Chapter 3
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They were relieved of their weapons and brought to a large house built from wroshyr wood, lit by modern glow-rods and decorated with woven rugs and brightly-colored murals of Wookiee legend. Five armed humans flanked Chuundar's throne, as well as the two Wookiees by the door, and it made Zaalbar feel physically ill. This was his worst nightmare come true.
Zaalbar had been herded to stand next to the throne, and Mission wouldn't leave Zaalbar's side, holding his large paw in her tiny hands. The trio of Jedi was made to sit on the floor, blaster rifles pointed at their backs. By now, they had heard that The Ebon Hawk was grounded, stormed by an armed Czerka patrol. No one knew if the friends they had left aboard were unharmed - or even if they were alive.
Neither he or Mission had anything to say once they found out, but when Zaalbar hung his head in shame and sorrow, he felt Mission's head-tail rub his back - a gesture Twi'leks reserved for the closest of kin. Zaalbar was comforted by the gesture, but he never knew whether to be glad she was Twi'lek, and ignorant of Wookiee ways. Yet, she had seen him in Taris's sewers, a true mad-claw, and was unafraid. She forced herself to understand his language, and refused to abandon him. Even now, knowing the truth, she still would not leave. As much as he was ashamed to have his dishonor brought before her, he was glad she was here. He was also glad that they were in the company of Kairi - possibly one of the only humans who seemed to respect him.
The large door opened and the second patrol showed up. Kairi and the others were allowed to stand. HK-47 was led in, the droid looking somewhat naked without his blaster rifle. Canderous glared murderously at Chuundar and had to be prodded into position by the Czerka guards. They undid Carth's cuffs and he ran to the center of the floor, lightly hugging Kairi as he gave her a brief status report that the ship and they were unharmed.
It relieved Zaalbar in no small measure to see that none of them had been hurt - but to bear this humiliation before the entire crew!
Chuundar had not changed much - well-groomed black fur and plenty of ornamentation - including his father's prized amber necklace. He sat in the carved wooden throne, but stood as they entered. Chuundar flashed him a predatory smile before talking to Kairi only.
"Step forward, Kairi Niko, and address the mighty and wise Chuundar."
"So, you know who I am?" she asked. "Why did you think you had to do this behind my back?"
"Did you think you could walk the upper boughs of Kashyyyk and not be observed? I've had my climbers and scouts watching you and your ship."
The Czerka captain stepped forward. "Your presence here threatens to upset a lawful business arrangement, as well as transporting a dangerous animal, an attack droid, and who-knows-what on that smuggling boat of yours. We hold authority here. Most of the time, we put your kind to death...but we'll indulge Chuundar on this." He smiled wickedly. "I actually like his idea...fits you Wookiee-lovers just right."
"And," Bastila said. "As you have no doubt discovered when taking our weapons, you are holding three members of the Jedi Order. The corporation would not want to be implicated in our deaths, but allowing the Wookiees to be our executioners serves your purposes admirably."
"Shut up, lady. Give it a couple years, and the Sith will have exterminated the rest of you."
"I don't often allow visitors of your kind, but you travel with a mad-claw." Chuundar said, gesturing broadly around the room. "I was only seeing to the safety of my people,"
"And yet you flank yourself with Czerka slavers!" Zaalbar shouted, waving his massive paw to the Czerka guards who still held their blaster rifles to the party's heads. (The one nearest to HK-47 had a nasty-looking Verpine droid gun that would have fried the circuits of a small battleship). "Are they not outsiders, or have you sold all of Kashyyyk to them!"
"Ah, Zaalbar. You've been exiled many years. You should not speak in that tone. Things are different now." He had a smile on his face that made Zaalbar afraid. "You are a mad-claw without honor. You have no voice among our people. I, on the other hand, am Chieftain."
"For someone who thinks only of his people's safety, you have certainly done a good job of surrounding yourself with the enemy." Kairi said, glowering at Chuundar.
Zaalbar knew she did not blame him for their current situation, but Zaalbar certainly blamed himself for it. He was certain she could find a way to get the rest of the crew out of this. He was just hoping Mission would do the smart thing and leave him behind.
"You can talk all you like, but no one will believe you. I've had a long time to guide what my people think. They trust me, Mighty Chuundar. Even with my brother insane and my father enslaved, I rose to protect my people, despite it all..."
"Father enslaved? 'Mighty' Chuundar?" Zaalbar would have laughed if it were possible under the circumstances. "What are you talking about? You were the runt!"
"I am no runt!" He cleared his throat. "Like I said, Zaalbar, a lot has changed since you left."
Carth sidled up next to Bastila. "I don't suppose you know what they're saying?"
"It would appear that Chuundar is in Czerka's back pocket. The life-debt is the reason he's only addressing Kairi."
"Gee, when did you learn the local language?"
"I don't. My Jedi training grants me intuitive language comprehension. Juhani appears to have the same gift." She shrugged. "It means we've little use for protocol droids or other translation devices."
Carth glanced at Kairi and back at Bastila.
"Interesting..."
Chuundar was trying to intimidate Kairi by standing over her, his black-furred body standing too closely. She was strong as a wroshyr, refusing to give ground, bravery and honor radiating from her. Spirits like hers and Mission's were wasted on their respective species.
"I've not killed Zaalbar because I take pity on my poor and insane brother. I hope that eventually he and I can come to an agreement. However, I have heard you. You seek something in the Shadowlands, as do I."
"What do you know of it?" Kairi asked, careful not to reveal anything about the Star Maps. Zaalbar had heard about them, and dreaded the thought of such technology ending up in the hands of these Czerka.
"I know of its location the ruins in the lowest part of the Shadowlands," Chuundar elaborated. "There is an insane Wookiee that has taken to living in the same old ruins. I want you to kill him."
Juhani was also struggling with her rage. Zaalbar felt some kinship with the Cathar. On ship, he kept a respectful distance because she was Jedi, and Bastila had told him that Jedi did not want friends or other attachments. However, she appeared to have little trouble understanding and respecting honor. He could see in her actions and words that she had pledged her own kind of life-debt to Kairi. "You sell your own people, turn on your own blood, and you have no remorse? 'Mighty' Chuundar appears to be nothing more than a fur-covered Hutt!"
"I know little about the Hutts, but they would understand what your exiled companion does not. Young Zaalbar has no foresight. Imagine the destruction if Czerka came in with blasters firing. I saved many lives...Of course, I also gained weapons and arranged for my rivals to be harvested."
"I'm with Juhani on the 'fur-covered Hutt' opinion," Mission said.
"And what makes you think we'll do as you ask?" Kairi said evenly.
"You take my offer, or I will allow my Czerka allies to take you outside the village and kill you all. If you choose to live, Zaalbar will stay here to insure your loyalty. You can't defeat me here. No one would dare oppose me to join with an outsider or an exile."
"I will not abandon Zaalbar to you," Kairi said.
"Query: May I engage weapons now, master?" asked HK-47. "We can rescue your hirsute companion in no time with the application of a few grenades."
"Hold off on it for now, HK."
"I...I will do as you ask," Zaalbar said. "My life belongs to the human woman, and I give it for her."
"Big Z, no!" Mission looked to Kairi. "He...he can't do that! Just because he's Chieftain, he can't hold Zaalbar prisoner, can he?"
Zaalbar pulled away from Mission. "If I resist, he will harm you. Stay with Kairi, Mission."
"But..."
"No, Mission. You must. Kairi is good and strong. Trust her. I will take care of myself."
"I...I will. Hold tight, Big Z. We'll find some way to get you out of this. You can count on us."
"Enough talk! I've given my orders! Goorwooken will take you to the Shadowlands by elevator. You wait at the home of the Holder of the Laws until he can come for you."
As they were herded out the doors, Canderous shook his head with disgust. "Now I understand why Mandalore didn't want to bother with the Wookiees. Wise of him...Come on, let's get this over with."
Their weapons were passed to a guard who took them from the village. Kairi, seeing no reason to continue the pretense of being wealthy "collectors, " went to the closest of the open rain barrels, wet a cloth she had kept in her pocket, and proceeded to wash the tawdry coloring off her face. Juhani walked over to her and put a hand on Kairi's back.
"Are you all right, Kairi?"
She took a deep breath, and hugged Juhani. "I'm so very, very sorry."
"For what?" Juhani asked.
Kairi looked up into Juhani's gold eyes. "For Taris, for here, for..."
Juhani let her go and stepped back. "I think I am over the worst of my anger, and while I cannot sense emotions as keenly as you, I knew you were trying as desperately as I not to strike out. I apologize for my own shameful display out at the spaceport. You and Bastila were not to blame for the destruction of Taris - I know that. It's just..."
Kairi took her arm. "Anger," she said. "Anger I can't blame you for. Just don't let it influence your actions."
"Ah, but it does," Juhani admitted, shamed. "Just the fact it exists allows it to have its pull. I do not understand it, Kairi. Never have I seen someone who walks in the Light as easily as you. Is it a struggle?"
Kairi nodded. "It took all my strength back on the dock not to raise my weapon to the slavers. Their disregard for the suffering of others, the greed, the..." She sighed. "All this...ability...and so little I can do."
Juhani patted Kairi's back. "A frustration I know too well. But Quatra was fond of pointing out that while the Force is not necessarily merciful, it is just. Those who plant sorrow will harvest their bitter fruits in time." She paused before adding bitterly. "But what little comfort that brings to those who bear the yoke."
Through the empathy, Kairi could "overhear" the rest of her party - a sharp hit of frustration, resigned calm, and sour impatience. "Speaking of bearing yokes..."
"The Jedi's right," Canderous said. "Best thing we can make of this is to head below, drop that Wookiee, get our Star Map, and leave this place."
"You mean to say this doesn't bother you one bit?" Carth asked.
"I've owned slaves when I was a wealthier man," Canderous said. "Not worth the upkeep or bother, if you want the truth of it. But if creatures as powerful as the Wookiees are willing to bow their heads before these thinly-disguised Hutts, then it's their matter."
Bastila reminded him. "If we interfere, Carth, then we will gain nothing. Czerka already stated that for every employee of theirs that is injured or killed, more Wookiees are taken. While this is a shameful arrangement, it was here before us, and acting out of your anger can only make the situation worse."
"Old saying on Telos: 'Solve the problem or be the problem,'" he said. "We do what that flea-bitten rug wants, we're just helping Czerka. Chuundar can solve his own problem. Why does he need us?"
"Does it matter?" Canderous asked. "We do our job, we get Zaalbar, and we leave. Sounds simple enough to me."
"Statement: Any excuse to engage in combat will be suitable," HK-47 chimed in. "Termination of this problem should not pose a great difficulty for combatants of our caliber."
"Who asked you, droid?" Carth grumbled, leaning against the wroshyr trunk.
Mission paced the walkway angrily, not wanting to be near anyone in the foul mood she was in. She couldn't believe that slime Chuundar! He made Griff look like a Jedi! Oh, she was mad at him - and mad with the Wookiees for allowing it. He reminded her of the many Twi'lek men in the ranks of Taris's pimps and slaveholders, black-hearted core-slimes that she was embarrassed to share a species with.
She was so intent on burning off her frustration that she bumped into one of the smaller Wookiee women. Of course "small" was a relative term when the average height was over two meters.
"Oops. Sorry..."
"Go away, outsider. I do not speak to your kind!"
Mission decided to be bold, even if her better judgment told her this was a bad idea. "Chuundar put my friends and I on a task. We...we don't know much about the planet. Can you answer a few questions?"
"Why? To better exploit us? Why should I speak to you, Twi'lek? How can you possibly understand, anyway?"
"My name's Mission. Zaalbar taught me your language, and -"
"Zaalbar? Zaalbar the mad? He is tainted by madness and marked as an exile." The woman glowered down at her. " If he is your property, he is no Wookiee!"
"He's not!" Mission argued. "And if you think Wookiees are the only ones who have to fear slavers, I've got news for you! Why are you allowing this?"
"I will answer some questions, Twi'lek, but do not pretend to be a friend. What could you possibly know of our troubles?"
"Well, I'd like to understand, if I could."
"Your interest is...surprising, girl. I had not thought an outsider would care. Still, I should not speak of our troubles. Chuundar is our leader, and deserving of respect, even with our doubts."
"Doubts? You mean the fact that he's working with the slavers?"
"I cannot believe you! What right have you to question Chuundar? All I have heard from the mouths of outsiders are lies...I will not tolerate you causing trouble among our people. There is no one willing to stand up against the slavers. We wait for the coming of Bacca's heir."
"Bacca's heir? Sorry. Big Z...Zaalbar never told me the story."
"The ancient Bacca was our greatest leader. At his death, he swore his spirit would live on in our true chieftains. His sword would be that sign, and legends say that we have always prospered under those who held it. No longer. The blade has been gone for years." She looked to the stars, sorrow in her face and surrender in her posture. "It is a foolish hope. We follow Chuundar now. There is no one left."
Mission nodded. "Look, is there anything I can do to help - anything? Even though he's not much to you, Zaalbar is my best friend in the universe. It hurts to see those slime-bags at Czerka doing this!"
"Do not bother me further, outsider." The woman tried to growl, but it only came out as a grieving huff.
"Oh," Mission stammered. "Okay, then. B...bye!"
****
As the lift to take them to the Shadowlands was being prepared, they were taken to the Holder of the Laws. His home was a little smaller then Chuundar's "palace," but far older and made with great care. Right outside the home, there were two other Wookiees. The first was obviously young - a child. The other was speaking to him sternly.
"Woorwill, you make me worry! Even I cannot protect you, and it shames me to admit it."
Woorwill pushed past the other Wookiee and stared at them in wonder. "Look, father! They are so strange - short and hairless."
"Woorwill, damn it! These are not to be trusted! They...all of their accursed kind...they have no honor, and seek only to use us as animals and slaves."
Kairi looked up. "I'm no slaver, sir."
Woorwill was fascinated. "I've...I've never spoken to outsiders, or even been so close to one. I mean, Chuundar teaches us to understand you, but..." The young one scowled. "I suppose you're here to laugh at us and gloat over how many of us you've taken. Can you even understand me?"
"I understand you just fine," Kairi said. "I'm just here to find out more about the planet. Chuundar is holding my friend in the Chieftain's hall until I'm able to finish a task for him."
The elder Wookiee leaned in, astonished. "The friends of the mad-claw? He is not your slave?"
"No," Mission said. "Kairi's a Jedi - they don't own slaves."
"Humph! I am Jaarak, and I have seen too much in my years. There is no such thing as honor in your kind. Stop bothering my boy! He doesn't need you taunting him!"
"But what if they know something, father?" the youngster asked. "They're friends of the mad-claw, and who knows what he has told them? Maybe they can help..."
"Help? Have you gone mad yourself, boy? These are outsiders. Look around you. They do nothing but lie, and steal, and taint the best among us." He glowered at Kairi. "Talk to me if you must, but you leave my son alone!"
"I'm a stranger to this world," Kairi said. "I would like to know more about it."
"I've nothing to say to you. Go and learn what you can while bleeding this world of its people and honor."
"Should we ask if they've seen Rorworr, father? They understand us. Most outsiders don't bother to learn our language."
"It's not an easy language to learn, what with all the grunts and howls," Mission said. "Big Z told me that the whole point was to make it difficult for outsiders to understand."
"I will not speak to them, and neither will you, Woorwill! I'll not allow it."
"Can you tell me about this Rorworr?" Kairi asked.
Woorwill's eyes lit up. "Oh, he was the greatest! He's led hunting parties through the Shadowlands, and even fought against outsiders! Slavers...like...like you probably are. He's taught me a lot. He said I could grow up to be as strong as him, and that I'd fight you, too. I will, too. I will!"
Jaraak yanked on his son's arm and shouted at the party. "You are outsiders, and your kind have done more damage here then any one of you could ever hope to fix! You taint us and bring out the worst in everything. You will get no respect from me. Come, Woorwill, we're heading home while we still have one."
Just as they left, the door opened for them by a large (even by Wookiee standards) and elderly Wookiee who introduced himself as Worrroznor, the Holder of the Laws for the village. His fur had gone gray in an uneven pattern, and he moved slowly. Again, he only addressed Kairi. Word got around fast about Zaalbar's life-debt, and Kairi suspected it was the only reason that she and the party were afforded any courtesy at all.
"Hello, outsider. I have heard of your arrival. Zaalbar may be mad, but he still is a Wookiee, and those under a life-debt are owed certain things. I trust you will cause no trouble in our village. We do not want bloodshed."'
"Neither do we," Kairi said. "To be truthful, we'd like to help how we can. But we are strangers to this planet. Can I trouble you with some questions?"
"I am sorry, human. Like most of our village, I have been preoccupied with these troubled times. I don't really wish to speak with you. Well, not unless you can tell me of Rorworr's fate. Do you keep track of slaves taken?"
"We're not slavers."
"I have no way of knowing one way or another. You'll excuse me if I do not take you at your word."
"I...cannot blame you." Kairi thought a moment. A missing Wookiee might be tied to the dirty job Chuundar was sending them out on. "When did he go missing?"
"Ten days - perhaps more. He was planning a hunt, and no one seems to know when he was leaving. He is now overdue, and it seems so strange."
"How so?"
"I don't believe he was taken by slavers. Their transports have not been seen here for many days. If not slavers, then perhaps he fell in the Shadowlands, but he was a great hunter and knew them well."
"Has anyone gone to look for him?" Mission asked.
The old Wookiee shrugged. "With the Czerka preying on us, it is becoming too dangerous to search. I would go down myself, but I am old, and my days of hunting the lower forest are behind me."
"Perhaps we could look for him," Kairi said. "Chuundar is sending us down there. We can at least try."
He looked at her quizzically. "I have never had an offer of help from an outsider before. You are strange, indeed, but I'll reserve judgment for when I see results."
"I'll leave you be, then."
"Farewell. Bacca keep you well."
***
Several hours of waiting passed before they were summoned again to the Walkway, and their weapons returned to them. After making a quick inspection to see that their armaments hadn't been tampered with, they proceeded.
The lift was at the far end of the branch paths, and the two blade-carrying Wookiees that took them to the fork in the path and stood guard prevented them from diverging from the route. Juhani and Kairi took point while the others proceeded slowly and watched for an attack from the flying or crawling dangers on the branch path.
The pair had gained a significant lead on the rest of the party, and could see the lift to the Shadowlands rising in the distance. Xor got off the lift and was shuffling down the path towards them, his brutally scarred face peering at them as he carried another pack over his shoulder. Worse, he was backed up by two men in full Mandalorian armor.
Xor huffed with contempt when he saw them. "A stinking Cathar..." He squinted at Juhani. "What is your kind doing here? Bad enough I got to deal with all those other idiots, but now there's a stinking Cathar on this world, too?
Juhani stepped to the front. "We've as much right to here as you." Her voice was acid.
Kairi felt nauseous - both from the man's smell and the perverse hatred and sadism that seemed to pull in all life-energy around him. It took effort not to drop to her knees and invert her stomach. She held out her open hand to keep some physical distance between them, and even with her strongest blocks in place, she still wanted to crawl into the nearest fresher just from the man's presence. "Leave. Now," she said.
Xor laughed. "Ooooo! Big woman shooting her mouth off. Hiding behind your pet Cathar...and a woman at that. Should have exterminated all you Cathar when we had the chance."
Juhani crouched down, prepared to defend herself should they be attacked. "What? What do you know of my world?" She hissed angrily, her voice like a bowstring.
Kairi saw Xor's blaster carbine and the two Mandalorians backing him up. She glanced backwards, but the rest of the party was not close. They had been delayed. "Juhani, be careful," she warned. This monster would no doubt be delighted to kill them both painfully.
She looked up at Xor. Speaking was a struggle with the effort she was expending to keep him out of her mind. Her best attempt to keep her voice even failed, disgust and anger slipping into her words. "I know you're looking for a fight, but this isn't the place to seek one. Get out of here and leave my friend alone."
Xor waved Kairi off. "I know enough that..." He squinted at Juhani, and Kairi felt recognition from the hunter. "Hey, wait a minute. You look familiar somehow..."
Juhani gasped, also recognizing the man "What? You..."
Kairi gripped the sleeve of her friend's red robe. "Juhani, let's get out of here."
"This doesn't concern you, woman," he barked at Kairi. "Hmm…. Now where could I have...No, she's dead, and she likely is, too...Maybe I was wrong. Still, I think a specimen like her would be a nice addition to my collection." He paused and turned to Kairi again. "So, what would it take for you to sell your pet here to me?"
That did it! "She isn't a slave, She is my friend, and how can you think that she -"
Xor chuckled. "Now don't be so selfish. We both know these Cathar aren't real people, anyway." He shrugged and gestured to Juhani. "When I was fighting with the Mandalorians, I developed an appreciation for those creatures. The make excellent servants if properly trained...the females, anyway. The males should be put down like the animals they are. I remember one time on Taris..."
"Stop it," Kairi argued. "Get out of here now!"
But Xor's words already had their effect. Juhani's fighting stance went from defensive to aggressive, crouching with her hands open. Sharp claws extended from her hands. Her mouth curled back to reveal the impressive fangs on her upper jaw. "What? WHAT DID YOU SAY? WHAT DID YOU DO ON TARIS, YOU SCUM!"
"Put one of you down like the animals you are," Xor barked. "So easy...then I saw one of the females on the auction block, but those Jedi..."
Kairi stood by Juhani, also making ready should this get ugly. "I gave you your answer. Leave us alone - NOW."
But Juhani's strength and rage seemed to dim, and Kairi felt an acute sting of grief...of shame. "It....It was you..."
"What? Me?" He threw back his head and howled with laughter, showing off his rotted teeth. "Oh, ho! Now I recognize where I seen that face before. You were the little Cathar I was going to purchase, but those Jedi came and stole my pet away from me."
"She's not and never has been a 'pet.' Furthermore, she is a Jedi - as am I." Kairi said firmly, her own blood starting to burn from the heat of Juhani's anger. Xor and his companions triggered revulsion. They were like the bounty hunters she fought on Taris - sadists who fought for the pleasure of the kill. Would it be so wrong if these abominations were cut down? Distantly, a part of her screamed how this was wrong - Dark Side.
"You Jedi act all prim and proper, but inside you must feel the same way about the lesser, non-human species. The Sith, at least, let their feelings show on the outside."
"I don't know what you are trying here, but this goes far enough!" Kairi said, her voice shaking with the effort to not raise her hand and strike at them with the Force. Maybe hurl fear at them, or befuddle their thoughts? It wouldn't cause physical damage, but...No. An attack would still be an attack, no different than cutting them with her lightsaber.
"You..." Juhani whispered. "My home world..."
"Come now, will you let your pet go? I'm sure we can come up with a price we both think is -"
"And I will see you dead for what you have done to my people!" Juhani's hand went for the saber on her belt.
Xor blanched, sensing his prey was no longer defenseless. "Uh...hold on a second, ladies...let's not be so hasty..."
Kairi's mouth was dry. Her body was trembling with the exertion of standing still. Barraged with emotions and too upset herself, she pulled out the last card she had to keep the situation from exploding into something they'd all regret. "There...there is no passion..." she whispered.
Juhani heard her, and pulled back her own anger, putting the rod back onto her belt slowly. The emotional din quieted to a tolerable level. "Serenity. There is serenity." She took two shaky breaths and forced herself to straighten and hold her ground. "What she says is true. I am a Jedi now...I will remain calm. My lust for vengeance must be curbed."
Xor felt a reprieve. "Yes, yes...say no to the Dark Side..." He smiled. "But I'll have you yet!"
He and the two Mandalorians pushed past them, back towards the Czerka outpost. Kairi stumbled to the railing and slumped against it like a rag doll, gulping cool air and wiping her clammy skin with the sleeve of her shirt. Juhani wrapped her arm around Kairi, rubbing the area between her shoulders. She heard the rest of the party's footsteps coming near and sighed with relief at the familiar patterns.
"You okay? Kairi, you look a little green. And Juhani, you look like you got tossed in a heat-storm. What gives?" Mission asked.
"I see you met the 'charming' Xor," Carth grumbled, looking back and seeing (thankfully) no trace of him. "Slime bag." He walked over to Kairi, brushing one of her damp strands of hair out of her eyes. "Kairi?"
"I'm…just shaken. That man is…sick."
"Too bad you didn't kill him," Canderous grumbled. "I know the clan markings of his friends. Damn cowards were among the first to retreat from the fighting when Revan turned the tide against us."
Carth looked up. "Another batch of 'disgraces to the armor,' Canderous?"
"Turned to poaching, probably," Canderous said. "I see they wear stealth belts to stalk their prey. Where's the sport in that?" He shook his head and looked over to Carth. "Well, Republic, you've faced battle with me against their kind before."
Kairi turned her attention to her Cathar friend. "Juhani..."
"My blood seethes at the thought of that man still running free! I cannot stand still while I think about it, but..." She took a shaky breath and gripped Kairi's hand. "But I will not give in to my anger."
"You and me both," she admitted. She swallowed hard, forcing down the bile that rose to the back of her throat. "I didn't want to chance him hurting you. That's why I didn't…. didn't attack." She shuddered. "I...could sense...It makes me sick just remembering...Thank you. You stopped me from doing something we all would have regretted."
"Stopped you?" Juhani was confused. "Kairi, you were the one stopping me from ripping out his throat!"
"Yes," Bastila said. "I am glad neither of you gave in to your base instincts. Juhani, need I remind you about your own fall to the Dark Side?"
"No," Juhani said. "I regret my slip of control." She glanced over Kairi, to make certain her human companion was all right, and confessed to the rest of the party. "Xor and I have...a history."
"He was with the Mandalorians that attacked Juhani's homeworld," Kairi elaborated, her nerves still raw. "Never lost his hatred for them, either. The men - he kills. The women..." Kairi remembered the perverted combination of hatred and sexual sadism that blasted from him. She let the patterns of the others flow into her, washing away much of the filth he left. "The women, he's not so merciful towards. Juhani almost wound up in his clutches once."
"Ah, Kairi," Bastila said. "Unfortunately, your empathy again proves to be a horrid curse. It would appear that you are still in need of guidance and aid. I must endeavor to provide better grounding for you and Juhani both in the future."
The party trudged forward. Mission took Juhani's arm. "Tarisian slave market? Right?"
Juhani nodded.
"Thought so," Mission said quietly, shuddering. That dead-end was a literal one for too many of the spent joy-girls and injured dancers. "But there weren't any Cathar on Taris - not that I'd seen anyway."
"Only three. My mother, my father, and me...They are dead."
She closed her gold eyes shut, and whispered in a language she had not spoken in years. "I have found your killer, papa"
"What did you say?" Mission asked.
"He will pay for his crimes," Juhani said. She looked behind her. "Unfortunately, he will likely be following us...me. I know what I sensed from him and his companions."
Juhani had been right.
Xor marched back to Czerka's office, strutting up to Janos's desk. "What is it you want, Janos? Another runaway slave? Another Wookiee that's not cut out for his place?"
The Ithorian shook his head. "You will need your Mandalorian friends for back up on this. We arranged for Chuundar to round up a bunch of trouble-makers...Jedi among them."
"Jedi, huh?" he asked. "I saw 'em, all right. Maybe an actual challenge in this, unlike that freighter crew a month ago. So you want 'em to come to grief in the Shadowlands?"
"I want an example to be made of them," he said. "There's something about the Wookiee they brought with them that makes the natives restless. Some even question Chuundar now, and that's going to make things difficult. Let the Wookiees know that they'll receive no help from outsiders, and let the anti-slavers in the Republic learn how we handle interference."
