Chapter 5
Wookiee Rescue
UNNAMED HAMMERHEAD CRUISER
Outer Rim
Most of the Black Knights and the other crew members of the yet to be determined ship, were asleep in the various crew quarters scattered across the ship. Aayla was under guard in her own quarters, the other clones who weren't watching her room were fast asleep in their quarters next to the younglings who were all sharing rooms with the exception of Ganodi and Katooni who had their own bunks just for them. While most of them slept soundly Gungi, the wookie Padawan tossed and turned in his bunk, having not a dream or a nightmare but worse.
The sound of sinister hissing echoed in his dreams, the distressed call of a wookie warrior fighting a departe battle before fleeing into the shadowlands of his people. The hisses grew louder and a call like shriek echoed around them when he heard a Wookiee scream.
An electrical net had been cast over the warrior who fell to the ground growling as the net shocked him under his fur looking up. Gungi saw the world from the warrior's eyes, he'd been captured and he saw a series of lizard eyes staring down at him.
Before the butt of a rifle smashed into his face.
Gungi woke up with a yelp of terror waking up the other youngling boys. Dray shot up from his bunk across Gungi, Zatt snapped out of his pleasant dream and so did Byph. Petro shot up so fast he banged his head on the top of his bunk and rolled out of the bead landing on the ground with a heavy thud.
Minutes later Gungi was sitting in his quarters with everyone standing around him in their pajamas. The Masters had all come and so had Leo, his left arm was in a sling from after getting shot by Crosshair and without a bacta tank or a skilled healer it would have to recover on its own in it's own time. Leo was shirtless wearing only his gray pants, the others all dressed in similar nightgowns or sleeping clothes. Others like Sian, Maris and K'Kruhk had simply shed their boots and armor to sleep in before they also to came in and see what had happened.
"What did you see?" Leo asked him as Tholme came in the last of the jedi to join them.
Gungi started to speak, telling them what he'd seen "A Wookiee warrior in danger, was it you?" Leo asked.
Shaking his furry head Gungi barked back "No, but he saw through the warriors eyes he had a net thrown over him, one that electrocuted him."
The Masters all thought for a few moments "Could be danger ahead of us, many bounty hunters use electro nets to stop jedi, they're very effective against lightsabers?" Tholme said over to the others who nodded.
"... Was it yellow?" Turok asked.
Hesa turned to the trandoshan "Was what?" Tholme.
"Ask the Wookiee if the net's shock he saw was yellow?" Turok asked Leo, who in turn asked Leo pointing to Turok to answer his question.
Gungi gulped before replying in a few wookie words "He says yes, how'd you know?"
Turok sighed crossing his arms, shaking his head, "Bounty Hunter?" Sian asked sensing Turok knew who or what the net came from, "The kid saw a trandoshan stun net."
"Trandoshan, like you?" Jinx asked in his pajamas of a tank top and shorts.
Glaring at the twi'lek "You see any other seven foot tall lizard people on this ship I don't know about?"
"Fair point." Jinx said.
K'Kruhk stepped forward "This is nothing I'm afraid, the blood feud between the Wookiees and your people Turok Skell is known to all."
"If we know that, why did Gungi see it?" Zatt asked, confused still.
"Perhaps the trandoshans presence warrants enough fear, his people take wookie pelts as trophies?" Tholme said without any hint of remorse.
Turok snarled at Tholme before he bore his fangs glaring down at Leo and Gungi, and when he saw the fear in the young Wookiees eyes. Turok stomped off pushing past Sian and Maris stormed off down the hallway smashing his massive fist into the wall leaving a dent. "Master Tholme what was that." Sian watched the trandoshan said.
Tholme wasn't even fazed or bothered about what he'd said "I didn't mean to offend, it's the fact that the trandoshan hunters make sport of hunting wookiees if that bothers him so much that's his problem."
"We can talk about that later, Gungi, do you remember anything about the wookiee you saw? What did he look like?"
Gungi answered him "Older, armored, long braids that don't narrow it down." Jinx said, rolling his eyes, K'Kruhk sighed "Pardon me Rock." The Master said, sitting down in front of Gungi.
"Youngling, I know it is scary but as a Jedi you must overcome your fear and sit here and meditate with me." The Whipid said, crossing his legs, Gungi followed sitting across from him "Close your eyes, remember the dream as best as you can." K'Kruhk said holding his claws up to Gungi waving them down as Gungi closed his eyes "Focus on the trees, on the sound you heard, on the warrior…. think of his essence and the name will come." K'Kruhk said. Gungi and K'Kruhk entered the living forces tether to the cosmic everyone watched until Gungi whispered out a name.
"Tarfful, what's a Tarfful?" Petro asked.
Leo looked up at Tholme who looked back, all the older jedi exchanging looks Jinx knew the name too "It's not a what, it's a who a Wookiee Chieftain who saved Jinx and I on Wasskah from trandoshan hunters?" Leo said.
"Then it seems the trandoshan have come for their revenge." Tholme said, summarizing it.
Jinx crossed his arms thinking about something, he paced "Jinx?" Leo asked "We have to go help him, we owe him, I owe him." Jinx said.
"We will." Leo replied, "We will?" Tholme asked him.
Leo turned to Tholme quickly "Gungi's vision came to him for a reason, if trandoshans have kidnapped General Tarfful in revenge for helping us we owe it to him to return the favor." Leo nodded at Jinx "We'll take the Rogue Shadow, just Jinx and I, no one else."
"And if you're captured?" Tholme asked him.
"They captured me once, let them try again." Jinx said holding up his hand and to everyone except Tholm,e and Leo's surprise lightning appeared in Jinx hand, before he closed his fist heading to the exit "I'll meet you in the Rogue Shadow." Was all Jinx said when everyone got out of his way.
Later, Leo was in the hangar pulling on his leather gloves as Jinx was already aboard Leo's stealth ship fully dressed making sure all the systems were ready to go. Tholme was standing at the foot of the boarding ramp. He wasn't wearing his robe and instead had put on his greenish gray tunic and robes, his gray hair was tied up in a ponytail like Leo's man bun on the back of his head "What is it?" Leo asked him.
"And where exactly do you plan to start your search?" Tholme asked, folding his arms over one another.
Leo strapped on his last glove clip rolling his eyes "Kashyyyk where else, Tarfful is the chief of Kachirho, it's a coastal city on the planet if he's missing then we'll start there and if not we can warn him." Leo said back to him.
"Kayshyyyk is also a Republic world, neutral yes in the war, but still Republic jurisdiction and you're a wanted man?" Tholme said, lecturing him on the dangers.
Putting his hands on his hips "Mine minds made up Tholme, this isn't just a hunch for Jinx and I."
"I know that-" "Do you?" Leo asked to cut him off, he took a step toward Tholme, Leo wasn't the boy he use to be anymore a growth spurt had made him slightly taller then Tholme now. "I wasn't there as long as Jinx, on Wasskah, but he was hunted like an animal for years until the Wookiees they saved us, not the Jedi Council, our training, not me or Ahsoka like he says." Leo sighed, shaking his head "... This is a matter of honor and we'll see it through whatever the risk." Leo said, passing by him.
Tholme watched Leo go up the stairs "Rock." Tholme called out, Leo took one last grudging glance at Tholme over his shoulder "Forgive my caution, I have spent many years in the shadow where honor is…. a commodity, so let me at least say this; may the force be with you."
"And with you." Leo replied, pressing the button to shut the ramp.
Leo walked through the ship where he saw Jinx already in the copilot seat and sitting in the navigator seat behind him was Turok. Leo and he exchanged looks before Leo sat in the pilot chair "You do know we're going to Kayshyyyk?"
"I do, and if we're looking for trandoshans there who better than one who knows how they hunt?" Turok said as he started to plug in the coordinates "And you know what the wookiees will do to the first trandoshan they see if their Chief is missing?"
"Throw me in chains, parade through the streets, rip my arms off, kill me then skin me alive, and turn me into a belt or nice pair of boots." Turok asked, both Jinx and Leo were looking back in their chairs as Tholme opened the cargo hold/hanger for them to fly out "You think I don't know anything about this blood feud." Turok said. The Rogue Shadow took off soaring out of the hanger and jumping into hyperspace.
The blue vortex of the hyperspace lane appeared in front of them, leaning back in his chair Jinx turned around "Turok, when did this whole blood feud start if you don't mind me asking?" Jinx inquired.
Giving an exasperated sigh "Where do I begin, well for starters do you know about the Scorekeeper?" Turok asked.
"Scorekeeper?" Leo asked, "That'sa no I'll bet, look Trandoshans are hunters by nature I love hunting, why I became a bounty hunter might as well get paid for what you love. So the Scorekeper is the trandoshan god, you get points in his eyes for kills and hunting." He explained to the two jedi.
"So where do the walking carpets fit into this?" Jinx asked.
Turok waved it off "I'm getting to it, I'm getting to it; so somewhere when the two systems were starting to make contact with the rest of the galaxy that's when all the trouble starts personally I think it started when the Wookiee got hyperspace travel first and everyone started calling it the Kayshyyyk System, throw in a few more centuries and that wound festered bad, a few wars, backed by different sides not to mention Trandoshans have been denied a seat in the Republic and the wookiees make every choice for the system for us." Turok snarled.
"Huh, so it's like Dak with the Calamari and Quarren, the Quarren are the minority voice?" Leo asked him.
Turok held up two claws like a blaster and shot it "Just with less revenge killings, we kill one of them, they kill us back and forth." Turok said leaning back in his chair. Leo was about to Ask Turok something when they heard a clang down the ship, the three men got up and walked into the main atrium of the ship and looked around when Leo sighed sensing it "I know your in the vents."
At first silence, then Turok sniffed them "... No we're not…." A voice said from the vents in the floor.
Leo squatted down "I'm giving you to the count of three, anyone on my ship come out now."
"One, two." The vent on the floor opened up and Gungi popped out followed by a closet opening "Three-" Maris stepped out pulling a sock that had been pierced by her horn off.
"Maris?" Leo asked, seeing her "To be fair, I snuck on first I didn't bring the youngling." She said pointing to Gungi who climbed out and started to give soft roars of excuses and reasons "Whoa, whoa slow down." Leo said stopping Gungi's rambling.
Turok crossed his arms "What he say?"
"He says it's his vision, so he needs to go along." Leo said before Gungi said something else "And having a wookiee on Kashyyyk is a good idea anyway."
"Kind of like having a trandoshan when hunting trandoshan eh?" Jinx asked Turok who elbowed him from the side "Har har." He hissed back.
Leo looked over at Maris waiting for her explanation "I already spent most of my life cooped up in the temple with a bunch of old Geezers, no way I'm doing it in a ship with no name, that's bad luck."
"Huh?" Leo asked.
"A ship with no name, it's back luck old spacer juju." Turok said, heading back into the bridge.
"We'll pick a name when we get back." Leo said "Come on you, two might as well hang out on the bridge so we go over the plan."
KAYSHYYYK
The Shadowlands
The great wookiee Chieftain Tarfful growled at his captors a group of trandoshan mercenaries all standing over him, "Tough old dog aren't you." One said over him, the trandoshan mercenary was as big, wearing a one piece orange hunters garment with a metal breast plate. He had a pair of goggles over his eyes and chewed on a long strand of grass leaning a sniper rifle over his shoulder. Tarfful barked at him but the chains he was strapped to held the wookiees powerful jaws inches from the mercenary.
"Captain Nalash we got a transmission out." One of his hunters said, the hunter smashed Tarfful in the gut with his sniper rifle making the great chief fall to the ground on his hairy knees. Nalash laughed walking back to a speeder where a hologram appeared before him.
The hologram formed in a matter of seconds to reveal the Sith Lord Count Dooku, dressed in his shoulders padded tunic hands behind his back "Captain Nalash, I trust you contacting me means you were successful?" Dooku asked.
"Yes my lord, I give you Chief Tarfful of the Wookiees." He said as the trandoshans dragged Tarfful toward the count stabbing him with shock staffs.
The Count smiled "Well done, I will send a transport for you to escort the Chief back to Trandosha."
"And with your support we will crush the Wookiees." Captain Nalash said holding up a fisted claw.
THE COASTAL CITY OF KACHIRHO
The Rogue Shadow, flew through the clouds of Kayshyyk down to the city, Kachirho was a coastal Wookiee settlement located in the Wawaatt Archipelago of Kashyyyk that served as the planet's capital. It was made up of several inhabited wroshyr trees, including Tree Kachirho and Tree Vikkilynn. Two piers and docks extended out from the city into the freshwater lagoon, the Rogue Shadow flew down low to the water approaching the city. Gungi and Maris looked out the windows from behind Jinx and Leo as they flew down. "See anywhere we can land?" Leo asked.
"I'm picking up coordinates to land at the space port near the city." Jinx said as two Owool Interceptors flew by, a heavy, single-pilot starfighter that was designed by the Wookiees of the shipyard KashyCorp after the end of the Swarm War. Owool Interceptors were twin-engine heavy starfighters that featured an armament of four laser cannons and two ion cannons, and had the ability to launch Jedi shadow bombs if required. Operated by a single pilot, the Owool had enough cockpit room for a 2.26-meter-tall Wookiee, with the cockpit situated in the tapered fuselage of the hyperdrive-equipped brown starfighter. With a pair of engine mounts—each of which also housed the laser cannons—that were connected via a spar to either side of the fuselage and rose slightly above the cockpit, the starfighter looked like a fork-prowed wedge when viewed from the front. Military observers described the fighters as tough, fast, and ferocious like the Wookiees who built them.
Leo watched the interceptors fly by them awfully close "Best not to raise suspicion." Leo said taking the Rogue Shadow toward the city space port, that was at the base of one of the great wroshyr trees. There he spotted a dozen ships all parked on a large platform, all cargo haulers and freighters with crates around them. The Rogue Shadow set down and the ramp lowered before they all walked down it Leo stopped Turok "Maybe best you stay behind, we may need a pilot if we need a quick exit?" Leo asked him.
"Oh and nothing with me being a trandoshan has anything to do with it?" Turok asked him.
"Oh come on, if the city's Chief was taken by trandoshans you'll be the first person their militia grabs?" Leo asked him.
Sighing with annoyance he said "Good point Leo, fine, but I better get to shoot something later." Turok said heading back into the ship, Proxy was about to join him too "Shall I stay on the ship too Master?" Proxy asked.
"Yes and I mean yes, no trying to kill me this time." Leo said to the droid before he followed the others out of the ship.
Jinx, Maris and Gungi were waiting for him at the bottom of the ramp. Maris had donned a dark gray pancho and Jinx was wearing a sleeveless robe with a baggy hood to fit over his lekku "Hoods up, we don't want to draw too much attention and hide your lightsabers." Leo ordered them all. Gungi looked around a t the harness he was wearing, not sure where to hide his, "I'll hold onto it little brother." Leo said holding out his hand, Gungi hesitated to hand over his lightsaber "I'll give it back, I promise." Leo said, eventually getting the wookiee to hand over the lightsaber. Leo tucked it inside his tunic before they headed into the city. Kachirho's opening gate had towering wookiee guards at the entrance with people coming in and out a majority of them other wookies all as dark fur and shaggy as the next. Some wearing harnesses, others simply walked in with simple sashes or garments. There were hunters, traders and more coming into the city. As they all towered over the four young jedi who passed into the city Gungi's brown eyes widened seeing the towering trees and walkways overhead. They passed by a tavern of wookiee hunters drinking and laughing inside. They could hear music being played "This place is full of wookiees, where are we going to start?"
"Where Gungi's vision started, Shadowlands right." Maris asked stopping in the middle of a large square at the center was a fountain with a wookiee statue in the center, the Wookiee appeared to be a warrior holding a double bladed vibro sword.
Gungi nodded "Where are the shadowlands, what are the shadowlands?" Maris asked.
"There the forest floor of Kayhyyyk not even the wookiees go there without good reason." Leo said to him.
"How do you even know that?" She asked the boy, he smirked, "You spend a few years with Obi-Wan Kenobi, you learn a thing or two." Leo said as they walked into the city. Heading up a flight of stairs they started to walk up the spiraling blocks of the great wroshyr trees passing by the large markets of vendors who were selling wookiee carvings, bowcasters, foods, meats and more. "There, we can get transport." Leo said pointing to an airship. It was powered by four propellers mounted on each side of two thrusters and could fit several Wookiees in compartments underneath an airship-like frame. The ship had two forward-facing guns for security from banditry and wildlife they were about to pass through when Gungi sensed something. Behind them up on one of the branches a sniper rifle was pointing at Leo's back.
Gungi snapped at Leo, and Leo looked up just in time to see the sniper "Scatter!" Leo shouted at them when the sniper opened fire.
The blaster bolt was red and ripped through the air toward them as they all jumped out of the way. The sound of the shop sent people and wookiees running in all directions, some of the wookies jumping onto lower branches of the trees. Leo took cover behind a stall looking up at the sniper who sent another shot at him, Leo dodged and ran toward the branch the sniper opened fire on him again. Leo jumped up to the side wall of the wroshyr tree and started to run up it before he lost momentum and jumped off the bark and landed on the branch to see the sniper, drawing his lightsaber he hesitated. They were someone Leo recognized as a kyuzo male, wearing a unique metallic wide brimmed hat, with orange on the top. He wore a chest plate over his body, an ammo bandolier slung over his shoulder and a long red fighting skirt decorated with gold symbols in his hands he held a bowcaster "Embo?" Leo asked, recognizing the bounty hunter.
Embo "Tu tee souviens de moy, je suis touché." Embo said in kyuzo.
"Here for the bounty?" Leo asked him as Embo held up his bowcaster "Et pour redresser la vue de mon bowcaster, persone ne les répare comme les Wookiees." Embo said as he opened fire on him. Leo deflected the incoming shots before Embo through his hat at Leo hitting him in the gut so hard he let go of his lightsaber, Leo fell back before Embo picked the hat, Leo's lightsaber in his hand.
"Rien de jedi personnel, une grosse prime sur ta tête juste ma chance tu es là je suppose." Embo added aiming his bowcaster at Leo to kill him when they heard the sound of fluttering.
Embo and Leo looked up to see they had been surrounded by four Wookiee The fluttercraft was named after the predatory insects known as gnasps, which were native to the Wookiee colony moon of Alaris Prime. It was a compact twin-seated scout craft used to patrol the dangerous lower levels of the jungles of Kashyyyk, as well as for rescue missions. The vehicle had no armor and relied on speed and agility to avoid enemy fire, though it was fitted with a rear-mounted laser cannon operated by the vehicle's gunner. Followed by both a dozen Wookiee militia warriors swinging down from vines or climbing up the bark from beneath them to surround the two. One Wookiee warrior stepped forward and had long braids with silver clips around their braids holding a war club.
Embo grunted dropping both blaster and lightsaber "Vous avez de la chance Jedi."
Down below Maris, Jinx and Gungi were all surrounded by the militia bowcasters pointed at them "So much for a low profile." Maris said hands up.
Later the four Jedi and Embo were led handcuffed toward a palace at the top of the Kachirho tree, the wood there was old and polished to shine. The four Jedi and hunter were pushed into a large chamber where nine wookiees of varying shades and appearance all sat with one seat in the center empty "Who are these guys?" Maris asked, looking at all the wookiees sitting in front of them. Somewhere brown, furred, black, grey and even one white all dressed in either wroshyr armor, silk garments or wearing long necklaces and medallions. The wookiees sat in a half ring around the chamber above the prisoners, a wooden desk lined with gold was in front of them. As they were led in, Leo saw Turok was already in chains on his knees in the left of the chamber under armed guard.
"This is the wookiee council, the ruling body of Kayshyyyk. If anyone knows what's happened to Tarfful, it's them." Leo whispered back to Maris. The Wookiee guardsman who had caught them came up and put their lightsabers in front of the white haired wookiee a tall slender one, when they looked closer they could see the white haired wookiee was actually gray with splints of brown in his fur showing his age.
A protocol droid walked out then standing in front of the rogue jedi, the grey haired wookiee spoke "The Wookiee Council wants to know why Rogue Jedi are here on Kayshyyyk, especially you Leo Rock." The droid said to him.
Leo looked up at the gray wookiee, closer Leo could see the wookiees eyes were cloudy, he was blind "To whom am I speaking?" Leo asked.
One of the larger wookiees in armor, black fur with a scar on his face let out a furious roar "You speak to Jakkababa the Wise, that is Commander Ruushal of the Wookiee Militia." She said gesturing first to the wookiee elder and then the black haired warrior.
Jakkababa spoke again and his droid translated "We know this one is a bounty hunter seeking the price on your head, by law he is within his right." The droid translated.
Embo gave what could only be considered a smug smirk under his mask "Tell us rogue jedi, why should we not give you to him."
Leo looked at Embo then at the Council members, he practically found it interesting one of the seats was empty. He stepped forward "Noble Council members, you sit here to the defense and guidance of your people but one seat is empty, the seat of your Chief, Tarfful."
Commander Ruushal gave a snarling respite at Leo "The Commander demand you tell him what you've done with him?"
Leo looked back at Jinx, who stepped forward "We have come to repay our debt of honor to him." Jinx said, suddenly the wookiee guards in the room rushed Jinx pointing spears at his ace. But Jakkababa held up a paw to stay their hands and asked them "What debt of honor?" The protocol droid translated for him.
Jinx looked at Leo, who said nothing so he could speak "Not long ago, my fellow Jedi and I were stranded on the Trandoshan moon to be hunted for sport, there we encountered another of your kind a wookiee named Chewbacca he fashioned a transmitter for us that sent word to your people, it was Tarfful and his warriors who saved us from the trandoshans that day we owe him our lives we have come to repay that debt." Jinx said.
Commander Ruushal barked pointing at Turok "You keep strange company for a jedi claiming to come to our aid?" The protocol droid translated.
"He was a prisoner with us too, even when our captors offered him a chance to hunt us and he refused, Turok Skell is a trandoshan yes; but more than that he is a man of honor and so are we." Leo said taking a step forward.
Leo knelt down in front of the Council, followed by Jinx, Maris and Gungi "The Black Knights are your humble servants Council members, free us and we'll find Chief Tarfful for you, let us show you true Jedi Honor lives."
The Wookiee Council turned their heads at one another and started to speak to each other in hushed tones. The four jedi held their breath when Ruushal rose from his seat barking and order "Take the trespassers away, contact the Republic and let them know we have their runaway Jedi." Before the guards could grab them Gungi rushed out in front of them and started to speak, the young wookiee spoke up to the elder wookies speaking directly to Jakkababa before looking back at the three other jedi then continuing the other wookiee elders turning their heads at one another before he stopped.
"Uh my wookiee is rusty what he says?" Maris asked.
"More than enough." Leo said as Jakkababa rose from his seat the other elders helped him "Release the jedi and return their weapons we will accept their aid." The protocol droid said. The guard captain who had brought them to the council pressed a button on their cuffs letting them all go, even Embo.
The kyuzo stepped forward and spoke up to the Council "Et ma prime, l'homme a besoin de gagner sa vie?" Embo asked.
The protocol droid translated what he said up to the Council who replied in their own tongue "The Wookiee Council will pay you handsomely to assist the Jedi in their search for our lost Chief?"
Embo crossed his arms and looked over at the jedi, "Akkord." He replied in his own language.
"The Bounty Hunter will help you." The protocol droid said.
DEEP SPACE
Unnamed Hammerhead
Master Tholme approached Aayla's room where two of Dogmas men guarded the door, they let him walk in where he saw Aayla meditating on the floor. "Master Tholme." Aayla said, opening her eyes, starting to rise to greet him. Her room was a standard officers quarters with a large bed, a desk, a closet across from the bed and a star port window looking out over the black curtain of space.
"May I join you?" Tholme asked, holding his hand out to bid her to sit.
Aayla did so and Tholme sat down across from her shutting the door with the force, when it was sealed he spoke "I understand your motivation for treachery, but it was treachery nonetheless." Tholme said.
"And Leo, what of his treason?" Aayla asked.
"Is it treason to fight for what the Jedi have taught us?" Tholme asked her.
Aayla stared at him in disbelief "Do you honestly believe that Leo is fighting for the Jedi, the Republic?"
Tholme hesitated to answer "... I want to believe he is." He replied avoiding her gaze.
"Believe he's what?" Aayla asked him, staring at Tholme sternly to get his attention back on her "That he's what the Order has forgotten we are, peacekeepers, a duty to the people not soldiers, but something more." Tholme explained.
Aayla took a deep breath "The jedi have been the guardians of the Republic for millennia, it's our sworn duty to protect it even in war?" Aayla said.
"The only times the jedi truly existed in a military capacity was when the Sith Empires threatened the whole of the galaxy." Tholme explained.
"And the Separaitst are just that, led by Count Dooku, a Sith Lord." Aayla pointed out.
Tholme paused to consider it "I knew the Count when he was Jedi, him, Sifo, Kirak, Sinube, Windu and even Sora, we all grew up together in the twilight years of actual Peace, in the grand scheme of time it's all so short a time to see us all drift apart like we did." Tholme said his voice inking sadness at the end of every word "There was a time when the Jedi were not seen as the bringers of war, a time when we were beacons of hope and light, look at what's become of us Aayla."
"I do look, I see our order splintering because you've lost faith." Aayla said back concretely.
"My faith is all I have, faith that there's still time for us to right the wrongs we've committed." Tholme argued back "Is he brash and intemperate, yes, but all young jedi are but look at the trials Leo has faced, look at how many chances he's had to turn against the Jedi and even when they cast him out, exile him, he still wants to fight for it." Tholme said.
Aayla gapped in surprise "You can't honestly believe that, you question him every time he breathes?"
"Only because I know he wants me too, he needs us to counsel him to help him stay on the right path." Tholme countered, pointing at her "You above all of us, he respects you the most more than me, Sian or K'Kruhk because he knows you as a friend." Tholme explained getting her blue eyes to stare back at him from across her quarters.
Aayla paused, Tholme said nothing knowing she was thinking "I met Leo when my ship was going down over Maridun, I watched him fight off two dozen predators to protect his current Master, even after that he did something I'd never seen a Jedi do he caught a artillery shell of pure energy and sent it back up into the sky." Aayla said as she recalled the events of Maridun "He is dangerous, all it will take is a push and he'll fall into darkness, bring the galaxy to ruin I fear…." She trailed off.
"I fear he is the Sith'Ari." She whispered.
Tholme's eyes got wide hearing that he was at a loss for words "The Sith Prophecy?" He asked.
Aayla nodded "Yes, the one who will destroy and remake the Sith stronger and more powerful than ever before." "And as the chosen one of our prophecy declares they will bring balance to the force, the force is in imbalance but we claim to have already found the chosen one… this is troubling.'
Aayla reached for Tholme putting her hand on his "Then help me stop him, let's contact the Council."
"No." Tholme said pulling away "I'm asking you to help me, help the Black Knights from becoming what you fear." Tholme stood up and walked to the exit, stepping out the door he gave her one look "We will decide what your fate will be when Leo and Jinx return."
KAYSHYYYK
Rwookrrorro
The Rogue Shadow had flown across the high trees of the great jungles over which the Shadowland lay beneath, flying low. Leo and Jinx were in the pilot chairs with Gungi, Maris and Turok behind them. Turok had his blaster rifle out and was checking the sights, attaching a scope to it before he noticed Gungi looking at him. Gungi quickly looked forward ahead as Maris saw the sea of tree tops ahead of them "Are sure we have the right coordinates, all I see are trees?" She asked Leo.
He started to slow down "This is where they said the old capital was, entrance to the Shadowlands too with a guide." He said.
"There." Jinx said, spying an opening in the trees, the Rogue Shadow flew up to the opening and started to descend. "I'm picking up a signal, we're clear to land." The Shadow sank beneath the tree line and all the occupants' eyes got wide as beneath the trees they saw an even vaster city than the one on the coast. Massive tree houses connected and interlocked on great bridges some of the trees' own branches interlocked to form other buildings. The Rogue Shadow set down on a severed wroshyr tree top that was connected to a large tree house as they got up Leo picked up his mask off the dashboard looking back at Embo "You all go ahead." Leo said as he stared down Embo.
Embo stood up against the wall, arms crossed till Leo stood in front of him "Problème?" Embo asked.
Leo stared into the hunters yellow bug like eyes "I know the reward won't be as much as the one the Republic offers you, so just if your thinking of double crossing us-" Leo held up his hand in a claw and Embo grabbed his neck, his feet went eight inches off the ground and Leo pressed Embo up against the wall with a force choke "If you so much look at me like you're about to take that risk, I'll tear you apart, from the inside." Leo dropped Embo and stood over him "Got it?"
Embo coughed looking up at him "J'ai… J'ai compris."
The Black Knights and the bounty hunters walked down off the ramp to see a familiar furry face, Jinx laughed walking up faster than the others. "Well I'll be a mynocks uncle, Chewbacca is that you." Standing in front of the jedi and trandoshan was a towering brown mass of fur and soft brown eyes the mighty wookiee Chewbacca. Jinx held out his arm and Chewbacca grasped it as the others came up. Chewbacca said a few kind growls and Jinx laughed.
"Not so small anymore, glad its you showing us the way." Jinx said before he saw the others, when he saw Turok he blinked "Don't act surprised." Turok said as Embo rolled his eyes "Plus vite nous en finirons, mieux ce sera."
Leo glared at him "As much as I hate to agree with the blood thirty bounty hunter, he's right, we need to find Tarfful as fast as we can." Leo said up to Chewbacca.
The wookiee gave an affirming bark at them and ushered them to follow, before he saw Gungi. He asked Jinx and Leo something with Maris and Embo looking puzzled. "He's the jedi who had the vision."
Chewie retorted then, "He may be young, but Gungi's brave." Leo said, patting him with his left arm wincing at the pain, since it hadn't fully healed. Turok noticed it before Chewie turned around for them to follow.
"How long has Tarfful been gone?" Jinx asked him.
Chewie answered him as they walked around one of the large tree bridges circling toward it "Tarfful left on a hunting trip into the Shadowlands, he's usually gone for seven days on the seventh day, he never showed that was four days ago." Jinx translated for the others.
"What can we expect down there?" Leo asked.
The wookie snickered, saying something back to them "What he say?" Maris asked.
"He said things that want nothing more than to stalk us, eat us, chew us up into their dinner and then… well you know what happens after that." Turok said as the wookiee militia they passed growled and snarled at the trandoshan. Chewbacca led them across the city walkways toward a large gateway that had no other end to it. Only a series of ropes that were winding up toward them on a pulley system stood at the edge where Gungi looked down before he backed away saying something "Your right, I feel it too." Leo said.
"Oh yeah, a lot of dark side forces energy down there." Jinx said as Leo held out his right hand reaching out with the force "Yes…. and no." Leo said, closing his eyes as the elevator rose up to their level. He retracted his arm and stood up before everyone got on. Chewie pulled a lever and let them descend into the shadowlands. But as they went down above the clouds another ship flew down toward the surface a heavily modified star courier with a longbow. The ship featured folding wings around its spherical cockpit, and was secretly modified from a Star Courier manufactured by Republic Sienar Systems. The craft featured six laser cannons, a proton torpedo launcher and a minelayer. Along with its deadly armament, the Scimitar was equipped with a cloaking device, powered by rare stygium crystals from the planet Aeten II, that allowed it to disappear from view and any pursuing ship's sensors. Owing to the craft's experimental ion engines, radiator fins on the ship's wings were required to be open during flight in order to expel excess heat that it dispersed as it flew down under the radar under the trees of the Shadowlands to a wide enough branch to land on.
The ship's ramp was lowered followed by the two Republic Inquisitors Volfe Karkko and Barriss Offee stepping out. They had been given back their lightsabers and additionally new clothing for each of them to wear. Volfe was wearing a mix of a Republic officers uniform and something a noble would wear his knee length jacket buttoned over on his left side and he had a silver buckled belt around his waist that held his lightsaber, his trousers with red stripes tucked into leather boots that he kicked off birds nest into the shadowlands below. Covering each of his shoulders were pauldrons sporting the Galactic Roundel, the symbol of the Republic in dark red. He held up a slit visored helmet with a smooth top, and extended snout for a breathing apparatus. The helmet had a wedge shape to it and looked menacingly "They expect me to wear this?" Volfe asked.
Barris had a similar attire, but it was more form fitting to better fit with her fighting style, she had slender pauldrons that covered her upper arms, the jacket she wore had a fitted breastplate over her chest and was tucked into a pair of black red striped trouser with her two lightsabers strapped on her back. Her long black hair had been done up in a intricent braid and tied behind her head under her arms was the same mask she'd stolen from Asajj's Ventress with a black paint scheme "If you don't want to get your head taken off I suggest you do." She said, fitting the mask onto her face "Now take off those pauldrons." She said as she started to remove hers tearing the cloth around her shoulders off before tossing the armor into the abyss below.
"Why?" Volfe asked.
"Because fool, if anyone sees us wearing the Republic Roundel how long till the Jedi Council learns of us, and then we don't get our revenge." Barriss pointed out, Volfe hesitating tossed the armor on his shoulders off the side of the branch.
Barriss reached to her belt pulling out a device and pressing a button, a series of probe droids flew out of the ship and in front of her "Find the jedi, report back to us when you do." She ordered and the probe droids flew off.
"You know my reason for wanting to kill this jedi, thwarting my plans of an Anzati army but you?" Volfe asked.
"A score to settle." Barriss said as she walked to the edge looking into the jungle looking forward to killing Leo.