Chapter Four: Three Wise Men

"Those three Wise Men,
They've got a semi by the sea.
Got to ask yourself the question,
Where are you now?"

James Blunt, "Wise Men"

Ebon Hawk, Main Hold

Atton looked around the assembled crew – now complete, including a very hung over Mical – and cleared his throat. It really did look as if they were expecting a speech from him. "Uh, alright… You all seem a bit shaken so I take it you've all heard our friend this night. Well, maybe not you." He gestured to Mical, who in turn grumbled something incomprehensible.

"Anyway… Something happened, and it wasn't good. I think we agree on that one, right?" Everyone nodded. After a short pause to center himself he continued: "Visas here thinks that whatever it was that woke us up may bring a lot of trouble. For the galaxy, for us… for Né. So… ahem… I think we should act."

Mira raised an eyebrow. "Atton "I don't care for anyone but myself" Rand wants to mount a rescue mission for a Jedi?"

Faster than anyone could have anticipated Atton had rounded the holotable and had Mira by the sides of her collar. "Don't you ever call me that again! You know it's not true. Who saved your sorry little bounty hunter ass on Dxun when those Sith had you practically pinned to the floor? Who went after Né when she was captured on board GO-TO's yacht? Who shipped you all off Malachor V? Huh?"

Usually Mira wasn't someone easily intimidated but this side of Atton got even to her. His grip on her jacket was like iron, and the coldness in his voice and in his eyes made her want to recoil from his touch immediately. This wasn't Atton Rand – smuggler, pazaak player, smart ass extraordinaire – anymore, this was a cold-blooded killer.

"Atton, stop it." It was nothing more than this but somehow the calmness in Visas' voice made him sober up and let Mira down immediately. She drew back a few steps instinctively, shooting him a look that said very clearly: "You'll regret that, Rand."

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence Visas rose to speak: "Everyone of you who is Force-sensitive must have felt the dark taint caused by the voice." She looked around and could feel or hear an affirmative by everyone apart from Mandalore and Disciple. When no one said anything she felt herself compelled to continue: "In my sleep I saw great evil, though I could not find out any details. But the feeling of great urgency stayed behind, and I gravely advise that we try to find Neeneá as soon as possible. Neither will stand a chance without the other. My suggestion is that we head to Dantooine first, because I feel that there is a strong connection between the planet and what has happened."

"Alright, any other suggestions?", Atton threw in and waited for the crew to say something. But they only eyed him suspiciously and it seemed to him that they all had taken at least one stay further away from him. Way to go, Rand. That's the way of making everlasting friendships., he thought sarcastically, but kept his impassive face on the outside.

When no suggestions came and the choice of Dantooine was agreed on, he closed the meeting and told everyone to make any last time appointments or get what they needed from Citadel Station. However, one last thing remained. As everyone was about to file out of the room, Atton turned towards Mandalore. "I'd… like to have a short word with you."

The Mandalorian raised an eyebrow. "What about?"

Atton tried not to fidget as Mandalore always made him feel inadequate and inferior. "I… take it you'll be returning to Dxun, now that your work's done?"

The look on the warrior's face shifted from mild indignation to intimidation. "My work?"

"Well… uh… it was your job to make sure Né was safe until that whole Sith-business was over, right?"

"Yes. And it isn't over. You should have listened to the Jedi lady more closely. So now the formula's very easy: We find the Exile, we make sure she beats whoever is sending out threads to Jedi, I stay as long as I'm needed. You get it?"

The look on Mandalore's face didn't leave any questions. Grudgingly Atton just nodded and then said: "Well… it's always good to have some additional firepower around."

Mandalore only nodded. "Glad that there's still a warrior somewhere deep inside of you."

With that he left, and Atton was about to leave for the cockpit to make some last-time adjustments to the navi-computer when suddenly Visas appeared before him and scared him to death, just like always. "Atton, we need to talk.", she said.

"Alright. And please do stop appearing out of nowhere. 'Cause some day I'll happen to have a light saber or a blaster in my hand, and do something hasty and very nasty to you, just because my heart nearly stopped beating."

"I would refrain from threatening your team members if I were you." She startled him. Ususally Visas was a very quiet woman, sharing her opinions only with Né, practically never daring to speak up to anyone else. It suddenly kept him alert.

"Well," he said very causally, "what was it you wanted to talk about?"

Visas shifted her stance a little. "Your little… slip with Mira. That was… dangerous."

"It'll teach her not to call me an egoistic asshole again."

"No, Atton, it will teach her to fear you. And fear leads to hate. And hate… You may not have seen her face but I have seen her aura. And I have seen your aura. Both of them looked… ugly."

He raised an eyebrow. "Ugly?"

"Distorted. Tainted. For a moment both of you were lured away from the path of light. I would advise you to… hold your temper, Atton."

"Hey, look, I ain't even a proper padawan, you really think I'm in any danger from the dark side?"

There was sadness creeping into Visas' voice. "Everyone of us has to battle the dark side. From the very first day we know of our own ties to the Force, and ever day of our experience. And… Atton… there is more to you than meets the eye. You have once tasted the dark side, have you not?"

She knows it. Panic filled him. Visas knew about his ties to the Sith. And he reacted just like he always reacted when he felt himself cornered: he lashed out. "You know nothing about me, sister. Stay the hell out of my head."

"I have not been in your head. I did not need to. I can see this in your aura, as she has changed after Neeneá left. But I do not pass judgment on you as I have my own tainted past. Whatever you did is behind you now. But tell me this: Does Neeneá know?"

Slightly surprised by her words he just nodded and said: "Yes. She… knows the whole story. But… don't make me recount it. Two times were enough."

She nodded and said: "As you wish. But be careful, Atton. Be heedful of the dark side, and do not let it get to you again. She would be devastated."

He got the hint fair and square. Clever little vixen to use Né against me like that. Contritely he rubbed his neck and answered: "Alright, I'll work on it. Just don't… tell any of the others, okay?"

Visas tilted her head. "Yes, you have my promise. And another advise: do try to reconcile with the huntress. She seems to be someone who one would have rather as an ally than an antagonist."

He heaved a sigh. "I'll try, though I'm not making any promises. Anything else you'd like to tell me?"

She shook her head. "No. I will leave you now to your duties as the ship's captain, if there is nothing else you need to know."

With that the Jedi walked away quietly in the direction of the dormitory she usually used to meditate. Atton though stayed in the main hold for another moment, closing his eyes. Great, so now your past is catching up with you at last. Not that he hadn't enough on his plate already, oh no, now he had to worry about falling to the dark side as well, with no one to guide him than Visas who was fairly new to the light side business as well. Dammit, Né, why did I let you go? Revan doesn't need you, but I do. We do. We'll be at each other's throats in no time without you., he thought, hoping they could hold together for at least until they would find her again.

Deep Space, Moon Shadow, cockpit

The droid behind her warbled, and he sounded very worried. But she didn't react. The reason was a very simple one, yet an inconceivable for the droid. So T3 chose to keep silent and wait for his Master to come out of whatever human stint she was pulling right now.

She, however, had retreated very far into the depths of her mind. The encounter on Korriban had shaken her up considerably. She had only come out of her state when she had done a blind micro jump into deep space, where there was only the gentle back humming of the universe and no voice were whispering to her or trying to lure her somewhere she didn't want to go.

And there she was overwhelmed by her grief and fear and anger. Grief over the three Jedi masters that were now lost forever most presumably, fear of what she would find if she chose to encounter Atris and the bodies of the former Jedi masters that now held the ghosts of three powerful Sith Lords and anger at Atris for betraying her like this. Oh, Atris, I should never have let you live. Kreia was right. Mercy only makes you weak.

At that she instantly recoiled deeper inside. What was she thinking? This was against everything she believed in, against everything the Jedi believed in. But weren't it those Jedi who were so afraid of you that they wanted to take away your powers? To strip you off the very core of yourself?, a treacherous little voice that sounded suspiciously like Kreia in the back of her mind said, and she rose to protest. They were. But the doing of three single beings does not make the teachings of the Order obsolete. Killing Atris would have made me no better than her. It would have me just the same. I did the right thing.

Yes, keep telling that to yourself, and you will see what you get from it., the voice said and suddenly she wasn't so sure anymore if it was just a part of herself that was talking or of it was another force.

She chose to attack the enemy right then and there instead of waiting for hi to reveal himself. She may have defended the code but she still believed that sometimes the best you could do was throw pacifism and caution over board. Who are you, and what are you doing in my head?

Oh, you know me. Very well. Just search inside of you, and you will recognize me. And then the only thing she felt was a vicious laugh echoing through her mind.

Suddenly she snapped back to reality with a gasp. She closed her eyes for a moment, then sat upright and turned towards her controls again. "Search inside my ass.", she grumbled and tried to feel as cocky as Atton usually played to be. But everything it got her was deep yearning she had tried to keep at bay since she had left.

Well, no, if she was honest to herself then she had tried to keep it at bay for the biggest part of their journey. Every time they had been sitting at the pazaak table, every time they had shared some quiet time within an oddly comforting silence in the cockpit, every time he had tended to her injuries on mission, becoming more attentive with every day they knew each other.

Force, did she miss him. She missed his scoundrel's grin, his "Pure pazaak!" at every possible occasion, even his letting her win a pazaak game now and then. And she missed it how he just seemed to know what she needed when she was stressed in some way.

She remembered the flight after their first visit on Onderon when she felt like a complete loser for not being able to help the people there. He had sought her out and hadn't let up until she had finally talked to him about it all.

She remembered how he had comforted her after finding Master Vash dead on Korriban and she remembered how he had made the confusion and trepidation after the encounters in Ludo Kressh's tomb go away with just sitting beside her, holding her and listening to her incoherent ramblings.

And of course she remembered how he had wormed his way through her barriers after the disaster on Dantooine and how had helped her cling to her sanity after Malachor V. In the end it always been him who could make her feel better. Not Kreia's cryptic remarks and attempts at teaching her, not Visas' counsel, not even Bao-Dur's calming presence or Mical's company at meditation and certainly not Mandalore's tales of war everyone else seemed to enjoy at least once in a while. Only Atton had the ability to make her feel whole again.

Her head hit the console. How stupid could one woman be? All the time he'd been there, and she had all taken it for granted, giving him nothing in return, deserting him instead at the first chance she got. And it dawned on her. This hadn't been about Revan or the masters – well, not solely at least – this had been about being afraid. Being afraid of the bond they had formed, being afraid of how it would affect him, being afraid of having nothing to give him, of always only being the one to take.

He had been wrong. He hadn't been the only deserter on the ship. She was just as bad, maybe even worse. Thousands… millions of beings had died at her hands, and in the end she hadn't faced her punishment but had stubbornly and arrogantly defied the council with ramming her light saber into the center stone of the council room and storming out of the room.

But she had a chance to make it right. She just needed to find the three wise men – or at least what was left of them – and their Telosian mistress in time before they could wreak more havoc on the galaxy, and she needed to do it fast. She would fight the threat, and then she would return to him, hoping he was still willing to forgive her for deserting him in the first place.

She took a deep breath. "T3?" The droid hooted. "We'll not let Atris get away with that. Set a course for Dantooine. I think we should have a look at the second scene of crime."

The droid's answer wasn't a cheerful one but in the end he consented to her will and they were on their way to Dantooine.

A/N: Ay caramba, 'nother chapter! Can't believe it, I'm already at four chapters. And still with only 5 reviews. Oh come on people, you know we writers are kinda starving without reviews. We practically live of them. Now, give this poor girl here a few crumps and let her know what you think, right? Please:making big puppy eyes:

Amme Moto - I hated Kreia almost the whole game :p Really, can't stand that woman, and everytime I accidently gained Influence points for her and in the process lost some from my Influence with Atton I seriously considered striking her down just for the sake of some satisfaction ;) No, okay, seriously, that character is the most annoying one in the whole game, even beating Master Vrook.