On the planet Sorgan, an isolated village of krill farmers was alive with activity. Many of the men and women were busy harvesting the blue krill, which had been flourishing ever since they had fended off the Klatooinian raiders that had been stealing their harvest. They could relax now, cutting down on their labor and the amount they fished while still getting by with plenty. It was better for the environment and better for the village, as tensions of making ends meet had vanished, and family and friends were now spending much more time together.

Omera's job today was helping sort through the krill. Sometimes they fished up sick or dying krill that couldn't be consumed or sold. Some krill pulled were too young and got thrown back to grow. After that, they were either sorted into exports, sold to the cooks, or processed in the smoke house. It wasn't very interesting work, but it was so much more enjoyable now that Omera didn't have to fear an attack on the village.

"Mom! Mom!" Omera's dark brown eyes broke from the crustaceans on the stone slab to see her daughter running towards her, smiling widely. "Mom! The ship! It's the Mandalorian!"

Omera's heart fluttered for a moment. She now noticed the roar of the engine above as she looked to the sky, where the Razor Crest was coming in for landing on the outskirts of the village. The Mandalorian. Almost everyone dropped their work at once. What an honor, their hero dropping in to visit them.

"Do you think he's brought the Child?" Omera's daughter inquired eagerly, practically bouncing up and down.

"I'm certain he has."

"Do you think he'll let him play with us again?"

"I don't see why not."

"Can we invite them to dinner tonight, mom?"

"Of course we can." Omera smiled at her daughter, wiping her hands across her clothes to dry them off. The village now buzzed loudly with chatter, the krill now forgotten as people looked curiously over to the ship. What was he doing, coming here out of the blue?

One individual that wasn't waiting to find out was Carasynthia Dune. One glance to the sky from the watchtower and she knew who was about to land. She descended quickly, making her way to the outskirts of the village where Din had landed. She was almost to the ship when the entrance ramp descended and the Mandalorian began towards her, the Child in tow inside his metal pod.

"Hey, stranger. It's been a minute." Cara smiled as Din stopped in front of her. She held out her arm, her hand angled towards Din's chest. He returned the gesture, their hands clasping together in a friendly embrace, before falling back to their sides. "Last time I saw you, you left me and Karga standing in the middle of nowhere on Nevarro. Come to make sure I made it home?" Cara teased light-heartedly as she began back towards the village. "So sweet."

Din walked quickly after her. He prayed she could perceive the worry on his face through the helmet as he looked at her. "I need your help."

Cara looked at Din in surprise, their eyes locking through the tinted glass for a moment. She and Din hadn't known each other for much longer than four months, and they spent much of that time in completely different systems with completely different priorities and concerns. Still, Din and Cara had a real connection, and she knew him well enough to know that the sense of urgency in his voice meant something truly serious must have happened.

She slowed to stop, not sure if this information needed the entire village as an audience. "What happened?"

"It's a long story we don't have time for so I'll make it short. About a month after we took down those Imperials on Nevarro, I met this woman on Tulth that got along really well with the kid. When I realized she was living on the streets, I offered her to come with me as part of my crew to find wherever the kid comes from." Din explained.

Cara's eyes searched their surroundings before glancing at the ship for a moment. "Where is she?"

"That's the problem. We were on Lothal for a job and I left them alone on the ship. I came back to an ambush- or what was left of one. I think Rian lured them away from the ship. Now Moff Gideon has her on Kijimi. I realize that this is just him baiting me there, but I need your help to get her back."

Cara nodded. "Okay."

Din tilted his head slightly in surprise. "Really? That didn't take a lot of convincing."

"Well, I know you're gonna go whether I go or not, so I might as well be there to cover your sorry ass." Cara shrugged with a sly smile. "When do we leave?"

"As soon as possible. I found a helmet she was wearing that was broken and bloody. We'll need to get to her quickly."

"Okay, medical supplies are on the checklist." Cara stated as she began quickly towards the village again. "I'm assuming the Child's not going?"

"I'd be an idiot to bring him- that's probably exactly what Moff Gideon wants." Din pointed out as he followed Cara. "I was hoping Omera would be willing to look after him while we're gone."

Cara snickered and shook her head. "If she was willing to adopt him before, I'm sure she's fine with watching him now."

~~~~~

As Rian's mind broke from a dreamless sleep, the first thing she realized was how bad her head hurt. Second, she was freezing- whatever surface she was laying on was rough and cold. Third, that she was a long way from home.

The last thing she remembered was being dragged onto a transport ship. By then, she had already began to feel nauseous and dizzy. She must have passed out shortly after. Rian reached her hand up tentatively towards her throbbing temple, lightly touching the wound. It wasn't covered, but it didn't feel super wet, and she could feel that her hair on that side of her head felt matted with dried blood. The bleeding seemed to have stopped, but without bandages. Her eyes snapped open in a panic. How long had she been asleep?

Rian pulled herself up slowly, she head spinning. Her leg's muscles screamed angrily and her chest shuttered with every breath- the run she had taken to lead the Stormtroopers away had really taken a toll on her body. Beneath her was a concrete floor. Her surroundings were dim- a couple faint ceiling lights providing the only light in her rather spacious holding cell.

Then, she noticed a tray on the floor a couple feet away- bread, a cup of broth, and glass of water. Rian lunged for it out of instinct- she quickly downed the water and devoured the bread. She attempted to not go so quickly with the broth, but she was hungry. So hungry, in fact, that she didn't really care that it was probably bone broth. At this point, she would have gladly eaten a slab of meat if that's what she was offered. She had almost forgotten what it was like to be hungry since she met Mando.

Mando. Rian held the cup of broth of her chest, staring at the floor, her eyes empty while her mind whirred with conflict. She tried not to hope that he would come for her. That wouldn't make any sense. His responsibility was the Child. He wouldn't risk leaving him alone while he came after Rian, and he certainly wouldn't bring him along. Besides, wherever she was had to be heavily guarded. Rescuing her was suicide. She pushed the possibility out of her mind the best she could, desperate not to get her hopes up. Still, the cold silence enveloping her made Rian long to be sitting in the cockpit of Mando's ship, the Child in her lap and the Mandalorian at her side, all three staring out at the endlessly, starry universe before them, full of possibilities.

Suddenly, there was light pouring in from the outside as the metal door slid open. Moff Gideon stepped through threshold, looking down at Rian with a vaguely satisfied expression. Two Stormtroopers followed him in, before the doors sealed them inside.

"Nice of you to wake up." Gideon stated, though his voice lacked any pleasantry. "You'll be happy to know that your friends haven't come to find you yet- or maybe that upsets you. Either or. How you feel about it matters very little in the long run."

Rian watched him with weary eyes. "Gee, thanks. I'm really feeling the hospitality."

Moff Gideon seemed to shrug off her comment. "In all honesty, I was originally going to try my hand with being pleasant with you. But no matter your original Imperial status, Sister, colluding with the enemy is treason. You need to help me understand why you were saving the Child by masquerading as Din Djarin, and you need to do it quickly."

Rian glared. "I don't even know who Din Djarin is."

Moff Gideon's eyes narrowed. "The Mandalorian."

Rian blinked. "Oh. I... didn't know that." She shook her head. "It doesn't matter what his name is. He's my friend. I protect my friends."

"Oh? So quick to abandon your years of training for two strangers? Why? Where did you disappear to, Inquisitor?" He tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing. "When you were left on Malachor 11 years ago, you would have happily slaughtered both of your "friends" where they stood."

Rian's upper lip curled slightly at the thought. "Stop calling me that. My name is Rian. I don't know what an Inquisitor is, I don't know what Malachor is, and I would never kill Mando or the Child. End of story."

Moff Gideon seemed to consider her statement for a few seconds, weighing her words as he began to walk around the room, slowly circling around Rian. "Hm. Perhaps that is the end of the story. But... I'm beginning to suspect that you don't quite remember where you started. Of course, assuming you're not just playing dumb." He paused briefest, before continuing. "What's your oldest memory, Rian?"

Rian blinked at the question. "I... was on a transport ship. A group of people were transporting me to a home on Tulth."

"And how long ago was that?" Moff Gideon asked.

Rian's heart began to race slightly as she realized her memories and Moff Gideon's previous statements did connect in one aspect. "About... 11 years ago."

"Interesting. Let me think for moment." Gideon muttered, before addressing the soldiers as he approached them. "Jog my memory, weren't there Jedi in the Battle of Malachor?"

"Three, sir. Kanan Jarrus, Ashoka Tano, and Ezra Bridger."

"Three? I suppose..." he smiled slightly as he realized Rian was staring at him with nervous anticipation, before he looked to the Stormtroopers. "Did either of you bring the weapons I requested?"

"Yes, sir." One of the Stormtroopers presented the blaster and what appeared to be the handle to a sword.

"Lay them in front of her."

The Stormtrooper placed the weapons in front of Rian.

"Pick a weapon."

Rian's brows furrowed in confusion. "Why?"

"You have five seconds to choose. And to choose nothing is suicide."

Rian instantly grabbed for the handle. She recognized it from the nightmares that haunted her at night.

"Interesting." Moff Gideon commented, his face hiding any emotion. "While you were recovering from your endeavors on Lothal, I debated on whether I should interrogate you on your intentions, or test your skills to see if you are worthy of becoming my new apprentice." Moff Gideon explained. "I decided both would be more effective than one or the other. This should show me whether or not you're telling me the truth and assess how much of your training you've retained."

The doors opened again, and a snarl ripped through the air as a Stormtrooper entered, holding a raging Anooba at bay. Rian's heart began race as she realized what was about to happen. She fumbled to activate the weapon. When it finally did, a brilliant red laser sprouted out from the sheath, the handle seeming to hum in Rian's hand.

The Anooba was upon her a second later, sinking its teeth into calf of her left leg. Rian yelled out in agony, kicking at the creature with her prosthetic leg. She struck it hard in the ribs, causing it to slide away a couple feet, taking a chunk of her flesh with it. She crumbled around the pain- a weakness the Anooba tried to take advantage of as it lunged for her throat. With tears in her eyes, Rian swung the sword across at the creature, cutting right through it's flesh and bone of it's skull. It feel on top of Rian, limp and steaming.

"Why did you make me do that?" She demanded angrily as she wriggled out from under the Anooba, both the searing pain in her leg and the sadness at having to kill an animal causing tears to roll down her cheeks.

"I thought you said your oldest memory was the transport ship to Tulth, Sister." Moff Gideon shook his head. "But you seem to remember how to use a lightsaber."

He looked to one of the Stormtroopers. "Retrieve the weapon." As the Stormtrooper approached, Gideon turned back to Rian. "The Force is a fickle thing, isn't it? Those Jedi on Malachor suppressed your memories, but the past still lingers in the depths of your subconscious."

"Drop your weapon." The Stormtrooper commanded. Anger was boiling over in Rian now. There was no compromising.

"Drop your weapon." She spat mockingly, though there was no laughter behind her tone. For a split second, the air around her surged with energy. She knew just where to move her lightsaber to block the blaster's shot.

"It makes sense that the Jedi would need to go to such extremes to subdue you. You master trained you mercilessly for years, and the Inquisitor guard shaped you into nothing but a hollow, killing machine." Gideon's words were harsh, but he seemed to be enjoying himself as the other two Stormtroopers converged on Rian. "Do you remember your master, Sister?"

"No!" She shouted in a shaky voice. She was now blocking an onslaught of blaster shots. She was rusty, however, and distracted by pain and Gideon's words. Several blaster made it past her lightsaber. Luckily, Stormtroopers were just as bad at hitting a close-range target as any other, and only a couple blasts actually struck her.

"I don't believe you."

"I don't know his name!"

"But you remember the punishments he dealt for your failures, do you not? I imagine you still have the scars on your back to prove it!"

"Stop it!" She screamed. One of the Stormtroopers got too close, and she sliced him down with the weapon.

"And I'm positive that if you don't dream about the agony of your training, then at the very least, the image of massacred children at your feet rears its head at night!"

Energy surged around Rian again as she willed for the Stormtroopers to get away from her. She flung her arms out, as if pushing some invisible force, and the Stormtroopers flew back. There was nothing in between her and Moff Gideon now. Her entire body felt like it was on fire. She wanted so badly to shut Moff Gideon up, but she stayed still, a small voice of reason in the back of her mind reminding her that she would lose that fight.

"It's such a tragedy the Emperor let you escape with your life all those years ago. Mercy doesn't suit his style- he certainly didn't show any to your parents. I think he thought he could save you for a later purpose, but alas, you are lost." Gideon hissed. "The Jedi have broken you. Time and ignorance have made you weak. When I last saw you, you wouldn't have hesitated to skewer Din Djarin through his helmet and split him open down the middle."

Rian began shaking violently, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Don't." She warned in a strained voice.

Moff Gideon only smiled, grabbing a weapon from his belt- it appeared to be the handle of another lightsaber. "And you would have left the Child laying at your feet in seven different pieces-"

That's when Rian lunged. Of course, Gideon had known that would be her last straw. He ignited his own lightsaber- a black lightsaber with an odd, curved shape- and blocked Rian's strike. The collision created a blinding flash of light. Rian stumbled, slipping on her own blood that coated the floor in a thin layer. She now only had time to block Gideon's attack.

She was slow and sloppy, her skills unrefined, her arms trying to perform muscle memories that were long unused. Moff Gideon was quick, powerful, and succinct with his strikes. This was something he been training for for a long time. This only confused Rian further. Was Moff Gideon a Force-user? Why did he have a lightsaber? And why was he so good at fighting with one?

He took a jab at her. Rian managed to duck, but slipped on the floor again. She dropped her saber in order to catch herself with her hands. She panicked as she tried to scramble out of his range, but he loosened his arm and took a wide swing at her back. He sliced through the hair, armor and clothing at her side, striking her rib cage on her right side. She screamed, instantly dropping to the floor as she grabbed at the wound. It was hot and steaming, with very little blood. The pain was agonizing. She suddenly couldn't catch her breath.

Gideon deactivated his saber and collected Rian's as the two remaining Stormtroopers yanked Rian off the floor. "I suppose that's the end of this then. But, dead or alive, you're useful to me. I had thought you had potential to replace my current apprentice... but I think that would be a poor choice if you're memory ever returned in full." He smiled as he grabbed her face in one of her hands. She was too focused on trying to breath to fight it. "Besides, it's only poetic that you die, as you were supposed to all those years ago.

"Take her to the extraction room. I want her Midichlorians." He directed the Stormtroopers. "However, if the Mandalorian arrives and she isn't dead yet, I want to execute order 8756."

"Operation... Trojan, sir?" One Stormtrooper asked in an unsure voice.

"Is that a problem?" He growled.

"No, sir! Order 8756 will be executed without delay should the time come, Moff Gideon." The other Stormtrooper piped up to save his comrade.