Sewer Crawl

Carth edged around a bend in the sewer tunnels and looked around warily. "All clear," he called out softly before moving ahead. Behind him his two shadows followed quietly. How did I end up as rakghoul bait, again? Oh right, little "please help me' Mission Vao. Help me rescue my friend from Gamorrean slavers. As though mutated monstrosities weren't enough. I hate this planet.

He reached the end of the tunnel and punched the button that would open the door into the next section, yelped, and jumped back as he hit the button to close the door again. A couple of clangs sounded from the other side. "Big pack of ghouls on the other side," he said. "Got another way to that place those slavers are holding your friend, Mission?"

"Yeah, but it'll take a good four or five extra hours."

"How big of a pack?" Consu asked. "I don't mind losing a few grenades to spare us some time."

"A dozen or so big," Carth snapped. "We're going around."

"Oh come on, we found that anti-rakghoul serum, so it doesn't matter if you get bitten anymore ..."

"Tell that to the Sith patrol we found that serum on. Lot of good it did them."

"I don't like leaving Big Z with those nass-heads any longer than I have to," Mission complained and looked at Carth with a pair of big sad eyes. Her lower lip wobbled a little.

That won't work this time, kid. "How long will he be with them if all three of us get eaten?" Carth asked. "Now, which way do we go?"

Mission thought for a moment. "Back the way we came and then we take the ladder up a couple of levels."

"Right, let's start walking."

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After lot of walking, and more than a few dispatched enemies, Carth picked himself up off the floor. "Glad that's over, I think I prefer the rakghouls to those Gamorreans, they don't hit so hard."

"I wouldn't know, they didn't lay a hand on me," Consu said as she squinted at a cargo bay lock. "Okay, that should do it."

"Big Z!" Mission squealed and jumped on a startled looking Wookiee. They started chattering away, with Consu adding her own remarks at a couple of places.

"Guess that's Zaalbar then," Carth said as he hobbled over the Consu. "So, Wookiee's another one of your languages."

"Shyriiwook, actually," Consu said. "It's nice to know whether the howling mob of Wookiees coming after you are shouting 'hurrah for our saviour!" or "death to the boss's enemy!"

"That's ... never happened to me," Carth said.

Consu's eyes widened and she stepped behind Carth, holding him in front of her. "Knowing the language comes in handy more often than you'd think," she whispered before raising her voice and addressing Zaalbar. "Hey, he's the boss. Er, my Commanding Officer. Aren't you, sir?"

"What is wrong with you?" Carth asked as Consu pushed him forwards.

"Hee, hear that? That's the voice of a leader that is. Hey, if it was up to me, we wouldn't even be down here. I'd be up in a nice, Upper City apartment just waiting around for the Sith to leave," she poked him in the back. "Isn't that right, sir?"

"I think you would do your duty as a Republic soldier even without me around," Carth said stiffly.

"You go on thinking that, sir," Consu said and looked at the Wookiee. "But, point made, Carth's the one who really rescued you. That's Carth Onasi, your heroic rescuer."

Zaalbar growled and Mission held up a finger and pointed towards a side room. "Excuse for a moment, we're just going to go have a little chat."

"What was that all about?" Carth asked when the two had disappeared.

"Oh, just making sure you get the credit you're due," Consu said with a grin.

Carth eyed her suspiciously.

"So," she said, looking around. "Time to see what goodies these slavers collected, don't you think?"

"Go ahead," Carth said, sliding down to sit on the ground. He whole body ached, but at least he didn't seem to have any worse wounds than a few bruises. Make that a lot of bruises. Ow.

He was just starting to nod off when Mission and Zaalbar came back. Mission stopped in front of him and wrung her hands. Carth looked up at her. "What?" he asked.

"Um, the thing is Zaalbar says he owes you a lifedebt."

"Okay," Carth said.

"A lifedebt, boss," Consu said. "The Wookiees take those things seriously."

"Like in the holo's? Isn't all that just exaggerated melodrama?"

Zaalbar growled something.

"Nope, it's real," Mission said. "Congratulations, that's a pretty big thing, you know."

"Aw, hells," Carth said. "Alright, you tell him ..."

Zaalbar roared.

Mission glared down at Carth. "He does understand basic, you know."

"Right, sorry, I'm a little tired," Carth said and then addressed the Wookiee. "Look, the saving your life thing was just a bonus to carrying out my mission. I'm happy to help, but there's no real need to thank me. Er, consider all debts absolved?"

Consu shook her head. "Doesn't work that way, boss."

"Oh for frak's sake, this is ridiculous," Carth said. "How do you even determine who really saved your life? I mean Con opened your door ..."

Zaalbar crossed his arms and growled.

"... fine. How about Mission? We wouldn't have come here at all if she hadn't asked us to help you so ... "

Zaalbar growled again and said something to Mission. Consu held a hand up to her face and hid a smile.

"Better just accept it," Mission said. "Zaalbar says if you keep insulting him by trying to belittle the value of his lifedebt he'll have to rip your arms off."

"Uh, wouldn't that violate the debt?"

"You'll still be alive," she said with a shrug.

"Now that we've got that settled," Consu said. "We need to get moving before more of these slaver guys show up."

Carth stood up with a groan. "As long as we can move slowly. Unless my new friend wants to carry me."

Zaalbar let out a questioning grunt, and then shrugged and picked Carth up.

"Hey wait, I was joking," Carth said, struggling a little. Zaalbar ignored him and he could hear both Mission and Consu giggling. What kind of soldier giggles? "You can let me down, now." Or not. May as well go with it, we are making good time, it's sort of comfortable, and I am really tired.

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"Huh, what?" Carth said when he woke up.

"Welcome back, boss," Consu said.

"Where am I?"

"Ooh, someone knows his lines," Mission giggled. "Don't forget 'who am I' next."

"I know who I am," Carth said, sitting up and holding his head in his hands. "Got any food?"

Consu tossed him a ration bar. Carth looked around, they were in some small room, and still in the sewers from the smell of it. Zaalbar was snoring away, taking up a good third of the floor space.

"It's an old maintenance store room," Mission said. "I've spent the night here before. It's safe, from the rakghouls at least. We're just going over strategy for when we hit the Vulkar base tomorrow."

Carth groaned. "Is there some reason we can't head back to the Lower City to rest up a bit, first?"

"We could, but then we'd just have to come back down here again," Consu said. "We're running a bit short of time before the race, anyway. You should go back to sleep. We want you in good shape when you outrun the rancor tomorrow."

"The what?" Carth exclaimed.

"The Vulkars have a pet rancor guarding their backdoor," Mission said. "I'm sure I mentioned that before."

"No, no you did not, I would have remembered that," Carth said, falling back with a groan. He pulled his jacket over his head. "Do me a favour and don't wake me up in the morning."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Mission waved before she disappeared and went to place a series of mines in the rancor's den. Carth grimaced. "I don't like this at all. Am I the only one who thinks sending a kid into a rancor's den is a bad idea?"

"Yep," Consu said. "I am no good with mines, and Zaalbar's no good at being sneaky."

"How did that thing even get down here?" Carth whispered. "Never mind, it doesn't really matter. I still don't see why you can't just sneak by it and then break into the Vulkar base."

"Because," she said slowly. "If something goes wrong and I have to make a run for it I am not going to run straight into that thing's mouth. Now get ready to play your part, she's coming back."

He looked over at Zaalbar. "About that lifedebt thing, want a chance to pay it off?"

Zaalbar growled something.

"That's a no I take it?"

"Quite stalling, boss. You're a much smaller target than Zaalbar, now get out there and go fetch me a rancor."

He edged through the doorway and took a look. Mission pointed out where she had planted the mines and then gave him a little shove forwards. This isn't so bad, Carth thought as he stepped forwards and raised a blaster. Stand at the edge of the mines, shoot the big scaly creature, shoot the big scaly creature with the really big claws, the really big sharp claws, shoot it and then run for it. Go on shoot. Come on Carth, it can't make it through the door so I can escape anytime as long as I'm fast enough ... shoot already. Hrm. Crap, it's looking over my way. Nice rancor.

Carth took careful aim at the creature's eye and shot. It shrugged off his shot, and then turned and roared once before coming charging at him. It hit the mines and stumbled for moment before continuing. Should have used more mines.

"Start running!" Consu called out from the doorway where she and the others were firing through it at the beast. "I think it's almost dead."

So am I, Carth thought, as he zigzagged across the rubbish filled floor.

"There it goes," Consu said a few minutes later as it toppled over. "You can relax now, boss." The whine of a blaster sounded and she ducked around the corner. "Or maybe not."

Carth dove for the floor and tried to spot where the shots were coming from. "Vulkars, so much for this entrance being unguarded."

"There's only a couple," Consu said as they took out the gang members. "I hope they were too surprised to sound an alarm."

"If they did get off an alarm we would have a couple dozen of those bantha brains here by now," Mission said as she tinkered with the door controls. "Alright, we're in. Time for team sneaky to do our thing."

"Keep your comms open," Consu said as she and Mission stepped into the lift. "We'll give a shout if we run into trouble."

Carth looked at Zaalbar when they were left alone. "You know, as I was running from the rancor I was thinking that those bowcaster shots of yours were probably the only thing standing between me and a gruesome death ..."

Zaalbar rumbled a reply and shook his head.

"... so I guess the lifedebt's still on? Alright then, not sure how I'm going to sneak you on to my next ship, but then, I'm not sure I'll survive long enough to get another assignment, so it's all good."

Zaalbar put his bowcaster away and knelt to go through his pack.

"So, what do you want to do to pass the time? Know any good jokes?"

Zaalbar pulled out a pazaak deck from his pack. Carth eyed it warily. "You're a card shark, aren't you? I'll just bet you are." Zaalbar held out his hands and looked downcast. "Fine, we can play, but if I lose all my credits you'll have to pay my bills. I'm pretty sure that lifedebt thing means you can't let me starve to death."

Two hundred credits down later Carth was looking at a seventeen hand and mulling over his next move. Zaalbar growled. Carth looked up. "Don't rush me." Zaalbar looked up at the ceiling and whined. "Fine, hit me," Carth said and covered his eyes. He groaned when Zaalbar huffed with laughter. Another fifty credits lost.

The comm pinged, and Carth pounced on it. "Consu?" he asked. "What's happening?"

"It's all good, boss. We had a little spot of trouble at the end, but we've got the swoop thing, plus a few bonus goods."

"A little trouble my butt," Mission cut in. "She tried to betray the Beks to the Vulkars!"

"I did not!" Consu said. "Give me my comm back. It was just a ruse and it worked didn't it?"

"Only because I blew up Kandon's gunmen before you could sell us out!"

Carth winced and looked at Zaalbar who just shrugged. "Okay, so where are you?"

"Back in the Lower City," Consu said. "We went out the front door. It's a real stirred up kinrath nest in there, though. You two will be better off coming back through the sewers. We'll meet up at the Beks."

The comm went silent. Carth stared down at it for a moment before looking over at Zaalbar and giving him a weak grin. "It's just you and me then. I hope you know where we're going, because I am completely lost."

Zaalbar huffed and started trotting down the corridor. Carth hurried to follow him, feeling both guilty and relieved he wasn't on point anymore. Fortunately, the rakghouls were either afraid of Zaalbar or didn't think he looked tasty, and they were only attacked by a couple of ragged stragglers as they travelled back through the sewers.

"Maybe there's a reason the rakghouls have left us alone," Carth said as they passed more than one grouping of dead ghouls on their way back to the lift out of the Undercity.

Zaalbar halted and then pulled Carth up a half-collapsed wall. He looked down and spotted an ongoing battle down below. "Exchange boys from the looks of it. Why is everyone trying to cash in on the Endar Spire pods? We sent people down, not valuables or republic secrets."

Zaalbar motioned back the way they came and looked questioningly at Carth. "Yeah, I get it. The Exchange is run by a bunch of crooks and slavers. Definitely people I'd rather fight than help," Carth said. "I really wish I could let the rakghouls take them out, but even they don't deserve to be eaten or mutated. You with me?"

Zaalbar looked up, shrugged and then brandished his vibroblades and charged at the pack surrounding the Exchange men. "Not so fast!" Carth shouted as he followed and tried to keep the ghouls off Zaalbar's back. Although they didn't really seem to bother him, Carth guessed Zaalbar was the reason Mission didn't worry much about rakghouls. Was that Canderous Ordo? Frak, this is just not my day.

"Don't thank me for saving your life, Mandalorian" Carth said as he slipped his blaster back into its holster once the fight was over. "I was just killing rakghouls."

Canderous huffed. "My life did not need saving," he gestured at the small group of scared looking men huddled around the corpses. "You may have saved the lives of some of these kids Davik has me babysitting, though."

Zaalbar came over, still brandishing his vibroblades and roared something. Canderous stepped up to him. "Yeah, so what? Someone dumb enough to get in debt to the Exchange deserves to get what's coming to him."

"Does everyone know Wookiee, but me?" Carth asked. "Zaalbar, now is not the time for a discussion on morals," Carth said. "Or someone's lack of morals."

"At least I kept my boys alive," Canderous said. "You've lost your partner, and would probably be dead yourself if you hadn't stumbled across this Wookiee."

Zaalbar started talking, gesturing excitedly at times. Canderous gave out a little grunt. "Rancor, huh? Maybe you are good for more than just flying ships, Onasi."

Carth coughed. Okay, he knows who I am. Ignore it? Try to pretend I didn't hear him? Oh yeah, that one. He owes me, whether he admits or not. Onasi who? He started backing away and then pointed towards the lift upstairs. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I've got to get going. Don't let the rakghouls bite."

Zaalbar cuffed him on the back of his head. "Ouch! I thought it was funny."