Writer's notes: UPDATED 11/19/06. I wanted to profusely thank Lord Valentai, Jon, and you crazy Dark Sidersfor beta reading. Also, thank you very much to Dark Poetic, Sir Dik-Dik, Evan, and Alan. I appreciate your support.
We continue to explore blindness...physically and metaphorically. Kashyyyk is covered in mist and fog, limiting visibility. The team is blind to a traitor in their midst. Aerin is continually drawn into her need for love and it blinds her to the needs of others and she continues to misuse the Force in small ways. Bastila is blinded by her own jealousy. Carth is blinded by vengeance.
I'm going to add a bit of intrigue here with an espionage storyline. Based on my Dark Sider friends, we have some realistic techniques used in a fictional way. Many traitors don't start out as such, justifying their actions through their anger, but the stakes are high in this case.
The Forest for the Trees – Part III
The Ebon Hawk - Departing Tatooine's Atmosphere
Canderous sat in the Engineering Section, feeling pensive. The elation he had felt earlier had evaporated as thoughts, unbecoming a Mandalorian, played through his mind.
Jagi…brave Jagi. How young and naïve we once were. Ergeron, what ever became of you? Are the Mandalorians truly gone?
The big mercenary dug his fingers into his palms to remove the intrusive thoughts from his head. He grabbed his caffa mug and poured the contents down his throat. Instead of relief, the buzz brought him an unexpected headache that just worsened his mood.
In contrast, Aerin sat in the right seat of the cockpit, exhilarated.
The Ebon Hawk broke free of the grip of the desert planet and Bastila calculated the route to Kashyyyk. Aerin adjusted the plasma manifold settings as Sasha sat in her lap. Then, the stars blurred into streaks of light as the Hawk leapt into hyperspace.
Sasha squirmed on Aerin's lap and pulled a datapad from the Padawan's pocket. Aerin had 'placed' basic language skills into her mind using the Force.
I shouldn't tell Bastila about this, she would just become upset.
"What this?" asked Sasha in her singsong voice.
Aerin stroked the girl's blonde hair. "It's a data pad, Sasha. A man named Senni Vek gave it to me."
Sasha giggled. "Sennivek! Sennivek!" she squealed as if it were the funniest word in the Galaxy.
Aerin glanced over the information contained on the data pad and it told her to meet a Rodian in Ahto City on the planet of Manaan. She shrugged as she put the pad back into her pocket.
Sasha then squirmed again. "How come Komad go bye bye? He nice. Give me toy."
Padawan Dakar laughed brightly. "Yes, he is nice, isn't he? Well, he had some other business. I sense we'll meet him again."
As the Hawk sailed along toward the forest planet, a rhythm of life began to form on the former smuggling vessel. Aerin and Bastila devised a cleaning schedule and crewmembers were assigned to cook and clean. Bastila proved to be quite meticulous in her hygiene and constantly browbeat the others to maintain a spotless ship.
The Jedi would regularly spar to keep their skills up and Aerin would often add designs to her lightsabers together with Juhani. As Padawan Dakar sat with the Cathar, Bastila would watch them closely. Something clouded her heart…a distant memory, and she stomped off back to the woman's quarters.
As she passed through the workbay, Canderous polished his blaster as Commander Ergot and Ensign Helos reviewed intelligence reports. Eventually, Padawan Shan entered her quarters and tossed her bag up on her bunk.
I should be leading the quest. I am senior and older. It's happening all over again….
She climbed up and lay back smashing her head into her pillow. She tried to close her eyes and meditate, but restlessness gripped her like a vise. Bastila tossed and turned for several minutes before climbing back down and sitting at a desk.
"This is intolerable," she whispered to herself.
"What's intolerable?" someone asked and Bastila looked over to see young Ensign Niki Helos in her bunk.
"Nothing…nevermind."
The blonde ensign sat up and scratched her head. She rubbed her eyes and said, "For the success that we had on Tatooine, you don't seem too happy. I don't know much about the Jedi, but they always seem upset about something."
Bastila huffed. "We are not always upset about something."
Niki shrugged. "Just an observation, nothing more. I'm an intelligence officer, you know."
"It's just that…just that my needs always seem to be overlooked," the Jedi began, but then sighed and waved her hand dismissively. "It's nothing, nevermind. I don't want to bore you. Besides, we hardly know each other."
"No, you're not boring me and it would be a good way to become better acquainted."
Bastila rolled her eyes. "Very well, if you want to know…. You weren't in the cavern with us, but I found the body of my dead father. My mother sent me there…I didn't want to have anything to do with her, but I put my needs aside." She sat up and sucked on her teeth, clearly bothered by something. "This encounter brought up a lot of…painful memories. I blamed my mother for giving me to the Order when I was a child. Her needs came first…or so I thought. As a youngling, I followed Revan and her needs came first."
Bastila gritted her teeth now and balled her hand in a fist. "Even when I let Revan and Malak go to war, I was following the will of the Order and their needs came first."
Niki nodded slowly in understanding. "And now, you're joining this quest…this is the will of the Order too, I take it."
"It is…I wanted none of it."
"But isn't the Code of the Jedi all about sacrifice?"
Bastila was about to respond, but she inhaled and paused a moment. She let the tension flow from her body and her hands relaxed. "It is. I forgot for a moment. I let my family affiliations get in the way. It is why the Jedi discourage contact with our old lives. Thank you for listening," she said and lay back down.
Niki smiled. "Any time. Get some rest and I'll turn out the lights."
Aboard the Ebon Hawk – In the Training Room
When Aerin and Juhani had finished meditating, Padawan Dakar wandered to the workroom. Together with Canderous and T3, she examined HK-47, poking and prodding with various tools. The rust-colored droid's orange eyes lit up in apparent ire. "Protest: What is the point of your meatbag meddling?"
Canderous grunted. "Hold still, droid."
"We're hoping to see what is in your memory core, HK," informed Aerin.
"Informative: Why did you not say so in the first place? I could have told you that my memory had been wiped, but that there was still significant data contained within."
"Maybe we can find out why he's such a smartass," said the mercenary gruffly.
Aerin looked at him and they both shrugged. "Let's give it a try," she said out loud.
"Cautionary: Hold on, space cowboys. I will guide you through the procedure. Put your hydrospanner there…not there. Ah, hoo hoo, yessss," the droid said and power surged through forgotten areas of the droid's memory core. "Advisory: Some things are coming back to me now."
Aerin's eyes widened and her mouth hung open. "Go ahead."
He told them that he had once belonged to a low-ranking member of the Emtech Corporation and had worked as a protocol droid and a bodyguard. The man enjoyed showing HK off, thinking that the droid enhanced his reputation and it did; he soon had a corner office in the company.
However, a competitor soon began to push Emtech out of the market. The man became desperate and discovered HK's assassination protocols by accident. In anger, the man ordered HK to kill all of those responsible for his misfortune.
Soon, the droid had terminated 104 corporate executives and the list of targets led back to HK's owner.
Aerin furrowed her brows. "How could that be possible?"
"Explanation: My master did not know that his competitor was an arm of Emech Corp and as such he was responsible for his own competition. Imagine his surprise when I shot him. At that point, I shut down, as I do if my master is killed. I did not become aware again until I was in the possession of that filthy meatbag Ithorian."
Aerin frowned as Canderous laughed. "I suppose it was poetic justice," she said.
"Commentary: Might I say, Master, that I am overjoyed to be working for you and am quivering with anticipation for our next hostile encounter."
Aerin made a strange face and returned to the cockpit.
Approaching Kashyyyk
Days later, the jade green orb of Kashyyyk came into view. As they entered orbit around the forest world, Zaalbar became increasingly agitated. Aerin noticed this and approached the big, hairy Wookiee. "Is everything okay, Z?" she asked in Shrywook.
Zaalbar grunted quietly. "I'm sorry, but I already said that I'd rather not discuss it."
"Very well, Z. I respect your privacy. Please prepare to land. I will need your help to interact with the Wookiees and to get around."
He shook his head. "I may not be of much use. It has been twenty years since I was on Kashyyyk."
Aerin furrowed her brows. She knew when something was not right. He's being evasive. Can I trust him here?
As they came up on the outer layer of the Stratosphere, Carth initiated an atmospheric entry solution and the Hawk descended into the thick ozone layer. The ship's sensors picked up the signal for an instrument landing and Carth guided the vessel along the glide slope and localizer. A thick, misty fog had developed in the Kashyyyk night and only the tips of the giant Wroshyr Trees could be seen through the windscreen. "Some of these trees reach four-hundred meters in height," mentioned Carth as he piloted the ship downward.
They dropped into the fog layer and the visibility dropped to near zero. Carth maneuvered to center a vertical and horizontal bar on the HUD and followed the signal to the landing pad.
As the Hawk settled on the pad, Aerin began to read the shutdown checklist. The massive ion turbines ground to a stop and the egress ramp lowered to the deck. The crew gathered their equipment and Carth led the way down the ramp. The water vapor from the surrounding fog coated their clothes and skin. Fog lamps along the landing pad cast eerie shadows beneath the massive trunks of the Wroshyr Trees.
Out of the gloom walked an Ithorian, flanked by two armed guards. The Ithorian nodded his flat, slug-like head and welcomed them. "Domjabgee…I am Janos Wertka. Welcome to Edean, Czerka Corp invites you to our lush and fertile planet. For the minimal fee of one hundred credits, you may dock here and partake in the pleasantries that our company has to offer."
Zaalbar bristled silently, noticeable to only Mission.
"I thought this planet was called Kashyyyk?" asked Carth.
"Kashyyyk is the name used by the indigenous inhabitants. Edean is the proper name for this world, voted on by the corporate stockholders," advised Janos. "Please, follow me to the Czerka Corporate Office to take care of your fee so you can begin your Edean adventure."
The group fell in behind Janos and his guards, but Aerin looked back at Zaalbar and Mission; the Wookiee was balling his fists and shaking with barely contained rage.
They walked up to the glistening metal and glass Czerka office, which was grossly out of place in this primeval world of wood and leaf. Spotless transparisteel doors slid open before lush green carpets that absorbed the sound of their footsteps. Nauseatingly bland muzak played softly over the sound system, droning the employees slowly insane.
At a desk, Janos motioned to a receptionist. The woman wore a bland green uniform and a headset. "Please pay your docking fee here," she said in a grating, nasal voice.
Aerin forked over 100 credits, which the woman took. Behind the reception desk, the team could see a man studying some plants, while a Wookiee struggled in a cage.
Zaalbar bellowed and ran past Janos into the lab.
The Ithorian shouted, "Control your slave!" to which Aerin and Mission scowled at him.
"Zaalbar is my friend, not my slave," answered Aerin angrily. "What is going on? Why is that Wookiee being tortured?"
Janos was taken aback by their audacity. "These are legitimate experiments and that Wookiee is the property of Czerka Corp. I suggest you leave now, or my guards will force you out!"
Aerin focused her will and power swirled about her. Bastila and Juhani gasped, unsure of what their fellow Jedi would do.
"Janos, release the Wookiee. He is of no use to you. You cannot enslave another sentient race; it is an offense against us all," instructed Aerin in a monotone voice.
The Ithorian blinked. He then went robotically into the room, where Zaalbar was terrorizing the staff and ordered the Wookiee's release. Zaalbar assisted the injured Wookiee out of the lab.
"Come, let's get out of here. I feel soiled," said Aerin with clear disgust in her voice.
Bastila approached her. "That was very noble. These Wookiees are being horribly mistreated."
"It was for the greater good."
Bastila stopped, letting Aerin and Juhani continue forward; she was white as a sheet.
The Great Walkway
The team left in search of quarters and learned that the tortured Wookiee's name was Growlrrr. Zaalbar injected the poor Wookiee with several medpacs, enabling him to walk on his own. Growlrrr focused his eyes on Zaalbar and a look of horror came over his face.
"You should not be here," Growlrrr told Zaalbar coldly.
Aerin stepped in and looked up at the big Wookiee. "A little gratitude toward Zaalbar would be nice…."
The dark-furred Wookiee looked down at the slender woman and crossed his massive arms. "Offworlder, you have my thanks for freeing me from such slavery, but there are things here that go beyond your understanding. I will take my leave, but beware of this Wookiee. He is not to be trusted."
Aerin frowned as Growlrrr stomped off into the mist. She looked up to Zaalbar, her eyes pleading with him to take a stand.
However, Zaalbar just moped quietly, unwilling to refute the insult.
As they found a hotel, Aerin pulled Zaalbar and Mission aside as Carth procured rooms. "Why are these Wookiees being enslaved? This is horrible," Aerin complained. Mission seemed just as taken aback and looked up to her big friend.
Zaalbar moaned, an agonized moan born from years of emotional anguish. "Aerin Dakar, you are not a Wookiee. You would not understand. This is a deeply personal matter."
Aerin frowned deeply. "I respect you, Zaalbar, but please do not make me regret it." She turned and walked back to the reception counter, where exotic plants grew in painted vases in the foyer while colorful birds sang in gilded cages.
Once rooms had been secured, Aerin called a quick meeting. "We must determine where the Star Map is located on this planet. Any intelligence would be helpful. Commander Ergot, I know we have had our differences, but I need you and Ensign Helos to find out what you can about the planet and politics. Captain Durren, you and Sergeant Ekala will be responsible to protect the Ebon Hawk along with Tee Three. Let's meet at the restaurant tomorrow at Nine."
The team broke up to check into their rooms and Aerin walked over to the restaurant with Sasha. Near the elevator, she noticed Captain Durren having a conversation with Bastila and a strange glint was in his eyes.
A Maitre d' bowed to Aerin as she approached and she could tell this was an upscale establishment; just to her noble liking. Carth and Mission caught up to her, as she was about to ask for a table. "Table for…four, please," she asked in her Deralian aristocratic tone.
They were seated near a giant birdcage, a hundred meters tall, with fantastic flora and incredible fauna. Mission's eyes were wide with wonder, following every bird and beast with awe.
As they sat, Mission put her gum under the table. "Ummm, Aerin, please don't lose faith in Z. He'd die for either of us. Something's eating at him though and he won't even tell me."
Aerin sighed as water was placed on the table in crystal glasses. "Our task comes first, but I do want to trust him."
Aerin ordered the most expensive meal and had the others do the same. "Don't worry, it's on me."
Carth's eyes grew big. "Good Heavens, you are a spoiled rich kid."
The dinner of roast fowl and vegetables on a bed of pasta was inhaled by Mission and Sasha as Aerin constantly tried to modify their table manners. Food flew about the area and Carth laughed. "Let them be, they're having fun. Sasha is such a good kid."
The blonde girl looked up and smiled as she stabbed a slice of meat with her fork held in two hands.
The Captain chuckled. "We really should get her back to Dantooine. I'm sure her parents would be anxious to welcome her back."
Aerin's expression was noncommittal. "We shall, as soon as we are able. I think I can help her in the meantime. She'll be like our daughter until then," Aerin said with a laugh, trying to deflect the subject.
Carth's mood darkened suddenly. "I don't need another child at this moment. I've lost one already."
Aerin's eyes shot open at her faux pas. "I'm sorry, Carth. I forgot. This must be awkward for you."
Mission glanced back and forth at the two adults; it was time for them to have a serious discussion. She whispered in Sasha's ear. "Come Sasha, let's go play with the birds."
"Birdie!" she squealed as Mission led her off. Aerin looked over and Mission shot her a mock salute and a wink.
Carth took a swig of his red wine and coughed.
"No, silly, like this…." Aerin told him as she swirled her goblet delicately, inhaling the heady aroma.
The Captain rolled his eyes. "How did you get to be a soldier in this crazy war? You're more cut out to be a debutante at a Senatorial function."
The young Padawan chuckled softly. "My father is a senator…he's all about duty and it was my turn to serve. I don't think he anticipated that I would be able to use the Force."
"Hmmm, I think I've heard of your dad. He was quite a leader…good pilot too."
Aerin looked into his eyes. "Carth, I've really come to rely on you. You've taught me things about leadership and we would've never come this far without you," the Padawan confessed as she sipped her wine. "Awwww, what the heck," she said and chugged the rest of the glass.
Carth burst out, holding his sides. Then, he turned serious again, focusing his eyes on her. "My wife…my son, Dustil…they were all I had. I had the perfect life until Saul took it away...murdering them. You would be wise not to trust me as I don't entirely trust myself. I don't know what I'd do to get Saul…I don't know how far I'd go."
Aerin reached across the table and took his hand. He looked away and his hand shook until the goblet fell from his grasp, spilling the wine on the white tablecloth.
On the Great Walkway
Outside, in the mist-covered walkways of the tree city, Commander Haman Ergot spoke to people along the path to the landing docks. He had Ensign Helos go ahead to check out the shops and kiosks before they closed for the night.
As he passed a light post, his hand darted out with a marker and made a slash on the post. He walked ahead and then turned abruptly into a kiosk, looking back over his shoulder. Anyone following him would blunder into his view and be discovered. He circled around through the many kiosks, doubling back and stopping suddenly to confound any hostile agents. After a half an hour, he went back to the light post.
A second mark was there.
As he passed the light post, he spotted a man in a Czerka uniform walking toward him. In the brief second that they brushed each other, hands made contact. The Czerka man pocketed the slip of paper as Ergot pocketed the slips of credits. The transaction was so quick, it went unnoticed by the many shoppers.
Ergot smiled to himself as he ducked into a high-end restaurant. His hands shook slightly, but his face was determined. He thought about Padawan Dakar and grimaced, now resolute in his decision to betray her. The foolish Lieutenant doesn't understand the system and has no respect for my station. That bitch has no idea how much pain she has caused herself.
A trained intelligence officer could be a formidable foe and one fueled by jealousy and hatred could destroy the quest…and the Republic.