Standard Disclaimer: Neither Star Wars nor Knights of the Old Republic
belong to me. All are George Lucas' and Lucas arts, etc. The only thing I'm
claiming is the impressions of the main characters and, in later chapters,
the A/U plot. Which, believe me, isn't all that original to get all
bothered about.
This is a reposting of the original - "Not with a Bang But with a Whimper." Since that 1 shot has turned into a series, I figured I'd start on the right foot. "Things Left Behind" is a Sequel to "Unbalanced" and "There is no Peace but Passion". They are only connected through time; one can definitely be read without the other.
Things Left Behind
Chapter 6 - When At Last We Meet
She removed her helmet and breathed in. The suit had an hour or so of air left but only because she'd been breathing so shallowly. After the frantic searching of the dark sea floor, she'd had to make a choice to force that calm to return. Just as panic hadn't helped her in freeing the suit from its locker, panic wouldn't help her survive or to do what was needed. For only the second time in her time as a Jedi, her meditations actually served an active and instantly applicable purpose. They calmed her and gently pointed out where there was life. Behind her and to her right was something that felt like air breathing life. She didn't know how she was making such a distinction, but it she was certain of it.
So she began walking. Trudging along the sea floor she'd focused just on moving. She didn't know how much ground she was covering in the snail's pace of her suit. Time very quickly became moot.
Her body began to ache in earnest. She began to wonder if the places where her harness had held her into her seat were only bruised and not broken. Adrenaline and shock had held off much, but without their blindfold she was aware of how banged up she'd gotten. Now that she'd reached land, more than slow enough to avoid nitrogen sickness, she felt her knees collapse with the demands of gravity. The suit was heavy and she was so tired. She swallowed and raised her head to focus in on the island she'd reached.
He was alive. She wouldn't believe anything else.
..
And he was looking back at her, smiling a strange mix of smug vindication and triumph while he sat in the surf. Half his hair was sticking up on one side, plastered by salt water. Myriad cuts lined his face and neck. None were life threatening but they were disturbing to see. She struggled against the water to get to her feet, walking over to him as quickly as she could. She fumbled briefly.
"Funny seeing you here," he said when she was within range.
"Are you alright?" Her initial question was not deflected by the humor, though she belatedly offered a lame, "We do keep running into each other, don't we."
"I'm alright. Little scratched but. You? "
"I'm alright. Just a little. " She shook her head, ". I'm fine."
They looked at each other for a long moment.
"I knew you were." Carth said finally.
She raised her brows, "Really."
He moved to stand, taking more care to move slowly this time, "Yeah. I'm not sure how. I mean, it doesn't really make sense, does it? But I didn't doubt you were fine."
"That makes one of us," she replied, a bit tartly. It was finally sinking in. He was alive. She felt like everything that had kept her focused had slipped away. And the world was just as confusing and twisted as it was before she'd been able to think of his safety and him alone.
"What? You thought you weren't going to make it?" Carth began to walk, wincing.
".Was thinking about you, actually," She made sure she was facing straight ahead, expression impassive.
"Nah, I've been through worse crashes than that," he dismissed. "Once we get dried off and settled, I'll have to tell you about them."
She couldn't help it, she laughed.
"What?"
"If you do, if you actually follow through on that, it will be the first time ever that you've volunteered any information. Ever," she shot him a sideways sardonic look.
He chuckled, "Yeah, well." he stopped and reached out his hand. Her breath caught in surprise as his palm came to rest against her cheek, cupping her face as she turned to look at him. "Malak is dead. You are still alive and I am still alive," Carth said quietly, "Somehow, I think that makes this a perfect time to start talking. Don't you?"
She froze. Yet he was watching her, waiting for some kind of acknowledgment. She swallowed, tempted to try meditating again - anything to stave off this new panic, and then stepped away.
"We.we need to find some shelter. Take care of your face. wait for Bastila." She said and began walking away, trying not to break and run.
Carth watched her. "Yeah. Right."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Insane-Android-Ayako - Thanks. I think I'm going to have to stay with the short chapters. Simply because I'm doing a lot of this during my spare time. And that ain't a lot of spare to go around :) I'd rather get a scene out and have it placed, then hold on it. This one took a while to get out just because the interaction felt so. iffy. But. hopefully won't have such long pauses in the future.
Akasha15 - I hope you're feeling better! I'm glad that I was able to get you something as a reward for getting back online :) And Revan and Carth are indeed trapped. However, at least one person on the Ebon Hawk knows that Revan is still alive. Hrm. wonder if there is documentation on the Jedi Bond used as a homing beacon. ;) Thanks for the input on the chapter length. *nods* When you put it that way. it'd be just silly to make a chapter longer just for the sake of making it longer. So. you watched your hand move for three hours? Hrm. The question is, do you feel tempted to do so again? ;)
Schally - Here's the test now. Carth talking with Revan. Dum DA Dum! That will be the real test of the characterization and plot. But I'm glad I got him down going solo. Thanks :) And, yeah, the kid is mentioned the stowaway. I tried /so/ hard to make the kid genderless. To really leave open whether he was thinking about Revan or his wife and Dustil. But.. it seemed too contrived to work around saying 'she' for the kid so. Ah well. It worked.
Happy Thanksgiving All!
This is a reposting of the original - "Not with a Bang But with a Whimper." Since that 1 shot has turned into a series, I figured I'd start on the right foot. "Things Left Behind" is a Sequel to "Unbalanced" and "There is no Peace but Passion". They are only connected through time; one can definitely be read without the other.
Things Left Behind
Chapter 6 - When At Last We Meet
She removed her helmet and breathed in. The suit had an hour or so of air left but only because she'd been breathing so shallowly. After the frantic searching of the dark sea floor, she'd had to make a choice to force that calm to return. Just as panic hadn't helped her in freeing the suit from its locker, panic wouldn't help her survive or to do what was needed. For only the second time in her time as a Jedi, her meditations actually served an active and instantly applicable purpose. They calmed her and gently pointed out where there was life. Behind her and to her right was something that felt like air breathing life. She didn't know how she was making such a distinction, but it she was certain of it.
So she began walking. Trudging along the sea floor she'd focused just on moving. She didn't know how much ground she was covering in the snail's pace of her suit. Time very quickly became moot.
Her body began to ache in earnest. She began to wonder if the places where her harness had held her into her seat were only bruised and not broken. Adrenaline and shock had held off much, but without their blindfold she was aware of how banged up she'd gotten. Now that she'd reached land, more than slow enough to avoid nitrogen sickness, she felt her knees collapse with the demands of gravity. The suit was heavy and she was so tired. She swallowed and raised her head to focus in on the island she'd reached.
He was alive. She wouldn't believe anything else.
..
And he was looking back at her, smiling a strange mix of smug vindication and triumph while he sat in the surf. Half his hair was sticking up on one side, plastered by salt water. Myriad cuts lined his face and neck. None were life threatening but they were disturbing to see. She struggled against the water to get to her feet, walking over to him as quickly as she could. She fumbled briefly.
"Funny seeing you here," he said when she was within range.
"Are you alright?" Her initial question was not deflected by the humor, though she belatedly offered a lame, "We do keep running into each other, don't we."
"I'm alright. Little scratched but. You? "
"I'm alright. Just a little. " She shook her head, ". I'm fine."
They looked at each other for a long moment.
"I knew you were." Carth said finally.
She raised her brows, "Really."
He moved to stand, taking more care to move slowly this time, "Yeah. I'm not sure how. I mean, it doesn't really make sense, does it? But I didn't doubt you were fine."
"That makes one of us," she replied, a bit tartly. It was finally sinking in. He was alive. She felt like everything that had kept her focused had slipped away. And the world was just as confusing and twisted as it was before she'd been able to think of his safety and him alone.
"What? You thought you weren't going to make it?" Carth began to walk, wincing.
".Was thinking about you, actually," She made sure she was facing straight ahead, expression impassive.
"Nah, I've been through worse crashes than that," he dismissed. "Once we get dried off and settled, I'll have to tell you about them."
She couldn't help it, she laughed.
"What?"
"If you do, if you actually follow through on that, it will be the first time ever that you've volunteered any information. Ever," she shot him a sideways sardonic look.
He chuckled, "Yeah, well." he stopped and reached out his hand. Her breath caught in surprise as his palm came to rest against her cheek, cupping her face as she turned to look at him. "Malak is dead. You are still alive and I am still alive," Carth said quietly, "Somehow, I think that makes this a perfect time to start talking. Don't you?"
She froze. Yet he was watching her, waiting for some kind of acknowledgment. She swallowed, tempted to try meditating again - anything to stave off this new panic, and then stepped away.
"We.we need to find some shelter. Take care of your face. wait for Bastila." She said and began walking away, trying not to break and run.
Carth watched her. "Yeah. Right."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Insane-Android-Ayako - Thanks. I think I'm going to have to stay with the short chapters. Simply because I'm doing a lot of this during my spare time. And that ain't a lot of spare to go around :) I'd rather get a scene out and have it placed, then hold on it. This one took a while to get out just because the interaction felt so. iffy. But. hopefully won't have such long pauses in the future.
Akasha15 - I hope you're feeling better! I'm glad that I was able to get you something as a reward for getting back online :) And Revan and Carth are indeed trapped. However, at least one person on the Ebon Hawk knows that Revan is still alive. Hrm. wonder if there is documentation on the Jedi Bond used as a homing beacon. ;) Thanks for the input on the chapter length. *nods* When you put it that way. it'd be just silly to make a chapter longer just for the sake of making it longer. So. you watched your hand move for three hours? Hrm. The question is, do you feel tempted to do so again? ;)
Schally - Here's the test now. Carth talking with Revan. Dum DA Dum! That will be the real test of the characterization and plot. But I'm glad I got him down going solo. Thanks :) And, yeah, the kid is mentioned the stowaway. I tried /so/ hard to make the kid genderless. To really leave open whether he was thinking about Revan or his wife and Dustil. But.. it seemed too contrived to work around saying 'she' for the kid so. Ah well. It worked.
Happy Thanksgiving All!