A/N: Edited 6/06/2021 - Fixed a few grammar mistakes & sentence structures.
Darkness Rises
While Tatooine had been hot and sandy, Korriban was cold and dusty.
Ashla pulled the hood of her robe up over her head, thankful for the warmth it lent her as she, Canderous, Jolee and the droid, Teethree, entered the Sith Academy outside of Dreshdae.
With Carth and Bastila confined to the ship, due to the both of them having a probability of being recognized- Bastila, because of her status as a Jedi with a rare force ability; and Carth, thanks to his having been a well decorated vetern of the Mandalorian Wars, Ashla found herself missing both their company. Yet, she knew it wasn't worth the risk of one of them being spotted and throwing the mission into jeopardy.
Plus, she had a part to play.
She knew it would bother both Bastila and Carth to watch her act like the fallen Jedi she must portray to gain entry into the Academy. She could feel their concern floating to her through the Force. She pushed the worrying thoughts aside as she focused on locating Yuthura Ban, the Twi'lek who was to be her instructor and mentor.
Deep in thought and trying to retain her calm with all the dark cold energy surrounding her, she didn't notice the person who was walking towards her until he bumped into her.
"Watch yourself, rookie." The deep voice growled as he stalked off.
Ashla's head snapped up at the deep familiar voice. Shocked, she turned and stared as a younger version of Carth Onasi strode out of the Academy into the bright Korriban sun.
Canderous gave an amused laugh. "For a moment there, I thought that was Republic."
She nodded absentmindedly. She was afraid she knew all too well who it was, or who she was afraid it was.
Dustil, Carth's long lost son.
The young man was almost a spitting image of what Carth must have looked like as a late teenager on the verge of manhood.
Ashla frowned as she thought how the news that his son was a Sith in training would affect him. He would be devastated. She wished fervently that the young man in question was not Dustil, but the Force whispered darkly in her ear otherwise.
She paused as they entered the Great Hall of the Academy. Students sat silently, listening intently as the Master spoke. At his side, a Twi'lek woman stood stoically, her expression blank.
"Greetings. It appears we have a late addition to our class. Yuthura, who do you bring before me?"
Five sets of eyes turned to Ashla as she stood at the back of the seated class. She bowed respectfully to the Master, while she waited for Yuthura to introduce her.
"A woman who has had some training. She has recently become jaded by the Jedi and seeks knowledge from us. She is very promising, indeed, my Lord." Yuthura nodded to her as she motioned for Ashla to come forward.
One of the students laughed. "Promising? I doubt that. I met her in the marketplace earlier today, Master. She is not worthy of your teachings."
"Silence, Lashowe. I'll be the judge of who is worthy and who is not." The Master frowned at the young woman, who nodded meekly to the Sith master. He turned his attention back on Ashla, who was now standing silently before him. He could feel the Force surrounding her in waves, singing out to him. "Yes, promising indeed, Yuthura. The Force is strong with her. Tell me, lady, what are you called? What do you know of the Sith?"
Ashla stood with her hands clasped behind her back. "I am called Ash Kenobi. I know that the Sith are powerful. I have come seeking such power."
"I am Master Uthar Wynn. You have met Yuthura Ban, my apprentice. Please, have a seat. Who have you brought with you?" He asked curiously, as he stared at Canderous, Jolee and the droid.
"They are of no consequence. Merely slaves and my droid." Ashla said as she sat next to one of the other students.
Master Uthar dismissed them with a wave of his hand. "Then they are irrelevant, as long as they do not interfere with your training. Let's get back to the lesson at hand." He paced along the length of the students who sat before him. "Yes, where was I… Ah, yes." He glanced at Ashla. "The Jedi. They would have you think that the Force was broken into two halves, the light and the dark. With the light, they say comes goodness and strength. With the darkness, weakness and evil. To be in the light, means you are selfless... yet, stand in darkness, and you are selfish. The Jedi are made up of many contradictions. We see the Force not as a burden, like many of the Jedi decree, but as a gift! It is the promise of power, and we celebrate it. We use the Force to gain power over others. And why should we not? Because the Jedi say we should not? We use the Force as it is meant to be. Something that the Jedi would hide from you. They say the dark side is too easy, too fast, too quick. All in an effort to not have to challenge those passions which lie inside us all. You have decided to join us as Sith. With this power, we will teach you how to gain your true potential. All without having to stifle yourself or beholden to some antiquated notion of order. Here, you will learn to be what you were always meant to be."
A feeling of foreboding threatened to rise up within her as she listened to Master Uthar, droning on about the Jedi's old ways that hold you back from discovering how to unlock your full power. The urge to leap up and run from the Academy and go back to the safety of the ship was strong.
She heard her name as Uthar assigned her to Yuthura for further instruction. She stood stiffly and bowed to Yuthura.
"Ash. Come with me. I will show you to your quarters." Yuthura set off, walking down one of the long corridors. Yuthura paused in front of the rooms. She opened the door, and motioned inside. "I will leave you to get settled. Seek me out in the morning. We will begin your training at dawn."
#
The next morning Yuthura Ban led her to a small meditation room off of one of the sparring dojos. Ashla followed behind her watching the other students spar. Her eyes lit on Dustil Onasi, who had just beat his opponent.
"Ah, yes, young Onasi is a promising Acolyte. Uthar has had his eye on him for sometime now," Yuthura replied as she followed Ashla's gaze.
Ashla remained silent as they entered the small meditation room. Now that she had confirmation on Dustil's identity, she knew she would have to bring the news to Carth. That left an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"Your slaves will need to remain out of the way during your training," Yuthura said as she sat down on one of the meditation mats that were spread out on the floor. She pointed toward the one in front of her. "Please be seated."
Ashla sat with her eyes closed and began by bringing in a calm breath.
"Those Jedi techniques will not get you very far here, my dear." Yuthura said.
Ashla's eyes opened quickly. "Of course, master."
Yuthura studied her intently. Ashla sat as still as she could under the Twi'lek's intense gaze.
"I sense much anger within you, Ashla. You have tried to confine those feelings during your Jedi training, yes?"
Yuthura spoke truthfully.
She was very angry. Angry at the accident that had left her with little to no memories of her past, her family, or her background.
Angry, because she felt the Council was hiding something from her. Angry, because she could not figure out what it was.
"Close your eyes and focus on that anger. Let it bubble to the surface." Yuthura said as she took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Today, we will begin with the Sith Code. Recite the code after me."
"Peace is a lie. There is only Passion.
Through Passion, I gain Strength.
Through Strength, I gain Power.
Through Power, I gain Victory.
Through Victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me."
Yuthura listened as Ashla repeated the code back to her. "Good. The Jedi teach that there is no emotion, yet this 'peace' of the Jedi only leads to stagnation. It is through conflict where you truly learn how to better yourself. It forces you to change, adapt, grow, evolve… or die." Yuthura paused here to let her words sink in. "You will need to learn to tap into your anger… your passions. It will help you achieve greater power. I will leave you here to meditate on the code's meaning. Come and find me when you are satisfied you know it completely." She rose and left the room.
Ashla thought over the code. While contradictory to the Jedi code, she saw truths in both.
By letting go of your emotions, you allow yourself to remain calm, allowing yourself to gain a deeper understanding of the situation, thereby achieving knowledge and serenity.
Where the Jedi would have you let go of all your emotions, the Sith urged you to embrace them. By embracing your anger...your passions, you become focused. Stronger. More powerful. Free from the restraints of the strict Jedi dogma.
She had spent the last few months working on letting those emotions go, instead of holding onto them. The reality hit her, like a slap in the face, just how trying the next few weeks would be.
#
The days stretched on as Ashla played the part of dutiful student, while also searching the fortress for clues to the whereabouts of the star map. The line that she tiptoed around the dark side was stretched very thin. She kept her focus on staying calm, even when she had to act outwardly passionate. Keeping up the pretense was exhausting. By the end of the day, she was falling into bed, only to toss and turn in her sleep at night, crying out as nightmares plagued her dreams.
The vision she and Bastila had had before reaching Korriban led the two to believe that the star map was located in one of the tombs found in the Valley of the Dark Lords. Yet, she was unsure which tomb, as it seems there were several that had been unearthed by the Sith archeologists who sought knowledge on the ancient Sith lords who once inhabited the planet. The time she was not training with Yuthura, or off on a mission for the Sith instructor, Ashla spent searching the massive fortress for more information on the star map, Revan, and Malak.
The bright sunlight nearly blinded her as she stepped out of the fortress as they carefully returned to the ship.
"Canderous, make sure we are not followed." Ashla said as she made her way back towards the settlement of Dreshdae and the spaceport located there. She stood on the bridge as she waited for the all clear signal from Canderous. After his slight nod, they entered the settlement and made their way back to the Ebon Hawk. She noticed several students in the settlement today, some at the marketplace and some at the cantina. Ashla ducked into the Czerka office to buy supplies. She lingered until she saw Canderous tap his fingers against his thigh twice. Placing her items into her pack, the small group headed into the spaceport. It took longer than she wanted to reach the Ebon Hawk, having to painstakingly cover their tracks to make sure they were not followed to the ship.
Bastila met them in the garage as the loading ramp closed up behind them. "You're back! Did you find it already?"
Ashla wearily shook her head. "No, the search is taking longer than I anticipated."
"Have you encountered a problem?" Bastila asked as she took in Ashla's exhausted appearance. Ashla was very pale, with dark circles under her eyes.
"A few, yes. The star map is in one of the tombs… I just haven't been able to get to it yet." Ashla looked around for Carth, who was rushing into the garage as she spoke.
"Why ever not?" Bastila asked.
Ashla frowned as she turned her gaze to the younger Jedi. "Because in order to get into the tomb where the star map is located, I have to win enough prestige from the Sith master. It's locked tight. Only Uthar has the key to enter. He must keep it on his person, because we've searched his rooms to no avail."
"What do you have to do to earn this… prestige?" Carth asked as he stood beside Bastila.
Ashla rubbed the scar on her forehead. "You don't want to know." She swallowed deeply. "Luckily, so far I have been able to gain prestige, and not have to use less than savory means to do so. Another problem. We encountered Darth Bandon in the Valley of the Dark Lords. Malak is still searching for us and is getting closer, I fear."
"Yes. I have felt him searching for us through the Force, Ashla. We must take care." Bastila said thoughtfully.
Ashla nodded. "I don't have much time before I will be expected back at the academy. I need to speak to Carth. Alone."
Bastila folded her arms over her chest as she gave her a disapproving look. "If it pertains to the mission, then you can speak to him in front of all of us."
Carth frowned. "What is it?"
"It's personal, Bastila." Ashla turned to Carth. She motioned for him to follow her to the cargo hold. Once they were both inside, she activated the lock.
"You look exhausted, beautiful. You should sit down." He gently cupped her elbow and led her over to one of the crates.
She pulled her elbow out of his grasp, while she shook her head. "No, Carth. I think perhaps you should be the one to sit down. I have news for you that will be a bit of a shock to hear. Please."
Carth grasped the gravity of the situation by the look on her face. "Alright," he said as he sat down on the crate. "What is it?"
Ashla paced while twirling her fingers in her long red braid. "Carth, there is no easy way to tell you this…"
"You're scaring me, beautiful. What's going on?"
She walked over to him and placed one of her small hands on his broad shoulder. "Dustil is alive. He's at the Academy."
Carth's eyes widened as he took in the information. "Dustil is alive?!" He stood quickly. "Are you certain it was him?"
"Yes," Ashla said softly. "I'm certain. He's one of the Acolyte's, Carth." She watched as he slowly unraveled the meaning of her words.
"He's a… Sith?" His voice faltered as he sat back down heavily onto the crate.
"Yes, he is." She bit her bottom lip as she waited for the shock to wear off. "I haven't approached him yet. I wanted to tell you first."
Stunned, Carth stood and ran his hands over his face as he tried to rub away some of the numbness that had befallen him. "He's alive. All this time I've been searching for him, and you found him."
"Carth. There's more." She pulled the datapad out of her pack. "It seems that Dustil is force-sensitive and is one of Master Uthar's prized students. Take a look at this file I found on one of Uthar's datapads." She handed him the small datapad and waited as he scanned the contents.
"So, Uthar had this girl killed because he felt she was holding Dustil back." Carth's hands gripped the datapad tightly. "Then, lied to him about it."
"Yes. It seems so," Ashla said. "Where are you going?" She asked as Carth headed towards the door.
"To save my son." He stated simply as he left the cargo hold.
"Carth!" Ashla yelled as she rushed after him. "You can't just go storming in there!"
"The hell I can't!" Carth yelled back as he stomped through the hold. Mission and Zaalbar looked up as he rushed past.
"Carth, please! Listen to me!" Ashla grabbed his arm. She felt the others behind her as they watched in rapt fascination.
"He's my son, Ash! My son!" Carth raked his hand through his hair in frustration.
"I know, I know he is," Ashla spoke softly to him, hoping to calm him down. "But, we have to be careful. His life, and ours, depends on it. Please, Carth, just… listen to me."
"Fine." He grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest. "What do you have in mind?"
Ashla looked over at Canderous, who leaned against the wall taking the scene in with an amused look on his face. During the time they had been in the academy, Canderous had always left his helmet and armor on. That might work to their advantage, even though Carth was built slightly smaller than the large Mandalorian. "Canderous, loan Carth your armor and help him suit up." She looked back at Carth. "You might still be too recognizable, especially if Dustil sees you, even from afar. You will have to keep the helmet on at all times, unless we're in private."
#
She had tried to warn him.
He had dismissed her words at first as her just being overly paranoid. This was his son… his boy. Surely, he wouldn't act like one of them. But over the last few days he had watched Dustil from a distance. And now, as he watched Dustil sparring with Ashla, he wasn't so sure anymore. While he stood in the back of the sparring dojo, Carth realized that his little boy wasn't so little anymore.
Ashla groaned under the weight of defending against Dustil's training saber as they moved across the floor. Dustil shoved hard against her, causing her to tumble backwards across the mat. Anger drew Dustil's eyes together as they narrowed in focus on Ashla, who popped up and crouched in a ready stance. Quickly, Ashla grabbed a second training saber from the rack and leapt across the mat. She drew both sabers across his chest in one quick fluid motion. She held one training saber out as she gathered the Force around her. As she pushed with her extended hand the energy surged past her, causing the young man to fly backwards. Dustil landed on the mat with a groan.
Carth swallowed the words that he wanted to yell out to his son. Instead, he stood stoically. Ashla had been right. His son was changed. Different. This was not the boy he knew, he thought, as Dustil glared angrily at Ashla, who was receiving praise from her instructor for her combat styles. Dustil stalked off of the training mat and out of the dojo. Carth released the breath he didn't realize he had been holding. Hopefully, the boy he used to know and love was still somewhere deep inside this angry young man.
Later, in the privacy of Ashla's rooms, Carth pulled off the helmet and slammed it down on the bed. Jolee and Ashla exchanged a look as Teethree warbled in concern.
"Teethree, why don't you and I go into the sitting room and give these two a moment," Jolee motioned for the droid to follow him back into the front small sitting room of Ashla's quarters.
"Carth, I…" Ashla set down her heavy robe on the bed and walked to stand behind Carth, who stood with his hands clenched at his sides. His eyes were squeezed shut as he tried to reconcile the man he just saw with the boy he used to know. She wanted to ease his pain, but feared he would shrug off any words comfort she might give him.
"No. Just don't say anything," he muttered grimly. "I know you tried to warn me, but I guess what they say is true. Seeing is believing."
Ashla could feel his sorrow in the force surrounding him. "I'm sorry, Carth. We can help him, I'm sure of it."
"How so? He's lost… to the dark side." Carth hung his head mournfully.
"There is still so much light in him. I felt it when we were sparring today." Ashla slipped her hands around his waist and leaned against his back. The silver beskar was cold against her cheek. "I'm sure of it."
"You think you can bring him back, like you did with Juhani? We're surrounded by so much hate here. You truly think it's possible?" Carth asked, hope filling his voice.
"I know it. Sometimes, all one needs is a candle in the night to find their way." Ashla said. "Be the candle for him."
Ashla pulled away as she heard a knock sound at the front door to her quarters. She picked up the helmet and shoved it into his hands. "Hurry, put your helmet back on!" She whispered.
Once Carth had the helmet back in place, she nodded to Jolee to open the door. On the other side stood a very uncomfortable looking Dustil. Ashla steeled her emotions before walking into the front room.
"Good evening, Onasi. What brings you here at this hour?" Ashla asked with cool confidence, as she strode purposefully into the front sitting room. Carth walked slowly behind her, stopping a few steps behind her.
Dustil looked at Jolee with uncertainty as he stepped into the room and Jolee shut the door behind him. "I was wondering if you would be willing to help me gain prestige with Master Uthar. You have only been here a short time, but already you have risen above many of us who have been here for years."
"How long have you been here, Onasi?" Ashla asked as she sat on the small couch. She motioned for Dustil to join her.
"Thank you, but I will not be here long." Dustil replied. "A couple of years. I joined the Sith after my homeworld was...destroyed."
"If you have been here for, what did you say? A few years?" Ashla asked. At his subtle nod, she continued. "And you are still working your way up? Are you certain this is where you want to be?"
"The Sith are my family. They are all I have left now. I'm sure you wouldn't understand." Dustil said as he turned toward the door.
"Don't be so sure, my young friend." Ashla said as she rose. "I am all alone in the galaxy. No family at all to speak of. I might understand more than you know."
Dustil paused as he took in her words, and nodded. "Perhaps." He looked at Jolee and the armored man standing protectively behind her. She might think she was alone, but clearly she had people who cared enough to stick by her side, he thought. "Then again, perhaps not."
"How could I help you gain prestige?" Ashla asked pointedly as she folded her arms over her chest.
"Actually, I was lying when I said that." Dustil said as he looked grimly down upon her.
"Then why are you here?" Ashla asked as her hand drifted towards her lightsabers, which hung from her belt.
Dustil's eyes followed her hands to the hilts. His eyebrows furrowed together as he debated on whether to continue the discussion or just leave. He could feel the power rolling off the small woman who stood before him. She was his best chance. "I was hoping you could help me find someone."
Ashla cocked a quizzical brow at him. "Someone? Who?"
"Selene, my friend who came here with me. She is the one who convinced me to come to the academy with her. She's been missing for weeks now. Master Uthar said that she must have lost her way on her last mission, but…"
"But, you think otherwise?" Ashla asked. She knew what had befallen Selene. The datapad which held the incriminating evidence was in her pack lying on her bed.
"Well. I have no reason to doubt Master Uthar. He has been like a father to me since I arrived." Dustil muttered.
Ashla sighed deeply. She looked at Carth for guidance. At his subtle nod, she gave a slight nod in return. Carth walked into the bedroom and brought the datapad to her. Still unsure if this was the right path, she looked to Jolee, who nodded as well. "Dustil. I think you should read this."
"How did you know my given name is Dustil?" He asked angrily.
Carth slipped off the helmet. "Because I told her."
Dustil's eyes widened in surprise, then quickly narrowed. "What's going on? How did you manage to get in here, Father?"
"The same way I did." Ashla replied drily.
Dustil gave a small laugh. "Oh, I highly doubt that Father has switched sides. Not my self-righteous Father." Dustil turned to Carth. "Just why are you here, Father? Couldn't you have gotten yourself blown up on some ship out in space somewhere and spared us this awkward reunion?"
Teethree gave a sad chirp, "dooooo."
Carth stared at his son in disbelief. "Dustil? What are you saying? I thought you were dead! I spent years searching for you!"
Ashla stood in between the two men, unsure of what to say or how to react.
Dustil scoffed. "Oh, right! Like you really expect me to believe that? Did you really think I'd be happy to see you? After you abandoned Mom and I so you could go off and play soldier?"
"Abandoned you?" Carth said miserably. "Dustil. I was on the task force coming to Telos! We were late… Your mother, she died in my…" His voice broke. His mouth was set in a thin line as he raked his hand across his face. "I looked for you. I looked everywhere for you…"
Dustil shook his head angrily. "Oh, save it, Father! You abandoned us long before that! Even when you came home, you didn't stay. Always running off to the next big battle!"
"Dustil. I didn't have a choice! I was needed…" Carth's voice trailed off.
"Yeah? Old man, you were needed at home, too. Or did you fail to notice that while you were too busy hopping on the next transport?" Dustil said grimly as he opened the door. "It doesn't matter anymore. I have a new family now."
"That's it! I don't know what they've said to you to make you this way, but you're coming with me right now!" Carth ground out as he moved towards Dustil.
Dustil's lightsaber was in his hand before Carth could take a step forward. Ashla stepped in front of him, with both sabers drawn. The howl coming from the shoto lightsaber with the krayt dragon pearl cut through the room, grabbing Dustil's attention. She held both sabers out in a defensive stance. The white and blue blades hummed with power as she stood protectively in front of Carth.
"Dustil. Please, calm down. He's only trying to protect you." She said calmly as she projected a sense of serenity through the Force. Dustil relaxed as he felt the soothing waves of the Force ripple and fill the room. The blood red plasma blade faded as he switched off his lightsaber.
"Protect me? Humph. It's a little late for that." Dustil said as he clipped his lightsaber back onto his belt. "Besides, I don't need his protection. Not anymore, now that I have my new family. The Sith have given me all I need now."
Ashla released the plasma blades and clipped the lightsabers back on her belt as Carth released the shaky breath he had been holding.
"The Sith? They're evil! You can't mean that, Dustil." Carth said in disbelief.
"Evil? They're not evil! The dark side is just… superior! Besides, you left long before they came along!" Dustil said angrily.
"I left… Dustil, I went to war for… you! For your future! So, that you would have a future!" He felt crushed with dispair. This wasn't the reunion he had always imagined. He hoped that he could get through to him.
Ashla tapped the datapad she had picked back up, and waited.
"Yeah?" Dustil retorted. "If they are so evil, then prove it! Prove just how evil they really are, Father!"
"Show him the datapad, Ash." Carth said softly.
"What datapad?" Dustil asked in confusion.
"This one. It is one of Master Uthar's." Ashla handed him the datapad. "Look at the file at the top."
Dustil took the datapad from her hands and gripped it tightly in his hands. His face fell as he read the file. "No. Surely this isn't true."
"Son, look at it. It's true." Carth said gently. He felt hope for the first time.
"It's about Selene." Dustil read as he sat down on the small couch. "According to this, Master Uthar had her killed because she was… holding me back?"
Ashla remained silent as she stood beside Carth.
"Superiority at any cost, Dustil. There's your evil. Or, can you live with that?" Carth asked.
"Selene…" Dustil shook his head. "No. No, I… can't. I had no idea. They lied to me."
Ashla took the datapad from his shaking hands and handed it back to Carth.
"Now, there's the son I remember." Carth said warmly. "Now, will you leave here with me?"
Dustil closed his eyes in sorrow as he thought about Selene. "No, not yet, Father. There are others who… question the methods here. I have to warn them."
Carth wanted to pull the young man into his arms, but knew it was too soon. "I don't suppose there is any way to talk you out of that. I mean, you're not going to do anything halfway. Sounds familiar."
Dustil looked up at Carth and gave him a weak chuckle. "Yeah, I suppose it does." He looked at Ashla. "Don't worry, I'll keep... whatever it is that you're up to here, secret. You have my word."
#
Ashla sat down wearily on the bed and dispelled a heavy breath. She leaned back with a sigh as she thought how that could have gone… how it had almost gone. Carth leaned in the doorway of the bedroom, still staring at the front door.
"Do you think he'll keep his word?" Ashla asked. "Or has our mission been compromised?"
Carth looked back at her, giving her a weak smile. "He's enough like me. He'll keep his word."
"He had me worried there for a moment, flyboy." Ashla said in a faint voice.
"Me too, beautiful." Carth murmured softly. He turned and walked into the room. He picked her feet and slowly pulled off her boots, one at a time. "You should try to get some sleep. You look worn out."
"I haven't been sleeping well." Ashla said as she pulled off the black robe and slid under the covers.
"I know, beautiful. Jolee and I will take turns keeping watch." Carth pulled the blanket up over her and tucked it in under her chin. "Thank you for helping me with him."
Ashla felt his lips brush against her forehead as her eyes closed and she drifted off in an uneasy sleep.
#
Carth couldn't shake the uneasy feeling he had as he watched Ashla leave the academy with Uthar and Yuthura as she headed toward her final trial. Jolee and Teethree stood with him as the doors closed behind her. Together, the trio turned and headed back towards her quarters where they had to wait until she returned. If she returned, he thought dismally. She had given them strict orders to return to the ship if she wasn't back by mid-day and consult with Bastila on how to complete the mission. No, she's coming back. I just know it, he thought as he entered her quarters, which seemed empty without her. "Now, we wait."
A few hours had passed when he heard a soft knock at the door. Using the display built within the helmet, he saw one heat signature reading on the other side of the door. After wearing the armor for days now, he was coming to appreciate the Mandalorian tech in ways he'd never imagined before.
He nodded to Jolee to go ahead and open the door. His hands hovered over his sides, where his blasters were holstered.
As Dustil quickly came into the room, he let out a small sigh of relief.
"Father, I've come to warn you." Dustil's words came out in a rush. "I overheard some of the other's saying that Uthar is planning a double-cross on Yuthura, while some are saying that Yuthura is planning the same. Your girlfriend is in a lot of danger."
Carth's eyes widened behind his helmet. "My girlfriend? Dustil, Ash isn't my girlfriend."
Jolee snickered, then coughed as he tried to cover up the laugh.
Dustil chuckled. "You two aren't fooling anyone, old man. I saw the way you were looking at her the other night. The way she jumped out in front of you. I'm not twelve anymore, you know." The smile faded quickly. "You both are in great danger if she doesn't make it back. Even if she does, if the others suspect that she killed Master Uthar or Yuthura… the whole school will turn on you! You've got to get out of here!"
Carth exchanged a shocked look with Jolee.
"Carth, the kid's right. We need to be ready." Jolee said, matter of factly.
"Dooooo wooooooo," Teethree warbled sadly. T3= I should have gone with Ash!
Dustil shook his head. "They wouldn't have let you, droid. She had to go alone. Those are the rules."
Carth pulled the helmet off. "Dustil. You need to get out of here too. It's not safe! Come with us!"
"I'm leaving now. I just came to warn you. I have to help my friends get off the planet, Father." Dustil said as he moved towards Carth, holding out his datapad. "Here, upload my comlink information onto your datapad. Contact me when you're safe."
Carth looked grim as he uploaded the information onto his datapad. "I will, son. Be safe out there."
Dustil clipped his datapad back onto his belt as he moved towards the door. "I will... Dad."
The door closed behind him as Carth put the helmet back on. He called me Dad… The helmet hid Carth's smile as he turned to Jolee and motioned toward the door.
Carth, Jolee and Teethree were almost at the exit to Dreshdae when he felt her presence enter the fortress. He stopped in the middle of the corridor and motioned for Jolee to wait. He couldn't explain it but somehow he knew, he just knew that she was looking for them and was headed this way. He could tell by the look on Jolee's face that the old man sensed it too.
"Carth, she's hurt." Jolee said quietly.
Carth scanned the room through the helmet's visor. He saw her walking slowly through the Great Hall. She held her arm awkwardly at her side, and he could tell she was trying to not limp as her eyes fell on him. Teethree whistled excitedly beside him. Carth motioned for the droid to quieten down as she slowly approached them.
Ashla gave him a weak smile. "It's done. We need to leave and not draw any attention to ourselves. Yuthura will be entering the Academy any minute now."
Jolee handed her a medpack. "Looks like you could use one of these, young lady."
Ashla nodded her thanks as she accepted the medpack and slammed the syringe into her thigh.
The sunlight was almost blinding as they walked out of the Academy and into the afternoon sun. Ashla's knees buckled as they neared the Ebon Hawk. Carth gathered her up in his arms quickly as they rushed up the loading ramp of the ship. He was aware of everyone's eyes on them as he rushed her into the small med bay. Bastila rushed in as he gently laid Ashla on the med bay bed.
"Carth." Ashla said weakly. "Here. Take my datapad. I downloaded the coordinates from the star map onto it. Have Teethree upload them into the navicomputer."
"Ash, what happened in that tomb?" Carth asked as he took the datapad from her shaking hands.
Ashla closed her eyes as she thought back to what happened in the tomb after she found the star map. "Yuthura had been planning on us working together to kill Uthar so that she could take control of the Academy. However, over the course of my training, I had been working on helping her come back to the light."
Bastila let out a small gasp of surprise. Ashla opened her eyes and nodded at the other Jedi.
"When we found out that Uthar had been plotting to poison Yuthura, she decided she had had enough and was ready to leave but we had to make it look convincing. I tried to get him to surrender to me, but he refused and continued to attack us. He forced my hand. I had to…" Ashla's words drifted off as a tear slid down her dusty cheek.
Bastila took Ashla's trembling hand in her own. "It's alright, Ashla."
Jolee administered another medpack into her thigh. Ashla gave a sigh of relief as she felt the kolto began traveling through her system. "Yuthura is going to cover up my disappearance and then as soon as she can, she's going to leave Korriban and return to the Jedi." Her eyes closed as she drifted off to sleep.
"Let the girl rest. Both of you, shoo!" Jolee said as he motioned for them to leave the med bay.
#
Carth stomped up to the cockpit of the Ebon Hawk. They had left Korriban behind and were enroute back to Dantooine to pick up supplies and get some much needed rest. Bastila sat calmly in the co-pilots seat. He breathed in a jagged breath as he took in her calm demeanor. He'd had just about enough of her vague answers, especially now after having seen how difficult the past few weeks had been on all of them, stuck on that insidious planet. Ashla, in particular.
"Alright, Bastila. Out with it. What's really going on?" He demanded.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Carth." Bastila said crisply as she gazed out the cockpit window, refusing to look at him.
"Oh, yes, you do. What's this mission about really?"
"I've already told you that, Carth. We have to find the star maps so that we can find the Star Forge."
"Yeah? Well, there's more to this than you're letting on. I know it! Things just aren't adding up, Bastila."
"Carth, really? This again? We've been over this before." Bastila shook her head.
"Yeah? Well, we need to go over it again. I deserve… no, we deserve to know what we're out there risking our lives for! You don't know what it was like in there!" Carth slammed his hand on the back of his pilot's seat.
"Yes, I know, and I'm sorry that I couldn't have gone in there with you. It was too dangerous. I could have been recognized."
Carth glared at her. "Oh, I know that. She knows that too! That's why she pushed you to stay on the ship. She cares too damn much! But you… you didn't see what it was like for her in there! Bastila, she rarely talked. She barely ate. And, sleep… when she did allow herself to rest, she was plagued with nightmares, tossing and turning in her sleep all night!"
Carth remembered how she tossed in her sleep and cried out as if someone was torturing her. He thought back on how she would answer the Uthar's questions, sneering out her responses in order to receive high praise from the Sith master, yet once they were alone and away from the peering eyes of the other students, she would withdraw into herself. Her normal calm self visibly shaken. He felt useless and helpless, while she had to shoulder all the burden.
"And just how do you know that?" Bastila snipped.
"Not that it's any of your damn business, but Jolee and I took turns keeping watch so she could get some rest." Her disapproving tone hadn't gone unnoticed, but he refused to tell her more about the nature of their relationship. "The point is we're out there risking everything, and you're being way too tight lipped about this damn mission! I deserve to know the truth. Hell, Ash deserves to know what the hell is going on too!"
Bastila sighed deeply. "I promise, Carth, I'll tell you what I can… Soon. Now is not the time. Just, please, trust me on this."
Ashla stood still in the hallway leading to the cockpit. Her hands trembled slightly as she listened to the conversation echoing down the corridor. She slipped them into the sleeves of her robe to cease their trembling.
She thought that Bastila hadn't told her everything about the mission, and that the Jedi Council was intentionally keeping her in the dark. Why, she didn't know, but had thought it was because of her status as a Padawan. Carth had been urging her to try to get Bastila to tell her more, but when she asked her, the Jedi would refuse to elaborate. Instead, she said that they had to trust in the will of the Council. Trust in the will of the Force. It seemed Carth had had enough, and was taking matters in his own hands. Worse, it seemed he was right. Bastila knew more than she was letting on and was just refusing to tell her.
Forcing her feet to move forward, Ash entered the cockpit and made a slight ahem. "Bastila, might I have a word with Carth, please?" Ash asked, coming up behind her.
"Of course." Bastila remained seated.
"In private, please." Ashla arched a brow at the other woman sitting in the copilot's seat.
Rising, Bastila sighed. "Fine."
Alarms began blaring as the Ebon Hawk gave a sudden lurch.
"Carth? What's happening?" Ashla asked as she heard feet pounding down the corridor towards the cockpit. The rest of the crew lined the corridor.
Carth rushed to the panel and began checking all the sensors. "We've been pulled out of hyperspace." He groaned. "There's only one ship that I know of with a gravity well installed on it. The Leviathan. Saul Karath's flagship. They must have been waiting for us in the hyperspace route. We're caught in their tractor beam."
Carth leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. "My old mentor."
Ashla sank into the seat behind him. A sliver of dread crept up her spine. It seemed their time had run out.
Darth Malak had found them.
#