Who I am or Who I've been
by rockforthecross74
This is a series of one-shots that adhere to the individual timelines for each of the planets. It is, however, completely non-canonical with the exception of this prologue. Some of these snippets of plotline are made-up completely, some are improvised, and some are all-out narrations of what goes on in KOTOR with my own personal twist. Expect anything and everything when it comes to plot twists, and at the conclusion you'll get to choose your own ending. The first chapter is kind of dull and you can skip it if you like - it's 12 pages of pure unadulterated canon that you would've seen in the game anyway. If you're willing to brave my literary mediocrity without giving up on this fic completely, by all means go ahead.
OC/PC descriptions
Xana Dakari - My version of Revan. 17 years old. Has midnight black, shoulder length hair cut into spiky razor-texture layers, and sideswept bangs. Wears heavy black eyeliner and a red flight jacket & black skinny jeans or a black jumpsuit. Was part of a four-person smuggling crew for 7 months before retiring and deciding to become a scout, at which point she was recruited into the Republic military. Very outspoken, sarcastic, and independent. Loves solitude. Also contemplative, soft-hearted, and empathetic, though she tries hard to mask these qualities.
Talon Averra - 17 1/2 years old. Lieutenant in the Republic navy and survivor of the Endar Spire. Ranged weapons expert specializing in sniper ops. Protege, close friend, and considered "son" of Carth Onasi. Wears a similar outfit to Carth, except he favors a grey muscle shirt and dark brown coat instead of an orange jacket. Has brownish-black hair in shredded layers and a partial fringe covering the left side of his forehead and cheek. Talon has a dual sided personality, switching between the reserved, war-hardened soldier and a compassionate, kind boy trying to make up for friendships and relationships lost on his home planet.
Soundtrack:
Waking up - Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day
Fighting Sith - Desperation and Reform by Relient K
In the cantina - Let the Flames Begin by Paramore
Singing - Again (acoustic version) by Flyleaf, Pressure (acoustic version) by Paramore, and Miniature Disasters by KT Tunstall)
A desperate escape. An innocent life lost so two may be saved. A crash gone horribly wrong.
The last thing Xana Dakari had seen was the interior of her escape pod, illuminated red from the emergency lights, and the faulty safety harness she had been attempting to fasten. Now she only floated blissfully in a sea of black. She wondered briefly whether she was dead or simply unconscious. The answer manifested itself as a vision sprang to life within her mind. She watched passively as two figures argued in the midst of an epic space battle. They were polar opposites of each other; one dark and foreboding, cloaked in tattered black robes, and the other bright and beautiful - pretty much the definition of a Jedi in her appearance. Explosions rocked the room and they both fell; Xana just stared on as if she were merely watching a holo-film.
The vision faded before Xana's eyes and reality came back to her with all the gentleness of a herd of seriously ticked-off banthas. The first thing she became aware of was a steady, rhythmic pounding in her head.
Foggy voices drifted from across the room, both deep and unfamiliar. She could make out a word in their conversation every now and then, but they hardly registered in her dazed mind. The pounding intensified and she scrunched up her face, wishing to be back in her painless slumber again. Now she preoccupied herself with testing out her limbs. She wiggled her fingers, then her toes. Those were working just fine, so she tentatively attempted to move her limbs. Dull pain shot through her sore muscles and her eyes popped open.
Xana winced at the dim amount of light emanating from the apartment's flickering fixtures. Confused and disorientated, her gaze flitted to the window across the room. The sun was only just beginning to dawn, with little rivulets of light peeking over an impossibly huge and elegant skyline. More uneasiness set in as she realized she didn't recognize her surroundings and she racked her brain trying to come up with an explanation as to how she got here. Xana shifted aside the covers reluctantly, grimacing at the shooting pain that coursed through her entire frame as a result.
She nearly jumped as a soothing greeting rang out from across the room. "Good, you're awake. Nice to see you up and about instead of thrashing around in your sleep. You must have been having one hell of a nightmare." Xana whipped her head around to see the captain and recruit from the Endar Spire sitting at a small table nearby, playing pazaak. Suddenly her vision lilted and she leaned heavily on the edge of the bunk to fight off the waves of dizziness.
It all came back to her now as she sat there: the Endar Spire under attack, the escape, the crash and...whoa wait, he was watching me have nightmares? Yeah, it's completely fragging NORMAL for your commanding officer to watch you sleep. Not creepy or stalkerish at ALL... Her headache intensified again.
"How long have I been out?", she groaned.
"Few days. You took a pretty bad smack to the head so we figured it would be best to let you rest."
"What the crap! I probably have a fragging concussion and you let me sleep? I could've fallen into a coma!"
Carth exchanged nervous glances with the young man before speaking up. "Uh, we didn't really think of that at the time, but you seem to be fine now!" A pang of irritation and displeasure coursed through her gut. She was in no mood to deal with two bumbling individuals who didn't seem to care much about her well-being. On the other hand, they had rescued her from the wreckage...
One step at a time, Xana. See if you can walk first, think about these guys' character later.
The recruit made a move to get up and help her, but she merely clamped her eyes shut and waved him off. Gritting her teeth, she opened her eyes again and shuffled over to the table. As soon as she gingerly took a seat, she asked the necessary questions - where were they, what was the situation, and were there any extra details. Apparently they were on a planet called Taris, which was under Sith occupation, with no way of getting off-planet before they were found. And, according to Carth, after the crash she was knocked out by one of her own bags and had to be carried to the abandoned apartment they were now hiding in. Which, added the recruit, was no easy feat considering that said bags had become stuck to her arm and they had to carry those as well. Xana's gaze settled on her battered duffel bag, field pack, and guitar case she had insisted on escaping with.
Letting no embarassment over their difficulties show, she stated boldly. "Those were necessary. In addition to some personal belongings, I've got medpacks, weps, ammo, food, and a small supply of credits in there, which should be enough to get us on our feet while we decide what we're gonna do."
Another quick glance around the apartment indicated that the two hadn't bothered to bring anything themselves, so she treated herself to a smug grin. The recruit piped up, "Fine, but you're paying for my hernia surgery next time I have to haul your unconscious arse and your bags fifty meters and twenty floors from a crash site!"
A well-practiced deathglare from Xana was enough to make him end his outburst and resume staring down at his cards.
Carth cleared his throat, motioned to the refresher door, and said, "Why don't you go get ready, and as soon as you're done we'll head out. I don't think you two know each other yet, so Talon, this is Xana Dakari, seventeen year old former smuggler hired into the Republic army for scouting purposes. She's a seasoned explorer, understands a remarkable number of alien languages, and…"
"Wait, how do you even know that?"
"Uh, well, the only reading material around here was your service record that we found in your bag…"
"WHAT? This is unbelievable - I'm out a few days and you're already rifling through all my stuff! Stalker much?"
"Er, anyway, this is Lieutenant Talon Averra, he's going to be working with us to find a Jedi named Bastila. It's crucial that we find her, because she possesses a rare Jedi gift called Battle Meditation and she's the Republic's last hope for winning the war. Hopefully she survived the crash landing in the undercity, but either way we're not getting off this planet without her."
Xana swallowed her anger and focused on the moment. We? Sorry dude, there's no "we" here. "I think I'll just take my chances on my own. I don't feel like going on a Jedi hunt right this moment and I'm kind of a loner anyway. I'll survive."
"Don't be a fool, the only way you're going to get off Taris before the Sith find you is if we find her first. Remember the whole 'planetary lockdown' issue? Face it, you need us as much as we need you if we're going to survive."
Okay, somebody just got a lot more pushy. Meh, might as well play along. One adventure is just as good as another and it's not like I got anything better to do. "Alright, I'm in. You might be right anyhow, though I strongly disagree with your opinion that I can't handle myself. I'm perfectly capable of getting through this on my own, and I'm not afraid to prove it to you."
Carth held his hands up in a placating gesture. "I have no doubt that you can, though I do think maybe you should stay here for a while with your injuries and all."
"No, I'm not staying behind! Dude, you're the one that wanted me to come in the first place! Look, they're just pulled muscles and bruises. I'll ignore the pain. Simple as that. And judging from the fact that this is a long-abandoned apartment you apparently broke into while burdened down with 'my unconscious arse', it's probably not that much more secure either." She embellished a bit on the last point – another observation of her surroundings and she was slightly awed at the posh interior of the "run-down" apartment. She actually hadn't stayed in a place this nice in who knows how long, but she was an excellent bluff and Carth bought right into it.
"Ok, fine. I won't make you stay behind, though I really think you need some more time to recover. If you are coming, then I suggest you get ready and we'll see if we can find you a clinic or at least a few medpacs along the way."
She just nodded and strolled over to where her bags were leaned against the window. The guitar was ok, a few scratches and small dents but in remarkably good shape. The duffel bag with all her things were unharmed as well, and luckily the frag grenades in her field pack were intact...that could have potentially ended badly. She grabbed an armful of clothes, toiletries, and makeup and headed for the fresher.
One look in the mirror was all it took to make her want to facepalm, that is, if her head wasn't still throbbing. Her naturally wavy hair hadn't been cared for at all was curling in all different directions, and the black makeup she had worn on the Spire was now effectively smudged all over her face. Oh well, time for damage control.
An hour later, Xana emerged wearing a loose black V-neck shirt, dark red flight jacket, black skinny jeans, and her leather knee boots. Her hair was pulled back in a short ponytail at the base of her neck and new heavy black makeup was applied. Little could be done to hide the cuts and bruises from the crash but at least now she looked less like a Republic refugee and more like a normal person.
What a place to crash-land. I lucked out big time, Xana thought as her gaze locked onto the vast and beautiful cityscape now gleaming in the morning's pure sunlight. Metallic and rounded silver spires dotted the landscape, aesthetic walkways decorated with beautiful sculptures were visible between buildings, and the brilliant show of lights and speeder traffic in the morning mist...this was city life at its most breathtaking.
She walked up to the window, stopping next to a beat-up easy chair that Talon had made himself comfortable in, and the two simply looked out at the city for a while. He didn't acknowledge her presence, just continued to sit there, head tilted slightly as he observed the city come alive before them.
Talon asked randomly, "So what do you do for a living anyway?"
Xana leaned back against where the windowpane met the wall and replied nonchalantly, "Different stuff. Computer slicing, demolitions, research, recon, exploring, you know. Just whatever gets me to the next spaceport. If no jobs come up then me and my crew would perform songs in cantinas."
"Yeah?"
"That's what the guitar is for. The tips are decent enough to get us to the next place."
"Where do you go? Core worlds? Mid Rim?"
"Nah, I've been to Coruscant a couple times, but we usually traveled in the Outer Rim. When we'd get low on credits, we'd visit mining and farming planets, sometimes minor smuggling planets if my crew really wanted to. If we saved up a bit, then we'd splurge and randomly explore wherever sounded most exotic and adventurous at the time. I'm pretty sure I've explored planets you've never even heard of."
"Hnh. Must be great to live like that - nothing to worry about other than the next day's credits and adventure."
"Sure is." Xana looked down on the city like a child opening a Christmas present. Survival situation or no, this was unexplored - though certainly not unheard of - territory and she was rearing to get out and experience it.
Almost as if he had read her mind, Talon commented, "You're not going to think it's so great once we get into the lower levels. Even with your extensive experience, you'll probably be flagging down random shuttles to get off this rock once we get back from searching the under-city."
Xana retorted quietly, "I've read a little about this planet in my spare time, it's just I've never seen it in person. It's actually one of the most interesting places I've studied. Such a diverse place. That's probably just wishful thinking though, I've always loved metropolis planets the most."
"Taris interesting? Diverse? At the rate things are going here it's not much better than Nar Shaddaa! Why would you want to study, much less visit, someplace like this?"
"I don't know, that's just the way I think and see things. And come to think of it, I'd like to see Nar Shaddaa as well. Think maybe I'll get myself a shuttle there if...once...we escape."
Talon just looked at her incredulously. "You want to see Nar Shaddaa? Trust me, no you don't. Reading about a place in a sheltered little library is no substitute for the real deal. Rough, backwater refugee traps are no place for anyone, even people like you." He instantly regretted his words; he had no idea just how seasoned an explorer she was and she could potentially throw his argument right back in his face.
Instead, Xana's face turned red with anger, then relaxed suddenly as she replied with calculating coldness, "You don't know where I'm from. Places like Taris, Nar Shaddaa, even Telos' Citadel Station in its' current state are breathtakingly beautiful and mind-boggling compared to where I grew up. You – and everyone else it seems - have to realize how lucky you are to have grown up in such a galaxy, to have people with you to teach you the ropes of how to survive and thrive in this kind of society my world can only dream of. I'm serious, most people on my homeworld can only look at the stars and speculate what's out there and, at most, drift along in primitive craft in our planet's orbit!
"Now you listen to me. I've spent nights eating venison over a lone fire in the Tatooine desert. I've visited Mustafar and brushed it off as a tropical vacation. I've patrolled smuggling routes, land and space, for spare credits. I've raced speederbikes down Nabooian waterfalls. Each and every day I wake up not knowing if I'm going to have enough credits to eat, but I love life because being in this galaxy is like a never-ending adventure to me. But it seems like people are more concerned with griping about the world rather than simply enjoying it. Sad, really, that people are so numbed to the truly amazing things in their everyday lives that only outsiders can see the galaxy for what it really is anymore."
Talon was left staring back at her with his eyes wide and eyebrows raised, more than a little surprised at the intensity of her response. Xana broke her fierce gaze at him but her eyes still smoldered. Of course he didn't understand. It was foolish to expect anything else.
Deeming the conversation over, Xana strode back to her possessions, stuffing her field pack with all the essential supplies and credits. Her customized stealth unit looked enough like a belt, so that could stay on her person. She had no choice but to carry the beautiful blue vibroblade she'd gotten from the Endar Spire.
Taking a vibration cell and tossing it up in her palm nonchalantly, she walked over to the workbench and modified the sword. Xana surveyed the finished product with pride and gave a few tentative practice twirls. She twisted her arm this way and that to make up different strikes, then twirled and jabbed, finally finishing her invisible opponent with an 7-shaped slash.
The sword was still uncomfortably heavy and it made her stomach churn just to be holding it and knowing it might be her lifeline for the next few weeks. If she was lucky, maybe she wouldn't have to use it, but it was more than likely they'd run into trouble in the Lower City and she was determined to pull her own weight.
Carth and Talon waited by the door for Xana, passively watching her imaginary duel. Xana realized this and reddened, tying the field pack to her waist and hurrying out the door. As soon as they exited their makeshift base – just their luck – they found a Sith right in front of the door conducting a pointless raid. Xana considered slipping away while the commanding officer was preoccupied with shaking down one of the Duros residents, but the man was quick to notice a group of armed humans hiding in an apartment building full of aliens and immediately turned on them.
Talon unstrapped a Republic issue blaster rifle from his back as Carth deftly un-holstered two custom blaster pistols and the two began firing rapidly in the Sith's general direction. Xana ducked low enough to avoid the crossfire being exchanged and slashed the droids diagonally, just as she had practiced in the apartment, taking them out in single strokes. The officer had already fallen thanks to Carth and Talon.
The Duros thanked them profusely, Xana asserting that they were only too happy to help rescue him.
Eager to get out of the building, Xana ran up to the nearest door and, finding it locked, presumed that it had something to do with the state of the building or the firefight and sliced it. What greeted them on the other side was a very surprised and distraught young lady who promptly told them to get out of her apartment then mumbled something about them being more courteous than a man named Holdan.
Xana emerged a few minutes later, quite embarrassed at her blunder but now tasked with removing an unjust bounty on the young lady.
When they found the right door and were traveling down the shaky and grimy lift to the street below, Talon turned to Xana and asked, "Not that I'm not glad you agreed to help her and all, but why'd you barge into her apartment in the first place? Didn't you see the glowing sign above her door with an apartment number on it...or the one with the lift symbol on it two doors down?"
Xana shrugged and smoothly replied that she must have not been paying attention. The lift reached its' destination before he could ask more questions.
A palm waved in front of her line of vision suddenly and she lurched back.
"You ok, kid? You kinda zoned out there for a minute. After we crashed I did some scouting around and found out there's a clinic up the street a little. I think it would be best if we got you checked out...you did mention having a concussion and that dazed look on your face is worrying me."
The look of genuine concern clouding Carth's features, as well as the less intense one displayed on Talon's face that was nonetheless there, was enough to make Xana bite back the terse reply she was already forming and nod in agreement. Head injuries, to be honest, made her nervous and even though she felt fine, she really didn't want to take chances.
Xana, Talon, and Carth exited the state of the art little clinic, a few more medpacs in hand. Luckily, the crash had done no serious damage to any of them save for the surface injuries that were already there, and a few kolto treatments had taken care of those rather quickly. Xana's "zoning out" and prolonged sleep were expected aftereffects of the sudden impact, and would go away with time.
What really took up the bulk of their time in the establishment was Xana's wanting to find out more about a strange disease that ran rampant through the planet's undercity, spread by terrifying creatures called rakghouls. Her curiosity and natural thirst for information overrode any priority the mission had in her mind and she and Dr. Forn had sat in the lobby long after the treatment was finished, her asking questions endlessly and him gladly telling her all he knew.
First off – and this is what worried Xana the most – it was incurable and its' effects were severe and quick-acting, though the Sith troops on the planet were rumored to have some sort of vaccination for it. However, it was possible for him to duplicate the cure if he had a sample. Xana eagerly promised to do what she could to get her hands on that cure while she was down there, but he shushed her for fear of the Sith overhearing and kindly sent them on their way.
She wanted to do it nonetheless, mainly because success would save countless lives and they would inevitably have to go into the undercity anyway. She'd rather not be at risk for contracting an incurable disease, and having a vial of the antidote with them would make her feel much easier about heading down there.
"So where do we go from here?", asked Talon. That was the question on everyone's mind and it was obvious that each of them was as clueless as the others on where to start.
"The cantina's the best place to try and get information, I think we should start there.", Carth declared, leading the two teenagers back in the direction of the apartment.
"Plus there might be a few opportunities to make some extra credits..." added Xana, digging a pazaak deck out of her pocket and shuffling it mid-air.
"We are not wasting our last credits on pazaak.", Carth cut in.
"My last credits." Xana corrected him snarkily but held her hands up in a placating gesture as he snapped around to glare at her. "Okay okay, no pazaak. Man, you take this teamwork thing way too seriously."
They entered the mazelike corridor across from the apartment building and came out in front of a skyscraper covered in colorful neon signs and advertisements. Noting the Sith guard in front of the entrance, the guys holstered their blasters while Xana retracted her vibroblade into its' hilt and stowed it in her pocket.
They were able to get in without incident, pausing a bit to let their eyes adjust to the dim lighting. The brightest things in the circular, hazy room were the overabundant neon signs and viewscreens lining the walls. The only working lighting fixtures were embedded into the walls next to tables, and patrons of all backgrounds and species mingled in a large crowd. Xana just stared around in awe, the whole scene looking fascinatingly futuristic to her.
She delicately circled the room, trying to blend in with the shadows. Finding an empty table next to the music lounge, she beckoned her companions over before murmuring conspiratorially to them.
"Here's what we need to do. Carth, I want you to ask around, get info about where we should go and what we should do to get into the lower city. Try to be nonchalant about it, act like you're a tourist or bored spacer passing through. Talon, you're with me. Obviously if we all scatter off in different directions at once it's going to look sketchy."
Both guys nodded, ultimately deciding that she was the expert on this stuff so they should at least try playing it her way. Carth waited a few moments before getting up and making small talk with the nearest spacer. Xana leaned forward on her elbows to look for a good mark to drill for information while Talon took a few moments to assess his companion.
In the direct light, she usually looked harsh and exacting, her face always fixed in an apathetic glare and her black-rimmed, hazel eyes seeming to bore through anything she looked at. Of course, her hardcore getup and prominently holstered vibroblade did a lot to add to the effect. But in the low lighting, with the neon signs surrounding them casting multicolored shadows all over her face, the sinister expression seemed to be replaced with a myriad of emotions running across her eyes and her features softened. She really was pretty when she smiled and was at peace, or when you really took the time to observe her.
Then those soft yet piercing hazel eyes turned on him and he averted his gaze. She ignored him and jerked her head toward a young man just inside the door of the music lounge. "He looks easy enough, somebody who probably knows quite a few things around here. I can tell cause he's dressed similar to the upper class Tarisians, and he'll be eager enough to share info since, judging by the looks of the crowd around him, nobody's talked to him all night and he's probably spoiling for some conversation."
Talon nodded mutely.
"Come with me. I just need you to stand a few feet behind me, you know, for backup purposes in case anything goes south." He silently followed her to the entrance of the music lounge and leaned against the doorjamb as she sauntered up. Pretending to be absorbed in watching the musicians, she casually murmured, "Hey."
The man, who looked to be only a couple years older than Xana, brightened considerably and turned to her, suavely rambling, "Hi! I'm Yun Genda. I don't think I've seen you around here before, but then again, how would I know? They don't give us Sith at the military base much time off."
Xana blanched noticeably. Great, my 'perfect' mark for info is actually a Sith soldier. Maybe I could play this off without getting us all caught… Behind her, Talon began to glare menacingly at Yun, the light from the doorway casting scary shadows over his face. Yun, oblivious, continued to chat up Xana.
"I'm surprised you're talking to me at all. Most offworlders hate the Sith, being trapped here because of the quarantine and all."
"Well, you're just trying to do your job aren't you? Can't really blame you for that." Swallowing her pride, she tried to imbue as much kind patronization into her voice as possible, and he seemed to buy it.
"True – it's not easy for me either, being stationed on this backwater planet. But I have to make the best of things."
"Everyone has their ups and downs, it's how you deal with them that counts." Xana was almost physically ill at the optimism-laced, clichéd monologue she was feeding the guy. They talked about perspective for a little while longer before she excused herself with a hurried, "Gotta go, nice talking to you.", and left without giving him a chance to reply.
Talon was already waiting at their table and the moment she sat down, head in her hands, he hissed, "A Sith! Your idea of a person to ask about finding ways to break through the Sith quarantine is a Sith soldier? Are you trying to get us caught?"
Xana snapped, "Oh shut up, I never said I was good at picking out marks. But while I was in there I think I might have seen a way for us to get credits. Go get my guitar."
"Wha-"
"Just go. Trust me, okay?" Talon reluctantly got up and walked off in the direction of the exit, while Xana went off to find the manager of the music lounge.
As soon as Talon re-entered the cantina, black guitar in hand, he was immediately mobbed by Xana, who snatched the instrument and thanked him profusely.
"You know, at this point I'm starting to suspect you actually want us to get caught."
"Just come on!", she called back to him breathlessly, already halfway across the cantina. He sighed and followed, possessing an idle curiosity as to how she'd make this play out. By the time he got there, she was already being announced as 'an undiscovered new performer taking over the next set for tonight only' and perching herself on a stool set on the stage.
Few patrons even took notice of her as she strummed a few chords in a soft intro. As soon as she let her rich, beautiful alto voice loose, however, the whole room seemed to grow still and listen in reverence to the mournful yet poetic lyrics. She took no notice, but rather closed her eyes and began to sway, immersing herself in the music completely. Xana belted out high notes and switched to falsetto tones without missing a beat or faltering in her strumming, much to Talon's amazement. When the song ended, she got a smattering of applause and cheers, which Talon contributed to – loudly – without a moment's hesitation.
She smiled appreciatively at her audience, locking her gaze with Talon's for a moment, before moving onto the next one. It was still somewhat sad and angst-filled, but more upbeat, and the crowd was captivated further. Before the final song, she called the band back up on stage and asked to sing with them. The team of Bith musicians filed back up onto the stage behind her and she started to play a jazzy tune, the aliens catching on and providing a background beat in tandem.
Just as she reached the chorus, Carth strode in, obviously looking for them. His eyes bugged out for a moment as he took in the sight of Xana singing on stage, bathed in a white spotlight, and a room full of Sith, Tarisians, and aliens alike clapping to the beat of the music. He seized Talon by the shoulder and exclaimed, "Wha-? How? WHY?"
Talon smiled and shrugged out of Carth's grasp. "Relax, sir, she's up there anonymously, she's found some way to get credits out of this, and you have to admit she's pretty good."
Carth glanced from the girl singing animatedly on the stage to his fellow soldier, who was now tapping his foot and swaying his shoulders lightly. To his own credit, he didn't let the matter slide just yet, but he did calm down and allow himself to be carried away by the tune for the final few minutes it lasted. He had to admit, she was good. As the final few notes rang out, he clapped and cheered along with the rest of the crowd as she descended the stage.
Xana received her share of tips, accepted the compliments and kind remarks from patrons good-naturedly, and was about to make her escape so she could meet up with Talon and Carth when she was overtaken by the last person she wanted to see again.
"Wow, that was amazing! You never mentioned you were a performer, and a talented one at that!" Yun Genda's smooth, strange accent permeated the din from behind her, and she put on a fake, cheesy smile as she turned to face him. "Oh, hey Yun…"
"Look, my shift starts soon and I've got to leave, but I wanted to stop by and tell you I really want to see you again. Me and a few other junior Sith officers are having a party in the south apartment complex after our shifts end. Some of us aren't even going back to the base to lock up our uniforms."
Xana edged away slightly, coloring her reply with a tinge of feigned disappointment and a tone that screamed 'I really don't want to go so please leave now'. "Uh, sorry Yun, but I don't think I can make it…"
He looked genuinely affronted for a moment before replying in a hurt yet teasing manner, "Hey, just cause I'm a Sith doesn't mean I don't know how to have a good time. You'll enjoy yourself, I promise. See you there." He shot her a lilted, dashing smile before disappearing into the crowds and was quickly replaced by Carth and Talon. "What was THAT?", yelped Carth.
Xana looked around the room apprehensively as a hint and replied, "Tell you back at the apartment. What did you find out?"
"For starters, the turbolift to the lower city is guarded by the Sith, though security is rumored to be pretty lax."
"Is that so?" A devious smirk settled across Xana's face. "C'mon. I think I've got a way to get us past, and I guarantee you're going to love it."
"A party? Hosted by Sith? You can't be serious."
"Yes, and I am. The Sith officer I talked to said, and I quote, 'some of us aren't even going back to base to lock up our uniforms.' So I say we attend, and see if we can't –salvage – a disguise or two. If it succeeds, then we've got a free ticket into the lower city if we pose as a patrol. If not, then we lose nothing."
"But our cover…", added Talon. Xana shot him a glare and snapped, "Well, do either of you have a better plan to get past the guard to the Lower City?" Both shook their heads. "Okay then, it's pretty late in the afternoon so let's head down to the shops and get us some civvie clothes and supplies. That little set I sang in the cantina brought in...", she dug into her pocket and counted out credits, "150 big ones, so that should be enough."
Talon and Carth groaned loudly at the very thought of going shopping with Xana, for party clothes of all things. "Aw come on boys," she cajoled, clapping both of their backs good-naturedly, "Cheer up. We're goin' to our very first Sith party!"
Update 9/23/10 - Re-vamped this chapter again since I can't seem to get it quite right. I messed up majorly with beginning this fic and this chapter was poorly written and lengthy, so I decided to dig deep and do some MAJOR beta edits. Hopefully most of you out there haven't given up on this story. It's a learning process, one I've caught onto slowly but surely =)