Revan woke up to someone shaking her, and saying, "Revan, we have arrived."
"What?"
"We have arrived on Dantooine." the person who had been shaking her said.
"Oh, how come we're here so soon? I just went to bed a few hours ago." Revan said as she opened her eyes and saw Master Dorak standing by her. She also saw Stephanie nervously standing on the other side of the small room. She turned to Dorak and asked, "What happened to me? Why was I out for so long?"
"Shortly after you went to get some sleep, we were pulled out of hyperspace and attacked by a group of Mandalorian raiders. When they first attacked, they hit the part of the ship with your quarters, and you were unconscious for the rest of the journey. We have tried to wake you twice before, but you remained asleep."
"Mandalorians." Revan spat out the name, "Why does the Republic let them run about without anyone to keep them in check?"
"To try and keep them in check is a task the Republic doesn't have the ships or soldiers to do."
"Something needs to be done. They attack wherever they please, and rob whoever they want."
"This was a small band." Dorak said, "In all likelihood, they were exiled by the Mandalorians, and became petty robbers because it was the only way for them to use their combat skills. And, none of them survived. We were lucky to have such a capable pilot."
"What do you mean, Master?"
"When the Mandalorians boarded, Onasi was out here in half a minute, and managed to take down three of the raiders before they could react. That probably saved the ship."
"I wish I could have fought them." Revan said.
"No you don't, Revan. Not really. I doubt you would even be able to stay calm enough to defeat one of them."
"Maybe. Maybe not." Revan said.
Dorak put a hand on Revan's shoulder, and said, "It doesn't matter. They are already dead and their bodies disposed of. Go gather your things, than meet with the Council here." Dorak said.
"Yes, Master." Revan said, walking towards her quarters. When she saw the state it was in, she thought, 'It's a good thing I had my stuff in the footlocker. If I hadn't put it there, chances are it would be floating around in the middle of a hyperspace route.'
When she had her things, she walked out of the shuttle, and the first thing she saw was a young girl in Padawan's robes. Revan stayed in the ship for a moment to examine the girl. She was decently tall, had an amazing figure, and a face that would make an angel seem ugly. Revan then walked out, and the girl nervously stuttered out, "Umm,are you Knight Revan? If so I've been ordered by the Council to be your guide for... uh the first few days you're here. The local Council that is. Not the High Council on Coruscant. They've probably not even heard of me and probably never will."
Revan laughed, and said, "You can relax. I don't bite. What's your name, Padawan?"
"My name is Bastila Shan."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bastila." Revan said, holding out her hand for Bastila to shake it. The young Padawan looked confused for a moment, then just walked towards the door.
Revan shook her head, and followed. 'Where could she be from that she doesn't even know about a handshake? Her accent is also very... unusual. It's not one I've heard before.'
Meanwhile, she ended up walking into Bastila.
Revan blushed, realizing that the Enclave was in fact very small. She quickly said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you. I was just lost in thought."
Bastila just nodded, and said, "The Council is through there."
"Thanks for showing me where to go. I'd probably have taken the wrong path if you hadn't shown me the way to go."
"Your welcome." Bastila said, blushing with embarrassment at the compliment.
Revan calmly walked into the Council chambers, and bowed before the Masters. The leader, a short being with large ears, said, "Greetings, Knight Revan. I am Master Vandar, the head of the enclave here on Dantooine. With me are Masters Zhar and Vrook. And, I am sure you are already acquainted with Master Dorak, the new chronicler of the academy."
"Hello, Masters. It will be an honor to learn from you."
Vrook said, "Yes, let's hope that your talents aren't exaggerated by Kreia."
"I assure they are not."
"You were able to gain, and maintain, the upper hand in the duel for your Knight Trial starting a minute and a half in?"
"Yes, Master Vandar."
"And, managed to get through the crystal lake in an unprecedented two hours?"
"Was it really only two?" Revan asked.
"Enough, Vrook." Vandar said, "We were not at Revan's Knight Trial. It is not our place to question those who were."
"You are right, Master Vandar." Vrook said.
Then, Zhar said, "Master Dorak informed us of the troubles on your journey here, and, you would have needed time to acclimatize to Dantooine, so your training shall begin seven days from now. Until then, make yourself at home, and feel free to explore our enclave and the surrounding territory. Though, you should be careful. There are many kath hounds and they may attack you."
"I shall be careful, Masters."
"Also, as I am sure she has already told you, Bastila will be your guide until you have learned the lay of the land."
"Thank you for giving me a guide, Masters. But, will this get in the way of her training?"
"Bastila has been given some time off from her training to give her time to rest and recharge." Vandar said, "This will not have an effect on her progress."
"I see. Permission to leave, Masters?"
"You may leave, Revan." Vandar said.
She walked out of the room, and when she saw Bastila sitting on a bench near the door, Revan asked, "So, Bastila, would you please give me a tour of the enclave?"
"Um, sorry, what?"
"Would you please give me a tour of the enclave?"
"Of course. My apologies, Knight Revan."
"Please, Bastila, just call me Revan."
"Oh, okay, Revan." she said, "Right this way."
As they walked into a room on the far side of the hall, Bastila said, "This is the training hall, but not very many people use it. Preferring to train out on the plains."
Revan did not respond, still focused on Bastila's accent. 'Where is that accent from? It doesn't sound like any accent I've heard before.'
Bastila then guided Revan to the central ring, and then to another small corridor. She said, "These are the rooms where people who have either abandoned their families, or were given up by their families stay until they have a more permanent place to stay."
Revan nodded, and walked behind Bastila. When they reached the next area, Bastila said, "This is the docking bay for ships, and on the right from exiting your ship you'll find a couple of shops. They'll sell you just about anything if you can afford it."
"Do they sell droid parts?"
"Or entire droids, if you want." Bastila said.
"Interesting." Revan said, "Anyways, were does the other door lead?"
"That's just some dorms for the Apprentices and Padawans. I'm not sure where the Knights or Masters stay."
Revan nodded, then finally asked, "Where's your accent from?"
"Why? Is it annoying?"
"No, it's just... different."
"It's a Talravin accent." Bastila said.
Revan said, "I've never met someone from Talravin." thinking, 'She's a lot more comfortable with this. It looks like she's done this before. It all seems to be rote to her.'
"This is the exit from the Academy. There's not much to say about it."
"Yeah. So, Bastila, I've heard a few rumors that there's a crystal cave here on Dantooine. Are they accurate?"
"Yes, but the Council doesn't tell anyone where it is."
"I see. So, you ready to go cave hunting?"
"What? People have gotten into serious trouble for looking for it! We'd both probably have to spend a week sleeping on the plains, and that would be terrible."
Revan laughed, and said, "You're way too worried about it. Trust me, we'll be fine. And, I promise that if it looks like we are going to get into trouble, I'll tell them I pressured you into it."
"You'd do that for a complete stranger?"
"Not a complete stranger. A fellow Jedi."
"Alright, I suppose we can look, but we probably won't find anything."
"We won't know until we try." Revan said, walking out of the enclave. They walked through the small area where a few people waiting to see the Council about this or that were waiting. When they asked Revan if the Council was ready to see them, she responded, "I am afraid I do not know."
When they reached the grass, Revan just sighed and removed her boots. Enjoying the feel of the cool grass against her bare feet. Bastila looked at Revan confusion clear in her eyes. Revan said, "It feels nice. Try it."
Bastila shook her head, and Revan said, "You should relax some. It's not like there's going to be anyone to judge you for walking around barefoot a little."
"I just... I don't feel comfortable acting so... casual when around higher ranked Jedi. Especially one with a reputation like yours."
"Oh? What kind of reputation do I have?" Revan asked with a single eyebrow raised.
"Well, you're kinda like a legend around here. Raised to Padawan before most had gotten halfway through their Apprentice training. Then, the way you were when you first showed up on Coruscant. Just talking about hunting and killing Mandalorians. Then, to top it off, you were raised to Knight more than five years before the average. Not to mention you were said to be prone to getting on the cases of other Padawans if they didn't act befitting a Jedi."
"I did do that." Revan said, "But, you don't have to worry, Bastila. The people I got on the case of... they were acting like they were on the verge of falling to the Dark side. I just didn't want to ever say that I let someone fall."
"There were people on Coruscant that were on the verge of falling? That can't be possible!"
"Jedi trained at the temple are no different from those trained anywhere else. They're in just as much danger of falling as any other Jedi. Maybe even more."
"Why would they be in more danger?"
"They could grow complacent. Grow to rely too heavily on other Jedi being present to make sure that they don't fall. Then, the first time they're on their own, they don't know how to control themselves, so they could fall."
"That's terrible." Bastila said, shock clear in her voice.
"Yes." Revan said, looking around the plains. Then, she saw a rodian sitting by a speeder. She walked up to him, and asked, "Excuse me, have you seen a cave from which glowing crystals grow?"
He responded, "No. I stay here and provide firearms to the locals. I provide them with a solution to the savage kath hounds who roam this planet."
"I see." Revan said, somewhat disappointed. She walked away from him, and said, "Looks like we'll have to keep looking."
"I could have told you that he had no interest in it. He just worries about selling as many blasters to the local farmers as possible. And, he's had a pretty successful business with a couple of them."
"What do you mean?"
"It isn't important."
"What families are buying a lot of blasters from that rodian? And why?
"You wouldn't know them. They're a couple of rich farmers who haven't gotten along since they first landed here. They're constantly bickering and blaming each other for any problems that they have."
"Will we encounter them on our search?"
"Probably. The Matale estate is very close, and the cave's probably beyond it." Bastila said.
Revan nodded, then said, "Why don't you choose which direction we look? I need a little bit of time to think."
"Uh... but you're a Knight, and I'm just a Padawan. Wouldn't you stay in command the entire time?"
"No," Revan said, "every now and then, I like to just take a minute to think. And, I've learned a lot while here, and need to figure out if any of it is important."
"Then, I guess we can choose which way we go." Bastila said, taking the lead, clearly nervous.
Revan walked behind her, silently observing the Padawan. When she was in front of Revan, she was nervous. But, when she was following her, she had seemed perfectly calm. 'She's not confident in a command position. Why?'
Bastila continued to walk, changing direction a couple of times. 'She's indecisive. Maybe she's got a harsh Master.' Revan continued to observe Bastila, and noticed something else. She frequently fiddled with a bracelet on her right wrist. It was a simple titanium band with her name engraved on the outside. 'That bracelet. It came from someone she cares a great deal about. But, it's not someone she's afraid of the Council knowing about. Either dead, or family.'
Bastila then turned around, and asked, "What? Am I doing something wrong?"
"No, I'm just having trouble figuring something out." Revan said, realizing that her observing probably hadn't been exactly subtle.
Bastila nervously nodded, and started walking again. Revan noticed a slight change in her demeanor, however. 'She must have realized what I was doing. So, she's trying to keep me from figuring out everything there is to know about her.'
Then, Revan asked, "Bastila, how did you end up with the Order?"
She said, "It probably wouldn't interest you. There's not really anything special about me."
"I don't ask questions that I don't want to know the answer to."
"I was found to be strong in the force, and my mother gave me over to the Jedi for training."
"What about your father?"
"He didn't want to let me go, but my mother was determined to get rid of me."
"That seems like a strange thing for a mother to do." Revan said, "Why are you so certain that it was her?"
"I'd rather not talk about it, if that's alright." Bastila said.
"Alright." Revan said, then she quickly placed a hand on her lightsaber, and motioned for Bastila to do the same.
A pair of war droids walked up to them, and said, "This is private property. By what authority are you trespassing?"
"I'm a Jedi Knight. And, we're just passing through."
"A Jedi? Mr. Matale would like to speak with you."
"Why?"
The droid didn't reply, but instead started to walk towards a nearby building. Revan said, "I guess I should see what this Matale guy wants."
"I doubt that it's anything that a Jedi should do. He's constantly trying to get the Council to send the Sandral family off of Dantooine."
"Why?"
"I don't know. All I know is that he is an unpleasant man who will do whatever he can to get what he wants. Even if it isn't legal." Bastila said, her voice dripping with contempt.
When they reached the building, a thin, tall man walked up, and said, "My battle droids tell me you are a Jedi Knight."
"I am." Revan said, "And you are?"
"Ahlan Matale."
"What do you want with me?"
"Not you in particular. I would like you to go to the Sandral estate and take back my property which they stole from me."
"What did they steal?"
"A very valuable protocol droid. I want it back, and I don't care what lengths I have to go to in order for that to happen."
"Why are you sure that the Sandral family is behind it?"
"Because, Jedi," Ahlan sneered, "when I first brought my family to Dantooine to escape the crush of humanity on the Core Worlds, the Sandral family followed us from Coruscant. Ever since then, they have been a blight on me and my kin. I cannot even let my own son out of the house for fear that the Sandral vermin may try to abduct him and sell him into slavery unless I leave and let them have all of my land."
"If that is the case, that is terrible." Revan said, "But, your attitude makes me wonder if you aren't just telling me what you think will get you what you want. Why is this droid so important to you?"
"It is my son's tutor. If I lose it, I will not have a tutor that I can trust. It is the only one of its kind on Dantooine."
"I will look into its disappearance. But, I doubt that this other family is involved. In all likelihood it just wandered off and was attacked by some kath hounds or iriaz it provoked on accident."
"Not likely, with Sandrals prowling about on Dantooine."
Revan walked away and Ahlan went back in. Once they were gone, Bastila said, "Surely you could tell that he was lying about the droid."
"Yes, but when someone like that has six heavily armed war droids with blasters at the ready, you let them think they have gotten what they want, so they don't tell their droids to attack. If he had given that order, we probably wouldn't have survived, and he'd have moved our bodies to the Sandral Estate, or just left us here, to say that the Sandrals did it, and tried to frame him."
"Are you certain he'd do that? It seems a bit, absurd to order the deaths of two Jedi and expect to get away with it."
Revan laughed, and asked, "He's paranoid and insane. Not to mention has an open disdain for Jedi, he probably would do it if he hadn't gotten what he wanted."
Bastila nodded, and followed Revan, as they walked to the ancient grove. There, Revan sat down, and said, "There is something... strange about this place."
"It's an ancient grove that's older than the Republic." Bastila said, "Often young Jedi who break the rules are sent here to meditate."
Revan nodded, and said, "Yeah. One of them has been sent here a lot more than any other. So much that there's a... mark here."
"I don't think that anyone would have left a mark. No one is sent out here very often."
"Maybe I'm just imagining things." Revan said, standing up, then stumbling forward, clutching her head. She then said in a gravelly voice, "Oportet stare et pugnare! Tempus est ut conditores non sumus servi, sed liberi! Quid nos pugnabimus! Pugnabimus reverti domos et cementariis et iter! Ventilabis eos et mus spelunca, et delere debemus!"
Bastila looked confused, and just backed away, and was about to turn around, when Revan stopped talking, and tried to regain her balance. She said, "Hey, Bastila. This is a bit embarrassing but could you help me stand? I'm not feeling very stable on my feet right now."
"Um..." Bastila said, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.
"Please?" Revan said.
Bastila still didn't respond, then Revan continued, "I promise I won't do anything to hurt you. I just need a little bit of help."
Bastila finally consented, saying, "Um, I guess I can help you." walking up to Revan, she placed an arm around Revan's shoulder, and the Knight threw one over her shoulder, and they stumbled for a little bit, Revan blushing a bright red.
After a few unstable minutes, Revan regained her balance, and said, "Thanks, Bastila. I think I can stand on my own now."
Bastila quickly removed her arm from Revan's shoulder, and walked a few feet away. Revan shook her head, and thought, 'Does she think that anyone who's achieved Knight wouldn't ever need help, or is it that she doesn't feel comfortable helping people like that.'
Meanwhile Bastila was thinking, 'Why am I always like this? Why am I always so bloody nervous that I can't even be near anyone who outranks me without being as jittery as a squirrel which is on a caffeine drip? And what is with Revan? She acts so relaxed and calm, not to mention a bit of an extrovert. Everything I'd heard about the Far-Seer's Padawan was that she was a loner, didn't feel relaxed near other people because of a difficult early childhood, and that she was never calm. And, I can't believe she was trying to read me while 'processing' some information! The gall of her! I should just ask if I can quit being her guide now, and never have to deal with her again.'
Then, Revan broke Bastila out of her thoughts, by asking, "You okay? You've just been standing there looking annoyed for a few minutes."
Bastila cleared her face of all emotion, and -without emotion- said, "I'm fine."
"Riiiiight. People who are fine don't put up the facade of the cold, emotionless Jedi."
"It's nothing."
"If it's nothing, then how come your face is all scrunched up like a kinrath pup?"
"I look nothing like a kinrath pup!"
"You're right. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable by asking for help."
"I wasn't offended, just surprised. Everything I'd heard about you said that you were completely different from what you're really like."
"What? Did you hear that I was always on edge, didn't get along with anyone, and only thought about fighting Mandalorians?"
"Um... actually yes."
"That was years ago." Revan said, 'If I want her to tell me more about herself, I'll have to be open with her. Even if it isn't something I don't want to talk about.'
Then, Bastila asked, "Why were you trying to read me earlier, while you said you were processing information?"
"I like to know as much as possible. The only reason I came here was because Master Kreia told me that I could learn more here than on Coruscant."
Bastila nodded, and asked, "Why do you hate the Mandalorians."
Revan winced and thought, 'Great. She has to choose the one question that is hardest to answer. Why is it that every beautiful woman in the galaxy has the innate ability to ask you what you least want to share?' then answered, "When I was young, about six years old, they raided my homeworld. A lot of people were killed that day, and I was one of the few they didn't kill. Instead they captured me and sold me as a slave to some bastard on Nar Shaddaa. For two years I lived as a slave. I got lucky that an old man noticed my plight, and managed to convince my owner to release me. Then, he sent me to the temple on Coruscant, while going his own way."
"Who was this old man?"
"He didn't tell me much about himself. Typical of people on Nar Shaddaa, but he did tell me that his name was Jolee Bindo, and that he was a former Jedi. He insisted that he didn't leave the Jedi, but they left him."
"What does that even mean?" Bastila asked.
"I don't know. All I do know is that he was going his own merry way, and was just taking me to a safer planet before sending me to Coruscant to become a Jedi."
"What was Nar Shaddaa like?"
Revan looked up for a moment, then said, "You ever been to a planet where you have to go everywhere heavily armed or you'll get mugged, murdered, and/or raped?"
"No."
"Well Nar Shaddaa is like that. There isn't any law or order there. Hutts run it, and the only time they punish someone is when they don't get their cut of the profits. It was a cesspool, and anyone raised there won't be well-adjusted. The entire planet is criminals, except for a few corporations doing experiments other places wouldn't allow."
"And you were a slave there for two years? It's a miracle you're normal at all."
"I wasn't even sane at first." Revan said, walking forward.
Bastila nodded, and let the topic drop. They walked a bit further, then turned back. Revan said, "The Council will want us to be back soon probably."
"You're right." Bastila said.
As they walked along the path back, Bastila took the lead on Revan's request, and the Knight didn't try to analyze her, but simply stared at the titanium band. Then, Bastila stopped, and said, "Would you please stop that? Your staring is making me uncomfortable."
"Sorry, just trying to figure out why the Council hasn't pushed you to not wear that bracelet."
"They tried to. Especially Vrook." Bastila said, "He said that any remnant of life before the Order could lead to the dark side, and that it would be best if all were destroyed. That was the one thing I was able to refuse the Council."
"What else did they try to get you to do?"
"They made me study Battle Meditation. I didn't think I could do it at all."
"And can you?"
"It's actually really easy. I don't know why everyone says it's difficult."
Revan laughed, and said, "I remember when I tried to learn it on Coruscant, I worked for six months, but wasn't able to do anything with it. Kreia said that my efforts would be better spent on learning different arts of the Force."
"You had trouble with it?" Bastila asked.
"Yeah. Still can't do it."
"But... it's so easy!" Bastila protested.
"You probably have a natural talent for it. Me, I can't do it at all."
"That's what the Council kept saying. I seriously doubt it though."
"You really lack confidence. Why?"
"I... I feel like I'm not very good at anything."
"But why?"
"I don't know. I just do."
"Who's your master?"
"Quatra."
"The Cathar master?"
"Yes. Why?"
"I've heard she's a bit... harsh on her students. Even harsher than Vrook."
"Master Vrook isn't very harsh with his students." Bastila said.
"Why are you even under Quatra?"
"I was placed under Quatra when it turned out I was good at Battle Meditation."
"When was that?"
"Four years ago."
Revan nodded, and walked into the Enclave. Bastila then asked, "Is there anything else you need?"
"Where's the mess hall?"
"The mess hall's this way." Bastila said, leading Revan through a door in the docking bay area just through the way to the main dorms. Inside, Revan and Bastila quickly got some food, and were about to go there separate ways when Revan said to a tall man with blue tattoos on his bald head, "It's rude to stare, Padawan."
He stammered out, "My apologies, Knight. I was just surprised to see someone new at the Enclave."
"That doesn't give you the right to stare. Might make a girl think you weren't staying completely faithful to the Jedi Code."
"I am faithful to the Code." he said.
"Right, what's your name, Padawan?"
"Alek."
"Well, Alek, I don't care about staying one-hundred percent faithful to it, but I don't like people staring at me. So, just don't do it again."
"Of course, Knight."
"Call me Revan." she said, walking over to the tall guy's table and sitting down opposite him. She then asked, "So, Malak, how good are you with a lightsaber?"
"Master Vrook says I am quite skilled and that in a couple of years I may be ready to advance to Knight."
"Good enough for me. Do you have training tomorrow?"
"No, what is it you want, Knight?"
Revan looked around to make sure that no one was listening in on their conversation, then whispered, "I'm looking for the crystal cave. It might have dangerous creatures in it, so I'll need someone who's good with a lightsaber and confident in their abilities. And, having someone big would be helpful too. Even if you aren't as good as you say you are, your size could make a good distraction for whatever could be in there."
"I suppose I could help you. But I only have a couple of days off of training."
"Should be long enough." Revan said, then noticed Bastila was sitting alone at a small table in the corner. She asked, "What's with her? She doesn't really have any confidence?"
"Shan? She's been working with Quatra for a while. That's enough to break anyone."
"Yeah, but she's also constantly fiddling with that bracelet of hers."
"You probably know more of her than I do, Revan. I haven't talked to her except for a couple of times, when a few of the Padawans were set to dueling others of equal rank, to see who had advanced most in their training."
"Got it. Well, it was fun talking to you, baldy." Revan said, picking up her tray.
-=0=-
A/N: Here's chapter two. Hope you liked it. Next chapter should be up within a day or two. Thanks for reading and please review/follow/favorite.
