Title: Destiny's New Path
Summary: A what if. What if it wasn't Revan on the Bridge when Malak fired on his Master's ship? Suddenly the Apprentice is betrayed by the Master, and Revan then infiltrates the ranks of the Jedi. The Dark Lords mission: turn Bastila to the Dark Side of the Force.
Disclaimer: George Lucas and Bioware own the basis of this FanFic. I am merely entertaining the idea that I am good at making Star Wars stories (stupid ideas).
Author's Note: Nothing to report.
Chapter 9: Chuundar's Demise
"Neural patterns scanned…match found." The hologram stated.
"Match found-What!" Jolee grumbled. "It always muttered something about rejected patterns for me."
Perhaps I should explain a few things. Between we three Jedi, we managed to move the many wookie corpses to a place of ritual, and Jolee, having studied the wookies and their rituals, knew how to enact the Ritual of Farewell. Silently, he picked up a fallen tree branch and ignited his lightsaber.
He touched the end of the stick to the blade of his saber, and the end of the stick caught fire. Not normal orange-red flames, but strange turquoise-green flames.
Jolee then stepped toward the pile of wookie corpses. When he was close enough, he dropped the burning stick onto the pile, which, strangely, instantly burst into flames, the same colour as the flames that had burnt on the stick.
Kayle and I watched solemnly as Jolee did this. When he turned away from the burning corpses, I spoke.
"What…what is the ritual about?"
"As the legend goes, wookies who are not properly farewelled are condemned to wander the Shadowlands for all eternity. I believe the light of the fire is seen as some kind of beacon to light their path into the 'Light Beyond' as the wookies call it." Jolee had explained.
When the ritual was completed, we decided to go in search of the Star Map before seeking out Freyyr. Jolee led us to where he had found it, and that's how we'd gotten to where we were now.
"We are seeking the Star Map." Kayle said. "And I believe you have it."
"Accessing databanks…confirmation, there is a Star Map…Apology: Access is restricted."
"Restricted?" Kayle repeated slowly. "Okay…what-do-I-have-to-do-to-access-it?" He asked, taking deep breaths. I was a little disturbed how easily the holographic generation had frustrated him.
I was beginning to see more and more of Malak in him as each day passed.
"Answer restricted…computer malfunction…bad data encountered…" The image shimmered and stretched, then returned to normal.
"This unit will now enable automatic termination." The image faded, and out of the shadows, two battle droids suddenly crept toward us, two shimmering bubbles around them.
Kayle and I ignited our lightsabers and rushed at one while Jolee held back, first using the Force to jam the second droid's circuits and temporarily disabling it, then using the Force again to add to Kayle's and my own power, and somehow deflecting the droids blaster fire back at it.
This left us free to use our lightsabers for offensive purposes. Kayle leapt at the droid in front of us and drove his saber through its shield and then its insectoid body, while I sliced the disabled droid neatly in half while its shield was down.
Seconds later, the holographic figure reappeared above the computer. "Primary match found, corrupted data replaced, Star Map accessed."
It said, and then vanished once again. Next to it, the tripod rose out of some kind of mechanical hole, and separated to reveal the sphere of blue, gold and green lights, which Kayle quickly scanned into his datapad.
"Well, now that that's done, I believe I still owe you the location of one former Wookie Chieftain." Jolee said.
Kayle nodded, and Jolee led us to a small clearing, at the back of which was a tall tree. Jolee led us around the back of the large tree, where, sitting in a hollow carved into the tree, we found a feral-looking, light-brown furred wookie.
"…Freyyr? You still alive…?"
"The hairless one has returned? Freyyr growled. Jolee chuckled.
"Yes, and with him he brings something to help stop Chuundar. Kayle, if you would be so kind."
Kayle obliged, and once again took up the sword scabbard, tipped it upside down and let Bacca's blade slide down into his hand.
"Is it possible?" Freyyr growled, moving toward Kayle faster then one would think possible. "Bacca's Blade has been recovered? And by an off-worlder?"
"Indeed it is, Freyyr. We have brought it to you to use in the fight against Chuundar." Jolee said. Kayle held out the blade to Freyyr, who, hesitantly, lifted it out of his hands.
"I thank you offworlder." Freyyr said somberly. "I shall return to my village immediately. Chuundar has been left unchallenged for far too long. Make haste, Joow-lea, for your blade may be needed in this battle."
With that, Freyyr turned to the tree he had hidden in for so long, and sprung upward, reaching forward and digging his claws into the bark, and pulling himself up, towards the great walkway.
We did make haste, back up through the Shadowlands, passing through the Czerka forcefield, and then back to Jolee's hut.
To our shock and horror, it was empty. Kayle turned and ran back outside, only to almost become impaled on a vibrosword held by Gorwooken.
"Our spies tell us that you not only let the mad-claw live, you gave him a weapon. You have betrayed Chuundar and will now suffer for-!" The dark-furred wookie never finished his sentence.
Seconds before he had planned on driving his sword through Kayle's chest, the end of a green lightsaber had pushed through his own. He fell forward, and behind him stood a triumphant looking Zora. Behind her, Kayle could see Seth and Juhani turning three wookie thugs into Katarn food.
Zora spoke first. "As soon as Juhani woke and found your message, she figured you'd need some help. She came back up to the Ebon Hawk with a…new friend."
I looked past her and saw that it wasn't just Juhani and Seth fighting. There was also a wookie fighting alongside them.
"Kiyarr?" I questioned.
Zora nodded. "Apparently, she ran into him on her way back up to the Ebon Hawk. She used the Force to finish healing his wounds, and then the two of them came to get us."
Within moments, the wookie thugs were dead, and the Cathar, wookie and human walked over to us, a little tired out by the battle, but none-the-less in complete health.
"Hurry, we must get to the Chieftain's Hall, Freyyr is already waiting for us." Kiyarr said.
"So, even after five long years in the Shadowlands, my father, the mighty Freyyr, still lives?" Chuundar taunted.
"Yes, and I have returned to take back my throne, and I carry with me the Blade of Bacca."
"So what, I carry the Hilt. Not that either have any significance anymore." Chuundar roared. "The old traditions are all but dead. And the last of them will die with you."
Chuundar took up the sword that sat beside him, and charged at Freyyr.
Zora, Juhani and I all ignited our lightsabers and propelled ourselves forward. Unbelievably, the sword Chuundar held passed straight through our blades as we tried to block his onslaught.
Zaalbar let loose a roar that could have made a rancor retreat, and Chuundar stopped in his tracks, his sword just inches from his father.
"Enough! There will be no more fighting!" Zaalbar roared. Then I suddenly noticed something.
"Chuundar holds the Sword of Bacca!" I exclaimed.
The room suddenly went very quiet as the wookies realized that there so called Chieftain did indeed hold the Sword of Bacca, and yet it remained as normal as any sword, except for the runes on the blade and the fact it had passed through the lightsaber blades completely unharmed.
This told the wookies one thing: for all Chuundar may have been, he was not the true Chieftain.
"It matters not; I still have the Czerka as allies." Chuundar growled. "Attack!"
Zaalbar rushed toward his brother and delivered a quick punch to his upper arm, disarming him.
As the Sword of Bacca fell, Zaalbar reached for it. The moment his fingers touched the hilt, it seemed to will itself into his hand, and the blade instantly began to glow a brilliant turquoise-green; the same colour as the fire that burned in the Lower Shadowlands.
But even with Bacca's blade in the hands of a worthy chieftain, the wookies were severely out-numbered and out-gunned.
"…Bastila!" Kayle shouted while killing a man with a single swipe of his lightsaber by slicing through the unfortunate man's neck.
"If ever there was a time we needed you to help in that special way you do, it was now."
I understood, and Juhani and Zora moved to positions themselves in front and behind me, so that no one could disturb me while I used my Battle Meditation to turn the tide of the battle, inspiring the wookies to keep on fighting for their Chieftain and for what was right, and at the same time I planted thoughts of over-confidence, and underestimation in the thoughts of Czerka.
While enacting my Battle Meditation I was only semi-aware of what was happening around me, and I estimated it took about five minutes to turn the tides.
The battle finally ended with the death of Chuundar; Zaalbar roared in a mixture of sadness and determination as he stabbed a vibrosword, one that glowed with a vibrant green fire, through his brother's chest.
For a few moments, all was silent. Then Freyyr spoke, "It saddens me that this day ended the way it did…for all his faults, Chuundar was still my son." He cried out a wookie call of mourning. The remaining wookies, Kiyarr and Zaalbar included, joined in, cause quite a racket.
It lasted but a few moments, but it seemed to go on for a lifetime. When it did finally end, Freyyr turned to his youngest son. "Though I have lost one son today, another has returned to me. Zaalbar, I prey that you can forgive me for not believing you when you warned me of Chuundar's treachery."
"If you had asked me a month ago, I would have needed time to consider it." Zaalbar said. "But I have learned much during my travel with Kayle Starfire, and I know that forgiveness is best. You followed the old traditions…ironic that the very thing that the very thing the saved Chuundar from exposure was what he was attempting to end."
Freyyr nodded. "Your words hold much wisdom, son. I do not know if you realize this Zaalbar, but with Chuundar dead, you are next in line to become Chieftain of the Rwookrrorro. You once again have a place in your home, if you wish it."
For a minute, it looked like Zaalbar might accept the offer; but then he shook his head slowly. "While this has lifted a great weight of my mind, I do not think I am yet ready to live here again. I have only just recently returned to freedom, and, for now at least, I wish to remain free.
"But that does not mean I do not wish to be part of this Rwookrrorro once again. One day I will return…and I hope to be welcomed once more."
"I understand you my son." Freyyr said. "You will always be welcome on this world. As will you, Kayle Starfire, as payment for this great thing you have done for me.
"But now I wonder what it is I can give you, Zaalbar, to thank you for helping and forgiving me, even after the pain I caused you."
"Father, I knew that you would wish to offer me something in gratitude. And I have thought long and hard about this; I wish t hold Bacca's Blade as I travel."
Freyyr looked like he was going to say no, but there was a sudden voice from beside Zaalbar that cut him off.
"Before you say no, you might want to take a closer look at the sword in his hand." Everyone turned to see the space beside Zaalbar shimmer, and then Mission became visible. Then all eyes darted toward the bloodied blade with which Zaalbar had killed Chuundar.
Though the sword no longer seemed to burn with the vibrant green fire, it could now be seen that there were runes carved into the hilt of the sword, identifying it as the Sword of the mighty Chewbacca.
"Mission, you were the one who replaced Chuundar's sword with Bacca's, weren't you?" Kayle suddenly realized.
"Guilty." Mission said, smiling. "I was with Big Z the whole time, even though Carth said it was too dangerous for me to leave the ship!
"Zaalbar told me that if Chuundar were to hold it, it would be unlikely it would react to him. Then I slipped it into Zaalbar's hand when no one was looking…I don't know how, but I knew that he was meant to hold it."
Freyyr first looked shocked, then a look of realization crossed his face. "Yes, I see it now. Zaalbar, though you may not want it, you are the true Chieftain of Rwookrrorro. If you wish, I will rule in your stead until you return, but when you do you will take your rightful place as our leader."
Zaalbar bowed his head. "I thank you father. And I will return one day, with Bacca's Sword in hand."
Although our business with the wookies was over, as we left the village, we found ourselves in the middle of a battle between Czerka and the wookies at least three times. But with the wookies, Mission, Seth, Zora, Juhani, Zaalbar, Kayle, Jolee and I, no Czerka soldier could stand up against us.
When we got to the Ebon Hawk, Kayle went in search of Erik, who had gone after Eli, the man who had cheated his way into getting a willing slave.
Erik led Kayle, Juhani and I to the Cargo Hold. Canderous was standing guard outside, though as he was leaving, he kept mumbling something about not needing to stand guard.
We walked in and found Eli lying on the floor, seemingly unconscious. At least, that was the assumption until we got closer, at which point we realized he was dead.
"Except there's no physical reason for him to be dead." Jolee repeated for the third time, ten minutes later. "Aside from the dart wound from when Erik tranquilized him, he's completely fine."
Juhani, however, wasn't listening to Jolee. The Cathar was examining the tiny mark where the tranquilizer dart had penetrated Eli's skin.
"Perhaps he had more doses then we first thought." She purred. Kayle and I both walked over to her, to see what she was talking about. "Take a close look at the mark."
After finding a magnifying glass, we discovered that Eli had been injected at least four times more then the original dosage, and no human could wake up from that much.
"Who would kill him? And why?" I whispered. "I mean, sure, he wasn't a nice guy, but no one could've gotten on the ship to kill him."
"Could Revan have done it?" Kayle suggested, revealing that he, too, believed Revan may have infiltrated the Ebon Hawk's crew, and that he could be posing as anyone of the crew members, even Carth.
"I suppose it's possible." I whispered. "But why kill Eli? What did he do?"
"We'll ask if we ever find who he's disguised himself as." Kayle said. "For now, I'll go tell Carth to start the engines up, let's get off this planet."
As the Ebon Hawk prepared for takeoff, and everyone headed for bed, my thoughts finally came to what I'd been avoiding for most of our stay on Kashyyyk: what I was going to do about my mother.
And to tell the truth, I had no idea. All I knew was that I was dreading the inevitable meeting with the mother I'd not seen or heard from in eighteen years.