The morning was tense and quiet as the expedition set off once again into the depths of the jungle. News that their group had fallen under the scrutiny of the Kar'ta Epar'e – even if at the moment it was only one – had everyone on edge.

Vhetin wasn't surprised; send a warrior up against the toughest enemy, and he'd most likely do it without complaint. But pit a soldier against an enemy he couldn't see, and things changed dramatically. As the morning hike wore on, he noticed Rangers and Berserkers jumping at shadows and rustling branches as if every hidden nook and cranny of the jungle was sheltering murderous beasts. In this terrible place, even Mandalorians were just as spooked as anyone else.

This is the Werda Kurs, he reminded himself. There probably is some kind of man eater around every corner.

As usual, Hish'ka Che'daje led the way, her sharp yellow eyes raking over the jungle ahead of them. Occasionally she would drop to one knee and paw at the dirt underfoot, taking note of broken branches or small, irregular puddles of water in the forest floor. Vhetin didn't know if her cybernetic hand was outfitted with more advanced sensors to help her track, but she always seemed to know exactly where to go to bring them closer to the source of the Heart Eater attacks.

Vhetin was no stranger to the art of tracking; broken branches signaled recent and violent movement, and the puddles of water were footprints. He hazarded a look over the tracker's shoulder at one point and saw a roughly humanoid print, with long toes and what looked like sharp talons.

"Definitely in their territory now," Hish'ka hissed as she straightened. "We're off the edges of the map. Here there be monsters."

Jay stepped closer as well and noted another footprint near the first. "What about that? That doesn't look like the same kind of print."

"It's a boot," Hish'ka replied quietly. "Mandalorian-issue cetar. Our Heart-Eaters had a prisoner. Probably one of the missing Rangers. Maybe one of the Kelborns, if they were stupid enough to wander this far from their own land."

Jay didn't bother to ask what the Kar'ta Epar'e did with their prisoners. At this point, the question was on everyone's mind. It was obvious that a name like Heart-Eaters was no local legend; possible sentience aside, creatures this savage very likely consumed their prey. Vhetin shuddered to think of the horrors faced by the captive Mandalorians, and he found himself more thankful than ever that Tamai had fought her way back to the others.

Yet as the day wore on, he noticed Tamai's disposition growing more and more sour. With every clue of Heart-Eater activity they found, and with every indication that the creatures had taken prisoners, her scowl grew deeper and her hands clenched into even tighter fists. No one around her – Vhetin included – was willing to broach the subject of her anger, though at one point Norac Benz leaned near and hissed, "At least they died a good death."

Tamai, unsurprisingly, said nothing.

They stopped near noon, when the sun was beating down through the canopy high above. The Ranger-Commander called for a short break while the course ahead was revised. The exhausted expedition members spread through the rocky clearing where they had stopped, flopping down onto the rocks like sunbathing lizards while the Che'daje sisters scouted ahead with Tervho and Benz.

Vhetin eased himself onto the rough boulder Tamai had claimed. The woman offered no greeting, simply staring at her lap with a distracted frown. He watched her for a few moments, then cleared his throat.

She said nothing.

He hesitated, arguing with himself whether or not to say anything. Eventually he decided that if their roles were reversed, he would most definitely want someone to comfort him. So he licked his lips and spoke before he could hold himself back.

"I'm sorry, Tamai," he said. "About the men you lost."

"They weren't just soldiers, Cin," she hissed back. Her voice was as cold and tense as rigid permasteel. "They were friends."

He nodded. "I know."

"And now they're dead. Or even worse, if Benz is to be believed. And yet somehow, I'm still here."

She glanced up at him, and he couldn't help but see the pained mix of fury and grief in her eyes. "How is that fair? I was far from the best Ranger among them. Why are they dead while I'm alive?"

He shook his head. "Luck of the draw, vod'ika. We don't get to choose these things."

She sighed. "I thought… I thought just getting revenge would help. But the longer we've been walking… I just can't get it out of my head. It's like it's embedded in my mind's eye."

Vhetin knew that feeling all too well, but he remained silent as she continued.

"I close my eyes, and all I can see is Ushi being hoisted up into the trees, screaming." Tamai's voice was hollow and numb. "I look at the forest around my and all I can remember is the way Y'taora was dragged into the underbrush. The way he ripped up clumps of dirt trying to crawl away."

Vhetin hesitated, then put an arm around her shoulder. He half expected her to push him away, but she thankfully just leaned against him, still staring down at her lap. She shook her head and her voice began to quiver dangerously.

"You don't know what it's like… to have people counting on you, trusting you to be in charge. To be one step ahead of the beasts trying to kill them. And then… then to fail…"

"Actually," he said, "I do."

She glanced up at him with a sniff. "You do?"

He nodded. "You heard about the bombings in Keldabe? Well, after the enforcement office had tracked the culprit to the tunnels under the city, Mand'alor Shysa put me in charge of half of the attack on Caranthyr's base. I was leading a counteroffensive into the sewers that would engage his forces and keep them distracted so the second team could infiltrate and get Caranthyr himself."

He shook his head with a weary sigh, feeling an old and familiar pain constrict his heart. It was a hated mixture of guilt and shame that haunted him every time his mind returned to the chaotic events six months ago.

"Only Caranthyr didn't send his soldiers. He emptied his cells of all the prisoners he had kidnapped, strapped bombs around their necks, and sent them to my position as suicide bombers."

Tamai's hand drifted up to cover her mouth. "Osik… what did you do?"

"I did the only thing I could. I ordered the people under my command to fall back. I kept only a few people with me and held the line as long as I could. I had hoped that by drawing my forces back, Caranthyr would see that I wasn't enough of a threat to trigger the bombs."

"And?"

"He triggered them anyway. Over a hundred people died down in those sewers. It… it was my fault, and everyone knew it. I should have kept the soldiers there, should have stayed to fight…"

"But how many more did you save by sounding the retreat?"

"Does it matter?"

Tamai shrugged. "To the men and women who survived, I think it does."

"And what about you? If we do manage to broker peace with the Kar'ta Epar'e, will knowing that you saved more lives than you lost change anything? Will it help you sleep better at night?"

Her response was instant. "No. I just can't stop seeing their faces, every time I close my eyes. Uliio and Pol and Kexa… they're still dead and no peace will change that."

Vhetin nodded. "It seems we're in a similar predicament. So what do we do?"

"Stay up all night and play cards?"

He laughed at that, surprised that he had enough mirth in his heart to do so. "That's actually not a bad plan. Tonight at second watch?"

She smiled back. "It's a date."

They fell silent for a time, watching the rest of the group. Jay was sitting on a tall boulder with Lee, listening intently while the Ranger taught her how to successfully avoid a surprise attack from a Jai'galaar hawk. Lee was making grandiose swooping gestures with his hands, pantomiming the aggressive attacks of the massive avian, while Jay listened with rapt attention.

Eventually, Vhetin cleared his throat and removed his arm from around Tamai's shoulders. He folded his hands in his lap, an awkward motion even to his eyes, and said, "Tamai… I want you to know something."

"Hmm?"

"I… I'm sorry for the things that I said."

"What, about being sorry?"

"No, no," he quickly corrected. "Before we decided to go our separate ways. All those years ago? I'm sorry. I never should have turned my back on you like that."

"Cin…"

"It was selfish and wrong, and you never deserved that, no matter what you accused me of. So I'm sorry. And no matter what happens, I'm not turning my back on my friends again."

"I'm hardly any better," she pointed out. "I think we're both in the wrong. So for now, I forgive you."

"I hope I can forgive myself, honestly."

"Still too busy watching your own faults to see the faults in others, I see." She smiled, a little sadly. "You may have changed your armor colors, but you're still the same old Cin, aren't you?"

"Always was. Always will be, I hope."

She cocked her head, her green eyes scrutinizing him closely. "It looks good on you. The black and gray, I mean. I like it."

He glanced down at his armor, clenching one gloved hand into a tight fist. "Thank Janada. She worked up this new suit for me."

"So why did you change the old colors? I actually kind of liked the old black and blue."

"The blue was… too cheerful. Didn't really match my personality, I guess. And don't even get me started on that kriffing cape..."

"But gray is for mourning a lost loved one."

"Yeah."

"And that lost one is...?"

"It was for you," Vhetin said with a sigh. He spoke quickly, as if the words were falling out of his mouth. "At least at first. It was a childish decision, I know. But I've grown to like it over the years."

"No," Tamai insisted. "No, no. It's sweet more than anything. I didn't know you cared that much. I certainly didn't know you mourned my absence."

"We've had our differences in the past," Vhetin said, "but did you ever think I didn't care?"

"No," she replied instantly. "Never."

Before they could descend into awkward silence once more, she leaned closer and nudged his shoulder playfully. "If anything, you care too much. I mean, I disappeared for a week so you decided to fly all the way down here from Keldabe! You're a little clingy if you ask me."

He chuckled. "You know, I never thought I'd hear myself described as clingy."

"Well someone had to tell you. Guess I was the unlucky one."

He happened to glance up and saw Jay smiling knowingly at him from her perch on the boulder some distance away. Over her shoulder, Lee was also helping in his own way; mouthing "kiss her" and making headbutting motions to indicate a kov'nyn or Keldabe Kiss.

He ignored them both and instead looked to Tamai again. She was staring at her lap once more, her mind obviously back on her lost soldiers.

"Tamai," he slowly said, "I know you feel terrible for living when the rest of your squad died. I know that feeling, and I hate it as much as you do. As much as anyone does."

She glanced up at him, meeting his helmeted gaze with those dark green eyes. He took a deep breath and forged on ahead before his own cowardice could stop him.

"But," he continued, "I'm… more than just happy that you made it out. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't made it."

She blushed. "Come on, Cin…"

"No, just hear me out." He tentatively reached out and took her hand, squeezing it for emphasis. "You may think that you deserved to trade places with your squad, or even die with them. But just remember that there's at least one Mando out there who's glad you made it back safe and sound."

She smiled, though the action was a little nervous and unsteady. "Well… I'll have to thank Lee the next time I see him. He was certainly happy to see me arrive back at camp."

"I'm serious, Tamai."

Her eyes widened, lips parted slightly. "Cin, I-I don't…"

Akh'shi Che'daje's voice suddenly interrupted her. "Break's over! Pack up your gear and let's get on the road again! We don't want to stay in one place for too long!"

The expedition group instantly sprang into action once again. Rangers shouldered their gear once more and the Berserkers flocked to Norac Benz. Within moments, they were ready to hit the trail, wherever it might lead. Tamai gently removed her hand from Vhetin's and brushed her hair behind her ear, still blushing till she was as as red as a Gundark. Still, she met his gaze and held it before saying, "We're not done with this conversation, Cin. I promise."

He nodded as he stood, glad that his helmet hid just how red his own face had become. "Right. We can continue it later. Maybe over cards?"

She smiled. "I'd like that."

She hopped off the rock and jogged over to the group forming near the tree line. Any sign of her previous melancholy was gone; whether that was because it was truly gone or simply because she was masterfully hiding it, Vhetin didn't know.

But once she reached the others, she glanced back at him with a seemingly happy smirk and jerked her head as if to say, are you coming or what?

He smiled to himself, then rose to his feet and followed. As he joined her with the rest of the expedition, he pointedly ignored the clapping and thumbs-up from Jay and Lee behind him.

Some time later

They walked for some time – Jay lost track after the sun was hidden by the thick canopy – and it seemed like they were no closer to finding their quarry. Hish'ka Che'daje was about as talkative as the tree stumps they kept passing, yet she kept leading them onward through the endless forest; to what destination, Jay didn't know.

When she grew tired of inspecting the chips and scratches that adorned the back of Vhetin's helmet, she decided to pass the time by admiring the sights they passed. It was an enjoyable endeavor that also allowed her to keep an eye out for the Heart-Eater that had been spying on them the night before. She saw no more mysterious tree-dwellers, but she did manage to entertain herself by watching the local wildlife.

They passed over a small stream where a large snake stretched itself out on a rock a short distance away, soaking up the rays of the sun that managed to peek through the canopy. Lee told her it was a Rock Crawler Snake, of no relation to the much larger Echo Snakes that prowled the jungle's waterways. Shortly after that, a flock of inquisitive, brightly-colored birds swooped overhead, cawing and hooting as they darted through the air. The Rangers paid them little mind, but when the birds started mimicking the conversation of the soldiers below them, the Berserkers had a high time teaching the avian more than a few of their favorite curse words.

"Cackle Birds," Lee explained. "They're natural mimics. It's how they lure in their prey."

Jay laughed as one of the birds swooped in and landed on Vhetin's shoulder, ruffling its feathers before opening its beak and calling him a very rude name and defecating all over his shoulder pad. Vhetin quickly shooed the bird away, leaving Jay to furiously attempt to stifle her giggles.

"They're cute," she said, ignoring the indignant glare her partner shot her. "Even though they've learned to swear like pirates within five minutes."

One of the cackle birds flashed through the air over her head. It squawked and echoed, "Learned to swear like pirates! Within five minutes!"

The birds danced and zig-zagged through the air before climbing up into the canopy and disappearing from sight. Jay was a little sad to see them go, but the unexpected appearance of a massive, speeder-sized lizard a few minutes later served as an equally decent distraction.

They had almost reached a narrow canyon when it appeared; huge and slow as a Coruscant transport bus, lumbering into the expedition's path with a lazy and disinterested stare. Hish'ka cursed and waved her arms to shoo the lizard out of the way, but it simply plodded forward, too large or too busy to be bothered with the tiny armored warriors whose path it had crossed. It ruffled the large spines protruding from its back and settled down onto its haunches, staring at them with large, glassy eyes.

"No, no, no!" the Ranger-Commander hissed, striding forward. "That canyon's the quickest way through this area!"

Norac Benz folded his arms and spat into the dirt while Tervho just cocked her head and said, "What do you want us to do? It doesn't look threatening."

"Just stand back. Hish'ka and I will handle this."

Lee chuckled as Hish'ka and her sister attempted to drive the creature away, waving their arms and shouting. "That, my dear city-dwelling friends, is what we call a Post Lizard."

Jay frowned at that. "Why post lizard?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Tamai said to her, nodding toward the Ranger-Commander and her sister still angrily trying to shoo the creature out of their path. "It's dumb as a post."

As if to reinforce the Ranger's words, the lizard's long, sticky-looking tongue flashed out and painted a sloppy path over its own eye. It continued to stare at the Rangers with such nonchalance that Jay began to doubt the creature was even aware of its surroundings.

She rested her hands on her hips, watching the Rangers at the front of the group poke the large animal with sticks or throw rocks at it. It didn't respond to either. "Why not just go around it?"

"What, through the thickets and the mud-filled ditches?" Lee replied, craning his neck to look off to his left. "And the on to the inevitable, Echo Snake-infested bog we'll find before we reach the next river? No thanks. I'll stick to the canyon ahead and the simple path that our lovely guide Hish'ka is making for us."

Jay frowned, following his gaze into the wild jungle off to the left of the group. He was focusing on something off in the distance. She nudged him and said, "What's got you so distracted?"

Lee didn't answer, though his face suddenly stretched into a wide grin and he stepped away from the group. He broke into a jog, heading away from the path they had carved through the foliage. With a cheery laugh, he gestured over his shoulder and called, "Come on! You're going to want to see this!"

Jay glanced around herself. "What about the others?"

"They'll be stuck pushing the Post Lizard out of the way for at least the next ten minutes. Now come on!"

Vhetin appeared at her shoulder, seemingly melting from out of thin air as usual. He folded his arms and nodded after Lee, who had disappeared into the jungle. "What's gotten into him?"

Jay shrugged. "Dunno. I think he saw something. Want to go check it out?"

"Couldn't hurt," he replied. He waved to Tamai and called, "We're heading off to scout for a bit. Call us if there's any progress moving the Beast with No Brain."

"Will do," the fair-haired Ranger replied, still watching the sisters battle with the reptilian barrier. "Be careful out there. I'll come and grab you if we set off again. My estimate's five minutes."

At the front of the group, Hish'ka Che'daje let out a shout of frustration and discharged her pistol straight at the lizard's blocky forehead. The blaster bolt popped harmlessly against its thick hide, and the creature just blinked slowly in response.

Tamai grimaced and tried to hide a grin. "Make that fifteen minutes. Hopefully Che'daje doesn't go ballistic and burn the forest down to get that thing moving."

Vhetin nodded and gestured after Lee. "You heard the lady. We have fifteen minutes to find out what the hell our friend Lee is thinking. Ladies first."

Jay grinned at him and made a mock-curtsey. "Such a gentleman today."

"I try."

They found Lee not far from the expedition group, standing over a large, overgrown tangle of weeds. Vhetin frowned as he approached; it looked like nothing more than an overgrown rock, about as tall as Lee's chest. Yet there was a grin plastered on the Ranger's face that looked like it was going to tear his face in two.

"Get over here!" he called to them. "You're going to want to see this beauty. Oh-ho, are you two in for a treat!"

Vhetin frowned even deeper as he and Jay approached the overgrown rock. "What's got you so worked up? Running off into this jungle's a good way to get yourself killed, you know."

"Oh, don't lecture me on how to survive in this jungle, net'burc'ya. I've been doing jungle tours here since I was fifteen years old. That's how I know what this is."

He drew a short blade from somewhere down his gauntlet and began hacking away at the vines and leaves covering the hump in the ground before him. Vhetin was about to ask what was so important about a weed-choked rock when a slice of vines fell away to reveal the sharp, engraved lines of thick durasteel armor plating.

Vhetin cocked his head, more confused than ever. "What the hell is that?"

Lee laughed, yanking more weeds from the object in front of them. As more and more was revealed, Vhetin realized that it was no rock; it was a massive machine, made from heavy, interlocking durasteel plates that swooped and curved in a manner unlike any device he had ever seen. It had four leg-like appendages, made of a thick and powerful-looking mixture of tangled conduit wires and thick plates of interlocking armor. Near the shoulders were large, swooping wing-like constructions that blended back into the thick, segmented tail that stretched out behind it. The whole device was colored a dark, mottled green, worn to a dull orange in many places by thick patches of rust and weathering.

Jay stepped forward and ran a hand along the plane of one armored plate. Her eyes were wide and flashed with a familiar curiosity as she murmured, "It's beautiful. What is it?"

Lee ripped a tangle of vines from what looked like a blocky, rectangular processing unit, in the center of a mess of cylindrical rusted blaster cannons that made up the machine's "head". He stepped back, brushing off his gloves, and proudly said, "This is a TX-25 Basilisk War Droid. A defunct unit, of course. It's probably been sitting in this jungle for the last two thousand years."

Vhetin's eyes widened. "Wait, wait, wait… this is a Basilisk Droid?"

Lee nodded, his grin growing – if possible – even wider. "Pretty neat, huh? We occasionally find these scrap heaps out here in the jungles, usually when we're exploring new territory. The Werda Kurs has the largest concentration of ancient Mandalorian strongholds across the planet. The old Neo-Crusaders used this jungle as a safe haven during the Mandalorian Wars, so the place is just littered with Old Republic tech."

He knelt down and nudged at the boxy processing unit, taking note of the telltale burn marks of carbon scoring along the droid's chassis. "Looks like this baby took some turbolaser fire, probably from a Republic fighter. It was shot down."

He gestured behind the droid, to a deep overgrown ditch that stretched out into the jungle beyond. "Carved that path in the jungle when it crashed. Wonder what happened to the rider…"

Jay looked over at him, eyebrows raised. "You mean you guys used to ride these things?"

Lee nodded. "They were the pride and joy of the early Mando'ade. Entire systems would shiver in their boots when a Mandalorian fleet passed by. These babies and their riders could operate in the vacuum of space and tunnel into a planet's atmosphere to attack the ground."

Vhetin nodded. "Doing so was considered a rite of passage for the riders. They would train with their droids. Bond with them until they fought almost as a single unit."

Jay shook her head in wonder. "It sounds remarkably advanced for a war droid."

"Not surprising," Lee said, still tinkering with the droid's processor. "Basilisk Droids possessed rudimentary artificial intelligence. About the same level of intelligence you'd see from an animal like a Kath Hound or an Akk Dog. They would bond with their riders and make for a deadly team."

"So what happened? To the droids, I mean. If they were so lethal, why don't you use them today?"

"Well to start with we lost the aforementioned Wars and the Republic ordered us to decommission all of our Basilisks. Those who didn't obey had their droids forcibly taken and destroyed. With those restrictions - and the inevitable penalties for reactivating them - the art of making the buggers just kind of… faded away."

"That's… actually kind of sad."

Vhetin folded his arms, still disbelieving. "So what do you do now? When you find these wrecks in the jungle?"

"We usually get a transport out here and haul them back to Outpost Aurek," Lee explained. "We still aren't allowed to try and repair them – and I'm not sure we'd know how, even if we were allowed – but we can occasionally scrap them for valuable parts or sell them to wealthy collectors. You wouldn't believe what these babies fetch on the market these days."

He grimaced, fumbling with something inside the processor. "But… that doesn't mean… we can't work a little tech magic on her."

Something popped inside the device and Lee cried, "There!"

He hopped back – as did Vhetin and Jay – as a deep hum suddenly erupted from the machine. Yellow status lights flared to life, and the entire contraption let out a violent shudder. A jet of steam shot from one of the ruptured conduits, scaring a flock of birds in the branches overhead. Sparks danced across the surface, showering into the air from a large rupture of twisted metal along its spine.

Jay's eyes were wide, and her hands had unconsciously drifted up to cover her mouth. Vhetin was wearing a similar expression of awe behind the faceplate of his helmet.

"Is it…" Jay hesitated. "Is it safe? Did you just turn it on?"

"Not quite," Lee said, his voice a little sad now. "She's only got enough juice left in her for a few minutes at most. Essential systems only. I just thought she deserved a more proper send-off than being left to rot in the jungle."

They slowly approached the droid once more, watching as it sluggishly began to move its arms and legs. Its tail dragged weakly back and forth through the foliage, rustling the leaves and vines from its housing. It tried to rise up to a standing position, but another conduit ruptured and it collapsed forward into the dirt again with a synthetic moan. One of its three-pronged hands clawed at the jungle floor, leaving deep rivets in the dirt as the droid struggled to rise.

Lee knelt next to the droid's head once again, stroking the tangle of blaster cannons affectionately, like it was a living creature. "Shh," he cooed. "It's all right. We've got you, mesh'la."

The droid moaned again and shifted its head toward him, then fell limp once again. Lee looked up at them and nodded to the droid's chassis.

"Go on. She won't bite."

Jay inched forward, bouncing nervously on the balls of her feet before reaching out to brush her fingers once more along the durasteel plating along the droid's back. It flinched at her touch, letting out a keening groan, and Jay hopped away with a frightened squeak. But Lee never moved, continuing to pet its head and whispering softly to it.

"There, there," he said. "It's all right. You're back among Mando'ade. Nothing's going to hurt you now."

The Basilisk shuddered again, its tail still sluggishly rustling through the underbrush. Vhetin approached the droid at a slow, cautious pace and knelt on the other side of its head. He slowly reached out and patted the thick, armor-plated neck. The droid's chassis flinched a little less this time, and it released a synthetic groan that sounded almost like a robotic purr.

"There we go," Lee murmured. "See? It's all fine now. It's all fine."

Vhetin shook his head. "It's… amazing. I never thought I'd see one of these droids functioning."

Lee grinned at him. "Just imagine what she must have been like two millennia ago. Roaring through the clouds, snatching fighters out of the air with nothing but her servo-manipulators. She must have been the dush'shebs to end all dush'shebs."

Vhetin slowly ran his hand along the rusted armor plating, listening to steam hiss out from somewhere deep inside the damaged droid. He sighed and said, "It's a shame she was lost here in the jungle for so long. Being little more than a scratching post for Kalo Wolves and Force-knows what else."

"Doesn't matter," Lee said. "She's back among the Mandos now. That's all that's important. Isn't that right, mesh'la?"

Jay reached out to touch the creature's spine again. But before her fingertips could brush the surface the droid shuddered once more and all the status lights suddenly blinked out. Its tail fell still and the smoke venting from broken power conduits puffed away into nothingness. A slow whirr began to cycle down, and the droid's entire chassis slowly relaxed, growing limp and unresponsive. After a few moments, it was as still and silent as it had been before.

Jay's eyes were stretched wide. "Is… Is it…?"

Lee nodded, bowing his head and closing his eyes. His voice was barely above a whisper when he spoke.

"Mar'eyir suum ca'nara, ori'dral beskar'ad. You've earned it." He patted the head once more, then rose back to his feet with a weary sigh. "I like to kick some life back into these guys whenever I find them so I can give them a proper send-off. Oh, but don't tell the Ranger-Commander; she'd probably have me tarred and feathered if she knew."

"And what did you say to it?" Jay asked. "Just now?"

Vhetin answered for the Ranger, straightening as well. "May you find rest now, mighty machine."

Lee shrugged. "I'm no poet. But it's the least I can do to honor these mounts and the men who rode them."

"That was," Vhetin struggled for words, "one of the most amazing things I've ever seen."

Lee grinned, though there was a trace of sadness in the expression now. "Life as a Ranger has its perks. If you're into two-millennia-old artifacts of a bygone era, that is."

"Are you kidding?" Jay scoffed. "Kids play with toys of those droids in Keldabe. They're in novels and holovids and Force-knows what else. Do you know what most Mandos would give to see one of those things operational again?"

Lee shrugged. "Never gonna happen, I'm afraid. We haven't had working Basilisk droids on Mandalore in over a thousand years. And Shysa's not about to break those laws now."

Vhetin cleared his throat, still staring at the ruined frame of the droid. "We should probably get back to the others before we're missed."

"Do we have to?" Jay asked, sinking to her knees next to the droid's metallic corpse. She reached out and traced her fingers over the basilisk's housing, over heavy carbon scoring that marred its armored forearm. "This machine is amazing. We may never see one again, you know."

"It's not like we're under any time pressure," Lee agreed. "Those lizards are as dumb as a Dug and as stubborn as a Hutt. They don't move until they're ready to."

He chuckled as he craned his neck to study the basilisk's burnt-out processor. "In fact, there was this one time when Tamai and I were helping bring down some raiders. We used one of the Post Lizards to block an escape path. The thing worked better than a durasteel barricade! The raiders were stuck, with no way to…"

He trailed off, a look of dawning, horrified realization crossing his face. He glanced up at Vhetin who, unknown to him, had an identical expression. Jay quickly noticed their mirrored dismay and said, "What? What's wrong?"

Lee scrambled to his feet, grabbing Jay's arm and yanking her after him. "We have to get back to the others. Now!"

"What is it?"

The canopy suddenly erupted into motion, leaves shaking and branches jerking violently back and forth. Vhetin's helmet picked up multiple contacts racing through the treetops above his head, though they were little more than shadows amidst the endless green of the jungle. He drew his saber pike from its mount over his shoulder and ignited it as he took off after the others. As he ran, he heard the thunderous beat of battle drums crash through the trees.

Sithspit, he thought as he raced through the underbrush. They found us!

Lee sprinted toward the distant figures of the expedition team in the distance. As soon as he was near enough, he raised his voice to its full volume and shouted with every ounce of strength he had.

"Ambush!"

Author's Note: Do you want to hear me make a promise I probably won't be able to keep? All right, here goes.

From now on, I'm going to try and upload a new chapter every Friday. This will hopefully get me more familiar with writing on a deadline, as well as provide you guys with a more stable schedule of when these stories are going to be updated. A chapter a week is an easy deadline to meet, but time has proven in the past that I'll probably fall off the bandwagon before this even starts.

Fingers crossed, though. Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. Until next time!