Author's Note: Okay, I've finally got this posted and made a few minor changes to Chapter 2. Again, I really appreciate the helpful reviews that you left, Jen DeClan, and I hope you'll like this chapter! There's a twist and some look into just how naive Maicah's new apprentice, Kyle, can be, so...enjoy!
P.S., apparently the line I've used for paragraph divisions isn't working, so I'm using the symbol # to replace that for now!
Chapter 5
Revan and Kyle stood on their ship while Maicah sat, all surrounding the holocron projector located in the east of their little "home." Both Revan and Kyle watched the holocron from the Sith Academy with much interest, but Maicah looked around in pure boredom.
She yawned, leaning back in her chair and propping her legs up on the projector carelessly, placing one foot over the other by linking her ankles. "We've watched this how many times now? Twenty? I think we've got all the information we can from this." Maicah said impatiently, placing her hands behind her head as she stared at Revan and Kyle.
Revan eyed her, noting how the woman he traveled with now was a far cry from the General he had known during the Mandalorian Wars. No longer was she the patient, tactical, kind, yet strong woman who never had to demand respect from anyone. It was as if she were losing herself day after day. Finally, he frowned at her, reluctant to agree. "You're right...let's talk about what we all heard from it and we'll put the information together."
Kyle smiled, looking excited. "Yes, that's a great idea!" Maicah, on the other hand, raised a brow, looking to the ceiling.
"Let's start with the obvious," Revan began, "this being is going to be, if it's not all ready, in charted space anytime now. It was supposed to be a very effective weapon used against the Jedi, but the Sith couldn't get to it in time to use on my journey or yours." He motioned to Maicah then continued. "The Sith never specified exactly what it could do; only something about six items and gained power." Revan looked at the other two, waiting for some input.
Kyle looked deep in thought, but Maicah looked skeptical. "Well, since they couldn't get to this thing in time, maybe they gave up and it won't show up anywhere. Ever." Maicah nodded to agree with her own statement and Revan frowned again.
"Do you guys feel something weird?" Kyle asked, breaking the tense silence Maicah had created with her pessimistic thoughts and manner on the whole matter. Revan looked to Kyle then narrowed his eyes and nodded while Maicah finally glanced down from the ceiling to her partners. She was surprised she had not felt it before, but there was something wrong; something was on the ship that didn't belong.
She stood from her seat, her sloppy stance no longer. "Revan, search for any ships that may be on the radar nearby. Kyle…look busy." She left the room, cautiously making her way down the corridors with her eyes open and her ears alert to any noise or sight that would signal her to something. After a few minutes of walking and checking rooms, she finally came to the sleeping quarters. "Hello?" She called out with a slight grin, not expecting to receive a greeting back. Suddenly, a strong feeling hit her like a wave. It wasn't something she could explain, but she could absolutely sense someone was in the room. She became tense, looking around, but saw no one. "Show yourself, now." She demanded, spinning around to see if someone was in the exit. But still, she saw not one person.
"If you don't show yourself, I will…-" Her sentence was cut off by a male's voice, one she recognized all too well and one she had dreamt about for so long.
"Fine, fine. No need to get all upset. I have to say I'm impressed, and a little disappointed, you've actually remembered our little pazaak mind protecting trick."
She spun around again, not believing her eyes. There, upon her bed, sat Atton with a grin on his face. "I would've loved to have heard your thoughts just now. You're just too cute when you're frightened."
Maicah shook her head, stepping back. "I've officially lost it." She mumbled to herself, stumbling back some more until she could clutch the door frame to the quarters for support.
Atton stood, a strange smile on his face. "No, you haven't lost it. I've spent quite some time looking for you, but I've found you! Aren't you happy?" His voice, something was different about it.
"You're not Atton." She whispered in confusion. "Atton is dead." Her voice cracked as she spoke the last word, tears filling her eyes.
Atton smirked, walking towards her. She wanted to move, to run away from this illusion, this ghost, whatever it was. No matter how hard she tried, she found she just couldn't. Eventually, he was standing directly in front of her. He wasn't fake, he was completely real, but something was different. His eyes, the way he acted, even the way he moved and carried himself. She closed her eyes, keeping them shut. Something about this wasn't right. She had to be dreaming, this couldn't be real. After a few more moments had passed, she opened them again and he was gone. She looked around in confusion, regaining her composure. She could still feel something, but any physical trace of it was gone. After yet another few more moments, she took about six steps into the room and frowned. What was the matter with her? Finally, she realized nothing was wrong with her. She was just being foolish; he wasn't gone, only hidden. Hidden with something as simple as a cloaking device. She quickly spun around, lightsaber already drawn and held up to block another from striking her. It's color, a deep, true, burning red was shone reflecting brightly off the face of the man she loved.
"Atton! Why are you doing this?" She asked, strain obvious in her voice. Her eyes watched his face, puzzled as their lightsabers clashed against one another. He didn't answer in words, only with a look of hatred in his eyes. Continuously, he made quick attacks on her, but she continued to only defend herself, never making a counter attack on him. Eventually, it proved to be too much for her. He was so strong now, so fierce, she just couldn't defend herself any longer. After what seemed like hours, but was truly only a few minutes, she felt a sharp, excruciating pain in her side. She gasped as he pulled the sword from her side and fell to her knees, clutching her wound and staring up at him. She was puzzled, not only about why he had attacked her, but why he had switched from using a lightsaber to a short sword instead. Suddenly, everything around her began to go fuzzy, and soon after…everything was black.
It had been some time since Revan had heard from Maicah and a part of him was beginning to get worried. He hadn't heard any yelling, any gun fire, or any sort of weapons clashing...but still, it was odd for the girl not to be back by now to reassure them that they were just paranoid and they had nothing to worry about.
#
"How big is this ship?" Kyle asked curiously, his mind on a similar pattern with Revan's.
"It's not small by any means, but it's not a flying city either. Let's go find Maicah and see that everything's alright." Revan motioned for the new boy to follow him as he made his way out of the cockpit and down the hall. He made sure to move cautiously, his eyes ready to take notice of any slight movement or anything out of the ordinary. He and Kyle had made their way through most of the ship before he decided to check the sleeping quarters, still finding it odd that there seemed to be no trace of anything going on and even stranger that he hadn't bumped into his companion at all yet.
Finally, he came across an unsettling sight. "Maicah?" He called out as he saw a small pool of blood on the ground, but no body. "Maicah?" He called out again, louder this time with a sense of urgency that surprised Kyle.
Kyle had always thought that Jedis were trained to control their emotions, although after meeting Maicah and observing the way she acted, he wasn't so sure what to think about all the things he had heard about them anymore. "Maybe she got some guy hiding out on the ship?" He asked, trying to keep himself from panicking. After all, the thought of someone being able to take down a strong Jedi like Maicah was a pretty scary thought, especially if they were still lurking on the ship.
"No, she would've come and told us right away." Revan turned and nearly ran out of the room, leaving Kyle to follow him without saying a word. He searched the ship twice, every single nook and cranny, before searching it for a third time until he arrived back at the cockpit, many thoughts running through his mind though none of them were going to help the situation.
"What are we going to do?" Kyle asked Revan, staring at him with a complete look of confusion and worry. "She's gone. Would she just leave without saying anything?"
Revan was silent for a moment as he stared at the navigational map, shaking his head slowly. "Go take a seat."
Kyle looked to the co-pilots chair before following his order, assuming he was speaking of this for a seat. He wasn't sure what was happening until he saw Revan sit himself down in the pilot's chair and strap himself in, which he made sure to do the same. In typical Revan fashion, the two were soon plummeting downward in a speed that was too fast for anyone that didn't know what they were doing. There was no other option, however; they were now in a race for time. Not only was an unknown, powerful force about to visit and quite possibly destroy everything it came across, but Maicah was now missing and the only hope he had to find her was to search the closet planet, Bescane.
#
The Ebon Hawk descended upon the Capitol of Bescane, Lumchugger's Hub. Revan set a password for the ship, knowing that this was a planet that was well populated and there would be no one to guard the ship against any troublemakers.
"Where are we?" Kyle spoke up, finally catching his breath as his heart began beating at a regular rate again. He unstrapped himself from his chair and stood after Revan did the same, following him towards the exit ramp of the ship.
"We're on Bescane. A planet well on it's way to killing it's natural environment thanks to way too many people and way too many factories." Revan glanced at the surroundings once they were off the ship, finding this landing pad to be not very different than most others he'd seen. There were crates, crates, and more crates piled up in random areas, as well as a few workers taking inventory of whatever was stored in them.
"Welcome! Welcome!" An overenthusiastic woman, short and a little on the bulky side, hurried up to greet the two men. "Welcome to Bescane! What business brings you?"
"We are here...to..." Kyle looked to Revan since he wasn't exactly sure what to say.
Revan spoke up, "We're looking for a friend. Have you had any other ships land here recently?"
The woman nodded her head with a smile, looking over the datapad she had in hand. "There's been one other cargo ship that landed within the past twenty-four hours and I believe most of the crew went to our cantina to unwind."
"Oh, that sounds like something she'd do, right?" Kyle perked up some, Revan chuckling at his observation.
"Maybe, but I still don't think she'd just disappear off the ship, land here on some other cargo ship, and not try to get in touch with us." Revan paused. "Or would she?"
"To get to the cantina, make sure you take a left past the entrance to the city, go straight until you can't anymore, take a right and keep straight. You won't be able to miss it, it's so big!" Someone called for the woman, making her yell that she'd be with them in a moment. "Excuse me, but I've got business to attend to. If you have any questions, there are government workers standing on almost every street to assist you. Good-bye!" And with that, the excitable woman was gone.
Revan waved to her then began on his way towards the city entrance, Kyle following along.
"Now, was that take a left or a right?" Kyle asked as they passed through the doors, scurrying to turn left as Revan did. "Oh, you were right! It is left, isn't it?"
Revan glanced back at him, hoping his skills and abilities to train as a Jedi would be better than his directional skills.
#
After an hour or so of walking, Revan and Kyle discovered Lumchugger's Hub's cantina. It was obvious that Kyle was tired, so Revan told him to take a seat and order some water while he searched for any signs of their lost companion. This cantina, like almost every other, was filled with the sound of music, laughter, and chatter, as well as the occasional uproar from one who had drank a little too much. Untypical, however, was the fact that there were only humans here with the exception for the hologram of a few Bith playing some "live" music.
He was unsure of where to start or what ship to even ask for, information the woman was apparently a little stingy with. "Excuse me?" Revan tapped the shoulder of a man who was standing as a spectator of a Pazaak game.
The man, appearing to be a bit older than Revan, glared back at him. "What do you want, kid?"
Revan hadn't been treated like this in some time, so he was taken back for a moment. He cleared his throat, remembering the original reason he had bothered the man in the first place. "Have you seen a woman by the name of Maicah? She's got dark hair, grey eyes, kinda slim, about this tall..." He held his hand up to about his chest level.
The older man blinked at him and shook his head, "Go waste someone else's time looking for your girlfriend."
Revan opened his mouth to protest before letting out a sigh, moving onto another person nearby.
#
Kyle, not too far from Revan, sipped at his water as strength returned to him while he rested at a table.
"Well, hello there." A woman, young and curvy in all the right places, took a seat across from him, smiling a smile that had no good intentions to it what-so-ever.
"Uh...hey. How are you?" Kyle, unsure of who this was or what she wanted from him, sat up a little straighter as she leaned forward. He tried his best to keep his eyes on hers, but her top was cut low enough to distract even the most polite of men.
"Is that your friend over there?" She pointed a long finger in the direction of Revan, Kyle finally following her gaze to him.
"Oh, yeah. Yeah, it is." He caught a whiff of the perfume she was wearing, the sweet, floral smell overtaking his senses. "What's your name?" He asked in a strange stupor, becoming slightly more relaxed.
She smiled to him, leaning forward to twirl a lock of his blonde hair around her finger. "Tara. What's yours?"
"Kyle." He responded, chewing at his lip as his eyes slipped down for a just a moment before returning up to her.
"Well, Kyle. I overheard him asking about a girl and I think I saw her." She leaned forward some more, her hand dropping to his shoulder to pull him as close as possible. "She's in the V.I.P. room. I can take you there if you want."
Kyle nodded and stood with her, allowing her to take his hand to lead him to a room separated from the cantina by a door. He watched her press a button to open it, though he was puzzled when he saw no one in this lounge. "I thought you said..." He stepped into the room and took a look around before the door closed behind them, making him turn to look at her.
"Okay, I lied to you." She pushed him towards a couch in the corner, forcing him to take a seat before she climbed on top of him.
"Wait! What are you doing?" He asked, alarmed by her sudden aggressiveness.
"I needed to get you in here. I saw you sitting there and you were just too cute." She planted a kiss on his lips, moving his hands to rest on her back.
"Lady, I can't be doing this right now." Kyle finally managed to spit out, still a little frightened.
"Yes, you can. We can do this in a minute, if that's what you want. I'll make this quick." She kissed him again, beginning to loosen the belt around his waist.
"No, I really can not...-" His words trailed off as he got another whiff of her perfume, falling into his stupor yet again.
The door opened just as Tara managed to get Kyle's belt off, the girl jumping off him as Revan cleared his throat.
"What is this?" He didn't have to raise his voice, his stature and tone was enough to startle the two.
"Wait, this isn't what it looks like..." Kyle had finally snapped out of whatever daze he had fallen under, looking to Tara as she shrugged her shoulders.
"Look, just give me my twenty-five credits and I'll be out of here." She held out her hand, her long fingers that had captivated Kyle before, now puzzled him.
Revan, realizing what had happened, dug out fifty credits for her. "I'll give you these, but..." He waved a hand before her, "you'll no longer seduce men for a living. You'll find a different line of work that your parents will be proud of. Now."
The girl accepted the credits, blinking as she responded to him, "I'll no longer seduce men for a living. I'll find a different line of work that my parents will be proud of. Now." She turned and left the room, leaving the two to look at each other.
Kyle watched after her, rubbing the back of his neck. "Okay, what just happened?"
Revan couldn't help but let out a laugh, helping him to his feet. "Women like her prey on men who look like they have some credits to dish out for...a good time. It's banned almost everywhere, I'm surprised she didn't bring you to a more private area."
Kyle looked around, frowning. "I don't even know exactly why I came in here..."
Revan exited the room, guiding Kyle out of the cantina. "The perfume she was wearing? It has a chemical in it that can cause men to go into this trance. It makes it easier to lure us into questionable situations."
Kyle frowned, crossing his arms. "That's unfair. I didn't even have the credits she apparently expected to get from me."
"As you're trained in the Force, you'll learn how to resist such simple things." Revan looked around the crowded, busy streets of Lumchugger's Hub, unsure of where else to look for the supposed cargo ship's crew.
Kyle's eyes widened and his arms uncrossed, "and that little hand wave thing you did? I'll learn that too?"
Revan looked to him with another laugh and nodded, "yes. You'll learn the Jedi mind trick. You must never use it for personal gain, however. Habits, such as that, can lead to the dark side."
"Right, of course." Kyle finally looked around at the street they were standing on, observing the random dirty looks they were receiving from those who passed by and had to move around them. "...Would using your mind trick be bad to get some more information out of that first woman we met?"
Revan looked to him, scratching at his head. "Well...if it was just for the ship's name, I suppose it wouldn't be horrible..."
"It's not like Maicah's safety and the fate of the galaxy don't depend on it or anything." Kyle added, his words convincing Revan that just this once for the current situation wouldn't be a bad idea. And with that, the two began back in the direction of their ship, though in more of a rush than the first time.