Chapter 52
Kashyyyk
Carth stood up from behind the controls as the familiar blue light of hyperspace surrounded the Hawk. Making his way to the lounge area he found them already waiting. For the first time Zaalbar was looking to be the one on edge. Melissa and Mission both having grabbed hold of a hand and running their fingers through his fur as they stroked it to calm him
"Zaalbar, we have said it before if going to Kashykk is too difficult for you we can reroute to Dantooine and let you stay there while we look for the map on your planet." Terri offered
The Wookie sighed deeply and activated his translator armband
"No, it is time that I face him." Zaalbar breathed in deeply
Zaalbar stood up and manipulated the holotable, A large green planet appeared rotating slowly. A single gold spot showed on the map
"This is Kashyyyk, my birthplace. As you can see there is only one city shown. That is Rwoworokoro our capital and home to King Ashakibacca. However we are not going there."
Manipulating the map Zaalbar pointed to a section that appeared uninhabited.
"My father is the chief of this region and his main village is there. Rwookrrorro, the place where I grew up. It is one of the biggest Wookie villages."
"Since the map does not show the locations I assume that the knowledge of the villages is not shared to the outside." Carth remarked
"It is protection against our oldest enemies. The Trandoshan scum frequently tries to raid Kashyyyk for slaves and consider my people to be a delicacy if they can catch the cubs."
" And I am guessing since Rwoworokoro is the capital it is too big too hide?" Bastila asked
"Yes. King Ashakibacca has decreed that the only place foreigners may step on Kashyyyk is at the capital and that there would be no mingling with the foreigners."
"How much trouble can you get in if you take us to your village?" Melissa asked
"As a Madclaw I am already banished from Kashyyyk, for all purposes I am dead to my people. If caught outside the capital you will be assumed to be slavers and sentenced to workcamps, there will be no trial or any contact with the outside. Me I will just disappear."
"Why do you call yourself a Madclaw?" Terri gently asked
Zaalbar looked down at his hands.
"My father enforced the decree of our king. My brother, Chuundar argued against it, myself I thought more trade with the outside would be beneficial to our people. My brother made deals with humans from outside. I said nothing till I found out what he was trading." Zaalbar stated
"What was he trading?" Mission asked
"Kashyyyk is a dangerous planet, it is not uncommon for people to go missing. A cub here, a hunter there, gatherers get lost." Zaalbar said almost musingly
"They were not getting lost were they?" Melissa connected the dots
Zaalbar shook his head
"I had no solid proof, I was angry, I attacked Chuundar. I used my claws." He growled softly
"And that is taboo." Melissa mused
"Yes. To use your claws against another Wookie is to show that you have regressed to an animal and not be fit to be among our people. My father had no choice but to declare me a Madclaw and banish me. It has been forty years that I have drifted around the galaxy." He sighed again
Both Mission and Melissa moved in to hug him. He returned the hugs before giving Mission a slight nudge
"Six years ago, I landed on Taris and was looking for work to get credits to leave that hole when a certain someone tried to pick my pack. She left her scent all over it."
"So you decided to hunt the thief down." Carth nudged Zaalbar on
"Yes. I found her surrounded by a group of Trandoshans that had cornered her. She looked scared as they were talking among themselves. Despite being angry at her, I had to help her "
"You never told me what they were saying." Mission remarked
"Even now I do not want to tell you." Zaalbar replied
"Zaalbar I am a big girl now, I think I can handle it." Mission cajoled him
"They were going to rape you, then eat you. Only they were going to wait on raping you till you were tied to the spit. They were going to make a game of it to see who can stand the longest close to a fire."
Mission swallowed deeply, turning a pale blue. The humans had also turned a lighter colour
"You were right, ignorance was bliss." Mission swallowed again
Zaalbar nodded at that
"I made a mistake when I attacked them, one was playing dead and I turned my back on him. Mission shot him before he could stick his knife in my back. I stayed with her and protected her since then and she was my only friend till we met three desperate humans in a cantina in the lower city."
There was a silence as they processed his story. Zaalbar sat down and looked longingly at the rotating planet. Melissa spoke after few minutes.
"Apart from having to dodge your people then, what other risks are likely to face?" She asked
"The deeper you go to the surface the bigger and more dense the predators get. In the upper branches you will frequently find Kinrath and a subspecies of Kinrath that is airborne, we call them scythes. Both are pack hunters. Going to the shadowlands there is another type of kinrath called viper Kinrath, they excrete a neurotoxin when they bite or slash you. You will still be alive but helpless when they start to tear you apart. Then there are shadowcats, they are a bit smaller than the checabra Melissa has killed but just as fast and dangerous. Then there are gundarks. Some of the plants may also attack you."
"Is there anything down there that will not try and kill you?" Mission asked
" There are Tachs, they breed faster than Gizka and serve as the main food source for most of the predators."
Melissa thought for a moment as someone had recently mentioned that Tach glands was used in the production of Tarisian ale. She was about to ask Zaalbar about it when she remembered the source. Griff.
Melissa swallowed her question, not wanting to open up a healing wound.
Terri sat back and looked at the planet
"So in short go in, do not be seen and get out unseen. Right that brings up the next point. Melissa watch rotation."
"Why am I being watched?" Melissa demanded
The crew looked at her in silence
" Do we list by planet or chronologically?" Bastilla asked
"If we do not watch you. You will lose your clothes at some point and run around naked." Mission stated
"I only did that on a few planets." Melissa objected
"Taris, Arkaxis, Dantooine, Dxun, Kownrest. Only Naboo and Lothal was spared, we have not hear of anything on Alterra though we cannot rule it out yet." Terri listed
Melissa turned a slight pink. Mission started bouncing in her seat
"Which one did you strip on?" She demanded
"I camped out on Lothal, so yes I had to take a bath." Melissa answered
"Melissa's exhibitionism aside, there is the political side to address as well." Bastila stated
"What political side?" Melissa objected
"You killed a Senator on Arkaxis, you stole a cruiser and kidnapped a thousand seven hundred children and caused Alterra not to have a working government for three days." Bastila listed
"It is not kidnapping if they come voluntarily and the government locking themselves into bunkers was not my fault." Melissa stated vehemently
Mission patted her hand
"Keep telling yourself that." She said mock comfortingly
Zaalbar growled to get their attention. He pointed to Canderous and Melissa
"You can not wear your armour on Kashyyyk." He said
"The Trandoshan alliance I am assuming." Canderous replied
Zaalbar nodded. Carth turned to Canderous
"What was this alliance?" Carth asked
"The reptiles approached Mandalore and offered an alliance to prevent from being invaded. They promised to serve as front line shock troops. Anyone who has fought them will tell you it takes precision or a full ammo clip to take down a charging trandoshan. Despite protest against it Mandalore made that deal. The only thing they were ultimately good for was cheap labour. They can not take direction in battle and only know how to charge." Canderous replied
Zaalbar turned to Melissa
"Have you rebuild your bow?" He asked
"Not yet, why?" Melissa replied
"Being seen using one will grant you respect among the hunters." Zaalbar explained
"The problem is broadheads will not do much against a kinrath." Melissa stated
"You have the plans from Tatooine from the temple, the serrated arrows, they will work well against kinraths and scythes." Zaalbar suggested
Melissa looked towards the garage and machine bay.
"We are going to be in hyperspace for a while, so I have time to make another. I will now be able to use one with a harder draw strength like a longbow."
Zaalbar sat back in his chair and stared at the hologram. When nothing more was said for a long while the others left him to keep looking at the revolving hologram.
Where Tatooine was a brown blur Kashyyyk can be described a green blur with patches of white mist as they skimmed over the endless treeline, having to dodge a few larger trees. Carth noticed a clearing at the coordinates supplied by Zaalbar and throttled back. He frowned as he noticed landing pads built among the trees. Zaalbar's huff of surprise told him that this was new to him too. The companel started blinking as they received a transmission. Bastila opened the link
"Unknown freighter, this Czerka trading station six. You are not on our schedule, identify yourself."
"Czerka trading six, this is the Dancing Gundark out of Corellia. We are independent traders and we are looking for business opportunities." Bastila replied.
"The senior administaror has left the office already and will only be available during office hours. You are cleared to land on pad three but you are not to disembark till he gives clearance for you to do so." The operator replied
"Can we hook up to the utilities while we wait?" Bastila asked
"Negative, you may land and that is all."
Melissa was seated in her place in the front turret as they touched down. There was movement on the connecting walkway as two human males were escorting a platoon of war droids to the Hawke. She tapped her comlink set to draw attention
"We are getting watchers for the night." She reported
"After that welcome, that was to be suspected." Terri replied from the top turret
"We have a platoon of Sith generation three droids being deployed." Melissa continued
"Looks like Someone has been violating Republic laws then, can you activate your gun camera?" Carth responded
"Not without them being aware that they are being recorded." Melissa replied
Carth looked over his shoulder where T3 was plugged in.
"Keep monitering all hatches and look for active infiltration attempts, this smells worse than a dead Gungan in a fish market." He told the droid.
The clanging footsteps of their second droid echoed through the ship as it moved to the landing hatch to take up sentry duty. Switching his terminal to standby Carth looked out the viewport.
"We are down and now we wait." He said
" Something is seriously wrong here." Bastila remarked
"The force?" Carth asked
"Nothing so far, just my impression so far." Bastila replied.
Carth pressed a few buttons on the terminal and the air conditioners switched on, a light blue haze flickered into view as the shields powered up. The whine of the life support systems was the only sound audible
"Good thing we had extra battery banks added during the Naboo refit." Carth stated
"Why not let the engines idle and keep all systems running?" Terri asked from the navigator seat
"We may need the fuel to escape, Unlike Arkaxis we are in a hot zone and can not afford to sit with empty tanks." Carth explained
Melissa irritably kicked her sheets away from her, with a grimace she felt her nightclothes stick to her coated in sweat. The humid heat of the planet pressing down on the ship, and with the air conditioner not running they had no respite against it. Standing up from the bed she cast a look at the shower. She shook of the idea of just sitting in the shower with cold water running for the rest of the night.
Mission gave a deep snore where she was lying on top of the covers, arms and legs spread as wide as she could while sprawled face down. Melissa made her way to the open door of the dorm and stepped out into the passageway, the normally cool floor plates starting to warm up.
With the refit the cargo bay had been converted into the female dorm room, three enclosed cubicles with their own doors and two refresher stations now filling the space. The old dorm now serving as armoury slash cargo bay, the refresher station left intact as a spare for the male dormitory. Melissa walked into the cockpit and looked out through the viewport. In the darkness she saw the photoreceptors of the watching droids, reaching out in the force she felt watchers hidden in the trees.
Making her way to the loading bay she cast an eye on the workbench where Bastila had left the tools scattered across it after she had rebuilt her lightsaber. She moved to the bench but stopped as she was too listless to clean up. Her eye caught the orange package underneath the fire suppression hose. Walking to it she unclipped it from its storage and placed it in the middle of the bay. After twisting the manual inflation valve she stepped to the hose and played out a piece of the hose reel. Opening the valve on the hose she started filling the inflating life raft. Moments later she climbed into the raft and sighed in bliss as the cool water enveloped her
"Budge over. I am too tired to walk around" Terri said from the doorway
Melissa slid to the far side and lifted her eyebrow as Terri stepped into the raft. She too sighed in bliss as the water covered her
"Should we arrange a watch for you now?" Melissa asked
"Why?" Terri replied
"You were ragging on me for losing my clothes, yet you are the first to do so here." Melissa stated
"Too hot for clothes, secondly the first would be Bastila, followed by Juhani." Terri responded
"Miss Prim and Proper? No, I don't believe you." Melissa snorted
"That should be Miss Dirty and Nasty, you would not believe the change when she gets going." Terri grinned
"Too much information, I really did not have to hear that." Melissa groaned
"Too much for virgin ears, or do you have something else to confess? Maybe something about a green Jedi?" Terri replied, a shark like grin on her face
"I am going to kill Kanara." Melissa muttered
"No, this time she is innocent, Fay on the other hand is rather hacked off with you for her blaster marriage and beating up her husband." Terri shrugged
"Nothing happened, she slept in my room and she was sick." Melissa stated
"You are lying." Terri sang out
"I am not lying." Mellisa objected
"We can feel you in the force and through the bonds, others might believe you, we don't." Bastila said climbing in
"Now I know I am dreaming, there is no way you would walk naked through the ship." Melissa tried to deflect
"Nice try, now spill. And don't spare us the details." Terri replied
Melissa sighed and moved her hand through the water.
"Fine I made third field and was going for base run, when she started feeling sick. That really spoiled the mood." She stated
"And I am guessing her master kept a very close eye thereafter on both of you." Bastila responded
"Damn rule about attachments." Melissa grumbled
"Preaching to the masses, little sister. But in a way it was good that you struck out." Bastila said
"How is that?" Melissa replied, annoyance in her voice
"Your first time should be special with someone you love, it makes it so much more special than just something you think you should do. I wish that someday I can remember, though being with Bas was beyond magnificent" Terri answered
Bastila leaned over and gave Terri a loving kiss, before leaning back against the side of the raft
"Though I feel your regrets for that night is not the only thing that is keeping your mind occupied." Bastila stated leadingly
"Lothal?" Terri ventured a guess
"I don't really want to talk about it." Melissa demurred
"We will not force you to tell us, when you are ready we will listen. Keep in mind that maybe we can give you a new perspective on it." Bastila replied
"Thank you, I will think on it." Melissa responded
Melissa slipped from the life raft
"I think I will be able to sleep now, that I have cooled of a bit."
"You know Mission will not like sleeping next to a wet mess." Terri stated
"Then she should have stayed in her bed. Besides I am being a friend by trying to help her cool off." Melissa replied innocently
Bastila waited til Melissa was well out of earshot before turning to Terri, a lustful smile on her face
"So I am Miss Dirty and Nasty now" She purred huskily
"And here we are surrounded in water." Terri replied throatily
"You up to the challenge of cleaning this dirty girl?" Bastila said, using a little girl voice, shyly fluttering her eyelashes
Melissa shuddered and moved rapidly away back to the dorm. Mission was right ignorance was bliss.
Succesfully hiding theirTerri and Melissa stepped from the Czerka offices, seeing Bastila trying to calm down a very irate latter had been escorted from the room when the Ithorian overseer had insulted not only Zaalbars, his species and their culture but had been condescending on being corrected.
"Never thought I would see an amoral Ithorian." Terri said through gritted teeth
Melissa did not reply busy tapping away on her datapad and sending a message. She waited a few minutesbefore tapping her earpiece to activate her comlink
"Mi? Did you get that music video I send you?"
"…"
"Think you can rock to it?"
"…"
"Got it, don't let grandpa catch you. Smooches."
Terri leaned on the railway and looked over at the mass of trees encircling the clearing in the treetops that the trading station and landing pads. Melissa leaned her back against the rail and Zaalbar and Bastila stood in front of her
"That chakaar will not get away with insulting your people or you." Melissa told Zaalbar
"I am guessing that conversation was not about the newest Coruscant girl band then." Terri said, keeping up the pretense of just staring
"No, Mi and T3 have set aside their differences, she will be paying for T3 for an oil bath to prove her sincerity. An overnight one, like I got for our protocol droid."
"That is nice of her." Terri nodded
Terri looked over her shoulder at Zaalbar
"Do you think we will be able to reach your village before nightfall?"She asked
"If we set of now, yes." Zaalbar reluctantly replied
"Z, if you want to stay on the ship we will understand." Melissa said, rubbing his arm
"Too late, the watchers will have reported my presence here. They will not hesitate to try and board the ship to get to me." Zaalbar replied
"Just know we will be there for you whatever you need." Bastila responded
"Thank you. You are true friends."
A Czerka employee walking past gave them a filthy look and muttered about aliens and beasts fouling the trade station.
They walked unconcernedly on the walkway to the village, ignoring the turrets being aimed at their back by the obnoxious sentry commander. Canderous lighting a nicotine stick as they walked
"How many watchers do we have?" He asked
"Six Wookies and something else."Terri replied, slightly distractedly
"Three somethings." Bastila added
"And that being?" Canderous prodded
"Dark Side users." Melissa replied
Melissa stepped to the side and unslung her bow. Grabbing three arrows from the quiver on her back and sticking two in the walkway before her. She spun around and fired. A screech filled the air and a shape dropped from the sky. The walkway trembled slightly as the weight struck. Melissa was already firing the third arrow by then, two more shudders followed
"So those are scythes." She stated
"Yes." Zaalbar tersely replied
Walking closer to retrieve her arrows she studied the animals. The body was about two metres in length, thin necks, small heads and elongated beaks with serrated teeth, thin legs with oversized feet, The three toes on each foot ending in vicious claws. She pulled her blaster and fired a bolt into the head of each avian, something Zaalbar had repeatedly emphasized. Like all ambush predators, Scythes will often pretend to be dead when wounded, waiting on an unwary hunter to get to close.
Pullinh the arrows out, she saw the heads coated in a foul smelling black substance. Zaalbar appeared by her side and started filling a container as the fluid ran from the corpses.
"Good for making torches. Waste not want not." He growled
"So if I were to bring a flame to the arrow heads they will light up?" Melissa asked
"Yes. But use those arrows first and don't try to clean them, the blood will weaken the metal."
"Both flammable and caustic, really nice animals you got here, Z."
Zaalbar chuffed in laughter
"They get bigger as we go further." He grumbled
The group came upon a building set in the middle of the walkway.
"Night shelter, for those who will not reach the village before nightfall." Zaalbar explained
Terri, Bastila and Melissa dropped their backpacks and unclipped their lightsabers.
"Boys, cover our backs please." Terri stated conversationally, striding forward
"Us girls have to do some housecleaning." Bastila quipped
The door to the shelter slammed open and three black clad figures stepped from the shelter. The three women stood in a line and waited for them to come closer. Three red blades sprung to life as their opponents formed their own line. Bastila was the first to ignite her blade. The yellow blades almost seemed to be gold in colour now. Terri ignited her blade and stepped into a high guard stance. Melissa crouched down and extended her arm to the side before lighting her blade.
No one moved. No one spoke. For a moment an anticipatory silence descended in the area around the shelter and the combatants
The silence was shattered as Canderous went full cyclic on a flight of Scythes that tried to divebomb the group. The two groups met in flashes of light and the thrum and screech of clashing lightsabers suppressed the sound of Canderous's gunfire.
They moved forward and backwards, no one sticking to a specific opponent as they slashed and hacked at the nearest target.
Melissa was driven to one knee as her opponent slashed from above. She barely held the blade from pressing down on her. She was straining as she was losing this trial of strength. Taking a chance she dropped her right hand to her blaster and depressed the trigger with the blaster still holstered. The bolt shattered the kneecap of her opponent,
The man fell to the side as he lost his balance. Melissa danced back and slashed from high right to low left, bisecting her target. She twirled and stabbed, hitting Bastila's opponent in the back, giving her a chance to finish her opponent. A desperate scream filled the air.
Bastila and Melissa turned to where Terri was. Her hand was out in the gesture for a force push. The railing was broken and a lightsaber was lying on the ground. Moving to the gap they were barely in time to see a black figure still falling to the depths below.
Closing their blades they walked back to where Canderous and Zaalbar were moving from Scythe to Scythe finishing of the attackers. Canderous looked over at Melissa
"Starting a new fashion or do you need new pants?" He asked
Melissa looked down. The bolt had burned through the fabric from mid thigh to knee, a red line indicating a slight burn from the heat of the bolt.
"Get inside and drop your pants, I will bring the Medpack." Terri sighed pointing to the shelter.
Melissa grumbled as she walked to the shelter, stepping inside she stopped in shock at the scene before her. Five Wookies was scattered across the room, the bodies bearing the distinctive marks of Lightsaber slashes. From the smell of the singed fur they had been killed not long ago. She spotted movement by the side of one body, she spun around and leaned out of the shelter
"Zaalbar. Get in here." She screamed
She stepped back and lowered herself slowly to the ground, hands extended from her body
"I am not going to hurt you, little one." She spoke clearly and none threateningly.
The youngling crawled back in panic. Zaalbar stepped into the shelter. He pushed Melissa down and stepped on her back
"There is no threat here. She can not hurt you." He growled
The youngling slowly stepped forward, baring her teeth at Melissa. Melissa looked down at the ground, keeping very still. Zaalbar lifted his foot from her back
"Stay." He growled
Melissa laid still and kept looking down. Zaalbar crouched down in front of the youngling and placed his bowcaster down, extending his hands to the youngling. Hesitantly stepped into his arms and Zaalbar stood up fully holding her close. Melissa stayed down as Zaalbar went about gaining the younglings trust.
She heard Zaalbar moving past her to the door, she heard him pointing out the bodies of the dead dark siders and heard him telling her where the third went.
"Slowly get up." Zaalbar said.
Melissa slowly got up. Zaalbar was at the opposite door. He nudged to where his bowcaster was, still holding the youngling. Melissa shouldered her pack as Terri dropped it by her, before picking up Zaalbar's weapon for him.
The group moved in silence and undisturbed till they reached the gates of the village. Three Wookies strode towards them.
"What is this madclaw doing with a cub." He snarled pointing at Zaalbar
"We found her family dead in the night shelter." Terri explained
"Killed by you offworlders no doubt."Another scoffed
"Yes the killers were offworlders and we killed them." Terri replied
Zaalbar put the cub to the ground and pushed her towards the gaurds. She rushed over and stood behind them. One kneeled down and softly spoke to her before standing up
"This is the first time I know of that an offworlder speaks the truth." He spoke
A female Wookie stepped from the gate and took the cub inside. The three guards turned to the group
"We will take you to the chief, the wise Chuundar. He will decide what to do with you and the madclaw."