Before Under the Shadow of the Builders (KOTOR Era) - COMPLETE!

Title: Under the Shadow of the Builders
Author: SoA
Timeframe: KOTOR Era
Characters: The crew of the Ebon Hawk and a few OCs (Evrue Pell, Kionee Rinnh, MT-412)
Genre: action, drama, romance, adventure, humor
Keywords: OC, KOTOR, Ebon Hawk
Summary: The adventures of the crew of the Ebon Hawk beginning at the start of the first game.


So, I have a couple of OCs rattling around in my head, begging to get out. So I gave them this story to run around in. I don't aim to make a full epic of this, but as I played KOTOR, I frequently found myself wanting to throw Ev or Kionee into a scene and see what they'd do. This story gives them a world to play in.

Concrit welcome.

PM List:
KELIA
Commander-DWH
East_Coast_Ryder
LaForzaViva
KotOR_girl
Ulic_Starwalker



Prologue

At another explosion, the Endar Spire lurched suddenly, throwing Ev down into the escape pod. She yelped in surprise as her feet lost contact with the metal deck and again when she landed face-first on the floor of the tiny pod; a sharp pain coursing up her right leg. She landed on the vibroblade that had been in her hand only moments before. Remembering the presence of a superior officer just behind her, she bit back a string of curses and struggled to pull herself up onto the sparsely-padded seat.

Carth fared slightly better, catching himself on the handles beside the door, though still striking his shoulder squarely on them as he entered. ?Are you alright?,? he yelled over the noise of the onslaught on the ship, searching for a name, ?soldier??

?Fine,? she lied, gritting her teeth at the deepening crimson stain on her pants. Stupid! A soldier pays better attention to her weapon!

A deafening explosion accompanied by something akin to the sound of shattering metal shook the ship again. Carth lost his footing as he descended into the pod and narrowly shuffled around the vibroblade on the floor. He, however, managed to remain upright until he found his own seat. Again, the ship shook even more violently. ?We might not get out of here,? he said darkly, glancing over at Ev. Seeing her grimace and both hands pressed hard against her thigh, he exclaimed, ?How?d you get that? Are you sure you?re fine??

?Fine enough, but we won?t be if we sit around here and talk about it, Onasi. Strap in and get us out of here!? she barked then winced at her own forcefulness. Thankfully, Carth didn?t seem to notice. Spotting the hatch controls near her, she pulled the lever down, leaving a bloody smear across it, and the hatch hissed close behind them.

Already, Ev was beginning to feel weak from blood loss. She reached for the safety restraints, thinking desperately to herself, There had better be a med pack in here somewhere, or at least a big role of gauze. I need to keep this blood inside of me.

Machinery clanked, and with a hiss of air, the Endar Spire released its hold on the last escape pod. ?We?re off!? Carth announced triumphantly.

Before they could get clear of the ship, however, it twisted and bucked around them, battering the tiny pod against the wall of the chute. Carth cursed and Ev, still grasping the unfastened restraints, struck her head hard against the panel in front of her. She hadn?t a breath to cry out before she lost her hold on consciousness.

?It?ll be a rough one, soldier,? Carth yelled, his eyes darting between the view port and limited controls of the pod. Fortunately enough, he?d never had the occasion like this before to get familiar with an escape pod. This did mean, unfortunately, that he had to learn all there was to know about one as quickly as he could. ?Not that there is much to know anyway,? he murmured to himself and fiddled with the few benign-looking dials. The pod burst into open space, giving him a broad view of the planet they were fortunate enough to be above: Taris. Only a few heartbeats later, the Endar Spire finally split at its seams behind them, destroyed.

Sighing deeply, both in relief and regr/>

Very nice.

I like Ev's character - they way she remained strong and focused despite the circumstances she was under.

The teasing she gave Carth was a nice touch.

If you have a PM list for this, please add me

Looking forward to more

KELIA: Glad you liked it! Ev has a wicked sense of humor that is way too much fun to write.

DWH: I'm glad to hear it, considering how much you love Carth. ^_^ Sadly, it will be some time before Kionee peeks in. These guys need to get off a quarantined planet first.

And so, here we have the next happening, in which our two stranded soldiers bicker about blood.

EDIT: To fit with the new layout of future chapters, I'm combining these next three happenings (previously called "A Bloody Mess," "I forgot..." and "Slinky Dress") into one part. I also revised a few parts and cut any sections that diverted from a 3rd person limited perspective on Carth.


Since I can't edit the first post any more, the PM list goes here:


PM List:
KELIA
Commander-DWH
East_Coast_Ryder
LaForzaViva
KotOR_girl
Ulic_Starwalker
PadmeSolo00




Part 1- Taris: The Upper City

?Are you sure you don?t need a cane or something to help with that limp?? Carth asked, eying Ev as she stubbornly limped out of the apartment complex and into the midday sunlight. He had managed to find her some civilian clothes common to middle-class Taresians while she had recovered. If not for the forest green military vest she insisted on keeping from her tattered flight suit, the loose beige tunic and brown slacks made her look like any other local woman. Not that he could begrudge her for wanting the extra protection and storage that the four-pocketed vest offered.

Ev turned back towards him and her dark eyes flashed. Carth already knew that look. She was going to argue and he was going to lose. ?Look, Onasi,? Ev said as he caught up with her, ?I?ve spent the last day and a half walking circles around that musty room to convince you that I wasn?t going to pass out or fall over. Doing laps gets us nowhere closer to finding Bastila and getting off this planet.? She paused. ?Changed your mind about letting me out of that room already??

Carth sighed. ?But?? he argued futilely. That limp could attract unwanted attention.

?I?m too young to carry a cane anyway,? she added. Then, with a half smile, she closed the distance between them and threw one arm over Carth?s shoulders. ?And I?ve always got you to lean on, honey, if I have some trouble.?

Carth shifted uncomfortably but nodded. ?Right. Well, we should get moving.?

?Alright,? Ev withdrew her arm and asked professionally, ?Where to??

Squinting out into the light, Carth gestured towards the end of the walkway platform near them, ?We?re actually not far from our crash site and it doesn?t look like they have cleared the pods away yet either. If they?re still drawing a crowd, we might be able to learn something about other crashed pods.?

The pair started off through the crowds. Silver-armored Sith soldiers mingled with well-dressed people, but non-humans were conspicuously absent.

?I take it you?ve checked this site out already,? Ev stated rather than asked.

Carth caught himself walking too quickly and slowed his pace to match hers.

?Yeah,? he responded, ?And so far all I can tell is that several other pods crashed in this sector, but most of the rest of them fell as far as the Undercity.?

?That?s a start,? Ev nodded as she warily scanned the crowds. ?It kind of reminds me of Coruscant.?

?Coruscant?? Carth asked, startled by the sudden change of subject. He noted uneasily that both the strolling Sith and locals gave his limping companion a wide berth.

?Yeah, Coruscant,? Ev said casually. ?It?s where I lived before I?? she stammered, searching for words, ?before I joined the republic army as a pilot. Anyway, it?s an endless steel city. The upper layers are for the clean and the rich and the poor and ostracized are hidden farther down, out of sight. I?d bet the Undercity here is like that. Poor, dirty, and rough.?

?Then we were lucky we landed up here,? Carth said, but he didn?t need to remind himself of that fact. They were more than just lucky to have landed only a short dash from that apartment compl/>

Carth and Ev are clashing already!

Not that surprising and I hope they will work out their differences soon. Bickering couples also attract attention.

I?ve always got you to lean on, honey, if I have some trouble.

Something she should take more advantage of

Great update

I read this earlier and forgot to leave a comment. Bad me!

Anyway, I really liked it! Excellent work.

KELIA- Thanks for reading! These two are way to much fun to write. One minute they're play-flirting and the next they're bickering. Though, I think Ev is enough to drive just about anyone nuts. It's no wonder she clashes with Carth.

VaderLVR64- Thanks!


This one was supposed to be a short happening, and then Ev took over and had her way with it. What can you do?

To fit with the revised chapter layout, this is a continuation of Part 1- Taris: The Upper City and no longer it's own happening


Part 1, continued

Later that afternoon Ev surveyed the long racks of blasters behind transparisteel display windows. As soon her leg was healed up, Ev had insisted in seeing a weapon?s dealer. She wanted to replace the military-grade repeating blaster she lost during her escape from the Endar Spire. Carth couldn?t blame her, since vibroblades were only good for some situations. The little shop, unfortunately, didn?t seem to carry any military-class weapons in stock.

Keeping an eye on Ev, Carth chatted with the shopkeeper, a blond woman named Kelba Yurt, about her grenade selection. ?Frag grenades, poison grenades, plasma grenades, thermal detonators,? Kelba explained, ?They?ve all be outlawed since the Sith took over. I?m lucky they let me keep the more harmless ones.?

?I?m interested in what you do have,? Carth responded, ?Adhesives, flashes, and stun grenades all have their uses. What?s your price for them??

?One hundred credits apiece,? Kelba answered almost automatically.

Carth nearly choked at the price. Swallowing, he said, ?I?ll take two of each then.? If this keeps up, we?re going to need to find work. We?re running low on credits.

?Hey,? she called from where she surveyed the blaster case, ?Is this all you have right now??

The shopkeeper jumped to attention and shuffled over towards her, Carth following casually after. ?Unfortunately, yes,? she answered, ?It?s all the munitions the Sith would let me keep. They confiscated all of the larger weapons,? she added sourly. ?I suspect they?ve used my stores to supply their own troops.?

?So no repeating blaster rifles, then?? Ev asked.

?Not while we?re under Sith quarantine,? the Kelba shook her head.

?What do you want something that size for anyway? That?s too much to carry around,? Carth asked impatiently.

?Hmm,? Ev hummed irritably, ignoring Carth. ?Thanks,? she added as an afterthought before turning back to the blasters.

While Carth returned to haggling for a lower price on his collection of medpacks and grenades, Ev deepened her study of the guns. A few minutes later, he had managed to bring the price of six grenades and five medpacks down to only seven-hundred credits. Ev, however, was still examining the weapons as closely as she could through the transparisteel window.

Carth strode over to her and tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention, ?Hey Ev, meet me at the cantina around the corner for some dinner when you?re done here.?

She glanced over her shoulder and nodded, ?Sure thing, Onasi.?

?Thanks for all your help Kelba,? Carth added as he left the store and headed back out into Taris? upper city.

?Come back any time,? Kelba called after him.

As the sun set, the crimson and orange sky cast its colors onto the mirror-like towers. The Sith armor looked somehow more threatening as it reflected the fiery hues. This time of evening, the airways were thickly congested with shuttles and speeders, and more people than usual traversed the streets of the upper city. Some appeared to be returning for the evening, while others appeared to be going out for the night. The air hummed with engines and chatter.

Before proceeding to the cantina for dinner, Carth stood for a moment and watched the Taresians go by. Except for the patrolling Sith soldiers, Taris looked like any other bustling city. No one seemed to mind the soldiers? presence, and many didn?t even appear to notice them there. There were more people smiling and joking as they passed by him th/>

Nice to see someone get the upper hand with the Sith

I think Carth is right not to trust Ev right away...I just hope she proves to be trustworthy.

Great update

I have been looking for a Kotor fanfic and this has definately lived up to my standards. I have to ask you. Will this spoil some Kotor Plot twists because I haven?t beaten it yet. I'm still ahead of you but...
Anyway Great story!!!

Love it! If you could Pm me updates, that would be great!

At long last, another happening! Carth and Ev slowly move towards their goal.


Commander-DWH - Thanks! I'm having a blast writing Ev. She's so unlike any other protagonist I've ever written before.

KELIA - To be honest, I don't think I'd trust Ev either, at this stage.

Raphire - Thanks for reading! Farther along it will spoil some of them. But I'm sure you can play the game much faster than I can write this fanfiction. In most cases, I plan to take a different route to the goals of the game in this story.

East_Coast_Ryder - Alrighty! I've added you to the PM list.


EDIT: Again, this happening is being absorbed into Part 1- Taris: The Upper City.


Part 1, continued


?Where've you been?? Carth asked impatiently as soon as Ev entered the apartment the next afternoon. ?You said you'd be home nearly an hour ago.?

?I got side-tracked,? Ev replied tersely. She let the door fall closed behind her then turned around and locked it. Ev sauntered over to the bed and dropped the two bags she'd been carrying with her onto it. One, plain brown, looked like the cantina take-out she had gone out for in the first place. The other, decorated with a loopy 'S' and some black ribbon, looked suspiciously like something out of a department store.

Ev untied the ribbon and reached into the second parcel. ?What do you think?? she asked with a sly grin on her face. She held up a slinky plum-colored dress with a slit up one side and two rows of glittering fake gems around the halter neckline. At least, Carth hoped they were fake.

?And I suppose that this dress has something to do with why you're late?? Carth asked. What on earth does she need a dress like that for. Ev isn't the type to collect clothing. Then again, I could be wrong... He stood up from the workbench where he'd been tinkering with his blaster pistols.

?It does,? she responded, ?But I didn't forget dinner.? She laid the dress back down onto the bed and then thrust the bag of cantina food at Carth. ?Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm sure you thought I got lost again or went off to tell the Sith on you or something,? she joked, but the defiant look in her eyes kept Carth from arguing?or agreeing.

It's uncanny how often she's right. Carth sighed as he took the package from her then began unpacking it onto the small collapsible table they'd found in the closet. ?Care to explain the dress, then?? he asked, curiosity finally getting the better of him.

?I met a nice young man at the cantina, and he asked me if I'd come to his party tonight,? Ev answered coyly.

?A party?? Carth snapped, ?Ev, we're not here on Taris to socialize.?

Ev broke into peals of laughter, holding her side.

?This is a military mission, Evrue Pell,? he continued. Carth could feel his face reddening. ?Just because we??

?Yes, sir, I know,? Ev interrupted, ?I'm sorry,? she stammered, stifling her laughter, ?And that's why I agreed to attend.?

?This is going to help us get at Bastila?? Carth asked skeptically.

?The young man who invited me is a Sith soldier,? Ev explained evenly, ?and so are all of his friends.?

?A Sith party!? Carth exclaimed. ?You're not going.? What was she doing chatting up off-duty Sith soldiers anyway?

?Cool it for a second, would you? And let me explain,? Ev snapped but there was laughter in her eyes.

Carth clenched his fists but kept his mouth shut. Of all the reckless things she's done...

?Rubbing elbows with these restless young Sith may be our ticket into the lower city,? she explained. Suddenly taking on a submissive posture, she asked, ?With your permission, sir, I'd like to give it a shot.?

With those dark eyes staring pleadingly up at him, how could he refuse? ?Fine,? Carth said huffily, ?But you're not going alone. I'm coming with you.?

?Fair enough,? Ev smiled, ?But you have to promise not to drink too much.?

Carth ignored the last comment, ?Well, let's eat before this food gets any colder.?

~~~

After Ev dressed?she had even bought a ma/>

It's a good thing Ev didn't leave Carth alone at the party.

No telling what kind of trouble he would have gotten himself into with talk of the Leviathan

I hope he appreciates having the bed when he wakes up with his hangover!

Great update

Kelia- Thanks! It seems like Ev and Carth are equally good at getting themselves into trouble these days. Thank goodness they're keeping an eye on each other.


I've decided to, from here on out, format this story a little differently than it started, with one long chapter for each planet this crew visits and one short chapter in between each for travel. The perspective is also going to solidify. To match that, I'm working on fixing up the earlier happenings and splitting them into a prologue and part 1. That fix should be up in the next few days.

Ah, it is wonderful to be graduated and finally have time to write. For the time being, at any rate.



Part 2- Taris: The Lower City


Carth sat across from his perpetual companion of the last week in the dimly lit Lower City Cantina. All around them where pushy humans and aliens yelling for more ale, making quiet deals, deep in games of pazaak?doing anything but watching Ev and Carth. That was the way he liked it. Much better than that party last night.

Ev sat her tumbler onto the table with a sly smile. ?So?? she asked, looking up at him through dark lashes.

?So, what?? Carth asked, leaning back in his chair and staring at her. 'What now?' always seemed to be the question with Ev. He took a swig of the ale.

?So,? she started, propping her elbows on the table, ?did I do a good job, sir??

Carth laughed, ?A little unconventional, but that was a fine and successful covert operation.?

?I'll take that as high praise, coming from you, Onasi,? Ev chuckled. ?You'll forgive me then??

?For what?? Carth almost asked, but stopped himself. For disappearing on me several times? For dragging me to that Sith party? For acting without consulting me? For forcing out unpleasant memories?

Ev's smile faded, sobering, Carth realized, in response to his own scowl.

?Sir?? she pressed.

?Next time, try to consult me before storming off on some reckless plan,? Carth said, then took a long drink, watching her for a reaction.

Instead of snapping back a quick response as she usually did, Ev fell silent and started vacantly off into the crowd of the cantina. Carth could only wonder what was on her mind.

He sighed, ?We're just one step closer to our goal, but not even these passes are enough to get us into the Undercity. If we waste any more time, there won't be anything left of those pods we heard about.?

Ev nodded. She seemed only partially focused on the present. ?I doubt we'll find any more convenient parties down here, and we don't have a legit reason to get down below,? Ev assessed, ?There has to be another way down there to the pods.?

?More scavengers, are you?? the heavy bartender asked as he strolled past them.

Carth straightened up, mortified. How long was he listening in?

?More or less,? Ev responded coolly.

?You won't find anything left of those Republic pods down there,? a graying but tough-looking mercenary sitting two tables over laughed, ?The Black Vulkars already picked over everything.?

?We'd still like to have a look,? Ev said, maintaining her even facade, but Carth detected some disappointment in her eyes.

?The swoop gangs have the run of this area,? the bartender explained, ?They can get down there, past the guards, when no one else can. But, I'll tell you something,? he said, leaning closer, ?If anyone knows a way around those blasted Sith, it's Mission Vao.?

?Mission Vao?? Carth asked, ?Can we trust this guy to help us??

The bartender laughed, ?Mission is about as trusting a kid as I've ever met. Sure, she'll help you out.?

?A kid?? Carth asked incredulously.

?Mission is a punky little Twi'lek orphan, blue, but she and her Wookiee pal take care of themselves down here just fine,? he said, waving one hand in a meaningless gesture, ?There isn't another pair like them in this area. I'm sure they won't be hard to find.?

?Thanks for the tip,? Carth said quickly, catching Ev's expectant stare over the top of her ale tumbler.

?Any time,? the potbellied man smiled and mov/>

Carth prayed that this ship they'd found was fast enough to outrun the Sith fleet.

And get you somewhere safe, don't forget that part.

I'm glad Bastila was rescued before some fool could buy her - what a surprise they would have been in for!

Great update

KELIA- Thanks for reading! Bastila getting bought up by someone would really be a fun AU to write.


And since I've had way too much time on my hands lately, here's another little chapter.



Part 3: The Ebon Hawk

Their escape was a blur of adrenaline. As soon as he boarded, Carth took over the pilot's seat while Ev stayed in the cockpit as a copilot. Bastila paced and stumbled abound behind them as the ship pitched through the atmosphere.

?Bastila, would you strap yourself into something?? Carth snapped as she tripped into the back of his chair again. ?Maybe your battle meditation could help us out?? he added.

?How can I concentrate when the ship is so unsteady?? she shot back, strapping in.

?Do you want to fly this thing?? Carth demanded. When was the last time I was in a firefight like this? At least Carth had one thing to be thankful for; the ship was fast.

?Carth!? Ev yelled a warning.

A silver Sith snub fighter whizzed in front of them and missile lock warnings whined. Before he could dive below it, the fighter exploded under laser fire.

Evidently, the freighter's gun turrets were occupied.

?Nice shot,? Carth commended over the ship's intercom.

?My pleasure,? the gravelly voice of the Mandalorian mercenary responded, nearly drowned out by Wookiee war cries. Carth didn?t have time to wonder over how Canderous had joined them.

Above them still loomed the Leviathan. Carth?s anger that Saul was at the helm of all this destruction only fueled his drive to get away from Taris alive. It took all of his attention just to avoid the laserfire that rained down on them from the Sith cruiser. Several more snub fighters met their end at the freighter's laser turrets, but not before getting off a few shots.

?How are the shields holding up?? Carth asked, bringing the ship up from another sharp dive.

?We're losing some of the rear shields to those fighters, but if Canderous and Zaalbar keep doing their job, the shields should hold out,? Ev reported.

?Good,? Carth said tersely, ?Keep an eye on them.?

?Yes sir,? she responded.

?I found T3-M4!? Mission called, running up the hallway behind them. There were sounds of a droid?s treads and mechanical chirping accompanying her. She stopped short and gasped as she gazed out the front viewport, ?Taris...?

?Mission, sit down and strap in,? Ev ordered.

?T3-M-what?? Carth asked, not daring take his eyes off the destruction that raged around them.

?An astromech we picked up,? Ev explained then cursed. ?They're picking at our rear shields again.?

?Divert more power to those shields, but keep the engines full power,? Carth ordered, ?We need as much speed as we can get.?

?Droid, plot an evasive course to Dantooine,? Bastila cut in.

?Dantooine?? Carth asked, ?That wasn't on your original??

?There is a secret Jedi enclave there,? the young Jedi explained as T3-M4 set to work, ?We can get refuge and seek guidance from the masters as to our next move against Darth Malak.?

?We need to get out of Taris' gravity well first,? Ev reminded them impatiently.

Carth ignored her, ?Fine, Dantooine it is.? He determinedly set his jaw, searching for openings as they drew nearer and nearer to the Leviathan. We just need to stay out of range of its tractor beams.

?Taris...? Mission moaned quietly from her seat behind him, ?How could they??

After a minute of dare-devil flying that seemed to take hours, Ev announced, ?We're clear!?

?Hyperspace routes plotted?? Carth asked.

?Affirmative,? Ev confirmed.

?Make the jump to hyperspace,? he ordered.

?Yes sir!? Even as Ev spoke, the stars in front of them drew out in long streaks and they whizzed away. They were safe.

The Zaalbar and the Mandalorian whooped victoriously from the gun turrets above. Ev sighed and leaned back in her seat, while Bastila unfastened herself.

With a shaking hand, Carth wiped the sweat off his forehead. All the while, he hadn't dared to hope that they would get out alive, and yet, here they were.

?That was some amazi/>

I'm glad Carth was wise enough to clear the air with Ev.

Bastilla was being way too hard on her - of course, that could just be because of everything she's been through

I'm glad to see Canderous made it aboard the Ebon Hawk.

Great update

Ah this is great! KOTOR is my favorite game in the entire world, but there's justttt enough slight modifications to plot/characters that keeps it fresh and interesting. I'm really enjoying the sublte nuances you've been putting into the characters to make it feel like I'm reliving KOTOR again.

Add me to a PM list if you've got it!

Wooo, great dose of KOTOR awesomness!

Ev is very cool so far and you did a great job in writing Carth.

Please add me to the PM list!

Cool fic! Ev is quite an interesting character. I will be watching her progress with great interest. (Even though I never really was a Carth&Revan, but more of a Revan&BAstila fan).

A spoiled little Jedi princess

Haha, definitely my favourite description of Bastila!

Please, add me to your PM list.

A super huge thanks for reading, everyone, and an even bigger thanks for the nominations for Best New Author. I'm really honored


KELIA, alas but Bastila isn't done being hard on Ev yet. Granted, neither is Ev done being hard on Bastila. We have a golden relationship in the making here.

LaForzaViva, Thanks for reading! I really enjoy twisting the plot a little here and a little there. I don't think this will ever qualify as AU, but this story is going to flow the way Ev (and friends) would handle things, which isn't necessarily how the game allows you to. You're added to the PM list.

KotOR_girl, Thanks! Carth is both hard and fun to write at the same time. He's got a hard, I-don't-trust-you-or-anyone outside, but you know he really cares about people on the inside. You're added to the list!

Ulic_Starwalker, thanks for reading! Ev is a fun character to write. Going back over the story for my revision, I noticed just how much she grew on Taris. I'm interested to see how she'll progress from here as well! ^_^ You're added to the list.


The next chapter will be a while in coming, because it's going to be a long one covering all the events on Dantooine. Thanks for being patient with me, and thanks again for the noms!

That was awesome story. I love KoToR era fan fics.....Considering that KoToR II is one of my favorite games.

darksideuser- Thanks for reading! I'm really glad that you liked it. The KOTOR games are really amazing, though, I'd argue the first is my favorite of the two.

So I know I originally said that Dantooine would be one chapter, and then I said two chapters. Then I got on a roll and the chapter started getting really huge. I cut it off at a nice place, and now we'll have three chapters.

I'm spending the next two years in rural India teaching English for a feminist organization. Since I only teach three days a week, it seems I have reached the perfect balance of stimulation and down time to be constantly inspired to write and to have the time to do it. Look forward to more of this soon.


Part 4- The Dantooine Enclave

The Ebon Hawk snapped out of hyperspace and Carth jolted awake. Blearily, he oriented himself. He had ventured to the cockpit to further familiarize himself with the ship a few hours before they were scheduled to arrive at Dantooine. A datapad still lay idling on his lap.

?I don't even remember falling asleep,? he murmured, stretching in the pilot's chair. It was the first time he'd slept in a cockpit, and probably wouldn't be the last. Not that it was ever comfortable.

The blue and green sphere of Dantooine hung peacefully in space not far ahead. Putting his hands to the controls, and began to guide the ship towards the planet.

It was the middle of the night, both on Taris time and on the shadowed side of Dantooine they flew towards. The ship was quiet, but not the dead sort of quiet that made Carth uneasy. It was refreshingly peaceful. Even the astromech droid seemed to have found a corner of the ship to shut down in. Carth felt considerable relief that soon they would be able to deliver Bastila back to the Jedi. It was a great victory in its own right.

Above the gentle of the rumble of the ship, Carth heard slow footsteps coming towards the cockpit. Soon, Ev strolled in. ?'Evening Lieutenant,? she said softly, clearly not wanting to disturb the peace either.

?I thought you were asleep,? Carth replied, craning around to see her.

Ev shrugged, ?I figured you'd want a co-pilot to bring us in once we came out of hyperspace.?

Carth smiled, ?Thanks.?

Ev settled into the seat beside him and got to work.

?Could you find those coordinates Bastila gave us for that Jedi Enclave?? Carth requested, glad for the company, if anything, to keep him awake. Ev didn't look much livelier either.

?Sure thing,? she replied. A few moments later, the location appeared on his global positioning screen in the middle of one of the continents.

?Thanks Ev,? he said.

?Any time, sir,? Ev responded simply.

As the Ebon Hawk soared towards Dantooine, the two soldiers kept quiet, each concentrating on the task at hand as best as their foggy minds allowed. The ship burned through the atmosphere but none of the other passengers stirred from their cabins. As they descended towards the grassy surface, Ev finally broke the silence.

?You know,? she said, almost distantly, ?It's funny.?

Ev paused, but Carth waited for her to continue.

?I'm pretty sure I never met Bastila when I was aboard the Endar Spire, but I knew her as soon as I saw her,? Ev mused.

Carth chuckled, ?It's pretty hard to mistake her for anything but a conscientious Jedi.?

?No, it's not that,? Ev said slowly, ?All that time I spent knocked out on Taris, I think I dreamed about her. It's strange.?

?Huh?? There wasn't much Carth could say to that. ?Maybe you should ask her about it?? he suggested.

Ev snorted. ?Well, she'll be back with her Jedi friends soon,? Ev said, ?Hopefully that will make her happier.?

The passed over a sprawling homestead tucked among the plateaus and waving grasses. ?I think that's it up ahead,? Ev observed, pointing at a low, round structure directly in their path.

?I think you're right. That matches the coordinates Bastila gave us,? Carth agreed.

One particularly large courtyard in the complex appeared to be lined with landing lights. Hoping they were />

Just clearing out a double post. Nothing to see here, these are not the droids you're looking for...