Writer's notes: UPDATED 11/19/06. Again, the theme is blindness...we cannot see the forest for the trees. This time, Aerin was blinded to Nord's ambush and to her own origins as well as to her own needs. In the next part, the Wookiees of Kashyyyk are blind to their own betrayal.
I'm trying to expand Juhani and Canderous as characters and give more depth to HK. I'm also trying to throw in leadership lessons. I've read some about General Hal Moore and his lessons as well as having met Colonel Danny McKnight (Blackhawk Down). I think leadership is focal to Revan's character and the growth of the main character of KOTOR.
The Forest for the Trees – Part II
From all blindness of heart; from pride, vainglory, and hypocrisy; from envy, hatred, and malice, and from all uncharitableness,
Good Lord, deliver us.
The Litany
The Cave of the Krayt Dragon
As Nord's voice reverberated through the deep cavern, Aerin lowered her head, angry at herself for her lack of caution. Now, one of the team lay dead. I was taken unawares and now everyone will pay.
I must get control of myself…I must prevail.
The young Padawan fought to steady her nerves, knowing that she could not fall apart now; if not for herself, then for Mission…and Carth.
Aerin grunted her dissatisfaction with herself and then pointed towards the rear of the cage. "Bastila, Mission, fall back to another position of cover and prepare for a counterattack."
Mission was about to protest, but a look from Aerin convinced her to comply. As Bastila led the Twi'lek to the rear, Aerin scurried over to Canderous as the whine of blaster fire filled the air.
"So," yelled Nord, "We're going to do this the hard way, huh? Fine, I always thought your ears looked nice, Aerin," he threatened. She gritted her teeth as she knew that Nord usually collected the ears of his victims as proof of his kills.
Quickly, Padawan Dakar sent a distress signal to HK-47, while motioning Carth and the others to fall back. She then looked to Canderous. "Talk to him. Get him pissed off."
Canderous nodded with a wicked grin. "I know just what to say," he whispered to her and then cupped his hands over his mouth. "Hey Nord, I'll bet that your mother was a Jawa, you freak!" he called tauntingly as he pushed Aerin towards the rear. A grenade then landed right where they had been standing and they dove behind a boulder as the sphere erupted in fire and shrapnel.
A Rodian leapt up onto the rocks where the grenade went off and fired his blaster carbine into the empty dirt. Realizing that his prey had moved, he frantically scanned around. Canderous bumped his eyebrows upward twice at Aerin and then launched a bolt of energy from his blaster. The bolt splattered against the Rodian's armor, hurling him backwards over the rocks with a howl of pain.
Aerin laughed mockingly. "How's your jaw, Nord? I think you look far more handsome now…for an Ugnaught."
She was answered by an enraged shout and a flurry of randomly aimed blaster bolts. Rushing footsteps through the rocky soil of the cavern followed as Nord hurled his force against the team; the blitz was on.
Rodian thugs charged forward ahead of Calo's white-hot anger. The normally dispassionate bounty hunter was provoked beyond control as the rage, built up over a lifetime, came surging forth like the onrushing tide.
"No one insults me and gets away with it! Nobody!"
From a higher vantage point, Carth and Captain Durren laid down suppressing fire, keeping the Rodian wave from crashing upon them. Flashes of light flew both ways, throwing dirt and rocks into the air. Aerin quickly activated her energy shield and drew her blaster pistol. Relying on muscle memory, she took a close quarters battle stance; crouched forward, body slightly bladed, and weapon held closer to her body to deter someone from taking the pistol from her. She smacked Canderous' armored shoulder with the palm of her hand and said, "Carth has them fixed. Move forward, we're going to flank them."
The mercenary grinned as he hurled a grenade forward. With a feral shout, he sprinted ahead, firing his enormous blaster while making his most fearsome war face.
Aerin rounded a corner to confront two Rodians. As they brought their weapons to bear, she pointed the muzzle of her pistol at one enemy's chest. Two trigger pulls sent a double tap into the alien's torso. Then, a third shot struck the thug in his green forehead, sending green matter spraying backward.
The Rodian's partner got off a shot, which flashed on Aerin's shield. The device crackled, overloading and leaving her vulnerable.
As she took a breath, three Rodians leapt down on top of her.
In the Cavern
Behind some rocks farther to the rear, Mission wriggled nervously, listening to the staccato bursts of blaster fire and the deep crump of grenade detonations.
"Bastila, we have to get over there!" she urged, as she checked her pistol. The Jedi remained motionless until they heard Aerin's surprised cry. Without another word, Mission rushed recklessly into the fray.
Padawan Shan reached out to try and stop her. "Mission, no!" she called, but the Twi'lek was gone.
"Dammit," whispered Bastila through gritted teeth and she too, rushed out from behind cover, followed by the giant Wookiee.
On the High Ground in the Cavern
From their vantage point, Carth and the Marines lay down fire. The muzzle flashes of their weapons lit up the dark interior of the cavern with plumes of energy that reached out to touch the enemy. Rodians ducked and dodged as bolts flashed through their ranks. Positioned on their flank, Carth's enfilading fire whittled down the attackers' numbers.
"Git some! Git some!" Carth growled as his blaster bolt sliced through a Rodian, flinging the thug backward.
Behind the heavy blaster, Kyle Durren swept the weapon back and forth slowly, raking the flank of the enemy. Steam and spent plasma gas coiled up around the barrel as heat began to overload the weapon. A grizzled, solidly built sergeant moved up with a new barrel, full of fresh plasma. "Barrel change, sir," he said calmly and Captain Durren switched the blaster to safe.
It would be a long thirty seconds.
Down on the Floor of the Cavern
Aerin crashed to the ground under the weight of the three Rodians and dust flew up around them, shrouding the frenzied melee. They wrestled for the pistol amid kicking and punching. Aerin took a blow to the face before she remembered that she was a Jedi.
Gaaah, the Force! Focus.
Then, an unseen hand hurled one Rodian flew upward into a stalactite, impaling him on its sharp point. With a loud hum, a blue blade of energy shot upward through the back of another as Aerin had activated her lightsaber under the thug. Shocked at the sudden turn of events, the third attacker stood, looking to flee. As he turned to run, Canderous burned his green head off with a blast.
Aerin struggled to remove the dead Rodian on top of her as Canderous rushed over. "Forget me! Get Nord!" she yelled and the mercenary charged ahead.
Canderous dashed through a hail of fire, dodging and weaving through rocks and bodies until he crashed into a large Rodian. The alien flew backward, falling into the cavern wall. Canderous lowered his weapon to finish off the enemy, but was struck in the face with a Gaffi stick.
The force of the blow knocked him on his back, imbedding sharp rocks in the back of his head. White-hot pain seared through his brain as he saw the bone coming down again. With the instincts of a trained warrior, Canderous raised his arm to ward off the blow and the Gaffi stick shattered across his armor.
He focused just enough to see Calo draw both of his pistols. Nord took careful aim at Canderous' head, looking down the barrel of his blaster.
"Afraid? You should be. Good bye, old man," the bounty hunter said with poorly veiled rage.
Deeper in the Cavern
In the center of the cavern, Mission flitted from boulder to boulder, crouched to take advantage of cover. Rounding an obstacle, the Twi'lek ran headlong into a Rodian. The scaly green alien turned to meet the new threat, bringing a carbine to bear. With youthful reflexes honed through years of survival, Mission pushed the muzzle of her blaster into the Rodian's face and fired. "Die already!" she yelled, running past the falling enemy to where Aerin lay pinned by her own victim.
The Twi'lek rushed over and began hauling the dead Rodian off of Aerin as Bastila ran up, lightsaber held at the ready. Zaalbar was right behind her, firing with his bowcaster.
Bastila sighed in relief. "Please do not be so rash, Mission. There are still enemies about."
The young girl ignored her and kept tugging until the Rodian slid off. She then helped Aerin to her feet.
Padawan Dakar glanced quickly about, trying to orient herself to the chaos. "Carth is securing our flank over there. Where's Canderous?" she asked.
Near the Front of the Cavern
A short distance away, Canderous looked down and saw his blaster lying at his feet; it was just out of reach. He gave it a brief thought, knowing of Nord's legendary reflexes.
What the heck, I'll take that demented Ewok with me.
Nord looked into Canderous' eyes and knew what the mercenary was about to do. A cold smile creased his lips, warming his dark heart: This would be his most satisfying kill.
As Canderous made his move, a flash appeared at the end of Nord's hand, but it was not what either of them expected. As the sparks dissipated, Canderous could see that Nord's hand was a smoking ruin of muscle and bone.
"Supposition: That appears very painful, meatbag," HK-47 intoned in a sarcastic mechanical voice as he turned and gunned down nearby Rodians.
Calo's skin turned paper white as a silent scream formed on his lips. Canderous stood, letting a plasma charge build in his weapon. A gauge registered a massive overcharge within the firing chamber and he pointed the weapon at his longtime rival. Nord gave him one final sneer before Canderous incinerated him.
The Mandalorian then got down, kneeling above Nord's charred corpse and inhaled smoke tendrils coiling off of the body. "I'll breathe in your essence, worthy opponent."
He then stood and gave HK a wink as Aerin ran up from behind.
"Thank the Force you're not harmed," she said.
Canderous brushed rocks and dirt from his hair and his fingers were coated in his own blood. "Just a few scratches, nothing more. I think we've seen the last of Calo Nord, thanks to HK and myself. The Force had nothing to do with it."
"If you say so."
With Nord's hit squad wiped out, the team gathered up their belongings. With a strange sense of precision, Canderous gathered Calo's pistols and armor. A faraway look was etched on his face and he ran a finger along the deep scar on his cheek. For a moment, he thought back to a day in which he slew a Mandalorian renegade. "Every kill is as satisfying as the first."
Carth and the marines rushed up to see the dead body of Sergeant Worrus. Carth shook his head sadly as they loaded the fallen marine into a speeder. Aerin approached Carth, a sad look on her face. "I'm so sorry, Captain. It was my fault. I should have been more vigilant."
Carth returned a bittersweet look. "No, you did good…the will to prevail. You took a bad situation and emerged victorious. Aerin, people are going to die on this quest. That's a given. It could be me…it could be you. That's war."
Canderous approached them and he held out Nord's pistols to Carth. "Onasi, I want you to have these. For a Republic, you're…not bad."
Carth accepted the weapons with a silent nod. A grudging respect seemed to be growing between the two former adversaries.
Aerin quickly did a head count of her team and saw a green hand poking up from under some debris. "Komad!" She rushed over and dug the Twi'lek up.
The hunter then opened his eyes and shook dust from his face. "Whoa, who were those guys?"
Aerin smiled. "Some old enemies," she said as she looked around. Surrounding Komad were six dead Rodians, slain in a trap he had set. She pulled him up and he brushed dust from his clothes. "Thanks, Komad. I'm glad you're here."
"Me too. I guess these hunting skills come in handy whether you're the hunter or the hunted."
Having loaded the speeders with treasure, the team boarded and rushed back the Tusken Encampment with Komad Fortuna in tow. Aerin did not think it possible for a droid, but HK positively glowed like a new mother. Even Canderous had a satisfied air about him. The great mercenary reclined back into the speeder seat as the hot wind rushed over them. "The look on Nord's face was priceless," he told Aerin. "I feel like I just ate a meal of Panaxian Blowfish…potentially deadly, but oh, so satisfying. Killing Nord was as euphoric as my first kill and a Mandalorian never forgets his first."
Again, a distant smile crossed his lips and he felt the scar along his cheek. He inhaled deeply, but then, a dark expression clouded his face as some other, more unpleasant memory, filled him.
Soon, the encampment was in sight as the Tatooine suns began their downward journey.
Komad looked upon the sand castle-like structure with awe. "I've never been this close, even as the best hunter on Tatooine, I'd never dare venture here. Are you sure they're not hostile?"
Aerin shrugged. "I'm not sure of anything."
They stepped out and ventured into the gate, where the Chief met them. Aerin held out the pearl and the Sand People gawked, grunting in their language.
HK spoke, "Translation: The Chief is dumbfounded at your insane bravery. Should you wish to hear the tale of his people, we will meet with the storyteller."
Komad's face was eager and Aerin nodded.
"Warning: The story is extremely long and only told by oral tradition."
The group shrugged and followed the Chief into the inner sanctum of the Tusken Raiders.
Through the night, they were regaled by the lengthy tale of the Sand People through the origins of their planet, subjugation by the offworlders, and eventual redemption through the scorching of Tatooine.
As the bright dawn came to Tatooine, the team rose and bowed to the Chief. The speeder ride back to Anchorhead was silent. Soon, the suns began to heat the vast desert and waves of air rose into the blue sky.
As they passed the Cantina, Bastila looked longingly at the decrepit building.
"We'll see your mother again," reassured Aerin. "She'll be fine on Coruscant until we get there."
Bastila smiled briefly as they went by. She began to reach out to Aerin, to thank her for her support, but she stayed her hand and a darkness passed over her face. Instead, she just said, "I'm sure she will be. Coruscant is far away from this horrible conflict."
"What was your father like, if you don't mind my asking?"
Padawan Shan thought for a moment and then showed Aerin her jeweled brush. "Other than this holocron, this is all I have left of him. He was a great treasure hunter and I loved going on adventures with him. I always thought we were such a close family until Master Vrook came for me."
Aerin made a smirk. "Master Vrook…was he always as grouchy as he is?"
Bastila inhaled deeply and turned away. "No, not always. He was once kind and gentle. Betrayal took that from him…and his own ambition."
"Betrayal? By whom?"
Unexpectedly, Bastila sneered. "By Revan, who else? Now I suggest we get back to the ship."
When they had reached the docking port, the Czerka official greeted them and had men load their speeders aboard the Ebon Hawk.
Standing in front of the ship, Juhani gazed into the blue sky; her face was as stone. The Cathar knelt and bowed her head. "Belaya…I will not forget you. We will meet again one day when I, too, become one with the Force."
Then, she stood and noticed a data pad at her feet. Curious, she picked it up and then saw a Twi'lek male standing there, dressed in a black, water-filled body suit.
"I think that famous swoop rider, Aerin, dropped this. Please tell her Senni Vek sends his regards."
Juhani looked curiously at him as he walked away. Now, it was time to leave this planet and to put the pain of Belaya's death behind her.