Dark Waters
Hyperspace - enroute to Manaan
Ashla lost herself in the Force as it swirled around her, the crates floated as she levitated, slowly bobbing in the air as if floating on a breeze. As the breeze flowed past, Ashla felt herself ebbing and flowing with the current of the Force that surrounded her and moved through her.
She felt connected.
It was harder in space, to connect deeply with the Force, than it was on land where the Force fully permeated around you. Yet, she concentrated and focused on those who were among her. She could feel them in the living force, which was connected to the greater cosmic force.
She could feel Tuuka, the loth-cat who decided to come along with her from their stop on Lothal, lying curled up in Mission's lap while she and Zaalbar taught Juhani how to play pazaak. She had been so happy to find the faun colored loth-cat waiting patiently for her at the exit of the temple on Lothal. She had been overjoyed by the fact that the small feline wanted to come with her.
As she sensed the long silver thread running from herself to Carth, she could feel him in the cockpit as he and Teethree watched over the bridge. She could sense he was worrying something over in his mind, trying to reach a conclusion.
She pulled her senses away from him as she reached her awareness out to the others... Canderous, who was hard at work in the garage making sure all the armor was battle ready… Jolee, who was making more med packs, while HK marched around the ship in his patrol pattern.
The only person missing from the crew: Bastila.
Ashla released a lone sigh as she reached out further to Bastila, reaching out along that green vine that stretched between them. She sensed that Bastila was growing weaker by the hour.
Bastila?
Silence followed.
Ashla tried again. Bastila? Can you hear me, my friend?
Ashla felt a stirring on the other end of their connection. She could feel Bastila's fear intensifying. Malak.
... Ashla? Revan… I'm so sorry… I've tried to keep silent… but the pain… the pain will be my undoing, I'm afraid… Bastila's thoughts rode the current of the Force back to Ashla.
Bastila, hold on. Please, we'll come for you first, then we can go on to Manaan for the last Star Map.
She could feel Bastila's strength waning. No, Revan. You must continue without me. Seek the last Star Map. Find the Star Forge. Destroy it. I feel it is the only way…
Ashla released a lone sigh. Bastila, I will come for you, my friend. I promise.
She closed the connection between her and slowly lowered herself until her legs lightly touched the floor, sitting in a crossed-legged position with her palms resting on her knees facing upwards. The cargo crates gently lowered themselves as she opened her eyes.
Bastila's fear and anger… Ashla sensed so much anger from the young Jedi. Her worry for Bastila deepened.
The younger Jedi was teetering close to the edge. She was concerned about what would become of Bastila if she didn't make it to her in time.
Tuuka stretched and yawned as he walked into the cargo hold before curling up in her lap. She scratched his ears as a small smile flitted across her face. Mission had been thrilled when Ashla brought the feisty feline aboard, while the others had mostly ignored the cat. Although, she did have to alter HK's programming to keep the rust-red colored assassin droid from trying to hunt the loth-cat, much to HK's disdain and objection.
She was grateful for Tuuka's company, especially now with the distance that Carth had placed between the two of them since it had been revealed that she was Revan. She meditated, and worked on deepening her connection to the Force. When she wasn't meditating, she was sparring with Canderous or Juhani, training to face Malak once more.
A soft cough coming from the doorway got her attention.
Jolee leaned against the door frame of the cargo hold. "So, you gonna hide in here all the way to Manaan?"
"I'm not hiding," Ashla said calmly as she smoothed Tuuka's fur down.
He grunted in disagreement. "Sulking, then are you?"
"Of course not," Ashla said as she released the loth-cat. She frowned as she brushed the fur off of her robes absentmindedly. "I'm not sulking. I've been meditating… working on deepening my connection to the Force." Ashla picked up her sabers and attached them to her belt. She felt the kyber crystals singing to her softly as they hung on the sides of her hips. In particular, the shoto saber, which now housed the cleansed kyber crystal she had taken from one of the dark Jedi. It had taken several meditation sessions before she had been able to purge the hate, fear and rage out of the crystal and replace it with feelings of light and love. The kyber she had been gifted in the wolf temple on Lothal was now safely seated in her main lightsaber hilt. When ignited, both blades emitted a brilliant white beam.
"Yeah, well, you've been meditating all the way from Lothal." Jolee said. "They're not going to get used to the idea of you still being you, not old Revan Lord of the Sith, if you continue to meditate, isolated and locked up in your makeshift room. You've gotta get out there... show 'um you're still you."
"Jolee… I don't even know if I'm still me anymore." Ashla sighed. "Or, if who I thought was, was even real."
"Sure ya are… Still look like you to me." Jolee said as he coughed lightly. "Ack! All this talking is making my throat dry. Just get out here already."
Ashla stood unsure in the corridor. She glanced down towards the cockpit, where Carth sat watching the stars streak past them. Before, she would have gone and made them both a cup of caff. They would have sat and watched the stars together, talking about their past… well, his past and what she could remember of hers.
She worried at her bottom lip.'An identity which I know now is fake. Is any of the biographical information I was given even real? Who was I before the fall? Before I took up the mantle of Revan? Malak might be the only one who truly knows, but he is across the galaxy. And, brother or not, he will try to kill me when next we meet.'
She glanced towards the cockpit with longing before heading to the common area where Mission, Zaalbar and Juhani were still playing pazaak. Silence filled the common area as she entered the galley to brew a cup of caff. She sat down next to Mission at the small table while she waited for the brew to finish.
"Deal me in?" She asked hesitantly, with a small smile.
"You betcha." Mission replied with a grin. "No cheating though, Ash. We all know you use the force to read the cards!"
#
With the ship safely docked in bay 26-C on Manaan, Ashla divided the crew up into two teams. Mission, Zaalbar and Teethree were tasked with resupplying the ship and picking up the other odds and ends that were needed while she, Canderous, Juhani and Carth set out to pay the docking fees and report to the Republic Embassy. Jolee and HK were tasked with staying with the ship. HK had been given strict orders to obey Jolee in Ashla's absence and refrain from any violent transgressions the droid was prone to have. The droid finally relented after Ashla threatened to rewire him into a serving droid, much to his ire.
Ahto City was a beautiful, if confusing, city. Thankfully, Ashla had downloaded a map of the city from the visitor's center. She felt herself relaxing as the calming sounds of the water bubbling in pools in the middle of the walkways of the city, which gleamed in the sparkling sunlight off of the ocean surrounding the city.
After locating the Republic Embassy, Ashla spoke to Roland Wann, the Republic official who was in charge at the embassy, who turned out to be of little help. He answered her questions regarding her search for ruins, or ancient technology, with little more than vague responses. It was only after she agreed to help him retrieve the memory core from a damaged submersible droid that had been stolen by the Sith that he admitted that he might know something about some ancient ruins on the seafloor.
Later at the cantina, she saw Mission and Zaalbar over at one of the pazaak tables. Mission looked as if she was on a roll, judging by the gleam in her eye as she sized up her opponent. Ashla gave her a nod before sitting at the bar with Juhani at her side. Canderous stood stiffly behind her, as he scoped the room before ordering an ale and moving off to stand at the back of the cantina where he could watch more freely.
Ashla sat quietly, sipping her ale. She felt her datapad buzz and checked it quickly. Mission had sent her message, 'supplies restocked. T3 stayed with J and HK to run diagnostic scans on the ship.' She was about to reply when she felt someone bump into her from the side.
"Hey, why don't you clear out, man… you're cramping my style with the ladies… hiccup," the man slurred drunkenly to Carth, who sat over on the other side of her at the bar, as he squeezed his way in between them.
Ashla's nose crinkled up as a mix of bad body odor and stale cigarette smoke wafted over her from the Sith officer who leaned heavily onto the bar at her side. Her eyes met Carth's as his hand tightened on his glass before he moved over a bit to give the man more room. Ashla sent her attention back to her ale as she tried to ignore the man who inched closer to her.
"Say, you must be new around here. I'd remember seeing such a ravishing beauty such as yourself before," his words slurred together. "The name's Viglo. So, what… hiccup...brings you to Ma...Manaan?"
Ashla sat very still as she focused on keeping her emotions calm. It annoyed her that in this century, in a galaxy full of technological wonders, a woman couldn't go to a cantina without having to deal with scumbags like this.
"Hey, lady… hiccup...I'm talking to you," Viglo said loudly in her ear as he pressed closer to her.
Ashla rose from her seat and slid her glass back towards the barkeep with a nod of thanks. She motioned to Juhani, who sat on the other side of her, that she was ready to leave.
The Sith officer moved to cut off her exit, sidling closer to her. "Hey… where ya goin'? I just got here." Hiccup. "Oh, hey…" He laughed drunkenly. "If I said, you had a beautiful body, would you hold it against me? Hahaha! Barkeep! I think I offended her!"
Ashla leaned back against the bar to keep some measurable distance between them. She could feel Juhani's unease deepen beside her and anger rolling off of Carth. She heard a glass being set down heavily, then saw Carth's hand clamp down on the man's shoulder.
Oh no.
Ashla took a deep breath, and gently nudged the man's mind with the Force. She waved two fingers in front of the man's eyes as she said, "you want to apologize because you've had too much to drink. You want to go home and rethink your affiliation with the Sith."
The Sith officer's eyes glazed over as he followed her fingers. "I want to apologize to you. I think I've had too much to drink. I want to go home and rethink my affiliation with the Sith," the man said, in a monotone voice.
Ashla leaned heavily on the bar as the man stumbled out of the cantina. She gave Juhani a relieved look, who nodded in return.
Carth threw an extra credit chip down on the bar. "Did you just force mind trick that guy?" He asked in disbelief.
Ashla pushed away angrily from the bar. "Would you prefer it if I had let you punch him in the face and get arrested? Along with myself and Juhani, as well? How would that help our mission?"
Carth felt his lips tighten. Damn. She's right. We were warned about how strict the Selkath are with their strong code of morality and ethics. "Of course not… but using the force like that… isn't that… I don't know... wrong?"
"Hmph, if I had made him walk off the platform into the depths of the ocean, then yes, that would have been wrong, but I used it to diffuse a situation heading for disaster." Ashla said. "I'm going back to the ship to rest up for tonight's mission. You and Canderous see if you can find out anything more about those missing Selkath we heard about. I'll see you back at the ship."
'Perhaps I should have just let him get into a fight and land his ass behind bars,' Ashla grumbled to herself.
#
They have been gone for hours, Carth thought as he paced the interior of the ship.
Mission rolled her eyes as she watched him pace, while she and Zaalbar played another hand of pazaak. "Why don't you come play a round with me, Carth?"
Carth walked back towards the lowered loading ramp and peered out into the empty docking bay area around the Ebon Hawk for the umpteenth time since Revan, rather Ashla as she wanted to be called, and the others left to raid the Sith Embassy to find the stolen submersible droid's memory core and to look for the missing Selkath youth. He was annoyed that she had left him behind to guard the ship. 'She took the Jedi with her… hell, that was understandable… HK, sure… but to take Canderous with her, and leave me here to babysit the ship? She's always taken me with her on missions.' He jammed his hands into his pockets in frustration.
He looped back around to the common area where he slumped in the chair opposite Mission. "Sure, why the hell not? Got nothing better to do." He grumbled.
Mission forced herself to not roll her eyes at him as she handed him a deck and then began shuffling her own cards. They played a few rounds in silence, only commenting on the game.
Mission noticed him watching the garage or turning at every little sound. Everyone had noticed the tension between Ash and Carth since they fled the Leviathan, but had kept quiet about it. "So, why didn't you go with the others on the mission?"
Carth laid down his cards, only to groan as Mission sat down her winning hand. "I wasn't asked to go this time," he grumbled.
Mission shuffled her cards, as he did the same. "Maybe she thought you didn't want to come along. You know, you have been avoiding her lately."
"I've had a lot on my mind. You probably wouldn't understand," he said as he finished shuffling his cards. "Listen, I don't want to talk about it…"
Mission huffed. "Why, cuz I'm a kid?"
"No, because I just don't want to talk about it," he said in exasperation, as he laid down his card. "Now, are we going to play or what?"
Mission hmphed. "Well, maybe if you talked about it before to Ash, then you wouldn't be sitting here with me, instead of out there with her." She looked down to her cards in silence.
Carth sighed, hoping that the issue had been dropped.
An hour later, and several credits poorer, Carth threw his cards down. "Urgh, I'm done, Mission. You're going to bankrupt me if we keep playing."
Zaalbar huffed out a laugh as Mission collected the last of the cards up, along with Carth's credit chips.
Mission glanced up at Carth, who sat looking miserable. "You know, you should just tell her how you feel about her." Bringing up the issue again. She had spent the last few hands trying to decide how to broach the subject with Carth, and decided he just needed to hear it. Get it out in the open. Then, maybe he'd feel better, she thought.
Carth looked warily at the young girl. "I don't know what you're talking about, Mission."
Mission rolled her eyes, this time unable to restrain herself. "I mean, just tell her that you're in love with her already!"
Carth's eyes widened. "In love with her?" He laughed softly as he crossed his arms defensively, then let out a humph. "Oh, no… I am not in love with Revan."
"Oh, really? So, is that why you're sitting here moping? You've been moping for weeks now, since we got away from the Leviathan. Since Ash told us she was really Revan." Mission said, crossly.
"I'm definitely not moping, Mission." He replied.
Zaalbar huffed in disagreement.
"See, even Big Z says you've been moping around the ship!"
Carth stood stiffly as he shook his head in denial. "Mission, I don't know what gave you that idea, but you're wrong."
Mission narrowed her eyes at him. "You don't know what gave me that idea? Geez, Carth, how 'bout all the times you and Ash...I don't know, held hands? Kissed? Shot each other looks so full of longing that they could have come straight out of a romance story? Oh, c'mon! You two have been dancing around this since I met you! Hell, I thought you two were married, with how you two looked and talked to each other, when I met you on Taris!"
That stopped him short. He turned to look at her incredulously. "You thought we were married?!"
Mission shrugged. "Well, yeah, at first… I mean, then Ash told me that you just worked together. I have to tell you though, I didn't believe her at first."
Suddenly, Carth remembered a red-faced Ashla stepping out of the elevator on Taris as they headed to the Hidden Bek's base. So, that's what Mission must have asked Ash that morning that caused her to blush so fiercely. Everything happened so quickly after that, he never had time to go back and ask her about it. "Mission, look. I am not in love with Revan, so just… just drop it, okay?"
Mission frowned at him. "Alright. Fine. Have it your way, Carth. Be in denial, if you want." She stood up from the table and walked over to him, and stuck her index finger into his chest to emphasize her point. "But, you are right about one thing. You're not in love with Revan. You're in love with Ashla. She's not Revan anymore."
Carth was about to respond when they heard the sound of feet pounding up the ramp along with Canderous' boisterous voice. They raced towards the garage, where they saw their team file into the ship. The team, minus Ashla.
"Where is she?" Carth asked as he looked down the loading ramp into the darkened docking bay. "Where's Ash?"
Canderous dumped his pack down in the garage. "Get a load of this… She got arrested," he called back as he headed towards the common area.
"Arrested? What?!" Mission gasped. "They arrested Ash?"
Juhani nodded as she set down her pack beside Canderous'. "Yes, they did. The secret entrance the Republic official told us about would not open from the inside of the base, so we were forced to leave by the front. The Selkath Civil Authority officers were waiting for us as we made our exit."
Carth couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How long are they going to hold her?"
Jolee shrugged. "The Selkath move things to trial fairly quickly. She'll probably be out in a few days. If they find her innocent, that is."
"If they find her innocent?" Carth followed the older Jedi into the medbay. "Why did they let the rest of you go?"
Jolee nodded. "Well, officially, we were released into our own recognizance. They are holding Ash because they viewed her to be the instigator. We've been detained to the ship."
This just keeps getting better, he thought as he slumped against the wall. "What charges are they holding against her?"
Jolee whistled. "Oh, let's see: initiating violence within the Sith Embassy, murdering members of the Ambassadorial Commission of the Sith Empire, and disregarding laws regarding violence in Ahto City. Oh, and disturbing the peace."
"Damn... this is serious, Jolee," Carth murmured softly. "Didn't she tell them this was Jedi business?"
"Yeah, but they said 'Jedi business' had no jurisdiction here. Hell, they'll end up throwing the charges out. You'll see." Jolee said as he set down the stolen memory core from the submersible droid that they had been tasked to retrieve. "Now, shoo! I'm tired and want to catch a few zzz's before morning. I'm old and tired, you know."
#
Ashla paced to and fro in her small cell. She had tried to sleep, but her restlessness kept her awake. She gave up and sat in quiet meditation, seeking rest in the Force. Hours later, she sensed the presence of another being standing calmly outside of her cell. She opened her eyes to peer at the Selkath who awaited her.
"Hello," Ashla said as she uncrossed her legs and rose to stand.
The Selkath nodded politely. "Greetings, Jedi human. I am called Bwa'lass. I have been appointed as your arbiter for the duration of your trial. I need to ask you a few questions so that I can prepare for your case."
Ashla nodded. "Very well. You may continue." She sighed deeply as Bwa'lass began asking a series of questions, which she tried to answer to the best of her ability, that is without giving away too much of her mission.
She was relieved when she saw Carth and Jolee enter the holding room, what felt like hours later.
Bwa'lass turned to see the other humans approaching his client. "I see you have visitors. I should have enough information, that is, if everything you have told me is true, to build your case. I will return when it is time for your trial to begin."
"Thank you, Bwa'lass. You have been most helpful," Ashla answered. She bowed her head in respect as the arbiter backed away from her cell.
Once the Selkath had left the room, she let out the breath she had been holding. "By the light, Jolee. Did you bring that datapad we found last night about the missing youth? That might be the only thing that will save my hide. From what I've heard, if I'm found guilty I'll be sentenced to death. Immediate death."
Jolee showed her the datapad. He tried to hand it to her but the force fields surrounding her cell would not allow for anything to be passed through, animate or inanimate.
Ashla sighed. "Just hold on to it until the arbiter comes back. I told him of our findings, but I'm afraid he didn't believe me."
"Wait a minute…" Carth shook his head. "Immediate death? Like, right then and there, death?"
Ashla nodded gravely. "I'm afraid so. Seems like I've really landed myself right in the bantha poo-doo this time."
Bantha poo-doo was right, he thought with a frown. "What did you find out about the youth that makes you think it will help you to be found innocent?"
"It seems our Sith friends have been luring the young Selkath inside the embassy to train them to be Sith. It appeared that the ones who did not pass the trials to receive training were experimented upon. I found Shaelas' - you remember Shaelas? The Selkath who approached me in the cantina?" At Carth's curt nod, she continued. "We found his daughter, Shasa, and a host of other Selkath youth and showed them the truth behind the Sith's actions. Unfortunately, Shaelas also said if I was caught while investigating the matter, he would have to disavow any association with me… thus, why we need that datapad so badly."
"Hmm, I see," Carth replied, thinking about his son, Dustil, who had been inducted into the Sith fold, but managed to escape... with their help.
"Yes," Ashla said softly. "I explained all of this to the arbiter, Bwa'lass, but as I said… I'm afraid he didn't believe me. Although, he said that if what I said was true, it might help in reducing my sentence or being found innocent."
Carth stared at the pattern on the floor, deep in thought. This was so typical of her - helping others to the detriment of herself. Just like on Taris, giving away all their credits to help a woman escape an unwarranted bounty on her head, and later befriending her. Or the family they had helped on Tatooine, the young widow and her children, by giving away a large sum of credits to help them get off world to make a new start. Now, getting herself arrested after helping a father find his daughter… just like she helped him find his son... helped him to save his son. This was so typical of Ashla. Revan? Not exactly what he expected a Sith lord would do… Carth met her eyes through the force field energy cell. His shoulders relaxed as he felt himself letting go of the hate he had been holding on to… his anger defusing. 'Mission was right about one thing, I'll give her that… Ash isn't Revan anymore.'
"Don't worry, flyboy. I've made it through worse scrapes before… you should remember… hell, lately, most of them have seemed to be with you," Ashla said with a half grin, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned.
"Heh heh, yeah, true enough," Carth replied with a sly grin. "Jolee, I'll see you back at the ship." He gave a last lingering look to Ashla before leaving the small holding room.
Ashla watched him go. She had felt something shift in his emotions through the bond between them. Perhaps he would tell her when he was ready.
"When are you going to tell that boy that you're in love with him?" Jolee snipped after the door closed behind Carth.
Ashla's mouth opened as if she was going to respond, then closed quickly. In love with Carth? "Jolee… That's… absurd. I'm not in…"
Jolee crossed his arms over his chest. "You're not, huh? Well, then, I guess I'm a wookiee's uncle. Ehh, I'll see you at the trial." He left the holding room in a huff, grumbling about being too old for all this drama.
Ashla settled herself back down in a seated position and closed her eyes to begin her meditation after Jolee left. She fought to quiet her mind as it wandered over the previous conversation. 'Am I in love with him? I mean, sure I care about him. He's a good friend, and I miss his company… but do I love him?' As she sat in self-reflection, she reached out along the silver thread stretching between the two of them and reflected on her feelings for the man who pulled her from the crashed escape pod on Taris.
She thought back over the past weeks since the revelation of her identity drove a wall between them, the loneliness that she felt since he distanced himself from her, and how his screams from being tortured still haunted her dreams. She realized with a certainty coming from deep within the core of her being, that she was in love with him… probably had been in love with him for a long time.
A dream she had flashed before her eyes.
Marching in the rain. The soldier beside her slipped in the mud, clutching his side.
"We have to keep moving!" She yelled over the driving rain as she helped him up, but the soldier shook his head at her. He looked as if he couldn't take another step, exhaustion and pain having taken its toll. She saw Alek up ahead, as she looped the soldier's arm up over her shoulders. "I'm not leaving you behind!"
She shifted her weight and reached for the force to help her support his weight. She could feel her feet slipping in the mud. "Alek! Help me!"
Alek whipped around, his black hair just visible under the wet hood of his robe. He rushed to the soldier's other side and helped support his weight as they marched on.
She stole a glance from under her drawn hood at the soldier in between them. His hair was darkened from the rain. She glanced down at the insignias marking his status as not only a soldier, but also as one of the pilots from the downed transports. She felt his eyes connect with hers. "I've got you, flyboy. You're going to be alright."
She reached her free hand over to the angry wound she could see through his orange flight jacket. She felt the soft breeze of the Force swirling around her as she reached out, sending some of her own vitality to him. She gave of herself freely, so that his pain might ease. His eyes widened as he felt a soothing warmth rush over him as the pain receded.
Ashla felt as if her breath had been knocked out of her. She rose quickly, panting… her eyes wide. Could it be? Could that have been Carth? She thought as she replayed the vision in her mind. 'But… he said he had never met me before… never met Revan before… Perhaps, he didn't know it was Revan who helped him that day in the rain. Perhaps, this was before I accepted the name of Revan... before the fall.'
She sat back down and closed her eyes, willing the force to send the rest of the memory to her, but she saw only the sightless void before her.
#
The next day, having been cleared of all charges stacked against her thanks dismissing her arbiter and submitting the datapad as evidence of the Sith Embassy's conduct against the young Selkath, Ashla was happy to be back at the ship, which she was beginning to think of as home. She finished tying the side strings of her dark navy blue Jedi robe around her waist before adding her belt, then her two lightsabers. Tuuka wound his way in between her feet, rubbing against her legs. Ashla smiled as she reached down to pet the loth-cat. "I missed you too, Tuuka. Don't worry, little guy… I'll be back as soon as I can."
She picked up her blue hooded cloak before leaving the quiet respite of the cargo hold, or as Jolee called it - her makeshift room. She met Carth in the corridor, who was also suited up and ready to go. She blinked quickly, as the vision she had yesterday superimposed itself upon the present. It was Carth, she thought with assuredness. Sure, a few less lines around his eyes, and his hair was a bit lighter from being in the sun a lot, but it was him. She could feel it. She admired the silver armor he was wearing, Davik Kang's armor that they had brought with them from Taris. "Do you want to come with me to the Station, Carth?"
He finished holstering his blasters and nodded. "I'd like that, yes. Beats being stuck on the ship. You know how irritable I get when I'm bored."
Ashla agreed. "True. Mission told me how miserable you were the night when we snuck into the Sith base."
Carth stopped in his tracks. "Err, was that all she told you?" He swallowed hard, nervous that Mission had confided in Ash the entirety of their conversation.
Ashla paused and turned back to glance at him. He was looking a bit red in the face, and suddenly, she was curious as to why. "No. She also told me she made a lot of creds off of you, though. Was there something she should have told me?" She arched one slim auburn brow up quizzically.
He let out a deep sigh of relief. "No, no… that was, um... about the gist of it."
"Good, then let's head out. Jolee and HK will be accompanying us." Ashla's eyebrows drew together in concentration. She could tell there was more to it than what he was saying. She could feel it, just under the surface, dancing along the bond between them.
Carth nodded. Great. HK… just great. "You know that droid gives me the creeps, Ash."
"He gives everyone the creeps, flyboy… that's why I bring him." She smiled and winked at him as she walked beside him towards the ship's exit. "It cuts the numbers down when they turn tail and run."
Carth laughed, feeling more at ease around her than he had in weeks. "Good point."
Roland Wann had a submersible ready for them at the Republic Embassy when they arrived. The ride down to Hrakert Station, where Ashla hoped they would find not only the answer to Wann's question to what was causing the wildlife and the Selkath working at the station to suddenly go mad and begin killing everyone but also her missing star map, was tense. Carth sat quietly beside her in the cramped submersible. She glanced up everytime his thigh brushed against hers only to have him move away quickly. She felt dismayed at the thought that he couldn't even bear her touch any longer, now that he knew she was Revan. She shifted her legs to the side, so that way they angled away from his and stared out of the viewport as he drove the submersible further down into the depths of Manaan.
They moved through the station, encountering insane Selkath who attacked them on sight. Ashla inspected their corpses, but could not find any clues as to what was driving them insane. By their outward appearance, they looked perfectly healthy. Something must be making them crazy, but she couldn't figure out what was causing it.
After locating the airlock, and the only envirosuit which was outfitted with a sonic emitter, Ashla sighed. It appeared they would need to investigate the rest of the underwater station, but the access door was blocked by a cave in. The only way to the other side of the station was to walk along the ocean floor. She looked out at the large firaxan sharks swimming close to the viewport windows. The man who had locked himself up in the locker was doing little to allay her fears. Carth was currently talking softly to the man, trying to get him to come out.
"Don't know! Ha-ha-ha! The demon screamed, and it shook every mind in the station. We fell to the ground, but survived. The fishy-fishies, though, they just got hungry! No, no… I'm staying in here, where I won't become fishy-fish bait!" The man began whimpering again.
Carth threw up in hands in defeat, giving her a look that said I'm all out of ideas here…
HK pulled his blaster rifle over his shoulder, and checked the charge. "Evaluation: I can offer up a simple solution, Master. Shall I kill him for you?"
"Stand down, HK. That's an order." Ashla said in annoyance, thinking she needed to check his programming again later. She turned back to glance at Carth. "Carth, just leave him in there. He's survived this long, he'll be fine until Roland sends more Republic troops down here after we're done." She brushed her knees off after she stood up from examining the datapad she found with the envirosuit. "Alright. You three stay here. I'll use the suit and walk around the outside of the base to the other side of the station and see if there are any more survivors over there. Hopefully, we'll figure out what's causing all this chaos soon."
Ashla began suiting up, making sure to keep her lightsabers attached to her belt in case she encountered any more insane scientists on the other side of the base. She took a deep calming breath and exited the airlock, into the cold dark ocean.
Carth watched her move slowly through the deep waters, taking one step at a time. His unease deepened as the firaxan sharks got closer and closer to her, until she used the sonic emitter causing them to be stunned and float away. He watched until he could no longer see her yellow suit hobbling along the seafloor.
Needing something to keep his mind occupied, and to distract him from the whimpering locker in the corner, Carth found a comms station not far from the airlock. Getting Jolee and HK to help him, he set out to repair the downed system.
#
It was slow going. Every few feet she had to use the sonic emitter to keep the frenzied firaxan sharks at bay. One got way to close when the emitter seemed to jam up on her, before stunning the shark a mere inches away from her person. Ashla's heart was still beating a loud tattoo in her ears as she made her way to the harvester machine that the two scientists that she encountered on the other side of the station had directed her towards. The only two survivors, the scientists in their fear, had tried to drown her in the airlocks before she managed to convince them she was there to help. She felt a little guilty at having to resort to using the force to gently nudge their minds, in order to get them to let her into the base.
Ashla's fingers through the envirosuit moved lightly over the controls of the harvester. One scientist urged her to destroy the machine, saying that it was the source of what was driving the Selkath and the wildlife mad since the troubles only began after its installation along the Hrakert Rift, while the other wanted her to release a chemical that would destroy the extremely large firaxan shark they thought might be the Progenitor, who was believed by the Selkath to be the originator of kolto and the ancestor of their species.
She was left with a terrible decision to make all alone out on the dark ocean floor. If she released the chemical, it would kill the Progenitor. It would also damage the kolto, a medicine vital to the galaxy for it's fast healing properties. If she destroyed the harvester machine, kolto production would be halted for a time being, but only for the Republic Embassy. The Selkath still maintained and operated their own kolto refining facilities. Only this new secret harvester the Republic Embassy had installed recently, in an effort to produce more kolto for the war effort, was causing the Selkath and firaxan sharks to go insane.
Her decision made, Ashla set out to destroy the machinery. It was the best option. Kolto would still be able to be harvested, and the Progenitor would be healed. She cycled through the controls until she managed to overload the machine. In the distance, a large explosion blew through the harvester, knocking her back. She grabbed hold of the control panel to keep from falling.
She sensed the large Progenitor firaxan coming closer. She reached out through the force, seeking to make a connection with the extremely large shark. Eyes closed, she felt the connection take hold. She felt peace. Calm. Gratitude.
Ashla sent her thoughts to the large beast, 'you and your children are safe now. Go in peace, great mother.'
She opened her eyes. The Progenitor blinked slowly at her, then swam away with the smaller firaxan sharks following her.
She sagged against the control panel in relief. After checking her oxygen levels, she made her way towards the ruins she could see, not far from the control station.
The star map. She pushed onward, towards the ruins. The star map flickered to life as she neared. After sending the new coordinates to her datapad, she turned to make the long walk back to the station.
She felt the cold hit her, even through the envirosuit. Suddenly, she sensed so much fear and anger surrounding her.
Bastila…
Her world tilted as she felt Bastila slip… falling into darkness. Into chaos.
"No!" Ashla cried out in dismay, as she hugged the railing in the bleak dark waters. "Bastila…"
She felt Bastila being consumed by the cold, dark forces of the dark side.
Alone in the dark, she felt her fear take hold.
A/N: As always - thank you for reading! Cheers!~Nia