Chapter 14 already. Nice, isn't it? You've gotten, like, nine or ten chapters over the past two weeks. Though, I will admit that one of them is on the short side.

Disclaimer: I didn't get KOTOR for Christmas. I put it on my list, and I sure didn't get it. Not even from Santa.

Zara found herself at odds—she could say with some certainty that Jedi were not her favorite people, but the enclave was so peaceful she couldn't help relaxing.

Not that she slacked—she had started training Mission. The girl was good with a blaster, but all other parts of her fighting education had been woefully neglected. She'd also purchased enough materials from the store at the enclave landing bays to start constructing a new wan-shen, which Mission watched her do with curiosity. Carth and Canderous were more restrained in their curiosity and admiration.

Going now?"

"Zara? Are we starting?"

"Yeah. Let's hit the plains today." Zara smiled at the teen. Carth, Canderous, and Zaalbar were as Force-sensitive as a couple of rocks, but Mission had a flicker. It wasn't a flicker equal to even the weakest of the Jedi children who sometimes watched them practice, but that was the Matukai style. Matukai rarely worked with powerful Force users.

"How are we getting out there?"

Zara grinned. "Go get your quarterstaff. I found an exit yesterday."

Mission darted off, Canderous moving in. "There's a way out of here?"

She chuckled at the Mandalorian. "You don't think the Jedi let the merchants drag their shipments through the enclave, do you?"

He stifled a snort. "I doubt it."

"There's a service entrance. Cleverly hidden, I suppose, but not clever enough for my eyes."

"I'm coming with."

Zara smiled at him. "As long as you don't run off and leave me all alone with Sir Republic and the Jedi princess."

"I wouldn't dream of it." The reciprocating grin was almost ferocious. "I don't want to miss the adventure you'll lead us on."

"Me? Lead?" She laughed. "Now why would I lead?"

His durasteel gray eyes narrowed. "Because you are the one who commanded on Taris."

"Hmm." She shrugged, watching the ramp. "I didn't lead so much as take care of things myself."

Canderous shrugged. "Whatever you want to think."

Mission came back down the ramp, spinning the quarterstaff Zara had shaped from a bit of expensive wood that had been in the cargo hold. It had probably been intended as paneling or something.

"Brought yours, too!" The teen chirped, tossing Zara a similar length of wood.

"Sticks?"

"Hey, you've seen me handle fight. You think I can't do serious damage with a stick?" She challenged.

"Nothing's better than a blaster."

"Whatever." Zara rolled her eyes. "Exit is thissaway." She walked behind the Hawk's ramp, beelining for the wall. She placed her hand on it, unlocking the Force lock. The door slid open smoothly, closing behind them.

"What kind of door is that?" Mission asked.

"Force-lock. The intent is that the Jedi can make sure they know who's going in and out, but considering the state of the galaxy, they should probably rethink the design."

Mission giggled. "Probably. So, how far out are we going to go?"

"I heard some Jedi gossiping about a meditation grove that's nice this time of year. A paved courtyard for training and a fountain."

"How far?"

Zara shrugged. "Not sure. But it'll be far enough away that the Jedi won't bother us." Her eyes flicked to Cnaderous. "And we can scare them away with the big, bad Mandie if we need to."

"Well, I'm glad I brought my blaster, then."

"Good." Zara smiled. "I've heard there are some dar'manda and some nasty kath hounds on the plains."

"What's a dar'manda?" Mission asked.

Canderous growled. "Mandalorians who have lost their honor by disobeying Revan's edicts. Death is a mercy for them." His gaze turned to Zara. "Who explained that to you?"

Zara frowned a little. "My half-siblings."

"What are their names?"

"Rachel and Mereel." That came quickly, at least. Her frown deepened. They were part of the wrong in her memory, though she knew the names were right. She had a feeling that if she remembered exactly how she had met them, she would know why her memory was wrong. "They're Mandalorian. Full Mandalorian, I mean, in the sense that they were fighting in the wars." Her eyes narrowed. "I can sense my memory is wrong," she hissed with frustration, "but I don't know what's wrong!"

"It'll come to you." Mission smiled.

Zara nodded. "Of course it will. Let's jog. You're in good shape, Mish, but it's not quite up to Matukai standards."

"What are Matukai standards?"

"Very, very high."

"I thought you said this grove was deserted!" Mission yelled.

Zara was hard-pressed to defend herself from the Cathar's lightsaber. Mostly because of the inherent ability of a lightsaber to cut off limbs and slice through durasteel. Her discblade, the weapon she could use, called for closer quarters than the Cathar was giving her.

"I thought it was!" Zara snapped, calling her staff to her hand and swinging it. The Cathar Jedi—darkish Jedi, she supposed—didn't move out of the way fast enough and took a blow to the head that knocked her to her knees.

Zara dropped the staff and called the lightsaber to her hand, igniting the red blade.

The Cathar rose to sit on her heels, amber eyes dull. "Kill me."

"What?" Zara blinked at the woman incredulously. The darkness drawn around the Cathar was frantic, laden with guilt.

"You were sent here to kill me, were you not?" The amber eyes blinked.

"No." She paused a moment. "The Jedi Council sent me to speak to you. What happened was not your fault and your guilt and anger are misplaced."

"I struck down my master in a fit of rage." The woman said solemnly. "That is entirely my fault."

Zara shut off the lightsaber. "Your master knew what she was doing." She knew she was going out on a limb, here, but her training had taught her to pull people out of darkness. "A master always knows there is risk when taking a student. And I doubt she would want you here, trying to convince yourself that you are evil. No one is evil—it is a choice."

"And the Jedi would accept me back?"

"I'm here, aren't I?" Zara asked. "Show them that you are calm and remorseful, that your passion has been contained. The Jedi are all about redemption."

The Cathar gazed at her for several long moments before rising to her feet. "You are correct, Knight."

"Oh, uh, I'm not a knight. Just call me Zara." She stuck the saber in her belt, discblade on her back, and patted the Cathar's shoulder. "So, uh, why don't you head back?"

The Cathar nodded once and loped off.

"What was that?" Canderous asked.

"Me helping someone who needed help." Zara smiled a lolittle. "I'm also putting myself in the Jedi's good books. They can't have been too happy about having their very own how-bad-we-can-be exhibit on a planet with an enclave. Bad press and stuff." She picked up her quarterstaff. "Ready to train, Mission?"

"We can never go back."

I was never going back, but he didn't know that.

"Are you sure this is wise?"

I turned my head, looking at him through the slit in the mask. "The wisdom of our actions does not matter." A lie, since they mattered more than he would ever know. "And we could never go back the moment we joined the war." With that sharp admonition, I opened the door.

A simple Force lock.

The door grated open, stone rasping against stone, reminiscent of my voice. The darkness of the room beyond seemed fitting, I supposed. Soon, everyone would know and we would no longer be heroes. My mask would be the face of fear, not courageous inspiration.

Well, they would thank me later for saving them.

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