Mnemosyne by Alec Solo
	She opened her eyes. For a moment there was darkness; then it cleared and she saw the ceiling of the room. She lifted her head and looked around. The surroundings were unfamiliar; she knew not where she was, nor who she was or why she was there. The only thing she remembered was a face... a strange face. One not normally seen on this world, or place, or galaxy, or ship, or wherever she was. For a moment the picture in her memory became fuzzy, then cleared. It was a long face, ruggedly handsome, with ice-blue eyes. It remained slightly fuzzy, and rightly so, for the face was covered with shaggy white fur. Somehow, though they did not show in the memory-picture, she knew that the face had sharp, white teeth, and powerful jaws capable of crushing bone like fingers snapping a twig. The face - which belonged to an unknown creature - whose connection with her she did not know. The creature, which lay dying on a planet many thousands of miles away... He opened his eyes. He could feel his breath sucking in and out of him like he was underwater. Punctured lung, most likely. Just what I need. Why do I get myself into these things? He rolled onto one shoulder and clawed at the ground, trying to get up to a crouching position. It was futile. His legs wouldn't work. He extended his adamantium claws. Two were gone, ripped out of his fingers; two more had broken off, their curved tips lost. They caused him no pain, at least none that he noticed. His head hurt enough to blot out all other pain. He dug his remaining intact claws into a nearby tree and pulled himself to his feet, but could not let go of the tree or he would have fallen back to the ground. What's happening to me? He let go of the tree; his legs buckled instantly and he crashed to the ground. His head hit the dirt and for a moment he saw stars. Suddenly the brunt of the pain hit him like a wave and he howled in agony. He reached out with both of his arms and clawed at the ground again, tearing deep furrows in the earth. He vaguely wondered why he felt disconnected, both there and not there, lying on the ground and yet somewhere else at the same time. Confused and afraid there, yet bruised and bleeding here. He stopped howling and lay panting on the ground for a moment. Then it occurred to him that he was dying. Dying... I'm dying... I'm dying! One of his trembling paws reached for the belt at his waist and tore feebly at it for a moment, finally managing to unclip the comlink and bring it to his mouth. Blood dripped on it. He stared. Blood dripped on it, from his mouth, from his nose. He stared uncomprehendingly. People who are dying bleed from the mouth and nose. He wiped off the blood. More dripped onto the comlink. He wiped it off again and activated it. "My name is.." He jumped, the harsh voice scaring him. Then he realized it was his voice. He spoke again. "If anyone can hear this, it's Fang. I'm hurt pretty bad." Bluntly he added, "I think I'm dying." A voice came back at once. He had trouble recognizing it for a moment. Something was wrong with his hearing... it was muffled and distorted. Maybe it was the comlink. The voice sounded worried. "Fang! Where are you?" He looked around for a moment. He didn't have a clue where he was. Then he saw a building in the distance. Someone had brushed against it and left a swath of blood on the wall where he'd been. Suddenly it was hard to breathe. "I'm near a building," he gasped. "Who is this?" "Don't you know me?" said the voice. He racked his brain for an answer. "No..." "It's Zora," said the voice, confused now. "Listen, just try to hang on until we get there. We're coming as fast as we can." "All right...Zora," said Fang. "I'll wait." Sudden pain lanced through his head. He dropped the comlink and pressed his paws to his head, trying to block it out. Suddenly he noticed that everything was fading, like a theatre with the lights going down. He opened his eyes wide, trying to keep the world from fading away. But the effort was futile. He could feel himself weakening, his life energy flowing out of him and into the ground underneath him, manifesting itself in a pool of blood.Slowly everything dwindled and went dark, and he could feel himself falling through a deep black void from which there was no escape. A thread... he realized. I am connected to this world by a thread... Suddenly she heard voices. "How is she?" said the first. She had trouble recognizing it for a moment. Something was wrong with her hearing... it was muffled and distorted. "Fine, as far as I know," said the second. "She hasn't made any noise." "Odd," said a third. "With her lineage, she should be screaming and kicking the walls." "She isn't like that," said the first. "He is, but she isn't. Things would be different if he were in there." She wondered who he was. She sat up on the bed, then wondered why her hair was so long and white. She fingered it. Odd. She knew she wasn't old, but her hair was as white as snow. Then she noticed her arm. It was a normal skin color, but at certain angles, it shimmered white. Then the door opened and a well-dressed individual with tanned skin, blond hair, and blue eyes walked in. She knew she should know who he was, but somehow his face wasn't registering in her mind. "Well," he said. "This is going well. At least you aren't hurt. That wasn't my main goal." "What...what was your main goal?" she asked uncertainly. "Don't you realize it, my dear girl?" he said, drawing close to her. "My main goal was getting you." "I..I.." she stammered. "I don't understand. Who are you?" He looked surprised. "Tess, is there something wrong?" "Tess?" she said. "That's my name?" The man spun around and barked, "I thought you said she was all right!" She winced at his harsh tone and scrambled backwards on the pallet. "Why am I here? Where did you take me from? Why are you-" her voice cut off abruptly as the man grabbed her arm and hissed into her face, "Tess, if you're playing some sort of game, stop it right now! It isn't funny!" "I-" she stammered. "Why are you-" "Tell me!" he shouted. "You're playing some sort of game, aren't you?" Suddenly she lost her patience and swung at him with her free hand, slapping the man hard across the face. "Let go of me!" she shouted. Surprised, he let go of her, and she lunged backward and hit the wall. Another man, this one a human, stepped into the room and said apologetically, "She must have hit her head during the fight. I'm sorry, Zekk!" "Sorry isn't going to cut it," Zekk snapped. She sat up, rubbing her head. Now she had another bump to go with the first one. She could feel pain...distant pain...and she didn't know where it came from. Her head ached. As the people raged, she thought suddenly of the creature... "How is he?" Zora asked. The doctor sighed. "Frankly, I've never seen a creature closer to death than that one. I did the best I could with the bacta, and I think he'll be fine. But he's suffered some neurological damage from that kick in the head, so he'll have to relearn some things. He's also suffered some memory loss, but it should all come back to him in a few days. I replaced his broken or missing claws with new ones. Just keep him in bed for a few days, then he could start learning to walk again. Just keep it slow." Zora nodded. "I understand." "Have you had any luck finding your daughter?" the doctor asked. Zora shook her head. "No, we're still looking." He nodded. "Ah. I wish you luck in finding her." Zora smiled. "Thank you." The doctor bowed. "I'll talk to you later. I must go and see to my patients." "I'll call you if anything happens," Zora said. "Farewell," said the doctor, and left. Zora stepped into the bedroom and walked to where Fang lay asleep in the bed. She sat on the edge and regarded him for a moment, then reached out and gently caressed the side of his face with her hand. The ice-blue eyes opened immediately and stared at her. "Hi," Zora said, smiling. He said nothing, but stared at her. Then he lifted one of his frying-pan-size paws and touched her face with it, running it down her cheek. "Zora?" he asked. She smiled. "Yes?" "How are Nemo and Terral?" he asked. She sighed and rubbed a hand across her forehead. "They're all right. Terral had a broken arm and Nemo got a mild concussion, but they're fine now. They're both pretty shaken, but Nemo's taking it pretty hard. He never expected one of his best friends to betray him like that." Fang nodded silently, saying nothing. "They're working on finding Tess now. Zekk can't have gotten far. We'll find her." At that Fang turned his head and stared at her. "Tess?" he asked. "Who is Tess?" She stared into his eyes. "Tess. Your daughter. Don't you remember her?" He shook his head miserably. She sighed. "Well, the doctor did say you'd had some memory loss." She reached over to the nightstand and picked up a framed holograph. "Here, this is her." She pointed to the white-haired girl. "That's her?" Fang said. Zora grinned. "Well, that was her five years ago. She's older now." Fang didn't say anything. "You're sure you don't remember her?" Zora asked. "You don't remember the attack, or the fight?" Fang shook his head again. "Nothing. I don't remember any of it. And I don't remember anything about Tess." "Try using the Force," she encouraged. Fang closed his eyes. Nothing happened. "Can you remember anything now?" she asked. He concentrated harder and tried again. Still nothing. He opened his eyes and noticed a small vase sitting on a stand across the room. He focused on it, tried to use his abilities to lift it. It didn't move. "I can't feel it," he said. "It's gone. I can't touch it. I've lost it. It's disappeared." "You...what's gone? What are you talking about?" said Zora, confused. "The Force," said Fang desperately, and tried to lift the vase again. It didn't move. It didn't even twitch. "It's gone. I can't feel it. It isn't there." "It's...gone? But I can feel it," said Zora, confused. "I can't touch it!" Fang said. Suddenly he lost his patience and swung with his free paw, swiping everything off the nightstand and barely missing Zora's face. "Let go of me!" he shouted. Zora dropped his other paw and jumped back as Fang lunged backwards and hit the wall. "Fang, what are you doing?" she said. Fang sat up, rubbing his head. Now he had another bump to go with the first one. He didn't seem to know that Zora was still in the room. He could hear her saying something. Was she raging? It didn't matter. Suddenly he thought of the girl... She stumbled down the hallway behind the blond man, Zekk. His fist gripped her wrist hard. "Where are you taking me?" she asked. He wouldn't answer her, just kept dragging her down the winding hallway that didn't seem to have an end. Pain shot through her skull, and she fell to her knees and clutched her head in pain. He's suffered some neurological damage from that kick in the head, so he'll have to relearn some things. I can't touch it! It's gone! Let go of me! Suddenly she saw a face, a woman's face, concerned and angry. Then it dissipated as Zekk jerked her to her feet. Finally the winding hallway ended and she saw a medical droid standing inside the room. Zekk pulled her ahead of him, then shoved her stumbling into the room. "Scan her!" Zekk snapped from behind her. She stood, silent, weaving, as the medical 2-1B scanned her. Finally it said, "She's suffered some neurological damage. She must have struck her head somehow." "Basic, droid," Zekk growled. The droid shrugged. "Amnesia. Common in head trauma. Should clear itself up eventually." White, furry face..sharp teeth... She turned to Zekk. "Who is the creature with the white face and shaggy fur? And sharp teeth?" "I'll tell you later," Zekk growled, and dragged her out of the room and back down the winding hallway. "What are you going to do to me?" she asked desperately. "Where are you taking me?" "I was going to marry you," he said roughly. "But now I don't think it would be a good idea. I don't want a wife who doesn't know who she is." "Then why don't you take me back to where I'm supposed to be?" she said. "Because your old man would kill me, that's why!" he snapped. "Now shut up and stop asking questions." "But where are you going to take me?" she demanded. "Somewhere where no one will ask you any questions. That's where." "But...but..why don't you let me go home?" she asked. "Why don't you tell me who I am? Or where I came from? You can't expect me to survive anywhere without knowing who I am!" He stopped and looked into her eyes. "I don't expect you to survive," he said flatly. For a moment she stared at him, at his face, at his blue eyes. He jerked her forward again, dragging her down the hall. She lunged against his pull, dragging him backward, fighting him. "Let me go!" she shouted. "I want to go back where I belong!" "How can you go back if you don't know where you belong?" he countered, hauling her forward. "I could if you'd just tell me!" "Yeah, well, I don't much like the idea of having my skin peeled off me when your father catches up to me. He'll never find me this way." "Who is my father, that you're so afraid of him? Some sort of criminal?" she demanded. "You probably deserve everything he'd do to you!" He slapped her across the face hard. "That's for slapping me earlier," he rasped. "I'm not afraid of your father. I'm not afraid of anyone." "Are you?" she asked. "You sure seem afraid to me. Tell me who I am." "You're Tess. That's all you need to know," said Zekk evasively, and jerked her down the hallway again. This time she didn't resist, but let him drag her back to the little room she'd woken up in and dump her on the cot. She rubbed her aching wrist and again wondered about the furry creature... "What did I just do?" Fang asked, his head a muddle of thoughts and feelings. "You tried to hit me," said Zora. "I think there's still something wrong. Maybe I should call the doctor." His head ached. "No, don't." "Fang, something's not right. I think it has something to do with the fight and Tess. You're sure you don't remember anything about the fight?" He shook his head. "No, nothing." Just then they heard the door slam, and someone walked in singing, "Particle man, particle man, doin' the things a particle can. What's he like? It doesn't matter, Particle man. Is he dark or is he a speck? When he's underwater does he get wet, or does the water get him instead? Nobody knows, Particle man." "Nemo, is that you?" Zora called. "Yeah, it's me," said the voice, and a moment later Nemo appeared in the doorway. "How are you, Dad?" he asked. Fang shrugged. "I'm fine, I guess." Nemo stepped into the room. "Is something going on?" he asked. "You look upset." Zora shrugged. "He says he can’t feel the Force." "It’s gone," said Fang. "I can’t touch it." "That’s odd," said Nemo. "It happened once to that Jedi named Callista. You know, Luke Skywalker’s old girlfriend." "What did she do?" Fang asked. Nemo shrugged. "I don’t know. She disappeared." For a moment they all were silent. "Maybe you should have Luke look at him," Nemo suggested. "He might be able to figure out what’s wrong." "Skywalker?" Fang said. "I don’t think so. I don’t like Skywalker." "That doesn’t matter," said Zora. "I think Nemo’s right. Luke would probably know something. I’ll call him later." She turned back to Fang. "You need to rest." Fang made no argument and leaned back against the pillow, closing his eyes. Who am I? His eyes snapped open. Why won't he tell me who I am? He closed his eyes again. Why doesn't he expect me to survive? Is he going to kill me? He dropped into sleep, his mind full of conflicting thoughts and dreams. Who is Luke Skywalker? Should I know who he is? They were near their destination, wherever it was. She could feel it. She didn't know what she had seen in this angry, selfish Zekk. Perhaps not anything. Maybe he had abducted her against her will. The object of her thoughts stepped into the little room carrying some clothing in his arms. He tossed it to her. "Put these on," he said. "The clothes you've got on now won't be any good where you're going." She fingered the tattered shirt she was wearing. "These will suffice." "No, they won't," he shot back. "Put the new ones on." She examined the elaborate, flimsy garments. "These are hardly clothes. I could freeze to death." He chuckled for the first time. "You won't have to worry about that where you're going." "Why?" she demanded. "Where are you taking me?" He paused at the doorway and glanced over his shoulder at her. "Tatooine." He turned to leave. "Tatooine? But-but that would mean-" Her face paled and she leaped off the cot, grabbing at Zekk's shirt. "No! You can't! You won't!" she cried. "I can and I will," Zekk said impassively, prying her fingers loose from his shirt. "This way you won't talk." "You slimy creep!" she snapped. "I wouldn't marry you even if I did know who I was! You don't deserve to get married! I hope my father finds you and peels the skin right off your cowardly back, you jerk!" He backhanded her across the face hard, putting all of his strength behind the blow and sending her flying across the room, a gilded ring on his hand ripping a bleeding gash in her cheek. She hit the wall and fell against it dazed. "No one talks to me like that," Zekk snarled and stomped out of the room. She curled up on the floor and touched her cheek, then looked at her hand. There was blood on her fingers, and her face stung. She tore a small piece of fabric from her torn shirt and pressed it to her face, hoping to stop the bleeding. Then she lay down against the wall, the side of her face to the ground, and closed her eyes. "I really don't know," said Luke. "I've got an idea of what it might be, but I'd have to do a search of his mind to be sure. But since Fang doesn't want me to do that, I can't." Fang glared at him balefully. "Don't get any ideas." "Fang," said Luke exasperatedly. "I won't do anything without your permission. I wish you'd get it through your head that I can be trusted." Fang said nothing. Zora leaned forward. "Fang, why don't you let him do it?" "I don't like people messing around in my head," Fang muttered. "He won't be messing around," Zora said. "Yeah, well, I still don't like it," the wolf growled. Luke leaned forward and put his hand on Fang's arm. "Fang-" "You slimy creep!" Fang snapped, grabbing Luke's arm. "I wouldn't marry you even if I did know who I was! You don't deserve to get married! I hope my father finds you and peels the skin right off your cowardly back, you jerk!" "Fang!" Zora shouted. The furious wolf thrust the Jedi Master away from him and suddenly flinched backwards. Then his eyes rolled upward in his head and he slumped to the floor unconscious. Luke got to his feet as Zora got off her chair and crouched at Fang's side. "I think I know what's wrong," said Luke. Zora checked Fang's vital signs, then sat back on her heels, apparently satisfied that her husband was alive, albeit unconscious. She turned her attention to Luke. "It's not for certain, but I think I've seen enough to verify what I thought was wrong in the first place," said the blond-haired Jedi. "He and someone else-most likely Tess- have a mental link between them." "A mental link?" Zora asked. "How is that possible?" "Through the Force, it can be done, but it's rarely attempted, since it can be dangerous or fatal if it isn't done right," said Luke. "My guess is, Fang realized that he couldn't fight off all those guys by himself and they were going to take Tess no matter what. He decided his only choice was to open a mental link and use it to find her later. The problem is, Tess apparently has amnesia and Fang has no memory of her, thus neither knew that there even was a mental link." "And since the link is still open, any particularly strong feelings either of them has are being transmitted to the other through it?" Zora asked. "Yes," said Luke. "Unfortunately, Fang must have made an error during the scuffle while he was creating the link. These sudden bursts of thoughts and feelings are damaging Fang's brain, and I'd say the same goes for Tess. It's a common problem, and if the link were closed now everything would be fine. If this keeps up the way it's been going, the damage could eventually kill them both. But we don't know where Tess is, and in order to find her, the link must remain open." "So we've got to find her as soon as possible," said Zora. "When he wakes up, I'll see if he can talk to her." "Be careful," said Luke. "Don't let him get too upset over anything. The less damage sustained to either of their brains, the better." Zora nodded. "I'll do that. Thanks for your help." Luke stood. "No problem. I'm glad I could be of service." He grinned wryly. "Maybe now he'll trust me." Zora grinned back. "Fat chance. He's set in his ways." Luke rolled his eyes. "I know that real well." He turned to leave. "Good luck finding Tess," he said. "If you need me to go along with you, let me know." "I'll remember that," said Zora. "See you." "See ya," Luke said, and disappeared out the door. Zora gripped Fang's powerful shoulders and pulled him up to the bed, laying him out on it as best she could. "Fang," she said urgently. "Fang!" Fang groaned and opened his eyes. "What..what..." he stammered. "Are you all right?" Zora asked. "I...feel...terrible," Fang muttered. "My head hurts..." He put a paw to the side of his head. "And I keep hearing voices..." "I know," said Zora. "Listen. Luke figured out what's wrong." Fang sat bolt upright. "He didn't mess around in my head, did he? He did! That jerk! I should-" "Stop!" Zora interrupted. "No! Luke wouldn't do that without your permission! I thought we made that clear to you! But that's not what I'm trying to say! What I am trying to say is-" "That we should go kick Luke's rear?" Fang demanded. "I'm all for it. Let's go!" "No," said Zora. "I'm saying we should go kick Zekk's rear." "Zekk?" Fang said, lying back down slowly. "But..we don't know where he is." "No," said Zora evenly. "But we could find out. That's what I'm trying to tell you. Luke says you and Tess have a mental link." "Mental link?" Fang asked. "But that would mean-" He paused for a moment. "That would mean I can hear her thoughts." Zora nodded. "And you can." "I can?" Fang asked. "Yes. The voices you keep hearing. Those are Tess's thoughts. You can hear her thoughts, and she can hear yours." Fang thought for a moment. Tess shivered and pulled her knees up against her chest, trying to keep warm. It was cold in that empty, sterile cabin. There wasn't even a blanket on the cot. She rubbed her hands together futiley, then used the flimsy clothes Zekk had given her to make a small pillow of sorts. Tess? Tess stopped what she was doing. Tess? Can you hear me? Tess glanced around the empty room. "Who's there?" she asked nervously, fearing that someone was playing a trick on her. I don't know if you can hear me, but it's Fang. Just..try to answer me. Think it. Tess looked around again. No one was in the room. Fang? she thought. Tess! He sounded relieved. Well, he didn't really sound relieved..but..well... Who are you? Tess thought. I...I'm your father. My father?! Yes. Don't you remember me? I..no. I think I've lost my memory. I can't remember anything. Well...I don't remember you either, but Zora tells me you're my daughter. I think we've both had some neurological damage from the fight. We were talking to Luke Skywalker, and- Luke Skywalker? Should I know who he is? Well, yes. He's a friend of the family. I saved his life once. Not that I'm glad I did it or anything. Don't you like him? No. He's a goody-goody Jedi Master. I don't like Jedi much. But that's not what I'm trying to talk to you about. Luke Skywalker says we have a mental link that I opened during the fight. I don't remember doing it, but I obviously must have if we can talk to each other like this. Oh..well..I don't remember it either. I don't remember anything. That's not important right now. Listen, do you know where you are? I...well..no. Do you know where Zekk is taking you? Yes...Tatooine. I think he's going to abandon me there somewhere. Kreth! Well...we'll try to find you. You can't be far from here. We'll catch up with you, Tess. Don't worry. "They're going to Tatooine!" Fang said. "We've got to find them before it's too late!" "Okay," said Zora. "Let's go." "We're here!" Zekk said, walking into Tess's cabin. She stared up at him from the cot. "What are you going to do to me?" she asked quietly. He smiled grimly. "You'll have to find that out for yourself." "My father will come for me," she said. "You'll see." Zekk chuckled. "Yeah? You don't even know who your father is." "Yes, I do," Tess said. "He's Fang the White Wolf, and he's going to track you down. And when he finds you he'll kill you." Zekk laughed nervously. "Right. And what makes you so sure?" Tess raised her chin. "This." She lashed out with one leg and swept both Zekk's legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the floor hard. "Ow!" Zekk wailed. Tess leaped off the cot and landed on Zekk's chest, pinning him down. Then she punched him in the face. "You'd better go make sure there's no one following you," she hissed, and pushed away from Zekk. The man got up and wiped blood away from his nose. "I wouldn't have done that if I were you," he snapped, and stepped towards her. Tess stumbled backwards and fell onto the cot. Zekk cocked back his fist, preparing to strike. Then someone shouted from the corridor, "Zekk! You'd better get to the cockpit!" "I'll deal with you later," Zekk snarled, then spun and dashed out of the room. "Power down your engines and prepare to be boarded," said the ominous voice over the comm. Zekk couldn't help noticing that what the voice said sounded exactly what an Imperial would say. Then the voice added, "And don't try any funny stuff, Idanian, or I'll take out your ship and you'll find yourself breathing vacuum." Now, that sounded like Fang. "Right, and kill your daughter," said Zekk sarcastically. "Yeah, almost." "I'd get her first," said Fang. "But I don't have to be on my ship to take out your ship." Zekk had just noticed that the voice hadn't issued from the comm when a large paw grabbed him around the throat from behind and squeezed. "I've been waiting to do this for a long time, Idanian," Fang's voice grated. "A very long time." Zekk's hand automatically went to his neck. Fang's paws were so big that one of them wrapped completely around his neck. Those paws were powerful enough to snap his neck with ease. Zekk drove an elbow into Fang's midsection, but the tall wolf didn't budge. "Enough standing around," Fang said. "Come with me." He dragged Zekk out of the cockpit and down the hall backwards, still holding him by the neck. Zekk dug in his heels and tried to stop. Fang stumbled a bit and Zekk stomped down hard on one of Fang's rear paws. He ground the wolf's toes underneath the heel of his boots. Fang let out a yowl of pain and let go of Zekk's neck. Zekk swung around to face him just in time to run into a powerful fist in the face. He reeled backward and saw Fang standing lightly, shifting his weight back and forth from front to back, with his paws up in a fighting stance. Zekk could clearly see the lightsaber hanging from Fang's belt. "What's the matter?" he taunted. "Why don't you use that lightsaber of yours? If I recall correctly, you're a devil with a blade." "That's none of your concern," Fang rasped, his face a mask of hate and anger. "Where's my daughter?" "Oh, but this is so entertaining," Zekk said, throwing a punch. Fang ducked and Zekk missed. "I thought Jedi weren't supposed to hate," he said, grinning devilishly. "I can see you'd love to tear my throat out about now." "I am not a Jedi!" Fang snapped, and lashed out with one paw, delivering a powerful hammer-blow to Zekk's face. Zekk staggered back and wiped blood from the corner of his mouth. "Ah, so you're a Sith then," he said, still grinning. "Don't make me kill you," Fang growled. "Ah, but what makes you so sure you can? Without the Force, you're practically helpless," Zekk taunted. Fang's eyes went wide and he lunged forward. Zekk hit him full in the face with one fist, but the wolf paid no attention to the punch and grabbed Zekk by the shirt collar. He swung the shorter human against the wall hard. The enraged wolf snarled in Zekk's face angrily, then cocked back one paw and prepared to punch Zekk's face. Tess was pacing around the room when the door suddenly slid open and a strange woman dashed into the room. "Who are you?" Tess asked. For a moment a pained look appeared on the woman's face, then it disappeared and she said quickly, "My name's Zora. You need to come with me." Tess stopped pacing. "Zora?" she said. "Fang-Fang said you were my mother." Zora smiled and nodded. "That's right, I am your mother. But hurry, there's no time to talk now. We have to get out of here." Together they ran from the room. Fang punched Zekk in the face with a crushing blow. Zekk sagged back, his nose broken and bleeding. Fang pulled back his fist for another punch. Zora led the way down the hall, with Tess following closely behind. They were joined by Luke Skywalker and Nemo, Terral, and Syndic. Fang hit Zekk again, and blood streamed from a cut on the man's forehead. The group rounded a corner and Tess saw first Zekk. He looked terrible. Fang grabbed Zekk's throat and prepared to crush it in his iron grip. Tess then saw a white blur and stared hard at it. "Dad!" she called. Fang was so consumed by anger that he hardly knew what he was doing. "Dad!" Tess called again, and froze. Fang stopped in mid-squeeze and looked at Tess. Everything seemed to stop. Fang stared at Tess for what seemed like an eternity. She did the same. Suddenly it all came back and Fang blinked once and shook his head to clear it. Tess stared at Fang. This was the face from her memory. All at once, she remembered who she was, where she was from, who her family was, why she was with Zekk, and everything else she had been wondering about. "Tess!" Fang shouted. He let go of Zekk and didn't seem to notice when the man slid down the wall to the ground. Tess stepped away from the others and moved towards Fang. He in turn stepped towards her quickly, and they embraced. She wrapped her arms around his chest, paying no attention to the blood spattered on his fur. "My sweet daughter," Fang said, running a finger through her long white hair. "I missed you so much." "I missed you too, Dad," Tess said. "Even though I didn't remember you, I still missed you." She buried her face in his thick fur, tears creeping out of her eyes. Together they stood hugging, and finally, in that quiet moment, Fang reached out with the Force and closed the mental link he had shared with his daughter. They didn't need it anymore. Then Zora and the others came up, laughing, and they all hugged together. What was once a broken, damaged family was now a complete, happy one once again. "Let's go home," Tess said, and they all agreed.