Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN STAR WARS so bite me; this author is supported by the star wars unlimited fan club. At the top of the chapters I'm going to put some song lyrics because I found a song that really relates to this story or at least I feel it does, and I like this song so bite me.
I know it's dark here, you know that I'm scared too
For some reason right now, of everything but you
Right now you're all that I recognize
You know I came here when I needed your soft voice
I needed to hear something that sounded like an answer
Now I wait here, and sometimes I get one
Every Thug Needs a Lady, Alkaline Trio
Telos; Citadel Station
Caleb, Brianna, and Atton left the Ebon Hawk and headed towards the makeshift office of Admiral Carth Onasi. Things were about to change drastically they all could sense it. Brianna didn't know that her life was going to change along with Caleb's even more. She didn't know why he had left the ship so early only to come back to retrieve them later. He would tell her soon enough, and he defiantly hoped she would approve. But for now, they had a mission to start. The future of the Republic was at stake, as well as the futures of the crew. They walked into Carth's office, and saw Carth sitting at his desk and a woman with brown hair with back to them staring out the window. "Ah, Caleb Veers, it is good to see you again. Telos is forever indebted to you for saving us in the battle." Said Carth, cheerfully.
The woman just continued to look out the window. Caleb knew who she was; they had been friends growing up along with Revan and Malak. This woman was Bastila Shan, famed Jedi Knight for her Battle Meditation skill, and fiancé of Revan. It did not surprise Caleb that Revan and Bastila got together; they had crushes on each other as children. Even with his memory gone you could not keep Revan away from Bastila. Now Revan had his memories back, what horrors could he have discovered that had taken him away from his Bastila?
Caleb could relate, for he was madly in love with the short, white haired woman standing next to him.
"Caleb," said Bastila, turning around to look at him. Her face had remained unchanged since the last time he had seen her. She was as old as he and Revan were, 25. "It has been so long." She walked over to him and gave him a friendly hug.
Caleb hugged her back, but half expected to see Brianna jealous. "I'm not jealous, it's a friendly gesture. Now if you were to start practicing the Echani etiquette rituals with her in your underwear, then I may be." She thought to him with a smug look on her face.
"Yes, Bastila, it has. I see you finally gave in to Revan's charms." Said Caleb with a smirk.
"Must you be so childish all the time, even after all these years Caleb?" She asked exasperated.
"You know it!" He said with a smirk.
"Old friend of yours?" Asked Brianna through their bond.
"Yes, we grew up together. Bastila, Revan, Malak and myself were best friends growing up. Bastila always had a crush on Revan, and he had one on her weather he will admit it or not. A few weeks before he left, he asked her to marry him. He must have seen something terrible from his past to have to leave her behind. But I will not make the same mistake, I'm not leaving my loves behind, I won't put you in Bastila's position."
"Are you two ready to leave?" Asked Caleb. They both said yes and headed to the Ebon Hawk. Canderous Ordo, Mandalore, was waiting for them when they got there.
Ebon HawkCaleb was sitting on a couch in the main hold, watching the holonet when Brianna walked in. She sat next to him, happy just to have the chance to be near him. After seeing the state Bastila had been in, she was glad to have Caleb with her. Caleb had been thinking, he remembered at Malachor someone had been inspiring him to fight on. It was in his head, he just felt stronger. He also remembered Brianna saying her thoughts were completely on him while he was gone.
He thought that maybe she had the gift of Battle Meditation. Her mother had the gift; she had been the one to teach Bastila. But Arren Kae was dead. What if she really did have Battle Meditation, how could she learn? Would Bastila be willing to teach her?
"You are distracted, again." Said Brianna who was starting to get worried about Caleb. He wasn't eating very much recently, and had been a bit evasive to everyone but her. He simply nodded and put his arm around her shoulders. "Are you OK?" She asked him after a few minutes of comfortable silence in his arms.
"I was just thinking." He said to her still looking at the holo.
"About what?"
He didn't want to tell her what he was thinking about, afraid of what she might say. "You." It wasn't completely a lie. He was thinking about her, he just didn't think she would like what he was thinking.
"What about me?" She said, she knew he was hiding something from her; it was hard for either of them to keep secrets anymore.
"I was just thinking how did I get the smartest, most beautiful, loving woman in the galaxy to fall in love with me."
Although she could sense that he truly meant what he had just said, he was still hiding what he was really thinking. "When are we going to stop keeping secrets from each other?" she asked softly as she looked his eyes.
He sighed, she was right, she always was. He had to tell her, about her mother, about the Battle Meditation, everything. "You're right, you always are. I'm sorry love," he said inclining his head. He looked up as she gently placed her hand on his cheek. Her soft blue eyes bore into his. "Your mother, Arren Kae, had a powerful gift," he admitted better now than latter to tell her the truth. "She had a force power called Battle Meditation. She taught Bastila how to control her own."
Brianna opened her mouth to say something but Caleb gently placed his finger on her lips to silence her. "Wait there's more," she nodded for him to continue, "I think you may have it too. On Malachor, I felt stronger, like someone was urging me on and I could feel Kreia weaken even when I wasn't attacking her."
"I remember sitting in the cargo hold, I hit my head and when I woke up, you were gone, and the ship was in a ravine. Atton was trying to get the ship flying again. I sat down and tried to clear my head by meditating, just like you showed me, but all I could think about was you. I saw you in battle with Kreia and I just kept thinking about you defeating her."
Caleb placed a kiss on her temple and held one of her hands with his hand that wasn't around her shoulders. With his other hand he gently massaged her upper arm. This must be a lot for her to take in right now, he thought to himself as he looked at her distraught face. Her thoughts were running rampant with questions, ones he didn't know the answers to. If there was one person who could help her, it was Bastila. But would she be willing to help? Bastila didn't like teaching. She felt she wasn't good at it. She had never even taken on an apprentice.
Brianna was exhausted, physically and mentally. She had been kept up at night by horrible nightmares of the past and the present was starting to weigh her down. Things were happening so fast, if Caleb wasn't there, she didn't know what she would do. She curled up next to him and laid her head in his lap. Caleb placed one hand on her side and the other gently caressed her head. He couldn't think of anything to say as he ran he fingers through her short, white hair. She had been through so much, they both had.
She had never known her mother, and now she was finding out just how much like her mother she really was. Even though she told Caleb that she only missed the fact that she never knew Arren, Caleb knew that she really missed her mother and her father for that matter. "Are you alright?" She heard him ask as she began to close her eyes.
"I'm so tired, Caleb. Everything is just happening so fast."
"I know, I promise it will get better soon," he said gently brushing a random strand of hair behind her ear. "For now, rest your eyes, when you wake up, you'll feel better, and I'll be right here waiting for you." She closed her eyes again and fell asleep in Caleb's lap.
Ebon Hawk, hallways
Bastila Shan had been having a rough five years. Her fiancé was gone, the Republic itself was tearing at the seams, and the Jedi Order was crumbling. The worst was how much she missed Revan. He was her entire world. She used to think that being a Jedi was everything. She put every fiber of her being into it. Especially after Revan turned to the dark side.
But when she was sent to capture him by the Jedi Council and his mind was so badly damaged that the only thing keeping him alive was her, Jek Vandersex was born. Jek was a different man in Revan's body it seemed to her at first, but later on in their travels, Revan kept shining through the façade the council had place on him.
Especially when he repeatedly hit on her. At first it was annoying, but then she found herself falling deeply in love with him. He saved her from the dark side and herself, they spent the most wonderful year together, he even proposed, but then he left her. He had no choice, he didn't explain why to her, something was terribly wrong and she could sense it.
He told her to stay where she was, protect what was left of the Republic, but it had been five years without a word from him. She knew he wasn't dead, she could feel him in the back of her mind through their bond. Sometimes he would get the chance in their dreams to communicate with her. But yet, something was wrong, she knew he needed help. Kreia had told him to go alone, his dreams told him to go alone, but he know knew that he could not do it alone. He needed help to destroy the true Sith.
As she walked the halls of the Ebon Hawk, reminiscing, she came across the main hold where Caleb sat on one of the couches with Brianna laying next to him with her head in his lap. She appeared to be asleep and he was stroking her hair. Bastila smiled at this as Caleb looked up. "Hey Bastila, how's it going."
She walked over to the couch and sat down on a chair that was next to it. Looking down she said so softly that Caleb could barely hear her, "I miss him."
Caleb could tell she was heart broken and needed Revan with her. As he looked down at Brianna he thought about how lucky he was to have her in his life. "I know you do, just hang in there Bastila, we'll find him soon. Then you too can do what ever naughty things you like off in the cargo hold like you used to." Bastila just stared at him, dumbstruck and appalled all at once. Some things never change. "Except, Brianna here likes to train in there a lot, so you may not want to do that in there."
Bastila found the urge to slap him to great and left a large red mark on Caleb's face. "You will never change will you?"
"Nope," he said smugly.
"Why did he have to go? I don't understand, he needs us now, but he had to go alone. I've waited five long years for him and he hasn't returned only to tell me in my sleep he needs help." Bastila was fighting back tears; something Caleb had never seen her do.
"I don't know, but we will find him. I know we will, and he will be safe." Bastila nodded and looked at the floor. Caleb had to ask her about the Battle Meditation, maybe it would help get her mind of the hurt she felt. "Bastila, do you remember Arren Kae?"
"Yes, she taught me how to control my Battle Meditation. She was Revan's first master as well. But she got expelled for supposedly running off with an Echani General and having his love child some ten years after the fact."
"Well Bastila, it's not exactly supposedly, Brianna here is the product of that relationship. Arren was her mother and Yusanis was her father."
"Well, she certainly does look like Arren," said Bastila looking at Brianna's sleeping form. "Arren was a powerful Jedi, Caleb, it would be interesting to see what Brianna could do."
"That's what I was getting at. Bastila, I think Brianna inherited her mother's gift in the force."
"You mean… Battle Meditation?" Asked Bastila, she now had a feeling on what he wanted her to do. "Let me guess, since Arren taught me and she's dead, and you haven't the slightest notion on what to do with her, you want me to teach her."
"Heh, you're as smart as ever Basty!" He said with a grin. She hated that grin, Revan and he would always smile like that before taking her on some grand adventure that got them into trouble back when they were children. "Would you train her? I have yet to ask Brianna, but I told her about her mother and that I thought she had it. She told me about what happened at Malachor and now I am sure she has it!"
"Fine, I will teach her if she wants me to, on one condition."
"What's that Basty?"
"Don't you ever call me 'Basty' again!"
"Done deal!" They both laughed and talked about the past. How things used to be, and what the future might bring. Caleb felt Brianna stir in his lap and move closer to him, which brought a smile to his face.
"You really love her, don't you?" Asked Bastila, looking at the two of them and smiling.
"I couldn't ask to be bonded to anyone else, she's my only one."
"Wait, did you say bonded?"
"Yes, when she faced Atris, she was mortally wounded. As she lay dying, I used my own life force to keep her alive. That's why her chest is so sensitive, it was only 2 weeks ago and she has sever burns from force lightning all over it and a large light saber slash scar. Kolto only does so much you know."
"You mean like the one I have with Revan?"
"Yes. Bastila, can you talk to Revan over yours, in your head?" Caleb didn't know much about force bonds, even though he had a habit of forming them.
"Yes, why do you ask?"
"So can we, it keeps getting stronger all the time. I'm not entirely sure what will happen next."
"It only gets stronger. The more you love, the more you are together, the more you train together, the stronger in the force the two of you will become and the stronger your bond will be. Soon you will mirror each other in combat."
"We already do that, that was before the bond. That's how I figured out she was force sensitive."
Brianna began to wake up finding herself in the main hold with her head in Caleb's lap. Bastila was there now and Brianna being disoriented from sleep was not sure what was going on. "Looks like your friend is awake Caleb," said Bastila.
"Caleb? What's going on?" Brianna was in a daze; she had never been a morning person and the fact that it wasn't morning made little difference.
"You fell asleep, Bastila and I were just talking."
"I am sorry if I interrupted anything," Brianna said, sitting up as Caleb removed his hand from her head and side to rest around her shoulders once more. "But how long was I out for?"
"Don't worry you didn't interrupt," said Bastila.
"I think you were out for about an hour, feel better?" Asked Caleb, always concerned when it came to her well being.
"Yes much, thank you," said Brianna, now fully awake, but still tired enough to go back to sleep that night.
"Brianna, do remember what we were talking about earlier?"
"Yes, about what you said about my mother, why?"
"Because I could train you, if you want me to do so," said Bastila with a smile. "I would feel honored to train the daughter of my former master."
"I would like that," she said to Bastila. "I would feel honored to learn from such an esteemed Jedi, Master Shan."
"Please, call me Bastila. I am no master, nor do I want to be any time soon."
"Well, I'll leave you ladies to it then," said Caleb, getting up to leave and planting a kiss on Brianna's cheek.
"Oh not you don't Veers, I have use for you. Let us see how well you have come since last time I saw you." Bastila said with an evil grin. Caleb never liked that look; she had something planed for him. Something that was likely to leave bruises. "Don't worry, you'll get your man back in one piece, for the most part. He'll be fine, as long as he doesn't try to take it easy on you." Bastila got up and started walking to the cargo hold.
"He already knows that lesson well." Said Brianna with an equally evil grin. He was starting to hate that look too. Brianna grabbed his hand and led him out of the room, following Bastila to the cargo hold.
"Yes Milady," he said as he allowed himself to be drug out of the room. "Please don't let her hurt me." He begged over their bond.
"I can only promise that I will try," she thought back. They entered the cargo hold where Bastila began to spar with Caleb.
Blocking an up cut from Bastila he said, "How did you get to be so powerful?" Bastila made another thrust at Caleb's head.
"I now have the power of Revan inside of me, through our bond we share the force."
"Oh you've had Revan inside you alright," Bastila whacked him in the head with her powered down saber staff. "OWW!" He screamed in pain, "That stings!"
"Sex fiend!" Hissed Bastila, embarrassed and angry. She kicked his shins as he gave another yelp of pain. "Alright Brianna, I want you to start meditating. Once you begin concentrate on Caleb and myself. Try to steal away my will and strength will spurring Caleb on." Brianna knelt on the ground and began her meditation. She thought about how much she wanted Caleb to win, at least so he wouldn't complain all night. Bastila could feel her concentration begin to break, amazing most people who had Battle Meditation were immune to it and even though Bastila wasn't blocking Brianna at all, this was incredible for a first try. Kae was going to be a powerful Jedi indeed. Caleb started attacking faster and stronger. He could feel something inside of him spurring him on. He finally kicked Bastila's legs out from under her and placed both of his sabers at her neck. Bastila could feel the heat of the orange and cyan sabers at her neck and dropped her own yellow double saber. "Fine you win!"
Caleb deactivated his saber and lent his hand to Bastila to help her up. Brianna began to come out of her trance-like state. She opened her eyes and looked at Caleb who was holding his side with one hand and rubbing his head with another. "Bastila, why the hell did you hit me in the head?"
"Because you're perverted!" She shot back at him. "Consider yourself lucky I didn't hit something else of yours." Caleb shut up and hid behind Brianna who was laughing. "Extremely well done by the way, Brianna. I didn't catch on that quick, I don't think anyone has. You will be an extremely powerful Jedi some day." She bowed to them and clipped her saber to her belt. "I shall retire if you don't mind." Bastila headed for her quarters with a slight limp from having her legs kicked out.
Brianna looked at Caleb. His face was flushed red and he was covered in sweat. He still was rubbing his head, trying to force heal it but it wasn't working. "Here, let me try something," she sat him down and began to rub the sore lump near his forehead. He rested his head against her abdomen and shut his eyes. She wasn't using the force to heal it, but it defiantly felt better.
"How do you do that?" He asked, the pain leaving his head. "Are you using the force?"
"I'm not using the force, I just have a woman's touch and I hope that you don't," she said with a laugh. She gently kissed his forehead as he sat on a plasteel container.
"Thanks," he said quietly as she wrapped her arms around him from behind. He placed his hands on hers and kissed her forearm gently as she rested her head against the back of his. They stayed like that for a while just thinking and enjoying the company of one another. She moved around and sat on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You're so beautiful," he said softly, looking into her bright blue eyes. They were darker and brighter than Bastila's and it calmed him to look into them.
"You're not so bad yourself, my exiled sex fiend," she had to say it and she did, and now she couldn't stop laughing.
"Oh go back to Telos, Snow Bunny."
"Fine, I'll go back with and live with Atris. You know what she'll do," she said moving closer to him. "She'll lock me up and I'll never get to have my way here with you."
"Then I'll just have to come and rescue you again, Bria," he softly began to kiss her neck along her pulsing vain.
"Mmmm, wait, did you call me Bria?"
"Yes, I'm sorry would you prefer if I don't?" Caleb didn't want her to be offended.
"No I don't mind at all. It's just that, my father used to call me that," she could remember as a little girl her father calling her Little Bria. She wished with her whole heart he could be there to see his Little Bria now. And even though she didn't say it, she badly wished that she had her mother with her too. Caleb began to kiss her neck again. It felt so right, but she knew where it would lead if they continued. She didn't want to end up like her parents did. "Caleb, please not yet. It's not that I don't love you I just want to wait. I don't want to make the same mistake my parents did."
Caleb understood and stopped his assault on her neck. "I don't think your parents made a mistake, I wouldn't have you here with me now if they had done otherwise. But I will honor you. I love you and don't want you to do anything you're not ready for. Now that I think about it, I'm not so sure I'm ready either." Caleb noticed she had a distant look in her eyes and knew what she was thinking about. "You miss them, don't you? Don't try to give me you can't miss what you don't know either."
"I do miss them, I won't hide it any longer. I can't hide it any longer," she didn't know how to deal with some of the things she was feeling. She had never even cried at the loss of her father. In fact, the only person who had ever seen her cry was Caleb. Brianna stood up and walked over to the other side of the room, hugging herself. Caleb stood up and walked to her. She didn't even notice the tears running down her face until he brushed his hand against her cheek.
"Hey," he said softly moving a stray piece of her hair behind her ear. Her hair had started to grow a little longer, but it was still rather short. "Are you OK?"
"Hold me," she whispered as she collapsed into his arms. Caleb wrapped his arms around her, one on her back then other on the back of her head, holding her to him gently. She wept bitterly into his chest as he rubbed her back to comfort her. Caleb barely remembered his parents. He had been taken by the order at a very young age. Mandalorians had attacked his home world of Naboo in the war and nearly destroyed it. Caleb's mother, Zoe Veers had been a Jedi, like Brianna's. She had left the order to marry his father, Captain Bail Veers of the Royal Naboo Guard. They had both died in the assault on the planet. He didn't understand how she could keep her sorrow in for so many years as she sobbed into his robes.
A half hour latter the two sat on the floor of the cargo hold in each other's arms talking about their parents. "What time is it?" Brianna asked Caleb. It had been a long day and she wanted it to end. Caleb looked at the crono on his wrist.
"It's a few minutes after midnight, are you tired?"
"I've been tired since Telos," she said with a chuckle. It had seemed like forever since last night when Caleb held her in his arms as she told him her terrible visions of the past. She hadn't dreamed about them again and hoped she never would, maybe Caleb was right. Maybe all she had to do was to fight them and just tell someone about them.
"Still want to stay in my bunk?"
"Hmm, now that you're a sex fiend, I'm not so sure," she laughed at the depressed look on his face. "Yes of course I'll stay with you. I feel safer when I'm with you." They stood up and walked to the port crew quarters together. Caleb took off his robes and left only his boxers on. He lay on the bed and turned his head to allow Brianna to change. "You don't have to look away, It's nothing you haven't seen before. I trust you."
"There's plenty of you I haven't seen before," he said with a smirk. "But we can change that latter." He turned around to see her removing he pants revealing her lacy yet sporty black underwear and bra. "Oh," he said, a little depressed. She laughed at him and got in bed next to him. He pulled the covers up around them and wrapped his arms around him as she rested her back to his chest, laying her head against him.
"It's been awhile since I've slept in a bed," she said to him quietly as he turned out the light with the force.
"I can change that," he whispered to her closing his eyes. The two fell asleep together. No matter what the future held, at least they were together.
TBC... if you want to see more, review, I know there are people reading it.