-1Knights of the Old Republic II: Sith Lords - Volume 2: Telos
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.
Polar Region...
Shayla Kracek felt the frigid wind seep through the very fibre of her being, and knew she was not inside the warmth and safety of the orbital shuttle.
Then her mind filled in the gaps.
They had found a reference within the Research base computer terminal, of an Orbital Shuttle, that might still be within the old Telosian Military Facility.
They had braved the same Facility, dealing with combat droids, defence turrets, and even a massive Tank Droid, it was a hard fight, even rescuing a Czerka Salvage Team survivor.
Unfortunately, the Twi'lek panicked at the sight of the Tank droid, he didn't survive his attempt to flee past it.
But they had found the shuttle, and managed to bring the facility online, most of the group was still back there, getting everything arranged for the shuttles return, or the Ebon Hawk's return, which was the entire reason they had left for the Polar Region.
Only to have the damn shuttle shot out from under them, the last thing she remembered seeing, was a storage locker, rapidly approaching her face.
And now, she was freezing.
Opening her eyes, she instantly realized how bright it was above her, she closed her eyes for a moment but opened them quickly upon hearing a muffled moan, followed by heavy coughing a short distance away.
She lifted her head carefully, spotting a snow covered Xander, slowly pushing himself to his knee's "Xander" she coughed "Are you okay?".
The one eyed JedI nodded as he spat blood onto the white ground "I'll live" he said hoarsely.
"Dawn?" another voice said shakily, she recognized buffy's voice .
"Over here" she heard her other Padawan grunt "Why does everything we fly in seem to get shot down?".
Shayla wanted to laugh, but the pressure in her chest told her that would be a bad idea, she knew the feel of broken ribs, she knew that feeling well.
"Atton, Kreia?" Shayla called out as she slowly rolled over, in order to stand easier without putting anymore stress on her ribs.
"Anyone get an I.D. on that Cruiser?" she heard Atton whine.
Kreia appeared at that moment, standing perfectly normal "Again your piloting skills have been proven less than adequate" she snapped towards Atton.
"Hey" he coughed "Don't blame me, Damn Anti-Aircraft missile caused this!".
"And it did not occur to you to avoid the missile?" she retorted.
"Enough" Shayla growled, reaching for her belt, she relaxed slightly feeling both Light Sabers still attached "Whoever shot us down is likely on their way".
Xander meanwhile had moved a few meters from the shuttle, his left arm clutched tightly to his chest, she wouldn't be surprised to find it broken "Three droids incoming" he said, his one good eye squinted to see through the bright snow glare "HK's, same as Peragus" he added, activating his Violet Saber with his right hand.
Buffy and Dawn were at his side a second later, Buffy pulled her two Vibro Swords, both upgraded back within the Telosian compound, both were now just slightly more dangerous to droids.
Dawn however had yet to activate her two short sabers, she held them loosely in her grasp "Let's go see what they want" her teeth chattering slightly from the chill.
Shayla moved to the side of the ruined shuttle, Atton and Kreia right behind her, sure enough, three HK droids trudged through the knee high snow, as easily as if they were strolling down a street.
"With the snow this deep, they'll have the advantage" Buffy scowled.
"Not for long" Xander said coldly, the shock from his wounded arm likely kept him from feeling the cold.
Shayla took a deep breath, and started walking towards the three approaching droids, stopping when they had closed to about twenty meters.
The lead droid stopped, holding a rather large Disruptor Rifle "Irritated declaration: There you are. It has been extremely difficult to track you down, JedI".
The droid to it's left straightened slightly "Quick Clarification: But now that we have found you, we hope that we can facilitate communications".
The third droid nodded as it adjusted the two heavy blaster pistols it held "Unnecessary Addendum: And put an end…to hostilities".
Buffy chuckled "Wow, you guys sound really funny, ever think about doing stand-up?".
"Any reason why you shot us down?" Shayla asked, hoping they didn't answer her question, you never could be too sure with droids.
The lead droid spoke "Unnecessary Clarification: We merely wished to cripple your vessel. Once we tracked your coordinates, we were able to activate this unit, located nearby.
"Probing Query: We are however, curious as to why you chose to come to the remnants of the Telos polar irrigation system. There is nothing here that our instruments can detect" the second added.
"Eager Threat: But we are looking forward to extracting you motives for coming here, once we place you in torture restraints" the third droid stated.
Shayla opened her mouth to speak but stopped as she felt the force being used, she reacted quickly however, and was already moving across the snow towards the three droids, as Xander force leaped towards the three Droids.
She spotted Dawn to her right in the corner of her vision, so she headed for the droid to the left, they had reached the halfway mark, thanks to a force assisted boost to their speed, just as Xander landed in the snow.
The tall warrior sunk into the snow as his violet blade slashed diagonally across the droids chest, gouging a deep furrow into it's armour.
The droids began to react now, Xanders opponent thrashed out, hoping to knock him back with it's weapon, it missed however, Xander easily ducked the blow, bringing his blade back up and across the droid, exactly along the same gouge he made a second before.
The other two droids each targeted both Dawn and herself, blaster fire ripped towards them, only to be deflected away from both women, unlike previous battles however, none of them were being deflected back towards the enemy, their wounds impairing their ability to focus properly.
Shayla reached her opponent first, flashing out with a flurry attack, both crimson blades arched towards the droid in rapid succession, each strike left behind blackened armour and smoking internal components.
Dawn reached her target a moment later, mimicking Shayla's strike perfectly, her shorter blades were slightly less damaging, but was more than enough to force the droid back.
She felt another presence a second later, and flipped over the battered droid, twisting in mid leap, landing behind it she slashed out again, this time with a double downward slash, her blades sunk through the droids torso nearly six inches at both shoulders, just as Buffy arrived, both swords cutting through the droids head, like a pair of scissors, it twitched once as it fell over into the snow.
The two quickly turned to assess the rest of the battle, Xander was kneeling in the snow, the lead droid a smoking ruin, Dawn standing over the remains of the second.
"I'm thinking I need a vacation" Xander wheezed.
Dawn nodded, but said nothing, her own breaths sounding laboured.
Kreia and Atton reached the group "We need to find shelter quickly" Kreia stated "The droids mentioned an irrigation system, it might be what we were looking for".
Shayla nodded "Groups of two, fan out, we need to find an entrance".
Everyone moved quickly, surprisingly it took less than a minute to find the buried hatch, it wasn't far from the now useless shuttle.
Opening it also seemed too easy, but the warmth that ebbed within the dark interior was too much to resist, the group surged into the darkness one after another.
"Warmth good" Xander shivered, just as the lights came on.
Less than ten feet away, five women, dressed entirely in white, complete with hoods, stood with Force pikes at the ready, the woman in the center stepped forward "Lay down your weapons, and you will not be harmed" she spoke with conviction.
Shayla looked at the five women "Who are you?".
"I will not warn you again. Drop your weapons, or we will, take them from you" the woman stressed.
Kreia placed a hand on her shoulder "Do as they say, I sense we will come to no harm".
Shayla looked to her mentor for a moment, then nodded "Very well, we aren't in any condition to fight anyway".
As the group dropped their weapons onto the floor, the five quickly moved, collecting their gear, and then moved them down one of several corridors.
Shortly down the hallway, Kreia, Atton and Buffy were redirected through a side passage, Shayla, Xander and Dawn were pushed down the first corridor.
"Dawn!" Buffy called out, more than ready to fight to stay with her sister.
"Buffy no!" Dawn quickly said "We'll be fine".
The three quickly lost sight of their friends as they marched towards a large cavernous room, a single large platform suspended above a deep pit.
One other walkway extended from the platform, leading to a large set of doors some distance away, the two women in white stopped.
A few seconds later the large doors parted, a lone figure, also in white emerged, walking steadily down the walkway, both Xander and Dawn noticed their friend and mentor stiffen a moment later as the figure grew close enough, to make out features.
"Atris" Shayla whispered.
The woman, Atris was still nearly fifty feet away as she began to speak, yet her voice easily carried throughout the room.
"I did not expect to see you again after the day of your sentencing. I had thought you had taken the exiles path, wandering the Galaxy, yet you have returned, and not alone I see - Why?" her voice carried a refined tone.
Shayla straighted as much as her broken ribs would allow "What have you done with our friends first?".
Atris slowed as she stepped upon the platform "Your concern is noted…they have been detained, for their own safety. I find it unusual, that you are travelling with others again, especially once trained in the ways of the JedI" she looked to Dawn, and then Xander "Tell me, why do you travel with this Exile?".
Xander winced slightly as he spoke "We aren't exactly JedI".
Atris's eyes narrowed "Sith?. No, I do not feel such darkness within you. It would explain your weapons however".
"No, not Sith" Dawn added quickly "It's a long story actually, and those light sabers, we took them from Dark JedI".
Shayla didn't like the woman's attention focused on her two friends "It was not our…my, intention to come here Atris…or see you again".
"Yet here you are, perhaps you don't know yourself as well as you think. Regardless, your presence here begs an explanation" Atris said, her voice full of suspicion "Have you come to face the judgement of the council, as you did so many years ago?. Are you finally willing to admit that we were right to cast you out?".
"I'm not here to debate the council's decision" Shayla sighed wearily.
"Indeed" Atris said in surprise "Your Exile seems to have given you some wisdom it seems. So then, answer me, how did you find this place?. And why have you returned after all this time?".
"We are searching for our ship, so we can leave Telos" Shayla answered.
"Your ship..Ah, the Ebon Hawk. It is not your ship. Unless, you are admitting to the destruction of the Peragus mining facility" she insinuated.
Dawn's mouth dropped open "That was an accident!".
"Ah..an accident, Something beyond your control" she smiled.
"Yes Atris, it was an accident" Shayla nodded, again trying to draw her attention from Dawn.
"You have not changed" she hissed "Acting instead of thinking, Putting yourself before the Galaxy, before the JedI".
Xander stepped forward, his broken arm still clutched to his chest "New flash lady!. The Sith destroyed Peragus, and now we're under their crosshairs, and don't for one second think you can sit their and pass judgement on us".
Shayla spun quickly "Mind your emotions Xander" she said coolly.
Atris apparently paid Xanders outburst little attention "The Sith, explain what you mean".
Shayla nodded "The Sith have returned…and their hunting all JedI".
"You speak the truth" Atris responded after a few seconds "I can feel the scars on you all. You encountered them on Peragus?".
Dawn spoke again "And on Citadel Station. They tracked us down, their intention was to kill us, and all JedI".
"They followed you…." she said quietly "There are no more JedI…except I. Like you" she stared directly into Shayla's eyes "Those still alive, have turned from the order, and now only I remain. If these Sith attacked you, they will soon realize their mistake..".
"If you're a JedI, I'm damn happy I'm just a carpenter" Xander snapped.
This time Atris did not ignore him "Your anger proves how inexperienced you are. Trained by the Exile I assume" she smiled.
"Not like we had a choice" he said coldly.
Atris hesitated "You…were awoken, through force?".
Shayla stepped into the conversation "We, don't know how it happened, somehow, they have a strong connection to the force, as well as my training" she said "They did not ask for this to happen, yet they have not once chosen to ignore the threat that seeks to destroy us, since the moment I met them, they have stood by me and others, judge me if you will Atris, but my crimes are not theirs".
"Screw that" Xander coughed "You judge her, you can judge me too, looks like you already have anyway".
Atris hesitated, obviously thinking of what both of them said "If the Sith followed you to Citadel, they might track you here…".
"Then the sooner we leave, the less likely they'll find this place" Dawn suggested.
"Atris, this is a real threat, we can help" Shayla said calmly.
Atris laughed in disbelief "You, offer your aid?. After turning your back on me?…On the Council?. The JedI is not something you embrace out of fear. The commitment is stronger than that, something you never seemed to understand".
Shayla expected Xander to say something in response to her comment but relaxed slightly as he seemed to pull himself back, she looked into the JedI Masters eyes, holding her gaze for several seconds before speaking.
"We are not doing this out of fear, we want to help" she clarified.
"Perhaps…but if are to help me, It cannot be done from here. There are others in the Galaxy who may help us against a Sith threat. If you can find them, gain their trust, perhaps our defences shall be stronger for it" Atris actually approached the three, only a few feet but it seemed like she was actually starting to believe them.
"Take your ship, seek them out. If you can find them, encourage them to gather on Dantooine, from there, we can call a Council, and see what can be done" she finished.
Shayla nodded "If there is anyone who can aid us, we will find them".
Atris nodded "Very well, you may go, one of the Sisters shall show you to your friends, I ask however that your..Apprentice, Xander remain a moment, his willingness to speak his mind impressed me" she added, mostly to dissuade her fear.
Shayla nodded, smiling slightly as she looked to Xander "We shall wait for you in the next room".
Xander nodded, standing as straight as he could, no small feat considering the pain and the exhaustion.
Atris waited for both Shayla and Dawn to reach the entrance to the next room before speaking, her tone seemed lighter, probably because Shayla was not present.
"You are an honest person, you hide nothing from others who have your respect" she stated "Does this include yourself?".
Xander didn't expect that last part, but didn't hesitate to answer "I try to be honest with myself, though I'm not always successful".
Atris nodded, she seemed satisfied with his answer "You have been awoken to the flow of the force, if you were with any other than the Exile, I would not believe it" she quickly waved her hand indicating that his questions can wait "How can you face this threat and not fear for your life, you have not been trained in the ways of the JedI order, yet your loyalty, your resolve to see this through is apparent to even me, I wish to know why?".
Xander smiled "My loyalty, is to Shayla, and anyone who stands with us, not to a group of people who think they know what needs to be done, though my opinions on your Order are not important" he took a slow intake of air "What matters, is that we are aware of the dangers the Sith represent, and we won't ignore them, we were somehow given this, power, and with power comes great responsibility".
Atris was surprised "Wise words".
"Yeah" was all he said, "Though Shayla has been a big help with training us" he said, not sure if it actually fit with the current conversation.
"Yet you seem to indulge your emotions, not wise at all, the Exiles lessons seem to be wasted on you" her eyes narrowed slightly at the implied insult.
Xander smiled slightly "Oh I keep my emotions in check, I know full well what power can do when someone let's anger, or grief..take control" he hesitated for a second at the dark memory.
He looked into her eyes "Maybe you need to look in a mirror before you start to judge people Atris, cause where I'm standing, all I can see is a bitter, lonely woman".
"How dare you.." she said stunned.
"No, how dare you" he said almost without effort "Since we ended up with Shayla, I've seen her do nothing but help people, you might not see it. But I do, I don't know what happened between you two, and frankly I give a shit, you treat her like a criminal, yet the only crime I see is that she cares…and so do the rest of us".
Atris was furious "We are done here".
Xander just nodded, and turned to leave, stopping for a second he looked back at the tall woman "Oh, what I said, it was not meant as a personal insult" he sighed and then moved to follow one of the sisters in white.
A Short Distance Away…
Dawn followed Shayla from the room where they met with Atris, she could tell that she was not in a good mood, frankly neither was she.
"Hey, why don't you go check on the ship, I'll go round up the guys and wait for Xander" she suggested.
Shayla stopped, considered her words and nodded "Sounds good" she said.
Dawn smiled and turned to one of the two women in white that was escorting them around "Where are our friends being held?".
The woman nodded "You will find them in the main irrigation channel room, in the northern part of the plateau interior. The particle emitters there, that once governed the flow of water across Telos, can double as force cages".
"My friends are prisoners?" Dawn asked, not surprised really.
"They were caged for their safety, until we could determine your intent. Atris cautioned us against the Exiles tactics, fearing your allies would create a distraction. Your companions gave us little trouble. However, the male would have presented some challenge had he resisted, but he chose not too" the woman said.
Dawn got the feeling she wanted them to resist "You mean Atton?".
The woman nodded "He has had some Echani training. He masks it well, but when you were in danger upon first arriving, his mask slipped into a stance we know well".
Dawn was definitely surprised "Where could he have gotten training like that?".
"I do not know, Echani forms are known to be taught to Military Special forces across the Galaxy however, if this is a mystery to you, perhaps you should ask him. It would be wise to know those you travel with" she answered.
She nodded as they neared another door, for some inexplicable reason she knew her sister and companions were on the other side.
Other Side of the Door…
Atton listened calmly to the continuous, unending rant that Buffy seemed to think was helpful, it did make him feel less nervous about being stuck in a nest of JedI.
Kreia sat in her force cage meditating, completely ignoring the blonde woman, in the last few hours he got the feeling that she found Buffy intimidating, whether it was true, it made him feel even better.
That was when he noticed Buffy had stopped ranting.
"Atton, I think we should talk" she said, as she dropped to her butt.
Atton knew this was coming, the woman noticed everything "Talk?" was all he could ask.
"About my sister" she said, still staring at him "I'm not blind".
Atton didn't say anything for a long time, finally he sighed "I don't really know what to tell you Buffy".
"How you feel would be a good start" she tossed out.
Atton looked over at her "That is the problem though, isn't it" he shook his head at his own comment "God, you probably think I'm some kind of sick Sith, the way I've been looking at her".
Buffy shook her head "No, but she is only eighteen, your like almost thirty I guessing?".
"I keep telling myself that, it's not helping" he shot back "I keep trying to find something to shake those feelings, then I look at your sister and..".
"Everything falls apart" Buffy finished for him, she laughed "Here I am, thinking I was going to have the big sister chat with you, the one with 'Hurt her and I break every bone in your body', but somehow it's not working".
Atton stared at the woman dumbfounded "Buffy, I'm not the guy for Dawn, I'm ten years older than her and definitely not the type of guy she wants to take home to meet the family".
Buffy nodded "I won't argue with you on that" she sighed "But your both adults" she paused "God I can't believe I'm saying this".
"Saying what?" he asked, obviously confused "I'm missing something here aren't I?".
Buffy nodded "One of my first boyfriends was several years older then me, a few centuries older actually" she shifted slightly, trying to get more comfortable "I'm not going to sit here and give you the leave my sister alone speech, as much as I'd like too".
"Why not?" he asked "For force sakes, she's just a kid!".
Buffy really did laugh this time "Atton, what's wrong with you?. Why are you so opposed to feeling anything for my sister?".
Atton couldn't answer, he just sat there, staring at the floor for several seconds "I'm..not a good person".
"Sorry to break this to you, but I haven't met anyone who is a good person, we all have our moments" Buffy said.
"I've done terrible things" he said quietly "Really terrible things".
This time Buffy didn't speak, she just stared at him.
"Look, I really don't want to talk about this right now, with everything that's happened lately, I just need time to think" he said finally.
Buffy nodded "No problem, but I think you and Dawn should have a talk, the moment things slow down, before your feelings get in the way".
Atton nodded "I've never been good with stuff like this".
"Me neither" Buffy chuckled "But hurt my sister, and I break every bone in your body".
Main Entrance…
Xander slowly made his way from the large room, entering the main area they first arrived in, only no one was here, one of the women had stayed with Atris for a moment after he left, the other two that were here had likely left to show Shayla and Dawn where their friends were.
Since he had no idea of where to go, he sat down slowly and decided to wait, less than a minute later the woman who stayed with Atris entered the room, she was apparently surprised to see him there.
"Just taking a minute to enjoy the scenery" he smiled and motioned around the room, rather impressed with his own little joke.
The woman seemed to get the humor and nodded, "You travel with the Exile, the woman Atris warned us about".
"That's not the best way to start a conversation" he said, feeling the annoyance building up inside.
"She said the Exile betrayed the JedI, by going to war when it was forbidden, she betrayed her mentors, her training and herself" she continued.
Xander scowled, the woman had worse people skills than Andrew "From what I understand of the situation, I'd have made the same choice, I mean it's a no-brainer, sit back and watch billions die, nope, sorry".
The woman somehow didn't seem bothered by his statement, in fact she completely ignored it "Atris also says that the Exile knows no loyalty to any cause, except her own animal instincts, and she told us why the Exile fell to the dark side".
This time he laughed "The dark side, that's funny".
"Atris says that she fell to the dark side during the Mandalorian Wars, when she gave in to her lust for battle. Once she tasted war, she could not give it up" she continued.
"If that was true, why didn't she fight in the JedI Civil War?" he snapped, growing very impatient with the woman.
The woman nodded "Atris says, that when the Dark Lord Revan returned to the Republic, she did not march with them because she had fallen so far, she could not feel the force".
Xander sighed, his arm, chest, head, all hurting, he wanted to lay down "Maybe you should get Shayla's side, before continuing with this".
The woman nodded "I believe that is the extent of her expressed feelings towards the Exile. There are variations at time, but they all arise from the same foundation".
He snorted "Expressed feelings, sounds pretty final to me".
This time she showed an actual response to his comment "Yes, but the Echani believe that it is sometimes difficult for others to speak their heart, or listen to it. The words often prove difficult, or do not come at all".
"Well, it seems Atris knows how to express herself just fine" he said.
"Without seeing Atris and the Exile fight, I cannot say" she said, moving slightly closer.
"Huh..who said anything about fighting?" he asked, wondering of he missed something.
"Battle is a pure form of expression. It is heart, and discipline, reduced to movement and motion" she explained.
Xander thought about that for a moment "Sounds almost beautiful" he sighed "I really should find my friends, I feel the need for some serious medical attention" he smiled.
The woman nodded "Before I show you to the hangar, can I ask you a question?".
Xander nodded "Why not".
"You have touched the force, what does it feel like?" she asked, her eyes sparkled.
He didn't know exactly what to say "I really don't know if I can describe it".
"Please, I must know" she said, childlike curiosity danced in her eyes.
He sighed, letting his mind find the words without actually thinking about it "It's so many things, yet you know when you feel it, there's no question".
The woman seemed satisfied with his answer "Thank you, I appreciate you sharing your knowledge with me".
"No problem" he said as he moved to stand "Now, which way is the ship?".
Hangar Bay…
Dawn left the medical bay, Xander now sleeping peacefully while the medical unit patched him up, she was exhausted, all she wanted was to get some sleep.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" she heard Kreia speak, out in the common room.
"There is a woman here, Atris, she was a member of the JedI Council" Shayla replied.
Entering the room she spotted everyone kind of relaxing, even Atton, "Sorry for interrupting, but shouldn't we be heading back to get everyone else?".
Shayla nodded "Yes, I wanted to explain our meeting with Atris before we left first".
Dawn nodded "Yeah, guess it makes sense".
Kreia leaned forward over a couch "There is a JedI here, in this you are correct".
Buffy stopped cleaning her swords for a second "What does that mean?".
"This is not a JedI academy, it would seem so on the surface, yet this…Atris…surrounds herself with those who cannot feel the force" she replied.
"I thought those quadruplets were students" Buffy said as she turned back to her swords.
"No, her servants are not JedI. Their minds are walls, trained to resist the tricks of the mind. This discipline blinds them to the force as well, even if they were force sensitive to begin with" she continued.
Dawn caught an underlying message in her words "How do you know this, were you reading their minds?".
Kreia smiled slightly "Invade the mind of another?. It is not something to be done carelessly, or when there is nothing to be gained" she said coldly.
Shayla stood up and moved to the central display, it was linked to every system to the ship "I also think it's time we figured out what to do upon leaving Telos".
"Easy, we find those JedI who have somehow managed to hide from the Sith and drag their butt's to Dantooine" Dawn said as she leaned against a nearby bulkhead.
"Well, yes, obviously, but I meant, how are we going to go about finding them, the way things are now, we will have Sith assassins finding us within hours of stopping in any one place" she sighed "What I am saying, is I think we need to split up".
Dawn was stunned "Split up?. What do you mean split up?".
Kreia nodded "I believe I understand what you are saying. The Sith have been tracking us through the force, with the three of us, and Xander, we are a beacon they cannot avoid even if they tried".
Buffy put her sword down "Their tracking you guys, because your all JedI?".
Kreia nodded "JedI, is an order of individuals that can do what we can, we are not of that order, but your words are correct, it is because we can feel and manipulate the force that enables the Sith to find us so easily".
Buffy turned "Dawn, if that's true, splitting up might be the best thing, the more time we have to find any of these JedI, without being found, the better".
Dawn closed her eyes for a moment "All right, I guess it is the best idea, but how are we suppose to do that, we only have one ship".
Atton nodded "Nar Shadaa has a lot of freighter traffic, hell I won no less than four ships in games of Pazaak there" he smiled "But Dantooine is also a lot closer, and if I remember right, quite a few older shuttles were abandoned after Malak destroyed the JedI academy, we could find something there too".
Dawn looked into Shayla's eyes, "We need to drag these JedI to Dantooine anyway, might be an idea to see what the situation there is like, besides, if they track us there, they won't expect us to go back later".
T3 rolled into the room, beeping excitedly.
"What's up with T3?" Dawn asked.
The little droid beeped again, Buffy stared at the little machine in amusement.
"What are you talking about?" Shayla asked the utility droid.
It just hopped a few times, still beeping.
"You downloaded Atris's archives?" she asked.
Kreia growled "What is the machine saying?".
"He downloaded a copy of my trial, from Atris's archives" Shayla said quietly "Go ahead, let's see it" she added hesitantly.
T3 moved to the central display, a small mechanical arm shot out and attached itself to a link, a few seconds later a holographic representation of what could only be the JedI Council appeared, in a slightly blue colour.
It panned in, showing only five of twelve seats occupied, a large set of doors opened, through them walked a much younger version of Shayla, dressed in the brown and white robes of a JedI Knight.
An older man with barely any hair leaned forward "Do you know why we summoned you here?".
Shayla's younger version remained impassive "I came here because I chose too, not because you summoned me".
Another Master leaned forward, with blonde hair and bright blue eyes "So Revan summoned you, we have as well, your Journey has brought you full circle".
Another Master, with long black hair and a thick Texan moustache nodded "Why did you defy us? The JedI are Guardians of the peace, and have been for centuries. Revan's call to war undermines all that we have worked for".
The holo image moved to Atris, a much younger version of her "Is Revan your master now, Or is it the horror you caused at Malachor that caused you to see the truth at last?".
Shayla's younger self stepped forward slightly "the truth is, the mandalorians had to be stopped, or countless more would have died".
The Texan JedI shook his head "You refuse to hear us. You have shut us out, and so have shut yourself from the Galaxy".
Another JedI, a woman, appeared, Dawn thought she looked familiar "You are exiled, you are JedI no longer".
The older JedI with no hair spoke "There is one more thing, your light saber, surrender it too us".
The small holo image of Shayla activated a bright double blade and thrust it into the central pillar in the room, deep enough that the handle stuck into the stone.
Then she turned and left.
The blonde haired Master spoke first after she left "Much defiance in that one".
"You are correct Kavar. When she was here, I felt it. It was if she was not there, more like an echo" said the Texan JedI.
The dark haired female JedI nodded "The war has touched the youngest of the order. Many of them have lost themselves in the battle against the Mandalorians".
Atris sneered "We have not lost a jedI this day. You all felt it…she has lost herself. She is no JedI, she walked Revan's path, but was not strong enough.
The Texan sighed "I fear we are to blame for the teachings that led Revan to chose the path that he did".
"We are not the ones who taught Revan" Atris countered.
The dark haired woman shook her head "We take responsibility Atris, not cast blame".
Kavar, the blonde haired JedI spoke next "The choice of one was the choice of us all. Revan's teacher intended no harm. And Revan had many teachers since".
Atris leaned back in her council chair "Yet they all stem from the same source. Her teachings violated the JedI code, and led all who listen to the dark side, as they did the Exile".
The dark haired woman interrupted "You are wrong Atris, the dark side is not what I sensed in the Exile. Surely the rest of you sensed it as well. That emptiness we felt…She has changed".
"Whatever that…wound was" Atris spat "It was of the dark side. We should not have let her depart. She will simply join Revan again, or perhaps worse".
The Texan was focused on again "What would you have done with her Atris?. Be mindful of your feelings!. This is not Revan that stood before you. This one walks a different path".
"No" Kavar spoke "Although that may come in time. We let her go because we must, where she travels she carries her destination with her".
Atris seemed nearly irate "Malachor five should have been her grave. You saw it in her walk, and in the force. It was as if she was already dead".
"No, not death" the Texan spoke "Many battles awaits that one, if what you have seen is true. But the future is constantly shifting, and she cuts through it like a blade".
The dark haired woman sighed "We should have told her the truth. A jedI deserves to know".
The old man spoke next "No good would have come from it, even if what you said was true. There is still the matter of Revan, and such truths could leave us vulnerable on two fronts".
Kavar nodded "Perhaps, in many years, we shall callher before us, and explain what has happened to her, and how to heal her. Until then, she must accept her journey".
The dark haired woman shook her head "But she may never discover the truth. And never know why we cast her out".
"Then that is the future we must accept" Kavar said.
The holo-recording stopped.
"Wow, those JedI sure like there secrets" Atton snorted.
Dawn felt a presence behind her, she turned slightly, seeing Xander awake and standing behind her with an expression that worried her.
"Xander?" she said.
He smiled slightly, and stepped into the room, "Hey, did I miss anything?".
"Just a recording of Shayla's trial" Atton said.
"Oh" Xander said.
T3 began to beep again, interrupting any further conversation.
"T3 says he has a list of the missing JedI" Shayla translated.
"Well, let's see it" Dawn said.
Another holo record appeared above the central display.
The image of the old man appeared Master Vrook Dantooine.
The Texan Master Zez Kai Ell Nar shadaa.
The blonde haired JedI Master Kavar Onderon.
The dark haired woman Master Lonna Vash Korriban.
An image of Atris, Master Atris Telos.
"I knew them all, they were all there" Shayla said.
Kreia stepped up "This is no coincidence, there is a larger plan at work here, and we are walking right into it. This is too convenient to be anything other than a trap".
Shayla nodded "Be that as it may, we need their help against the Sith".
"Those are Atris's records you have stolen" Said a voice that shouldn't be on board.
Everyone turned to see one of the women in white step into view from the darkness of a corridor.
"What the hell are you doing on our ship?" Atton snapped.
She nodded "I have come to join you. I can help you against this threat".
"Well, we don't want your help, or any of your sisters" he retorted.
"It is just me, and I am doing this because Atris believes you will need help" she stated.
Dawn spotted Xander look to Shayla, the brief eye contact seemed to convey what he was thinking, she looked back to the HandMaiden "We will take what ever help we can get".
"Indeed?" Kreia asked "What does one more matter to our journey" she shook her head "I grow tired of this, I will be in my chambers".
As she turned down the corridor Atton stood up too "Yeah, me too, I'll be in my chambers…but since I don't have any, I guess I'll be in the cock-pit, like I always do. If she get's to come with us, she get's the cargo hold. Might remind her how fun it is to get locked up".
"The cargo hold is enough. I assure you, there is little I need, I will attend myself" the Handmaiden said.
Xander shook his head "Look, forget atton, we'll find something better than the cargo hold".
"It is no matter. I am used to worse conditions. But…thank you, for your kindness" she nodded and then left for the rear of the ship.
Dawn caught the slightly pained look on Shayla's face "Okay, so now we know where we need to go".
"Don't forget Shayla's suggestion, splitting up is still a good idea" Buffy added.
Xander looked to shayla "Split up, why the hell for?".
"Cause the Sith can track us so damn fast, because we can use the force" Dawn explained.
"Oh" he said as he moved to sit down, he looked a lot better but it would be a day or two before he was back up to full strength.
"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Buffy asked.
"Yeah, probably, guess I'm too wired" he nodded.
"Or I didn't give you enough sedatives" Dawn smiled.
"Maybe, so about splitting up, don't we need another ship?" he asked.
"Attons suggested either Nar shadaa or Dantooine, the latter is closer but both have the possibility of us finding another vessel" Shayla said.
"Closer sounds better, besides, isn't Dantooine the location of the JedI Academy?" he asked.
Shayla nodded "Yes, though it was destroyed in the JedI Civil War".
"We still might find something useful" he added.
"Plus that Vrook guy is there" Dawn agreed.
Shayla nodded "True. First let's gather the rest of the group and our supplies, then we'll discuss where we shall go, and who will go with who assuming we can find another vessel".
"Sounds good chief" Xander smiled "I think I'm gonna drudge me up something to eat".
Dawn smiled "We got Cardboard flavoured rations and plastic flavoured rations, your choice".
"If I mix them, I'll have plastic cardboard flavour" he said as she moved to the storage cupboard.
Buffy chuckled "I could go for something to eat too" as she pulled out a Twix bar from her pants.
Both Xander and Dawn stopped.
Buffy stopped as well "uh oh" she then bolted for the corridor leading to the other set of quarters, Dawn and Xander right behind her.
Shayla smiled at the antics before heading to the bridge "Like children sometimes" she muttered to herself.
Next Chapter, the gang gets together and has some much needed downtime enroute too...ha, like i'm going to say yet bwahahaha.