Chapter Edited on June 22, 2005! Well, actually I edited it about fourteen hours after I posted it. Thanks to Kitome-chan for pointing out the dewback katarn thing… I think I caught them all…

'Nother Disclaimer: Must I spell it out? I-D-O-N-O-T-O-W-N-S-T-A-R-W-A-R-S-O-R-K-N-I-G-H-T-S-O-F-T-H-E-O-L-D-R-E-P-U-B-L-I-C-O-R-M-O-S-T-O-F-T-H-E-S-E-C-H-A-R-A-C-T-E-R-S! That's a lot of spelling! Heh… anyways, I don't own this, I don't sell this, it's not mine, yadda yadda yadda… get lost you pesky lawyers, this is for fun. You lawyers wouldn't know fun if it sued you…

Now that was a dumb joke. Lol.

XxXxX

Chapter Thirteen: The Shadowlands

Jedi Padawan Alaanis Pi didn't expect the trip from the Wookie village (with a name she could never remember) down to the shadowlands to take very long. On the contrary, it took two days.

Apparently, too much noise, or moving too quickly could result in drawing unwanted predators. So the journey in the oversized basket with the Wookie guide, Growwleyr, and Alaanis' companions Padawans Bastila Shan and Juhani, the oldest of the three jedi stayed practically silent. Bastila meditated most of the time. Juhani observed the trees around her, miles tall. Alaanis found herself musing, wondering if the others were expecting them back already.

Carth would probably be pacing, worrying himself senseless, Alaanis smirked. Canderous and Mission would probably be teasing him for his worry. But Mission might be worrying about Zaalbar while she teased. Alaanis herself hoped that the big Wookie was fine in his brother's hands.

The jedi still couldn't stand the corruptness of Chuundar. How could his people follow him? His ideals were twisted, and his morals bent so much they would break any moment.

":We're here:" growled Growwleyr. Alaanis snapped out of her thoughts, and the three jedi women all stood up. As far as the eye could see were the roots of trees. Though, it was difficult to see very far with the lack of sunlight. Rustlings of low leaves and the grass were echoing, obviously made by the creatures that lived in the shadowlands. It was an eerie place.

But the thing that caught the three jedi's eyes was the short man and two Wookies in front of them, aiming their bowcasters. Growwleyr quickly kicked the jedi out of the basket.

":I will be back in a week:" the Wookie told them before beginning the ascent to the village.

"Hello," the short man, also known as Calo Nord grinned. "Fancy seeing you here." Alaanis narrowed her eyes. The three women all laid their hands loosely over their lightsabers.

"Yes… quite a surprise considering you were on Taris," Alaanis raised an eyebrow.

"You should know that I am hard to kill," Calo growled. "I had my ways. In fact, now I plan on capturing you three and bringing you to Malak. Of course, the Cathar he'll probably just sell into slavery, but you two interest him."

Juhani sneered at the mention of slavery. "You will die before you get the chance!" she threatened.

"So we have to do this the hard way eh?" Calo sighed. "Okay boys; make good use of those bowcasters." The two Wookies stepped in front of Calo and aimed their bowcasters.

Before the Wookies could even aim their weapons, Bastila and Juhani cut the bowcasters in half with their lightsaber and then held them menacingly at the throats of the Wookies… who made the mistake of trying to fight back. Their heads were dislocated from their bodies shortly.

"You want to be next?" Juhani asked Calo furiously. Before Juhani could even begin her blow, Calo short her with his blasters. It wasn't fatal, but it did hit her hard in her right leg.

"Apparently so," Juhani growled as she took her lightsabers in hand and easily gutted Calo with them before collapsing onto her leg.

"Juhani!" Bastila shrieked as she ran forward, Alaanis right behind her. Juhani rolled over onto her unimpaired leg and smirked up at Bastila. "I'm fine," she muttered.

"How are we going to be able to live down here for a week with your leg?" Bastila moaned. "I mean, if we had the proper supplies perhaps we could fix you up… but we only have a limited supply of medpacs and kolto and the like."

"Bastila, stop panicking," Alaanis coughed. "I think we can survive. With the help of the force, Juhani'll be fine." The oldest of the three held out her hand for Juhani who took it easily. "Just lean on me," Alaanis told her. Juhani complied and she hobbled along for a little ways.

"Where exactly are we going?" the Cathar asked after five minutes.

"Somewhere we can make camp," Alaanis answered. After another ten minutes the three arrived in a clearing and agreed it would make a fine camp for the night.

After setting down Alaanis gigantic bag and pulling out a tent she had been found on the Ebon Hawk, she and Bastila set it up badly. It would work though. Juhani started a fire and before long the jedi were sitting on a log in front of the fire, eating some synthesized crap food from the Czerka market.

"Do you think that the Star Map is in this part of the shadowlands?" Juhani said, breaking the silence.

Alaanis gave her a look. "Bastila told me about the dream you two shared," the Cathar explained. A look of realization broke over Alaanis' face.

"It does seem a bit familiar," Alaanis shrugged. She looked around a little.

"I think it's in this area," Bastila declared. "I don't know exactly why, but the force seems to be guiding us to the Star Maps, and well, we were sent down here. I think it just might be in this area."

Alaanis nodded her head in consideration. Then she yawned. "I'm going to sleep," she mumbled as she crawled into the tent. Juhani and Bastila followed shortly, Juhani still limping.

But it wasn't long into the night and the slumber of the girls when Alaanis suddenly was awoken by something. Paranoid, she pulled her robes back on over her clothes she had been sleeping in and strapped on her belt. She walked out of the tent for perhaps some calmness. Avoiding stepping on Bastila and Juhani, she felt the coolness of the increased wetness on the forest floor underneath her thin shoes.

Relaxing slightly, Alaanis was about to go back into the tent… before she was overwhelmed with a feeling of danger. A rustle in the distance, but not a very far distance, was caught by Alaanis' force-sensitive ears. Quickly enough, Bastila popped her head out of the tent.

"You felt it too?" Alaanis asked the younger jedi. The latter nodded her head and stepped out. Bastila hadn't put on her robe or belt, and was just wearing some plain white clothes, her lightsaber in hand. Juhani was right behind her, leg bandaged slightly and wearing her red robes and deeper red belt, lightsabers also in hand.

"What is it?" she whispered.

Just then, out of the shadows leapt a large creature, obviously native to the shadowlands. A katarn… followed by five more of its own kind. Quickly enough, the three women ignited their lightsabers and fought back their attackers.

Alaanis was knocked down by the leader of the six but quickly began swiping at the offending katarn with her violet lightsaber while fending off a rock that was kicked at her from a rampaging katarn with her yellow saber. Bastila's reflexes were better in this situation, blocked the katarn attacking her before it even had a chance to do anything to her. Quickly enough, she hacked at it twice, chopping its head off, and facing a second one, stabbing it repeatedly while twirling her double-bladed saber. Juhani was having the worst luck. After stabbing into her first victim with her right saber, the katarn jerked forward, knocking the Cathar back onto her injured right leg with a light scream. The katarn advanced at Juhani, ready to trample her. Alaanis finished off the katarn she was facing as well as the one right behind her, leaving two left. The one attacking Juhani and the last one Bastila was right next to.

"Juhani!" Alaanis screeched as the katarn ran towards the Cathar. Juhani struggled to stand up, but she wouldn't be quick enough. Alaanis began running towards the pair, but before she was even close enough to attack a green lightsaber came out of nowhere to strike into the side of the katarn rushing towards Juhani.

The katarn was knocked off course, and Alaanis didn't pay any attention while Bastila decapitated the katarn next to her, but instead focused her attention on the man catching his green lightsaber as it flew back to him and leapt into the air, falling down onto the katarn, his lightsaber in hand.

The man was riding the katarn! Wildly, the man was tossed side to side, but he stayed on, and stabbed the katarn in his back, jumping off quickly as the katarn fell onto its side, roaring angrily. Before it could regain its strength, the man stabbed the katarn again, fatally this time.

All that was heard for a few moments was the panting of Bastila, Alaanis, Juhani and the strange man and the snap-hiss as they put their lightsabers away.

"Thank you," Juhani finally said, struggling to stand up, but managing it this time. She stood awkwardly, as if a gust of wind would knock her down easily.

Alaanis observed the man that had saved Juhani's life more closely. He was obviously quite old, probably in his sixties, and had deep brown skin, with wrinkles lining his face. He had grayish brown eyes, sorrowful it seemed. He was of average height, just a bit taller than Juhani, and was wearing plain brown clothing with green trim. It looked much like the forest around them.

"Might want to watch out for those katarns a bit better," the old man grumbled. "But it was nothing. Can't just leave you to die can I? I'm Jolee, Jolee Bindo." The man known as Jolee held out a hand. Juhani shook it.

"I am Juhani," she told him. Then she pointed to Bastila and Alaanis. "These are my companions Bastila Shan and Alaanis Pi." Jolee examined both of them, giving Alaanis a bit more of a look, a bit confused of a look.

"If you need a place to stay," Jolee told the women. "You are more than welcome to stay in my home. It's not much, but less prone to katarn attacks than this clearing. They usually gather here."

"Thank you, we'd appreciate that very much," Bastila said smiling.

"Sounds like you've been here for some time," Alaanis pointed out as they gathered their supplies. Bastila put on her robes over her clothing with her belt, clipping her lightsaber onto it.

"Twenty years in this place," Jolee told her. Alaanis whistled.

"That's some time," she replied. Jolee just shrugged. After a few minutes, they had pulled together their supplies and Alaanis had her gigantic hunter green bag back on her shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, well I could've crashed worse places I suppose," Jolee muttered.

Alaanis cocked an eyebrow. "You crashed here?"

Jolee snorted. "You think I'd stay here by choice? It's not bad helping out the Wookies, scaring off Czerka when I have to, and plus staying in the shadowlands will keep an old man strong, all the running around and warding off the resident creatures. The Wookies don't mind me much anymore, so it's not the worst."

They walked in silence for a few minutes before arriving at what looked like an enormous log. In actuality it was Jolee's home. "Lovely," Alaanis muttered. Jolee gave her a look.

"You whippersnappers always are thinking that old-fashioned things are always horrible!" Jolee exclaimed. Alaanis almost laughed outright at hearing the word 'whippersnapper'. "This is a fine home, and it's suited me well for twenty years. I think you can deal with it for a night or two!"

"Sorry Jolee," Alaanis apologized, still smirking. Jolee shook his head and began mumbling to himself about young hooligans.

Jolee's home really wasn't that bad. It had a small kitchen, makeshift of course with a fire stove and a bunch of baskets holding foods obviously found places in the shadowlands. Also in there was a small table with a chair to eat at. Connected with the kitchen, the same room really, was the rest of the house. A roaring fire with a homemade rug in front of it. A few chairs sat around the fireplace along the edge of the rug, with a couch in the center. They were all made from the hides of animals.

"The Wookies helped me make those," Jolee explained. "As well as my bed over in that corner." He pointed his left hand to one corner where a bed sat. In the opposite corner was a shelf full of things that were probably from before Jolee's migration to the shadowlands. A few parts and what seemed to be lightsaber crystals and some clothes, including some worn and tatty jedi robes.

"Are you a jedi Jolee?" Alaanis asked curiously.

"Not anymore," Jolee muttered. Juhani and Bastila walked over to the chairs and sat down in them, relaxing by the fire.

Alaanis gave Jolee a confused look and he grumbled, "Fine, I'll give you an explanation I guess. I don't know if you deserve it really, but might as well get your curiously indulged sooner rather than later.

"You've heard of the war with Exar Kun right?" Alaanis nodded. "Well, I was a newly made Padawan a few years before that. I was a smuggler for some time, running around places, smuggling this and that, and I met my wife once when she caught me smuggling. Ah… she was an amazing woman…"

"She was already your wife when you first met her?" Alaanis snickered.

Jolee gave her a pointed look. "The woman who would eventually be my wife," he corrected grumpily. "Anyways… I found out that she was force-sensitive. I asked the council if they would train her, but they said she was too old. So I trained her on my own, in secret. We also married secretly. But when Exar Kun decided to break off from the jedi, she wanted to join the cause. It was a time when it wasn't surprising to see Padawans turn against their masters. It was happening all over the galaxy. So one day, during training, she angrily fought me with aggression, pulling from what the jedi call the 'dark side'."

"What happened?" Alaanis asked him. "Did you kill her?"

Jolee shook his head. "No. Love blinded me, and I let her go when I had her at my mercy. She went to kill many jedi during the war and eventually died in a later battle." He shook his head again sadly. "When I went back to the jedi, I expected them to expel me. I deserved to be expelled."

"Did they?" Alaanis questioned. The story was actually pretty interesting.

"No," Jolee said angrily. "They forgave me! And wanted to promote me!" Alaanis was confused as to why this annoyed him. "I defied them, I trained a future dark jedi, not to mention married her, and they promoted me! That was when the jedi turned their back on me, so I in turn walked away from them."

"And you crash landed here?"

"Yep." Jolee's eyes that were dark towards the end of his story, lightened a bit. "I think we should all get some sleep now." Juhani had already fallen asleep again against the chair she was sitting on. Alaanis plopped down on the couch and fell asleep quickly.

XxXxX

"I take it she has no idea who she really is."

Bastila was startled by the old man Jolee's statement. "What?" she asked him, sitting up in the chair she was scrunched in.

"I knew Revan," Jolee told her. "I saw her and Malak four years ago when they came down here for that Star Map. Hell, I talked to her! And I could remember her. Even with dyed hair and ocular color changes, I can recognize her."

Bastila sighed. "There's no way I can tell you I had no idea is there?" Jolee shook his head.

"Her memory was crippled when she was betrayed by Malak only about half a year ago," Bastila explained. "But we needed to find the Star Forge, so we gave her a new identity and now she's helping us."

"She's going to find out sooner or later," Jolee informed the young jedi. "It's inevitable. Especially with the mission you're on."

"Now tell me how you knew the mission we were on?" Bastila asked him skeptically. Jolee laughed.

"You whippersnappers are so paranoid," he chuckled. "It was apparent. You basically just told me. I was making an easy-to-see observation. Don't think I'm breaking into your pretty little head."

The chestnut-haired jedi fumbled with her hands. "I really don't know what to do. The masters just dumped a former sith lord onto my lap and told me to find the Star Forge!"

"Well they're not exactly bright," Jolee muttered.

Bastila gave him a look. "Just because they make mistakes doesn't make them stupid or unwise. They are great men and women!"

"You keep your opinion and I'll have mine," Jolee said fairly. "Does the Cathar… Juhani know?"

She shook her head. "Nobody else but me knows," Bastila responded.

"There are more of you?"

"An astromech droid T3-M4, our pilot Carth Onasi, the Mandalorian Canderous of Ordo, Mission Vao, a fifteen year old Twi'lek, and a Wookie named Zaalbar," Bastila told him.

"That's a strange bunch," Jolee interjected.

"Revan was always a leader, with troops strange and ordinary," Bastila shrugged. "Alaanis is a lot like Revan. The only differences I see are that Alaanis is more dedicated, especially to the light side. Perhaps her past, though she doesn't know it, is driving her to a different path."

"Perhaps," Jolee agreed. He yawned. "But I'm an old man and I need my sleep. And you, as young as you are, need yours."

XxXxX

"Geez Carth you're worse than Alaanis!"

Back on the Ebon Hawk, Canderous was doing as he had planned and working consistently on the swoop bike, this time with fewer interruptions considering only T3, Mission and Carth were on the ship besides him. Carth was bored, and worried. So he spent his time playing Pazaak, Republic Senate rules of course, against Mission, not winning a single game.

Carth had been worrying about Alaanis since he had arrived back at the ship two and a half days ago. He wondered if she'd be back anytime soon. Or if she was even alive.

"You don't think anything has happened to them do you?" Carth asked the Twi'lek for the thousandth time. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if they were killed or captured.

"Carth, you have to relax," Mission set down her cards and sighed. "I went to the Wookie village yesterday, even though I really wasn't welcome. Zaalbar knew who I was, even though he's kinda being held captive, the chieftain also known as his brother Chuundar told me that they should be back in about a week and a half. So if they're not back in two weeks, then you can worry."

Carth sighed again. He threw down his cards and said he was going to get some sleep. Instead of heading towards the port dormitory though, Carth walked up to the cockpit. Mission was left behind, left with her own worries about Zaalbar.

Their thoughts were more identical than they thought. Both were thinking about how they'd feel if something happened to Zaalbar in Mission's case and Alaanis in Carth's.

If anything happens to Big Z, I don't know what I'll do; it'll be like the destruction of Taris all over again! Mission thought.

If Alaanis gets hurt in any way, I know I'll blame myself, Carth was thinking. If she dies it'll be like losing Morgana again… I guess I care about her that much don't I?

And Carth indeed did fall asleep in the cockpit, still worrying about Alaanis, while Mission fell asleep on the couch she usually shared with Zaalbar, worrying about the big Wookie.

Canderous was avoiding thinking about the four missing fellow crew members as he continued working on the swoop bike. T3 was helping him, handing him tools as the Mandalorian ducked his head into the front of the swoop, modifying the engine.

"Can you get something in there for me T3?" Canderous asked the droid. T3 beeped an affirmative and complied with Canderous' request.

"Beep boop dee doo?" T3 asked the Mandalorian who was covered in oil as usual these days.

"No I don't know anything about the jedi or the Wookie," Canderous grumbled as T3 backed away from the swoop and handed Canderous the hydrospanner. "And it doesn't matter to me really, as long as they're alive and finishing up whatever they're doing."

T3 gave forth a series of aggressive beeps.

"Saying I don't care?" Canderous let loose a chuckle. "I don't." T3 beeped again and Canderous hit his head on the spot he was working with and growled. "I should scrap you for that remark! Stupid droid… obviously you need new sensors if you're thinking bantha crap like that!"

T3 beeped innocently as if he didn't say anything about Bastila to Canderous and the Mandalorian got back to work. Just then an oil pipe burst and spat oil all over the little astromech droid. "Serves you right," Canderous mumbled, grabbing a rag and wiping T3 with it.

Muttering under his breath about stupid droids, Canderous got back to his work, just a bit more distracted than before. Like that droid knows anything about sentients, he thought to himself. Much less when two actually care for each other.

But in T3 opinion not only was Mission worrying for Zaalbar and Carth worrying for Alaanis, but Canderous for Bastila… as much as the Mandalorian objected and shielded. And threw tools at the little droid.

XxXxX

"So how long are you down here for?" Jolee asked as the three female jedi sharing his home ate their breakfast. Sitting around the fire in Jolee's hut, they each were nursing fresh fruits.

"A week I suppose," Alaanis answered. Juhani and Bastila were sitting on the couch while Alaanis sat in a chair to the one side. Jolee was leaning onto another chair.

"And why did the Wookies send you down here… unless, you know they don't like you so much they just sent you down to your deaths down here or something?" the old man questioned the other jedi, standing up to poke at the fire in the fireplace some more.

"Well, actually we were traveling with our Wookie friend Zaalbar and his brother Chuundar, the chieftain, decided to take him captive," Alaanis explained. "So we have to come down here and kill another Wookie to set Zaalbar free."

"Zaalbar and Chuundar you say?" Jolee mused.

"Mmhmm," Alaanis nodded. She finished up the piece of fruit she was eating and wiped her hands on her robes.

"Do you know which Wookie you're supposed to kill?" Jolee asked her with a raise eyebrow. Alaanis shook her head. "Well… I'm not sure either… but there is a Wookie down here."

"Is it a crazed madclaw?" Alaanis looked at Jolee who stood up straighter and shook his head with a light chuckle.

"Freyyr is not a madclaw, perhaps crazed with grief though," Jolee told her. "He's Chuundar and Zaalbar's father. The former chieftain." Alaanis' eyes widened.

"He wants me to kill his father!" Alaanis exclaimed.

"Appears so," Juhani shrugged as she joined in the conversation. Alaanis let loose a stream of colorful curses that Bastila cringed at. It was quiet for a few moments in the hut until Jolee cleared his throat and the three female jedi looked at him.

"Now you kids have to do me a favor if you want my help," Jolee declared.

Alaanis raised an eyebrow. "You're offering to bring us to this Freyyr? We can't kill him!"

"I'm not saying you have to kill him," Jolee grumbled. "Perhaps talk with him. And Bastila over there said that you were searching for a Star Map. I think I may know where it is. But I'm not offering my help freely. You've got to do me a favor."

Alaanis cocked an eyebrow. Juhani looked at the old man interestedly but Bastila was the one who spoke. "What would you like us to do?"

"I don't like Czerka, simple as that," Jolee started. "Usually they stick to the surface, though lately they've been sending some teams research teams down here to the shadowlands. There's a team nearby, and I want them gone. They're disturbing me."

Alaanis sighed. "How are we supposed to do that?"

"I don't know, or else I would've gotten rid of them myself, but they're sick of my complaints," Jolee replied. He gave Alaanis a look. "Just don't kill them if at all possible."

"Aw and we were going to do just that?" Alaanis objected sarcastically. Bastila gave her an annoyed look.

"Geez Bastila, learn sarcasm," Alaanis rolled her eyes. Jolee was hiding a smirk and Juhani didn't even bother covering her grin. Bastila sighed angrily and leaned back into the couch.

"So you kids better scram and do that for me. They're about a mile or two to the northwest of here. There's a path." Jolee ushered Bastila, Juhani and Alaanis up and out of his hut. " And don't come back until you get it done."

XxXxX

The three jedi walked around in the shadowlands, running into a lone katarn and a few kinrath along their journey. Juhani's leg was mainly healed from the force healing that Jolee, Bastila, Alaanis and herself had administered, so she didn't have any trouble walking or fighting.

Bastila spotted the Czerka team first. A good twenty Czerka employees in the full uniform were standing around, a few of them working on sensors while others worked with boxes of supplies and one, who must've been the leader, was telling everybody what to do.

"So how are we supposed to do this?" Alaanis grumbled.

Juhani smirked suddenly. "See those sensors?" She pointed to the five sensors standing in a pentagonal shape around the Czerka team. "They're warding off the animals."

"So if we shut them down they'll be attacked?" Bastila asked skeptically. "Jolee asked us not to kill them."

"No," Alaanis corrected her. "If we shut down those sensors, an animal will penetrate their area and they'll realize that the sensors are faulty and they'll go back to the surface."

"Exactly," Juhani said with a feline-like smile.

"But how are we going to shut them down?" Bastila questioned her two fellow jedi. Juhani and Alaanis exchanged glances. This was something Alaanis liked about Juhani. Juhani was a lot more like Alaanis than Bastila, so the stodgy jedi would be outnumbered.

"The force of course," Alaanis grinned. Bastila scowled.

"It's abusing the power of the force!" she scolded. Alaanis rolled her eyes.

"Look Bastila, would you stop these lectures?" Alaanis exclaimed quietly so that the Czerka team wouldn't hear their argument. "We're as dedicated to the light as you are, despite our fun-loving natures."

Juhani's smile widened. "Yes Bastila, you should lighten up. A sense of humor never caused one to fall to the dark side." Bastila sighed angrily and shook her head.

"Let's get this over with," the chestnut-haired jedi finally agreed.

Walking like they owned the place, the three jedi arrived in the encampment and ignored the leader, now lecturing a young woman who was having trouble opening one box. They each walked to a different young man working on their own sensor. Nobody else noticed the three jedi, absorbed in their own work.

"Hello handsome," Alaanis said quirkily to a boy who was obviously too young for her. Force, this is like a repeat of the sith kid on Taris! She smiled a winning smile at the boy who fumbled with the hydrospanner he was holding as he stood up straight.

"Hi," he said nervously.

"So what does this do?" Alaanis asked him with a grin on her face. She jerked her head towards the sensor to indicate what she was talking about.

"It keeps the animals out from here," the Czerka employee informed her. "But it obviously didn't work on you." Could there be a worse pick-up line? Alaanis asked herself. She had trouble not laughing outright.

"Do you think you could shut it down for me?" Alaanis asked persuasively, shoving the force into her words, working its wonders on the weak-minded kid standing in front of her.

"I can shut this down for you," the Czerka repeated, doing just as he was saying. Alaanis walked away grinning and watch Juhani act in a different manner, getting straight to business and telling her Czerka victim to shut his down without question. He did just that.

Bastila was having the easiest time. Her victim wouldn't take his eyes off her chest. Men, Alaanis thought to herself as she watched the Czerka next to Bastila go into a trance-like state and shut his sensor off. The three jedi walked out of the encampment together and heard behind them shrieks as a katarn infiltrated the area.

"How did that thing get in here?" the leader exclaimed as he shot the katarn with his blaster rifle. The katarn fell with a few fatal shots.

"The sensors are faulty!" Juhani's victim cried. "We have to get out of here before more lethal creatures come!" The employees were quick to scatter and left a bunch of their supplies back.

Alaanis walked back into the camp after it emptied to loot the stuff from it. Juhani laughed when Alaanis told her what she was going back for. Bastila, of course, scowled. "How do you know they won't be back?" she questioned the older woman.

"It doesn't matter, they've got endless supplies! They're Czerka!" Alaanis said exasperatedly.

A laugh came from behind Bastila. Jolee himself was standing there. "Good work kids," he greeted them as he walked up to Alaanis who was picking the lock off a metal box. "Got them out of here fairly quickly. All you needed was the charms I see."

Alaanis grinned at the old man. "Now are you going to help us?"

Jolee nodded. "I don't go back on deals. It'll take a good couple days to find that Star Map of yours, it's fairly deep into the Shadowlands. Not a great distance, but great risks separate us from the Star Map. We should run into Freyyr on the way. Come back to my hut and get your stuff and we'll head out."

XxXxX

Jolee hadn't been lying when he had said it would take some time to get to the Star Map, not because of the distance but because of the obstacles. They ran into dozens of katarn, and even a much more vicious creature Alaanis couldn't recognize.

"A terentak," Bastila explained. Jolee nodded. "I had heard rumors of them existing here in the shadowlands as well as on Korriban."

"There aren't many down here, but I've seen this one before," Jolee told the group. "I had issues getting around it. I couldn't take the thing on my own. There are probably plenty more around the planet on the bottom here, but I'm unsure of how many."

After a whole day of traveling, they still weren't halfway to the Star Map with all the creatures they had to fight and especially when Alaanis got stuck in a pit for a good two hours.

They set up camp for the night, taking hourly shifts guarding the area in case of any more creatures. They all awoke grumpily and tired from lack of sleep. Two katarn attacks had interrupted the night.

"Come on kids, let's keep moving," Jolee growled as they continued their travels. "I think Freyyr is near here…"

Cutting through the wilds with her vibroswords, Alaanis led the way with Jolee right at her side to navigate. They didn't want to ignite their lightsabers and attract unwanted attention. Soon enough, Jolee was right. A Wookie with a stature much like Zaalbar and Chuundar, but with Chuundar's pale fur was leaning against a tree trunk, roaring madly.

"Freyrr!" Jolee called. The Wookie roared angrily in their general direction before charging right at them.

"Uh oh, he must not have recognized me," Jolee muttered. Bastila and Juhani ignited a single lightsaber each, for self defense, as Freyyr came running at the four with a sword in hand, charging right at Alaanis. The woman held up her vibroswords in a defense position, blocking the angry and fury-ruled blow. Freyyr attacked again and again, apparently just itching for a way to take out his rage.

Alaanis found herself needing to take an offensive state to stop the Wookie from his current state of mind, clouded and angry. Perhaps a blow to the side would deliver a blow to his mind, she thought as she struck at her side with one vibrosword.

Freyyr called out in pain as she landed the blow. He collapsed onto his knees, more from overwhelming grief rather than physical pain. Jolee continued yelling to catch the Wookie's attention, trying to get him to remember Jolee.

":What are you waiting for:" Freyyr roared. ":Kill me! You have me at your mercy:"

"I'm not going to kill you," Alaanis declared as she put away her vibroswords.

":You understand me:" Freyyr asked the strange woman. Alaanis nodded her head.

"Freyyr didn't you recognize me?" Jolee exclaimed.

":I am sorry Jolee my friend, I am grief-stricken, and through that, I lost my mind:" Freyyr apologized. Jolee smiled up at the Wookie.

"It's okay Freyyr."

"Chuundar did send me here to kill you though," Alaanis delivered the news sadly. "I don't want to kill you though. I don't respect Chuundar, especially if he'll send his own brother and father into exile." Freyyr looked at her curiously. "Your son Zaalbar follows me because of a lifedebt. Chuundar took him captive for returning because we came here in search of a Star Map. He would only give me Zaalbar back if I killed you."

":Then how do you intend on rescuing my son if you are not going to kill me:" Freyyr asked her. Alaanis shrugged. "I was hoping you could tell me that." The Wookie sat down on a log and thought about the current situation.

":I can think of one thing, though It'll be difficult and life-threatening:" Freyyr declared.

"Life-threatening? That sounds like the story of my life," Alaanis smirked. The Wookie laughed. ":You are one interesting specimen human:" he told her.

"I've heard that before," she smiled wider.

":You seem to be a good person, one I can trust:" Freyyr decided. ":Especially if you have gained the trust of Jolee. He is a good friend. I allowed him to live down here when he arrived twenty years ago. I didn't trust him at the time, but the way he has helped my village, disliked the Czerka, and assisted my friends and fellow Wookies, I respect him now.

":Now I ask of you to do something for me and if you do this, I believe we can overthrow my son Chuundar and perhaps reclaim the village and set my son Zaalbar free:" Freyyr concluded.

"What do you want me to do?" Alaanis asked. She liked this Wookie. He was a lot like Zaalbar.

":Bacca was a great Wookie, the founder of our village:" Freyyr began. ":He had a blade that was famous. He fought off many outsiders with it. But one day when he came down here into the Shadowlands to proceed with an ancient ritual with a great beast in a fight, the blade was stuck in the beast and lost forever. Bacca died in the ritual. But the hilt was saved, and had been passed down generation after generation from chieftain to chieftain.

":Chuundar now holds the hilt as the new chieftain since he exiled his competition, Zaalbar and myself. But the blade is still stuck in the body of the great beast. Most likely at least. If you go south of here you will find an ancient marker and an empty field. Many Wookies used to test themselves against this great beast, but he hasn't been fought since Bacca died over a century ago. If you bring a dead specimen, fresh from the kill, to this area, the beast may come. It might've died long ago, but there is hope still.:"

"Sounds good," Alaanis smiled at the Wookie. "We'll try this. Hopefully luck will be on our side."

"There is no luck, there's the force," Bastila said involuntarily. She blushed as all Alaanis, Jolee, Juhani and Freyyr all stared at her. "Sorry. Reaction." Alaanis shook her head. Juhani grinned.

Leaving Freyyr behind, the four jedi found their way to this ancient ritual area Freyyr had spoke of. Quickly enough a kinrath appeared and Juhani stuck it easily with her blue blades. A dangling vine hung from a tree and Jolee tied the dead kinrath to the vine. Soon enough the ground began to rumble as huge footsteps were heard.

"Is that another terentak?" Bastila asked fearfully as the large beast came into view.

"Yep," Jolee grumbled. He ignited his double green lightsabers ready for battle. Alaanis grinned as she ignited her own violet saber and yellow saber.

"You didn't tell me you have two of those things!" she called impressed as the terentak rushed forward at the seven glows of lightsabers.

"You never asked!" Jolee yelled back over the screams of the terentak. It was the terentak they were looking for, mused Alaanis as she spotted something shiny lodged in its side. She lifted her blades and began hacking at the surface of the creature as Juhani, Jolee and Bastila did the same. Four different colors flew in strange syncopation as an image was lodged in Alaanis' mind of them defeating the terentak. The creature roared in rage as if it saw the same image. Then realization hit Alaanis.

Bastila was using her battle meditation. Stealing a glance, she saw Bastila away from the three jedi that were attacking the terentak. The older woman hadn't even seen her back away, but there she was, sitting on the ground in a meditative stance, using her gift of battle meditation.

New vigor in her fighting, Alaanis stabbed the terentak repeatedly, jumping out of the way easily whenever its claws flew at her. Only once did they scratch her, just barely, on her back lightly. It wasn't even close to deep as she jumped out of the way almost in time.

The terentak was overwhelmed by the jumps of the three humans it was trying to kill. Juhani would never stay in one place and her blue sabers were a blur as she moved swiftly and quickly, powered by her force speed. Jolee was chopping off each of the terentak's claws as it tried to scratch the old man. It appeared Jolee had been right; living in the shadowlands certainly kept up his fighting ability. Alaanis herself kept forgetting that force powers didn't work against the terentak and managed to get out of its large paws way as it tried to swipe at her.

The terentak's skin was tough, and the lightsabers collided with the surface dozens of times before completely penetrating the skin. It was certainly a long and difficult battle, but eventually the terentak fell and died with one last stab by Juhani.

"Well…" Alaanis trailed off, sweating profusely. "I wonder if we'd have even lived if Bastila hadn't helped us out there."

"So you've got that gift of Battle Meditation eh?" Jolee smirked at Bastila. "That's a nice advantage the Republic's got there. Even if I do live down here in the shadowlands I do get news of the wars going on. Snippets. All I know is that this is the second war in eight years. Some war with the Mandalorians three years before now, and for the past three years the Republic's been in a war with the sith led by Revan and Malak." Alaanis didn't notice it, but the old man gave her a glance as he said Revan's name.

"Anyways, we'd better return that blade to Freyyr," Juhani decided. Alaanis nodded her agreement. Despite the fact that all but Bastila were sweating and exhausted and panting, they went directly back to Freyyr in a flash after retrieving the blade from the terentak's surface.

":You have it:" Freyyr exclaimed seeing the blade in Alaanis' grasp. The weary and tired woman just grinned as she handed it to Freyyr.

"We'll be back at the surface in six days," Alaanis told him.

Freyyr understood. ":I will climb to the treetops and spread the news through the village, try and get them to see that Chuundar is doing them no favors by giving them over to Czerka. Gain some support, and then when you return, we will face Chuundar together.:"

Alaanis bowed her head lightly in respect. "I look forward to it." With a smile and a growl, the Wookie began climbing the nearest tree.

The four jedi stared after him for a few moments. Until Bastila coughed. Alaanis glanced over at the offending woman.

"I think we have a Star Map to look for as well," Bastila declared.

Alaanis groaned. "Oh come on, I'm exhausted! Can't we keep moving tomorrow? I'm tired!" She knew she was sounding whiny, but she couldn't help it. Bastila rolled her eyes but Juhani looked like she agreed with Alaanis.

"We all need rest Bastila, we have four four more days after this," the Cathar protested.

"How about you take the first guard shift?" Jolee suggested. Bastila looked ready to throw a tantrum but she just growled and nodded her head resentfully.

"Relax," Alaanis muttered before falling asleep.

XxXxX

Alaanis was taking the fourth guard shift and would have to wake Bastila up in about three minutes for her shift. It was rather quiet and eerie… but slightly peaceful if you were an overly optimistic person who didn't expect anything to attack you.

Soon enough Alaanis was shaking Bastila awake. She was obviously still in a foul mood from when they had decided to go to sleep.

"Bastila why can't you just relax?" Alaanis asked her, feeling rather tired as she sat down.

"I'm just used to being pushed, not sitting down and relaxing," Bastila admitted as she yawned and drank a bit of tea from a jug from Jolee's home.

"Well you're not at the jedi enclave any longer," Alaanis muttered. "You're just so afraid of the dark side that you don't seem to want to live."

The words struck closer to home than Bastila would've liked. "That's not true," she objected.

"Yes it is," Alaanis mumbled. She yawned. "You're so paranoid, you should join Carth's club of paranoid freaks." Bastila glowered at the older jedi, but Alaanis didn't notice since her eyes were closed, but she wasn't asleep.

"What would I be paranoid of?" Bastila asked.

"You're paranoid that everybody's going to try and make you fall to the dark side, and you're afraid you're going to fall because of everyday things like laughing and loving," Alaanis answered.

Bastila scoffed. "Jedi aren't allowed to love for a good reason."

"I doubt it. It's all in fear. And isn't fear a step to the dark side?" The older woman yawned again. "Sounds like the jedi are a bunch of hypocrites."

"You're one of them!"

"Who said I wasn't a hypocrite?" Bastila rolled her eyes angrily. She repeated the jedi code in her head. Alaanis laughed. "What are you laughing at?"

"You're reciting it aloud you know?" Alaanis informed the more awake Bastila. The latter groaned. Alaanis laughed again, rather goofily being so tired. "Does the force bond sort of interlock anything? Because it doesn't seem to be changing either of us."

Bastila ignored the question and came up with one of her own. "How do you stay so dedicated to the light and yet be so aggravating?"

Alaanis opened her eyes and gave Bastila a look. The younger woman seemed genuinely curious. "It's not that difficult really. I just do what I feel is right. And it just turns out that my instincts agree with the light side."

"But aren't you ever tempted?" Bastila questioned her, hoping that she wasn't alone in her thoughts.

"Yeah, sometimes I'm tempted, but then I think of how much you lecture me and I remember the right thing to do isn't always the easy one." Alaanis smiled at Bastila. "It sort of gets annoying knowing that my conscience is being replaced by you."

"Sorry," Bastila replied with a half-smile. She sipped her tea again It was quiet for a moment.

"I could help you, you know," Alaanis told her. Bastila knew that tone. She was about to make a joke. "You tell me what you're thinking of doing through the force bond, and I'll blink once for light side and twice for dark side. That work?" Alaanis snorted at her own joke, closing her eyes again.

Bastila rolled her eyes. "Real mature," she muttered. "But thanks for the serious things you said."

"No problem Bastila," Alaanis waved a tired hand. "We're friends. Easily annoyed with each other, tense in each other's presence and a bit of each other's opposite, but we're friends."

"Yeah," Bastila thought aloud as Alaanis fell asleep and her even breathing fell into syncopation with Jolee's snoring and Juhani's light breathing.

XxXxX

I could've made this chapter longer, and included the entire Shadowlands, but I wanted to make this chapter a bit shorter, because I'm sick of really long chapters. They're awesome to post but a real pain in the ass to write. So here's a measly fifteen pages chapter. Plus, I don't want Kashyyyk to be a three chapter planet like Dantooine was. I'm expecting at least four chapters.

Anyways… before I thank everyone for the reviews (which rock my world) I would like to shamelessly point my hand in the direction of my new fic Drunk Realities. A short fluffy fic about a LSF Exile and our favorite scoundrel Atton Rand, it seems that people like it, and I hope I can see you all heading over to it and checking it out. Right?

Also, inspired by writing said fic, two other events occurred. One, I made my own C2 community featuring stories about Atton or involving Atton. I am looking for a few staff members, so if you'd like to join let me know, if you want to volunteer your own fic or a fic you know, again let me know, and if I included your fic and you want me to not include it, again let me know.

The second event is that I started writing another one shot fic about a DSF Revan and a LSM Exile (against my usual LSF Exile and Revan style) and I have a question that needs answering. If anyone knows if the mass shadow generator was actually initiated during the Mandalorian Wars or not, let me know, because frankly I have no idea and I don't own Kotor 2 to check.

So, off of other topics and back onto this. Reviews! Right!

Jedi Revan Onasi – Thanks for the review! I have seen many Juhani interpretations, I wanted to give her a twist of my own, sort of a cross between Alaanis and Mission with a tad of Bastila conscience in her. X)

Resident roach code metallica – In the first game I managed to do the dark side ending once, but I played grey most of the game and in kotor 2, I've only finished two games, both light side. And I'm ashamed to admit I was only able to ever made Disciple a jedi! Well, I managed Atton the second time, but never Bao-Dur or Mira. I'm ashamed. I agree with the Disciple disliking, he bugs me a lot. And I don't like his accent. By the by, good luck with your kotor fan fic!

Rachil Fayrchild – Lack of romance in this chapter! Sorry! But we do see Carth pining for Alaanis (haha… pining) and T3 implying thins between Canderous and Bastila. Teehee.

Greatstar – Yep. I'm completely innocent. Thanks for the review!

Trillian4210 – Glad to hear you like it! I can't bear to make many one-shot fics so I had to add the Story Breaks in there. Of course, I've been thinking up one shot fics like crazy lately… but I usually manage to warp them into stuff that fits this fic or Destiny II.

Lunatic Pandora1 – Yep, old crackpot jedi is correct. I love Jolee. XD

Anyways, before I speak more about the next chapter, I am again begging for a beta or two to check over my chapters because I am way too lazy to edit anything. If you wanna beta, email me (its on the profile page) or leave a review with an email address.

So, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, not the most exciting, but I tried. I finished this up at 4:30am anyways, so you expect me to be able to type up the Star Map scene after this? No… we'll see the Star Map soon, just not now. It's summer, so I update about once a week, sometimes twice. Pretty often. Oddly, I feel if I don't post every few days I'm taking too long! Once I felt like I hadn't posted in forever, and it'd been three days!

Next chapter will possibly be titled "Of Maps and Wookies" where we will have our heros meet the Star Map, and participate in the fight between Freyyr and Chuundar. That chapter won't be extraordinarily long either. And lack of romance for a bit until we return to the ship. It's kind of hard to get romance when the three older females are stuck with an old coot and Carth and Canderous are with a teenager. A bit wrong for romance there if you ask me. –shudder- I can see the fan fic ideas now with Mission and Canderous… sick and wrong…

Anyways, but the chapter after that we will see our favorite couple –insert fangirl sighs here- reunited. Carth and Alaanis together again! Yay! And then Bastila and Canderous. Teehee. I love T3. Then it's off to Tatooine, and yes, HK-47, our favorite assassin droid.

So until the next chapter, review because you love me, check out Drunk Realities, saw you love my C2 community, review, volunteer to beta for me, review, tell me if the Mass Shadow Generator was used or not, review, vacuum because I felt like telling you to and REVIEW! Did I suggest that you review? XD Adios folks!

6-22-05