Slayers of the Old Republic

Book III: Dantooine

By Michael Weyer

(Note to non KOTOR fans: Master Vandar is the same species as Yoda, only with darker skin and doesn't speak backward G )

Dantooine was about as opposite from Taris as one could imagine. From space, it appeared to be nothing but wide grasslands with lush oceans. As the Ebon Hawk entered the atmosphere, the bright light of the sky filled the cockpit. The ship flew over wide grasslands before coming toward a large settlement. The spaceport wasn't very large but the dock area around it seemed up to good standards.

"Did you give the recognition code I gave you?" Bastila asked from the passenger seat.

Carth rolled his eyes. "No, I thought it better we come in a strange ship with no warning at all," he sarcastically said.

The ship settled down on the dock and the engines stilled. After making sure it was secure, Carth rose from his seat, Bastila following. They walked through the ship as the others soon gathered behind them. Buffy was dressed once more in her robes, which Faith had brought with from the apartment, her lightsaber at her belt. Carth lowered the ramp to let them step onto the planet's surface.

For Faith and Mission, it was a unique experience as they had never been on another world before. Faith sucked in a long breath of the crisp air and smiled. "Oh, man…This is great!"

"It's…it's so clear!" Mission said. "So crisp, no pollution or smells!"

Zaalbar smiled himself. "It reminds me a bit of my world, free of the corruption of those ugly cities."

Canderous just grunted. "It's only another planet. And it looks a dull one at that."

"Dantooine," Bastila intoned. "It feels like a lifetime since I last walked the surface. In truth, it has only been a few months."

Buffy couldn't suppress a smile herself. "I forgot how good it felt myself."

They saw a small group standing by the entranceway to the dock. One was an attractive woman whose hair was in a bun underneath her cap which topped off her polished uniform. By her side were a pair of people Bastila and Buffy knew well: Master Zhar and Master Vandar. Zhar was a purple-skinned Twi'lek who bowed his tentacled head as they entered. Vandar…truth to tell, Buffy wasn't sure what species Vandar was. He was barely two feet tall with gray and gravely skin. His eyes were wide and he had wisps of white hair along with a pair of long ears.

Bastila and Buffy both bowed deeply before them. "Masters," Bastila said.

"Knight Shan," Zhar said in perfect Basic. "It is good to see you survived your ordeal. And you as well, Padawan Somers."

"We had help, Master," Buffy said as she nodded to the others.

"I shouldn't be surprised," the uniformed woman said as she focused on Carth. The man was surprised to see her, bringing himself up and saluting.

"Admiral Dodonna!" he gasped. "I didn't…I didn't know you'd be here!"

Dodonna returned the salute and smiled. "Good to see you again, Carth. I was actually making a brief stop over to confer with the Council before I rejoined the fleet. I was actually about to leave when we received your message and I decided to stay. I am eager to hear your report."

"As we are eager to hear yours, Bastila," Vandar said in a strange voice that sounded high-pitched and yet booming at the same time. His wide eyes gazed over the others. "Your companions are welcome to stay here at the Enclave for as long as they wish."

"We're going to need some repair work for our ship," Canderous rumbled. Dodonna fixed him with a hard gaze, recognizing what he was.

"Commander Onasi, you do realize the company you are keeping?" she asked.

Carth nodded. "Frankly, I'm not happy with it either. But he did help us escape Taris. I don't exactly trust him but I don't think he'll stab us in the back either."

Canderous snorted. "Whatever else you may think of me, I'm no fool and I'm not suicidal. I'm not going to cause trouble in a settlement full of Jedi and Republic soldiers."

"I'll hold you to that," Dodonna said in a dangerous tone. She nodded to Carth. "I'll get some crews working on your ship. Come, we can discuss matters more at our command center. I'm eager to hear of what happened on Taris."

"In that case, I'd like to ask Faith to come with," Carth said. Seeing the surprise on both women's faces, he went on. "She was with the Taris security forces and can explain what was going on with the Sith there before we arrived."

"Very well," Dodonna agreed. "Come, then. Masters." She gave the Jedi a nod and headed toward the Enclave.

"Come," Zhar commanded. "We must meet with the rest of the Council." He paused and his eyes focused on Vance. "I believe…we have much to discuss." He, Bastila and Buffy walked off with Vandar waddling behind.

Mission frowned at Vance. "What is going on here?"

Vance shook his head. "I don' know…But somehow, I don't think I'm going to like it."

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The Enclave was a large building with several side wings to it. Most of it was devoted to the Jedi, from libraries to training rooms and quarters. However, it was also home to several Republic troops and its own command center.

Carth and Faith were inside Dodonna's office, all seated around a large conference table. The two were informing Dodonna of what had gone on in Taris, Faith speaking of what had happened before the Endar Spire's arrival.

"They came without warning," she was saying. "Whole fleet rocketed out of hyperspace and jammed communications before the Republic guys could get an alarm out. They had troops down in minutes and taking over. Most of the security forces knew it wasn't worth fighting so just stayed out of it."

"Including you." Dodonna didn't say it as an accusation, just a fact.

"Hey, I wasn't happy with it," Faith said defensively. "But I know a losing fight when I see one. Wasn't gonna do me much good to get thrown into some torture cell like most of the others."

"If she had spoken or acted out, Admiral," Carth quickly said. "She wouldn't have been around to help us. And we needed her help badly."

Dodonna nodded as she tapped the desk with her fingers. "This is a troubling situation. That they could take over Taris so quickly is one thing. But far more troubling is that they knew Bastila would be coming there." She shook her head. "It appears we have underestimated the Sith spy network yet again."

"Or underestimated how 'rah, rah Republic' most of your soldiers are."

Both Carth and Dodonna stared in astonishment at the young woman. "I beg your pardon?" the admiral asked in disbelief.

Faith shrugged. "Sorry to break it to you, lady, but I got to talking to a few Sith when they were off-duty. A couple of them were Republic soldiers up until just a few weeks ago. The way they saw it, you guys are going down and they don't want to be on the ship when it makes the final plunge."

Carth's face grew dark. "Watch it, Faith. Most of the men I know are good and decent and they love the Republic."

"Oh, yeah, like Saul?" The words were out of her mouth before she knew it and Faith instantly regretted them. Seeing the anger flash in Carth's eyes, Dodonna quickly stepped in. "Commander, at ease."

Carth settled back but was obviously still upset by the comment. Dodonna thought over her own words before speaking. "I must rejoin the fleet. Our intelligence indicates the Sith are stepping up production of these ships. We still have no idea where they are getting them from or how so fast. I believe the Jedi are attempting to discover that themselves. Therefore, Commander, you shall stay here until they make their next decision."

Carth blinked, obviously thrown. "Admiral…with respect…I would much prefer being with the fleet. I want to-----"

"I know why you want to be out there, Carth," Dodonna said gently. "I know the history between you and Saul and I do understand. However, this war is far bigger than your personal vendetta. I need you here to help them. Your experience could be a major factor with whatever mission the Jedi create."

"Admiral------"

"Commander, there's a reason they're called orders and not suggestions," Dodonna said, a touch of steel in her words. Carth shut his mouth as Faith was starting to wish she was elsewhere at this moment. Dodonna rose and they followed suit. "I shall speak to you briefly before I leave and share what data and intelligence we have compiled since you left. Dismissed."

Carth stiffly saluted and turned on his heel to march out. Faith just stared at Dodonna, made a weak salute and moved to follow. "Carth," she called out. "Carth, hey, wait, I wanted-----"

She reached out but he brushed her arm back and marched away. Faith stopped in the hall and lowered her head. "Dammit," she hissed.

"He'll be all right." Faith turned to see Dodonna standing in the doorway behind her. "Carth…He told you what happened on Telos?"

Faith nodded. "Home bombed by his mentor. Wife died in his arms. Son missing ever since."

Dodonna nodded back. "Yes. It has hardened him, made him bitter and more mistrustful of others. He is...something of a lone hound. Perhaps this mission can help him if he works with others."

Faith frowned. "Um…are you telling me something? Cause I'm not a soldier or anything."

"Which makes it better," Dodonna said. "Because it frees you to talk back to him like a soldier could not. Urge him on and he'll get that old spirit back. That is his gift."

"So you want me to basically rile him up." Faith paused and grinned. "Hmmm…I think I can handle that."

"Yes…" Dodonna said, doing her best to suppress a smile. "I believe you can."

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The main chamber of the Jedi Council was near the center of the Enclave, set off from the open-air courtyard with the large fountain in the center. The large circular chamber had a half dozen seats for the Council members set before a sunken dias. Buffy and Bastila stood in the center of it, facing the four Masters. Zhar and Vandar were seated in the first and third seats. With them were Master Dorak, an elderly black man with balding head and dark mustache. Next to him was Master Vrook, a sour looking man with a wrinkled face. All were dressed in the elaborate robes of Council members.

Buffy didn't know why Vrook rubbed her the wrong way but it was apparently mutual. When Bastila had presented her to the Council two years earlier, Vrook had given her the evil eye from the start and had spoken against her being trained. She had worked with him a few times and while she respected his abilities, Buffy still couldn't shake the idea that for all his talk of being above petty emotions, Vrook just didn't like her.

She was aware of his glare on her now and tried to calm her thoughts. Bastila was completing her report and Buffy couldn't help noting how she'd taken Carth's advice and omitted losing her lightsaber. He's gonna get a kick out of hearing that.

Vandar rubbed his chin as Bastila finished. "Hmm…this is troubling. Malak is obviously losing control of his emotions, to order an entire planet massacred."

"It shows the danger the Sith pose is greater than we expected," Dorak stated. "We must discover the source of their fleet."

"Masters, if I may," Bastila stated. "I do think that this smuggler you sent us to meet knows more than we expected. I have told you of his link to the Force."

"Are you so sure this man is Force sensitive?" Vrook asked in his gravely tone. "It could have been mere luck that aided him on Taris."

"We both know there is no luck," Vandar said as if chiding a pupil. "There is the Force." Buffy suppressed her happiness at seeing Vrook being shot down. "I met the man myself, Vrook. I felt the presence of the Force within him. There is great strength there and we should take advantage of it."

"You mean to train him?" Vrook asked, his eyes narrowed.

"We cannot deny him the opportunity," Zhar calmly said. "We need all the recruits we can get, Vrook. So many are joining Malak and with Revan dead-----"

"Are you so certain of that?" Vrook snapped. "What if we undertake to train this one and the Dark Lord returns?"

Buffy frowned. "Uh, scuse me, what are you smoking?"

Every eye turned on her but she continued. "Revan's dead, Vrook. I know, I was there and so was Bastila."

"I believe Vrook meant the spirit of the Dark Lord can still have influence," Vandar said, his eyes fixed coolly on Vrook. "And I admit, the idea of training one who could become the next Dark Lord is troubling. But we may have little choice."

"Masters, I------" Bastila suddenly stopped in place, as did Buffy. Both stared outward, seeing something in their minds. Everything faded away and an image came about as if they were actually there.

The taller of the two figures was Malak, but not the Dark Lord Malak. Rather, he was a young man, shaven-headed with the blue tattoos standing out vibrantly. He still favored light armor of blood red and his jaw was still intact.

The smaller figure was obviously Revan, though the heavy gray cloak once again concealed all features. They were standing in some sort of structure that seemed to be a temple made of stone the color of dark snow. Revan was pacing about as Malak's eyes took their surroundings in.

"The Dark Side is strong in this place - I can feel its power," Malak said, pulling his fists towards his chest as though breathing it in.

Revan said nothing, only approaching an ornate stone door carved with runes from a long-dead language. The square panel in its center was the lock. With a wave of the hand, the panel sunk in, the lock opening.

"Is this wise?" Malak asked, sounding uncertain. "The ancient Jedi sealed this entrance. If we go through this door, we can never go back."

Again, no words from Revan, only grim resolve in the other Jedi's posture and stride. The door pulled open.

"The Order will surely banish us," Malak continued. It seemed he was trying to convince himself more than his friend. "Are the secrets of the Star Forge truly so valuable? Can its power be worth the risk?"

Revan stepped through the door and into the chamber where the secret waited. A tripod on a tripod rested on the floor, the three top spires opening like a mechanical flower and the center blossoming into a pattern of gold, black, and blue…

Buffy let out a gasp and staggered in place, a hand to her head. She blinked as she tried to recover from what she had just seen. She looked to Bastila who had the same stunned expression on her face.

The Council members seemed confused as they looked at them. "What happened?" Dorak asked. "What did you see?"

Buffy licked her lips but before she could reply, there was a buzz at her belt. She frowned and reached to a communicator Carth had given her before they left the ship. "Um, hi?"

Vance's voice echoed. "Um, Buffy…I hate to interrupt you during Jedi business and all but…well…I just had this really, really weird moment…Like a dream."

Buffy and Bastila exchanged a stunned look. Bastila reached over to take the communicator from her apprentice. "Vance…wait there. Buffy will be right over."

Zhar took a deep breath. "Padawan Somers…you should go and fetch him. If he has shared a vision with you…then this situation is more complicated than we believed."

With a bow, Buffy moved out of the chamber and headed toward the Ebon Hawk.

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Vance was looking around the hallways of the Enclave as he and Buffy headed to the Council chambers. "I thought the Jedi Council was on Corscuant," he said.

"The main Council is," Buffy confirmed. "But this has been a training center for a long time so they have a separate Council for it. It's where I trained when I joined the Order."

Vance nodded before rubbing his chin. "You saw it too, didn't you?" he suddenly asked. "Revan and Malak in that temple."

Buffy nodded. "I did. And so did Bastila." She led him to the Council chambers and found Bastila standing before them.

"Padawan," Bastila said. "I ask you to stay outside. The Council wishes to discuss this with Jarcen and myself."

Buffy frowned. "But I----"

"This is not open for debate, Padawan," Bastila snapped. Buffy set her jaw and nodded. Vance gave her a baffled shrug before following Bastila into the chamber.

They were inside for the better part of an hour as Buffy fought to keep her impatient nature at bay. She saw cross-legged, practicing by levitating a pair of rocks before her. She was using some pebbles to play a game of tic-tac-toe when the doors opened and Vance exited. The young man seemed stunned, walking slowly and rubbing his head.

"Hey," Buffy said as the pebbles dropped to the ground and she rose to her feet. "What's going on?"

Vance licked his lips as he faced her. "They…they said we seem to have some sort of weird…Force bond. That's why you, Bastila and I shared that vision and how I saw the one of what happened with Revan."

Buffy's eyes widened. "Huh? How could that happen?"

Vance spread his hands. "They don't seem to know. But they think it might be part of something bigger. So…" He took a deep breath. "They want to train me."

Buffy stared at him. "You mean…they want you…to become a Jedi?"

The smuggler nodded. "Yeah. I guess they do."

Buffy bit her lip. "Are you going to?"

Vance brushed his hair back. "I wasn't sure at first but they told me it could be important to the Republic. That there's a reason I have these visions and they could be the key to beating Malak. And after what happened to Taris, I'm a bit more open to that."

Buffy licked her lips. "So…you're in?"

Vance nodded slowly. "I guess I am." He looked up at her. "What am I in for?"

Buffy gave him a smile that was both reassuring and yet sympathetic at the same time. "Vance, my friend…get ready for the trial of your life. You're gonna love it."