Chapter 28

No Time Left

Cold…

Everything hurts…

So cold…Where am I?

Can't feel…anything…

The moment Mission came back to her senses and barely managed to open her heavy eyelids, all she could feel was a chilling frost which engulfed her entire body. The last thing she remembered was being yanked by her lekku so violently it almost caused severe damage to her brain, and a throbbing pain on the back of her head before all went black. Her beloved pet was nowhere to be seen, presumably having run off in fear after witnessing her capture.

Studying her surroundings, Mission's heart sank when she saw that she was in what appeared to be a chilling room – for raw meat, no less. Dewback and wraid hides and carcasses were hanging all around her, and she had to squint her eyes hard in order to avoid looking at them. Her hands began to sweat despite the deathly cold which should have rendered it impossible to, and her lips started trembling eerily as she murmured incoherent thoughts to herself.

Her entire body roped down against a chair with her wrists and ankles secured, she dug her nails hard into her own skin, as if to wake up from a petty nightmare. But it wouldn't work, and her heart only sank further while she breathed intensely, struggling in vain against the chill. She desperately wished that it was all a terrible dream, and that she would wake up in Audrey's arms like she did during their early days on Dantooine. The flimsy falsehood of her insistence to Kael, Carth and Audrey that she was a big girl who could take care of herself seemed to collapse all around her.

All she could think of right now was Audrey; her smile, her touch and her warmth. She had been cared for by Audrey ever since she was just a small child, believing all along that it was Zaerdra who had brought her food regularly as well as the occasional special treat. Audrey risked life and limb in a desperate bid to save her life both in the Tarisian sewers and the Dantooine crystal cave, and deep down, Mission knew that she was coming to save her.

Just a little longer, she looked downwards while continuing to tremble, the steam of her breath blowing through the sub-zero room. Just a little longer, and—

The door at the corner of the room opened with a slam against the wall, and Mission's hopes plunged as a man in dark clothing and a thick leather coat walked menacingly towards her, his heavy boots clanking against the metallic floor. She dared not look up to see his face, terrified by the thought of having to peer at his eyes.

He stopped right in front of her, Mission's tears flowing freely and landing on his black boots. His knees bent slightly, and Mission could feel his rough, callous hand lifting her chin, effectively forcing her to look into those sick, twisted eyes of his.

Mission stammered. "You…you're—"

"Xor," he grinned lecherously. "What a pleasure to see you again. Hope you like your new surroundings. You'll be out of here soon enough."

"Where am I? What…what have you done with me?" Mission demanded, barely managing to keep a strong voice and the chattering of her teeth to a minimum.

"It wouldn't be a secret hideout if I told you that now, would I? Although it's obvious what the answer is to the second question."

"How long have…have I been out cold for?" she murmured, her brain on the verge of collapse from a throbbing headache.

"Cold? In what sense?" he laughed, holding his hands wide apart and gesturing to the room.

"D…d-d-don't fuck with me!" Mission glared at him.

"Ah, fine," he sighed and crossed his arms. "Twenty minutes, tops."

"T-twenty minutes?!" she gasped. "What…what did you—"

"Nothing. Relax," he said, standing upright and scratching her beneath the chin – something she shuddered at immediately. "Although, I have to say that it was reeeeaally tempting to do otherwise in that span of time," he said again, exercising no degree of discreetness whatsoever as he stared directly between her legs. "But again, chill out, if you'll excuse the pun. You'll notice that you still have on you all of your personal clothing and effects, except of course for your blaster pistol which has been taken off you."

Looking down and examining herself, Mission saw that he was right. Whereas she expected a sick bastard like him to leave her freezing to death in nothing but her underwear if even that, she was clothed in her full gear, jacket and all.

"What do you want? What are you gonna do with me?" she blurted.

"Now here's the fun part," he snickered and leaned over her, placing both hands on either side of the head of the chair. "If conditions were different, we might see other uses for you, but unfortunately our little branch here on Tatooine is a bit thin on money. You see, we have a number of clients who are enthusiasts of the slave trade. You can connect the dots now, seeing as you're a Twi'lek, of all races."

No…no, it can't be, she thought, tightening her eyes shut at the very thought of being sold into slavery like so many of her kind.

"But what the hell's the point of keeping me here if you're selling me off, anyway? What do you have to gain by sticking me in this freezing room with…with carcasses?!" she argued.

"What an observant girl," Xor teased and petted her cheek, sending another wave of sick flushes up and down her spine. "Here's the deal: you give me the information I seek, and I'll see to it that you're promptly moved out of this place, and I'll also try to make your final predicament…hmm…less torturous. If you answer my questions truthfully, then you can be rest assured that you will end up with our most upstanding of clients. Some of the slave girls we sold years ago have even ended up marrying and having cute little kids with their former owners, as they were wise enough to act obediently and nicely. As for the disobedient and rebellious ones, well…rancor food is what they normally become. That's what you might end up becoming if you don't play along with me when I start asking my questions."

"You…you sick fuck," Mission spoke through gritted teeth.

"Hmph. Consider yourself lucky," Xor chuckled. "Had you said that when I asked my first question, I might very well have struck our most reputable client off the list altogether."

"How can you do this?!" Mission shouted. "Just what kind of fucked-up mind do you have?! I'm a little girl, for fuck's sake!"

"Bahahahahaha!" he laughed heartily, slapping the head of the chair again and again until his bellowing subsided. "That's a nice joke, kid. You really think guys like us give two shits about your age? You really think that we're some kind of chivalrous dicks who care about your feelings? Just what kind of existence are you living in – a world of unicorns and rainbows with pots of gold at the end? We're the Exchange, sweetheart. We're hardened criminals. We'll do whatever the fuck we want with you, whether you like it or not."

"…" Mission chose not to speak – or, rather, she was now mentally unable to. The terrifying thought of torture, brutal physical abuse and death rendered her unable to even open her lips.

"Good. Now that I have your undivided attention, the real questions can begin. I'm getting quite chilly myself here, anyway." He started walking slowly around and around the chair, his hands joined behind his back. "First of all, name each and every one of your companions, name and by rank, if applicable."

"F…," Mission murmured incoherently, too distracted by the overwhelming desire to be safe in a warm bed with Audrey by her side telling her a bedtime story.

"What was that just now?" Xor asked, walking up to her from behind and gently placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Go fuck yourself," Mission pouted, much to his disappointment.

"Aaaand there goes the number one client from our list," he sighed and rubbed his temple. "You made a crappy decision there. He wouldn't have laid a hand on you until you were at least eighteen, and instead would have given you the ordinary tasks of a maid. Now, onto the second question: what is the objective of your little entourage, not just here on Tatooine, but in general?"

"Eat shit, you greying-out turdmuncher," she retorted, going as far as to spit on the floor in front of her.

"Last chance," he spoke in a low tone, gently grabbing hold of the tip of her left lekku before suddenly gripping it violently, drawing a sharp gasp from Mission before her voice hung in silence. "Fuck with me one more time, and I'm going to send you to our most scumbag of clients, who'll be fucking with you on a daily basis. Literally and painfully. Now here's my final question. No more lies, no more bullshit."

Mission gulped audibly, and despite the soul-wrenching fear which now gripped her, her heartbeat was growing slower with every passing second. She closed her eyes and gave out a deep sigh, prepared to face whatever came her way.

"Do you, or do you not, have Bastila Shan with you in your company?"

Shit…

There was no way out now, and Mission knew it all too well. Xor and his goons had most definitely spotted Bastila in the cantina, and the Jedi's fame ensured that she was known by both name and face by any who played an active role in the war effort on both sides. It was more than obvious that Xor knew just what the group was hoping to achieve on Tatooine.

"I…I…," Mission shook all over, sweat falling from the tip of her nose.

"Yes?" Xor said with glee, leaning forward like a vulture.

Then, Mission looked straight up at him, her eyes filled with contempt. "I hope you get eaten and crapped out by a bantha."

"That's that, then," Xor sighed and assumed a straight posture, letting go of her lekku before walking past the chair and towards the door. "I would've completely forgiven you and penned you in to be traded off to our most upstanding client, but obviously you had other thoughts. I hope you enjoy your new life, rancors and all. You'll be shipped out first thing tomorrow morning."

"You'll pay for this," Mission hissed, glaring at him with eyes of daggers. "You'll pay for this, you sick, twisted son of a bitch…"

"Hah. And who's gonna make me pay?" Xor mocked. "Let me guess…it's mommy, right? I'll be looking forward to it. Unlike you, I just might keep her all to myself. Have a good night, sweetheart." With that, he proceeded to leave, placing his hand on the icy door handle before Mission blurted out again.

"Wait, what?" Mission's eyes flashed wide. "You're…you're just gonna leave me in here? Here?"

"Of course not," Xor grunted. "As sick as our lowliest of clients may be, they won't be into a Twi'lek corpse, no matter how attractive you are. We've strapped to your wrist a heartbeat monitor. We'll be sure to get you out of here when your heartbeat starts to hit dangerous levels. You'll most likely be unconscious by then, and by the time you wake up, you'll be ready to greet your new home. But I've spoken enough for one night. We'll never see each other again, and I hope you like it where you're going. Night night…"

The instant Xor walked out, Mission's heart plummeted simultaneously with the slamming of the door. She made another desperate attempt to wriggle her wrists to free her binds, but her hands virtually wouldn't budge, as she realized she was losing all feeling in them. The only thing she could feel was the heartbeat monitor that had been latched onto her right wrist, as well as her own wristwatch that was not removed from her left.

Calm down, Mission, she told herself, breathing in and out deeply. But to her dismay, she found out that she was powerless to stop the gradual decline of her lungs and heart, which grew dimmer and fainter.

Yes…Just a matter of time, and they'll come and find me.

They'll save me…won't they?

Her eyes began to grow heavy, and the very blood in her veins began to frost over. She breathed deeply, feeling the air in her lungs wrenched out by the merciless cold.

Mama…find me…

Please…

-o-

"What the fuck have you done?" a grim, goggled figure grumbled to Xor, who came walking out of the lengthy corridor and into the main quarters with a smug look on his face.

"Take it easy, Nord," Xor chuckled and shrugged before slouching down on a lush, cushioned black leather seat in the middle of the room. Only dim lights were kept on, and all the windows covered with blinds so as to avoid attracting any unwanted attention. The entire room wafted with the stench of alcohol and cigar smoke, as Xor added to the smog by lighting up a fresh Corellian-branded cigar of his own, breathing out fumes with a victorious look on his face.

"Take it easy?" Calo Nord showed ever so tiny signs that he was losing the cool he was most famous for as he stood directly over Xor, his teeth on the verge of gritting in anger. "You blew it, you fucker. We agreed on the plan from the start, and what did you do? Now we're going to have Jedi on our hands. If you stay here, you're a dead man, and so will be the rest of your goon squad."

"Ah, come on, Calo, how dangerous could it be?" Xor laughed, taking another big puff of his cigar and jerking his head back, spouting the fumes in the air while his arms straddled the sides of the chair. "Jedi or no, those dickheads didn't even dare make a move in the cantina. We'll be able to deal with them, as long as we have the element of surprise. They're probably scouring the entire town by now. We can pick them off one by one as they spread out in their search."

"That's not my point," Calo hissed. "Our whole deal was getting those three darn Jedi in our hands. Just what the hell do you think we stand to gain by nabbing a fucking teenager?"

"Not us. Me," Xor corrected. "Do you know what kind of premium Twi'lek girls fetch in the black market these days? Especially the young ones? I guarantee you I could fetch perhaps 12,000 credits minimum for that broad we've got in the chiller."

Too engaged in their banter, the two of them were unaware of a pair of weakly gleaming red eyes which emerged from the shadows in the corner of the room. An imposing droid, standing at exactly six feet tall, stood before them, with enough weaponry and deadly force to bring down the entire building around their ears.

"Statement: the greying meatbag has made an almost fatal miscalculation of the risks posed by our new foe," it remarked. "Commentary: should my predictions be correct, the prey meatbags will descend on our position within the next half-hour. May I suggest taking responsive action?"

"What's there to panic about? They're like mice scurrying around, waiting to be squashed," Xor dismissed. "Besides, we have Dark Jedi as support, for fuck's sake. Just what can go wrong?"

Calo looked at him boldly, glaring at Xor through his goggles. "You have no idea what we're up against, do you? Or, rather, who we're up against?"

"A couple of Jedi, some simpletons, a huge-ass Wookiee, the blonde bitch who'll be my slave in thirty minutes, and your dear old Canderous – what can go wrong?" Xor laughed, before taking up the bottle of brew lying on the small coffee table in front of him and chugging it down in premature celebration.

"Suit yourself," Calo snorted before moving off. "Just remember, my targets are the three Jedi; whatever happens to you is none of my concern. Don't come crying to me when this place of yours goes up in smoke."

"Get fucked, Nord," Xor grinned and took another guzzle of alcohol. He peered around him in exuberant confidence while HK also departed and disappeared into the streets, while dozens of his armed goons dutifully stood watch at the windows of the complex.

-o-

Invisible to the naked eye, two cloaked figures dashed through the streets of Anchorhead, the only trace they left behind being footprints in the sand. They moved swiftly and silently, the only thing audible being the quiet beating of their hearts. With lithe movements which even the most deadly of Sith assassins could only dream of, they moved from shadowy cover to cover, being cautious so as to avoid any lengthy period of running in areas left fully exposed to the light of the moon.

To both their relief and growing sense of impending danger, the streets were empty, with not a soul to be seen anywhere. Not even drunkards heading home after a long night of drinking were walking around, thus serving to only add to the terrible feeling that they were being watched. Nevertheless, they pushed on, determined to find the young girls whose life was in mortal danger.

Tiny beads of sweat mingled with tears fell to the ground like the beginning of a gentle shower, leaving hardly noticeable smudges of darkness on the sand. They belonged to Audrey, whose desperation to save Mission grew with every step she took, dampening the pain that came from the fatigue that resulted from several minutes of non-stop sprinting through the unfamiliar territories of Anchorhead. With Juhani by her side to give her aid, she could take comfort in knowing that she could keep her focus entirely on locating the building where Mission's tracking signal emanated from.

She bit her lower lip and pressed on, hoping that there would be no Dark Jedi operatives lurking in the shadows, as Bastila and Elena warned about in their stories of their past missions. As easy as it was to deal with the typical Exchange grunt, a Dark Jedi was an opponent Audrey had never faced before in her life prior to the run-in with Juhani and Belaya on Dantooine. She knew all too well that she would have died along with the others had it not been for Kael's presence, and hoped that no such encounter would follow on Tatooine; a cloaking device would not keep her from being detected by the more powerful of Force users.

Still, she felt some small degree of relief, knowing that the tiny tracking device she had T3 install into Mission's digital wristwatch had paid dividends. Had it not been for the microchip, Mission would now be forever lost to her – a fate which would only serve to break her mind, due to the painful memory of losing her entire family that fateful night. Mission would no doubt harangue her later on for making T3 install the chip without her knowledge or consent, but it was a price Audrey was willing to pay.

If there was one thing she wouldn't ever tolerate losing, it was Mission. Over the span of their stay on Dantooine, Mission had gone from being the cutesy, but nevertheless bratty child whom she wished to protect due to the trauma of having lost her own younger siblings, to being nothing short of her new family. After spending just over two full decades with the cold, disciplinarian mentality she became known for among her fellow Beks and the dueling ring of Taris, bonding with Mission resulted in all of her locked-away emotions and the warmth of her heart flooding back to her. Whenever she looked at Mission smile, the joy she felt in her heart reminded her that it was what her own mother must have felt when she saw her do the same.

To think that she would never get to see Mission again, never get to see her smile again or be able to comfort and hold her during one of her nightmares…it was unimaginable.

Just sit tight, Mission, she thought, doing her best to ignore the burning sensation in her throat and the taste of blood creeping against her tastebuds after several minutes of ceaseless sprinting. Just sit tight. Mummy will be there soon. You'll soon be safe in bed, and I'll have a wonderful bedtime story ready just for you. I promise…

Her usually razor-sharp senses eroded by her burning desire to save Mission, Audrey let out a small gasp when she felt Juhani's invisible hand grab tightly around her wrist, driving her to back up against the wall of a building. Seconds later, three armed thugs with torches in hand went strolling around down the open space to their right, having completely failed to spot the two of them.

Once the Exchange members had moved on, Audrey felt a quiet yet sharp whisper hiss into her ear. "Calm down! What are you trying to do – get us killed?"

Audrey let out a dampened grunt before stopping to catch her breath, her chest rising and falling heavily as she leaned forward and gripped her knees. Chasing after Mission's signal was hard enough, but the fact that the Exchange had an air speeder arranged to take her far away to their hideout located virtually on the other side of Anchorhead only irritated her further.

"Whatever! Just keep quiet and follow my lead! I'll be careful!" Audrey grumpily muttered, swatting away Juhani's hand before running down the streets again in the opposite direction from which the goons rolled in. The number of buildings and shop stalls diminished the further they traveled outwards from the center of Anchorhead into the more shadowy and non-reputable regions, and so did their cover. With their natural cover growing thin, their feet quickened in response, and Audrey gasped for air all the while fighting against the severe dehydration which intensified the taste of blood creeping up from her throat.

Taking a quick peek down at her own tracking device which was linked to those of the rest of the party, Audrey felt a sense of assurance as she saw Kael, Elena, Carth and Zaalbar making good progress through the longer eastern route to the hideout, intentionally chosen in order to lure out as many enemies as possible and open up a clear path for her and Juhani to stealthily travel through. Meanwhile, Canderous and Bastila – two of the most unlikely companions, but forced to comply given the current circumstances – were skirting through the perimeter of Anchorhead's tall walls, aiming to secure a good position for Canderous to provide covering sniper fire as the two main groups rendezvoused before striking at the heart of the base.

The instant the distant sounds of ruckus-incurring combat emanated from Kael's position, Audrey and Juhani backed up against a wall again, listening to the sounds of lightsabers whirring, blasters firing and the screams of Exchange personnel. Although she still had concerns about Kael's true proficiency in melee combat, she felt more than assured that the three of them would pull through. And just for a fleeting moment, she hoped dearly that Carth was unhurt, and that his lack of Jedi senses wouldn't make him an easy target.

"Come, we are getting close," Juhani insisted and tugged her on the arm before they began to run again. She was right – if Mission's tracking device wasn't sending out a faulty signal, the Exchange hideout was less than 250 yards away. Their advance was so far uneventful, except for the quiet elimination of some stray Exchange personnel who would have spotted Canderous and Bastila's run across the walls had they been left untouched.

They ran through a narrow corridor between residential buildings which now resembled slum apartments in their torrid and cracked state, hoping to be able to get a moment's breather before the final assault. Just as they predicted, numerous Exchange grunts ran to the scene of commotion, giving Audrey the impression that their base must now be relatively unguarded.

Her heart racing with anticipation of a rescue that seemed to be going better than planned, Audrey led Juhani out into the final open corridor, where the distance to the base would be so short that stealth would not have mattered in an area which was soon to become a combat area. But then, as soon as she ran out the final enclosed alleyway and turned rightward into the open space, her heart seemed to stop, while her feet ground to a screeching halt.

Standing barely twenty yards away from them was a bald-headed man garbed in Dark Jedi robes covered with light silver-colored armor, flanked on either side by grey-robed minions, all with eyes that burned bright crimson. Further adding to Audrey's newfound terror, they seemed to eye her like snakes did with their prey, their gazes not escaping her whether she walked straight, right or left.

When she paced rightward, so did their eyes. When she darted leftward, so did their eyes.

Then, they started walking. Slowly but surely, they walked straight at her, their hands reaching for their lightsabers clipped to their belts. Three beams of blood red lightsabers activated all in unison, and Audrey clutched onto the vibroblade slung over her back. It didn't take Jedi senses to know that Juhani was preparing herself for combat as well, as a cloud of frosty air emanated from the Cathar's position.

Finally, the battle was joined. The two underling Sith charged at them viciously, lightsabers held high up in the air in an Ataru stance. But just as Audrey raised her sword in preparation for a parry, the two Sith let out a barrage of lightning from their fingertips. Her concentration broken, Juhani shimmered into view, just managing to block the brutal assault with her lightsaber before the Sith closed in for the kill. She valiantly guarded against his blows, regaining her footing as she began to push the offensive.

Audrey, on the other hand, closed off to the Force, was not so lucky. Unable to do anything against the electrical attack, she dove to her left, landing with a thump flat on her stomach. Squashed between her belly and the ground, her stealth device gave out, rending her completely exposed to whatever her attacker decided to do next. He closed in with a vicious grin on his face, lightsaber pointed squarely at her torso.

Stumbling to get back on her feet, she could only pull off a single, well-aimed defensive blow at his knees, forcing him to quickly react in time to meet her blade. She was still in a virtually kneeling position, having managed to put just her left foot firmly on the ground while her right knee still bore into the ground. Sparks flew all about, and Audrey winced as she felt the sheer heat of the lightsaber drawing closer and closer to her face in the brutal grapple that followed. Unlike Kael, who made a noticeable effort to spare her life in the Tarisian Lower City dueling ring with his soft approach, the Dark Jedi was not about to show a single smidge of mercy. He pushed and pushed on monstrously, his teeth forming a sick grin which reflected the fact that he relished the thought of gutting her.

She looked over her shoulder at Juhani, who was confidently keeping her opponent at bay with her masterful melee combat skills. However, Audrey was never truly trained for such brutal single combat – only short and rapid executions and eliminations. She could barely manage to hold her own against the kath hounds in the crystal cave, and was now already on the verge of defeat against this Dark Jedi.

Using what little time she had to spare, she glanced at the Dark Jedi Master. Unmoving and completely uninvolved, he simply seemed to stare at both duels with curiosity, as if he was a teacher who was judging his students' abilities in a mere trial. The pupils were clearly not about to disappoint their master; Juhani was now being pushed back closer and closer to Audrey, as the two Sith seemed to work in perfect tandem while causing havoc for the two women.

Then, the pain. Seeing that she was in no position to offer a counterattack, the Dark Jedi kicked her hard in the stomach, the power of the Force augmenting his hit as Audrey was sent flying against the hard stone wall behind her. For a second, she could have sworn that she heard her shoulder blades cracking upon impact, while the wind was almost completely knocked out of her. She wheezed heavily and crumpled to the ground, unable to hear Juhani's screaming directed at her.

Thoughts of deep anguish began to mix with intense hatred for the man who had grossly insulted her with his cheap and dirty tactics. She clenched her teeth together, ignoring the trickling line of blood which began seeping from the top of her temple down her face as she got up and made a mad dash towards the Dark Jedi.

But to no avail.

Having fully picked up on the fact that Audrey was closed off to the Force, he began to take brutal advantage of his dark side powers. As if to make a mockery of her, he shot tiny strands of lightning from his left index finger, first at her sword-arm, then at each of her limbs. Great as it was, Audrey's dexterity was not enough to meet the levels which only Force-adepts could accomplish. Consequently, she became paralyzed by the lightning attacks, her body convulsing upon contact with each beam of energy as she collapsed flat onto her back. She could barely hear her name being shouted by Juhani, while her eyes felt heavy and became blurred. The dark figure was now walking towards her, completely ignoring Juhani who was being held off by his companion.

As much as she wished that things could have turned out differently, reality was a sour pill she was forced to swallow. Unable to move, let alone raise her sword due to the pain, she tilted her head downwards just far enough so that she could see the predator who was drawing nearer at an agonizingly slow speed, all to add to her fear and misery.

Mission…I'm so sorry, she thought to herself, closing her eyes and letting the back of her head collapse onto the ground. I won't be able…to tell you that bedtime story now, my darling…

The blackness imposed by her closed eyes was suddenly replaced by an all-consuming red, prompting her to use what little strength she had left in order to force her eyelids open.

Her blood went ice-cold when she saw what was coming at her, and she let out one final sigh of despair.

A crimson lightsaber, howling and spinning madly as it came hurtling towards her face.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Work renders me dead-tired and virtually unable to write except on weekends. I also had to update 'Heart of a Padawan', since it was also long overdue for an update.

I was originally going to extend this chapter to cover the battles faced by all the party members including a fight against HK himself, but it would've been another case of a monstrously long chapter like Chapter 16. However, I'll try to fit all the battles into the next one, so that this little episode with the Exchange can conclude and I can move on to the main quest. I've got a scenario lined up that's significantly different from that of the game, and I'm pumped to get onto it as soon as I can.

As always, thanks for all your reviews so far. Keep an eye out for the next update!