Chapter Thirty-five

"So you're really not going to tell us what happened in there, huh?" Atton grunted as he parried a hard downward blow, rocking back on his heels under the force of the attack, and tightened his form in anticipation of her next swing.

"A lot of it was personal," Aeryn muttered, spinning her 'saber and pressing the attack repeatedly on first his left and then his right side, pleased that he parried and countered with relative ease. "And I'm still working on remembering the rest."

Atton gripped the ancient 'saber firmly in both hands and spun a hard upward slash that forced Aeryn to jump back. "Maybe it is personal," he attacked aggressively, his body, arms and weapon flowing naturally as one, "but the truth is," Aeryn reluctantly retreated, parrying the blows, but finding no opening to stop his advance, "I pulled your ass out of there." Aeryn could feel the far wall of the cargo hold looming up behind her, and she tried to spin to the side, but Atton anticipated her move and blocked her, effectively pinning her against the wall. Grinning as his blade crackled against hers, Atton leaned his body weight forward and murmured, his voice barely audible over the hissing 'sabers, "You said it yourself: you owe me."

In a flash, Aeryn hooked one long leg behind his knee and yanked him off balance while she thrust her own weight toward him, knocking the scoundrel on his rear with a grunt. Before he could scramble to his feet, Atton was forced to freeze as Aeryn's pale blue blade appeared below his chin.

"Sparring with lightsabers is very dangerous," Aeryn stated with a grim look. "It requires focus and control, two things you seem to be lacking at the moment."

Despite the situation, Atton's face split in a playful smirk. "You're dodging my questions. I wonder what happened in that cave that you're so determined not to talk about."

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Aeryn stepped away from him and deactivated her weapon. "I think it's time for a break. I'm going to check on the others."

Atton stayed on the floor as she walked by, but his expression shifted for a moment to genuine worry. In the several days since they'd left Korriban behind, Aeryn seemed to be less herself, more pensive and quiet, and the scoundrel knew it had something to do with what she'd seen in the Sith tomb. Unfortunately, she wasn't being forthcoming about the details and although he feigned curiosity what Atton truly felt was worry and frustration.

With a sigh he pushed himself up off the floor and followed her to the garage, listening silently as she spoke with Visas.

"How goes it?"

Visas nodded her head and even smiled a bit. "They are nearly done. Bao-Dur finished rather quickly, I assume at least in part due to his long exposure to you and the other Jedi during the Mandalorian War, but he seemed dissatisfied with his work. Mira is struggling a bit, but Bao has taken her under his wing and they are completing their weapons together."

"Hmm," Aeryn couldn't help but smirk, "the Masters on Coruscant would have called that cheating. I call it progress."

"Indeed. It is good that I was able to find these crystals before you returned from your little detour on Korriban."

Atton wandered over to the workbench to watch Mira struggling with a half-built lightsaber, and Aeryn moved a step closer to the Miraluka and lowered her voice. "Thank you for all your help, my friend. I know you've been distracted since we received that message from Mission."

Visas remained perfectly still for a long moment, as if searching for a way to respond. "It's difficult for me to know how to feel. A part of me always blamed the Jedi for the destruction of my home, my family…after all, had they not been there…." She fell silent and shook her head. "But to now have a single person to focus that blame upon…it is…distracting."

"I think I understand," Aeryn said as she nodded, "especially since we can't face Atris and find out the real truth of what happened. I wonder if she would be honest even if confronted."

Frowning, Visas turned the conversation around. "You have become more pensive recently as well. Much weighs on your mind."

"Yes," Aeryn admitted, her eyes staring worriedly at the floor. "In fact, when they have completed their 'sabers, I need to speak with everyone."

"Are you certain that is a good idea?"

Aeryn narrowed her eyes at the smaller woman curiously. "You know what I'm going to say?"

"No. But I can sense the division within you, the doubt."

Aeryn sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "I guess I'm just worried about some…reactions. But it's better that they know, especially if it means what I think it means."

"Very well," Visas nodded.

"I'm going to go find Canderous before they finish."

Aeryn found the tall Mandalorian sitting in the pilot's seat, long legs stretched out on the console in an unusually relaxed position as he stared out at the passing stars.

"Am I intruding?" she asked as she gently rapped her knuckles on the wall to get his attention.

"Not really," he said in a distracted tone before finally looking at her. "I had forgotten how quiet space is."

"Not always so quiet with this crew," Aeryn joked with a halfhearted smile. "And speaking of which, I need to talk to all of you in the garage in a few minutes if you don't mind."

Frowning, Canderous kicked his feet off the console and sat up straight. "Something wrong?"

Aeryn balked and stumbled over her words for a moment. "Uh…well I…isn't there always? Just…trust me. You'll need to hear this."

Canderous gave her an appraising stare, but only nodded and rose to follow her back to the garage where Bao-Dur was twirling a deep blue double-bladed 'saber experimentally in his hands.

"Double blades?" Aeryn asked with a broad smile and a distinct twinge of pride. "I should have known."

"It just felt right, General," the Iridonian replied with his own smile.

Mira turned from the workbench and ignited a single violet blade, a frown of concentration on her face as she cautiously moved the blade through the air. "Well done," Aeryn said, suppressing the pang of sadness she felt every time she saw a purple 'saber. "The color suits you."

"Thanks," Mira offered her a nervous but determined smile, and then scowled when she noticed Atton staring at her strangely. "What the hell are you staring at?"

"Your 'saber," he muttered absently, reaching for and activating his own pale green blade. "Let me see it." Mira jerked the blade away from him protectively as he reached for it, and the scoundrel sighed and rolled his eyes. "Come on, Red, I'm going to give it back. Just let me hold it a second."

With an unhappy look, the huntress relinquished her weapon into Atton's extended left hand. A deeply focused look on his face, Atton stepped back from them and twisted the two blades experimentally. "Oh yeah," he said with an emphatic nod, "oh, that's much better. Yeah, I'm going to need another one of these."

"Give me that," Mira chided as she snatched her new weapon back and glared at him, but a small laugh escaped Aeryn's lips.

"Very well. Those were the only crystals we had, so let's hope we find some stuff worth salvaging on Dantooine. Then you can build yourself another 'saber."

"That would be good, General. Some of these parts are very old and worn and badly in need of upgrades."

Canderous spoke up and shifted all attention to where he was leaning against the garage doorway. "What did you want to speak to us about?"

There were a few confused looks, and Aeryn resented that he was forcing her to speak before she felt ready, but she quickly gathered her composure as she leaned back against the workbench. "Yes, well. Something I saw on Korriban…well, I think it's important that I tell you about it. I had a vision of Revan."

Immediately the Mandalorian leader stood up straight, his gray eyes suddenly sharp and focused. "You saw her. She's alive?"

"Yes." Aeryn clasped her hands together to hide their trembling. "The last time I sensed her she was being chased. I saw the man who captured her this time and recognized him. He was a Sith Stalker."

Atton frowned and echoed, "Stalker?"

"They are an elite form of tracker amongst the true Sith. They're specially trained for finding and capturing very elusive targets, and they receive a special sort of…conditioning that changes their connection to the Force. They use their abilities to sustain themselves for days, even weeks, at a time and their prey is usually worn to exhaustion by the time they reveal themselves."

"And you recognized this one?"

"Yes he was an apprentice to Master N'Ty…my former Master. He was always suspicious of me and tried several times to have me killed, which would explain why he took such an interest in tracking Revan down. A victory for him, but a short lived one.

"In the vision I saw in the tomb, the Stalker was dead. Revan was in some sort of…machine…" Aeryn closed her eyes for a moment and concentrated on forming the images in her mind. "It seemed to work like a Force inhibitor, but it covered her body as well…it's hard to describe from the perspective I saw. Whatever it is, it's keeping her from using her abilities."

Impatient, Canderous pressed, "You said the Sith was dead. How did she kill him?"

"She didn't. The other Sith did. The ones that now have her."

In almost comical unison, Atton and Mira blurted out, "More Sith?"

"Yes. Well, sort of. We already know these Sith." Aeryn pursed her lips and forced herself to meet Canderous' stormy gaze. "They were Sion's men."

Thick silence descended on them, but Aeryn kept her eyes focused on Canderous as his jaw flexed and his fists tightened. "You're telling me," he said slowly as he moved across the room toward her, "that Revan's now a prisoner of the person we just let get away?"

Shaking her head sadly and imploring him with her eyes, Aeryn replied, "We didn't let him get away, he let us get away. We couldn't have beaten him."

"You don't know that!" Canderous roared down at her, anger and despair dancing in his eyes as he towered over her. "And now that that monster has her, what do you think he's going to do with her, Aeryn?"

Visas' soft voice intervened. "Nothing worse than what the true Sith would have done. Neither Sion nor my former Master would capture her alive simply to kill her. There is something greater at stake here."

"So they will torture her, or worse, drain her dry like he did to your people," Canderous spat, turning his fury on the Miraluka. "We have to find him and get her back."

"That's just the thing," Aeryn said quietly, her face pinched with pain. "We won't have to look. The Force is dragging Revan back into this even though she tried to avoid it."

Canderous faced her again, his jaw working in silent contemplation for a long moment as the anger began to fade in his eyes. "You told us this because you think we're going to find Revan."

"Yes."

"Alive?"

"I don't know." Aeryn felt hollow as she met his gaze and wished she could somehow give him the reassurance she knew he longed for, but it was hard for her to find enough reassurance for herself, let alone anyone else. "I just needed you to know what I saw."

Swallowing her emotions, Aeryn strode purposefully back toward the cargo hold. Both Atton and Bao-Dur moved in tandem to follow, giving a cool, unreadable glance at one another but never pausing to catch up with their leader.

"It wasn't your fault, General."

Aeryn stopped in front of the hyperdrive room doorway but did not turn around. "Then whose was it?" she asked in a cold, flat voice.

"Things are rarely that simple," Bao-Dur answered, his eyes soft with sympathy.

"You have to stop beating yourself up over this stuff," Atton cut in. "You've got enough on your plate, Aeryn, stop piling it on."

Aeryn turned and scowled at the scoundrel. "You think I want all this?"

Atton shook his head to deny it, his mouth open to reply, but then he snapped it shut and looked thoughtful. "You know what. I do think you want it. I think you need it, in fact to keep you going." Bao-Dur shot him a dark look, but Atton pointedly ignored him. "The more stuff you grab on to that you can handle, the easier it is for you to ignore the stuff you can't. It's a damned shame, sweetheart, because it's okay to be selfish once in a while."

Aeryn stared at him for a moment before turning her bewildered look on Bao-Dur. Despite resenting the way Atton had worded himself, the Iridonian could not deny that he agreed with the sentiment, and Aeryn's face hardened as she realized this. "I thought you of all people would understand," she murmured to Bao-Dur before she turned and left the two men staring awkwardly after her.

-

Aeryn drew in a long, slow breath of fresh air as she stepped off the end of the loading ramp onto the surface of Dantooine. Despite being a city girl by nature, it felt good to be somewhere safe...anywhere but Korriban.

"That settlement didn't look very far off," Mira commented as she tugged at her new robes, unaccustomed to having so much skin covered up. "Maybe they can point us to your Jedi buddy."

"Jedi?" Aeryn turned toward the voice that spoke up from across the landing pad and studied the wary old man as he squinted at them. From the stains on his hands and clothes she judged him to be a mechanic, and therefore a local who might be able to offer them guidance. "You're looking for Jedi? Here?"

Aeryn shared a glance with Mira and her other two students as they joined her at the base of the loading ramp, unsettled by the man's obviously suspicious reaction. "Yes, sir, we are. We were wondering if…."

"Oh…no," the man had raised his hand to his eyes, blocking the sun and giving him an eyeful of their robes and lightsabers. "Y-you're Jedi! I have to warn the others!"

Staring in open mouth surprise as the elderly man loped away it took Aeryn a moment to find her voice. "Wait, sir! We're not here to…" he paused only to spare a terrified glance over his shoulder at her before redoubling his efforts to get far from them "…hurt anyone…."

"Well that can't be a good sign," Canderous muttered as he joined the group, once more in his full armor and weaponry. "He's more scared of you than me."

Mira frowned in worry at the retreating figure. "I don't get it, why would he be scared of Jedi?"

"Well," Aeryn began to explain as they set out toward the settlement, "the Sith did a real number on this planet not long ago."

Nodding thoughtfully, Atton spoke up. "That's right. Malak bombed this place to dust…but I never heard why."

"You mentioned there was an Enclave here, right General? Where Revan was trained?"

"Yes, that's why Malak bombed. He was aiming for the Jedi hiding here…the civilians were just in his way."

"But that was Malak," Mira insisted, "a Sith. Don't they know the difference?"

Canderous snorted, his voice controlled but bitter. "Think about it, kid. Malak was a Jedi, one of the best, and one of the heroes of the War. To these simple farmers, there is no difference because the heroes and the villains share the same face."

A/N: I know, it's been a long time since my last update and I'm sorry for that. I caught a horrible cold that just will not let go and I can't do anything without breaking down in a coughing fit. Thankfully it's nearly gone, so my inspiration has come back and hopefully that will mean more regular updates. Before we get into Dantooine, I'm going to set it up a little because the situation there never made real sense to me. It was like they couldn't think of a reason to bring the PC there so they just threw some mercs, civilians and salvagers there and stirred up trouble. Yes, I understood why they were there eventually, but it still felt very pointless. Soooo...Dantooine has a settlement just like the game, and a very few scattered salvagers that attempt to retrieve artifacts from the Enclace ruins, but are rarely successful. No mercs, no impending doom, and no contact between the administrator and her "secret friend." Take the next few chapters at face value and don't think about what the game made you do and we'll be just fine. Thanks for reading. :)