Savior Self

Kashyyyk part one. If you're going to whine at me about how quickly Dantooine went by, don't worry. Kashyyyk, I think, is going to be quite a bit longer. I could be wrong, though. Can't see into the future n' alla dat.

Rated PG13

Disclaimer: I only own the elusive Llorrwii, who you won't even recognize until I point her out in Beyond the Horizon.

Savior Self

Carth, shaking and trembling, awkwardly activated the magnetic landing locks as they entered Kashyyyk's atmosphere. Zaalbar's grunting was unpleasantly loud; he had been bound and set in the corner of the cockpit while Juhani tended to Mission and Cortessa. Bastila watched him now. The Wookiee's eyes were wide and bloodshot, his nose was flushed, and foamy white spit welled up on the sides of his mouth, spraying everywhere when he roared with increasing alarm. Occasionally he would bellow a few Basic words, like "NO" and "WON'T," but mostly he just grunted and snorted like a diseased mynock, tossing his head nervously and rolling on the floor. Bastila tried to calm him through the Force, but, she told Carth, he, like most Wookiees, was Force-Sensitive and could shake off her attempts. If she tried to touch him he would shriek and flop like a fish, thrusting his teeth in all directions. Carth became anxious and wished he could speed up the docking process. Juhani occasionally sent reports through the intercom. Mission was flustered and her lek, thigh, and ribs were badly bruised after she had been thrown bodily by Zaalbar. Zaalbar heard this and moaned with grief. Cortessa, who had also been thrown, was merely unconscious. When Zaalbar heard this, he went into another fit of hysterics, and Bastila told Carth that he was mourning his inability to protect his pup and his lifedebt partner.

They docked. Carth let out a sigh of relief, slumping over the controls. Zaalbar suddenly went very still and quiet. A faint whimper rose from his throat, but that was the only indication he made of his previous tantrums. The fur along his neck stood on end and he bared his fangs.

Bastila sighed, rubbing her brow. "We're here," she murmured. "At long last."

Carth stood uneasily and headed for the main hold. Bastila dragged Zaalbar along behind her as she followed; Zaalbar remained resigned, though his eyes were wide and remorseful.

Cortessa had not recovered from being thrown. Juhani stood in the main hold with Mission on her arm, and Cortessa lay bundled in the corner with her head wrapped in white bandages. Sensing the question before it was asked, Juhani said, "She will be well by morning."

Carth nodded, swallowing the dry feeling in his throat. The look Bastila gave him was unbearable. With an uncustomary lack of maturity, he pulled a face and stuck out his tongue at her. Affronted, she blinked at him and determinedly turned her gaze away, setting her mouth into a grim line. Mission giggled wearily. One lek was a strange, bruised purple. Carth frowned.

"You alright, Mission?"

She gazed up at him and smiled. "Ah, sure," she said. "Zaalbar didn't mean to hurt me. My lek will go down in a day or so, Juhani told me. And my ribs might be a little sore, but they'll stitch right up, too. Don't worry about me. I've been through worse." She offered him a reassuring smile, and he nodded back. Zaalbar moaned softly again, tears matting down his fur.

Bastila, Juhani, and Carth firmly ignored his tears, but Mission's eyes grew wide and soft. "Zaalbar," she began, but Juhani pressed a hand on her shoulder in warning. Mission understood and recoiled. The Wookiee was not safe at the moment.

"I will make the proper docking requirements," Bastila said. "Cortessa cannot do it while she is unconscious."

"You don't know anything," Carth replied. "I'll do it. You watch Zaalbar so he doesn't hurt anyone else."

Zaalbar howled pathetically.

Bastila stiffened, glowering murderously, but did as she was told. Carth strode out of the main hold and down the loading ramp. But with every step he took, he realized with cold certainty that they needed Cortessa back. And badly.

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Cortessa recovered by morning, as Juhani had promised. She told them when asked that her head ached horribly, and she could not sit upright without dizzy spells. Zaalbar cried and whined and paced incessantly, hating himself for his lack of security. Cortessa told him she didn't blame him, and he had nearly knocked her against the wall again in admonishment. That had silenced her for the rest of the day, even while she explored the 'settlement' Czerka had put up.

"I don't like it here," she had said firmly, gazing up towards the tops of the enormous trees. The canopy was huge, and she could not see the sky, though she still tried. The only openings in the canopies were above the landing ports, and those had to be meticulously trimmed by staff every day, twice a day, just so the overgrowth wouldn't swallow the ships whole. For some reason, something about the forest surroundings turned Cortessa's skin darker, and she looked more exotic. She had become pale over the past week, but it seemed that the planet was feeding her life again, because a flush had settled on her cheeks in a comely way. Her eyes were becoming bright again, but she still did not put her hair back, which was a bad sign in Carth's eyes. She let her hair fall in her face, masking it. She was hiding. From what? Him?

It seemed very likely that she was avoiding him. Every time he spoke to her, she would blush uncontrollably and couldn't utter a word. If she needed help, she would turn to anyone else first before him. And Carth, though it embarrassed him to admit it, felt a little rejected for this.

Cortessa had lost the swing in her hips. She walked resolutely, with a determined stride, her shoulders thrown back and her arms stiff and unmoving at her sides. Carth had begun to miss her. Already, he missed what she used to be. He wished he could speak to her again, see her laugh again like she would. But her smiles were scarce and generally false when they did come, and they were not as radiant as they used to be. He tried every day now to talk to her about what had happened, but, of course, every time he got near she would find some great distraction. Bastila eyed him with contempt, Juhani would spare him pitying glances, and Mission shook her head at him. Canderous merely laughed. It was like the entire universe was against him.

Miserable, he trudged behind her one foggy Kashyyyk morning, feeling unusually cold. The trees spewed their own hateful mist, which smelled very faintly like meat and flowers. Carth's jacket did not feel thick enough; he hugged himself as he walked to isolate himself from the cold, and Canderous picked at him for being a wimp. Carth didn't care. Let the Mandalorian suffer frostbite – Carth preferred to be able to feel his fingers. He let out a soft growl of annoyance when a few snowflakes found their way through the thick canopy.

"Why'd we have to land on a planet during its winter season?" he whined.

Cortessa glanced back at him and he saw the flush turning her cheeks bright red. He groaned inside. She wasn't going to answer him. Hell, she wasn't even going to laugh with him. He gazed at her with wide, soft, pleading eyes, and… did he see her brushing away a tear?

Canderous saw it, too. Immediately he swooped down upon her, wrapping a heavily-sculpted arm around her shoulders. Carth felt a furious stab of jealousy that momentarily blinded him, and when he recovered he found his hand hovering above his blaster holster. Shocked, he hurriedly stuffed his hands in his pockets, forgetting all about the cold. Still, he could not turn his eyes away, and found new rage as Canderous so boldly allowed his arm to slid down and encircle her waist. Juhani, who had been striding alongside Carth, shot him a warning look.

Carth was calculating how easy it would be to hit him right at the base of the skull. It would only take one shot, but Canderous would need to stop walking… but what did it matter if Carth hit a little high? Take off the whole damn head as long as he kept his greasy paws off of her. Canderous breathed something in Cortessa's ear; she moaned softly.

Carth had had enough. He stopped walking and said, in a soft, carefully-controlled voice, "Stop. Now."

Canderous obediently halted, but Cortessa kept walking, seeming to stand a little straighter. While he may have been imagining it, Carth thought he could see her shoulders shaking. But he didn't care. He stared into Canderous's icy eyes, resisting the urge to fight him right there. Unfortunately, he was still a little sore from Cortessa's beating – he didn't need Canderous's heavy weight breaking him all over again.

"Something wrong, Republic?" Canderous growled, and Carth could hear in his tone that he knew exactly what was the matter.

"What the hell is your problem?" Carth hissed back.

"She ain't territory, Republic," Canderous replied, in a very low voice, until Carth was forced to take a step forward to hear. Juhani growled softly in the back of her throat, the brindled fur on her neck standing on end. Her amber eyes grew very wide.

"No, she sure as hell isn't," Carth replied, matching Canderous's quietness.

Bastila cried out and began chasing after Cortessa, calling out to her to come back.

Canderous gave Carth a little push. "What are you going to do about it?"

Carth shoved back before he could stop himself. He didn't know what had possessed him, or why he even cared, but somehow he just couldn't bear the thought of this… this… Mandalorian having his way with her. It was inconceivable.

"Maybe if you'd just talk to her once and a while," Canderous snarled under his breath. "Maybe if you'd stop dinking around and stop seeing everything from your ass!"

Carth started for him, but suddenly a very hairy paw had gripped his arm and heaved him back. Carth stumbled, tripped over his own feet, and fell. Through the dizzying confusion, he saw Canderous getting treated in rather the same way by a clearly agitated Zaalbar. Juhani had started up a faint, anxious yowl low in her throat, smoothing back her ears with a frantic urgency.

Cortessa was suddenly over him, hauling him to his feet. Canderous was batting Bastila away as she did the same thing. Carth could hear him swearing profusely, snorting something about a 'real man being able to pick himself up.' Carth didn't mind so much, but the moment he had his balance Cortessa's hand came out of nowhere and slapped him smartly across the face.

Surprised, he staggered back again, but the railing on the walkway caught him. He gripped it with both hands, his heart leaping to his throat at the idea that he could be knocked backwards to his death. But she didn't come after him again, only gazed at him with swimming eyes before she went to help Zaalbar, who was sobbing in a fetal position on the ground. How sad, Carth found himself thinking absurdly as he watched the Wookiee cry, that this fully-grown man has dissolved to become as simple as an infant. This thought was interrupted by a much harsher idea. Kind of like me. He ducked his head in shame.

Juhani, who had previously been spitting and hissing with alarm, had now toned down to smoothing back her ears again, shifting fretfully. The woman was a nervous wreck waiting to happen, Carth decided. They were all nervous wrecks. He looked to Bastila, who held a now hysterical Mission.

Cortessa faced them all, obviously failed in her attempts to get Zaalbar to stand. Her eyes were blazing with an old fury, and, somehow, Carth was overwhelmingly relieved that she was back to normal, even if she was angry. She pressed her hands to her hips, gazing at them each in turn. Her eyes lingered on Canderous and Carth, and, while Canderous met her gaze firmly, Carth bowed his head. "What's the point?" she snapped, her voice ringing terribly clear. "Why are we here? What cause do we serve?"

Bastila opened her mouth, but a swift look from Juhani promptly closed it.

Cortessa spoke again. "If we are only to break apart our bonds, why not leave?"

Zaalbar let out a high-pitched noise of terror, drowning out several of her words.

"That's your goal, is it? To make life hell for everyone?" she demanded. She glanced at Carth accusingly, and in response he flushed and bit his lip. "If that's all you want, then go. We don't need trouble. We don't need life to be more of a pit than it is. This mission is hard enough and if you only intend on dragging it on, be done with it. Stop now, or leave."

Silence stretched on for a long, long time. Nothing but the faint pitter-patter of rain could be heard. Juhani backed her ears resentfully at the wetness and Mission turned her face up to it. Cortessa, Bastila, and Canderous remained utterly still, like statues. Cortessa was the monument of anger and wrath, with her shoulders hunched and legs spread. Bastila was the monument of peace and cold serenity, her face expressionless, her hands clasped neatly behind her back. Canderous was the monument to defiance, with his mouth twisted up in some satanic smirk and his arms folded over his chest.

He spoke then, startling everyone out of their silence. "You were a great leader," he said. "You had strength where most did not. I admired you."

The look she gave him would have silenced any sensible man, but Canderous was not sensible.

He continued, raising his voice a little as the storm picked up, his hair flattened against his head. Juhani moaned miserably, shrinking into her robes a little. Mission's lekku shined wet. Bastila folded her arms over her chest so that her soaked robes would not reveal more than they should. Canderous spoke with rising disgust. "But you are no longer strong. You let stupid things, things that should have brought you honor, break you. You let yourself be broken. You are no leader! You are pathetic! Unsuitable! I tried to help you, I tried to do my best in hopes that perhaps this was just temporary delirium." He spat. She let out a hissing noise of disgust, her eyes growing wide. Carth saw her fingers flex. But Canderous, the poor, brave fool, finished with false bravado and growled, "You can consider my service discontinued." He shifted his pack over his shoulder. "Have fun, kid. Keep Mr. Republic safe and make sure Princess doesn't get lost in any black holes. It's been nice." He tried to stride past her, but she moved to block his way.

Carth braced himself, imagining her taking one of the vibroblades along her thighs and delivering a clean stab right under the ribcage to Canderous's heart, but instead, she thrust a hand out and shook his huge paw with a firm finality.

"You served us well," she rasped at him.

He nodded, giving her hand a final jerk before he released her. If he had been afraid, he didn't show it as he walked confidently away, fading into the stormy fog.

Juhani let out a loud hiss, her ears suddenly flying forward as she bared her teeth into a horrid, humorless, frightened grin. "You are going to let him go, just like that?" she cried.

Cortessa said nothing. Her expression was a blank one. After several minutes she turned her eyes away and muttered, "Let's get back to business, then."

And that was the end of it.

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Author's Notes: Uh-oh. We're in trouble. Is Canderous, gasp, gone? Oh no! Just you wait – things are going to go real far here. I'm happy with this chapter. I like Juhani a lot, for some reason. I like her cat-like gestures. I can't believe they get into so much trouble their first week on Kashyyyk. Let's hope this doesn't turn into a pattern… Yeah, right. XD And yes, Canderous was hitting on her, but only to annoy Carth, because he's that kind of guy. He'd never actually act on his words. Except this time. Lickety-split.

I didn't include a lot of side-quests, but trust me, I will. I just felt like, 'you know what, side-quests are boring and don't make this much better. But you know what does? SEX!' THAT'S RIGHT! SEX! (so expect some SEX in the future).

No just kidding. Haha. XD

Dante-Raven – The whole thing is so fun to write. I'm glad the fun manages to get through to you also. I also appreciate the in-depth review you gave me. Thank you.

lacthryn18 – The characters just come to me like they do. They always develop beyond the game in fanfiction, and they feel very 3-D to me.

godessofwisdom – Corty always needs Midol.

Lunatic Pandora1 – Yes, Carth, sir, hell yes!

Queenofinsanity – I have a fever. Yay! Yeah, Corty literally kicked the crap out of Carth. Poor Carth. But… he had it comin'.

Dark Lord Daishi – Canderous's 'you got your ass kicked' thing just came to me as I was writing that scene, and I ran with it. I love it, too.

Ilea Dreike – Corty pwnz everyone. She is a pwn-master. And Canderous is my machine for humor. I'm not sure what I'm going to do now that he's gone.

SilverSentinal21 – I LOVE Jolee! That's why I picked Kashyyyk before Tatooine. HK-47 is awesome, but he can't wield a lightsaber, now, can he?

FaintlyAlarming – Zaalbar was always unstable in my eye, and being forced to betray his honor like that drove him into a fit. He didn't mean to hit Cortessa, but he was wild and stuff happens.

Child-of-the-Dawn – Qui/Obi makes me hungry. Thanks a lot. --

Amme Moto – I hope you feel better, if you want to. I'm glad I could make you feel better.

DarthNexus9000 – It WILL be very long. I would make the chapters longer than 5 pages, but I hate really long chapters, and they're not only difficult to read but to write as well.