Chapter 12

Rebirth

A sigh of frustration escaped Carth's lips as he looked on helplessly at Kael who walked off with Bastila through the corridors of the Enclave and to the audience chamber. Every Jedi that came across the well-known Jedi Knight whose Battle Meditation skills were indispensable to the war effort looked curiously at the man who walked beside her. Even the most undertrained of Padawans could sense the immense dormant power within the man, and felt an abnormal sense of curiosity at the sight of him.

"The hell are you looking at them like a confused little puppy dog for?" Canderous grunted behind Carth, not in the least as concerned as the Republic captain. "You should feel happy that Kael's going off to be trained. As slim as the Republic's hopes of victory are, another Jedi in the ranks would at least lift your hopes a tiny bit, aren't I right?"

Frustrated by the Mandalorian's overly-relaxed and easygoing outlook, Carth muttered and shook his head. "It's not that simple. It never is, with those damn Jedi. Always keeping us out of the loop, always holding secret meetings behind our backs. I won't be surprised if they're scheming something big and intending to use Kael for whatever purpose they have in mind."

"Give it a rest, soldier," Canderous sighed, then turned around to head back to the Ebon Hawk to use its workbench to augment his weapons further. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that Carth was as still as stone, stubbornly unmoving from his spot. "Even Mandalore himself wasn't as obsessive and calculating as you are right now. You let that part of you get the better of you, and you're going to be in for a world of perpetual distress and anxiety. Believe me when I say that a nervous and jittery soldier soon turns into a dead and lifeless soldier."

"You might not be accustomed to betrayal, but I sure as hell am," Carth grunted, then swiftly turned to return to the Ebon Hawk to communicate with Admiral Dodonna. "I'll never stop keeping an eye on those Jedi."

Not accustomed to betrayal, huh? Canderous thought as he let out a puff through his nostrils. You don't know anything about betrayal, pup.

After exiting the upward-sloping corridor which connected the Enclave's southern entrance to the rest of the complex, the two men were greeted by a chilling autumn wind. The exterior of the building was now crowded with numerous small shop stalls selling all kinds of merchandise, ranging from souvenir items and clothing to hunting weapons for keen collectors. They were both ordinary folk of Dantooine, as well as people from other worlds who were displaced by war and had come to the planet in the search of peace and quiet.

Wading their way through the masses of people, Carth and Canderous made a patient effort to navigate a path back the Ebon Hawk. Carth looked sullenly at the faces of the numerous young children who walked with their parents, smiling as they eagerly checked out the stalls of goods.

A little boy picked out a hand-crafted wooden necklace decorated with a small pearl ornament. He held it up to his mother, remarking that it would look beautiful on her. The mother laughed, holding her hand slightly over her mouth in embarrassment. Carth's eyes focused on them, remembering the day that Dustil once did the very same thing in the streets of Telos when they were still a family.

Shaking his head, Carth reminded himself that it was imperative that he make contact with Admiral Dodonna as soon as possible. He looked away from the child and mother and continued his efforts to traverse through the large crowd. But then, he froze in place when he beheld a sight which captivated his mind. Canderous stopped behind him, wondering just what had caused the pilot to halt so suddenly and without warning.

Several yards away, another woman was standing with her young son, resting together on one of the many benches that lay by the ledges of the shopping area. The lady was fair and beautiful, with golden hair and radiant blue eyes. The boy was quite small, around eight years old, with brown hair and eyes. They exchanged warm-hearted words, taking pleasure in the beautiful weather and were not deterred by the cold which eerily seemed to pierce Carth to the bone.

"It can't be," Carth quietly whispered to himself, and his hand slowly rose and extended forward, his heart beckoning him to approach the woman and child whom, to his eyes, were unmistakably his long-lost wife and son.

He drew closer, all of his senses drowned out save for his sight which was fixed upon them. His heart started pounding, growing more and more intense along with his breath which quickened until—

"Oh! My apologies," a stranger said after accidentally bumping his shoulder against Carth, who was brought back to reality due to the impact. "You didn't drop anything now, did you?"

"No, it's alright, I, uhh," Carth replied, taking a quick look at the man of greying black hair and a slightly tanned complexion. Reverting his eyes to the bench again, his optimism died down when he realized that his eyes were only playing tricks on him: the woman's hair was not golden but black, and her eyes dark brown – features which she shared with her son. He sighed disappointedly. "Didn't mean to bump into you there."

The man was a stranger to Carth, but not so much to Canderous who took a curious look at him as he spoke. "Varku? Varku, is that you?"

The man's eyebrows rose in astonishment when he looked upon Canderous. "Canderous? Canderous Ordo?"

Grinning as soon as he confirmed to himself that the man was a good friend and former comrade-in-arms, Canderous swiftly walked forward and extended a firm hand out to him. "Varku, you trigger-happy son of a bitch! The hell are you doing out here?"

Varku laughed and eagerly clasped hands with Canderous. "I could say the same to you, you old Basilisk-addicted big-shot!" After sharing a knuckle punch, the two men lowered their hands as they continued the conversation. "I heard rumors that you took up work as a mercenary. What's happened with that?"

"Got tired of it, came out here," Canderous shrugged. "And good timing, at that. Taris was reduced to smoldering ruins by the Sith during our escape."

"Escape?" Varku expressed his surprise. "The Sith were after you, of all people?"

"No, not me. After the Jedi named Bastila," Canderous shook his head, then glanced at Carth. "Pilot boy here managed to get us out of there in time using a ship we stole from Davik Kang."

Growing impatient of standing around, Carth bid Varku his farewells. "If you'll excuse me, there's some urgent things I have to take care of. Can't linger here any longer." He silently walked past Varku, who looked puzzlingly at him.

"The hell's he so down about?" Varku asked.

"He's a soldier in the Republic – you can figure out why."

"Heh, and I thought that he simply didn't like you for your attitude," Varku laughed. "Even many among our own people didn't like you because you were a fucking difficult asshole."

Canderous grinned. "A man's got to protect his reputation, aren't I right?" He then changed the subject to a more interesting one. "But tell me, Varku…just how in the hell did you settle into a place like this? I thought that the entire galaxy was hostile towards our people following the end of the war."

"Did the same as you, I guess. Stayed low for the first couple of months, took up mercenary work here and there, and then I moved out here and settled down, because here I can keep my past buried for none to find out."

"Hmph. Mercenary work for a living – that's what our people have been reduced to now, after what Revan did to us. Damn depressing if you ask me."

"Couldn't stand to be back on planet Mandalore, with all the bickering and inter-clan conflicts," Varku sighed. "Without a true leader to take up Mandalore's Mask, we're like broken and divided wolves growling at each other. And no-one's been growling more lately than your wife."

Canderous raised his eyebrow. "My wife?"

"Sure. Veela's taken over Clan Ordo, Canderous. Amused me to hear her saying that you were too pussy after seeing your ranks smashed by Revan at Malachor V. She basically smacked down anyone who dared to challenge her leadership over the clan. Makes me fear, though: relations between Clan Ordo and Clan Fett have never been more intense than they are now."

Canderous remained silent, thinking about his wife whom he hadn't seen since his self-imposed exile not long after the humiliating peace treaty his people were forced to sign with Revan. He was fearless in battle, eager to challenge and take on any man or beast, and yet he couldn't muster the courage to return to face his wife and see eye to eye again with her.

"Hey, tell you what," Varku said, breaking Canderous's thoughts. "There a little special something I'd like to show you in my residence here, if you have the time."

Canderous nodded, and began to follow Varku who led him through the crowd. "Definitely. What is it?"

Varku laughed. "Let's just say that it's something that the Republic failed to confiscate from me following the war. Believe me when I say that you'll like it indeed."

-o-

A shudder rippled through Elena's spine when she walked alongside Master Vandar into the Council audience chamber, where Masters Vrook, Dorak and Zhar stood awaiting them. Through the Force, she could feel that even they felt concerned as much as she was, knowing that nothing could be done to alter Revan's underlying personality which could prove to be the catalyst for their ultimate victory or failure.

Taking her place beside Master Zhar, while Master Vandar stepped in front of his taller peers so that he could look upon the entrants, a tiny bead of sweat trickled down the back of Elena's neck when she saw two figures come around the corner of the corridor which led to the chamber floor. She desperately fought the urges of her heart which threatened to erupt, making every attempt to disguise her feelings as being a product of her long-term friendship with Revan and nothing more, for fear that the Masters would find out about the true nature of her emotions.

At last, Bastila came before them and took a respectful bow, while the unknowing former Dark Lord nervously tilted his head downward at them.

"Good morning, Masters," Bastila said. "As you requested, I have brought Kael along with me."

"Warmest greetings to you," Vandar smiled at the man who looked down at him. "Bastila has told us the previous night of the role which you played on the planet of Taris. We thank you profoundly for saving two valuable members of our Order."

"I am a soldier," Kael answered humbly. "I considered it to be my duty to protect Bastila and Elena, considering the important role they have in this war."

Zhar spoke to him. "There is no doubt that you are filled with questions, and after what you did for Bastila and Elena on Taris, it is only right that we oblige you with answers. I am Zhar, a member of the Jedi Council here on Dantooine. With me are Masters Vandar, Vrook and Dorak." He turned and gestured at his fellows one by one in an introduction, and then continued. "We are the caretakers of this training enclave here on Dantooine."

"Do you have any queries that you would like us to answer?" Dorak asked.

"I do," Kael nodded. "Bastila has told me that you have decided to train me in the ways of the Jedi, but a more pressing question in my mind is…How exactly did this 'bond' develop between myself, Bastila and Elena? And just what will it mean for us in the future?"

"A bond through the Force can be formed in many ways, although yours is a special case," Dorak said. "Normally, such bonds are formed between Padawans and their Masters through years of training and the nurturing of shared intuition. The bond that has established itself between the three of you, however, is an almost unprecedented case, very rare in the entire history of our Order."

Vrook added to his colleague's observations. "While Elena escorted you to your quarters last night, Bastila told us of how you saved Elena's life on the Endar Spire. The act of saving another's life is an event which had led to the formation of many Force bonds in the past."

"But what about my bond with Bastila?" Kael asked. "I haven't carried out any similar act of significance as I did when I saved Elena's life. Rescuing her from the Vulkars was one thing, but I'd doubt that doing that would have led to the creation of my bond with her."

"The will of the Force is complex," Zhar admitted. "Even with many years of study and meditation, it is sometimes impossible to fully comprehend its will. Very rarely has there been cases where two unaware individuals' fates been tied together through the Force."

Vandar voiced his thoughts. "Considering the implications of your bond with Bastila and Elena, as well as the vision you have had, it is most prudent and wise that you remain here on Dantooine. If left untrained and undisciplined, your natural affinity with the Force may lead to unintended negative consequences in the future."

"My vision," Kael blinked confusedly, knowing that Bastila had told the Council of his dreams the night before. "What did it mean? And just why would someone like me dream of what happened to Revan?"

"It is impossible to determine," Vandar replied. "The Force works in mysterious ways. Hopefully as time passes, more of such visions will come to you, and you may begin to understand for yourself."

Confused and slightly frustrated by the cryptic and indecisive explanations of the Jedi, Kael looked at Elena. The Jedi Knight looked back at him with a sullen and sympathetic expression, before staring at her feel in dismay.

"You mentioned training," Kael said, looking at the Masters. "I am willing to submit myself to your teachings if you deem it necessary, but…"

"But?" Vrook said ever so slightly grumpily.

"The war turns more grim by the day," Kael insisted. "Even as we speak, thousands of brave men and women are risking – and losing – their lives in the desperate struggle against the Sith. Just how long will my training take?"

The Masters and the two Jedi Knights looked with concerned eyes at one another after hearing the rash and almost unrestrained urgency in Kael's voice. Knowing that he desired an answer, Zhar spoke.

"Your impatience is understandable, but you must understand. Should you agree to undertake the training which we offer, you will be more than capable of playing a much more significant and meaningful role in defending the Republic from the threat of Malak. With due care and diligence, your untapped and great underlying power can be put to great use."

"You must understand now that our Order itself is growing ever so thin due to this conflict," Dorak added. "Everywhere across the galaxy lie Sith minions and assassins, terminating and hunting Jedi wherever they may be found. The traumatic experience you had on Taris is but one such example of the merciless wrath that the Sith intend to inflict upon us all. What Jedi are not hounded and killed are drawn into the ranks of the Sith, either out of coercion and threats of death, or even voluntarily after being corrupted with the promise of dark power."

Vandar contributed with a grim prognostication of his own. "If Malak and the Sith are not stopped, then the Republic will fall, and our Order decimated. Your talents as a soldier are admirable, but only by becoming a Jedi will you develop the abilities that will enable not only you, but the entire Republic itself, to stand a chance of defeating Malak. Your visions will no doubt play an indispensable role in our efforts."

"Normally we would not consider one your age for training," Bastila said to Kael. "But considering how thin our ranks are, and your great potential in the Force, it is imperative that you commit yourself to this endeavor. Elena and I will do our best to ensure that your training is as rapid as possible."

"You really think I can do it?" Kael said incredulously to the Jedi. "You really think that I can accomplish this task and play a role in defeating the Sith threat?"

Looking around, he saw that the eyes of the Jedi expressed confidence in his abilities. His heart was filled with fear and doubt, but when he looked upon Elena who looked at him with a small, yet warm smile of assurance, Kael was all at once imbued with confidence, and his anxiety dissipated.

"Then I give you my loyalty," Kael submitted himself to the will of the Jedi Council. "I will learn under you, and I swear to you that I will do my utmost."

"You are certain of this, are you not?" Dorak asked. "Death at the hands of the Sith may very well be the least of your worries should you decide to take on this responsibility."

Kael looked at them with eyes of fiery determination – the very eyes that struck fear in the heart of Elena who remembered the last time she sensed such conviction within him.

"Yes, Master Dorak. I am."

-o-

Walking with Mission and Zaalbar through the market stalls of Dantooine, Ice marveled at the sight of the bustling streets filled with people from all walks of life. The young Twi'lek was still far from overcoming the shock of losing her long-time home, and required Ice to hold her hand in order to prevent her from drifting away into the crowd. Zaalbar followed directly behind them, feeling awkward and embarrassed as he received many curious looks from the many people who had obviously never seen a Wookiee in person before. He made a conscientious effort to keep out of reach of children, for three of them had already pulled at the fur of his leg out of excitement.

All around, they could see stallholders of all kinds offering a wide array of goods to their potential customers. From droid utility parts to sweet treats and balloons for children, there was nothing that wasn't being sold that the mind couldn't imagine. Several dozen yards away, detached from the main shopping area was a collection of weapons dealers who specialized in arms and energy shields, and a certain few who even offered stealth field generators which most definitely piqued Ice's interest from afar.

Regardless of the façade she maintained in order to conceal her true sorrow at seeing the destruction of Taris, Ice still fondly remembered the days of her youth which she spent with her dearest friend Zaerdra. They shared much in common, in that their parents were taken away from them by crime, leading them to wander the streets of Taris. Cared for by the generous Gadon Thek, they quickly came to regard each other as a sister, sharing almost everything they had and supporting each other through any hardship.

Even now, Ice sincerely wanted to believe that the events which had occurred in the past few days was nothing more than a dream; that she would soon awaken to be nudged and laughed at for snoozing by Zaerdra. She deeply regretted not having warmly embraced Zaerdra during the final seconds of her life, let alone not being able to give her a proper funeral.

I'll never see her again. I'll never be able to hug her; to laugh with her; to say to her just how sorry I am for not being able to be there for her when she needed it most…

No, she squinted her eyes, shaking her head. I can't be like this. I have to stay strong for Mission from now on. I have to protect her.

"Ice?" Mission said as she looked leftward at her friend after noticing her sudden shift in behavior. "Something the matter?"

"Huh?" Ice snapped out of her thoughts, looking Mission in the eyes. "Oh, it's…it's nothing. Maybe it's just that I needed a little more sleep than I had."

Looking up again, Ice could barely pick out the right side of Carth's face among the sea of people. The pilot didn't spot them as he focused his attention forward, presumably wishing to return to the Ebon Hawk.

"There goes Carth," Mission said after spotting him walking off towards where the ship was located. "Wonder if he's going to be staying around here on Dantooine for a while."

"Mm…," Ice mumbled, uncertain of what the future held for the pilot. "I know he's very important to the war effort and all, but…I hope he stays. At least for a bit."

"You hope he stays?" Mission raised an eyebrow at her. "And why's that?"

"Well, I, err…," Ice murmured, unsettled by the sudden query. "Well, he was the pilot, wasn't he? If he has to rejoin the Republic navy, then it could only be that he will rendezvous with his fleet by taking the Ebon Hawk. The Republic couldn't ever afford to send a detachment to extract him when they're being pursued inch for inch by the Sith fleet now, can they?"

"But that doesn't explain why you said that you hope he stays for at least a bit," Mission stated, and then took an educated guess. "You like him, right? The two of you seemed to hit it off well after we all met on Taris."

"How the hell can you say that, Mission?" Ice stubbornly rebuked the child, although her pale cheeks were beginning to show the slightest bit of reddishness. "It's only been a few days since we met. All I feel right now for him is gratitude that he's looking out for you just as much as I am."

"If you insist," Mission shrugged with a slight giggle. "But I guess you're right about that, considering just how protective of me you both are. And besides, the three of us all have something in common, don't we? We all want to find our families, and find out what's happened to them."

Zaalbar let out a rather pained growl behind them, reluctantly reminded of his past and his own family.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry, Big Z," Mission turned her head and apologized. "You get a little sensitive whenever someone brings up the topic of family. I get that."

"What's he so downhearted about?" Ice questioned.

"Family issues. Really sensitive, at that," Mission told her. "He doesn't like to talk about it much – not even to me. All I know is that he's from Kashyyyk, and that something bad happened to him there, causing him to leave because of it."

"Guess that's one more planet added to our to-travel list, then," Ice remarked with a smirk. "Not sure if the Wookiees will like having us around, though. Last I heard ,they weren't all that welcoming to outsiders."

Zaalbar began to moan more loudly behind her, fervently expressing his disapproval of the idea.

"Okay, okay, I'll give it a rest. Keep your fur on, you damned overgrown child," Ice rolled her eyes and sighed. "One child is already a handful; do I need to take care of another?"

"Hey!" Mission whined, pinching Ice's hand which held onto hers.

Ice gave Mission a tired look. "That better not have left a mark on my skin. I might have to reconsider getting you a cheering-up present today if it did."

Mission smiled as she got to know the warm and caring side of Ice the more time she spent with her. For the first time in her life after Griff abandoned her on Taris, she truly had a guardian whom she could rely on to always be there for her. Zaerdra of course cared for and took care of her whenever she could, but such moments were rare for the former second-in-command of the Hidden Beks.

"Would it help if I behaved from now on?" Mission smiled at Ice.

"It certainly might," Ice grinned back. "Just tell me when you see something that you like – after all, I took a whole load of cash from Davik's office and kept it in my jacket after I went in there."

Mission's eyes widened. "Really? You serious?"

Ice chuckled. "You wouldn't believe just how much cash was lying around in that lecherous bastard's quarters."

"Well, if you insist," Mission said with the same vigor as a child who was about to receive a toy gift. Spotting a neat-looking souvenir stall which offered a wide array of necklaces, bracelets and other jewellery, she eagerly pulled Ice towards it, startling the older woman by her sudden movement.

"Steady on, Mission, for goodness' sake!" Ice moaned, a twinge of pain emanating from her right arm which was pulled almost savagely by Mission. She finally managed to catch her breath after Mission navigated her way through the large crowds of people and stopped in front of the stall, as Zaalbar lumbered behind.

"This one!" Mission grinned as she pointed at a pretty and plain silver bracelet which glimmered against the sunlight.

"Such an expensive taste you've got there," Ice chuckled as she began to reach into her inner jacket pockets. "Makes me wonder if you were a princess of Alderaan in your past life." Although she was initially concerned due to the foreshadowing of Mission's future spending habits, it made her genuinely happy to see that the young Twi'lek's mind was, for now at least, diverted away from the painful memory of Taris.

"Oh come on, you've got plenty of credits to spare!" Mission insisted and reached in for her desired object. "Here – I'll just try this on first, and—" She paused and instinctively withdrew her hand when she felt the tender hand of another woman brush against it. "Oh, sorry, miss. I just wanted to try on the—" Her lips drew agape when she raised her head up to look at the stranger.

In front of Mission was a member of her own species, with lush and slightly tanned golden skin and bright grey eyes. She was evidently in her mid twenties, and possessed beauty that was considered enviable by even Twi'lek standards. She wore tight-fitting dark-blue leather pants which accentuated her curvaceous figure, and on top a white furry jacket which gave her respite from the morning chill. The older Twi'lek's eyes widened in surprise the moment she saw and recognized Mission, and she quietly murmured to her.

"Mission…Mission, is that you?"

"No…it can't be…," Mission exhaled, not believing what her eyes were telling her as she stared blankly at the woman who ruined her life.

-o-

An alarmed beep came from the direction of the engine room when Carth ascended the loading ramp of the Ebon Hawk and stepped on board. Immediately, the specialist droid came rolling in towards him, aiming at him its small blaster turret armament which came out from a compartment just below its head.

"Hey, hey, relax bud, it's just me," Carth allayed T3's tension with a wave of his hand. Calming down, T3 let out a sigh-like toot before heading off to continue with its repair work on the engine, which had taken a slight battering during the firefight with the Sith fighters.

Carth walked into the main hold and stood in front of the large round console which also served as the Ebon Hawk's holoprojector for communications purposes. Despite telling Kael as well as himself that a good night's sleep would soothe his nerves, Carth knew that it simply wasn't the case. Far too accustomed to betrayal and deeply suspecting of any discussion which took place behind closed doors, he had to make contact with the only person he could truly trust.

After inputting a series of commands, frequencies as well as his personal identification number to establish contact with the Resolute, the Republic's commanding capital ship which was commanded by Admiral Dodonna herself, Carth waited patiently with his hands behind his back. Moments later, the holoprojector presented him with a scaled-down full-body projection of his superior.

"Carth," Dodonna greeted him. "It is good to see you again. Has there been any new development between Ensign Deren and the Jedi?"

"There has been, Admiral," Carth confirmed. "In fact, they've decided to train him."

"Train him?" the Admiral expressed her surprise through her bewildered tone. "As far as I know, the Jedi do not train people in their adult years. Why the sudden change in standards?"

"I don't know, Admiral, but I don't like it one bit," Carth shook his head as he looked down and placed one hand on the edge of the circular surface. "There's something big at work within the Jedi Council. I can feel it."

"Then I was not alone in my suspicions," Dodonna sighed. "The High Masters of the Jedi Order on Coruscant – Atris, Zez Kai-Ell, Kavar, all of them – virtually refuse to share with me information I deem to be vital in our joint efforts to stop the Sith. The only people we can truly rely on and trust in this war is ourselves, Carth."

"With your permission, Admiral," Carth said, standing resolutely once again, "I'd like to remain here on Dantooine in order to continue watching and monitoring the developments concerning Ensign Deren. I think it's best that I keep an eye on what the Jedi may be planning for him."

After a moment's deliberation, Dodonna nodded and gave her approval. "You've always acted on your instincts, Carth, and I've yet to think of a single instance when they failed you. Very well – consider this your new assignment. Watch them closely, and report to me any and all major developments which occur. This information is to be kept strictly confidential between us. Understood?"

"Yes, Admiral," he stood at attention and gave a formal salute with his hand. After the holo-image vanished, he turned to head to the engine room to continue the task of repairing the Ebon Hawk along with T3-M4, never for a moment ceasing to ponder about the potential consequences of letting Kael be inducted into the ranks of the secretive Jedi Order.

A/N: As you can tell from this rapid update, I'm very keen and enthusiastic about this story. I've got a whole list of original plot elements all lined up when it comes to Kael/Revan's Padawan trials and development as a Jedi. I'm definitely going to give him a "grey" mentality, in order to reflect the fact that in the flashback in Chapter 10, the Council could only cover up and make dormant his memories, and couldn't do anything about his inner nature and personality.

I'm also going to give Mission a more fleshed-out personal backstory in the next chapter. She never knew her parents in the game, but I'm going to give her a very tragic background in terms of what happened to her family. Not as tragic as Ice, but tragic nonetheless.

Speaking of Ice, most of you are wondering just what her real name is. After all, "Ice" is just a stage name, like "The Mysterious Stranger". I actually based my version of Ice in this story partly on Claire "Lightning" Fallon from Final Fantasy XIII, in that they both adopted aliases in order to cover up their painful past. Rest assured, Ice will reveal her true name in due time, and while the party is still on Dantooine.

I also noticed that a couple of you are somewhat impatient when it comes to bringing in HK-47. It's understandable, since he's probably many a player's favorite character in the game due to his humor. I initially considered including him in a vision, but that would have certainly spoiled things later on when he's encountered again on Tatooine.

I definitely don't want to go through the dull canon plot element of purchasing HK in the droid shop run by the Ithorian, because that'd be absolutely boring. I know that I've said that I'm cutting out redundant side quests that detract too much from the main mission of stopping Malak, but you can look forward to a more exciting (and dangerous, too – that's a hint there) first encounter with HK-47 when the party travels to Tatooine.

As always, please leave your reviews with your thoughts, opinions and suggestions, and I'll see you in the next update!