Well, my chapters just seem to be getting longer and longer. Oh well, I enjoy writing them, and you all seem to like them, so I'm not going to complain. Anyway, sorry for the wait, we're about to host a baby shower for my aunt, and I'm cleaning the house...eek. Thanks for all of the reviews, I'm glad you like my rendition of HK.
Slightly fluffy moment later on in the chapter btw Revan (Vincent)/Bastila. I found it odd that they didn't put something like it in the game, and that she just was like "Oh we found my dead father's holocron, let's go back to mother now" with no emotion whatsoever. So I fixed that.
Oooh yes. Kind of a lot of physical descriptions in this chapter, I know i've had a couple of Vincent already, but hey, the man IS hot in Bastila's eyes, and wouldn't YOU take the chance to ogle your hottie any chance you got? And I realized that I hadn't given a description of Bastila from Vincent's POV, so I let him get an eyeful of her as well.
Hope you like, and as always, read and review!
Note: Vincent's appearance has been changed somewhat from the original idea that I had...I just got rid of some hair. We'll pretend his chest and stomach were always silky smooth, kay? It just wasn't going to work out with something that happens in a later chapter. And I realized that I really don't like chest hair...at all...
Second Note: This chapter has been revised. Again. I decided that I didn't like how Revan/Vincent suddenly became a cold, heartless ass, and how Bastila was a little passive later on. Please bear with me on stuff like this. I try and keep the revisions to a minimum, but this is like a first draft being submitted to an editor. I take your feedback and work with it, and I finally decided I don't like what I did with this particular part. Thanks for your patience.
"What is that?" Bastila asked, pointing at a huge structure that loomed ominously over the desert.
"Must be a Sand Crawler. That Czerka rep said that the Tusken Raiders had been attacking them, and that thing looks pretty disabled judging from the smoke pouring off of it," Vincent answered.
"Amused statement: I believe I see a man, master. He is surrounded by four robots that seem to be malfunctioning. Possible explanation: He is the man that woman referred to as Tanis. We should tell him what his wife said."
Vincent couldn't suppress a snigger. "Yeah. Imagine the look on his face when he realizes his wife's a complete psycho and she's trying to kill him. Let's go see if it's him."
Walking briskly in the direction of the floating robots, Vincent wondered what Tanis had to have done to make his wife go off the deep end.
"Hey, a little help here? I seem to be...ah...DOOMED!" Tanis yelled when he saw the trio approaching.
"Let me guess. You're Tanis, right?" Vincent asked upon stopping within a few feet of a faulty robot.
"Yeah, that's me."
"Your wife says hello."
"Gah, I knew this was her doing! Listen, could you help me out, please? I've been standing here for hours. See, if I move from this spot, the robots'll self destruct. They don't care if you move, just me. Do me a favor? Disable them..." Tanis pleaded.
"Why did your wife do this? I mean, what did you do to piss her off so much that she'd be willing to let you die out here?" Vincent inquired.
"Ah...something about not following her archaic rules for proper conduct in marriage. I swear I never saw this coming. She probably figures I'm to dumb to get out of this...eh, she's right..."
"I say we leave him," Bastila stated.
"You're awfully cold for such a pretty lady, you know that?"
"You have no idea," Vincent muttered loud enough for Tanis to hear.
"Supplication: Can I shoot him master? Please?"
"Not yet HK," Vincent said. "Tanis, what exactly did you do to deserve this? Be honest. I can tell if you're lying."
"I got drunk one night and got a little to friendly with another woman for my wife's tastes."
"Friendly?"
"I woke up the next day with her in my bed and a horrible hangover."
"Right. Well, here's some water," Vincent tossed a water canteen to Tanis, "and good luck with disabling those droids."
"What? No, don't leave! Please, I swear I'll make it up to her if you get me out!"
"You're wife's already long gone, Tanis," Vincent replied.
"If I'm going to die then I'm taking you out with me!" the hunter screamed insanely.
"What?" Vincent exclaimed. "What do you- holy -!"
He barely managed to throw himself out of the way as the man purposefully moved and caused all of his hunting droids to explode at once. Vincent raised his head from the sand and looked at the charred and bloody corpse that seconds ago was a living, breathing human being. From ten feet away on the ground, Bastila watched his horror-stricken face take in everything. Opening her mouth to say something to him about his idiocy that cost another man his life, she paused and thought better of it. She would let him deal with his own guilt for now; besides, he was never very amiable when she pointed out his mistakes, especially right after they occured. She knew he hadn't meant to get Tanis killed, but she was still disappointed in the way in which he handled the situation, not to mention shocked herself at Tanis' sudden suicidal rage.
Picking themselves up, they dusted off and walked mutely along until they made it to the Sand Crawler and found that there were three surviving crew members that looked like they had been through hell.
"Oi, for the love of God, please tell me you have enough of a heart to stop and help us!" one of the men called out in a thick Scottish accent.
"What happened here?" Vincent asked, his voice shakey from Tanis' suicide.
"Raiders attacked our Sand Crawler. They equip this monster with auto-targeting turrets, but even that doesn't help. And we're just miners, not soldiers! We've held off a couple waves of those damn barbarians, but we can't last much longer. Oh for God's sake, here they come again!" the man said.
Turning to his right, Vincent saw a group of six Tusken Raiders charging at the Sand Crawler. He heard Bastila's lightsaber ignite with a snap hiss, and he quickly ignited his own violet blade. Quickly judging the distance between himself and the nearest Raider, Vincent executed a flawless Force Jump to easily dispatch his enemy, slicing the unsuspecting warrior into halves. Concentrating on another Raider, Vincent was nearly knocked out as a gaffi stick impacted with the base of his skull. Dazed, he was very grateful when a yellow lightsaber cut down the Raider that had nearly cold cocked him, and some well placed blaster fire from HK killed the other. The miners had miraculously managed to take down two of the Tusken Raiders, leaving one severely wounded one to the mercy of HK. The combat droid viciously struck the Raider over the head with the butt of his Mandalorian rifle and ended the warrior's life with a point-blank shot in between the eyes.
The world was still spinning in Vincent's eyes, and he struggled to remain on his feet, but to no avail. Stumbling, he hit the sand with a soft thud and rolled onto his back.
"Vincent?" Bastila called, kneeling over him and blocking out the sun's harsh rays.
"Hmm?"
"What's wrong?"
"Everything's...spinning...and there's...two of you. What did I do to deserve that?"
Frowing at his distasteful attempt at humor, she examined the bleeding gash on his head. "I think that Raider gave you a concussion, or something very near to it."
"That's great...can you fix it please?"
"Oh for the love of – heal yourself!" she snapped.
"You think I enjoy this? I would've healed myself already if I could have!" he replied angrily, sitting up quickly and getting in her face, only to collapse back on the sand from a fresh wave of dizziness.
"Fine. There," she finished, sending a pulse of Force healing over him. She was in the wrong, but if she didn't have to admit it in front of him, she wouldn't.
"Thank you," he stated gruffly. "You guys need to get out of here. I guarantee they'll be back with more warriors."
"Thank you kind sir," the Scot said gratefully, his accent making the words sound almost alien. "C'mon boys, let's move out."
Vincent watched the miners disappear into the distance after a short while and he sighed. "I don't know about you, but I am not marching into a camp full of Sand People. There's gotta be some way around..." he paused, looking thoughtfully at the native's corpses. "Grab their clothes. If we put them on, maybe we can sneak in." Bastila gave him a blank stare that he knew indicated she didn't like his plan. "Hey, it's worth a try. Put 'em on."
"I refuse to change in front of you," she said resolutely.
"What – fine. I'll change first, okay?"
Vincent grumbled something unintelligible while unfastening the various straps that held his armor in place. He began to pull the top half over his head, but stopped. After a few seconds, a muffled "DAMMIT!" reached Bastila's ears.
"Hey, I could use some help!" he called to her.
"Really?" she asked lazily. She was using this as a wonderful opportunity to stare at his magnificently flat and muscular stomach.
"Yes actually. This," he wiggled the armor, "isn't supposed to happen."
"That's terrible."
"And I agree wholeheartedly sweetheart, but could you PLEASE get it off me?"
Rolling her eyes, Bastila moved to grab the armor. She yanked forcefully and the offending garment came loose, revealing a very annoyed Vincent.
"Don't call me sweetheart," she ordered with a glare. He grinned, and she rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time."What happened?"
"It's hot, so I'm sweaty, and that didn't go over too well with the rubber part there," he said pointing to a small patch of black that allowed for greater range of movement. "My arm got stuck."
Suddenly, the realization that he was shirtless smacked Bastila in the face and she panicked slightly, though she hid it fairly well. "Are you wearing an undergarment?"
He looked at her very oddly. "No. I just put the armor on totally naked." Vincent shook his head. "I'm wearing long underwear, sheesh."
"Well how was I supposed to know?" she asked. "Most undergarments for men are those body suits."
"I hate those things! I stick to the bottom half of the body suit only."
As if to demonstrate, he removed the rest of his armor, revealing that he did indeed only wear the long underwear. Bastila immediately noticed they were skin tight too. Vincent had momentarily closed his eyes at the relief of being out of his armor, and Bastila used this to study him unabashedly for a good thirty seconds.
In the unforgiving light that the twin suns of Tatooine cast, Bastila found that she had misjudged his body before when they were on Kashyyyk. The dim lighting inside of Jolee's hut had hidden the fact that he had a marvelous tan - or maybe it was the bright Tatooine sunlight, she couldn't tell. His broad shoulders suited him perfectly, giving him the air of someone sure of himself. Every muscle on his arms was flawless; each was defined and clearly visible, not massive, but wholly proportionate to the rest of his body. Vincent's strong chest tapered down into a firm stomach and lean hips, supported by solid legs that looked more powerful than Bastila had expected.
"See something you like?" Vincent's voice said, not without a hint of amusement.
"I'm afraid of what might happen if I say yes," Bastila answered, sarcasm tinting her words.
He pouted, then noticed that her eyes were nowhere near his face. His pout turning to a grin, Vincent decided to have some fun with her.
"I would appreciate it if you would stop staring at my groin."
Bastila's face turned an indescribable shade of crimson as her eyes flew up to meet his, anger boiling beneath the icy-blue irises. "I was not staring at that!"
"I don't mind," he replied while retrieving a set of robes off the nearest Tusken Raider. "Just let me know if you ever want to do a closer inspection."
"Oh please. If it helps you sleep at night, then keep telling yourself that I want you," Bastila shot back. His broad, strong back was attractive as well...but not without scars, she noticed with some reservation.
"I'm yours to take advantage of baby."
"Will you just shut up and get dressed?" she asked in exasperation. The man was impossible sometimes!
"There," Vincent said in a muffled but amused voice, thanks to the mask that the Sand People wore. "Your turn."
"Turn around," Bastila ordered.
"What? You got to stare at me!"
"You never said I couldn't. Now turn around."
Grumbling something under his breath, Vincent turned his back to Bastila and sat down. She changed quickly; not that she didn't trust him, she just didn't like the fact that she was stripping down in the middle of a desert where anyone could see.
"Help me get this mask on."
He stood and turned, surprised that she had changed so fast. "I thought it took women a long time to change," Vincent mused while helping her don the mask.
"That's makeup. It takes us a long time to pick out the outfit, about two minutes to get into it, and the rest of the time is spent fussing over an eyebrow that won't cooperate," she replied with a smile that made him wish she smiled more often.
Vincent made an "ah" sound and stepped back from her to study his work. From a distance, they would pass as Sand People without question, but up close, Vincent had a feeling they wouldn't be so lucky. Strapping gaffi sticks to their backs, Vincent and Bastila set off in the direction they hoped the Sand People's enclave was with HK following closely behind. Soon enough, they spotted huge spires of sand, their summits rising high into the cloudless blue sky. On the ground below, a group of at least eight Tusken Raiders stood watch. Vincent noticed that there seemed to be a path winding on behind the guards, most likely to the Raider's Enclave.
As luck would have it, when they approached, a massive gust of wind sent a gale of sand their way, giving them reason to lower their heads and shield themselves with an arm. Vincent's assumptions had been right: there was a path leading into the Raider's settlement, and he stopped for a moment to look around. Various Sand People were milling around, some tending to the large herd of Banthas that they depended on, and some were simply walking back and forth. Vincent guessed that these were more sentries and he took great care to avoid them as he trekked to the Enclave's entrance. A good number of turrets were positioned just outside the mat that served as a door, and Vincent sincerely hoped he was never on the wrong end of them.
Luck was on his side as he and his companions slipped into the Enclave unnoticed, but luck would prove to be fleeting as at that precise moment, a Tusken Raider walked by and immediately saw through their disguises. The Raider stopped in surprise and uttered a series of grunts, growls and animalistic noises which made absolutely no sense.
"Statement: Master, though I do not believe it was his intention, he did actually communicate something. He is quite shocked that you managed to get this far, and at the moment, he is unsure of what to do."
"Quickly tell him we aren't a threat!" Vincent ordered.
HK proceeded to imitate the noises which the Raider had made, hopefully conveying their message of non-violent intent. The Raider responded once HK was done, and the droid looked thoughtful before speaking to Vincent again.
"Translation: He highly doubts that master. But seeing as you have yet to cause any damage, he feels it is his duty to take you captive as a prisoner and bring you before his chieftain. I say we just shoot him."
"No, we're not going to shoot him. Tell him we'll come without resistance."
Once again, HK translated, and the Raider motioned for the trio to follow him. He led them to a small room and indicated that he wanted them to go inside. Following behind, the Raider barked something at them in an angry manner.
"Translation: He says you must remove all of the garments you have taken from his fallen comrades, or he will be forced to take them from you. He also says that he doesn't want you filthy humans desecrating anything with your touch, other than what is graciously provided in this room."
"Okay, I guess we strip then," Vincent said while beginning to remove the mask he was wearing. Bastila did the same, and soon they were both standing in nothing but their undergarments, all of the clothes they had previously been wearing now in possession of the Raider standing before them. He barked another short command before exiting the room and placing sentries on either side of the open doorway.
"Translation: He says we are to wait here until he comes back."
"I figured as much," Vincent replied while sitting down on the ground with his back against a wooden post. Bastila copied his idea, resting against a post opposite his. Closing her eyes, she let her head fall back against the wood. Seeing as Bastila had scrutinized him while he wasn't looking, Vincent decided to repay the favor and examined her carefully.
She had a graceful air to her, almost regal, and it only served to confirm his notion that she was an Ice Princess, cold and beautiful. Her body was one that he was sure millions of women would have envied; she was slim, athletically built, with just the right amount of muscle and curves to look capable yet feminine. Her arms were slender, though well defined, and her hands were, from his experience, strong and surprisingly deft. His eyes noted that her smooth, porcelain skin was flawless, and her light complexion made her brunette hair seem elegantly dark. Though her lids were closed, he knew that the pale color of her skin also assisted in making her eye color even more striking. Vincent's gaze traveled down her neck to her chest, where he didn't fail to note that she was definitely not lacking in bust, despite the fact that her chest was thankfully less than Himalayan. Her stomach was attractively firm, leading to a petite waist and hips, and her legs were perfectly slender, with just the right amount of toning to make Vincent's mind wander in a slightly naughtier direction.
As his eyes traveled the path back to her face, he felt his own grow slightly hot. Her beautiful blue-grey eyes were widened with embarrassment, though for the life of him he couldn't figure out why. She was the most incredible creation he had ever laid eyes on.
The Tusken Raider was back, however, and HK informed Vincent that they were to see the chieftain now. He stood up and dusted himself off, following the Raider to another room where he was placed before someone who he could only assume was their leader. The chieftain said something that was laced with obvious curiosity and suspicion, and Vincent looked expectantly at HK.
"Translation: Master, he is quite curious as to why you have actively sought him out. Most humans avoid his kind, and he is suspicious of what you want."
"Tell him that I'm not here to hurt anyone, but that I need to ask something of him. I would like him to stop his attacks on the Sand Crawlers."
"Statement: Very well master, but I would prefer if this ended in bloodshed."
After a brief wait, HK spoke to the chieftain who replied quite quickly.
"Translation: He sees no reason to stop the attacks. His people were here first, and the Czerka came and began to tear up their land with those machines."
"Ask him if there is anything I can do to make him stop attacking."
HK spoke again, and the chieftain looked thoughtful. A moment of silence passed, then the leader responded more slowly than before.
"Translation: He says that he is in need of moisture vaporators. If you get these for him, he will reduce his attacks on the Czerka Sand Crawlers. You are free to leave the Enclave, but you are not to return until you have the vaporators. However, he does not believe you will return."
"Tell him I will return, and I'll be back with those vaporators."
Vincent, Bastila and HK were escorted outside the Enclave by a particularly sullen Raider who, according to HK, despised humans and was dreading the fact that he actually had to wait for their return, which he was sure would never come. Vincent had given all of their equipment to HK, and he now retrieved it, changing back into his armor and re-equipping himself with his usual array of weapons. Once they were all ready, the trio set out to return to the Czerka office, as that was the only place that would likely have moisture vaporators.
Luckily, they made it back without anything remotely interesting happening. Vincent entered the office and bypassed the Czerka rep that he had spoken with earlier, opting instead to talk with the Rodian that was standing behind the counter at the back of the room.
"I need moisture vaporators. You got any?" Vincent asked quietly.
"Whaddya need those for?"
"Do you need to know?"
"I'd prefer it, yes," the Rodian stated.
"The Sand People's chieftain wants them. If I get them he'll reduce the attacks on the Sand Crawlers. Help me out here buddy?"
"If the Sand People attack less, that'll mean less stress for me. You got it. I've got a pair here for 400 credits. That's a real steal my friend," the Rodian said.
"Here. Thanks," Vincent replied, paying the alien.
"No problem. You come back if you need anything else."
"Will do," Vincent said while exiting the office. "Here HK, hold these."
"Indignant statement: While I am a fully functional droid, I resent the fact that I seem to have become a slave for you meatbags!"
"You are not – why do you call humans meatbags?" he asked, remembering that HK had referred to Tanis as one earlier.
"Statement: Why not master? You are a mass of tissues. And you're filled with all that water and fluid. All that incessant sloshing...I do not know how it doesn't drive you insane."
Vincent was silent for a moment then replied, "Neither do I..." Shaking his head at this new imponderable question, Vincent barely noticed a Jawa before he ran over it.
"Oh crap, I'm sorry! Didn't see you there, I was kind of zoned out," he apologized.
"Is nothing it. You human yes yes? You help Iziz, Jawa people leader, you will?"
"Umm, sure. What do you need from me?"
"My people held captive by the natives of the sand. Prisoners locked up no way out. You free them? Good stuff Iziz has you need I think. Good maps, good for hunting, not get anywhere without them," the small alien squeaked rapidly.
"Okay, I'll look for your friends Iziz."
"Iziz thanks kind human.Wishes luck."
Sighing, Vincent turned around and led his friends out of Anchorhead and across the desert, back into the Tusken Raider's camp. He felt the glares of hostility on his back, be he also felt the amazed looks of others, staring on in wonder at this human who had kept his word and come back. He stopped in front ot the Tusken Raider that had been instructed to wait for him and showed him the moisture vaporators. The Raider was obviously shocked that Vincent had returned, with the moisture vaporators no less, and he hastened to bring the group before the chieftain.
The leader was also in a state of bewilderment; no other human had ever done anything for them that remotely resembled kindness. In his gratitude, the chieftain gave Vincent his gaffi stick and stated he could explore the compound as long as he didn't desecrate anything. Vincent asked if they were holding any Jawas captive, and the chieftain thought a moment. HK translated once the leader responded.
"Translation: Yes master, they have the Jawas you seek. He says you may take them; they are no longer of any use to his tribe."
Vincent found and released the Jawas, escorting them back to Iziz.The Jawa leaderwas quite happy that this friendly human had returned those of his tribe, and he presented Vincent with a map to the Eastern Dune Sea, a place that was uncharitable unless you knew certain things. Which Iziz fortunately did, and graciously passed his knowledge on to Vincent.
Studying the map carefully he realized that he had actually already seen the entrance to the Eastern Dune Sea, he just hadn't realized it. Wearily, the group of three trudged through the sand and sweltering heat to another part of the desert, only to be taken aback by the fact that there was already someone else there. Two people, actually, a Twi'lek and a man. The man looked impatient and fidgeted nervously, glancing around rapidly.
"Dammit, I'm not waiting anymore! How big can this dragon of yours be?" he snapped, running into the cave that served as the Krayt dragon's lair. Even from this distance, Vincent could see that the creature was massive, the largest living thing he had ever seen. The man was either drunk, high, foolish, or had an extremely pressing death wish to want to go charging in there with only a blaster and a couple of grenades.
Sure enough, the dragon was roused by the idiot human running into his cave, and eagerly snapped up his tasty snack, though the snack didn't go down quietly. The man let out a bloodcurdling scream before being bitten in two and gulped down by the beast. Vincent had come to stand next to the Twi'lek who winced when he heard his companion scream in horror.
"I told him he should have waited," the alien stated sadly, turning to Vincent. "I know you...you sold that wraid plate that Fazza gave 500 credits for. I heard what you did for that woman. That was very kind of you."
Vincent simply nodded at the compliment, his attention focused on the Krayt dragon.
"He's incredible, no? Sadly, I have to deny him a fair fight, but that is beside the point. I could use your help, friend," the Twi'lek said. Vincent sighed inwardly. He was exhausted, near boiling in his titanium/alloy/whatever else Calo had put in his armor, and his temperament was very short. However, he realized that getting rid of the Krayt dragon would probably reveal the Star Map, and anything was worth doing to find another Map.
"All right, what do I need to do?"
"You need to lure a herd of Bantha over here to the mouth of the cave. It's the dragon's favorite food, and the only thing that will draw him out of his cave during his hibernation."
"Fine. I'll be back in a couple," Vincent said as he began to walk in the direction of the Banthas.
"You'll need Bantha fodder if –"
"I've got it!" he interrupted holding up a fistful of the Bantha's favorite snack. Unfortunately, the Banthas did not want to cooperate, and it took a good several minutes before he could get them to even think about moving. Vincent was very close to losing his temper when the Bantha stopped again.
"Holy hell! What's the matter this time?" he exclaimed. He received his answer as a group of three Elite warriors came charging out of nowhere. Apparently, the Tusken Raider tribes out here didn't take kindly to people borrowing their animals.
"Oh you did not just do that..." he stated as he ignited his lightsaber. "You did not just give me an eat-shit-and-die look through that ugly ass mask of yours..."
All three of the Elites decided to concentrate on Vincent, though his companions were with him, and his diminishing patience soon vanished. One of the Elites landed a lucky blow on the side of Vincent's jaw, sending him crashing into the sand, blood gushing everywhere. Getting back to his feet, he was unable to dodge the next blow to his left elbow, shattering it and rendering his whole arm completely useless.
Abruptly, Vincent felt something inside of him snap. An incredible rage engulfed him and he let out a furious howl, pushing the Force out from his body. The air around him crackled, and a massive barrage of Force lightning rained down on the unsuspecting Elites, frying them all instantly. Vincent was breathing heavily and clutching his damaged elbow, surveying the carnage with a cold, hard gaze. He slowly attempted to heal himself, staggering back to the herd of Banthas who were standing there as if nothing unusual had just happened. Wearily, he grabbed the fodder that he had dropped and led the herd to where the Twi'lek was standing.
"There," he grunted.
"Good," the Twi'lek said excitedly. "Now we just have to wait."
Vincent felt Bastila's heavy gaze on him and he turned to look at her, his eyes warning her not to preach. She shook her head and turned away, telling herself she would bring it up later.
They weren't kept waiting long, as the gigantic creature soon came lumbering out of his lair to feast on the defenseless Banthas. He never reached them, however. Within three enormous steps, the dragon was swallowed up in the explosions of countless mines that had been cleverly hidden by the Twi'lek hunter, plummeting to the ground with an earth – shattering crash.
"I still regret that I denied him a fair fight," The Twi'lek repeated.
"Life's not fair," Vincent replied harshly, walking past the Krayt dragon's corpse into the cave beyond. Numerous bodies littered the ground in various stages of carnage but the only thing that held Vincent's attention was the Star Map in the very back of the cave. He downloaded its contents into his data pad that held the information from the rest of the Maps, and watched as the screen updated itself.
"Three maps down, what...two to go? What's left, Mannan and Korriban?" he muttered to himself. Suddenly, a body that looked particularly recent on the Krayt dragon's list of snacks caught his eye. Making his way to it, he frowned as he realized what he was looking at.
"Bastila," he said softly. "I think you need to see this."
His female companion walked over to where he was standing and looked down. Vincent heard her sharp intake of breath as her eyes fell upon the mangled corpse at their feet.
"No..." she said barely above a whisper. "Father..."
Vincent saw a single tear run down her cheek as she bent down to retrieve the holocron that held all of her father's personal thoughts. A sharp pain manifested itself in his heart, and at that moment, he wished that he could do anything to stop her from crying.
"Bastila...I'm sorry," was all he could come up with, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. However, this only seemed to make it worse as she instantly dissolved into pitiful sobs. Vincent was slightly at a loss for what to do, so he did the only thing that seemed right: turning Bastila to face him, he pulled her into a gentle embrace. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his neck, getting as close to him as she could.
"I...just wish...I could have said...goodbye," Bastila managed in between sobs.
Vincent winced at the pain in her words. "Shhh..." he said, softly stroking her hair. Her tears had subsided for a moment and he slowly pushed her back so he could look her in the eye. He opened his mouth to say something, but his words were lost in his throat at the look of utter helplessness and despair on Bastila's face. For the second time in as many minutes, Vincent did the only thing that seemed right.
Placing an arm around her waist, he pulled her back to him as much as he could. Gently, he placed a light kiss on her forehead, still holding her comfortingly. Vincent cautiously checked Bastila's face for her reaction to his forwardness. Her expression was, for the most part, unchanged. She still looked miserable, she was still crying, though silently and now with closed eyes, but something had altered. She was still clinging to him as if her life depended on it, and he had no intention of letting her go any time soon, but as compared with before, her embrace was less desperate. Bastila's blue-grey eyes opened slowly, locking onto his emerald ones and staring deep within them. A tense but not entirely uncomfortable silence had fallen, and she was the first to break it.
"We should be getting back to the Cantina," she said letting go of him and stepping away, albeit very unhurriedly.
"Yeah, your mother will be wanting that holocron."
They trip back to the Cantina was made in silence, neither Jedi wishing to attempt an effort at pointless conversation.
"Probing query: Is there something wrong master? You look troubled."
"Shut up HK," Vincent said irritably.
"Indignant answer: As you wish master, though I can't help but feel some hostility from you."
"How 'bout if I rip off one of your arms and beat you to death with it? Would you prefer open violence?"
"Clarification: I will be silent now master, I was simply stating an observation."
He shook his head, partially amazed at HK's ability to recognize that he was distressed, and partially in frustration that the droid had brought it up. He ignored this for the moment as they were now inside the Cantina and rapidly approaching Bastila's mother.
"Do you have the holocron?"
"I do mother, but I'm not sure if I should give it to you or not," Bastila said slowly.
"What? You would deny me even that?" Helena said in disbelief.
"Bastila." Vincent stated in her mind.
"What?"
"Give your mother the holocron. She needs it more than you do."
Bastila sighed. "No mother, I wouldn't stoop that low. Here."
Helena took the holocron and studied it for a moment, then pressed it back into Bastila's still outstretched hand.
"Take it. It was for you anyway. No dear, I mean it," she added when her daughter made to object.
"Are you really sick, mother?" Bastila asked, more out of curiosity than malice.
"Yes, I am. I was telling the truth when I said I'm dieing, Bastila. It's the reason your father went on this treasure hunt, to pay for my treatments. I begged him not to, but you know your father."
"I'm sorry, I had no idea." Bastila pulled out a good sized wad of credits and handed them to her mother. "Here, take these 500 credits, it's all I have. Go to Coruscant and see a doctor there. I want to talk more; I'll come there after I'm finished with my mission."
Her mother looked as if she was going to protest, but apparently decided against it. "Alright. It was good seeing you again Bastila. I'm sorry about everything dear...I want you to know that." Helena then turned to Vincent with a friendly, yet at the same time, an almost threatening air. "You take care of my daughter, you hear me?"
Vincent couldn't repress a snort of indignation at the woman's question. "As if she'd let me!"
"You make her let you," Helena said seriously. "She's strong and stubborn, too much like her father in that respect." She pulled him down by the collar of his armor, then leaned up and said quietly enough so only Vincent could hear, "But she likes you. I know my daughter better than she thinks. I've heard all about the rules they put on you Jedi...no emotional attachments, bah! She needs you more than she admits; you'd better be there for her or I'll be the one person you'd hoped that you had never met."
Helena then walked out of the Cantina, leaving a very bewildered Vincent behind.
"What did she say?" Bastila asked.
"Um, she complimented me then threatened my life. It was the typical "take care of my daughter or you'll die" speech." Bastila gave him an apologetic look. "Hey, I planned on taking care of you anyway, so a death threat only strengthens my resolve on that point."
"Yes, my mother can – what the hell!" she exclaimed, whirling around. A tipsy looking man with a lopsided grin and an obvious lust for Bastila's body was standing near her, looking very pleased with himself.
"Yeh, she'sh got tight assh alright," he slurred laughing. "But wha about up here?" He reached for one of her breasts, but his hand stopped a few inches short. Vincent was gripping the man's wrist firmly with a look on his face that clearly stated he didn't like the drunk at all.
"If you wish to keep your hand, I suggest you retract it now," he said, his voice low and threatening.
"Oh yeah? What, ish she you girl or summin?"
Vincent released his hold on the man's wrist and stared at him hard. "No. But she's not yours either, so keep your filthy paws to yourself."
"I don't like your tone," the drunk growled, a little more sober than before.
"He is correct in telling you to keep your hands to yourself," Bastila interrupted, her voice hard. "If you wish to keep all of your appendages, don't touch me again."
The man was easily a foot taller than Bastila, bigger than Vincent in both height and weight, and he laughed loudly at the petite woman's threat of dismemberment.
"Or you'll do what? Slap me? I've eaten things bigger than you, honey!"
"Call me that one more time..." she growled. Vincent was amazed - he had never seen her this close to truly losing her temper before. Wisely, he stayed out of her way and let her handle the situation. He didn't want to lose a hand as well.
"Call you honey? Okay. How about sweetheart?"
The poor drunk never knew what hit him as he flew across the Cantina and slammed into the bar, sliding down to the floor in a state of unconsciousness. One could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed this display, and all eyes were on Bastila. She was staring at the man's body with no small amout of disgust.
"Is there something incredibly interesting about us that requires you to stop and stare every time we do something in this Cantina?"she addressed the small crowd. Some shook their heads but most just sat there, still in awe of what the Jedi had just done.
"Can we please leave now?" Bastila asked irritably.
"I think so. Is there anything else we have to do before we go?" Vincent replied.
"Not that I can think of. I just want to get off this wretched rock."
The trio exited the Cantina and made their way back to the ship slowly, the two Jedi exhasuted from the long stay.
"Did you Force push that poor guy?" Vincent couldn't help it - he had to know.
Bastila frowned. "He asked for it. I told him not to do that."
"I know, it was completely called for, but it was just funny. A little thing like you taking down a guy that big. That'll be one of the memories that sticks with me for a long time."
Once inside the Ebon Hawk, both Jedi went to their respective refreshers and had a vigorous shower. Bastila immediately retreated to her room, and Vincent took to wandering the various halls of the ship. Soon, however, he found himself in front of her door, despite his best efforts to avoid acting like a stalker. Pausing and holding his breath, he listened through the thin metal plating that protected her from the rest of the world.
He could hear that she was crying again - with time to stop and think, her father's death overwhelmed her - but this time, it wasn't the sound of the sobs he had witnessed earlier in the desert. It was the sound of hopeless, body-wracking tears that left one gasping for breath but unable to stop, simply because the emotion was too powerful. For a moment, their bond opened, and Vincent could acutely feel the grief over the loss of her father, and what troubled him more, how alone she felt.
Determined to fix that, he took a deep breath, raised his balled fist, and knocked lightly on the door.
