Revan's Shadow: Chapter Seven

The first of the twin suns was reaching for the horizon, and they had yet to find the cave housing both the starmap and the krayt dragon. The distance had been so great that they'd hired a second swoop; Canderous on one, Obtena and Bastila on the other. The Mandalorian had grinned widely as Bastila clambered on and wrapped her arms around Obtena's waist, but a frown from Obtena ensured no chauvanistic remarks. The fact that she'd enjoyed feeling Bastila's ample bosom pressed against her back as she held on for dear life was beside the point.

Now the pair watched silently as he took on three desert wraid at once. They were causing the oversized brute some damage, but his regeneration implant was bound to keep him on his feet long enough to finish them all off. Obtena fiddled with the planetary position device one more time then gave up. "I don't know how to use this thing," she decided.

"We'd probably have found the cave by now if we did not allow the Mandalorian to slaughter every animal we come across along the way," Bastila huffed. She was still sitting snugly behind Obtena on their swoop, but leaning back on her elbows. Obtena tried not to notice how gorgeous she looked, loose hairs clinging to the sweat on her face, the way she licked her lips in the heat...

"He's the meatbag version of HK. He gets too grumpy if he doesn't get to kill something every now and then. Hm, I wonder if HK is a Mandalorian droid..."

"Mandalorians are violent, simple-minded butchers. I doubt they would build an assassin droid, just battle droids and basilisks."

"You're probably right. About the droids I mean. After helping that desperate woman sell her wraid headbone, I figure we can let Canderous have his way and make a profit at the same time."

"The only reason you need so many credits is because you spend so many credits. And on what? Weapons, armour..."

"Mission did not look good in that secondhand combat suit..."

"...and yet you don't buy the gizka poison."

"You're just complaining because the gizka start crowding around you whenever you meditate." A reply was not forthcoming, so Obtena continued. "Meditation opens you up to the Force. The Force is in all living things. I think they know you well enough to know you're not about to feed them, so maybe they feel it when you meditate. Maybe they like you."

"Maybe you should meditate more often, then they can flock around you for a change."

"Or maybe they just think you're the cutest. You know, right now I'm thinking you could model for those swoop ads..." Obtena reached back and squeezed a thigh. Bastila sighed and twisted herself off the swoop, walking around in small circles to stretch her legs. Obtena dismounted as well. "Bet you won't be complaining about our excess of funds when you spot the next hot ensemble you like."

"One is enough."

"As Canderous might say, we're women; one is never enough."

"I do not dress to indulge the base passions of men!"

"You dress to feel good. The outfit, the matching lipstick... the eyes, the elaborate hair. Looking good makes you feel good, doesn't it?"

Bastila considered this. "I suppose," she finally admitted.

"On the other hand, Jedi have a dress code of their own. Maybe being one and not dressing like one - lightsaber accessory aside - says you wish you were ordinary."

"Nonsense!"

"If you hadn't been brought up by the Jedi, your social skills might not have been so underdeveloped. Noone to talk to but fellow students and grumpy old teachers."

Bastila frowned at Obtena. "It's not just skill. You have... a way with people. Charisma. You've brought a Mandalorian into a group with a Republic soldier, a Cathar into a group with a Mandalorian; and none of them have tried to kill each other yet because they're too busy following you wherever you care to take them. You are a natural leader..." she paused suddenly.

"Was that a compliment, or just a statement of fact?" Obtena asked with a smirk. When Bastila didn't reply, she turned to see her with her head cocked and eyes narrowed. Obtena went still and turned her attention to their surroundings as well.

"How big can this dragon of yours be, Komad?" a man's voice carried over the next dune.

"Komad Fortuna is the name of the Twi'lek hunter I met in the lodge," Bastila pointed out. "It seems we've arrived at a precipitious time." She waved Canderous over to them, then she and Obtena climbed the dune. They reached the top to see Komad's human companion jog forward into the shadow of the cave. The orange Twi'lek chased after him, apparently intent to wrestle his companion to the ground in order to prevent him from entering the cave.

Canderous joined the pair of padawans just in time to witness Komad reach the human and tackle him, but his momentum carried them both into the shadow of the cave. There was a moment of silence, and then Obtena felt... "A tremor in the Force," Bastila whispered. The words were barely out of her mouth when a voice screamed. It was followed by the disgruntled roar of a creature far bigger than any sentient, a brief moment of wet flesh ripping... and then a more earthly tremor as the cave's occupant settled back into its slumber.

Obtena turned to face the opposite direction and sat down heavily. "Words cannot express how glad I am that I couldn't see what I just heard... not one word, Canderous."

"I wasn't going to say anything," the Mandalorian replied. "Don't get me wrong, I've seen plenty of things you two wouldn't want to, but that was hardly a way to leave this life."

Bastila turned on him. "Barbarian! Komad tried to save that man's life!"

"On the other hand, that man got Komad killed," Canderous countered. "I remember him from the lodge. Sounded like the most honourable man there. It's a shame he wasted his life on that fool."

Obtena stood abruptly. "Bastila, don't blame Canderous for thinking differently than we do. And Canderous, maybe you should stop judging non-Mandalorians by Mandalorian values. It was Komad's life to risk." She paused a moment as the sudden movement and the heat induced a headrush. She sighed. "If you both think he was a good man, you can honour his memory however you like, later. Right now we have to figure out what we're going to do."

Ignoring Bastila's glare, Canderous shrugged. "Obviously, charging in with blasters blazing is suicide. You were a scout before you strapped on the lightsabers, what would you do?"

"I... I'm not sure. My memories from before Taris are still... vague." Obtena turned back to the cave, and spotted Komad's landspeeder. "Come on, maybe Komad had something."

Together they worked their way down the dune and over to the hovering vehicle. The cargo compartment was full of mines. "Perhaps Komad intended to lay these at the mouth of the cave, then lure the krayt dragon out?" Bastila suggested.

Obtena blinked as the second half of Bastila's suggestion dropped into place. "Banthas. We crossed the trail of a bantha herd a couple of dunes back, right?" She started unpacking the mines. "Canderous, get back to Anchorhead and buy some bantha fodder while I lay these. Hm, remote detonator... when you get back, we'll go draw the banthas here."

"What about the Sand People?" Bastila asked. "They seem to have some reverence for those creatures. I doubt the local tribe will react kindly if we try to abscond with them, and Iziz warned us that they are more dangerous than... the one near Anchorhead."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. They'd probably attack us on sight like the rest of them, anyway," Obtena muttered bitterly. "The only other animals we came across out here were a few dewbacks, and I doubt they'd do the trick, even if they like the fodder too. A whole herd of banthas is the best way to try lure the krayt out and into these."

Canderous took Obtena's swoop - it was faster than the rental - while Obtena set to work. Both she and Bastila paid careful attention, hoping that another tremor in the Force would be an early enough warning to back off before Obtena shared Komad's fate, should her proximity catch the krayt dragon's attention. She set the mines in semi-circular waves, working her way out from the mouth of the cave. By the time she had set every last one, Canderous had returned.

The trio had found the banthas and were leading them back to the cave when the Sand People attacked. They targeted Canderous before the two females, and despite the grizzled Mandalorian's experience and skill, they managed to incapacitate him before the Jedi finished them off. The regeneration implant was having a visible effect, but they didn't dare stay on that spot any longer than they had to. It wasn't until Obtena resorted to punching him on the nose that he regained consciousness. Once he was back on his feet, they continued on their way without further incident.

"After long deliberation, and very close observation of actual live banthas, I have come to the conclusion that I definitely do not smell like one," Obtena huffed.

Canderous had wordlessly refused to carry any fodder to lure the beasts, instead keeping slightly ahead of the Jedi 'just in case' there were any more Sand People waiting in ambush. Obtena was being crowded by those leading the herd because she was the only one who was actually feeding them.

"Perhaps you shouldn't feed them at all," Bastila suggested, keeping a couple of steps ahead of Obtena.

"It just doesn't seem fair to lead them on when there's a good chance they're gonna end up a dragon's dinner. Last meal, and so on."

"Your plan is a good one."

"Yes, but with my luck it's bound to go horribly wrong. This way, maybe we'll slay the dragon with indigestion." Another nudge from an antler, another handful into a wide gaping mouth. "Yesterday the Sand People, today everyone in roaming range of this krayt dragon, tomorrow the whole planet will probably die of old age." A moment's silence passed, and then Obtena sighed. "I'm not doing a very good job of distracting you, am I. You really think it's the krayt that-"

"I feel it," Bastila replied simply.

"Then I suppose we'll find both the things we're looking for in that cave," Obtena figured. "Why do you think your mother wants it?"

"Father recorded his personal thoughts in that holocron. Having it would be like having him with you." Bastila's sad voice turned surprisingly resentful. "I don't see why she should have it, however. She drove him to his death! I loved him, and now I've lost any chance to say goodbye!"

Obtena tried to keep the surprise at Bastila's emotional display to the back of her mind. She'd expect this from hot-tempered Juhani, but not the Jedi princess whothought the ultimate Jedi was an utterly controlled one. "You'd keep it for yourself?" she asked carefully.

"I don't know... a part of me wants it just so she won't get it. I don't like that part of me. I would have thought my Jedi training would have put me past such pettiness. I wish..." She cut herself short, brushing a hand across her eyes. "I really don't want to think about this. Let's just keep going."

Obtena could feel her own mood taking a sharp downturn, and reigned in her emotions as well. If she couldn't lift Bastila's spirits, she wasn't about to let herself drag them further down. Probably for the first time since her training, she intentionally practiced the vaunted Jedi mental self-discipline that they prized so highly. She started by reciting the Jedi code, as she was sure Bastila was already doing. Then came the cold numbers of a game of Pazaak; card values, potential combinations, probability of which four of the ten side deck cards could be drawn. When she was bordering on playing a match in her head, she tried to think of something else.

The night sky of Dantooine came to mind. Each star represented a single thought. Constellations drew related thoughts into patterns to form ideas. There were three constellations for the Jedi - the Sentinel, Guardian and Consular - and between them was the constellation representing the Republic which they guarded. Beyond them were the threats of the Sith, dark Jedi, and other threats such as the Mandalorians... that constellation had been bigger, but as Revan had regained ground against them, Bastila had simplified it into something smaller until it was barely-

Obtena blinked, and full awareness returned. She was still trudging across the sand. She'd fallen in step with Bastila - or had it been the other way round? - and the cave was just up ahead. Bastila herself seemed to be coming to her senses at the same time, and returned Obtena's look with a faint smile. "The effort is appreciated," was all she said.

The bond's still growing, Obtena realized. We must have linked when we both focused on... how far will this go? Obtena didn't have time to ponder that question, as they were approaching the outer perimeter of the minefield. "Okay, from here the smell and the noise should do the rest. Let's spread out and see."

"I can still shoot it, though, right?" Canderous asked hopefully.

"Aim for its eyes or something," Obtena advised as she threw her fodder back toward the banthas so that they'd hold still for at least a moment, before moving around to one side. Bastila did the same and joined her, while Canderous took position on the other side. As more of the banthas reached the discarded fodder and began to eat, a commotion sounded from the cave and the Jedi felt the creature within wake. The stomp of giant feet followed, and the sleepy behemoth emerged from its lair.

It was a dragon in every sense of the word, save for the lack of wings. Beneath its large pointed snout, the largest canines were the length and breadth of Canderous' arm. Obtena could have curled up comfortably in its mouth. A massive horn swept back on either side of its crested head, and orange eyes blinked in the almost-forgotten glare of the fading sunlight. It marched slowly forward to reveal a back covered in bony spikes and a body armoured with black scales, save for the pale underbelly that barely escaped the ground. Claws dug into the sand as the beast made its way toward the banthas... and walked right into the first line of mines.

Obtena activated the detonator. With the first series of explosions, Canderous opened fire. A rapid shower of blaster bolts danced across it's face, but the mines had failed to move the bull dragon. Obtena wished the Mandalorian would bother to aim a charged shot instead of using the repeater's automatic fire, but she doubted the krayt had even noticed him yet. It had taken a moment for the detonations to register, but now it threw its head back and roared in defiance. Obtena was sure it could see all of them, but it continued on toward the banthas even though the humanoids were closer. Perhaps we're not big or numerous enough to eat, Obtena figured.

The krayt dragon marched on. Obtena waited until it had advanced far enough, then blew the second and third wave of mines simultaniously. This time when it reared up, Bastila launched her lightsaber through the air, using the Force to send it spinning towards the creature's throat. It sliced through the less protected flesh, and she pulled it back before it was crushed beneath the massive beast.

Canderous was firing again, but by now there was so much smoke and dust from the mines that it was becoming difficult to see. Obtena activated the final wave of mines, a final explosion lit the smoke, and the great beast let out a final, ragged roar before it collapsed. The ground shook so fiercely with its fall that Obtena was flung to her hands and knees.

In the ensuing silence, broken only by the noise of fleeing banthas, the smoke cleared to reveal the krayt dragon lying on its side, throat and chest torn and shredded by the combined force of Bastila's lightsaber and Komad's mines.