-From the perspective of Nizzal-

  Thankfully, Barriss decided to take up the versation, after seeing my perplexity and pleading expression. As a result, I could afford the free time to focus on the e girl ging to my neck. I whispered my first question to her.

  -Ahsoka… how did you end up here?

  Notig my serious tone, she decided to let go of me after she pulled away from our impromptu hug. She looked me in the eye with a fused expression appearing on her face.

  -Well… I don’t really know… I was supposed to be teleported to another y of yours with Rika and a few others who I didn’t really have the time to bee familiar with. Instead of that, after the teleportation happened, I appeared in a dark, chilly pce… Before I knew what was happening, I was… frozen; quite literally… I guess that’s it really…

  I gawked at the girl. She was kidnapped while being under my prote and brought to Korriban… all that through the use of our teleportation devices. This was just wrong, and there was a clear i behind it. It could not be a ce. Someone brought her here with a purpose and I didn’t even know about it… all this time.

  I couldn’t hold her trusting gaze any longer. I failed her pletely. With that thought, I turned away from her with a growing sense of shame flooding my chest. I had been lost in my own problems, to a level where I didn’t even think about Ahsoka’s wellbeing.

  -… I-I am sorry… I didn’t even know about this…

  Ahsoka uzzled seeing how disturbed I became hearing the news. She scrutinized me with her clear blue eyes for a while, frowning at me.

  -Were you the one whht me here?

  I snapped.

  -No! Of course not… Why would I…

  -Then, I don’t see the reason why you should ask for my fiveness.

  I wao rebuke her, but stopped myself.

  Yeah… she wouldn’t see it that way… Obviously… but she doesn’t know what I know. This whole situation could have been brought on our heads because of me.

  The voices whispered in my head… like a flood of thoughts breaking through a dam. I winced from the sudden assault happening inside my mind. Which earned another worried gnce from Ahsoka.

  I listeo the mixture of iions, thoughts, expectations and scoldings.

  We were not the ones whht you here… We are not your enemy, girl… It was someone else, but we do not know who… It hides its presence well, and the shadows surround it tightly. You are trapped, in danger… you must flee… Yet you must be careful, the Sith is lurking in the shadows… ht is clouded here, we ot see far… This pce doesn’t accept our presence… We ot help you here… The darkside prefers to serve those who serve it solely…

  As I listeo the voices, I felt a sense of relief. If that was true, then it was not them whht us here… That thought alone made my stiff shoulders rex, as a relieved sigh left me. It wasn’t them…

  However, that left us with the question of who was behind all of this? If it didn’t happen uhe cil’s orders, then who could have possibly arranged something like this? Could someoruly betray us? Or are the masters trying to deceive me? It wouldn’t be the first time, but I felt that was not the case now. Maybe they made me feel like that? No… no, if I started to doubt in every sihought and feeling, I would definitely go crazy.

  Who could have dohis then? Maul couldn’t have pulled this off alone. Someone must have supported him, someone very powerful and knowledgeable about our order, but who?

  I felt as if a hand had found its way to my tightly csped fists. Following this, a sensation of pead fort began to seep into my presence, but it didn’t feel intrusive. It was merely shared with me.

  I looked at my hand, csped by an e one. I could feel the tension slowly ebbing away, my hand rexing at st. I turowards Ahsoka; she was showing me a weak, hesitant smile.

  -Since you asked me… I am also curious how did you guys end up here?

  -I… we were brought here against our iions. There is a battle happening around Corust, and we were guarding the younglings who were hiding in the retly ed lower ses of the Jedi Temple… It was at least partially ed after the es betrayal…

  Ahsoka's expression became sour.

  -I have already heard some rumors about that from the people who found me… but you o tell me everything… Did the es truly turn against the order? What about Anakin? Is he alright? And Padme?

  Oh, yeah… she couldn’t possibly know about that…

  -I will tell you everything… and yes, st time I saw them they were fine… but, I don’t know how to tell you this… Well… Anakin is no longer a Jedi… he had been kicked out, after the revetion of his oath breaking, and having an intimate retionship with a senator.

  Ahsoka opened her mouth, then closed it a few times. Eventually, she sighed and said.

  -Well, I ’t say that I am surprised… still it is strao hear it happening. I always thought that he would somehow wiggle his way out of it at the st sed… Just like usual. I guess some rules still apply to him after all. So… what is he up to now?

  -Well, you weren’t that far from the truth there… They took away his jedi titles and his lightsaber… but not his rank as a General of the Republic army… So he pretty much does the same as usual. I heard that he even procured a vibrobde of sorts to repce his lightsaber. Still, wouldn’t stop pining about it…

  Ahsoka’s eyes widened, and a surprised ugh broke out of her throat, filling the chamber with a lighthearted mood dispersing the st remnants of the still lingering tension.

  As if on cue, a tall figure walked up to us and both me and Ahsoka looked up at the newly arrived person.

  A tall middle-aged man with short bck hair and dark blue eyes with dark circles under his eyes was standio us with a deep frowched into his face.

  -Hi girls, I got the gist of your circumstances from that mirian friend of yours. To be ho, I find it hard to believe… especially the part when you were teleported here… But, who am I tue? It’s not like I find any more feasible expnations. Since you look sane enough, I guess that should suffice for now. Thing is… I don’t like the part where she told me that there is an actual Sith lord here and I am supposed to believe that you were the one who drove him off. Let me ask… was this Sith Lord a kid too?

  I felt a spike of annoyance from the way he phrased those words. There was an unmistakable mirth in his tone. I scowled at him and said.

  -No… he was not a kid. And I indeed fought him off, but you are not ined to believe me on that, based on your expression and tone…

  He smirked with an uhy amount of amusement.

  -Am I that obvious? Well, sorry about that girly… Jedi or not, I have this thing lingering in the bay mind called on sense, whietimes makes me questioain statements. Especially statements belonging to dirty little girls lost in a cave.

  Most of his gang smirked at that, which made his smile grow wider. Before he could say another word, however, a tall blue skin colored togruta woman walked up to him. She stood o him with a frown that matched his. The woman sighed and said.

  -Okay, fihis is seriously getting out of hand, now there are five of you. It seems we have to get back to the ship. We ’t leave them here, after what that green girl said…

  Said green girl was currently staring daggers into her back while saying in a cold voice.

  -My name is Barriss Offee and I believe that I have introduced myself properly.

  The togruta woman straight out ignored Barriss. That made her frown siderably sharper.

  The woman tinued without a break.

  -…and we don’t have enough supplies at hand to tihis excavation. It’s lucky that we have found a bunch of useful stuff ba that chamber which we definitely didn’t steal… right…

  Another man walked up to us. This time, he was a bald, slightly older man with a scar on his left cheek’s lower part. He had small brown eyes, fog o apart droid ying in front of us.

  He spoke up in a deep voice.

  -Did you deal with that thing as well? I doly know the type, but it doesn’t seem friendly. Based on the vibrobde still grasped in its hands.

  I him.

  He smiled, giving me an appraising look. His smile was disturbing, but not because he meant it to be. It was thanks to the deep scar that distorted his features. Eventually he said, with satisfa.

  -There might be something to her words. She didn’t even blink, seeing my smile. Most of her age would run away screaming for their mommy.

  The other man snorted and added to his partner’s uncalled observation.

  -Bamadal… these kids are Jedi padawans, they are not what you would call average. About that, I assure you. Ahsoka already told us that she had been participating in the war for years now, as a ander he less.

  The bald man smiled again.

  -Ligo, are you tellihat we have five republianders under our care now? What an honor…

  Ahsoka rolled her eyes o me, and she stood up to gre at the man called Bamadal.

  -As a matter of fact, Barriss over there is actually another ander, but the rest are not… specifically. Still, you shouldn’t uimate Nizzal, because she could likely kick your asses with a hand tied behind her back.

  I saw as the aqualish man who was standing in the back tightened his grasp around his on while giving me a cold gre.

  I was about to facepalm. They might just feel the ination to try that out if things tinue in that dire. I reached up with my left hand, pulling on her clothes to signal her that it was enough.

  However, she didn’t get the meaning and only gred at me in the middle of her argument.

  -What now?

  I stifled a sigh and said.

  -Ahsoka… you don’t have to exaggerate…

  -I am not exaggerating though.

  I winced as all eyes around were focused on me, giving me suspicious gres.

  I could only smile uhe insinuating gazes. I didn’t want to threaten them in any way. Doing that would have been ridiculous in our current predit. A wise man, however powerful he might be, should know that making more ehan absolutely necessary would eventually result in their downfall.

  Ligo, who seemed to be the leader of the group, sighed at st. Shaking his head with a helpless gesture.

  -Fine, with a bunch of kids, I doly have any other option than to call it off for now… We are heading back to the ship earlier than pnned.

  The man reached out his arm towards me. After a few seds of hesitation, I eventually grasped it and allowed him to pull me up into a standing position. With that done, he turned around and started backtrag their own steps.

  The togruta woman, standing by Ligo’s side, showed me a rge, toothy grin. She even helped me to shake off some of the dust and sand stu my clothes.

  -Don’t mind him, he just likes to anoyed all the time. We would be heading ba an hour or two, anyway. Still, you are quite the surprise to run into. If someone would ask me what the strahing was we ever found in a Sith ruin, I definitely know what to tell them from now on.

  She ughed, seeing my baffled expression.

  -Oh well, aside from looking horrible, covered in grime and sand, you all look fio me. So step in line now, if you don’t want to stay behind. We have quite some distao cover. While we walk, you share your story as well. It might not be aatement if I say that retty ied in it, and in a bit more detail than yreen friend told us.

  I gave her a cursory look. While sensing another spike of annoyaning from Barriss’ dire. She spoke up, as she couldn’t tain her annoyanymore.

  -You shouldn’t refer to me like that. You wouldn’t like it if I called you blue womaher.

  The togruta woman only raised an amused eyebrow at that in Barriss’ dire. Then told her humorously.

  -Aren’t you the creative one? Hmmm…. but be my guest.

  - You… sigh…

  With that, their versation was over, and she stepped closer to me while whispering in my ear protrusion.

  -Ain’t she a spiky one, eh? I like Ahsoka a lot more; she is fun to tease, almost as bad as Suye, and you… well I don’t quite know yet, there is no hurry though… We will have enough time to warm up to each other on the road.

  She wi me, then stepped back, leaving my personal space as quickly as she intruded on it.

  Several hours ter, in an improvised camp still ihe cave systems.

  -From the perspective of Lily-

  We have been walking for almost the entire day. It didn’t bother me at all. With the pace we were traveling at, I could likely tio move on indefinitely. Well, at least until I became too hungry, and I was hungry now.

  I wao find something to eat, but when I was about to leave the camp, one of the new panions stopped me and chased me back to the others. Saying that I should not loiter around and go to sleep or at least rest while I .

  I told the bald fool that I was fihat I was hungry and wao search for nutrients.

  To that he snorted, saying that I would be a lot more likely to bee food for something else. Before I could protest, he threw something towards my face, which I reflexively caught out of the air with my left hand.

  That a seemed to surprise him. His facial expressions were indig a level of mild surprise. An expression that I always had trouble figuring out, but sihe Overmind was ing in my brain, it could teach me the subtle signs, or simply tell me what his expressio. I seemed to have grown on the mental spatruder over time. He was a lot smarter than me, unfortunately a lot more arrogant too, which was a bit annoying at times.

  For example, not too long ago, after the behaviors of different alien spices about my body’s age while we stayed iemple. He expressed his thoughts about me probably beiarded in some ways. I didly know what he meant by that, and when I asked what he meant. He said that it was as he feared and didn’t bother to give anymore information.

  I was looking at the thing in my hand, but couldn’t quite figure out what that was. Then I heard the grumbling voice of the bald man, whose name I couldn’t bother to remember. However, I know for certain that his arted with "b" just like the word "bald" did. In a se ractically the same.

  He spoke up bringing my attention back to the ongoing versation.

  -Eat that instead and go to sleep.

  My eyes shined a bit, as I looked at the strahing with a lot more i now. The man also noticed the ge and couldn’t help but shake his head in amusement.

  -One would think that the Jedi were starving their young these days…

  I looked up at him and said, while leaning my head to the side with wonder.

  -They gave me sandwiches. I liked it. However, now that you mention it, the droid server thing, person?… W i became very angry at me when I asked for raw meat instead of the offered choices. He asked if I was joking, and when I said I don’t know what he means, it threw a rge spoon at me, which I dodged easily, but that only made it more angry and it chased me out of the dining room. While everyone was ughing…

  The bald man was staring at me with a stupefied expression now. Eventually, to my great displeasure, he also started ughing.

  -HAHAHA! Kids these days… You asked for raw meat instead of the food he made you with hours of work… Damn girl, you should feel happy that you didn’t end up in the day’s soup .

  That thought made my body stiffen with fear. My eyes widened as I looked at him.

  -Wou-would they do that?

  The man, seeing my stroion, made an evil smile and stated while interg his arms in front of his chest.

  -Hmm-hmm… yes, they would definitely do that. If I were you, ime I go there I would plead for their fiveness.

  I gulped, trying to moisten my suddenly dry throat, nodding frequently.

  -Yes… I will definitely do that…

  The man showed me a wry smile, then waved his hand, saying again.

  -Kids these days… whatever, now get out of my sight. I don’t need you b me in the middle of my guard duty.

  I nodded o time, then before I left, I looked at the shiny bar in my hand.

  - I ask o question?

  The man refocused oh a growing sense of frustration, but he nodded eventually.

  -How do I eat this? It feels strange… I am not sure if it’s edible. It’s shiny though…

  The man blinked. Giving me a long look.

  -It’s a chocote bar… The packaging is supposed to be shiny, and eye-catg… If you don’t like it, just give it back. It was from my own reserves.

  -Oh… that is not the case. I like it very much… thank you, but…

  -But what?

  He asked, feeling even more annoyed now.

  -Am… am I supposed to eat the packaging as well?

  The man blinked. He was in a state of disbelief based on what the Overmind told me. A few silent seds went by like that, then he eventually asked.

  -What?…

  He shaked his head and asked again a few seds ter.

  -Why… why would you eat… no obviously, you shouldhat… it would make you sick…

  I asked with simir surprise and a sense of betrayal.

  -Are y to poison me, but... why? I didn't do anything to you...

  He was clearly fused for whatever reasoopped again in his talking, looked at the chocote bar in my hand, then back up at me, asking with a humorous, slightly crazed grin. Well, at least that was how the Overmind described it to me.

  -Girl… were you living in a cave until now?

  My eyes shined with glee, my face suddenly feeling warm from the ued question, reminding me of my first . I answered with a happy excmation.

  -Oh, yes! This pce actually reminds me of my home… you see… all the different caverns. This one is a bit dry for my taste. I liked the humidity of my own one a lot more.

  The man's smile froze, his expression darkening siderably. He asked, while looking at me with a plicated expression.

  -Are you retarded?

  I was ripped away from the familiar and fortable memories of my home, as that annoying word appeared again.

  I grumbled to myself and asked.

  -You are not the only one who referred to me with that word retly…

  The man seemed to bee a bit unfortable hearing that, but I tinued.

  -I asked them what they meant by that word, and they didn’t tell me… Would you expin it to me?

  The man looked away with a sense of growing disfort. After that about half a minute of silence went by as I was staring at him, patiently waiting for an expnation.

  Suddenly he stood up from the rock he was sitting on, stepped closer to me, and snatched the chocote bar out of my hand. I watched as he ripped off the packaging in a straion, then he gave me the part that was hidden uhe c. Noart felt a lot more edible. It had an overly sweet fragrance. Something that I couldn’t pare to anything.

  The man looked at me one more time with this strange expression that was supposed to be pitying based on the words of the Overmind.

  He was about to pat my head, but eyeing the psionic receptors c the top of my head, he ged trajectory and pced his rge palm on my left shoulder. He patted my shoulder a few times, awkwardly, then said.

  -It means… that you are a bit special girly… Don’t yourself about that. If you are hungry, just e to me iure. I have a few more of that. Now, enough of you, shoo…

  I looked at him. Then said.

  -I see… thank you bald man. Hunting is b anyway…

  With that, I turned around and walked bay pce. I was resting against the wall o the irls. I took a bite from the strange substan my hand. The few seds were a bit blurry, as the sweet fvor assaulted my brain in the form of powerful waves. I couldn’t stop myself and gulped dowire thing before I knew what was happening.

  Still… I vaguely remember someone shouting at me something along the line of did you call bald? Then spouting something about being an ungrateful bastard of a brat…

  Was that the Overmind ag up again… well, who cares?