Tatooine Part 3
When they were finally standing in front of the chieftain, Revan could obviously tell that the chieftain despised all outsiders. The tone made it obvious despite the lack of understanding of the language.
"Stay calm, you guys. I hope that we will be able to get out of here without having to attempt genocide on the enclave. Just stay calm, and try not to do anything that could anger any of them in any way" Revan told them, looking at Mission who nodded before looking over at his bond-mate.
"I cannot believe you are trying this, Revan" Bastila said through the bond.
"Trust me; this will be the best move in the long run" Revan promised her.
"I have a very bad feeling about this" Bastila told him, though he didn't have time to respond because the chieftain growled again. After that, Revan gave HK a nod, asking for a translation.
"Translation: I can translate with some degree of accuracy that he is demanding to know a reason why he should allow us to live" HK said.
"Tell him that we are here not as members of Czerka, but hoping to find a way to resolve the conflict without bloodshed" Revan ordered simply. HK growled at the chieftain in a way that Revan hoped was a translation before the chieftain responded in a louder growl.
"Statement: it seems like what you said has really angered him master. Translation: he claims he has no reason to believe you, master. Your kind has tainted this land with machines and uncaring, ignorant feet. He requires proof of good faith. We must make a contribution to his people that proves that we are not a threat. Shall I blast him now, master?" HK explained. The shirtless gray Jedi sneered at that, knowing that he should not have been surprised that the tuskens would want them to do such a thing.
"Ask what it is that he wants" Revan ordered. After the series of growls, HK turned back to Revan.
"Translation: he plans to move his people farther from Anchorhead, but they need to build up their stores of water first. He says you must aid him. He wants moisture vaporators from the Czerka. If you deliver them, he will order that his people reduce the attacks on the miners" HK said. Revan thought about it for a second before nodding.
"We will get his vaporators" Revan said simply, bracing himself for the growls that were growing more and more painful on his ears every time.
"Translation: he does not believe you, master. We will only be able to reenter the enclave when we have the vaporators. We are to be escorted back outside. He will wait, but he does not believe that we will come back" HK told him.
They were escorted outside, not stopping until the chieftain roared loudly just as the group had gotten out of sight.
Revan groaned and turned back toward the chieftain, staring at the masked leader with a cold, hard, devious stare.
"Translate" he said to HK simply.
"Translation: we will keep the young twi'lek and the translator droid with us as a token of your obedience. This way, if you back out on us, we will have something of yours in return. Hopeful question: may I finally blast the insolent meatbag, master? I will make it quick" HK said. Revan was silent for a moment before he let out a reluctant huff in agreement.
"Very well, we will follow their rules. Give them your weapons" Revan said. Mission and HK did so, although it was very reluctant on HK's part. When Revan looked at Bastila, he fought the urge to back up upon seeing her gaze. She looked like she was going to flip out on Revan once she got the chance, so Revan was trying to send her calming waves through the force, hoping to placate her displeasure at him.
"HK, try not to kill anything" Revan said, before finally turning away from the chieftain.
He and Bastila were escorted out of the enclave by the same guard who brought them in and they were thrust back under the burning twin suns rather unceremoniously by the tusken guard.
And thus, they started the long trek back to Anchorhead, walking together step by step, hoping to get to the settlement before they burned to a crisp out in the sun.
As they got farther and farther away from the sand people enclave, Revan could feel Bastila watching him more and more.
"See something you like?" Revan asked sarcastically. He was a little surprised that Bastila didn't rise to his teasing like sure often did.
"I just need to know something, Revan" Bastila told him.
"What do you want to know?" he asked casually.
"I just want to know how you could leave your friends there with them. Aren't you worried about them?" Bastila asked. He nodded.
"Yes, I am very worried about them, but I know that nobody in our party wants to kill the entire enclave. Leaving them there was the only way to guarantee cooperation from the sand people" Revan told her. She didn't look convinced.
"And if they try to attack them, we won't be there to protect them. What happens then?" she asked. Revan didn't answer.
"You did think of that, didn't you?" Bastila asked, looking at him.
"Yes, I did think of it. I made sure that HK would have his hidden weapons just in case. He will be able to protect her if it comes to it" Revan told her.
"HK can defend her from the entire enclave?" she asked. Revan didn't answer her.
"I thought so. Let's just attempt to get this done as fast as we can so we can get back to the enclave, hopefully before HK kills the entire enclave" Bastila told him, closing off their bond from him and refusing to acknowledge anything that he did.
They stopped only to grab their clothing from its "hiding place" on the outskirts of the sand people territory before they continued going into town, hoping to grab the moisture vaporators and get back to the Enclave before HK did something stupid to muck up the negotiations.
Revan and Bastila walked through the main gate and stalked toward the Czerka office, their eyes never leaving the path, and their senses tuned into any danger that might arise to stop them from completing their goal. As they passed the cantina, Revan saw that Bastila's pace slowed slightly, and she stared at the cantina for a little bit longer than expected. He just pretended that he didn't see it.
Before long, they were walking back into the Czerka office, with every intention of purchasing the vaporators and getting out in record time.
They went to the back desk and Revan put his arms on the desk in a lazy way.
"You again? You want to buy something? If not, go bother the officers" the clerk said.
"I was looking to buy something, but with that tone, I'm not so sure anymore" Revan said casually. It was so casual that Bastila would have been fooled if not for their bond.
"Hold on, don't be hasty. You look like you are looking for unique things. Was there something special you were looking for?" the owner asked.
"Do you have any moisture vaporators?" Revan asked.
"I may, but I normally do not sell them to simple spacers. Why would you be looking to buy some?" he asked. Revan smirked and shook his head.
"Do you really care?" the former Sith lord asked.
"No, but it is company policy for me to ask. I am not allowed to sell them without knowing" the owner said. Revan was a little bit surprised that the rodian almost looked sad that he had to ask, but the ruse was seen through by the force-sensitive team very quickly.
"Play along" he sent to Bastila through their re-opened bond. He didn't miss the worried glance that she gave him before he continued talking to the shop owner.
"Fine, if you really want to know, my girlfriend and I are planning to use the vaporators to help us start a life here on Tatooine! Now, will you sell us the vaporators or are you going to keep taking up our valuable time?" Revan said simply, though there was a trace of anger crossing onto his face.
"Well, I have two of the finest vaporators that Czerka Corporation produces. Of course, they only produce one model now. The price is 400 credits for the pair. I won't break them up. They function best when linked together" the owner said.
"400 credits? That is so much! Avner, I don't think we have enough for that as well as food and other necessities!" Bastila exclaimed, placing her hands on her stomach.
"Especially with the baby coming, we can't afford to buy any less food. Are you sure you can't go any cheaper?" Revan asked, using the force to influence the rodian's thoughts. He didn't know that Bastila was also using a mind trick to do the same thing. As a result, he was surprised when the rodian grabbed his head in agony.
"I cannot say no to a young married couple such as you two, especially with a baby on the way. I'll give them to you on the house, just don't tell my supervisor that I did it" the owner said, handing Revan the vaporators. Revan put them in his backpack and walked out with Bastila, bracing himself for the explosion that was bound to come. To his surprise, it never came.
"Bastila, are you alright?" he asked as they started to walk back out toward the Dune Sea.
"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" she asked.
"Well, normally you don't like it when I use you in excuses like I did in there, and I just wanted to know why you weren't yelling" Revan admitted, though he looked a little nervous.
"Oh, in truth, I was flattered that you thought that about me. I have to ask though. Why did you say that I was pregnant?" she asked, laughing slightly, but only to cover up a little sense of embarrassment.
"Well, nobody can resist a pregnant girl. Not that you look pregnant at all! I mean, uh, you look way too good to be pregnant! Not that I was looking, or anything" Revan said, his voice fading off slightly by the end.
"Oh, I see" Bastila said quietly. There was a little bit of disappointment in her voice, but it was so quiet that Revan did not notice, and Bastila herself hardly even noticed it.
But, the conversation ended there, as they had reached the gate to the dune sea, and after getting wishes of good hunting, they were out in the dune sea once again.
When they got there, they were met with one lady running toward them quickly with a confident smile on her face.
"Hello there, you're a hunter, aren't you? You must be if you've been allowed to leave Anchorhead. When you see Tanis, and I know you old boys all stick together, tell him his wife hopes he enjoys the anniversary gift" the woman said coldly.
"Actually, we're not hunters" Revan told her.
"Right, and I am a Krayt Dragon. Listen, I know you're going to cover for him. He could probably get out of the little trap I set for him if he was smart, but he's not smart" she explained.
"What did he do?" Revan asked slowly.
"Why don't you ask him yourself? All you have to do is give him one drink and he'll do anything anybody wants" Marlena hissed.
"And if he has a message for you?" Bastila asked, eyeing the woman with worry.
"Oh, I'll be long gone by then. I just left him in a little mess with his droids. Trust me, he deserves everything he gets" she explained.
"We need to go" Bastila interrupted. For once, Revan didn't argue with her.
"I'm sure you do. And when you see Tanis, tell him his wife Marlena says hello" she said, giving them a sadistic smile before rushing through the gates and into Anchorhead.
Nobody in the party really knew what to say about that, so they just went over to see Tanis. When they got to him, he was surrounded by four droids and totally motionless, though they could tell that he was alive.
"Anyone out there? Could you help? I seem to be, ah, doomed!" Tanis shouted as Revan and Bastila approached.
"You know what? You really are a jerk, considering you're surrounded by droids that look to be ready to explode" Revan said casually.
"Hey, thanks for stopping. I've been stuck out here without food or water for hours. It wasn't looking good. I don't recognize you from Fazza's club. Are you new to Anchorhead? Do you think you could help me out?" Tanis said, looking at Revan and Bastila.
"This should be interesting" Bastila muttered.
"Hello, Tanis. Your wife says hello" Revan said simply.
"I bet she did. She says I've finally outstayed my welcome, and she's fixed up my droids to do her dirty work. I triggered some sort of trap she had programmed. She probably figured I wouldn't be smart enough to figure it out. She was, uh, right" Tanis explained.
"Why would she do this?" Revan asked casually, checking his wrist as if checking the time.
"Something about me not following her archaic rules for proper conduct in a marriage. I swear; I never saw this coming" Tanis told him.
"You don't seem too concerned with what caused this. I wonder what you did to provoke this" Revan pondered.
"Hey, I'm the victim here! I don't know how divorce works where you come from, but this is a little extreme, don't you think?" Tanis asked, though Revan could tell he didn't want to hear Revan's opinion.
"I'm from Deralia. You have no idea what it means to be in an extreme circumstance" Revan snapped. Tanis fought the urge to step back in fear at that.
"The wife put a kink in my battle droids. They're in some sort of discharge loop, and if I move from this spot, they're threatening to blow up. She knew I wouldn't know how to fix them. Could you try to do some repairs? They don't care if you move. It's just me who's stuck" Tanis explained, trying to hide his fear behind a mask of calm.
"I say leave him" Bastila said coldly.
"You're pretty heartless for such a pretty lady, you know?" Tanis told her, though he didn't notice when Revan winced at how he said it.
"I take it back, let's congratulate his wife" Bastila told him.
"I'd, ah, really appreciate a bit of help. Please?" Tanis begged. Revan looked from Bastila to Tanis, and then back again before he shook his head and steadied his grim gaze on Tanis.
"I will, but not right now. I don't know how. We need to rescue one of our friends from the Sand People first. She will be able to help you" Revan told him.
"What? Oh, right, I'll just stay here and die! Come on, help a guy out!" Tanis shouted, but his cries were lost to the pair who had already started walking away.
By that point, Revan and Bastila were walking back over to the sand people enclave, knowing that they could not afford to take more time than they needed to deliver the vaporators, especially given two facts. Firstly, the sand people were violent to those who were not members of their tribe. They were even violent toward other sand people.
In Revan's mind, Mission and HK-47 were prisoners of war and delivering the moisture vaporators to the 'enemy' chieftain was the only way to come up with a diplomatic solution to their issue.
In a general situation during warfare, attempted arrangements of trades for prisoners of war were dodgy at best, as both sides were always trying to come up with a better deal that would suit their needs better. To Revan, this was no different. He had no doubts that if given the time and the opportunity, the sand people would betray them in attempt to make a better deal.
"That's how war works" Revan thought with a wry grin that caused Bastila to give him a confused glance. He shook his head at her and returned to his musing.
Upon realizing that the sand people would most likely betray them in the hopes to get a better deal, Revan started thinking about ways for them to get a better deal as well. Sadly, not even the master tactician from the Mandalorian Wars was able to come up with a way for them to get ahead of the tusken raiders if they did decide to deal in betrayal.
The only option that Revan could think of was to either pray that the sand people would not betray them, but if they did, he was preparing himself mentally for a fight. He just hoped that he would not have to get into one.
By that point in Revan's musing, he and Bastila had passed into the sand people territory, and Revan decided to look over at Bastila again. This time, he was not checking out her physical appearance, but instead, he was checking out how she was doing mentally.
To her credit, the master of battle meditation looked to be doing just fine, but Revan was not fooled, at least not totally. He could tell that there was something going on, but he also sensed that it was not just because of what happened to her father and what happened between her and her mother. Revan could tell, however, that there was something else bothering her. It was something deep, though, so Revan could not figure out what it was.
He did not have too much time to ponder on it, though, since by the time he was able to figure out that there was something else going through her mind, they had finally arrived to the sand people enclave.
Revan walked up to the enclave carefully, keeping his senses well in tune with what was going on inside the enclave, specifically if he and Bastila should prepare to block some fire from the automated turrets that the tuskens took from Czerka.
As a result, he walked up to the entrance to the sand people enclave with a very obvious defensive stance and a hand that was ready to grab his lightsaber at a moment's notice. His defense was not needed, though, since he and Bastila were both able to make it right up to the entrance to the sand people enclave without have to fend off an automated attack.
They walked in the front of the enclave and were met with three guards who had their gaffi sticks raised in a defensive stance. Revan raised his arms in surrender and once Bastila did the same, they were escorted back to meet with the chieftain.
When they got there, they were met with an enthusiastic female twi'lek and an assassin droid who seemed to be more bloodthirsty than usual.
Before the friends were able to talk about anything, the chieftain roared in what Revan could easily identify as surprise, despite his lack of knowledge of the sand people language.
Revan decided to ignore the chieftain for the time being, but knew not to do it too long without risking the negotiations.
"Mission, are you alright? They didn't hurt you?" Revan asked. She shook her head.
"No, I'm totally fine, but I did get HK to ask them about my brother. They are holding Griff prisoner here, and he's alive, but the boss-guy refused to say any more about it until you got back" Mission responded.
"HK, how about you? No new issues with your programming?" Revan asked.
"Answer: negative, master, the meatbag and I were left alone, for the most part, so neither of us are in any worse condition than when you left us here" HK replied. Revan nodded, looking over the droid and the twi'lek to make sure before he nodded.
"HK, let's get to work" Revan said simply, looking back up at the chieftain.
"Tell the chieftain we have his vaporators" Revan said simply. Revan patiently waited as his droid exchanged an unintelligible exchange with the enemy.
"Translation: he does not trust you, master, but you have done more than any other outsider. They will not attack you as a result, and he will grant you his chieftain's gaffi as a reward. The attacks will be reduced and he will allow you to explore this enclave, but be warned that any lack of respect will result in death" HK translated. Revan hesitated for a second before questioning it.
"I have a few questions for him" Revan said simply.
"Revan!" Bastila hissed, hoping that he would see reason. She was preparing to leave once they had the opportunity, but now Revan was not going to make it easy.
"Protocol: if you truly want this sadly peaceful arrangement to continue, then be careful what you ask" HK warned.
"Ask about captives" Revan said simply. HK and the chieftain exchanged phrases again, and HK responded to the impatient rebel.
"Translation: you must be more specific, master. They capture many organics" HK told him.
"Why am I not surprised by that" Revan muttered angrily, causing Bastila to grab onto his arm in an attempt to calm him down.
"Ask about Griff" Revan said simply.
"Translation: he says that by his simple presence, Griff defiles their home and land. He is without any semblance of usefulness to them" HK explained.
"Yup. That would be Griff" Mission joked, giving Revan a small smile that the former Sith lord did not return.
"Extrapolation: I would assume that we are free to take him. It is doubtful they would even waste the effort to kill him. Perhaps we could do it, master" HK suggested. Ignoring both, HK's suggestion and Mission's exclamation of anger at the assassin droid's suggestion, Revan turned back to the chieftain.
"If that is all, may we leave?" Revan asked casually, knowing that the chieftain could not understand what he was saying.
"Wait; Revan, when you were off playing the potential boyfriend with Bastila and her mother, I talked to the jawa leader, Iziz. He said that he could help us get to the star map if we could rescue some of his fellow jawas from the sand people" Mission interrupted. Fighting the urge to laugh at Bastila's sudden insistence to stay and talk to the sand people chieftain, Revan continued.
"HK, ask about the jawas" Revan said simply. Another set of growls came, causing Revan to wince again, and Bastila to give him a small massage in an attempt to calm him down enough to think clearly.
"Translation: he says that the captive jawas are slaves and have lived past their usefulness. You may take them, if you wish" HK said.
"That's all for now" Revan said, moving to leave. He put his hands up to his ears in agony when the chieftain growled again.
"Translation: we are free to leave" HK said.
"Well, now that we have his permission" Revan said sarcastically, wincing again at the growls before he walked out of the room and took out his com-link.
"Meetra, its Revan, do you copy?" Revan asked. His com-link had some static, but then it improved as she responded.
"Loud and clear, Revan. What do you need?" she asked.
"Have you had time to get that speeder yet?" he asked.
"Yeah, we have one. It's not too big, only enough for five people. Why do you ask?" she asked.
"Lock on to my position and get over here. Just stay 50 meters away from the enclave until you see us. Can you do that?" Revan asked.
"Gotcha. I'll be there as soon as I can" she replied, ending their conversation. By that time, the group had gotten to the place where the prisoners were kept. There was on flap to the right of where they were and one to the left. They went to the right first. Upon opening it, they saw Mission's brother, Griff.
"Uh, you there! I'm a, uh, high ranking executive of the Czerka Corporation! There's a large reward waiting if you will take me back to Anchorhead!" Griff said once he saw that the door flap on his holding cell had been opened.
"Griff, don't you recognize me? It's Mission!" the young twi'lek exclaimed. Griff looked at her for a few seconds before he realized that she was not kidding.
"Mission? Is it really you? I heard Taris was destroyed! Joy of joys, my little sister is alive!" Griff exclaimed. Revan, Bastila, and HK-47 were standing behind her, not wanting to intrude on private family business, but reluctant to leave her vulnerable to any sort of attack, whether from Griff or from the tusken raiders.
"I have to ask you something, Griff. It's important. I ran into Lena back on Dantooine. She said it was your idea to leave me on Taris. That's not true, is it?" Mission asked.
"Well, there's the truth, and then there's the truth, you know? I always meant to go back to Taris, sis. Just as soon as I had the credits to pay off my debts, but credits have been hard to come by" Griff admitted, giving Mission a sheepish look.
"You mean it's true? It was your idea to leave me on Taris? I'm your sister! How could you abandon me like that?" Mission exclaimed.
"Come on, sis. You didn't need me to look after you anymore. You may have been young, but you knew how to take care of yourself. Besides, you're here now; everything worked out fine" Griff said simply, giving Mission a smile.
"That's it? That's all you have to say to me all those years after deserting you on Taris?" Mission demanded.
"Well, that and, uh, could you get me out of here? You've got a tough looking friend over there" Griff suggested, making Mission gawk in shock.
"The Sand People said you can go. But scum like you can run to Anchorhead. Docking bay 2" Revan snarled.
"Yeah, you can find your way from there, right? Can you manage that? What? Is there something else?" Mission demanded. She was getting angrier and angrier with every passing moment, with both Revan and Bastila not too far behind.
"Well, uh, I wanted to thank you. And you, well, you look like you're doing well, financially, I mean. Say, could you spare me a few credits to get back up on my feet?" Griff asked. If anybody thought that Mission could not have gotten any angrier, then they were to be proven wrong.
"What? You're hitting me up for credits? I don't believe this! Lena was right about you, Griff! We should have left you to the sand people! Don't talk to me anymore, EVER" Mission exclaimed.
"Well, that didn't go well. Sis always was a little fiery for her good. She'll cool down in time" Griff said casually.
"Don't be so sure" Revan told him simply.
"Ah, she'll be okay; we've had our fights before. Too bad, though. I could have really used a helping hand right now" Griff said.
"Okay, what do you want?" Revan demanded.
"You may have saved my life, but I don't have a single credit to my name. Say, you wouldn't be able to spare me some credits? Just until I get back on my feet, you know?" Griff asked.
"So let me get this straight. I save your life, and YOU are the one asking ME for credits? I'll let you choose. I'll either give you 500 credits and I won't save your life or I will save your life and let you walk out of here without my lightsaber in your chest. Take your pick" Revan said sarcastically.
"Oh, I guess you've been talking to Lena too, eh? That's okay, I'll figure out how to get by without your credits. I always do. Besides, I've already got a job lined up for me. Greeta, the manager over at the Czerka supply shop, said I could always come work for him if I ever got tired of the mines. I think I'll go take him up oh his offer. You know, maybe there is something that you can help me with. I need to talk to a guy first, but if you're interested in a job, come see me in Greeta's shop" Griff told Revan.
"You just don't get it, do you? I don't like you, nor do I want to help get you out of any trouble you are obviously going to get into. Now, go to Anchorhead before I regret giving you a chance to walk out of here!" Revan snapped. Griff paled slightly at the thought of not getting out before he turned toward Mission.
"Goodbye, Mission. I'm glad you're not dead" Griff said. When she heard that, Mission just let out a small huff in annoyance, like she just didn't want to acknowledge his existence at all.
Revan didn't even let Griff leave before he turned across to the other little prisoner flap in the enclave. He opened the flap and saw a few jawas near the back in fear. When they saw him, they ran forward in what Revan could only read as excitement.
"You are not the ghostly giants that trap us here, the people of sand. You are from the old city new" one of them said.
"Come with me, the sand people said we can all leave together" Revan told them. He ignored the thanks that the jawas were trying to give him as they all went out to await Meetra coming with their ride away from the sand people enclave.
Author's Note: I am so excited for the next chapter, honestly. I have already started writing the scene with Meetra and continuing Mission's storyline. I think everybody is going to like it. But, after that, I need some help, so please review and give me some ideas for the rest of Tatooine. I still have a long way to go, so tell me what you're thinking and what you want me to write about in the future chapters for Tatooine.
Please review, guys, I need the help so I can get ideas and know that people are enjoying the writing. Maybe I need to change some things up, but I will never know if I do not get told to do so.
This time, I am not going to tell when I am going to update. I have a lot of free time in the next four weeks, until the end of June; so instead, I am just going to tell everybody that I will update once I have sufficient support from my readers so I will be able to continue the writing. Only then will I update. So, if you want to see an update, you need to help me out with ideas and support.
So, I will see you when I see you.