The storm above was absolutely relentless and the howling wind pounded into the dirty windows of the shady casino I'd forced everyone into. I didn't trust Takaon anymore, so I made sure it was one of the "local" places. Not the hotel. There, I told the others what I could about what happened with Erina and Verena.

Carth did not look happy as I was explaining what I'd accomplished with Takaon. Nor did Bastila. Jolee, Mission, and Juhani had expressions of concern. Canderous was uninterested as usual—he'd rejoined our group after Carth yanked him out from some cantina (the Mando said with a grunt that trials, unless by combat, were a waste of time).

Bastila pursed her lips after I finished detailing what I'd run away for and why I dragged them to this dingy place.

"Was anyone going to tell me that Verena was captured?"

I tilted my head. "Wait. You didn't know?"

"No!"

"Um…well, you didn't seem too concerned that she was gone then," I muttered. She crossed her arms and gave me that hooded look. "It's fine, anyway. We're going to go pick her up soon."

"No, it's not fine. Have you forgotten that I am leading this mission? I need to be aware of everything—"

Carth interrupted Bastila with a sigh. "So, Erina confessed to killing her mother? Really?"

"Yup." I waved the recorder. "And here's the proof. Very cocky that woman. Helps in our case, I guess."

Canderous chuckled. Carth wasn't impressed

"How did you—" His voice cracked. The soldier looked out to the shady gamblers in the casino. "Put that away before someone sees it!"

I frowned. "What? Why? No one knows about it. Except for Takaon."

"Exactly." He snatched it from me and peered at the device. "And we shouldn't be using this as blackmail. We should turn it into the Selkath authorities."

"Well that won't do," I muttered. "Erina would kill Verena for sure."

"Who cares about Verena," he hissed. "She's a Sith!"

Bastila raised both of her brows.

"What do you mean she's a Sith?"

"No, she was a Sith," Mission insisted, pouting a lip.

I could sense…distress from Bastila.

"We…" Her voice cracked. "We are not helping someone who was a Sith."

"Why not?" I asked. "We'll need her if we're going to Korriban next, right? She'll know how to infiltrate the planet—"

"No."

Her chest raised and lowered as she took deep breaths. Breaths of terror. I watched her with concern. This was affecting her in a bad way. Maybe…I was wrong here.

Jolee sighed. "The kid has a good point. Having someone who was a Sith on our side would help...things...along...heh."

He laughed even though what he said wasn't really that funny…

Canderous nodded. "The Echani is also a good fighter—as much as it hurts to admit."

"I know what it's like to make mistakes you can't take back, Shan. Perhaps if we offer Verena a chance to redeem herself by helping us, she'll see the error of her ways..." Juhani's voice trailed as she met my gaze. "That is the Jedi way."

I addressed Bastila again when I still sensed concern. "If you think we should leave Verena behind, fine, it's your call. I just figured why not have more allies than enemies?"

Bastila's gray gaze matched the clouds outside. It looked as if she was going to say no. Then it was like something switched. Her shoulders fell back and she let out a long sigh.

"Alright. We'll help the Echani…if only because if we do get her on our side she could help us on Korriban, as you mentioned. We will head for the Embassy and request for her to be released."

"After we've made a few copies of this," I said, snatching the proof from the pilot again. "Can't be too careful. You alright with that, Orangy?"

Carth leaned onto the table and rubbed his face.

"Of course. Wes could tell people to jump off a cliff and they'd be convinced," he muttered to himself.

I narrowed my eyes with a frown. "What makes you say that?"

He looked at me as if I was playing dumb.

"That damn trial for starters. You almost convinced me Sunry didn't kill Elassa. You spent literally a day at most reading up on how to be an Arbiter. Are you sure you haven't done something like this before?"

A little bit of pride surfaced at Carth's compliment. Even if it was framed with suspicion.

"I already told you." I winked. "I'm a genius. Bonafide marvel. That's right."

Silence.

Juhani looked up from staring at the table with a raised brow. Bastila shook her head in disappointment. How dare she when she knows it's true? Jolee chuckled. Mission beamed. Canderous nodded. And Carth…

"You?! A genius? In what galaxy?"

I frowned. "Hey!"

"I still don't believe it. How the hell did you turn it around like that when you were drunk off your ass last night? You could barely function this morning! I thought this was going to be an absolute disaster."

I waved a hand. "Oh, well, I'm glad you had so much faith in me, Carth."

"I had faith in you, Gale," Juhani said. "That was an amazing feat. The Force has bestowed upon you the gift of oration, charisma, and intelligence."

I smiled. For once, I appreciated the fawning.

Carth huffed. "Stop inflating his ego! It's bursting at the seams. He's a practiced manipulator, not a damn genius."

"I mean…" Mission spoke as if perturbed by Carth's words. "Wessy told me he learned Shyriiwook in a day. And doesn't he know thousands of languages? I think that makes him a genius."

"Hmm…only learned Shyriiwook in a day, eh?" Jolee rubbed his goatee with a mysterious smirk. "Impressive."

"No, impossible." Carth glared at me. Again. "Stop lying to gullible teenagers, Wes."

"Hey!" That was Mission. "I'm not gullible!"

"I believe it, flyboy," Canderous said. "The pipsqueak is quick on his feet when it comes to battle tactics. Wasn't he the one ordering us around in the Sith base the other day?"

"Force—you guys, he's not a genius!" Carth said voice lowering.

I rolled my eyes. "You know I'm joking about that, right? There's no way I'm actually a genius. The galaxy would be doomed if I was the standard of intellectual thinking."

"Yeah, you're damn right about that."

I continued as if he hadn't spoken. "Booze just gets my creative juices flowing. It helped me come up with hundreds of plans when I was a smuggler too. And being an Arbiter isn't too different from being a smuggler really."

"No. Not really," he hissed. "They are completely different fields."

"Oh. Huh." I shrugged. "Must be a genius then."

"I can't believe this." Carth looked at Bastila who had remained suspiciously silent. "Are you hearing this?"

There wasn't as much awe on Bastila's face. In fact, she looked more reflective and wistful than anything. It was the same thing in the bond.

She smiled. "He's not a genius, but I think you underestimate his abilities, Carth. If you'll recall, Wes became a Jedi in a month."

"Ha." I grinned. "See. Even Bastila thinks I'm a genius."

Her smile faded like the sun behind the clouds. "Did you hear what I just said? Because I explicitly stated that you weren't a genius."

"You only say that because you don't know what genius looks like. Understandable. I'd be confused by me too if I were, well, like you, sunshine."

"What do you mean?"

"Err…" Oh, Force. "Nothing."

"Wait. Did you just call me an idiot?"

I flinched as red grew on her face along with a hurt expression. Oh, no. Kriff. No.

"Uh…" I coughed—feeling hot. "No. No! You…you're so…so smart! And beau—intelligent! You're right. Of course. Heh, heh."

I rubbed the back of my neck where sweat was building. She seethed. That kinrath-pup expression appeared again. Probably because she knew I was lying through my teeth.

Canderous chuckled. "Digging your own grave there, pipsqueak."

Before Bastila could kill us both with a Force choke, Carth rubbed his face with a long, tired, sigh. "I mean...the fact Wes became a Jedi in a month is shocking too, Bastila. He was just a smuggler before all of this. I don't know. This whole mission has been shady from the start."

I leaned my head back on my hands. He was still going on about that?

"There you go with the paranoid talk. If I was some rich-kid academy brat or, hell, if I was raised as a Jedi, would you care how smart or well-spoken I was?"

"No. But you weren't a rich-kid academy brat or raised as a Jedi, were you?"

I narrowed my eyes. Carth didn't look away from me—it was like I was staring into the heart of the galaxy's black hole. Something…stirred within me. A faint feeling of hatred. Not for Carth. For myself. This feeling caused my chest to stiffen. My jaw to slackened. The sound of the rain slamming against the window dulled to nothing.

Bastila interrupted our intense staring contest. I shut that feeling down immediately. Though, I'm sure she sensed it.

"It doesn't matter who…who Wes was, Carth," she said, eyes misting over. "We need to get the Star Map. That is our main priority now as it's always been." She raised a brow at me. "Did Sunry tell you what he knew?"

I sighed. "Yeah, about that… The Ambassador has a lot of explaining to do…"

The rain still hadn't let up as we entered the grand Republic Embassy that we visited when we first arrived. In fact, the weather was only getting worse. As we traveled on the shuttle, the waves splashed onto the sides of Ahto City—almost rushing over into the walkways. Those waves were at least a few kilometers high…

Inside the Embassy, we squeezed the water out of our robes and clothes to the marble floors. The blackmail device had been copied onto Bastila's datapad as well as Carth's and a spare. Because of the delicate nature of this blackmail, we decided we had no choice but to split up. Carth volunteered himself to go to the Selkath's courthouse with the evidence. It was risky, but we needed someone close by to deliver the offending material in case Erina became cocky. Mission, on the other hand, would go to the shady underbelly of the city. No one recognized her as a part of our group, which meant she could hide in case Carth couldn't pull through.

The young Twi'lek insisted she could navigate the dark underbelly by herself. Of course, we didn't like the idea of sending her alone, so Jolee volunteered to travel with her. That left Bastila, Juhani, Canderous, and I to face Ambassador Wann.

Juhani and Canderous were told to stay behind. I could already tell Juhani hated the idea of being left with the Mandalorian, but she didn't exactly have a choice. Bastila and I stood in silence as we traveled with a Republic soldier to the upper floors. Bastila kept shooting me nervous glances. Yeah, I wasn't looking forward to this conversation either.

The elevator opened, revealing Ambassador Wann sitting pissed at his desk. As we walked in, he tapped his fingers rapidly on the glass as if impatient. This was not going to end well.

"Jedi." He pointed with his gaze to the chairs in front of him. "Take a seat."

Bastila listened, grabbing the leather chair. I didn't. I remained standing and crossed my arms. Thunder boomed outside the clear windows. Wann waited only a minute after the thunder. He must have realized that I wasn't taking orders from him.

"I heard from Takaon…" He stopped as if considering his next words. "She told me that Sunry told you about Project White Firaxan."

Bastila answered once she realized I wasn't going to.

"Yes. He did." Another hesitant pause. "He inferred that the Republic has built a base at the Hrakert Rift to collect kolto. That the Republic has broken the treaty."

He shook his head and crossed his fingers. "I said it before, I'll say it again. Sunry is a fool."

"Start from the beginning," I finally spoke. "Tell us everything."

Wann narrowed his eyes. "I have no choice now, it seems." He sighed. "Two years ago, at the start of the war and after I signed the treaty, Sunry, Takaon, and I assembled a group of Selkath who were...unhappy with the state of affairs. Most of them were scientists and engineers who loathed the idea of working with the Sith. With my political persuasion, Takaon's funding, and Sunry's military background, we were able to sneak below the oceans of Manaan and build a base in the Hrakert Rift. Only us and a select few Republic soldiers know about this. The rest...are all Selkath defectors."

"That's why you didn't defend Sunry," I said. "You wouldn't have lost much if the kolto contracts were cut."

"Yes. Normally. But last month the base was taken over."

Bastila shifted forward. "Taken over?"

"The Selkath have gone mad." He growled, rubbing his growing beard. "I don't know what is causing it, but they went berserk after we started to mine the rift itself. Only a handful of our human scientists and engineers made it out alive."

Oh, well, kriff. That was news I didn't expect or like to hear.

"So, then why didn't you defend Sunry if the base was lost?" I asked.

"Because Takaon and I wanted him out of the way." Wann's voice had grown darker than the clouds outside. "Gone not dead. Sunry learned about what was happening down there and he wanted to tell the Selkath. The base could explode without maintenance, and if it explodes it takes the only natural source of kolto with it. I was considering it, but Takaon brought up a good point. If the Selkath discover the base, they'd kick the Republic off-world. Which means we'd be without kolto anyway. We'd lose the war. That wouldn't do. So, we told Sunry that if he didn't want to be a part of the solution, then he should retire and let us handle things.

"And he did. But then Takaon discovered he was sleeping with a Sith. We got the wrong idea, naturally. We thought he was feeding them information. Knowingly. I hadn't realized how much of a fool the old soldier was." Wann took a drink of the scotch that was sitting on his desk. "We never expected Sunry to kill Elassa himself. That cleared him of betrayal, which is why I helped stage the body, but...well, we couldn't risk backing him up without revealing the Hero's Cross that Erina Takaon planted. So, we either lose the kolto...or reveal that we'd been meddling with Manaan's only source of kolto. While the former could be resolved with some persuasion, the latter would give us no other opportunities."

"Why the hell did you build something like that in the first place?" My voice rose above and matched the volume of the thunder outside. Wann looked me in the eye then...a smile grew on his face.

"How much experience do you have with politics, Jedi?"

I opened my mouth to answer, yet hesitated. I glanced down at Bastila whose face had become serious.

"None."

"None. Exactly. I noticed you snooped through the files I told you to delete. Heard the recording you forgot to include the video feed of. Let me ask you this—did you decide to lie in court today because you wished to save Sunry's life? Or...did you hold the recording back because you wanted to save innocent lives?"

My lips pursed and my entire body felt cold. I felt a shiver, not from the wet clothes on my back. But from Wann's words.

The Ambassador scoffed. "Well, there's your answer. I did what I had to do to save innocent lives. I don't like it as much as you didn't like defending a murderer in court. So, don't pretend like you and I are any different here."

"I'm sure the Senate would like to hear about this," I said, sneering. "You're overstepping your bounds as an Ambassador."

He took another drink...in fact, he finished the scotch. "Do you think I'm stupid? They know. Of course they know. The Senators don't care about the methods I use for some Mid Rim world. They only care about the kolto. I gave them the kolto."

I took a step back. They knew. The Republic knew what was happening yet they didn't tell us. Why?

"Then why didn't you tell us?" Bastila's voice had become hoarse. She asked what I was about to ask. I sensed anger of her own in the bond. "We need to get the Star Map. We've spent days twiddling our thumbs while Darth Malak is out there killing thousands if not millions of people. A Jedi Master is dead because of your recklessness. You stalling us is hurting the war effort not helping."

"I…" Ambassador Wann stared at her, stunned. "I know. I wanted to tell you, but Admiral Dodonna told me to keep it under wraps. She said the information was too...sensitive for the Jedi Order. Soldiers don't trust Jedi nowadays." He shrugged. "We sent a team of Echani down there when you arrived to get the Star Map coordinates. Honestly, I thought they could handle it, but we haven't heard back from them in days."

"We're going down. Now." I leaned on the desk. "Let us take a submersible and we'll find a way to the Star Map on our own."

Wann raised a dark brow. "I mean, you are Jedi, but it's still dangerous down there. Who knows how damaged and flooded the base is by now. You could possibly…" He sat back in his seat. "Though at this point, I'm afraid we're out of options." Wann began to type on his computer. "I will inform Takaon. She will take you to the Republic's military base. That's where we keep the subs."

"How about we keep Takaon out of this," I said. "I doubt she'd let us go knowing what we know."

"The subs are owned by Erina Takaon so I have to get her authorization." He narrowed his eyes. "I'll make her listen. She's run out of options too. After all, she's lost fifty Echani soldiers to the Rift. If she had any sense, she'd let you go down there."

"Fine."

I didn't like it, but we didn't really have a choice. We had to play by their rules. Wann typed for a few minutes until he sat back with an even longer sigh.

"She's waiting for you in the lobby." I nodded and turned away. Bastila followed. "Oh, and one more request."

"What?"

"If you could, shut down the power generators. I really don't want this...mistake to cost us the kolto."

"Sure." I waved my hands. "Why don't we do everything?"

Bastila mimicked the anger I felt as I marched into the elevator. At first, I thought it was directed at me as it always seemed to be when I talked back to authority figures. Yet, this time, it was directed at the Ambassador...

We didn't get much of an opportunity to explain after we arrived at the lobby. Erina Takaon spotted us near the entrance to the Embassy. She stood beside both Juhani, who was eyeing her up suspiciously, and Canderous who, for once, appeared sheepish at the presence of the Echani.

She didn't say a word as she led the four of us out into the rainy streets, her entourage guarding her sides. Erina wasn't too happy. I didn't need to sense the Force to know.

Canderous slid to our side as we walked in the rain and asked us what happened. I told him what I could—that we were going to get the Star Map. And, of course, he only expressed concern about leaving his blaster rifle in the hotel room. Juhani overheard us and instead of becoming relieved, she looked...worried. Not that we weren't worried either.

We arrived at the Republic's base—Erina scanned her badge. None of us stopped to dry off as we entered the cold space of the military base. Water trailed behind us as we followed Erina down the halls...towards the interrogation room we entered before.

Finally, we stopped. Erina waved a hand and her guards marched off to some unknown location. She scanned her badge at the door one more time and, two seconds later, the door beeped open.

Something shuffled within the room. Force cages lined the walls of this prison cell. Verena, who'd been sitting when the door opened, shot to her feet.

"Sister—" Her face twisted when she saw us. "What are they doing here. You aren't—"

Erina turned on the computer and pressed a button. The blue shield surrounding Verena dispersed. She was shocked by this, so much so, her punch was delayed. Erina easily dodged and flipped the identical Echani onto her back.

"Go." Erina's voice was still calm over the pained grunts of Verena. "Leave."

"Why?" Verena shot us suspicious looks. "What are you up to? Is this a trick?"

"You can thank Wesley Gale for my mercy." A smirk drifted onto Erina's face. "He's not so different from you, sister. Both of you have no honor."

Verena looked up at her sister from the ground. Then, with a sigh, she pushed herself up, slowly, to her feet. She appeared haggard, dark rings were underneath her eyes and she was a bit thin. Spending days in a small force cage would do that to anyone.

She looked at me, waiting for me to say something. But...really, I didn't want to speak or look at her. After Erina took off the band around Verena's wrist, she limped towards us, silver eyes filled with confusion. Bastila opened her mouth to say something, yet Verena wasn't done.

"I'm not leaving." She twisted. "Not without Yusanis' blade."

Erina huffed. "It's not yours to claim. That right goes to Yusanis' kin."

"So, it's just going to sit on a shelf?" Verena shook her head. "After Eshaan was taken, no one knows where his daughters went. Yusanis would have wanted the blade to be honored with battle. I promise to find his family once this war has been won by the Republic."

Erina didn't move after Verena's speech. Then, without even a hint of a changed expression, she marched past Verena into the hall. This left us alone with the missing Echani.

"Wes." She bowed her head. "Thank you. I don't know how you managed to convince my sister to free me...but I owe you a debt."

I crossed my arms and looked to the side. "Erina tried to blame your mother's death on you...but she killed her."

"Yes. I know." Verena shivered. "She showed me the...proof. I just don't know why she would…"

"Your mother forgave you for what happened with Yusanis," I said, smiling. "And Erina despised that."

Verena stared at me as if I'd started speaking Shyriiwook. Then, a light cleared the fog in her eyes. And, for the first time since I'd known her, she smiled.

"She did?"

I nodded.

Verena laughed so much that she hugged herself. After a minute of this, she looked up at me again. "Why? I...after Mother's death, Erina told me that she wanted me to be exiled. It's what I deserved..." There was an awkward break of silence. "But the Echani aren't supposed to hold grudges. Right." She nodded then addressed me again. "While I was in that cage, I was thinking about what you said. You were right, Wes. My quest for vengeance against Revan would have never come to pass even if he was still alive. Yet, I had no other purpose after I was exiled. Now that my honor has been redeemed, with you, maybe…" I caught another smile curving her lips. "...maybe there's hope."

Bastila took a step between us. I sensed the cold wash of horror from her and a strange sense of possession. A defensive pose.

"What do you mean 'quest for vengeance…?'"

"I'm sorry for deceiving you. All of you." Verena frowned. "At the beginning of the war, I was a Sith. I did terrible things while I was Darth Revan's subject. Things I'd honestly wish that I could forget. It took my own mentor dying at my feet for me to realize what I'd done. I ran for years, but now...I want to help you find these Star Maps and destroy the Sith. They have to be stopped."

Bastila still appeared terrified. Surely she wasn't still surprised that Verena was a Sith? I'd joked earlier that she was a bit dense, but...I didn't really believe it.

She stuttered. "Y-You...I…"

"That is very noble of you," Juhani interrupted. "I'm sure the others will come around."

I nodded, smiling. "Yeah, Carth will come around eventually."

"It's too bad you took so long to come around," Canderous muttered at me. "I thought you were going to abandon the Echani...not that I would complain, but I think we need someone who actually cares about the art of war."

"Daw, miss me, Mando?"

Verena smirked then slapped his shoulder. Canderous' scar twisted as he sneered at his hit shoulder.

Before Canderous could deny that his sulking had been due to the missing Echani, I decided to fill Verena in on what happened the last few days. Bastila was frozen after what Verena said and while I was going over the trial, she paced to the corner of the room and sat. Meditating. In the bond, I could hear the faint words of the Jedi Code.

There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge...

I narrowed my eyes.

After a half-hour of this, the light taps from Erina's shoes echoed behind us. The door hissed open again and Yusanis' double-blades glinted in the light as Erina held it before us. Verena snatched it along with the bundle of clean clothes and Echani armor Erina also provided.

"Once you're ready, let my bodyguard know. He will pilot the sub and lead you to the site."

And with that, Erina left with a quick turn.

The Republic submarine hummed beneath my feet and, outside the windows, the foam from the Manaan ocean reflected the blue lights from above. The straps on the seat snapped into place and I sat forward, awaiting the initial drop beneath the water. Bastila took the seat beside me while Canderous, Juhani, and Verena took the back.

We'd spent an hour preparing and informing the others of the plan. In that hour, I sensed it. Again. The sadness and stress that I thought had all but vanished. It was as if something with Verena reminded Bastila about it. Whatever had been on her mind before. The Echani pilot fiddled with some of the controls as we settled in. He counted down and my stomach twisted as the submarine roared to life and plummeted down into the darkness.

I'd never been beneath an ocean, but at least I knew how to swim. In one of my early hazy memories from Deralia, Mother taught me in the lake next to the farmhouse. After that, every afternoon I'd sneak away to play in the lake with some kids that I forgot the names of. Most of them had been so childish. So innocent.

All of them were dead.

Knowing how to swim didn't matter when hundreds upon hundreds of tons of water could crush my bones the instant I tried. It was as dangerous as the vacuum of space, yet it was a more terrifying, lonely prospect.

Because even in space there was some light.

The Echani navigated the dark waters using radar alone. Even the bright lights from the sub weren't enough to light our way as we descended. In that Selkath's memory, I remembered things being...brighter. Safer. Our human eyes only allowed us to see so far. I took a deep breath to hide my slight fear and sat back.

That's when I noticed Bastila again. She'd closed her eyes in deep concentration. I touched her arm.

"Are you alright? You went pale back there."

Bastila opened her eyes and raised a brow at me. She thought for a moment, staring at my hand on her arm, then shook her head.

"It's nothing."

Bastila. Her lips pursed as she heard my thoughts. Did you already forget what I told you?

She sighed. I didn't. There's just no use in stressing you out about it now.

If it makes you feel better, I think the ocean is terrifying too.

She narrowed her eyes. It's not that. She didn't blink as she watched me. It's about...after the trial, I was thinking about us. I told you before. The mission has to come first. And, as a Jedi, I haven't been thinking rationally. About you. What happened last night...when you were drunk. I overstepped my bounds...again.

Oh.

So, it wasn't a dream?

I shouldn't have done that. Stayed. Slept with you…in your arms. Like that.

Silence.

Wait. She'd slept in my arms?

I smiled.

Why not?

It was…what do you mean 'why not?'

It was nice. My hand gripped hers. I liked it. Sleeping with you in my arms. Even if it felt like a dream. It was a nice dream.

She released my hand.

But you shouldn't feel this way. We shouldn't feel this way. We're Jedi. And you saw what affection does to Jedi with Belaya and Juhani. She killed her own master because of it. It—

Why did you stay with me then?

Because… Her face felt warm again. Because you didn't want me to leave. And I…I wanted to be with…you.

Okay. So, you're using the Jedi Code as an excuse to deny your feelings. Again.

Wes, that isn't—

Then what is it?

What I was trying to say is that I shouldn't have listened. I've been making a mistake. Too many mistakes. Yes, I'll be there to help you keep the darkness at bay, but you can't rely on your feelings for me to do that. You should use the Code. Meditate. Like a Jedi.

I crossed my arms. Are you breaking up with me? Right now? Before we could possibly die in the middle of the kriffing ocean? Really? Is this about calling you an idiot? Because I didn't mean it like that—honest!

Her face twisted with disgust at my words.

B-Breaking up with you? What is there to break up with?!

I raised a brow with a smirk. I mean, I don't kiss everyone, sunshine. Hell, more importantly, I…never confess my innermost feelings to the people I kiss. Even while drunk. Though, not like I have a choice with you sometimes. The bond...

The bond. Exactly. What we have isn't anything. We didn't have a choice. The bond it...I told you that's what this has been. We've been deceived by the bond into thinking we are...more than what we are.

I sighed.

Didn't you tell me that Jedi create Force bonds all the time between Master and pupil? How often does that result in feelings like this?

I...I don't...

Not often, right? It might have taken longer, but I would have had feelings for you even without the bond. So then what's so wrong with admitting that we are in a relationship?

Her gaze sharpened.

We are not in a relationship!

I know! Because you're breaking up with me—over our kriffing minds, by the way! Some women have the decency to do it over a holochat! Or, hell, after we are done risking our lives for a Star Map! There's a thing called "timing!"

Bastila's inner thoughts grew louder.

Are you a child?

No!

Then why do you always act like one?

How would you know?

This is why I told you it was nothing!

Why did you tell me then?

She growled. Juhani asked us what was wrong. We ignored her.

I don't know!

I tried to calm myself, yet it was getting difficult.

Look, if you...if you don't want us to be a thing, fine. But you better not try to take it back later.

Her nose scrunched. What do you mean?

Oh, you'll want me back, Bastila. After we get the Star Map, you'll jump into my arms, kiss me, then beg me to…well…hold you close. Again. Maybe even closer. A smile grew on my face as I noticed the ill-humored look she was giving me. What? Isn't that what I'm supposed to say? After a break-up?

Wes. Her face became serious. She shook her head. After we get the Star Map, I'll tell you why this won't work. I promise. It's probably safer anyway if you knew...before Korriban...

Would she? This "thing" she'd been promising to tell me, what would it change? I'd love her no matter what. Hell, if she revealed she had another pair of eyes or something on her back that had always been watching me...I would still love her. I'd never been so sure about anything before. So what was she so afraid to tell me?

"We're 200 fathoms out," the Echani pilot said, interrupting our thought conversation. "The lights will need to go...the local wildlife is sensitive to it. It won't matter anyway."

Local wildlife. Which could be anything from vicious firaxan to docile shrimps. I doubt it was the latter.

A few minutes later, dim lights from the Republic's base glimmered in the murky distance. Mechanical whining ruptured through the water as the sub rushed towards two towering structures. Between the two structures was a metal encased bridge. The bottom of the structures was hidden as it went down into the rift canyon. The flickering lights only lasted halfway down the side of the chasm until the lights depleted. In the midst of the lights that remained, a bubbly, white substance floated up, and up to the surface. Kolto. Unrefined kolto.

"There." I pointed. "At the bottom of the Rift. The Star Map is there."

The Echani looked back at me then shook his head. "It's too dangerous to go down there. Based on the readouts and reports from the survivors, the firaxan are more predatory the closer you get to the bottom. But the station leads directly to the ocean floor anyway, Jedi."

Canderous snorted. "This is going to be fun."

"What if the station is flooded?" Bastila asked.

"You'll have to put on envirosuits and climb down." We weaved towards what appeared to be a submersible bay overhanging the side of the station. "Hopefully you won't have to, but the reports weren't looking too good."

"Why two stations?" I asked. "One wasn't enough?"

"One for each side of the Rift. The Republic wanted to mine the vents."

Ah. Right, they would try to maximize all the kolto they could possibly get.

The Echani piloted the sub and the lights on the controls flashed as we ascended into the port. Smoke clouded our sight as we finally surfaced and a red light flashed along with a piercing alarm. Our Echani pilot cursed as the waters pushed the vehicle towards the edge of the platform, yet he righted the sub before it collided into the bay.

There were no other subs parked with us. Odd, given there were supposed to be some from the Echani team Wann and Takaon sent. Perhaps some tried to flee. Only...if they fled, that meant that they hadn't survived the journey back somehow. Which wasn't a good sign. At all.

Once the waters and the sub settled, we unlatched ourselves. Juhani and Canderous lifted themselves up through the port in the roof. Bastila followed. Yet Verena and I stayed behind and watched the Echani's back. The sub hadn't shut off for some reason.

"You coming?" I asked.

The Echani shook his head. "I'm sorry Jedi, I have to stay and watch the sub."

I narrowed my eyes and shot Verena a suspicious look. Silence. Tight, dangerous, silence. When the silence went on for too long, I unleashed my lightsaber and held the blade to the side of the Echani's head.

"I'd think twice before doing what Takaon asked you to do. Because I won't hesitate to kill you if you try to abandon us down here."

"No!" The Echani's head flinched, then twisted so that he could avoid the blue light. "Please, Jedi, I only meant that there might be survivors down here who would steal the sub. If we leave it unguarded, then we'll be stranded."

"I'll stay." Verena sat next to the Echani pilot. "If he makes a move to leave, I'll slice his throat. Promise."

I watched her sly smile for a second then depressed the switch to my lightsaber with a nod. At least I could trust one Echani...

Finally, I lifted myself out of the sub and coughed as the smoke clouded my senses. To our right, towards that bridge that led to the other station tower, metal debris littered and blocked the path. It was as if a giant explosion had taken out half of the submersible bay. Plastics floated in the water and one of the control towers had fallen across half of the docking control area. Most of the roof had collapsed over the eastern dock. Which meant we'd chosen the last docking port remaining.

Obviously, the ramp that would have opened up after our arrival wasn't working, so, using the Force, I jumped to the edge of the port. Canderous grabbed my arm to help steady me as I landed. Bastila and Juhani looked out at the mess nearby.

"Over there." The Mando pointed to the missing half of the bay. "Corpses. Selkath corpses."

"Where is Verena?" Bastila asked me.

"Our pilot was being shady…she'll keep an eye on him."

"Alright." Bastila nodded. "Let's try and find an elevator or…some information on what we could be dealing with."

We searched the submersible bay, trying to find a working computer station so that we could get more information on what was happening down here. Puddles of water littered the metal floors and a part of the wall had burst enough that a small stream ran towards the edge of the platforms.

I paced towards the corpses. Canderous was correct, most were Selkath dressed in scientist garb—white lab coats. But some were Echani. These must be the mercs Erina sent down. I unleashed my lightsaber to give myself some light. All of them…their faces were half-eaten. As if a shark had bitten into them. I swallowed as I took a step away, stomach reeling at the sight.

I peered back at the others. Juhani and Canderous readied themselves near one of the closed doors. The Mando grunted as he ripped a piece of metal away from blocking it.

"No!"

We all faced the direction the sharp shout came from. A man, a Republic soldier, coughed as he limped towards us from the far side of the bay. He was thin...malnourished. As if he'd been here for weeks if not a month.

"Don't! Don't go in there!"

Canderous snorted and ripped the metal off anyway.

Bastila rushed up to the man. "What do you mean? Why?"

"They're in there, that's why!" The soldier collapsed onto his knees. "We need to get out of here before they swarm us!"

"What happened?" I marched to Bastila's side, lightsaber still humming with energy. "Where are the Echani mercenaries? Why are you still here?"

"I...are you another rescue team?" He coughed again. "No use...it's no use. The Echani found a few survivors like me, but the Selkath...it's like they know where we are! We ran back to the submersibles, yet they abandoned me due to my injured leg."

"Gale…" Juhani's voice was soft. "I sense something terrible in the Force."

I took a deep breath. "Alright, let's go back…"

"No! We can't. They know you're here now. You were lucky you didn't get attacked before you arrived!"

What?

"What do you mean 'attacked?'" Bastila asked.

"When the Echani left on their submersibles...I heard an explosion. I looked out the window and I saw it. The monster. It...was a giant fish. It bit into the side of the bay. Bit into the Echani's submersibles. Just food for the sharks and the Selkath...like us if we don't leave—"

Past the doors that had previously been blocked, a rupture of hisses bounced off the walls in an ugly chorus. Juhani unleashed her blue lightsaber and her face had twisted as if she sensed something...terrible. And I sensed it too. Canderous muttered a curse in Mando'a as he grabbed the blaster rifle he borrowed from the Echani. Bastila took out her lightsaber staff as well. The Republic soldier behind us sniffed.

"No! I-I'm getting out of here—"

Then, a thump. Another thump. The lights above flickered. And, like an uncapped bottle of shaken carbonation, the metal doors crashed open and a swarm of crazed Selkath rushed us. Canderous opened fire with a shout while Juhani used the Force to keep most of the fish away. There were at least thirty of them...all acted like mindless kath hounds.

"What the hell is wrong with them?" Canderous shouted over his shooting.

I couldn't answer. One opened fire with a green blast that I had to deflect. Four of them attacked me at once, so I went into stance one—Shii-Cho—to defend myself from multiple enemies. They fell in pain as I dismembered their legs or hands. I didn't kill them. I didn't like the idea of killing someone that was obviously being controlled by another entity. Maybe a virus...a bug...whatever...

Of course, this meant my focus was not on what was happening behind me. A piercing scream that sounded a lot like the soldier interrupted the rhythm of battle. I spared a look only to see that five of the Selkath had tackled the poor man to the ground.

"More of them!"

Juhani shouted as she took down one of the affected Selkath and pointed to where the Selkath had come from before. Kriff. I glanced about, trying to find some way out of this. The only way out of the sub bay was down that hall. All of the other entrances were blocked by debris…

I glanced to Bastila who just finished taking out her group of Selkath.

"Bondy!"

She twisted and raised a brow, mouth open with exhaustion. I pointed at the rubble blocking the other exit out of here with my head. That seemed to be enough for her to get the memo.

After I finished dismembering the last Selkath, I shouted at Canderous and Juhani.

"Keep them busy! We'll clear the way."

Bastila and I sat cross-legged next to the broken metal. We closed our eyes and sensed...down the hall. Past the mess. More bodies...and a flooded hall that led to the other station tower. There was no other way forward. I grabbed Bastila's hand and focused on the debris. Alone, it would have been impossible to move all of this quickly enough. But together...together we could. I had to trust in the Force. And trust her.

The air buzzed and a tingling sensation clawed down my back. Time slowed and I could only hear breathing to my left from Bastila. The thumping of our hearts. Then, at the same time, we raised our hands and focused again.

And with that focus...came power.

So much power. It filled my body. Filled my blood like adrenaline. Bastila felt it too. One by one, the metal slabs were flung like pebbles skipping on water. Some floated past our heads into the water behind us. It was easy. So easy. A smile curved my lips as I felt this power grip onto each rock, push away every falling iron beam, it was addictive.

"Gale! Shan!" Juhani's shout interrupted our meditation. "We...there are too many...we can't…"

In response, I flung one of the pieces of rubble at a group of Selkath. They screeched as they were mercilessly crushed to death. In this meditation, I could sense their lifeforce fading and the pain almost felt...empowering.

Bastila squeezed my hand and my focus returned to the previous task of clearing the way. Behind me, I could feel pain. This time it came from Juhani and Canderous. A sound, a hiss, came from the submersible. No...what was Verena doing? Unfortunately, I couldn't tell her to go back. Even though we were able to clear the rubble, I could sense the ceiling above...groaning. Almost as if it was going to collapse again. We didn't have much time.

I opened my eyes and dragged Bastila to her feet.

"Guys! We have to go! Now!"

Canderous cursed. Blood ran down his cheek—he'd been slashed by one of the Selkath fiends. Juhani didn't look much better. Verena had joined the fray and had given both some reprieve from the Selkath onslaught. Saved them. I didn't wait for a response and ran towards the cleared hall, yanking Bastila behind me. She released her grip on my hand and ran past me towards the other tower. We'd gotten past the halfway point in the hall, so I decided to chance a glance outside.

I really shouldn't have looked outside.

Past the thin windows into the murky depths, I sensed it. The monster. Bastila paused with me as she sensed it too. It was heading our way. Heading towards us. With intentions to kill. I looked back. Juhani, Verena, and Canderous had finished defeating the Selkath. They couldn't follow us. They would never make it across.

When I saw them beginning to make their way towards us, I shouted.

"No! Go back!"

"What!" Canderous shouted. "Why—?"

Yet, Juhani listened. She grabbed the Mandalorian's shoulder before he could run after us. She could sense it too. Bastila and I rushed towards the door to the East tower. The Jedi hit the button repeatedly, yet there must have been a malfunction of some kind. Cursing, I grabbed onto the console and focused once again. Focused...on the heat. The fear. The anger.

A spark.

The doors rushed open after I released that faint burst of static using the Force. After hissing in pain from that, I ran into the next room and Bastila followed shortly. Only moments after the door closed behind us, we watched outside the small window port. There was a rupture and a boom as the monster chomped into the bridge connecting both of the station towers. Then, the small shadow of the Echani's submersible weaved through the lights and almost crashed into the beast. The enormous fish roared and the station shook. It rushed towards the escaping submersible and grabbed it with its speeder-sized claws.

A moment later, the sub exploded and the metal corpse of it fell into the murky, kolto depths. The beast followed with another roar.

Then silence. The lights inside and outside flickered...once...twice. Then the lights were gone.

We were trapped. Trapped with Selkath. Trapped in this station.

Trapped in darkness.

If you've ever played Subnautica, you'll know that the ocean is completely, utterly terrifying. In real life too, honestly. Horrifying (I might have a phobia lol).

Gah, I only got halfway through Nano this year, oh well. It is in November which is literally the busiest time of year for me XD (for fellow Americans I hope you had a good Thanksgiving!)

Next time, Bastila and Wes descend into Hrakert Station to find the Star Map...as well as try to find a way to escape.