S/N: the evidence never lies and of course starcross'd lovers...
"What do we have here?"
"A murder, a body, two witnesses, conflicting accounts, and so on…"
"So who is the killer?"
"Both of them are killers."
"You make a bold conclusion, not one that many would push given the evidence available."
"Rickard lied about the sun glare, if you notice it is cloudy. Both had motives for killing Calder. Rickard was worried Calder was cheating him in their partnership and rented a speeder for today, which was found moments ago parked on the far side of the Grove. Calder was having an affair with Handon's wife, and Handon also lied about his weapon being stolen. Motives are greed and jealousy. The blood on the murder weapon is also not Calder's, but one of theirs; notice Handon is holding his side while Rickard is limping."
Bolook requests Handon pull up his shirt, and clear enough there is a bleeding blaster wound. Rickard's leg is also shown to be cut, and both are led away with obvious annoyed looks on their faces. Bolook commends Borden's forensic skills to which Borden responds the key is watching closely. Bolook nods and the trio depart again for the Matale Estate. Bolook contacts Zhar to inform him of Borden's conclusion on the case. Zhar smiles back at his colleague in field, and both meet with the local magistrate to try the men for their respective crimes.
"Why are you questioning me and not the Sandrals right now?" demands Ahlan Matale.
"I am trying to understand their intentions, their mentality so I can better figure out the fate of your son…" responds Borden.
"If you must, but find my son, you hear me. Those Sandrals are nothing, but trouble for my family, for this region, heck, even this planet if anymore people were to speak their mind about them…" continues Ahlan.
Another speeder arrives; Bolook and Carth arrive with some disturbing news. Bastila and Borden drive off to the site with Bolook. Carth drives Mission back to the Enclave, and she starts nagging him about spoiling her fun. He tries to sound easy going about it, saying Zaalbar needs to see her, and she asks if he needs me, why he didn't come with you. Carth finally admits another lead in the Matale-Sandral feud is why the others left with Bolook and why he is taking her back to the Enclave.
"What lead?" she asks him.
"Casus Sandral is dead, he was killed by a pack of kath hounds in recent days, but Nurik Sandral might not take the news that way given the hated relations between the families, so you can imagine Borden and Bastila are concerned about your safety," replies Carth.
"I can take care of myself…" she retorts.
"This isn't Taris," he responds.
"I know that, but being part of a team, a family requires faith in the members, in the people, but I will let it slide this time, respect me, I will respect you."
Carth meets Bastila and Borden outside the Sandral Estate. Casus' journals clearly indicate his amateur anthropology interest led him there that day. The journals were found in a backpack near his body. The sentry droids tells them to wait before Nurik clears them for entry. Nurik greets the visitors before Borden works up the nerve to tell him what happen to his son.
"I see, Casus, you clever boy, why did this happen to you, I need to be alone, my daughter will come along shortly for his effects, after that I would ask you to leave the grounds, this is a family matter," replies Nurik sadly.
Nurik's daughter, Rahasia, enters a few moments later to collect her brother's things. She looks simultaneously sad and worried out of her mind. Borden gently catches her arm when she nearly drops her brother's backpack. The girl looks at the others then to him. Borden remains silent.
"Casus' accidental death is not accidental to my father; he will blame the Matales for this though I am sure they will blame us for whatever happens to Ahlan's only son, Shen. This feud has gone on long enough, meet me at the side door; here is a key for the locking mechanism."
The trio heads out as Rahasia leaves the sitting room. Borden unlocks the side door and Rahasia leads them through the sentry guarded corridors. Carth disables the security measures while Bastila watches their backs. An explosive pack is setup around the door frame of the room where Shen is being held against his will. Borden asks Rahasia to get some distance between them as he reaches out with his mind to short circuit the detonator link nodes. One by one, the blinking lights go out, and then Borden slowly approaches the door, which slides over revealing a starving Shen.
"Who are you?" asks Shen.
"Your father sent me, I come on behalf of the Council, and Rahasia…" replies Borden.
"Where is she?" inquires Shen.
"I am here Shen, we need to get out of here before Father finds out…" answers Rahasia.
The five of them head out the side door across the grounds in front of the Sandral Estate. Ahlan and a squad of security droids approach from the direction where they left the speeder while Nurik and his sentry droids come out from the front of the Estate. A showdown in the making if one could ever say such things. Borden ponders his next move as the shouting match begins between the patriarchs.
"Father," says Shen.
"Shen," replies Ahlan.
"Ahlan," growls Nurik.
"Nurik," shouts Ahlan.
"Father," murmurs Rahasia.
"Rahasia," responds Nurik.
A silence follows the name shouting, and Borden positions himself between the lovers and the armed droids. The trigger fingers are getting itchier by the moment. Eyes dance back and back between parents, children, and possible mediators. Bastila holds her ground and Carth restrains from raising his blasters for the time being.
"You kidnapped my son Sandral!"
"You murdered my boy Matale!"
"Father please!" respond Shen and Rahasia in unison.
"Listen to your children," asks Borden.
"Why should we listen to you outsider?" retorts Nurik.
"These are our children, not yours!" responds Ahlan.
"You seem to agree on something already… so maybe you can agree to hear them…"
"You are coming home with me Shen; now get over here before Nurik has you shot!"
"He is not going anywhere; I will have blood for blood, for my Casus!"
"Your son was killed by kath hounds, not by the Matales…" says Bastila.
"Matale lies!"
"It is the truth, I gave you the journals that were found near his body, and the kath hounds responsible are dead in the Grove…" continues Borden.
"Listen to him Father" says Rahasia.
"Yes listen to these people" continues Shen.
"Children grow up, fall in love, like these two right here, do not let personal tragedies get in the way of true love, because the problem with an eye for an eye is everyone ends up blind…"
"My Rahasia, I will not have her living in a Matale house…"
"My Shen will not share a home with a Sandral…"
"Perhaps you can build a new home for them…"
"We have plans to make together you and me, Nurik?" says Ahlan.
"Together, for the children, if only for that," replies Nurik.
The fathers and their children head for the neutral territory of the Enclave to plan for the eventual wedding and home. Carth looks to Bastila and Bastila looks to him before they both look at Borden with a look of genuine surprise at their accomplishment. No blood shed, no dead people, but a genuine happy beginning for families that had been feuding for perhaps generations. The ride to the nearest refueling station will take some time. After the down time at the fuel station, they ride back to the Courtyard Concourse to report the developments about the raiders, the families, and Mission incidentally found the missing droid after returning to the Concourse awhile ago.
Carth jumps out, Bastila slides over the side, and Borden stands up then leaps down. The trio head inside to escape the heat, but then a light rain starts as they reach the edge of the walkway leading down towards the Council Chambers. Belaya greets them at the circular path that connects the Landing Pad to the rest of the Enclave. Juhani's recovery is going well, and her former master is heading back to Coruscant as further training for Juhani is still under determination. Her future is hopeful nonetheless, and so another notch in the process of making life a bit better.
They head down the ramp towards the Council Chambers where the Masters await their report. Bastila heads in first, then Carth, and Borden exhales wondering what kind of reaction there will be after all this. Master Zhar naturally moves to speak first though Master Vandar has something to say as well. The Twi'lek weapons master almost bow nods to the trio.
"Quite a show you gave Inspector Bolook at the scene, but more so to your friend Captain Onasi for finding those remains of Casus Sandral, which I believe played a major role in dealing with the feud…"
"… yes, the feud, an old wound, a healing begins, good authority for the Order, to initiate a bonding between families that can in time forget old hatreds and unforgiving actions."
"I did what I thought would be best…"
"Nevertheless, be careful, just because you were able to peaceably end their feud does not mean it will always nor should you make a habit of mentally persuading even slightly against a person's will…"
"Master Vrook, I am not going to try to dissuade you anymore. You are clearly set on your opinions, not only of me, but every Jedi, whether you taught them or not…"
"Enough gentlemen, a more pressing matter, another investigator sent to the Ruins has not come back, so as you already going to be going there, I would ask you to look for him," continues Zhar.
"Nemo is missing?" asks Bastila.
"Yes he has been absent for some time, and given the ease Revan had in entering the Ruins, I worry about sending anyone else," remarks Zhar.
"Those ruins are steep in the dark side the further in you go," continues Vrook.
"Nevertheless, there maybe something that would help us track down this mysterious Star Forge, and learn the fate of Nemo…" replies Borden.
"I fear this search will have dire consequences for us all…" responds Vrook.
Borden departs with Carth while the Council requests Bastila to remain awhile to discuss the Matale-Sandral developments. Carth however thinks it is something more probably to do with the ruins, with this Star Forge, but Borden hushes him until they are outside the Enclave. The two of them head towards the Ruins only to find little evidence of any travelers here recently though more than a few kath hounds. Bastila arrives a short time later and the three of them head into the Ruins.
Bastila's almost pace walking reminds Borden of Malak's frantic twitch in his stride from the vision of the Ruins from four years earlier. Borden's watchful posture reminds Bastila of Revan's examination of the ancient sealed doorway outside the tunnels leading to whatever it was the pair found in there. Borden places his right hand on stone doors, which slide open as a regular modern door would when detecting motion. A limp and probably dead corpse greets them in the central chamber.
"I think we can say we found Nemo…" remarks Bastila with sadness in her voice.
"What is that?" asks Carth before noticing Nemo's corpse.
A rather ancient looking walker droid approaches them, but its speech is gibberish to them. Borden repeatedly says he cannot understand and so the droid switches through many languages before he halts it. The language is Selkath, maybe the ruins are left over from an older civilization that spanned known space, but Bastila counters that the Selkath do not have imperial history. The droid continues to tell a story about the Builders, presumably its creator.
"When was the last time you saw a Builder?" asks Borden
The look on his face is enough before he explains the Builders have been absent from this place for over twenty galactic revolutions, which translates to twenty thousand years. Bastila's silent shock parallels Carth's amazement that the droid like the Ruins had been kept in such condition. The Builders if he understood the rest correctly built things to last. Borden requests access to the archival chamber, which the droid explains is protocol protected by riddles. Borden solves both without much effort as the two questions were about arboreal and barren climates.
The archival chamber opens as it had in the vision, the malfunctioning defense units were already broken by a recent cave-in though others took their place. Borden and Bastila took care of those units. The tri-linear base at the center of the archival chamber begins to glow and the prongs separate to reveal ancient holo-projector nodes. A Star Map lights up revealing a corrupted astrogation chart. Carth records the feed into the data pad's memory unit.
"The Star Map's data appears corrupted, degraded, incomplete, but I recognize the position of those barely noticeable coordinates… they are four other planets… Kashyyyk, Manaan, Tatooine, and…" says Carth.
"…Korriban," finishes Bastila.
"Korriban?" questions Borden.
"It is a Sith stronghold, training grounds for their armies, for their Dark Jedi, and the other dark force users… among other things…" answers Bastila.
"I guess somebody is possibly going to end up going after the rest of this map if leads to the Star Forge, and said target's destruction…" remarks Borden.
"A likely mission… we need to inform the Council on Nemo's fate and our findings…"
"The quest for the Star Forge is yours…" says Master Vandar.
"Surely I am not going after this thing alone…" replies Borden.
"The Ebon Hawk's crew, Bastila, and Juhani will travel with you, its all the Order can spare given Malak's attention to larger things than a freighter jumping around the galaxy; you have proven yourself capable and trustworthy so far…"
"You have great faith in my abilities…"
"I believe that you are the right man for this mission, to be what you are already to these people is what is necessary for the overall goal's fulfillment, and the Council is in agreement, you will leave as soon as you are able and ready…"
"I will need to brief them somewhat on this before departure…"
"May the Force be with you, Padawan Borden…"
"They can't be serious, you are a Padawan being given with probably one of the biggest and most secret missions that has potential to bring the Sith's military to its knees among other things…" retorts Carth.
"Anything beats trying to knock off boredom here…" responds Canderous.
"We are ready to go, me and Big Z," replies Mission.
"It is our responsibility," continues Bastila.
"Not just to the Republic or the Jedi, but each other as well," says Borden.
Juhani with her hood raised enters the Hawk and takes up sleeping quarters in what was a storage bay, which was given a retrofit for additional and hopefully more comfortable beds, not in the bay, but the dormitories as well. The supplies are still being brought on board to be stored in the cargo bay on the starboard side while further technical equipment is being put into cabinets added onto to the existing workbench. Davik Kang's swoop is resting the ship's garage, which doubles as the upgraded armory, something that pleases Canderous the array of tools at his disposal.
Borden pays Juhani a visit in her private modified quarters. She lowers her hood after the doors close behind him. She looks to him with eyes that no longer show a physical darkness on her, but he knows her struggle like his is just beginning. There is no ease to his decisions, his intentions, to anything about him, but as a leader things are naturally expected of him. Bastila is the Jedi Council liaison, but she does not admit, not yet anyway whereas Juhani's initial purpose for joining this mission is her request to learn by doing with the man that convinced her of another way to be a Jedi again.
Hurried footfalls can be heard in the adjoining section, the Main Hold, and so Borden leaves her to her meditations. Zaalbar informs Borden that someone is raiding their recently brought aboard food stores. Borden investigates and finds a little girl one he heard about earlier today from a man named Lur Arka Sulas, a servant for the girl's family. He sends Mission to find Lur who arrives soon enough and Borden makes the reunion as genuinely meaningful as possible.
The food stuffs are replaceable and while heading off to see Master Zhar in private before leaving; an older woman approaches him asking if he knows where she can find Bastila Shan. Bastila comes from the walkway to the Enclave to see Borden talking to this woman, and she looks to Bastila. Bastila vaguely recognizes her, but then frowns realizing the woman is old friend of her mother.
"Helena is in a bad way Bastila; I think it would be good for you to go see her…"
"Who is Helena?" asks Borden.
"She is my mother, but where is she?"
"She is waiting for you on Tatooine…"
"No coincidence that one of our stops is there…"
"I would ask for the time at least to see what is happening to her…"
"We will make the time Bastila…"
"Thank you, I believe Master Zhar wants to speak to you alone before we depart…"
Borden heads off to see Zhar leaving Bastila alone with another page from the past. Her mind drifts back to the day that the Jedi took her as a toddler from her parents, her father was somewhat against it, and her mother thought it good whatever that meant to her. Bastila thanks the older woman who says she is heading for the regular space port to travel elsewhere. Another Twi'lek female passes the older woman and crosses Bastila's line of sight.
"Mission?" says the Twi'lek female.
"Lena!" hisses Mission.
"What's going on here?" demands Bastila.
"I knew Mission back on Taris, when I heard about what happen to Taris, I was worried what happen to her, more so than Griff was anyway…"
"Where is Griff? You took him away from me once… where is he?"
"He's working for Czerka on Tatooine…"
"Why are you here and why is he there?"
"I got tired of his schemes to get rich, he was the one that decided it was 'best' to leave you on Taris, then come back before you when we scored, but it never happen…"
"You are a liar, Griff would never abandon me… he taught me, protected me until I met Zaalbar…"
"You are in better company with the Jedi and Zaalbar, but if you want answers from Griff, you will have to find him on that wasteland of a planet…"
"Well we already are heading for Tatooine, so maybe we can look for Griff too?"
"Sure thing kiddo," remarks Carth.
"I am not a kid, remember that," replies Mission.
"I was teasing, geez; I thought the Jedi had no sense of humor…"
"Carth, some people don't get your kind of humor…"
"It figures, so when are we due to leave?" asks Carth.
"As soon as Borden is back from a final checkout with Master Zhar…"
"Those two became rather close; it is good to see that some people can still have something meaningful despite the treachery that followed us home from the Wars…"
"It is good to see you aren't as adamant about not trusting anybody anymore…"
"I have to trust someone, so I am putting my cards on this crew of ours…"
"Preflight checks out, the boards are green, you are clear for take off Ebon Hawk, good hunting," says the Civilian Dock master.
"Thanks, we are on our way, time to fly again people," responds Borden.
A flight of Sith fighters hits them on their way out of the system before course computations are in the navigation system or navacomputer. Borden and Canderous man the turrets again shooting down their attackers. The jump is made; the trip will take some time as Tatooine is on the other side of the Galaxy. Borden rejoins Juhani for meditation while Mission plays Pazaak with Zaalbar. Carth and Canderous handle the flying, alternating shifts, since the trip will take a few days as they need to change lanes along the way. Bastila returns to the port side dormitory to try sleeping off the worries about seeing her mother again and how she will have to deal with that part of her past once more.
The Leviathan, Command Deck
Admiral Saul Karath approaches the Dark Lord of Sith, Darth Malak, with a man of shorter stature in his wake. The injured, presumed dead bounty hunter Calo Nord has a story to tell about his short lived encounter with Carth Onasi, seeing Bastila Shan take out swoop gang members that tried to see her as a slave, and so on. However the more important details rest with the third figure whom while dressing much like a smuggler, fought more like a Force adept. As Malak listens, the agitation at still being unable to turn or kill Bastila, switches to something else in entirely before he dismisses Karath and tells Calo Nord to feel out his sources to find them despite having already sent assassins.
"They will learn why I am best bounty hunter in the Galaxy…" chuckles Nord.
Anchorhead, Landing Zone
Several Days Later….
The Hawk is already landing when a trio of Sith assassins exit the area to await their arrival on the streets. Borden, Bastila, and Mission head out to discover someone loading unmarked crates into the ship's cargo hold, which contain gizka, a strange tiny critter that reproduces easily. Borden shakes his head in frustration, but gizka seem small fry for their mission. The landing zone overseer directs them to the Czerka branch office where they learn Czerka's troubles with the locals, more specifically the Sand People.
"What about Griff Vao…" asks Mission.
"Griff Vao like many of our workers is either staying within the spaceport's walls or out there in the desert or quite possibly dead… however there is a slight chance those Sand People have him…" says the Manager.
"We are looking for him among other things…" says Borden.
"The only way anyone goes out there is armed and cleared…" replies the Manager.
"How do we get cleared…" remarks Bastila.
"I get you a license, more precisely a hunting license that we issue through the hunting lodge next door…"
"I would request this license then in exchange for our service in handling the Sand People situation…"
"Then we have a deal, so long as you bring the chieftain's gaffi stick as proof of your success, others are acceptable too, but they will not seal the deal…"
They exit the office to find a merchant waiting for them. It is not exactly a standoff. Borden and the merchant talk about whatever Czerka is suggesting about handling the Sand People. Borden agrees with the merchant about finding alternatives. He directs them to a droid seller, specifically for a translator droid.
"A curious tactic, agreeing to 'handle' the Sand People, and then following a merchant's suggestion about alternatives…" remarks Bastila.
"When others speak, listen closely, most never listen, and by doing so you know what you are not doing before you do anything…" responds Borden.
"Hey, that's actually kind of clever, if you think about it a little," continues Mission.
A somewhat drunk man lumbers out of the local Cantina muttering something about a crazy lady inside getting him thrown out. A female voice can be heard responding something to effect of you would talk about your wife like that, cannot imagine why she stays with you. Bastila seizes up for a moment before heading towards the Cantina. Borden and Mission follow behind a few steps back.
"Mother?" whispers Bastila.
"Bastila?" answers Helena.
"I heard you were here from an old friend of yours, that you were trying to reach me…"
"I was trying to reach you, your father… he is… and I…" continues Helena.
"Dead?" murmurs Bastila.
"Yes, and I am dying as well, terminal disease, local doctors say there is no cure…"
"How did he die?"
"One of those fortune hunting excursions ran afoul of a krayt dragon if I am to take any those hunting lodge dolts at their word…"
"What about his journals, were they recovered?"
"Nobody has told me anything more, but I believe they are with whatever is left of him out there in the desert…"
"You could have stopped him from going… but you were never one to deny anything that was not good…"
"You don't understand the kind of life he would have gotten you into if you stayed with us on Talravin or here… fortune hunting is not a profession for children, you had and still have such untapped potential… I hear reports from time to time about you in the news though I never admit to anyone that you are my daughter… the Sith use personal things against their targets…"
"I know that mother, which is why as far as anyone knows, I never knew my family, which is not entirely a lie…"
Borden steps into the low lit area around the booth where the two Shan women are literally a ball of emotional tension. Both look to him before resuming their charged argument. Borden kneels on both legs and rests his head on his arms knowing this will take some time. Nothing can be forgotten, but something has got to give if there is forgiveness to be had between mother and daughter. Mission plays pazaak with some locals for awhile.
"If you want to find your father's journal that is your prerogative though I think your friend here has other plans besides that…" remarks Helena.
"I will find his journals and do what I wish with them… for all I know your words could be little more then they ever were…" retorts Bastila.
An awkward silence follows before Bastila calls out to Mission.
"It is time for us to go, Mission that is enough cards for today…" shouts Bastila.
"All right, all right, I got to go guys, keep the credits; you need it more than me."
Bastila and Mission head out, but Borden stays a little longer to talk to Helena. Another woman comes along after several failed attempts to convince others to help her. She politely interrupts Borden's mellow questioning of Helena. Helena allows it knowing this woman has always had difficulties finding sympathy in a den of self-interest that has overtaken this place since Czerka began losing interest and profit.
"Here take the credits, the need is greater than mine…" replies Borden.
She humbly walks off with the money in her bag, and Helena takes another sip of her drink before trying to answer him. He dissuades saying he is doing what he must, which includes Bastila, his crew, and anyone else along the way. The older Shan cannot entirely believe what she is hearing from this strange man.
"For a man with little of a past to recall, you seem remarkably generous and giving among other qualities, I can see why she would look at you like that, the look of a man who has trouble sleeping at night yet turns out to be such a gentleman to others without thought of reward…"
"Who are you talking about?"
"Not terribly bright at times though, but I would ask you not lose that quality…"
"I try… the galaxy is an unrelenting nexus of lives… but I try…"
Borden exits to find Bastila glaring at him and asking what he said to her mother. He only replies that we were talking about me, then he mentions of a woman who he gave a couple hundred credits to help her family, her loved ones. Bastila places her hand over her eyes for a moment, tears leave damp marks that quickly dry in her palm, and then they resume the walk towards the droid seller.
"We are being followed…" whispers Bastila
"Mission get to cover and get your blasters out quickly" whispers Borden
Mission finds cover, pulls out her blasters just as three Dark Jedi leap down from different rooftops nearby. Borden unclips his lightsaber and switches it on while Bastila activates her, one side light up first, then the other. The pause is long enough for one of the three assassins to speak his last words. The Jedi stand their ground.
"Lord Malak was most displeased to learn you escaped Taris, but you will not be leaving here or finding what you seek…"
The monologue speaking of the Dark Jedi leaves an opening for Mission to shoot him down with a neck shot. Borden cuts down one of his comrades while Bastila force pushes the third man into an abandoned food stand. The Jedi disarm the Sith, and when he comes around finds himself tied up. He moves to speak, but then a thermal detonator lands in front of him. Borden force pushes Bastila and Mission away from the stand while summoning a Force powered barrier between him and the detonation.
Borden flies backwards, his concentration drains him quicker than he expects, but they are alive. Bastila looks around for whoever might have thrown the detonator then Mission hands her a pad that one of the dead Sith was carrying, it was a bounty contract issued by Saul Karath and Malak. It details a crude version of their escape from Taris and the primary targets include Bastila, Carth, and a third unnamed individual. They pull Borden to his feet and show him the contract.
"Great, just what we need a bounty contract…" murmurs Borden.
"I knew the Sith were liable to be on our trail at some stage, but Malak is calling in all his connections including the Exchange…" remarks Bastila.
Another figure emerges from the shadows and hands a 'dropped' pad to Borden. Borden tucks it away as Bastila and Mission had already kept going for the droid seller by the time this other man comes towards Borden. Borden jogs to catch up and they meet the shop keeper who offers them a pre-owned though proven translator droid yet as the droid comes online its start up phrase spooks Bastila and Mission. Borden however as if half remembering something remains unfazed.
"State the nature of the interrogation requirement… what is going on here?"
"He is your new owner HK-47…" states the shop keeper.
"In that case, I am ready to serve Master…" continues HK-47.
"Your talents are in need again…" replies Borden.
"I look forward to working with you Master…" responds HK-47.
"Bastila, I need you to report this contract news to the others… Mission, we are heading out and 47 you are coming too… I need your help with the Sand People…"
Bastila looks momentarily bothered before heading back to the Landing Zone to check in with Carth. Mission shrugs at her figuring that Borden intends to handle the Sand People situation first, but in a way it feels cold considering her feelings towards Borden by putting Mission's brother indirectly ahead of her father and the Star Map. She pushes the slightest trace of jealousy and annoyance out of mind for now.
The shadow figure notes Borden's departure from Anchorhead and transmits stranger in motion. His receiver replies continue observation of stranger until knowing probable next world destination then contact observer of that world. He responds updates to follow, inform other observers of current location. Receiver replies eyes only news.
The smoke trail from the Czerka Sand crawler is visible on the horizon. Borden pulls up his hood, Mission pulls up hers, and 47 carries their water packs with relative ease while keeping his disruptor at the ready. The crawler's crew flags them down and they quicken their pace slightly to reach the shade of the exposed interior of the crawler. Mission drinks some water while Borden questions the crawler's crew about the whereabouts of the Sand People.
"They hit us hard and loud quite often, but lately they have become more vicious as if we violating their laws, if they even have any… I take it the Manager sent you…"
"Yes I am investigating this matter on her behalf, and I will deal with it as I see fit…"
"At least you are more on the ball then that knucklehead Griff who ran off at the first sign of those wraps heads…" retorts the mechanic.
"Griff?" murmurs Mission.
"You know him?" questions the mechanic.
"The Manager told us about him being on this crew…"
"Well if you find him, he better not being coming back to the office, because we need people that work, not run!"
The Sand People emerge from the dunes in battle mode and heading straight for the stricken crawler. Borden activates his lightsaber, 47 starts a firing pattern, and Mission pulls out her vibroblade. The crawler crew fights back however they can as well. 47 snipes down the stragglers and Borden pays the most attention to reinforcements. Mission jabs and slashes anyone that gets pass Borden or 47. After five or six waves of Sand People, they stop coming, but then 47 makes a bleak joke.
"They'll be back and in greater numbers…"
"I bet that will make you happy…"
"Ah, target practice is one of the highlights of this life…"
"I think we are going to need disguises to get into the Sand People Enclave…"
"I would be careful not to mention where you got the outfits from…"
"Cultural offenders are likely to be shot…"
"You take it right out of my vocal processor…"
Borden conceals his lightsaber, takes out his old vibroblades, and swaps his atypical Jedi attire for the wraps worn by a dead Sand walker. Mission makes a point of hiding her lekku under the wraps. Their regular clothes are hidden in the pack with what is left of their water supply. The journey from the Dune Sea to Sand People territory carries over into the night. They emerge from the dunes as the twin suns are finally setting, which allows them to sleep off some of their mutual exhaustion without having to keep in disguise for a short time.
47 keeps watch while Mission sleeps and Borden remembers something familiar about the desert from the vision he and Bastila had during the transit here. He closes his eyes and reaches out with his mind sensing the nearby Sand People Enclave. His thoughts wander further sensing the krayt dragon that Helena Shan spoke of in the Cantina. A familiar pulsing comes near the krayt dragon, it would seem the probable location of the Star Map, but getting around the krayt dragon could prove difficult. An unknown voice echoes in his thoughts.
"If you are to truly understand, then you will need the contrast, not adherence to a single ideal…"
A distant memory comes from it yet he is unable in the moment to put the voice with a face aside from the fact that the speaker is an older woman. This search, the Star Maps, and its ciphers, the visions, were challenging him in a way that none of his waking decisions had ever done before leaving Dantooine. He finally manages to sleep as the vision of the dragon's cave leaves him alone for now. The tent brought alone from the Hawk proves useful in concealing their presence just beyond the edge of the Sand People's nearby Enclave settlement.
"It seems Malak is not simply content to write us off, those Dark Jedi are evidence enough of that, and you let him go off looking for these Sand People with Mission and some trigger happy translator/assassin droid?" retorts Carth.
"He made the decision, not me!" responds Bastila.
"His decision, you never let his calls stop your countermanding before," remarks Carth.
"I just found out my mother is dying…" murmurs Bastila.
She leaves the cockpit, not content to allow the fly boy know she is on the verge of crying her eyes out again. Canderous enters the cockpit a short time later after coming back from the local swoop track. There are audible muffled sounds coming from the port dormitory, and then the Cathar, Juhani emerges from her converted storage hold of a room to greet him. He asks what that noise is about from the port side.
"I overheard Padawan Shan and Captain Onasi arguing earlier about something Padawan Borden had done earlier today…" answers Juhani.
"It figures he might have had something to do with that…" remarks Canderous.
"Padawan Borden or Captain Onasi?" questions Juhani
"Cathar, you can go back to whatever you were doing, I need to speak to Onasi alone…"
"I trust you will not harm, I doubt he meant to upset her…"
"Whether or not he meant it, I am still giving a piece of my mind…"
"You surprise me for a Mandalorian, but then I guess we are all vulnerable to prejudice…"
"Go, before I get a headache from all this waxing…"
Canderous heads towards the cockpit and proceeds to drag Carth into the communications/security room directly behind the cockpit then throws him into the chair before sealing the room. Carth reaches for his blasters, but finds that Canderous took them off him during the toss. Carth moves to attack the Mandalorian, but Canderous pushes him back with ease by slugging him in the face.
"What the hell do you think you are doing Ordo?"
"What the fierfek were you thinking yelling at her?"
"What business is that of yours?"
"It was Borden's decision to do what he did, and she like any comrade in arms accepts that decision, just because she is a Jedi like him or that Cathar does not mean that you can take out what you think is a bad call on them…"
"My intentions or actions towards this crew…"
"You are a threat to unit cohesion, to individual morale…"
"Stop cutting me off!"
"I will not shut up until you listen to me, get off your high horse about Telos, about your wife, and that kid of yours… I may not have a family in the way you think of one, but my clan means everything to me, including these people that follow Borden except for you…"
"What's the difference with me then if you claim clan loyalty to this crew?"
"The difference is you are weakening them by your own tightly held miseries!"
Carth clams up as if being met by someone who somehow could tell for all his bravado he was still a very angry, rage driven man. Canderous drops his swiped blasters and leaves to go back to tinkering on new weapons in the ship's garage. Carth heads for the medbay to treat the sore left on his face by Canderous' well aimed punch. Afterwards he heads for the port dormitory only to find Bastila somehow sleeping at last. He left a lengthy apology on a blank data pad.
He tells Zaalbar to take watch of the ship while he heads into space port to purchase some new clothes. It was time to get rid of these clothes he kept washing, wearing, and never replacing since the bombardment of Telos. He recalls when his wife and son gave him these clothes as a birthday present sent to him with a holo-recording for him. Morgana dying in his arms makes a disconnected flash to replace the fond memory of the birthday recording.
Carth returns to ship around day break in different clothes and slightly hung over. Canderous meets him at the ramp and they talk while he still tries to get pass the hangover. Bastila hands him back the datapad, she had written a shorter message in the place of his, and expresses forgiveness though she is unlikely to forget what he said or did last night any time soon. Canderous commends him for his effort and the two make a trip to the swoop tracks to share stories from the Wars. Juhani looks on quite puzzled by the fact that the night before Canderous seemed on the verge of killing Carth.
"It is a thing between men, something I still do not understand Juhani," remarks Bastila.
"I was amazed by the straightforwardness of Canderous' comments and bothered by Carth's excuses for his treatment of you… I doubt the incident will sit well with Borden if he hears of it…" replies Juhani.
"Why should he have to know?" questions Bastila.
"He is part of this too, and an incident in the ranks is practical information for someone in charge…" replies Juhani.
Bastila sighs and returns to her room to mediate knowing all too well that Juhani was somehow right that Borden would hear about it one way or another. His reaction to learning this troubles her the most though she takes her mind off it for the time being. His safety, his reaction, and all these other thoughts circulate through her mind before the meditation calmness pulls her away from her momentary concerns. She mentally levitates her lightsaber and twirls it in midair.
Borden, Mission, and 47 enter the Enclave though the Sand People see through their disguises in a way. The garbs are taken from them and they are left in their fatigues. Another pair escorts to the chamber where the Chieftain awaits them. 47 expresses a quiet dissatisfaction with not killing the Sand People, but Borden's pretended frustration shuts him up with a compliment before he goes silent. 47 is the middleman in the conversation between Borden and the Chieftain, a deal is struck for moisture vaporators in exchange for information on the Star Map and the captives here in the Enclave.
As a sign of faith, Borden agrees to remain in their custody until Mission returns with the vaporators, which initially bothers her though getting Griff back alive is more important. She carries a backpack carrying gaffi sticks as an offering to Czerka in exchange for the vaporators. The trip back lasts the better part of the afternoon and using Borden's license gains entry back into Anchorhead where she spots Carth and Canderous heading out of the Cantina.
"Carth, Canderous," rasps Mission.
"Mission?" says Carth.
"She's severely dehydrated, go get water from the bar now!" shouts Canderous.
They constantly give her more water before she is finally able to speak again. Carth wears a look of relief to see her finally looking a lot less pale and able to move on her own again. Canderous carries her backpack to Czerka and gets the vaporators from the office's merchant station. He arrives back at the Hawk to find Mission resting in the medbay. Carth is keeping an eye her vitals; prolonged desert exposure can be lethal especially with two suns.
"Did he say who was to bring the vaporators back?" asks Canderous.
"The agreement was I bring them back by full suns tomorrow," answers Mission.
"It gives her time to rest, but one of us ought to follow or go with her at least to the edge of the Dune Sea…" says Carth.
"No Carth, the deal was me and only me otherwise Borden and my brother are goners."
"We follow Borden's agreement to the letter, as much as I share concern for the danger to Borden or the risks to Mission, I say we stick to the plan…"
"You know he is right," says Bastila.
"I figure I might as well make something of a call or vote, but we'll follow the agreement," responds Carth.
Before dawn Mission gears up with fresh water, the vaporators, and a new temperature regulated jumpsuit. Carth and Bastila walk with her to Anchorhead's perimeter gate. She paces herself through the rising of the suns, the heat as it had been on the past two days remains intense, but the water and the rest stops give her time to recover somewhat before continuing on into Sand People Territory and onto the Enclave. The guards take her inside and she rests the bag with the vaporators before the Chieftain. The Chieftain hands his gaffi stick to Borden and tells 47 about the cave.
"What of the captives?"
"He will only release them if you can bring back the krayt dragon's pearl."
"What of the attacks on the crawlers?"
"The attacks will diminish as the vaporators will allow them to move away from the settlements in the hopes that the settlers leave them alone finally…"
"Will any remain if and when I return with the krayt dragon's pearl?"
"The Chieftain and his guards will remain while the others relocate…"
"I will return…"
"He does not expect it, but your strange generosity earns you some respect…"
Borden, Mission, and 47 depart to return to Anchorhead by the setting of the suns. It is evening, another night in Anchorhead for the Hawk and her crew. Carth and Bastila greet them at the gate. Carth lends Mission a hand to getting over to the Cantina where Zaalbar is waiting for her. 47 opts to return to the Ebon Hawk to power down for the night leaving Borden and Bastila standing outside in the streets beneath a clear sky over Anchorhead.
"I am glad your trek into the desert was successful, you again found a somewhat peaceful resolution to a dangerous conflict between separate parties. Carth is taking the desired possession back to Czerka's offices," remarks Bastila.
"Anything exciting happen in my absence," responds Borden.
"Nothing I could not handle, Carth and Canderous had it out though they seem to be getting along now, and T3 is going to have a new droid counterpart in that assassin droid…"
"You are skirting around the real blip here…"
"I cannot withhold anything from you, especially not with this bond…"
"It is not the bond that informs my perceptions, well not all of them, you just feel troubled to my eyes…"
"When I look at your eyes they are literally as shining as those stars up there and I cannot help, but wonder how you walk the line without falling to the dark side…"
"The contrast helps…"
"What contrast?"
"It is not a matter of light or dark, it is a matter of making the call and sticking to it…"
A/N 1: Tatooine has had many a famous visitor. Bastila and Mission bought have reasons to go there besides following the quest for the Star Maps so both those who direct them there appear before leaving Dantooine at least in this story.
A/N 2: I was very generous with credits, I mean apparently you don't get docked for stealing or looting corpses, but anything else moves you one way or the other on the Force scale. I usually try to push Bastila towards reconciling with her mother whether I played male or female. Basically its turning the character into someone like Jarod from The Pretender since he is always helping others even though he is rarely able to resolve his own personal troubles.
A/N 3: I figured it should be Canderous to put Carth in his place if he had an argument with Bastila. Likewise Borden is a highly perceptive individual so little escapes his notice despite Force sensitivity. Bastila is drifting towards romance with him and holds him in higher regard than herself. The friction with them is a combination of not feeling good enough as well as fear of consequences of becoming romantically involved.
A/N 4: Sand People, way more cultured than I thought, but then having a game like KOTOR opens all sorts of avenues to explore in a pre-Saga continuity.
A/N 5: Some plot developments vary from the game story though not by much. Borden agrees to remain with the Sand People until Mission brings the vaporators back as a token of good faith.