Rain browsed through the shelves of the shop. The place was rather dark and grim but she supposed it was better than being out in the open where they were exposed.

After reaching civilization, they had stopped at a place called Pablo's Pawn Shop. The men had replaced their prison uniforms and were now equipped with all the gear they needed. Rain looked across the aisle at Bane, who was silently chewing a toothpick while examining the wares.

"Now all I need is a new hat," he muttered.

Rain rolled her eyes.

There's only two hats in front of you, and one of them doesn't suit you at all. This should not be a difficult decision.

As Bane picked up a fedora off the shelf, Rain crossed the aisle to where he stood and snatched up the other one, a black hat with a wide, straight brim. Reaching up, she deposited it on his head and stepped back, placing her hands on her hips.

"There. Done. Easy."

Without a word, Cad took the hat off, turning it over once in his hands before slowly returning it to his head and taking a moment to adjust it to his liking.

It's strange, Rain thought suddenly, how much more natural he looks with a hat.

It took her a second to realize she was staring. And Bane was staring back, his dark eyes fixated on her face.

"Bane?"

He blinked once, annoyance crossing his features.

"What?" he snapped.

Rain hesitated.

"Nothing."

She moved away, pretending to look around the shop while trying to calm her riled nerves. Hardeen emerged from behind one of the shelves then, addressing Bane.

"For trying to blend in, your hat sure makes you stand out," he remarked.

"I don't like hiding under a helmet," Bane replied simply.

The pawnbroker Pablo, who had been hovering in the background up to this point, approached the Duros and asked graciously, "Is there anything else you desire? A new ship?"

"Your choice of weapons is lousy, Pablo," Bane said, shoving the Rodian away, "Where can I get some quality blasters?"

Pablo uttered a nervous laugh, "I wouldn't be too picky being on the run as you obviously are."

In the blink of an eye, Bane slammed Pablo up against one of the shelves, grabbing the toothpick out of his mouth and holding it up to the Rodian's neck. Rain instinctively tensed, an odd stillness settling over her as she observed the events that followed with unwavering attention. A Twilek that had been stocking shelves raced over at the sound of Pablo's gagging, her hand flying to her mouth as she watched the scene unfold with a shocked expression.

"I'd keep my mouth shut if I were you, Pablo," Bane hissed.

Rain watched the Twilek as she reached out a hand hesitantly, a light of helpless agony in her eyes. Rain felt a sudden tightness in her chest.

Leave it alone, Rain, she warned herself, You have no reason to defend Pablo.

Her fingers began to curl into fists.

It doesn't affect me, she reminded herself, It doesn't affect me...right?

Next thing she knew, she had crossed the room in a few strides and wrenched Bane's hand away, causing the toothpick to fall to the floor.

"Stop it," she said, almost surprised at the firmness in her own voice, "That's hardly necessary."

For a split second, Rain saw the eyes of the Duros flooded with shock, shock which soon turned to anger. He threw Rain off and jabbed a finger at Pablo.

"We can't have him running his mouth," Cad snarled.

"I'd hardly call what he said a threat, more like a harmless suggestion. He's a pawnbroker trying to keep his business afloat. What did you expect? Besides, we can hardly afford to cause a ruckus wherever we go. In case you've forgotten, we are currently outlaws, so let's not draw attention to ourselves, shall we?"

Hardeen laughed, "Would you look at that, Bane? The girl's smarter than you."

Bane did not look amused. His eyes narrowed to slits, an icy look in them.

"I don't recall asking for your opinion, Hardeen."

"I figured you needed it."

Bane's mouth curled into a sneer, revealing his jagged teeth.

"The only thing I'd ever need from you is—"

"Cut it out!" Rain snapped.

As she glanced from Hardeen back to Bane, an idle thought crossed her mind.

Is this the chaos you told me about, Master Ti?

"You must have a fondness for interfering where you're not wanted," Bane said, turning his gaze back on her.

"I just want to get off this planet."

"That makes two of us," Eval said.

Bane glanced over at the Phindian.

"Fine," he muttered, heading for the exit, "We'll get our weapons elsewhere."

Moralo followed in the bounty hunter's wake, while Hardeen and Rain lingered. Rain watched the concerned Twilek fussing over Pablo, chattering away in her native tongue. Much to her surprise, Hardeen knelt down next to the pitiful-looking Rodian and extended a handful of Republic credits to his Twilek companion.

"Here. For your trouble."

The Twilek glared at Rako and slapped his hand away. He took the hint and left, Rain falling in beside him.

What in the name of the force was that? Rain thought, feeling baffled, He's a bounty hunter. He's a money-scraping coward. So why would he do something like that?

"It was brave of you to step in like that," Hardeen lauded.

"I don't think Bane appreciated the reprimand."

"I'm sure he'll get over it."

"Hey, I never thanked you."

A brief expression of surprise crossed Rako's face, "For what?"

"For coming to my rescue after we crash-landed in the swamp. Whatever your reasons were, I appreciate it."

Hardeen smiled, "You're more than welcome."

There was a slight pause between them, before it was broken by Rain.

"Why do you think Eval is letting Bane call all the shots?"

Hardeen shrugged, "I don't know for sure, but I get the impression Eval's feeling a little out of his element here, and Bane's probably the one he trusts the most out of all of us."

"As stupid as it is for anyone to trust Bane, I guess that makes sense since Bane was the one he hired to break him out of prison."

"And yet he didn't even do that."

"What?" Rain demanded.

"Unfortunately, Bane's escape plan backfired at the last minute. I was the one who broke us out," Hardeen explained, "It's most likely the reason I'm still here."

"Lucky you," Rain said unenthusiastically, "I'm still waiting for the opportunity to somehow 'prove' myself."

"Don't worry. You'll get it."

The question is: will I get it in time?

As they caught up with the others, Hardeen wasted no time in lambasting his fellow bounty hunter.

"That trader's heard worse threats than yours, Bane. He's probably calling the Hutts right now, seeing what kind of bounty there is on us."

If the Hutts catch us, then there'll be NO hope of getting off of this wasteland, Rain thought uneasily.

Moralo glanced over at a group of armed Gamorreans, a flicker of fear in his eyes.

If the stupid scuffle hadn't happened in the first place...wait.

"Relax," Bane said, pulling his hat lower over his eyes, "In this slime pool, everybody's an outlaw. Besides, they'll be looking for four of us, so we're splitting up. You find a ship. We'll get weapons."

This is your chance, Rain. Say something. Now!

"Wait," Rain spoke up, "Before we go anywhere, what if I told you there was a way I could ensure that the trader doesn't call the Hutts?"

"I don't want any killing," Eval said, "That'll just make our situation worse."

"Not killing," Rain elaborated, "Mind-tricks. It's sort of a specialty of mine."

Eval and Bane exchanged a subtle glance.

"Very well," Moralo granted, "But be quick about it."

Don't worry, I will. I have no intention of getting left behind.

Rain turned and headed back into the shop. She didn't see anyone right away but wasn't too concerned. As she glanced into the other rooms and found them all empty, she started to worry.

They can't seriously have left that quickly!

"Hello?" she called.

She was answered with silence.

Oh no.

Rain headed back outside and asked some people in the immediate vicinity if they'd seen the shopkeeper. Most told her to buzz off, one gave her a pick-up line, and another just said no.

Great. I'm screwed. Why couldn't I have thought to take care of it BEFORE I walked out?!

"This is hardly my fault," Rain muttered irritably, "Why should I have to clean up after stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid Bane?"

He's insufferable.

Rain glared down at the ground, but the sand underfoot offered no response. She sighed.

Well, Rain, there goes your chance to prove yourself. Right through your fingers. Whatever. Nothing I can do now. If the others ask me if I took care of it, I'll tell them I did, and the best I can hope for is if we can get off this swamp before the Hutts come for us.

Rain set off to track down Hardeen, figuring he would be at the nearest place where one could buy a ship. When she finally spotted him, she was perplexed by what she saw. Eval and Bane were already in the process of boarding a ship, indicating that she had arrived just in the nick of time. At the same time, Bane was blocking the ramp, preventing Hardeen from boarding.

It seems the two of them have finally reached a breaking point. The question is: what do I do? Do I intervene, or do I let things play out? Somehow I think it would be the opposite of beneficial for me were Hardeen to be kicked out of the group. And by the look of it, I have only a few more minutes to act if I don't want to be stranded here.

She took one step forward, then froze in her tracks. To her left, she could see Pablo and the Twilek from the pawn shop. They were accompanied by a Nikto guard and two Gamorreans, and the Twilek was pointing right at the two bounty hunters.

Damn it!

Rain fell back and watched as Bane kicked Hardeen off the platform before rushing on board. The ship was off the ground before the Hutts could catch up, but Hardeen was a sitting target. He was surrounded in seconds and knocked unconscious before being dragged away.

Now what?

"I hate this place," Rain hissed under her breath, "I hate my luck."

Why did I have to tagalong? I could've avoided this whole mess if I'd just split early on! Curse my impulsive nature!

Rain bit her lip in frustration, staring after the retreating ship that was supposed to be her getaway.

I suppose I could find another way off Nal Hutta. Maybe I could cut a deal with someone.

Rain rubbed her temples, uttering an exasperated sigh.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

What would I deal with? Who would I deal with? Where would I start?

Her gaze wandered back to where Hardeen had disappeared, hauled off to who knows where to have who knows what done to him.

Face it. You only have one choice. Hardeen is familiar with Nal Hutta. You're not. You know he'd probably be more than happy to assist you. You can't for sure say the same of anyone else here.

Rain looked down at her lightsabers.

Looks like I'm in for a rescue mission.

She followed the drag marks to where they ended, pausing to look around at the few surrounding buildings.

They must have used a transport, Rain thought, irritated.

The sound of voices caught her attention and she spotted two men standing nearby chatting away. She waved at them.

"Hey, do either of you know if a transport came this way? Specifically a transport carrying a prisoner of the Hutts?"

"What do I look like to you, lady?" the one on the right snapped.

Rain scowled at his harsh tone. Maintaining her cool, she tapped into the force and reached for his mind.

"You will tell me what you know," she said forcefully.

The man's eyes flooded with anger.

"Excuse me?" he hissed, "What did you just say to me?"

Oh no. It didn't work?!

Rain backed away slowly.

"Um, nothing. I didn't say anything," she said, uttering a nervous laugh.

"That's some interesting weaponry you're sporting," the one on the left remarked, leering at Rain.

I really wish I hadn't lost my cloak.

"Yeah," the first agreed, advancing on Rain, "I heard only Jedi carry weapons like that. The question is: what would a Jedi be doing all alone in a place like this?"

"Looking for trouble no doubt," said the second.

I certainly found it.

Without warning, the first swung at her. Rain ducked under the blow easily and kicked her attacker in the face before booking it out of there. She heard the man screaming curses at her, but she didn't stop to look back.

I need to remember that not everyone is conveniently weak minded.

First chance she got, she ducked into a house and waited there for a few minutes. She listened for any sounds to suggest she was being pursued, but when she heard none, she stood up to leave. It was then that she noticed the little girl in the room, staring at her with terrified eyes. Rain felt a spark of pity for the girl.

I wonder if that's what Mira and I looked like when the Jedi found us. Dirty and terrified. I hardly remember it now. We were so young.

At the thought of her little sister, tears welled up in her eyes and she had to fight away the uninvited thoughts.

Now is not the time for this.

Rain held up a finger to her lips before slipping out the door. She looked around but there was no sign of the two men.

"So now what?" she muttered.

She obviously couldn't track Hardeen and his new friends.

Then I'll go the same way he did, Rain thought, I'm sure Pablo would love another visit.

When she arrived back at the pawn shop, she found the Rodian and his Twilek companion puttering around in one of the back rooms. They stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of Rain, Pablo's eyes widening in horror and the Twilek stepping in front of him protectively and resuming her incomprehensible rambling.

"Please, we don't want any more trouble!" Pablo quavered.

"It's alright," Rain assured him, holding up her hands as a sign of trust, "All I want is for you to do me a little favour. Call the Hutts and tell them to come arrest me."

"What?"

"Oh! And while I'm here, I'd like to get a cloak."

Rain didn't get the cloak she wanted but the Hutts showed up soon enough to haul her off to jail. They didn't make it that far however, since Rain used her persuasion to convince her captors to show her where Hardeen was being held. Though when she got there, there was no sign of Hardeen, only the Nikto guard passed out on the floor. She hauled him to his feet and slapped him back to consciousness before prying from him the truth of what had happened and then promptly knocking him unconscious again.

So Hardeen escaped by himself. So much for my grand rescue. I hope he hasn't left Nal Hutta already.

Rain stepped outside again. The area she was in was crowded with buildings that all looked alike and were overrun with swamp growth. There were only a few Gamorreans hanging around so it was easy to slip past them unnoticed.

So what do I do if he is gone? Rain wondered, perplexed, I suppose I could always steal a ship. Yeah, that won't get anyone's attention and get me into even more trouble. Heck, I'm already a wanted woman.

"What to do?" Rain muttered, "What to do? What to do?"

The sound of a quiet voice caught her attention and she glanced around. She knew it couldn't be the Gamorreans; they didn't speak an intelligible word. Oddly enough, the voice seemed to be coming from above. She looked up, but instead of seeing the source of the noise, she found her gaze drawn to the sight of a distant, airborne ship. Though by the looks of it, it wouldn't be airborne for much longer. The vessel was swarmed by fighters, trailing smoke across the sky.

Is that—?

"Looking for someone?"

Rain nearly jumped out of her skin. Her hand flew to her lightsaber instinctively, but when she saw the speaker, she relaxed.

"Hardeen," she sighed in relief, "I came to rescue you actually."

The bounty hunter grinned humorously, "You're a little late."

"I see that. Shall we get out of here?"

"Sounds like a plan."

Hardeen led the way, and Rain fell into step beside him.

"So I guess you didn't take care of it," Hardeen said suddenly.

Rain glanced up at him, "Yeah, um, sorry about that."

"Don't worry. You're not the one to blame."

"Still, that chance to prove myself didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. Any ideas as to how we're getting off this swamp?"

"It's all taken care of."

"So I'm assuming the fact that Eval and Bane's ship is trailing smoke across the sky is your doing?"

"Yep," Hardeen answered readily, sounding pleased with himself.

"How did you manage it?"

"I put a tracking device on the ship. All I had to do was tell the Hutts the frequency."

"So you figured you'd be double-crossed as well?" Rain shook her head. "Wish I had thought up something that clever. So what now?"

"We wait. The others'll catch up eventually. Would you be interested in a drink?"

"Sure."

After they had left the dungeons well behind and the surrounding buildings had grown sparser, they stopped at an outdoor bar, found a table, and ordered some martinis. Propping one foot up, Hardeen leaned back in his chair before turning his attention back to Rain.

"So," he began, "Now that the opportunity has presented itself, would I be able to ask your name?"

Should I tell him? It doesn't seem likely that he'd share anything with Bane, but is it better to err on the side of caution?

She decided to take the chance.

"Rain," she answered.

"Rain, huh? I like it. It suits you."

Their drinks arrived then, and as soon as Hardeen had his in hand, he extended his glass to Rain.

"Cheers," he said.

"Cheers," Rain agreed, "To not getting thrown away like garbage."

Hardeen laughed and Rain glanced up at him.

"What?" she asked, "It's true. If you hadn't put the tracking device on the ship, we would have been stranded here."

"You know, to be honest, you're a pretty strange Sith. From what I've heard of them, I never imagined they'd be as light-hearted as you are."

"Hmm. Maybe I should work on that."

"Don't," Rako said, "This suits you better." He paused to take a sip of his drink before carrying on the conversation. "So what is it that drove you to become an assassin? No offense, but you just don't seem cut out for it."

"You don't seem to be cut out for bounty hunting."

"Why is that?"

"What you did back at the pawnshop. It was a very kind gesture, even if it wasn't well-received."

Realization dawned in Hardeen's eyes, "Oh, that. It was what they deserved, especially after being harassed. But you didn't answer my question."

Rain sighed, staring down at her drink, "I was trying to get away from someone."

"And who is this someone?"

"Someone who had a habit of telling me what to think, what to do, when to do it, how to do it, where to do it, why to do it." Rain took a deep breath. "I wanted to feel a little more in control of my life. But it wasn't easy. I had to leave someone behind to do it."

"Someone...important, I take it?"

Rain gripped her glass a little tighter, "Very. It was my sister." She met Hardeen's gaze, a deep sadness in her eyes. "She was all the family I had left."

"Do you regret having left?"

The bounty hunter's voice was surprisingly gentle.

Do I?

Rain's expression hardened, "No. No, I don't."

She took a swig of her martini, letting her gaze drop. A tense silence followed.

"I'm sorry," Rako said suddenly, "I didn't mean to upset you."

"I can't think about it much. I just get so wound up. It's not your fault." She swirled her drink in her glass. "Let's change the subject, shall we? It's my turn to ask a question."

I'm going out on a limb here. I don't expect him to give me an answer, but it's worth a shot. I probably won't get a chance like this again.

"What is it the three of you were up to?"

Hardeen considered her a moment before turning his head away and staring off into the distance.

Well, at least I can say I tried.

"We're part of a plot to kidnap the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic Senate."

Rain had to stop herself from gaping at him.

"That was...a surprisingly straight answer."

"I don't see the point in keeping you out of the loop anymore. You've given me no reason to distrust you and you're as much a part of the group as you're ever going to be," Rako explained.

Rain couldn't help but smile, "Thank you. But I find it hard to believe you'll be able to pull off such a major undertaking."

"So you're not interested in attempting it with us?"

"Doubtful, but I'll think about it. For now, I just want to focus on getting back to Serenno."

"You're headed to Serenno too?"

Rain's eyes widened in disbelief, "Too? You mean this entire time you guys were headed for the exact same destination as me, and we had to go through all of this just to figure that out?! Why did no one think to ask such a simple thing?!"

Hardeen put his hands up in a gesture of surrender, "Don't take this out on me. I wanted you along from the beginning."

"Who came up with this abduction plot?"

"Eval."

"Did he ever mention anything about Count Dooku?"

"He's in league with the Count."

That's hardly a surprise. But when did Dooku even have time to plan such a thing? And how did I not know about it? I understand I'm still a bit of a new recruit, but I've come so far since Dooku started teaching me, and he trusted me to go to Coruscant alone. Surely he must've known that in something as big as abducting the Chancellor I would prove useful. How could he deny me such a chance?

Rain pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger.

"Am I missing something?" Hardeen asked, a faint light of amusement in his eyes.

"I'm apprenticed to Count Dooku, and since he never let me in on the secret either, I'm guessing he had no intention of involving me to begin with. Or maybe he just likes waiting till last minute for dramatic effect."

"It's probably the latter."

Rain laughed, "Let's hope."

"Hang on. Our company just arrived."

Rain followed Rako's line of sight until she spotted the point of his attention. She straightened in her seat, the humor draining from her face. Hardeen, on the other hand, appeared completely at ease, a smug grin plastered on his face as he hailed the two familiar figures.

"Back so soon?" he taunted, "Let me guess. You missed me."

Rain dropped her gaze back to her drink, figuring she would let Hardeen handle the talking. But as the sound of racing footsteps filled her ears, she found she couldn't move fast enough to stop what came next. In a flash, Bane picked up Hardeen and flung him into another table. The customers sitting there stumbled back in shock and the Ithorian barkeeper shouted in protest. Rain was on her feet in a second, overturning her chair in her haste. Bane had Hardeen pinned against the table top.

"Kill me, and you won't get off Nal Hutta!" Hardeen threatened.

Moralo didn't seem in too much of a hurry to catch up, but Rain was already at Rako's side.

"Bane!" she hissed.

The Duros turned his blood red eyes on her.

"You stay out of this!" he warned.

Something inside Rain snapped. She slapped him as hard as she could, so hard she knocked him back a step, so hard her hand was throbbing. She dug her nails into her palm and clenched her jaw, ignoring the pain. No one moved. Rain swore viciously.

"No one's in the mood for this!" she glared, "You left us behind, Bane, remember? Hell, I could understand ditching me but not Hardeen! Especially not after he just bought you your getaway ticket! You're fighting the wrong people!"

"That's rich!" Bane snarled, letting go of Hardeen and grabbing Rain by the collar, "You lecturing me when we wouldn't have been in this mess to begin with if you'd just taken care of things like you were supposed to!"

"Let her go!" Hardeen shouted, snatching at Bane and breaking his hold on Rain, only to receive a fist in the face for his actions.

Moralo intervened this time, stepping between Bane and Hardeen.

"Moralo Eval is running out of time and patience," the Phindian said sharply, "Let the man talk."

Hardeen took a moment to recover from the blow before speaking up, "Look, I've got a ship, and you've got the Hutts on your tail so you make me a partner in everything."

Moralo sighed in obvious reluctance, "Your deal is accepted."

He turned to leave and Hardeen started to follow but Bane stopped him.

"No! First I want to know where you got the credits to buy a ship."

"You thought you left me for dead," Hardeen scowled, "But the Hutts owed me a favour."

"So you had them shoot us down!" Cad growled.

"You would've done the same thing, Bane," Hardeen countered, "The way I see it, we're even now."

"Now that we're all friends," Moralo cut in impatiently, "Get me off this festering stink hole!"

"Wait!" Hardeen said, effectively stopping Eval in his tracks, "One more thing. The girl comes with us."

"No," Bane said sharply.

"It's not up for debate," Hardeen glowered, squaring his shoulders, "I told her the plan."

"You what?"

"She's headed to Serenno, same as us."

"You imbecile!" Bane snarled, "You had no right to tell her!"

"There's no changing it now."

The Duros narrowed his eyes, "What exactly do you have to gain from bringing her along?"

Hardeen gave a sly smile, "The more, the merrier."

Bane hissed through his teeth but said nothing, choosing simply to direct a heated look at Rain before turning and striding away. Rain's temper flared hotly.

No way you're getting off that easy.

She broke into a sprint to catch up with him, wasting no time in getting to the point once she had.

"Look," Rain said, "You hardly have any right to be angry at me. I've done nothing to you."

"This was your whole plan, wasn't it?" Bane demanded, keeping up a brisk pace as he talked, "You intended on cozying up to Hardeen so you could get the information you needed."

"If I was a spy, I would already be long gone!"

"Doesn't mean you're not up to something."

Rain struggled to keep up with Bane's pace. They were quickly leaving the others behind.

"I'm not interested in stealing your bounty, if that's what you're afraid of."

"I'm sure I would be afraid if I felt you had the wit to pull that off."

Rain's eyes flashed, "Why do you do that? Treat me like I'm stupid?"

Bane gave her a sidelong look.

"You can't guess?"

"Don't act like you know me," Rain spat, "Because you don't. You don't know anything about me."

"Some things you make obvious, darling."

"Oh really?" Rain said dryly, "Like what?"

Bane slowed to a halt, allowing Rain to pass him.

"You're lonely," he said, drawing out the word as he said it.

Rain stopped dead in her tracks.

"What happened, sweetie?" Bane pressed, "Did you lose someone?"

Rain spun on her heel, startled as she came face to face with the Duros. He had crept up on her while her back was turned and was leaning down so they were at eye level.

"So what if I did?" Rain said, her voice nothing more than a strained whisper, "What are you going to do about it?"

The brim of Bane's hat shadowed his crimson eyes, but Rain could clearly see the shift in focus as his gaze fell to her lips. He pressed closer, causing her to stumble back in a panic. As her boot caught in the mire, her hand shot out, snagging the collar of Bane's coat. In the same moment, she felt an arm snake around her waist, dissolving the space between her and the bounty hunter in a blink. Rain's mind blanked, leaving her frozen in Bane's grip, staring fixedly into two dark pools. As his breath fanned across her face, a memory sprang to her attention. She could see it vividly, the image of herself clad in lingerie, leaning into Cad's embrace. Her cheeks warmed at the thought, her muscles bunching until her body felt like a bundle of knots.

What's wrong with me?

As suddenly as it had all happened, Bane pulled away, leaving Rain to recover from her daze.

"What's going on here?" Hardeen's voice rang out.

Rain looked up to see Rako watching her with a concerned light in his eyes.

"Nothing," she said quickly, folding her arms across her chest in an attempt to hide the fact that her hands were shaking.

Hardeen turned his attention to Bane, his expression hardening, "If you don't mind, I'll take the lead."

He pushed past them, not even pausing to look back to make sure they were following. Neither Cad nor Rain moved.

"I think Hardeen likes you, darling."

Rain stared at him for almost a full minute before speaking.

"Don't do that again."

Bane cocked a quizzical brow at her. "Do what, sweetie? Catch you?"

Eval, having just caught up, shouldered his way between them.

"If you two are done talking," he said impatiently, "Perhaps you could get moving?"

It was phrased as a question, but Rain knew it was not a request. The Phindian seemed utterly fed up with how things were going, and she didn't blame him.

The people he thought would help him just made things more complicated. And speaking of complicated—she glanced over at Bane—why do I get the feeling he reminds me of someone?

As the crowds thinned, their ship came in sight. Rain wondered wearily why it had to be so far away, but she didn't bother to ask Hardeen about it. She was just glad they would finally be getting off Nal Hutta.

Serenno is looking closer than ever.

After the four of them had boarded, Rain was dismayed to find that the ship had only two seats.

Even worse than the last ship.

She resigned herself to sitting cross-legged on the floor, with Eval standing next to her. After a moment, she came to notice a communicator tucked into the back of the Phindian's belt.

If Eval has a communicator, who would he be contacting?

She remembered Hardeen saying that Moralo was in league with Dooku.

And if I could call Count Dooku...

"Eval," Rain spoke up, causing the Phindian to turn his yellow eyes on her, "Can I have your communicator?"

"I beg your pardon?"

Frowning, Rain extended a hand and tapped into the force, unlatching the small device from Eval's belt and bringing it into her open palm before activating it. Sure enough, the Count's ever frowning face leapt into view, his eyes widening in mild surprise at the sight of her.

"Apprentice. I was beginning to think things had gone awry for you. You've taken an awfully long time in contacting me."

"Sorry, Master," Rain apologized, "I ran into some complications, but I'm on my way to Serenno now. I'm travelling with Moralo Eval; we were lucky enough to stumble across each other."

"Good. I am looking forward to hearing your report upon your arrival."

"Until then, Master."

The transmission was terminated, and Rain lifted her head to find her three companions watching her with interest. Rain gave Cad a pointed look, holding up the communicator in front of her.

"See? Proof," she said firmly, handing the communicator back to its rightful owner, "Believe me now?"

The Duros offered no answer, choosing simply to place a toothpick in his mouth before facing his chair forward and firing up the ship.

Sore loser.