Chapter Thirty-Seven: Showdown

Now:

"Where is he?"

Nal looked up. "Nice to see you, too."

Liana rolled her eyes.

HK-47 approached. "Statement: The Mandalorian meatbag is on the north side of this atrium. He is posing as a sleeping, injured veteran to keep a closer eye on the whiny meatbag's offspring. Recommendation: Approaching from the south might be the best course of action, Master. I shall approach from the northwest—"

"Flank him," Liana interrupted. She looked at HK. "Remember, shoot to stun if need be. I want Dustil alive, not gravely wounded."

"Statement: Gravely wounded still implies the target is living."

"Dustil," she corrected. "Not 'target'." She turned to Simer. "Go casually meet up with Canderous. You two are my backup. If there's a scene, I don't want Dustil doing anything drastic in an attempt to settle a score."

"Settle a score?" Nal asked.

She ignored him. "HK and I will corner him. But you and Canderous be ready just the same."

"What about TSF?" Nal asked.

Liana smiled. "No need to tell them anything if everything goes smoothly."

"Does it normally?"

HK interjected: "Negative."

Liana turned to her droid. "Sometimes it does," she defended.

"Calculation: In the—"

"Don't bother," she muttered. "I don't need to know the odds."

With a casual salute and a smirk, Nal stood up and headed towards Canderous, making sure to take a long and twisting path towards the Mandalorian. If Dustil was observing him—not that Nal had any reason to believe that was the case—heading directly to Canderous wouldn't be a good idea. So around a few trees Nal walked, stopping every so often to briefly take in the sights. After a few turns, he passed by Canderous, nonchalantly gestured for him to follow, then continued walking. After Nal was a good distance away, Canderous stood up and strolled towards the smuggler. Nal filled the Mandalorian in on Liana's plan.

"Back up?" Canderous asked.

Nal shrugged. "It's what she said. Who am I to argue?"

"Rather just snag the shivat and have it done with," Canderous said. "Give these people a real show."

"I didn't think Telosians were blood thirsty," said Nal.

Canderous snorted. "The contrary. They want a peaceful solution."

"Despite everything he's done to their hero?"

"If he were Mandalorian, we'd beat him senseless for dishonoring his family."

"Family's everything to you guys, isn't it?" Nal asked. Canderous eyed him, confused at Nal's point. The smuggler shrugged. "Just what I hear."

Canderous didn't answer. "You go left, I'll go right. Keep your commlink open. Let's get this kid and go home."

Dustil leaned forward, his forearms resting on his thighs. An hour had passed since he first arrived at 089. So far only one person had bothered him. Kids passing by would stare at the strange hooded man, but would say nothing. If only they knew the station's most wanted man was sitting in the open, if only they knew that…

Dustil blinked. He sensed something… someone… close… His Sith instincts were kicking in. Someone was looking for him… watching him… The person… the person was close by, projecting his presence in the Force, wanting to be found—

Alarmed, Dustil sat straight up. He wanted to jump to his feet, grab his lightsaber and fight whoever it was. But he didn't have his lightsaber, and leaping to attack would alert his hunter. There were no Jedi on Citadel Station; the Council couldn't be bothered sending any Knights and Padawans to assist in the rebuilding process. A Sith, maybe? Someone from the Korriban Academy? No one had been allowed to board the station since the lockdown occurred. Who could—

Female. It was a female projecting herself through the Force.

Well, that narrows it down a bit, Dustil thought.

One Force Sensitive female who was in this area—

Dustil looked to his left. He gasped. There she was, standing several feet away, in the middle of a crowd, looking right at him: Father's lady Jedi friend.

What the hell is she doing here?

Dustil calmly stood and pulled back his hood. He knew he'd been found; there was no sense in denying it. Even though she appeared to look like an average spacer, chances were she was armed. And she must have come alone; it was the Jedi way as he understood it. But which one of them would make the first move?

Revan watched Dustil stand and stare her down like a menace. She thought back to Ludo Kressh's tomb, the illusions that created the conflict between Dustil and herself. She'd been over the incident numerous times in her mind, but standing face to face with Dustil… would she have done things differently if she had known back then it wasn't an illusion? Of course she would have, she told herself.

But instead I left. Then Dustil tried to kill Carth.

The weight of her concealed lightsabers grew heavy, the Sith in her wanting to finish what she started on Korriban, to make Dustil pay for what he had done to his father.

Carth's parting words echoed in her mind: "Whatever happened, Dustil didn't mean… he's a good kid…"

I know, Flyboy, she thought, letting her anger subside. There is no emotion, there is peace…

Dustil casually strolled towards her. She didn't move. "I'm surprised you came for me yourself," Dustil said as he walked towards her. His tone was calm, light, as if two friends were meeting up. People around them continue to move about and talk, not noticing the two Force wielders staring each other down. "You and Father reconciled so soon?"

Revan said nothing.

Dustil continued. "Not so much then? Or maybe you haven't told him what you did to me?"

"You did enough for the both of us," Revan replied. She read his moves like a holozine. He was approaching, smooth and sophisticated, like all Sith acolytes were taught. Once they felt their enemy was at ease, they went in for the kill. Revan played along. Carefully and slowly, she used the Force to unzip her vest pockets just in case the confrontation turned sour. She didn't know if Dustil was armed; that part he kept concealed as his training demanded. But she knew each acolyte was taught to expect the enemy to have weapons. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, tucking her hands just underneath her breasts, yet kept her hands free to make it easier for the lightsabers to fly from her pockets. The pose looked non-threatening, as if she wasn't expecting Dustil to strike. Hopefully Dustil hadn't mastered reading his enemies.

"So how is Father?" Dustil asked, moving closer. People continued to walk past, not caring they were walking through a conversation. Revan wished the citizens of Citadel would steer clear of them, but the busy traffic meant no one was paying them any mind, that no one knew Dustil Onasi was so close.

"He's alive," Revan answered.

Dustil smiled and shoved his hands in his pockets. "So I'm to assume you're here to take me in? Hand me over to TSF for punishment?" he asked, keeping the conversation casual. "Because you do realize those cells of theirs can't hold me. So there's really no point to this then, is there?"

Revan continued to say nothing.

"Silent treatment all of a sudden," Dustil said. "I see, I see." He nodded approvingly. He began walking backwards.

Her left hand brushed past the concealed lightsaber in her right-hand pocket. She touched the end of her weapon, wondering if Dustil was going to do something drastic in an attempt to escape.

Don't fight him, she told herself sharply.

"Come with me," Revan said, dropping her hands to her side, resisting temptation to engage in another battle. "I can help you."

"Like you helped my friends back at the academy?" he retorted. "I don't think so, Jedi."

"I can't change the past," she replied. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry, too." He stared her down. "Time I did something about it."

Suddenly Revan's lightsaber flew out of her pocket and into Dustil's hand—he must have seen it or knew what she was thinking. The citizens around them gasped in horror as Dustil ignited the cyan blade, then ran towards Revan.

Nal pulled out his blaster and aimed at Dustil. He was about to fire when Canderous screamed through the commlink not to. "She's fine!" the Mandalorian insisted.

Nal looked on in alarm as Commodore Onasi's son raced towards Liana, the glowing blade raised over his head, ready to strike—

Then suddenly Dustil was frozen mid-air in place. Nal blinked. "What the…" He looked his partner and saw her standing there, calmly, her left hand extended in front of her. Nal's shoulders dropped in relief and he re-holstered his weapon.

Suddenly someone grabbed Nal's arm and pulled him backwards. "Hey, what—"

The barrel end of a blaster pressed underneath his jaw.

Revan held Dustil in place with the Force, the on-lookers amazed that a seemingly normal spacer was a Force wielder in disguise. Dustil could only move his eyes. His thoughts betrayed him; Dustil had expected another lightsaber battle and had been caught off guard by the sudden freeze.

She turned her left hand palm-up. Her lightsaber escaped Dustil's grip, turned off, then gently landed on her palm. She enclosed the lightsaber's hilt within her fingers, then placed the weapon back in her pocket. She smiled mockingly. "Now, are we ready to have a civilized discussion?" Dustil blinked a few times as he continued to broadcast surprise and anger through the Force. Revan smiled. "I'm prepared to stand here like this as long as necessary."

Telosians continued to stare and whisper, many people figuring out it was Dustil being held in place by Jedi Liana Suul, the maybe/maybe not lover of their beloved Carth Onasi. Revan could sense the thoughts and feelings of the numerous on-lookers, and it was making her rather uncomfortable.

Revan sensed Canderous approaching. "Nothing to see here, people!" he announced, heading towards her. "Just keep on walkin'." He gestured for people to leave, but not everyone listened, their thoughts curious as to what Jedi Suul's next move would be.

Canderous stepped behind Revan. "How long you going to keep this up?" he asked, his voice a whisper.

She turned her attention back to Dustil. "Until he promises to behave," she replied, her voice as equally quiet. "So what are you doing here?"

"Simer's commlink went dead," he whispered. "HK's on it."

"Playing bodyguard?"

"Figure it's best to be close when the blaster bolts fly."

Revan smiled. She turned her attention back to Dustil. "Now, if I let you go, are you going to try and strike me again?" Dustil projected annoyance and defeat. With a flick of her wrist, Dustil fell to the floor.

Whispering enhanced as Dustil stood up and attempted to act dignified. Suddenly an on-looker screamed, followed by the sound of a repeating blaster discharging. Revan gasped as she felt emotions of anger and hate, and the presence of several people with ill intensions pushing their way through the crowd. "Nal," she whispered.

A man about the size of Canderous appeared, his hand clenched tight around Nal's upper-right arm, a blaster pressed against his jaw. Nal looked beaten, but she didn't sense fear from the smuggler—just aggravation.

"Drop your weapon, spacer!" the man holding Nal ordered. Revan heard the sound of Canderous's blaster hitting the metal floor. "You, too, Jedi! Take that lasersword out of your pocket!" Revan complied, placing only the one saber—the one Dustil snagged from her pocket—on the ground.

"HK," Canderous whispered. The droid was still hiding in the crowd—as best as a 1.8 meter tall copper protocol droid wielding a stun rifle could. But there were too many thugs encircling them with blasters drawn—Revan counted five men she could see and could sense two men behind her, with the possibility of others lurking in the shadows. She knew HK was good, but was he that good?

From her right she heard the sound of one man clapping his hands slow and sarcastic. "Well, well, we meet again," the man said. Revan felt Canderous's anger as the man looked at him then drew his blaster and aimed at the Mandalorian. "Where's your blue friend?" Was this the man that approached Mission in the cantina? Canderous didn't reply verbally; he just stared the man down. "Doesn't matter," the man said. "I see you got yourself another girl—older, curvier, better lookin'. Got yourself good taste there."

Canderous clenched his fist and snarled.

Assuming the man who spoke to Canderous was the group's leader, Revan addressed him. "What do you want?"

The leader smiled. "I want to thank you and your friend for tracking down our bounty. Now, if you don't mind, we'll take him off your hands. The Exchange pays a fair amount for an ex-Sith."

Revan snorted. "I know. Why do you think I tracked him down?" She felt Dustil's attention snapped back to her.

"You did my work for me," he grinned. "We'll take him off your hands now. Maybe give you a cut of the reward."

"Try again," she replied. "Dustil's under my protection now. You want him? You've got to go through me."

Blaster fire suddenly rang through the air. Telosians screamed and ducked for cover as HK-47 made his presence known. He stood diagonal to Dustil, his stun rifle aimed at the nearest thug. "Threat: Leave Master and her companions alone or it will be your meatbag bodies I blast next!"

Revan smiled. "You've also got to go through the droid."

Dryly and dramatically the leader replied, "I'm oh so terrified of the big, bad protocol droid." He pulled the trigger on his blaster.

Revan felt the pain through the Force before she heard Canderous cry out. The crowd of Telosians gasped as the Mandalorian fell to the ground. Her instinct was to kneel and check Canderous's wound, but she remained stoic as if nothing had happened. Canderous was alive, and she reminded herself that his implant would keep him stabilized. This was the same man who faked his death before the Ebon Hawk was boarded by Saul Karath's men. If Canderous could survive a grenade blast to the face, then Canderous could survive blaster wound.

The bounty hunter had just pulled an audible, and Revan was forced to re-think her HK-47 advantage. Even though the droid was carrying a stun rifle, there might not be enough time to shoot the thugs, heal Canderous, then get the hell out of Residential Module 089. Plus there was a growing crowd of onlookers who all knew Jedi Suul was attempting to apprehend Dustil Onasi peacefully—a growing crowd that was doing nothing to help, just staring in awe at the real-life holodrama, no doubt recording the scene with private holocameras. Nothing like word getting out that Commodore Onasi's girl kept company with a Mandalorian and a Hunter-Killer droid. But there were always alternatives to fighting, alternatives that were better than death, alternatives that would get everyone out in one piece and give the Telosians the drama and excitement they desired.

HK, however, desired blood. "Threat: Say goodbye to your—"

"Stand down!" Revan quickly ordered. She repeated the Jedi Code to calm her mind, reminded herself the Telosians were watching with careful eye, then turned towards the leader. She had one shot at making this all go away peacefully.

Revan casually dropped her hands to her sides. She closed her eyes as if she were bowing to defeat. When she felt the men fall for the act, her eyes snapped open and both of her lightsabers—the one on the floor and the one in her pocket—flew to her hands. In one swift movement, the blades ignited, the sabers spun, and her arms were crossed in front of her at the elbows, her purple right-handed blade pointed to her left, her cyan left-handed blade pointed to her right. She felt alarm from the band of spacers, most of all from the leader who initiated the assault and had shot Canderous. She inched her cyan blade closer to the leader's throat as the crowd of Telosians watched.

"See the pretty blade?" Revan sweetly asked. "The last person this lightsaber killed was Darth Malak." She tilted the blade up slightly, the hair on the man's beard crackling from the heat. "Want to wager on how well you'll favor against it?"

The man's eyes grew wide—as did Dustil's; she could feel the teenager's surprise in her words and actions.

The man tried to act brave. "Jedi… Don't kill…"

"I'm not exactly your conventional Jedi."

Canderous lay on the metal floor, grunting in frustration and pain at a wound that shouldn't have happened. Mandalorians were trained not to show weakness, so if Canderous was acknowledging the injury, it was more than his implant could handle. Time was running out.

"Retreat or death?" Revan posed to the leader.

"Stand down, men," the leader said, his voice wavering.

She smiled as the men did as their leader asked. Nal tugged his arm free, then glared as his attacker. "Yeah, that's why I'm on her side," the smuggler said. He headed for Canderous and knelt down beside him. "You okay?"

Canderous grunted.

Revan's lightsabers remained active and pointed as she looked the leader in the eye. "Now, turn around, walk away, and never approach us again."

"Men, we're going to turn around, walk away, and never approach them again," the leader repeated.

Revan lowered her blades. "Good boy." The gang slowly walked away, spitting curses at their leader's decision.

Quickly she turned the lightsabers off, pocketed them, then knelt down to Canderous's side. He held his side with his right hand; Revan could see blood stains on his shirt. Canderous gritted his teeth as she attempted to ascertain the extent of his injury.

"Move your hand," Revan said. When Canderous didn't comply, she snapped, "Move it!" He reluctantly moved his hand to the side. In the background she heard HK's metal feet clunk against the ground in an apparent sprint to his Master's side.

Nal winced at the sight of Canderous's wound. "Got you good."

Revan ripped part of his shirt to inspect the wound. Canderous flinched, then angrily moaned through his clenched jaw as her finger accidentally brushed over the injury. "I'm fine," Canderous insisted, his words forced.

Canderous wasn't fine, but Revan respected his honor enough not to say anything. She placed the palms of her hands on his chest. "Don't move." Revan closed her eyes and reached out the Force.

Nal was confused. "I thought you couldn't heal—"

"Quiet!" Revan snapped. Through the Force she felt Canderous's pain, then the source of the injury. She thought back to all her instructions from Jolee Bindo, all the lessons he tried to teach her. She'd healed Carth's blaster wounds after he was shot on the Star Forge. She could do this.

While she concentrated, she heard HK yelling at the crowd of people surrounding them. "Statement: Move it, meatsacks! Master does not require an audience!"

"Leave 'em alone," she heard Nal say. HK must have glared as Nal quickly added, "Uh, please?"

Canderous's injury was worse than she originally thought, and she didn't know if she had the proper training; Jolee had only taught her so much. Canderous' implant was helping, but not enough. With little choice, Revan used the Force to speed up his implant's healing ability to what she hoped was a safe pace while she did her best to regenerate his cells to heal the wound. She called on all her strength, all her Force knowledge. Eventually she heard Nal and Dustil gasp as Canderous's wound began to shrink in size then disappear, the blood stains on his shirt serving as the only evidence he'd been injured.

Revan, almost drained of energy, sat back on her heels as Canderous sat up and inspected the injured area himself. "Not bad," he said as if Revan had slapped a gauze wrap on him. "Thought you couldn't do that?"

She shook her head remembering their argument from days before when Canderous insisted she use the Force to heal Carth. "Minor wounds," she answered softly.

He wiped the blood off his hand and onto his slacks, then stood up. On-lookers gasped, whispered, pointed, then began to clap. Canderous ignored the spectators as he looked down at Revan and Nal. "What are you two doin' on the floor?"

TSF officers began pushing their way through the crowd. "All right, people, break it up, break it up!" one young officer said. "Nothing to see!"

Revan shook her head, then looked to see Dustil extending a hand to help her. There were no ill intentions behind the gesture, and Revan accepted the help. She stood and thanked the teenager. A wave of dizziness overcame her, and she almost fell if it wasn't for Canderous placing a hand on the small her back to keep her steady.

A TSF lieutenant approached. "You must be Miss Suul," he said. "I'm—"

HK sneered. "Correction: Master's appropriate title—"

"Jedi Suul," Revan jumped in. "The situation is under control, lieutenant." She leaned back slightly on Canderous for support; she'd drained herself more than she'd thought.

The lieutenant nodded. "I'm under orders to take Dustil Onasi into custody."

HK clamped a metal hand on Dustil's shoulder. The teenager jumped, then cringed. "Query: Shall I escort the whiny meatbag's offspring to a TSF holding cell?"

"Whiny meatbag offspring?" Dustil asked.

"He's coming back with us," Revan said. "This is a Jedi matter; Dustil's under my protection. I've already explained that to Lieutenant Grenn."

"Yes, but Jedi Suul, my orders—"

"And my orders come directly from the Jedi Council," Revan firmly stated. "Feel free to call Master Vrook Lamarr for confirmation."

The lieutenant backed down with a nod.

Revan turned to her group. "Let's go."

"Query," HK asked. "Am I still allowed to stun the target should he attempt to break free?"

"Yes," she answered, immediately sensing panic from Dustil. She looked at Canderous, her voice lowered to a whisper. "You and HK take Dustil back to the apartment. I'm gonna go check on Carth, then meet you two there." Revan turned back to Dustil. "You try anything funny, I revoke my protection and hand you over to the highest bidder. Got it?"

"Why?" Dustil asked. Revan was confused. "Why aren't you handing me over to TSF?"

"Because the way I see it, you've got two choices," Revan said. "One, you deal with TSF and are subject to their laws and face their consequences for your actions against your father or two, you deal with me and the Jedi Council."

Dustil's voice was laced with fear. "Deal with the Jedi Council?"

Revan shook her head. Dustil wasn't as tough as he lead on, it appeared. His fear was being broadcasted so strongly she was sure every Jedi within seven light years could sense it. But what specifically was he afraid of? That she bested him so easily? That he now knew she was the one who killed Darth Malak? Wait until he discovered who she was in a former life. "Go back to your father's apartment with HK and Canderous. I'll be there soon and will explain everything then." She glared. "And don't try anything." Dustil nodded then walked off with HK.

"Explain everything?" Canderous asked when Dustil was out of earshot.

"From certain point of view," Revan answered.

He shrugged. "Your choice," he said, then headed off after the teenager and the droid.