Disclaimer: I swear, by the Force, that I don't own this, aright?
Hey, whaddya know? We're leaving Kashyyyk already. Heading for Korriban, you know. We get to see some of Ash's frustrations with the Jedi, and she also talks to Jolee, gets a story from him. Not what she was looking for, but not a lot she can do about it. She also talks to Carth and Mission about her dreams. (She had to do it sometime.) This is pretty much leaving Kashyyyk and the hyperspace journey to Korriban, with a few things left out. Like tedium. And a war story. Maybe I'll put an actual Canderous war story in the next chapter. Read and reveiw, peoples!
"Great! Everybody's here!" Chuundar roared. "It's a reunion."
"Yes, son. By the blade of Bacca's sword, I have come to end your treachery. No more will you sell your own people!" Ash smirked approvingly.
"You have Bacca's blade?" Chuundar almost purred. "So what? I have the hilt, held by each true chieftain in recent memory! Even you claimed it was important!" The Wookiees in the room growled softly among themselves, looking from one to the other. "We both have our ancient trinkets." His tone had shifted to patronizing. "So who will the people follow? You? You are old and weak."
Ash snorted. Freyyr was old, yes, but like Jolee, he was tough and lean from living in the Shadowlands.
"Shut up, both of you!" Zaalbar snarled from a corner. "This ends today! I will not let Rwookrrorro suffer any more!"
"You tell 'em, Z." Ash said. The Wookiee looked at her.
"Chuundar has been telling me things… And some it makes sense." The Wookiee told her in a low tone.
"He would, Zaalbar. He's had a lot of practice in making the bad sound good. Freyyr is the honorable one, but you all are family."
"Yes, we are." Zaalbar rumbled. "Can we not work this out?"
Chuundar bared his teeth. "I will not relinquish leadership!"
"Then you must pay for betraying our people." Zaalbar said sadly. Ash took Carth's vibroblades and tossed them to Zaalbar. Battle broke out.
It was brief and brutal. In the end, only Czerka and three of the Wookiees in the room had sided with Chuundar. There were a lot of Czerka.
"We have done it." Freyyr rumbled sadly. "I am saddened that it came to this, but I could not let it continue. Zaalbar," he turned to his son, "I am truly sorry. You have suffered a great shame. I was blind. I have no excuse."
"I can forgive. I have learned a lot over the years." Ash smiled at the sight of the two.
"What will you do about the slavers?" She asked after a few minutes.
"We will fight them." He growled, facing her. "It will be difficult, but they will not take another one of my people without bloodshed." Freyyr paced. "I must send quick-climbers to other villages to rally a defense. We must guard against this ever happening again. You will be the last outsiders welcome here for a very long time, I think. Perhaps a change for the better."
"Zaalbar, what are you going to do now?" Ash asked the Wookiee. "If you wish to remain here, I have no objections."
"Returning home has lifted a great weight from my mind, but it has been painful as well."
"You have a place by my side, Zaalbar," Freyyr offered, "and I would be honored if you would take it."
"No." Zaalbar replied after a long moment. "I have a life-debt to honor. And I am still getting used to being free. This life-debt is more important."
"The insight of my son humbles me!" Freyyr proclaimed.
After a little bit more talking, the foursome left for the spaceport. Zaalbar was carrying Bacca's blade, with the blessing of his father. Ash had smiled then. And then she had given Freyyr some of the thermal detonators, warning him to be careful because they were powerful.
The foursome trekked back to the Ebon Hawk, encountering only a few beings, mostly Wookiees removing the Czerka from the area.
Ash had no pity for them.
They mostly avoided the fights, heading straight for the Ebon Hawk, making it in record time. Canderous was standing guard, his repeating blaster comfortably cradled in his arms.
"Who's the new guy?" He grunted.
"Jolee Bindo, meet Canderous Ordo. Resident homicidal Mando merc. Canderous, this is our new friend, the crazy hermit. Say hi."
"What next?" he grunted. "A posse of Sith on our side?"
"You never know, Canderous. But cummon. We're lifting off. How does Korriban sound? I'm sure I can find one or two people for you to shoot."
"Interesting." They five went up the boarding ramp. Carth went to the cockpit, where Bastila was. The Hawk's engines roared to life and it lifted off.
After shooting down a half-dozen Sith fighters, Ash made her way to the refresher with a set of clean clothes in hand.
After satisfying herself that she was clean, that every particle of dirt was gone, she put on her clothes and sauntered out, her hair hanging around her face like a damp curtain. She pushed it away, going to the cockpit.
"How long to Korriban?" She asked.
"Five days." Carth answered.
"May I ask why we are going to Korriban next?" Bastila asked coolly. "It's likely to be the most deadly of the planets we are to visit."
"Manaan is last." Ash said. "No two ways about it. And Tatooine is just as deadly as Korriban. Korriban in closer than Tatooine or Manaan. And it's a move Malak would never expect. Why in the world would two Jedi go to Korriban, after all?"
"Out of curiosity, why is Manaan last?" Carth asked.
"I hate water. Hate, hate, hate. I've been a centimeter from drowning about four too many times."
"Fear, and hate, are the path to the dark side." Bastila said.
Ash scowled. "Yeah, well, to hear the Jedi talk, smiling is the path to the dark side!" She snapped. "I will not turn into a little Jedi-bot! We've been over this already!"
"Anger is also the path to the dark side. And since you are sharing space in my brain and I in yours, would you mind controlling yourself a little bit more?"
Ash sighed irritably. "Isn't there a way to break the bond? So we have our heads to ourselves?"
"There may be a way," Bastila said, with a sigh of her own, "but I don't know it. Perhaps on Coruscant, we would be able to find the knowledge, but Dantooine is a small, remote enclave without such resources."
"Dantooine is a small enclave?" Ash asked incredulously. "I could spend ten years in there and not read everything."
"Dantooine is small and peaceful, for those who need healing." Bastila said, almost nervously. Ash gave her a look. "It is where I went to recuperate after the death of Revan."
"Don't you mean after you killed Revan?"
Bastila drew herself up stiffly. "My mission was to capture Revan, not kill Revan. Malak fired on Revan's flagship… and Revan died when the bridge exploded. I barely escaped." Bastila said sadly. "That is what the dark side can do. Revan and Malak were said to have been the best of friends. And Malak killed Revan." Her expression grew pained. "I am sorry… I would rather not speak of this." She said coolly, leaving.
"I feel kinda sorry for Revan." Ash said, plopping down in the co-pilot's seat.
"How can you feel sorry for that monster?" Ash looked at Carth sadly.
"Easy. Revan was as human as you or me. She thought Malak was a bit of an idiot. She didn't completely want to be a Sith. She was bitter about the Mandalorian wars."
"How do you know that?"
Ash bit her lip. "Well, uh, you know I dream about the Star Maps, right? More specifically, Revan finding them? Bastila is kinda seeing from a distance, and, uh, I'm not."
"So where are you seeing from?" Carth asked patiently.
"I'm seeing them through Revan's eyes." Ash swallowed. "I think what she thinks, feel what she feels… and that first Star Map, the one on Dantooine, she just doesn't feel, well, dark, or evil, or… or anything. She's just tired. Resigned to being a Sith." Ash gulped. "And Kashyyyk… she does feel darker, but she's still not evil. Force, she's so much like me it's scary. She's proud and bitter and intelligent…" Ash trailed off. "Why?"
"The Jedi have told you you're like Revan?"
"Yeah… Zhar said it once or twice. And Vrook, well, he said I was the most troublesome Padawan he had seen since Revan. That was the day he came in purple." Ash snickered. "By the Force, that was funny."
"It was rather amusing." Carth said. "And you're probably just putting yourself behind Revan's eyes because of what they said."
Ash rolled her eyes. "Then explain the first dream. Before I woke up on Taris. That was Revan, on the bridge of her ship. I was behind her mask. Funny how the thing distorted her vision."
"A fluke."
"I had it again, sort of, on the swoop track. Except it was Revan on the bridge, then an explosion, and then Bastila removing Revan's mask to look her in the eyes."
"Coincidence. You're just overthinking this. And really, there's nothing wrong, is there? Isn't there the whole 'will of the Force' factor?"
Ash sighed grudgingly. "It could be, I suppose. And I suppose your paranoia could be rubbing off on me." He glared. She laughed, getting up. "Nice talking to you, Brass. Now I've got an old guy to interrogate."
Whistling cheerily, Ash made her way to the medical bay, where Jolee had taken up residence.
"So, why'd you really come with us?"
"You got yourself a fast little ship." He said after a moment. "Heh, I'd forgotten what engines sound like. The closest thing to that on Kashyyyk is an uller in mating season. Ugh! Frightful!"
"I suppose. So, you wanted a ride on this ship?"
"Or I could be here for the free food." He looked at a plateful of goop on the counter. "What's the gunk that comes out of the synthesizer on this buck anyway? Do you never clean the darned thing?"
"I was informed that Mission did it yesterday." Ash deadpanned. "And if you don't want to answer the question, just say so!"
"You know, you remind me of someone else I knew ages ago." The old ex-Jedi paused. "Pleasant enough fellow, great destiny, and all that. Breath like a bantha."
Ash raised a brow. "Is this a comment on my breath?"
"It could be." He offered, less than helpfully. "An Anduvian salt tablet would clear that up." Ash rolled her eyes.
"Did you annoy him endlessly too?"
"Oh, very funny. Is it my fault that some people are easily annoyed? They're like impatient little children." He clicked his tongue. "Anyway, where was I? oh, yes. Andor Vex, that was his name. The Force swirled around him like a hurricane, that's how great his destiny was."
"You traveled with him?" Ash asked flatly.
"I did," he confirmed. "Just because someone has the Force swirling around them doesn't always mean they have a great destiny, but it doesn't hurt to check it out. Well, it turned out that poor Andor believed a wee bit too much in the infallibility of that destiny. That overconfidence turned out to be his downfall."
"Is there a point to your story, 'cause if there is, I don't want to listen."
Jolee shrugged. "I don't know. Are you overconfident? I hadn't noticed. Even if I had, I would never comment on it."
"Very funny." Ash said, scowling.
"We're talking about Andor, remember?" he asked, irritably. "Let's see, oh yes, Andor's downfall. I was pretty young myself when it happened. At the time, I thought that Andor's destiny couldn't be more boring."
"Any reason you stuck around, then?" Ash asked, eyes narrowed.
"Well," gesturing to the plate, "he had a much better food dispenser than you do." Ash snickered. "That and the fact that I wasn't an altogether impatient twit."
"Hmm."
"However, I was about to abandon Andor to whatever the Force intended for him when his ship was overtaken by a Dimean warship. Now, you've probably never heard of the Dimeans," which was true, at least for Ash, "but at the time they were a nasty lot led by a nastier overlord named Kraat. Tall fellow. Big teeth."
"You noticed his teeth?"
Jolee shrugged. "Anyway, Kraat had us hauled to the bridge of his ship for questioning, and that's when I know that Andor's destiny was at hand. Well, Andor decides that his destiny makes him invulnerable and starts making all sorts of demands. 'Free me now', 'I'm not answering questions', blah, blah, blah. 'Don't you know who I am?' Kraat decides he's had enough and begins crushing Andor's neck. I told the boy he should have kept his mouth shut. I think he agreed, to…or those could have just been gurgling noises. Well…well, anyway. Finally, Kraat has enough of Andor and tosses him aside into this giant energy intake shaft. Andor gets sucked in and starts bouncing around, heh, screaming…heh. Maybe Andor hit something sensitive on the way down or just didn't agree with the reactor core, but the next thing I know, all the ship's alarms are ringing."
"Seriously?" Ash asked, fighting the urge to laugh. "You've got to be kidding."
"I am not!" he declared. "On my honor! Everyone panics, and I run, barely making it to the ship in time before the explosion. Kraat dies horribly, and the Dimeans never quite recovered. Changed the political course of the entire sector for centuries to come. I'd call that quite a destiny, wouldn't you?"
Ash was laughing hard. After a few minutes, she took a few deep breaths. "All except for the part where he got chewed up by the reactor! That's crazy! That's not destiny!"
"What?" Jolee asked indignantly. "Are you kidding? What are the odds of that happening, anyway? A billion to one? You should do so well as to be sucked into the engine of some evil Sith Lord, you know! Andor was a hero… sort of."
"Okay, I'll give you that." Ash said, after another bout of laughter.
"Anyway, go away." He flicked his hands, shooing her. "My throat is dry and you're making me cranky. Shoo, shoo!" Ash left, sighing, and bumped into Mission.
"Do you think he was really telling the truth?"
"Your guess is as good as mine."
Mission pursed her lips. "He's insane."
"We all are. We're, what, seven, eight people on a mission to stop the Sith on a half-baked premonition and a few dreams with no plan? Tell me that's not insane." Mission giggled.
"You're right. We are all at least a little insane. You, though, you're a lot insane."
Ash drew herself up. "What a way to talk to your mother!" She said huffily. Then she cracked up. Mission did too. After a few moments, they both stopped, gasping for breath. "So, how's Sasha been?"
Mission beamed. "She can speak enough Basic to articulate to the rest of us now."
"Good." Ash said with a sharp nod. "When we land in Dreshdae, Canderous and T3 will be coming with me. And if you go out, I want either Zaalbar or Jolee with you, aright?"
"Alright." Mission murmured. Ash wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders.
"I just don't want to see you get hurt. I know you can take care of yourself, but we are landing on a Sith planet."
"I know." Ash smiled.
"Good. Now, how well can you throw a blade?"
Mission's brown eyes gleamed in anticipation.
Ah, Korriban. The dark side pulsed, welcoming me like an old friend. The last of the maps. Funny how it was also the easiest to retrieve. Just blow out the door of Naga Sadow's tomb with the Force. As I looked at the map, memorizing the coordinates, I smiled.
My search was nearly over. My laughter echoed in the tomb, the dark side enveloping me. My robes swished as I walked out, deadly joy filling my frame. Force lightning seemed to trail me.
Ash gasped as she woke. Her arms were slick with sweat and most of her bedding was on the floor. She shivered, getting off the bed. she threw the bedding back on her bed and gathered clean clothes.
Padding to the refresher, she took a shower and dressed. She gave herself a quick glance in the mirror. She supposed she looked vaguely Sithy. She had put on tight-fitting black clothes, purchased just before leaving Dantooine.
Sighing, she grabbed her belt and secured it, putting her lightsabers in the gun holsters she had modified. Ash emerged from the refresher, striding to the galley.
"You're up early." Mission said, yawning.
"So're you." Ash retorted. "And I couldn't sleep."
"Dreaming about Revan again?" Mission asked sympathetically.
"More or less." Ash sighed. "More or less." She echoed quietly.
Mission looked at her. "There's more to these dreams than you're telling."
"Don't tell Bastila that. There are things I prefer she be ignorant of."
"Really? What's so bad about your dreams?"
Ash winced. "I'm not exactly seeing from the same viewpoint as Bastila. I'm… kinda seeing it all through Revan's eyes. It's really rather creepy. And this one… well, this one was the worst so far." Ash shuddered. "You know, I don't really want to talk about it."
"We can talk later." Mission agreed sleepily. Ash smiled at the girl and made a pot of caffa, drinking the black substance, nervously knowing they were only an hour or two from Korriban.
An hour was a very short time. Finishing her caffa, she went to talk to Canderous. And Bastila, when she woke.