Disclaimer: Don't own SW. Belongs to Disney and Lucasfilm.

"Kal?" Xanta uttered from beside Nira. He was surprised, and so was the figure coming closer to him. "Kal, is that you?"

"Xanta?" With golden-plated arms wide open, Kal said in his deep voice, "Xanta! Stars, it has been a while!"

Xanta stared at Kal, wondering if he was imagining the golden figure standing a head taller than himself. Kal was very much real as his gauntlet slammed on Xanta's back. "Well, don't you have anything to say?" Kal said.

"I-it's nice to see you, Kal," Xanta replied, a little winded from the 'small pat.' "I didn't expect you to be here."

"And I, you," Kal laughed. "How have you been? I haven't seen you since you left to study at Skywalker's academy!"

"I've been well…"

"Really? That mark on your nose says something else."

Xanta bit back a curse and another as Nira spoke, "Actually, I might've somethin' to do with that…"

Kal finally took notice of Nira. "Really? You must be skilled to leave Xanta with that mark."

"That depends," Xanta cut in. "Kal, this is Nira Sylo, apprentice to Jedi Knight Kirana Ti."

"Ah…" The joy under Kal's mask tuned itself down as he looked back to Nira. "So you came along with Kirana Ti, huh? Did she tell you why she's here?"

"Not really," Nira spoke up. "We've been wonderin' 'bout that."

Just then, Mistresses Tionne and Kirana came down the ramp. Turning from Xanta, Kal went to greet the two fully-trained Jedi. "Welcome! I'm glad you received our message."

"It's no trouble. We're glad to give any help," Tionne insisted.

"And any assistance from the Jedi is grateful," Kal continued with a small and flourished bow. "Jensaarai Defender Kal Rasdar, at your service. A pleasure to meet you, Jedi Tionne and Jedi Kirana."

"The pleasure's ours," Kirana said. "We were surprised to hear the Jensaarai asking for help."

"It doesn't happen that often, but these are extraordinary circumstances," Kal replied, with a pointed look that Xanta saw in the Jensaarai's eyes.

That was when Nira whispered to him, "Um, is there somethin' I should know?"

"Later," Xanta whispered back without looking away.

"So," Kal continued the conversation, "I hope you don't mind if Xanta and your pupil join us. It would be good to give them a quick tour of the ship."

"It's no trouble for me," Xanta spoke for himself.

After a brief silence, Kirana turned to her pupil and kindly asked, "Nira?"

"... Uh, no. No trouble. I mean, we're already here, aren't we?" she answered, trying to hide her unsettled look.

Xanta noticed it, but Kal did not as he clapped his hands. "Good! Just this way."

With that, the Jedi trio left the Rancor's Claw in the hangar. Xanta trailed behind and waited to be alone. He would have if Kal had not come up beside him and whispered, "She seems like a nice girl… Is she your-?"

"Don't even finish that. Please," Xanta said sharply.

A chuckle rumbled under Kal's mask, and he led the Jedi and Nira down the hangar. As they began in light chatter, Xanta followed behind and hoped Kal was the only one he had to meet.

Xanta's hopes were dashed when he and everyone else were led into another hangar. The presence he felt was as bright as the lights reflecting off the floor, and it filled every corner of the hangar bay with Kal's voice. "... And this," said Kal, leading the group, "is what we'll be using on this mission."

"Why is it damaged?" That was Nira in her typical curiosity.

"Ah…" Kal paused to look up at the craft, "... well, this was confiscated on our mission. There was quite the skirmish with the pirates who were using this craft. Thanks to that, we've managed to… secure a number of suspects."

Xanta listened and focused on the ship in front, which looked like it went through an ion storm. He felt the presence move inside the box-like hull and trail down to the base. There was no mistaking it, and only Kal's signature came close.

"They're detained?" asked Kirana Ti, her voice distant.

"For now," Kal assured. "They will be released once this is over. One of our own is currently interrogating the prisoners…"

The boarding ramp lowered from the block-shaped ship, and out stepped the source, a man armored and draped in a cloak like Kal. The closer the figure approached, the red insectoid mask was more apparent against the fresh faces of the New Republic guards standing by. "Correction: was," Kal stated and introduced the incoming man. "Ladies, I introduce to you fellow Jensaarai Defender Zen Malac. He has been in charge of this mission, and he was interrogating the prisoners for-"

"The prisoners don't know anything," the brooding voice of Zen Malac boomed over Kal's jovial tone. "We have no time to waste, Rasdar. We should be heading down to Tanaab and join the others."

Kal turned to his fellow defender. "Rushing in would mean not knowing what's down there. We can't afford to risk anyone, not this time."

Malac crossed his arms over his chest, and Xanta wish he had his mask and saber. The defender's posture screamed frustration as lines zig-zagged over his red armor and the mask scoured the Jedi, not noticing Xanta but immediately seeing Nira. "Who's she?" Malac asked.

"She has a name," Nira shot back, and Xanta feared what may come next.

"This is Nira Sylo, my pupil," Kirana replied on behalf of her student.

"A pupil..." Malac almost hissed. "I hope you understand what we're asking of you. We can't afford to endanger your 'pupil' on this mission."

Xanta hoped Nira would not open her mouth. She did, of course, but Kirana thankfully spoke before she could. "Nira is more than capable of handling her own, and you may need all the help you can get."

"She's not wrong," Kal intervened.

Malac's shoulders rose then sagged. "Very well… you should wait aboard the ship. I shall talk briefly with these two before we depart." At that, his mask fell past Nira and the Jedi.

Xanta froze stiff, and the Jedi went up the ramp. Nira herself lingered behind, eying Xanta and shooting a glare at Malac. After Nira left into the hulking ship, Xanta was left staring face-to-mask with Malac, his two green eyes gleaming under the four embedded on his mask.

"Apprentice Jast," he said, neither kind nor gentle.

Xanta straightened his posture and stoically returned, "Defender Malac."

"Where are your mask and saber?"

"Aboard the ship, defender…"

"You came unarmed? I thought I taught you better than this," Malac interrupted him.

Xanta froze then exhaled through his nose. "You did, defender..."

"That's enough of that, Zen," Kal cut in, equalling the other defender's height. "We didn't expect Xanta to be here, now did we?"

Malac hesitated. "No, we didn't."

"Then, go easy on him for once. Besides, we don't want to make a scene in front of our sister Jedi, do we?"

"No… we don't," Malac breathed. He tensed again as Kal's gauntlet patted his guarded shoulder.

"Well, let's get this ship going!" Kal proclaimed and joined the Jedi inside.

Xanta was about to do the same, but a red gauntlet gripped his shoulder and stopped him in place. "Saber and armor first, then we leave," Malac stressed, to Xanta's dismay and embarrassment.

Xanta fastened the last of his armor by the time the ship took off. The floor shuddered, and his unfinished plates jostled against his clothes. From inside the spacious hull, he heard the ship's legs loudly creak against the engines' whirl. A minute later, the cacophony changed into a hum in the ship Kal called the Bel Brain, an apt name for something so big and bulbous.

He did not feel the least bit relaxed after departing on the Bel Brain. Nothing about this-meeting Malac and Kal, that is-felt right to him. The thought of the two, especially the former watching him was never easy. Xanta briefly glanced down at his scarce armor, simple plates over his chest, arms, and legs, to make sure they were secure.

"I think it's good," said Nira who sat atop an empty crate beside Xanta. She was the opposite, completely relieved to be leaving the Star Destroyer and holding a blaster pistol in hand.

"Thank you," Xanta said quietly, hoping the others did not hear it. "Hopefully, it will be enough on the surface."

"That's got me askin'-"

"I thought you never stopped," he snarked.

"Oh, ha ha," Nira rolled her eyes and holstered her pistol. "But really, Master Kirana didn't say a thin' yet. Just what're we doin' here?"

Then, Malac's critical voice cut in. "We're hunting Jedi, young one."

Two heads whirled to the shadowy corner where Malac stood. Before Nira wanted to ask her question, Malac cut through with his own comment, directed at Xanta. "Your armor is rough. It needs more work."

Xanta clasped his hands behind his back with an audible clank. "It should be enough for the mission, defender."

His confidence faded after Malac looked away. Only Nira's ever-asking voice brought him out of the trance. "What did he mean by that?" she inquired, which Xanta could not answer.

"It's just as it sounds," Mistress Tionne said from her own corner. "We were called in to help capture a former Jedi student."

"A student?"

"He's not one we've seen before, Nira," spoke Kirana Ti, standing beside her pupil. "He was a new student, and he was reported to have left the academy mere weeks ago."

"So why didn't anyone try to catch him?"

"We did," came from Kal, sitting cross-legged atop another of the crates. "He's been on the run only recently. We thought we could catch him before he could complete any of his plans."

"Clearly, it didn't work," Nira blurted.

"No, it didn't," Kal agreed somberly, something Xanta had rarely ever heard from him.

"So what we lookin' for exactly? There's gotta be some place this guy's hidin'."

"Actually, we were wondering the same," Kirana said with a poignant stare at the two defenders.

At that, Kal glanced to Malac, who said, "Show them, Rasdar."

Kal moved a hand, and an object floated over at his command. The object was the dark head of a droid. A head that looked oddly similar to a Stormtrooper.

Xanta froze at the sight. Nira had a similar reaction, sitting straight up and eying the thing carefully. Again, Malac spoke, "The droid won't pose a problem… You can thank Rasdar for that."

Xanta breathed, and Nira followed suit yet she kept that same caution. She asked, "So… what's this doin' here?"

"This," Kal gestured to the droid, "was taken from our little… excursion with the pirates we captured. We sliced through the droid's memory banks and came across this…"

Approaching the droid's head with Malac, Xanta silently trailed to the dead eyes. They glowed and beamed out a blue hologram. First, it was in the image of a woman in armor, then a Twi'lek chatting with a Bothan, then the woman again talking with a strange man. In spite of the civilian clothing, the lightsaber was also a dead giveaway, not to mention that Xanta recognized the man's dull eyes and crew cut hair.

"Is that the guy?" asked Nira the question Xanta knew the answer to.

"Yes, but that's not important," Malac huffed. "This is."

Xanta watched the image change and finally hold. It was a different image with the same man holding out a strange device in his hand. Kirana Ti and Tionne stood up straight, but Xanta was not sure what was the significance of a rather simple image.

"I don't see a thin'," Nira spoke aloud.

"Look again," Malac's voice rumbled once more. Xanta was not sure if it was for Nira or himself.

The image focused on the device in the man's hand. Now, Xanta saw it clearly. He was surprised that he did not even notice it before. There, in the man's hands was a datapad, showing the image of a plain with many moons hovering over it. It would have seemed normal if not for the strange shape, and upon closer inspection, it looked more like a tower.

A tower buried deep in a field of grass.

Standing several meters tall, the tower stuck out of the prairie like an arrow pointed to the sky. Tanaab's flying creatures landed on the pointed ends sticking out, mistaking it for branches on a normal tree, and ate from the green that had grown over the millennia. Srad, who knew it was so much more, reached out with his hand, and his mind scratched every bit of the surface.

A second later, the loud crank of a collapsing door scared away the animals.

Srad approached the newly-made hole, disturbed only by the smell of dust and moss pouring outside. He powered through and pushed aside the cobwebs, only to stop when the tip of his boot barely passed over the edge of what felt like stone, so he looked. The stone Srad stood on was one, part of a long staircase, with other stepping stones jutting from the ancient walls. They were barely visible, no thanks to what little light came through.

The ends of Srad's lips were almost pulled into a smile. The ancient taste of the Dark Side lingered in the air, and it hummed in the walls. This was the place, Srad knew for certain.

"So now what?" his Mandalorian accomplice asked from behind, breaking the hallowed silence.

With thinned lips, Srad replied, "Now, we come here to get what we want. I'm sure you're more than excited to gain your spoils."

"And what are your 'spoils' exactly?"

Srad glared over his shoulder. "I didn't pay you to tell you that, Mandalorian."

"I didn't get paid to lose my crew, Jetii."

Forcing himself not to frown, Srad pointed down the spiral staircase. "Search at the bottom. If I'm right, you can take what you want and sell it off to the highest bidder."

Srad trailed up the stairs without looking back at his hired hand. He ignored the small rays coming through the cracks and pores in the walls, his focus on what was above him and the datapad he salvaged before the attack on the Bel Brain, as he stopped by what appeared to be a door. Like with the front entrance, Srad forced his way inside.

The aura of the Dark Side grew with each echoing step into the shadowy chamber, drawing Srad to the console at the end. While not intoxicating, it whetted his appetite as his free hand brushed against the translucent glass, which glowed red upon his touch. "Still active," he breathed against the machine's hum, barely containing his excitement.

Like a composer, Srad's fingers danced over the machine. Piece by piece, screens in front turned on and lit the room with the same color of the console, and his eyes darted on the ancient readings, unaware of the passing time. He deeply went through the limited and corrupted archives, searching the foundations, weapons schematics, and so on until…

"Jetii!"

Srad ignored the call. The Mandalorian would not interrupt him. Not now.

"Hey, Jetii!"

The irritated Srad turned away and popped his head down the chasm. "What is it?" he called back to his associate.

Down on the steps, she replied, "Something's coming our way!"

Srad rushed back to his console. Familiar with it a little, he activated one of the screens and pulled up an image of the outside. Like he heard, a tiny object appeared in the sky, right next to Tanaab's moon. That object gained closer, the more familiar it looked to Srad.

"They couldn't have…" he heard from behind.

Srad did not bother to answer the Mandalorian. He did notice her coming up to his side and staring at the screen. "It's…" she said. "It's my ship! Those schuttas are using my ship!"

Srad looked back to the screen. It was indeed the Bel Brain. The scars were fresh, but the old Turtle Tanker was functional enough to carry its passengers. The Bel Brain descended behind the large hills of grass, away from the eyes of its old captain. "We have to get it back," she whirled her visor to Srad. "We can sneak aboard while they're away and get off this rock!"

"You know they are on that ship," he said without turning away.

The Mandalorian shot a glare at Srad. "Hide if you want, but I'm not afraid to fight for my ship!"

"You mean like your crew did?"

That quieted her, which allowed Srad to devise something. He could not face the Jensaarai alone, least of all that one. More importantly, he did not have what he wanted, and he would be out time to search for it.

It was then the Mandalorian asked Srad. "So, what plan do you have?"

There was only one plan he could think of: "We let them in."

Srad doubted the plan the minute it left his mouth. Sadly, it was the best he had at the moment. He already studied enough of the tower's systems-what was left working-so that would be no issue. The issue was to make sure his enemies would fall for his trap.

Speaking of his enemies, Srad studied them, six in total, as they entered the old tower. Two were in full armor, one red and another in deadly familiar gold. The rest, Srad could tell, were not Jensaarai, but Jedi.

"Another abandoned ruin?" said a girl from the group.

One of the taller, unarmored women spoke, "Be careful. We're not here for artifacts. Keep your blaster ready."

"... Right, master."

From the safety of his chamber, Srad balked at the Jensaarai's allies. There were two Jedi, alright-the famed Tionne and Kirana Ti-and two children. One of said children was in fact wearing Jensaarai armor, incomplete and sparsely covering his body, was still more armor than what the girl wore. And Srad thought the great Jensaarai Defenders would be arriving en masse, not this small rabble.

Srad's commlink bleeped, and he answered it. "Srad here."

"I'm in position. Now what?" said his compatriot.

"Wait. Do not fire until I set the weapons system on them," he instructed and cut off the link to listen in his enemies' conversation.

"Do the others know we're here?" said Kirana Ti.

It was the golden demon, Rasdar, who spoke. "They'll be here soon. Hopefully…"

Srad drowned out the rest and he set the target system on the six intruders, then he waited and watched. The chatter continued with the group, and Srad eyed the datapad he left on the console. The ancient wires were compatible with today's tech as they downloaded any old information from the storage banks. It was only a little more than fifty percent.

It was almost done, and so were Srad's "guests" as they climbed up the staircase and neared his trap. Just a little bit further…

… and Srad slammed his finger on the command panel.

Tiny turrets, monitored through the console, popped out of the ancient walls. The targets, covered in red circles, dodged and ducked the fire, their screams and shouts barely heard over the lasers that shot over the cracked screen. When the sabers were ignited, Srad called into his commlink, "Get them, now!"

One tiny screen flashed, and the Mandalorian was shooting her pursuers from up above. She would serve as a distraction, at best. Srad worried if it would be enough when he saw only seventy percent on his datapad.

Colorful lightsabers-yellow, white, red, and gold-flashed across the other screens, blocking whatever was being shot at them. Behind the older accomplices were the two children, the only ones not fighting back. Ordered by their masters, no doubt.

Srad had given his own orders, and he saw his own servant following them. "They're getting closer!" she cried.

Srad could see that on the screen. His enemies huddled together and rising up the steps, and even that girl was shooting at the turrets with that blaster of hers, all the while hiding behind a shield of sabers. Srad looked to the pad again. Seventy-eight percent, it read.

He needed more time. He needed a way out.

Again, Srad's fingers were on the console. "Hold them off as long as you can! I'll be joining you soon!" he lied while searching through the old databanks.

A blip told Srad he found what he was looking for. It was just two more floors above his current position. The Mandalorian already proved to be a good distraction, and she would do so for his current need. Not even bothering to look at the ninety-seven percent, Srad unplugged his datapad from the terminal.

Lasers were the first thing to greet the former Jedi on his way out. Srad didn't wait for the Mandalorian-there was no time or point to. None of the lasers had been on him, not when the weapons systems targeted anyone but him. Supposed to, at least, for a laser almost sizzled past Srad.

Srad glared down at the girl holding a smoking pistol. "You're not getting away!" she cried over the lasers as she ran up the stairs.

Srad, left with little choice, called to his Mandalorian associate, "This way!"

Firing at their pursuers, the Mandalorian followed. Below her were a few cries, both from the Jensaarai-wannabe in blue chasing after the girl and the Jedi Kirana left behind with the rest of the party. The lasers' high shrills drowned them both. Not the girl, though.

"Stop right there-!"

This interruption annoyed Srad. With the Force, he yanked one turret from the wall, hurling it to the surprised girl below. Running up the steps, Srad barely saw the girl's armored friend dice the black turret with a lightsaber of his own.

It was barely noticed. Srad used the Force to bob and weave through the tower's inner defenses. The ancient mechanisms were unable to keep up and track his movements to avoid him. It worked to his favor, and he solely reached to the top of the tower, where the arching doors opened and the escape shuttle inside lit up on his command.

"Hold on!"

That had been the Mandalorian, much to Srad's chagrin. Enough time had been wasted, and the two children were gaining on his position. There was no longer any need to use a pawn like her.

Srad waved his hand, turning on the shuttle's controls after a millennium. He entered the escape shuttle, ready to leave everyone behind, when he heard it. "Srad, wait!"

The former Jedi froze inside the shuttle's threshold. He glanced outside, looking upon that same wannabe Jensaarai standing side-by-side with the girl. Could it be…?

"Srad, don't do this!" the wannabe shouted, holding his lightsaber. A lightsaber with a familiar blue hue that matched the slug bug armor.

Srad turned away with a frown. "A pity… a real pity…"

With a wave of his hand, Srad closed the door on Xanta, the Mandalorian, and the Jedi girl, leaving them all to the turrets.

The blue saber flashed in front of Nira's eyes, blocking a laser meant for her. "Get behind me!" Xanta shouted over his shoulder.

Nira did and shot at another turret aiming itself at Xanta. The tower's defenses her main priority, she was too busy to really notice anything else, including the mysterious Mandalorian banging on the slammed door. Nira did hear shouting when the turrets fired on who was perhaps the last remaining ally of that Dark Jedi.

"Can you move any farther?" Nira called to Xanta. "We gotta get the target!"

Xanta, blocking a couple more shots shifted to the next step. "I'll try-!"

Suddenly, the tower shook.

"Woah!" Nira cried staggering a little too close to the edge of her step.

Xanta's gauntlet grabbed Nira by her sleeve. "I have you!" he called, holding Nira back from falling off the step.

Still dangling in that same spot, Nira looked up and eyed the doorway that 'Srad' guy went through. The wall around it shifted and moved. Then, the door, the entire room it led into, and the ceiling rose, detaching itself from the tower.

It hit Nira. Their target was escaping!

"He's gettin' 'way!" Nira shouted and tried pointing to the rising roof.

"Stop moving!" shouted the Jensaarai pupil, whose grip was slipping on Nira's sleeve. Before Nira knew it, Xanta pulled her back on the shaking step. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"We gotta stop him! He's 'scapin'!"

"I know!" Xanta shouted back. "First, we have to stop that Mandalorian from-"

A shot strayed past Nira and Xanta, and the two stopped in place. It was a simple blue bolt, not a red laser, and the woman who fired it was livid. "You're not taking me!" the Mandalorian shouted, unloading another round.

The shot ricocheted off Xanta's saber. With the tower shaking, the Mandalorian lurched forward, and Xanta staggered into Nira, right against hit the wall. "Oof! Careful!" she shouted.

"I am!" Xanta got off, his frustrated breaths audible in the rumbling tower. "We can't stay here forever!"

Nira spared a glance upward. The ceiling was now completely detached from the tower, and there were old thrusters lit with fire. A slight heat brushed on Nira's face. They would be burned alive If they didn't get out-

An idea popped into Nira's head. "Hey, switch-gah!" She stopped when a laser almost grazed her and Xanta. "Switch with me!"

After being nearly grazed himself, Xanta switched his saber for Nira's pistol without question. "I hope you know what your doing."

Hoping the same, Nira carved the saber into the wall beside her. The blade slowly burned away the tough material, which sizzling the air with thin lines of smoke while Nira made a circle. Before she finished, she heard Xanta grunt from a laser to the chest. His armor protected him though, which was why Nira had him act as a shield.

After finished, Nira kicked the segment away. "This way!" she cried and pulled on Xanta's cape.

"What-?" Xanta wondered, but Nira had already dragged him through the newly-made hole and into the cooler outdoors.

It was a long drop outside the tower, and Nira and Xanta fell a little less than halfway. The latter had regained his spatial awareness to catch a jutting brick with one hand, and the former yanked onto his cape while dangling from it. Xanta, his other hand gripping another stone, almost choked. "Gak! This was your idea?!"

"Well, we're 'live!" Nira shot back. She glanced at the ground several stories below. "Now, just need to get down…"

A loud roar of engine turned her and Xanta's eyes upward. Though the tower stopped rumbling, its black step ahead of an escape shuttle made its way into Tanaab's open sky. With that, the failure struck Nira. That 'Srad' guy just up and left them all behind, even his own ally!

The same ally who leaped through Nira's man-made exit.

The Mandalorian, her armor smoking and her body falling past the two apprentices, latched onto the tower with a free hand. "Ugh!" she grunted as she skidded to a stop and glared up at the two directly atop her.

Nira noticed the glaring green eye in the Mandalorian's broken visor. "Uh, Xanta! We've got a problem!"

"Yes, I have noticed!" Xanta wheezed from above.

A shot from below flew past the two. "Ah!" cried Nira. "She's shootin' us!"

"I noticed!"

Blaster in her other hand, the Mandalorian fired more bolts came at the two pupils. While Nira tucked in her feet, she flailed Xanta's saber at the shots, sending them right or left. Any that weren't blocked safely flew past them. Her other hand holding onto Xanta's cloak, she twirled uncontrollably like a spinning top and yanked some more.

The action didn't bode well for Xanta. "Gah!" he grunted, almost slipping off the bricks. "Stop moving so much!"

Nira, twirling and blocking at the same time, responded, "Can't! That crazy lady ain't stoppin'!"

There was no time for anymore arguments. Nira jolted downward with a yelp. The saber almost slid out of her grasp, and she onto the slim hilt as tightly as possible.

She didn't spare a glance upwards, but she knew Xanta was losing his grip as his gauntlets scratched at the stone. "I'm… slipping!" he called.

"Just hold on!" Nira called back, deflecting another shot. "We can make it if we-!"

Suddenly, the saber slipped from Nira's grasp-

"No!" Nira cried.

-and Xanta lost his grip before she could grab it.

Nira couldn't hear her "oof" when Xanta collided into her or her own screams while plummeting to the ground. Everything blurred, and her stomach felt like it went up her torso. That, along with the nausea and the free-falling, overwhelmed all her other senses.

Except for pain. Nira felt that when she and Xanta hit the Mandalorian on their way down.

The trio descending further and further, Nira caught a glimpse of the grass. The ground below was getting closer by the second. In their rapid fall, it was like time had slowed, and Nira saw it clearly. All the more reason that Nira closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable

When she did, the nausea was gone. Her stomach fell back in its proper position. The sense of free-falling disappeared.

"What…?" left Nira's lips.

Opening her eyes, Nira found herself, Xanta, and the crazy Mandalorian lady a few yards off the ground. The grass was steady and silent, and so were the trio now floating above it, safe and alive.

Wait, they were alive?

The Mandalorian floating beside Nira growled. "Don't think I'll go quietly! If you Jetii are behind this, then I'll-"

She stopped, falling face first into the ground. Her painful groan brought no sympathy out of either Nira or Xanta. They were too shocked to even notice them gently landed next to the Mandalorian. It was then Nira noticed the Jensaarai who saved them with the Force.

For a minute, Nira thought she was seeing Malac. The armor had a lighter shade of red and was worn by a woman whom Xanta recognized. "Banni?" he said.

The red woman turned. "Xanta, is that you? What are you doing here?"

Xanta only responded with a groan. Seeing him grasp his hands, Nira asked, "Hey, you a'right?"

"Yes… they are just scratches," Xanta answered. The slight hiss in his voice told Nira otherwise.

The red woman noticed it too. "You must have those looked at, immediately."

"I said I'm-"

A familiar growl cut Xanta off. "Apprentice Jast!" shouted Malac, running out of the tower with Kal Radar and two Jedi behind him.

Kirana Ti ran beside Malac, equally concerned. "Nira, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine… See?" Nira assured with a smile

It vanished in a second. Seeing all those stares on her, Nira felt like she was in trouble… again.

Being confined to the Bel Brain's cargo hold confirmed Nira's suspicion. Master Kirana was very disappointed with her, especially after running off to face that Dark Jedi. Xanta, having chased after her, was given the same treatment, and the two were left alone in the darkness, listening to the nearby conversation.

"Any sign of Srad?"

"No Zen… Our ship was still figuring out what his vessel was by the time he jumped into hyperspace."

The breath of frustration sent chills down Nira's spine. "Very well, Rasdar. Inform the Jedi."

The female Jensaarai asked, "What about-?"

"That will be up to the Jedi. They will decide the proper punishment… for both of them."

At that, Nira looked over to Xanta. His mask, gauntlets, and scorched chest rested atop the crate he sat on, and Xanta was more focused on bandaging his hands than on the conversation. After he finished, he stood up as Nira spotted Malac approaching.

The older Jensaarai's posture all but screamed of annoyance and anger. "Be lucky your mentor is easy on you," Malac told Nira sternly. "If you were my pupil, I would have expelled you for insubordination."

Nira leaned off her crate to talk, but Malac went to his next target. "And I expected better of you," Malac glared at Xanta, voice rising, "You rushed after her and endangered yourself in the process. You could have died in that attempt! For all the foolhardy actions, I never expected this-"

"Hey, lay off!" Nira exclaimed but she went unnoticed.

"-and your efforts were in vain! Srad still escaped. He is out there now, perhaps causing havoc or chasing after some other totem of Sith power. You must know what that means!" Malac kept his glare at the silent and pursed lips of the Jensaarai pupil. "Well, do you have anything to say?"

Xanta's sigh was loud for Nira and Malac to hear. "... No. Is there anything else, defender?"

Malac's tensed posture relaxed a little. "No… There is nothing more, Apprentice Jast," he said, making his way past Xanta and out the Bel Brain.

Nira snorted once the defender was gone. "Schutta."

"He's right, you know," Xanta told her, in a defeated tone. "We almost got ourselves killed. We were fortunate to be alive."

Nira mumbled something incoherent. As much as she hated to admit defeat, she couldn't deny the facts. She knew they could've been burnt to a crisp or shot or both. Still, Nira managed to get them out, even if it was rushed and left them hanging for their lives.

"Nira?" she and Xanta heard Master Kirana.

The older Jedi now approached the two, and Nira found herself in Xanta's position. "... Yes, master?" she said quietly.

That disappointed glare was hidden in Kirana Ti's stoic expression. "Both you and Xanta will be returning to Yavin IV. Immediately."

"But what about-"

"The mission is over for you two. Myself and a few others will continue the search. In the meantime, you and Xanta will be assigned to sorting through the archives in the Jedi Academy."

Library duty? Nira wanted to object, and she opened her mouth to-

"Nira. Please," Kirana Ti almost sighed, and that disappointed look from before returned.

Under that gaze, Nira backed down. "... Yes, master," she conceded, feeling only defeat for what should have been a victory.

Yavin IV's atmosphere reflected Xanta's current thoughts. Clouds gathered above and poured on everything below. Outside the window, there was an odd silence in the heavy rain, one Xanta shared as he sat in the medcenter of the Jedi Praxeum.

"Hold still," he heard when he fidgeted a little.

Sitting on the bed, Xanta silently obeyed Cilghal's command. The Mon Calamari used the Force to administer the scratches and sores on his hands, the result of his gauntlets loosening and chafing on his skin while he hung for his life on Tanaab. The injuries weren't serious-or so, Xanta claimed-and they disappeared in moments.

"There," Cilghal said once she withdrew her webbed hands. "It is good you came to me when you did. If you had been wearing those gauntlets a little bit longer, who knows how worse your hands would have been?"

Xanta silently flexed his fingers to test them. It didn't matter what the Jedi healer said. Honestly, he just wanted to retrieve his armor from his quarters. "Thank you, Healer Cilghal," Xanta said respectfully. After collecting his cloak, his steps echoed on the ancient Massassi stone of the former base of the Rebel Alliance and current of the Jedi.

Nira had been waiting for him in the narrow, shadowy corridor outside the medcenter. "How's your hands?" she asked, waving an arm in the air.

Xanta eyed the gesture before he answered. "They are better… At least, they aren't missing like my lightsaber."

Nira winced. Regret came off her in tiny bursts, and Xanta copied them when he realized the severity of his off-handed comment. Malac had confiscated his saber to teach him discipline, since it had been handed over to "some inexperienced Jedi pupil," so Nira felt a little guilty about it.

Wishing to change the subject, Xanta cleared his throat. "Well… I suppose we should begin our duties. Where is Mistress Tionne?"

"In the archives," Nira groaned while swatting at something buzzing at her face. Wet-whiskers, Xanta recalled, insects that came out in Yavin IV's wet season.

Xanta ignored the few buzzing by his ears and continued, "It should not take long. We will be done within a day's time, I think."

"And after that?" Nira snarked. She had been convinced as little as Xanta had been by his own words, so the Jensaarai said no more.

While walking down the corridor, the Jedi Praxeum had been a little noisier than Xanta left it. There had been more recruits arriving in the hangar bays still holding X-Wings, more students training in the great hall that once held the victorious rebels after the destruction of the first Death Star, and even another recently-graduated Jedi Knight passing by, the last of whom Nira eyed in envy. Xanta withheld a comment when they at last came to Mistress Tionne's quarters.

"Ah, welcome!" the Jedi historian greeted them, holding a pile of datapads and scrolls at her doorway. "Can you please take these?"

Xanta's mind trailed away to barely notice Nira's grumbling while she took the pile in her arms. "Um, we come in or…?" she said, her eyes darting to the dark corners of the room behind Tionne.

The older Jedi, noticing Nira's expression, shook her head assuredly. "Oh no! The archives are just down the hall! Please wait a second."

Tionne retreated in her quarters, and Xanta eyed Nira. "You don't know where the archives are?" he asked, almost incredulous.

Nira frowned behind the shuffling pile. "I ain't been around, 'kay? I'd like to keep to outside…"

"And to the training rooms, from what Kirana told me," Tionne added, leaving the room with another pile she handed off to Xanta. "Xanta, can you lead Nira to the archives? I'll join you two soon enough. I need to tidy up around here first."

Xanta respectfully nodded his head and led a confused Nira down the hall, hearing her mumble and grumble along the way.

More than two hours passed since Mistress Tionne promised to join the pupils. Xanta didn't think of it, since the Jedi had a number of other tasks to take care of. Nira, on the other hand, let out the fifth sigh so far as she unpacked more artifacts onto the table in front of her. "Ugh… how much more is there?"

"More than seventy-five percent, I think…" Xanta said after sliding another artifact across a shelf with one hand, and he used the other to stop himself from inhaling the cloud of dust.

The large room Xanta stood in, perhaps one of the few untouched by the Rebel Alliance years ago, had been filled with the very crates he and Nira filled on Ossus. Now, they were left to categorize the scrolls and reliquaries inside, a time-consuming task meant to be their punishment. For all her complaining, Nira found the real archives to be alright, with enough space for her breath… well until she breathed in the dust Xanta made.

"Gak!" Nira coughed. Once she caught her breath, she said, "Guh, maybe we shoulda unpacked outside. Be nicer."

"It's raining outside," Xanta stated without glancing back. "I don't think Mistress Tionne would like some thousand-year-old scrolls to get wet. You have to learn to deal with it."

"Well, we ain't all got fancy masks to keep out the dust like you do."

"My mask is back in my quarters," he said matter-of-factly.

"You know what I mean!" Nira frowned, putting up a golden disk on the brick wall next to her. "I got no clue how you stand this! Ya'll Jensaaray live in a desert?"

"That's Jensaa-rai. And my world is actually full of grass," Xanta corrected. He might have sounded annoyed, but Nira had been a nice little distraction and kept his mind off the events of Tanaab.

Tanaab, and Srad.

"Really?" Nira's voice thankfully interrupted. "Reckon it's good for farmin'."

"I wouldn't know," Xanta said. "I spent my life in Yumfla."

"Yumflar?"

Xanta swore she was doing it on purpose. "Yum-fla," he corrected Nira for the second time, and he set up a particular vase on the table next to Nira. "It's a large seaport. The Jensaarai have been there for years, especially during the Empire."

"It still under the Imps?"

"... Not anymore," he replied almost quietly, staring at the vase he set up.

The hesitancy in Xanta's voice was clear, and he found himself dragged into his thoughts. He recalled memories of an Imperial Star Destroyer looming overhead and of a woman in an moff's uniform approaching the head of the then-secretive Jensaarai. He had been a boy in his mid-teens and had barely begun his training alongside a boy older than him by a few standard years. A boy who once said, "Just watch me! I'll be more powerful than everyone else! I won't be weak anymore!"

"Hey!" Xanta heard alongside a snap.

He blinked his eyes at the snapping fingers in front of his face. Looking to Nira, he saw her expression was both confused and perturbed. "You're all dazed," she explained, drawing her hand back. "Thought you'd gone off meditatin' back there."

"You can't meditate while standing," Xanta frowned a little.

"I know that. Tried it once." He dared not to pry, but Nira already blathered on, "Stood in the jungle a full hour. Just got soaked and a scoldin' from Master Kirana after."

Xanta, in his thoughts, turned around. "Hmm, is that so…?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Nira frowned. "You could at least pay 'tention when I'm talkin'."

The words stopped Xanta. "I apologize. I'm just… thinking of other things."

"You mean that Srad guy?" He said nothing on the subject, but that didn't stop Nira from continuing, "What's the deal, anyway? You know him or somethin'?"

His mouth clamped shut, Xanta continued over to the only unopened crate. His silence sadly answered Nira's question, and her freckled face popped to his side. "You do know him! Knew it!" she stated aloud, being persistent to a problematic point.

Now, Xanta wished Nira would be quiet. His eyes remained on the crate. He opened it, as if hoping to find something that would stop Nira probing for answers.

He did find it. Atop the stack of scrolls was the dark droid head from the Bel Brain.

Nira backed away in shock. "What the-?! What's that doin' here?" she almost exclaimed.

Xanta himself reeled, wondering the same thing. He found his and Nira's answer in the form of a tiny flimsiplast next to the head. Xanta picked it up and saw the words written: 'Something to keep you and your girlfriend busy. Enjoy my little gift. - Kal.'

"Kal…" Xanta said through his frown. If there had been any sign of annoyance, he pushed it aside. Kal wouldn't simply leave behind this head, of all things, for a joke.

That was when the pupils heard Tionne entering the chamber. "Is everything alright? I was heading this way when I heard a scream," she asked in concern.

Xanta slammed the crate closed over the droid head and hid Kal's note under his cloak. He and Nira looked to Tionne by the entrance, the latter smiling nervously. "Uh, yeah! Everythin' good!" she said.

Tionne stared at her. Xanta quickly covered for the both of them, his words calmer than Nira's had been. "Everything is fine. Nira almost dropped something."

"I didn't-!"

"That's all," Xanta stressed, trying not to glare at her.

Tionne blinked her eyes. "Well," she said, seemingly to believe the pupils, "I suppose I can leave you to the rest. I'll come back in a little while."

"Is it Master Kirana?" Nira asked.

Xanta noted the pause from Tionne. "It is. I just need to talk to her for a bit," she responded. "Don't worry. I won't be gone for much longer."

Tionne then left the chamber. Once she was out of ear-shot, Xanta turned to Nira and asked, "How good are you with droid parts?"

"Uh okay, I guess. Why?" she shrugged.

"Can you go through that droid's head?" Nira nodded slightly, and Xanta briefly showed her Kal's note. "Kal left that with us for a reason. I'm guessing he wants us to look through something the others might have missed."

Nira grabbed the Jensaarai by his cloak before he could leave. "Hey wait, what you want me to do?"

"I don't know," Xanta admitted. "I'm sure you have done something like this before. It shouldn't be a problem for you to find out on your own."

"By myself?"

Frowning, he freed his cloak. "I need to see someone for a bit. I'll be back soon."

If Nira had anymore questions, Xanta didn't give her the chance to ask them and left the chamber of artifacts from the past to focus on the present.

To say the Mandalorian had been detained was to put it lightly. Binders kept her arms and legs bound together. Her armor remained broken and damaged as it had been on Tanaab. The only thing missing was her helmet, unveiling a blond mop of hair almost covering the face of a woman nearing her thirtieth standard year.

"Well, what do you want?" the Mandalorian asked, voice crackling over the connection.

In the dark corner of his quarters, Xanta tried not to shiver. Even as a hologram, the Mandalorian had a ferocious gleam in her eye. "I want to talk to you about something," Xanta said slowly.

"Obviously," she puffed out through scarred lips.

Xanta swallowed and stared at the holoprojector Kal gave him before returning to Yavin IV. He was never sure why, but he soon guessed after seeing the droid head. "I need to know about the Jedi who traveled with you," he said.

The Mandalorian scowled. "Look, I told everything I know to your masters. What else do you need?"

What else, indeed. Xanta couldn't talk to Malac, not after what happened and contacting Mistress Ti would inform the defender either way. "I want to know what Srad did while he was aboard your ship. Did he do anything… strange?"

"Everything he did was strange, Jetii." Xanta opened his mouth to correct the Mandalorian, but she went on. "He kept on asking for personal quarters. He wanted specific times to himself so he could 'meditate.' He never made any communications but always was looking up on the holonet or on a datapad. Said it was to research for the treasure he was looking for."

"He was going to pay you. What exactly did he promise?"

"It was treasure. What do you expect? Crystals, gems, information, anything to sell on the black market. That was what all he promised." The Mandalorian snorted. "For all the good that did… My crew ended up paying for that."

"Your men are still alive," Xanta said defensively.

"Oh yes," the Mandalorian laughed harshly, "they just had their injuries. I guess it's a bit better than those who got shot."

"Maybe it wouldn't happen if they simply surrendered."

Again, the Mandalorian snorted and waved one of her bounded hands. "Sure."

Xanta reined in his swelling anger. "You said treasure. Do you know what was inside the tower-?"

"You know you're bad at this, ad'ika." He stopped and glared at the Mandalorian's smirk. "I told you already, I gave everything I knew to your masters. Maybe if you stopped asking these questions, you'd might find answers you want by looking for them. Otherwise, you're just wasting your time and my time."

The anger Xanta had been holding in boiled, though he didn't show it. "I guess I am," he said, trying not to grit his teeth.

"Good. And if you're going to be snooping around, ask about my ship!"

Xanta didn't consider it as he turned off the holoprojector. There was nothing he could learn from the Mandalorian… but perhaps, someone else could help.

AN: Continuing with Scattered Lights. Just one more part and that would've been where I stopped. Probably a good thing too because writing anymore would've meant associating my characters (whom I've enjoyed writing about) even more with the nonsense that is the rest of the SW franchise. Hopefully, I don't have to get back to it. Until next time, take care.

Raika out.