Star Wars: Return of the Sith
15: Ground Rules
By Nanaki
In the Colonies Region, Nearing Commenor
Jerin waited patiently as the girls filed through the narrow staircase into the cargo bay. The bay took up the lower two thirds of the ship's main cylinder, and was fairly roomy right now, since Jerin wasn't carrying any cargo. The walls were completely lined with missile racks of various sizes, though most of these were empty at the moment. Toward the front, beneath the cockpit, flat cargo platforms rested on top of the main water and sewage tanks. Jerin was sitting on one of these, with what he hoped was a friendly smile on his face.
The ladies seemed to automatically group themselves by species as they entered, with the three humans close to the platform on Jerin's left, the five Zeltrons leaning against the missile racks on his right, and the Twi'leks taking up everywhere else. Finally, the cargo elevator next to the staircase opened up, and Joona hovered into the bay, with Tenn and Denan following a second later. Tenn spotted a missile rack with just one Supernova resting in it, on the lowest rung, and she gently set Joona down on top of the missile. Jerin noticed that there was absolutely none of the whispering or quiet giggling that he would have expected. Even though they were probably being quiet for all the wrong reasons, at the moment, he appreciated it.
"All right, is everyone here?" Jerin asked, finding that he didn't need to raise his voice much in the quiet bay. He did a quick head count, and arrived at thirty six just as Tenn nodded at him. "Okay then, there are a few things to go over before we get to Commenor. First off, I want to emphasize that everyone is free to leave any time they want to." There was a noticeable intake of breath from just about everyone at this, but that was the extent of their reaction. "However, I strongly recommend that you all stick with the plan I've come up with. We're going to be heading down to Eriadu before I drop you off with the appropriate government agency there. I was planning on taking you all to Coruscant, but since I know that Korgo the Hutt wants to get his hands on you, and he's based on Coruscant, that doesn't seem like a real smart plan. I needed a place where I could be long gone before Korgo could get there, where you could have your tracking devices removed before Korgo or Gadran could get there, and where the local law enforcement would be up to the task of protecting you. Ideally, that place would also be far from Hutt Space, and Eriadu seemed like the best choice." Jerin paused to take a breath.
"Which brings us to the reason we're stopping on Commenor. The trip to Eriadu will take the better part of two days, and there's barely enough food and water left on board to cover ME for that long, never mind all of you. So, here's what's gonna happen: While I'm stocking up on the basics, you're all going to go shopping for some new clothes. CHEAP clothes," Jerin was quick to add, "but new. Then, get something to eat, and we'll take off again." Most of the girls were looking at him with a combination of surprise and puzzlement now. "Any questions?" Jerin raised an eyebrow, a bit puzzled by their unnatural silence. One of the human women to his left raised her hand. "Oh, you don't actually have to raise your hand... But anyway, go ahead." He gestured.
"Well, I don't want to sound ungrateful, but what exactly do you get out of this?" She asked calmly. Jerin noticed that her voice didn't sound particularly cold or angry. It just seemed that she didn't like waiting for the other shoe to drop, so she wanted to go ahead and make it drop right now. Several of the Twi'lek women were looking at her like they couldn't believe she'd dared to ask such a question.
"That's the first question I would have asked too." Jerin smiled and nodded in approval. "The good news is, I've already gotten what I wanted: revenge." His grin broadened, knowing that Gadran had probably found out the girls were missing by now. "The short version of the story is: I hate Gadran the Hutt with every fiber of my being, and I can't wait to kill him. Until that day comes, though, I make his life miserable every chance I get. Setting all of you free was just my latest chance to do that." Now Jerin looked toward the back of the cargo bay. "However, though I admit that helping you wasn't my main motivation, I still realize that everyone needs to eat, and no one should have to walk around mostly naked. Well, unless that's what you want." He nodded at the Zeltrons, but four of the five just stared blankly back. The shortest of the bunch did wink and flash a small smile his way, at least. "So, that's the reason for the stopover on Commenor." He explained, then glanced at the chrono on his left wrist. "All right, we're going to be landing in about fifteen minutes, so I need to go get ready. Oh, one other thing." Jerin suddenly remembered. "I am absolutely terrible with names, so if I can't seem to remember your name, it's not because I'm not trying. My brain just doesn't seem to be wired to work that way. Anyway, if anyone needs to use the fresher, go now." Jerin gestured, and the girls started to head back upstairs.
"Jerin, are you coming?" Joona called as Tenn hovered her back to the cargo elevator.
"In a minute." Jerin waved back, then he stretched out on the cargo platform. 'All right Jerin, think.' He told himself sternly. 'Rodians... no, Givin. Ongree. Old Hutts. REALLY old Hutts. Gadran in a swimsuit!' "Okay, good to go." Jerin said out loud, then he hopped down to the floor. He was going to be relieved when the girls got their new clothes, all right. It would help keep his eyes from wandering, anyway.
.
Tenn frowned a bit in concern as Joona emerged from the fresher, hopping on her right leg, with her arms outstretched for balance. "Is that leg still causing you pain, even with the bacta patch?" Tenn asked quickly.
"Only if I put weight on it." Joona answered. "I'll be fine, really."
Tenn shook her head. "If you need to run again, I want you to be able to. You better let me take another look." She gestured toward the cockpit. Since it wasn't far, and she would have a wall to lean against the whole way, Joona started hopping in that direction.
"What more can we do right now?" Joona wondered, hopping back toward her seat in the cockpit.
"I may be able to speed the healing process up a bit." Tenn explained.
"Even more than bacta?" Joona raised an eyebrow as she sank back into her seat.
"I hope so." Tenn answered honestly, then she sat down on the cold metal floor. She very lightly ran her fingertips along Joona's calf muscles, over the bacta patch, then closed her eyes in concentration. Joona felt a sudden warmth flowing into her leg, and she looked down to see that Tenn's fingertips were glowing.
"What... what's happening?" Joona wondered quietly. Her knowledge of Force powers was limited at best, but she had never heard of a Jedi healer GLOWING while using their powers.
"It's nothing to be alarmed about." Tenn reassured her. "Although I may pass out when I'm finished. If that happens, don't be concerned."
"I take it that's happened before, then." Joona surmised.
"Yes." Tenn nodded, not taking her eyes off of Joona's leg. "I never learned how to properly use my healing abilities, so I kind of have to... force it."
A faintly amused look appeared on Joona's face. "Was that a pun?"
"I guess so." Tenn sounded like she had just realized it herself. "An accidental pun, but that makes it more bearable." She smiled. The glow from her fingertips seemed to be getting brighter, and the warmth in Joona's leg felt like it was intensifying. It wasn't uncomfortable at all, though. If anything, the warmth produced a similar sensation to scratching an itch. Joona guessed that the Force was somehow "scratching" the itch that was the slice in her leg. For the next thirty seconds or so, Tenn barely moved, only adjusting the position of her fingers now and then. Suddenly, the warmth in Joona's leg seemed to disappear, and Tenn slumped forward, then started to tip over to the side.
Joona quickly reached down and caught her by the shoulders. "Tenn, you okay?" She asked calmly, since she had been told to expect this.
"I... be a'right." Tenn mumbled, then her eyelids fluttered and she shook her head a few times. "I'll be okay." She said more clearly. She sat up straighter, then stretched out and leaned back on her elbows. "Whew, that wasn't too bad." She said, then took a deep breath.
"It wasn't?" Joona was surprised.
"Nope." A slight smile reappeared on Tenn's face. "There was one time when I had to heal a blaster shot in my boyfriend's chest, and I mean I HAD to, or he would have died. When I was finished with that one, I was unconscious for about three hours."
"Wow." Joona winced in sympathy. "Jerin survived a direct shot to the chest?"
"No! Not him!" Tenn said so forcefully that Joona sat back in her seat in surprise. "Although I wouldn't be surprised if he had." Tenn continued in a softer tone. "I get the feeling that shooting Jerin would just make him mad."
"I know what you mean." Joona nodded. "But if not Jerin, who were you talking about?"
"Negian," was on the tip of Tenn's tongue, but she stopped herself before she said it out loud. If Jerin heard about that, she would pretty much have to fill him in on all the details of her past with Negian. Plus, everything she knew about Seco, and the Skywalkers, and Master Rondo, and her own parents... No, she wasn't ready for that yet. "It doesn't matter anymore." She told Joona. "But what made you think Jerin and I were together, anyway?"
"I dunno." Joona shrugged. "You two argue like my parents used to. Like two people who've been together for a long time, in other words."
"Huh," was all Tenn said as she thought about that for a second. "No, I just met him a few days ago. I guess we're just really good at annoying each other."
"If you say so," Joona said in the most neutral tone she could manage.
"Anyway," Tenn was clearly eager to change the subject, "How does your leg feel now?"
Joona experimentally flexed it, just a bit. When that didn't hurt, she wiggled her left foot around, then raised it up off the floor. There was still a dull ache, but that was a vast improvement over the sharp pain that had been present until now. It felt like the injury was at least several days old, not brand new. "Great," Joona said, sounding mildly astonished.
"Feel like you could take off at a sprint again if you needed to?" Tenn asked.
"Probably." Joona nodded, wiggling her left foot again.
"Feel like you could kick a dark sider in the crotch again if you needed to?" Tenn raised an eyebrow.
"Definitely." Joona smiled. "Do you think that's likely to come up again?"
"Definitely." Tenn nodded. "Though hopefully not until we've gotten all of you off of the ship."
Joona had a dozen different questions she wanted to ask now. Why was Tenn so sure they'd see the dark siders again? What was her relationship to them, anyway? Why wasn't she with the Jedi anymore, if she had been in the past? How had she and Jerin met? Ultimately, Joona kept quiet and decided that it wasn't any of her business. Not yet, anyway.
.
Above Kuat
Seco and Negian were standing in the main hangar bay of Korgo's Victory class Star Destroyer, which the Hutt had named the Pride of Besadii, which seemed kind of ironic now, since the battered ship didn't look like anything to be proud of. The bay had been repressurized, though chunks of the ceiling had rained down when Jerin's sonic charges had hit the ship, and the floor was covered with rubble. Seco and Negian had navigated that mess easily enough, hopping from the top of one pile to another until they stood at the noses of their ships. While not identical, the two ships had a lot in common. Both were roughly fifty feet long, with the vast majority of the interiors being devoted to firepower, rather than comfortable living. Both were triangular in shape, with a pointed nose, and the widest area of the ship back at the engines. Both had also suffered similar damage, being virtually unharmed except for the experimental military sensor suites attached to the noses, which had both been crushed by the crumbling ceiling. To no one's surprise, Seco was fuming.
"Here's something else I can't believe you talked me into!" Seco grumbled as he kicked the ruined sensors of his ship, the Parang. Both he and Negian had named their ships after ancient bladed weapons that Force users had wielded before lightsabers were invented. In the case of the parang, the Lost Tribe of the Sith on Kesh had continued to use it even after lightsabers were invented, liking the way the glass blade had a tendency to break in an opponent's flesh. "You're the one who said we shouldn't encase the sensors in armor, since they'd have a smaller profile without it!"
"And I was right." Negian shrugged. "They weren't damaged by enemy fire, after all, and the ships' stock sensor packages are still intact." He fondly patted the nose of his vessel, the Scimitar. "Along with the rest of them. We don't need the sensors for this mission, anyway. I'M the sensor." Seco continued to glare at him. "Besides, I know that's not what's really bothering you, anyway."
"There's a LOT bothering me." Seco snapped.
"That's always true." Negian observed calmly. "But be honest Seco. You're really angry because we lost."
"No we didn't!" Seco snarled. "We sent Dirk crawling back to the Jedi with his tail between his legs."
"Dirk wasn't our enemy." Negian replied bluntly. "And we only managed to defeat him after trying for damn near an hour, fighting two against one on top of that. Hardly an inspiring victory." Negian shook his head. "I know you're really mad because we lost to Jerin. Again."
"Again? What 'again' are you talking about?" Seco demanded. "He was able to run away the first time because Lucia showed up out of nowhere, and he got away the second time because DIRK showed up out of nowhere!"
"No." Negian shook his head again. "He got away the second time because he beat you one on one, pure and simple. Just like Tenn beat me." Negian quickly added when Seco looked like he was about to draw his lightsaber. "Besides, the details don't matter. The simple fact is, both times we fought Jerin, we planned to kill him, and he's still alive. We've clearly been underestimating our adversary."
"Why is he letting Tenn stay on his ship, anyway?" Seco turned away from Negian, to resume glaring at the smashed sensors on his ship. "It should be obvious by now that he's not going to get any money from holding onto her."
"I doubt that money is his motivation anymore." Negian observed. "As for why he still wants her to stick around, even so, that should be fairly obvious."
"What are you talking about?" Seco demanded.
Negian turned away from his ship, a knowing look in his eyes. "Seco, don't pretend that you didn't want her too, back when we were all Padawans together."
Seco's hand did go the hilt of his lightsaber now. "You are in dangerous territory, my friend. Would you just explain what you mean, already?"
"You really want me to say it out loud?" Negian let out an exasperated snort. "Fine then. Tenn is insanely beautiful, she's actually nice to just about everybody, and her strength in the Force is virtually unprecedented. Plus, she acts shy and vulnerable until she gets to know someone, but then she turns into a total smartass." Negian couldn't help but smile as he described her. "That's pretty much the most appealing combination of personality traits imaginable, at least in my book. It's easy to see why any sane man would want her around."
"Don't tell me Danar thinks he actually has a shot." A derisive chuckle could be heard from Seco's direction.
"I doubt he's thinking along those lines either, at least not so soon." Seco noticed that there seemed to be some relief in Negian's voice at this observation. "But we really don't know much about him, which is another form of underestimating our enemy."
"Ah, I see what you did there." A smile finally appeared on Seco's face. "So how do you suggest that we stop underestimating our enemy?"
"First off, we need to fight him together next time we meet, much as we might feel he's unworthy of it." Negian pointed out. "Second, I think we ought to approach the fight the same way we'd fight a Jedi, even though he isn't one. His limited Force powers, combined with his armor, make him a formidable opponent even so." Seco reluctantly nodded in agreement. "Finally, we need to take him out before we try to capture Tenn or anyone else, UNLESS we're sure that we can get away before Jerin can catch up to us."
"Or before you get kicked in the crotch by a Hutt harem girl." Seco laughed.
"I don't know WHAT that was about." Negian frowned in confusion, and Seco laughed harder.
"So anyway, you want to handle him basically the same way we fought Dirk." Seco calmed down enough to say. "I suppose that makes sense, infuriating though it might be to think it would take both of us to beat him." Now Seco's smile disappeared. "We also need to hurry. If Tenn hasn't called her father for help yet, she will soon." Negian was slowly shaking his head now. "What?"
"You don't know her like I do." Negian said calmly. "I'm not saying that to be smug, it's just the truth. I think she's too ashamed of her current condition to face her family."
"But, it's not even her fault." Seco frowned in confusion. "I mean, it's REALLY not her fault! She had nothing to do with it."
"I know." Negian shrugged. "But she seems to feel responsible anyway."
"Negian..." Seco's voice took on a grave tone. "If she can't even forgive HERSELF for this, do really think she'll ever forgive you?" He wasn't asking to be mean, but because he thought this was something Negian really needed to consider.
"That's the strangest part." Negian answered softly. "I think she already has."
"You're on spice." Seco said bluntly.
"You're on deathsticks." Negian shot back. "Anyway, we need to go brainstorm our next plan of attack with Korgo. Because if Jerin can get away from an entire task force once, he can do it again."
"Most likely. But then again, we weren't there when he got away." Seco's smile returned. "I have a feeling that next time, the outcome will be quite different."
"I hope so." Negian agreed as they began hopping back from the top of one pile of rubble to another. "Because this is getting old."
.
"Frankly, we've been too cocky. We go into battle just assuming we'll win, and we haven't been doing that a lot lately." - Speed Fiora, Destiny of an Emperor
.
(Nanaki's note: Sorry I kept you waiting for two months, but I doubt it'll happen again. Oddly, whenever I'm close to getting started on the "next part" of a story, I often have trouble getting the motivation to finish the part I'm wrapping up, which ironically delays the story. Anyway, the first act of this story is pretty much wrapped up now, so that "next part" should be arriving soon. On another note, I just finished reading The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance, which is quite possibly my favorite Star Wars novel ever. Now, I'm not saying it's the best ever. The Revenge of the Sith novel will probably always hold that spot in my mind, but Fatal Alliance was both fun and mind-blowing in every way that counts. It's got a lot of characters reminiscent of those in the original trilogy, without being obvious and unoriginal about it. It's got a TON of action, plus an interesting Terminator/Matrix aspect that I won't go into detail about because I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't read it yet. But if you haven't read it yet, what are you doing reading this? The Mandalorian in Fatal Alliance makes Boba Fett look like a wuss, (Yes, you read that right.) and I'm half-in love with Larin already. Best of all, it's clear that most of these characters will be back in the next installment. Seriously, if you haven't read it yet, get started right now. You won't be sorry.)