Chapter 39

The Chieftain

"Looking much better. Kolto's done its work," said Audrey, crouching by Mission's bedside and inspecting the grazed remnants of the blaster wound on her right calf. "Does it still hurt?"

"Only a little," Mission replied, followed up by a yawn, having just woken up for the morning. "Hopefully I'll be all good by the end of today."

"Well, all I can say is that I hope you've learned your lesson," Audrey sighed. "Screwed up Juhani's sleeping pattern as well, making her go on night patrols to keep us safe. You got off easy. When I did something similar at your age in my Hidden Bek days, I…."

Mission reached out and gently held her hand. "You don't need to say it. I know what you're getting at." Her expression then darkened significantly, and Audrey could feel as if Mission's life was simply falling around her like a crumbling wall. The Twi'lek's chin sunk low as she began to sniffle, holding back tears.

The son of a bitch… Look what he's done to her, Audrey fumed inwardly, still far from forgiving Kael for running away without any proper reason why. Zaalbar let out a muffled growl, sharing in her disappointment.

"Sweetheart, I know it's hard on you," Audrey comforted her, gently lifting her chin to make eye contact, "but these are things that simply happen. One moment, people are there for you, and the next, they're not. Even sometimes, a person you thought was your best friend."

Mission openly sobbed. "But how could someone I loved like a br—!" She stopped, only having now realized the irony of her own words.

"All the more reason to come to Alderaan with me," her guardian replied, drawing her into a hug and rubbing her on the back. "This…saving the galaxy thing? Stopping the Sith? This is out of our league. Elena, Bastila, Juhani, Canderous and Carth, they may be able to make a difference. But us? We've done our part, Mission. We've got this far. If Kael couldn't handle it, then neither can we. Let's leave it to the others. Come home with me."

"Home…," Carth suddenly added from the entrance of the dorm, drawing their attention. "Would be nice to have a place to call that again, wouldn't it?"

"Good morning," Audrey said out of formality. Clearly, it wasn't, as Carth walked in with a heavy sigh. "What's the matter?"

"Afraid I have some bad news. Terrible, in fact," he crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. He went silent for a good long while, causing Audrey to grow worried.

"Carth," she whispered, eyes fixed upon him. "Tell me what's wrong."

He looked at her dimly before sharing the disheartening news. "Corellia has fallen."

Audrey's eyes widened with shock as she stood. "You're kidding!"

Carth shook his head. "I'm not. The Republic's reeling from the loss and desperately trying to mount a counteroffensive. They're holding onto Commenor by the skin of their teeth, since it's their only route left to Manaan. Beyond Commenor, the Sith have completely shut the door between Corellia and Manaan. I can only assume that their aim is to bring the Selkath to their knees at gunpoint, once the Republic is forced to withdraw before they're surrounded in a pocket. Our direct route to Alderaan is cut off."

Zaalbar voiced his concern, crushed that there was now no way to safely escort Mission and Audrey to safe haven.

"Not quite, Zaalbar," Carth corrected him. "Sure, we can't go directly from here to Alderaan, but we can still go around while the Sith focus on the immediate front. The one chance we have is to go to Kashyyyk, then try to sneak in to Manaan from the rear."

"How can you be sure that it'll work as you say? What if we get intercepted on the way there?" Audrey asked.

"Malak's a hothead, isn't he?" Mission remarked. "Surely he'll just try to make a brutal push straight for the Core Worlds?"

"Or try to go both ways," Carth said. "Core worlds to the north, and sealing Manaan's fate to the east. If he splits his forces up too much, Admiral Dodonna could concentrate her forces in smaller but decisive blows, beating them back piecemeal. If luck's on our side, then Malak would've bitten off more than he could chew for the time being. But…," he trailed off, clenching his teeth in visible frustration as he slammed his palm against the wall, causing Mission to wince, "damn it! If only he was here! Things were going smoothly, and then he decided to just up and leave?!"

"Darling," Audrey whispered, walking over to him and placing her hands on his shoulders, looking up at him until he turned his gaze to look her straight in the eyes. "Look at me. It's going to be alright. We'll be okay."

"I don't buy that," he answered. "As much as every inch of me wants to believe it, I don't. I've told you what I've been through. What Saul made me go through. People…they never change. The faces may be different, but what's inside…you can't change what people are at their core. You can't do anything about people who end up abandoning you."

Audrey reached up and cupped his face in her hands. "And what about people who stay by your side until the end? Do they change too, Carth?"

Sighing deeply, Carth closed his eyes as he gently grasps Audrey's hand. Despite all that he had been through and the betrayals he had to endure, he felt at ease knowing that there were at least a handful of people he could truly trust. He slowly opened his eyes, eager to see those peaceful blue eyes again.

Blood.

Blood everywhere.

His eyes twitched in terror, hands slipping as they slid against the red-soaked face they desperately wanted to cling onto, all the while his home burned to ash around him. His love's auburn hair was drenched to the tip, her skin punctured with countless shards of debris.

"Carth…honey…we're going to be ok. We're going to…be…."

"Carth?" said Audrey, growing concerned after seeing his eyes wince up.

He snapped out of his brief nightmare, returning her favor with a smile, albeit a forced one. He drew her in, wrapping her in his arms. "No. No, they don't."

"So," Mission chimed in, sitting up on her bed, "we're going to Kashyyyk, huh? Out of the frying pan and into the rancor pit." She drew back a little once Zaalbar voiced his disapproval at her portrayal of his homeworld with a grunt. "Sorry, Big Z! Just slipped out – didn't mean it that way."

"It's not that we want to," Carth said, facing her along with Audrey. "It's only because we have no choice. Just stick close to us and do as Audrey and I say."

Mission crossed her arms as she began to sniffle. "So…just stay back and follow, is that it? And what if the path you take doesn't ever lead me to Griff?"

Audrey sighed. "Mission…."

"I want to find him!" the young girl cried into her hands, no longer able to contain her feelings. "I know what I said about him in the cantina, but…he's still my brother! I want to see him no matter what it takes. If I don't even try, I'll regret it forever."

"You're right, Mission," Carth admitted, walking over to her as he and Audrey laid their hands on one shoulder each. "I can't abandon Dustil myself, even though I've…found right here what I've been longing after for so long." He looked around, sharing glances with Audrey and Zaalbar. "I'm sure Audrey would say the same."

"You know it," she replied, determined to never give up the search for her younger siblings.

"Well, we all know what we want, don't we?" Carth said, looking out and away. "Let's just hope that Elena and the others can keep those dreams alive."

-o-

The remorselessly hot twin noon suns of Tatooine did little to help ease Elena's nerves as the group dismounted their speeder bikes and walked steadily towards the tented complex of a Tusken settlement. The camp was incorporated into what looked to be a massive cave, with a great arch of sand overhead. The cloth-woven curtain doors of the entrance were seemingly unguarded, with not a single Tusken to be seen in the perimeter.

Their previous encounter in the desert, however, reminded her that the warriors were already watching from afar, or perhaps even right at their feet. Dean's words from the previous night were true indeed – as Jena rode with a red flag planted to the rear of her speeder, no Tusken rose up in ambush due to recognizing the sign of the family they had mutual arrangements with.

"Why so quiet, you lot?" Jena scoffed, taking the lead with her twin blaster pistols and vibroblade still clipped to her utility belt. "I can feel your trembling from here. Except for Canderous and the droid, that is."

"I've seen how these savages fight," Canderous grunted back, resting assured in his gear gifted to him by his old friend on Dantooine. "Mandalorian armor's not even gonna be scratched by shots from their rusted junk." He peered over at Jena, inwardly cursing the fact that he was boiling under his gear while she was hardly breaking a sweat in her simple, yet versatile and light, beige-colored desert robes.

HK chimed in. "Boastful claim: The meatbag is right, of course. Provided that these 'Tusken' as you call them are even capable of hitting their mark. As proficient as my memory core may be with their language, I look even more forward to imprinting my memory with images of my blaster bolts crashing against their foreheads."

"Wait, what did you say? You know their language?" Jena spun her head to him, surprised by the fact.

HK's eyes dimmed, as if he were a puppy dog who was deprived of his play opportunity. "Statement: Daugghh…I spoke too soon, I see."

"Then you can translate and speak for us," Elena said, knowing that HK would obey her orders in Revan's place. "Besides, Jena, we don't know whether or not that translation droid those Tuskens took from that Sullustan you mentioned is still active."

"You're sure that this will go as planned?" Bastila asked, breaking off the upbeat mood. "They know you, but how do we know that they won't simply blast us where we stand?"

"Their aim is shit," Jena chuckled humorously as they approached the camp, now barely twenty paces away from the front entrance. "Chances are they won't hit you without hitting me first, and I'm their water ticket. Why else would I be walking up front and center? Now keep a low profile, and let the droid and I take the lead."

Sure enough, once the group closed up within ten paces, four Tusken guards sprung up from their hiding places, the thin wraid-hide mats which covered their bodies flying backwards with a shower of sand as they pointed their weapons at the party. They growled angrily at Jena, whom they recognized, as if they were rebuking her for bringing along more outsiders. Adding to the situation, some previously camouflaged turrets jolted forward, protruding out of the sandy arch overhead and ready to blast at them at a moment's notice.

"Thought you boys would get lonely out here," Jena laughed, still possessing every ounce of the composure of a veteran warrior, at the guards who were clearly incensed, even at her. "I brought along a couple of new friends." She cocked her head over to HK. "Think you can give everyone a hand here? Tell them that you're no threat."

HK stepped forward and peered down at her, as if to tell her that he was not hers to command.

Jena raised her eyebrows and held her hands out towards the Tusken as she beckoned to HK. "Well? Do you wanna be blasted or not?"

Elena interjected. "HK, do as she says."

The assassin droid's eyes dimmed slightly as he turned to the Tusken. Clearly, he was itching for a fight. "Answer: As you wish. Translation:…"

A series of unintelligible words came out of him, the metallic vocabulator making some of it sound painful to listen to. The Tusken were taken aback by this surprise, wavering in their previously determined stance as they look at each other. The head of the guards stepped forward and spoke directly to Jena, subtly acknowledging her status as the leader of the party.

"Translation: The wrapped meatbag wishes to know why you've come to this place, and who these people are."

Jena let out a small puff of air, thankful that at least the Tusken weren't going to simply blast them where they stood. "I want to see their leader. Tell them that we have a proposition – a lasting solution to the question of their rival tribe, if you want to call it that."

HK dutifully relayed the translation, to which the Tusken guards looked at one another, heads twitching rapidly as if they were taken completely by surprise. The leader swiftly raised his arm in a 90-degree angle with a clenched fist at his comrades before pacing into the settlement, with no further words from either party as all immediately understood the meaning. The guard re-emerged a few moments later, his stance far less tense this time, and spoke to Jena.

"Translation: You may enter, but heed these rules: do not touch or otherwise spoil anything inside the camp. Do not wander or stray, and instead follow your guide directly through the camp. Do not come into contact with any of the tribesmen. Do not venture where you are forbidden to go. Surrender all of your weapons upon entry. Disobey under pain of death."

Jena shrugged. "Not like we're planning on touching any of them anyway. The smell's already making me feel queasy. You all okay with this?" she turned her head to ask the others.

Uneasy looks were strewn across Bastila and Elena's faces, while Trask and Canderous seemed to be simply annoyed. HK could only give a blunt reply. "Commentary: These wrapped meatbags are proving to be an annoyance. Shall we skin them to see what their innards look like?"

"No, HK," Elena said sternly, then spoke to Jena. "Since this is the tribe you've dealt with before, there shouldn't be a problem if we comply peacefully. We agree to their terms."

Bastila's nerves were calmed once Jena's nod of the head to the guards prompted them to stand aside and permit them to enter, but a nagging thought began to cloud her mind. Her long-time friend and former Jedi was well-intentioned and diplomatic by nature, but past incidents also wound up in disaster because of it. Capture at the hands of Black Vulkars in Taris's Undercity and also staying put as per the Jedi Masters' instructions while Revan almost lost his life to Juhani and Belaya on Dantooine were two instances that were too close for comfort. As confident as they were in the Force, walking unarmed into a potentially hostile camp was not to Bastila's liking.

The group entered, but not before the lead Tusken guard gave what was surely a menacing glare beneath his face mask to Trask, whom he held a particular suspicion for. The once upright soldier scoffed under his breath, shooting a condescending smirk at the guard before walking in last. A large rucksack was brought before them, into which they deposited their weapons – blasters, lightsabers, blades and all.

At least, given HK-47's nature and compartments, all of the weapons that the Tuskens could see.

Daylight slowly faded naturally into darkness as they walked deeper into the camp, with flame-lit torches fueled by animal fat guiding the way through the curving tunnel path. The visage of the Tusken were more unnerving when illuminated by fire; the male warriors let out quiet but deep growls of disapproval, their hands firmly grasping their gaffi sticks, and the females with young children kept their little ones behind them. Snarls could be heard here and there, mostly aimed at Bastila and Elena. Due to encounters with Jedi probably being extremely rare to non-existent, the Tusken may have seen them in their plain Jedi robes as lost chances for taking additional slaves, as they were in the middle of the group with imposing warrior figures up front and behind.

Struggling to take her mind off the overbearing gazes of the Tusken, Bastila's mind was provided a brief distraction by the sound of coughing behind her, but not from her companions. The voice came from elsewhere in the camp and its vocal qualities were undoubtedly male and passable as human in character, or at the very least from a species that could sound as such. Her heart began to race, providing her with hope. Whether that hope was true or not, only time could tell.

The outer gate guard, having served his purpose by leading the group to the chieftain, silently walked away once they came to the end of the path. Two elite guards stood on either side of the curtain door, their imposing statures evident as they towered over Jena, who was a tall woman in her own right. They stayed motionless for a time, as if to unnerve the Mandalorian, but then simultaneously stood aside, pulling apart one curtain each. Jena then cocked her head, signalling the others to follow in after her.

Elena took one sharp breath in, taken aback momentarily by the overbearing heat of the chieftain's chamber where countless torches formed up three circular rings, with a narrow pathway leading from the curtain doors to the edge of the open space. Staring down at them at the back of the room atop a high throne carved out of the bones of a krayt dragon was the chieftain, with the great skull of the once formidable beast serving as a wall sculpture above him. Six more elite guards flanked him three-a-side, armed with gaffi sticks with sharpened bone-tips.

Feeling eerie, Bastila turned her head slightly to the right, glancing from the corner of her eye at Trask, who was beside her. His lips were agape as he exhaled silently, his chin held slightly upward while his eyes fixated on an object to be found somewhere on the wall above the chieftain.

A grand Krayt dragon pearl, perched atop the lower jaw of the beast's skull.

Bastila's head hung low. There really was no chance of redemption for the former Republic ensign.

"Chieftain A'Shado," Jena started the proceedings with a low bow to her family's protector, who spoke to her once she raised her head. His voice was deep, filled with pride and vitality, giving signs that he was a warrior who was in his prime years and demanded respect from all around him.

"Translation: I have heard that you have come offering me a gift. These new companions of yours are to state their business quickly, and what this 'lasting solution' is."

"Hmph. Straight to the point, then. Tuskens were never known for being gentlemanly, after all," Jena muttered under her breath, then turned to Elena. "Mind taking over on this one?"

The Jedi Knight stepped forward, with HK continuing the translations. "We come in peace, and more importantly, we come offering you a chance to be rid of your rivals in exchange for assistance." The chieftain's interest was piqued as he leaned forward, eager to hear more as he gestured for Elena to continue. "We have two needs: first, we seek an artifact called a Star Map – it is an ancient relic that shows a map of the galaxy once activated. Have you seen or heard of it?"

A'Shado stayed silent for a moment, looking left and right at the guards who turned to face him. Their slow, subtle head movements reflected caution, leading to their leader questioning further. "Translation: What do you intend to do with this relic?"

Elena took a while to ponder and read between the lines of the chieftain's query. She answered confidently, with the aim of allaying the Tusken warriors' obvious concerns. "All we want with it is to look upon it for a short period of time and take note of some locations it points to, then we'll leave. We have no intentions of taking it away from where it lies. No-one else is involved."

A brief silence followed again before HK relayed another message. "Translation: I will trust you only because you were brought by the woman who serves our need for water. My warriors have also told me that they found several corpses of slain warriors from our rival clan yesterday, for which I am pleased. If you are successful in killing all of our foes, then I will grant you this request."

The thought of unnecessary bloodshed saddened her, but Elena had no choice. Not when the fate of the Republic was at stake. "I…accept your offer. We will remove the threat of your enemy clan's warriors."

HK spoke again, prompting the chieftain to shake his head and make his intentions clearer. "Translation: I believe you've misunderstood me. You will kill not just the warriors, but the entire clan. Every single living being."

Bastila shuddered, as if she was assailed by a freezing breeze of icy wind despite the fire torches all around her. "Kill…all of them? I know what Dean told us, in that they're almost impossible to reason with and quickly resort to violence. But as brutal as their warriors were against us yesterday, how could we justify simply slaughtering them all without any other option?"

Trask scoffed. "You think they'd think the same for you? They're savages – nothing more."

Immediately angered by Trask's callous statement, Jena pulled at his arm, forcing him to behold the frightening scowl written on her face. "Are you kidding me? You fucking call yourself a man? You're telling me that you'd be willing to kill a defenseless woman? A child?"

The scoundrel scoffed and once again peered at the pearl. "For the right price, then yeah."

Irritated by their bickering, A'Shado brought their attention back to the matter at hand. "Translation: I do not need a translation to understand the cause of your conflict. But my will has been made known. Comply, and I shall grant your request and arrange for you to be taken to this 'Star Map' you seek. Now speak your second request."

Bastila took the opportunity to step forward. "Chieftain, roughly three weeks ago, there was a raid conducted by a group Tuskens against a band of treasure hunters out in the Dune Sea. My father was among them, and…," she paused for a moment, her heart growing heavy, "I do not know what has happened to him. Please, may I see if there's any chance that he is here?"

His response was swift this time, with a frustrated swatting wave of his hand. "Translation: My guard must have given you precise instructions. You may not wander here without my permission. Once you have returned with the gaffi stick of my rival chieftain as proof of his death, only then will I grant your request. I do indeed hold captives here, and will order them to be brought before you for your inspection."

"With all due respect, sir," Bastila pleaded with her fingers grasped over each other, her forward step causing mild alarm among the guards who turned their heads towards her, their grips tightening against their gaffi sticks, "as I have said, my father has been missing for three weeks. Please, as his daughter, I beg you to grant me this one act of kindness and goodwill and let me at least look at the captives to see if he's with them. If I could just know for myself that he's alive, then I will make certain that your wish is—"

Executed.

Slaughtered.

Butchered to the last child.

No…no, I couldn't…

"…carried out," she forced herself to finish.

After receiving the response of the chieftain, HK spoke to them. "Translation: If you are so eager to confirm your father's fate, then you will do well to make haste to the enemy camp. A fierce skirmish in the desert occurred between a scouting party of mine, and a group of enemy warriors. My tribesmen did not prevail in the encounter, but reported to me that a number of captives were among the ranks of the enemy. See for yourself first that your father is not with them by storming their settlement."

Bastila's expression went sullen. Truth be told, she was fighting down a deeper urge of a darker nature, reflected in her eyes and symbolized by the flame torches burning around her. Her patience was running out.

"Are you serious about this? Are you really willing to go all the way?" Canderous asked. "Chances are, he might not even be alive. As desperate as you may be to save him, there's no honor in what this…chieftain is asking us to do. Only the lowest of the low would willingly order the slaughter of helpless people unable to even defend themselves. Believe me, I've seen my share."

"Canderous," Jena said softly, her gaze sinking downward out of a lingering sense of guilt. "We can't change the past, nor what those Fetts did. Listen to him, Bastila. Regardless of your choice, my family will be safe in one way or the other, as we're under the protection of Chieftain A'Shado. This is no ordinary fight. This is outright murder. As much as I don't want to sound like a preachy fool, is this really something you can live with?"

"Don't know about you, but as for me, I could live it down any day," Trask quipped. As dedicated as Elena and Bastila were to keeping their cool, the soldier-turned-credit-hungry-scoundrel's persistence on receiving his reward with total disregard for the potential consequences was now becoming infuriating. "You know what? Forget it – I'll make it easier for all of us. Watch this." He took a step forward, sending alarm bells ringing in the heads of all except HK, who was quite possibly delighted at the prospect of what was to come.

As much as both Jedi Knights was tempted to rebuke Trask and keep him from stirring trouble, Bastila had given her word – an agreement was an agreement. They stood by while Trask spoke to A'Shado with an arrogant swagger.

"Chieftain, I know exactly what you want. These…colleagues of mine are all reluctant to go all the way for you, but not me. I'll kill those pesky rivals of yours – every single one, male, female, old, toddler, you name it. You send these guys out there without me, you have no guarantee of a permanent fix to your problem. But to guarantee my performance, you have to promise me one little thing."

No words were spoken by the tribal leader once HK relayed the translation. He merely leaned forward and stared intently at Trask, signalling that he had his full attention.

Trask pointed upward at the grand fixture above the chieftain's throne. "That krayt dragon pearl perched up above you. I want that."

The gesture, and its implied message, was enough. A'Shado grunted and growled, holding out an outstretched palm before giving his reply.

"Translation: I know what it is that you want, but cannot grant it to you. This pearl is a symbol of my position as chieftain. However, I know for a fact that a pearl of identical value is held within the enemy camp. Kill them, and you will gain the bounty you seek."

"Wait," Jena shook her head. "How do you know that the other tribe have another krayt dragon pearl? What history do you have with them that you would know such a thing?"

"Translation: This camp, the most treasured of all across the Dune Sea, was once ruled by my father. My brother and I each ruled over separate outlying camps, protecting the perimeter of our father's domain. Many months ago, a great massacre took place here and took the life of every single Tusken present, including my father. As the rightful designated heir to the position of chieftain, I took my place and rebuilt our camp from the ashes. My brother, driven by greed and a lust for power and with no respect for our late father's wishes, declared war on me in a bid to gain absolute power for himself. He has devolved into a mad beast, and must be put out of his misery."

The chieftain's prideful words regarding his position and camp had inadvertently revealed too much, to his disadvantage. Having witnessed Revan's vision of his massacre of the Tuskens alongside Malak upon their initial landing on Tatooine, Bastila and Elena shared silent glances between themselves and Canderous.

Trask, meanwhile, was all too delighted. "Hah. Getting my hands on one of those priceless pearls, and also grabbing the chance to write the final chapter of one hell of a family book. I'm in. HK, tell him that his terms are met."

"Translation: I'm glad you see it my way, humans. Now go, head far to the east, then continue on directly north once you come across the ruins of a Jawa sandcrawler. Eventually you will arrive at their settlement. Go now, and bring me back my prize."

Abrupt as the chieftain's declaration may have been, Jena dutifully bowed, eager to prevent any further complications from her companions speaking up needlessly. She turned and led the others out of the great hall, following the guide once again until they were met by the blazing suns over the Dune Sea again, and their weapons returned to them.

"'Most treasured,' huh?" Trask scoffed as they walked back to their speeder bikes. "Bunch of foul-smelling rags draped over a hollow cave. Bah, as long as we each get what we want, then we're all good. That pearl better be worth it, otherwise I might not be so willing to give up my weapons on our return."

"You disgust me," Jena glared at him. "We're being forced to murder an entire tribe, Bastila has no way of know whether or father is alive or not, and all you care about is a damn pearl? Just why?"

"Hey, this ain't no ordinary collector's pearl, sweetheart," he shot back. "This is a krayt dragon pearl we're talking about. Other pearls? People just collect 'em for their appearance, and some superstitious people crush and grind them for alleged medicinal uses. Whether or not it does the trick for them is for anyone to say. But this pearl? It walks the walk – it's peerless in beauty as you all must've seen, and not only that, it's got wondrous medicinal properties since it's packed with chemical compounds. One of these babies will land you easily over a hundred thousand credits on the black market."

Unwilling to spend another minute listening to Trask's words, Jena looked away in revulsion. Contempt soon gave way to sorrow, her eyes softening once she saw Bastila walking with her head hung low.

The weight of the world seemed to burden the Jedi Knight's every step as she forced herself to continue on, her head repeatedly twitching sideways as if to glance over her shoulder back at the Tusken camp. Elena walked right alongside her, seeking to comfort and will her forward with a gentle left hand against her back while holding her hand with the right.

But not long after, unlike most times, Bastila did not return, nor even physically acknowledge the gesture. Instead, the determined, steely forward gaze in her eyes told a different story from the seemingly lifeless hand that would not return Elena's offer of consolation. Her pace quickened enough that she broke free of Elena's gentle hold and headed straight to her land speeder, being the first one to mount.

With her father's life on the line, Bastila started up her engine and stared off into the horizon, unfazed by the looming danger ahead.

Pearl or not, slaughter or peace, these considerations were now of little value to her. Not now, when she stood to lose the one thing she treasured most.

There would always be some priceless things that money couldn't buy.

Time was one of them.

A/N: It's good to be back and bring you the next chapter to this story, after close to another year on the sidelines. Life really takes its toll on writing, and I'm sure it's been the same case with other KotOR writers I followed closely back in the day.

I've always liked to flesh out scenes in this story, but this is a case where I've had to really move things along since I'm eager to get to the sections that really push the characters' development forwards, not to mention the other planets. Can't believe it's been 39 chapters and we're still on Tatooine, with a whole lot more to cover!