first off, thanks for all the reviews. always great to get feedback from people, and there's nothing that helps me write better (not even coffee).
second: taris is finished. but my chapter felt ludicrously long, so it's now in 2 smaller parts (this being one of them). the other one will be up in a couple days.
disclaimer: (yes, i suck about these. dont hold it against me) i don't own anything. except Ashi's personality (sometimes)
Crescendo: to increase in intensity or force
Ashi felt an annoying sense of disoriented déjà vu as she came to in the cot in the apartment. Swallowing, she slowly rolled out of bed and stood up. Mission, who had been examining her pazaak deck, saw her, and called out, "Hey, Ashi's awake!"
"Have I been out long?" Ashi asked nervously.
Mission shrugged. "About an hour, I think. You kind of collapsed after the big fight and 'not rescuing'," here she paused and rolled her eyes, using her hands to form air quotes, "that Jedi."
Ashi grinned. "You don't like her either?"
The girl grimaced. "You kidding? I ask her one little question about whether she ever uses the Force for fun—you know, like tripping people and stuff—and she gives me a preachy little lecture about immaturity and then trips me!" Mission scowled and Ashi struggled not to laugh at the indignant look on the girl's face.
Luckily, or not so luckily, everyone else chose that moment to enter the room. "Hi, guys," said Ashi cheerfully.
Carth smiled, and Bastila nodded tartly in greeting. "Good, you're awake. Commander Onasi and I have been talking about ways to get off Taris. Now I'm back in charge of this mission, perhaps we can start to do things properly."
Ashi's mouth dropped open in offense, and she glared at the Jedi. "Sorry, brat? You're in charge? When did this happen?" She turned to everyone else, and added, "You guys better not have supported this."
They all shook their heads emphatically, while Bastila scowled. Ashi raised her eyebrows. "You know, Bastila, they have a word for self-proclaimed leaders now. They call them dictators."
Bastila's face went from annoyance to outrage, but Ashi continued. "Look, we can't get hung up on who's in charge, okay? We need to work together. You've been told about radical ideas like that by your masters, right?" she asked Bastila sarcastically.
The Jedi took a deep breath, but nodded. "Very well. I suppose that makes sense. You're… you're right."
Ashi grinned in amusement. "Wow. That sounded painful to admit." Leaving Bastila seething, she turned to the rest of the group. "I'm going to the cantina, any of you want to come?" To her surprise, Carth stepped forward.
"Sorry," he explained, "but I do remember the last time you went to the cantina on your own."
Ashi shrugged resignedly. "All right, flyboy, let's go," she agreed. "Mission, you can go fool around, but take Z with you. Vice versa for you, Zaalbar." The two of them nodded. "Bastila… eh, you're too easily recognizable. You better stay here," she said with a smirk. Ignoring the Jedi's annoyed look, she turned and walked out the door, closely followed by Carth.
They had hardly left the apartment, however, when a green Twi'lek came racing up to them. "You…" he said to Ashi, panting from running, "you are the rider who won the swoop championship?"
Ashi nodded. "But I don't do autographs, sorry." She turned and began to walk towards the exit to the Upper City.
"Wait!" The man chased after her, and she stopped again, raising her eyebrows. He took a couple deep breaths, and then spoke. "I have a message from Canderous Ordo. He wants to meet you in the Lower City cantina."
Ashi, who had previously been paying little notice to the man, stopped and turned to face him. "Canderous? The Mandalorian that works for Davik? What's he want?"
The Twi'lek shrugged. "I don't know, sorry. I'm just a runner. However, I would advise you not to keep him waiting long. Mandalorians are known for many things, but patience is not one of them." He nodded pointedly, and then turned and walked away. Ashi, looking a little puzzled, glanced over at Carth.
"He's right," she said. "We should probably go meet up with Canderous right away."
Carth stared at her incredulously. "You're going to go meet a Mandalorian in the cantina? Are you crazy? Who knows what he wants?"
Ashi gave him a sharp look. "To talk, I assume. If you don't want to come, you can stay here, flyboy. It probably won't help me and Canderous's rapport if you're giving him dirty looks over my shoulder the whole time. And I know that's what you'll do, if I take you."
He frowned. "No I won't, I'm just saying! This guy is dangerous, beautiful."
She grinned impishly. "Don't worry, flyboy. I'm pretty dangerous too." Then she pointed back the way they had come and instructed firmly, "Now, go back to the apartment."
"What?" Carth started to object, but she glared ferociously at him. "You're incredibly good at holding grudges, flyboy. I don't actually think you should come. Go; stay there. Have fun with your precious Jedi," she added. She turned to leave, but then remembered something and smiled over her shoulder at him. "I get to say I told you so, don't I?" Then, before Carth could respond, she was gone.
When he reentered the apartment with an expression like thunder on his face, Mission immediately knew something was up. "Oh, no," she exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "What did she do?"
Carth scowled. "Some runner came up to us and told her a merc called Canderous Ordo wanted to meet her in the cantina. She decided to go alone, because she thought I couldn't 'be polite'," he snapped.
Mission bit her lip in worry, her eyes widening. "The Canderous? The Mandalorian who works for Davik, and you're just letting her go?" she demanded.
Carth turned, already grabbing his blaster. "Hell no," he replied firmly. "I'm going after her." He turned and headed for the exit, but Mission leapt to her feet, racing after him and grabbing his arm.
"I'm coming too," she insisted.
Carth almost objected, but the Twi'lek girl had such a stubborn expression on that he sighed and nodded. "All right. Lower City cantina, but we need to get past the elevator guard, and Ashi has the security papers."
A wicked grin appeared on Mission's face. "Silly Carth," she said with a smile, "you don't think that's the only way to the Lower City?"
Ashi entered the cantina, and immediately walked into something resembling a brick wall. She stepped back, and looked up at him: tall and muscular, with graying hair and a scarred face; the same person she'd seen in the Undercity, although now he was missing the useless posse. "Canderous, right?" she asked.
He nodded. "And you're that crazy racer who won the swoop race," he said, his voice deep and gravelly.
"I have a name," Ashi offered.
The Mandalorian laughed. "I'm sure you do, sweetheart. But it's your rep I'm interested in. You see, you're the kind of person I've been looking for. I have a very interesting offer for you, and I think if you hear it out, you'll find it irresistible."
Ashi nodded, her curiosity awakened. "I'm listening," she said.
He grinned, and beckoned her over to an empty table. "Smart girl. Now here's the thing—I work for Davik, right? But lately, it's been getting pretty boring, so I figure it's time to get off this rock and find something better to do." He paused. "Here's where you come in."
"And I assume that my job has something to do with the Sith blockade you'd need to get past?" she guessed. Canderous nodded.
"Yeah. See, I saw you in the swoop race, and I figured anyone who was crazy enough to race like that, and can fight like that, is crazy enough to break into the Sith military base and steal the launch codes."
Ashi laughed. "I'm only crazy when it benefits me, Ordo. What's in it for me?"
He grinned, motioning her closer, and she leant across the table. "You want to know what I can do for you? I work for Davik, don't I? If you get me those launch codes, I can get you a ship. Specifically, Davik's ship. The Ebon Hawk." He saw Ashi's stunned face, and added, with a smirk, "Maybe you've heard of it?"
"Heard of it?" Ashi's echoed in amazement. "That ship's a fracking legend! Fastest hyperdrive in the galaxy, flies like hell, can outrun anything that's stupid enough to chase it and outshoot anything that's stupid enough to attack it..." She sighed, a faraway expression in her eyes. "People kill for the Hawk. Damn, I've always wanted a ship like that one." Then she straightened up, focused again. "Okay, Ordo. How exactly do you plan to get me my ship?"
He grinned at her possessive 'my', but shook his head. "Uh, uh, uh. First you get me the codes. Then I tell you the rest of the plan." He raised his eyebrows. "Interested?"
Ashi nodded with a smile, but then something seemed to occur to her. "How do I get in?"
Canderous smiled. "You mean the security system? No problem. Davik's having a top-of-the-line astrotech droid being custom-built. It'll get you in. Go to Janice Nall's store; tell her Canderous sent you. She'll sell it to you."
Ashi nodded again, but then her eyes narrowed. "I'm trusting you, Ordo. You better keep up your end of the deal."
He nodded. "Be back when you have the codes, Lucas. Then we'll talk."
The girl smiled. It held just the slightest hint of a threat. "We better," she said. Then, sudden noise over at an out-of-the-way table caught her attention, and she sighed as she heard familiar voices. "I have to go. I'll be back with the codes." She turned away, rolling her eyes as she heard an argument beginning.
"…but the Lower City is no place for a kid!" said Carth.
Mission scowled. "Kid? Is that some kind of crack about my age?" she demanded. "Because you're not so young yourself!"
Ashi stopped several feet away, surveying the scene with interest. "Ouch, kid," she muttered under her breath. "Take that, flyboy." They didn't notice her.
"Don't you snap at me, missy!" Carth exclaimed, causing Ashi to almost choke from stifling her laughter. "You want a lecture? How's this… only bratty little children fly off the handle because of a simple comment!"
Ashi bit her lip and struggled to hold in her laughter, because frankly, this was too good to miss.
Mission flushed with anger, going light purple. "You know what? I don't need to take this from you! You're not my father… although you're sure old enough to be! So keep your lectures in your withered old head, because I don't need them!" she snapped, crossing her arms and childishly avoiding looking at Carth.
"And I sure as hell don't need this," he replied angrily. "Let's just…"
"Keep spying on me?" Ashi finished brightly, appearing next to the table with a grin. Both her friends jumped, and then began to object. She cut them off.
"Hey kid, flyboy. Stalking me, much?" she asked, her voice cheerful but with an undertone of annoyance.
"Well, you were going off to meet that Mandalorian on your own!" replied Carth, ignoring the question.
Ashi shook her head. "Exhibit A, flyboy. Him being a Mandalorian is totally irrelevant to everyone but you, ergo, I couldn't take you with me. And if you guys plan to be spies, maybe work on not biting each others' heads off while you're supposed to be following me," she suggested sarcastically. Carth and Mission both looked sheepish.
"Look," continued Ashi, "I can take care of myself. I don't need you both following me everywhere because some of you think I'm totally helpless," here she glared pointedly at Carth, "or because some of you can't keep your nose out of anything," she added, frowning at Mission. "Kid, go home. Z's probably freaking out. I'm going to the droid shop."
She finished firmly, and then spun on her heel and left the cantina without a second look at either of them.
Mission grimaced. "I think she's mad," she muttered wryly, before getting up and leaving the cantina. Carth got to his feet too, but followed Ashi, catching up with her near the elevator.
"What?" she snapped as he ducked in after her, catching the door with his hand to stop it from closing. She averted her gaze, purposely not looking at him, and he sighed.
"Look, beautiful, I'm sorry…" he began.
"Shove it," she replied, still not looking at him.
He would have laughed if she had been talking to someone else, but this didn't feel funny at all. "Ashi, I'm sorry. We don't think you're helpless. No one does. But…" he hesitated, unsure how to phrase the next part. "There's a difference between thinking someone needs help and wanting... to help the person so nothing happens to them, no matter how independent they are." He grabbed her wrist in one hand, and she stared up at him defiantly, daring him to continue.
"Just because you don't need help, doesn't mean that… we don't want to help you," he murmured slowly.
She inwardly sighed, a small part of her moaning in disappointment. We. He wasn't speaking about himself, then; he was just reassuring her on the behalf of the group. Somehow, just that little word—we—seemed to hurt.
"Yeah, well, you know what? I'd be even more grateful, Republic, if you'd let me deal with stuff on my own." As she finished the sentence, the elevator reached the Upper City, and, inwardly appreciating the perfect timing, she stormed out and away from him.
Carth looked after her. What did I say? he wondered. It felt like all he could do was offend her. She wasn't helpless; he knew that... but she couldn't be so independent that she didn't need anyone? Still, Ashi was already annoyed with him and he knew he had upset her. He decided to go home; following her would only make angrier.
Meanwhile, Ashi managed to buy the droid, and headed back to the apartment, where everyone was busy looking either bored or annoyed. "Bastila, Z, come on," she said, startling the two, as Mission rushed forward to admire the new droid. "We have a Sith base to break into."
Bastila's eyes widened, and she began to open her infamous mouth, probably to demand why and how and what happened with the Mandalorian, when Ashi interrupted, "Canderous—he's the merc I met at the cantina—can get us a ship, if we get him the Taris launch codes."
Bastila didn't look completely satisfied, but she did close her mouth, which Ashi found to be a great improvement. Picking up her lightsaber, the Jedi followed Ashi, Zaalbar, and T3 out of the room, and the door slammed shut behind them. Ashi did not look at Mission or Carth.
"She's still mad at us, huh?" asked the Twi'leki girl, turning to Carth, before she remembered that she was supposed to be mad at him. "Geezer," she added quickly.
He rolled his eyes at the name, but nodded. "Yeah. She got pretty mad at me in the elevator, kid. Apparently, she feels like we're treating like she's helpless."
Mission's eyes widened. "What? We don't think that! What did you say, you idiot?"
Carth sighed, actually looking as old as Mission thought he acted for a moment. "I don't think it matters. I can't say anything right," he said tiredly, sitting down heavily and shaking his head. Mission couldn't help a grin.
"Ooh. You've got it bad, geezer," she said playfully.
Carth's head snapped up, and he stared at the Twi'lek. "Excuse me?" he demanded, a stunned expression on his face, even as he flushed slightly. "What did you say?"
Mission giggled, covering her mouth, as her head-tails curled in amusement. "You heard me, old man."
"I don't have anything for Ashi," he exclaimed immediately.
"Hmm," grinned Mission, tapping her chin. "That sounded pretty defensive."
Carth's sudden look of fury, however, silenced her. A pained expression filled his face, as memories came flooding back. He remembered, all too clearly, the last time he had felt like that about someone. "Look, kid, this is none of your business," he snapped, getting up and storming away.
Mission stood stunned, and bit her lip, unsure how she had offended him. Carth was more easily provoked than that rancor Ashi had blown up. "Talk about touchy," she muttered, as the door slammed behind him.
Breaking into the Sith base was a breeze... save a robot guarding the governor's office which managed to sink a couple nasty shots into Zaalbar; shortly after T3 disrupted the shield and Ashi demolished it. The droid body fell to the ground, smoking and emitting sparks. Ashi hurried over to the Wookiee, who was unconscious.
Bastila, who Ashi reluctantly admitted was finally being useful, began to heal him. However, when she told Ashi that it would take about fifteen minutes to heal the wounds completely, Ashi instructed T3 to unlock the elevator, and then proceeded down on her own. She stepped off of it into a small, bare room, and found herself facing a bald man in dark robes. He jumped as she came in, which Ashi found somewhat unprofessional.
"Who dares disrupt my meditation?" he demanded, his face furious, as he drew a red lightsaber.
"Ashi Lucas, nice to meet you," replied Ashi brightly, but her actions contradicted her tone as she drew her vibroblade in response.
He frowned, and stared hard at her. "Interesting…it would appear that you have some degree of Force sensitivity. Who would have thought a Force adept would be found on this pathetic planet?"
The words surprised Ashi. "What? Hate to break it to you, Sith, but I'm no Jedi. I'm just that good with a vibroblade."
He shook his head indifferently. "It matters not. Either way, I will crush you. Feel the wrath of the dark side!" He lifted a hand, and sparks danced in his fingers for a moment, before lightning struck Ashi and threw her against the wall. She yelled in pain for a second, but then gritted her teeth, and glared at the Sith.
"You want wrath? How's this?" she snapped, leaping to her feet and rushing the Dark Jedi. He looked surprised by her quick recovery, and only just managed to parry her furious flurry of attacks.
"Good, very good!" he gloated. "Feel the power, let it flow through you! Use your anger!" He launched into a furious counterattack, and Ashi cried out as the lightsaber cut into her arm, burning as it made contact with her skin. She sucked in a deep breath, and then, with almost inhuman speed, attacked the Sith again.
He looked worried, now, as she slashed furiously over and over. Finally, with a powerful stroke of her blade, she forced his lightsaber out of his hand, and ran her vibroblade through his throat. He collapsed to the ground with an unpleasant gurgle.
Ashi headed to the desk behind him, and quickly located the launch codes, downloading them onto a computer chip. Satisfied, she left the room, although she stopped to pick up the dark Jedi's lightsaber.
It was very funny to see Bastila's face as Ashi exited the elevator, carrying a red lightsaber. She immediately regretted it, however, when the brat saw fit to give her a long, painful lecture on how she was, first, not a Jedi, and therefore unqualified to even carry a lightsaber—here, Ashi interrupted she was more qualified than the dead Sith at the other end of the elevator—and second, how red was stereotypically a color of evil.
Ashi didn't help her case with her occasional interjections, including that it did match her flight jacket. Bastila swelled with rage at that, prompting Ashi to add, "Oh, relax. Or does a sense of humor lead to the dark side, too?" This didn't really improve the situation, and Bastila fumed silently all the way back to the apartment.
The next day, Canderous was waiting when she arrived in the cantina, and looking gruffly pleased. "Not bad, Lucas," he commented, as she sat down. "Now." His face was immediately all business. "I know the Sith base had a break-in. I know you have these launch codes." He smiled, showing a mouthful of crooked teeth. "Guess it's time I explain my part of the plan, huh?"
Ashi nodded. "You better, Ordo. How're you going to get me the Hawk?"
"Well, Lucas, you've gotten yourself quite the rep during your time here," said Canderous, leaning back in his chair with a smile. "And Davik's always interested in recruiting new talent. With swoop and dueling champ on your résumé, not to mention a recommendation from me, he'd love to invite you up to his estate to see if you're interested in working for the Exchange. While we're there, we steal the Ebon Hawk, punch in the launch codes, and blow this planet." He finished with a grin on his face. "Good?"
Ashi's face was impassive, but her eyes sparked with interest. "My friends?"
"We'll pick them up. They can come too. Now, Lucas. You in?"
Ashi grinned, and nodded eagerly. "When can you set this up with Davik?" she asked.
Canderous smiled. "Already have. I figured you'd realize you couldn't say no, so I arranged this for tomorrow. Cancel any plans you have," he added, "Davik doesn't like being kept waiting."
"Nice," said Ashi appreciatively. "You're smart, Ordo, I'm going to enjoy working with you. Okay, so I'll meet you tomorrow at noon, here?" she verified. The Mandalorian nodded, and she grinned in approval.
"Don't be late," he called, as she headed out of the cantina, a satisfied smile still on her face.
High above the planet, a huge sliver ship drifted through space. On the bridge, a nervous-looking admiral was speaking to a man in a red bodysuit with a synthetic jaw. The admiral's eyes were fixed on the Dark Lord with nervous respect and fear, but Malak's gaze flickered sharply across the planet in front of him with frustration. He was looking for something.
"The search for Bastila is taking too long," growled Malak, in his characteristic gravelly voice, cutting Saul's report off entirely. "Admiral Karath, I want you to bomb the entire planet."
The admiral's eyes widened in shock, and he immediately objected, a nasty sense of déjà vu coming to mind, along with the word 'Telos'.
"My lord, are you sure? There are countless civilians on the planet, along with our own men still on the surface." He realized, as he spoke, however, that objecting had been a mistake, and his protest grew more and more halfhearted as he continued.
Malak turned to the unfortunate man, his dark cape swishing and his gray eyes flashing dangerously. "Your predecessor made the mistake of questioning my orders, Admiral. Surely you are not foolish enough to make the same mistake."
His voice was a monotone, as always, but his narrowed eyes were full of cruelty and intimidation. Admiral Karath was reminded, guiltily, of how differente this Dark Lord was, and how he had preferred Revan: her subtlety, her intricacy, her undeniable brilliance.
But Malak was the Sith Lord now, and there would be no questioning his orders while it remained so. "Yes, my lord Malak. But... it will take several hours to position our fleet."
Malak nodded impatiently. "Then you had better get started. Dismissed, Admiral," he said, waving Saul away with a hand. He turned, then, and resumed staring at the unfortunate blue-green planet.
"I know you are there, Bastila," he muttered with a malicious grin. "Let's see if your Battle Meditation can save you now."
as always, r&r--comments, criticism, compliments... it's all good. even criticism (mostly)
and a quote from the final taris chapter (!):
Canderous: actually, i think anything she does would go down well, dressed like that.