Dathomir: 18 BBY
Forest
Lesia Mirri

Morning had come finally. Les remained seated in her small clearing. Four more animals sat before her, along with the nydak she had originally bonded with. They were all watching her.

Lesia's stomach growled, both with her own hunger and theirs. The nydak perked up with a growl. Les followed its gaze up into the tangled branches. Manon crossed her legs and watched them.

"I see you're not dead," Manon said with a grin. "Impressive."

Les blinked, unable to form words. Her mind was too full. Manon jumped down and the creatures all began snapping and growling at her. Les grimaced, trying to hold them at bay.

Manon walked through them without flinching. She crouched down before Les and tilted her head. "Is the other person still in your mind?"

Les managed to shake her head. She hadn't felt any foreign emotions since bonding with the animals. "You need to release them," Manon instructed, gesturing to the animals.

"I..." Les swallowed. "I don't...know how."

"It's easy. It's like drawing your senses back in after getting a feeling for your surroundings. Just pull yourself away from them." Manon paused with an afterthought. "And make sure you tell them not to kill you before you release them."

Les drew in a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut. Do not harm...us. Why was forming words so hard? She was nearly panting for breath. Les drew her senses away from the creatures one at a time. She heard the animals wandering off as they were released. The nydak was the last to go.

Les opened her eyes with a gasp and drew in several ragged breaths. "Why was that so hard? I could barely think."

"Your mind wasn't your own and neither were your thoughts. You shared it all with the animals," Manon explained. She offered Les a hand and pulled her to her feet.

"I heard voices last night. They sounded similar to you. Were they dead Nightsisters?"

"It's possible. Our souls are tethered to this place. We have spells that can even reanimate the dead for a time. Perhaps they felt your power and it drew them to you. Not even I understand it all."

Les stifled a yawn. "I imagine you have more work for me today?"

"No," Manon shook her head. "You can rest now."

They left the forest and reached the Shrouded Claw. Les wasted no time in going to her appointed cabin. She flopped onto the bunk and closed her eyes.

Sleep didn't come quickly. Les tossed and turned, images flashing in her head. Some of them were memories of her own. Others, she didn't recognize. Finally, sleep claimed her and with it came all of the nightmares she'd begun to fear.

Corellia: 18 BBY
"Mythos"
Nakoa Sen

Music hummed through the ship, catching his attention. Nakoa headed out of his room and found Les practicing her dancing. She smiled, spying him.

Nakoa leaned against a wall and watched her. Her steps didn't falter as she spun. She held out a hand a moment later. He grinned to himself and joined her.

They began dancing once more. Les wrapped one of his arms around her waist and leaned back against him. She closed her eyes. "Why did you do it?" She asked softly.

"Do what?"

"Why did you leave me?" Les pulled away from him, suddenly.

"I..."

"Why didn't you listen to me?" Her eyes became full of hurt. "You didn't give me a chance to explain myself."

"I was angry. I couldn't..."

"You could! You could have listened to me! You could have persuaded Oni to listen too, but you didn't. Instead, you just threw me away!" Her eyes flashed with fury.

Nakoa shook his head. "I didn't mean..."

"Oh, but you did! You never really cared about me. I never really meant anything to you, did I? How could I, when you cast me aside like those little street urchins? Take a chance on someone," she scoffed. "I should never have taken a chance on you."

Nakoa darted towards her as she faded from view. "Les, wait!" He kept running blindly. He tripped over something and crashed to the ground. Nakoa lifted his gaze and his mouth dropped open in horror.

Les coughed, blood gurgling from her mouth. Nakoa scrambled towards her, panic flooding his mind. She looked at him as she continued to choke. He lifted his hands to his head, unable to focus. She coughed again, before the light faded from her eyes. Nakoa lowered his hands. He was holding a blaster. His finger was still locked on the trigger.

Nakoa lurched awake and gulped down a breath. He swiped at his cheeks, but the tears continued to fall. He pulled his knees up to his chin and lowered his head.

"What do I do?" Nakoa whispered. He couldn't stop dreaming about her. He couldn't stop thinking about what they'd done.

"Nakoa." Oni tapped a hand on his door. "Ketei wants to see you."

Slowly, he slid off his bunk and grabbed his armor. He tugged his helmet on and left his room. Oni had disappeared again, as usual. Nakoa sighed, wishing for the days when their friendship had been whole.

He headed off the ship and quickly made his way to the storm pipes. Nakoa took back streets and alleys this time. More and more stormtroopers had been arriving on the planet lately. He couldn't help but wonder why.

Nakoa reached the covert without any issues, thankfully. He saw Drystan and Tilla headed to the target practice room. Nakoa waved, then continued to Ketei's chambers. He pushed the door open and found her hovering over her forge.

"You've been on Corellia for a while and yet I've seen very little of you," Ketei said, not looking up from her work. "What's going on?"

"Nothing."

She lifted her head. "I know you better than that, my son."

"I don't know what to do!" He exclaimed. Nakoa lifted his hands to his head once more and began to pace.

Ketei crossed over to him and grabbed his arms. "What's wrong?"

"She's a Jedi," he whispered. Nakoa yanked himself free of Ketei's grasp and slumped to the ground. "I found her lightsaber and we all argued. Oni and I..." he swallowed, guilt rising once more. "We just left her here. I don't know where she is anymore."

"Lesia?" Ketei asked, her voice full of disbelief. "She's a Jedi?"

"I don't know why I didn't think of it before," Nakoa laughed wryly. "It explains a lot but..." He looked up at Ketei. "Why did she lie to me?"

"The galaxy is a deadly place for Jedi," Ketei replied. She sat down next to him. "They are all marked as traitors by the Empire. Every day, they are hunted and killed. She probably lied to protect herself and you. Oni too, for that matter."

"But why? Didn't she trust me?"

"Nakoa, do not take it personally. Try to think about it from Lesia's point of view. You met her only a few months after the war ended. She'd been living on the run, hiding her true self from everyone. Oni didn't trust her and you didn't really either. If she had told you then, you would've left her without a second thought."

"Yeah, but what about now? After I told her how I felt?"

"Maybe she would have told you if she got the chance. Then again, maybe not. Jedi and Mandalorians were once enemies. Some Mandalorians still believe they are enemies."

"She was never my enemy." Nakoa closed his eyes. "What do I do?"

"What do you want to do?"

"I don't know."

Ketei placed a hand on his shoulder. "I think you do know."

"If I go after her, I risk losing Oni's friendship forever. Les probably wouldn't even speak to me anyway. Besides that, I have no clue where she is." Nakoa bit his lip. "But if I don't go after her, I'm going to feel this guilt for the rest of my life."

"It sounds like you have a choice to make," Ketei said. "I can't tell you what to do."

Nakoa managed a small smile. "Is this a choice I need to make in the moment?"

"I can't tell you that either. I don't know."

Nakoa sighed and stood. "Thanks anyway. Did you need something else before I go?"

"Just...talk to me if you need to," Ketei said at last. "And talk to Oni too. Maybe she too feels more guilty than you realize."

"Maybe." Nakoa left the room, still utterly confused.

Dathomir: 18 BBY
"Shrouded Claw"
Lesia Mirri

She didn't stay asleep for long. After waking up for the second time, Les slid off her bunk and joined Manon in the ship's galley. "I thought you would sleep longer," Manon said.

"I couldn't," Les replied. She grabbed a drink and sat down. After a moment, she asked, "How did you survive?"

Manon raised a brow. "You mean survive the attack on my sisters?" Les nodded. "Truthfully, I wasn't even on Dathomir when it happened. I wanted to explore the galaxy. Mother Talzin sent me away to monitor and report on what was happening in the galaxy. I missed my sisters, but I loved the freedom."

"I don't remember where I was when the attack happened. All I remember is feeling terrible pain and rage. I saw their deaths through a vision. My sisters were slaughtered by the Separatist general named Grievous." Manon's gaze grew dark. "I fell into my rage and despair. I became an assassin for people and I terrorized innocents. I killed and ravaged everywhere I went."

"How did you come out of it?" Les asked.

"I stumbled upon a Jedi Temple on Lothal," Manon replied.

Les quickly covered her surprise. I knew the Force was strong with that planet but I didn't know we had Temples there. She narrowed her eyes. We? No, I mean, the Jedi. I'm not a Jedi. She pulled herself out of her thoughts, realizing she'd missed some of Manon's story.

"...and I learned that I had been falling to the Dark Side of the Force," Manon continued. "I used the knowledge within the Temple to pull myself away from the darkness and balance myself. I was able to save myself."

"You use the Force, but not like I do...or did," Les replied.

"I use the Force to accentuate my senses. It helps me find danger as well. Otherwise, I use my magicks and such." Manon rested her chin in a palm. "Now I have a question for you. Why do you not consider yourself a Jedi?"

"Because I never wanted to be one." Les averted her gaze. "I'm sorry. I don't want to talk about it."

"Very well." Manon stood. "We should get back to work."

Les nodded and followed her. She lifted a hand to her forehead as soon as Manon walked away. Her temples throbbed with a headache. Les shook her head, but the feeling remained. Her thoughts were becoming murkier as her inner darkness grew.