A Glimmer of Hope
"Jolee, something's wrong." Carth stared out into the murky depths before the view port. He had a bad feeling churning in the pit of his stomach. He glanced over to the older Jedi, who peered in concern at him. "Something is wrong with Ash."
"Hmm…" Jolee murmured as he closed his eyes, looking inward. "I feel... fear. You'd better get those comms back online, sonny. And fast."
Carth motioned for HK to slice into the system, hoping that finally he had it back up and running. He took a deep breath, praying that it would work. "Ash? Do you copy?"
HK switched a plug to another outlet.
"Ash? Do you copy? Come in, Ash. Over." Carth said into the mic. He slipped the headpiece on and tried again.
Ashla clung to the railing, trying her best to hold on as she fought the shadows that were creeping ever closer, and the fear that was threatening to overwhelm her.
"Ash? Do you copy? Come in, Ash."
She thought she heard Carth's voice in the darkness.
A glimmer of hope.
"Carth? Is that you?"
Across the bleak waters, in the station leaning over the comms console, Carth let out a sigh of relief. "Yes, it's me. What's going on out there? We felt tremors coming from outside the base."
The explosion. As if in a fog, she answered, "I… I had to destroy the harvester machine."
"You don't sound like yourself. Are you injured?" Carth asked. "I know this may sound strange coming from me, but I feel like there's something else going on out there."
"No, I'm not hurt." Ashla sobbed quietly before answering, "Carth… I fear that Bastila has fallen to the dark side. There's so much darkness… It's so cold. I feel so…" Her voice broke, "alone…"
He squeezed his eyes shut in frustration as he listened to Ash, normally so calm and composed, sobbing through the headset. He cursed the fact that there wasn't another envirosuit and that he was stuck inside the station. His grip tightened on the sides of the console.
Jolee laid a gentle hand on Carth's shoulder. "Talk to her, son. She needs your help."
His frustration deepened. "How can I help her, Jolee? I'm no Jedi."
"She doesn't need another Jedi right now, son. She needs a friend. She needs you. Like it or not, you have a deep connection with that woman, and you made a promise to her."
Carth looked at him in confusion.
Jolee frowned at him. "Oh, don't look at me like that! Do you think that just because I'm old, I'm deaf too? Hell, boy, I heard you promising that girl that you'd protect her. Protect her with your life because you thought you would need something to hold on to in order to make past Saul alive. Well, guess what, son? She needs you. She needs you now more than ever."
"What can I do? I don't know how to do this Jedi stuff…"
"There's nothing Jedi about it, son. Talk to her. Reach out to her. Connect with her," Jolee said as he sat in a kneeling position. He closed his eyes as he began to meditate on strengthening the bond he felt flowing between Carth and Ashla, pushing aside his own past mistakes. That was a different time. A different place. A different woman.
"Carth? Are you still there?" Ashla whispered in the darkness.
'Reach out and connect with her. How in the hell am I supposed to do that when she's out there?' Carth thought. He closed his eyes and shut out Jolee... shut out the crazy creepy droid beside him. He focused only on Ashla. He imagined that he could see her clinging to the rail. The light in her helmet illuminating her pale and wan face in the yellow envirosuit.
He realized that Jolee was right. He had made a promise to her to protect her, even if that meant he would have to protect her from herself. "I'm here, Ash. Just listen to the sound of my voice. Just like you did when we were on the Spire, remember? Focus on my voice."
She thought back to her flight through the Endar Spire, and how hearing his calm and steady voice over her com link helped her to stay focused so she could make her way to safety. She might not be able to remember all of her past as Revan, but that… she remembered clearly. "Yes, I remember."
"Connect with her, Carth." Jolee murmured from his kneeling position.
Connect with her. What does that even mean? Carth wondered.
With sudden clarity, he remembered her telling him to connect with Dustil. She told him to be the candle in the night. Be the candle that lights his way home.
He reached out to her, across the distance. Be the light. "Remember when we were on Korriban? And, I thought Dustil was lost? Remember what you told me?"
Ashla nodded. "Yes, I remember," she whispered. "Be the candle…"
"That's it, beautiful." Carth spoke softly into the headset. "Don't think about Bastila right now. Think about me. How do I look in the force to you?"
Ashla felt along the withered vine that was the connection to Bastila. On the other side was only darkness. An empty void now that Bastila had fallen. She reached instead for the other bond that she had accidentally created with Carth, perhaps when he saved her life in the crashed pod on Taris, perhaps when she healed his wound so long ago. She closed her eyes and pictured the glimmering silver bond with his brilliant blue light on the other side of it.
Like a sunny day without a cloud in the sky.
"Blue skies on a sunny day… a bright blue shimmering light," she whispered. The candle in the night. Just like she told Shadow Revan in the temple on Lothal. Carth was her candle in the night. Her way home.
"Focus on the light, beautiful." Carth murmured softly. "I'm here for you."
She let go of the railing and took a step towards the station. She moved toward the light that she could feel radiating off of Carth, and listened to his voice as he spoke softly to her as she hobbled slowly across the dark sea floor. She remembered the lesson she learned in the temple of the wolf on Lothal as she sought the balance within her.
With every step that took her further away from the star map that was so deeply entrenched in dark side energy, her fear began to lessen. As her bond to Carth strengthened, her fear waned… dissolving back into the void.
The firaxan sharks, no longer a threat, swam slowly beside her. As her connection to the light grew brighter, her link to them intensified.
Once safely inside the airlock, Ashla waited until the pressure normalized before pressing the button to open the door. She shuffled inside of the station, eager to remove the encumbering suit.
Carth ripped off the headset and rushed to meet her as she exited the airlock. He helped her remove the envirosuit, lifting the helmet off first. She heard the helmet drop to the floor as his hands cupped the sides of her face. Her eyes locked with his, her gaze unwavering. "Thank you," she said after she caught her breath. "I don't know if I could have made it back without your help."
"Someone," he glanced back at Jolee before smiling down at her, "reminded me of an oath I made to you. I keep my promises." He realized with a jolt how much he had missed being near her. "We'll… uh, we'll talk more about this later."
The ride back to the surface was different. There was a relaxed air between them. Ashla noticed that this time when her legs accidentally brushed up against his, he didn't move away. The glimmer of hope she had felt on the seafloor blossomed deep within her.
Roland Wann met them as they bobbed to the surface in the submersible. He listened intently as Ashla explained that the kolto harvesting station that they installed had woken up a very powerful and large beast, whom the surviving scientists surmised could be the Progenitor, the original source of kolto and the great ancestor of the Selkath. Wann accepted the news of the destruction of the harvester machinery well, but she could feel his discontentment under the surface.
They were about to leave the embassy when she was struck with a bad feeling. Reaching for her datapad that was clipped onto her belt, she turned to Carth.
"Take this back to the ship and get it to Teethree. It has the newest set of coordinates for the star map on it," Ashla said quietly as she placed it in his hands. "I have a bad feeling I'm about to be arrested again."
Carth took the datapad and clipped it to his belt with a nod. "For destroying the machine?"
Ashla nodded grimly, "yes, among other things." She sighed heavily, as she rubbed her forehead in frustration. "Flyboy, if I make it off this planet alive, remind me never to come back here again."
As predicted, the Selkath Civil Authority was waiting for them when they rounded the corner. Ashla removed her lightsabers and handed them over without question. She gave Carth a knowing look as she held her wrists out while they read her the list of complaints lodged against her.
It was going to be a long day.
#
Carth stowed the silver armor in the garage of the ship for Canderous to look over for repairs. He had given Ash's datapad to the small astromech droid as soon as they arrived back at the ship to configure the newest set of coordinates.
After a quick shower, he sat on his bunk and pulled his old beat up orange flight jacket out of his footlocker. Morgana had given him the jacket as his enlistment present, not long after they got married. He ran his hands over the faded and scarred material, thinking how this jacket had been through hell and back with him. He slipped the jacket on over his shoulders, and leaned back in his bunk.
He reached inside the inner pocket and pulled out the small datapad he kept stored there. It was old, purchased when Dustil was but a baby. He'd lost count of how many planets this old datapad had seen, riding around in his pocket over the years. Through the war. His marriage. The destruction of his home world.
He sighed as he tried to remember what Morgana looked like. It's crazy, he thought, I can remember our last fight like it was yesterday. I can remember her smile, or the scent of her hair, but her face? Her voice? I can barely remember it anymore. He thumbed the side power button and waited for the datapad to boot up.
With a tinge of guilt, he realized he had no problem at all conjuring up Ashla's face to mind. Or the sound of her voice as he recalled a conversation they had had about his past, 'I doubt your wife would want to see you doing this to yourself, Carth. She loved you. Don't you think she'd want you to be happy, not torturing yourself everyday over a situation that was out of your control?'
He raked a hand over his eyes, as a holopic of himself and Dustil flickered to life. It was an older picture, taken when Dustil was small, maybe four or five years old on Life Day. They were playing on the floor with the toy spaceship he picked up for Dustil on his way home on leave. A small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth as he flipped through the pictures.
Damn, Morgana isn't in any of these, he thought sadly as he looked through the pictures of him and his son. No, of course, she wouldn't have been… she was the one always taking holopics for the family. For him to have when he had to go back into action.
Turning off the datapad and slipping it back inside the inner pocket of his jacket, he leaned back against the bunk and closed his eyes. He dreamt of a time long ago… of marching through the rain… of falling… and a hand gently lifting him up.
He was roused from his slumber by noises coming from the galley. He shook off the effects from the dream, and rose to see what the commotion was all about.
Mission waved him over. "Hey, Carth, there's a big swoop race about to start. We're all about to head that way. Want to join us? HK and Teethree can hold down the ship."
Carth politely declined, wanting some time alone with his thoughts. "You guys go on ahead. I don't mind staying here to watch the ship. Besides, Ash might try to make contact. Someone needs to be here, just in case."
He waved them off as he went over to brew some caff, still feeling a bit rattled from the dream. He pushed the memories aside, like he usually did when they bubbled up to the surface. After years of forcing himself to not think about the war and past battles, it had become second nature to file them away in the corners of his mind. To forget.
The ship was quiet now that the others had left. As HK informed him he was powering down for the night, he nodded absentmindedly, his thoughts drifted to what to say to Ash when she returned. The clanking sounds receded as the rust colored droid headed for the garage where the recharging station had been set up. Thinking there would be little need for the astromech droid, Carth suggested that Teethree do the same. Teethree trilled an affirmative before rolling into the garage as well.
Carth heard a soft meow at his feet. He looked down to see the loth-cat that Ashla brought with them from Lothal. "Missing your new friend, pal?" he said as he bent down and picked up Tuuka, scratching the cat behind the ears. Dustil had always wanted a pet when he was younger, and Morgana had always vetoed the decision, stating the child was too young for the responsibility of caring for an animal.
He put the loth-cat down and picked up his cup of caff then headed towards the cockpit, with Tuuka following close at his heels.
"Ehh, alright, cat. Just this once." He said as the cat hopped up into his lap after he sat down in his pilot's seat. "Although, once we're in the black, you'll have to stay out of the cockpit. Can't have you accidentally bumping the controls."
Tuuka mewed softly in response. Carth stared at the cat thoughtfully, briefly thinking that the cat could understand him, only to reject the idea just as swiftly.
Ash… damn that woman, she has my head screwed on backwards. I swear, when I'm around her, I don't know if I'm coming or going. She's driving me crazy. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.
He replayed the conversation he had with Mission over in his mind. You're right about one thing. You're not in love with Revan. You're in love with Ash. Carth groaned as he rubbed his forehead as he admitted to himself how he truly felt about Ash, that he was falling in love with her.
He recalled her dogged determination to help him when they found Dustil on Korriban. "He'll come around, flyboy. I know he will. He just needs time," she said to him in the days after the first confrontation with Dustil. She was right, he thought, remembering the messages he received from his son after they escaped the Leviathan. Dustil was safe now, thanks to Ash, and staying with his grandmother on Alderaan.
He thought back on his vow to protect her, from the storm he felt was coming. The choice he feared she would be called to make soon, once they made it to the Star Forge. If the dark energy that he, someone who was not a Jedi, could feel radiating off of the star maps were any indication of how strongly steeped in the dark side the Star Forge was, he was afraid Ashla would be tempted once again by its seductive allure.
Perhaps, if I were to offer her a... Tuuka purred in contentment, pulling his train of thoughts off track. He looked down to see that the cat had fallen asleep curled up in his lap.
Another stray she's taken under her wing. Another prime example of how Ash isn't Revan any longer. There might be some kernel of darkness left inside of her, but that wasn't who she was. At least, not anymore. The Jedi might have been wrong in the manner in which they helped Revan, but he thought perhaps they might have just given her back who she was before she fell to the dark side.
A soft chime pulled him from his thoughts, alerting him that someone had punched in the security code to lower the ramp to the ship. He frowned, thinking it was too soon for the others to be back. The swoop race wouldn't be over until hours from now. He rose slowly, as to not wake the sleeping feline cuddled against his chest, and walked into the galley to see Ashla wearily entering the hold.
The sight of the tall broad shouldered man cradling a sleeping cat in his arms gave her pause, bringing a much needed smile after such a long and trying day.
"Did they let you go?" he asked, surprised to see her back so soon. "I didn't expect them to hold your trial until at least tomorrow morning."
Ashla nodded, as she approached him. She reached out and gently rubbed Tuuka's head. "I asked if they would expedite my trial, as I didn't wish to waste the court's time. They dropped all the charges since, according to them, I saved the ancestor of their species and the kolto when I destroyed the harvester." She smiled up at him warmly. "It seems Tuuka has really warmed up to you."
"Tuuka?" He looked down in confusion. "Oh, the loth-cat. Yeah, I think he was lonely."
Ashla gave him a knowing smile. "Perhaps, he thought you were lonely too. He's a very perceptive animal."
Carth let out a small, "hmm…" as he thought over her words. Maybe she was right, he thought as he glanced down at the cat, "perhaps."
Ashla felt her breath catch in her throat as she realized that they were alone in the ship. It was so quiet, with everyone gone and both droids powered down at the charging station in the garage. "Where is everyone?"
"Mission wanted to go see the big swoop race, so I offered to stay with the ship."
She cleared her throat nervously as she moved to pour herself a cup of caff. Not wanting to upset the relaxed air between them, but knowing the discussion needed to be had, she asked cautiously, "so, are you ready to talk about my being Revan?"
Carth set Tuuka down on one of the chairs in the common area, trying to ease him down without waking the cat. "Yes, I think I'm ready… if you are, that is."
She nodded, staring into the depths of the warm dark brew in the mug before her. "Carth, I," she sighed as she closed her eyes. She paused, focusing on keeping her emotions in check, only continuing after she managed to calm her voice. "I understand if you hate me now, and never want to see me again after our mission is complete. Given all that I must have done as Revan, I don't blame you at all."
"Ash, I…" He spoke softly, though his voice was thick with emotion. "I don't hate you. Force knows, I tried to hate you. I tried to hold you responsible for all the things that Revan had done.. for Morgana… Dustil… Telos… but, I can't."
"Why can't you?" Her voice was quiet, but silent tears betrayed her calm demeanor.
"Ash, you have to be one of the strongest, most courageous women that I think I have ever met. You're so compassionate, you give of yourself without a second thought. Despite whatever darkness might be lingering inside of you, I know that you're not Revan any longer."
"That means a lot to me, Carth." Her shoulders relaxed as relief swept through her.
"You know, I got the revenge I said I wanted when Saul died, but it hasn't brought me the peace I thought it would. I keep thinking of the promise I made to you, to protect you from what's to come, and it's given me a reason to let go of looking for revenge. To live for something else."
He stared intently down at her as he moved closer to her, placing his hands gently on her shoulders and turned her to face him. The sight of her tear stained face rattled him, a stark difference to her usual calm and poised self. "That's why I can't hate you. Ash, whatever the Jedi did to you, they gave you a second chance. I don't know, but maybe, just maybe... they gave you back who you were before you fell to the dark side. You have this huge destiny out there, just waiting for you. I fear if you go it alone, it will swallow you whole… like it did before. Perhaps, that's why you fell before... you didn't have someone there to help hold you up, while everything else around you was falling into chaos." His hands slid down her arms to intertwine with hers. "Ashla, is there room for me in there with you? Will you let me in? Let me help you?"
"I wouldn't want you to get hurt trying to protect me," she said softly.
"I think it would hurt me a lot more if I didn't try, beautiful."
"What are you saying, Carth?" she asked breathlessly, her heart pounding in her ears.
He paused as he glanced down at the woman who had turned his world upside down. "I have this feeling that you're going to be presented with a choice soon, and there won't be any turning back, Ash. I can't explain it, but I want to give you a reason to make the right choice."
"What sort of reason?" she asked in a hushed whisper, holding onto the hope she could feel blossoming between them.
"You gave me a future. You helped me find my son, when no one else could. You gave me hope, Ash. You were my friend, when I pushed everyone else away. You never gave up on me. I want to do that for you. I want to give you a future… with me, if you'll have me. If you'll give me the chance." He paused, almost afraid to utter how he truly felt in fear that she wouldn't have the same feelings in return, "I think... I'm falling in love with you."
Rising onto her tiptoes, she wrapped her arms around his neck. His arms circled around her, enveloping her in warmth. "I think I'm falling in love with you too, Carth. I think I have been for a long time."
He dipped his head down towards hers, his lips finding hers. He wound one hand in her thick auburn tresses, pulling her braid loose as he did, causing her hair to tumble down her back in waves, while his other hand pulled her closer to him.
He rested his forehead on hers as they paused to catch their breath.
She whispered huskily against his lips, "stars' end, I've missed you."
"I've missed you too, beautiful."
His lips found hers once more as he gently backed her up into the counter behind them, the lavender aroma clinging to her hair wafted up to him, intoxicating him. It was the scent that she had used since Taris. The one that had been driving him mad for months.
"Carth, I…" She said when his lips trailed down her neck, her chest rising and falling against his, "I need to ask you something."
He kissed her softly, then murmured against her lips, "hmm, what's that, beautiful?"
She thought she should tell him about what she remembered before they took this any further. She was finding it hard to think, dizzy from the feelings he was awakening inside her, as his hands roamed over the soft curve of her hips. "Are you certain you never met me before? During the war?"
His lips stilled against the side of her neck. He pulled away from her slightly, his eyes were dark with desire. "I'm pretty certain I'd remember meeting a certain masked Sith lord decked out in all black, Ash." He chuckled softly.
"What if it was from before I donned the mask? Before I took the name Revan?" She swallowed hard, suddenly unsure. She paused, worried that perhaps what she thought was a memory was nothing more than a dream. Nothing more than wishful thinking on her part. "I, huh…" She worried at her bottom lip. Alek had turned out to be real… so why not him? "I had a dream." She sighed softly, her fingers playing nervously with the collar of his jacket. "Well, actually, I had this dream many months ago when we were on Dantooine, but I thought it was trying to tell me only about Alek."
She rested her hands on his chest as she began telling him about the dream she had of that day marching in the rain on a nameless planet. His breath caught in his throat as realization dawned on him that she was describing the dream he had earlier in detail, only from her point of view.
She reached down and ran her fingertips gently over the rough uneven rows of stitching on the right side of his jacket. "I mean, I know it sounds crazy, and you don't like to remember or even think about the war, but…"
Carth's eyes followed her hand to the stitching. "After the horror I witnessed at Serroco, I vowed I'd never think about those battles again."
"I'm sorry to bring them back up," Ashla swallowed the lump that had formed in the base of her throat, "but does any of this sound familiar to you?"
He was silent as his eyes misted over, like he was seeing a different time and place. After a long moment, he spoke very quietly. "I was on Cathar. The transport I was flying had been shot down, and we had to walk back to the camp." He paused, "two Jedi knights refused to take the last transport that was offered to them, saying their place was with the troops." He looked down at her then, blinking fast. "That was you, Ash! I remember it now! You refused the transport! You used the force to heal me, then helped me get back to base." He was silent for a long moment before he continued, "you were there, in the med center, helping the doctors. You took the time to talk to me. You listened to me talk about missing my family." He cupped her face gently, and brushed the hair away from her face. "I can't believe I didn't remember you… recognize you."
"It was a long time ago, Carth." Ashla smiled faintly at him as she reached up to caress the side of his face. "Perhaps Bastila was right, and this is the force at play."
He tilted her face up to his, and kissed her tenderly. "I would have never believed that before now, but after everything I've seen since being with you on this mission… seeing all the things you Jedi can do, I believe it now."
She rested her head against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. The soothing even rhythmic beating of his heart thumped under her ear.
"Carth?" she asked as she glanced up at him. "Did I tell you my name? Do you remember my name?"
He frowned slightly, trying to remember a conversation that took place between them so long ago.
"Ash." He said finally, with assuredness.
She raised up slightly. "Yes?"
He smiled down at her as he brought his lips to hers. "That's your name. Ashla Meriwether. You said, most people just call me Ash. You don't remember any of this?"
She shook her head, "no, I wish I did."
"I wish you did too," he whispered.
#
Hyperspace - en route to the Star Forge System
Teethree rolled in the cargo hold following close behind Ashla. He had beeped happily when she had asked if he was ready for another mission. T3 = Always ready to help!
Ashla chuckled at the little droid as she knelt in front of him, "thank you, Teethree. Alright my little friend, listen up. Here's your mission: scour the holonet for any information you can find on Ashla Meriwether and Alek Squinquargesimus. Biographical information: home world, next of kin, date of births, etc. Carth is the only other crew member who will know of your special mission, Teethree. If I'm out on assignment, and you find something important, you may tell Carth. Otherwise, wait for a debriefing until I return. Got it?"
Teethree whistled in an affirmative as he swiveled his dome shaped head towards her. He warbled, "doooo wooo?" T3 = Begin Jedi training?
Ashla arched a slim auburn brow, "you still want to become a Jedi, Teethree?" At his affirmative beep, she chuckled softly. Luckily, Teethree had the meditation programs she managed to install before they had been caught by the Leviathan. "Alright, my friend. I suppose we should teach you how to meditate first. That will be your first step."
Tuuka pranced into the hold, and with a graceful leap, landed on top of the small astromech's head. His tail twitched as Teethree rolled in a circle, beeping in frustration.
Ashla settled herself in a seated crossed-legged position before the droid. "Now, now… settle down. Both of you." At her stern look, he slowed to a stop before her. Tuuka's tail twitched as he cocked his head at her. "Teethree, if you want to become a Jedi, you have to learn to control your emotions… even when there are distractions… like a loth-cat sitting on your head."
Teethree tweeted, "dooo wooo." T3 = T3 will comply.
She softened her voice. "Run meditation one, Teethree."
Teethree booted up the program, becoming very still and quiet. Tuuka curled himself up into a ball and wrapped his long tail around the droid's neck as Teethree projected a soft blue glow in the dimly lit room.
She closed her eyes and visualized the idyllic garden of her meditations from Lothal. A lush verdant meadow grew up around her, the small droid and the loth-cat. Flowers swayed in the breeze as blue butterflies flitted from bloom to bloom. As she inhaled, the butterflies fluttering wings opened, while with each exhale, their wings folded to a close. She focused on feeling the connection between the three of them snap into place. As it did, they began to lift up off of the floor of the ship, floating gently in the air.
An hour later, Mission strolled into the cargo hold and paused at the sight of Ashla and Teethree, with Tuuka curled up on his head, levitating while Ashla floated in a seated meditative position. The crates around them levitated and slowly revolved in mid air.
"Whoa," Mission said in amazement.
Ashla felt Mission's presence as she lowered herself and the droid slowly to the floor. "End meditation program, Teethree. You did very well today. You'll be a Jedi before you know it, my friend."
Teethree whistled excitedly. T3 = When will I get a lightsaber attachment?
"A lightsaber attachment?" Mission laughed at the thought of the small droid wielding a tiny lightsaber.
Ashla chuckled softly as she rose, then lifted the loth-cat into her arms. "Perhaps, after our mission is complete, Teethree, I'll install one as a reward for a job well done."
Pleased with the Jedi's answer, Teethree rolled towards the communications room whistling happily.
Mission sat down on one of the crates, as she pulled out her datapad.
Ashla sat down beside her, still cradling the loth-cat in her arms. "Mission, have you heard from Griff? I meant to ask you earlier, but," she sighed heavily, "we've been so busy…" Her voice trailed off as she tucked her chin to rest on top of the feline's soft head.
Mission nodded. "Actually, I did. He's on Coruscant. He sent me a message recently to thank me for sending him that tach gland. But, Ash, I didn't send him one. You, huh, didn't perhaps send him one, did you?"
"Uhh," Ashla murmured, "yes, in fact, I did. Before we left Tatooine, I found one in the crates. We must have picked it up on Kashyyyk." She gave Mission a soft smile. "I didn't see any use for it, so I sent it to him saying it was from you. I was hoping that perhaps it would help. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I meant to, but there never seemed to be any time… everything escalated so fast."
"Thanks, Ash." Mission said quietly. "He used it to get that guy from the Exchange off his back, then he used the left over credits to get to Coruscant. He says he's learned his lesson. That Exchange guy seemed to really knock some sense into him. Griff said he's found a job, a real job and wants to see me once our mission is over. Do you believe him? Do you believe he can change?" she asked, eyes full of hope.
Ashla, thinking of her own past, nodded. "Anyone can change, Mission. No one is beyond redemption. I believe there is good in him. He may be a bit misguided, but perhaps he finally saw what he was doing was wrong, and made a change for the better." She wondered if she could extend that to include her brother, Malak. "I hope I can say the same about my own brother."
"Who's your brother, Ash?" Mission asked. "I thought you didn't have any family."
Ashla smiled sadly, as she released Tuuka. She glanced up to see Carth leaning in the doorway of the cargo hold. She motioned for him to come in. "I guess I can tell you both at once. Malak is my brother."
Mission gasped softly. "He's your brother? Geez, and I thought my brother was a real sleemo."
Ashla nodded sadly.
Carth placed his hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure? Have more of your memories returned, Ash?"
"No, they haven't. Malak told me during our confrontation aboard the Leviathan. You might have been too far away to hear what he said to me, before Bastila placed herself between us. I didn't want it to be true, but I could feel the truth behind his words." Ashla said softly.
A melodic chime rang out, indicating that the ship was about to drop out of hyperspace, breaking the silence.
Ashla rose shakily. She looked at Carth apologetically, "I was going to tell you. I just… didn't want to admit to myself yet, let alone anyone else."
He squeezed her shoulder in understanding, "we'll figure this out, beautiful."
Teethree rolled up the corridor, beeping for Carth. T3 = readying the ship for real-space travel.
"Mission, we'll have to continue this discussion later," Ashla said as she and Carth headed for the cockpit. "Get on the intercom. Tell everyone to get ready. We're nearing our objective."
Mission nodded as she rushed off towards the communications room.
Carth slipped into the pilot's seat and quickly fastened his crash webbing. Ashla did the same in the copilot's seat. The streak of blue stars streaming past the ship slowed as they exited hyperspace.
"The Star Forge," Carth said as he leaned back in his seat, staring out at the large space station that hovered in the distance before them. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like it before."
Ashla unbuckled her crash webbing, and rose to stand behind him. She placed her hand on his shoulder for support as she stared at the Star Forge. Even as far away as they were from the massive space station, she could feel the tendrils of dark side energy radiating out towards her.
Beckoning her.
Whispering seductively to her...
Power.
Unlimited power.
A/N: Thank you for reading along! As always... may the force be with you - Nia.