Sorry for the long stretch since the last chapter--holidays, real life...you know how that goes. There will be a few more chapters up regularly after this one, promise!
"Why did we not think of this sooner?" Juhani hissed. "Is this not how you escaped from Taris?" she said, her eyes narrowed on Bastila.
"Yes, it is, but," Bastila stammered. "Well, how would I know he would use the same plan twice? Surely he would have thought we would be waiting for him…"
"I can't get Big Z," Mission interjected. "It must be time for meal number five," she grumbled as she looked away from her personal comm. "Should I try T3?"
"No, bad idea," Jolee answered quickly. "If they are on the ship and you make contact, they will know we are on to them."
"It seems quiet, more than I imagined it would be," Juhani whispered as they entered the port building. "Everything seems in order, no signs of distress at all." She scanned the halls. A few guards patrolled here and there, service bots went about cleaning and moving equipment. A sign above flashed the warning of the lock down. There were no civilians in the building; all flights had been canceled.
There was a strange calm around them. Jolee spotted a computer terminal and nodded towards it as he tapped Mission's shoulder.
"On it!" she smiled as she skipped towards the panel. "Well, that was easy," she said dejectedly after a few moments. "They really need to upgrade security here."
"Be glad they haven't," Bastila said tersely. "Access the cameras—are they at the Hawk?"
"Already working on it," Mission announced as the screen blinked, then displayed the Ebon Hawk docked peacefully in its bay. "Doesn't look like it."
"Strange, the signal is coming from this building," Bastila muttered as she looked again to the tracking receiver. "I doubt he would be after another ship. Check the other cameras. See if we can spot them. It could be we have arrived in time before they steal the ship."
"Ya know, Bastila, technically that is Revan's ship, and Canderous can lay some claim to it as well, so they aren't stealing it…" Jolee offered.
"They still aren't allowed to take it! How do you think he plans to get through the blockade?"
"Don't ask me. I am too old to be thinking so much," Jolee grumped.
"Or too lazy," Juhani said with a toothy grin and a poke to his gut. "I admit I too am at a loss," she sighed.
"I think we have become too accustomed to allowing Revan to formulate our plans in such situations," Bastila admitted, a tone of regret and alarm lacing her words. "I have to say I have no idea what to do after we find Canderous. I had not really thought that far ahead, I was too focused on finding him."
"So call Carth," Mission called over her shoulder as she continued to work at the terminal. "Ask him what he wants us to do, his plans aren't all bad….just his personal life is a mess, that geezer nerf-herder."
"I suppose I should report to him anyway," Bastila sighed as she began to activate her comm.
"Go ahead, Bastila," Carth answered instantly. "Is the tracking device still working?"
"Yes, we believe so," Bastila replied tentatively. "Are you able to speak freely?"
"My meeting with Dodonna ended a bit ago. I am at the hotel changing right now. My dress uniform is a bit too conspicuous."
"Not to mention ripe," Mission slipped under her breath.
"Shush, child!" Jolee admonished trying to keep a straight face. Juhani simply turned and took a few steps away to allow herself to giggle freely.
"Good," Bastila returned, casting a reproachful eye at her companions. "The hotel is closer to our location. We have the signal coming from the spaceport. We believe Canderous is going to steal the Ebon Hawk."
"Ha, let him try!" was the confident reply. "I instructed T3 to ignore Canderous if he should show up and disable the ship if he tried to take it. Plus I deactivated his passcard."
"Well, that explains why we do not see him in the hangar. They must be holed up working on a plan somewhere in the building."
"Okay, sounds like we got 'em. Try to get onboard the Hawk without being seen and wait there for him. He should be expecting an ambush, so don't try anything right away. See if T3 can rig something sneaky. Oh, say, a shocking welcome… I'm on my way. Onasi out."
"Well, you heard the man," Jolee said. "I can't think of anything better to do. The ship still clear, Mission?"
"Yeah," she said switching the camera. A calm image of the Hawk berthed in its hangar popped onto the monitor. "But I don't see anything on any of these screens," she said as she rapidly checked each camera view. "Doesn't make sense, unless they are hiding some place. Are you sure they are here?" Silence was her answer. "Hey, guys?"
Mission turned to see Bastila and Juhani standing perfectly still; a cold expression and a distant gaze to their eyes. Jolee was breathing deeply, his eyelids squeezed tight, his hand gripping intensely to his saber hilt. Mission jumped when his eyes suddenly snapped open.
"Do you feel that?" he rasped as he looked around cautiously before turning his attention to the other Jedi.
"Okay, this is weird," Mission muttered. "What's going on? You guys are freaking me out!"
"Fight it," he said sternly. Bastila and Juhani remained motionless, their eyes still glazed over.
"Jolee, what is this?" Mission pleaded frantically. "Some stupid Jedi thing again? What is wrong with them?" She began to move towards Juhani, concern etched deeply in her face.
"Stay back, Mission," he cautioned as he held his hand out to stop her. "There is a dark energy here. A call to the Dark Side of the Force. They have been affected, they hear it, and it is difficult to ignore, especially one this strong," he explained as he continued to study the young women. "Turn away, do not give in," he said calmly with authority. Juhani's hand began to slip towards her belt, fingers playing on the edge of her lightsaber.
"Juhani, no!" Mission cried out. The Cathar wavered slightly, then her eyes began to focus. She staggered as Mission came to her side to steady her.
"Come on, missy, you can do it," Jolee whispered as he reached out to Bastila and placed his hand on her shoulder.
At his touch, Bastila crumpled into his arms.
"Over here," he said indicating a bench near the wall. Mission helped Juhani across the hall as Jolee sat Bastila down and propped her up.
"What was that?" Juhani asked, her voice shaken.
"They are here, that's for sure," Jolee grumbled as he continued to tend to Bastila. "Come on girl, you are stronger than this! Snap outta it!" he said with a rough shake to her shoulders. Bastila suddenly came to attention with a deep gasping breath.
"Jolee! That power…" she began frantically.
"The same as at the hotel," he answered with a nod. "Or damn close enough."
"What are you two talking about?" Mission asked.
"What power at the hotel?" Juhani added. "I did not sense anything of this magnitude. How could I have missed it?"
"You were out when it happened," Bastila explained. "There was a darkness. It came from Revan. And I have succumbed to it twice in the same number of days," Bastila said angrily as shame blazed in her cheeks.
"No need to beat yourself up over it. You turned it away both times," Jolee said. "And it is much stronger here. There is a great power somewhere in this building. Even when I fought against the Sith and Exar Kun, I never experienced anything like this. We have been careless in this hunt."
"Yes," Juhani growled. "We underestimated the Mandalorian. We did not take his commitment seriously, or his abilities. We misjudged him and now we pay the price. He has located the Sith and they know we are here. We have lost our advantage."
"Maybe not!" Mission quickly returned to the terminal and pulled up the Hawk's hangar camera. "It is still clear there. They are somewhere else. If we can make it to the ship, we will be safe," Mission offered hopefully. "Our bay is just up there, we can make it!" she said pointing a few doors down the hall.
"Okay, then let's get going. But be careful! We don't want any surprises along the way," Bastila cautioned. She looked down the hall: the short distance seemed to stretch forever in the uncertainty and danger of the situation.
"And mask yourself in the Force. I'll cover Mission—you two concentrate on yourselves," Jolee said.
They all nodded, then briskly and silently made their way down the corridor. They breathed a collective sigh of relief when they reached the hangar with no incident. Bastila swiped her card through the reader as she passed by on her way to the door. A sharp tone buzzed back; the door remained closed in front of them. Bastila frowned and passed her card through again: the same result.
"Carth said he deactivated Canderous's card, but seems he got mine as well," she pondered out loud. Juhani offered hers; it too had no effect. "Looks like he accidentally wiped them all."
"He isn't that stupid," Jolee scoffed. "Something else is going on here. Probably a result of the lock-down. No one can access any of the ships because no one is going anywhere. That explains why Ordo isn't here yet—he isn't exactly a wiz at security. He's more a blow it up, knock it down sort of guy."
"Well, it's keeping us out too," Bastila groused with a petulant wave at the sealed door.
"What would you guys do without me?" Mission sighed as she sliced into the terminal. "Huh," she mumbled after more time than any of them thought she would need. "This door has some extra security. I am working on the fourth level now. Nice to know they do have some extra measures in place somewhere. But it still isn't good enough!" she said triumphantly as the locks began to click and pull apart. The door fell open at last and they calmly walked into the hangar.