Savior Self

Dantooine part six.

Rated PG13

Disclaimer: And yet again, 'Rated PG14.'

Savior Self

The plains were golden and warm the next day. The sun bore down genially; its heat was not oppressing, but comforting. As she gazed out at the plains, Cortessa watched a herd of iriaz wander over the hills, grazing and playing small games of chase. Her lightsaber was clutched in one hand, and her vibroblade was held lightly in her other. Her arm swung slightly as she stood there, smiling.

A pack of kath hounds bounded up the hill, playful and gentle. Carth knelt down and stroked them, and they did not attack him. It was a nice change from their first entrance into the plains. The furry, bizarre creatures yipped in a friendly way, rolling about in the grasses.

Clouds rolled in from all sides, casting the plains in shadow. Cortessa turned her gaze upwards, still and expressionless. Soon, it was but the sun determinedly poking through the clouds and her lightsaber that cast the only light.

The shadows turned the plains grasses dull black. A light draft picked up, teasing the grasses. But then, slowly, the blackness came less from the shadows, and more from the earth itself, until the grass was shriveled and rough.

Carth withdrew his hand from the ground, gazing at the plains with curiosity. Cortessa was still unresponsive to her surroundings, as if she didn't notice, but her arms stopped swinging.

The kath hounds stopped their playful whimpering and gazed at him with yellowing eyes. Their gentle, affectionate nipping turned rough and harsh, until blood burst forth from his hand. Crying out, Carth reeled to his feet and pulled out his blasters, ready to defend himself. The draft turned stronger.

The kath hounds lunged at him and he shot at one. The others back off, hissing and snarling, but quickly turned to Cortessa, who remained motionless, gazing out at the plains.

"Cortessa!" Carth said. "Heads up!"

She did nothing. The kath hounds pounced and drove her to the ground. Carth could only watch in horror as they ripped her to shreds, and she provided no opposition. Blood turned the black grasses red; the plains were bathed in crimson. Eerily, she didn't scream, and the background noise of Dantooine was not there. There was only the distinct ripping of her clothing and flesh, and the hungry snarling of the kath hounds.

"NO!" Carth screamed, but found himself unable to move. His feet were grounded. He lurched forward, but he was held still.

The kath hounds finished and recoiled, shaking their mangy heads. Their white fur had turned a nasty grey; their chins were dripping with gore and blood. They turned their wild eyes to him, their lips curling into feral snarls. Carth could only choke his protests, when suddenly he realized that Cortessa still stood, staring out at the plains, but her robes had turned black, like a Sith's. The blood was still pooled around her feet, but she still lived and stood.

"CORTESSA!"

She glanced back at him. Her eyes were dark blue and unrecognizable, but the pretty face was definitely hers. Only the tops of her shoulders and her bare neck was visible aside from her face; her skin was ashen and her hair oddly dark. A horrid smile flickered over her face.

"They know their master," she said in a chillingly cool voice... Juhani's voice.

Carth struggled with all of his might, but he was frozen. The kath hounds turned to him again and advanced once more, and the world faded away in shades of scarlet.

------

Carth screamed, jerking from his sleep and rolling onto the floor of the Ebon Hawk with a thud. Cold air was sucked into his lungs with searing force, and it took him a moment to adjust. The nighttime darkness faded in and out for a moment before he slowly rose to his feet, trembling, and pressed his back against the wall. He pressed a shaking hand to his forehead and took a deep breath.

"It was just a dream," he muttered. He hated dreams. They had ended a while ago – the pain had been significantly dulled without the nightly reminders. But now his horrors were coming back. He had thought that being in her presence again would end them. He had been wrong.

"You done now?" Canderous asked, gazing at him through the dark.

Carth started violently. "Damn you, Canderous!" he gasped. "You scared half the life out of me!"

"Ah, you were half dead anyway," Canderous muttered, waving a hand. "Go back to sleep, you. Cortessa won't be happy if I let you stay up and go off to the ruins without any sleep."

"Is that all you care about?" said Carth in wonder. "Your… prestige with Cortessa?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Why?"

"Nothing." Carth rolled over in his bunk, pulling his blankets tighter around himself and closing his eyes. Sleep came surprisingly easy. Perhaps he hadn't been sleeping enough. But as he drifted off in slumber, he didn't ponder about it.

------

Carth woke again with a start, trembling badly. The second dream that night had struck him harder than the first, filled with vivid details and strong, overwhelming emotions. Even now, he could feel it, as if it had been real. Cold sweat chilled him and he sat up, shaking.

This dream was far worse, entirely different in theme. Again, it was Cortessa, but they were not out in the plains of Dantooine. Instead, they were inside the Enclave, in one of the bunking rooms in the eastern wing. The door had been closed… the room had been hot… and Carth and Cortessa were on the bed. He could hardly believe he could dream of such obscenities – he hadn't for ages, more than a decade. His skin still burned and he could feel her phantom body in his arms, providing false heat; he could still feel the embrace of her legs around his waist, her hissing breath in his ear, her heaving chest against his own.

He wasn't sure what to make of it. He had been loyal to Morgana all this time, and now… now he was having these kinds of dreams, about a Jedi, a Jedi who didn't even care for him. Not that he cared for her – he realized this with a horrible jolt. Anger suddenly replaced the awkward lust, and he lost his face in his hands. Damn her. Damn that Jedi whore. Damn her for crawling into his mind and twisting his thoughts. Fury, overwhelming betrayal rose up in his throat, and he knew then that he couldn't trust her. This dream had guaranteed it. No one was completely loyal; and if she had enough power over him to make him think such things, she was no better than Saul himself.

And that was what mattered.

His security blanket had been returned. He held onto it tighter than ever before.

------

"Are you sure you're up to this?" Cortessa asked, peering concernedly at Carth over the table that morning. "Canderous told me you had a rough night."

Carth shot a glare at Canderous, who hid his smile by stuffing some food in his mouth.

"He doesn't know what he's talking about," said Carth shortly.

Cortessa wasn't convinced. She looked him over thoughtfully, but a bit too closely for his comfort, and he felt a little nervous. He shifted uneasily, very conscious of her eyes wandering too far down his body to just be considering his health. Bastila cleared her throat loudly, unwilling to allow them any slack. Mission pretended not to notice and talked with Zaalbar about kath hounds and iriaz and hunting.

"We're going out today, right after breakfast," said Cortessa, snapping her eyes from Carth and to her food. He lost his nose in his bowl. Mission stared.

"Very well," said Bastila. "Allow me to go prepare. I have finished most of it, so I will not be long."

"Go ahead."

Bastila stood, put away her dishes, and wandered away.

Carth sighed. "I'm going to go make sure I have everything right," he said. "See you in a little while." He got to his feet and left. After a moment he could be heard stumbling and slamming against the wall. Cortessa shook her head sadly.

Mission cleared her throat. "Since Big Z and I don't have anything better to do," she said, "we're going out onto the plains to hunt iriaz. Do you mind?"

"Just watch yourself, okay?" said Cortessa, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Don't listen to anything anyone tells you –"

"Don't talk to strangers and don't pick up candy I find on the street, I know," Mission said, sticking out her tongue.

Cortessa thumped her on the shoulder and sent her off. Zaalbar followed.

Canderous gazed at Cortessa for a moment. "You know, it's getting really obnoxious," he said.

"Hmm?"

"The tension," he said. "Don't pretend like you can't feel it. It's your fault."

She frowned, turning her eyes to him. "Huh? What?"

He snorted. "Last night, all night, he wouldn't stop mumbling about you in his sleep. He kept moaning you name and –"

She flushed crimson. "Okay, that's enough!" she said loudly. "I don't need to hear this." She looked away, but her eyes were shining bright. She shuddered, feeling a little ill. "That… that was too much information. I… Gods, Canderous. What are you on about?"

"It's none of my business!" Canderous said, throwing up his hands. "I don't care anymore! Never mind!"

"I… I can't believe you! You… GODS. This… I… I want us to get back to our mission. Can we do that?"

"Yes," he said. "Lets. It doesn't matter to me."

She shook her head in disbelief as he got to his feet and walked out. "Dammit," she said breathlessly, and pushed her bangs from her eyes.

------

They walked silently to the ruins. Bastila would speak to neither Carth nor Cortessa, and they certainly weren't going to be speaking to each other any time soon. The tension was high, running beneath the quiet undertones of the plains. Cortessa kept turning her lightsaber on and off, just to break through the silence. Carth kept glowering at her, watching her, even when she offered him smiles. They walked for a long time, until finally a large black shape rose into view. These were the ruins. Cortessa moved forward and paused when they were close enough to touch.

"This is the entrance," said Bastila, pressing her palm to what appeared to be a solid stone wall, grandly decorated with ancient carvings. "I believe the entrance is Force-activated, but I cannot figure out how to work it."

"Let me try," said Cortessa, gently nudging her aside and resting her fingertips against the entrance. She closed her eyes and moaned, feeling the first hints of the dark side taint caress her mind. "Mm… this is strong. Something bad is hidden here." She glanced at them, her eyes shining, a wolfish, possessive grin flickering over her features. "How about it, duckies?"

Carth nodded stiffly. Bastila gave her a tiny frown.

"Do not let the taint of the dark side in this place influence you," she said. "Do remember Juhani."

Cortessa ignored her and set to work. She took her time feeling out the door. A half an hour drifted by effortlessly, and Carth settled down on a rock while he waited. Bastila seemed nervous, shifting her feet anxiously.

Finally, the lock gave way with a roaring thud. Cortessa brushed off her hands, smiling with satisfaction. "There we go," she said.

"I remind you, do not let the dark side influence here affect you," Bastila said, even as Cortessa strode inside. "I can sense something bad about this place, and I do not like it."

"A place is not going to affect me," said Cortessa. "I have self-control."

Bastila frowned. "Arrogance leads to the dark side as well. Already it is warping your mind."

"You're being melodramatic," Cortessa replied. "I've always been like this."

Bastila gaped and looked to Carth for guidance. He shrugged. "She really has," he said.

"You aren't helping, Carth."

"I was supposed to?"

"Look at this," Cortessa said breathlessly, running her hands over the delicately and intricately-designed poles that held the structure up. "Beautiful… and so old… I can feel pain and blood between the cracks… people died building this place."

"What's that, up ahead?" Bastila asked, pointing. In the distance could be seen a crouching figure.

"Arms up," said Cortessa, activating her new lightsaber. Carth checked the safety on his blasters. Bastila gave her own lightsaber a twirl and Cortessa headed forward.

"Who goes there?" she called.

Silence.

They stepped through a doorframe and the figure was cast in light. A droid. It was a droid.

A rotating fan, probably cooling its power core, whirred noisily as the droid turned to face them, its metal feet scraping audibly on the stone floor. It was old – a model Cortessa had never before seen. As she opened her mouth to question it, it began whining and grinding loudly.

Cortessa fell backwards. Carth quickly caught her, pressing his hands to her hips.

"Easy," he said breathily in her ear, his eyes fixed on the droid. Almost violently, he shoved her off of him again, and she stumbled forward a step.

"What is that?" Cortessa asked warily. Usually things that made that noise were about to blow up. She paused to sniff the air for the stench of burning fuel, but there was none. She relaxed a little, nodding and righting herself.

The droid continued to grind loudly. She frowned at it, straining to understand. "I think it's trying to say something!" she gasped then. She looked to Bastila, who nodded.

"I didn't catch it," she said thoughtfully. "Perhaps –"

Suddenly the droid started up again, using different dialect. It sounded strange, a honking, grainy noise. Cortessa listened, but it still didn't sound right. She shook her head at the droid, 'no.'

The droid tried again. A strange language filtered through, slight with too many 'L' noises. It sounded vaguely familiar, but Cortessa still didn't catch anything. She shook her head.

"I can't understand you," she said.

The droid tried once more, and she recognized the guttural noises of Selkath-speech. She cried out, grinning. "Hey! I got that one!" she said. She looked to Bastila. "Did you? Did you hear it?"

Bastila nodded, slowly. "I recognize this language as well. It is an archaic variant of the Selkath dialect spoken on Manaan. But why would a droid on Dantooine be programmed to speak ancient Selkath?"

Cortessa thought about it. The droid spoke up again. "Communication was vital to ensure that the slaves constructed this temple according to the wishes of the Builders." The droid's censors roved up and down their bodies. "But you are not of the slave species. Neither are you one of the Builders. You are like the ones who came before."

Bastila's mind was on quick-fire. Almost instantly she jumped in. "He must be referring to Revan!" she said. "The Dark Lord and Malak likely encountered this droid when they explored these ruins."

"Shut up, please, 'kay, thanks," Cortessa said. Bastila glowered, falling into a sulky silence. Cortessa turned back to the droid. "What are you? Why are you here?"

The droid told her about the Builders and the slaves, and this place. He told them about Malak and Revan, about the Star Forge (though he gave very little information on this particular subject). Finally, he told them that they must visit the proving grounds on either side to go forward and see what Revan and Malak saw.

Carth looked uneasy. Bastila sighed. Cortessa, however, was eager. "Let's go, then!" she said with vicious anxiousness.

"Wait," said Bastila. She glanced at Nemo, a Jedi that had died nearby. "We have to…"

"Right," said Cortessa, kneeling at Nemo's side. She carefully removed his belongings. "We'll give these to the Council so that they know what happened to him. We can't very well drag his body everywhere with us."

Bastila nodded unhappily. Cortessa pocketed his lightsaber and his robes. That was all the Council would need. She stood and continued on to the room beside her, and they were greeted by a clunky, ancient battle droid. It was easy to kill – the holes in its armor were obvious. It sank to the ground awkwardly and Carth stripped it for parts. Cortessa looked around uncertainly.

"That was our test?" she asked incredulously.

"No," said Bastila. Her eyes roved the room and landed on an ancient consol. She pointed. "There."

Cortessa nodded and, holding her breath, slowly approached it.

------

"What is it?" Cortessa asked, breathless, gazing up at the map with wide, glassy eyes. The glow turned her skin blue; her lips were parted with awe. She reached out a hand to touch it, but her fingertips went right through.

Bastila, too, seemed to be astonished. "This… this must be what Revan and Malak found when they entered this temple…" she murmured. "This must be where their journey down the dark side began." She slowly recoiled.

Cortessa nodded, licking her lips. "Yes, but what is it?"

Bastila studied her, then the map. She frowned. "This is a… a map," she said thoughtfully, with amazement. "Some sort of intergalactic navigational chart. Revan and Malak must have used this to lead them to the Star Forge… We could use this map… to follow their path and find the Star Forge ourselves. But we must be wary… they may have laid traps or concealed what they found."

"Isn't that a little too dark side for you?" Cortessa asked her.

Bastila's glare was piercing. "Not if I am doing it for the sake of good," she snapped. "I am unsure of my plans myself, and we will see the Council about this."

Cortessa shrugged. "But what is the Star Forge anyway? What does it do?"

Bastila's voice grew soft. "I don't know… but Revan and Malak were very interested in finding it. It must be a tool of some sort… or maybe a weapon. Perhaps the Council will tell us more. But I think this map might be the key to finding the Star Forge… whatever it is."

"Maybe it's just a durabar factory and they love durabars," Cortessa said.

Carth's mouth twitched. Bastila stiffened visibly and her eyes narrowed. "This is no laughing matter," she hissed. She glanced at the map again. Her eyes turned deeper blue as she considered it, and she reached out to touch it. "Mm… yes. See this world here?" She pointed. "This looks like Korriban… a Sith world… And if that's Korriban, then this is… Kashyyyk… and Tatooine… and here's Manaan!"

"So?"

She ignored Cortessa determinedly. "There are pieces missing… incomplete hyperspace coordinates, corrupted data… and there doesn't seem to be anything indicating where the Star Forge itself might be."

"Maybe the worlds themselves will tell us more," Cortessa offered.

"Perhaps," Bastila agreed. "I was thinking that, too. This map can't take us to the Star Forge, but I know that Revan and Malak visited Korriban at least once… Perhaps they discovered something more there. They may have found something on each of the other worlds that completed this map. Maybe if we find all the pieces they will lead us to the Star Forge… and some way to destroy it."

Carth spoke up. His loud voice startled Cortessa and she watched him reproachfully. "That sounds like quite a supposition. What if you're wrong?"

Bastila cocked an eyebrow. "What if I'm right?" she countered. "We can't ignore this. Finding the Star Forge might very well be the key to defeating the Sith." She nodded to Cortessa. "We must inform the Council of what we have discovered. They must decide our next course of action. I suspect our task has only just begun."

"Sounds like fun," Cortessa said sarcastically.

Carth plugged his datapad into the map core and began downloading.

------

Author's Notes: And the story FINALLY gets underway! I don't have much to say about Carth's dream, only that he's going to be whinier than ever. Just wait, man. All of this frustrating crap will build up for a while. Carth-bashing… is… lessee… about three chapters away.

SilverSentinal21 – Oh, you weren't annoying me. Don't be silly. I realize that I sounded really angry but I wasn't. c",) And I'll go deeper into the resurfacing a little while later, don't worry.

Dante-Raven – Beyond the Horizon will feature a male Cathar main character, so that'll be fun, eh? Thank you for your kind comments.

Rattler3 – It was meant to be sort of both. I like to keep my stories open to interpretations. That's the fun of it.

Dark Lord Daishi – Revan won't resurface yet, but she will. Not so early – not so fast.

Amme Moto – Whoa. You really had a dream like that? That IS freaky.

JadeFalcon3 – We'll see, indeed.

DarthNexus9000 – Don't we all? XD I myself have really no idea where this is going. Whatever comes comes, I suppose.

Child-of-the-Dawn – You have about a three-chapter wait. But I promise it'll be worth it.

Queenofinsanity – I've never played through dark side, believe it or not. I'm a baby, too.

Lunatic Pandora1 – Yes, she did, but she returned it. I was wondering if someone was going to ask that – I didn't bother to include it in the fic.

Ilea Dreike – Much later, but yes, it will be explained sometime.