Knights of the Old Republic II: Sith Lords - Volume 3: The Enclaves.
Knights of the old Republic and Starwars are owned by George Lucas (I think he owns them both). Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all characters belong to Joss Whedon. I own nothing here. As said by many wise men..and women…please don't sue me.
The timeline for Buffy takes place about three years after the end of Buffy. No exact date has been decided. KOTOR 2 timeline starts right from the beginning of the game. I apologize now for my lack of grammar etc, etc. I've never posted anything I've written until now. This bug has been floating in my skull since I first read Slayers of the old republic by Michael Weyer. It definitely fed my imagination. Thanks Michael. Anyways on with the show. Please comment. It won't get better in quality or quantity without constructive criticism.
One last mention. My thanks to Gatemaster for agreeing to beta for this x-over.
Dantooine - Jedi Enclave
Everywhere she looked, all she could see was death. Blood from the Laigreks coated the walls and floors. As if who ever came through here was more interested in just killing than anything else. The thought chilled Dawn to the bone.
"So far just Laigreks," Shayla said quietly "No more salvagers."
Dawn didn't respond, no one did. She was only making an observation.
"Dawn. Stay close to me." she heard her sister whisper.
She smiled slightly "Don't worry, I won't let anything get you."
The levity brought a smirk to her sisters face.
So far they had slowly but thoroughly searched nearly half the sub-level. According the Shayla at least. As for useful items they had found. Well, a handful of lightsaber crystals and several crates of Jedi Robes wasn't really much as far as Dawn was concerned.
"The Auditorium is just up ahead." Shayla said quietly.
Buffy however stopped in mid stride "Do you hear that?" she asked.
Dawn stopped. And gently called upon the force, reaching out with her feelings, what she touched though, sent a chill up her spine, and filled her with a need to run, "Sith." she whispered.
Buffy was already moving "I hear fighting…"
Everyone fell in behind her as she quickly moved to the large Auditorium doors. Shayla touched the lock release as soon as she was near. It opened without hesitation, the metallic clunk as it retracted was nearly drowned out by the sounds of the fight happening within the room.
Dawn watched in awe as a woman with shock white hair crossed blades with a young blonde haired man in his mid twenties, wielding an emerald green lightsaber. His clothing, though similar to that worn by many of the locals, was burnt in several places.
Everyone surged into the room, spurred by the thought that they had found another Jedi.
Dawn carefully circled to the left, feeling Shayla moving to the right. She felt her sister hanging back, but moving behind her, she could feel Cari doing the same for Shayla. And knowing Miller and Finn, they would do what they knew best, find cover and wait for the perfect shot in case the Sith woman proved to be too much for them.
For a brief second the blonde haired Jedi made eye contact with her. In that second she could see that he wouldn't last much longer, he was exhausted. Touching the force she tried to convey a sense of peace. And then launched herself into the fight. Her twin short sabres leading the way.
Korriban
Jon twisted the ships controls wildly, hoping to avoid the incoming blaster fire "Come on!" he grunted as the ship shook violently. And noticed the rear deflector display flashing red "One more hit in the ass and we're gone!" he called out to Bao'Dur, the only other conscious member of the crew.
"Top turret is back on line," the Zabrak said, a little too calmly for his liking "The targeting sensors are still offline, even with manual I don't think I can get all four fighters!"
Jon grimaced as he tried to focus on the evasive manoeuvres his eyes momentarily scanning the system display, an idea flashed into his mind "Keep shooting, I'm going to try something."
Bao'Dur said nothing. He just turned back to the turret display, his fingers pulling the turret trigger as fast as he could, the muffled Whump whump whump of the main cannon firing gave him only a small level of comfort.
"What ever you got planned, you better do it quick, I've got five more fighters inbound!" the Zabrak hissed as he spun the turret to the right, and in doing so spun his chair along with it.
Jon spotted the fighter zip passed, maybe only a kilometre out "Hold on, things are going to get bumpy!"
He was already adjusting the speed and pitch of the ship, a second later the planet they had barely escaped from filled the main view screen.
"I hope you really know how to fly this thing." Bao'Dur grunted as he focused on the fighters moving up rapidly.
"Relax. I've got it." he grunted.
Two seconds later the ship started to buck wildly, in every direction.
"The fighters are breaking off. They can't handle the entry angle," Bao'Dur said. finally turning to look at the view screen "But I'm not sure we can either…"
Jon couldn't help but smirk. Then punched the breaking flaps, the vibration of the metal flaps snapping up along the fuselage was enough to nearly send Jon into the console if he wasn't strapped in "Velocity is decreasing, we're still a bit steep, but I think we'll make it".
"Okay, so what's the plan once we land?" Bao'Dur asked, still strapped into the gun turret seat.
"Find a dark hole to hide in while you make repairs. I'm going to see if I can find Harris." Jon said coolly.
"You think he's alive?"
Jon chuckled "One thing I've noticed in the last few days, is that that guy is damn hard to kill."
"Good point."
Jon didn't say anything else. He only hoped the ship would hold together until they landed. Otherwise it wouldn't matter if Xander Harris still lived.
Dantooine - Jedi Enclave
Caridad couldn't believe the fight that raged only feet from her, but it was the look on Buffy's face that told her to wait, to not jump in. The Fear and Awe in the oldest living Slayers eyes told her she'd just get herself killed.
The blonde haired Jedi had stepped back, she could see the exhaustion as clear as day, he was having trouble standing actually, completely drenched in sweat.
The Sith woman seemed completely in her element however, she could tell that from the very unpleasant smile etched across her features as she was spinning, flipping, slashing and flipping some more.
Shayla and Dawn however were nearly emotionless as they moved, similarly to the Sith they battled, all three were moving so fast, the crimson glow cast from the blades were a complete blur. She couldn't follow any specific weapon. She could only stare in awe.
Abruptly the battle shifted. She didn't see anything obvious, she only knew something had changed. And not for the better.
Her heart raced in her chest, she could feel something, just beyond her visual perception. Somehow she knew she was about to face this woman.
And like the entire fight was choreographed, Dawn went flying. She didn't watch her flight. She couldn't. She dived right in. Her own double blade barely slipping in to block a strike aiming for Shayla's legs.
Only one thought repeated in her head. Don't die.
Buffy couldn't believe how fast everything was moving. The speed at which the three force users moved at was nearly supernatural. In some ways she guessed it was.
The slayer in her was screaming to join the fray. But she knew that it would only serve to get her or someone killed. She waited as patiently as she could. It wasn't easy, not with her little sister, her only living family up there, literally staring into death's eyes.
She watched the fight with every ounce of focus she had. She watched and couldn't help but count the times their enemy's sabre missed her sister, or Shayla by mere millimetres. She absently wondered if this was what she looked like when she and Faith were pushing themselves to their limits.
A small fraction of her awareness felt a sudden change in the fight. She could see something wrong in her sister's stance. She felt Caridad's subtle shift as well. but before she could act it was done. Dawn had been hit with something intangible and flew several feet away. She wanted to rush to her side, but she knew that she couldn't afford to, if she missed an opening someone might die.
Caridad took her place in the blink of an eye, impressively slipping into the fight like she was their all along, covering Shayla like they had trained for years together. She almost smiled in pride.
Two heartbeats later the fight shifted again. A deflected strike from Caridad slipped through Shayla's own defence, forcing the experienced warrior to slip out of the fight or risk being beheaded.
Buffy didn't hesitate. Her turn now.
Shayla felt her feet touch the cobbled floor of the auditorium, as she half cart-wheeled to avoid Caridad's deflected strike and was stunned to see Buffy already exchanging blows with the Sith.
She glanced to the far edge of the wide space, glad to see Dawn was already up, both sabers held loosely in her hands, a look of passive concentration on her face, she was just standing there, waiting to rejoin the battle.
Her eyes turned back to the fight, and witnessed the brutal fury of a Slayer released.
Buffy was the superior of the two. There was no questioning that. As Caridad seemed to rely more upon instinct as she moved. Buffy had something entirely different. Experience.
She could also see the differences between the way a Slayer fought and the training of a Jedi. Especially since the Sith they now faced was one of the fallen. Her experience easily spotted many of the basic stances and manoeuvres taught to all Younglings.
A Jedi was always fluid, never solid. All lightsaber forms used some measure of this lesson. A Jedi flows. In harmony with the force.
A Slayer, she could see now, was more like a force of nature. Unpredictable. Flowing one moment. Surging the next.
In Caridad she could see the instinctual knowledge more clearly. Unmarred from years of training and experience. A Jedi would find it very difficult to contend with her. Or any Slayer of her calibre for that matter.
Buffy on the other hand. With a Decade of experience and training. She could dominate most Jedi.
Or Sith. If the look of concentration and restrained rage on the Fallen Jedi's face was any indication.
The woman was good. Better than she had ever faced. In time the woman could have bested both Dawn and herself, though only because she had the same knowledge and training.
But faced with two opponents that fought so chaotically. With no form. She was now at a disadvantage.
For the third time in only one or two minutes, the fight abruptly changed. The Fallen Jedi barely avoided a tandem strike by both slayers, leaped back and corkscrewed through the air before she landed.
Both Shayla and Dawn were moving before she touched the ground. Her own lightsaber descending towards the woman's smiling face as she suddenly felt a tremor in the force.
A brilliant flash of cobalt blue light blinded her momentarily. And when her vision cleared she found herself staring up at the ceiling.
Dawn recovered surprisingly quickly from the Force Lightning. She had heard of that rather nasty technique, but having felt it was an entirely different experience. She never wanted too again.
Scanning the room she quickly spotted the enemy, standing by the entrance. Smiling. And before she could move a muscle the woman waved daintily before vanishing. No words. No taunting. Just a wave.
Buffy's voice drew her attention "Everyone alright?"
A chorus of answers responded. Thankfully everyone was fine. A bit shocked by the experience, but otherwise okay.
Shayla moved cautiously towards the young man who was facing the woman upon entering "Are you okay?" she asked.
He nodded. Taking a deep breath as he pushed his blonde hair back "Yes, I am well. Thanks to you all." he said, exhaustion in his voice.
Shayla nodded "Are you a Jedi?"
He nodded "Mostly, I...never had the chance to pass the trials."
Dawn watched from the literal rear, and noticed that everyone had recovered well enough. They were now warily watching the door as Shayla spoke with the young Jedi. She had to admit, he was attractive. Even as battered as he was he seemed to possess a cheerful disposition.
"I am Mical. Jedi Padawan, Aspiring historian and scientist." he smiled.
"Shayla Kracek."
The look of recognition and surprise was very evident upon his face "The Exile…Truly?"
Caridad apparently didn't like that name "I swear, I hear anyone else refer to you as the Exile, I won't be responsible for my actions."
"My apologies...I, I meant no offence." he said, his eyes twinkled with sincerity.
Shayla smiled as she stepped close to him "No offence taken."
Buffy shook her head "Something bothering me here. If there's no Jedi Order, how can you be Exiled?"
Dawn rolled her eyes, only her sister would think of that.
Graham cleared his throat as he leaned against the only entrance to the doorway "Guys, I think we should DeeDee on outta here, I don't wanna run into that bitch again. Plus the ship is pretty much unguarded."
Shayla nodded "First, Mical. Did you happen to find any trace of any other Jedi before we arrived?"
He shook his head "I'm afraid not, though I did find this data-pad, I only glanced at it before I was ambushed, but I believe it is a reference to a Jedi, captured by a group of mercenaries operating here on Dantooine."
Dawn finally stepped forward "Let's finish this back at the ship, Miller's right, we shouldn't waste time, not with a Sith wandering around."
Everyone silently headed for the doorway. Even Mical. Though Buffy trailed behind slightly, the look on her face told Dawn everything.
"I'm okay." she said quietly.
"I know," she replied "I just wanted to say that I'm proud of you. That was some impressive stuff back there."
Dawn couldn't help but smile. She also couldn't think of anything to say.
Buffy draped her arm over Dawn's shoulder "C'mon skinny. Let's go before they leave us behind."
She leaned into the half embrace as they walked. And for the first time in days she finally felt that things might actually be okay.
Korriban
Jon stood in the med-bay and sighed in relief to see Faith waking up. She looked like hell, with more than a bit of her long brown hair burnt off, but at least she was awake and able to move.
"Fuck me!" she growled. "Why do I feel like I was dropped off a cliff?" she asked as she looked towards him.
"Probably because a cliff nearly fell on you." he smirked as he moved to sit next to her "I came back as soon as I dropped off the Handmaiden. You were already down, and there was no sign of Xander. The entire trail had collapsed, nearly crushed you."
The look of panic flashed into her eyes "Xan…"
"Relax," he said as he gently pushed her back against the bed "Bao'Dur recovered the visual recording from Spidey, it's a damn fine piece of machinery by the way."
She lightly jabbed him in the chest "The visual." she pressed.
"You got hit by some kind of lightning blast, and Xander from what I could tell, had already retreated to that cave we passed before. I don't know how, but I think someone set off some kind of explosive, it crushed most of the Assassins in the gully, and caved in the entrance to the cave." he rubbed his jaw lightly. "Pretty sure he's okay though."
Faith sighed in relief "Cordy?"
"She'll live, the damage was extreme, but she's a fighter." he nodded "I had her moved to one of the bunks."
"And Handmaiden?" she asked.
At that moment Jon wished he was the one unconscious.
"She...I'm sorry, she didn't make it."
Faith slumped back. A look of shock on her face "Fuck...I, I never even bothered to ask her name, I mean...she was one bad ass warrior chick, I didn't think…"
Jon grabbed her shoulder firmly, "Faith, don't. It'll only eat you up, we all knew that this is real, we all knew what we we're getting into."
"Shit" she hissed, relaxing a bit "Your right...mourn later, so what's the sitch?"
Jon stood up and moved to the door "Right now we're hiding in a big hole, Boa'Dur is doing what he can to repair the damage we took during our brief escape."
"How long does he think it'll take?" she asked, forcing herself up.
"No clue, his best guess is between two and six days." Jon chuckled.
"Good, we have time to find Xander." she said, moving to sit up.
Jon moved back to the bed "Nope, not yet. Best thing we can do is rest, get back our strength. I'd suggest that you grab a shower, and do something with that hair." he winked.
Faith looked up at him in confusion "My hair, what the hell is wrong with my hair?"
Jon only smiled as he turned and left.
"Hey, what the hell is wrong with my hair?"
Xander slowly pushed further through the winding tunnels, the dust kicked up from whatever exploded, and subsequently collapsed the cave entrance still clogged his throat, but it was easier to breath now. Hell, he was just thankful to be alive at all.
He had already checked himself over. He was bruised and shaken, but otherwise fine. No broken bones, no serious lacerations. For once, he wasn't in bad shape, which was definitely on the good side, especially since the caves were clogged with giant flying critters, a cross between a manta-ray and a bat.
He checked his watch, three hours had passed since the cave collapsed, hopefully everyone got away safely, and we're on their way to Onderon.
He didn't have any illusions of actually getting off this rock, but he also knew he wouldn't give up without trying. But his first concern was finding away out of these caves.
Holding his lightsaber before him to illuminate the way ahead, he realized that he couldn't see the cave walls, he must have entered a larger chamber. He also had to keep a close eye on his footing. Memories of raiding Demon nests back on earth had taught him very quickly that the floor could vanish instantly.
Sure enough, only a few feet in front of him he spotted a very thick patch of darkness, moving slowly he inched towards the edge, he couldn't tell if it was ten inches deep or a thousand feet deep, and he really wasn't prepared to find out.
"Okay Harris, left or right" he whispered, his hoarse voice still echoing through the chamber.
"Eeny meeny miny moe" he motioned "Heh, right it is".
Trudging off along the cliff, he never heard the sound of footfalls in the darkness behind him.
Thanks for reading me droogies:D. Again. Review to your little hearts content, all observations and idea's are absolutely welcome.
