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Chapter II

When Darth Gesine awoke, she knew from the lack of movement that the Phantom Rancor had landed. That puzzled her; she hadn’t given T3-K4 any co-ordinates to travel to. Annoyed, she stormed out of the dormitories to the cockpit to confront the headstrong droid.
“T3, what is going on?” she asked, not even trying to conceal her anger. The astromech droid beeped and whirred pleasantly, informing the Sith Lord that they had landed. “I know that!” she roared, making a small dent in the corridor wall. “Why did you land my ship without my permission?” T3-K4 reported her that they had been asked to land and since she had sealed herself in her bedroom, he had decided it best to put the ship down.
“What were you thinking?” Her droid began to reply, but she cut him off short. “Never mind; it doesn’t matter: we’re on the ground now.” She went to the navicomputer to discover their co-ordinates. The navicomputer’s female voice filled the cockpit.
“The Phantom Rancor is currently on the surface of Dantooine-”
“Dantooine?” The Sith slammed her fists on the navicomputer, jarring the console.
A sudden fear and dread weakened her knees and Darth Gesine sunk to the floor. Why Dantooine? she thought, the same fear that had weakened her raising horrifying questions and thoughts in her mind. T3 came up beside her and beeped another message conveying that he regretted landing the ship on the planet his Master hated most.
“I suppose it’s not your fault; you were just following your programming,” she said softly, not really caring whether T3-K4 believed her or not. Somewhat alleviated from his remorse, he whirred softly and went to the engine room to maintenance the hyperdrive and the engine systems.
Ayin continued to stare at the navicomputer’s screen, not able to believe where she was.
“Why Dantooine?” she mumbled over and over again. Had T3-K4 been an organic, or even a protocol droid, he would have tried to cheer her up. But as astromech droids are for maintenance purposes, he was not endowed with the knowledge of imparting all of his ‘feelings’.
After considerable time looking at the galaxy map, Ayin concluded that she should probably get out and stretch her legs. Just as she was about to leave, a mechanical scream of sorts shattered the otherwise quiet atmosphere. Ayin ran to the engine room, activated lightsaber in hand. T3 had a plume of smoke coming from his motivator, and his head disk was spinning wildly.
“T3, what happened?” The droid responded in a bewildered set of whirrs. “There’s no fuel?” Back to his old self again, T3 beeped affirmatively. “Blast! Didn’t we just refuel the ship on Nar Shaddaa?” Again, T3 was certain of it. “I suppose we’ll just have to refuel it again.” She glanced at the fuel gauges and then at her droid. “Can you handle it?” The droid beeped his consenting answer. “Good. I’ll be in the cantina.”
~
As Ayin strolled through the doors of the cantina in Khoonda, the capital of Dantooine, no one seemed to take notice of her, largely due to the fact that she had drawn her hood over her face, hiding her horrific scars in the shadows of her cowl. A serving droid approached her and asked her if she wanted anything.
“Just water and quiet,” she said sharply, taking a seat in the corner where shadows hid her entire form. Somewhat surprised at her response, the droid walked off quickly, not eager to anger the patron.
When Ayin had been served her drink, a Twi’lek approached her, taking a seat across from her.
“You would not be interested in some extra credits, would you?” he asked slyly, the ends of his lekku twitching in excitement as he spoke.
“Why would I be?” she asked coldly.
“Why? Silly she-human, I know everyone likes credits. They buy pretty things like-”
“-Like vibroswords to decapitate annoying he-Twi’leks,” Ayin finished. Her message communicated, the would-be swindler left, muttering curses under his breath.
Once more in peace, a sudden racket towards the front of the cantina roused her attention. Seven Jedi stood in the center of the doorway, lightsabers lit. Ayin’s heart began to beat faster, and she hoped they could not sense her fear. They did not seem to be concerned with her, however. They were all concentrated on a little Sullustan, who was whimpering over the sudden loss of his hand, which lay on the floor, clutching a bag of what Ayin suspected to be sordid gains.
“I feel we have done what we can here,” the leader said, turning to his comrades. They seemed to agree and all deactivated their lightsabers and left, save one. “Michal, you are staying?”
“For a time,” the young man responded.
The Jedi Michal stood a whole head over most other humans in the cantina. He had light blonde hair and other handsome features including sky blue eyes. He scanned the crowd casually and Ayin would have thought that he was looking for someone had he kept his eyes open.
All of a sudden, Ayin’s prior dread returned, stronger, more pressing. She suddenly knew who he was looking for: her.
~
Michal could feel the fear radiating through the cantina. It took him a while to locate the source. Finally, he found it.
A young woman sat in the corner, sipping her drink. The light fell exclusively on her dark emerald eyes and they met with his briefly, but then were averted elsewhere as she turned her face away. Now that Michal had found the source of the fear, he could also feel something else he had not anticipated: darkness. But it was not the normal human emotions: anger, passion, want. Instead, it was a darkness that had been chosen willingly, sought. But under the cover of darkness and fear, there was something else; hidden, harder to determine. Michal strolled over to her booth, still trying to ascertain what he felt in this woman.
Suddenly, it hit him. It was grief.
~
Ayin pretended not to notice the Jedi coming towards her. But with every step he took, fear knotted her stomach into tighter knots.
“Hello there,” he said as he slid in the booth across from her.
“What do you want, Jedi?” she spat.
“I would like to ask you a question, if you don’t mind.”
“Go on.”
“I believe you to be Force-sensitive. Am I correct?”
“Who wants to know?”
“If you don’t wish to say, you will not be forced.”
“Then I won’t.”
“Very well. But when I entered this cantina, I felt your strength in the Force.” He paused. “And the fear and darkness within you.”
At this, Ayin looked up at him, still concealing her scars, but her eyes boring into his.
“Darkness?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“I’m afraid you’re mistaken. It’s more like night.” Michal was visibly shocked.
“Will you allow me to escort you to the Jedi Enclave?”
“Why?”
“So you may be interrogated concerning this ‘night’ you speak of.”
“I’ll go on one condition.”
“And that is what?”
“Is Tash Sunaen there?”
“No.”
“Where is he?”
“Jedi Knight Sunaen died two years ago.”
“Then you may take me to the Enclave.”

Copyright 2007
~
Kavi Vevina Devas

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