The sun was still high in the sky. Despite the early spring day, the sun was blazing and basked the field in heat. She was laying on her back in the grass and staring up in the sky. She felt frustrated. Up above her there were hundreds of thousands of different planets. There were billions of people populating the galaxy. But, she was stuck here on this planet, attending the most mundane lessons—or at least she should have been.

However, she was shaken out of her thoughts by the sound of boots softly padding on the grass towards her. "You found me," she greeted. She didn't need to turn around; she knew exactly who had come to find her.

A boy walked in front of her, blocking the sun from her eyes. He was incredibly tall for an eleven-year-old. His chestnut hair hung down past his ears and curled in a way that caused all of the girls to swoon. He would be handsome if it weren't for the scowl on his face and his narrowed gray eyes. The boy held out his hand, and she clasped it back—lifting herself from the ground.

"You skipped lessons," the boy said dryly once she had gotten to her feet.

"It would be such a shame if I had to be inside on this beautiful day," she shrugged.

His scowl deepened. "Everyone else is in training," he accused.

She laughed, and started walking back towards the enclave. He followed grudgingly. "It's not like I need to learn that stuff anyway. I already know most of it," she reasoned.

"Your pride will be your undoing," he advised solemnly. He was at her side now.

"You sound like Master Vrook," she said, dismissing him with a wave of her hand. "Admit it, you know all of this stuff too. We could be Padawans by now."

He frowned. "We're too young," the boy responded. "Besides, skipping lessons won't help you get chosen."

"We will be chosen," she assured him. She shot him a grin. "We're made for big things. I know it. Then we'll finally get off this blasted planet."

Suddenly, she was awakened by an intense stabbing pain building between her eyes. The pain threatened to split her head in two. She flitted in and out of consciousness for what seemed like hours. It wasn't until the pain started to subside that Nomi cautiously opened her eyes. Without standing up, she took note of her surroundings. The room was dark and filthy. It seemed like a sparse one room apartment. Other than the bed she was currently occupying, she could see a second bed, a work bench, footlocker, and a worn chair.

Where was she? She was in pain but she was bandaged. Someone had cared for her wounds when she was asleep... She assumed that she wasn't being held captive as her limbs were unbound. Nomi sat up quickly when she noticed a man sitting in the chair.

"Hey, take it easy," the man in the chair said. "I'm Carth, one of the Republic soldiers from the Endar Spire. I was with you on the escape pod. Do you remember?"

She frowned. Carth? She vaguely remembered but her heart was pounding. Then it hit her; he was the man on the comlink. He had been issuing commands to the soldiers when the ship was boarded. Finally she nodded.

"I'm Nomi," she responded, quietly introducing herself. "I've had the strangest dreams…" she mumbled, mostly to herself.

"I'm not surprised. You took a serious blow to the head, and you've been unconscious a greater part of two days now," he began sympathetically. "You're probably having all kinds of strange dreams. I wouldn't worry too much about it. We're safe here. Our escape pod landed on Taris. Luckily, I wasn't badly hurt and I got us to this abandoned apartment here."

"I owe you my thanks, then" Nomi said stiffly from her position on the bed. She felt a familiar knot of building in her stomach—she hated being indebted to anyone, especially strangers. She closed her eyes and began to rub her temples with her forefingers and silently wished away the pain.

"You don't have to thank me," Carth assured her. Then, he stood abruptly. "I've never abandoned anyone on a mission. Besides, I'll need help if I'm ever going to find Bastilla."

Nomi observed Carth for a few seconds before speaking. His words seemed genuine. She doubted he would have pulled her from the rubble or cared for her wounds if he wished her harm. "I'm sorry," Nomi apologized. "I can't remember… can you remind me who Bastila is?"

Carth looked at her for a long moment and sighed. "Your head must have really taken a beating. Bastila is the Jedi we've been assigned to transport. She's indispensable to the war effort due to her battle meditation ability. Bastilla's power is the Republic's best shot at taking down the Sith."

By this time, Nomi had stood up. Her brain was moving slower than she'd like, and it took all of her effort to focus. The pain slowly started to subside but all of her memories were blurred together.

She recalled that she was hired by the Republic to serve under Bastila. But, didn't remember ever meeting the Jedi. Eventually, she decided she would help Carth. Sure, she was a smuggler by trade but she always saw her jobs through. Nomi nodded, her decision resolute. "So what's our plan?" she asked, meeting Carth's eyes for the first time.

She watched as Carth frowned slightly. Carth looked every bit the soldier he claimed to be. He was tall, probably over six-feet. And he was broad. He appeared to have shed his Republic uniform and traded it for a casual orange jacket and civilian garb.

"The Sith have taken control of the planet, and they've instituted a planet-wide quarantine," Carth explained. "I can't imagine they'd worry about simple soldiers like us. But, the Sith will have their eyes out for Bastilla. We have to find her quickly."

"Where do you recommend looking?" Nomi asked.

"The Under City," Carth grimaced. "Nasty place. But, rumor has it that's where the escape pod landed."

Nomi could handle nasty. Many of her jobs as a smuggler put her into dangerous situations, and she had managed to get out mostly unscathed thus far. Still, she reached her hands to her belt, out of habit. Subconsciously, she was reaching for her weapons.

The movement did not go unnoticed. Carth gestured to the footlocker in the corner. "Your vibroblades are locked in there. Took them off of you while you were thrashing around in your sleep. You'd be no help to anyone if you were skewered before we even left this force-forsaken apartment."

Nomi nodded. "I appreciate it. Do you mind if I wash up a bit before we head out?"

"By all means," Carth replied. He nodded to the chair. "I'll just be looking over some maps."

Taking a deep breath, Nomi stepped into the refresher. She turned on the faucet and splashed her face with cool water. Without missing a beat, she looked into the mirror. Her hair was pulled out of her face and into a bun. Her eyes were bloodshot and dark circles were beginning to form underneath her eyes.

"Damn," she cursed. "I need a drink."

Carth opened the door and motioned Nomi out.

"So, what do I need to know about Taris?" Nomi asked, watching as Carth turned his back to shut the door and lock it. Nomi found herself questioning the point of this extra security measure. It wasn't as if they had any valuables hidden in their footlockers.

"Taris," Carth began as he fumbled with securing the old lock, "Used to be a sprawling metropolis. It was a safe haven and its riches benefited all Taris' citizens. Not anymore. The city is separated based on class. There's the Upper City, the Lower City, and the Under City. Residents of the Lower City and the Under City are considered second and third rate citizens."

Not the ideal social set-up, Nomi thought bitterly. The thought of sequestering a part of the population to live in squalor sickened her. Although, she had to admit, it was not an uncommon occurrence on many of the planets she had visited. "You've done your homework," she noted approvingly.

Carth nodded. "I had time to read up while you were out. Now, we just need to keep our heads down and not bring any unnecessary attention to ourselves…"

Suddenly, she heard a group of men moving down the hall. Someone was nearby. Nomi put a finger to her lips, the other hand motioning for Carth to be quiet. Carth's eyes followed her line of vision. Her eyes were focused on a Sith patrol up ahead.

"All right, everyone against the wall! This is a raid!" yelled the only unarmored Sith. He was dressed in the uniform of a commanding officer. He called on his subordinates to aim and prepare their weapons.

Nomi and Carth silently watched as two Duros stood their ground. From this distance, Nomi couldn't hear what the taller Duros was saying to the Sith patrol. But, whatever it was angered them because within moments three of the soldiers had shot a stream of bullets into the unarmed man's chest.

"Damn," Carth murmured under his breath, his shock evident.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Nomi responded. She didn't bother keeping her voice low. So, this was what is looked like under a Sith occupation? She had been smuggling in the outer rim for so long… Had it always been this bad?

Nomi drew her blades from her sheath, the sound drawing the attention of the Sith patrol.

"It seems we have an audience. We can't have witnesses, can we?" the leader of the patrol said smugly. "Soldiers! Kill them," he ordered, lazily lifting a hand.

Nomi took a deep breath and tried to keep her anger at bay. She would be no use in a fight if she allowed her anger to take control, she reminded herself. Once calm, she raised her blade to meet an oncoming Sith sword. She quickly parried and turned, dispatching the soldier in seconds. Her eyes darted to her side. Carth moved quickly. He had wasted no time in pulling out his blasters. Within seconds, he had already taken down two men. Two more to go.

One of the remaining men rushed towards her. Not to be outdone, Nomi lifted her blades and cut through the next opponent. He fell within seconds. Without hesitation she took another step, and she sliced down the last soldier as he froze open-mouthed to watch his comrade fall.

Carth placed his blasters back in his holster. "Damn sister, you fight like a woman possessed," he grinned approvingly.

Nomi nodded, and she looked to the remaining Duros. He looked petrified but he quickly calmed once he realized they would not hurt him. "Are you ok?" Nomi asked the Duros. She wiped a bead of sweat from her brow and sheathed her blades.

"Yes, thank you," he said slowly. The Duros man bowed his head. "My brother tried to stand up to them. He's so hot headed… Regardless, I am in your debt. I will take care of the bodies. No one will know you were the ones that took down these men."

"There's no need to thank us" Nomi replied. "Thank you for disposing of their bodies."

As the man began to move the bodies, Nomi walked towards the elevator to the Upper City. She heard Carth follow behind her.

"So, that's your idea of not drawing attention to ourselves?" Carth demanded.

Carth followed behind Nomi as they both walked into the cantina. It was strange; he realized that he didn't mind her taking the lead despite the fact that he out-ranked her in every regard. She walked with a purpose, and she seemed at ease no matter her surroundings. This time, he allowed, she could take the lead. But, that didn't mean he would blindly trust her. He reminded himself to be wary of everyone during a mission-even his partner.

He took his eyes off Nomi in order to scan his surroundings. The Upper City cantina was massive. It was filled with people but, unlike the apartment complex, it was lacking in diversity. The cantina was almost completely populated with humans. The few aliens were acting as servers, bartenders or performers.

He frowned inwardly as he continued to survey the bar. The people around him were casually drinking and playing cards. Interspersed throughout the room, Carth counted a few off-duty Sith soldiers. The way the patrons were acting, you would never guess that the citizens were under a Sith occupation... In front of him, Nomi stopped and turned around to face him.

"Find us a seat?" the statement coming out as a question.

"You got it," he replied.

He watched as Nomi sauntered up to the bar. Carth settled down at an empty table and he felt his eyebrows rise as he watched her. It was as though she was a completely different person. The soldier in her was gone. She didn't seem like the same woman who quickly took down an entire Sith patrol without a single unnecessary movement. She was walking delicately but purposefully through the throng of people. As she reached the bar, she untied her hair from its knot and it flowed down her back.

She casually waved one of the bartenders over with a lazy gesture. Instead of the cool and composed demeanor she displayed earlier, he noticed Nomi smiling and leaning over the bar talking to the bartender. Force—was she flirting with him? He watched as she pushed her long wavy brown hair behind her ears. Her eyes were gray sparkling as she spoke to the young bartender. The bartender smiled back, apparently mesmerized by her handsome face. Carth watched them chat back and forth. After a while, she headed to Carth's table holding two pints of ale.

Nomi sat down in the seat across from Carth, and she passed a pint to him. "Thanks," Carth nodded. After a moment, "You seemed to be having fun over there," he noted mildly. He gestured to the bartender.

All the smiles she shared with the bartender were gone. Her face was emotionless. Nomi shrugged, and she took a swig from her drink. "Men are more likely to tell you what you want to know if you butter them up first."

Carth looked over at her questioningly.

"The bartender told me that the Sith have restricted the access between the Upper, Lower, and Under cities. Only soldiers or those with the proper clearances can enter the Lower City," she explained.

He was surprised. He wasn't expecting her to be on the job so quickly, especially after her head injury. "So, we need to find some way to get those papers..." Carth mused.

Suddenly, Carth was distracted from his thoughts by an argument between two well-dressed nobles. He heard them yelling back and forth but they were just far enough that he couldn't tell what arguing about. He couldn't help but lean forward in an attempt to eavesdrop. However, their shouting didn't last long. It quickly devolved into pushing and swearing. Before the situation could escalate further, two burly bouncers arrived on the scene. They grabbed the offending patrons, and they swiftly led them to the door—asking them politely to deal with their problems elsewhere.

Nomi laughed, and Carth's head turned to meet her eyes. "This is not my usual choice of cantina," she began conversationally. No doubt her tongue was loosening with each glug of ale."In bars in the outer rim, those bouncers would have joined in on the fun."

He leaned back in his chair, trying to get a read on her. He folded his arms across his chest. "Perhaps you would have been the one starting trouble," he replied. "You seem the quick-tempered type."

"Quick tempered?" she raised an eyebrow. "Whatever would have given you that idea?"

He shook his head. "Not in a bad way," he clarified quickly. "You were quick to draw your blades earlier with the soldiers. You didn't hesitate."

Nomi waved him off. "Most people would do the same in that situation," she responded offhandedly. She left it at that. Carth didn't pursue the topic. He figured she wasn't too interested in talking about herself. They sat in silence for a while longer. Then, Nomi got up to grab a second drink, and she mingled with some of the other patrons on her way back.

Carth was not bothered by the silence. Unlike his partner, he didn't enjoy making small talk with strangers. He felt he learned more by observing quietly. Besides, there were many things to learn from the dynamics of the people at the cantina. For the most part, people were friendly. They bought each other drinks, and there were six tables set-up for Pazaak scattered throughout the bar. Normally, Carth wouldn't question this seemingly normal behavior. But, he still found it odd that no one appeared bothered by the Sith milling about.

Once Nomi arrived back at the table, Carth decided to ask her about it. "Tell me, do you think it's strange that everything is so... normal here?" he began. "This planet is under Sith occupation yet people are comfortable enough to drink and play pazaak-getting into fights."

Nomi looked into her ale thoughtfully. "Yes," said after a moment. "But, I'm not convinced that the Tarisians are as composed as they're leading us to believe. I'm sensing uneasiness in the patrons I've spoken to today. Few people have been willing to openly discuss the occupation."

"Perhaps you're right," Carth allowed. He took a sip of his ale, and he continued to scan the room. He wondered if he would be able to sense the uneasiness that Nomi mentioned. When he looked around, all he saw were drunken nobles.

Carth was content to continue in silence. But, after her third ale, Nomi loosened up a bit. Her posture softened, and she restlessly began to pick at her food. She looked at Carth with a small smile. "Tell me a bit about yourself," she said breaking the silence.

He looked at her over his ale. She seemed genuine, and it was only fair for her to be curious about her partner. "I've served as a pilot for years," he began awkwardly. "Fought in the Mandalorian War—the Mandalorians were seasoned warriors and formidable opponents. But, they're nothing compared to the Sith. The Sith are... ruthless. Like they've lost every shred of humanity…"

Carth looked at Nomi, her eyes were wide and gray. Gauging her expression, she seemed genuinely interested in what he had to say. He was surprised that anyone would be interested in his background, let alone an attractive woman like herself.

"Is that why you joined up with the Republic?" she urged—her eyes never leaving his. She was leaning forward eagerly, and he couldn't help but be reminded of his son's excitement when he used to tell him bedtime stories. However, this story didn't have a happy ending.

Carth broke eye-contact. "My home—world fell to Malak's fleet. I was powerless to stop him," he muttered. An all too familiar feeling of anger welled up in him, and he put his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry," Nomi said softly. "I'm sure there was nothing that you could have done." She watched him with her large gray eyes. He wished he could tell what she was thinking. Maybe she was judging him for bringing up something so personal on a mission. Or worse... Did she pity him?

Carth shrugged her off, suddenly very uncomfortable. He never intended on sharing so much with this woman that he'd barely met. He was her superior officer! Yet, he went off and shared a ton of irrelevant information about his personal life. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Irritated, he found himself blaming the alcohol. He had never been much of a drinker. "Maybe, maybe not. Regardless, I think we're done here for the night."

He stood up. This time, he wouldn't wait for Nomi to take the lead. He paused momentarily while Nomi put on her jacket. Then, he headed out the door, not bothering to confirm that she was following.

AN: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Please review. I'd love to hear your feedback!