Fate
By PazaakGirl.
Sneak Peak: "All I ask is that you find her, and do not lose her. But most of all, you must not fall in love with her."
Disclaimer:No, I don't own Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, or anything else in the Star Wars universe. As much as I'd like to, it's not mine. I only own the name of my redeemed Revan, Amira Danstar, and my Exile, Jaina Darik.
"Dee-deet. Beep deet. Dooo."
"Thanks, T3. Take the ship down. We won't stay in Nar Shaddaa for long."
"Dweee!"
Amira chuckled at the astromech droid. He was nowhere near the company that the Republic Soldier could offer, but she could not take him on this mission, or anyone else, for that matter. She looked at the empty hold of the Ebon Hawk and sighed in sadness. Freighter ships seem so much bigger when no one's around except for droids.
She glanced at the surface of Nar Shaddaa and prayed that her plan would work; that she would find him on this planet.
"Juma juice. And keep 'em coming."
Downing a glass in an instant, Atton sighed. If someone didn't come into the cantina without a pazaak deck, he was going to run out of credits very soon. He didn't appreciate getting kicked out of the pazaak den simply because he kept winning. Just because the other players never took risks during games didn't mean he should pay for it.
Sitting at the bar, he kept an eye on the door as he sipped a second glass.Come on, he thought, someone's gotta come in itching to play.
Then the doors opened, and a cloaked person walked into the cantina. Atton frowned. That posture looked familiar. And that cloak…
"E chu ta! Tomanee nacca pucca!" A Twi'lek approached the new arrival, obviously disliking the shady appearance. The cloaked person spoke inaudibly, but Atton noticed the Twi'lek's eyes glaze over as he walked away, stunned. The figure sat on the stool to Atton's right and motioned for the bartender.
"Juma." The person requested, and Atton was surprised to note that the voice was a female's. He turned to the bartender and place a few credits on the table. "I'll pay for that one, plus another for me."
As the bartender nodded and went to retrieve the drinks, Atton drummed his fingers on the table, occasionally glancing at the woman sitting next to him, who was facing forward with the hood over her head.
"Perhaps you should do the bold thing and ask what you desire to know." She suggested, still looking away, but making it very evident that she was addressing Atton. He turned towards her and pulled out a pazaak deck. She looked down at the pile of cards and pulled out her own.
Atton grinned as they picked their decks up and shuffled. This is my lucky day.
They began to play at a table as the bartender brought them their drinks. Atton scanned his cards and drew one from his deck. Seven. He motioned for his opponent to draw and she drew a three. He drew another card. Two. They continued to take turns until Atton won the game 18-20.
He smiled, as they reshuffled. "So, what are we betting on?"
Still not revealing her face to Atton, she drew her four cards. "If you win, then I am whatever you wish of me. However, if I win, then you're going to have to do me a little favour…"
Atton grinned and drew his cards. "Deal."
Atton won his second game and pumped his fist at his opponent's total 24 . "Looks like you're going to have to hold up your end of the deal."
"Do not be so confident, my friend," she replied, amused. "Overconfidence is a weakness with painful retribution."
She was right. He lost the next two games through a bust and a lower total. Sweating, Atton calmed down. She began the next round by drawing 10. Atton drew a nine. The next card made it totals 15-9. Atton then drew an 8, and smiled, placing a &002B/- 3 card on the table with the addition activated. Satisfied with the totals of 15-20, and his opponent possessing only one more card, he folded his arms. "Babe, I have a right to be overconfident," he stated smugly.
She only chuckled. Drawing a 6 brought her to 21. Atton leaned forward to collect his cards when she held her hand up to stop him. "Not so fast."
Atton's eyes widened in shock when she dropped a &002B/- 1 Tiebreaker onto the table. It brought her total down to 20, effectively winning the last game.
Atton gaped at the cards, but then regained his composure. "Okay, you win. So what's this favour I'm supposed to do?" he queried, a sly grin on his face
She collected her cards and rose from the table. "If you'll come with me..."
She headed towards the exit of the cantina and Atton hurriedly packed his cards up, following her. She led him into an alleyway and Atton scanned the location in mock disappointment. "Well, not the place I thought, but hey, I like it dirty too."
His companion faced him, with the cloak still shrouding her face. "You always were so flippant about things, Atton Rand. Or should I say Jaq?"
Denying Atton the chance to ask how she knew his real name, she drew a violet lightsaber from her cloak and struck. Atton dodged the attack, but only just, cursing at the lightsaber. I thought I'd never have to see another one of those.
He drew a vibrodagger, meeting the next swing midway, and flipped, kicking the saber out of her hand. He swung behind her while she was distracted and brought an arm around her neck. He pointed the dagger at her throat threateningly.
"Don't make me kill you." He spoke acidly at his captive.
She merely chuckled and Atton was flung back by the power of a Force Wave. Crashing against a wall he sank to the floor groaning. A streak of violet flashed across his eyes, poised an inch away from his chest. The woman kneeled down before him and extinguished her lightsaber.
"You were also a very good fighter. I forgot about that… amongst other things…" she admitted, pulling the hood down to reveal herself.
Atton paled at the identity of the woman he was so close to killing. "Revan." He whispered, almost in fear. What in space was she doing in Nar Shaddaa looking for him?
"That's who I once was… before the Jedi Civil War," she explained, shaking her head. She sat down next to him and leaned against the wall. "The Jedi Bastila captured me on one of her missions, on the same day that Malak decided to betray me. My memory was altered; the Jedi hoped that I could be good again. And they were right."
Atton scoffed at the last statement. "You're telling me that you're Revan, but you're not Revan."
"That's right," she stated, nodding in agreement. "My name's Amira Danstar now, and previously I had no memory of my time as the Dark Lord of the Sith. But they're coming back now, and I'm remembering things… how you used to be one of my best soldiers… how Malak and I found the Star Forge… what I found in the Unknown Regions of the galaxy."
Atton turned towards her and frowned. "What did you find?"
"You will find out soon enough, Rand. For now, I need you to do something for me. Not as a former soldier of the Sith, but as 'Atton'."
"I'm not sure I like the idea of doing a favour for you," he replied, "but okay."
Amira smiled at him and continued. "I need you to find a Jedi for me. Not to kill her, but to help her."
Atton stared at her in disgust. "You want me to help a Jedi."
"I want you to help a Jedi who fought in the Mandalorian Wars when all the Jedi Masters turned away," Amira clarified. "You will help her to find a way to me in the Unknown Regions."
"Doesn't sound too hard. What's in it for me?" he asked, wondering why he should go gallivanting across the galaxy to find this person.
"You can kiss goodbye to this sorry life that you gave yourself when you left the Sith." She replied, smiling.
Atton sat in brief contemplation. He can do what the once-Revan woman before him asks, place his life in unfathomable danger that follows Jedi wherever they go, or he can stay here. In Nar Shaddaa. Stay in a wasteland of a planet playing pazaak all his life and taking one-night stands with cantina girls. It was a no-brainer: a life with a purpose or a life as a scoundrel for ever and ever.
"Alright, I'll do it."
Amira looked at him in skepticism, but smiled. "Never thought you'd pick a mission over cards," she admitted, "but I'm glad." She took an old datapad out from under her cloak and gave it to Atton. It displayed a photo of a group of Jedi on the old academy of Dantooine. Revan was in the middle, with Malak behind her, and to her left was a young girl with white-blonde hair and bright green eyes. The first thing Atton noticed was how vibrant and beautiful she looked.
"She's older than in the photo, of course, and no doubt she's acquired a few scars over the years. But I do not think she'd have changed so dramatically that you won't recognize her. Her name is, or at least once was, Jaina Darik. I need you to track her for a while and, when the time is right, reveal yourself to her. You will not allow her, or anyone else, to know that you have spoken to me, nor that you know who she is. You will follow her in whatever mission she finds herself in, because no doubt the Sith by then will have been alerted to her presence in one form or another."
Atton snickered at her. She's talking about the Sith as if she never ruled over them.
"Eventually, she's going to find my old master, who will lead her to find me in the Unknown Regions. As I've told you, you'll find out what I discovered in the future. But you need to ensure that she doesn't leave your sight. I need to make sure that she doesn't get killed, or turn in the wrong direction. Do whatever you need to in order to stay around. Crash a ship, make a wrong turn, swear your loyalty to her; anything."
"How do you know that all of this is going to happen?" Atton asked suspiciously.
"Because I've met with my old master, and she has forseen this. Look, I know this won't be the most comfortable situation for you. I know you hate the Jedi, and more likely than not you'll find yourself amongst a lot of them. But all I ask is that you find her, and do not lose her. But most of all, you must not fall in love with her."
Bursting out in laughter, he looked at Amira in disbelief. "Revan, do you honestly believe I am going to fall in love with a Jedi?"
"I've seen weirder things happen," she muttered. "You might think you won't but trust me, it's possible. And if you fall in love with her, if you admit it, you'll put yourselves both in danger." She rose and moved to leave. But then she stopped and turned around, passing him a comlink. "I do not know how things will be when it happens, but trust me when I say we will meet again. And be careful, Jaq."
She turned back towards the main area of Nar Shaddaa and left. "I'll be in touch."
Atton got up and watched as Amira left. He glanced at the comlink and back towards his old leader, but she had disappeared.
He sighed. "Guess it's time to get myself off this planet."
Five years later…
"You idiot, idiot, IDIOT, Atton!"
It had been three days since he was arrested on the Peragus mining station, and Atton was getting cramps from sitting in a force cage. None of the employees had come to see him, either with questions or food for 12 hours, and the schutta who put him in this situation in the first place had destroyed his only link to another living being.
"Uh, Revan?" He spoke into the comlink on his jacket, effectively disguised as a button. "Got a little problem here."
"What, Rand?" she replied, static accompanying her voice. "If you've lost her, I swear I'm going to hurt you. And stop calling me that; I keep telling you, it's Amira."
"Whatever. Look, that Republic ship she was on? It was en route to Telos, but it was going to stop at Peragus for refueling, so I thought I'd get here first. Thing is, they've kind of arrested me for smuggling."
There was silence on the comlink. "Revan?" He asked. Still silience. "…Amira?" He tried this time, amusement in his voice.
"Very funny. I have a feeling you are going to meet her on the station."
"Dammit woman, can you dispense with the prophecies for one second? I'm injail, Revan, or did you miss that part? How am I supposed to meet with her if I'm stuck in a force cage?"
"Just trust me," she replied, not bothering to hide her enjoyment from his exasperation. "Well, seeing you're going to see her very soon, I'm going to go. Now remember, act like you've never spoken with me during the last five years and that you have no idea who she is. And you are not to fall in love with her. Got that?
"Iknow that Revan, but don't you dare leave."
"Good luck, Jaq. May the force be with you."
"DON'T YOU DARE - "
Static. Revan had crushed her comlink.
"Schutta," he muttered.
Grimacing at the memory, he stretched his arms out and stood up. Silently counting cards in his head, he was interrupted by the sound of metal clanking and blaster fire. Wondering what was going on out there, the back of his neck started tingling.
"I have a bad feeling about this." He muttered to himself.
The prison door opened to reveal a woman in a skimpy jumpsuit. Her blonde hair was tied back in a bun and she had piercing green eyes. Her arms displayed fresh cuts and some older scars, and she brandished a vibroblade.
Atton stared at her in disbelief. How the hell did Revan know? Already knowing the answer, his gaze shifted up and down her body. His fingers twitched, aching to touch her, either due to attraction or the fact that he hadn't seen another living being for hours.
Sith, she's beautiful.
"Nice outfit," he began, before he could stop himself. "What, you miners change regulation uniforms while I've been in here?" He grinned as he quickly flicked his eyes down to her chest.
"Keep your eyes up and tell me who you are." She responded, half scolding and half amused.
"Act like you've never spoken with me during the last five years and that you have no idea who she is. And you are not to fall in love with her."
Dammit Revan, you just pride yourself on torturing me, he thought.
"Atton. Atton Rand. Excuse me if I don't shake hands. The field only causes mild electrical burns…"
Well, that's my first fanfic. Haven't done much writing besides short-story English projects, and they're pretty scarce… so my writing's probably not up to scratch. Please R&R!