Chapter 4
Jungle Trails and Mandalorians
Disclaimer: LucasArts and Obsidian own it all.
They gathered in a group, discussing what to do next. Bao-Dur noted with interest the way Kreia stood alone, no one wanting to be too close to her. Atton and the Disciple flanked the General. Mira stood with her arms crossed, one hip thrust out.
Visas was standing next to him. And try as he might, Bao-Dur could not ignore her presence. She made it hard for him to focus on what Kreia and the General were saying.
"All right, all right." The General held up her hand. "Enough talk. Let's find this outpost." She looked tired, and some of her brown hair had fallen from its customary ponytail. But as always, she was not about to shirk her duty.
They had been shot down, yet again. The jungles of Dxun were dangerous and inhospitable. And they were not a place Bao-Dur had ever wanted to return to. Yet here they were. Now they had to find a way to get to Onderon, and that meant someone had to go out there in the jungle.
As always, Kreia removed herself from any action, saying that she preferred to remain on board the ship. She gave Atton a pointed look and made a cryptic comment about repairs needing to be done. With obvious reluctance, Atton agreed to stay on the Ebon Hawk. Bao-Dur watched this with some concern. Apparently whatever hold Kreia had over Atton, he had not yet managed to break free.
"Look, no offense, but don't expect me to go out there," Mira said. "I'm a city girl, you know? This jungle's just not for me."
"I will go with you," the Disciple said instantly, not quite hiding his eagerness.
The General frowned. She glanced about the circle of her companions. "Bao-Dur, Visas, would you come with me?"
The Disciple's shoulders slumped. At the same time, on the other side of the General, Atton stood a little straighter.
Bao-Dur nodded with pride. "Of course, General." He knew she could take care of herself, but he was always glad to accompany her. It made the job of protecting her that much easier.
They quickly geared up, preparing themselves for a trek through the jungle. Bao-Dur wore his favorite Cinnagar war suit, and armed himelf with a Mandalorian blaster and the Force pike he had owned since Telos. He noted with approval the double vibroblade Visas carried, although he was less pleased about her lack of armor.
The General walked up. At first glance, she looked almost ludicrously vulnerable, wearing just a simple Jedi robe, but Bao-Dur had seen her in action. He knew she was more well-defended than anyone else on the ship. "Are we ready?" she asked.
Bao-Dur always felt like saluting when she asked him that. But he did not. He simply nodded. "Ready, General."
They walked through the Dxun jungle. The General took point. Whenever they encountered any beasts, she dealt with them quickly. One hand would raise in the air, calling down a storm of Force lightning. The silver forks of light would no sooner die away than she would leap into battle, her violet lightsabers swinging in an oddly beautiful harmony. Often the unlucky beast was dead before Bao-Dur and Visas could even get off more than a single blaster shot.
Once they came across an old weapons cache. The General warned them to stay back as she investigated the site. She knelt down beside a body almost hidden in the grass. She stayed on her knees for some time, and when she stood up, she was frowning.
"Everything all right, General?" Bao-Dur asked.
She stared into the distance for a moment, then her expression cleared. She nodded. "Yes," she said. "Let's keep moving."
They walked on. The jungle trails were nearly overgrown in many places, but that did not stop any of the beasts from charging at them. The General was kept busy, her lightsabers always out and ignited. She ranged far ahead, and Bao-Dur found himself walking alone with Visas.
"Do you miss it?" he asked her.
"What do you mean?" Visas asked.
"Your lightsaber," Bao-Dur said.
"I did not think I would, but I do," she said. Her full mouth tightened.
"I can help you build one," he offered. "I helped the General."
Visas hesitated, obviously wanting to say yes, but not quite daring to do it. "I think that should be the Exile's decision," she said. "Only she can say if I am ready to be trusted with a lightsaber again."
"She trusts you," Bao-Dur said as they rounded a curve in the trail. The path was steep here, and he could feel the strain in his legs. "If she did not, you wouldn't be allowed to walk behind her with a blaster in your hands."
Visas thought about this, then suddenly smiled. Her whole face – what Bao-Dur could see of it – was transformed when she smiled. She actually looked pretty then. "You are right," she said. "Again. I should learn to listen to you, Bao-Dur."
He chuckled, encouraged by the sight of her smile. He could not remember seeing her smile before. It felt good to know he was able to wipe away some of the sadness that always surrounded her. "If only I could get the General to believe that, too."
"She does listen to you," Visas said seriously. "More than you know, I think."
Bao-Dur looked at his General. She was crouched over a skeletal body, searching it for anything useful. It was a wartime habit, one he approved of. You never knew when you would find something you needed. Scavenging dead bodies was distasteful, but necessary.
"I have found," Visas said, "that you are an inspiration for everyone aboard the Ebon Hawk, with the exception of the bounty hunter. But that is only because she does not know you very well yet."
The unexpected compliment made Bao-Dur flush. "Not everyone," he protested, thinking of Kreia.
"Yes," Visas said. "Including myself."
Bao-Dur was so surprised by this he did not know what to say. The mere thought of him having any influence over a Sith was laughable. But she was not smiling anymore. She meant what she said.
Up ahead, the General straightened up and resumed walking. Bao-Dur followed her without really seeing his surroundings. He was still trying to think of something to say to Visas.
As it turned out, he was saved from having to answer. The General suddenly stopped dead, her head cocking to one side. Her stance became alert and aware. As soon as he saw this, Bao-Dur readied his blaster, although he could not see any danger yet.
"There is a ship up ahead," the General said. "Three Duros await us." She gave them a tight smile. "More bounty hunters, I suspect."
"We are with you," Visas said.
Together they walked forward. The Duros ship lay in a smoldering heap, too wrecked to ever fly again. The three bounty hunters stood before it, sneering at their prize.
It was over with in seconds. Twice, the General called upon the Force. Twice, lightning stormed from the sky. And three very dead Duros fell to the ground.
Bao-Dur had fired his blaster exactly once. "Well," he said, "I sure am glad we came with you, General."
She turned around. Her face was still alight with the glow of battle. "It's always good to have you at my back, Bao-Dur." She grinned.
He couldn't help smiling back. He would do anything for her. "And I'm glad to be here."
They checked the bodies and the ship's wreckage for any salvage and then pressed on, deeper into the jungle. They climbed a small hill, the General in the lead once again. At the top of the hill, they came to a puzzled stop. A fire was burning, and there were war banners and sensor tripods dug into the earth; but there was no sign of any life forms.
"Someone is here," Visas whispered.
As though her words had triggered their arrival, five men suddenly appeared out of nowhere. They wore stealth generators, and hateful, familiar armor.
Bao-Dur caught his breath. "Mandalorians!"
He had not been around Mandalorians since the war. Walking with them to their camp was one of the hardest things he had ever had to do.
"What is wrong?" Visas asked him. "I sense you are unhappy."
He glanced at her, startled that she could read him so well. "I am not sure I should be here," he said. "I have no love for Mandalorians."
"Do you fear what you will do when you are among them?" the seer asked him.
Bao-Dur hesitated. He might long to unleash some of his old anger upon these soldiers, but he knew he would not. Not unless the General commanded it. "No," he admitted.
"Then you fear how they will make you feel," Visas said.
Helplessly, he nodded. "Yes."
"Do not let them anger you," Visas said. "You must not give in to your emotions. Stay focused on our task. We are here to find passage to Onderon."
It was somewhat galling to have a Sith lecture him about giving in to anger. Bao-Dur swallowed hard, but said nothing.
If the General shared his misapprehensions about being in a Mandalorian war camp, she did not show it. She was polite and respectful when talking to their leader. She asked how she could help. She fought in the battle circle, and accepted the honor given her with appropriate solemnity. When she asked the warrior named Zuka if she could help with the telemetry, Bao-Dur felt duty bound to step forward and offer to look at the problems. As he did, the General gave him a grateful smile, and Visas nodded in approval.
Strangely, the sight of Visas' approval made him feel better than the General's smile.
They did not stay long in the camp. The General was determined to prove herself to Mandalore, so they could gain passage to Onderon. She set a swift pace as they marched off into the jungle, only to draw up short as they were challenged by a group of soldiers. Bao-Dur tensed, ready for combat. But to his relief, the General found a peaceful solution. She even got the recruit Davrel to take sides with her, and agree to fight the zakkeg together.
In silence they made their way toward the zakkeg's lair. Bao-Dur was keenly aware of the fact that they would soon be fighting a very dangerous creature. He felt adrenaline begin to surge through his blood, getting him ready for the upcoming battle. The sounds of the jungle became magnified, and everything around him looked sharp and clear.
He looked at Visas. She too seemed to be preparing herself for battle. She gripped her blaster tightly. Her head was up, her lips slightly parted. Rosy color brightened her cheeks. He found himself wondering what her eyes looked like. If they were milky white like Kreia's, or if they still retained their color.
Walking here beside her, it felt natural. It felt right. He realized with a start that he felt comfortable for the first time in ages. He was walking into a battle, and he was nervous, but he was with the two people he cared most about in the entire galaxy.
It was something of a revelation, he thought. To realize that he cared about Visas. It had happened so slowly, over time, that the truth had crept up on him. But now, here in the heat of the Dxun jungle, he could not deny it any longer.
It had been a long time since he had felt anything like this. Too long, in fact. Since before the war, even. After the war, he had been filled with too much anger, so he had deliberately kept himself isolated from others, preferring the company of droids to sentients.
And now there was Visas. It was true that she had tried to kill the General, but that had been when she was still under the domination of her old master. She had been Sith, but it was clear that she no longer followed their teachings. She was confused now, unsure of herself and her future. She was kind, and patient – not even the corruption of her old master had been able to squash those traits within her. And she was loyal, the quality Bao-Dur prized most in his friends.
They rounded the final curve before the zakkeg's lair and saw Davrel waiting for them. The General went ahead to speak to the Mandalorian, leaving Bao-Dur and Visas standing there, waiting for the signal to move out.
In these last few moments of calm, he looked at her again. Visas sensed his scrutiny, and turned to face him. "What is it?" she asked.
He did not know what to say to her. Not now. It was still too soon. "Be careful," he settled for saying.
She nodded. "You, too."
The General ignited her lightsabers. "Let's go," she said grimly. Behind her, the zakkeg trumpeted a call of challenge.
Bao-Dur hefted his blaster. "Ready," he said.
Author's Notes: As always, an enormous thank-you to everyone who has left a review. You guys keep me writing, even when the words are hard to find.And a big hug to Jen, for indulging my obsession, and not laughing when I bombarded her with e-mails last night.