Okay, here starts just some character stuff. I'm laying off the central plot for a bit since there's not much left of it. Who likes plots anyway? Not me, no sir. Plus I have parts I wrote in advance that I'd like to incorporate into the story. So here ya are!
Thank you all of my reviewers! You guys are like sunshine, or chocolate, or an awesome song! My point is that you all rock!
I have 99 reviews?! That is so awesome! I absolutely love you guys! A really big hug or a new car for whoever gives me the 100th review! Oh my... I can't fathom that there are that many... Did I mention I love you all?
Chapter Fourteen
Goin' Places That I've Never Been
"So, you want to go over what the hell happened back there?" Atton asked, mashing his thumb into the autopilot button. He was sitting in the pilot's seat, watching the monitors as the Hawk cruised in hyperspeed on its way toward wherever they were going; Atton still had no idea beyond what Revan had told him: "We're going out and away. Get ready for a very long and dull trip, Atton." Yeah, whatever that meant.
"What don't you understand?" Case asked, striding up behind him.
"Well, the part where the Twelve melted into empty skins was a little different, wouldn't you say?" Atton replied with a touch of sarcasm.
"No," Case said.
Atton swiveled the chair around to face her, one eyebrow slightly raised. Case rolled her eyes and moved to lean on the console in order to face him.
"There are things chasing Revan. Or maybe she's chasing them, I don't know. What I do know is that the Twelve were their vessels, their willing slaves. They…" she paused, mulling words over in her mind, "They, the Twelve, were puppet kings pulling the strings of Xent for Revan's phantoms. I don't know why. And the phantoms… I think they're some kind of ancient evil. Maybe even the True Sith. I'm not sure."
"And that's why they cracked like old eggs?"
Case wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, that's why. The Twelve were… imbedded in them somehow, I guess. They just popped back out."
"Nice mental image," Atton said.
"Mmm," Case said distractedly, glancing at the console. "How's our progress?"
"To where?" Atton snorted.
"Wherever we're going."
"You mean 'out and away'?" he said.
Case laughed. "Yeah, there."
He shrugged and put his hands behind his head, leaning back in his seat,"Can't make bad time to nowhere."
"True," she mused.
Atton nodded and was silent. He stared out at the tunnel of blue light and then glanced back at Case. Her hand was sitting near to his on the console, no more than five centimeters away. His palms prickled at the proximity. A mad urge to reach out and take her fingers in his seized him, but he ignored it and leaned back in his seat, running a gloved hand through his dark brown hair.
"Case…" he said, and then stopped, unsure of how to continue.
"You want any caffa?" she asked suddenly, pushing away from the console and heading for the door.
"Wait," Atton said, rising quickly from his chair.
Hesitating on her way out, Case half turned to look at him.
Atton curled his hands into fists, not sure exactly what to say now that she'd stopped. He hadn't thought she'd actually listen. "What did you see? You know, with Shol inside your head?" he asked. Mentally, he cursed himself; that was not what he had been about to say.
"I saw dark. Death. It was odd. It felt almost like the Force, but different. Emptier," Case replied, trying to appear nonchalant.
Atton took a step forward and gently held her by the shoulders, turning her to face him. Her eyes were on the floor, the curtain of her blond hair drawn over her face. He lifted his hands and brushed it away, revealing her set features. She was still pale from her crash through the wall and the rape of her mind. "I'm sorry," he said.
"Me too." She carefully extricated herself from his grip. She turned and left the cockpit, not looking back.
XXXXX
Case frowned at the hyperdrive, wondering what she was missing. Thayne had told her to check on it to be sure it was still functioning properly, but Case wasn't sure exactly what she should be looking for. It looked okay, it sounded okay, but that was to her untrained ears and eyes. Pulling out her hydrospanner, Case decided to carefully poke around.
Footsteps approaching her from behind make her whip around quickly, fearing someone had come to freak out about her near machinery. It was Revan. She didn't look alarmed, more sulky. Case went back to her work, sure Revan would say what she wanted without encouragement.
"So," Revan said, stepping closer, her arms crossed over her chest.
"So…?" Case asked, not looking up. Wait, where did that come from? Was it supposed to pop out like that? she wondered, staring at the metal that had come loose in her hand. She glanced at Revan who still did not look alarmed. That had to be a good sign, right?
So," Revan repeated, looking down her nose at Case, "You're a Jedi Watchman, huh? I was talking to Atton about your little trip to save the galaxy, and he told me you were a Watchman."
"Yeah…I guess," Case said, glancing quizzically at the former Sith lord. She kept working on the hyperdrive, wiggling her hydrospanner experimentally.
"Did Kreia promote you?" Revan asked, her voice probing.
"Yes, she did," Case replied, having no idea where the conversation was heading.
"She was my master too, you know. Before… stuff happened," Revan continued, circling slowly around the younger, and at the moment, harder working Jedi.
"I heard that."
"She never promoted me," Revan said suspiciously.
"Maybe you didn't learn fast enough," Case said with a wry smile, "She pushed me pretty hard for instantaneous learning."
"I learned just fine, thanks," Revan snipped. She paused for a moment. "Besides, I wouldn't want to be a Watchman anyway. I'm more of a rush in and wing it person."
"Neat," Case grunted, prying a now wrecked part from the hyperdrive. Oops.
"Watch it," Revan warned, pointing out an exposed wire.
"Thanks." Case quickly tucked the wire away.
"…So I guess that means you're a Jedi Master now, too."
"I suppose so, yeah."
"Even though you never technically became a Knight first…"
"Your point?"
"I never got a promotion," Revan complained, pouting as she absently tapped her boot on the floor.
Case looked up from her work and smiled. "Well, as you know, the official reinstatement of the Jedi Order is developing, and I happen to know the man in charge of it now. He was a student of mine, if you recall."
"Humble," Revan said with a raised brow.
"I could put in a good word for you. Mention the adequate battles you've been in," Case quipped.
Revan snorted. "Yeah, adequate. Besides I don't need you to arrange a promotion for me… But it would be nice to be a Weapon Master. I'm so talented it would be a shame to waste such a marvelous chance for the Order," she said with a grin. "Besides, I could fight and think circles around Mical, from what I've heard."
"True, and yet he has authority you don't; he's got padawans," Case said, returning the grin.
Revan scowled. "Padawans are stupid," she muttered before stalking out of the room.
With a shake of her head, Case returned to her work wondering why Thayne had made her of all people check on the hyperdrive. The last thing she wanted was for Atton to come strolling in and either give her a hard time about being slow or fix her work for her. Either way she would punch his face in if he tried it. Besides, if his ego got any bigger he'd have to walk sideways just to fit through the halls.
"Hey, you up for a spar?"
Case turned toward the doorway. Revan was back. "Sure," she replied.
"Okay then. Ten minutes, the storage room?"
"I'll be there."
"Good," Revan said.
XXXXX
"Come on, Revan. What happened to the Jedi prodigy?" Case taunted as she closed in on Revan, her lighsabers dancing through the air. She felt good with her own sabers in her grasp once again.
"Try this then," Revan said with a cocky grin.
Case gripped her lightsabers and focused on Revan's movements, the slight twists of her wrists and feet to gain balance. She parried every attack, watching. Then she saw it, the pattern of movements that was designed to drive off powerful foes in smaller numbers. She copied the movement timing it along with Revan's attacks, feinting and dodging to move in closer.
Eyes widening in surprise, Revan intensified her technique, driving Case back toward the storage room wall. With a flick of her wrist, she effectively pinned Case's saber to the wall. A second later she was shifted back by a Force push from the Exile, giving her just enough leverage to attack again. They fought back and forth, the scale tipping to one side and then the other before they collided in the center off the room, sabers hissing and crackling as the weapons pressed together. Simultaneously deactivating their sabers, both women nodded in approval. Revan grinned at her old colleague.
"Where did you learn that form?" Case asked curiously, stowing her lightsabers in their loops on her belt.
"Made it up. Wandering unknown space gets boring after a while," Revan explained, holstering her own weapon.
Case kicked herself mentally; she should have done that! It would have saved her weeks of boredom and a headache from coming up with ridiculous children's songs. But it was too late. Maybe next time.
Revan smiled at her and said, "Just like I remember. You learn so fast. I had almost forgotten. You've gotten stronger, too," Revan observed, looking the other woman up and down.
"And you're just as arrogant," Case returned with a smile.
"What can I say? I'm magnificent," Revan said with a shrug. She froze, realization crossing her features.
"Wait, let me see your lightsaber," Revan said, her face intent.
Case shrugged and held out her orange saber.
"No, the viridian one," Revan clarified, reaching out to take the weapon from Case. She looked at it intently, her fingers tracing the ruts in the metal as if she could read meaning in them.
"What?" Case asked after several moments had passed.
"You have an attuned crystal," she said with amazement, "Do you know how rare that is?"
"No. Kreia just told me that it—"
"She made you a Watchman and gave you an attuned crystal?" Revan demanded. When Case nodded, she scowled and thrust the weapon back at its owner. "Fine. I don't care that she liked you better. I'm fine with my violet synth-crystal saber. Besides, I have a Banes Heart now. I don't need a pet crystal to make me happy," she grumbled, marching out of the room.
Case laughed and went to change out of her workout clothes.
XXXXX
Case glanced back at the metal piece. She hoped it wasn't important. The ship was still running, so that was a good sign. Maybe she'd ask Thayne to take a look.
XXXXX
Revan sighed as she pushed her fingers through the running water in the refresher. The cool felt good to her sore joints; that was the last time she took Case up on an offer to spar. The girl was crazy when she fought; it was slow, methodical, surprising, and took forever for her to be beaten back. And yet usually she slowly and surely gained the advantage over her opponent. Revan's style was to pull victory out of a hat at the last second or maul through to the end. At least in single hand-to-hand combat.
The light above her head darkened, throwing her into a kind of twilight. She looked up and saw a dark mist hovering behind the surface of the mirror. The black silhouette of a face grinned at her, marring the reflection of her own features into a hideous mask of horror.
"What?" Revan snapped angrily, fighting a sudden dizziness that flowed over her.
Betrayer… it hissed.
Revan ignored it and gripped the edge of the refresher with her wet hands, feeling her fingers slip against the metal.
So far to fall, and yet the end rushes to meet you, little Jedi. Have you told them what you know? Have you told them that all is in vain…
Shock tore through Revan. She knew that voice… Her green eyes widened as she stumbled back from the mirror, her back hitting the wall with a thud. A ridge in the wall cut into her shoulder blade, almost unnoticed by her as she stared back at the face.
You of all people should not be surprised, Revan. You know of such things. The Force is strong, but it can be dominated.
"You hate the Force," Revan whispered.
There must always be a Darth Traya; one to orchestrate happenings from the shadows. There must be a Betrayer, Revan.
"Don't look at me. I retired from Evil Inc. a long time ago," Revan shot back.
Consider it drafting. If you are not the Betrayer, someone else must fall and take that place. Is that what you want? For one of those you love to suffer for you. It is you, Revan. Destiny is an odd thing; there is no escaping it for most. And yet you cut through it like a blade.
"Can I have the other Sith back, please?" Revan growled, "I liked it better when I didn't know who I was talking to."
Are you so willing to lose all you have gained? I think not. Do you intend to let them follow you blindly?
"Exactly what have I gained? Case and Atton are regular sweethearts, but I think they know the risks," she said pointedly.
Everything has a breaking point, cracks in their structure that can be manipulated. You know this. You are broken; the cracks run long and deep through you, yet one is deeper than the rest.
The mist in the mirror began to shift and color until it was a fuzzy image before Revan's eyes. It refined itself until a new face looked back at her. The brown eyes pierced her, and the orange jacket was like a knife to her heart.
"NO!" she shouted, lurching forward. Her fists collided with the glass, sending cracks snaking away from her hands.
You are afraid to lose him. Love is a selfish thing; you would give up so much to save one man who means so much to you, as if that made him more important. Such a thing does not become you.
"You don't want to see me truly broken. I'm like one of those cracks you talk about," Revan hissed, smiling nastily, "and I'm getting bigger all the time. Push me too hard and everything breaks. Everything."
The handsome face of Republic Admiral Carth Onasi vanished, replaced by the old, wrinkled features of Traya.
That is what we are counting on, Revan.
XXXXX
Case sighed and rolled her shoulders, listening to them pop as she pulled on her clean shirt. After leaving Atton in the cockpit, she had made a beeline for Revan, knowing her old general was always up for a sparring match. She wasn't sure who had won, but the point was that it had taken her mind off of Shol, the Sith, Atton, everything. That was one thing she loved about fighting a legendary Jedi: it didn't leave room for thinking beyond the battle. Although at the moment, the quiet of the bunker was welcome.
"Hey," said a voice just behind her.
She whipped around and came face to face with the grinning Atton Rand. "Force! What are you doing?" she snipped. Then, relenting, she shook her head at him. "You surprised me. That's hard to do."
"Your little training session stress you out?" Atton teased.
"No," she said, "It relieved the stress, actually." She turned and reached down to grab her boots. They leaped off the floor and floated straight into her hands. Atton grinned down at her.
"Just thought I'd spare your back," he said.
"Uh huh," she said, rolling her eyes.
"So. You get any mystical insights from a match with the Prodigal Knight?" Atton asked, stepping closer.
"Maybe a few. Hope you don't mind if I keep them to myself," Case said, smiling.
"No problem. Tell me something else, though," Atton said.
"What?" she asked, lacing up her boots. When she straightened, she found her back against the rail of a bunk bed and Atton's sly smile much closer to her.
"What did you mean by 'I only have one'?" he asked, his voice low.
Case blinked. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she said, drawing a blank.
"Before we left Telos," Atton clarified, "You said that, and then…"
Blood rushed to Case's face, coloring her cheeks and forehead. Why couldn't she just go pale like all the other women she knew when she was embarrassed? No, it had to be flaming red face! She knew what Atton was talking about. When she kissed him, he meant.
"Oh. Well, you know, it was something to say. Made me sound all mystical, didn't it?" she teased.
"I don't believe you," he said.
Of course he didn't. The jerk knew her too well for that. "I just… it wasn't that important, okay?"
"I want to know. Come on, I saved your life back there. You owe me," Atton said.
"Really? Well, then," she said, rolling her eyes to the ceiling.
"Really. What did you mean? I've waited months to ask you this, so getting out of it isn't in the cards, Sweetheart."
"I just… meant that…" Case struggled in her search for words, her face darkening to crimson."
"Yes?"
"It was… look, can't you just leave me alone?" Case whined, glancing past him at the appealingly open door.
"I don't think so." Without warning, Atton stepped forward and hooked the back of her neck with one hand, the other going around her waist. Any more protests died on Case's lips, or rather Atton's lips, as he kissed her. Blood rushed to Case's head and created a pounding in her ears, blocking out all sound. Atton teased her at first, his lips brushing over hers, tantalizingly soft, and then the world danced as his tongue slid over her bottom lip. Case inhaled sharply closed her mouth over his, her hand snatching at his hair to hold him to her. The kiss was sweet, warm, and tasted of a stomach-dropping fall.
All too soon it was over and Atton was pulling away. Case felt her gut wrench at the sudden loss of him against her mouth, but he soon returned, his lips brushing her nose, one eyelid, and then barely touching her bottom lip. Her head spun until she was sure she'd fall if not for the metal against her back. What was he doing to her? She felt almost crazy as he teased her senses. She tried to kiss him, but he wouldn't stay still long enough.
Finally he moved back, his torso still touching her, but his head was too far away for her to kiss him. He grinned down at her, his eyes glinting.
Case struggled to recapture her wits as they skipped and frolicked away from her. "That," she said after a breath or two, "was only my second kiss."
Suddenly Atton frowned, jealousy jabbing painfully at his chest. "Who was the first?" he asked almost sullenly.
Case looked at him strangely.
A thought struck him. "Was it Mical?" he demanded. Very unpleasant things drifted into his mind concerning the Jedi Disciple.
"Huh? No," she denied.
"It was," he accused.
"No! Idiot," Case said, her arms flailing out to her sides in frustration. Her face burned again. "You were."
"I was what?"
"My first kiss," Case said, a blush rising to her cheeks. But she looked at him with unwavering eyes. "Like you said, right before you left. You know, the morning you called me on my plan to leave without anyone else."
"No," he said disbelievingly. He had had enough problems believing that she was a virgin after being in a war and then years of wandering on the Outer Rim, but to think that he had been her first kiss? He didn't believe it.
"Was it? No," Atton said dubiously.
"I'm being serious," she insisted, "Why does no one ever believe me?"
"You've had this conversation with someone else?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"No, not that."
"I never thought…" Atton said.
"You're not the only one."
He brushed his thumb against the corner of her mouth, frowning down at her.
She sighed. "Yes, it's all true. Happy?"
"You're not lying to me?" he asked.
"No. I've only been kissed twice. How would I have done more than that with anyone?"
Atton stroked his chin. "Well, you don't need to kiss to get further than tha—ouch!" He laughed as Case slugged his shoulder.
A knock at the door interrupted them. They both looked up and shot apart like shrapnel. Thayne walked in.
"Dinner's ready. Caffa with dried noodles," he said, his face scrunched with dislike.
"Yum," Case said without enthusiasm.
"Revan made it," Thayne said, his eyebrows lifting significantly.
Atton and Case glanced at one another. Neither knew what Revan's cooking skills were like. "Is that… bad?" Case asked.
"You've never eaten her cooking?" Thayne asked, surprised. He shrugged, "Probably better you don't know what's coming. She has a thing for instant food that tastes like it came out of the wrong end of a bantha. She likes it, but most sentient beings can't stand it." He retreated out the door.
"We should think about rotations for cooking," Case said immediately.
"Smart," Atton said, putting his hand on the small of her back as they walked toward the meal area.
XXXXX
"You've got to have a stomach of cast iron," Case groaned, slowly sipping her caffa as she waited for her body to digest the questionably edible meal. She glanced over at Revan, who was on her third bowl of flash frozen noodles.
"I like it," Revan said, shrugging. She slurped down the remaining soup-flavored water that passed as broth.
"Ick," Case said, leaning back in her chair. They were both sitting in the cockpit, silently watching space fly by.
"Case?"
"Yes?" Case asked, turning to Revan.
"Can I talk to you about something?" Revan asked.
"Sure, I suppose." Case said, taking a gulp of her cooling caffa.
"I want to talk about you and Atton."
Case's eyes darkened and her face became guarded. "What about?"
"Being tricked into an unbreakable marriage contract may be inconvenient, but I think… it's best."
"What?" Case choked. She glared. "It's against the Jedi regulations, it's against what I wanted; it wasn't my choice. Or his."
"I think you two can do more for life and for the Force together than apart. I wish I'd had that." Revan glanced away, saddened, for she had always been meant to stay alone.
"Atton's a child," Case said, crossing her arms over her stomach.
"He loves you."
Case blinked.
"It's true," Revan said with a nod, "I can see it. And you…"
"I love him too, right?" she said, clearly not serious.
"You don't know love," Revan said, "You're so close to life, and yet love is something you don't get. Platonic love, sure, but not the kind that… I think you can learn it. I think you should try."
"Why? There's no point," Case said, gripping her cup tightly.
"There's a point. You know there is. I don't want to see you throw something like this awa—"
"Thanks, but I can handle this," Case said sharply.
Revan nodded slowly and silently. "Okay," she said after a moment, "if I can help, say something." She stood, gathering her bowl and fork, and then she walked back toward the kitchen.
Case stared outside the window, trying to forget Revan's words. It was insane. With a sigh, she finished the rest of her caffa and leaned forward to check their progress.
CCX -- Yes, it's off of my headaches. They're really not that fun. The rancors were a surprise to me, actually. Glad you liked them, though!
DanceOfWords -- Your middle name? I'm assuming you're joking. :) Though that would be pretty funny. Yes, I'm busy, but I'll be finishing this story unless... well, unless I don't, I guess. I fully intend to, though! The chapter name was totally random. I was posting it and I put down the first thing that came into my head. I don't really liked it, but Puppet Kings would be a pretty cool band name!
The Outlander -- Your laptop died?! I am so sorry! I would drop over dead if I didn't have something to write with. Makes me crazy just thinking about it. Thank all that is holy that there are computer wizards like your brother to fix stuff like that. My brother kinda can, but he usually won't help me. :( As far as Atton, I actually intended to do nothing much with him, but it just kinda worked out that way. I'm credible? Why, thank you! Yeah, I like rancors too. Ever since I played the first KotOR game. Yeah, you've used them too! THAT's how you spell Terent'a'tek? I kept trying to find that. No, I would never kill Case! Unless I can't help myself, but I doubt I will. Well... the Twelve didn't EXACTLY get away. Yes, Revan will have to make a choice, but who doesn't, really? Thanks again for an amazing review. You totally rock!
Angie On Ice -- Yeah, the whole group is pretty much whacked out crazy koocoo labanza. Glad you liked the chapter, Angie!
shoelacesonmyhead -- man, I love your name! Anyway, the name... check my reply to DanceOfWords. Thanks for another review!
The Outlander (for chapter twelve) -- Don't feel bad! I'm almost never on time reviewing your stuff, so I certainly don't demand that you review immediately. You're on the reply list now, so let's see a smile! :) Once again, I feel your pain with your laptop. The same thing happened with mine, but Ptolemy (my computer) never recovered. Luckily it was a super old one that was scheduled for death anyway (like a 90 something model). I can't wait to read your next chapter! Redos on chapters are painful, I know. Glad to know it's all okay, though. "In this Case." Ha, ha! Yeah, lame but funny. :) I love explosions! I should have done one. I'm not good at them though, so that makes me sad. I'm also not great at fighting... eh. I like characters too, but sometimes I find the task daunting, so I avoid it. I'm trying to fix that. You're not overly critical, don't worry. You've given me an opinion expressed well, so thanks. Your reviews help me write my story, like reviews are supposed to. I'm not very experienced with writing either. I wasn't taught to read until I was nearly ten (but then I went from "I like to eat" to 300 page books), and I was never taught to write (I wrote my first real paper senior year). This is not bragging (it's actually kinda sad, isn't it?), I'm just illustrating my lack of experience. Besides, you're a good writer! Especially if you don't have much experience. :)