Author's notes: Okay, here's the facts: Kashyyyk is now officially a wrap – this is the last chapter, all quests are finished (plus a few extra things) and as it was before, another intermezzo is soon to come. That intermezzo is the Mandalorian war. And that is a really long chapter. So, I was thinking of breaking Manaan´s monotony with a little action – I'd split the giant chapter into two, adding the second part in the middle of Manaan. How does that sound? Remember – the longer the chapter, the longer the wait for it. This is being posted so soon only because I wrote the draft a long, long time ago… and you guys sent quite a lot of reviews, so I decided to reward the loyal readers of my story with a quick update. Don't disappoint me, though. It would be… unacceptable. (eerie Sithy theme, Arachne's eyes glow golden for a moment)

Misty Glow – I just hope I won't spoil the game for you. Oh wait… I already have! You know who your PC is! (grimaces) Whoops. Sorry about that. Still, thanks for reading and certainly finish the game – it's awesome! The best game I ever played, actually.

MilenaSkywalker – there's a Muppet song where they sing: "Mana mana mana… tutu rururu…. Mana mana… tutu rutu…" (--) and so on. I think you can guess what the next planet will be. ;-)

Brynn – (sighs) I really have to check my spelling better next time… but glad you're enjoying it, anyway.

Dark Lord Daishi – the flashback was added there late, actually. But I certainly don't regret it – writing Darth Revan and soon-to-be Darth Malak is tricky, but I think I'm getting the hang of it. Read on.

X X X

Chapter 23 – Phoenix

X X X X

Before they left the village, Juhani was most insistent to bring the bolt casting they found next with the Wookiee corpse in the Shadowlands to the Holder of Laws. The Wookiee greeted them as they entered his home – a simple wooden cottage, just like the other houses on Kashyyyk.

"Hello, outsider. I heard of your arrival. I trust you won't cause trouble in our village? We don't want bloodshed." He said, quite warmly.

"I found this on Rorworr´s corpse." Juhani said, handing him the bolt casting. The Holder of Laws examined it carefully and his eyes widened.

"Oh my… that is… very distressing. It definitely seems to suggest that Jaarak helped in Rorworr´s death. I… I can't ignore this. Wait here, outsider. I must address this. I will have Jaarak brought here… And I hope he can explain this… I really do."

Two other Wookiees were summoned from their homes in less than five minutes. Obviously, justice on Kashyyyk was quick.

"Jaarak… you know why you have been summoned here. As Holder of Laws, I ask you to explain. " The Holder of Laws demanded.

Jaarak shook his head, "I won't answer. I can't. Worrroznor, must Woorwill be here?"


"Woorwill has a bond with Rorworr." Worroznor explained, "He it the closest to family that can be found. He is entitled to be here. Jaarak, please speak. If you are guilty, it means death. This outsider will be given your possessions. Do you want that?"

"I killed Rorworr. I will accept whatever punishment is given. It's better if only my honor is tainted." Jaarak said flatly. The young Wookiee – Woorwill – was stunned.

"You did do it? Why? Roworr was good and honorable! Why did you kill him?" he demanded.

Jaarak bowed his head sadly, unable to look at Woorwill anymore. "You only need to know that I did. The reason is unimportant. Woorwill… I'm sorry."

"Jaarak, I will not let you do this." Juhani interrupted after Revan's translation, "Rorworr was dealing with slavers."

"What? What are you talking about? Liar!" Woorwill snarled at her.

"Be careful what you do here, kid." Jolee warned Juhani, "You don't know these people like I do."

"He should be punished – he shed his honor when he killed a kinsman. Evidence or no, take away their hero and see what happens. Besides, we get paid. It's a win-win solution." Revan noted, earning glares from Mission and Juhani.

"Please… don't tell them anything." Jaarak begged, "Rorworr was admired… they need to believe in him. I'm old. I'm unimportant. Let Woorwill and the others have their hero."

"Explain yourself, outsider." Worroznor said, "If you have information that will affect this trial, I must know it."

"Don't listen to these outsider lies… please." Jaarak weakly objected.

"Rorworr dealt with slavers. This datapad we found on his corpse proves it." Juhani said, handing the datapad to Woorwill, who snatched it. But then, he appeared stunned.

"But… no! No! It can't be! Jaarak?" he desperately asked, turning to the old Wookiee, who still didn't look up.

"I'm sorry Woorwill. I didn't want you to know. So much is against us… you need someone to look up to. I couldn't let him betray you… betray everyone. Outsiders are enough of a threat by themselves; we don't need traitors of our own." Jaarak explained, finally looking at Woorwill.

Zaalbar sighed, "See how this Wookiee truly understands honor? Do you see how important we consider these things, Juhani?" he asked the Cathar.

"My people believe in defending their family." Juhani noted calmly.

"Well… as Holder of Laws, I declare Jaarak innocent. I… will see to your release." Worroznor turned to Juhani. "Well, I must say that you are the first outsider I have been glad to know. You have surprised me. Perhaps some of you are capable of honor after all. You are deserving your reward – a third of Rorworr's belongings." He noted, giving her a hefty amount of credits.

Juhani smiled. "I thank you. Goodbye and May the Force Be With You."

"Goodbye. Bacca guide you."

X X X

"That's your ship?" Jolee asked once they reached the Hawk, making their way past the still-intact Czerka outpost. Well, at least from the outside. Screams were heard from the inside. Of course, they ignored them.

"Yeah, why?"

"One would think that the Council couldn't afford to supply you with a diplomatic vessel." He said, sniggering. A mischievous smile crossed Revan´s face.

"We… acquired it on Taris. It was bombed, if you haven't heard, so we had to steal it from the local crime lord to get off the planet alive. And it was supposed to be a diplomatic mission to the Outer Rim…well, we didn't ask for a Sith attack, you know. Anyway, welcome aboard the Ebon Hawk, Jolee." Revan said once they passed the last Wookiee guards nearby. The common room was empty, but after a few seconds, an all-too-familiar voice sounded from the female quarters direction.

"Well, it's about time you showed up! I was starting to get worried that…" Bastila froze in her tracks when she noticed that the others brought someone else with them. In order to break the silence, Revan spoke up.

"Um – this is Bastila Shan, the other Jedi assigned to this task. Bastila, this is Jolee Bindo, he'll be joining us for this mission." Bastila would probably have frowned, but she decided to be polite this time.

"Pleased to meet you." Then, she seemed to notice something. "I can feel the power of the Force within you. Are you a Jedi?" she asked.

"Nope, not anymore. I follow the Jedi way and use the Force, but I'm no longer a member of the Order." Jolee said, making a face. Mission sniggered. Bastila shot her a dirty look, but then spared a glance at Revan.

"Very well then. You certainly came at the right time – we still have one bunk free and we need all the help we can get. Since you've already met most of our little group, I feel it would be appropriate if you would meet the rest."

"I'll go fetch T3 and HK-47." Mission piped up and then ran off. Revan looked up to see Jolee sniggering at Mission's eagerness.

"Juhani, would you be so kind as to search the ship for Canderous and Carth, if they haven't killed each other by now, that is?" Bastila asked the Cathar. Juhani nodded and also disappeared in the corridors.

Jolee raised an eyebrow. "Killed each other?"

"A Mandalorian merc and a Republic soldier on the same ship? What are you expecting?" Revan pointed out. Bastila smiled, although she tried not to.

"This sounds like an interesting ride." Jolee muttered.

Mission ran back into the common room, the droids following her closely. "Alright Jolee, so, this little guy is T3-M4, our astromech droid." She said, crouching near the smaller unit. "And this is HK-47."

The combat droid´s blazing red eyes watched Jolee closely. "Query: Master, did you bring this meatbag for our aid or for termination? I do hope it is the second one."

"Where'd you get that droid?" Jolee asked Revan.

"Tatooine." She briefly answered. "And no, HK, Jolee is one of the meatbags you are NOT permitted to terminate under any circumstances... unless you receive a direct order from me." Revan added.

"Statement: Oh, how very sad, Master." the droid said in an almost heartbroken tone.

"Don't worry. I'm sure that on Korriban, you'll find plenty of other possible candidates."

"Query: Does that mean that I get to go with you, Master?" Revan nodded. "Observation: Excellent, Master."

Juhani made her entrance, bringing both soldiers to the common room. Revan stepped forth in order to give the final introduction.

"Good, now everyone's here. So, for those who weren't here, this is Jolee Bindo. Looks like we've found a new ally where we expected it the least. Okay and these two over here are Canderous Ordo," she said, introducing the Mandalorian, who merely nodded curtly. "And Carth Onasi." Carth shook hands with Jolee. "That's everyone, then."

"Alexa, I would like to speak with you." Bastila interrupted. Revan nodded, but Carth spotted the torn sleeve of her robe. With a quick step towards her, he grasped her arm – shredded fabric and dried blood. The sight almost made him wince.

"What happened, Alexa?"

"It's nothing, just a scratch." Revan noted blithely.

"Doesn't seem like just a scratch."

"Leave her, Republic boy. A bit of kolto and she'll be fine. She's handled worse." Canderous said, giving Revan a calculating look. Revan glanced at him, suspicious of that little comment.

"Nice try, kid. You almost made me forget that I promised I'd have a look at it." Jolee added. When she was about to object, he raised his arms to silence her. "I don't want to hear any more excuses or any other resentment, girl! I'm gonna clean that wound if I'm gonna have to drag you to the medical room screaming and kicking!"

Revan´s eyes narrowed. The old coot knew well she couldn't fight back… not if she didn't want to risk having the crew against her.

"Query: Shall I dispose of the meatbag, Master?" HK piped up.

"Not yet, HK." The angry reply came. "Well, now that introductions are over, I want to get some sleep."

"Set course for Manaan. We leave in two hours." Bastila ordered Carth, who nodded. He spared one more glance at Revan's injured arm, then turned and left for the cockpit.

The crew returned to its posts at the ship. Unwillingly, Revan led Jolee to the medical room.

X X X

"It's nothing."

"Don't be so stubborn, girl, and let me look at that wound!" Jolee grabbed Revan´s wrist and took off the glove. There was a deep scratch there – the Great Beast certainly made its mark. Thankfully, the medpacks and Force Heal applied on the wound worked. Any trace of a scar had disappeared.

"Old man?" Revan asked while he was attempting to see whether her hand is all right now.

"Got something on your mind, do you?" Jolee asked, still examining the wound.

"Why did you decide to come with me?"

"Your young Twi´lek friend put it best – how many kilometer high trees can you see before you've had enough? Besides, I wanted to see where your path leads."

"I find it hard to believe that you left the Wookiees just for some kind of adventure. You looked pretty happy there to me."

"Try living in an environment like that with tachs smashing down your door and you tell me how you feel! I was just happy to have visitors, that's all."

"Didn't the Wookiees ever visit you?"

"Well, not really. I'm the crazy old man in the creepy woods, remember? And Czerka isn't what you could call welcome visitors. Otherwise, not many talking creatures to see down there. I just wanted to get back into space. Is that too much to ask for?"

"I guess not."

"There, see? That wasn't so hard. Nice of you to agree for once." Jolee said happily.

"Another utopia came true. So, what interest do you have in my future?"

"Interest?" he arched and eyebrow, "I would rather call it idle curiosity, given the situation. Your destiny will arrive on its own account, so I wouldn't worry about it much. Although…your destiny is quite unclear. In fact, everything about you is odd. Everything about you seems to be slightly off, as if my eyes were deceiving me. Something…something is very dark about you. Bah! I bet you have enough nosy Jedi offering you one option after another! You don't need another mentor…and I'm not offering to be one. Besides, you remind me a bit of Nomi, heh, and that can't be all bad."

"Nomi? You mean Nomi Sunrider?"

Jolee nodded, "Exactly. She came late to the Force and became one of the greatest Jedi ever. Oh, fine, fine lass. Whether you'll follow the same path remains to be seen."

"I'm far from a Jedi, old man – surely you're not senile enough to forget that?"

"I never forgot that! Did I suggest you're a Jedi? Strange tricks memory plays on you when you get older…" Jolee muttered, "Tell you what – one of the reasons I joined you is that this little escapade reminds me a bit of my own adventures. Ah, those were exciting times. Or at least it would if you wouldn't waste time talking. What's keeping you? You're too young to be so talkative! Shoo! Shoo!"

Revan raised an eyebrow, but did as the old man said and walked away, heading to the bunk to get some well deserved sleep. Jolee watched her as she disappeared in the corridors. This would be an interesting road trip.

X X X

"Access complete: I have accessed information on my owner prior to the senator, Master. Most… unexpected." HK said when Revan finished her new work on the droid. There was some damaged wiring that needed to be replaced, but fortunately, none of the more delicate components were damaged. She brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes.

"What now?"

"Answer: It appears that previous to my ownership by the senator, I was the property of one Bochaba the Hutt on the planet Sleheyron."

"And what gruesome fate awaited him?" Revan asked with a dark smirk.

"Objection: That is unfair, Master." HK whined. "While Bochaba may have died gruesomely, I most certainly had nothing to do with it. Well…­ very little." it amended after a second. Revan´s smirk broadened. "Hmm. My memories tell me that, for a time, Bochaba was one of the most feared gangsters on Sleheyron. I helped him with his reputation greatly.

Over a span of one year, I terminated a grand total of 322 sentient meatbags. These contracts made Bochaba very wealthy."

"Nice, HK. I'm proud of you."

"Gratitude: Thank you, Master," the droid beamed at her. The Master never gave out praise lightly. "Statement: it was unfortunate, but inevitable that eventually Bochaba would overstep his bounds. I had just cleared two Hutt households when the Exchange retaliated.
Statement: I was not even present when my old master was assassinated. I did not appreciate the artistry behind his demise upon my return, however."

"What happened?"

"Answer: Allow me to say that I have little doubt that residents of that sector were fishing pieces of Bochaba from their soup for weeks afterward." Revan burst out laughing at that. HK was always one for imaginative descriptions. "At any rate, I quickly shut down upon my master's death. The rival Hutt claimed me along with my master's other possessions.

Observation: If that Hutt had only known my true function, he surely would have sold me to a senator he bribed regularly."

"Any other memories?"

"Answer: negative, Master. There is still more memory that can be restored, however, if you wish to try. As well, I believe I can restore several programs the Hutt installed to improve my performance." A sound of gears whirling, "Yesss… they are now active. Contemplate: I wonder how many more dead masters I might have out there. A droid can live for a long time, you know."

"Eager to find who owned you since you were lost, aren't you?" Revan asked, a playful glint in her eyes.

"Query: Wouldn't you be, Master? Here I am, surrounded by all these meatbags and all I desire is true perfection. Surely there are more droids like me out there, or is that too much to hope?" HK asked philosophically.

"You're unique HK. And I wouldn't have it any other way. I would kill anyone who would try to copy you."

"Observation: Thank you, Master. Statement: I had completed an assassination in Mandalorian space… the one you sent me on. My motor function had been damaged, and I was unable to return to your base on Dubrillion, as you programmed me to do. A Mandalorian soldier claimed me as ´booty´, I believe. He repaired me… poorly, I might add… and proceeded to use my assassination protocol to raise his rank."

"It appears no one could resist using that protocol." Revan chuckled.

"Statement: Neither could you, Master, if I remember correctly."

"I created you, you bucket of bolts." Revan snapped coldly. "The protocol is there on purpose. Be grateful I restored it."

"Statement: Umm… if you say so, Master." HK innocently said. Revan´s changes of mood were legendary. "At any rate, it seems that my Mandalorian owner finally decided to send me against Mandalore himself. My poorest performance, sadly. I was captured by this Mandalore during the attempt. He was able to reverse my programming and send me against my own master. It was quite distressing. There was little I could do. Needless to say, I dispatched the Mandalorian soldier efficiently. Once I deactivated, I believe I eventually ended on the black market and was sold to the Hutt on Sleheyron." HK sighed. "My darkest day."

Revan sniggered, "You're just a traveling piece of bad luck, aren't you?"

"Objection: That is so unfair, Master! Have I not brought you a great deal of satisfaction?" HK-47 asked idly.

"You don't want to hear the answer to that."

"Statement: You are a very harsh master, Master. I like you."

Revan smirked, "So you killed that master directly."

"Statement: So I did. I am not very proud of that, Master. The soldier seemed very startled, I must say. There are a few Mandalorian implants that I can activate now, however."

"At least you're back, HK."

"Observation: Indeed. I do hope we will engage in combat together soon, Master."

X X X

"I was checking out supplies in the cargo hold something's not right." Zaalbar approached Revan later that evening, after his usual massacre of the food supply. At least, that's what she thought.

"Not right? What do you mean?" Revan asked warily. The Wookiee might pig out all the time, but he never denied it. This seemed strange. Just as Zaalbar was about to say something…

"Hey, look at this!" Canderous came into the room, dragging a small blonde girl into the room by the hand. She seemed terrified and was obviously crying. That could be either because of the fact she was caught red handed… or the fact the Mandalorian´s grip was probably crushing her arm easily.

"Ahhh! Na abds! Na abds! Me hoot bad liaz!! Awnts!" the girl shrieked.

Revan raised an eyebrow at that. "I can understand Mandalorian, but that translates into pure gibberish."

"Mandalorey!" the girl shrieked again, edging away from Canderous when he finally let her go, practically throwing her to Revan´s feet, "Mandalorey is na gon-disen! Mandalorey abds!"

"I think she doesn't like you, Canderous." Revan noted, seeing the girl's panic.

"I've noticed." Canderous retorted dryly.

"So where'd you find the little intruder?".

"She was stealing food in the cargo hold. Pretty sneaky kid, too. Almost could rival the Twi'lek. I don't even know when she got on board and how long she's been there. At least we know it wasn't the Wookiee – I didn't really believe him when he denied stealing the food." Fortunately Zaalbar was gone by the time Canderous said that. Revan didn't even notice him leaving – he probably went to talk with Mission about the whole incident.

"Sasha na esowon in bristag. Bristag me leafsa." The girl noted warily.

"I'd say her name is Sasha. Right?" The girl seemed puzzled. Revan sighed and pointed to the girl. "Sasha."

The girl finally nodded. "Waaba soosa Sasha." She said with a smile.

"Good, that's settled. Now, what to do with her?"

"I say dump her on the planet." Canderous suggested.

"First, I want to know what she's doing on my ship. She could be Tarisian…"

"Bristag me laesfa." The girl said.

"Okay, so first – what is "bristag"?" Revan asked. The girl pointed at things around her, then waved a hand out and made a "swoosh". "Smart kid. Nice non-verbal communication. Okay, "bristag" is starship, right?" The girl nodded.

"Me laesfa. Me stin-quiw in laesfa." Sasha said, gesturing around her.

"The starship… I think she means home. So, she's hiding here. Ah ha."

The girl clapped her hands, laughing slightly, then pointed at Revan. "Yooba gon-disen."

"Um… yes? What about me?"

Sasha smiled and patted her chest, "Gon-disen! Me!"

"It's… something you like…"

"Yooba gon-disen!"

"Well she certainly likes you, Alexa." Canderous said gruffly.

"I think so. Too bad."

"Yooba na abds?" Sasha asked.

""Na abds"… you said that she we first found you."

Sasha slapped her leg, "Abds! Me abds!"

"I think "na" is a negative and "abds" is "hit" or "hurt." Me na abds Sasha." Sasha hesitated, but then smiled, "Oh, don't start cheering just yet, kid. I may not hit you, but just because smacking an urchin is beneath me. I'm not your new best friend or your babysitter. So if you know what's good for you, kindly remove yourself from my ship." Revan said coldly. "I have enough children to look after already and you are useless compared to them."

"Ahhh! Na abds! Na abds!!" Sasha shrieked at the sight of a flash of gold in Revan's eyes. "Na abds! Me hoot bad liaz!! Awnts!!!"

"Off my ship!" Revan snapped at her.

"Ahh!! Me na awnts palkie bristag!! Bad liaz!!"

"I don't care. Off you go."

Sasha began sobbing, "Me awnts na palkie. Me bad liaz."

"Suck it up, sister. Fins someone who cares." Revan noted, her arms folded.

"Me… me palkie. Is na gon-disen." And she ran to the loading ramp, scurrying off the Hawk.

Canderous didn't even bat an eyelash. "Looks like she changed her option on you."

"Just another mouth to feed. We've got enough problems without a kid stealing our food. If you find any other unwanted guest, feel free to do the same - throw them out of the ship."

"My pleasure."

X X X

After several hours of explaining what happened in the Shadowlands, planning their supplies and Jolee getting to know the rest of the crew Revan decided she had quite enough.

She now stood near the platform where the Hawk was landed, gazing at the stars. How long has it been since she had looked at them for the last time? A year? Two? No… it had been longer.

Her pride refused to let her admit it was one of the things she missed.

They reminded her too much of the time… no. No, she wouldn't think about that. Wrestling with her feelings for years was enough. This would only deepen old wounds.

Her path was to be alone. A dark road filled with shadows. She had chosen it long ago. Yet somehow, the beings that now traveled with her crossed it. And most of them had an aura of Light. Why did they follow them from wherever she found them? She knew all too well she couldn't afford to grow close to them – eventually, they would have to choose between allegiance to her or death. There was no in-between. Yet they had to believe she was their friend­… for the time being. She didn't fail to notice how they've come to depend on her, even if they didn't say it.

The Jedi were the hardest to convince and were giving in slowly. The fact that Juhani idolized her so much could be a major advantage. And the Cathar had an inner rage that none of her species could push away. She had to somehow decipher the old coot, who was being semi-enigmatic. And the brat, Bastila, was now in her debt. She really couldn't wish for a better candidate for the post of her apprentice – she wanted to kill the brat just to shut her up so many times. It would be amusing to turn her into a Sith.

The others were nothing. They had ability, but nothing irreplaceable, except maybe for the Mandalorian, who seemed to be a strong follower of their code. He knew that by slaying Mandalore, she became his successor… and therefore he was to follow her, no matter what.

The one thing that bothered her was the bond she shared with Bastila. There was no way to block the brat out without her noticing. And Force-bonds weren't easily broken, just about as easily as turning Vrook into a Sith.

Revan shook her head to wave those thoughts off, her gaze moving to the Wookiee rebels. It was fun to see Czerka being kicked off the planet. Sure, she was the one who forged an allegiance with them, but that didn't mean she had to approve slavery. No one had told her about this operation when she was Sith Lord and she had to punish disobedience.

"Enjoying the show?" Revan jumped ever so slightly. She hadn't noticed him arrive – she was too busy watching the Wookiees. But she nodded, without turning around.

"In a way. They are good fighters."

Canderous snorted. "Hah. One small outpost. That's nothing compared to our war with the Republic."

Revan's gaze didn't mover from the now abandoned infocenter, which was currently being effectively cleansed of the Czerka. "Still, it is amusing to watch."

"Bet Princess would love to hear that."

"She's still sulking on the Hawk. What she doesn't know doesn't hurt her."

The Mandalorian was now standing beside her, wearing heavy armor suspiciously similar to the one in Eli's shop. "So what's the next part of your plan?" he asked.

"Manaan, unfortunately. On the bright side, Korriban comes right after that. Care to stick around?"

"Why not? You seem to know where to find a good opponent…"

"Translation: You're a trouble magnet, Denali."

"… and kick their tails." He finished. Then, after a moment's hesitation, "Revan." He added in Mandalorian.

She could sense he was expecting a response, any response, to the name. A confirmation that he was right and saw through all the deception. Or an outrage, though he knew she was never one for violent outbursts. Cold and distant she was, but never overly violent. And with each day, more and more of it made sense, the cool logic, snide Jedi comments and finally, the unique battle stance he recognized on Tatooine. The stance which he saw only once before and admired the warrior ever since.

"Thank you." she quietly said after a few minutes, as if the name had never reached her ears. Surprise and admiration appeared in his otherwise dark aura.

"So it truly is you, then. My people always thought you were a man."

"You can't assassinate someone whose face you don't know. And in the end, it worked out, didn't it?"

He nodded, "Who knows this?"

"The Jedi Princess, Jolee and the Council. And HK-47. You're the first one to figure it out by themselves, though. Congratulations."

"I've seen you fight before – on Malachor. Otherwise I wouldn't have noticed the similarity."

"You saw me duel Mandalore?" Revan asked with idle curiosity.

"Hah. I asked you for orders once he was dead."

Revan blinked. She did remember one of the generals giving her the mask that became far more famous than her face for more than one reason. Upon that memory, she nodded. "I remember now."

"I take it you don't intend to tell anyone else?"

Revan shook her head, "Not yet. You've probably figured out why I'm helping the Jedi."

"It's a long shot, but well planned. Then again, you were always a genius on the field. It's really hard to believe you're alive… but the proof is indisputable." Canderous noted.

"I will need help once this is over." The offer was clear.

"You're the only one in the galaxy who could best us. And, by rights, you're Mandalore. How can you even ask if I'll follow you? I'm your man until the end, no matter how this plays out." Canderous vowed.

Revan nodded slowly, turning to the Czerka outpost once more. "I believe you… and though it surprises me to say this, but I trust you. Do not disappoint me, Canderous."

"I won't."

The Wookiees they've been watching had left the Czerka center, so the pair decided to loot it while they had the chance. And in a silent agreement, they drew their weapons to finish any unfinished work of the Wookiees.

X X X

The news of Calo Nord´s death traveled quickly. His failure was certainly not to Saul Karath´s liking. As Darth Malak appeared on the bridge, the Admiral's expression of horror was clearly visible. He fell to his knees before the Dark Lord.

"Calo Nord is dead, Lord Malak. He has failed in his mission… forgive me." Saul closed his eyes, knowing what kind of punishment he would be granted. He was ready for it… hopefully.

"The penalty for failure is death, Admiral Karath." Malak coldly snapped. "But the failure was Calo´s, not yours. You may rise." He knew no mercy – but he knew rationality. The lesson was learned, and violent outbursts wouldn't really help him right now. The trouble with looking for a new Admiral was really a luxury he couldn't afford right now.

Saul blinked, but gratefully stood up. This was uncommon for the Dark Lord… and he thought that suggesting something would redeem himself in Malak´s eyes.

"Shall I hire another bounty hunter, Lord Malak?"

But what bounty hunter could survive a battle against a Sith Lord?

"No." Malak was obviously thinking the same. "A mere bounty hunter cannot stand against her. A mere Dark Jedi cannot stand against her. I shall not make the same mistake again."

"But… if that woman really is who we believe she is… how can we stop her?" Karath asked. If the woman indeed returned from the death, they were in great danger. The only fortunate thing was that they knew her way of leading (and fighting) a battle.

"I shall test her one more time." Malak noted calmly, "My apprentice, Darth Bandon, shall test our theory."

The door opened itself, revealing a Sith standing there. He was obviously of high rank, because the armor he wore was really exquisite. The man was bald and pale skinned. A double-bladed lightsaber showed that this was Malak´s apprentice, Darth Bandon. As a Sith trooper passed him, Bandon sent him flying through the air and he crashed into a computer console, the explosion killing him and a nearby officer.

Bandon slowly walked to his Master and the Admiral.

"Find Bastila and bring her to me. Alive, if possible." Malak simply ordered, ignoring the damage and the deaths of several soldiers. There was no emotion behind the order, except for slight interest perhaps. This would be an interesting test – he almost regretted he wouldn't be able to watch the show.

Bandon bowed slightly, "As you command, Master." And he left the bridge, watched by the Admiral, who knew the apprentice had just been sent to his death simply to prove an unconfirmed theory.