DISCORDANCE

by

Inlérah

Disclaimer: I only own the original characters I created, everything else belongs to George Lucas and Bioware.

Any and all constructive criticism is always welcome, as well as any other random comments my writing may evoke.

Chapter I: Birth of Tragedy

Carth watched as the man before him stood up slowly, shaking his head to clear it. His bright blue uniform was stained dark red and torn on the left shoulder. He looked around apprehensively, running a hand over his short-trimmed brown hair.

"It's about time you woke up. I was getting worried."

"You're Carth…I remember you from the ship," he closed his eyes briefly, as if trying to gather scattered thougths.

"We were the last survivors onboard. We made it out just in time, before Endar Spire blew to pieces."

The man looked up again, blinking.

"I am Vren Mareg, by the way."

"Yeah, I know. I saw your name in the last minute reinforcement list that came with the Jedi. Pretty impressive record."

"I wasn't aware that every crewman had access to my personal files," Vren said suspiciously.

"Well it wasn't a personal file, really. Just some general information and brief description, pointing out your supposed elite abilities. Are you some sort of a commando?"

"Special operations and assignments, more I cannot say. I heard a lot about you, Carth Onasi. Decorated war hero, one of the best pilots Republic has to offer. Or so they say."

"Yeah well, don't believe all the stories you hear. I'm just a soldier."

"Modest, too," Vren intoned sarcastically as he flexed his joints with loud snaps.

Carth frowned, but said nothing.

"How long have I been out?"

"Two days. I wasn't sure you would ever wake up, with the way you were thrashing in your sleep."

"I had a strange dream," Vren furrowed his brow. "Like a…vision."

"Well, you hit your head pretty badly back there. It's a good thing I managed to drag you off to this abandoned apartment. Who knows what the Sith would have done, had they caught us. I hear Force can do terrible things to a mind," he shuddered unvoluntarily.

Vren opened a strongbox near the bed, looking for his weapons and armour. Carth indicated a locker at the wall.

"We shouldn't have any problems staying hidden for now, since we're just two soldiers. The Sith won't be looking for us. Unlike Bastila," a shadow passed over his face.

"Now what? Are we supposed to just wait until they rescue us?"

"We can't count on any rescue teams, since this is a Sith occupied world. They probably don't even know we're alive. But we have to find the Jedi Bastila and make sure she gets off the planet. She's the Republic's last chance, with her Battle Meditation."

"Not likely," Vren stated as he pulled his equipment from a nearby locker.

"What?" there was a hint of caution in Carth's voice.

Vren closed the locker door and turned around.

"You heard me. I'm not about to go searching through Sith-infested planet for some lost Jedi bint, who may or may not even be alive, as far as I know. In fact, as soon as I get my things, I will be departing."

"Don't be stupid!" Carth snapped. "We have to work together if we are to survive! Do you know what the Sith will do if they catch us? Bastila's our only hope of ever getting off this planet, and we should at least try to look for her. For Republic's sake, if not for ours."

A hysterical laugh escaped Vren.

"Oh yes, the Republic. Let me tell you something, Carth. I've spent the majority of my life thus far serving the Republic, putting my life on the line in the recent war more times than I thought I ever would when I got out of the Academy. What has the Republic ever done for me, except sending me from one bad place to another?"

"That's a short time to grow disillusioned," Carth said quietly, growing distant. "I've seen and suffered things I wouldn't want on my worst enemy, I'm the last one you should preach on the horrors of war. But we're still soldiers, and we've still got a duty to stay alive and serve the Republic."

"Indeed," Vren said emptily as he put his armour on the table, looking at it critically. "And serve we do. Who said I was disillusioned? I just don't like being used and manipulated." He sighed deeply. "At least it's a reason to fight, if nothing else. I suppose you're right. We'll look for Bastila," he said, eyeing Carth suspiciously.

Carth seemed to have calmed down, explaining the situation they found themselves in as Vren put on his armour, scowling as he spotted tears in the fiber weave. Then he sat down in an armchair, staring off through the window.

"We'll head out as soon as the night falls," he said absently, not sparing a glance at Carth.

"Alright. In the meantime, we should scout out this building, maybe we can gather some information," Carth suggested.

Vren made a grunt of finality as he got up from his chair and grabbed his weapons.

They didn't have to look long before trouble found them. Already on the first bend of the circular passageway they found a couple of Duros' accosted by a Sith patrol.

"We're not doing anything wrong! We're just trying to make a living on this planet!" one of the aliens intoned quickly, plaintively. For his efforts, he recieved a blaster shot that cut through his chest and left a bloody mark on the nearby wall.

"You alien scum make me sick!" the Sith Commander said contemptuously, his rifle still warm.

Abruptly he turned, cruel eyes trained on the odd pair.

"Humans, hiding in this place?" his initial surprise was quickly replaced by realization as he took in their appearance. "They are spies for the Republic. Kill them!"

With that, everything sprung into motion. Vren pulled out his twin vibroblades with practiced ease, rolling into range. Blaster fire skimmed the surface of his armour, leaving only a black mark down his back. At the same moment, Carth pulled out his blasters, jumping to the side even as he fired them with deadly precision. Vren threw himself sideways in a flowing motion, falling past the blaster bolts. Dodging the sporadic blaster fire, he came up in a crouch close to the Sith Commander. With a swift move he cut aside his rifle, his other sword embedding deep in the man's abdomen, cutting upward into lungs.

The Commander gurgled up blood and collapsed, with Vren immediately jumping out of the line of blaster fire. One of the droids was damaged by Carth's shots, with its motor function knotting damaged it stumbled, dropping its rifle.

Vren jumped the other one, still warm blood spraying in thin pattern from his blades as he swung them furiously, shaving off metal in bright sparks. He targeted the droid's shoulder joint, disarming the droid as he cut into it. Next target was the sensitive memory banks at the base of droid's neck. He stabbed with one blade into it, while the other one slashed from the side, cutting into the protective plating.

As he chopped at the droid, Vren noticed the other one fall under barrage of Carth's shots, collapsing with a smaller explosion. Finally the droid he was attacking emitted a shower of sparks as the internal power relays were severed, falling down with a metallic thud.

Vren straightened, catching his breath and glancing at Carth.

"Thank you, they would have killed me had you not intervened."

"We had little choice in the matter," Vren said off-handedly as he sheathed his swords and looked around the corridor sharply.

"Poor Ixgill, he should not have said anything," the Duros seemed to be entranced by his friend's body.

"This isn't good," Carth said, stepping over the Sith Commander's corpse. "This place will be crawling with the Sith when they find out their patrol didn't return."

His words snapped the Duros from his trance.

"Don't worry," he said hastily, "I will move the bodies so it will look like they were killed somewhere else. You don't have to worry about any more patrols."

"We thank you," Vren nodded to him, gesturing for Carth it was time to leave.
Fortunately for them, everbody in this building minded their own business, and it showed. The main hallway was all but deserted in light of the shooting, every door locked tightly. The only one that could be found were the shady Twi'lek vendor and the half-senile janitor.

Still, they might know something, and they were in too tight of a spot to miss any opportunity for an advantage.

Carth was watching the hallway as Vren spoke with the Twi'lek vendor in Huttese. His gaze wandered out the large side window, over the towering spires of the city. It was late afternoon already, the planet's sun in its dying cycle for the day. It was enormous, almost matching Coruscant itself in its metropolitan splendour.

Almost.

The city was decaying, from the inside. Abandoned landing bays littered the artificial landscape, growing redundant as the main trade route bypassed Taris when new hyperspace routes were discovered. With effort he stopped himself from reminiscing too far back, no need dredging into that sorrow again. It came well enough by itself.

XXX

"It fits," Carth said absently, watching Vren as he tried on the battle suit he bought from the Twi'lek in exchange for his old one and some software spikes.

They even managed to get some information from the building's janitor, but nothing that would help them find the missing Jedi.

"How long do you think she'll survive in the Undercity?" Vren asked as he fastened the buckles of his armour, stretching.

"She's a Jedi, she'll survive," Carth said quickly. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about," Carth's voice was slightly tensed.

"Is that so?" Vren was still fumbling with his armour.

"Don't you find it a little strange that you were specifically requested by the Jedi for this mission, and you were the only one left to survive"

Vren stopped fastening his armour, looking at Carth intently.

"Just what are you getting at, exactly?"

Carth shook his head.

"I don't even know, not for sure, but isn't it all a little convenient? Just what was your position on the Endar Spire?"

"I don't like where this conversation is going. Do you suspect me of something? I was not exactly in the prime position to know of the mission's details. I am a translator, and a soldier, and I followed orders. Just like you did, I presume."

"Look, I don't like the way this looks, just think about it for a moment; the last survivor who happens to be in a Jedi party with classified-"

"Are you implying I had something to do with the crash?" Vren's voice lowered dangerously.

"No. Maybe. I don't know. I don't know anything about you, so I don't really trust you. It's nothing personal," he got up from his seat to pace nervously and gesticulate. "I just don't trust people easily. They all too quickly turn my trust against me."

There was an undertone of melancholy in Carth's voice. Vren took a few steps closer.

"And just what exactly are you planning to do about these paranoidal tendencies of yours?"

"Nothing, not yet," Carth sighed, looking away from Vren's face, his voice concillatory. "Not if you don't give me any reason."

Vren stared at him with an unreadable expression, then walked past him abruptly, speaking as he moved.

"Try anything and it'll be the last thing you ever do."

Carth threw himself back into an armchair with a resigned sigh as the doors to the bathroom hissed closed. After a few more minutes he got up again, going through the supplies they had available. After he finished that, he tried to log into the public information network, but the terminal seemed to be damaged beyond repair.

Soft, yet clear dual tone sounded through the apartment, startling him. It was the door chime, he realized with alarm. Vren peered from the bathroom, blaster in hand. The sound came again, echoing through the apartment from hidden speakers. Vren nodded towards the door, moving to open it.

Carth quickly assumed an out-of-sight position at the wall next to the door, nodding silently to Vren. With a subdued hiss, the pressurized door opened, revealing two Twi'lek females. They gasped fearfully as a blaster was pointed in their faces.

"Oh! I'm sorry, we thought this apartment was empty!" one of them hurried to explain.

Vren kept his blaster leveled at them.

"It's not," he said evenly. "Not anymore."

"Please, we didn't mean to disturb you, we didn't know there were any humans in this complex."

They started as Carth showed himself from behind the doorframe, eyeing them suspiciously.

"I live just nextdoor, my name is Aasira," the Twi'lek said, trying to break the tension even as her friend was pulling her away.

Vren scanned the corridor behind them quickly, putting his blaster away reluctantly.

"Go away," he said simply, closing the door before she had the chance to speak again.

He shook his head irritably as he turned back to Carth, stepping over to the computer terminal.

"It doesn't work, I've already tried it. We're lucky anything works in this place," Carth looked around vaguely.

Vren ignored him, prying open the computer wall panel with a knife. A bundle of optic cables dropped out, lines of chipsets deeper in. Pulling a long-nosed pliers from his sidepocket, he reached in probingly. He fumbled with them with an intense frown on his face, until something sparked and popped, smell of burnt plasteel filling the room. Stepping back he inhaled sharply, staring at the machinery resentfully.

Carth was watching him from under his brow from across the room silently. Pushing the loose cables back into the wall, Vren forced the compartment cover back, slamming it into place.

Looking around dully, he took a seat of his own and pulled out his datapad, scrolling through it with occasional soft beep. They remained like that in silence, an occasional muffled sound from outside breaking it. Carth tapped his fingers on the table impatiently, forehead creased in thought. Thoughts that coursed through his head were of a dark nature, as he tried to find the best way out of a situation he found himself in. He never thought he would end up on occupied Taris, lost and stranded while the Sith slaughter the crew of Endar Spire and destroy the ship. He leaned back, clenching his jaw and looking idly out the window. Life had a way of throwing unexpected surprises your way. Unpleasant, most of the time.

"I'd like to know if we have a problem."

Vren's sudden proclamation brought Carth from silent contemplation, he was now watching him intently.

"What?"

"I'd like to know if we have a problem regarding your trust issues."

Carth crossed his arms over his chest and sighed, slouching back into his chair.

"I knew you wouldn't understand where I was coming from. I told you, I don't trust people easily. It's nothing personal, just the way I am."

"Then why don't you leave? I can't afford to have someone around who doesn't trust me," Vren's tone was acerbic.

"I don't mean it like that, it's just…why don't we drop this instead, and focus on important issues here?"

"I consider this important," there was unrelenting blade in Vren's voice as he kept boring into Carth with a glare.

"You just don't give up, do you? Too many people have betrayed me in the past, and I'm not about to let myself be set up for it again. I don't want to talk about it."

"Fine, be paranoid all you want, I don't care," Vren said dismissively.

"Let's just drop it, okay?"

Carth got up, agitated. Heavy silence fell, tensing the atmosphere further. At least for Carth, Vren seemed completely indifferent as he slowly pocketed his datapad, getting up.

"I'm going out, perhaps there's a public terminal somewhere in the vicinity," he said as he made for the door.

Carth started to follow, but Vren's look stopped him.

"I won't be long, just to log on briefly and pull down any useful information. You stay here and watch the apartment."

"I don't think this is a good idea. We should stay together."

"We'll go look for Bastila when I get back, I'm not going anywhere," Vren allowed a hint of annoyance to enter his voice.

Carth threw his hands up in silent defeat, turning away. He took off his jacket as Vren left, taking his personal blaster out to examine it on the workbench in the corner. Might as well occupy his mind with something.

XXX

Innumerable ships and transports flew around overhead, drowning the skies in heavy traffic. The walkways of Taris were no less crowded, with mostly humans rushing to their daily errands, countless lights flickering in skytowering buildings. Late afternoon sky was slowly turning red, dusk approaching fast with the flourish not dying down, even increasing, if anything. The lives of many, held in uncertain minds now shivered collectively, with darkness spread through them like thin, yet unbreakable threads of durasteel webbing, constantly preying on life. Many of those transports that glittered on the sky were Sith, and the busy street life was interspersed with ruthless Sith patrols. The heavy mar hung over Taris like boiling rot just under the skin, birthing tense uncertainty.

Amongst the towering monuments of a culture in decline, a slightly more worn out building stood in the Upper City, which was still luxurious when compared to the lower levels of Taris.

Carth blinked the sweat from his eye, focused on the task at hand. Adjusting the beam amplifier on a blaster was tricky, even for someone who knew his blasters as good as Carth. Finally the proper chamber clicked into place, elicting a sigh of accomplishment from him. He quickly reassembled the blaster pistol, cleaning the sensitive parts in the process. Door hiss behind him captured his attention, his hand instinctively reaching to his side. Carth relaxed as only Vren entered in his usual nonchalant manner.

Appraising the room quickly, he moved to put some items into one of the lockers.

"You bought something?" Carth asked softly, not looking up from the workbench.

"Some grenades, they were on sale in Kebla's Emporium. Personal shield from the Twi'lek in the lobby. Something tells me we're going to need it soon."

Carth made a non-committal sound as Vren stopped to stare out the window.

"It's almost night," he remarked. "We should move out. I did some scouting in an immediate area, gathered some information. The majority of the escaped pods seemed to have crashed in the Undercity, and the Sith have already sent out patrols to look for survivors. The more we delay, the less chance Bastila has."

Carth finished with his blaster, holstering it and wiping his hands on a dirty rag.

"Then we should put all our efforts into finding her, I'd like to get this over with as soon as possible."

Vren nodded sharply, his expression businesslike.

"It won't be easy. The access to the lower levels is restricted, and we'll have a hard time passing through without alerting the Sith."

He turned to pace towards the table slowly.

"There's two things we should do first: Gather as much information as we can, and collect some assets. We're desperately low on credits. The Cantina here is a good place to start."

Carth nodded slowly, grabbing his fiber armour. Vren went to sheathe his two vibroswords on his back, holstering a blaster on his belt.

"You're taking those?" Carth asked, his eyes indicating the blades on Vren's back.

"I always go prepared. There shouldn't be any trouble for us on the streets or in the Cantina, but we're on a hostile world, occupied by the Sith that are looking for Republic survivors. A little caution is in order."

"I guess you're right. Let's go."

Carth hit the lock switch with one last glance around the apartment.

"Watch it, I just cleaned the floor," the janitor's voice greeted them in response to Vren's dirty boots leaving dark imprints on the polished floor.

"Am I supposed to walk on air now, just because you don't want to clean the floor again? I thought that was your job," Vren retorted sternly.

"Oh, there's no need for that. You're just like all the rest, complaining and bitching all the time, like I'm nothing but dirt or something."

"I didn't know the floor was wet," Vren said, surprisingly apologetic.

"It's alright, I suppose, you're still new here and all."

"Yes, yes we are. Could you tell me something? The Cantina here…"

Carth wasn't listening to the conversation, his thoughts were occupied by other concerns. Namely, how did the Sith ambush them in high orbit so suddenly, and with such ease? At first, he thought that the Jedi onboard would protect them, especially when lead by someone as powerful and reknown as Bastila. But he soon realized that the Sith were no less apprehensive about their attack and the Jedi could do nothing to thwart them. Even Bastila fled, he still remembered her face as she stepped into the escaped pod as the ship shook around them in its dying throes. The look she gave him, one of stern support as she nodded in silent understanding when he said he would stay behind and make sure everyone gets off the ship.

He didn't think much of his chances then, but things worked out well in the end. Relatively well, considering the circumstances. He still felt dull chill as he thought of all the little red dots on the ship's life support monitor, blinking out one by one, until only one remained, steadily clinging on against the clusters of hostile blue ones.

Carth stopped, realizing Vren was not by his side. Looking around, he found him near one of the apartment doors, seemingly lost in thought.

"Vren?"

He looked up, motioning for Carth to come closer.

"What are you doing?"

"These apartments, they are all pretty much abandoned, with illegal aliens living in them. Aliens that are hiding from authorities."

"Like we are. What's your point?" Carth was getting impatient.

"My point is," he glanced around the hallway, "That if we could find an empty apartment, we could probably get our hands on some credits we are very much in need of."

"Empty apartment? What are you…wait, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Vren just stared back silently.

"Are you serious? You're actually thinking about breaking into these apartments?"

Vren was now fiddling with the electronic lock on the door.

"We need the credits, Carth. Bastila is important for the Republic, you said so yourself. How are you planning on finding her without any proper equipment, weapons, something to bribe slippery government officials with, you know how these things work," he frowned ever so slightly. "Do you know anything about locks, Carth?"

"No, forget it, I'm not getting into this," he waved his hands in a rejecting gesture.

Vren grabbed his arm and pulled him back, his voice a low warning.

"Now listen to me, you damned fool! We're not on vacation here, and these people are just some lowlife rabble, without even any legal right to be here."

"And that-" Carth started, but stopped abrupty as an Ithorian passed by, giving them a suspicious stare.

"And that gives us the right to break into their homes like some common criminals?" he whispered harshly after the alien was out of sight.

"I'm not going to argue with you about this. We need the credits and I'm going to get them, with or without your help, just don't expect my help when the Sith drag you off to torture just because you couldn't afford a better armour!"

Carth sighed, closing his eyes briefly.

"What if the apartment isn't empty when we just barge in like that?" he asked in defeat, a subtone Vren didn't fail to notice.

"Just leave the talking to me," he said dismissively. "Now, do you know anything about locks or not?" he indicated the door with his eyes.

With a sullen nod, Carth stepped over to the lock, pulling a small device from his belt. Vren turned to watch the corridor, standing so he obscured what Carth was doing with his body.

A Twi'lek walked by, staring inquisitively.

"Keep walking," Vren said as he nodded to him, his tone businesslike.

Finally, with a faint beep and a metallic click, the lock came undone. Carth pocketed the security spike mechanism, with Vren hitting the open switch and striding in boldly.

The apartment was sparsely furnished, not that different from their own in design. Empty liquor cannisters littered the corners, with stale food platter on the table.

A single occupant was in the apartment, whirling on them from where he was hunched over at the table, an angry expression on his face. It instantly turned to fear as he took a look at the unwanted visitors, taking a step back.

"Please! Don't hurt me, I-I don't have the money, I swear!"

He fumbled with some credit chips, a spark of hope entering his voice as he offered them to Vren, who just stared at him implacably.

"Please, don't tell Davik I'm hiding here! Here, fifty credits, it's all I have, take it, take it!"

Vren appraised the apartment quickly, slowly walking forward and taking the credits from the man in sinister silence.

"Is that all you have?" he asked as he shamelessly opened a nearby locker, rummaging through its contents casually.

"Yes, yes, I swear! Just don't tell Davik I'm here, he'll kill me!"

He stared at Vren in horror as he casually ransacked the cabinets in the room, pocketing a couple of powerpacks and a few battle stimulants.

Carth was standing by the door awkwardly, avoiding the man's eyes.

"It'll have to suffice for now, I guess," Vren looked around the apartment inquiringly again, finally fixing a disinterested stare on the man. "I won't inform Davik of your whereabouts."

"Thank you, oh thank you!" he seemed to be greatly relieved.

Vren nodded for Carth to leave, which he eagerly did, taking his own leave in a casual manner. Once outside, he shot a lopsided grin at Carth, who just shook his head in silent disapproval.

"Who's Davik?" he asked quietly as they made their way to the exit.

Vren shrugged indifferently.

"How should I know?"