Standard Disclaimer: Neither Star Wars nor Knights of the Old Republic
belong to me. All are George Lucas' and Lucas arts, etc. The only thing I'm
claiming is the impressions of the main characters and, in later chapters,
the A/U plot. Which, believe me, isn't all that original to get all
bothered about.
Sequel to Things Left Behind.
Remnants - 10
It only took a few moments to settle matters with the traffic control for lifting off. Carth handled the communication and Vertere sat beside him. Without a word she activated the thrusters and opened up the Bodner lines, demonstrating at least a passing familiarity with being in a co-pilot seat.
The quiet continued until they'd reached open space.
"Where are you going?" Vertere asked quietly. Carth had been wondering the same thing.
"What does that instinct and logic tell you?" Carth said.
Vertere chuckled and touched his shoulder briefly, "Well, let's start from the beginning, shall we?"
Carth glanced at her hand, then at her, raising a brow. She was beaming back at him.
"No matter what triggered her flight, we can assume the following. She would first go somewhere that she felt safe, that she could act from. Correct?" Vertere didn't appear to notice Carth's response. Her hand moved to gesture, however.
"Yeah. I suppose. Unless she knew where a Sith strong hold was. Then she'd go straight there." He pointed out. Vertere looked out to the stars and was quiet a moment.
"Perhaps. But that is assuming that she knew. The Temple is very cloistered at times. The Jedi themselves have no idea where the remaining Sith have hidden, or even if there are enough left to call a strong hold. If she knew, then that meant that she'd of had to have had foreknowledge or someone told her. And for someone to tell her, they'd have to know she was returning to her old ways. And they would have had to have known that."
"You're getting rather complicated." Carth said dryly.
"Can't you keep up?"
"I'm just looking for that logic you were talking about."
Vertere sneered at him and then shook her head, "How about this? Revan is too smart to make a straight line out. The Jedi do not know how she left the planet. So its likely that she either made a deal or used the Force to hide her presence on a ship. She wouldn't leave a straight line to be followed."
Carth nodded. "Alright. It's a working theory."
"That means that the planet is of her choice. It's not just where the Sith are . . . its her decision." Vertere said triumphantly.
Carth wasn't convinced. He shook his head but then shrugged. "Alright. Keep going."
"So all we have to do is figure out where she'd choose to go."
"Gee. And only a thousand plus worlds to choose from."
The blonde gave him a cool look, "You know, you are not being helpful. For a man who's been flailing around even with all the resources of the Fleet and apparently has no idea where to go next, you could be more open minded."
He didn't look at her, his mouth set in a thin line. It was strange to notice that his hand was clenched into a fist. He didn't remember doing that, but he had a feeling that his fingers had tightened when she touched him.
Things were complicated enough, his duty, his feelings, unresolved issues and the urgency to find Revan. He didn't need an audience while he figured it all out, much less one who didn't seem to want to respect the fact that he was not in the mood to be helped, befriended, interacted with or Gods forbid touched.
Her hand had been rather soft though.
Carth gritted his teeth. "I am open minded. You are guessing."
Vertere sighed and shifted in her seat. "No. I'm just feeling out the possibilities. And I do have a point, you know." She smiled, undaunted. "Everyone has a tendency to forget. But Revan is really only a few years old. Her experience with actual places and people is severely limited." She leaned in and her voice dropped to give emphasis. "Now, you tell me. She knows that. Do you think she'd risk going to a world she's never been to, going to a world that only her false memories have given her impressions of, or do you think she'll go somewhere she knows?"
Carth's hand froze on the navigation. ". . . Some place she knows."
The woman straightened and nodded, "Exactly. Now, barring the worlds that have been destroyed of course. . . where do you think she'd be?"
"Manaan," Carth said slowly.
"You think-?"
"No. She hated it there. Said it was a bloody maze and that she didn't like the way it felt." Carth said without hesitation.
"Kashyyyk is out." Vertere offered, "The Wookies are not encouraging any visitors. While your friend Zalbaar may be able to get them to accept her for a time, it would be difficult for her to come and leave as she wanted."
Carth pulled up the worlds and their coordinates, one by one. "Dantooine."
"It was destroyed."
"Not all of it. Just the Jedi Academy there." Carth mused, "But there are too many people now trying to rebuild and the community was too small. She'd be obvious there."
"That leaves Tatooine." Vertere said simply.
"No, there's still Korri. . . " The image of tan walls, barely visible through the smoke, people and dim light came to him, followed by the rapid flash of Revan, masked, and a lightsaber snapping to life. He reached after the image, trying desperately to remember more. But that was all he could bring from the memories of what he very dimly recalled as a bad dream.
"Korriban is kind of a small community as well. We can scratch that off." Pale eyes focused. "What?"
Carth deliberately began to set the computer to working through the jump coordinates. "We'll try Tatooine first."
Vertere laughed, "Perfect then." She looked rather pleased. "See, Carth? I told you we'd make an impressive team!"
"Yeah, yeah. Impressive indeed." Carth felt an undercurrent of hope and found himself smiling. "Its only impressive if she's there, Vertere."
The woman wrinkled her nose, "It's Alayne." Her head tilted to the side and her pale eyes were mischievous, "It's not as if we are strangers, Carth. And the trip to Tatooine will take a bit. Call me Alayne and at least try to think of me as a friend that you trust?"
"Alayne." Carth repeated, automatically.
It did not enter his mind nor his imagination to realize exactly how obedient he was being.
Remnants - 10
It only took a few moments to settle matters with the traffic control for lifting off. Carth handled the communication and Vertere sat beside him. Without a word she activated the thrusters and opened up the Bodner lines, demonstrating at least a passing familiarity with being in a co-pilot seat.
The quiet continued until they'd reached open space.
"Where are you going?" Vertere asked quietly. Carth had been wondering the same thing.
"What does that instinct and logic tell you?" Carth said.
Vertere chuckled and touched his shoulder briefly, "Well, let's start from the beginning, shall we?"
Carth glanced at her hand, then at her, raising a brow. She was beaming back at him.
"No matter what triggered her flight, we can assume the following. She would first go somewhere that she felt safe, that she could act from. Correct?" Vertere didn't appear to notice Carth's response. Her hand moved to gesture, however.
"Yeah. I suppose. Unless she knew where a Sith strong hold was. Then she'd go straight there." He pointed out. Vertere looked out to the stars and was quiet a moment.
"Perhaps. But that is assuming that she knew. The Temple is very cloistered at times. The Jedi themselves have no idea where the remaining Sith have hidden, or even if there are enough left to call a strong hold. If she knew, then that meant that she'd of had to have had foreknowledge or someone told her. And for someone to tell her, they'd have to know she was returning to her old ways. And they would have had to have known that."
"You're getting rather complicated." Carth said dryly.
"Can't you keep up?"
"I'm just looking for that logic you were talking about."
Vertere sneered at him and then shook her head, "How about this? Revan is too smart to make a straight line out. The Jedi do not know how she left the planet. So its likely that she either made a deal or used the Force to hide her presence on a ship. She wouldn't leave a straight line to be followed."
Carth nodded. "Alright. It's a working theory."
"That means that the planet is of her choice. It's not just where the Sith are . . . its her decision." Vertere said triumphantly.
Carth wasn't convinced. He shook his head but then shrugged. "Alright. Keep going."
"So all we have to do is figure out where she'd choose to go."
"Gee. And only a thousand plus worlds to choose from."
The blonde gave him a cool look, "You know, you are not being helpful. For a man who's been flailing around even with all the resources of the Fleet and apparently has no idea where to go next, you could be more open minded."
He didn't look at her, his mouth set in a thin line. It was strange to notice that his hand was clenched into a fist. He didn't remember doing that, but he had a feeling that his fingers had tightened when she touched him.
Things were complicated enough, his duty, his feelings, unresolved issues and the urgency to find Revan. He didn't need an audience while he figured it all out, much less one who didn't seem to want to respect the fact that he was not in the mood to be helped, befriended, interacted with or Gods forbid touched.
Her hand had been rather soft though.
Carth gritted his teeth. "I am open minded. You are guessing."
Vertere sighed and shifted in her seat. "No. I'm just feeling out the possibilities. And I do have a point, you know." She smiled, undaunted. "Everyone has a tendency to forget. But Revan is really only a few years old. Her experience with actual places and people is severely limited." She leaned in and her voice dropped to give emphasis. "Now, you tell me. She knows that. Do you think she'd risk going to a world she's never been to, going to a world that only her false memories have given her impressions of, or do you think she'll go somewhere she knows?"
Carth's hand froze on the navigation. ". . . Some place she knows."
The woman straightened and nodded, "Exactly. Now, barring the worlds that have been destroyed of course. . . where do you think she'd be?"
"Manaan," Carth said slowly.
"You think-?"
"No. She hated it there. Said it was a bloody maze and that she didn't like the way it felt." Carth said without hesitation.
"Kashyyyk is out." Vertere offered, "The Wookies are not encouraging any visitors. While your friend Zalbaar may be able to get them to accept her for a time, it would be difficult for her to come and leave as she wanted."
Carth pulled up the worlds and their coordinates, one by one. "Dantooine."
"It was destroyed."
"Not all of it. Just the Jedi Academy there." Carth mused, "But there are too many people now trying to rebuild and the community was too small. She'd be obvious there."
"That leaves Tatooine." Vertere said simply.
"No, there's still Korri. . . " The image of tan walls, barely visible through the smoke, people and dim light came to him, followed by the rapid flash of Revan, masked, and a lightsaber snapping to life. He reached after the image, trying desperately to remember more. But that was all he could bring from the memories of what he very dimly recalled as a bad dream.
"Korriban is kind of a small community as well. We can scratch that off." Pale eyes focused. "What?"
Carth deliberately began to set the computer to working through the jump coordinates. "We'll try Tatooine first."
Vertere laughed, "Perfect then." She looked rather pleased. "See, Carth? I told you we'd make an impressive team!"
"Yeah, yeah. Impressive indeed." Carth felt an undercurrent of hope and found himself smiling. "Its only impressive if she's there, Vertere."
The woman wrinkled her nose, "It's Alayne." Her head tilted to the side and her pale eyes were mischievous, "It's not as if we are strangers, Carth. And the trip to Tatooine will take a bit. Call me Alayne and at least try to think of me as a friend that you trust?"
"Alayne." Carth repeated, automatically.
It did not enter his mind nor his imagination to realize exactly how obedient he was being.