" But she's still alive, right? " Carth demanded.
Bastila nodded once. A tremor rocked through the Star Forge. Carth caught hold of Bastila's arm and kept the young woman on her feet while Juhani leant against the metal wall for support.
" And what about him? Is he still alive? " he asked once the quaking had subsided.
Bastila paled and shrugged weakly.
" I don't dare try and sense him, " she whispered.
Carth fumed and pursed his lips. He rubbed the back of his neck wearily.
" Very helpful. Can I just tell you Bastila how damn helpful you've been on this mission? " he snapped sarcastically.
The young Jedi flinched and looked down at the floor. Juhani placed a hand on her shoulder as she turned to the soldier.
" Carth, " she said softly. " I know you are concerned for Vanie, but remember we are all in this together. "
Carth didn't answer. Instead he slammed his fist against the door that kept him away from the factory centre; the chamber where even at this very moment his Vanie might be dying.
" The Republic is getting closer, " Juhani murmured after a long silence. " It may not be safe to wait much longer. "
He spun back round to face the Cathar, his face flushed with anger.
" I'm not leaving her Juhani! You get back to the Hawk if you want, and take Bastila too. But I'm staying. "
" I know you don't want to leave her behind Carth…. " Bastila started to say.
" And I'm not going to, " he finished stubbornly.
" I was not going to suggest leaving her behind. But we should have the others back at the Hawk, ready to leave as soon as possible, " Juhani stated patiently.
" Whatever, " he responded, waving a hand in her direction dismissively and resuming his pacing back and forth.
" You should go and help them back to the ship Juhani, " Bastila suggested.
Juhani studied the frustrated soldier for a second as he stomped to and fro. Carth's fear for Vanie had made him uncharacteristically harsh. Although Bastila had returned to the light she was the frequent target for his fury.
" We'll wait for her, " Bastila assured the other Jedi. " The others need you. "
Reluctantly Juhani nodded and headed back to the Ebon Hawk.
There was a long silence, punctuated only by the distant sound of explosions and blaster fire.
" She still lives, Carth, " Bastila ventured. " She still lives and she still walks the Path of Light. "
" No thanks to you, " he muttered.
Bastila gulped and fell silent. But the issue hung in the air and Bastila knew she could not ignore it, inappropriate as the time may be.
" I fell to the Dark Side. That's true. But Revan redeemed me. "
" You wanted to drag her down with you, " Carth spat, without stopping his pacing. " All this time you lecture and preach at her and in the end you're as weak and treacherous as they come. And her name is Vanie. "
" I'm sorry Carth, I really am. The Dark Side is… "
The factory door slid open. Carth raced forward and then skidded to a surprised halt.
Vanie was alive. She was burnt and bruised. Her flesh showed through several patches of her ruined Jedi garb. Her hair was matted with blood and her skin was streaked with dirt. But she was up and walking.
More significantly however, was that she had her hands hooked under the arms of her unconscious former apprentice and was dragging him across the floor. With great difficulty.
" Vanie? What the hell are you doing? " Carth stammered.
She looked up, obviously exhausted. Malak was easily a foot taller than her and had a much heavier build than her diminutive, birdlike frame. Still, she was nothing if not determined.
" Please help me Carth, " she murmured, her breath coming in short, hard gasps.
The Republic soldier simply stared at her. And stared at the man who had destroyed his homeworld, killed his wife and stolen his son.
This situation had never even crossed his mind. The plan had always been that Malak would die onboard this godforsaken ship. Not that it would fall to him to carry the man away and into safety.
" Please Carth, " Vanie begged. " I can't do this by myself and I'm not leaving him here. "
The pleading note in her soft voice was more than he could resist. He stepped forward and started to awkwardly hoist the Sith lord over his shoulders.
" Carth, don't, " Bastila ordered frantically, her voice like a whip.
Ignoring her, Carth shouldered the man with a grunt. He flicked a look at the obviously relieved Vanie.
" Anyone else asked me to do this Vanie, and I'd have answered them with a blaster. Come on, lets get out of here. "
Vanie and Bastila stumbled along behind Carth as he carried Malak back to the landing bay. The explosions were getting louder, the tremors more violent. More than once had the party been thrown against a wall. Carth had almost lost his hold on Malak several times. He realised from the relative lightness of the man and the ashen pallor of Vanie's face that she was using the last of her Force powers to give him extra strength.
Oh, how he'd love to drop the man head first onto the metal floor. A couple of kicks to the kidneys as well for good measure perhaps.
It was only the painful sound of Vanie's laboured breathing that forced him to keep hold of Malak.
As they rounded a corner, Carth almost smacked into a cannon pointed in his direction. Canderous lowered his weapon and to his credit, merely raised an eyebrow. Without a word, the Mandalorian took the Sith lord's feet and the two men took Malak's weight together.
They were able to move a lot quicker and within a few moments were in the elevator going up to the Ebon Hawk.
" Everyone else is back at the Hawk, " Canderous commented. " Figured I'd come find out what had happened, for better or worse. "
His eyes lingered on Vanie as he spoke, surveying her wounds. He nodded his head approvingly.
" Good job, " he assured her.
She smiled weakly back at him as she leant against the wall.
The lift doors slid open and the small team hurried towards the waiting ship. As Carth and Canderous carried Malak up the boarding ramp, Mission ran to meet them.
" C'mon guys, the Republic's getting a bit….. " she broke off as she saw the comatose Sith lord. " What are you doing with him? I thought he'd be dead! "
" You've got to be kidding me, " Jolee snarled as Malak was dropped, rather unceremoniously, into the medic bay.
Vanie flashed the old Jedi a hesitant smile.
" I hope you know what you're doing kid, " he mumbled blackly.
As Carth raced to the cockpit, Vanie took a blade and started to slice through the thick layer of combat suit at Malak's inner arm.
She was pulled away by Jolee. He took hold of her shoulders and checked her over intently.
" We should deal with Malak first, " she protested.
" You're more my concern at the moment. "
Jolee applied some kolto and then used the Force to ease her injuries. Vanie sighed in relief as the pain lessened. The dull ache continued but she could at least breathe without pain.
" Malak will be a pretty big concern if he wakes up. "
" Point taken, " Jolee responded with a nod.
Vanie handed him a syringe of sedative. Jolee frowned at the amount.
" This'd put a rancor to sleep, " he snorted.
" I'm not taking any chances of him coming-to mid-flight, " she stated. Her tone brooked no discussion. Jolee shrugged, What did he care anyway?, and administered the dose.
" That should do it. If that doesn't keep him out, a lightsaber should do the trick. "
Just concentrate on setting the Hawk down on the Rakatan planet. Don't think about the murderous tyrant in the medic bay. Don't think about what he did to your life. Don't think about the fact She chose to save him.
Just concentrate on putting the Hawk down in one piece.
Carth punched in the co-ordinates and struggled to remain calm.
How could she do this? WHY would she do this? What the Hell was she thinking of?
Jolee plopped down in the seat beside him.
" Where is she? " Carth asked bluntly.
" With him. "
Carth fumed and shook his head.
" C'mon lad. You know she's the only one who could bring him down if he woke up. Canderous and HK-47 are in there with her. " Jolee laughed without amusement. " Poor old HK, he can't understand it either. Keeps asking if Malak's here for a slow and painful death, wants to show Vanie what he'd recommend. "
Carth raised an eyebrow.
" I'm with HK-47. This is madness. We should have left him to die on The Star Forge. "
Jolee leant back in his seat and studied the vast blackness of space before them.
" Some people, " he commented contemplatively, " thought it was madness when Bastila chose to save Revan rather than let her die. "
" That's different, " the soldier snapped.
" Not really. "
" I don't want to talk about this. I'm busy. "
" Fine, " Jolee said, rising to his feet. " You were losing the argument anyway. Time to kick the old man out. "
It WAS different. Carth knew it was. He just couldn't for the life of him pin point how.