Wyb marched quickly through the lush jungle as the rain poured down. In no time a flood would rush through the trail and he'd be at nature's mercy. He needed to find a safe place to wait out the storm for the rescue crew. If Wolf was right, he'd only be out in the elements for an hour or two. He tucked the homing device he had ripe from his pilot seat into his soaked flight suit.

He began climbing to higher ground. With each step he took he felt the softened ground give away and caused him to lose his balance. He reached out for a branch to steady himself.

Come on, focus. Rescue crew en route. You got this, he thought to himself as he felt his body grow tired.

He pushed his wet hair out of his eyes and reached for another branch to continue up the elevated terrain. Branch after branch he neared the top away from the rushing water that had collected below him. He turned to look at the flood. If he had waited a moment later he would have been swept away. Grateful for following his intuition and training, he continued to climb.

SNAP!

Wyb lost his balance and slid down into the rushing waters below with half a branch in hand.

Submerged beneath water he struggled to come and stay at the surface. The current quickly pulled him deeper into the jungle. After a few quick dodges of rocks and debris, Wyb managed to turn his feet downstream and protected his head as he rushed along with the waves. He twisted his body and made his way to the edge of the waters. Kicking with all his might, he was able to pull himself out of the water onto higher ground. He collapsed flat on his back. Panting from exhaustion, he closed his eyes as his mind raced:

"Time to pass the torch," Jord said. "You're not a kid anymore."

"I don't know what to do."

"You will. Trust your instincts," Lenore said

Wyb kept his eyes closed and took deep breaths trying to remain calm. He was angry. How had he ended up here? Why was it so hard to do some good in the New Republic? Did no one care? Was it all a front? What was taking the senator so long? Why had he been sent here?

He missed home. He missed Jord and Lenore. He missed his chosen family on Lothal. Most of all he missed Soni. He would give anything to see a friendly face. But he knew now was not the time to feel sorry for himself. He needed to get to some form of shelter and regroup. He took one more deep breath and opened his eyes to a squat face with a pair of horns and tusk staring down at him.

"Oh great," Wyb muttered as he looked into the boma's eyes that peered over him. "Easy….easy boy."

The boma snored and stomped its foot warning him he would charge.

"You're not the friendly face I was hoping for," Wyb said as he slowly turned onto his stomach so he could crawl away safely.

"I'm not going to hurt you little guy," Wyb said, crawling backwards and attempting to get to his knees.

"Grrarroooarr!" the boma growled at his movement.

"Ok ok!" Wyb shouted as he kept his eye on the small reptile.

Even though it was small, Wyb knew little to nothing about the wild life on Adelphi. His best bet was to be extremely cautious. After waiting a few more seconds, he attempted a second time to slowly sit back to his knees. The boma snorted and stomped its front feet once more.

"See, no harm done," Wyb spoke as calmly as he could. He moved his hand slowly to his utility belt, finding his blaster was missing. "Damn. Well looks like you have the upper hand here buddy."

The boma began to slowly approach Wyb. It tilted its head before suddenly jumping forward once more and then back. Wyb flinched but realized the creature was just as afraid of him as he was. He raised his hands, stopping the creature from advancing any further.

"Stay back… I won't hurt you and you won't hurt me, got it?" Wyb knew it was pointless to negotiate with the beast, but it made him feel a lot better to at least try. "There you go."

He slowly rose to his feet keeping his hands extended for protection. Once he stood tall he slowly stepped back and heard a loud roar. He turned and saw a large red lizard built like a Baragwin battle tank. It was a zakkeg.

The zakkeg in one leap, pounced on the boma and began to devour it. Wyb took his chance and darted as fast as he could away from the hunter and its prey determined not to be the next meal.

After running a few yards, Wyb came across a clearing. He stopped and looked up at the trees hoping to get a sense of where he was. He reached into his flight suit for his homing beacon. It was missing. His food and water were gone as well.

Defeated, he stood in the clearing as the rain poured down on him. He knew if he didn't find shelter soon, either the zakkeg or hypothermia would be his end. He scanned his surroundings only to spot the two glowing red eyes of the zakkeg. He had been hunted and found. This was it. It was all over.

"Raaawr," the zakkeg lunged at Wyb, who stood still hoping for a swift death when a flash of orange tore the beast into two.

Vzzz!

Wyb gasped at the sight of the corpse and gazed up to find Sashee Vox standing behind it.

"Hello little brother," She said smugly as she deactivated her saber.

"Sash!? Sashee…" Wyb exclaimed in shock. "What are you doing here?!"

"Nice to see you too," Sash replied, wiping her face. "Come on. Let's get out of this rain."

She turned without a second thought or to check if he was following and disappeared into the bush.

Wyb looked around weighing his options. He hadn't seen his adopted sister in months, and the last time was only because they had banded together to find Jord, who she had discovered was alive. It wasn't a pleasant adventure, but she did have a lightsaber which was more protection than he had at the moment.

Rrrroar!

Wyb, startled by the additional roar deep within the jungle decided as much as he didn't like Sashee, his chances were better with her than out in the wilderness.

"Here," Sash led him into a small church. She returned with a towel and a change of clothes. "It seems to have been abandoned for a while, but it's been a nice crash pad for the last few days."

"What are you doing here?" Wyb repeated as he began to dry his face and hair. Sash turned to the fireplace and lit a log.

"Quick change. You're shivering," she ordered.

"I asked you a question," Wyb, annoyed, removed his boots and sat them next to the fire for them to dry.

"I could ask you the same thing brother," She sassed, putting some vegetables into a pot with some water and hanging it over the fire. She clearly had been here long enough to get comfortable.

"Don't call me that. We're not related. Not really," Wyb as he went behind the alter to change.

"Well many say blood is thicker than water, but in my experience that hasn't been the case. And if I remember correctly, the same is true for you," she said, ignoring his comment.

"I see you stopped wearing those ridiculous Jedi robes. What? Finally give up on the order that can't come back?" Wyb teased.

"Not at all. I've been busy. Locating force sensitives throughout the galaxy and taking them to Ossus."

"Ossus?"

"A great jedi knight is building a school there," She said as she took Wyb's wet clothes and hung them near the fire to dry. She examined the flight patches and smiled proudly. She always knew how much Wyb loved to fly. "So you're a full fledged pilot now?"

"I've always been a pilot," Wyb snapped. "I'm a ranger now."

"And what is a New Republic Ranger doing stranded in the jungles of Adelphi?"

"What's a jedi doing so close to a new republic outpost?" He shot back.

The two glared at one another. They truly knew how to push each other's buttons. Sashee being Wyb's senior by seven years, knew she would need to be the mature one if they were going to get anywhere. She took a mug and poured hot tea into it and handed it to him.

"I was looking for the Mandalorian. More specifically Grogu, when I had a feeling I needed to stay in the jungle."

"A feeling?" Wyb asked sarcastically and sat down sipping the mug.

"Good thing I did," Sashee sat and began to drink from her mug as well. "It's been happening a lot lately. A sense of dread…darkness coming to light…trouble...I'm not certain. But I figured if I spoke to a few others like myself I'd either dismiss my suspicions or confirm them.

"Well you would've missed him. The two took off yesterday." Wyb replied as his eyes became heavy.

"Eat up," Sashee served him the broth and vegetables.

"Thanks," Wyb began to eat.

"Everything ok back home?" Sash asked. "I still can't believe Jord's alive."

"I'd rather not talk about that."

"You're angry with him?"

"Well yeah… he decides to leave the Forgotten, has an accident, Lenore leaves the Forgotten, he miraculously survives, doesn't come looking for her or us, and then acts like a huge nerfherder when you and I find him!" He shouted. Sashee smirked at his commentary and the two finally chuckled.

"I am too," Sashee agreed. "He didn't handle it very well. But the important thing is, they're together and safe on Lothal."

"If you say so," Wyb muttered.

The two finished their tea and food and listened to the rain pour down.

"Sashee," Wyb broke the silence. "The kids you find…when you find them are they safe or in need rescuing?"

"A mix. Why do you ask?"

"I got info on a group of kids taken by the Empire. Source was from a Star Destroyer."

"How? You're a pilot not a spy?" Sashee questioned and quickly knew the answer with one look from Wyb. "Lenore."

"I gave it to a senator hoping something could be done, but here I am banthaing around in the jungle."

"Do you have a copy of the information?" Sashee asked.

"No." Wyb sighed.

"How was the info transported?" She probed.

"R3 I think?" Wyb wondered why he didn't ask in the first place when Lenore gave it to him.

"Fantastic!"

"Hold it, R3 was sliced into two by a nifty glow stick like yours and left on that ship. Only thing that came back to Lothal was his memory drive."

"Well we could see what info is backed up on it. Maybe Lenore rebuilt him by now." Sashee said hopefully.

"I doubt it," Wyb chuckled. "But I think those kids have a better shot with you than they do with the New Republic."

"Wow, was that a compliment?" She smiled. Wyb looked down into the bottom of his empty mug trying not to smile as well. "Those kids are as good as found with the both of us."

"What?!" Wyb exclaimed.

"You're coming with me aren't you?"

"And go AWOL?"

"Wyb… how exactly did you end up in the jungle?"

"Flew off course with a pilot who I was trying to get off my back," he admitted. "I know you left the Forgotten to go find your own path before I was even in the picture…but I don't know why Lenore insisted I do the same. The New Republic is not what I thought it'd be. I thought I could do some good. But all I've done is deal with nerf herders and take orders from scarred veterans. I'm lost."

"Perhaps this is the break you need? To get a bit of perspective?" Sash softened her expression and handed him a blanket.

"I was doing fine before naval school…I would have loved to be back to Lothal and the farm…" he said, getting sleepy.

"Then why don't you?"

"Because…," he admitted. "I don't want to disappoint her."

"You sound like you've had a rough few days." Sashee replied.

"Try a few years." He closed his eyes to rest them.

"The galaxy is a large and cruel place. You and I both know that from first hand experience. But I'll tell you this, you're not alone. I'll help you find those kids. Let's go home and see if there's a copy of that list and go from there."

"You make it sound so easy."

"It won't be. But if we stick together, we'll be alright. I have a good feeling about it.

"Not with your feelings again."

"Afraid so," Sashee smiled. "Get some sleep. We'll leave at first light."

"Any word?" Wolf asked the search party over his commlink. He was concerned. If anything happened to Wyb he knew it was on him. "Well, extend the perimeter. Check the nearest high ground."

"Did they find him yet?" Ketter tapped him on the shoulder.

"He's a smart kid. He's probably just camped out in a tree waiting for rescue," Wolf hoped.

"This is on you Wolf," Dodger said, stepping in his way. "I gave you both an order to complete the course and return to base."

"I know," Wolf shoved Dodger out of his way. "I didn't think he had the guts to take the bait."

"Any sign of the kid?" Zeb asked the trio as they changed solemn looks. "Maybe this will teach you knuckleheads to stop being so careless."

He turned and marched through the base toward the shipyard. He saw the Mandalorian's silver N-1 starfighter preparing to take off.

"Hey!" Zeb yelled and waved his arms up.

"What?" Din asked as he cut his engines and opened the cockpit. Grogu's ears twitched, sensing something was not right.

"The kid," Zeb began slightly out of breath. "He's missing."

"Grogu's fine," Din daftly replied as Grogu muttered, still unable to speak basic .

"Not your pet," Zeb snapped. "The other kid. The small one. Wyb."

"Check with the Rangers. I'm sure they–"

"They're the ones that lost him," Zeb cut him off. "Rescue crew's been out in the jungle for over eight hours and they haven't found him."

"What do you want me to do about it?" Din asked.

"You're a bounty hunter. Find him."

"Kid's probably fine. Crew just needs to widen their search."

"Hey, I don't like you," Zeb admitted. "But I like the kid. And I've never seen you interact with anyone else other than Carson when you decide to grace us with your presence until he showed up. I figured you cared about him too. Guess I was wrong."

Grogu crawled from his droid pod and into his father's lap. He could sense something was urgent and knew that the two of them could help. He looked up at Din and placed his hand on his chest hoping he would understand that he wanted to help. Din looked over at Zeb walking away and sighed. He didn't account for getting involved with the Tersus again.

"Alright, I'll track him down. But tell those flyboys to lay off him once I do. Most likely the kid took off after seeing what a disappointment they all were," Din said, refiring his engines and closing his cockpit. Grogu cherrily squealed. He loved adventures, especially ones where he could make new friends.