Chapter 9

What Happens on Dantooine

(otherwise known as: The Exile and Bao-Dur Have a Talk)

Disclaimer: All characters are the property of LucasArts and Obsidian.

Note: There's a little bit of language in this chapter.

Queen Talia's reign was restored, and Onderon was at peace again. The victory, however, was short-lived for the crew of the Ebon Hawk. Within scant hours of securing the palace, the ship was en route to Dantooine.

There was noticeable tension in the cramped corridors of the ship now. After the General spoke with the Jedi Masters at the Enclave, nothing would be the same again. Everyone knew it, but no one wanted to talk about it.

At least, no one talked about it within Bao-Dur's presence. He found this suited him just fine. He did his best talking when he was alone with Visas, anyway.

The seer was concerned. "They may try to take the Force from her again. They may not be willing to forgive her."

"She has done much good," Bao-Dur said. They were sitting on Visas's bed. She was curled between his legs, her back resting against his chest. "The Jedi Code instructs them to forgive."

"No one is beyond redemption," Visas agreed quietly.

Bao-Dur nodded. He had his arms around her. He turned his head so he could rest his cheek on the top of her head. "I fear they will try to exile her again," he confessed. He had never known any of the Jedi Masters they were about to meet, but they sounded harsh from the tales he had heard. "They may not want her help when they battle the Sith."

"She has done more than anyone to stop them," Visas said. "Surely the Jedi on Dantooine will recognize this."

"I hope so," Bao-Dur said.

They lapsed into silence. This was not a bad thing. Bao-Dur loved sitting with her, just feeling her in his arms, knowing she was close. He had not yet found the courage to tell her that he loved her, but he suspected she knew anyway. The Force had bound them together, and they could sense each other's feelings. Surely she knew his heart, had known it at almost the same moment he had learned the truth.

He hoped she loved him in return. He thought she did, but he could not be sure. He did not know if what he sensed in her was only his heart's hope, or if the emotion was genuine. Nor would he ask. She would tell him when she was ready, the same way he would say the words when the time was right.

Until then, he was content with what he had.

When they reached Dantooine, Atton set the ship down just outside the Jedi Enclave. The crew gathered in the main hold, more nervous even than when they had landed on Korriban.

"I cannot ask any of you to come with me," the General said. She was even paler than usual, her features set. "I must go alone."

"If that is what you feel you must do," Kreia said.

"It is," the General said. "Please remain on board." She glanced at Atton. "Be ready to take off at any moment."

"We are with you," the Disciple said firmly. He tried to catch the General's eye, but she would not look at him. Her gaze was now fixed at a point on the wall.

"Statement: Master, I do not recommend walking alone into this trap. You are very clever for a meatbag, but you do have a rather unfortunate tendency towards gullibility."

Mandalore hefted his rifle. "The droid is right. You need some backup. Let me go with you. I've had plenty of sniper practice. Those Jedi won't even know I'm there."

"Oh, they will know," Kreia pronounced, in such tones of doom that even Mandalore shrank back. "No, Alia is right. She must do this alone. None of you can help her."

The General took a deep breath. "I will be back as soon as I can." She looked about the circle of her companions, without managing to make any real eye contact. Then she squared her shoulders and walked from the room.

For a moment they stood where they were, no one wanting to be the first to walk away. Then Kreia sniffed and turned around, headed back to her quarters.

Her departure was the signal that it was all right to go. The Disciple shuffled toward the medbay and his endless supply of books and datapads. Atton hurried toward the cockpit, no doubt wanting to watch the General until she disappeared out of sight. Bao-Dur sighed and made his way to the lift leading to the Ebon Hawk's exterior hull. T3 had informed him that it was malfunctioning, and he wanted to take a look at it while the ship was on the ground.

The lift was indeed not working properly. It would only rise a few meters before coming to a halt; during its descent, the downward motion was very jerky and erratic. Clearly something was wrong with the circuits, but he would have to take it apart to know for sure.

Frowning with concentration, he didn't even know he was no longer alone until a hand fell on his shoulder. Gasping with fright, he whirled around and found himself face to face with Atton.

"We've got problems," the pilot said.

"What's wrong?" Bao-Dur asked, trying to control his pounding heart.

"That old schutta is what's wrong," Atton said. "She just slipped off the ship. She's following Alia into the Enclave."

Bao-Dur's eyes widened. "Kreia went into the Enclave?"

"Didn't I just say that?" Atton said in some exasperation. "Come on." He began walking away.

"Where are we going?" Bao-Dur hurried to keep up. He was not keen on the idea of following Kreia. It was bad enough that the old woman had disobeyed the General. He had no intention of doing the same thing.

"Nowhere," Atton said. "For now." He led Bao-Dur into the cockpit. "We can watch from here. That's how I saw Kreia going in." He gestured at the viewport. "Best seat in the house if you want to know what's going on around you."

"What are we watching for?" Bao-Dur asked. Unless smoke or visible magic filled the sky above the Enclave, they would not be able to see anything at all.

"I don't know," Atton said impatiently. "But whatever's going to happen, I don't want to miss it."

Bao-Dur nodded. On this he could agree. If something bad was going to happen in the Enclave, he wanted to be in a position to help the General.

He felt it then. A great lurch in the Force. It made him feel physically ill, so that he doubled up, clutching his abdomen.

Somewhere, something terrible was happening.

"What is it?" he groaned.

"Alia." Atton half-rose to his feet, then sank back into his chair. His face was tight with pain. "We have to do something."

That terrible sense of wrong increased, and now it filled all of Bao-Dur's senses. He was helpless before it, clutching at his head as though he could somehow make it stop if only he squeezed hard enough.

And then it was over, as quickly as it had come upon them.

"That's it," Atton said. He jumped up. "We have to help her."

Bao-Dur did not need to be told twice. "Let me get my lightsaber," he said.

"Wait." Atton leaned forward, peering through the viewport. "I don't believe this. Look!"

Bao-Dur turned and saw. Kreia, coming out of the Enclave. Alone.

"What did she do?" Atton snarled. "That bitch!" He hurried forward, pushing Bao-Dur out of the way.

"Don't!" Bao-Dur called after him. If Kreia was responsible for what he had just felt – and there seemed to be little doubt that she was – then Atton stood no chance against her at all.

"She won't get away with this," Atton warned. His voice was cold, and deeper than usual. With a start, Bao-Dur realized that he was looking now at the murderer Kreia had once spoken of with such contempt, and he redoubled his efforts. He had to stop Atton from doing whatever rash actions the pilot had planned.

He caught up to Atton in the main hold. Mira, Visas, and the Disciple stood there with Mandalore, having being drawn out by the wrong they had sensed in the Force. "What's going on?" Mandalore demanded. "Why is everyone acting like they suddenly took sick?"

"Kreia," Atton growled.

As if in response to hearing her name, the old woman appeared in the doorway. She did not falter, but kept walking further into the room, apparently unconcerned by the sight of them waiting for her.

"What did you do to her?" Atton shouted.

"Silence!" Kreia snapped. "I will not be accused by the likes of you."

Atton drew his lightsaber. "You will answer me, or you will die, right now."

"You threaten me?" Kreia sneered. "I did not know you were so eager to join those lying dead in the Enclave!"

The words hit Bao-Dur like a bolt of lightning.

The General was dead.

No, it could not be true. It could not be true!

"You lie," Mira said loudly.

"Do you truly believe I care what you think?" Kreia scoffed.

"She was our last chance," the Disciple said. He sounded stunned, unable to believe what he had just heard. "And now she is dead. They have won."

"The last of the Jedi is dead," Mira said. "It is over." She looked like she was about to faint.

"No," Visas said. "Now it begins. In hatred, there is unity. Against a common foe, even enemies may stand side by side. Now they will turn on each other, and the betrayals will begin. They will feed on each other, until only one remains. That which waits in the darkness will now show itself... and now the galaxy will begin to die."

"The Sith Lords," the Disciple said quietly.

"It is not over," Visas said. "We must carry on in her stead. It is what she would want."

Bao-Dur could not speak. He felt cold and numb inside, as if someone had reached inside his chest and replaced his heart with a block of ice. The General was dead. She would never stride up the loading ramp again. She would never again grin at him over her flashing lightsaber blades. She would never again ask him to follow her lead, trusting him completely to watch her back.

She was gone.

Beside him, Atton seemed equally devastated. The pilot stood still, holding his lightsaber loosely. His eyes were dark with grief and other, nameless emotions.

Uncaring what her words had wrought, Kreia continued to make her way through the room, toward her quarters. No one made any move to stop her.

And then the women in white attacked.

They came out of nowhere, women wearing identical faces and bearing no weapons. They took down Mandalore and the Disciple within seconds. Bao-Dur barely had time to blink, it all happened so fast.

"They want the ship!" Mira cried as she grappled with one of the women.

"Like hell!" Atton shouted, jolted out of his fugue by the sudden battle. He raced toward the cockpit, and one of the white-clad women chased after him.

Bao-Dur did not even move as one of them approached him. "You were on Telos," he breathed. "I remember you."

The woman's face did not change. She merely threw herself into the fight.

He met her attack as best he could. His General was dead, but Visas was still here, very much alive. For her sake, he had to try and repel these invaders.

It took all of two seconds for Bao-Dur to realize he was hopelessly outmatched. It took another two seconds for his unconscious body to hit the ground.

When he came to, an excited babble of voices met his ears. Wincing, he started to sit up, and a hand touched his face. "You are all right," Visas said in relief.

He looked up at her. She appeared unhurt. "So are you."

He let her pull him to his feet. "What happened?"

The main hold was a scene of chaos. Broken furniture littered the room. There was blood on the floor. Mandalore was still out cold. Mira slumped on the couch, moaning with her head in her hands. The Disciple was crouched over the fallen Mandalorian, speaking urgently while trying to wake the man. HK-47 stood guard over them all, a blaster rifle held ready to fire. And T3 rocked in the corner, hooting mournfully at the sight of such destruction.

Visas waited until she had his full attention, then she smiled. "Alia is back," she said.

Bao-Dur's heart leapt. "What?"

He heard her voice then, and he turned around. She was just walking into the hold with Atton, who had one hand pressed to a bleeding cut on his forehead. She looked dreadful, her face white and strained, but she was quite obviously not dead.

"They came for Kreia," the General said. "And you were the ones who suffered." Her voice trembled and nearly broke. "I am so sorry."

The Disciple stood up. "We would face any battle for you," he declared.

His answer seemed to cause the General great pain. She closed her eyes. "I know you would," she said quietly.

"What do we do now?" Mira asked. She had lowered her hands from her head, but she was still squinting painfully.

The General opened her eyes. "The Jedi Masters are dead," she said. "Kreia killed them. Now we must find her. We go to Telos. That is where the handmaidens have taken her."

"To Atris," Atton said.

The General nodded. "To Atris."

That night Bao-Dur could not sleep. The Ebon Hawk was moving through hyperspace on its way to Telos. Similarly, his thoughts were racing along, unwilling to slow down enough to allow him to sleep.

He kept wondering what he would do if he ever thought Visas was dead.

He wondered what he would do if she truly did die.

He wondered how he would be able to go on living, if that should happen.

Restlessly he paced the corridors of the ship. And when he entered the engine room and found the General standing there, he could not entirely claim to be surprised.

She was gazing at the engines, her eyes unfocused. But when he walked in, her head snapped up, and she became very alert. "Bao-Dur."

He winced to see her like this. In the dim light of the engine room, shadows crept across her face. She looked like a woman on the verge of having a breakdown. He knew she had spent some time in meditation with the Disciple earlier, but he had not seen or heard from her since then. He wondered how long she had been hiding back here. "What's troubling you, General?"

She grimaced. "Please, don't call me that. I haven't been your General in a very long time."

"Of course, Gen--" He caught himself. "Alia."

She gave him a wan smile. "Thank you."

"Do you want to be alone?" He made a vague gesture behind him. It was hard to find privacy on a starship, but she deserved the solitude, if that was what she desired.

"No," she said. "In fact, I would like to talk with you, if you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind, Gen--" Again he cut off the word. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to tell you that I am happy for you." She tried to smile again, and succeeded a little better this time.

"Happy for me?" he repeated stupidly.

"I have seen you and Visas," Alia said. "I know you have found happiness together. I am glad to know that."

Bao-Dur flushed. "Thank you," he murmured.

"It's so important," Alia said quietly. "Loving someone. Having someone to stand beside you."

He made a noise of agreement, not sure how he was supposed to respond to this. He wondered what had happened between her and the Disciple, why she should suddenly be speaking about love.

She turned to him, her gaze sharp. "You do love her?"

Bao-Dur nodded. "I do."

"And does she know this?"

He hesitated. "I'm not sure. I think she does."

"If you have not told her, you should," the General said sharply. "She deserves to know. To hear it from your lips."

Chastened, he nodded quickly. "I will tell her."

"Good." Her voice softened. "Someone on this ship needs to hear it."

He looked up at her. "General?"

She did not correct him this time. Sadness etched lines on her face, reminding him that she was not young anymore. She had seen too much death to ever be truly young again. "I cannot say the words," she said. "So someone must. It has to be you, Bao-Dur."

"But you--" He fumbled to understand her. "You are allowed to love."

"I cannot." She turned away from him to stare once more at the engines. "I must seek my destiny alone. I cannot ask him to come with me." She sighed shakily. "Like Revan before me, I cannot take anyone where I go. I cannot ask that of anyone."

"If someone loves you, they will go with you anywhere," Bao-Dur said. He did not know whom she spoke of, but he knew both Atton and the Disciple would follow her across the galaxy.

"That does not make it right," Alia said sadly.

Sudden suspicion filled his heart. "When you go, will you not take anyone with you?"

"I don't know," she said to the engines. "I have not decided yet."

"Then let it be our decision," Bao-Dur said. "Let us choose if we go with you, or if we make our own way."

She nodded. "I suppose you are right," she said faintly, in a tone that made him wonder if she had even heard him.

"Do you ever wonder why you are with me?" she asked. "Why you follow me?"

"Because you are my General," Bao-Dur said without hesitation. "I trust in your leadership. And I know you are doing the right thing in trying to stop the Sith threat."

Alia smiled vaguely at the walls. "I see."

Bao-Dur frowned, suddenly convinced that he had given the wrong answer to her question. But he did not know what else he could have said. He had answered her honestly.

"If I order you to stay behind on Telos, will you do it?" She was looking at him again, her eyes clear.

He wanted to say yes, that he would obey any command of hers. But for some reason, he could not do it. The words stuck in his throat.

Yet oddly enough, his silence seemed to give her strength. She nodded. "Good," she said.

They had never spoken so frankly, and he doubted they ever would again. He felt no fear at all to ask, "Why are you so determined to deny yourself friendship and love?"

To his horror, her eyes filled with tears. "If you think that is what I want, you are very mistaken." She took a deep breath, regaining control of herself. "But what I want does not matter. There is only what I must do."

He wished he could ease her pain, that he could bear some of her burdens, even if only for a short while. It was not right that she should suffer alone.

And then he realized, he was not the one she should be talking to. He was not the one she really wanted.

"Go to him," he said. "Talk to him. Share this time with him, however long it may last." He thought of Visas, and his promise to make the most of the time he had with her. "You do not have to be alone."

Alia stared at him for a long moment, tears standing in her eyes once more. "I'm afraid," she whispered.

"We are all afraid," Bao-Dur told her. "But fear is easier to bear when you share it with someone." He knew this to be true. He could face anything if Visas stood beside him. With her at his side, nothing was impossible, nothing could defeat him.

"You've gotten so wise," Alia said, trying to laugh. It came out more like a sob, but Bao-Dur was nonetheless heartened to see her make the effort. "Or were you always this wise, and I just never noticed?"

"That's what happens to us mere techs," Bao-Dur said. "We're always overlooked."

This time she did laugh, and the tears were banished. She came toward him and hugged him tight. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear. "Thank you so much."

"It was my pleasure," he said. Clumsily he raised his arms, but she was already stepping back, and so he quickly lowered his hands back to his sides.

She smiled at him. "You are right, Bao-Dur. Seize your happiness now. You never know how long it will last." She gestured with her chin. "Go back to her now. Go and tell her you love her."

"I will." He preceded her out of the engine room. "And you, General?"

She laughed, and now she sounded like a young girl, carefree and happy. "I am about to take my own advice."

Bao-Dur smiled. "I am glad to hear it."

She walked off, moving toward the main hold.

Bao-Dur watched her go. Though he knew he should remain where he was, his curiosity was too great. He had to know whom she had chosen to give her heart to. Quietly he followed her.

She walked slowly, but with purpose. She did not turn around. She did not stop.

She just went straight to the cockpit.

Author's Notes:

Yes, I know in the game the handmaidens come for Kreia when she is still in the Enclave itself. I liked doing it this way better.

Some of the material cut from the game is contained in this chapter. There are lines of dialogue for when the NPCs believe the Exile is dead. However, it's not certain where that dialogue belongs, whether on Nar Shaddaa or Dantooine. I found the lines fit better here, so I decided to use them now.

Also, I thought it was high time to resolve the Exile-Atton-Disciple love triangle. Since the game doesn't let me make this choice, I figured I would let my Exile make it for me. At least she gets to have the romance that I wanted when I played the game.