Chapter Eleven

The Fallen

"We should be arriving to Taloraan in about…five hours," Jove said, looking at the star chart on the navi-computer. Aaryn nodded in reply, gazing at the map himself. The entire ship was quite except for the hum of the hyperdrive engine of the Divinity, and Aaryn and Jove's conversation in the cockpit. It seemed everyone else had turned in for the night and rest up before arriving to the gas giant.

"That's good; it gives us enough time to get some much needed rest in." Aaryn replied.

"If anyone deserves it, it's you. That was a very brave thing you did back there," Jove said, referring to his fight with the Basilisk War Droid.

"If it wasn't for you and your piloting skills, we would have been dead when we first met on Nar Shadda." Aaryn smiled.

"Well, you do have a good point." She laughed. Their eyes connected for a slight moment as they laughed. Slowly, it the laughter died down and they stood awkwardly in front of each other. Jove couldn't deny that she felt something for the young Jedi. He knew she had a shady past and a rough couple of years leading up to their meeting, but he never asked what she had done. He just assumed whatever had happened, it wasn't her fault or some kind of misunderstanding. Aaryn didn't judge her from her past, but accepted for her who she was. She also thought it was obvious he also had feelings for her, but he just wasn't sure how to express them. She wasn't sure she knew how to express them back either.

"Jove, I-" He began to say and then stopped. She looked up into his hazel eyes patiently. Aaryn shook his head, becoming frustrated with himself.

"We should get some rest," Jove broke in. Whatever he was going to say, it could be saved for a later time when she was more prepared to accept it. Aaryn looked confused for a quick moment and then regained his composure.

"You're right, of course. I'll see you soon, sleep well." Aaryn nodded, patting her on the shoulder. She smiled, and nodded back as he turned to go to his quarters. She stood there a moment alone and sighed. She just wasn't sure she was ready for whatever Aaryn was going to say to her.

She balled up her fists, and decided she should at least try and get some sleep. She made her way through the main cabin area, on her way to her own room.

"You and the Jedi, eh? I've got to say, I think everyone saw that cliché moment coming." A voice called behind her. Jove jumped, startled at the sound of Maverick's voice. She turned to see him sitting alone in the dark with his feet propped up on the table.

"Nothing is going on, Maverick." Jove replied.

"Yeah? It sure didn't seem that way, sweetheart." Maverick gave a roguish grin, standing up to face her.

"I'm going to bed," Jove said, turning to return back to her way to her room.

"When he finds out whatever you're running from, he won't have those feelings for you anymore." Maverick said.

"Excuse me?" She asked as she stopped in her tracks, turning around.

"You ain't fooling me; I've been with your type before." He said, smiling. "You're like me, living out of the Fringe, never staying in one place to long. You are on the run from something, from your past. He may think you are all sweet and innocent, but I know the truth. You're a killer, just like me."

Jove didn't say anything in reply, just staring back at him with a fire in her eyes. He moved even closer to her, making her uncomfortable. She clinched her jaw, and shook her head. Jove didn't want to admit it, but everything he said was right and that was what she was afraid of. Maverick had nailed the nail on the head. This time she didn't say anything at all and made her way to her room.

Maverick stood alone in the dark, watching her walk away. Slowly his smile faded. His head dropped to the ground, looking at his own boots. He reached in his jacket pocket, pulling out a small holocube. He turned it on; it's blue light illuminating the immediate area around him. He squeezed the cube as he looked at the picture it projected. He sighed, turning it off and putting it back in his pocket. Once again, he was alone.

***

Four Years Ago…

"I don't know," He muttered, rubbing his chin. The Gotal looked over at the human sitting across from him. The man wore some very nice robes that suggested he belonged to some sort of nobility. Everything the human was telling him seemed simple enough, but it just wasn't adding up for him.

"Here, why don't you hold on to the credits for a night to make you comfortable." The man smiled, giving him a roguish grin. The man was Maverick Baron, but the Gotal across from him thought his name was Herrit Jass. The Gotal was obviously surprised by the offer to hold on to the credits. Maverick couldn't help but smile, knowing that Gotal had taken the con man's bait.

"I can take them home with me?" The Gotal asked quizzically.

"If that's what convinces you," Maverick nodded. It was a classic con man play. Maverick had approached the Tarisian local politician as a Tarisian Noble, Herrit Jass. He was asking the Gotal for 50,000 credits to help start a mining business out near Telos. He told that combined with his own 40,000 credits they could begin. He would let him hold on to his own credits so he could trust Maverick. Clearly the Gotal was taking a liking to the idea now.

"Then we have a deal, Mr. Jass." The Gotal shook his hand. Maverick shook his hand back, handing him the case full of credits. As he handed him the case, he pulled him in closer to whisper to him.

"I trust you're a good, honest, and hard working Gotal that wouldn't steal," Maverick eyed him.

"Of course, of course. I'll return here tomorrow at the same time with the money, Mr. Jass. It has been a pleasure doing business with you and I cannot wait to see what will happen with our future endeavors." The Gotal gave what was equivalent of a smile for his species and left the area. Maverick smiled, looking across the Upper City of Taris.

"I'm too good at this," He muttered to himself.

"The deal isn't sealed yet," A voice came from behind him. It took all of Mavericks self control not to jump. Maverick put on his best smile and turned to face the Twi'lek.

"Kes'um, I didn't see you there. What brings you up to the Upper City? You weren't spying on me, where you?" Maverick put his arm around the taller, red-skinned Twi'lek. The Twi'lek stared blankly back, not speaking for a moment. Maverick raised his brow wondering if he was going to speak at all.

"You are too cocky," Kes'um snarled.

"Me?" Maverick gave an innocent shrug, pointing at himself.

"Yes, and I know you didn't even bother to give that Gotal a background check before setting him up for a con." Kes'um growled.

"Sure I did, I know he is certainly worth a lot, he's a sucker, and a politician ready to get his hands dirty. What else do I need to know, Kes?" Maverick hated Kes'um, with a passion. Like him, the Twi'lek was also a con man that he had done a couple of jobs in the past on several planets. They had a falling out when one of their cons went horribly wrong on Manaan. But when Maverick had traveled to Taris, he and Kes'um had reconnected. Kes'um had been giving him names for people to con, and Maverick had been stealing their money easily.

"I ran a background check on him, as you already know his name is Laav Bisin. However, when the Gotal was younger he went by another name. He went by Oped Rex, and had several connections with the Mandalorians…" He paused, glancing over at Maverick. Maverick clinched his jaw at the name, looking back hard at Kes'um.

"Obviously he wouldn't have been able to get his government position if he hadn't of covered it up well, but I managed to get the truth about him."

"This Gotal's real name is Oped Rex?" Maverick asked, letting the question hang in the air. Speeders and people flashed by them in the Upper City, but Maverick didn't even notice them anymore. All that went through his head was the name Rex, and his connection with the Mandalorians.

"Perhaps you might want to do a little more than just take his money," Kes'um suggested, smiling has he flashed his pointy teeth.

***

"Were coming out of hyperspace now and approaching Taloraan," Jove announced from the pilot's seat.

Aaryn slowly opened his eyes from the meditation that he had entered in and immediately felt a disturbance in the Force, the source of it was coming from Taloraan. Aaryn wasn't sure how he would describe the feeling that was emanating from the planet below. But, something was definitely wrong. Aaryn made his way towards the cockpit, glancing at Maverick who sat in the cabin area of the ship alone. He glanced out of the transparisteel as the Divinity made its way towards the orange gas giant below.

"Something isn't right down there," Aaryn said, standing over Ta'sa's seat.

"Of course not, because apparently the Force hates us." Ta'sa sighed.

"I'm hailing the floating mining platform now," Jove said. "They aren't responding, all we are getting is static."

The Divinity broke the atmosphere, its course plotted for the Tibanna gas mining platform that had been established a little over ten years ago. Still, they received no replies. Their communications weren't being jammed, but they just simply weren't any there to reply. Something was strangely wrong.

The freighter broke through several of the white, puffy clouds heading to the large floating platform.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Vanuy muttered from the co-pilots seat.

"Wait, I've found an encrypted code…" Ta'sa said, punching in some buttons on the board in front of him. "It's not tough to decrypted, hmm that's strange."

"What is?" Aaryn looked over at the Ho'Din.

"It seems to be on a loop, it's been playing for over a week straight." Ta'sa gulped. Aaryn glanced over at Maverick, who just entered the cockpit. Slowly he let his hazel eyes return to the mining platform. Ta'sa patched the code through the speakers of the Divinity.

"-please! *Blaster fire, screams* If you receive this, don't even bother to investigate just send the Republic Fleet to destroy this facility. *Static* My name is Brahman Terra, there are only a few of us left. It…it killed them all. We thought it was the natives at first, attacking our operation here like they had done the first few years. But it's not the natives…this, this thing is a monster. *Static* It sucks the life out of its victims. It, uh, wait. Wait! It's coming now! Go! Go! *Yelling and eruption of blaster fire* Garris! No, leave him, go! Please no, please! *Blaster fire, screams* If you receive this, don't even bother to investigate just send the Republic Fleet to destroy this facility. *Static* My name-"

A brooding silence filled the cockpit of the Divinity. Aaryn closed his eyes, stretching out with the Force to feel if there were any survivors still in the facility. He felt a few life forms, but not as much as there should have been. Then it hit him like a gundark on the hunt, a malicious, malevolent presence in the Force reaching out for him instantly. It felt like his vision he had during his Jedi Trials. Aaryn shut himself off from the Force, closing his presence to whatever it was.

"I say we just turn around and get out of here, we can find another lead on the Mandalorians. And Belo agrees with me," The Caamasi nodded, folding his golden furred arms. Belo wiggled his trunk and appeared to be very upset.

"I agree with Vanuy, let's just report this to the Republic and-" Ta'sa started, but was then cut off by Aaryn.

"No, I can feel the survivors are still there. They need our help," Aaryn took a deep breath as the platform drew even closer.

"Aaryn, we followed you on some pretty crazy things, but Vanuy is right. I have got a very bad feeling about this." Jove looked back at Aaryn.

"Aaryn is right, we need to go down and see what is going on." Maverick spoke up. "Besides, our contact still may be alive down there. Veed Primus has vital information about the Mandalorians, and we have got to have it."

"Maverick is right; we have got to get that information. So let's just set down the ship, and we'll-" Aaryn said looking over at Maverick. "-go and see what's going on down there. The rest of you will stay on the ship,"

"I'm going with you," Jove said.

"No," Both Aaryn and Maverick said at the same time. Jove looked between the two men and huffed.

"I can help you," She began.

"And what if we need to get away fast? You're our best chance at a getaway, no offense kid." Maverick said to Vanuy.

"I agree you need to stay in the ship." The Jedi folded his arms. "Please Jove, do this for me."

Maverick rolled his eyes, turning around to go get his equipment ready that he would need. Jove said nothing in reply, only clenching his jaw. She brought the freighter down on a landing platform. Aaryn and Maverick both pinned comlinks to their collars to keep in contact with Jove and the ship. There were no words between them, only solemn looks as Aaryn and Maverick made their way out of the ship as if it would be their last time to do so. As soon as they walked out of the platform, Jove closed up the ship.

"Here goes nothing," Maverick muttered, throwing the heavy blaster rifle over his shoulder.

The wind blew hard on the platform that was suspended in mid air on the gas giant. The cold air whipped Aaryn's brown hair to the side as he gazed at the beautiful sky. The setting sun painted a beautiful picture with specks of orange, yellow, and a purplish color with the back drop of large white clouds. He did his best to mask his presence in the Force to whatever he felt earlier, his heart racing.

The large doors the lead to the inside of the platform stood before them and the two men looked up at it. Slowly the automatic doors slide open, revealing a dimly lit interior with malfunctioning lights flickering on and off. Maverick reached inside his pocket, holding tightly to his holocube. This moment brought back memories of a story his mother had use to tell him of heroes long ago making their way into the underworld to face whatever evils were there. Only this time, Maverick knew he was no hero. The hero was beside him, the Jedi.

Aaryn looked over at Maverick and nodded, and he nodded back. The two looked back at the empty doorway and made their way into the abyss.

To be continued!