His ex-Jedi was a woman on a mission today. She'd been doing the same bit on Dantooine as she had on Telos, making friends with every person she ran into, asking about their problems, always ready to help. But it seemed more driven here than it had back on Citadel Station, more focused.
Atton remembered her telling him in the cockpit that this had been her home. He wondered how long she had lived here, if she had grown up here. It was common knowledge that most Jedi were sent to be trained as children, separated from their families, usually for the rest of their lives. And he knew Jedi were not supposed to form romantic attachments, but he knew human nature and was aware it happened more than they let on.
He frowned, thinking about that. Had his ex-Jedi had someone back on Dantooine? He didn't like that thought. Atton wondered if that was why she cried at night. Then he wondered if she was still doing that, he slept most nights in his pilot's chair, he hadn't watched her sleep since the apartment over Telos... Not that he had been watching her sleep then.
On the whole, she seemed much more at peace with herself than he had ever seen. He hadn't actually known her that long, but it felt like he had somehow. They'd been through a lot of crazy stuff, after all.
She appeared before him, having just finished meeting with the leader of this small settlement on the ruined planet.
"I was wrong," she announced. "Master Vrook is someone's favorite Jedi."
His leader visibly shuddered.
Then she went on, "And that woman's entire economic plan involves stripping the Enclave bare."
Her face showed clearly her disapproval.
"So, not a good meeting?"
She half smiled at him and said, "It was a fine meeting, and she really seems like a nice lady, she actually reminds me of someone I used to know. But Master Vrook? Oh well, we'll help her in spite of her bad taste."
"Hey, can't fault a girl for bad taste," he grinned at her, "or I'd never get laid."
She smirked at him.
Bao-Dur broke in, sounding a bit uncomfortable, "General, did you learn anything from the Administrator beyond her feelings for the Jedi Master?"
She looked chagrined and said, "Two things. There's a kinrath problem that needs to be taken care of... and the Ebon Hawk used to be a Jedi vessel."
"You mean, a Jedi besides you?" Atton asked, surprised. "I thought it was a smuggler's ship."
"So did I," she said. "So who do you suppose landed here in that ship with a lightsaber on them?"
"Could have been anyone," he said. "How long ago are we talking?"
"I'm not sure, but I think we need to know where that ship has been and who had it before us," she said.
Then she strode across the bridge leading in the direction of the ruined Enclave and he and Bao-Dur trailed behind her. He never thought he'd spend so much time following around a Jedi, even if she was an ex, but as he stared at her ass, he thought, at least the view is good.
The three of them fought their way through a mass of kinrath, the giant insectoid alien monsters that roamed the plains here and their leader stopped in front of a cave.
"I thought we were going to the Jedi Enclave to see this Vrook guy," he said.
"First, we have to clear the kinrath nests out of this cave," she said. "They shouldn't be in a place like this."
She hurried into the cave before he could ask what she meant by a place like this. And she was right about the kinrath, the place was lousy with the little jerks. They passed some guy who was not being attacked by them and their leader stopped to ask him about it.
Further into the cave, when suddenly they were no longer being attacked by the kinrath, she turned to him and said, "Give it back, Atton."
He made his face one of perfect innocence. "Give what back?"
She scowled and said, "We do not steal. Not even from mercenaries. Besides, do you really want to be carrying around a rectum gland?"
He made a face and said, "Is that really what it is?"
"I'm afraid so," she said.
Atton tossed it at her and she caught it in a gloved hand. She then went all the way back to the entrance of the cave and returned the anti-kinrath rectum gland to the Twi'lek mercenary he had swiped it from, telling him he must have dropped it. The Twi'lek eyed them suspiciously as they headed back into the tunnels.
Atton wasn't crazy about her handing back the gland, even if it was gross. Not only did it mean they had to fight their way through more of those bug monsters, it also made him feel like he'd done something wrong taking it in the first place. It's not like she couldn't have easily talked the guy into letting them use it, she could talk anyone into anything. But she didn't, and he had been trying to help out. So as he fought his way through the cave, he spent his time wondering if she had him along for anything other than his flying skills.
After defeating what must have been the mother of all kinraths, Atton looked around at the cavern they had ended up in. It was filled with crystals of many colors, growing out of the ground, the walls, and the ceiling. He didn't know how, but he could hear something in this cavern, something he could not see.
What he could see was that it was filled with kinrath eggs.
"We need to destroy those," he said. "So we know they won't come back."
His leader sighed and nodded.
"You're right," she said. "I really hate killing things that haven't done anything to me, but there really is no other option."
It seemed funny to him that she would care about something like that, but she was funny. When they had finished, Bao-Dur went to stand guard at the entrance to the crystal room in case any of the mercenaries should come looking for them.
Atton said to the woman, "This is a pretty amazing place."
She was digging around in a crystal formation. He watched as she emerged triumphantly holding a jagged crystal. She turned her head slightly, like she was listening to something that only she could hear, and he thought it must be a Jedi thing.
Then she noticed him and must have remembered he'd spoken, "Yes, it is amazing. I remember the first time I was here."
He was surprised by that, both that she'd been here before and her bringing it up.
"When was that?"
"When I was being raised to Padawan. We all go through it. I came with a Master to choose my first focus crystal."
"Your Master?" he asked.
She looked at him. He was afraid she was going to go blank again, but she said, "Master Kavar. He was the one who brought me here. I wasn't his Padawan formally."
Wow. He had heard of him. Anyone who had fought in the past two wars had heard of him. And he had been on the High Council, the one that had exiled his leader and cut her off from the Force. She wasn't his Padawan formally, what was that supposed to mean? Also, he was supposed to be dead.
She looked like she was remembering something and he wondered what her relationship to the famous Jedi had been. She had been young, sure, but she was beautiful. A face like that could break even a Jedi's resolve. It was clear to him there was something going on behind those eyes.
He said, "Is it hard being back here, surrounded by the past?"
She took her time in responding and finally said, "In a way. But also it's nice, the Force is louder here."
That wasn't what he was hearing. Whatever he was hearing, it wasn't that.
"We should go," he said in a harsher voice than he'd meant to use. "We still need to check out the Jedi Enclave before it gets dark."
She nodded and headed back to Bao-Dur. They headed for the cave exit with the Zabrak coming in behind them, but it was too late when they made it to open air. They had been in the cave longer than they realized and the sky was already dark.
"Tomorrow then," she said, turning back towards the new settlement of Khoonda where their ship was parked.
He caught up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders, and said, "How about you walk slow enough we can keep up with you this time?"
She looked sheepish and said, "I'm sorry, I'm don't mean to always rush ahead."
"That's the General," said Bao-Dur, "Always charging headfirst into battle. Even when she's headed back to the ship for bed."