Yes, I am aware Tahiri is acting like she did pre-Riina. This is intentional and shall (hopefully) be explained later.
I really like the bubbly Tahiri, though, so let's just say this is where her messes begin.
It's been awhile since I've read any Star Wars books, so if I make people sound different from how they should sound, flag me on it, please.
Thank you, Falcona Skywolf, for your review, and about your guess… I think you're trying too hard. You might want to look at Part 1's name, again.
As always, enjoy! :)
Chapter Four
"Perfect."
"Will you stop saying that?" she cried, exasperated, trying to control her vessel's stomach-twisting spin. A pirate had just blasted
their starboard stabilizers.
Bant's large watery eyes looked at her frankly. "Would you like me to try?" the still too-scrawny Mon Calamari asked mildly.
Jedi Knight Tahiri Veila glared at her uncooperative controls. "Fine," she said tightly, quickly switching places with her new friend in the tiny cockpit. "Just don't fry us."
"Gladly," Bant said dryly.
Struggling to buckle her safety harness, Tahiri found herself angry with Anakin. Why the Sith had he been so determined to let himself die? He'd be able to get out of this!
Somehow, Eerin Bant managed to regain control of the vessel, aiming directly back for Telos.
"Uh… Bant?"
The Mon Calamari was pouring everything they had into accelerating. They were going to skim the atmosphere, Tahiri now saw, but that didn't make her feel any better.
"Bant?"
"Cap your anger or shut up. I can't ignore both."
The Jedi Knight blinked. Was she that mad? She hadn't realized she'd been yelling at her friend, but now she guessed she had.
Tahiri swallowed. Apologies could wait. "Why are you taking us towards their reinforcements?"
"I'm not." The Mon Calamari spoke distractedly, her focus on her task.
Bant took the small vessel in a slingshot around Telos, missing the space station and having a clear route to hyperspace. Activating the hyperdrive, the Mon Calamari leaned back, relaxing.
She flashed Tahiri a smile. "We went past."
• • •
Bant guided the damaged ship into a hangar on Mon Calamari. "You never asked."
Tahiri opened the door in time to smack into Jedi Knight Jacen Solo. She bit her lip.
He smelled just like Anakin.
"Hi, Tahiri." Jacen offered a hand to help her back up. "I heard you had a little excitement."
The Jedi Knight shot a glance back at her new friend. The Mon Calamari stood. "No bodily harm done, but the vessel needs repair."
Jacen raised a questioning eyebrow at Tahiri.
"I'm her cover," Bant offered first. "It's much easier to find a slave market if you own one."
Tahiri felt her face crimson. "I don't really own her…"
"Of course not," the Mon Calamari soothed. She made a little gasping noise, catching Tahiri and Jacen's attention.
"Water," she explained tightly. "I'm dangerously low."
Bant deftly avoided her, striding unevenly down the ramp. She coughed, raising a hand. "Excuse—kh, kh!"
Jacen caught her as she stumbled. "Here." He handed the Mon Calamari's arm to Tahiri. "I'll be right back." The older Jedi left quickly.
At my age he was a Yuuzhan Vong slave. Tahiri shuddered. If it weren't for Anakin, I'd still be a Yuuzhan Vong pet. She'd been younger than the heroic Anakin when they'd gotten her, implanting memories, trying to turn her into one of them. Thirteen, fourteen… whatever. The battle to get rid of the Riina Kwaad within Tahiri had lasted far longer—and even that hadn't worked. They'd been forced to meld.
Tahiri felt the Mon Calamari's arm tense beneath her hand. "Bant?"
"Uh-oh," the woman murmured.
"What?" The nineteen-year-old Jedi Knight struggled to keep the worry from her voice.
Eerin Bant didn't reply, resignedly bowing her head.
Suddenly, Tahiri felt numbness grab her side. She glanced down. Dart! Brushing it off, she reached out with the Force to let her blood carry out whatever she'd been injected with—
Spheres rolled up, unraveling and cocking their weapons at her and her friend. Some sort of battle droid.
A young man stepped in front of the droids, average height with nearly white blond hair. His blue eyes showed no hint of deception, only malice.
Tahiri brushed a blonde bang from her face, bent elbow cradling Bant's arm. Her other hand cautiously reached for her lightsaber—
With a surge of the Force it flew from her belt into the young man's hand. He came forward until he was mere centimeters from the Mon Calamari.
"Eerin Bant."
Bant blinked groggily, the lack of oxygen getting to her head. "Bruck Chun," she said softly. She slumped to the floor.
Chun frowned. "Tsk, tsk. Think you're leaving us that easy?" At his fingers' snap a spindly Human-shaped droid guided a repulsorlift forward, a tank of water on top.
Again, the Force went out from Chun, lifting the Mon Calamari and dropping her in. He grinned with a sneer. "That'll take care of fish girl."
He turned to face Tahiri. His blue eyes ran over her slowly, turning into a leer. "And now for the pretty lady."
Tahiri paled.
Chun's sneering grin grew even wider. "Come along, Jedi." Twisting her arm, he whirled her in front of him, holding her own blade ignited at her back.
Keeping her arm painfully twisted, he shoved her forward.
Jedi Knight Tahiri Veila searched her memory, trying to figure out what she'd done wrong, this time…
"Hey, kid. What's the rush?"
"Oh hey, Lando. Tahiri's brought a Mon Calamari," Jacen said hurriedly. "She's low on water."
Lando Calrissian nodded. "Ship damaged?"
"Yep."
Lando was more than willing to let his friend's son hurry away. As amphibians, Mon Calamari needed their skin moist to breathe. They could also last a good while under water, although it was possible for them to drown. He imagined it must be frustrating for the few of that species who didn't live on Mon Calamari.
Almost before he knew what he was doing, he'd reached a specific hangar address. As he'd expected, Dan Stanley was tinkering with his ship, again.
"Hey, kid!"
He heard the chortle that always came from Stanley whenever he said that. The young man hauled himelf out from his ship's innards, lips still quirked. "I'm older than I look, you know."
Lando grinned. "So am I."
Stanley smiled slightly and shook his head. "No, I'm way older than I look."
He laughed. "What are you, seventy-five?"
"Around that, yeah."
Lando Calrissian gave Stanley a long stare. The boy's slight quirk didn't waver, but neither did the rest of him. He laughed again. "Good one, kid!"
He abruptly regained control of himself. Time for business. "I've been thinking about trying to get you into piloting."
Stanley nonchalantly cleaned a small ship component. That was the frustrating thing about the kid—you never knew how he felt unless you happened to make him angry. And that emotion wasn't fun to watch.
"Oh?"
"You'd be better off getting acknowledged in some circles first. A Jedi ship needs repairs. It won't pay much, but it'll be a good start."
Dan Stanley smiled as if privately amused. "Who's the Jedi?"
He hesitated. Common sense, though, overrode his habit as he replied, "Jedi Knight Tahiri Veila. She's a good friend of the Solo's."
Stanley's face could've been frozen in place. "Sounds good," he said carelessly. "I'll take a look at it."
"Thought you would." He nodded to the young man. "See you around."
"See you."
The instant Calrissian was out of sight, Dan Stanley threw the rag and component to the side, taking off down the hall to a comm station.
He frantically typed in an address, blue eyes wildly darting around.
No one answered.
Dan Stanley groaned, covering his face with his hands as he slumped against the wall.
"Oh, no…"
She tested her bonds, wincing. Bruck Chun had tied the cords tight. She'd been stuck in a small closet just big enough so she could lie down in either direction.
Jedi Knight Tahiri Veila sent a cautious Force probe, checking for Force-users nearby. There were none.
The room lurched in the familiar entering of hyperspace. She unloosed her bonds with the Force, letting the cord fall to the floor. Tahiri massaged her aching wrists.
Hours passed, and still no one came. Tahiri Veila, by now familiar with every particle of dust in her room, sat against the wall, leaning with her head in the crook of her arm. She fell asleep…
• • •
Voices came her way. She woke abruptly, feeling Bruck Chun's Force energy check hers. She was in another cell, a smaller one, she
noticed.
Tahiri did her best to look meek as he entered. Thankfully, she could still pass for a mature-looking younger teen, though her forehead's three white vertical scars made that somewhat difficult.
Chun eyed her keenly as he sealed the door. "Who are you?"
"M—me?" Tahiri squeaked, hoping Chun'd leave her alone if she sounded young enough.
Well, if he did try anything, it would at least give her an edge.
The man hesitated. His blue eyes became surprisingly kind as he squatted beside her. She edged away till her back found the wall.
He remained where he was. "How long have you known Bant?"
The Jedi Knight shrugged tensely. "I dunno… A month? Two?"
Chun nodded slowly. "Has she ever mentioned an Obi-Wan Kenobi?"
"Who??!!" Tahiri couldn't keep her frightened façade on that one. She stared. All Jedi had heard of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker's first instructor and his father's own teacher.
"You're familiar with the name?"
"Who isn't?" she asked. "General Kenobi was a major hero of the Clone Wars."
"General Kenobi? General…" Chun seemed to muse on that. A malicious flare jumped to his eye, an evil quirk to his lips.
He grabbed her arm. "Come along, Jedi."
Before she could respond he was half carrying her down a dank hallway to a large open room.
Tahiri cried out, pulling free of Bruck Chun's grasp
and dashing forward. "Bant!"
The Mon Calamari's eyes fluttered open and closed. "Master Jedi…" she breathed as Tahiri took the small woman in her Force-freed arms. Blood crusted against Bant's wet skin, a gash still seeping on her forehead.
Tahiri tore a strip from her Jedi tunic, bandaging the wound.
Chun knelt on one knee to the side and behind Tahiri. "Hello, fish girl," he sneered.
"Hello, traitor," Bant returned hoarsely.
"At least I have myself." Chun put a hand on Tahiri's shoulder. "You rely on others. This young Jedi. Oafy-Wan."
"In my experience, a bully calls others names because he himself feels deserving of the insult."
Tahiri stiffened as Chun painfully squeezed her shoulder in his anger. "Funny how you always let Kenobi fight for you."
"Kenobi?" Bant opened one blood-encrusted eye. "Who's he?"
Bruck Chun's jaw dropped. "You don't—"
Tahiri broke free of Chun's vise, twisting about as she called her lightsaber to her hand. As the man blinked, she ignited it and put it millimeters from his neck.
"We'll go, now. Thanks for the party."
Chun's eyes narrowed. Glowering at her, he slowly
rose to his feet.
"Into that closet." The Jedi Knight gestured with
her blade. Once her former captor was inside, she sealed it, melting the
lock. It could be broken, certainly; but it would buy them time.
Bant was already standing, smiling tiredly. "I'll live," she replied to Tahiri's unasked question. "The cuts are superficial. …Mostly."
Tahiri didn't let herself think of the implications of her friend's last admission. "Let's move. I was asleep when they moved me. The ship they brought us in is probably nearby."
"Good thinking." Bant stayed close to Tahiri, wearing an ironic smile.
Tahiri shot her an odd glance. "What?"
The Mon Calamari shook her head. "Just wondering what happened to those droidekas."
"Droidekas?" Even as she asked, her mind made the
connection: the rolling battle droids.
She heard them rolling towards them even now. Uh-oh. "Run!" she yelled, pulling Bant along without thinking. Maybe they could get ahead—
Sith and Sithspawn! "Neg that." The two friends came to an abrupt halt, surrounded by the droidekas. The Jedi cursed inwardly. The things had shield generators, too!
"Hm."
Tahiri watched Bant curiously eye their surroundings. " 'Hm', what?"
"This is Naboo."
The Jedi Knight stared sidelong at her friend. "So?"
Bant turned her head to meet Tahiri's gaze and did
the inexplicable.
She grinned.
Who or what is Stanley so worried about?
And why does Bant grin? Doesn't come for a few more chapters, so keep reviewing!
( Oh, and yes, I know I used both "blond" and "blonde"; for males and females, respectively, though I don't know if that's how it's really supposed to be.)