The house arrest was unfortunate, but brought all three humans desperately needed rest. For the Exile and Kreia, this essentially brought up a pattern of 1) sleep, 2) meditate, 3) eat, 4) sleep again. As she continued to be in the presence of the two of them, Avery was gradually feeding off their company. Kreia's force link was healing her Ache, and Atton somehow made her past easier to process. For just a little while as she meditated, she allowed herself to be cheerful. I'm getting better.

Atton watched her smiling, lost in her thoughts. "Explain something to me," he said to Kreia.

"I have not the years required- or the desire to indulge you."

"If she served in the war…well, Jedi are supposed to be tough. Capable."

"Yes. And what are they without the Force? Take the greatest Jedi Knight, strip away the Force, and what remains? They rely on it, depend on it, more than they know. Watch as one tries to hold a blaster, as they try to hold a lightsaber, and you will see nothing more than a man, a child…or a woman."

"But to lose so much…I guess I didn't realize, really, how much they relied on it."

"Do not be surprised. In many ways, even you are more capable than a Jedi. You could survive where they could not simply because you do not hear the Force as they do. It is irony of a sort, and it is why I tolerate your presence now."

He sat down looking at Avery, and Kreia answered his unspoken thoughts. "She has been gone from war for some time. It is conflict that strengthens her, and isolation that weakens her, erodes her. She even turned away from war, did all that she could to forget it, and so the last piece clicks into place."

What is she without the Force? She was fragile, that's what. Held together in spirit like that nasty Sith back on Peragus was held together in body. He'd never been around a Jedi like her before. Been, well, "around" Jedi for a long time, knew how they thought, what they could cope with, what they needed to survive, and yet here this girl was, still breathing and speaking and carrying the pain. In spite of the absence of her lightsaber and the Force- the two things he knew made a Jedi a Jedi- she was still enduring. How? How does she have hope? I changed who- and what- I was when I was lost. She's not angry at the Jedi who exiled her; she's not despairing at the loss of her whole identity. Is it because she doesn't have any other option? She just…keeps going in spite of it all, as herself.

He had been sitting there, watching her as he reflected, and she opened her dark eyes and looked at him expectantly. As he jolted out of his thoughts, she smiled. "Can I help you?"

"No, no. I was just…I was looking at something else and- then there- I saw-" He scrambled up as the intercom began to beep.

"Wow you have great timing, thank you so much. What's up?"

"Caller Moza representing the Ithorian planet restoration interests on Telos."

"Sure, sure, send him in."

An Ithorian walked into the room soon after, large eyes blinking at the sides of his long, curved face. He bowed a little. "Thank you for seeing me. I come on behalf of Chodo Habat, our leader here."

Avery nodded encouragingly, so Moza continued. "Chodo felt you might be able to aid us. He bid me to tell you that if you could help heal Telos, it may be possible for him to heal you."

The Exile's lips parted, and she reflexively placed a hand over her stomach. "H-heal me? Completely?"

"I am sorry. I am unclear as to what Chodo meant by this. He says the echo he felt up on your arrival suggests that you, yourself, are damaged. He can feel the pain through the Force. Yet, I may have related it incorrectly."

Avery still hadn't moved, so Moza, puzzling over the curious behavior of humans, decided to finish up. "If this offer of mutual aid interests you, please go to the Ithorian compound in 082. Chodo would be most pleased to see you."

"Thank you," Avery replied as he left, slowly removing her hand from the Ache. Completely healed…

When Grenn informed the party that the inspection was finished and the blame was set on the Harbinger, the party held their relief until the officials had left. They were done with house arrest, but still stuck on Telos until the Republic ship was finished. Avery, however, had no problem with this. Her excitement over meeting Chodo was tangible.

She was less excited, however, to learn that the Ebon Hawk was stolen.

"GONE?" she shouted. "What do you mean GONE?"

"It seems the Ebon Hawk was transferred to Telos' surface instead of an impound dock. However, both the requester and the point of delivery are unknown."

The robot was utterly impassive as Avery fiercely dug her fingers into her temples. "Can I get my possessions back at least?"

The door was obligingly opened, and the three wearily geared up. "Fantastic. Now we get to fumble around on the surface of a dead planet to look for a stolen ship that nobody can find." Atton holstered his battered firearm as they left to explore the station. "Why don't we look for that Chodo guy for you, since we have virtually nothing else to do?"

"The Ithorian?" Avery's bad mood vanished as quickly as it had come on. "Yes, good idea."

They were expecting her, and Chodo greeted her warmly when she walked in. "Ah, it gladdens me that you came. I am Chodo Habat, leader of the Ithorians here. I am sorry to impose upon you, but there was an echo within the Force when you came. It is a subtle disturbance, unless one is actively listening for it. I suspected you were one of the remaining Jedi."
Avery, as always, got right to the point. "Moza said you could heal me. What did he mean?"

Chodo sensed a desperate edge to her voice as she watched him. "The echo I felt upon your arrival was not a natural thing. It spoke of a great pain, not of the body, but of the spirit. It is as if you once felt the Force flow through you, then it was torn away, brutally and quickly. The echo comes from the hollows where it once flowed through you."

Avery nodded urgently, her hand settled on her abdomen, and Chodo bowed slightly. "It is a very unusual wound you carry. If you would permit me to examine you, perhaps I could help restore some of what was lost."

"Yes, yes of course-"

Kreia interrupted. "There is a price for this, is there not?"

The Ithorian relented. He explained that, in return for Avery's help in rebuilding the Restoration Project, he would heal her- a corporation called Czerka was a great obstruction in the efforts, and a stolen droid had to be recovered. She agreed readily, and the party left.

While they rounded the corner, Atton heard Moza speak, and he stopped to listen.

"-but the human: I could feel her suffering. Have you ever felt such an intensity before?"

"Only once before, as I walked along the surface of Telos."

"It is a planet's worth of pain. I do not know how she endures."

"It is because she has no choice," Chodo answered.

Avery checked behind her to see Atton beginning to walk again, and curiously, he tapped at his headpiece and muttered, "That's what I thought."

The docking bay was quiet, and the Ithorian escort was overjoyed to see capable help arrive. The official next to him looked queasy.

"Chodo Habat had said that another would arrive to help us. We-"

The droid jerked abruptly and cut in. "It seems we have some additional visitors."

The party whirled around, and Avery caught her breath. Five adept and well-armed humans were walking in, and without a word they began to attack.

Moving faster than anyone else, Avery's vibrosword rang out, and she drove it into the heart of one thug before he'd even had a chance to look at her. The next was prepared, and slashed directly toward her torso.

Side block, parry, counter with forward thrust. Pull hilt up, slash vertically, drive IN. The thug fell at her feet. As though a breeze had whistled over a void, she felt, rather than saw, Kreia send a piercing beam of the Force into another's mind; he clutched his head in agony before dropping.

The bay went quiet, and the Exile turned to see two bodies with smoking holes where blasters had dispatched them. She gave Atton a quick smile before the Ithorian, terrified and thankful, asked them to return the droid to Chodo.

"Looking good," Atton praised her as they walked back. "You're awfully quick for someone who's injured."

He'd expected her to be flattered, but her eyes dropped to the floor. "Yeah, well, I used to be…a lot better. I used to be able to…" Her voice trailed off, and she seemed displeased with her own memories. Eventually, she came back to the present. "…well, used to be able to do some pretty impressive stuff. Not even half of what I was, now. I feel slow, and almost…naked."

Before Atton could make an innuendo of her previous sentence, they arrived to drop off the droid. He'd find another time though, he told himself. He'd never been one for missed opportunities.

My persuasion skills are also certainly not what they used to be, Avery thought in frustration as they left Slusk. I hope Chodo finds the job more impressive than Slusk found my ability to leave the Ithorians be.

"You have returned safely! Did your meeting go well?"

Avery's mouth quirked. "Well, I convinced him to leave you alone."

"I sense that your meeting did not go peacefully. It saddens me greatly that blood was shed, it was not my intention to cause harm." The alien turned to pick something up. "Please accept this humble gift. It came from a lightsaber that belonged to a Jedi once of my herd."

Avery took it quickly, eagerly. It was an energy cell fixture- she was quite familiar with the piece. Her own lightsabers had been custom-built, each part carefully taken into account, and she'd had Revan over her shoulder pointing out benefits and disadvantages of each part. He made her memorize each aspect, how to widen the beam or make the light easier to track, which elements would assist with her greatest traits like her speed, ensured she didn't get frustrated with installation and jam a piece somewhere too harshly.

"No, Avery, you can't just get irritated and try to force it into the crevice." Stern, know-it-all tone as usual. "Do you know the trouble I went to in order to get this type of crystal? If it chips, you'll get a nice stock lightsaber. I'll make sure it's a color you don't like, too."

"Why don't you do it, then, since apparently I'm too impatient? It's not as if, you know, I'm a Jedi or anything." She looks up, realizes the pouty tone in her voice, and whirls around to stare accusingly at Revan's smile. "Yes I sound like a child, okay? I just get so tired of these tiny pieces never fitting into the-"

"Yes, you do sound like a child. Your eagerness, your impatience to get something done or complete a puzzle, are problematic for being a great leader." He's not angry. His voice is careful, wise. "While they serve you in completing what you need to, you also must understand that missions may not go perfectly, puzzles may not be solved as quickly as you like, and pieces won't always fit the first time. You must allow others to have control every once in a while, and you must allow for mistakes. You'll not always be able to take care of everything yourself." He pulls the crystal out of her hand. "Now let me do it. Otherwise you'll tempt me into getting you a nice sickly yellow-colored weapon."

My, he'd been bossy.

Smiling at the memory, she thanked the Ithorian profusely. Her memories were coming back, with long-missed details she'd been unable to grasp when she woke in Peragus. She was fond of any flashes of her old Master. Now all we have to do is hack a couple of computers to take down an evil corporation and assist in restoring an entire planet. If only I had Revan over my shoulder for my life now.

Czerka was finished, finally, and the party was given the full benefit of supporting the Ithorians. "I have heard that the ship you arrived on is missing, hidden somewhere on Telos. I know one who could help you find it, and a means by which you could travel to him. When Citadel Station was developing the shield system it uses to protect the Restoration Zones, they worked with a Zabrak ex-military engineer named Bao Dur." Chodo saw the peculiar flash of recognition, faint, in the Exile's face as he continued. "If there is anyone who could locate your ship on Telos' surface, it is he. He is a friend, and may be trusted."

"Thanks, man," Atton said amiably as he and Kreia got up to leave. "You're supplying a shuttle to get us to the surface of the planet to recover our ship- in other words, supporting us in doing something totally illegal and encouraging us to be covert about it. Doesn't seem like it's normally your thing."

Chodo looked at the scoundrel for a moment before his translator made a semi-garbled mess of the odd things the human was saying. Avery hadn't budged, however.

"Before I leave, you said you would try to heal me," she insisted.

"Indeed. And I have not forgotten the promise that I made to you. When you stood before me, you opened my eyes to a hurt almost as great as the planet's. Your wound…I can feel the immensity of your loss. Yet I can feel that you are slowly regaining what you have lost, and that in time, you may fully heal."

Atton was surprised to see Avery trembling ever so slightly as Chodo spoke. She was so good at hiding what she felt; her desire to regain the Force and her fear she would never attain it again must have been even greater than Atton had believed.

"I think," Chodo said slowly, "I can help in your recovery, at least partially. I must admit, however, that even as the healer of my herd, I have never faced an injury such as this. I have walked in the growing restoration zones and felt the fullness of life, and perhaps that connection will help make you whole again. Now. Let us see what I can do."

Avery was speechless. She only watched him, her eyes dark pools, as he placed a coiled gray hand on her head. "Calm yourself," the Ithorian gurgled. "Come, walk the surface of the planet with me. In healing a planet, it is a matter of connections. As plants feed animals, and animals thrive and grow, life connects. Expands. The living web of the Force."

Atton, dazed, felt his feet on the dusty ground, heard the dead planet, silent and dry and empty. As Chodo spoke, it was slowly coming to life. Plants stretched high, animals were born, the soil grew rich. He shook his head to jar himself out of Avery's meditation. If even he was brought there, this Ithorian guy was really good. It was a little Light-sided for his usual taste, though.

He heard Avery breathe out, rushed and low, and Chodo stood. "There. It is not much, but I feel I have been somewhat successful."

Avery's eyes opened, she stood carefully, and she bowed her head. "T-thank you, Chodo Habat."

"Again, thank you, Avery Kess, and go with healing."

"Musta been some kind of trip, huh?" Atton asked as they headed into the dock. "You haven't spoken since we left."

"Oh," she replied in a faraway voice. Her hand was still on her abdomen.

"I always wondered, you know, how Light side Force stuff works. All you Jedi talk about connections and peace and light and everything…it's not really my taste, but after seeing all that, it looks like it could be a pretty nice atmosphere to hang out in all the time."

He heard Kreia huff behind him. "Indeed, you would believe that. However, all base lusts are impossible to carry along in that type of mindset."

"Ah. Well so much for that I guess. I'll never be a Jedi." He sighed dramatically.

Avery had barely acknowledged him when she stopped sharply. Atton could hear an Ithorian voice, as loud as he'd ever heard any of 'em, over her headset.

"Oh no, no…how did this happen?"

In a couple more seconds, Avery had pivoted on her heel and taken off back the way they came. Atton and Kreia were behind her by the time she was out of the dock.

"What happened?"
"Moza…armed men killing them…they're holding Chodo-"

"Oh shit!" Atton picked up his pace. "How-"

"Moza has the passkey," Avery said instantly. "Gotta save him then get Chodo. Arm that blaster while we run."

They burst into the compound fully armed. Avery instantly tossed a grenade into the front room, and three mercenaries flew into the walls. Another, hiding behind cover, fired at her, and she deftly caught the shot with her blade before Kreia had sent him to the floor from across the room.

An Ithorian, curled up behind the reception desk, pointed to the huge room at the end of the hall wordlessly.

Hurry, hurry, hurry. As the door opened, a merc charged at her, screaming, a vibrosword outstretched. Atton shot him dead between the eyes, and Avery neatly stuck the next before he aimed his blaster. "To the right!" she shouted.

Kreia sent the unfortunate soldier flying against the glass window while the last merc panicked and shot at Avery. He missed, and under a flurry of swings he was dead. Moza was up a couple of seconds later, shoving the passkey into Kreia's hands. "Chodo's aid, now, please!"

The team needed no more prompting. As they sprinted to the door they heard Chodo, alive. "-not do this! If you kill my herd, the planet will suffer and die, its people with it!"

"That's none of my concern," a male voice shot back. Avery closed her eyes for the briefest second, then turned to her team. "Four more in here. Three with swords. Atton?"

"Got it," he replied curtly. He didn't need explanation.

The door opened, and Avery flew in, slicing the throat of the female merc she knew had been standing by the entrance. Kreia crumpled the second female into a heap with the Force, and Atton swiftly rounded the corner and shot the man armed with a blaster. There was only the leader left.

"Want to do the honors, honey?" Atton asked callously, waving at him.

Avery glanced over, then shook her head. "Not worth the effort. Go ahead."

Atton did, with pleasure. The merc didn't have time to make a sound. Moza clambered in to see four corpses and his leader safe.

"You must go to the Telosian council, Moza," Chodo said at once. "Tell them what has happened here. They must stop Czerka."

"Yes, Chodo. I will do my best."

Avery knew that the Ithorian had nothing left to offer, but her actions gave her a strange, familiar feeling in the Ache. A sense of peace, a sense of connectedness with the order of the galaxy that had been restored, settled in her, and that was enough. Czerka, she realized, was a maker of chaos, and chaos was a distinct and favorite aspect of the Dark side. In finally ending it, with no motivation of reward, she felt herself heal just a little more.

On the way back to the dock, Kreia asked for a moment to sit. While she rested, Atton joined the Exile in watching out the window.

"You gonna miss it?" he asked.

"Oh, space, no. I feel claustrophobic in this station." She turned to smile at him, and he looked startled. "What?" she prompted.

"I'm not…there's something…"

He stepped even closer to her, studied her face carefully. She was uncomfortable under his scrutiny, but rebelliously forced herself to keep looking at him.

"Odd," he murmured. "I could almost swear your eyes have a silver outline. I'd never noticed it before."

She was nonchalant. "Oh. No, not usually. That just happens a lot when I channel the For-"

She stopped, her mouth dropped open, and then she looked at him with elation. "That hasn't happened since…well, before," she gushed. "I was too empty since I woke up so it must mean I'm getting filled! It must mean I'm healing!"

Atton could definitely see it now. Her eyes shone, her skin looked luminous…she almost had a glow about her. It must have been some Light side Jedi stuff; he'd seen it before. None of the Jedi who were Light side looked this attractive with it in effect, however, he thought with dismay. Calm bearded men and robed old biddies don't exactly warn you about how a beautiful girl would look sporting the aftereffects of good deeds.

Avery had gone from happy to perplexed as Atton continued to look intently down at her face. Just as she was debating whether she should say something or just let him finish whatever he was up to, he gave her a small smile and backed away. Avery shook her head slightly when he walked off. It was times like this, she mused, that she really missed being able to see into someone's head. She didn't know what sort of things she'd find in Atton's, but it had to be better than the lack of any sense she got on the outside.

The shuttle taking them to Restoration Zone 0031 was too peaceful. Avery was on edge, waiting for something to go wrong; something had since she'd woken up in Peragus.

"Would you relax?" Atton asked as she looked out the window again. "No alien race is going to be under attack, no evil corporation is gonna try to undermine a restoration effort, and there are no evil HK robots after you."

"I don't…I can just sort of tell that something's off about this ride," Avery said halfheartedly, embarrassed. "If I had the Force in full swing, I would be much more certain about it, but I don't think this will end well."

"Avery. It's. A. Shuttle. Not a band of mercenaries, not a Sith monster. I'm a great pilot. This is just a nice little trip to the- dammit!"

A turret fired rapidly from the ground, and the shuttle pitched dangerously. Before anyone could react, the right wing was hit.

The alarms were deafening, and the three just had time to brace themselves before they hit one, then two ledges before smashing into the dirt with a sickening crunch.

She felt dry, so dry and so tired. How long had it been since she and the troops had rested? Malak would probably be furious at her if he realized she was sleeping- she was a commissioned general, not some foot soldier. She groggily opened her eyes and saw shoes tucked into blue overalls. Overalls. Who wears overalls in war? Idiot needs armor, or robes.

As she raised her head to see the offending Zabrak, he crouched down and smiled. "Good to have you back, General."

She mumbled incoherently, which was stupid, since she needed to yell at this idiot to put the proper attire on. Why was he greeting her when he should be getting pants? She should stand up, to look tougher.

"Whoa!" Overalls Guy grabbed her upper arms as she reared up. "Easy now. You survived one spectacular crash. Lucky I was here to pull you and your friends out of that shuttle or you'd be more than a little crispy."

She eyed him apprehensively, his words taking their sweet time sinking in. Shuttle? Friends?

"But it's only fair," Overalls Guy continued. "I owe you more than one, General."

"What are you…talking about?" she asked, slowly and carefully. Each word barely made it past her sandpaper tongue.

"You must be in shock from the crash. Have to expect some long term memory loss from that. Too bad she's not a droid, huh?"

Something beeped at him, and Avery was truly frustrated now. The more this Zabrak spoke, the less sense he was making.

"We can't all be that lucky." He turned to her again, mildly amused at the aggravated expression on her face. "I'll humor you, General. I was one of the Iridonian mechanic corps that was at Malachor. Bao Dur?" He waited. Still nothing. "I can see how you'd forget me, being that I was the only one."

Her eyes widened with recognition, and she took a deep intake of breath. "Ohhh. Bao Dur. Sorry, I was-"

"We all went through some tough times after Malachor, and maybe we all did a little forgetting. Don't worry." He was watching her with the warmest expression she'd seen in years. She remembered how much he had loved her, respected her, during the War. His mind had always responded oddly to the Force, as if sometimes his thoughts volunteered to be heard. She used to feel waves of reassurance and admiration by him in Malachor during meditations. It was awfully refreshing to know exactly how someone felt about her, after all her time with Atton and Kreia.

Oh, right. While we're on that subject…"How are the others?"

"They'll be fine. The pilot's more or less unharmed and the old lady, well, she's tougher than she looks."

They'd been moved away from the crash, and it looked as though Bao Dur had pillowed their heads. She turned back as Bao Dur cleared his throat. "You know, I never thought I'd see you again, General. Galaxy's a big place, and this is the last place I thought I'd bump into you. So I have to ask, just what are you doing here?"

"Looking for my ship."

"Well, if your ship's in as bad of shape as this one, I don't think you're gonna have much luck."

They heard a long, drawn out curse, and Atton's voice. "Ooof. Well this is familiar. Feels like my last time on Telos."

"Crashed a shuttle that time, too?" Bao Dur asked politely as Atton rose.

"Nope. Pazaak."

"That was not the most pleasant landing I've endured." Kreia got up slowly. "Next time, we should perhaps seek out a more reputable pilot."

"You're welcome, Kreia. You know, if I wasn't such a crack pilot, we could have hit the shield wall or one of those rock faces."

"Yes. Our current situation is a vast improvement."

The four of them looked over the rocky surface. There was no direction to go but forward, toward the tower that shot at them.

Naturally, and not surprisingly seeing as how things had been so far, this was their best bet.