The radio crackled as they made tracks from the imploding Rakatan weapon. "Carth--you made it!" The relief in Admiral Dodonna's voice was easily heard, even with the less than stellar connection.

He grinned as he shot back, "We couldn't let you start the victory party without us, Admiral!"

He would have sworn he heard her laugh. "I'm sending an honor guard to escort you in. You'll be getting a hero's welcome when we all get home." Even as she finished speaking, two Republic fighter pulled even with the Ebon Hawk and assumed escort positions.

"Oh, wonderful, Admiral, can't wait," Carth muttered sarcastically.

"For what?" Kenna inquired, not caring about Bastila's presence as she rested one hand on his shoulder affectionately.

"Hero's welcome. Big crowd of people who all want to see you, shake your hand and tell you you're the best thing to happen to the galaxy since lightspeed. Preceded by a ceremony, complete with speeches and all kinds of praise and attention," he summed up, remembering the one at the end of the Mandalorian Wars.

"Do I detect a distinct lack of enthusiasm?" Kenna teased, chuckling.

"Guilty as charged. I don't like all the attention." She gave him a Look. "Alright, I hate it. It feels…wrong to get praised for just doing my job."

"Why? If you deserve it, I mean."

"I don't do what I do for the attention--"

"You do it because it's right," Kenna finished, leaning down to kiss him on the cheek, then whispered, "That's why I love you."

"And here I thought it was 'cause of my good looks," he whispered teasingly as he kissed her back.

"Well, they certainly help," Kenna admitted, straightening. "Well, I'll let you concentrate on flying. Wouldn't seem right, surviving all that just to die 'cause my pilot got distracted." Carth ignored the teasing jab and focused on flying the ship.

Kenna slipped out and headed for the medbay. She needed to take care of her arm. It ached atrociously with the slightest movement. As she rummaged through one of the cabinets in search of a medpac, she sensed someone join her in the small room. "What, Bastila? Actually, if it's about Carth and me I don't want to hear it."

"Then I shall say it despite your protests. Love is forbidden to Jedi. How do you plan to explain yourself to the Council?"

"How do they explain a Force bond?" Kenna returned, somehow keeping herself from screaming. Some things never change. "And how is being in love different? Love isn't evil."

"It can lead you to do evil," Bastila sighed in exasperation. "Attachment is dangerous."

"Yet master and student form close bonds, Jedi are to view each other as comrades, almost brothers. Isn't that a form of attachment?"

"A Force bond is different. It is shared by two Jedi who can keep each other strong on the path of the light and inspire one another."

"Look." Kenna spun angrily on one heel and glared at Bastila. "I have lost track of the number of times Carth saved my life. I stopped counting. But even more than that, do you know what kept me strong on the Temple? When you made that oh-so-very-tempting offer to overthrow Malak? It wasn't my duty to the Jedi, or my loyalty to the mission that helped me say no. It was him. I said no because of him. Because he believes that Revan is dead, and Kenna has replaced her. We are both alive and the galaxy is safe because of love, rather than duty." She almost savagely tore off the ragged sleeve of her robe, slapping the synthetic skin patch over the wound. "Carth is a good man. Can you give me one good reason I shouldn't love him?"

"Love can lead to the dark side, as can any strong emotion." Bastila looked taken aback by the ferocity with which Kenna defended herself.

"Friendship led Malak to the dark side. Friendship caused your fall. Should Jedi refuse to have friends?"

"You and Carth must have collaborated on your responses. He said almost exactly the same thing," Bastila commented in frustration. "I don't want to see you fall because of him."

"You won't," Kenna replied with certainty. "If anything, you'll see me stay strong because of him."

"Alright, I suppose that's fair enough. I shall say no more. But you will have to explain yourself to the Council. I do not envy you that task." She smiled apologetically. "You have my sympathies."

"Thanks," Kenna groaned. She knew it would be hard to explain to the Council. They would more than likely demand she choose. That was one choice she did not want to have to make.

"Out of curiosity, which would you choose?" Bastila asked, leaning against the wall.

"Huh? Oh, right, Force bond." Kenna rubbed her arm uncomfortably. She knew what choice the younger woman meant. "I…" she sighed. "I…don't know."

"And that bothers you." It wasn't a question.

Kenna nodded. "I love Carth. No question. I love him so much, the thought of losing him to…to, well, anything scares the life out of me. To death, to my past, to duty." She looked over at Bastila. "There were a couple times back there I thought he was dead. I swear my heart stopped. The thought of living without him…" She hesitated before finishing, "…makes it hard to breathe."

"But?" Bastila prodded, knowing there was more.

"I have a duty to protect the galaxy. That's supposed to come first." Kenna groaned in frustration and dragged her fingers through her hair. "I'm torn between love and duty, and despite knowing which one should win, I don't know if it will."

Bastila was silent for a moment before replying. "Must you give one up? Love is forbidden to Jedi. I'm not suggesting it isn't." She paused, crossing to one of the beds and sitting down on the edge.

"Well, then, what am I supposed to do?" Kenna demanded. "I've been through too much with Carth to just abandon him. He is the reason--the only reason--I've managed to stay strong through everything."

"You don't have to be a Jedi to help defend the galaxy. The Republic serves much the same purpose as do the Jedi," Bastila pointed out.

"But I have an incredible affinity for the Force and everything about the life of a Jedi except the fact they can't love."

Bastila sighed. "Well, then. In this war between love and duty, you just have to decide which is more important." She rose and left the medbay. Kenna plunked down on the bed her friend had abandoned and buried her head in her hands. Love and duty, duty and love. Which is more important? Anyone not standing in her shoes would answer 'duty' with hardly a pause to think. But if love helps me do my duty, why couldn't I have both? She didn't want to choose. She wanted both.

Carth put the Ebon Hawk on autopilot and went to find Kenna. Something had been bothering her, he could tell. And there was more then just the sore knee and wounded arm causing the pained expression on her face. He had only caught a fleeting glimpse as she left the cockpit, but she looked like the weight of an entire galaxy was pressing on her shoulders.

"She's in there." Bastila pointed toward the medbay as she passed him in the main hold, on her way back to the cockpit.

"Keep an eye on the controls for me?" he asked, pace quickening.

"Certainly." The ease with which she agreed made Carth even more suspicious. He stopped in the doorway to the medbay. Kenna was sitting with her head buried in her hands. I knew something was wrong.

"Kenna? What's wrong?" he asked, crossing to where she sat.

She looked up, startled. "Nothing." The dark circles under eyes told a different story.

"You're exhausted." Carth sat down next to her, not even bothering to call her out on the obvious lie. "C'mere." He leaned back against the wall.

"But--" Kenna tried to protest. There wasn't long before they would land on Rakata Prime, she needed time to think.

"Come. Here," Carth repeated with teasing firmness, pulling her over to lean against him. Kenna gave in, settling back against his chest. Carth wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close. "Now, tell me the truth. What's wrong? I know something's bothering you." He kissed the back of her neck.

Kenna felt a shiver run down her spine. "That's cheating," she complained. "It's something I can't tell you about, and you're making me feel guilty."

"Good," he whispered, chuckling softly as he kissed her neck again. Kenna rolled her eyes and twisted around in his arms to kiss him on the cheek. Carth turned slightly and took it on the lips instead.

Kenna glared playfully at him. "Carth!" Her glare was interrupted by a yawn she couldn't hide.

"What? Can you blame me?"

"No, I guess not," she admitted, yawning again.

"Go to sleep, beautiful."

"But we're gonna be landing soon," Kenna protested, relaxing anyway.

"Every little bit helps." Carth chuckled when he saw she was already asleep.

"Hey, Carth, Bastila says we're gonna land s--" Mission slapped a hand over her mouth as she rounded the doorway to the medbay. Trapped as he was by the sleeping Jedi, the pilot had succumbed to his own weariness and fallen asleep as well. Oh, this is too perfect, the Twi'lek thought, grinning fiendishly as she slipped her holorecorder out of her pocket. It only took her a second, then she tapped Carth on the shoulder. "Carth? Carth? We're about to land."

"Huh?" He blinked and looked at her, only half awake.

Mission repeated herself. "We're gonna land soon."

"Oh. Thanks." Once fully awake, Carth had to figure out to how extricate himself from underneath Kenna. He finally accept that doing it without waking her up would be impossible. "Kenna, wake up." He shook her shoulder gently.

"Mmm." She shifted position and snuggled in even closer.

Oh, Sith's blood. Well, it's my own fault I guess. "Mission, little help?"

The Twi'lek giggled furiously as she acquiesced. "C'mon, Kenna. Time to wake up. Unless you wanna crash."

Kenna bolted upright, rubbing her eyes and looking so disoriented they couldn't help but laugh. "Sorry, beautiful. I need to go land the Hawk," Carth apologized, still chuckling, as he slid from behind her.

"S'okay," she mumbled, still half asleep. "Go." Carth smiled, kissed her on the forehead, and disappeared toward the cockpit. Kenna looked over at Mission, who was still grinning. "What?" she demanded around a residual yawn.

"Oh, nothin'," Mission giggled, trying to act innocent and failing miserably. Kenna rolled her eyes and stretched, trying to massage to kinks out of her spine. "Whatsa matter? Weren't you comfortable?"

"Oh, be quiet." Kenna blushed. "And yes, for your information, I was very comfortable. As much as is possible for the angle my spine was bending."

"So what were you and Bastila talkin' about earlier? I tried askin' her already, while you and Carth were takin' your nap,"--Kenna blushed--"but she wouldn't tell me. She said it was somethin' you were workin' through and if you wanted me to know, you'd tell me. Sorry to ask, but curiosity is killin' me."

The reality she'd managed to forget for a short while came screaming back to the forefront of Kenna's mind. "Choosing."

"Between what?"

"Love and duty."

Mission looked at Kenna in confusion. "Whaddya mean, choosing between love and duty?"

"Remember one of the cardinal rules of being a Jedi? We aren't allowed to love. At least not the way I love Carth," Kenna replied. She sighed heavily, her temporary good mood dispelled. "Bastila was trying to help me figure out what to do, but she's apparently mastered the art of being cryptic as hell. I'm more confused now than before."

"And I guess falling asleep in his lap didn't help much either, huh?" Mission smiled sympathetically. "You'd think with them bein' so desperate for Jedi right now, they would make an exception or something. Especially 'cause you're Revan. Aren't you the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy?"

"Just about," Kenna conceded. She stood. "I'll figure it out. The worst part is knowing that duty, technically, should win out, but most likely won't. I'll feel like sewer trash either way. Not to mention losing Carth just might kill me. "

"Glad I'm not a Jedi," Mission muttered as she watched Kenna head toward the cockpit.

This landing was much smoother than the last one on Rakata Prime. Of course, the fact Carth didn't have to manage it with the Hawk's stabilizers fried beyond repair was probably the main reason for that. He sat the Hawk down on the same beach as before, far enough from the water that both of the escort fighters could land on the beach as well. As he powered down the ship's engines, he turned to Kenna. "Ready for this?"

She smiled and dragged him out of the pilot's chair "Any reason I shouldn't be?" Her eyes conveyed the unspoken second half: "As long as I'm with you, just try me." The crew disembarked from the Ebon Hawk together and met the Republic escorts on the beach. Kenna restrained a giggle at the expression on Canderous' face. It was obvious the Mandalorian was uncomfortable with the idea of being around Republic soldiers. It probably was an affront to his nature to have to be civil to them. Kenna reached for Carth's hand and intertwined her fingers with his. He looked uncomfortable with the idea of impending attention.

"Hey, flyboy, you deserve it," she whispered to him. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it, beautiful," he whispered back.

"Try. For me?"

"You are evil, Kenna Tasman." Carth shook his head. "That was low."

She grinned impishly at him and turned to the soldiers waiting on the beach.

Not done yet! I have all kinds of ideas for post-Star Forge life for Carth and Kenna (insert evil grin here). Updates may slow a bit, as I'm also working on Aftermath, and trying to beat Dragon Age. Thanks so much to everyone who has favorited/reviewed/put me on story alert!