38
The ship tore out of hyperspace burst through atmosphere, shaking violently as the airflow threw it around. "I'm afraid there was a miscalculation in the jump coordinates." A cold mechanical voice said, trying to sound as annoyed as it could. The sound of its voice was a distance murmur to Tem Marr, who lay against the control console. A large gash ran across his forehead, where he had hit the control panel on entry, and each passing second intensified the pounding in his head. Blood soaked his scruffy brown hair and had matted it against his scalp. "Restraints work wonderfully, you know." The voice pointed out, but Tem was in no mood to hear it. "Switch off, MR-T! Work on getting us landed safely instead of mocking me!" His green eyes flared with anger as he glared at the ships ceiling. As they continued its free fall through the atmosphere, the outer bulkheads heated. The inside of the ships temperature slowly rose and Tem was starting to sweat. He slid to the cold metal ground and found it exceedingly difficult to keep his eyes open. The ground beneath him began to warm, but he didn't notice, he had already fallen into unconsciousness.
Xio Mara stood on her tiptoes, trying to see over the dozens of heads blocking her view. She crinkled her nose and tried to see around them. "So much for getting a better view." She mumbled to herself as she tried to shoulder her way closer to the balcony's edge. News of a mysterious ship nearly colliding into a building had spread quickly threw the Jedi Temple, but what was even more interesting was the fact that they were bringing the pilot here to be examined. It was true that Jedi were some of the finest healers, but had the pilot really sustained that much damage? Xio had no way of knowing until she had seen this pilot for herself. Squeezing her way to the front of the balcony, she had a clear view now, but was being pressed against the railing. There was a whoosh as the air pressure changed and the door below hissed open. Xio was pressed harder into the railing and she struggled to keep her insides from being crushed. Several Jedi had entered, asking for the gathered to make a path so that they could get through. Slowly a path formed through the mass of people below and they had pulled in the pilot on a repulsor bed. There was a wide range of emotions running through everyone gathered there. Anger, disbelief, curiosity, only to name a few. The pilot was a mere boy, no older than she was. Conversation buzzed throughout the mass of people and it was like the steady hum of a lightsaber as the pilot was taken to the Medical Facility in the Jedi Temple. Xio examined the boy from where she stood. No serious injuries, and she could sense no internal injuries. The pilot's injuries were nothing a normal Med-Droid could heal. Why had he been brought here? Xio contemplated this and then decided to find out for herself. Squeezing between everyone she had just struggled through earlier, she made her way back to the Main Hall. She rounded a corner and ran off towards the Medical Facility. Xio decided she would follow the boy and learn as much as she could to see if she could solve this mystery as to why they had a simple pilot in their possession.
Tem groaned loudly. It felt as if he had been hit with a block of ferrocrete. He rolled over onto his side, falling off the edge of the bed and onto the solid ground. He hissed as pain shot through his entire body. "Are you all right?" A soft voice gingerly inquired from behind him. Tem jolted upright and opened his eyes, closing them again when bright light burned into them. When he opened his eyes again, he saw a beautiful young woman, probably his age, with long dark brown hair and deep brown eyes. "Yeah… I'm fine." He said slowly. He examined himself and noticed his arms and forehead had been wrapped in bandages. "You had quite an accident with your ship. Jumped into Coruscant's atmosphere." She smiled. "Not very skilled with piloting?" Tem took immediate offense to this. "I'm an excellent pilot! The ship was the problem. It was an Ugly, put together with other ship parts. Something went wrong with the nav computer when it input the jump coordinates. Which is why I'm wrapped in bandages and in this… medical facility." He said, looking around, taking note of his surroundings. "Sorry, sorry." He could see her laughing. He smirked at her. "I'm Tem Marr, and you are?" He rose slowly and took a few wobbly steps; obviously he hadn't used his legs in quite some time. "Xio Mara. Nice to meet you, Tem." She smiled sweetly. He looked around the room. Repulsor beds, shelves filled with assorted medical supplies, a bacta tank farther in the back. To Tem, it looked as if he was in any other medical facility. There were a few things that Tem couldn't identify, which made him slightly uneasy. "Where am I?" He asked, as he walked over to the transparisteel window, looking over the cityscape in the distance. "Coruscant." Xio said, coming up behind him. "In the Jedi Temple." Tem had heard of the Jedi, but knew little about them. Why, Tem thought, am I here? Immediately after the thought crossed his mind, a Twi'lek came in. "Tem Marr? Please come with me." Tem turned slowly, looked at the Twi'lek, and shrugged indifferently. "Sure thing. Lead the way."
Xio was close behind Tem as he and the Twi'lek Jedi, Master Surm, walked down a familiar set of corridors. "We're going to see the Council." She whispered to Tem, but the older Jedi had heard. He smirked and rounded a corner. "You're partially right, Padawan." His footsteps were soundless as they hit the marble floor. "He is going to see the Council. We are not permitted inside to witness what happens." He looked over Tem quickly and shook his head, lekkus batting against his shoulders. "He is too old though." Confusion radiated off Tem as they walked, but it did not show in his face. "He does possess great potential, though." Xio cautiously said, trying not to upset the much older Jedi. "He does, I admit. However, that will not assist him in his training. If he even gets that far." They had finally reached the Council's Chambers. Tem looked at the door, becoming so very nervous, it flowed off of him in the Force. He quickly pushed it aside, took a deep breath, and waited for the Twi'lek Jedi to open the door. Xio came up beside him. "You'll do fine. Don't worry." She smiled and hoped that would ease his mind further. He nodded slowly and with a groaning hiss the doors slid open. Light from the setting sun spilled into the dimly light corridor. As Tem walked into the chamber, he was nothing but a silhouette against the brilliant orange light. The doors sealed behind him with a clunk. "His path will be revealed in time. It is not our concern what happens, if it is the wish of the Council." With that, the older Jedi was gone, leaving Xio alone with her thoughts.
Xio had fallen asleep in a small alcove close to the Council's Chambers. Xio had lost count of the hours since Tem had vanished inside. She felt something brush against her leg and nearly jumped into Tem. He smiled at her, embarrassment sparked through him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up." Xio blinked a few times and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "How long have you been waiting?" She asked, coughing to clear her throat. "Not long. I just finished with the Council." He said, moving away from her and looking out a transparisteel window across from the alcove. "They say they're surprised about my power and that they don't know what to do with me yet. They also said they'd wanna test my strength further." Xio watched as he shrugged slowly. She rose and walked over to him. "Is something wrong?" She asked carefully. She could sense his feelings shifting around and changing, but she couldn't concentrate enough on a single thought of his. Tem shook his head, turned and smiled at her. "No. I'm fine." Xio knew it was a lie, but didn't press it. "Alright." She smiled back. "Where are they bunking you while they contemplate what to do with you? Do you have somewhere to stay here on Coruscant or have they assigned you a room or something?" She asked, knowing how uncomfortable it was to spend several nights sleeping on the oddly cushioned repulsor beds in the Med Center. Tem once again shrugged. "They didn't tell me they wanted me anywhere specific, and I don't know anyone on Coruscant. I might as well go back to the Med Center." Tem gestured with his arm. "Why would I leave such a wonderful place?" Tem smiled, and laughed silently. Xio smiled, but didn't laugh. "You can stay in my room with me. There's an extra bunk in there." Xio pointed out, struggling to hide her embarrassment of asking him. Tem laughed again. "I hope it's comfier then the beds used in the Med Center." He hunched forward and rubbed his back. "Very painful, those Med Center beds." He winked at her and straightened to his full height. A small twinge in the Force alerted Xio to her Master's approaching presence. "Xio, there you are." Master Yahra said as she caught up to where the two humans were standing. She looked up at Tem, her nose twitching and squeaking softly. "Hello, you must be Tem Marr. I am Yahra Nal'Tai." She said, stroking the fur around her neck thoughtfully. "Yeah, I'm Tem Marr. It's nice to meet you Miss Nal'Tai. You're a Chadra-Fan right?" Tem smiled down at the rodent-like being. Xio watched the conversation silently from Tem's side. "Yes, I am a Chadra-Fan." She released another soft series of squeaks. "I knew a Chadra-Fan as a child. Except, he was a trader with the heart of a spacer." Tem laughed. "My parents didn't like him very much. 'Such foul language.' My mother would say when he was gone." Tem smiled. Xio heard the squeaking laughter of her Chadra-Fan Master and eyed the small being skeptically. Xio had never once heard her Master laugh, or be amused period. "Yes, I know how some of my kin can be." She turned her attention to Xio. "Xio, you are late for your training exercises." She said sternly, the amusement that was in her a moment ago had left. "Yes, Master. I'm sorry, Master." Xio said, looking at the ground. "I'm sorry, Tem, but we must be going. It was a pleasure meeting you." She saw Master Yahra bow to Tem and then turn away from the two, scuttling towards the Training Grounds. "Come, Xio. We mustn't leave the others waiting." There was a hint of amusement in the Chadra-Fan's tone, and Xio didn't know whether to be frightened or relieved. She followed obediently after her Master. "Goodbye Tem. I'll talk to you later." She smiled before vanishing around a corner.
The walk to the Training Grounds was silent, until Master Yahra began speaking. "What were you waiting for?" Xio was taken aback by the sudden start of conversation. "What do you mean, Master?" Xio questioned, confused. "Why didn't you ask him to the Coruscanti Ball?" Yahra said, mock giddy. Xio made a disgusted look at her Master. "Master! I am not interested in this… pilot." Xio proclaimed, her voice bouncing off the walls. "I'm sure you don't, Padawan." The Chadra-Fan said between her squeaking laughter. "He was rather handsome, for a human of course. I can see why you like him." Yahra spoke in a soft tone, so her voice wouldn't carry through the hall. She rubbed her tiny furred hands together. "Now, get to your exercises. You're late." She gestured with one furry hand to the door to the Training Grounds. "You can go and be with the pilot when you are finished." Yahra said, amused by her Padawan's behavior. Xio sneered at the furry bipedal and stomped off to the Training Grounds, throwing a glare at her Master before ducking inside.
Tem decided he would scout the Jedi Temple. He had nothing better to do and he didn't exactly know where Xio's room was. Tem walked without knowing where he was going, and found himself lost before the end of the first hour of exploring. "Just great. Look what you've gotten yourself into now, Tem." He growled to himself. "MR-T would've put in his two cents right about now too." Tem muttered, trying to find his way back, but the farther he went, the more lost he became. " 'We should have went back to the medical facility.' " Tem said, mimicking the droid personality built into his ship. Every corridor looked the same and Tem slowly became frustrated. He ran down a corridor, turned a corner and collided with a large metal door. The force of the blow had knocked Tem backwards and he had fallen. He rubbed his head and pulled off the bandages still wrapped around it. He touched his forehead where the gash had been and looked at his finger. Dry, Tem noted, probably a scab there now. He rose slowly and walked over to the door again. He pushed the release button and the doors hissed open, much more smoothly then the doors used for the Council's Chambers. "Gorue of Canaltha." Tem muttered breathlessly. Sitting in front of him were hundreds of droids, ships and other machinery just waiting for him to take a look at. He slowly walked through the ships and droids, past repulsorlift lifters, running his hands over hulls, chrome finishes and any other surface he could touch as he walked by. The metal was cool against his palm, and each ship had a different texture to it. Some were rough looking, while others were as smooth as chromasheath. Tem spotted a dusty old, unused freighter sitting in the back, and walked toward it, mouth gaping. He stared at the rigid surface of the ship, and the dull reflection of the light reflecting off its surface. Tem broadly grinned at the ship. "A Patroller-Class Freighter." Tem ran his hands over the ship, checking its condition. "With a few tweaks, she'll be space worthy again in no time." He climbed up the, already lowered, landing ramp and checked its internal systems.
Xio had slowly tracked Tem through the Force. His bright presence was simple enough to find, but very hard to get to where he was. Xio continuously ran into dead-ends and had to double back to follow another set of corridors. As she drew closer to where he was, Xio knew exactly where he had gone. "He's in the hangar." She said to herself as she jogged around another corner. She reached the hangar and slipped between the ships and droids, heading towards Tem's presence. She found a freighter in the back, and was guessing Tem had gone inside of it. She walked around the ship, looking for the landing ramp. It was covered in dust and boxes, obviously cast aside for the newer model ships occupying the hangar. Xio caught her breath while she looked, making her search even slower, but she needed the break. It was quite a long way between the Training Grounds and the hangar, after all.
Tem began igniting the engines and starting the ships internal systems. Running a diagnostic, he checked off the things that were in prime condition and made a side note to work on the areas where the ship needed repair. The ship shook and something rattled on the top of the ship. Tem looked at the ceiling and darted out of the cockpit.
The ship suddenly roared to life in front of Xio. She stumbled backwards, caught off guard by the sudden commotion the ship was making. With a violent shudder, the battered ship tossed several metal crates, which were perched on its hull, falling towards her. Xio stood there, frozen with fear. She couldn't think of anything to do, and the only thought running through her head was that she was going to be flattened by the crates. So frightened, she didn't even hear her name being shouted, and had not seen what had knocked her over. She fell hard to the ground, having the wind knocked out of her. As the crates smashed into the ground, the ringing sound traveled throughout the hangar, then faded. The only sound that followed was the gentle humming of the ships systems running. Xio coughed and gasped for breath, taking in as much air as she could. Tem was laid over her, looking her over for any sign of physical injury. Their eyes met and they lay there panting, and staring at each other, before unease and embarrassment had replaced Tem's worry. He quickly got off of her and went to the aide of the fallen boxes. Xio slowly rose to her feet and noticed that the crates had nearly become a part of the floor. She was grateful she wasn't part of the floor and for Tem's quick thinking. Tem had crouched down beside the boxes and was trying to pull the jagged ends out of the ground, with little success. "Are you all right?" He asked, not looking away from his work in front of him. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you." She said calmly, as she stepped up to Tem's side. "It was either me or the box that was going to crush you." Tem turned his head smiled up at her. "I thought you would have lived another day if I was crushing you." Before Xio could answer him, another voice probed the hangar's inhabitants. "Tem Marr? Tem Marr, are you in here?" A familiar voice beckoned. "Yeah, in the back." Tem shouted back, making his way towards the voice. Xio followed closely behind. Surm stood waiting for them. "Tem Marr, come with me. The Council has requested you complete a small, simple test."
Tem was given a lightsaber and ushered into a large room. Crumbling pillars of stone were randomly placed around the room, while several lay in ruins. The ruins were strewn across the floor and made walking around the room very difficult. Tem carried the lightsaber in his hand, not quite sure what to do with it, or what he was suppose to do at all. There were no instructions as to what he was to do, he was just sent in here. Seemed harmless enough, though. There was no danger as far as Tem could tell. Tem rounded a pillar and was staring up at an oddly shaped droid head. Its body was large, bulky and built for power. There was a snap-hiss when the droid activated its lightsaber. Tem jumped back, out of the way of the swinging droid, and bumped into a second droid. There was another snap-hiss as the second droid ignited its lightsaber. The yellow glow from the lightsabers reflected off the droids smooth metal bodies and drenched Tem in a yellow light. The lightsaber in Tem's hand grew heavy and he realized he could defend himself. "Aha!" Tem shouted at the droids and hefted his lightsaber up. The first droid swung its lightsaber and the amber blade cleanly sliced Tem's inactive lightsaber in half. Tem backed away from the two droids as they held their lightsabers in the ready position. Tem bumped into a wall and pressed himself against it, as if it would protect him from the cold, calculating machines. The droids raised their lightsabers above their heads and Tem threw the other half of the lightsaber at the first droids head. Confusion broke out in the droids and Tem took full advantage of it. Rushing forward, he leaped up and began climbing over the first droid. The second droid, who had come to the conclusion that the target was trying to escape, began swinging madly at Tem, but was unsuccessful in hitting him. The first droid wasn't as lucky as Tem. He jumped off the first droids shoulders and grabbed a metal pole that was acting as a brace for the droid's right side. The right side of the first droid went limp and it struggled to keep up with the second droid as it moved in on Tem. Holding the metal pole in a ready position, Tem snarled and blacked out.
Everyone was gaping as they watched the battle between Tem and the droids. Tem no longer showed the unease and confusion he had shown a few moments ago. He now had the control and power of a warrior. The second droid was swinging at Tem, but he successfully twisted his body away from each blow. The first droid caught up and began swinging as well. Tem was still able to keep up with both of them, and was able to force them back with nothing but a simple pole. The battle was nothing short of spectacular. Tem focused on the second droid, performing each parry, dodge, and strike with liquid grace. The first droid lumbered behind Tem, but he had already spotted the droid and sent the staff through its mid-section. Before the pole could strike metal, there was a draw in the Force and the droid was sent flying away from Tem. The droid wrapped itself around a pillar from the impact and was now useless. "One left, but this one is in better shape." Someone noted from close by. The second droid towered over Tem with its lightsaber raised. It brought it down with an artificial strength that would have shattered the hull of a starfighter. Tem turned quickly, held up his staff in defense and the droid's arm bounced off it. The force of the blow sent Tem spinning and stumbling into the rubble on the ground, but he was back on his feet in seconds. Xio noticed that the strike from the droid had also shattered the pole in two. This will make things more difficult, Xio told herself. Tem charged at the droid, showing no sign of weakness. Electricity sparked off the pillars around him as he rushed towards it. As soon as Tem had placed his foot within range of the droid's lightsaber, the fighting became very intense. Everyone watched stunned by how a simple pilot could fight so well. Xio found herself trembling. Never before had she seen so much power in a single being before. It was magnificent and frightening at the same time. Tem was calm, and in control. His face looked as if it had been etched in stone. There was no emotion in it, and the eerie yellow glow made him look angry. The two had forced each other back, and Tem had a few seconds to catch his breath. The droid was back on top of him but Tem was ready when it came. It brought the lightsaber down with bone shattering strength, but hit a half of the metal pole Tem was carrying. The droid added more strength to its arm and slowly was lowering Tem to the ground, about to finish him off. Tem turned, pushed forward, and shoved the other half of the pole into the droid's chest cavity, piercing the power cell. It leaked out in smoke and there was a brief blinding flash of light. When Xio opened her eyes again, everyone had crowded around the transparisteel view screen. Droid parts rained down on the battleground, while an unconscious Tem laid awkwardly on the ground. "Tem…" Xio whispered and rushed out of the viewing room. She followed two Jedi Healers as they went to the young man's aid.
Tem opened his eyes slowly, closed them again when his eyes met the bright lights on the ceiling and then opened them again, as his eyes readjusted. He sat up slowly, and found himself sitting on a repulsor bed in the Med-Center. "How'd I end up here again?" Tem grumbled, as he rubbed his head. He didn't remember anything. The droids. Had he been beaten by the droids? He quickly checked himself for anything to mark where the droids could have damaged his body. He found nothing though. He looked around the room and found Xio sleeping awkwardly in a chair close to the window. It was mostly dark in the room, except for the light shining over Tem's bed. He climbed out of bed and walked over to Xio. He picked her up and put her on the bed, pulling the sheets over her. He smiled slightly, and remembered how his mother would tuck him in at night. He sighed and walked over to the window, his bare feet smacking against the cold marble floors. He looked out at the cityscape. "It's a far way from home. It's really different here, too." Tem spoke silently to himself. He sat in the chair he had just taken Xio out of and remembered what he could of Canaltha.
Xio walked through the ship's corridors silently. Tem was usually found here if she couldn't find him anywhere else. She found him in the cockpit, as usual, punching in various codes for the ship. There was something odd about him today though. Xio watched him as he punched in a random series of codes mechanically, while he gazed out the viewport. She crept forward and slipped into the co-pilot seat, watching as Tem continued his senseless programming. He looked at her briefly, but returned to his work. "Tem, is something wrong?" She said slowly. Tem didn't look from his work. "I need to go back to Canaltha. Something is going on, and I need to go back." He turned and looked at her. "I don't have any other choice." Xio noticed, for the first time, the star map across the viewport. A hyperspace route marked out from Coruscant all the way to the edge of the galaxy. "But, why?" Xio asked, not sure what was going on. "I don't know. They need me. There's trouble." He touched his forehead. "I have to, I'm sorry." Xio looked at him, and then back at the star map. "I'm going with you." She said, turning to face Tem. "I'll help you." Tem looked at her blankly for a moment. "Are you sure? I don't know what will happen, and I don't want you getting hurt." He turned away from her, a hint of embarrassment running through him. She reached over and placed her hand on his. "I'm sure. When do we leave?" Tem looked at her and smiled. "Whenever you're ready." Xio smiled back at him. "Lets go then."
The ancient freighter blazed through hyperspace. They had nearly reached Canaltha in three days, when it would have taken any other ship Xio had been on a week. Tem must have been busy working on this, Xio mused, and he obviously has more then enough spare time around the Jedi Temple. They were four hours from Canaltha when Tem began talking. "We need to see some friends of mine before we land. Then when we get into town, we're going to need to pick up some new clothes. We'll kinda stand out in the crowds." Tem smirked. "Something we want to avoid." Xio listened as Tem continued with what was going to happen when they were on Canaltha. Warning buzzers sounded as the timer was nearly threw counting down. "Here we go." Tem said, tightening the crash webbing around him. Xio did likewise, not sure how well Tem could fly. He placed his hand on the lever and pulled it back. Star lines became pinpricks in the distance as the ship slowed and the sub-light engines roared to life. "There's Canaltha." Tem said, pointing to the largest planet in front of them. "Those two smaller worlds are Gorue and Dushma. Dushma is uninhabited but full of deadly predators." Tem smirked. "Which is why it's uninhabited." Xio laughed silently. "I see. What about Gorue?" Xio asked, looking at the dark orb farthest from Dushma, circling slowly around Canaltha. "It's a dead world and considered a religious place by the Canta, the natives of Canaltha. Settlers of Canaltha are called Canalthian, and the language spoken by the Canta is named the same." Tem said as they entered atmosphere. The ship shook slightly, but Tem had good control over the ship. It wasn't as stomach churning as Xio had thought. "This side of Canaltha is covered with forests, seas, and mountain ranges. The other side of Canaltha is a dead mass of dirt. Canaltha has a dangerous orbit close to the Void. Every year, as Canaltha draws closer to the Void, the Wasteland takes the full brunt of the pull. The ozone is damaged and most of anything there is killed instantly, which means the plant life that survives one year, doesn't last another." Tem shook his head. "According to the Canta, it wasn't always like that. They said it was a paradise, until the planet moved so close to the Void." Tem smiled. "I'm sorry. I must be boring you with this history lesson." Xio shook her head, smiling. "No, not at all. It's very interesting." Xio noted that they were hovering over a patch of woods now. "What are you waiting for?" Xio asked, trying to see down through the green leaves bellow. "Some old friends." Tem said, pulling the crash webbing even tighter around him. Xio soon found out why. The ship dipped to one side as a mucus green blast splashed against the side of the cockpit. The ship's engines sputtered and slowly, the bulky freighter had made a hole through the forest and had collided into the ground. The engines groaned, then shut down. Xio looked at Tem, who didn't seem to notice the danger they were in. She watched as he took off the crash webbing and turned to rest against the seat, which was now facing downwards at an acute angle. Xio tried to follow suit, but found it difficult to get behind her seat. The door to the cockpit groaned as it was forced open by long, pointed sticks. "Tem…" Xio said cautiously. "Don't worry." He said, crossing his arms across his chest. Several tall, blue humanoids entered. They were in peek physical condition, by human standards, and completely hairless, with bright blue skin. They had enormous hands, which could wrap around both her and Tem's head with room to cover more. The one in the front had a wooden staff, while the other two carried a reddish colored weapon, which had a series of tubes running from the nozzle to a container of some sort. Xio held her breath, but Tem seemed completely at ease. The blue aliens were gripping anything they could to keep from being thrown forward. "Casa! Nushaw butah!" The closest blue being said, "Tem Marr!"
The Canta suddenly became very hostile, which had caught Tem off guard. He had not expected the Canta to be so angry with him. "You turna into hunter fur dem nasty Paschawa?" He shouted at him. Tem raised his hands in defense and shouted back. "Quwka! Quwka! No! I don't work for the Cardans! Calm down!" The Canta didn't say another word, but he was glaring at Tem. "I had to get your attention, somehow, Quwka. I knew you'd blast a Cardan ship hovering over your territory." Tem smiled at the Canta. "I wouldn't turn on my old friends! Not for all the credits in the universe." Quwka laughed loudly. "Casa! You know Quwka well!" Quwka elbowed one of the Canta behind him and started speaking in Canalthian. There was a brief argument between the two, and Tem couldn't help but laugh. Tem looked back at Xio and smiled reassuringly, though she looked very confused. "I'll explain later." He whispered to her. "Buckcha!" Quwka shouted, making Tem wince. There was a brief gesture from Quwka and then he turned back to Tem. "Quwka, lets get outta here. It's cramped and we need to do a lot of talking." Tem said grimly. Quwka nodded and lead the way out.
"Quwka, this is Xio Mara. Xio, this is Quwka." Tem said when they had assembled outside of the ship. "Can you stay with them while I try and get our ship out of the ground?" He asked Xio, who nodded and smiled. "Go ahead. I'll be fine." Tem smiled back, but there was something lurking beneath his emotion. Xio couldn't exactly identify it, but shrugged it off. Quwka walked up to her and gestured to his two companions. "They Chupa ey Tupag." He said in heavily accented Basic. "Chupa! Tupag! Tury rut!" Chupa and Tupag greeted Xio by pressing a large fist to their slanted forehead. Xio bowed to them all. Tupag was the first to speak, with an even heavier accented Basic then Quwka. "You clan Marr?" He asked, looking puzzled. "Kupa! Tem Marr splain human no clan!" Quwka shouted at Tupag. Xio smiled and laughed, gesturing for the two to stop arguing. "Quwka, it's alright. Tupag, I am not a member of clan Marr. I belong to a very powerful clan that practices magic." Xio laughed slightly as the Canta backed away from her slightly, but Chupa held his ground. Acting defiant to the supposedly more powerful human, Xio mused. "What magic you use?" Chupa said, narrowing his large gray eyes. "We see human magic before. How yours different?" Xio looked around briefly. "Alright, see that rock? I will lift it." Chupa laughed and began taunting her. "That no magic! Chupa lift rock easy!" As he spoke, the rock lifted off the ground and rose above his head. "See?" Xio said, straining to keep the rock afloat while talking. "Magic." She said and eased the rock back to its resting place. All of the Canta broke out into conversation, not believing what they had just witnessed. Xio laughed silently as they talked. This wouldn't be so bad then, Xio mused, I've already earned their respect.
"Hey! Careful! You're going to hurt your Zentr!" Tem put a hand over his face and shook his head. He knew he shouldn't be so critical of the young clan members, but they didn't even know how to ride a Zentr. Last time Tem was on Canaltha, you couldn't become a warrior unless you knew how to ride one of the bigger, stronger riding beasts. Zentr's were the prime choice of most warriors. The furry canine that was nearly as big as a landspeeder and the height of Tem, it was a perfect beast for using in battle. The nose of the ship had plummeted into the ground and carved itself a nest to hide in. They were trying to use the mighty Zentr's to pull it out far enough to gun the repulsors. There was a piercing howl and Tem cringed. He ran over to the howling Zentr, who was now lying on its side, and began looking for the problem. The young rider began jabbering about how it was an accident and he didn't mean to injure the animal. Tem shook his head and began rubbing the Zentr's leg. "It's all right! She just pulled a leg muscle!" He yelled at the panicking Canta. "She'll be fine. She's too old of a mount for you. You need something younger." Tem muttered, trying to pull the Zentr back on her feet. "Quip, quip." The young clan member climbed back onto the saddle. "You are Tem of Marr, correct? There are great stories about you and your clan." Tem nodded slowly. "Thank you. Remember, find a younger mount next time, or you might kill this lovely one. She's still got a few years on her." Tem smiled, but he didn't feel happy. Memories of his parents rushed into his mind. He shook his head, trying to clear his head and found Xio smiling at him, leaning against a blue barked tree. He walked over to her. She eases the pain, Tem thought, a great distraction, but not enough to make it go away. "That was amazing. You must be good with animals." She said, when he had come close enough. Tem looked back at the rider and Zentr, and faced Xio again. "That? That was nothing special. The Canta are like a second family to me. My dad… he thought they were amazing. We spent a lot of time with them, but my mom never did like the country." Tem smiled slightly. "She enjoyed all the arts that they made. She would sell it in town for them, and bring them back the credits, but they would never take them." Tem shook his head. "She loved the animals too. We, the Canta and I, raised a purebred Mutsr, a feline-like fox, for her birthday. She loved it." Tem smiled at the memory, the look on his mother's face. Then he realized he was rambling. "I'm sorry, I tend to get a little carried away when I'm talking about my parents." He smiled nervously and turned away from her, embarrassed. "It's all right. Your parents sound like good people. Will we meet them in town?" Xio asked, smiling. Tem shook his head, and busied himself with dusting the Zentr fur off his hands. "No, they're dead." He pulled an especially large clump of Zentr fur off his shirt, letting it float down to the ground. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Tem." Xio gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "So am I." He said, brushing her hand off his shoulder and looking for Quwka. "We'll be going soon, so I need to talk to Quwka."
"Quwka and Putarden owe clan Marr much. What Tem want us do?" Quwka stood tall, proud and slightly menacing. "I want you to go to the Cardan mines in the hills. Break in there and free the miners. Try not to kill anyone, though." Tem explained his plan to him. "Head to Knoin with the rescued and wait for us there." Tem looked at the ground. "Many of you may die, are you willing to make that risk?" Quwka thrust a fist against his chest and stood taller. "For clan Marr, Quwka rip teeth out sleeping Aurk." Tem laughed and shook his head. "Thankfully, I'm not asking you to do something so stupid, Quwka." Quwka shrugged and smiled at him. "Clan Marr helped Putarden and other clans. They true warriors. Strong, honorable, brave, sm-…" Tem cut off his friend with a gesture. "Quwka, we weren't anything special." Quwka shot a glare at Tem and took offense to this. He leaned closer to Xio before speaking. "Clan Marr, do great things for clans. End war, make clans happy. Tem, he protect villages. Chor ey Sala, they risked life for Quwka." He shook his head sadly. "Quwka can't help Chor ey Sala. To Land of Praised, they go. Tem be sad, but he brave. Help Quwka get outside city." Quwka gestured for emphasis. "Tem, he have no one help him. He leave for long time, but he back now. Quwka happy see him back. See hero still alive. Now Quwka honored to help hero." Quwka straightened and smiled at Tem and Xio. Tem shook his head, hiding his embarrassed look, but Xio was amused and smiling. "Quwka see Tem helped. We die for clan Marr honorably." Quwka turned his full attention to Tem now. "Quwka see Tem in city. If not see in city, Quwka will see in Land of Praised. Ey Quwka see Chor ey Sala again." Quwka smiled. "Either way, Quwka see Tem again. Don be sad." Quwka held out his hand and Tem shook it. He threw himself at Quwka and embraced the giant Canta as best he could. "Land of Praised." Tem smiled, tears filling his eyes. The praise of clan Marr continued for another hour before they finally left, Quwka completely ignoring Tem's silent crying.
"How did your parents die, Tem?" Xio asked carefully. They had gone thirty minutes without saying anything. Knoin started filling the viewport in front of them as Tem flew towards it. "They were shot." Tem said, playing with the restraints on his chair. "You're going to drive yourself mad if you keep your feeling bottled up." She said, running her fingers over the smooth surface of the armrest. She knew she shouldn't force him to tell her, but he needed to vent to someone. It was becoming more obvious as time passed that he kept it all to himself. "My father was a Cardan. They became corrupt, and tried to abuse the planet. My father was born and raised in Canaltha. He wouldn't stand for it. My mother was a Cardan from another world, and she didn't like this sudden grab for power either. They confronted, the Trup, Garum Stite, the governor, of this Cardan post. I was there when they confronted him. They told me to run, and I did." Tem rapped his knuckles against the console. "I should've stayed to help them, but I didn't. When the turbolift dropped, I heard the shots and knew my parents were dead. Garum had his men hunt me. Quwka was going to be a slave if I didn't help him escape though, so I led him to the city walls, and opened up the hatch that my parents would use to 'get away'." Tem laughed slightly. "I wasn't so lucky. I was chased into a black hole cluster not far from here by Cardan starfighters. My parents ship had no armaments and I had no defenses. I was stuck in that cluster for a month, before I rebuilt the ship and jetted for Coruscant. The Canta kept themselves from being taken into slavery, but have moved farther from the cities because of it. Garum decided he'd force any Canalthian he could to work in the mines." Tem shook his head. He looked at Xio and smiled. "Another history lesson. Sorry." He turned back to the controls and let the ship be guided to a landing pad. Xio laughed slightly. "I told you, it's interesting." Tem smirked and looked at her again. "Here's something that's interesting. The pull of the Void has pulled Canaltha off its orbit. Canaltha is about to destroy itself in less then two days." Tem looked out the viewport. "It's why I'm back. To save Canta, Canalthian's, Cardans, anyone and anything I can fit on a transport off this rock." Tem looked at her again. "I should've told you sooner. I'm sorry."
Garum leaned back in the nerf-hide chair and stroked his pudgy chin, watching the security camera footage at the Spaceport. He sneered at the monitor as Tem's face filled the screen. "And I was told you were dead." He rose from his chair and began pacing. What was he going to do now? Evacuate the planet, be the hero? Garum wouldn't have it. Tem Marr must fail. Pressing a stubby finger to the comm. "Jurt, tighten security in the city, and the Garrison. I have a feeling something is going to happen." Garum sat back in his chair, smiling at the frozen image of Tem's face on the display. There would be no hero of Canaltha.
They had spent an hour picking out clothing and had returned to the ship to change. Tem pulled a plain white shirt over his head. Picking up a Xuzt skin jacket, he left his quarters and waited by the landing ramp for Xio. He looked at the ragged jacket, wondering if he would have been better off buying a new jacket with the price he paid. He heard Xio's soft padding footsteps down the corridor and looked up. She was wearing a long Aurk leather skirt with a simple black shirt and nerf-hide vest. She looked amazing, and Tem caught himself gawking. Xio smiled and held a hand over her mouth. "I'm guessing you like the clothes I bought." Tem realized he was gawking and shut his mouth. He turned away from her and walked down the landing ramp. "Yeah, you look like a real Canalthian." He turned and smiled at her and then vanished outside. He grabbed a blaster in a holster hanging just inside of the ship. When he got outside, he strapped it to his hip and pulled the jacket on. Xio followed down the landing ramp. "Ready?" He asked her, pulling the jacket forward to hide the blaster. "When ever you are." Tem nodded and headed down the street. He walked slowly through the crowds, and making sure Xio was never out of his sight. He wasn't sure how long he could go unnoticed, and what would happen if he were identified. He didn't want to risk Xio being hurt on his account. They had slowly made their way to a run-down part of town, and it was obvious how uneasy Xio was about being here. "Don't worry." He whispered to her. "We'll be fine." The sun was setting when Tem finally reached where he wanted to be. "The old town square." He declared, to no one in particular. "Until the city expanded, this was the town square. All the traders back there, would be here, trying to sell their goods to you." Tem smirked. "This was the place Garum was promoted as well. Which is why I chose this spot to meet some old 'friends' of Garum." Tem grinned impishly, but Xio just looked at him, puzzled. He whistled sharply and slowly, several different beings of all shapes and sizes gathered in front of him. "Tem Marr! We thought you were dead!" A deep voice beckoned from somewhere in the crowd of beings. He shouldered his way forward, which was easy with his large robotic arm. Tem winced slightly. "Nice to see you too, Starg. What happened to your arm?" Starg was a muscular human, with dark skin. He was an expert mechanic, and brilliant leader from what Tem remembered him being. "There was a big fight with Cardan forces a month ago. When you jetted out, we tried to keep as many fighters off you as possible. We stormed the Garrison and… 'repaired' some of Garum's fighters." Starg smiled proudly. "Unfortunately, they caught us, and my arm was in a fighter. Blasted my shoulder and I lost my whole arm in the ship. I built myself this new arm. Not the same as flesh and bone, but it sure does a lot of Hell to any Cardan that comes to close." Starg laughed a booming laugh. There were a few snickers from the gathered, and Tem gave an amused skeptical look to Starg. "And I'm sure you've been busy making sure they're put through that Hell." Starg nodded, smiling. Tem smirked. "I thought so. This is Xio Mara, a friend." Tem gestured to the small, quiet woman slightly behind him and to his side. "Only a friend, eh?" Starg said, looking over at Xio. Tem coughed loudly. "Yeah, Starg. Think we could keep focus?" Starg looked back at Tem. "Certainly. We are thirty men strong, with several disgruntled Cardans waiting for our order. Sabotage is how we were planning on getting pass the automated defenses in the Garrison." Starg explained, turning and walking towards the crowd, followed by Tem. "What about the mines? Can those systems be shut off from the Garrison?" Tem asked, panic entering his tone. "I'm afraid only Garum's office can shut them off or disable them. There's a terminal at the mines, but we don't have anyone in there." Starg said, spreading his arms apart slightly. "No one but Garum can get into his office, unless he lets them in, and none of our disgruntled workers want to even try taking out Garum or the systems." Tem nodded slowly. "Too much mess, and kinda suspicious. Can we take the Garrison ahead of schedule then? We have fighters at the mines to free the miners, so we need those defenses down. They're very valuable to me." Starg looked at Tem suspiciously. "It's a long story. Remind me to tell you sometime. Anyway, me and Xio have had a long day. Got a place for us to sleep? I'd hate to go back to the ship, Garum might have it bugged or something already." Starg nodded as Tem spoke. "Of course. There's only one bunk though, I'm afraid. We didn't know you were bringing anyone." Tem smiled and nodded. "I wasn't expecting to." He turned to Xio. "We'll figure something out about the bunk situation." Xio nodded as well. They all walked deeper into the run-down town and found old containers of unknown products, being used to keep fires. People were huddled around most, and Tem noticed the temperature was dropping. Starg opened a door to a finer looking building and showed Tem the single room, with the single bunk and a small compliment of nutrition packs. When he left, Tem closed the door and turned on a glow rod. "Go ahead and get some sleep. I'm going to talk with a few people." Tem smiled. Xio smiled back at him. "Alright, but where will you sleep?" Xio asked, looking at the bunk, then at the hard ground. Tem hissed between his teeth. "I'll just curl up on the floor. It'll be like sleeping in one of the Med-Center beds." Tem laughed, and was joined by Xio. They smiled at each other for a few minutes. "Well, I'm going now. I'll talk to you in the morning, Xio." Tem smiled and vanished out of the door. Tem was very grateful that the Xuzt jacket was much warmer then it appeared.
Xio watched Tem from the doorway, talking with a large group of people. Everyone was listening to him with such interest. Xio smiled and spoke silently to herself. "So Quwka wasn't just trying to embarrass him. He is a very great man." She slipped back inside and closed the door. She pulled off her boots and crawled under the sheets. She couldn't help but feel a little bad that she had to put Tem out of a comfortable bed. She lay awake until he returned. He no longer had the glow rod on, making the room pitch black when he closed the door. She could hear him pulling off his boots and bundling up his jacket to use as a pillow. She shifted and turned to face him. "Tem?" She probed the dark with her voice. "Yeah?" His voice came back to her, much closer then she had expected. "You need a good night sleep. You can sleep on the bunk with me." She smiled into the dark, but doubted he could see. She could sense his unease about joining her in the bed, but there was a part of him excited. Xio laughed silently. "What?" Tem said his tone slightly annoyed. "Just get in bed." She turned and felt his body brush against hers slightly before he settled a few centimeters away from her. "Good night, Tem." She said, slowly drifting off to sleep. "Good night, Xio." His sweet voice came back to her and she drifted into a dreamless sleep.
The Canta marched silently through the night. The force that Quwka would use to strike the mining facility was mostly consisted of Zentr Riders and a couple of tamed Aurk Gunners. There were also several dozen Binzar Beetles. With their thick carapaces, they could severely damage duracrete buildings. They would be able to strike by nightfall tomorrow, Quwka thought to himself, as they marched through the thick forests of Canaltha.
Xio slowly opened her eyes and rose out of bed. Tem was nowhere to be seen, but guessing from the noise outside, she guessed he was there. She smiled to herself and pulled on her boots and fixing her hair slightly before going outside. Her guess had been right. She found Tem sitting on a box, talking to a bunch of beings, most of which Xio could not identify. Tem moved sideways to make room for Xio, who seated herself next to him on the box. "We'll wait for the riot to draw the guards away from the entrance, break in, and then take care of any guards from there. Alright?" There were nods of agreement then they left. Tem turned and smiled at Xio. "Sleep well?" He asked, taking a bite out of a pastry. She smiled back at him. "If you would've stopped kicking me in your sleep, it wouldn't have been so bad." She laughed. "Hey. That's not nice." Tem said, mock hurt. "Oh, you're probably hungry." Tem muttered, reaching into a small bag and pulling out another pastry and handing it to her. "Thank you." She smiled and took a bite of the pastry. It was soft and flaky, with an icing glaze. In the center was a purple jelly that Xio dipped her finger in and tried. It tasted tangy and sour, but delicious. "It's a Kur berry pastry." Tem said, watching her eat. "They're the only fruit that's edible on Canaltha. The rest are too poisonous for humans and most other humanoids. Most of the Canta's work beasts eat the poisonous ones though." Xio nodded, understanding. The animals that Canta used probably had stronger stomachs then most humanoids and were capable of eating any poisonous fruit without harm. "I'm guessing it's a little late to save some of the fauna and flora while we're here, hm?" Xio laughed and Tem smiled. "Actually, we've already shipped many of the planets flora and fauna off-planet to a storage facility." Xio smiled, and started laughing again. "You've thought of everything, haven't you?" Tem shook his head. "My father was the one who knew the planet would be pulled into the Void. He has weapons caches hidden around Canaltha and a back-up frigate incase he needed it to evacuate the planet. He started shipping plants off and told me where to find them. It's like he knew he was going to die…" Tem looked at his feet and slowly ripped a piece off the pastry. Xio watched him silently, not sure what to say and not wanting to upset him further by saying the wrong thing. "You can't let this get to you." She said slowly. "Right now, all these people who are living their lives, not knowing what's about to happen, they need you to help them. Your father, he sacrificed himself knowing you could finish what he couldn't." Xio placed a hand on Tem's back. "I believe you can too." Tem looked up at her and smirked. "That's what I thought about making it to Coruscant." He winked and stood up. "We'll be leaving by mid-day for the Garrison. Be ready, alright?" Tem smiled and disappeared into their one room hide-away.
They had all split-up, as to not draw attention, as they made their way to the Garrison. They had gone in groups of three and Tem had a young Ryn following him and Xio. "How much farther, Gural?" Tem asked the Ryn, squeezing his way between an especially large group of beings, all shouting their prices for some piece of merchandise Tem couldn't see over the sea of heads. "Not much farther." The Ryn said, whistling softly, as he easily slipped through the crowd. Gural's tail twitched nervously as they were nearing the Garrison. "You don't have to go in the Garrison, Gural. Once we get there, you don't have to stick around for the fighting." Tem said as they walked. Gural looked around and hesitated. "It's not that, sir." Gural began, the soft whistle sounding as he spoke. "It's just that, I was a prisoner for several months in the Garrison. It wasn't pleasant. I get nervous whenever I'm near it." Tem nodded. "I understand. I don't have many fond memories of the Garrison, myself." He muttered, lowering his gaze while a group of Cardan troops marched by. Gural nearly panicked and whistled loudly as they passed them, but he held out until they were well out of sight. Tem laughed silently. "Good to know you're holding together Gural." The Garrison loomed above them, but they still had a few hours before sunset. Tem looked around and was glad someone had placed a Tap Café in such a convenient place. "Come on, let's get a drink."
Gural couldn't sit still, and it was starting to annoy Tem. Slamming his stimcaf down, he reached across the table, grabbed the Ryn's shoulder and pushed him into his seat. "Stop fidgeting!" Tem let go of the Ryn and settled back in his chair. The Ryn stopped moving around, but wouldn't stop looking around while sipping his stimcaf. Tem looked at his chrono, mumbling to himself. "Another ten minutes, and then we need to go." Tem said, before taking another sip of his stimcaf. "How long until the planet makes its rotation into the Void?" Xio asked, holding her stimcaf to her lips, but not drinking it. Tem looked at his chrono again. "I would say by mid-day tomorrow." Xio nodded and took a silent sip of her stimcaf. The Ryn began fidgeting again, and Tem rolled his eyes. This must have been the longest ten minutes of his life.
The sun set behind the Garrison, out of sight from the street. The roar of a crowd further down the street could be heard from where Xio, Tem, and Gural were crouching. Tem turned to the nervous Ryn. "If you're not coming with us, go now. Be back in a few hours to board a transport, or you're stuck on this rock when it gets torn apart." Gural rubbed his hands together, looking around nervously, as if his decision would cost him his life. "I… I will go." Tem nodded. "Then go, quickly, before someone notices you." Gural smiled for the first time since Xio had met him. "Ryn are never noticed." Tem smirked. "Good point, now go." Gural nodded and ran off. Xio watched him run off and vanish around a corner. "He's going to save what he can of his belongs." Tem said, bluntly. Xio looked at him. "How do you know?" She looked to the front of the Garrison, where four guards stood at attention. The roars of the riot down the street grew louder and Xio could see the guards getting ready to go and put it to an end. "He didn't have anything in his bag." Tem smirked. "Someone about the leave the planet without anything striked me as odd." Xio laughed silently. "I see." Tem watched the guards silently. The roars from the riot were drowning any other sound anyway, so speaking would have been in vain. The guards ran from their posts and Tem gestured for her to follow him. They ran over to the Garrison and slipped inside, followed by Starg and several other beings. Most of those were the ones she had seen last night. "Quickly! We don't know how long we're going to be hung up here fighting our way to the hangar." Tem was saying as he withdrew his blaster from the holster at his hip. Tem walked over to a door, and was about to key it open. "Wait!" Xio shouted at Tem. She closed her eyes and stretched out with the Force. "They're waiting for us. Fifteen of them, aimed at the door." Tem grimaced and looked at the keypad he was just about to press. "Eh… Any volunteers to open the door?" Tem smiled nervously and gestured to the keypad. They all stared at him blankly, and a few broke into laughter. "Alright, that's what I thought." Tem looked at the door. "I'll do it then. Xio, how good are you with your lightsaber there?" Tem looked at Xio and gestured to her vest. Xio was slightly confused. How had he known her lightsaber was in the vest? "Um, yeah. Good enough." She smiled slightly. "Good, I need you to cover me." Tem said, checking the charge on his blaster. "Remember guys, set for stun. No matter how much we hate these guys, they still deserve to live." There were some grumbles, but they obeyed and switched their blasters to STUN. Tem pressed into a corner, next to the keypad. "Get on the other side, Xio. Wait for their shots, then we move in, ok?" Xio nodded and fingered the ON switch of her lightsaber. Tem slammed his palm against the keypad and the door hissed open. Almost instantly, several red bolts shot through the open doorway, but hit the wall on the other side. Tem rolled forward, through the doorway and began firing blue salvos of energy, stunning as many as guards as he could. Xio followed, igniting her auburn lightsaber and deflecting the deadly red bolts slicing through the air above Tem's head. A bolt found a hole in Xio's defense and hit Tem's ankle. "Ah!" Tem crumbled onto his side and fired a blue salvo at the gunner, who went down with a thud. Tem cringed and looked at his boot. Xio deactivated her lightsaber, slipped it back into her vest and knelt beside Tem. "Are you all right? Did it burn through? Can you walk?" Xio struggled to control the volume of her voice. She was worried that Tem would be useless when they needed him the most. Tem smiled and laughed silently. Xio looked at him, then at his boot. It had singed most of the way through, but hadn't done any damage. Xio narrowed her eyes at Tem and hit him in the side. "You could have said something." She said, getting up and looking around the smoke filled room. "I couldn't. Before I could say anything, you kept saying something. It's not nice to interrupt someone when they're talking, you know." Xio shot a glare at him. Tem laughed and got to his feet. "Lighten up, ok? We're both fine. Let's get moving." Xio jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. "Next time, I'm leaving you on the ground though." She smiled. Tem smirked. "Thanks. Come on guys! Lets go!"
They burst through the hangar and fired blue salvos of energy at the, surprisingly, sparsely populated hangar. They all spread out and searched the hangar for a possible hidden attack, but none could be found. "This doesn't feel right." Tem said aloud as he looked inside a footlocker. "I don't like the looks of this either." He heard Starg's deep voice bellow from somewhere else in the hangar. "We can't waste time though. Get the slicers working on the ships, the rest will stand guard incase there is someone waiting for us." Tem shouted, as he walked back towards where the large frigates were sitting. Slicers had already started trying to hack into the computers' systems when he showed up. Tem spotted Xio in a corner looking at the giant ships. "They're unsettling, I know." Tem said, walking up to her. The frigates were jet black, and sported long, deadly looking landing struts. It was like some kind of fish from Naboo, except with that evil glare that would haunt you in a nightmare. "They're more than unsettling to me." Tem looked at her, then the ships. "Do you know if there's anyone else in the Garrison?" Xio shook her head. "It's completely deserted. But, there's someone at the very top. His presence is as unsettling as these ships." Xio smiled at Tem, but Tem didn't notice. He was looking at his feet. "Garum, he's waiting for me. He knows…" He muttered slowly. Tem looked around and found a turbolift in the opposite corner of Tem and Xio's location. "I have to go." Tem said and started towards the turbolift. Xio was following closely behind him. "Where? Why? What are you planning on doing?" Tem felt Xio grab his hand and tug him to a stop, a few steps away from the turbolift. He turned and faced her. "It's Garum. He's waiting for me. He knows that we're here. I have to confront him." Tem looked away from her. "I'll be back. I promise." He called the turbolift and waited for it to descend to their floor. "I'm coming." Xio said, stepping closer to him. "No." Tem said sternly. "I'm going alone. Help people evacuate when they open the ships. That's what I need you to do." The turbolift doors opened and a hot air rushed out from the enclosed chamber. Tem looked at Xio. "I'm sorry, but I have to." Xio nodded, but looked at her feet. He pushed her chin up with his fingers and smiled at her. "I said I'd be back." He kissed her passionately, but it didn't last nearly as long as Tem would have liked. "Good luck." He said before entering the small turbolift. "Good luck to you, Tem." Xio smiled at him, and the doors sealed. The turbolift rose quickly, and as each floor passed below Tem, he slowly became scared.
The turbolift grinded to a halt and the doors hissed open slowly. Tem slowly entered Garum's office. Garum's pudgy figure was seated comfortably in an imported nerf-hide chair. "Comfortable?" Tem bit out as he came within a few feet of Garum's desk. "Quite. My, Tem Marr, you have grown since our last meeting. You look much more wiser then you did a month ago." Tem laughed shortly. "Yeah, a month has really changed me." Garum just smiled at him. Tem twitched and wanted to knock the older man's teeth out, but he fought back the urge. "You have been providing quite an interesting show for me." Garum said, raising from his chair with a squeak, and pointing a remote control at a monitor. The kiss Tem had just shared with Xio replayed. "Ah, a love interest. Predictable in these kinds of holodramas, aren't they? But what can be done about that, my good boy?" A sly smile played across his pudgy features. "How will you react to her death, though? Only time will tell and, according to my chrono, that will be in a very short time. The automated systems in the hangar will become active in a few moments, unless, of course, you're willing to abandon this effort. Spare her life, but sacrifice a planet, and yourself, for her to continue living a life that she deserves?" Tem snarled. "You! Why didn't you evacuate Canaltha? My father was right! The Cardans are completely corrupt now. You're leaving everyone, Canalthian's, Canta, and even your own men, to protect yourself. You're running like a coward, to leave everyone else to die." Tem gestured with the blaster he was carrying to the transparisteel window. "Like you left your parents to die?" Garum retorted. "Please, child, more guards can be hired and there are more then enough beings in the galaxy. Who would honestly notice if a couple hundred thousand were to vanish?" He sat back down, and his chair groaned at the extra weight. "However, your efforts are gallant." Garum toggled a switch and the monitors changed to just outside of the mining facility. "There were reports of a large group of Canta marching towards the mines. Seeing you at the spaceport confirmed my belief that you were planning an attack. The automated defense systems are waiting for them to attack." Garum smiled. "You have the power to stop them from being killed. Will you take that power and use it? Or will you pass it down, like your father did?"
"Ready!" Quwka shouted, as he rode his Zentr in front of the legions of riders and warriors before him. "We fight for the honor of clan Marr! In our time of need, clan Marr has helped us! Now it is time that we help clan Marr in their time of need!" Cheers came from the gathered and Quwka turned his Zentr around, towards the mines. "Till death!" Quwka shouted and they all burst towards the mines, strengthened by pride and honor, but unaware as to what was to happen.
"Shut it off now, Garum! Now!" Tem glared between the monitor and the fat excuse of a human being sitting behind the desk. "Garum!" Tem shouted furiously. Quwka was leading, and galloping towards the mines. Tem stepped closer to the screen, tears filling his eyes as he watched. "No. Quwka. Turn back. Turn back!" Tears streamed down his hot cheeks as he watched. Quwka rode the Zentr into a blizzard of energy bolts. The Zentr was hit, and crumbled to the ground. Quwka jumped off the fallen Zentr and swung a wooden staff, knocking aside Cardan guards. A shot from the automated system pinged his shoulder, then another ripped through his hip and the final shot burned through the giant blue beings chest. He fell to his knees, with a burning hole through his chest, and collapsed into the bluish-green grass. Tem watched, his eyesight blurred by tears. "Land of Praised." Tem mumbled under his breath. Garum sat laughing, leaning back in his chair. "Did you see that? Fell like a rock." Tem turned around, and aimed his blaster at Garum's forehead. "Garum, you don't deserve life." Garum looked at the blaster, then at Tem, and began laughing again. "You think you will kill me? Your father didn't even kill me. What makes you think you will kill me?" Tem smiled viciously, and his face darkened. "I wont be killing you." He said then slammed the butt of the blaster across Garum's face. "The planet will." But Garum was already knocked out. Tem reached over the desk and disabled the automated systems at the mines, and in the hangar with a minute to spare. He walked to the turbolift slowly, and used the time to wipe away the last of his tears.
Xio helped an elderly woman up a landing ramp into one of the many frigates they had 'borrowed' from the Cardan hangar. She was relieved to find Tem filtering through the crowd towards her. "Are you all right to find a seat?" Xio asked the old woman, who nodded and smiled reassuringly, babbling as to how sweet Xio was. "Tem!" She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck when they caught up to each other. "Xio." Tem smiled back at her. "How are things going?" Tem asked, trying peer into the ship's hold. "We have most of Knoin already loaded. What about the rest of Canaltha? I saw a few other cities when we were coming in. What will happen to them?" Xio asked, thinking they wouldn't have enough time to evacuate each city before the planet was destroyed. "They have several ships waiting for them there. Starg should have all of that done. Don't worry, I wasn't about to abandon them." Tem smiled again. "Are you busy here? Or would you like to come with me and meet the Canta with the miners?" Tem asked, looking, again, at the crowd of people milling forward to get a spot on the frigate that would take them to a new future. "I think they can manage here without me." Xio smiled and kissed Tem gently. "Lets go."
The massive frigate, followed by one of its many duplicates, hovered over the city towards the city walls. "The Gateway is where the main roads are for the mines. It's where we'll find Quwka and his escorts, along with the freed miners." Tem said, setting the ship on autopilot. "Did you want to try and fly?" He asked, wondering if Xio had even flown before. "No, that's all right. I tried flying once and I nearly crashed into a tree." Xio laughed slightly. "Oh, come on, Xio. I'll be right here, what could go wrong?" Tem said, looking out the viewport to see how far they were from the city walls. "Alright, but if we crash, it's your fault." She smiled and rose from the co-pilots seat. "Sit on my lap, and I'll show you how to fly the ship." Tem said, leaning back in his chair. Xio gently sat on his lap. He took her hands and put them on the control yokes. "Ok, I'm turning off the autopilot. Careful." He turned off the autopilot and the ship shook. "Steady, steady." Tem said, sliding his hands over hers. "You don't want to jostle the ship around now." Tem smiled, but knew Xio couldn't see it from where she was sitting. "Ok, let's land. See? There are the Canta waiting for us." Easing the control yokes around, the ship slowly turned and lowered to the ground. "There, that wasn't so bad, now was it?" Tem smirked. "And you didn't almost crash either." Xio elbowed him in the chest, and smiled. She slid off his lap and they disembarked the ship. Chupa and Tupag were waiting for him. Chupa had a broken arm and a twisted ankle, but was in better shape compared to Tupag. His hand had been shot off, the skin at his wrist burned to a dark bluish black. Other burn marks etched across Tupag's body and a deep gash, still bleeding, across the side of his head were all the visible damage that Tem could see. "Tupag, Chupa. Are you guys all right?" Tem said, speaking in Canalthian to make it easier on the injured Canta. "Yes, we will be fine. Tupag needs to rest, though." Chupa said in response. "Go ahead, Tupag. Chupa, are you well enough to help get these people on the ship? I am going to take the identical frigate to the Canta Overclan village to help evacuate them." Tem said, gesturing to the second frigate as he spoke. "Clan Marr truly great, as legends say. I will send riders ahead to warn the other villages and have them all wait for you at the Overclan village." Chupa said, making an odd wrist-flicking gesture to several Canta, who vanished into the forests beyond. "I'll stay and help load what people I can then. It will give all the Canta time to gather in the Overclan village." Tem said, and turned to Xio. "We're going to help them load this frigate with beings for a little bit." Tem said in Basic so she would understand. She smiled and nodded. "All right." Tem smiled back at her and lead her towards the miners. Most were grateful and shaking his hand as they led them up the landing ramp, thanking them for saving them. It made Tem feel odd. He was amused, even embarrassed. He didn't deserve this gratitude. So many lives had been lost to fight for this cause, and it made Tem regret ever pulling such a stupid stunt. Then there was the part of him that said he was doing a good thing, the sacrifice of those was needed, or he would not be where he was today. Tem shook his head and cleared his mind. He couldn't worry about all these things right now. He was too busy saving these people to worry anymore about it.
It was well past midnight on Canaltha before the frigate lifted off, following several others in the air, heading for space. "Xio, there's one more thing I need to do. The Canta need to be picked up. I can go alone, or you can come with me. I'd rather you not come but I doubt you'll let me out of your sight." Tem smiled slightly, darkness washing over them as the ship's guidance lights were out of range to hit them. Xio smiled back at him. "I just have a strange feeling I'm not going to see you again if I don't stay by your side." She said, walking towards the idle frigate. Tem followed her and they were soon racing above the forest towards a small valley. "When we land, help Canta board the ship. Say 'Tun ra et gur sah, bup whu crd.' That means you don't speak fluent Canalthian, and to board the ship. I'll record a message that will repeat in the ship's hold, so that the Canta know how to strap in when they get in. All right?" Tem said, flying lower along the treetops. "All right." Xio smiled and began memorizing the phrase Tem had just said. Tem looked at her and smiled, then returned to his piloting. Xio stopped in mid-speech and turned to Tem. "Where are you going?" She asked. "If you're not going to be near the ship, where are you going?" She was a clever one. Tem sighed. "I need to go out into the forests and find something quickly. I will be going alone for this. Don't worry though, I'll be back in time to lift off." He said, scratching his arm where a small fluff ball of Zentr fur had rested itself. "I don't like it, but fine. Just be back." Xio placed a hand on his arm and looked at him. "I want you to see you again." Tem nodded slowly. "You will, I swear." He smiled and once again returned his attention to his flying.
As soon as they landed and got off the ship, Tem was ushered towards a group of elderly Canta. The Overclan council, Tem thought to himself. Xio was watching from the landing ramp, helping push an unwilling Xuzt onto the transport. "Tem of clan Marr, you honor us with your presence in our village. On behalf of all the Canta, we thank you for saving us as the ground beneath us crumbles." The being in the center of the five elderly beings said. They all had gray skin, and white beards, but the one who spoke to Tem seemed to be the oldest of them all. "I thank you for allowing the Canta to take brief refuge in your village as they wait for the transport. I have but one thing to ask of the Council of Elders in return, however." The Chief gestured with a long arm. "We will be more then happy to provide you with what you need, if we are capable of doing so." He said, stroking his long white beard. "I need your fastest Zentr. I need to retrieve the body of a Putarden who fought in battle, but was defeated. I wish to properly honor his death." The Chief listened to Tem nodding, and a Canta on his left whispered into his ear. "Yes, yes. That will do just fine." The Chief said in response to what the other Canta had whispered. "Tem of clan Marr, we believe we have the perfect riding mount for you and your quest. Come with us."
The Zentr ran through the forest with ease. She was a purebred champion Zentr, perfect in everyway possibly needed of a Zentr. It was like riding a cloud, but not even the cloud could ride so smoothly, Tem mused. "Quip!" He urged his Zentr faster. The sun was rising and they were losing time fast. If Tem didn't hurry, he would be stuck on this rock when it was destroyed. The mining facility rose above the trees, and was only a few klicks away now. "Almost there." Tem muttered as he looked at the complex. Gaping holes spotted the walls and smoke rose from ruins. The smell of rotting bodies could be smelt, even from this distance. They broke through the clearing and Tem eased his Zentr to a stop. Dismounting, he quickly ran towards the ruins of the security outpost. It had been blown to ruins. A last attempt to keep the Canta out, Tem contemplated. He poked around the ruins looking for Quwka's body, followed by an uneasy Zentr, who began whining softly. Tem found Quwka half buried under debris, his blue skin a deep purple and red. Tem set to work on moving the rubble away, and wrapping the body in an emergency blanket that was on the Zentr's saddlebag. After carefully wrapping the severely damaged body of Quwka, Tem delicately placed it on the Zentr and strapped it to the saddle. Earthquakes had started and the Zentr was anxious to ride back to safety. Before Tem had even settled onto the saddle, the Zentr began its mad run through the forest. It was a dangerous path, with trees falling and the ground separating in front of them. The village was coming up fast and Tem breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing in the saddle. He wished he hadn't. The Zentr bucked sideways out of the path of a falling tree, but wasn't fast enough. A branch cut across Tem's face and flung him back in the opposite direction. The Zentr was in such a panic she did not know her rider had fallen off. He scrambled to his feet as quickly as possible and began forward, stopping just short of falling into an open crevasse. "That's just lovely." Tem cursed under his breath. There was a grunt from behind him and Tem saw a wild, disgruntled Aurk, a lizard that looked as if it had been carved out of stone. It had the attitude of a krayt dragon in heat, and Tem didn't want to stay longer then he had to. "Erm, nice Aurk. Good Aurk. You wouldn't hurt ol' Tem now, would you?" Tem smiled nervously as the beast lumbered towards him. His foot found the edge of the cliff and the Aurk had cut off a retreat in any other direction. A bark from across the chasm challenged the Aurk and Tem was glad to see the Zentr had come back for him. The Aurk shifted its attention to the Zentr, who growled and bared her sharp teeth. The Aurk screeched at the Zentr, accepting the challenge. Tem looked between the Aurk and the Zentr with rising anxiety. He was stuck between two monstrous beasts, as they were about to fight. His foot brushed a root, and Tem didn't waste anytime. Leaping over the cliff edge, he grabbed the exposed root and clung for dear life, his body slamming into the dirt and clay, knocking the wind from his lungs. The Aurk leaped over him and the Zentr met it mid-air over the crevasse. There were howls and screeches, until the Zentr kicked the Aurk downward into the open maw of the crevasse. The Zentr landed safely above Tem and turned to watch as her opponent fell into the darkness below. Tem slowly scaled the clay and climbed back onto the Zentr. "Quip! Quip!" Tem didn't want this to happen again and would feel much better in the relative safety of the ship.
Xio stood at the landing ramp, looking for Tem through the village, hoping he would hurry. The village was already crumbling around them and several homes had turned into gaping holes. Xio clung to the hydraulic pump of the landing ramp as the ground shook again. They were running out of time, they couldn't wait for Tem forever. Many of the Canta males were trying to get into the cockpit, but Xio locked it as tight as she could before leaving it. They had to wait for Tem, no matter what. Tem and the Zentr slid into view and made a mad dash for the landing ramp. "Close the hatch! Close the hatch!" Tem was shouting over the roar of the earthquakes. Xio slapped her palm against the hatch SEAL pad and it slowly rose to close. "Hurry!" Xio shouted back as the landing ramp closed. The Zentr leaped and landed safely into the ship, the hatch sealing behind them. Tem jumped off the Zentr, grabbed Xio's hand and led her to the cockpit. "Time to go!" Tem said. Xio opened the cockpit as Tem told the Canta males to go and strap in. Xio got the door open and she began start-up procedure from the co-pilot seat. Tem did a quick systems check and strapped himself in. Xio did the same when she had finished the start-up. Tem gunned the repulsors and they rose slowly off the ground. "Come on." Tem begged a display, watching as the engines slowly warm up. It was too late, though. The ship heaved to one side, and the ground had vanished beneath them. Tem looked at Xio apologetically. She realized his hand was on the repulsor cut-off switch. "No." Xio said, shaking her head. "I'm sorry." Tem said, and switched off the repulsors, letting the ship fall into the crevasse.
Tem watched as they fell for several seconds. Clay banged against the hull as it fell from above on top of them. A green light flickered on and Tem pulled the control yokes back as far as he could. "Finally." Tem grumbled then gave Xio a crooked-smile before firing the engines, turning on the reserve power to help them shoot through the falling debris. Tem had the ship pointed vertically, and when the broke atmosphere, the consequences proved deadly. The ship bucked and spun in every direction. Tem lost his grip on the control yokes and they slammed hard into his shins, piercing them and continuously ripping more and more skin. "Ah!" He shouted as the control yokes banged into his shins for the fifth time. He grabbed the control yokes and evened the ship out. When they hit space, Tem fell against the console. "Tem! Are you alright?" Xio asked, struggling to get a better look at his legs, but couldn't from where she was sitting. "I'm fine." Tem cringed as blood seeped through his wounds and the trousers clung to them. Tem looked up out the viewport and saw at least one hundred vessels of all shapes and sizes waiting for him. The comm buzzed with life as Tem found the public channel. There were annoyed, worried and angry voices screaming through the comm back at him. "Shut up!" Tem shouted back at them. "Form up and set coordinates for Coruscant. We'll figure something out from there." The comm went silent and Tem once again leaned against the console. Blinding pain shot through his body and he didn't have the patience to deal with everyone. "Look!" Chupa said, over the comm. Tem turned the ship around, and saw Canaltha plunge into the Void, slowly ripped apart. The remains were flung back out towards them, and there was a brief shockwave as the core was destroyed. There were silent murmurs coming from the comm, but Tem paid no attention to them. He sat watching the debris twirl in space, as the heated rocks cooled. The angry voices returned as several ships broke out and vanished into hyperspace in different directions. It was no good to try and police them to stay, Tem thought. "Let them go." Tem murmured as he watched the empty space where Canaltha once spun. "Gone." Tem murmured again, and leaned against the console. He felt Xio's hand rub against his back.
Xio rubbed Tem's back until he regained himself. He silently turned the ship around and slowly hovered towards the rest of those who had stayed behind. Darkness surrounded Tem's mind, and Xio couldn't tell what he was thinking. Warning buzzers sounded and Xio looked at the targeting computer. "Three heavily armed and armored frigates have entered the sector. They all bear the Cardan insignia." Xio said, as she read the information of the screen. "Coming to claim their part of what Garum had." Tem thought aloud. Xio nodded, understanding the logic behind his statement. "What are we going to do? We can't just casually fly by them and vanish into hyperspace." Xio said, looking out the viewport at the three blue-circled specks in the distance, marking the Cardan cruisers. "No, we can't. I have a better idea. Warm up the turrets." Tem said, busying himself with the comm. Xio looked at Tem, then went to work on getting the ship's weapons active. She decided his plan was as god as any right now.
"This is Tem Marr, do you copy Cardan cruisers?" Tem spoke into the comm. Tem searched the frequencies, continuing to try and hail the Cardan ships. "Tem Marr, this is Commander Boqg of Cardan Forces. Surrender now, or be destroyed." Tem smiled and shook his head. "Commander, we outgun you, considerably. Either surrender or you will be destroyed." There was a snort as a response. "You have been warned." Tem maneuvered the ship forward. "Hold tight." Tem said to Xio, who tightened her crash webbing. The ship shuddered as all the turbolasers fired and splashed around the three cruisers in front of them. "Cardan Forces, leave now, or be destroyed." Tem said into the comm to the stubborn Commander. "Tem Marr, are you the son of Chor Marr?" A new voice spoke through the comm. Tem changed the frequency to broadcast to all ships. "Make sure your coordinates for Coruscant are uploaded and prepare for an attack run at the cruisers. Dive below them and then head for open space." Clicks came over the comm. acknowledging Tem's plan, and he noticed Xio's sudden unease. "Something wrong?" Tem asked her, setting up his ship for the attack speed. "I'm just a little nervous about your plan. What if we miss and smash into the cruisers?" Xio said, clawing at the armrest of her seat slightly. "We wont, they're in too tight of formation for us to hit them." Tem said, and switched the frequency back to the Cardan's. "Yeah, I'm Chor's son. What about it?" Tem said, still working on aligning the ship. "Chor was a brilliant man. I would like to make you an offer, Tem." The voice said, tone lowering for some odd reason Tem couldn't explain. "How would you like to be a Cardan? Certainly, being the son of Chor, you must contain great potential." Tem twitched at the comment. "The Cardans are corrupt, and I'm nothing like my father." Tem snarled back at the voice. "If you will not join us then, I'm afraid we will have to destroy you, Tem Marr." The voice said, and the comm died. Tem saw the turbolasers point towards them, but they had already vanished into hyperspace as the first shots were fired.
The cloaked figure sat, watching as the transports vanished into hyperspace and the green needles of energy shot through empty space. "Begin a hunt for Tem Marr, dead or alive. Preferably alive, but in this galaxy, wants are never met well." A smile played across his wrinkled features, exposing rotted teeth. "Commander, we may return to headquarters now."
They slowly descended into Coruscant, and Xio was left to work the controls. Tem had become seriously ill on the long trip back to Coruscant and Xio had not seen him since he had retreated to his quarters. She was relieved to see him come into the cockpit and land the ship, but there was something different about him. He seemed weaker then he had been, and looked a ghastly gray. He staggered into his seat, his eyes dull and unfocused. His clothes were dirt and blood covered, and smelt like a barnyard of the many Canta mounts below in the hold. They all landed without problem though, and Xio had to assist Tem out of the ship. His legs were still wounded badly and he couldn't walk properly or very long distances on his own. A welcoming committee greeted them full of elaborately dressed politicians, to the modest brown robes of the Jedi. "I don't want to have to deal with them right now." Tem murmured weakly to Xio. "Can what ever you're doing here wait until Tem has had time to heal his injuries and rest up? He has suffered greatly during the Canaltha incident, and it is in his best interest to relax at the moment." Xio said to the gathered politicians and Jedi. "We will take him back to the Jedi Temple for healing then." One of the Jedi said, but a politician turned to the Jedi and objected. "No, he must remain close to the Senate! We will provide him a suite, and medical attention. When he is in better health he can then quickly go to the Senate and explain himself." The politician argued. The Jedi laughed. "He has explaining to do to the Council, as well. So he is coming with us." Tem stirred slightly. "I will take the suite." He said, barely audible over the arguing beings. The politician smirked and turned away from the Jedi. "It is settled then. This way."
A medical droid had been sent to the large suite to take care of Tem's injuries. Xio watched silently as the droid tended to the gashes in his legs. Tem squirmed slightly as the droid worked, groaning. Xio sat by his side, rubbing his hand lovingly. He was slowly returning to his natural color again by the time the droid had finished working on his legs. "Master Tem, I recommend that you leave your legs bandaged for two days at least. Do not walk for one day, or you may break open the stitches." The droid said, as it wrapped Tem's legs in bandages. "All right, I'll make sure he does." Xio smiled at the droid. "You are dismissed now." She added when the droid had finished its work. "I… what… ship…" Tem murmured slowly. Xio placed a finger across his lips. "Don't talk, you need to rest." Xio slipped onto the repulsor bed next to him, continuing to stroke his hand. "Xio…" He spoke again, and there was a hint of smile trying to form on his lips. His eyes had regained some of their life, as well, Xio noticed. "I… love… you…" He said, and drifted off to sleep. Xio smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. "I know." She whispered, before closing her eyes.
"Tem, wake up." Xio's voice probed into his mind, awakening him from his sleep. Tem opened his eyes slowly and found her leaning over him. He smiled at her. "Is this a dream, or has my life begun to pick up?" Xio laughed slightly and leaned closer, kissing him gently. She smiled and whispered. "I think your life is starting to look up." Tem smirked. "About time." Xio laughed again. "Come on. The senators don't like to be kept waiting. We have a repulsor couch for you, so you don't have to walk." Xio said, as she slipped out of Tem's line of sight. Tem slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. "You're not planning on running off and leaving me alone with these senators, are you?" Xio smiled at him and pushed the hovering platform closer to the bed. "Of course not. I'm staying by your side until tomorrow. Then I have to go and explain why I ran off from the Jedi Temple." Xio smiled slightly. Tem grimaced. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you would get in trouble. You shouldn't have come." Tem said, squirming onto the floating platform. "It was worth it." Xio pointed out, demonstrating with another kiss. Tem smiled. "I guess you're right. It was worth it. But like you said, those politicians wont wait for us forever. Lets go, and get this done and over with. I hate talking with those stiffs." Tem smiled and Xio laughed as the couch slowly floated out of the suite.
They sat, listening to the politician, on the bobbing repulsor couch. Tem had to keep blinking to filter all the various colors of the elaborately decorated room. "Rest assured that anyone injured in the refugees is being treated as we speak and are being relocated to facilities to better suit their needs for the time being." The politician said, smiling for unseen holocams. Tem strained to keep from sneering at the politician, and settled with just twitching. "That's good, but what about finding them a new home? Getting them on a new planet? How can we do that?" Tem said, struggling once again with keeping a straight face. "I'm afraid that must be dealt with through the Senate." The politician said, not smiling for once, and becoming uneasy. "That could take months to clear up though!" Tem said, about to jump to his feet, but being restrained by Xio, seated next to him. "Do we have a representative in the Senate?" Tem asked, hopefully. The politician shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid not. You must go and plead your case to the Senate." Tem shook his head. "I can't do it." Tem said, looking to the ground. Xio rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Tem, you've done so much for the Canta and Canalthian's already. You evacuated a whole planet, and you don't think you can handle being in the Senate?" Xio smiled at him. "I know you can do it, and the Canta know you can do it. They need your help now more then any time, Tem. Do this for them, and they'll finally be able to live their lives again." Tem looked up at her, then to the politician, then back to Xio. "Alright, when ever the Senate is assembled, I'll go and speak with them." Tem said, but didn't like it whatsoever.
"… The pull of the Void had drawn Canaltha off its orbit. Though Canaltha has experienced difficulty with the Void before, no one thought of it as a threat." Tem was speaking to the Senate, seated on a modified chair so he wouldn't have to use his legs. Xio watched from her resting place near the floating bay's port. She leaned against a wall and watched him speak. His anxiety was fading, and Xio caught him throwing glances at her while he spoke. She stifled her laughter and continued watching him. Master Yahra slowly walked up to her from behind. "You had me worried, Padawan." Yahra said softly. "I'm sorry, Master. I didn't mean to have you worry about me." Xio said, not turning to face her Master. "You did a brave and noble thing, though. I am proud that you were able to assist them." Yahra said, stepping up beside her and looking out at Tem. "Is something the matter, Padawan?" Yahra said, turning her small face up towards her, small black beady eyes measuring her. "It's Tem. He seems to be looking for something, but can't find it. He is getting frustrated that he cannot find it, and he wants it so badly. It is a hole in his heart that he must fill." Xio said as she stared at the young man, gesturing for emphasis to a question posed by a Wookie senator. "He is the only one who will know what he searches for. You must let him follow his own path." Yahra said, stroking the fur at her neck. "What ever his choice may be." Xio thought about this for a moment before nodding. "Yes, Master."
Tem stood at the rooftop, leading the Council of Elders of the Canta to their new temporary home. "Tem of clan Marr, the Council, and Canta alike, would be honored if you were to accept a gift from us." Tem looked up at the gray skinned beings. "I am honored to be worthy of receiving a gift from the Council of Elders, however, I am afraid I cannot accept this gift." There was some murmuring between the others, while the oldest member just looked at Tem as if he were insane. "You do not wish to have the purebred Zentr as a small token of the Canta's gratitude?" He said, stroking his beard and looking back at his fellows. "The Zentr?" Tem said, looking at his feet, shaking his head. "I am flattered, I truly am. But, I cannot accept such a wonderful gift." One of the younger looking Canta of the Council spoke. "You risk upsetting the Gods, Tem of clan Marr. The Gods have created this amazing Zentr. We see it only fit that such a majestic beast, be given to a truly worthy human." Tem grimaced. Basically, he would upset all the Canta by rejecting the gift. He sighed and shook his head. "Alright, I accept the gift of the Council of Elders." Tem smiled slightly. "Now, we need to get you to your new encampment. I will act with as much speed as I possibly can to get you to a new home out in the wild." Tem adjusted the repulsor chair and hovered forward slightly, followed by the Council of Elders. "Tem of clan Marr, you continue to amaze the Gods and the Canta."
Xio had looked everywhere for Tem, but couldn't seem to find him anywhere. She went to the rooftop, bundling a blanket around herself. The cool air rushed into the turbolift as the doors opened. The cold nipped at any exposed skin, and her breath formed into fog in front of her face. She saw Tem, sitting on his repulsor chair, in front of a huge burning pile. Xio slowly made her way towards him and silently watched the flames lick the air. The only sound was their breathing, and the crackle of wood until Tem spoke. "I couldn't save him, Xio. I couldn't. He paid the price for my mistake, and while I live, he's dead." She heard him stifle a sob and turned to face him. Tears were running down his face, and his eyes' reflecting the dancing flames. "Tem, you didn't make a mistake. There was no way to save him. If he were in your place, he'd be dead anyway. No one would meet them at Knoin's Gateway and all those Canta, and Canalthian's would be dead. He sacrificed himself, so you could save those that he could not." Xio looked at Tem, holding back tears of her own. Though she had spent little time with the large Canta, she had to admire them. "I know." Tem said, his voice broken and hoarse. "Lets get inside. It's really cold out here." Tem said, wiping away his tears and toggling the joystick on the repulsor chair to turn around.
When they had entered the warmth of Tem's suite, Xio quickly discarded the blanket. Tem hovered over to a table and picked up a datapad. "I have so much to do before tomorrow. I need to present another proposal to the Senate as to how to fund the re-location of the five hundred thousand beings we saved." Tem shook his head. "Credits before people it seems." Tem looked between his datapad and Xio. "Well, I'm sure you're the man to do the job." Xio smiled at him. "I don't think anyone else could handle all of this. It just seems like an everyday job to you. Infact…" Xio began, smiling sly at Tem. "You're starting to sound like a politician." Xio laughed and Tem smirked. "No thanks. I can't stand the bright colors, or living so care-free." Tem crinkled his nose, and looked down at his datapad again. A grin formed on his lips and he shouted with joy. "I think I just solved my little problem." Xio quickly strode towards him and tried to read the datapad over his shoulder. "What? What is it?" Tem briefly went over his plan. Xio nodded the whole time. "It might work, but will the Senate accept it?" Xio said, contemplating on what other Senators would think of this idea. "I'll figure something out." Tem said with a smile.
"By selling the frigates that were captured during the escape from Canaltha, there should be enough credits to supply a resettlement program for the refugees." Tem said, gesturing with a laser pointer to a hologram of several names of potential buyers. The hologram was provided by an R7-A2 astromech, who had been given to Tem by the Senate. "There are several groups in the galaxy more then willing to purchase the frigates. To save credits on transportation, the frigates can be used to transport the refugees to the new world then brought to the buyer. I can arrange all of this if the Senate wishes, as I know that you all have busy schedules and do not need another thing added to your 'To Do' list." Tem grinned, looking around the Senate and then resting his gaze on the Senate Council, who whispered amongst themselves. Tem's heart pounded through his chest as the minutes counted by. They all nodded and relaxed in their chairs. "Tem Marr, the Senate accepts your proposal. You may begin immediately and come to us again in no longer then three weeks with a buyer and the credits, or the Senate will look into starting a fund for the refugees." Tem's grin fell to a polite smile, knowing the Senate Council was not pointing out that it would take months for them to get that many credits together. "Thank you." Tem said, and rode the repulsor bay back to its dock in the wall. "You are all dismissed." Tem heard the Senate Council say, but Tem was already on his way out, followed closely by his new mechanical partner. "Not a whole lot of time." Tem said aloud. The droid gurgled his response and Tem smirked. "You'll help me though, wont you R7?" Tem asked, as the droid rolled up by his side. R7 tooted and whistled excitedly, and Tem left the Senate Hall laughing.
They worked through the rest of the day, and then through the night, and morning soon followed. Tem wanted to pass out on the terminal he was working on by then. R7 rolled in, twittering, followed by Xio. Tem rose out of his chair quickly when he saw Xio, and stumbled, falling face first into the floor. Groaning, he slowly raised himself back up. Xio was crouching beside him. "Are you all right?" She asked, her eyes focused on his. "I, uh, yeah." Tem stumbled with his words slightly, fixed his hair and stood up. "I haven't slept since I left the Senate yesterday. Its been a long night, eh R7?" The droid twittered and made the sound of an electronic raspberry. Tem smirked at the droid. "Joke all you want." Xio looked between the droid and human, cocking her eyebrow. "He said even he stopped to recharge during our work. I could've at least gotten some sleep." Tem said smiling. "Smart mouth." Xio laughed as the droid made another electronic raspberry. "You understand him?" Xio asked, looking at the green and white droid, who was plugging into the terminal and sorting through data. "Pretty much. There's some stuff I need a terminal for, but for the most part, I understand him like I do Basic." Tem shrugged and offered Xio a seat. Tem turned his chair around and R7 gurgled at him. "Yeah, well, maybe you'd like it in the garage." Tem said over his shoulder to the droid. The droid went silent and resumed his work. "You two act as if you've known each other your whole life." Xio said, smiling at Tem. He shrugged and looked back at the droid. "Droids have their own special personalities if they don't continuously get their memory wiped." Tem said, looking around the room for something to eat, but was unsuccessful in his search. "I just get along with droids a lot better sometimes." Tem smiled at Xio. "You seem to get along with almost anyone rather well." Xio said with a smile. "Must be the looks." Tem said, running his fingers through his hair, and striking a pose. Xio laughed. "That must be it." Tem rose slowly from his chair and looked into the next room, crinkling his nose when he found no food in there. "I missed breakfast, did you want to join me for a mid-morning snack?" Tem said, smiling at her. "Sure. Let's eat."
Just as elaborate as everything else, the food that was served for breakfast was no exception. "This is breakfast?" Tem asked, poking at a nerf steak on his plate with a fork. "I guess so." Xio said, taking a bite out of purple fruit, which tasted sweet but oozed purple goo onto her finger and chin. Tem handed her a napkin across the table. Xio wiped away the purple slime off her chin and finger. "Very… interesting, to say the least." Xio said, trying to take another cautious bite out of the purple fruit. "That's the understatement of the year, Xio." Tem said, stabbing his fork into a still squirming frog-like delicacy. "Luckily for us…" Tem said with a sly smile, pulling out a worn nerf-hide bag. "We have some treats from back home." Tem continued as he pulled out several pastries that they had had on Canaltha. "This," Xio said with a smile, "looks familiar." They ate the pastries in silence until R7 wobbled into the room on his two stubby legs. "What is it R7?" Tem said, slowly rising from his seat at the small table they were sitting at. R7 twittered, gurgled and there were a few whistles as well. "Already?" Tem said, moving towards the droid. Xio looked at Tem and the droid. "What is it?" Tem turned and smiled at Xio. "We have a response already." Xio smiled back at him. "That's great. Quick! Don't leave them waiting." Xio laughed as Tem ducked into the next room and fumbled for the comm.
"I'm charging one hundred and fifty thousand credits for each frigate. A real bargain, when I checked how much other used frigates were going for." Tem said, as he stared at the aged Gotal on the display. Tem couldn't tell if the Gotal was happy, upset, annoyed, or angry and it made Tem nervous. "Could you please send me current information of the ships?" The Gotal asked and Tem signaled to R7 to do so. "Yes, sir. Transmission commencing." Tem said as he waited for the droid's approving whistle. "Did you receive them?" Tem asked as casually as he could, but the nervousness in his voice ruined it. "Yes, thank you. If you would be so kind to wait a few moments while I look these over." The Gotal said and the comm went dead. Tem fell onto the bed and lay there motionless for a few seconds. Xio crawled over next to him and nestled up against him. "Good news?" She asked after resting her head on his shoulder. "As far as I can tell, yes." Tem said, rubbing his temples. "Things will work out, don't worry so much, Tem." Xio smiled at him. "I'll try, but there's no guarantees." Tem smirked and kissed Xio gently. Xio laughed slightly. "You seem less worried already." Tem smirked and before he could respond, the comm buzzed for attention. "Wish me luck." Tem said and went to the comm. Switching the comm on, he saw the face of the aged Gotal once again. "They have Cardan symbols on them, why is that?" The Gotal asked, showing no emotion again, and getting straight to the point. "They were stolen from a Cardan base." Tem said bluntly, showing no emotion in return to the Gotal. "I see. Canaltha doesn't show up on any of my charts, explain that." The Gotal said, not showing any signs of being upset or angry. "It just sorta kinda… tried to go through the Void and got destroyed in the process." Tem said, shrugging as he spoke. "We evacuated the planet and saved five hundred thousand lives." Tem continued when the Gotal didn't answer him. "I see, well I need Cardan ships. I will purchase them for two hundred thousand credits each, if you sign yourself over to the Valcuns and bring as many as the Cardan men as you can to join as well." Tem hesitated. "Alright, I accept." The Gotal grinned and showed his first sign of emotion during the whole conversation. "Pleasure doing business with you, Tem Marr. High Commander Gaul, out." The comm once again went dead and Tem stood staring at the blank screen. "R7, pull up what you can about the Valcuns, I want to know everything about them that you can find." Tem said to the droid, who twittered in response and set to work. "Now, I need some sleep." Tem said with a smile and collapses onto the bed, next to Xio. "I'll leave you to that, then." Xio said with a smile. "Good night." She said as she vanished out of the doorway. "Good night." Tem shouted back at her. R7 twittered and whistled. "You can give me advice on humans when you're parts are melted down and you're turned into a protocol droid." Tem smirked at the droid and switched off the lights. R7 squealed and quickly apologized. Tem laughed and slowly let himself drift off to sleep.
Tem walked into the assembly room and made his way to the front of the gathered Canalthians. "We are relocating. At this time, I'd like to show you all the options you have available to you." Tem began, as he seated himself on a plaststeel chair. "You can either be transported to another planet in the galaxy, free of charge, be transported to the new world, and for the Cardan troops in the group, return to the Cardans, or join the Valcuns. It is your choice, and I am not willing to argue the point as to why you should not return to the Cardans." Tem shifted in his chair. "To return to the Cardans, however, you must pay your own way to where ever your base of operations is. For the rest, to be transported to another planet, use the terminals on the far right of the room." Tem said, waving to the terminals on the right side of the wall. "To join the Valcuns, use the datapads and terminals to my left. Finally, to go to the new planet, use the terminals behind me." Tem rose out of the uncomfortable seat and walked over to R7 who was waiting patiently in a corner for him. "Choose now." Tem said when he had reached the droid. Everyone rushed for different terminals, most for a different planet but there were several at trying life on a new world, and several were signing up to join the Valcuns. Tem couldn't help but feel slightly glad. He thought for sure no one would go to the Valcun booth. R7 twittered beside him and offered a datapad with his extension arm. "Thanks R7." Tem took it and looked over the contents of the Valcun files. "Wow…" Tem murmured, eyes widening as he read on. This, Tem thought, will be interesting.
Xio had hardly seen Tem for two days. He had been so busy that he wasn't at his suite, and Xio always had to retreat to the Jedi Temple for training. They finally met on the rooftop of one of the many tall spires on Coruscant. "Tem!" Xio shouted, as she ran across the rooftop, waving her arms, trying to get Tem's attention. "Xio!" Tem ran up to meet her. "I've been wanting to talk to you." They said in unison. They both laughed and Tem let her go first. "I'm going away for a little bit. I don't know how long I'll be gone." She said, lowering her gaze slightly. "I have no choice." Tem nodded understanding. "I have to join the Valcuns." Tem said, and Xio looked at him, half angry, half shocked. "You're not honestly accepting the deal that Gotal proposed, are you?" Xio shouted at him. Tem shook his head. "No, they're having a war with the Cardans. I need to find answers, and they'll be able to give them to me. I'm sorry Xio, but this is something I have to do." Tem looked at her apologetically. Master Yahra's words came back to her. No matter what his choice… Xio nodded. "I'll send you updates whenever I can Xio, so you know I'm all right." He smiled. "Here, I wanted you to have these." Tem reached to his side and pulled out the nerf-hide bag carrying the pastries. Xio laughed. "Tem… Thank you." She took the bag, and held back her tears. "I'll be waiting for you, Tem." Xio said, smiling and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'll come back for you, Xio." Tem said and kissed her. She felt his arms wrap around her and they stood for several heartbeats in each other's arms. "I have to go." Tem said, moving slowly away from her, reluctant to leave her. Xio nodded. "Me too. I guess, this is goodbye, then." Xio smiled best she could. "Don't forget I'll be waiting." Tem started up the landing ramp. "Don't forget I'm coming back for you." He smiled back down at her and vanished into the ship. It slowly rose off the rooftop and headed for space. From the small cockpit viewport, Xio could see Tem waving. Xio laughed and waved back to him until he was nothing more then a speck on the horizon. Master Yahra patted Xio on the back and grabbed her hand. "It's time to go, Padawan." Xio nodded and let herself be guided to the ship. "I know."