Disclaimer: Yes, yes. No one here belongs to me, (even Carth! TT-TT). Excepting, that is, my own characters, who belong to themselves. And all the love-slaves; they belong to their love-masters. o-0

Chapter II: The Mysterious Stranger

"There are no records?!?" the Exile screamed, astonished. Her glare was incredibly fierce to the droid before her.

"I am sorry, madam, but no records exist of relevance to your queries." The droid spoke with a robotic tone, in a slightly sneering, almost condescending way.

Zaenara signed audibly. She had been searching all day, in every record accessible to her. Of course, nothing had turned up 'of relevance to her queries.' Her query was that of Revan: what she did, where she went; even what she'd looked like would be helpful at this point.

"Well, can you please call me on my ship's commlink if anything shows up? I'd like to know the second you find anything."

"Yes, madam; I will alert you."

Sighing once again, Zaenara quietly treaded along the shining floor of the Royal Archives, her spirits down for the count. She had never believed that researching—even if it came up with nothing—could be so tiring. She walked back towards the entertainment quarter, where Atton would be waiting for her.

Just then, she could sense a presence. It was not of the ordinary Onderonian. It had a special quality which gave it a powerful aura; the powerful aura of a Force user. Silently, she stepped towards the alleyway which held the presence. A tug in the Force told her of an immediate danger, coming from the direction of the alley. Quickly and without hesitation, she unbelted her lightsaber, activating it in a threatening fashion.

A moderately strong voice, of a male human, spoke in a hushed tone, almost to himself. "Quick reflexes, and perfect timing. Just what I'd expect from a Weapon Master."

The Exile pointed her glowing weapon at the human, only to reveal, under the silver light, a youthful boy in his early adulthood. His eyes stared, unblinking, at the woman before him; it seemed as if he did not even notice the blade, which was nearly touching his throat. Zaenara could almost recognize him, he was so familiar. Yet, his face proved unable to be placed, as time went on.

"Who are you?" asked the Exile, in an interrogatory tone. Whoever he was, he was a powerful Force-user, and that could not go by unlooked.

"My name... It is not important. Who is important is who you're looking for. Or have I the wrong Exile?"

She almost fell over in astonishment. How could he, despite being a Force-user, possibly know who she was looking for? She had thought that she had the Pazaak method down right...

"How do you know this?"

"Oh, please. It is a simple matter to know who you are; any one person connected to the Force can sense you a mile away. The other matter, though, is not as simple as that. Only a person with connections to the Royal Archives would be able to access that information." He had a smug look on as he said this, obviously proud of himself. Then, though, he seemed to remember something, and dismissed the look for a more serious one.

"You have access to the Royal Archives?"

"More so than that, but yes. I am the one who edits the Archives, makes sure nothing escapes that shouldn't." Zaenara saw another smirk play across his face, and a gleam along his deep brown eyes. "The information on Revan that you are looking for—"

"You know where she is?"

"Not exactly. But first, I must know—do you trust me?" His face was set with determination, detectable even in a lightsaber's shine. He was not meant to be deceiving; Zae could tell. Her former master, Kreia, had taught her how to read one's emotions without the use of the force. She could easily respond, truthfully:

"Yes, I trust you."

"Good. Mistrust doesn't exactly build a good friendship, does it?" That infamous smirk appeared yet again.

"I suppose not."

"Well, then, we'd better get started. Follow me to my home, Exile. I will give you the information you need."

From a hill above a housing complex, Zaenara Cloud could see across the whole area. Beige-white buildings conquered the dip in land, with various types of trees speckling the development. A large patch of green indicated a town garden, from which many signals in the Force emitted.

The force-sensitive stranger beside her pointed out a humble off-white building, with a rust-red roof and the unique Onderonian style.

"That is my humble home away from home. It's not much, but for me, it works just fine." The stranger started off towards it, and Zaenara soon followed. There really was something familiar about this one. Something about his mahogany hair and deep brown eyes gave off that distinctive heroic trait. But, without his name, she couldn't fairly place him. Nevertheless, she dutifully followed him as this mysterious stranger led her towards his house.

As they reached the house, the stranger slid open the door with a flick of his hand, commanding the Force. Inside was a simple room, with a restcouch, a few tables, and a holovid projector. They followed the stairs which led to an upstairs bedroom, smaller than the average. A small sleepcouch lay in the corner, a cluttered desk in another. It seemed that this so-apparent force-user was also a businessman.

The stranger approached the wall opposite the desk, above the couch. Another flick of his fingers, and a concealed hatch opened to reveal a datapad, small and basic, but Zaenara knew there was more to it. Her instincts told her it was extremely important, and questioned again the identity of this man. As they withdrew from the house, she could sense a bit of conflict in him, like he was almost debating on whether or not to give it to her.

"All that was recovered... all of the searching... it led to this," he said, handing the datapad to her. As he said it, he also pulled out what appeared to be a chrome silver star, longer on one end than all the others. He tightly grasped it in one hand.

"This means something to you, doesn't it?" Zaenara spoke slowly, in a hesitant voice.

"Indeed it does."

"Did... did you know her?"

It took a moment before he responded, more hesitant than herself, as if he did not fully entrust her.

"You could say so. We met briefly, on Korriban; she helped me turn to the light. I still feel responsible for finding her, though. The Republic, the Jedi, everyone needs her... he needs her..."

From all her experiences, Zae did not even need the Force to tell her to stay silent about whomever he refused to name.

"That is why I'm giving you this. All our hopes rest in you hands, Exile. I sincerely hope you will find her, for all our sakes." As he said it, he slowly pressed the star into her hand. It was slightly warm to the touch, as if there was a bit of the Force inside it. "Goodbye, dear Zaenara."

Silently, she started walking away, but then she stopped, noticing something.

"How do you know my name?"

"Ah, that is something for another time." Mischievously, he grinned and walked back towards the house from where he came. She was still wondering over his identity, staring into the setting sun, when she grievously remembered something.

"Atton!"

Author's Notes

Hoo-ha!!

Ah, but who is this mysterious stranger? Let's think... Who do we know with deep brown, awesome eyes? Coincidentally, he also has mahogany hair! Whoever knows me, you know to whom those adjectives belong! Now, think younger, and more force-usingy!

Confused?

My mission is complete!!