Savior Self
Dun dun DUUUUUNNNN…
Dantooine part eight.
Rated PG13
Disclaimer: Nope.
Savior Self
Revan reached out and touched the child's cheek, gently, feeling the soft pallid flesh. The baby slept, unaware, its chubby face set with angelic serenity.
"How… delicious," Revan hissed. "How… intriguing."
"Revan," said Malak.
"Hush," she murmured, sliding her fingers down to the babe's throat.
"Revan," said Malak again, with more urgency.
She whirled around and slapped him smartly across the face. He staggered slightly, his teenage face twisted with pain. He snarled softly as she turned away from him again, his eyes burning with hatred and envy. He rubbed his cheek darkly and said nothing more as she lifted the baby and held it to her breast as if to feed it, but the dear thing was still asleep.
She again drew a tender finger over the babe's cheek. "She's just a little new thing," Revan murmured, kissing the child's forehead, "and already I can feel the Force in her." She moaned. "Oh, it's strong."
"What are you doing?"
Revan's eyes snapped up; her pretty mouth twisted into a feral sneer as a young woman strode into the room. Her blond hair twisted about her in waves – behind her strode several other people, all looking vaguely familiar. One was Echani… the other was a man; another blond woman bounced between them, but faded into nothing a moment later.
"Ah, Atris," said Malak lazily. "Bringing your lackeys with you yet again? What's this… Kavar? I would have thought you better."
Revan flinched and whirled around again to this time slap Malak with such a fury that he stumbled and reeled and hit the ground. "Fool!" she shrieked, and stamped on his hand before she kicked him in the gut. He moaned with pain and she gripped him by the scruff of the neck, heaving him cruelly to his feet so that she could scratch his face. "You remain silent while I stand before someone! Do you hear me?"
"YES'M!" he barked, though the cold lack of sincerity in his eyes was enough.
She stamped on his foot before she turned to face the group before her. Instead of the Echani woman, the Jedi Council stood with an aged, brown-skinned man kneeling with his back to them.
"Traitor," Revan said in a voice that was not her own. "Kill him."
The baby woke.
The man gasped, sputtered and choked, and fell back, dead. A grim-faced Dorak heaved him up and dragged him off, mourning softly. Vrook remained impassive. Bastila shoved forth, eyes wild. "You cannot do this!" she shrieked, searching the room desperately, frantically, blindly. Her forget-me-not eyes were dull and blank. "Stop this! Stop!"
Juhani tried to drag her back. "You cannot," she murmured gently. "It is Revan –"
"REVAN!"
Revan said nothing.
Bastila sank to her knees, shaking with sobs. The walls turned red; blood seeped from the ceiling. Malak was laughing, laughing, laughing… Revan glanced at him, eyes burning, and made to strike him again before Carth appeared then.
"Don't do this… not today…"
Revan stared. He reached for the baby – she stepped back instantly, sharply. Carth still pleaded.
"Stay… stay…"
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't…"
"Who the hell are you?"
"… hurt me…"
The baby began to cry. Carth's words faded. And the baby cried… cried… cried…
Cried…
------
The night was cold. Bastila stood with her face turned up towards the moon; she heaved a heavy sigh and shook her head. The moon was golden. Blood was to be shed. Kath hounds bounded together in the distance, unnaturally large, and faded in a howling mass. Two stars glinted side-by-side near the horizon, which was slowly fading blood red as the sun set. The full moon, golden… laughing… began to bob, slowly. The grass rustled loudly, filling the air with a gentle hissing. Hissing… hissing… hissing… until it turned into a deep, rolling chuckle, laughter… And the air was filled with laughter; the moon laughed. It turned, and Juhani's face appeared, her face twisted into a snarl.
"Your destiny," she said.
Bastila fell to her knees.
"You know."
"No."
"You lie. You lie to your other half. You are a broken woman. She is broken."
Bastila shuddered.
"You killed her."
"I DIDN'T!"
The twin stars burned bright and began to grow until they took the shape of two children, a boy and a girl. They screamed and bled, burning… burning… and they fell in a colorful streak to the ground below. Bastila ran to catch them, even when she saw nothing but a flame in the distance that was their carnage. She ran… ran… ran… And never got any closer. She could hear them crying for her, crying to her to save them… Crying… crying… crying…
Crying…
------
The Ebon Hawk was silent that morning. Carth sat in the main room, staring at his empty caffa cup with some detached fascination, deciding vaguely to fill it but making no move to do so. His arms felt heavy; he doubted he would be able to lift his cup even if he did find the motivation to get to his feet and shuffle over to the caffa maker. Still in the morning quiet he could hear Canderous snoring as loudly as a bantha down the corridor, and T3-M4's wheels as the astromech droid made his way to the engine room. Carth loved ships, but the Ebon Hawk held this unfamiliar, oppressing quality, almost as if it demanded to be lived in and used to its full extent. He wondered apathetically if the ship was alive, if the Force flowed through it, and the damn scrap of metal would demand a life of adventure until it was finally melted down into slag. Just by studying the carbon scoring it had already taken, it seemed likely. The Ebon Hawk suddenly seemed like a breathing animal, carrying them like a loving mother but guiding them eagerly right into danger's eye.
It seemed danger followed Carth Onasi and his companions. Already they were going to face another evil, all over again. Cortessa was a greenhorn, true, and knew nothing and had seen little, but the way she fought… she not only understood combat, she understood battle, war. And that was why he couldn't trust her. She didn't know things about herself that she should, she kept secrets, lied. And she –
His thoughts were interrupted by two identical crashes towards the girls' barracks. Carth rose to his feet, prepared to check it out, when Bastila whirled by him in a colorful flurry of pink pajamas, an olive-colored robe, and a patchwork quilt that she had slung hastily around her shoulders. She marched into the cockpit and vanished.
Cortessa appeared then, not even glancing at Carth as she strode by, buttoning up her blouse with her robes between her teeth. She paused, pulled her clothes out of her mouth, and told him emotionlessly, "Don't ask." She then vanished, leaving him puzzled and even angrier than before.
Now more awake, he grudgingly made himself some breakfast and sat back down. But half-way through, abhorrent Canderous appeared. Carth furiously stabbed the food on his plate with a knife, pleading mentally that the Mandalorian didn't bother him that morning.
But Canderous sat down and smiled mildly, and Carth knew there was no escape. He winced with self-pity, sinking into his seat and sulkily picking at his food, realizing now that what had been his small appetite was gone.
"Hey, Republic."
"Canderous," said Carth stiffly.
Canderous cocked an eyebrow calmly. "What's the matter, Republic? Can't take the heat?"
Curiosity struck him despite his attempts to repress all feelings. Carth's eyes flickered up and he knew now as Canderous's gaze held his that he had been caught. "Heat?" Carth echoed.
Canderous shrugged, sitting back in his chair. "Eh, well, never mind," he said. "If you can't take her, you can go. I'm sure your Admiral will understand your anxiety issues."
Carth stiffened. "What?"
"Make up your mind about how you feel, alright? Stop being a baby about it. It's really starting to get on my nerves and you can't fly a ship while you're practicing staring at her ass and then glaring at your feet. You keep your eyes on the shift stick, you get it?"
"HEY!"
"It's tiring. I thought I might be able to respect you for being a warrior, but you're tamer than a gizka." To emphasize his point, Canderous spat on the floor. "Pathetic."
"What?"
"She doesn't get you, you know. She's kind of the same way, but instead of not trusting you, she just hates you for every other thing you do."
Carth narrowed his eyes. "You've been talking to her?"
Canderous blinked, and laughed with an obnoxious, airy coolness. He brushed off a speck of dust from his sleeve. "Nah," he said, though his smoky eyes sparkled at the potential mischief. "I just call 'em when I see 'em. Ask Mission."
Carth ground his teeth for a moment before, with a rare sense of self-control, he got to his feet and strode from the room.
------
I have to find out why she was in my dream, thought Cortessa as she strode with urgency through the Enclave. I have to find out why this total stranger has found her way into my subconscious thoughts. And then she wondered, could it be Bastila's fault? It seemed likely, and most certainly possible, now that it seemed she and Bastila were sharing dreams. As was expected, Juhani stood in the main garden, holding herself upright with some dutiful tranquility. She looked up as Cortessa neared, as if she had been waiting for her all along, and her amber-and-orange eyes flashed with recognition and respect. They no longer held the tainted yellow of the dark side.
"Juhani," said Cortessa.
Juhani bowed and smiled up at her fondly. She was very beautiful – her fur was a pleasant mix of gold and tawny, striped with ginger with a curling cream spot on her throat and chest. She flattened her ears to skull with respect; the beads in the lobes jangled audibly and the beads in her topknot clinked softly in the wind. The two women shook hands; the Cathar's grip was firm, warm, and friendly, and she was considerate enough to keep her claws retracted despite her nervousness. She smoothed out her robes over her generous figure and murmured in her attractive, deep, rolling voice, "I must give you my thanks. Because of you, I am once again welcome within the Jedi Order."
Cortessa nodded. "Have you spoken to the Council?" she asked conversationally.
Juhani gave her head a quick jerk to the side as if to shake an unpleasant sound from her ear. She drew her tongue over her fangs and her nose gave a nearly undetectable twitch. "Yes. They have helped me to see the truth. The truth about myself, and the truth of my actions." She took a deep breath, her eyes turning dark for a moment before she continued with a mix between resentment and relief. "Quatra's injuries were not so severe as I first believed. I was foolish to believe that I could harm a Master such as she with my… my clumsy efforts." She laughed at herself, softly, shaking her head. "The fierce confrontation between us was nothing more than a part of my training. Quatra wanted me to understand the threat of the dark side, to see how easy it was to fall from the path of the light."
"And you have forgiven her?"
The slit-like pupils of Juhani's eyes turned fearsomely small for a moment before she returned to normal. "Yes," she said in a dark voice. "Of course."
Cortessa nodded. "Where is Quatra now?"
Juhani sighed and massaged her temples. "After our last battle, Quatra had nothing left to teach me. I needed time alone to explore the turmoil of my own spirit. Only then was I ready to follow a guide – you – back to the light." She smiled at Cortessa for a moment before she returned to her solemn mumbling. "When I left, Quatra knew her work with me was done. There are other disciples who need training throughout the galaxy, and she could not stay to see if I passed this most difficult trial." Her voice turned angry with these last words, but she quickly stifled it with an audible gulp. She bowed again to Cortessa. "With your help, I have passed this most difficult trial. The Council now feels I am ready to continue with my training. I do not know what our mission together will bring, but I will trust in the Force and the way of the Jedi to help me through whatever is to come."
"Are you ready to go, Juhani?" Cortessa asked, now having forgotten about the dream that had led her to come to Juhani in the first place. When the Council had given her her mission, they had suggested she take Juhani. And she would take Juhani. They needed all the help they could get.
Juhani's eyes widened with anticipation. "Yes!" she said, breathlessly, with a sudden eagerness. "That is why I was waiting for you here!" She grabbed a large satchel and a shoulder bag from the bench behind her before she bowed again and nodded. "I am ready."
Cortessa smiled warmly. "Good," she said. "Then let's go."
------
Author's Notes: A greatly-needed update. Juhani's aboard now, permanent-like. Or at least yeah. Anyway. Extremely short chapter, I'm sorry. But the next one is so totally worth it. XD That's right – CARTH-BASHING AHEAD! By the way - yay for me for having 40 stories now.
Amme Moto – Cortessa's very mood-swingy, yes. XD It's fun trying to decide what to make her say next.
Lunatic Pandora1 – Carth is just a pissy guy. He needs to know everything or he can't trust anybody. Because he sucks like that. But we'll whip him into shape. ;o
Queenofinsanity – It's meant to look dark side. –shifty eyes-
SilverSentinal21 – Juhani was hiding for a second, but I brought her around. I always thought the Jedi were peaceful and kind of submissive so if Carth came marching in to question them they'd be all, 'okay come in but you won't get anything this is a lesson kiddo' and Carth will get even madder because they're not telling the truth.
I'm making Carth wild and emotional so that he'll blow up more realistically before he gets bashed into the floor.
Yeah…
Also, about Bastila. I don't know how to handle her. DX So I'm just kind of stuffing her in the shadows for a little while until I can figure out what to do with her.
JadeFalcon3 – Whiny and schizo? That's good. That's what I'm sort of aiming for. XD And I am so glad you noticed the blue-red lightsaber thing.
Dark Lord Daishi – Hahaha. XD We'll see.
Child-of-the-Dawn – You so funny!
Dante-Raven – You know, that gave me an idea. So thanks. XD
Ilea Dreike – Corty pwnz everyone. When she wants to. Usually. Not always. Yeah. Anyway. Rock on.
