Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Strong Winds

Chapter Nine

My father once told me to only start trouble if there was a logical reason to. I may not have credited my father of doing much in my early life but I looked up to him just like anyone else would. What was I supposed to believe as a young child?

So, the only logical reason why I would break into a Sith base...?

Yeah there was no logical reason to be breaking into a Sith base. Sorry old man, I failed to heed your advice.

I raised my blaster pistol as I watched a group of Sith working merrily like nothing was wrong. Little did they know that an ambush was awaiting them. Bastila had given me a comm link foraged in some second hand shop. Ancient tech but hidden from the Sith's radar.

The Jedi was on the opposite side of the door, gazing intently at the lazy Sith soldiers. Carth, Mission, and T3-M4 were back in the other room hacking into the Sith's databases and looking for the codes we needed to get off the planet. Without them we would be blasted like the Endar Spire's space debris inside the thick Taris atmosphere.

Hey, maybe there was a point to this suicide mission after all.

Fortunately, these Sith were as dumb as rocks.

We were on comm silence now, a click from the other side meant that they had succeeded hacking into the systems. The high tech astro droid was supposed to be just that "high tech" but we had been waiting here for five minutes doing piss nothing. I was starting to doubt Janice Nall again.

Then, after a decade, a click.

I glanced towards Bastila and she nodded. "On my mark," she mouthed.

I rolled my eyes as I spotted the Sith who were still unaware of what was about to happen. I must have counted at least a dozen of these bags of meat and only a few of them looked really equipped for battle.

The Jedi held her double bladed lightsaber staff out and gave me one look before she dove in quickly after a few explosions echoed into five of the Sith. How she was able to tell that was about to happen, I would never know. What I wanted to know was why she didn't time herself for the more important events like say...a swoop race maybe? She needed to get her priorities straight.

I shot out at the first Sith that noticed our attack and missed the bastard. My second shot hit him and yet it was too late, he had already screamed out an alert through the clouds of smoke.

The hissing of Bastila's double lightsaber caused me to jump slightly and briefly paused my offensive as she brought her saber down onto a dark masked soldier. They never even stood a chance and with the element of surprise they never even had a chance to begin with. No wonder why some say that one Jedi is all the army anyone would ever need.

However, despite her apparent infallibility an ignored grenade would still deal a lot of damage. To anyone really. I mean, she was made of flesh and bone right?

I quickly escaped my daze and shot at the Sith grenadier, cursing when I saw the armor ripple. He was using damn shields. Why would anyone use grenades in their own base anyway? Ignoring the half-witted Sith, I shot a few more blasts in order to get his attention but he was too focused on getting rid of the bigger threat, the Jedi.

"Bastila!" I shouted over the chaos.

The Talravin looked at me for a split second before returning to the battle. She wasn't giving me any attention and neither was she going to spot the grenade that was lobed towards her. She really was absent-minded, wasn't she?

I ran towards her like an insane man, turning my shield on while shooting down the grenadier Sith. I thought there had been only a dozen soldiers but there were more apparently.

Bastila didn't expect me as I tackled her, ducking behind a console and jumping when the explosion wrecked havoc amongst the remaining Sith. The shield and console did very little to screen us from the blast and we were both thrown into the opposite wall like rag dolls. The last of my pathetic shield broke down and shattered into nothing.

I think I felt something crack and worried that the explosion had broken my spine or something vital. The shield had screened both of us from the fire though the force of the impact hadn't been. I groaned as I sat up, glancing towards Bastila who looked just as harried. And she was glaring at me.

I smiled. "I guess this means I really saved you now."

She huffed as she stood up slowly, then half ran towards the remaining console. She spoke into the comm and informed Carth and Mission of our success here and began to loot the Sith of any important keycards or identification.

Fine, she didn't have to say I was right. At least I left this fight with the knowledge that she was a damsel in distress and not an emotionless indestructible droid.

Surprisingly, T3-M4 was the first to come rolling in, beeping with pride. I raised an eyebrow and gave the Jedi a look that she didn't return.

She flicked the comm button again. "Carth, why did you just send T3?" she asked.

A long sigh was his response. "The ki-Mission thinks that the droid could open the elevators to higher floors if they linked the computers together or whatever..." A pause. "Look, I don't know what you're talking about, Mission. Anyway..." He sighed again. "The codes the mandalorian wants are inaccessible through these computers. The main one in the governor's office seems to be completely private."

These paranoid Sith. I rubbed my face, tempted to rip the comm link out of Bastila's hands and give the pilot a piece of my mind.

Fortunately, the Jedi did it for me.

"Look, we don't have time Carth. Is there an easier way to get the codes without risking ourselves further?"

A click. "Without giving this governor a visit? I'm afraid not."

T3-M4 beeped uncertainly, heading towards the computer and extracting its plug. These astromechs always seemed to want to do things their way and at their time despite the apparent danger. I glared at the droid then glanced towards the annoyed Jedi who finally returned my own gaze.

"Guess we have no choice but to go up," I muttered, pressing the acceptance symbol on the flickering screen as T3 finished his modifications. The elevator on the far side of the room opened and I was the first to enter. Might as well get this over with.

I held the door open for T3-M4 who beeped happily at me and Bastila whose hands were growing white from holding her lightsaber too tightly. I raised my eyebrows. She was actually afraid? I have seen angry and maybe even melancholy but never afraid. I thought this crazy woman had been fearless.

When the elevator door closed she noticed my confusion and sighed giving T3 a look.

"I can sense that something dark is close by. I don't think this governor is normal."

Now that she says it...a cold wave was rippling above us like a storm. I held onto my blaster just as tightly and glanced nervously towards the Jedi.

"Are you saying...?"

"Just stay back and don't get in the way."

Wow, thanks a lot. Since she felt like a damsel for a brief battle she had to insist that I take up the role now. She was so easy to read.

I knew my own limitations...maybe. I mean...the Sith on the Endar Spire hadn't been a pleasant fellow.

I narrowed my eyes and was resolved to fight back whatever was past the door. Bastila was the first to take a step past the threshold and lit her lightsaber almost immediately. Another door was before us and I was briefly reminded of Trask's sacrifice on the Endar Spire. A dark force clouded my senses like a fog and I found it rather hard to breath correctly when close to such a power. I didn't even notice that my hands were shaking when I gave Bastila a look. Could we just...turn around now? The codes weren't that important...right?

But the Jedi was determined despite the odds.

T3-M4 opened the locked door and we were met with a cross-legged bald man sitting in the middle of a spacious room. I almost jumped when his yellow eyes opened.

"Who dares to break my meditation?" his voice rumbled.

Bastila held her lightsaber up and I pondered as to whether or not I should even threaten this man with my worthless pistol. Should I even pick a fight that was illogical to get into to begin with?

The man stood up and grabbed his own lightsaber, grinning widely.

"Bastila Shan..."

I looked quickly towards the Jedi as she flinched when the Sith called her by name. "I wasn't expecting you to give yourself up so easily."

The brown haired Jedi appeared pissed off and raised her double bladed saber into a weird stance. I would have to ask her where she got such a strange fighting style from later. Apparently all the fear melted away from her face after we stepped through the door. I knew it, she was crazy after all.

Bastila huffed. "I am not here to give myself up. I'm here for the codes."

Yeah...along with me. I'm still here you know...

The Sith laughed, glancing towards a large computer. These people...just stop giving away the location of important items with your eyes. How hard is it not to look directly at what you are hiding?

I flinched when the Dark Jedi unleashed his red lightsaber. Well, I was fucked, wasn't I? If Bastila went down then I would go down along with her. She really hated me, didn't she? Instead of just ordering me to stay behind I had to come along with her. Why didn't she bring Carth along instead? I guess...I would never know...

For a split second, the Sith's eyes met mine and I felt as if I was frozen on the spot. My skin felt like little kinrath spiders were crawling all over my skin. That look was not pleasant at all...I really hated that look. Please...just stop looking at me...

His thin lips formed a smile. "Amazing...who would have thought another Force Adapt could be found on this insignificant planet? I thought all the other Jedi-"

Then Bastila went on the attack, using the Force to push at the Sith. I raised my blaster up then down again in puzzlement. They were moving way too fast and I would have no guarantee that I wouldn't shoot the Jedi accidentally. Bastila was weaving in and out like a grandmother's fast knitting and the Sith only seemed to be taunting her with laughs and flicks of his red saber.

"Your 'talent' is no match for the power of the dark side!" he shouted.

Oh, just shut up.

I decided that instead of listening to Bastila's advice of staying back and not getting in the way to head towards the computer that most likely had the codes to get us off of this backwater planet. I mean, if Bastila seemed overmatched then at the very least we could have the option to run away later.

The sparks I heard behind me didn't matter as I slapped the damn machine over and over again as it turned on. Why were these computers so damn slow? What type of Republic base was this? These incompetent-

I was shoved aside like a rag doll again and wounds I didn't even know I had pained my chest. Bastila was half glaring at me as the Sith plunged his saber into the wall, exactly where I just was a moment ago. My face went white.

"You idiot!" she shouted, going for the Sith with her double bladed yellow lightsaber."I told you to stay back!"

The Sith was grinning and went to attack me again. I think he saw the obvious weakness in our team...me.

The astromech driod was screeching in alarm and rolling back in forth in a panic. At least T3 was smart enough to stay back...I sure didn't want to be tripping over an astro during a fight.

I narrowed my eyes as I realized that I was a gigantic burden right now and flinched when the two blades collided a foot above me. I could feel the heat and the sparks above my head like twin suns. Through the glare, the Sith's yellow eyes met mine again.

Then, without warning, he extinguished his saber and jumped back. Ironically, the other side of Bastila's saber was heading towards me and I think I lost a few hairs when she pulled back. I gave her a look.

"Watch it!" I shouted at her.

She rolled her eyes but in doing so her attention on the Sith had been distracted and couldn't defend against the invisible push of the dark side. I was shocked when she was flung onto the wall beside the computer console and flinched at how painful that looked. The Jedi was incapable of getting up and her lightsaber fell into the hands of the Sith so I raised my blaster pistol in fear.

My heart stopped and I knew my hand was shaking when the Sith turned to me. This bastard...this good for nothing kriffing bastard!

He was smiling again. I just hated those smiles now. "Yes...I can feel your fear. Feed your hatred and anger within yourself. Call upon the power of the dark side." My pistol was thrown out of my hand like it was nothing and I was left weaponless. "But even that cannot save you now."

What was I going to do? There was...no hope that I could get out of this alive! I glanced towards Bastila and she was only now attempting to get up. Force damn...get up faster! What was wrong with her?

As if to mock me he lit the Jedi's lightsaber and looked at it playfully. "Funny, you seem...powerful. It's too bad that you were not a Sith yourself. I might have actually enjoyed this."

He swiped at me with the double bladed saber and I stepped back supernaturally quickly and widen my eyes when he attacked me with his own red saber. This guy was really going to use both? I don't really think that was such a good idea...especially since-

And how was I still dodging these attacks? I should be dead by now...

"You cannot run away forever!" he shouted as I moved my head slightly to avoid a vertical slash. Fortunately, he had to use each saber one at a time or else he would chop his own arm off. He obviously had no idea how to use a double bladed lightsaber.

He swiped the saber low and I was able to jump over it like a rope. How was I going so fast and avoiding these lightsabers so easily?

Oh. Right. Force Sensitive. Got it.

Despite avoiding his attacks like I was a fly being swat at, I was growing really tired. I doubted that I could keep this up for long. Bastila was on her knees last I checked when I ducked and crawled away after the lightsaber became stuck in the wall again. I wondered why he didn't just use the Force on me. Maybe he was tired too?

Unfortunately, my dodging streak ended and his red lightsaber descended a bit too quickly due to his anger, disposing of Bastila's saber in the wall. I was too annoying apparently and there was no way I was going to dodge that.

I placed my hand up to my face and prayed to whatever universal force was out there. Here I come hell.

There was heat near the palm of my hand but no burning. I opened my eyes to find the Sith shocked and pushing forward as if he was struggling against a brickwall. His yellow eyes were shocked and his saber was shaking.

He didn't even shout when he was thrown across the room in a similar fashion that Bastila had before. I got up quickly, spotting Bastila as she took her saber staff again with a pained smile.

And I think she enjoyed gutting him.

W

Davik's palace was a skyscraper. Usually meant for over thousands of people, the crime lord could afford to be lavish and pigheaded. When the mando pointed out the "mansion" I mentally rolled my eyes and sat back in my seat. The place that Canderous flew us to reminded me of Senator landing pads from Coruscant. Not that I've ever been on one before.

Carth sat beside me looking miserable and Bastila sat beside him gazing out into the small traffic of this planet. This plan the mandalorian had was crazy yet we had no other choice but to trust him. Hey, maybe Onasi will learn something from this.

T3-M4 was the only one enjoying the ride, beeping disappointingly when Ordo stopped the engine. The sun was reflecting its rays off the smooth glass of Kang's "palace" as the early morning annoyed the workman and rose a finger up to the hungover. In any other situation our group would have looked annoyed and hungover.

Mission didn't come with us since she was exhausted after spending a whole night hacking Sith computers like she was a keyboard herself. She spent a good few minutes yelling at Carth for making her look like a little kid or something but by the time we made it to the apartment she collapsed like a sack of spices onto her bed. The little kid was asleep in the other bed and the wookie was reclining on the couch, giving us a look.

The mandalorian opened the door of the speeder and began to walk towards the entrance, ignoring the people that he brought along. I heard Bastila huff something inaudibly and Carth had a forever shadow hanging over his face. Why was everyone so low? Why didn't everyone have T3's energy?

When I took a step onto the metal I suddenly realized why. We were all tired and in mental pain from what we had been through so far. That fight with the Sith required both me and Bastila to have a small dose of kolto that ate up the Jedi's reserves of money entirely. We were broke and tired following a bloodthirsty mandalorian into a slave and con dealing criminal. We really were desperate.

Soon, once we take the Ebon Hawk and fly away into space, I will be free once again. That was the only motivation that led me along with Canderous Ordo.

"You have to wait a bit before Davik is awake. He doesn't like being disturbed."

Though when he said that he didn't sound like he gave a damn if we walked into his room and disturbed him at all.

With that, we were left in the foyer, monster heads with their descriptions hanging along the walls. I gave them a narrowed look glancing towards Carth with a pointed thumb at a beheaded rakghoul. Of course...he didn't look back at me so I rolled my eyes and decided to sit down next to him. T3 chirped once before shutting his red light off, standing near the Jedi. Bastila was sitting further away with closed eyes...doing some Jedi thing or other so hopefully she wouldn't overhear us.

Carth gave me an intruded glare.

"What do you want?" he asked with a hostile tone.

I sat back, looking towards him with a serious eye.

"We didn't finish our conversation last time," I said with a small smile.

He visibly bristled and turned his body away from me, his hand clenching his thigh tightly. The pilot forced out a sigh then sat forward, holding his head.

"Look, I'm too tired to be fighting with you right now. Just forget it alright?"

I peered closer at him but he still stared hard into the ground. He really was trying to avoid me...

I smiled widely. "I'm always up for a good fight."

He sat up finally and gave me a hard stare, not one of those wavering ones he liked to give me ever since yesterday afternoon.

"You know my reasons for not trusting anyone. Especially you." He glanced away from me. "You know, I'm not all that surprised that you were a smuggler. Explains a lot."

I narrowed my eyes, lifting an eyebrow.

"Really? Explains what?"

I was innocently curious. Nothing more.

Carth, finally after living in Hoth's tundra for years, unfroze that frown of his and smiled slightly towards me.

"Well, you're rather tenacious for one and I had some doubts about your moral standing for another. At least...before you found that kid and raced to save Bastila. Which only makes me confused. What side are you on?"

"What side?"

I burst out laughing and T3 jumped on again while Bastila opened her eyes to glare at me. I guess I disturbed her doing something or other but otherwise I didn't care. She closed her eyes once again but not before rolling them at me.

I snorted again. "Are you serious? Do you think everyone in the freaking galaxy is as invested in this war as you are? I'm not on a side. In fact, I want to get as far away from the Republic and the Sith as soon as I get off of this planet."

The pilot appeared surprised but I wasn't sure why. He wasn't surprised by me being a smuggler so why did he look so surprised now? He wanted the truth, right? This paranoid bastard wanted all the facts up front so I was giving him that harsh reality. I wasn't going to dance around the fires with him anymore.

He shook his head. "Alright. Fine. I will concede with you on that point if you want. But...it's more then a bit odd that you - a smuggler - was added to the roster last minute for some unknown reason and also happened to survive the crash."

I smirked. "You'd rather I didn't? You could have left me to burn if you wanted to you know..."

He flinched when I mentioned that little fact but continued on anyway. It seems as if his paranoia doesn't come without a soldier's conscious.

"Don't be ridicules, you've more then proved yourself after rescuing Bastila and we wouldn't even be here if you didn't storm off like a child. But..."

Commend me, but don't go throwing insults in there as well.

I bristled. "But what? You think I had something to do with this?"

He sighed, appearing as if he didn't know what he wanted to say.

"Well...maybe. Look, I don't know. It's just-the Jedi specifically ordered your transfer onto the Endar Spire. Why would the Jedi even care about a Republic criminal like you?"

I think I was supposed to be offended. Other then that...it was rather strange that the Jedi and not the Republic brought me onto the ship for no other reason except that I spoke many languages. So far, I've only had to understand shyrwook, twi'leki, rodian, and huttese. Not many of those were rare languages that any other scout or Jedi could understand.

My face grew slightly worried as I glanced towards Bastila who was still sitting peacefully ignorant to our conversation. What was she hiding? And about this supposed "mission"... why was the Endar Spire stolen by the Jedi in the first place? What was the point?

Force damn, Carth is rubbing off on me.

I glared back at him. "It doesn't even matter right now. Go ahead and be paranoid."

He was growing red again. "Of course it matters. It always matters. And I'm not being paranoid. You being here seems to be just one big coincidence. But, since I don't believe in coincidences, there was another reason why you were placed on the Endar Spire. I just know it, especially when the Jedi are-"

Bastila opened her eyes finally and stood up from her seat, heading towards us.

Here we go...

"We have to hurry...I can sense-"

However, before she could even continue, the door opened, a grey haired and purple armored man stepping past the threshold.

"Well, well, well. The rider who won the big swoop race. Canderous has been talking so much about you. Very impressive...especially the battle afterward."

I smiled glancing towards Bastila who looked...afraid? What was wrong now? T3-M4 beeped awake and came to Bastila's side, Davik unaware of the droid's existence. Hopefully he wouldn't be able to tell that the astro was the same droid he ordered a month ago.

Both Carth and I flinched when a familiar figure stepped forward. Calo Nord, that psychopathic bounty hunter. Since I couldn't see his eyes, I had no idea what sort of look he was giving us in return. I'm pretty sure he recognized Carth but since I had been wearing Sith armor then...

He sniffed once before glancing towards Canderous.

"I didn't know you went soft, Canderous. I thought you didn't want partners. Didn't you say you could take the Vulkar's base all on your own? What happened to that mission?"

Canderous sneered. "Shut your mouth Calo."

"Enough, enough. Please, no fighting. I don't want my two best men killing each other." Davik glanced around before giving the Carth and Bastila a look. "So, he is your bodyguard I see. And is this your prize? Why don't you have her chained up?"

The Jedi flinched before glaring at the crime lord.

"I am-!"

Before she said anything stupid, I covered her mouth quickly, smiling.

"Heh, heh...she's actually really compliant around me. I must have that charm you know... Women just can't resist me."

I saw the Jedi rolling her eyes as the crime lord nodded his head, smiling. I flinched when I felt slobber all over my hand. What was she, a drooling hutt?

"Yes, I understand. Too many of my more...intimate slaves don't need the motivation of restraining collars to do their work. If you know what I mean."

I smiled crookedly towards Bastila and her eyes were completely mortified. When Davik left I released her mouth, wiping my hand on my pants, my cheeks hurting from the wide smile I was giving her.

"You hear that?" I said.

She walked past me, out of character as an "intimate slave" under my orders. Her face was serious once again while Carth was giving me a humored blank stare. Meanwhile, Canderous sneaked me a raised look.

"I guess not..." I muttered my own reply.

The crime lord led us into the "throne room" of his palace. Davik was the only one who really talked and I wouldn't be surprised if he liked the sound of his own voice. With grand waves of his hand, he mentioned how great working with the Exchange was and since I kind of already worked for them before I knew most of what he mentioned was utter bullshit. I mean...fairly treated staff and large payments? If that was true I would be living in Aldaraan feasting on pigs while being waited on by sexy twi'leks, not stuck on Taris with an annoying chastised Jedi and a paranoid widowed soldier.

I walked past Bastila in order for her to continue her appearance as a slave to me. So far, she seemed to not like the idea of being treated like a prize. She really would have sucked as a smuggler. At least attempt to not look like you have something stuck up your ass.

My look in her direction didn't seem to send off the same message and she huffed as I passed her, crossing her arms. Spoiled brat.

"And here are your quarters. Until your background check is complete you can't leave this hall under pain of death. Of course, there are a few slaves at the end of the hall to attend to your...needs until then. What do you say? You like what you see?"

I couldn't say no. I would have had to been stupid to say no. When the crime lord left, the bounty hunter gave me a lingering look. I cocked an eyebrow waving him goodbye. What was that look all about? Something wrong with my hair?

I opened the door to the room and Canderous was still here for some reason. Maybe he was watching us or something? I don't know how he was able to still stay here without looking suspicious. T3, who was following us quietly the whole time, rolled past me and into the room, making himself at home.

"We're in. Finally. Davik talks for too long."

Bastila looked pissed. She was still upset about the slave thing? Did she want us to be caught or something? Fortunately, she calmed down when she sat on the tan couch, looking out the window into the sunrise. Instead she looked afraid again as if something big was about to happen.

"We don't have much time..." she muttered. I wondered what she was looking at before I saw the Sith fleet. They were still horrifying to look at but...something was different. They were moving. I haven't seen them move since we were shot down here on the planet a week ago.

I scrunched my eyebrows as I peered out and glanced behind me towards the pilot. Carth's eyes widened and he was shaking his head in disbelief.

"No...that formation is too familiar. Just like Telos..."

Shit. They were going to bomb Taris? Why? There were some Sith still on the ground! And all these people...why would-?

My eyes blanked as I stepped away from the window, rubbing my forehead as another headache cropped up. Bastila couldn't believe it herself and stood, giving Canderous a look.

"We need to go. Now."

The mando held up his hands.

"Now, now. We can't rush this. We have to wait until lunch break before we can strike. The less amount of people we run into, the better chance we have of getting the Hawk."

"Do you think this is a game?" the Jedi retorted, stepping closer to the mandalorian. "We have less then a few hours to leave this planet."

"If we rush in there then all we're going to do is alert Davik that we're trying to steal his ship. Once he finds out well...we will have no chance of escaping ever."

I raised my hands, trying to placate them. "Okay okay...so what do we do in the mean time?"

Canderous smiled and even I knew what that smile meant.

W

I have been waiting too long for this moment.

Gone were my tense muscles and lingering fatigue. Gone were the aches that I acquired in my upper back and lower ribs. Gone was the stress of having a Jedi breathing down my neck.

Well...almost.

"What are you doing?" I heard a voice above me like my inner conscious that wouldn't go away.

The twi'lek slave stopped rubbing my shoulders and I frowned with disappointment, lifting my head up to glare at the Jedi's interruption.

"Getting a massage. What does it look like?"

The Jedi looked pissed as she crossed her arms, huffing.

"How typically male. You do realize that we have more important things to do right?"

"It's lunch break already?" I said.

The Jedi huffed impatiently, rolling her eyes. "No, but after you decided to go galloping off with Canderous we've been waiting around in the room for a few hours now."

"Then why are you bothering me?"

I went to lay back down but the annoying brunette Jedi stepped into my field of view. I groaned and lifted my head up again, my neck stretching into new ways it never has before.

"What?"

"Do you even realize how much trouble we are in? And getting a massage when the situation is life and dea-"

"And a bath. That was pretty relaxing too. You want to take one as well?"

The Jedi looked like an uncapped rocked about to burst. Since the slave wasn't going back to the relaxing treatment after so many interruptions, I sat up cracking my shoulder. I glanced towards Bastila and her face went red as I grabbed my white undershirt. I raised my eyebrows, smirking as she quickly walked out without another word.

How typically female.

After thanking the slave, putting on my pants and jacket, I walked outside to see Bastila tapping a rushed foot. Red was still lingering on her face as I shoved the jacket sleeve on my arm.

Canderous was still getting a relaxing treatment and I suddenly grew jealous that he didn't have some nagging Jedi on his ass.

Carth raised an eyebrow at me when I walked out, realization forming on his face.

"Come on, I like a massage as much as the next guy, but we are not exactly on vacation here."

I smiled, shrugging my now tender shoulders. "We could die today. Better to go off relaxed and pleased then stressed and tired."

The pilot narrowed his eyes at me before shaking and holding his head.

"You know-what was I expecting you to say?"

"Words of wisdom that could improve your dull existence?"

He sighed. "That's exactly what I knew you were going to say..."

I huffed, rolling my eyes, before glancing towards Bastila who was staring deeply at me. I ogled her back and she groaned in response, walking past me with long strides. I smiled when I saw that blush reappear on her stoic Jedi face again.

"Someone get Canderous. We need to go," she ordered

I wondered why she didn't storm in on him like she did for me. Was she expecting to see something? I smirked again but decided not to tease the Jedi for once. We had a ship to steal after all.

After Carth insisted to Canderous that we had to leave, the mando stomped out of the massage room, cracking his neck.

"Don't tell my wife about this..." he muttered to himself. "She already has enough reasons to kill me."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Wife?"

He glared at me with those dark eyes from before. I think they were meant to scare me but I felt no such emotion.

"We have no time for small talk."

I shook my head, following Carth out into the hall who was just as confused as I was. I hadn't expected such a hard knuckled mandalorian like Ordo to actually have a wife to settle down with. I guess he really didn't want to talk about it. I heard that mandalorian women had the blood thirst of firaxa sharks and the brutality of a rancor.

It was supposedly not lunch time yet despite Bastila's insistence. We returned to the one room we bothered opening and sat around for a few hours. Spinning my lucky coin around on the table soon became as interesting as a white collared executive from Corellia and I began longing for the massage that Bastila took away from me. I also longed for my Pazaak deck, at least we could have played a few mock rounds to kill time. Not for money of course since all of us were broke and Carth owed me 1,000 anyway. Not that he ever offered to give me that money.

T3 was silent and Bastila was still steaming over something in the corner, avoiding my eyes entirely. Did I really ruin her Jedi abstinence with a single look? She was taking all of that way too seriously. Meanwhile, Carth played the drowsy house cat and stared at the wall for an hour. Canderous played the restless dog that never had the chance to run around and paced the room nervously.

Finally it was time and all of us had no real idea what to do except the mandalorian. Of course.

"Getting in will be easy. Trying to avoid tripping security won't be. We have no other option but to make a run for it. I assume all of you have weapons?"

The fifth pistol I've had this week. But yes. The mando nodded his head when Carth and Bastila eyed their own hidden weapons. "Well, if what you said about the Sith fleet is true...then they'll be bombing Taris really soon. Hopefully that'll be enough of a distraction."

Truly, a cruel and cold way to describe the future destruction of billions.

I could have drawn Carth's face, that was how sure I was of his reaction to the mando's words. He had no real time to complain when Ordo opened the room doors. The hall was always silent, no one except the few cleaning droids swept by. We left our boredom prison and headed down with soft feet. I could tell Bastila felt like sprinting down that hallway and to be honest I really wanted to do the same. I was tired of Taris, I wanted to see the vacuums of space once again. I was born to travel the galaxy, to be free amongst the stars.

Ugh...that almost sounded poetic. My brain went soft along with the massage treatment. I guess that was the only negative side effect.

The hanger was just past the throne room and through another hallway. Using T3, we were going to hack and dispose of the Hawk's shields and climb aboard, flying away into space. Just saying it made the task sound so easy but believe me, it was nothing but.

A few blaster shots after minutes of walking around the dubbed "forbidden zone" and we were caught by lounging rodian and human Exchange workers. Fortunately, none of them had a comm at hand. They wouldn't have been able to use one anyway since Canderous was so quick with that heavy weapon of his and Bastila threw one of the men like flimsy plastic into electric circuits. I couldn't even do anything, that was how capable these two were. I think that Carth felt the same way as I did as he sighed, shoving his blasters back into their holsters.

The throne room was suspiciously empty and the next hall had either two incapable interns in crime or the janitors. Either way, they both sucked at fighting and Canderous didn't even give the Jedi a choice to use her Force powers.

I paused. This was...too easy. There was something going on here...and I had a bad feeling about it.

Damn it, Carth really was starting to rub off on me.

Finally! Guess what's next chapter? Goodbye Taris! I'm excite about writing the escape so look out for the next chapter.