Writer's notes: UPDATED 11/20/2006. We look into a bit more of Juhani's past and introduce Jolee. Aerin's anger continues to grow as her power gets the better of her.

I'm hoping to portray how different lightsaber styles impact on the action, giving more depth to the combat. Throughout the story, I'm also hoping to look into the psyche of the characters and see what motivates them and why. I think Bastila in particular has a lot of demons and I hope that translates.

Thanks to Dark Poetic, Lilina, and Teddypant. I appreciate you taking the time to read and review. Purple Yodas and Ewoks...I do love Ewoks. Perhaps that might work?

In the Jungle, the Quiet Jungle, the Lion Sleeps Tonight – Part III

The Lift to the Surface

On a wide, wooden platform with unsteady railings, one of Chuundar's brutes ushered the team onto the lift, which creaked loudly at their boarding.

Juhani looked over the thick wooden railing down into the depths below. "Is it true that we are kilometers above the surface?"

A Wookiee stood behind her, manipulating controls for the great lift. "Yes, you would do well to remain still for the entire ride down or you may fall out or attract undue attention from predators. Not that I care, but Chuundar may be displeased."

Aerin translated and the team finished boarded the lift and sat on the floor as the Wookiee, Gorwooken, closed the gate. "Do not defy Chuundar," he said gravely. "I would just as soon leave you to the great beast if you do anything suspicious."

Gorwooken unhinged the lift and the great platform swayed in the light breeze beneath the shadowy canopy of the forest. Birds flitted by, chirping gaily in contrast to the surrounding gloom. With a pull of a handle, the lift began to descend with a groan.

Aerin glanced about and saw Juhani, looking pensive with her feline face pinched up. "Juhani, are you okay?"

The Cathar took a quick breath and looked up. "Being here…seeing the abuse on this beautiful world…it brought back some unpleasant memories."

"Memories of Dantooine?"

Juhani shook her head slowly. "No, from before. I came from Taris prior to my study in the Enclave. I know you were there before I met you. Although I appreciate all you've done for me, it is just as difficult for me to be with you."

Aerin made a strange face, showing her puzzlement.

Juhani continued, "My race, the Cathar, were destroyed by the Mandalorians," she said and they both looked at Canderous for a moment before Juhani spoke again. "My family survived and fled to Taris. We had nothing except the clothes on our backs and aliens were not well received there."

"My parents soon became indentured servants in LoCity…not a pleasant life. Seeing what is happening here…your having been to Taris…just reminded me of harsher times."

Aerin leaned over to Juhani and whispered into her ear. "We are going to do something about that here. I cannot stand by while sentients are enslaved like this."

The Cathar bared her fangs momentarily. "Slavery is an abomination less than anyone deserves. I will follow you, Aerin Dakar."

Aerin faced her friend and put her hand on her shoulder. "Good, follow my lead. I'm also determined to rescue Carth and Zaalbar. I'm going to need your help."

Juhani nodded and then her face lit up as if she had an idea. "Did you see any others of my race on Taris?"

"I'm afraid not," Aerin answered and shook her head.

Juhani's face turned down again. "Perhaps it is just as well. I've long suspected that I am the last of my kind," she said. Aerin saw that she was struggling with something and Juhani's eyes misted up.

"Is there anything that you want to talk with me about?" Aerin asked gently.

The Cathar Jedi balled her fists and bared her teeth. "No," she said. "I must not let my emotions get the better of me. No good came of it the last time when I almost killed you and when I wounded Master Quatra. I must stay in control."

"It's okay, Juhani. Sometimes you have to let things out otherwise they build up within you and then, you lose control."

Juhani looked up into Aerin's gray eyes and a hopeful expression spread across her face. "Perhaps…perhaps you are right. I feel so much boiling up inside of me." She shifted in her seat and chewed on her lip. "It's just that wherever I go, death and misfortune seem to follow. Our quest has been plagued since the beginning…and Belaya…I still mourn for her."

Aerin smiled and rubbed Juhani's neck. "Mourning Belaya is only natural. You two were very close."

The Cathar nodded. "Yes…very close. It's like a hole in my heart."

"That doesn't make you any less of a person…or a Jedi. If anything, I think better of you because of it."

"Really? You do?"

Aerin nodded. "And it's not you who brings any misfortune. Carth told me that war brings death. There is no rhyme or reason to it – people die and we can't prevent it. Juhani," she said with emphasis, "you've brought us nothing but good luck. We wouldn't have come this far without you."

The Cathar smiled in her odd way and took Aerin's hand. She started to put her lips to Aerin's fingers, but Aerin pulled away. Aerin tried to smile, but looked uncomfortable.

"Uhh, yes, Juhani…keep up the good work."

After an hour of constant descent, the lift reached the surface. This far down below the canopy of leaves, darkness ruled. Very little light penetrated to the surface and only a few posts with artificial light sources gave any illumination. Organic detritus littered the ground, creating the musky odor of decaying plant life.

Gorwooken opened the gate and the team stepped out to stretch their legs. Aerin counted off the members and called, "We're going to split the team to cover more ground. Canderous, take Komad, HK-47, and Sergeant Ekala down one path while I take Bastila, Captain Durren, and Juhani down another."

The big Mandalorian grunted and flipped the switch on his blaster-mounted light and a beam penetrated the darkness down his pathway. He jammed a cigara into his mouth and then walked ahead. "I have the point. The rest of you take flanking positions behind me and don't let me catch you dozing. Aerin, let's meet back here before nightfall…say Twenty Hundred Hours."

Aerin nodded and then Canderous faded into the gloom. HK-47 could be heard saying, "Statement: Goodbye, Master. I hope your meatbag count is a high one."

In the Shadowlands - Down One Path

The Padawan planned out the patrol and they proceeded down the pathway. Each member held a small lightstick with Captain Durren shining the way with a large, blaster-mounted beacon. They walked through the damp undergrowth as small simians danced about, screeching and wailing at their approach.

"How's that for stealth?" mused Captain Durren offhandedly as he scanned the pathway ahead. The screams of the creatures would alert anyone to their approach.

Bastila walked beside him. "I believe that they are called Tach Monkeys. Loud creatures, are they not?"

Aerin noticed how Durren looked at Bastila and realized that there was some chemistry there. As she pondered over this, their lights reflected on a metallic object. The Captain stooped down and discovered it was a badly damaged droid.

"Hey, I think I can get its memory core functioning," he said, fiddling with the droid's circuitry.

With a zap, the droid's eyes lit up. A woman's voice spoke, "What are we doing down here? Are you sure this is where Eli said the salvage would be?"

A man's voice answered. "Yah, here's the map Eli gave us. It better be right, we had Matton fix all of Eli's stuff in exchange for this…. Hey, it's Eli. Are you sure…. What are you doing? Put away that blaster! Don't-"

The sounds of blaster fire and screams turned everyone's blood cold. Aerin took a breath. "I know who these people are. Eli owns a store in the Czerka Village. Kyle, can you salvage the droid's memory?"

Durren nodded. "Not a problem. We'll fix that Eli when we get back to the village."

Aerin shook her head. "Why, that sack of Bantha poo. He'll have a lot to answer for."

"The Jedi should stand for justice," added Bastila. "We'll set things right."

The marine slid the droid head into his backpack and the team pressed on down the dark, foggy pathway. Bird calls echoed throughout the forest. Suddenly, Kyle Durren held up his fist and shut off his light. "Down…listen."

The team knelt while dousing their lights. In the humid air they could hear the sound of a lightsaber and the grunts of a man in combat. Aerin signaled Durren forward and they dashed ahead until they could see an elderly man in soiled robes, slashing at dozens of Kinrath Spiders. The man's bald head glistened with perspiration in the green glow of his lightsaber. He sliced off the legs of one spider and then sidestepped to thrust his blade into the multifaceted eyes of another. Spinning gracefully, he took a balanced Niman stance and awaited the next wave of spiders.

"We must help him," Juhani said and the group rushed forward.

Captain Durren fired a bolt into the head of one spider and it jerked violently before flipping on its back. Then, the three Jedi charged forward, weapons raised in anger before the man saw them. As he clove another spider at the thorax, he quickly pointed above the three women. Aerin looked up and her jaw fell open as a spider landed on top of her.

Sticky webs sprayed over her body as the spider's mandibles punctured her stomach. She grunted in pain and slashed through the webs with her weapon. The spider retreated a step and then sprayed more webbing at her. Aerin focused her energy and a blast of wind blew the web away as the spider was flipped over. Her vision began to blur as she staggered forward and thrust her saber into the spider's head.

As another spider flew at her, a green lightsaber clove it in two. Spider guts spilled onto the ground as parts fell about.

Aerin fell to one knee and began retching, but Juhani and the old man came up to support her. The man looked into Aerin's glassy eyes. His own eyes opened wide and he looked up at Bastila with an inquisitive expression. "We must get her to my home quickly," he said in a deep, raspy voice.

Aerin's face began to turn green. She spoke in a quiet, dreamy voice. "I escaped Malak, fought Dark Jedi, beat Calo Nord…now a freaking spider has killed me…."

"Shush," chastised Bastila, looking suspiciously at the man.

They carried the poisoned Jedi a ways to the stump of a giant Wroshyr Tree, which had been hollowed out and turned into a quaint home.

As Kyle and Juhani put Aerin on a wooden table, Bastila looked around. The man wiped sweat off of his dark skin and began pulling bottles off of shelves. He stroked his gray goatee as he contemplated which medicines to use. "This one…no, this one…."

"Who are you?" asked Bastila aggressively.

The man grunted as he began mixing powder and water. "You're very welcome. Please make yourselves at home," he said sarcastically in his gruff voice. "In answer to your question, the name is Bindoo, Jolee Bindoo. Okay, are you satisfied? Now move aside."

Jolee grunted as he put the bowl up to Aerin's mouth. She gasped for breath, as Juhani and Bastila stood helplessly nearby. Jolee began scooping the gooey paste into Aerin's mouth. "Your powers won't work on this poison. These spiders…I don't know how they became so venomous."

Aerin swallowed the paste hungrily, her limbs twitching. Almost immediately, her breathing eased and her muscles relaxed. Weakly, she grasped Jolee's arm. "Thank you," she croaked.

With an insincere smile, he walked away and put his medicines back on the shelf. He scooped the remaining paste into a pouch and sealed it up. He tossed it at Bastila. "You'll need this. There are more spiders here then you can shake a stick at."

Painfully, Aerin sat up. "We don't want to inconvenience you any longer, Jolee," she said. "We should get going."

The old man thought for a moment before he turned back to his guests. "So, what would bring a group of Jedi and a soldier to my humble forest abode? Hmmm, let me guess…. You're looking for something, perhaps?"

Bastila and Aerin exchanged glances, to which Jolee laughed. "Let's not be too obvious," he said playfully.

Aerin sighed. "Yes, we are looking for something," she admitted. "Have you ever heard of a Star Map?"

He shrugged. "Maybe I have and maybe I haven't."

Bastila's impatience was beginning to show. "Can you help us or not?"

Jolee broke eye contact with her and seemed to be watching something. "Probably not…. You high falutin Jedi types-" he started, but then threw a knife across the room at Bastila.

"We've been set up!" Padawan Shan yelled as she faced Jolee.

She jumped, whipping out her lightsaber, but the knife sank into a wavering, nearly transparent form standing beside her. There was a scream and a Dark Jedi materialized from thin air. The assassin sank to his knees as three more assassins shimmered into solid forms.

Bastila gasped, but recovered her senses quickly. She had activated only one side of her weapon due to the close quarters situation, but she used it to good effect. Taking a tight, Makashi Stance for this close in brawl, she slashed at a Dark Jedi with a diagonal, downward cut. Her opponent dodged under the strike, which smashed bottles and jars. He leapt back up to attack Bastila, but was jumped by Kyle and the two toppled to the ground over a table.

Kyle pummeled the Dark Jedi with his armored fists, spattering blood around the vicinity. As he raised his hand to deliver a coup de grace, the Sith gathered his own energy and flung Kyle across the room to crash into a table. The Sith was about to laugh when a yellow blade of sizzling energy tore through his skull.

Shaking the cobwebs out, Kyle struggled up on his feet and then gave Bastila a sideways smile. Padawan Shan blushed and looked away, trying to orient herself to the situation.

In another corner, Juhani stepped back out of the way of a slashing red lightsaber. She fired up her blue blade and initiated a swirling counterattack. The Dark Jedi parried several blows until he caught Juhani's wrist and flipped her head over heels. As the young Cathar crashed into a chair, Jolee threw a jar of powder into the Sith's face. The jar shattered, throwing powder everywhere and the Dark Jedi howled in pain, covering his eyes, to which Jolee replied, "Hrmph, that'll teach you to invade an old man's home."

From the wooden table, Aerin staggered to her feet and jumped away from a blow that cut through a chair. She grabbed a leg from the shattered piece of furniture and slammed the end with a nail into the Sith's shoulder. Aerin pulled the stick back as the Sith woman cried out in agony and then sliced the piece of wood in two. As another blow of the red lightsaber came down, Aerin pulled her own weapon and blue energy met the attack.

In the close quarters of Jolee's abode, the Sith could not use their circular, sweeping tactics and Aerin gained the initiative with sharp thrusts, driving the Sith woman back. The Dark Jedi retreated step by step, parrying laterally until her back came to a wall. As Aerin thrust forward, the Dark Jedi sidestepped, letting Aerin's blade pierce the wall. The Sith slapped Aerin's weapon away and then brought her own blade to bear, but Aerin focused her energy and raised her hand, hurling the woman through the thick, wooden wall. Splinters flew outward as blood and wood mixed in midair.

Aerin rushed outside to finish her opponent, but the woman was gone, leaving only a trail of blood and wood. The sound of Juhani growling brought her back inside. The Cathar was rending the blinded Sith with her clawed hands. Seeing this, Aerin rushed over and pulled Juhani back. "We need him alive."

As Jolee strode about, bemoaning the damage to his home, Aerin grasped the Sith by the throat. "How did you find us? Talk damn you!" she yelled, her previously suppressed rage bursting forth.

The man gurgled as Aerin shook him. Emotions surged past her ability to control them and energy encircled the Dark Jedi's neck. A snapping noise sounded, echoing throughout the room and the Sith hissed out a final breath.

Aerin released the man in horror. "Heavens, what have I done?" She staggered back until Juhani caught her. Aerin's mouth hung open and she was shaking like a leaf.

"You were poisoned. You were not yourself," the Cathar said somberly, holding the shaking Jedi.

Aerin sat and ran her fingers through her hair, which was noticeably grayer. "You don't understand, this is not me. I…my parents raised me to respect all life. I killed someone in cold blood!"

Bastila rushed over to her and knelt beside her. "Please Padawan Dakar, take a deep breath. There is no passion…." Despite her calm exterior, Bastila's hand shook and a cold sweat beaded on her brows. It looked like she was going to puke.

Aerin inhaled. "There is serenity." Aerin shook as she tried to reconcile what she had done with who she believed herself to be.

With a grunt, Jolee attempted to put things back in their place, but he looked out of the gaping hole in his wall and rolled his eyes. "…Invite strangers into your home and what happens?" he mumbled to himself. He then sat and rifled through the body of the dead Sith. He pulled out a piece of transparent paper, which bore cryptic writing.

"Does this mean anything to anyone?" he asked.

Aerin focused her eyes and looked at it, turning it several different ways. "I don't know how, but I can read this. It says that the Jedi, Bastila can be found in the Shadowlands in the company of two other Jedi. Make sure you kill the one named Aerin Dakar. I await my reward."

Juhani gasped. "What does that mean?"

Aerin bit her lower lip. "It means that we have a traitor in our midst."