Chapter 9 – Laundry and Liquor
"You meditated?" Revan asked skeptically. "You?"
Atton sighed. He had assumed that Revan would be annoyed at the fact that he had just interrupted her sparring match with Dustil—Mira watching from the sidelines—but he hadn't expected that specific question.
"Yes," he replied, irritated. "I thought I'd give it a shot. That's not the point. The point is, I think she's hiding. She might not…"—He sounded vaguely hopeful—"She might not be dead."
"Oh… well, I know that," replied Revan, smirking.
Atton gaped at Revan for an instant. His mouth then shut suddenly and his nostrils flared. "You knew… you knew she was just hiding?" he asked violently.
"Of course I knew!" snapped Revan. "Wasn't one of the first things I told you the fact that I didn't know where she was, but that I didn't think she was dead? I knew she'd be hiding… That's why I sent Jena instead of someone else. Instead of going myself." Revan's expression grew slightly bitter for a moment, but immediately went back to normal. "Jena has an uncanny ability to hide from Force sensitives. I guess it's something she picked up from having cut herself off from the Force before. I'm not sure how it works… she never fully explained it to me; only that she can disappear, in a way, and no one can sense where she is. That was an ability that would come in handy for the mission she went on. That's why I asked her to go." Revan stared at the ground and muttered absent-mindedly, "Probably best that she did instead of me." She looked up at Atton again and said, "I wasn't sure if it had affected your Force bond, which is why I sought you out in the first place."
"Were you ever planning on telling me any of this?" asked Atton, vexed.
"Not really," replied Revan frankly. "To be quite honest, I'm not sure I should even be saying this much. Jena's mission is still ongoing, and the less we talk about it, the better. It's very important that she comes through for us, for many reasons."
"Why can't you tell me about this? What is she doing? I think I have a right to know what's going on!" flared Atton.
Mira and Dustil glanced at each other uncomfortably and, with a look, mutually agreed to leave the two alone. They wordlessly exited the cargo hold, unnoticed by either Atton or Revan, who stared fixedly at each other.
"No you don't have that right," flared Revan. "Not if it can endanger both Jena and…" She hesitated. "And the mission," she added, her eyes suddenly dropping.
Atton snorted. "How could my knowing possibly—"
"That little card trick of yours can only do so much, Jaq," interrupted Revan harshly. "There are people who would be able to see past it."
Atton stared blackly at her. "How do you…?" he started asking, then stopped and sneered. "Never mind. I know how you know about my card counting trick. Couldn't stay out of my head, Jedi-like. What were you hoping to find, Lord Revan?" he asked bitingly.
Revan blushed, looking every bit like a child caught stealing candy. "I had to see… had to know…" she stammered.
"Had to know what?" demanded Atton.
Revan lifted her head back up and looked defiantly into Atton's eyes. "I had to know if that redemption act of yours was for real!" she replied hotly.
"Why wouldn't it be for real?" he asked contemptuously.
"I don't know!" said Revan, exasperated. "Because I know who you are… and I don't trust you, Jaq."
Atton clenched his teeth. "Yeah? Well, guess what! The feeling's mutual. I don't buy your little 'saved Jedi' act either, because I also know who you really are. In fact, not only do I not trust you or any decision you make, but if anything happens to Jena, I will also hold you personally responsible."
Revan scoffed and smiled derisively. "What a great master/padawan relationship we have. You can't possibly mean that!"
"Why not?" demanded Atton. "You're the reason why she went to the Unknown Regions in the first place. She only left to help you. She only left me to go help you," he snarled. "From where I stand, you're the person who's responsible for everything bad that's ever happened to me in my entire life. You're the one who turned me into the twisted killing machine I used to be. You're the one who took away the only person I've ever cared about and who's ever cared about me—the only one who ever thought Jaq Rand was actually worth something more than someone to use in order to gain more power." He laughed sardonically. "Or at least the only one I didn't end up killing. You say you don't trust me? Lady, you better start trusting me… because if I couldn't be trusted, I would've snapped your neck the minute I realized who you were. And you wouldn't have seen it coming either, because that's how you taught me to kill… to strike when they least expected it! 'Lord Revan's favorite little killer'—did you know that's what they called me back in the day?"
Revan turned red and stood staring at Atton's furious face for an instant, biting her bottom lip. Her eyes suddenly filled with tears. What the…? No, I did not just make the Dark Lord cry. What happened to her? Where's the woman I once saw Force choke a guy just for disagreeing with her in front of Malak?
"Aw, dammit, Rev!" he protested awkwardly, suddenly appeased. Have I really become that much of a sucker that I can't even stay mad at a woman I hate if she cries? I mean, I do still hate her, right? He sighed and felt as though he ought to be putting his arms around her, or anything at all other than just stand there and feel uncomfortable; but the mere thought of touching Revan in a soothing manner struck him as quite odd. He fidgeted for a moment and finally opted to clumsily pat her on the shoulder.
"I'm… I'm sorry, J—Atton," she whispered. "I had no idea… I didn't know… Well, maybe I did know, but I didn't care… I care now…" she said incoherently.
"What are you talking about, Rev?" said Atton softly, wildly hoping that she would start making some sense soon.
"I'm talking about me… what I did to you… then… I'm truly sorry. I… It's not often that I come face to face with the results of my past actions. You were a good guy when you fought for me. During the Mandalorian Wars… I never met you, but I had heard about you… and when you joined my side during the Jedi Civil Wars… you were so… loyal." Atton scoffed. 'Loyal'? Now there's a word that's never been used to describe me before. Revan sniffled. "I made a comment about you to Malak when I first met you. He… he wasn't too pleased. A bit jealous." She laughed amidst her tears. "Okay, really jealous."
"Jealous? Of what?" he asked, bewildered.
She smiled coyly and looked down. "I… well, I already told you I thought you were hot. I may have… elaborated a little on the topic with him." She chuckled guiltily. "I was trying to make him jealous. For no good reason, really… I just liked watching him squirm." Her smile faded. "I really was mean, wasn't I?" she muttered.
"You weren't that bad…" lied Atton. He caught Revan's eye and smirked. "Oh, who am I kidding? You were that bad… and then some!" He laughed a little, and suddenly grew serious. "But Rev… about Jena…"
Revan shook her head and her lip quivered slightly. "I really can't tell you, J—Atton…"
"I know, I know," he said quickly, deathly afraid she was going to start crying again. "If you think it would put her in danger… I guess I don't need to know," he said in an uncharacteristically reasonable tone. "I just… she is still alive, right?" he asked with a note of desperation in his voice.
Revan sighed. "I hope so," she said quietly. "But your vision… I think the Force is trying to tell you something. Maybe… if you focused…"
Atton cringed. "Rev, you're starting to make me hate that word."
She smiled. "Fine. Maybe if you meditated more… who knows, maybe you might get a hint of where she is."
"Yeah, maybe," said Atton, a little dejected. He made an effort to crack a smile. "You know I still don't trust you, right?"
"I wouldn't expect you to," she said mockingly. "Besides… after Carth, I'm used to not being trusted." She smiled mischievously. "I wouldn't have it any other way, J—Atton."
Atton rolled his eyes and sighed resignedly. "You can call me Jaq if you really want, Rev."
"Really?" she asked, surprised. "But I thought you hated that name."
"I do. But I hate it less than 'Jatton'."
Revan burst into peals of laughter. Her smile suddenly faded. "So… are we going to be okay?" she asked earnestly.
Atton shrugged. "Sure we are," he answered gruffly. "I don't trust you, you don't trust me, but we seem to understand each other a little better. Just for Force's sake, don't stop hating me, because then I'd really be confused."
"I think I can handle that," said Revan, smirking.
Atton sat silently in the pilot's seat, staring off into space, absent-mindedly twirling his plus one, minus one pazaak card in his hand. He had resumed piloting duties, and Carth had long left him to his pazaak obsession to go see Revan. Tick… Tick… What do you know—there are ticks in the power coupling after all. Guess it needs some maintenance. I'll have to look… Better yet, we're almost on Iridonia. I'll have Bao-Dur look at it, assuming he's crazy enough to embark on this insane expedition with us.
He was glad he was left alone. At his best, Atton could never have been described as sociable, but he felt even less so than usual. He needed some time alone to think. He glanced thoughtfully at his pazaak card and sighed. So she thinks that Jena's not hiding from me per se…well, that's certainly good… But how the hell are we supposed to find her if she doesn't want to be found? He leaned his head back on the headrest. He frowned and peered down at his foot. And now the insole in my boot is bunched up. I really should get a new pair…I think I've been dragging the same pair since the end of the Mandalorian Wars… Sighing, he pulled his tattered boot off his foot and reached in to adjust the rebellious insole. The sudden arrival of a presence behind him gave him a start. Pursing his lips, and still holding his boot, he turned and waited for an explanation. Mical silently stood staring at him. "I… was wondering how much longer until we arrived," Mical finally said awkwardly when he realized that Atton wasn't going to say anything.
Right. Like that's why you're here. "Not long," Atton replied briefly. "A few minutes. We're just coming up on Iridonia now."
"Good... good…" said Mical absent-mindedly. He then stared silently at Atton again.
"Um… is there anything else I can help you with?" asked Atton after an uncomfortable minute or two.
Mical shook his head violently, looking as though he had been pulled from deep thoughts. "I apologize," he said slowly. "I… That's not really the reason I came by."
"I could hardly tell," quipped Atton, smirking.
Mical looked puzzled. "I… I heard you had a vision of sorts…"
"Yeah," replied Atton. "I was meditating, and…" Mical raised a dubious eyebrow over Atton's words. "What?" protested Atton. "I was! Why does nobody believe me? As I was saying, I was meditating and I just had a vision of something that happened with Jena in the past."
"Something?" asked Mical implicitly, his second eyebrow rising as well.
"Not that," replied Atton, rolling his eyes. "A conversation we had. I only wish it had been that. Although, now that you mention it," he continued mercilessly, "it was right after… as well as right before what you're implying." He smiled wickedly.
Mical coughed and Atton noticed the vein in his temple beating slightly as his complexion turned a bright red. Mical pursed his lips and looked as though he was fighting back some words with great effort. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and his color returned back to normal. "Right," he said, shutting his teeth with a snap, inhaling deeply again. "Did it feel more like a vision, or was it more like a memory? Did it feel as though it was something you were remembering or more like something you were being shown?"
Atton turned back toward the control board, and began landing procedures. He wrinkled his nose as he tried to remember. "I really think it was more something that was being shown. If it was just something I was remembering I probably wouldn't have chosen that specific memory…"
"Right," said Mical quickly, hoping to interrupt Atton before he started listing off other memories he would have preferred. "That does sound like a vision…" He looked pensive. "Well, the Jedi masters on Dantooine used to always tell their students to be mindful of the future and of the past, but never at the detriment of the present."
Atton blinked. "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" What's a 'detriment'?
Mical's serene expression abandoned his features once again as he exploded. "I can't believe how utterly useless you are!" He exhaled, clasped his hands together, and spoke deliberately. "Let me put this in terms your vulgar, vestigial brain can understand: try focusing on what's happening to her right now, genius!" Mical turned and promptly left the cockpit. Atton, realizing his boot was still on his lap, threw it after him. It crashed against the wall by the door and fell to the floor with a thud.
"DAMN CRYPTIC JEDI!" he bellowed. 'Useless'… Yeah, cause he's been so very useful during this trip.
"What the hell's been going on here?" demanded Revan as she walked into the cockpit and tripped on Atton's boot. She frowned, picked it up and brought it back to him. "Your footwear is almost as attractive as your robe."
"Thanks," he said sarcastically as he snatched the boot from Revan's hands and absent-mindedly dropped it back onto his lap and put his hand back on the control. Glad to see things are back to normal. This whole crying Revan thing was giving me the creeps.
"Were you yelling at Mical?" she enquired.
Atton shrugged. "Who else around here would I be yelling at? Other than you, I mean… and I guess the droids. And sometimes Mira, but I never really mean it with her."
Revan rolled her eyes. "You might want to watch that temper of yours… it might get you in trouble one day."
Atton snorted. "Oh, don't you start!" he warned. He concentrated on landing the ship as Revan smiled amusedly behind his back. "Well, what a friendly-looking planet this is," he commented sarcastically as soon as he had landed. "Bao-Dur must have felt right at home on Malachor! Hard to believe he was so hell-bent on blowing it up."
Revan peered out the window. "Oh come on, Jaq, it's not that bad… I've been to planets that were far worse than this. Tatooine is at least as bad, and a lot of people live there."
"Not by choice," quipped Atton, putting his boot back on. "So do you guys actually know where you're going to look, or…? Cause you know, that whole 'Have you seen a Zabrak' routine might not work so well here…"
"Nah," replied Revan nonchalantly. "I figured we'd start here, and then hit up every settlement around the planet after."
Atton glanced over his shoulder at Revan, who looked back at him with a serious face. "Rev, I know you're kidding, but it's just not funny," he said.
Revan laughed. "I thought it was… Anyway, the reason why I had you land here is because Mira said she knew where to find your Bao-Dur. Apparently she's kept better contact with your 'friends' than either you or Mical has."
Atton shrugged. "Well, they all hated me."
"I couldn't possibly imagine why," derided Revan. "Anyway, Carth, Mira and I will go off looking for your buddy. You, Mical and Dustil can stay at the ship with the droids, or wander around town… so long as you don't get lost or end up getting arrested. Because you know I won't bail you out, Jaq." She wrinkled her nose. "And for Force's sake, borrow an extra robe from Dustil and get this one cleaned, because it's still beyond revolting."
Atton rolled his eyes and sighed heavily as he headed to the port side dorm. Nag, nag, nag, nag, nag… 'Watch your temper, Jaq!' 'Get your robe cleaned, Jaq!' 'Don't get arrested, Jaq!' I'm glad I'll never have to deal with her again once all this is over. He walked through the door and practically ran head on into Dustil.
"Oh, hey, kid…" Atton said casually. "Listen, Rev really wants me to get my robe cleaned while we're here… Apparently, she has a sensitive nose or something. Anyway, as I'm sure there's not a person alive or droid on board who wants to see me naked, I'm going to need to borrow some clothes from you, if that's okay." Dustil looked at Atton, rather unimpressed. "Hey," continued Atton. "I'm not crazy about the idea either. But as I was a little short in the category of worldly goods when your stepmom-to-be picked me up, this is all I've got to keep me decent. I used to have this really cool jacket, but Force knows what happened to that."
Without a word, Dustil turned around and started digging through his footlocker, tossing a few articles of clothing onto the floor. Atton smiled faintly, not being able to resist comparing the scene to another similar one involving Jena. I'll pick Jena in the cargo hold any day over Dustil in the portside dorm. Oh man, I really hope she still has that dancer's outfit…
As Dustil's rummaging carried on, Atton started to impatiently fidgeting with his robe and tapping his foot lightly. Dustil finally pulled some dark fabric from the very bottom of his footlocker. "Here," he said, handing the dark cloth to Atton, wrinkling his nose as though he was holding the slimy stomach of a recently gutted cannok. "I don't wear this one anymore." He got up and started putting his belongings back into the footlocker.
Atton glanced down at the garments he was holding and scoffed. "Yeah, I guess you don't. I can't think of a single good reason why you'd ever want to put that back on."
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Dustil defensively.
Atton unfolded the article of clothing, held it up in front of him, and looked at it with a less than thrilled expression. "It means exactly what it sounds like it means, and don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. I can't really picture you parading around in your old Sith uniform in front of your Republic daddy. I'm actually a little surprised you still have this. I got rid of mine as soon as I feasibly could. But then again, I was also afraid they'd be looking for me."
Dustil gaped. "How… how did you know I used to be a Sith?"
Atton snorted. "You're joking, right? I'd spot a Sith uniform in a heartbeat. Plus I can smell my own, kid. I could tell from the second I met you. But don't worry…" he added, noting Dustil's concerned expression. "I won't tell Mira. Your secret's safe with me, if mine is safe with you."
Having recovered from his surprise, Dustil laughed a little. "Yeah, well, speaking of smells…"
"I'm getting it cleaned, all right?" said Atton impatiently. "Are you sure you're not really Revan's kid? Cause you're both just as annoying about this." He glimpsed down a little uneasily at the fabric he had been handed. "Um… I don't suppose there's anything else you'd like to lend me? Not to be a pain, but this is bringing back a few too many memories I'd rather not have…"
"Fine!" Dustil snatched the Sith uniform away. "You're lucky I can understand where you're coming from." He tossed the garments to the floor and resumed digging in his footlocker. "What were you doing anyway? For the Sith, I mean," he said over his shoulder.
Atton looked uneasy. "You don't ask Revan those questions, do you?"
Dustil sat down on the floor and looked up at Atton. "Well, no… but I know she did some rather nasty things. I figured what you did was nowhere near as bad."
"Did you, now? Well, let me put it this way, kid," said Atton darkly. "I was working pretty much directly under Revan."
"Oh," replied Dustil eloquently. Without a word, he randomly pulled a robe from his footlocker. He got up. "Here. Wear this," he said, handing the robe to Atton.
"Thanks," answered Atton gratefully. "And thanks…" He gave Dustil a light friendly punch on the shoulder and cracked a smile. "For not being a schutta about this… and for not giving me the third degree. Now come on—let's go get drunk."
Dustil walked out ahead of Atton, while Atton quickly got changed. The latter threw on his new garbs and ran out to the main hold, only to discover that everyone had already stepped off the ship. He raced down the exit ramp just in time to see Revan paying the docking fee to the docking officer. She had just finished asking the latter a few questions when Atton approached him.
"Two questions: I need to get this"—he held up his robe—"cleaned. I want to know where I can do that. And I'd also like to know where's the closest place I can play pazaak." Hey, if they're all going to be gone, I might as well try to earn a few credits.
The docking officer raised an eyebrow. "Well, to answer your first question, there's a place just down the street from here… on your right; you can't miss it. As for your other question, I'm sorry, but pazaak and all forms of gambling were declared illegal on Iridonia two standard years ago."
"Illegal? What the…?" blurted Atton, crestfallen. Mira, who stood right behind him, burst out laughing. "What kind of a place is this?" he whined. He shook his head. "Illegal…" he repeated under his breath. He looked up at the officer again. "Well, is alcohol still legal here, at least?"
The docking officer appeared to be trying hard to stifle a smirk. "Yes, sir… That, it is."
"Good," said Atton, relieved. "Cause I'm going to need a lot of that."
"The cantina's across the street from where you're going, sir," smiled the officer.
"Excellent," said Atton, rubbing his hands.
"Atton, don't you have the first piloting shift when we leave?" wondered Dustil.
Dammit! This entire planet is against me. He sighed loudly. "Fine, I…" he began resignedly, then suddenly stopped and grinned deviously. He turned to Mira innocently and asked flirtatiously, "Hey, gorgeous, I don't suppose…"
Mira laughed. "Ugh," she said, pushing him away. "Fine. I'll take over your shift, Atton, but you owe me. And you can start paying me back by never calling me 'gorgeous' again."
Atton blew her a kiss and mouthed the words "Thank you!" as Mira burst out laughing. Without further ado, he grabbed Dustil by the sleeve and dragged him along as he walked away. Having witnessed the exchange, Revan eyed Atton apprehensively. "You know," she said, addressing Carth and Mira, "maybe Mical should go with you guys. After all, he does know that tech you're looking for. I'll… I'll stay behind with Dustil and Atton."
Overhearing her, Atton and Dustil stopped dead in their tracks. Both men glanced at each other, wearing the same expression on their faces: Great. A babysitter. Revan continued, "If we're not at the ship when you come back, I think it's a safe bet we'll be at the cantina," she added, rolling her eyes.
"I think we'll start there," laughed Carth, noticing Atton's and Dustil's consternation, as Revan caught up with the two. "It'll give you more time," he added as he walked away with Mira and Mical.
Atton, Dustil and Revan started walking down the dusty street indicated by the docking officer, Atton and Dustil walking briskly, vaguely hoping that Revan would give up on trying to catch up to them and stay behind. She however quickened her pace and soon stood right behind Atton. "Nice try," she said, smirking. "You're not losing me that easily."
"We weren't…" feebly protested Dustil.
"Save it," she said rolling her eyes. "All right, first things first, Jaq, we're dropping off that thing you call a robe to get it decontaminated right away. This isn't exactly a large settlement, and I don't expect the search for your friend will last very long."
"Well, then I guess we'll just have to knock them back that much faster," said Atton, winking at Dustil, who chuckled.
Revan heaved a sigh and massaged the back of her own shoulder briefly. "For the last time, Jaq, are you sure you don't just want to buy a new robe? I'm willing to pay for it myself if it means you might finally look somewhat decent…"
"No," said Atton firmly. "I told you this robe's not going anywhere."
"Fine, fine," grumbled Revan. "All right, this must be the place." She looked up and saw a large sign that read 'Mend and Sanitize'. She seemed unimpressed. "Catchy name," she muttered sarcastically with a wry face. Unceremoniously pushing Dustil out of the way, she grabbed the robe out of Atton's hands, grimacing even further as she did so, and opened the door with a determined air. The door swung shut behind her. Atton and Dustil looked at each other, smiling.
"I don't think there's any real need for us to go in there with her, do you?" asked Dustil.
"Kid, it's like you can read my mind." Atton turned around and looked across the street. "And as promised, there's the cantina. Come on, let's get going… and hurry up before she comes back looking for us."
Dustil grinned and nodded, quickly following Atton who had briskly started walking toward the other side of the street. Atton pushed the door after glancing over his shoulder. Still no Revan in sight. Excellent. We might get a chance to down a drink before she shows up, depending on how fast the bartender is.
They walked up to the counter. Atton looked around and realized right away that he and Dustil were the only two humans in the cantina. He noted the evident lack of Twi'lek dancers—in fact, there was no music or dancing of any kind going on. Only Zabraks standing around, drinking and talking. It's like I'm surrounded by a sea of Bao-Durs… Aren't there any other species on this planet? Not that I could blame them… This place is one of the more unpleasant planets I've been on. You'd think the place might be a bit more comfortable… We're not even in the Outer Rim yet. He sat down on one of the bar stools, quickly imitated by Dustil, who glanced around as one mesmerized. Atton tapped on the counter a few times to get the bartender's attention. "Give us a couple shots of… whatever the strongest stuff you've got around here is," he said. "We have to hurry before mom shows up…"
"I swear, Jaq, if you get Carth's son drunk on my watch, I will never hear the end of it," said a voice behind him.
"Too late," quipped Dustil under his breath.
Atton turned and looked interestedly at Revan. "Really!" he said before turning back to the bartender who had started pouring their drinks. "Actually, make that a couple shots each," he corrected, looking smug.
Revan glared at Atton for a moment, then unexpectedly burst out laughing. "Yes, I suppose I walked right into that one," she admitted. She put her hands down onto the counter and addressed the bartender: "Same for me," she said, winking at Atton. Dustil, who had been focusing his attention to the glass that had been set down before him, turned quickly toward Revan and eyed her admiringly. Atton noticed the awe in Dustil's face and snickered.
"Oh yeah!" he told Dustil. "Your step-mom here can really drink. Hell, if I hadn't already been so drunk when she caught up with me on Nar Shaddaa, I bet she could've matched me shot for shot… and I'm no lightweight." He glanced down at the glasses in front of him, picked one up in each hand, and downed them both back-to-back. "Pure pazaak," he said, grinning. "That's exactly what I needed." He had just signaled the bartender for another round—even though both Revan and Dustil were still working on their first drinks—when he suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder. "Hey, what?" he asked, turning to look, and finding himself face to face with a Zabrak peering at him curiously. The Zabrak smiled in recognition.
"Well, well, if it isn't the Crash-lander himself," he said in a laid-back, soothing voice.
Atton, aided by the shots of liquid courage he had just knocked back, grinned from ear to ear, grabbed the Zabrak's hand and gave him a hearty slap on the shoulder. "Bao-Dur! Well, what are the odds… Mira's out looking for you right now! Great to see you! Hey man, how've you been?"
Bao-Dur smiled slowly, with amusement in his eyes. "I see you've been hitting our bartender's secret stash of Spice Liquor."
"Spice Liquor?" asked Atton, smirking slightly.
"Not what you think… But it does hit you hard. Anyway, Atton… What are you doing here? Crash-landed again? It can't be because of Iridonia's great pazaak players," said Bao-Dur with a twinkle in his eyes.
Atton picked up his third drink and, ignoring Bao-Dur's warnings, pounded it back just as he had the first two. "Don't even get me started on that. That's the stupidest…" He shook his head. "Well, believe it or not, we were looking for you. We…" He paused and suddenly became aware of Revan and Dustil standing next to him, waiting to be introduced. "I'm sorry… this is Dustil Onasi, and Re—I mean Liah." He frowned slightly, trying to recollect Revan's full name. "Liah Stari," he added, suddenly remembering.
Bao-Dur's eyes shifted from Dustil over to Revan, and his smile faded. His eyes opened wide.
"You!" he exclaimed.
"Me?" wondered Revan. "I'm… I'm sorry, do I know you?"
Bao-Dur slowly tried to regain his composure. "You… well… you're… you're her… You're…"
Revan smiled thinly, finally understanding. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, Dark Lord of the Sith… I see you like to point that out as much as your pal, here. Seriously, you boys have to learn to let things go."
Atton jumped in, hoping to avoid what could turn out to be a face-off between his master and the Zabrak. "Bao, we need your help," he said as he stepped in between the two. "Jena… well, she's missing. We're headed to the Unknown Regions to find her and we need a tech. A good tech. Because you of all people should know how much of a rust bucket the Ebon Hawk is."
"Hey!" protested Revan. "My ship's not that bad, Jaq!"
Atton sighed and turned to Revan. "I insulted your ship, Rev—not Carth. Settle down." He turned back toward Bao-Dur. "So anyway… we needed a tech, so of course we… well, mainly Mira, really… thought about you."
"It would be really great if you could join us," said Revan, stepping forward. "I realize that, judging from your reaction when you met me, that you're not very likely to trust me yet, but you do have friends on board who do trust me…" Atton coughed discreetly and Revan glanced sideways at him, but continued on as though nothing had happened. "Mical and Mira have grown to believe in me, as will you, I'm sure." Atton smiled inwardly, noticing that his name had been conveniently left out. "The bottom line is, we need your help," said Revan frankly. "We already had to do an emergency landing on Kashyyyk and I'm afraid that a similar situation may present itself later on… and you know as well as I do, I'm sure, that finding help in the Unknown Regions would be quite the task. Also, Mira and Jaq—I mean Atton—tell me that you're a Jedi… That'll certainly be a bonus where we're going. So what do you say, Bao-Dur?" Revan smiled expectantly. She really can be charming when she wants to… Too bad she never tries with me.
Bao-Dur looked pensive. "Well, if the General needs me, then I supposed I'm at your disposal."
Atton grinned. "Excellent. I figured we could count on you." He slammed his fourth glass back down on the counter.
"Well," said Revan, relieved, "now that that's settled I guess we can start heading back to the ship…"
"Are you kidding?" exclaimed Atton. "The others won't come around for ages… Plus we just got here…"
"Atton, you've already had four drinks," said Revan severely.
"So?" asked Atton lightly.
"So, I thought you wanted to get to Jena as soon as possible."
Atton snickered. "Do you even listen when your pretty boy talks, or are you too busy gazing into his deep blue eyes to even hear a single word?"
"Carth's eyes are brown."
Atton shrugged… "Blue… brown… whatever. Like I'm looking. My point was…" He stopped and seemed perplexed for a moment. He then promptly smiled, having remembered. "Oh yeah. My point was, he said they'd meet us here. Even if he hadn't said that, you know damn well they'd have checked here first… I apparently have a reputation as a drunken pilot, after all…" He simpered.
Bao-Dur smiled cautiously at Atton. "Are you trying to tell me that you did not fly the Ebon Hawk drunk?"
"See my point?" Atton told Revan, gesturing toward Bao-Dur. "Now come on… I've got a reputation as a drunk to live up to!" he added, raising his empty glass and tilting it back and forth to indicate to the bartender that he was looking for his next drink.
Bao-Dur looked in turn at the glass, then at Atton. "Shall I take it to mean that you are not piloting the Ebon Hawk this time around?" he enquired.
"Oh, no, I am," said Atton, nodding his thanks to the bartender. "Just not this shift. We've got… what… four people who can fly that piece of junk? Me, Carth, Dustil and Mira. Mira's the one who's got the next shift. I have to remember to get her a really big birthday present."
"Mira?" asked Bao-Dur, highly amused. "She practically flew us into a cliff when we were on Malachor, trying to save you and the General."
Atton shrugged, knocked back his drink and grinned. "You know… I'm willing to take my chances."
"Mira's flying's not that bad," grumbled Dustil, opening his mouth for the first time since he was introduced to Bao-Dur. That kid's just too cute. I wonder if his old man is as protective of Revan. I may have to test that theory. Of course, knowing Carth, he'd probably just laugh and agree with me… if Rev's not around, that is.
Bao-Dur looked thoughtful for a moment. "Mind you," he mused, "I suppose that's still better than you actually flying us into cliffs, and then getting us trapped between two."
"Hey, I got us out of those cliffs, didn't I? And my memory may be a little rusty, but I do remember you admitting that I was a good pilot because of it," said Atton animatedly, raising his hand again to order another drink. Revan saw his movement, reached over, grabbed his arm and pulled it back down.
"You've had enough, Jaq," she muttered to him. Atton looked over to her confusedly. Something so familiar about this…
"I may have said that," said Bao-Dur teasingly, in response to Atton's comment. "It's a little hard to remember, as I was too busy fearing for my life."
"Bao, my man, it's good to have you back," said Atton patting him on the shoulder and raising a glass he had picked up off the counter—Revan's. She looked reproachfully at him.
You've had enough, Jaq…No, that wasn't quite it…
"And I think you've had a lot to drink, Atton," winked Bao-Dur. "That stuff you're drinking's pretty strong."
Atton laughed. "Buddy, this is nothing compared to how much I drank on a nightly basis on Nar Shaddaa before Revan here came to pick me up."
You've had… No… You've been…
Bao-Dur appeared confused. "I thought you were on Telos…"
Atton's smile faded. "Yeah, well, let's not get into that right now," he said gravely.
You've been drinking too much, Jaq.
"Too much?" he absent-mindedly muttered under his breath. "Define 'too much', Lord… Or should I say 'Lady'?"
Revan frowned, paling slightly. "What did you just say, Jaq?" she whispered.
Atton frowned and looked properly puzzled. "I'm… not sure," he whispered back. "It's… the booze," he said dully.
Revan furtively took Atton by the arm and was about to pull him away from the group, when the cantina door opened and in walked Carth, Mira and Mical. Revan slowly let go of Atton's arm, as Mira walked up to Bao-Dur and punched him none too lightly on his good arm. "About time! Where the hell have you been? We looked all over for you! And all this time you were here with this loser?" She grinned, gesturing at Atton's direction.
Atton leaned over to Dustil and muttered, "In case you were starting to feel paranoid, she's talking about me."
Dustil, who was leaning with his back up against the railing, glanced at him sideways and put his empty glass on the counter. "Oh, I thought that was pretty obvious," he replied pertly.
Atton bit his lips, looking unimpressed. "Thanks, bud," he muttered.
"So," Bao-Dur said to Mira, "I hear you're looking for the General."
Mira nodded, but before she said anything, Revan had stepped in. "Okay, I have to ask… Why do you keep calling Jena 'the General'? Did you serve under her during the Mandalorian Wars?"
"Yes, I did," said Bao-Dur shortly.
Understanding lit up Revan's face. "That's why you looked familiar! It took a few minutes… my memory's still a little hazy at times. There weren't that many Zabraks there, so I guess I remember seeing you around, even though you weren't serving under me. And I suppose that's also how you managed to recognize me…" She peered at Atton strangely and added, "Unlike other people here…"
Carth scoffed. "Honestly, Liah," he interjected. "Did everybody who fought in the Mandalorian Wars see you, except for me? It certainly seems that way, sometimes."
Revan grinned impudently. "Well, I know that Jaq here sure didn't…" she said, flicking Atton's arm as she spoke. The latter flushed heavily and threw a black look in Revan's direction, right before defiantly downing the rest of her drink.
Carth peered at him curiously. "Atton, you served during the Mandalorian Wars?"
Atton smacked his lips in a displeased manner. Will she ever shut up about my past? Noticing Atton's sudden sullenness, Mira cleared her throat and turned to Bao-Dur. "Yes, yes, we're looking for Jena. She seems to have gone missing about four months ago. Nobody seems to know where she went, and nobody heard from her at all. Atton even lost his bond with her."
Bao-Dur frowned slightly. "Four months, you say?" He seemed to be calculating something and a puzzled expression appeared on his face.
"What? What is it, Bao?" asked Atton, slurring slightly.
Bao-Dur shook his head. "Nothing, it's just…" He hesitated.
"Just what?" Atton insisted.
"It's just… I'm wondering why you think she may be in trouble. You said she's been missing for four months? It's just that she seemed fine when I saw her." Revan, Carth, Mira and Dustil all looked upon Bao-Dur in silent shock, while the color drained from both Atton and Mical's faces.
Mical was first to recover his wits. He cleared his throat. "When you… saw her?" he asked through pale lips. "What do you mean, when you saw her? When did you see her?"
"About… two or three standard months ago, when I was on Ilum."