Bastila slowed as they approached the ruins, a shiver running down her spine at the waves of power that rushed over her. "Can you feel it? The dark side is strong here," she murmured, and Aminta sighed.

"Bas, you're paranoid," she replied lightly as she approached the entrance. However, she couldn't deny that there was a…presence to the place. However, it didn't bother her as it seemed to disturb Bastila. Frowning, she turned to Carth. "Do you feel anything?"

Carth grinned. "Nope. But then again, on a scale of 1 to 10 in force sensitivity, I'm probably somewhere around a negative twelve," he replied with a shrug, and Aminta smiled, the somber mood somewhat lightened.

Bastila crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to acknowledge just how much it disturbed her to know that the newest addition to the order had no qualms about the dark side. She licked her lips nervously. "We should probably enter now. The sooner we accomplish our task, the sooner we may leave."

Aminta glanced back at the woman with a frown. "The place is affecting you that much?" At Bastila's silence, Aminta cleared her throat. "I can't imagine how you faced Darth Revan then, since everyone says that she was practically pulsing with the dark side."

Bastila blinked, and then met Aminta's eyes. "You have no idea," she replied, and this time Aminta did feel a shiver travel up the length of her body. "Let us enter," Bastila said quickly, and Aminta nodded slowly.

The temple was dark inside; the blackened crumbled rocks were covered in a thick layer of dust. Aminta's eyes watered and she coughed as she entered the room, earning a concerned glance from Carth. "Are you alright?"

Aminta took a deep breath and nodded. "Damn allergies. I haven't had my shots for them since before the Spire." She sniffled and coughed again before continuing on. The entrance chamber was long, however, the ceilings were low. The place reminded Bastila of one of the tombs that she had seen on the educational channel of the holovision.

Finally, the three companions approached a stone-carved door. When Bastila made no move to touch it, Aminta reached out and twisted it to the right. The lock clicked open, and the door slid slowly to the side. Out of the darkness, Aminta was able to make out the prone form of a Jedi lying on the ground.

"Nemo," Bastila breathed sadly, and started when she saw Aminta kneeling beside the body, rummaging through the pockets. "What do you think that you're doing?" Bastila demanded, and Aminta sighed as she placed the items in her bag.

"He has no use for them anymore," she excused herself, and Bastila's eyes bugged out of her head. Before a fatal confrontation could occur, a whirring sound came from deeper in the gloom. Frowning, Aminta rose and headed towards the clicking, only to find herself standing before an ancient droid. "What the…"

"Quassam si notum?" The droid spoke, and Aminta turned to Bastila.

"Did you catch that?" She asked with raised brows. Bastila's eyes widened as she shook her head. "Carth?" Aminta asked, and he glanced over at her.

"You're the one who speaks forty five languages."

"Forty six," Aminta corrected, earning a dry chuckle; the sound was out of place in the dreary darkness of the ruins. Seeing that the occupants of the room couldn't understand him, the droid continued cycling through languages, all of which the threesome had never heard before.

"He appears to be searching for the correct language. Apparently, Basic isn't in his database," Bastila noted, chewing on her lip. Aminta nodded, and then frowned.

"Basic is as old as the Republic. Just how old is this droid?"

The droids unintelligible stream of language finally transformed into something recognizable. Aminta frowned as she listened to the smooth, clicking words and then brightened. "I understand him!"

Bastila nodded. "Yes, he seems to be speaking a form of Ancient Selkath…how odd. What were the Selkath doing on Dantooine? I had thought that they only resided on Manaan."

"You and me both," Aminta replied dryly and turned back to the droid. ":How did you come to know the Selkath language:" She asked, speaking the modern variant of the language. Carth sighed in the background, and mumbled something about how he should have paid more attention in foreign language class.

":It is the language of the slaves. And yet you are neither slave or builder.;"

Bastila frowned at this point. ":Builder:"

":Yes. The builders charged me with overseeing the creation of the temple. They programmed me with the language of the slaves so that I might convey the builder's wishes.:"

Aminta eyed the droid. ":What happened to these slaves:"

":They were sacrificed upon the creation of the temple, as the Builders ordered.:"

Bastila cleared her throat, and Aminta's eyes widened slightly. "Barbaric," Bastila murmured to Aminta in Basic. Aminta simply shrugged.

":We are looking for a Star Map:" Aminta instructed the droid, who's gears whirred and clicked with pleasure.

":So were the two who came before you. They proved themselves worthy to bear the secrets of the builders.:" he replied, and Aminta nodded slowly, turning to Bastila.

"Revan and Malak," Bastila clarified in Basic once again, and Carth's head jerked slightly. Aminta put a finger to her lips, and Carth refrained himself from pestering the pair with questions.

":That one did not prove himself worthy:" the droid continued, and Bastila's and Aminta's eyes were once again drawn to Nemo's lifeless body.

":And how do we prove ourselves worthy:" Aminta asked, quickly changing the subject.

":To the East and West are two rooms with computer terminals. Use them to unlock the seals on the door to the North. If you prove yourself, you may enter through the door and find what you seek.:"

"Great," Aminta murmured tonelessly, and stalked over to the door. "What do you bet there's some ancient droid in there with it's shields up ready and waiting to kill us?"

Carth grinned. "I don't know; you're the Jedi. Aren't you supposed to be able to scry?"

Aminta eyed him and then shook her head. "You've read too many fantasy data novels, Carth. We need to introduce you to a new genre."

"What, like cheesy Romance stories?" he was quick to respond, and Aminta rolled her eyes.

"Immature, Carth. Immature." She opened the door, and sure enough, a droid lay within, it's red shields pulsing. Aminta reached into the force to disable the creature, and it lay in a smoking heap. Bastila threw her lightsaber at it's still form, effectively destroying it.

"That was easy," Aminta murmured, and headed over to the computer terminal. Upon her approach, the screen lit up from beneath the cobwebs. Aminta impatiently brushed them off and glanced down at the strange characters on the screen. "Weird," she murmured. A slot in the console opened with a loud click, and Aminta frowned for a second as she examined it.

It was no wider then two finger widths, and no deeper than her hand. Suddenly, something clicked in her brain, and she reached into her bag to pull out her datapad. Carefully, she inserted it, smiling slightly when she heard it click into place and the terminal close around it. Several more strange characters blinked onto the screen, and Aminta licked her lips. "You have my datapad," she said slowly, feeling like the stupidest person in the galaxy.

However, that seemed to have been the correct response as the terminal beeped, and then words in Basic appeared on the terminal. It was a riddle, and Aminta sighed softly as she read through it. "Life giving planets?" She quickly entered three terrain types, and the terminal beeped with approval. Seal removed, The characters on the terminal read, and Aminta smiled in satisfaction. "I don't understand why Nemo was unable to get through. That was too simple."

Bastila remained silent, but crossed her arms over her chest in discomfort. Or perhaps it was because Nemo wasn't nearly as gifted as you are… or as in touch with the dark side. She kept her mind blocked carefully to be sure that Aminta wouldn't sense her thoughts through her bond.

They exited that room, and repeated a near identical process in the one across the way. Finished there, Aminta re-entered the large chamber with the old droid and stood before the North door. "The dark side… Its taint lies in the room beyond," Bastila murmured, and Aminta sighed.

"Of course. The dark side. That's what it all comes down to with you Jedi, isn't it?" Aminta retorted, turning the large knob on the door.

"Must I remind you that you are a Jedi as well?" Bastila asked smoothly, hiding her discomfort as the door slid open slowly. Carth coughed and turned his head away when Aminta swung her gaze back to Bastila to glare at the woman.

"Only because you would have me killed if I wasn't!" She retorted angrily.

Bastila bit her lip and glanced away. There was nothing that she could say to that statement after all. Instead, she turned her attention to her surroundings. The room bore the same gloom as the other chambers had, but this time, a sense of deja vu clouded her senses; this was the room from the vision. As the three proceeded deeper into the shadows, a strange whirring sound came from the northernmost end.

When they were less than four paces away from a strange, claw shaped object, a ball rose on its own volition and glowed with bright intensity. The claw shaped pieces of metal rose from the floor and separated, and then the ball exploded. The pieces dissolved into light and settled into an iridescent green circle about the claw. "Amazing…" Aminta murmured under her breath, and took a few steps closer.

"There's Tatooine…" Bastila murmured, pointing to a planet on the chart like surface of light. "And Kashyyk… and Manaan, and there is Korriban." She pointed out the planets as she spoke. "This must be some sort of map…but what could it lead to?"

Aminta furrowed her brow. "I spent a long time examining charts in my time as a smuggler. There are coordinates missing on this." She touched her index finger to an empty spot. "Here…" she moved her finger to another, "Here… and here. And that's only a few."

Carth stepped closer to examine the artifact. "Maybe the rest of the coordinates are on these planets," he observed, pointing out the planets that Bastila had touched on.

"Perhaps," Bastila conceded. Then she turned to Aminta. "We should inform the council immediately of our findings."

Aminta groaned. "You can talk to them. I'm not going in those blasted chambers tonight!"

Bastila coughed. "Excuse me?"

Aminta rolled her eyes. "Look, the fracking council made us go to the stupid ruins after making us put up with the Sandral/Matale feud. I haven't had a chance to wallow yet."

Carth laughed, dispelling some of the tension between the two women. "We wouldn't want that, now would we?" He turned to Bastila. "Ami and I will head back to the ship while you speak the council. When you get back, Ami might be able to teach you the finer points of being a woman."

Bastila failed miserably at an attempt to suppress a grimace. "I do not believe that I will be returning to the Ebon Hawk tonight."

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Mission threw herself onto the couch, and then propped herself up on her elbow to look over Aminta's shoulder. "Watcha doin?" she asked with a grin, and Aminta barely glanced up from her work.

"I'm drawing," she replied, and Mission smiled.

"I saw your sketchbook when I went snooping, but I didn't look through it. Can I see?" she asked, and Aminta couldn't bring herself to say no. Mission was truly a weakness of hers.

"Fine," Aminta replied as she grudgingly passed over the sketchbook. Mission thumbed through it, and her eyes widened.

"These are really good," the girl complimented as she continued to flip through the pages. Mission paused turning the pages when she caught sight of a portrait of a chubby toddler with pigtails and a toothy grin. "Is she someone you know?" Mission asked after a moment, and Aminta chewed on her lower lip.

"Someone I could have known," she admitted, and Mission nodded with wisdom beyond her years. She continued to flip through the pages, pausing every so often to inspect a drawing that she favored above the others before continuing on. After a short time, she paused again.

"Ami, it's Carth!" Mission exclaimed, pointing at a drawing of a man nursing an ale. Aminta narrowed her eyes and frowned as she stared hard at the picture. It was the one that she had done with Leoma the night before the Spire crashed… and indeed, the man portrayed bore a great resemblance to the pilot.

"Well that's just creepy," Aminta muttered, and Mission laughed.

"You honestly didn't know that it was him?"

Aminta's eyes widened and she shook her head. "That's actually more than creepy."

Mission grinned cheekily. "Well then, you two are destined to be together."

At this, Aminta laughed so hard that tears sprung to her eyes. "Hardly, Mission. Hardly."

Mission's brow furrowed in confusion. "But, you guys… you know… and you're really close, and…"

Aminta put her hand in the air to cut off the flow of Mission's words. "Sex isn't always all about love, Mission," Aminta clarified, and chuckled when the girl flushed purple. "And yes, Carth is one of my dearest friends. I trust him with my life; however, I'm not so willing to trust him with my heart."

Mission sighed dramatically and flipped the page. The next drawing was one of herself, although it was a quick sketch rather than a completed picture. In the sketch, she was gripping her blaster and boasting a thousand watt smile. "I like this one," she said after a minute, and Aminta chuckled.

"Somehow I thought that you would," the older woman replied ruefully, and Mission stuck her tongue out. "Mature, Mish. Real mature." Mission scowled and turned her attention back to the sketch book.

Once again, her fingers came to a halt. This time, however, tears welled up in her eyes. It was a baby, the toddler's mouth hanging open slightly as she slept. Beside her drawing of a young girl, her fair hair tumbling about her shoulders, her thumb tucked securely in her mouth when she slept. Behind this one lay another girl, older than the other two, her face at peace and her arms wrapped tightly around her sister. "Vika, Nai, and Rae," Mission murmured, and Aminta nodded slightly.

"I'm glad that I got this one done before…" her voice trailed off as she glanced back down at the picture again. "I think I captured their faces accurately enough. At least I'll have something to remember them by."

Mission nodded slowly, and brushed away a tear. "I miss them, you know? I didn't know them for too long, but they were almost like my sisters."

"Yeah," Aminta murmured and then cleared her throat. "That's the last one that I drew, besides the one that I'm doing now." She took the notebook back from the girl, who managed a smile.

"I think you should draw one of Big Z next," she announced, quickly changing the subject to brighter things.

"Oh?" Aminta asked, bemused. She quickly pushed all thoughts of the three little girls out of her mind.

"Yeah. In braids and pink ribbons," Mission replied with an impish grin, and despite herself, Aminta laughed.

"I'll think about it, Mish. I'm going to go talk to Canderous for a while now, okay?" she excused herself as she stood, and Mission raised a brow.

"Why would you want to talk to that stupid wind bag?" she demanded as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Aminta grinned. "Believe it or not, even he has his uses," she replied with a wink and headed towards the cargo hold. Mission simply shook her head and headed to the women's dormitory, muttering something about delusional warrior want to be's. When she arrived, Aminta poked her head in and found Canderous, predictably, working on the swoop bike.

"Where you been? I started to think I'd have to finish this thing all on my own!" Canderous greeted her, and Aminta shook her head.

"Canderous, Canderous, Canderous. You must learn patience. That's what I've had to do the entire time that we've been planet bound," she replied with mock severity, and Canderous scowled.

"I'm older than you, squirt. I can boss you around," he threatened, and Aminta smirked.

"I'd like to see you try, Candy. Anyway, I couldn't leave you all alone. I haven't finished the engine yet. What good would a bike be without an engine, I ask you?"

Canderous chuckled and turned his attention back to the bike. "All your stuff is right where you left them. Have at it," he replied dismissively, and Aminta rolled her eyes.

"So, what have you been doing while I've been training?" she asked after a few moments of silence, and Canderous shrugged.

"I've been hunting some Iriaz. Made a decent amount of credits from that, I guess. And I've been hunting down the Mandalorains on the planet; the worthless sons of Kath that they are," he growled and Aminta raised a brow.

"Worthless?"

"Without honor. They kill women and children, the defenseless… they kill for the simple pleasure of causing fear, not for the ambition to enter into battle with a worthy opponent. Pathetic," he spat, his ministrations on the bike growing violent.

Aminta was silent for a moment, digesting the information.

"What did you do with them?" She asked after a time, and Canderous snarled.

"Stripped them of their possessions and left them for the hounds."

"So that's where all the extra weapons came from," Aminta mused. "Did you find killing them worthwhile?" she asked, and Canderous gave her a grim smile.

"It was a necessary evil."

Aminta licked her lips. "Then I applaud your decision," she said after a minute, turning her attention back to the ever-frustrating engine. By now, she was up to her elbows in grease and oils, and she scowled down at the mess. "I'm going to start stripping before I work," she muttered, looking at the mess she had made of her tunic.

Canderous laughed from his place beneath the swoop bike, his anger forgotten for the moment. "I wouldn't be complaining," he replied, the grin evident in his voice.

"Men are such dogs," Aminta muttered, and Canderous chuckled.

"Believe it or not, we are slightly more complex," he replied, and Aminta rolled her eyes.

"Tell me, what do you want to do besides fight over territory, knock hips with a woman, eat, or sleep?" she retorted, and Canderous laughed loudly this time.

"Plenty."

Aminta raised her brows in disbelief. "Really? Like what?"

Canderous grinned. "That's a secret."

"Of course it is," she muttered with a roll of her eyes, turning her full attention back to the engine. They worked for a time in companiable silence, which was interrupted by an all to familiar voice.

"The council had informed me of their decision," Bastila announced, and Aminta groaned.

"Can't it wait? I'm busy."

"You're filthy," Bastila noted with some amusement, and Aminta sighed.

"A girl's got to get dirty every now and again." Canderous snorted in amusement, and Aminta purposefully ignored him. "So, what about the council?"

Bastila glanced to Canderous and then Aminta again. "I believe that this is an announcement that everyone would benefit from hearing," she replied, heading towards the common room.

Canderous rose from his position on the floor and winked at Aminta. "We'd better get going. The Princess beckoned." He grinned when he saw Bastila's shoulder's tense and her chin rise a fraction. "Hey squirt, do you think I touched a nerve?" he mocked Bastila subtly and Aminta groaned.

"Everyone in the common room!" she shouted once they reached the central area, and the other crew members slowly began to trickle in. "It's a little unnerving that you can hear everything in this ship, isn't it?" Aminta asked Canderous under her breath.

The Mandalorian smirked at her. "I'm sure that the dormitory doors are sound proof," he replied, and Aminta rolled her eyes.

"You're crude."

"You know you love me."

Aminta raised her brows. "Cute, Canderous. Real cute."

Bastila shushed them, and turned to face the rest of her companions. "I have just spoken with the council, and they have decided that we are to go on a mission for them. As of tomorrow, we will be leaving Dantooine." A chorus of finally's echoes throughout the room, and Bastila frowned slightly.

"Wait a second! What Mission?" Carth demanded, and Bastila sighed.

She quickly reviewed the finding of the star map with the members of the crew who hadn't heard of it yet before she answered Carth's question. "We are going to be searching these planets for signs of Star Maps. When all are found, the missing coordinates will most likely guide us directly to Malak." At this point, a hush fell over the room.

Aminta stepped in when she felt her companions' fear. "I don't want to keep any of you in the dark. There will most definitely be a confrontation with Malak, and the trip will be dangerous. None of you are obligated to come. I will personally pay for your fare on a transit off of Dantooine if you don't want to put yourself into this situation," Aminta offered.

Zalbaar was the first to speak up. ":You have my life debt, Aminta Jae. I will follow you.:"

"And where Zalbaar goes, I go!" Mission exclaimed emphatically, and Aminta smiled at her.

"I'm coming. Who else would pilot your ship?" Carth teased, and Aminta threw him a grateful smile.

Canderous nodded when Aminta looked to him. "You have earned my respect. Besides, there is great honor in the battle that you are preparing for."

T-3 let out a series of beeps, and Aminta grinned at him. "Don't worry. I wasn't about to leave you behind!"

Bastila cleared her throat, disturbed at how so many people were willing to throw away their lives for the sake of one woman. "There will be another accompanying us," she informed the group stiffly, and Aminta frowned. A familiar form glided into the room with un-human grace, and Aminta's eyes widened.

"Juhani!"

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Short chapter, I know. But it was only to get us off of Dantooine. My, oh my how I hate that planet. Anyway, please leave a review. As always, constructive criticism is always appreciated.