"There she is!" Mission shouted as she pointed to a figure in the doorway. The rest of the group gathered around her and looked in the direction she aimed. Bastila sighed; she was not surprised to see the crew of the Ebon Hawk waiting for her outside the Jedi temple, but she had hoped for a little more time to collect her thoughts and frame the Council's news in the best possible light.
"Was Jiara there?" Juhani asked as Bastila reached them.
"No, she has not sought them this night," Bastila replied sadly.
"Course not," Canderous snorted. "Revan isn't exactly cozy with the Council these days."
"What did they say?" Carth asked eagerly. "You weren't in there all that long."
Bastila took a slow deep breath and looked down at the ground. "The Council will do nothing, yet." She almost flinched at her own words.
"What?" they said in near unison. Zaalbar's howl echoed longer, but it was Carth's voice that stood out from the rest. His anger, frustration and anguish sliced through the night air.
"I suspected they didn't really care about her, but what about their stupid dinner tomorrow? Aren't they worried that the star of their propaganda puppet show is missing?"
"The Council feels Jiara will not abandon her obligation. They trust she will be there tomorrow. Until then, she has chosen to be alone, and they will honor her decision and not impose on her privacy and solitude."
"That's just a fancy way of saying 'lets wait and see.' In other words, the usual," Jolee groused.
"Is that the ONLY plan in the Jedi strategy guide? No matter the situation, it's always sit back and watch what happens, then pass judgment!" Carth yelled.
"That way they don't get their hands dirty," Canderous said hotly. "They seek glory without risk."
"They seek to serve the Force, Canderous," Bastila's voice was low, emotionless. "They,…I…we are merely instruments of its will. They seek balance, not glory."
"Kath crap!" Canderous spat back. "Then why all these damn ceremonies and dinners? I've seen more Jedi this past month than I have my entire life. If they wanted to avoid the glare of the spotlight, standing next to us is a poor choice of a hiding place."
"He's right," Mission added. "They crowd in for the holocron portraits, but ya know, they barely talk to me at all, and I am a part of this team too! And they flat out ignore Zaalbar!" The Wookiee's roar was deafening. "Doesn't matter, Big Z…you are a hero too, we all pitched in together. We all should get respect."
"Mission speaks the truth," Juhani said softly. "I am accustomed to being ignored, but even I noticed we are pushed aside until we are needed to make them look good. They claim to honor us with these ceremonies, but they are on stage more than we."
"These are dangerous thoughts, Juhani," Bastila cautioned.
"Because they are true?" Jolee shot back. "Canderous has their number alright: take credit when things go right, deny responsibility when it all falls apart. Oh sure, they were all happy with Revan when she won the Mandalorian Wars, held her and Malak up as models of the Jedi Order, even though they had acted alone. But when they returned as Sith, well, the Council could not distance themselves further from the pair. Made sure to point out at every opportunity that they had gone to the war against the Council's wishes."
"They got all they will from me," Canderous announced. "If Revan is not returned for the dinner, I will not be there either."
"Me neither," Jolee added with gusto. "I am done being their old fool."
"The food is always terrible anyways," Mission dismissed.
"Hey, you all sound like she is never coming back!" Carth said with alarm. "I am not going to sit around waiting to see if Jiara decides to go to dinner or not. I am going back out there to look for her."
"If she wishes to be alone…" Bastila began.
"Then I will ask her about it when I find her. Have you stopped to consider this may not be a self-imposed exile?"
"There is no proof otherwise…"
"There is no evidence either way. She is gone, I am going to find her. Anyone else?"
"Count me in!" Mission offered instantly. "And Big Z too. He takes that life debt thing seriously," she said as an explanation of Zaalbar's howl.
"I shall search with Mission, I may be able to sense Jiara within the Force," Juhani added.
"Cantinas are a good a place as any to ask questions," Canderous said. "And I know how to get answers."
"Good idea, Canderous," Carth said as he raised his personal comm-link. "HK, report," he said into the device.
"Acknowledgement," crackled back though the comm. "Statement: The master has not returned. Query: What are you going to do about this, meatbag?"
"We're gonna go get her, HK. Tell T3 to stand guard at her room, and meet me in the hotel lobby; we will go searching together. I can use your scanner to detect her life pattern, and your charm to get information."
"Ready!" was the enthusiastic reply.
"You know I will be looking, if for no other reason, than to defy the Council," Jolee huffed.
"It is unwise to go against the council's wishes," Bastila automatically replied in a cold, detached manner.
"So you will not help, Bastila?" Carth asked with disbelief in his voice. "We, she, did not give up on you when Malak held you prisoner, but you return the favor by abandoning her so easily?"
Bastila looked away from his accusing stare. She bit her lower lip as she thought about her last conversation with Jiara. Bastila had only tried to help when she revealed Malak's secret plan of attack that left Revan a thoughtless shell of a being. But what if it was this information that drove Jiara away, maybe to seek a method of reconnecting with her lost identity? If she were to reawaken Revan, would Jiara be lost forever? No, Bastila thought, she cannot bring back the Dark Lord. If Jiara fell, then what hope did Bastila have for resisting a similar fate?
"Where do you want me to look?" she asked.