Disclaimer: I don't own KotOR. If I did, I wouldn't be nearly so worried about my tuition payments.
Chapter Thirty-Five
MISSION POV
It was like a dark cloud filled the Ebon Hawk these days, Mission thought. Voyages between systems were always kind of boring. There wasn't much to do. Well, there were the books she'd wheedled off Master Dorak before the Sith had gone and torched the Jedi Academy. And Teethree's collection of horrible holovids. But there were only so many times she could beat Big Z and Aithne at Pazaak before it got tedious. And if she ever complained, everyone seemed to assume that just because she was the youngest she had to undergo lessons of some sort or other. She'd learned stim chemistry from Canderous, melee fighting from Juhani and Jolee, and Bastila had used to give her lessons in galactic politics, of all things. Carth was the worst. Literally every time she came and talked to him he ended up sitting her down and teaching her something, or worse, giving her some sort of chore. It wasn't all bad. She'd learned a little piloting, and a few fancy blaster tricks. But he'd also tried to make her learn physics, math, and history a couple times.
At least, he used to try to teach her all that stuff whenever he talked to her. Carth wasn't talking to much of anyone lately, and Mission thought it was just as well. Stupid, paranoid geezer. But it wasn't just him. Everything was messed up on the ship the past few days, and Mission hated it.
A big part of it was Bastila. Sure, she'd been stuck up and prissy and had totally lied that time she'd said she hadn't used the Force to trip Mission up, but she'd become a huge part of the way things worked around the Hawk. Canderous had hated her, and even he seemed to miss sneering at her and calling her princess all the time. Juhani was even more withdrawn lately, and Mission suspected it had something to do with the fact that her fellow Jedi was most likely being tortured by Malak. Mission grimaced, willing the ship to go faster. Aithne would rescue Bastila. She rescued everyone. It was just how she operated, but there was only so much even Aithne Morrigan could do with the ship still flying and the Star Map left to find.
Still, they might have kept up a little normality if Aithne had led them, Mission thought. But she wasn't. She was hurting. Bad. Even Big Z had noticed: when she'd stopped eating so much. He'd mentioned it to Mission the other day. How she only ever picked at her food nowadays, and that only when forced by Jolee, when usually she always ate second helpings, snacks, and desserts unbidden.
Canderous was having to tune up the remotes more often. Mission heard her in the cargo hold. She spent hours sparring alone. Sometimes the sound of lightsabers crashing would cease, and Mission would hear horrible, wrenching sobs. But when she went in to the cargo hold, she'd find Aithne there, dry-eyed. Aithne would give one shrug, but her eyes were always hollow, and she was getting thinner.
Jolee hadn't said anything, but Mission could see him watching Aithne, and she knew he was worried. It made her angry. It wasn't like she didn't know anything was wrong. She heard the moans and whimpers every night, saw Aithne flinch every time she so much as looked at Carth. A couple days in she'd started up to the cockpit, to give the bantha-brained nerfherder a piece of her mind, but Jolee had caught her arm and shaken his head. Mission had stopped, but she was seriously reconsidering. Something had to give. Soon.
I really didn't like it underwater. I suspected the last Star Map that I would need to locate to be here on the bottom of the Hrakert Rift, but the whole business had me reaching for my lightsaber. And that, unique and well-crafted as it was, was absolutely useless at the bottom of the sea. Firaxa sharks swarmed overhead, many times bigger than me, ancient and deadlier than even Revan, Lord of the Sith.
Many tons of water pressed overhead. I felt the outside of my environment suit straining, and tried to block out the mental image of it crumpling like an aluminum can. Yeah, being underwater made the Dark Lord of the Sith nervous. So sue me. Oh, wait, the Selkath would, if they ever found out I'd stepped one Sithy toe down here. That put even more of a damper on things.
But there it was just ahead. I stifled a sigh of relief, even though there was no one to hear, as Malak was captaining the sub above. Such emotion was beneath me. Malak and the other idiots could feel fear. And they would. I memorized the last coordinates that would lead me to the Star Forge. I'd pilot the pilgrim ship myself, of course. I smiled briefly inside my suit, signaling for Malak to hoist me up. Already I could see the world, a new age, free of corruption forming before my eyes. My world.
She sat up slowly one morning, her face grim. Mission waited, watching her from the top of Bastila's vacant bunk. She'd tossed and turned again last night, but this time she hadn't screamed. Mission had a vague feeling the dreams had been different. They were about a day out from Manaan, now. She figured that Aithne might remember the Star Map there like she'd remembered the other ones.
Aithne smiled bitterly, staring at her hands. "I should probably just tell Canderous and Jolee to find the Star Map," she murmured to herself in a voice that creaked from disuse. "Force knows I'm in no condition to be saving the galaxy. I'm a mess."
"Yeah, you kind of are," Mission said. "You finally going to tell me about it?"
Aithne didn't look at her. "I don't know, Mish," she said.
"You can trust me. C'mon. Tell me what's going on."
"What isn't going on, Mission?" Aithne said wearily. "Bastila's being tortured by Malak, it turns out that I had a whole life that I have no memory of, as a Sith Lord, as Darth Revan, for crying out loud, and Carth…" she cut off, throwing up her hands. She shuddered, gasped. Then she bit her lip.
"Well, what's the biggest deal?" Mission asked quietly.
Aithne thought. "At the moment? Bastila," she whispered.
Mission swung down from the bunk and sat beside Aithne. "You listen to me, okay? Bastila's going to be fine. You're coming for her. She knows that."
Aithne shook her head. "You don't get it, Mission. I can hear her scream. I can feel her pain and fear and hatred. At least, I could if I hadn't blocked it out, just to stay sane. But sometimes I still can't help…" her eyes went out of focus, and her face contorted. Mission watched in horrible fascination.
"You can't do this to yourself," she said.
"She's so alone," Aithne whispered.
"She won't be for long," Mission said. "And when we find her we'll stop Malak. And if she's gone to the Dark Side you'll bring her back. It might take a little for her to recover. But she will. You'll make her."
Aithne turned on her like lightning. "How can you possibly know any of that?" she demanded.
Mission didn't flinch. "I may not have Force Vision, but I got eyes," she replied. "You saved me from Taris. You saved the Wookiees from Czerka. You saved Dustil from the Sith. You're Aithne Morrigan. You never let a friend down, and you're not gonna start now."
Aithne shifted. "You sure about that, Mission? I let a whole lot of people down, once. Killed a lot, too. People that trusted me. And I don't even remember. I have to imagine the depths of my own depravity. Mission, how do I even start to make right all the crimes I don't even know I committed? How do I know I won't commit them again?"
Mission shook her head. "I wish…I wish I could help you. You know I do. But this Revan thing? It's bigger than me, Aithne. You're going to have to come to terms with it on your own somehow, you know?" She sighed. "But I trust you. You're my…you're more family to me than my brother ever was. And whatever you did, you're a different person now. I believe that. I figure…I figure if you stop Malak you're kind of making a lot of what you might have done wrong right, anyway. As for Carth-" she scowled. "I'd like to smack the bantha brain around a bit. Canderous, too. Jolee won't let us. But I guess he'll be an idiot as long as it suits him."
"Don't be angry with him," Aithne said. "I'm not sure how idiotic of him it is not to trust me, or not to want to be with me. He was pretty dead on about the Jedi hiding something, anyway." She smiled self-mockingly.
Mission gripped Aithne's shoulder. "Aithne, he still loves you. He's got to come around eventually! I know it."
Aithne gently shrugged her off. "I don't know it, Mission," she said. "I never have, really. Just…hoped, is all. So much for that." She stood without further ado. "Better go prepare for landing," she said. "We ought to come into Ahto City later today."
Aithne had finally talked. But at first Mission wasn't sure it had done much good. Later, though, Big Z told her that Aithne had eaten all of her breakfast for the first time in a week. And when they landed on Manaan, Aithne did bid them all to come to conference, though she still didn't sound like herself.
When everybody had gotten to the conference room she was just standing there, staring at the wall, as far as physically possible from Carth. She waited for everyone to be quiet, then she spoke in a low voice. "Manaan is a touchy planet. They aren't affiliated with the Republic or the Sith. They try to maintain neutrality so they can sell kolto to both sides."
No one knew if she had studied, or remembered from her time as Revan, or if her pseudo-scout memories had kept her informed, and no one dared to ask. There was an awkward silence, and then Canderous grunted. "Stupid of 'em. One way or another, someone's going to win, and they won't thank the Selkath when they do."
Zaalbar nodded. Aithne looked at them both. "Be that as it may, as of now Ahto City is tense. The Sith and the Republic both have bases here, but no one's allowed to hurt anyone else or they're hauled up in front of the Selkath courts, where you are guilty until proven innocent." She let that sink in for a moment, then continued. "I'm going to allow all of you free reign on Manaan, but I want you advised of this. I don't want anyone arrested, fined, or killed because they picked a fight with some Sith. If you must carry weapons, I'd suggest that you conceal them. And if the Sith taunt you, keep walking."
Mission was confused. "Why would they taunt us?" she asked. "They have to obey the neutrality laws, too, right?"
"Yes, but they don't get arrested for insulting you," Jolee pointed out. "If you lose control and attack them, however, the Republic might lose credit with the Selkath."
Mission grimaced. She wasn't the best at controlling her temper. Aithne merely inclined her head.
"Is it to be the same policy as on Korriban, then?" Juhani asked the table. She wasn't looking at Aithne. "Groups of two or three at all times, searching out information and earning credits?"
Aithne sighed. "You do whatever you want, Juhani. Just…try to be careful." A gizka croaked under the table. Aithne gripped the table hard. "On second thought? Everybody who can be on the lookout for a way to get rid of these things."
"Suggestion:" suggested that crazy droid of Aithne's. "We might blast them, master. It could be good practice."
"No good," Canderous growled. "I tried killing a few. One more just pops right up."
"I think we're going to have to either trick someone else into taking them or poison them," Aithne said emotionlessly.
"Don't poison them!" Mission cried. "They're cute!"
"I also awakened this morning to find one on my chest, Mission," Juhani said. "The gizka must go."
Aithne shrugged. "Be on the lookout. Scouting party with me. Same general plan. We ask around, see if we can figure out how to get to the Star Map. I had another…" she trailed off, and Carth scowled. She closed her eyes. "I had another memory of the Star Map on Manaan. It's underwater, but I don't know where."
Mission crossed her arms. "Who's goin'?" she demanded of Aithne. She could tell already that Aithne needed people with her that would keep her on track and wouldn't hurt her to talk to. She glared at Carth. Aithne looked all of them over for a moment.
"Jolee and Canderous," she replied at last. "The rest of you may do as you like." She started to go, then turned around again and glared at her droid. He'd begun to gear up. "That does not include you, HK-47," she told him. "You are under strict orders not to leave the Ebon Hawk unless accompanied by myself, Jolee Bindo, or Canderous Ordo. And if you are in the company of Jolee or Canderous and not myself, you are forbidden to blast, terrify, or otherwise harm civilians in any way."
HK-47 let his blaster rifle fall to his side. "Complaint: But master, where is the fun in that?"
Aithne gripped the table. "At the moment, droid, I am not interested in fun," she said in a deadly quiet voice. "I am interested only in locating the Star Map, finding the Star Forge, rescuing Bastila, and permanently rearranging the insides of my jawless, incompetent, evil former apprentice. Got that?"
Mission shivered. The whole table seemed to focus more, and Aytchkay looked a little impressed. "Statement: I see, master. Reassurance: I will not allow myself to be distracted by frivolities while we pursue our long term goals."
Aithne nodded curtly. "Good. See that you don't." She turned on her heel and left to equip. Canderous let out a low whistle, then moved to follow her. Slowly, everyone left the conference room except Carth and Mission.
"She's taking this whole thing really hard, isn't she?" he asked, staring out the door and clutching the table.
Mission shot him a scornful glance. "What do you think, moron?"
Carth was on the defensive. "Why is everyone acting like I'm the bad guy, here?" he demanded. "You, Canderous, Jolee. You don't say anything, but…she's Darth Revan!"
Mission pressed her lips together, holding in the tirade with sheer force of will. She stood to go, but Carth was looking out the door again. "I…I didn't think it would be this way," he admitted. "She hasn't laughed in days. She was always laughing, before. And singing at the workbench. Drove Canderous crazy." He smiled a bit wistfully. "She hasn't sung all week. It's bad, isn't it?"
He sounded a bit uncertain. Mission sighed, suddenly unable to yell at him even if she'd wanted to. She squeezed his shoulder as she passed him on the way out. "Yeah," she said simply.
JOLEE POV
It was odd seeing Canderous in normal clothes. Jolee had never seen the man in anything without strong armor plates sewn in and weighing less than a ton. Revan's civilian clothes were less of a surprise. On the whole, she seemed to prefer them to Jedi robes or armor, particularly lately. She hadn't bothered with the fancy twists and braids she usually used for her hair. It was simply gathered back in a single tie at the nape of her neck. She wasn't smiling. She didn't say one word to the pair of them as they set out from the Ahto City hangar where Carth had docked the ship.
Jolee didn't press her. Revan- Aithne in his head even though he'd known her identity since the computer had recognized her on Kashyyyk- would come around to everything that was going on sooner or later. Jolee was inclined to think sooner. Once she was doing something, instead of sitting around on an interplanetary voyage, she wouldn't have so much time to dwell on things. So much the better.
Before they emerged from the port, they were approached by a scholarly looking Selkath.
/Greetings!/ he gurgled and croaked in the Selkath tongue. Jolee understood him at once. He'd been to Manaan a couple of times, in his youth./Forgive me if this seems an odd question, off-worlder, but might you have any exotic species for sale? Nothing dangerous, mind you./
Aithne pressed her lips together. Her eyes darted back to where they'd come from. /I might, good sir,/ she replied to the Selkath in his native tongue. /I am Aithne Morrigan. How are you called?/
The Selkath looked pleased to find she spoke the language. He bowed officiously. /I am Nubassa,/ he replied. /I am looking for exotics to show./
Aithne bowed back. /I do happen to have some gizka aboard my vessel,/ she said a bit too casually. /If you're interested./
Nubassa stepped back, opening his fishy mouth once or twice before he responded, /Gizka? You speak of the small, bipedal amphibians with the overly high reproductive rate, correct? Oh, no, I'm afraid I cannot take those. A compatriot of mine made the mistake of purchasing a pair of such creatures several months ago. Within weeks our storage facilities were nearly overrun. If you are in possession of such creatures, I hope you keep them separated. If not, then you have my condolences./
Aithne smiled sweetly, and Jolee fought a grin. He knew how this would go. /Is there nothing I can do to convince you to take them off my hands?/ she asked. She'd layered her voice with the Force.
Nubassa's expression softened, but he shook his head. /I do not think so, no,/ he replied. /They have proven to be far too much trouble in the past./
Aithne gritted her teeth. She manipulated the Force to dominate the Selkath's mind. /But you want to take the gizka,/ she told Nubassa.
Nubassa's gaze clouded, and he stroked his face-fins contemplatively. /Hmm. Maybe we could use the gizka after all,/ he conceded. /It is better than having nothing at all to show, I suppose. Since they are difficult to maintain, however, I would ask that you provide 100 credits. Then I will take them off your hands./
Aithne shook her head, keeping her hold over the Selkath's mind. /You don't need any credits to take them,/ she insisted.
Nubassa eyed her in horror. /What am I thinking?/ he asked, bowing. /It is impertinent of me to ask you for credits when you are attempting to make a sale. My apologies. I shall send some of my people by to remove the gizka on your vessel. Thank you for your cooperation!/
"No," Aithne murmured in Basic to the retreating Selkath. "Thank you." She turned to Canderous. "Run back to the Hawk. Get Juhani, Zaalbar, and Carth to help you. Use the empty storage bins in the cargo hold and pen up those gizka."
Canderous nodded and left. Aithne didn't say another word, but charged forward. Jolee supposed he had better follow. Canderous would keep up. The girl seemed to know where she was going. At any rate, she found the Selkath official waiting where the port joined onto Ahto City in no time. There was a droid guarding the door. Jolee sighed. They were going to have to pay some sort of ridiculous fee. The only free thing in the galaxy was air. First, though, the official told them some rules.
/The single most important law on Manaan is very simple,/ he said. /Kolto smuggling is punishable by death. If you are carrying any unprocessed kolto, you better have a permit. The other rule is also very simple-keep the peace. Here on Manaan we maintain a careful neutrality, and we react very harshly to people who jeopardize our neutral status. Any confrontations between the Sith and the Republic are dealt with swiftly and decisively. Is this understood?/
Aithne grimaced. /I'm not to pick fights with the Sith,/ she repeated. Hastily, she added, /um…or persons from the Republic. Yeah. Understood./
But when the official asked for the fee, Aithne waved her hand to manipulate the Force. /I don't need to pay the docking fee,/ she said.
The Selkath nodded, dazed. /Ah, I see. Yes, you do not need to pay./
Jolee had to restrain a smile. "The Jedi Council wouldn't approve," he murmured.
He wasn't expecting Aithne to whirl on him. Her eyes were blazing and her face was white. "The Jedi Council healed my brain wrong. They fabricated my entire existence, and I believed them for about a year! The Jedi Council can rot, Jolee!"
Jolee didn't flinch. "I was going to say that sometimes you got to do what you got to do," he said, keeping his voice level. "Young people and interrupting. I mean, honestly!"
The Selkath port official had pressed a button on the panel in front of him, though. /The gates of Ahto City are now open to you,/ he announced with the pompousness typical of his species. /You may come and go as you please, so long as you do not leave the planet. If you do, you will have to pay the docking fee once more./
Jolee decided it wouldn't be a good idea to point out to the official that they hadn't paid the fee in the first place. Beside him, Aithne took a deep breath. She turned to him, reached out a hand. "Jolee-"
He shook his head. "Don't mention it, lass," he told her. "I can tell you, I wouldn't be doing much better in your shoes. Heh. Maybe I'd be doing worse." Truth be told, this was the first time in a week he'd seen her explode even a little, and he was a bit relieved. Better that she process this whole thing, react, and move on than hold it all inside, dwell on it, and retreat from the world like she had been doing.
Canderous jogged up. Jolee raised a hand in greeting, Aithne nodded once, and led them into the city.
Just two hours in Ahto City, and Jolee was beginning to feel like the whole place was one enormous fish stew. Everywhere they turned, Sith and Republic soldiers were squared off. The Sith were attempting to goad the Republic into an attack to make them lose face with the Selkath, and the Republic were obviously desperate to gain an edge anyway they could. A few times, Jolee saw Republic officials paying random mercenaries in a surreptitious and suspicious manner. It was all very subtle and tense.
"Force," Aithne muttered, looking out over one of the numerous balconies down into the Manaan ocean, "You can practically feel the politics roiling beneath the surface."
Jolee had figured that it would be inevitable that they'd get pulled into the mess some way or another. They needed information, and to get that they usually ended up doing a lot of favors and roundabouts. In addition, this was Aithne Morrigan. Darth Revan. And she never did anything quietly and easily, in either of her incarnations. But when the hubbub started, he was completely unprepared for the form it took.
There was a crying woman that had just been turned away from the Ahto City Detention Center. She flung herself down against the wall and began to sob, but she hiccupped when she saw them, and then called out. "Jolee?"
Jolee stopped. The last thing he had been expecting was to run into someone that recognized him. Not after twenty years in the Kashyyyk Shadowlands. He gazed at the woman. She had gained weight. Her once-pretty face was now lined, and swollen and red from crying. Still- twenty-three years ago or so and the woman might have been "Elora?"
The woman stood. Jolee walked over to her, and she seized his arm. "Oh, Jolee, it is you! I…I need your help."
Jolee stared at her. "Elora! Of all the people!"
"I didn't know you were here," Elora said hurriedly. "Nobody knew where you were, not even Sunry! But the Force has brought you here to help us!"
Well she did look like she was in trouble. Crying and all. "Why, whatever could be the matter, my dear?"
Elora clutched at him. "Oh, it's horrible, Jolee! Sunry has been arrested! The Sith have accused him of murder!"
Jolee looked at the detention center. "Murder? But how…"
Elora shook her head frantically. "It's all a mistake, Jolee! Sunry isn't a murderer- someone is trying to frame him."
Well. She did need his help. Jolee stood straighter and gripped Elora's shoulder. "Calm down, Elora. Where's Sunry now?"
Elora took a shuddering breath. "Sunry's being held at the Selkath Courts," she said in a more reasonable tone. "They won't let anyone in to see him. Please, go to the courts. Talk to the judges. Maybe the Selkath will listen to you."
Aithne snorted beside him, and Jolee abruptly remembered she and Canderous were there. "Bantha might fly," she muttered. Elora gasped, and Jolee glared at Aithne.
"Don't worry, Elora," he told her, extricating himself from the woman's tentacles. Metaphorically speaking, of course. Elora was human. "We'll get to the bottom of this and help Sunry…somehow."
He squeezed her shoulder, waved, and walked away. They got about ten paces before Aithne sighed. "Alright," she said wearily. "Who's Sunry?"
"What?" Jolee demanded. "You think because I'm a hermit…"
"You're not now," Aithne interrupted him.
"Well I was," Jolee shot back. "And don't interrupt. In my day, Padawans respected their elders."
Aithne rolled her eyes. "In your day, you were a Padawan that went off and became a smuggler," she retorted acidly. The words stung more than the lass could know. Jolee forced a smile, thinking instead of how the words sounded more like the Aithne Morrigan he'd come to know on this voyage than the somber, silent woman she'd been this past week.
"That's a little better, lass," he told her. "Keep it up. Anyway, I haven't seen Sunry for…I don't know, twenty years now. But he's a friend. A man could've changed a lot in that span of time," he mused, thinking. "But to become a murderer? I don't see it. That's not the Sunry I knew. He was a good man. Put me up in his home for a year back after I left the Order. War hero, too, or so I hear. I wouldn't mind helping the fellow, if we can. I owe it to him. Or you can be a young monkey-lizard and ignore me…"
Aithne's lips twitched up just the slightest bit. "Shut up," she said. "We'll do it."
They headed to the courts. The entire rhythm of Manaan was apparent the second they entered the courthouse. There at the bench ambassadors from the Sith and Republic embassies had just been fined ten thousand credits apiece because six Sith had provoked three Republic soldiers into a fight, and the Republic soldiers had risen to the bait. The Republic soldiers were in the hospital. Jolee frowned. No gray areas, then, it seemed. Getting Sunry off might be a bit of a task. He moved to approach the bench, but Aithne got there first.
"Better that I do it," she murmured to him in an undertone. "A complete stranger's going to seem a better Arbiter than an old friend that owes Sunry something." Jolee nodded. Aithne presented her identification to the head judge, a female Selkath named Shelkar. First the Selkath informed her in the chilly way of the species that since the Ebon Hawk was registered with the Republic, the Republic Embassy was the first place she should check for information about anything. Then, with dignity, Shelkar asked if there was anything Aithne needed.
/Not so much, your Honor,/Aithne answered as smoothly as she could in Selkath, bowing. /I do, however, request permission to investigate the Sunry murder case./
/That is acceptable, I believe,/ Shelkar answered, stroking her gills. She explained how the Arbiter, the job Aithne was asking for, collected evidence to prove the defendant's innocence in the Selkath courts.
Jolee shifted. Proving innocence. Personally, he'd always favored the innocent-until-proven-guilty approach. And would Aithne do everything she could, in her state? "I suppose you're Sunry's only hope," he conceded finally. "We have to at least try to help him."
Shelkar put in a few notations on the computer before her. /So be it,/ she announced. /You are now appointed Arbiter in the case of Sunry vs. the Sith Empire. Your name and position have been recorded in our files. Aithne Morrigan, is it?/
It was amazing, Jolee thought, that so honest a person as his companion was could have lied so well back on Korriban. Just hearing the alias the Jedi had given her made Aithne uneasy now. /I go by that name, yes,/ she replied after a moment. Fortunately, Shelkar didn't ask. Instead, the judge proceeded to tell them the facts of the case.
It didn't sound good. Apparently Sunry had been seen leaving a hotel room containing a dead Sith woman, one Elassa Huros. There had been witnesses in the hotel, and they were currently being held there pending questioning. Elassa Huros had died of a blaster wound, and had been found clutching one of Sunry's Republic medals. As Arbiter, Aithne would be allowed to question Sunry himself, the witnesses, or the judges regarding the case.
/The evidence in this case is heavily stacked against Mr. Sunry/ Shelkar finished primly. /I believe it will take some doing to absolve him of guilt./
Jolee felt he had to speak up. "Yes, but it almost seems to heavily stacked, doesn't it? Very suspicious."
/That's as may be,/ Shelkar replied simply. /Since this is your first case,/ she told Aithne, /and you are an off-worlder, I feel compelled to add 'Good Luck' as my final missive./
/Nice of you,/ Aithne said. She gave a little sarcastic finger wave to Shelkar and went on to the rest of the judges.
The five judges presiding over the case held a wide variety of opinions. As it turned out, only Shelkar herself was unconditionally committed to neutrality. There were two moderately opinioned judges. One of them was slightly sympathetic towards the Sith, and one of them had probably been neutral at some point, until she had observed that the Sith's actions in the war seemed to indicate that they /just want to conquer everything!/ Jolee could see Aithne chewing the inside of her cheek in that interview, but she managed to stay polite despite that particular judge's idiocy.
Two of the judges were polar opposites. One of them was a staunch Republic defender that seemed as if he would rule in favor of Sunry's innocence. The other one was Duulas. Duulas was a bloodthirsty and brutal, dark-scaled Selkath. He outright declared his intention of declaring Sunry guilty, and added for good measure that given his chance, he'd support the Sith with everything Manaan had. Jolee couldn't help nettling him a little, and he saw Aithne's hands twitching towards her lightsabers during the interview.
Overall, though, the interviews with the judges held little promise as far as getting Sunry off went. What Jolee got was that Sunry was in trouble, caught in a political quagmire several meters deep. And they'd have to dive into it if they were to help him at all. Dammit. He hated politics. The only other useful bit of information was from Shelkar. Apparently, she doubted that Sunry would have left the medal in Elassa's hand, even if he was the murderer. It was something, anyway.
Aithne sighed as they left. "We'll head to the Republic Embassy and the Hotel after lunch," she said. "Right now, let's eat."
"You won't hear me complaining," Canderous growled. The Mandalorian had been bored by the morning's proceedings. Aithne rolled her eyes.
"Come on then."
The cantina on Manaan was large, and so clean that it put Jolee in mind of the med bay. To offset the antiseptic cleanliness, there were several mercenaries of various species milling around glaring at one another, along with a couple of loud, drunken Sith. Aithne didn't look at the mercs or the Sith. She simply sat down at a table, and Jolee and Canderous sat down with her.
Canderous called a Selkath waiter over, and the three of them ordered. Jolee and Canderous waited, sure Aithne would speak before too long. Finally, she did.
"Canderous, you weren't in command when the Sith came to the clans, were you?"
"I hadn't reached that point, no," Canderous answered. Aithne studied her hands.
"Jolee. What do you know about the Sith?"
"Bad men," Jolee said. Then he nodded at Aithne. "Women, too, to be fair."
"Come on, old man, you can do better than that," Canderous prodded.
Jolee tapped his fingers on the table. "Well, they make a fine sandwich. But don't tell the Jedi Council I said that."
Aithne scowled at him. "Stop beating around the bush already."
Jolee leaned back in his seat. "And what gave you the impression that I know any more about the Sith than Canderous does? Or you, for that matter. Especially you."
Aithne's eyes narrowed. "I don't know. I seem to have lost all memory of the subject," she snapped. "But you said that you fought them once, back when we first met. I'm fighting them now. Know your enemy. Tell me what you know."
"I'd forgotten I'd mentioned that," Jolee said, sighing. Fighting the Sith was probably his least favorite thing to think about. "Damn the ears of the young! I was expecting you to be inattentive when I mentioned that." The waiter returned with their food, and Aithne paid him. The three of them began eating, but continued the conversation.
Canderous chuckled. "You really didn't know her well, old man. This woman's never inattentive to anything."
"Well, of course I realize that now," Jolee snapped. "So. Fine. I fought plenty of Sith. That was during the time of Exar Kun, oh…forty years ago now? Has it been that long?"
"Were those the Sith…" Aithne's face stiffened. "I mean…my Sith?"
Jolee waved a hand impatiently. "No, no, of course not. The Sith have come and gone for ages. They were not called Sith many thousands of years ago, perhaps, but the Dark Side was always present without a doubt. Oh, sure, occasionally the Light Side comes close to vanquishing the Dark, but the Dark always returned. The fact that Exar Kun was defeated didn't mean the Sith would never return, as they obviously have now. Everyone knows that."
Aithne looked at Canderous. The Mandalorian shrugged, and Aithne looked slightly abashed. Jolee felt a little bad. No doubt the Jedi Council had messed with her school lessons along with everything else in her head. She shook it off, though. "What happened during the war?"
Jolee swallowed. He couldn't bring himself to look at Aithne or Canderous. "That…is not a pleasant time to remember. After Exar Kun fell to the Dark Side, he attempted to recruit other Jedi to his cause. What surprised us…what took us completely unprepared…was how utterly successful he was. Many Jedi joined him and became Sith themselves. Why they did, I…I will never truly know. But they did. Battle broke out throughout the Order…pupil against Master. We fought ourselves."
Jolee saw the children lifting up their red sabers in defiance, once again felt the drop in his stomach as he ended the life of another Sith, once again grieved with the Jedi Masters and Knights and saw good men and women die. And ever present, his horrible failure as she…
Aithne reached out and touched his arm. "Bastila…" she cut off for a moment. "She was right about you. You are a servant of the Light. Better than I. But how did you manage to fight the fallen? It must have been difficult."
Jolee felt sick. "Yes. More than difficult…next to impossible. How do you fight against someone you love?" He looked at Aithne and Canderous then, and waved aside Aithne's sympathy, and Canderous' intense, interested gaze. "Bah! I dislike such memories. It leaves a taste in the mouth that…it is a sadness I thought I had put aside long ago."
"The memories you went to Kashyyyk to forget?" Aithne recalled.
Jolee looked at her. She was so very young. She'd lived so very little of life. Even less now that they'd stolen her memories. He wondered if, when she'd lived as long as he had, if she did, if she would be as full of regret as he was. He hoped not, but the way she was going, it was a very real possibility. "Ask me again about the war some other time," he managed. "Just…not now."
Canderous nodded. "Alright. Anyway, we're no longer alone." He jerked his thumb in the direction of a cloaked Selkath staring intently at them.
Aithne focused on the Selkath irritably. "What do you want?" she demanded. "Staring won't get you anywhere."
It turned out that the Selkath was a minor politician named Nilko. He had noticed the Republic soldiers hiring a good many more mercenaries than usual. /I seek the reason for this change in Republic policy,/ he told Aithne.
Aithne didn't beat around the bush. /You want me to snoop around the Republic base./ Nilko didn't answer.
Jolee didn't like it. "Be careful here, kid," he told Aithne. "Start poking your nose in places it doesn't belong and you might not like what you find."
Aithne stared right at him. "Jolee, I run into things I don't like when I'm just going about my business."
/Believe it or not,/ Nilko offered, /I am a friend of the Republic. I shall do my best to protect the Republic's interests- and those of the Selkath, of course./
Aithne looked at him, and her eyes suddenly went out of focus. She pursed her lips thoughtfully. Then she nodded. /I'll do it,/ she promised Nilko. The Selkath was grateful, and promised her several hundred credits should she bring him information on the reason behind the Republic's new slew of merc hires. Jolee frowned, though, wondering what Aithne's motivation could be. She didn't mention it though, when the Selkath walked away. Instead, she addressed Canderous. "Will you tell me about when you worked for Davik?" she asked quietly.
Jolee didn't know much about the big Mandalorian, but he did know a few things. He'd worked on Taris in a time of shame, and he'd been more than happy to leave. It probably hadn't been a good time for Canderous, and he certainly didn't look excited to talk about it. But the other thing Jolee knew about Canderous was that like everyone else on the Hawk, he was fiercely loyal to Aithne Morrigan. So Jolee wasn't surprised when Canderous looked at Aithne's drawn, tired face, and answered.
"Working for Davik was like driving a spike through the side of your head," he said. "Sure, you got something new in there, but in the end you've lost something as well. Beating up people who wouldn't- or couldn't- pay, strong-arming his competitors, killing who he said. It was busy work, nothing decent."
- pay, strong-arming his competitors, killing who he said. It was busy work, nothing decent."
"You killed his competitors?" Aithne asked neutrally.
Canderous shrugged, but he looked troubled. "I've killed many people," he admitted. Aithne frowned. "Don't give me that face," he said, catching her gaze. "You have, too. Guess what? I can't say I'm proud of it, either. Criminals, competitors, businessmen, police," he hesitated, looking away. "Women. Children. Jedi were a better challenge," he said, looking back at Aithne with a trace of a grin, "but they hardly ever poked their noses around in the Lower City. Until you came along."
"I wasn't a Jedi, then," Aithne objected. Canderous shook his head.
"You didn't know you were a Jedi, then," he corrected. "In any case, I never wanted to challenge you, not even when you got bossy or asked to spar. I never felt the need. Maybe I knew I couldn't win…just like all those years ago."
Aithne shrugged, sizing Canderous up. "Probably for the best," she said flatly. Jolee grinned at the double meaning.
Canderous laughed. "Probably," he agreed. "You'd probably have beaten me again. Maybe." He stared at Aithne for a moment, then continued. "But you're not who you were back then. I can tell…Aithne."
Aithne shivered, and Jolee felt something in her loosen just a bit.
"You've changed," Canderous continued. "And maybe I have, too. I remember a time I could do anything I wanted…kill, maim, murder…it was all the same to me."
Aithne looked thoughtful, and Jolee got the feeling that she understood something Canderous wasn't saying. "But now…now that I'm older, I can look back and regret."
"Over what?" Aithne asked.
"All the chances I had as a warrior, and then all the chances I've had since then."
Jolee nodded, but Canderous seemed upset suddenly. "I shouldn't be getting like this, not when so many other things are happening…but…it feels like…like something has changed inside and I don't know what it is." He slammed his hands on the table suddenly, with force. "Bah! This is unbecoming of a warrior!"
Aithne hadn't flinched. She merely inclined her head. "We'll stop talking about it if it bothers you," she said quietly. "But Canderous? I think thought becomes you, even as a warrior."
Jolee smiled. That was more the woman he'd come to know on this voyage. Canderous regarded her, too, then nodded. "Republic really is an idiot," he said off-handedly. Jolee frowned. Carth undoubtedly had some things to work through, but he wasn't sure exactly how wise it was to mention it to Aithne.
He hated being right about things like this. Aithne's jaw set, and she looked away. "That's none of your business," she said in a hard voice. But her eyes sparkled suspiciously.
Canderous wasn't fazed. "Not how you feel, maybe. But Onasi and I had an understanding…"
Unfortunately they were not to hear about whatever 'understanding' Canderous and Carth had regarding Aithne, for another Selkath had come up and tapped Aithne on the shoulder. She turned, a little annoyed.
The Selkath introduced himself as Shaelas, and after some hedging, finally said, /I have heard it said that you are no friend of the Sith. Is this true?/
Jolee went still. That was a dangerous question on Manaan. Aithne knew it, too. Her face was rigid. /What my allegiances are, or have been, is my own business,/ she replied, but held out her hand to the Selkath without rising. /I'm Aithne Morrigan./
Shaelas complimented her on her guard, but insisted, /my sources are rarely wrong, and they have informed me that you are no friend of Malak's people./
Aithne's eyes darkened. /That at least is true./
/I share your dislike,/ Shaelas said savagely. /The Sith have brought grief to my family. I am not a fool. I know the Sith do not respect our laws as the Republic does. Were it up to me, I would do everything in my power to aid the Republic in the war against Malak. But intergalactic politics stay my hand. Still, I know the Sith are evil- and I fear what they will do to my people…and what they may be doing now./
Jolee's ears perked up. /What do you suspect?/ Aithne asked shortly. /What do you want from me?/
/Many of the Selkath have vanished, Aithne Morrigan,/ Shaelas confessed. /Most who have gone missing are on the cusp of adulthood, the youth who will someday lead this planet. My own daughter, Shasa, is among those who have disappeared. These disappearances coincide with the arrival of the Sith, and I cannot dismiss this connection. The Sith are up to something, Jedi Morrigan. I can feel it./
Aithne drummed her fingers on the table. /Recruitment,/ she said after a moment. /To take the planet peacefully. I can't prove it, though. You want me to try?/
/If you can do this,/ Shaelas promised, /I will give you five hundred credits. Not much, but all I can afford./
Aithne smiled a little bitterly. /I'm a Jedi,/ she said. /Meddlers of the galaxy. Did it occur to you that I might want to poke my nose around looking for the young Selkath, both in order to see what I could find, and to hopefully cause the Sith some trouble?/ She looked around nervously. /Don't repeat that,/ she told Shaelas.
/The authorities cannot act without proof,/ Shaelas said, with a tiny smile. It might have been an injunction to gather evidence, Jolee thought. Or a warning not to get caught. It could be either. Or both.
/I'll do it,/ Aithne promised.
/Thank you,/Shaelas said, clutching her hand. /If you learn anything, report back to me at once./
Hurriedly, he backed away from her table.
"Why do you think the Sith are recruiting?" Canderous wanted to know.
Aithne sighed. "It's what I would do," she said, standing. "In any event, we now have no less than three perfectly legal reasons to poke our nose about in all the little hidden corners of Ahto City. What better way to find a Star Map? Come on, though. We'd best get moving."
Jolee stood. "You're sounding a bit better, lass," he said.
Aithne stretched. "Force help me, but I do feel better at the prospect of some snooping, and maybe some Selkath-sanctioned violence." She shrugged. "Maybe it makes me more like Revan. But I'll do it for an Aithne-type cause."
Canderous grinned. Aithne glared at him. "Ordo. We'll talk about you and Carth's…understanding…later. You got that? Right now, though, we need to investigate the witnesses of the Sunry murder trial."
A/N: Jolee's harder to write than I anticipated. Hope I didn't screw him up too badly. But I'm glad this isn't in Aithne POV. There will be snatches of her POV in the next couple of chapters, but we don't return to Aithne POV proper until she finally comes to terms with everything.
I hope you're enjoying all of this. Please leave a review with feedback. It helps me to improve, and keeps me motivated.
May the Force Be With You,
LMSharp