Chapter 12: Dantooine Part 4

After the tiring events surrounding her promotion Dawn had decided to take an afternoon nap. Upon waking she yawned and stretched, feeling stiff as a board from the mauling she had received from Juhani. Despite the stiffness, the vision of Revan, the destruction of the Cathar and Juhani, the few hours of sleep had refreshed her.

Dawn sighed and wished she knew why she was seeing things that weren't tied directly into the mission with the Star Forge and Sarryn's destiny. Why did she get the vision that showed her Cathar's destruction? She was sure the Force was telling her something, but the question was what and for what reason?

She shook her head, she would discuss it later with Sarryn, Willow and Bastila, maybe they might have answers.

With a sigh she got out of bed and opened the curtains, giving her the now familiar view of the Dantooine grasslands. Dantooine's star Dina still stood high in the sky, but her stomach indicated the afternoon was almost coming to an end. She scratched the back of her head lazily and yawned again, deciding she'd take a quick shower to wash away the cold sweat.

After a refreshing shower she quickly dressed up in her brown Jedi robes. Just as she was done the door slid open. A positively fuming Bastila stepped through, pulling Mission along by the arm followed by Sarryn and Willow. The poor girl looked scared out of her wits, making Dawn frown and wonder what had happened. She knew that Bastila and Mission didn't really like each other, but it took a lot for Bastila to get truly angry with the girl.

"Dawn!" Bastila called disdainfully when the door had closed behind them. "You and your brat need to have a serious chat."

"My brat?" Dawn inquired, shrinking a bit under the stern gaze. "Something happen?"

Bastila shoved the Twi'lek girl forward. "Tell her what you did, Mission."

The girl shuffled nervously on her feet and didn't dare meet Dawn's eyes. She muttered something unintelligible, Dawn could only pick up the words 'bantha' and 'enclave', which didn't make a whole lot of sense. "Louder girl," the knight admonished harshly.

"I lured a bantha into the enclave," she finally said aloud.

Dawn could see that Sarryn was trying to keep a straight face, he and Willow likely had already heard the story. She turned and stared at Mission for a moment. "You did what?" she finally managed to ask.

Mission anxiously looked up to meet Dawn's eyes. "I lured a bantha into the enclave," she said again.

Dawn's mouth dropped open to say something, anything, but she couldn't find the words for something this ridiculous. She had heard enough about banthas to know they were large lumbering creatures. To lure one into the enclave… She was sure this had to be a joke. One look at Bastila's face told her it wasn't a joke that this was serious. "A bantha? Into the enclave?" The girl only nodded. "Where did you find a bantha?"

"At a farm just south of the enclave," she muttered. "It was a domestic one, used to pull the cart."

"Tell her the rest of the story," Bastila gruffly ordered.

"Once it got inside it started to panic. It ran into the library and up the stairs to the second floor."

Dawn blinked, trying to imagine a burly bantha in the hallways. "You got a bantha into the enclave and it ran to the second floor of the library?" she asked weakly. Mission nodded again.

"The entire story, Miss Vao."

Mission flinched from the Knight's angry words and quickly continued. "Err… you see, Banthas are able to climb stairs, but… but they can't go down them again. They err… they sorta had to… put it down… They had to drag out the dead body."

Dawn looked at Mission with a look of shock on her face. An innocent creature was dead because of a joke.

Sarryn burst out in cheerful laughter. "Mission, that's… just awesome," he managed between fits of laughter.

Bastila spun on Sarryn, as her angry scowl deepened even more. "Awesome? You think killing an innocent creature is awesome?"

Dawn glanced at Willow and neither of them thought it was funny in the slightest.

Sarryn noticed the danger and tried to make a straight face, but failed miserably. "Come on Bastila," he chuckled. "You gotta admit it's funny."

"Care to explain how it's funny to the angry farmer that came to redress his dead bantha? Or the janitors who had to clean this mess up?" Sarryn just snorted, then burst into laughter yet again, bending over and leaning heavy on his knees "You are unbelievable." She turned back to Dawn. "I brought her to you, so you can reprimand the girl harshly for her foolish act."

"Me, why?" asked Dawn.

"She's your girl, so her actions are your responsibility," Bastila told her.

"She's not mine," Dawn countered. "She's a woman of her own."

"This immature action shows she's nowhere near grown-up yet, and therefor she needs a strict guardian. That person is you, because you're the only one she accepts."

Dawn nodded. "Mission, get over here." The Twi'lek girl did as she was told. Dawn sat down on her knees, grabbed both the girl's shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "While I appreciate the sentiment. I had a few bruises sure and this black eye, but it was more of a draw than an outright loss. I didn't lose. That said you need to obey the rules, Mission. Stealing another person's property is not good. Why did you do it anyway?"

The girl looked back up. "I heard you were defeated by that Cathar woman and knew you'd take it badly. I wanted to cheer you up. I had hoped to wake you up in time so we could enjoy the rampage together, but Bastila caught me before I could reach you." Mission gave Dawn a sheepish, apologetic grin just as Sarryn let out another snort of laughter.

Dawn thought about it, and if not for the creature dying as a result of the joke, she knew that Mission was right she would have found it funny. She wanted to lock the girl in a warm embrace to thank her for her efforts, but they were still watched by a very disgruntled Bastila, so she refrained from that. "How did you pull it off?"

Mission smirked. "The hard part was nicking some bantha fodder and releasing the bantha from its pen." She gave Dawn a mischievous smile. "The rest was a matter of careful planning and stealth."

Dawn laughed and gave the girl a big hug. "I'm proud of you, that's my girl." She pulled back and looked more serious. "That said… you caused the death of an innocent animal. On top of that you did get caught."

The girl cocked an eyebrow and looked offended. "No, I didn't. No one saw me. Miss Bastila made a guess I had done it; I think she's some sort of seer or something. She interrogated me." Mission shuddered and leaned forward to whisper in Dawn's ear. "Her eyes are super freaky when she's angry, she forced me to admit."

"Poor thing," Sarryn said sympathetically. "Even I get scared when she gets angry."

"Dawn, aren't you going to reprimand her for her misbehavior?" Bastila scowled at her.

"And what do you think I should do?" asked Dawn looking up at Bastila. "The animal is dead. Even I feel bad about that. But you have to admit if not for that it would have been pretty funny."

"Impossible," Bastila groaned. "Bloody impossible, both of you. I should've known you'd encourage this kind of adolescent mischief, seeing how Mission's a spitting image of you. If I didn't know better, I'd say you two are sisters, or mother and daughter even."

"Dawn," said Willow. "A moment if you please." She led her friend into the bathroom and closed the door behind them. "I think Bastila is right. Despite the fact you two and Mission are only a couple years apart in age, Mission looks up to you as if you were either her older sister or even her mother?"

Dawn sighed and nodded. "Yeah I noticed," she said. "She needs what Buffy did for me after mom died. Do you think I can do that for her, Will?"

"I do," said Willow.

Dawn nodded and they stepped back out into the main room. "You crossed a line, Mission. And since you look at me despite our ages being so close together as potentially being your mother. That means I have to take responsibility of you." She looked at Bastila. "What do you recommend my punishment should be for what my child did?"

"I would suggest a night sleeping under the stars, to think on her actions," answered Bastila. "Without a pillow or a blanket."

Dawn nodded in acceptance, still she didn't relish it. She had spent countless nights under the Dantooine sky without a blanket, which was quite the torture considering the sharp drop of temperature at night. But then again, this would be the first time she'd be accompanied by Mission, so it wouldn't be that bad. "I understand, Master," she said.

The Twi'lek's face fell, but she knew she deserved being punished and she was too afraid of Bastila to go against her will. "Yes, Miss Bastila," she muttered.

"At least you still have the presence of mind to accept your punishment without being foolish," the knight told Mission with a small sigh. Most of her rage vanished, Bastila wasn't someone who continued being angry once she thought proper justice had been dealt. "Just be glad I won't report this to the Council, I'm sure their punishment wouldn't be as feeble as mine."

Mission nodded at the knight, then grinned when she knew she was off the hook. She turned back to Dawn and hugged her tightly. "Congratulations with your promotion," she cheered.

"Thanks, Blue," Dawn smiled warmly. She pointed at her black eye. "Wasn't easy, but I pulled it off."

"Just admit you did it on purpose," the Twi'lek giggled. "You want your skin to be as pretty blue as mine."

"I do," Dawn laughed. "Guess it didn't work?"

"Nope, you're still ugly," Mission replied playfully, causing a pout from her boss. "So, show me the goods!"

"Err… which goods?" Dawn asked confused.

"Your new lightsaber of course, you daft oaf! Didn't your promotion mean you could finally ditch the blue flashlight and get your hands on the good stuff?"

"It sure did," Dawn grinned, while drawing her new lightsaber and activating the yellow beam.

"Eew," Mission exclaimed, watching the saber with playful disgust.

"I know," said Dawn looking at the yellow beam. "Bastila has promised I can get a different crystal with a color of my choosing."

"I'm glad," said Mission. "It should be blue to match your eyes."

"Maybe," said Dawn as she smiled at Mission. "Let's go to the cantina. I'm hungry."

"Me too!" Mission cheered with a wanton smirk. "I could totally eat a bantha."

Dawn groaned while Sarryn snorted yet again.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

After dinner Dawn and Willow decided to spend an hour or so at the library. After Dawn's latest vision they had agreed to look again into this Child of the Force business, and more into Force Bonds. Right now, was perfect, the library was deserted at this time of the day. When they entered, she saw no traces of Mission's dead bantha, the janitors had probably cleaned up the mess already. They gathered the files they were looking for and settled down in a comfortable chair to read.

A few minutes later they were approached by a Jedi Knight. It was Belaya, the brunette that had befriended Juhani. "Hey, Dawn," she greeted with a small smile. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure," Dawn answered, while closing the file and gesturing to the chair in front of her. "Sit down."

The brunette sat down and looked at Dawn seriously. "Dawn, I wanted to thank you for bringing Juhani back to m… to the enclave." She blushed a bit when she stumbled on her words. "I-I'm very grateful, she's a good friend."

Dawn smiled internally as the pieces clicked into place. "You're welcome, Belaya," she answered sincerely. "But you two are more than just friends, aren't you?" she added in a whisper, a small grin spreading across her lips.

Belaya's eyes grew wide and her face turned pale. "H-how did you…" She suddenly looked scared and desperate. "No one can ever know about this!"

"No one will know," said Willow as she closed her file. "We're not going to tell anyone. We both know the Jedi's stand on such things. I think it's great the two of you have found love and pursue it, despite the Code and the general consensus on homosexual relationships. I know what it is like to miss someone you love."

Belaya calmed down and looked sympathetically at Willow and Dawn. "You two as well?"

"No," said Dawn. "Willow and I are more like sisters. Besides Willow has a girlfriend back home that she misses. That said I wouldn't mind having what you and Willow have. So how did you manage to convince Juhani having a relationship isn't bad, despite what the Code says?"

The brunette smiled. "It was the other way around, in fact. We've been friends ever since we were little, and slowly fell in love over the years. Juhani wanted to surrender to her feelings, but I was afraid. Afraid of the Code, afraid of the masters, afraid of the dark side. So, I told her I wasn't interested." She chuckled. "What an idiot I was, fooling a Cathar isn't that simple. All my actions had made it already clear I was very much in love with her, and it turns out those blasted creatures are able to smell pheromones. Apparently, those rose sky-high whenever I lay my eyes on her."

"They can smell hormones?" Dawn asked weakly, hardly believing what she was hearing.

"Smell, or otherwise sense, don't know exactly." Belaya's smile grew wide. "Try telling a woman 'no' when she's getting so horny from your smell her knees start to buckle."

"You're very open about it," Dawn remarked.

"Ah, s-sorry," the brunette muttered. "I didn't mean to… I just… I never had someone to discuss these things with. Living in secret is hell, certainly if you want to shout your happiness to the entire universe. And you always seemed so… provocative with your sexual innuendos, I thought you wouldn't mind."

"Hey, I have no problem with it," said Dawn. "In fact, I've known I'm gay for a while now myself and would love to have a girlfriend. So please speak your mind."

Belaya grinned in relief. "Awesome! Well, as I was saying, Juhani knew I was in love with her. And if a Cathar gets something in her head she'll pursue it to the very end." Belaya chuckled again, a longing look appearing in her eyes. "I became her prey, and she didn't give up until I was hers."

"She wasn't afraid of the Code then?" Willow asked.

"Oh, she was. But she grew up on Cathar, and marriage was an extremely important part of their culture. Their lives were harsh and love was considered the greatest gift of their Goddess, bringing joy in their otherwise bleak existence. Disrespecting that gift was downright blasphemy, ignoring love was simply not done. So, if there was mutual love between two Cathar they always got married, regardless of social status or gender."

"So, her fear of the Goddess overruled her fear of the Council?" asked Dawn.

"Yep." Belaya let out an amused laugh. "And Juhani is persistent, so here we are."

Dawn looked at Belaya for a long moment. "Know anyone else like Juhani?" she asked.

"I think I know just the person," admitted Belaya. "She's Cather. Like others of her species, she would be loyal to no end and would make an excellent lesbian lover."

"Tell me more," said Dawn.

"Well, first of all they're awesome cuddling partners. Their skin is much softer than human skin, almost fluffy. Perfect to curl up against after a long day of work. And the sex is just… extreme."

Dawn smiled. "Now you have definitely piqued my interest. Can you set me up?"

"I will see what I can do, Dawn," said Belaya as she smiled. "It's the least I can do to repay you for returning Juhani to me."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

All sensations were replaced by the thick waves of overwhelming energy, pulsating and vibrating like the overheated air above an inferno. It took over everything as it filled the large chamber, even the oxygen that somehow didn't feel like such a necessity anymore. There was one thing that mattered and one thing only: an extreme force of nature encompassing everything, down to the very foundations of life.

An awestruck whisper left Dawn's mouth. "What a tremendous power."

"The Force, in all its unbridled glory," Bastila announced. She had to smile as she glanced at Sarryn at Willow and saw that they like Dawn was impressed, curious and enthralled at the same time, almost like small children. "Can you feel it tingle through your entire body?"

As Bastila had promised after each of their trials. She had taken them to a small system of caverns not far from the Dantooine enclave. The Force was so incredibly dense here that it had actually solidified into a physical shape. Over the many centuries it had evolved and changed, turning into multicolored crystals, the very crystals used as a focusing medium for the Jedi's lightsabers. The underground chamber was filled with these crystals, all emitting a faint light that bathed the area in a strange, almost eerie glow.

"Incredible," Sarryn muttered in awe. "It feels like it stimulates every single fiber of my being."

"I've never felt anything like this," added Willow. "In the time since I started practicing magic, this is pure."

Bastila chuckled. "I remember coming here for the first time, being just as overwhelmed as you three are. Maybe even more so, considering I was just five years old."

Sarryn turned to the knight and smiled warmly. "D'awww, that must've been so cute, little five-year-old Bastila." His eyes nearly melted from the adoration as he tried to visualize the little girl.

"Perhaps, but I didn't feel very cute at that time," Bastila said, unable to prevent a small blush from forming on her cheeks. "I was both overwhelmed and terrified by all new experiences that came with joining the Jedi Order." She sighed and her eyes turned inward. "All alone, for the first time in my life without my parents."

Dawn and Willow looked at each other knowing the feeling. After all they were technically cut off from everything and everyone they knew, till Dawn finished with what she had to do.

"Why did they leave you with the Jedi? If I had children, I'd never relinquish them to some order against their will, no matter how noble it pretended to be," Sarryn said. He noticed that Dawn's thoughts turned inward and he nodded in understanding that she was thinking about Mission.

As Sarryn had surmised Dawn had been thinking of Mission and what she had realized just a few hours before. She knew that she would have to talk to the Twi'lek, and tell Mission everything and give Mission the choice of going with her or staying with Sarryn or someone else. She had already done the same with Zaalbar, and he had said where she went, he would go for the rest of her or his life.

"My father thought exactly like you," Bastila answered with a faint smile. "He loved me dearly and did everything in his power to make me happy, always keeping me close, even on his dangerous travels. My mother… not so much," she added bitterly. "You see, my father was a treasure hunter, going to the most hazardous places of the galaxy hoping to find valuable relics."

"A dangerous profession," Sarryn commented. "And not very suitable for a child to tag along with."

"It was my mother's fault," Bastila said, still with that bitter tone. "She wanted to live the rich, luxurious life. Unfortunately, their less than modest income didn't allow for her high standards, which is why my mother pushed my father to go on dangerous hunts, so she could live in wealth."

"That doesn't seem very fair," admitted Dawn.

"It was almost cruel, my poor dad risking his life for that wench of a woman." Bastila breathed a deep sigh. Sarryn could almost feel the whirlwind of emotions through the bond. "And then it was discovered I was sensitive to the Force. As you can imagine my father didn't want to relinquish me, but for my mother it was a golden opportunity. A child is very expensive, without me she'd save even more money to spend on excessive luxury."

"I can't imagine a mother giving her child away for any reason, let alone a reason like that," Dawn said. She remembered when her own mother had found out that she had been at one time something called the Key. Joyce Summers had instantly come to the decision that it hadn't mattered where she came from that she still loved her. Buffy had been the same way when she had first learned the truth about Dawn. "Are your parents still alive? Would it be possible to see them again?"

"I don't know if they are, as I haven't had contact with them since swearing myself to the Code. Bastila answered. She then let out a ragged sigh. "Sometimes I wish I did know so that I could maybe see them… But accepting you can't is part of becoming a Jedi, no matter how hard that might be. That's why orphans make such splendid Jedi."

Dawn shook her head with a sigh and then she disappeared in a flash of green to go somewhere to think in private. Sarryn chose to explore the underground chamber a bit more, slowly walking through it and studying the various crystals. Bastila and Willow followed behind him at a distance.

"Bastila," said Sarryn as he let the two women catch up to him. "This afternoon when I was taking a nap I got another vision."

"Dawn told me she too had one," added Willow.

"Really?" Bastila said. "What did you and Dawn see?"

"Part of the destruction of Cathar, through the eyes of Knight Revan. He was there with a Catharese princess and her guard, scouting a burning city. It had been besieged by Mandalorians. In the ruins a young Juhani was battling a group of Mandalorians, who had probably been left behind to take out any remaining survivors. Juhani was losing the battle, but she was saved by Revan."

"Interesting," Bastila slowly said. "I never knew Revan was the knight that rescued her."

"Yes, very interesting," Sarryn snarled, a bit more harshly than he had intended. "I'm getting sick of these visions, Bastila, and it wouldn't surprise me that Dawn is as well."

Bastila looked at Willow for confirmation.

"Dawn knows she is getting these visions for a reason," said Willow. "That said it surprised her that she saw that one. It had nothing to do with the Star Forge or whatever destiny Sarryn has.

"I do not know," said Bastila. "All of this is a complete mystery. Dawn being a Child of the Force, the Force Bonds, everything. The Council doesn't respect me enough to be completely open with me. I wish I knew everything that was going on and that I could share it freely, if only to ease everyone's' minds. But I don't and I can't, and it scares me. I hate being treated by the Order like this and I hate the way they treat you two and Dawn even more. It's why we all agreed to keep Dawn's ability to use the Key a secret, remember?"

Sarryn and Willow nodded. "Promise not to betray us," Sarryn whispered, looking deeply into Bastila's eyes.

Bastila met first Sarryn and then Willow's eyes and looked reassuring. "I promise I won't betray any of you. And I promise I'll protect you three to the best of my ability. From both the Sith and the Council."

The sound of heavy footsteps coming from the single pathway leading into the underground chamber interrupted any further discussion. Without hesitation the three of them activated their lightsabers, two yellow and one green beam of light sprang forth. Sarryn instinctively took the lead, positioning himself a bit in front of Bastila and Willow to shield them from possible danger.

A group of bandits entered the cavern. They were Duros, eight of them, all clad in leather armor and wearing various firearms. The leader was clad in blood red armor which covered his entire appearance, with just a tiny visor to allow for a modest amount of vision: it was a Mandalorian.

"Well this looks fucking cozy," the Mandalorian said in a rough voice.

"Told you they were in here all alone," one of the Duros grinned, sounding quite pleased with himself. "The days of the Jedi are numbered if all of 'em are this stupid."

Willow grabbed the Force as she prepared for the coming battle and came to a reassuring realization: The Force was so lively and strong in this place that she could probably rip these guys in half without even breaking a sweat.

"You've just interrupted a very important moment, Mandalorian." Sarryn's voice was cold as ice. "Care to explain why? Or what the heck someone of your wretched kind is doing on Dantooine?"

"Revenge," the Mandalorian said curtly. "If it wasn't for you cancerous Jedi, we'd be in charge of this galaxy. But no, you saintly bastards had to intervene, bringing my glorious clan to the brink of extinction." His voice was trembling dangerously. "And that is something that will simply not do." He pointed at his belt, where two lightsaber hilts were proudly on display. "You see, I'm a bit of a collector. And I prefer taking them from the mangled corpses of my victims."

"Impressive collection," Sarryn remarked dryly. "And who are you? Caius Fett himself?"

"Funny, you must be a jester." He made a wide gesture with his arms, standing proud and tall. "My name is Sherruk Jedislayer. And you three are the next tallies I'll carve into my flesh as tokens of my victory."

Sarryn barked a patronizing laugh. "Wow, you're so hardcore, I bet you get all the girls." His grin faded and she gave him a cold stare as she pointed her lightsaber in his direction. "Why don't you go back to mommy, Sherry? I'm sure she'll want to have a word with you for your naughty language." He heard Bastila and Willow chuckle behind him and the Mandalorian's stance immediately changed.

"So, you choose to mock me," he growled. "Wrong choice. I wanted to be merciful on you three, I really did. But now you've lost all my sympathy. First, I'm going to beat you three into a bleeding pulp. Then I'm going to carve you all open, removing your organs one by one and skinning you alive. Within the hour you lot will be begging for your death, but such mercy won't come. I'll continue until the last little fiber lies shivering on the bloodied floor, resonating in the glory of the Mandalorian clans!"

Sarryn laughed again at his words, not feeling intimidated in the least. "You daft moron. You got any idea what this place is? The Force is so huge here it solidifies into crystals, yet you want to take on three Jedi Knights?"

Willow fortified herself and she fully embraced the Force. To her surprise, that of the bandits, Sarryn and Bastila, the entire cave responded. Each and every single crystal was activated, emitting powerful light that bathed the entire cavern in an array of colors.

The bandits were blinded by the lights and held up their hands clumsily to shield their eyes.

Sarryn was about to strike when Willow walked past him. He noticed that Willow's eyes and hair had gone suddenly and startlingly black. "Bastila," he whispered.

Bastila followed Sarryn's gaze and saw the change in Willow. She reached into the Force and what she felt from Willow shocked her. The power that radiated from Willow was nearly on par with that of Dawn.

Bastila and Sarryn didn't have time to think about the consequences of what was happening to Willow. They flanked the former redhead before splitting off to face a group of opponents. Sarryn took four of the Duros and Bastila took the other four while Willow herself took the Mandalorian.

The first two Duros didn't know what hit them when Sarryn's yellow beam of light cleanly severed their heads, but the other two on his side of the room regrouped in time to send a barrage of blasterfire his way.

Bastila in the meantime calmly fought her way through the Duros bandits on her side of the room. Using a smooth combination of Force pulls and pushes and her lightsaber she dealt with her share of hostiles quickly and efficiently.

The Mandalorian sent blasterfire at Willow as she approached. She moved to within pointblank range of the Mandalorian, who was about to blast a hole in her face. Willow could feel blood surge to her ears and time seemed to grind to a halt. Using the Force, she broke both his arms before he could even fire another shot just as Sarryn and Bastila finished their groups of Duros.

With a strangled yelp the Mandalorian dropped his blaster rifle. The Force was extremely lively through Willow. She flung him into the wall with so much force that a sickening crack could be heard. His limp body slid down in slow-motion, leaving behind a nasty red mark on the rock wall. She didn't need to check his vital signs with the Force to know he was dead.

A moment of deep silence ensued, lasting almost ages in Willow's mind. Bastila was the first to recover. "Have you completely lost your mind?" she exclaimed, while rushing over to the fallen enemy. A quick glance proved that he was indeed dead. "We should've taken him in alive so he could've been questioned."

"I don't think Willow can hear you, Bastila," said Sarryn. "I think this place has completely overpowered her."

Bastila nodded as she yanked a commlink from her belt. She spoke in to it, "This is Knight Shan. I need someone to find Padawan Summers and send her to me, now. Yes, she will know where I am."