I should have killed this guy when I had the chance, the little worrt. Never should have gone along with him, should have kept up my guard back on Kashyyk, odd that he had been so conveniently there....

But that was time past, and dwelling on the "what ifs" wouldn't get me anywhere now.

This was all getting to be a regular pain in the...

I let out a loud snort, keenly aware that he had left the commlink open so I could "overhear" their conversation. The problem was, I didn't know if it was a ruse or not.

Did I have enough gut instinct to feel if it was?

Could I take the chance that it wasn't?

Now I found myself shaking my head, growling to myself in not too much surprise to find myself answering that last question in the negative.

I didn't dare chance this. Actar would have my hide if Galen were killed; I knew he didn't give a dewback's hump about Rathal, but Galen....

"Very well," I growled, then snapped off the link. Bringing up the charts, I then tried to determine the closest place to make a brief stop. Trouble was, coming in from the Unknown Regions like this, there weren't that many known planets to land on.

Dammit. The closest was Fondor, with its orbiting shipyards and kilometers of worker barracks on the surface. How convenient for the little twerp, that he could get his ship repaired so handily....

I growled all the way into the system, where I took us out of hyperdrive. Then arrowing in toward the planet, looking for all the world like a tug bringing in a wounded ship, I brought us safely to a landing on the surface in the vicinity of one of its myriad junkyards. Snapping off the tractor beam, calmly got to my feet and went to the hatch.

An eternity seemed to pass before I opened it and remained standing at the top of the gangway in full armor.

Now I keyed in on my own personal commlink, calling up his frequency.

"Send her out, Rathal," I growled. "I'd be seven kinds of fool to stand here without protection, but you have my word as a-- fellow --bounty hunter that I'll let you go free. Unfortunately I can't promise the same for the little woman you have with you."

I then fell silent, holding my gloved hands up to show my sincerity, and waited to see if he believed me or not.

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"when he comes to get you, distract him, that fancy armor wont protect him well enough for this," he said, poking her with his monster blaster. Rathal knew he wasn't in close enough range for an acurate shot, but if he were to come a bit closer he could get Sorben easily enough, he was a great marksman after all. Then hecalled out,

"Come down half way between your ship and mine and I'll send her out to you. This is not negotiable, decline and Ill kill us both."

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My Characters: Rathal, Narcolm, Freedon Naad

I sighed.

Calmly I walked down the gangway, my hands still up in the air.

Came halfway between us, just like the doctor ordered.

Then in a rapid sequence of events, a series I hoped would hit this guy right between the eyes, I hit my hidden jetpack igniter, blasting up and over their heads, zoomed in and even as he was beginning to raise his blaster at me swung even closer, jerked to one side, and turned off the jets.

I let fly with my needler and netguns all in one fell swoop.

The needles found their mark easily enough in the soft flesh of Galen's throat. She made a little whimper, and sagged against Rathal, knocking him backwards a bit and off-balance. This in turn knocked his now firing blaster out from pointing in my general direction; his instincts kicked in and he quickly released the trigger to aim and fire again.

Heh. It's every marksman's instinct, after all....

Not bad for a beginner... but no match. The tangler wrapped him and Galen together like a cocoon, and they fell to the decking of his gangway with a loudly discernable thud.

I dashed quickly up to knock the blaster from his hand. It too became tangled in the netting, but at least he wouldn't be threatening me with it any longer.

I knelt beside him, bringing my helmet right into his face.

"Actar wants you dead," I growled, then paused long enough for the words to sink in. "But he didn't specify when. You didn't kill the woman, and for that I suppose I owe you one. So I'll let you live now, hunter.

"But!" I continued as taking out a vibroblade I now began sawing on Galen's bonds. Soon she was freed of the net; I clomped a booted foot down upon the severed ends, effectively blocking the opening should Rathal attempt to wriggle out. I leaned down into his face once again.

"You'll never feel safe again."

With that I calmly aimed my needler at him, and soon he was out for the count. Slinging Galen's slight weight over my shoulder, I carried her back aboard Ransacker, and in less time than it takes to tell it was safely in hyperspace, on the final leg to Coruscant.

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"She'll need rest. And I'm not sure how much," Shayla stated at length.

Here they were again. Stopped from achieving the Greater Good by fools. And now, more time would be spent waiting.

Shayla had always hated waiting. She'd been a "go getter," "let's act now" sort of person.

But there just really was no other option.

Shayla turned to M'wonbo'o.

"M'wonBo'o, She needs her rest," she said. Even though this particular tuk'ata had never had a mental link with Shayla, he understood and went to the task of carrying Graysith to her room.

Then, Shayla looked once more to the blue-eyed stranger and his--companion? Master? What?

Should she afford these quarters and let them run amok about the Temple? Were they supposed to be allies? Hadn't Graysith said something about that?

"We should find you both some quarters to refresh yourselves and wait," she decided, breaking the silence.

She'd have to, in the meantime, talk to Terrin and his crew and Shawn.

Lucky her.

Still eyeing the other two with not just a bit of suspicion, she for some reason waited to see if anyone had anything to offer on the dynamic events which had so recently taken place.

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Growl I.

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