Disclaimer: I don't own any of KOTOR's characters/places/whatever.
Plus three will make the value seven. Plus or minus six will make the value one or thirteen. Plus five will make it eighteen…
Atton concentrated on his mental pazaak game, trying to visualize the blue and red hues of his side deck, feeling the cards between his fingers. It was a trick he'd learned long ago to defend his thoughts from prying minds. It wasn't invincible, but at the very least it stopped someone from waltzing right in.
Then again, the person he wanted his thoughts protected from the most wasn't on the Ebon Hawk. Probably planetside saving someone. Kreia, on the other hand, was. But she'd already proved herself capable of breaking through anything his shield and all but blackmailed him into being her slave. Maybe it was just a habit, something he used when he didn't know how to make sense of what he was thinking. Or feeling.
He made his way to the main hold, his boots clacking on the deck and alerting the man in the room.
For whatever reason, Disciple didn't acknowledge his presence. He only stared at a holoimage, lost in thought.
"Hey."
"Hello." The scholar glanced at him before continuing his "work." Atton couldn't make any sense out of it.
"So, where do you think Exile is?" Atton asked casually.
"I've no idea. Helping an innocent stranger, I don't doubt. Or doing good deeds, in any case."
"Is that why you like her so much?"
For the first time, he had Disciple's full attention.
"I don't understand what you mean."
"Don't play dumb. I heard your tone just now. It's the same one you use when you talk to her."
"I – I hadn't noticed."
"Of course you didn't." The comment was both sarcastic and scathing. "I guess card games are good for some things at least; you pick up the details."
He shook his head. "I'm afraid you must have misunderstood. I have no feelings for her other than the utmost respect and admiration. She does her duty and more. She always knows the right thing to do and won't stop until she's done it. She never hesitates to help people, no matter the risk to her own life."
"Yeah, well, I noticed first. And don't you forget that."
"Perhaps you are being too hostile. You certainly jump to conclusions quickly enough."
The pilot of the Ebon Hawk glared back. "Don't think she likes you just because you use all these fancy words and you contemplate the deeper mysteries of the galaxy. She likes honest guys like me, not haughty, pompous people like you."
For the first time since meeting him, Atton saw him get angry.
"Haughty and pompous? Only a scoundrel like you could brand these qualities on an intelligent person. I work for the Republic. Scholarship is my duty. And how would you know what kind of qualities Jaina admires?"
"On first-name terms now, are we? You must be glad. I'm sure you're much closer to getting what you want from her. Not that she hasn't already seen through your plot."
There was no proof of this - not yet anyway - but Atton was sure he was up to something.
Disciple's voice shook with anger. "I would never! My only goal is to aid her in her quest. And if anyone has a hidden agenda, it's you!"
"Don't point the finger at me. I've been with her since the beginning. She trusts me!"
"I've known her for longer than you have. We met on Dantooine when we were Jedi."
"Yeah, but she didn't even know you that well. And I'll bet she's a different person now."
"She knows me now. And she trusts me, Perhaps even more than she trusts you."
"She might trust you, doesn't mean she likes you."
"Neither of us knows the answer to that."
"Whatever. Just don't think you have a chance with her is what I'm saying."
Atton turned his back on the scholar and marched back to his usual seat. He was furious at Disciple, but more furious at himself. That was a bad decision, a bad move. What if Disciple became more aggressive, made her choose? Or what if he was going to tell Jaina about the whole conversation? And did she really like him?
He'd played enough card games to know a bluff. But this man's intentions were harder to place. Atton hadn't been able to pinpoint whether or not he really felt anything for her. Maybe Disciple didn't even know it himself yet. No, there was no reason to lose confidence. The blonde Jedi didn't have a backbone; he wouldn't dream of making a move. Sitting there in the pilot's chair, regaining his usual cool, Atton decided he would just have to wait and let the cards fall where they may. The time was not right for him to change the value of his hand. There were too many possible outcomes.
And whether he liked it or not, Jaina choosing Disciple was a possible outcome, maybe even probable. After all, what would she want with a deadbeat like him? Maybe meeting her on Peragus was just a fluke. Maybe he was just another person she could help, someone she could save that didn't mean anything special.
It didn't really matter. He was tough, a survivor. Groups had their uses, but he could manage just as well on his own. Maybe even better. He hadn't needed anyone before; he certainly didn't need anyone now.
And he almost believed himself.
He went back to work, preparing the ship so that it was ready to leave at a moment's notice. In the end it might not be necessary, but Jaina's exploits tended to attract unwanted attention.
Unbidden, her face resurfaced in his thoughts.
Minus three will make the value fifteen, plus or minus two will make the value seventeen or thirteen. Plus six will make the value nineteen…