Rancor Slam
Part 7
Cas rode in the intrusion capsule Face had given her. It was a very singular experience, riding down to a planet like a meteor.
Members of the Strength Fleet had launched meteors at the planet in random patterns, simulating a real meteor shower. Their chosen shower was supposed to make land fall a few hundred meters into the Forest around the Dathomir Witch Clans' hidey-holes.
She felt the capsule heat up more. For a moment she was afraid the heat would melt her Crab Armor. But Vua immediately assured her the Crab Armor was very durable and would live through this.
They landed, amazingly, in a lake. Or they would have. Cas and Quwil ended up catching all nine capsules just below tree level and then lowering them all, somewhat less than gently, onto the riverbank.
Levitation was not a strong spot for either of them. Even with the Gauntlet boosting their power it had been a struggle. Needless to say, they had to camp there that night, because Cas and Quwil couldn't move. Not even enough to get away from their own capsules.
The two spent the night deep in Jedi trances. Early the next morning, Vua and one of the troopers, Jazz, woke them.
The Jedi were the last to wake. Cas woke up hot and sweating from Dathomir's humidity. Cas shook her head. If Dathomir was effecting her like this she hadn't been home, to Dagobah, enough.
She faced the lake. Some thing was off about the Lake. Well, she could kill two birds with one stone.
She rubbed the crab armor and it began pulling away from her. When it was gone she walked to the middle to the lake. There were no creatures in the lake.
A dead Lake on Dathomir? That was odd.
When she was in water about as high as she was, she stood on a tall rock and the water was only waist deep. She began moving, turning slowly. She held her arms out with her palms toward the sky. She let her head fall back.
Something had happened here. There was a Blackness toward the East, a Light toward the west, and an Emptiness from north to south.
It took time, but eventually she saw what happened. She re-watched it, the Vong had come by here. A few Witches and the Nightsisters had met them, trying to stop their advancement.
The convergence of strong Darkness and blazing Light had made the creatures in the area Mad. They had killed themselves, and now other animals were afraid to move in.
The Vong had been forced back. They had been made to go around the woods. But the victory had been costly. Many had died.
Mostly the few new Night Sisters. And their Dark Deaths polluted the balance in the area.
Normally Cas would reestablish the balance so that the animals would come back in, but this would be a taxing enough day for her. Neither she nor the Witches could make due if she stumbled on this day. So she couldn't set her self up to let that happen.
"Quwil," She called out. "When the war is over, make sure someone comes here to clean this place." She could feel the Wookie nod and she knew it would be done.
Wookies are a lot harder to kill then Humans and they live a lot longer. There was a good chance she would make it out of this if Cas were killed.
Well, come on, the last Wook this war had killed had had to have a moon pulled down on him.
She started lowering her awarenesses back to her usual self-bubble and felt at the furthest edge of her senses two familiar presences.
She turned toward the camp. She dove into the water and swam back in. She crawled up on to the shore and noticed the four troopers keeping their eyes fixedly outside the camp. She shook her head. They were trying to be polite. They couldn't recognize the slight they were giving her.
On Dagobah, every one sweats until and even after they get used to the weather. And you never knew who exactly would be your mate, so you always pay attention when some one shows, or tells you about, their body.
She stepped into her crab armor and, when it was covering her, she put on her cloak and the silver-chain belt with her LightSaber.
She called out to the troopers. "We should move now." She picked up her pack and walked toward the two presences. They came upon the presences from the Southeast.
Well, one of them, actually. He was sitting on a big rock in the center of a clearing. He wore the pair of tight red lizard hide britches she had given him. Well, mostly, now they had yellow and green patches from where he'd grown to big or worn the material down.
He didn't wear a shirt. So she could see his strong chest and arms, earned from years of Hard Work. His past-shoulder-length black hair was loose around him. His head was back and his up-tilted eyes were closed. She knew his eyes were black, like Xin and Xan's, and his body was the same amazing solid gold/amber.
It was her Dathomiry man-slave, normally referred to as her concubine. His name is Jak.
He lowered his head to look at the group and smiled seductively. When he recognized Cas a light entered his face and smiled for real. "Milady." He said as he stood and moved toward her, his arms outstretched.
Vua Shai moved forward, placing his amphistaff between Jak and Cas. Jak froze in place. His eyes wide, staring at the snake head hissing at him. "Cas, I never thought you would betray us." Was all Jak could say, his voice was soft, his face sad.
She looked at him, shock crippling her. "Jak." It had been so the wrong thing to say the first time he'd seen her over five, six… some odd years.
"Lady Cas would never betray us." It was Mother Augwynne. Cas looked for the older woman.
She was standing at the edge of the clearing, behind Jak and to his left. She was still the leather bound warrior Cas remembered. A free spirit, a warrior, a woman, and a Jedi in training.
"Mother." Cas held her hands out to the woman. She took the woman's hands in her own then knelt, placing her forehead on their hands.
She knew, behind her, her three Yuuzahn Vong each knelt then doubled themselves over, with their hands held out before them. They were prostrating themselves to be lower then their 'goddess', their Mistress.
She could feel the Troopers' unease at this and Jak's lack of knowing how to continue. Cas waited for Augwynne to touch her shoulder to get up. She stood and waited for the woman to let the Yuuzahn Vong get up.
But first the woman turned to Cas. "Before I take you back to our people, I must know. What are you doing with three of the accursed Yuuzahn Vong?"
"Actually, I have four." She saw the leader of the Singing Mountain Clan's eyes widen, the woman took an involuntary half-step back.
But When she realized what she was doing she stopped the motion and made it so anyone that did not know her would think she was getting into a ready position.
"The last is with the Ground troops waiting for me to send him the signal to begin." Cas took a deep breathe. "It's a long story. But they are basically honor-bound servants to me. Something between Jak and Quwil."
She looked at her adoptive mother. She moved closer and dropped her voice, like she was sharing a secret. "Because of a ritual we accidentally began in the Forest where we met, I can feel them in the Force." She looked off toward the horizon. "I can feel what they feel. See what they see. Think what they think. I assure you, they will be absolutely no threat to our people. But…"
She dropped her head, staring at the ground. Her voice became a threatening whisper, "But if they are threatened, I will be." The woman looked at her, a greater surprise on her face.
"They are under my protection, Mother. They would not have survived this long with out it." She shook her head and glared at the rising sun like it was her enemy. "Besides it would be really stupid to have them killed by the people I told them I trusted the most." She stepped back from the woman.
She touched Vua and Slee and Uun and they rose, standing behind her like aggressive shadows. She glared at Jak and Augwynne. Daring them to question he judgment.
Her 'Mother' just shook her head and signaled the Rancors. They were three of the Rancors she had brought back with her from Green Mountain. The place she had completed her Years of separation.
-The first trial she had completed that got her excepted into the Dathomir Witches. And eventually led to the alignment of Dathomir and Dagobah.-
Klik, Gedzjh, and Rrem.
Klik had been the head female she had brought back. Rrem her favorite male. Gedzjh their oldest daughter.
Klik held out a hand to her. She touched the creature. Another friendly reunion. Well, two out of three ain't bad.
Klik asked Cas what was to become of the Rancors when the evacuations began.
Cas told her they would be evacuated. And it was true. The Rancors were as much part of the Dathomir alliance as the Witches were. The Rancors would be taken to Dagobah. There were people who would take them in. And jobs they would be perfect for.
Augwynne climbed on Rrem as Cas mounted Klik and Jak mounted Gedzjh. Then Vua, Slee and Uun climbed on behind Cas. Two of the troopers climbed on behind each of the other two. Quwil climbed on with Augwynne.
They left toward the foothills. Toward the River of Stones.