Self-destruct activated. Ship will self-destruct in T-minus ten minutes.

"It is time," Lee-Ara rasps, patting my back gently. Alarms blare from all corners of the starship, and everything glows red. "All is set."

I withdraw from Lee-Ara's embrace with great reluctance, turning around to survey the newly-wrecked carnage of the starship's interior. Loose wires hang from the walls like vines in the jungles of Kashyyk, while the surfaces themselves are battered and smashed. Red light blinks from the cracks, as if the starship itself is bleeding.

Haris stands off to the side, temporarily marveling in the wreckage. "It looks like a real fight, took place here."

"We'll need to smash it up even more afterwards." Lee-Ara pulls up the hood of her Sith cloak, gesturing to the communications chamber, the sole area we had left untouched. "But first, Master will not be pleased to hear from me."

Something inside of me stings to hear her refer to a Sith lord as her Master. For a split second, I recall Master Regra Varo, Lee-Ara's Zabrak mentor during her time in the Jedi Temple.

Probably dead thanks to Order 66.

The two boys switch on their lightsabers, standing at the ready. My stomach plummets when I realise that Arhan's blue laser now glows the demonic red of the corrupted. Haris's borrowed lightsaber, most likely Ara's, bears a similar hue. Lee-Ara squares her shoulders and starts to stride towards the room, but I catch her wrist.

"Ara," I say in a whisper, suddenly afraid to say it out loud. "Be careful."

Lee-Ara's plan is genius, but the line between success and failure is a thin one. If Senator Palpatine, or Darth Sidious as he goes by now, even suspects anything in the slightest, then our plan would fail, leaving us not only as exposed Jedi traitors to the Empire but also with nowhere to run.

Lee-Ara places her hand over my wrist and nods. Her pupils now gleam yellow with tears, but she turns away and heads straight into the communications chamber.

Ship will self-destruct in T-minus eight minutes.

The moment the door seals shut, Haris and Arhan leap into action.

Arhan attacks first, throwing Haris backwards in a brutal Force blast. Haris recovers and launches himself into the air with a yowl, lightsaber raised. Arhan blocks it and sends Haris flying across the starship.

"Whoa, you got a lot stronger," Haris whispers in horrified awe, his back against the wall.

Arhan winks at him, brandishing his red lightsaber with a cocky smile. Then he opens his mouth and bellows, "The Jedi's Code makes you weak! Join us, and you can be stronger."

Haris shakes his head with a grin. "Never!" he shouts back, getting to his feet and rushing towards Arhan. Their lightsabers clash in a flash of red as they swing and parry across the starship.

I scrabble towards the sealed entry of the communications room, pressing my ear to the door.

"Master, I have found the Padawans, but they... they are stronger than I predicted." Lee-Ara's voice comes out frantic, weakened and out-of-breath. The sound of the lightsabers shoom-ing reverberates around the vessel, no doubt adding to the credibility of Lee-Ara's lie.

Ship will self-destruct in T-minus six minutes.

"You look in bad shape. Those Padawans should have posed you no problems." A slimy, gruff voice replies. "With the way you took down your former Master, they are no match for you."

Ara took down Master Regra Varo herself?

I hear Lee-Ara's cloak rustle with movement.

"Regra Varo was already incapitated by the time I found him. I apologise for my incompetence, Master. Rest assured, the ship's self-destruct has been activated. I will complete my mission. The Jedi must die... at all cost."

I shudder upon hearing Lee-Ara's words, an echo of what the clone had said after executing Order 66.

I wouldn't be surprised if she stepped out and started Force-choking me right after. Ara is both a good liar and Force user.

"Go. Do not fail me."

The conversation ends, just like that. My mouth drops open in shock and anger, despite rejoicing that Darth Sidious bought Ara's deception.

How could he just say that? Does he not know that self-destruct would blow the entire ship to smithereens, along with his apprentice? And after all Ara has done for the dark side!

The sealed entry slides open, and Ara emerges, pulling more of her hood over her head to conceal her face. I approach her, ready to scream at the injustice of what I just heard, but she waves me away.

"I am not his most valued apprentice, only a defected Jedi he found 'too powerful' to be left alone . He has another. One we used to call Master Skywalker."

Master Skywalker... defected to become Darth Sidious's apprentice?

Lee-Ara, seeing the look on my face, adds, "Now he is known as Darth Vader."

"What?"

Ship will self-destruct in T-minus four minutes.

Lee-Ara whips around to where Haris and Arhan have stopped their lightsaber tango. "Haris, Joelle, you have to go. Force-jump as far you can before the ship detonates."

"And after that, no more using the Force," Arhan adds. "Force stealth is no use against the Empire, at least not with the level of training you have."

Lee-Ara's palms enclose my elbows. "Joelle, there are other surviving Jedi out there. Lie low, find them, and rebuild the Jedi Order. I have faith in you."

I pull her into another hug, Sith cloak and all. Her hood nearly falls off, but Lee-Ara adjusts it back.

"Remember me as who I was, Joey. Not the demon I have become. Remember Kela, Immorri, and our times in the Temple."

I hug her tighter as tears well up in my eyes. I do not let them fall. "I will never forget."

We draw apart, just as the boys end their own goodbye embrace.

By now, Arhan's eyes are fully yellow, and his face appears to have aged rapidly, yet Haris tugs him into another hug. Haris's eyes are red and tears flow freely down his face, but he does not stop to wipe them away.

"You are my brother, Arhan," he sobs. "For now and always."

"Babeng," Arhan sniffs, a tear sliding down his cheek. "Kau jangan buat aku nangis sia."

Ship will self-destruct in T-minus two minutes.

Everyone snaps to attention. Haris unwillingly withdraws from Arhan and moves to face Lee-Ara. "Thank you. For everything," he says, fingers wiping the tears on his face.

Lee-Ara nods. "I did what I had to. Take care, Johari."

Despite himself, Haris cracks a smile.

"Now go." Lee-Ara adds.

"May the Force be with you." Arhan says.

Haris takes my hand, both of us Force sprint out of the starship through the already-open hatch. Once outside and some distance away from the ship, we prepare to make the jump.

"Ready?" Haris asks me.

I do not reply. I turn around to face the starship, just in time to see Lee-Ara and Arhan's faces emerge. From afar, Lee-Ara's face seems scarred, but to what extent I cannot tell.

"Live well, Siti."

"I will."

I shut my eyes, turn my back on them, and make the jump.

☆☆☆

I land on my feet, sand whipping up in the air around me. I drop to a kneel in the sand, and from a distance away, I hear a loud boom.

That is when I begin to cry.

My vision blurs as tears form in my eyes. Drop by drop, tears fall from my face into the sand. I cover my face with my palms. My mouth opens in a silent scream behind them, unseen and unheard.

None of this is real, Lee-Ara is still alive, Kela and Immorri are waiting for us back in the Temple, Master will not be pleased with my tardiness, they're not dead, they're not dead, they're not dead...

Numbness spreads all over me, my emotions spiralling within. Fury, grief, relief, fear, and other feelings I can barely name swirl together in a storm that manifests in my tears and silenced screams. The Code I have lived by and practiced my entire life is too painful to recall to memory, and useless against the tornado that now rages inside.

I do not know what to feel.

"Jo?"

I pay no attention to Haris, choking on my sobs. Behind me, I hear him fall to his knees too.

Warm arms wrap around me, fingers brushing wild strands of my hair aside. Haris says nothing, only holds me as the tears continue to flow.

We kneel in the sand in silence for some time. Thoughts of sandstorms and possibly Tusken Raiders pop up in my mind, but I push them away in agony. I have no clue where we have landed, and I do not care anymore.

I shift my position a little to look at Haris. His eyes are shut; tears are streaming down his face. He does not move, his arms firmly enclosed around me. I move to wipe them away; at that exact moment, Haris opens his eyes.

His brown eyes carry sorrow, regret, and finality, locked onto my own. I rub his tear-stained cheek with my thumb, and he places one hand over my wrist.

"What is done... is done, Jo." His voice cracks, and more tears threaten to pour from his lashes.

Somehow, I manage a bitter laugh. "You don't have to reassure me, Mat Kucing."

"I know." Haris reaches over and wipes the side of my face with his free hand. I close my eyes and lean into his palm.

"Hello?" A male voice calls out. "Are you two alright?"

The two of us jerk apart and turn to look in the direction of the voice. A middle-aged man wearing homespun brown robes approaches, his arms held wide open.

"I mean you no harm. My name is Owen Lars."

☆☆☆

Haris and I follow Owen to his moisture farm without a word, only listening as he chatters endlessly.

"I saw the two of you a few yards away from my farm, and somehow I felt like you needed help."

"Thank you," Haris manages. I nod my gratitude.

"Mr Lars, do you know where we can find a ship... a ship off Tatooine?" I ask, holding in my reflex to jump back as Owen Lars stops in his tracks and turns around.

"I can take you to the nearest city, maybe Anchorhead, but it's already close to sunset now. You can rest at my homestead for the night, and I'll take you there first thing tomorrow."

Haris looks to me for agreement, and I nod.

Upon nearing his dome-shaped homestead, a young woman with her hair tied up in circular braids appears at the doorway. She holds a baby in her arms and wears a cautious expression on her face.

I smile at her, and she smiles back, but she turns to Owen Lars and asks, "Owen, who are they?"

Owen Lars swivels to us with a beam. "This is my wife, Beru, and my nephew Luke."

"I found them near the moisture farm. They looked badly in shape and I figured they needed a place to rest for tonight." Owen Lars adds.

Beru frowns, makes her way towards him and says in a low voice, "These are dangerous times, Owen. You know what just happened."

I raise my eyebrows.

She knows we can hear her, right?

Haris speaks up. "We mean no harm. We are... travellers. Without a ship."

Beru narrows her eyes at him and clutches baby Luke closer to her chest, as if we would steal the infant from her. Her gaze sweeps over our sand-covered tunics for a few heartbeats.

"Come in, then," she says finally before heading inside. Owen Lars shrugs at us, and the three of us follow her underground.

The homestead's interior is barely furnished, with dirty white walls and a patterned covering on its rounded ceiling. Beru hands Luke over to Owen Lars without warning and busies herself ladling soup out of a pot. Owen Lars settles into a seat at the oblong table, Luke gurgling happily in his arms.

I sit across Owen Lars, inching my chair closer to Haris's as he takes a seat next to me. Nobody speaks; the only sound in the homestead is Luke's babyspeak, the infant trying to form words he has not yet grasped.

Would I have gotten to hold my baby brother like that, had I not been taken to the Jedi Temple all those years ago?

"How old is he?" I ask innocently. The second the words leave my mouth, I realise my mistake. Owen Lars immediately looks uncomfortable, Beru throws me a cold-shouldered stare, and the air turns chilly.

My eyes widen and my mind scrambles for a cover.

Shittttt what do I say now?

"A few... months," Owen Lars replies with another shrug. "His parents couldn't take care of him, so Luke's staying with us."

Haris gently rests a hand over mine under the table. "He looks like, he will grow up to be a strong young man," he adds with a small smile. Unfortunately, his words only seem to unsettle the couple further.

Owen Lars coughs. "Of course, Luke will be helping out in the farm in a few years."

"Cream of Womprat soup and flatbread tonight," Beru approaches the dinner table with bowlfuls of brown slush and a plate piled high with slices of thin bread. She shoots a look at Owen Lars. "You're lucky I made extra."

She slides the bowls over to me and Haris. The soup is warm and its distinct aroma wafts into my nose. Instantly, my stomach starts to growl.

How long has it been since I last ate?

I turn to Haris to speak, but he is already tearing a piece off of a flatbread and dipping it into his Womprat soup. I pick up my own slice of flatbread from the plate, swirling it in the thick soup.

Beru pours a blue drink from a jug into our cups. "Have some blue milk."

"Blue milk?" Haris echoes, his eyes lighting up with childish delight. He grabs the cup and takes a sip. "It's delicious, and it's blue!"

Despite herself, the ends of Beru's lips curve into a smile.

She sits next to Owen Lars and gently takes Luke into her arms. "Luke likes blue milk too," she coos softly, eyes completely fixated on the baby.

I lift my gaze from the soup to see the scene in front of me. Beru cuddles Luke in her arms while Owen Lars looks on with a bright beam on his face.

Sure, they are sensitive about Luke's origins, but they love him like their own.

I soften at the sight, but a hand reaching for my glass of blue milk snaps me to attention. I slap Haris's hand away, the latter jerking back with a feline yelp. "I haven't even tasted it yet."

I flash the Lars a smile, both of them a bit shocked at Haris's cat display. "He does that a lot."

Owen Lars clears his throat. "Oh yeah, I haven't had the chance to ask you: what are your names? If you do not mind telling, that is."

Haris and I make careful eye contact with each other. I try to decipher his gaze, but all I see is unsettling brown eyes.

"Ris-man Tone," Haris replies, turning to face the Lars with a confident demeanor. He gestures towards me. "And this... this is JoJo Blinks."

I bite down on a piece of flatbread hard, attempting not to laugh. I nod along, sipping on blue milk to wash it down.

Beru makes to pour more blue milk into Haris's cup, then winks at us, clearly warming up to her unexpected guests. "So, are the two of you...?"

My mouth drops open and I start blinking like sand has gotten into my eyes. Haris scoops more Womprat soup onto his flatbread and responds nonchalantly, "They call us Johari."

"Also, Mrs Lars, your blue milk and Cream of Womprat soup is incredible," he adds, utterly oblivious to me sitting completely frozen next to him.

What... did he just say...?

Beru beams warmly at Haris, absolutely delighted. "There's more in the stove if you want, Ris-man. And please, call me Beru."

Haris throws me an innocent grin as I awkwardly spoon more soup into my mouth. Owen Lars chuckles at the sight, and even baby Luke erupts into adorable giggles.

☆☆☆

After dinner, Haris and I sit on a sandy ledge of the crater just outside the mouth of the entry dome, watching the double sunset of Tatooine's two suns.

Below us, the crater houses the courtyard that offers access to the rooms of the homestead. Beru had shown us our sleeping lofts, then promptly shooed us aboveground for the binary sunset before leaving to do the washing-up. Owen Lars had excused himself to tuck Luke into bed.

It is just the two of us, swinging our legs on the edge of the crater in silence as Tatoo I and Tatoo II set over Tatooine's horizon.

"It... has been a very long journey," Haris says hesitantly, breaking the silence. "From the Temple, to... here."

I do not respond. I stare at the binary sunset, one white like Kela's face tattoos and the other as yellow as Immorri's favourite Wookiee cookies. The sky is layered with purple, pink and orange, a sight Lee-Ara would have loved to see. "It feels like it was just yesterday that I saw them, in the dorms."

"Just yesterday that Arhan forced me out of bed to for the Council's summons," Haris adds.

"I never got to say goodbye." My chest constricts with pain, but the tears do not come. Instead, I gaze into the sunsets, placing my head into the crook of Haris's shoulder when he shifts nearer without saying a word.

If only-

"Ris." I straighten myself, turning to Haris, whose face is expressionless yet again. "What if we had never left the Temple? What if we had stayed on Coruscant? Would we have saved-"

"Jo." Haris puts a warm hand on my cheek, both of us fully facing each other now. His eyes lock with mine, intense and solemn. "Nothing, would have changed. What is done, is done."

"We have a new mission now." Haris says quietly, eyes burning into mine as he lowers his face.

"A new beginning," I whisper, unable to tear away from his gaze.

"A new beginning," Haris repeats, entranced.

"Tomorrow Owen Lars will bring us to the nearest city, where we can find a ship," I say, breath hitching as our lips inch closer. "Where should we go first, Mat Kucing?"

Without waiting for an answer, I yank Haris's face forward with both hands, closing the distance.

At first, Haris freezes, eyes wide in surprise. Then he leans in further, deepening the kiss.

"Wherever we want, my Wildcat," he murmurs against my lips. "Wherever we want."

A/N: Someone requested steam, and I delivered. And no, I'm not ready to write a kiss scene, so here you go, imagine the rest. I recall somebody saying she would be 'wild' so I based the last scene on that. As you can also tell, I lack experience in kissing and emotional stuff, which is why the scenes are severely tamped-down.

Star Paws: The Meow Awakens is officially complete, with just the epilogue to go. I might add an alternate ending pertaining to *cough cough* sugarplum_fairy03's special idea, but that will obviously be marked as Private.

Haris and Joelle's journey has ended, hope you enjoyed this... whatever this was, because I think the TCX Presents series is going to end here.

Signing off for the last time here,
Scarlet.