Disclaimer: As the saying goes, the clock ticks.
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"Aminta," Bastila called, shaking the shoulders of the sleeping woman. Aminta growled out a protest and turned to her other side, covering her head with her pillow. Bastila sighed in exasperation. "Wake up this instant! The council wishes to speak with you!" When that drew no response, Bastila grabbed Aminta's blankets and tossed them to the floor.
"Don't care," Aminta moaned, reaching blindly for the covers. Finding none, and coming to the abrupt realization that she was freezing, Aminta pushed herself into a sitting position and glared at Bastila resentfully. "Fine. I'm up. What do you want?"
"Must I repeat myself? I informed you of the council's wish to speak with you," Bastila replied, a trace of exasperation in her voice.
Aminta stared at Bastila, then at her chrono, and then at Bastila again. "Do they have any idea how early it is?" she demanded angrily, swinging her legs to the side of her bed. Mission mumbled something in her sleep from the cot accross from her, and Aminta quieted herself.
"Of course. It is just after dawn," Bastila replied smoothly, and Aminta could have sworn that she detected smugness in the younger woman's tone.
"What, now Jedi don't sleep?" Aminta grumbled rubbing her eyes as they adjusted to the light. "The occupation gets worse with every day that passes," she muttered, grabbing her robes and hastily donning them.
"Why don't you tell the council that?" Bastila replied, and Aminta glared at her.
"Sarcasm doesn't become you, dear," she retorted, and Bastila raised a brow.
"Jedi aren't sarcastic," she defended herself evenly, and Aminta's glare darkened. "Come, we must hurry," Bastila prodded the older woman, and Aminta yanked on her boots.
"I'm going as fast as I can. Will you shut up already?" she exclaimed angrily, and Bastila had to work hard to keep the serene expression pasted on her face.
"You must lower your voice. Mission is sleeping."
Aminta made a noise in the back of her throat, and she stormed to the door. "One of these days, I'll wake you up when you least expect it," Aminta threatened, and Bastila arched a delicate brow.
"Of course. Now, may we continue to the council chambers?" she replied smoothly, and Aminta had to bite her lip to keep from screaming at the Padawan.
"Fine," Aminta ground out through clenched teeth, her hands clenching and unclenching at her sides as she made her way through the hawk.
Carth met her at the exit. "Rough morning?"
"You coming?" Aminta snapped, and Bastila stepped in.
"Please excuse us Carth. This is official Jedi business. The council would not take it kindly if you were found roaming the halls before visiting hours began." Carth's face darkened, and Aminta set her jaw. Bastila quickly pushed the woman down the exit ramp before either could protest, and hastened to the enclave.
"You would take care to realize that for the time being you are a Jedi. Your close relations to the crew are admirable, but you must not let your friendships cloud your judgment," Bastila advised, and Aminta scowled at the woman in the dim light.
"I am not about to become an unfeeling robot."
"No one is telling you to become a robot!"
"Gods! Will you just listen to your code? There is no emotion… That says it all, doesn't it? The Jedi don't want you to feel anything. They want to control you. Make you their pawn! That's why there can't be 'attachments' as the order so fondly calls them. Because they lead to emotion which leads to passion which…"
"Hold your tongue!" Bastila interrupted angrily, more than a little disturbed at Aminta's statements. Revan had said a similar thing long ago, when they had both been children. And what was even worse was that the statement made as much sense to Bastila now as it did then.
Aminta stopped her ramblings and snapped her mouth shut. After a few minutes of tense silence, the pair arrived at the council chambers. Wordlessly, the two women walked in, and Zhar beamed at Aminta. "I must congratulate you on returning Juhani to the path of the light. Thanks to you, her training may continue."
Aminta ignored Bastila's presence entirely and focused her entire attention on Zhar. "She was suicidal out there. What happened to her that made her fall?"
Zhar's smile froze. "I am afraid that Juhani had misplaced… feelings for her master, Quatra. When Quatra baited her on her emotions, Juhani attacked Quatra." He said slowly, and Aminta glowered.
"Why did Quatra bait Juhani?" she asked evenly, although there was an undercurrent of danger to her tone. Zhar noticed, and his lekku curled tighter about his shoulders.
"Quatra was testing her pupil, to see if Juhani could resist the lure of the dark side."
Aminta arched a brow. "Are you saying that having feelings for someone leads to the dark side?" She was baiting him, and Zhar knew it. Vrook interrupted before Zhar could respond.
"In most cases, yes," he replied stiffly, and Aminta's eyes widened.
Aminta reached into her bond to touch Bastila's mind. See? Now do you believe me?"
You are jumping to conclusions, Bastila replied stiffly, and Aminta coughed.
Zhar glanced up at Aminta with a barely suppressed sigh. "Now that you have finished your trial with success, we must turn to other more pressing subjects. The vision that you and Bastila shared of Revan and Malak caused Master Dorak to remember ruins in the fields of Dantooine. We sent a Jedi out to investigate… but he hasn't returned." Zhar's voice dropped with regret. "Perhaps we were wrong in sending him at all."
Master Dorak, a brown skinned man with graying hair picked up where Vandar left off. "We believe that you and Bastila would be more suitable to investigate since it were your dreams that began everything. The force is obviously calling you there; we are certain that you will have better luck than Nemo did."
Aminta set her jaw. "You toy with our lives?"
Master Vrook's eyes widened. "Such arrogance! You must train her to restrain her impulses, or I am afraid that Darth Revan will return," Vrook scolded Zhar, who frowned.
"Enough. That is a matter to be discussed in private." Vandar replied quickly and then turned to Aminta. "Investigate these ruins, you must. The earlier you leave, the better it is."
"Is that why you woke me up at such an ungodly hour?" Aminta muttered, and despite himself, Zhar smiled.
"Yes. Hopefully, you will be back by nightfall. Now, you must go. May the force be with you."
Bastila bowed, but the pair's exit was cut short by the booming voice of a richly clad man. "My son has been missing for a week now, and still you do nothing! I demand that you take action!" he exclaimed, and Vandar sighed.
"Look into the issue of the missing Shen, we will. In due time," the small master attempted to pacify the noble, and the man's hands clenched at his sides.
"Matale, you must leave before you do something rash," Vrook advised the man, who glared daggers at the council and then pinned Aminta and Bastila a withering glance.
"Sandral kidnapped my son and if Shen dies… Mark my words. If you don't do something, I will!" he exclaimed vehemently before exiting the council chambers as swiftly as he had arrived.
"What was all that about?" Aminta asked Zhar once the doors had slammed closed behind Matale.
Zhar absently pulled on the edge of his sleeve, a trait that Aminta had learned meant that he was agitated. "The Matale and Sandral families have been in a feud for years now. The Matale heir, Shen, went missing a week ago, and things escalated to a boiling point."
Aminta started at the name Sandral, but thankfully, none of the Jedi seemed to notice. So much for them being observant to a fault.
"Something needs to be done. Matale is just rash and stupid enough to bring this feud into an all out war if his son is not found," Vrook put in, and Zhar nodded in agreement.
"Then found Shen must be," Vandar decided after a moment's hesitation, and he turned to Aminta. "Your job, this is," he instructed her.
"My job?" Aminta demanded. "What happened to the ruins? I thought that was my job!"
Vrook sighed loudly. "Ever insolent, ever proud. You must learn to be humble, Padawan," he scolded her, and Aminta's spine straightened.
"In a Gammorean's eye," she muttered under her breath, and Zhar coughed to hide a chuckle.
"You must still investigate these ruins. However, the Sandral/Matale feud needs to be ended once and for all. It would be a disaster if their children grew to continue what they have started," Dorak told Aminta kindly, who let out a deep breath.
"Well, since you will send me to Coruscant for my execution if I don't," she spat, and every member of the council visibly cringed, "I guess I'll have to do that too."
"Very good to hear, this is," Vandar replied with a slight smile, purposely ignoring the anger in the woman's tone. "Leave now, you must. The force be with you."
"And also with you," Bastila replied softly, casting a sidelong glance at Aminta.
Bastila bowed to the Masters and swiftly made her exit. Aminta followed her companion out into the soft sunshine and frowned. "Of all the nerve…" she muttered under her breath, and Bastila sighed. Suddenly, Aminta's face shifted from annoyed to perplexed. "What did Vrook mean by saying that Darth Revan would return?"
Bastila froze, and then coughed. "It was only a metaphor, I assure you," she replied quickly, and Aminta's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Instead of commenting on Bastila's manner, Aminta looked to the hawk. "I need to get my equipment. I'll be back here in a flash," she excused herself, and hurried up the exit ramp. Bastila sighed with relief when Aminta made her departure, and took a seat on a short wall as she awaited the woman's return.
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Several minutes later, Aminta emerged from the Hawk with Carth at her side, his blasters strapped against his hips in preparation for the fight that he believed would greet them. "Ah, Carth. Good of you to join us," Bastila greeted him, and he nodded briefly in acknowledgement.
"So, Bas… the schematics that I've downloaded show that the two exits from the courtyard enter Matale grounds. Is that correct?" Aminta turned to the Jedi, and Bastila nodded.
"They are only two accessible exits. The others go to fields that are teeming with Kath hounds, and are thus unsafe to travel through," Bastila clarified. "Although both paths are equally far apart from the household."
"Good. Let's take the right path; there's an armor merchant on the way that I've been meaning to talk to." Aminta tucked her datapad away and headed in that direction.
Bastila felt an undercurrent of anger through their bond, and she quickly grabbed Aminta's arm. "What do you mean by 'talk to him?'"
"That schutta of a Rodian stole something from me. I'm merely going to get it back from him." At Bastila's horrified look, Aminta smirked. "Don't worry. I won't disgrace the Jedi order and do something all dark side," she waggled her fingers in her air in a mocking way as she finished her statement.
"The dark side is not a laughing matter," Bastila scolded, and Aminta scowled.
"You do realize that we have had this conversation about a thousand times, don't you?"
Bastila smiled at the woman. "Repetition is the most vital contribution to learning."
Aminta rolled her eyes. "Tell that to a four year old and you'll never get them to shut up," she remarked dryly, and Bastila sighed. Apparently, Aminta was unteachable. Figures.
"Hey, Rodian!" Aminta exclaimed, breaking away from Bastila. The merchant's large black eyes bulged out of his head, and he wrung his hands nervously.
"Well, good afternoon, master Jedi!" he exclaimed, his voice gone unnaturally high. "Would you care to look through my inventory again?"
"Don't waste my time. I want the blaster back," she growled, staring him down. Bastila attempted to keep the order's dignity intact by remaining as serene as possible.
"What blaster? I don't know of a blaster!" he stammered, wringing his hands with such force Aminta was sure the bones would crack. Not that she minded.
"The hand held one. Small, fit in my bag? You swiped it when I was otherwise occupied, remember?" she retorted her hands drifting to her lightsaber in warning. The Rodian merchant blanched.
"Ah yes, I remember! Very small. Yes, yes. You dropped it several days ago. I merely picked it up for safekeeping!" He managed, digging through a bucket and finally pulling it out. "Not a dent in it! See, see how good I am?" He held it out to her with a smile, and Aminta snatched it out of his hands, carefully inspecting it.
"I trust you won't 'find' anything of mine again?"
"Of course not, Master Jedi! Of course not!"
"Good." With that, Aminta hurried down the path to the Matale grounds. Bastila caught up to the older woman quickly and stared her down.
"You threatened him!"
"I did not!" Aminta objected, and Bastila glared at her. "I wouldn't have killed the weasel," Aminta muttered, and Bastila sighed with frustration.
"You are missing the point entirely!"
"And you are being impossible!" Aminta retorted. Bastila's face scrunched up as though she were about to say something particularly nasty, but with considerable effort she was able to relax herself. Aminta heard the Jed code blaring through her head, and she pressed her hands to her temples. "Will you get out of there?"
Bastila's retreat was immediate, and she looked over at Aminta with a blush. "I am truly sorry. I am afraid I still have not learned how to control…" she looked over her shoulder and coughed. "…this," she finished, tapping her forehead with her index finger.
"Well then, that makes two of us," Aminta noted wryly, and then she too glanced back towards Carth. So Carth could not hear, she reached out to Bastila's mind and spoke via telepathy. Give me a minute or two.
Of course. Bastila walked a few brisk paces ahead, and Aminta fell behind into step with Carth.
"So, Carth, you've been rather quiet today," Aminta noted, and Carth shrugged. "You usually have a lot more to say… although half of it I don't want to hear in the first place…" That got a smile out of him.
"I guess I have. I just don't like being out of the loop," he admitted, and Aminta smirked.
"Carth, you were born out of the loop."
Carth rolled his eyes. "Ha-ha, very cute."
Aminta grinned. "I thought so."
"Any cuter and you'd bee a Gammorean's sister."
"Better than being a Gammorean's mother," Aminta retorted, and Carth chuckled slightly.
"In all seriousness though, everything's all hush-hush between you and Bastila and the council. And I hate not knowing what's going on," Carth replied, turning their conversation back to what Aminta had so cleverly steered it from.
Bastila turned around to face the pair with a look of exasperation. "In all honesty, Carth, it is not your place to know. You are neither a Jedi nor of any significance to the council."
"Bastila! I asked you to give us a few minutes. And when I asked you that, I meant for you to ignore our conversation. You're a Jedi, you know how to tune out," Aminta snapped, and Bastila heaved out a sigh.
"Very well," she muttered, and once again returned to her place a few paces ahead of them.
Carth turned to Aminta with confusion. "But you didn't say…"
"It's just… something between me and Bastila," Aminta waved it off dismissively, realizing belatedly just how secretive she sounded.
"There you go again!" Carth exclaimed, and Aminta sighed.
"Why are you so dead set on knowing?" Aminta retorted, and Carth clenched his hands into fists.
"I am not going to set myself up to be betrayed again!"
"I am NOT going to betray you! I am NOT Saul!" Aminta shouted back. Anger and then hurt flitted over Carth's face before finally changing to a look of resignation.
"I…I didn't mean it that way. I know that you aren't going to betray me." Carth swallowed, and met her eyes. "I don't understand how some neophyte Padawan…"
"Hey! I'm damn good at what I do!" Aminta defended herself, and Carth ignored her.
"…can be taken into so much trust by the council. What exactly is going on in there?"
Aminta looked him dead in the eyes. "You really want to know?"
"Yes!"
"Look, Bastila and I have this…'bond'… as the council calls it. When I spoke to Bastila, she told me that such things are occasionally caused by trauma, and maybe it was Taris that caused it. No one really knows. Anyway, we've been sharing visions of Revan and Malak."
Carth raised a brow, but didn't comment.
Aminta took a deep breath, knowing how idiotic she sounded. If she were in Carth's shoes and he in hers, she'd have shipped him off to a phsyc ward then and there. "There's ruins here on Dantooine that Revan and Malak visited, and the council believes that they may have something to do with their fall to the dark side. I know it sounds crazy… but… that's what I know."
Carth was silent for a moment, and then turned to her. "Why would the council trust a brand new member of the order, a member that openly mocks them, to do something of such great importance? Isn't it idiotic of them?"
"Shavit, Carth! Here I try to be nice and explain things to you, and you throw it back in my face. I've told you everything that I know!"
"Have you? Have you really?"
Aminta stared hard at him for a long moment. "I don't need to take this from you. The Matale household is in sight, anyways. We might as well shut up and focus." With that, she left Carth's side and swiftly caught up to Bastila.
It wasn't his place to know, Bastila scolded through their bond and Aminta let out a sharp sigh.
Maybe not. But it was my decision to tell him.
Why?
I think we've already established that the man has issues. I didn't want to add to his paranoia, Aminta replied ruefully. Bastila smiled in response, and the two women halted when a droid blocked their path.
"On who's authority have you approached the Matale household?" he inquired, his mechanical hand gripped tight about his blaster. Aminta didn't doubt the fact that his programming gave him ample ability to kill.
"I am a delegate for the Jedi council. I have been sent to speak with the leader of the Matale household," Aminta replied smoothly, and the droid nodded.
"He has informed me to expect you. Give me a moment while I contact him." The droid pressed one button of many on his arm. "Master Matale, a member of the Jedi has come to see you," he announced, and then abruptly turned to face the pair of Jedi again. "He will be out shortly."
Bastila inclined her head. "Our thanks."
In a relatively short time, a series of droids exited the wide double door entrance to the front of the structure, followed by the Master Matale himself." It is about time. I began to think that the council would never send anyone to investigate," he muttered stiffly, and Aminta smirked.
"Aren't you glad that they sent us then," she replied, and Matale harrumphed. "I'll need you to explain…"
"I already voiced me claim to the council. That Sandral dog is guilty, I tell you!"
Aminta sighed. "Simmer down, your highness. I just to hear everything from your point of view, alright?"
Matale glared at her, but began his monologue. "I moved my family here to escape the corruption of the city. Things were good for a while, but then that Sandral showed up and made my life miserable!"
"I'm sure that the Sandrals would say the same thing about you," Carth noted wryly, and Bastila promptly hushed him.
Matale ignored Carth's input and continued to speak. "He is a filthy thief! I found his droids sneaking around my estate… spies no doubt!
Hey, Bas, he's as paranoid as flyboy. Bastila choked back a laugh, and Matale raised a brow as his eyes darkened with anger. Aminta glanced over the noble shrewdly. "Do you have any proof that they were spying?"
Matale went still and then cleared his throat. "Well…no. But I know that Sandral, and I know that his droids were spies!"
"Whatever happened to those droids, Matale?" Bastila interjected, and the man lifted his chin a fraction with an air of superiority.
"I had my droids exterminate them, naturally." His face darkened. "Now what are you going to do? Sandral has my son, and I want him back!"
Aminta kept her face carefully neutral. "I am going to speak with the Sandrals and further evaluate the situation," she replied stiffly, and Matale clenched his hands into fists.
"What do you mean you're going to…" his body suddenly went slack, and he chuckled. "I am a man of the world, Jedi. I know that you need some…encouragement. A donation to the council's wisdom, perhaps? One thousand credits for the safe return of my son."
"The Jedi are not bribed!" Bastila exclaimed from beside Aminta, and Sandral's smile grew grim.
"Of course they aren't," he replied patronizingly. "Just know that I will give you a thousand credits. Whether or not the money ever actually makes it to council is your decision. Now, I want you to get m son back this instant. We have nothing more to discuss until he is brought back." With that, he turned on his heel and headed back into his house, flanked by all his droids save one.
"Of all the nerve…" Bastila murmured under her breath, and Aminta grinned at her.
"Don't take it too personally, Bas. Come on. Let's go talk to the Sandrals."
They arrived at the second household not long afterward, and had managed to stay clear of most of the vicious Kath on their way. They were greeted in a similar manner at the Sandral estate… by a droid with a gun. "We're Jedi," Aminta said simply, and the droid nodded.
"Of course." He scuttled to the entrance, and placed the pass card into the door. "Master Sandral will join you soon." With that, the droid returned to his position guarding the front of the household.
"At least we were allowed inside this time," Aminta noted ruefully, and Bastila and Carth smiled.
"Maybe this guy has more respect for the Jedi than the other one did," Carth noted.
"I don't care if you were sent by the council! If you are on Matale's side, I want you out of my home immediately," Sandral exclaimed as he hurried into the room, followed closely by a rather large pack of droid bodyguards.
"So much for that idea," Aminta muttered under her breath, and Carth grinned. "We are neutral in this case. Trust me. Now if you please, I would like to hear your side of the story."
Sandral sighed sharply, and glared at her. "I didn't take his son. Matale's gone crazy in his old age, and that's al I have to say. Now, there is the exit. I trust you can find your own way out." With that, Sandral turned on his heel and exited the reception room into the main chambers of the Sandral estate, the door clicking shut behind him.
"That went well," Carth murmured, and Bastila spared him a smile.
"We should inform the council of Sandral's…incorporation," Bastila noted, heading for the exit.
The doors leading to the main chambers clicked open again, and a girl in her late teens slipped into the room. "Please, don't leave yet!" she hissed, closing the door shut behind her and looking about warily.
Aminta sucked in a breath at the sight of the girl. She was beautiful, and her face was so familiar. Brown eyes were framed behind thick, dark lashes, and were set in a delicate face the color of warm chocolate. Leoma Sandral… you were a member of this family after all. Aminta put all thoughts of the friend who had died on Telos out of her mind and concentrated on the girl before her.
"I am Rahasia. I am Sandral's daughter," she introduced herself quietly, and drew close to Aminta. "You must not think ill of my father!"
Carth frowned. "Why would we?"
Rahasia licked her lips and rubbed her arms. "He isn't a bad man, I promise you! It's just… my brother… his heir went missing a few weeks ago. He got angry; he wasn't thinking straight!"
"What did your father do?" Aminta asked after a moment, and Rahasia absently chewed on a fingernail.
"He took Shen."
"He what?" Aminta demanded.
Rahasia's face scrunched up. "He's been kind to Shen thus far, but now that the Jedi have intervened… I fear for what he'll do to Shen! I don't want to see him get hurt!"
Aminta frowned. "Your father or Shen?"
Rahasia bit her lip. "Both. Look, here's a passkey to a back door. Use it to get in, and rescue Shen. The passkey to the prison is in a footlocker in one of the security rooms. Get him out of here. Bring him back to his father; to the enclave, anywhere but here! Just hurry," the girl thrust the passkey into Aminta's hands.
Aminta stared hard at the girl. "Your families are fighting. Why do you care whether Shen lives or dies?"
Rahasia coughed, and awkwardly rubbed her hands together. "I met him at the market one day. He didn't care that I was a Sandral; he spoke to me as though are were worth something. We…we met many times after that, and…and we fell in love. It would kill me if something happened to him, but my father cannot know! He'll kill Shen then! Please, please get him out of here!"
"We should tell the council about this," Bastila interrupted, and Rahasia blanched.
"No! Shen is living on borrowed time as it is. You need get him out right now!"" she pleaded, wringing her hands.
Aminta was silent for a moment, and then she nodded slowly. "You have my word."
Rahasia let out a sob of relief. "Thank you! Thank you so much! I have to get back inside. If father finds out…" the girl bit her lip and used her passkey to open the door. "Hurry," she urged in a whisper, and then she slipped through the doorway back inside the estate.
Bastila stared at Aminta with disapproval. "We need to see the council. You shouldn't have given your word," she reprimanded, and Aminta sighed.
"Rahasia was right. We didn't have time. Besides, I'm rather partial towards the girl; I knew a relative of hers once… they look a lot alike." Aminta exited the receiving room into the Dantooine sunshine. "Come on; we don't have very long." With that, she sprinted to the back of the house, Carth and Bastila catching up quickly.
Aminta slipped her passcode into the back door, and smiled slightly as it opened. "Here we come, Shen," she murmured under her breath, and entered the main chambers of the estate. The halls were strangely silent, and Aminta began to randomly slice the locks of the doors.
The first room she entered was a security room with three droids. They were taken care of quickly, and Aminta scrapped their smoking corpses. "Ami," Carth called, and Aminta whirled to face him.
"Footlocker," he pointed, and Aminta nodded. She picked the lock, and smiled in satisfaction as she lifted a passcode out.
"Jackpot," she murmured, and glanced around the room, pausing her scrutiny when she saw the computer terminal. "We should probably download the schematics… it would save us a lot of time and energy." Then, with the ease of a seasoned smuggler, she sliced into the terminal and inserted her datapad. When she pulled it out, a map was on the screen. "Shen's down the hall to the left," she instructed, and the pair in the room with her nodded briskly before heading in that direction.
Upon reaching the sealed door, Aminta inserted the passkey that she had found, and grinned in triumph when the doors whooshed open. A young man sat on the floor, and jumped to his feet when he saw the trio standing at the threshold. "Who are you?"
"We're with Rahasia; she wants to be sure you get out of here safely," Aminta replied brusquely, cutting the restraints on his wrists with her lightsaber.
Shen rubbed the raw flesh, and nodded in thanks. "I'm not leaving without her. When her father finds out what she did… Tell her I'm not leaving. Her room is the second door on the right down the next hallway," he instructed, and Aminta's brows raised.
"Sure." She sighed and turned to her companions. "You want to stay here or come with?"
"We shall accompany you," Bastila replied, and the trio followed Shen's instructions.
Aminta didn't bother wasting time, and simply sliced the lock to Rahasia's chambers. She smiled slightly when she saw the girl had been pacing, but launched into the story. She had a limited amount of time, and playing messenger girl wasn't her favorite thing to do. "He's not coming. He won't leave without you."
Rahasia sighed sharply, and placed a hand against her forehead. "He always was stubborn. But it's too dangerous for us to wander the halls together!" She paused and thought for a minute. "I'll be waiting outside. But I can't stay there long, so hurry!" With that, the girl grabbed a bag and began dumping the contents of her jewelry box into it.
Aminta hurried out the door and took a turn down the next hallway so she was back in the room with Shen again. "She's waiting outside in the courtyard. Let's go." She nodded, and the four hurried down the halls, out the back exit, and up the slope to the courtyard. Shen saw Rahasia, and he ran to her, scooping her up in his arms and clutching her tightly. Rahasia let out a half sob and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.
Aminta's lips turned up slightly at the sight of the young lovers, and sighed softly. That had been her once… wrapped in the arms of the man she loved. How life changed things. Carth noticed and reached for her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Aminta smiled at him and squeezed his hand back, returning the small measure of comfort.
Bastila noticed, and bit her lip. Instead of commenting, she wrapped her arms around herself and wondered what it was like to be loved by a man. Just as quickly, she scolded herself for being so foolish. Those were thoughts that led to the dark side. Why, look at what happened to Revan. She spared Aminta a glance and then sighed softly. No. Love wasn't meant for a Jedi.
Aminta sensed a presence approaching and glanced around warily. "Shen! Your father's coming!" she called out, and Shen abruptly released Rahasia from his embrace. Matale was indeed coming up the hill, flanked by his droids. Just then, the doors to the Sandral household flew open and Sandral emerged with his own bodyguards.
"Shen!" Matale breathed, and rushed up the hill to his son. He looked past the boy to see his enemy. "Sandral!" he exclaimed angrily.
"Matale!" Sandral shouted, glaring at the other man. He then noticed his daughter standing beside the son of his sworn enemy, and his face went red with anger. "Rahasia!"
"Uh oh," Aminta murmured, and the corner's of Bastila's mouth turned up into a grim smile.
"Shen! Step away from her!" Matale instructed his son, who lifted his chin and shook his head.
"No father. My place is beside Rahasia now. I love her," he replied, taking the girl's hand in his own.
Matale went white, then red, then white again. "If you do not step away from that whore this instant, I will disown you!" he sputtered, and Sandral glared at the man.
"My daughter is no whore you overgrown lout!"
"She sure looks like one, you pig faced Gammorean!"
Oblivious to his father's argument, Shen looked down at Rahasia with tenderness. "I won't have anything to offer you. It would be a poor man that you'd make your life with," he murmured, tilting her chin. Rahasia's eyes glimmered with tears, and he tenderly rubbed his thumb over her cheek.
"I would proud to make my life with such a man," she replied softly, and Shen placed a kiss on her brow.
Sandral paled, emerging from his fight with Matale when he heard his daughter utter those fatal words. "Rahasia! If you don't get in the house this instant, I will never look upon you again!"
Rahasia's face scrunched with pain, and several tears trickled down her cheeks. "I will miss you, father," she replied, her voice choked with tears. Her father stumbled backwards, as though he had been struck.
Unable to remain silent any longer, Aminta jumped into the conflict. "Look at your children! They love each other; isn't that enough for you? Can't you make peace for their sakes?" Aminta demanded, and the two men glared at her.
"No daughter of mine could ever love the son of my enemy!" Sandral retorted vehemently.
"And no son of mine is free to be with his spawn!" Matale spat, and the children of both parties shuddered and held each other for comfort.
"My decision stands. Shen is no longer my child."
"And Rahasia is no longer my daughter."
Rahasia clung to Shen's waist, and he gently stroked her back. "If you won't have us, the Enclave will," Shen said finally, and met his father's angry gaze with a determined one of his own. "I hope one day you'll come to your senses." With that, the young man took Rahasia's hand in his own and gently pulled her in the direction of the Enclave courtyard.
Rahasia resisted, but only for a moment. "Goodbye, Daddy. I love you," she managed through her tears, and his father turned his back to her. With a strangled cry, Rahasia leaned close against Shen and followed him away from the home of her childhood.
"I hope you're proud of yourselves!" Aminta exclaimed angrily, turning to the two men standing before her.
Sandral and Matale ignored her, for the pair were already knee deep in insults. "This is all your fault, you hutt slime!" Sandral shouted.
"If your daughter hadn't been such a whore, my son wouldn't have fallen under her charms!" Matale retorted.
"She is not a whore!"
Aminta groaned. "Will you two just SHUT UP?" That got their attention.
Both men turned the full brunt of their fury on her. "The council will hear of the trouble that you caused, Jedi!" Matale threatened, turning on his heel and beginning the trek back to his estate.
"Indeed they shall," Sandral agreed, heading back into his home, his droids following close behind him.
Once they were gone, Aminta met her companions' eyes with a sigh. "You know, I think that's the only time in their lives that those two have ever agreed on anything."
Carth smiled. "You're probably right about that."
Bastila licked her lips and smoothed the wrinkles in her robes. "I wouldn't worry much if I were you. The council will be happy that the feud will end with these men. I'm sure they will congratulate you on re-uniting the children of the two families."
Aminta gave Bastila a sad smile. "Let's go back now. I feel like wallowing."
"Wallowing?" Bastila asked curiously, arching a brow.
Carth chuckled. "She'll gorge herself on a gallon of ice cream, most likely a kind with chocolate in it, and cry her eyes out watching an overly dramatic romance holofilm."
Bastila's mouth opened in a silent 'o.' I am very glad indeed that I have enough sense not to be overcome with emotion. Why do women put themselves through all that anyway?
The fact that Aminta was able to sense her thoughts disturbed her, but her response shocked Bastila. Because we're women. That's what we do. Duh.
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Wasn't quite sure how to end this one… But I rather liked this chapter. I've begun re-playing the game, and amazingly, my writer's block has begun to disappear. It's a miracle!
