Protector Mine

Setting: Coruscant

Time: 25 years before Episode 1. 2 years before Mandalorian Civil War

Characters: Jaster Mereel, Chandra Porter

Cameo's: Yoda, Qui-gon, Dooku, Phen Shysa

Premise: As the tensions of cultural unrest divide the ancient warrior race of Mandalorians on Concord Dawn, the Journeymen Protectors continue to work for hire throughout the galaxy as protectors, hunters and some as assassins. One such Mandalorian, taking his first independent contract at the urging of his retiring grandfather, he replaces the elder Mereel in the protection of a high society spoiled business mans daughter, a few years his senior. Though the position is more for esteem and show of status and seems below the capabilities of the highly toned skills of the notorious warrior, he fulfills his duties with honor. Eventually, despite the mandate to remain aloof and unattached, Jaster soon finds himself feeling pity for the empty life of his charge and her desperate attempts to fill it with dangerous acts of charity that go against the underground businesses of her parents. After only a few weeks into his new positions a few incidents convince Jaster that Chandra's life is truly in danger. Despite her reassurances that he is being hyper sensitive because she is not important enough to warrant an assassination attempt, Jaster's investigation and duty lead him into a difficult decision which could determine the very fate of the Mandalorian way of life.Authors: This story was co-written by Jonathan Scott and Julia McGee. Julia devised the premise and chapter outlines and each chapter was written out alternately by Julia and Jonathan. The chapters written from the perspective of Chandra were authored by Julia and the chapters written from Jaster's perspective, except for a few scenes here and there, were written by Jonathan. Jonathan did research on the background of the Star Wars Universe from the many sources he has acquired on the extended universe, including comics, source books, novels and other material. Julia and Jonathan worked together to create details of the Mandalore culture that are not contained anywhere. The story was posted originally on Obi-wans Jedi Academy chapter by chapter. It is a collaboration of both of their efforts and neither could have written it without the others input, inspiration and motivation… not to mention emails and pm's from Art and Alisa asking for the next chapter. A special thanks goes out to Art for his support and encouragement throughout the writing of this story… as well as his honest opinions which helped in the molding of Jaster's character.

**************

"Chandra," Ban said in a tone that didn't sound good.

She turned from her bedroom mirror to her Protector, surprised that he would enter unannounced. "What is it?" she asked. "Surely you haven't found some REAL reason to protect me, Ban Mareel?"

As usual, Ban was wearing his helmet, putting on the charade like a good Journeyman Protector. Even though his position was little more than a status symbol for the rich socialite teen, Chandra never once in the seven years he was her main protector remembered him taking his job lightly. But even so, it wasn't like him to be so grim.

"I have been called to another assignment," he said gravely. "I must leave at once."

"Ooh…" she said disappointed. She was getting ready for one of Coruscants many summer festivals and having to take a substituted protector would make the evening uncomfortable. She stood and tapped his gloved hand. "I'll be fine. Don't you worry about me," she said. She then turned around and went into her walk in closet to change out of her robe. Calling out she said, "Just stay in once piece and come back to me…"

Ban had followed her into her closet and scared her when he said, this time his helmet in his hand and his old gray eyes staring sadly at her. "It's not just an assignment, I'm being reassigned. Your parents have asked me to retire from this position."

"WHAT?" Chandra said in disbelief. "Why? That doesn't make any sense!" She walked quickly to the com center. "There has to be some mistake…"

"No," he said, slowly coming after her. "The orders are clear. Officially they are claiming I am too old to be of use to you. My replacement is waiting on the above platform, as is my transport."

Chandra put in her call to her mother's emergency com address. Her eyes began to sting as she watched Ban slip his helmet back on, seal it and walk towards the lift. She tapped her slippered foot and crossed her arms waiting impatiently for the call to go through. Finally her mothers secretary answered.

"Birtha," Chandra said relieved. "Get me mother, this is an emergency," she said, leaning on her hands and staring down into the camera screen.

The squirrelly brown haired woman, laughed nervously and said, "Carrien said you'd be calling! How does she always know these things? She told me to tell you that she's made up her mind. She said that you'd like what she's picked out for you. Even though Ban actually picked out the new model, she approves strongly." Then with excitement she said, "What is it, Chandra? What did she do? Buy you a new shuttle again? You should be thankful you have such generous parents..."

"No," Chandra said, wiping a tear. "She fired Ban Mareel… She didn't even ASK me!"

"Oh…" Birtha said surprised and compassionate, "I'm sorry…"

"I have to go," Chandra said and was just about to hit the sign off when Birtha called out.

"WAIT! I just remembered! Your mother wanted me to be sure to tell you that she saw your transfer of funds to the shelter and that you should know better than to use your tuition payments for handouts," Birtha said in a scolding tone. "If you don't mind me saying it, Chandra, she has a point. You would better help those people if you got your degree and worked in your father's business where you could HIRE them. You seem to have everything backwards, little lady."

Chandra heard the sound of the transport above starting up. "No…" she moaned and ran away from the com, leaving it on with Birtha calling out.

"Chandra honey! You have to turn it off! You can't leave it on, it costs money to leave the connection open…"

But Chandra didn't care. She climbed up the emergency ladder in her slippers and robe, her hair still up in a scarf. She didn't have time to wait for the lift. After she punched in the code, she had to really shove to get the port to open and then the cold whipping wind almost knocked her back inside. But she fought against it, and held her robes as they blew wildly in the wind. She ran up to the Mandalore who had practically raised her.

"Don't go!" she cried. He was talking to another Mandalore and turned to her, tilting his head. "PLEASE!" she cried, "I don't know what I'm going to do without you… you can't leave me…"

"Chandra," he said extending his arm and touching her shoulder with his gloved hand. "You are stronger than you think."

In that moment she didn't care about protocol or proper etiquette or even what her new protector might think of her. She stepped into his outstretched arm and clung to him, sobbing. "I don't want to be alone… Ban, I can't do this… I can't say good-bye!" Chandra felt like she was on the verge of hysterics. She had never felt such pain before.

Ban hesitantly put his arm around her for a moment. And then in his filtered voice he said, "You won't be. Jaster is your new protector and he will be with you."

"It's not the same," she said pulling away and shaking her head.

"Nothing stays the same," Ban said. "And I will permit you to contact me, should you ever need to."

Chandra looked up at his helmet visor in amazement. It was something that went against the 'remain aloof' mentality that Journeymen Protectors strove for, especially those that protected the children of drug smugglers. After he said it, Chandra felt stronger. She realized that she wasn't just another assignment to the aged Mandalore. She nodded and said, "Thank you. I won't abuse that privilege."

"I know," he said nodding to her and then to Jaster he said, "Take good care of her, son."

Jaster simply nodded. And they watched Ban climb on board the transport and fly away. ************The wild wind brutally whipped Jaster’s half cape in the air and the Mandalore Protector could hear the faintest howl of the winds as they slammed into his immovable body. He imagined he must have been quite a sight to behold with the wind blasting his cape around him like it was. Jaster slung his long rifle over his left shoulder as he fixed his gaze on the young woman he was charged to protect.

She was still watching the distant transport, carrying his grand-father away, as she held her light pink silk robes against her body. Beneath her robes she wore a long white slip and Jaster thought to himself that at least it wasn’t pink like her robes, her plush slippers and even the scarf holding up her hair. Realizing, perhaps for the first time, that she most be cold standing on the roof, Jaster approached Chandra and stood on her left side, slightly behind her as any subordinate would.

"Its too cold for you out here, M’lady."

The Journeyman Protector hoped his voice didn’t sound as scratchy through his helmet filter to her as it did to him.

He watched Chandra slump her shoulders and sigh. He could tell she was upset, disappointed and saddened by his grand-father’s departure. Aside from her open emotional display, something Jaster wasn’t used to seeing, he could easily read her body movements. She wasn’t making any effort to conceal her displeasure. The Mandalore tried to tell himself that he shouldn’t be surprised by her actions, he was told by command that she had lead a very pampered life and was used to getting her way.

As he watched her slowly walk past him, towards the lift, Jaster felt the urge to try and offer some comfort or maybe reassurance. "Don’t worry, M’Lady, I will serve you just as well as Ban."

Chandra nodded slowly as she keyed in the sequence for the lift. "I’m sure, Protector, though there is little that I need protecting from."

Jaster didn’t offer a response as he stepped onto the lift after her, maintaining his position to her left. The few short minutes that it took for the lift to return them to her apartment were kept in silence. Jaster enjoyed the silence, it was something he was trained to maintain:

‘A Journeyman Protector should be seen but never heard. It is a wise protector who uses the silence to study his surroundings and those he most ultimately deal with.’ Or so the saying went. Jaster remembered his father telling him it while preparing him for the trials.

As the lift whined to a halt, the Mandalore Protector unslung his rifle and for the first time since he had arrived, he broke social code and stepped in front of Chandra. The click of a safety being shut off was faintly heard, followed by the low hum of his rifle beginning to charge. The lift doors swung open and Jaster quickly scanned the surrounding area that the elevator opened into. Chandra pushed her way past him as she said off-handed "I doubt anyone is waiting in the wings to do me any harm. Nothing has happened in the seven years Ban was my Protector."

Jaster nodded his helmeted head slightly as he answered in his distant and filtered voice "It is my job to see to that, M’Lady. To do otherwise and I would be lax in my duties."

"Of course." Chandra answered as she moved off toward her bedroom, Jaster still following a step or two behind her.

As the two reached Chandra’s bedroom, Jaster reached out a gloved hand and gently stopped the young lady from entering. Motioning his rifle toward her door Jaster said "I’ll secure the room before you enter."

Chandra nodded as she allowed Jaster to enter before her. She knew better then to argue with him about it. It had probably been the same way for the first few months that anyone would serve as a Protector, always checking her penthouse rooms after they had been away, no matter how long or short of a time they were actually away. She waited just outside her door, listening as she heard Jaster move throughout her room. Finally the armored Protector returned to the door and nodded his approval. Chandra sighed as she stepped into her room and tossed off her slippers.

Jaster stood just inside her door, his long rifle held sternly in his hands, as he couldn’t help but watch her slip off her robe. Her olive skin was more fair looking, more civilized and noble then that of his own skin tone. She would certainly standout in a group of Mandalore. Jaster tried not to stare too hard at her undergarments as she moved about her room, gathering up some evening clothes. He couldn’t believe that she would be so bold or maybe reckless to change without asking him to leave the room. Most of those who could afford to hire a Journeyman Protector as a personal bodyguard preferred their privacy and weren’t very fond of a Protector being around all the time.

Maybe Ban broke her of that..... Jaster thought to himself with a faint smile.

Jaster shook his helmeted head slightly as he moved further into her room, towards one of her windows. He focused his gaze on a point across the way, another building’s roof. He didn’t want to stare at Chandra as she dressed herself, though he knew she wouldn’t be able to tell thanks to his tinted visor.

But I would know....

Precious more minutes passed in silence between the two until finally Chandra spoke up. "I’m ready to go, Protector......."

She paused for a moment before she continued "....Mereel, right?"

Jaster turned from the window as he answered "Yes, M’Lady."

He was surprised to see what she was wearing. It was more modest in some ways then what he would have expected from a daughter of wealth but it was more elaborate in other ways then what he had seen from other socialites. It was a snug fitting dress, lined with elegant embroidery and, even though it was another shade of pink, the dress complimented her well. She wore a pink headband in her simply kept brown hair, no doubt to bring the entire array of clothing together in a common theme. The Mandalore protector couldn’t help but draw a connection from her to his mother though the two really looked nothing alike. He thought it most be the way that she kept her hair straight and simple, her light brown eyes, all playing against the elaborate dress.

Chandra led him through her penthouse rooms back toward the lift. They paused for a moment at the lift as a robotic humanoid trotted up to them with a long, thick white coat in its hands. The droid’s gears and servos whined as it handed the coat to Chandra and said "Your transportation awaits you, madam. Have a good evening at the party."

"Thank you, 3X." Chandra answered softly as she took the coat and slipped it on. As the droid walked away slowly she boarded the lift, followed by Jaster. The Protector couldn’t help but wonder if her coat was made of Wampa Fur or some other exotic material. The lift climbed to the roof landing platform again and as it brought them out onto the platform the winds again greeted them.

Jaster again insisted that he be the first to step completely onto the roof and, again, spent several moments checking things out before he motioned for Chandra to join him on the roof.

"Clear." he said simply as she walked pasted him towards their waiting transport.

The transport pilot opened the door of the repulse vehicle for Chandra and after she stepped into the vehicle Jaster waved the man back towards the cockpit. After he watched the man climb inside, the Mandalore stooped over and looked at Chandra. "There are guide rails and extended foot holds on this transport. Would you like me to ride outside?"

Chandra shook her head and motioned toward the extra space beside her. Jaster sighed as he stepped into the transport and closed its door behind him. He was surprised that she would want to share the inside of the cabin with him and his bulky equipment.

****************

When Jaster sat down next to her, Chandra said, "I need to explain a few things to you about the party."

"Very well, M'lady," he said.

She liked the way he called her, 'M'lady', it was something very few protectors did. Most simply said, 'Ma'am' or 'Miss Porter'. She smiled and said, "You have very nice manners, I can see that. But at these parties you're going to have to be very careful not to appear too… concerned. Do you think you can do your job without making a show? Our host has spent quite a bit on security and if we come in there demanding to see every room or pat down every person that comes near me…do you understand my point?"

He nodded his black and red helmet and said, "So long as I can remain close by your side."

"Just don't look like you're hovering," she said.

"I will be discrete, M'Lady," he said. "Is there anything you can tell me about the attendees before we arrive?"

"Thank you," Chandra said. Then she continued. "There will be a half a dozen other Mandalore protectors there that I know of and all of them take their job as seriously as you. However, in addition to them, there will be some Klatoonians Arms-men and at least one Gammorian guard."

Chandra paused, to see if Jaster would respond to that. He simply nodded. As she continued she glanced out the window at the festival lights and banners that decorated the cityscape. People could be seen on all of the platforms and there was even more traffic in the sky than usual.

"Most of the people at the party will be offspring of your basic rich upper crust, some the children of senators. The only danger I can see for me tonight is from a certain Buck Gellon, who has been hitting on me for a year now. Ban told him to leave me alone because I was too young, but the rude wompa just won't take no for an answer. I'd blow him off completely, but his parents are huge clients of my dad, and I know Buck would make things horrible for me if he ever thought his chances with me were completely nil. Part of me thinks that my father gives him the idea that eventually I'll come around just to keep his parents supplied in… medical supplies."

She stopped short and looked away, feeling a little self-conscious at having been rambling about herself. "Anyway, if you could keep him away from me, I'd appreciate it."

"Understood, M'Lady," Jaster said.

She smiled, thinking his voice didn't sound annoyed with her as she expected. The other protectors substituting for Ban had been barely tolerant of her talking.

"We're here," she said looking out the window. She was hardly excited to attend yet another social function, but there were a few people Chandra was looking forward to seeing.

When questioned by Jaster, the pilot explained as he dropped them off on the platform that he would park the vehicle and wait for them to call. Jaster got the exact location and then indicated he was ready. Chandra was trying her hardest not to be impatient with him. He was new, and young and had no idea how 'in vain' his job was. Soon he would learn and he would get bored. That's how it was with most protectors… except Ban. She put the thought outside of her mind.

By the time they got to the front door, she was wearing her party smile and greeted 4-1D with a warm, "Hello, OneDee my silver friend! 3X sends his regards." She handed the protocol butler droid her coat and walked past it while it acknowledged her greeting from under the heavy coat.

"Greetings, Miss Porter, Who is 3X, I do not know any 3X…" it rambled as she entered into the main room. Jaster followed close behind.

"Poor thing must have had its memory erased again," she said. "Must have been blabbering about something he shouldn't have to someone he shouldn't have been."

The lavishly furnished receiving room was full of guests in wild attire. The costume colors were flashy and the music was lively. She entered, unnoticed at first and scowled the room for her friend. Once she spotted her friend, Mur, Chandra went directly up to her. To her chagrin she was intercepted by a loud Rodian who embraced her warmly. Jaster kept close by, watching the alien carefully. But the Rodian didn't mind, probably because she had a Klatoonian guard checking Chandra out as well.

"Hello Selve," Chandra said, as cheerfully as she could.

"Is this a new one?" Selve asked. She looked up at Jaster with her large teal eyes. "Same colors as the other… I always liked Black and red… so sophisticated." Then Selve gasped loudly, making Jaster's head turn towards her. "You should dress to match him sometime!" she exclaimed.

Chandra laughed and said, "No, I'll stick with my pink and white wardrobe thank you very much."

"Chandra, my dear, why do you always dress so drab?" Selve said with a frown. "You have such great features for a human female, you should show them off more."

As she said it, Chandra noticed that Mur had moved out of the room and she could see Buck Gellon was on his way over to them with his own Protector in tow.

"Here comes the reason why," she said. "That's Buck," she said to Jaster. Jaster turned and scanned the room and then seemed to lock on to the man walking towards them. "But I suppose the only way for him to not notice me is if I dress up as a Wookie…"

Selve laughed and said, "I'm going to tell him what you think of him one of these days."

"Don't you dare!" Chandra said with a laugh. "My father would KILL me! AND you!"

"Hello, beautiful ladies," Buck said with a grin. He reached his arm up as if he was going to embrace her and Chandra cringed, readying herself for the inevitable.

Jaster quickly yet casually stepped between Buck and Chandra. She stepped back a little and pressed her lips together, trying to hide her smile.

"Excuse me," Jaster said in a calm, filtered voice.

"No, YOU excuse ME!" Buck said indignantly. He turned to his own Protector and said, "Are you going to allow him to threaten me?"

Chandra rolled her eyes. This was exactly why she didn't like Buck. He was so dramatic. The entire room was looking at them, just the way Buck liked it. And just the way she hated it. He stood there in his flamboyant robes, arms crossed, waiting to be pacified. He was one of the few who needed protecting and Buck was lucky his parents could afford a Mandalore or he would have lost his pathetic life years ago throwing one of his tantrums. But few were stupid enough to mess with someone trailed by a notorious Protector.

Bucks Protector said something to Jaster in Mandalore. Chandra tried listening carefully to catch what he said.

She thought she could make out the other Protector saying, "The boy is harmless… I give you my word."

Jaster answered in Mandalore as well, but Chandra couldn't understand his accent as well. "…I trust you…" was all she could get.

Then the other protector rambled on but Selve spoke and it hindered Chandra's ability to listen. "If you're looking for Mur Fawn, she's just started, did you hear? I knew you'd want to know."

"No!" Chandra said, horrified. "She promised me she'd stay clean."

The two Mandalore's were finishing up and Chandra thought for sure that she heard Jaster say, "…I plan to keep my dog on a short leash, you do the same."

Chandra's eyes went wide and if it weren't for what she had just heard from Selve about Mur, she would never have let her new protector get away with that, even in Mandalore.

Buck's Protector spoke to him in basic, "Master Gellon, it is this Protectors first night with his mistress. His concern is warranted, considering that he doesn't not know you and detected the weapon you insisted you carry."

"How did he…" Buck started to protest, feeling his side through his robes.

"It is my duty to know," Jaster answered.

Chandra walked away from the scene, looking for Mur. Jaster followed her and thankfully Selve took over entertaining Buck for her. When she found her friend in a small crowd by a large fishbowl, she could tell immediately Mur was different.

"Mur," Chandra said sadly. She walked up to her and the blonde she had known since childhood looked at her with reddened eyes. "You were my last sober human friend," Chandra said. "Why?"

"My parents found a new supplier for their business," Mur said in a dull, flat tone. "You should try laying off the guilt trips. You don't know what you're missing." Mur backed away towards the group of dazed people she was with and Chandra felt suddenly alone.

She scanned the room and could find no one she could confide in. Then, as if on cue someone called that there were decorated floater ships going by outside. The room emptied onto the huge balconies. Only a dozen or so people remained inside. Chandra headed for the refreshment table. She didn't care much for heights.

The presence of a Protector following behind her was familiar, but not the same as if Ban was there. He had been present the night that Mur had come to Chandra, begging for help. The two of them had made a pact that they would never use spice or any other drug. Mur was being pressured by her family to try and her parents had pressured Chandra as well, but neither wanted that kind of life. Then something struck her. If Mur had become a user the chances are she told her parents about their conversation, which is why they must have chosen someone besides her father.

She looked up at Jaster and realized this was her punishment for betrayal. Her father had always warned her to stop interfering with his clients, and he had followed through by releasing Ban. Jaster tilted his head slightly as she stared at him with haunted eyes. It was her fault she lost Ban...

"Chadra, you HAVE to come see the floats this year!" Selve called out to her. "Don't be afraid!"

Chandra put on a smile. "I'm not afraid," Chandra said, "I have my protector to save me. I just don't like floats."

Selve came up to her, followed by her guard and took her hand. "You're lying," she said in Rodian. "You haven't taken your eye off of the monitor since they started!"

Chandra laughed and the four of them went out on a side balcony. They stood there for half an hour against the wall, watching the ships sail by. They were beautiful, but she wasn't comfortable outside.

"Come closer!" Selve said, "LOOK! It's the Nubian float… they have SUCH a flare for the ornate."

Though she had never worn them, Chandra had bought a few gowns from Naboo and had to admit she wanted to see the float. She ventured closer. And Selve put her arm around her and nudged her closer still.

Jaster was close behind them and the Klatoonian said to him, "You watch her like she's going to fly away."

"She might," Jaster said.

Chandra turned around and looked at him up at him and said, "I'll be fine."

They got to the edge of the balcony and Chandra watched as the huge ship flew close to them. She was amazed at the colors and the beauty of it. She put her hands on the railing and Selve let go of her.

"See, they are much better close up," she said in Rodian. Someone else came up to them and Selve began speaking to him.

Chandra had to admit seeing the floats so close up was much better than on the tiny monitor in the other room. She could tell Jaster was right behind her and it gave her some comfort. Just as the Nubian ship floated out of site, Chandra pushed off of the rail to turn around and it moved with her touch.

She let out a small yelp and could have sworn she felt the rail not just fall beneath her, but be pulled from her hand. There were four other people leaning on the same railing and three of them fell. Two of them were Selve and her bodyguard.

Chandra was leaning over the edge, watching them drop, her voice caught in her throat.

**************

Jaster reacted quickly as he watched Chandra slip over the edge of the broken railing, his honed reflexes acting before he gave much thought to the situation. He grasped her left hand and pulled her back onto the stable portion of the balcony then urged her inside as he moved back towards the ledge to look for the Rodian and her body guard. He spotted them both plummeting into the depths of Coruscant far below. He could only save one of them and the Mandalore had a proverb....

In this case, Jaster knew he would have to attempt to use his line cable to reach Selve, her body guard knew what he would be getting himself into when he accepted his duties. As the Mandalore Protector aimed his right hand gauntlet over the crumbled railing his range finder swung down to feed him trajectory data and information on the upcoming wind drafts. Jaster adjusted his aim as he activated his 360 degree h.u.d. view so he would still be able to keep his eyes on Chandra. Once he saw the frightened but safe girl in his view he fired his tow line and watched it sail quickly toward his intended Rodian target. As the line reached one of Selve’s flaying arms Jaster jerked his right arm to the left and then the right again causing the tow line to snap around the Rodian’s wrist. The Journeyman Protector was jerked forward slightly as the line went tight. Jaster knew that he had probably just pulled the Rodian girl’s arm out of socket but thought that she would be more appreciative of that then the alternative.

He adjusted his weight as he spotted movement behind Chandra. Again before he had really thought it, Jaster pulled one of his silver coated blaster pistols from its holster and aimed it with his left hand, just beyond Chandra.

"Back!" He warned in his filtered and tinny voice.

The man, Jaster recognized him as Buck, stopped short of Chandra and raised his hands, his flamboyant robe sleeves falling down his thin arms. Chandra turned to see him just as his Protector was running up to ascertain the situation.

Jaster heard the small gears in his right gauntlet begin to hum with life as they slowing started to retract Selve and his whipcord. With his blaster pistol still trained on Buck, Jaster warned his Protector in Mandalore "Keep the boy away. Until I have determined the situation I will treat any non-Journeyman as a threat to Chandra’s life."

Buck’s Protector nodded and placed a gloved hand on his charge leading him back into the building. Jaster adjusted his weight and holstered his blaster pistol as he saw Chandra move closer to him. He couldn’t tell for sure but he thought he felt her press against his back, almost like she was trying to hide herself in or behind his crimson half cape. The Journeyman held out his left hand and grasped Selve by her untangled arm pulling her onto the balcony. The Rodian looked up at him and chirped in her native tongue "Thank.....thank you......."

Jaster untangled his whipcord from her right arm as he noticed for the first time all of the swarming media cambots. He hated the media, the lime light and the way they liked to distort things. Quickly he helped Selve to her feet and, making sure that he kept Chandra out of the cameras’ view, he escorted both women back into the main party area of the building. Several of the party goers rushed over to their sides along with security officers from the party and Jaster was sure to keep himself between Chandra and any of the guests as he lead her toward the doors. The security officers were no doubt trying to sort things out but Jaster had no time to deal with them. He glanced back at Selve once as they headed towards the door. He was sorry about having to let her Klatoonian body guard die but he doubted that she would even notice or pay any heed.

As Chandra and Jaster neared the door, he activated his internal comm. "Transport, come around to the main doors and pick us up."

"Immediately, sir." Chandra’s private driver answered.

Jaster then readied his long rifle, pulling it from his left shoulder and charging it to full power as the two waited near the door. He allowed a few moments to pass before he asked in the best soothing voice he could manage "Are you alright?"

Chandra was physically trembling but she nodded her head and started, "Yes.......yes, I’m fine....."

He had to admire her bravery as she tried to remain calm. Jaster couldn’t be sure but he had his suspicions regarding what had happened. The way Selve had urged Chandra closer and closer to the railing hung in his mind and he had seen many times where the trapper had become just as much a victim of his snare as his prey. He would pursue his suspicions, though, after he safely evacuated Chandra and he knew she felt more comfortable about supplying him with the information he would need.

"I’m at the pick-up ramp now, sir." the voice of Chandra’s driver pulled Jaster from his train of thought.

Jaster nodded as he reached for the door, keeping his rifle trained in front of him with the other, as he slowly opened the door. Across the ramp was Chandra’s transport and the driver stood beside the back passenger door. But a flock of medi droids also hovered around the transport, snapping still flashes and maneuvering holo-recorders into place. Jaster slung his rifle for a moment as he reached over his right shoulder and removed his half-cape. He handed it to Chandra as he said "Please use this to conceal you identity, M’lady. It will be best to not allow the media to tip off your would-be assassin to the fact that you are alive."

Chandra slowly took the long cape from the Mandalore as she said softly "You assume it was intentional. It could’ve been an accident. Old railing or something....."

Jaster used his body to hide Chandra, who had stepped into the doorway, from the cameras as he answered simply "I have no reason to assume that it wasn’t intentional but we will speak of this in private, M’Lady. Right now my only concern is your safety."

Chandra nodded as she finished wrapping Jaster’s half cape around her face, hair and neck much like a scarf. When she nodded that she was ready Jaster led her quickly across the ramp towards her waiting transport, shielding her as best as he could from the media’s prying eyes. The driver quickly opened the door and Chandra slid in followed by Jaster. The Journeyman Protector reached to close the door as he said to the driver "Take us home, as quickly as you can safely fly."

The driver nodded and moved back towards the transport’s cockpit as Jaster shut the door. There was a slight jolt as the transport pulled away from the landing ramp and joined the flow of traffic, which had become more congested thanks to the arrival of more media vehicles. Jaster looked out the tinted window of the transport for a moment as he watched the party host's ineffective security officers try and clear the ramp of the media. Jaster then turned back to Chandra, reaching behind his head and removing his helmet. "I want you to put this and my armored vest on. Just in case we should have unexpected company awaiting us at your penthouse," he said.

Chandra tried to hide her laugh as she said, "You can’t be serious?"

"M’Lady....." Jaster started. He hoped his tone reflected how serious he was with his request. If someone were waiting to kill his charge then at least she would be wearing the most protective and effective armor in the known galaxies.

Chandra focused her light brown gaze on the Protector for a moment, taking in his features for the first time. His short black hair was unkept, probably because of his helmet, and his dark blue eyes seemed to reflect his youthful nature. His features were smooth and his face seemed to betray a lack of experience. She smiled as she said softly, "You’re a bit handsome for a Mandalore, Jaster. How old are you?"

The Protector could tell where this was going and he immediately jumped to defend himself. "I’m almost nineteen but a Mandalore is considered an adult when he passes the trails at age thirteen. Now please, M’Lady, wear my helmet and armor vest. Even if its just to humor me."

Chandra laughed out loud as she took the helmet from Jaster and watched the Mandalore slip off his armored vest. He looked far less threatening without the body armor. "Can I use the voice filter too?"

"M’Lady....." Jaster answered sternly.

He hoped she could tell he wasn’t willing to take the situation as lightly as she was trying to. With a sigh and a small laugh she slipped his armored vest on over her dress. It hung loose on her frame. She then slipped on the helmet, trying her best not to catch her hair in it or on the vest itself. Jaster was pleased with her compliance even thought she seemed to think he was over reacting to the situation. His grandfather had explained that the Porter's, like many of Coruscant's richest families, had protectors as a show of status then as security. Anyone who could afford one hired a Protector just for the social standing that came with it. Chandra's parents were no different.

The rest of the ride back to her penthouse was kept in silence, Jaster again returning to the traditional Journeyman attitude of silence being golden. Chandra kept glancing at the Mandalore through the tinted helmet visor and probably thought he couldn't tell she was still staring at him even though she wore the helmet. He resembled his grandfather so much that some of Ban's younger portraits were often mistaken for Jaster by house guests. It didn't surprise him that Chandra would notice, but it did make him a bit uneasy the way she stared. In fact, it took the driver to break her away from his face and startle as she looked towards the cabin area. "We have arrived at the penthouse," the driver said.

Chandra didn’t answer but turned back to Jaster and said, in a filtered voice, "The driver says we’ve reached the house."

Jaster nodded as he readied his long rifle and waited for the transport to come to a complete stop before he opened the door. He stepped out slowly onto the landing platform, standing in the doorway so Chandra couldn’t exit just yet, as he studied the surrounding buildings. When he felt it was safe for her he turned and helped her out of the transport. He quickly led her across the ramp toward the lift without saying a word or dismissing the driver. Once the lift carried them down into her penthouse, Jaster turned to Chandra and said "I have a few questions for you, M’Lady."

Chandra took off his helmet and handed it back to him as she answered "I’m feeling a little tired and I’m going to retire for the evening."

Jaster helped her slip off his armored vest. "If that is the case, I would first like to perform a room by room search, just as a precaution, M’Lady."

**************

"Oh…" Chandra said, "Have 3X do it."

"I would be most obliged to assist you," 3X said, waddling into the room. Then he turned to Chandra and asked, "Did you give my greeting to…"

"An other memory wipe," Chandra said sadly. "I'm sorry 3X… but droids aren't supposed to have friends anyway, you know that."

"Yes, ma'am," 3X said. "But we were not friends, we were counterparts, for forty years."

"Sorry…" Chandra said. "Jaster can be your new counterpart." She smiled at the Journeyman Protector and 3X looked at him. "Now please, do me a favor show him around so I can get some sleep."

She turned and walked to her room and could tell that Jaster was following her. She hated breaking in the Protectors anyway, and now that they had this 'incident' she could tell this was going to be even worse than usual. She turned and before he could explain why he had to stay with her she said, "ALRIGHT! Just let me change first."

"I will go retire for the evening," 3X said.

Jaster nodded and walked past Chandra to her bedroom, checking it out. Then he looked in the closet and the bathroom and then motioned her in. Chandra went to her closet and opened the doors. He stood at her door, scanning the windows, but glancing at her every so often as well.

"This isn't going to work," she said under her breath. She could handle undressing in front of an older man or someone wearing a helmet, but Jaster… In the bright light of her bedroom, his skin, though more tan than her own, looked pale compared to his mussed up jet black hair. He glanced at her with his dark flashing eyes and nodded. In that moment she was convinced that she had never seen such a handsome man. Even if he was a trained hunter and younger than her by a year, she still couldn't help but feel uncomfortable taking off her clothes in front of him.

She smiled nervously and took the headband out of her hair. He seemed to pick up on her discomfort and said, "I'll put on my helmet, M'lady."

In the moment it took him to fetch it from the hall table, she stepped into the closet and behind the clothes. As she was taking off her dress she heard him call out, his voice filtered and alarmed.

"MISS PORTER!"

"I'm in my closet," she said, hurrying to slip on a modest negligée and her heavy robe over it.

She poked her head through the clothes and he was standing there at the door, hands on hips. "How deep is this closet?" he asked. "I need to check it out."

"No!" she said. "This is my space… nobody goes in there."

"I am nobody," he said stepping in.

"No!" she said pushing him out. Chandra was so scared he would learn her secret that she begged him, "Please, give me a second… I'll let you in, I just need to clean something up… just one second!"

He nodded and she turned around to her little table and swept all of her things into the chest and closed the lid. "Okay," she said and he stepped in, moving the clothes aside. He looked up at the ceiling and poked around at the corners of the large closet.

As he stepped out he said, "You wear a lot of pink, M'lady."

"So I like pink," she said. "I bet you wear a lot of black and red." Chandra walked into her room and headed for the door.

"They are my clan colors and I wear them with pride, as do all Mandalore where the colors of their ancestors," he said.

"Ah," she said. "How nice." She said it in a more condescending tone than she meant it. Ban had told her about his clan colors and she knew the history and was a little sad that she came from such shallow people. She was a little girl when she had decided that her colors would be pink and white. She didn't have a clan, but she could still pretend.

"First I'm getting a drink, then I'll show you your rooms," she said.

"Rooms?" Jaster asked. "I require only a small corner to store some extra supplies, perhaps a chair."

Chandra laughed. "Too bad," she said. They went into the kitchen and she pointed out how everything worked. "My cook comes in every three days and makes our meals for three days. I don't like processed food, but my parents don't want to pay for a live in cook for two people. Tomorrow we can go over what you like to eat and how much she should make."

"I only require one full meal in the morning," he said.

"I don't like to eat alone," Chandra said, wondering how difficult he was going to be to her little requests.

"I will sit with you," he said.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine…" she got a glass of juice and offered him one, but he refused. Then they went into the other wing of the penthouse.

"The last tenant to live here was a security freak. It's one of the reasons my parents picked this place. As you can see…" She twirled around in the middle of the screens and said, "Everything about this place is right here at your fingertips. And all you have to do is press a button to hear whatever is going on in each of the locations. You also have access to all of the information channels and storage bases you could want. And though I doubt you'd have interest, the entertainment channels are available too." Chandra ran her fingers along the monitors, remembering how often she would come in here to see him. "This is where Ban spent most of his free time."

"Free time?" Jaster asked with a surprise. "I don't understand."

"You know, when I'm sleeping…" she said. "Or getting my massage or in the bath… those kinds of times when he would give me privacy."

Jaster nodded understanding and looked over the system with curiosity. "This is very advanced," he said. "And sophisticated… but I should be able to come up to speed quickly. It is good to know there is such a system to rely upon should I need it."

"Should you need it?" she asked with a laugh. "You're going to get really bored if you just hang around me constantly… I bore even myself."

"My job is to protect you, not to be entertained," he said.

"Well, Protector," she said with a smile, "Come here and see what else you have at your disposal… should you need it."

She took him into the training area and stood back to watch his reaction. Slowly he walked around the different stations. "This… this is more than we had training for my trials." He looked up at her through the helmet and said, "Do you know how to use this equipment?"

"No… but there are training manuals if you need them," she said.

"I know how," he said. "I just find it hard to imagine that all of this…" he waved his arms at the room full of equipment, "is for a hired hand."

"Ban was very special to me. I was always giving him things…" she said casually. "Even though he kept telling me not to…" She walked towards the door and said, "Come, let me show you the rest of the place… or else we'll be here all night and I'll be a mess in the morning… You don't want to be near me when I haven't gotten my full nights rest."

Jaster followed her and stepped in front to lead the way, carefully scanning the area. "How many hours of rest is a full nights rest for you, M'Lady?"

"Ten, usually," she said. "That's where you can sleep if you ever want to… I know Ban never used to lie down except the time he got sick…"

"TEN?" he Jaster said surprised. "Excuse me m'lady, but I know of no human races that require that much sleep. Are you well?"

Chandra sighed. "Ban used to tell me I was sleeping my life away. And you know what I used to tell him?" she asked.

He shook his head and Chandra raised her brows and said, "What life?" She then showed him the rest of the place and he checked out every inch of every room, and any window. They headed back to her bedroom and she started to think about the party and what had happened.

"Protector," she said as she hung her robe up. She turned to him and he nodded. "Thank you for saving me… Besides silly stuff when I was younger, that was the first time I've really needed saving. I'm glad you were there."

He nodded again and took up a standing position next to her door. She climbed in bed and touched the controls, turning off the light. She looked at his silhouette from the light in the hall and imagined that it was Ban. As she lay there, staring at him, thinking about all that had happened, she remembered something he had said.

She sat up in bed and said, "HEY! You called me a dog!"

He turned to her slowly and said, "Excuse me, M'lady?"

"In Mandalore, I heard you talking to Buck's Protector… you said…" She tried to say it in his language, as Buck had taught her, but her tongue felt thick and it didn't come out very smooth.

Jaster let out a small chuckle and said, "I never said such a thing, M'lady. And I never would…"

"Stop laughing at me!" she said.

"I'm not!" he said, and put a fist to his chest. She knew what that meant, but couldn't help but cross her arms and pout. He continued, "I am not accustomed to hearing my language spoken by another not of us… I am very flattered. However, you have misunderstood me in the most amusing of ways. For not in my wildest imagination could I ever refer to you as anything but a most refined creature."

"Well, what did you say?" she asked, not quite ready to forgive him.

"I did not say I would keep my dog on a short leash, I said 'roelign' which means 'charge' but sounds like 'rollen' which is dog," he said. "And that I would keep you 'fordomenda' which means 'close to me' not 'faudem' which is 'on a cord'."

Chandra thought about it a little and realized her mistake. "Oh," she said, lying back down.

"How much Mandalore do you know?" he asked.

"Not enough apparently," she said. Then she added in his tongue in an accent she knew was better because she had said it every night to Ban since he taught her. "Watch well, Protector mine."

Chandra walked slowly into the kitchen, pulling her heavy robe around her body as she saw Jaster sitting at the kitchen table. The Mandalore Protector smiled as he saw her entering and said "Nice of you to finally join us, M’lady."

3X, his chrome and blue paint scheme seeming to shine unnaturally in the morning sun, turned to face his mistress as he said "Good morning, Miss Porter."

The droid trodded over to the kitchen table and pulled a chair out for Chandra. Jaster stood before Chandra sat down, as was the high social custom or maybe it was just good manners. Jaster wasn’t sure which. She smiled at him and 3X as she sat down and pulled her chair closer to the table. The butler droid turned aside to grab her simple meal from a near-by counter as he asked "Did you sleep well, Miss Porter?"

Chandra nodded as the droid sat her muffin and glass of brewed coffee on the table. "Yes, I did. Thank you for asking, 3X."

Jaster pushed aside the empty tray from one of his M.R.E.s and pulled another from his side belt pouch. He carefully opened it and slide the meal from its packaging. The cooked eggs and sausage didn’t smell very good but he was used to eating M.R.E.s and expected no special favours from Chandra. He was surprised, though, to hear her say that she slept well. As he recalled she had cried herself to sleep, at one point it being so bad that a part of him wanted to comfort her or at least see if she was alright but he was only a protector, not a confident or friend.

He watched her slowly take a bite of her muffin before he asked "About last night, did you see anything suspicious?"

Chandra took another small bite of her muffin as she shook her head ‘no’.

The Mandalore Protector pressed forward. "Has anyone made any threats towards you or your parents in the last few months?"

This time Chandra tossed her muffin back onto its plate and pushed the plate aside. "No, Protector Mereel."

Jaster took a large bite of his eggs mixed with some sausage chunks as he asked "What about this Buck? How long have you known him? Did Ban do a full background sweep on him? What about Selve?"

"First, Protector, don’t speak with food in your mouth. Its rude. And second," Chandra started as she picked up a remote and turned on one of the near-by monitors to the news, "if you have questions about the accident watch the news."

Jaster finished his second M.R.E in silence as he detected Chandra’s annoyance with his questions. Of course she was right in a sense. The net channel she had turned on was indeed broadcasting the accident and taped footage of the scene before and after the railing gave out. Jaster watched the footage carefully as he thought he caught something in the lowest corner of the news shots as the railing gave out. He wasn’t sure and had to use the refresh button on the remote several times so he could try and catch it.

Chandra sighed as she watched him refresh the web footage of her falling several times. She took a long drink of her coffee and rose to leave the table as she said off-handed "I think you just want to see me fall from that ledge over and over again."

Jaster looked up at her for a moment as he said "No, I think I spotted something.......something I’ve seen before."

Chandra shook her head as she headed back towards her bedroom. Jaster watched her go and he could tell that she was probably annoyed or bored with his obession of the events that happened last night. He couldn’t let that concern him, though, he was hired to protect her and his own gut and instincts told him that was no accident. He just wasn’t sure if Selve was involved or not yet. He would have to see about ‘interviewing’ her.

Focusing his eyes on the holo-news one last time, Jaster said aloud "3X, see if you can get a hard copy of that footage dropped by here through the normal security channels. You know the procedures."

The droid nodded as it picked up Chandra’s off-empty cup of coffee and her barely eaten muffin. "I do, Master Mereel. Your Grandfather had shown me how to on several........"

The butler droid was interrupted by the sudden ring of the door bell. Jaster rose to his feet and walked slowly back toward the table to grab his helmet as 3X left to get the door. He slipped on the helmet as he heard Chandra rushing toward the door, almost beating 3X to it. The Mandalore Protector walked slowly into the main greeting hall, long rifle in hand, as the blue and chrome droid was bringing in a package. Chandra eagerly tried to take the package from 3X but Jaster beat her to it. He grabbed up the package and shook it slightly then activated his thermal imaging h.u.d. He got no heat readings off of the package which meant it wasn’t any type of explosive and the small pad readers in his gloves detected no contact poisons on the package.

One last test the Protector thought as he raised the package close to his head and took in a deep breath. His breath filter system didn’t kick in or seal off his helmet so it wasn’t a breath poison either. Finally Chandra snatched the package from his grasp and rushed off to her room with it. Jaster started to follow when she slammed her door practically in his masked and concealed face.

The Mandalore Protector paced outside Chandra’s door for what seemed like hours though it was only a few scat minutes before she finally emerged dressed in a light pink jumpsuit. Jaster crossed his arms across his armoured chest as he started "Miss Porter, that was extremely......."

Chandra interrupted him, saying "I’m sorry about earlier, Jaster. I know you’re only doing your job but you most try to understand, I am in no danger."

"I would dis........" the Journeyman Protector again tried to start.

"I can’t believe the time!" she once again interrupted, looking at her chrono counter, "We’re going to be late if we don’t hurry!"

Chandra tugged on Jaster’s arm as she lead him to the roof landing pad lift. Jaster came slowly, almost unwillingly, as he asked in a filtered voice "Late for what?"

"I have classes today. The driver has probably been waiting on us for twenty minutes!" Chandra exclaimed as she activated the lift.

Jaster nodded his head. He couldn’t believe he had forgot that Chandra, like any one her age, would be attending college classes. He recalled reading about it in her file when he was first assigned to her but it most have slipped his mind with all of the other ‘excitement’ that had happened. He focused his mind quickly as the lift neared the top of the pad and he assumed his responsibilities again. He lead her across the landing pad to the waiting transport and her typical driver. The man smiled and greeted her with a ‘goo’morning’ like he had other days before opening the door for her. Jaster informed the driver to take them to her school but Chandra quickly interrupted and insisted they stop by a credit machine so she could make a small transfer.

The ride to the nearest credit transfer/withdraw machine was, as Jaster was fond of, a silent one though he was bothered that Chandra didn’t say much of anything or try to engage him in small talk like she had done so many times before. She seemed to be somewhat distant and focused on something else. As they reached the credit withdraw/transfer machine, the Mandalore Protector was pleased to see that it was one that she could reach and use from inside her transport, with the window rolled down of course.

As Chandra transferred what appeared to be a large sum of credits to a unknown account, Jaster heard her mumble "This is going to end up costing me, but with Ban gone, what do I have to lose?"

He knew she was talking to herself and didn’t expect any answer nor was what she talking about any of his business. He was meant solely to protect her from those that might seek to harm her parents by harming her. Anything else was senseless background noise that would only get in the way. After the transfer of the funds, the amount Jaster was unsure of, Chandra ordered the driver to take her on to school. The school wasn’t very far away from the credit machine that Chandra had used and Jaster couldn’t help but wonder how much of that was a coincidence and how much of it wasn’t.

************

The bell rang loudly as Chandra took her seat next to several other students with Journeyman Protectors as bodyguards. There was a empty seat next to her, one that Jaster assumed was meant for him since all of the other Protectors were seated but he preferred to stand. It would allow him to more quickly act should the need arise. The professor of this class, Chandra said it was some sort of social politics class or something along the line, was a short, heavy set man that seemed to breath loudly through his nose. Jaster also noted that the man seemed to whistle when he spoke any word with a ‘s’ in it.

"Class, lets pick up our discussion where we had left off, with the folly of the Mandalore during the Great Sith Wars."

Jaster felt his face physically contort underneath his helmet at the professor’s words. He got the feeling that this was going to be another mindless preach with Jedi propaganda.

"If I may, sir," Buck spoke up as he shot a gaze at Jaster, ‘The Mandalore were attacked and nearly wiped out during the Sith Wars because they sided with Exar Kun. From that time on the Mandalore have never been recognized or accepted by the Jedi Order as a self-governing law enforcement body."

Jaster turned slightly to focus his concealed gaze on the arrogant boy. He was lucky that the Mandalorian’s tinted visor hide his eyes because Jaster’s look of scorn would’ve killed.

The professor nodded his head in agreement as he asked "How can anyone be sure that these armoured and armed men and women can be trusted? Are we wrong to fear them as little more then armed thugs, dispensing justice as they see fit or for the highest credit?"

The professor paused as he eyed over all of the gathered Protectors in the room his gaze seemed to meet each of theirs, piercing their tinted face shields. Jaster focused his gaze on the pompous fool, clenching his fingers into fists as he tapped them against the back of Chandra’s chair, trying to steady himself. Chandra leaned back in her chair as she whispered "Whats the matter, Jaster? Do you need to use the restroom?"

"Chandra." the professor, if he could’ve been called that, spoke up. "What do you think?"

Chandra turned bright red and looked flustered. She didn't look at the professor, but rather glanced around at the students who had turned to look at her. She then looked at her hands and said, "I don't know."

"It should be something you think about, Miss Porter, considering you employ such a Protector. Please, take a moment to consider your answer, we will wait." Chandra rolled her eyes and kept looking around at the students. Then she said, "Can you repeat the question?"

The professor looked smug as he said, very slowly, "How can anyone be sure that these armoured and armed men and women can be trusted? Are we wrong to fear them as little more then armed thugs, dispensing justice as they see fit or for the highest credit?"

After a few seconds she looked down and said quietly, "We don't know."

"SPEAK UP!" the professor demanded.

"We don't know," she said louder and then added, "Maybe we should just ask THEM. They can talk." She then sunk into her seat as if trying to get out of the view of the students who were laughing.

"Very well," the professor started with a chuckle as he pointed at Jaster," Since this Protector is your charge, Miss Porter, I’ll pose the question to him."

Jaster’s eyes narrowed as he glared at the fat man from behind his tinted visor. Finally he spoke, his filtered voice sounding harsh as he said "One could ask you the same thing about the Jedi? Are they not little more then an elitist group of armed men and women who feel they have some devine right to dispinse their brand of ‘justice’ because of their abilities to call on some mystical life energy called ‘the Force’?"

The professor shook his head as he said "Thank you, Protector, for answering a question with a question. I suppose I shouldn’t have expected much from a Mandalorian."

************

Jaster watched Chandra as she took a small sip of milk from her carton. She had said very little to him since her first class and he hoped he hadn’t embarrassed her too much. After her first class, she had one other class before lunch, it was some kind of fashion history class and Jaster found the subjects at hand to be less tense then those of her morning class. The only time the Mandalore were mentioned is when one of her fellow students made a joke about the Protectors having no sense of true fashion. Chandra had laughed about it along with her classmates and Jaster supposed it could be considered true in a sense.

He watched her take small bites of her sandwich as she glanced around into the school courtyard. Jaster wondered why she was eating out here, on this bench, all alone.

She had told him that she hated to eat alone and just behind them was the cafeteria, packed with all of her school mates. He was curious about it and so he decided to ask, "M’lady, why don’t you eat inside with the rest of your class mates?"

Chandra glanced up at him, almost to ask if he was serious, then she sat down her sandwich. "Its nicer out here........"

"I see." Jaster answered simply with a nod of his head.

He watched Chandra toss her barely eaten sandwich back into her lunch bag and stand-up. She took the bag in her hand and began to walk along the winding sidewalk towards a ramp down into the school’s artificial grass. Jaster followed slowly behind her, his long rifle held firmly in his hands, as he asked off-handed "Certainly you haven’t finished your lunch already, M’lady?"

"I am." she answered in a somewhat annoyed tone.

"You’ve hardly eaten a thing all day." Jaster added in his filtered voice.

Chandra shrugged her shoulders as she retorted "And you only ate this morning so who are you to lecture?"

Jaster picked up his pace some so he could move to her left side. "I ate a full M.R.E. after my morning exercises and then another two with you at breakfast. I’ve had my full meal for the day while you only picked at a muffin and a sandwich."

Chandra tossed her lunch sack into a drop chute that lead to the lower levels of Coruscant as she retorted harshly "Know your place, Protector!"

"Of course, M’lady." Jaster answered.

Jaster remained silent the rest of the school day. He preformed his necessary duties and tasks, watching for any possible threats to Chandra’s safety. From what he had gathered she appeared to be fairly safe at school. It would be foolish of a would-be assassin to attempt anything with so many students and other witnesses around. Her last class of the day went by fairly quickly. It was some kind of fashion design class and Jaster could tell that Chandra was a natural at it, easily identifying where dresses or other things had come from by just the type of stitching.

It didn’t seem like it was too long before the driver was delivering the two of them home. Jaster, naturally, performed his normal duties of securing the landing pad before he allowed Chandra to exit the transport and then he used the bulk of his body to protect her from any would-be snipers as they worked their way across the pad toward the lift. As the two boarded the lift and Chandra activated it, Jaster finally spoke up, breaking the silence they had had after lunch.

"I would like to question Selve regarding the events that happened last night."

Chandra nodded as the lift descended into the penthouse. "I doubt she will be able to tell you much or be of much use. Shes not very bright, even for a Rodian."

"None the less....." Jaster answered as the lift come to a smooth stop.

3X slowly approached the two of them and said in his grainy voice "Welcome home, Miss Porter. Your parents wished for me to inform you that they will be stopping by for dinner this evening." BOTH of them? TONIGHT?" Chandra exclaimed. Her parents hadn't visited her together in over four years. She would see them individually here and there, but together meant that her little stunt at the transfer system must have REALLY hit a nerve.

3X spoke quickly, "They will be bringing the meal, you are to simply make sure you are present."

"Well it's a good thing they chose tonight because I just so happen to be home tonight," she shouted as she stormed to her room. Jaster followed her and she almost closed the door on him, but she wanted someone to complain to.

"Miss Porter, you never go out," 3X said confused. "Not unless there's a formal reason to do so, that is… which isn't often, during the week anyway…"

She ignored the droid and searched in her closet for something more formal than her jumpsuit as she went on her tirade. Her mother would always whine that they were paying so much for fashion classes and she couldn't even prove it by looking at her. Chandra would have liked to drop the entire school if she could, it all seemed like such a waste of time… and money. She took out a dress her father had bought for her and threw it on the bed.

"If it's not stupid professors putting me on the spot in front of my entire class or nearly falling off of balconies during festivals, I have parents who drop by unexpectedly wanting to talk to me about WHO KNOWS what," she said. She unzipped the jumpsuit and stepped out of it and threw it on the floor.

3X waddled in and picked it up, taking it out of the room. As he passed Jaster he said, "Excuse me, sir."

Chandra put the white lace dress on and struggled to get it to zip. "And now! Now THIS!" she said. As she struggled she turned around in front of her mirror. "He probably bought this thing just so I wouldn't be… able…"

She couldn't get it and let out a scream then fell to her bed, exhausted and completely frustrated.

Jaster came running to her side. "M'Lady?" he asked with concern.

Chandra just laid on the bed, a little annoyed that he was bothering her, but also a bit intrigued that he so often broke the silence between them. She flipped her head around and flopped it back on the bed, looking up at him. "What?" she asked.

"Just checking," he said resuming his position. "You may resume your tantrum. Although, I may have to ask you to resist screaming and collapsing unless you are shot."

Chandra pushed herself up on her arms and stared at the red and black mask. She could just bet that he was smiling under there, mocking her. She blinked a couple of times and then said, "Alright." He nodded to her and she found the zipper to be much easier to work when she wasn't as angry.

Chandra had the entire dining room set up for her parents with place settings, music and even some fresh flowers she had brought up for her by one of the penthouse attendants. 3X had the entire penthouse shining clean like new and they were sitting waiting at the table, Jaster standing behind her. But it was three hours after they said they were coming.

"Perhaps something happened," 3X said.

Chandra looked up as the sound of a craft landing on the platform above filled the monitor. She got up and headed for her room. "Don't let them in 3X, make them let themselves in," she said.

"But…" 3X started.

This time Chandra shut the door behind her before Jaster could get in. She sat on her bed and folded her arms. This was just like them to torture her. They were probably late because they were arguing. She waited for a few minutes and then heard her mothers voice at her door.

"Sweet one, let me in…" she said.

Chandra didn't want to, but her heart melted at the sound of her mothers voice. She got up and opened the door, tears coming to her eyes.

"I'm sorry we're so late," her mother said, giving her a hug. Her mother shut the door behind her and looked at her sternly. "You know why we're here, don't you?"

Chandra nodded her head and looked down.

"Why did you do it?" her mom asked stroking her cheek. "Your father is fit to be tied. I've never seen him so angry… charity is one thing, but the group you sent that transfer to… they have ties to the very people trying to put us out of business…"

"You shouldn't have sent Ban away," she said defiantly. "You knew how much I loved him… and now… this KID, he's always bossing me around. I hate him… I'd rather not HAVE a protector than have one that's going to micromanage me…"

"It was your fathers idea," her mother said. "I tried to convince him, but we lost a very big account because of your falling out with Mur Fawn."

Just as Chandra was going to explain what happened, there was a knock on the door.

"M'Lady, your presence is requested," Jaster's filtered voice called.

"Come, sweet one, let's eat. And try to accept your fathers punishment with grace. You won't like it but we will find ways around it, I promise," she said.

Chandra braced herself and opened her door. She nodded at Jaster and went into the dining room where her father was already eating. She sat down across from him and he didn't even look at her. She picked up her utensil and began picking at her food. Her mother sat down next to her. Behind her father stood his Journeyman Protector. She couldn't see her eyes, but Chandra could feel she was staring at her. She looked up into the black and blue mask and put down her fork.

"So what's it going to be," Chandra said, still looking at the protector. She couldn't wait for him and had to know. "What are you going to do to me THIS time? What else can you do?" She looked down at her father and tried to keep herself from crying.

With a mouth full of food he answered, "You have a spending limit on your account now. If you want to buy anything you have to go through your mother or me." He took a sip of his ale and picked his teeth with his fingernail. "No more charities. No more shelters. No more handouts. I don't work myself to death just to have my daughter give it all away."

He got up and motioned to his JMP, who eyed Chandra as they left the room.

Chantra pushed her plate away from her and leaned back in her chair. She looked at her mother who said, "Don't worry, it won't be so bad. Just ask me for what you want…"

"Those people depend on me," Chandra said. "They have NOTHING."

"They depend on you because they can… they'll find someone else, they always do," her mother said getting up. Then her mother reached into her belt pouch and pulled out a small round container and set it down. "This will make you feel better, sweet one," she said.

"Mom…" Chandra said.

"Shhhh…" she said. "You might change your mind… you'll understand what we do if you could be part of it." She leaned down and looked at Chandra with her red eyes and said, "I love you sweet one… don't forget that."

She kissed Chandra on her forehead and then walked out of the dining room. Chandra heard her parents in the hall.

"Did you give it to her?" her father asked. Then after a brief second he said, "Good. Let's go… I have an important meeting on Denon I'm already late for."

After she heard the lift close, Chandra reached out and picked up the package of Spice. "Right," she said defiantly, tears forming in her eyes. She stood and went into her room. She let Jaster follow her as far as the bathroom and then, after he cleared it, she went in by herself.

*************

Jaster followed quickly behind Chandra as she stormed towards her room. Without turning back to face him or 3X, who trodded slowly behind, she shouted "Don’t let them in, 3X! Make them let themselves in!"

Jaster was startled by the fact that Chandra’s parents would know the security codes to get into her penthouse. He couldn’t quite place a finger on why it bothered him beyond the simple fact that this was Chandra’s home not theirs. Knowing that code would allow them and anyone they told it to to come and go as they pleased. He was about to suggest they change it after tonight when Chandra slammed her bedroom door in his face. Obviously she didn’t want to be bothered with him.

The Journeyman Protector turned and rushed down a connecting hallway toward the lift doors. He wanted to see her parents in, assure them that everything was alright, and that, perhaps, Chandra’s odd behavior was just her reaction to almost dieing the day before. At least he hoped so. As he reached the lift he heard it grind to a halt and the distinct sound of the entrance doors unlocking. Quickly Jaster unslung his long rifle and aimed it toward the doors as they sled open, he would rather be safe about things and make sure it was indeed Chandra’s parents who had arrived and not someone or something else.

To the young Protector’s surprise a Mandalorian in black armour with blue helmet trim greeted him as the lift doors slide completely open. The Mandalore Protector glanced down the barrel of Jaster’s long rifle and then ordered in a filtered, but decidely female voice, "Stand down, young Protector. I am the charge of Mr. & Mrs. Porter."

Jaster relaxed his rifle slightly as he nodded an affirmative. His fellow protector stepped from the left and walked a bit pasted him, deeper into the hallway. As she pasted him, Jaster noted that she wore a jet pack, built into and attached to her back armour plate. He nodded toward the pack as he asked through filtered voice "Is that a Wes 4 Hunter Jump Pack, Protector?"

"With magnetic grappling/heavy bore missile tip." the other Mandalore replied with a hint of pride in her voice. Jaster could detect the twing of it even through her voice filter.

A tall man dressed in a sharp business suit, not casual or relaxed in any manner, with a pale complexion and long blonde hair pulled back tightly in a pony tail, cleared his throat as he stepped from the lift. "I assume my daughter is waiting in the kitchen?"

Jaster was about to answer when Mr. Porter pushed his way passed and started to head towards the kitchen. His Protector followed him quickly and Jaster swore he saw Chandra’s father whisper something to her as they passed by him. Jaster turned back towards the lift elevator and offered out a gloved hand to the short, curly haired woman that waited in the lift. She took his hand as he helped her from the lift but said nothing to him. Jaster followed her down the central hall way toward the kitchen where they joined Mr. Porter, his Journeyman Protector and 3X.

"Where is she?" Mr. Porter said aloud as he pulled himself out a seat at the table. His Protector took her place on his right side, something that bothered Jaster. A Protector was to remain behind or to the left of a superior, not stand on their right side as a equal.

Mrs. Porter glanced around the room for a moment, at the prepared table and the carefully arranged flowers, as several small service droids began to sit food upon the table and then wheel back toward the lift. She turned to 3X as she said "Where is Chandra?"

"She is in her bedroom, ma’am." 3X answered.

"Thank you, 3X." Mrs. Porter answered and as she headed off toward her daughter’s bedroom Jaster noted that she and her daughter most have spent alot of time together because they had similar voice inflections.

Chandra’s father grabbed a small piece of vegetable from one of the platters as he walked into the den of the penthouse, the room that contained all of the monitors. As he reached the monitors he called out "Protector Mereel, Protector Cann, please join me in here."

Jaster glanced at the other Protector before he followed her into the den. They both took places close to Chandra’s father’s side, Jaster on his left but again Protector Cann stood to the man’s right. Jaster tried no to allow it to bother him too much or distract him from his duties. Mr. Porter motioned toward one of the monitors he had turned on, showing Mrs. Porter and Chandra talking in her bedroom. With a smile he said in a very formal and almost royal manner "Let us see what they have to say to one another shall we?"

"Mr. Porter, should we be eavesdropping on your daughter and wife like this?" Jaster asked.

"Please, Jaster, call me Jag," Mr. Porter answered with a smile then added, "I just want to see whats said. Aren’t you curious?"

Jaster shook his head but stood and listened anyway. He had to admit, if only to himself, a small part of him was curious about what Chandra would say. What secrets she would confess to her mother when she thought they had privacy?

Chandra’s mother walked into the room, gave her daughter a hug, as she said "Sorry we’re late." She then reached back and closed the bedroom door as she said "You know why we’re here, don’t you?"

Chandra glanced down at her floor as she shook her head slowly. Mrs. Porter reached out her hand and slowly stroked her daughter’s cheek. "Why did you do it? Your father is fit to be tied. I've never seen him so angry… charity is one thing, but the group you sent that transfer to… they have ties to the very people trying to put us out of business…"

Chandra pulled away from her mother and moved to her bed as she answered defiantly "You shouldn't have sent Ban away! You knew how much I loved him… and now… this KID, he's always bossing me around. I hate him… I'd rather not HAVE a protector than have one that's going to micromanage me…"

Jag Porter and Protector Cann both looked towards Jaster. Jag smiled broadly as he said "It doesn’t sound like Chandra likes you, Protector Mereel."

Jaster remained silent as he continued to watch the monitor. He didn’t care if Chandra liked him or not. It wasn’t his duty to be liked, it was his duty to protect her life weither she liked it or not. He was more surprised by the fact that she confessed to love his grand father. He assumed that she had meant in a fatherly manner but he couldn’t be sure. He was shocked that anyone could express love for a Mandalore aside from another Mandalore. There was a lot of danger and violence in their lives and few, outside of fellow Protectors, could accept that.

Protector Cann leaned close to Mr. Porter and said something Jango was unable to pick up. Jag nodded his head and Protector Cann turned to Jaster as she ordered "Go get Mrs. Porter and Chandra. Jag is growing impatient."

Jaster nodded and left through the kitchen, following the corridors toward Chandra’s room. He was again bothered by Protector Cann’s casual reference to Mr. Porter. It seemed to him that she had grown somewhat lax in her duties but that wasn’t for him to decide. When he reached Chandra’s door, Jaster hesitated to knock for a moment. Now that he knew what she really thought of him it seemed to change how he wanted to approach his duties and he didn’t really want to intrude on what ever they were discussing. Finally he knocked, saying flatly "M’Lady, your presence is requested."

After a moment, Chandra opened the door and nodded toward him. Jaster could tell that she had been crying at some point but he reminded himself that that was none of his concern, that code dictated Chandra be treated as little more then a simple job. Nothing more and nothing less........

The Mandalore Protector followed the two Porter women into the kitchen where Mr. Porter had already returned to his seat. As Chandra sat down, with her mother taking a seat behind her, Jaster took his place on her left side, subservient as usual. There was a long moment of uncomfortable silence before Chandra said "So whats it going to be? What are you going to do to me THIS time? What else can you do?"

Jaster fixed his gaze on Chandra’s father as he awaited the man’s response. It might be outside of Jaster’s range of normal duties but should Mr. Porter attempt to raise a hand to his daughter then Jaster would stop him by whatever means. Or was that exactly what he shouldn’t do? Chandra didn’t want him around, really, nor did she express any true desire in having his protection.......

"You have a spending limit on your account now. If you want to buy anything you have to go through your mother or me." Mr. Porter took a sip of his ale and picked his teeth with his fingernail before he continued "No more charities. No more shelters. No more handouts. I don't work myself to death just to have my daughter give it all away."

Jaster knew what kind of work Mr. Porter did and wondered how the man could truely say he worked himself to death. He was a parasite that feed off of the suffering of others but it wasn’t, again, Jaster’s place to judge those who had employed him. He watched Mr. Porter rise and toss down his napkin as he walked from the room, followed by Protector Cann, who seemed to focuse her gaze on Chandra. Chandra pushed her plate aside and leaned back in her chair. She looked at her mother with hurt and worried eyes and her mother offered solace by saying "Don't worry, it won't be so bad. Just ask me for what you want…"

"Those people depend on me," Chandra argued "They have NOTHING."

"They depend on you because they can… they'll find someone else, they always do," her mother said getting up from her chair. She reached a small belt pouch and Jaster instinctively dropped his right hand down to one of his holstered blaster pistols but did not draw it. Mrs. Porter pulled a small, round container from the pouch and sat it down in front of her daughter as she said softly "This will make you feel better, sweet one."

"Mom...." Chandra said sorrowfully as she looked away from the container. Jaster looked into Mrs. Porter’s eyes for the first time since she had arrived and he could tell that she was on a spice high. Her red eyes were a tall tell sign of it and he suspected that Spice was what was in the container now sitting on the table.

"Shhhh…" she said. "You might change your mind… you'll understand what we do if you could be part of it." She leaned down and looked at Chandra with her burning red eyes adding, "I love you sweet one… don't forget that."

Mrs. Porter then kissed her daughter on the forehead and walked out of the kitchen down the hallway towards the lift. Jaster glanced down at Chandra for a moment as she rested her head on the table in front of her before he followed Mrs. Porter into the corridor. He stopped just short of completely joining Chandra’s parents in the lift room as he overheard Mr Porter ask "Did you give it to her?"

Jaster watched her mother nod slowly and then Mr. Porter seemed to smile slowly. Obviously pleased with himself. "Good. Let's go… I have an important meeting on Denon I'm already late for."

As they boarded the lift, Jag Porter nodded at Jaster and said "Keep up the good work, Protector Mereel."

Jaster offered no answer as he turned on his heel and headed back towards the kitchen. As he stepped into the kitchen Chandra rose from her chair and quickly grabbed up the small container before her. Jaster was about to say something when Chandra spoke up in a defiant tone. "Right."

With that she quickly moved off towards her bedroom but allowed Jaster to follow her. The Mandalore Protector quickly took his steps and place ahead of her as they reached her bedroom. He, again, readied his long rifle as he stepped into her bedroom, moving about it slowly in a wide sweep. He checked her closest but didn’t go in, so he wouldn’t disturb her privacy on that level. Then he checked her bathroom before giving Chandra the all clear. Once he had motioned for her to enter, Chandra quickly rushed pasted him for the bathroom and closed the door behind her as she entered. Jaster heard the lock click and began to wonder exactly what she intended on doing with the Spice her mother left her. He had seen no signs that she was a Spice addict but some were good about hiding those tall tell signs.

Jaster stood outside the bathroom in silence for quite some time, at least 30 minutes by his helmet chrono but he hadn’t kept time until after she had been in her bathroom for a few minutes so it could’ve been longer. At one point he thought he heard her crying but he didn’t bother to check on her to see if she was alright. Her words still struck deep against him and he didn’t want to give her anymore reason to bear any disdain towards him, though it was hard to ignore her tears. The crying had eventually subsided and Chandra emerged from the bathroom, her face red, and without the container her mother had given her. She had a slight sniff but Jaster wasn’t sure if that was from her crying or a sign that she had ‘snorted’ the Spice.

"M’Lady, Ar........." Jaster started in his filtered, unemotional voice.

Chandra turned sharply and jabbed a finger into the center of his armoured chest as she interrupted with fury, shouting "No, I didn’t take the Spice, Protector! Not that its any concern of yours!"

With that Chandra used her own weight to force Jaster to step aside as she stormed off toward her closet. He made no effort to follow her as she entered into the closet and closed the doors behind her with a thud. Jaster stood in her bedroom for a few moments before he slung his rifle over his left shoulder and, somewhat angried by her rude behavior and the fact that she had assumed he was going to ask about the Spice, stormed from her bedroom. He caught himself and his temper a few feet into the hallway and returned to a position just outside her door. He couldn’t neglect his duties because of a slight, real or imagined. To do so would be to allow his emotions to get in the way.

As he stood outside her bedroom door, 3X slowly approached from the kitchen. The droid trodded up to Jaster slowly, nosily, and spoke in its grainy voice "Master Mereel, I forgot to mention it in all the excitement of Ms. Porter’s parents arriving but I did manage to get ahold of a hard copy of the footage you asked for."

Jaster nodded. "Where is it?"

"I have it all set up for you in the monitoring room." 3X answered chipperly.

Jaster again nodded and made his way with fast, controlled steps toward the den where the monitors and other security equipment was set up. As he entered he instantly spotted the laptop holo system 3X had set up for him and he crossed the room quickly, taking a seat next to it. Anything to get my mind off of the current situation Jaster thought to himself as he activated the holo system. As the device hummed to life, the Mandalore Protector also turned on the security cameras that were hard wired into Chandra’s room and her closest. The cameras for her closet offered nothing for a picture and at first Jaster thought they most’ve malfunctioned. He got up and moved closer to check the systems when 3X offered "She has them covered, Master Mereel."

At first Jaster ignored the droid and then he began to hear faint audio coming from the security feed. He couldn’t quite make it out, it was too muffled and almost a whisper, but it was enough to convince him that the cameras were functioning. He might ask Chandra about it tomorrow, when they had put this evening behind them. But right now he wanted to confirm his own suspicions, suspicions that were made worse when he had met Protector Cann. He activated the playback footage and began to tinker with its enhancement software. The picture would get more distorted as it was enhanced and in larged but Jaster was only looking for one particular thing.

************

Jaster glanced over up from his work when he could no longer hear the faints sounds coming from Chandra’s closest cameras. He looked at his h.u.d. chrono and it indicated that he had been examing the data for about two and a half standard hours. The Journeyman Protector glanced behind him and noticed that 3X had powered down for the evening. A part of him was worried that something serious may have happened to Chandra but another part of him just asumed that she had fallen asleep, it was somewhat late after all. None the less, Jaster decided he had better go check on her, better safe then sorry.

He quietly made his way to her bedroom, opening her door as softly and slowly as he could then crossed over to her closet and activated his thermal imaging systems. According to his h.u.d. Chandra was still inside the closest, breathing slowly with a lowered but steady heart rate. He sighed as he opened the closet and stepped past all of Chandra’s clothes, finding the young woman slumped over a small table with several dolls on it. Jaster examined the scene carefully as he kneeled down and placed scooped Chandra up in his arms. The dolls were all arranged around a picnic basket and it looked like there was a mom, dad, and a little girl but Jaster wasn’t quite sure.

"Ban......" Chandra whispered softly.

Jaster glanced at her and she still had her eyes closed. Most be talking in her sleep he thought to himself as he moved carefully out of the closet and carried Chandra to her bed. He gently layed her down, resting her head against one of her fluffed up pillows, and then pulled her covers up to midway across her chest.

"Thanks, Ban, protector mine......" Chandra mumbled as Jaster turned to leave.

Quietly he answered "Think nothing of it, M’lady."

He then assumed his post outside her door.

************

Chandra joined Jaster and 3X in the kitchen for breakfast at her usual time of tenand Jaster stood from his seat as he awaited Chandra to sit. She smiled slightly at him, though she attempted not to make eye contact with him, as she took her seat and 3X sat down her typical breakfast meal of muffin and black coffee. Chandra took a small bit of her muffin as Jaster leaned back in his chair and asked "Did you sleep well, M’Lady?"

Chandra looked away from the table as she sat down her muffin and said, changing the subject, "Before school today we need to make a stop by the lower levels. I’ve already told the driver where to take us."

Jaster frowned slightly as he took down a drink of his water. "M’lady, the under levels are rather dangerous and........."

Chandra cut him off, ordering "Know your place, Protector!"

Jaster narrowed his eyes and focused his gaze on her as he continued "They are no place for you. There is too much that could occur that would be outside of my control. My ability to protect you would be severely hampered."

Chandra smiled faintly as she said softly "We are going, Jaster, but I trust that you won’t fall me."

Jaster placed his closed fist against his chest as he answered "Of course not, M’Lady."

************

Jaster felt himself tensing up as Chandra’s hover transport neared the spot that she had told the driver to deliever them to. It looked like some kinda run down, ill-maintained bar or drinking establishment but Jaster was unsure. The lower levels themselves were so rundown and poorly cared for that it was difficult to tell sometimes. A static-filled voice broke through on his comm. unit. "Sir, we have arrived at Ms. Porter’s designated coordinates."

The Mandalore Protector wanted to tell the driver to pull away and take them on to school but he instead said "Thank you. Please stay on station. I don’t plan on letting her wonder down her too long."

Chandra glanced at Jaster as he said the words and he was sure that she was upset with his choice of words. He didn’t care though. The underlevels of this unatural city planet was no place for her and he voiced his ill-givings about it long before they got here. It was one matter he would not stand down on, she was directly impairing his ability to safeguard her while directly putting herself at larger risk. Jaster opened the door of the transport and stepped out, long rifle in hand. The crowd surrounding the landing pad they had docked at suddenly dispersed, giving the Mandalore Protector a wide berth. Jaster reached back inside the transport and took Chandra by her hand. As she climbed from the transport Jaster ordered sternly "Stay close to me."

Chandra nodded and pointed toward the run down bar on the street corner. "Take me there, Protector."

Jaster sighed, though he hoped it was less audible, then it sounded as he lead Chandra across the street to the bar. One of the many aliens crowding the street got too close to his charge and Jaster reacted quickly, jamming the butt of his rifle into the alien’s ugly and twisted face. The creature squalled in pain and fell to the ground, rolling in agony. Jaster felt Chandra tug on his arm as she tried to turn back to make sure the alien was alright. Instead of going back Jaster pulled on her hand and urged her to move to the bar. "He should’ve kept his distance, Chandra."

Finally they reached the bar and stepped inside. Upon Chandra following Jaster into the bar a man with a unkept and unshaven beard moved toward them. Jaster raised his long rifle toward the man and jammed it in his gut as he attempted to pass Jaster and get to Chandra. The man glared at the Protector and Jaster said in a filtered voice "Be lucky that I hadn’t attached the bayonet, now move along, stranger."

Chandra grabbed Jaster’s shoulder and said "Its okay, Protector. This is who I came to meet."

Jaster frowned under his helmet as he relaxed his rifle slightly and allowed Chandra and this strange man to move off into the crowd. He made sure that he could still see Chandra and as she and her escort stopped ten feet away, Jaster began to tag the twenty or so people around her in his targeting grid. If for some reason he had to open fire on the crowd to protect Chandra his armour mounted weapons would automatically fire on those premarked targets. While he continued to scan the crowd for possible threats, Jaster saw Chandra hand the container that her mother had given her over to the man. The unkept man took it from her and gave Chandra a kiss on the lips and then he started to ask her something.

Jaster saw Chandra look toward him then raise a finger to her mouth ‘shhhhh’ her apparent friend. The Mandalore Protector wonder if she was fully aware of the dangers she put herself in getting involved with low-levelers. They were generally all thugs, con artists or beggers and all were trouble for those with Chandra’s station and rank. After a few more minutes and a final parting kiss between the two, Chandra moved back toward Jaster. She took his left hand as she said with a smile "See, Protector? Nothing to worry about."

"Of course, M’Lady," Jaster answered as he lead her back to the transport. "To school now, M’Lady?"

Chandra shook her head no as she climbed into the transport. "No, I think I’d rather spend the day at the museum."

*************

The driver knew to take her to the larger of the museums on this side of Coruscant. The ancient palace had the largest one in it, but Chandra preferred the museum with a certain display using light as the medium. She had heard that there was a new piece in it by one of her favorite artists and this seemed as good a day as any to skip school.

As they walked into the museum, it suddenly occured to her that Jaster was being quieter than usual. He did his usual checking out the people around them and looking into the rooms before she got there, but he wasn't talking TO her. And he hadn't even questioned her choice to skip school. Perhaps he was grateful not to have to sit through another class on politics.

Chandra then frowned to herself as she realized the art work they were going to see was in the Jedi section of the museum. This was not going to be any easier for him than that class. When she woke this morning and discoverd he had been in her closet and seen her dolls, Chandra had told herself she wasn't going to talk to her protector. He had invaded her trust and knew her secret. She had no idea what he thought of her now.

But here in this hall, that embarrassment was gone and it was simply too difficult not to say what she was thinking.

As they walked around looking at the sculptures and mosaics, she started to feel the anxiety of the last few days floating away. Despite her intention to not talk to Jaster, she couldn't help but speak, "I always feel so peaceful when I'm here. I think the Jedi are brilliant artists."

"Let's hope they keep to that profession," Jaster said.

She glanced at him disaprovingly and then moved on. She determined NOT to let her protector ruin this for her.

"This is my favorite wing," she said lightly as they walked into the light exhibit. There was a soft hum sound from the lasors that were used in some of the pieces.

Jaster looked around and said, "These pieces are as deadly... Use caution when in here."

"I know," she mumbled, rolling her eyes. "I know, they're as deadly as lightsabers... I read the warnings."

She walked past him and went up to a piece that glowed a brilliant yellow. It was in the shape of a cube and floated as it spun. Then she went to a piece that was a sphere pulsing various colors. She stood there and stared at it for a long while, feeling drawn into it.Every once in a while she would make a comment about what she liked about each piece. Jaster never said a word, but she could hear his heavy sighs.

"Do you want to know why there are no names on the pieces or descriptions?" she asked. Jaster didn't acknowledge her one way or another. Chandra sighed and said, "Because, unlike the popular artists who gloat and chatter on and on about themselves, Jedi are modest about their work. And they don't like to explain it, they would rather have the viewer discover it's meaning on their own." She crossed her arms and said, "I kind of like that about them."

Jaster didn't say a word, just continued to check out each room before she entered. She could tell he was not interested, but she didn't care. She would just pretend she was there with a friend.

"This piece has a small plaque. Simply the age of the Jedi. Four years old," she said as they stopped in front of a miniature saber whose blade was purple. "You know, when I was a little girl," Chandra said dreamily, "My mother had me tested for the Force. She said my great, great grandfather was a very powerful Jedi Master. And it is hereditary, you know. But despite the fact that some of them felt something strong from me, I ended up with a fairly low count. She tried to talk them into training me anyway, but wouldn't even accept her money."

She looked at him and he didn't say anything. It was frustrating and she decided she would ask him a question that demanded an answer. Surely he wouldn't be so rude as to ignore her outright. "What do you think of that? Why don't you think they would train me, even though my family has a history of the Force? You'd think they would have given me a chance at least."

"The Jedi are elitists," Jaster said. "I'm not surprised you weren't accepted in. But what I am surprised at is that a powerful Jedi Master would have children. Attachments are forbidden."

His negativity was really starting to irritate her. "Everyone has their moments of weaknesses, Protector. Even Jedi..." Then she tilted her head and said, "But... that just makes them more human. Unlike the Mandalore... I don't think I've ever heard of a Mandalore having a moment of weakness. However..." She rubbed her arms, thinking outloud, "Unlike Jedi, they do seem to be influenced by price. I wonder if one could persuade a Mandalore into a moment of weakness by offering the right sum of..."

Jaster interrupted her before she could get the entire sentence out. "M'Lady, perhaps you should continue looking at the work and cease making implications that you may later regret."

She could tell in his voice that she had hit a nerve. Despite still being angry with him, something inside of her felt a little bad for having pushed him THAT far. "I didn't mean to imply that..."

"I do NOT wish to discuss it," he snapped.

She nodded, a bit taken back by his harsh tone. They walked around quietly through the rest of the exhibit. It went on like that for a while until they came to a section Chandra hadn't been in before.

"OH! This must be the new work!" she said excitedly. Then she turned to Jaster and said, "Go in and look around but don't tell me anything when you come out. I don't want to ruin it for me."

Without responding, Jaster gruffly went ahead of her and checked the room. She used to enjoy teasing her protectors, even Ban could be fun sometimes. But for some reason, even though he was irritating her, Chandra wasn't having any fun at all.

"It's clear. There's an alien in there, but it doesn't look threatening," he said very abruptly.

Chandra nodded and walked into the long dark corridor leading to the installation. She stopped just before she went into the main area and took a deep breath. Then she stepped down into the dim room. On each of the walls hung different sized rectangle paintings. They were all light colored plain paintings on gray walls, nothing special about them at all. In the middle of the room sat a small creature who seemed to be studying the painting. She recognized him at once, looked at Jaster and said, "He's one of the artists. I bet he did this piece!" Again, Jaster didn't seem interested at all. So she walked over to the creature and sat beside him on the floor.

He had his eyes closed and she wondered if that's how you were supposed to look at these, but then realized he was probably just meditating. So she didn't close her eyes, she just stared at it in silence. Her eyes felt very funny as she stared at it. As if they were still trying to adjust to the lighting. She looked up and around and still couldn't see where the dim light was coming from. After what seemed like an hour, Chandra sighed heavily and was about to get up when the Jedi spoke.

"Still looking for a way out, are you," he said in a small voice. "And still impatient are you as well."

Grateful that the Jedi had finally broke the silence, she whispered the question she had been dying to ask, "I did like you said and I found a way to make a difference. It helped me cope for a while... but in the end it made things worse for me. I just don't know what to do. I can't take it anymore." She swallowed hard, not wanting to cry again in front of him. She was three years older then the last time they had spoken and she wanted to show him she had matured.

"Worse for YOU?" the Jedi said opening his eyes. He pointed his finger towards her. "Always thinking of yourself are you."

She heard a noise from Jaster that sounded a little like a confirmation and Chandra felt a little bit embarrassed. So much for appearing more mature.

The Jedi continued, "Think of OTHERS pain and not so bad will YOU feel."

She knew it was pointless to argue with the Jedi, he was much too clever for her. Most of what he said didn't make sense until weeks after she heard it. She continued to stare at the painting and after a while she said, "I just don't get it."

The Jedi chuckled and said, "When badly enough you want to, only then will you understand. And the answer to your other questions you will have as well."

"Really?" she asked breathlessly. "About what to do?" The Jedi hummed an affirmative and she smiled. "That's what I like about Jedi art work... it always helps you in life as well." Jaster grunted and Chandra leaned towards the Jedi and said under her breath, "He doesn't like Jedi."

"Know any Jedi does he?" he asked.

Chandra smiled and looked back at Jaster then she noticed that the back wall was missing the door they came in. In it's place was another painting hanging on the wall. She looked around, feeling disoriented and then she stood and said, "Protector!" Jaster turned his head to her to acknowledge her concern. "Where's the door?" she exclaimed.

Jaster sighed and said in an annoyed tone, "The same place it always was, M'lady."

If it wasn't for his serious tone she would have thought he was teasing her. "I don't see it," she said.

"Do not look," the Jedi said. "See..."

Chandra rubbed her eyes. "I just don't get it," she said, feeling tired. "Usually I feel so peaceful here, but this is just getting frustrating! And I'm getting a headache..." She rubbed her forehead.

"Center on your anxieties and never will you discover the answer," the Jedi said. "Look too carefully and the obvious you will miss."

She sighed and yawned, trying to look some more. Then behind her Jaster spoke up.

"Staring at holes in the wall for three hours is enough to give anyone a headache," he grumbled.

"Holes?" she said turning around. As she looked around, she realized he was right. The painting on the wall where the door was supposed to be was actually the door, but around it hung a frame. They had stepped INTO the room, through the door. She walked to it and saw the dim light from the hallway was playing tricks on her eyes. She then moved to the other paintings and put her hand through them to make sure.

The Jedi sighed loudly and said sadly, "Help you see, your helmet does. But not all things."

"I can't believe it!" Chandra said quietly. "You ruined it for me..." She turned to Jaster, completely devastated. "What I like most about this place is the moments of discovery... that time between when I'm completely confused and when it all makes sense. You stole that from me." She turned to the Jedi and said, "He always ruins everything."

Jaster shook his head and readjusted his hands on his weapon impatiently.

"Always? Everything?" the Jedi said. "Exaggerate less, young one. Meant to HELP you, he was. Hmmm...." The little creature got up with his cane and hobbled towards the back of the room. "For a REASON all things happen. Do not fight your destiny."

"But I'm nobody," Chandra said. "I don't have a destiny."

"Not true! Around even YOU, the Force is," he said. "Trust this Protector, in his hands is your life."

She looked at Jaster and he was all of a sudden interested in the Jedi. "What do you know of the threat on her life?" he asked.

"YOUR Job that is!" the Jedi said in a grave tone. Then he stepped out into the hallway.

Chandra looked at Jaster and he said, "We've been here a very long time, are you through?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, but didn't say anything. They left together and she didn't say a word until she got to the driver.

"Take us back to where we were this morning," she said.

When they got to the landing, Jaster did all the things he was supposed to do and they hurried to the bar.

"Where is he?" she asked the Gammorian bartender in the dark establishment.

He pointed to the back room and grunted something. The interpreter droid setting on the bar said, "He's not expecting you."

"He won't mind," she said. The tender nodded his piggish head and she moved towards the back.

"I don't like this," Jaster said. "You're taking too many risks. Maybe with Ban it was different, but you heard the Jedi, even he said your life is in danger."

"He also said I should trust you," she said. "And I have to tell you who my friend is... so you'll know more about me...so you'll see..."

"I think I can guess," he said sarcastically. "I know his type..."

"Oh you do?" she said. Chandra had half a mind to walk out, but instead she moved past the crowd to the back room and then to the corner. The guard was there and he saw her and looked Jaster up and down. "It's okay," she said.

"Well we wouldn't be here if it weren't for you, so I suppose I gotta let you in," the small human said.

"Thank you," she said. The hidden door opened and when they went in

The room was just as she remembered it. Bacta Tank like chambers lined the walls and people and various types of humanoids floated in them.

"What the?" Jaster said, looking around. He was scanning the area carefully. "Is this some sort of medical facility? It's a little unsanitary for that, isn't it?"

"It's a detox center," Chandra said. "These people are all addicted to spice and want to be free of it. My friend Logan is helping them. He used to work for my father, but quit when he saw what it was doing to his clients lives. We were always friends and when he approached me, I almost turned him in to my father... but then I met Yoda."

Jaster turned his helmet towards her and said surprised, "Yoda? The Jedi?"

"The very one we were speaking with at the museum!" she said proudly.

"I should have known," he said.

"And he told me nothing happens by chance. That the Force brings people together. So... I went with it and we set this up. At first I did it just to spite my parents." She was looking at one of the tanks and saw it was a familiar looking Wookie. "Oh... you're back in here... I thought we didn't take repeats," she said sadly.

"We made an exception because he was forced to take it by his master," Logan said stepping up to them. "The stupid Hutt thought it would make him more docile. He turned and killed his own master. As soon as he could he was on my doorstep." Chandra smiled and opened her arms to him. He hugged her and he said, "What are you doing here? It's not safe for you here."

"You always say that," she said with a smirk. Then she kissed him, but he pulled away. "What's wrong."

"I mean it this time, Chandra," he said. He looked at Jaster and said, "Chandra tells me you're Ban's grandson. If you're half as good as him, you'll make a fine protector. Now take her..."

"No!" she said, "I have something for you." She took off her crystal necklace and handed it to him.

"Chadra, I've already taken so much of your money," Logan said.

"It's not mine, it's THEIRS," she said pointing to the tanks. "They pay my parents and I give it right back..."

"I agree with Logan, we should leave," Jaster said.

Chandra sighed and shrugged. She wasn't about to argue with both of them. As they headed for the door Jaster asked, "Why are all these people here when there are medical facilities that can provide this service?"

"These people are criminals," Logan said. "But they wouldn't be if they weren't on spice."

"They should be in JAIL then," Jaster snapped. "They could detox in a cell without the comfort of medications…"

"That's HORRIBLE," Chandra said. "Do you know how painful that is?"

"It serves them right," Jaster said. "It would better teach them not to go on it again."

"Nobody should have to go through that," she said, shaking. Logan put his arms around her and shushed her.

Jaster eyed him carefully and Logan said, "Did you tell him?"

"It's none of his business," she said.

To her chagrin, Logan blurted it out to Jaster. "She's been through it before…"

"I see," Jaster said.

"When she was an INFANT," Logan said. "I was just about your age, protector, when she was born. She was in the med center for the first year of her life trying to fight off what her mother had put into her blood. She almost didn't make it."

"Shut up, Logan, he doesn't need to know…" she said. "The point is, these people wouldn't be on spice if it weren't for my parents," she said.

"Not true, some of them got on by their own free will... it's just that your parents want it to stay that way," Logan said. "You can't absolve them of everything simply because your parents are the dealers."

He was right and she nodded. "We should go," she said. She turned to give Logan one final kiss when an explosion riveted the room.

Two of the bacta tanks burst, flooding the floor with purple fluid, the bodies of those contained in them slumping and falling to the floor. Chandra let out a scream and Logan went running for the back of the room shouting, "Get her out of here NOW!!!"

**************

Jaster didn’t need to be told his job as he reached out and grabbed Chandra’s arm. He felt like he was working against her as he almost had to drag her back toward the door out. She struggled against him as she shouted above a second explosion "What about Logan?!"

The Mandalore Protector slung his rifle and grabbed Chandra with his other arm as well. At the rate that the building was coming down around them and the secondary explosions could be heard they didn’t have much time. He scooped Chandra up as she continued to protest about leaving behind Logan and the other ‘detox’ patients. Jaster kicked the door wide open to find that the gruff guard was already gone and the back room and its connecting corridor were already in flames. Jaster hurried through the corridor and into the main bar where the patrons where in a panic and beginning to clog the entrance as they struggled to get out.

Jaster, with almost a bestial growl of anger, threw himself, left armoured shoulder first, into the crowd as he struggled against it and pushed his way towards the entrance. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime to him, he and Chandra emerged onto the street outside the bar and had little trouble making it to Chandra’s personal transport. Jaster was some what surprised to see that the crowds in the streets where keeping their distance from the flaming bar and the fleeing patrons. The Journeyman Protector swung open the transport door and sat Chandra inside then he began to climb in.

"What about Logan?!" Chandra demanded a second time.

Jaster slammed the door of the transport as he coldly replied "Forget him. He’s dead. Driver get us out of here."

He noticed that Chandra fixed a hateful gaze on him, the one his father had always warned him about, the one that women had that could kill but he didn’t care. His duty was to protect her not save some low level criminal mercy worker. As the transport began to break away from the lower levels and rejoin traffic a third, much more violent, explosion rocked the platform the bar had been on and the entire platform gave way, crumbling and tossing hapless victims into the depths below. Chandra continued to watch the devastation as it became smaller and smaller in the rear window. Jaster was sure that by the end of the night he would have a earful of her complaints, probably enough to last him a lifetime, and she wouldn’t even take notice of the fact that she was still alive to complain about his actions.

The silence of the ride home was broken when Chandra said somberly "I loved him, you know."

Jaster kept his gaze fixed forward and offered no answer. Not the nod or shake of his head, not the slightest thing that could be taken as an acknowledgment. The protector could’ve guessed that from the way she acted around Logan, earlier that day and just minutes ago, and needed no confirmation of it. He thought that maybe Chandra was trying to justify her actions, her concern for the man’s well-being. Or maybe, now that he was dead, she was wanting to explain everything to someone and Jaster just happened to be the nearest person. Finally Jaster answered in his filtered voice "Sometimes those we love get hurt because they involve themselves with us."

Chandra nodded slowly as she answered "No, he didn’t love me. He let me pretend otherwise but he never returned my affections. Life was too dangerous was what he once told me......."

Jaster wondered what Chandra was trying to get at or if she was just rambling out whatever thought came to her mind. Life was dangerous but thats just the way it was and it was never more dangerous for one person compared to another. The lowest dweller on Coruscant was constantly in danger, struggling to keep his life against thousands of others just like him. Maybe the lower levelers were always in more danger Jaster thought, correcting his train of thought.

"I guess now," Chandra continued, "Logan was right. I wonder who it was? I wonder who finally made a threat on his life and then carried it out?"

"M’Lady," Jaster interrupted, "I suspect that Logan was just a victim, perhaps a bonus, caught in another attempt on your life."

"Don’t be stupid, Protector. Logan was always stepping on the toes of the spice dealers. The Hutts, Black Sun........" Chandra started.

"Your parents, M’Lady?" Jaster added as a suggestion. It seemed to him that she had left them out or had maybe forgotten that they too dealed spice. He couldn’t imagine that her parents would be trying to kill their own daughter but he couldn’t rule it out either. He had seen enough, even in his young age, to know that love and the concept of blood meant very little to the galaxy at large.

Chandra glanced out the side window at her penthouse landing pad as the transport neared it. "We can’t tell them that I was there, Jaster."

Jaster remained silent. He could understand why she would want to keep her involvement in a detox center secret from her parents but he wonder how well she had managed to keep that secret to begin with. If they were not involved in the attack on the center then he could use their help or at least of the help of their protector. It would never hurt to have tighter security around the house.

"Jaster?!" Chandra practically shouted.

Jaster turned to face her. "Of course, M’lady, but what about the driver?"

Chandra glanced toward the pilot’s postition then answered softly "He can be trusted."

"Are you......" Jaster started.

"Don’t question me, Protector!" Chandra ordered with a snap.

Jaster nodded as the transport touched down on her landing ramp with a gentle thud. He waited for a few moments before opening the door and stepping into the cooling afternoon air. He unslung his long rifle and scanned the surrounding roof tops before he motioned to Chandra giving her the all clear. She stepped out of the transport even slower then he had and kept rather close to him for once. Jaster noted that she seemed to be less annoyed with his procedures then usual as he lead her to the access elevator. She stepped into it first, just as he had shown her the first day, and then he followed, using his armoured body to block a clear view into the elevator as the doors closed with a hiss.

The ride down in the lift was a silent one and Jaster noted for the first time that the lift sported what was termed ‘elevator music’. It was just as horrid as he had been told and warned by fellow protectors that it would be. The Mandalore was almost tempted to engage Chandra in some kind of small talk just for the hope of drowning out the awful noise of it. As he turned, fixing his concealed gaze on her, about to say something the lift stopped and its doors slide open with a ‘bing’. Chandra stepped out quickly as 3X rushed up the kitchen corridor to greet them.

"Ms. Porter! You’re back much earlier then I expected!" the droid proclaimed in a whinny voice.

"Our trip was shorter then I expected," Chandra explained, "The museum didn’t offer much in the way of new exhibits."

"I see." 3X said with a nod as he followed both Jaster and Chandra into the kitchen.

Jaster glanced back at the servant droid several times as they walked slowly down the corridor into the kitchen. It seemed to him that 3X was acting a bit stranger then usually but if he brought it up to Chandra she would only be annoyed with his constant worrying and conspiracy theories. The Journeyman Protector turned on the holo-news as Chandra took a seat at the table. Jaster quickly flipped through the various holo-spots until he came across what he was looking for: information on the explosion. Jaster turned the volume up slowly as he listened with interest.

"Just thirty minutes ago, the Lowly Bantha, a lower level bar was rocked by several explosions. Authorities are still shifting through the rubble and the bodies of the dead but are claiming the explosion was caused by the bar maintaining a illegal detox center that catered to criminals. It is unclear just what types of detox services the bar offered and authorities may never know for sure." the anchor spoke in a serious but unaffected tone.

The anchor next to the first spoke up as he added "We have just received word that Logan Hach, a renown medical officer for Xen’Kor Corp, a subsidiary of Porter Medical had died in the explosion. It could be that this was a attack on Dr. Hach, whom was well known for his efforts towards finding a permanent cure for Spice Addiction."

"Hmp." Jaster sighed. He was hoping the news would show actually footage of the bar’s remains, the platforms remains. Hell, anything that would give him the slightest clue on the how the explosives may have been placed. He should have guessed that the media would never prove to be that helpful. It would’ve gone against their nature.

"Oh, my! What a terrible accident!" 3X started then added in concern "Ms. Porter, are you feeling well?"

"Actually," Chandra answered as she stood from the table, shooting a look of disgust towards Jaster, "No I’m not. I think I’m going to try and get some rest."

Jaster stood quickly as he offered in his flat, filtered voice "If I may suggest....."

"You may not." Chandra interrupted.

"This has been the second time your life has been placed in immediate danger. I suggest you allow me to teach you self-defense combat and blaster skills. In case I may not be around to protect you." Jaster continued, undaunted by Chandra’s negative tone.

"I think not, Protector. It is your job to maintain my safety." Chandra answered harshly as she stormed off toward her bedroom.

Jaster turned to quickly follow her but 3X blocked his path. The droid maintained its position in front of the taller, armoured Protector as he ordered "Let your have her rest, Mereel. She is safe here."

Jaster slapped the droid aside as he barked "You are obviously malfunctioning, droid. Go shut down."

The Mandalore Protector could hear 3X following him down the corridor towards Chandra’s bedroom but he wouldn’t allow a pile of bolts and faulty programming stand in his way. He knew the droid had to be suffering from some kind of malfunction because it hadn’t greeted him when they arrived and it referred to him only by name not with the title ‘master’ before hand. It was small, barely worth notice but it still made the Journeyman Protector suspicious.

"Chandra?" Jaster called out as he reached her door and knocked on it.

"Leave me alone, Mandalorian." Chandra shouted without opening the door.

"I told you to leave her be." 3X gloated, if a droid was capable of doing so.

Jaster frowned at the droid though he knew it would be unable to tell through his tinted helmet screen. He pushed passed the droid and headed back toward the kitchen.

************

Jaster was on his evening patrol around the pent house when he noticed that Chandra’s bedroom door was open. He cautiously approached and stepped inside the room, looking around for Chandra. He saw no sign of her anywhere and her bathroom door was wide open so he suspected she wasn’t in there. He was tempted to check her closet himself but settled for activating his thermal imaging to verify if she was in there or not. To his dismay, she wasn’t . He quickly secured her room, shutting the door behind him, so he could hear her return to it.

As he stood in the corridor outside her bedroom, he activated his helmet sensors and advanced detection devices. Almost immediately after turning on the built-in systems he received information of a outgoing and incoming signal and could detect Chandra’s voice, though it was a mere whisper even with his enhanced hearing systems on. Jaster quickly followed the sound of her voice toward the den. As he entered through the kitchen, the Mandalore Protector stopped short of the den and retreated back towards the shadows when he saw Chandra using the comm. to speak with his grandfather and her former Protector.

************

Unaware of Jaster’s sudden arrival Chandra continued to explain things to the man that was like a father to her. "Logan’s dead, Ban. Someone finally turned one of their threats into a reality and he’s dead......."

"I’m sorry, Chandra......" the Mandalore answered in a soothing voice.

"And Mur has started to use even though we promised one another that night, so long ago, that we would never give in to that temptation." Chandra continued, through tears, adding "And my parents took you away and left this overly paranoid kid in your place."

Ban Mereel shook his head slowly as he said "That kid is my grandson, Chandra. He knows what he’s doing and you should trust him more."

Chandra frowned slightly as she continued to voice her complaints. "He acts like a robot, though. Always going through his security sweeps, always carrying his weapons with him. He even made me wear his helmet and armoured vest once!"

"His father is one of the best Protectors on Concord Dawn. He has alot to live up to and so do you Chandra," Ban paused for a moment before he added, "Remember, Jaster is a Mandalore, taught the Mandalorian way, acting on what he knows and what his gut tells him."

"But...." Chandra started.

"Was I any different?" Ban interrupted with finality.

"No......." Chandra answered with a sigh.

"Jaster will eventually adapt to the new situation and lighten up. It will take time, though, and you will probably have to help him but once he sees that there is no threat to your life......."

Chandra nodded slowly. "Thanks, Ban."

"If you should need anything........" Ban started.

"I know, I can always call." Chandra finished.

Ban nodded then deactivated the communication connection.

************

Jaster watched Chandra sit in the darkness of the den, with only the light from the night sky washing over her, for a moment before he stepped back into the kitchen and walked into the den. After hearing what he had heard he expected her to be full of more zeal and ready to challenge his authority once again. Little did she realize that her life was in danger and that while that danger was present he wouldn’t relax his guard.

The Protector was prepared for another argument. Chandra was such a stubborn girl..........

**********

Chandra felt her heart aching, she was so lonely. She just wanted to cry, but she was almost too tired for that. She looked out the window and almost wished someone WAS trying to kill her… and that they would succeed.

For years now, Logan had been the bright spot of hope in her life. He showed her how to help people and it made her feel like she was worth something; that her life wasn't a waste. The detox center that they built had helped hundreds of people give up spice and set their lives back on track. All she really did was fund it, but Logan helped her feel important. She would often dream that they would some day get married and have a family, even though she knew he could never have children because of the disease he had contracted from one of his clients. At least now that he was dead he wasn't suffering from the horrible headaches and muscle spasm anymore. She closed her eyes and pressed her fingers into them, unable to hold back the tears. She wished she had stayed in that center.

"M'Lady," Jaster said carefully.

She startled and looked away from him. "What?" she asked quietly.

"I know it is not easy for you to accept that your life is in danger, but if you would indulge me with a few precautions, I promise to attempt to be more subtle in my duties," he said.

"A few precautions?" she asked, wiping the tears and looking at him.

"There are too many unknowns in this apartment for my liking. Your cook comes and goes, your parents have the code to the entrance, despite his attempts to give me instructions, 3X is NOT a security droid. Perhaps with some suitable programming he could be altered…"

Chandra started laughing lightly and said, "If you can keep my parents out of this apartment, you'd be up for a job protecting the supreme Chancellor."

Jaster sighed heavily and said, "I do not wish to fight with you, M'Lady."

"Go ahead and try…" she added waving her hand lightly at him and turning away again. "I didn't mean to put up a fight… Do whatever you want… I don't care what you do anymore."

He was quiet for a second and then said, "Thank you M'Lady…" He started to leave and then hesitated at the door to the den. She turned to see him staring at her from behind his helmet.

"What is it, Protector?" she asked.

"I'm curious for the sudden change of heart," he said. "Why suddenly don't you care? Do you at last believe me?"

"I don't know," she said with a sigh. The reluctantly she said, "The two people I trust most in the universe have both instructed me to trust you as well. I don't know why, you're a scrap of a boy and inexperienced… but I would be a fool not to listen to Yoda and Ban… so… have your way, Journeyman Protector, Jaster Mareel. Do what you think is right, and if it's all for naught so be it. I can bare to be inconvenienced… it won't kill me." As she said the last phrase she smiled and looked down with a laugh. "Wouldn't that be funny… If I died from the inconvenience of being protected…"

Jaster didn't laugh, just left. She tilted her head and watched him go, wondering why he was so stiff and humorless.

*********

The next morning Chandra woke early, but didn't feel like going to school again so she stayed in bed until she started to feel hungry. She looked at the clock and noticed it was around lunch time. Lazily getting dressed into a loose white jumper skirt, she sleepily made her way to the kitchen. 3X put down her food for her and she smiled. She hadn't had this for lunch in a while. She put her hand on it and then felt odd.

"Protector?" she called out. Jaster didn't answer. "Where is he?" she asked 3X, her heart suddenly starting to race.

"I believe Jaster is… in the security room?" 3X said.

"Yes," he said as he entered, without his helmet. "I was… I had something delivered and I was working on it…" he glanced at 3X and said, "Leave us…"

"I…" 3X started.

"NOW," Jaster said. 3X waddled out of the room mumbling something.

"You really should be nicer to him," Chandra said waving her sandwich with a warning at her protector. "He belongs to my mother and reports everything that goes on to her…"

"He does?" Jaster said, almost sounding alarmed.

"Yeah, sometimes I think she's got a transmitter on him or something… but Ban was more convinced it was a memory log of some sort. He tried to get at it once, but 3X shut down and we had to call a protocol droid specialist in to start him up again. My mother was NOT pleased." She took a bite of her sandwich, noting the furled brow and frown on Jaster. After she swallowed she said, "It's no big deal… lots of parents spy on their kids… my mom said it was to make sure the Protectors are doing their jobs and not doing things that WEREN'T their jobs."

"Right," he said, taking a seat, either completely missing what she was implying, or ignoring it on purpose. "Tell me, do your parents also have access to the security system?"

She shook her head and said, "No, Ban made sure that it couldn't be accessed from outside of the apartment. But they do have the codes to get in and see any of the back up tapes if they are in the apartment."

He nodded and his eyes grew a little wider. She realized he was looking at her sandwich. She swallowed, took a drink of her juice and asked, "Would you like some?"

He shook his head 'no' and said, "I only eat breakfast and I ate it hours ago."

"Not another one of those 'ready meals'… or whatever they're called," she said. Those things smelled and looked horrible.

"Yes, and it was fine," he said looking at her with a concentrated expression. She could see he was thinking about something, but he continued to sit with her so she kept talking.

"You know… Ban's meal orders were never cancelled, I bet the cook…" she got up and went to the freezer. "Here," she said pointing. "He had them marked only as breakfast, lunch and dinner… but they are made as Mandalore's prefer… whatever that means." She took one out and set it on the counter. She was about to call for 3X and then decided against it. She didn't think Jaster cared much for the silver droid. "I bet I could figure this out," she said.

"It's not necessary," he said as if suddenly realizing what she was doing.

"It's no problem," she said looking around for the cooker. She found it and put it in, noting the timing instructions on the container.

"I'm not hungry, M'Lady," he said getting up and putting his gloved hand on the controls, "Please, it would simply be a waste of food."

She looked up at him, feeling slightly dejected and said, "Alright…." She sat down to her sandwich and said, " But at least try one of his meals rather than eat those awful pre-prepared things."

He was putting the meal back in the freezer when he said, "Very well, for you I will." He closed the door and turned towards her, leaning on it and crossing his arms. She noted that he was looking at her sandwich again.

"WHAT?" she asked. He startled as if he was in deep thought again. He had a look of a question on his face and she said, "You keep staring at this sandwich!"

"Oh," he said, rubbing his chin, "Sorry about that… It's just I've never seen anyone but a Mandalore eat and enjoy a sliced Halvorine on Morrmet… Did Ban introduce it to you?"

Chandra smiled and then took a bite, nodding.

"You do know what it is, don't you?" he asked with a smirk.

She kept chewing, tasting the salty meat mixed with the sweet bread. Ban had eaten it in front of her for years before he let her try it. He swore to her she would hate it and she did, but ate it anyway just to prove she could. She had finally acquired the taste for it, but now as the look on Jasters face was in complete amusement she started to feel her stomach turn. She swallowed and said, "He never mentioned it. I just thought it was your typical meat."

"Oh…" he said nodding. "I won't spoil it for you. It is quite nutritious and it's good to see you eating."

"Now I want to know," she said setting it down and looking at it.

"Some things are better left as a mystery," he said.

She pushed it away.

"Oh come now," he said. "You were enjoying it… I didn't mean to…"

"Well you DID!" she said glaring at him. "Now… tell me, what is it!" she ordered.

Jaster stood up straight, his face growing severe. "There's no need to take that tone with me, M'Lady."

Chandra blinked a couple of times at him. He was very handsome, even when he was being stern. It scared her a little when he spoke so stern and she grew silent, and stared at the sandwich.

In a gentler voice he said, "M'Lady if you so wish it, I will tell you what it is…" She nodded. "Halvorine is the back of the tongue of a certain wild grass eating animal found only on Concord Dawn."

"Oh," she said swallowing the lump in her throat. "That's not too bad…I guess." She wrinkled her nose a little.

"That's not the worst part," he said leaning on his hands as he spread them out on the table in front of her. "The bread… is baked with the cud and saliva of Halvorine…" He stood back up a little smug and added, "The plants it eats are sweet cane, delicious, but poisonous if not mixed with the Halvorine mouth and stomach juices."

Chandra covered her mouth, staring at the sandwich with wide eyes.

"You aren't going to eat it now, are you?" he asked.

She shook her head 'no' and said, "I'm not very hungry anymore."

I'm going to go finish installing the new security system," he said. "What are your plans for today, since you obviously aren't going to school."

Chandra took a long drink of her juice and then said, "I don't know. I don't feel like doing much of anything anymore…"

"Very well," he said. "You know where I'll be."

She nodded and he left her in the kitchen.

***************

Chandra spent most of the afternoon going through her doll collection, counting the dolls that Logan had given her and was amazed at just how many there were. She then changed clothes a couple of times and peeked in on Jaster now and again. Whatever it was he was doing in the security room he was certainly consumed by it.

He did appear at her door around dinnertime and when they walked into the kitchen and sat down, it struck her that he was honoring her wish to not have to eat alone. He did it subtly enough that she didn't feel uncomfortable. And the conversation was light enough that she actually had time to eat, but it wasn't so quiet that she felt awkward. As soon as she was done, he nodded and said casually that he had to get back to work. She watched him go and pushed her plate away for 3X to clear.

In the den she turned on the set and absent mindedly flipped on the options on the viewer. 3X was there powered down and she turned him on to watch a program with her. He was a droid, but he was still company and sometimes he had some insights into the shows that helped her understand the more complicated plot lines.

She watched a program on a Coruscant History channel that attempted to tell a love story staged in the early times of when Naboo became an elected royalty system. But it was so couched in political jargon and formal speeches that the essence of the romance was lost.

She turned to 3X and said, "Why do they try to do too much in these films? Why not just pick a story and tell it rather than put in all the intrigue and platforms?"

"It's my understanding that the programs on this channel are intended to persuade one's political view rather than move one to an emotional connection to the characters. If you would like a true love story, perhaps you should try a less… local station?"

She frowned and said, "Yeah, I know… Go run me a bath, 3X. Nice and hot."

"Yes, Miss Porter," he said.

She flipped around and couldn't find anything that looked interesting to her. It was getting late and she was tired anyway. At first she was going to avoid anything in the news and stick to the entertainment selections, but as she read the local headline menu a familiar name caught her eye.

"Selve is dead?" she said sitting up straight. She listened to the report in a daze. In what sounded like too pleasant a tone, the reporter explain how Selve's life had been taken in what at first appeared to be an accident but authorities are now labeling 'foul-play'. Suddenly feeling cold, Chandra rubbed her bare arms and leaned forward, staring at the set. She was horrified at the pictures of the blue Rodian lying down in the school yard, the victim of an air scooter that supposable flew out of control, but was now was suspected to have been aimed at her. Selve's new protector, another Klatoonian, was following too far behind and couldn't react in time to save her.

"You're bath is read, Miss Porter," 3X said.

She didn't acknowledge him, just brushed by the droid to run to the Security room. She didn't see him and called out, "Protector!"

"I'm here," he said popping his head up over the security monitors. It must have shown on her face. "You just learned about Selve, didn't you?"

"You knew she was killed and you didn't TELL me?" she said breathlessly in disbelief.

He pushed himself up off the floor and said with a sigh, "I knew you'd believe the broadcast before you'd believe me… and you've had enough heart break for a week. I hoped maybe you wouldn't find out right away."

"Do you think it's connected? I mean… that someone who has been trying to kill me is the one who killed her?" she asked.

"I have no way of knowing," he said. "But I do know this…" His voice was very determined and he pointed at her when he said it. "Whatever is going on, you are safe so long as I'm your protector, and you follow my instructions." He sat down on the chair and began typing something into the computer. "I don't want you to be afraid, M'Lady. I'm setting up the precautions we spoke of earlier." He then glanced up at her and said emphatically, "You will be safe, I promise."

Chandra smiled weakly and nodded, slowly backing out of the security room. "I'm going to go take a bath," she said.

"Alright," he said getting up. "I'd like to close the blast windows in your room first."

"The WHAT?" she asked. "What's wrong with my blinds?"

"Part of the new security measure… you'd be surprised at what can get through glass in the middle of the night," he said with a wink.

In the bedroom she watched as Jaster clicked a remote he was holding and the sound of a whirring outside the window began. Then in a second, the windows went pitch. She looked at him and he nodded. "All secure… I'll be in the security room finishing up, M'Lady."

Chandra nodded and watched him go. She started to slam the door and he turned and said, "Please, M'Lady, I promised to be discreet, but until I get everything set up…"

"This is going too far!" she said with a stomp. "You've completely ruined my view! I might as well be living in the center of a cement building if I'm going to have to deal with this!"

"M'Lady," he said sounding as if he was trying to remain calm.

"And now, you want me to leave my door open while I bathe? Must I have NO privacy what so ever?" she demanded. "I might as well be in a prison!" Leaving the bedroom door ajar. She got her things, turned on some music and headed for the bathroom in a huff.

"I'll be in the security room," Jaster snapped.

She didn't know exactly where the camera was in her private bath, because she never wanted to know. Not knowing made it easier to pretend she was alone.

She undressed quickly and then stepped into the bath, hiding herself under the bubbles. After the water was full enough, she turned it off and just lay there for a few minutes. The music she had put on was peaceful, but also sad. She was so angry and could feel the emotions starting to come up again and she started splashing the water lightly with her foot. Crying was so natural for her, but it was getting very old and it never did her any good. Jaster seemed to completely ignore her crying and it was a nice change. Not getting the sympathy she had from Ban was making her stronger and she was able to fight back the tears. She really didn't mind Jaster that much and in a way was growing fond of his honesty and straight forwardness. And it was growing less ridiculous to her that someone was trying to kill her, so it was good to know he cared so much about his job.

Chandra sat there for a little bit and then took a deep breath and sunk herself under the water. She held it for as long as she could, wondering if she was starting to worry him. Then she came out with a gasp and wiped the bubbles and water from her face. She reached for the towel beside her and dried her face off. She listened to see if he was coming to her rescue, but she could only hear the music. She leaned back into the tub and sighed.

She was in the tub so long that it was starting to get cold and her music ran out. She sat there quietly debating on getting out or simply letting more water out so she could add more hot when she heard a strange noise. Trying to remain as still as she could, she listened carefully. It wasn't coming from the bedroom but was inside the bathroom. She looked around as the deep, yet distant groan sounded again. Again she sat silently and then the sound came again, this time MUCH louder and she could tell it was below her.

"Do you hear that, Protector?" she called out in a shaky voice to the listening device, wherever it was. She fished around in the water for the chain to the drain and just as she found it and pulled she heard Jaster's voice coming in from the hall to the bedroom.

"Don't let the water out!" he yelled.

His voice was loud and urgent. As she comprehended his words, she looked at the plug in her hand and then saw bubbles coming up from the drain. In an instant, Jaster was in the bathroom, pulling her out of the water. She started screaming and hitting him. He was without his helmet, gauntlets and armor vest.

"Stop it!" she yelled. "Put me down...At least let me get a towel!" But he ignored her as he carried her out of the bathroom, staring at the tub with wide eyes. Over his shoulder she saw what he looking at. A one eyed snake like creature waving around in midair, looking at them both. Around it swam dozens of smaller slithering snakes that were crawling all over the bathtub and onto the floor. This time Chandra screamed, but held on to Jasters neck, petrified at whatever it was.

He pulled out a balster from his holster and shot it. It fell down but then shot back up towards them.

"Let go," he said, trying to put her down in the bedroom.

"NO!" She screamed looking at the floor, slithering with snake like creatures.

He brought her to the bed and threw her down. But as he turned, the large creature slithered around his leg and he fell to the floor, shoot at it with his blaster. He was being pulled and disappeared into the bathroom. Chandra screamed, watching as the smaller snakes made their way into her bedroom as well. She looked around for something to defend herself with, but could only find a glass on her nightstand. She took it and started whacking anything that came near her.

"Jaster!" she yelled, "Help me!" She could hear blaster fire and pounding in the bathroom and finally it grew quiet. "JASTER!" she yelled, still trying to beat back the small snakes. One managed to touch her foot and she felt a sharp sting. She kicked it away and stood. Grabbing hold of her blankets she threw them to the floor along with the snakes. Jaster came in and fired at the snakes, but it only managed to disperse them as it splattered those he did hit all over the room.

He had much better luck when, with his bare hands, he gathered up the snakes, grabbing them and holding them what looked to be as far out away from him that he could. He then went back into the bathroom and Chandra could hear sounds of more blaster fire and a few Mandalore curses. Then running water from the sink.

Chandra was standing on her bed, completely naked and shivering. But she was still so scared it barely mattered. Slowly Jaster came around the corner, soaking wet and ill tempered. He stood just outside the bathroom looking at her.

After a moment of silence he asked, "Are you alright, M'lady?"

She shook her head affirmative at first. Then, tears forming in her eyes she said with a choked voice, "No..."

She put her arms out to him and he stepped forward, but instead of comforting her, he wrapped his cape around her and said simply, "They're dead. I'll call in an exterminator. Right now you should get dressed." He headed for the bedroom door.

"What WERE they?" she asked, shivering. She pulled his cape around her shoulders tighter. Turning around slightly he said, "Get dressed and we'll discuss it."

She nodded.

****************

As she came into the security center room, Chandra heard a strange man's voice.

"It's not that I don't believe you, it's just… I'm surprised to hear of a nest this high up, first time in my entire career a Dianoga's gotten through the upper level sewer guards."

Then Jaster answered in a filtered voice, "When my Mistress comes out you can go in and see the nest for yourself, what's left of it. I stopped the drain up, but I want a full inspection done on these pipes. Find out how they got in."

She stepped in and Jaster turned his helmet towards her. "Here she is, now."

The strange looking man nodded to her and said, "I'll take care of your problem, Miss Porter."

"Thank you," she said quietly. After he left the room she looked at Jaster and then quickly looked down. "One bit me," she said.

"They're not poisonous," he said, turning up the volume on the bathroom camera. She came up behind him and watched on the monitor the exterminator examining the dead snakes. She noted that the monitors looked the same, but there were strange little boxes next to them.

"Here's your cape," she said holding out the wet garment.

"Put it in the laundry," he said.

She turned to do as he said and then stopped and said, "You're being very impolite to me."

"A thousand pardons, M'lady," he said gruffly.

Chandra looked down, fingering the cape in both hands. "You must really hate me," she said.

"No," he said. "I don't hate you, M'lady."

"Then what's wrong?" she asked. He was quiet, but she could see his hand was in a fist and he was tapping his foot. "Tell me, Jaster." He turned to her at the mention of his proper name and she tilted her head slightly. "Please," she said.

"You have NO respect for me," he said. "Or my judgement. You ignore my warnings and speak to me as if I am below contempt." He put his hand on his knee and leaned forward towards her. "Perhaps that's the way it is with Protectors and those they guard in the 'civilized' world. But where I come from the type of behavior you display is reserved for infants and toddlers… No. Actually… a child would trust their guardian."

"I trust you," she said quietly. "And I respect you too."

"You could have fooled me," Jaster said, looking back at the monitor.

Chandra left quietly and dropped the cape in the laundry shoot for 3X. The last thing she wanted to do was go back into her bedroom so she went into the kitchen and sat down with a glass of juice. She stared at it for a while and thought about what Jaster said. She took a sip and then sighed with the realization that he was right. Yoda had told her to trust him and warned her, but she had continued to treat her protector as if his position was a joke.

The truth was, Jaster Mareel was the furthest thing from a joke that she had ever met. She closed her eyes and into her mind flashed the image of his dark eyes looking at her from under the wet hair hanging in his face. He was so serious, almost too much so for her tastes. But he made her feel safe, not just because he was one of the best Mandalore protectors she had ever had, but because he was honest with her and didn’t let her get away with anything.

"Perhaps you should sleep in the spare room tonight, M'Lady," Jaster said.

It was not a filtered voice and Chandra's eyes flew open. Sure enough, he had his helmet off and his expression was not one of critical annoyance, as she should have expected.

"But… your room is the spare room," she said softly.

"I know," he said raising his brows. "I won't be sleeping tonight anyway. And I want to monitor the entire penthouse from the security center. Having you in the next room serves two purposes. It keeps you away from the exterminator and his business and it keeps you in the room next to me."

She nodded quickly and said, "Okay…" He nodded and started to walk out and she called, "Jaster?"

"Yes, M'Lady," he said turning around.

"Thank you," she said.

"I saved your life. It's what I'm paid to do," he said stiffly.

"That's not what I meant," she said. "Thank you for being honest with me. You're right… I do act like an overgrown child sometimes… MOST of the time."

He sighed and his handsome brow wrinkled somewhat. "I should not have been so blunt, M'Lady," he said.

"No!" she said laying her hand flat on the table. "I WANT you to be honest. I'm thanking you for it."

His mouth curled slightly and he said, "I think you would quickly grow tired of my honesty if I always spoke it so freely."

"You're probably right," she said smirking back at him. "But just the same. I value your opinion, and your protection." She looked down and added, "More than I've let on. Sometimes I say and do things I don't really mean."

"As when you told your mother that you 'hated' me? Was that one of those time?" he asked.

Chandra looked up at him and saw his face was almost stone, but there was a small line in his brow.

"I don't hate you," she said as gently as she could. She didn't know what else to say after that and he didn't say anything either, just looked back at her. She bit her lip and then said, "I think I WOULD like you to teach me some things. I felt so helpless and ignorant tonight. I didn't even know anything could come up out of a drain… and I didn't have the slightest idea of what to do… I panicked. I don't know what I should have done, but I know that was wrong…"

He rubbed his chin, listening to her and nodded.

"Will you teach me?" she asked.

Studying her face he looked to be thinking about something. She waited for his response, smiling at his flashing dark eyes. "Yes," he said. "On one condition."

"Yes," she said. "What is your condition?"

He put his hands on his hips and tilted his head down, looking up at her seriously. "While in training, you will obey me as my pupil. No whining, complaining or fussing about what I'm having you do. You simply learn. I will not push you beyond what you are capable of, but you must trust ME as to what that is. Agreed?"

The entire proposition seemed like a horrible idea to her now. But as she stared into Jasters face she felt compelled to simply agree to anything he said. She nodded and smiled.

"Good," he said. "We start tomorrow at seven o'clock."

"SEVEN?" she said.

"Make it six," he said glancing at her. "We'll get a lot done in those four hours before school. She opened her mouth and he said, "Do you want to make it five?"

She shook her head and said, "No… six is fine. But I better go to bed now or it will hurt too much."

She got up and followed him out. "You'll get used to it," he said. "It's going to hurt at first, but you'll love me in the end."

"You sound so sure," she said, walking past the security monitors towards Jasters sleeping quarters.

He sat down at the controls and she stopped just before she went in. She leaned against the door way and watched him setting up for the night. He glanced up at her and asked, "Is everything okay?"

She nodded, suddenly feeling very light headed. "Yes," she said. "I just don't get to see you very often without your helmet on… It's nice seeing your facial expressions."

Jaster didn't say anything, and it looked like he was trying to hide his smile.

"My favorite one was when you came out of the bathroom after killing all those baby snake things," she said with a huge grin. "You looked like you had just wrestled a crypt dragon or something…" She laughed lightly. "I'll never forget that moment or what you looked like!" He looked like he was going to say something too, but stopped himself. "What?" she asked. He shook his head and looked down. "Tell me!" she prodded. "What are you thinking?"

He glanced up and said, "I doubt I'll forget that moment either, M'Lady. Now… if you don't mind my saying so, you should go get some sleep."

Chandra nodded and went into his room. As she lay down in his bed, she suddenly grew very warm as the thought occurred to her of just how much of her Jaster had been seeing at that moment. She pulled the covers up to her chin and then over the smile on her mouth.

*******

Jaster walked slowly towards Chandra’s room, stopping every few steps, unsure of weither or not she was really prepared for the Mandalore traning. Finally after a few moments of stalling he tapped gently, barely audioable it seemed, on her door. The Mandalore Protector waited for a long moment for Chandra to answer, to acknowledge his presence and the time.

The time.......

Perhaps he had the wrong time. Maybe he had misaligned his helmet chrono when he was working, the night before, on wiring the security systems into his helmet monitors and h.u.d. He couldn’t have imagined it happening but Jaster still decided to double check. Quickly, as quietly as he could, he moved towards the kitchen and shuffled about until he found the small, portable chrono-keeper and checked its time against his.

0600 is what the tiny device read.

The Journeyman Protector let out a small curse in his native tongue as he quickly, with no effort towards being silent, moved back to Chandra’s door. He cursed himself for thinking he could’ve, would’ve, made such a stupid error as miss setting his chrono-counter. He knocked a second time, this time much louder then before. He waited for only a moment before he entered to see his charge still sound asleep. As he drew close to her bed, a silly, stray thought crossed his mind. He wondered what she might be dreaming about.

"Chandra......." Jaster said softly, almost regretting to wake the young woman from her peaceful slomber.

Jaster waited patiently for a response from her but all he got was a soft mumble and Chandra rolling over on her side, facing away from him. He shook his head and smiled, amused with her ability to sleep through just about anything. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he shook her gently as he called out her name again.

"Chandra......."

Chandra took a deep breath and stretched for a moment as she answered in a groggy tone "Its not ten yet...........let me sleep in......."

Jaster could now understand why his father, mother and his myriad of instructors on Concord Dawn seemed so mean about the way they woke people up during training. It was nessicary to get some out of bed. Less then amused, Jaster rolled Chandra onto her back and placed his other arm on her shoulder. He waited for a moment to see if she would respond and when she didn’t he shook her very quickly and very forcefully, just as his own mother had once done to him.

Chandra’s eyes shot open in a heartbeat and she asked in a dazed voice "Jaster, whats wrong?!"

The Journeyman relaxed his grip as he answered with a half smile "Nothing, M’lady. Its time to begin your training exercises."

"Give me a minute to get ready......." Chandra answered half-heartedly.

Jaster nodded and moved to the door as he answered "Of course, M’lady."

The Mandalore Protector waited for Chandra to sit up in bed before he stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. He would offer her some prvacy while she got ready since his room had no step-in closet. As he waited outside the door, he shouted loudly "Wear something comfortable, M’lady."

He waited a moment for her response, any kind of response, and when he got none Jaster knocked on the door again.

"Chandra?"

Still no answer. Jaster cursed again to himself as he opened the door and found her asleep in bed. He couldn’t believe he had allowed her to dupe him into thinking she was getting up. He quickly moved over to one side of the bed and reached out towards her, all amusement with the situation fading quickly. With a light push, he rolled Chandra off the other side of the bed and listened as she hit the floor with a dull, soft thud.

"Okay! Okay, I’m up!!" she cried out as she sat-up.

"Now you are, M’lady." Jaster answered then moved back towards the door, adding "You have two minutes to change into something comfortable."

Jaster could hear her cursing him as he stood just outside the door. He let a smile touch his lips as he heard each and every curse, some of them none too proper. She sounded just like a true cadet. After a moment Chandra joined him out in the hallway, just across from the training room, dressed in a light pink jump suit very similar to his, at least in design. With a smirk, Jaster said as he lead her to the training room "Do you have anything that isn’t pink, M’lady?"

"Do you wear anything that isn’t black, Protector?" she shot back.

Jaster shook his head negative. At least she didn’t seem too upset with his methods of getting her out of bed. He wondered, as he lead her into the training room, if she would object too much to his suggesting that tomorrow morning she get up earlier so they could run two miles. He had done the math and her roof landing pad would equal a mile after running around it four times so they wouldn’t have to go far to find somewhere to run. He wondered then what she would think about lugging around 60 pounds of gear to simulate.......

"No armour today?" Chandra asked, breaking Jaster’s train of thought.

Jaster shook his head as he stepped onto one of the soft mats he had laid down in the center of the training room. "No, not this early in your training. I just plan on showing you some basic combat moves and strikes today. Dealing with a armoured and armed target is a bit more advanced then what you are ready for, M’lady."

Chandra laughed softly as she pushed Jaster slightly. "Whatever my mighty Protector says."

Jaster nodded as he motioned for her to join him in the center of the training mat. "In unarmed combat it is important to always keep a small profile and never lose your center of gravity."

Chandra nodded as she stopped a foot away from Jaster and listened with interest. Jaster continued as he showed her one of the many basic starting combat stances. "Always stay focused on your foe and be ready to act at the slightest hint of his aggression or inaction. Now you take this stance and we’ll test your reflexes."

Jaster watched Chandra with a eagle’s eye as she tried to mimic his stance. The Mandalore Protector circled around her as she brought her hands in too close to her body and didn’t spread her legs far enough apart. He shook his head as he stopped pacing behind her and reached his left hand out, taking her fisted hand in it and slowly drawing her arm out in front of her.

Softly he said, as he did so, "Keep one arm, your secondary, out in front of you. Give your opponent something to focus on. Then keep your dominant arm and hand close to the body this way the concern seems to be focused on the arm and hand you have out."

Jaster showed her slowly how the stance would work to her advantage if her foe were watching her secondary hand. Using his hands he slowly moved her left arm into her body and brought out her right arm, her dominant hand, to strike. Chandra laughed and Jaster felt a bit ackward as he helped her repeat the motions, slowly and repetitively. He also used his hands to ease her fingers out of the fists she had made.

"Never close your hand into a fist until you are ready to strike and some of the strikes I’m going to be teaching you are more lethal open handed." Jaster said evenly.

Chandra nodded as Jaster stepped back away from her and she slowly repeated the withdrawing strike he had shown her. He watched her and admited, if only to himself, that she was picking up the simple move quickly enough but she was still having trouble keeping her hands open and her legs apart. After watching her for a few moments Jaster kneeled beside her and placed his hand on her upper leg. She glanced down at him and asked "What?"

It took the Mandalorian a moment to respond as he felt how firm her leg was. Jaster moved his hand away quickly as a flash of heat washed over his face. He wondered if, given the circumstances, it was the proper for him to be teaching her hand to hand combat training. He took a deep breath to push the feelings away but from where he was, kneeling so close, her scent made it worse. He turned away from her abruptly and Chandra pressed again "Jaster, what is it?"

He glanced up at her, trying to hide any embarrassment that might be on his face, as he answered "Its your stance.......You keep your feet and legs too close together and it gives you a poorly maintained balance."

He hoped she didn’t pick up in the slight quiver in his voice.

"Oh...." Chandra answered with a hint of disappointment

"Here, I’ll show you." Jaster said as he stood and took up the stance he was teaching her. He placed his legs apart from one another and waited for Chandra to do the same. She did, sloppily at first, but each time he corrected her she got better. Much of their morning passed like this as he would demonstrate a strike or a stance and then help Chandra learn it through slow repetition and finally allowing her to practice on her own. Finally, when his chrono indicated that it was drawing near to ten, Jaster stopped what he was instructing her on and said "I want you to show me what you’ve learned."

Chandra nodded and began to go through the motions but Jaster interrupted her, saying again "Show me."

"I can’t beat you with some rank rookie moves!" she complained.

Jaster shook his head as he asked "How do you know unless you try?"

Chandra smiled slightly as she answered "You are suppose to be a skilled Mandalore soldier."

"If you are afraid......." the Journeyman taunted with a dismissing wave of his hand.

Chandra frowned and shot the Mandalorian a scornful gaze as she assumed the combat stance he had taught her. Jaster did the same, taking up his stance, with a smile. He watched Chandra carefully, studying her form, as she stepped in to strike with the first move he had shown her. Jaster stepped aside from the blow and using his outreached left hand grabbed her by the arm flipping her to the ground. He quickly fell on top of her as she hit the mat with a thud, pinning her arms above her head. As she struggled against his hold, Jaster stated flatly "You stepped with your right foot before you swung. You telegraphed your move before you made it."

Jaster leaned in closer, his face mere inches from hers, as she continued to struggle against his weight. "We’ll have to work on that and I’ll have to show you how to use the force of a strike alone without using your body momentum. Once you learn that you will become more difficult to throw."

"You set me up, didn’t you?" Chandra accused, "You knew I wouldn’t be able to hit you and that you’d throw me......You just want to embarrass me!"

Jaster relaxed his hold as he leaned back. He could tell she was hurt by his actions so he explained softly "I wanted to see what all you had already learned and what you might have already known. It took me several weeks before I could master my strikes enough that my father couldn’t throw me......"

"What I might have known? From what? You should know, Jaster Mereel, that you are the first person I have EVER tried to hit." Chandra answered.

Jaster nodded slowly as he stood then offered his hand down to help her up. "I wouldn’t have know if you’d seen anyone else fight before or watched tournaments of that nature. Many nobles that my father and mother had worked for watched Death Matches. One can learn from simple observation......"

Chandra took Jaster’s hand and he helped her to her feet. He stood there looking at her for a moment before he said "I think I smell breakfast. 3X most be pacing the kitchen floor waiting for us to show up."

Chandra nodded in agreement as she watched Jaster moved towards the training room door. She followed slowly, stiffly, as she began to feel a few aches and pains. ‘You could’ve asked, you know?"

"About what, M’lady?" Jaster asked as he opened the door for her.

"About the fights and stuff....."Chandra answered, heading towards the kitchen.

Jaster nodded as he followed her. "I will keep that in mind, M’lady."

************

Jaster sat at his usual spot at the table, across from Chandra, as he finished eating another of his MREs. Chandra, on the other hand, had much more then her usually muffin and coffee. She had scrambled mynock eggs, some oat meal looking substance that Jaster couldn’t quite identify and then her usual muffin. And much to the Mandalorian’s surprise she ate every last drop, took every last bite. He was amused but happy to see her eat a full meal for once. The morning run tomorrow would more then help her work it off too.

As Jaster sat aside he emptied MRE tray Chandra glared at it and then back at him. She looked at the tray one last time as she pushed aside her empty plates and sighed aloud. Jaster wondered what could possible be troubling her and would’ve asked if he thought it was of any concern of his. Chandra stood from the table and Jaster quickly followed suit. She glanced up at him and said, motioning for him to sit back down, "I’m only going to change for school, Protector, no need to get up."

Jaster nodded and waited for her to leave the kitchen before he sat back down. He wondered if she might be upset because he hadn’t choosen to eat one of the meals that she had offered him yesterday. He didn’t mean for it to be a slight against her just that he was so used to MREs and needed no special treatment. 3X trotted over to the table slowly and scooped up Chandra’s plates as he asked in mechanical voice "Protector, what did she do today to have worked up such a hunger?"

Jaster smirked but offered no answer to the droid as he handed his emptied MRE tray to him.

************

Jaster glanced over at Chandra and saw that she was studying his armoured form. He tried to adjust his position, trying to take up less of the connected seat, in the transport as he said in a filtered voice "I’m sorry that I take up so much space, M’lady."

"Oh," she said, almost as if coming out of a daze, "Its not that, Protector."

"Then what?" Jaster asked, suddenly feeling very self-conscious of himself.

Chandra smiled as she asked "I was just wondering what you thought about my training this morning?"

Jaster shook his helmeted head slowly as he replied "It would be too early in the training for me to offer you a review."

"Certainly you most have some opinion?" Chandra pressed, "I don’t want to be trying to learn how to fight if I’m just going to hurt myself more then anyone I may have to fight."

"M’lady, we all get hurt when learning to handle ourselve in unarmed combat," Jaster started, "When my mother was teaching me some of the advanced styles I broke my arm."

Chandra frowned. "Oh, come on! Please?"

"It is too early to say, M’lady." Jaster answered again.

"Then I most have been horrible......." Chandra said plainly.

Jaster frowned, grateful that his tinted lense concealed his face. He couldn’t believe she was trying reverse psychology on him or fishing so hard for a compliment he couldn’t offer. "I really couldn’t say one way or another, M’lady."

Chandra glared at him for a long moment then looked away. Jaster could tell she was upset with him for not telling her what he really thought about her efforts earlier that morning but it was really too early to be sure. She showed promise and picked up quickly on the stances and moves he showed her but he could only give a full evaluation once she had learned more. He knew she would get over it soon enough.

The rest of the ride to the school was in utter silence and Jaster didn’t complain a bit. The silence was more welcome then Chandra trying to fish for compliments or criticizing his abilites. It also offered him a chance to think about all that had transpired since he had taken up protecting Chandra in place of his Grandfather.He wondered if it was coincidence that the ‘accidents’ had started only a day or so after he had taken over or if something far more sinster then even he realized was conspiring around him.

************

Jaster opened the door of the transport and was greeted suddenly by the flash of a holo-cam. The Journeyman Protector cursed out loud as he reached forward and grabbed the startled camera man, pushing him away from the transport. Jaster was sure that had it not been for his photo-sensitive lense, the camera stuck in his face would have disorientated and blind him something that could’ve been deadly if he fell. With what may have been too much force, Jaster slammed the stunned man into the side of the transport and tossed his camera away. As the startled and frightened man struggled, Jaster heard the click of more shutters and the whine of holobots as they began to arrive on scene.

Damn! More media Jaster thought as he released the startled photographer.

"Ms. Porter! Ms. Porter!"

Jaster turned back to Chandra, climbing out of the transport, just as the medi hounds and their roving camera bots were swarming in. He quickly turned on his heel and pushed his way through the growing crowd of people, none too subtly, as he made his way towards Chandra.

"Ms. Porter! Ms. Porter, do you feel that there may have been a connection between the balcony incident and the incident yesterday with the out of control speeder?" a reporter asked as she made sure that her holorecorder was hovering near Chandra’s face.

Jaster stepped in quickly, using a gloved hand to bat aside the hovering holo-recorder, and coming between Chandra and the press of bodies just before her. "All of you, back!" Jaster warned in a filtered yet menacing tone.

"Ms. Porter, do you feel your life is in danger too? Is that why you have a new Mandalorian Protector?!" another reporter shouted as he pushed his way through the crowd.

The man slammed into Jaster unmoving, armoured form as the Journeyman grabbed hold of him and pulled him close. "I said stay........"

"Protector!" Chandra interrupted as she grabbed Jaster by his left shoulder. "Thats enough! You’re only making it worse!"

"Get back! Give the lady some room!" another voice ordered from the back of the mob.

Jaster released the reporter when he heard the voice coming from behind the mob. He reconigized it. It belonged to the nobleman that Chandra had been trying to avoid that night at the party. Jaster frowned under his helmet as he watched the older boy push passed the media group. He didn’t need more trouble, not from some half witted noble.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please give Ms. Porter room. She has classes to attend to and if she or her parents have any comment on Seelve’s death then I’m sure they will schedule a press conference to cover such matters." Buck said in a diplomatic tone as he took Chandra by the hand and began to slowly lead her through the crowd.

Jaster grumbled under his breath as he followed in the parting path of the media. He couldn’t believe he was being shown up by a snot-nosed brat. Buck glanced back at the Journeyman Protector and offered a half-smile as he said to Chandra "I’ve found that even the most skilled Mandalorian can’t deal with the press and the media in the proper manner. It seems to be their lack of personality."

Chandra laughed softly and nodded in agreement as Buck’s Protector joined the group. Jaster looked at his fellow Journeyman Protector and the other just shook his head slowly, his helmet barely moving, as he said in Mandalore "It is better to let them deal with the media then to even try to get involved."

Jaster nodded with acceptance as he noticed Chandra glance back at the two of them.

************

The first two classes of the day went by rather uneventfully. The media seemed to have taken Buck’s word and left Chandra alone though Jaster had detected their presence as they wondered the halls between classes, trying to scoop up what little comments that they could from other students and the faculty. During the political science class the instructor again made it his point to mock the Mandalore, supposedly continuing on a previous discussion, but he used Jaster’s actions with the media that morning as a example of how a armed thug deals with the press. He could tell that it did embarrass Chandra but he wondered if anyone really realized how dangerous the situation was with that mass of the press against the landing platform. Add the fact that anyone armed with a weapon could have used the crowd to sneak in attack Chandra and then escape without being detected.............

Maybe he did preceive threats where there were none. Maybe he had lost his objectivity. It happened to the some of the best Journeyman Protectors at times but Jaster thought he had learned his lessons well enough.........

"I think I’m going to ask Buck over for dinner tonight, Protector." Chandra said in a somewhat dreamy tone as they walked towards the cafeteria.

Jaster looked over towards her as he nodded "Of course, M’lady."

"What would you think of that?" Chandra asked casually as she sat down on a bench and withdrew her lunch from its small, cooler bag.

"Its not my place to question your wants, M’lady, or who you keep as friends." Jaster answered flatly.

"Honestly, Mereel?" Chandra asked as she took a bite of her sandwhich.

"Honestly?" Jaster repeated and then added, "If you want my honest opinion I think that Buck is......."

"Buck is a what?" the noble in question said from behind Jaster.

The Journeyman quickly striffled his thoughts as he watched the boy step pasted him and sit down beside Chandra on the bench. Chandra smiled at him and offered him a piece of the fruit she had brought with her and Jaster turned away. He caught sight of Buck’s protector standing off in the grass that the docks over looked and decided to join him, it would be better then watching Chandra give in to whims with Buck. The Journeyman offered a mandalorian greeting to Jaster and he returned it. It was nice to be able to speak in his own tongue every once in a while.

"He says that he’s going to ask to come over for dinner tonight......." Buck’s armoured Protector said suddenly.

Jaster nodded and said in Mandalorian "He won’t have to press the issue too much. She’s going to invite him."

The other Mandalore glanced at Jaster through tinted lense as he questioned "You sound a bit better about it , Protector Mereel. Certainly you aren’t still bothered about that party a few night back."

Jaster shook his helmeted head but offered no response. He watched Chandra through his electro-binoculars. She seemed to be enjoying herself and he caught her laughing several times with Buck. Maybe companion from her own ‘kind’ was what she needed.

"Protector Mereel, you have been lectured on ethics and about getting involved with clients. You know better." the other Mandalore spoke in a warning tone.

Jaster quickly turned to him and retorted in mandalore "You assume too much!"

Buck’s protector was about to answer when Chandra began to jog up to the two of them. She glanced at Buck’s Protector and then smiled at Jaster as she said "Come on, Protector, my next class starts soon."

Jaster nodded as he unslung his long rifle and followed Chandra down the path toward the building that housed the fashion class rooms. Once they had gotten out of sight of Buck’s Protector, Chandra grabbed Jaster’s arm and said in a excited voice "He’s coming over tonight, after his classes!"

"M’lady." Jaster said, not quite sure what else to say.

"Chandra smiled at her Protector as she said "Don’t worry, Jaster, it will be fun!"

****

On the way home Chandra began to regret her decision to have Buck over. She hadn't known her protector for more than a week, but she could already tell just by the way he was carrying himself that he was unhappy about the situation. It was amazing how much he acted like Ban. With his helmet on she figured she wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them if Jaster would eat more than just those blasted MRE meals in the morning and put on some decent weight. Her father, Ban, Logan and even Buck were all stocky men and being around Jaster, especially without his armor, made her wonder about his strength.

Though he did seem quite capable of holding her down this morning. She glanced at him and smiled. But he wasn't looking at her. He was staring ahead and no doubt looking for danger. She sighed and started planning in her mind how the evening would go tonight. Buck was friendly enough so there was no need to worry about conversation. She just needed to make sure everything was proper. He tended to look down at preprepared meals and any kind of informality.

She picked up the com and was about to call home when Jaster put his gloved hand on hers. "What are you doing?"

"Making a call!" she said. "What's the problem with that?"

"To whom?" he asked.

Very defensively she answered, "To 3X to tell him to have the cook show up for dinner tonight. I thought I might be able to catch her before she left."

"Alright," he said. He put the call through for her and did something to the system as he did it.

"What did you think I was calling another boyfriend?" she said rolling her eyes.

"Would you have time for that M'lady?" he asked sharply.

She narrowed her eyes at him and 3X picked up before she could answer.

"Yes, Miss Porter," 3X said.

"Has the cook left?" she asked.

"She isn't here yet, Miss Porter. I was beginning to think I should put in an inquiry," he said.

"No, don't bother," Chandra said. "She's very popular, I'm sure she's just late again. But when she does show up, tell her to cook something fresh. Monsieur Geller is joining us for dinner and drinks." She attempted to be as possitive as she could about it.

"Again, Miss Porter, but I thought you swore…" 3X started.

"I've had a change of heart. I think his manners have improved with age and he has learned his lesson. Why, just today he twarted a crowd of nasty reporters even Jaster could not handle!" she glanced at her protector as she said it and noticed only that he took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Ah! I hear what must be the cook now. May I go and let her in," 3X said.

Jaster spoke up and said, "You do know to confirm the identity before you allow her to enter the premises, don't you 3X?"

"Is that all Miss Porter?" 3X said. "She's rung twice now."

Chandra was a bit confused and asked, "Didn't you hear Protector Mareel, 3X?"

"I always check and confirm the identity of all intruders," 3X answered.

Chandra laughed and said, "You mean guests!"

"Isn't that what I said?" 3X answered. "Oh! That is three times… and four. She is growing impatient, Miss Porter."

"GO then," Chandra said, "And make sure to tell her about Monsieur Geller!"

"Yes, of course! Miss Porter. I will make all of the usual arrangements as well. 3X out."

"That droid needs a maintenance check," Jaster said. The irritation was clear in his voice. He stood and said, "We're here."

"Are we?" Chandra said with a laugh. "I suppose I could have just told the cook myself and avoided all of that."

"Wait a minute…" Jaster said looking out the door of the transport.

"Sir?" the driver asked.

"Pull in carefully. Chandra, follow me closely," Jaster said.

"For crying out loud what is it now?" she asked.

"Either your cook is a very ugly woman, or 3X just let in an unidentified man," he said.

"You heard him, he wouldn't do that," she said.

Jaster ignored her and carefully approached the lift. He hit the com and called for 3X to answer. There was no answer. He called again but still no answer.

"Let me try," she said. "I don't think he likes you very much."

"No," Jaster said. After checking all around the door, he punched in the code and then hit the call for the lift Then moving to the side of the wall he carefully lifted the walk way door. "We're climbing down the stairs," he said. "Come."

"But the lift is HERE!" she said pointing.

"M'Lady, please. You promised you would follow my instructions," he said.

Chandra sighed and followed him, not saying a word. For all she knew he was right. When they got down to the door to her penthouse, he keyed in the code again and with his weapon drawn and Chandra tucked behind him they entered. There was noise in the kitchen and shadows in the dining room.

"3X!" Chandra called out.

"Miss Porter, is that you?" 3X said waddling from the dining room into the hall.

Jaster took his gun in hand and charged into the kitchen and shouted, "Who are you?"

The sound of a dropped dish could be heard and a very nervous voice said, "I'm the cook."

"That doesn't sound like Jan," Chandra said as she moved towards the kitchen in a hurry.

3X waddled after her saying in exasperation, "The cook was sick, this is a substitute… from the same Culinary Agency, however. He did have the proper credentials and a security check over the main line proved that he was legitimate…"

When she got into the kitchen, Chandra saw an older man on his knees, crying and begging for his life.

Jaster was still aiming his gun at him as he sifted through the food bags that were there.

"Protector!" Chandra called out. "He has the proper paperwork.

"Yes, he showed me. It looks clear," he said. "As you were." He motioned for the cook to get back on his feet.

"This does not bode well for this evening. Can I speak with you for a moment, Jaster?" Chandra

Jaster nodded and said, "As soon as I check the rest of the rooms."

"Fine! Check my room first and then come back when you're done," she said.

Jaster did his duty and she went to her closet forcefully pushing the clothing aside to pick out a dress. She grabbed a rosy pink gown with a full skirt and a bodice that dipped low in front and tied tightly in thin straps in the back. She quickly undressed and slipped it on before Jaster could return. The last thing she wanted to do is scold him while dressing. It took her a while to get the straps to lay just right over her bare back, but she managed and was very pleased with the result.

Standing in front of her mirror, she lifted her long brown hair up and began to brush it. It seemed to be getting curlier as she got older and she smiled thinking that she may look more like her mother someday.

"M'Lady," Jaster said in a surprised filtered voice.

"Yes?" she asked turning around and letting her hair fall. He was still wearing his helmet and she was disapointed she couldn't see his expression.

"Is THAT what you're wearing tonight?" he asked. "Or is there a blouse that goes with it as well."

Chandra smiled and said, "You must be paying more attention in my fashion class than I gave you credit for. Yes, there is a blouse, but it's optional… and tonight I'm opting to not wear it."

"I disagree," he said, sounding a bit too upset for her tastes.

"YOU don't have a say in it!" she said turning back to the mirror. "Your concern is for my safety, NOT my style of dress. I happen to think I look lovely. If you dislike the dress too bad. It was very expensive and I don't care if you hate it."

Jaster put his hands on his hips just as 3X entered saying, "Excuse me, Miss Porter, but the cook would like to know if you would prefer a roast or some form of pasta?"

"Buck is a vegitarian," she said, "Pasta would be an excellent choice… before you go, 3X. What do you think of this dress?"

Chandra spun around, holding the skirt out a bit as she twirled. She came to a stop and the droid said, "Formal yet comfortable. A color and texture that humans find pleasing. A very excellent choice for a dinner engagement Miss Porter. And as for style, your mother has always said that your tastes in fashion are superior in many ways."

"THANK you 3X," she said smugly and looking at Jaster. "My protector here was just insulting my taste."

The droid gasped and said, "How very rude, Miss Porter. Most inappropriate. If that is all?"

"You may go," she said and turned back to the mirror to brush her hair.

"I'm not insulting the dress, M'Lady. My concern is that… I fear you are naïve to the ways of men," he said. "You will be sending a very clear signal to Monsieur Geller that I don't believe you intend to send."

"Oh?" she asked. "What message is that?"

"That…" he started and then seemed to be searching for the words. "To be blunt, M'Lady, so much skin being shown signals that more than being looked at is desired."

"Is that so? Well maybe I WANT him to touch me. Maybe it would be nice to have some positive attention for a change."

"It will be attention, but not positive, M'Lady," he said. "Trust me."

Chandra was really getting hurt now. She couldn't believe he was giving her orders about what she could wear. She didn't see anything wrong with the dress and felt her eyes starting to sting at the thought that Jaster was being so rude to her.

"Buck was right," she said, choking up slightly. She turned to him with determination and said, "You have become too familiar with me Protector. You speak too freely and fail to show me the proper respect I am due. Therefore I'm going to do as he suggested. Unless I ask you a direct question, you are NOT to engage me in conversation. Say whatever protection business you must, but if I fee you are crossing the line, you must obey me. I am your client and you will obey my wishes."

She stared at him for a second and then said, "Do you understand?"

He didn't answer at first; just stood there with his hands on his hips. Then as she was about to demand an answer, he nodded and left the room.

After he left she rushed into the bathroom to touch up her make up. The memory of Buck touching her last time was very fresh in her mind. She had been sixteen at the time and Buck was twenty. As she looked at herself in the mirror she noticed just how much of her front was showing. She turned around and saw all of the skin on her back through the thin straps. Saying a curse in Mandalore, she quickly put on the rest of her make up, put up her hair out of her face with combs… and grabbed the blouse that went with the dress and put it on. At least with his helmet on and his silence she wouldn't be able to tell that Jaster was gloating.

An hour later the entire place was well lit and there was upbeat jazzy music playing. Chandra could smell the sauce and smiled as the flowers arrived.

"He'll be here any minute, cook, are you almost done?" she asked.

"I'll be leaving shortly," he said. "3X has the instructions he needs to finish the desert…. If I may, Miss Porter…"

"Yes," she asked.

"Could you give me a recommendation, that is if everything is to your liking?" he asked.

"Certainly," she said with a smile. She had already tasted everything and was very please. "And I may actually be able to get one out of Buck, if I play my cards right."

"That would be an honor!" the cook said as he wiped down the kitchen. "There… all clean."

"We have a droid to do that," she said.

"Yes, of course, Miss Porter. But there's something satisfying to me about cleaning up after myself," he said. Then he grabbed his coat and gently saluted her. "Good day, M'Lady."

She thought the salute odd and smiled inquisitively at him as he left. "Good bye, cook." She couldn't even remember his name. But she could get that later.

Not two minutes later, a call came to the door. She looked around and saw Jaster was standing very still in the corner of the hall. She had barely noticed him all evening. She walked past him to the door and he followed in step behind her.

"3X," she said to the droid who beat her to the door. "Allow me…" She clicked on the lifts viewing portal and saw Buck standing there looking into it. Behind him was his Protector. Quickly she punched in the code to let them in and backed up waiting.

When the doors opened she said, "Welcome, Monsieur Geller."

"A personal greeting?" he said with a smile. The first thing he did was reach out to embrace her. She walked into his arms and allowed him. "You look lovely," he whispered in her ear.

As they pulled apart she said, "Thank you." The look in his eyes reminded her of that time all those years ago and her stomach felt a bit queasy. She began to wonder if this wasn't a big mistake. But here he was and to change her mind now would do more damage to her social standing than she could imagine.

So she went through all of the protocol necessary for someone of Bucks standing. Showing him around and speaking to him formally. When they sat down to dinner was the first time she really noticed their protectors were hovering.

"Protector," Buck said with a smirk. "You may leave us. I believe I am quite safe with the lady."

"You too," she said quickly to Jaster. She looked at him and he hesitated before he nodded and left. As the two Journeymen exited the dining room she heard them begin talking almost at once, in Mandalore of course. But she couldn't make it out.

"M'Lady," Buck said. "May I have your attention now?" He sounded a little annoyed.

"I'm sorry, M'Lord," she said turning to face him. She began eating again and had a hard time looking Buck in the eyes. He seemed to be staring so strangely at her. He did seem to be enjoying the meal though. "Do you like the pasta?" she asked.

"Yes, excellent selection," he said taking another bite and then dabbing his mouth.

"The cook is new, and I told him I would give him an reference. Would you like to sign off on it as well? I'm sure you could very easily help his career." Then with a laugh she added, "Maybe you could talk Senator Malaak to hire him, I know how you dislike invitations to dinner at the house of…"

"Concerning yourself too much with the lower classes does not become you," he interrupted as he took a drink. He set it down and with concern on his face. "You spend too much time with commoners. Your Protector, the cook…and lowlanders." Her eyes grew wide as he continued. "There is a rumor that you may have been involved with a former employee of your fathers. The very one killed in the detox extermination."

Quickly she said, "Who said that?"

"It doesn't matter to me who said it. I only care if it is true or not," he said.

Chandra nervously played with the napkin on her lap and stared at the flower centerpiece. "I…" she started. "I was friends with him."

"Well then, perhaps you can explain to me the nature of that friendship," he said as he threw his napkin on his plate.

"I hardly see how it is your business," she said quietly.

"Of course, if you were involved with him, it wasn't serious or intimate. Your tastes in men are much higher. So I must then assume it was a business relationship. Did you fund his operation?" Buck said.

"What?" she asked, half thinking it would be easier to explain being romantically involved. "How… why are you assuming so much?"

"I'm not assuming… he didn't die in that explosion, Chandra. We caught him and he very quickly gave up the information we required of him before he was executed for crimes against the Republic," he said.

He was so matter of fact about it that it terrified her more than if he was yelling. She felt all the blood drain from her face and grew slightly dizzy. He must have been able to tell and offered his version of comfort.

"I covered for you, M'Lady. You will not be facing any charges in connection with that illegal facility." He poured himself some more wine as he said, "It does pay to have such a dear friend whose father is an aide to the Chancellor. Remember that. I don't call in favors often."

In a very small voice she said, "Thank you, M'Lord." Closing her eyes tightly she asked, "Do my parents know?"

"Who do you think ordered Logan's investigation?" he asked with a laugh. "Your father has suspected Logan's involvement in the illegal use of proprietary company research ever since he left the company. He simply didn't realize just how extensive his operation was…"

"Logan helped a lot of people," she said quietly.

"He helped a lot of CRIMINALS," Buck corrected. "Any one of which was more dangerous OFF of spice than ON."

She looked away. It was true that some went back to lives of crime. But far more left as refugees to other star systems where they could begin their lives over with a clean start. Chandra wiped away a tear. She still was hurting over Logan's death, and then to hear that he had survived and then executed made the pain fresh again.

"What happened to Selve?" she asked, still staring at the flowers.

"Selve?" he said. "You mean her death?" Chandra looked up at him and nodded. He shook his head confused. "She has nothing to do with this as far as I know. The investigation is still pending… Why do you ask?"

"I was with her when she was on the balcony," she said. "I thought there might be a connection…"

He shook his head dismissively and stood. "Put it out of your mind, Selve's was unimportant." Buck walked around to her side of the table and offered her his arm, "You should know your father was very angry when he learned he had financed the detox center. He wanted to punish you harshly, but over a very diplomatic dinner you'll be relieved to know that I convinced him I could make sure this didn't happen again."

Chandra couldn't think of any way her father could punish her further. Taking Ban was the worst possible thing she could imagine. She forced a smile, stood and took Buck's arm. "I'm surprised you could convince him, he so enjoys making me miserable."

"Chandra and only wants the best for you. Which is why he has given me his approval to court you… officially," Buck said.

"I see," she said softly. Her father was a very clever man. This was worse than she imagined. Years ago after their first encounter, she and her mother had convinced her father to forbid Buck from pursuing her. This was his final assault on her. Stiffly she allowed Buck to lead her to the den.

On the way she caught site of the two Mandilore talking in the security room. Jaster glanced at her as they passed by and she gave him a worried look. She prayed he was listening to everything, but didn't know how he could with the other protector right there.

She took the chair and Buck sat across from her. Thankfully he changed the subject to much lighter fair. Though they spoke on a range of topics, in the forefront of Chandra's mind was the realization that she owed Buck… and worse yet, he knew it and was not one to not use that.

At one point, just when she thought it was getting late and she might be able to politely turn in for the night, she smiled coyly and said, "Buck, this evening has been wonderful. I want to thank you so much for accepting my invitation."

"M'Lady," Buck said with a soft tone. He had been sitting on the couch where she was in the safety of a chair. But now he stood and came beside her, kneeling down next to her and picking up her left hand. "The night is yet still young." He placed a delicate kiss on the back of her hand and Chandra couldn't help but acknowledge his methods had grown much more graceful over the years.

With his right hand he touched the collar of her blouse and slowly pulled it down over her shoulder, whispering, "This is such a lovely gown, and you are so young and beautiful. Why do you cover yourself like an old married dignitary?"

Chandra was shaking a bit as she stood to her feet. "I am quite parched after all this talking," she said taking a step towards the kitchen. "Would you like…"

She didn't finish the sentence before in one motion Buck pulled her hand and drew her close to him, embracing her in a deep kiss. Chandra struggled slightly, pushing her hands against his chest. The sound of heavy footfalls in the hallway calmed her growing fear.

"Step away from her," Jaster said in a controlled voice, his gun drawn and aimed at Bucks head.

Buck held her in his grasp and looked to his own protector who entered the scene with much less concern than someone whose charge was being physically threatened should be.

"I told you, this is a personal interaction, Protector Mareel," Bucks Protector said calmly. "It is not our place to interfere with the courtship rituals of other cultures."

"I disagree," Jaster said waving his blaster slightly. "Remove your hands from M'Lady now."

"Please, Buck," Chandra said. "Let me talk to him."

Buck let go and said, "It is far beyond 'talking to him' CHANDRA. This Mandalore does not know his place in proper society and I suggest, no, I DEMAND that a formal complaint be filed along with his dismissal."

"Buck, he's my protector and I will decide…" she started.

"You will do as I say or we will end this relationship here and now," Buck said. Then with a hiss he added, "I've wasted my time long enough waiting on you to wisen up and resign yourself to me, Miss Porter. If you fail me now I swear to you, you will regret it."

Chandra took a step away from him, backing up towards her Protector. She felt his arm wrap around her and with his hand on her stomach, he stepped up to her and turned, standing between her and Buck. Looking over his blaster, she whispered, "I think you better go."

Something eerie came over Buck. He seemed to suddenly calm himself and put on a plastic smile. He reached down to the table for his glass and slowly took a sip, then set it back down. "Let's go, Protector. My business here is through."

Jaster kept his blaster aimed at Buck as he and his protector walked towards the lift.

Bucks Protector spoke in Mandalore just as he was getting on the lift.

All she could make out was, "You... …regret this... …take… …advice, young one. …a woman's game…"

Jaster spoke in Mandalore as well as he said, "…not a game…"

As the lift closed Buck straightened his robes and suit and did not even glance at Chandra. They stood there waiting until the Bucks ship had lifted off their landing. As soon as the sound of the ship's engines faded, Jaster took a neutral position, waiting for Chandra to move.

"This is going to be a problem," she said. She looked at Jaster and he didn't move. "You're angry with me, aren't you?" He shook his head, 'no'. She started walking back to her room and he followed. "You were right, Protector. But I'm afraid I've done much more damage by refusing him than he would have done to me had I just…"

"No M'lady," Jaster said suddenly. Then he sucked it up and grew silent.

"Speak," she said, turning around at her bedroom door. "Please, Jaster. I'm sorry for what I said earlier…"

After a second or two Jaster said, "You were right as well, M'Lady. I am becoming too familiar with you. I will alter that situation."

"But…" she started, nervously. "I WANT you to talk to me… I need your advice…. I may not always respond in the best way, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm lost without you."

"Hardly, M'Lady," he said. "But there is nothing more dangerous to your life than for your protector to lose objectivity. And with this ever growing more complicated threat, it is imperative that I remain sharp and focused."

Chandra looked away slowly and entered her room. "You were listening then?" she asked carefully. "You know what Buck was trying to do?"

"I clear cut case of blackmailing if I ever saw it. You were right not to give in. His demands would grow ever more stringent the more you appease him."

She took off her blouse and reached into the closet to hang it up. Taking out her robe she said, "What do you think I should do then?"

"I have been reporting to your father the details of each attack and likewise he has been conferring with me on the security measures I have taken. At this point in time I feel it is necessary to make him aware of Buck's tactics," Jaster said. "He is my employer, after all."

She nodded and as she pulled on the string to untie her dress, Jaster stepped out into the hall.

On his way out he said, "Training will start at five tomorrow. I will wake you if I must, but I prefer you are dressed and ready on your own."

As strange as it would have seemed to her two days before, the thought of getting up early didn't sound that horrible to her. She got into a slip like night gown and was almost ready to climb in bed when she felt her closet calling to her. It had been a while since she got out her dolls. She went in and sat down. Opening the chest, she pulled out the dolls Logan had given her. She couldn't believe he had turned her in. Either they must have tortured him, which she didn't put past the authorities at all, or Buck was lying.

She seemed to get very tired very fast as she was looking at the dolls and before she knew it she was too weak to get up. She was tired, but also, her legs felt like lead. Something was wrong.

Lightly she called out, "Protector…" And everything went black.

***************

Chandra opened her eyes to see Jasters face inches away from her, breathing heavily, his hands on her chest. She couldn't move or speak. He leaned down and put his mouth on hers and she felt her lungs fill with air. He lifted his head and pressed on her chest again.

In Mandalore he said, "Come on, Chandra… come back to me…"

His lips came upon hers again. She could feel him breathing for her, but she couldn't move, couldn't speak. She just lay there watching through blurry eyes.

In basic he yelled, "3X SO HELP me, if you don't respond with the medical droid this INSTANT, I will personally dismantle you and feed you…" He was looking at her and stopped in mid sentence. He got close to her, his hands on either side of her face, looking into her eyes. "Chandra, can you hear me?"

She could, but she couldn't acknowledge it.

"BLINK, If you can," he said. His breath was hot and sweet on her face. She blinked, feeling a tear fall. "Thank the maker," he said in Mandalore, looking up slightly. Then he refocused and said, "Blink twice if you're in any kind of pain, once if you're not."

She thought about it briefly and realized her head hurt tremendously. She blinked and then blinked again.

"You're going to be okay," he said. "If you're still in pain I got to you in time." He ran his hand over her forehead and said, "I will be right back…"

The terror of being alone filled her and he must have seen it in her eyes as she begged him with every once of muscle in them to stay.

"I have to get the remedy," he said. "3X is ignoring me…"

Chandra lay there, staring at the ceiling, unable to move. She never felt so helpless before in her life. She felt her heart start to pound in her chest. She could feel every beat as if it were a drum resonating inside of her. It seemed an eternity before Jaster came back. When he did he jumped on the bed beside her, injecting her quickly with something.

He stared in her eyes saying, "Stay with me Chandra… Fight it…"

She swallowed and almost gagged on the build up in her throat. Coughing a few times and then taking in a deep breath she felt her muscles start to work again. She moved her head and Jaster breathed a sigh of relief.

"How do you feel?" he asked her.

She swallowed again and with a scratchy voice said, "Like I just died."

"You almost did," he said softly. "I…" It was obviously hard for him and he looked away. "Somehow the vent in your closet must have let through a poison. It was confined to there and I didn't pick it up…"

"I don't blame you," she said quietly. "You saved me…"

He looked back at her and nodded, clenching his jaw. He backed off the bed and then helped her to lay down more comfortably. Then he went into her closet and began taking the clothes down and throwing them on the floor.

"Where's 3X?" she asked, trying to sit up some.

"You should lay, M'Lady," he said pointing to her. "It will take a while to rid your body of the toxins." He pulled out more clothes and threw them on the floor.

"Some of those dresses are very…" she stopped herself and said, "3X could help you move them to the other room."

"3X had a little ACCIDENT," he said angrily. Chandra didn't even bother asking. Her head still hurt and her hands felt shaky. She lay back down and watched Jaster.

Once he had half the clothes out he started fishing around in her shoes and found the vent. He kneeled down and ripped the cover off of it. Grabbing one of her furs he stuffed it into the hole and then stuffed a plastic cover over it and put the grate back on it. He stepped over the clothes up to her and then sat down.

"M'Lady, I am going to take you to a medical doctor to see you. He is Mandalore, the only one I trust," Jaster said.

She nodded and said, "Dr. Banmore?"

"Yes!" Jaster said. Then he said, "Grandfather?"

She nodded again. He was so serious and she could tell he was feeling very guilty. Then a thought hit her and she smiled.

"Please, M'lady," Jaster said. "How can you smile at a time… like this? You are not safe in this apartment. I am going to seek out a safe house for you." He stood and headed for the door saying, "I will pack your things for you, I will call a driver.

"Jaster," she said. He turned and looked at her. In Mandalore she said, "I owe you my life, Protector Mine."

He brought his fist to his chest and said in Mandalore the appropriate response, "Your life is my duty." After he said it he seemed to relax a little. Chandra looked at the mess on the floor and realized it would probably be a long while before her life got back to boring again.

***

Jaster stood in silence outside the blast door that seperated the corridor from its connecting bedroom. He had already given up pacing, it neither helped to speed up time nor did it help to put him at ease. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Doctor Banmore joined the Mandalore Protector in the brightly lit hallway. Jaster eyed the shorter, bit stockier man, his tinted visor hiding the concern written on his face.

"Well," Banmore started, breaking the silence, "She’ll recover. It’ll take time but she’ll make a full recovery. No doubt thanks to your quick actions, Protector Mereel."

Jaster nodded as he began to follow Banmore down the corridor to another, isolated room. "Any side effects I should be made aware of, Doctor?"

The doctor stopped in the windowless room as he glanced about at its plain, dull gray walls. "She’ll feel weak for awhile, nothing too serious. It’ll pass after a few days. She may also have trouble keeping any food or liquid down but at this stage you need to make sure she tries to eat and drink."

Jaster took up a position on the medic officer’s right, as a equal, as he asked in a filtered tone "Thank you, doctor. I trust you will forget that you where ever here and should anyone ask......."

Banmore nodded as he brought a closed fist to his chest. "You can trust me, Protector."

"Good," Jaster started, "The secured lift will take you down to the actual part of the building marked in the blueprints. From there you should have no trouble finding your way out."

"Thank you, Protector Mereel." Banmore said as he started making his way through the several rooms that lay before the lift.

Jaster watched as Banmore made his way to the lift and boarded it. The doctor gave a little wave after he had reached over and pressed the button for the lift to descend. Jaster trusted the man’s work, after all his Grandfather had trusted him, but Jaster was still bothered by the fact that the older, shorter man had once been a Journeyman Protector. More over, he couldn’t understand how one could just ‘retire’, walk away from that life and their own society. Everything they were taught since the day they were born instructed a Mandalore to welcome only a death fighting, dieing on his feet, his anger and contempt for his enemies being known.

Not some cursed retirement.........

It seemed almost like a dishonour but Jaster really did feel that he could trust anyone outside of those his grandfather trusted and if Ban trusted a ‘retired’ Mandalore then Jaster would too. Even if the taste of it didn’t settle well with him. After a moments pause, Jaster quickly returned to the meter thick blast door and punched in his security code. The security device beeped at him, allowing him to know the code had been accepted but that it still required a hand print scan. The Journeyman Protector removed his armoured glove from his right hand and slowly placed his hand against the scanner. After a moment the door beeped again and Jaster heard the release of sealed air as the blast door slide open, giving him access to the other side.

He quickly stepped inside and waited for a moment as the door sealed behind him. The lights in the room where kept dim but Jaster could still clearly see Chandra sit up when he had entered the room. The Mandalore Protector moved quickly to the side of her bed as he said in his grainy and filtered voice "M’lady, you should be resting, conserving your strength."

Chandra reached out and took Jaster’s left hand, ungloved as it was, in hers as she answered "I can’t sleep, Jaster....."

"It will be difficult at first, M’lady, but you really do need your rest. Dr. Banmore said that you would be suffering from fatigue for a couple of days, along with general weakness." Jaster answered as he allowed Chandra to hold his hand.

"Does this mean that I don’t have to worry about training?" Chandra asked with a weak smile.

Jaster nodded as he answered flatly "For now."

Chandra leaned her head back against the large feather pillow Jaster had brought from her home. She closed her eyes as she asked softly "What will you do now, Protector?"

There was a moment of silence as Jaster thought about everything he would need to take care of in the next few days. "First I’ll return to your residents, M’lady, and gather up some of your belongings, clothes and so fourth."

"My dolls........" Chandra said in a whisper.

"M’lady?" Jaster questioned. He didn’t have time to waste packing all of those dolls Chandra had in her closet.

"Please," she pleaded, squeezing his hand.

The Mandalore Protector nodded as he answered "Of course, M’lady. Any particular food items you would like me to bring back with me?"

Chandra shook her head as she opened her eyes slowly and smiled at her Protector. "No. I’m not feeling that hungry."

"Thats to be expected," Jaster started," But you most eat."

"Something light then...."Chandra answered.

Jaster turned to step away from Chandra’s bed and as he did so she tightened her hold on his hand. He glanced back at her, fixing his helmeted gaze on her, and she almost appeared to be on the verge of tears as she said "Please stay with me till I fall alseep......."

The Journeyman Protector shook his head slowly as he stepped back to the side of her bed. Chandra smiled at him as she held his hand. Jaster returned her smile, to comfort her, though he knew she wouldn’t be able to see it through his tinted helmet lense. After a few moments of silence she spoke up, saying softly "This isn’t the first time I’ve come so close to dying......."

"Besides when you were a baby?" Jaster questioned, remembering what Logan had told him about Chandra.

Chandra nodded as she answered "It was several years ago, I was 16 and Ban had returned to Concord Dawn for some other duties as he sometimes did. The Journeyman Protector that was sent to replace him was a woman."

"A woman....." Jaster repeated quitely. It made since to him. A woman Protector wouldn’t have any trouble remaining objective for obvious reasons. If it hadn’t been for Ban and his father’s insistence then he would’ve never drawn this assignment.

Chandra continued "I could tell she didn’t like me very much and she all but ignored me so one day I decided to test her."

Jaster shook his head disapprovingly as he warned "M’lady, thats not very wise."

"I know. I learned the hard way, Jaster. I jumped out of one of my balcony windows and in a instant the Protector had used her jump pack to save me but after she had taken ahold of me she let me fall a second time and then saved me once again. She did so several times, catching me and then letting me fall, I’m not even sure how many times she did it. I lost consciousness and when I came to I was laying on my bed with my father and mother there." Chandra explained in a weary voice.

"And what happened to that Mandalore?" Jaster asked, any tone he may have had concealed under his filtered voice.

Chandra’s eyes closed slowly and Jaster could tell that she was beginning to tire despite her protests earlier. "You meet her a few days ago. Protector Cann. My dad hired her as his personal Protector after that incident and made sure that Ban returned to his normal duties of protecting me."

"I see." Jaster said simply as he watched Chandra yawn.

She rolled on her side and relaxed her grip on his hand as she said "Goodnight, Jaster, and thanks........"

"Think nothing of it, M’lady." Jaster replied.

************

Jaster walked slowly into the den where 3x’s scattered parts lay strung about. He had left for Chandra’s penthouse shortly after she had fallen asleep and as he examined 3X’s remains Chandra’s driver, Johsy, was busy loading up her clothes. The man had spoken with Jaster on there way over from the safe house, introducing himself and expressing his concern for Chandra as well. As it turned out Johsy had been a former mercenary that Miss Porter’s mother had hired to watch out for Chandra without her father knowing. Johsy also expressed his opinion on Buck and mentioned that he didn’t really trust Mr. Porter too much. Though the talk during the trip had broken Jaster’s train of thought several times he now felt that the driver could be trusted a great deal more.

The Mandalore Protector kneeled beside 3X’s body and head. Thankfully the two were still together and that would make repairing the droid much easier. He opened the programming hatch on the servent droid’s body and noticed that it sprung open with far greater ease then it should have. He had suspected that the droid may have been tampered with but didn’t have any real proof of it besides X’s odd behavior and sudden mood shift. Slowly he pulled out the droid’s internal programming boards and began to look them over. As he studied the droid’s hard drive access point he found something that confirmed all of his suspicions............

A foreign programming disk and a small remote receiver.

Jaster sat both aside as he hooked up a portable holo-computer he had brought. The computer screen flashed blue for several seconds before it went to a black screen with a command prompt. The Journeyman Protector sighed as he started the long process of restoring 3X’s default programs.

************

"Oh, my!" 3X started with a startled whine, "What has happened to me, Master Mereel?!"

Jaster smiled slightly as he sat down the small holo-computer and looked at Johsy. With a grin the driver said "Looks like you got him functioning, Protector."

"So it would seem," Jaster answered in his flat and filtered tone then to 3X he asked "What's the last thing you recall?"

"Jan asked me to shut down so she could add a program file." the droid answered as he glanced about at a few of his scattered limbs.

"Jan?" Jaster questioned.

"The usual cook." Johsy answered plainly.

"Hmmm. I see." Jaster said as he shut down his holo-computer. "Johsy, please ready the transport. I’ll be there in a moment."

The driver nodded and turned to leave the room. Jaster watched him go for a moment before he returned his focus to 3X. The droid looked about at the mess on the carpet and noticed a leg that Jaster had attached yet.

"Master Mereel, may I ask how I ended up in this state?"

Jaster stood and began to walk around the den picking up what parts of 3X he hadn’t taken the time to repair or attach, tossing them into a near-by crate. He stopped as he picked up the leg 3X was fixed on and said "Miss Porter suffered a poison attack last night, a very letal nerve toxin. When I attempted to get the med pack and supplies you got in the way. You attacked me."

3X nodded as he answered "I see. Is Miss Porter........?"

"No." Jaster interrupted. "Thankfully I was able to stabilize her long enough to get her to proper medical officials."

"Thank goodness." 3X said in his upbeat chiper tone, the tone Jaster remembered from when he first met the droid.

"So this program?" Jaster pressed as he placed the last of 3X’s scattered parts into the crate.

"Ah, yes." the droid started, "As I said it was a new program disk that Jan wanted to install. It was supposed to make me a more efficient cook so that I would be able to help her prepare the meals or even cook should Chandra want something that hadn’t been prepared."

Jaster reached down and held out the receiver for the droid to examine. "What about this? Did she mention anything about adding additional equipment?"

"No, sir. Not at all." the droid answered.

The Mandalore Protector studied the device for a further moment before he sat it down and scooped up 3X’s torso and head. He sat them down the crate with the rest of the droid’s parts as he explained "I’ll have to finish repairing you once we reach our destination."

"If I may ask, Master Mereel, what do you mean by destination?" the droid asked as Jaster carried the heavy crate to the lift and then sat it down while waiting for the lift to come down.

"A safe house, 3X. Some place that Chandra can stay that only she, I and a few others know of." Jaster explained as the lift doors opened slowly. Jaster slide the crate into the lift half way but not all the way so that when the lift doors started to close they would open back up when they hit the leading edge of the crate. "I’ll be back in a moment. Just one more thing to get for Chandra....."

"Sir, again if I may ask. You seem to refer to Miss Porter by her first name quite a bit. Would it be safe for me to assume........" 3X trailed off as he watched Jaster walk down the corridor towards Chandra’s bedroom, waving the question off with a dismissing hand gesture the whole way.

Jaster returned to the lift with another crate, smaller and better wrapped, after a few moments and pushed 3X, crate and all, into the lift as he stepped inside. He glanced down at the box several times and held it tightly in his hands. He hoped he had packed everything properly. He would hate to damage any of Chandra’s dolls since they seemed so important to her. Maybe he would ask her where she had gotten all of them from, if maybe they were gifts and thats why she cherished them so much. Maybe.........

As the lift opened up onto the roof landing pad, Johsy hurried over and grabbed the crate that contained 3X. The driver carried the crate over to the transport and stuck it in the back as Jaster followed, stilling carrying the box of Chandra’s dolls as carefully as he could. After they had loaded both boxes into the vehicle Jaster looked back at the lift one last time as he said "Johsy, take me to Mr Porter’s Medical Offices."

"Of course, Protector." the driver answered as he moved back towards the transport’s cockpit.

************

Jaster paused for a moment as the cool afternoon breeze hit his armoured body. It felt good, comforting and he almost welcomed it when compared to some of the other environments he had been in. He stood on the roof landing pad, for a moment, admiring the view of what he would have to say was one of the largest buildings in the Coruscant landscape. From where he stood he could even seen the council building and the accursed Jedi Temple.

"Protector Mereel, should I return to the ‘destination’ or would you like me to wait for you?" Johsy asked over the comm.

Jaster glanced back at the cockpit of the transport as he answered flatly "I have several things to check into, things that could take awhile so you should return to base camp. Keep a watchful eye on Chandra and 3X."

"I will," the driver answered as the transport began to pull away from the landing pad. "Good luck, Protector."

"Protector Mereel!" a woman called out from across the landing pad just as the transport rejoined the flow of traffic.

The Mandalorian turned back to facehis new companion. She was older then him, at least in her late twenties or possibly her early thirties, with shoulder length red hair and the darkest eyes Jaster could recall ever seeing. At first, unsure of what to say due to what the woman was wearing, Jaster simply looked her over. Even with the scar that ran across the bridge of her nose she looked very appealing. With a quick shake of his head, the Journeyman Protector dismissed the thought as he finally answered "Protector Cann."

"What brings you here, Protector Mereel?" Cann asked in a decidely sweet and soft voice.

"I would like to discuss several things with Mr. Porter." Jaster answered as he wondered why Protector Cann would be wearing anything other then her combat armour, especially while she was still assigned to someone.

"Jag is busy, Jaster. You should have called ahead and made prior arrangements." the Mandalorian woman answered, her voice still sweet and almost alluring.

The Journeyman Protector withdrew the disk he had collected from 3X along with the receiving device as he answered "He’ll want to see me."

Protector Cann eyed the disk and device for a moment before she finally answered "Very well, Protector, follow me."

She lead Jaster along the roof landing pad to the lift and stepped inside before he did. Once Jaster entered the lift and moved toward her left side Protector Cann punched in a few keys and the lift began to descend slowly. In the silence of the lift, as it descended, Jaster tried to keep his eyes forward, focused on a invisible point on the doors but kept finding his eyes drifting toward Cann and the black dress she was wearing. The woman most have noticed because, without glancing over toward the younger Protector, she asked "Something on your mind, Protector Mereel?"

"Why would you wear something like that, Protector Cann?" Jaster asked in Mandalore.

With a half-smile she answered in their native tongue "Because it allows me to preform my duties much easier. The armour and weapons attrach too much attention, make us too obvious...."

Jaster shook his helmeted head as he replied "But you are defenseless, weaponless and without protection."

Protector Cann turned her head quickly and fixed her dark eyed gaze on the younger Mandalorian as she almost challenged "Even so I can still take you, Protector, so know you place and show your superiors the respect they deserve."

Jaster offered no answer as he returned his focus toward the lift doors. He was confident enough of his skill that he didn’t need to offer a response and if Protector Cann felt confident enough of her skill to be without her traditional equipment then so be it. It, after all, wasn’t his place to question her or her choice in clothing. The remaining trip in the lift was kept in a silence that it seemed both of the Mandalorians welcomed more then conversation. With a bing the lift came to a stop as its doors slide open into a large, spacious office. Protector Cann lead Jaster from the lift toward two massive, oak doors. She paused outside of them for a moment as she ordered in Mandalore "Try to show Mr. Porter more respect then you have me, Protector Mereel."

Jaster nodded slowly, his helmeted head barely moving, as Cann swung open the doors and lead him inside. He followed her into a massive office lined with some of the finest materials Jaster had seen in a long time. There was no doubting that Mr. Porter was a rich man and he wanted all of those who saw the spacious office to know that. Jag Porter rose from behind his finely polished marble desk as he said in a sincere enough tone "Ah, Protector Mereel, good to see you. What can I help you with?"

The Mandalore Protector walked slowly over to Mr. Porter’s desk and tossed the disc he had recovered from 3X onto it. Jag immediately reached for the disc, giving it a good look over. Jaster watched the man for a moment, to try and read a reaction from him, before he said in his thin and filtered tone "I found the disc inside your daughter’s servent droid. I ran a virus sweep of it and checked its programming."

"And?" Jag asked in a hurried voice.

"The programming was simple: 3X was not to respond to me in anyway and if I attempted to retrieve or take anything the droid was to try and stop me," Jaster started without rushing his explanation. "On top of that the program allowed a signal receiver to feed in additional commands."

"What were those commands, Protector?" Cann asked plainly, not curious or concerned at all.

Jaster turned to her for a moment. He was still bothered by what she wore. It was very un-Mandalore and showed too much skin in his opinion. "So far the only commands logged in were the planting of a highly lethal nerve gas in Ms. Porter’s closet and the Dianoga in her bathtub drain."

Jag Porter sat back down in his finely cushioned chair as he asked "Any other commands?"

"None yet but I have it hard wired into my helmet systems so I will be able to track the signal if another command is sent to it." Jaster answered.

"Now aside from reporting your findings to me, which you could have easily done over a comm. signal, how does this concern me?" Jag pressed as he began to shuffle through some data pads laying on his desk.

Jaster walked over to his desk and picked up the program disc, flipping it over, and tossing it back down on the desk. He waited for a moment then motioned to a small imprinted image on the back of the disc. Mr. Porter leaned forward and glanced at the image but still waited for Jaster to explain. With a sigh the Protector started "That ingrained emblem belongs to a company that is actually a subsidiary of Porter Medical."

Jag’s eyes widened as he took the disk and examined it more closely. "Ah, yes, I recognize it now. I no longer own that particular company so if you are trying to suggest......"

The Mandalore Protector shook his head as he answered in a distant and tinny voice "I would never suggest that you were trying to kill your own daughter, sir, just that someone within your company may be involved. Perhaps as a means of getting to you and your wife."

"Well, as I said, Protector Mereel," Mr. Porter started with a clearing of his throat, "I sold that particular branch to Buck Geller almost a week ago when he came to me with information concerning Chandra’s involvement in a Spice Detox Center below levels."

"Did he black mail you or........" Jaster started.

Jag shook his head as he answered "No, it was more of an attempt to buy his silence. He came to me and told me about Chandra’s involvement in this illegal detox center run by a former employee and threatened to turn her in to the Senate."

"Interesting," Jaster started, "because Geller indicated last night that he hadn’t known about Chandra’s involvement until after the center had been bombed and Logan had been interrogated."

"I don’t know what kind of game he’s playing, Protector, but I suggest you look into it further." Mr. Porter said.

"I plan to." Jaster answered flatly as he turned to leave the office.

Jag stood and cleared his throat as he said "And my daughter? Is she safe?"

The Mandalorian Journeyman Protector stopped just within the massive oak doors. He waited for a moment before he turned and answered "She is safe but no longer staying at her penthouse home."

"Then where?" Protector Cann pressed, seemingly beating Jag to the question.

"At this time that is of no concern. If you wish to meet with her then contact me and we shall make arrangements to meet in a neutral and public place." Jaster answered matter of factly.

"Very well, Protector Mereel." Mr. Porter answered though he didn’t seem too happy with Jaster’s answer. "Good luck with your investigation."

"Luck is for those with no skill." Jaster responded before he left the office.

************

Jaster stood silently on the roof landing pad as he waited for the hover cab he had called for to arrive. Mr. Porter had offered to have a company transport take him back home but Jaster just didn’t quite feel right about what had just went on between them. His gut told him something was out of place though all of the clues seemed to be pointing more and more towards Buck. There was something about him that Jaster didn’t like either so for the time he was inclined to follow the evidence and clues. As he stood on the roof pad his internal helmet comm. began to beep letting him know he had an incoming message.

"Mereel here." Jaster answered to the comm.

"Jaster....." Chandra’s voice came over the comm.

"M’lady, you should be resting." Jaster replied in a stern voice.

"I’ve contacted my mother and want to go meet her at a near-by restaurant." Chandra answered, seemingly ignoring his comment.

"Very well, M’lady. I shall be there shortly then we may proceed to meet your mother, though I strongly advise against it." Jaster again answered sternly.

Chandra laughed softly as she said "You worry too much, Protector Mereel."

***

Chandra was all ready to go when Jaster returned. She wasn't completely thrilled with the selection of clothes he brought for her, but he could have done worse. She had to smile when she noticed that the only three black pieces she owned were all in the box. Normally they were reserved for occasions of grief and mourning, but today, Chandra put on the black skirt jumper with a white blouse just to get a reaction.

But when he walked through the doors, he was wearing his helmet and didn't say a word about her dress.

"Are you ready, M'lady?" he asked.

She nodded and said to 3X, "Be good while we're gone and bake me a desert or something?"

After a few moments, 3X said confused, "I'm not sure I remember how, Miss Porter. Something seems to be missing in my memory."

"What?" she asked disappointed. "I thought Jan fixed that!"

"It seems to have been… changed again." He said. "I'm so sorry, Miss Porter, I don't remember who or…"

"We'll buy you something, M'Lady, " Jaster said. "I'll explain in the transport."

She nodded sadly and followed her protector into the lift. "It always seems just when I get 3X working to my specifications something goes wrong with him. Maybe I should get a new model…"

Jaster didn't say a word, but when the doors opened he led her to their transport where Johsy was waiting. They got in and she said, "You know where… same place as always when I meet my mom."

Johsy nodded and started the lift off. Jaster sat quietly and folded his arms.

"So?" she asked. He turned his helmeted head in her direction and she said, "You said you would explain everything."

"3X has been tampered with. I removed the program that your former cook installed and found a long range remote control system contained in it. I believe that 3X was responsible for the last two attacks on your life," Jaster said.

Fear gripped Chandra's chest and she felt herself trembling. She folded her hands in her lap and looked out the window. "I can't believe it," she said in a small voice. "I can't believe it… my own droid… I'm never going to feel safe again." Her eyes began to sting and she was so glad she was going to see her mother.

"You are safe now, M'Lady. I've cleared out 3X's bad programming and your new arrangements will make it impossible for someone to…"

She cut him off, "How do you know?"

"We are living in a safe house…" he started.

"It's like a prison" she said softly. "I'm sorry Jaster. I know you're doing your best… but I can't live like this… I don't want to live in fear, but I don't want to hide either…"

"M'lady," Jaster said, "this is only temporary. I will find out who is behind these and I will stop at nothing to make you safe. Until I do, your only job is to be alert, be obedient and be brave… "

Chandra swallowed and said, "I am brave."

"Good," her protector said standing. "We're here." Just as he said it the transport slowed and descended into a parking area. Jaster always seemed to know exactly where they were without even looking out the windows. She wondered if he had maps wired into that helmet as well.

Chandra stood and said, "After lunch with my mother I will be attending my afternoon classes."

"I advise against that, M'Lady," he said.

Turning towards him she said in almost a whisper, "If it's absolutely imperative that I remain locked up in that safehouse, why are you allowing me to meet with my mother out here in the open?"

"I advised against this as well," he said. "But it's less of a risk because fewer people know where you are. At school your classes are scheduled and any number of people may find access to…"

"Ah…" she said. "That makes sense. See…" she smiled and hit him in the chest plate. "I can be reasonable, all you have to do is explain things to me a little bit."

"I see, M'lady. I will be more forthcoming in the future," he said. Despite the filtered tone, there was something about the way he said it that made her smile widen.

"Good," she said.

Jaster stepped out into the street, looking around and then gave her his gloved hand. She took it and stepped down. They walked for a little ways and as soon as she saw the familiar restaurant in view, she heard her name begin called.

"Chandra…Chandra Porter!

It was a woman, but it lacked her mother's accent. She turned to see who it was and Jaster was in front of her blocking her from the scantily clad female. She wore her hair up in spikes and her face bore the markings of a sacred order she belonged to. Chandra recognized her at once.

"It's okay, she was a friend of Porters… someone he trusted," Chandra said.

"That doesn't mean I should trust her," Jaster said.

"May I speak with you, M'Lady?" the young woman said with a curtsey. "It's about a matter of extreme importance."

"How did you find me, Brittany?" Chandra asked thinking that Jaster must be wearing off on her.

"I've been looking for you… I know you meet your mother here every so often and so I've been waiting… When I saw her enter, I knew you'd be here soon…" she said breathlessly. Chandra realized the tight bustier she was wearing must make it very difficult to breath, even if it did give her bosom amazing lift.

"She's here already?" Chandra said, turning to Jaster, "We're late? We should have had plenty of time to get here before her…"

In Mandalore Jaster said simply, "Safety precautions."

Chandra realized he was probably wanting to keep Brittany from knowing anything. It struck her as a good idea and she decided to start studying the language again. She turned back to the desperate woman and said, "I'm sorry Brittany, but I can't keep her waiting…"

"Here!" Brittany said holding out a small self projecting holodisk. Chandra realized it must have cost her a months wages to purchase such a sophisticated piece of equipment.

"But…" she started.

"I have on the disk how you can reach me…" Brittany said, backing up away from them. "Please… look at it before you speak to your mother… it's a matter of life and death." Then she turned and ran down the street. Chandra was amazed that anyone could run in such high platforms.

"May I?" Jaster asked, holding out his hand.

Looking out after Brittany, she handed it to him and started walking towards the restaurant entrance. She looked at it as he activated it and saw portrait after portrait of very poor people being displayed. There were women and children as well as men and may very old people. They were of various species and even a few upper class individuals were mixed in. Over the display played Brittany's voice.

They had stopped in a small hall just inside the doorway to finish looking at the program. And now that it was over, Chandra wiped her eyes and said, "My mother's waiting…"

"M'Lady," Jaster said softly. "You can't seriously be considering…"

She didn't answer, just started looking around for her mother. Chandra didn't know what she was going to do. But she did know what Jaster was going to say and she didn't want to hear it. He was going to say the same thing that her father always said. She disagreed. Helping people was not a waste of time. The problem with the world was that there were far more people just out for themselves or trying to hurt everyone and not enough people willing to help.

"Mom!" she called out. Her mother stopped speaking with her protector and her distressed look that melted as soon as she turned and saw Chandra coming towards her. "I'm so sorry to keep you waiting!" she said.

"I was so worried something happened to you," her mother said as she pulled her close and hugged her. Chandra always loved the smell of her mother's perfume and welcomed the warmth of her mothers love, even if she knew it was randomly given. Her mother pulled away and looked at her with a raised brow. "Black? Are things that bad?" she asked.

Chandra glanced at Jaster with a smirk and then said, "I have a new fashion advisor."

"I see," her mother said gesturing for Chandra to sit. "You should know better than to take the fashion advice of a Mandolore warrior, after what Ban..." She stopped herself and changed the subject, "Now Buck Gellers, there's a man with good taste."

"He's more interested in me taking things OFF," Chandra said trying not to sound to bitter. She knew her mother liked Buck and didn't want to start a fight.

"That was years ago," her mother said. Then she got a cheeky look on her face and said, "He was young, hormonal, and you have to admit you have always been on the hot side of sexy… ever since you hit puberty."

Chandra felt herself blushing. Her mother had that quick edge she always got after taking some spice. She must have taken it right before their meeting. Glancing around Chandra asked, "Please, can we drop this?"

"I'm just saying, you can't blame the boy. And since then he's grown into a very successful businessman on his own. He could provide a safe and luxurious lifestyle for you, Chandra," her mother said.

Chandra knew her mom only wanted was best for her and she could see in her mother's red eyes true concern. It was so hard to say 'no' to her.

"Please," Chandra said. "I don't want to fight." She looked down and said, "This will only end up in another fight."

"You're right... I have something I need to speak with you about anyway," she said. She stopped just as the droid waiter came to take their order. "We'll have two Reek Steaks done with pink left in the center and a Rush salad before they arrive. To drink I'll have your largest Corellian Ale and she'll have a Juri Juice."

Again Chandra didn't want to start a fight so she kept quiet about the meal her mother ordered. It was palatable enough, but she really was in the mood for something lighter. She set down her menu back into the slot in the table.

"So, what is it?" Chandra asked with dread.

"Your father and I will be leaving Coruscant for an undetermined length of time. We have some business on Corellia and Maladascar that needs immediate attention," her mother said.

The words 'undetermined length of time' hit Chandra hard and she started to feel woozy, unable to comprehend the rest of what her mother was saying. As it was she only saw her mother once a month when they were on planet. Often one or both of her parents would leave for 6 months at a time without any warning but a message from 3X. So 'undetermined length of time' probably meant years. She felt Jaster's hand under her arm as he helped her back in her seat.

"M'Lady," he said as he kneeled beside her, "You're still weak We should return to the ship…"

"No," Chandra said mustering as much strength as she could. She took a sip of water from the glass he offered as he took his position, standing beside her. She looked at her worried mother and said, "You're abandoning me? Right when I need you most?"

Her mother looked down and drew an imaginary circle on the table with her finger and said, "Your father knew this is how you would respond… please don't make him right again. You're a big girl you can live on your own without us."

"It's not that I CAN'T," Chandra said pleading with her. "It's just… I'll miss you."

Her mothers sad, red eyes looked up at her.

Chandra said, "I wish things could be like they used to be… I want to live with you again. I was always safe then."

Her mother didn't answer before the waiter droid came with their salad.

"It's not possible," her mother said in a whisper. "That's the end of it. Now… tell me, where is this new place you're staying."

Chandra glanced at Jaster and asked, "Can we…"

"No," he said emphatically.

"I would like to be able to visit my daughter before I leave," her mother said to Jaster. "If you don't trust me with the information, surely you'll tell my protector?"

Jaster said something in Mandalore. She only understood the word "impossible". Her mother's protector answered and Chandra thought she could understand something that sounded like he was agreeing with Jaster, but her mother began speaking to her.

"How are your classes? Did you find that political course as interesting as I thought you would?"

Chandra shook her head yes and said, "The material is fascinating enough, but the professor is harsh and mannerless."

"Odd," her mother said with a frown. "When I had him I thought he was rather brilliant. I suppose he did say things in an abrupt fashion." Their protectors were still discussing something and her mother demanded of her protector, "Why is this so much trouble?"

Her protector spoke to her in a very formal voice, "M'Lady, excuse me saying this, but I must agree with Protector Mereel. He has outlined the pending investigation to me and the risk for us to visit would be too great. However…" He looked up at Jaster and then said, "Because it is so important to the both of you, Protector Mareel has made a suggestion."

Her mother had that look in her eyes. The one that said she was about ready to walk out and not make contact for a very long time. "What's your suggestion?" she asked as she glared at him.

Jaster spoke in a voice very similar in formality to the other protector. "At first notice that you are leaving, I will bring M'Lady to a neutral location to meet you."

"Neutral?" her mother said standing.

Chandra sunk in her seat. The last thing she wanted was a big scene.

"And I suppose YOU'LL be the one to decide where that location is?" her mother snapped.

"Of course, Mrs. Porter," he said.

"Jaster…" Chandra said rubbing her forehead with her hand.

Her mother looked at her, eyes squinting some and then back at Jaster. And then something came over her face that Chandra recognized slightly. It was the look she got when she figured something out for the first time. She sat back down, folded her arms and said, "Well who am I to argue with the man who's saved my daughters life four times?"

"Three…" Chandra said nervously thinking about the detox center explosion. As far as she knew nobody knew they had been there.

"Three… Of course," her mother said. She forked some salad and began eating.

Most of the rest of the meal they spoke about exactly why Chandra didn't like her Politics professor, what her plans were during the school break, or more precisely why she had a lack of plans and the ins and outs of her mothers shipping company. At the right moment when her mother seemed to be in the biggest smiles of the lunch, Chandra decided to go forward with what she had been debating in her mind the entire meal.

"Mom, remember when you said you would be able to get me something if I really wanted it?" she said seriously.

"Yes," her mom said with a bright smile. "You name it and I'll buy it for you."

"It's not that simple," Chandra said pushing her last bite of Reek around on her plate. "I need credits…" She looked up at her mom and said carefully, "Can you…"

"No," her mother said shaking her head nervously. "If your father found out… I simply can't Chandra." She took in a deep breath and said, "Is it another charity?"

The waiter came to take their plates and Chandra dropped her fork. After the droid was gone she said, "You could call it that…"

"Chandra," her mother said reaching out across the table and taking her hand. "Your heart is so soft… where did you get it?"

Chandra tilted her head bashfully and said, "Will you help me?"

"Tell me more about it… be honest with me and I will see what I can do," her mother said. "But you must be HONEST, Chandra." It was her serious business tone.

Chandra swallowed hard wondering how much she could really trust her mother. But she had to try or those people in the hologram were going to die. It had been a long time since they had spoken in her mothers native tongue, but Chandra felt the time was right.

As she spoke the ancient language, her mothers face softened and tears came to her eyes. It was a very odd dialect and very poetic even if you couldn't understand what they were saying. They had spoken it as their secret language until her father forbade them and separated them when she was ten. But she kept in practice by singing the songs and speaking in that language when she played with her dolls.

After she was done explaining the situation she motioned to Jaster and said in their poetic language, "Protector of my hearth holds the images of my compassion."

"Chandra," her mother said wiping a tear. "You defy explanation… how can I say 'no' to you?"

"You'll transfer the credits?" Chandra asked in basic, trying to keep her excitement in check.

"No, I can do a step better," her mother said. Then in her language she said, "My daughter's compassion I will make my own. No gift but rather service. My vessels belly will carry your compassion, as does my own."

Chandra couldn't believe it. Her mother was going to make the transportation arrangements. "I'll make my contact and get you the information."

"Go through Birtha," her mother said as she stood and straightened her clothing. She turned into her business self as she said, "Tell her it's a package of clothing and indicate where it's going by what type… and I'll get back to you with the address of where I want the clothing shipped, which will be where the pick up point will be."

"I understand," Chandra said as she stood. "I can't thank you enough…"

Her mother reached out and hugged her and held on to her as she whispered in her ear, "You do know, if your father ever finds out there's going to be hell to pay."

"I know," Chandra said. "If you have to, you can just blame me."

"Chandra," her mother said pulling away and looking at her in the eyes, "I would never, EVER do that to you."

But looking into the red of her mothers kind eyes, Chandra knew it wasn't true. Her mother had a habit that controlled everything she did. Part of her doubted the wisdom of trusting a spice user, even if it was her mom. But she didn't know what other options she had. She nodded and looked down saying, "I know, mom."

Her mother kissed her cheek and left with her Protector following. Chandra turned to Jaster and said, "I feel so weak, Protector… but so happy too."

"Let's go M'lady," he said giving her his arm.

**********

They got back to the ship and started to fly away. Chandra found herself delirious and started to lean to the side of her seat. She closed her eyes and just let the sleep come.

When she woke up she was in bed and 3X was sitting powered down at her side. It gave her the creeps to see him there and she stared at him as she quickly called out, "Protector!"

There was no answer and she climbed out of bed and went to her door. "Jaster…" she said, trying to remain calm and remind herself that it was safe here; that 3X was fixed and that Jaster was probably just busy doing something...

She poked around the small quarters and found every square meter to be quiet and dark. It was decorated in dull grays and every window was covered with that blast shield equipment Jaster had installed in her bedroom at home. Chandra then heard a sound like water running behind a door. She knocked on it and heard no answer. When she tried the knob it turned and she let herself in.

"Jaster?" she said. Time seemed to stand still as she stared at the figure in front of her, water pouring down from the shower over his tan form. His eyes opened wide and his arms, which were lifted above his head, lathering his hair, slowly began to descend as he started to speak.

But before he could answer she pulled her head back out and closed the door. She backed away, her face on fire and the image of her very naked protector burned into her mind. "What was I thinking?" she asked herself.

She couldn't bear to go back to her room with 3X in there and she didn't dare wake him up. So she held up in the kitchen area, sitting down on a small nook in the corner. She pulled her feet up on to her seat, hugging her legs and rested her face in her knees. It was only a few minutes later that Jaster emerged from the shower room and quietly disappeared behind the door of another room.

Chandra put her feet on the floor and leaned against the wall, waiting. It seemed to take him forever before he walked into the room, in his armor complete with his helmet and went for the freezer box. She watched him move stiffly about, taking out what she guessed was her evening meal and setting it on the counter. He leaned against the counter as he read the box and put it into the small oven.

She had never felt so awkward in her entire life. She watched him, her mind still returning to what he looks like under the armor. She couldn't help staring at him. Even though she was 20 years old, outside of pictures and holograms, she had never seen a real naked man before and never could she have imagined it would have happened like that. He turned his helmeted head towards her for the first time and she was sure she was turning red again. She smiled uncontrollably and despite how hard she tried she let out a small giggle.

He turned his head away and shook it slightly back and forth, then tilted it to look in the oven.

"It was an accident," she said in a squeaky voice and then pressed her lips together to try to keep from laughing.

"I should certainly hope it was," he said in his filtered, emotionless tone.

Chandra wanted to just die. But one of the things she was told over and over again is that if the situation is awkward to change the subject.

"Why are you doing that?" she asked. "I'm not hungry."

"I assume 3X is still powered down for a reason?" he asked, not looking at her.

"I don't trust him," she said. "But I can make my own dinner if I want it."

"If that's so, can you pick up your own clothes as well?" he said, still not looking at her.

Chandra realized that her small room was starting to get a bit messy. She stood to go do it now but Jaster said, "Eat first. While it's hot." The buzzer went off and he pulled it out with his gloved hand and set it on the counter. He peeled back the lid and stirred it.

Chandra took her seat again and watched as he set it down in front of her. He turned to go away and her heart began to sink. "Sit with me?" she asked. "Please?"

He stopped in his tracks and without turning he said, "I have a lot of work to do."

"It won't take long. I promise," she said.

Slowly and reluctantly he turned and went around to the other side of the nook and took a seat. He sat as though he was ready to get up at any moment. Chandra felt funny eating without knowing what exactly he was looking at, or worse, what he was thinking.

"Do you have to wear that helmet?" she asked. "It would be nice to see your face when we're talking."

"We aren't talking," he said.

"That's because I can't see your face!" she said.

"Haven't you seen enough of me already?" he asked.

Chandra smiled and looked down quickly, trying not to laugh. But she couldn't help it and she felt her shoulders starting to shake slightly. She covered her mouth and said in a muffled giggling tone, "I'm so sorry, Jaster…"

"Please, M'Lady, eat your meal," he said stiffly.

She picked up a bite of the stew and started to chew. She stared at her bowl as she did and once she swallowed she took a drink of water and set the cup down. She eyed his mask and said, "For all the times you've been present while I've changed, or have seen me in various stages of nudity, don't you think a little turn about is fair play?"

Jaster sighed and paused before he said, "M'Lady…" He hesitated again and Chandra felt her lips starting to smirk again as she waited for his response. "It's different, I'm your protector. It's part of my job to protect you and remain focused on my duties."

"So," she said. "Are you saying that when you look at me naked it means nothing to you, but when I look at you it's important?"

"I'm a professional," he insisted in his filtered tone.

"And I'm just a silly school girl," Chandra said. She pushed away her half eaten meal.

"As a matter of fact, sometimes you are, M'lady," he said standing. "And if that's all, I would like to get back to the main part of my job."

Chandra was a little hurt and she called out after him, "You must be made of stone to not be effected at all by seeing a woman naked!"

Jaster stopped at the door and turned around. "I'm trained not to be effected."

He stood there staring at her and she could feel her brow all crunched up in a pout. She uncrossed her arms and looked away from him. "I'm sorry… I haven't been trained."

"I understand," he said.

Chandra now not only felt embarrassed, she felt ashamed for how she behaved. She pushed a tear off of her face and said, "You can go… go work… I'm fine."

But he didn't. He stood in the doorway and ever so slowly reached up to the back of his helmet and pushed a button. Then he tugged on a chinstrap and slowly lifted the helmet off of his head.

"Please, M'Lady," he said softly. "I meant no disrespect to you. You are in more ways than a few NOT just a silly school girl."

She looked up at him and could see in his stone expression the tiny lines of sincerity and concern. Acknowledging what must have been a difficult thing for him to say, she said in a dry voice. "Thank you, Jaster." He nodded and she added, "And I'm sorry for laughing. It wasn't funny…"

He raised his brows ever so slightly and said, "Yes it was, M'Lady. But please remember some situations are only funny the FIRST time."

With a small smile she said, "Have you been trained not to laugh as well, Protector?"

Jaster's mouth twitched and then he said, "Something like that, M'Lady. Now, if I may…"

She nodded and watched him leave. She touched the button on the counter controls and a screen unfolded in front of her. But as she did so, she remembered something she had intended to do. She called up the language selections and searched for Mandalore. She had to enter a special code that Ban had purchased for her in order to get access to the entire database and learning programs. But once she found what she needed, she loaded it on a local disk and brought it to her room.

"3X," she said sternly.

"Yes, Miss Porter, how can I be of service?"

"Take yourself out of my room and power down in… the furthest place in this apartment from me," she said.

"Oh… why, of course, Miss Porter…" he said as he waddled out.

"And don't set your alarm, I'll get my own breakfast and I'll wake you if I need you," she called out.

"Yes Miss Porter!" he called out back to her.

She lay down in bed and stuck the disk into the controls next to her bed. Closing her eyes she listened to the words pouring out like a melody. She repeated the words carefully and tried to match the accent as best as possible. Then she listened as the words were translated into basic. She worked to commit the new vocabulary to memory. She was fairly good with the grammar of Mandalore, it wasn't complicated, but they had dozens of verbs for what most languages had only a few variations.

Ban had explained to her that there were forty-four different words that meant 'to hit', each describing a different angle, velocity or intent. It fascinated her that the Mandalore's would find it so important to know someone's intent that rather than use a sentence to explain it, they would have different words.

When she realized the number of words in their lexicon she had given up hope of ever being fluent. And once she couldn't know it well, she had lost interest in knowing it much at all. Until now. Now it was had suddenly become more important to her than ever to learn as much as she could. She kept practicing until she fell asleep.

***

Jaster stood and yawned as he stretched out his arms. He had been watching the small security monitors that were linked to the holo-cams outside the apartment to make sure no one found the false wall that concealed the lift up to Chandra’s new home. He was still trying to put out of his mind the incident earlier where she walked in on him. He had learned two things from that incident, though.

One, to use the lock on the door and two, to get some kinda screen to cover the shower.

As the Mandalorian Protector moved through the various rooms of the safe house he noted that it was rather quite. Chandra most’ve already headed off to bed, though, he found it difficult to believe she could sleep with all that had happened today. It had been a busy day for her and he still couldn’t believe that she was going to help those people in the holo. She was too charitable sometimes and he was afraid that one day someone might use that against her, take advantage of her good nature.

Jaster spotted 3X as he made his sweep through the most isolated and distant room in the apartment. The droid was standing in a corner, powered down, and facing away from the direction of Chandra’s bed room. Jaster shook his helmeted head slightly as he thought that she most still not feel safe with the droid around. Maybe he would build some additional protocols into 3X that would make it far more difficult for him to be hacked or receive overriding commands from a outside source. Jaster gave a moments pause to check the single window’s shielding before he moved down the corridor to Chandra’s room. As he drew closer he noticed that she hadn’t activated the security systems for her room. He would have to remind her of why they where there: for her protection.

He stepped forward, into the space where the blast door would seal over the normal door, and knocked softly. "Chandra?"

He waited for a few moments for a response before he knocked again, asking "M’lady, are you awake?"

Still no response. Jaster opened the door quickly but without making a single sound and stepped into a mess. Chandra’s clothes where spiraled about the room, leaving a trail from the door to her closet to her bed. Jaster shook his head and said softly "So much for cleaning up after yourself, M’lady......"

The Journeyman Protector stooped over and began to grab up clothes when he heard something faint, at first barely a whisper. He stopped what he was doing and listened more closely. It was a single voice speaking in Mandalore and it sounded like it was calling out range commands. Jaster quickly glanced around the entire room when he spotted the small disk player laying on Chandra’s bed, half concealed under her covers. He listened more intently as the voice paused then continued saying the Mandalorian word for honour. He picked up the disk player and moved it over to a small table in one of the corners of the room, sitting it down and then shutting it off. He was surprised that Chandra would have access to their entire language and, apparently, trying to learn to speak it.

Jaster let a small smile cross his lips as he whispered "Well, it seems that listening to a dull, Mandalorian voice helps you sleep, M’lady......."

He gently pulled her covers up to her shoulders and Chandra instinctively snuggled into them.

"Sleep well, M’lady." Jaster said before he returned to picking up her scattered clothing. He finished in short order and then lowered the lights in her room as he left.

************

Chandra sat the plate of mynock eggs and golden, brown biscuits down in front of Jaster. She smiled at him as she handed him a fork and said "Sorry, I didn’t know how you liked your eggs prepared."

"M’lady," Jaster started as he looked at the carefully prepared meal, "This wasn’t nessicary. I could’ve just as easily eaten another MRE."

Chandra shook her head as she sat down at the table with a second plate, similarly prepared, as she answered "Now, Jaster, I got up early to make breakfast for us so the least you can do is eat it and be happy about it."

Jaster took one of the pre-buttered biscuits and took a bit of it. He nodded in agreement as he swallowed. It certainly did taste better then anything that came out of any of his MREs that was for certain. "I wasn’t complaining, M’lady. Its just that you didn’t need to go through all of the trouble....."

"It was no trouble at all, Protector." Chandra replied with a smile as she stood and grabbed a bowl of gravy. "I made some gravy for those biscuits if you would like."

"Thank you, M’lady." Jaster said politely as he took the bowl and poured some of the gravy over his remaining biscuits.

Chandra sat back down as she said "I noticed that you picked up my clothes and stuff last night."

"Well, I figured that if I didn’t then it would never get done." Jaster answered with a laugh.

"I would’ve gotten to it eventually." Chandra said in defense.

Jaster took a bite of his eggs as he answered "I’m surprised that you even know how."

"I do," Chandra started, "I’ll show you."

"I’m sure you will." Jaster answered with a nod of his head.

"So," Chandra again started, taking a drink of a glass of milk, "what did your investigation turn up so far?"

Jaster stopped eating as his tone became serious "As I already told you, M’lady, someone had tampered with 3X and the only suspect I have for that is your former cook, Jan. You confirmed as much when you said you had her adding some stuff to 3X so he could make your favorite dessert. I spoke with your father concerning the data disk I pulled from 3X and it seems that the disk, along with its subversive programming that allowed commands to be transmitted to 3X, were made and produced by a company Buck Geller had recently bought out from your father."

"Do you think Buck had something to do with this?" Chandra asked, starting to understand more why Jaster wanted her to stay home from school again.

"Right now that seems to be a good assumption. The evidence seems to point that way so far too." Jaster answered then added, "Your father also indicated that Mr. Geller came to him weeks ago and said that he knew about you being involved in Logan’s illegal detox center. Your father sold Buck the company in question to buy his silence and yet when you had Buck over he indicated that he knew nothing of you being involved until Logan was interrogated. What your father says and what Buck says seem to be contradictory to one another and I feel more inclined at this moment to trust your father."

Chandra nodded in agreement. She finished the last of her morning meal as she asked "Do you think Jan was involved in this too or was she just used as a hapless pawn?"

"I don’t know yet." Jaster started as he finished what was left of his meal. "I haven’t been able to get in contact with her and I think while you are arrange for those refugees to leave I’m going to try the agency that sent her over to you."

Chandra nodded in agreement as she scooped up his plate and hers, taking them over to the kitchen sink. She turned on the water and let it begin to fill up in the sink as she searched for the soap. Jaster leaned back in his chair watched her every move. Finally he said, taking the last drink of his water, " I guess you do know how to clean or atleast how to start."

Chandra turned quickly and flicked some of the forming bubbles at him with a laugh. Then she went about gathering up the rest of the dishes, emptying the left over food, what little there was, into a garbage recycler. Jaster continued to watch her, trying to conceal his amusement with the situation, as she worked. She most have been really desperate to keep 3X powered down since she was doing the droid’s normal choirs.

************

Jaster stood silently as he watched the distorted holo-image flicker and jump about. The disruption was due to the anti-trace signal he was using but that wasn’t the cause of his inpatiences. He was being given the run around with the cooking agency that Jan worked through.

"I’m sorry, Protector Mereel, but Jan Eversmann hasn’t reported into work in several days." the woman, the offices secretary said.

"Do you know where she may be? Or why she hasn’t been in?" Jaster questioned, trying to conceal his growing annoyance.

The woman began to shake her head when another stepped into view of the holo-field. The second woman asked in a concerned voice "Whats going on, Kathy?"

The office secretary, Kathy, turned back toward the second woman as she answered "This Journeyman Protector is looking for Jan."

"I’m Jan’s secretary," the second woman said as she stepped up, "A man called in for Miss Eversmann several days ago and we haven’t heard anything since."

"I see." Jaster answered with a nod. "Would you happen to have Miss Eversmann’s address?"

The woman nodded as she typed in some information that then appeared on the holo projection. "I’m not supposed to give this out normally without a court order but I’m concerned about Jan......."

Jaster nodded in agreement as he made note of the address. "I’ll check in on Miss Eversmann. Thank you for your assistence."

"Thank you, Protector." the second woman responded before she deactivated the holo-system.

Jaster stood for a moment in the faint light of the room before he turned to find Chandra. She had mentioned something about calling that woman they had run into the other day. She was still determined to help those poor fools in that holo she had been given. As the Mandalorian moved slowly through the connecting rooms and the corridor to Chandra’s room he wondered how long it would take before someone took advantage of her kindness and used her.

************

"No credits?" the woman on the other end of the viewscreen said with the starts of a frown. "Then how do you hope to help these people, Miss Porter?"

"My mother......" Chandra started to answer.

"I mean with no money, they won’t be able to book passage on a run down tramp frieghter let alone a ship that will take them to the Galactic Rim." the other woman interrupted.

"If you would please let me finish, Brittney," Chandra started sternly, "My mother has agreed to transport these refugees off planet and to what ever destination they wish, free of charge."

"Well, thats very kind of your mother but what if they wish to travel to different parts of the Rim? How can they do that without....." Brittney started to protest snidely.

"Do they wish to travel to different planets?!" Chandra interrupted, her growing annoyance clear in her voice.

Brittney stopped suddenly as she answered with a resigned sigh "No.......no they don’t. They want to travel to Naboo."

Chandra nodded as she asked "Then why is this such a big deal?"

"I just thought that with a few credits their starting over would be made easier...." Brittney confessed.

"Well, Naboo is a free planet. They will have no problems there." Chandra said then added, "Let me contact my mother’s secretary and make arrangements then I’ll call you back and tell you how to proceed."

"Thank you, Miss Porter." Brittney said softly as she deactivated her comm. signal.

Jaster stepped forward into Chandra’s room, clearing his throat as he did. She turned to see his helmeted and armoured form as she said "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough, M’lady." Jaster answered. "She seemed intent on getting money out of you, didn’t she?"

Chandra sighed as she answered "Its for the refugees, Jaster. Some people are just really passionate when it comes to things they care about."

"Like credits." Jaster stated plainly.

"Like helping people." Chandra insisted. "Anyway, what did you find out about Jan?"

Jaster stepped into the room, moving closer to Chandra’s left side as he answered "It seems that several days ago a man called in for her and they hadn’t heard from her since."

Chandra smiled slightly as she said "Ohhh, do you think she ran off with someone and is out enjoying herself?"

"Not likely," Jaster answered, his frown hidden by his helmet. "I got her address so I can check it out after you help out these ‘refugees’."

"Don’t you mean so ‘we’ can check it out?" Chandra attempted to correct her Protector.

Jaster shook his head as he said "No. I mean what I said."

"Well, keep quiet. I have to call my mother’s secretary." Chandra ordered with a gigle.

"Of course, M’lady." Jaster answered, humouring her good natured order.

Chandra turned back to her monitor as she punched several buttons, entering a new calling address. The monitor flashed for a moment, the words connecting fading then reappearing, as it placed Chandra’s call. The screen stopped flashing as a larger, older woman appeared on the monitor.

"Ah, Chandra, dear, your mother said you would be calling." the older woman said in a polite, friendly tone.

"Birtha, I need to make arrangements for a large shipment to Naboo, as soon as possible, please." Chandra answered.

"Well, dear, we have one with lots of open space scheduled to leave in just a little over two hours. Will that work for you?" Birtha asked.

Chandra paused for a moment as she thought about it. "It might be difficult for me to get so much cargo there in such a little amount of time but I shall try. Thank you, Birtha."

"No problem, Miss Porter. The ship is being prepped on pad 8 as we speak." Birtha added before closing the comm. line.

Chandra turned to glance at her Journeyman Protector as she punched in the numbers to call Brittney. "Not a word, Jaster. Not a word....."

Brittney appeared on the screen quickly, the monitor taking less time to connect to her then it had to Birtha. She smiled politely as she asked "Have the arrangements been made?"

"Yes," Chandra started with a small smile, "You have two hours to get them all to Pad 8, south side, my mother’s personal landing pads."

"Can do." Brittney answered then added, "Can you please bring that Naboo Queen Doll that Logan recently gave you?"

Chandra’s eyes narrowed as she shot back "He told you about the dolls?!"

"No need to be upset, M’lady. Alot of women collect dolls. Its not a big deal." Brittney answered in a very formal and reassuring tone.

"Why do you want that doll?" Chandra demanded.

Brittney sighed "Its for a little girl thats going to be amoung the refugees. She doesn’t have a thing and I thought it might make her feel better."

Chandra’s tone softened as she said "I’m sorry. My Protector’s paranoia most be rubbing off on me. I’ll bring the doll down to the pad when I arrive."

"Thats not nessicary, Chandra. You can just have it sent down and I’ll deliver it for you." Brittney insisted.

"Oh, no. Thats quite alright. I’d like to give her the doll in person, make sure she knows how to take care of it." Chandra insisted.

"Very well," the other woman answered with a sigh, "I guess I’ll see you when you arrive."

"Count on it." Chandra answered with a smile and ended the comm. signal. She then turned to face Jaster. "You and Johsy, go pack up all my dolls. We’ll hand them out to all of the children. Something to brighten their day."

Chandra paused for a moment as she added "Besides, its time I outgrew this childishness."

Jaster nodded and turned to leave the room. He still couldn’t believe she was going to such extremes to help these illegal refugees. Most of them where criminals of one kind or another, those who had run afoul of the law and now wanted to escape justice. If it weren’t for the fact that she didn’t want to hear it, Jaster would’ve again voiced his concerns to Chandra about helping them.

*************

Jaster walked slowly behind Chandra through the crowd of people, of refugees, with Johsy following closely behind. He didn’t like where this movement of people was taking place at. This particular launch pad was isolated from many of the others and actually below level. Chandra had shrugged off his concerns though, saying that it was nessicary to keep these people safe and from being rounded up by the authorities. The Mandalorian had to laugh about that. There were no proper authorities on Coruscant besides the self-serving Jedi Knights and for that reason every one who loved the law and peace maintained their own army. Jaster leaned forward as he said in a filtered voice "M’lady, I don’t see the little girl you indicated in the holo."

Chandra nodded in agreement as she pointed out Brittney. "I don’t see her either but I beat Brittney knows where she is."

Jaster followed his charge over to where Brittney was in the crowd. She was dressed in pretty much the same or similar clothes as she had been when she first came to Chandra yesterday. Jaster couldn’t help but think of her and the way she presented herself as little more then a.........

......Cheap Coruscant Tramp. No doubt why Logan preferred her company to Chandra’s. It took Brittney a moment to end the conversation she was involved in before she turned her attention to Chandra and said, seeing Chandra holding the Naboo Queen Doll, "Good you brought it!"

Chandra nodded as she said "I couldn’t find the girl you had indicated in the holo, though. Where is she?"

Brittney sighed as she held her hands out. "Just give me the doll, Miss Porter. I’ll take it to her and you can be on your way. I’m sure this is no place for you to be and your Protector would probably agree."

Jaster offered no response as he continual scanned the crowd for any signs of danger. Brittney was right, though, he didn’t want Chandra to be here any longer then nessicary. He, personally, wouldn’t be upset in the least if Chandra just gave the doll over to Brittney and they left but he knew she wouldn’t do that. She cared about these people and their well being more then probably anyone else present.

"I want to give the doll to her, personally." Chandra insisted but didn’t raise her voice.

Brittney again held out her hand as she insisted "M’lady, please just give me the doll."

"Take us to this girl." Jaster broke in with a filtered, yet menacing voice.

Brittney finally yielded and motioned for them to follow her. She lead them through the press of the massive crowd towards the very back of the landing pad, where a lone little girl was sitting on a crate. Brittney glanced over at Chandra as she said in a hushed tone "She used to be a Jedi candidate. They took her from her parents when she was one and promised that she would have so much better a life with them......"

"So much for that." Johsy said, not even really thinking about it.

"What happened?" Chandra asked. "Where are her parents?"

"Her parents had a run-in with a Spice Seller that they owed money to and it didn’t end well for them. She failed out of the Jedi training and now has nothing to look forward to." Brittney answered in a compassionate sounding voice.

Jaster watched Chandra nod slowly and then walk over to the little girl. She kneeled down beside her and said some words to her then gave the little girl a hug. Jaster moved a bit closer and he thought that both of them where crying. Maybe there was some good in Chandra’s being here after all if only a little. Chandra handed the doll over to the girl and patted her head as she began to tell her a little story about the Queen of Naboo. Jaster listened for a moment but his attention was drawn else where when he thought he heard the sound of faint swoop engines. Maybe repulsors of some kind.

"M’lady?" Jaster started.

Chandra turned to him and ordered "Johsy and you can start handing out the other dolls to the children."

Jaster silenced his concern as he nodded and turned to Johsy. The driver returned Jaster’s nod and started moving through the crowd handing out the dolls to the children he came across. He would occasional stop and said something to a child and Jaster wondered if he was the only one here who didn’t have a bleeding heart for the refugees. Jaster could tell how hard it most be for Chandra to part with her dolls, something in her eyes. The Mandalorian Protector turned to Brittney and read something in her eyes: She was getting angry.

"What are you doing?!!" the woman finally blew up.

"I have no use for these dolls anymore." Chandra answered, looking up from the little girl, "So I’m giving them to these poor children."

Brittney stormed over and grabbed the Queen of Naboo doll from the little girl as she growled "You are as stupid as you are naive!! Don’t you realize what you are doing?!"

The little girl started to cry and Chandra immediately shot up to her feet. Jaster took a step closer, inbetween the two woman as he read the flush anger on Chandra’s face. Brittney glared into Jaster’s smoked lense as she growled "Yeah, hide behind your Protector! Logan was right about you!!"

"Jaster, get out of the way!" Chandra ordered.

The Journeyman Protector turned to face his charge and was about to answer when a blaster bolt rang out, louder then the growing chatter of the crowds or Brittney. Jaster snapped around on his heel to see Logan’s former cohort spasm as a red bolt struck her, followed by two more, before her body even hit the ground. Jaster heard Chandra screaming and the crowd start to run for the waiting cargo ship.

"Chandra, get out of here!" he growled as he quickly pulled his twin Westar-34s and took aim for the swoop that was bearing down on them. The pilot, a Rodian, barked something out as he fired a rather ineffective shot that hit just in front of Jaster’s feet. The Mandalorian didn’t even flinch as he calmly returned fire with his weapons. Chandra thought she heard ten shots echo out in the span of a few seconds as the night sky was lit with the explosion of a swoop and the burnt remains of a Rodian plummeting to the lower levels. Jaster turned and when he saw Chandra still standing there he ordered "Now!!"

Chandra scooped up the little girl and began to run for the transport. She could hear Jaster following a step or two behind her but only bearly. The roar of another swoop coming in was drowning out just about everything else.

Jaster spun around to see another swoop, manned by yet another Rodian, coming in low, along the landing pad right towards him. The Rodian chirped in anger and fired off several shots at the armoured Mandalore Journeyman. Jaster returned fire and his tinted lense darkened as yet another swoop exploded in a ball of fire and shattered metal. The Rodian manning the swoop was much lucker then his cohort befor him, as he dove from the swoop and hit the ground with a roll. He quickly turned to recover and fire on Jaster but the Journeyman Protector was already on top of him as he raised the blaster. The Mandalorian quickly activated his deployable claws and disarmed the alien filth permanately.

The Rodian squealed in pain as his hand splattered to the ground, spilling blood everywhere. Jaster grabbed the bug eyed alien by his collar as he growled "Who tipped you off?! Who sent you?!"

"You’ll be dead soon enough, Mandalorian!" the Rodian threatened in his native tongue.

"No, you will be if you don’t start talking." Jaster answered calmly as he buried one of his pistols in the Rodian’s arm and fired. The Rodian growled in pain and anger and Jaster leaned closer demanding "Who sent?!"

Chandra reached the transport ship and put the little girl on it with several other children before she turned to return to Jaster.

"M’lady!" Johsy shouted out as he rushed to follow her. He couldn’t believe she was being so reckless.

The Rodian glared pasted Jaster for a moment as he saw Chandra running back towards them. Jaster shook the green-skinned scum before the Rodian squawked "It....it was Buck Geller!"

"How did he learn about this?" Jaster asked, not surprised by the Rodian’s answer.

"Someone tipped him off and he then sent us out to deal with Chandra and you." the rodian answered.

Jaster tightened his grip on the Rodian’s jacket as he said "And who are you?"

"Selve’s concerned brothers. She told us.......about Chandra’s little support of that detox center. No one liked that.........Buck was just the first to act."

"Jaster!" Chandra shouted out as she drew near.

The Mandalore Protector turned to face her as he snapped "I thought I told you to get........"

He stopped in mid-sentence as he heard the rodian chatter something and the sound of a third swoop coming in. Jaster released the Rodain as he quickly sprung to his feet, readying his twin blasters as he searched the area for the incoming swoop. The rodian slumped forward as he reached, with his intact hand, into his jacket and pulled out a odd looking energy weapon.

"Have something for you, Protector!" he growled as he pointed it at Jaster and fired.

Jaster reacted quickly, making sure Chandra was completely protected from the shot as he fired several blasts into the Rodian. The foul smelling alien collapsed as his own shot slammed into Jaster’s armoured form, tossing him off his feet. He could feel his armour burning and heating from absorbing the blast but something else didn’t feel right. The systems inside his helmet began to flicker and fade out. Jaster attempted to stand back up but was greeted with a racking spasm in his back. He didn’t even know if he had actually managed to move before the pain set in. Things begin to grow dark and spin and the last thing he heard was Chandra shouting his name and blaster shots. "JASTER!" Chandra screamed, dropping the dolls she had collected. She ran to his side, but felt an arm go around her waist and pull her away from him. "Let GO!" she said, jabbing whoever it was in the ribs with her elbow, just like Jaster had taught her.

She heard the 'oof' and felt the person loosen his grip, but not enough for her to get away.

"Miss Porter," Johsy said in an distinctly out of breath tone, "Please, let me get you to safety."

Blaster shots were coming from all around and Johsy covered Chandra, but all she could do is stare at Jaster's still armored body just lying there as people ran yelling and screaming all around him.

"We can't just LEAVE him," she cried still struggling. "He's hurt…"

"If I promise to come back for him, will you get in the transport?" Johsy asked as he opened their small transports door.

"Go back right now," Chandra demanded.

"Yes," Johsy said, exasperated.

She stared out the window as a large matted down wookie bent down over Jaster and put a massive furry paw on him. "HURRY!" she cried.

Johsy pulled the transport around and fired off a round of what must have been warning blasts because the wookie dropped Jasters arm and ran away. They landed right next to him and Chandra jumped out to help Johsy pull him in. She strapped him in as Johsy pulled the transport out of there just as the media camera's showed up.

"You have to take us to that doctor… Banmill… something like that," she said to Johsy.

"He doesn't have an office and even I don't know where his residence is," Johsy said. "And Jaster would have my head if I brought him back to our place."

"Then take us somewhere else!" she said, "A hospital… he's wounded!"

Chandra pushed the button on the back of the helmet and then carefully removed the chinstrap. The truth was she didn't even know if her protector was still alive. He hadn't move since he was shot but she wouldn't believe the worst. When she lifted the helmet off his head he winced and her heart leapt.

"Jaster!" she said touching his cheek with the palm of her hand.

"What the frell was THAT?" he asked, trying to move. He let out a low groan and lay still again. "Every inch of me feels like it's on fire…"

Johsy turned and said, "My guess is it was some sort of neural energy weapon, designed to short out Mandalore armor."

"No kidding? I'm surprised I'm still alive," Jaster said matter of factly.

Chandra was a bit angry at his callusness, but she felt the transport slowing down and she looked up to see the safehouse building. "We're here," she said.

After he landed the craft on their dock, Johsy turned around in his seat and said, "I couldn't get a hold of the doc, but I got some instructions from his associate on how to treat this… it isn't going to be pleasant."

"It doesn't matter," Jaster said through gritted teeth, "Just get me inside and haul yourself back to that docking port we left. Collect all the dolls you can find and dump them in a vault at the Mercenary Branch of the bank."

Jaster stiffened and let out a loud hissing breath as Johsy lifted him under the arm and helped him inside. Chandra carried his helmet and followed closely. She couldn't stand to see him in such pain and she had to look away when in the lift Jaster started to sweat and shiver. But he never let out a cry or said a word of complaint.

Once Johsy laid him down he reached in his cloak and said, "Here's the Naboo doll. I swiped it off of Brittney after she fell. But I agree, we should get the rest just in case." He put the doll down on the bed stand and handed a disk to Chandra and said, "This is the instructions on how to make him more comfortable as he heals." He gave Jaster a wink and said, "I'm sure you'll enjoy M'Lady's bedside manner more than you would have mine anyway."

With that he was off and Chandra, though completely confused as to why her dolls were suddenly so important, put the questions aside and played the disk as she ran about the apartment from kitchen to bathroom to bedroom looking for what she was going to need. While searching the medical kit in his room for the right kind of pills, she heard him cough behind her.

"Chandra," Jaster said in a tight voice. "I need your help… this armor… it's… it feels like it's choking me."

"Yes," she said, rushing to his side, "The instructions say I should take it all off… but it suggests I give you something for the pain first…" She poured the tiny pills into her hand.

"NO!" he said. "I don't want to lose consciousness…"

"What if you pass out from the pain," she said. "You don't want that either… I won't give you much… please, Jaster. I can't stand to see you hurting so much…"

He looked up at her and she saw something change in his eyes. He made a sound like a low growl and then said, "Alright… just one…"

She put two on his lips and reached for the glass of water. But he had swallowed them before she even brought the water to his lips. He still took a small drink and cringed as it went down.

"The chest plates first," he said, his voice cracking. He slowly lifted his hand pointing to his back, but dropped it again. "It's a vest, it unfastens in the back," he said with a forced sigh.

"Okay, I'm going to turn you over on your side now," Chandra said as she placed a hand on his arm.

"My gauntlets first, " he said weakly, his eyes closed now. "You'll never get the vest over them."

Chandra nodded and turned his right wrist over. Slowly she folded his thumb under his fingers and pulled the metal over his hand.

"I'm not going to break," he said opening his eyes just a slit and looking at her.

"I don't want to hurt you," she said.

"I think that's inevitable at this time. Going slow only lengthens the time… just get it over with. I promise I'll live."

His words, 'I'll live' brought back the feelings Chandra had continued to bury up until now. She held back her tears and pushed through this procedure as bravely as she could. Once she had the gauntlets off, she turned him and unsnapped his back plate, then slid the vest down over his arms. Jaster lay there stiffly looking up at the ceiling.

In a tight voice he said, "I still feel strangled."

"I'll take off the rest of the armor," she said, working on his boots first. After she managed to get every piece of metal off of him except one, she hesitated and then just told herself to get it over with. Thankfully Jaster was still very professional, even in the pain he was in. With the cod piece off as well, she wondered if he was more comfortable.

"What's next?" he asked. "Isn't there some sort of tonic I'm supposed to drink?"

"Yes and no," she said, gathering the bottles of basic medical ingredients. "There's a tonic, but it's supposed to be applied directly to your skin, like a lotion. It says it works faster that way."

"Alright, mix it and leave it by my bedside," he said softly.

"Don't you want help?" she asked. "At least with your jumpsuit…"

He glanced down at her and said, "I can do it, thanks. You should rest. You're not completely 100% yet yourself."

"It's not like I'd be seeing something I hadn't seen before," she said as she mixed the potions.

"I can do it," he said, closing his eyes.

"But Jaster…" she said.

"Listen, Chandra," he said. "There's a difference between you seeing me and you touching me. You taking care of me at all is a breach of protocol. You should have left me there. You do realize that? What if I had died? You'd be putting your life in danger for no reason."

The feelings came back with a fury and she couldn't hold them back anymore. As she set the small bottle of tonic on the table, she could feel her face unable to hide it. Her chin quivered as she glanced past him, not able to meet his eyes.

"Please don't be hurt by me refusing your help," Jaster said in exhaustion. "It's not personal…"

"It's not that," she said. "I understand why you don't want me to touch you…"

He started to push himself into a sitting position and glanced at her slightly. "Then what is it?" he asked. The medication was probably starting to take effect because he already looked like he was in less pain.

"I…" she started, "I guess with all these near death experiences, it never crossed my mind that…" she stopped, a huge lump in her throat.

"That what?" he probed.

She looked at him and said softly, "That it might not be me who was killed."

Jasters expression softened and she thought for a second he was going to smile. But he stiffened back up and said, "It's part of the risk of my job. Your father pays me to put your life before mine."

"I know," she said looking down. "It's just a job…" She walked towards the door, carrying the extra bottles and said as she was leaving, "Let me know if you need anything."

"I'm going to put this stuff on and get some rest. You should do the same. Unfortunately those pills you gave me are going to make it more sound than I would like. But we'll be safe here so long as you don't answer any calls, or let any visitors in. And whatever you do, stay in the apartment."

"What about Johsy?" she asked with a frown.

"He's not coming in. He'll stay with the ship on the transport until I call him in," Jaster said.

Chandra nodded and picked up the dirty and broken Naboo doll.

"I need to look at that later," he said.

She nodded and said, "Alright… I just… it's so hard to see it destroyed… I'll bring it back. I just want to clean it up a little." He nodded and she left.

After she closed his door, instead of going to her room, she sat down outside of his door and listened to Jaster as he undressed and put the tonic on. She looked at the doll as she listened, and was devistated that the head had been completely smashed. But the mystery behind why it was important over shadowed those feelings.

For the most part Jaster bore his pain in silence, but every now and again she could hear a small sound of discomfort. She was unsure how long she sat there, but she waited until his room was quiet for a very long time and then she got up with the doll and headed for the kitchen for some cleaning supplies for the doll. Then she brought everything into her bedroom.

She sat down on her bed and looked at the doll. As she held the head in her hand and tried to clean it, it began to crumble more and she noticed something stiff in the neck. Removing the head she saw there was a piece of paper rolled up.

"Nobody uses paper anymore," she said to herself as she unscrolled several small pieces of finely printed material. The language was alien to her, and there were some strange drawings. Chandra wondered if it might be code and went to the kitchen to scan in the words and have it translated.

She had to once again get into the Mandalore site and download a program to do the work. Chandra smiled as she felt very proud of herself for doing so much investigative work on her own.

When the translation came through she read… with horror.

Quote:

The final stage has finally come. Though we were at 10% survival in the past few years, with the new formula calculations by my assistant Brittany Claw, the survival rate in the detoxification was almost at 70%! These final calculations should produce the changes required to get that number up to 80% survival, which is industry standard on Coruscant and means my detox center can be expunged so you can start paying some real money. If you're reading this, it means you managed to get the dolls from Chandra. I never had doubt that you would finally win her. Good luck, Geller. Even with her on your side, her father is not going to be easy to deal with when he hears your plans.

Chandra felt sick to her stomach. She got up and found a small container and put the paper inside of it. Her hand shook as she closed the lid. 10% survival over the last few years he wasn't trying to help people, he was USING them as test subjects… knowing they would die… She looked out the kitchen door down the hall at Jasters room. What would he think? She carried the container towards her room, realizing that Buck was the one who had Logan killed so he wouldn't have to pay him… and Brittany must have found out about it. But through it all, Chandra was the stooge. She was just being played like a pawn, he compassion used to fund not a charity, but a dirty, underground business endeavor.

Just as she was about to push her door open, she heard a noise at the end of the dark hall. The shuffling foot falls were characteristic of a metal droid.

"3X?" she called out. "Is that you?"

"Miss Porter, I have a message for you."

"Tell me from there…" she said nervously. But his footsteps continued and she saw his gleaming figure enter the hallway. "3X, you were supposed to remain powered down. Stop this instant, I don't care HOW important this message is."

"Miss Porter, I have a message for you," he said again, just as he had the first time.

Chandra panicked. She ran for Jaster's room calling out, "Protector!"

But when she opened the door he was still asleep.

"Protector!" she called out again. 3X's steps were closer and he repeated again his intentions.

"Miss Porter, I have a message for you."

"No…" she said. Scared to death something had happened to Jaster, she closed his door and hit the controls, locking them in. She rushed to his side and touched his shoulder. "Protector, wake up!" she said. But he didn't budge. "What's wrong with you?" she asked, frightened she had given him the wrong dosage or had done something else wrong.

There was a rap at the door and 3X repeated catatonically, "Miss Porter, I have a message for you."

She had no idea what 3X was up to, but she didn't trust him at all. Frantically, Chandra looked around. Seeing Jaster's armor, she suddenly had an idea. She was a few inches shorter than he was, but she would have to stuff his boots anyway.

*********

"What do you want?" the filtered voice demanded of 3X and a blaster was shoved in his silver face.

"Ah, Protector Mareel," 3X said. "I have an important message for Miss Porter's ears only. Please let me through."

"You're not getting through, she's resting. Now back off and go shut down."

3X peeked in and saw the blankets over a figure on the bed, "Quite impossible, sir. It is imperative that I deliver this message…"

The gun knocked against 3X's nose and the filtered voice demanded, "Step back or I'll use this thing."

"There's no need to become violent, Protector Mareel," 3X said. But the droid must have had a circuit loose because he started to push past the blaster and towards the bedroom.

"I said, 'BACK OFF'" the filtered voice demanded. Chandra aimed the blaster at the droids chest and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened, but 3X did back away some. Thinking quickly, Chandra said, "That was a warning." She was still amazed her voice was so filtered that the droid couldn't tell it was her.

3X put his arms up and backed up some more. Feeling braver, Chandra stepped out of the bedroom and waved towards the lift at the end of the hall. "Get on the lift," she ordered.

"Yes, Master Mereel," 3X said turning and complying.

Chandra knew she couldn't just leave him in there, he would be able to get out and still be a threat. She had to make him leave. She got on the lift and selected the level of the landing platform.

"Where are you taking me, Master Mereel?" 3X asked anxiously.

"You're not obeying orders, I'm going to have Johsy take you to a professional," she said.

"But, sir, you seem to be quite sufficient technically skilled…" 3X protested. "And I really must speak with Miss Porter."

Chandra's heart was racing but she kept her cool as best she could in this heavy armor. She began to understand why Jaster liked the helmet so much. They came to the level and she put a heavy hand on 3X's shoulder and pushed him on the landing. He started to stumble, but caught his footing. And then shuffled towards the edge.

"Master Johsy is not here," 3X said. "May we go back inside now?"

Chandra didn't know what to do. She was terrified of this droid and had half a mind to just blast him, if she could just find out how to use the gun. She looked down through the visor without moving her head, hoping 3X wouldn't see that she was fidgeting with it to see how to use it. Then the strangest thing happened. She saw out of the corner of her eye a message coming across the visor wall. It said, 'Find Chandra, deliver message. Find Chandra, deliver message.'

"Master Mereel, this message is ever so important," 3X said.

"Back up," she said, again grateful for the filtered voice. He was almost at the ledge of the long landing strip already. There was a time she knew that if she told him to, 3X would jump off. But right now he didn't even listen to a simple command to back up. In fact he came towards her. She lifted the blaster again and aimed for him, hoping that what she had flipped was the safety and not the self-destruct.

But before she could pull the trigger, the bell on the lift far behind her rang. Again, an amazing thing happened. The image of what was behind her flashed to her peripheral vision. It zoomed in and showed her clearly that it was Jaster. He was in his spare suit and coming towards her on wobbly legs.

"Chandra, what are you doing?!" he shouted in a pained tone. "I told you to stay in the apartment!"

3X looked at Jaster and then at Chandra standing before him in the Mandalore armor. "Ah… Miss Porter…" he said delighted. Then in a monotone voice he repeated, "I have a message for you."

The next thing she knew she was flying in the air backwards towards the wall of the building. The sound was muffled and the light dimmed, but the explosion was still incredible. She landed with a thud against the lift door and then crumbled to the ground. Expecting to be dead she lay there, blinking her eyes under the helmet. But she wasn't dead. She was barely even hurt. In fact, she sat up and looked around to see Jaster laying down next to her. He lifted his head and pushed himself up to his knees and crawled to her side, leaning over her and looking into the helmets visor.

"I like the armor," she said in a filtered tone. ***

"That was extremely reckless, M’lady......" Jaster said with a sigh of relief as he leaned the brim of his helmeted head against that of the helmet Chandra was wearing.

"I thought it was extremely brave........"Chandra answered with a filtered laugh.

"Brave too........" the Mandalore Protector added as he reached his left hand over her body and grabbed the rifle Chandra had threatened 3X with. He took his long rifle in hand and tagged its safety back into position as he rolled back onto his back. He glanced over at Chandra, still laying on her back, in his primary suit of armor, as he said "This is my disintegration rifle, M’lady, one wrong shot or misfire and you could’ve been reduced to a pile of dust.

"At least I wouldn’t have to worry about 3X then." Chandra stated in a filtered and tiny tone.

Jaster pulled himself to his feet slowly, as he answered "Or much of anything else for that matter."

"I’m sorry, Protector. I was.....I was scared.......I didn’t know what else to do....."Chandra answered quietly as Jaster shouldered his rifle and then offered his right hand out to her. Chandra took it and Jaster helped her up, and she wearily leaned into his armored chest. "I was just so scared......."

"Its okay, M’lady. You’re safe now." Jaster answered in a voice of comfort or at least the best he could muster with his filter system on. He scooped Chandra up in his arms and carried her back toward the lift. She offered no resistance as he moved toward the lift doors, instead, resting her helmeted head against his left shoulder.

Chandra glanced up at her Protector as she offered "I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you but I didn’t know what else to do. I couldn’t wake you up and......"

Jaster shook his head, cutting her off with a shhh, as he added "M’lady, you’ve shown more bravery and concern for others then half of those I have worked for in the past. You should be very proud, not sorry."

Chandra nodded as she rested closer against Jaster’s armoured form.

Jaster boarded the lift slowly, as gently as he possibly could, so not to disturb Chandra, whom it appeared was beginning to drift off in his arms. The silence of the lift ride into the secret apartment gave Jaster time to think. He had obviously missed something when he was reassembling 3X, something better hidden, but he couldn’t imagine what. He had removed all of the foreign items from the droid that he could identify and still it seemed to be controlled or act on foreign commands. The lift came to a slow, silent halt and Jaster stepped out into the corridor, Chandra still resting in his arms.

He moved as quickly and silently as he could to her bedroom where he rested her on top of her bed. Jaster kneeled at her feet and slowly slipped off his borrowed boots, trying to fight back a smile as he shook loose several crumpled up pieces of tissue paper.

Chandra curled her toes as she whispered quietly "I’m really not that tired, Jaster. This isn’t really necessary."

"M’lady, the armor is very uncomfortable to sleep in unless you have done so before...." Jaster answered, ignoring her insistence that she wasn’t tired.

"I just feel so safe in it....like nothing in the universe could hurt me...." Chandra answered in a whisper.

Jaster tried to hide his pain at the thought of all of the Protectors he had seen die in the last field campaign he had been in. He wished the armour where so invulnerable but it wasn’t. "M’lady, I would hate for you to wake up with a stiff back or worse because you were unused to sleeping in combat armour."

Jaster waited for a response and when Chandra offered none immediately, he stood from the foot of her bed and moved to the head of it. He reached down slowly and carefully keyed the botton on the back of the helmet to release its lock mechanism. As he removed the helmet, Chandra’s eyes meet his visored gaze and she appeared to be on the brink of tears as she grabbed one of his gloved hands. "Then....please stay here with me......please."

"For you, M’lady, but only until you drift off to sleep." Jaster answered as softly as he could, kneeling beside her bed and allowing her to hold his hand.

"No, the whole night!" Chandra started, squeezing Jaster’s hand tighter, "If I woke up and you weren’t........Just for tonight, Jaster.....just for tonight...."

Jaster started to say something but hesitated. "As you wish, M’lady."

Jaster paused for a moment before he pressed "Now the armor?"

Chandra nodded slowly as she sat up and began to slip off the gauntlets. She was slow about it and Jaster could tell that she really didn’t want to part with the armor or the protection she felt the armor offered.

Once she had gotten everything but the armored vest Jaster said "The vest won’t impair your sleeping. You may leave it on for the night if you like."

Chandra nodded and laid back down, rolling onto her side to face Jaster. He rested his free hand on the top of hers, holding his left hand, trying to comfort her as much as he could. He stayed by her side the entire night.

************

Jaster awoke with a small jump, opening his eyes to meet Chandra’s gaze, as she lie staring into his tinted visor. He shook his helmeted head slowly as he asked "Sleep well, M’lady?"

Chandra shook her head ‘no’ as she answered "I can’t honestly remember. Did you sleep there the entire night?"

"As my charge insisted." Jaster answered, standing and stretching his arms high above him.

"Jaster......" Chandra started.

"Please, M’lady, don’t take it for more then what it was." Jaster interrupted, "You ordered me to stay by your side so I did."

Chandra nodded as she sat up in bed, still wearing the black, padded flight suit and armored vest. "But it most’ve been uncomfortable. Why didn’t you just wait until I feel asleep?"

"You were pretty insistent." Jaster answered plainly as he moved to the door of her room.

Chandra quickly got out of bed as she followed her Protector. "Well, let me at least make breakfast for you, Jaster."

The Mandalore Protector paused for a moment at her door. He had enjoyed the meal she had prepared from him a day ago or so and it tasted much better then any MRE he had ever eaten. But he didn’t want to insist on such treatment nor did he want her to feel that it was necessary for him to continue doing as she ordered. "That isn’t necessary, M’lady."

"No, I insist." Chandra answered, "Just give me a few minutes to change and get around."

"If you insist, M’lady." Jaster answered, his smile at the prospect of another real meal concealed behind his visor. He stepped out into the corridor to give Chandra her privacy while she changed. As he stood silently in the corridor, awaiting Chandra, Jaster’s helmet comm. begin to chime. He activated it with a simple flick and watched as Johsy’s image appeared in a small box to the left of his interior visor.

"Protector Mereel, I’ve just returned from the landing pad."

"And?" Jaster pressed.

Johsy sighed as he continued "I was at that pad most of the night, trying to deal with the authorities and the media. Most of the dolls had been stolen by vandals or taken by investigative teams."

"Where you able to recover any of them?" Jaster asked as he paced the corridor, but continued to keep with a few steps of Chandra’s door.

The image of Johsy nodded affirmatively. "I did get my hands on a couple of them and put them in a storage safe within the Mercenary Guild. Do you suspect they were the reason for the attack?"

"I suspect that Mr. Geller and Chandra’s friend, Logan, had a larger connection based on Geller’s own words." Jaster answered. "And those dolls had something to do with it."

Johsy nodded again. "Well, I’ll.........SLAG! Protector, you may want to get up to the roof immediately. I can’t make a landing because we have media droids all over the roof examining the remains of a droid or something!"

Jaster cursed to himself as he answered "Bring the transport around to the lower level, normal entrance and exit of the building. We’ll just leave like the average citizen."

"Understood." Johsy answered and then he deactivated the comm. signal.

The Mandalore Protector tried to contain his anger. Someone must’ve reported 3X’s explosion. That or one of those damned media drones just happened by at the time it happened. With each passing encounter with them and each passing day, Jaster was beginning to hate the media for its interference. Now he wouldn’t be able to search 3X’s remains without dealing with them or the ‘proper’ authorities. Just more hassle and delay while more attempts were made on Chandra’s life. At times Jaster swore this entire planet was in a conspiracy to make his duties more difficult.

Chandra opened her bedroom door and stepped out dressed in a pink uniform modeled after the uniform of Corellian Security Forces. There were slight differences in the uniform so one who payed close attention could tell it wasn’t official, not that the pink colors would have been the first indication. She nodded toward her Protector as she asked "You like it, Jaster?"

Jaster eyed her choice of dress over for a moment before he offered "It looks better then some of your other outfits, though I didn’t think I had grabbed anything that was pink."

"Oh," Chandra started, "I thought you might have spared it due to the more military look of it."

"No," Jaster answered, shaking his head, "It most have been something Johsy packed up for you."

"Oh." Chandra answered as she began to move towards the kitchen. "I guess you just have a lack in style, Protector."

"It would appear that way, M’lady." Jaster answered simply as he followed her.

Chandra glanced back at him as she asked "What would you like for breakfast today, Jaster?"

"I’m afraid, M’lady, that we don’t have time for that luxury anymore. We’re leaving." Jaster answered in his filtered and tinny voice.

"Wha?! What happened?!" Chandra asked as Jaster began to lead her down some stairs to another lift.

"I’m afraid 3X’s little show last night has compromised this safe house." Jaster answered calmly as he keyed in the sequence to open the lift.

Chandra pulled away from Jaster as she rushed back up the small flight of stairs, calling behind her "Wait, I have to get the doll I recovered last night!"

"Its unimportant, M’lady!" Jaster shouted after her.

"No!" Jaster heard her shout from somewhere within the apartment. "It has a note in it that you’ll want to see!"

Jaster offered no response as he silently kept the lift doors from closing up. If she had found something inside one of those dolls that would offer more light on this growing case then he wouldn’t complain. He already suspected Buck was in further then he let on but he needed more solid evidence then his own suspicions. And he certainly couldn’t just gun down Buck on suspicions alone, no matter how much he hated the little creep.

It seemed like he stood holding the lift doors for an eternity before Chandra rushed back down the stairs to him. She was carrying the ruined Naboo Queen in one hand and a rolled up piece of paper in the other. Jaster eyed the paper without turning his helmeted gaze toward it.

"Get what you needed, M’lady?" he asked as he let the lift doors close.

Chandra nodded and they took the lift down to the actually civilain living quarters of the apartment in silence. Jaster lead Chandra as quickly as he could to Johsy and the waiting transport. He was thankful that it appeared they hadn’t drawn too much attention from the occupants of the complex. Johsy was waiting just as he said he would be and they left the area without a single soul noticing, or so it seemed, but Jaster still had his doubts.

"Where to?" Johsy asked over the intercomm of the transport vehicle.

"Mr. Porter’s residents." Jaster answered.

"Dads?" Chandra asked then added "Why there?!"

Jaster turned his head slightly to face her as he answered "Its the safest place I can think of, M’lady."

Chandra slunched in her seat and Jaster could tell she wasn’t happy with that news. He watched her for a moment before he asked, "Now what about this doll is so important?"

Chandra seemed to perk back up as she handed him the piece of paper and said, "I found it inside the doll’s head. It's a letter from Logan to Buck. It seems the two of them where working together."

The Mandalorian unrolled the tiny piece of paper, being as gentle as he could with it, as he scanned it over. It was in a popular easy to learn code used by those who had secrets to keep the commoners but were too cheep to invest in a personalized translation system. Jaster quickly read it and said, "So it would seem. It also sounds like they were working on some kinda’ marketable cure for spice addiction."

Chandra nodded in agreement as Jaster carefully studied the note further. He glanced up at her and said, without much thought, "I warned you about Logan’s type and Buck for that matter."

"I know," Chandra started sadly, staring at he hands, "I can’t believe he used me or that I was so wrong about him....."

Jaster rolled the paper up and placed it in a side pouch as he offered "We all make mistakes, M’lady. It is human nature........"

She looked up at him and said, "Except you, Protector mine. I bet you never make mistakes."

"Of course not," Jaster started, "I’m Mandalore."

Chandra smirked as he said it. Then she laughed lightly saying, "I wasn't serious, Protector. Mandalore are still as human as the rest of us."

Then he offered further "I WAS serious, M’lady."

************

Protector Cann lead Jaster and Chandra through the winding corridor to a large flight of stairs that lead down into another spacious corridor. Jaster followed her in silence and Chandra remained close by his side. He could tell that she wasn’t too comfortable being here and he imagined that was because of her relationship with her father. It seemed less then stellar and Jaster couldn’t imagine that. He had always had a very close relationship with all of his kin, especially his parents. One thing that he had to admit pleased him was that Protector Cann was wearing her combat armor, like a true Protector should. Its black and blue colors seemed to shimmer in the light of the massive home as did the dented and faded colors of Jaster’s own armor.

Cann lead them around two more bends and then stopped when they stood before two massive oak doors. Cann motioned Chandra toward the doors as she said in a filtered voice "He’ll see you now, Ms. Porter."

Jaster stepped forward to follow when Cann stopped him. "Mr. Porter wishes to speak with his daughter privately Protector Mereel and we have security matters to discuss."

"It is my duty to report the findings of my investigation to him." Jaster objected as he fixed his gaze on Cann’s tinted visor.

"All in good time, Protector Mereel, but for now allow a father and his daughter their privacy." Cann answered in a similarly filtered voice.

Jaster looked back towards Chandra as he asked "Will you be alright, M’lady?"

Chandra nodded slowly as she opened one of the oak doors. Jaster watched her walk into the larger office beyond and then vanish behind the closing door. He stood for a moment, not quite sure that he should leave her alone with Jag Porter or not. He wondered if Ban had ever had such a similar event happen or ever had these doubts about her parents having her best interests in mind.

The Journeyman Protector was pulled from his thoughts when Cann placed a gloved hand on his right shoulder and said in Mandalore "Come, Protector Mereel, let us talk of things in private."

Jaster nodded in resigned agreement as he followed Cann down the corridor, glancing back once or twice to the massive oak doors.

************

Jaster stood from the table and walked over to the tinted window as he said "Yes, this media goon was crowding so close in at the edge of the landing that I did slam him up against her transport."

Protector Cann sat down her drink as she fought back a laugh. "Jaster, you most really learn how to deal with the media. Its always going to be part of the lives of the rich and powerful and few beings can afford to have Journeyman Protectors as personal bodyguards unless they are rich and powerful."

"I know," Jaster started as he turned back to face Cann and the security table she was sitting at. At first he was against leaving Chandra’s side, leaving her all alone with her father, but if she wasn’t safe with him then who would she be safe with. Besides, he welcomed the company that Cann provided after they had actually sat down and began to talk in Mandalore. It had been so long since he had enjoyed the company of another Mandalore and Cann was good company indeed. She was very interested in hearing how he had managed to save Chandra so many times and she applauded his skill.

Jaster walked back to the table and took up his helmet as he said "I really should get back to Chandra. She’s probably pacing or furious with me."

Cann stood and moved toward Jaster quickly as she said "She can wait...."

Jaster began to offer his protest when Cann stepped in and kissed him. The Mandalorian was caught off guard for but a moment before he pushed her away.

"Protector Cann!"

"Adi, please, Jaster." Cann answered softly, not looking the least bit offended by his reaction.

"Adi....." Jaster started.

Cann moved closer again, moving a gloved hand up his chest armor toward his shoulder, as she asked in a soothing, inviting voice "How long has it been since you have been in the company of a Mandalore Woman, Jaster?"

Jaster offered no answer as he allowed her to lean her face close to his, her breath against his skin. Her lips brushed against his for a fleeting moment and Jaster found that he wanted more then a fleeting moment as he placed a gloved hand behind the back of her neck and kissed her deeply. She offered no resistance and welcomed his embrace as much as she welcomed his kiss. Jaster pulled back from her for a moment as he moved his hands down to her form, slender even in the armor. "It has been a long time......"

"Too long, I imagine...."Adi Cann answered as she brushed the backside of her gloved palm against his cheek and slipped her left hand down to his Protector’s Sash, starting to loosen the fine woven belt. "After all you've just told me that you've been through lately, you could use a little recreational exercise."

She smiled slowly as he wrapped his hands around her waist, undoing her Protector’s Sash slowly. She met his gaze and kissed him again as her honor belt fall free. ***Chandra watched Jaster leave with her fathers protector and she felt a desperation inside of her that she had never experienced since the time Cann had dropped her for the third time all those years ago. But mercilessly she remained conscious for this time.

"Come inside and close the door, Chandra," her father demanded as he slammed the doors shut. "Why are you so concerned about the blasted Mandalore's anyway. They can take care of themselves."

Chandra pulled her eyes away from the Oak doors and looked at her fathers handsome face. His hair was whiter now than it had ever been and she wondered if it was possible for him to grow old. "I don't like to be without a protector," she said meekly.

"This building is like a fortress. You're safer in here than if you had an army of Mandalore around you, " he said returning to his desk and taking a seat. Sipping his wine he said, "That said, you are going to remain here while your mother and I travel for the next few years." He set his wine glass down and folded his hands on his chest, leaning his elbows on the high arm rests of his throne like chair.

"Here?" she said, not able to conceal her smile. It never crossed her mind her father would welcome her into his home.

"I'm actually considering giving you a few duties, if you're up for it," he said in a tone more benevolent than Chandra could ever remember. But then he switched quickly to his familiar degrading. "I've forked out enough money to that bloody college your attending, it's time to see if they've taught you anything of use to me."

He leaned forward and reached under his desk, pulling out a larger than usual datapad. "I need several floors of this high rise redecorated and I've always fancied your taste in such matters. Besides that there would be some entertaining of guests and dinner parties to attend. You'll need to keep our businesses in fore front of Coruscant social scene if we're to remain in favor with the Senators that make laws in our primary systems."

Chandra new her mouth was open, but she couldn't close it. She was in shock that her father trusted her with living under his roof, not to mention giving her the responsibility of representing his business. "But…" she finally managed to get out, "What about what I did… I mean… why would you want me to, Pappa? Do you trust me?"

He smiled and said his voice on ice, "No, frankly I don't Chandra. But you're my daughter and I'm giving you a chance to live up to your heritage. I will only give you one chance. And if you fail to live up to my expectations, your fate will be the same as any of my other employees who… fail me." Her father's threat cut straight to her core. He handed her the datapad and said, "You'll see the guest quarters décor on the lower levels hearkens back to a millennia ago. I'd like the entire four floors redone to accommodate the tastes of any number of tribal peoples… from the Sandpeople on Tatooine, to the Gammorians, the Klatonians… even take some hints from the Mandalores, since I know you are so fond of them."

Chandra looked at the list of tribal peoples her father had and immediately she had issues with lumping them all together. She also had a serious problem working to set up rooms for what were most likely drug smugglers and hit men.

"Papa," she said, putting the datapad down. "I don't want to do this."

"Why ever not?" he demanded shortly.

"I don't want to," she said quietly.

She watched her father close his eyes and stiffen significantly. She braced herself as he stood and raised his voice. "Chandra…" he said, leaning on his hands and looming towards her. "This is NOT an option. You will do as I say or you will have all your privileges revoked indefinitely… including that powder puff school your mother has you enrolled in…" He stood up straight and started pacing and wildly gesturing with his hands as he lectured her.

"I've had it with you sitting around doing nothing but spend my money… giving it away even to people you don’t know and who couldn't possibly appreciate it. You're a WOMAN now, not a little girl. And if you continue to refuse to do something useful for this family and get Buck Geller and his overbearing father off my back then you're going to start earning your keep in other ways… Even if they go counter to your ridiculous sense of personal ethics. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME, CHANDRA?"

Chandra always wondered when this day would come. When her father would require her to grow up and be who he needed her to be; to live up to the reason he had her in the first place. She nodded slowly not daring to argue with him.

He sat down and pushed the pad to her. "You can start work on it immediately. You'll have complete access to a credit account, but I will be monitoring your expenditures, so be wary of any temptation to take advantage of my insane generosity," he said. Then he turned to his monitor and said, "You're excused. Y24 will take you to your quarters."

Chandra turned her head to see the oak doors open and a gold protocol droid come into the room and approach her. In a very sweet female voice she said, "Good evening, Miss Porter, I am Y24, skilled in handmaiden and house maid duties. I will see to any and all of your personal needs while you are here."

Chandra looked at her skeptically and stood. With some trepidation she asked, "Will you do as I ask?"

The droid looked at her father and he nodded, rolling his eyes.

"Of course, Miss Porter," Y24 said.

"And my protector, will you obey him as well?" she asked carefully.

"Chandra," her father said, obviously annoyed. "I don't want hired help giving my droids orders, What happened with 3X isn't going to happen here." Then under his breath he said, "I don't know why you thought you could trust a cook to install programming…"

Chandra looked at her hands and tried to think of a way to turn down the droids assistance. She was about to speak and she looked up, but her father closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead and said, "Y24, it isn't standard procedure, but please do as my daughter wishes. Answer to Protector Jaster Mereel as well."

"Yes, Master Porter," she said.

Chandra got up with the large datapad and began to follow the droid out. She stopped and turned to her father and asked, "Will I see you for breakfast tomorrow?"

He was already working and without even looking at her he shook his head, 'no' and said, "I'll be busy. You can eat with your mother… she'll be here in the morning getting ready for the trip."

"Oh!" Chandra said with some excitement. She still wanted to talk to her mother about what happened at the dock with the refugees. "Okay… good night then, Pappa."

Her father waved without looking at her and Chandra left with Y24.

"The house is large and you many get lost if they do not have a guide," Y24 said proudly. "So you should not wander about without me."

Chandra rolled her eyes. She had been here before and knew her way around quite well. Y24 should have known that if she wasn't routinely wiped of her memories. When the droid took her the long way to her quarters Chandra wondered just how recent the last sweep had been. She was going to ask her about it when she suddenly she heard voices. She recognized them at once.

"Wait," Chandra whispered. She listened carefully.

It was Mandalore they were speaking and they were in some distant hallway. When she heard Jaster laughing she smiled, though it filled her with sadness. She had never heard him laugh before. Cann said something else and Chandra heard her name in the mix. Then they both laughed and Jaster said something else. They were making fun of her. She strained to listen to what they were saying and even told Y24 to stay put while she tip toed down the corridor closer to the voices. When she could make out a few words, she stopped and eavesdropped. At first she felt bad, but then reminded herself how many times Jaster had eavesdropped on her.

"…too many people… alone with you…" she heard Cann say in Mandalore. Though she could only make out every other few words, she could tell by the tone there were implications there.

"…eat… back to Chandra…" Jaster replied. She smiled and leaned against the wall. She glanced down at Y24 who was clicking as she leaned from leg to leg.

"…Mandalore meal…" Cann answered. Then Jaster said something but she couldn’t make anything specific out, just that he was agreeing.

Jaster knew she hated to eat alone, and yet he was still going to stay with Cann. Chandra walked towards Y24 and then quickly ahead of her towards her room and away from the Mandalores. The droid followed after her as best she could, protesting that Chandra didn't know where she was going. Chandra sped up, knowing the droid would have difficulty keeping up. At one point she ran into a lift, but it would not go up without the droid. She would definitely have to talk to her father about that one. It wasn't until they were walking down the hall towards her suite that the droid finally realized Chandra knew exactly where she was. When she got to the door she punched in the old code and it didn't work.

"I can assist you with that," Y24 said gleeful that she was finally of some use.

"Just tell it to me," Chandra snapped. There was a strange anger building inside of her and she didn't know where exactly it was coming from or why it should be there.

What little expression the droid could have with stiff metal and limited movements, it displayed clear disappointment. "Double delta, Triple sigma, alpha, beta."

"Why so complicated?" Chandra said as she punched it in. Once she was in her room, she turned and took out her feelings on the droid. "I don't need your help and I don't want it. Go power down at the end of the hall facing away from me and I will call you if I change my mind," she said pointing down the hall.

"But Miss Porter, you haven't undressed or had your evening meal yet," Y24 said with dejection.

"I'll manage," Chandra said as she closed the door. She tossed the datapad on the table by the door and walked through the main room to her bedroom. She looked in, but decided not to go in and just cry, as she so often handled herself. Instead, she paced around the room, holding it in. She wanted to think of something to say to her protector when he got back. Something to put him in his place. Something to hurt him…

But what could she say? It wasn't her place to interfere in Jaster's personal life. If she were a servant, she wouldn't want her personal life interfered with. She didn't understand why she cared so much what he said about her, or even what he thought about her. And she didn't understand why it hurt so badly to hear him laughing with Cann. Maybe she just didn't like Cann and could be happy for him if he found a friend she did like.

Chandra sat down on the edge of the sofa and felt completely deflated. She let herself slip down and lay on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. She lay there thinking about Cann and Jaster for the longest time. Wondering what they could be doing while off duty and wondering if they knew each other before or if they would become more than friends. But it was unbearable to just lay there thinking about it. She had to find something else to do so she slowly sat up and swung her feet around. She would work on the redesigning of her father's lower levels.

She picked herself up and fetched the datapad. Plugging it into the system, she sat down at the desk and began to search the various tribal traditions and cultures for reference material.

After a long while at the screen, Chandra stood and stretched. She had gotten lost in some of the rituals and peculiar practices among people who lived in tribes. Instead of gathering the information on dwelling design and cultural décor, she found herself reading more and more about courtship and family life. It all seemed so eerie how similar they were yet how different to her experience. There was very little about Mandalores in the public domain databases though. She looked at the screen and then sat back down.

Entering in Ban's code, she hunted down the private material in the Mandalore databases. As she read the details of the life of the greatest warriors she was enthralled with how rich it all was. When she read details of Mandalore courtship customs and realized Cann's age would never be an issue between her and Jaster, she frowned and looked at the time. She was stunned at how late it was and couldn't believe Jaster was still with Cann.

She saved the material she had downloaded and was about ready to turn off the monitor when the door code was entered and someone came in. She sat there silently, her back to the door, only slightly frightened that it wasn't her protector. But he said, "Thank you Y24. You can return to your position."

"Yes, Protector Mareel," the droid said.

The door closed and Jaster called her name, "Chandra?" His tone revealed that he wasn't pleased that she was still awake.

She didn't move. She didn't know what to say and she was ashamed that she was so close to tears. Now she wished she had gotten it all out. He would think her so childish if she cried again in front of him. She swallowed and decided she would be strong. "Protector, don't scold me for being up late, I'm actually earning my keep for a change," she said as cheerfully as she could manage.

He walked up beside her and sat on the heavy desk. She noted immediately he was carrying his helmet, gauntlets and the various parts of his belt. He set it down on the floor beside him and said with a smirk, "Your father gave you a job?"

She stared at his armor on the floor and swallowed as she nodded. She didn't look at him in the face, but turned back to the screen and said, "More like he forced it down my throat with a threat."

"He threatened you?!" Jaster said alarmed. "What did he say?"

"Only that he would cut off my education if I didn't start using it," she said turning towards him. She looked him over and saw his hair was mussed up more than usual. His vest was on crooked and partly unfastened and Chandra felt her stomach turning as an image of him with Cann flashed into her mind. She turned away again and clicked on the pages she had just closed to try to get her mind off of it.

"That's understandable. It's a father's place to have an expectation that his children will make something of themselves," he said crossing his arms across his chest. "I think it displays a great sense of his regard for you that he would give you a task within his own company. Especially considering the trouble you've gotten into in the past."

Chandra glared at him. "What did Cann tell you?" she demanded. "She doesn't like me, you know. So you can be certain whatever it was it was biased."

He smirked a little and said, "You needn't worry about me, Chandra. I know you and Cann didn't turn me against you, if that's what you're worried about."

It was only partly what she was worried about. "You do know that my fathers medical business is simply a cover for his spice trading," she asked. "Doesn't that bother you at all? Part of what I admired most about Ban and the Mandalore in general is their sense of ethics and their values."

Jaster shrugged and said, "It's not my place to judge the ethics and values of my employer."

"So it doesn't bother you to take money from a man who makes his money destroying peoples lives?" she asked.

He didn't seem phased by the question at all and answered, "I'm just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe. I don't let myself get bogged down in politics or personal lifestyle decisions. It would cloud my judgement of my job duties if I were to question the career or ethics of my employer."

"So it doesn't bother you to work for someone who in essence is killing people?" she asked.

He raised his brows and shook his head, 'no'. "Not when those people take spice by their own choice."

"Well, it bothers me," she said scooting her chair out. "That's why I was working against him for so long…"

"And look where that got you," Jaster said, true concern on his face. "You found the people supposably doing the helping were doing more harm, just to make money. And using you…"

"I suppose that's my lot in life," she said studying his face for some reaction. "So I might as well just give in and do what my father asks. I might as well just start taking spice as well… after all it isn't like there's any reason for me not to."

Jaster closed his eyes and breathed out.

"Chandra, it's not my place to tell you how to live your life anymore than it's my place to judge your father," he said, starting to get up. "If you really want to start using spice and destroy your brain, I'm not going to stop you. Hell, it will probably be easier to protect you if I didn't have to worry about you having such a mind of your own."

Her eyes fell to his honor belt and if she hadn't had to undo it herself just the other day she wouldn't have known that it was not properly fastened, nor was the cod piece attached as it should be. Chandra stared at it as he bent down to pick up his things. Then she narrowed her eyes at him and said, "Did you know that the tribes of the people all over this galaxy all have very common mating rituals?"

Jaster sighed and said, "No, Chandra, I didn't…"

He started to walk away and not wanting to lose her audience, she followed up quickly, "No, it's fascinating. It seems in almost every culture that the men and women have very distinct roles and live almost completely separate lives. Very few tribal cultures marry for love, it's either arranged or for convenience."

Jaster turned back slightly to her and said, "I'm going to bed."

"It's funny," she said louder, as he walked away, "Because my parents brought me up to think that we were better, more civilized, of a higher breed… but really we're no better.… In fact I think the culture of the high society of Coruscant rivals the sand people of Tattoine in barbarism."

He stopped in his tracks and turned and said, "Tuskin Raiders are xenophobes, Chandra. Your so called friends may be ruthless, but they are not nearly as violently brutal as the natives of Tatooine."

"Oh!" she said, excited to catch him on this point. "But my family and friends ARE frightened of anyone who doesn't run in their circles… and I've even known them to put out hits on people that stand in their way. However that's not my point… "

"What is your point?" he asked. She could tell he didn't want to talk about this subject, but was trying hard not to be rude.

"I think I could learn something from the way the women of the Sandpeople live. They keep their skin covered except on their wedding night and then they live separate lives," she said. He gave her a confused look. She continued. "You told me yourself that showing too much skin is improper. And as far as I know my parents only lived together long enough to have me. Since then they've had separate lives on separate sides of the same planet, only seeing each other when absolutely necessary. They don't love each other and they never expected to."

"I don't follow," he said, shifting in his stand.

"I'm going to do as my father asks… I'm going to marry Buck," she said. Jaster's eyes popped open and she quickly explained, "I've been thinking I would marry for love… but that's just a fantasy… I got rid of my dolls, and it's time to get rid of my fantasies about love and marriage and family. As the sandwomen accept their fate to live without love and affection… so will I. My mother manages…"

"Chandra," Jaster said with a sigh. "You're tired and you've had a long day. I think you should consider this in the morning. In any case, I'm still not interested in giving you advice on your personal life."

She ignored him. "Besides, if it is Buck who's trying to kill me, it's probably only because I won't marry him and he has to save face," she said. "Once I agree to marry him, I'll be safe. He'll have what he wants and I can submit to him when I have to and the rest of my life I'll have to myself. In fact it will be better because as a mistress of my own home I can have many more privileges than I do simply as a daughter."

"You'd essentially be his slave," Jaster said. "No different than with your father. You do realize that?"

"I suppose I'll be used to it then," she said. "I think I'm brilliant for figuring this out. I've been disappointed by my life only because I've had such high expectations. Lowering them makes me feel more free actually."

"Get some sleep," Jaster said turning around and looking for a bed. He poked his head in the different rooms and then threw his stuff next to the couch. He sat down and started taking off his boots.

Chandra watched him, her heart aching more than she knew it could. She turned around and clicked off the datapad. She stood and watched as Jaster took off his other boot and then lay down on the couch, closing his eyes. Chandra walked over to his side and looked down at him. After a few seconds he opened his eyes and said, "What is it, M'lady?"

"Are you convinced that I am safe here?" she asked quietly. "In my father's home with all of his mulit-million credit security systems and guards..."

He got up on an elbow and said, "Right now, yes. I believe you are safe."

She nodded and then asked, "Then why didn't you stay with Cann tonight?" He looked a little stunned at the question and she tilted her head slightly and said, "I'm a little naïve, but I'm not a fool, Jaster…"

"I didn't… we were going to but we didn't…" he started. Then he sat up completely and said sincerely, "I apologize, M'lady, if my conduct has offended you. As your Journeyman Protector I should have been more professional about my duties."

"My father gave you permission… you work for him not me. You can feel free to stay out as long as you want with whomever you want if he says you may."

Jaster nodded and said, "But… all the same, I believe I should have conducted myself with more discretion."

"Why?" she asked, sitting down across from him on the short table. "You should be able to have some…" she tried to remember the Mandalore words, but the best she could do was translate the wording. "…recreational exercise."

He leaned back on the couch and looked at her with a slight frown.

"I read all about it," she said. "Unlike most tribal cultures, the men work beside the women as equals. Doing similar tasks, even in times of war. And the code of conduct has enabled them to do so successfully because Mandalore are very strictly platonic unless they have made their oath to a mate. Except… there are certain situations which allow for…"

He interrupted her, raising his hand for her to stop. "This is not a time of war…" he said. "And what you're talking about is all by the book Mandalore culture. It's not as easy is they make it sound in the holobooks. People are still people… but as I said, we didn't. I admit I was going to, but for the love I have for someone else. I couldn't."

"Love?" she said with a smile.

"An old friend on Concord Dawn. I haven't seen her in years and I hadn't remembered how much I cared for her until this evening," he said.

Chandra's bubble of hope burst and she said softly, "I don't mean to get into your personal life, Protector," she said as she stood. "I guess I probably feel about Cann the way you do about Buck…"

"Oh you do, do you?" he said with a slight smirk. "It's good to know my charge is looking out to protect me."

"You're mocking me," she said, raising a brow.

"No," he said. "Well, maybe a little. But I don't mean anything disrespectful, M'Lady. I'm flattered."

Chandra felt a little better about Cann, but wondered about this other girl. She walked to her room and then turned and looked at him. He was still watching her. She smiled and said, "I would have waited up all night, you know."

"Yes, I know," he said. He paused and then said, "And I that's probably another reason why I came back."

Chandra felt herself smile again, despite how much she hurt inside. She turned and went into her room and closed the door halfway. She undressed and too tired to search for a night gown, she climbed in bed in just her under tee. As she lay there she smiled thinking about how Jaster had put her before Cann. In her mind, Chandra thought about what it would be like if Jater wasn't just a Mandalore protector… What if he was someone of her class. Someone she could actually consider suitable…

****************

When Chandra woke up she turned over and glanced at the doorway. "Protector," she said sleepily, her thoughts still on the feelings her dreams had left in her.

She heard him coming towards her and smiled and said in Mandalore, "Is it a good day Protector Mine?"

As he turned the corner in only his jumpsuit and vest armor, he began the Mandalore response, "A good day for all who…" but he stopped in mid sentence, his face in a frown and said, "Excuse me, M'Lady." He turned and walked out.

Chandra sat up as she did looked down to see what she was wearing. Jaster had said earlier he was trained not to be effected, but now he was acting VERY effected. The mixed signals confused her. She liked the idea that he would be attracted to her despite his training, but was a bit annoyed with him that he would pretend he wasn't.

With a smirk she reached down and picked up a sheet and wrapped it around herself. She went out into the main room of the suite to see Jaster standing with his hands on his hips, looking out the window.

"What's wrong?" she asked playfully. "I thought you were 'oh so professional'… trained not to be 'effected'…"

Jaster glanced at her unhappily and said, "I am."

"So what's the problem?" she asked, dropping the sheet and walking around him. "Are you having some difficulty sticking to your 'professional training'?"

Chandra raised a brow as she leaned against the wall next to the window. She had to give him credit for addressing her face and not even looking down at the rest of her.

"It's you who is acting most unprofessionally, M'Lady," he said bluntly. "Now if you'll kindly get dressed so we can get you some breakfast downstairs."

"I'm not hungry," she said with a smirk. "Since you told me about the signals women send to men based on what we wear, I've been curious to try out just exactly what you meant."

She saw his jaw bulge slightly as he simply stared at her, his eyes unmoving from her face.

"So, what does what I'm wearing say to you, Protector?" she asked. His eyes seemed to lose something in the next moment. It was as if he was seeing her differently, but not in a positive way.

In a sad voice he said, "It says to me that you're no different than any other of your class."

"What do you mean?" she asked quietly, suddenly feeling as bare as she was.

"Armed with a little knowledge instead of discretion, you choose to use you beauty for vanity," he said.

Squatting down Chandra reached over and picked up the sheet and pulled it up around her. Then staring at her feet in a small voice Chandra said, "Oh… I see."

He didn't answer her, just turned away towards the window.

She slowly walked back to her room and looked back at him. He was staring out the window again.

"I'm sorry," she called out weakly, her voice trembling. "I didn't mean to upset you, Jaster… please don't be cross with me… "

"I'm fine, M'Lady" he said, still staring out the window. Then he turned and grabbed his armor off of the couch, proceeding to put it on. She watched him for a while until he turned and saw her still standing there. He put on his gauntlets and sighed, dropping his hands to his sides. Then he said gently, as he gestured towards her door, "Please, M'Lady. Don't give it another thought. Go get dressed."

She wiped the tear from her face and went into her room.

************ Chandra came out in a pink jumpsuit and Jaster was fully armored and ready to go. She had a hard time looking at him directly in the visor and simply passed by him as she said, "My mother is supposed to be meeting me for breakfast."

Jaster didn't answer. He followed her as she left the suite. They walked down towards the end of the hall and Y24 awoke, following behind them.

"Good morning, Miss Porter," she said.

Chandra ignored her and proceeded to the dining area.

***

"Right this way, Miss Porter," Y24 said with a cheery voice, motioning toward a pair of massive oaken doors. The droid remained happy and chiper even though it realized several halls back that Chandra was the one directing the movement toward the dining room.

Chandra continued to ignore the protocol droid as the doors to the dining area opened wide, several servants, almost all droids, scurring about with food, trays and other items in tow. She waded through the mess of droids, each one doing its best to avoid running into her. Jaster and Y24 both followed slowly behind but with less luck as a droid carrying several glasses of water was to slow to change course and slammed into Y24, and both droids tumbled toward Jaster. The Mandalorian cursed as the press of the two pushed him to the ground, spilling the cold water all over him.

Chandra couldn’t help but laugh as she watched Jaster try and push the droids aside as they continued to apologize to him and one another for their clumsiness. She started towards her mother’s table as the two droids, almost in unison began to blame Jaster for their clumsiness, saying that he just threw off the whole routine. Mrs. Porter stood as she said "I see that your Journeyman isn’t adjusting well to having so many droids around."

"Hmmm." Chandra answered as she pulled out a chair and took a seat at her mother’s table. She glanced back at Jaster as he finally stood and began to work his way through the mess of the rest of the droids, wet jump suit, armour and all. "I’m glad your here, mom. I was hoping I’d get to speak with you before you and dad left on your trip."

"You know I always enjoy speaking with you, my dear." Mrs. Porter answered as she sat back and took a drink from her glass.

Jaster finally reached the table and took his place on Chandra’s left, as usual. The Journeyman Protector tried to maintain his air of dignity and pride even though a small pool of water was gather beneath him, dripping from his armour and helmet. He knew there was a reason why he didn’t like having so many droids around, aside from the obvious ease with which they could be reprogrammed. Chandra glanced back at him for a moment, biting her lip to prevent herself from laughing any further, before she turned back to her mother.

"How did the delivery go?" she asked as she took a soft, warm roll from a near-by basket of them and began to nibble on it.

Mrs. Porter frowned slightly as she said "Not well. I would much prefer to never deal with that company again."

"I see," Chandra started, "Did any of it make it to Naboo?"

"I’m afraid not, Chandra," Mrs. Porter started with a sad expression, "After the ‘incident’ at the landing pad, Port Authorities moved in as the transport launched and ordered it aside. They forced a boarding and when they saw what was aboard they arrested the crew and impounded the ship."

"And the cargo?" Chandra pressed as she sat down her roll.

Mrs. Porter shook her head ‘no’, answering "The cargo was taken in and will probably be dispersed back to the lower levels or worse."

Chandra pushed away the roll, and the rest of the food that had been sat before her by the droid servants. "I suddenly don’t feel hungry......."

"I’m sorry, Chandra. I know how much this meant to you...." her mother answered in a soft, delicate tone.

"I haven’t.......," Chandra paused for a moment before continuing, "...gotten you into any trouble, have I?"

Mrs. Porter pushed aside her small plate of food too as she offered "No, Buck again managed to pull some strings and dismiss the charges the authorities were looking to level against my company. He really does seem to have quite a few connections."

"Yes, Pa’pa has insisted that I settle things with Buck or come to work for him. Do something useful for once as he said." Chandra answered.

"Your father has been really pushing that issue lately, especially after the whole Logan mess." her mother answered with a nod.

"Yeah......" Chandra sighed.

Jaster could tell that she was still broken up about the whole situation with Logan and his underground ‘test’ center. To know that one had been used was a hard thing to swallow and to know it had been done by someone you cared for, well, that was all the worse. And now it seemed, to Jaster atleast, that Buck was carefully arranging for Chandra to have no choice in the matter, to be his or to suffer Mandalore knows what.

"So what is it your father has you doing, baby girl?" Chandra’s mother asked, changing the subject from Buck and the whole cargo incident.

Chandra let out a sigh. "He wants me to redecorate the lower apartment levels in several different styles for clients."

"The lower levels?" her mother repeated.

"Oh, you should see the decor he’s selected, mom, its awful. Not a single floor will match any other. He wants them to be in Tusken, Nabuian, Mandalore and what not. He’s no taste!" Chandra complained.

"Well, I didn’t marry him for his taste in decor, my dear girl," Mrs. Porter answered as she stood from the table quickly. "Now, if you’ll excuse me, Chandra, I most attend to some matters before our trip."

Chandra frowned as she said "You have to go? So soon?"

She nodded as she motioned for her Journeyman Protector to come along. "I really am sorry, Chandra, but they are very important things and I most see to them."

Chandra stood and moved over to her mom, giving her a hug. "I’ll see you before you leave?"

"Of course, sweet one. Until then please be careful." Mrs. Porter answered, returning her daughter’s hug.

Chandra stepped back and nodded as she watched her mother head out. It seemed that she and her protector had no trouble negotiating the mess of droids moving about. Chandra turned back toward the table and took her seat, sighing as she did so. Jaster stepped forward, toward the table, and asked in a filtered voice "Are you ready to go, M’lady?"

"No, not yet." Chandra answered as she motioned toward one of the extra chairs at the table. "Please sit with me, Jaster."

The Mandalorian nodded as he pulled the seat out and sat down. It was a simple enough order to comply with. The two of them sat at the table in silence for several moments, or, more likely, minutes before Chandra broke the silence. "I’m sorry about this morning, Jaster....."

"I told you to think nothing of it, M’lady," Jaster started in his filtered tone, "You should not trouble yourself with it."

Chandra nodded slowly. "So tell me about this other Protector, this Mandalorian you care about."

Jaster let out a filtered laugh as he answered "I would not want to bore you, M’lady."

"Humour me, please?" Chandra pressed as she pulled a plate of muffins toward her.

"I thought you weren’t hungry." Jaster said as he watched Chandra grabbed her favorite muffin type from the plate.

Chandra looked the muffin over for a moment before she offered "I like a good snack when during a good story."

The Mandalorian picked up on Chandra’s clue, and knowing that she wouldn’t drop it, he started with a sigh "Mist....."

"Is that her name?" Chandra asked.

"A nickname, yes." Jaster started. "Her name is Jessica Mistol. She liked me to call her Jessa or Mist."

Chandra took a bite of her muffin then pressed "How did you meet?"

"My first combat mission in a miserable, back water city called Mogden. She and I had completed our trials, of course, but this was our first full-scale combat mission. A warzone if you will......" Jaster continued.

Chandra nodded in understanding as she listened intently to her Protector’s words. Jaster smiled under his helmet as he began to think about his time on Mogden. The Journeyman Protector relaxed in his seat somewhat as he began again.

"She saved my life the first time, pulled me out of some Geldorian heavy weapons fire. It was nothing, really, a comrade saving a comrade. Later in the mission I returned the favour, saving her one night when our base camp came under attack from Geldorian toxins. The foul beasts were quite skilled at devising interesting toxins....."

Chandra watched Jaster’s helmeted head, wondering exactly what kind of expression he was wearing on his face.

Jaster sighed as he continued "After that.....well, we were both young and maybe it was just the situation we found ourselves in but we found ourselves being drawn together. Of course we were careful, keeping our indiscretions hidden from Commander Arzen, and we both survived the mission, earning ourselves fame early on."

"And after the Mogden mission?" Chandra asked finishing her muffin and reaching for a glass of blue milk.

"After the Mogden mission we continued our....romance, if you will, enjoying one anothers company. She is perfect in every way. Truely the epitome of a Mandalorian woman." Jaster answered, his filter system hiding any signs of emotion in his voice.

Chandra gulped down a large portion of her drink before she asked "And now?"

Jaster let out a small chuckle. "Before I left to assume the duties of protecting you, I saw her off for the latest of our combat zones along the rim terriorites. Its amazing how many Protectors a government can afford when they are in fear of full uprisings."

"Do you worry about her?" Chandra asked, finishing her glass.

Jaster shook his head slowly. "Of course not. She’s Mandalore."

"Indeed...." Chandra said.

"Now, if you don’t mind, M’lady, I’d like to go put on a less damp flight suit." Jaster said as he stood.

Chandra nodded, trying to hide her smile, as she too rose from the table. The two left the dining area slowly, Jaster being extra careful to avoid the mess of droids that still sprinted about the room. He was amazed at how the droids seemed to keep themselves busy though their duties were small and tedious. Y24 joined them in the corridor and again insisted on leading them back to Chandra’s room. This time she seemed to be more compliant and allowed the droid to lead them through the house.

************

Jaster stretched as he stepped out of the bathroom in a dry, crisp, black flight suit. "Much better......"

"I’ll have one of the droids come by and pick up the laundry." Chandra said as she watched him grab his armoured vest.

"Thats alright, M’lady, I can do my own laundry." Jaster insisted as he slipped his vest on and then reached for his weapons gauntlets.

Chandra nodded in agreement. "I’m sure they would only find a way to mess it up or make it worse anyway."

"Probably....." Jaster agreed.

"I should probably get to work on the lower levels. It’ll take me weeks, maybe months as it is." Chandra said as she began to grab several assorted datapads.

"Chandra," Jaster started as he grabbed his holsters, containing his westar blasters, "I’ve got some things that I need to look into such as the disappearance of your cook, Jan, and I would like to return to that apartment where you fell that first night."

Chandra nodded. "Okay, Jaster, I’ll be alright. I’ll probably be too busy to notice you’ve even gone."

Jaster laughed for a moment before he handed the holsters and blasters to Chandra. "None the less, my dear charge, I’m going to escort you to the lower levels of this building and then give you a short rundown on how to use these."

"Thats not nessicary." Chandra said with a dismissing wave as she headed towards the door.

Jaster followed her slowly as he insisted "You wanted to be trained so I’m going to train you."

Chandra laughed as she lead Jaster through the winding corridors down toward the lift. Y24 began to follow them before Chandra gave the droid a quick, manacing look and a stiff dismissal that caused the droid to stay behind. As the two stepped into the left, Chandra looked up at Jaster and asked "Are you going to secure the entire floor I’m working on?"

"I could though that would take quite sometime." Jaster answered.

"Then you’re not?" she questioned as she keyed in the floor she wanted.

"No. Your father said that he had security on every floor and as of yet, I have no reason not to trust him." the Journeyman answered.

"I see..." Chandra answered.

A moment of silence followed before Jaster broke it. "M’lady, in what manner are you going to decorate this first floor?"

Chandra waited a moment, perhaps thinking about it, before she responded. "I was thinking I would start with the Mandalorian floor, do the most interesting and fun first and save the boring ones for last."

"You can enjoy those floors that have to be in Tusken too, M’lady," Jaster started, "Just think of them as something more then barbarians. Not every culture develops in ways we would normal like or approve of but if you treat them as barbarians then they will do no better to us."

"Are you trying to lecture me or give me advice, Protector?" Chandra asked with a small laugh.

"Maybe both, M’lady." Jaster answered, his filter system still hiding any emotion in his tone.

"I don’t like the way they treat their women, not at all like the Mandalore or us or....." Chandra started.

Jaster shook his head slightly, interrupting her, "Chandra, you shouldn’t idolize the Mandalore Culture as much as you do. We aren’t perfect and I’m afraid we probably wouldn’t live up to your expectations. We are, after all, merely soldiers."

"Soldiers with a strong sense of justice, personal honour and a highly defined structural society." Chandra said softly.

"And some would consider out militaristic ways and behavior barbaric." Jaster added.

"Who?"

"The Jedi, the high society here on Coruscant, the Gran...."Jaster began to rattle off a list to answer Chandra’s question before she interrupted him.

"I guess theres no arguing with you, Jaster." she whispered as the lift came to a stop and its doors parted. "Looks like our floor anyway."

Jaster stepped out of the lift first and was surprised by the mess that greeted him. The entire floor, as far as he could see, was covered in debris, refuge, and other discarded junk. Even through his helmet filters he thought he could smell the sickening scent of human, or maybe alien, excrement. He offered out his left hand to Chandra as he asked "Did your father use to allow people to live in these lower levels?"

"Not really allow," Chandra started as she took his gloved hand, "so much as tolerated. He cut off these levels when the beggers and others started dwelling in them. The lifts wouldn’t come down to these levels, they would just by-pass them."

"Well, at least some of this ‘trash’ will make for good targets." Jaster answered as he lead her into the main room of the level. After a moment of allowing Chandra to look around at all of the trash and mess, Jaster handed her his holsters and one of the blaster pistols. He watched for fixed eyes as she put on the holsters and then looked at him and asked "Now what?"

The Mandalorian Protector glanced about the large main room for a moment before he pointed toward a flat carrying tray. "Get that tray and toss it up in the air for me."

Chandra walked over to the pile of trash that the tray was sitting in and grabbed it quickly. As she pulled it out several small, black mites scattered across the floor in all directions. As she held the tray in one hand and away from her, Chandra asked "Now what?"

"As I said, M’lady, just toss it in the air." Jaster answered.

Chandra nodded and did as Jaster indicated. She watched the tray travel through the air for a moment before she heard the sound of blaster fire and saw Jaster’s hand, holding one of his Westar 34s, following it through the air. After a few precious moments the tray hit the ground and rolled for a moment, the blaster fire ending as it made contact with the ground. Chandra looked over at Jaster for a moment and then crossed the room to the final resting place of the tray. She picked it up and began to count the number of holes in it.

"How did.....how did you hit it so many times?" she asked, stunned that he had put twenty holes in the tray for the few moments it hung in the air.

Jaster held out his Westar34, offering it to Chandra, as he answered "Its a matter of training and a matter of weapon selection. Thankfully pistols are easy to learn to use."

Chandra took the weapon in her hand and then pointed it at a pile of trash. "Its a simple point and shot thing right?"

"Well," Jaster started, "so long as your target is immobile but firing at a moving target is a different story. A moving target requires that you give it some lead. You should be ahead of your target but only slightly, not behind or following."

"Don’t they make blaster pistols with scopes for that kinda stuff?" Chandra asked.

Jaster nodded. "They do but those are for the unskilled and clusmy. The Westar 34 is a precision crafted pistol that suffers little to no accuracy lose when fired on rapid settings. If I’m to train you like I was trained then you will only learn with the finest Mandalorian weapons as I did. Not some back water, generic weapon."

Chandra shook her head in understanding as she admired the the craftmanship that Jaster had just told her of. The silver coat of the pistols was quite different from those of the blaster pistols her father had. Those were dull and black, not very distingished at all. Jaster picked up the metal tray he had shot up and said to Chandra "Give it a try."

With that he tossed the tray up into the air and watched as Chandra fired at it. He could tell she was having a little trouble with it but she did manage to hit it twice before the tray fell to the floor again. He walked over to Chandra and stood behind her, reaching his arms up under hers.

"You’re trembling...." he said slowly. "Whats wrong?"

Chandra shook her head slowly as she answered "Nothing. I’ve....I’ve just never fired a blaster before."

"Well, you did well enough. You hit the tray twice." Jaster said in a reassuring voice.

"You hit it twenty times, though....." Chandra said softly. "I could never....."

"Very well, M’lady, then there is no point in training you." Jaster said harshly as he began to reach over her arm to take the blaster.

"No, Jaster! I want to learn!" Chandra insisted, the echo of her words lasting for several moments.

Jaster tightened his grip on the blaster pistol as he said "Then stop me from taking the blaster."

Chandra showed little hesitation as she quickly threw back her left hand, elbowing Jaster in the side. He felt very little force from the impact because most of Chandra’s strike hit against his armoured plates but it gave her the momentum she needed to flip him over her shoulder. Jaster was surprised at how quickly she seemed to be learning her lessons as he hit the floor with a dull thud. He quickly moved to stand back up but Chandra was already on top of him and she used her lleft hand to hold down his right as she placed the blaster under his helmet, against his neck.

Jaster let out a laugh as he said "Good, Chandra. You are learning but when you carry two pistols you most keep an eye on both."

Chandra felt Jaster nug the barrel of the other blaster pistol into her stomach and she sighed as she offered "So we would both be dead?"

Jaster brought his hand out from under her and sat the pistol on the ground as he answered "For a Mandalorian death in combat, death with defiance to an enemy is a honourable death."

Chandra relaxed her weight as she rested against Jaster’s armoured form. "Am I a enemy, though?"

Jaster was about to answer when a loud clapping shattered the silence, its echo carrying for some distance. Chandra quickly let Jaster up as Protector Cann stepped into the room. She looked at Chandra for a moment then turned to face Jaster. "So you are teaching the little girl how to fight?"

"I’m teaching my charge how to defend herself should I not be around or capable of doing so." Jaster answered plainly.

"She seems to be learning well though she is still making rookie mistakes." Cann added.

"She hasn’t been raised in our ways but she is picking up the skills better then some....." Jaster said, his filter still hiding any infliction of emotion.

Cann offered no response as she eyed Chandra over. Jaster watched Cann for a moment before he handed the silver coated blaster pistol he had taken from Chandra back to her. "Remember what I said and you’ll be alright."

Chandra nodded slowly as she took the pistol and placed it back in its holster.She watched Jaster start to head for the lift, followed by Protector Cann. Jaster stopped as he reached the lift. "Are you sure you’ll be alright by yourself, M’lady?"

"I’ll be fine, Protector Mereel." Chandra answered.

"Very well, M’lady," Jaster started as the lift doors slid open, "If the need should arise you can reach me and Protector Cann on my coded frequency."

Chandra again nodded as the two Mandalore disappeared behind the closing lift doors. She waited for a long moment as she listened to the lift begin to move then she started on the long process of carrying out her father’s tasks.

***Chandra made a list of orders for the maintenance and housecleaning droids to take care of. She really didn't think she could get a good idea of how to decorate these rooms without seeing it cleaned of the filth that covered this level.

She went back to the lift and was mildly surprised to see that Y24 wasn't waiting for her.

"Y24!" she called out. She listened for a reply, but none came. "Typical. When I don't want them they're everywhere, when I need them they're nowhere to be found," she said to herself. She got in the lift and punched the buttons to take her up. The doors shut but the lift didn't move.

"That's odd," she said. She tried again and then clicked on the button to speak with the maintenance servants. "This is Chandra, I'm on the first level and the lift isn't working."

"That level is off limits, M'Lady," the man replied.

"Not to me," she said. "But never the less, I need to leave. Can you do something about the lift?"

"I'll have to come down there myself," he said. "And right now I'm in the middle of a security repair. Can you…"

"Hello?" she said. "Can I what?" Chandra clicked on the com and then the shaft light went dark.

She looked up at the darkened fixture and then decided she had better find another way. She set down her data pads in the lift and planed on retrieving them later. Then she clicked on the button to open the door.

When the door opened it was nearly pitch black. Before when she was walking around in the mess she was so busy thinking about how she was going to manage to make this place livable, she hadn't really paid much attention to the noises down here. But now, faced with finding the maintenance shaft with a ladder to the upper levels, she could hear far off dripping and the clicking of the mites and other small rodents that inhabited this place.

She stepped out into the dark and the lift behind her closed. She turned quickly back to it, but then saw the light inside come on and the lift started to hum, moving up.

"No…" she moaned, slamming her hand on the door. But it was no use. She stood back and watched the door window go black again. As she was lamenting her situation, Chandra heard the sound of a 'bang' in the distance behind her. She turned around quickly, her back against the door.

Her eyes had adjusted to the dim light coming in from cracks in the walls and she could make out some light coming from rooms in the distance. They were flickering. She squinted to make it clearer, but it didn't make visual sense.

Chandra looked to the side and realized the walls around her were too dark to see if there was a door to a shaft. She would have to feel her way around.

For the next twenty minutes or so, Chandra walked along the dark walls, trying not to trip on the debris in her way as she felt for any kind of lever.

"This is getting me nowhere," she said, leaning against the wall. As she contemplated what to do next, she heard a low growl coming from a dark far off corner of the room. The flickering lights down the hall had stopped and there were no longer any clicking noises.

Her first thought was how did whatever it was get in. And her second thought was to look around for some kind of shelter. Without being able to see, she didn't think she had much of a chance. She took a careful step towards the hallway to the light. But it was met with a ferocious snarl that chilled her blood.

The weight of the blaster on her leg filled her with a bit of relief. She slowly removed the twin blasters and pointed them in the direction she heard the low rumbling voice. Taking another step towards the hall, she heard clicking and scratching of claws on the floor and the sound of snarling coming closer.

Chandra fired the weapons as many times as she could in the direction of the noise. She ran backwards towards the hall and saw the blaster fire hit something furry. The light also illuminated two rows of sharp teeth and small black eyes. As she stumbled backwards over some miscellaneous furniture in her way, she heard the creature howl and fall. But as she lay still on her back, she didn't hear the silence of death, but rather heavy breathing as if it was stunned and wounded.

So as quick as she could, Chandra got to her feet and ran down the hall towards the light. Just before she got to it she turned to look back down the hall, but only saw blackness. She went in and searched for a door control. It wasn't functioning so she pulled on it as hard as she could until she got it just about closed. As hard as she tried she couldn't seal the door less than an inch wide.

Turning she looked and saw the source of the light was the shaft of a broken lift. It was a larger lift, as is used for moving heavy equipment. She went to the edge and carefully looked down. She could see flickering dim lights and looking up she saw the same. Yet the light here on this level was still. Listening over her heavy breathing, Chandra heard more clicking and other strange sounds in the shaft.

Then the door behind her started to move. Her heart was beating fast and she aimed the pistols and fired a few times. As soon as she did, the claws that were wrapped around the door disappeared back into the hall.

"Go away!" she yelled in a shaky voice.

"Rrollla geraaandalllgla…"

Chandra swallowed at the sound of that. It was a language, which meant she wasn't just fighting a beast. The claws came back around the door and in one quick pull, the doors opened. Chandra let out a scream and fired her weapons again, but the beast had hidden itself. She looked around the room but there was no place to go except in the shaft. Her instincts told her the beast could probably climb better than she. But she couldn't imagine just waiting until it chose to jump in and attack. So she backed up towards the shaft and put one of the pistols in her holster, and fretted about having to climb AND fire on whoever it was.

She grabbed hold of a rung of the latter and began climbing as best she could. The sound of the clicking and fluttering were growing louder as she ascended, but she could still hear below her, the creature growling. She looked down the shaft and didn't see it, but she could here it's claws on the floor coming towards the shaft. She quickly climbed, looking up at the blinking lights.

The rungs of the ladder were slightly wet and sticky and when the creature below her bellowed a large howl into the shaft, the fright caused her to slip down a rung and she caught herself with her arm and held on as the sound echoed around her.

The sound of the clicking turned into screeching and there was a fluttering all around her and a whooshing of wind. Her face and body were thumped lightly as the sound passed her. She looked down and saw the creature in full light now, but only briefly as around him flew a flock of unusually small mynocks. He looked like a Wookie, but different.

"A mutant," she said in disbelief. It sent her heart pounding even more. Her father had illegally experimented with combining species, but she thought Buck had gotten him a free ride with the understanding that they had all been destroyed. It really didn't matter now and she climbed as quickly as she could to the next leve.

While the hybrid was climbing the rungs, he spent his time fighting off the frightened foul. The light below was flickering from the beating wings of the miniature mynocks but she could see the wookie hybrid waving his arms at them as he climbed. His piercing angry protests hurt her ears and she cringed and shook in fright, almost slipping again. When Chandra reached the light, she searched for the door and had to use her foot to force it open.

She jumped out into the bright light and then quickly hit the switch to close it. The doors closed and she looked for a blast door but could find none. There was only the standard security lock, which she fastened and then ran through the abandoned halls looking for cover.

Turning her head from side to side as she passed each door, Chandra caught the site of what looked like a control center, but when she entered the room realized it was more of an entertainment system. She could hear banging down the hall and quickly ran to the door and sealed it. Breathing heavily she glanced around for any kind of barricade. The only think around was a huge droid cage. She got behind it and rolled it in front of the door and locked the wheels.

"What am I going to do?" she said in a whimper. She slumped down against the cage and felt completely desperate.

"Hello…" came a proper voice out of the cage behind her. "Is somebody out there?" it asked.

At first she was startled and then she said, "Shhh! It'll hear you!"

"Thank the maker! I'm saved!" the droid said. "I've been in this contraption for sixty three months, three weeks and six days. I thought all civilization had forgotten about me."

Chandra stood and said emphatically, "Shut up stupid droid or you're going to get me killed!"

"Shutting up," the droid said.

Chandra listened carefully and didn't hear a thing. That scared her more than hearing the beast because now she didn't know where he was. She moved away from the cage slowly and searched for a working control panel. Everything looked shut down, but worse yet, it was in a language she couldn't read. She scurried up to the droid and said, "What languages do you speak?"

"I am fluent in over six million forms of communication…" the droid started.

"So you know these systems?" she said. "I need you to tell me how to turn them on. Can you do that?"

"Oh so we ARE going to be rescued!" the droid exclaimed in delight.

Chandra decided to play along and said, "Yes, if you help me we are."

"Let me out and I will connect you," he said.

"Not a chance," Chandra said. "If you were locked up there's got to be a good reason for it."

"But Miss Porter, there isn't, I swear. I was merely put in this cage for the entertainment of the guests. They do so hate droids and I was… on display, if you will," the droid said.

"What's your designation?" she said, not buying a word of it. But if the droid knew her name then it had to have been one of her fathers.

"C3P1," the droid answered, "Human cyborg relations. I'm skilled in…"

"So tell me how to start this," she interrupted as she moved around the controls. "Or you're going to be relating to Wookie mutants instead of humans."

"Oh dear," the droid said. Chandra smile a half smile and glanced up at the gold droid. "I would try the primary communication connection first. It's most likely to be connected to the other levels. Most of the other panels are local gaming ports."

"Which one?" she asked in as nice a tone as she can.

"The one that says Primary Communications," C3P1 said. Chandra pointed a pistol at the droid and it raised it's hands and said, "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!"

"I can't READ the labels!" she said.

"The… the red one," C3P1 answered.

Chandra put the pistol back in it's holster and move to the red controls. She realized quite quickly which switch turned the system on. But as soon as she hit it, she regretted it. The feedback in the room pierced her ears and she couldn't switch it off quickly enough. The sound must have startled the beast too because she heard a loud thump and crash in the next room.

Catching her breath she said, "Well now we know where it is."

"We're doomed!" C3P1 called out.

"No we're not," Chandra said. "Relax. We'll get out of this."

"To think, all those months locked in this cage hoping for a rescuer only to be met with such a quick end. The tragedy of it all…"

"Threepeone, listen to me," Chandra said. "If you keep complaining, that beast is going to hear it. Don't make me shoot you!"

Just then a loud thump came at the wall and an indentation could clearly be scene.

"Right," she said getting her pistols out.

"Miss Porter, if I may suggest. Let me out and I can reconnect the system for you. It's our only hope," the droid pleaded.

Chandra didn't have many choices and she quickly blasted off the lock on the cage and flung the door open.

"If you so much as make one false move, I'll shoot you!" she said, watching the droid carefully.

"I understand!" C3P1 said as he shuffled quickly over to the station. From what she could tell, this droid seemed to have as high a value on his life as any humanoid she ever saw. It was a bit refreshing, to say the least. And his nervousness and her need to calm him was having a cooling effect on her own emotions.

"It's working, Miss Porter," he said joyfully. "Shall I put a call through?"

Chandra nodded and backed up towards the droid. Another bang against the wall and she saw it was starting to give way. The hybrid poked a claw through the tear and tore it wider.

"This is C3P1 calling all security droids to the second level of Porter mansion. This is an emergency!"

"Who? I thought you were decommissioned!" the security droid chirped back.

"If only I had been so spared, as it is…"

Chandra cut him off and said, "Patch me through to Protector Mereel, and I mean NOW!"

"Who is this?"

"Chandra Porter!" she said irritated.

"Miss Porter? You don't have authority to make such a connection," the droid said mechanically.

"I HATE droids!" Chandra said. "They are SO dysfunctional."

"It's not polite to stereotype, Miss Porter," C3P1 commented.

She glared at the golden droid and then said in the most commanding voice she could muster, "Who gave you that order?"

"Protector Cann," the droid said.

The wookie hybrid ripped the wall apart and Chandra fired her pistols at it, hitting the wall more than the black fur at first. Then the wookie, screaming in protest backed away from the tear he had just made.

"Cann works for my father don't you think a command from me should override anything she says?" Chandra reasoned. She then fired at the hole in the wall again, just to make sure the hybrid would think twice before it tried anything.

"That does compute, but we have to take orders from Cann, who speaks for your father," the droid said.

Chandra rubbed her forehead trying to think what to do next.

"Allow me," C3P1 said. She nodded and he addressed the com. "Can you provide me with the communication frequency Protector Mereel is set on."

"Processing through to your location," the droid said.

Chandra smiles with surprise and then C3P1 turned to her and said, "You should speak quickly before the security droid realizes his error."

"Jaster!" she called out. "I need you!"

"Chandra? What is it?" he asked out in a staticy voice. "The range is strangely poor for…"

The sound of the wookie hybrid screaming drowned out the rest of his comments. The Wookie rushed in and Chandra blasted him several times, but he threw a net at her and it wrapped around the gun and he pulled her forward to the ground.

"Chandra??" Jaster's voice yelled over the com.

"Help me!" she cried as she twisted on the floor, trying to free her hands from the net.

"I'm coming," he said simply.

Chandra saw the feet of the hybrid walking slowly towards her and she flipped over, aiming the blaster through the net, but the Gold Droid suddenly fell down on top of her. It's knee in her gut hurt, but the time it took the wookie to pull the droid off of her and throw it across the room was enough for her to get loose and crawl underneath the game center. She got out the other pistol and fired at the Wookie's legs.

"Chandra," she heard Jaster's voice over the com, "Shoot for it's eyes, it's fur is just absorbing the blasts."

She saw the wookie lift its arms up and bring them down on the controls in a spray of sparks. The com connection to Jaster went dead and she whimpered as she lifted the blaster up and aimed it with a shaking hand at the Wookie's eyes. It was foaming at the mouth and about ready to pounce when she fired a steady stream at its head, hoping that at least one shot would hit the target.

As the Wookie screamed and held his face, Chandra started scooting towards the tear in the wall.

"Don't leave me here!" C3P1 called out from across the room.

"Come then!" she shouted. She stood and stepped through the tear and was amazed to see how fast that protocol droid got up and made it around the flailing beast to where she was.

She helped him through the tear, but then took off running towards the hall. He shuffled behind her and she looked down the hall and began running for where the lift should be. Behind her the droid followed and she shouted, "Hurry up!"

The wookie sounded to be coming after her now and the door flew open in the room they had been in. His face was scorched but he stood, sniffing the air and then started coming towards them.

"Miss Porter, if I may, you will be safe in there!" 3P1 said pointing to a small door. "It was protective storage compartment for my former counterpart."

Without saying a word, Chandra climbed into the narrow space and held her breath as the droid closed the door and sealed it. She heard outside the sound of the droid crying out at first and then several thuds and crashes. Then the beast began fumbling with the lock. She didn't know just how smart it was, but it seemed not able to figure out the code. Then it began using brute force, pounding on the door, and clawing at it, but thankfully to no avail.

What seemed like an hour passed, Chandra cramped in that small spot with the creature using various tools to try to smash through. She cringed at every sound, but more so because of the thoughts going through her mind. This beast was not supposed to be alive, let alone here in this place her father sent her to. And Cann had given a very strange order that had put her life in danger. She remembered how Buck had hated the idea of hybrids and it was that disagreement that had split his portion of her fathers company away from the main corporation. She closed her eyes and knew that it wasn't Buck trying to kill her. Not this time.

"Chandra!!!" a loud filtered voice called out.

"In here!" she shouted as loud as she could. But her voice even sounded muffled to her.

The beast roared and in a few successions of what sounded like explosions, he was silent. Then there was a sound at tiny compartments door and it popped open. She looked up to see the black and red Mandalore helmet of her protector and she lifted her arms to him.

"Are you hurt?" he asked as he picked her up.

She shook her head, 'no' and squeezed his neck. He held her tightly and said, "You're safe now."

"No," she said quietly looking over his shoulder at the other Mandalore approaching. "I'm not safe. This is Cann's fault."

"Nonsense," he said pulling her back from him. "She got me down here. She's beside herself with worry over you."

Chandra looked into his face shield and said, "The only reason I was able to contact you is because…"

She looked down at the gold droid lying smashed all over the floor, barely recognizable. She covered her mouth and said, "Threepione…" She looked at Jaster again and said, "He got me through directly when the security droids wouldn't…he saved my life."

"The security droids were malfunctioning," Cann said. Jaster stood and Chandra got behind him.

"No…" Chandra said quietly. "They weren't."

"I've had them reprogrammed," she said. "It won't happen again."

"You've had them reprogrammed so you can hide what you ordered them to do! Same as with 3X and with Y24!"

"Chandra," Jaster said carefully as he faced Cann. "You're making some pretty heavy accusations here. Protector Cann is a Mandalore. She wouldn't intentionally hurt you for personal reasons."

"But what if my father ordered her to?" Chandra said.

"Your own father?" Cann said. "What makes you think that? Your daddy loves you, don't you know."

"That mutant is one of his experiments," Chandra said pointing to the dead Wookie. "Buck told me about cross breeding intelligent species with creatures for assassination purposes. It wouldn't just be down here waiting… it was released on me."

"Chandra," Jaster said calmly. "You've had an awful scare. Why don't you let me do some investigating before you draw conclusions."

"You don't believe me because I'm not Mandalore," she said sadly. She looked at Cann's mask and said, "You might as well just kill me now and be done with it. Jaster won't do anything, not if my father ordered you to do it."

"You're bolder and smarter than I remember, Chandra," Cann said as she raised her weapon. "It's a pity you grew up too late to learn enough to keep you alive."

"Wait a minute," Jaster said, tucking Chandra behind his armored body. "What's going on Cann?"

Cann held her gun out and said, "I can't tell you how impressed I am that you foiled me so completely. You're better than your grandfather that's for sure. I hope that will be condolence enough that you were just a figure head in this scheme." She motioned with the blaster and said, "Now stand aside and let me do my job. You're relieved of your duties of protection."

"This is outrageous!" Jaster said, "Put down your weapon! You will not draw on another Protector."

"No," she said lowering it. "I won't. But I will kill Chandra, first chance I get. And her father will relieve you of your duties as soon as he realizes she's figured this out. She never could make it easy for us. An accident would have been so much cleaner for the media attention." She lifted up the weapon again and said, "Don't make it worse on your reputation by standing in my way. Let me do away with the threat to my client and save yourself the dishonor of getting personally involved. He's not going to pay you to foil me intentionally."

"There is more to my job than being paid," he said. "Protectors are to be known for their sense of justice and ethics. What you are doing here, Cann, is just wrong. Can't you see that?"

"I see what I'm paid to see. Had you been in my place, you'd be doing the same," she said.

"No, I wouldn't," Jaster said taking out a weapon. "Now back away and let us pass."

"Or what? You'll shoot me?" Cann asked with a laugh. "Shoot your employers personal protector as she's carrying out her duties. You don't have it in you. And besides where will you go where I won't find you? As soon as you go you're on your own. No more credits to pay your salary or for your supplies. You'll have to clothe and feed it too. Can you afford her taste? How long do you want to live like that?"

"Back away, Cann," Jaster said. He had one arm behind his back, holding on to Chandra as they slowly passed Cann towards the end of the hall where a lift sat waiting.

"I'll let you go," Cann said. "Don't worry. I wouldn't fire on you. But don't let her out of your sight because as soon as you do… she's mine."

Jaster pushed Chandra into the lift and entered with her. He punched in the code for the higher levels and the lift took them up.

"What are we going to do?" she asked.

"Johsy, I need a ride. We're on our way," he said. Then he paused and then cursed in Mandalore. "He's just been let go. She's a step ahead of me already."

"We can take a public transport," Chandra said.

"Too dangerous. I'm going to have to take something," he said. "I'd rather not, but we don't have any other options.

They reached the top level and there were security droids there waiting for them. Keeping her behind him, Jaster made his way through, firing on a few that raised weapons. "Stand down or you'll all be losing appendages," he said. The droids must have known better than to pointlessly fire on a Mandalore.

After a few minutes of searching for something he could take while waving his weapon at whatever came close, a craft landed and Buck's Protector jumped out. "Get in!" he yelled.

"Can you ensure our safety?" Jaster asked his fellow protector.

The Protector nodded. Reluctantly Jaster nodded to Chandra and they entered.

Once inside Chandra saw Buck and asked, "How did you know?"

"You're mother called me. She said your father plans on selling this place and there would be no need for you to redecorate it first. As soon as we figured it out, I knew you were being set up." He turned to Jaster and said, "I'll take you to a safe place, but I can't keep you there."

Jaster nodded and then put his hand on Chandra's shoulder and pulled her to him, wrapping his arm around her front. "Excuse me if I'm a little suspicious," he said. "But as soon as we're away from this place, I'm taking her elsewhere."

"I understand," Buck said. "And I agree. But you should know, my intention was only ever to marry her, not kill her. Though, I'm afraid marriage is out of the question now. It would no longer be convenient."

Chandra frowned and put her hand on Jaster's arm. "So you don't love me then?"

"If I was really in love with you, Chandra," Buck said. "I doubt I would have trouble winning you. But you could tell it wasn't real. You always knew." He looked at Jaster and said, "Where are you going to take her?"

"I don't know yet, and if I did, I doubt I'd be spreading it around," he said.

Buck sighed and snapped his fingers. A droid handed him a datapad and he tapped something into it and then looked up at Jaster and said, "I assume your account is under the name of Jaster Mereel?"

Jaster nodded and said, "Yes, my standard account."

"I will transfer 100,000 credits to you. Will that be enough to get you off the planet to a safe place?" he asked.

"I don't need your charity," Jaster said. "I have my own resources."

"This isn't charity to YOU," Buck said, "It's for Chandra." He looked at Chandra and said, "I may never see you again, I know that doesn't mean much to you, but I have grown fond of you. Take care of yourself and do as this man says. I trust him."

Chandra nodded and said, "What's going to happen to you when my father finds out?"

"Don't concern yourself with me," he said looking at the pad and tapping on it. Then with a smirk he said, "My father can beat up your father."

Chandra smile and held on tighter to Jasters arm. She really was afraid of her father, now more than ever. *******

Jaster frowned as he examined the place that Buck had taken them to. It was probably safe for the moment, just as the boy had said, but it was in an isolated area near the beginnings of the lower levels. If Cann tracked them down to this location it would be easy for her to cut off any escape they may try. He couldn’t believe she would disregard their code for the sake of credits and employment. Jaster shook his helmeted head slightly as he moved through the small rooms of the safe house, checking them for anything unusual. He had to keep his mind off of Cann’s betrayal, he still had his duties.....his responsibilities.

"Jaster?" Chandra called.

"M’lady?" Jaster answered in a filtered tone, moving back toward the main hall.

"Are we going to be staying here long?" Chandra asked once Jaster came back to her in the main hall.

"Not long at all, M’lady. I was just looking for a comm. station to place a call for transportation." the Mandalorian Protector answered.

"Where are we going to go, Jaster?" Chandra asked, concern in her voice.

Jaster started down the hallway again as he answered "A place near the starport. It will make it easier for us to leave the planet when we have to."

"When we have to?" Chandra started as she followed behind him.

"When we have to." Jaster repeated as he turned around a corner and found the comm. station he had been looking for.

Chandra stopped as she rounded the corner. "I think my mom's life is in danger, can we bring her with us?"

Jaster glanced back toward her for a moment, pausing from typing in the comm. signal he wanted to contact, "Do you think she could be trusted, Chandra? Your father feeds her spice, which she is addicted to, when he wants her to be compliant. Do you think it would be long before she needed a fix and turned on you too? She may be in danger, but she's too big of a risk."

Chandra nodded and said, "I understand… you're right. She's only ever taken my side when she had nothing to lose."

Jaster could see the hurt in her eyes, but he turned back to the comm and continued to enter the code sequence to complete the call. He waited for a moment as the computer console flashed the connecting words across its screen and then a moment later the image of Johsy appeared on the screen. Chandra’s former driver looked surprised to see Jaster as he said "Jaster! What are you calling me for?!"

"I need your help, Johsy." Jaster stated plainly.

"Funny," the driver started, "Considering I was told it was you who asked for my dismissal."

Jaster shook his helmeted head. "No, it was Cann. It was Cann all along. She and Jag Porter are trying to kill Chandra."

"I never trusted Cann, not after what she did in response to Chandra jumping from that window. I can’t believe Mr. Porter would want his own daughter dead but......"

"Will you come pick us up?" Jaster pressed.

"Whats your coordinates, Jaster?" Johsy asked.

The Journeyman Protector keyed in a few buttons and then asked "How soon can we expect you?"

There was a moments pause before Johsy answered "I can be there in ten."

"Thank you, Johsy," Jaster started then added, "Come armed. I’m not entirely sure I trust Mr. Geller either."

"Understood." Johsy replied before he shut off the comm.

Jaster turned back to Chandra. "We’ll have to pick some traveling clothes up for you, M’lady."

"We're leaving the planet, aren't we," Chandra said discouraged.

"I don’t think you’ll be safe while you’re on Coruscant, M’lady." Jaster answered, trying to sound as understanding as he could through filter.

"Where will we go?" Chandra asked quietly.

"I’m not sure yet. Maybe Hutt space or maybe back to Concord Dawn."

Chandra took a step closer towards Jaster as she offered "What about the Jedi? Maybe we should go to them. They wouldn't stand for this kind of assassination attempt!"

Jaster shook his head. "I don’t trust the Jedi, M’lady, and I doubt they would be of much help anyway."

"But I do," Chandra replied.

Jaster looked at her and could see she was really scared. In no way did he want to turn her over to the government; Jag had too many connections. But she was a grown woman and this had to be her decision.

"Let me ask you this," he said, knowing this was going to be a defining moment as to how this situation was going to go. "Who do you trust more? The Jedi or me?"

Chandra's forehead creased as she studied his visor and then she said quietly, "I trust you, Jaster."

"Then please, Chandra, don't question my judgement," he said. "The Jedi Master you know may seem to mean well. But he is entangled in a council that sees only their order as protectors of justice. They have no room for the likes of me and would separate us. Do you want that?"

She shook her head and Jaster moved towards her and placed a gloved hand on her shoulder as he started to lead her back towards the main hall and the greeting room. He felt the urge to say something of comfort to her so he offered "Once we have resolved this situation with Protector Cann, then we will come back so you can see your mother and I can take your father in for conspiracy to commit murder."

Chandra nodded as they entered the room. He looked around and saw it was clear and then relaxed slightly as he paced waiting to be told their ride was there. Chandra took a seat and said, "It must be difficult for you to be faced with a protector who cares nothing for justice… since you hold it so dear. It is no surprise to me that my father is behind this… no more so than Logan was hiding so much." He stopped and looked at her. She tilted her head and asked. "But Cann is a Journeyman Protector… things are different with you aren't they?"

Jaster felt the frustration building in him and he started to pace again. He spoke in basic but chose Mandalore words to emphasis his meaning. "She is spitting on her oaths of justice and honor before all else for simple credits. It makes no sense," he said. He turned towards her soft eyes and said, "Our oaths are what makes us Mandalorian. To break them is unnatural. No amount of credits would be worth it. Only those who had followed the path of justice and honor would be welcomed by Mandalore in the next life."

She stood and approached him slowly, reaching out her hand to his arm. "I'm so sorry… I know you wanted to believe in her. I know what it's like to think you share something with someone and to find out they do not value the things that you do." Suddenly she looked more mature than she had ever before when he looked at her.

The Journeyman Protector blinked his eyes for a moment, realizing his values of justice and honor were just as important to him as hers of charity and generosity were to her. "Thank you, M'lady. But I should not burden you with my… personal matters."

Chandra smiled sweetly at him and said, "It is no burden to hear you speak Mandalore. And I understood too." She said the words in his tongue, " Justice and honor… they sound as beautiful as what they mean."

He returned her smile under his helmet and patted her hand on his shoulder before he removed it.

"Johsy said he wouldn’t be here for ten minutes," Jaster said as he started towards the door. "I think we've waited long enough, M'lady."

"Understood, Protector mine," Chandra answered softly, following him to the lift.

He pushed the code and the lift doors chimed as they slid open. Jaster stepped into the lift followed by his charge and as the lift doors slowly began to close he reached out and pressed the key for the roof landing pad. The Elevator started to move with a slow jolt and it was the first time Jaster had felt his stomach upset with the jolt. Maybe it had always been that way and he never paid it any attention or may be this was something new, something developing because of his sudden doubts.

"I thought Cann said they let Johsy go?" Chandra asked.

Without turning his helmeted head to face her Jaster answered "They told him that I requested he be dismissed from his station of all things. Thankfully he cares about your well being more then he does money or believing your father and Cann’s lies."

"He cares about me? That's hard to believe. He's always been so distant," she said. Then with a soft smile she added, "Not like you."

"I care about justice, honor, and doing what is right. Letting Cann kill you because your father paid her to do so isn’t right nor is it legal." Jaster answered through filtered voice.

"I see," Chandra replied with a smirk.

He had to admit that he liked the way her mouth turned to the side when she did that. But he put the thought of caring about her out of his mind. It was his duty to care for her life. But that's as far as it could go.

The lift chimed again as it came to a stop on the roof and its doors slowly slide open. Jaster felt his stomach catch back up with him as he motioned for Chandra to stay close to and behind him. The Mandalorian Protector scanned the surrounding buildings and skyline for anything out of the ordinary. When he could find nothing he started to move slowly towards the waiting transport, Johsy standing outside of it with a blaster pistol strapped to his hip. Chandra followed behind Jaster slowly, still wearing the holsters and Jaster’s Westar 34s.

"Protector Mereel," Johsy started. "I’m glad to see that you have kept Chandra alive so long."

Jaster nodded as he opened the door and let Chandra into the transport first. Johsy watched her climb in for a moment before he continued "I had always suspected that something wasn’t quite right about Cann and, well, after Mr. Porter and Mrs. Porter started living in different houses, on different sides of the planet....."

"Were they very close once?" Jaster asked, a bit surprised by it given what he had seen and how the two acted toward one another.

"Before Chandra was born and before Mrs. Porter started using." Johsy answered.

"I see." Jaster answered as he stepped into the transport and started to close the door. "You know where to take us."

"Of course." Johsy answered, moving toward the cockpit of the transport.

Jaster watched him through the blaster proof Plexiglas that separated the driver from his passengers before he turned to Chandra. She was staring out the window, nervously clutching her hands together. He looked her over for a moment before he placed a gloved hand on her shoulder.

"Don’t worry, M’lady, you’re safe as long as I have any say in it," he offered.

Chandra nodded with a small smile but didn’t answer as the transport began to pull away from the place where Buck had left them. She looked out the window again, down towards all of the smaller buildings and those becoming smaller as Johsy pulled away and joined the mainstream of traffic.

"Are you alright, M’lady?" Jaster pressed.

"Hmmm." Chandra started. "I was just thinking....."

"Of?"

"Suddenly interested, Jaster?" Chandra answered.

"Maybe." Jaster answered plainly.

"I was thinking," Chandra started, "Of Cann… and what she's done to you. I hope you haven't lost faith in your convictions."

Jaster turned more to face Chandra, as he answered, "No. Of course not, it's Cann who has lost faith in hers. She's traded them for credits… there's nothing more disgraceful."

"But, Jaster, please don't mind me saying this… but don't you work for the credit too? All Protectors, outside of Concord Dawn controlled space, work for credits in the service of others." Chandra said.

"Yes," Jaster replied with a shake of his head, "but we have never done so simply for pay. We have always worked for those who served justice, or the government. We have never compromised our beliefs and our laws for such."

"If there are more Mandalore who behave as Cann does," Chandra said softly, "things can change."

"No, not this." Jaster answered, his filter hiding his emotion. He hoped he was clear how serious he was about the Mandalorian belief in justice and a greater good. But as he looked at her through his visor, he could see she looked more sad for him then convinced. It didn't matter what she believed anyway, he reasoned. He was grateful she changed the subject.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Johsy is taking us to a lower level apartment he and I had scouted out one day. Its close to the starport so we can make a quick exit after I place a few calls." Jaster answered. He turned back to face the front as he explained, "I’m going to arrange for us to get a private transport to Concord Dawn. And for you to stay with my grandfather while I speak with my father and the rest of the Judges about Cann and how I should proceed."

"Judges? You mean the ruling council of Mandalores?" Chandra asked.

"Yes. Sorry for the confusion." Jaster answered simply.

"Jaster, I’ve reached the apartment. The landing pad looks clear but I’m going to make a pass just to make sure." Johsy voice came over the static filled intercom.

Jaster nodded in agreement and looked out his passenger window as Johsy started the pass. With his helmet systems he could detect some things that would not be noticeable to the human eye. Johsy made two passes of the roof before both he and Jaster were convinced that it was safe to make a landing.

************

Jaster walked quickly down the corridor toward the terminal at the other end. He had ordered Chandra to stay in the transport with Johsy. He would only be a moment placing his calls and there was no reason to risk her follow after him. To an extent he trusted Johsy to watch after her but should he be wrong about the human’s loyalties too he had taken the precaution of planting a tracer on Chandra and she was still armed with his Westars. He reached the terminal and quickly keyed in the proper codes to contact his grandfather and waited while the terminal connected.

"Jaster!" Ban called out as his image appeared on the screen.

"Grand Father, I have a favor to ask of you. It is very important to my duties." Jaster stated.

Ban Mereel nodded slowly. "What is it, Jaster?"

"I need to return to Concord Dawn with Chandra. It has come to light that all of the previous investigative evidence I had found and reported was planted to point away from the true assassins: Protector Cann and Jag Porter." Jaster explained.

"I had always suspected her father of something but I find it difficult to believe that a Mandalorian would be so corruptible. Of course, I will help you in anyway I can, Jaster." Ban answered, not too surprised at all.

Jaster shook his helmeted head. "I need you to watch after Chandra while I go before my father and the rest of the Judges to present my case. I will need their permission before I can bring Cann in or enforce our laws against her."

Ban’s face suddenly grew sadder as he said, "You haven’t heard yet?"

"Heard what?" Jaster asked.

"Your father was killed while he was observing a combat zone on the western rim. It was supposedly pacified by Vizsla and his troops." Ban said, trying to hide his anger for Vizsla and his sloppy work.

Jaster took a step back from the terminal and offered no response. He had never, in his entire life, considered that his father could be killed. He was the best Journeyman Protector to ever come from Concord Dawn, often compared to Mandalore himself. Jaster reached a gloved hand out toward a nearby wall as he felt things begin to spin and a knot form in his stomach. Vizsla had always challenged his father on the position of the Mandalorians and what their duties to the galaxy where. Had his father been killed by Vizsla?

"Jaster, are you alright?" Ban called out to the boy.

Jaster looked back towards the screen, to his grand father, as he answered quietly, "I still need to get Chandra off this planet.......she’s not safe here."

"I’ll arrange for a private transport. Once you come home we can sort this out and you can......." Ban started.

"I’ll kill him!" Jaster interrupted. "He killed my father and I’ll kill him!"

"Jaster, listen to me! You still have a duty to protect Chandra. Until she is safe your duties are to her. Do you understand?" Ban retorted.

The Journeyman Protector nodded slowly as he offered, "I’ll contact you again once we reach the starport for transport id."

"Be safe, grandson." Ban said as he shut off his comm. screen.

Jaster glared at the deactivated terminal for a moment before he reached out for it and with a growl of anger pulled it from the wall, tossing it down the hallway. The terminal sparked as he ripped it from the wall and then gave in with dents and bangs as it hit against a sidewall then skidded down the hallway. He couldn’t believe Vizsla would break the codes and kill a fellow protector. It was the only thing that made sense. His father would never be so careless as to be taken by some backwater rebel. It had to be Vizsla.....

It had to be......

Jaster tried to calm himself as he moved back toward the lift. He still had his duties to Chandra even if it seemed his world was falling apart around him.

************

"Are you sure this is the right ship, Jaster?" Johsy asked. He looked across the hanger at the beat-up tramp freighter that matched the id numbers Ban had given Jaster when they made second contact.

"According to what Grandfather told me this is it. I suppose one cannot always hope to travel in the lap of luxury." Jaster answered as he glanced over toward Chandra, expecting a remark from her as well.

Chandra nodded in agreement and then waited for Jaster to begin to lead her towards the vessel’s boarding ramp. Jaster glanced around making sure he had locked everyone in the boarding area as viable targets and then started to lead Chandra towards the ship. Johsy followed behind them, keeping a watchful eye out for anything out of the ordinary, anything that Jaster might miss. As they reached the boarding ramp a blaster shot shattered the background noise of the star port with a deafening boom. Jaster turned on his heel quickly just as the armored form of Protector Cann struck Johsy from behind. He didn’t even have time to scream as he grabbed his throat and fell to the ground, moments later dead.

The renegade Protector took a few steps towards Chandra and Jaster as she growled "You are officially relieved of your duties to protect that child. I have the paperwork with your dismissal. You can walk away without losing any honor."

"Why doesn't he just disown me? We're leaving, there's not need to do this now," Chandra pled as she hid herself behind his armored form.

"I finish my jobs," Cann said, "What more reason do I need? Now MOVE Mereel."

"I will not stand by while you murder her. To protect her ONLY for credits is dishonorable," he said.

"Let me do my job, Jaster, don’t be stupid like your father was," Cann said.

"My.....father......" Jaster started.

"In case you haven't realized it yet, things are changing in our society. Vizsla and many like him want to continue where Mandalore left off." Cann added as she steadied her blaster rifle and began walking slowly towards them.

"To conquer?" Jaster asked.

"If we want a galaxy of law and order it most be enforced. We can not hide on Concord Dawn and wait for the next lawless Jedi raid to wipe us all out. Certainly you see that, Jaster?"

Jaster shook his helmeted head as he replied, "This.....this is what makes the Jedi see us as lawless barbarians! What you are doing now!"

"Stand aside, Jaster, and I will see to it that Vizsla gives you a position of honor in our new order." Cann ordered as she stopped ten feet away from her fellow Protector.

The Journeyman Protector hesitated for a moment before he raised his right weapons gauntlet. Cann saw his movements easily, he did little to hide it, and she fired on his armored form as he shot a burst of rolling flame toward her. Jaster stumbled backwards as her shots slammed against his body armor and he caught sight of her diving away from the flames.

"Get to cover!" Jaster shouted to Chandra. He watched through his peripheral vision as she ran up the boarding ramp of the ship.

"Stupid choice, Jaster. Why side with those who support a corrupt senate and the Jedi order?!" Cann called out as she quickly sprung to her feet and fired off several shots toward him.

Jaster threw himself aside as one of the shots struck against his right shoulder bell. He reached out and fired his tow line toward Cann, snapping his wrist back, and wrapping it around her leg. "How did you know where to find us, Cann?"

"It was easy enough for my clan to monitor your grand father’s transmissions." Cann answered with a laugh as she activated her jump pack and began to lift off into the air.

Jaster grunted as the slack in his towline tightened and pulled his arm in the direction of Cann. He tried to maintain his weight and control as he began to slide across the hanger and then up into the air. Jaster fought the pain running through his arm as he swung his free arm around, holding his rifle, and took a shot at Cann’s pack.

The bolt of green energy soared far right and missed.

He took a second shot and more through luck then skill, he managed to hit her back with the shot. The jump pack glowed green for a moment as it began to fade in color and then completely vanish, dust being caught up in the winds. Cann offered no scream as her body fell to the deck of the hanger with a thud. She lie still for a moment as Jaster cut his towline and stood. He started to walk over toward the rogue Journeyman Protector when she rolled over onto her back and opened fire on him with her weapons gauntlets. The number of shots caught Jaster off guard, slamming into his armored frame and his less protective jump suit. He could feel the pain racing through his body and the heat from his armor as it absorbed the shots that hit it.

He raised his long rifle and as he pulled back on the trigger to fire several of Cann’s shots slammed into the barrel of the weapon and caused it to explode in a shower of shrapnel and smoke. Jaster cursed as he tossed the weapon aside and pulled his left weapons gauntlet up, returning fire on Cann with little aim or effort. He heard Cann cry out and then her incoming shots stopped.

Every part of Jaster wanted to fall to the deck in a heap, the pain surging through his body almost unbearable but he had to make sure Cann was no longer a threat to Chandra. He walked slowly over to her keeping his weapons gauntlets trained on her as he did so. When he came to her he saw that one of his shots had hit her tinted face lense and shattered it. He stood over her body for a moment before he kneel and reached behind her head to disengage her helmet lock. He took her helmet off and tossed it aside as Cann suddenly reached her right hand out.

"Jaster......." She said in a whisper.

Jaster took her hand in his left as he leaned close to her and whispered "Protector Cann, I, Protector Mereel, find you in violation of the prime codes of our order. You have forsaken your honor and your oath of justice for a vague belief in taking the galaxy over, perhaps worse. You sold your services for the credit with no regard to justice and duty. Do you understand the charges I bring against you?"

Cann shook her head slowly as she whispered "Yes....."

"Protector Cann, I find you guilty of betraying the Mandalore Order, the Journeyman Protectors, and your oath. The crimes call for your death...." Jaster stated plainly.

"You first, Mereel!" Cann growled as she thrust her left weapons gauntlet towards Jaster’s lower abdomen, her climbing blades digging deeply under his armor plate, cutting into his jump suit then his flesh.

Jaster winced for a moment before he said in a forced voice "It is with regret that I’m forced to take the life of another Protector."

He then deployed his climbing blades from his right gauntlet and thrust them into Cann’s exposed neck. He threw all of his weight against his right arm as he felt his blades cut through her flesh and heard her begin to gag on blood then nothing but silence. When the press of the blades being buried in his stomach stopped Jaster relaxed his own pressure and body weight, pulling Cann’s climbing blades from under his armor. His glove was covered with blood......

His.......

Hers.......

And finally he felt too weak to resist the pain, the encroaching darkness. As he lost consciousness he thought he heard Chandra scream but he couldn’t be sure.

***Chandra watched from the transport as Jaster and Cann exchanged words on the platform ground. Then she saw Cann strike Jaster in what looked like his stomach. At first he didn't seem to respond and Chandra was relieved that maybe it wasn't a bad blow. But after she cringed when he slit Cann's throat Chandra saw blood pouring out of his side when the female protectors arm dropped to the ground.

Unable to control her horror, Chandra called out and ran up to the two Mandalore. She turned Jaster over and let out another cry as she saw the damage done to his side.

Grabbing hold of Cann's arm she pulled her away from Jaster with a furious grunt. Her head gruesomely almost came loose and Chandra looked away quickly. Although she was more disgusted with Cann herself than the condition of her corpse.

A crowd was beginning to form around them now and the media droids began to loom closer. She didn't know how long she would have before the authorities would show up, but she didn't have time to wait for a medic team and she couldn't leave Jaster by himself anyway.

"Isn't anyone going to help me?" she cried looking around. The faces were more of fascination than concern; more interest than compassion and more apathy than humanity.

She reached behind the helmet and pressed the release, taking it off.

"Jaster," she whispered close to his face. But he was unresponsive.

Realizing his blood was still pouring out thickly, and nobody was going to help, Chandra frantically ripped both pant legs off of her jumpsuit. The crowd gasped in amusement and wonder at what she would do. Taking the ends she tied them together. Then she quickly removed his gauntlets and vest and set them on the far side of him next to his helmet. As tight as she could she wrapped the long strips of material around his chest to hopefully slow the bleeding.

Just as she was finishing, the crowd began to separate and she looked up to see two Jedi humans coming towards her. Neither looked at her in the face but rather they studied Johsy and the two Journeymen lying in blood.

"What has happened here?" the younger one asked more rhetorically than anything.

The older answered as he gestured with his hands, "Isn't it obvious, my Padawan?" the older answered as he gestured to Cann and then to Jaster. "The dispute among these warriors has traveled as far as Coruscant. This is not our business. We will let them be."

"NO!" Chandra cried as she stood. "This is my Protector." She pointed to Jaster. Then she pointed to Cann without turning towards her and said, "She was an assassin and he was hurt protecting me."

The older Jedi looked interested. "A Mandalore Warrior Assassin? Unheard of."

"Please," she begged, "Save my protectors life. I know you can help him."

The Padawan Jedi knelt down beside him and Chandra focused her attention on him.

"Is it serious?" she asked.

He didn't answer, but the Jedi Master spoke with a touch of annoyance. "Qui-Gon, we have no obligation to help these Journeymen. They do not wish it. I assure you."

Chandra watched as the Jedi Apprentice ignored his master and reached out to touch Jaster.

"We help dozens of people a day, Master Dooku. What is one more?" he asked. "Perhaps we were meant to help him."

Still looking at Jaster, the Jedi called Qui-gon said, "I have stopped the bleeding, but he will need time to rest and heal. He has lost a lot of blood already."

"Come, Qui-gon," The Master said. "You have done enough."

"Thank you," Chandra called out as they left. But neither turned to acknowledge.

The help from the Jedi was bittersweet. Jaster would not die her and now, but he would need to be moved to a safer place if he was to survive. Suddenly she remembered the transport and turned to see the call sign for boarding passengers. If she could find a way to get Jaster on board they could still leave this place before her father found out about Cann. Though from the busy media camera's she was almost sure he'd have another thug here any minute.

When she turned around she saw a young Klatoonian reaching for Jasters helmet.

As fast as she could Chandra grabbed for the one of the Westar's on her thigh holster and shouted, "Don't do it!"

The kid ignored her and picked it up. Hesitating slightly, for not wanting to shoot a child, Chandra decided to fire at the ground. Doing so was enough to scare the kid and he dropped the Mandalore helmet and it clanked on the deck as the kid ran away.

Chandra waved the pistol around and said to the crowd, "If anyone else tries anything I won't be so generous."

The people backed away slowly and Chandra kept her eye on a few humans who looked the most desperate.

"You!" she said, pointing the gun at them and then lowering it as they raised their hands. "I will pay you each a hundred credits if you help me move my friend and all our belongings on to that transport before it leaves."

It took them only a few split seconds before they exchanged glances and were at her side. She gave them instructions and sent one to the transport to retrieve an anti-grav lift. They were usually used for luggage, but she hoped they would make an exception under the circumstances.

Laying down her garment bag on the lift first, she and the boys carefully placed Jaster on top of it and moved towards the transport. Once there she searched for the transportation notes and said to the cashier, "Can you cash me credits in exchange for this ticket?"

"I don't have that much here," the cashier said, looking her and her companions over. "How many are coming with you? You only have 3 tickets here."

"These boys are only assisting me. It's only my fallen protector and my self traveling today," she said, "Can you give me 300 credits and put the rest on our account?"

"If you have your account number," the cashier said.

"Oh," she said, looking at Jaster. He wasn't near waking up and she had no idea what his numbers were. She turned and said, "Can you give me 300 credits and use the rest plus our tickets to upgrade to a private room?"

The cashier sighed and looked at the flashing boarding sign and the growing line behind Chandra. "Yes, I'll do it. But you're lucky I have room."

Chandra took the credits and then looked at the amazed boys and said, "I am giving you this for your service. And now I have a favor to ask." The boys looked skeptical, but she still asked them, "The human male lying dead over there. He was a good man and a dear friend to me. Will you protect his body until the authorities come?"

They looked at each other and then shrugged. "Thank you," she said handing them their credits.

But then all three of them ran off in different directions, none near Johsy. Her heart sank, but she didn't have time do anything different and whispered, "I'm sorry Johsy." She pushed Jaster into the transport, thankful to be leaving, but fearful of what lie ahead.

************ The transport had made one stop at Corellia and thankfully Jaster had woken up long enough to be amazed he was alive and coherent enough to give her his account code. Once she had gotten them another even smaller private room on a ship headed for Concord Dawn, Jaster seemed to be getting a little strength back. There was barely room in the small cabin for the one bed and a chair. But it had a sink and a place to store their things as well as a cooler for food.

Chandra sat in the chair right next to Jasters bed, working on her Mandalore skills.

A short while after he woke he turned to her and said, "You did well, Chandra. I owe you my life, again."

She smiled slightly and looked down at him. "Not if you're really keeping score," she said. "I still owe you two more saves. But then you're on your own."

He laughed lightly and then groaned, holding his side. "What are you reading so intently?"

She glanced back at him and said in Mandalore, "I'm learning your tongue and your ways, Protector Mine."

He flashed a grin at her and answered in Mandalore, "Your …… our language than ….speak basic …..lives."

She couldn't make it out, and shook her head slightly at him.

In basic he translated, "I said, your accent is much more flattering to our language than those who speak basic all their lives."

She blushed slightly and turned away embarrassed by his compliment.

"You're happy to be going home, aren't you?" she asked.

"Speak in Mandalore," he said. She blinked up at him and shook her head. "Yes!" he insisted. "It's good for you to practice. I will speak slowly so you will understand me."

"I don't know," she said self-consciously in Mandalore. Then she saw the look in his eyes and she couldn't resist. She cleared her voice and said, "You're going home and you're happy?"

"Yes," he said. "It's been a while since I've seen my…" Then his face seemed to cloud over and he stared at the ceiling of their small cabin.

"What…" she started in basic but then switched to Mandalore, "What is wrong?"

"We'll be attending my fathers funeral when we arrive," he said quickly.

"I'm sorry," she said in Mandalore. She looked for the words on her datapad and then said, "I grieve with you." She did some more searching and put the words together in a few sentences and said, "Your family is so much more to you than mine has been to me. Though I have in a way lost mine, I truly am full of more sorrow for your loss."

The language seemed to be clicking with her better the more she spoke, but some sounds still felt awkward. She looked up at him and he turned to her, the pain clear in his eyes. He reached out and took the datapad from her, setting it on the tray she had set up on his bed.

"Enough study," he said softly in Mandalore. He closed his eyes and again she could see the pain on his face. She wanted to ask how his father had died, but she knew he couldn't bear to speak of it.

So instead she put her hand on his arm and said in basic, "I will go and bring back some breakfast for tomorrow so we will have it when we awake."

Without opening his eyes he nodded. Then, just before she left he turned his head towards her, his eyes opening again. "Chandra," he said.

"Yes, Jaster?"

"Be safe," he said simply in Mandalore.

She gave him a crooked smile and said, "Don't worry, I'll not abandon you. Not when you still need me so much."

He didn't smile or nod or say a word. It made her wonder if she should have said it. She glanced down and then back at him and he just watched her as she closed the door to their cabin. As though she was protecting him, she locked the door behind her and moved swiftly to the cafeteria.

***************

When they arrived on Concord Dawn, Ban was there to greet them. He was wearing a rather worn pair of heavy pants and a lightweight, but rugged shirt. It was strange to see him out of his armor. He nodded with a small smile to Chandra but instead of moving to take her place and help Jaster, he picked up their luggage and led them to his transport. Jaster had insisted he walk and though he leaned from time to time on Chandra for support, he did manage to get himself to his grandfather's transport.

"You look horrible, boy," Ban said, throwing their things in the back of his ship. "I hope who ever did it looks worse."

Bann looked at Chandra and gave her a wink. She gave him a sad smile and looked down, making sure Jaster got into his seat all right. He didn't respond to his grandfather's comment but merely nodded to her that he was situated fine in the back. Chandra took a seat in the front.

"You're mother came home from assignment for the funeral," Ban said as he started the engine.

"Of course," Jaster said.

"And has invited Jessica to dinner," he added.

Chandra turned to look at Jaster and he quickly looked away from her towards Ban and said, "I have grave news to deliver to the family."

"Something you can't share with Jesse?" Ban asked surprised.

"As a member of the council it is probable she is already aware," he said, staring forward.

"I see," Ban said.

Chandra turned back around and looked at the passing buildings. It was odd to see in person something she had seen so many times in holobooks. There were very few buildings that were more than two stories high. She had visited Alderaan and Corellia enough to be used to seeing the ground. But never so much sky with so few buildings to block the view.

They rounded the corner and up ahead in what looked to be the center of town was the biggest and most elaborate of any building she had seen. It was simple in design as the others, but it was engraved with Mandalore words of "Justice, Truth, Honor, Courage, Strength" each with ancient looking weapons punctuating them in design. In the center above the main door was the imprint of a skull of some sort. Around it there were the Mandalore words, "All who pass through these doors are judged by Mandalore."

"What building is that?" Chandra asked.

"It is our Courthouse," Ban answered in basic, glancing at her as they passed by it and drove around the large architectural island.

"I think we should speak in Mandalore," Jaster said in Mandalore. Chandra turned around slightly and smirked at him.

Ban looked at Chandra and asked in Mandalore, "Have you started practicing again?"

She nodded, too self-conscious to answer.

As Ban and Jaster spoke of the funeral arrangements, Chandra could catch only bits and pieces. But she was only half focusing on it. Her mind was on how the evening would go. She was dreading meeting this Jessica anyway. But now knowing that Jasters mother would invite her over, she just ached over it.

**************

When they arrived, Chandra got out of the small transport quickly and moved to help Jaster. She could see in his eyes that he didn't want her help. Backing away she painfully watched as he stepped out, holding his side. She picked up a few bags and followed Ban and Jaster into the house.

It struck her that though both of the Protectors had walked a few steps behind her wherever they went on Coruscant, here on their planet it seemed so natural for her to walk behind them. The house was a two-story, light gray stone and cedar building. It had a large porch with a few benches on it and the large main door was size and a half that of a man.

Without knocking or unlocking the door, Jaster simply turned the large knocker and allowed himself in.

There were no droids to greet them and the light inside the house was dim.

But a sound came from the back room and Jaster started walking down the hall towards it. His hand pressing his side as he went.

"You'll be staying upstairs," Ban said in Basic. The did not following Jaster. Chandra looked after him and Ban said, "They need privacy."

"I understand," she said in Mandalore.

Ban smiled and led the way upstairs. From then on he spoke to her in Mandalore, explaining to her what to expect and how she would probably do best to not say much.

"Will I embarrass you?" she asked.

"No," he said. "But you may not understand and if you ask too many questions suspicions will arise. You are not a threat and I do not desire you to be perceived as one."

"Oh," she said. He nodded and was about to leave her when she stood and said, "It's good to see you again, Protector, mine."

"I am no longer your protector, M'Lady. That honor is bestowed on my grandson," he answered.

Chandra nodded and then, though it felt awkward, she moved to embrace Ban. He was tense but tapped her back with his hand. She pulled away and looked down. "I'm sorry… I should know it's not your way."

"It's not," he said touching her chin for her to look at him. "But it is YOUR way. And I understand."

He dropped his hand and said, "Don't change for me…" As he took a step towards the door he said, "Or for Jaster either."

He closed the door leaving Chandra confused. She put her bags on the bed and began to unpack something fresh.

*********

After cleaning up a bit she sat down, wondering if she should go back downstairs or if they wanted her to stay. She took out her datapad and began to study some more. It was wearisome, but she didn't want to be a burden to anyone. Just being here during such a sad time for the family was probably disconcerting enough.

A while later a knock came on her door and she realized from the sound that the doors were made of wood.

"Enter," she said in Mandalore.

An older woman with long dark hair like her own stepped in. She had a worn face and a sad look in her eye. She was taller than Chandra by an inch or two and her shoulders were broad and strong. Chandra stood up and looked up at her from a downcast face as she had read that is customary when someone greets an unknown superior.

"Welcome to my home, Miss Porter," she said in basic. "My son, Jaster… he has told me of your situation and your bravery. You may stay with us for as long as you need."

"Thank you…." Chandra was at a loss as to what to call her.

"Protector Tamma Mereel," she said with an understanding tone. "You have my permission to call me Protector Tamma… so as to distinguish me from my father in law and son."

"Yes, Protector Tamma," Chandra said. Then she added, "If I may assist you in any way while I'm here. I am particularly interested in the preparation of Mandalore cuisine."

"Is that so?" Tamma said with a raised brow. "Very well. Follow me and I will put you to work."

"Thank you," Chandra said following her.

***********

Without exchanging many words, none of them Mandalore, Chandra and Tamma had spent almost an hour in the kitchen preparing the meal. She had excused herself, leaving Chandra to stir the stew and keep an eye on the bread in the oven. Chandra had never seen bread being baked in an oven before, so she didn't really know what she was looking for. All she knew was that she wasn't supposed to open the door too often.

Behind her she heard the kitchen half door swing open and she turned to see Jaster.

"Mother put you to work already?" he asked in Mandalore as he approached.

She nodded with a smile and lifted the lid to the stew. Determining that she would be speaking Mandalore with Jaster from now on, she decided not to argue and just did her best. "Your favorite? But you don't eat dinner. Correct?"

"Everyone eats dinner when mother cooks," he said slowly, smelling the stew. "Mmmm…"

"Taste?" she asked, picking up a small clean spoon from the counter.

Jaster raised his browse and glanced behind him at the door and then back at Chandra, "So long as I don't get in trouble for it."

She dipped the spoon in and blew lightly on it. He rolled his eyes at that, but opened his mouth for the spoon when she prompted. Just as she put the spoon to his lips the kitchen door flew open and a woman with a very strong voice said, "Caught in the act, Protector Mereel!"

Jaster was cool, but Chandra startled and spilled the stew on Jaster's shirt.

He turned and said, "Jess…"

She grabbed the sides of his face and kissed him hard on the mouth. In return he gave her a rough embrace, slapping her hard on the back and saying, "I knew you'd make it to the council one day."

"You bet," she said pulling away and planting her hands on her hips. "And just in time too. What were you thinking? There's no dishonor in …. a job….one you've been…." Jaster glanced at Chandra and Jessica hit his chest with her fist to get his attention. "Don't look away from me!"

"It is unlawful to murder with no just cause," he started to explain.

"… kill another Mandalore Protector …. worse offense then assassinating … for a client," she explained in a strong tone. "Cann … better defense…. you."

Chandra turned and put the spoon down. She picked up the large ladle and began to stir the stew.

Jesse laughed lightly and asked, "So is she your client or the new cook?"

"Jesse, she speaks Mandalore," Jaster said.

Chandra looked at the beautiful yet rugged woman out of the corner of her eye.

"Oh!" Jesse said. Then in basic she said, "No offense…"

"Let's go," Jaster said pushing her out the door. He stopped on the way out and said to Chandra in basic, "How much of that did you catch?"

"Barely a word, she speaks so fast," Chandra said.

He sighed and said, "We'll talk later."

"I'm fine, Jaster," she reassured. But he pointed at her and said, "Don't burn that stew…"

She nodded and continued stirring. It was true that it didn't bother her too much that Jesse saw her as expendable; that's the distance that Journeymen Protectors were supposed to foster between themselves and their jobs. But what bothered her was the lack of conviction Jaster had in defending his position to save her. She wondered if maybe he would come to regret his decision, especially if it got him in serious trouble with the Mandalore council.

***

The sitting sun, on the horizon, seemed so distant and cold to Jaster as he lead Jessa out onto the porch of the family homestead. It wasn’t like the last time he was here. The sun seemed so welcoming and warm then and he felt that he could’ve reached out and scooped it from the sky. He wondered what had changed since he had become Chandra’s Protector, what had changed in those few short months?

He sat down on the dusty steps of the porch and rested his unshaven face in his hands. He felt tired but relieved to be back home even under this odd set of circumstances.

"How’d you come to the decision, Jaster?" Jessa asked in Mandalore as she sat down beside him.

"Which decision?" he questioned, not raising his face from his hands.

Jessa used her right hand to rub his back softly as she replied "To kill Cann. To prevent her from carrying out the duties she had been paid to perform."

Jaster raised his head and shook it slowly. "She may have been paid to do it but its still in violation of everything we stand for. Our codes....."

"Do you remember our mission on Tyran III?" Jessa asked softly.

"Yes," Jaster started, "but that was different."

"Different? Different in what ways, Jaster?" Jessa questioned. "Different because that night before we killed their Prime we lay in that grassy field overlooking their capital, making love or because....."

"No," Jaster interrupted, "It was different because Tyran III’s prime minister was a manic, tyrant and despot. He killed those who spoke out against him and we were payed by several nobles to dispense justice to him."

"To assassinate him." Jessa said simply.

Jaster looked up suddenly, locking his eyes on Jessa, "He’s assassination served justice and order. Chandra’s assassination would’ve been the senseless murder of a innocent."

Jessa shook her head slowly as she studied Jaster’s face. It didn’t seem to her that he had changed much at all since last she had seen him. Even his unshaven face did little to hide his youthful appearance. He, unlike most protectors in his place, seemed uneffected by all of the death and distruction that he had seen in his years since passing his trials. Finally she said softly "Your ideals are going to get you killed one day, you know that, Jaster."

"If it hadn’t been for Chandra, that day would’ve already come." Jaster answered with a nod. "But we all have to die, Jessa, its just a matter of how we choose to...."

Jessa reached out her left hand and touched the side of Jaster’s face. "Still haven’t changed your outlook on life, huh?"

"Its the truth." Jaster answered with a slight smile.

"Well, I don’t know about you, Protector Mereel, but I plan to live forever." Jessa responded with a laugh.

Jaster made no effort to hide his smile but as suddenly as it had come, he quickly hide it, returning to his serious state. "Where do you stand, Judge Mistol?"

"Please, Jaster, don’t ask me that...." Jessa answered, looking away from him quickly.

"I have to know." Jaster pressed.

"I can see why you acted, Jaster," she started with a shake of her head. "And if Cann attacked you first then that would help in the trial but you have to understand Judge Vizsla has many supports, including Cann’s clan, and they are going to want to see you dead......"

"Vizsla is corrupt!" Jaster practically shouted in Mandalore. "Cann confessed as much."

"Do you have proof, Jaster? Beyond what you heard? Did you record her words?" Jessa asked, not in a harsh tone but one lined more with sadness.

The Mandalorian shook his head slowly. "No, I didn’t. I half expected her to stand down, not to draw her weapon on another Protector."

"And Chandra is your only witness?" Jessa asked.

"Yes, the bay pretty much cleared out once Cann opened fire." Jaster answered slowly.

Jessica Mistol, youngest and newly promoted judge, shook her head slowly, trying to hide her disbelief. "Vizsla will discredit her easily. She’s not a Mandalore and he will insist that it is a insult to the Judges when she can’t explain what happened in our own tongue. He will insist, too, that since the only one who can speak in your defense is a non-Mandalorian that you have no true defense."

"I defended myself and I defended my charge......" Jaster stated, not quite sure what more to say.

"Is she still you charge, Jaster?" Jessa asked. It was something she needed to know, not because of the relationship she had with him but because Vizsla would try to play on every little thing. The corrupt Judge would try to discredit Jaster by saying he acted on personal feelings when he attacked Cann. She knew all too well how Vizsla worked.........

"I....." Jaster started, "I don’t.......know......but when I killed Cann I did so because she had brought dishonour to everything I stood for. She spit on her oaths, disregard the order of law and justice for credits. She shamed everything that we stand for when we put on this armour and take our oaths before the honoured statue of Mandalore."

Jessa nodded. "I don’t know how much help I can be to you, Jaster. The council is divided among those that agree with Vizsla and those who had agreed with your father. I believe thats why Vizsla sat your dad up, to remove the strongest voice against his views. Now Vizsla will come after you in a further effort to disgrace your family’s name."

"I will not plead repentant if that is what you are asking me to do, Jessa." Jaster stated matter of factly.

"A part of me, Jaster, the part of me that loves you," Jessa started, "Wants you to say your sorry, to plead repentant but I know better then to ask. I know as a fellow Protector that asking you to do so would be asking you to betray what you believe in."

"I’m glad you understand." Jaster added.

"I will see to it that you get the best pleader on Concord Dawn." the Mandalorian Judge said softly.

"I don’t want a pleader, Jessa."

Jessa shook her head. "It shall be Pleader Creel. I hear he’s the best."

"Jessa...." Jaster again started.

"I would hate for someone to say that you were treated unfairly." Jessa added with a smile.

Jaster returned her smile. "Thanks but I would never claim I was treated unfairly."

The front door opened slightly and Ban stuck his head out as he said "Foods ready. Better get in here before it gets too cold or there is nothing left."

Jaster rose to his feet as his grandfather stepped back inside the house. He reached his hand down toward Jessica and helped her up. She smiled at him, a smile he had dreamed about often when the two of them were apart, and he returned her smile again. He was beginning to wonder, now that he had seen her again, if he really knew his feelings as well as he thought he did.

As he opened the door for her, Jessa asked aoftly "So what will be your defense?"

Jaster followed her through the front door as he said jokingly "Maybe insanity........"

The two both shared a laugh as the door closed behind them.

*************

"And so this massive beast, covered in fur and fangs, lunged at me, determined to send me to the grave with the others it had ambushed." Jessa said inbetween bites.

Chandra nodded as she took a bite of her stew and waited for the Mandalorian Judge to continue with her story. Jaster seemed to be listening intently too as did Ban and Tamma.

"I raised my stub nosed disintegration rifle to fire on the thing as it leapt but it was faster then I had suspected. Before I could get the shot off," Jessica continued, "It had leapt upon me, knocking me to the ground and my rifle some other way. The press of its weight against my body was unbearable, smothering, and it used its massive forepaws to pin my head, helmet, in place."

"How did you.....away?’ Chandra asked slowly in Mandalore. Everyone else at the table had been speaking it when they would say something so she followed suit.

Jessa laughed softly and smiled as she answered "I used my climbing blade and just started stabbing the thing where ever I could. I’m not sure if I killed it or if it suffered massive trama and blood lose but after a minute of my attacks it stopped moving and I struggled to pull myself out from under its dead weight."

"It seems the climbing claw makes a excellent improvised weapon," Jaster commented, "Its what Cann used on me."

"And you....on her." Chandra added slowly.

Jaster nodded and smiled at her as he said in his native tongue "You’re doing well with our words, Chandra. Why don’t you tell us how you managed to stabilize me and then drag me aboard that ship?"

Chandra smiled at Jaster’s comment about her speaking Mandalore but she quickly declined to speak about the incident in the starport, saying in basic "I’m not sure I know all of the proper words....."

"You’ll do fine." Jaster reassured in basic.

Tamma nodded in agreement. "You’ve been doing well thus far, dear."

Ban laughed as he added "For someone who claims she has only studied our language for a few days on a transport, you have been speaking incredibly well."

Jessica fixed her gaze on Chandra for a moment as she thought she could see a nerviousness in her eyes. She smiled at Chandra, saying "She’s probably afraid she’ll say something too embrassing about Jaster."

Chandra nodded quickly in agreement with Cann’s comment. "Thats right, I don’t want to embrass my protector in front of his friends and family."

Jaster frowned as Jessa smiled more broadly and started in mandalore "Thats alright. It seems Jaster is always getting into some kind of trouble. I remember when we where on Mogden......"

"Not again....." Jaster said with a sigh.

Chandra tried to hold back her laugh as she again placed her attention on Judge Mistol. She spoke mandalorian so quickly that it took Chandra’s full focus to follow and understand all of her words.

"Naturally, Mogden was where Jaster and I first met and like all Mereel men it seems they always need a woman to pull them out of trouble." Jessica started with a growing grin. All three of the women laughed about the comment and both Jaster and Ban dipped their heads low, sighing loudly.

************

Jaster leaned back in his chair carefully as he watched Chandra take up his bowl and spoon. She had volunteered to help Ban and Tamma clean up the table. Tamma moved around the other side of the table and took his empty glass and Judge Mistol’s. Jaster looked up at his mother and smiled. "It was very good stew, mom."

Tamma smiled as she leaned down and kissed her son on the top of his head. "And you’re lucky you ate this time, son, but really Chandra had the most hand in making the stew."

Chandra tried to avoid blushing as she answered "Not really, Protector Tamma. You prepared everything. I just put it all in the pot and stirred."

"You are too modest, Chandra." Jessa started then asked of Jaster, "Don’t you think she’s too modest?"

Jaster glanced at Chandra as she turned to carry the bowls and silverware she had collected back into the kitchen. He watched her for a moment before he answered "She’s something......"

"Something?" Jessa pressed after waiting for Tamma to head for the kitchen too.

"Aye, something. I don’t quite know what to make of her sometimes......" Jaster answered simply and quickly.

"Jaster, if you wouldn’t mind stepping outside with me for a breath of fresh air?" Jessa asked, rising from the table.

Jaster nodded as he rose too, pushing his chair in and then patiently waiting for Jessica to lead him out to the porch. She walked slowly toward the door and her movements were still the grace and agile fluidity that he remembered from the last time he had seen her. She held the screen door for him as he stepped out onto the porch of his family homestead. The night air was cool and the breeze that it carried felt comforting against his body as he took a seat on the porch steps. Jessa followed suit, sitting right next to the man she had served with before, the Mandalorian she thought she had known so well.

"Tell me the truth, Jaster." she suddenly ordered, her voice carrying a authority that Jaster imagined she saved for the Judge’s Hall.

"The truth?" Jaster stumbled for a moment.

"About Chandra." Jessa replied, her tone growing softer.

"Chandra......" Jaster repeated slowly.

Judge Mistol shook her head. "Yes, Chandra. Did you get personally involved in your assignment, Jaster?"

Jaster turned to face his old friend and lover as he answered "In what way do you mean did I get personally involved? Are you trying to accuse me of killing Cann because of personal emotions?"

"I mean ‘personally involved’ in ever way that they teach us to avoid." Jessa answered with a sigh. "And I’m not trying to accuse you of anything, Jaster, least of all acting simply on a emotional ping."

"I don’t.....I....." Jaster tried to form the words, to organize his thoughts and emotions.

Jessa placed a relaxing hand on Jaster’s left shoulder. "I realize people change, Jaster, and you and I are not the same people we were the last time we had seen one another. So please just be honest. I will not be able to communicate the situation to my fellow judges without knowing the whole truth."

Jaster nodded his head in understanding, saying "I honestly don’t know for certain. There were.....are times when she looks at me or I her........Its hard to explain for certain, Jessa, but I executed Cann for her betrayal of our laws and our codes. Nothing more and nothing less."

"Why didn’t you bring Cann in to face the council? Did you not trust us to carry out justice?" she asked softly, almost a whisper.

Jaster shook his head ‘no’. "I trust the council to always do what is right for Concord Dawn and the Mandalore. I moved forward to issue the crimes for which I would bring a charges against her and she attacked me with her climbing claw. Had I not killed her......"

"Then you acted in self-defense?" Jessa asked.

"I doubt too many would see it that way. I had informed Cann that her crimes called for her execution." Jaster answered plainly.

Jessa nodded. "Do you believe that when you killed Cann you acted out of self defense or did you have the intentions of carrying out judgement yourself?"

"I acted in the manner that our laws required me to act. It was self-defense in the end only because Cann lashed out at me. I had the intention of killing her for her betrayals."

"Is that why you’ll not plead repentant, Jaster?" Jessa asked, her voice starting to crack.

Jaster simply shook his head as he rested his hand on her’s. Jessica swallowed and tried to fight back her tears as she said "I can’t acquit you, Jaster. If I did so it would surely tear the council apart...."

"I understand." the Mandalorian Protector answered.

"Death......" Jessa started, unable to contain her tears any longer. "Death is the punishment that the law requires for one who kills another protector......but.....but I don’t want to sen....sentence you to death, Jaster......I.....just....I don’t see anyway out of this for us."

Jaster turned to Jessica, hugging her and letting her lay her head against his chest. He held her close as he said in a whisper "Mandalorians do not look for ways out. You will do what your duties call of you to do and I will accept the judgement that is issued."

"You......you could....." she tried to speak, trying to resist her crying even further.

"I will not appeal the decision of the Judges." Jaster said, knowing full well what she was getting at. "We can not love life too much, Jessa. Every Mandalorian dies and I will let fate decide whom is right: Vizsla or myself....."

***When Chandra saw that Jaster and Jessa were out on the porch alone together, she decided to return to her room for the night.

"Ban, I'm going to retire now," she said in Mandalore.

He nodded and watched her as she headed up the stairs. It was so odd to be aloud to roam freely when there were Protectors about. But odder still was to see them out of their armor in a relaxed state. By the front entry way there were several hooks and shelves where the Mandalore armor was stored for each member of the family. Chandra was impressed with the extended family tradition of living with so many relatives until she remembered that they were rarely home at the same time.

She went into her room and searched for the light controls. Finally she realized the lights had the controls on them and she used the switch to brighten the room only a little. Sitting on the bed she couldn't help but pout.

She wanted to hate Jessa, or at least dislike her, but she couldn't. Jessa had been the one who had saved her from having to explain about the Jedi to Jaster in front of his whole family. She was very sensitive and friendlier to Chandra than she expected. And from the sound of her stories, she was a perfect match for him in every way.

Part of her was happy for him, but she admitted to herself for the first time that she had feelings for Jaster that were inappropriate for her station. Not that it mattered anymore, but a woman in her class could never take a man like Jaster for anything else but a secret lover. As unlikely a pair as they were, Logan at least would have been somewhat acceptable in her circles. But nobody would accept a Mandalore… not to mention the chances of Jaster having feelings for her were so remote she was a fool to even fantasize about it.

Chandra changed out of her boots and jumpsuit into a pair of loose pajamas and crawled into bed. She took out the datapad with some of her favorite programs and began to read.

Just reading her favorite poetry and love stories made her feel better. She sighed and put the datapad on her chest, closing her eyes. If only men spoke to women like they do in these stories.

There was a knock at her door and Chandra answered, "Who is it?"

Ban opened it and stepped in. Chandra smiled and said, "Have you come to tuck me in like you used to do?"

"Something like that," he said. "You looked… like you could use some company." He looked at the datapad and said, "Studying our language?"

She shook her head 'no' and said, "I gave up my dolls, but I doubt I can give up my romance novelettes."

"Literature or…" he started.

"No, nothing learned, rather sappy low class stuff actually," she said. She picked up the pad and read it with as much passion as she could muster, "From the moment I met you, a day hasn't gone by when I haven't thought of you. And now that I'm close to you again, I'm in agony. The closer I get to you, the worse it gets. The thought of not being with you mskes my stomach turn over - my mouth goes dry. I feel dizzy. I can't breathe. I'm haunted by your lips, I so want to kiss you. My heart is beating, hoping that if I kiss you it will not become a scar. You are in my very soul, tormenting me. What can I do? I will do anything you ask..."

"PLEASE stop!" Ban said. "It is too much for me to hear…"

Chandra laughed lightly and said, "Isn't that strange that women want to hear things that men would never say?"

"No Mandalore woman would want to hear those words. She would become ill…" he said.

"I know I shouldn't expect to fall in love anyway. A girl like me just has to hope for someone who can provide her with a decent arrangement."

Ban sighed and sat down on the bed next to her. "Chandra, you are no longer a girl, you know that don't you?"

Chandra nodded.

"You don't have to live the way you were brought up to live. You can make decisions about your life now. There is something you should consider that I don't know if you've thought of yet," he said in his low serious tone. She swallowed, almost afraid to hear it. "You aren't alone in the world. You don't need to make your decisions in a vacuum. And you shouldn't assume that you have no means of providing for yourself. You have talents that can be very useful. You need only to decide what you want to do with them."

She looked at the datapad and said, "Talents, like what dress to where to a formal occasion?"

"You sell yourself short," he said. "I was very impressed with some of the things Jaster has…"

Another knock interrupted him and Chandra looked up to see it was Jaster in the doorway.

"Grandfather," he said. "Mom would like to speak to you. There are some details with the ceremony she needs you to help her iron out."

Ban turned to Chandra and said, "We'll talk later."

kiWhen he left, Chandra expected Jaster to stay, but he left with his grandfather, offering her only a "Goodnight M'lady."

She said, "Goodnight." And reached for the light turning it off.

************** Sometime in the middle of the night Chandra woke up sweating.

"What is wrong with the climate control?" she said throwing the blankets off of herself. She already knew there were no controls in her room from looking for the lights. So she stepped out into the hall to see if there was some sort of main panel controlling the temperature in the rooms.

She tip toed down the hall and found nothing. She was about ready to give up when she turned around to see Jaster in the hall. He was wearing only a pair of shorts and he looked like he had been asleep. "Is everything alright?" he asked quietly in Mandalore.

"No," she whispered back with a sigh. "I can't sleep because I'm so hot."

He motioned towards her room and she followed him in.

"You're going to wake up everyone," he said after he closed the door.

"I was being really quiet," she said. "At least I thought I was." She thought about who's house she was in and realized they probably all slept lightly. "I'm sorry… I just couldn't find the temperature control for this room."

"It is stuffy in here," he said walking to the window. He unfastened it and shoved it open. Turning around he said, "Mandalore temperature control."

Chandra smiled and sat on her bed, slightly embarrassed. "Oh," she said. He smiled back at her and was about to leave when despite her better judgement she blurted out, "Jesse is very nice. I can see why you're in love with her."

Jaster frowned in thought and he said, "Oh… we aren't really in love as you would think it. But yes, she is an incredible person."

"I thought you said you loved her," Chandra asked. "Don't you?"

"She will always be very special to me, but our situation has changed. Because she is judging my case it would be inappropriate for us to be involved in anything more than a friendship."

"I don't understand," she said. "Can you just turn your feelings for her off, simply because it's inappropriate now? That sounds so cold."

Jaster crossed his arms and leaned against the wall looking at her. "There are other factors as well," he said.

"Such as?" she asked, pulling her feet up on the bed and hugging her knees.

He smirked and asked, "Why such a sudden interest in my social life, Chandra? You've never asked about my friends while we were on Coruscant."

She shrugged and said, "I guess I'm just a romantic… In a perfect world I'd see lovers giving up everything to be together. Or at least fighting all odds."

"It's those kinds of notions which get men killed and break women's hearts," he said. "Things don't work that way on Mandalore. In fact, I don't know where they do work that way. Maybe in girlish novels or something."

"I say they don't work that way because people don't believe strong enough," she said.

"You will grow up some day," he said. "And you will learn."

She sat up straighter, letting her legs fall beside her on the bed. "I am older than you Jaster Mereel," she said. "And I know a thing or two more about love than you do."

"Have you ever even had a serious relationship?" he asked. "With someone real, I mean. Not someone you made up in your mind or pretended loved you."

Though he said it with a small smile, his words struck her heart like a knife. She swallowed hard and looked away from him. Her eyes stung slightly and she said, "No…" Then, suddenly anger by how insensitive he was being she snapped, "But you needn't be so cruel to me, Jaster. Just because we're no longer on Coruscant doesn't mean I deserve your contemptuous remarks."

"I'm just saying you are being unrealistic to think that we can have a relationship with so much going against us," he said. "Why are you taking it so personal?"

She looked up at him and said, "Do you doubt that I loved Logan?"

"I doubt that your relationship with him was a loving one," he said. Then his voice softened and he said, "But no, I don't doubt your feelings. Your love is real… too generous, if you ask me." He stood away from the wall and took a step closer. Bending down, he knelt beside the bed and leaned on it with his elbow. "For instance, it makes no sense to me why you should care one way or another what Jessa and I do. And yet you seem personally invested in it."

"I just want to see you happy, Jaster," she said resisting the urge to touch his arm, just inches away from her.

"That's my point," he said. "Why do you care so much?"

Chandra shrugged and said, "Why do you care that I care?"

He looked down and laughed lightly. "I guess you got me there," he said.

"If you love her," she said, "You should be with her."

"I don't know that I do love her," he said softly. He looked up at her and for an instant Chandra thought she saw something in his eyes that made her heart leap. But as quickly as it came, it was gone and he stood.

"It's cooler in here now, you should be able to sleep," he said.

"Maybe," she said watching him turn to her at the door.

"I'll wake you early and we'll resume your training," he said. "I want to be sure you keep sharp."

"But what about the ceremony?" she asked.

"You'll have time to change before we go," he said.

"Don't you… I mean… it's your father…" she said. It seemed strangely inappropriate.

"My father will look down poorly on me if I don't keep my charge safe," he said. "Duty first."

"Jaster!" she said as he tried to slip out. "Am I still your charge? Nobody is paying you to protect me anymore. Are you taking care of me now because you want to?"

He closed the door behind him again, obviously a bit annoyed. "Your mother gave me a large sum to get you to safety. I consider her payment as an extension of my services from your father."

"So this is just a job?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "This is just a job."

"I don't believe you," she said crawling into the covers. The breeze from the window was actually making it slightly cool in there.

"It doesn't matter to me if you believe me," he said, his hand on the doorknob. "So why are you trying so hard to deny that you like me?" she asked.

"I don't deny that I like you," he said. "And I don't deny that I've gotten more personal than I should have in this job. But I'm not protecting you because of any feelings I have for you. They are two separate things."

"Then you admit you care for me?" she asked, getting on her side and looking at him with a smile.

"Maybe," he said, putting his hands on his hips.

"How much?" she asked.

"Chandra…" he said, "You are… you… I'm going to bed."

"Coward," she said.

He had turned the knob, but now hesitated. He turned to her and said in a hushed voice of disbelief, "What did you call me?"

"I called you a coward," she said. "And you are. You are running away instead of facing me and being honest." His face was turning a little red and she didn't know if it was from anger or embarrassment. She was on a roll and had been holding back so much for so long that she didn't think she could stop. "You can face your enemy to the death, or that council that wants to execute you for doing the right thing, but when asked how you feel, you are scared as a mouse to answer. I think you'd rather die than admit to having an emotion… especially for someone like me."

Jaster's eyes looked like they were going to bulge right out of his head. His hands were in fists and she could see the neck muscles lifting up around his shoulders.

He pointed a finger at her about ready to say something, and she cringed, slightly. He dropped his hand and then started to say something else, but stopped himself.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to…"

"No," he said. "You don't get out of it that easy… You call me a coward?" he said in complete disbelief. "You think I keep my feelings for you hidden because I'm afraid. Well, maybe you're right. But I'm NOT afraid of the risk to me or what anyone else might think… I'm afraid of what YOU will do once you learn of them."

"You take anything you get and you run with it to the furthest place you can take it. You push and you push, until you drive me to the point of fury! Why can't you ever just let anything be?" he said.

She was hiding under the covers all but her eyes now. She couldn't take it back, and she didn't know how to fix it, so she just said, "I just wanted you to tell me how you feel for me. Why is that such a big deal?"

"You want to know how I feel for you?" he asked, his voice raised just above a whisper, "Fine, I'll tell you. You're an attractive girl and I admit I've had my thoughts of what that means to a man. I find your generosity inspiring, your kindness moves me to care for your safety beyond my duties. There have actually been times when I have felt affection for you as I would a family member. But that's IT. Do you understand? That is IT."

"So you're saying you don't love me," she asked quietly.

He opened her door and said loudly, "I could never be in love with someone who constantly drives me to the point of insanity!" He walked out and shut her door with a loud 'thud'.

Chandra rolled over in bed away from the door and heard the door to Jaster's room slam shut.

"So much for not waking up anyone in the house," she said to herself. She wanted to sink into the bed and disappear. She knew she deserved his chastising, and despite his admitting he cared for her more than just a job, his words still stung. But she only allowed herself a few tears. She was too mad at him for being so mean to let him get away with hurting her too much.

*************

The next morning she heard a knock on her door and Chandra turned to see Jaster in full armor standing there.

"Get up," he said in Mandalore through a filtered voice. "Get dressed in something warm. And hurry." He left her and Chandra narrowed her eyes at the shut door.

She knew better than to test him by not following his instructions, so she got dressed as fast as she could in a heavy jumpsuit and boots and then topped it with a parka. She moved quickly down the hall and down the stairs to the front door. Jaster was out on the porch, hands on his hips overlooking the misty hills of their land.

Chandra put her hand on the door and heard a sound behind her. She looked up the stairs and saw Ban there. He gave her a short salute and said in Mandalore, "Try not to drive my grandson too insane this morning."

She flashed him a smile and said, "Who has to try?"

Ban shook his head and walked down the hall away from her.

Taking a deep breath, Chandra went outside and up to Jaster. "Should we stretch first?" she asked.

"Go ahead," he said in a filtered tone. "I have already."

The exercises he had her doing were brutal. He barked at her and actually threw her a couple of times while they were practicing her self-protection techniques. Never enough to hurt her seriously, but she was getting pretty sore. It wasn't as cold as it had been when they first came out, so she took off her parka and threw it on a fence as she tried to catch her breath in the minutes he was deciding what she would do next. It was almost fun meeting his challenges.

But when he asked her to run four more times around the forest grove, which she knew to be quite a distance from them already having made the run once, she decided to put her foot down.

"I don't think so," she said, staring at his mask.

"You made an agreement with me to follow my instructions if I was going to train you," he said. "Are you now deciding to break your part of it?"

"No," she said. "I'm simply saying I don't think you seriously mean for me to run four times around the grove."

"And why wouldn't I mean what I say?" he asked.

"Because you know I could never do that, eat breakfast and be ready for the funeral in time," she said.

"You're not going to the funeral," he said shortly. "So get moving. You'll have plenty of time to make the run before I have to leave."

"What do you mean I'm not going?" she asked. "Just that," he said. "You aren't family and you aren't going."

"But Ban said," she started.

"You will refer to him as Protector Mereel," he said.

"Jaster," she started.

"And you will refer to me as Protector Mereel," he instructed.

Chandra walked over to the fence where she had thrown her parka and picked it up. She then started walking towards the house.

"So that's it?" he said. "You're breaking the agreement. Fine. You're on your own."

Chandra turned around and said, "What is WRONG with you?"

He brushed past her on his way to the house without answering. Slowly she followed him back down the long path. She wasn't halfway there when she heard the sound like thunder coming out of the mist in the distance. It grew louder and when she turned to see what it was she heard, barely over the noise, Jaster's amplified filtered voice shouting at her.

"Get down Chandra!"

She dove to the wet ground just as something whizzed by her. She looked up and saw Jaster's gauntlet let loose a missile that met with whatever it was and exploded in the air. She heard another sound coming in the distance and Jaster started running towards her yelling, "Keep down! Keep down! Cover your head… roll to that ditch…"

Chandra followed his instructions precisely and just before she was able to roll into the muddy ditch she could make out Ban in his armor, running from the house. He was headed for the transports.

The loud thunder shot past the ditch but the explosion she heard after was much larger than the first. She wanted to peak over the edge to see what had happened, but she didn't dare go against Jaster's instructions. Next thing she knew he jumped in the ditch with her and she could hear his breathing over the com in his helmet.

"What's happening?" she asked. laid back against the wall of the ditch. Over the edge she could see a huge cloud of smoke rising into the morning sky. She backed up slightly and saw the flames.

"The house?" she said.

She turned to him, horrified and he said, "Mom…"

"Maybe she's still alive…" she said. "We should go look." She started to get up and he pulled her back down and to him.

He held on to her and said, "No, Grandfather will be back soon. He told us to wait."

She looked at his red and black helmet and then laid her head on his metal armor, holding on to him tightly. His hold on her grew tight as well and he put his gloved hand on her head.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I thought we… would be safe here."

Chandra thought she had grown used to the feeling of being chased and hunted, but the truth was she had felt safe here and the sudden sense of danger reminded her of the sensation during her free fall through the Coruscant skyline. She trembled as she held on to Jaster and closed her eyes, as if she could hide from it all in his arms. His hand on her head lifted and he touched his helmet.

"Mom!" he said again, but this time with an air of relief. "We're at the northern edge of the property fence," he said.

Chandra smiled that Tamma was alive, both because she liked the quiet older woman, but also because it was one less tragedy that Jaster had to endure. She opened her eyes and sat up away from him and he pointed.

"She's coming," he said. Down the long ditch Chandra could make out someone was coming.

"What does she have?" Chandra asked, noting that the Mandalore armored figure was dragging a huge bag with her.

"Something for you," he said. Jaster touched her shoulder and she turned towards him. "You bore my training this morning well," he said, "You could have run the four laps, had you put your mind to it."

"I wouldn't have," she said defiantly. But then she added softly, "Jaster… your grandfather is like a father to me; more so than my own. It might not seem right to you because I'm merely a client of yours. But I want to be there when he buries his son. Even though I never met him, your father means something to me, because Ban loves him so."

She had intentionally used the present tense in Mandalore, signifying her respect for Jaster's father having made the journey through death to be received by Mandalore.

Jaster was silent for a moment and said, "I hadn't thought of it that way. I suppose I never imagined…"

"… that your grandfather would care one way or another," she interrupted. "He's the one who invited me to attend."

"No," Jaster said, "I suppose I never imagined you would care so much for grandfather to want to be there for him… I thought you were going for me."

"Oh," she said, looking towards Tamma who was very close now. She was traveling in the ditch towards them and was getting as muddy as Chandra and Jaster were. "Now you know," she said. She turned towards him with a half smile.

"How do you do that?" he asked.

"Do what?"

"Only move part of your mouth," he said touching her cheek with his extended gloved finger. "Your smile it only moves one side of your face." Chandra looked down and he said, "Not that it's a bad thing… I just… it's something I noticed."

She looked at him again, this time self-conscious of her smile. In the distance they could hear the sound of blaster fire. They both looked up just as Tamma arrived.

"Let me help you put this on," Tamma said, taking out a Mandalore helmet.

"She can do it herself," Jaster said. "We need to scan the area and see if grandfather needs help."

********* After Chandra had the full armor on and had waited for a few minutes for Tamma and Jaster to return she grew curious and popped her helmeted head over the edge of the ditch to take a look at the house. It wasn't as bad as she imagined. In fact it hardly looked damaged at all except for the porch had collapsed in on itself.

Jaster scared her when he jumped in beside her.

"Grandfather has the situation under control," he said. "Come, let's return to the house."

He helped her out of the ditch and they started walking back. The armor was heavy, but she felt comfortable in it; safer and even happier.

"How did the house survive that blast?" she asked through a filtered voice.

"Those who sent the missile either only meant to threaten us, or they were too ignorant to know Mandalore homes may look like simple stone, but they are reinforced within the walls," he said.

Just as they got to the house, Ban's transport pulled up beside them. There was a smaller vehicle in tow and in its open-air cabin were four bodies lying on the floor. Chandra could tell by their bluish green heads and hands what they were.

"Rodians," Jaster said in disgust. "Why are they all the way out here on Concord Dawn?"

"Correction… DEAD Rodians," Ban said. "I'm taking them to the consulate along with their ship. They've been hired by Vizsla, it's the only explanation."

"Can you prove it?" Jaster asked. "If Vizsla is behind this, it might go along way to validate my claims against Cann."

"Nothing here, I checked their system and the only thing here is a commission from Porter," Ban said, "But it's forged and that shouldn't be too hard to prove."

"How do you know for sure? They could have been hired by my father," Chandra said.

Ban turned to her and said, "He wouldn't have the nerve to attack my home. He may want you dead, but he knows better than to involve me. I suspect that's the real reason he insisted I 'retire'. No… these Rodians were made to LOOK like they were an attack against you, but this was a threat against our family. I only need to find the evidence to prove it." He turned to Jaster and said, "Go with your mother to pick up your father's remains. I will be here waiting for the ceremony by the time you return."

"Yes, grandfather," he said.

"I should go change," she said.

"No," he said. "It won't thrill many if you're found out, but you should remain as you are. I don't doubt my grandfather regarding these Rodians, however, if Viszla went this far to hide that he's behind the attack, who knows how far he's willing to go."

"What do you mean? He may try to kill me?" she asked as he helped her over the rubble that once was their porch.

"I wouldn't put it past him," he said. He shoved his shoulder into the large wooden door to open it. The metal around it was melted from the blast and it stuck. He slammed into it again and the door fell to the ground.

From behind them, Tamma said in a lighter tone than Chandra expected, "You're going to fix that door, young man."

Jaster didn't say a word, just helped Chandra through and then his mother.

"The guests are going to have to go through the back door now," she said. "But pick this up and put it outside so that they can at least walk through the foyer without tripping."

"Yes, mother," Jaster said as he bent down to grab the heavy door.

*************

The building they were picking up Jaster's father from was right across from the Courthouse. Chandra waited outside, looking at the large building and was intrigued by how much more incredible it was with the helmet on. It must have been designed with their technology in mind. It's measurements looked perfectly aligned. She couldn't tell with the naked eye, but with the built in schematics of the helmet it made looking at it something of a wonder.

Casually she glanced around her at the people that walked through the street. Most were wearing civilian attire, but there were also quite a few in armor as well. A group of armored people caught her eye as they climbed out of an official looking van transport. She read the Mandalore word for 'police' on the hood. They were wearing all black and very menacing.

She backed up from them as they approached and surrounded her and the Hearst Tamma had rented.

"Can I help you?" she asked in Mandalore.

One of the taller ones approached her and said, "You're not Mandalore! I can tell by your strange accent. What are you doing in our armor?" He grabbed her arm and said, "You better speak up, girl. You can be put away for a VERY long time for impersonating a Mandalore family."

"Let her go," Jaster called as he left the building. Behind him Tamma was pushing a large cart on which was an ornate box the size of a man.

"Are you Jaster Mereel?" the large black armored figure questioned as he let go his grip on Chandra's arm.

"Yes, I'm here to pick up my father. We don't need a permit to park here," he said. "And this is my charge. She's wearing our colors with our families permission."

"Jaster Mereel, you are charged with high crimes against the… "

"Wait, you can't do this now…"Tamma protested over the charges that were being read to him. "We're going to bury my husband this morning!" The armored men ignored her and took Jaster's weapons. "This is an outrage!" she cried. "The council can wait. He is not a flight risk. My son is an honorable man. His record is spotless"

"Mother!" Jaster said. "It's alright. I will pay my respects when I am exonerated."

"Don't count on that," the large armored man said. "You're execution's already been scheduled. I suggest you say your good byes now. You might not get another chance."

Tamma went up to Jaster and put her hand on his shoulder. "My son," she said. "I am most proud of you, as is your father. I believe in your innocence. You have brought no dishonor to our name. NEVER think otherwise."

"Thank you, mother," Jaster said.

His helmet turned to Chandra and she suddenly realized she was crying. She had never considered that he might face death for protecting her. The filter on her voice didn't hide her emotion as she said in basic, "Why did you bring us back here?" She turned around looking at the guards and cried, this time in Mandalore, "What kind of people are you? He's honest, he loves the law more than anyone! He did no wrong! Protector Cann was trying to kill me and she attacked HIM when he tried to stop her! I SAW IT!"

There was a crowd around them and she wanted to shout out more, but Tamma came up beside her grabbed her roughly by the arm. She got in her face and said, "If you love my son, you will stop this now. This display will NOT help him."

Chandra nodded and tried to compose herself. She watched as they took him up into the police vehicle. She was horrified that she wasn't going to get a chance to talk to him again. But then she heard in her ear Jaster's voice.

"Chandra, stay with grandfather. He will keep you safe. Do as he says and don't concern yourself with me," he said.

"Jaster… I… I'm sorry for…" she started to say.

"Stop," he said. "Just do as I say."

"I'm so sorry for being so difficult for you this morning and last night…" Chandra said, "I didn't know this would happen… Did you know?"

"Yes," he said. "I knew this could be the result before I faced Cann. But I must stand before the judgement of Mandalore. Even if justice is not carried out the same way as I see it."

Tamma had loaded up the coffin and was pushing Chandra towards the Hearst now. "They will cut contact soon," she said through the com. "Say your last words, children."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Chandra asked, crying. "There's so much I want to say…"

"That's why I didn't tell you, Chandra" he said. "I fear we've said too much already."

"I…" she started, but there was a burst of static and then silence. "…love you," she finished.

As she started to cry again, Tamma put her arm around Chandra and said, "He knows, child."

Chandra climbed in the Hearst. Tamma climbed in after her. Chandra wanted had to get it off to wipe her face and went to push the button on the helmet to take it off.

"No," Tamma said. "Leave it on. You're not out of danger yet. Jaster would be furious with me if I let harm come to you."

Chandra looked at her and dropped her hand to her lap.

"My son is a good protector," Tamma said as she started the Hearst, "Probably the best, next to his father. And though he protected you from many dangers, try as he might, he could not protect you from a broken heart." She pulled away and headed back to their ranch.

It was the most words Chandra had heard Tamma speak. She then realized that his mother wasn't necissarily quiet, but rather, she waited until she had something important to say before she spoke.

The rest of the ride they remained in silence. But as they pulled up to the house, Tamma turned to her again and said, "Be brave Chandra. Stand in Jaster's place this morning and help me bury my husband… If it be the will of Mandalore I will not have to bury a son soon after."***

"Jaster....."

The prisoner rose from his bunk, straightening as he moved towards the bars of his cell. He had been sure that Vizsla would see to it that he had no visitors, aside from his pleader as he was entitled to by law. He tried to contain his surprise when he reached the bars and saw Judge Mistol.

"Jessa....." he finally answered, softly, not sure of the purpose behind her visit.

"I’m sorry about this," Jessa started, motioning toward the bars and the cell, "Vizsla forced the issue with the council and we had voted to have you taken into custody but not till after your father had been buried. And least of all, not in public."

"And yet here I am......." Jaster said simply.

"Vizsla acted on his own when he had you arrested this morning, Jaster. Another attempt to further shame your family name." Jessa answered through filtered voice.

The former Mandalorian Protector fixed his gaze upon the black tinted lense of Jessa’s combat helmet. The orange trim, along with the other areas of the armour, clearly defined her family colours just as it always had even with the black cloaks of her position drapped over the armour. She appeared to be unarmed except, of course, for her weapons gauntlets and Jaster noted that she had brought with her the Book of Law. Perhaps the original, the one penned by Mandalore himself.

"Jaster," Jessa started in filtered tones, "whats wrong? What are you thinking?"

Jaster shook his head and smiled at her as he offered "Nothing’s wrong. I’m glad to see that you have accepted your station in this matter, Jessa."

"Didn’t a noble Protector once tell me that a Mandalorian does not look for ways out. They perform their duties till the last?" Jessa asked, her smile hidden beneath her combat helmet.

"Something like that." Jaster answered with a small smirk. "Have you come to officially read the charges to me?"

Jessa shook her head ‘no’ as she answered "So the reports are true. Judge Vizsla’s troops did slip up."

Jaster adjusted the tattered grey shirt that had his prisoner number on it and name on it. "What do you mean, Jessa?"

"Several members of the council witnessed your arrest, since it happened so close to the Court house. They said that the guards just charged you with high crimes against Mandalore not making mention of a single one of the official violations," Jessa said with a pause as she cleared her throat. "They also said that the arresting officer said your execution had already been scheduled. That was news to them and news to me. We hadn’t even gathered for the trial yet or even had talks about possible punishments. Its a grave error for Vizsla and one that works in our favour, Jaster."

The Mandalorian prisoner shook his head and said simply "No. We’ve already discussed this, Jessa."

"Jaster," she started, her filter system doing little to hide the emotion in her voice, "its right here in the Book of Law, the very one Mandalore scribed for us so long ago!"

"I won’t do it so don’t ask me to." Jaster said sternly.

Judge Mistol stepped back from the cell slowly as she pulled out a encoded data card. She slide the card through a reader on the left of Jaster’s cell and after a short buzz the cell door popped open. Jaster stepped back from the door and watched her as she stepped inside. He had no idea what she was doing but he wouldn’t run either. Jessa sat the book she carried with her on Jaster’s bunk and slowly reached up behind her head, keying the helmet release. She took off her helmet and tossed it on the bed beside the book.

"I wanted you to see, Jaster," she choked, tears in her eyes, "I wanted you to see how much this is hurting me."

Jaster stepped forward and rested her head on against his shoulder. "I would never do anything to hurt you, Jessa, but I cannot do what you ask..."

"Can’t or won’t?!" she questioned, a tinge of anger mixed with her sadness.

"Both." Jaster answered softly. She expected him to do the impossible and she should know better then to ask it or even dream the notion.

"All you have to do is plead repentant and the council can drop all of the charges against you, Jaster. Vizsla’s screw-ups will have given you a..........." Jessa stopped short as she turned away from the man she had known for so long, the man she had known as more then a mere friend. She knew he would never repent for killing Cann and she knew he would never turn away from his duties or ideals, not even for a moment.

Jaster rested his hand against her right shoulder as he said "A way out?"

Jessa shook her head slowly. "I’m sorry.....so sorry..... that...I even came to ask it of you....."

"Will I be allowed to continue as a Journeyman Protector?" Jaster asked simply.

"No," Jessa started, trying to fight back the awful lump in her throat. "But you would be dismissed with a simple discharge and allowed to retire freely."

"Do not ask me to do the impossible then, Jessa." Jaster started. "I’m sorry that you have been put in this place but we both have our duties. Let the pleader beg me to change my plea and you most simply follow your heart. I know you know your duties and will not betray them simply because of me."

Jessica Mistol closed her eyes tightly as she turned away from Jaster. She felt sick, torn between her duties, her oaths and her friend. Finally she shook her head and reached for her helmet and the law book. She quickly slipped the helmet back on and said in a filtered voice "Jaster Mereel, you have been charged with the first degree murder of a fellow Protector, breach of code, conduct unbecoming of a Journeyman, and moral corruption. Do you understand the charges brought against you?"

Jaster smiled slightly, a small smile. "Thank you, Jessa."

Judge Mistol turned and left the cell, closing its barred door behind her. She stopped for a moment on the other side as she asked "Is there anything you would request of me?"

"Please tell Chandra, my mother and Grandfather that I am fine." Jaster requested.

"I will