Book One – Search and Rescue

Chapter Nine

Now this is Swoop Racing

It took Xana about five minutes to figure out the biggest mistake you can make on a swoop bike: thinking you're in control. When subjected to input from the handlebar the blasted thing will either dislocate most of your joints by making a dramatic U-turn, or do nothing at all. Despite the dozens of little control flaps the handling was quirky at best, a thing that nearly cost the scoundrel her life a few times. After a two hour pre-breakfast session on the bike she still didn't have a clue of what she was doing.

Eddy the mechanic didn't quite manage to alleviate that uncertainty. He was giving her the final pep talk just before her first heat. "So ye've had some experience with a swoop… Awesome, good fer ye. Ye can forget about all that sissy stuff right away, cause this bike is in a league of its own. Open the throttle and it will tear yer pretty little face off. I hope ye have no plans for offspring, cause steering this beauty will liquefy yer lower organs and merge 'em into one messy pulp." He leered at her voluptuous breasts for a second and grinned. "At least ye will have some damping when ye fall off, ey?"

"You must really like Gadon Thek's eye implants," Xana smiled sweetly. "Because if you keep staring like this I'll gouge out your fucking eyeballs and feed them to the rakghouls."

His eyes nervously darted away. "What's the world coming to, if even the pretty women become this violent?"

"Why don't you stop being philosophical and tell me how this race works?"

"Right. It's very simple knock-out system. Each heat consists of four racers, the first two to reach the finish line will go on to the next heat. There's a total of sixteen racers, so in total ye can race in three heats: quarterfinal, semifinal and the big final. Win the big final and ye've made the Hidden Beks proud and won the girl. The track goes through the streets of the Lower City and the start is also the finish. Ye've seen the Lower City; it's filled with trash, so watch the fuck out."

The lieutenant slowly processed that information. "So basically everyone with a bit of knowledge of this area has a huge advantage over me?"

"Of course, but they don't have the prototype accelerator, now do they?" the mechanic said proudly.

Xana eyed him skeptically. "Is this engine really that good?"

Eddy snorted. "Lady, please. When ye rev this baby into the red zone ye'll experience g-forces unimaginable. It starts out pretty innocent, yer body starts to tingle and ye might see some stars. But if ye continue its gruesome acceleration towards 400 miles an hour, things start getting worse. Ye're gonna experience tunnel vision, and yer blood will be drained from yer brains. At that point ye'll face full blindness and possibly even death. That's right, this stingy little motherfucker might kill ye with sheer acceleration alone. So please, show some respect."

"Great… so besides making my way through unfamiliar streets and trying to control an uncontrollable vehicle, I also have to watch out not emptying my brains of blood. That's just fucking dandy."

"Welcome to the life of the adrenaline junky." Eddy finished his last preparations to the swoop and screwed the panels back in place. "She's all ready to race. Now listen carefully, because what I'm gonna tell ye now might save yer life. We haven't fully tested this little package of madness yet, so be fukken careful, yeah? If it shows any signs of instability ease off the throttle and let her cool down. Be careful with my babe. If it blows up in yer face I'll fucking kill ye."

"If I've survived the blast, that is…"

He shrugged non-committedly. "Last piece of advice: take yer bloody weapons. Wouldn't be the first time two racers fought each other to death after crashing into each other. Swoop bikers are the craziest motherfuckers to have ever crawled out of a womb. Be prepared for anything."

Xana briefly touched the saber on her belt, fighting some addicted gangsters would be the least of her problems. Taming the machine from hell and keeping it one piece… now that was a completely different matter.

Mission, Zaalbar and Carth were with Xana in the pit to give her a last bit of support. They had finally seen Bastila again, the cage she had been restrained in had been rolled next to the podium. The Jedi Knight was knocked out cold, but otherwise looked fine. At least the gangsters had shown some respect, she had been allowed to keep her robes and she appeared healthy and unharmed.

Seeing the defenceless woman made the scoundrel even more nervous. Things would get really ugly if she failed to win the tournament, because letting the woman go was simply not an option anymore. It was now or never.

After getting the last encouragements from her team, Xana pulled on her helmet and gloves, and mounted the bike. Sitting on the swoop felt at least somewhat familiar now, but it was still a hassle to get the thing to do what she wanted. Eddy fired up the engine, after which the scoundrel slowly hovered to the start line. There she lined up her bike, together with the three other racers.

Xana was amazed by the professionalism of the entire thing. The starting grid was lined by a massive tribune, which was filled with hundreds of people, of all species and gangs. An announcer was sweeping up the crowd, but the scoundrel couldn't hear him over the noise of the bikes. The track had been closed off and marked, although the streets hadn't been cleared from garbage and rubble. It showed that the gangs were the ones making the rules down in the Lower City…

The starting lights started to flash and Xana took one last deep breath. The crowd roared, but adrenaline and engine noise dampened the sound. Terribly slowly the lights counted down, it seemed like every second was spread out to at least ten. The woman crawled over the bike, making sure to brace herself for the massive acceleration. When the lights finally turned green she opened the throttle…

…and nearly crashed into the wall.

Nothing could've prepared her for the tremendous g-forces she was suddenly subjected to. She was so shocked that she flicked the handlebar a bit, which flung the bike dangerously close to the wall. Had she reacted just a fraction of a second later she surely would've crashed and probably died. Thankfully her reflexes were top-notch and after closing the throttle she was able to regain control of the bike. As a result she was now placed last in the race.

She silently cursed her own stupidity as she steered the bike back on track. Careful now Xana, this little beast will eat you alive. She reopened the throttle, a bit more careful this time, and was once again exposed to tremendous forces. But this time she was prepared for it. With military discipline she let the sensation wash over her and focused entirely on the track ahead. Red lights on the cockpit indicated that she had to shift, so she quickly kicked the thing into second gear and revved the beast again.

This process continued until her neck started to hurt. The speed she was going at was frightening, she had less than the blink of an eye to dodge incoming rubble. The track was downright demanding. There was a combination of extremely tight corners and narrow corridors, coupled with long straights and easy bends where speeds of over 400 miles an hour were easily reached. Brakes were an underdeveloped part of the swoop – there wasn't a demand for them by the crazy racers, so engineers didn't bother with them – meaning slowing down for a corner was pure terror.

Overtaking was another issue. The other racers didn't give her an inch of ground, forcing her to stay close behind and wait for an opportunity. Once the opportunity was there the actual overtaking was extremely easy, thanks to the prototype accelerator. It almost felt like they were standing still while she sped by with the speed of light. After getting first position it was a simple matter of finishing the race without blowing up the engine or crashing into stuff. Xana did just that and finished first.

After parking the bike in the pit she got off and noticed her entire body was shaking. The race had truly exhausted her. Eddy didn't make matters any better. "What'che thinking, nearly crashing my baby into that wall?"

"Your fucking bike steers like a rampaging bantha," Xana scowled. "So why don't you just shut the fuck up and be glad I finished in one piece?"

"Whatever," he growled. "How did the engine hold up?"

The lieutenant shrugged. "Didn't have to push it to full capacity, so I wouldn't know. Just make sure it holds out long enough. I need a drink." Without another glance she walked away from the mechanic. She found her companions and crashed down in a nearby chair. Mission handed her a bottle of water, which she greedily devoured. She already felt drained and still had two races to go.

"Nice job Grey!" the Twi'lek cheered. "Continue like this and you'll surely win."

"…or end up dead," the lieutenant growled. "This bike is pure madness."

Carth gave her an assuring nod. "You're doing fine. Just keep your head cool and don't do anything stupid."

Xana wanted to give him a piece of mind, but couldn't find the energy to do so. She decided to close her eyes for just a while and quickly dozed off.

"I'm not inside the garage anymore, am I?"

The familiar voice surprised Xana. "Knight Shan?"

"Just what is going on?" came the voice of the Jedi Knight again. "Where am I?"

The scoundrel was highly confused, but decided to answer nonetheless. "Err… you're at the swoop race. The Black Vulkar gang has put you forwards as a price for the grand opening race. I'm currently racing to win your freedom."

"…so that's where your enormous stress levels came from." The voice suddenly became weaker. "So… tired…"

"Ma'am? Ma'am, what the hell is this? Why are you in my head? Knight Shan? BASTILA?"

A sudden thug at her shoulder shook her awake. Carth had woken her up and he was studying her with a worried face. "Are you alright? You were mumbling in your sleep."

Xana glanced over to the caged Jedi Knight. She was still knocked out cold. "I… just a nightmare."

"Okay…" Carth was still looking worried. "Eddy was looking for you, it's time to get ready for your second race." The scoundrel nodded and got to her feet. She slouched off to the swoop bike, with the pilot's eyes stinging in her back.

If she had thought her experience with the modified swoop would make the second heat any easier, she was gravely mistaken. She faced off with much more experienced and determined racers this time. These guys didn't back away from using extreme measures. She was nearly pushed into a wall when trying to overtake the guy who was placed second. Her relentless attempts to get past him were all in vain; he simply kept blocking her off or tried to get her killed.

Things were starting to look very bleak for Xana. They were approaching the finish quickly and she still was in third place. If she didn't finish at least second she wouldn't go through to the final. The two bikes steered on the final straight towards the finish line and Xana started to panic. Involuntarily she thought back on her lieutenant training. Convert your panic into more useful emotions. Bastila's face flashed in her mind and her panic made way for sheer determination. Finishing third was not an option. If this asshole wouldn't let her get past him, she'd simply go through him.

She opened the throttle and the swoop bike lurched forward. The guy in second place saw her coming and steered his bike in front of her again. Like the hell if I care. Like a raging bull she sped towards him. Only at the last second she changed her trajectory slightly, so that she would brush past him. With only half an inch to spare she overtook the asshole, just half a mile before the finish line. Five seconds later she finished second, just enough to get through.

The crowd seemed besides themselves, these kinds of duels were just the thing they had come for. Eddy wasn't very happy. As she parked the bike and took of her helmet he started scolding her. "The hell ye think you doing, ye stupid cunt? Ye nearly crashed into that guy, do ye want to destroy my bike? What are ye, suicidal?"

That last part got to Xana. She grabbed him by the collar and her bright green eyes flashed dangerously. "You know nothing about me," she said in a low voice. "So shut the fuck up and get the bike ready for the final, you fucking freak." She pushed him away, causing him to stumble over and fall to the floor, but she just couldn't care. Still fuming she stalked to her companions.

"What's wrong Grey?" Mission asked when she saw the scoundrel's dark face.

Xana sat down and accepted the water bottle. "Fucker Eddy is working on my nerves. If he goes on like this I'm going to smash his ugly face."

"You should calm down," the Twi'lek advised. "Be glad that you're in the finals. Only one step away from rescuing Miss Shan!"

The scoundrel knew that the girl was right, but exhaustion and stress started to take its toll. "Whatever," she grunted. "I'm taking a nap, wake me up when it's time for the final match."

As Xana closed her eyes Mission gave Carth a helpless look. He just shook his head and indicated to leave her alone.

"Could you please explain me what you were thinking when coming up with this plan to rescue me?" Bastila sounded less than impressed.

"Wha…? You again? What are you doing in my head?" Xana didn't know if she was dreaming, hallucinating or just downright going mad.

"Trying to get a sense of what is going on. To be honest I'm deeply disappointed in you."

"I don't see you coming up with a better idea," the scoundrel snarled. Her sympathy for the Jedi Knight was vanishing real quickly now she was being scolded even in her dreams.

"In case you hadn't noticed I'm being restrained by a neural disruptor." The Jedi sounded extremely haughty, which angered Xana even further. "For someone who promised to protect me with her live, you're doing a rather miserable job, don't you think?"

"This is just fucking dandy… Get out of my head, right now!"

"Learn your place, girl. You don't order around a Jedi Knight, certainly not with such a foul mouth."

Part of her wanted to curse the knight to oblivion, but somehow she found herself unable to. The way the Jedi was speaking to her made her feel incompetent and immature. "I'm sorry ma'am," she muttered in shame.

"Much better," Bastila replied smugly, but still with the air of a princess.

It made the scoundrel feel even worse, like a girl being scolded by her mother. "Look, I'm trying to do the right thing here. If I win the next race you'll be free."

The Jedi snorted. "And you truly believe a gangster who betrayed his former master will keep his word? Are you truly that dimwitted?" The brunette sighed tiredly. "If only I could use this connection to bypass the neural disruptor."

"Connection? What connection? What's going on between us? Ma'am?" There was only silence. "Knight Shan, where are you?"

Again Xana was shaken awake from her strange sleep, this time by Mission. She was looking extremely worried. The scoundrel patted her head and tried to give an assuring smile. "I'm fine," she said. "Just exhaustion taking over. Driving that swoop bike is intense."

"If you're not confident that you'll make it, you should just stop," the thief said. "We'll find another way to rescue your boss."

"No, I'll race." Xana got to her feet and stretched. She felt much better than before, refreshed and ready for action. "I'll race and win, you can take my word on it."

Mission smiled, but still looked a bit uncertain. She grabbed her new boss in a hug. "Be careful, alright?"

The scoundrel returned the hug. "Don't worry, I will." She broke the brief embrace and made her way to the swoop bike. It felt more like walking to her own gallows. This was going to be the big one. Failure wasn't an option anymore. She grinned to herself, when had failure ever been an option?

Eddy had decided to completely ignore her, for which she was him eternally grateful. Just as she was about to put on her helmet, she was approached by a gruff looking human. "Impressive racing, Saber. The woman's touch seems to make these things much faster. Or is it something else, hm?"

"I don't know who the fuck you are or what you're implying, but you best get the fuck out of our pit." Xana was losing her patience with all these idiotic gangsters.

"I'm the Black Vulkar pilot and I'm here to warn you." His voice had turned low and threatening. "Race and you die. Walk home and you live."

The scoundrel wasn't impressed by his threat. "Concern noted," she said dully. "Now if you'd please step out of my pit… I have a race to prepare for."

When the lights turned green Xana immediately twisted the throttle. She was now pretty familiar with her bike and its quirks, so she actually managed a decent start. With tremendous speed she left the roaring spectators behind her. The crowd seemed to have grown considerably as the day had progressed. There were not only gangsters, but also regular civilians that took an interest in the racing.

Much time to ponder the race's popularity she didn't get, because another pilot assaulted her by damn near crashing his swoop into hers. With a curse she steered away from him, but the bastard kept going at her. Was he trying to kill them both? It certainly seemed like a kamikaze action. As she struggled to keep her bike in one piece and on track she saw the other two racers speeding away from her.

Suddenly her bike was being pelted by blasterfire. She glanced at the other pilot and recognized the Black Vulkar pilot. He was actually steering his swoop with one hand and firing a blaster at her with the other. How the cocksucker managed this was beyond Xana, but she knew she had to get rid of him fast. The swoop bike was unarmored, if he hit a vital component she'd be out of the race. She tried to outrun him, but he cleverly cut her off.

Alright then, asshole. Time for motherfucking plan B. She tried to release one hand from the handlebar, but the swoop bike immediately lurched toward the wall. Just in time she managed to steer clear again. One more time. This time she was more careful and she successfully grabbed her blaster without crashing the bike. She turned in the saddle to aim at her assaulter.

"Go ahead punk… make my day." She pulled the trigger. How she managed it under the circumstances was beyond her, but the energy bolt hit him square in the face. He fell from his bike, which crashed into a pillar. Xana laughed like a small child in a toy store, endorphin and adrenaline became an intoxicating concoction within her system. She dropped the blaster and looked forward again, but the two others had gone out of sight.

She pushed herself and the bike beyond the limit. With death-defying speed she raced across the track, taking corners at much higher velocities than before. Soon the number two came in sight and she overtook him like a beam of light. The number one followed soon after, but as soon as she got onto his tail a red light started flashing on her cockpit. It seemed like she had been pushing the engine to its limit.

Xana stayed on his tail the whole time, keeping just enough speed not to fry the accelerator. After about ten miles the blasted red light still flashed. The woman grinned, it seemed like she was going to have to make a gamble. As the two of them turned onto the final straight, Xana made a quick prayer. It was time to see how far her scoundrel's luck would really go.

She pulled her bike next to the other racer and fully opened the throttle. The bike lurched forward like a solar flare, within a second she was in first place. As she saw the finish line approaching the red light started flashing faster and faster, she could smell the smoke coming out of the engine. Come on you crappy bike, keep in one piece for ten seconds longer. The number two was right on her tail, so she knew she couldn't ease off the throttle. Not for the first time did she wonder why she was risking her life for that blasted Jedi. She hoped it wouldn't be the last time.

With a final flick on the throttle she surged towards the finish line. The engine protested audibly under the strain, but Xana just didn't care. In a stream of fire, smoke and noise she crossed the line. I've done it, I've won. She didn't celebrate just yet, but instead landed the bike and quickly stumbled off it. Just as she was running away the machine exploded behind her, the shockwave was so intense it made her topple over. She rolled on her back just in time to see a large mushroom cloud. All emotions, strain and stress came out as once, as she started laughing uncontrollably. Eddy was going to be so pissed.

Euphoria swept over her as she was lying there on the dirty ground. She had fucking done it! By winning the race she had won ownership of Bastila, meaning she'd finally be safe. As the crowd loudly cheered and applauded for the nice show, Mission, Zaalbar and Carth approached her with a big grin on their faces. "That was awesome Grey!" the Twi'lek exclaimed happily.

Carth shook her hand. "Congrats Grey. You took the gamble and won. Now we can take Bastila and get off this awful planet."

Brejik – the leader of the Black Vulkars – had other plans. The gruff gangster approached the podium with a large group of his cronies on his tail. He picked up the microphone and addressed the crowd. "Yes, that was a very nice display of swooping skills… and a banging end. Congratulations Miss Saber, a newcomer making such a flawless victory is unprecedented."

Xana felt her heart sink as she realized where he was going to. Brejik addressed the crowd again. "Most of us would think it's completely impossible for a newcomer to dominate the race so convincingly. Even I had my doubts, so I did some background tracking of this woman. Turns out my doubts were grounded, because this woman certainly isn't a gangster. No, dear spectators, she's an agent working for the Sith."

The crowds gasped in disbelief and Brejik continued talking into them. "Apparently Gadon Thek has made a secret deal with the Sith, sovereignty over the gangs in exchange for this Republic officer." Another disbelieving gasp from the crowd. "They even handed them a military-type engine to win the race." Outrage and anger from the tribune.

The Black Vulkar leader turned to Xana. "So no, I will not be handing over this woman to the Sith." He drew his vibrosword and the thugs behind drew their various weapons as well. "In fact, I'll get rid of this spy and free the gangs from Sith influence once and for all. Because unlike Thek I do have the best in mind for all the gangs of this planet."

The gangsters approached Xana's team and Brejik engaged the scoundrel in melee combat. As the large group threatened to overwhelm them the scoundrel looked desperately at the Jedi Knight. For a moment she focused her entire will on the caged woman. Right now would be an excellent time to wake up, Miss Jedi.

As if her words had reached her Bastila stirred and opened her eyes. She quickly assessed the situation, then used the Force to open her cage. When she had stepped out she used the Force to make a vibrosword float towards her. She graciously grabbed it out of the air and also engaged Brejik.

In the meantime a total shitstorm had broken loose. Thugs from all different gangs were flooding the pit and podium and started fighting each other. Tension and distrust from many years of gang wars finally burst into a cacophony of violence. Xana didn't know exactly how many swoop gangs there were, but she could see at least twenty different colors.

The fight with Brejik was a tough one. Bastila was visibly struggling against the restrainer on her head and seemed to be exhausted. Xana was still feeling shaky and weak from racing the swoop bike and had trouble landing powerful blows. Mission, Zaalbar and Carth tried to protect the two from blasterfire by engaging the other gangsters, but from time to time an energy blast still hit Xana's combat shield.

The Force was what saved them in the end. Bastila used it to push the bastard backwards, causing him to stumble and fall over. Their combined might then ripped through his shields, allowing Xana to slice his throat. As he lay dying Xana noticed the all-out war around her… skirmishes, smoke, fire, shouts, explosions; every sense was exposed to its terror. She also noticed a large quantity of Sith soldiers storming in to intervene. Things were quickly spiraling out of control.

She turned back to Bastila, just in time to catch her. The exhausted Jedi had simply fallen over and was now resting in Xana's arms. "Get this thing off my head," she grunted. Xana fumbled with the restrainer unit for a moment and quickly managed to get it off. Xana could feel relief wash over the woman, but then the Jedi fainted completely. This was extremely bad, Bastila was vulnerable and needed to be brought to a safe location a.s.a.p.

The scoundrel whistled her team over and indicated Zaalbar to pick up the Jedi. The group attempted to make their way out of the area, which was easier said than done. It was a total war right now, complete with explosions and barrages of blasterfire. Thankfully they weren't dressed in gang colors, meaning they weren't a high priority target for most gangsters. Strays that did bother them were quickly disposed of. It took them a while, but after a couple of fights they finally made it out of the violence. The group made a run for it, eager to get away from the gang war behind them.

Darth Bandon grinned as he saw the Jedi Knight being carried away. So this was the famous Bastila Shan that had confronted the former Dark Lord? Pathetic. He also spotted the woman that had mercilessly sacrificed a fellow marine aboard the Endar Spire to get away from him. For that act of cruelty alone he had spared her life. But there was more, touching the Force he realized this woman had quite some potential to become a Sith Lord. The Force was like a whirlwind around her, untamed but brutal. He licked his lips as he continued studying the raven-haired marine, she was quite the looker.

As the Jedi was getting away in the arms of that hairy monster he laughed darkly. Bandon wasn't crazy. If he returned this woman to his master, he'd turn her to the dark side and pit her against his current apprentice. The victor would be the new apprentice and Bandon doubted it would be him, not versus the woman that had opposed Revan and survived. No, letting this woman run free for a little while longer was a much better idea. And seeing what the Jedi Council would do with the delicious, exotic, Force-sensitive woman with an appetite for cruelty was an interesting bonus. If they let her potential go to waste, he certainly wouldn't. And he'd do much more to her, he thought with a lewd grin.

His eyes turned back to the war beneath him. Sending in Sith soldiers had been an excellent idea, the resulting slaughter was enough to still even his hunger for darkness. But he would have more… much, much more. The Sith Cycle was going to continue and the first step was pruning it of these so called Grey Jedi. Former Dark Lord Revan was dead and Grey General Surik was cut off from the Force. The last maggot to carry the Grey genes was Malak. Regardless of his fall to the Dark Side he had to be erased. The one to have that honor was going to be Dark Lord Bandon.

The group continued running all the way to the abandoned apartment. Civilians from the Upper City shot them many undignified looks, as aliens were banned there, but right now they just didn't care. Inside the apartment they could finally relax. Zaalbar put Bastila down. The Jedi Knight had woken up and managed to get up to her feet. She was shivering and looked extremely frail, but at least she was alive and safe. Xana shot her an uncertain look. "Are you alright, Knight Shan?"

"Does it look like I'm alright?" the brunette asked hotly. "I've been locked up in a cage for days with that restrainer on my head. And when you finally decide it's time to check up on me you create such a mess that I have to use my last energy to get you out."

"It's true that it took us quite a while to track you down ma'am, but you have to give us some slack here. It's a massive city, there's no way we could've found you any sooner." The scoundrel was getting tired of defending herself against this bitchy Jedi. "Besides, without us you would still be locked up in that cage."

"Don't be ridiculous," Bastila snorted. "As you saw I managed to free myself just fine. And I would've gotten out of there without any trouble, regardless of your interference." Xana wanted to argue with this, but the Jedi held up a finger to shut her up. "Enough of this senseless chatter, we've already wasted enough time. Let's get off this planet, I need to speak with the Jedi Council urgently."

Xana and Carth gave each other an uncomfortable look. "That might be easier said than done," the flight commander told the Jedi reluctantly. "We don't have a ship and the entire planet is locked down. And then there's the massive Sith fleet up above."

The Jedi Knight folded her arms and cocked an eyebrow. "Almost three days. You've had almost three days and you're telling me you haven't got a plan to escape?" The two Republic marines nodded sheepishly. "Oh, that's just marvelous, isn't it? I thought I had recruited competent soldiers for once, but now I have to find out that you two have been having a nice vacation while your superior was captured and possibly being subjected to torture and pain."

The arrogance of the woman stirred up Xana's anger, but her respect for the Jedi Knight tempered her. "Ma'am, you're being unreasonable here. Please let me…"

"Unreasonable?" The brunette interrupted. "Unreasonable? You've had seventy hours to come up with a sound plan and all you've created is a big mess. And now you're depositing your problems on the Jedi Knight, because you don't have the ability to get something done yourself. You two should be ashamed of yourselves."

Anger now fully boiled inside the scoundrel's stomach. This woman was a power abusing piece of shit, just like every superior she had ever met. She finally snapped. "Oh really?" she snarled, while standing inches in front of the Jedi. "Then let me tell you this. While your cute Jedi butt was locked up inside that cage, I've gone through enough shit to last a lifetime. I dueled a drugged Rodian, got nearly tormented by a noble, nearly raped by a Sith soldier, collected the bounty of armed criminals, dodged the diseased claws of mutated corpses, wrestled a god damn rancor and risked my fucking life on a fucking swoop bike. So no, I am not ashamed of myself, because I did everything in my power to get you little Jedi princess out. Why don't you learn a thing about gratitude and respect and then come back with your ungrounded accusations?"

The brunette's face paled even further and she was grasping for air. Then the most undignified look ever adorned her face. "How dare you use such language against me?"

Xana shook her head in sheer disbelieve and growled. "Forget it, I see how it is." She grabbed her gear and headed for the door. "I'm sick of being kicked around by power-whoring Admirals and I'm certainly not going to let that happen by some stuck-up Jedi. I wish you the best of luck, Knight Shan. You're certainly going to need it if you want to leave this planet alive." Without another look back she left through the door.

Zaalbar immediately went after her, bound by the life-debt. Mission shot the remaining pair a nervous glance, before rushing out as well. A highly offended Bastila and utterly shocked Carth remained behind.