A/N: Happy Blue Monday, everyone! Have a fresh chapter to ease your supposed suffering, 'cause I'm cool like that. Stay strong.
Book Three – Sands of Time
Winds of Change
Before stepping into the Czerka office Xana raised the deep, black hood of her new robes far over her head, hiding most of her features. She scanned the dim area she entered, spotting a few patrons huddled around a table in the far corner and a young woman at the counter, who immediately sat to attention when she saw the imposing Jedi. A lopsided grin curled around Xana's lips as she walked straight to her, pleased to see the woman's soft brown eyes involuntarily locked onto her sharp, green ones.
It was but one sign of the young woman's fear, her entire body betrayed it. Eyes were wide, nostrils flared and mouth clenched. Her shoulders were slumped and her breathing had turned rapid and shallow. Dipping just a bit into the Force she used it to make herself appear a little more imposing, but she doubted it'd be necessary. "Morning," the Jedi greeted curtly when she reached the counter.
"Good morning, ma'am," replied the Czerka woman nervously, speaking a little too fast. Her eyes still never left the Jedi's. "We don't often greet Jedi here."
"We don't often enjoy making small talk with Czerka scum," Xana fired back without missing a beat, making the woman flinch. "I need a hunter's license." She tapped her fingers on the counter. "And make it quick, I don't have much time."
The woman paled. "I-I'm sorry, those aren't sold anymore. The lands are literally saturated with hunters. It creates some dangerous situations."
Xana's face dropped and she bent slightly over the counter, effectively invading the receptionist's personal space. "Listen sweetheart, when I said I don't have much time I meant that in the most literal way possible. As in: I don't have much time. Why don't you be a dear and fetch me my license? I can assure you it would make both our days so much more pleasurable."
"I-I really wish I could be of assistance ma'am, b-but you must understand…"
The padawan sharply held up her hand and the woman immediately faltered, her face now positively ashen. "You obviously aren't the brightest star on the firmament, so let me spell a few things out for you. I'm a Jedi Knight, sent here by the Jedi Order to apprehend a dangerous criminal. If you fail to cooperate I'll have you arrested for obstructing the course of justice. Do you have any idea what life inside a Republic female prison looks like? I do, and I assure you you'd be a sobbing, raw little cunt at the end of day one."
The receptionist swallowed hard, tears springing to her eyes. "J-Just a moment please."
Five minutes and some paperwork later Xana stepped triumphantly out of the office, waving the license to show off to her two team members. Mission cheered happily, but Bastila watched her skeptically, knowing her companion's moral compass wasn't like most. Xana was hardly intimidated by the hard stare, but calmly patted the brunette on the shoulder. "Relax, Princess, it was all by the book."
"Considering the amount of questionable books you've read I'm hardly reassured."
Xana chuckled at that, but knew better than to be lured into another pointless discussion regarding ethics. They had to stop the galaxy from burning, each minute wasted following the Jedi Code meant lives lost to this war. Unfortunately convincing the heavily indoctrinated Bastila of that fact proved to be a challenge.
Waving the brunette's concern away she focused on the next part of their mission. They needed to purchase a protocol droid programmed with Tusken, allowing them to communicate with the Sand People. Hopefully Tatooine's natives would prove more helpful than Czerka Corporation in their search for the Star Map piece, otherwise they'd be forced to comb out the entire desert for the cave in their vision.
To be able to afford such an expensive droid their other group – Juhani, Carth and Zaalbar – would work on making some money. The Jedi Order had given them barely any credits to go with – 'I wear my robe so that I am warm; I carry my lightsaber that I am safe; and I keep enough credits for my next meal, so that I am not hungry' – and they doubted the bureaucratic paperwork to request some more would be faster than earning it themselves.
The teams had been formed following Xana's advice, who wanted to avoid another terse day at all costs. Zaalbar and Juhani got along fine enough and she suspected Carth had a similar sense of honor as the Cathar. She hoped their similarities would allow them to connect as they worked together. Besides, after the Gizka incident no one trusted the Wookie enough to let him guard the ship. That questionable honor was left to Canderous Ordo.
Teaming herself with Bastila and Mission wasn't entirely a selfish act. Of course, she wanted to keep these two close because every second spent apart she was secretly worried sick about their wellbeing. It was a side of her personality she was slowly getting used to, although her overprotectiveness could be annoying. Her caution wasn't ungrounded, ever since their arrival on Tatooine she had the feeling they were being watched. Even though she hadn't been able to spot their possible onlookers she didn't want to dismiss it as stress induced paranoia just yet, because her gut feeling was usually spot on.
Taking Mission with her also had a practical side, because as a fellow nerd she'd be a huge asset in picking out their droid. It also made things a little less boring, for Xana had hardly moved a single step toward the droid shop or the young Twi'lek was already clinging to her arm and whining, "Can we finally go buy some candy now?"
Green eyes watched her in disapproval, though she was secretly very fond of the girl's persistence. It was one of the traits Mission was slowly adopting from Xana's personality. "You just had breakfast!"
"But I'm hungry!" she wailed overly dramatic, giving the Jedi the puppy pout in the process.
Xana rolled her eyes. "Aren't you worried you'll get fat?"
"Twi'leks are genetically unable of getting fat," Bastila threw in unexpectedly as she fell in stride with them. "All excessive nutrients are stored in the chest and hip areas." For an awkward second Mission and Xana stared blankly at the knight, making her cough uncomfortably. "Don't give me that look, it's public knowledge."
"You mean…" Xana's eyes moved to Mission's chest. "Feeding her candy will grow her double D's?"
The Twi'lek quickly covered her torso. "Don't look there, you idiot!"
"I'm not sure they'll get that large…" Bastila's voice trailed off as she watched the Twi'lek's small mounds as well. "All I'm trying to say is that buying her candy won't hurt her figure."
Mission watched the brunette cautiously, while shuffling a little closer to Xana to be able to whisper in her ear. "Do you think Miss Bastila is trying to overfeed me?"
"She does seem a bit obsessed with breasts," Xana whispered back with a wanton smirk at the knight, speaking loud enough to be overheard.
Bastila's cheeks flustered. "I'm merely trying to be kind to you, Mission!"
Mission cocked an eyebrow in a perfect copy of Xana. "Bribing me with candy is your idea of kindness?"
"It's not bribing. I genuinely want us to get along better."
"So you'd get along with me better if my breasts were bigger?"
Bastila was shocked to see their accusing faces and started sputtering. "N-no, that's not what I… I didn't mean to imply… what I am trying to say…" Accusing faces turned into victorious grins and the two burst out laughing. Realizing she had been played the knight folded her arms in front of her stomach and huffed. "You spend entirely too much time with Xana, Miss Vao. No candy for you."
Mission's eyes grew wide. "But Miss Bastila…!" The knight shut her up with a stern glare, which the young Twi'lek wasn't as indifferent to as Xana was. Xana chuckled seeing her frightened little face and wrapped her arm around the girl's shoulders, gently pulling her along with her. Never a boring day with these two around.
Two figures observed the three bickering women from the shadows, licking their lips at the sheer amount of exquisitely exploitable weaknesses. This was quickly shaping up to be the most delightful job of their entire careers. Their bodies quivered in delightful anticipation.
When the trio moved on they followed suit, ever careful to stay out of sight.
As excited Xana had been to go to the droid shop, as deflated and disappointed she was now she had stepped through the door into the dark and dusty chamber. To call it a letdown would be an understatement.
Heaps of rusty parts littered the floor, most of it hardware that would've been old and crappy at the time Master Vrook was running around with pimples. She saw Mission pick up an utility arm with a frown on her face, the girl probably didn't even know droids used to work like this in the old days. On top of that the parts were badly maintained, making their confidence in the shopkeeper drop to absolute zero.
While Bastila went to address said shopkeeper – a mumbling Ithorian wearing dirty clothes – her two underlings set out to explore the shop. They weren't very convinced they'd find what they were looking for.
That was, until a droid in a shady corner caught Xana's eyes. "Holy shit, what's this?" The two rushed forward to get a better look. A single glance was enough to make Xana's heart melt, the droid in question was so well constructed it made her wonder what it was even doing here between all the crap. It was humanoid in its design, with strong, orange armor protecting the sensitive parts. Without even seeing it in function it was clear this was a highly agile battle droid.
Xana touched the orange plating almost reverently. As soon as her fingers brushed over the cool metal its red eyes flared up and it began speaking in fluent Basic, with a very refined accent. "Greeting: Hello to you, prospective purchaser. I am referred to as HK-47, a fully functional Systech Corporation droid skilled in both combat and protocol functions. Query: Would you be so kind as to purchase this model from Yuka Laka? It would serve my purposes to be removed from his ownership."
"Look at him," Mission breathed in awe. "This isn't an ordinary battle droid, sis, look at the finesse of his construction! Those are OndroTech AT-423 activators, the most silent type ever produced."
The droid's face moved to meet the small Twi'lek. "Annoyed statement: Please, do not compare me to ill-constructed cannon fodder. Battle droids hold battlefields. I am capable of eliminating a very… specific type of target."
The padawan's green eyes grew wide. "Mission, we've just found a bloody assassin droid. These suckers are built and programmed to silently take out politicians, corporate magnates, admirals… Imagine the possibilities."
"Retraction: Droids built for such a function face strict regulation and often have unique difficulties with previous owners. I therefor make no claim to that designation, prospective buyer. I am a law-abiding droid. Yes, indeed, law-abiding, that's me."
Xana met Mission's eyes and they burst out laughing. "Whoever programmed this droid's personality has just become my hero. Instantly. I didn't even know droids could be sarcastic."
The not assassination droid shook his head. "Request: Please do not speak so loudly, prospective buyer! Do you truly wish my price to be doubled? Statement: The fool Ithorian has decided I am to be an expensive purchase. He does this out of greed and not out of knowledge of my true capabilities."
"Alright, alright." Xana stole a quick glance at the shopkeeper, only to notice Bastila's frustrated face as she was haggling with him. She couldn't suppress a grin, the brunette was cute when she was trying so hard and still failing. Repressing a surge of hormones she turned back to the droid. "You mentioned protocol aside from battle. Outline your functions."
"Disclosure: I am a versatile protocol droid, fluent in verbal and cultural translation. Thousands of languages and cultures are programmed into my memory banks." The bugger actually sounded proud of himself.
"Do they include Tusken?"
"Disclosure: The language of the Sand People is indeed coded. Scathing query: But why would one get involved with such a doleful life form, prospective buyer? According to my memory banks they possess not a single redeeming quality, aside from not defiling the land by recycling their excreta for the construction of huts."
The padawan laughed loudly. "Are you me? Continue like this and I'm going to marry you." A polite cough behind her made her jump. "B-Bastila! How nice of you to join us."
"If you're done scaring Mission with your technophile drivel…" Xana grinned apologetically at that. "The droid you're drooling over is exactly what we're looking for."
The apprentice nodded, more seriously. "I know, it can communicate with the Sand People."
"Unfortunately we can't afford him yet," Bastila shared with a frustrated sigh. "The proprietor is asking 5000 credits for it and not open for negotiation."
Xana let out a low whistle, but the droid had some advice to offer. "Advisement: I have observed him. He is a coward, and will be responsive to… aggressive bargaining."
"How dare you speak about your owner like that?" snapped Bastila angrily. "Does he know you talk like this?"
"Statement: I wish only to be purchased and away from ill-treatment at the hands of this poorly-skilled mechanic. I have no desire to be subtle." After a moment's silence he appeared to reconsider his words. "Qualification: Err… of course I shall be quite pleasant to you, should you purchase me. Please?"
Xana smiled longingly at the droid. "Oh, we'll purchase you alright. And then I'm going to clean your chassis and oil your joints until you're as smooth as Twi'lek's skin drenched in massage oil…" She literally felt Bastila's pointed stare stabbing at her and coughed. "Err… not that I would know how that feels, of course," she said with an awkward grin at the brunette, who merely scowled back. "Ahem, we'll buy you once we have the credits. Maybe we'll follow your advice and scare him a little."
"We will do no such thing! We are servants of the light, we won't resort to such petty methods. I'm sure Juhani will have the credits already, so we'll head back to the Ebon Hawk and wait for them."
"Confused query: Why is the flimsy one ordering the sturdy one around?"
"Because the sturdy one is trying to woo the flimsy one!" Mission answered with a wide grin. It quickly disappeared when she saw Bastila's furious stare. "Sowwy."
To prevent Bastila raining fire and brimstone on them both Xana quickly steered them out of the shop, leaving behind HK-47 in his miserable position. Not for long, hopefully.
They decided to return to the ship through the abandoned western part of town. The cheap houses here had once been erected to accommodate the large influx of miners who had been lured to Tatooine with promises of great wealth. Most of them left after the mines had been discovered barren, reducing the area to a ghost town. Ideal when wanting to avoid the potentially explosive combination of bored hunters, jobless miners and bankrupt pazaak players.
Moving through the abandoned streets gave them an eerie feel, a bit like walking through a graveyard. But there was more to the disquieting feeling, as they realized when they were approached by three dark figures. The three were dress similarly, from top to bottom clad in black and grey robes.
Dark Jedi.
Fighting the surge of panic Xana grabbed Mission's shoulder and looked her intently in the eyes. "Run back to the Ebon Hawk the long way around. Warn the others if they're already back." She saw the girl wanting to protest, but firmly shook her head. "No objections Mission, these guys are beyond your skill. Go, we'll cover your back."
The Twi'lek took a step back, surprised by the strength of Xana's words. She really wanted to stay, but also recognized she'd only be in the way and be more useful if she could bring Juhani to the battle. Without second thought she turned around and pelted off.
The left Dark Jedi looked at the middle one in question, but his colleague shook his head. He was clearly the leader of the bunch. "Don't ruin our advantage. We'll track the girl down after we've overwhelmed these two." Looking back at Xana and Bastila his eyes shone maliciously. "A virgin Twi'lek should be a nice reward for all our hard work." His mouth was covered by a mask, but it wasn't hard to imagine an evil smirk defacing it.
Xana ignored the taunt. "How did you find us?"
The leader laughed darkly. "You came running straight into our arms, just like the Dark Lord said you would. How pathetically predictable you Order rats are. Killing you will earn us a lot of respect from Lord Malak and our Master, Darth Bandon. Allow me to thank you in advance for giving us that honor." He offered them a mock bow.
Not bothering with futile talk Bastila was the first to activate her lightsaber. Diplomacy wasn't the answer against Sith apprentices. Not three but five red blades were activated in response. The leader used the traditional single lightsaber, the one left of him a double-bladed lightsaber and the last one a combination of a traditional blade with a shorter one in his offhand. "Time to finish what we started on Taris."
Xana's violet blade was drawn last. "I thought you looked familiar," she remarked, before crouching down in her favorite stance.
The eyes of the Sith's leader shone maliciously, like two dark pits. "We're going to have fun with you Order whor…" He was interrupted when a heavy, wooden beam nearly split his face in two. Xana had propelled it at him using a strong Force field, but he nimbly dodged the oversized projectile. Before he even fully recovered Bastila was already on him, slashing at his throat with the intent to kill. Servants of the Dark Side would receive no mercy, not even from the just Jedi Knight.
Her target was quick, he parried Bastila's attack and blasted her with a powerful Force Push, followed by a stream of lightning. He was one of those Dark Jedi who preferred Force magic over physical prowess. Bastila nimbly avoided the tormenting sparks, readying her blade for retribution. Soon they were lost in a quick and deadly dance.
The other two Sith apprentices targeted Xana. Her single violet blade was swiftly defending against four red ones. Their attacks were quick and unpredictable, but Xana's defense was as tight as ever. Lost in a battle trance their lightsabers moved as in slow-motion, rippling through the Force like a peddle disturbing the surface of a still lake. Xana was so in tune with the Force it guided her blade precisely, like it wasn't her brain controlling her muscles, but rather the Force itself.
As the fight moved on the Dark Jedi became almost desperate in their attempts to breach her defense. They jumped and rolled around their target in a swift dance, constantly slashing and stabbing with their double blades. Even when two or three strikes were launched at her in a simultaneous attack she managed to sidestep and deflect them. They quickly became frustrated with the seemingly immortal woman.
Which was their mistake.
While it was easy to defend against their attacks, the two enemies gave Xana no opening for a counterattack. Had they continued their disciplined assault they would've worn her down eventually. Her stamina was top notch, but even she could not continue indefinitely. In the end her defense would've become sloppy, giving them the chance to go in for the kill.
Instead their frustration made the Dark Jedi careless. Her left opponent made a powerful downward slash. She sidestepped it, causing the attack to hit his companion instead. Using the momentary lull in combat she pushed her two enemies away from her with a powerful Force blast. One of them disappeared in a small alleyway, while the other flew straight through a window into a rickety home.
Seeing her chance Xana used the Force to smash away one of the house's support beams. The effect was immediate, with a loud roar the entire building came crashing down on top of the Dark Jedi. A massive cloud of dust and rubble blew away from the collapsing building, briefly blocking all view and clogging Xana's lungs and eyes. She had to cough, giving her other opponent the second he needed to strike.
Jumping out of the alleyway he slashed at Xana's neck. Unable to defend in time all she could do was turn away. His blade missed her throat barely, but gashed her left shoulder instead. Searing hot pain made her cry out and she felt her arm go limp, but she forced her agony to the back of her mind by slipping back into her battle trance. With her still working right arm she managed to close her defense against his flurry of attacks.
Stay strong! Bastila's voice was as a whisper in her mind, strengthening her and fueling her determination to keep fighting despite the overwhelming pain. The support was welcome, yet futile.
A low kick in her stomach pushed her back, his attacks becoming more violent now he had smelled blood. The Sith weren't known for their strong camaraderie, but this guy had become twice as ferocious after his companion's death. Xana didn't know how long she'd last, she felt weak, her breathing had become labored and pain and exhaustion were starting to wear her down. Her lightsaber hung low, barely sufficient to defend against his flurry of attacks. She was forced back, step by step, until her back hit the wall.
Dark eyes glowed cruelly as two red lightsabers were raised for the kill. Her foggy mind hardly comprehended what was going on, let alone was it able to figure out how to walk out of this alive. With her back against the wall she was at his mercy. Just as the blades were starting their descend something brown crashed into him. Xana vaguely registered Bastila and the Dark Jedi tumbling over the ground, losing their lightsabers in the process.
The knight had been fighting the Sith leader in an even match. Both of them added their fair share of Force powers to the fight, keeping each other on their toes constantly. A lull in melee combat was immediately filled with fierce magic. When the building collapsed a sharp pain had shot through Bastila's shoulder, but on closer inspection she realized she had felt Xana being wounded through the Bond. Worry had flared up and she had tried to use the Bond to encourage her padawan.
They had continued to fight, until the dust cleared and she saw her beautiful bondmate with her back against the wall, watching helplessly how her opponent was about to strike her down. Losing all sense and caution she had rushed forward, crashing into the evil bastard. The two fell to the ground and wrestled for a moment, but the physically stronger Dark Jedi had the upper hand.
Within seconds he had Bastila trapped underneath him, pushing both her hands above her head with one of his. With his free hand he grabbed a lightsaber, pushing it against her throat threateningly, but not striking immediately. Xana wanted to rush to her bondmate, but was stopped by the leader stepping between them. His colleague got to his feet, roughly pulling Bastila up with him. Her arms were mercilessly bent behind her back and the red lightsaber hovered over her throat again. "Make a move and she dies."
To her despair the third Sith apprentice she thought had died underneath the collapsed building came walking towards them, calmly dusting off his robes like nothing happened. "Sorry for the delay," he apologized to the other two. "Took me some time to get out of the rubble." The leader acknowledged him with a nod.
Xana's shoulder burned, she breathed heavily from exhaustion and she could barely keep her lightsaber raised. She searched the Sith leader's eyes for some form of compassion, but found only hatred. Her heart ached as she watched a desperate Bastila, helplessly trapped. "Let her go," she pleaded, hating how weak her voice sounded. "Take me instead."
A dark laugh escaped his throat. "Cute. Why don't we take you both instead?"
He raised both hands, letting bolts of lightning stream out. Slowed by pain and exhaustion she wasn't able to jump out of the way in time, taking the full brunt of the attack instead. The purple sparks licked her skin, setting every fiber of her existence on fire in excruciating pain. It went on and on without mercy, the Dark Jedi smiling maliciously as he kept tormenting her.
She tried to meditate to ease her suffering, but was too haunted by Bastila's pained face to be able to enter a trance. Unable to find solace in the embrace of the Force the pain become too much and she blacked out.
"Oy Meetra," Revan called out from her spot underneath her favorite tree on Dantooine. "Come here for a second."
The young brunette, who had been enthusiastically practicing her Force skills, immediately complied, sitting down next to her master and watching her curiously. "Sure Rev, what's up?"
"I'm going to teach you some lifesaving skills." Meetra craned her neck eagerly at that. "We'll probably run into some Dark Jedi in the future, so I want you to be ready for them."
"Aight, sounds good!"
Revan smirked cockily at her apprentice. "It is good, believe me. Now, as you know the Dark Side of the Force has all sorts of brutal attacks to spread terror. Especially that lightning fetish they've got going is cruel. It's painful, traumatic and purely evil. While it would be highly satisfying to kill these fuckers with their own poison, tapping from both the Dark and Light Side of the at the same time is complicated. If you don't watch out the vastly conflicting sensations could wear out your mind, drive you insane."
"Becoming immune to those temptations is key to becoming a Grey Jedi," Meetra answered smartly. "Once we do we can freely use the Dark and Light Side in unison. We'll become the ultimate Jedi."
The senior Jedi nodded. "Yes, but that'll take years of training and meditation. We're not ready for that by a long shot, meaning we're stuck with our pathetic Force Pushes, Pulls and Whirlwinds. Sure, they're pretty neat, but also a bit… clean."
Meetra grinned wantonly. "And being the stubborn bitch you are you won't resign to something you deem pathetic, right?"
"Exactly!" the knight answered with a proud smile. "I've been looking for weapons that don't rely on the Dark Side, but are devastating nonetheless. Those Pushes and Whirlwinds actually gave me the idea. As you know they're actually Force fields that mimic the effects of wind gusts. It's size and strength are limited by the amount of power the Jedi can tap from the Force, which isn't that large for most. Even for us it's severely limited."
The hungry glint in Meetra's eyes was stronger than ever. "You're telling me you've found something stronger than our regular pushes?"
"All Master's told me my idea was impossible, that no one had ever succeeded at a Force manipulation on molecular level. But like you said, I'm a stubborn bitch." Revan saw the brunette's impatient look and grinned. "I totally did it anyway! I've achieved the impossible."
Meetra was positively writhing on the floor in suspense. "Just tell me what you invented, already!"
The handsome knight grinned widely. "No one ever learned to become one with air itself, to manipulate it directly. That is, until I did. Allow me to show you the limitless power of weaving storms."
Snapping out of darkness Xana held out her right arm, a powerful gust of wind exploding from the palm of her hand. It felt like second nature, like she had done it thousands of times before. The blast of wind hit the Sith leader straight in the chest, thinking it was a simple Force Push he could block. It was far more deadly and unpredictable than that, as he no doubt realized when he smacked into a wall with massive force, bones cracking audibly.
The Dark Jedi holding Bastila watched her warily, clearly shocked by the sudden turn of events. "No one can summon wind. Only Malak's whore Master and her filthy traitor apprentice could. One's dead and the other broken."
The raven haired Jedi stood tall before them, shoulders squared, eyes burning with a fierce passion and speaking with great authority. "I was dead and I was broken, but I resurrected. I descended into the deepest pit of despair, but crawled out because of the woman in your arms. You've made the mistake of threatening my sanity, boy, and now death is knocking on your door with the sound of a thundering maelstrom."
At her words a devastating gust of wind blew through the street, the buildings on either side acting as a wind tunnel to create an even fiercer power. Everything not tied down came pelting towards them in a tsunami of air. The Sith tried to use Bastila to shield him from the unexpected danger, but the brunette used the moment of confusion to slip free from his grasp.
In panic he lashed out at her, but his red blade was blocked by a violet one. Xana had moved through the torrent of air with the grace of a panther, months of training springing into action as she dodged the debris. She was just in time to save the woman she loved. In a fluent motion Bastila used the Force to grab her lightsaber and slashed at him. Unable to shield against a second blow his head was cut clean off.
Suddenly Bastila was lifted off her feet, clasping her throat and coughing desperately. The last Sith had his arm raised, using some kind of Dark Force power to choke the brunette. "Oh no you don't" Xana snarled. She used her newfound power to create a sharp blast of wind that sucked the air clean out of his lungs. Stars were the last thing he saw before a yellow streak of light impaled his heart. Bastila had recovered quickly and took the opportunity to end the battle.
The winds died down, in its wake leaving a deep silence. Xana watched the destruction detachedly, not feeling pity in the slightest for the two dead Sith at her feet. Her eyes searched for the third one, the leader of the pack, but to her horror found the area where he had been smacked against the wall empty. She wanted to run after him, but was stopped by Bastila.
"He's long gone, the coward used the confusion to escape once he realized he was fighting a losing battle."
Xana breathed a frustrated sigh, exhaustion and pain fully overwhelming her now the adrenaline was wearing out. She dropped to her knees, grasping her wounded shoulder. Bastila was immediately at her side, kneeling beside her and prying away her hand to be able to inspect the wound. The brunette's hand was surrounded with blue energy as it hovered over the gash, a frown marring her beautiful features.
"Please tell me you can fix it," the raven haired woman breathed heavily.
Bastila studied it a moment longer, before a small, relieved smile touched her lips. "I can, but it's going to leave a scar on your pretty skin."
Xana laughed shakily. "Not my poor skin! How can you still love me with a shoulder like that?"
"Don't joke about that," the brunette replied silently, her eyes dropping. "I was worried sick."
Xana saw her genuine concern and leaned forward to place a tender kiss on the brunette's lips. Bastila closed her eyes and shivered as she tasted Xana, feeling love caress her soul. "It's over now," the raven haired woman whispered when she pulled back.
Bastila nodded, ignoring the tingling in her stomach, and started healing Xana's shoulder. The padawan hissed as the flesh began to mend, but otherwise showed no sign of the incredible pain Bastila knew she must be feeling. Xana was tough as a rock. "How did you do that?" the brunette asked as she worked on the wound.
"The winds? When I passed out from that fucker's torture I had a vision of Revan mentoring Meetra Surik. After I woke up I just… knew." Xana's eyes regained some of their sharpness as she watched her master. "Revan just saved our fucking lives."
"Interesting," the knight muttered under her breath.
"Interesting doesn't even begin to cover what the fuck is going on here!" the raven haired woman spat back venomously. "I saw Revan using wind magic and then I just fucking knew how to use it too. It's like she fucking crawled in my mind and imparted that knowledge. How?"
Bastila stroked Xana's cheek with her free hand in an attempt to calm her down. At first Xana wanted to resist, but when soft fingers touched her skin she relaxed into the touch. She slumped down and breathed a ragged sigh. "What the hell is going on with me, Bas?" she all but pleaded.
"I wish I could give you the answer," Bastila muttered gently. "I thought I understood the Force, but it seems I know nothing at all."
"That makes two of us. I knew Revan was manipulative, but to manipulate me beyond the grave? It seems her ghost wants Malak dead more than we do."
The silver eyed woman chuckled. "Somehow the thought of Revan being on our side is strangely heartening." She finished healing the wound and became more serious. "You must be careful with that new power, tough. It seems unpredictable."
Xana suddenly grinned, rejuvenated by the idea that none other than Lord Revan was supporting her. "You're just jealous of Ghost Revan's confidence in me."
"I'm serious, Xana!" Bastila said sternly, locking gaze to convey her urgency. "You could blow up our entire team."
The handsome padawan stole another quick kiss from Bastila's lips and smiled. "Don't worry, Bas. I'll be careful with it. It seems hella useful though, it wouldn't hurt to train this ability."
Bastila stared thoughtfully at her apprentice for a second, before nodding in agreement. "It was one of Revan's signature moves. If you could master it… well, the possibilities are almost endless." She got to her feet and gingerly helped her bondmate up as well.
Xana stretched and flexed her left arm, pleased to see it restored to full function. It would probably be sore for a few days, but it could've been worse. She looked thoughtfully into the street the Sith leader had vanished in. "You think that guy is going to give is trouble?"
Following her gaze the brunette shook her head. "You smashed him into that wall with enough force to knock out a Bantha. If it hasn't done any permanent damage he'll at least have a very nasty headache for the next couple of days." She sighed, the gravity of the situation finally dawning to her. "To think they nearly killed us both."
Xana saw her pain and pulled her in for a brief hug that soothed them both. "They didn't though. We just cost Malak two strong followers." As Bastila searched Xana's eyes for assurance, the raven haired woman smiled and gently tucked a loose strand of brown hair behind Bastila's ear. The brunette relaxed visibly under her bondmate's soft touch. After a short moment of peace they released each other. "Let's search their bodies for anything useful and return to the ship. Don't forget their lightsabers as well, can't let them lying around here."
They worked quickly, but found nothing useful on the Sith's bodies. Disappointed they hurried back to the ship. Entering the docking area they found the other group already waiting for them. A very worried Juhani immediately rushed over to greet them. "What happened to you?" she asked, spotting their dirty, bloodied robes. "And where is Mission?"
Xana felt the blood drain from her face. "We were attacked by Dark Jedi," Bastila answered the Cathar. "Darth Bandon's apprentices, or so they said. We sent Mission back to fetch you, didn't she return?"
Carth's ashen face was all answer Xana needed. Her knees became wobbly and she felt the contents of her stomach churn, forcing her to sit down in the sand. Her eyes scanned the massive city, that suddenly seemed twice as big. Her greatest fear had just become reality.
"Oh fuck, Blue."