Disclaimer: I don't own the Star Wars universe or Star Wars KOTOR, George
Lucas and Lucas Arts do. They also own all the Characters and Worlds
contained therein. The characters created by me for this story are all
that I own.
Kashyyyk – Czerka and an old Jedi coot
We stayed on Dantooine and resupplied, and Bastila and I informed the council on our progress so far. They encouraged us to return to our task and I assured them we would be leaving for Kashyyyk first thing in the morning. It did the crew good to be able to relax and all of us get good nights sleep.
Juhari stopped me during my inspection of the ship to thank me for my and the crew's acceptance of her. I asked what she meant and she told me that Cathar did not usually do well in groups, even on Dantooine she had remained alone, not ostracized but separate. She did not feel that way here. She said it was warming to feel welcome and needed and found it reassuring that I could be decisive when needed. I thanked her and told her we were all in this together and she said yes, that was her point though she was finding it difficult to explain. I finally realized what she was saying and nodded my understanding.
I had a chance to talk with Carth away from everyone else and finally found out why he wanted to kill Saul. After he told me of how his wife died in his arms, how he had lost his son and didn't know if he was alive or dead, I was ready to kill Saul for him. He said that he knew that killing Saul wouldn't bring them back or make him happy but it was something he felt he had to do. I nodded my understanding to him and thanked him for trusting me enough to tell me.
I caught up with Bastila alone in our quarters and decided to ask her a question that had been bothering me for awhile. Given the bounty placed on her head I didn't see why the Council didn't take this chance to send a senior Jedi with us. I mean, it was difficult to see how much more obvious we could get, senior Jedi or no. Even though a senior Jedi would probably immediately squash my occasional romantic overtures, I would feel better if Bastila had someone she could talk to since she wasn't going to admit any weakness to Juhari or I.
I asked "Why did the Council send me with you on this mission?" Bastila looked at me confused and said "Why? I could not accomplish this on my own; I need the aid of others - especially one who is strong in the force. The bond between us made you a natural choice. Besides, the events on Taris proved that the Force wanted to bring us together for the mission, and there is little left to chance when the Force is involved. Is that not enough for you?" I thought moodily that the bond between us certainly felt like it left me little choice, Bastila was like an obsession for me, an addictive one, one that I could not ignore no matter how much my rational self told me to let it wait till after the mission was over.
I looked over at her and said "If the Force wants us to be together, why do you keep resisting my undeniable charms?" And I grinned as roguishly as I could manage and waited to see what she would do. Bastila shook her head at me and said in an aggrieved tone "I said we were brought together for our mission: to stop Malak. I hardly think the Force would be pushing us towards a romantic involvement when the fate of the galaxy is at stake! Please try to stay focused. I doubt the Council would approve if they knew we were busy discussing our mutual attraction when we should be saving the galaxy from Malak."
I grinned at the last statement and said "Mutual attraction? I knew you were interested in me!" Bastila finally lost her calm and said "Mutual attraction? I never said...." she paused as she realized what she had said and then continued gamely "It's just an expression! Whatever our feelings... uh, I mean... whatever your feelings, you have to try and ignore them. Don't let this complicate things. Finding the missing pieces of the Star Map is our only hope of locating the Star Forge and defeating Malak. The Council explained all this quite clearly."
I started pacing at this point and said "And thats it? That's enough reason for you to accept all this?" Bastila seemed distracted by my pacing and replied "I admit, there were times that I wondered if this were more than just a mission to stop Malak. There were times when I wondered if this was also a way for the Council to test my own abilities." I looked at her and said "I get the feeling that there's more going on than I know" and continued pacing.
Bastila replied "I wondered if the Council wanted to see how I would help and guide you on our quest. I wondered if they were testing me to see if I was ready to become a Jedi Master myself. And then I realized how foolish such thoughts were. As the Council, explained sending a Master in our group would have drawn unwanted attention from the Sith. The fate of the galaxy is at stake, the Council would not risk it merely to test me. They calculated the risks and in the end chose the only option available." I looked at her and merely nodded not really accepting her explanation.
Bastila said "You must learn to trust in the wisdom of the council. Your destiny will come in its appointed time. You mustn't be so impatient." I stopped and stared at her and said "Me? You're the one who thought this was her big audition for Masterhood!" Bastila stamped her foot and said "Must you be so frustrating? I admit, I had a moment of foolish pride. But I'm over it. Now I am focused on my true responsibilities. I am simply trying to help you and complete this mission, and yet you battle me at every turn."
I paused and looked at her admiringly; she looked so beautiful with a slight flush to her face. Bastila flushed slightly more at my open regard and I said "What can I say? It's fun." She gaped at me and said in a raised voice "Fun?! Fun?! Driving me insane is your idea of a good time?" I thought to myself, the entire ship must have heard that one, and said to her with a smirk "Careful. Remember your self-control." She stared at me as if I had grown a second head then said in a more moderate tone "You.... you are a very odd woman, do you know that? I simply don't know how to deal with you. All I want to do is help you, but you seem determined to drive me mad."
I paused and smiled at her warmly and said "Complain all you want, but I know you love it." I meant it too, these arguments between us diffused some of the sexual tension in the air, and it seemed to be something we both sought out to bleed off some of the intensity between us. Bastila glared at me, and then her face softened and she said "I don't know if I should be outraged that you keep joking about serious matters, of if I should be grateful that you can always lighten the mood." I said more seriously "I'm not so bad Bastila, but you just have to accept me for what I am."
The look on her face was unreadable and I wondered why she had reacted to my simple statement so. She finally replied "It's isn't as easy as that. But your point is well taken." With that she turned away from me and I decided some space between us was probably a good idea. I got some curious stares from everyone as I went to the loading bay for a workout. Maybe I could exhaust myself enough to sleep.
************************************************************
Cait's last comment kept repeating in Bastila's head even after she left. Bastila had wondered if Cait was getting flashbacks of things other than the Star Maps or if it was just a general comment. She searched Cait's eyes for clues and decided that Cait thought the tight shield Bastila kept on her thoughts was because she didn't fully accept Cait. That wasn't it of course but she could hardly tell Cait the truth, the Council had forbidden it. They were to find the Star Maps and return to Dantooine, the Council would decide what to do about Revan afterward.
It was starting to really bother her that she had to keep lying to Cait. Even though the reason was a good one she wondered how Cait would take the truth if it ever came out. She knew enough about Cait to know that she would take her real past very hard. Cait was passionate about everything, doing the right thing, being an honorable person and of course the bond between them. Would Cait blame her for not letting her know sooner? Would she blame the Jedi? Would she still care for her if she knew the truth about their past, of Bastila's rejection of her and the part it had played in Revan's fall.
****************************************************************
Bastila and I discussed our shared vision of the Star Map when we landed on Kashyyyk. It looked like the Star Map was on the forest floor, where only the bravest of the Wookiees would venture; it was unlikely they were even aware of its existence. We were greeted by a Czerka representative at the landing dock to collect the landing dock fee, we then moved further into the Czerka compound.
Zaalbar stopped me and told me that he should have prepared me for Kashyyyk. He went on to say that he had been exiled by his father for attacking his brother and to his shame he had been so angry at his brother for working with slavers that he had used his claws in the fight. He had lost his honor in the eyes of his people and was known as a madclaw, his word was not to be trusted. I nodded to him and told him that we would deal with that situation if we had to.
We continued down the walkway and my attention was drawn for some reason to two men standing around a display booth. I wasn't certain what drew my attention to them but I stopped to chat and find out more about them. The owner of the small shop was one Eli Gand, the second man was an indebted employee Matton Dasol. I inquired as to the cause of this indebt ness and I noticed that Eli seemed to be lying about quite a few things as he commiserated with his employee about how sad it was that he had lent him money and his crew had disappeared with it while Matton had been repairing one of Eli's ships. I asked if I could settle Matton's debt but Eli refused saying that he valued Matton's skill as a mechanic more than the debt. I looked at him and knew there was something dark he was hiding, but there was nothing I could do about it at this moment. I nodded and thanked them and moved on, vowing to keep my senses open for more clues as to what was going on there. I traded glances with Bastila and she nodded to me, she had sensed deception in Eli as well.
We left the Czerka controlled area, and proceeded down the Great Walkway toward the Wookiee village. We came upon a group of Czerka employees arguing around the body of a dead Wookiee a few meters down the walkway. The group's leader introduced himself as Patrol Captain Dehno and asked what I wanted. I introduced myself and asked what happened. The man said that the Wookiee slave had gotten rebellious and had to be put down. Zaalbar almost lost his temper at hearing that, I asked him to let me handle the situation. He complied and said that he would for my sake.
I asked the captain if their superiors approved of them killing Wookiees? The captain was suspicious and said no of course not, what was this a snap inspection? He repeated that he was standing by his patrol; the Wookiee had been rebellious and had to be killed. I told him that I would not permit him to enslave or kill another Wookiee. I could sense Bastila staring at me but she did not say anything just got in a position for a fight. The captain asked me who I was to say that and I looked him in the eye and said "This posting is trouble, friend. Get out while you can." He stared at me nervously and said that I made sense; perhaps it was time for him and his men to request a transfer off the planet. The edged around us and headed back at a quick pace, the captain repeating to his men that they were going to request a transfer and not to argue with him.
Bastila said "How do you do that? You don't use the force to persuade them, I would sense it." I turned to her with a grin and said "I just tell the truth in such a way that they accept it, I don't know how I choose the words they just come to me." Bastila looked at me and then shook her head, and said "Maybe you are using the force after all, to know what to say so that the person will accept it." I though about that and nodded, I might have been unconsciously using my force senses to tell what I needed to say to get the desired outcome.
After that it was rather a nice walk thought along the path, I paused often to admire the view. The occasional mykal and kinrath kept it from being an entirely peaceful experience but they didn't stop me from enjoying myself. A Wookiee guard stopped us from proceeding deeper into the forest and said that only Chuundar could decide if we would be permitted to enter the Shadowlands. Reluctantly, we headed toward the village.
We encountered three dark Jedi on the way there that had hopes of collecting a certain bounty but they were no match for us. I checked the bodies afterward and collected a few lightsaber crystals that I pocketed for later inspection. We proceeded to the gate of the village where the sight of Zaalbar provoked a strong reaction from the guard. I felt bad for Zaalbar but there was little I could do but stand with him and offer my support. We were finally escorted to Zaalbar's brother Chuundar who had taken over the Chieftains position; I wondered to myself what had happened to Zaalbar's father.
Chuundar seemed very sure of himself and sure that the Wookiees would never believe that he was working with the slavers; he said to us "They trust me, the mighty Chuundar. Even with my brother insane and father enslaved, I rose to protect my people despite it all." I shook my head and asked him what he wanted. Chuundar said that he merely wanted a chance to talk to his brother while the rest of us went and did a task for him. If I wanted Zaalbar back I would have to seek out a mad Wookiee that was attacking the Czerka in the Shadowlands and kill him. Zaalbar said that his father would oppose his brother and Chuundar replied that his father had attacked the slavers alone when he discovered the truth and hadn't been seen since. Freyyr was gone he said, and he ruled now. Chuundar said that he would lead the Wookiees forward but there was a price that had to be paid. I counseled Zaalbar not to listen to him and this angered Chuundar who had us quickly escorted out of his hall.
We left the village and went back out upon the Great Walkway, following it around as Chuundar had directed to meet the guide he had arranged for us. I had called the Ebon Hawk as we left the village and Canderous came out to meet Bastila and I for the journey into the Shadowlands. Along the path we saw three Wookiees fighting a large number of kinraths and went to assist them.
Chorrawl, the leader of the hunting group, was not pleased with our assistance though and told me that he wouldn't allow me to take him as a slave. I finally managed to persuade him that I had no such intention and found out from him the lies Chuundar was using to control his people. He had told them that he had bargained with the Czerka to have the number of slaves taken reduced but if any of the Czerka were killed the number increased again. He also mentioned something called Bacca's blade with which a blood relative of Chuundar might be able to challenge him for chieftainship.
We finally arrived at the basket the Wookiees used to descend into the Shadowlands and meet our guide Gorwooken. I managed to persuade Gorwooken to tell me about what others had recently journeyed into the Shadowlands. He told me of Rorworr who had gone down several days ago and had not returned. Gorwooken said that many hunters had not returned recently and that Chuundar believed that one of their own was down below mad, crazed and killing all. I thanked him and he told us to be still while we descended or we would attract unwelcome attention. It took almost an hour to descend all the way to the forest floor, I knew it was a long way down but I had really had no concept how far until that long journey. We finally reached the forest floor and I thanked Gorwooken and we carefully began to explore.
We had not gone far when we were attacked by a group of katarn, afterwards we proceeded very cautiously keeping our ears open for further attacks. In the distance we heard a battle and quickened our pace, we arrived in time to see the end of the fight. A lone older man fought a group of katarn, several of them already dead, he wielded a green lightsaber and as we came up he finished off the last of his attackers. I was respectful of the skill with which he wielded his lightsaber and politely asked his name waiting to see if he would be a friend or foe. My instincts said friend and he was not using the distinctive red lightsaber that those of the darkside preferred. I extended my force senses slightly and was surprised to see that he was neither of the light or the dark but balanced between the two and he seemed at peace there. I also had the immediate sense that I would like this old man, for some reason he reminded me of one of my Covert Ops instructors.
He introduced himself as Jolee Bindo and invited us to his home; I asked if he was a Jedi and he grumped at me, telling me not to fawn over him he was too old for it. I had to repress a chuckle, but Bastila looked a bit scandalized. He told us to keep close as he set out saying something about having fought the Sith and now he lived in a home under a log like some rodent. His home was under a log I saw as we came up to it, one very huge log, and his house was not that small. He invited us to pull up a stump and be comfortable; we had a few things to discuss. I asked him about the situation with the Wookiees and Chuundar. Jolee said "Czerka Corporation was smart to put him in power. He's as good at destroying Wookiee culture as dropping a corpse full of Ardroxian Flu," he looked at me and said "Will you work for him or against him, I wonder? I will be interested to see."
I cocked my head to the side and said to him amused "You don't have a recommendation?" He grumbled at me "Uh, sure, how's this: think for yourself. I don't care for politics, and I'm big on letting people figure things out for themselves." I laughed at this, it certainly made a change from most of the Jedi I had meet. I then asked him if he had seen any crazed Wookiee in the Shadowlands and he said that he had helped one maddened with grief into the lower forests but he had not been crazed. I asked him when he had fought the Sith and he glared at me and commented that my ears were annoyingly good. He said those days were gone, and to leave them alone. He said he had seen his share of the dark and the light and both extremes annoyed him. Bastila choose that moment to comment that she could see no taint of the dark side within him and that she thought he was a servant of the light no matter what he claimed.
He looked at her directly and told her he saw more grey these days than dark or light. For some reason she seemed unable to hold his gaze for too long and dropped her eyes. I was puzzled and asked him if he had seen any ancient star map in the Shadowlands. He looked at me and said "I knew that had to be why you were here. The problems of a few Wookiees don't amount to anything before the concerns of the Jedi. No, you are here for the map."
I frowned at this and told him maybe I had come originally for the map but more now concerned me about Kashyyyk than just finding the star map. He stared at me for a bit then said "Kashyyyk is an interesting place, more so than anyone suspects. If Czerka Corporation knew, heh, the planet would be a strip mine. The Wookiee's have their legends that they were not always here, but it is more than that. The trees themselves are strangers." I stared at him wondering if he was telling me this was one of the Builders terraformed planets and I asked him to be more specific.
He changed the subject and told us there were walls in our way, and we wouldn't find what we needed without his help. I nodded and waited for him to continue. He asked us to complete a task for him before he helped us. I asked him with a grin "Why should I trust you, you crazy old coot?" He snapped back "Oh, save it. I know this sounds absurd, but I'm old and entitled to work you around a bit. Besides the test is simple." He then told us of a group of Czerka that had set up camp and were slaughtering the wildlife and threatening entire species. They were irritating him and he wanted us to remove them for him.
I looked at him and said "I see. So the aged semi-Jedi wants me to get some kids off his lawn." Bastila was glaring at me for what she saw as my disrespectful behavior but Jolee was amused and quipped back "Yes, yes, I'm an old man that's getting fussy. Call me foolish if you will, I don't care. You still have to do it." At the last I chuckled and nodded to him. I think Bastila finally caught on that we were actually getting along quite well in our own way and stopped glaring at me, I could tell she was confused as to why we were playing the game we were. Jolee shooed us off to do our errand, reminding me that if he had wanted them dead he could have done that, I was to find a better way.
When we got out of earshot Bastila asked me what I had been doing, I admitted that Jolee reminded me strongly of one of my old instructors. He had been past age to retire but he had gotten a special extension due to his ability to impart his wisdom to his students. He also preferred that we learn things by doing and finding the answers for ourselves. I thought to myself, but didn't say aloud that he thought no one could learn anything by merely being lectured on what they should do. You had to actually go out on the field and find out the hard way why you did things certain ways. He wouldn't let us get badly hurt but he thought a few bruises and cuts were a small price to pay on the training field if we learned something that would keep us alive on the battlefield.
We all grew to love that old man, and we constantly insulted him and he insulted us back but through it all we looked up to him and trusted him with our lives. Jolee from what I could tell in the short while was very like him, and I hoped that he would decide to come along with us for more than just Kashyyyk. I shared some of this with her as we walked and she nodded thoughtfully when I told her about my old instructor and how much I respected him, and I know she realized through the bond that I felt a lot of affection for him and had looked on him as a father figure. She asked me if he was still teaching and I replied "Oh, yes he's busy terrorizing a new group of students probably at this moment" and grinned at her, she shook her head but smiled back at me and we continued exploring.
On the way we stumbled across a broken droid, the only functioning thing working on the droid was a playback of the last few moments of the droids existence. I played for everyone and Bastila and I found it very enlightening. It was a recording of Matton's crew and of their murder by Eli. As I removed the droids head a surge of feedback destroyed the remainder of the droids circuitry. But the memory of the droid in the machines head remained intact. I carefully placed it in my pack and we continued on. We stumbled over the corpse of a Wookiee and I examined the remains. I found a distinctive bowcaster bolt casting near the body that I pocketed, I also picked up the dead wookiees bowcaster and a datapad. Reading the datapad I realized that the body was that of Rorworr and that he had been dealing with slavers. Undoubtedly some other Wookiee had found out and had killed him because of it. I got back out the bowcaster bolt and realized it did not belong to Rorworr's bowcaster, which left the likelihood that it belonged to whomever had killed him. I thoughtfully pocketed all the pieces of evidence and we continued looking for the Czerka employees.
It wasn't long before we came across them and I realized they were slaughtering the tach's wholesale to get large supply of their glands for use in stimulants. I asked their commander if he even cared that he was wiping out and entire species and he said no, he would be wealthy by then so what would it matter. I shook my head at this and decided there was no way to get him to leave voluntarily and politely took my leave of him. I decided to question some of his guards instead to see if I could get an idea for how to get them to leave without any bloodshed.
I found out the guards really did not want to be down here. They were here to guard the emitters that were keeping the sonic barrier in place, if enough of them went down the camp would have to be abandoned. The guard quietly gave me the code to shut down the emitter behind him and proceeded to ignore me. I persuaded one more code out of another guard and managed to shut down a second emitter. We withdrew a shot distance from the camp and watched as the commander realized that the sonic field had failed when a large predator of some type wandered though the camp. The guards were in the lead on the way back to the basket leaving their commander in the rear with the beast chasing him though he looked like he would manage to outrun the beast. They disappeared from sight and I persuaded myself that I hoped that all of them would make it back ok. Reluctantly I went through the supplies that they had left behind and obtained some tach glands to give to Griff.
We returned to Jolee's home and informed him that his task had been completed. He looked at us and said "I don't sense the smell of death on you. You spared them? Interesting." I stared at him puzzled and said "Enough. Have I passed your little test?" He looked at me and said that if I wanted to imagine a meaning behind the task then that was probably good but such a trivial thing was not a measure of a person. I replied that if he hadn't cared about the outcome why hadn't he done it himself. He glared at me and said that I was here and it needed doing, and besides the Czerka were dirty business and he hoped I had washed my hands.
I laughed out loud at this comment and told him it was probably good advice. I asked if he would assist us in finding the Star Map now and he told us he would, there was a path east of where the Czerka camp was that lead to it but the way was blocked by a sonic barrier. He had watched as they put it in and knew how to take it down. I nodded to him and told him we would return in a few hours, we needed to take care of something up top. Bastila almost argued with me but I reminded her that the little tasks were part of being a Jedi, and there was an injustice that needed to be addressed. Jolee watched in interest but I ignored him and Bastila admitted that I was right.
We went back to where Gorwooken was waiting and went back up to the Great Walkway. From there we headed back to the Czerka compound. We went to where the small sales booth was located and showed Eli and Matton the droid head, Matton recognized the droid head as belonging to the repair droid from his ship and asked Eli what it was doing in the forest. Eli was trying to say that we had merely found rubbish but Matton was ignoring him. I told Matton what I had heard in the recording and he turned to Eli and angrily said "I thought I owed you! You tricked them into the Shadowlands and killed them all while I fixed your freighter in orbit!" I decided to speak to Matton before he did something rash like killing Eli and managed to calm him down. Eli ran off and I observed that he wouldn't last long in the Shadowlands. Matton decided that he could persuade Eli's suppliers to deal with him and that he would take over the small shop till he got enough credits to leave. I wished him well and we headed back down the Great Walkway to the village. I wasn't sure who I should see but they should have someone official who would like to know what happened to Rorworr.
I finally managed to get one of the Wookiees to give me directions to the Holder of the Laws. I politely thanked them and went to where the building was located and entered it. I asked him if he knew who the bolt casing I had found near Rorworr's body belonged to and he looked at it and said the family insignia on it indicated it belonged to Jaarak. He asked how I got it and I told him about finding Rorworr's body in the Shadowlands. He left to get Jaarak and returned with an older Wookiee who I assumed was Jaarak and a young Wookiee who I found out was the closest relative of Rorworr, Woorwill.
I quickly realized that Jaarak was not going to speak in his own defense and would accept the penalty for killing Rorworr, which apparently was death. I could not let him do this so I told them that Rorworr had been dealing with slavers. Jaarak pleaded with me to be silent, that Rorworr had been a hero to them and they needed to believe in him. I shook my head and said that it was not right for him to let them believe in a lie, the truth might hurt right now but it was better than believing in a lie.
I showed them the datapad that proved that Rorworr had been dealing with slavers. Jaarak said "I'm sorry Woorwill. I didn't want you to know. So much is against us... you need someone to look up to. I couldn't let him betray you... betray everyone. Outsiders are enough of a threat by themselves; we don't need traitors of our own." Worrroznor the Holder of the Laws said that I was the first outsider he was glad to know, that I had acted with honor and deserved my reward. I stared at him puzzled and asked what reward he was speaking of. He told me I was entitled to one third of Rorworr's possessions as the finder of the crime, I tried to decline but he wouldn't let me. I caught up with Jaarak and Woorwill and cautiously approached them to see if they were ok, they both thanked me for what I had done. Woorwill said I was like he had thought Rorworr was and I thanked him and wished them both well.
I turned to my companions afterward and noticed that Bastila looked unwell; she was pale and seemed distracted. I asked her in concern if she was ill, and she admitted that she was not feeling that well and should probably return to the Ebon Hawk. I could sense very little through our bond; she was tightly shielding her emotions and thoughts. I could only get a vague sense of turmoil from her, but she was obviously did not want to discuss or admit that something was bothering her. I told her that we would go with her back to the Ebon Hawk and then Canderous and I would go back to Jolee's home. Jolee looked quite capable of dealing with the Shadowlands by himself, so the three of us together should be quite safe. As I watched her enter the Ebon Hawk I wondered what was bothering her, she had appeared to be quite well until the Jaarak trial.
Kashyyyk – Czerka and an old Jedi coot
We stayed on Dantooine and resupplied, and Bastila and I informed the council on our progress so far. They encouraged us to return to our task and I assured them we would be leaving for Kashyyyk first thing in the morning. It did the crew good to be able to relax and all of us get good nights sleep.
Juhari stopped me during my inspection of the ship to thank me for my and the crew's acceptance of her. I asked what she meant and she told me that Cathar did not usually do well in groups, even on Dantooine she had remained alone, not ostracized but separate. She did not feel that way here. She said it was warming to feel welcome and needed and found it reassuring that I could be decisive when needed. I thanked her and told her we were all in this together and she said yes, that was her point though she was finding it difficult to explain. I finally realized what she was saying and nodded my understanding.
I had a chance to talk with Carth away from everyone else and finally found out why he wanted to kill Saul. After he told me of how his wife died in his arms, how he had lost his son and didn't know if he was alive or dead, I was ready to kill Saul for him. He said that he knew that killing Saul wouldn't bring them back or make him happy but it was something he felt he had to do. I nodded my understanding to him and thanked him for trusting me enough to tell me.
I caught up with Bastila alone in our quarters and decided to ask her a question that had been bothering me for awhile. Given the bounty placed on her head I didn't see why the Council didn't take this chance to send a senior Jedi with us. I mean, it was difficult to see how much more obvious we could get, senior Jedi or no. Even though a senior Jedi would probably immediately squash my occasional romantic overtures, I would feel better if Bastila had someone she could talk to since she wasn't going to admit any weakness to Juhari or I.
I asked "Why did the Council send me with you on this mission?" Bastila looked at me confused and said "Why? I could not accomplish this on my own; I need the aid of others - especially one who is strong in the force. The bond between us made you a natural choice. Besides, the events on Taris proved that the Force wanted to bring us together for the mission, and there is little left to chance when the Force is involved. Is that not enough for you?" I thought moodily that the bond between us certainly felt like it left me little choice, Bastila was like an obsession for me, an addictive one, one that I could not ignore no matter how much my rational self told me to let it wait till after the mission was over.
I looked over at her and said "If the Force wants us to be together, why do you keep resisting my undeniable charms?" And I grinned as roguishly as I could manage and waited to see what she would do. Bastila shook her head at me and said in an aggrieved tone "I said we were brought together for our mission: to stop Malak. I hardly think the Force would be pushing us towards a romantic involvement when the fate of the galaxy is at stake! Please try to stay focused. I doubt the Council would approve if they knew we were busy discussing our mutual attraction when we should be saving the galaxy from Malak."
I grinned at the last statement and said "Mutual attraction? I knew you were interested in me!" Bastila finally lost her calm and said "Mutual attraction? I never said...." she paused as she realized what she had said and then continued gamely "It's just an expression! Whatever our feelings... uh, I mean... whatever your feelings, you have to try and ignore them. Don't let this complicate things. Finding the missing pieces of the Star Map is our only hope of locating the Star Forge and defeating Malak. The Council explained all this quite clearly."
I started pacing at this point and said "And thats it? That's enough reason for you to accept all this?" Bastila seemed distracted by my pacing and replied "I admit, there were times that I wondered if this were more than just a mission to stop Malak. There were times when I wondered if this was also a way for the Council to test my own abilities." I looked at her and said "I get the feeling that there's more going on than I know" and continued pacing.
Bastila replied "I wondered if the Council wanted to see how I would help and guide you on our quest. I wondered if they were testing me to see if I was ready to become a Jedi Master myself. And then I realized how foolish such thoughts were. As the Council, explained sending a Master in our group would have drawn unwanted attention from the Sith. The fate of the galaxy is at stake, the Council would not risk it merely to test me. They calculated the risks and in the end chose the only option available." I looked at her and merely nodded not really accepting her explanation.
Bastila said "You must learn to trust in the wisdom of the council. Your destiny will come in its appointed time. You mustn't be so impatient." I stopped and stared at her and said "Me? You're the one who thought this was her big audition for Masterhood!" Bastila stamped her foot and said "Must you be so frustrating? I admit, I had a moment of foolish pride. But I'm over it. Now I am focused on my true responsibilities. I am simply trying to help you and complete this mission, and yet you battle me at every turn."
I paused and looked at her admiringly; she looked so beautiful with a slight flush to her face. Bastila flushed slightly more at my open regard and I said "What can I say? It's fun." She gaped at me and said in a raised voice "Fun?! Fun?! Driving me insane is your idea of a good time?" I thought to myself, the entire ship must have heard that one, and said to her with a smirk "Careful. Remember your self-control." She stared at me as if I had grown a second head then said in a more moderate tone "You.... you are a very odd woman, do you know that? I simply don't know how to deal with you. All I want to do is help you, but you seem determined to drive me mad."
I paused and smiled at her warmly and said "Complain all you want, but I know you love it." I meant it too, these arguments between us diffused some of the sexual tension in the air, and it seemed to be something we both sought out to bleed off some of the intensity between us. Bastila glared at me, and then her face softened and she said "I don't know if I should be outraged that you keep joking about serious matters, of if I should be grateful that you can always lighten the mood." I said more seriously "I'm not so bad Bastila, but you just have to accept me for what I am."
The look on her face was unreadable and I wondered why she had reacted to my simple statement so. She finally replied "It's isn't as easy as that. But your point is well taken." With that she turned away from me and I decided some space between us was probably a good idea. I got some curious stares from everyone as I went to the loading bay for a workout. Maybe I could exhaust myself enough to sleep.
************************************************************
Cait's last comment kept repeating in Bastila's head even after she left. Bastila had wondered if Cait was getting flashbacks of things other than the Star Maps or if it was just a general comment. She searched Cait's eyes for clues and decided that Cait thought the tight shield Bastila kept on her thoughts was because she didn't fully accept Cait. That wasn't it of course but she could hardly tell Cait the truth, the Council had forbidden it. They were to find the Star Maps and return to Dantooine, the Council would decide what to do about Revan afterward.
It was starting to really bother her that she had to keep lying to Cait. Even though the reason was a good one she wondered how Cait would take the truth if it ever came out. She knew enough about Cait to know that she would take her real past very hard. Cait was passionate about everything, doing the right thing, being an honorable person and of course the bond between them. Would Cait blame her for not letting her know sooner? Would she blame the Jedi? Would she still care for her if she knew the truth about their past, of Bastila's rejection of her and the part it had played in Revan's fall.
****************************************************************
Bastila and I discussed our shared vision of the Star Map when we landed on Kashyyyk. It looked like the Star Map was on the forest floor, where only the bravest of the Wookiees would venture; it was unlikely they were even aware of its existence. We were greeted by a Czerka representative at the landing dock to collect the landing dock fee, we then moved further into the Czerka compound.
Zaalbar stopped me and told me that he should have prepared me for Kashyyyk. He went on to say that he had been exiled by his father for attacking his brother and to his shame he had been so angry at his brother for working with slavers that he had used his claws in the fight. He had lost his honor in the eyes of his people and was known as a madclaw, his word was not to be trusted. I nodded to him and told him that we would deal with that situation if we had to.
We continued down the walkway and my attention was drawn for some reason to two men standing around a display booth. I wasn't certain what drew my attention to them but I stopped to chat and find out more about them. The owner of the small shop was one Eli Gand, the second man was an indebted employee Matton Dasol. I inquired as to the cause of this indebt ness and I noticed that Eli seemed to be lying about quite a few things as he commiserated with his employee about how sad it was that he had lent him money and his crew had disappeared with it while Matton had been repairing one of Eli's ships. I asked if I could settle Matton's debt but Eli refused saying that he valued Matton's skill as a mechanic more than the debt. I looked at him and knew there was something dark he was hiding, but there was nothing I could do about it at this moment. I nodded and thanked them and moved on, vowing to keep my senses open for more clues as to what was going on there. I traded glances with Bastila and she nodded to me, she had sensed deception in Eli as well.
We left the Czerka controlled area, and proceeded down the Great Walkway toward the Wookiee village. We came upon a group of Czerka employees arguing around the body of a dead Wookiee a few meters down the walkway. The group's leader introduced himself as Patrol Captain Dehno and asked what I wanted. I introduced myself and asked what happened. The man said that the Wookiee slave had gotten rebellious and had to be put down. Zaalbar almost lost his temper at hearing that, I asked him to let me handle the situation. He complied and said that he would for my sake.
I asked the captain if their superiors approved of them killing Wookiees? The captain was suspicious and said no of course not, what was this a snap inspection? He repeated that he was standing by his patrol; the Wookiee had been rebellious and had to be killed. I told him that I would not permit him to enslave or kill another Wookiee. I could sense Bastila staring at me but she did not say anything just got in a position for a fight. The captain asked me who I was to say that and I looked him in the eye and said "This posting is trouble, friend. Get out while you can." He stared at me nervously and said that I made sense; perhaps it was time for him and his men to request a transfer off the planet. The edged around us and headed back at a quick pace, the captain repeating to his men that they were going to request a transfer and not to argue with him.
Bastila said "How do you do that? You don't use the force to persuade them, I would sense it." I turned to her with a grin and said "I just tell the truth in such a way that they accept it, I don't know how I choose the words they just come to me." Bastila looked at me and then shook her head, and said "Maybe you are using the force after all, to know what to say so that the person will accept it." I though about that and nodded, I might have been unconsciously using my force senses to tell what I needed to say to get the desired outcome.
After that it was rather a nice walk thought along the path, I paused often to admire the view. The occasional mykal and kinrath kept it from being an entirely peaceful experience but they didn't stop me from enjoying myself. A Wookiee guard stopped us from proceeding deeper into the forest and said that only Chuundar could decide if we would be permitted to enter the Shadowlands. Reluctantly, we headed toward the village.
We encountered three dark Jedi on the way there that had hopes of collecting a certain bounty but they were no match for us. I checked the bodies afterward and collected a few lightsaber crystals that I pocketed for later inspection. We proceeded to the gate of the village where the sight of Zaalbar provoked a strong reaction from the guard. I felt bad for Zaalbar but there was little I could do but stand with him and offer my support. We were finally escorted to Zaalbar's brother Chuundar who had taken over the Chieftains position; I wondered to myself what had happened to Zaalbar's father.
Chuundar seemed very sure of himself and sure that the Wookiees would never believe that he was working with the slavers; he said to us "They trust me, the mighty Chuundar. Even with my brother insane and father enslaved, I rose to protect my people despite it all." I shook my head and asked him what he wanted. Chuundar said that he merely wanted a chance to talk to his brother while the rest of us went and did a task for him. If I wanted Zaalbar back I would have to seek out a mad Wookiee that was attacking the Czerka in the Shadowlands and kill him. Zaalbar said that his father would oppose his brother and Chuundar replied that his father had attacked the slavers alone when he discovered the truth and hadn't been seen since. Freyyr was gone he said, and he ruled now. Chuundar said that he would lead the Wookiees forward but there was a price that had to be paid. I counseled Zaalbar not to listen to him and this angered Chuundar who had us quickly escorted out of his hall.
We left the village and went back out upon the Great Walkway, following it around as Chuundar had directed to meet the guide he had arranged for us. I had called the Ebon Hawk as we left the village and Canderous came out to meet Bastila and I for the journey into the Shadowlands. Along the path we saw three Wookiees fighting a large number of kinraths and went to assist them.
Chorrawl, the leader of the hunting group, was not pleased with our assistance though and told me that he wouldn't allow me to take him as a slave. I finally managed to persuade him that I had no such intention and found out from him the lies Chuundar was using to control his people. He had told them that he had bargained with the Czerka to have the number of slaves taken reduced but if any of the Czerka were killed the number increased again. He also mentioned something called Bacca's blade with which a blood relative of Chuundar might be able to challenge him for chieftainship.
We finally arrived at the basket the Wookiees used to descend into the Shadowlands and meet our guide Gorwooken. I managed to persuade Gorwooken to tell me about what others had recently journeyed into the Shadowlands. He told me of Rorworr who had gone down several days ago and had not returned. Gorwooken said that many hunters had not returned recently and that Chuundar believed that one of their own was down below mad, crazed and killing all. I thanked him and he told us to be still while we descended or we would attract unwelcome attention. It took almost an hour to descend all the way to the forest floor, I knew it was a long way down but I had really had no concept how far until that long journey. We finally reached the forest floor and I thanked Gorwooken and we carefully began to explore.
We had not gone far when we were attacked by a group of katarn, afterwards we proceeded very cautiously keeping our ears open for further attacks. In the distance we heard a battle and quickened our pace, we arrived in time to see the end of the fight. A lone older man fought a group of katarn, several of them already dead, he wielded a green lightsaber and as we came up he finished off the last of his attackers. I was respectful of the skill with which he wielded his lightsaber and politely asked his name waiting to see if he would be a friend or foe. My instincts said friend and he was not using the distinctive red lightsaber that those of the darkside preferred. I extended my force senses slightly and was surprised to see that he was neither of the light or the dark but balanced between the two and he seemed at peace there. I also had the immediate sense that I would like this old man, for some reason he reminded me of one of my Covert Ops instructors.
He introduced himself as Jolee Bindo and invited us to his home; I asked if he was a Jedi and he grumped at me, telling me not to fawn over him he was too old for it. I had to repress a chuckle, but Bastila looked a bit scandalized. He told us to keep close as he set out saying something about having fought the Sith and now he lived in a home under a log like some rodent. His home was under a log I saw as we came up to it, one very huge log, and his house was not that small. He invited us to pull up a stump and be comfortable; we had a few things to discuss. I asked him about the situation with the Wookiees and Chuundar. Jolee said "Czerka Corporation was smart to put him in power. He's as good at destroying Wookiee culture as dropping a corpse full of Ardroxian Flu," he looked at me and said "Will you work for him or against him, I wonder? I will be interested to see."
I cocked my head to the side and said to him amused "You don't have a recommendation?" He grumbled at me "Uh, sure, how's this: think for yourself. I don't care for politics, and I'm big on letting people figure things out for themselves." I laughed at this, it certainly made a change from most of the Jedi I had meet. I then asked him if he had seen any crazed Wookiee in the Shadowlands and he said that he had helped one maddened with grief into the lower forests but he had not been crazed. I asked him when he had fought the Sith and he glared at me and commented that my ears were annoyingly good. He said those days were gone, and to leave them alone. He said he had seen his share of the dark and the light and both extremes annoyed him. Bastila choose that moment to comment that she could see no taint of the dark side within him and that she thought he was a servant of the light no matter what he claimed.
He looked at her directly and told her he saw more grey these days than dark or light. For some reason she seemed unable to hold his gaze for too long and dropped her eyes. I was puzzled and asked him if he had seen any ancient star map in the Shadowlands. He looked at me and said "I knew that had to be why you were here. The problems of a few Wookiees don't amount to anything before the concerns of the Jedi. No, you are here for the map."
I frowned at this and told him maybe I had come originally for the map but more now concerned me about Kashyyyk than just finding the star map. He stared at me for a bit then said "Kashyyyk is an interesting place, more so than anyone suspects. If Czerka Corporation knew, heh, the planet would be a strip mine. The Wookiee's have their legends that they were not always here, but it is more than that. The trees themselves are strangers." I stared at him wondering if he was telling me this was one of the Builders terraformed planets and I asked him to be more specific.
He changed the subject and told us there were walls in our way, and we wouldn't find what we needed without his help. I nodded and waited for him to continue. He asked us to complete a task for him before he helped us. I asked him with a grin "Why should I trust you, you crazy old coot?" He snapped back "Oh, save it. I know this sounds absurd, but I'm old and entitled to work you around a bit. Besides the test is simple." He then told us of a group of Czerka that had set up camp and were slaughtering the wildlife and threatening entire species. They were irritating him and he wanted us to remove them for him.
I looked at him and said "I see. So the aged semi-Jedi wants me to get some kids off his lawn." Bastila was glaring at me for what she saw as my disrespectful behavior but Jolee was amused and quipped back "Yes, yes, I'm an old man that's getting fussy. Call me foolish if you will, I don't care. You still have to do it." At the last I chuckled and nodded to him. I think Bastila finally caught on that we were actually getting along quite well in our own way and stopped glaring at me, I could tell she was confused as to why we were playing the game we were. Jolee shooed us off to do our errand, reminding me that if he had wanted them dead he could have done that, I was to find a better way.
When we got out of earshot Bastila asked me what I had been doing, I admitted that Jolee reminded me strongly of one of my old instructors. He had been past age to retire but he had gotten a special extension due to his ability to impart his wisdom to his students. He also preferred that we learn things by doing and finding the answers for ourselves. I thought to myself, but didn't say aloud that he thought no one could learn anything by merely being lectured on what they should do. You had to actually go out on the field and find out the hard way why you did things certain ways. He wouldn't let us get badly hurt but he thought a few bruises and cuts were a small price to pay on the training field if we learned something that would keep us alive on the battlefield.
We all grew to love that old man, and we constantly insulted him and he insulted us back but through it all we looked up to him and trusted him with our lives. Jolee from what I could tell in the short while was very like him, and I hoped that he would decide to come along with us for more than just Kashyyyk. I shared some of this with her as we walked and she nodded thoughtfully when I told her about my old instructor and how much I respected him, and I know she realized through the bond that I felt a lot of affection for him and had looked on him as a father figure. She asked me if he was still teaching and I replied "Oh, yes he's busy terrorizing a new group of students probably at this moment" and grinned at her, she shook her head but smiled back at me and we continued exploring.
On the way we stumbled across a broken droid, the only functioning thing working on the droid was a playback of the last few moments of the droids existence. I played for everyone and Bastila and I found it very enlightening. It was a recording of Matton's crew and of their murder by Eli. As I removed the droids head a surge of feedback destroyed the remainder of the droids circuitry. But the memory of the droid in the machines head remained intact. I carefully placed it in my pack and we continued on. We stumbled over the corpse of a Wookiee and I examined the remains. I found a distinctive bowcaster bolt casting near the body that I pocketed, I also picked up the dead wookiees bowcaster and a datapad. Reading the datapad I realized that the body was that of Rorworr and that he had been dealing with slavers. Undoubtedly some other Wookiee had found out and had killed him because of it. I got back out the bowcaster bolt and realized it did not belong to Rorworr's bowcaster, which left the likelihood that it belonged to whomever had killed him. I thoughtfully pocketed all the pieces of evidence and we continued looking for the Czerka employees.
It wasn't long before we came across them and I realized they were slaughtering the tach's wholesale to get large supply of their glands for use in stimulants. I asked their commander if he even cared that he was wiping out and entire species and he said no, he would be wealthy by then so what would it matter. I shook my head at this and decided there was no way to get him to leave voluntarily and politely took my leave of him. I decided to question some of his guards instead to see if I could get an idea for how to get them to leave without any bloodshed.
I found out the guards really did not want to be down here. They were here to guard the emitters that were keeping the sonic barrier in place, if enough of them went down the camp would have to be abandoned. The guard quietly gave me the code to shut down the emitter behind him and proceeded to ignore me. I persuaded one more code out of another guard and managed to shut down a second emitter. We withdrew a shot distance from the camp and watched as the commander realized that the sonic field had failed when a large predator of some type wandered though the camp. The guards were in the lead on the way back to the basket leaving their commander in the rear with the beast chasing him though he looked like he would manage to outrun the beast. They disappeared from sight and I persuaded myself that I hoped that all of them would make it back ok. Reluctantly I went through the supplies that they had left behind and obtained some tach glands to give to Griff.
We returned to Jolee's home and informed him that his task had been completed. He looked at us and said "I don't sense the smell of death on you. You spared them? Interesting." I stared at him puzzled and said "Enough. Have I passed your little test?" He looked at me and said that if I wanted to imagine a meaning behind the task then that was probably good but such a trivial thing was not a measure of a person. I replied that if he hadn't cared about the outcome why hadn't he done it himself. He glared at me and said that I was here and it needed doing, and besides the Czerka were dirty business and he hoped I had washed my hands.
I laughed out loud at this comment and told him it was probably good advice. I asked if he would assist us in finding the Star Map now and he told us he would, there was a path east of where the Czerka camp was that lead to it but the way was blocked by a sonic barrier. He had watched as they put it in and knew how to take it down. I nodded to him and told him we would return in a few hours, we needed to take care of something up top. Bastila almost argued with me but I reminded her that the little tasks were part of being a Jedi, and there was an injustice that needed to be addressed. Jolee watched in interest but I ignored him and Bastila admitted that I was right.
We went back to where Gorwooken was waiting and went back up to the Great Walkway. From there we headed back to the Czerka compound. We went to where the small sales booth was located and showed Eli and Matton the droid head, Matton recognized the droid head as belonging to the repair droid from his ship and asked Eli what it was doing in the forest. Eli was trying to say that we had merely found rubbish but Matton was ignoring him. I told Matton what I had heard in the recording and he turned to Eli and angrily said "I thought I owed you! You tricked them into the Shadowlands and killed them all while I fixed your freighter in orbit!" I decided to speak to Matton before he did something rash like killing Eli and managed to calm him down. Eli ran off and I observed that he wouldn't last long in the Shadowlands. Matton decided that he could persuade Eli's suppliers to deal with him and that he would take over the small shop till he got enough credits to leave. I wished him well and we headed back down the Great Walkway to the village. I wasn't sure who I should see but they should have someone official who would like to know what happened to Rorworr.
I finally managed to get one of the Wookiees to give me directions to the Holder of the Laws. I politely thanked them and went to where the building was located and entered it. I asked him if he knew who the bolt casing I had found near Rorworr's body belonged to and he looked at it and said the family insignia on it indicated it belonged to Jaarak. He asked how I got it and I told him about finding Rorworr's body in the Shadowlands. He left to get Jaarak and returned with an older Wookiee who I assumed was Jaarak and a young Wookiee who I found out was the closest relative of Rorworr, Woorwill.
I quickly realized that Jaarak was not going to speak in his own defense and would accept the penalty for killing Rorworr, which apparently was death. I could not let him do this so I told them that Rorworr had been dealing with slavers. Jaarak pleaded with me to be silent, that Rorworr had been a hero to them and they needed to believe in him. I shook my head and said that it was not right for him to let them believe in a lie, the truth might hurt right now but it was better than believing in a lie.
I showed them the datapad that proved that Rorworr had been dealing with slavers. Jaarak said "I'm sorry Woorwill. I didn't want you to know. So much is against us... you need someone to look up to. I couldn't let him betray you... betray everyone. Outsiders are enough of a threat by themselves; we don't need traitors of our own." Worrroznor the Holder of the Laws said that I was the first outsider he was glad to know, that I had acted with honor and deserved my reward. I stared at him puzzled and asked what reward he was speaking of. He told me I was entitled to one third of Rorworr's possessions as the finder of the crime, I tried to decline but he wouldn't let me. I caught up with Jaarak and Woorwill and cautiously approached them to see if they were ok, they both thanked me for what I had done. Woorwill said I was like he had thought Rorworr was and I thanked him and wished them both well.
I turned to my companions afterward and noticed that Bastila looked unwell; she was pale and seemed distracted. I asked her in concern if she was ill, and she admitted that she was not feeling that well and should probably return to the Ebon Hawk. I could sense very little through our bond; she was tightly shielding her emotions and thoughts. I could only get a vague sense of turmoil from her, but she was obviously did not want to discuss or admit that something was bothering her. I told her that we would go with her back to the Ebon Hawk and then Canderous and I would go back to Jolee's home. Jolee looked quite capable of dealing with the Shadowlands by himself, so the three of us together should be quite safe. As I watched her enter the Ebon Hawk I wondered what was bothering her, she had appeared to be quite well until the Jaarak trial.