An Admiral's Tale - Chapter Eight
Encounters
I left Bastila's sleeping form in the bed as I got up and started to get dressed into plain clothes. I stared in the mirror at myself. Since the Star Forge my look had changed dramatically, I'd shaved except for my goatee and some ridiculously stylish sideburns. My hair was cut shorter too. Now that I look back, it wasn't exactly the best look I'd ever adopted but it would do. I sat down at the table and heard Bastila softly tossing and turning in the bed behind me. I reached for my Caffa and started to drink slowly.
"Carth.. Carth?" I heard Bastila say as she woke up, I turned to face her with the Caffa in my hand.
"Yes Bastila?" I asked her as I took more precarious sips of my hot Caffa.
"Do you want to know now?" She got up and wrapped the bedclothes around herself, I nodded softly in her direction as she sat down by me. "Me and Canderous.. Well.. I. I was going to kill Revan and become Master myself.. We were.. Going to use you, we noticed how Revan's feelings for you changed the very way she acts.. It's an ample time to strike." She said to me. So I had finally discovered the plan, but something still didn't seem right.
"Heh. Thanks Bastila. You realise though that she will probably have no feelings for me now?" I asked her, I smirked at her. I was right when I said I would win either way.
"She will! She loves you!" She exclaimed, I started to laugh. She must not have been thinking straight, surely. She sleeps with me, I cheat on a Sith Lord and she still expects Revan to love me? No no.. Be angry at me and decapitate me sounded extremely reasonable at the time. But I had won, and that's all I cared about. Even if Revan did love me then I wasn't losing anything anyway. I never expected her to have loved me, but when I found out that she did I also knew her feelings would not affect her battle with Bastila because of these current happenings. I chuckled to myself in victory.
"Thanks for last night gorgeous, you're a *really* stupid lay." I told her, stroking her cheek. She pushed my hand away from her in disgust. I smirked at her and got up to leave the apartment.
"Wait!" She said calling after me. I didn't heed her call, I left.
"BASTARD!" Was the last thing I heard.
***
I walked aimlessly among the back streets of Ahto City in Manaan, it went uneventfully until I heard a familiar voice "Look guys, I don't have any credits so won't you just leave me alone?" That voice was unmistakingly Dustil's, I hid just around the corner from where the confrontation was occuring.
"You haven't paid up, you owe us credits. Are we going to have to beat it out of you Soldier?" One of the gang members asked Dustil.
"Look, guys. It's ok isn't it?" I heard Dustil say nervously, his breathing had quickened. "I'll get you your credits, I promise." He added.
"Promises promises. It's always foolish words but no commanding actions." Another thug told Dustil.
"Looks like we'll have to beat it out of you." I heard the first thug say, I ran around the corner and into the alley.
"OVER my dead body." I yelled at them, they turned around and eyed me up and down. Dustil just looked in amazement.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here, a hero?" A thug asked me, I smirked.
"Damn straight." I punched the first thug and he was out cold, Dustil drawn his blaster and shot the other thug. Seems my boy was thinking quick.
"Dustil.." I stared at him, he started to walk past me. He decided to be a hard man and brush his shoulder against mine in defiance, unfortunately he didn't realise that I was pretty strong and he bounced off me.
"Get out of my way old man." Dustil said to me, infuriated that I stopped him from passing.
"What are you gonna do, Dustil? Beat me up again?" I asked him, he shrugged and stayed still. "Just listen to me, I need your help." He started to laugh.
"You have some guts, Dad. Especially after the other day. Why should I help you?" He asked me, I sighed and rubbed my forehead.
"Because I'm a lonely man who loves his son, his only remenant of his beloved wife." I told him. My eyes welled up with tears. I outstretched my arms towards my son, at the time the only thing that ran through my head was "Please forgive me son, please hold me. Please just tell me that we're going to be ok." I'd never thought like that before. I realised I needed Dustil then more than ever and I needed his help to get me off this damn rock and hidden away from Revan's wrath.
"Fine.. Fine. I'll listen, but only because my mother loved you and only because.. Because she'd turn in her grave if she knew I disowned you." I heard him say, I can't explain how that made me feel. It wasn't exactly a great comfort to me to know that my son didn't love me. I loved him terribly much, still do infact. I explained the long and lengthy story of what happened. "Well, Dad. I can help you get off this rock without you having too much trouble but after that.. It's up to you." I nodded in his direction.
"Thankyou Dustil.. Thankyou." I reached towards him to hug him, but he backed away from me. I realised then, that he would never reconcile me like I reconciled him for becoming a Sith.
***
I rushed back to the apartment to gather my things. I had to work fast. I knew by now that Revan may be on her way to wipe me from the face of history. I waltzed into the apartment and what I saw surprised me, Bastila was crying on the floor, I thought she would have left by now. "Bastila, why are you crying?" I lay down beside her and her face was turned away from me. I put my hand on her chin and turned her face towards me.
She'd been slapped across the face, by Canderous. He left a red mark for her troubles. "You're leaving?" She asked me. I nodded. "She's coming. Canderous informed her.. She's.. Not pleased." I nodded again, I knew this would happen.
"You told him then.." I said to her, she nodded. "I guess it was too much for him.." I stood up and left her weeping there. I didn't want to comfort Bastila, I never liked her that much anyway. I was surprised that she let Canderous get the best of her so easily though.
"I'll defeat Revan...." She muttered. Heh, it was ironic. She was defeated herself yet jealousy and hate seethed within her and threatened to rule the rest of her living days.. And mine if I carried on listening to her. I took everything I needed from the apartment and started to leave. "Carth..." She whispered. Again, I didn't stop. I didn't feel guilty for it either.
"Bastard..." I heard her mutter through sniffles as I left.
------------
Aroseb: Lost all respect for Carth yet? :).
Yagirl-123: I know you're reading this fic :P. I got your e-mail and I e- mailed back.
Encounters
I left Bastila's sleeping form in the bed as I got up and started to get dressed into plain clothes. I stared in the mirror at myself. Since the Star Forge my look had changed dramatically, I'd shaved except for my goatee and some ridiculously stylish sideburns. My hair was cut shorter too. Now that I look back, it wasn't exactly the best look I'd ever adopted but it would do. I sat down at the table and heard Bastila softly tossing and turning in the bed behind me. I reached for my Caffa and started to drink slowly.
"Carth.. Carth?" I heard Bastila say as she woke up, I turned to face her with the Caffa in my hand.
"Yes Bastila?" I asked her as I took more precarious sips of my hot Caffa.
"Do you want to know now?" She got up and wrapped the bedclothes around herself, I nodded softly in her direction as she sat down by me. "Me and Canderous.. Well.. I. I was going to kill Revan and become Master myself.. We were.. Going to use you, we noticed how Revan's feelings for you changed the very way she acts.. It's an ample time to strike." She said to me. So I had finally discovered the plan, but something still didn't seem right.
"Heh. Thanks Bastila. You realise though that she will probably have no feelings for me now?" I asked her, I smirked at her. I was right when I said I would win either way.
"She will! She loves you!" She exclaimed, I started to laugh. She must not have been thinking straight, surely. She sleeps with me, I cheat on a Sith Lord and she still expects Revan to love me? No no.. Be angry at me and decapitate me sounded extremely reasonable at the time. But I had won, and that's all I cared about. Even if Revan did love me then I wasn't losing anything anyway. I never expected her to have loved me, but when I found out that she did I also knew her feelings would not affect her battle with Bastila because of these current happenings. I chuckled to myself in victory.
"Thanks for last night gorgeous, you're a *really* stupid lay." I told her, stroking her cheek. She pushed my hand away from her in disgust. I smirked at her and got up to leave the apartment.
"Wait!" She said calling after me. I didn't heed her call, I left.
"BASTARD!" Was the last thing I heard.
***
I walked aimlessly among the back streets of Ahto City in Manaan, it went uneventfully until I heard a familiar voice "Look guys, I don't have any credits so won't you just leave me alone?" That voice was unmistakingly Dustil's, I hid just around the corner from where the confrontation was occuring.
"You haven't paid up, you owe us credits. Are we going to have to beat it out of you Soldier?" One of the gang members asked Dustil.
"Look, guys. It's ok isn't it?" I heard Dustil say nervously, his breathing had quickened. "I'll get you your credits, I promise." He added.
"Promises promises. It's always foolish words but no commanding actions." Another thug told Dustil.
"Looks like we'll have to beat it out of you." I heard the first thug say, I ran around the corner and into the alley.
"OVER my dead body." I yelled at them, they turned around and eyed me up and down. Dustil just looked in amazement.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here, a hero?" A thug asked me, I smirked.
"Damn straight." I punched the first thug and he was out cold, Dustil drawn his blaster and shot the other thug. Seems my boy was thinking quick.
"Dustil.." I stared at him, he started to walk past me. He decided to be a hard man and brush his shoulder against mine in defiance, unfortunately he didn't realise that I was pretty strong and he bounced off me.
"Get out of my way old man." Dustil said to me, infuriated that I stopped him from passing.
"What are you gonna do, Dustil? Beat me up again?" I asked him, he shrugged and stayed still. "Just listen to me, I need your help." He started to laugh.
"You have some guts, Dad. Especially after the other day. Why should I help you?" He asked me, I sighed and rubbed my forehead.
"Because I'm a lonely man who loves his son, his only remenant of his beloved wife." I told him. My eyes welled up with tears. I outstretched my arms towards my son, at the time the only thing that ran through my head was "Please forgive me son, please hold me. Please just tell me that we're going to be ok." I'd never thought like that before. I realised I needed Dustil then more than ever and I needed his help to get me off this damn rock and hidden away from Revan's wrath.
"Fine.. Fine. I'll listen, but only because my mother loved you and only because.. Because she'd turn in her grave if she knew I disowned you." I heard him say, I can't explain how that made me feel. It wasn't exactly a great comfort to me to know that my son didn't love me. I loved him terribly much, still do infact. I explained the long and lengthy story of what happened. "Well, Dad. I can help you get off this rock without you having too much trouble but after that.. It's up to you." I nodded in his direction.
"Thankyou Dustil.. Thankyou." I reached towards him to hug him, but he backed away from me. I realised then, that he would never reconcile me like I reconciled him for becoming a Sith.
***
I rushed back to the apartment to gather my things. I had to work fast. I knew by now that Revan may be on her way to wipe me from the face of history. I waltzed into the apartment and what I saw surprised me, Bastila was crying on the floor, I thought she would have left by now. "Bastila, why are you crying?" I lay down beside her and her face was turned away from me. I put my hand on her chin and turned her face towards me.
She'd been slapped across the face, by Canderous. He left a red mark for her troubles. "You're leaving?" She asked me. I nodded. "She's coming. Canderous informed her.. She's.. Not pleased." I nodded again, I knew this would happen.
"You told him then.." I said to her, she nodded. "I guess it was too much for him.." I stood up and left her weeping there. I didn't want to comfort Bastila, I never liked her that much anyway. I was surprised that she let Canderous get the best of her so easily though.
"I'll defeat Revan...." She muttered. Heh, it was ironic. She was defeated herself yet jealousy and hate seethed within her and threatened to rule the rest of her living days.. And mine if I carried on listening to her. I took everything I needed from the apartment and started to leave. "Carth..." She whispered. Again, I didn't stop. I didn't feel guilty for it either.
"Bastard..." I heard her mutter through sniffles as I left.
------------
Aroseb: Lost all respect for Carth yet? :).
Yagirl-123: I know you're reading this fic :P. I got your e-mail and I e- mailed back.