(Best of Friends)
After the Chiss slipped by Kordak on the promenade he and Ixodon vacated the premises. After all it wouldn't look good for either a Republic Trooper or an obviously imperial Chiss to be caught in all-out war in a neutral zone. During the last rain on mortar Kordak had accidentally blew the face and the hat off of the giant golden statue of Garagga the Hutt, and the Chiss used the fallen rubble to climb to the second story and escape because Kordak and Ixodon could easily cover the lower exits. They pursued him up to the next tier but just in time to see him driving away with no clue as to his destination.
Kordak sat in silence next to his Mirialan friend, "Kradok's alive."
"That's the third time you've said that in the last ten minutes," Ixodon said smug as ever as he kept his eyes on the sky lane, traffic on Nar Shaddaa was always heavy.
"I thought he was dead for so long," Kordok said. When he had returned home after the tide had turned on Iridonia he had found his home nothing but a smoldr on the ground and his brothers nowhere to be found, until a few hours ago he'd just assumed they had all been killed. But if Kradok was alive then there was hope that the others had survived as well. A thought Kordak did not dare say out loud, because speaking gave birth to hope and there was one thing enlisting in the republic military had taught him was to never hope, it just caused pain and distracted you from the task at hand, always assume the most likely outcome until other information is made available.
"You're going to go after him aren't you?" Ixodon asked, he wasn't in the mood to chase a Jedi across the galaxy.
"Affirmative," Kordak replied fixing his eyes on the road ahead.
"Is she going to be alright," I asked as I watched Khi-Tyn administer kolto to an unconscious Li'Rinna in the med-bay, She'd been largely unresponsive since we left the docks and her heartbeat was only a faint sound on the monitor.
"It doesn't look good," Khi-Tyn answered his voice calm as always even though his left side was charred from taking a direct hit with a blaster, "But Li'Rinna is stubborn, she'd die before she let her life end this anticlimactically," he smiled.
"That is not funny," I replied.
"Perhaps not," Khi-Tyn conceded, "But it is considerably amusing watching your expressions."
I glared at him for a long moment as I contemplated the best way to get back at him, "How's your burn?" I asked as I poked the charred side of his body with my index finger, Khi-Tyn jumped back into the medical equipment and everything clanked along the walls as his face contorted with shock and discomfort, I laughed, "Now that's funny."
"I see you were telling the truth before," Khi-Tyn mused as he regained his composure.
"Yes I was," I replied, "about what was I right before?"
"You are not a Jedi yet," He smiled and I briefly considered jabbing his injury a little more forcefully this time when 3C-FD rolled into the med-center beeping vehemently making sure we hadn't done any permanent damage to the equipment.
"Relax Threecee," I rolled my eyes at the little rust-colored astromech, I could feel the cold calling out to me from above, "Let me patch that up for you," I said turning to Khi-Tyn. I desperately needed something to distract me from the shadows waiting upstairs...
I carefully applied a kolto-infused gel to the burn the wrapped around Khi-Tyn's left side. As I delicately smeared the liquid over Khi-Tyn's injury I noticed that it was far more severe than I believed earlier, he must have been in excruciating pain since he was struck. I was suddenly consumed with guilt over having poked him before; I must have brought the pain he was trying so hard to mask to the forefront of his mind. I then withdrew some gauze from underneath the examination table, which would soon be doubling as a bed for one of our residents, and began to wrap them around the Voss.
"I'm sorry," I said as I finished.
"I know," Khi-Tyn answered with understanding.
"I should probably go check on Rarsk and Areeva…" I mumbled amidst the sudden awkwardness, "Make sure we're still on course…." I turned to leave as Li'Rinna's hand shot up and grabbed my wrist, I could tell there was something she wanted to say to me but she wasn't coherent enough to get the words out. Her heartbeat was pounding through the monitor as her lips twitched but no sound came out and as suddenly as she came to life she slipped back into sleep her hand hanging limply off of the table.
"Did I not tell you she was stubborn," Khi-Tyn said amusedly, "I'll let you know if anything changes."
"Be sure you do," I answered shaken. I turned and left the room quietly out into the hall, I needed a moment to clear my head and gather my thoughts.
I pressed my back against the cold metal casing of the hallway and stared at the ceiling. I could feel it calling me from above, the mask of Nihilus, the air around me was colder than it should be, out of my periphery, in the shadows of the engine room I could see him, Darth Nihilus, standing there, driving me away, forward, to the Mask. I was getting tired of resisting him. Something happened when I called on the force on the docks, a seal had come undone and now the dark lord was free to invade my thoughts at a whim. He was supposed to be dead, but he felt more real than anything. I could hear Areeva's and Rarsk's voices up the stairs and I knew I could drive his presence away if I was around them, there calming nature would purge him from my mind and I'd be free. Or at the least, I hoped it would let me escape.
"So I used the force to derail the rocket-tram and blew the back window out so I could escape," Areeva said, "and Commander Nargost and his cronies blew up along with the tram."
"Areeva fast on feet and in mind," Rarsk replied, "Rarsk just have attacked."
"That would've taken too much time and as I vehemently stated before I had a very hot date with a Resistance fighter…"
"Rarsk never abandon battle for date," Rarsk replied scornfully.
"Only because you can't get a date," Areeva shot back.
"Rarsk place honor above urge."
"And some people like to have a little fun from time to time," Areeva smirked, "let loose, like…"
"like Schutta?" Rarsk gargled and I sighed as I took the last couple of steps up the stairs. The two of them were leaning on the railing just outside cockpit, Areeva smiled widely when she saw me.
"You owe me a hundred republic credits," she said deviously.
"I know," I replied.
"Rarsk not follow."
"We had I bet on how long it would take you to call me a Schutta, I said it would be less than two hours, Kradok over there said it would take longer…"
I smiled sheepishly, "It was close though," I said remembering the time from the screen on the medical equipment, "In another four minutes I would have one."
Rarsk and Areeva burst out laughing simultaneously and I joined in a moment later. The three of us had not been together since Coruscant. While I checked on Li'Rinna Areeva and Rarsk caught each other up on what they'd been through since then. "So Areeva," I asked, "How was your date."
Areeva smiled, "Never date a Corellian Resistance Fighter, all they want to talk about is war, death, and politics, he didn't even tell me my lekku were sensuous…." Areeva put her hand to her head and looked away, every movement was tinged with syrupy drama.
"You must have been mortified," I said sardonically.
"Rarsk wish other Trandoshan thought Rarsk scales sensuous," Rarsk imitated Areeva's exaggeratedly woeful movements.
"Oh Rarsk I think your scales are sensuous, just you wait, a towering Tentaratek or a hairy Wookie will sweep you right up," Areeva pretended to console Rarsk as she patted his back.
"And burly Wampa will sweep Areeva off feet and to Icy cavern below," Rarsk and Areeva seemed to be swept up in their own wittiness.
"I'm sure you'll both be happy with your hairless Wookie and burly Wampa but when one of you gets the chance can you make sure we're still on course for Tatooine," I smiled and walked up into the main room, "Fuel's expensive you know."
"He means you, you know," Areeva said looking at Rarsk.
"Schutta's check course."
"Rarsk, why didn't you tell me you were a Schutta," Areeva retorted, "we can double-date!"
I was trying to suppress my laughter as I walked over to the holoterminal when a chill swept over my shoulders, I turned slightly and I could see him from the corner of my eyes standing in the doorway behind me. I was trapped between him and his mask. I fell to my knees in front of the Holoterminal; I could no longer hear Rarsk and Areeva, his voice echoed throughout the room. Suddenly I was on the floor in front of the ancillary cargo hold and I knew I could resist no longer.
Slowly, I reached inside the cargo hold and pulled the Mask of Hunger out, just having it in my hands drove the voice insane. I could feel him screaming in my ears and I drew the mask closer to my face. It was cold to the touch. I wondered briefly about after I put on the mask, would I be me, or him, would our minds wage war for control of my body or would I just cease to exist, what about the others, would they be safe, but my hands kept moving the mask toward my face.
A yellow lightsaber appeared between my face and the mask and Areeva's voice whispered in my ears, "Thanks for saving me the trouble of looking for it, now give me the Mask."
"So not only did you let the Jedi escape, but you got Nidrass killed," Drakkus said with a quiet fury over the holocomm Xe'kor held in front of him, "If I were you I'd start begging."
"I don't need to beg Drakkus," Xe'kor replied stoically, "Areeva got Nidrass killed because whe failed to inform us that Li'Rinna and Kradok were working together but she now has the chance to get the mask she so desperately wanted."
Xe'kor watched the different emotions flicker across the muscles in-between Drakkus's eyes; they were the only way you could tell what he was feeling when there wasn't an audience around. He was furious, and Xe'kor knew that even though he was partial to Areeva she would not be spared his wrath this time, especially not after her colossal failures on Tython and Coruscant she had now possibly botched a contract that wasn't even hers, the only way she could survive now was to return with the Mask of Hunger or Drakkus would kill her, he would have no choice.
"Does Kradok suspect her?" Drakkus asked.
"I shot Li'Rinna before she had the opportunity to divulge," Xe'kor grimaced slightly, that had not been part of his and Li'Rinna's arrangement, but he still needed to get the Mask and now the only one who could do that was Areeva. He hoped he'd made up for the backstabbing or back shooting in this case by making sure the shot would be far from fatal, just debilitating for a little while, "Should I precede to Tatooine as planned?"
"No," Drakkus growled and Xe'kor sensed that he had only bought himself a small amount of time. His life was now forfeited to Areeva's success or failure, "Teara should be able to handle Tatooine," Drakkus flashed Xe'kor his toothy smile and cut the comm.