8: Persistent Memory
Canderous snarled contentedly as he sent of volley of fire tearing into the belly of a screeching Weequay. Canderous swung his heavy blaster around and fired another volley, walking the shots across the floor into the back of a fleeing Twi'lek. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bastila swinging her odd lightsaber, chopping down Davik's men with ease. He despised Jedi in general, but there was no denying their style. He didn't put much faith in the Force, but the Jedi certainly tapped some power. And there wasn't much that could stand against a lightsaber.
Except, perhaps, the will of a Mandalorian Hunter.
Perhaps one day, he would find himself crossing swords with that girl. And then, he would see what he would see. But for now, she was an…ally. So Lal wished it, at least.
He suddenly realized, as he cut down another thug, that he had no idea where Lal was. Bravely, she had taken Davik himself. As it should be, of course. The woman's honor was as great as any warrior he'd ever known. But Canderous suspected she had come here to die. So be it, if that was her fate. But Canderous knew he would stand with her if it came down to it. Death would be glorious today.
Then, he saw her, laying on her back. His brow furrowed beneath his helmet and he dashed to her side. Kneeling down, he cradled her head. He could see she was in terrible shape; dying perhaps. A few feet away, Davik had been pinned to the floor by the knife in his throat. Impressive kill. Very impressive.
"Lal," he called, pulling his helmet off. "It's Canderous. You're badly injured, but you're not dead. Do you hear me, woman? You yet live. You will live. But you must stand! Do you hear?" He slapped her face and her eyes snapped open. They rolled to stare at Canderous, but he could tell she did not see him. "Damn," he hissed.
"Get away from her!" Bastila charged forward, her features twisted in fury.
"Calm yourself, Jedi--"
In response, she swung her lightsaber at his head. Canderous sucked in a deep breath and knew he was going to die beside Lal. But Bastila had stopped her swing less than an inch from his face. The golden blade buzzed angrily in his ear and he lifted his hands defensively.
"Calm yourself, Mandalorian. I will carry her."
"Right…" Canderous stood and moved away, wondering what was going on between these two women. Bastila turned her lightsaber off and reached down to lift Lal in her arms. "You know…she didn't actually betray you…"
"Be silent!" Bastila said, cradling Lal tightly to her. "Let's go."
As they moved towards the door, the floor rattled. Bastila frowned and glanced around "What was…"
The ceiling exploded downward, hurling a gout of fire into the room. Canderous shouted and pushed Bastila and Lal through the door. The floor behind them twisted and shredded with a scream, and burning shards of permacrete rained down into the gap.
"What's going on?" Bastila cried holding Lal tightly as they stumbled forward.
"What do you think? Shut up and move!" Canderous pushed them forward down the corridor as distant thunder shook the walls. They turned around a corner and continued running, but a wall exploded inward, hurling debris across their bodies. Canderous grabbed Bastila and Lal and shielded them with his armored body. He grunted in pain as a large chunk of permacrete slammed into his ribs.
Canderous gasped and staggered forward, but willed himself to ignore the pain. He dragged Bastila and Lal down the hall and into an open doorway. Carth stood in the doorway waving them onward.
"Come on!" Carth screamed. "The Sith must be bombarding the planet! Move! Aw, dammit…" Carth grabbed Lal's motionless body from Bastila's arms. This time the young Jedi did not argue. "The ship is prepped for launch," he told them, and headed at a brisk run across a broad empty stretch of floor. Before him, the Ebon Hawk loomed like a giant avian hunter, perched with wings stretched forward, ready to leap into the sky. Its powerful muscular form stood strong against the cascade of girders and debris from above. Carth led them to the open access ramp, set to the left of the jutting bridge module. They were met at the top of the ramp by Zaalbar and Mission, with AyVee beeping nervously overhead.
"Sickbay!" Carth yelled at Zaalbar, handing Lal to the Wookiee. Zaalbar moaned in agreement and dashed off to the center of the ship. Carth and Canderous and Bastila rushed through the twisting corridors of the ship to the bridge. Carth jumped into the pilot's chair, huddled before the wide view shield of the bridge. He reached up to flick a series of switches and the ship rumbled. Bastila slid into the co-pilot's seat across a bank of equipment and control from Carth. She pulled a headset on and strapped herself in.
Behind them, Canderous held on tightly to the back of Carth's chair. "And a fond farewell bid to the shining shores of Taris," Canderous murmured.
Carth kissed two of his fingers and gripped the control waldoes. He tugged back slowly on them, and the deck tilted as the Hawk leaped from the floor of the launch bay. Maneuvering on repulsorlifts, Carth spun the ship around in a loose circle, aiming the blunted nose towards the main launch doors.
Bastila glanced furiously around her control panel. "Bay door controls! Where are they?"
"No time," Canderous grunted. He reached over her shoulder to flick up a red safety switch. Beneath it rested a red button. On her display, she saw an icon shaped like a missile turn red and grow to fill the screen. Canderous pressed the button with his thumb and a streak of white fire screamed out from the port wing of the ship. The concussion missile sank into the surface of the bay door and crumpled it with a flash of light. A shock wave sent tremors rumbling through the body of the Ebon Hawk and the door blew outward in a spray of torn durasteel.
"Good to go," Carth muttered, goosing the thrusters. The Hawk lurched forward, peeling through the opening. Another orbital blast jarred the entire estate and the top edge of the doorway bent downwards, scraping the dorsal armor. The glancing impact jarred everyone inside the ship, but Carth shoved the Hawk out into the sky.
Once free of the bay, they could see the entire cityscape burning as great streaks of red lightning stabbed down into the clustered towers and Arcologies. Zooming by high above them, wings of swollen-bellied Sith bombers dropped their whistling payloads into the streets of Taris. The detonations bloomed in vast circles or orange fire and molten air.
"Sons of Mandalore," Canderous whispered under his breath reverently. "It's glorious…"
Carth glanced back at Canderous incredulously and shook his head. "Maniac. We're out of here." He leaned over to speak into the commlink, "AyVee, jack in to the main computer and start broadcasting that code sequence! Let's hope this works," he muttered to Bastila and Canderous. "Otherwise, this is gonna be a short ride…"
Carth yanked back hard on the control waldoes and jammed the thrusters wide open. The Ebon Hawk sliced upwards through the wispy clouds and ripped through the thin atmosphere. The sky around it faded from icy blue to coal black. As the ship left Taris hurtling away beneath it, Carth cut in the ion drives. The exhaust vents at the rear of the Hawk flared with blue flame and the ship stood upwards, pressing several Gs. Bastila activated the Inertial Dampeners, before the Gs could squeeze the crew into paste.
"There," Canderous grunted, pointing through the view shield. Flickering silver against the black curtain of the void was the wickedly curved blade of the Leviathan. The Sith flagship rained down sheets of crimson fire upon the planet from its hundreds of turbolaser batteries. Where those blasts sliced across the belly of the planet, the blue surface burned orange.
"Malak is on that ship," Bastila murmured softly, hugging herself tightly.
"Just relax, Bastila," Carth said. He glanced at a warning light on his control panel. "Uh-oh. Picking up a massive energy signature…We're being scanned. I'm activating shields…"
"Do that and those codes will be a waste," Canderous warned. "The Eradicators have probably locked onto us. If you activate those shields, they'll ignore the code transmission, and start shooting."
"Dammit," Carth growled, "and they'll just punch through the shields any-damn-way."
Canderous nodded. "You got it, 'Public."
"Alright. No choice. But it won't be long before those Sith ships pick us up on their screens. This had better be the fastest ship in the sector…"
Canderous grinned. "Scared, 'Public?"
"You're damn right I'm scared, Mandalorian."
"Good. Fear makes a man smart."
"Force preserve us," Bastila gasped, pointing. "It's massive…"
The first Eradicator platform loomed into view, hanging like a spindle at a tilt. The top of the massive automated station was shielded with a gleaming silver half dome. The body extended beneath the dome like a slender sword blade. Bristling from the lower end was a cluster of cannons, swiveling to keep a lock on the Hawk.
Another one appeared off the starboard bow, some ten thousand kilometers distant. And then another, further away. More of them flickered in the distance like diamonds trapped in orbit.
"There are so many," Bastila gasped. A warning light caught her eye and she tapped a control. A display popped up on her control screen. "Oh no. We've got company. I think it's a…a Hyperion-Class destroyer…"
"Fast attack picket vessel," Carth noted. "Short range turbolaser batteries…squadron of snubfighters, if I recall correctly…"
"Can we outrun it?" Bastila asked.
"Yeah. But those fighters can swarm all over us. Bastila, get those hyperspace coordinates punched into the computer. Canderous, get on the dorsal quad."
Canderous gave a nod and dashed to the center of the ship. The access ladder to the dorsal cannon was directly across from the modest little sickbay, and Canderous caught a glimpse of Lal's body stretched out on a biobed, her breasts painted red. Zaalbar huddled over her, his furred arms slathered in Lal's blood. Mission sat in a ball on the deck, weeping.
"Is she…dead?" Canderous asked. But as Zaalbar turned to snarl at him, Canderous could see Lal's lips moving. But her skin was ashen. Canderous cursed to himself and hauled his body up the ladder to the cannon control bubble.
She sat in a class full of children; they were all clad in brown tunics and sat quietly while a tall man in black robes stood at the front with a pointer. A holographic display of the Galaxy glowed before him; the display sparkled with a bright cluster of holographic stars around the equator. The man, a teacher, pointed to various stars and the children called out the names of the stars in turn.
The teacher nodded and then pointed to another star. No one knew the answer. She glanced around at the rest of the children, waiting for someone to speak. But no one did. Finally, she called out the name, Ison.
The teacher nodded, and she smiled despite the rules.
"They're getting really rather close, Carth," Bastila said in a tiny voice. Her eyes were locked on the tactical screen, displaying four Sith snub fighters swooping towards them.
"We're still not outta the woods, Bastila," Carth growled back. "Just focus on those coordinates."
The Ebon Hawk zoomed past another Eradicator, and Carth breathed a sigh of relief. But he kept his eye on his own tac-scanner, marking the relative position of the Hyperion destroyer and the wing of fighters. The fighters would easily close to attack range in less than two minutes.
Bastila unstrapped herself and moved to the navcomputer mounted behind the pilot's station. She accessed the ship's navigational records and called up the numbers for Dantooine, where the Jedi Council was located. She had to enter the ship's current course and relative coordinates, and then the relative coordinates of Dantooine. Although general coordinates were relatively small numbers, hyperspace travel forced a requirement for immense specificity. The human mind was generally incapable of calculating more than three or four dimensional coordinates, especially when those numbers changed slightly depending on the oscillation of hyperspace fabric…
Bastila hated calculating hyperspace routes. She'd never been good at it, even in the academy.
"We're almost clear!" Carth told her.
"That's good," Canderous responded over the comm, "because here they come!"
The four Sith fighters unfolded their weapon foils, snapping them out into attack position. They broke off into pairs and swarmed over the Hawk. The first pair went high and the second went low. The dorsal Quad cannon opened up, churning forth powerful blasts of concerted energy. The lead fighter rolled over the blasts, but his wingman swam directly into their path and crumpled in a globe of fire.
The lead fighter triggered his cannons, strafing the spine of the Hawk. Tiny explosions gusted forth where the blasts struck the surface. Carth flipped the Ebon Hawk into a barrel roll and opened the ion throttle wide. Canderous snapped off another brace of shots, clipping one of the fighter that had tried to go for the Hawk's belly. It spun away from the Hawk in a wild spiral, crackling with energy leaking from a breached drive core.
"Two of the bastards down," Canderous growled.
She watched as the little boy grinned wickedly and clutched the stolen holocube to his chest. Behind him a little girl cried. "You're not supposed to have these anyway!" the boy accused gleefully.
But the little girl continued to cry. Her mother had sent the holocube; on it was a recording of a birthday party her parents had thrown for her, even though the little girl was absent.
"Give it back to her," She said resolutely, balling her tiny fists before the little boy.
"No!" the boy shouted back. "Why don't you…"
She hauled back with her little fist and knocked the boy senseless. He started to cry. She plucked the holocube from his grubby fingers and stomped over to the little girl. "Here. Hide it."
"Lal!" one of the teachers cried out in alarm. "Come here this instant!"
Canderous pulverized another one of the fighters leaving only a single one buzzing over the Ebon Hawk in wide circles. Carth was finally able to bring the shields on-line as they cleared the forest of Eradicator stations. The snubfighter's laser cannons just drew bright sparks where they crashed harmlessly against the Hawk's defense screens.
But a new problem emerged twenty thousand kilometers to port. "Sith interdictor moving into this quadrant!" Carth announced. "If he gets a lock with those gravity well projectors, we're as good as dead!"
"Then don't let him," Canderous spat back over the comm.
"Thanks for the advice," Carth hissed back. He then saw two full squadrons of snubfighters sailing towards the Hawk from the bays of the interdictor. "Great. Who invited these guys? Everybody hold on, it's gonna get a little rough…"
The Ebon Hawk's engines pulsed with might and hurled the ship forward at a blistering velocity. Carth angled the deflector screens to front and blew through the formation of snubfighters. The tiny fighters broke ranks as the Hawk ripped past them. Canderous chopped down two of them as they whipped by.
The interdictor cruiser fired a shot from her turbolaser batteries, and the beam lanced across the underbelly of the Hawk. "Relax, no damage," Carth called out. "They just want us to stop by for a cup of tea…"
"Almost got it, Carth," Bastila told him, her fingers flying over the keyboard.
"That was behavior unbecoming a Jedi, young Padawan," the teacher told her. Her tiny legs swung as she sat in the huge chair. She poked her lower lip out defiantly and shrugged.
"Those boys were wrong. They shouldn't say things like that when they're not true,"
"Perhaps. But it is not your place to punish them for it. The Jedi does not seek vengeance. Only justice."
"I di'nt hurt anyone," she protested.
"But you could have, young one. You abused your training. And for that, you must be punished."
"There!" Bastila cried, leaping back into the co-pilot's chair. "That's it! Punch it!"
Carth reached forward to grab the hyperjump throttle and yanked it back. His stomach seemed to drop about five feet and the stars outside the view shield warped into a thousand streaking lines of white fire. Hyperspace ripped open and they dove in, leaving normal space light years behind them. The starfield collapsed into a boiling tunnel of blue light, and Carth sat back from the controls. He ran a hand through his hair and turned a worried glance to Bastila.
She did her level best to ignore him, adjusting control settings on her panel.
Carth sighed and shook his head in disbelief. "You're not even gonna talk about it are you?"
"A Jedi does not give in to emotion, Carth. The mission is completed and there's nothing left to discuss."
"Bastila…"
"I said I do not wish to speak of this!" Bastila told him curtly.
"Fine," Carth growled. He pushed up from his seat and stormed off the bridge. He passed Lal's droid in the main computer room, where it was happily chirping and beeping a conversation with the computer. He made his way to the ship's sickbay and saw Canderous and Mission standing in the corridor. Zaalbar was inside, still tending to Lal's wounds.
"How is she?" Carth asked.
Mission wiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks and glanced up at Carth in agony. "Zaalbar saws her lung got pierced, and collapsed…it's all my fault…"
"I think she's stabilized," Canderous said, staring at Mission in disgust. "She's tougher than she looks."
Carth nodded and laid a comforting hand on Mission's shoulder. Mission clamped her hands over her eyes and began crying into Carth's chest. "It's all my fault," she moaned. "All I've been is weak and stupid and soft…"
"Oh, enough!" Canderous snapped, making Mission jump with fright. "I've had more than enough of your pathetic mewling! You are weak! And stupid and soft! You've proven yourself a liability little girl. If it weren't for you, Lal would likely be fine."
Carth put Mission behind him and strode up to stare Canderous in the eye. "You've got a lot of nerve talking to a girl like that, Canderous."
"I call it like I see--"
Carth hammered his fist into Canderous' jaw, stunning the big Mandalorian and dropping him to the deck. He lifted his hands before him in a fighting stance, waiting for Canderous to get back up.
Canderous just looked up at him and started laughing. "I bet that felt good, eh, 'Public? Heh. You people just don't get it, do you?"
"What are you talking about, Canderous?" Carth demanded.
As he picked himself up, Canderous snorted. "Heh. You're weak, little girl. That is a truth. But the thing is; you have a choice. You can remain weak, remain a liability…or you can become strong. You can keep crying and weeping and moaning. Telling yourself you are less than nothing. That's an easy thing to do. Or you can strive to be something better than you are. That, little girl, that is hard." He picked himself up and shook his head. "Now…that woman in there…she may well be dying. And yes, it's due in large part to you. You can choose to simply bleat and moan, or you can choose to honor what she has sacrificed for you. Anything less is a waste of time. Are you always going to let others fight your battles for you? Like this stripling of a Republic dog?"
"Canderous, if you like," Carth promised, "I can always put you on your ass again…"
"Well, you could try," Canderous grinned, beckoning him forward.
Carth curled his lip scornfully and waved his hand. "You're not worth it, Mandalorian."
"Heh, well, certainly not, if you can't afford it," Canderous chuckled.
"You just be careful what you say to Mission."
"Ah. That's right. Keep rushing to her rescue, 'Public. Keep her weak. Keep her reliant upon your help. Or Lal's help. Tell me, Carth, is that simply how you're wired? Or does the Republic program you to be that way?"
"Could you two st-stop fighting for one d-damned minute?" a weak voice coughed hoarsely.
"Lal!" Mission cried.
Lal stood in the doorway of sickbay and leaned heavily against Zaalbar. She clutched a blanket around her chest, and her bare skin was smeared dark red with blood. Bruises darkened her face and her lips were swollen and split. Her right eye sported a purple shiner, and she let her hair fall before her cheek. She nodded at Mission and tried her best to smile. "Eh…look; we've got matching scars…"
Mission reflexively touched the scars on her own face, patched up and bandaged. She smiled despite herself. "I'm sorry Lal…what I did was stupid…and it won't happen ever again…I won't let you down again…"
"Forget abut it, Mission. I'm alive. You're alive. We're all alive. And, since we're all here, I'm going to hazard a guess that we got away. I need a shower…tell me there's a bloody fresher on this can…"
Zaalbar howled warningly at her and shook his shaggy head.
"Hell," Lal groaned, rolling her eyes. "The Carpet slapped an auto-respirator on me…keeping my lung inflated. He doesn't want a sonic shower disrupting the seal…"
"Lal," Carth said with a frown, "we're gonna have to have a little chat. But right now you should be in bed."
"Oh, we're going to chat, Carth. All of us. But first, I want you to take the ship to Tatooine. We'll be safe there."
"No," Carth shook his head. He folded his arms over his chest and went on. "We need to go to Dantooine. We're already on route. It would take us…weeks to divert to Tatooine."
Lal stared at him for a moment. His gaze was implacable and unrelenting. She chuckled sourly. "You know, you're quite adorable when you're being stubborn." She pushed off from Zaalbar and slowly, stiffly walked down the corridor to the central rec area. She glanced around with a scowl and leaned against a table. "Where in…where is the bloody fresher? I have to pay a visit on the gents, as they say…"
Mission stepped forward and eased past Lal to guide her to one of two tiny freshers sitting just off of the main rec-room. Lal leaned heavily on Mission's shoulder and the Twi'lek slipped her arm around Lal's waist to help her move. Lal maneuvered into the fresher and glanced disparagingly at the thin partition that served as a door.
"Hold on a bit, Mission…I hate to…say this…but I may need your help getting up…" Lal slid the partition shut.
"Sure, Lal. Listen, I meant what I said, y'know…I'm just so glad you're okay, Lal…"
"Mission, I said don't worry about it, and I meant it. So don't."
"I…um…okay…I guess you're angry…I mean, you totally should be…! I was stupid…it was unforgivable…But I wouldn't…I mean…I…I love you, Lal…I'm so sorry you got hurt because of me…"
Lal finished up in the fresher and slid the partition back. "Mission, don't be silly. How could you…love me? We haven't known each other for more than…a few months…been friends less than a week. Don't be absurd."
Mission stared at her for a second, and the pain twisted her smooth brow. She lowered her eyes and Lal saw a tear building at the corner of Mission's unswollen eye. "But I…nobody's ever protected me before…not like you did…not even my brother…I…"
"Mission," Lal sighed, laying her hands on the young woman's shoulders, "I…I like you. I really do. And I'm glad you're safe…and all that…but you act as if we're…we're sisters or something."
"I know w-we're not sisters, Lal…of c-course…I mean…sure…B-but I just thought that…"
"Well you thought wrong, Mission. You're a big girl. You…maybe it's time you grew up."
A tear streamed down Mission's bruised cheek and Mission nodded. "Okay, Lal…" she tried to suppress a sob and turned away. "If that's how you…"
"Yes, Mission. That's how I feel."
Mission covered her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut. She nodded abruptly and dashed away. The Twi'lek stopped at the far end of the rec area and turned back. "I…I guess I really screwed up, didn't I? You totally hate me…I deserve it, I guess. M-maybe Canderous is right…I'm just…I'm sorry I hurt you, Lal!" Then Mission whirled and ran down a corridor.
Lal leaned against the bulkhead behind her and closed her eyes tightly. I'm sorry I hurt you, Mission. It had to be done, though…Lal sighed heavily, clutching the sheet in a white-knuckled fist. If Mission was to survive, she was going to have to toughen up. Love wouldn't help her stay alive. It would only make her softer.
Besides, Lal needed to be able to focus. She couldn't do that while worrying herself sick about a Twi'lek, who, by all rights, should have been able to take care of herself.
Lal turned and glanced down a corridor to her right. Thinking she'd heard something, she headed up the corridor. It slithered up the spine of the ship and led to the humming bridge. Lal peered in and saw Bastila sitting in the co-pilot chair.
"Lal," Bastila said in a cool greeting, turning her head slightly.
"Bastila," Lal growled in reply. "There are some things you need to tell me."
"Is that so?" Bastila sighed, pretending to attend to her controls. "Don't you think you should be resting instead of bothering me?"
"Oh, I can see you're quite busy."
"Alright," Bastila relented. "What is it you wish to talk about?"
Lal staggered forward, her chest aching. She leaned against the navcomputer and glared at Bastila with fiery, hooded eyes. "You know who I am."
"Of course. You're Lal Sideen. Mercenary cutthroat and assassin."
"No. You know who I really am. I didn't know what it was the first time I talked to you…but now, I'm sure of it. You know who I was…before…"
"I don't know what you're going on about."
"Did the Jedi teach you to lie? Didn't do a good job of it. Don't treat me as if I'm a fool. I'm far from it. Here's what I know: you and Carth came to Taris on a secret mission. Something of great importance to your little war. Carth was very clever, but I've dealt with all sorts of men who've had secrets. I know how to read them. You were desperate to keep your mission a secret. Not only from me, but from the Sith."
"Hmm. Perhaps I was concerned you'd attempt to sell us out to your master, Kang. Oh wait…I was right, wasn't I?"
"Oh, come off it, Bastila! You're a bloody grown-up. If you cannot see that what I did was the only way to protect Mission and to save all our lives, then you're denser than you appear to be!"
"Alright. Granted. And…thank you…But your mistake was in not trusting Carth or myself with your plan."
"No. That doesn't fly with me, Bastila. You know better. How could I trust you if you didn't trust me? And you didn't. You still don't. You're upset because I used you? I'm fine with it. I used you to save someone I care about. And we all got what we wanted in the process; a way off the bloody planet. I used you, yes. But you used me as well."
Bastila shot to her feet and whirled to face Lal. "I used you? Exactly how do you figure that?"
"You used me to find a way off the planet. Plain and simple. That's fine. But you cannot go crying about getting the tail when you've been playing someone for an ass."
"I…excuse me?"
"What?"
"'Getting the tail'? What exactly is that supposed to mean?"
"Er…damn it Basi! You know what I mean!"
Bastila's face turned pale, and she turned swiftly away from Lal.
"Now what?" Lal cried.
"That name…" Bastila murmured softly. "You called me 'Basi'…"
"Did I?"
Bastila sighed heavily and stepped out from her station. Concern melted the ice of her features. She walked over and tentatively extended a hand to Lal's face. Gingerly, she cupped Lal's cheek. "Lal…look at you…you're all bashed up…"
Lal frowned in confusion, and her back stiffened. "You suddenly care?"
"Of course I care…I wasn't going to leave without you, Lal."
"You…it was you carrying me…I thought it was Carth…"
"Carth took over. I would have collapsed, I was so tired." Bastila folded her arms across her breasts and sighed. "Alright, Lal. You…I suppose you deserve the truth. I didn't…tell you because…well, I was sworn to secrecy by my oath as a Jedi Knight. And to be fully honest…it's the Council's place…"
"Bastila, please! If you know who I am, you have to tell me!"
"Alright. I was sent to Taris to rescue an ally of both the Republic and the Jedi Order. A Jedi Knight. This Jedi…had fought in the Mandalorian Wars…her contributions were…without measure. Though the Council never sanctioned the war, she was a hero. Her efforts…her strategies helped to save the Republic from the Mandalorian menace. And, before she left the order to fight the war, she was also a great…a legendary Jedi. She was truly gifted, Lal."
Lal stared at Bastila for a long moment. A strange vibration hummed in the pit of her belly. She tried to speak, but her voice cracked and dissolved into silence. She cleared her throat and tried again." I…I see…And how did she come to be…to find herself on Taris?"
"We weren't entirely sure. After the war, she retired--"
"'Retired'?" Lal cried. "What do you mean, retired? How old was she?"
A smile drifted across Bastila's face. "Older than she looks. But still the most beautiful woman I've ever known."
Lal pulled back from Bastila's touch and glanced away. "So she…retired…"
"Yes," Bastila said, lowering her hand. "She wanted to live a quiet life after the hell of the war. She had purchased a modest cottage in the countryside on Dantooine. She had a garden. A lovely garden, too. But…we don't know the specifics, mind you…she was attacked. A surprise attack. Somehow, she was taken unaware, and was kidnapped. The man who kidnapped her sought to use her talents to aid him in his despicable line of work. Somehow, he managed to wipe out her memory of everything she knew or was or did, and he turned her into…into a weapon…"
"Bastila…oh, Bastila, there must be some sort of mistake. You see, I'm not a…a Jedi. I couldn't be. I'm just a normal woman."
"Normal, is it?" Bastila chuckled. "Far from it. This coming from a woman who is standing and walking and talking half a day after receiving a wound that would have slain a Wookiee. Think about the things you've done, Lal. You killed a Rancor. Single-handedly. Think about your skills in battle. Lal, you're a small woman! You can't weigh much more than fifty…fifty-five kilos. And yet, how many men have you fought and…and killed, who were twice your size? Twice as strong as you? A Jedi cannot be judged by size or physical might. The Force is the most powerful of allies, Lal. How many have you…seduced to your will, Lal? Hmm? With the Force, a Jedi can turn a whisper into a command."
"I…no. I don't believe it. I don't…I can't believe it."
"Davik took you from us! He wiped your mind and perverted your skills, turned you into a criminal…a killer! It is…it's the worst form of rape, Lal."
"No."
"After I spoke with you the first time, I knew it was you! You had changed; your hair was longer…your fashion sense had become a bit more…risqué, but I knew it was you."
"There's something more,' Lal said, "something you're still not telling me…"
Bastila smiled. "Your feelings serve you well, Lal. More proof."
"Tell me, Bastila! Who am I to you?"
Bastila lowered her gaze. "I…shouldn't be telling you…any of this, Lal…we…we grew up together. You were a few years older than me. We were close. And we always argued…"
Lal laughed despite herself. It slipped out unbidden. "Of course we did. That hasn't changed, at least…"
"No. It hasn't. You are very dear to me, Lal. And that's probably why…why I've been so hard on you. What Davik did to you…it hurt me as well as you."
Lal glanced away from Bastila and shook her head. "I don't…I don't think I can deal with this…Is my real name…Lal Sideen? Or is that completely different, too?"
"Your name is…Lal. Yes." Bastila stepped forward to touch Lal's arm. Her brown eyes flicked down at Lal's bruises and scrapes and scars. "Do you recall…anything?"
Lal shook her head. "No. No…yes…maybe…I think I dreamed…when I was out."
"I thought you might have. I believe I felt it."
"Felt it? Oh wait. Of course, you're a mind reader."
"Only when necessary. Technically, you are as well. The intuitions you have about people…they usually are spot on, are they not? You read people so well it's almost as if you're…reading their thoughts? Your mind may have forgotten what you are, but your body has not. It remembers, Lal. And…you can remember as well…"
"No."
"In fact, you must!" Bastila whispered fiercely. Her eyes flickered back and forth as thoughts warred in her mind. "I'm likely overstepping my bounds with the Council…But, Lal…you are needed. The Republic needs you."
"Me? I don't understand."
"In the Mandalorian Wars, you fought alongside Malak. And…Revan. Before they turned to the Dark Side. You knew their strategies better than anyone. If there's anyone who can help win this war, Lal, it is you. The Council knows this; they will wish to speak with you. But Darth Malak…he knew…knows it…as well. Before Revan died, he and Malak began to systematically murder all the Jedi who served with them during the war. They knew too much, you see. Of them all, only you survived. You remained…hidden on Dantooine. When you were taken from us, the Council initially feared Malak had killed you. But Malak…he didn't know you had survived. If he had known, and caught you while you had no memory of yourself, his victory would have been complete. And so the mission had to remain secret."
"But…if what you're telling me is true, I'd pose no threat to the Sith. I have no bloody memories!"
"Oh, Lal…Malak couldn't possibly know this. And even if he did, he couldn't afford to accept it at face value. You're too dangerous to him. No. He would have tortured you and then killed you."
"Basi…Bastila…this is too much for me. An hour ago…I was…all I wanted was to…to make a place for myself, doing what I know best to do. Now, you lay this madness in my lap. Bastila…I'm not the person you think I am. Even if I am…I'm not anymore…"
She turned away from Bastila and left the bridge, walking stiffly, leaning against the bulkheads for support.
"Lal!" Bastila called.
"No…I need to rest, Bastila. I'm sorry. I…I can't help you."
