[FIC]Heart of Deception

[Diego Varen]

Yes I don't like Cena. Good Chapter as always and I'm looking foward to more. I'm glad the manuscript is failing now.

[igyman]

''Uncle Candy'' now that's just... just...

I bet Canderous hates it, he just doesn't seem the family, or the children type.

[JediMaster12]

He has a soft spot for little Lilah. He won't admit to anyone save Sarna. Who can't but help fall under the spell of a cute not little three year old? No he doesn't hate it. He may growl when in the presence of warriors he respects like Revan and Kirabaros but he is touched.

I noticed something. In the chapters that I am writing now, I have purposely put in some movie lines and there are references to the game itself, of certain incidents. I also noticed that some seem disjoined from one another because it is my intention to leave people hanging. I will say this, I made good on my promise that HK is going to get to blast some meatbags. Yes, a person will die, maybe two, haven't decided yet because the Republic is still in a funk with Avalon because of my baddie. Also there will be some dismemberment and I can say that it will not be caused by HK. So ther.

[JediMaster12]

Chapter 25

The Outer Rim was no place for a Jedi wanted by various systems but it was a place to get lost in, just as long as you had a ship that wasn’t a registered Republic vessel. It was just the place for the lone vessel cruising towards the familiar desert world of Tatooine. It looked like a wounded animal limping for shelter as it had a damaged hyperdrive but it was worth its salt. Kirabaros saw to that, well he had seen to that.

 

After three months of testimony and relentless attempts on Revan’s life by dissident peoples from the Outer Rim crying for blood, Kirabaros, with the support of several senators took the initiative and got Revan out. He himself was not well received anymore for during that time rumors began to spread about him. Very few senators had faith in him and they were the ones who supported his get away plan. They were joined by Carth, Dustil, Caelos and T3 creating an able bodied crew of six and took off towards the Outer Rim. They couldn’t go back to Avalon for Kirabaros was wanted by the Council on a charge of treason, a charge as a result of the rumors. Along the way, they were able to blend in with various civilians until they were ratted out and they had to flee. Somewhere they lost Kirabaros.

 

The port of Anchorhead welcomed the Wayfarer with no questions except to pay a onetime docking fee, which was given without argument. After landing the ship, Carth left the cockpit and made his way to the engine room where Caelos was working on the hyperdrive. Caelos greeted him without preamble, “They took out the hyperdrive generator Carth. It’s gone. We’re going to need a new one.”

 

“That’s going to complicate things. Any other problems?”

 

“Minor problems. Easily repairable,” Caelos replied while returning to work. “What I wouldn’t give to have that Iridonian tech here. All wires and switches to him.”

 

“Uh, okay. Besides the parts, what else do we need?”

 

“Probably stock up on supplies and we need information. First I think you should talk to her,” Caelos stopped working to look at Carth. “He was her brother.”

 

Carth said nothing but nodded at Caelos. Taking a deep breath, Carth left the engine room and made his way to the dormitories. The Wayfarer had been designed like the Ebon Hawk, a stock freighter, but in the Avalonian design, meaning that it was faster and a tiny bit more spacious. Carth passed T3 warbling sadly and going about making repairs and went to the quarters that he and Revan shared to find her sitting cross-legged on the bed while Dustil sat across her just staring at her with a perplexed frown. Quietly he treaded towards Dustil and placed a hand on his shoulder. Dustil looked at his father and nodded and went to find Caelos. Carth took his place in front of Revan and studied her.

 

Revan was still as a statue. Her hair was frizzing and at odd angles and her honey colored eyes were glazed over. She had sat in that manner ever since… “Rev?” Carth asked gently. She hadn’t even heard his voice for she was stuck in time or rather a memory.

 

They had just left Naboo after being found out by mercenaries of dissident Avalonians and were heading towards Ryloth since the senator had offered aid. Carth

had been piloting the Wayfarer and Kirabaros was teaching a new Bushida form to Dustil and Caelos, much to the amusement of Revan. The sudden shudder sent Kirabaros striding purposely to the cockpit. They had been caught by a cruiser class ship. The unasked question was on everyone’s lips and was answered by Kirabaros, “It’s an Avalonian vessel.”

 

Captured and questioned separately by none other than Admiral Keegan, Kirabaros managed to break everyone out with the help of T3. They were able to disable the necessary systems to get the ship away. Kirabaros was her rock for it was like the Leviathan all over again. He understood and sent reassuring thoughts through their bond as they battled their way through Avalonian troops, Outcast troops. She could see that it pained him to kill members of his people but he never faltered. It wasn’t until they were at the main door before the hangar bay that the mastermind of this whole mess appeared with Keegan.

 

Draconis introduced himself with the practiced grace of the nobility. He drew a serrated blade and Keegan drew a standard issue vibroblade. They charged but Kirabaros countered with a powerful Force Wave. He yelled at his friends to run for the ship much to against the protest of his friends. Draconis and Keegan were getting to their feet. As soon as the last person was through, he used the Force to lock the door.

 

They ran until they reached the ship. She could sense his determination and will as she boarded the ship. Carth fired up the engines but she paid no heed except to watch out the window as the turrets fired upon them. Their shield generator got hit but that didn’t matter. Not even after T3 went out to reroute power for he cut her off after he had been in pain much like Bastila did.

 

Carth had been calling to Revan trying to break her out of her trance for some time now. He didn’t know what to do for he knew how much Kirabaros meant to her. Though patience wasn’t his strong suit, he was willing to wait. He studied her face and her posture. It looked like she was meditating but she wasn’t and he had an idea why. When they had been captured, it brought back memories of the torment they suffered on the Leviathan. He even recognized the old feelings of betrayal when he found out that Keegan had been trying to kill his wife and kidnap his daughter. He sighed and moved from being across from Revan to sit next to her.

 

Revan slowly became aware that something had changed. Her senses reached out and found the one source of comfort in the galaxy and it was right next to her. She then heard a voice in her mind, ‘Love is a precious thing. It is always there no matter what.’ That seemed to wake her up for she burst into tears only to be engulfed by Carth’s strong, comforting arms. Caelos had been watching and was satisfied at what he saw. He turned to walk away quietly. There would be plenty of time to give a report later.

 

 

Being a scoundrel was an easy way to blend in, if you wanted to get lost. It was easier for Avalonians because they knew how to adapt quickly, an odd yet useful trait. It allowed Rowan and Atton to pass off as smugglers and the like on Nar Shaddaa and Michaela was considered, more or less, a bounty hunter that hired them. It helped that the whole Jedi personage was discarded and Rowan was careful not to slip into his habit of quoting Bushida. They had come there for there was rumor that the leader of the group that wanted to kill Revan was recruiting from there.

 

What started out as a mission to find the kids turned out to be an undercover mission. Early on, they had been contacted by Mission who had a message from Kirabaros that it wasn’t a good idea to go anywhere near Coruscant. He also hinted that there had been heavy persuasion being used on the dissident peoples of the Outer Rim who suffered at the hands of Darth Revan. Michaela, reading the plea between the lines, suggested that they investigate this and try to find out what was going on. Atton didn’t want to give up but when Michaela pointed out that they might come across someone who had seen them, he agreed.

 

They had arrived on Nar Shaddaa yesterday without question or ceremony. The reason being that Michaela managed to bribe the dock master with credits. Atton led the way being the most familiar with the refugee sector but became increasingly uncomfortable with Michaela’s silence. He peered at her to take a look at what was the matter. He found her regal features marred by a trace of sadness, the kind that accompanied loss and her eyes had a peculiar glazed look. Rowan gave the impression that he didn’t see anything when in fact he did. He had felt it too but he wasn’t comfortable showing emotion. Atton asked what was the matter. Michaela, her eyes returning to their bright brown, just smiled and said, “Nothing.”

 

Atton wasn’t so sure but he decided not to press the issue. He had the nagging feeling that it had to do with Kirabaros. Though they were friends, he didn’t share the same connection his wife and kid did. He said nothing more about it. They had enough troubles meeting up with the mercs.

 

 

The room was confining, the force field burned if you brushed against it yet Kirabaros didn’t notice these things. He didn’t notice anything at all as he lay on the bunk in the cell. He lingered somewhere in limbo in his mind drifting from past to present, always searching for a way out. He knew how to get out but he stayed there. He had the keys but the door remained locked and it was a good thing too. There was something around his neck that was meant to mentally torture a Jedi. It reeked of a familiar presence and taking that into account, Kirabaros locked away his mind and allowed it to drift into nothingness. At one point, his mind drifted to how he got to where he was.

 

Revan had escaped just as Draconis and Keegan were getting up. He twirled his lightsaber and readied for attack. Draconis waved Keegan off and circled Kirabaros saying, “You can’t imagine how I dreamed of this moment. You have defiled centuries of ancient tradition all because of your petty complaint that all was not right.”

 

It was mocking to hear that as Keegan left with a smirk on his face. Kirabaros was well aware that most of nobles disliked him because of the ending of the separate but equal clauses. They always tried to discredit him one way or another. Kirabaros replied, “You would risk open war between our people and the Republic just to be rid of me?”

 

“I would murder innocents just to see you hanged,” Draconis replied, not moving.

 

“Well now that you have me, what do you plan to do?”

 

The question was answered by a forward charge by Draconis. Kirabaros countered and advanced. It was impressive swordplay as they exchanged blows. The first breach came when Draconis feinted and made a hard thrust into Kirabaros’ upper arm. Painful as it was, Kirabaros refused to let out a cry and continued, returning the favor with a stab to the leg of Draconis. It then became much like a petty slapping match with some hits being nicks and others being punches or kicks.

 

It ended when Draconis reached out with the Force and slammed Kirabaros into the bulkhead. Kirabaros didn’t have ample recovery time when he felt a burning sensation in his side. The last thing he remembered was blacking out.

 

So here he was lying on a bunk, a prisoner of Draconis, drifting in and out of consciousness. He had cut her off from him so easily after she left. In fact, he cut himself off from everything, as if he were dead and not one with the Force. It allowed him to concentrate on a calming sensation to heal. It was working but consumed much energy, energy he didn’t have at the moment but somehow he managed to find more. There’s more than one way to play this game.

[Diego Varen]

Good Chapter JM12 and I'm looking foward to more. At this rate, it looks like it will be a lot longer compared to the Rise of the Blood King.

[JediMaster12]

Yep, yep. I have so many things going on, even I have a hard time trying to keep up. Still I have some interesting coincidences and the like coming up. Feed on that Pottsie until you starve cause it will be a while before my next post.

[igyman]

Very very very VERY goooood!! JM's writing talent applied to the fullest. I've said it once before and I'll say it again: you might want to stop writing for free and start doing it for a living.

[JediMaster12]

You did say that igyman? I must have forgot due to all I have on my plate right now. That was a nice compliment by the way.

 

On a general note: Did anyone recognize a bit of The Phantom Menace in this chapter when Carth was asking about the hyperdrive generator? Well with that said, I'll warm you that there is more where that came from. The line where Draconis mentions a petty complaint, that was based off a line from the musical 1776. So you see that I am wide spread. Thanks for being loyal readers and I'll try to get the next chapters up soon.

[igyman]

Yeah, I did. Right here.

[JediMaster12]

Oh. Like I said I forgot and I have been swamped. I am in the middle of writing my final for the upper division writing. A 10 page research paper and I actually wrote it but I have to fix it so I have to improve the wheel. not reinvent it. Thanks for the reminder igyman. I have considered it. I even have a story involving archaeology and magic, blah, blah with a bit of hint, hint, romance. Can't get away fromit but this tiem the hero's a gal. Thanks for the reminder igyman.

[JediMaster12]

Finally another chapter.

*Still waving the unposted chapters at Pottsie*

 

Chapter 26

 

The hunt was over, the Jedi was caught. That was the way it was with being a bounty hunter. You could track something for days and months and sometimes someone else claimed the bounty. This time the client got the bounty himself. That didn’t matter to Jaqrand. He was still being paid for his services and he was asked to join the ranks. He was good at finding things and his kills were needed to find Revan. That sounded good. Even better was the fact that the idiots who were to grab the kids failed and no longer on the job. Permanently.

 

He was walking with his client who was showing him to the best rooms on the ship. They stopped at the force field and peered in. The lifeless body gave no indication that he noticed them. There was no indication that the body was alive save for the vital signs on the panel. Jaqrand took one look and his face registered disappointment. He wasn’t being paid to torture dead bodies.

 

Draconis was gazing at the body lying on the bunk with great interest. He caught the disappointment on his bounty hunter’s face and smiled. Kirabaros had achieved a state that took years to learn and in just a few hours. Impressed but pleased. He had tarnished his reputation in the Republic and Senator Amstar was in a rut trying to keep relations sound. To ease Jaqrand’s discomfort, he said, “Don’t worry. He’s alive and the vitals prove it.”

 

“Even in sleep a person moves. This thing isn’t moving. You expect me to torment and subdue this lump?” Jaqrand looked at Draconis as if he were insane.

 

“He is alive. It’s about time for him to come out of any way. I want that disruptor of yours on when he wakes up. What you do then is up to you but I want Keegan to have a word with him.” Draconis turned on his heel to walk away.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“I have to go back to Coruscant. I have been invited to speak out against our prisoner.” Draconis was walking when he said this.

 

Jaqrand shook his head and continued to gaze at the lifeless body. He pulled out the neural disruptor that he spent time checking. He gave a sigh and lowered the force field.

 

 

He was on the Jasilyn plains where the tall grasses rippled in the wind like an endless green sea. The warm sun cast a sheet of soft light on the green. At a small glen near the river were two people, or was it three? He got closer and saw that it was three, two men and a woman. They turned to face him with the woman holding the arm of the taller of the two men. She had golden brown eyes and dark brown hair and a smile that was endearing to anyone. She looked at him and beamed brightly and said, “I knew you’d find us here.”

 

The one she was holding onto brought a double take to his eyes. The green eyes and the two stray brown locks gave him away. He looked very much like how he did when he was that age. The other young man had messy hair and lively brown eyes. He smiled like his father but the eyes held the traces of temper from his mother. He spoke, “We have been waiting.”

 

“There is dangerous footing ahead,” the green-eyed youth interjected. “We will stay here. It is safe here but Aunt Reva needs your help. She can’t fight him alone.”

 

“Mama will need your help but the Republic needs heart,” the woman said.

 

“The Heart of the Guardian,” the brown-eyed youth said. “Home won’t be home without the Republic and my papa won’t come home.”

 

“Right Dada. Kirabaros is being called again,” the green-eyed youth said.

 

They stood there as he drew back. He looked at the three of them as they stood there, watching him leave. He saw as his son dropped a gentle kiss on her cheek…

 

 

Tulre awoke on his pallet, his green eyes roaming about the room. He could hear Morgan wake up beside him with short little gasps. He turned to look at Morgan and asked, “You had the same one?”

 

Morgan looked at Tulre and nodded. He wasn’t sure where he had been but it was familiar. Having grown up in the academy, he had never seen the plains of Jasilyn but it had that familiar warmth and it felt safe. Tulre had been there and so had been Lilah but they were all grown up. He asked Tulre, “Why did we see your papa?”

 

Tulre was puzzled himself. He whispered back, “I think Dada is in trouble.”

 

“I think so too.”

 

They were stopped when the door to their room opened. Lilah tottered into their room and kneeled between their pallets. She whispered, “Mama needs help too.” That told the boys that she had the same dream they had. They had no idea that they were beginning to take their first steps into a larger world. They sat there in companionable silence until Lilah got up to go back to her room.

 

Tulre watched as she left. Even though he told his Marmar that she was a Jawa, he felt the deepest feelings for her. Glancing at Morgan, he felt a special kinship, kind of like the one he sensed between his Dada and Aunt Reva. He thought about the dream as he waited until Morgan drifted off to sleep.

 

 

Kirabaros slowly opened his eyes and felt nothing except a dull hum. He saw that he was still lying on the bunk that he had been laying on trying to heal himself. The only thing different was that he found something rubbing on his neck. Slowly, he reached with his left to touch the object around his neck. He didn’t flinch when he felt the familiar band of a Force inhibitor and he could tell it was a powerful one. That would account for the dull hum he could hear.

 

Ignoring the collar, he gazed up and thought about the last vision that he had. Judging from the vision, he could make out that the children were all right in Mamesa’s care though he seriously doubted they were back on Avalon. They had been waiting for him they said. Apparently it had to be the Force at work but he couldn’t use it. He surmised that they instinctively reached out to him together and he responded. They really are quite a team. I hope she knows how to handle them.

 

His thoughts were interrupted by a cruel voice, one he didn’t recognize. “So you’re awake now,” it stated the obvious.

 

Kirabaros turned his head to face a man with dark hard and dark glittering eyes. He was sitting on a steel chair looking at him as if he had been waiting for him to wake up. Kirabaros put a hand to his eyes to block out the light as he refocused on his surroundings. The only thing that moved was his chest and the hand.

 

Jaqrand watched as the Jedi moved. He marveled inwardly at how he minimized his movements but outwardly showed a slight irritation. He asked, “What are you thinking about? That you can’t hear your precious Force?” He smiled in anticipation of the panic.

 

Kirabaros had other ideas. He slowly sat up, allowing a few seconds for the dizziness to pass through and leaned back against the wall. He smiled at his captor and replied, “I am thinking ‘what a low down scum like yourself is doing with a high class scumbag like Draconis?’”

 

Jaqrand was startled. Usually Jedi tend to scream when they realized that they lost the Force. This one was thinking that this was a joke. Jaqrand had little idea that Kirabaros was not easily intimidated and that he had faced torture before and it was firmly etched in his mind. He hid it by replying, “You think this is some sort of game? Do you have any idea who I am? What I was?”

 

“No but I have a feeling that I’m about to find out, Jaqrand.” Kirabaros had a stoic face that gave nothing away.

 

“You know my name?” Jaqrand couldn’t help but ask. He had stood up from the chair and tried to look intimidating.

 

Kirabaros slowly stood up to meet his gaze. He started to walk forward as he said, “And what you did and what you intend to do.” He didn’t really know but he had a gut feeling that this man was the one that shot him on Avalon and had been behind the attempt during the Senate proceedings. He stared at Jaqrand for a long time, not moving. His mind was already bent on escaping and he had an idea how. He needed to wait for the opportune moment.

 

Jaqrand frowned at him and replied, “So you know that I have been hired at first to kill you and now torture you?”

 

Now full of information, Kirabaros responded, “Yes. You are very much like an old person I know of. He’s not like you anymore. He moved on. You haven’t.”

 

“That’s because I know where my loyalties stand,” Jaqrand moved towards the field. He was unnerved that this Jedi wasn’t responding like the others. “Perhaps my client will want a few moments with you. Now excuse me, I have an appointment,” and he left Kirabaros standing there.

 

Kirabaros stood there for a while and then slowly sat on the bunk. Even though he couldn’t feel the Force, it wasn’t deafening or dramatic like it was for Darius, the Exile. Instead he concentrated on where he had seen his son, goddaughter and nephew. Morgan he called his nephew because of the brotherhood he and Atton shared as Jedi, an Avalonian thing. He went into a meditative state and calmed his body and mind. He was going to need it and he didn’t need the Force to sense it.

 

 

“Statement: I detest this mission you are sending me on you Mandalorian meatbag.”

 

“As much as I liked having you around you demented tin can, I can do without you for awhile. Besides, if my intelligence is correct, you’ll get a chance to bust some skulls.” Canderous was in a foul mood. After spending the last few months with droid after dropping the kids off at the hamachi, he was glad to get rid of it. He found out disturbing news from one of the traders that came by Amshrey and it was confirmed by a transmission from Michaela. He would go himself but he had been asked, not ordered to continue with what he was doing and he and Sarna were going in the opposite direction. He asked me to send HK. Almost as if he knew what was going to happen, he thought to himself.

 

HK broke his musings when he exclaimed, “Objection: Master surely needs me!”

 

“Whatever. There you are ready to go under your protocol two-two-beta-charlie-one.” Canderous rolled his eyes and watched as the new protocol activated. HK then took to stomping out to a ship that he was to take. He watched until the droid was gone and went to the communications console. Right on time the console activated to reveal an old friend. To him he said, “Alright Old Man he’s gone. What next?”

[Diego Varen]

*Still waving the unposted chapters at Pottsie*

 

Dang and I thought that had passed over. Very good JM12 and I'm looking foward to more as always.

[igyman]

Very nice, but that's characteristical for you. Believe it, or not, I have no complaints this time, none whatsoever. I liked everything. From the Draconis and Jaqrand dialogue to the cliffhanger. Keep it up.

[JediMaster12]

Cliffhangers I love. I try to do it but make sure it fits. I want to keep my readers interested. Thanks for the compliments igyman and Pottsie. Sorry Pottsie but you will still be tortured. Things are sketchy now. How's that for a cliffhanger?

[JediMaster12]

Ok. I have a new chapter for you finally. This one is kind of long and again I couldn't resist certain pieces of dialogue that I will leave you to figure out.

 

Chapter 27

Pulling herself together wasn’t easy and Carth and Caelos weren’t going to let her fall apart. Because of that, Revan managed to help out as they sought a means to get the necessary money to buy the parts they needed for the hyperdrive of the Wayfarer. They had gone to one of the smaller junk dealers who had a good working order hyperdrive generator for a stock freighter Avalonian class. The dealer was a Toydarian who called himself Tatlo and was often seen with a bunch of flies hanging around him. Revan had gone with Carth and T3, disguised as a spacer and the slight stench found them first.

 

Tatlo was agreeable at first since they were customers. Revan only had to glance around to see that the Toydarian had it made. He told her that he was the only one there in Anchorhead who had one but suggested that she’d buy a new ship since it would be cheaper. The question about funding came about, “How are you going to pay for it?”

 

“I have twenty thousand Republic credits,” she said in the manner of business.

 

“Republic credits? Those are no good out here anymore. I need something more real,” Tatlo replied flying to get in front of Revan.

 

“I don’t have anything else,” and doing what she disliked doing unless absolutely necessary, she waved her hand, “but credits will do fine.”

 

“No, they won’t.”

 

“Credits will do fine,” Revan said again with a little more of the Force.

 

“No, they won’t! What, you think you’re some kind of Jedi waving your hand around like that?” Tatlo waved his hand mocking the manner of the Jedi Mind Trick. “I’m a Toydarian. Mind tricks don’t work on me. Only money.” Then accentuating his points by getting slightly in her face, “No money, no parts no deal! And no one else has an AV-20 hyperdrive I can promise you that.”

 

Revan had said nothing but gave a slight smile and went to collect Carth who had been looking for other spare parts. “We’re leaving. T3.” She headed out the door to find an alley where they could contact Caelos.

 

 

Caelos had just finished dismantling the old generator when Revan contacted him. He sighed as he picked up the comm and said, “Caelos.”

 

Revan’s voice came over, “We have a problem. We don’t have enough for the parts. Can you check what we have?”

 

“Wait a minute,” and Caelos went to do a quick sweep of the ship. He reported his findings to Revan.

 

“Are you sure there is nothing else on board?” she asked.

 

“A few containers of supplies. The ale that was found in the hidden compartment maybe but not enough for you to barter with. Not the amounts you’re talking about,” Caelos replied.

 

“Alright, another solution will present itself. I’ll check back later”

 

“You all right?”

 

“Yes,” Revan replied and repeated that she’ll check in later.

 

Caelos sat back on his heels next to the generator he had just disassembled and heaved a sigh. Dustil came walking in and asked what was up. Caelos didn’t stand but reiterated the problem that they had in order to obtain the new generator. Caelos laid out the option that he knew would win money but required daring. It was meant to be a last resort when he said, “The only way to get the money without having to resort to other forms of shady business is to run at the swoop track.”

 

 

“Carth, it is the only way but the problem is that there may not be anyone wanting to race against me, er, Lilah Aldstar.”

 

“You disliked racing the last time we were here and I seem to recall that you crashed the last time,” Carth ticked off on his fingers.

 

Revan turned her honey colored eyes from him and reverted them to gaze at the people passing through the streets. True she had no stomach for racing but she did it because they had no choice. She didn’t want to resort to bounty hunting and hunting on the sand dunes would take too long. She remembered quite clearly that last race. Something hit the bike and she skidded out of control after crossing the finish line. She managed to leap off but ended up with a few bruised ribs and a nasty scrape that required Jolee to clean it out before administering healing. There were some good things that happened then and she smiled when she remembered it.

 

I was afraid then and I am afraid now but I have no choice just as much as I did then. Revan pondered some more before turning back to Carth and said, “We have no choice. We have to race.”

 

“Where are we going to get a swoop bike R-Lilah?” Carth nearly said her name but caught it just in time. “Unless you get a sponsor, we have no chance of getting into the race.”

 

“Perhaps we can engage in a high stakes…”

 

“Uh, you cleaned out everyone the last time and I think the bar tenders might remember you,” Carth pointed out.

 

“Alright but what about dejarik or a game of chance?” Revan was suggesting games that most people bet on and the last one could be a sure bet.

 

“Maybe we should include Caelos and Dustil in on this?” Carth suggested hoping to get her mind off the idea of racing. He was relieved when she agreed when she didn’t argue but he was also alert. It was a method of hers that she used to get something by pretending to back down and then pounce in for the kill when there was no wiggle room to maneuver.

 

They just started to set off went T3 beeped something.

 

Revan looked at the little droid and said, “Not likely. We have nothing of value and that’s our problem.” She turned to lead the way back to the ship and adjusted to allow Carth to come up beside her. They continued down the street until a sight stopped them.

 

 

Mamesa wasn’t feeling well. She hadn’t ever since the hamachi moved to Tatooine as a resting point before heading out to one of cultured worlds. They were able to make some money through the maiko who gave demonstrations and even lessons in combat training. Still the heat and the sand got to her and she developed a slight fever. With Tante’s help, she got over the worse but she was still poorly and the house suffered. Still she kept a pleasant face and continued to watch her charges as she had promised and Tante helped.

 

On this day Tulre was being sent to a weaponry shop where one of the maiko had sent his weapon to be repaired and to obtain some energy charges. He took Morgan with him since they had a huge order of charges to pick up and they hadn’t been outside the hamachi for awhile, not since the maiko Gengi got into some trouble with some locals trying to push them around. The boys had been there and ended up with a few bruises for trying to help out. Mamesa was upset but relieved even though she wasn’t supposed to share her feelings. Who could help but like the four sprats she had running around the hamachi?

 

They had picked up what they were supposed to and were heading home. They stopped at one of the vendors where Tulre bought some sweet bread. The money he had came from the mechanical gadgets and repairs he made around the hamachi. Lilah helped too even though she wasn’t supposed to but like him, she loved mechanical things. Morgan earned money too by playing the maiko with dejarik and occasionally pazaak. He also learned of a drinking game but he was too young for that but he kept book on the participants. Of course Mamesa wasn’t to know since gambling wasn’t technically allowed. They were talking and munching their bread when they were stopped by a group of young punks who demanded their money.

 

 

Revan saw the boys before they saw her but she didn’t recognize them. The taller of the two took an aggressive stance and pushed the smaller one behind him. It was clear that his intention was to ward off the bullies who were twice his size as his hand reached into his tunic, or whatever it was. There was something familiar about him but she could place it. He was tanned, possibly from the suns and his skin was a brown. He has courage, much like Kirabaros, she thought as she stopped. The little one had even messier and darker hair and looked ridiculous holding all that gear as he was being pushed behind the taller of the two.

 

Carth noticed that Revan had stopped and was watching something so he stopped too. He asked, “What’s on your mind?”

 

She smiled at the familiar question but it quickly dissipated as she pointed towards the boys. She whispered, “Think we should help?”

 

 

“I don’t want any trouble,” Tulre said. He had placed his hand into his sash that was holding his kimono top together. “Now’s not the time.”

 

The apparent leader, a Rodian, said something that Morgan couldn’t understand but Tulre did. The Rodian said something like, “You want no trouble. You ask for trouble. You have energy charges.”

 

“They aren’t for you. Leave us alone,” Tulre said, unconsciously drawing on the Force.

 

It wasn’t enough for the Rodian laughed at him. He replied, “Heh. Little boy think he can tell us to go away.” The rest of the group began to laugh.

 

A little more forcefully, Tulre tried again, this time in Huttese, “Careful Gendar. The maiko don’t take kindly to one of their being harmed. I’d hate to see you diced before we have to race again.” He smiled.

 

“The next time we race, I’ll see you eating my exhaust,” the Rodian replied as he walked by. He gave a hard shove to Morgan who fell to the ground as the group walked away laughing.

 

Tulre called in Huttese as they were leaving, “Yeah and it would be a pain if you have to pay for me.” He helped Morgan up and dusted him off. He picked up the energy charges and handed the blade to Morgan. They continued to walk home and talked in Avalonian. They were brought up short by a woman, a man and a T3 unit. Tulre recognized his father’s friends and T3 wasn’t hard to forget but judging by the look on their faces, they didn’t recognize them. He said in Basic, “Hi.”

 

Revan was surprised at the little boy’s courage with the bullies. Even more so by the linguistic ability the taller of the two possessed. In response to his question, she responded, “Hi there. You almost picked a fight there with a Rodian. Not a good choice unless you know what you are doing.”

 

“The tried to pick a fight with us,” Tulre retorted, his green eyes flashing.

 

“I don’t doubt that,” Reva replied, “What are your names?”

 

Obeying the instructions that Mamesa gave them, by responding with the maiko names she gave them, “Shang-Li.”

 

Morgan followed Tulre with, “Chiyo-chan or Chiyo.”

 

 

The sands began to swirl around the city of Anchorhead. Caelos was standing in the port looking at the sky and watching the sand swirls. He was looking up and watching the dockhands scurry for shelter. He muttered to himself, “This storm will slow them down.” He shielded his eyes from the blowing sand. His comm beeped and he answered, “Caelos.”

 

“Receiving a message from Coruscant,” Dustil’s voice came over the comm.

 

“I’ll be right there,” Caelos replied. He gave one last look at the dock before walking up the ramp to the Wayfarer. At the top of the ramp, he shut the doors and locked them. I hope they find some shelter from the storm, he thought as he walked towards the communications room. He was met by Dustil who bent over the console to show him the transmission.

 

 

Carth looked at the boys as they looked at them and thought they looked familiar. It became clear to him as he peered at their manner and the voice they gave their ‘names’ and he gave an inward chuckle to himself. You are clever Kirabaros. He gripped Revan’s arm gently and said, “We should be heading back to our ship. A storm’s coming up.”

 

“Where’s that?” Morgan asked.

 

“At the starport, docking block AA23,” Carth replied much to the surprise of his wife.

 

“You’ll never reach that side in time,” Morgan exclaimed.

 

“He’s right. Sandstorms are very, very dangerous. Come on. I’m sure the hamachi will have room,” Tulre added.

 

Refusing help to carry their load, the boys led the way to the gates of the hamachi. Even though the huts looked flimsy, they held up quite well to all types of weather. They led the way to the largest hut to have the door opened by Kimiko. She bowed as they and their guests walked in and closed the door. She watched them with a mild look of curiosity as they almost breached propriety when they forgot to remove their boots. Being a kind girl, she showed them where to store their boots and remained there as Tante came into view and showed their visitors, with the exception of the droid, to the sitting room and shooed Kimiko to get tea. It looked as if teatime would be an interesting time during the sandstorm.

 

Tulre and Morgan, when they entered, took off their shoes quickly and hurried off to find Tante and tell her who had come. They had left their companions at the landing to be helped by Kimiko and to put away their purchases. Once they disposed of their packages, they hurried up to the rooms where they found Lilah putting away kimono. It was Morgan who spoke, “Guess who we brought for tea?”

[Diego Varen]

I noticed that some of Tatlo's dialogue was similar to Watto's in Episode I. Anyway, good Chapter as always JM12 and I'm looking foward to more. I'm also going to read some of your reviews from the people at KFM. One question. Do you prefer LF or KFM?

[igyman]

Nooooo!!! It was really good until now. Don't tell me you're running out of ideas that you had to rewrite a part of Episode One for the fic. C'mon JM12, you know you can do better than this, story-wise (grammar-wise it's all good).

 

P.S. Hurry up and edit the Ep. One pieces out before anyone else sees it.

 

Edit: Ah, too late, Pottsie already saw it.

@Pottsie: It's not just that dialogue, most of the plot of this chapter is taken from Episode One, hence my disappointment.

[Diego Varen]

Nooooo!!! It was really good until now. Don't tell me you're running out of ideas that you had to rewrite a part of Episode One for the fic. C'mon JM12, you know you can do better than this, story-wise (grammar-wise it's all good).

 

P.S. Hurry up and edit the Ep. One pieces out before anyone else sees it.

 

Edit: Ah, too late, Pottsie already saw it.

@Pottsie: It's not just that dialogue, most of the plot of this chapter is taken from Episode One, hence my disappointment.

 

I don't mind Episode I. I sometimes use inspiration from both the film and the game for my Fics. I'm sure JM12 did that as well.

[igyman]

Inspiration is fine, but JM12 used the same dialogue from Ep. 1 with the Toydarian and also that encounter with the Rodian's gang resembles a lot to Anakin's encounter with Sebulba and there's the fact that there will be a swoop race (so they could get the parts they need for their ship). Like I said I'm fine with using movies, games and books for inspiration, but this was completely taken from the movie, only the names have been changed and that's what I don't like. Especially after reading JM's work so far, I mean it was great and completely original and now I see this.

 

@JM12: Don't get discouraged by my comments, it's all with good intentions.

[JediMaster12]

igyman: It was intentional when I used Episode one. The nice thing is that Revan finally puled herself together though I think that she may become frazzled when certain persons are beaten and tortured and held as bait, or rescued.The scenes regarding the boys being attempted to be robbed I thought that a good way for some worried parents to see how the sprats are getting along. I do promise that the next chapter involves familiar characters and reinforces the secrets and deception theme and maybe a certain bounty hunter will meet up with a former Sith assassin turned scoundrel turned Jedi?

 

 

Pottsie: I write for both sites and really have no preference. I like KFM because there are new fics and it is an archive of ideas for when I compose my absurd diddies. I like the stories too. LF I like because there are great fics here too and they don't have to relate to KOTOR but STar Wars in general. Feel free to read them. The link is in my siggie where it says KFM. That goes to my personal pages. Your favorite HotG is there along with my shorties HoD and other diddies and I believe a poem that I wrote for the heck of it. So enjoy. To post I believe you have to become a member. The nice thing about that site is that you can change the username yourself. I started as JM12 but changed it to Kirabaros.

 

Don't worry. Some chapters I base off of movies because it fits quite well with my intention of storylines. I do promise that things do get a little crispy and there will be some nagging and lightsaber duels and there may be the start of a war or a prevention. It dependeds on which way the creative genius sways. In the meantime, Check out Blessings of the Written Word for relaxation in between chapters. You'll need it.

 

EDIT: igyman, no harmdone and I know that you are disappointed. I wasn't even thinking of using a swoop race to raise the money necessary for the parts. I had something else in mind that may involve a little swordplay and all the Wayfarer crew in participation. Let's just say that scum of the galaxy like a little bit of bloodshed.

[JediMaster12]

Another chapter to placate the huddled masses. This chapter I let a sadistic nature nearly run loose. I hope the imaging is pleasant to all your delicate ears.

 

Chapter 28

What else could possibly go wrong? They had come pretending to be the scoundrels that swamped Nar Shaddaa and in so doing they were able to find out about a ringleader of the bounty hunters that was riling up the Outer Rim worlds, at least those that wanted Revan’s head on a platter. Now they were in the middle of the kinrath nest and it seemed that their cover might be blown. Michaela and Rowan blended in as if they had always been the profession that Atton had been before becoming a Jedi. Atton, on the other hand, had a bad feeling about the whole thing.

 

They had come to the cantina, a special cantina where all the bounty hunters tend to meet and hang out. Once inside, they had begun circulating asking about the big job that they were supposed to do soon. Michaela hung around the females and Rowan was like the silent loner who attracted attention because he appeared to be the kind that wasn’t to be messed with. Atton easily slipped into the role that he had held for so long, before Darius came along and just made due with the pazaak cards. It was sitting there that he started to get that feeling he got when something was going to get real wrong real quick.

 

Jaqrand was angry and uncomfortable. He didn’t like that Jedi his client had for making him feel this way. When questioned, he appeared to not care. He was too dammed calm when most Jedi would have demanded to be let go. It was disturbing that he didn’t seem to care what would happen to him but what was worse, he seemed to know all about him. It didn’t occur to him that the Jedi had carefully worded his responses so as to seem he knew everything just to wheedle it out of him. He left when Draconis buzzed his comm to go and recruit bounty hunters and the like to start riots in the Outer Rim. So here he was sitting in a special room and viewing all those that came here on Nar Shaddaa on the view screen. He thought he recognized a female that had accompanied his Jedi captive but taking a closer look, he decided he was mistaken. It was the pazaak tables that drew his attention.

 

Atton sat winning some hands and losing hands trying to get some information. It didn’t help that the bad feeling he had when they walked in was getting stronger. He hoped that Michaela and Rowan would be able to sense it as he sat playing his fourth or fifth match with a guy that seemed to have a lot of credits to burn. He had the feeling that he was being watched. He could do nothing about it except play it cool and finish this round of pazaak.

 

Jaqrand stared long and hard at what was being shown to him. He couldn’t believe his own eyes. The traitor has come to me, he thought. He was surprised and pleased. He probably wasn’t alone but he couldn’t see who looked out of place. He beckoned to a right hand man and began to whisper his orders into his ear.

 

 

Draconis was pleased that he finally had Kirabaros. What he wanted was to know where the children where since Tulre was his son and the other two were unusually strong in the Force. He knew that Kirabaros had too much of a strong will to be tortured for the information but he also knew that his love for the brats was a weakness. He knew this and he intended to use it to the fullest capacity.

 

He had been watching Kirabaros for the past several days after he told Jaqrand to head for Nar Shaddaa. He had elaborated his plan to destroy the fragile relationship between the Republic and Avalon by breeding distrust in the senators and encouraging assassination plots against Senator Amstar. He thought her to be a traitor but he respected her since she dared to brave the tempest of Coruscant, the cesspool. His latest scheme involved the bounty hunters going in and cause trouble for the Avalonians that lived in the Outer Rim territories. In the past two years, a migration occurred where some Avalonians moved to Republic space to seek their fortunes there. It was as it was in the beginning but Draconis forgot that.

 

Sitting there in a chair, watching his Jedi trying to sleep with that Force inhibitor on gave him pleasure at the prospect that he was going to succeed in returning Avalon to her former glory. To no longer have her surface tread upon by the Republic scum that tainted the far reaches of the galaxy. Also the divisions that had existed before Kirabaros would return. Everyone would know their place and stay there, No more of the back talking that he got from hot tempered tribesmen who insisted that they had every right as he did. The brutes dared to compare themselves to him? It was an intolerable thought and one brought by the great Kirabaros. He would end this once he had killed him and had the children in his grasp. He breathed to obtain a sense of calm as he got up from his seat and went to the door to where the holding cells were. It was time to show the great Kirabaros what it truly meant to be a son of Avalon.

 

 

Jolee was too old to be going on missions, so he said, but this was a special case. He had received a transmission from an old friend telling him that the psychotic bucket of bolts that Revan was so fond of was gone and would meet him at the designated spot. He grumbled as he made his way through the vast corridors of the Jedi Temple down to the hangar bay. He was too old to be getting young whippersnappers out of trouble. You’ll be the death of me yet sonny.

 

He was stopped at the bay doors by a blue Twi’lek and a limber Cathar. He knew why they were there and had no desire to indulge their whims. He didn’t say anything about needing more help, raced through his mind as he greeted Mission with, “Got something on your mind don’t you?”

 

“You’re going out there aren’t you?” Mission asked, not mincing the issue.

 

“I’m an old man dammit! I can go wherever I please,” Jolee answered a bit grumpily.

 

“Jolee we want to help too. Kirabaros is our friend too,” the Cathar purred her sweet accent.

 

“I suppose you both are going to nag me until I tell you aren’t you? Yes, yes, I am meeting up with that walking tin can that Revan is so fond of and we are heading out to find them in the Outer Rim. You happy now?” Jolee stood there with annoyed look. He couldn’t be mad at them. After all Kirabaros was the one who told them that Revan was alive and well and offered a place to live in peace, something he was considering before this whole mess.

 

“Can we come?” Mission asked being like a teenager even though she was an adult. She never had to beg this bad before but she didn’t like being left behind when she could be a big help.

 

“Perhaps we can provide some assistance should you run into trouble,” Juhani added.

 

Jolee thought about it for a moment. He knew that Kirabaros was good but not that good. Or maybe he did figure that they would ask to help? It was too complicated to think about it and Jolee often wondered how Kirabaros managed to do it and still raise a family. That last bit made Jolee’s heart soften a bit. Kirabaros may not be considered a Jedi because he loved but he was one in heart and spirit, at least when it came to the ideals of the order. He looked at the two expectant faces and realized he couldn’t deny them. He replied grudgingly, “Alright you can come. I need someone around to make sure that bucket of bolts doesn’t get trigger happy on me.”

 

Mission let out a yelp of pleasure and grabbed Jolee into a big hug. Juhani just smiled and silently picked up her belongings. She owed Kirabaros much and he held her most precious secret along with many others. She did worry as to whether or not that because he held so many that he might end up betraying himself. She quickly admonished herself for such thoughts as she boarded the ship. She was going to rescue a friend.

 

 

He knew they would come. He knew they would follow his advice. He knew that they felt a sense of loyalty to him. He knew this because they were his friends. He told them that he owed them times over before but they insisted that it was they who owed him. It disturbed him and yet he was familiar with that feeling of loyalty. She has it, Darius had it; he was a natural leader, a rare talent.

 

He knew the old man wouldn’t be alone. The droid had a loose sense of loyalty to him but it didn’t surpass that of his master. Thinking of the droid’s master had him think about her. He had cut her off from him when he sent her packing towards the ship to escape. He didn’t want to but he had to, if only for her sake and his family’s sake. Family was a precious thing to him. He never had one save for them and he would fight to keep them safe. It was the way of the Jedi; protect the innocent. True he was no more a Jedi than her but he still lived his life by their principles. Just picturing them in his mind brought him comfort, especially that dream vision he had of the sprats.

 

Here he was waiting. They had come earlier and knocked him out. When he had awakened, he found himself strapped to a bunk or table of some sort. He was still deafened to the Force but that wasn’t what bothered him; there were times that to not feel the Force would be a blessing. What bothered him was the gut wrenching feeling that he had that the one behind all this wanted something more than him dead. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that it had to do with the children. He didn’t have long to wait to wonder everything for he walked in.

 

Draconis didn’t have to introduce himself again for Kirabaros needed no introduction of someone who betrayed his own kind. Exhausted, energy wise, Kirabaros gave him a bland look that revealed nothing much to the dismay of Draconis who expected fear or anger. Instead he was staring at a calm and serene man, much like a Jedi. When the thought crossed his mind, he smiled and gave a chuckle. He thought to himself, Still clinging your precious code of the Jedi order I see. A pity that it will not help you with what I am about to do to you.

 

Upon seeing him, Kirabaros let out a firm and soft, “Traitor.”

 

“Oh no my friend they have gone too far this is madness,” Draconis mocked him. He walked towards the table that restrained Kirabaros and gazed into his eyes with a pure hatred. His dark eyes glittered like black pools as he continued, “I see that you still cling to the Jedi principles though you are no more fit to be a Jedi than a coral lizard is to be a bird.”

 

Not intimidated by the glittering black pools of hatred, Kirabaros replied calmly, “At least I am more an Avalonian than you, traitor.”

 

Draconis held his temper. To be acknowledged as a traitor meant that he could lose face. It was a good thing that they were in the dead of space near Yavin so that Kirabaros could be incapacitated and not utter anything. He smiled a dangerous smile and replied, “Maybe you can make this easier one everyone if you tell me where they are.”

 

“Where who are?” Kirabaros asked. He knew whom Draconis was referring to but he’d be damned to the dark side before he’d say anything. For that, he was rewarded with a sharp pain that burned him from the inside out. Force Lightening. It’ll do that to you every time.

 

Draconis knew that Kirabaros would more likely play dumb. He was ready for it and sent a powerful Force lightening, fueled by his hatred. It gave him pleasure when he heard Kirabaros groan as it coursed through him. What he really wanted was for him to cry out in mercy. He said enticingly, “Make this easier on you. With the three of them, they could become very powerful and in turn can claim what many have tried but couldn’t have: power.”

 

Kirabaros was breathing a bit heavily before he replied, “A tempting offer for even the most willful person but knowing you, you would as soon as bend them to your will.”

 

It was a statement of fact or truth and one that had Draconis send another bolt of lightening at Kirabaros. He increased the intensity when Kirabaros refused to cry out but was satisfied that he was causing pain. “Your words mean nothing if you won’t cooperate.”

 

Kirabaros retreated into his world of pazaak and called to Atton or anyone to play a round. Settled in his mind he stared at Draconis and said, “Cooperation means that you torture and I tell. Unfortunately pazaak doesn’t work that way.”

 

“You think this is a game? Perhaps bringing in those you care about and torturing them in front of you will persuade you to see our point of view.” Draconis’ voice had an edge to it. He was clearly tired of the mental games that Kirabaros was throwing up.

 

“A river can flow in one direction but when stopped, it finds another path. Should it not work, fire can change it to fly,” Kirabaros responded. He had remembered the vision he had when Draconis spoke before him and he remembered the response he gave but that wasn’t now. He knew they would come which was why he said what he said. He knew that Draconis had no connection to the mysteries of the earth and sky having been brought up in nobility and lived by separation.

 

When Draconis heard that sentence, it became the straw that broke the dewback’s back. He threw all of his anger and hatred into this round of lightening and aimed it on Kirabaros. When Kirabaros finally cried out, he laughed.

[Diego Varen]

Good Chapter as always JM12 and I'm looking foward to more. It's a shame many people haven't reviewed your Fics/Diddies on KFM.

[igyman]

Oooh, very very nice, JM12. I'm glad you're back to being original and creative. Unlike the previous chapter that had a bunch of lines from the movies, the one I recognized in this one was a nice touch (Draconis' ''Oh no, my friend...'', or should I say, Dooku's?), which proves that it's all about moderation. The previous chapter, IMO, had way too many such quotes pronounced by your characters, which was the reason I didn't like it. This one was done very nicely and I hope your future chapters retain the same quality.

And as the finishing touch [Grammar Police mode] I noticed a spelling error - you wrote lightening, instead of lightning. The 'e' shouldn't be there, unless you were referring to some other Force power.[/Grammar Police mode]

[JediMaster12]

Glad you enjoyed it igyman. The last chapter was a set up for revelations and the like. I will say that Carth knows its the boys and we may see a glimpse of Lilah. Revan doesn't recognize the boys becaue they spend nearly every day with teh maiko and they got tanned and the like. Either that or she is too distraut to recognize her nephew. HK will come to the rescue Juhani has a secret though I am not sure if I should tell what it is, in the story or now. Hmm...I think I'll just torture Pottsie with the suspense and the unposted chapters falpping about his head.

 

My poems thread is in the Outer Rim board.

[JediMaster12]

Another Chappie for you folks. This one I thought would be a nice touch seeing as that it involves fuzzies though in deception. Anyway here it is.

 

Chapter 29

Revan jumped up and nearly knocked over the table that held the tea and cakes. If it hadn’t been for Mamesa’s sure hand, everything would have been overturned. Well versed in matters of etiquette, Revan begged apology and excused herself to the entryway to gaze out the window. Carth was going to follow her but something in Mamesa’s gaze told him that it wasn’t a good idea. He looked at the slender woman with rich dark hair arranged in a deceptively simple hairstyle and dark glittering eyes. Though she was a little pale, she conveyed the impression that her will was law, at least in her geisha house and the hamachi. Her stare made him want to squirm but he was reassured when her gentle voice broke in, “I know what she is feeling. Don’t worry. One of my younglings will attend to her.”

 

“A child?” Carth was dubious about it. He had been around Avalonians enough to know that wisdom can come from the strangest of places, even a young child. One look at Mamesa told him that she wasn’t kidding but he had to know.

 

“You of all people should know that help comes from all places,” Mamesa replied gently with a slight smile. She gracefully picked up the teapot and poured some more tea. When she was finished, she slid the cup towards Carth. With her hand, she motioned him to drink it.

 

Carth picked up the cup. It looked ridiculously small as the bottom rested on his palm and he held the side with his other hand. “You know who I am?” he asked.

 

“Of course. He told me that you were a good friend.” Mamesa took a sip from her cup.

 

Carth looked at her sitting on her heels, wondering how she could stand to sit that way for so long. He was unsure how to react at the news that Mamesa knew who he was and who Kirabaros was. He asked, “You know Kirabaros?”

 

Though her face didn’t show it, her voice held a sad note, “Yes. He helped me become who I am today. Tis a sad thing that his good name has to be tarnished.”

 

“I remember you now. You are that geima that performed at the festival months ago. Why are you here on Tatooine?” Carth changed the subject.

 

“We perform and we move. That is how we survive,” Mamesa replied. She took another sip of her tea and paused to breathe in the aroma the brewed leaves brought to her nose. She then asked, “Tell me, what brings you here? I doubt that it is the nostalgia of seeing a planet of sand again.”

 

Carth was silent. He turned his head to gaze at one of the sliding doors. It had a painting attached to it. It was an image of a green field with a river running through it. There were two birds and a phrase on it. Since it was in Avalonian, he couldn’t read it but he guessed that it had to do with the countryside. Just looking at it calmed him as he reverted his gaze to Mamesa and began, “Well…”

 

 

Revan was pacing in the entryway, avoiding the row of shoes and boots. She felt the pain. It sent tingles of energy through her blood and overloaded her nerves. What was worse was the screaming that accompanied it. She had heard the scream as if she had been there. What was worse was that she thought it was Carth. At that thought she felt shame because she thought about Carth instead of Kirabaros. After all he was the one who was suffering on her behalf. He suffered for her so that she may be able to enjoy her life. He never asked for a reward and yet she never gave it. She took him for granted at times and that only compounded to her shame.

 

She had stopped pacing and was looking out the window. The cloth used to protect the windows was thin enough to see through but all she could see was sand. The swirling winds were like her mind, twirling in a whirlwind, never blowing in a coherent direction. She failed to notice the tall boy that she had met earlier had come in and had seated himself on the platform that led to the main parlor. Instead, tears began to fall down her cheeks as she thought that this whole mess was her fault. She felt that she would never truly be able to atone for all that she had done. She let the tears fall in silence until a voice broke in, “Tears of sorrow feed another’s pleasure.”

 

Revan turned to find Shang-Li looking at her with a look of concern. His green eyes locked onto hers as his locks fell slightly into his eyes. He looked small just sitting there with his knees clutched to his chest in an outfit similar to what Mamesa wore when she saw her at the festival. His statement sounded familiar and she asked, “What did you say?”

 

“Tears of sorrow feed another’s pleasure. Sorrow can be another person’s pleasure,” Tulre shrugged his shoulders, “It’s a gentle way of saying that sorrow is a weakness. What are you thinking about?”

 

Revan gazed at the boy as she kneeled in front of him. She detected concern but nothing else. He wasn’t giving away anything else which made her wonder. She brushed this aside as she replied, “Something that I lost.”

 

“And you are close to that something?”

 

“Very. He’s a good friend of mine, like a brother,” Revan replied with a downward look, “An overly protective brother.”

 

With a sly grin that she didn’t see Tulre replied, “Like your husband?”

 

“How did…?” Revan looked at him surprised.

 

“You held hands when we came to the hamachi. There is also a tan line where your wedding ring used to be. His too.” Tulre added that last bit as a means of observation. He didn’t like lying to his Aunt Reva but Mamesa said that they had to remain a secret. He hid the guilty feeling of deception well as he watched his aunt’s reactions.

 

Revan thought that was astute for an observation. She liked the boy for he reminded her of Tulre. She wondered where he was now as she decided to indulge a bit, “You are clever like the person I lost. Would you like to hear it?”

 

Tulre nodded. It was the only way he could find out about his Dada. Marmar was more likely with Uncle Atton and Jedi Rowan so that wasn’t a biggie. He brushed his locks back and sighed as the stubborn ones popped back into place. He rested his head on his knees as Revan began to talk.

 

 

When she was told that her mother and papa were there, she wanted to run out and hug them both. She knew however that she had to keep up her pretense of being an Avalonian girl studying to be a geisha. Technically she was Avalonian since she was born there so she did have a legitimate geisha name, Serena. A strange thing to her but Mamesa said that it carried serenity wherever she would go for that was what she was. It would take her years to understand but for now she was content with the current explanation.

 

Here she was outside the door, peering through the crack to gaze at her father talking to Mamesa. Kimiko was behind her watching as well since they never got interesting visitors if it was important. If Tante caught them, they could be punished since they weren’t supposed to be doing this. She suppressed the urge to race in there and climb into her papa’s lap especially when he heard that her favorite uncle was in trouble. It reminded her of that dream that she had with Tulre and Morgan.

 

Almost as if she had spoken, Morgan appeared and asked to watch. So now there were three of them listening to the conversation until Kimiko had to go and bring in the cakes when Mamesa called through the door. At least Morgan could be happy that his papa was all right and was looking for him. Both were content to just be near those that were dear and familiar.

 

 

Mamesa had finished her tea and the pot was nearly empty. She was saddened that Kirabaros had been captured but she was confident that he would find a way out. She didn’t show this as Carth finished his commentary on the events that happened. Following protocol, she called in Avalonian for Kimiko to bring a tray of cakes. She then poured Carth some more tea and asked, “How do you intend to raise the necessary funds for the parts?”

 

“Lilah,” Carth used the identity the council gave Revan, “wanted to race in the swoop races. The problem is that we…don’t have a swoop bike.” He said that last bit in a dejected tone. He hadn’t wanted to gain Mamesa’s pity since geisha didn’t do things like that.

 

Mamesa regarded the Republic admiral before her and shrewdly guessed that he didn’t like to show weakness in front of anybody. Since the teapot was empty and Kimiko hadn’t come back, she called to Lilah to come. She hoped that maybe the father would recognize his daughter since he showed a slight sign of recognizing the boys. When Lilah came in and reached for the pot, Mamesa said, “There is one other option. Unfortunately it could reveal who Lilah truly is but it is something within everyone’s capabilities.”

 

Carth saw his daughter shuffle in quietly and lift the teapot to get more tea. He wanted nothing more than to pick her up and hug her but he held back. He knew the reason why she was there under Mamesa’s care and he wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize her safety. Instead he kept to the conversation and asked, “What are you proposing?”

 

Mamesa had seen the look that Carth gave when Lilah entered and was pleased with his reactions. Sometimes Republics tended to be too brash at times. The admiral in front of her seemed to have adopted the Avalonian reserve. She smiled slightly as she replied, “It involves a little bit of combat.”

 

 

“So he gave of himself so you could escape?” Tulre asked.

 

“Yes. Much like Bastila did eight years ago,” Revan replied. “That’s why I feel so bad.”

 

“He did what he did because you were important to him,” Tulre replied thoughtfully. “Love is a precious thing. It is always there no matter what.”

 

“What?” Revan asked, surprised for the second time since talking to him.

 

“Nothing. Just something that came to mind,” Tulre uttered the lie effortlessly. He knew that his Dada said that to anyone who cared to listen. He changed the subject, “So you are here now. What are you gonna do?”

 

“Well we need to acquire the parts necessary to fix our ship but Republic credits aren’t worth the price of Bantha fodder,” Revan answered. She was suspicious about that last comment and thought that the boy was trying to hide something. Her inquisitive nature urged her find out more about the boy but she curbed it in. Being too inquisitive got you nowhere with Avalonians unless you knew them well, in the family like way. They either considered and insult or led you in a roundabout way with their double talk until you got frustrated and left. She asked, “You know anything about swoop racing?”

 

“Fast and fun,” Tulre answered, “but okâsan says it’s not proper for a maiko.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah but if you are looking to race, you’re not going to have any luck. There aren’t any for another month or so. There is the Shaak Ti coming up.”

 

Revan was going to ask what that was but was interrupted when Carth and Mamesa came. Tulre got quiet and bowed at Mamesa and disappeared quietly. Carth said to her, “We may have found a way.”