Okay, so it's been over a week but I still got it up in less than two weeks so that's gotta count for something, right?
Anyway, so we are heading to Manaan in this chapter. I never did like Manaan in the game but I hope I made the start of the Manaan arc good.
By the way, for those of you who haven't seen The Rise of Skywalker yet, it is AWESOME! Even if I do prefer Legends to Canon, I have to admit that The Rise of Skywalker was a brilliant canon ending to the Skywalker Saga!
Okay, rant over.
Thank you to ssj3gohan007, WolverineIK1973, Abyss Trinity, Bountyhunter1977, Lawrence HBain, and ivanruzic3758 for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome.
Here is Chapter Sixteen. I hope that you enjoy it and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.
Chapter Sixteen
The Ebon Hawk, Hyperspace, En Route to Manaan
Luke stretched his arms above his head once they were in hyperspace and turned his gaze to Carth. According to the navicomp, they had a good twelve hours before they would reach Manaan so the rest of the group would have the next twelve hours to rest and recover from everything that has happened. A lot has happened on Mortis, now that Luke thought about it, even if only had a moment has gone by in the galaxy itself.
Carth was gazing pensively out at the blurred lanes that streaked past the viewports, his lips pressed tightly together and his brow furrowed. His eyes were still filled with conflict and Luke gave him a sympathetic glance, knowing that he was attempting to figure out if he wanted to go speak with his son or not.
"You should speak with him now that he's had time to calm down," he said. He knew that Carth knew who he was talking about.
"I don't know...I know that Anakin said that he might be more willing to speak with me but..." Carth trailed off.
"You're afraid," Luke said, sensing the fear that Carth was trying to hide. It was difficult to hide one's emotions from a Jedi.
"He blamed me for what happened to his mother," Carth said. "I know I hadn't been there to help Telos when it was bombed, and I wasn't really there for him and his mother while he was growing up before that, but that doesn't mean I don't care about him. He is my son and I really do love him. I didn't stay with the military because I wanted to stay away from my family, I did it because I wanted to create a better galaxy for my family. But I can understand why he resents me for never being around."
"Even if he does, that doesn't mean that he can't forgive. Nothing is unforgivable." Luke thought about his father and about how he had forgiven him in spite of everything he had done, and his father had done a lot of bad things in his time. Luke knew it was only because he knew there was still good in him and that he could be redeemed. He wasn't sure when he started to believe that his father could be redeemed, that everything he had done could be forgiven eventually, but he had.
"He has spent the last couple of years resenting me and I have no doubt the Sith encouraged that. How am I supposed to make amends with him, Luke?"
"Just try talking with him for now," Luke suggested. "I know he said that he wanted to wait until after he helped the students at Korriban and meet up with you on Telos IV but you have this opportunity while we're journeying to Manaan and I think you should take advantage of it. You don't even have to talk about what happened, you can talk about anything else."
Carth hesitated, his gaze still pensive, before he nodded. "Yes, I think you're right. I'll...I'll try to speak with him," he said.
Luke smiled and nodded and stood up. "I should go get some rest before Father gets on my case about that," he said and, turning, he walked out of the cockpit and made his way toward the dormitory that he shared with his father. Due to the limited number of spaces in the Ebon Hawk, most of the passengers were either sharing or sleeping in other locations onboard. Luke knew that Jolee just slept in the main hold while Mission and Zaalbar typically stayed in the small medbay onboard and Juhani and Bastila shared one of the dormitories while Luke shared the other one with Anakin, Zhane, and Carth when Carth wasn't in the cockpit. Canderous was almost always in the garage as was HK and T3.
Luke made his way to the dormitory and raised an eyebrow upon entering it to find Anakin meditating in the middle of the room while Zhane was leaning against the wall. Zhane glanced at him and inclined his head in greeting. "Hello Luke," he said.
"I take it you're done talking," Luke said.
Zhane nodded.
"Though why is Father meditating? I thought he hated it."
"He doesn't like meditating, yes, but he's actually trying something out."
"Trying something out?"
"Yes." Zhane didn't elaborate and Luke tilted his head to the side, wondering what his father was doing.
Anakin groaned and opened his eyes. "How do you manage that? I can't seem to concentrate enough to actually do that," he said.
"You need to have more patience. You'll figure it out eventually but you need to keep at it," Zhane said and amusement entered his gaze at the irritated groan that escaped Anakin's lips. "And getting impatient doesn't help."
"I have never liked just sitting still," Anakin grumbled.
"What are you trying to do, Father?" Luke asked as he moved forward to sit down across from his father.
"It's a Force power that allows me to hide my alignment, my ability to use the Force, or even my entire presence. Zhane calls it Force stealth and I figure it would be useful since I'm not the least bit subtle on my own."
I'm pretty sure that's an understatement.
Anakin gave him a light shove through the Force since Luke hadn't exactly kept that comment in his own mind.
He just grinned at his father.
"Try again, Anakin," Zhane said.
"Yeah, yeah." Anakin huffed but closed his eyes and reached out with the Force again while Luke glanced at Zhane.
"How do you know this ability? From what I've heard from everyone else, you only just started training with the Force not that long ago," he said.
"Bastila had some holorecordings that she let me watch to help continued my training and I found out about that ability so I decided to start teaching it to myself since I knew it would be beneficial."
"I see." For some odd reason, Zhane's words didn't feel entirely truthful and yet it also didn't feel as if he was lying and Luke frowned at the irony of those words. He didn't question it, more because Anakin's presence in the Force was suddenly masked and he found himself glancing at his father to reassure himself that he was still there.
Zhane raised an eyebrow. "He's a quick learner. I can't feel his presence in the Force at the moment," he said. "Even if he doesn't have much patience, he is doing rather well."
Anakin's Force presence returned as he opened his eyes. "I felt that I did it," he said.
"You did," Zhane said with an incline of his head but Luke could hear the pride in his voice.
Anakin stretched his arms above his head. "Are either of you up for sparring?"
"I'm pretty sure I'm still in the lead but I don't mind making the lead I have on you longer," Zhane said with a smirk and that smirk widened at the irritated glare that Anakin threw at him.
"You don't need to rub in the fact that your win record against me is higher than my win record against you," he said.
"Truth be told, I actually want to spar you, Luke," Zhane said, turning his gaze to Luke who blinked, a bit surprised by the challenge. He hesitated because he knew that Zhane was an amazing duelist, especially when he was using two lightsabers. Even though he knew that Zhane didn't have a second lightsaber, he was still wary about dueling him.
The only one that Luke has ever actually dueled against before was Vader and he had been terribly outclassed. The only reason he managed to get one over Vader during their final clash onboard the second Death Star was because he'd momentarily given in to his anger, something that he would always regret.
He pushed that thought away as he thought about Zhane's request. "I'm still learning how to duel," he admitted.
"You have done well against the Dark Jedi that you have gone up against since you came to this time so you give yourself too little credit," said Zhane. "I'm sure you'll do fine. However, it's just a request."
Luke studied the older Jedi. He was a powerful Jedi and a skilled duelist and Luke found himself wondering how well he would do against someone who fought with such grace and such skill with two lightsabers. He's never fought against anyone like that after all. "I'll agree, on the condition that you duel me with your full strength," he said.
Zhane raised an eyebrow before he nodded and glanced at Anakin. "I haven't had the chance to build my second lightsaber yet so may I borrow yours?" he said.
"Just don't lose it," Anakin said as he removed his lightsaber from his belt and handed it to Zhane who seemed to weigh the hilt in his hand.
"I won't," he said as he turned to Luke. "Let's head to the garage. We'll have more room."
Luke nodded and, standing up, followed Zhane as the older Jedi led the way out of the dormitory.
. . .
Carth slowly made his way into the main hold of the Ebon Hawk and scanned the area, searching for his son. He wasn't sure where his son was staying for the time being, since he was essentially forced to stay onboard the ship for the time being, but he decided that he was going to take Luke's advice and try to talk with his son. He wasn't sure if Dustil would speak with him though but he would try.
He walked over to join Jolee who cracked an eye open from where he was lounging against the wall, one leg stretched out in front of him while the other was bent. "Jolee, do you know where Dustil is?" he asked.
"Saw him heading for the main engine room. He said he was going to meditate," Jolee replied.
"Thank you." Carth turned and began to make his way to the main engine room. The door slid open and Carth walked into it, scanning the area until his eyes landed on his son.
Dustil likely already knew that he was there but he didn't bring himself out of his meditation. He was seated cross-legged at the center of the room with his hands resting on his legs and his eyes closed.
Carth hesitated, hovering at the doorway.
"You can come in," Dustil said softly, not opening his eyes.
Carth moved forward and sat down across from Dustil, crossing his legs. "Dustil..." he began but trailed off, not sure of what he wanted to talk about. He wracked his brain for something to talk about, anything that wouldn't have to do with the past and the events on Telos and Dustil's former connection with the Sith Academy.
"I can sense you want to talk but you, clearly, don't know what to talk about," said Dustil.
Carth sighed and rubbed his temples. "There's a lot I want to talk about but I just don't want to talk about events that you probably don't want to talk about," he admitted.
"...You know I resented you," said Dustil as he opened his eyes and gazed at the older man. "Due to your work with the military and the fact that you didn't spend that much time with Mother and me while I was growing up, I did resent you for it. For the longest time, I did blame you for what happened to Telos IV even though a part of me always knew that it wasn't your fault. The Sith were the ones who destroyed Telos."
"And yet you still joined them," Carth said softly.
"I didn't know where to go. I had no home and no family left, since I was so upset with you that I didn't see you as family, and Selene offered me the chance to find a place to belong." Dustil's eyes went sad as he turned his eyes to the wall. "The longer I spent with her, the more I realized that my place was more with her than with the Academy itself but Headmaster Wynn always did everything he could to cultivate my talents and help me get better. I thought that I could get strong enough to protect those I care about and I really did think that the Sith were my new family."
A bitter laugh escaped his lips as he covered his eyes with a hand. "How stupid I was," he murmured.
"The Sith are known for manipulating others to get what they want," Carth said.
"I know. They're as evil as you said they were. I just wish I didn't have to lose Selene in order to have my eyes opened." Dustil clenched his hands into fists, his eyes going haunted but with a spark of anger blazing in their depths. "I want to make them pay for killing Selene but I also want to save as many other students from the Academy as I can."
Carth didn't want that anger in his son's eyes to get stronger. He didn't want to know what would happen to his son if he continued walking in the darkness. He didn't know if he could pull his son back from that anger-filled darkness he seemed to still be walking in but he knew that he had to try.
"I think it's admirable that you want to save the other students, Dustil," he said. "And I think you should focus more on that. Those students need you and I don't know if you'll be able to help them if you're focused on getting revenge for what happened to Selene."
"I know," Dustil muttered. "That doesn't mean that I don't want them to pay but I know that the other students are more important right now. Selene's gone and I can't change that fact but I can try to stop that from happening to the other students at the Academy. Don't worry about me. I won't let my anger get the better of me. It'll only distract me from saving the other students."
Carth studied his son but he could see that his son was sincere and truly was willing to push aside his anger in order to save the other students. "All right," he said. He paused and then added, "We're going to be heading to Korriban after we leave Manaan but I don't think you'll be able to find a ship to take you to Korriban when we reach Manaan. It might be best if you stay with us."
Truth be told, Carth was only suggesting this because he wanted to spend some more time with his son, wanted to start making amends. Even though his son was willing to make amends, Carth didn't see why they had to wait when they had the time they had now.
Dustil gave him a long look and he had the odd feeling that his son knew exactly what he was thinking and why he had made that offer. But he didn't protest. Instead, he unfolded his legs and stood up. "Since you're probably right about me not being able to find a ship heading to Korriban on Manaan, I may as well. At least I know for a fact that you're heading for Korriban," he said while Carth stood up.
"Where are you going now?" Carth asked.
"I'm going to see if one of the other Jedi is willing to spar with me. I'm getting a bit antsy sitting around and doing nothing."
A faint smile crossed the captain's lips. His son may have changed a lot in the time since Carth last saw him but he still had that same desire to not sit still and do nothing when there was something he could be doing. Just like Dustil hated being deceived, he also hated sitting around and doing nothing.
"All right. Maybe...we can talk later," he suggested.
"Yeah...I'd like that...Father." Dustil walked past him and out of the main engine room while Carth blinked.
Father…
He couldn't stop the beaming smile that crossed his lips as he turned and followed his son out of the engine room.
He was a bit surprised by how much he'd missed being called that.
I can definitely understand why Anakin is always happy when Luke calls him that, he mused as he made his way into the main hold, watching as Dustil slipped down the corridor leading to the garage. The only other people in the main hold, aside from Jolee, were Bastila and Juhani.
"Dustil seemed happy when he came in here," Jolee commented as he got to his feet and, stretching his arms above his head, made his way over to join Carth and the two other Jedi. "I take it you guys finally had a nice heart to heart."
"Sort of...He did most of the talking but it was still nice," Carth admitted. "Where did he go?"
"Zhane and Luke are sparring and he wanted to go and watch," Bastila explained.
"Oh." Carth glanced at the chrono on the holoterminal at the center of the main hold and mused that they still had a while before they would reach Manaan. He wasn't sure what to do with the time that he had left so he decided to join his son.
"I'll be in the garage too," he said and made his way to the corridor that would take him there.
. . .
Anakin winced as Luke was sent flying to the ground by a well-aimed Force push as Revan caught the lightsaber he'd knocked out of Luke's hand in his. That was the third time that has happened since the two of them started sparring. While Luke was able to hold his own for a little while against Revan, it was clear that Revan was still vastly more skilled with a lightsaber, or two in this case, than Luke was.
But, given that he has had many more years of training than Luke did, that wasn't a surprise.
"You still leave too many openings, Luke," Anakin called to his son as Revan tossed him back his lightsaber as Luke scrambled to his feet. "And you need to be aware of the potential use of the Force against you during the duel. Don't be afraid to use your own powers against your opponent when fighting them."
Luke pressed his lips together and nodded. "Let's go again," he said as the green blade blazed to life.
Revan inclined his head as he held his lightsaber and the lightsaber he was borrowing from Anakin and both blue blades blazed to life. "All right," he said and the two clashed, their blades flashing and striking as they danced around each other.
Luke's movements were still clumsy but he was, at least, taking to heart all the pieces of advice that Anakin had been given him since they met on Kashyyyk. He knew that, with enough practice, Luke would definitely be able to surpass them.
The door to the garage opened and Anakin turned as Dustil made his way into it and wandered over to join Anakin by the lockboxes on the other side of the garage next to the swoop bikes. "How long have they been dueling?" Dustil asked as he sat down.
"About forty five minutes now. This is their fourth duel," said Anakin and winced when Luke, with a yelp, was knocked off his feet as his lightsaber flew out of his hand once again with Revan calling it to his hand while deactivating his own blades. "And that's Luke's fourth loss."
"One more time," Luke said firmly as he scrambled to his feet.
Revan's lips quirked but nodded and tossed Luke's lightsaber to him, his blade and the blade he was borrowing from Anakin igniting in unison. "Are you so sure you want to add a fifth loss to your losing streak, Luke?" he said.
Luke gritted his teeth but let loose a breath, releasing his irritation into the Force. Anakin mused that he certainly had a good handle on that aspect of his training. Whoever had given him what little training he got had, at least, taught him how to do that.
"I don't plan on losing," he said as he held his blade in front of him.
"That's what you said last time, and the time before that, and..."
"I get it. How many times did Father lose to you?" Luke sounded genuinely curious. "I mean I know he's a good duelist but, at the same time, you seem to be on a higher level in terms of skill so..."
"That doesn't mean that I lost to him," Anakin huffed.
Revan's lips formed into a full-blown grin. "Ten times," he said.
"What?" Luke said in surprise.
"Eight times. Our last duel was a draw and the duel before that did not count," said Anakin firmly.
"A draw is still a loss, even if it is for both parties involved, and the time before that did so count."
"It did not."
"Oh yes it did."
"It. Did. Not."
"Say that all you like but we all know that it did."
Anakin scowled.
Luke snickered.
"Don't laugh, Luke. At least I won against Zhane a few times," Anakin said with a smug smirk at Luke who huffed.
"I'd like to duel Zhane next," Dustil said, one hand palming the lightsaber hilt that was clipped to his belt.
"Let me beat Luke a fifth time and then we can duel," Revan said as he casually held his two blades in front of him.
"Don't automatically assume I'm gonna lose," Luke protested.
"It's not an assumption. Based on our past duels, and your lack of wins, it's an educated guess."
Anakin snorted in amusement while a small pout of irritation crossed Luke's lips. He grinned at his son. "Don't worry so much, Luke. Just learn from your past duels against Zhane and you might be able to win. That's what I did," he said.
Luke sighed but nodded. "It's hard because Zhane doesn't really leave any openings. Didn't you say that he only had, maybe, a few weeks to a month of actual training?"
"He told me that's all that he received on Dantooine anyway."
"He certainly doesn't fight like someone who's only had a month of actual training."
Anakin knew that was only because of Revan's memories and the fact that he remembered the majority of his true past and who he was and all the training he had received, both as a Jedi Knight before and during the Mandalorian Wars and as a Sith Master during the first half of the Jedi Civil War. But no one was going to know about that truth until Revan, himself, felt ready to inform the rest of the crew about that truth. He wasn't sure of when that would happen but he didn't begrudge Revan's desire to keep it a secret for the time being.
It wasn't as if he wasn't a stranger to secrets. He had his own secrets, secrets that he kept from everyone, even his own former master whom he trusted with his life.
"He's a quick learner, I guess," he said with a shrug.
"I suppose so." Luke turned his attention back to Revan, his blue eyes sharp with determination while Revan smirked, a confident air about him that was backed by his skill.
They dueled and Anakin hummed as he studied Luke's movements. Luke was taking the advice that Anakin has been giving him since these duels began to heart and, while he did still leave some openings, he was also managing to tighten his defenses and even start using what little knowledge of Force abilities that he had to aid him.
Him winning against Revan took everyone by surprise, himself included, and he blinked as he stared at the disarmed and smirking Revan. Revan leaned against the wall, folding his arms across his chest.
"Not bad, Luke," he congratulated the other young man.
"I...actually won?" Luke said dumbfounded.
Anakin laughed as he got to his feet and walked over to join his son, ruffling his hair. "You sure did, Son. You actually beat Zhane. Few people can actually say they've done that so congrats," he said, unable to keep the pride out of his voice.
A slow-forming grin stole its way onto Luke's lips. "It was thanks to your advice, Father," he said modestly.
"Well, of course it was. I am a wonderful teacher after all," Anakin said with a grin.
"And as arrogant as ever," Revan deadpanned. "I have to wonder how your Padawan puts up with you back in your time."
Anakin shrugged. "I back up my words with my actions," he said. "C'mon, let's vacate the space so Zhane and Dustil can go at it."
"All right," Luke said and Anakin guided him to the edge of the garage as Dustil stood up and walked over to stand in front of Revan, his lightsaber falling into his hand.
Revan called his lightsabers back to his hand and ignited both brilliant blue blades while Dustil's own crimson blade blazed to life.
"Ready?" Revan asked.
Dustil nodded.
And their duel began.
It was an impressive duel. Dustil certainly had potential and certainly knew quite a number of techniques. Of course, he seemed to be trying not to use the Sith abilities that he'd been taught but that didn't stop him from using the universal abilities in his attempt to beat Revan.
Revan still won but it was a hard-fought victory.
"Not bad, Dustil," he said as he tossed Dustil's lightsaber at him. Dustil caught it.
"I suppose I still have a lot to learn," he said.
"Everyone does. No one is ever really done learning," said Revan as he clipped one of the lightsabers in his hand to his belt and tossed Anakin the second one. Anakin caught it and clipped it to his own belt.
"When are you going to build your second lightsaber?" he asked.
"I'm thinking before we reach Manaan," said Revan. "I'm pretty sure we have the necessary components needed to build it onboard the Ebon Hawk, including the crystal. I'm positive I picked up quite a number of crystals during the journey so..."
Anakin stood up. "Well, I think we'll leave you to that," he said and turned his gaze to where Carth was watching the entire scene, looking out of place but also hesitant about making his way deeper into the garage. "Dustil's duel against Zhane was impressive, wasn't it, Carth?"
"Uh, yeah, it was," Carth admitted as he pushed aside his hesitation and made his way deeper into the garage. "You did well, Dustil."
Dustil shrugged. "I still need practice," he said, "but thanks."
Carth's small smile was still bright.
Anakin grinned, glad to see that the relationship between Carth and his son was starting to mend itself.
. . .
Above Manaan
The churning waters swept past as he swam along with the current, swerving around the school of fish and algae that swam past in the opposite direction. The pathway was surrounded by metallic pipes and metallic grates lined the floor as floor lights lit up the area. Above, a giant firaxen shark swam above the corridor's surface.
Revan made his way down the metallic floor, knowing that he would be fine. His companion moved at his side, eyes fixed warily on the firaxen shark. "Are you sure it won't attack us?" he asked as he turned his gaze back to Revan.
"Relax," Revan said as he moved downward. "The sonic emitter will keep it at bay."
"I sure hope that they hadn't been lying about that."
"They were sincere."
"I certainly hope so."
Revan gave his companion an amused look, partially exasperated. He knew that his companion couldn't see it, because of the envirosuit, but the huff he heard told him that his companion had felt it.
He turned his attention back to the Star Map that was in the distance. "The only downside to this is the fact that this envirosuit is really hard to move in," he mused.
"I can't argue that. It really is."
Revan pulled himself out of his sleep as that memory came into his mind. He wasn't surprised that was the memory that the Force Bond he had with Bastila had pulled to the forefronts. He was grateful that he was able to control how much of that memory Bastila saw so that she wouldn't realize that he knew far more than what she thought.
He still hadn't quite processed everything that he'd regained when the Son gave him his memories back but he knew that telling Bastila that he knew who he was, and what the Jedi had done to him, wasn't going to be a good idea. He still resented them for it and he knew that he could never be the Jedi that the Jedi Council had tried so hard to force him to become. So the less the Jedi knew about his memories, the better.
But I may as well go and speak with Bastila about this. We must be almost at Manaan if that memory is being pulled to the front now, he thought as he got to his feet and, after changing quickly, nudged Anakin through the Force.
Wake up, Anakin. We're almost there, he sent through the Force bond that the two of them had created between them to better aid Anakin in his learning. Of course, Revan was ensuring that bond was kept hidden from Bastila and the other Jedi. It was easy enough to hide with how strong his bond with Bastila was. That bond easily overshadowed the bond he created with Anakin that no one would know about it until he actually told someone.
A yawn sounded and Anakin blearily opened his eyes. "I didn't mean to fall asleep," he said as he sat up and, yawning again, rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
"I don't think anyone did but it was a twelve hour journey. Luke's already up, it looks like." It was true. Revan could feel Luke's presence in the main hold, going over some basic training with Jolee's help. The only other person who wasn't awake yet was Mission. "Mission's still asleep but Zaalbar will go wake her up."
Anakin yawned again but nodded. "So do we know where the Star Map is located?" he asked.
"Underwater, on the outskirts of a Kolto Control Station at the very bottom of the sea."
"So we're going to have to go swimming?" Anakin didn't sound particularly happy about that.
Revan snorted. "I'm sure that won't be the case, Anakin. I'm sure they have something that can take us to the sea floor."
"How did the Star Map even get underwater?"
"It has been well over thirty millennia. I'm sure Manaan's surface has change drastically during that time."
"True."
Revan turned and made his way out of the dormitory with Anakin behind him. They met up with everyone in the main hold, with a grumpy Mission giving Zaalbar an irritated look as she covered her mouth when a yawn escaped her lips.
"What's the big idea waking me up, Big Z? I was having a good dream," she said.
'We're here,' Zaalbar growled.
"Already? Man, it feels like I just went to sleep an hour ago."
Anakin glanced at his son who was meditating nearby, casually lifting and lowering various objects throughout the main hold. "How long has Luke been up?" he asked Jolee.
"He never went to sleep," the old Jedi said. "I woke up 'bout an hour ago and he was already here, going through some basic exercises. I've been giving him pointers and he doesn't mind. I get the feeling he never had a formal training."
"He didn't," Anakin admitted.
"Look at all of those items that he has floating," Mission said as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and watching the tools and random pieces of junk float around Luke like a planet orbiting a sun. "Can all of you do that?" She glanced at Revan, Anakin, Juhani, Bastila, and Jolee.
"Yes. I have done that exercise many times when I was younger. It helps with my control," said Bastila.
Jolee nodded in agreement. "Figured that would be a good place to start when he asked me if I could teach him some exercises."
"Why didn't he ask me?" Anakin said.
"He didn't want to wake you up."
Anakin smiled softly. "He cares so much. He really is a lot like Padme," he said quietly.
"And you too, Anakin, because I know you definitely care a lot yourself, y'know," Mission said with a smile before she hummed. "Can you lift anything with the Force?"
Anakin held out a hand and Mission yelped as she suddenly found herself floating a few feet off the ground when he casually lifted her up with the Force.
"Put me down, Anakin!" She shrieked.
Anakin laughed but lowered the blue-skinned Twi'lek to the ground.
"That wasn't funny," she whined, a pout on her lips.
"It kinda was," Anakin said with a grin.
"You're lucky you're over there or I'd smack you for that."
"Hence why I'm all the way over here."
A small smirk suddenly crossed Luke's lips right before a hydrospanner flew away from the items orbiting around him and smacked Anakin upside the head.
"Ow!"
Mission snickered. "Serves you right," she said and turned to Zaalbar. "Remind me to thank Luke for that later, Big Z."
'Will do, Mission,' Zaalbar growled, sounding very amused.
Anakin, rubbing his head, pouted.
You had it coming, Revan sent along their bond.
'Shut up,' Anakin sent back. There was a moment of silence, then: 'You know it's going to take me some time to get used to this again. I haven't had one of these bonds since I got knighted.'
I can sense that you still have a very strong bond with your former master though.
'It's not the same though.'
No it is not. It is one born of your closeness with your former master. It is more natural than the bond between master and apprentice but not nearly as natural as the bond between father and son. Either way, if this bothers you, let me know.
'No, it's fine. Like I said, I just need to get used to it again. And why do I sense you found what Luke did very amusing?'
Because I did, of course.
Anakin's pout deepened, which only made Revan's amusement grow.
"So we're almost at Manaan," said Canderous. "Any idea what to expect?"
"We do know that the Force has given Zhane and I another vision," said Bastila. "It was like the one on Dantooine. It's strange that anyone would have a built a Star Map here though. The entire surface of Manaan is covered by nothing but vast oceans."
"Maybe so but didn't that hologram on Kashyyyk say that the Star Maps are older than the Republic?" Anakin said. "That means that the surface of Manaan could have changed in the years since the Star Map was built here."
"That is true," Bastila agreed. "The melting of polar caps or a cataclysmic earthquake could have buried the land beneath the waves eons ago. Records from that time are incomplete. Still, the ocean floor is vast and much of it is uncharted, even by the native Selkath. But how could Revan and Malak have found their way down? No doubt things will become more clear once we discover the Star Map's location."
'Out of curiosity, how did you manage to find your way to the sea floor?' Anakin sent along their bond.
Revan thought about that day when he and Malak had arrived on Manaan, searching for the Star Map that they knew was there somewhere. It hadn't, exactly, been easy getting to the sea floor—finding out that the Star Map was on the sea floor had been a stroke of luck on their part due to loose-lipped Republic and Mandalorian soldiers in the few cantinas in Ahto City—but they had managed it. Even if the ship they'd used to get to the sea floor had nearly crashed because of a firaxen shark that got too close to it, at least it had gotten them down.
No one needed to know just how he'd gotten that ship though but, then, he had already fallen by that point so morals were pretty much nearly nonexistent by then.
He pushed the thought aside. It may be part of his past, may be part of the memories that he had regained, and may be part of him but that didn't mean that he had to think about it. His time as a Sith Master had left its imprint on him, and the memories would never truly leave him—except for the ones that were so badly damaged by Malak's betrayal that he would never regain them—but those memories didn't define him. They helped make him who he was but that didn't mean that they defined him.
I stole a ship and used it to to get to the sea floor. His words weren't exactly a lie. He had stolen a ship to get to the sea floor. Anakin didn't need to know how that theft actually happened. His memories of that day were sketchy anyway so he wasn't quite sure of everything that went down that day.
Anakin raised an eyebrow at him and then gave the equivalent of a mental shrug. 'Sounds like something I would do. Wonder if we're gonna have to do the same thing this time around?'
I doubt the Selkath are going to let that happen, not when both the Republic and the Sith Empire are housed on their planet. They won't want anything to happen that would threaten their neutrality after all.
'True.'
"So who is going to go with us into the city?" Revan asked out loud as he gazed at the rest of the group. "Other than Anakin and Bastila and Luke, I mean." He had to add the last part because he could see that Bastila was about to say something, probably proclaiming that she would be accompanying him. Of course she would be accompanying him.
Revan may enjoy the time that he got to spend with Bastila but that didn't change the fact that he knew that Bastila was watching over him on orders from the Jedi Council. It irritated him but at the same time he did understand. He knew the Jedi Council were wary of him because of what he had done as Malak's master.
Even so, and even if there were some things that he wouldn't change because his actions were preparing the Republic, it was still a bit irritating.
He still didn't even know what he had been preparing the Republic for.
A part of him didn't care but a larger part was hoping that the memories of why weren't among those that had been damaged beyond repair.
"I'll go with," Mission said.
'Me too,' Zaalbar growled.
"I'd rather do something than just sit here and do nothing," Dustil said.
"I'll go with too," Carth said.
No one was really surprised by that, not even Dustil.
"All right, I'll leave you young ones to handle this matter. This old man will stay and watch the ship," Jolee said.
"I will stay as well," Juhani said.
Canderous shrugged. "Planet sounds boring anyway."
It was agreed that HK would stay while T3 would accompany them just in case they needed its help in slicing any computers or opening any doors or downloading anything important.
"Well, let's get going then," Revan said.
. . .
Spaceport, Ahto City, Manaan
"You Republic people are so pathetic, sitting around groveling at the table scraps the galactic senators deign to give you. It makes me sick!"
"The senators work for the good of the whole galaxy, not for individual gain."
"Ha! Don't make me laugh, you gutless simp! It's the destiny of weak-minded fools like you to be ruled over by the strong, like we Sith."
That was the first thing that Bastila and her companions came across when they left the space port and entered the city. They all stood off to the side, watching the Sith and Republic soldiers argue. They both didn't look happy and she was positive it was only because of the Selkath's neutrality, and the fact that neither could afford to cost their respective sides' access to the kolto, that they weren't coming to blows.
"I'm warning you! Don't push me, or you'll get just what you're asking for!" The Republic soldier said angrily.
The Sith Soldier laughed cruelly, mockingly. "Try it. Just try it. I'd love to see you throw the first punch." His lips curled into a sneer. "There are so many cameras that the Selkath will be all over you in less than thirty seconds. You break their laws, you pay the price, Republic scum."
He snorted, folding his arms across his chest as he added, "But you aren't man enough to back up your words anyway. If you ever feel like relieving yourself of your worthless existence, feel free to come by our enclave here. We have many, many ways to fulfill your wish." With another cruel laugh, the Sith soldier strode off, leaving the Republic soldier to growl out a series of curses as he glared after him.
Bastila shook her head. She knew that Manaan was neutral and there was little that the Republic could do in response to the Sith's words. It wasn't as if the Sith were attacking the Republic, since they knew just as well as she did that if they did then they would risk their access to kolto, which could turn the tide of the war against them.
"That bastard really deserves a good fist to the face," Anakin muttered.
"If there was a way to do that without having the Selkath swarm us for breaking their laws, I'd say go for it. But, unfortunately, that wouldn't be a good idea," Zhane said with a shrug as his sharp eyes watched the Republic soldier turn around, only for him to jump in surprise.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there, Master Jedi," the soldier said with a salute. "You must have witnessed that display and I do apologize. I should have controlled myself but those Sith make it really hard to do so."
"It's fine," Zhane assured him. "I can understand why his words would upset you so much."
"If the Selkath didn't enforce their laws as strictly as they did, I'd have broken that sleemo's jaw," the soldier muttered before he shook his head. "But I'm sure that's not why you are here. I haven't met a Jedi before and yet I suspect that you're here for a reason."
"We're looking for a Star Map," said Bastila. "Do you happen to know anything about one?"
"Like an ancient artifact or something? Nah, sorry, can't say that I have. Though if you wanna know more 'bout this place then you should probably see Roland Wann. He's the Republic diplomat here. He's by the Republic enclave near the visitor's residence. The city's pretty big but it's fine. All you gotta do is go south through the first courtyard and then east to the second courtyard and its in the northeast end of that area."
"All right. Thank you." Zhane inclined his head and walked past the soldier, who muttered something about taking a break to calm himself down and find a cantina, and headed deeper into the city.
"If the city is as big as it is then finding the location of the Star Map might not be that easy," said Mission, folding her arms across her chest. "And we don't know for sure if this Wann person knows the location of the Star Map."
"I think we should split up," said Zhane, glancing at Anakin who nodded in agreement.
"One group can go and speak with Wann while the other can probably look for information in cantinas. Cantinas are a pretty good place to find information after all," he replied.
Bastila pressed her lips together. She wasn't sure she liked the idea of splitting up but the city was a big one. Of course, I will simply stay with Zhane. "It will not attract too much attention as well," she said as that thought occurred to her. "And that could only help us. The less attention we attract, the more likely we can avoid trouble."
"Unless you're a trouble magnet like Anakin," Mission said with a grin.
"Oh shut up, Mission," said Anakin in irritation.
"How do we split up?" said Carth.
"I will go with Zhane," Bastila said.
"Of course you will. We should just let those two go off by themselves, since Bastila clearly wants some alone time with Zhane," Anakin said with a cheeky grin on his lips that widened when Bastila's face went red, unable to respond to Anakin's insinuation.
I don't feel that way! Why would he insinuate such a thing? She thought.
Though a part of you does…
Bastila firmly shoved that thought away before she could even complete it because it wasn't true. She only saw Zhane as a companion, and someone that she knew she had to keep an eye on because of who he truly was and the fact that she knew his memories weren't permanently gone. They seemed to be waking up, as was obvious by the visions they were sharing about the Star Maps, and that was the only reason why she was staying with him.
There was no other reason. None whatsoever. She didn't like him like that. She was a Jedi. Those emotions were emotions that she did not feel.
He is...far different from what I always pictured him to be based on my studies on him from during the war or before my encounter with him. He is very nice and kind and sweet and compassionate. He has a nice smile and his eyes are so intelligent and cunning but also very sweet…Stop it! Stop with those thoughts! Why are you thinking these things about him, Shan? She thought, trying and failing to hide the blazing blush that was dominating her cheeks.
Zhane responded to Anakin's words by kicking him hard in the shin while Bastila was struggling to regain control of her emotions.
"Hey, you know that you want the same...ow!" Anakin winced when Zhane smacked him upside the head, an irritated twitch above his eye.
"Let's focus on the mission, Anakin. I say you lead one group while I lead the other. Of course, Luke will go with you. I couldn't pry you two apart with a hydrospanner so..."
"I'm not that clingy, am I?" Luke said, glancing at Mission who shrugged.
"I wouldn't really know so I dunno," she said.
It was decided that Mission and Zaalbar would accompany Anakin and Luke while Carth and Dustil would accompany Zhane and Bastila. Due to the fact that Mission knew how to slice into computers, T3 would be accompany Zhane's group and, due to Bastila's insistence, Zhane's group was heading for the enclave.
"Which mean's we're cantina jumping," Anakin mused.
"You sound far more excited about that prospect than one would think, Anakin," Zhane deadpanned.
"Wasn't the last time you were in a cantina was after you'd fallen almost thirty stories to catch a speeder carrying that assassin?" Mission said.
"..." Anakin chose not to respond to that, though Mission clearly found the memory of that story very amusing, judging by the amusement that glistened in her brown eyes.
Bastila frowned. "You fell almost thirty stories to catch a speeder carrying an assassin?" she said incredulously.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Anakin said defensively.
"When is it ever a good idea to fall thirty stories to catch a speeder carrying an assassin?"
"When you're trying to catch a speeder carrying an assassin, of course."
"Of course," Mission said with a snort.
Zaalbar growled in amused agreement.
"We should head out," Zhane said, though his own amusement echoed in his voice. "We can talk about Anakin's adventures in driving his former master insane later. We have a Star Map to find now. Our group will head for the Republic enclave while yours can search the rest of the city. Contact us if you find anything."
"Same to you," Anakin said and, turning, walked away with Luke, Mission, and Zaalbar walking after him.
Bastila watched him go, her brow furrowing in thought. There was something different about Anakin, something that she noticed not long after they left Mortis, and it seemed that it linked back to Zhane. She could feel it in the Force but she wasn't sure what it was she was sensing in the Force. She could feel her own bond with Zhane and the bond between Anakin and Luke but little else, except that there was something there between Zhane and Anakin but she didn't know what.
She shook her head. Focus on the mission at hand. You can ponder what is between those two later, she thought as she turned and began to follow Zhane as he led the way deeper into Ahto City.
. . .
Ahto West, Ahto City, Manaan
"Well, this place doesn't look that friendly," Mission commented as they made their way deeper into Ahto West, heading toward where one of the Selkath they passed mentioned the mercenary enclave was located. Luke agreed with the blue-skinned Twi'lek but, since they were mercenaries, he wasn't surprised that the place didn't seem friendly. The only reason they were even there was because of that Selkath Niilko who'd stopped them when they entered Ahto West and asked to speak with them at the mercenary enclave, insisting that it was important. The Selkath's basic was very limited but, thankfully, Anakin seemed capable of understanding him somehow. He didn't explain how but Luke could feel him using the Force while he was speaking to Niiklo.
He wondered if that was how Anakin was able to understand the Selkath.
Either way, Luke could tell that Niilko really felt that it was important, he could sense it, and he was sure that Anakin could to.
Besides, we might be able to get some information out of him after we hear him out. That was Anakin's response when he agreed to go and speak with Niilko at the enclave. Speaking with one of the native about the Star Map could definitely help them in finding the Star Map's location and if they could help that Selkath out as well then Luke was all right with that.
Helping others was what Jedi did. That was one of the things that Luke learned about the Jedi, in spite of his limited education on the Jedi Order, the Code, and the Force during the war against the Empire.
They made their way into the enclave and Luke scanned the area until he found the Selkath from earlier. "Over there," he said, pointing to an alcove near the bar where the Selkath was standing.
Anakin made his way over to join them. "Hello," he greeted in basic and listened to the Selkath's response before adding, "You know I think you're probably the only Selkath who's actually willing to speak with us."
He listened and added, "Let's just say I used a trick that I was recently taught to learn your language."
Luke raised an eyebrow at that, wondering what trick Anakin was talking about.
'I learned how to use the Force to learn the Selkath's language.'
You can do that?
'I wouldn't advice trying it yourself, Luke.'
Why not?
'Just trust me.'
Luke did trust his father but he didn't know why his father was keeping what he'd learned to himself. It seemed like there was something about that technique that Anakin didn't want Luke to learn and Luke couldn't figure out why.
'For one, it is an invasion of privacy, even if the Selkath doesn't realize what's happening. I only taught myself this so that I'll have an easier time speaking with the Selkath.'
You did this without their consent? Luke did everything he could to keep his shock off his face while Anakin continued to speak with the Selkath out loud while responding to Luke's inquiry through their Force bond.
'Hence why I don't want you to do something like this. I'll face the consequences of my decision to learn this technique. I don't want you to have to face them as well, especially since this technique isn't considered a Jedi technique.'
Is it a Sith technique? The thought of his father learning a technique used by the Sith sent a cold shiver down his spine and made him think about Vader, about the Sith Lord that his father could become in the future. He didn't want his father to become consumed by the darkness again.
'The technique itself isn't bad. It's how one uses it that determines whether it is bad or not. I haven't harmed anyone with this technique, even if it took me a couple of tries to actually get it right during our walk here, so there's nothing bad about it, aside from the invasion of privacy thing. Just because it isn't a Jedi technique doesn't automatically make it a Sith technique. Luke, the galaxy isn't as black and white as that.'
Luke glanced at his father briefly out of the corner of his eye, thinking on his words. It was true that the world wasn't as simple as the black and white view some people had painted it as and it was true that a technique not used by the Jedi didn't necessarily have to be a Sith technique.
He was just so used to there being Jedi, the good people, and Sith, the bad people, that seeing beyond that black and white view was still something he was learning to do.
He may have been the one that felt there was good inside of Vader, in spite of everyone else believing he was wrong, and he may have been the only one who thought Vader could actually return to the light but that didn't mean he wasn't still naive. He was. The war against the Empire hadn't cured all of that naivete, all of that black and white view of the galaxy.
He was still learning, still starting to see the galaxy for what it truly was. The black, the white, and all the shades of gray that lay in between.
I guess...I should know that by now and yet…
'I know, Son. I'm only doing this to help, that's all.' Out loud, Anakin assured the Selkath that he would look into why the Republic was hiring so many mercenaries.
"I don't know if I like this. Aren't the Republic supposed to be the good guys?" Mission said warily.
Zaalbar growled in agreement.
"Maybe the Republic's getting desperate in this war," said Luke.
"Maybe," Anakin said as he made his way deeper into the enclave.
They were stopped by another Selkath and Anakin spoke to him calmly while listening to his words. Based on the half of the conversation that Luke was able to follow, he learned that the Selkath, named Shaelas, was attempting to find information on some missing Selkath, one of which was his daughter.
Luke felt Anakin's understanding sympathy flare through the Force.
"I understand," he said calmly. "I'll do what I can to find anything about your daughter. I'm a father myself and I would do anything to find my child if something were to happen to him too so I can understand what you're going through."
He listened and nodded. "Yes. I'll come back once I have found out anything."
"So what happened?" Mission asked.
Anakin explained about the missing Selkath, adding, "Shaelas believes the Sith are involved and he doesn't like the coincidence that these disappearances happened right around when the Sith arrived. He wants me to find the fate of his daughter and the others so I agreed."
"So now what? Do we start asking everyone about these missing Selkath as well as why those mercenaries are being hired as well as the Star Map? Sounds like a heck of a lot to focus on, y'know?"
"Let's split it up then," Anakin suggested. "We can start talking to people around this enclave and see if we can find out something and meet up at the entrance in an hour. Sound good?"
Mission hummed and then shrugged. "Eh, beats standing around doing nothing."
"All right," Luke said.
Zaalbar growled in agreement. He remained with Mission as she went off to speak to an Echani standing nearby while Luke turned and scanned the area until he came across in Iridorian standing on the other side of the enclave.
I hope this works, he thought as he walked over to join the Iridorian.
The Iridorian gave him a nasty look. "I am not for hire. Perhaps the Mandalorian or the Echani can help you, though they lack the stomach for certain jobs," he said in accented basic.
"I'm actually not here to hire you. I was hoping you'd be willing to answer some questions," Luke said.
The Iridorian snorted. "Ask whatever you want but you may find some of my answers distasteful."
Luke thought about what to start with and decided that he would start with the reason why they were on Manaan to begin with. The Iridorian didn't seem to know anything about the Star Map though, only suggesting that it might be at the bottom of the ocean. He sounded sarcastic but that seemed as good a place for it to be as any.
He didn't have anything else important to tell Luke but he seemed to know something about the missing Selkath. The Iridorian's defenses immediately raised and Luke knew that he was hiding something. He knew more than he was letting on but he didn't seem too keen on talking.
He thought about how he'd managed to convince Jabba the Hutt's guard to let him by when he'd gone to negotiate for Han's release. He wondered if he could do the same here. It's worth a try. All right, focus. He took a deep breath and, reaching out with the Force, he said calmly, gently, "I am your friend. You want to tell me what's going on."
The Iridorian blinked and then shrugged. "You do not seem like the others of this world. Even the Sith here do not understand our kind. The Sith sought to buy my loyalty with credits, as if wealth could somehow quench my burning bloodlust. They would have been better off hiring an Echani for the errands they had me running." The irritation in his voice was obvious and Luke pressed, asking him what he was doing for the Sith.
"The task paid well, but was boring and beneath me. I was told to lure the Selkath youth to the Sith Embassy, nothing more. I lied, I threatened, I promised, and I brought the most promising youth of the fish people to the Sith."
Luke frowned. "What happened to them?"
"I left them. To what purpose, I neither know nor care. Perhaps when the Sith learn I have betrayed their secret, they will try to kill me. I would welcome the excitement." The Iridorian's eyes shone with excitement and Luke resisted the urge to shiver. He hasn't seen that kind of bloodlust in anyone's eyes before.
He thought about the Iridorian's words though. His words tell me that it's likely that the Sith are capturing these Selkaths for a reason but why? Could they be trying to turn these Selkath to their side?
He thanked the Iridorian for the information and walked away, looking around for his father, Mission, and Zaalbar. He joined them once he saw them near the entrance. He could tell by the frustrated expression on Mission's face that she hadn't found anything out.
"Ugh, no one would talk to me and the one person who I thought might actually have information treated me like a stupid kid!" she exclaimed.
Zaalbar growled.
"It's not like I kicked him anywhere precious! But he shouldn't have called me a kid!"
Zaalbar shook his head with another growl.
"Wait, who did you kick?" Anakin said.
Mission huffed and pointed at a human who was clutching at his shin and swearing angrily, giving Mission a vicious glare.
Zaalbar locked eyes with the human and growled.
The human paled and quickly scrambled away from his spot by the table.
"I didn't find anything out on my end either," Anakin admitted. "No one seems to know anything about those missing Selkaths or about why the Republic are hiring mercenaries."
"I found out something," Luke said and, when Anakin, Mission, and Zaalbar looked at him, he explained everything he'd learned from the Iridorian. "If we could somehow get into the Sith Base then we could find those missing Selkath. It's something."
"It's more than something. You got a heck of a lot more information than the three of us combined!" Mission said with a grin.
"Great job, Luke," Anakin said, pride in his eyes.
Luke blushed in embarrassment and, coughing, glanced away but he couldn't help but smile at the pride in his father's voice. "Getting into the Sith Base is going to be troublesome though," he said, a small frown on his lips.
"We could always break in," said Anakin thoughtfully, quietly, as he led the way out of the enclave and toward the center of the courtyard.
"Are you crazy?" Luke gave his father an incredulous look. "We'd have the entire Selkath down on us if we did something like that."
"Not to mention just how would we do that anyway?" said Mission, folding her arms across her chest.
Anakin grinned suddenly.
Luke had a very bad feeling about that grin.
. . .
Republic Embassy, Ahto East, Ahto City
In hindsight, I should have figured Wann would want something in return for information, Revan thought as he listened to Wann asking him for help and, in return, he would help them by giving them the information that they need.
"What do you want me to do?" he said. It wasn't as if he really needed to, since he already knew the Star Map's location, but he needed to keep up appearances. And if he had to help Wann with whatever he wanted then he would. Honestly, if he didn't have Bastila practically glued to his hip then he wouldn't have even bothered on coming to the embassy and have just gone to the Hrakert Rift already.
If Bastila hadn't been with me, I would have already gone to the Star Forge itself, he thought, making sure to keep that thought to himself. The last thing he wanted was for Bastila to find out that he had the vast majority of his memories back.
He knew the main reason why he hadn't just abandoned his companions was for a couple of reasons. The main one was because of his decision to train Anakin, to teach him everything he hadn't learned from his master in his own time, and because he wanted to help Anakin reach his full potential and begin walking the path down the fine line between the dark and the light that he wanted to walk down.
The fine line that indicated balance.
Anakin wanted to achieve balance within himself because, like Revan had already told him, what hope did he have of bringing balance to the Force if he couldn't bring balance to himself?
The other reason was simply that Revan had become comfortable with his companions. He liked them, cared for them in a way that he hasn't cared for anyone. They were his friends and he would admit that they had become somewhat like a family to him, even Bastila in spite of her unwavering, and somewhat blind, faith in the Jedi Council.
He actually did want to aid them in defeating Malak and the Sith and he did enjoy their company and their aid. He knew that they were all fighting for the same thing that he was, the defeat of Malak and the Sith, so why shouldn't he keep working with them? They all had their own sets of skills that have greatly helped since they all left Dantooine on this quest together.
Even if he could go straight to the Star Forge without having to go through the farce of tracking down the Star Maps, he wouldn't.
Besides, it might be a good idea for him to find a way to lock down the Star Maps so that no one else would be able to find them. The Star Forge wasn't a power that he wanted in just anyone's hands, even though he knew that it had proven a great assist in his quest to conquer the Republic and prepare them…
He still didn't know what he was trying to prepare them for, and that still irritated him.
And that is another reason why I'm staying with Bastila and the others because, maybe, finding these Star Maps can help me figure out why I tried to conquer the Republic, and what I was preparing them for.
He hoped that was the case. He didn't want to believe that the memories of why and what he was preparing the Republic for were among the memories that he would never regain.
He pushed the thought aside again, musing that this wasn't the only time that he's thought about that since he got his memories back. He had to focus on the now.
He listened to Wann's words about a recording and a data module that the Sith had stolen and he wanted back. If Revan retrieved that data module then Wann would tell him everything that he needed to know.
Seems easy enough, except for the whole breaking into the Sith base, he mused.
He listened to Wann's options and decided to just have T3 decrpyt the captured Sith passcards and use them to get into the base. It seemed like the less stressful of the three options, and Revan didn't feel up for interrogating the prisoner nor did he wanted to attempt the secondary entrance, even with the passcard that Wann gave him.
"All right, T3, let's get to work," he said with a smile at the little droid who beeped and rolled forward.
"Is this the best idea?" Bastila asked.
"Seems like a good idea to me," Carth said.
Dustil folded his arms across his chest. "If you ask me, I say we should have interrogated the prisoner. He might have had more information than just the passcode to get into the base," he said. "But I guess this'll take the less amount of time."
"I wonder how Anakin is doing," Carth said.
Revan tilted his head to the side, reaching across his bond with Anakin. How are things going on your end? He sent.
'Well,' Anakin sent back.
Revan could sense that the other man wasn't telling him everything but, when he asked him what was going on, all he got was a 'nothing. Don't worry. Everything's fine.'
Revan had this odd feeling Anakin was about to do something incredibly reckless. Anakin, what are you planning?
'What? You don't trust me?'
Are you giving a reason not to?
'None at all. Just trust me.' Anakin went silent, leaving Revan to ponder what he was talking about, and what exactly he was doing.
. . .
A/n what do you think?
Blaze: and so we have reached Manaan!
Bakura: and the Skywalkers are getting into trouble again...as usual
Palpatine: who the hell cares…?
Rey: (shoves Palpatine into a Sarlacc's Pit) hello
Bakura: who's this?
Blaze: she's –SPOILER- (whispers who Rey is to Bakura)
Bakura: oh…I feel that I should be worried, very worried
Blaze: (laughs) Welcome, by the way, Rey
Rey: glad to be here. I hear this place is random and you are a larger fan of Legends than Canon
Blaze: I love your character arc, Rey, but, yeah, I will always be a bigger fan of Legends. And, yes, this place is really random
Palpatine: (climbs out of Sarlacc's Pit) why is that even still there?
Anakin: (shoves Palpatine back into Sarlacc's Pit) welcome to the insanity, Rey. Word of advice: feel free to do whatever the hell you want to characters Blaze doesn't like but don't harm anyone that Blaze likes
Rey: duly noted
Blaze: I'm missing someone
Ben Solo: wait, why am I here?
Blaze: there he is! Okay, Reylo! End the chapter (walks off)
Rey: Reylo?
Ben: I believe that is our ship name
Rey: ...why Reylo?
Ben: probably because it sounds better than combining your name with my actual name
Rey: true. Anyway, Blaze hopes that you enjoyed this chapter.
Ben: reviews, as always, are much appreciated and the next chapter will be posted next week sometime
Rey & Ben: thank you for reading!