He was back in the Temple, the destruction still present around the hallway. Everything around him was deathly quiet. To his surprise, he was still in his Jedi robes.
"What's going on?" said Taran. A blue light appeared next to him, shimmering into existence before it became whole. The man was of Water Tribe descent with ice-blue eyes and white hair that hung down to his shoulders. His face was old and grizzled, his bear hanging down to just below his chin. He wore the polar outfit common in the Water Tribe.
"Avatar Rutuk?" said Taran, seeing the embodiment of the Avatar before him.
"Yes Taran. We must talk," said Rutuk, walking ahead of Taran down the hall.
"Why are you here?" said Taran.
"I've been observing you as of late. Your actions have become noticeably darker," said Rutuk.
"After what I've been through, a little dealing their own medicine doesn't hurt," said Taran.
"It's not you though," said Rutuk.
"Why does it matter?" said Taran, not seeing the point his past life was trying to make.
"Because it will lead you down the path you vowed never to follow," said Rutuk.
"Oh spirits, I kill a few people and suddenly you all think I'm evil? Who put you up to this? Avatar Dawa? Kyojin? Korra? Aang? If they did then they're wasting their time. I did what I had to do to survive. I never started the fights; they did! If that's a sin then I guess you all want me to die then. If I had done this stance from the beginning she'd..." he trailed off from his rant before he looked away.
"She would what?" said Rutuk.
"Still be alive. I didn't do what had to be done and we all suffered for it," said Taran. "I'm not going to let that happen again." Rutuk studied him for a moment.
"There's something else isn't there?" said Taran.
"Yes. Do you by chance recall the holocron you hid in the Temple?" said Rutuk.
"Holocron? I remember giving one to the younglings, but don't recall that one," said Taran. Even now some things he still had recollect.
"Are you sure?" said Rutuk.
"All I remember was running from An-Vader, and then..." said Taran. The he remembered everything.
He saw that he was ahead and hastily bent a slab of rock out of the side of the corner. He then placed the holocron inside and covered the opening. He sensed Vader was near and hastily crumbled the slab into tiny pieces before running, Vader turning the corner a second later. He was relieved to see he hadn't noticed, letting him chase him to the top of the Temple.
"You remember now?" said Rutuk. Taran nodded.
"I have to get it before it falls into the wrong hands," said Taran.
"Then be on your way. Only you can save it," said Rutuk. Rutuk disappeared, a shimmering blue light replacing him.
"Taran. You must go to Coruscant and retrieve the holocron. If it is found, then the Emperor is one step closer to achieving total power," said the voice.
"Master Plo?" said Taran, shocked beyond reason.
"Go!"
Taran woke up with a start. He looked around his hovel before he got up and began to put his clothes on. He had to get to Coruscant, and fast.
Meanwhile, Ahsoka was dreaming again. Barriss slept beside her, she too dreaming as well.
Ahsoka and Barriss were suddenly together in their dream.
"Barriss? What are you doing here?" said Ahsoka.
"I could ask you the same," said Barriss. "Where are we?"
"I think we're in a dream," said Ahsoka. "But I don't know why." Suddenly, a blue image began to shimmer in front of them, but did not take form.
"Ahsoka," said the voice. She instantly recognized the voice.
"Master Plo?" said Ahsoka.
"Ahsoka, Barriss, you must go to Coruscant," it said.
"Coruscant? But why?" said Barriss.
"That doesn't make sense. That's the last planet we'd want to go to," said Ahsoka.
"You must. It is of the utmost importance. Go," said the voice of Plo Koon before the image vanished, ending their dream.
They woke at the same time, wondering what had just happened. Ahsoka looked outside to see that it was morning already.
"That was a weird dream," said Barriss, yawning and stretching. Ahsoka was still in shock.
"Ahsoka?" said Barriss, moving closer to her worried about the dream's impact on her.
"I think we have to go to Coruscant," said Ahsoka.
"But why? Coruscant is the worst place in the galaxy for us to be right now," said Barriss.
"I know it is Barriss," said Ahsoka.
"Need I remind you of what's on the planet," said Barriss.
"No, but I know you will anyway," said Ahsoka.
"There's stormtroopers checking on every person who leaves a ship. Then what's worse, there's cameras and probe droids on nearly every street looking for any faces that happen to be wanted or not there and if someone who remembers us see our faces they'll notify every garrison the planet, not to mention that we'll be right under the noses of the Emperor and Vader. It's like walking into the mouth of a sarlaac knowing there's next to no real chance of getting back out," said Barriss.
"Either way, I have to go. Master Plo...he needs me to do something important on there. I don't know what it is, but he wouldn't come back from the Netherworld if it wasn't important," said Ahsoka.
"Ahsoka, we can't," said Barriss, trying to convince her that doing this was suicide. Ahsoka got off the bed and began to find clothes to wear.
"You don't have to come Barriss. You don't have to risk your life because of my actions," said Ahsoka.
"Ahsoka, we've been together too long to call it quits now. I'm coming with you," said Barriss.
"You don't have to," said Ahsoka.
"I am, don't try to stop me," said Barriss.
"Shouldn't you be saying that?" said Ahsoka.
"Well someone had to," said Barriss. The two shared a small laugh as they hastily put their clothes on. Barriss put on her outfit while Ahsoka changed her top to a long-sleeve red shirt made of silk. They gave each other a once over to see that everything looked right before they put their cloaks on.
"Now to find a ride," said Barriss.
"Can't be too hard right?" said Ahsoka.
"This is a cargo ship, not a passenger shuttle," said the Corellian trader.
"Please? We'll even pay you," said Ahsoka.
"And the answer is still no. This cargo ship's not even going to Coruscant," he said, leaving them behind.
"Great, this sucks," said Ahsoka, slumping down to the ground.
"There's still other ships in the port. Hopefully we can find some," said Barriss. Ahsoka sighed, getting up.
"Alright, let's find someone," said Ahsoka.
For the next two hours they asked if anyone would be going to Coruscant or even the Core worlds. Most either refused to take on additional passengers, had just landed and weren't planning on leaving for awhile, or said they'd take them for a few special "favors." Barriss and Ahsoka left the perverted Falleen with two black eyes and a concussion.
"We could just take the ship," said Barriss as they slumped him to the ground.
"Then it will be reported as stolen authorities will be after us. We're still in Imperial-held territory," said Ahsoka.
"You're right. I guess we're stuck here until someone else comes through," said Barriss. Ahsoka sighed. Who knew trying to get to the most populated planet in the galaxy would be hard work.
"So you can fix my exhaust drives to improve the speed and maneuverability?" said a junker.
"Yep. I like tinkering with things, have done so since I was a kid," said Taran.
"And how much would you charge?" said the junker, a Shi'ido.
"Get me to Coruscant or as close as you can on your route," said Taran.
"Sounds like a very good deal then," said the Shi'ido. "We can't get there right away though. I have to make some stops first as well as stop for the night."
"That's completely fine with me," said Taran. "Just as long as I get there."
"Alright, well make sure you have everything packed. We ship out in an hour," said the junker, heading to the nearby cantina.
"Perfect," said Taran. He was only the first guy he'd asked all day. At first the junker wasn't so sure until Taran spotted a problem with his rear engines, his eyes being trained to pick up any mechanical faults with ease.
"Maybe my luck's finally turning around," he thought, a grin on his face.
(Three days later. Barriss and Ahsoka)
If frustrated was to describe Ahsoka, she was beyond it. She couldn't believe that no one was willing to take them to Coruscant. Not one! She and Barriss were seated in a booth in the cantina. Barriss had a water, but Ahsoka was drinking a hard liquor that Barriss had tried to persuade her not to get, but she had gotten it anyway. She sat fuming in her seat, the alcohol seeming to make everything worse instead of better.
"Maybe it's for the best Ahsoka," Barriss suggested.
"The best? How could it possibly be for the best?! We're stuck here until one of these nerf herders finds it in themselves to help us," said Ahsoka. Barriss sighed. Seeing Ahsoka angry like this meant nothing would calm her down for awhile.
"Have some hope," said Barriss.
"Barriss, my hope is like this drink: eventually it's going to get empty," said Ahsoka, taking another long gulp of it as she continued fuming.
Barriss wished there was someway she could help out. She looked around at the patrons around the cantina. As she turned, she saw a man in the back corner of the cantina gulping down an ale. She could only see the back of the man's head. His scruffy brown hair seemed untamed yet tamed.
"Hold on," said Barriss. Ahsoka mumbled something incoherent as she lay her head on the table. Barriss got up and walked over to the man.
"Excuse me, but might you have a ship?" said Barriss.
"Who's asking?" said the man, turning around in his seat.
Barriss saw that he was clean-shaven despite his appearance. He had amber eyes and a smirk that screamed "be careful" of me. Despite this, he looked relatively young. He wore a brown great coat and a tan shirt, two blasters strapped on his hips. He also wore boots studded with some kind of metal. Though she wouldn't admit it, he was cute in a roguish sort of way.
"Just a girl and her friend needing a place to go," said Barriss, wondering how she could feel intimidated by the man's humorous yet serious eyes.
"And where would that be beautiful?" he said, studying her closely.
"Ummm Coruscant," said Barriss. "Why am I losing my nerve?"
"Hmm not a bad place to go," said the man. "Although curiosity leads me to ask: why?"
"Let's say we need a fresh start," said Barriss.
"What kind of fresh start? Don't get me wrong, the planet itself has all kinds of work. However, you're not going to get much out of it because of your appearance," said the man.
"Appearance?" said Barriss.
"Name's Jaysh by the way. That's your friend over there?" he asked, motioning to Ahsoka who was still sulking.
"Yes. Anyway about the appearance?" said Barriss.
"You and your friend aren't really Human if you know what I mean," said Jaysh.
Unfortunately, she did. Ahsoka and her were quite aware of the new Humanocentric policies of the Empire. She and Ahsoka ad their fair share of it, Ahsoka more than her since Mirialans were considered a 'Human' species.
"And what of it?" said Barriss.
"If you wanted to find some nice jobs on the planet, you might want to try elsewhere like in the Mid-Rim the Outer Rim," said Jaysh.
"It wouldn't hurt to try though," said Barriss. Jaysh studied her for a moment.
"We'd really like to try if that's alright with you," said Barriss.
"And what would I get in return?" said Jaysh.
"Name your price," said Barriss. "And I'm going to say this now: our bodies are not for sell."
"Whoa sweetheart, do I look like that kind of guy?" said Jaysh, putting his hands out for Barriss to get a closer look. Barriss looked at him with an incredulous gaze.
"Okay, you caught me," said Jaysh, putting them up in defeat. "No you don't have to pay with 'that' kind of currency, though you have a nice rack on you." Barriss rolled her eyes.
"Can't help a guy for giving a compliment. I tell you what, I'll give you guys passage there. I'm going to have go there anyway with this shipment," said Jaysh.
"Shipment of what?" said Barriss.
"If I told you I'd have to kill you, and I'd hate to shoot a pretty face," said Jaysh, grinning at her.
"Like my lightsaber wouldn't stop that from happening," Barriss thought. "And the amount?"
"Just a thousand to cover hyperdrive power, plus I could use the company. What do ya say?" said Jaysh. Barriss studied him longer. He obviously looked like he did some kind of shady business, but he was the only one who would offer to take them. Would she accept?
"I want to tell you this now: if any funny business happens on the trip there, I won't hesitate to taking you out," said Barriss.
"Relax sweetheart, I'm not that kind of guy," said Jaysh.
"Alright, but you've been warned," said Barriss.
"I'll remember that," said Jaysh playfully, making a motion as if he was putting her words in his head and locking it. Barriss shook her head and left to tell Ahsoka the good news.
He was fast asleep by the time they reached the second stop. He'd gotten the engines to work at peak efficiency so that now the ship traveled faster. The junker was more than grateful for his help, thanking him over and over again when he got the chance. Taran shrugged, saying it was no problem. To be honest, he felt immense gratification tinkering with mechanical parts on that scale. It had been way too long.
He was currently in the spare room the Shi'ido had offered to him. He tossed and turned a few times in his sleep before he opened his eyes and sat up.
"Another bad dream..." he thought wistfully.
He had shed down to just his pants to keep cool. Sighing he put on his shirt and coat and left the room, deciding to go out around whatever spaceport they were in. As he walked down the hall he passed by the small purple astromech droid that helped the junker. Taran felt a small stab of sadness every time he saw it. It reminded him too much of R3.
"If he comes back, can you tell him I'm just looking around for the next hour?" said Taran. The droid beeped and went on its merry way. Taran chuckled a little, putting his hat on and walking outside. The spaceport was busy with species from around the galaxy making their entry.
"Hm, I wonder what planet I'm on?" Taran thought. He left the entry of the spaceships out into the city, not even noticing the security guards scanning the pilots and cargo. He didn't stop until he was right outside.
"This seems so familiar. Where could I..." he thought before he halted in his tracks to the city outside. How could he have walked through there without once figuring out where he was. He could see the statue of Aang in the harbor entrance.
Republic City.
He was back home.
"Oh no!" he thought in horror.
Panic and fear gripped his heart like a vice as he found he couldn't move in the slightest. His legs were locked and slightly shaking. His hands trembled violently as he stood outside the entrance. If his heart were not held in by his rib cage it would have burst out.
"Have to get back on the ship and hide," he thought. He turned around, only to see Republic City police guards checking people back in.
"Shit!" he thought.
He walked with the crowd, deciding to blend in as he tried to find places he could sneak back into. He pulled up his neckerchief to hide his lower face. Still. the panic hit him hard as he searched for an opening.
You are probably wondering why Taran is so afraid of being caught on his own planet. It is quite simple. If his presence was discovered on Elementia not only would the Empire know he was alive, but that his people had been harboring him. It would spell war for them and a war with the Empire was a war knew that the planet could not sustain for long. The Empire had way too many resources to utilize into a war with just one planet and its colonist planet. Knowing the Emperor, he could exterminate them.
He kept to the edge of the spaceport entryway, biding his time to wait for the guard's shift to change.
"Hi mister," said a child's voice behind him. Taran froze in shock and turned to see a nine-year-old girl with grey eyes and black hair. She wore just a grey outfit and black pants.
"You need help?" she asked sweetly.
"Um, no," said Taran, wanting to leave the girl before she discovered who he was.
"If you want to get back in there, you can take that doorway. It's blocked with a metal grate and you might be too big for it," she said. "Are you an earthbender?
"My first time on this planet," he lied.
"Really? So why do you have Earth Kingdom tattoos?" she asked, pointing to them. Taran wished he could kill himself for being this stupid in the span of a day.
He'd forgotten his gloves in the room.
"Okay you caught me, I am an earthbender. I'm from Terra," said Taran. "My parents were from the Earth Kingdom." The girl looked at him like she wasn't buying it. Taran felt his brow beginning to sweat. Suddenly, her face broke into a smile.
"Oh that explains it. Can you metalbend?" she asked. Taran nodded.
"Then it shouldn't be a problem for you. Have fun sneaking in," she said before she turned and began walking down the street.
"That...was...odd," he thought.
He looked over to where she had pointed to, finding the old entryway. "I'm just glad she didn't notice who I was." He went inside once he was sure no one was watching and slipped inside. The small hallway was cramped, but he could walk normally down it. Soon he came up to the metal grate-fence. He could hear the sounds of the bustling spaceport off in the distance. He put his hands on the fence and began to bend the metal. The metal gave way to him, allowing him to pry it open so that it was big enough for him to slip through. Once he was on the other side he bent the bars back to their original position.
There was a door that would lead him into the spaceports large rotunda area. How he had walked through it without noticing a thing was beyond him. He carefully unlatched the door and opened it, sensing that no one in the immediate vicinity was aware. He opened the door and closed it swiftly, checking once more to make sure no one was watching. Once he was in the rotunda he began to make a beeline to where he knew the junker's ship was located. He slipped his hands into his pockets to cover them.
"Hey, you!" said a voice behind him. He froze, hearing the sound of metal boots behind him. He turned to see the metalbending guard stop in front of him.
"You dropped something," said the security guard, handing Taran a storage chip he always kept in his coat pocket.
"Oh, thank you," said Taran, hurriedly taking the chip away from the guard's hand to make sure he did not get a good look at his tattoo.
"Be on your way. Say, you look familiar," said the guard, inspecting Taran's face, causing Taran to turn it.
"Maybe I remind you of someone," Taran said feebly.
"You do. Hmm, can't put my finger on it. Ah well, be on your way," said the guard.
"Thanks," said Taran, turning swiftly from him and walking on.
He was thanking every spirit he could as he walked through the rotunda area down the hallway to the various ships in port. He swiftly found the junker's ship, finding the Shi'ido at the foot of the ramp. He turned to see Taran hurriedly running towards him.
"Whoa, what's gotten you so fearful? You look like you've seen a ghost," said the Shi'ido.
"Why didn't you tell me we were on Elementia?" said Taran, fighting to get his heart and breathing rate back to normal.
"It was on the destination notepad in the cockpit. Didn't you see it?" said the Shi'ido. Taran mentally slapped himself again. Was he suffering from a sheer case of stupidity/amnesia or the beginning of dementia?
"You're right, sorry I forgot," said Taran, heading onto the ship.
"Is everything okay?" said the Shi'ido.
"You wouldn't understand," said Taran, keeping his back to the junker as he walked into the ship.
He went into the spare room, putting his hat down and sitting on the edge. He gazed at the wall of the room before he sighed heavily. No matter how much he needed to stay away from his home planet, he wanted to come back. He wanted to see the vast expanse of the Earth Kingdom, feel the icy tundra of the Water Tribes, the volcanic earth of the Fire Nation, the cool air of the mountains underneath the monasteries of the Air Nomads, the booming metropolis of Republic City. He wanted to see his uncle, perhaps even see the younglings if they happened to be harboring them.
He clenched his fists, knowing that he could never come back.
"Would it be too much of a bother if the Emperor and Vader to just keel over die at the same time?" he thought, laying down on his bed.
A few minutes later he heard and felt the hum of the ship's engines come to life and the rise of the ship before it launched off into the sky. He imagined the view from outside of the ship as the distance between the ship and the planet increased. The next thing he knew, he felt the familiar jump of hyperspace, reclining a lot more into the mattress.
No matter how soft it was, he couldn't shake the pain away.
(Two days before Ahsoka and Barriss arrive)
The next few stops came and went with few words spoken between Taran and the junker. Ever since Elementia, Taran became even more quiet and reserved. Though the junker wanted to get to the bottom of it, he knew it wasn't his place to ask. Some people's secrets were better kept as they were: unknown.
As the ship was traveling through hyperspace, Taran came onto the bridge of the ship.
"Coruscant is our next stop," said the Shi'ido.
"That's good. Listen, about Elementia..." said Taran.
"It's alright, I don't want to know. You have your reasons. Was it a bounty on your head?" said the Shi'ido.
"No, just something more personal," said Taran.
"Well I won't pry into it," said the Shi'ido. "Your presence on the ship has been a good one to have. I hope you're able to do what you need to when you get there.
"You don't know the half of it," Taran thought.
(Hyperspace)
Ahsoka and Barriss were in the ship's hold playing dejarik. Jaysh was going over some last second coordinates in the cockpit of the ship. Ahsoka had met Jaysh the night before and instantly took a disliking to him. Who could blame her though.
"Ahsoka," said Barriss, nudging her friend who was still laying her head on the table. Ahsoka looked up to see Barriss and Jaysh standing above her.
"What?" said Ahsoka, confused as to what was going on.
"Hi, I'm Jaysh," said Jaysh, reaching out his hand for her to shake. Ahsoka shook it slowly, still unsure as to what was going on.
"I'm sorry, what are you doing here?" said Ahsoka.
"He's our...pilot," said Barriss.
"Pilot?" said Ahsoka.
"Yep. I'll be escorting you beautiful and extremely attractive women safely to Coruscant," said Jaysh. "On my honor or may a Gamorrean use me as a practice dummy."
Ummm thanks," said Ahsoka.
"Although, Barriss didn't tell me how sexy her friend was. Never really found myself attracted to Togruta before," said Jaysh, his eyes scanning over her. Barriss immediately sensed danger.
"Um Jaysh, why don't you go get a drink," said Barriss. "On us."
"Alrighty. I won't be long gorgeous," said Jaysh, winking at the two of them before he went over to the bar.
"Barriss, what the hell?" said Ahsoka.
"Sorry, he was the only guy who would take us," said Barriss.
"He gives me the creeps. I'm wearing a cloak and it felt like he could see right through it," said Ahsoka.
"Come on Ahsoka. Once we get to Coruscant we won't have to see him again," said Barriss. Ahsoka sighed. What other choice did she have? Wait until someone probably worse than him came around?
"Okay but if he does it again I'll-"
"Don't worry, I've already covered the ground rules with him," said Barriss. Ahsoka sighed.
"I hope this doesn't go south," she thought.
(Timeskip. The next day)
"You sure it was this one?" said Ahsoka.
"He told me the dock right by the trading store," said Barriss. The two were walking through said spaceport, not catching any sight of Jaysh. Thankfully, they weren't going to pay him until they actually got to Coruscant. So far they haven't seen any sign of them.
"Where in blazes could he be at?" Barriss said to herself.
"Hey girls, you missed it!" yelled Jaysh's voice from behind them. They turned to see him waving at them. They hurried over into the dock where Jaysh's ship lay. His ship was a GX1 Short Hauler, a light freighter class. They were reliable, but Jaysh's looked like it could go in for retrofitting, a paint job and other things.
"This is her, the Streaking Comet," said Jaysh. "Isn't she a beauty?"
"She's...something," said Barriss, trying to think of the right words to say.
"Her landing gear is not in the best shape, but it'll do," said Jaysh. Ahsoka looked pointedly at Barriss. Barriss gave her a "Do we have any another choice?" look.
"So, you mind telling me your stories?" said Jaysh, taking a seat beside them as the two women played.
"Do you mind if I refuse to?" said Ahsoka.
"Sorry, just wanted to break the ice," said Jaysh. Ahsoka saw that he really meant it and decided to oblige him, albeit not with the honest truth.
"Well, Barriss and I have known each other since we were small so we grew up together in a way," said Ahsoka.
"Really? Where at?" said Jaysh.
"On...Cortina," said Barriss.
"Nice place. I grew up in the slums of Coruscant myself before I moved out to some other planets when I was 13," said Jaysh.
"What do you work as?" said Barriss.
"I'm a...trader of sorts," said Jaysh.
"Meaning?" said Ahsoka.
"Someone pays me to move some goods, I do it for them," said Jaysh.
"Smuggler," she and Barriss thought. It was one of those professions they knew were illegal, but at the same time a negative image rarely appeared in their minds. Besides, anyone smuggling against the Empire couldn't be all bad.
"So how'd you get into that line of work?" said Barriss.
"It came to me. You wouldn't believe what my life was like. There were days when I couldn't even get a meal. I lived out the gutter like a dianoga. I was so glad when I got off planet. I went to Malastare first. That's when I got into the trade. I found I was good at it and I mean really good. That's how you met yours truly," said Jaysh.
"I'm sorry to hear that Jaysh, about your childhood I mean," said Barriss.
"It's fine. Hard to believe I told this to complete strangers," said Jaysh. "What was your occupation?"
"Ummm...security," said Ahsoka and Barriss, take a moment to look at each other before answering.
"Really? Well I guess I can see it since you both give off a "Don't mess with me" aura," said Jaysh, smiling. "Although what I'm curious about is why you two attractive girls aren't taken."
"I'd rather not talk about it," said Ahsoka. She got up and went towards the bathroom, turning the corner to it.
"What's wrong with her?" said Jaysh.
"It's not my place to say, but she lost the one she loved to the war," said Barriss, her attitude slightly down. Jaysh picked up on it.
"Okay, I won't ask anymore on the issue. What about you?" said Jaysh.
"I've...never really...had one," said Barriss.
"You're kidding me," said Jaysh, astonished beyond reason.
"No, I'm not," said Barriss.
"Why?" said Jaysh.
"It was never really one of my focuses in my life," said Barriss. "And after some of the things I did, I wouldn't deserve someone to keep me happy like Ahsoka did."
"Oh come on, I'm sure what you did wasn't that bad," said Jaysh.
"Believe me, it was," said Barriss, her mood darkened.
"I won't press into it, but just know that we all do mistakes in our past. It's what we do now that tells us what kind of person we are," said Jaysh. Barriss was shocked from the words of wisdom that came from him.
"Thank you," she said softly.
"Don't mention it," said Jaysh, flashing her another grin before he began to walk back to check on the flight pattern of the ship.
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