Journey Home Chapter 3

Carth Onasi struggled to keep his breath steady as he ascended the loading ramp to the old transport. The air tasted bad and he guessed the CO2 filters where close to braking. The storage room was covered in dust and only barely noticeable patterns in the floor indicated any recent use. He moved past the storage space and entered the living quarters. Just as he was about to enter the cockpit a hoarse voice broke the stillness.

"Hello flyboy"

Carth yelped and spun around, his hand automatically reaching for his blaster. His eyes quickly scanned the living area, and soon fell upon a figure in one of the chairs. He stood astonished, he had been very alert going past the living quarters and the chair certainly hadn't been occupied when he first entered. He eyed the person intently; a little younger than him and only slightly shorter. Long brown hair. Her eyes… no her eye he noticed, held the same deep blue color he remembered. The left however, was a milky gray, and a mess of scar tissue around it blemished her worn but still beautiful face. Carth struggled to find his voice.

"S… Shalea?" he whispered, his voice suddenly feeling very thin. The woman rose from the chair, a curious mix of a smile and fear on her face. She walked up to him, stopping only half a foot short of touching him.

"You look surprised" she said, her voice laced with forced levity, her eye betraying her nervousness. Carth reached out with his right hand and cautiously, as if he was afraid she would disappear upon contact, touched her shoulder.

A shiver coursed through her body as he gently pulled closer, and suddenly her self control gave way, and she threw herself at him, nearly knocking him over. Carth responded by wrapping his arms around her, his eyes suddenly feeling very hot. They remained like this for a long time, neither saying a word, neither trusting their voice to hold. They would most likely have remained like this for far longer if a certain Captain hadn't made his existence known.

"Admiral? Are you alright?" Captain Jorun called, his voice echoing through the empty freighter. Carth muttered under his breath.

"Talk about rotten timing…" He paused as Shalea stroked his bearded cheek.

"Come" she simply said, and started walking to the ramp. As the pair descended, the security crew once again tensed up and Captain Jorun called out.

"Who goes there? Identify yourself and… " He suddenly choked on his words as he recognized the woman at the admirals side. His eyes went wide, and the he did what Carth feared he might do when he first saw Shallag. The old Captain fainted. He collapsed unceremoniously on the landing pad in front of his astonished crew. They watched confusedly as the brown-haired woman at the admirals side dashed forward impossibly quickly, reaching their Captain just as he hit the deck. She held his torso up with relative ease, her other hand on his chest. A few seconds later the Captain stirred, his eyes immediately locking on the woman. She smiled crookedly at him.

"Granted recent times has left me a little messed up, but I don't look that bad now do I?" she said with an easy smile on her thin lips, drawing a nervous laughter from the security team. The Captain took a deep breath, closed his eyes and muttered, just load enough for everyone to hear.

"Maybe now the Admiral will shut up about 'the girl that got away'" He then smiled and rose to his feet. He turned to Carth, who looked like was trying not to laugh as Captain Jorun tried to regain some kind of military dignity and spoke.

"Requesting to take the day of Admiral. Somehow I feel quite desperate for a drink" He said, his voice still a bit weak. Everybody laughed and Carth gave the man a hearty slap on the shoulder.

"Permission granted. I hereby order you and your men to visit a respectable cantina and I order you to buy the drinks and explain to your men why you collapsed like an old man at the sight of two old friends." He handed the man a cred stick.

"Just don't make a mess" he added, glaring theatrically at the group. The men saluted and then cheered. Captain Jorun spoke, his voice back to normal.

"Don't worry sir, I'll keep them in line. Men, report at the Corellian bar in twenty minutes. Dismissed!" The security squad walked off, leaving the Jedi and the Admiral alone at the pad. Suddenly feeling awkward, Carth threw a cautious look at Shalea, who simply smiled, took his hand and spoke.

"Come" she simply said, leading him towards the Temple.

At the Jedi Temple

Shallag tried to relax as he walked through the gates to the large pyramid building. The grounds were quieter than he remembered, which unsettled him, making feel like an intruder. He knew it was only to be expected after the civil war, but it didn't make it feel any better. He was snapped out of his brooding by an accented female voice.

"Hold! Name and business, if you please" The voice was cordial but serious, leaving no room for objections. Shallag turned to his right and locked eyes with the voice's owner. A tall, muscular Cathar woman looked at him sharply, her right hand resting on the hilt of a lightsaber. Shallag raised his hands defensively.

"Relax miss, I'm simply wondering where I might find the mistress of the Archives. The woman raised an eyebrow, her feline features showing an odd mix of skepticism and confusion.

"The mistress of the Archives? You mean Atris?" she answered, eyeing him suspiciously. She looked like she was trying to remember something.

"The same." Shallag replied smiling, trying to make the woman relax. The way she stared at him was quite unsettling. Then she spoke again.

"What is your business with her?" she said, not quite as aggressive as before. Shallag shrugged and decided to speak the truth, fearing the woman might try to strangle him if she suspected him of lying.

"We were friends up until the Mandalorian wars, after which she and the rest of the council threw me out" he simply stated. He then had to bite his lip to keep himself from laughing. The Cathar's face had gone from intense and slightly intimidating to confused and slightly comical. She looked at him like he had sprouted a second head. She then cleared her throat and spoke.

"I… I see. If you would please follow me." she purred, her voice now surprisingly soft. She then turned and started walking towards one of the meditation chambers, motioning for him to follow.

"Thank you miss" he said, moving up beside her. The feline glared at him.

"It's Mrs! She growled, her eyes almost glowing. Shallag stared at her, slightly startled.

"And your welcome" she then said evenly, walking off at a quick pace. Shallag, now feeling royally confused, remained stationary for a few seconds and then quickly followed the Cat-like woman.

Please write and review! Hope you've enjoyed it so far and if you have any ideas, feel free to share them. And bonus points to whoever guesses who our dear Cathar has bonded with.