Chapter 3: Unspoken Promises
5 days later, and progress was almost non-existence with the Hawk, its systems and HK-47. Unsurprisingly I hadn't been able access the Ebon Hawks Navigation Computer nor any of its corresponding systems. It had been locked down completely, and the only way to access it was through a code, which I don't have. No code, no way to trace Revan down. But that was far from the last of my troubles with the Hawk. The ship itself had been through hell itself, the engines had been abused and I'm surprised they haven't given up. The power system is a complete mess and alone took a day to fix, and the hull had been put back together by a 3 year old. I'm shocked the Hawk survived flying through the atmosphere of Telos, yet alone how it came from Peragus to Telos in the first place. But the Hawk shape wasn't that bad when compared to its lone soldier.
HK-47, the assassin droid whose capacity for murder has never been questionable, had fallen into pieces. Most of which are easily acquirable, but there are 4 parts I will struggle with, and none of them I can grab at a run-of-the-mill droid shop. HK's chassis needs replacing, it's all bent out of shape and the internal networking is a disaster. The vocabulator is missing, meaning I need a brand new one. Additionally his Processor and Control Cluster, both essential for any droid to operate, are damaged and need to be fixed, or just replaced entirely. I've done what I can for the assassin droid, but without access to spare parts that I need, he's stuck in a state of disrepair.
But even in his state, HK-47 wasn't even the most annoying occurrence over the past 5 days. That award goes to Jedi Master Atris herself, the bitch had been on my back ever since I put my effort onto the Hawk. Constantly asking about the state of the Hawk, the navigation computer, HK-47 as well as where Revan had gone, still assuming that I was keeping that information from her. In part I don't blame her, I probably would be partly suspicious if I was in her position. But at the end of the day, no matter how many times I repeated myself, she refused to believe what I tell her is the truth.
However, despite all that had been a disaster during these past days, not everything has been bad. I've had several contacts with Carth and Mission, and even Lieutenant Grenn from time to time, all related to Meetra. She'd been released from TSF house arrest, not having been charged with the destruction of the mining facility. Carth was close by, and we're meant to talk to each other later options regarding what Meetra might do and how we act in response. The Republic had been following Meetra, one part in hope she will hunt down the Shadow, other part hoping she will revive the Jedi Order. While I think their plan of having her as the key to bringing back the Jedi Order is far from realistic, I commend them for trying. A galaxy without the Jedi is a dark one indeed.
"Jason" Carth's voice came out as crisp as ever, the hologram projector casting the image of Carth in front of me. Still wearing his Republic Armour, his arms resting at his side. "I'm afraid I'm the bearer of bad news. The Exile, Meetra Surik, she escaped"
"Escaped?" I echo, and admittantly, I'm not even surprised Meetra has done this. She remained true to her nature, a force of nature itself that won't be stopped, not by rules, not because of the guards, and certainly not when she's told not to do something. "Escaped how?"
"Lieutenant Grenn says she was seen heading towards the Czerka Hangar. My best guess is she struck some kind of deal with them, she did something and they got her planet side, presumably to search for the Ebon Hawk" he informs me. The actual location of the Ebon Hawk was one of the few things I had neglected to mention during our meetings, mostly due to that reveal would also reveal Atris, a problem I can't be bothered to deal with and thus, avoid.
"So you're telling me, not only has Meetra escaped, but she's currently in the restoration zone of Telos searching for the stolen Hawk" I say, part of it feigning ignorance at the location of the Ebon Hawk, and part still in awe at the quick work of Meetra who, in less than a week, had managed to escape from Citadel Station and allude the authorities that were on her trail.
"Correct, additionally, the Republic has opted to a change in approach. Instead of bringing her in, we're adopting a wait and see approach. The admiralty board wish to see what actions she takes before they intervene" This information comes as a surprise to me, but it appears even the Republic can change its mind, and I feel this is a good change. With Meetra taking charge, taking her in would only serve to agitate her.
"I think this is the right approach Carth" I say to him "So what now? We await for her to make herself known, where Republic forces will track her from a distance?"
"Yes" Carth's reply is short and simple "We would like you to assist at your own digression. Since you are a Sith, I understand that she may be capable of detecting you and therefore you'd rather avoid confronting her"
"Wait and see approach" I repeat Carths own word "I will await for her to appear on the radar then await for the Republics approach. I need to move, there are several things that require my attention"
Carth nods his head, the universal symbol of understanding "I won't keep you then" he says, as my right hand taps the power button of the holographic projection system, and Carth vanished before me.
So Meetra Surik was somewhere on Telos, and just like I'd hoped, she's in search of the Ebon Hawk, surely having been informed by the TSF that it was somewhere on the surface. It is only a matter of time now, when Meetra locates the shield drain, she'll come here and then, the true fun begins. Standing up from my seat, I quickly exit my Phantom, closing the ramp behind me as I head towards Atris' pitiful council room. The route was plagued with passing several of the sisters, but not the Handmaiden that actually speaks to me.
I walk through another set of doors, and is confronted by a most curious sight. The door I had walked through wasn't the one I normally do, and sitting in front of me is a must curious sight. The cells that are usually empty, but now, they are active and three prisoners are before me.
Two of them I know, I recognise in an instant. The pair from the apartment on the Citadel, the old women and the smuggler, Atton I think. They both appear to be conscious, and their eyes focus on me as the door opens. What catches my eyes is the third occupant, and of all things, it's an Iridonian, not something you see daily. He is laying on the ground, although I can't see if he is injured or simply unconscious. I'll admit I'm curious, but if the old women and the smuggler are here, then it means a simple thing. Meetra was successful in tracking down the Hawk.
"It's you again" the smugglers voice invades the silence of the room, and is not a welcomed voice. Naturally I'm wearing the same outfit as I did when I met them back on the Citadel Station, and my hood is hiding my face once again. I find it a level of comfort to keep my identity hidden, my face hidden, mostly due to all the power it gives. "I shouldn't be too surprised, I knew you had something to do with stealing the Hawk…"
"I didn't take it…" I say, although why I felt the need to clarify that to him, I don't know "Although given you're here, I assume that Meetra is also here with you…"
"You're damn right" the smuggler snaps back "Whatever you lot are plotting, she'll stop you"
I look over at the old women, who had stayed oddly quiet during all of this. Her presence is, off-putting, to say the least. I haven't felt it much, mostly because I'd been focused on Meetra, but she had a unique feeling. I'd say she has the force, I'm certain of it, however I can't pin-point it. She's not a Sith, that much is clear, but she is neither a Jedi nor in-between. I need to worry about Meetra for now, but she is worth an eye of warning.
"Maybe, we'll see…" I say before walking through the room, opening the other door and leaving. Meetra wasn't there with the others in the cells, meaning Atris would be speaking to her. And this is one conversation I would love to overhear, the self-proclaimed last Jedi and a Jedi exile. I feel myself jogging towards the council chamber, my curiosity driving me forwards towards the door, which was wide open and standing on the other side, 4 of Atris' Handmaidens, Atris herself, and Meetra Surik.
What first catches my eye is that Atris is armed, a lightsaber glowing blue in her right hand, hanging lazily at her side. My heart leaps in my chest, before I quickly notice that despite being actively armed, the situation was not one of direct conflict.
"The Sith?" Atris' voice was filled with disbelief "You tell the truth, I can feel their impact on you. But why would the Sith go after you?"
"They believe me to be the last of the Jedi" Meetra replies simply, sounding unimpressed.
"If they believe you to be the last of the Jedi…They are sorely mistaken. I am the Last of the Jedi. Given that you escaped, I'm sure they meant to follow you hoping that you'd lead them to me, which you have done" Atris' arrogance is unbearable, that arrogance that Atris is the only Jedi left alive. It's one of the things I cannot stand about that women…
"Regardless…" answers Meetra, somehow ignoring Atris' attitude and answering her calmly "They tried to kill me, and they'll try again. We both know that they're trying to wipe out any remains of the Order…"
"I am the last Jedi, but there are others…" Atris says slowly "Those who were once part of the order, but have turned their back on the order"
"If I rally them, bring them together, we might be able to stand up against them…" suggests Meetra, an interesting suggestion. Not only would locating them be a challenge, but convincing them to ally together could be difficult.
"And you're suggesting you're the one to bring them together?" Atris' voice is like steel, her eyes ice as she looked at Meetra almost like a cat sizing up its next meal.
"Yes" Meetra didn't sound daunted by the prospect, even though I'll fully admit I think what she is embarking upon is impossible. Locating a Jedi in the galaxy would be impossible, especially if they are actively trying to hide themselves from being seen. And then, if you manage to locate someone on one of the hundreds of planets they could be hiding on, to convince them to unite… It's impossible.
"Very well, I'll give you back your ship and your companions, even though I do find it odd that you're traveling with others again" Atris says, taking me slightly by surprise, this wasn't the route I expected her to take "I'll also give you your droids back, you might be needing them"
"Thank you" Meetra says, although why I don't understand "Where are my friends being held?"
"They're currently being detained, if you go through the door on the left, then go left after the storeroom, you'll find them there. Once you have them, if you control through the hallways, you'll find your astromech droid and your ship that way…Once you leave, do not return until you have rallied several of them on Dantooine, the old training academy"
I quickly move my feet, before Meetra can turn around, and jog through the corridor, away from the hangar as I hear Meetras' footsteps coming towards the doorway I had been in. I give myself a minute, before opening the other door. The council room had two doors, one close to the hangar which is the standard one, and another that mimicked it on the wall on the other side, the door that I now enter through. Atris' blue eyes fire a blizzard at me as it closes behind me.
"I should have expected you to be eavesdropping" her tone wasn't welcoming, but there wasn't anger in her voice, which means she wants something from me, although what I'm certain.
"But that meeting was very informative" I answer her, walking forwards and removing my hood, shaking my head and feeling my hair move against my neck "You're sending Meetra to find those Jedi without telling her where they are…"
"I don't know where they are…" Atris' voice wavered slightly, although why I don't know.
"So you want me to trail her?" I ask, getting a nod of approval from the Jedi "And I presume you're going to be tracking the Hawk?"
"Correct on both" she informs me "We've attached a tracking signal unto the Hawk, which we'll give you. Wherever she goes, I want to keep a track on her…"
"I won't be able to get close" I quickly inform the Jedi "While I've been wearing a hood each time I've interacted with Meetra, there is every chance they'll recognise me. I'll be able to follow them around, but as for specific details, not happening"
Atris seemed frustrated at my information that I've given her, but at the end of the day, she has to deal with it. She's sitting on her ass in this facility and forcing me to race over the galaxy chasing Meetra. The only alternative for her that I can see at least, is have one of the handmaidens sneak onto the Ebon Hawk, but the obvious issue being that they'd be caught in two seconds flat. There is no way Meetra wouldn't be able to find and detect the infiltrator, meaning we both come to the same conclusion. I am her only option.
"Fine, but I'm not doing this for you Atris" I inform her, starting a slow walk towards the door that Meetra Surik walked out of mere minutes ago "I'm doing this because I know the Jedi must rise again, and so far, Meetra proves the best chance of rallying them together, to revive the order"
I exit the room as it dawns on me, that what I just said could be taken as an insult to her for not acting. Oh well, a mistake has been made. I quickly walk to my ship, and spot one of the identical handmaidens standing by the boarding ramp of my ship, a small black device in the girls' hand.
"That's the tracking device I assume" I state, receiving a nod from the handmaiden as I take it from her palm, and try to shake the girls hand with limited success, and instead, give her a pat on the shoulder "It's not going to explode and kill me when I leave the atmosphere right?" I joke, and receive only a dark glare of anger that I usually do "rriighht, remind me to not invite you to parties…"
The deadpanned expression from the Handmaiden wasn't what I was aiming for with that joke. I make my way up the ramp, closing the ramp by pressing the button at the top, the hissing echoing and I slide into the leather pilot seat, powering up my Phantom as I plug in the tracking device into my navi-computer to begin the tracking system. The ship begins to softly hum as my navigational chart starts blinking, and I open up a holographic screen in front of me, with a red dot blinking on a standard hyperspace route…towards Dantooine. I feel a sigh ripple through me, of course it's Dantooine. On logic, you would assume a Jedi wouldn't go to a planet that hosted a Jedi academy, but using that logic, you'd be where no one expects you to be. I engage the engines and begin the journey towards Telos' atmosphere, and starting to plot the hyperspace corridor. While you normally have to go through official channels to access a hyperspace corridor, having special access due to his ship officially being listed as a Republic Specials Ship, meaning I get priority whenever I need to go somewhere. While it can be seen as arrogant, the convenience its' offered makes it a worthwhile trade. I fly my Phantom out of Telos' atmosphere, and power up my ships hyper drive, launching myself forwards.
I lean back in my chair unlike the Ebon Hawk, the Phantom has several systems installed upon it to deal with hyperspace corridors and most of the issues that can come from them, primarily other ships and the stray asteroid. While I usually need to be in the cockpit, it does allow me to have a snooze or work on something else. Thankfully, the trip between Telos and Dantooine isn't that long and I'll be able to spend my time working on my equipment, mostly the grenade components that I never got round to making, but also the blaster pistol that I keep in my back pocket. While I usually don't bother with blasters these days, it doesn't hurt to have a secondary weapon that no one expects you to have. Very few Jedi, or Sith for that matter, have ever used grenades in combat, ever fewer have come armed with blasters. They see your lightsaber and assume it's all you know how to use, a fatal mistake.
Authors Notes:
Hi guys
So firstly I want to aplogise for both the smaller chapters and the lack of posting. I've been rather busy in real life which drags my attention away, however hopefully with university finishing for a few months, I should be able to get out some good chapters. Part of the reason the chapters are smaller is mostly due to the lack of time I get, and me wanting to get a chapter out over adding in a few extra parts where I intent to add it into the later chapter.
See ya next Chapter
