Revan's Shadow: Chapter Two - Tatooine

Obtena stood upon the threshold of the sorry excuse for Anchorhead's spaceport, and slid a foot across the edge of one of the holes in the 'strip' of metal at her feet. She glanced up at the door hanging above, 'teeth' ready to chomp down and into those holes whenever it was required of the wide metal mouth to close.

Behind her, Bastila and Juhani glanced at each other apprehensively. They could both tell how quickly Obtena's mood had dropped in the last few minutes.

"So," Obtena grumbled, "We come to Tatooine first, because this is where Mission's loser of a brother is supposed to be. We get here. We discover a stowaway in the form of an annoyingly innocent little girl who can't even understand Basic, take on a misdirected shipment of gizka which are now infesting the ship, and we learn Bastila's... 'unpleasant' mother is also in town." She turned to Juhani. "Any parents, siblings, aunts or uncles, cousins to the nth degree we should expect to run into?"

"I don't think so." Juhani muttered, her gaze dropping to her booted feet.

"Obtena..." Bastila began. In her conversations with Juhani during their journey, she had learned that such a question could cause more pain to the Cathar than Obtena realized.

"I know, I know," Obtena sighed, then stepped into Anchorhead proper. "Sorry. Let's just get on with this."

As they walked down the sandy - road was hardly a worthy name, it was just a strip of sand noone had built anything on - Obtena could hear Bastila tugging at the blue robes that had previously been occupied by the aged Jedi called Nemo. He had been sent in their place to investigate the ruins where Revan and Malak had discovered the starmap on Dantooine, and perished there. Obtena still couldn't tell if Bastila was uncomfortable with wearing a dead Jedi's clothes, or if she was still not used to wearing anything other than that ridiculous (albeit arousingly skintight) peach-coloured outfit. The robes match her eyes far better anyway, Obtena thought to herself, trying to distract her own thoughts from her bad mood. Maybe if we dye that 'skinsuit' blue...

Obtena didn't consciously notice Bastila's irregular intake of breath, but automatically trained her thoughts elsewhere. Juhani's red robes suited her pale yellow fur well too, and they added a little colour to her wide feline eyes. Cathar were rare since the Mandalorians decimated their homeworld, before turning their attention on the Republic. She wasn't as different from Humans as Wookiees. Must be nice not to have to worry so much about climbing into a cold bed. She toyed with the prospect of having a Cathar waiting in her bunk for her each night, but immediately dismissed the notion. While she had no doubt she could pry Juhani out of her solitary behaviour, she was too much the Jedi knight; whatever her feelings, she'd regret indulging them. Besides, she's already had one taste of the dark side; if I end up using her just to distract myself from my Bastila crush, I'd probably end up sending her right back down that path.

She looked down at her own plain, brown padawan robes. She was going to have to do something about these. Sure, she looked like a Jedi, and that was supposed to be a good thing, but brown just didn't cut it. If the Knights backing her up were wearing blue and red, she should probably wear green, or yellow... except that wouldn't do as much for her eyes as either of the others-

"What are you thinking about?" Bastila interrupted her line of thought with an exasperated voice. "You should be concentrating on where you are and what you're doing, not worrying about how you look!"

"Oh, so that's why you agreed to wear the robes after all, is it?" Obtena spun around to face Bastila. "How long were you wearing that peach thing, anyway? Since your battle meditation developed? And the council didn't wag their finger at you once for your choice of wardrobe, did they? Too busy zipping you back and forth across the front lines, saving the galaxy." Obtena wagged her finger at Bastila as if to make up for lost time (or lack of opportunity to scold her for a good reason). "We all know it's far too sexy for the average Jedi to ever consider wearing, but the saviour of the Republic is special."

Bastila blushed slightly. "It was a gift, and it was my favourite colour..."

"Whatever you say. As for where and what, we're at the Czerka Corporation's Anchorhead office, and we're going to go in and ask about Mission's brother. And don't complain about this not being our mission, or I'll keep you too busy to find your mother."

"Which isn't our mission either..." Bastila began to complain, but withered under Obten's motive-piercing stare. "...And I'm not even sure I want to see her. I told you how we never got along; but if she really is sick... well, we'll see."

"Obtena," Juhani whispered, her eyes gazing further down the road.

"Yes, I feel it too. They probably knew we were here from the moment we landed, and now they're lying in wait." Obtena hit the door control. "So let them wait." Besides, she added to herself, killing some dark Jedi will probably improve my mood.

The head of Czerka's mining efforts on Tatooine was a tired-looking middle-aged woman who yet somehow managed to annoy Obtena with her bureaucratic behaviour. She didn't even introduce herself as they stepped into the office, she just rattled off what must have become her usual greeting to newcomers. "If this is about employment, I'm afraid all of our mining positions are full. And before you ask, we are also no longer selling hunting licences."

Obtena looked around the room with a frown, then turned it on the protocol officer. "I'm looking for a miner named Griff."

The woman blinked, realizing she was going to have to actually think her way through the conversation. "Griff? Uh... there's no Griff here. Never heard of him. No, I... I don't remember his name on the Czerka payroll." She must have been verging on depression after her time here, putting so little effort into the lie.

Obtena's frown grew into a full-fledged scowl. "Are you certain of that?" she asked frostily. "I might leave sooner if I knew."

"Oh, that Twi'lek!" the officer 'realised.' "Uh, must have slipped my mind for a second. Yes, of course I remember Griff. Always complaining and faking injuries to get out of work, entering false timesheets and sleeping through his shifts. He was even suspected of stealing supplies, though we could never prove it. I would have fired him, but we needed workers. Ironically, it would have been better for him if we had; then the Sand People wouldn't have gotten him."

"Sand People?" Bastila asked when Obtena reacted to the name. Is she familiar with them? Or is she confused because she isn't? It suddenly occured to Bastila that following the path Revan and Malak had taken in their search for the Star Forge might cause Obtena to recall too much of Revan's memories. She terminated this line of thought immediately, focusing on her own ignorance of the Sand People and hoping Obtena would decide that whatever confusion she felt was coming from her.

"He was lost in a Sand People raid not too long ago. Prisoners are often taken, but our rescue parties never find anyone alive. In the end, it just isn't cost-effective to keep searching. All miners sign a waiver absolving Czerka Corps of liability in these circumstances."

Obtena raised a hand and pressed her middle finger where the bridge of her nose met her forehead, in an attempt to at least delay the oncoming headache. "Did the Sand People kill Griff or not?"

"We didn't find his body so we have to assume he was taken prisoner, but if he is still alive, I couldn't say." The officer paused. "That's all I can tell you... I shouldn't even have said this much, this is all priviledged corporate information. I could lose my job."

"How tragic," Obtena muttered vehemently.

"What about hunting licences?" Bastila pressed, eager to change the subject.

"As I said, we are no longer selling them. There are too many people cavorting outside the city walls as it is."

"Why would we need one, anyway?"

"We use them to ensure that only people judged fit by Czerka Corp are allowed outside the city. We don't allow casual exploration because of legal concerns. Czerka Corp takes no responsibility for loss of life out on the Dune Sea; it's just so we can keep track of people. Noone leaves without a Czerka hunting... licence..."

The officer trailed off as the temperature in the room impossibly seemed to drop. The chill flowed from Obtena as her headache announced its arrival with a throbbing pressure in her skull. She did not like this place, this woman, or the company she worked for; and at this moment, she was ready to cut through anything and anyone in her way. "So there's no way to get a licence," she finally growled.

The possibility that the wrong answer might prove fatal was not lost on the officer. "W-well... I could make an exception... um, if you agree to perform a task for us. One particular tribe of Sand People, to the south... it's as if they've declared war on us. I would like their attacks... terminated. If you agree to do this, I'll give you a hunting licence now and a bounty for each gaffi stick later. I'll give a bonus for the chieftan's."

"Fine," Obtena spoke without another thought. She handprinted the datawork as quickly as possible. Suggesting they begin by escorting one of Czerka's sandcrawlers, the officer handed over the licence and a datapad containing the relevant information. Without another word, Obtena spun on her heel and headed for the door, ignoring the expressions of her companions. The officer said some parting words, but Obtena didn't bother to listen.

Apparently the dark Jedi who had been planning to ambush them had also lost patience. There were three to greet them as they stepped outside, wearing identical grey clothes with black boots, gloves and shrouded hoods. The middle one spoke: "Lord Malak was most displeased when he learned you had escaped Taris alive! He has promised a great reward to whoever destroys you!"

Perfect timing, Obtena thought as she raised her hand, palm upward. She would teach these arrogant Sith what happened when they wasted time talking. As the other Jedi ignited their lightsabers, she clenched her hand into a fist. The leading dark Jedi spasmed and clutched at his throat, desperately gasping for breath. His companions jumped forward to break Obtena's concentration, but Bastila and Juhani were ready and took them one on one. As lightsabers clashed on either side, Obtena's eyes were locked with those of the victim in her grip, watching his existence suffocate by her will...

It was over quickly. Yellow and blue lightsabers were extinguished at the same time as the leading Dark Jedi's life. Obtena had never even allowed him the use of his weapon, let alone use her own; she'd just kept crushing his throat until he had choked to death. Bastila looked at Obtena's face and saw Revan, saw the face that must have been behind the mask she had taken to wearing since the Mandalorian war. The same face she must have worn as she killed the Republic captain, before we faced each other...

As the nearby locals realized the fight was over and went back about their business, Obtena took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled it. "I feel better," she breathed. The headache had actually lessened as the Force flowed through her; as she knelt down to loot the Sith corpses, she recalled there was a way to drain life with the Force, and wondered if she had somehow done it without realizing. "What in the Outer Rim is this?" she continued, holding up the second weapon of Juhani's opponent. It was basically a lightsaber, but almost half the size. Juhani looked over the other two bodies when it became obvious Bastila wasn't going to.

"Most Jedi cannot successfully wield two full lightsabers like you can... Obtena," Bastila stammered. Obtena shrugged and tossed it into the pile of items collecting in the sand amidst the bodies. One of the lightsabers had shone violet instead of red, and she planned to replace the yellow crystal in one of her own lightsabers with that in the Sith weapon. Then she had another thought, and pulled the uniform off the Sith and stowed it along with the rest in her pack.

"Look at this," Juhani said, handing a datapad to Obtena. It bore the images and descriptions of both padawans.

"Hm, he wasn't kidding when he said Malak was offering a great reward. Maybe he'll give me half of this if I turn you in, Bastila." she added with a wink. Bastila was too flustered to respond beyond making various indignant noises. On the one hand she was still shocked to see Revan coming so close to the surface, but on the other, Obtena's mood was obviously improved; which had its own unwelcome implications. "Don't fret so," Obtena continued, sincerely enough. "I'm sure you'd rather I had used these, " she patted the lightsabers on her belt, "Instead of using the Force so... violently, but in the end, it's no worse than what you do. More efficient, even."

"What do you mean?" Bastila whispered, aghast.

"You can put your enemy into a stasis of sorts, freeze them, like Juhani did Carth and Canderous when I was sent to... retrieve her." She grinned at the Cathar, who returned it with a forlorn smile. "Which is worse, using the Force to actively harm an opponent, or freezing them so that they're at the mercy of your lightsaber?"

"Power used for such violent means is drawn from the dark side of the Force," Bastila admonished.

"And killing someone with your lightsaber isn't? Either way, your opponent winds up dead. I don't see the difference, so I don't worry about it either way."

"Yes, I've noticed." More than once Bastila had commented on one particular aspect or another of Obtena's behaviour regarding her training. As the bond between them had strengthened, this had been shorthanded to Obtena sensing Bastila's disapproval, and Bastila sensing Obtena's indifference. They rarely had to speak of it anymore. This time, however, Obtena felt the need to make sure Bastila saw her point. She rose to her feet and took Bastila's hand in hers.

"In the end, it comes down to one very simple rule. I learned it early on, visiting all kinds of hostile locations. You've been cloistered in that academy on Dantooine for most of your life, and you've only been in battle when this war started." She knew Bastila didn't like to talk about it, but maybe bringing it up would drive it home. "I'm betting you didn't come face to face with death until the day you faced Revan, did you?" Bastila started, pulling her hand from Obtena's grasp, staring at her with wide eyes. Obtena continued. "The rule is simple, Bastila: in a fight to the death, be the predator, not the prey."

"My people believed this also," Juhani agreed. "Though it does make me wonder why you did not kill me when I attacked you in the grove."

"Well, you were so cute. Angry, yet sad, and 'I will be your doom!' and all. I just couldn't do it," Obtena quipped with a smirk, then handed her pack to the Cathar as she gave her low chuckle, almost a purr. "Here. Why don't you take this back to the ship and bring Mission up to date." Juhani nodded and headed back they way they had come.

Obtena turned to Bastila. "You okay now?"

"I think so, yes." Obtena let the uncomfortable silence linger just long enough, then took Bastila's hand again.

"Come on, let's go find your mother."