-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.
Chapter Five:
"Hey guys, were approaching the Research Facility, there's a few things you should see" Attons voice echoed from the Ebon Hawks Intercom, drawing everyone's attention from what they were doing.
The first person to enter the cock-pit was Shayla, she moved to the co-pilots chair and looked out the window, her mouth opened to ask what he wanted to show them but Atton beat her too it.
"I'm bringing the ship around, there are two ships, one in the compound and another in the flatlands a few hundred meters away" he said as he easily controlled the vessel.
As the facility came into view, everyone else also joined them, except for T3-M4, the little droid was likely still doing maintenance on the ship.
"There, that shuttle in the compound" Atton pointed.
"The droids" Xander said quietly "On the plateau".
Kreia nodded "It would explain how they tracked us".
Atton banked the ship slightly, turning it away from the station "That's not the ship that bothers me" he said.
A few seconds later they spotted another vessel as they passed over the ridge that basically surrounded the facility, everyone knew just from the design that it was bad news.
The ships was larger than an orbital shuttle, but smaller than the Ebon Hawk, it was definitely a sleek vessel, with two large wings structures that sloped slightly down and away from the main body of the ship, then jutted forward, a few meters past the darkened cock-pit.
Another pair of smaller wings, similar to the first pair jutted up from the fuselage, and sloped forward as well, stopping level with the cock-pit, then came the weapons, large barrels for some kind of energy weapon mated almost seamlessly with each wing, one lone double barrel turret rested on the fuselage, about center with the ship, the design definitely made the ship look fast, and dangerous.
"Why do I have a bad feeling when I look at that ship?" Buffy asked.
Atton smothered a laugh "Cause that's a Sith Interceptor, a larger cousin to the Sith fighter built by Malak and Revan using the Star Forge".
Shayla looked at the ship as they circled it "That was built at the Star Forge?".
Atton nodded "Those things are the Sith equivalent of the Republic scout, fast and highly manoeuvrable, the entire design is to make it harder to detect on sensors, those things used to plague Republic supply convoys back during the war, quite effectively too, especially in groups".
"This is bad" Dawn said "That ship means there are Sith on the planet, they tracked us here".
Shayla turned in her chair "Dawn, relax, we don't know if they found the others, we need to remain calm and focused".
Buffy smiled "She's right, besides, with Faith, Caridad and Shannon watching over everyone, I pitty the idiots that try to mess with them".
"Don't forget Wills" Xander chuckled.
Buffy nodded "Oh I didn't forget".
Atton cleared his throat "So what's the plan people, we land and go in or just toss caution to the wind and take us into the landing bay?".
Shayla hesitated for a second "We have the weapon turrets, if there are Sith inside the compound we could use the extra firepower".
Buffy's eyes widened "Are you serious, your talking like these guys are more than we could handle".
Shayla, Dawn and Xander just looked at her.
"Buffy, the Sith were responsible for the deaths of Billions, including the population of this planet, there armies were more than capable of killing cause they wanted too, and the Dark JedI, well, I'm not going there" Atton said rather calmly, if not a little nervous.
"Oh, okay then, Sith bad, got it" she replied.
Xander looked back to the Handmaiden, who was hiding just in the corridor outside the Cock-pit, he gave her a look, as if to ask if she had any suggestions, she shook her head and remained were she was, he nodded and looked back to Shayla "Okay, so what do you think we should do, you're the one who used to be the General" he nudged her.
Shayla's face visibly darkened at the comment, "We go in with the ship, Xander and Atton should move to the turrets just in case, the rest of us will see how the others are, if things are bad, we try to get them out and return to the ship".
"Okay, we got a plan" Buffy said "I'm going to go get ready".
Dawn rolled her eyes "Ready, your wearing everything you brought with you".
"Hey, gotta look my best if the bad guys want to start something" she winked and left the Cock-pit.
Atton shook his head as well "Something tells me that any Sith we actually do run into, are really not going to like her".
Xander patted the pilots shoulder and left without a word, Dawn right on his heals, leaving only Shayla and Kreia in the cock-pit with him, none of them had been aware of the Handmaidens presence.
"We must tread carefully, I can feel a powerful disturbance in the force within the facility" Kreia said to Shayla.
"So did I, but it could be Willow, the sheer power the woman has is startling" She replied.
Kreia nodded "Which brings up another issue, whether or not the Sith managed to surprise our new associates, something must be decided, the amount of power she wields is likely how the Sith tracked us to this facility to begin with, not to mention the presence of four force sensitive's, Xander and Dawn, though capable, and growing more experienced, could be used against you".
Shayla frowned as she watched the older woman "What do you mean?".
Kreia glanced to Atton "Perhaps it is best that we discuss this at a more opportune moment".
Shayla understood the old woman clearly, she didn't want to talk in front of Atton, they also needed to pay attention to the hopefully unnecessary, rescue of their new friends.
Hangar Bay
The Ebon Hawk easily dropped through the ceiling entrance to the facilities cavernous hangar bay, front the belly mounted turret Xander could see the unmistakable signs of combat, that wasn't there before they left, he tapped the ships intercom "I've got signs of fighting on the display here, light blaster fire and maybe even high explosives".
"Understood, just keep your eyes peeled, if there are Sith here we need to spot them before we land" Atton replied over the headset.
Xander didn't reply back, he inhaled slowly as he used the turret camera's to track through the hangar bay, not wanting to tip any potential hostiles off by moving the turret itself.
He didn't need to wait long, sighing in relief upon seeing Faith and the new guy O'Neill enter the hangar bay from the direction of Droid maintenance.
"We got friendlies, Xander stand down" Shayla said over the ships com system, he smiled and shut down the turret, then climbed the short ladder to the main lever and moved to join everyone by the ships entrance.
He spotted Buffy, Dawn and the Handmaiden waiting calmly "Faith and O'Neill are out there" he said, figuring no one had elaborated on who the friendlies Shayla mentioned were.
Buffy's face brightened visibly, Dawn's seemed to relax more than anything, and the handmaiden, well she seemed about as emotional as she had been since first meeting her.
"I just hope no one was hurt" Dawn said quietly.
Xander nodded, knowing exactly what she meant, Sith were bad news, Dark JedI were even worse "I'm sure their fine" he said as they felt the ship touch down, the ramp clicked and hissed as the environmental seal disengaged and began to lower "But let's go check for ourselves shall we?".
Atton joined them a second later just as the ramp touched the hangar bay floor "I need a shower" he muttered.
Xander stopped and thought about it for maybe a second "I agree, a shower sounds like a damn fine idea".
Buffy smiled but said nothing as she moved down the ramp first, Dawn followed, then the Handmaiden, Atton and Xander took up the rear.
"Hey guys, glad to see you back, with our ship no less!" Faith hollered from the hangar bay control room.
Buffy jogged over "Yeah, fun and games, ran into a few droids, shot the shuttle out from under us" she slowed as she neared the two of them "Damn Faith, you look like crap!".
O'Neill nodded "Yeah, six droids paid us a visit, they managed to get into the computer here before we could neutralize the two that actually came in, I guess they got off a signal before we finished them off".
"Then the Sith jerks showed up, no worries though, everyone's fine" Faith added.
Faith looked towards the rest of the group as they approached, her eyes narrowing upon seeing the white haired woman in their midst "Who's the chick?".
Buffy turned slightly "Handmaiden, an Echani warrior, she's volunteered to help us out".
Faith eyed the woman up and down in only a few seconds, Buffy saw the look in her sister slayers eyes, she likely came to the same conclusion, Handmaiden was skilled, and very dangerous.
Faith glanced back to Buffy and nodded, they would both be watching this new addition, very carefully indeed.
O'Neill seemed at least somewhat aware of the silent communication between the two of them but remained quiet, he simply checked to make sure the hangar bay automated services came on line, thanks to some instruction from Bao-Dur that is.
Remote fuel hoses snaked out from holes in the floor, Atton being the only truly experienced pilot moved quickly to secure each hose to the ship, Xander took a cue and moved to help out.
O'Neill then turned back to Buffy "So, back to the Sith".
"Yeah, we figured they showed up when Atton spotted a Sith Interceptor in the flatlands" Buffy said.
O'Neill moved to a chair and sat down hard "It was not a pleasant experience, if it wasn't for Willow, we would all likely be in chains, or dead, she bought the rest of us enough time to regroup after a serious butt kicking".
Buffy's face paled slightly "Is she okay?".
Faith slapped her on the back "Relax, Red's fine, a little drained from the encounter but at least she didn't get tossed around like a rag doll" she smirked at O'Neill.
He nodded "Yeah, but I wasn't the light saber practise dummy" he retorted.
Buffy saw the jesting and relaxed a bit, she was worried that Faith and O'Neill wouldn't get along, it seemed her worries were unfounded.
"So, I take it the Sith are responsible for your oh so beautiful condition?" she asked.
Faith nodded but didn't say anything.
"So, you got the ship back, gotta say though, It looks like a piece of crap" O'Neill muttered.
"That's what I said, but Atton and Dawn insist it's a good ship" Buffy nodded.
"So, what the sitch B?. Who took the Ebon Hawk?" Faith asked as she leaned against the door frame.
Buffy shook her head "We'll get into all that after the ships secure and we're all together, there's a few things we all need to hear, and discuss".
Faith looked to O'Neill, then back to Buffy "We ain't gonna like this are we?".
Buffy just shrugged her shoulder "Let's go get everyone together".
Faith looked back to O'Neill "I'll be along shortly, once Atton and Xander have those hoses secured".
The two women nodded and left, collecting the handmaiden from the hallway as they left, their destination, the droid maintenance area.
Twenty minutes later…
Shayla looked at everyone, seeing the various reactions to the events of the last few hours in the Polar Region, with Atris and finally an official introduction to the Handmaiden, who remained quiet since there arrival.
Everyone seemed just a little on edge after hearing about how the group had been locked up by this woman, but no one said anything, they just gave her wary looks.
Shayla glanced to Kreia, their conversation from the landing, though brief was definitely the first thing on her mind "So, with the events of the last few hours out of the way, I think it's time we talked about our current situation, and how we can best achieve our goals".
Riley held up a hand, "Those goals being?".
"Finding the surviving JedI Masters, and convincing them to meet on Dantooine" Shayla clarified "Atris is one, so that leaves only four that need to be located".
Shayla caught a look on Kreia's face and knew what she was thinking "We also need to discuss the dangers of having so many force sensitive individuals in one group".
Faith was the first to catch on "You intend to split us up?".
Shayla nodded "It's a dangerous idea, I know, but with Kreia, Dawn, Xander and Myself, it was becoming apparent that the enemy could track us rather easily, with Willow's power I would guess that we are more like a beacon".
"But willow can mask her power now, and we're stronger as a group, you know the saying, together we stand, divided we fall" Faith interrupted.
Shayla nodded "I don't like it either, but together we will be hounded every time we stop, likely within hours of arriving at our destinations, we can buy ourselves time if we split into groups, and we can search more planets a lot faster".
Miller held up a hand "It's a good point, besides, I saw the Ebon Hawk land, she doesn't look like we'd all be very comfortable all crammed in there".
O'Neill stood "It's a tactically sound strategy, we need time to accomplish our objectives, being attacked every time we stop makes that difficult, if not impossible".
Buffy nodded "I kinda got the feeling from earlier that it really wasn't a suggestion, more like a hey, here's what happening, sure I don't like it, but Shayla's the boss, now we need to figure out how were going to do this, and who goes where".
Atton cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention "There's the Sith Interceptor, with the Zabrak's help I might be able to crack the security protocols and get her flying, it can carry eight people".
"Wouldn't it be a bad thing to be seen flying around in a Sith ship?" buffy asked "From everything I heard the Sith are hated and feared".
Bao-Dur nodded, "True, but I have seen them in action, Interceptors are very difficult to detect, in the hands of an experienced pilot that is, if Atton and I can breach the security systems, it might give us an advantage, besides, the ship might have some intelligence that may prove useful".
Giles stepped up "Shayla, exactly how many groups were you thinking we should divide into?".
"Three at most" she said "Kreia and I have discussed this quite thoroughly, Dawn, Xander and myself should not be travelling together for an extended period, due to the connection between us, the ripples in the force intensifies when we're in close proximity".
Faith nodded "Okay, but what about you Kreia?. You have a connection as well, using that theory, shouldn't it be four groups?".
The old woman seemed surprised "An astute observation, and yes, I have a connection, but only to Shayla, Dawn and Xander are connected to Shayla and she to them, the connections are different, I have meditated on this situation for many days now, of that i am certain".
Giles nodded "These connections, bonds if you will, I assume they are the cause of Dawn and Xanders new found abilities with the force?".
"Yes" Kreia nodded "Shayla lost the ability to feel the force many years ago, during our time on Peragus, I reached out to Shayla while I was comatose, in doing so I may have been the catalyst that gave her a chance to feel the force again, as for the transferral to Dawn and Xander I can only guess".
Buffy looked up "So what's your guess ?".
Kreia looked to her, then to Dawn and Xander, since they were the topic of discussion for the moment "My theory is that when I connected with Shayla, she instinctively reached out as I did, though it would mean the two of you must have been force sensitive to begin with for the connection to be established, though how the connection would grant the two of you a level of instinctual understanding in the force, in addition to subconscious knowledge of JedI training I have no theory".
Everyone was silent for a few moments, letting the woman's words sink in, finally Xander stepped forward "If we can get the Interceptor working, I'd like to take it, if no one objects".
Most of the group stopped, surprised by his willingness to actually take a command position, he looked to Buffy and Willow, expecting some kind of resistance, they were always the first two who tried to argue with him if he tried to take on more than they thought he should.
Faith however surprised everyone "Where Harris goes, so do I".
Buffy was the most surprised by her statement "Okay, everyone slow down, if anyone should lead any group, it should be Faith and I, after Shayla, we have the most experience, I'm not saying this because I don't believe in you Xander, but it's a fact".
"Buffy, this is not our place, this is a Galaxy with different rules than we are used to, perhaps it is best that the JedI lead the groups" Giles suggested.
Xander scowled "Dawn and I are not JedI" he said the last word vehemently "We just have to ability to use the force, two different things G-man".
"The boy is correct, they both have the training and the potential, but neither of them were actually trained, neither of them asked to become JedI" she sighed.
"I see, I was unaware of the differences, my apologies" Giles said.
Xander nodded, "It's okay, I didn't really get a handle on it till we met with Atris".
Dawn finally spoke up "If she's the best example of a JedI, I'm glad I'm not actually one of them" she spat.
Buffy still didn't like the Idea of Xander, and more importantly her sister, leading the two groups, Shayla was obviously a leader, and though she had seen both her sister and friend handle a few situations with clear heads she just couldn't bring herself to let them take that burden.
"Xander, please, think about this" she started to say.
"Buffy" he said, cutting her off "I know you want to keep us safe, but we're targets, plain and simple, we're the ones connected to Shayla, we're the ones the Sith will be coming after".
"More of a reason we should keep you guys safe, and away from the bad guys" Buffy said.
Xander shook his head "You haven't faced a Dark JedI Buffy, we have, sure I got hurt pretty bad that first time but I lived, and I'm stronger for it".
Faith stepped up "I fought one B, he took me apart in seconds, and I got a feeling he was just another soldier, like a Sergeant or something".
Buffy spun to face her "Faith, of everyone I thought you'd be backing me up!".
"Normally I would, but this ain't our place, Xander and Dawn are the ones touched, this is their fight" she sighed "Look, I've seen them both in action, they got what it takes, I don't know when I realized it, but they are leaders" she said, not noticing the two in question looking rather uncomfortable at the praise.
"Faith, I never thought I'd ever see you willingly follow another" Buffy said.
She shrugged her shoulders "Yeah, funny ain't it" she pulled out a stick of gum "We all know I'm not much of a leader, hell, we all know I'm not much of a follower, this is different though, I can't really explain it better than that".
Buffy just stood there, feeling alone with her concerns, finally she stepped back "All right, I'll back down, but I'm standing by my feelings" she looked to Dawn "Until I've been shown otherwise".
Dawn seemed to understand her meaning, smiling slightly, she said nothing though.
"Xander" Shayla said finally "Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked, bringing attention back to his request.
"Yup, I do" he nodded "If Faith wants to come along, she's more than welcome to join me, that leaves six more".
The white haired Echani stepped forward "If there are no objections, I too would be honoured if you would accept me".
Xander nodded "Anyone else?".
Shayla stepped up next to him "You need a pilot".
"If Atton gives me a crash course I can handle it" O'Neill said as he rocked on the balls of his feet.
"You will need someone capable of making repairs, I would be a logical choice" Bao-Dur nodded.
Xander smiled "Thanks, but what about the Ebon Hawk, it'll likely need more care than the Interceptor…assuming you really can get past the security systems".
"Oh, I'm not worried about the Interceptor, we'll get it flying again, and as for the Ebon Hawk, I'm pretty sure Atton can keep the ship flying" the Zabrak smiled.
Atton nodded "A good pilot knows enough to keep the important stuff working".
"That still leaves two slots" Faith said.
Xander shook his head "That should be enough, besides, I was assuming you'd want to bring along that spider droid of yours".
Faith nodded "Yeah, I do actually, T3's done an awesome job fixing him up, added a few new gizmo's, armour and weapons, we just need to finish a few things with the programming, I have no idea what the little guy was talking about but he knows his stuff".
"I could help with that" Bao-Dur said.
She smiled "Thanks".
Shayla nodded "It's settled then, if you two can get the Interceptor operational, you can leave immediately" she looked into Xanders eyes "I'm curious though on which planet you hoped to search first?".
Xander glanced to Buffy before speaking "I was thinking about Korriban".
That was not what Shayla expected "The world Master Lonna Vash was reported to be, why?".
Xander took a deep breath, again glancing at Buffy.
Buffy however stepped up "Because we know Master Vash, or at least we think we do".
Shayla looked to Kreia, then back to Buffy and Xander "You know her?. How is this possible?".
Xander took over "She's a lot older than I remember from the last time I saw her" he hesitated "We knew her as Cordelia Chase back where we come from…she died about two years ago".
Shayla shook her head, obviously confused "That can't be, Master Vash was at my trial nearly ten years ago, she's been a Master of the JedI Order for twice that".
Buffy nodded "It's hard to understand, I get that, I really do, but the resemblance is uncanny, she is a spitting image of Cordy, an older Cordy, with really cool hair, but that's just Cordy, always has to look good" she smirked.
Shayla nodded "Okay, I of all people know how strange things can be, but Xander, you do know how dangerous it could be on Korriban, it was the birth place of the Sith".
"Yeah, read up on it" he said "Which is another reason I want to do this…need to do this, if Vash is really Cordy, I can't let her walk on that planet alone".
Shayla stepped forward, stopping inches from him "Okay, but please be careful".
He just smiled "Careful is my middle name".
Kreia sighed loudly "That is nice, but we should also determine where the rest of us should go, we discussed earlier the possibilities of both Dantooine and Nar Shadaa, both are the last known locations of Masters Zez Kai Ell and Vrook".
"I still say Nar Shadaa is a good choice" Atton piped up.
Dawn sat up straighter "But Dantooine is also were we're supposed to meet if we can gather up the missing JedI, checking it out is a good idea, you know, to make sure it's safe".
Buffy smiled at her sisters idea, "Tactically it makes the most sense".
"Atton, you mentioned that a lot of old freighters were abandoned when Malak destroyed the JedI Eclave there right?" Dawn asked.
He nodded "Yeah, when the turbo lasers starting tearing apart the area, no one wanted to risk flying I guess, so they ducked into the hills".
Buffy looked to Shayla "And this JedI Enclave, it was on Dantooine?".
"Yes, in fact there might be something we can salvage from the Enclave, if Malak didn't completely destroy it" Shayla responded.
Dawn nodded "Okay, we head to Dantooine, if we can find another ship I'll lead a group to either Nar Shadaa or Onderon, the last place to look, for Master Kavar I think it was, with Xander searching Korriban, you searching Dantooine, we should be able to cover them all pretty quickly, I guess we could all meet back up on the last planet we need to search, who ever get's there first can get things going".
Buffy was stunned for the second time in five minutes, this time however she didn't argue, she just stood back and listened.
Shayla looked around the room, no one was ready to argue her suggestion "All right, Dantooine it is" she looked to the young woman "It's a good plan Dawn".
Dawn smiled "Thanks, we should figure out which one we'll meet at though, cause I don't think we should risk making any long distance calls to let Xander and company know where we'll be".
Everyone smirked at the reference, those who understood the direct meaning at least, everyone else did understand the basic reference however.
"Onderon" Kreia stated "It remained nearly untouched during both the Mandalorian War and the JedI Civil War, it should be relatively easy to locate each other".
"So Nar Shadaa it is" Dawn said "If we can find another ship that is".
O'Neill stood up "Okay then, if that's everything, we should start getting the Ebon hawk loaded, we can go through the storage cylinders to see what we can use on the Interceptor".
Bao-Dur nodded "We should head out, the sooner we get started the sooner we can get the ship operational".
Kreia stood up as well "It has been along day, I shall be in my chambers meditating" she left quickly, ignoring everyone from that moment forward.
Atton, O'Neill and Bao-Dur left right after her, Graham and Riley shrugged their shoulders and headed off after them, it was plain to see that both men felt slightly left out, but neither complained.
Shayla realized that one member of the group had remained silent throughout the entire meeting "Willow, would you be willing to help me on the ship, there's a few things I think Xander could use".
Willow looked up, the girl was exhausted "Huh, oh..um yeah" she slowly stood, Shannon moved to her side quickly to steady her, Willow smiled at the younger Slayer "Thanks".
Shannon nodded and stepped back as Shayla moved to her side "It's easy work, nothing strenuous" she added as she guided her towards the hangar bay.
That left the orginal scoobies plus the two young Slayers, Faith cleared her throat "Guys".
Everyone looked to her, "What's up Faith?" Xander asked.
"Before we split up, I just wanted to come clean" she sighed "I knew that Buffy was coming, for a while now".
Dawn smirked as she looked to her sister, Xander nodded "I'm not surprised" he looked at Dawn "Are you surprised?" he smiled.
"No, I'm not surprised" she said.
Buffy nodded "I did tell her to let you two know" she leaned forward slightly "So why didn't you tell them?".
Faith sighed "The main reason was I didn't know how to tell them, that's the truth".
"There's more than one?" Giles asked.
Faith nodded "I also didn't know if you guys would really be able to do it, then there's Kreia".
Buffy nodded "You don't trust her either".
Dawn and Xander exchanged looks "It took you guys this long to figure that out?" they both asked almost in unison.
Shannon and Caridad couldn't help but giggle slightly, but quickly quieted from combined glares from the two senior Slayers.
Buffy turned back to Faith "She periodically sets off my Senses".
"Same, sometimes she isn't there, other times she lights up like a nuke" Faith agreed.
Shannon and Caridad looked to each other "What does that mean exactly?" Shannon asked.
Giles caught the looks on his two Senior Slayers faces "She's masking her presence, isn't she?".
Faith nodded "I've been around her a lot, I'd have to say yes, when things are calm, she seems to be almost unnoticeable, but when things get hectic, what ever she's doing to stay unseen slips a bit, I don't trust her but I don't think she's trying to hide from us, I think she's trying to hide from the big bad that after us".
"Why?" Buffy asked, still not sure of what was really happening.
"She's become Shayla's mentor, with the possibility of the Sith tracking us down, I think she's been trying to keep the blood hounds from finding us, or at least from making the trail easier to follow" Faith explained.
"So she's really trying to help?" Cari asked.
Faith nodded slowly "Kinda, she might be trying to help against the Sith, but it's clear that she has her own agenda, no clue to what it is, but I'm positive she's got something in the works".
"Then I'm glad you kept our arrival from her, things might have been different had she known we were coming" Giles said "I also think that when we reach Dantooine, assuming another ship can be found, at least two of us should remain with Shayla, to keep an eye on the mysterious woman".
Caridad stepped forward "I like Shayla, she's got a good heart, count me in".
Giles nodded "If it can be arranged, I will stay with her as well, though this may change, depending upon what we find on Dantooine, and the council Kreia is giving to our new leader".
Buffy nodded "Okay, if it can be done, the two of you will stay with Shayla" she looked to Dawn "I don't need to say it do I?".
Dawn smiled "Buffy, I'd be very worried if you said you weren't coming with me".
"Am I that transparent?" she smiled.
"No, just protective" she said "Besides, I was giving you another five minutes before I told you that your coming with me".
Buffy smiled "Really?".
Dawn rolled her eyes "Yes silly, you're my sister, I couldn't think of anyone I'd rather have watching my back".
"What about Atton?" Faith couldn't stop the urge.
Dawn looked stunned, Xander chuckled, Giles began to clean his glasses and both Cari and Shannon found the floor very interesting.
Buffy wanted to smirk at the look on her little sisters face but managed to conceal it, Faith however was grinning like a fool.
"Atton?. What the hell are you talking about?" Dawn asked.
Faith stood up and headed for the door "Oh nothing, I really should go check on the guys, they might have some trouble with some of those cylinders".
Dawn wouldn't let her go that easily "Hey, wait a minute, what the hell are you getting at?" she called out as she moved to follow the brunette slayer.
The two had been gone for only a few seconds when Buffy felt like everyone was staring at her, she couldn't hold it in any longer and laughed loudly, her face turning red almost instantly from the amount of blood rushing to her face.
Xander was more confused than anyone, the look on his face made her laugh even more.
Giles shook his head "Buffy, please, what is so amusing?".
Nearly a minute passed before she could respond, and it was mostly because the pain in her chest made it easier to not burst into laughter again.
Xander raised his eyebrow "So?".
Buffy smiled as she wiped the tears from her eyes "I already threatened to break every bone in his body".
"When did you talk with Atton?" Xander asked.
"We were all locked up, while you guys were talking to Atris" she explained.
Giles nodded "As long as he remains a gentleman I will refrain from hurting him".
Now everyone looked to Giles, not expecting such a comment, Buffy nodded "Okay, he is older than Dawn, by nearly a decade, he's an abrasive jerk sometimes, but he's just as creeped out as the rest of us…I mean because he finds Dawn attractive, he thinks he's a creep for even thinking about it…which in a big way he is..but he isn't cause he can't help it, so I think it's real".
Xander and Giles nodded, having gotten used to the woman's unique speech patterns over the years "So your cool with something possibly happening between them?" Xander asked.
Buffy shook her head "No, but she's an adult, she can make her own decisions, besides, who am I to judge, my love life has been a lot worse than that" she smirked "But I did tell him to talk to her, whether he does or doesn't, I won't start worrying till I have reason too".
Her explanation seemed to satisfy everyone, Xander stood up "Okay then" he said "I think I'm going to check on Atton and Bao-Dur, see if they have a grasp on things".
Everyone nodded as he left, Cari and Shannon falling in behind, after a subtle glance from Buffy, they both understood her silent request that they make sure he didn't say a word to Atton, or more likely to happen, a physical confrontation.
That left Buffy and Giles alone, together, both quiet as the events of the last few hours ran through both of their minds.
"I'm proud of you Buffy" Giles finally said.
She just looked at him.
"For doing what needed to be done, in regards to Dawn and Xander" he added.
She nodded "I still don't like it".
"I know, neither do I, but I learned along time ago that I can't always be the one to take the lead" he smiled.
She looked into his eyes, the meaning in his words finally hit home "This is how you felt…for all those years, all those fights, the apocalypses".
He smiled "Yes" he sighed "I wish I could tell you it get's easier, but that would be a lie".
She nodded, "Giles" she said quietly "The way Faith backed them up, that's not the Faith we used to know".
He nodded "She seems to have grown quite a bit in the last while, more so than I'd have ever thought possible".
"But it's the way she's willing to just slide back, without questioning why, I just don't get it" Buffy explained.
Giles frowned "True, her recent actions do seem out of character, however, we know only a small bit of what happened before we arrived, it's obvious they have all gone through some trying ordeals".
Buffy saw where he was going "Maybe she really has changed, maybe Dawn and Xander are influencing her subconsciously" she shook her head "I'm just thrown by how she can just do that without knowing the reasons why,".
Giles smiled "I do understand, I myself am finding Xander's behaviour rather odd, though he still has a grasp on his unusual sense of humour, he seems, confident, controlled, sometimes driven".
Buffy nodded "You think it's this link with Shayla?".
"Perhaps" he leaned back in his chair "This bond may have transferred more than just instinctual abilities to them both, it may have even transferred some of Shayla's personality traits".
"That doesn't sound good" she said "I like Xander and Dawn as themselves".
"I didn't mean that they were becoming Shayla, only that perhaps the needed personality traits were transferred with the abilities and skills, to ensure that they could handle this force, keep in mind, Dawn was once the key, she may not be a source of power anymore, but we both know that she did retain a small amount of that unique energy, it could very well be the reason they were both able to connect with Shayla" he said, almost as if he was thinking it through out loud and not really discussing it with her.
Buffy saw the connection "I didn't really think about that, I guess I've kinda forgotten about Dawn's origins, she's just my sister now".
"I know, I think we've all sort of forgotten over the last few years" he said.
Buffy stood up "Well, I think I'm going to go see if anyone needs help, if I don't so something constructive I'm going to go crazy".
"That sounds like an excellent idea" Giles said as he stood.
"Giles, thanks for the talk" Buffy said, touching his arm lightly.
He smiled "It's why I'm here, I'm just glad that you can still turn to me like that".
"I know, we've had a rough time, but we're stronger for it I think" she said.
"Yes, I do believe your right" he said, and surprised her by pulling her into a hug.
Next Chapter: The gang says 'see ya later' to Xander and his team. And break for their intended destinations. Atton and Dawn have a heart to heart. And everyone has time to really take a breather and think about what's happened and what might happen.
Chapter 6 will be the end of Volume 2. Volume 3 will be both Dantooine and Korriban, I thought it would be an appropriate way to start the group splitting up, one going to a JedI enclave, the other to the Sith. I know this will make things complicated in regards to how certain events will now happen to other characters, instead of the Exile, but it is how the idea's are forming in my head.
DR MASAKI Thanks so much for the reviews. Your idea's on fleshing out a few of the characters really did get the brain sparks flying. I am forever in your debt. :D
I'm slowly trying to get a few of those suggestions, plus a few my own brain tossed in worked out, my current thoughts on how Faith is dealing hasn't been fully fleshed out yet. Xander is even less so, I admit. Dawn I think I have a pretty solid idea. However I thought it might be easier to get a feel for how the other characters see how the Trio have changed, before I really got into their POV's.
It might be pretty obvious that Buffy seems way more accepting of how things are proceeding than she would normally be, especially where dawn is concerned. And Xander for that matter. My entire basis for her maturity is entirely conjectural, as she's sat behind a desk for the last two years or so, helping get things going with the watchers council. She wasn't on the front lines so to speak, to help organize a world wide establishment, a little maturity would be required.
Anywho. Thanks muchly to those who have read what I've created. And double muchly's to those who have left reviews…hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge.