Hello everyone! I have updated three times this weekend and gotten several hundred hits on this story, yet, no one has reviewed... this makes me sad... -weeps-. Pretty please review, I adore constructive critisicm!
Disclaimer: I am not Georgie, therefore, I do not own Star Wars. I wish I did...
Two standard weeks later (10 days).Dantooine, Outer Rim Territories. Jedi Enclave Landing pad. Time: 1100 Hours (RST).
Revan picked up the last few supplies he, Malak and Aiden had bought, and went up the loading ramp. He had been surprised that Zhar had agreed to allow them to keep the small ship.
It was relatively fast, had good defense guns and shields- Revan could not find anything wrong with it. And I'm a mechanic. Revan thought to himself as he wandered into the small kitchen/ living area.
He deftly put the supplies away and went back outside.
Aiden and Malak were supposed to be back in about fifteen minutes, give or take. Revan turned to look at his ship.
The Ebon Hawk, it was a good little ship so far, Revan hoped that it would last for a good while. After musing for a while he felt a now familiar presence come up behind him.
She came and stood next to him quietly, but said after a moment. "Why are you leaving?"
Revan looked down at the shorter girl; she was not looking up at him, but seemingly, glaring at his ship.
"I, Malak and Aiden, have decided that the council is not doing enough to help the people they vowed to protect. Were leaving to see what we can do to help." He said after studying her. Her face scrunched up in thought, and pain at this statement, causing Revan to wonder why.
"My parents were killed during the raid on Chandrila, but you don't see me gallivanting off to join the fight. The masters are obviously cautioning us for a reason. You do not seem to understand that, however." Bastila said back frowning.
Revan sighed sadly, "I am sorry about your parents, Bastila. And I know why the masters are cautioning the Jedi. I know what I'm getting myself into, okay?"
Bastila looked up at him finally and then turned away quickly. "I still don't like it." She mumbled.
Revan grinned slightly. "Sorry."
"You're not sorry. Don't bother saying it." Bastila said churlishly crossing her arms over her chest and brown Jedi robes.
She was almost certainly agitated with him. Revan smirked at her lightly, and put his right hand on her left shoulder.
"Are you worried about me, padawan Shan?" he asked teasingly.
Bastila, unexpectly, went a light shade of red when he said this. "Why would I be?" she replied stubbornly after a moment. "I am not incapable of finding a new sparring partner."
Revan's face fell a little, but then he hid it with a grin. He turned her to face him.
"I know you're worried about me." Revan said quietly, in all seriousness. "I promise I will be careful."
Bastila looked down at her boots, skeptical. Revan gently put a hand under her chin and pulled her face upwards to look at his own.
"You'll be in one piece, then?" Bastila asked.
"I will make a serious attempt to be, if that makes you feel better." Revan replied pleasantly.
Bastila bowed her head slightly in acquiescence and her eyes fell on the two knights approaching the Hawk.
Revan saw her gaze shift and he felt Mak and Aiden's presences coming closer. Revan removed his hands from Bastila's shoulder and chin and turned to them. Malak was weighted down by something exceptionally heavy looking and Aiden was simply carrying a new set of tools.
Aiden's collar bone was still badly bruised and painful so Malak naturally had, pulling faces and moping all the way, agreed to carry the larger stuff. The young Kenobi rolled his eyes at his friend and strolled over to revan.
"We're ready. That was the last of the stuff on your list." He said handing the tool box to Revan.
"alright, will you tell Mak to fire this beauty up? Were going to leave as soon as he finishes that diagnostic he started earlier. I think it will be about five minutes." Revan said to him.
Aiden affirmed this and went up the loading ramp to tell the tall knight.
"so, you're going." Bastila said from behind him.
Revan faced her again and winced slightly. "Yes, I suppose so."
Bastila nodded, looking downcast.
Revan was about to open his mouth to say something to her when he heard Malak's shout, "Rev, all systems showing green! Let's go!"
Bastila was still finding her brown boots more interesting than him at the moment.
Revan took the two steps over to her and pulled her into a warm hug. She was stiff for a second against him, but she hugged him back after a moment.
"I'll be careful, Bast." Revan said in a low voice. Bastila nodded against him. "I'll come back in one piece, just for you." he bent down and whispered this into her ear, then released her.
He took his new tool set and walked up the loading ramp of the Ebon Hawk, unable to look back at her; for reasons unknown even to himself.
Bastila watched in silence as the Ebon Hawk took off and slowly disappeared into the atmosphere. She let out a breathy sigh of depression.
Revan had gone.
As she turned to walk inside, she thought about how long it would be until she saw him again. A while. Maybe years. Bastila thought mournfully. She then remembered the promise he had made to her, he did say he would come back in one piece…just for me.
Bastila blushed exceedingly at this thought and waved it off, he's too old for me anyway. Bastila thought to herself forcibly. With that, she walked back into the enclave.
Two days later, Taris, Outer Rim. Time: 1300 Hours. (RST).
Revan had originally thought that Taris would be a decent place to find some Jedi support in their war effort. He was wrong.
Revan was not often wrong, so when he was, he surprised himself.
Aiden let out an irritated sigh as he came back onto the ship. He found Revan at the workbench messing around with droid parts. Revan looked up from what he was doing momentarily then went back to messing.
"What's up, Aiden?" he asked, looking down.
"no one here likes us." Aiden said leaning against the wall next to the workbench, his arms crossed over his chest.
Revan shook his head, "no, I sense there is something going on here that we do not know about."
"I agree," Malak said as he came on board. "I just found out what, like you asked, Revvy."
Revan put down his hydrospanner and wiped off his hands with a dirty rag.
"well?" he asked.
"several Jedi have been murdered recently. They suspect mandalorian activity in the lower city as well." Malak explained, squinting at the droid parts that were on the 'bench.
"what in the force is that?" he asked pointing.
Revan looked at the droid parts. "a project I'm taking up." He said nonchalantly, "the important thing is finding the people responsible for killing the Jedi. If they are mandalorians, they might have more information for us to go on. When we get some viable info, then we can take it to the Republic. I don't want to rush into anything." He said to his friends.
Aiden nodded contemplatively, "what about the data pads I found?" he asked after a moment. "they have a ton of info on them."
"it's all about things that have already happened." Revan replied with a hint of anger in his voice.
"you read them?" Malak asked.
"yes." Revan answered, "why?"
"aren't they written in mando'a?" Aiden asked, "I couldn't make out what they said, and they weren't in any language that I've seen. I mean, it didn't even look like Echani or anything…."
Revan pulled a face, "I don't just speak mando'a, you two, and I can read it you know."
"oh." Malak said.
"yeah." Aiden nodding towards Malak, "oh."
Revan rolled his eyes at his two brothers and grabbed his utility belt from the workbench. He snapped it on deftly, and started to walk down the ramp.
"Hey, where are you going, Rev?" Aiden asked.
"to a cantina. Usually the locals know a thing or two about goings on." Revan called back.
Malak shrugged to Aiden and followed Revan out. Aiden heard his stomach let out a growl.
He shrugged to himself and followed the other two. Maybe they serve food there too….
The cantina they found was not the most savory of places. It was smoky from deathsticks; it smelled of the great unwashed, sweaty and dirty. And it absolutely stank of alcohol.
They had actually, they had gone to another earlier, but the upper city folk had been quite unwilling to tell them anything other than their outfits were terrible…..
Malak frowned slightly as he held his glass of Tarisian ale. The stuff was alright, but not as good as the Alderaanian ale that came from his home planet.
Revan had gone to talk to several other people, such as a very large Hutt by the name of Javyar, and a few different swoop gang bosses who were drinking and gambling nearby.
Aiden had decided to go talk to some mercs in the corner; he was currently beating them at pazaak. The winnings being information.
Malak had been assigned to the burly mandalorian who was currently sitting next to him. The man had black hair that was beginning to grey, in a typical buzz cut; he was, like Malak frowning into his glass. He was not in armor, but civilian-like clothes; plus a very large, heavily modified blaster rifle.
The mandalorian looked up at Malak, scowling.
"what are you lookin' at?"
"not much, it would appear." Malak replied steadily taking a drink of his ale.
The mandalorian smirked lightly. "you're pretty gutsy for a jetii."
"thanks." Malak replied, "I try."
The mandalorian let out a chuckle and picked up his own drink, taking a long draft.
"what's your name, kid?" he asked after setting it down.
"Malak. And yours?"
"Canderous Ordo." The large man said gruffly, "I'm not exactly the type of person you want to cross, kid."
Malak gestured his understanding and leaned back in his chair. He fingered his glass of ale thoughtfully. "I want to know why you're not in uniform." He said finally.
The big mandalorian look pensive for a second and then replied, "I'm off duty. You're obviously jetti, and a new one at that, kid. Take my advice; you don't want to get involved down here. The shits going to hit the fan real soon."
"tell me what I need to know and I won't have to stay, and be in your way." Malak retorted his blue eyes flashing slightly dangerously.
"it depends on what you ask." Canderous said to the young knight.
"what if it involves the murder of several Jedi?" Malak queried inclining his head toward Canderous.
Canderous glowered at the bartender, who had stopped to listen to the conversation. The man gulped visibly and went to the opposite side of the bar where he went to wiping out shot glasses.
"what do you want to know?" Canderous asked Malak, curious.
"what the hell happened?" Malak replied his gaze firm.
Canderous lifted his glass to his lips and finished the rest of his ale in one gulp.
"the thing is, they weren't supposed to die." Canderous explained. "they were in the way, and the squad that had faced them got trigger happy. They shot the damn jetti before they jetti even had time to realize they were there. Those hut'uun, they have no honor in my eyes." His voice was low, as not to carry to any others ears but Malak's.
Malak bowed his head in thanks to the large mandalorian. "I appreciate the info."
"Eleck, whatever." Canderous replied waving the bartender over.
Malak took this as his dismissal and went to find Revan, somewhat pleased with himself for getting the information.
Canderous ordered another ale and sighed wondering, when the hell did the universe get so damn complicated?
Hut'uun: cowards
Eleck: Yeah.
