The Eastern Dune Sea was just as the vision described it—sandy, craggy, and hot as balls. I trudged wearily behind a not-as-sweating Bastila while Canderous was somewhere behind me. The Force could sustain both Bastila and I. Canderous, on the other hand, continued through pure persistence. The cave was only a few hours away—by speeder. But on foot we were in for the long haul. Hours and hours of walking.
A vast landscape of mountainous crags dotted with cavern systems. Navigating the crags by speeder would be impossible without crashing into something and there was nowhere flat to land the Hawk.
Sands...blinded the senses.
A strange sense of...deja vu was felt either through the bond or in general. I met Bastila's gaze. This had to be the spot Revan and Malak parked their ship. At least we were going in the right direction.
Over the next rockface, a flock of abandoned speeders greeted us. Sand had covered the seats—they had been there for days at least.
Bastila put a hand on her lightsaber as we approached. I rubbed some of the sand off of the speeders then opened the trunk. Spears, nets, and other heavy-duty equipment laid inside.
"Hunters," Bastila muttered.
Those hunters had said they had no idea where the krayt dragon was. Yet, days later, speeders with hunting equipment were found close to said dragon.
What a coincidence.
As we continued our walk through the crags, Canderous came along my side. "Strange that a coward like Calo has allied himself with the Sith. I wonder…"
"Wonder what?" I asked.
"How much the Sith are paying Calo to get their hands on you?"
I raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "Not thinking of betraying us too..."
In return, Canderous responded with a deep rumbling laugh. And, for some reason, this laugh put me at ease. Perhaps it was because I knew, deep down, that Canderous could be trusted.
Bastila wasn't as appeased. Of course. She glared back at us. It got me thinking how many eyes the Jedi had—one for me and one for the Mando didn't leave much for her own actual eyesight.
Finally, we arrived at a clearing within the craggy landscape that felt too familiar. The desert sands hit our cheeks as we began to slide down the cliffside. I kept my eye on the horizon since I knew what sight would meet us. Caves dotted within the crags. The closest and largest cave radiated a taint. The darkness ebbed like the winds and despite the suns' heat, something cold touched the back of my neck.
Other than the obvious dark side taint, a small camp with a few campfires had been set up near a collection of rocks. They were close enough to see what was happening at the cave but also far enough away not to be attacked by whatever was in there.
The camp reminded me of the one from the vision except this one had herds of caged Bantha. Just our luck that some hunters had discovered the dragon before us. Though, perhaps it was lucky. Now we didn't have to face it alone. Bastila held up a hand as we approached. It was the "shut-up-Wes-or-so-help-me-I-will-put-this-saber-up-your-ass" signal.
I didn't usually follow this signal. Not that I had a fetish or anything. I swear.
Before we could approach the encampment, one of the Rodian hunters screamed at a green Twi'lek (who looked very familiar).
"I'm tired of waiting, Komad. How smart can this dragon of yours be?"
Wait, Komad? The same Komad that Revan and Malak killed?
The shouting hunter whistled and some of the others ran to either side of the cave's entrance with a sparking net. Using grappling hooks, they attached the net to the rocks of the cave. The green Twi'lek somehow-named-Komad shouted at them to back off and that they would get killed. But the hunters ignored him.
Two banthas were dragged out of their cages. The Rodian ran behind the net, placing mines every meter. The banthas began to rustle in terror as a deep growl echoed from within the cave. And a darkness that I felt in the vision permeated the air like a thick perfume. It was so strong that it was all that I could sense.
This was it. This was where the second Star Map resided.
From the darkness, another roar. Then a bang. Another bang. The hunters who hadn't gone against Komad's wishes trembled.
Canderous, ever candor, laughed. "They're dead men."
A rupture that sounded like a starship explosion echoed within the cave. A beast taller than the sandcrawler slunk out from the darkness. Its blood-stained maw opened and saliva dripped like rain from between its teeth. I held my breath again as the stench of death reached my nose even from all the way over here.
Yup—worse than the rancor.
Something...changed within the beast's intelligent gaze. Its yellow eyes moved within its sockets and watched past the net to the bantha as if it was going to make for the prey. I thought it would make for the poor bantha as well. But instead of chomping onto the animals, it chomped down onto the net.
The mines went off—yes—but the krayt dragon was faster than it looked. It avoided the following explosions with a quick tug. The hunters near either end of the net screamed as the mines went off, one by one, inadvertently causing a gigantic rockfall to pulverize all who had been foolish enough to hide near the cliffside.
The Twi'lek, Komad, seemed just as perturbed. He cursed at the surviving hunters, ordering them to bring the bantha back into the pens.
That was when the Twi'lek finally noticed our presence. "Oh, you, the Jedi from the cantina. Thought I'd be seeing you out here..."
I crossed my arms. "Really?"
He pushed one of his lekku off of his shoulder. "I apologize that my crew and I lied to you earlier. Please understand—this is not a normal hunt." He nodded to the destruction behind him. "I was telling you the truth before. My father died to this beast years ago. I am Komad Fortuna, son of Komad."
Ah, that made sense. Yet...still, Komad Jr. was misled. Revan and Malak killed his father, not this beast. I wasn't going to correct him though when there was no way for me to prove it.
My face somehow grew hotter. "You knew about the dragon's location yet didn't tell me? Do you have...any idea how much time we could have saved if you'd let me in on that little detail?"
Komad sighed. "I'm sorry, truly, but I need to kill this beast myself. It's taken me two years to find the dragon's lair. I couldn't let a Jedi take the kill after all this time." He looked back at the cave. "Not that it matters now that she took my net. We were going to strike at nightfall when Morana couldn't see it as well."
"Morana?" Bastila half-spat out. "You...you named it. You named the dragon."
"Why, yes, I named her. Is that a problem? Most hunters do when it gets personal." He shook his head. "And it's personal."
"O-kay…" I said. "So, what is your plan now?"
"We needed that net to hold her still for the mines." He shrugged. "We'll go get another net and try again tomorrow. Morana never leaves her nest."
We didn't have time to deal with a vengeance-seeking hunter when another beast in the form of Calo Nord was following close behind us.
"We're not waiting till tomorrow," I said. "We're fighting it now."
This caused Komad to pause and his lekku twitched. "Now? Whydo you need to kill it right now?"
I took a deep breath. I mean...it was alright to tell the partial truth, right?
"Some of our friends have been captured by the Sand People. They've demanded that we kill the krayt dragon in exchange."
"Why not wait?" he asked.
"Well, we don't have much time to waste before they're killed."
The hunter rubbed his green chin before gazing back at his crew. "Well, there's no way I'm going to let anyone else kill it first. I guess I have no choice but to help you with what we have."
Komad turned and led us towards the shambled camp he and his band of twenty or so hunters had set up. A makeshift water vaporator sat near a rock along with barrels of foodstuffs. Komad stopped before the Bantha pens. The dumb creatures grazed on brittle grasses that had been tossed to their hoofs. Bastila scrunched her nose at the smell.
The Twi'lek hunter patted one of the bantha. "Morana never leaves her nest unless she has to hunt. Krayt dragons can wait for weeks before they need to eat. And when they need to hunt...let's just say they become hyper-focused. The smell of the bantha consumes their senses. Right now is the perfect time. Morana needs to hunt but not enough to leave her cave.
"Fighting a krayt dragon with blasters is a fool's errand. Only mines or lightsabers can pierce their thick skin. My father was able to get the aid of a Jedi Knight years ago. I would have asked for your aid as well but, again, this is between me and Morana."
Right. I remembered that Jedi from the vision. The Jedi Revan killed. A shiver of cold, that didn't come from the cave, flowed through my chest.
Komad shook his head. "But even a Jedi couldn't save my father in the end." He held out a silver device. The Knight's lightsaber. "Found this over there near the rocks. Here—I'm sure your Order would like to put this to rest."
He held it out to me, but Bastila took it. She shot me a glance before hooking the weapon to her belt.
Canderous crossed his arms. "Okay, so what, exactly, is your plan to defeat it?"
"We use the bantha to draw her out as a distraction." Komad eyed Bastila and I. "The Jedi incapacitate her with their lightsabers—cut off her leg or something. Then, once it can no longer move, I'll set off the mines."
Bastila shook her head. "The krayt dragon will not be distracted by the bantha for long. Once it's done, it'll turn its attention to us. And it will surely kill us all once that happens."
"Why does the beast need a distraction?" Canderous asked. "Just take your little glow sticks and fight it in the cave like true warriors."
Bastila and I looked at the Mando as if he'd grown another head.
"No way!" Both Bastila and I said in unison.
Canderous rose his hands. "Alright, alright, just a suggestion, Jedi, pssh."
What Bastila said before was true. The bantha would only be a momentary distraction. It wouldn't take long before it tried to go after the ones with the "glow sticks."
Komad threw his arms. "Then I don't know. We tried to set off mines before with just the bantha, but it's as if she can sense the oncoming danger. Without incapacitating her, there is no way we can take her down."
Unless, of course, we made a more...permanent distraction.
Bastila frowned once she caught sight of my grin. Because she knew what my grin meant.
I had a plan.
"You sure this will work?" Komad asked. "What if she doesn't fall for it?"
I stopped shoveling some of the bantha shit into a bag with a sigh. The bag somehow weighed a ton even though I'd only shoveled once.
The smell. Force, the smell.
"Details, details…" I said.
Bastila crossed her arms. "They're important details. And who will be the bait? Me or you?"
"Why, you of course!"
She paled as I came closer to her with the bantha shit bag.
" What ?" She took a step back. "Why...why me?"
"Simple. You're faster."
"There is no way you will touch me with that filth."
Wait, that's what she's worried about?
Canderous laughed deep. "Oh, come on, princess, you've already smelled worse."
"Smelled worse ?" She made a kinrath-pup-glare at the Mando. "How dare you!"
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," I said while waving the bag. "Well...hopefully, this doesn't kill you."
Bastila watched me for at least a moment before she snatched the bag with a grumble. She slathered herself with the poo as quickly as possible like ripping off a kolto strip. Eventually, she covered her shoulders and neck with the stuff. She refused to put it on her face.
I tutted. "Guess we all die because the princess over here is afraid of a little bantha dung."
With a curse, she stuffed her hand into the bag and slathered some of the crap onto her cheeks.
I tried, oh how I tried, not to burst out laughing…
Focus, Wes, we have a krayt dragon to kill.
The stage was set. The hunters had set up mines just outside the cave rigged to explode on Komad's command. Canderous and a few hunters sat far back near the ridge with their blasters, acting as an additional distraction if the Bastila bait didn't work. Komad sat with his hand ready on the switch to the mines.
Bastila and I approached the darkness of the cave while stepping over the mines. Intermittent growls thundered almost as if the dragon was snoring. The Jedi's gaze watched the darkness with intensity.
And now, we wait.
I gripped my lightsaber while trying to peer into the darkness.
"Question." Nothing stirred in the cave. "How did Revan and Malak get past this thing without killing it? Oh, and why didn't they kill it?"
Bastila sighed. "Who knows? There are some dark side techniques that allow one to control the mind of another creature. As for why they didn't kill it...well, they probably didn't want the Star Map to be discovered."
"But can't we use the Force to calm the mind of a creature like a kath hound?"
"Well, yes, in a way, but...not for something this powerful and...dark." Bastila crossed her arms and sneered as the bantha crap smushed. "To control something like a krayt dragon, you'd need to have mastered Force mind manipulation. And, most of the time, that means succumbing to the power of the dark side..."
"And I guess you haven't mastered that particular technique," I said with a smirk.
She narrowed her eyes. "The dark side isn't a technique ."
"Yeah, yeah…"
Something shifted within the cave. I unhooked my lightsaber and prepared to stand my ground.
A familiar sensation wavered from the cave. The dark side. This energy rose with another roar and a shiver coursed through my spine at the sound. Bastila gave me that look. The look of "how is this going to work, Wes?" In all honesty, I was starting to doubt this plan. What if the krayt knew what Bastila was covered in wasn't actually a bantha? Just shit? Because the creature seemed intelligent before…
Another roar. The rocks began to shift. A shadow marked the ground and a rhythmic thud unsettled the sands by our boots. The snout of the dragon appeared from the sunlight and its yellow eyes stared down at us as if we were mere womp rats. But in its eyes, I sensed hunger.
"Bondy…"
"I told you to stop calling me—"
"Run!"
The krayt dragon's roar caused multiple rocks that had been jostled by the previous explosion to fall from the roof. It barged towards us with unnatural speed and somehow crossed the long stretch we'd given ourselves in front of the cave.
Before it could reach us, Bastila sprinted next to the dragon. Due to its poor eyesight and strong sense of smell, the beast used its gigantic tail to swipe at the Jedi. Fortunately, she was able to predict this attack and used the Force to speed over where the tail would have collided.
I took that opportunity to ignite my lightsaber. The dragon turned towards her—its saliva-filled maw must have stunk more than the bantha excrement on her face. Red beams shot from the cliffside which caused the beast to roar up at the hunters and Canderous.
This gave Bastila the chance to run again. And a chance for me to approach.
Avoiding the tree trunk of a tail, I used the Force to enhance my speed and utilized that momentum to stab the hot blade into the krayt dragon's leg. It screeched as my lightsaber hissed—though honestly, it was a mere bug bite. How...was I going to hurt this thing enough to disable it? Because it was going to take ages cutting at its leg.
Unfortunately, I was enough of a bug bite for it to focus its attention on me. The leg swooped up and a large form rushed towards me. I managed to dodge in time, but the legs continued to try to stomp down like a literal bug was underfoot. I managed to dodge enough of the stomping and before I was trampled, the sound of another lightsaber came from the other side of the dragon.
Bastila threw the green lightsaber of the dead Jedi Knight towards the dragon's face. Even though it barely scrapped its jaw, that got it riled up at her again.
Ten minutes, maybe less, of this chasing, lightsaber throwing, and foot stabbing elapsed. Sweat ran down my chest in rivers and Bastila...I could tell through the bond that she was getting tired of running. I'd stabbed the dragon's leg twenty times yet it still wasn't phased.
The Jedi stumbled.
"Bastila!" When she righted herself, I laughed nervously. "Hang in there, alright?"
"You try running from a krayt covered in bantha feces!"
"Yeah, thanks but no thanks."
The krayt dragon's roar spread the darkness like a wind. Bastila hissed then glanced to the side. Because she'd been cornered—the cave was the only way she could escape the beast. And since she had no choice, she sprinted into the darkness.
"Kriff," I spat, then followed the slithering tail of the dragon.
The darkness of the cave was only illuminated by the glow of my lightsaber. In the distance, I saw Bastila's golden blade flash. I stumbled then winced as I waved the light in front of my feet. Piles and piles of bones and flesh. Some old, some fresh. Most were banthas yet there were many sentient corpses rotting there as well.
I gagged before rushing after Bastila once more. She had been cornered near the back of the cave. And there was nowhere for her to run due to some rocks blocking her path.
"Bastila!"
Then, it was as if we were only feet apart even though in reality an entire krayt dragon separated us. Time itself seemed to slow as the krayt dragon dove down in order to devour her. And in that moment, in that slight moment, voices of failure rang inside my head. Voices of fear.
This is my fault. Me and my stupid plans.
No...not stupid. Sensible.
Sensible? Bastila's life is in danger!
She wouldn't have agreed to it if she didn't believe in the plan. She knew the risks.
Well, she can be just as stupid as myself, honestly.
Why do you not trust her?
Of course I trust her.
Do you really?
"..."
Ice shot into my veins and the Star Map vision overlapped the here and now. Revan and Malak strode into the cave with their red lightsabers illuminating the dark as if they were right next to me.
A roar that sounded like an explosion didn't even phase them. Revan extended a black-gloved hand towards the dragon. I mimicked the action. Concentrate. The large beating heart of the beast ruptured and quaked. Memories of countless hunts. Flesh tearing apart. Blood spilling onto the sands. Hunters being torn in half. Screaming. A man with gray eyes. All of it condensed into a single point of time.
Until it became nothing.
A pacified growl…
I blinked. Revan and Malak's shadows disappeared like smoke. My hand was still outstretched. And past the blue glow, the krayt dragon had collapsed and a pacified growl escaped its lips. Force...had I...had the vision taught me how to do that?
As if these visions weren't already terrifying.
I kept my hand up just in case I needed to in order to continue the pacification.
"You...you alright, Bas?" I called out as I slowly approached the beast. If I kept this up for long enough, I could make for the heart and kill it.
Bastila coughed. "Yeah…" I felt a shiver through the bond. "What is—?"
"I think...the vision or the Force is aiding us," I muttered, though really I had no idea how I'd just pacified the beast. "In a vision...I saw where the heart is. If I can…"
Something grabbed my shoulder. When I flinched, the krayt snorted.
"You cannot kill it!" Komad. The insane Twi'lek hunter shook me. "I have waited years for this moment!"
I tried to pull back at the Twi'lek, yet his grip was tighter than I thought. A dangerous snarl escaped the krayt.
"Let go."
"How would you feel, Jedi, if you spent years tracking down your father's murderer only for another to take the glory of killing them? Would you not feel anger that your chance at revenge was taken from you?"
Yellow eyes. I could somehow see them peel open despite the dragon facing Bastila. Kriff. She ignited the second blade of her lightsaber as the dragon slowly got up. I reflexively grabbed the Twi'lek's throat.
"You kriffing idiot!"
Komad's eyes bulged, but I didn't squeeze. Instead, I threw the idiot to the cavern's floor.
Focusing again, I tried to replicate what I learned using the vision. Except this time, ironically, without the aid of the Dark Lords, the technique wavered and flickered. It was enough to slow the beast and stop it from biting down, but it was going to if she didn't escape or put it down.
"Bastila! Do something!"
A moment passed then I felt a shift in the Force. The image I saw...the heart. Then the krayt dragon was above me. Its saliva rained from above its chest. An exposed chest. The heart was there.
Bastila shouted and pierced its chest with her lightsaber.
The dragon's pain roar shook the cave. Its large body jolted and collided into the side of the rocks causing stalactites to fall. I got to my knees and braced myself for the dragon's death tantrum. Then, after minutes of convulsing, the cave stilled along with the body of "Morana." My own body began to shake after that harrowing. We did it, Force, somehow we actually did it.
A wet cough. Komad's green face winced as I passed the light over him. Some of the rocks had crushed his torso. More rocks crushed his legs. He lifted a green hand up at me and mouthed something past the blue blood sliding past his lips. I bent to a knee in order to hear what he was trying to say.
Yet his last words went unspoken.
Bastila limped to my side—the whites of her eyes were stark through all the filth. I helped her out of the cave. When we left the darkness and into the light of Tatooine's suns, the hunters cheered and shot with abandonment into the sky.
Before I could join in on their celebration...my comm hissed.
"Problem."
I spoke into the comm as I staggered with Bastila up to the cliffside.
"What now?"
"The Sith...they returned. They're all boarding and look ready to fly off. I doubt they've given up. I think...they're heading for the Star Map."
"Kriff ." I rubbed my forehead of sweat and...saliva. "You have to do something."
"Do what? I'm not a Jedi. I can't go in there blasters blazing."
"I don't know, genius, distract them?"
There was silence on the other line before Carth answered. "If I take the Hawk they'll have to give chase. It'll distract the ship at least for a while. Maybe with Zaalbar's help and a little luck I can take it down. But Calo Nord...I didn't see him. He may still be in Anchorhead."
"Better than nothing at this point." I met Bastila's tired gaze. She blinked once and I guess that was enough of a confirmation. "Bastila's in agreement."
"Alright, wish me luck."
Out of the krayt dragon's lair and into the stupid. Another headache.
The hunters gathered near me and Bastila. The Jedi limped away from my aid and sat on one of the rocks. Canderous smirked at me with a raised gray brow. Most likely wanting the details. One of the hunters asked where Komad was yet I think my expression was enough of an answer for them.
"Did he...you know…deal the final blow?" one of the hunters asked.
I met Bastila's gaze. In return, she shrank in on herself as if avoiding me. For some reason.
I nodded.
Before the hunters could respond, there was a flash. Then, the one who asked me of Komad's fate fell to the ground with a shout. His stomach burnt from a blaster pistol.
Bastila, Canderous, and I along with the rest of Komad's crew barely had enough time to duck before being barraged with blaster fire. I took out my lightsaber and began to deflect the oncoming onslaught back to our mysterious attackers, making for the cover of the tents and supply boxes.
Canderous dropped to the ground near the bantha pens and took cover behind the poor creatures that had been killed in the crossfire. Bastila followed my lead and began to deflect as well. The rest of Komad's crew weren't as fortunate...
Our attackers had set up at the top of the ridge. Rodians, mercenaries, and a blue coat flashed in front of the twin suns.
Calo Nord.
Should I have been surprised?
There was a ceasefire.
I peered up over the dead bantha. For some reason, Calo approached along with two of those unknown mercenaries. They dragged three figures after them.
One was Mission. She kicked back at the Rodian and cursed as she was forced onto her knees. The other two glared at the mercenary. Verena. Which left the last figure. Juhani. They must have tortured the information out of her or...pried it out of her mind with the Force.
Calo laughed as he placed his blaster onto Mission's head. "I have to give you credit… you've led me on quite a chase. But nobody gets away from Calo Nord in the end!"
Beside him was another figure. A blue Twi'lek who looked like a male version of Mission. This must have been her brother Griff who Mission had tried to rescue from the Sand People.
And, for some reason, he wasn't tied up with the others…
Canderous called out. "Using hostages now, Calo? How much more of a coward can you become?"
I kicked the Mando before he could egg him on further.
"How did you find us?" I shouted. Mostly as a distraction as I tried to think of a plan…
Calo snorted. "Captured the cat—but of course she didn't tell us anything. Heard a tale from some farmers about someone spending a fortune on a droid. Matched your description. That annoying Ithorian said you were very interested in its ability to speak to the Sand People. So, I decided to pay them a visit. After we destroyed those savages, the little twerp tried to convince me that the Sand People killed you. Fortunately, my new pal here." Calo bumped into Griff who grimaced. "Informed me that you had gone to save them."
Mission sniffed. "How could you do this, big brother!"
Griff didn't even bother to give his sister an answer and instead kicked the sand with his boot. How could Mission's brother be such a weasel? Surely, they weren't actually related? I glanced over at Mission's deflated form. She hadn't taken this betrayal well...
"How much are the Sith paying you, Calo?" Canderous shouted once again against better judgment.
"Sorry, I'm not in this for the credits. You're the only ones who've ever gotten away from me—I've got a rep to protect!" I could hear him charging his blasters. "Now, Wesley Gale. You and the Jedi, Bastila, will come out with your hands above your head or the twerp gets it."
Bastila didn't hesitate. She got to her feet. I grabbed her dirty wrist and forced her back. She tried to pull out of my grasp, but I kept my hold firm.
"Let go," she whispered. "I will not let others be sacrificed for me again. I cannot—"
"Where's the droid?"
She sank back after making the same realization that I did. HK-47—the assassin droid—was nowhere to be seen. I doubted a droid like that would have allowed itself to be captured during the ensuing battle with the Sand People. Which meant it either escaped or…
Calo shoved the blaster hard onto Mission's head. I flinched.
"I will count to three, and if you do not show yourselves, the girl will die."
I held my breath as I hoped that for once the Force would have good timing. Griff...why wasn't he trying to stop this? That was his sister! Bastila glanced worriedly at me as if both asking whether we should wait for a homicidal droid to come through for us or to start using the Force and put our friends in danger.
"One."
Calo raised a finger. The desert heat remained still within the horizon.
"Two."
Calo raised another finger. I held my lightsaber close.
"Three—"
A flash.
Before he could finish uttering the word "Three," Calo Nord fell, dead, to the sands with a single blaster burn between his eyes.
The infamous bounty hunter had been outsmarted by a droid.
HK-47 marched up from the ridge he'd taken that pot shot—two hundred meters away at least.
"Query: Have I proven myself useful to you now, Master?"
Bastila and I were quick to use a Force push on the two holding down Verena and Juhani. As the goons flew back, they received unintentional blaster fire from their allies.
I ignited my lightsaber then began to deflect the oncoming heat back to the crew. Canderous charged his Mandolorian heavy repeater onto the remaining mercenaries while Verena defended herself with Calo's dropped blaster rifle. Juhani released herself from a neural collar then used the Force on some that got too close. Mission scurried back towards us in order to be defended from the blaster fire.
Guess we really were practically a small army.
Eventually, there were only a few of the bastards left. Some ran into the desert. Mission's brother, Griff, scrambled away with them while yelping. Coward. In response, HK trained his red sights onto the blue Twi'lek.
"No!" Mission shouted. "Don't kill him, please!"
The droid paused only to charge his rifle anyway. I rushed with a burst with the Force and deflected the droid's blast into the sky.
"HK, stop, that's an order!"
If the droid had been human, it would have pouted, I swear.
"Supplication: Oh, but Master, he's getting away! Please let me kill the stinky blue meatbag."
I stormed up the cliff and grabbed the sniper rifle from the droid's metallic grip once I made sure the last of the mercs had been dealt with.
"That's enough. No more shooting."
A mechanical hiss. "As you desire, Master. Signing off."
And the red light in his eyes dimmed.
Bastila sighed as she extinguished her blade. Verena helped Juhani up from the ground. A deep rot of regret began to sink into my chest. I really shouldn't have let her risk herself like that. Another one of my many mistakes.
Verena either didn't notice or care that HK was now disabled. She went over to one of the dead mercs. Her blade—Yusanis' Blade—had been in the hands of one of the Rodians. She spat at the merc before she picked it up and sheathed it once more.
I helped Mission onto her feet.
"Are you alright?"
She sighed. "I...I tried to trick that slime ball. I really did. But Griff. I was so stupid. I told him everything that happened and...and everything Lena said about him was true. He just left me on Taris." A few tears began to trail down her face. "And...and when Calo attacked the Sand People enclave...he…he didn't even mention that we were related! He just...just..."
Mission grabbed me into a hug and began to sniffle into my chest. Not used to teenagers letting out their emotions, I awkwardly returned her hug. Don't get me wrong, I was angry at her brother for making her cry like this. I'd thought, after Taris, I'd never have to see the Twi'lek's tears again.
Next time I saw Griff's ugly face, he would be getting a boot in the face.
As if sensing my violent thoughts, Bastila sidled up beside me. "Sorry to interrupt, but I really think we should get to the Star Map before more Sith show up."
Couldn't the stupid mission wait five minutes? At least long enough to let a teenager cry about her deadbeat brother? Fortunately, Mission hadn't been offended. She wiped her eyes and her face became as determined as it always looked.
"You should go, Wessy. I'll be fine…" She smiled through her tears. "Who needs 'em. I've got you guys."
Verena marched close. "Star Map?"
Ugh. "Why did Calo bring you along anyway?"
"I told them she was with me," Mission stuttered. "I...they were going to kill her if I didn't."
Hmm…I met the Echani's steel eyes. "Well, obviously you're not Sith if they wanted to kill you." I met Bastila's gaze. She looked as if she was going to protest, but we didn't really have a choice anymore. The Echani was just as deep into this as the rest of us. "Follow us and you'll see."
The cave still radiated the dark energy from before. Strange...I had thought that darkness came from the krayt itself.
Canderous, Verena, Bastila, and I gracelessly maneuvered around the dead bodies on the cavern floor. More light poured into the cave due to both lightsabers. The krayt dragon's body remained still. We walked past it and, curious, I peered into the depths of the killing blow. Past the darkened flesh, a pearl glimmered.
Taking the pearl as proof that we killed it now wouldn't make a difference. The Sand People were dead and our friends were with us. But may as well—we needed the credits. Everyone had gone deeper in the cave and therefore didn't comment as I took my lightsaber and cut a hole wide enough so that I could stick a hand in.
The bloody pearl slipped in my gloved hand before I pushed it into my robe pocket.
Eventually, we climbed over the rocks that blocked Bastila from continuing on before. After we climbed over the debris, we were engulfed in a dark and powerful wave that only felt too familiar. It was the same feeling I had when we discovered the first Star Map. Ancient. Echoing. Death. Chaos.
When my feet touched the cave floor once again, a brilliant light erupted from a mechanical construct.
The Star Map.
I was quick to sheath my lightsaber as the light pooled around us.
Verena was the last to climb into the small enclosure at the back of the cave. She paced to my side.
"What is that?"
"Long story short?" I muttered. "That Star Map leads us to defeating the Sith."
"What? How—?"
Canderous interrupted the Echani's questions with a hum. "Anybody else get the feeling that finding this thing in the back of this krayt dragon's cave is more than just a coincidence?"
I approached the Map and began to load the Star Map data.
Bastila answered. "The Star Map is an artifact of the dark side. The krayt dragon may have been drawn here by its dark power, only to be enslaved by it."
"And there are how many more that we need to find?"
Bastila sighed. "Three."
"And...why are we trying to find these?"
"To find the Star Forge. Were you even paying attention when we briefed the crew?"
"Didn't realize we were searching the galaxy for magical Jedi artifacts. Now I'm really interested."
"This is anything but Jedi in nature, Mandalorian."
"Jedi, Sith...is there a difference?"
"There are plenty of differences, you ignorant buffoon."
Ping.
The Star Map finished uploading. I grabbed my datapad out of the map and turned to smile at them.
"Alright, alright, settle down you two."
Before I could suggest to Bastila to search for her father's holocron, it was like she could sense I was about to bring it up.
She turned. "Come. We should leave this place before the Sith arrive. There is nothing else for us here."
Nothing else.
Of course.