Disclaimer: KotOR was not my brilliant idea.
Chapter Ten
It was a somber party that set off from the apartment the next morning. Bastila was grim as she bade them goodbye. Carth was tense and taciturn. Zaalbar kept his massive paws close to his weapon, and his eyes constantly darted between his best friend and Aithne. Mission was pale with nervousness, and she looked slightly guilty whenever her eyes fell on Carth. Aithne looked straight ahead, refusing to acknowledge anyone's fears, nervousness, or hang-ups. She hardly blinked as she led the party through the city.
After what seemed like forever, they arrived, unchallenged, at the gate of the Sith military base. Aithne nodded to T3. He beeped, rolled forward, sliced the security in five seconds flat, and rolled away. Aithne whistled in admiration. She moved to lead Mission and Zaalbar into the base, but Carth pulled her aside.
"Aithne," he said, caramel eyes boring into her own, "Let me come with you."
"No, Carth," Aithne said evenly. She'd known he'd try.
Carth's gaze fell. He'd known it wasn't any good. His jaw tightened. "Watch Mission, then," he said, "But not so much that you forget to watch yourself. Let Zaalbar help you. Be careful. Don't get yourself killed or captured. Come back to us with those launch codes."
"Why, flyboy, I didn't know you cared," Aithne joked weakly. Carth looked at her, eyes hard. "Not the time? Sorry. We'll be careful. I give you my word of honor."
She stepped away quickly, trying not to care that she was leaving him to worry, and disappeared into the elevator that would take her down into the Sith base. She did not turn, but nonetheless felt his eyes follow her down.
"So," said Mission, as they rode the elevator down. "Did the geezer confess his undying love for you or something?"
Aithne blushed, and hated herself for it. "No. He didn't."
"Well he was thinking it," Mission shot back. "Big Z and me were talking yesterday, and he says he can smell the pheromones on you two more strongly every second you're together."
/Mission!/ roared Zaalbar at the same time Aithne said much the same.
"He's just worried about us getting captured or killed, without him here to protect us. Or worse, selling him and Bastila out," Aithne said.
"Whatever," snorted the Twi'lek. "So when are you gonna suck it up and kiss him?"
"Mission," said Aithne in her best Bastila impersonation. "My relationship, or lack thereof, with Carth Onasi is none of your concern. Your concern, at the moment, is helping me cut through the Sith that get between us and the launch codes."
"Fine!" Mission huffed as the elevator came to a stop. "Spoilsport!" she muttered.
The door opened, and a Twi'lek receptionist immediately asked what they were doing there. Mission said a few words to the woman in Twi'leki, and the woman left both quickly and quietly after another exchange.
"She won't tell on us," Mission said to Aithne.
"I know," replied Aithne. "I understood you. You told her what was going on and that we had no desire to hurt her, and she said she didn't like the Sith and wouldn't interfere if you wanted to shoot a few up."
"You understand Twi'leki. Right, I forgot, you're fluent in every language known to man or alien," Mission said ruefully. "What are you doing on the computer?" For Aithne was indeed messing with the receptionist's terminal.
/Checking to see what we're up against,/ Aithne replied in Twi'leki, noting the look of chagrin on Mission's face and smiling to herself. /I've already busted a conduit in the secondary barracks. Uh-oh,/
"What?" Mission asked, alarmed by Aithne's tone.
"There's a massive assault droid right before the elevator we'll need to get down to the governor's rooms. The governor will have the codes, but we have to get past that droid to get to him. I've disabled its shields, but it will still be tough."
Zaalbar nodded grimly, and ran a cloth over his vibroblade. /Where do we start?/ he asked.
/There,/ Aithne replied, pointing at the adjoining room.
The next several minutes passed in a flurry of activity and battle. Aithne led Mission and Zaalbar around the base, and soon the trio were covered in sweat and blood, not usually their own. Mission was observant, and kept well out of the way of the heavy fighting, but she was also a very good shot. She winced every time one of her shots felled a Sith, but she did not break down about it as she had about Kandon a few days ago. Zaalbar was a mighty fighter, too, striking out with accuracy and power with his enormous vibrosword. They stole everything they could carry. Best they rid the Sith of it, anyway, Aithne told the others, and they'd need supplies once they escaped Taris. Finally, they stood before the door behind which the droid lurked.
"Mission, Zaalbar, shield. Mission, switch to an ion blaster." Aithne barked out. They all did so. Aithne opened the door, and a very frightening looking droid accosted them immediately.
Aithne wove in and out. She found it surprisingly easier than she'd thought. Is it just me, or am I fighting even better than normally? She jabbed here and there on the droid as Mission shot at it. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Zaalbar dispatching the defense turrets. Mission strode forward to stand beside Aithne and delivered one last shot, and the droid fell in pieces.
"Oh, good work, Mission," praised Aithne, and the teenager glowed with happiness and exhaustion.
"We can't pass out just yet, Mish," warned Aithne, "There's one last fight coming. And I've got a feeling this will be tough."
/Right. The chieftain of the Sith on this world,/ Zaalbar remembered.
Mission switched to her regular blaster again without comment, a particularly nice one Aithne had obtained for her yesterday while out getting T3. She stepped into the empty elevator.
"Well?" she called after a moment. "Come on, then!" Aithne grinned, and moved to join her friend.
When they arrived, the elevator opened on a short, eerily quiet corridor.
"The Sith governor ought to be just beyond that door," Aithne warned. "Shields up, guys."
And, striding forward, Aithne keyed open the door.
A tall, powerful-looking bald man opened his eyes. "Who dares to break my meditation?" he demanded angrily, rising to his feet and twirling a double-bladed vibrosword. "You will pay for interrupting my…wait," he said, stopping up short in confusion. "I sense the Force is strong with you," he began, directing his words at Aithne. "Very strong."
Aithne grimaced. What was it with people and her Force sensitivity, lately? Any more of these feelings and I'll think you're a Jedi. You are marked, Up-worlder. A Jedi could have accomplished such thing, of course, but only by drawing heavily upon the Force. "Shut up," she advised the man. "Hi. We'd like your launch codes, if you please."
The Sith governor stared at her blankly. Seeming to gather himself, he continued, "Who would have thought a Force Adept could be found on this insignificant planet?" he continued pompously. "But your talent is no match for a disciple of the Dark Side!"
"Do you even know how ridiculous you sound?" Aithne asked incredulously. "Anyways, the Dark Side doesn't accomplish any more than the Jedi do," she continued. "Look around, you're the governor. The economy is failing, morale is low, and crime is at an all-time high. Seems to me you Sith are accomplishing nothing but death and destruction with your 'Dark Side'."
The Sith Governor was obviously unprepared to deal with this. "The Dark Side is what gives the Sith strength," he replied, not even addressing Aithne's arguments. "This meeting is a stroke of luck for me-" he continued, taking a battle stance. "My master will surely reward me with my lightsaber once I kill you!"
"Great," Aithne muttered. "Only a Dark Jedi could be that stupid."
"Fine, Mr. Sith Governor," she said more loudly, taking a defensive stance herself as Zaalbar and Mission also took their positions. "For the record, I really hate to do this."
She attacked. Or, she tried to. Aithne immediately found herself immobilized by Force Stasis. She swore inside of her head, as her lips wouldn't move. What a dirty trick. Zaalbar, being a Wookiee, was less susceptible to the power, and moved forward to strike. The Sith Governor buckled underneath the blow, only to receive a shot to the side courtesy of Mission Vao. The Sith spied Mission beside the door and his eyes narrowed in hatred. He surged forward and slashed at her with his vibroblade. Aithne tried to cry out, tried to attack, but was held helpless as Mission fell without a sound. Zaalbar roared in fury, his eyes red with rage. He fell upon the governor with a rapid series of thundering blows. Aithne felt the Stasis grip on her loosen. With a wrench, she shook herself free of it and joined Zaalbar. Within seconds the Governor was down. Aithne flew to Mission's side.
"Mission!" she cried, "Mission!"
"What?" demanded the Twi'lek, her eyes opening and a grin breaking across her face.
Aithne checked her for wounds. There were none. "You faked that!" she accused angrily.
"I wasn't equipped with a melee weapon when he attacked me. But I'd shielded, remember? His blow was absorbed," the teenager explained. "I knew it wouldn't absorb many more blows, so I decided to play dead. I fell against him, and…" she paused, eyes twinkling merrily, "may I present your launch codes?"
"Don't ever scare me like that again!" Aithne demanded. Zaalbar roared in agreement. "It was, however," Aithne admitted reluctantly, "A brilliant maneuver. Well done, Mish. I'm just glad you're safe."
She hugged the girl to her.
"Alright, alright," said Mission as Aithne helped her to her feet. "Don't smother me." But Aithne could see that Mission was touched.
"Alright, alright," mimicked Aithne. "Give me those launch codes. And my purse, if you please?"
"Just keeping you alert," Mission promised cheerfully, handing both back to the older woman.
"Let's get out of here," said Aithne as a still vaguely annoyed Zaalbar rejoined them, filing away a few possessions he'd stolen from the governor's rooms.
They were unchallenged as they left and wound their way back through the Upper City. Aithne led them back into the apartment.
"You're back!" Carth said, leaping up. "It's only been a couple hours!"
"Well, turns out that Sith bases just aren't what they used to be," Aithne cracked. "We got the codes," she finished, waving them around for everyone to admire.
"I told you she would do it," Bastila said smugly, gliding forward to join Carth in welcoming the others.
"It's about lunchtime," Aithne said. "I'm going to change and go meet Canderous down in Javyar's with the codes. Carth, Bastila, he knows you guys. Come with me?"
"You bet," Carth said. Bastila nodded.
Aithne sponged off in the fresher and changed into her street clothes. Then she joined Carth and Bastila at the door. She looked at Mission and Zaalbar, both still bloody and stinking from the raid this morning.
"Mission, Zaalbar, clean yourselves up," she told them. "See you later, okay?"
Zaalbar growled in farewell, and Mission waved. "Let's go," Bastila instructed imperiously.
"Whatever you say, Princess," said Aithne cheerfully.
Carth produced the papers to the Sith at the elevator, who, luckily, hadn't been back to the base to know there was a problem yet. There was a slightly more hopeful air about the Lower City, now, Aithne reflected, and what Vulkars they met looked defeated and unorganized. The Beks were in high good humor, helping out families. Aithne saw a few of them in the streets with teams cleaning things up a little. They made it to Javyar's without much trouble.
She, Carth, and Bastila quickly spotted Canderous near the bar. Sitting down at his table, Aithne motioned a waiter over and she and her party ordered. Canderous waited, a smug look on his battle-scarred face.
"I figured you'd be back," he said as they ate. "Neither one of us is getting off this planet unless we work together. Now I know the Sith military base had a break-in. I know it was you. I know you've got those departure codes I need. So what do you say? We join forces and I can get you inside Davik's base- and right to the Ebon Hawk. We can go right now."
"Not so fast," Aithne said. "I have others I want to take with me."
"Right. Mission Vao, Zaalbar the Wookiee that swore a lifedebt to you, and Davik's droid I sent you to buy." At Aithne's nervous look, Canderous grinned predatorily. "I asked around. No problem. You can bring your friends when we get out of here. What you all do after our getaway is your business."
"Ok then," agreed Aithne, somewhat warily. ""Let's join up. But how are you going to get me inside Davik's estate?"
"Davik's always looking to recruit new talent," explained Canderous. "I'll tell him how you won that swoop race and mention that you're interested in working for the Exchange. I'll say I brought you in so he could check you out. He'll have you stay at his estate for a couple days while he runs some background checks on you," continued Canderous. "That's standard procedure."
"This is too risky. We should find another way," Bastila put in.
"You got another plan sister?" asked Canderous lazily, "Or are you just objecting because you didn't think of it, Jedi Shan." He watched Bastila out of the corner of his eye, waiting for her reaction.
Bastila paled, but kept her voice steady. "No…I don't have another plan," she admitted. "I would rather not place my life in your hands, however."
"I can say the same about you," Canderous pointed out. "That makes us even. Fortunately, we both want to get off this rock, right?"
"He has enough information to be just as much of a liability as Davik," said Aithne to Bastila, "And we won't be staying around on Taris long enough for Davik to dig up anything that could hurt us."
Bastila nodded.
"What about you, Onasi?" Canderous asked. "You in?"
Carth eyed the Mandalorian with dislike and distrust, but nodded as well.
"Right," Canderous continued, ignoring the others and addressing Aithne. "While Davik's checking you out, we steal the Ebon Hawk and escape Taris. Come on, I've got an air speeder nearby to take us to Davik's estate. The sooner we're off Taris, the better."
"I want to take Bastila with me," Aithne said. "She might be handy at the base, and she more than anyone needs the quick getaway."
"Fine. We'll say she's your friend, or servant, or whatever."
"And you can start up the ship, but as soon as we pick up the others, Carth's flying it. He's been a pilot most of his life."
"Fine," growled Canderous, "can we just go already?"
"Carth, go take charge of Mission, Zaalbar, and T3," Aithne instructed. "Tell them to pack. We'll be by in three or four hours to pick you up."
"Fine," Carth said, and turned to leave.
Aithne and Bastila followed Canderous to the speeder and flew off to the estate of the Taris crime lord.
The estate was, as Aithne had expected it would be, ridiculously large and shamefully decorated. On every planet Aithne Morrigan had ever visited, the crime lords always seemed to have the worst taste. Canderous led them through the garish halls, until finally they located Davik Kang in his study with one Calo Nord, bounty hunter. As Canderous entered, Davik looked up. His eyebrows rose slightly.
"Canderous," he said in greeting, rising from his overly large and expensive-looking chair. "I see you have brought someone with you. Most intriguing, if I do say so myself. You usually travel alone."
"It's not like you to take on partners, Canderous," put in the diminutive terror that was Calo Nord, a slight edge to his voice. "You're getting soft."
"Watch yourself, Calo," growled Canderous. "You may be the newest kath hound in the pack, but you aren't top dog yet!"
Calo was reaching for his blaster when Davik intervened. "Enough! I won't have my top two men killing each other-that's not good business. I'm sure Canderous has an explanation as to why he's not working solo anymore."
Canderous nodded, relaxing. "This is a special case, Davik. I ran into someone the Exchange might want to recruit. You may have heard something of her exploits already." He bowed gravely, indicating Aithne.
"And the other?" Davik asked.
"A friend of my sister's," Aithne put in smoothly. "She's of no consequence and will do you no harm. She's not all there, you see," she added in a whisper. Bastila shot Aithne a glare but immediately put on a stupid expression. Davik nodded, satisfied.
"Ah, yes. I believe I do recognize your companion, Canderous. Isn't this the woman who's been making such a splash in the dueling ring lately? The Mysterious Stranger? Also the rider that won the big swoop race. Very impressive," Davik said, addressing Aithne. "I like your style." His words contained a subtle undercurrent that put Aithne instantly on her guard.
"It's good to finally meet you, Davik," said Aithne, keeping her gaze level and hard. "My name is Aithne Morrigan." She offered her hand to shake. Davik smiled, oozing charm in quantities that could fill up a swamp. He strode forward and kissed her hand, holding it a bit too long. Aithne tried to contain her revulsion. The man was twice her age!
"You know, Canderous was right. The Exchange is always looking for new talent. You could have a bright future with our organization. With a recommendation from Canderous-and a thorough background check-you could become part of the Exchange. Many would kill to prove themselves worthy of this honor!"
And have, I imagine, thought Aithne wryly. "Your offer intrigues me, Davik," was her simple reply.
"Come with me," ordered Davik. "I will give you a tour of my operations. I'm certain you'll be most impressed."
Aithne wasn't. Davik was a standard crime lord. He thought way too highly of himself, had terrible taste in decorating, and held petty grudges. Aithne attempted to discourage him from thinking she was interested, but he continued to flirt with her, ignoring her obvious signs of distress.
She grew increasingly bored and fidgety until Davik finally led her into the hangar. A beautiful ship sat there in plain view. She was streamlined and light. Aithne wanted her, immediately. She shot Canderous an admiring look. He smirked.
"Ah, there she is," Davik droned, much as he'd been for the entire tour. Aithne sighed inwardly. "The Ebon Hawk. My pride and joy; the fastest ship in the Outer Rim! Note the state of the art security system I've had installed to protect her. The shields are completely impregnable. Nobody can get past them without the codes to try and steal my baby. Unfortunately," the crime lord continued in a dour tone, "The Sith military blockade has grounded my vessel. The Ebon Hawk can outrun any vessel in the galaxy, but even she isn't fast enough to avoid the auto-targeting laser cannons of the orbiting Sith fleet. I am, of course, working on acquiring the Sith departure codes so that I may come and go as I please. However, progress has been slow." He scowled, a small child deprived of his favorite toy. "But we should continue our tour."
After what seemed like days but was actually probably closer to fifteen minutes, Davik led them to spacious quarters in a heavily secured "guest wing". But Aithne could see that all the doors had locks, but not from the inside.
"These will be your accommodations," Davik said. "The slave quarters are just down the hall. If you need anything during your stay feel free to call upon their services. If all goes well with your background check you will be invited to join the Exchange. I'd advise you to accept the offer when it comes-or suffer the dire consequences of refusal."
There were several things Aithne might have said to that. She settled for a wary "I'm looking forward to working with you Davik."
"You will stay in these rooms as my guest for the next few days," Davik continued. "I will not accept no for an answer. I must warn you that if you are found anywhere outside the guest wing during your stay-or if you bother any of my other guests-my security forces will deal with you most harshly. I will return after the investigation into your background. Until then, make yourself comfortable. Come Calo," he said to Calo Nord, who'd inexplicably followed them around the estate, glaring alternately at Canderous and Aithne. "Let us leave our guests in peace."
The door shut behind them, but the lock did not engage. Canderous turned immediately to Aithne.
"Ok, we're inside. Now all we have to do is figure out a way to get past the Ebon Hawk's security systems and we can get the rest of your group and get off this planet. No sense waiting around here, though," he added. "The sooner we get off Taris the better!"
"In a minute," Aithne said, "I want to give Davik a chance to get to the other side of this fun house before we start tearing it up. In the meantime, do you have any interesting stories to tell?"
Canderous laughed. "You want to hear tales of my exploits? Of the wars I've seen and fought, the enemies I've seen die by my hand?" He laughed again, seeming to remember something pleasant. "Sure, I'll humor you." He assumed a unique stance that Aithne identified as the storyteller's, the teacher's.
"My name is Canderous of the Mandalorian clan Ordo," he began. "I've been fighting across the galaxy for forty of your years. For my people it is the honor and glory of battle that rules us. It's through combat that we prove our worth, gain renown, and make our fortunes."
Aithne was interested in spite of herself. Canderous' words opened the door to a new culture, a new world. Visions of glory and the euphoria of victory echoed through her mind, the remains of a once proud race of warriors. "Is that why the Mandalorians attacked the Republic?"
"The Sith came to us with an offer," Canderous explained patiently. "To fight a worthy enemy in a battle that would be remembered forever. Win or lose," he instructed, "as long as the fight is worthy, then honor is gained. The glory of having triumphed over impossible odds is what drives us. If there's nothing at stake- your possessions, your life, your world-then the battle is meaningless. We Mandalore take everything we are and throw it into battle. It's the true test of yourself-the battle against death…against oblivion."
Aithne thought she understood what he was getting at. When she was solving a problem, she never got as big a rush on the easy ones as the hard ones. When she was challenged to her breaking point was when triumph brought its greatest pleasure. But something didn't make sense. "Then what are you doing now?"
Canderous looked regretful. "The days of combat and glory and cheating death at every turn seem to be over now," he admitted. "I take what I can. Times have changed. The Mandalore clans have been scattered across the Outer Rim, the Republic is in decline, and the Sith Empire rises to take its place. The clans as they are aren't a threat, but the galaxy still fears us," he said, half in satisfaction, and half in aggravation. "People think we war out of spite, or bloodlust. They don't understand, and fear that. We only wanted the challenge of the battle-win or lose. And we lost. But now I have no real challenges," he finished. "Crushing Davik's enemies and the pathetic gangs in the Lower City could not be considered the most glorious of tasks. When I think of the battles I've fought…the thousands I've killed…the worlds I've burned…I weep for my past."
He was silent for a moment. Then he resumed his normal demeanor. "We will never again speak of this," he said. "We've got work to do, so let's get to it."
Aithne, too, was silent, thinking on what she had heard. There was more to this gruff mercenary than met the eye. He'd proven to be observant and careful by his research on Aithne and her companions. His spoke with a rare eloquence for such a battle-scarred warrior. He was certainly no fool, and Aithne was sure he'd make a dangerous enemy. She thought, too, that he might make a valuable friend. Finally, she shook herself out and loosened her vibroblades in their sheathes. "As you will," she said, and she and the others left for the door.
The first thing Aithne did was to head to the slave quarters. Servants and slaves were the first ones to hear what went on in a household, and slaves had no real reason to withhold information about it. She quickly cajoled a male slave into telling her that Davik's pilot was being held prisoner in another part of the estate, being punished cruelly for attempting to lift spice from Davik. Aithne thanked the slave graciously, and hurried off.
"What's the rush?" Canderous asked, annoyed, as Aithne pulled him away from a busty slave.
"I don't know," Aithne admitted, "But for whatever reason, I think we don't have much time."
"I feel it, too," announced Bastila. "We should hurry."
So they did. A few felled guards later, Aithne and her two companions encountered a bounty hunter. When he attacked and they killed him, she managed to lift a computer access card from him.
"This should come in handy," Aithne said, placing the card in a pocket. A few doors down, they finally located Davik's disgraced pilot, being tortured by two sinister looking droids. Canderous and Bastila quickly dispatched the droids, and Aithne released the prisoner. He thanked them, and offered them the codes to the security guarding the Ebon Hawk even without prompting. As he ran to escape the estate, Aithne felt the ground tremble beneath her. Simultaneously, she seemed to hear a cry in the back of her mind, then a large nothingness.
"The Sith," Bastila breathed, "They're bombing the planet!"
"Come on!" cried Aithne, worry for Carth and Mission and Zaalbar surging up in her. She took off at a dead run, heading for the security terminal where she could shut down the system guarding the Hawk.
She felt her gut clench every couple of seconds. Each tightening marked the deaths of more Tarisians. Aithne disabled the hangar security and stumbled into the open hangar.
She saw Davik and Calo Nord enter from the other side. "Damn those Sith!" Davik was saying. "They're bombing the whole planet! I knew they'd turn on us sooner or…" he caught sight of Aithne and Canderous and halted. The shots were nearer now. Aithne heard the laser sound of the shots firing, and felt the ground and ceiling shake around her. They didn't have time for a fight! "Look what we got here," sneered Davik. "Thieves in the hangar. So, you figured you'd just steal my ship and leave me high and dry while the Sith turn the planet into dust? Sorry, but that ain't gonna happen."
"I'll take care of them Davik," growled Calo Nord, grinning at Canderous. "I've been looking forward to this for a long time."
"Make it quick, Calo," said Davik in an undertone. "The Sith mean business. If we don't get to our ships and find somewhere safe the bombs they're dropping will kill us all!"
"Why must they always try to kill us?" Aithne asked Bastila wearily as Calo Nord squared off in front of them. She'd been nervous about fighting him, but with Bastila and Canderous with her and the Sith bombing the planet, she was greatly encouraged.
"I suppose they think they have some chance of winning," Bastila replied, activating her lightsaber. "For the Jedi!"
With Bastila, Aithne ran forward to attack Calo Nord, dodging left and right as tiny bits of the hangar began to fall down. But over to her right, a large bit fell on Davik Kang, crushing him to bits. Calo, seeing this, stopped fighting. He drew out a tiny object. Aithne, Bastila, and Canderous in the back with his big gun, froze.
"You may have me outnumbered and outgunned," he snarled, "but if I'm going down, I'm taking all of you with me. This thermal detonator will blow us all to bits!" A large crack resounded over his head. Calo looked up to see a spider web of cracks in the ceiling. "Damn those Sith," he cried. "They'll bring this whole hangar down around our ears!"
Seeing he was distracted, Aithne quickly called "Canderous!" She pointed at the ceiling. The Mandalorian nodded, and made one, efficient shot. The weakened ceiling buckled under the blow. It fell, crushing Calo Nord beneath its weight.
"Now come on!" shouted Aithne, and all three ran to the Hawk.
"Let's get this ship fired up," called Canderous over the rumble of the fall of Taris, "We'll pick up the rest of your friends and then we have to get off this planet!" Aithne respected him for it. The bombs were falling more thickly now. Most would have just fled. She was grateful. Now that he'd allied with her, he was going to take care of her friends, too.
Canderous was able to start up the ship, and rather hesitantly, he maneuvered them out of the crumbling estate. They flew over Taris. Aithne sat near the hatch, looking out of a window. Everywhere she looked she saw Taris burning. Fire rained down from the vengeful sky, turned dark red with the flames and the smoke. Fighters, too, flew low over the city firing rapidly at men, women, and children alike.
Aithne saw men protecting their wives, and mothers protecting their children, only to be shot where they stood, the entire family turned to ash in a millisecond. She saw building topple and aliens running for cover. Taris was dying, all of it, like Telos before her, and Aithne knew the Sith wouldn't stop until the entire planet, above and below the surface, was obliterated. What good now was all that she had done here? What use was her help in ending the gang war, or her aid of Zelka in eradicating the rhakghoul disease? Aithne wondered if even the Outcasts in the Undercity would escape to their Promised Land, or if they, too, would die in this hellish onslaught. As Canderous skimmed lower over the city, Aithne saw a boy in an alleyway, no more than ten years old, half-carrying a little toddler of a Twi'lek girl out of a building. Their clothes were scorched. The boy laid her down and knelt beside her, begging her not to die. Then the pair of them looked up, and a bomb landed, and then Aithne had passed them.
Finally, Aithne saw four tiny figures on the balcony of a burning apartment complex. Three of them were waving their arms like mad. While Canderous brought the Hawk to hover, Bastila lowered the boarding ramp, and Aithne helped Carth, Zaalbar, T3-M4, and Mission aboard. Mission's face was a mask of tears already. Zaalbar put a hairy arm around his friend as Bastila closed the hatch again, and Carth darted forward to take the reins of the ship. Aithne followed him. Canderous looked frankly relieved to relinquish command of the ship, and Carth locked the ship and took the controls.
Under the hands of Carth Onasi, the Ebon Hawk came to life. She roared and shot off through the acrid fumes of Taris. Beneath them, all Aithne could see was flames, and death.
"Plot a course for Dantooine!" Bastila cried. "There's a Jedi Enclave there where we can find refuge!"
Carth nodded, then looked grim. "Incoming fighters!" he relayed.
Bastila turned to Aithne immediately. "Quickly, to the gun turrets! You have to hold the Sith fighters off until we get those hyperspace coordinates punched in!"
Aithne was vaguely aware of Canderous running to the other turret as she obeyed Bastila's command. As she saw six Sith fighters pop up on the radar, that cold feeling flooded through her once again.
Her stomach churned as she saw those six blights upon the galaxy. Her mind still echoed with the screams of the spirits dying upon Taris. In a few, brief moments, she'd shot four of the six fighters out of the sky. Canderous quickly dispatched the other two.
Aithne stayed at the turret until she felt the ship jolt into hyperspace, but the initial righteous anger had faded. A sour taste filled her mouth as she recalled just how quickly she'd taken those Sith down. They were just soldiers doing their duty. Malak had obviously given the order to destroy Taris. She had to remember that. She had to remember that she was not on a mission to destroy all of the Sith. But if she ever met Darth Malak- Aithne thought of the child in the alley, of the families with their wide, despairing eyes that had been blown to pieces or crushed by falling debris, of Mission's grief stricken face. If she ever met Darth Malak, she felt sure she could destroy him.
"We're en route to Dantooine," called Carth from the cockpit.
"Good work, Carth!" Aithne called back. Then she walked to the dormitories on the left hand side, those traditionally reserved for females. There was someone that needed her there.
She found Mission sitting on the bunk nearest the door. She stared off into space, her young eyes now every bit as haunted as Carth Onasi's. Everyone she'd known, everyplace she'd been, had now been demolished, crushed into oblivion by Malak and the Sith.
Aithne sat down beside the girl. Words would be useless here. She couldn't say she understood, because she didn't. She couldn't say it would get better, because even though it was true, at the moment, it would feel to Mission Vao like salt ground into a gaping wound. All she could do was sit there beside the girl, and offer to take some of the pain. So Aithne Morrigan reached out to the young girl beside her, and took her hand. And as she wept, Aithne held her, and wept with her.