

Hutt Space, Y'Toub System, Nal Hutta, Nar Shaddaa

Further information: [Dated a few weeks before I came to the Enclave] A force-sensitive human female child was found abandoned at orphanage. She is likely about two standard years old, but seems rather precocious. Officials at the orphanage suspect that she was abandoned by a refugee rumored to be an escort.

I knew they were referring to a hooker, but in the Jedi's attempts to be subtle about that fact, they nearly disguised it completely. I read on:

[Dated a few days later] The escort was located, and a genetic match confirmed. We informed the biological mother of our intent to train her child, a request which was reluctantly granted. The child is to be removed to Dantooine immediately.

I recalled that I'd spent the next two hours looking up any information on the Smuggler's Moon that I could, until a Master found me and rebuked me for hacking the computer system. The Masters never found out how deeply I'd hacked; all they caught me doing was surfing the holonet, trying to find out more about my old home. The dream skimmed over this portion of my life like some crazy montage, but strangely did not skip it completely, two hours condensed into a few minutes.

My dream threw a hydrospanner into its own flow and changed both time frame and locale. I watched as my fingers grew longer, and my nails became cleaner. It was two years later, and I was eleven years old. My master and I were visiting Nar Shaddaa. With a bit of begging and pleading, I had convinced her to take me to the orphanage where I'd been discovered. We had claimed that it was to scout for Force-sensitive children; we both knew better.

The staff had resisted telling me who my mother was, but I persuaded them to give me her name using my cute young padawan charm. I swallowed a lump in my throat as I heard my own name repeated back to me. I knew I had to meet her.

My dream rushed me forward a few hours to that evening, when I'd managed to sneak out and meet the woman who was my mother. I was shocked by what I saw, by my namesake.

Alexis Mayn had curly hair in a very light flavor of natural blonde; at the time my hair was the same color, but straight. She had a narrow chin, a trait I did not inherit. We both had full lips and high cheekbones, and we both had very long limbs, although I was still growing into my own. She had light blue eyes that had been somehow made bleary, though I wasn't sure which drug could be responsible for the hopelessness that accompanied it.

"Which are you?" she asked, her breath reeking of cheap booze and cheaper spice. I noticed she slurred her words slightly.

"Pardon?" I asked, confused.

"Always so polite, you Jedi. But never polite enough. There were three. The Jedi took three children. Which are you?" she asked, her articulation now clear and precise, as though she'd rehearsed this speech.

I stood there dumbly. How could I possibly know?

Her eyes seemed to clear a bit as she started to look pensive. After a pregnant pause, she continued, "well you can't be the last. That one was a boy. You're probably too young to be the first. So you must be the second."

I backed away, horrified by her state, and shocked at her revelation. I was also horrified at my own cowardice, able to speak but one word to the woman who had given me life. I saw myself, now watching as a disembodied observer, running as fast as my awkward young legs could carry me before the dream darkened.

The dream returned to my room, where my Master found me shaking in the corner, curled up in the fetal position. "Master, I don't want to be Alexis anymore. Don't call me that, please," I choked out through dry sobs.

"What would I call you then?" asked my Master, now sitting beside me on the floor.

"Lexi. Please, call me Lexi." I couldn't bear to be associated with that woman.

My Master wrapped her arm around my shoulders, "Alexis, I know you met your mother tonight. I believe she loves you." I stared at her, incredulous. "If you wish, we can help her," my master told me gently.

"She abandoned me. How could she possibly love me?" I asked hesitantly, willing myself not to cry.

"The Force tells me so. Can't you feel it? She gave you to the Jedi because she knew you'd have a better life and a chance at a future."

I felt the Force whisper through me, and I knew my Master was right. I gathered what strength and stoicism I could, swallowing thickly. My voice was strained as I replied, "In that case, the Jedi should help her. She gave three children to the Order, so someone probably owes her something in return."

My master had been getting up, but froze as I mentioned the number.

"Three? Three children? Oh, dear…" my Master trailed off. I saw her shaking her head sadly, and the dream faded once again to black.

The remainder of my dream consisted of flashes of images, some ridiculous and others horrifying. The dream degenerated into a nightmare from which I could not wake. Even this did not last long. I soon slipped deeper into unconsciousness, death hesitantly tapping at the door of my spirit. I did not answer its call, but slept deeper still. If I dreamed, the memory of such dreams is lost to me. I did not awaken until I was bidden to rise.

I sensed more than I heard the voice that urged me to wake. The rebreather mask fell away from my face as my eyes slowly opened. The liquid over my eyes blurred my vision; the swishing in my ears flooded my senses, blocking out any other sound. My skin was deprived of all sensation. I sealed my lips against the kolto, but too late; my head broke the surface and I emerged from the tank sputtering.

I fell to the floor and my skin suddenly felt like it was exploding. The nerves in my sodden flesh were finally getting input, and the feeling was overwhelming. I waited for the fluid to drain from my ears while I earnestly struggled to get the awful taste out of my mouth. My knees buckled from disuse and I fell to my hands and knees. I blinked the kolto's blurriness from my eyes and began to take in my surroundings. I rose hesitantly, not wanting to fall again. My knees were already trying to bruise; I did my best to ignore them.

I just stood for a few moments surveying my situation. Five tanks stood in a circular room, and all save mine were occupied. I'd seen people recover in kolto tanks; those who were going to make it seemed to twitch a bit from time to time. The four strangers were oddly still in their tanks, as though they were sleeping amongst the dead. I wondered if I slept so soundly in my own tank.

I couldn't tell where I was, only that I was alone. I made my way to the only door that wasn't stuck fast, and found a medical console. My body tried to heave when I learned that the four strangers were dead, but the heaving eventually dissolved into silent tears.

My eyes were blurred with tears as I picked the lock on the medical supplies, hoping to find myself something to wear aside from the jumpsuit I'd been issued aboard the Harbinger for my on-site medical exam. All I found was some chemicals. I supposed I could eventually use to make something more useful, but they'd be of no assistance in the clothing department. I set them down long enough to open the morgue doors at the console; maybe I could find something useful there.

In the morgue, my first point of focus was the refresher. I ignored the corpses and rushed to clean the tacky kolto from my skin. As hot water poured over me, I rinsed out my jumpsuit and sighed. The only towel was far too small for modesty; I'd have to dry the jumpsuit as well as I could since it was my only choice for clothing.

As I returned to the morgue, I noticed just how cold they kept the place. Goosebumps rose on my arms and I shivered, clenching my teeth to keep them from chattering. Two corpses were laid out on the exam tables, still fully dressed, and one I could see was clutching a plasma torch. I cringed as I approached; I loathed the feeling of cold dead flesh against my own. I reminded myself that I was stuck here without any food, any clothes, or any solid idea where I was, and that I'd have to get over my squeamishness if I didn't want to die. The corpse's death grip had long since loosened, and I easily retrieved the torch; I never even contemplated taking its clothing.

"Find what you're looking for amongst the dead?" the other corpse asked me. I nearly jumped out of my skin, the coldness of the room forgotten.

"Holy Force! Who are you?" I asked dumbly, struggling to find something to say to the woman I'd assumed was dead only moments before.

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

"What? My rescuer? You were dead." Kreia gave me a look that told me she was not amused. I revised my statement, "Last thing I remember, I was on board a Republic ship, the Harbinger…. What happened to it?"

"Your ship was attacked. You were the only survivor… a result of your Jedi training, no doubt."

"I am not a member of the Jedi Order," I replied, unable to mask the bitterness in my voice.

"Your stance, your walk tells me you are a Jedi. Your walk is heavy, you carry something that weighs you down," she countered, seeming to ignore my tone. Inwardly I conceded that she was technically correct.

"The Jedi Order and I have a… troubled history." Understatement of the century.

"So it would seem. Keep your past, and let us focus on the now."

"What is this place?" I already know I'm at a place called Peragus, please say something useful.

"I do not know. I was removed from the events of the world as I slept. A survey of the surroundings may provide the answers we seek. The ship we arrived in must still be in this place. We should recover it and leave."

"Care to explain why you're in such a hurry?" I asked, frustrated that she had no problem with talking my ear off, as long as she got to pick the subject matter.

"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." Well duh. I might not even get to claim understatement of the conversation at this rate.

"You seem nervous, worried. Is something wrong?" I asked, suddenly realizing that I wasn't the only feeling human being in this frustrating little conversation.

"Even as I slept, I felt much unrest here. I saw strange visions, minds colored with fear. Now, everything here feels terribly silent. I would find out as much as you can about this place quickly. I fear we will need to depart as suddenly as we arrived."

"We'll see. There's got to be someone left alive around here." Force willing, there's someone else here to talk with.

"You may wish to extend your search to some clothes… if only for proper first impressions."

As if I didn't know that already, I groaned inwardly. "The patients in med bay were killed by a lethal dose of sedatives. Any idea how it happened?"

"I do not know. Why did they spare you?"

"They didn't. I got the same dose, but survived." In that moment I knew why, but the question had already been asked so I listened for her answer.

"Indeed, a Jedi trance could protect one from such poisons…. In fact, the sedatives may have been intended to keep you unconscious for some time. It would prove lethal to those untrained in such techniques, however. Most curious."

"You seem to know a lot about Jedi techniques," I retorted.

"And so do you. Perhaps we could discuss it at length later on. Now we have other concerns; among them, finding our new enemy."

"Maybe when I return you'll actually answer my questions," I replied, exasperated.

"I have found that answers some in their own time, not ours. Turn your energy to the matter at hand. If we cannot find a way out of here, the answers will prove useless anyway." Why do all Jedi have to be so blasted cryptic?

"I'll be back soon to check in on you," I replied.

"I leave you to the explorations of this place… here I will remain and attempt to center myself." I walked away with a decidedly creepy feeling crawling its way over my skin, even over the chill which I was once again privy to notice.

The plasma torch wound up being useful, to my great surprise. Strange that the one item I manage to find is exactly what I need. I guess I'm not as unlucky as I thought. I walked into the next chamber, where I saw a corpse clutching a vibroblade. "Gaah!" I exclaimed in frustration. Why can I never seem to find the swear word I'm looking for? "It figures," I muttered to myself, freeing the blade from the man's death grip. I cringed a bit as I did so. Something about it made me feel so… unclean.

As I opened another door, a mining droid with terrible aim attacked me, and was followed by several more. Fortunately, dispatching the droids was easy enough and I pressed forward.

::…be careful… there is much energy in the room beyond… yet it stems from nothing that lives…::

Kreia? What the f-?

::…can you not sense them… reach out… cast aside your sight, cast aside what you see, and instead, reach out with your perceptions…::

I did as she asked without question, an action which immediately raised a few red flags in my mind. I never liked to do anything without knowing why. Sure enough, however, I could feel something in the next room.

::…ah you can feel them… the droids you cannot perceive, but the small oscillations of energy… that you can feel… echoing outwards…::

I entered the room and proceeded to take out a few more droids. With one more droid still standing, I sensed her continue.

::Ah… you hear it. It is faint… but it is there.::

What is happening?

::It is the Force you feel… it has not been so long as for you to forget…::

It has been almost a decade. I had nearly managed to forget.

::Do not turn away from it. Listen… feel it echoing within you. Come, I will guide you down the familiar paths. You will need it if we are to survive and escape this place.::

I felt her presence withdraw from me, and just in time. I destroyed the last droid, feeling lucky that her little interruption hadn't cost me my life. What kind of psycho interrupts an ally during active combat?

Don't get me wrong, I was pleased that I could feel the Force again, but it was disturbing to hear that old woman in my head. Again. I didn't even have to ask to know it was her voice that first woke me. I didn't tell her so, but I've never liked anyone rooting around in my head very much. I just hoped she'd figure it out soon enough and leave my mind alone. I carefully hid my recent brush with death that had reestablished my connection with the Force. I preferred that she believe that she was responsible for my connection.

I continued to search for supplies from the bodies that littered the floor. I kept telling myself they can't use it anyway, they're dead, it's not like they care, but that served as only a slight comfort. Twice I had to run back to the refresher to wash my hands. Part of my squeamishness was shame; I was ashamed that it would have bothered me less if the bodies were still warm.

I continued to explore, playing whatever holo records I could in order to get a better handle on this place, but I was dismayed as I found that just about every door led to or was itself a dead end. I battled a good number of droids, feeling just a bit more comfortable in combat as they fell at my feet.

As I passed an otherwise unremarkable portion of the largest room, I noticed a door. It was magnetically sealed, yet it seemed different. I only had a moment's opportunity to wonder why before I heard her voice in my head again.

::…ah… Beyond this door someone yet lives…. Be mindful… his thoughts are… difficult to read…. But you have nothing to fear from this one… and he might yet prove useful…::

I recalled that as I scoured the various holo records for clues, I heard mention of a console with an override switch. I knew exactly the console to which that record referred, and found the override switch easily.

I returned to the door, and wondered what kind of prisoner I would find.

As I opened the door, I could feel a pair of eyes upon me. What color are your eyes? I can't tell.

"Nice outfit. What, you miners change regulation uniforms while I've been in here?"

I wanted to be nice to the guy, I really did, but my mouth was content to ignore my brain, "I'd keep those eyes up, and tell me who you are."

"Atton… Atton Rand. Excuse me if I don't shake hands. The field only causes mild electrical burns."

"Care to explain why you're locked up?" Wait, he's alive, and he's kind of cute. What do I care how he wound up in here?

"Security claimed I violated some trumped-up regulation or another; take it up with them if you want, but they stopped listening to me shortly before they stopped feeding me. Now that's criminal." My heart went out to him. Kolto has enough nutrients that one doesn't have to eat, but the gnawing feeling in my stomach didn't agree.

"What is this place?"

"You mean you didn't come here on purpose? I'm shocked, I really am. This little slice of paradise is the Peragus mining facility, the only supplier of shipping-grade engine fuel to this corner of the galaxy. Peragus fuel plays havoc with engines, but it gets the job done…as long as you don't mind the toxic byproducts and trying to mine it without blowing yourself up."

"Everybody's gone. Dead. What in space happened?"

"You mean, before or after that Jedi showed up? Either way, it's a real short story. You 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. See, some of the miners get it into their ferrocrete skulls that since the Jedi's unconscious, they can collect the bounty the Exchange has posted for live Jedi. Well, what passes for the law here didn't like that idea, so the two groups started fighting. Then there was some big explosion, I was sitting here for a long time, then you showed up in your underwear and things got a lot better."

I suppressed a chuckle, and then what he told me sank in a bit. "There's a bounty on captured Jedi? Why?"

"Don't know much about it. Maybe the Exchange wants one as a trophy, or somebody's got something against the Jedi and is looking to collect. Not many Jedi left… wouldn't surprise me if the bounty's pretty high."

My heart skipped a beat. "Not many Jedi left? That's not possible. What happened to them?" I asked, my mouth going dry.

"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?"

"I had heard rumors of a war, but a war between Jedi?" Even as I asked it, I knew he meant the Sith. It didn't matter. Only Jedi could really tell the difference anyway.

"Yeah, Revan, Malak, and the Jedi that went to join them in the Mandalorian Wars. They turned against the other Jedi and had a scrap that almost laid waste to the galaxy. Heh. Where have you been?"

I swallowed thickly as I thought of my old friends and comrades. I should have known. "I've heard a few rumors, but…" I trailed off.

"Well, I wasn't there, but like all Sith, Revan and Malak turned on each other. After they turned on the Jedi of course." I noticed he wouldn't look at me as he said that.

"She wouldn't do that." I'd managed to get reliable news about exactly one galactic event. "I happen to know that Revan saved the Jedi, and the Republic," I answered.

"I guess… there's rumors all over space about it. All I heard was Revan returned to pay Malak back for trying to kill her in the first place. You know women."

I cringed a bit at these words. He didn't really know what he was talking about. "If Revan was redeemed, then she was forced to stop Malak. She wouldn't…" I ached inwardly, praying that it was true, and that she had indeed found redemption.

"Well, I wasn't there, thankfully. But I heard what she was like during the Mandalorian Wars, and it sounded like she was quick to wipe out anyone who crossed her. Dark Jedi are bad enough, but when a woman falls to the dark side, you better space yourself before they catch you. Uh, no offense or anything." I resisted a tiny urge to simply overload his force cage as I reminded myself that he didn't know the good woman "Revan" had once been.

I took a deep breath and replied stiffly, "I'll get over it. I had some more questions for you."

"Look, not like your half-naked interrogation isn't a personal fantasy of mine, but…. Hey, wait a minute. You're that Jedi the miners were talking about. Where is everybody?"

Took you long enough. "I don't know, the whole place seems deserted." If we don't count the corpses.

"The miners can't all be gone. But if they are…. Look. Hey, let me out, and I can help you. I can. I've gotten out of trouble countless times."

Why doesn't that surprise me? His pleas to be released were almost endearing, even though he entreated my chest rather than my face. "Tell me your plan," I urged, "and we can go from there."

His plan was simple enough. Get out of prison, reroute the emergency systems, and grab a ship from the hangar. I asked him about the med bay murders, even though I was already confident he wasn't involved. My character appraisal skills were a bit rusty, anyway. His reply convinced me immediately.

I freed him before I asked all of my questions; it just seemed cruel to leave him in a force cage half-starved and exhausted. I couldn't help but be impressed at his maneuver with the command console, even though it only gave us back communications.

Atton didn't think it was a good idea, but still I called out into the abyss, hoping that someone or something would hear me.

I heard Atton grumble as a rather cute beeping answered my call to the hangar bay.

"Can you read me?" I asked. The cameras came online, and I chuckled; I was right. A very cute little astromech droid replied to the affirmative. "Are you operational?" I asked. I smiled as he told me he was. I couldn't help it, the little droid immediately looked male to me. "We're trapped up on the administration level. Can you unlock the turbolifts?" I was rather disappointed by the negative response, but hid it from my reply, "Is there some other way out of here besides the turbolifts?" His answer wasn't exactly what I'd hoped for, but the emergency hatch was still better than nothing. "I'd rather risk it than be trapped up here." I heard a reply that came across as rather dubious, despite coming from a droid.

I stepped back, knowing that I was gambling with our fates. I only hoped it would pay off. My stomach grumbled and I noticed how pale Atton had become.

"Hey, would you mind waiting by the comm? I'm going to track down some food," I said after the connection went silent.

"Like hell you are, I'm coming with you," he replied.

"Atton, just how long were you in that force cage? How many days has it been since you've eaten? How dehydrated have you become? You know you're in no condition to do anything until you've rested and eaten. And that includes looking for food. I thought I saw some not far from here. Just sit tight, I promise you that I'll be right back." Atton nodded and slumped to the floor near the console, visibly relieved.

I paused for a moment to recall exactly where I'd seen the food, and then I remembered that I had spotted something stashed in a cabinet in the medical bay. I hoped against hope that it was food I'd espied rather than the probable alternative of medical gauze, and my hopes were satisfied as I arrived to find a handful of military-grade dehydrated meals. I prepared the meals on the spot, figuring that the command deck was unlikely to have a refresher faucet.

I brought our food in with a flourish, presenting Atton's meal as though I were a waitress in some fancy restaurant. Beyond waiting for me to plop down on the floor beside him, Atton didn't stand on ceremony where his eating was concerned. We ate in silence except for the occasional smacking of fork against lips. After Atton finished wolfing down the last of his food, he started talking again.

"So, uh, how long have you been a Jedi? Must be tough, you know… no family, no husband…"

You were almost cute, and then you just had to open your mouth. "No tougher than enduring your false sympathy while you're staring at my chest." I slapped myself inside. I wasn't going to make any friends if I kept allowing my mouth to ignore my brain.

"Hey, I wasn't try-" he started to say before being cut off by the emergency hatch opening.

"Hey, what do you know, that little cargo cylinder came through," Atton remarked.

"It looks like it, but it's strange he didn't contact us on the comm."

"If he got the turbolifts working then we should have a clear run to the hangar."

"The turbolifts are locked down manually, so I had him open the emergency hatch." The look on his face at that moment would have been funny under different circumstances.

"Wait, wait. Don't tell me you're taking that hatch down into the mining tunnels… are you? That explosion I heard came from below. There's probably nothing down there except superheated rock and collapsed blast tunnels. You'd be an idiot to go down there."

"Maybe, but it's the only way out, and it's better I risk my life than yours. Besides, you have to recover."

"You're either really brave or really crazy, or both." His look showed a bit of awe and a bit of gratitude, masked by incredulity. I could tell that he was letting a bit of genuine emotion leak through. I smiled despite myself, and decided that I liked this guy.

"All right, I'll try to monitor things from up here. Be careful, the only thing moving down there is likely to be mining droids, so don't be playing hero too hard." Atton Rand, if I didn't know better I'd think you were worried about me.

Almost as though he was reading my thoughts, he amended his statement, "Uh, not that I care what happens to you or anything. I just don't want to be trying to get off this rock by myself."

"Your concern is noted. I'll be going now," I replied with a wink.

He took my hand in his and placed a comlink in my palm. "I'll keep the comlink open… I may be able to guide you through the tunnels from up here. Don't know if the signal will hold if you get too deep, though."

My hand tingled as I dashed away to the mining tunnels smiling like a fool. Ever since my exile, I had felt this kind of empty feeling that manifested as pain in my skin. At first I tried to treat it as an injury, but it never seemed to help. The tingling feeling radiated up my arm and for a few brief moments, the pain was gone. I giggled to myself; I had finally found a treatment. I allowed the warmth to enfold me as I made my way down the turbolift to the mining tunnels.

Atton kept true to his word. I'd been in the tunnels for all of three seconds when I heard his first transmission. "Can you read me?"

"Barely. There's a lot of static."

"There's a lot of interference down there, probably caused by that explosion. Still, it looks like there's a route down to the Peragus fuel depot, if the passages haven't collapsed. That explosion knocked out most of the sensors. There should be an emergency crate in the next room. Watch yourself. There's a lot of droid broadcasts in that area, but I can't pin them down."

I sighed, relieved. I might not be wandering into a death trap for nothing. "I'll be careful then. If you detect anything, signal me." I had no idea how literally he'd take that statement.

"Will do, and be careful down there."

I had just opened the crate with the emergency supplies when Atton was back on the comm. "Find the emergency supplies?"

"Yes… and it looks like there's some clothes in here."

"Dammit! Uh… I mean good, good to hear it. No sense in you running around half-naked. It's… it's distracting… I mean, for the droids." His consternation at my finding the mining uniform was so amusing that I almost didn't don it. I only did so when I realized that funny or not, my partial nudity was a detriment when I could be dressed and protected. I only got excited about my new clothing when I realized that with gloves, I wouldn't have to directly touch the corpses I searched anymore.

"Find anything good in there?" came Atton's next broadcast.

"Just some safety equipment. Nothing to write home about," I said gently.

"Some of the signals aren't moving. Could be mines up ahead. Keep a sharp eye."

Atton's remark came just in time for me to barely miss stepping into a sonic mine. I sighed heavily. "Thanks. You told me just in time."

"No problem. I'm not sure how much help I can be through here, so I'll be off the comm for a bit."

"I look forward to your next transmission. Have a good 'fresher break." I was joking, but then I wondered if that was in fact what he was off to do.

Atton was gone for several minutes, and his return was rather abrupt. "Did you find the central controller while I was gone?"

"Nope, I… I believe I've just found it."

From there, Atton's help became positively life-saving. He warned me about a particularly toasty part of the tunnel, which rescued me from having to treat some nasty burns. He also helped me identify the main ventilation shaft, which I appreciated. I turned up the heat, and opened the containment fields.

I actually had a bit of fun as I was smashing droids to bits. That is, until Atton told me that a fuel venting was imminent. That added a sense of urgency that I would have loved to avoid. Still, I had to admit it wasn't his fault.

I dove out of the turbolift as a tremendous explosion sealed it from the inside. I didn't have a moment to catch my breath before a snarky "protocol" droid called HK-50 approached me. I didn't believe for a second that a droid that spoke as this one did would have any real utility as a protocol droid.

"Greeting: It is a pleasure to see you alive, Master, provided my receptors are not off-focus. How may I be of assistance?"

"How do you know me? I'm not your Master," I asked, taken aback.

"Answer: I am a survivor of the Harbinger, just as you were, Master. With the unexpected termination of my previous Master, you are the only organic which I may now serve."

Organic was an interesting term to use, one that worried me inside, though I couldn't say exactly why. I thought at first that it sounded rather lame. "Who was your previous Master?"

"Answer: The captain of the Harbinger, master. I was in transit to Telos to facilitate communications and terminate hostilities…. However, we did not arrive at our intended destination."

"What happened?"

The droid tried to skirt my question, and then implied that I'd been drugged and stuffed into the cargo hold of the Harbinger. He also made it sound like the Harbinger's systems were crippled on purpose. I immediately suspected the droid of being responsible. The thing even had the gall to imply that he intended to collect a bounty on my head.

He told me about the freighter that brought me to this rock, and how someone stuffed my lifeless body on that craft as well. I was starting to feel like a commodity rather than a human being, and then he let the gizka out of the bag. Not only did this hunk of slag know I used to be a Jedi, he'd been happy to share that fact with the rest of the facility. If he hadn't told them, maybe the poor souls on Peragus would still be alive. They wouldn't have been fighting over me, and this hunk of junk might not have seen fit to kill them all.

I had to admit that the droid was creeping me out, and so I backed away as casually as I could. It seemed a strange coincidence that I managed to find a sonic imprint sensor in a plasteel cylinder just across the hallway from the droid. I wasn't sure what I would need it for, but the Force told me that I would need it soon.

The droid was clever, but I was smarter. It was easy enough to hide the sonic imprint sensor as I tricked the droid into mimicking the voice of the maintenance officer. In fact, it was more challenging to disguise my glee so that the droid wouldn't think to take me down before I used the code. I contemplated how difficult it would have been to piece that code together by hand, even if with the sensor to record the fragments. At this thought, I found myself immediately grateful that droids can be gullible at times.

Using the code, I made my way out of the previously voice-locked airlock. Just heading back to the Administration level wasn't going to accomplish anything, but I might find supplies, clues, or survivors in the dormitory section of the station.

"It's about time. I lost your signal after you left the mining tunnels. Now you're coming in clear," Atton said, traces of relief in his voice, "…except I'm picking you up on the exterior of the facility, on the asteroid's surface. That can't be right."

I laughed. "Really? Maybe you should look up."

"Huh? What are you doing out there?" I could see the concern, or possibly confusion, written all over Atton's face. I did my best to mimic a curtsy and blow him a kiss. Most of the effect was lost with the bulk of the space suit.

"I need to reach the miners in the dormitory section, and this is the only way to get there." I knew it was a fool's errand, but I was hoping against hope that I would find survivors.

"You're crazy. Even for a Jedi. Look, you need to get out of there… quick."

"What do you mean?" I'm moving as fast as I can. And I happen to be crazy awesome, thank you very much, I thought, not taking my own thoughts seriously. I'm really not that conceited.

"What little is left of the facility's venting systems have gone active, most likely from the explosions in the mining tunnels. They're venting Peragus fuel deposits into space through the exterior vents, right into your path."

Awesome, I thought bitterly. "Can't you shut them down?" Is that too much to hope for?

"I can't, I'm locked out of the main systems here, I couldn't shut it down if I tried. The vents look like they've been purposely rerouted to vent the gases to the exterior, and only in the last few minutes. It's almost as if… Oh, what now?"

My thoughts went back to the droid. I was certain it was responsible for the fuel venting. How could this possibly get worse?

"I don't believe this. There's a ship coming in, sending a docking code. I have a bad feeling about this."

I could remember the Harbinger, but as it approached us, I felt a horrid sense of foreboding as well. I privately wondered how Atton knew that this was going to get even worse before I did. I did my best to hurry back to the station.

Within the dormitory section, the most irritating obstacle by far was the fire extinguishers. I felt rather stupid once I remembered that I knew how to handle a blaster, which would allow me to attack without being periodically frozen. I also nearly died fighting a fire suppression droid.

I entered the dormitories, and my heart sank as I realized that everyone was dead. I searched their cold stiff bodies, grateful that a refresher sink was readily available. I was hoping to not burn these gloves until after we escaped. In that sink, I found a datapad. It was one of many, and most seemed to hide grim secrets. My heart nearly broke as I witnessed the deaths of nearly everyone I had been trying to save. When I finished watching the men die, I deciphered the distress signal the miners had been sending out. I felt clever as I figured out the code. I felt relieved as I heard the droid's metallic intonations remind me to enter that code backwards. I boarded the turbolift, unsure whether I'd accomplished anything. As I left the turbolift, I heard three magic words which would have made my heart sing: emergency lockdown overridden. If only someone had survived. Even so, I still managed a smile.

"I have felt a disturbance… our enemy is here. We must leave at once." I was rather taken aback to see Kreia standing before me.

"Enemy? Kreia, what enemy?"

"The one that fired upon the Ebon Hawk as we attempted to rescue you… and he will not let us go without blood being shed."

I was confused. "Wait. Who is this enemy?" I asked.

"The story is a long one, and time is short. Come, we must go, and quickly."

I immediately grew frustrated that she wouldn't answer my question, but I let it go. "All right. Let's get a move on," I said hesitantly.

"We need to make our way to the docking area on this level. I fear the airlock has already opened, and if so, we must be on our guard. If we cannot reach the Ebon Hawk, then we must find a way to escape on the ship that has docked here."

I didn't like being told what to do, but internally I conceded that she was probably right. We made our way towards Atton. He saw us approaching, and I knew he'd have some smart remark for us.

"What in space is going on? Who's this? Another Jedi? What, did you guys suddenly start breeding when I wasn't looking?"

I gagged a little at the thought, and replied, "Atton, there's no time to explain. Grab a weapon, and follow me."

"Uh…all right. I'm guessing that Republic ship that just docked isn't carrying friends of yours."

Thank you captain obvious, I thought, just as Kreia interjected "I hope your talent for understatement is offset by your skill with a blaster. If not, then I fear our time together will be short indeed." I laughed inside as I noticed we had nearly the same thought. Atton may be contending for prince of understatement, but you're still its queen.

"Yeah, and I'm also good at running and drinking, your majesty." That made me laugh out loud. "And even if you two aren't friends of the Republic, that warship's the only way off this station. Good thing we have a clear run to the shi…"

Just then, the same stupid droid showed up again. "Threat: Master, perhaps I did not enunciate clearly the last time we spoke. I suggested that you should shut down, stay put, and wait for rescue."

"No, you were clear, I just don't listen to assassin droids."

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