Mission clung desperately to Zaalbar's arm; she had braced her body and dug her heals in, but the marks in the carpeting showed he had dragged her quite a ways with little effort. "No, Zaalbar, don't!" she yelled as he howled back. "This isn't right! Don't go!" The rest of the Ebon Hawk crew spilled out of Canderous's room and stood in shock as Mission and Zaalbar argued. The growling and bellowing bounced off the walls.
"What is going on?" Carth whispered to Jolee.
"Seems the wookiee wants to leave too," Jolee shrugged.
"Come on Big Z, wise up! You don't have to go through with that stupid life-debt…" Zaalbar roared violently, his arm swung high in the air, lifting Mission and flinging her away. She sailed backwards, landing awkwardly on her hip; momentum from the throw tumbled her further along the hall, limbs and lekku flailing in all directions.
"Mission!" Juhani yelled as she and Bastila rushed to her. The familiar whine of HK's charging blasters filled the corridor.
"Hey, big fella, calm down," Jolee said quickly as he rushed up to Zaalbar. "She didn't mean that, there was no need…" Zaalbar's rage had already drained away as soon as he saw what he had done. He stood there quietly, his head hung low, his eyes remorseful. He whimpered softly. "Yeah, you know how women are, especially the young ones, they don't understand. A life debt is very serious, Zaalbar, I know, nothing stupid about it," Jolee said attempting to keep him calm.
"You okay there, Blue?" Carth asked as he crouched down near Mission. Juhani was holding her hand and Bastila was rubbing her back. "Pretty rough landing, kid."
"I've had lots of practice flying the galaxy with you at the controls," she returned sharply.
"Heh, you're okay, I knew you were tough," he said with a smile as he lifted her up to her feet. "Looks like your feelings are hurt more than anything else. So what's this all about?"
"Zaalbar wants to go join the Sith with Revan, dumb wookiee. He says he has to because of that life debt he promised. He told me at the party that he was going to go look for her and follow her, all that stupid honor stuff. I have been trying to talk him out of it ever since!"
"Did he know Canderous was planning on leaving?" Juhani asked.
"Yeah, told him so at the party—he asked Zaalbar how to fix HK so he could take the droid along."
"So that's how…" Carth grumbled as he turned to see Canderous standing with Jolee and Zaalbar. Carth felt a little better knowing Canderous did not come up with the idea on his own to get HK back on-line to allow the self-repair system to activate; but still, the point went to the Mandalorian. But not the match, Carth thought. Game's still on, Canderous, are you still playing?
"Mission, I asked you to keep Zaalbar away from HK," Bastila sighed.
"I did! Just before I got Big Z away, we showed him how to fix HK's core program because you told me he wanted to help. I didn't know he was planning on leaving us—Zaalbar didn't tell me that part until just now. See, when I was trying to talk him out of this, I said a big smelly hairy wookiee running the streets of Coruscant alone wasn't the brightest plan—that's when he said he wouldn't be alone, he would be with Canderous and HK."
"I should have told you, Mission," Bastila said sadly.
"Don't think it would have made too much difference—he is determined to go…both of them," Carth sighed.
"We've got to stop them! I don't want to lose Zaalbar too! Those Sith won't take him in, you know that," Mission said as her eyes began to redden and puff. She looked up and saw Zaalbar staring back at her; he quickly looked down and away when their gaze met. "This is so stupid!" she grumbled, then marched towards him. "Big Z, I am sorry I said that…it's just, I don't want you to get hurt," she offered as she neared him. "I am scared for you; Zaalbar, this is big, and it is bad, really bad." Her voice was trembling. Zaalbar wailed soft and low, then gently brushed away the tears on her cheek with the back of his paw. "I know you didn't mean it, buddy," she said with a small smile.
"Mission is correct, Zaalbar," Bastila offered. "You are not helping by joining the Sith. Your life-debt is to Jiara, not Darth Revan."
"Well, yes and no," Jolee answered to the wookiee's howl of protest. "Jiara freed you from the Gammoreans, a Sith Lord would never have lifted a finger for you. You swore loyalty to the person who saved you, and that was not Revan."
"How many times do we have to go through this, people?" Canderous snarled. "You cannot pick them apart to your own liking: they are one in the same. Zaalbar swore an oath, as did I. You cannot expect us to go against our word, to diminish our honor so easily."
"Canderous, you might be accepted, but you know what they will do to him," Jolee spat angrily. "Wookiees aren't even second class citizens in this space."
"At best, they would keep him as a slave," Juhani growled. "More likely they will kill him on sight. He will never get to see Revan again, his life-debt will be forfeit either way."
"Stay here with us, Zaalbar; help us get her back: that is the best way to honor your vow," Bastila entreated.
"Listen to her, Big Z! Please, don't do this. Don't leave me," Mission's voice wavered. Then she hardened her features. "Ya know, that's it—if you go, I go too!" Mission stomped her foot in emphasis. A chorus of startled and distressed protests from everyone, Canderous included, reverberated throughout the hallway.
"Do the right thing on this one, Canderous," Carth almost pleaded. "There is more than one kind of honor." Canderous pursed his lips as his brow furrowed even deeper. Wookiee howls were nearly drowned out by the endless bickering and pleading from Mission and the others.
"That's enough!" he yelled at last. "Listen, wookiee, you will only slow me down. You don't exactly blend into the crowd, especially where I'm headed. It will be easier getting info without you. I can't stop you from leaving, but don't come with me, got it?" Zaalbar's wild roars and flailing arms were simple to interpret. "Don't make me shoot you," Canderous warned.
"Requisition: May I have the pleasure?" HK asked drawing his pistol.
"You two, over here, now," Canderous commanded as he pointed to HK and Zaalbar while moving away from the rest.
"Clarification: May I remind you, Mandalorian, that while I am fluent in the numerous languages and dialects of several species, I am a protocol droid second. This will involve some form of pain and suffering with copious amounts of blood, will it not?"
"Shut up and get over here, tin can," Canderous growled indicating where he wanted them to gather further down the hall. The three huddled together. Zaalbar fell silent as he listened, then nodded. The rest stood and stared.
"What are they saying?" Mission asked.
"Can't hear, but it looks like Canderous got through to him," Jolee answered with relief.
"Got that, hairball?" Canderous said loudly. "I don't want to see you anywhere near me out there; if you follow me, it will be the last thing you do." Zaalbar roared forcefully in response.
"Translation: Try it and you will be pulling that repeater out…"
"I got it," Canderous said dryly, cutting HK off. "Any other time, I'd make you regret those words. Come on, I am done wasting time here." He signaled to the droid; without hesitation, or even a final look back, Canderous walked away. Zaalbar watched him disappear around a corner, then turned to face the rest of the crew. Angrily, he pushed past them and returned to his room. Mission quickly followed.
"Well, we aren't much of a team without Jiara," Carth remarked sadly. "She was the only thing holding us together."
"We will prevail, Carth," Bastila declared. "We must get her back, for her own sake."
"And ours," he added. Bastila nodded silently. "So, the Council really sitting on this?" Carth asked changing the subject. "I find that hard to believe, but I am not surprised. I was certain you'd be back here telling me we are charged with doing their dirty work again."
"Not exactly," Juhani muttered.
"Oh, we too experienced for them now? They need a whole new set of neophytes to send into the mouth of hell?"
"I must tell you of the Council's announcement," Bastila began.
"First, I think he should know about yours, Bastila," Jolee said seriously. "He has a right."
"What?" Carth felt his heart skip as he looked at the crestfallen expression Bastila had assumed. She took a deep breath and bit at her lower lip.
"I told Jiara something, Carth, something I thought would help her in her moment of doubt." Bastila then explained. Carth stared at her with confusion.
"So what exactly does that mean?" he asked.
"It means, son, her memories as Revan were not erased by the Council or even destroyed by the attack: they were misplaced, you could say, shielded from her by the Force. They were still out there, waiting. And it looks like she went out to find them…and did," Jolee sighed.
"So? She already knew, she already rejected her past. Why is this different?"
"She only knew that she had been Darth Revan: now she can recall being the Sith Lord, with the thoughts and feelings that go along with it. I am sorry Carth, the draw of the Dark Side is powerful, she may not have been able to resist," Bastila sighed. "It all makes sense now that I am no longer blinded by my own desires. As soon as I told her, she sought to get away; she used her power against me in order to obscure her decision to leave."
"That bought her plenty of time; we were distracted enough to chase false leads all the while. We were so sure Canderous was in the wrong: we never looked at the whole situation. We should have realized this sooner," Juhani admitted angrily. "We are fools, as he said. Who would have thought it would be the Mandalorian among us who reasoned rationally?"
"Well, I don't care, I am not giving up on her!" Carth shouted. "Revan was good in the beginning, you said so, Bastila. Jiara was also on our side. There must be something to save; the darkness can't be all that strong!" Bastila found hope in his words—for herself.
"Yes, Carth, you are right. The Council did say they felt her power was not very developed yet," Juhani added.
"Then we have time!" Carth said excitedly.
"Less than you think: I must tell you of our meeting with the Council," Bastila offered with a greater sense of urgency than Carth preferred to notice.
"Not much to report there," Jolee snorted. "It's all our fault, they will deal with it, blah blah blah," Jolee said waving his hands around dramatically.
"So they really aren't just sitting on this like you told Canderous?"
"No Carth, for once, they are taking action: I told nothing to Canderous, I did not want him to supply this information to the Sith should he find them. The Jedi have agreed to work with the Republic in full cooperation. They want Revan stopped quickly, at all costs…by whatever means necessary."
"Oh that's just great! One minute they're giving her a medal, the next they are planning her funeral! And you still wonder why people distrust the Jedi so much?" The words rushed from him before Carth realized he was standing alone with three Jedi…the only ones left to help him. He smiled sheepishly. "Present company excluded, of course."
"They left to meet with the Republic when they finished speaking with us," Juhani said. "Is there anything you can do within the military, Captain? Find out their plans, perhaps?"
"Ordinarily I would be uncomfortable spying on the Republic, but this is just too much for me to bear. I actually have been summoned to a meeting with Admiral Dodonna at o-eight hundred tomorrow. Beyond a lockdown and quarantine of the planet, I doubt they will have anything settled before I get there. I will find out what I can."
"And see if you can stall them a bit son, we need all the time we can get. I just do not see how we are gonna get out of this one," Jolee sighed. "Fighting the Sith is bad enough; going up against Canderous and HK won't make things any easier."
"Jolee, I hate to ask, but did you find anything, anything at all, that might help us when you searched his memories?" Bastila chose her words delicately.
"I was only looking for a break, Bastila, I was not there to steal his thoughts. But I did look around, hoping to find something. And I wanted to find it so badly, that missing time. The only thing gone and disjointed was the fight he had with you, the memory I erased; after that, there was no tampering. I would give anything for it to be otherwise, and believe me, I looked everywhere. That man has had some wild times in his life," he said shaking his head. "I thought I was crazy."
"So, any deep dark secrets?" Carth asked semi-seriously.
"Just one," Jolee answered casually. Carth, Bastila and Juhani looked at him with surprise.
"Well?" Carth urged.
"He likes us," Jolee shrugged.