Chapter 31

Last Breath

"It's so…beautiful," Mission exhaled, taken away by the wondrous sight of the open ocean which was lit a fiery orange by the setting sun. A cool, gentle breeze blew past her, and she revelled in the beautiful landscape of the planet she never had the opportunity to visit before. The water rolled in gently against the sandy shores, and numerous colorful birds filled the air with pleasant, low coos.

"Welcome to Alderaan, sweetheart," Audrey smiled from Mission's right, gently squeezing the child's hand which lay upon the smooth stone railing of the balcony of their seaside hotel room. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath in and out, allowing herself to take in more of the familiar air which she had missed for over 25 years. Having put the life of espionage and constant danger behind her, her combat gear was replaced by a beautiful white dress, made from the finest Alderaanian silks, which extended down to just above the ankles and was embroidered with flower patterns about the torso. A shining diamond-encrusted ring lay on her right index finger, while her hand rested gently upon her growing abdomen.

"I've heard stories about how beautiful Alderaan's sunset is during this time of year," Carth smiled, finding many more reasons to be cheerful now that the war was finally over. "Gotta say, the rumors fell quite short. I don't think I've ever seen a sight like this before." He looked down and away soon after, and with one glance upon him, Audrey could tell what – or, rather, who – he was thinking of.

"Carth, darling, there's no need to feel so downhearted," Audrey spoke gently, walking past Mission before curling her arms around Carth in a warm embrace. "Always remember, she would want you to be happy. We can finally have the life that we all craved so much. We can focus on what we have, not what we've lost."

"You're right." A smile returned to Carth's lips as he turned around and put an arm around Audrey's waist. "From now on, I'm going to do what I promised myself that I'd do. I'm going to take care of my family."

"I just wish that…Zaalbar could be here with us," Mission sighed, resting her face against her knuckles as she looked somberly at the sun which finally disappeared over the horizon, leaving the skies a hazy red.

Audrey turned to see a downhearted Mission, to whom she responded. "He's where he belongs, darling – with his people. It's for the best."

"I know, but…it's weird not having him around, y'know?" Mission turned her head and winced. "We've been like two peas in a pod since we met on Taris. Well, a pea in my case and a giant rockmelon in his. He's been more of a big brother to me than Griff ever has. I miss him so much."

"Come on, sweetheart, it's not like we can't see him ever again," Carth chuckled. "We could always take a holiday to Kashyyyk next time round. I'm sure he'll be very happy to see you again."

"Ya know what? You're right," Mission nodded with a smile. "When that day comes, first thing I'm gonna do is give him a biiig old hug."

"Take me down for a simple wave and greeting," Audrey remarked. "One hug from him and I swear I won't need a chiropractor for a full year."

After sharing one more laugh, the three of them looked out to the ocean another time, observing the ocean which slowly turned from a bright red to a slowly darkening blue. The birds ceased their chatter one by one, dispersing to their dwellings as the night began to settle in.

"It's getting chilly out. Why don't we head inside?" Carth said to Audrey, softly caressing the side of her arm as he smiled down at her belly which hosted their baby for the past five months.

"We should," Audrey agreed. "It's almost dinnertime, and we should set everything up." She began to walk back into the room with Carth, when she noticed that Mission didn't follow, instead opting to stay by the balcony. "Mission, are you coming, darling?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'll be right in. Can I just get five more minutes?" Mission asked, employing that ever-effective adorable begging whine that always tugged at Audrey's gentle side.

Judging from Audrey's reply, it clearly didn't work. "Nope. Get yourself in, missy. You have to help me and Carth prepare dinner. It's not going to make itself, you know. Now come on already – don't you remember the last time you stayed out too late and caught a cold?"

"Aaw, alright," Mission grumbled, although a part of her scolded herself when a breeze of cold wind blew against her from her left, chilling her sleeveless arms. Closing the glass door behind her, she followed Carth and Audrey to the kitchen and dining area which was located so that it looked out towards the sea. Then, suddenly feeling tired, she closed her eyes and brought her hand up to her lips for a yawn.

Eerily, there was still a shivering spot deep in her chest that she just couldn't fathom why it existed. Deciding to shrug it off, she opened her eyes again to find…

-o-

Carcasses.

The same frozen carcasses of game hunted in the Dune Sea by those monsters who held her captive.

She rattled her wrists, but they would not budge. Her arms felt even more bound to the chair than they were before, as if the ropes had tightened in her sleep. Her skin felt like it was on fire, the chill so unbearable that she wanted to scream. But nothing would escape her lips – not a whimper, never mind a yelp. Small puffs of steam were all that she could manage before she closed her mouth, fearing that her teeth would shatter from the cold.

Please...please let this fucking nightmare end…

She closed and opened her eyes again and again, a small part of her still convinced that it was all a bad dream she could easily awaken from. But no matter how hard she tried to find herself in her warm bed in the Ebon Hawk with Audrey shaking her awake, there was no hope.

Suddenly, footsteps. Slow yet heavy, with low breaths that could barely be heard. The sound of blasters loading and clicking, ready to fire.

No…I didn't mean for it to end like this. It can't, she panicked, making a violent attempt to wrest herself free. Her eyes trembled uncontrollably as she listened to the rustling of a metal key against the door. Following a drivel of impatient grumbles, the door swung open, revealing the man she already hated with a passion. A scowl etched on his face, Xor stomped over to her and grabbed her viciously by the collar.

"Get ready to go. Now," he fumed, hatred brimming in his eyes.

"What? I thought…morning was—!" Her speech was brutally cut off by a stinging slap across her right cheek. Almost concussed by the brutal impact, she could now barely manage to keep her eyes on him as he rushed behind her chair.

"Shut the fuck up," he hissed, making her blood go cold as he pulled out his dagger from its sheath and held it up against her neck. "Now listen to me carefully. Follow me and don't say a word. If you ever stumble or open up those lips of yours again, I'll fucking slit your throat. Do I make myself clear?"

Not knowing whether it was a sick joke on his part to ask such a question, Mission opted for the safer choice and nodded silently. Then, she felt the binds on her wrists and ankles become cut loose, sighing deeply as she could finally rub the sore spots on her skin.

"Get the fuck moving!" he growled, noticeably keeping his voice down as he spoke through gritted teeth. Fed up with her whingeing, he grabbed her throat in a vicegrip and shoved her in the direction of the door. Her knees and ankles frozen over, Mission tumbled to the icy floor, her face colliding against the slimy skin of a wraid carcass. "Get up. Get. Up!" Xor barked, literally grabbing Mission by her right lek and yanking her up on to her feet, her knees buckling and feet jolting her up for fear of losing her life.

Then it hit her. The reason why Xor was so tense and panicked after being so composed and cocky merely fifteen minutes ago.

They're coming. They're coming for me.

However, as soon as the glimmer of hope made her eyes lighten up with optimism, she was shoved out the door, crashing against the wall of the corridor before being dragged off into the darkness.

-o-

Clenching her teeth shut in order to prevent herself from crying out in pain, Audrey trailed behind Kael and Elena as the group finally arrived at what they hoped would be the place Mission was being held in. The two-storey building looked like any other that surrounded it, with no special features of any kind. One small peep at the screen of the datapad in her inner jacket pocket confirmed Audrey's thoughts before she crouched down and scurried across the outer side of the building and past the door with Audrey.

Not a sound could be heard from within, but the nervous look on Elena's face was the only sign needed to know that trouble lay ahead. Audrey cursed at her left arm which was still useless in battle, and prayed that using a lightsaber would be as straightforward as the Jedi always made it seem.

"Get down, Zaalbar!" she hissed when she saw the Wookiee lumbering over, forgetting to crouch as he approached the first window of the building. Although the windows were covered with wooden shutters, moving figures could still be easily seen through the narrow gap along the middle, giving away their position to the Exchange goons inside.

Zaalbar groaned as he did as asked, clearly impatient to save Mission as soon as possible. Once in position beside the door, he quietly pulled out a single grenade from his utility belt and held it up in front of him.

"Are you mad? Put that thing away – you'll hurt Mission!" Juhani berated under her breath.

"No, Juhani, it's a flash grenade," Kael said, having seen plenty of its kind during his military service. "We can use it to surprise them. How's the door look?" he peered over to Audrey.

Audrey quickly rummaged her hands over the door and the lock before sitting back down and sighing. "Locked up tight, and it's a heavy door at that. I doubt even Zaalbar could knock it down with a single hit."

"How are we gonna fight them, though? We have no idea what it looks like inside, or where they're hiding," Carth stated. "And what's gonna stop them from shooting us dead if we just storm in?"

Kael pondered in silent thought, his eyes darting left and right as he looked at his friends gathered around him. Feeling the pressure build up inside, he wiped away a bead of sweat that had formed on his brow. Then, recalling Audrey's switchblade dagger which was tucked away under her jacket, he spoke.

"Audrey, hand Juhani your dagger and listen to me. I have an idea."

-o-

"Sir? Sir, where the hell are you going?" a gruff voice called out from behind, allowing Mission to breathe easy for a moment as the pistol pressed against her back shifted away.

"What does it look like to you?" Xor grunted back, jerking his head to the side to glare at the underling who stopped him. "I'm taking this bitch to the air speeder and getting out of here."

"What, alone?" the goon, another human with olive skin and dark-brown eyes and hair, puffed. "You're seriously just gonna bail on us and take the prize out of here, is that it? You're gonna leave us to die?"

"Not my fucking problem anymore, chump," Xor grunted and turned to leave, pressing the pistol harder than before against Mission's back as he forced her to walk towards a staircase right up ahead.

"So this is it, huh? Using us to do your dirty work and then treating us like cannon fodder as you make a getaway?"

"Just man your fucking post already, and leave me the hell alone," Xor fumed, turning around to shove the man squarely in the chest.

"Like hell I will," the man said, suddenly pulling his own pistol and holding it straight up to his superior's forehead. "We either fight and survive through this as a whole, or we all die trying. You're not leaving alone with that doll of yours."

Xor sighed and pulled his own pistol at the man's forehead, correctly seeing through what was a bluff. "Do I really have to do this, Donnie? I wouldn't wanna recall the sight of your brains being blown out while I'm having fun with this doll here tomorrow night."

A shudder rippled up and down Mission's body as she felt the gruff hand once again running gradually down her back. Suddenly, an ear-splitting sound of metal being torn asunder screeched from the main entrance before a savage thump drove all three to instinctively take cover by crouching on the floor. Alarmed by the sudden action, the men guarding the front entrance unleashed a shower of blaster bolts from their various hiding places behind whatever furniture they could use for cover. After realizing that no foe had entered and that their shots were hitting nothing but distant buildings far away, the guards ceased fire, many of their hands trembling in anticipation.

Several seconds passed, and yet, nothing but silence.

Many guards gritted their teeth, cursing the fact that they couldn't use explosive grenades for fear of bringing the entire building down about their ears. Even the lowest of breaths could be heard, as no-one on either side dared to make a sound.

Unable to bear one more minute of captivity, Mission used what energy she had left to make a desperate attempt at escape as she saw that both Xor and the guards were too preoccupied with staring at the entrance for any sign of movement. Crawling as quickly as she could, she cried out. "Audrey! Car—!" All of a sudden, her right calf felt like it was on fire as she collapsed onto her stomach, tears falling from her eyes while her lips emitted a painful scream. A firm hand violently dragged backwards by the ankle, her blood seeping onto the floor.

"Next time it'll be your head, you fucking slut," Xor glared murderously into her eyes after he rolled her onto her back so that she was looking straight at him, his pistol held against her forehead as a final warning. "I swear I'll make you suffer if you even—gaah!" he drew back in shock as the world around him turned white, a loud banging noise simultaneously ringing out from the main foyer. Blaster fire roared once again from the guards who were similarly stunned, one of them letting out a yelp before falling dead from friendly fire.

Feeling the full effect of the flash grenade, Mission could hardly even manage a scream, knowing that Xor's pistol was held against her head at the moment of the explosion. Several terrifying seconds later, when the vision returned to her eyes, she was grateful to still be alive, observing that Xor's pistol was being aimed uneasily towards the broken-down entrance.

Seeing that the enemy was yet to enter, the Exchange goons reluctantly held their fire, not even daring to reload their now half-empty clips. And yet, not a single soul emerged into the foyer, although a tall shadow loomed sideways across the outer ground.

"Fucking cowards! Charge them!" Xor commanded to his underlings who dared not move from their spots.

"Why don't you lead the way, commander?" Donnie snidely quipped, instantly earning a pistol aimed to his head.

"I swear, if you open your fucking mouth again, I'm gonna shoot it right off!" Xor hissed, then turned his attention back to the front. "Now get out there and—" His blood ran cold when he saw the man closest to the door, on the left-hand side of the foyer, drop dead onto the floor without even a whimper. His neck was twisted and his eyes were wide open as he lay motionless on the stone surface. Mere seconds later, Xor was forced to fling himself hard to the side in order to dodge a small blade that came flying out of nowhere, striking a shocked Donnie squarely in the neck and killing him instantly. Mission recoiled at the horrific sight, feeling the blood splatter against her face.

"Shoot! Shoot, you fuckers, shoot!" Xor barked, now counting less than nine of his underlings to protect him. Upon his orders, blaster bolts flew in all directions around the room, forcing a previously unseen Cathar to shimmer into view and attack viciously with her blue lightsaber, drawing an enraged scowl from Xor. Seeing an onrush of backup emerging through the door, Xor's resolve finally broke, the criminal grabbing Mission by her jacket collar and proceeding to pull her all the way up the staircase to the rooftop.

After spotting Xor's escape, a burning desire for revenge festered in Juhani's gleaming eyes which reflected the corpse of her defeated foe. But despite her urge to chase after him, the presence of two more guards firing their weapons at her forced her to delay her retribution for the time being. Effortlessly, she deflected a blaster bolt right back at an Exchange thug whose forehead sported a smoldering hole as he recoiled back, hitting the wall behind him.

Glancing over her shoulder after seeing that Carth took out the second guard who posed a threat to her, she saw Kael and Elena despatching two more enemies on the right. The latter's eyes expressed reluctance at having to end another's life, while the former's face expressed the same emotions as hers – frustration and spite. It was eerie, considering the fact that he was the one who had convinced her to let go of her anger and hate in the crystal cave not long ago.

Relieved that his plan had worked out as intended, Kael quickly paced over to Juhani. "Thanks, Juhani. We couldn't have done this without you." After receiving a silent nod of acknowledgement from the Cathar, he turned to the rest of the group. "Is everyone alright?"

"Hah…define 'alright'?" Audrey chuckled, her knees trembling while her left hand lay over her right shoulder. Trickles of blood could be seen dropping onto the floor as she stumbled forward against a table, knocking it over as she fell to her knees.

"Oh my god. Shit. Audrey!" Carth panicked, rushing to her side to inspect her closely. As they both thought, Audrey's unfamiliarity with the use of a lightsaber resulting in her suffering a grievous injury, and a small metal bolt was visible deep in her skin.

"What happened?" Kael gasped as the entire party gathered around them.

"Dodged a shot and then killed the bastard with my lightsaber," Audrey panted, squeezing her shoulder which dampened her entire sleeve deep red. "He pulled off one last shot just as I stabbed him in the heart." Remembering that there was a much more pressing matter at hand, she turned her head and spoke to Kael. "Let's keep going. There's…no time."

"Are you crazy? You need to rest! Stay here and let me heal you while the others go on!" Elena pleaded, trying to restrain Audrey who tried to get back onto her feet.

"It…it'll be ok. This is the last stretch," she breathed intensely, her nails gripping against a wooden table to support her body up.

"There is no time. Do what you must, but let me take point," Juhani said impatiently, leaving no room for discussion as she dashed towards the staircase.

"Go, Kael!" Elena shouted, quickly moving to the rear of the group in order to watch over Carth who supported Audrey hastily onward. Understanding what Elena implied with her actions, Kael bit his lip and ran after Juhani along with Zaalbar, cursing the fact that the group hadn't thought their next move through. He reached into his robe's inner pocket to take out his transponder, his hands fumbling briefly as he held the wildly shaking device up to his lips to speak.

"Canderous, are you—"

"Canderous! Stop!" came Bastila's crying voice from the other end, amid a constant stream of clicks and pings. "Please, that's enough!"

The further he ran up the staircase, the warm, musky air of the hideout was replaced with a cool, crisp breeze of wind which blew through the open wooden door leading out to the rooftop. A single shadowy figure stood before him as he ascended the last stretch of stairs, and he recognized it as Juhani, staring blankly ahead of her with her weapon left undrawn. After exiting the doorway, he walked beside her and stood there, gazing down at the bloodied mess which lay before their eyes.

Lying on his back with blood splattered all around him was Xor, gasping and gurping for breath as bullet wounds riddled his entire torso as well as both legs. Close to him lay Mission, silent and unmoving, bleeding mildly from the right leg. Several feet away near the edge of the roof was an old grey air speeder, no doubt intended to be used as a last-resort method of escape.

Suddenly, Xor's body shuddered with a spasm, and more blood poured from his mouth as another bullet hit him in the left ribcage. He wheezed and coughed, using what little strength he had left to look up slightly at the two Jedi who stood over him.

"Heheh…Come to finish the job, have ya, ya little bitch?" he grinned, showing his gruesome bloodstained teeth as he stared right at Juhani, who remained unmoving. "I thought so. Well then, go ahead. Let's finish this business…between you and me. Go ahead – do it."

"Juhani," Kael whispered, holding her wrist in order to stay her hand. He turned and look at her face, expecting to see two orbs burning with the desire for revenge, only to be surprised himself.

Written on Juhani's face was not anger or malice, but rather emptiness and sorrow. She looked much paler than usual, and she stared down at the brute without a hint of emotion in her eyes, as if she didn't understand or possess any emotion at all. Her lips were slightly ajar, drawing the smallest of breaths in and out, never growing more intense despite the fact that the man who ruined her life was now egging her to take her final revenge.

Soon Zaalbar lumbered up the staircase, followed closely by Elena and finally Carth and Audrey who emerged last. Droplets of blood fell from the latter's arm, but she didn't care – all that she was concerned with was the child who lay unmoving on the rooftop, and her eyes widened upon first sight of her.

"M…Mission," Audrey gasped, struggling against the hold of Carth who restrained her while Zaalbar moved to pick Mission up in his arms. A dark scowl was written on the Wookiee's face as he glared at the eyes of Xor, a deep, low growl more frightening than any savage roar coming out of his lips. After carefully picking up Mission in his arms, he brought her back to Carth and Audrey who were equally relieved to see that she was still alive and breathing.

"What? Too much of a pussy to even kill someone who's down and out? Hahah…fuckin' cowards," Xor laughed before wheezing and coughing up more blood. He looked around, studying each of the faces of the ones who had every reason to kill him yet didn't make a move. Seeing that two of the original group were missing, he chuckled. "Heheh…figures that Canderous the wimp couldn't face me man-to-man. He's out there, isn't he? He's the bastard who…who shot me, huh?"

"Damn right you are," the Mandalorian's voice came from Kael's transponder. "You've no idea how long I've been waiting for this moment, you son of a bitch."

"Then pull the trigger already!" Xor bellowed, loud enough so that people several buildings away could hear him, before coughing again, his blood landing inches away from Juhani's feet.

"No…please don't," Bastila's soft voice pleaded. "Please, I've seen enough!"

"Canderous, put your blaster down," Kael said softly, holding the transponder to his mouth. "It's over. We'll meet you back at the Ebon Hawk."

"Like hell I will," Canderous puffed. "Do you have any idea who that son of a bitch is? He killed my niece, damn you!"

"He what?" Audrey asked, disturbed to hear the truth that only Kael and Juhani had learned during the journey to Tatooine. Although she was already incensed with the man, her new discovery only heightened her desire to cut Xor's lifespan even shorter.

"Just let it go, Canderous," Kael said one more time, in a gentler tone than the last. "He's dying slowly and painfully as it is. Be satisfied and get back to the ship. Please."

Several seconds passed, during which nobody spoke a word. Seeing that Juhani – who had infinitely more reasons to kill Xor than she did – was staying put, she refused to give into temptation. She let out a deep sigh to compose herself, then turned her back on the criminal and tended to Mission, caressing the child's face with her left hand while her right arm held onto Carth to keep herself up. Mission's skin was freezing cold and her lips deathly pale, and her clothes held tiny icicles at various points. Her pulse could barely be felt, and yet she seemed to weakly open her eyes upon feeling the loving touch of her guardian.

"Mama…," she weakly whispered, finding it difficult to even smile.

"It's all right, darling," Audrey smiled back, overcome with joy and relief. "Mummy's here. There's no need to worry."

"What…what happened? Are we…," Mission murmured, then her eyes gazed down upon the bloodied body lying behind Audrey, realizing what had transpired. "Is he…"

"No. Not yet. Soon he will be," Audrey replied. "Don't worry about anything now. You're safe, and soon we'll be back in the ship. Just as soon as we…we…" Audrey began to wobble and sway side to side, her breathing growing deeper before she exhaled heavily, falling unconscious into the arms of Carth who knelt down to hold her.

"Audrey? Audrey!" he shook her, getting no response. Fortunately for him she was only unconscious, and he could feel a firm pulse still present in her wrist.

"She's spent, Carth. We all are," Elena sighed, feeling the bruises and bumps settle in now that the battle was finally over. "We should get moving before we have more company."

"Let's go; I've had enough of this," Kael muttered, not even giving Xor a sliver of attention as he turned to walk back down the staircase as Elena departed first, keeping a lookout for Zaalbar and Carth who carried Mission and Audrey respectively. He paused, however, when he saw that Juhani was still staring down at the man with an empty expression, so different from before when she was seemingly hellbent on revenge. "Juhani?"

The Cathar's eyes were fixed on the wretch lying before her, the conflict in her heart still far from settling down. Even now, on the brink of death, he was still staring at her. Ogling her body up and down with those lustful eyes. It didn't take long for her to realize that a just fate for him was to die slowly and painfully as Kael suggested. Such a lowlife criminal didn't deserve the mercy of a quick death, and she would never dignify him with an easy way out.

"I am with you," she sighed, a somber look on her face as she turned around and walked away with him.

"C-come back here, you fuckin' assholes!" Xor blurted his last utterances. "Come back and…finish it! Goddamn cowards!"

Hearing his curses just as she and Kael were about to descend the staircase, Juhani looked back at Xor one last time, engraving the pathetic appearance of him in her mind. The tiniest of smiles came upon her lips as she gently held Kael's right wrist and looked up into his eyes. "Thank you…for helping me through this."

A silent nod of acknowledgement followed, upon which the two walked away, leaving the villain to slowly die under the moonlight.

"How are you feeling?" Kael asked softly, the eerie silence of Juhani making him uneasy.

"…" Still, she said nothing. She merely turned her head a little and gave him a glance before looking down again, seemingly dejected for reasons unknown.

"It's alright – I understand. Take as much time as you need, Juhani. You can talk to me or any of the others whenever you're ready."

"Yes, thank you," she hoarsely whispered back. "Perhaps later. I need…time…"

After descending the staircase, Kael's eyes darted rightward, peering into a room which he had failed to take proper notice of during the hasty effort to rescue Mission. Stopping for a moment to observe alongside Juhani, he saw the gruesome, raw carcasses of game, including many desert wraids and various large lizards. The flesh of the beasts were all frozen to the point where they resembled giant popsicles of condensed ice, and Kael shuddered when he realized that Mission was held in the exact same room. A wave of anger temporarily washed over him, and he resisted the urge to storm back up the staircase to avenge the crimes committed against his dear friend.

Instead he walked onward, back into the foyer where he saw Carth, Elena and Zaalbar busily rummaging about, checking the corpses of the slain Exchange members and within any piece of furniture that looked capable of holdings objects. The unconscious Audrey, as well as Mission who had drifted to sleep once again, were placed on a couch next to each other.

"You think they have hunting licenses, am I right?" Kael said, immediately setting out to do his part to search alongside his friends.

"I remember Audrey having a wild guess in the cantina," Elena replied as she hastily moved from place to place, searching with Juhani who began to help out. "If they don't have those hunting licenses around here somewhere, then we're screwed."

Immediately upon catching sight of flashlights far off in the distance and hearing the muffled shouts of security personnel, Kael and the others intensified their efforts. Every single drawer, every table surface and every pocket of the dead guards were searched, but to no avail. Even the rugs were overturned in order to scour every last inch of space, and yet nothing could be found.

Time was running out, and so was the group's patience as Carth cursed, ruffling his fingers through his hair. "We're gonna be searching here all night at this rate, when we've got no time. Shit!"

"Just keep at it a little while longer!" Kael insisted. "We're not gonna get out into the desert unless we…!" he jerked his head towards the door when a large shadow loomed over him, and to his terror, the very same droid that almost killed him looked right at his face with those gleaming red eyes. Apart from its protractible blade which was rendered useless by Zaalbar's brutal power, the droid stood perfectly intact. Strangely though, it merely stayed where it stood, and didn't make the slightest move even as the entire party braced themselves for action, lightsabers activated and blasters pointed.

"Kael," Elena shuddered, not daring to even glance at his face as her eyes were fixed upon the droid. "Is this the droid that…that you were—"

"It is," Kael spoke through gritted teeth, his face flashing with heat on first sight of the murderous brute. "Don't do anything rash."

Almost as if it was toying with and playing mind games with them, the droid peered left and right, seemingly oblivious to the danger it faced. Unlike the last-ditch attempt it made when it tried to kill Kael and Zaalbar with a lethal grenade, the droid was perfectly still and calm, closely observing all those who glared at him.

Several seconds passed before the droid spoke, finally breaking the tense silence with an unexpected message.

"Statement: HK-47 is ready to serve, master."

A/N: Sorry for the huge wait in this chapter. I've been feeling perpetually tired from work, and have had little time or energy to write.

It's known that HK-47 shuts down upon the death of a master, but I've decided to change that detail as well for the sake of this story. It'll be explained in the next chapter.

Things will get back on track onto the main storyline now that the Xor subplot's been dealt with. I'm eager to get to some OC's I've created for Tatooine, so hopefully the next update will take less time to come out.

Big thanks to all who've followed this story so far. It's absolutely amazing for me to see that this is the sixth-most reviewed Revan/Bastila (albeit technically Revan/Elena) fanfic out there, especially given the quality of others' fics such as JYN044 and Renee Enderson's.