KOTOR III: Stat' Geroyami (To Become Heroes)

[Tysyacha]

STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC III: STAT' GEROYAMI (TO BECOME HEROES)

 

Victory! After defeating and redeeming the Sith Lord DARTH TRAYA, known once more as Kreia, upon the sundered planet of Malachor V, the JEDI EXILE, Tysyacha Dvyx Ordo, left all of her companions aboard the Ebon Hawk behind--save one. They set to rebuilding the Jedi Order on Dantooine, with the newly-furnished Enclave as its headquarters. The Exile now prepares to wander in search of REVAN, her onetime Master and previous Dark Lord. She believes he is the key to finding the true Sith Empire in the Unknown Regions.

 

Meanwhile, the fledgling Republic, struggling to rebuild after near-decimation by Darths Nihilus and Sion, soon finds itself in an even-more-ironclad grasp...

 

"Well...that's that." Tysyacha sighed to herself as she once again let the soft thrum of the Ebon Hawk's hyperdrive and the silence of everything else fill her ears. "I've betrayed them, sparing a Sith Lord like that, but I can't help but wonder if they've betrayed me. Aren't they supposed to be Jedi?"

 

"They may be Jedi, but they're weak," stated her husband coldly, the Mandalore Canderous Ordo. "They're strong enough to fight, but when they suddenly abandon their captain after all this time, just because of one old witch, then that means they're cowards. I wouldn't have done that, Tysy."

 

The Exile stepped forward and lay her hand on his arm. "I know. You still want to find Revan, don't you?"

 

Canderous paused. "I don't know whether I'd kill him or join him if we found him. Revan's done to me what those fools have just done to you--left you somewhere, in some desperate lurch, to see if you'll do something good. Not for me. I chose to come with you because I've spent enough time trying to unite the clans under my leadership. Bralor will take it from here. As for me, whatever Revan wants me to do, I'll do it if I don't smash his skull in first."

 

Tysyacha nodded. "I see. Are you sure you still want--her--aboard?"

 

"Traya? She may be an old witch, and a former Sith, but I daresay she's a kriffing sight better than all of our other shipmates. She's the one who taught you to be strong again after you were weakened by the loss of the Force."

 

"I was perfectly strong, but there was a hole in me, a hunger. A hunger that only the Force could fill; otherwise, I'd be as dark as Darth Nihilus was in time. I'd keep trying to feed and never rediscover what could nourish me."

 

"Speaking of nourishment..." whispered Canderous, nuzzling Tysy's ear.

 

"You're hungry already? Oh, you beast! I'll go find some rations for us."

 

"Not that," he countered with a smirk, pulling the Exile close for a kiss.

 

**************************************************

 

In the port bunk of the Ebon Hawk, Darth Traya, now known simply as Kreia, meditated, perfectly at rest. She had a half-smile on her face, as if she knew something that neither Canderous or Tysy did. This was most likely so. She still retained that searing wisdom of hers that no one dared to match.

 

Rest now, Exile. You love your husband, yes? Then hold him in your arms and see him for who he truly is--through the Force. On the Dark Side? Ah. Such things will change as you continue to gain his trust and his influence. He has your love and your respect, but he does not yet have a goal he shares with you beyond finding Revan. Let this pass--it shall come in time.

 

************************************************

 

Canderous Ordo, having spent all the fire a Mandalorian could muster, pulled his wife to his side and pillow, stroking her hair. So strong...so beautiful.

 

I'm dying, Tysyacha. His mind was mostly immune to the Force, though--

 

It took the Exile two hours to bolt upright from the nightmare of this phrase.

[steven]

The sound of the door to her temporary quarters echoed through the small room that had been given to Audrey during the journey to Taris, which since it's bombardment, had been began a criminals paradise and several criminal organizations, including the infamous Exchange, had several safe houses located. Audrey turned around and with a sharp voice, asked "What do you want?". There was a brief chuckle from a Douglas Mansfield, the captain of the ship. It was clear from his appearance that this man was a nasty peace of work, he fit the wife beating drunk to the finest detail. He was ugly and fat, his gritty clothes barely covered his stomach, and what he lacked with eye candy, he appeared to make up in muscle, obliviously a stim abuser.

 

"What, can't a captain check on his passengers?" Douglas asked, the stench of alcohol could be smelled even from several feet away.

 

"Not since we had an agreement that you wouldn't," Audrey replied before turning and standing, revealing what she had been doing.

 

"What's this?" Douglas asked before pushing past Audrey and looked at the table behind her. On that table, various mechanical peaces had been carefully laid out. Douglas turned to Audrey with an burning anger in his eyes. "I told you no unregistered weapons allowed. It's against the Galactic Republics interstellar transportation law."

 

"Wife beating is against the Galactic Republic Humans rights law but you seem to ignore that," Audrey replied. Douglas response was causing and slapping her. Not a moment since Douglas had left Audrey's face, she turned to back to it's normal position. Instead of resorting to violence on this man's level, Audrey used the force to fight back. The conventional way would to merely push someone, however Audrey's powers were more tuned than the average Jedi and the conventional way would be a waste of talent. So instead, Audrey reached out using her mind before taking a hold Douglas' heart and slowly began to control it's beat.

 

Douglas was a strange awareness of what Audrey was doing and was petrified. All he could do was stare into Audrey's empty eyes and his heart beat began slower and slower, until it stopped all together and Douglas collapsed to the floor. This annoyed her because it now meant she had to kill the other crew and passengers to remove all witnesses. She quickly removed her civilian clothes before replacing them with her ninja styled assassin's amour. Once that was all in check, he assembled a blaster rifle from the mechanical parts laid out on her desk before leaving her room.

[MJ-W4]

Kreia sat in her cabin, her legs crossed meditating and pondering her new, robotic hand.

 

Then, she had quickly learnt to cope with only one hand. Then, she hadn't really cared about it and seen it as just another mark of her own incapabilities. The old Jedi Order had died because it had had to die and still they might vindicate her yet. Then, she had warned the Exile that a marriage, let alone to someone she really loved, was bound to weaken the bond they shared.

 

We saved each other's lives and sanity a number of times, my apprentice. Shall we ever call it quits? Shall we never call it quits? That remains to be seen...

 

She deftly spun a deck of pazaak cards through her hands. The fool's wisdom... I wonder if this sense of complete-ness will stay with me much longer. What will Revan be like? Has he taken his lessons to heart? Is Tysyacha even aware of the fact that she and Revan are like magnetic opposites in the Force? She must control her feelings for her husband or they will leave her blind. Poor Candreous, she would follow you everywhere. Instead, you chose to follow her to your own undoing.

 

Kreia got up and took her lightsaber from her belt. The faint greenish blade sprang into existence, giving her grey robes a soft green tint in the dimly lit cabin. She closed her eyes, concentrated on both hands and started a Juyo move as if it were in slow motion. Time to practice...

[Rexraptor2000]

Prae let out a grunt of irritation as he tossed a full-grown Mandolorian straight into the cantina wall. This pitiful 'fight', if it could be called that for its ridiculousness, was beginning to grate on his nerves.

 

He'd come into this relatively quiet cantina for a drink and a little peace while his friend, Cetanu, was off on an errand. Next thing Prae knew, he had apparently not paid enough respect to some Mando hotheads and was tossing them around like it was going out of style. When one had tried to pull a pistol out, Prae had crushed that one's hand, and now he was running out of patience for this.

 

Another came charging at him and Prae caught the Mando's head with his large hand, smashing it into the ground and knocking it out cold. The next one met the same fate and the one after similar also but instead met the wall. The two remaining ones were hesitant, and when Prae let out his species battle cry and activated his energy sword, they turned tail.

 

Letting out a grunt of approval, Prae deactivated his sword and sat back down at his table, taking a sip from the ale he had ordered. He looked up at the nervous waiter that approached him and said "Bill please."

[Master_Archon]

Some errand, picking up huge crates of supplies for Prae was not what Cetanu called an errand.

 

He hefted the last one up onto his shoulder, walking off towards the cantina Prae had went off to, Cetanu noted that next time his mutual friend was either going to have to pull his own weight when it came to supplying his own ship, or Cetanu was going to be in the cantina enjoying some peace, while Prae would be hog-tied in the cargo hold.

 

As Cetanu let his frustration seethe for awhile, he noticed a bunch of Oomans, as his people called them, high tailing it out of the cantina. From what he could tell they were what Prae called Mandos, but what did he know, all humans looked the same to him. The only thing he could tell the difference between them was which gender was which.

 

Cetanu entered the drinking establishment, bent on relaxing at least a little bit before they headed off. When he entered he noticed some more unconscious Oomans in the room, and Prae getting up from a table after placing what he told Cetanu were credits on it. Cetanu waited for Prae to approach him.

 

"I see you got into another fight while I was gone," he said, his mask's translator working perfectly, his speech coming out in a naturally grating and low tone. "Why is it that every time you send me to do something, you end up in a brawl? Alright, next time I'm coming with you, no matter what you want me to do, no matter where you're going. My hands weaken from my lack of combat. Then again, the Oomans were lucky I wasn't here, if it were up to me, they'd all be dead and headless right now...they got off easy with you....as usual," he ranted at his friend.

 

But Cetanu paused as he noticed his friend's placid expression. "I was hoping I could relax too, but I guess that's not going to happen," Cetanu said in what could only be guessed as his translator's form of muttering. He stared at his friend in silence as he switched the crate from one shoulder to the other, seeing as it was wearing on his arm.

 

"Fine, I'll shut up and follow you," Cetanu muttered again resignedly, he just wanted to get this frustrating box off his shoulder and do something, it'd been weeks since he'd last had a good bit of combat and action, and months since his last hunt, but his duty to his friend came first.

[Tysyacha]

"Tysy?" asked Canderous gently, or at least as gently as a Mandalore could. "Moya' dvukh?" Meaning "my lieutenant, my second, my right-hand man," this was the ultimate term of endearment from husband to wife. "Are you all right?" He noticed her short breaths, her wide-eyed stare, her tension.

 

"Yeah, I'm all right." Tysyacha smiled and shrugged, but then let her rather broad shoulders sag. "It was just a nightmare. I dreamed that you were dying, or rather that you said you were dying." She glanced quickly at him.

 

Stang. Jedi can read minds even in their dreams, it seems. Could she really sense what I was thinking, or did she only have a nightmare like she claims? Canderous did not like it when anyone, not even Tysy, used Mind Tricks on him. It made him nervous at best and angry enough to kill at worst. Still, she had been asleep, and so he would give her the benefit of the doubt.

 

"Go back to sleep." A tender grin. "You've had a long day today, what with all the others betraying you and leaving us alone at last." They both chuckled.

 

They settled down into an uneasy slumber, Tysy snuggling even closer to the Mandalore and he himself switching his implants to the regeneration setting...

[Alkonium]

Kale Kaltas, formerly known as Revan, looked at the secret camera feeds he installed in the Ebon Hawk before he abandoned it with T3-M4, and now, even he was gone from the ship, the only one he knew who was still onboard was Canderous Ordo, and he was nearing the end of his life. How he longed to be back at the helm of the Hawk, but he knew that the True Sith recognised it, and sending it back with T3 was the only way to stay alive. However, he worried that if Tysyacha went after him, the Sith would destroy the Hawk before she would have a chance to open fire.

[MJ-W4]

Her movements steadily becoming faster until the blade was slicing through the air in a flurry, Kreia almost danced through the confines of her cabin and enjoyed herself bathing in the Force.

 

Only in conflict may we live to become stronger.

 

This time around, she was controlling the force to aid her, the feelings of predetermination, and being driven rather than acting of her own accord, had finally left her. She composed herself and returned to sit on her dull and worn floor mat, an inconspicuous little comfort she allowed herself.

 

”I am dying...” still hung in the Force like a tiny insect frozen in mid-flight. Kreia leisurely examined the excited little fragment of Canderous's mind that had been thrown into the Force by his loving, worried wife, turning it around to look at it like a scientist would look at the unfortunate insect.

 

Death may show more mercy to you than to your slowly dying tribes, o Mandalore. You still are so full of intent, may it serve you well to last as long as you must.

 

In the Force, the little spark that was Mandalore showed a thin, hairlike connection to the huge, bright beacon that was Tysyacha. Your lover's life hangs by a mere thread, my pupil. I cannot allow you to die along with him, you that are to me like a daughter that I never knew I had.

 

AWAKEN. COME, CHILD. WE MUST SPEAK OF YOUR FUTURE.

[Tysyacha]

This second time, the Exile was roused from sleep carefully, tenderly, as Canderous would do if he were the one shaking her senses into alertness. However, it was Kreia doing the waking, not he, and Tysyacha blinked. It can't be. My husband--dying? I thought that I was having a bad dream.

 

After donning a soft Jedi nightcloak and wrapping it around her frame, she snuck to the portside dormitory. Kreia was there, watching and waiting.

 

"So it's true, then? It's not just my imagination?" Kreia nodded solemnly.

 

As for Tysyacha, she knelt down, collapsing as much from humility as from mental exhaustion. "Master! Tell me what I must do. How can I heal him?"

[MJ-W4]

'Sit up, child,' Kreia said softly. 'Heal him? Is that what you wish for? When I told you the Mandalorians were dying a slow, sad death, I did not refer to your husband. He will die, like all of us, long before the last Mandalorian.'

 

She let the words sink in, showing genuine concern as she felt tears well up in her pupil's eyes. 'Canderous's time may come soon, and you must brave yourself for the moment, my dear.' Her wrinkly old hand carefully holding Tysyacha's, Kreia helped the girl see through the Force.

 

'Behold the glowing sun that you are. Do you perceive the small planet attached to you on this ever so delicate line where once you and me had a strong and lively bond? This is what remains of your Mandalore in the Force. The Force is the foundation of all life, and for his resistance, your lover must pay a price. You and me both have managed to live without the Force and caused great damage. Yet, we have returned into its shelter where we must remain, a place where Canderous may not be able to go. If he dies before his time, this little attachment that he is might well cause you greater harm than you anticipate.' She paused, thinking.

 

How can I break this to her, the old woman wondered, she needs to be intact and at her best to face the task before her. She is only too likely to follow, like once I did follow and was followed in return.

 

Kreia let go Tysyacha's hand and straightened herself. 'I shall always be there for you, and see you through your perils, girl. Now is the time for you to lay aside your dreams and be the strong woman you have grown to be. I cannot heal your husband for your sake, or for mine. This time, you must lead us into the future. If Canderous can be cured, you are the one who may find that cure. You must lead the way and be strong. Strong enough to let go. Is your love strong enough to give it up, for your own sake?' she said, sternly.

 

'Compose yourself, my pupil. Think and decide wisely when you choose the path that will take us forward into the future.' Kreia briefly touched Tysyacha's cheek, a friendly, comforting touch. With another tiny gesture, she sent her apprentice off and solemnly watched as a heavy-hearted Mrs Dvyx left the dim cabin in deep thought. Do not forgo your lessons, daughter.

[Tysyacha]

Tysy crept to the starboard-side dormitory where her husband lay sleeping. It seemed the journey into hyperspace from Dantooine--and their after-hours activities--had indeed fatigued him, despite what he took sly pride in claiming. "Mandalorians need no sleep," he'd once quipped. "They only need stims--lots of them. Good thing I have extra." Apparently, those 'extras' had run out, possibly for good, but perhaps not...

 

She lay her hands on her husband's chest and began to heal his stressed musculature through the Force. Even though Canderous was not Force Sensitive, that by no means meant he was immune to his wife's augmenting his strength, power, or health.

 

"Mmmm...Tys? Could you do that a little bit longer? My stims must have run out..."

 

He let out a great, rumbling snore, and Tysyacha fought tears springing to her eyes.

[RobQel-Droma]

Canderous opened his eyes slowly, looking at Tysy as she healed him. He didn't pull himself completely awake yet, allowing himself the luxury to relax. He sighed. How did I survive after Revan left.... just sitting their in my camp on Dxun, trying to make a name for Mandalore. Until you came.

 

He could already feel his muscles heal and relax. Even though he knew he weas dying, even though he didn't want to go, he found a smile. At least I'll die to this. Letting the drowsiness back into his eyes, he laid his head back down and fell fast asleep.

[Writer]

"Ash!" The clear voice of Dakota Cedar rang through the little ship and Ashton Casey groaned, burying his head under the pillow. There, he could still hear her voice, but could make out nothing of her words... until she was standing right over him, at which point she was saying, "...going to wake you up, but I'm sorry, I've just got to." And with that, she lifted the pillow from his head. And that's when she said the three little words that finally caught his attention:

 

"We're crashing again."

 

Ash bounded out of bed, calling on the power of the Force to aid his entry to the bridge. He reached the pilot's controls, eyes wide, but breathing steady. "I told you to come out of hyperspace before the navicomputer said to," he grumbled to Dakota, who'd followed him to the bridge.

 

"I did," the young woman replied patiently. "It wasn't enough. You know, instead of tinkering with add-ons, perhaps we ought to replace the important parts..."

 

"I'll consider it if we don't impact and explode," Ash quipped. In the end, after a seriously 'rattly' descent and a few not-so-necessary parts falling off, the little ship made a more or less 'safe' landing... and then, the landing gear gave way.

 

"We need a new ship," Ashton grumbled softly. Dakota laughed softly.

 

"I've been telling you that for six months now," she teased. "But look on the bright side... the ship isn't going to explode, so we actually have a decent amount of time to work out exactly how we're going to get out."

 

"Yeah, now that the ship's weight pretty much rules out the boarding ramp," Ash murmured. "Well, there's always..."

 

"Lightsabers?" Dakota laughed in disbelief. "You know how the locals would react?"

 

"We could just use a welding torch," Ash replied, "which was what I was thinking of..."

 

"And we happen to have one?" Dakota teased, knowing full well they did not.

 

"I guess that means lightsabers and mind tricks, Dakka," Ash shot back with a cocky grin. "C'mon... we can take a few frightened locals on... what's this place called again?"

 

"Kiffu," Dakota supplied helpfully. "Near-humans for native species... if that helps."

 

"Friendly?" Ash wondered. "As in, friendly enough to cut us out?"

 

They sat for a moment in silence and suddenly, a face peered in through the forward transparisteel viewport. The native gestured to the young couple and they drew back from the viewport. In a matter of minutes, several Kiffar had completely cut out the front of the ship, clearing a path for Ash and Dakka to depart.

 

"Thank you," Dakka said pleasantly. "And we apologize for the mess we've made of your landing pad."

 

"The mess is not your issue," one of the Kiffar offered kindly. "You need only to pay the docking and scrapping fees... a total of three hundred credits."

 

"And we shall do so gladly," Ash said, stepping forward and handing over a credit chit. "Thank you very much for your kindness."

 

"What will you do for a ship?" another of their rescuers asked. "This one isn't likely to fly... ever again."

 

Ash glanced back at the pitiful wreck and shrugged. "We'll figure something out," he sighed. "We've got no choice..."

 

"Best of luck to you," a third Kiffar offered cheerily. The young couple waved at the gathered crowd and moved into the city, looking for either work or passage offworld. But the problem with traveling for the sake of traveling is that you never quite know where you're going... or if you ever get there. Both Ash and Dakka knew this, and somewhere deep within, they longed for a purpose more than just living.

[Alkonium]

So far, as far as he knew, his plan was working. Strengthen the Republic, weaken the True Sith. He was nearing the last planet he knew of on which the True Sith was building a garrison: Lehon, a planet he had not been to in seven years. Hopefully the Rakata there would still be friendly to him, even if they had been enslaved by the Sith. If the information he had was accurate, most of the Rakata were working in weapons factories now in place across the planet, and he could halt production by starting a revolt at one of the factories, letting news of it spread to the others, and within weeks, the planet's value to the Sith would be reduced to nothing. Before doing anything else, he decided it was finally time to send a message to the Hawk. Knowing that Tysyacha would not recognise his face, aged not only by time but also by solitude and separation from the woman he loved. He did know, however, that she would recognise his familiar, though more lightly coloured robes he acquired on the Star Force shortly before his battle with Darth Malak. He entered in the frequency of the Ebon Hawk into his W-Wing Starfighter, and began his message. "I know what you seek, Tysyacha Dvyx Ordo, and I know where to find it, but if you value your life and that of your husband, you will not go looking for it without my help. Meet me on Lehon, as I need your help as much as you need mine."

[Tysyacha]

A cryptic message suddenly flashed onto the Ebon Hawk's worn but still far-from-malfunctioning communications console. Tysy, who had just recently returned from her healing session with Canderous, gave a start. Who was the sentient on the "other end of the line", and what were his or her true motives for initiating contact? She read out loud:

 

"I know what you seek, Tysyacha Dvyx Ordo, and I know where to find it, but if you value your life and that of your husband, you will not go looking for it without my help. Meet me on Lehon, as I need your help as much as you need mine."

 

She turned to her husband and Kreia, who stood stock-still in the ship's silence.

 

"Is this a trap?" she asked. "What do you two think?"

 

After seeing the puzzled expression on Canderous' face and the unreadable one on Kreia's, the Exile cleared her throat, which had become dry all of a sudden. "Regardless of whether we go to Lehon or not", she announced, "it's kind of a moot point to go there right now because our food supplies and fuel aren't going to last that long unless we buy more." Slow, thoughtful nods.

 

"I suggest we go to Kiffu instead. The people there are near-humanoid, so we should be able to communicate with them pretty easily. Plus, they're not hostile to strangers, or so I've heard. Might be a good place to regroup and collect our thoughts before we head to the Unknown Regions--and the Unknown World." This seemed to provoke a more positive reaction--for now.

 

"Who knows? We might be able to locate some allies on Kiffu, and we're going to need them if we'll eventually fight the True Sith. Assuming, of course, there are no true Sith on Kiffu." Tysy snickered, but neither Canderous nor Kreia seemd to find this funny. The True Sith were no laughing matter.

 

Without another word except a muffled "Heh...!", Tysy turned and set a course for the planet of the Kiffar, hoping you-know-who weren't there.

[RobQel-Droma]

"Did the message say who it was from?" Canderous stepped forward. "I can't see it as being a trap, but I'm not sure of the intentions of the person who sent..."

 

He sat down in the co-pilot's seat, feeling the ache in his joints, and watching as the Hawk entered hyperspace. "Just a question.... what happens if we do find True Sith on Kiffu? It would be up to you two to try and fight them, and I can't imagine the the three of us outnumber them. If they find us, I don't know if we could get away."

[Tysyacha]

Tysyacha nodded. "I'm sorry if this all seems so sudden, my love, and you make a very valid point. If the True Sith are on Kiffu, even only a few of them, it will be highly difficult to escape their attacks--and their stealth surveillance. Here's my plan: Due to the fact that there is a wound in the Force inside of me, I form bonds with and leech the life out of Force Sensitives quite easily. The Jedi Masters, if they had been less kind, might have called me an 'eater of souls'. If the True Sith attack, I will bait them into concentrating their efforts on me and trying to drain my life. It won't work. Only Kreia has been good enough to try,"--here a wise half-smile--"and the True Sith know nothing about power compared to my Master. You'll see. I know you'll fight if you can."

[RobQel-Droma]

"Oh, of course I will." He smiled. "Any Sith bastard that comes and tries to kill you or me will get more than he bargained for." Its just.... I'm not as strong as I used to be. I don't know if I can do it. "Don't worry; you're in safe hands with good old Mandalore." What if I can't protect her?

 

"Anyways, your plan seems to be good. Lets just hope it won't come to that."

[MJ-W4]

Taking her time joining the couple in the Ebon Hawk's cockpit, Kreia stood for a moment longer, as if lingering with a far-away image in her mind.

 

'You shall do no such thing, my pupil, and neither shall you, o Mandalore. You, my child, rest safe in the Force now. Do not believe you may pull the trick from Malachor again and live.

 

This may well be a trap but we shall enter it with mind and eyes wide open. Would we stand a chance to fight an opponent? Yes. Would we stand a chance to fight the True Sith? No. Not on our own. You know very well, Tysyacha, whom we need to ally with to that end. You know whom we need to find, and where.'

 

Turning to Canderous: 'Please, I must counsel with your wife. Will you spare us a moment?' Kreia said, and as soon as he was out of earshot, she repeated: 'You know whom we need to find and who sent that message. I leave it to you to tell your dear husband about your past with him on your own terms.'

 

Sensing desolation in her apprentice, Kreia compassionately touched Tysyacha's shoulder.

 

'I told you a long time ago that we all must pay a price for our love. It is a gift to us that we mustn't ever take for granted. What if he makes a claim to you? Will you side with him and abandon your husband? Will you find a way to handle this among shades of grey as I have taught you?

 

Enough of this, for now. I cannot feel any presence in the Force strong enough to be a True Sith. Even when they hide, they leave patterns to find each other. There are no such patterns here. We shall be able to avoid any dangers we might face here with a little persuasion. Now is not the time to fight. Be most careful who you ally with in the near future. This is no leisurely trip to a smugglers' moon.'

 

The old woman retired to her cabin, deeply in thought. When she passed Canderous, she thanked him for his understanding and asked him to see his wife in the cockpit, but gave no hint about the conversation.

[Tysyacha]

"Mandalorechka," began Tysyacha, using a term of affection from her native tongue, "before I met you--long before I met you--I served as a general under Revan in the Mandalorian Wars. You probably remember that, but what you don't remember is that Revan and I sort of had--far-off feelings for each other, like stars winking in the vast distance of space, only too far apart to undergo fusion. That was then, however. This is now, and the only man I love is you. Revan and I never spoke of our mutual attraction, anyway.

 

"There is also a rumor, which you might have heard, that Revan fell in love with another woman after the Wars, in the course of his travels to find and destroy the Star Forge. Her name is Bastila Shan, and if I recall correctly, Revan left Bastila behind before he ventured into the Unknown Regions. Should we find Bastila on our journey, which I highly doubt we will, we might want to take her with us to see if she can help combat the True Sith."

 

Tysy shook her head. "No one should be left behind--not even us. The souls who were aboard this ship forsook me once they found out I spared Kreia. That was their choice, and I'm wondering what Revan's choice will be once we meet up with him, if we ever do. The Force knows I've made mine."

 

She wondered if Mandalore would turn his back or embrace her once again...

[Writer]

"So..." a young Kiffar girl said cautiously, approaching the newly stranded duo, "you two just... sort of... fly around and do whatever seems to be... right?"

 

Ash chuckled softly. "It's a bit more complex than that, but essentially, yes."

 

"How do you know what's right and what's not?" the girl asked curiously. Dakota smiled.

 

"You've heard of Jedi, yes?" she asked. "And the Force? Well, I used to be a Jedi. It's hard to explain, but... the Force sometimes seems to have a mind of its own. that is what we're following."

 

"So you do what the Force wants?" the girl asked.

 

"Kind of," Ash agreed. "But at the moment, I'm unsure as to why it wants us here." He glanced around. "Though that's what it seems like. We've been unable to negotiate transport away... we've been here what, two days?"

 

"Two days," Dakota agreed. "So we wait... and run out of credits."

 

"Cheery, cheery, Dakka," Ashton grinned. "We'll get off eventually... and if we don't, we'll just pick up jobs until we can."

 

"That's the way we live," Dakka told the girl. "It's sort of strange sometimes... but we don't mind strange. It's when things become downright confusing that we don't like it."

 

"I hope they never do," the girl announced solemnly. And then, her mother called for her and she scampered away.

 

"Me too," Ash murmured. "C'mon, Dakka. Let's see if we've got any new ships arriving today."

[RobQel-Droma]

Mandalore looked at Tysy slowly, then nodded his head, and took her in his arms. "Well, then. Sounds like we need to get started. Are you still planning on going to Kiffu, or do you want to go find Revan?"

 

Revan. The Jedi warrior who had led the Republic against the Mandalorians, devastating them. He remembered those battles still, but they didn't bother him. There was another memory, stronger than the memory of his days on the battlefield; a memory of him being in this same ship, so many years ago, fighting right alongside Revan against the Sith Empire.

 

Now he wondered where the wandering Jedi had gone, leaving his friends and love behind him. "If you think that you know where Revan is," he said, "why not seek him out now? The True Sith can't hope to take on all three of us - not that I need the help." The little touch of cockiness in his voice surprised even him.

[Master_Archon]

Cetanu shrugged his shoulders a bit, and rolled his head around on his neck. He'd finally dropped the supply crate off at the ship and he was now stretching, he'd gotten stiff while carrying the box.

 

"Well, what now Prae?" He asked his friend, looking in his general direction but not actually focusing on him, as his attention was focused on the locals passing by, they seemed Ooman enough to him, but they were...different, for one they had tattoos on their faces.

 

"What planet is this again?" Cetanu asked Prae curiously. His friend looked over at him and stated, "we look for work. And we're on Kiffu."

 

Cetanu didn't make a single motion, just like Oomans planets were all the same to him, some were very different from others, but all in all a planet was a planet to him. Cetanu finally fixed his gaze on his friend.

 

"Normally you find the work, I help," Cetanu stated blatantly, his mood hadn't improved in the last hour. He also knew that this would be one of those days. Prae seldom complained about finding them both work, but on occasion he'd get into these clammy moods and Cetanu knew that he should leave him alone, it was one of those rare occasions where they parted ways and found jobs on their own. But Cetanu wasn't going to complain, when this happenstance occurs, it's one of the few opportunities he gets to hunt without Prae looking over his shoulder. As he'd learned with his ten odd years of traveling with Prae from planet to planet, that most species looked down on the hunting of fellow sentients. But that never stopped him from doing it on the odd occasion. And it also never stopped the local law enforcement, sometimes military, from chasing them off world on an odd occasion.

 

Cetanu stared at his friend for a couple more minutes before giving a snort and turning his back on him. "Alright," he said in a dejected tone, he'd go find work, and he'd try not to get them kicked off planet. But if the world they were on didn't have any dangerous creatures on it, then Prae had better pray that Cetanu wouldn't snap, pardon the pun.

 

After that, Cetanu stormed off in the opposite direction of Prae, he didn't like looking for work on his own, he had horrible people skills.

 

((Sorry Rex, you weren't posting, so I decided to make some command decisions. Hope every thing's okay. PM me if you need to.))

[Tysyacha]

Tysy glanced at the Ebon Hawk's viewport. "Looks like the navicomputer and the hyperdrive have already made the decision for us. Kiffu's in sight, and we're coming in for a landing!" She sat down at the cockpit console and typed in several coordinates.

 

After a few seconds, she furrowed an eyebrow. "Wait a minute--Sixteen! Sixteen! Not six, you stupid computer! Hold on to your helmets, you two. Fasten your harnesses!" Knowing that the error had been her own and not that of the system, her face burned red with embarrassment. "We're going to come in hot, and not where we expected."

 

The ship lurched and buckled, furiously launching itself into the atmosphere of Kiffu. The hull began to glow, and the Exile hoped and prayed that this landing would not be one of the most disastrous in Kiffar history. Swerving a bit to the left, Tysy barely managed to avoid the center of a booming and glittering metropolis, crashing in a very well-positioned clearing, an urban park of some sort. Tysy curled up into a fetal ball.

 

"I can't believe I did that," she said miserably. "This ship needs a new pilot." As much of a fool and an impulsive wisecracker as Atton Rand was, he could fly this ship far better than I. Now we'll have to spend some of our credits on needed repairs...

[Writer]

"Yes!" Dakota exclaimed. "Look! There's a new one... scheduled to touch down... Ash? What is it?"

 

"They're coming in too hot," the young man answered. "That's a crash trajectory if they can't straighten up a bit... they can't! Look! Look! They're going down!"

 

He darted off down a side street and Dakota followed him. They reached the edge of the park just as the ship skidded to a halt. Dakota was instantly concerned.

 

"Injured?" she asked aloud. Ash shook his head.

 

"Looks like everyone got clear in time," he said. "Come on. If the ship's still capable of takeoff... never mind that, I can see it's not. Hmm... they'll need repairs."

 

"Hope they have the credits," Dakota murmured. Ash nodded.

 

"They need a pilot," he stated thoughtfully. "C'mon... I think the Force may be nibbling at us..."