Chapter 10
The descent down into the Shadowlands was slow, though the sights that the party saw occupied the time. Even Canderous had his breath taken away by the beauty of the wroshyr trees that towered all around the party.
Drake had his back leaning against one of the wooden rails, his elbows resting on the wood as he gazed around the lift taking them down to the Shadowlands. Falcan was opposite him simply looking around but he gave the aura of alertness as he caught on to the simplest sound and checking the tree's every so often. Mission every now and then would lean over the edge of the basket only to be pulled back by Carth when she leaned too far. Drake smirked when this happened, it was almost as though Mission and Carth were father and daughter but that's just the way he saw it.
After a slow descent the basket came to a stop in dark, secluded world of the Shadowlands. This was sacred Wookie grounds, very few if any outsiders were allowed down here, and those that were more often then not didn't live long enough to tell the tale.
Drake and the party came forward and halted looking around the shadows of the forest floor. Falcan knelt down on one knee and ran his gloved hand over the ground as if looking for some unknown object, he carefully moved forward keeping his hand on the dirt as he brushed aside some dead leaves. Drake watched intently as Falcan brushed the dirt off his gloves and rested his left arm on his knee.
"What were you doing?" Drake inquired Falcan looked at him.
"Checking the ground for tracks, trying to work out what we could encounter down here" Drake tilted his head.
"Anything we should know about?"
"Mostly katarn tracks, they're fiercely territorial but shouldn't be too much trouble, tachs as well but they're practically harmless but…" Falcan inspected the ground again as the party watched and listened with interest "looks like there's more than just animals down here…there's group of Czerka poachers here as well, along with someone else…a Jedi"
"A Jedi?" Juhani exclaimed.
"Maybe…we'll have to wait and see" Falcan replied. Drake nodded and moved past Falcan and took the lead as always. Drake had become the de-facto leader of the party ever since Dantooine, and everyone had accepted this. Falcan walked next to him, Bastila and Juhani behind them, with Carth, Canderous, Mission and HK bringing up the rear.
As they rounded the bend, Drake heard the very familiar sounds of a lightsabre. He nodded to Falcan, who reached up to grasp the hilt of his sword and moved quickly and cautiously up the top of a small hill.
On the other side, four katarn were being fended off by an elderly man. But the man was dressed in the customary robes of the Jedi and he was wielding an emerald colored lightsabre. He ducked and leaned back to avoid the numerous bites and lunges of the beasts around him. Drake watched as the first katarn fell with a lightsabre slash across its chest, the second fell quickly after that after being cut across the skull. The third was beheaded and the last was stabbed through the heart as it reared up for a final desperate clawing at its prey.
The man de-activated his sabre and caught his breath, he noticed Drake approach with Falcan and Bastila next to him, the rest of the party were slightly more cautious in their approach.
"Ah the damnable racket of battle! Watch yourself even more of these crawling beasts are lurking in the underbrush…"
"Who are you?" Drake asked.
"I'm Jolee…Jolee Bindo…follow me to my home, we have much to discuss" The man was very forward something Drake noticed.
"All right lead the way" Jolee nodded and the party followed him at a brisk jog through the forest until they came up to a house underneath what looked like a log.
"Well welcome to my home such as it is…pull up a stump and be comfortable…we've something's to discuss…"
"Yeah I've got a feeling there's a lot you could tell me" Drake replied with great interest.
"Don't coddle me, child I'm neither a Jedi or your master, I'm just an old man who's been lost in the woods for far too long," Jolee said indignantly.
"Looks to me like we have fiery old one here…" Falcan stated with a smirk as he and the rest of the party caught up.
"And I can still fight too, so wipe off that smirk I see there…" Falcan raised an eyebrow and looked at Drake with amusement.
"All right Jolee, since you were so forward before, I will be too: do you know anything about a Star Map?" Drake asked, to which Bindo's eyebrows rose.
"Now why would you be asking about that hm?" the old man chuckled "Don't answer… I knew that was the reason you were here…the problems of a few wookies don't amount to the concerns of the Jedi…no you're definitely here for the map…" Drake groaned shaking his head.
"Can we cut to it?" Jolee chuckled dryly.
"Ooh a little impatience are we? All right I do know where the map is, but you'll need my help to get there…to get my help, you must do something for me"
"Oh bugger" Drake muttered to which Bastila laughed slightly.
"There are a group of Czerka poachers messing around nearby if you could somehow convince them to leave, I'll help you…but avoid using violence," Jolee instructed.
"This is the only way I can convince you to help me?"
"That's the law" Jolee replied.
"Fine…the rest of you stay here I won't be long" Drake said beginning to move off.
"What?" Carth replied.
"Trust me… I won't be long…" Drake repeated.
"Are you certain Drake?" Bastila asked.
"I'll be fine…"
"Sure?" she asked again though there was a hint of concern in her voice.
"I can take care of myself Bas…no need to be overprotective" Bastila blushed and stammered slightly as Drake disappeared into the Shadowlands before she could reply. Overprotective? She was not overprotective; at least she didn't think she was. Falcan and Carth looked at each other with smiles at her reaction while Juhani began talking with Jolee. Canderous and HK were busy looking out for any creature that could pose a threat.
Sure enough after five minutes a loud roar and a few shouts of "Run, Run!" from the clearing caused the party to look up. Drake suddenly came round the corner, brushing his hands as if cleaning invisible dust from his knuckle gloves.
"They won't be a nuisance anymore" he uttered confidently as he approached.
"Yes I could feel it as you approached…and you don't have the stench of death about you…you spared them…. interesting" Jolee mused rubbing his chin.
"There was nothing to be gained by killing them…" Drake answered coming to a stop next to Bastila.
"Wasn't there? I'm pretty such the plants of Kashyyyk would disagree; still you're all right in my books.
"Does that mean you're going help us then?" Drake entreated.
"Yes of course lets get moving, there's a Czerka barrier blocking the path to the Shadowlands depths, but I know how to deal with that. Once we get there we should keep moving… a few surprise will be awaiting for us I'll wager…" Jolee said as he jogged past Drake. Drake looked back at his companions and nodded and they set off after him.
The depths of Kashyyyk had strong sense of desperation and strength about them as the party entered them. It was dark with very little light about it, but enough for them to see. Drake walked in front with Jolee as up ahead they heard the sounds of clashing swords.
Moving a little quicker they saw a collection of wookie corpses and a group of three mandalorians, one of whom was busy engaging the final wookie in battle. The slaying of his companions had enraged the wookie as he fought ferociously against his opponent. With a defiant roar he struck twice, forcing knocking the mandalorian of balance and then drove his sword through his neck.
The other two moved forward, but by this point Canderous had raised his weapon. A torrent of white flame ripped into the first blue-armoured hunter sending him spinning to the floor. As the second turned, caught off guard and he aimed a desperate swing at Falcan who had charged him. Falcan ducked the first blow, and then his blade met the mandolorians with a clang. Shoving the blade down, he cleaved his lesser adversary through the midsection and the carcass fell to the floor.
(Great Bacca please lets these outsiders be different from the others, please I'm wounded can you help me?) Drake caught the wookie as he fell, and with Carth's help lowered him so he was sitting. He hastily healed the wookies wounds with the force.
(Thank you outsider…you have healed me…) the wookie moaned in Shyriiwook (Perhaps you can help me again…these men followed us invisible to our eyes, and only attacked when we were disarmed. They killed my companions I must seem them avenged but I am too exhausted I ask you could you find and deal with them?) Drake stood and turned to Canderous.
"They're poachers… cowards, they were the first of my people to flee when the war turned against us!" Canderous growled as he replaced the energy cells in his huge blaster rifle.
"I assume you'll want to deal with them," Drake stated. Canderous nodded "Take Falcan and HK and deal with those mandalorians" Canderous nodded again and signalled to the two mentioned and they moved away to search for more poachers. "Juhani, Mission, Carth you three look for the Star Map" the three nodded but then Mission turned back to Drake
"What about Big Z?" She demanded
"We'll deal with that…ok?" Mission nodded and hurried after Juhani and Carth. Drake turned to Jolee "So do you know where we could find this Wookie?"
"Yes I do follow me…" Bastila and Drake fell behind Jolee as he led them through the deep undergrowth of Kashyyyk.
"Listen Drake…" Drake and Bastila hung back a little "I want to help the wookies as much as you do but do you really think we have time for this? I mean he could be anywhere"
"We have time Bastila and besides I'd like to make sure Zaalbar is ok before we find the Star Map" Drake replied.
"Yes but the Star Map is far more important then this…" Bastila replied her voice rising slightly "I don't think you understand how serious this"
Drake rounded on her with indignant annoyance shining on his eyes.
"I understand the mission is important Bas…but I value my companions well-beings even more so" he snapped Bastila took a step away from him taken aback by his tone "If I have to put the mission hold to make sure my friends are ok then I will" Bastila sighed incredulously.
"You always think you're right don't you? How do you know if you're wrong?" she spat Drake shook his head and turned away.
"I don't…and if I remember correctly you said I do take things seriously on Tatooine, if I didn't… why did I seclude myself after I slaughtered the Sand people?!" Bastila froze and found herself unable to reply. He was right and she knew it. More than that she had been out of line with her words.
"I…you're right…I'm sorry" she mumbled ashamed.
"Apology accepted" he replied shortly and Bastila found herself hurt by his stiff reply. Knowing she'd upset him hung on her as they continued to follow Jolee.
After a few more minutes the sound of a wookie growl caused them to stop. A brown manned wookie approached wielding a menacing looking double blade wookie war-sword. He roared and barked at the three Jedi.
"He's almost feral after all this time, calm yourself Freyyr we're friends don't you remember me?" Jolee tried to calm to him down but to no avail. Freyyr roared again and attacked.
While Freyyr was incredibly strong, he couldn't stand against the three Jedi. After a short but fierce fight, Freyyr yielded. Drake informed Freyyr of Zaalbar's return and of the life-debt he held to Drake. After deciding to give the young man his trust, Freyyr informed him of a "Bacca's blade" that may help him gain enough support to overthrow Chuunder and Czerka. Drake agreed to find it and he, Bastila and Jolee set off looking for a sacred ritual ground that Freyyr spoke of.
Drake and his two companions rounded a bend avoiding the numerous kinrath that roamed the area. He rounded a bend and came upon a small clearing. He approached a rock near one the large trees and knelt down to read what was engraved on it.
"Offer a sacrifice and the ritual beast will arrive to challenge you" Drake looked back at his companions "So do you think this was the beast Freyyr talked about?" Jolee shrugged and Bastila simply shook her head unknowingly. However Drake knew the real reason she didn't answer. As Jolee moved away to check the wookie corpses that littered the ground he approached her.
"Look I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier but…I want to make sure everyone is ok before we focus on our mission" he said.
"I know…it's not that it's well…" Bastila answered slowly and she looked away, Drake turned her face back to look at him, and noticed a large amount of confusion in her eyes.
"What is it?" he whispered.
"This isn't supposed to be this way…" he frowned as she turned away "you are unlike any man I have ever met before…I find myself looking at you when I don't mean to, I'm thinking about you when I don't want to, this isn't supposed to be this way…" Drake blinked slightly.
"Bastila…are you saying you feel something?" he asked.
"I don't know…with all my training it shouldn't be hard not to think of you! But every time I call on my teachings they fail me… I need be away from this bond, I need to weaken it," she said. Drake felt a pit fall in his stomach at the thought of not having Bastila by his side.
"If you want to return to Dantooine after this…you can, I'll find the Star Maps alone" he offered.
"But I can't! Stopping Malak is more important, my own feelings have nothing to do with that…but this will affect our mission"
"Bastila, you should know how I feel about you now…if you want my help all you have to do is ask" he said placing his hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at him still looking very confused.
" I don't know…. I need to think about this…I'm sorry" Drake nodded and touched her cheek for a second. Bastila closed her eyes enjoying the moment feeling the affection in the gesture. Suddenly a rustle behind them caused them whip round. The rest of the party had joined them, Canderous hefting a kinrath corpse over his shoulder.
"We heard about the little ritual…this should cover the sacrifice," Canderous said gruffly flinging the corpse to the ground.
"Did we interrupt something?" Carth asked looking between the two Jedi.
"No its alright" Bastila replied as she moved away from Drake, she looked at him apologetically as she walked past him.
"Ok lets tie this up on the vines and then hide in the vegetation until the ritual beast arrives…" the party nodded. Falcan and Drake tied the kinrath corpse in the vine and leapt up into the trees.
Carth and Canderous were hidden in the bushes on the far left to the corpse. Mission and Hk were in the foliage to their left. Drake, Falcan and the other Jedi were hidden in the tree, waiting patiently. After a good twenty minutes, the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard approaching the clearing.
The creature that entered the ritual ground made the all present blanch. It was the size of a baby rancor, with rows of spikes covering its back, and two large tusks protruding from its mouth. It was a sickly green in colour and the smell that it produced made Drake cringe as he was directly above it.
"What in death's name is that?!" Falcan exclaimed as the creature sniffed the air near the kinrath.
"A terentatek…" Drake breathed as the ugly monster slowly began devouring the corpse "We've bitten off the mother load this time"
"What's a terentatek?" Falcan asked.
"A creature created through the dark side and Sith experiments during the Great Sith forty years ago…" Drake replied "They were created by Exar Kun…they are practically immune to the force" Falcan cursed silently and slowly drew his sword. Drake waited for the beast to completely drop its guard as it tucked into its meal and then nodded to Falcan. The bounty hunter dropped from the tree and drove his sword into the creatures back.
The terentatek screeched with rage as it shook and writhed with Falcan hanging on for dear-life. It finally shook Falcan off, and Falcan rolled into a crouch. The four Jedi dropped down and the beast roared defiantly and charged.
The battle lasted half-an hour and was extremely brutal. The terentatek lived up to its name of a Jedi Killer as it almost ripped Drake in half; Drake was able to barely avoid the attack gaining a number claw's into the side, though to everyone else it looked as though he avoided the attack. Eventually the beast fell succumbing to numerous blaster shots and sabre slashes.
Drake approached the corpse and looked it over. After a few moments he found what had to be Bacca's blade embedded in the beasts flesh. He took hold of it and after a firm number of tugs her pulled it free. The creature's corpse just dissolved into liquid leaving the party gasping for breath.
"Lets get this back to Freyyr…" Drake said wiping the sweat from his brow. He used the force to heal the wounds on his side not wanting anyone to worry and took the lead.
As they moved through the forest again, Falcan noticed something wrong with Drake's movements. They were noticeable slower, though Drake tried to hide it. He frowned as they came into a small passage with housed a number of speeders.
As they moved through, the sound of de-cloaking soldiers greeted their ears and they turned to see a group of three mandalorians standing in front of them. The commander a red-armoured mandalorian drew his vibro-sword and pointed it at Drake
"You've interrupted our hunt interloper…the inhabitants of this planet could do little against us but you seem to be a threat" the red-armoured commander snarled.
"I do what I can…" Drake replied. Falcan looked at Drake and saw him struggling for breath, even though they'd walked only a few metres.
What's wrong with him? Why's he so out of breath? He can't have wasted that much stamina just by walking here Falcan pondered as Drake took his sabre from his belt.
"Our training here will continue…without your interference!" the commander attacked and Drake ducked the swipe, igniting his sabre. The duel was joined and it moved on fiercely as the other two mandolorians watching intently. The party watched also, most of them confident Drake had it in the bag. Mission watched for the ten minutes the duel had been going on with a worried expression as Drake pressed the attack.
"You've got good instincts Mission…" she looked at Falcan who had an unreadable expression on his face.
"I…do?" she replied confused as the rest of the party turned to look at Falcan perplexed at his meaning.
"You've noticed it too…the length of duel…Drake's gonna need our help everyone!" Falcan declared to group.
"Hold on there…you're just being paranoid" Carth replied, "Just look at him, the mandalorian as even touched him yet, he's got it won"
"No! I'm telling you something isn't right! Drake's not his usual capable self, he's worn out for some reason, he's not gonna last much longer at this rate!" Falcan asserted with great authority as he watched Drake roll under a strike at his skull and then block a swipe at his side.
As the duel continued, the Jedi's friends watched in shock as Drake was forced onto the defensive. Drake as possibly the most powerful and skilled Jedi in the party and yet he was being slowly pushed back by a mandalorian poacher.
Eventually Drake felt his blade shoved down, and was backhanded across the face, he moved back and struggled to remain upright as his vision blurred and pain began to burn all of his nerves.
"What? Why am I…so weak? I can't… keep…" Drake fell to one knee as the commander approached him. He looked up and then crumpled forwards to the ground and didn't move at all.
"Damn it, don't say I didn't warn you!" Falcan snarled "Canderous! Blast him!" Ordo didn't need the invitation as he sprayed white torrents of energy at the commander who was thrown back from the Jedi. He was dead before he hit the floor. The other two went to move forward but Hk picked them both of as the others sprinted over to Drake.
Bastila dropped down next him and turned him over, cradling his head in her lap. Falcan examined Drake's body and then found a tear in his shirt; he ripped it open finding three long claw gashes in Drake's skin. What was odd is that they'd been healed with the force and then reopened very quickly afterwards. But what worried him was the green slime that was mixed with blood: terentatek toxin. While the cuts weren't very deep, the poison was no doubt already in his system.
"Jolee we have to get back to your hut, right now!" Falcan stated grimly still inspecting the wound.
"Why not the ship?" Bastila asked her voice was trembling and her eyes watery.
"Because we don't have the antidote to poison in his system on the ship, and he'll most likely bleed out before we get there anyway" Falcan replied as he began heaving Drake up, Bastila watched with wide fearful eyes that had an emotion Falcan couldn't quite place glowing with in them.
"Canderous give me hand!" the older man seized Drake's other arm and they began dragging Drake's frame back to Jolee's hut as fast as humanly possible.
Falcan kicked the door open and quickly pulled Drake in and laid him on the bed. He got to work getting Drake's shirt off so he could get a closer look at the wound. Bastila hurried in after him and began seeing if she could be of any help.
"Falcan he's burning up and his heartbeats erratic!" Bastila all but shouted in terror as she began trying to stop the bleeding and Drake started to toss and turn
As the others entered, Falcan got to work mixing something up while Bastila desperately tried to stop the wounds bleeding as Drake continued to writhe in some inner agony.
"Falcan what are you doing?!" Carth demanded as the bounty hunter mixed a number of herbs and liquids together in a bowl.
"Making an anti-toxin to the poison in his bloodstream, Carth hold his head up while so I can pour it down his throat" Carth moved over to the writhing Drake and gently but firmly raised his head and open his mouth slightly, while holding him still. Falcan tipped the red liquid into Drake's mouth and made him swallow it.
After a few agonisingly slow seconds, Drake stopped writhing and his breathing slowed. Bastila checked his heartbeat and it was back to normal but he still had a fever. Bastila sighed in relief and collapsed into a chair her head in her hands, as silent tears finally fell from her eyes unseen by the others. Falcan began sewing up the three wounds on Drake's right side while the others waited patiently.
"What should we do?" Carth asked finally.
"There's nothing to do right now until Drake wakes up…" Falcan replied focused mending the wound "Jolee I think you should get that blade to Freyyr, Carth you and the others head back to the ship I'll be there as soon as I'm done here…" Carth made to protest but realising there was nothing to be gained by it left the hut, eventually everyone apart from Falcan and Bastila had left.
"How long until he wakes up?" Bastila asked shakily.
"I don't know, a couple of hours maybe a day…" Falcan sighed, "You should get some rest"
"No I'm going to stay with him…" Falcan gazed up at her with an indefinable gaze.
"You're walking on thin ice Bastila" she looked at him confused "Caring for him as much you do…I thought that was forbidden to Jedi" Bastila looked at him and thought over his words. How did Falcan know?
"But Drake is well…so passionate, so kind and gentle, I don't how to describe him exactly…but the more and more I try to avoid him, the more I think of him and well feel…" Bastila paused
"Attracted to him?" Falcan finished.
"Yes…" Bastila nodded.
"Drake's an enigma…he has the power to change the universe but he's in no-way arrogant or over-confident, to have so much power but yet remain uncorrupted its amazing" Falcan finished and then he sighed again as he finished stitching the wounds "ok that should do it…will you be alright?" Bastila nodded and Falcan left the hut taking his weapons.
Bastila moved to sit next to Drake, and entwined her fingers with his. She planted a gentle and loving kiss on his forehead and brushed her right hand down his cheek.
"Don't you dare die on me Drake…don't you dare…" she whispered as a fresh set of tears fell down her face.
I know I've moved the relationship on very quickly but I really couldn't resist. Anyway reviews please!!!!