Slayers of the Old Republic

Book IV: Kashyyk

By Michael Weyer

"How in all the HELLS did you get off Taris alive, Nord!" Canderous demanded.

The bounty hunter just smirked. "Three words, Canderous. I'm. A. Professional."

"Got three words for you, too," Buffy snapped. "But Bastila would be pissed if I said them out loud."

Carth was gazing warily at the Mandalorians around them. "I'm surprised, Nord. From what I've heard, you work alone."

"I do," the bounty hunter stated. "But in this case, I felt some backup was needed. It just so happens that these Mandalorian mercenaries were already here, working for Czerka. All it took was a cut from the bounty I'll be getting on you and they were willing to help out."

Vance licked his lips. "Don't suppose there's any point in trying to offer you more, is there?"

Nord shook his head. "Sorry, kid. This is about my rep more than the cash. I'm going to need to protect it, after all. Now, as I'm sure you're aware, you're surrounded and the slightest move against us is going to end up with all of you blasted."

"Isn't that what you're going to do anyway?" Faith snapped.

"Not if your friend goes with me," Nord said, nodding to Bastila. "Lord Malak is paying me double if she's in good shape."

Bastila's face was set in a hard expression. "I would rather die."

Nord sighed. "They always have to do it the hard way…" He shook his head as he pulled out his blasters. "Come with me and I'll be satisfied just leaving your friends here with no weapons. Make this difficult and…" He let his voice trail off, the threat evident.

Buffy shook her head. "You want her…you'll have to get us all, Nord."

The bounty hunter shrugged. "If that's the way it has to be…" He made a motion and the Mandalorians aimed their rifles carefully at the group…

Without warning, two of the Mandalorians spun around, facing each other and their rifles erupted at once. As everyone stared, baffled, rifles flew out of the hands of two other Mandalorians. They stared at their empty hands and that was the opening Juhani needed to strike out. Her lightsaber swung out to cut them both down and in seconds, the group was on the attack.

Faith was slashing out with her sword to knock a mercenary back as Carth fired at a pair. The Mandalorian's armor was tough, able to deflect a few blaster shots but the Jedi's lightsabers were a different story. Carth and Canderous found themselves falling back so the Jedi could take the lead, their sabers deflecting laser fire before cutting through armor and flesh.

Faith rolled to avoid a blaster bolt and found herself staring up into the muzzle of a blaster. Nord had it leveled at her forehead with a steady arm. He glanced up to see Buffy cut down the final Mandalorian and turn toward him, her face falling as she saw Faith on her knees with a gun to her head.

"All right!" Nord yelled, showing the slightest crack in his normally cool composure. "I don't know how you pulled that off but you try it again and she pays for it! I've got this on a hair-trigger so if anyone tries anything, I'll------"

He stopped in mid-sentence, letting out a small gasp. Faith automatically rolled out of the way but the blaster didn't go off. Instead, Nord stood, staring off. Then he looked down at the bar of green energy that was protruding out of his midsection. It was pulled out and Nord collapsed to his knees. He was staring down, a look of utter incomprehension on his face. He pitched forward and lay still.

Everyone stared at him in disbelief before becoming aware of the green lightsaber flashing behind the spot where Nord had stood. It was held by a black man dressed in non-descript brown robes. "Ah, the dammnable racket of battle!" he said in a gravely voice as he turned the lightsaber off and stepped forward.

He appeared to be in his 60's, going by the lined wrinkles on his face. He was completely bald with a goatee that was almost completely white. However, his body was still quite strong and athletic and showed little signs of the weakness of age. His eyes were dark and steady as they took in the group standing before him. "Well, well, well. To what do I owe the honor of such an interesting group of visitors?"

"Who the hell are you?" Faith demanded as she rose to her feet.

"Name's Jolee Bindo," the man responded in a friendly tone.

"A Jedi Master?" Buffy asked. "Here?"

Jolee grunted. "Don't coddle me, child. I'm no Jedi and I'm certainly not your Master. My days of glory are behind me. I'm just the crazy old man who lives in the woods."

"What are you doing here?" Buffy pressed.

Jolee glanced around. "I think it best we talk somewhere safer. We can leave these bodies to the scavengers. A lovely thing about Kashyyk, the forest takes care of its own waste." He started to walk off. "Come on, my home isn't far from here."

After a pause to look at each other, the group followed him. Faith and Canderous paused long enough to check the dead bodies and take a few weapons and other items. Faith's eyes lit up as she pulled a sizeable load of credits off of Nord's body. "This will be a help," she muttered as she stepped over the dead bounty hunter.

The walk wasn't too far as the group came to a small hut underneath a large fallen log. It was large enough for all of them to fit in and they had to admire how this stranger had managed to build his own furnishments into the wood. A large fire pit in the center allowed them to warm up. "You live here?" Vance asked with surprise.

"Yeah, I know. I used to fight the Sith, now look at me!" Jolee shook his head as he removed a pot from the makeshift stove and poured something into a dish.

"You fought the Sith?" Vance continued. "And you live down here?"

Jolee acted baffled. "Did I say anything about the Sith? You have good ears."

"What business of the Order brought you to this place?" Bastila asked, trying to sound assertive.

"The Order?" Jolee harrumphed. "The Order and I parted ways before you were born."

"Then you're not a Jedi?" Buffy asked. "Not sure I get it."

Jolee shrugged as he shifted some of the ingredients in his pot. "I follow the Jedi Way and defend myself with a lightsaber and the Force. I guess that makes me a Jedi in most people's eyes. The Council, however, would argue with that estimation, and so would I." He lifted a spoon to his mouth, tasted it and frowned. "Hmm…needs more rutmeg. I've seen my share of the dark and the light and both extremes annoy the hell out of me." He paused and looked up wistfully. "Of course, I have felt the rumbles of change…"

"You are difficult to deal with, and that worries me," Bastila admitted with concern.

His dark lips curled in a wicked smile. "Ah, and it makes you think that I may have the 'taint of the Dark Side' within me, doesn't it? Ooh, is that what you're wondering, huh? Ooh."

"I do not sense the taint of the Dark Side within you, old man," Juhani stated. "I sense you are a servant of the Light, whether you admit it or not."

Jolee gave her a kind smile. "I can assure you, madam, that I see more gray than dark or light. I'm just a stubborn old man, tired of the foolishness of others."

"About time I met a Jedi who's not hung up on all this Dark Side/Light Side stuff," Faith said. "Gets pretty tiring."

"It does, doesn't it?" Jolee noted dryly. He decided he instantly liked this feisty young lady. "I got a bit tired of the platitudes, the hypocrisy, holding to 'the Code' rather than letting people think for themselves." He looked to Bastila. "Sadly, it doesn't look like things have changed."

"You certainly don't act like any Jedi I've met. Then again, I've met very few that I didn't have to kill," Canderous said.

Blunt, and old enough to know how the universe really worked. Jolee decided this fellow wasn't all bad. "And you are quite unlike any Mandalorian I've run across, so that makes us even. For all you and I know, I may have had to fend off a few of your relatives."

"Then I hope they put up a worthy battle."

Bastila frowned and tried to get things back on track. "Well…we do have to thank you for your help."

"Just lucky you were in my neighborhood," Jolee responded. He turned away from the dish to face them. "So…exactly why are there a dozen Mandalorian corpses lying in my backyard who were trying to kill a group of people I don't know?"

Bastila pursed her lips. "I'm afraid that information is confidential. All I can say is that we are on a special mission from the Council and its success is vital to the safety of the galaxy."

Jolee just stared at her for a long moment. "You're one of Vrook's, aren't you?"

Bastila was thrown. "Um, yes, I did study under Master Vrook."

"Master Vrook?" Jolee let out a bitter laugh. "Oh, stars, the Order must be in even worse shape than I thought."

Bastila sputtered, a sight that brought laughs to both Carth and Faith. Vance smiled himself before speaking. "We're looking for an ancient artifact. A Star Map."

"Padawan!" Bastila cried out at him.

"Ah, yes, of course," Jolee nodded. "I should have known. The Jedi wouldn't bother with some Wookies, of course not. You're here for the Map."

"You know of it?" Bastila asked with surprise.

Jolee let out a "harrumph" sound. "You live down here twenty years, you explore a lot. I've also talked a bit to the Wookies. Fascinating creatures. I like that they have little respect for bureaucracy."

"There's a rumor of a crazed Wookiee in the Shadowlands," said Buffy. "According to Chuundar, he's been killing other hunters."

"Mad with grief, perhaps, but not insane, and certainly no threat to his own kind. I helped him pass to the lower forests where only a Wookiee could follow. Now, I could take you there, but there's a barrier that...Well, you'll know it when you see it."

Vance frowned. "Is this related in any fashion to Rorworr?"

"That," Jolee said gravely, "is a matter that can only end in shame and sorrow. No, it isn't directly related. I see a lot down here, but I leave it to others to sort them out."

"You're not a terribly helpful sort, I see," Bastila said dryly.

"I wasn't aware I had to be," Jolee replied as he stared at her. "Look, events like these reveal much about the people involved. I'm well past that introspective tripe."

"Wise of you," Canderous said, nodding in salute. "Some things are best solved with your blade."

"Kashyyyk is an interesting place, more so than anyone suspects. If Czerka knew the half of it, they'd turn the place into a strip mine. The Wookiees have their legends that they were not always here, but it's more than that. The trees themselves are strangers."

Faith rolled her eyes and leaned in toward Buffy. "He's the black Jedi Gandalf."

"What I'm saying is that there are literally walls in your path, and that you won't find what you need without my help, and that help's got a price. You must do a task for me, and allow me to come with you. Do that, and I can remove certain barriers in your path."

"Come with us?" Vance asked. "As in just for this or...?"

Jolee shook his head. "How many kilometer-high trees can one see before one has seen enough? It's time for me to go, and I assume you got here with a starship." He moved back to his stove and kept working on his meal. "I've missed the vibration of deckplates under my feet and engine noise in my ears."

Looks passed among the crew. Carth shrugged. Faith's eyes lit up. Juhani regarded him with curiosity. Canderous kept a stern Pazaak face - so did Bastila. Vance and Buffy exchanged dubious looks.

"Let's say we agree," Buffy announced. "What exactly do you want us to do?"

"The Czerka Corporate hunters come down here, but they've mostly left me alone...until recently. A group of them set up camp northeast of here. Poachers is all they are. I'd like them removed. The captain of the lot is the one who's earned my ire. Mishandle my garden, will he?"

"Oh," Carth drawled, trying not to laugh. "The aged semi-Jedi wants us to chase the kids off his lawn."

"Why haven't you taken care of them yourself, old man?" said Canderous, inspecting that gigantic canon he carried into battle. "I'm certain you could have them fleeing for their miserable lives."

"Oh, I could, but we all know the deal Czerka has. Besides, they know who I am and will be expecting me to cause them trouble. I know this sounds absurd, but I'm old and entitled to work you around for a bit, as per the deal. And well, you could call it a test."

"So you want us to get rid of them?" Buffy asked.

Jolee nodded. "Yep. Without killing, I might add." His eyes twinkled. "Can't make it too easy for you, now can I? Now, go on, get to it!"

"Now?" Vance sputtered.

"Yes, now!" Jolee said. "Go, shoo and don't come back until you've done it!" He thrust out a hand and the entire group found themselves being pushed back as if by a cyclone wind. They fell outside as the door shut before them.

They tried to recover, Bastila appearing very put out by the treatment. Faith, on the other hand, was wearing a huge smile on her face as she spoke out in a loud voice. "I LIKE him!"