Chapter 48
Revan's most trusted and favoured general might have taken Duxan but not without heavy losses on her side. Duxan was a game changer for both sides. Without Meetra Surik's triumph on Duxan she could never have taken Malacor V. Without the complete destruction of Malacor V, the Revanchist could not have won the war. It was Canderous's unit that had laid the traps on that ridge that had taken out the first wave of Orange-Coats and not a few Padawans. Though he had lost that battle it had taught a very valuable lesson to Ordo. One he intended to use now. Force users tended to become very over-confident in their powers at the cost of more mundane skill-sets. There would be no difference here.
A swift check of the vicinity indicated that no one, organic or droid was waiting in ambush. The door to the computer annex remained closed was the one to the south. They had very little time. Reaching into his duffle Zaalbar grunted a series agitated growls. He pulled out small yield munitions, not as large as a thermal detonator or as noticeable as landmines—plus there was no place to conceal them even if Big Z had any on his person.
The mantel, the threshold, were aligned the explosives ready to detonate with a kill-switch within the Wookie's possession. The idea was obvious; kill them as they came out, not unlike the krayt dragon back on Tatooine with the landmines or that fracking ridge back on Duxan.
"Alert: thermo-scans indicate three lifeforms beyond. Human."
"Robes or Silverbacks?"
"Corrective comment: I believe our Jedi masters will take exception to these meatbags referred to as true Jedi or 'Robes'. These are the 'dark-ones'."
"Don't care." Canderous said. "They die the same. We blow that fucking hatch. Get the Robes' attention. Toss whatever we have left of the flashbangs. Not the way I'd like to play it but the Whelp needs those kriffing computer files. So, we can't destroy the room. Gotta lure those Robes out, blast the shit outta of them then get in there and get whatever the computer is holding. Like it or not we get it done. Then we head back west side of the compound and neutralize as originally planned."
"Affirmative." both HK and Zaalbar said in unison.
"Okay Kid, open the door." Canderous ordered over his wrist-comm.
*Roger that. * Mission answered. Across the compound the young Twi'lek did as ordered. As soon as she had control over the security hub Mission shut and locked all doors, sealing the occupants within. Besides it wasn't as if the Sith were simply waiting for the intruders to encroach on their location just to pacify them and neutralize retaliation.
A metal hiss preceded the rise of pneumonic doors in that second of the door lifting a fraction above the threshold all three members of Basilisk rolled in flash-bangs: they only had five of them.
Shouts of surprise were swiftly followed by rage. There was silence. It did not last long. The flare of light blinded turncoat Jedi—yet the Force let them see—to sense where their enemy lay. The dire need to take in fresh air to breathe in oxygen drove them out of the annex chamber just as Canderous intended.
They hadn't counted upon explosive counter-measures. The Force allowed them to see, their rage blinded them. And like that massive reptile in the dune sea, two of the fallen Jedi blew themselves up. Or at least one did. The man following closely on his heels took a blast to his torso and flew backwards back into the alcove with such force that he caused the third to tumble.
Canderous, HK and Zaalbar wasted no time. The cloying fog hadn't even cleared before the trio opened fire. They kept the spray low, concentrating upon where the Sith had fallen.
KOTOR~ KOTOR~ KOTOR~ KOTOR~ KOTOR~ KOTOR
"Three of them." Bastila announced, her eyes closed, her hand was out stretched towards the blast door that closed off the next section of the base. The Force swelled in her allowing her to 'see' beyond the doors and sense the lifeforms beyond.
"I feel them. Powerful." Juhani added. Her golden eyes opened and she turned to Revan. The words were not spoken but they were upon her lips. 'Master?' "How do you wish to proceed?"
"Juhani, you are the best at stasis fields. Blanket them. Bastila you and I hit them hard. NOW!"
The door slid open, as one three black cowlled Sith turned as one, black leather gauntleted hands snapped to heir hips for their lightsabers.
In less time, it takes to sneeze Juhani drew into her soul the power of the Force until it filled her entire being and exerted it outward in one great magnanimous effort to freeze in place the enemy before them. Their hands could not draw their blades free from the frogs that held them securely in place.
In a sixteenth of a second after that four bolts of green lighting sprouted from Revan and Blastila outstretched hands. As fingers splayed on a hand the lighting forked into several tendrils, shredding the air in ribbons. Burning o-zone racked the air and wrackled the nose.
The captured men unable to scream their pain, unable to fall or recoil felt the full brunt of Jedi justice. The green lightning snaked around their bodies, ripping into them. And still the Jedi pushed the Force lightning into their targets.
Unwavering justice filled Revan-emerald light flared brilliantly.
Insatiable rage filled Bastila - green became amethyst. This was a purge and the fallen must be vanquished.
"We must end them!" Bastila decried wrathfully. Sweat dripped from her brow as she poured everything she had into her assault. "NOW!" amethyst became burning purple "Juhani! Destroy them!"
Juhani let her hold fall yet she was too drained from the consistent use of her stasis field to act immediately. Drawing upon Force for another assault was not going to happen, not without a moment's meditation. As a Guardian, the Cathar's power lay in her bladework not in the Force powers of a Councilor or even a Sentinel. She was nearing the point of total exhaustion but she still possessed some reserves.
She used what was left of her energies to leap forward- cerulean blade raised over head and as she landed she used her momentum to slam the blade down upon the shoulder of the first Sith in her path. Her blade bit deep severing the body diagonally from collar bone to hip. In that moment, Revan drew back the lighting and did the same. She jumped green and black blades drawn. A dance of light swirled in a hum. The Sith Force-users crippled incapable of offering the smallest modicum of defence held little resistant to the Jedi blades.
All three were dead before they hit the floor.
Revan turned to her lover in awe and concern. For the human's lighting to have turned from green to purple- Bastila had to have tapped deeply into the Dark side.
KOTOR~ KOTOR~ KOTOR~ KOTOR~ KOTOR~ KOTOR
"I'm almost disappointed." Canderous groused. He wanted more of a fight. He got more scrap out of Revan's Padawan fledglings than this lot. The Whelp worried too much.
"Conciliatory comment: I concur. I expected more."
Zaalbar grunted, but his disappointed tones were directed towards his compatriots, not the battle.
"The rug states we are foolish to lament victory over a battle we knew how to fight. If we wish to weep over beating an enemy like pups, then we should go back to our mother's tits."
Canderous barked out a laugh. "You know I always liked that Wook. Alight droid, do your mech thing and get the fracking data so we can send it back to the boss."
"Corrective comment: I am a highly skilled combat droid not some tin-can astromec." HK's tone was more than snide.
"Whatever." Canderous shrugged. "Just get it done clanker. The Whelp's counting on us."
"Condescending conciliatory statement: Of course, mandie-meatbag, The Master's will, must be obeyed."
"Yeah, whatever you say clanker." Canderous said nonchalantly. In truth, he had to agree with the assassin droid. He and the Whelp traded barbs often enough but as a warrior he respected Ravensong. She was as nearly as talented as Revan and that demanded respect and obedience More than Davik Kang ever commanded at any rate. Yes, there were times when he utterly disliked the Whelp but he respected her as a fellow warrior and that was to a Mandalorian of more value than weather or not he like his fellow combatant.
HK tapped into the computer terminal managing to negotiate the first level of security barriers but the deeper he went the harder the encryption became. Tedious. This sort of thing was better suited for that over-weight glob of grease that rolled on treads after the Master like some toothless kath hound. HK was forced to use more computer spikes to slice through the firewalls but eventually he succeeded. It took him twelve seconds for a droid it might as well have been eternity.
"Announcement: Success. Data retrieved."
Canderous gave a vague nod that he had heard the assassin droid. "One more bay to go." he said looking at the HUD. "We cut back west past to where we came in, up to the security hub where Shield entered and hit the north computer room. We take it out and buy time for the Whelp to play nice with fishman younglings."
With no opposition baring the back-trekking Basilisk took no time at all to get Western Observation Lounge.
"Announcement: thermo indications indicate no life signs in the WOL. Speculation. That dose not mean however there are not droids or turrets."
"Yeah. Droids we got. as for the turrets." Canderous tapped his wrist-comm. "Kid, you shut down all the security systems? Including turrets?"
*Well dauh. Watta' think me and T3 been doing this whole time? * the teen's cheeky comments held no deference or respect. Of course, the only one the street-rat had any respect for other than the rug was the Whelp. Canderous let it go. He'd tell the Whelp to slap the Kid latter for her insolence now he had other things to concern him.
*Yeah, no turrets are on line. None in that area anyway. Got eyes on ya, just so ya know. Can see you, Big Z and freaky-ass HK. Big room beyond. It's got no real cover. Just a couple of settees. Inside ya got two clankers—quadruped security droids by the look of em'. They're on a separate network so we can't shut'em down from here. Gotta be controlled in that computer hub just north of where yer at. Whatever data that hub's holding gotta be worth a whole mess of trouble to isolate it from everything else don't'cha ya think? *
"Roger that..." Canderous was a bout to sign off when he heard the little astromech bleep out a warning. He could despiser just enough droid-speak to pick out words like 'high concentration of heat and danger.' He turned to HK and with only a look demanded an interoperation.
"Translation: 'Warning. The north-hub is shielded by high levels of heat. Source unknown. Very dangerous. Organics should not proceed without proper safety measures. Recommend sending the rust-out combat droid. He's more expendable.' Indignant retort: I am NOT expendable you little tub of spare parts! And I am NOT rusted-out." HK photoreceptors flared as if in mimicry humanoid gnashing their teeth.
Canderous smirked. "HA! I'd say if you two were organic there'd be some sexual tension between you two clankers." he chuckled.
"Disgusted noise: Ugh."
On the other end of the comm T3 gave out a low beep that meant pretty much the same.
The old merc chuckled once more before nodding to the large bay door. "Alright. We got this. Shields on full, you know what to do. Go for the optics and hit them hard with sonic bursts to take down their blasted shields." His muscles instinctively coiling as he dropped into a fighting crouch. "Open the door Kid."
*On it. *
Basilisk had a fraction of a second drop on the patrol drones. They were covered in heavy thick black platting and had heavy blaster cannons mounted on the center of their wedge-shaped chaises.
Canderous opened fire, his aim true and rapid. BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! The head of the first droid shuttered and smoked as its voice vocabulator gave out a screech of metallic pain. Its return volley struck the Mandalorian square on his chest he felt the impact as the shields in his arm and that on his gantlets absorbed their blaster bolts. He tucked and shoulder rolled forward onto his feet and charged forward. One bolt narrowly missed his ear but slugged harmlessly into the bulkhead behind him.
The second droid took evasive action, skittering around the Mandalorian's left flank, it left itself open to Zaalbar's attack but it gave the droid needed time to blast Canderous with its plasma ray. The large merc's shields dropped to zero, if not for HK timely intervention the first droids volley would have decimated Canderous armor plating.
Not for the first time did Ordo lament not having a jet-pack. He sprinted for the minimal cover behind the sofa to allow his shields the time to recharge. At the same time, HK leapt up onto the quadruped's main truck, lodged the muzzle of his carbine into the space between the droid's armored plating and fired.
Zaalbar fell back after gaining the second droid's attention. He used what cover another couch offered but the constant barrage of bolts was quickly rendering it to fluff and cloth.
The young Wookie took careful aims with his bow caster going for more power shots than repeated rapid fire. Slower yet but more powerful. More damaging.
The first droid was spinning, bucking and rearing trying to dislodge its unwanted rider. But HK's maglocks would not be so easily removed. Like an old fashioned nurf herder on the back of a wild varactyl HK clung on riding out the tantrum all the while continuing his ballistic assault as if he was on stable ground at a mundane targeting range.
Canderous shields flared bright blue indicating he had once more full use. He rose up from behind his cover and in tandem with the rug he concentrated all firepower on the secondary droid. Once he consternated on its head while Zaalbar targeted is main core. The continual volley made it impossible for the droid to oscillate its shielding and adapt. Its targeting sensors now gone its firering was wild and unfocused. It had to use wide dispersal of its plasma cannon and bolts it wanted to hit anything.
Taking a queue form his own past in the countless battles in the war or perhaps even HK's frontier style of combat, Canderous rushed his target and pointed point blank at the droid's CPU housing just behind its head. Zaalbar took the rear flank and shoved a spherical object under a severally damaged flank.
He growled out a sire warning that needed no translation: Fire in the hole!
Canderous's eyes opened wide just before he somersaulted backwards just as the droid blew apart in a ball of molten plasma and black lubricant oils.
His head snapped around to glare at the rug. How dare the walking carpet hold on him! That mangy beast had more mutations all along!
HK leapt off his dead metallic mount with a loud onomatopoeic kerCLang. "Smug comminatory: that was fun! Let's do it again!"
Canderous ignored the droid's comment and poked the young Wookie in the chest. "And where in kriffing hell were you hiding that little present, rug?"
Zaalbar pushed away the Mandalorian's hand and let out a few rebellious barks.
"Translation: I don't need to tell you everything, Mandie. It worked. Didn't it? I always hold back a few things in reserve."
"Yeah? The next time you hold out on me Rug, it won't work out so well for you. You might just end up fracked-friendly. We're supposed to be a kriffing ancestors be dammed team. Fracking act like it! So far the only ones I can count on is a homicidal droid and kriffing Robes led by a knife-eared whelp!"
KOTOR~ KOTOR~ KOTOR~ KOTOR~ KOTOR~ KOTOR
Revan sprinted with her team through the snaking corridors towards the block of cells that made up the training annex. With most of the security neutralized by combat or Shadow team's sabotage it was relatively light in this part of the base. Thus, allowing Shield to move into cell block unhindered.
No guards patrolled this area nether organic or machine. Even the Selcath were conspicuous by their absence or would be if Revan did not have the fore knowledge that Shadow team had disabled security and hijacked the camera feeds giving false recordings to whomever maybe left to monitor them.
The door to the torture room slid open; the Jedi flooded in and skidded to a halt. Littered on the floor like disused toys of a careless child were the broken bodies of Selcath younglings. Dark blood pooled around their elongated skulls.
"Kriffing hell." Revan hissed. She sprinted to the first fallen body and knelt next to it. There was a sliver of life seeping from the broken body. The former Dark Lord reached out a tender hand and caressed the smooth dome.
Large eyes flickered open, rested on the Jedi they saw – air gasped from crippled lungs.
"Tell...tell Shasa...the Sith..." the youngling was unable to finish, his wounds on his tortured body were to much for her to overcome. Bloody and beaten his crippled body gave up his ghost. In his hand was token, an heirloom so important to his that he had clutched so tightly its rounded edges had cut deeply into the softer side of his palm.
"Let sweet embrace of ever present Mother Ocean carry your spirit into her great depths where you will be reborn anew." Juhani whispered over the corpse. It was not surprising she knew funerary blesses of the Selcath. As she had once said before she had made a study of several cultures other than her own. It was something she shared with her lover Beyla.
Revan turned her attention away from the dead female to see she out of her four companions she had been the only one clutching on to life as deadly as the token she had had in her hand long enough to utter her warning.
"The others have scarring from Sith lightning." Bastila said clinically, mindful not to say 'Force lightning'. Yes, it was the same tactic she had Revan has used on the Sith but in her mind, it was different. Their assault was justified, the Sith they used it upon were traitors and turncoats. The attack on these innocents was unconscionable. Once more rage seethed in her like as low growling beast. It calmed only when Bastila felt her lover's hand upon her the small of her back.
"Peace my love." Revan whispered in voice and through their bond. "We most likely killed those responsible for this gross act. Rage dose nothing for the dead and only poisons the living. Vengeance is a dead end upon a dead end."
Bastila closed her eyes; her lips muttered silently the mantra of the Jedi code. 'There is no emotion, there is peace.' But how could this be? Peace was a lie! There was no peace, no true peace. Peace did not last. But rage could be silenced, becalmed-tempered. It was why Revan chose to voice her words as she did.
Rage was a poison. But right now in this moment, Bastila felt that so peace.
"Let us hope there are more survivors and not rooms filled with dead younglings." She said her words as fridged as the deepest fathoms of Mother Ocean.
Juhani left the two older women to speak in private; she could feel the anger wafting of Bastila. She knew that anger and how it courted the Dark Side more than anyone. She felt it when she had faced off against Xor. Felt it when she thought of the destruction of Taris. Better than anyone she knew its grip on the soul. If not for Revan, Juhani knew she would have given into its malicious seductive song and taken in the Dark Side back into her soul and murdered the man.
She gave the lovers a moment of privacy and searched the room for any other personal affects that could be delivered to these souls' families. But the only thing she discovered within the footlocker was credit chits. She pocketed them as the dead: Sith or Selcath had no need of them.
By the time, she had finished scavenging the room; Bastila and Revan were ready to continue their search for the other missing younglings.
The next chamber opened, another Selcath youngling, this own however was not dead. As soon as the droids recognized the invaders into the chamber were not the Sith they opened fire. The youngling followed.
The Force allowed the Jedi a split second to recapture the initiative. Revan and Bastila targeted the battle droids with Force lighting green and purple sparks shout out from their hands and completely engulfed the enemy. Their bodies shook and stuttered. Frozen in the electrical assault their internal shielding were unable to rebel the attack or buffer their internal systems they crumpled to the hard flooring in seconds.
In the same breath Juhani went for the indoctrinated youngling. His novice skills in a blade were no match for a Jedi. The Cathar used the Force to leap up and over the youngling head and slammed her blade down severing the youth's arm from torso. He screamed out in utter pain and fell along with his clankers. He was not dead, not quite. But he was incapacitated and of no threat. The blade of the lightsaber cauterised the wound so at least he would not bleed out, he might yet survive if his body did not succumb to shock.
And so the assault on the Sith base continued with a new pattern having been established. Door opens a swift assessment of the occupants Juhani threw a crowd-controlling stasis field allowing the other Jedi to expel lighting at opponents on enemies left and right flanks respectively. Juhani would then go the center. It was fast, effective and thorough.
The last corridor opened to the left and right. To the left the Jedi could feel fear and to the right something far more sinister.
The Dark Side of the Force was so palpable here that it stopped the Jedi. The three turned as one towards the easterly most door. Beyond that was a Sith Master. Before they could free the younglings, this dark force must be delt with. The energy oozing from him was as strong as his three predecessors combined.
Not word passed between the Jedi. None were needed. Revan stepped forward, with a flick of her wrist she gestured with two fingers towards the doors controls causing them to respond and open.
Cowlled in black and dressed in black and gray training robes was single Munn male on either side of him were Selcath youths. He turned words of chastisement upon hips lips.
"How dare you enter..." he paused scowling at the intruders. He took in the robes and armour of the Jedi order, lightsabers. "How did you get in here?" he demanded. His lightsaber came to life in double blades of crimson blood. "Wait I recognize you both! Lord Malak was most displeased when he learned you had escaped Taris alive."
"I'll just bet he was." Bastila said influenced by her lover's snarkieness.
The dark one sneered. "He has promised a great reward to whoever destroys you. I bring him your heads he will make me his new apprentice."
"Sure, you want the job?" Revan scoffed. "They tend to have remarkably short life spans. Plus, no medical, dental or pension plans. Bad idea, all-round."
One of the youths spoke out. "Master, give us the honor of adding you in destroying this enemy of the Sith."
The master smiled, amused by the fishman pup's earnestness to serve. "As you wish my eager young apprentices. We shall remove this thorn form Malak's side once and for all." The Master knew just as the Jedi did the youths stood not a chance against a single Jedi padawan let alone three highly trained Knights.
"Do not be foolish. Do not throw your life away!" Juhani tried to warn the youngling, but he would have none of it. He rushed at her heedless of battle tactics or the fact she was basking in the flow of the Force.
His shots went wild; he was not accustomed to charging and firering at the same time. Making him sloppy. With an invisible hand of the Force Juhuni sent the boy backwards into the bulkhead on the opposite of the room. The impact robbed their air from his lungs. A second later she leapt at him and brought her blade into his neck severing head from torso.
The one the left did not charge, his aim true but did not hit their mark. Bastila easily deflected his blasts back towards him. His shields took the brunt of his own returned shots but he was dazed. So much so it took by surprise when he felt the golden blade of the Jedi's lightsaber impale him.
The last words he heard were the human woman's disgust. "More foolish waste of life!"
In the same breath as Juhani engaged the Selcath, Revan engaged the Master. Just as the Cathar sent the youngling back Revan did the same to the human. He however was slightly more prepared for the impact. At the last moment, he expelled all the air from his lungs so that when he hit he did not lose his wind.
Just as the Jedi drew in the Light, he breathed in the Dark side letting it fill him, empower him. Revan expected the Sith Master to come at her with aggressively, but even so she was caught off guard by the ferociousness of his attack.
He opened with a series of two-handed overhead chops, using his greater height to bring his blade hacking down at her from above. She easily blocked each blow, but the momentum of the crushing impact caused her to stager, back throwing her off balance.
She recovered quickly, however spinning out of the way when he followed up with a low, looping swipe meant to hew her off at the knees. She retaliated with a quick jab with the tip of one of her blow blades toward the Munn's face, but he ducked his head to the side and came back with a wide-arching, single-handed slash at chest level.
Revan intercepted his blade with one of her own, angling her weapon so that the momentum of the Munn's attack was redirected downward, sending the tip of his lightsaber into the floor. This exposed him to a counterthrust, with the smaller viridian blade, he scarcely avoided the blade from decapitating him by taking a step back but her blade bit deep into his pauldron covering his shoulder. Smoke smouldered from the damaged armour the flesh it cut into. She was faster than the Munn could ever have imagined. She was using new sequences and unfamiliar moves he never seen in all his training at the masters' feet at the academy on Korriban.
But somehow, he survived the initial flurry, and now he knew what to expect. He tossed a Force push at her only to have it buffered by hers. And for moment they were locked. Force push against force push.
The Munn pressed the action with a devastating, complex combination of attacks, but Revan's defensive style may have been simple but preformed with such perfection it was nearly impenetrable. The Munn realized this but it was too late to back off and change tactics. His style was savage, brutish and simple, though undeniably effective as it was relentless meant to overcome and overwhelm his enemy.
He had only ever faced his maters in training; he had never faced a true Force-wielder in combat. Not like this. Never a Jedi. But if were to prove worthy as Darth Malak's apprentice he would destroy this bitch knife-ear. He had to. He settled into a pattern of feints and quick thrusts, probing and prodding the knife ear's defences.
"Stop playing with him Revan and put an end to it already." Bastila called out impatiently.
The Munn's head snapped back and froth from the knife ear to the human. Revan? Darth Revan!? Impossible! Revan was dead! She was dead, destroyed by the cunning of Darth Malak attack on the Ravager and by Jedi Bastila assault team. No...
His distraction was his undoing. The knife ear flashed a cocky knowing smile. Like a loth cat with a rat she was toying with him. As she must have done with Darth Bandon. His eagerness to prove himself to the great Dark Lord he allowed his ambition to overwhelm his sensibilities.
Revan was on her foe in an instant, her lightsabers slashing viciously. The Dark Jedi's lightsaber flailing desperately to parry Revan's twin blades. She spun blacked his blade switching to Ataru she had severed both hands to the wrist. When he fell to his knees wailing at the loss of limbs her blades crossed at his neck and like scissors she cut off his head.
KOTOR~ KOTOR~ KOTOR~ KOTOR~ KOTOR~ KOTOR
When the door to their dorm finally opened the Selcath were relieved in one breath and startled in another. They had expected one of the masters to come today, for today there was something special planed. What they had not expected were three females all weaning blue and silver armour of a Jedi knights.
"Intruders! Should we should the alarm, Shasa?" the first a male by the sound of his guttural-slurping speech.
the one called Shasa shook her head. "No. Wait! We cannot always be running to the Masters for help. We should handle this on our own."
Shasa... the name of the youngling the diplomat was looking for. Revan focused her full attention on the blue scaled Selcath. She pondered how best to approach opening a dialog with this rebellious youth. Open and honest or try and use a subtler approach. Revan wouldn't know until this as she conserved to be nothing more than a punk-kid-runaway started to open her mouth. Revan only knew that this Shasa was seen as alpha-female. Get her and the others would fallow.
"Perhaps this is a test the Sith have prepared us for us? They said to day was special for training."
Sooo... Revan thought its going to be like this, is it? Okay...have to install doubts in the others.
"What are you doing here?" Shasa demanded. "Only masters and Apprentices are allowed here."
"I am Skye Ravensong of Jedi Order. Shaelas has me investigating the disappearances of Selcath younglings."
The one that first spoken turned to his friend. "I told you your father would get suspicious, Shasa! He always hated the Sith. He sends the Jedi to fight them!"
"Bah! My father doesn't understand—he is blinded by his own prejudices! Just like the Jedi are." Shasa shook her head casing her mandibles to sway this way and that. "The Sith are teaching us the master of the Force. Our alliances with the Sith will bring strength to Manaan and the Selkath people!"
"What the Sith have told you is a lie." Juhani said taking two steps from the threshold of the door to stand alone side her friend and comrade.
The fish-girl would have none of it. "Republic propaganda. Jedi poodoo. The Sith are the victims of lies and half truths. They are not monsters – no more than the Republic.
"The Sith have promised to guide us in the use of the Force, as a sign of their good faith. And once the Republic is defeated, the Sith have promised to withdraw from Manaan and respected our independence."
And of course, they bought it hook, line and sinker. How like a fish. Bastila's thoughts were for Revan alone. The only response she got was a barely perceptible head shake from the Nagai
Aloud the Jedi Sentinel said: "If the Republic is defeated, the Sith will enslave your planet!"
"Spare us your lies! The Sith have treated us with nothing but respect!" Shasa's slurring speech did not allow for a growl but it was close. "You speak as if we are prisoners here, but we can leave whenever we want. Our friend Galas chose to leave, and he was returned safely home.
"Shasa, what if they speak the truth?" one of the others with large spots and green scales asked. "Remember what happened at Taris..."
"Taris is nothing but a Republic lie..."
"Oh, for crying out loud!" this came from Juhani. "How many kinds of stupid can you people be? They are only being 'respectful' because they want the one thing your plant has in abundance. Kolto. And Taris was destroyed. It was my home plant after the Mandarins obliterated Cathar. I know what it is to lose a home. I lost mine twice!"
Revan pressed further. "And if they are being respectful to you why then did we find tortured and murdered Selcath younglings in a room down the coriander? Young bodies broken and left to bleed out. One managed to live long enough to give me this." Revan handed over the trinket the young male had thrust into her hands with is dying breath. "I imagine he may even be this Gaalas." She handed over the trinket to Shasa.
The teenager looked at the trinket in her palm still sticky with blood. Selcath blood. she glared up at the Nagai. "This...this was Gaalass's...I gave it to him when we were pups. This...this is ...Selkath blood!"
"Yes, it is." Revan said.
"How do I know you didn't kill him to get it?"
The former Dark Lord all but rolled her eyes. "Juhani's right. How many kinds of stupid are you? First of all, I'd have to actually know of your friendship with your paramour pup friend. Yes? Then hunt him down wherever in the hell he was hanging out, because as you said the Sith let him go. Yes? I'd have to know that this little trinket meant something for the both of you and then murder him to get it. Which I must say not a very Jedi thing to do.
"Then I'd have to traipse all the way here, nevermind I'm here in the first place on the behest of your daddy dearest to recover you and your friends and bring you all safely home. Which I will do, even if I have to drag the lot you out by your mandibles. Trust me I once did it to a human boy to get him to move when he was being a fracking dumbass. I'm not above doing it again to another dumbass." She looked around the room, making eye contact with each and every other Selcath youngling. "Or bunch of dumbasses - and I brought friends."
Respectively both Bastila and Juhani tipped their heads
Revan went on. "And why in the hell would I do all that? For what? Because your daddy wants his little pissy little Sith-wanna-be girl home? WHERE SHE BLEONGS! Frack that's too much work! Seriously? Actually, all I really have to do is to tap in your squishy mind with the Force and make you leave by sheer will. And I have to say that route would not be a challenge in the slightest. But here I am wasting my breath on a snotty little fishgirl that won't do as she's is told because she's a freaking indoctrinated idiot!
"You want to die like your bud Gaalas? Be tortured to death? By all means, that's your purgative. But do not bring Manaan down with you. You love your people? Your planet? Then get your scaly little ass home where it fracking belongs! And if you can't be that frilling sensible you little shite, I've got Sith data logs to back all this up. So, do us all a kriffing favour and go the frack home little girl!"
Harsh but this girl didn't need a soft gentle coddling tongue; she needed a good ol' slap up the head with a clue-by-four with a good dose of common sense as a chaser.
"I'm not staying here, Shasa." Said First.
"Me either." said Large Spots.
"I was only doing this because you all were. I didn't want to be left out." Said Three.
"If they killed Galas... no way, I'm not doing this. Not even for you Shasa. Besides you'd never spawn with me any way even if you said you would if I did this." said a small male. "I'm outta here."
"Wise choice." Juhani praised them. They received their tanning in the form of a tongue lashing down it was time for the balm. "We have companions that will escort all of you to safety. We will send word to ... Mr... Canderous. you will know him easily, he travels with a droid and a Wookie. They will protect you from any danger that yet lingers."
"That leaves you Shasa." Bastila addressed the rebellious youth.
Shasa looked at the Masters own datapad. She...she couldn't believe it. But there it was! The Jedi were speaking truth. "The Sith want us to betray Manaan!" She sagged to the floor. Utter defeated yet no Jedi moved to help her. If she wanted to pick herself up after such deflating news she'd have to be strong enough to do it on her own.
"The Sith are evil!" Shasa bemoaned. "Just like you said they were"
"Yeah no suspires there." Revan muttered.
"My father...he has to know. The authorities... they have to know!"
"Good girl." Revan praised the youngling. "Now go do it."
The elongated blue head nodded as she climbed back to her feet then she as with the other younglings filled out of the room.
Mission accomplished.
KOTOR~ KOTOR~ KOTOR~ KOTOR~ KOTOR~ KOTOR
AN: To those who may be disappointed in some of the battles with the trio of Sith, it took me so many tries to get it right. Then I recalled how the krayt dragon was killed on Tatooine. So yes, I laid the floor with landmines and basically lured the Dark Jedi out to step on them. I usually have in my team all the fem-Jedi. Well mostly.
So, I had Juhani and Bastila put them in stasis then had Revan hit them hard with her lightning and then her sabers. And just as the dark ones were coming to I had them hit with frag and cryo grenades and then hit them again with crowd control stasis, lighting and sabers. It was the only way I survived after loosing 5xs to the sleemos. So yes, it was quick in this story but only because I used this tactic in game. As a frontal attack always got me and my team killed no matter who I brought with me. But this worked. And worked quickly. I gave out a loud whoop when finally, I beat the fetchers.
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