The night was dark and full of terrors. The stars above did nothing to light the forest. Everyone was on edge but there was little they could do but wait until morning. Kira paced back and forth, her previous exhaustion and chills forgotten. She didn't want to wait until morning to search for Jense, she didn't even want to wait ten minutes. The longer they waited the harder it would be to find him and she so desperately wanted to find him.

"How can you all just sit here and wait around?" Kira asked impatiently. "You're all Mandalorians. You should go out there and destroy all those who oppose you… or have all the rumors about you been exaggerated?"

Mij Gilamar, the Mandalorian in purple armor, frowned. "You don't understand, Girl. Those things that took Jense… they were… unnatural."

Kira pursed her lips in frustration. "How so?"

Wad'e interjected this time. "We've all been around the galaxy more times than you can imagine, we've all seen every kind of human, alien, Jedi or otherwise and everything in between. These things were nothing like anything we've seen before and they held a power I can't even explain."

"I'm a Jedi," Kira said. "If anyone knows anything about unnatural power here, it's me so if we have any chance at finding him at all we have a better one with me. I could sense them before everything happened. I bet I could sense them again."

Jango actually felt sorry for the Jedi. Her desperation hung in the air like smoke and suffocated her the longer she waited. She wasn't wrong though, she might have been able to sense them but even with her abilities she would likely end up in the same position as Jense was in now if she went rampaging through the dark forest because she was too impulsive.

"I think it is safe to say that whatever took Kenvor were the targets you've all been hired to eliminate." Jango said, trying to at least get some questions answered, hoping to satisfy Kira's hunger for action. "What do you know about them?"

Kira stopped pacing long enough to watch Jango as he asked his question then her attention turned to Wad'e as he spoke. "All we were told was there were a group of indiginous beings kidnapping townspeople."

"Did they say why?" Kira asked. "Or if any of the townspeople had anything in common? Maybe there's a pattern to their victims."

Wad'e thought for a moment. "The governor mentioned that it was their most talented people first, then eventually anyone who went outside city limits were a target."

That caught Kira's attention."What do you mean by talented?"

Wad'e shrugged. "I didn't ask."

Kira touched her chin pondering what exactly it meant and had an idea of what it could be but she didn't want to jump to conclusions just yet. "Anything else?"

"Well, he said they first called in the Jedi," Mij said. "But they never showed up. Maybe you've heard of something?"

That caught Kira's attention. She hadn't heard of anything of the sort back at the temple but then again she was preparing for her trials and before that she was on Tooma. "I haven't heard anything of Jedi being sent to Mes Cresta…" She then, more to herself than to anyone else, said. "I mean I'm here, but I'm not supposed to be…" Her voice returned to her normal pitch. "but what if the Jedi did show up but were also taken and the Council just doesn't know it yet." Kira suggested.

"I suppose anything is possible." Kal said.

"Before Jense was kidnapped, I sensed something strange in the Force."

"What did you sense?" Jango asked.

"I don't know for sure but whatever it was, was Force sensitive and it wasn't friendly." Kira hesitated a moment before deciding to voice her inclinations about the townsfolk. "Do you think there is any possibility that the people who were kidnapped may have been Force Sensitive?"

"You'd know more about that than any of us, Ad'ika." Kal said, resting his forearms on his knees.

Kira hesitated again, Jango raised an eyebrow. He could see that her previous comment had a purpose and he was interested to see what that purpose was and more interested in the response of the others to it. "Is it possible that Jense has any Force ability? Even in the slightest?" There it was, the real question she was asking. Jango's eyes shifted between the others gauging their reaction.

"No." Kal said shutting it down immediately. "I've known him since we were boys. He's never lifted anything with his mind or anything like that."

Kira pursed her lips together, the inclination she had about it hung in her mind unable to shake the feeling. "The Force doesn't always appear obvious. Something like telekinesis requires a lot of training and discipline, one who hasn't had training likely wouldn't be able to use the Force like that. It often presents as being… extraordinary… in different ways and not all of them as straightforward. Is he extremely persuasive? An unusually good shot? Seems to have a strange intuition of things happening before they do?"

Kal shook his head shrugging. "All of those things are sort of second nature as a mercenary… but if you are who we think you are, does that pass down genetically?"

Kira shrugged. "Not very often," She said. "The only time I've heard of it happening is when the family line is extremely gifted in the Force but then again Jedi don't go out of their way to test out the theory.. being monks and all. There's only one Jedi in the whole Order who's known to have any children and as far as I know none of them are Force Sensitive and he's on the Council so obviously he is talented."

"Regardless of whether Jense has any Force ability, what does that have to do with why he was kidnapped?" Jango asked, he didn't want to crush the girl's hope but he felt like she was grasping at straws. As he saw it, Kenvor was doomed to death if he hadn't already met his fate.

"Maybe they're specifically looking for those with a higher sensitivity, when they ran out of talented individuals they just took whatever they could find." Kira suggested. She couldn't explain it but she felt, out of any of the mandalorians, she had to convince Jango the most of her theory. He was the one who brought her here and whether or not she liked him, she needed him to complete her mission. She was certain she could not do it without him and if these things were Force sensitive… he certainly had experience killing something like that.

"Why would they do that?" Jango asked as he leaned back against the back wall. "If they're looking for beings with the Force, why bother with those who do not possess it?"

"The Force is an energy field created by all living things, even those like you who have no natural ability to wield it." Kira began unsure of how to say what she wanted to. "The energy your soul gives off is enough of the Force that if something were desperate enough it would suffice. Something is better than nothing."

"That's not unsettling at all." Kal mumbled to himself. "That still doesn't give us a plan to find Jense."

Kira bit her lip. "Well, if my theory is correct," She said. "They'll be looking for someone who is talented in the Force."

Jango immediately knew where she was going with her plan. "So, you want to use yourself as bait?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "And what if they've already killed Jense? Or if they're too powerful for you? Then you've offered yourself up on a silver platter just to get killed."

Kira shrugged. "I have to try something, Jango." She said in quiet desperation.

"This will get you killed." Jango argued, he knew she was talented in the Force but she was still just an apprentice. Even if she was going to be up for her trials it didn't make up for her lack of experience or curbed her impulses. She was planning on jumping into something when she hadn't the slightest idea of what she was up against, all she had was an unproven theory and a fire that burned inside her that only fueled her impulsive rage. Kira's eyes silently begged him.

"Wait until morning, Ad'ika." Kal urged. "We can't fight what we can't see."

Kira wanted to argue but a voice in the back of her mind told her to wait and she knew the voice her mind was projecting was Mace's. He would have told her the same thing, wait for daylight and be smart about it, make a plan. She let out a sigh knowing her impulsiveness was plunging her towards an enemy she could not face alone. She rationalized that Jense was a Mandalorian, he could not be killed so easily but that also didn't mean she wanted to leave him to suffer through the night. She knew Kal was worried sick about his friend but he was also not willing to put the lives of the rest of the group in danger without a solid plan.

"Okay." Kira sighed, her eyes dropping to the ground. "We'll wait… But at first light, we're looking for him."

"Understood." Kal said with a nod. "Rest while you can. If your theory is correct, you'll need all your energy to face whatever comes in the morning."

Kira nodded and clasped her hands together tightly, squeezing them until they were white before walking around the fire's edge towards Jango and Kal before kneeling in the dirt between them. Kira knew sleep would not come easily, for any of them.

As she predicted, she fell in and out of sleep, restlessly waiting for sunrise. She woke up, her body sore from the hours of hiking through the rain the previous day and her stomach growled begging for sustenance. The sun was still a little over an hour before rising.

Kira saw a figure tending to the fire without his helmet on. She rubbed her eyes trying to clear the grogginess from her vision and recognized the blue and silver armor as belonging to Jango, his back to her. She kept quiet and observed the Mand'alor. She wasn't sure why but he intrigued her in a way she couldn't describe, even if she occasionally considered him a jerk. She could barely see the corner of his cheek and jawline, she glanced over and saw Kal with his back resting against the wall, his head tipped down into his chest and his hand resting on the holster on his right thigh. Mij and Wad'e in similar positions across the fire.

Jango rubbed his chin, the rustling of light facial hair glided across his gloves. She wished she could see his face, she was dying to know what color his eyes were and what his nose looked like. Her fixation on him broke when a horn blew somewhere in the distance. Jango's helmet was immediately returned to his head and anyone who was in a deep sleep was now wide awake and on their feet, weapons in hand.

Kira's hands were immediately on her lightsaber hilts, her legs ached with soreness. No one said a word as they listened carefully for any other sounds. The sounds of the local fauna and the light pattering of rain that had filled the night previously had gone silent, the air was thick with moisture.

A ticking in the back of Kira's mind made her body react before her mind, one of her golden blades lit up, slicing through the air as an arrow came flying out from the thick of the forest towards Kal. The hum of the blade flew through the air as it collided with the arrow, cutting it in two with the smallest amount of effort.

Then, Kira began to understand what Mij had tried explaining the previous night as four large red-skinned creatures emerged from the brush with spears drawn pointing towards the Mandalorians. They had large three-horned heads decorated with jewels and bands that dangled from said horns, each stood well over seven feet tall and were built like durasteel houses. They had small, black beady eyes on the sides of their long nosed faces. They looked similar to what Kira would consider a humanoid version of an acklay but more reptilian than insect. Kira had never seen anything like them let alone heard anything that sounded or looked remotely like these creatures.

"Erra ectua!" One creature shouted pointing its spear at Kira.

"Trifta reggora yulani Ashla." Another responded, who Kira assumed was the leader as it's headdress was the most decorated and it was the largest but what caught Kira's attention was the word Ashla. Kira ignited her second lightsaber and held them out defensively in front of her.

She felt the Force within them and immediately recognized it as what she sensed the night before when Jense was kidnapped. Jango, a few steps behind her, noticed that they were all focused mostly on the Jedi. He decided that Kira's theory might have been more correct than he originally thought.

He wasn't about to let them walk off with another without a fight though and he immediately opened fire, instigating the other Mandalorians to do the same. The creatures immediately reacted, throwing their hands out in front of them, sending a crushing wave of the Force towards the Mandalorians sending all five flying to the back wall of the cliff's overhang slamming them into the wall. Jango hit first then Kira slammed into him before both dropped to the dirt. Kira's lightsabers flew from her hands from the impact and settled in the dirt a few feet from her.

Kira regained herself and retaliated, throwing her own hands forward sending her own wave of the Force towards the creatures. Her Force push barely affected them. She growled to herself before using Jango's thigh to push herself to her feet. Her lightsabers flickered on the ground before they leapt into the air straight into the Jedi's hands before springing forward, the blade humming in the air. Kira charged their attackers. The Mandalorians fired, being sure not to hit their Jedi companion.

Kira went for the closest one to her, which was the smallest of the group. It threw another Force Push at her, Kira threw back her own. The two energy waves bounced off each other and dissipated in the air. She spun, her golden blades lighting up the trees as they came crashing through before colliding with flesh.

The sizzling of skin stunk in the air as the smaller creature fell to the ground, dead. Mij launched his jetpack's rocket towards the largest of the group, knocking it back into the forest. Kal and Wad'e teamed up and attacked the next but were slammed back as if they were little more than flint gnats.

"Leave one alive!" Jango ordered as Kira dodged the strike of a spear, Jango fired at the creature. His blaster bolts imbedding into the creature's shoulder. It hissed in pain before it pulled Jango through the Force to it, clutching his neck in it's three fingered hand before crashing it's horned head into his skull. His blasters dropped to the ground. Jango was almost certain that it had cracked his skull through the helmet and his neck crunched loudly with the impact.

Kira threw one of her lightsabers at the creature, it spun in the air before landing into the creature's chest. It let out a loud cry before pulling the blade out of itself before it's knees gave out, dropping to the ground as it released Jango. He dropped to the ground flat on his back barely able to keep himself conscious. Kira called her lightsaber back to her before rushing to his aid.

The leader reemerged from the forest, black soot from Mij's rocket covering its face and chest and held its hand out to him, forming its hand into a fist. Mij's throat felt like it was closing and he struggled to breath. His hands went to his throat, choking as he gasped for air.

Kal and Wad'e were too preoccupied with their own target to be of any help to their comrade, both of them were getting knocked around as if they were weightless and Jango was barely able to keep himself conscious.

Hearing Mij choking, Kira looked up from Jango's body to him. He was grasping at his neck frantically. Kira jumped up and leapt over Jango slamming her foot into the ground, pulling her arms up towards a rather large boulder lifting it in the air. She spun on one leg kicking out her other before sending a wave of the Force shooting the boulder towards the leader.

The boulder collided with the leader forcing him to release his invisible grip on the Mandalorian. He fell to his knees drawing in large breaths of air. Kal and Wad'e shot their wrist rockets at their target, when it hit it exploded loudly knocking anyone within a few feet of them to the ground and the creature hurtling back slamming into a tree. Jango rolled to his stomach and forced himself to his feet as the creature was regaining itself and threw his vibroblade. It impaled the creature in it's jugular before the creature went limp.

All the Mandalorians turned their attention to the leader who pushed itself to its feet after getting slammed with a boulder. When it got to its knees, six various forms of blasters were in its face as well as two lightsabers being held to its neck.

Its beady eyes shifted slowly between each Mandalorian before settling on Kira as the sun had risen and the cool morning sky was a mixture of dark and light blues. Kira glared down the ends of her blades, sweat beaded across her forehead as she tried to regulate her breathing.

"Who are you and why are you attacking us?" Kal demanded, squeezing the handle of his blaster tightly. "Where is our friend?"

The creature said nothing.

Kira pushed her blade closer to the creature's neck, the heat of the blade radiated off its skin. "It won't end well for you, if you don't answer." She threatened. She felt an anger in her she'd never experienced before and if she were honest, it frightened her but she couldn't stop it from forcing itself to the surface.

The creature looked up at Kira, staring her down, its eyes seemed to pierce her soul as if it could taste her anger. It slowly backed its neck away from Kira's lightsaber and Kira half thought it might tell them what they wanted to know but she was mistaken. It waved it's hand then slowly, one by one, the mandalorians lowered their blasters before their bodies went limp and crumpled to the ground unconscious before Kira could react, she suddenly felt lightheaded and her vision fogged before she felt her knees give out. The last thing she remembered was her back hitting the ground.

When Kira awoke again, her head was foggy and the dull ache of a migraine formed in her mind. Visually she wasn't able to make out anything for a few moments but when her vision returned all she saw was red rock walls and two bodies chained to the walls with their hands bound above their heads. She barely had control of her head as it fell to the side as she tried to look to her left, none of the mandalorians were anywhere to be seen and she immediately worried for them. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes tightly trying to regain herself somewhat unable to stop the groan that escaped her lips as the migraine she was feeling blurred the corners of her eyes.

"She's awake, Master." A male voice said, he sounded younger, maybe around her age. When her eyes opened again she met eyes with the boy who stood across from her. He was slim with dark, curly hair, a tiny braid decorated with several beads hung at his right shoulder, his skin might have been slightly darker than Mace's which made his green eyes stand out, he had a strong jawline that was littered with mid-length, unkempt facial hair that was thickest around his chin and his upper lip. The other man was well into his late forties, early fifties. His speckled gray hair was long enough to reach his collarbone, he had a facial tattoo that curled around his left cheek bone and up to his eyebrow. Kira recognized it as a Kiffar tattoo. She was immediately shocked by what she saw, the two other beings in with her were Jedi. None she knew but she knew a Jedi when she saw one. At least one part of her theory was correct, the Jedi had come and they had been captured.

"Take it easy, Young One." The older of the two said, his voice gentle but weak.

"What's… going on here?" She asked, fighting through the migraine trying to think straight. "Where's my friends?"

The older Jedi shifted his arms, trying to relieve the obvious pain in them. "You are the only one we've seen in days. The other man hasn't even been back yet… I fear he may be dead."

Kira's heartbeat quickened in fear. Kira could already deduct that they were talking about Jense with no sign of the others. She feared they may have been left for dead. They had killed three of the creatures and Kira was sure that it wouldn't mind taking back some revenge on the mandalorians. She prayed to whatever gods were listening that Jango and the others were still alive. "Who are you?" She asked, trying to focus on the task at hand. She couldn't help anyone when she was in dire need of help herself.

"I'm Pao'l Trij and this is my apprentice, Khane Oryn. We're Jedi." He answered.

"I am too. I'm Padawan Kira Kenvor."

"Where is your master, Padawan?" Pao'l asked sadly, assuming her master was already dead.

Kira hesitated before responding. "He's on Coruscant." She answered. "He doesn't know I am here."

Pao'l gave a surprised look. "Why?"

"It's a long story…" Kira said vaguely before quickly changing the subject. "How long have you two been down here?"

"Who knows," Khane said in defeat, "Weeks, maybe, months, more likely."

"What are those things going to do to us?"

"They are harvesting our Force ability, Padawan. These things, they're called Taavarians. They were supposed to have died out during the Sith Wars but clearly they haven't. They are the only known species that can harvest one's Force ability to use for themselves." Pao'l answered.

Kira's expression turned to a mixture of confusion and anger. "What?" She demanded. "How is that possible?"

"It is an ability unique to these creatures." Pao'l said before looking solemnly towards his apprentice. "We both once were strong in the Force but each time they take us, they drain a little more. Our connection has grown weak."

Kira cursed herself. It made sense now why they were specifically looking for exceptional townspeople. Anyone who had the smallest inclination of the Force likely felt like a whole meal… but now that they had actual Jedi… it must have been a smorgasbord to them and likely why when they took Jense they left the other mandalorians alive.

"They must have sensed your strength in the Force and took you to steal your connection." Khane said.

"That's why they didn't take the Mandalorians then." Kira said more to herself. "They have nothing in the Force and were considered useless to them but a Jedi is plump full of Force ability, but why would they leave them alive? Surely, they would know they would search for them?"

Pao'l pursed his lips together, "Any man in his right mind wouldn't go after these creatures. Not even for his friend."

Kira's eyebrows furrowed, not liking his response. She would and she did for a man she didn't even know. "So, what happens if you run out of Force juice…?"

"They stop bringing you back," Khane said. "We can only assume that the others have died and have since been disposed of."

Kira frowned. "How many others were there?"

"When we arrived there were four others." Pao'l answered.

Kira frowned. "Well I'm not waiting around to get Force bled so how can we get out?" She asked, pulling against her restraints.

"There is no way out." Khane said. "Trust me, we've tried everything."

The door slab opened, cutting off their conversation. One of the Taavarian creatures, but not the one who kidnapped Kira, came through dragging an unconscious Mandalorian by his ankle. Kira couldn't help but stare at him. He was as big as Jango said, well over six-foot-four and easily over two hundred pounds but what worried her was not his unconscious state but that his signature in the Force was weak, seeing him there only confirmed why she suspected they took him. He was strong in the Force.

The Taavarian chained his arms in the bindings next to her, his helmeted head slumping to the side.

"What the hell did you do to him?" Kira demanded, not entirely expecting an answer but demanded one nonetheless. She looked helplessly over at the man who she could only assume shared blood with her. He was completely out cold and unresponsive. "Let us go." She demanded defiantly.

The Taavarian seemed intrigued with her defiance and let out a low, amused laugh. "Yulara jimini creesa, Jee'dai."

Kira didn't speak the language and couldn't begin to understand what it said. "I have powerful friends. If you don't release us you will regret ever touching us." She threatened.

"Idle threats will not save you, Young One, no one will be saving you." A voice said. It wasn't just the voice that made Kira's skin crawl, it was that the voice wasn't out loud. It was inside her head as if it was her own.

Kira looked around and saw the Taavarian that she should have killed standing in the doorway. It was no longer covered with rocket soot and its headdress was clean and shined, reflecting light as the different parts dangled. Kira glared. "What did you do with my friends?" She demanded. She had to know that they were still alive.

The creature walked in the room, casually strolling up to her before stopping a few feet in front of her. "They are alive… for now." It said.

"Who are you and why are you doing this?" Kira asked.

The Leader seemed to consider its next words. "I am Nuenet, First of the Tribe." It said indulging her. " Our people are dying out, there is no way to create more so those who still live must use the Ashla to survive and the only way we can get it is through those like you."

Kira's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Ever heard of finding a girlfriend?"

"There are no more females, the last died many years ago." Nuenet answered. "I am sorry for what we must do to you but it is the only way." The way it apologized sounded almost sincere but Kira doubted it.

"Why did you all start dying out?" Kira couldn't help but ask.

The question seemed to trigger the Taavarian. "Your people are the reason we've almost died out, they are so selfish with their Ashla."

Kira nodded, pursing her lips together and narrowing her eyes. "So, you almost died out because you were doing the same shit you're doing now? Only back then the Jedi said enough and did something about it?"

"You do not understand how it is," Nuenet said almost defensively. "This is our way."

Kira let out a huff of a laugh. "Yeah well your ways suck."

Nuenet's dark eyes narrowed before it looked at the Taavarian who brought in Jense and motioned for it to leave. It bowed its head and left the room. "Save your strength… you'll need it." Nuenet said before turning on its heel and retreating through the door.