There hadn't been a body for him to burn to ease into the afterlife. Boba's hands had lost all feeling with how tightly he was gripping the controls of his ship. After chasing the man who – he squeezed his eyes shut unable to think about the scene he had run into: Altharya falling to the ground, a smoking hole in her chest where the lightsaber from this man had plunged into. He couldn't remember himself screaming, only the red tinge around his vision as her body was kicked into the water by her murderer.

And the man had escaped. A man with red lightsabers… he sometimes saw the red turn to purple and black armour turn into brown and billowy robes and the person falling from the blade not in a purple tunic, but in white-blue armour.

At least he had a body to send off into the afterlife with his father. Her… he couldn't find one no matter how hard he looked despite Monts and Tehra urging him to rest. He took a deep breath, dispelling the images threatening to take over completely as they already did in the nights. The village had stayed clear from him when the news broke of her death. The space had been empty, even Monts was quieter, as was Tehra.

After days of just searching, he could no longer stomach the sight of the house, nor the sight of the empty cot she had been sleeping in for all that time. Kihroya had been searching for her too, laying on her bed, waiting at the foot of the stairs in case she came down during the day and sometimes in the dead of night he heard the tooka meowing sadly whenever her searches turned up empty. He would push his head under his own pillow to drown out the mournful noise.

She was dead. And he had not been able to do anything, only watch. Again. His dreams were sometimes on a sandy planet with her face falling to the ground, or his father's face vanishing into the waters in a thick forest. On some nights, he only stared at the dark ceiling so he would not have to watch anymore. The universe loved to taunt him, he thought when another hour of no sleep went by.

Darth Vader would have to be notified of Altharya's demise. With a sigh, he tiredly rubbed his face and turned to lie on his other side. No doubt, he would be displeased, if not wishing to punish him for failing in his job. They all knew what happened to bounty hunters who failed Darth Vader: vanished without a trace until remnants of their body were found somewhere else. Regardless, whoever had … it must have been an Imperial, if not part of the Sith. Either the Emperor had ordered her death or Vader himself had sent the Sith to kill her. Quietly, he rolled out of the bed and rolled his shoulders that always seemed to hold tension these days. The small chain with the lightsaber crystal lay heavy in his breast pocket of his nightshirt.

In a way, he had hoped that she would walk in through the door. Alive, unscathed, maybe a bit disheveled, but alive. The memory of the illusory Kihroya fed this frail hope that he had merely watched an illusion die.

But she never came.

Maybe she didn't wish to come back? She was free now. Could he truly blame her for not wanting to return? After all, he had taken her from her home, hunted her. Still, hurt always bloomed in his chest when his thoughts swirled in this direction.

He had planned on returning it to her. When she was once more free, when he had the courage to step back to the line he had not dared to cross that night. What had he truly hoped would happen? That he could teach her to survive a few months and then being able to run? Wasn't this what Tehra had stepped in to help her delve into the powers he had not wished to address until it was too late?

For all the good it had done her in the end.

The job was over. There was no reason anymore for him to stay here and deep within his gut he felt the desperate pull to run from this place. From the memories here that if he were not paying attention would play out in the corner of his eyes. He never really belonged to any place, he was a bounty hunter, staying here any longer would have driven him mad. With a heavy heart, he slowly started to gather his clothes and armour. Over the last months a lot of his belongings had spread all over the house and now he had to put them all back into his ship again. He spared a brief glance to Monts' door. Shaking his head, he decided against waking him to tell him he was leaving. A call would suffice later.

Monts' questions were not ones he was anywhere near ready to answer in regards to her.

He wasn't running away. The time had come to move on. Though, he watched in dismay as Kihroya trotted after him, even with her ears hanging low as she did. It'd be strange to have her with him on jobs. And she was not made to be sequestered within the confines of a ship for days if not weeks at a time… but he couldn't leave her behind either. After all, what had he trained her for in the end? He'd… he'd find a way. Being resourceful had saved him more than once.

When he finally lifted off, the sun had not fully risen yet.

By the time he broke atmosphere Darth Vader had sent him a message. The Sith knew and demanded Boba's presence on his flagship. Boba let out a scream of rage. How did he know? Who had told him? Was it the Sith he had chased? From what he understood from the message, he would be offered compensation.

To trust a Sith would be a mistake he would never make. Vader was fickle at best, downright murderous at worst. Most of his dealings with the Sith were preferable done over holo and as far away as possible as well. This time he had to meet the Sith and survive what would be thrown his way.

Just before he could jump into hyperspace his datapad started to beep once more. Monts and Tehra, he could picture them desperately trying to reach him. They couldn't help him! Like they couldn't help her! They could not bring the dead back! And he was no longer to bring Altharya back when she would only come with him unwillingly. If she was alive, yet the Sith seemed to be under the impression that she was dead.

Either way, she was better off. In the end, that was what he had been aiming for: for her to have the tools to run and fend for herself if she needed to escape the Empire.

Just not in this way! Never in this way! He wanted to wake up from this nightmare!

His hand hesitated briefly over the vibrating datapad. Unsure whether he should listen to Monts or Tehra, but he declined the call and muted the datapad entirely. He needed time alone, time to move on. In his business, he could not afford to grieve for too long. Otherwise his enemies would see it as a weakness and would start to exploit it.

In that moment Kihroya meowed loudly and jumped into his lap, distracting him from his thoughts.

Tehra sighed as she stared up at the bright blue sky. That morning, she had been thrown out of bed by Monts with the news that Boba had left without a word to anyone. What was it with a Fett disappearing at the worst possible time?! She had wanted to build a small cairn to Altharya in the backyard and had hoped he would be with them. Out of them all, he needed guidance through grief the most. When he was grieving his father, he had been alone in it. No one from Jango's circles had managed to find him until years later after Boba had escaped Republic prison.

Boba alone with his grief was a dangerous thing to the galaxy.

But, who was she to force him into anything? She had come into his life too late for that and he was old enough. As much as it rankled her and Monts. There was too much regret when it came to Boba. They had all failed him.

Then and now.

She had failed Altharya too. A shudder ran down her spine and she rubbed her forearms despite the already too warm morning air.

"Are you ready?" Monts asked from behind her. "I have the stones and all prepared."

"I am ready. Just maybe I had hoped he would come back."

"You know him, Tehra. Disappear into a black hole and then turn up somewhere like nothing had happened."

Tehra gave him a tired look. "He knows he does not have to be alone in this."

"It has been two days. I had the feeling he was waiting for her to appear on our doorstep any moment."

"There was no body. And you know, she has been growing in her powers more and more. In a way, even I turn around to expect her returning. Maybe a bit disheveled, or injured, but at least alive."

"I don't think Jedi powers can heal a saber through the chest." Monts shook his head. "Boba has seen it, he said as much himself."

Tehra felt her shoulders slump. Still, with Altharya's powers she had hoped that whoever Boba had seen fighting this Sith had been just a mere illusion. Had Altharya grown powerful enough for this? If so, had she sensed this in advance or had this been a decision in that moment? Too many questions with too many possibilities and Tehra did not know whether she should investigate further. No body meant no confirmed death, but Boba had counted it as such.

The Sith that had come had been trained and had come with a plan.

Or maybe she herself desperately grappled for any answer that had Altharya live despite the odds.

"Even if she were alive," Tehra knew she should stay her tongue, but she had to voice it. "Do you truly think she would return?"

Monts stalled in the midst of turning around. "What do you mean?"

"If you were in her boots, would you return?"

For a moment, Monts said nothing. His jaw jumped several times as he chewed over her question.

"I… I doubt that I would even consider the idea of returning. But, Tehra, it is useless to ponder of such eventualities. The poor girl is dead and I fear for the living more than the dead."

"Let's make the cairn then. You also need to leave soon too to get out of this system."

"And leave Boba behind?"

"Would you be leaving him behind? You have not been your past self for so long and he still came to visit. I, myself, am considering on following you."

"You? You and leaving?"

"I am not about to drafted into a senseless war between two families that throw lives as easily as we trash."

"You would have to sell the cantina."

"Let me worry about such matters." Tehra snipped. "We have a cairn to build."

Monts gave her a grim nod and started to walk over to the small patch they had chosen. While following him, Tehra pulled out a small beaded figurine in the form of a blue butterfly. It felt wrong not to give Altharya a passing-over gift, wherever she may be in this moment.

The bridge Vader received him in was devoid of any Imperial personnel. To the Sith's back was the large viewport overlooking the Imperial refueling station at the border to the Corporate Sector. It would only take him five minutes to rush back to his ship and a minute to take off, should it come to blows. The stun grenade hidden neatly underneath his jetpack felt heavy against his back.

"Fett."

"You requested my presence."

Mechanical breathing filled the silence for a brief moment before the masked Sith spoke again. "The job I have given you has been terminated earlier than intended."

"You already knew without me notifying."

"I did, for the one who went against my explicit orders has confessed to it."

Boba tensed up. The weight of his gun and the grenade became more acute. His muscle memory poised to trigger into action.

"What will be done?"

"My other apprentice has been accordingly punished for his transgressions for costing me a valuable asset to the Empire. You, though, have failed to keep her safe as I have specified."

Boba clenched his jaw not to yell at the Sith.

"Your last rate payment has been transferred to your account, but do not expect full payment for a job fulfilled."

"How has your apprentice been punished?"

Vader did not reply immediately. The steady inhale and exhale of his breathing support grated on Boba's nerves. He had to know. Had to know how the one who killed her suffered for it.

"That is none of your business."

Then he will suffer his punishment as well, that he vowed. One day, that apprentice will find someone he loved and he would take them away from him right in front of his eyes.

"I sense your feelings, Fett. You grew attached to her, didn't you? Let this be your only and last warning: Do not interfere. It is not your place to mete out punishment on my apprentice. You are dismissed."

Boba did not move immediately. So he was dismissed with just a docked payment? In a way, he was relieved. Blasting his way out of a hostile station was not easy, especially so if Vader would be going after him as well.

"You are dismissed, Fett."

His feet moved before his mind caught up. No matter what Vader ordered him, he would lie in wait. The Jedi and the Sith had taken too much from him and he was not going to take this lying down.

Struhn had not spoken to him for days. Burying his face into his hands, Renstan tried to block out the dull ache in the depths of his chest. There was a sense of despair that took hold of him when in moments of quiet his focus shifted to its presence. His bond with Altharya had weakened. As of now it was nothing but a faint trickle when before it had been akin to a gentle stream he could dip his fingers in and feel the strength of its current. What threw him off was the foreign grief bleeding through the dull ache.

Altharya was dead. He did not wish to believe it. Struhn had been more vocal in his dismay, raging for a while before going completely silent. Since then he had refused to speak let alone interact with him. He pressed the palm of his hand to his tired eyes unable to catch sleep the last couple of days. The dreams he did get were strange. Tookas chasing after luminious blue butterflies while the shades of two figures danced in the half-shadows. There was a message the Force tried to convey to him.

Just… he did not know how to piece the symbols together. It had been nearly over ten years since he had last seen Altharya. What significance did the tookas hold other than the incidence Struhn had reported to him? About the illusions she supposedly was able to conjure.

It was hard to believe. No one had ever heard of such powers, but Struhn had insisted that Altharya had summoned them. Unfortunately, any resource that had once been at his fingertips was either destroyed or heavily guarded by the Empire.

He looked over to where Struhn was lying with his back facing him.

"I will only believe her dead when I see her body, Keiran. And no, I will not join your rebellion until that happens."

The underlying accusation of not caring about Altharya had stung and still left a bitter aftertaste in Renstan's mouth. Just... he knew he no longer had the strength to see the corpse of a fellow Jedi. Especially one he had put so much effort in to hide away for the rest of her life. Struhn had known that he would buckle when he had used his first name.

"I can hear you thinking from way over here."

Renstan sighed. "I hope we both will find closure out of this, Cai."

"You said yourself the bond is not completely gone."

"Cai," Keiran muttered. "It is barely there."

"Where did the Keiran go that would never give up any sliver of hope?"

"You know where he went."

Blankets rustled and Keiran turned his head to see Cai staring at him. The aftermath of Order Sixty-Six was left unsaid, but Cai knew what he had meant. Briefly, Keiran thought he saw Cai's face soften in sympathy. Yet, in an unnerving moment the sympathy vanished to be replaced with cold annoyance.

"Then get him back." Cai spat before turning so that his back faced Keiran again.

There were times when the stars or just the depictions of blue butterflies made Boba's stomach turn. Some nights the weight of the pendant with the crystal was too heavy of a presence that he sometimes contemplated throwing it out of the airlock of his ship. Yet whenever he was at the airlock to place the pendant down to be ejected, he could never let it leave his grip. Shame of how he acquired it dug into his conscience and he always stuffed it back into his armour pocket before it even left his hand.

What had taken over him to take the bounty of some escaped accountant from an influential Hutt hiding out in the jungle on Teth near Altharya's hometown he did not know. But here he was, in those narrow streets, looking up to the exact spot where he had hid to observe her apartment when he had only wanted to collect her as a bounty.

Maybe if he went up there, would he see her again?

From what he had observed, a new tenant had moved in already. A young Zabrak man had settled in there with his woodworking business. Almost like Altharya when he had first researched her: apprentice to the local medic, who to everyone else seemed to be her father, and had her first taste of independence with a separate home. The only differences were that this Zabrak had no bounty put on his head, had not been part of an eradicated order of Force users and was no apprentice to the local medic.

Doctor Struhn had left in company of a robed figure, Boba was told by a drunken Rodian slumped over the bar. Not too long ago either, around the time he had taken Altharya. Without any word or forewarning. From what Boba remembered from his preliminary research on Altharya, Doctor Struhn had been a medic in the Republic Army. How he had come into custody of Altharya had been a mystery to him back then. Not that it had mattered much, but it had been a curiosity that had tickled the back of his mind more than once. As a war medic he must have had many contacts, even into the Jedi Order. Was this how he got Altharya?

"Doctor Struhn swore he would get Altharya back, you know." The Rodian, whose name he had caught yet, slurred. "He was spitting mad."

"She was gone?"

"Taken." Chuckling, his drinking partner downed another shot. "And soon this other man arrived. Seemed pretty chummy with each other. And then they left."

"This other man. Did he seem strange?"

"Secretive. Like we all are when we first arrive to this town to live. Nothing unusual. Seemed to be a contact he needed to search for Altharya."

Boba slapped a few credits on the bar to pay for more rounds for the Rodian and stood up.

"Strange times we live in."

"Indeed!" The Rodian lifted his glass in goodbye with a hiccup.

As soon as he reached his ship again, he rubbed his forehead where a headache was brewing. Other than a contact from before Struhn's time in this town, he had not gotten much information. Not that he had sought it out, no. He had collected his bounty and got roped into a conversation he had not asked for. Still, an angry doctor was searching for him. That was useful information for him to shelve away for later.

His fingers almost closed around the small crystal pendant in his pant pocket. Instead he clenched them into a fist.

She wasn't supposed to die!

Just like with his father, her presence had settled somewhere in the furthest reaches of his conscious thoughts. In his dreams he saw her laughing with Tehra, or when she had stood on her tiptoes to meet him half-way….

He did not regret pulling away. Not even now.

Still, the what ifs after the fact were the most painful to dwell on.

AN: these are the missing two chapters. Once again, thank you so much for the reviews you all have left previously. I am glad I was able to give some joy to others out there, be it through a story that I hadn't been able to love as much as it deserved to. And as I said previously before, I am getting back there again.

I hope to see you soon!