Chapter 2
"Vibroblades and blasters, and nobody ever dies? Why do I get the feeling you're trying to take us for a ride?" Carth demanded as he stared at the Hutt named Ajuur. Shannaura had insisted on going to the Duel Registration office to check out dueling as an option for getting the credits that they needed.
"We use suppressor fields in the dueling ring, so that weapons hurt but they don't kill," the large worm-like creature explained. Shannaura sighed while weighing both risks and benefits of the venture.
"Fine. I'll do it," she answered, looking at Ajuur resolutely while ignoring Carth's irritated sigh.
"Well, you're going to need a good name for the dueling ring... something that makes people bet more, how does the 'Mysterious Stranger' sound?" Ajuur asked. The ensign scrunched her nose at him.
"It sounds like Bantha crap; what's wrong with using my name?" Shannaura complained. Carth cleared his throat loudly hoping to get her attention. The ensign finally glanced over at the commander.
"Um, a word, please?" Carth requested looking at her pointedly. Shannaura sighed and glanced over at Ajuur, holding her hand up to signal him to wait. She walked a few meters away with Carth and listened to him expectantly. "I don't like your dueling idea, but I will admit we need those credits. The thing is, if any of the Sith came across a crew manifest on the Endar Spire, and you duel using your real name..." he trailed off, letting the implication hang while Shannaura chewed on her lower lip pensively.
"I'm sorry, Carth. You're right," she conceded before walking back over to Ajuur. "'Mysterious Stranger' is fine. When will I get to duel all five duelists?" she asked, ignoring the pilot's startled gasp.
"Human, you really think you'll be able to defeat all of them?!" Ajuur asked her incredulously.
Shannaura sighed in annoyance, "You get paid either way, so why does it matter whether I think I'm able to climb the rankings or not?" She folded her arms over her chest, looking at Carth and Ajuur.
"Ah, you make a good point, Human." Ajuur conceded. "Okay, you can duel tomorrow, and I'll space the duels out so that you'll be fighting a new duelist every two hours, allowing you some time for a rematch if you need it. Arrive in the morning; and, if you do as well as you think you will, you could be finished by the afternoon. In the space of about eight and a half hours, you'll be participating in five duels. Do you think you can handle that?" The ensign glanced at Carth, noting the concern in his eyes.
"I guess we'll all find out," Shannaura said with a smile at Ajuur and a wink at Carth. In spite of himself, the commander chuckled and shook his head as they left the office and re entered the cantina's concourse. As they walked in companionable silence, Carth could periodically detect Shannaura's eyes on him. They had entered the live music lounge when they were greeted by a man standing at the door.
"Well hello there!" the man said, looking at Carth before his eyes lingered on Shannaura. "I can tell by your exotic appearance that you're not from Taris originally. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jergan," he said. Shannaura leaned back on her heel and folded her arms over her chest while she scrutinized Jergan. He wasn't too attractive, certainly not like Carth. Wait! Did she just think that?
"What do you want, Jergan?" she demanded in annoyance, distracted by her forbidden thoughts.
"I'd like to know what you think of the band?" Jergan asked while looking at her hopefully. She glanced over at the small stage in the lounge where three Bith were performing woth wind instruments off-beat and two scantily-clad female Twi'lek dancers were dancing in front of them, also on the stage.
She shook her head, "It's not really my style." Shannaura replied, glancing back over at Jergan.
"They're something of an acquired taste... would you and your husband like to meet the band?" he offered, "They will be famous someday and it will only cost twenty credits to meet them backstage."
Shannaura paled at Jergan's assumption. "My what?!" she exclaimed. "First off, this man is my business associate, and secondly, there is no 'backstage'," she answered, motioning to the stage the band were performing on and turned her back on Jergan, walking away to another part of the room. She and Carth came to stand near the other side of the lounge, glancing at the stage periodically out of boredom. The commander scoped the room out, noticing an odd man with dark hair staring directly at Shannaura, but he hadn't noticed Carth watching him. He seemed uncomfortable, stiff and reserved – like he didn't belong. The Republic soldier put his hands in his pocket, eyeing the mysterious man while he kept his eye on Shannaura for safety reasons until he finally decided to inform her that she was being observed.
"Shannaura," Carth spoke loudly enough to get her attention. "That man over there is staring at you, do you want me to take care of it?" She looked in the direction he had nodded toward and saw the man for herself, who seemed a little embarrassed that she had caught him staring at her. She raised her eyebrows and without responding to Carth, she approached the mysterious man as he followed behind.
Shannaura smiled congenially, "Hi," she greeted the observer as Carth came to stand behind her.
"Hi." the man responded shyly. "I'm not really looking for conversation; I'm just trying to relax before my shift at the military base." he explained. The commander grew more alert after hearing that.
Shannaura continued with her congenial manner. "Really? You don't seem like a Sith," she said.
"I'm out of uniform right now." he replied. "My name is Yun Genda, Junior Officer First Class, Sith Occupation Force. Most locals avoid me, why are you talking to me?" he asked, sipping his drink.
"What, I'm good enough to stare at but not good enough to talk to?" Shannaura challenged him with a flirtatious smile. The Sith officer sighed with embarrassment, a small smile playing on his lips.
"Okay, you got me. I was looking at you and thinking about how I still don't have a date for the party this evening." he confessed. Shannaura exchanged a glance with the pilot before looking at Yun.
"A party? What party?" the ensign inquired as Carth shifted his stance suddenly uncomfortable.
"The junior officers are having a party this evening, right after our shifts end... and I don't have a date," he said, looking at her hopefully. "I don't suppose you're busy tonight?" he asked, glancing at Carth warily. "If your friend wants to come, there is a lovely officer named Sarna that he could meet."
"If she's so lovely, then why aren't you bringing Sarna as your date then?" Shannaura inquired.
"Two reasons: first, I'd be breaking fraternization regulations, and secondly, she's not as lovely as you are." he answered flashing her wide smile, causing Shannaura to blush as she cleared her throat.
"Tell me, Yun, if we were to accept your invite, how would we get there?" Shannaura inquired.
"It's being held in the northern district of the Upper City, at an apartment in that complex there. I can mark the location on your datapad." he said, motioning to the datapad sticking out of Carth's coat pocket. The Republic soldier passed the datapad to Yun, and watched him warily. A minute later, Yun gave it back. "If you're coming, don't be late. Many of our patrols won't even be stopping by the base after their shifts end to lock up their uniforms; we'll be heading right to the party." Yun informed them. The Sith officer scrutinized their clothing. "I really hope you have other clothes to wear." he observed.
The ensign narrowed her eyes at him. "This is about as dressy as we get," Shannaura retorted.
"That's fine, I guess." he said with a grimace. "I really would like to see you again," he smiled. "I need to go start my shift now." he said before placing his glass on a nearby table and walking out of the music lounge. The ensign turned and found Carth studying her with his arms folded over his chest.
"Intel and uniforms." she told him, having interpreted his expression as disapproval. He looked away, considering her statement before glancing at her again. She sighed, "why are you staring at me?"
"Have you ever had the Sith kill someone that you were really close to?" the commander asked.
"No," she replied, "at least I don't think so." she added. The pilot frowned as his irritation grew.
"If the Sith had killed someone that you loved, you'd know." he stated, leaning against the wall.
"Not necessarily," she muttered to herself, thinking he couldn't hear her. Unfortunately, he did.
"What?!" he asked incredulously, patience departing from his tone. She sighed in exasperation.
"Eight and a half months ago, I woke up with amnesia. The only thing I could remember was my name and rank, and some occupation that I used to have, but that was it," Shannaura explained, as Carth's expression changed to astonishment and disbelief. "I've retained all memories since, but none from before." she explained. Carth unfolded his arms, lowering his hands to his side as he replayed his conversation with Bastila in his mind. His gut instincts told him she knew about Shannaura's amnesia.
The pilot furrowed his brow. "The doctors cleared you for active duty?" Carth asked dubiously.
"I passed the physical exam, written exam, and weapons training." she replied as she glanced up at the commander, "Well, that's my story, so what's yours?" she inquired as he raised an eyebrow at her.
"What?" Carth asked, taken aback as he was still reeling from Shannaura's amnesia revelation.
"You said I could ask questions later, and you've learned more about me than I planned to share, so it's your turn." she persisted. "I'd like to know more about you, Carth." He sighed and ran his hand through his hair while he gathered his thoughts. After several seconds the pilot glanced at Shannaura.
"Me? Well I've been a star-pilot for the Republic for a while. I've seen more than my share of wars... I fought in the Mandalorian Wars before all this started. But with all that I've never experienced anything like the slaughter these Sith can unleash. Not even the Mandalorians were that senseless. My home world was one of the first planets to fall to Malak's fleet. The Sith bombarded it into submission, and there wasn't a damn thing our Republic forces could do to stop them." Carth replied with bitterness. Shannaura studied him closely, seeing great anguish in his eyes, though the commander guarded it well.
"I'm sorry, Carth... that must have been terrible." she said, wishing she that could comfort Carth.
"I'm just a soldier. I go where the fleet Admirals tell me to. I follow all my orders and I do my duty. It just... doesn't seem right that doing that means I failed them. I didn't!" he told her defensively.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." Shannaura apologized and glanced away from the pilot.
"I know. Don't worry about it. I just... I must not be making much sense." Carth replied. "You probably mean well with your questions. I'm just not accustomed to talking about my past very much... at all actually. I'm more used to taking action... keeping my mind focused on the business at hand. So let's just do that. If you have more questions, ask them later." he said, briskly leaving the music lounge. The ensign sighed before running after Carth, catching up with him before he reached the cantina exit.
"Wait!" she called out to him, causing him to sigh and stop. "Where are we going?" she asked.
"We used up a lot of our medical supplies after the crash so I wanna check out the clinic." Carth explained. Shannaura nodded in agreement and they promptly left the cantina. She walked behind him watching his movements with far more interest than she should have had. Yes, she thought, he is quite handsome. "So... Sith party tonight and five duels tomorrow?" he asked as they approached the clinic.
"Yeah, that sounds about right... Well, we'll need to buy some supplies from Kebla's shop after the duels. By the day after tomorrow, we should make it to the Lower City," she replied. They walked into the clinic, noting that the facility was staffed by one aged man, a young man, and a medical droid.
The old man looked at her, "I see by your appearance that you're an off-worlder, but I'll not have it said that my services are limited to only the citizens of Taris." he said. "I'm Zelka Forn. Welcome to my clinic. Do you require healing? Or perhaps you would like to see my inventory? I can cure almost any ailment or injury right here, except for the Rakghoul disease, of course." Forn studied them closely.
The ensign looked at Forn inquisitively. "What is the Rakghoul disease?" Shannaura inquired.
"A terrible affliction, bred by the horrible living conditions in the Undercity. Anyone who is bit by a Rakghoul becomes infected and will either die or turn into a Rakghoul themselves." Forn replied. Shannaura grew concerned for Bastila, especially since those escape pods had crashed in the Undercity.
"There's no cure?" Shannaura inquired as Carth listened. Zelka sighed, shaking his head sadly.
"When the Republic still controlled the military base, they claimed they were close to perfecting a cure and had come up with some kind of serum, but then the Sith overran the base and blocked access to everything in it. The last I heard was that Sith patrols searching the Undercity for the Republic pods were carrying the serum." Zelka explained. "And, I doubt they'll hand it out to just anyone who asks."
"About those crashed Republic pods... what do you know about them?" Shannaura asked Zelka. The healer shifted his stance, grewing noticeably uncomfortable when Shannaura posed the question.
"No more than anyone else, why are you with the Sith?" Zelka asked, glancing at her and Carth warily. The man was clearly hiding something, and the ensign was determined to find out what it was.
"No... and if you know something, I'd really appreciate you telling us." she spoke quietly. Zelka sighed, before motioning both her and Carth towards the back of the clinic. The doors opened to reveal a room with two large kolto tanks and each one contained a human man, wearing Republic underwear, the same kind that the male crewmen had worn on the Spire. "These are Republic soldiers." Shannaura told him. "How did you get them?" Carth eyed Zelka suspiciously until the man explained his motives.
"Ever since the space battle overhead, people have been secretly bringing in survivors. I can do nothing else for them. Their injuries are terrible, and most won't survive. All I can do is to try to make their last days as comfortable as possible." Forn told them. "I just hope the Sith don't find out what I've done." Carth sighed, sounding to Shannaura as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
"Well, for this, you have my thanks. It's good to know that at least some of these men ended up in compassionate hands." the commander told Zelka, while still staring at the tanks. The three of them returned to the front of the clinic where Shannaura and Carth purchased some budget friendly medpacs before leaving the clinic and approaching the entrance to Upper City North. They were drawing closer when their attention was caught by some commotion nearby. A human man and an Aqualish male had an frightened old man cornered against a wall threateningly. The Republic soldiers stopped to observe.
"Here's 50 credits, a down payment, that should buy me some time, right?" the old man asked.
"Sorry, it's all or nothing. Davik can't have people not paying back their debts." the human said.
"But I don't have that much, how can I give Davik credits that I don't have?!" the old man cried.
"Sorry, but you're going to have to come with us." the human aggressor told him threateningly.
"Somebody help! They're going to take me away kill me!" the old man cried out for their help. The commander startled Shannaura by leaning over and speaking into her ear scarcely above a whisper.
"I know we're supposed to be keeping a low profile," Carth reminded, "but are we just gonna let them drag this guy off?" he inquired as his breath against her ear and neck momentarily distracted her.
"Over my dead body." Shannaura muttered and stepped forward, making their presence known.
"Hold on, we've got some witnesses." the human thug said, as he noticed the Republic soldiers.
"Davik doesn't like witnesses." the Aqualish bounty hunter declared as Carth stood beside her.
"Your business with this man is complete. You leave him alone, now." Shannaura warned them.
"I guess we're going to have to teach you to mind your own business." the human thug declared. Davik's bounty hunters drew their weapons and within milliseconds, Shannaura had drawn a blade and Carth had drawn his blaster and the battle began. The ensign dodge blaster bolts as she slashed at their enemies. Eventually the bounty hunters lay dead on the ground; Shannaura and Carth were unharmed.
"Oh thank you!" the old man told them, "Those bounty hunters were going to take me away and kill me! It's not good to owe a crime lord money! My wife warned me not to take a loan from Davik! But I did and now I can't pay him back, now he'll just keep sending more bounty hunters 'til I'm dead!"
"Isn't there anything I can do?" Shannaura asked, wiping her blade on the dead bounty hunter's clothes and re sheathing it. "Maybe I can help." she told the man while she knelt down and rummaged through the pockets and bags of the dead bounty hunters. She counted up the credits from their wallets.
"You've already helped me, so unless you have a spare 100 credits you can give me so I can pay Davik back, there's nothing else you can do," the old man lamented. Shannaura smiled as she finished counting. She nonchalantly walked over to the old man and dropped the stack of credits into his hands.
"Davik's goons were carrying exactly 100 credits, collectively; you can pay Davik back with his own money and he'll never know it." Shannaura told him with a cheeky grin. "How does that sound?"
The old man smiled in gratitude and disbelief. "I don't believe it, thanks! That sounds terrific!" "Oh and Sir? Next time, you should listen to your wife." she chided him and said, "Goodbye." The ensign exchanged a smile with the commander at the beautiful irony of the situation. But then her mind was drawn to the unsettling sensation she had gotten when Carth whispered in her ear. Shannaura quickly turned away and walked toward the tunnel to the northern district of the Upper City. She didn't even know this man and yet his presence was having an effect on her that she didn't understand and she hadn't anticipated. In eight and a half months, she hadn't experienced an attraction to anyone until now.
