Author's notes: The long awaited moment is here! No, not KotOR II (unfortunately). It's our very own old hermit from the Shadowlands! Chapter 20 (wow… 20 already? Plus the intermezzos…). Don't worry if it's short… more longer goodies are to come soon. The last chapter of Kashyyyk turned out to be 25 pages long – I had to split it in two. Or should I leave it as one chapter?

thesnowman – I take extra care with characters like Jolee and HK-47. When you write other characters badly, they're more or less acceptable. But funny characters… now that's another story entirely.

Dark Lord Daishi – yeah, he'll be drooling soon (well, maybe). More Juhani in this chapter.

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Chapter 20 – The Memory of Trees

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Her eyes slowly became accustomed to the darkness of the deep forest. When the wooden basket reached the roots of the immense Wroshyyr trees, even the brightest lights of the Wookiee fires became tiny dots and then disappeared in the thick sea of leaves above them. The Shadowlands themselves were quite a labyrinth and it took some time to learn your way around there if you wanted to avoid the kinrath and katarn that lurked in the shadows. Of course, there were larger creatures that could prove to be much more of a problem…

Revan remembered her first time down here quite well. The trick was to act as if she had never been here before and not find the Star Map too quickly – again.

There was also the matter of Zaalbar – Chuundar wouldn't waste time and immediately attempt to convince his younger brother that what he is doing is for the good of the Wookiees.

"And we're supposed to find that crazed Wookiee and the Star Map here? In a dark, unexplored area that really gives me the creeps?" Mission shivered a bit – the sun was out of sight, thanks to the trees. Revan didn't really intend to take her here, but Mission insisted that she would help Big Z under any circumstances. Well, if she wanted to get killed by the wild katarns, that was her choice.

It wouldn't be wise to take a droid down here, so T3 stayed at the ship. Zaalbar was captured. Bastila was out of the question, because she was still mad at Revan and someone had to watch over the entire madhouse that was the Ebon Hawk. She had delegated Carth with that task. They didn't want to attract… unnecessary attention and that meant that HK-47 and Canderous stayed to guard the ship with Carth – which made the pilot sulking considerably. That left Juhani and Mission, who didn't want to be left behind.

"That's about the size of it."

"Wow, talk about Wookiee "welcome back home" ceremonials." Mission sighed, "I hope Big Z´s alright. But better up there near the campfires than here in the cold darkness."

She barely finished the sentence before several katarns attacked them. But before the animals knew what was happening, they suddenly spotted two swords, both very different from the usual Wookiee weapons. They weren't metallic, but made out of light, so bright that they pierced the darkness surrounding.

Juhani leapt through the air and with one strong blow, she cut one of the katarns in half. Revan crouched and rolled to the side to dodge the tail of another one, decapitating the creature as it turned to attack her with its fangs. She heard a gasp of pain and saw the last one use its tail to trip Mission. One blaster fell out of her hand when she struggled for balance and landed somewhere in the grass.

The creature advanced on her lying form, obviously preparing to rip her to pieces. There was no time to attack the beast, so Revan threw her lightsaber at the katarn with a swift move of her hand. Before the beam had the chance to hit the creature, however, Mission managed to grip the remaining blaster tightly in both her hands and fire a single powerful blast aimed at the monster's scull. The hit sent the katarn flying right into the way of the thrown lightsaber, which sliced it in two. Mission instinctively remained on the ground in case the saber would fly above her, but it returned directly to Revan´s hand before it could harm her. Juhani, who was gazing around them for more would-be-attackers while her friends were fighting the last katarn quickly deactivated her weapon and crouched next to Mission.

"Be still. We must examine your injuries." There were cuts on Mission's arms and over her face. Some of them seemed deep. The girl winced in pain as Juhani took her arm and examined it closely.

"I…I'm sorry…I…"

"Shh…save your strength. There is no need to be sorry – you're not used to fighting such creatures." Juhani assured her, taking her hand. "Some are deep. We should heal it quickly to make sure she doesn't loose much blood – it doesn't look that serious, but it could get worse over time."

Juhani then held Mission's hands, passing some energy into her and healing her wounds through the Force. It worked well – the dark blue liquid that was slowly emerging from the wounds on Mission's arm stopped appearing and the minor cuts immediately disappeared. It appeared that the shock was what caused Mission to fail to catch her breath. It wasn't surprising – an encounter with such a beast would leave you shaken if it would be too close to your face. The Twi´lek regained her natural shade of blue and gave Juhani and Revan a tired smile.

"Thanks, guys. I feel better now. Sorry I scared you both. Oh, wait – Jedi aren't allowed to be afraid, huh? So either you're very good con artists or you just broke some sort of Jedi rule. And don't think I would for a second buy the first one." she added with a wicked grin.

Revan shook her head, "Breaking Jedi rules is my job. Can you stand? "

"Sure, it's not like the thing broke my legs or something. And I thought Bastila with her Force tripping was annoying." Mission said, half-pouting.

"Force tripping?" Juhani asked, surprised, "I did not think Bastila was the kind of Jedi who would use the Force in such a strange manner."

"Wait till you know her as long as I do, Juhani. Disobey her majesty's wishes and prepare to face the deadly Force tripping." Mission noted as she stood up, searching for her lost blaster.

It was nowhere in sight.

Maybe a tach snatched it while we weren't looking, she thought. It was just an ordinary blaster pistol, but still a weapon. She sighed, shaking her head when she got back to her feet.

"Perhaps you would find this useful, Mission."

Juhani found a corpse lying under one of the logs. It was a Zabrak, judging by the gear. That was also the reason why Revan was relieved – Juhani handed a modified Zabrak blaster to Mission. It was better than most other single-handed ranged weapons and only the best heavy Mandalorian pistols could match its quality. The scoundrel examined it for a moment, and then aimed it at a nearby tach. With amazing speed, a blaster bolt emerged from the weapon, hitting its target long before the tach even saw it coming. Tachs were normally quite agile creatures, so it as only natural that Mission was satisfied with her new blaster. She thanked Juhani and took out the other heavy blaster, ready to continue the journey.

"That Zabrak suit could come in handy. If we have to go here tomorrow, I think I'll wear it, just to be stylish." Mission laughed. Then… "Hey, did you hear that?"

Strange sounds were heard quite nearby. A noise that sounded awfully like…

If that's not a lightsaber, then I never heard one.

Mission would say that out loud, but their past experiences with fighting Dark Jedi weren't particularly spectacular – Juhani told her how they were ambushed on Tatooine and Alexa mentioned the recent Dark Jedi attack.

Revan didn't say anything, only pointed at Mission's stealth field generator. The Twi´lek understood – she would probably just get in the way if they were to battle Dark Jedi – Alexa and Juhani were much more skilled in melee combat than she was and then of course, they were Force users.

She quickly drew the vibrosword Alexa bought her on Tatooine and disappeared, the cloaking effect of the belt wrapping around her. Revan and Juhani slowly moved forward, crouching. They weren't that visible in the tall grass and Juhani´s Force Camouflage was better than any stealth device. They had a good chance of surprising the would-be-attackers.

The saber sounds were close now. But it wasn't just the soft humming of a battle-ready lightsaber beam. There were swishing sounds heard, along with the sound of the saber slicing through something.

Maybe they were attacked while waiting for us. That could give us an advantage, Juhani thought. But when they located the source of the noises, they were astonished, to say at least.

Yes, the person wielding the lightsaber was attacked by katarns, but a single look at the blade color told them that the man wasn't at all waiting for them. A Dark Jedi would have a crimson beam ready in hand and would be proud of the color, because red lightsabers were a symbol of the Dark Side.

The beam slashing the animals wasn't anything close to dark red – it was a shining emerald green blade, the symbol of a Jedi Consular. The person wielding it was a dark-skinned human, old but not ancient, dressed in Jedi Knight robes of an earthy brown color. He was far from light, but far from dark as well. There was bitterness in him, but also mischief. Resentment, but also kindness. The man, no matter whose side he was on, wasn't their enemy. They could tell that much.

What's with the kids these days, eh? No one offers help to an old man? An elderly voice echoed in Revan's head. She blinked, startled. Telepathy required a strong mind… and a strong affinity to the Force.

You seem to handle yourself fine, old man. I wouldn't want to spoil your morning exercise. Revan thought back.

How kind of you.

Four katarns were attacking the man, each from one direction. Revan and Juhani stood up and Mission deactivated her stealth field, watching the Jedi fight. The Twi´lek wanted run to help him, but Juhani stopped her and shook her head. The man didn't need help in fighting the katarns. Although he seemed quite old, he was incredibly agile. The katarns were killed in a few moments, one by one sliced by the energy beam.

"Ah, the damnable racket of battle! Watch yourself, even more of these crawling beasts are hiding in the underbrush." The old man said, turning to them.

When he spoke, Revan finally got a chance to study his appearance. The man was obviously not younger than sixty, judging by his face and the short gray beard. He was bald, with chocolate eyes that still showed energy and vitality. Now she was positive that she had seen him before... somewhere. The pointed glance he gave her effectively asked: 'What are you doing here, Sith?'

"Who are you? Are you a Jedi?" Juhani asked, also observing the man.

"Don't coddle me, child. I'm no damn Jedi." He said, shaking his head in frustration. Revan made a mental note to call him "Master Jedi" every now and then. "I'm Jolee, Jolee Bindo. Follow me to my camp and we'll talk a bit. It's dangerous out here now and your young Twi´lek friend seems to need some patching up." Jolee gazed at Mission's remaining wounds. There were still some scabs there – even the Jedi couldn't perform miracles on deep injuries when they didn't have much time.

Juhani nodded, "This is Mission Vao," She pointed to Mission. "Alexa Denali," Jolee arched an eyebrow, "And I am Jedi Knight Juhani." She bowed slightly.

Though obviously surprised, Jolee made a "pfft" like sound. "No need to bow, lass – I'm not your Master or the Jedi Council. Straighten up or you'll break your back before you turn thirty! Now keep close – my camp is nearby, under a log. Yeah, I live like some burrowing rodent. I fought the Sith...Now look at me. Hah!" And he took off. Mission shrugged and was the first to follow him. Juhani gave Revan a quizzical look, but they followed the Twi´lek.

Fortunately, the settlement was close, under a broken branch of a Wroshyyr tree. The entire hut was built of stone and clay, in harmony with the environment. They were lucky to have some shelter, because not long after they entered, it began raining. The cottage wasn't as small as it seemed to be from the outside, but it was no palace either. Several chairs there and a table, everything made out of salvaged wood. The quasi-fireplace was welcoming and Mission immediately felt better. It was quite cozy inside, and one could only wonder how long it would take to create such a feeling in the dark, cold and dangerous Shadowlands. Jolee closed the door behind them.

"Well, welcome to my home - such as it is. Pull up a stump and be comfortable – we should discuss a few things."

Revan and Jolee sat down, but Juhani chose to stand and Mission remained near the fireplace.

"No offense, but we don't have that much time." Revan pointed out impatiently.

"You'll have nothing but time if you don't take some of it to listen to others. I have been here for long, I know things. Remember that. My days of glory are behind me, but perhaps you could be of some use to me, and I to you. So, what brings three young lasses such as yourselves to the Shadowlands?"

"We seek a Star Map, the remnant of an ancient and forgotten race." Juhani explained.

"Now why would you be asking around for that, I wonder?" Jolee asked innocently. He shook his head. "Don't answer that. I knew it had to be the reason why you're here. The problems of a few Wookiees are nothing before the concerns of the Jedi. The Council wouldn't bother sending you for that. No, you're here for the Map."

Revan wanted to ask something, but noticed that Mission was rather distant and was gazing into the fire. There was a blank look in her eyes… not outright sorrow, but sadness. Time to act psychiatrist/Jedi again.

"Hey kid, what's wrong?"

Mission jolted back into reality. "Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just remembering Taris again. Y´know, the blaster I lost? It was one of the last things that reminded me of home…one of the last things I had from Taris." She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. "I must seem really stupid, crying for something that can't be returned, it's just…I dunno. I guess I just wanted something to remember where I came from."

"You lost something, but also gained. You can't change what happened. One must always be moving forward."

"I… I guess."

Jolee was sniggering by now.

"What's so funny?" Revan said, arms folded and eyebrows raised.

He cleared his throat out loud. His expression was now very Council-like and his voice sounded very much like Master Vrook´s.

"Emotional entanglements are dangerous at any level. Such actions are the path to the Dark Side. Blah, blah, blah write down the Code a hundred times as your punishment." When he stopped, he exhaled loudly and his voice was back to normal. "Well, that's about what the Jedi Council would tell you about that little display. So, you have my full approval to continue behaving that way." He bowed so low his head touched the table. Fortunately, he bowed slowly and didn't hit his head.

"Since you mentioned the Jedi, tell me a bit about yourself." Juhani was quite curious. A Jedi that disapproves the will of the Council, isn't a darksider and lives in the Shadowlands for that long was bound to attract her attention.

The old man made a face. "Bah. What is there to tell? Jolee Bindo is the crazy old man that lives in the Shadowlands. I'm quite content with the impression I give."

"I can sense the power of the Force within you, old man, but I cannot feel the taint of the Dark Side. I think you are a servant of the Light, no matter what you say."

"Well, I assure you, I see more gray than Dark or Light. I've seen my share of them and, frankly, both extremes annoy me."

"It's kinda nice to meet a Jedi who isn't hung up on all this Light Side – Dark Side stuff." Mission piped up. "It gets pretty tiring."

"At least one of you isn't out of their minds. You can't be all ooh, destiny, ooh, Dark Side! Leave that to us ancient Jedi."

"Just be sure not to tell Bastila anything like that – she would kill you!" Mission managed to say through her laughter.

"I hope that you ladies didn't leave your ship up there without protection. Czerka isn't invincible when it comes to protecting other people's property and even they aren't complete saints." Jolee warned them.

"No, no – the Hawk's well protected. No one would dare to take on Canderous and HK-47 at the same time." Revan assured him. Of course, Bastila was technically in charge, but she wasn't "the Master", when it came to HK or in place to order Canderous around. Revan could only hope that nobody would be dead by the time they return to the ship. Hopefully, at least Carth would be able to keep the insanity to minimum, although she couldn't be sure. Jolee smiled.

"Seems that you have things organized, miss." He told Revan.

"Alexa."

He briefly raised an eyebrow, but nodded and his expression returned to normal. The others didn't seem to notice. Without a word, Jolee stood up and after a moment, mugs and plates with food landed on the table. Mission left her place at the fire and joined the others for the meal. It wasn't exactly a feast, but the food was hot and good.

"You can spend the night here – there are enough blankets for all three of you."

"Could you tell us more about the Star Map?" Juhani prodded. She didn't seem to like staying in the Shadowlands… even if they really didn't have a choice. Revan, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind being away from the rest of the crew for a day or two.

"Some things are better left to discuss in the morning. Even Jedi need to sleep sometimes… unless they're hiding in a rancor pit. Now, shoo! I'm the wise old hermit persona around here and I say it's time to sleep, dammit!"

Mission sniggered before she sat down on her "bed", which was really just several blankets on top of each other, but enough to make her comfortable. She was lying near the fireplace, but the three Jedi insisted that she should take another blanket, just to make sure she doesn't catch a cold. Juhani slept next to the "kitchen" table, not making a sound.

Revan couldn't sleep.