Before - Legends The Blue Side of the Force: Book I- Complements (6/14 -An unknown planet and an ACTUAL NEW CHAPTER)

All right, the game is up. I thought it was up yesterday, but the school network has been buggy and apparently didn't post this.


Well... Happy April Fools, all.


I'll have the real chapter for you as soon as I can- my weekend seems to be mostly booked, but I'll try to squeeze some quality writing time in there just for you.

And, for those of you who really liked this chapter (and I don't blame you- I've gotten oddly attached to it myself), fear not! I'm not going to abandon this plotline, since it's raised an awful lot of interesting questions for me. So... someday, when I have a bit more time on my hands, I fully intend to flesh this out as an AU, branching off into its own story. But, in the meantime, I have a binary search tree to implement, colloquium papers to read, and internships to stew over. Yep, college sure is the best time of your life.

 

A-ha, haha...haha...ha...

 

Too bad I'd actually become oddly attached to it too.

You certainly had me going though. I look forward to the real chapter.

 

bah i shoulda known great job getting all of us going! it was a nice little "what if" though! i'd love to see you pursue it! but AFTER you give us the next REAL chapter of this at least!

 

Ahhh!!

My first reaction was, "Carth is dead?!?!?!?!?!!?!?" And I kept thinking, that can't be right! How can there be Carth/Leiraya love if he's dead? Maybe he'll come back to life. Yeah!

Well, at least he died with someone by his side. Now you hurry up with that real post, okay?

 

I'm late to the party.
Really late.

But, I'll add to it. "YOU KILLED CARTH?!?!?!?"

Ha! you got me.

You sneaky sneak! You really are evil!

 

Wow. That was one part cruel, one part frightening, and two parts double awsome. Sorry that it took me half a month to discover that you had preformed the greatest April's Fools Day joke on me for this year, nicely done.

Impressive, oh, and a nice bump upwards for new readers.

 

c_ale: You know you'll look back on this and laugh.
kotorchick: Fear not, I really am going to save this for an AU at a later date. But I don't want to spoil any of my plot points too soon, so it's going to have to wait.

obi_webb: I must admit, seeing the anguish was oddly satisfying. One of those schadenfreude things, I guess.

Jade_Solo: Ressurrecting characters is against my policies. I'd have to shoot myself if I ever did that, and then you'd never get to read the end. Plus, I kinda like living.

oqidaun: *points and laughs* Yes, I really am evil. My Master has taught me well. [face_evil]

Jedi_Rike: *bows* I'll have to work hard to top myself next year. But I have a long time to plan ahead. Bwahaha....

And now, since you've all been so patient, I finally have the real version of Chapter 16. School really ate me alive last semester, but it's over, and now I'll have a bit more time on my hands. Writing does indeed feel very good.

Chapter Sixteen: Okay, it's for real this time.

Aiden stood, dumbstruck for several seconds. Malak? Why would he be even remotely interested in him? Well, he supposed that the whole Star Map thing might have influenced Malak’s ire, but his escape from Taris, of all places, should have been of no consequence to the Sith Lord. Bastila, he could understand, but she was back on the ship.

Wasting no more time, he hastily pushed his assailants back with the Force, using the few seconds it bought him to draw his lightsaber. Numerically, he had the advantage, though he wasn’t sure how much use Leiraya was going to be, between her pacifistic streak and her injury.

Even as the thought crossed his mind, he saw one of the trio advancing on her, likely going in for the easy kill first. Aiden prepared to rush to her aid, but much to his surprise she dropped her crutches and did a back walkover, landing on one leg as she used the Force to send her crutches flying in the face of the Sith. Distracted, he fell backwards, and Zaalbar hit him with a quick blast from his crossbow. One down.

The leader turned his attention on Aiden, his aura seeming to toe the line between rage and mere irritation. Of course, having one’s henchmen taken down by the only injured person present had to be embarrassing, so he supposed it only made sense. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do about the other irritable-looking Sith, but was fortunately spared from making any decisions when he saw him rise gracefully into the air, spinning about like a leaf caught in a mild tornado. Must have been Leiraya’s work again, but he had to turn his attention fully to the Sith who was attempting to separate his head from his shoulders by any means possible.

He had decided quite some time ago that he wasn’t such a fan of these Sith characters.

Trading blows back and forth, they danced about, jumping over stray vines and insect carcasses that littered the walkway. Carth had strategically placed himself behind a pile of crates, blasting at whatever he could hit. He managed to quickly shoot down the spinning Sith, and tried to aim shots at the leader that would not end up hitting Aiden instead of their intended target.

Between Carth and Zaalbar shooting, Leiraya’s Force tricks, and Aiden’s swordsmanship, the lead Sith was hopelessly outnumbered. It was not long before he too went down, ending the brief skirmish before any major damage was done.

Leiraya levitated her crutches back to her and looked at Aiden sourly. “Well, that was fun.”

“You looked like you were having more fun than the rest of us,” Aiden commented. “I didn’t know you could move like that.”

She shrugged. “Dancing was a big part of my combat training.”

“Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me.”

“Is anybody else wondering what the hell just happened?” Carth queried. “Because I’m at a loss.”

“Malak must have known we would go looking for the Star Maps.” Aiden furrowed his brow. “I don’t know why he’d jump to that conclusion, though.”

“And he was mad that you escaped Taris,” Carth frowned. “Is there something you’re not telling us?”

Aiden looked slightly startled. “What are you trying to imply? That I have some secret undercover connection to the Sith?”

“I’m not implying anything,” he replied tersely. “But you have to admit that it is strange that you’re the one he’s interested in. No offense, but both Bastila and I were much higher profile than you.”

“Well, my identity on Taris wasn’t exactly a secret.” It was true enough; he’d been forced to enter in the biggest swoop race of the year in order to win Bastila’s freedom. That sort of thing was important to the Tarisian population, so he’d gained a sort of celebrity status on the planet.

“True,” Carth conceded. “But, it still doesn’t make sense.”

“Look,” Aiden sighed impatiently. “Would you be happier if I declared myself to be your enemy? Because you seem to be really wanting me to.”

“No, I don’t.” Carth shook his head and sighed. “I really would like to believe that this is just a string of coincidences. But I don’t want to be surprised by anything nasty, and that means I have to ask these questions.”

“Believe me, if I knew the reason they were so interested, you’d be the first to know.”

“And as much as I enjoy this attempt at trust building between team members,” Leiraya looked pointedly at the darkening sky, “We should probably get moving. I’d hate to see what frequents this walkway after nightfall.”

“[She is right,]” Zaalbar concurred. “[The more predatory insects will come out after dark.]”

“Then let’s move,” Aiden started forward. “I’ve done quite enough fighting for one day.”

“Agreed,” Leiraya nodded. Carth still looked dissatisfied, but he nodded his assent and followed. There were times when argument was just not the best solution.

And they had a long distance to cover before dark.

* * *

It was just past nightfall when they reached the village, relatively incident free. There was a skirmish with a falling vine that Aiden mistook for some strange form of insect wildlife, but he effectively dismembered the offending plant before it could threaten the lives of his crew.

It would be nice, he reflected, if all problems could be so easily solved.

This feeling intensified as he saw the glares of the Wookiees. It was abundantly clear that off-worlders were not welcome, even if they were supposedly the defenders of peace and justice in the galaxy.

Zaalbar noticed his discomfort. “[They cannot tell the difference between one off-worlder and the next],” he said softly. “[To them, humans are all slavers. You will not be well-recieved.]”

“Oh. Great.” Aiden sighed inwardly. The last thing he needed was a bunch of angry Wookiees after him. A few Sith were defeatable. A whole village of Wookiees, however, would be a bit more challenging in a way that would likely end up with him being dead if he tried to resist. “You don’t suppose they’ll talk to me, do you?”

“[You can try,]” Zaalbar gestured towards a large hut in the centre of the village. “[The leader of the village resides there. He will be the one you will have to speak to.]”

Nodding, Aiden headed towards the hut, fervently hoping that whoever was in charge would at least hear him out before writing him and his crew off as slavers. The thought of anyone mistaking Leiraya for a slaver was amusing enough to tug at the corners of his mouth, but he was far from certain that the patriarch of the village would have any reason to know the difference between an activist and a slaver.

Looking as confident as he could manage, he pushed the wooden door open, revealing a large space with several Wookiees standing about, flanked by humans and Twi’leks clad in Czerka Corporation uniforms. What in all nine Corellian hells...

“[Chuundar...]” he heard Zaalbar softly growl. “[You have not changed.]”

The central Wookiee stood, striding forward purposefully. “[Zaalbar. I would not have thought you to be so foolish as to actually return.]”

“[It was not my wish,]” Zaalbar growled. “[I owe this off-worlder a life debt, and his mission brought him here. I am merely a guide.]”

“[Did this off-worlder know what you are?]” Chuundar looked mockingly at Zaalbar. “[Honoring a life-debt is surprising for one of your kind.]”

“[Do not speak to me so,]” Zaalbar roared. “[You know as well as I do why I was exiled.]”

“[Yes, I do, madclaw.]” Chuundar sneered. “[And you know what the penalty of your return is.]”

“[And you know what the requirements of a life debt are,]” Zaalbar shot back.

“[Yes, but does he?]” Chuundar caressed his bowcaster. “[I doubt he would know the difference if I decided to deviate from it.]”

At that, Aiden decided he’d had enough. “Excuse me? I can understand everything you’re saying.” Chuundar looked displeased, but he stopped talking. “And I’m not about to let you kill Zaalbar. He owes me his life, therefore you cannot take it from me.”

“[Then you should not have brought him back,]” was Chuundar’s biting reply, but he looked thoughtfully at the band of off-worlders. “[Unless...]”

“Unless what?” Aiden asked suspiciously.

“[There is a madclaw in the Shadowlands. He is disturbing those who go down to do honourable hunting. Most say he is utterly mad.]” He paused. “[If you would be willing to dispose of this honourless creature, I might be willing to let you go.]”

“Only if I get to bring Zaalbar with me,” Aiden stated firmly.

Chuundar, however, would have none of it. “[No. If you wish to keep his life, then you must earn it without his assistance. You and your friends will go alone. Grrawbeck will see you to the elevator.]”

“At this hour?” Aiden looked out the window at the now completely black skies. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

“[I see you have a lightsaber, as does one of your companions. This means you are Jedi. I trust you can handle yourselves.]” Chuundar’s eyes held a menacing gleam. “[The alternative is much less pleasant.]”

Recalling his dread of fighting off an entire village of Wookiees, Aiden acquiesced. “All right, then. Lead on...”

 

Heh. Nice seeing the Sith disposed of, there. And a madclaw down there? Not good. Aiden better be careful. Real careful.

 

Nice Carth-not-dying update.

Yay, we're almost to Jolee!

 

Nice use of crutches in a fight. I'd never thought about it, but somehow the whirlwind force trick seems entirely appropriate for a hippie jedi.

?And as much as I enjoy this attempt at trust building between team members,? Leiraya

Great update!

 

ah, so that was how the fight was supposed to go, huh? great to see you'll have more time to write for awhile! the fight scene was very well done. it's a bit tricky to write fight scene like that (for instance, what to do with carth, the guy with a blaster, in a lightsaber fight) and you handled it very well, no suprise

i liked the bit of carth being suspicious. and i really look forward to jolee getting into this story! your take on him should be priceless

 

Striker: Aiden's always careful.

princess_of_naboo: Yeah, I prefer Carth being not-dead, too.
Lovely-in-Orange: I will always hold that crutches are a legitimate weapon.

obi_webb: yes, this is the real version. And Jolee is almost here, too. I love Jolee.

So, the wait is over! And it was a short wait this time! For your reading pleasure... the next chapter.

Chapter 17

The elevator that was to take them down to the Shadowlands was massive. Of course, anything designed with Wookiees in mind tended to be so, but the railed platform could easily hold a small dance company. They were wordlessly shuffled aboard, and a sour-faced Wookiee who didn’t even bother to introduce himself flipped a series of switches that caused the vines holding the elevator to slowly lower them through the trees.

Leiraya peered over the edge. “I can’t see the bottom.”

“I think we’re going to be here for a while...” Aiden sighed. “I don’t like this.”

“Neither do I,” Carth agreed. “But we don’t seem to have much of a choice, do we?”

“No, we really don’t.” Aiden fell silent.

After several minutes, and with the bottom still not in sight, Carth decided to make conversation. “So, Leiraya... you have dance training?”

“Yeah, my Masters thought it would be a good idea.” She shrugged. “I didn’t mind it at all, and might have done it anyway. Kylan wasn’t quite as thrilled, though.”

“Why not?”

“We were sixteen years old when his Master made him start dancing. He was tall, awkward, and didn’t want to be there. Fortunately for him, it was a more social form of dancing and less formal. He got to the formal stuff later, but Master Louis knows what he’s doing when it comes to training.” She smiled at the memory. “I’ll never forget the first time he came dancing. I think I might have talked his ears off. We hadn’t really met before, but we sort of knew each other by virtue of proximity.”

“I remember mandatory dance classes,” Carth reminisced. “Most of the guys hated them.”

Leiraya’s eyebrows raised in amusement. “You had to take mandatory dance classes?”

“Oh yes. Standard military training, should any of us be required to attend a formal event. Etiquette, proper attire, and all the standard dance moves.” He grinned ruefully. “I wasn’t great at it, but it was fun.”

“Did you ever have occasion to actually use this training?”

“Of course,” he smiled at the memory. “The University of Telos hosted an annual formal for its students.”

“University?” Leiraya echoed. “Colour me impressed, I didn’t know you had a degree.”

“Mechanical engineering. Learned how to pull a starfighter apart and put it back together so that it worked three times better. Military paid for my education, and in return,” he gestured grandly, “I became an amazing soldier for them.”

“And a handy one at that.” Leiraya observed. “So you can pull a starfighter apart, and then waltz around the pieces?”

“Something like that.” Carth chuckled. “It’s been a long time, though.”

“I’d offer to change that, but you’ll forgive me if I refrain from dancing at the present,” Leiraya gestured towards her still swollen knee. “It’s holding up, but that fight wasn’t doing me any favours.”

“You realize that makes Bastila right,” Carth pointed out. “You probably should have stayed on the ship.”

“And miss this fabulous display of greenery? Never.” She shook her head. “I’ve never seen trees like this in my life, and should we survive the giant insects, I think the Shadowlands will be a positive experience.”

“You just keep thinking that when the Kinrath start bearing down-“

“We’re here.” Aiden interrupted the conversation. Sure enough, the platform was hovering a mere few feet from the ground. “Anybody have a glowrod?”

Leiraya rummaged around in her ever-present shoulder bag for a few moments, and produced the small device, handing it to Carth. From her belt, she unhooked her lightsaber, igniting the emerald blade.

Aiden raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you use that thing as a glowrod.”

She merely shrugged. “Fine, I won’t tell you.”

Sighing, he stepped off the platform, now firmly on the ground, and ignited his own blade. “The things you learn from your crewmates...” he trailed off, noticing that there was a campfire right in front of them.

Carth immediately had his hand on his blaster, scanning the area for possible threats. Leiraya also looked warily about her, not feeling in a terrible mood for more fighting. The sound of boots on dried leaves made them all spin around. There, dimly lit by the flickering flames of the campfire, stood Calo Nord.

“Well, what have we here?” the stocky bounty hunter smirked, blaster pointed directly at Aiden.

“I thought you were dead,” Aiden said flatly. Usually, falling durasteel girders were more than enough to kill a person, and that’s exactly what had happened to Nord during the destruction of Taris. Clearly, this was not always the case.

“I’m hard to kill,” Nord shrugged. “Certainly by the likes of you. Now, what do you suppose an upstart Jedi would be doing wandering a place like Kashyyyk? Hardly seems like standard procedure for the Council to send someone like you out. You weren’t even toting that saber last I saw you.”

“Do you really think I’m going to tell you what I’m doing here?” Aiden snorted derisively. “You must be dumber than you look.”

“Now, there’s no need to be insulting. I just came here to settle a score. Nobody escapes me.” Nord’s tone darkened. “And that’s a statistically provable fact.”

“If you couldn’t get me last time, what makes you think you can now?”

“First of all, you had luck on your side on Taris.” Nord shrugged. “Second of all, I never make the same mistake twice.” Wasting no further time, he threw a flash grenade on the ground between him and the trio. The effect was to temporarily blind his opponents, which his opacity-adjusting goggles prevented from happening to himself.

Aiden immediately reached out into the Force, trying to sense where Nord was. He felt a flurry of shots coming at him, and he had to quickly raise his saber to block them.

Nord wasn’t lying about his record- Aiden had heard more than once on Taris of the notorious bounty hunter. His stature was below average, but he was arguably the most deadly man in the galaxy. Well, aside from possibly Darth Malak, but there were some who wouldn’t even place their credits on that bet. Calo Nord fought his way to the top from practically nothing, and there were few things that could stop him.

Aiden could only hope that he and his friends were enough.

Carth had his blasters out almost immediately, and he took cover behind a large tree root. Leiraya, on the other hand, merely looked somewhat irritated and created a Force barrier between the trio and the bounty hunter. The blaster bolts reflected off it, but both she and Aiden knew it would not last long. Reaching into her ever-present shoulder bag, she pulled out a small smoke grenade and tossed it into the ground between Nord and Aiden. It was impossible to see anything through it, but Aiden didn’t need sight.

He deactivated his lightsaber. Reaching out with the Force, he sent the saber spiraling to where he could sense the bounty hunter’s presence, turning it on when he felt it was near enough. He heard a grunt and a thud, and the blaster bolts stopped. He still couldn’t see anything, but his senses confirmed the kill.

Calo Nord had taken a fatal hit.

Letting out a breath that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, he called his lightsaber back to his hand. It had been a short, but intense battle, and he hoped fervently that they would be able to avoid any more such battles for a long time.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen fighting like that,” a voice came from behind him, belonging neither to Leiraya nor to Carth. It was low and gruff, sounding like it belonged to someone much older than anyone on his crew.

Turning around, he saw an elderly man with dark skin and a grey beard on his chin. The top of his head was smooth, and his eyes had an ironic twinkle to them. He was dressed in simple robes, reminiscent of the Jedi style, and a lightsaber was clipped to his belt.

“Who are you?” Aiden asked, quite curious to see what kind of Jedi would be in the Shadowlands.

“Now, is that the way to address the person who lives here? I’m the one who gets to ask that question, dammit. You come into my home and start fighting, you’d better believe I get to ask the questions,” he crossed his arms and looked irritated, though the resonance his presence had in the Force indicated he was anything but irritated.

“Careful, Aiden,” Carth whispered. “He might be crazy.”

“I heard that,” the man snapped. “You young folk, think you can say anything you want, the crazy old man won’t hear, he’s probably half deaf anyway.”

Carth didn’t respond, but he looked mildly chagrined and settled into the sour look he tended to get on his face when conversations didn’t go his way.

“The name’s Jolee Bindo,” the man finally said. “And I live down here. So, who are you, and what are you doing making a mess in my backyard?”

“My name is Aiden Star,” he introduced himself. “These are members of my crew, Carth Onasi and Leiraya Moran. We’re on a mission for the Jedi Council.”

“Ahh, one of those Jedi missions,” he nodded knowingly. “Had to know they’d find a way to show up on my doorstep eventually.”

“But...” Aiden glanced at the lightsaber hanging from Jolee’s belt. “Aren’t you a Jedi?”

“No.” His voice darkened ever so slightly. “And before you ask, no, I’m not going to explain.”

Aiden sighed. He sensed no malice in the man, but he was among the most cantankerous people he had ever met, and he’d only been talking to the man for a few minutes. “Well, do you suppose you could help us out?”

Jolee looked intently at him for a few moments, and then motioned for them to follow him. “Let’s go to my house. It’s just down the way.”

Shrugging, Aiden looked over at Carth and Leiraya and beckoned for them to follow. They made their way down a narrow but well-trodden path to a house that had been constructed around the exposed roots of a wroshyr tree. Jolee sat down on a smaller root and motioned for them to do the same. Aiden and Carth sat, looking dubiously at their host, and Leiraya cautiously lowered herself on to one of the higher-sitting roots, propping her crutches against it once she was settled.

“Now, I have a proposal for you.” Jolee looked pointedly at Aiden. “Now, I know a few things about this area, and I think I know what your after. And I can help you. But,” he paused, “you’ll have to help me out first.”

“And what, precisely, does this help entail?”

“There’s a team of Czerka scientists down the way,” Jolee stated simply. “They make a lot of noise, and have been messing with my garden. I don’t like people who mess with my garden. Get rid of them, and we’ll talk.”

“How do you propose we do that?” Aiden looked at the old man skeptically. He didn’t like Czerka, but he also didn’t have any reason to chase them out of the area. Of course, if it would get him to the Star Map, he wouldn’t complain. Much.

“You’re the creative one, I saw how you took care of that bounty hunter back there.” Jolee shrugged. “You might as well take your friend in the orange jacket, too. Numbers always help.”

Carth looked from Aiden, to Jolee, to Leiraya, and then back to Jolee. “What about her?”

“She’s injured, dammit! You think I’m going to send someone who’s already been doing too much fighting to get rid of a bunch of pests? You won’t need her help, you seem like capable young men.” Jolee crossed his arms. “So go on, time’s wasting.”

Aiden looked at Carth, shrugged, and they both stood. The man was clearly at least slightly crazy, but he was willing to help them. Wordlessly, they moved on, further down the narrow path.

Leiraya watched them as they departed, and then looked back at Jolee. “Normally I get irritated when people do that, but thanks. I’ve been caught in a few too many fights recently.”

“I could feel the pain radiating off that thing from all the way over here when you landed,” Jolee replied. “I’m impressed you don’t show it more, and that you can maneuver at all on those crutches.”

“Well, they’re not the best. I could really use a cane, but nobody seems to have them around here. The Wookiees don’t like humans and wouldn’t make one for me if I asked, and I wouldn’t support any business involving Czerka if my life depended on it.” She wrinkled her nose sourly at the mention of the company, as if it left a terrible odour in the air as it was uttered. “So crutches it is.”

“We might be able to do something about that,” Jolee looked thoughtful for a moment. “Come on inside, I’ll make you some tea. The boys are going to be a while yet, I imagine.”

Picking herself back up, she followed him inside. He was kindly and cranky in pendulum swings, but in an odd sort of way, she liked him. It had also been far too long since her last decent cup of tea, and a good cup of tea can cover a world of wrongs.

 

Hooray, Jolee is in this chapter. He's one of my favorite characters in KOTOR. I hopes he can do something to help Leiraya.

Funny how they encountered Carlos. When I plays through KOTOR, the "boss" I fights on Kaskahya (sp?) was Darth Brandon and the other Dark Jedi. They were pretty annoying.

I don't know that Carth have to take dancing classes. Should I feel sorry for Carth? Nice chapter.

 

Where was my PM.

Happiness. I love this story. It's shiny. Yup, you've written a shiny story. S-H-I-N-Y!

Where do I start?
I love the dancing story and how it keeps showing up. Carth dances, too? I hope him and Leiraya get the chance.
?So you can pull a starfighter apart, and then waltz around the pieces??

Lightsaber = Glowrod
Aiden raised a skeptical eyebrow. ?Don?t tell me you use that thing as a glowrod.?
She merely shrugged. ?Fine, I won?t tell you.?

Super cool fight scene with Calo Nord. Although I think he'll be back. Seems like the just-won't-die type.
Aiden has what some would call, 'skillz'--you know bowhunting skills, computer hacking skills, lightsaber flinging skills... that'll definitely help him with the ladies (although, if he doesn't have ballroom dancing skills...)

Our Hapless Heroes Meet the Crazy ol'Curmudgeon (I'm getting a Scooby Doo vibe from this scene, even though we don't have enough characters and I can really only make the Aiden/Fred image work in my brain. Hmmm.)

?Careful, Aiden,? Carth whispered. ?He might be crazy.?

Brilliant scene there at the end and THIS! was such a fanastic conclusion to this chapter:
He was kindly and cranky in pendulum swings, but in an odd sort of way, she liked him. It had also been far too long since her last decent cup of tea, and a good cup of tea can cover a world of wrongs.

So, that's where she gets her cane?



Fabulous!!!



**Fanastic: one would think this is a typo for Fantastic, but it's not. It's a new word meaning fantastic.

 

Great action scene with Calo. Jolee was outstanding in this.

?Now, is that the way to address the person who lives here? I?m the one who gets to ask that question, dammit. You come into my home and start fighting, you?d better believe I get to ask the questions,? he crossed his arms and looked irritated, though the resonance his presence had in the Force indicated he was anything but irritated. Ah ha, so his crankiness doesn't quite match what he really feels.

That's so great that Jolee sends the boys off on an errand while Leiraya gets to stay and chat over some good tea. She deserves the rest. I look forward to seeing more of how the two of them interact.

 

Nice to see Jolee. I've learned a bit about him, so I could 'get' him.

Carth being a good dancer, in the context you put it, makes perfect sense. An engineer, too? Cool. And I think Telos(sp) got it's money's worth with him.

 

?I?ve never seen trees like this in my life, and should we survive the giant insects, I think the Shadowlands will be a positive experience.?

Ha ha.

Nice introduction of Jolee.

 

I feel kinda lost because I've never played the game, (so if your following the plot of the game I have no idea how this plays out)but Jolee Bindo seems like a very important figure.

The crew actually made pretty short work of those Sith too!

I'm big Wookiee fan ,so I'm hoping we so that supposed 'mad-claw' soon!

Thanks for the PMs DWH!

 

Crazydan: Hey, long time no see! Good to see you back.

oqster: *looks at PM box* See, this is what happens when you have to completely uproot the contents of your desk and don't have it on paper in front of you. Colour me thoroughly mortified.

Shiny? High praise, indeed. And Aiden does indeed have skillz. Mad awesome skillz, though I must confess that ballroom dancing isn't one of them. Maybe Carth can give him lessons.

Lovely-in-Orange: Glad you enjoyed the awesomeness that is Jolee. He and Leiraya are alike in enough ways that I'm going to have a lot of fun writing them.

Striker: Yeah, the whole mechanical engineer thing isn't technically canon, but it works, and I enjoy the thought of Carth being a closet nerd.

princess: Thanks. Jolee rocks my socks.

c_ale: See, now you get to find things out like I had to when I first played the game. Discovery is half the fun of the game. And fear not, they will have a run-in with the alleged madclaw. All in due time.

As always, thanks for reading! You guys make me happy.

 

Well, I don't know if I should be flattered or scared that you still remembers me after all the long time. After all, many people posts on your story. The reason why I'm not been on this forum for a long time is because... well, university and hard work.

But I'm back, hey.

 

i loved that chapter well, i love em' all, but
first, as most everyone has mentioned, very nice fight scene. this isn't a video game where you can hack somebody with a lightsaber 50 times before they die, and you show that with how your fight scenes seem to work. they are relativly quick, if you think about how long in real time the actions you've written would have taken to do, but you describe enough to make each battle intersting and not anticlimactic.
your jolee certainly did not disappoint! you really have him down perfectly and it's gonna be great fun to read his continued interactions with the crew.
this continues to be a superb story! i look forward to the next part!

 

I've been meaning to read through this story for a long time, and I've finally managed to do just that. (It was a marathon read, too, mind you, but I can't think of a better way to spend part of an afternoon/evening. )

I love the whole story! Your OCs are just great -- I'm never going to be able to play KOTOR without wondering where the heck Leiraya is. And I just love Aiden and the way he's such a klutz sometimes. Makes him so much more realistic. (The "spilling-caf-on-the-floor" thing was just priceless. )

Also, you've perfectly captured all of the party members, especially Carth and Canderous. In fact, I can't say enough about how wonderfully you write Carth. (Love the orange jacket jokes! ) And you've shown an absolutely adorable side of Canderous, even if he's not happy about it.

And Bastila ... well, you're doing a great job with her, too, but I still find her as annoying as I found her in-game.

Can you add me to the PM list?

 

?Careful, Aiden,? Carth whispered. ?He might be crazy.?

I wanna see Carth dancing, too.

Sheesh, I'm surprised Aiden's not more frustrated by all the obstacles. Every time he thinks he's about to set off on the next part of his search, someone says, "Hey, can you do this for me first?" I really like Jolee - crazy, sure, but he gets straight to the point.

 

First off, I'd like to thank everyone who nominated this story for the Awards. It always gives me the warm fuzzies to know you guys still like it. I love you all, and hope to hold to the same standard of quality you've been enjoying.

obi_webb: Thanks! I love Jolee as a character, so it's really fun to write him.
JoE: Hey, new reader! Shiny. I'm glad you like Leiraya, she is probably one of my favourite people to write, followed closely by Carth. You are totally added to my PM list of d00m, and I hope you continue to enjoy the misadventures of the gang.

JadeSolo: Aiden does a better job of hiding his frustration than most people, mostly because he knows that at some point it will lead him to his goal. It's all in one's outlook on things.

And you're all so patient, so this time I present you with a longer chapter than we've had since, well... the fake one. But this one is real, and it's here for your reading enjoyment.
Chapter 18


Bastila spent several long minutes searching the Ebon Hawk for Sasha. Canderous was refusing to help her find the child, and she was half afraid she’d set the poor thing off running again. Sasha clearly wasn’t comfortable around her, and now she’d gone and made her run away.

She thought back to her own childhood. When she was Sasha’s age, she had been at the Dantooine enclave for a few years. Certainly she’d never had to deal with anything as brutal as the Mandalorians, though Master Vrook had seemed like quite the tribulation at the time. She did understand, however, being separated from one’s family. Her mother she didn’t miss so much, but her father... she stopped to shake her head. She still held a very special place in her heart for her father, though she’d tried to eliminate the attachment.

“Oh, who am I kidding?” Bastila plopped herself down atop one of the storage crates and buried her face in her hands. She was never going to find Sasha, because Sasha was specifically avoiding her. It was a hopeless cause. Clearly, she was just not meant to deal with small children, and should never be allowed to be a mother. If I can’t even keep track from a Mandalorian captive runaway, I’m doomed...

A small shuffling noise brought her head up from its nest in her palms. Brown eyes darting around, she saw Sasha standing in front of her, looking wary but curious. “Are you sad?” the young girl inquired.

“Maybe a little,” Bastila admitted. “Did I scare you?”

Sasha looked deviantly at Bastila and smiled. “Maybe a little.”

Oh, Force, the girl has a streak of snark in her. Wonderful. “You’re a fast learner.”

Sasha shrugged. “Not so hard. Knew it once, long time ago. I just...” she seemed to be searching for the correct word in Basic, “forget. Forgot?”

“Forgot, yes. Past tense.” Bastila nodded.

“What’s a pass tents?” Sasha inquired curiously.

“Nothing,” Bastila replied wearily. “I’m just... so confused.”

“Why?” The girl looked at her innocently, and for some reason, Bastila was just frustrated enough with life that talking with someone who wouldn’t talk down at her for once seemed like a nice change.

“It’s hard to explain,” she leaned back against the wall. “My Masters... they’ve given me so much responsibility. I don’t even know how it happened. I didn’t try to be a hero, it just sort of happened. ‘Go capture Revan,’ they told me. Such a fine job I did of it.”

“Who’s Revan?” Sasha asked, perching herself atop another storage crate and looking as though she were ready for a good story.

“Revan was a bad man,” Bastila shook her head. “Killed lots of people. He had to be stopped.”

“What happened to him?”

“We defeated him,” Bastila stated simply. The child did not need to know the gory details, and in any case, she didn’t think she’d tell anyone who wasn’t her Master what happened on that mission.

“So you beat the bad man, but you’re still sad?” Sasha looked confused. “Shouldn’t you be happy?”

“It’s not that simple,” Bastila sighed. “His apprentice- student,” she corrected when she saw Sasha’s confused look, “shot at him before we got the chance. And he’s still around.”

Sasha seemed to consider this. “So... now you’re trying to beat the bad student man?”

“That’s about right,” Bastila couldn’t help smiling a little.

“What’s going to happen to me?” Sasha suddenly changed the subject, a hint of fear in her eyes.

“I don’t know, exactly,” Bastila replied honestly. “But I imagine we’ll take you back to the Enclave on Dantooine at some point. The Jedi can find a home for you there.”

“Oh,” Sasha looked thoughtful. “Can I help anywhere?”

Bastila pondered this for a moment, sitting up and eyeing the girl carefully. “Well, we can always use an extra hand keeping the ship clean. After all,” she leaned in conspiratorially, “the men tend to smell the place up considerably.”

Sasha giggled. “I can help with the smelly.” She hopped down off the crate and grabbed Bastila’s hand. “Come on, show me how.”

Bastila hardly had any time to protest as she was pulled out of the room by the young girl. She wasn’t quite sure what to do with their newly enthusiastic passenger, but it was undeniably adorable. She supposed if she had to be left on the ship, she may as well be on board with someone who seemed happy just to be alive and running around. It was a refreshing change.

“All right, Sasha, let’s see what we can find in the supply bins...”

* * *

The interior of Jolee’s home could only be described as organic. Given the size of wroshyr trees, one could usually find a cross-section large enough to make almost anything, especially down in the Shadowlands. The table and chairs were simple, merely pieces cut from fallen branches. Some of the other items were ornately carved, such as the chair that sat in front of his makeshift fireplace.

“Have a seat, young lady. Been a long time since I’ve had anyone for tea,” Jolee gestured towards the seating arrangement and started pulling clay jars and mugs out of a cupboard. “Don’t ask for anything fancy, ‘cause I haven’t got it. We don’t exactly have gourmet stores down here.”

“I’m sure whatever you have will be lovely,” Leiraya assured him. “I like most kinds of tea, anyway.”

“Well, this is my personal blend,” he put water from a cistern into a clay kettle and walked across the room to hang it over the fire. “So we’ll find out if it’s to your liking. Now,” he reached into a pile of medium-sized branches he had in the corner and picked out a few pieces. “Stand up and let me see how the height is on these.”

Complying, Leiraya took each of the branches in turn until they found one that was the appropriate height to be a cane. “So I’m getting an authentic Kashyyyk branch for my cane?”

“A little better than just that, seeing as we have a bit of time here,” Jolee took the branch back and pulled a knife out of his pocket. “Nothin’ fancy, mind you, and if money were worth anything down here I might charge it. But anyone willing to boycott the scum that comprises Czerka is all right in my book.”

“I can’t even believe it,” Leiraya suppressed a shiver. “I had heard that slavery still existed in certain quarters of the galaxy, but I never thought it would be so brutal. And the things they’re doing can’t possibly be good for the environment.”

“See, this is where the Czerka philosophy does not line up with that of decent people. They figure, the planet is resources, put there for them to use. They think that not using the resources is letting them go to waste, and is irresponsible.” Jolee shook his head in disgust. “Buncha low-life tree-chopping, Wookiee-grabbing sons of a schutta.”

“Can’t the Wookiees do anything about it? I mean, they’re strong enough, and there’s enough of them.”

“Let me tell you a story.” Jolee sat down, beginning to carve into the branch. “Once I was on Alderaan, saw a whole flock of Cairoka birds. Beautiful white creatures, but not always so smart. They tend to live in massive nests, with one or two birds leading the whole lot of ‘em. So one day, there’s a really dangerous brush fire in the fields, right near the nests. Common sense says the birds should leave, right?”

“Well, yes. Survival instinct should kick in, shouldn’t it?”

“You’d think. But the leader birds didn’t leave. And since the leaders of the nest stayed...”

“So did all the other birds.” Leiraya shook her head. “Chuundar’s a problem, isn’t he?”

“This village isn’t going to last long at the rate he’s going. And what he doesn’t realize is that if they feel he’s getting out of hand, they’ll take him, too.”

Leiraya was quiet for a while, as Jolee pulled the kettle off the heat and prepared a cup of tea for her. She accepted it with a thoughtful look on her face, and enquired, “Is there any way they could find a new leader bird?”

“The Wookiees are big on tradition,” Jolee replied. “Family lines and all that, though things have been harder since Bacca’s blade was lost. Used to be said that whoever held that particular sword was the legitimate Patriarch.”

“And what happened to it?” Leiraya asked taking a slow sip of the tea. It had a smoky flavour and was slightly fruity. Quite good for a homemade blend, really.

“Nobody knows,” Jolee shrugged, sipping his own tea and continuing on with his carving. “I imagine it’s around somewhere, as things don’t just disappear. But the Shadowlands are a nasty place to try to look for something.”

“So why are there Czerka scientists down here? If it’s really that nasty.”

“They’ve got electronic dohickeys that keep away the nastier pests,” Jolee waved his hands dismissively. “They just want a nice, quiet place to conduct their business. Which is also what I wanted, and I was here first, dammit.”

Leiraya had to smile at that. “This is a strange place to choose to live.”

“What can I say? I crashed here twenty years ago, and decided it wasn’t such a bad place. Best trees in the galaxy, and the Wookiees are nice enough when they don’t want to rip your limbs off.”

“I’ll give you the trees, certainly. Though I’m not sure that even I would stay in the Shadowlands...”

“Of course you wouldn’t. You’re Corellian, and you’d probably much rather be at home right now.” Seeing her looking curiously at him, he continued, “The accent, lass. Been to Corellia a couple of times, a long time ago.”

“Really?” Leiraya looked intrigued. “What were you doing there?”

“Nothing that concerns you,” he replied nonchalantly. “It was a long time ago, anyway, probably before you were born.”

Leiraya considered questioning further, since it was exceedingly difficult for off-worlders to be granted access on-planet once, much less multiple times. But something in his tone indicated that even if she asked, she probably wouldn’t get an answer. Instead, she sipped her tea and said, “It really is a beautiful place.”

“Miss it, don’t you?”

“Only a lot.” She set her cup down on the table. “I really do love all the people I’ve met, and what I’m doing is important... but let’s face it- the only thing keeping me from being homesick all the time is the fact that everything’s a new adventure here, so it keeps me distracted. Which is good, I guess... but it’ll be nice to be home. No more fighting and all that.”

“So how’d you get mixed up with this crowd, anyway? Nice Corellian girls like you aren’t usually found wandering the galaxy.”

“I’m looking for someone,” she stated simply. “So if you happen to see another Corellian Jedi, male, real tall, about my age, send him in my direction, will you?”

Jolee chuckled softly. “Not many Jedi come through here, though I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good,” she picked up her tea, cradling the cup and concentrating on its aroma. Maybe if she could just think about that, she wouldn’t have to think about her friends and family back home, or how much they wouldn’t approve of her current company. Cavorting with non-Corellians was frowned upon, and while a solo mission had been tolerated, it had also almost gotten her killed. If Aiden hadn’t pulled her out of that cell on Taris, she’d be rubble with the rest of the planet. That detail might warm at least her family to the crew, if not the larger population. In any case, she knew worrying about it was useless. Right now, she had to focus on helping Aiden and finding Kylan.

I may hate fighting, she mused, but at least it’s distracting.

* * *

“Remind me again why we’re doing this for the old man?” Carth squinted his eyes, trying to see anything that resembled a group of scientists.

“Because he knows his way around the area,” Aiden replied, pushing ahead. “And I think he knows where the Star Map is.”

“How do you know that?”

“He’s a Jedi, at least of some sort, for starters. And it looks like he’s been here for a while. Plus, I just have a feeling.”

“One of those Force things?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“I really hate it when Jedi say that.” Carth scowled slightly. “You can’t contradict it.”

“In any case, it’s the best lead we have.” Aiden shrugged. “If it means we have to run an errand for him, it’s annoying but a small price to pay.”

“And how do you plan on getting rid of these Czerka types? They’re not just going to run off because you told them so. And as much as I hate slavers, I don’t much like the idea of just killing them all.”

Aiden didn’t respond for a moment. To be honest, he didn’t currently have a plan, and ‘kick The Man’s collective arse’ was working as a last resort in his brain. “I’ll figure it out when I get there?”

“So nice to see confidence in leadership,” Carth started, but his snarky remark was cut short by the sight of what looked to be a cluster of men in Czerka uniforms, surrounded by an array of sensors and other mechanical devices. “Well, look at what we have here.”

The Czerka team was not oblivious to their approach. “You, there!” one of them called out and pointed a blaster in their general direction. “What is your business here?”

Aiden looked at Carth, shrugged, and stepped forward. “We’re, ah... wondering what it is you do down here?”

“Why?” The man looked at him suspiciously.

“Because we’re... looking for work,” Aiden improvised, hoping to get some information out of the man before resorting to violence.

“Work? Well,” the man lowered his blaster and gestured for them to come closer, which the pair did. “We’ve got a few jobs you could do, if you’re interested.”

“What kind of jobs are we talking about?”

“Tachs,” the man replied, causing Carth to raise his eyebrows skeptically. Tachs were small, rodent-like creatures native to Kashyyyk that were running all over the place. “Don’t look so surprised. Their glands are very valuable and fetch a high price on the market. All you have to do is spray some of this,” he produced a small bottle from his pack, “on yourself, and it drives them crazy. They’re easily killed in that state, and you only need bring them back here.”

Aiden had to work to keep a horrified expression from covering his face, so he asked, “Mind if we check out your operation before we decide if we want to work for you?”

The man shrugged indifferently. “Look if you must, but I don’t want to see you meddling with anything.”

“Thanks,” Aiden nodded, and walked away from the man, more towards the center of the camp.

Carth followed, looking skeptically about them. “This is insane. You do know that, right?”

“Yeah, pretty much.” He looked around, seeing that there were four sensor arrays of some sort, each with a guard by them. “Let’s check those guys out.”

Carth nodded, and the two strolled over to one of the guards. “So,” Aiden looked around them with a small grin on his face, “this is where you work every day?”

The guard nodded sourly. “Kriffing lousy assignment, isn’t it?”

“I’ll say,” Carth made a face. “What are these things for?”

“Shield system. Warns us if anything nasty is coming, and keeps most things out. Also makes a high-pitched noise the particularly large beasties can’t stand.”

“So what would happen if the shield went down?”

The guard shrugged. “I guess we’d be chased out of here.”

“You mean you’d have to leave this wonderful post?” Aiden smiled sardonically. “I think I would have turned it off myself a long time ago, just between you and me.”

“You mean, like... sabotaging the system?” the guard said incredulously, but with a strange light coming to his eyes. “So I wouldn’t be stuck down here...”

“I bet you have a wife you’d rather be with,” Carth said sympathetically.

“Yeah, and a baby daughter,” the guard grumbled. “But do I get any leave time? Monsters in charge of us, I’m telling you.”

“I wouldn’t put up with it, personally.” Aiden crossed his arms. “After all, they shouldn’t own your life.”

“That’s right,” the guard said indignantly. “I’m my own person, and I don’t need to put up with being down here. And if they won’t send me home, I’ll make it so they have to.”

“That’s the spirit,” Aiden encouraged him. “You should never feel oppressed by your employers. Family first, you know.”

Muttering something about the evils of his managers, he opened a panel and started punching a sequence into the shield generator. “That’ll show ‘em, lousy kowakian monkey-lizards...” The guard made it through several more colourful descriptions of the higher powers in Czerka before a loud rumbling sound could be heard.

The leader of the group heard this, and started yelling. “What’s going on? Did someone break one of the shield generators?”

“Only takes one,” the guard smirked. “That’s the problem with linked systems. Take one link out, the whole thing collapses.” He looked up, and his face went slightly pale. “But for now... I think we’d better run.”

Following the guard’s gaze, Aiden and Carth saw why everyone was starting to evacuate. Before them stood a very large, rather angry looking beast of some sort. Not waiting for any further instructions, they ran like hell.

They ran for several minutes, but were sure to take paths that would be impassable by the gargantuan creature. Reaching a clearing, they stopped to catch their breath.

“Think that counts as getting rid of the scientists?” Aiden asked, gasping.

“Yeah, I think so.”

“We should go back and raid their camp later. Bet they left some nice gear behind.”

“You’re a regular thief, Aiden Star.”

“I like to consider myself a Jedi on a budget.”

“Whatever,” Carth stood straight and stretched. “Let’s just get back to Jolee’s before anything decides we look like dinner.”