The fathomless dark of Manaan's ocean blurs any distinction between water and sky. And though the structure the city stands on is quite solid, Mal swears she can feel the waves lapping inside of her stomach. She's not the only one who gets sick viewing the infinite water. Zaalbar is her partner in misery, though the effects are milder here in jail. An unexpected benefit from the lack of windows.

"Do you think the Selkath would feel this way if they came to Kashyyyk?" Mal questions with her eyes closed and head tilted back against cold metal. "Think they'd get tree sick?"

Zaalbar laughs weakly from his cell. He conjures up memories of the towering forest in the hopes of making them feel better. No one else joins in, the group collectively brooding about one thing or another. Their journey on Manaan has been a series of bumpy starts. The planet seems to be a hotspot for wayward travelers with vendettas, ominous news, and strange requests. And maybe being halfway through this journey for ancient artifacts might finally be starting to grate on people's nerves.

"How exactly are you supposed to try my case if you get fried for your own business?"

The worst part of being stuck in jail is having to share it with Sunry, Jolee's "friend in need". Though Mal isn't sure how accurate that title is anymore. Jolee had warned her not to go digging around and yet she couldn't help herself. The puzzle of the murdered Sith in the hotel room, an anonymous warning of political coverup, the obvious discrepancy in Sunry's alibi. It was too delicious of a mystery to leave half solved. The first chance they got to access Republic computer systems, she had T3-M4 break into the damning evidence.

Mal opens her eyes to stare at the old man across the room so determined on convincing everyone of his helplessness. "Us? Oh, they're letfting us go soon as I get in front of the judges. You on the other hand," she sneers. "I haven't decided what I want to do about you yet."

"Easy," Jolee cautions.

"And what exactly does the Jedi Code have to say about this situation?" Silence is her only answer. "I'm genuinely asking. I don't need any more bad marks on my record."

"Spare the war hero and protect the Republic," Bastila muses from her corner of the room. "Condemn the murderer and aid the Sith." She sighs. "The choice is fully yours."

Bastila is no exception to the mood that's attached itself to everyone. The emotions coming across their bond recently have been convoluted and… strange is the word that comes to Mal's mind. So tender and new, she doesn't know yet how to name them. Whatever they are, Bastila's fear of losing control and falling to the dark side is at the forefront of her mind these days. Your fault most likely.

Mal ignores that wisp of guilt. "That feels like a trap, but fine. I'll do what I want."

Mission pokes her shoulder through the shared bars of their cells. "No one said all that now," she chides playfully.

A hush settles over the jail disturbed only by Sunry's occasional restless movements and the tapping of Mal's left foot against the floor. She peeks at the cell to her right, but Canderous hasn't shifted from his position since they were first locked up. Mal doesn't know what to do with this new version of the Mandalorian. All broody and silent and singularly fixed on one goal: to face his former compatriot in the desert. No amount of riling him up will bring his attention back to her. Oh, he was right. You are a hypocrite. Mal shoves that thought to the side and breaks the silence.

"Does anyone else think the planets we've been visiting are strange?"

A good amount of time passes before Juhani humors her. "Are you thinking of a reason besides their ancient technology and importance to the Rakatan empire?"

Mal shrugs. "I mean, first it was a planet full of trees, then a desert planet, and now look! Completely covered by water. What's next?"

"Korriban," Carth grumbles unhelpfully.

Mal decides not to throw something at him and considers it a growth of her character. He hasn't exactly been in the teasing mood since finding out about his son's presence at the Sith Academy. Carth and Canderous seem to be in a competition for the most aggravated need to leave Manaan as quickly as possible.

Mission raises her hand. "This might be a good time to mention I can't swim."

Zaalbar sheepishly admits he can't swim as well and has no desire to learn at this point in time.

That gets Bastila's full attention. "The Star Map is on the bottom of the ocean. Swimming isn't really an option."

Mission shares a look with Zaalbar. "So how're we getting it?"

"Trust me, the way will become clear." Bastila pauses, shakes her head. "It always does after we get into enough trouble."

A Selkath finally appears and announces himself as their arbiter, but the process is unnecessary. Mal has hard proof of the corruption of Selkath youth by the Sith and her trial lasts a total of ten minutes. The judges share looks of surprise when she announces her readiness for Sunry's case the moment her cuffs are off.

The Head Judge eyes her curiously. "Are you sure you don't want a moment to collect yourself?"

Mal nods in affirmation. "I'm in a justice kind of mood. No point in pushing it off any longer."

Jolee stiffly fades into the background while the judges shuffle themselves, and someone runs to call in the Sith councilor and drag Sunry from his cell. The old man stares at her pleadingly one last time but she refuses to meet his eyes. Might lose her temper all over again. The pieces of the court finally settle into place and Mal lets her eyes wander over them all. Each of the judges' biases mapped in her mind, the nervous twitch of the Sith councilor's right hand, the white knuckled grip of Sunry's wife as she waits to be called to the stand. The potential twists and turns of this event spread out like branches of a river before her.

"How does your client plead?"

Mal meets the judge's gaze. She opens her mouth with a razor smile.

"Statement: Really master, you do not need to come up with such a fanciful story if you want to kill someone. I will not judge you like your Jedi guardians."

Mal has never known a droid to look amused, but something about the gleam in HK-47's eyes comes pretty close.

"You've really never heard of the GenoHaradan? I figured a secret assassin group pulling political strings would be in your interest."

"Observation: Perhaps if a certain master of mine was more adept at restoring my memory, I might be able to recall something."

"Hey!"

"Statement: It is only a fact. No need to get your feelings hurt, master."

"They're not hurt," Mal mumbles under her breath, fully certain the droid is messing with her. She adjusts her grip on the railing overlooking the ocean before sneaking a glance back at the eccentric Rodian who set her on this line of questioning. He had warned Mal that none of her companions would believe her, but she'd hoped HK-47 would have been the exception. "Anyway, say you have a target from a new client. Someone you don't really know anything about. And they want you to kill someone who supposedly did something really bad, but you only have their word for it. What do you do?"

There's no hesitation in his reply. "It does not matter why someone is a target. What matters is how you get the job done."

"You've never taken reason into consideration?"

"Answer: No."

Mal drifts away in thought until HK-47 performs his best impression of a human groan. It sounds awfully close to a computer panel grating against a steel wall. "Query: Master, if it is that important to you, why do you not ask the target themself?"

She blinks, slowly processing. "What? Straight out ask him if he did it?"

"Statement: If he is already charged with the crime, there is no reason for him to lie. And if he does lie, you are more than capable of spotting it."

Mal is under no illusions when it comes to HK-47. What little she's been able to restore of his memory has revealed a ruthless honest nature. He is undoubtedly dangerous, yet to Mal, it's only made him more endearing. She grins up at him. "Aw, you do like me."

"Reprimand: Master, please. I know you are an amateur but do try to stay focused."

"But that's the first time you've complemented me."

"Clarification: I was simply stating a fact. I have witnessed enough of your behaviors to understand how you may respond to the situation."

Is that so? If HK-47 hadn't confirmed his inability to kill a current owner multiple times, she might've cut him down with her lightsaber right then and there. Old suspicions die hard after all.

She ignores the twitch of her hand toward her waist and asks, "What exactly have you seen?"

HK-47's eyes glow. "Calculating, one moment. Statement: You are quick to use an extraneous amount of words to distract your enemies and companions, yet you are cautiously deliberate in all of your physical movements. You rely heavily on the use of your Jedi abilities in battle, yet you always touch your blaster before deploying your lightsaber. You make a great show of pretending to base your actions on emotion, yet you do nothing without calculation to your benefit."

Mal's stomach drops. "What do you mean by that last one?"

"Clarification: You recently donated 500 credits to a swoop racer who could not afford to upgrade his equipment. Your companions commented on your good nature, however, you were merely providing the optimal conditions for amplifying your own success once you won the circuit."

She instinctively wants to deny it, but his assessment gives her pause. She'd given the racer credits because she had them to spare and because he was talented enough to succeed but lacked the tools to do so. There was no guarantee she could beat him at his best, but Mal can't deny the extra satisfaction of when she did it anyway. It's not that she calculated her own benefit, but the best outcome of the situation for everyone involved. For the greater good. And what exactly is the "greater good"? Can you remove your own biases long enough to recognize it? Do you trust yourself to make that judgement?

HK-47 continues in his assessing tone, "During the Sunry trial, you displayed great perception and a convincing ability to lie. I would have believed you myself if I had not seen the video evidence earlier."

At the mention of the trial, the energy drains from Mal's body. "Yeah."

There's a pause as he angles his head down towards her. "Query: Are you dissatisfied with your performance?"

She shakes her head gently. "My performance was perfect, but the whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth. The Republic loves to act all high and mighty, but it turns out they pull the same tricks as the Sith."

"Agreement: It is war after all."

"It is," she nods solemnly. "And I'm starting to see that Jedi or not, we have to do whatever it takes to win. For the galaxy's own good."

I was hoping you'd say that.

A full body chill runs up from the tips of Mal's toes through the top of her head. She pauses, a syrupy feeling enveloping her mind before it slowly drains away.

"Master?"

Mal can feel HK-47 evaluating her stature, but she feels fine. Better than fine.

"I'm ready." The clearness of her voice surprises her. She feels sharp in a way she hadn't before and she's not quite sure what to make of it.

"Let's get to work."