Revan's Shadow: Chapter Fifteen

Mission snuck back towards the Ebon Hawk with none of the enthusiasm she had felt when they first landed here. She'd eavesdropped on enough conversations between guards to learn that things weren't running nearly as smoothly as the Ithorian would have liked them to believe. Whoever this Chuundar was, not all the Wookiees followed his lead; and that was just the sentient life. Kashyyyk was also inhabited by a panoply of hostile wildlife. The animal voices from below had taken on a dangerous tone after some of the stories she'd heard.

She was glad to see Carth and Canderous ahead, and snuck up in the hope of surprising them; a prank or two would surely lighten her spirits.

Their conversation made her think twice. "I know what you're saying," Canderous was speaking in an unusually light voice, "But I know a dirty war when I step in one."

Carth shook his head. "The Wookiees are resisting slavery. It's not a war."

"Open your eyes, soldier. Some of these men have seen their compatriots torn limb from limb, or dragged off by beasts as food or worse. They hate everything on this planet, and the Wookiees most of all. The ones that work with Czerka are probably the only reason they're letting the kinrath have the run of the walkway instead of openly attacking the outpost. Many men here would be just as happy to see the entire race destroyed as enslaved."

"So they're talking like Mandalorians, then," Carth sarcastically observed.

"Hah. Wookiees are more than a match for any Republic or Sith trooper, let alone these slavers. When we were looking for targets, we considered this world carefully. We'd have had to use larger weapons than our war droids if we wanted to clear the damn forests so we could fight in the open. Too many trees means they can go into hiding too easy; and what's a continent or two turned to glass, if we get the whole world after?"

"I've seen what you and your people did to the worlds you attacked. You really think Czerka-"

"Not Czerka. Not the corporation," Canderous corrected. His tone of voice made it clear that he had even less respect for the company than he did for the Republic. "Just the men here, working for it. No doubt Czerka would hate to lose such a precious resource. It's ironic, really. If we had attacked them, the Wookiees probably wouldn't be in this situation now, whether we'd defeated them or not."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. If we'd won, their population would have been so decimated that Czerka probably wouldn't have wasted the credits to come and take what's left. If, on the other hand, the Wookiees had somehow managed to drive us off, they would've been stronger for it. They certainly wouldn't be letting themselves get conqoured without a fight."

"Some of them aren't."

"Until none of them aren't, they deserve everything they get. Me, I'd like to find this Chuundar and teach him a thing or two. His people deserve better."

"I have to admit, I'm with you on that one."

"Me too," a small voice behind them agreed. They paused and turned to see a subdued Mission behind them.

"What've you heard... Mission?" Carth asked, careful not to call her a kid this time.

"Pretty much the same thing you two have," Mission replied as the three of them resumed their walk back to the ship. "Big C's right, Carth. I don't think things were this bad when Czerka first got here, but now... these people really hate it here. They hate that the Wookiees are being so difficult, even with Chuundar working with them. It's no excuse, but it explains a lot. I don't think the story's gonna be any different when we get out there and find the Wookiees themselves."

Carth squeezed her shoulder sympathetically. "This is really getting you down, isn't it? Don't worry, Mission. I'm sure Obtena will do everything she can to fix this. It's what she does."

"I know... it's just... it's all your fault, really."

"My fault? How?"

"Telling me about all the worlds out there that were better than Taris," Mission explained with a sad grin. "I was used to it, and then you raised my expectations. I didn't expect Kashyyyk to be so... so spoiled."

"This is just an outpost, Blue," Canderous chimed in (well, maybe not chimed). "When we get out there you'll see this world as it's meant to be seen. We can't have you as depressed as Zaalbar, you're supposed to be the one to cheer him up." Carth glanced at the Mandalorian in surprise. He'd never expected Canderous to have made such an observation, let alone comment on it.

"You're right," Mission agreed with a new resolve. "Big Z was there for me plenty of times on Taris, and now it's my turn to be here for him."

*

Obtena kicked her way through the corpses of kinrath that littered the great walkway beyond the gate to the outpost. The creatures had obviously swarmed the automated defences, which were considerably battered, but still functional. The padawan caught herself considering how to repair them before remembering who they were protecting. She turned to look behind her, and the group watched as Zaalbar strode forward and sniffed the air.

"The wind... the sounds... the smells. I feel it now we are outside the outpost..." He paused, his eyes dropping back to the countless logs lain out before them, the path they were to take. "This walkway is new, probably built by the slavers... but I remember the trees. My village is within walking distance of here."

As Obtena translated this news, Carth looked about himself dubiously. He found it difficult to believe anyone could be so familiar with an environment that was so alive, but he supposed it was no different to a childhood spent in cities and skyscrapers... he swallowed the sudden lump in his throat, remembering that everywhere he had ever been as a child had been utterly obliterated, along with... "What can we expect, besides kinrath?" he asked huskily.

"I don't know. It has been so long since I was last here. Many things may have changed since the arrival of the slavers. Still... the kinrath are the only creatures that live in the Shadowlands that have both the ability and inclination to climb this high up the trees."

"I thought kinrath were only local to Dantooine," Obtena grumbled. Her memories of the hive in the crystal caves were less than pleasant.

"Noone knows which is their native world," Bastila answered, "It certainly wasn't Dantooine. It could be Kashyyyk, I suppose."

Zaalbar nodded. "My people have been hunting kinrath for generations. But your people have been travelling the stars for as long."

Canderous snorted. "Any animal that thrives in an environment like the one this planet has to offer has earned its place. It's not like they care about their home planet. That's something I've never understood about you Republic people. You want to know everything, even if it isn't important or useful."

"You never know when any piece of information may become relevant to your situation," Bastila rebuked as Obtena opened her mouth to reply. (She was, in fact, going to say the exact same thing.) "And it's important because we value expanding our knowledge and understanding of the universe."

"I suppose, if you don't have anything better to do..." muttered the Mandalorian.

"Like conqouring whole civilisations?" Bastila asked with a raised eyebrow.

"For instance."

"The last time you tried, your armies were defeated, your tools of war destroyed; your race decimated, their spirit broken. Perhaps you should have learned something from that."

"You shouldn't sound so smug! It was no thanks to you or your masters that we were defeated," Canderous snarled, but bit back the rest of his retort. Obtena enjoyed observing these disputes - he could feel her eyes on him now - but he knew she wouldn't approve if it ever came to blows or forged a lasting enmity between any of those under her command. Besides, he had to admit... "I suppose you have a point, though. All we knew of Jedi was from holovids. It wasn't until we faced them in battle that we learned their full capabilities. But then, we wouldn't have had it any other way." Bastila rolled her eyes and turned back to Obtena. Canderous, who would usually be scowling at her back at this point, had a surprisingly thoughtful expression on his face.

"Is there anything besides kinrath we should worry about?" Obtena asked Zaalbar. "More than once, I thought I'd seen something flying between the trees..."

"Those are shyrack," Zaalbar informed her. "They are not quite as hostile as kinrath, and more fragile. Look upward now and then; they tend to attack from above."

"And... your own people?"

Zaalbar's face grew pained. "I... I doubt they will attack us on sight, but..." he sighed. "I don't know if my presence will be a help or a hindrance. They will have a poor view of off-worlders, but when they see I am with you... my father was a powerful chieftan. Perhaps his feelings have mellowed, but if my brother has had his ear, I will be very unwelcome."

"Don't worry, Big Z," Mission piped up, taking his arm. "We'll deal with that when the time comes."

"That is what I am dreading. My shame was meant to be forgotten on some faraway world. I never thought I'd come back." He pondered the situation a moment more, then resigned himself to his fate. "But since we are here, we should press on." Obtena nodded at him in both agreement and approval, and together they led the way.

The walkway wound around one treetrunk after another, with wide bridges in between. The forest was so thick that the bridges were often wider than they were long. Occasionally Zaalbar would nod to himself, recognising some unknown feature along the way or affirming that they were still heading to his home village. Every now and then Mission would ask a question about something she just saw or heard; she carefully avoided any personal questions that would remind him of his pain. The subject of cooked kinrath solicited a response from almost everyone, most of it negative.

It did not take them very long to find trouble along the way: a Wookiee's roar and a barrage of weapons fire brought them running around the next tree, to find a grisly sight. Several Czerka personnel were surrounding the body of a Wookiee that was most certainly dead. It's fur was burned in many places, the consequence of being riddled with blaster shots. The men were arguing amongst themselves until one of them noticed the group approaching. He turned to face them, clearly in an unhappy mood. "We'll work it out later, we've got company. What do you want, spacers? You're interrupting Czerka Corporation business."

Obtena stepped forward. "What happened here?"

"This slave got a little... rebellious. We had to put it down."

"Put it down?" Bastila gasped. "You... you murdered him?"

Anything else the others may have said was lost under Zaalbar's ferocious roar. "We are not animals!"

"Zaalbar..." Obtena began.

"Their disregard for the life of this Wookiee is too much!" Obtena stepped in front of him as he began to approach the slavers, vengeance flaming in his eyes. For a moment it looked as if he would shove her aside, and even Mission was taken back; but Obtena's gaze proved a far more effective barrier than her physical presence. Looking into her eyes, he saw the same fire burning there, and it forced him to pause.

"Let me handle this, Zaalbar. Remember your debt." Then she added in a quieter voice, "Now is not the time. Not yet."

Though shaking with anger, the enraged Wookiee held himself in place. "I will honour my debt... for your sake, not theirs. But I can barely stomach this," he growled, casting a murderous eye towards the slavers. It did not go unnoticed.

"Careful now... that last growl still sounded pretty threatening. Keep your slave on its leash or we'll have another accident."

Obtena rounded on the guard. "Attempt another accident and you will be accidentally slaughtered, not by him, but by me," she intoned in a dark voice.

"Shut up, you trigger-happy idiot," the first speaker interrupted, smacking the belligerent guard over the head. He was obviously the one in charge.

"So, your masters don't approve of killing Wookiees," Juhani hissed, her sarcasm as obvious as her distate for these men.

"Of course not," the slaver captain snorted, "Why would you even... ask..." he stuttered to a halt as he suddenly noticed the lightsabers hanging from the belts of more than one of the spacers. "Erm... are you doing some sort of... snap inspection?" None of the Jedi or their associates replied. "Look, this Wookiee got out of hand and had to be put down..."

"Wait, what is this? One of those inspector shakedowns?" the trigger-happy slaver asked. "We'll find another Wookiee easily enough-" A malicious glare from the captain cut him short and he shut his mouth with a snap. The officer looked back to Obtena, whose eyes had narrowed in anger at the last comment. The ambient noise of the forest seemed to fade in the presence of this woman's temper, and he didn't like it one bit.

"Perhaps," Obtena said slowly, "You should consider why this Wookiee preferred death to slavery. And perhaps you should consider how much longer it will be before they all start thinking the same way." She strode past them, obviously having nothing more to say. The others followed, Zaalbar taking a moment to gather up the dead Wookiee's belongings. Juhani stayed with him, and followed him down the walkway after a parting glance at the humans that made them feel they had just gotten off very lightly. The last Juhani heard of their conversation was a suggestion to find somewhere else to work for Czerka.

*

It was past noon, and the sun's brief appearance overhead ended swiftly, throwing fresh shadows across the group's path. Zaalbar, now suffering from two kinds of self-torture, was silently leading the way. Mission was with him, but his mood had quieted even her. The only conversation was Bastila's whispered approval of Obtena's display of self-control. They both knew that she could have tossed the three Czerka personnel over the railing, and the outpost would have assumed they had died from the planet's own dangers. It warmed Bastila's heart to a surprising degree that Obtena had abstained from such an easy prospect for murder... her heart suddenly turned cold when she thought of it like that. She was thinking as if she were in Revan's company, again. She berated herself for this, for Obtena's sake; and again for berating herself for what she perceived to be the wrong reasons.

Zaalbar stopped short and froze. The rest did the same except Mission, who snuck forward until she was beside her Wookiee friend. A look shared between them made it obvious that silence was necessary. Mission gripped the buckle of her stealth field generator, but Zaalbar shook his head and tapped his nose. Animals, Mission realised. Invisibility would be useless against creatures that relied on their sense of smell more than the average sentient. She mouthed the word 'kinrath' at Zaalbar, and he nodded before slowly swinging his bowcaster from his shoulder.

"What is it?" Obtena asked as Mission eased back toward the rest of the group.

"Kinrath."

"How many?"

"Enough to have Big Z worried, in spite of everything."

"So there's a good chance we'll get swarmed like back at the gate," Carth concluded nervously. The others looked at him, surprised by his tone of voice. "I'm a Tarisian soldier and pilot, alright? I can handle a fight with Mandalorians or Sith in an urban setting, or space, but this..."

"Face this battle like a Mandalorian," Canderous grated as quietly as he could or would. "It doesn't matter who or what we're fighting. All that matters is that it's just another battle for survival."

"That doesn't really help!" Carth whispered back.

Obtena motioned Zaalbar to rejoin them. "Someday we're going to have to find something that makes even a Mandalorian think twice. Okay. The three of us..." by now there was no need to say which three she meant, "...Take point. Wait until we've got their attention, which shouldn't be long with the light and noise. Canderous, can you snipe with that thing?"

"Of course," he replied, thumbing a control that switched his heavy repeater to charged shot mode.

"Single shots, choose your targets. If any of them notice you, Canderous and Zaalbar wait for them to reach you before finishing them off with vibroblades. Are we ready?" Everyone silently nodded their assent.

Obtena strode forward with Juhani on her left and Bastila on her right, the rest waiting until they were a few dozen meters behind before following. They came into view of the kinrath, and the simultanious ignition of lightsabers caught their attention. True to form, they all charged immediately. "Let's thin them out a bit," Juhani suggested, and together the three of them called upon the Force. At least a dozen of the arachnids went flying. Some tumbled over the railing, plunging into the deep darkness below. The rest were either stunned or a tangled mess of limbs.

The rest barely paused in their approach. These now reached the Jedi to be dismembered by lightsabers, but as more of them joined the fray, attracted by the chittering cries of their own kind, it began to seem as if two took the place of each that fell. The others opened fire, adding to the noise of of the fight as they started picking off choice kinrath to keep the Jedi from being overwhelmed.

While the heightened senses brought about by battle and the Force helped Obtena remain aware of Juhani as she struck again and again, the bond between her and Bastila made the pair a single killing instrument. Each knew, from instant to instant, what the other was doing and what she was going to do next. They attacked simultaniously at different targets; then as Obtena lunged at another, Bastila killed one of her lightsaber blades as she swung so Obtena would not be cut in two, before reigniting it for the backswing.

Noone was sure how long they had been fighting when a noise from above diverted the group's attention from the thinning numbers of kinrath. Shyrack, drawn by the noise of conflict and the smell of death, were joining the fray. Zaalbar roared in warning and challange as he dropped his bowcaster to draw his vibrosword. Some of the creatures fell on the dead or dying kinrath and began to eat, but the rest attacked both the living arachnids and the humanoids!

"Go help the boys!" Obtena told Juhani breathlessly. The Cathar nodded once and leapt the entire distance between them, slicing through one or two of the shyrack as she sailed through the air, and killing another as she landed. Obtena and Bastila worked their way forward, killing the last of the kinrath and the flyers that rose to defend themselves as they drew near. In the end, only a few shyrack survived the encounter, recognising that the feast had been lost to them for now.

Both Zaalbar and Canderous voiced their exultation in victory. Carth may not have joined them, but the look on his face made it plain that he was as happy - or perhaps relieved - as they were.