A month had passed since Yu'shaa's departure and Viqi was becoming uneasy as Yu'shaa neither returned nor sent any message to her or the other Shamed Ones.

One day, the Shamed One Shoon-mi came and told her: "Viqi, the prophet had betrayed and left us. So will you not be my mate from now on?"

"How can you be that daring, Shoon-mi!" Viqi blasted at him. "I will wait for Yu'shaa, just as he is striving for our salvation patiently and continuously."

Shoon-mi smiled a bad smile.

"I didn't think you were that foolish
Don't you recognize Yu'shaa as being selfish?"

"And you pretend to be a much better bloke?
When Yu'shaa comes home, you to death he'll choke!", Viqi threatened.

He left her chamber, but shortly after a loud rumble was to be heard. The warriors of the Overlord Shimrra did overrun the hideout of the Shamed Ones. One death scream after another was cried and Viqi knew, that her time here down under was over. There was only the question left, if her life was too.

Viqi saw no other way than to turn to that escape trail, shown to her by Yu'shaa once. She touched the point at the wall, which looked like an ordinary piece of rock. The rock folded open and let Viqi pass. Unnoticed she reached the surface. But when she looked after her, she shrugged to see Shoon-mi.

"You think, you are the only one who knows that hidden trail, Viqi?", the Shamed One mocked.

That moment, a man wearing an estate green gown passed by, riding a six-legged Quednak. Viqi could see his pale yellow skin and the dark grey tattoos on it. His left eye was replaced by a black implant, how Viqi had never seen one before.

„What's going on here, Shamed One?", the Quednak-rider asked Shoon-mi sullenly. "And what business has this human woman to do with you?"

"I'm employed at the Intendant's domain Krekk", Shoon-mi lied. "And this is my mate, given to me by Prefect Hooley Krekk generously."

„You dare to use a camouflage identity, which had been hatched out by someone else previously?", the green-gowned snorted. "And not enough, you are stealing his mate?"

He turned to Viqi. „So tell me, human woman, is it true, what this Shamed One is pretending?"

For a moment, Viqi looked to the ground. "No, Lord, it is not true", she replied finally. "True is, that my mate did disappear some days before and I'm still waiting for him. With that one though I don't have any business to conduct, except that he is nurturing false hopes all in his head."

"What do you care for your mate in oblivion, human woman?", the green rider asked condescendingly. "You should be glad that somebody does care about you anyway."

"I don't want to be the wife of anyone.

I'd rather prefer to stay alone.

Until the day of return has come

of my Yu'shaa – my only one."

„Your faithfulness is touching me, human woman", the man on the Quednak said. "But concerning your company, so he is a mean betrayer and thus he shall receive his just punishment."

With these words, he descended from the Quednak and looked Shoon-mi straight into the eyes. The pupil in his left eye socked became big and then the Plaeryn Bol splashed his pent-up poison directly into his face. The Shamed One twitched and wrenched – then he hit the ground.

"What is your name, human woman?", he asked, when Shoon-mi did not make a move anymore.

"I'm the princess Viqi and my story is avery long one. But now I would like to go my way by as before."

"And I'm Prefect Nom Anor. Don't you want to come with me to Overlord Shimrra?", he offered. "My Quednak will bring you into a fine chamber and there you will have it comfy and cosy with me."

"Once I served Tsavong Lah and I earned nothing than ingratitude. Hence I shall never serve the higher echelons of your people anymore, as long as that injustice against the Shamed Ones prevails", Viqi retorted. "And someday, Yu'shaa will return, force down Shimrra and give back the Shamed Ones their honor."

"So you will deny me?", Nom Anor asked threateningly.

"I was fooled by a red scale armor once. And your eye implant now isn't impressing me much either." After saying this, in front of a flabbergasted Nom Anor, she jumped on his Quednak. The animal galloped away, not leaving Nom Anor time enough to react.

"Just wait, Viqi!", Nom Anor shouted in ire after her, but he couldn't catch up with nor stop her.

Two Tsik-Vais showed up to follow Viqi from above. Viqi urged the Quednak to even more speed, but it was tired already. One of the living atmosphere gliders shot down a plasma salve and it hit Viqi's beast of burden. The Quednak screeched mournfully, then it fell to the mossy ground beneath and Viqi jumped down fast, lest to be squeezed under the huge animal falling down. She came down on her feet and ran, but the Tsik-Vais did came nearer and nearer and they shot again, but failed.

When they don't hit me, that is because they don't want to, because this Nom Anor wants me alive, she told to herself. But the more she run, the more she felt her powers wane. She came to the abyss, where that Lord Nyax had fallen into, whom she was told to kill at Tsavong Lah's behest many days before.

The Tsik-Vais landed and two warriors sprang out to run towards Viqi instantly.

"Nobody's wife I will become
Except that of my beloved one
For all other men I will stay aloof
And be it even Pedric Cuf!"

This words spoken, she run up and jumped with resolve into the deep pit.

This chapter contains events from the New Jedi Order book series novels 12. Rebel Stand by Aaron Allston (2002), 15. Force Heretic I: Remnants and Force Heretic II: Refugee by Sean Williams and Shane Dix (2003).