Revan's Shadow: Chapter Seventeen

The platform that took people to and from the Shadowlands was simply more logs attatched to a system of ropes made from vines and a bizarre pulley system. It took quite some time for the Wookiee who was charged with its operation to get them all the way down to ground level. Despite his predictable dislike of humans, he admitted that anyone brave enough to dare the Shadowlands was worthy of a modicum of respect, and agreed to wait for their return. As it turned out, Wookiees often gave the platform a miss and climbed up and down the trees themselves. A glance at Juhani proved she believed she could do the same, but she was perfectly willing to lounge about on the platform with the others.

There were no paths, only animal trails that led in rather fixed directions. While it could have taken five lightsaber blades a short time to cut through the prolific undergrowth that was everywhere else, Obtena immediately decided against it. Despite the boys' allusions to laziness, she insisted there was little point in chopping and slicing their way through the foliage when they didn't really know which way to go. Bastila pointed out that after their experience with the krayt dragon and starmap on Tatooine, it was fair to assume that following the animals was the best plan their surroundings had to offer.

It didn't take too long for them to run afoul of the animals that made the trail. "What the hell are these things?" Carth asked after they had slain the first batch.

"Katarn," Obtena replied. "It means 'old prince.' The Wookiees say they were born by a wound made to Kashyyyk, though they're vague on what caused it. The katarn hunted Wookiees, forcing them to 'find their inner fire.' They thank the animals by returning the favour and hunting them back... though I think some tribes tame them to be used as beasts of burden."

"How do you know all that?" Bastila asked.

Obtena, blinked, looked down at the corpse of the beast at her feet, and admitted, "Haven't got a clue. This stuff just comes to me when it's relevant. That's how my memory's been working since Taris, really."

"Well, at least now we know the Wookiees won't mind us killing them," Juhani said quietly.

"Everything's fair game down here," Canderous assured her. "Except other Wookiees, I suppose. That one on the platform said there were some down here, besides the crazy one?" Juhani nodded.

"Several, according to Gorwooken. In fact, I had the impression that the braver Wookiees use the Shadowlands as an escape from the situation above."

"Can't blame 'em," Canderous grunted in a tone of voice that made Obtena stare at him intently.

"You're just following me to keep yourself too occupied to remember that your glory days are over and done with, aren't you?"

"Maybe," Canderous replied harshly, "And if I am, I should obviously thank you so much for reminding me."

Obtena put on her aggravatingly-happy face and said sweetly, "You're welcome!" The others shared a silent laugh as the Mandalorian started grumbling to himself and they moved on.

The hours passed, and the group's morale began to falter as all they seemed to do was walk around and kill katarn. There was so much life about them that even the Jedi couldn't sense anything particular. Bastila did once refer to a subtle disturbance in the Force, but neither Obtena or Juhani had noticed it. Still, it was probably the only thing that kept them on their current course. Time was difficult to measure at ground level; up above, the position of the sun was the only guide. Direct sunlight could not reach the surface of the planet; a seemingly luminescent haze far above was the only indication that it was still daytime.

Another battle, another group of slain animals. Obtena deactivated her lightsaber, than frowned at it as the trademark hum failed to vanish along with the light. It took a moment to realise that the noise wasn't echoing around the clearing from any of them, but from somewhere ahead. Obtena motioned at Juhani to check it out, and the Cathar slipped silently between the trees and vanished from sight. A minute later she returned, and beckoned enthusiastically at the others to follow. They came to a ridge from which they had a most surprising view.

An old, grey-bearded man with very tattered brown robes was wielding a green lightsaber against several kinrath that had surrounded him. He seemed to be handling them just fine on his own, but Juhani leapt from the ridge onto one of the beasts, slicing off the limb that bore its poisonous barb. With a shrug, Obtena followed with Bastila at her side. Carth scrambled down the brief cliff as Canderous opened fire on another of the creatures. It didn't take much time to finish them off.

"Bah, the damnable racket of battle," the old man grumbled as the others approached him. "Watch yourselves, even more of these crawling beasts are hiding in the underbrush."

"Who are you?" Juhani asked.

"Jolee. Jolee Bindo." He took a moment to eye the others of the group, his glance lingering longest on Obtena. Then he shrugged and turned, beckoning them to follow. "Let's go to my camp and we'll talk a bit."

Jolee's attention to Obtena did not go by unnoticed by Bastila. "But... what are you doing here?" she asked, worried.

"Why am I here?" Jolee turned again and gave Bastila a penetrating stare that drew her up short. "Hmph. Well it isn't because I like the stink of dead kinrath. Let's move this talk to my camp where the air is better." He turned once more and walked off. "Keep close. It's nearby, under a log." The volume of his voice decreased as he continued on. Apparently, he wasn't used to sentient company and had taken to talking to himself. "Yeah, I live like some burrowing rodent. I fought the Sith... now look at me. Hmph!"

Despite his age and the display of symptoms for senility, he was fit and moved at quite a pace. As the shortest among the group, Obtena had the hardest time keeping up. She was almost positive the old coot was doing it deliberately, but she was damned if she was going to make a fuss about it. However, Jolee's camp wasn't far off. It was basically a mud hut beneath the trunk of a tree that had fallen. There was a little window in the side of the hut, behind which could be seen the flickering glow of a candle. A small fire bordered by lightsaber-cut stones burned lazily a few feet in front of the door.

"Welcome to my home, such as it is," Jolee muttered, sitting on a stump by the fire and gesturing to others that were lined up by the wall of the hut. "Pull up a stump and be comfortable. We should discuss a few things." Given the muddy state of the ground, those that chose to sit did as he suggested.

"I'm betting there's plenty for you to tell," Obtena remarked drily as she sat.

"Don't coddle me, child. I'm neither a Jedi nor your master. I'm just an old man that's been lost in the woods for far too long. My days of glory are behind me, but... perhaps there is something I can do for you. You must have questions."

"But you use a lightsaber," Bastila interrupted. "Are you not a Jedi?"

"Ugh... I follow the Jedi way and I can use the Force, yes; and I suppose that makes me as much a Jedi as anyone... but what of it? Why should being what I am compel me to entertain others with tales of the 'good old days,' huh? I've seen my share of the dark and the light. And frankly, both extremes annoy me. Of course... I have felt the rumblings of change..."

Juhani shook her head. "I do not feel the taint of the dark side within you, old one. I sense you are a servant of the light, whether you will admit it or not."

Jolee took a moment to reply, seemingly entranced by the Cathar's topknot as it swayed back and forth with the motion of her head. "Well, I assure you, I see more grey than dark or light. I suppose when it comes down to it I'm just a stubborn old man, tired of the foolishness of others." The old man pointedly kept his gaze on the fire as he said this, picking up a stick and poking at it until it crackled with a little more enthusiasm.

"Then I guess we better go, since you won't have the patience to deal with Obtena," Carth interjected with a smirk. Obtena stuck her tongue out at him, a sight he had become familiar with since their reconciliation.

"Obtena, is it now?" Jolee replied. "Interesting name. Obtena what, by the way?"

"Brator."

"Obtena Brat, eh?"

"Brator. You going to pretend you're deaf?"

"Why shouldn't I? It tends to keep impertinent youngsters from bothering me." Jolee leaned back with a smile. "Yes, an interesting name someone chose for you. Your mother, perhaps?"

"I... don't actually know..." Obtena faltered, then she frowned at Jolee. He nodded in answer to her thoughts.

"Of course not, of course not. You've had a little trouble upstairs recently. Yes, I noticed that. Don't worry, my dear. Perhaps it was necessary for you to forget yourself in order to complete this quest you're on. Or were you thinking that was a coincidence, too?"

Obtena opened her mouth to ask how much he knew about that, but the rascally grin framed by his beard told that he was expecting the question and already had a smartass response lined up that wouldn't actually provide an answer. Instead she asked with a sigh, "Where's the starmap, old man?"

Jolee laughed. "Now why would you be asking about that, hmm? Don't answer. I knew that had to be why you were here. The problems of a few Wookiees don't amount to anything before the concerns of the Jedi. No, you are only here for the map."

"Well, that is why we came here, but doing something about the Wookiee situation will probably happen along the way." Jolee raised his eyebrows questioningly. "This isn't the first planet with a starmap we've visited. Doing other things while we're here seems to be part of the job."

"Which is another reason why I've been content to stay off the scanners for so long," the old man grumbled disapprovingly. "I'm too old to be running around the galaxy, poking my nose into other peoples' business."

Canderous spoke up. "Do you know anything about a crazed Wookiee living down here somewhere?"

"Maddened with grief, perhaps, but not crazed," Jolee corrected. "I helped him pass to the lower forests where only a Wookiee could survive. Some other matters will determine if you can follow. There is a barrier that... well, we'll talk of that more in a moment."

"You know about the problems the Wookiees are having, up above?" Juhani asked.

Jolee nodded. "Czerka Corporation was smart to put Chuundar in power. He's as good at destroying Wookiee culture as dropping corpses full of Ardroxian Flu." He looked at Obtena with a thoughtful expression, scratching his beard. "Will you work for him or against him, I wonder? I will be interested to see."

"You don't have an opinion?" Bastila asked, surprised.

"Uh, sure, how's this: think for yourself." Jolee's eyebrows, as thick as his beard, met at the bridge of his nose in a deep frown. "I don't care for politics, girl. I'm big on letting people figure things out for themselves." As quickly as the frown came, it was gone, and the old man chuckled. "Intriguing creatures, Wookiees. I like that they have little patience for bureaucrats. And Kashyyyk itself is an interesting place, more so than anyone suspects. If Czerka knew, heh, the planet would be a strip mine. The Wookiees have legends that they were not always here, but it is more than that. The trees themselves are strangers."

"The planet was seeded by another race?" Obtena asked.

"What I'll tell you for now is that there are literally walls in your way, and you won't find what you need without my help... and my help has a price. You must do a task for me, and then allow me to join you on your little quest. I will then remove certain barriers in your path."

Jolee was starting to sound like a Jedi master, and Obtena didn't much care for it. "Why should I trust you, you crazy old coot?"

"Oh, save it. I know it sounds absurd, but I'm old and entitled to work you around a bit," Jolee replied enthusiastically, rubbing his hands together as he leaned forward. "Besides, the test is simple. Since they began expanding in the Shadowlands, Czerka have left me alone, for the most part. Until recently, anyway. A group of them set up camp not far from here. Poachers is all they are. I'd like them removed from this place."

"Fine," Obtena decided with a sarcastic sigh. "I guess I'll try to learn from the humble task of getting some young upstarts off a grumpy old man's lawn."

"Yes yes, I'm an old man that's getting fussy. You still have to do it. Their camp is northeast from here. Now remember, if I wanted them dead, I'd have done it myself. Find a better way."

"You forgot grumpy," Obtena pointed out with a grin. "Grumpy old man."

"I'm only grumpy when young upstarts drop in and upset my quiet, simple lifestyle!" Jolee complained, rising to his feet and ambling into his mud hut. "Now, off with you! All of you! Shoo!" The door didn't look sturdy enough to be slammed, but Jolee managed it nonetheless. It didn't actually do much for his privacy; though muffled, the others could hear his voice as he berated them further, even though they weren't in there with him. It was clear he was finished rambling at them face-to-face until the job was done.

"How about crazy old man?" Canderous asked.

"He's not insane," Obtena disagreed, "He's just been down here a long time. Come on, let's go."

As the group made their way northeast, Juhani wondered aloud, "Fought the Sith..."

"Exar Kun," Bastila finished the thought. "Jolee seems to be the right age to have fought in that war. Perhaps he's been here ever since," she added worriedly.

"Why does that concern you?"

"War... leaves its mark on you. It's certainly left its mark on Jolee. It almost feels as if he lost faith in the Jedi order... but as you said, he is not of the Sith. I find his perspective... troubling."

"I think it's refreshing," Obtena interjected. "He's got that he-knows-best attitude, but it's from being an old man rather than a Jedi master."

"Are you saying you'd sooner take Jolee Bindo's advice than that of master Zhar?" Bastila asked, "Or master Vandar?"

"Vandar, I'm not sure. I know his species can live for almost a thousand years, though I can't remember the name of it... and Vandar strikes me as middle-aged, which gives him centuries over the others. But Zhar, probably. Vrook, certainly. I have difficulty believing someone so bitter has the kind of wisdom it should take to be a Jedi master." Obtena saw the conflicted expression on Bastila's face, and sighed. "I suppose they all trained you from the start, didn't they?"

"Yes."

"And you never had any problems with them?"

"I... wouldn't say that," Bastila admitted hesitantly, but was quick to add, "But every padawan has had disagreements with their masters at some point in their training."

"Nothing as disagreeable as our shouting matches, eh?" Obtena suggested with a smile, knowing the effect. Sure enough, Bastila blushed, then silently berated herself for allowing her embarrassment to show. "Look, I'm still not sure what it is I don't like about them, but I'm willing to follow my instincts on that. Maybe Carth's Jedi paranoia-"

"Hey!"

"...Is justified, flyboy."

"Oh. Uh, thanks?"

"You're welcome. My point is, there's a difference between lying and not telling the truth. The Sith will say and do whatever they want in order to achieve their aims, so the Jedi are a better choice simply because they try to maintain some self-control. But in a way, a Jedi obfuscating the truth is worse than a Sith lying, because you don't expect such deceit from a Jedi."

Bastila's face fell. "I understand," she said without enthusiasm. Obtena suddenly got an impression of worry... that the masters had been unexpectedly duplicitous. Obtena wondered if her own doubts had somehow become infectious via the Force bond. "No, it's not you," Bastila answered. "I believe, as you do, that the masters have not told us everything they could. They have said only as much as they need to. Who is to judge how much we should be told, if not them?"

"I don't know," Obtena answered, "But even the wisest are not above human failings. Vrook called me arrogant, and maybe I am; but I don't think he's one to talk."

The Jedi fell silent, continuing their walk in contemplation until they approached the edge of a clearing along the trail. The hum of machinery was clearly discernable before entering the clearing, and the group paused just beyond sight to observe the activity ahead. Several Czerka personnel were milling about, performing various tasks. The eldest was standing in the center of the activity, ordering people around with a harsh voice. His subordinates followed his orders without complaint. It was obvious that they had all been in the Shadowlands long enough to know that any mistakes could cost everyone their lives.

"Look at those," Carth whispered to Obtena, pointing at the nearest of several devices that had been erected around the perimeter of the camp. "Some kind of sonic emitter. I've seen a similiar array attatched to spaceship blasters. If done right, it can give them a little more punch. What would they be using them for here? Those don't look life defences."

"One way to find out," Obtena answered with a shrug. She took a step forward, but Bastila grabbed her arm.

"Remember, Jolee doesn't want them dead," she reminded her fellow padawan.

"Just because I can kill Czerka people without the corporation ever finding out doesn't mean I'm going to," Obtena assured her, then paused and grinned. "In fact, maybe you should lead the way on this one."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, those men have been alone down here for a while. I imagine a beautiful young woman like you could get their attention, get information out of them without resorting to the Force, keep them distracted..."

Bastila suddenly looked a great deal more nervous. "But I don't... I can't! I would never..."

"It's a shame she doesn't have her favourite clothes," Canderous joined in with a leering grin, "Or that joygirl outfit from Taris..." Bastila watched the Mandalorian's eyes travel up and down her body and was positive he was imagining her naked.

"Oh, I kept that," Obtena told him. "It's in the ship. I've held onto it just in case there's a reason to pour Bastila back into it."

"You were dressed as a joygirl?" Juhani asked Bastila, astonished.

"She was dressed in it the first time I saw her on Taris," Carth replied with a wicked smile. "The sight was quite a pleasant shock. Oh, did I ever tell you the story of how she misplaced her lightsaber..."

Blushing furiously, Bastila marched out into the clearing, no longer caring if the others followed or not.