"3"^^ . "Quinlan Vos stepped down the boarding ramp and wrinkled his nose at the fetid smell of Nar Shaddaa. The air was laden with the odors of millions of inhabitants of numerous species and the pungent odor of the garbage and refuse they generated. The Smuggler\u2019s Moon wasn\u2019t exactly known for its hygiene, but it was a prime destination if one wanted to disappear. He had been here before, years ago, and little had changed since then. The packed masses of skyscrapers and the speeders that wove between them like tiny flitnats still looked the same, and a dreary smog hung over the world. If Coruscant was a shining representation of galactic civilization, Nar Shaddaa was the galactic street urchin, underfed, dirty, and decidedly criminal. Its allure was in the fact that it was nearly impossible to find someone who didn\u2019t want to be found on Nar Shaddaa. There were so many places to hide and the sheer volume of people made finding one sentient among billions a colossal feat. That, of course, was exactly what Quinlan intended on doing. Somewhere on this world, his wife Khaleen and his Jedi friends were under cover, waiting for him. Thinking of Khaleen again warmed his heart and brought him some hope. It had been a dark time for him recently, having recovered from battling his inner demons during the war only to be betrayed by his clones. That had been a hellish experience- fighting the clones and the wildlife of Kashyyyk\u2014until his long-time Devaronian smuggler acquaintance Vilmarh Grahrk had rescued him and conducted him offworld to New Holstice to heal. Then Villie had left him again. Nowhe simply wanted to be with his wife again. They had been separated for far too long, but hopefully that would end soon. Stretching out with his Jedi perceptions, his mind roved through Nar Shaddaa seeking out her Force presence, but he didn\u2019t find Khaleen. No matter, she probably wasn\u2019t near the spaceport. However, he soon felt another presence walk down the boarding ramp and turned to see Selu Kraen standing beside him. \u201CAny sign of your friends?\u201D the younger Jedi asked Quinlan. \u201CNot immediately,\u201D said Quinlan. \u201CBut I\u2019m sure they\u2019re not exactly being conspicuous.\u201D \u201CTrue,\u201D said Selu. The two left unspoken the many dangers that still lurked on Nar Shaddaa. Bounty hunters, assassins, and anyone looking for a fat Imperial reward would jump at the chance to nab a Jedi Knight, or especially a Jedi Master such as Vos, and all of those various underworld types were plentiful on the Smuggler\u2019s Moon. \u201CWell, whoever you\u2019re hoping to meet must be important for you to be this persistent in finding them,\u201D said Selu. \u201CYou know that you\u2019re welcome to stay with us on the Hawk-bat of course. At least until we\u2019ve settled some matters.\u201D \u201CThank you for the offer,\u201D said Vos. \u201CI appreciate it, but I think our paths will diverge soon.\u201D \u201CWhy do you say that?\u201D asked Selu. \u201CYou\u2019ve taught me so much\u2014helped me reconnect to the Force. You could stay.\u201D \u201CA number of reasons,\u201D said Quinlan. \u201COne of them is that there are people waiting on me.\u201D \u201CJedi?\u201D said Selu, thinking aloud. \u201CThat doesn\u2019t make any sense though\u2014if they were other Jedi, I would think you would introduce me to them.\u201D Then Selu\u2019s memory clicked and he recalled some conversations he had overheard in the Jedi Temple. \u201CIt\u2019s a woman, isn\u2019t it?\u201D he said. \u201CKhaleen Hentz, perhaps?\u201D \u201CYes, it is,\u201D said Quinlan. \u201CI don\u2019t really want to know how you know who she is, but we\u2019ve been married for some time.\u201D \u201CIt\u2019s not a big deal now,\u201D said Selu. \u201CWe\u2019re not exactly bound by the Jedi Code, you know. Yoda isn\u2019t going to kick you out of the Order, assuming he\u2019s still alive.\u201D \u201CNo, but we should still adhere to its basic tenets. Still, I would have left the order for Khaleen after the war anyway.\u201D \u201CWell, that\u2019s one reason. What\u2019s the other one?\u201D \u201CThe Force has been telling me things whenever I try and look into your future, Selu. Just like everything else, it\u2019s clouded and unclear, but you are meant to be more than a freighter pilot. \u201CRight\u2014I have a great destiny. Next you\u2019ll be telling me that the fall of the Jedi was masterminded by some crazed holodrama consortium seeking to make a quick cred. That\u2019s absurd.\u201D \u201CI don\u2019t usually think of the indications of the Force as absurd, Selu.\u201D \u201CWell, I haven\u2019t sensed anything like this,\u201D said Selu. \u201CI\u2019m so very glad that I have your vote of confidence,\u201D replied Quinlan drily. \u201CLook, Master Vos, I was barely qualified to be a Jedi Knight back during the war and my skills haven\u2019t exactly expanded since then. In fact, leading is the last thing I want to do. I can\u2019t even keep my family out of trouble; much less keep a low profile.\u201D \u201CSelu, you can argue with me all you want, but there\u2019s no sense resisting your destiny.\u201D \u201CMaster Yoda said that the future was always in motion.\u201D \u201CTrue. But there\u2019s too much order in the universe for some things not to be set by the power of the Force. It doesn\u2019t make sense. Don\u2019t you think that some of the events in our lives are determined by the Force, while others are more easily influenced?\u201D \u201CI suppose so. Is that why you had me take the lead in getting us off of New Holstice?\u201D \u201CBasically. I knew that if you passed that test, you would be well prepared for future challenges.\u201D \u201CWhat challenges? What have you seen?\u201D \u201CWould you believe me if I told you that I didn\u2019t exactly know?\u201D Selu rolled his eyes. \u201CProbably not. It\u2019s just another Master-Padawan test.\u201D Quinlan shrugged. \u201CYou passed, didn\u2019t you? We\u2019re not dead and we\u2019re off New Holstice relatively cleanly, right?\u201D \u201COkay, point seen. Can I ask you a question?\u201D \u201CYou just did, but you can ask another.\u201D \u201CShould I still be following the tenets of the Jedi Order even in seclusion? Obviously, staying in the light side is a must, but what about the things like staying isolated from your family.\u201D \u201CSelu, the only thing I can absolutely tell you is what you already said: stay in the light side of the Force. In my opinion, the other parts of the Order\u2019s regulations are not so absolute, and can therefore be eh, modified, if that\u2019s what you wish. At any rate, I don\u2019t see the point in adhering to the mandates of a defunct group.\u201D \u201CSo the Jedi are defunct.\u201D \u201CAs a galactic organization, yes. And we should remain that way, at least for a while. We must make our own way in the galaxy until the Order is ready to rise again.\u201D \u201CYou\u2019re right, I suppose. I just have one more question Why is that Devaronian on the landing pad across from us staring at you?\u201D \u201CThat\u2019s the last reason our paths will probably diverge,\u201D replied Vos, not even bothering to look over the expanse that separated the landing platforms suspended over the air and protruding from the spaceport building. \u201CWhy?\u201D \u201CDo you remember that I told you about a Devaronian acquaintance of mine who brought me off of Kashyyyk to New Holstice?\u201D \u201COf course,\u201D said Selu. \u201CVilmarh Grahrk.\u201D \u201CWell, that\u2019s him. He\u2019s probably wondering how I got here and if I\u2019ve noticed him.\u201D \u201CShall we drop by and say hello?\u201D inquired Selu. \u201CIt would be rather unfriendly not to,\u201D replied the Kiffar Jedi wryly. \u201CI suspect he\u2019d be thrilled to see me again.\u201D The two former Jedi walked back up the boarding ramp of the Hawk-bat, but stopped short of fully entering the ship. Calling on the Force, they cloaked themselves and walked back down to their landing platform. Jogging towards the edge, they both took a running start and launched themselves across the expanse with a Force leap towards the platform where Grahrk had parked his own battered-looking ship, the Inferno. As they landed, they let their Force-woven camouflage dissipate. At the sound of their boots hitting the rusty metal tarmac, Grahrk jumped in surprise and whirled around, blaster in hand. However, Selu was much faster. There was a lightsaber hilt pressed against the Devaronian\u2019s sternum before he had even finished turning around. \u201CHello Villie,\u201D said Vos evenly, crossing his arms and turning to look sternly at the Devaronian. \u201CAh, Quinlan Vos. Villie so glad to see you again,\u201D Grahrk wheedled, drawing the Jed Master\u2019s last name out into a sibilant hiss. \u201CI\u2019m sure you are,\u201D said Vos evenly. Selu said nothing, but merely favored the roguish Devaronian with a dark look. \u201CCan Quinlan ask nice friend to remove lightsaber from Villie\u2019s chest?\u201D \u201CMaybe,\u201D said Quinlan. \u201CAfter you answer a few questions.\u201D \u201CVillie always happy to help.\u201D \u201CThen why did you leave me on New Holstice?\u201D \u201CSilly Jedi. Doesn\u2019t recognize Devaronian brilliance when he sees it.\u201D \u201CSilly Devaronian. Doesn\u2019t recognize annoyed Jedi with a lightsaber when he sees it,\u201D said Selu, speaking for the first time. \u201CHeh heh, Jedi has point. To get his own point straight, Villie came to Nar Shaddaa to pick up Quinlan\u2019s Jedi friends and yum-yum. Then Villie was going to be coming back to New Holstice with friends and everyone be happy again. Except now Quinlan is here.\u201D \u201CI\u2019m glad to see you\u2019re as honest and well-planned as ever, Villie. So where are they then?\u201D asked Vos. \u201CNot on Nar Shaddaa,\u201D replied the Devaronian cunningly. \u201CWhat? Are you sure about that?\u201D said Quinlan. \u201CVillie very sure. Been lookin\u2019 for them for couple weeks, Villie has. Yum-yum and Jedi not here, but Jedi forget how well connected and brilliant Villie is.\u201D \u201CGet to the point, Grahrk.\u201D \u201CJedi so impatient. Villie knows where they went.\u201D \u201CWhere?\u201D \u201CKashyyyk.\u201D \u201CWhy did they go there?\u201D \u201CVillie hear that she was here, but left. Went to Kashyyyk looking for someone. You, methinks. No one else on Kashyyyk but Wookiees and bucketheads. Is remembering you said something about seeing her on Nar Shaddaa after you left Kashyyyk.\u201D \u201CIf you\u2019re lying to me, Villie. . .\u201D \u201CVillie not lie. Not this time. Is no way to make friends.\u201D \u201CFriends, eh? Do friends strand friends on planets for weeks at a time?\u201D \u201CIs very sorry about that, Villie is. Regrettable. Villie not wanting to be captured by bucketheads. Villie could make it up to Jedi though.\u201D \u201CAnd how is that?\u201D \u201CVillie slip you back into Kashyyyk, go see yum-yum and Jedi pals again.\u201D Quinlan considered the Devaronian\u2019s offer. As annoying and generally untrustworthy as Villie could be, he did seem to be sincere about knowing where Khaleen was. His longing to see her again filled him, and in that moment, he decided. \u201CAll right, Grahrk,\u201D he said, shouldering his small bag of possessions. \u201CLet\u2019s make space.\u201D \u201CIn that case, this appears to be good-bye, Master Vos,\u201D said Selu. \u201CThat it does,\u201D Vos answered gravely. \u201CI\u2019m sorry to leave, but there are people waiting for me. We each have obligations to tend to. You have your family, and I have mine.\u201D \u201CTrue,\u201D said Selu wanly. Any such notion of he and Quinlan dispatching wave after wave of Mistryl together vanished like a credcoin in front of a politician. \u201CMay the Force be with you,\u201D said Selu, as Vos turned to board the ship. \u201CAnd with you, Selu,\u201D replied Vos. \u201CAnd remember what I said about destiny.\u201D Vos smiled, then turned and walked up the ramp of the Inferno after Grahrk. As the Jedi Master disappeared, Selu stood there as the ship began powering up. Eventually, he realized that he should probably move. Camouflaging himself once more, he leapt back to his own platform, saddened by the departure of the Jedi Master. As close and guarded as Vos had been, his presence had been a reminder of happier days and fonder memories. The Jedi Master had also helped Selu regain confidence in his use of the Force, not to mention getting off of New Holstice. Now, he was once again stuck on a strange world and not with the best of crowds anyways. A mental check of the crew of the Hawk-bat reminded him that he was shipping with a despondent first mate and a stowaway mercenary. And no captain. Great. Selu looked out over the crowded, chaotic vistas of Nar Shaddaa. There was no order to the world, just teeming masses of people trying to survive and subsist on whatever income they could earn or take off those who had earned income. He sighed. It was ugly to him, just as ugly as the battlefields of the Clone Wars had been. Everywhere he looked, people were suspicious, selfish, and secretive. And those were the role models of society\u2014it went downhill from there. The sooner he was off of this world, the better. Watching as a pair of Ugnaught techs refueled the Hawk-bat, he figured he could lift off in about an hour or so if all went well. Fat chance of that happening. \u201CAre you okay?\u201D Selu, startled,turned, to see Milya standing beside him. \u201CYes, I\u2019m fine. Just thinking,\u201D he answered idly. \u201CYou must have been thinking pretty hard if you didn\u2019t even notice me coming down the ramp,\u201D she probed. Selu grunted, not in the mood to play mind games with Milya. There were too many other things on his mind for that, and he didn\u2019t respond to her attempt to prod him into conversation with her observations. \u201CIt\u2019s obvious something is eating away at your thrusters,\u201D she said. \u201CThere\u2019s no point in trying to hide it.\u201D \u201CLook,\u201D Selu answered sharply. \u201CI appreciate what you\u2019re trying to do, but I\u2019m not inclined to share, so if you\u2019d just leave it alone . . .\u201D \u201CFine,\u201D she said, turning to walk back up the boarding ramp. Thoroughly perturbed by now, Selu stared out into space until the ship was ready for liftoff. Who did she think she was, approaching him like they were friends or something? He barely knew her, after all. Silently, he then returned to the cockpit and began warming up the ship, speaking in monosyllables and only when addressed by one of the other crew. Even as the ship lifted off of the gloomy moon and shot into space, he was quiet, contemplating and brooding over the disappearance of yet another mentor figure. First, it had been Plo Koon, and the Empire had killed him, then there was R\u2019hask Sei\u2019lar, who had met a similar fate. Now Quinlan Vos, whom he had only interacted with for a few weeks, was gone. To add to his worries, there was a niggling sense of danger or threat that he kept sensing. Whatever it was, he didn\u2019t like it. The sooner they were back on Commenor, the better, he figured as he made the jump into hyperspace. Commenor Annita Daowot reached for her fifth cup of steaming caf of the night. She was sitting at her extremely cluttered desk while poring over various droid analyses and investigative reports of the Mistryl attacks. Yawning, she ran a hand through her thoroughly mussed hair and noted that it was extremely late at night, but she couldn\u2019t stop now. The lone glowpanel in the room illuminated the datapads, datacards, and other various articles of equipment she was using that were strewn across her desk. This case had been doing its best to stymie her, but Annita refused to give up. Besides the irresistible challenge the Mistryl seemed to present, the added personal dimension fueled her resolve to crack the case and determine where the other Mistryl were lurking. Some of them were still here, she was certain of it. The problem was that there was no way to tell when they had arrived or what ship they had landed in, at least not thus far. Part of her mind hoped that, by solving the case, that Sarth Kraen would finally appreciate her and view as something more than an old friend. She had thought the world of him for years, only to now find him not nearly so unreachable\u2014a mere freighter engineer\u2014and still as unapproachable as ever with his attraction to his crewmember\u2014Cassi was her name? For some reason, his intelligence and close-knit family had drawn her to him and she couldn\u2019t persuade her heart to cut off that desire. Saving each other\u2019s life in that caf\u00E9 shootout hadn\u2019t done anything to assuage that desire either. On the other hand, he was still just as obstinate and oblivious to her feelings as ever, treating her with more concern and pity than even respect or platonic interest. Sighing, Annita returned to the spaceport traffic pattern analysis she had been looking over. There was nothing to it but to get back to work. Perhaps if she narrowed her search parameters, the computer would give a clearer resolve. She was searching for young to middle aged human females who had arrived within the last two months, but had come up with a huge list of possibilities. Assuming the Mistryl had some proficiency in forging passports and identicards, there was no easy way to facilitate some sort of sorting query. Meaning that each entry would have to be hand-checked, and even that might not yield anything. Suddenly, she was distracted by the sound of something slamming into a wall or floor. She reached for her comlink to call Dolp, the lone guard on duty at the Investigator station, when the door to her rather crowded office burst open. A lithe looking woman wielding a blaster and wearing a dark jumpsuit and hood strode into the room. Annita unexpectedly found herself staring down the business end of a blaster pistol. \u201CDrop your weapon,\u201D said the woman coldly. Annita complied numbly, carefully extracting the service blaster from its holster and dropping it on the floor. It clattered loudly as it landed on the dull tile floor. \u201CNow get up and come quietly. Hands in the air, you know the drill. Make a false move and I\u2019ll blow a hole through your dense skull,\u201D ordered her captor. Annita stood up, raising her hands above her head. \u201CWhat do you want with me?\u201D she managed. Her answer was a sudden, swift starburst of pain in the back of her head that sent her to her knees as her vision wavered. A strangely functional part of her mind connected the pain as likely caused by being hit with the barrel of the blaster. \u201CYou will not speak unless I want you to. You will not move unless I want you to. You will not do anything unless I want you to. Is that clear?\u201D grated the hooded woman. Fighting back tears and waves of pain shooting through her skull, Annita nodded, wincing at the additional agony that the motion caused. \u201CGood. Get up.\u201D Annita staggered to her feet and, at an indication from her attacker, walked down the hallways to the back entrance of the Investigator station. As she walked, she noticed Dolp slumped onto the ground, his face and neck battered. He was obviously dead, lying at the end of a small blood slick that started a little less than two meters on the wall. Her training told her that he had died from some sort of throat-inflicted wound that had destroyed his larynx. The bruises and damage to the face were likely the result of blunt trauma. Connecting that with the sound she had heard earlier, it was likely that the intruder had slammed Dolp face-first into the wall, and then jabbed him in the throat to kill. Annita shuddered. Approaching an armed guard face-first and then dispatching him unarmed before he could get off a shot implied both arrogant expertise and a level of brazenness not typically found in criminals. The neck jab alone indicated years of training and experience. This wasn\u2019t a local crime job. This was a professional, whoever she was, or really desperate. Or both. Guided by terse orders of the woman, who was careful to avoid revealing the position of her blaster by poking her with it, Annita was conducted out the back entrance of the Investigator station. Outside, she found that it was rather cold and rainy. Apparently, a cold front had blown in while she was working and now she shivered from the wind\u2019s chill as the stinging rain pelted her. Her head throbbed as the water hit it and she was quickly soaked by the driving precipitation. She was led away from the entrance to a dank alley, where a fully enclosed, nondescript gray speeder was parked. \u201CGet in,\u201D ordered her captor. Annita hesitated. The odds of rescue diminished rapidly after one was carried away from the site of abduction, and the speeder would allow her to be taken across a continent if her kidnapper so desired. Suddenly, an arm grabbed her uniform at the nape of the neck and slammed her face into the side of the speeder truck. Reeling, Annita was vaguely aware of the metallic taste of blood on her lips. Her captor drew her back again, but this time opened the door first and shoved her in. Annita tumbled into the speeder, cold, wet, and still stunned. However, the woman lost no time in quickly pinning her arms behind her back and painfully securing a pair of binders around her wrists, wrenching Annita\u2019s arms until she thought they would be pulled out of their sockets. A few seconds later, the woman slid into the driver\u2019s seat in one sinuous motion and pulled the speeder away from the alley. Lying in the back of the vehicle, Annita had no way of telling where they were going and dared not risk moving for fear of retaliation at the hands of her captor. At that point, Annita\u2019s rational mind morbidly reminded her that she was totally alone, with no way to escape or be tracked, and by an assailant who appeared to be completely ruthless. Various horrible fates ran through her mind, tormenting and taunting her. Damp and shivering, she hoped it was all a terrifying nightmare, but to no avail. Elsewhere on Commenor Sarth Kraen sat quietly by the hospital bed, trying to tear his eyes away from the horrific injuries of the man lying there. The former ARC trooper Twone had sustained them while trying to protect him and his family from Mistryl Shadow Guards. Even two days after a full team of Securers had evacuated his family and the surviving bodyguards from the compromised safe house to a secure government medcenter, the ex-trooper still lingered between life and death. Twone\u2019s partner, Spectre, had also been injured, but much less severely. He was ambulatory, but still weak. The other bodyguards, the Twi\u2019lek Bwilor and the Tunroth Drelve Tlaleo had suffered minor injuries also, though Bwilor would walk with a limp for the rest of his life as a result of his blaster wound. Sarth grimaced as the remorse hit him again. This was just the latest in the list of people who had been injured or killed trying to protect him from the Mistryl. Was there to be no peace for him? He had never done anything to them, but his knowledge of droid programming made him a target for seizure for the Mistryl war effort, and they didn\u2019t seem to let up. Maybe the only solution was to surrender\u2014after all, hiding from them didn\u2019t seem to work that well and even a Jedi and two elite ARC troopers had barely managed to hold them off. \u201CHe\u2019ll be okay, Sarth,\u201D said Cassi, sitting beside him. Turning to face her, Sarth saw the bandage on her chin and was again reminded of how he was placing those he loved in danger. \u201CEven if he is going to make it, that\u2019s not good enough,\u201D Sarth answered. \u201CWhat do you mean?\u201D she asked. \u201CThe Mistryl won\u2019t stop hunting me, Cassi. Even if I keep hiding and avoiding them, people will die\u2014and all because of me. I won\u2019t have that.\u201D \u201CDon\u2019t be ridiculous,\u201D Cassi replied. \u201CI\u2019m not being ridiculous. I have to surrender, Cassi. There\u2019s no other way.\u201D \u201CHave you told your parents?\u201D \u201CNo, and I\u2019m not going to until I\u2019m already gone,\u201D he told her firmly. \u201CI\u2019ve already written them a letter on my datapad, but I don\u2019t want them trying to dissuade me also. I almost didn\u2019t tell you, but I thought you needed to know.\u201D \u201CSarth, you don\u2019t have to do this. Don\u2019t leave me,\u201D she pleaded, shocked by his sudden revelation. \u201CNo, I do,\u201D he insisted. \u201CI\u2019m leaving you because I love you and I don\u2019t want you to be hurt anymore.\u201D \u201CYou\u2019ve thought about this a lot, haven\u2019t you?\u201D Cassi asked, her tone filled with resignation and realization. Her eyes widened with horror. \u201CYou\u2019ve made up your mind.\u201D \u201CYes, I have,\u201D said Sarth. \u201CAt least tell your parents,\u201D she told him. \u201CLet them see you off, one last time.\u201D However, their conversation was interrupted by the entrance of a heavily armed Securer sergeant with a datapad. \u201CSecure transmission for Sarth Kraen from a Micor Kraen,\u201D he said. \u201CThat\u2019ll be for me. Thank you, Sergeant,\u201D Sarth answered. Sarth took the datapad and activated it as the sergeant turned and left. \u201CSarth, how are you? Is this link secure?\u201D Selu asked as his face shimmered into view on the datapad. \u201CI\u2019m good, uh, Micor,\u201D said Sarth. \u201CAnd yes, the link is secure. What happened? We were worried about you.\u201D \u201CSorry about the delay\u2014there was an embargo and communications blackout that kept us from leaving New Holstice. And there were other complications as well. It\u2019s a long story, but you need to know this: R\u2019hask Sei\u2019lar is dead.\u201D \u201CWhat? How?\u201D asked Sarth incredulously. \u201CThere was a shootout between government forces and rebels and R\u2019hask got caught in the, uh, crossfire. We had to \u2018persuade\u2019 the local garrison that he wasn\u2019t involved, but we got offworld after some tense negotiations and the help of an old friend. I\u2019ll tell you the complete story later. We also have a new crewmember. That\u2019s another herd of nerfs to sort through.\u201D Sarth sat back, shocked. Selu\u2019s report was overloading to say the least and his synapses were having a hard time processing the deluge of new information. Next to him, Cassi sat in a similar state, clearly distraught. \u201CI know, it\u2019s shocking. It\u2019s hard for everyone here too, especially Jorge,\u201D Selu told him. \u201CI\u2019m insystem now, so I\u2019ll meet you at your location if you can provide that.\u201D \u201CI\u2019ll get the coordinates to you,\u201D said Sarth, barely able to speak. Renewed grief had caused a giant lump to form in his throat, so getting the words out was rather difficult. Sarth felt even more overwhelmed than before. Part of him wanted to ask his brother a thousand questions, but the other part of him wanted to just curl up in a ball and will it all away. Except for the presence of Cassi and parents, his life seemed to be turning into one waking nightmare. He wasn\u2019t sure how much more he could deal with. \u201CWe had to move after another attack. Cassi, my parents and I are okay, but the bodyguards were injured pretty badly,\u201D Sarth explained. \u201CAnother attack?\u201D Selu inquiredly concernedly. \u201CDon\u2019t worry, we fended them off. Anyway, here\u2019s the landing co-\u201C Suddenly, the hologram sparked, flickered, and was replaced by another image. A hooded woman\u2019s face appeared, a slight smile adorning the jade-hard face. \u201CWhat in the nine Corellian hells?!\u201D swore Sarth. \u201CGood evening,\u201D said a cool, hard voice. \u201CI trust that Sarth Kraen is one end of this transmission. Don\u2019t worry\u2014this is pre-recorded, so I can\u2019t see your precious little secrets and you can\u2019t trace my location. Suddenly, Spectre was inside the room, holdout blaster at the ready and looking with a dark fury at the holographic image. \u201CI called the Securers,\u201D Spectre informed them. \u201CThat\u2019s one of them isn\u2019t it?\u201D There was no doubt as to who he was talking about. Cassi, numb and pale with fright, nodded faintly. \u201CI congratulate you, Kraen. You\u2019ve put up a long and difficult fight, but it\u2019s over. We would have you gotten you eventually, but this way will be much less difficult, I think. \u201CYou have apparently surrounded yourself with competent and skillful guards, but your friend here was not so prudent.\u201D The image suddenly shifted to show a drenched Annita, gagged and bound with her hands behind her and a pained expression on her face. The dark background betrayed no indication of where the holo had been taken. \u201CYes. I have her, and I want you. Here\u2019s the deal\u2014no negotiation. You arrive at Munto Spaceport Bay 38 in three hours alone and unarmed, or I kill her\u2014slowly. Even if she meant nothing to you, the knowledge that the death of this innocent is on your hands will haunt you for the rest of your life. Bring any kind of datacards or whatever that you need to for your programming, but don\u2019t try anything stupid.\u201D Freighter Hawk-bat Selu stared with dismay at the cockpit\u2019s communications console as the transmission flickered and returned to Sarth\u2019s face. \u201CDid you catch all of that?\u201D asked Sarth ashenly. \u201CEvery word,\u201D replied Selu grimly. \u201CThen you know that there\u2019s only one option,\u201D said Sarth. \u201CI have to turn myself in.\u201D \u201CAnd go to Mistryl captivity willingly?\u201D asked Selu incredulously. \u201CYou heard her,\u201D said Sarth doggedly. \u201CShe\u2019ll kill Annita, and it\u2019ll be my fault. There\u2019s no other choice.\u201D \u201CThere\u2019s always another choice. Hold fast until I arrive, then we can talk. Did you trace the signal?\u201D \u201CThe Securers tried, but nothing doing,\u201D broke in Spectre. \u201CI figured as much. I\u2019m setting down in Munto soon- give me the coordinates and I will meet you shortly.\u201D \u201CNot a good idea,\u201D said Spectre. \u201CThis \u2018secure\u2019 transmission has already been broken once\u2014they could be eavesdropping.\u201D \u201CGive it to me in code, then,\u201D said Selu. Spectre gave Selu the coordinates in a series of ARC hand gestures developed for communication during the Clone Wars. \u201CGot it,\u201D said Selu, after he finished. \u201CWhat are you going to do?\u201D asked Sarth. \u201CI have an idea,\u201D said Selu. \u201CJust trust me. Spectre, keep an eye on things until I get there.\u201D \u201CCopy. Spectre out,\u201D replied the ARC, shutting off the comm. \u201CAll right,\u201D said Selu to Jorge. \u201CTake the landing please.\u201D \u201CWhy? What\u2019s the matter?\u201D \u201CI need to do some thinking and meditating.\u201D With that, Selu vacated his pilot\u2019s chair, striding down the corridor past a startled Milya back to his quarters. Commenor Spectre stood wearily, trying to assess the situation and come up with an alternative to Sarth surrendering to the Mistryl. So far, he was having a difficult time conceptualizing a scenario in which the Mistryl died and Annita and Sarth didn\u2019t. ARCs were good at improvisation, but he wasn\u2019t one hundred percent. Actually, he was barely fit for combat, if even that. The burns on his back and leg were still very fresh, but he pushed back the pain. People were counting on him to make something happen. Suddenly, his concentration was disrupted by Twone\u2019s voice. \u201CSpectre,\u201D called Twone hoarsely. \u201CWhat is it?\u201D said Spectre, kneeling down at the ARC\u2019s bed. The injured soldier was pale and shaking, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. \u201CNot . . . gonna last much longer,\u201D said Twone. \u201CI\u2019m get-getting weaker.\u201D \u201CNo!\u201D said Spectre sharply. \u201CYou\u2019ll be fine. Just pull through it.\u201D \u201CListen to me,\u201D said Twone, coughing slightly. \u201CSorry I couldn\u2019t, couldn\u2019t get them all.\u201D \u201CIt\u2019s not your fault,\u201D said Spectre. \u201CI-I know what the pilot is going to do.\u201D \u201CWhat?\u201D \u201CHe\u2019s wearing a lightsaber\u2014forgot to take it off during transmission. He\u2019s your Jedi . . . friend, isn\u2019t he?\u201D Spectre thought about it, then admitted the truth. Twone wasn\u2019t in a position to harm anyone at the moment, nor even turn Selu in to the Empire. At least, not for now. \u201CYes, he is Sarth Kraen\u2019s Jedi brother. I knew him during the war.\u201D \u201CTell him I\u2019m s-sorry about his friend on Cato. I understand now . . . about the Jedi and their sacrifices.\u201D \u201CAll right. But what is he going to do?\u201D \u201CCome . . . closer.\u201D Spectre leaned in close and Twone hoarsely whispered to him what the Jedi planned on doing. In response, Spectre\u2019s eyes widened. \u201CAre you sure?\u201D he asked. But he received no answer. Twone\u2019s eyes were frozen forever. Spectre put a hand to his neck and found no pulse. Glancing up at the lifesign monitor confirmed it: Twone was gone. Too late, a nurse rushed in and began performing attempts at resuscitation and other orderlies and medical droids followed. Spectre backed off and let them through, remaining knelt on the floor several paces away. Eventually, Spectre stood up and that motion hurt more than any injury he had ever sustained did. He had been shot nearly to pieces on several occasions and had seen countless comrades die, but somehow seeing Twone\u2019s cheery face frozen in death hurt more than anything before. Losing a friend was a relatively new experience for him. It was much simpler in the army. When people died, orders took precedence and commitment to the GAR was placed over individual survival. There were no friends\u2014only brothers and comrades and superiors and civilians. Things weren\u2019t so clean cut now. Now that he was out of the army, what anchor did he have to cling onto in the middle of loss? He hadn\u2019t been working for Bwilor long enough for any type of lasting commitment to endure, and there wasn\u2019t that same brotherhood between the Durashield Employees as there had been in the army. Spectre tried to ignore the dull ache in his gut, but the realization that Twone was gone forever would continue to haunt him.. Never one for expressing emotion, he sat rigidly for a while, disregarding all concepts of time, his face frozen in a visage of intensity. \u201CSeed the stars, Twone,\u201D he said softly, reciting the ARC creed. Spectre was still sitting like that when Selusda Kraen filed in an hour later, followed by Jorge and Milya. The Jedi stopped at the sight of Spectre and the now-shrouded body of the ex-trooper. Motioning the other two on ahead into the room where Sarth, Cassi, Lena, and Samtel were, he stood there silently. \u201CWhat happened?\u201D he asked finally. \u201CHe didn\u2019t make it,\u201D said Spectre quietly. \u201CTwone gave his life to take out some of the Mistryl and warn me of the danger.\u201D \u201CIn that case, he died defending my family,\u201D said Selu. \u201CRest assured, I will not forget it.\u201D Spectre looked up at Selu, and for the first time let his pain be expressed on his face. \u201CHe wanted you to know something,\u201D Spectre said. \u201CYou knew Bairdon Jace, didn\u2019t you?\u201D \u201CYes,\u201D said Selu, the name conjuring up memories and pain. \u201CHe was a colleague and friend of mine. He was killed on Cato Neimodia.\u201D \u201CTwone was one of the ones on Cato Neimodia when the order came down, and he followed his orders. He killed your friend those months ago. He wanted me to tell you that he was sorry, that he understood now.\u201D \u201CWhat?\u201D said Selu, his respect for the former ARC nearly ruined by the anger that arose at the thought of Bairdon being cruelly gunned down. \u201CHow did he know who I was?\u201D \u201CYou forgot to take off your lightsaber during your transmission.\u201D \u201CI wondered if anyone had noticed that,\u201D said Selu, the lightsaber now safely tucked away. \u201CI realized it after the transmission ended. What did Twone understand?\u201D \u201CHe said he understood why the Jedi were so willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good after he did the same thing. He wouldn\u2019t have wanted hard feelings.\u201D Selu slowly composed himself and realized that Spectre was right. The past couldn\u2019t be altered. Instead of clinging on to resentment, he released the sentiment and honored the sacrifice of the ex-trooper. Twone had been following orders when he killed Jace, but had voluntarily given his life to save Sarth. In that sense, it seemed to Selu that the trooper had been made of nobler stuff than it seemed initially. Following orders was the duty of all the clone troopers, as horrific and treacherous as it seemed, but Selu could think of no greater sacrifice than to willingly lay down one\u2019s life for another, especially someone who was not well known to him. No matter what Twone had done to Bairdon Jace, he had died to save Sarth, and that was what mattered at the moment. \u201CI am indebted to him. He was a great warrior,\u201D Selu said finally, not yet meeting Spectre\u2019s eyes. \u201CHe told me what you were going to do, about the choice of the Jedi. He was right, wasn\u2019t he?\u201D Selu looked Spectre straight in the eye. \u201CYes, old friend. I am.\u201D \u201CAre you going to tell the others?\u201D \u201CNo. There isn\u2019t time for argue it out with them. I need to do this quickly and I need your help to pull it off. Whenever Sarth goes to do what he has to, I\u2019ll be one step ahead of him. Would you do something else for me?\u201D \u201CWhat is it?\u201D replied Spectre, resisting the urge to automatically add the \u201Csir\u201D honorific to each sentence when addressing a Jedi. \u201CGive this to them,\u201D Selu said, handing Spectre a disk. \u201CThere are some specific instructions for you on there. I suppose it goes without saying that it\u2019s imperative that they\u2019re carried out. Keep an eye on Milya too, she\u2019s the new girl, and I\u2019m not entirely sure about her.\u201D \u201CUnderstood.\u201D And with that, Selu turned sharply and left the room, heading for his appointment with destiny."@en . "1"^^ . "15"^^ . "Quinlan Vos stepped down the boarding ramp and wrinkled his nose at the fetid smell of Nar Shaddaa. The air was laden with the odors of millions of inhabitants of numerous species and the pungent odor of the garbage and refuse they generated. The Smuggler\u2019s Moon wasn\u2019t exactly known for its hygiene, but it was a prime destination if one wanted to disappear. He had been here before, years ago, and little had changed since then. However, he soon felt another presence walk down the boarding ramp and turned to see Selu Kraen standing beside him. \u201CTrue,\u201D said Selu. \u201CSo the Jedi are defunct.\u201D \u201CWhy?\u201D"@en . "13"^^ . "10"^^ . "Force Exile II: Smuggler/Part 6"@en . "8"^^ . . . . "6"^^ .