Disclaimer: It's mine! Cackles It's all MINE!
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Carth stretched out slowly early the following morning, trying hard to forget the dream that he'd had the night before. He was absolutely positive that Aminta would not be happy about the kind of dream that it was.
He groaned, and propped himself up on his elbow as he forced his eyes open. With his new present awareness, two things were prominent in his mind: one was that Aminta sat fully dressed at the edge of her bed…the bed that he had so conveniently slept in, and two…the dream had been more than a dream. "Shavit," he muttered, and threw himself back down to the pillows. Gods, if you really exist, please let this be nothing but a nightmare that I'm going to wake up from very, very soon!
Aminta laughed slightly when she watched Carth's reaction. "Yeah. I woke up with about the same feeling," she confessed, resting her chin in her hand.
Carth groaned softly. "Glad to know the feeling's mutual," he muttered, but forced himself into a sitting position. "So… this has got to be the most awkward 'morning after' ever."
Aminta gave a half laugh again. "Yeah, no kidding." She quickly grew serious again. "We need to talk."
Cart sighed softly, and scrubbed at his face with his hands. "The words every man dreads," he mumbled under his breath, and then glanced up at her. "Okay."
"I'm somewhat surprised that this happened… we're two professionals, not a couple of teenagers," she sighed softly and looked down at her hands, and laughed nervously. "This is slightly strange."
Carth chuckled. "You just noticed?"
Aminta rolled her eyes. "Of course not. Look, what happened… We both know that it didn't mean anything to either of us. We're obviously not going to be able to forget that it occurred…but…" she paused and met his eyes. "I count you as one of my closest friends. I don't want this to screw up our friendship."
Carth smiled genuinely for the first time that morning. "Ah, it takes more than that to screw up a friendship. Of course, I've never been in the situation before, but…" he trailed off with a grin.
"Well, there's a first time for everything." She smiled tiredly at him, guilt gnawing at her insides. Yeah. You just betrayed Kael. You should feel very guilty right now.
Carth chewed on his lower lip for a second. "Ami… We didn't use…"
Aminta ran a hand through her still unkempt hair. "Don't worry about it. I can't get pregnant," she replied quickly, absently running a hand over her stomach.
"But you said…"
"I was pregnant before, yes. But, complications arose. Now, I just…I can't."
"Good," Carth breathed, and then mentally kicked himself. "I didn't mean it like it sounded…I'm just really glad…no! No, I'm not glad…wait…um…"
Aminta laughed. "Stop before you dig yourself any deeper."
Carth grinned sheepishly. "Yeah." He cleared his throat, and glanced back over to her. "Um, you don't have any…diseases, do you?"
Aminta raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it a little late for that?" She smiled slightly when Carth grimaced. "No, I don't." Carth sighed with relief, and Aminta tossed him his clothes. "I've got to be heading to the enclave now. I get to visit those lovely Jedi that started this whole," she indicated the air between them, "business."
Carth cleared his throat and waved her out the door. "Don't kill them," he warned, and Aminta smirked.
"Much as I'd love to, I don't really relish the idea of getting my head sliced off."
"The Jedi don't kill their prisoners."
"I wasn't thinking about the Jedi," with that, Aminta turned and headed out the door, wincing when Mission bounded up to her.
"You gonna bother denying it?" the teenager asked pointedly with a wide grin, and Aminta groaned.
"The threat to chuck your undergarments in the incinerator is still good, you know. And I'll swipe all of your credits so you can't buy any more," she warned the girl coldly, and Mission shrugged.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Now that I have proof, I don't really need to torment you about it anymore," the girl replied before bouncing off to Zalbaar. "Hey, Big Z! You wanna play some Pazaak?"
Aminta sighed sharply as she slung her bag over her shoulder, and headed towards the exit ramp, bumping into Canderous on the way down. "Have you seen Bastila?"
Canderous raised an eyebrow. "Leaving your room so soon?" Aminta glared at him, and he laughed. "It's a small ship. With so few people on board, not much stays a secret." Aminta's glare darkened. "Mission," Canderous clarified.
Aminta rolled her eyes. "Have you seen Bastila?" she repeated, and Canderous pointed towards the exit ramp. "Thank you," she muttered, hurrying to meet the Jedi. Serves you right. You should really learn to think before you act. First the drinking competition and now this. Idiot.
When Bastila saw her, the Jedi's cheeks grew warm. "Yeah, yeah. Everyone knows. Let's get moving," Aminta grumbled, and Bastila cleared her throat.
"Should you do anything so…irresponsible again, which I'm sure you will…"
"Was that an insult?" Aminta demanded, but Bastila ignored her.
"…Please remember that we do have a bond. It was not exactly pleasant feeling your… thoughts," Bastila mumbled, her eyes glued to the ground.
Aminta winced. "Don't worry. It was only a slip up," she grimaced. "Okay, it was a major slip up. But it isn't happening again," she promised.
Bastila let out a pent up breath of relief. "Good. In that case, I will…neglect… to tell the masters of your…mishap."
Aminta grinned. "Thank you. I'm beginning to think that you're not such a bitch after all." Bastila coughed. "Right, right. Watch the language around the Princess," Aminta teased, and surprisingly, Bastila laughed.
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"Good morning, Padawan Bastila. Miss Jae," Zhar greeted the pair with a smile. "Did you have a good night's rest?"
"Yes," Aminta replied, just as Bastila said "Oh, of course." The two women paused and glanced at each other out of the corner of their eyes and shared a slight smile before turning to face the Jedi Masters.
Vrook scowled, and Zhar's smile widened. "Well then, we would best begin your training now, since you both slept so well," he informed Aminta, his tone bemused.
Busted, Aminta thought, and the corner's of Bastila's mouth twitched upwards slightly. It was as though the younger woman had read her thoughts…
Of course I did, Bastila replied, but none of the Masters seemed to notice. It was like her voice was in Aminta's head…So, this bond really does exist.
I informed you of that matter this morning, if you recall, Bastila's voice rang in her head, and Aminta blushed and then coughed.
"Your bond, you have discovered." Vandar noted, and both women worked to keep their facial expressions nonchalant. "Leave you may, Padawan Shan. Much we have to discuss with Aminta Jae." Bastila nodded and bowed to the Masters before exiting.
Aminta looked up to the council. "Yeah? What do we need to talk about?" she crossed her arms over her chest, and Vrook's normally stern expression bore an almost sour look.
Vandar sighed. "Your training, we must discuss. Zhar, your master is." Aminta looked to the twi'lek, who smiled encouragingly at her. "Learn to use the force, you must."
Aminta laughed. "That was kind of a given."
"You would do well to show more respect towards the council," Vrook advised, although a trace of a reprimand was evident in his voice.
"I will when they stop pointing out the obvious," Aminta retorted. She felt two stern pairs of eyes on her, but Zhar's were unexpectedly twinkling. "So, when exactly does this training start?" she asked, turning to the most friendly of the Masters.
Zhar grinned. "Immediately." He turned to the other two Masters. "If you will excuse us, there is much work that needs to be done." Vandar bowed his head graciously, and although Vrook said nothing, Aminta could feel his reluctance.
Vandar stood smoothly from his dais and motioned to his new student. "Follow me," he instructed, and left via the opposite door that Aminta had come through. Despite herself, she trusted the man, and so she followed him without question.
The door slid closed behind them, and the pair walked briskly through the halls of the enclave. "I will upload the schematics into your datapad after your training session, if you would like me to," Zhar offered when he saw how her eyes traveled down each of the corridors with trepidation. Aminta tossed him a grin in response.
"You've befriended Bastila?" he asked after a moment, and Aminta smirked.
"I wouldn't exactly say we're friends. I'd say that we've come to…an unspoken understanding," she clarified, and Zhar shook his head with amusement.
"Well, you must have gotten on her good side for her to cover you like she did," he observed, watching her out of the corner of her eye.
"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about," Aminta responded with a Poker face, and Zhar smiled.
"Of course you don't." They arrived at a door, and Zhar quickly tapped in the passcode into a nearby console, allowing Aminta at a first glimpse of the room that she would be spending most of her time in.
It was decorated in the standard enclave colors- blue, gold, and orange, and the typical greenery adorned the walls as they did in the halls. A large skylight allowed the sun to bask the room in natural light, and the furnishings were few. Besides the workbench in the far corner, several large cushions sat around a low table set with dining ware. Despite the sand pit in the center of the room, the rest of the space was open for combat training. "Does it meet with your approval?" Zhar asked, his voice thick with suppressed humor.
Aminta sighed, and plopped down on one of the cushions. "Were you really Revan's master?" she asked after several moments, stopping Zhar in his tracks. Cautiously, he sank down onto the cushion opposite her.
"Yes," he replied slowly, eyeing Aminta carefully.
Aminta pursed her lips and frowned. "What was he…she," Aminta quickly corrected herself, "like?"
Zhar glanced her over warily, before giving into a reminiscent smile. "Revan arrived here when she was six… old, considering the ages of most of the younglings that we take in. However, even at such a young age, she was extremely focused… not to mention one of the most gifted force wielders I've ever known. She learned fast, and quickly passed all of those in her class, and she was soon training with twelve year olds…at only seven!" Pride colored his voice, and his smile grew slightly wider.
"But, she was a handful. After she was established here, she started coming out of her shell. She actually gave Master Vrook a makeover while he slept when she was thirteen," he laughed at the memory, and Aminta joined in. "She snuck a pair of Gizka into Master Atris' closet, and soon the woman's room was over run," he shook his head at the memory. "The worst, though, was that I always had to pretend to be mad at her, even when I was laughing inside."
Aminta grinned. "Sith Lord or not, I like her. A shame I couldn't have met her before she died."
Zhar stilled, and his face grew somber. "You are just like Revan," he said softly, and patted her shoulder when she frowned at him. "Are you ready to begin your training?" he swiftly changed the subject, and Aminta allowed it to drop.
"Sure. Where do we start?" she reached for her vibroblade, but Zhar stilled her hand.
"Right here," he indicated the table.
Aminta arched a brow. "Right here?" she repeated, and stared up at him. "Am I sawing the table in half?"
Zhar smiled. "No. You are going to lift the cup."
Aminta reached out and picked it up. "Whoop Dee doo," she replied with a roll of her eyes.
Zhar grinned. "Not with your hands." The cup flew out of her hands on its own accord, and set itself back on the table. "Now you try."
Aminta stared hard at the object. "You have got to be kidding me," she muttered. Zhar's broadening grin let her know just how amusing he found the situation. "How am I supposed to lift a cup without touching it with my hand?"
Zhar shrugged. "I'm sure you'll find a way," he said simply, before heading towards the doors.
"You're just going to leave me here?" Aminta demanded, slamming her fist down on the table. Zhar laughed out loud and nodded as he continued walking. "And here I thought you were a good guy!" she called out to his retreating back, and the doors slit shut behind him.
"Damn Jedi!" Aminta seethed, and stared at the cup. "They're all the same. Don't you agree?" The cup didn't reply, and Aminta groaned. "I'm going crazy," she muttered under her breath. "Talking to a damned cup."
She let out a sigh, and stared hard at the object. "Okay…Levitate!" she commanded, lifting her hands in the air. The cup refused to budge. "Levitate!" she tried again, but once again, there was no movement. "Fly! Do something!" she shouted, glaring at the still immobile cup.
"This isn't working," she muttered, slumping and setting her chin in her hand. "Some Jedi I make." She thought back to Davik's estate and scowled. "Sure, I can collapse a ceiling, but I can't move a damn cup! Just my luck."
She frowned slightly as she examined her situation. The cup was, for all intensive purposes, completely unmovable. She was out of patience, angry, and at her wit's end. The cup still wasn't moving. Aminta's frown deepened. What exactly did I do at Davik's estate? How did I make that ceiling collapse?
She knew that she had summoned a rafter out of place, but what she needed to figure out was how she had done it. All she could remember was feeling frantic, needing to get to the girls before….I am not thinking of that now! She closed her eyes and buried her head in her hands as she thought. "This is impossible!" she exclaimed finally to the empty room.
"True faith isn't accepting what everyone knows to be true or possible. It's closing your eyes and seeing what everyone else finds to be impossible." The forgotten memory of Trask's words floated into her head. "Where did that come from?" she wondered aloud. Of course, the empty room had no answer for her.
"Might as well try it," Aminta mumbled, closing her eyes and lifting the cup with an imaginary hand. Her eyes flew open, however, when she heard a crash somewhere above her. Looking up, she winced to find the juice splattered all over the ceiling. "Whoops," she murmured. "I guess I have to control the force that I lift objects with too."
She glanced over to where the cup was laying on the floor, and tapped into the growing presence inside herself to straighten it. The cup lifted into the air wobbly, and was set down with a bit of a thud. Biting her lip, Aminta lifted it again, and carefully maneuvered it over to the table, where she set it down with a tad more gentleness.
Seeing the cup sitting back in it's place gave Aminta a surge of satisfaction, and she grinned. "Take that you lousy old Jedi," she mumbled under her breath, beaming at the object.
"Proud of our self, are we?" Zhar asked from behind her, and Aminta let out a frustrated sigh.
"I knew you were there, you know. One of my many…gifts."
Zhar raised an eyebrow. "Of course," he replied with an easy smile.
Aminta rolled her eyes. "So, what comes next?"
"You move a bigger object."
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"Mission, you wanna play some Pazaak?" Aminta called out as she slumped onto the couch in the Ebon Hawk. "No, scratch that. I'm too tired to play Pazaak." She leaned her head back to rest on the cushions.
"They had a holovoid store in town, and I picked some up today. Wanna watch one?" Mission offered, plopping down onto the cushion beside Aminta.
Aminta rubbed a hand over her forehead. "Sure. Which ones did you get?"
"Let's see…" Mission lifted a canvas bag, and thumbed through the disks inside. "Um…Jedi!" Aminta scowled, and Mission shrugged. "Seemed appropriate at the time," Mission muttered. "Rodian Kisses, Star Flash, Lifedebt, Marked by a Hunter, Love is Waiting, or Dark Romance."
"Ugh, Mission. You picked up a holofilm called Rodian Kisses?"
Mission shrugged. "Well, I didn't exactly pick it out. I kind of shoved a big handful into a bag. I didn't really know what I was getting," she admitted.
Aminta sighed. "Don't tell Carth about your shoplifting. He'll have my head on a platter," she muttered. "I feel like watching something slow paced and mushy. Love is Waiting sounds pretty good."
Mission frowned. "Dark Romance sounds mushy, but slightly more exciting."
"It sounds like a fatal affair between a killer and an unwilling victim," Aminta noted, and Mission checked the back of the case.
"You're right!" The girl exclaimed. "Hey, that actually sounds pretty good."
"Stick in Love is Waiting now. I've put up with Jedi all day long. I've had about as much excitement as I can handle."
Mission rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine, have it your way," she muttered, taking the disk out of its casing and placing it in the reader of the holovision. Soft, dramatic music filled the common room, and Mission wrinkled her nose. "This is going to be so cheesy," she grumbled as she adjusted herself into a more comfortable position.
"Just shut up and watch the movie."
Two later, both Mission and Aminta had run through a box of tissues and were steadily making their way through their second box.
"No! Nerrie! You can't leave me…I love you! I've denied it for so long…but… I can't anymore!" She raced to him, falling to her knees before a twi'lek who stared down at her coldly.
"You left me, baby. Left me for a son of a schutta who can't rub two credits together. I loved ya once, but there's nothing left here for me anymore!"
"Nerrie, no!" Both Mission and Aminta called out in unison. "You can't leave her, she loves you!" Aminta cried, waving her tissue angrily at the screen.
"You love her too, I know you do!" Mission shouted, blowing her nose.
"But Nerrie!" the woman gasped. "You've been the only man I've ever felt anything for!" she clung to his jacket desperately. "I need you!"
"If ya needed me, ya never would have left me. I used to feel something, but all that's left of my heart is a black hole."
"Nerrie…you can't leave me! Why, I'll kill myself if you do."
Nerrie stared coldly at her. "Go ahead, I'll watch."
"No!" Aminta and Mission shouted in unison, and Carth hurried into the room.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Carth demanded, his face growing even more concerned when he saw how the two women were shaking with sobs. Aminta quickly shushed him and turned her attention back to the screen.
The woman choked back a sob, as she hurried to the other side of the apartment and flung open the window. She swallowed hard as she sat on the ledge, and stared into Nerrie's eyes. "You send me to my death," she proclaimed through her tears, and then she jumped.
"No!" Nerrie cried, sprinting to the window and watching as her body fell from the towers of Coruscant.
Aminta and Mission held onto each other as they sobbed. Carth stood behind them and shook his head with amazement. "Pathetic," he muttered, and Aminta glared at him through her tears before turning back to watch the end.
"No…Gina…!" Nerrie called, hanging his head with defeat. "I love you," he whispered.
The screen went black, and Aminta and Mission started a fresh round of sobs. "You…and your…mushy…movies!" Mission managed between breaths. "We should've…watched…Dark Romance!"
"Like…it would…have been any…better!" Aminta gasped as tears poured from her eyes.
Carth started laughing from behind them. "You two are idiotic!" he exclaimed, holding his sides as he continued to laugh. "You are all worked up over a movie. A MOVIE!" He laughed harder, and pointed to Aminta. "And you, who hardly ever cry, are sobbing your head off because of a corny Romance. This is unbelievable."
Aminta wiped away her tears and glared at him. "It wasn't corny!" she defended herself.
Carth's laughter bordered on hysterics. "The heroine jumped out of a window because a guy left her. That has got to be…the corniest thing I have ever heard of!"
"What is happening?" Bastila asked as she poked her head into the room. Seeing Aminta's tears, she hurried over to the woman. "Did he say something to you?" she demanded, glaring at Carth.
Aminta's sobs ceased, and changed into peals of laughter. "No… Mission and I were just watching a movie, and we were crying…and…" she paused and looked at Carth. "It really was corny, wasn't it?"
Mission, Carth, and Aminta joined together in laughter, and Bastila sighed. "I will cease to attempt understanding the members of this crew," she mumbled. "Dinner is in the galley!" she called over her shoulder as she headed to the room, bringing a large container with her.
":Dinner:" Zalbaar roared, poking his head out from the control room.
Mission laughed harder. "Yeah, dinner!"
Zalbaar looked at the three and sighed deeply. ":Cubs:" he growled under his breath before stalking off to the galley.
Aminta wiped tears from her eyes and forced herself up off the couch. "I'm going to go take a shower and get into bed. I'm pretty tired," she excused herself, and Carth caught her arm.
"After you eat." His tone left no room for challenge.
Aminta's face scrunched up, but she nodded. "Fine. I don't feel like fighting you now anyways. But don't always expect me to give in so easily," she warned and Carth grinned.
"I would never."
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"Do I have to move the table again?" were the first words out of Aminta's mouth as she entered her training session the following morning. Zhar shook his head ruefully.
"You must learn patience."
"I've learned it; I just don't use it," Aminta retorted, and Zhar had to resort to a cough to stifle his laughter.
"The answer to your question is no. You will not be using that aspect of the force today. Rather, you will train in combat." Zhar pulled out his lightsaber, and flicked it on. "I've changed the crystals so that the blade will stun, not burn," he explained when Aminta stared at him with wide eyes.
"Great," she drawled. "I'll get shocked. Sounds like loads of fun."
"Take out your blade," Zhar instructed, and stepped into the sand pit. "When you train in different types of terrains, you increase your chances of winning in a real fight."
"Tell me something I don't know," Aminta muttered under her breath, pulling out her vibroblades.
Zhar circled her slowly. "So, what did you do when you returned to your ship last night?"
Aminta didn't break eye contact as she followed his movements. "Mission and I watched a corny romance movie, and got made fun of by half of the crew. Then Carth tried to shove as much food down my throat as he could before Zalbaar ate it all."
Zhar snorted. "I am very glad that I live at the enclave. Your ship sounds far too rowdy for my taste."
"Really?"
The pair leapt at each other, their weapons a flurry of glowing blue and silver. Aminta stumbled several times in the sand, unaccustomed to fighting in such terrain. However, she did not give in easily, and Zhar had to triple his efforts before he finally disarmed her.
He grinned slightly as he pointed the saber at her chest. "It appears that you have much to learn."
Aminta frowned slightly, and called her blade to her hand, knocking Zhar's lightsaber out of his grasp quickly. She pressed the tip of her blade against his collar bone and smirked. "It appears you have much to learn about your students."
Zhar's face betrayed his shock, but then a wide grin played across his features. "I didn't strike when I had the chance. I should have known that you would take the opportunity."
Aminta smirked again and lowered her weapon. "So, what else have you got to teach me, Master?" she gave a mocking little bow, and Zhar raised a brow at her.
"You had the element of surprise in our fight. It will be very rare that you will have such an ability when pitted against a Sith Lord. What will help you, however, is to learn the lightsaber forms."
"Uh huh…"
Zhar smiled at her confusion. "I've heard that you like dancing. A lightsaber form is no more than a complicated dance…but with weapons."
Aminta gaped. "You guys dance here!" she exclaimed, shaking her head. "No wonder you can't stop Malak. Using dancing as fighting…Ha!"
Zhar shook his head. "It was an analogy. While like a dance, the lightsaber forms are indeed quite deadly," he clarified, and Aminta frowned.
"Malak was here… he knows the forms. He's probably taught half of his assassins, if not all of them. If the forms are a dance, the steps and movements are predictable. The Sith will be anticipating every move that I make."
Zhar frowned, and then smiled at her. "You have a Mandalorian with you, correct?"
Aminta furrowed her brows. "Yes…"
"Learn the forms, and ask him, to teach you several things as well. None of the Sith will be anticipating that sort of combination."
Aminta smiled unexpectedly. "For a Jedi council member, you aren't half bad. So, are you going to teach me, or aren't you?"
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Okay, major, major writer's block this time. I had no idea how to end it, so I left it at this. Sorry. It is also rather short, but… sigh Only so much you can do when your head is buried in the ground.
