Chapter one, part 4.
The Ebon Hawk burst out of hyperspace and hurtled towards the vast planet in front. Coruscant, its entire surface covered in one huge city, gleamed brightly in the darkness of space. Bastila looked out of the cockpit's window and watched the gossamer threads of the vast airways, making up the City Streets, flicker. She waited silently, feeling the emptiness of the hawks crew compartment behind her.
"I had to go on my own!" she thought, trying to convince herself that she wasn't making a terrible mistake. "This has nothing to do with him… He has more important matters to deal with."
She wished that the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach would vanish, that secretly she didn't wish Revan was here now, to hold her.
"There is no emotion, only peace." She muttered, even as part of her yearned for him. "I can do this on my own, I can."
"Attention, this is Coruscant planetary traffic control, sector 4. Please state your purpose and destination."
Bastila leaned across to the Hawk's communication panel and hit a button.
"Control this is the Ebon Hawk, Bastila Shan piloting. I wonder if you could help me locate someone."
Hawk this is control. Certainly Ms. Shan who is it you wish to find?"
Bastila ran a hand through her hair, closing her eyes for a second to centre herself and grip her emotions as much as possible. Wishing she felt calmer than she did, Bastila sighed and hit transmit once more.
"I'm looking for Helena Shan, my mother. I understand she's been transferred to the Shinkata hospital but I've no idea where that is on Coruscant. Can you help me?"
"Just a second Hawk… Okay. I've got one hospital by that name and an Helena Shan is currently present there, I can't tell you any more due to information restrictions but I guess you'll be able to find out, huh."
Bastila closed her eyes for a second as a quick stab of fear clenched her. Concentrating she felt it dissipate, replaced by determination. She reached for the controls of the Hawk and ran a pre-systems landing check.
"Can you guide me in control?"
"Sure. Head for beacon four twenty six alpha and then enter destination code sigma ninety when it queries you. It'll light your path right there, just follow the guide boxes."
Hawk confirms and thanks you."
She snapped the autopilot off standby and entered the control beacon co-ordinates. The Hawk banked slowly and rotated upright as it began to enter the atmosphere of the planet. As its heatshields glowed red from re-entry, Bastila watched quietly, absorbed in her own thoughts. Her mothers pale face swam in front of her, sick but determined as she confronted the young woman who had been her daughter. The meeting had been difficult and painful for them both. Even now, she remembered the anger and hostility that had been present when they'd met. Both so proud and both too stubborn to admit any love for the other.
"So foolish," She muttered, thinking of her own hostility.
Revan had been there, as always, when she'd come back to give the holocron of her father to Helena. She'd been reluctant to give it up and quick, harsh words had followed. Words she regretted now, especially when she discovered her mother had been dying.
"Will one of you, give the other a break?" She remembered that too. Revan standing there awkward but determined to help any way he could.
Now of course it was all different. Helena had told her she was dying from a slow killer and that all that had been done could have been. Bastila felt the guilt resurface in her stomach, causing it to knot painfully at her own happiness over reconciling the differences with her mother, to being dashed by the terrible news. But she still had a chance to be with her mother, for as long as the force would allow her to remain and it would be her who would tell her mother what had happened … and then she would submit to her final choice.
"You there, look after my daughter!" He had done, as much as any person could have done in the circumstances, more. It had been her fault she'd fallen, hers alone. Bastila looked across as the spires of Coruscant slid into view and sighed. She'd decided also, that it was time the council on Coruscant knew what had happened to her. She would accept their punishment, not matter what it would be, without hesitation. "Another reason why he's better off without me." She thought sadly. "I won't let Revan's chance at being forgiven be damaged by my moment of weakness."
She sighed once more and jerked from her thoughts at the chiming of the guide beacon requesting a destination code. She clicked the code into the comms panel and watched as green guide boxes appeared on the Navicom panel. Steering towards the centre of the boxes, Bastila guided the Hawk slowly towards the glittering steel spire of Shinkata hospital.
Revan.
"This was the best Dodonna could do?"
Mission looked around in disgust at the cramped cargo hold of the freighter she, Revan and the others currently occupied. Revan sighed in resignation and looked up from the floor where he'd been meditating. Juhani and Jolee both sat next to him, both blissfully unaware of the irate Twi'lek standing in front of them.
"We'll have to rough it until we get to Coruscant and the Hawk, okay?" He looked around and winced slightly as his own words came back to haunt him.
The freighter was fast, faster than he'd hoped it could have been. Dodonna had supplied them with the Gamblers Luck, a smugglers vessel that one of the ships had apprehended before being recalled by Carth's desperate message. It was fast. Not as fast as the Hawk admittedly, but fast enough. However, having been a Rodian vessel it wasn't exactly kitted out for comfort. He also had to admit that she wasn't the cleanest ship he'd seen either. None of them had ventured to sleep in any of the bunks after Mission had pulled some rather explicit magazines from under one of the covers. Juhani had decided at that point to meditate for the whole journey and currently sat peacefully in the middle of the empty cargo hold. Jolee had swigged something out of a bottle he'd pilfered from the party and was also sitting in the cargo hold, only the snoring coming from his wizened frame the give-away as to his preferred course of passing the time.
"Rev, have you seen the food synthesiser? It's not been cleaned in months. I lived better than this in the Taris slums! Oh, and also where am I and Canderous going to sleep?"
"Well, I last saw him pulling the mag's you found, from the bin in the crew annex and wandering off to the back bunks. He had a sly smile on his face I recall, I think he quite liked one of the Twi'lek on the cover…"
Mission looked at Revan in horrified disgust and made a face. Juhani opened her eyes and quietly watched the two of them bickering. There was too much raw emotion for the Cathar to concentrate on meditation and she decided to lend the obviously flustered Revan a hand.
"Mission my dear, why not just use one of the survival packs from the environmental lockers and unroll the sleeping bag onto the medi-bay couch?"
Mission paused in her rant at Revan and thought for a few seconds. Slowly she nodded.
"Well, I suppose that could work. It won't be as comfortable as the Hawk's bunks but I suppose I've slept on worse," She paused and a look of discomfort swam onto her face. "But there's no way on Taris that I'm sleeping on my own in there! The med-bay's only two doors down from the crew bunks, I'm not having that Mandalorian getting any ideas!"
Revan sighed and tried to hide a smile as he stood up. Looking at Juhani he winked and she tilted her head down slightly in amused agreement.
"Okay Mission, okay. How about I come with you and meditate outside the doorway to the med-bay? It'll give you privacy and security and I'll be in the warm. This Cargo hold's too cold."
"Huh, Ju's coping okay, so's Jolee. You're only doing this cause you think I'm being silly."
Revan sighed and felt a part of himself glower at Juhani's growing amusement. The Cathar, sensing his annoyance, refolded her legs and closed her eyes. Soon she was a picture of serenity, but Revan could hear the slight purr in each breath she took, something he'd come to recognise as her version of a snigger.
"Juhani's got fur Mission. She's walking around in the equivalent of a thermal coat all the time, so it's no wonder she's not cold. As for Jolee, I doubt he could feel anything the state he's in! Look, do you want to get some sleep or not? I have enough things to worry about as it is!"
Mission's face fell slightly as guilt crept into it. She shuffled slightly on the deck and felt embarrassed.
"I'm sorry Rev. I, I'd be really happy if you'd come and keep an eye on me, I mean on Canderous. I'd feel a lot safer, especially now big Z's not here."
Revan smiled and nodded at the young woman and slowly picked himself up off the floor. Dusting his white robes from the Starforge he looked at them with a frown.
"You know… I may just go and see one of the Jedi enclave tailors while we're on Coruscant. These robes aren't exactly flattering. Maybe something in dark blue and black, trousers definitely…"
Juhani's purrs increased in volume slightly and Revan looked across.
"I heard that!" he muttered and turned to follow the Twi'lek to the medical bay.
Juhani opened her eyes one more time, slitted in amusement. Her serene expression slipped into a smile and she laughed quietly into the soft hum of the hold. Life was going to be very interesting, she could tell.
A few days later the Luck had finally arrived at Coruscant and hung in orbit. As Revan moved forward into the cockpit to contact orbital traffic control, three Republic fighters roared up from the atmosphere and surrounded the freighter. Sensors showed that all of the fighters were armed and all of the weapons were active and ready to shoot. He sighed and looked back to the others.
"Just out of interest, did anyone happen to ask why Dodonna actually bothered to capture this vessel?" Everyone shook his or her head and he groaned. "Thanks Carth! Okay lets get em on the comm before we're floating atoms."
He reached across to the comm panel and flicked transmit. With a crackle the comm panel shorted out and he groaned once more, rubbing a hand through his hair.
"T3 the panels shorted out, get your repair cap on and fix the thing before the trigger happy space jockeys out there decide to shoot first and ask questions later. I'll power down the engines to show we're not going to run or do anything stupid. Oh and could one of you remind me to have words with Carth? I know I asked for a ship in a very short amount of time, but giving us one which obviously has a record as long as this is ridiculous!"
T3 rumbled in from the crew lounge and, extending a probe behind the panel, began to fiddle around.
"Bleep, beep boo."
"What? Well just fix it then."
"Beep, beep, beeoop, beep"
"Oh great, so how many are actually radio parts and how many are from, well, everything else?"
"Beep, Beep."
"90 percent? Well what would you suggest we do?"
"Beep, booip beep"
"Okay fine. Re-route it through your auxiliary processor set and boost the signal, which should give us enough range… I hope."
" Crackle ontrol. Repeat, this is Coruscant traffic control. Gam… uck you are wanted for the mass transport of spice… fizz laves and dangerous animals. You are required to surrender your vessel for immediate boarding, where you will be placed under arrest."
"Carth I swear," Revan muttered, pushing his annoyance away with the force and calming himself. "Coruscant control, this is Jedi knight Revan in command of the Gamblers Luck. Admiral Dodonna has lent us this ship to apprehend ours, please call off your fighters and we'll gladly follow any course you care to plot."
"Jedi Revan? Please establish visual connection so we may verify your identity."
Revan sighed and ran his right hand through his hair once more.
"Control, Revan. I'm afraid that our comm system has taken a hell of a beating. We can't establish visual communication and to be honest, the only reason I'm speaking to you now is thanks to a T3 space droid we have on board. The whole ship's falling apart and we need to land…"
"Gamblers Luck, control. We cannot allow you free entry into Coruscant space without confirmation of your identity. This ship is wanted for breaking through ten or more blockades and the destruction of Republic property. However, we will allow you to land on a police pad as long as you follow our escort. Once down and if your identity checks out, we'll gladly help you locate your missing ship."
Revan sighed with relief and patted T3 on the head. The little droid bleeped happily and adjusted its tiny communication dish with finicky precision. Revan flipped himself into the pilot seat, grimacing at the slightly sticky fabric."
"Understood control, we're as ready as you are so get those fighters into escort and let's go. I honestly have no idea how long this thing'll stay up before gravity pulls it back down!"
A sound of laughter crackled up from the comm and the voice, which had been so cautious, came back; obviously amused.
"Okay Jedi Sir. Head to platform 3 by following fighter t564, he's flashing his exhaust now," Revan watched as one of the fighters engines flickered into a burst of flame and then died. "Do you see him Gamblers Luck?"
Revan nodded to himself and confirmed identification with Coruscant. With a flick of a switch, he set the engines of the hunk of junk they were in to minimum power. Slowly the Luck began to move forwards, the fighters guiding it down to the planet below.
Mission walked forwards into the cockpit and leaned on the back of Revan's pilot chair, watching as the huge cityscape faded into view through the clouds. Although it bore a startling resemblance to Taris, it was obvious to her eyes that Coruscant was different. The main thing she realised was the sheer hustle and bustle of people, speeders and transports on the walkways and airways around the huge skyscrapers. Revan pointed in the distance and she craned her neck to see what he was pointing out. Far away she was able to make out four thin and tall towers, brilliant white in colour, arranged in a soothing pattern. At the base was a neat arrangement of unimposing buildings.
"The grand Jedi temple and council buildings," Revan said quietly, turning to watch Mission's face. He grinned. "Somewhere I used to think was uninspiring and rather pointless, when I believed I was plain old... when I was someone else."
Mission looked down at him and smiled back, her smile fading as he turned to gaze out the window once more. Despite his joking, she could tell how much the memories of his created past hurt him. Shaking her head sadly, Mission looked out of the window and to the squat building they were descending to. The police speeders arranged around the pad they were about to land on identified the buildings use. Revan piloted in the Luck carefully, groaning slightly as one of the thrusters failed to ignite and the ship landed with a bump onto the platform, shocking the eight or so police waiting around the entrance to the landing reception.
He shut down the systems and called back to Juhani. She opened the main hatch and stood back respectfully as a lieutenant flanked by two patrolmen stepped in. As the man opened his mouth to speak however, Revan stepped into the cockpit, flanked by Mission and HK47. He paused and cleared his throat, he was sure the robot was eyeing him in a funny way.
"Who is the commander of this ship please?" he managed, turning away from the droid's steady glare."
"I am. Jedi knight Revan at your service… Lieutenant?"
"Cartina, Master Jedi. Would you mind explaining how you came to be in possession of such a ship?" He shuffled. The droid was still watching him and it made Cartina uncomfortable. "We understand you mentioned admiral Dodonna to the planet control network…"
"Yes, the admiral lent us this ship to get to Coruscant. We have a missing crewmember to find and I needed the fastest ship I could get. Dodonna gave us this one." Revan watched the policeman carefully, his force aura radiated disbelief, but grudging admiration.
"This hunk of bolts was the fastest ship the Admiral could give you? I can't believe that, I mean just look at it!"
"Statement: This ship has been massively upgraded in terms of engine power and hyperspace ability. Do not doubt the Master's word you jumped up meat…" Revan quickly slapped his hand onto HK47's back and fed a jolt of force energy into the droid, enough to make it pause for a second. Cartina looked baffled and eyed the droid apprehensively.
"Did he just call me a jumped up meat?"
Revan looked at the others and then back at Cartia, smiling politely.
"I do apologise for him, we went through an ion storm and he's been a little odd recently. I'll have him go through a data check as soon as you let us go."
Cartina frowned and then shrugged. He pulled a datacube from his belt and consulted it carefully. Revan and the others stood quietly as he did so, Revan's hand still placed firmly against HK47's back who, indignantly, remained quiet. Finally, Cartina nodded and looked at them with a smile.
"Well, it seems you are indeed Revan, I thought it was you from the holonet news but I had to be sure. Oh and master Revan?" Revan looked at him politely. "The Jedi council sent a message for you through the planetary control. I presume they knew you would be coming to Coruscant and so wanted you to know. They request that I give you this, it's private sir."
Revan frowned for a few seconds and took the proffered data wafer.
"Thanks… I take it we're free to go?" he asked, feeling desperate to find Bastila.
"Of course Master Revan. Welcome to Coruscant. Now, is there anything else that we can do for you?"
"Well as a matter of fact, yes. Could you run a check on two things for me? I need to find a ship registered as the Ebon Hawk and second I need to find one Bastila or Helena Shan. I think they're at a hospital on Coruscant but I don't know where."
"Ahh fine, I'll just run that through our computers hang on… Aha, here we go. The Ebon Hawk is currently designated landing permission on pad 42a of Shintaka Hospital. Bastila Shan… well she may be there but I do have a Helena Shan registered as a patient, but I can't get anymore data, restricted by privacy laws."
Revan looked at Mission and Juhani. Jolee walked over to him and gently whispered.
"Look lad, we'd better find out what's been going on… more importantly you and Bastila have things to discuss, important things that neither a young Twi'lek or for that matter Juhani need to listen to." He smiled sadly and winked. "And as for a crusty old fart such as myself, it'd be a bit… painful to see you two together."
Revan looked at him and smiled. He looked at the others and smiled.
"How about you and the others go and check the Hawk over. I'm going to find Bastila."
HK47 looked across at Revan and stepped back a few metres.
"Statement: I shall not leave you master. I shall accompany you to the Hospital, there is no telling how many Sith assassins may be after you. I shall be there to protect you if they try anything. That is my role as a…" He paused as Revan and the others tensed. "As a bodyguard. Such is my role."
Revan sighed inwardly and promised himself for the fourteenth time, that he would sooner or later reprogram HK's primary functions, or at least teach him to lie better."
Cartina nodded to each of them in turn and left the ship, his patrolmen following slowly so they could glimpse a final look at Revan. Jolee turned to Revan and wagged a finger.
"Looks like your destiny has made you a major hero kid. Don't let it go to your head though!"
Juhani nodded and looked at Revan as he sighed shaking his head.
"Yes, you must resist any pride in your achievements… for pride can lead to the darkside."
Jolee snorted and glanced at the Cathar with a sly smile.
"No. I just don't want him being smug for the next few weeks." Juhani frowned and shook her head and he sighed. "Look Juhani, young Revan there may be many things, but a big head he's not. He came damn close to losing someone he's linked to. Believe me, that can make pride the last thing you think of."
Revan, annoyed, cleared his throat and they looked at him, embarrassed.
"Could you possibly stop talking as though I'm not here? For your information I've no intention letting anything go to my head," Juhani opened her mouth and Revan looked at her, she shut it quickly. "And yes I'm well aware that I've got to be on guard with my emotions thank you. Now if you don't mind can we find the ship and my lover? Or would you care to discuss my emotional attachments for a few hours more?"
Jolee looked away, trying not to laugh and Revan ignored the sniggering from Mission. Turning to the hatch he stepped out, HK47 close behind, and the others followed.
Continued in Chapter one: part 5