Chapter 2: De Muerta
Jack landed just outside a town. As he exited the ship, he looked it over proudly. The Black Pearl was its name, and black it was. It was one of the few posessions he was allowed to keep as a Jedi, and he treasured it highly.
As he and Barbossa walked the street, his feeling of unease mounted. The place was shrouded in an unnatural fog and seemed almost deserted. Ever since he landed, he could feel his sense of Force being distorted and diminished. *I want to get off this Force Forsaken rock as soon as possible!* Glancing quickly to the right, his eyes caught a sign: Ship Parts Sold Here.
Jack pushed open the door to the shop. A man looked up, and asked gruffly, "What do y'want?"
"We come to buy a hyperecter. Do you have one?" Jack queried.
"Aye. That be 900 Aztac credits."
"Will you accept Galactic credits?" Jack shifted his weight.
"Aztac credits ONLY."
"Galatic credits will do fine," Barbossa said, trying a Jedi Mind Trick.
The man stared at them blankly. "Are ye or are ye not goin' to buy the bloody hyperecter? Where do ye come from anyway, I haven't seen ye before."
Jack sent a warning look to Barbossa. Barbossa understood it to mean: 'If I thought a mind trick was necessary, I would have used it. You must follow MY lead, probationed master.'
Jack smiled tightly at the man. "We'll be back."
The two strode back to the Black Pearl. They both knew they didn't have any "Aztac" credits. As they entered the ship, Jack yelled, "Turner! Get the holo ready for a transmission to Corosaunt!" [sorry for gross misspelling! Can someone tell me the correct spelling?]
Turner, or "Bootstrap" Bill pushed several buttons, willing the machine to work. But it didn't. Odd, very odd. It had operated flawlessly earlier this afternoon. He glanced out the window. This unnatural fog was unnerving him. Maybe it had something to do with the lack of transmission with Corosaunt. Or maybe it didn't work because this De Muerta place wasn't on any map. Or maybe it was the rumored strange Force disturbances on this planet. Bootstrap didn't like this place at all.
"The transmission doesn't work, eh?" mused Jack aloud, even before he entered the room. Bill looked at him with admiration as he appeared in the doorway. Jack's Force powers never ceased to amaze him, even after all these years. "I'm having a thought here. How about I take a look around the village and see what I can find out." Jack turned and exited the room.
Jack wandered around aimlessly. His head began to ache with all the impossibilites. No ship, no money, no transmission. Finally he spied a man ambling along the street. "Excuse me," Jack said. "My name's Jack."
"I'm Cortez."
"Pleased to meet you Cortez. Would you know how to earn several hundred Aztac credits?"
The Cortez's eye glinted. Jack tried to keep calm as he got odd vibes from him. "I don't know about earning," he said slowly, darkly. "How about finding?"
"Please continue," Jack urged, raising his eyebrows.
"You mean you haven't heard about the treasure of De Muerta? You will now," Cortez replied. Jack followed Cortez, his curiousity mounting. The Force was telling him to pay very careful attention.
"My ancester, who was named Palpatine, [A/N not direct of course - think distant cousin of my aunt's nephew twice removed :)] was a greedy man. He used the Force to put a curse upon this treasure, so that if anyone other than he removed the gold from his cave, the Force would completely forsake that person, until he returned it and repaid by blood."
"If that be true," Jack protested, "Then that person would die. Without the Force, there could be no life."
"Aye, that be true...unless you were cursed. See, he wanted to have his gold returned, if it was stolen. So they would be not among the living, yet not dead either. A mere skeleton would he be, unless he returned and paid for the gold with blood."
Jack could tell that the man was telling the truth. Or was he? The Force seemed to be fading more and more. He could feel something elusive about this man. But the certainty that Jack usually possessed disappeared the moment he had landed on his force-forsaken planet. "A lovely story indeed sir. Thank you. May I ask, though, where this gold is?" *I don't want to be going anywhere near that cave! I can't be sure it's true, but it would be too risky to mess with.*
"It's on an island that cannot be found - except by those who already know where it is. And I," he said slowly, "know where it is."
Jack listened to the description, before hurrying back to the ship. He would meditate before making another move.
Barbossa could see that Jack had something on his mind as Jack entered the ship. And he had a mind to find out exactly what it was.
Jack landed just outside a town. As he exited the ship, he looked it over proudly. The Black Pearl was its name, and black it was. It was one of the few posessions he was allowed to keep as a Jedi, and he treasured it highly.
As he and Barbossa walked the street, his feeling of unease mounted. The place was shrouded in an unnatural fog and seemed almost deserted. Ever since he landed, he could feel his sense of Force being distorted and diminished. *I want to get off this Force Forsaken rock as soon as possible!* Glancing quickly to the right, his eyes caught a sign: Ship Parts Sold Here.
Jack pushed open the door to the shop. A man looked up, and asked gruffly, "What do y'want?"
"We come to buy a hyperecter. Do you have one?" Jack queried.
"Aye. That be 900 Aztac credits."
"Will you accept Galactic credits?" Jack shifted his weight.
"Aztac credits ONLY."
"Galatic credits will do fine," Barbossa said, trying a Jedi Mind Trick.
The man stared at them blankly. "Are ye or are ye not goin' to buy the bloody hyperecter? Where do ye come from anyway, I haven't seen ye before."
Jack sent a warning look to Barbossa. Barbossa understood it to mean: 'If I thought a mind trick was necessary, I would have used it. You must follow MY lead, probationed master.'
Jack smiled tightly at the man. "We'll be back."
The two strode back to the Black Pearl. They both knew they didn't have any "Aztac" credits. As they entered the ship, Jack yelled, "Turner! Get the holo ready for a transmission to Corosaunt!" [sorry for gross misspelling! Can someone tell me the correct spelling?]
Turner, or "Bootstrap" Bill pushed several buttons, willing the machine to work. But it didn't. Odd, very odd. It had operated flawlessly earlier this afternoon. He glanced out the window. This unnatural fog was unnerving him. Maybe it had something to do with the lack of transmission with Corosaunt. Or maybe it didn't work because this De Muerta place wasn't on any map. Or maybe it was the rumored strange Force disturbances on this planet. Bootstrap didn't like this place at all.
"The transmission doesn't work, eh?" mused Jack aloud, even before he entered the room. Bill looked at him with admiration as he appeared in the doorway. Jack's Force powers never ceased to amaze him, even after all these years. "I'm having a thought here. How about I take a look around the village and see what I can find out." Jack turned and exited the room.
Jack wandered around aimlessly. His head began to ache with all the impossibilites. No ship, no money, no transmission. Finally he spied a man ambling along the street. "Excuse me," Jack said. "My name's Jack."
"I'm Cortez."
"Pleased to meet you Cortez. Would you know how to earn several hundred Aztac credits?"
The Cortez's eye glinted. Jack tried to keep calm as he got odd vibes from him. "I don't know about earning," he said slowly, darkly. "How about finding?"
"Please continue," Jack urged, raising his eyebrows.
"You mean you haven't heard about the treasure of De Muerta? You will now," Cortez replied. Jack followed Cortez, his curiousity mounting. The Force was telling him to pay very careful attention.
"My ancester, who was named Palpatine, [A/N not direct of course - think distant cousin of my aunt's nephew twice removed :)] was a greedy man. He used the Force to put a curse upon this treasure, so that if anyone other than he removed the gold from his cave, the Force would completely forsake that person, until he returned it and repaid by blood."
"If that be true," Jack protested, "Then that person would die. Without the Force, there could be no life."
"Aye, that be true...unless you were cursed. See, he wanted to have his gold returned, if it was stolen. So they would be not among the living, yet not dead either. A mere skeleton would he be, unless he returned and paid for the gold with blood."
Jack could tell that the man was telling the truth. Or was he? The Force seemed to be fading more and more. He could feel something elusive about this man. But the certainty that Jack usually possessed disappeared the moment he had landed on his force-forsaken planet. "A lovely story indeed sir. Thank you. May I ask, though, where this gold is?" *I don't want to be going anywhere near that cave! I can't be sure it's true, but it would be too risky to mess with.*
"It's on an island that cannot be found - except by those who already know where it is. And I," he said slowly, "know where it is."
Jack listened to the description, before hurrying back to the ship. He would meditate before making another move.
Barbossa could see that Jack had something on his mind as Jack entered the ship. And he had a mind to find out exactly what it was.