From the Ashes

by Prisoner 24601

KoTOR: Chapter 10. Malak spoke. “Do you remember how you taunted me? You were so good at being cruel, Revan. One minute I was your friend and lover, the next, your broken apprentice.”

2. Strange Bedfellows

Thanks for the words of encouragement and feedback everyone. They are most appreciated.

Chapter 2: Strange Bedfellows

When Carth finally noticed that the pod had stopped moving, he ventured a look over at his companion.

Damn it, she doesn't look good…

Blood from a gash over her left eye streamed down her face and her breathing was very shallow. Carth noticed that she had only been able to get part of her safety harness on. He struggled to free himself from his own harness with shaking hands and eased his bruised body from the pod seat.

We have to get out of here before we draw attention.

Carth popped open the escape pod door and looked out, happy to see that they had crashed on the night side of the planet. Taris was a planet covered mostly by towering cities and it looked like they had landed on the upper level of one of the kilometer tall buildings. The street was abandoned and while there was no one else in sight, he knew it wouldn't last for long.

Lucky.

Turning his attention back to the woman in the pod, he did a quick inspection of the gash over her eye. It was a bloody mess and he needed more time to tend it, but he could hear people approaching. He threw her satchel over his shoulder and shoved the escape pod's medpak inside. Next, he untangled her from the harness as gently as he could, lifted her in his arms and stepped out onto the street. Carth slipped into a nearby alley and disappeared into the cold night.

Luck stayed with them. Carth found the run down apartment building close by, a good thing since he wasn't sure how much further he could have carried her. After quickly scouting out the building, he found several abandoned apartments. Picking the one that smelled the least offensive, he set the unconscious woman down on the bed and put her satchel on the dusty table. A more thorough inspection of her wounds revealed that the gash above her eye had begun to clot and there was a bruise welling up on her jaw. Other than that, there were no signs of injury. Carth worked quickly and efficiently with the contents of the medpack. Finally, he sat back and inspected his work.

Not bad.

Of course battle wounds were something that he had plenty of experience with.

He turned his attention to her satchel, dumping the contents unceremoniously on the table. He found a data pad, a couple hundred credits, several tools he couldn't identify, a pair of gold hoop earrings, a hair brush, random cosmetics and…grenades?

That's right, she almost blew me up.

He turned his attention back to her data pad and began to scan for information. Her name was Minuet Avery and she owned a company he had never heard of called Midnight Run Antiquities. It was strange that she was a civilian and not a crew member. The rest of the information on the data pad was blocked by a high level encryption code.

He looked back at the unconscious woman. Who are you, Minuet Avery? What were you doing on the Endar Spire?

That's when he remembered her. She was the one in the back of the hangar bay, the day the Jedi came on board. He'd meant to confront Bastila about her, but hadn't been able to find the time.

She seemed to be breathing easier now. If she doesn't wake up tomorrow, I'm going to have to get her medical help. But for the moment there was little he could do. So he secured the apartment door and settled in a nearby chair to get some sleep.

---

It took her two days to wake up, and when she did it wasn't pretty.

After a day of watching Minuet's breathing get shallower and shallower, he decided he was going to have to get medical help It was going to be difficult, with all the Sith troopers patrolling the streets.

Carth had done some scouting after ditching his Republic uniform for a much less conspicuous outfit of all black with an orange leather jacket. He learned that officially the Sith had placed Taris under "medical quarantine" and forbade any traffic from entering or leaving the planet. Carth knew that it was just a cover and that the Sith were really looking for Bastila. He suspected that since the "quarantine" was still in effect, they hadn't found her yet. But because of the troopers, he was going to have to bring medical help to Minuet since carrying an unconscious, bloody woman through the streets was bound to draw unwanted attention.

Slipping some of the credits he had taken from Minuet's satchel into the hands of his shady neighbors had garnered some very useful information. He learned that a Dr. Forn, who worked at a nearby clinic, had a son serving in the Republic fleet. He went to the clinic hoping to find the doctor sympathetic to the Republic cause. It turned out even better than he had hoped, Dr. Forn's son had served under Carth's captaincy of the Intrepid, and was more than happy to help the Republic war hero. Apparently other locals had the same idea as Carth; they'd brought Dr. Forn several critically injured crewman from another crashed pod. Carth recognized the crewman floating in the liquid recovery tanks and was sorry to hear that they probably wouldn't recover. Dr. Forn promised that he would stop by the apartment as soon as his shift was over.

By the time the doctor showed up that evening, Minuet looked much better. Dr. Forn believed that she would wake up soon so it was probably not worth the risk to move her. He left Carth with instructions to let him know if her situation got worse or she didn't wake up within the next day.

But she did wake up, screaming.

A young Jedi woman, with brown hair and coldly beautiful features, faced off against a cowled Sith Apprentice. She ignited her lightsaber with a snap-hiss as the Sith attacked, yellow flashed against red as sparks flew from the contact. She could taste the fear of the young Jedi who was just struggling to stay alive. The Jedi braced for another assault….

Min shrieked incoherently as she thrashed around on bed.

"Hey! Wake up!" Carth grabbed Min's shoulders to keep her from falling off the bed. He had a hard time holding on to her.

She's stronger than she looks.

Min's eyes fluttered open and she stopped thrashing. She slowly sat up and Carth let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Hey, it was just a nightmare." He said, trying to sooth Min. "Here, have some water." He handed her a glass.

She took it with her trembling hands while staring at Carth in confusion. Eventually, she took a long swallow of water.

When he spoke again, he tried to sound as non-threatening as possible. "I was wondering whether you were ever going to wake up. I'm Carth, one of the Republic officers from the Endar Spire. I was with you on the escape pod. Do you remember?"

Comprehension replaced confusion. "The one on the communicator?"

"Right."

She dragged a hand across her face. "What happened?"

Carth began to fill her in on what had happened since the escape pod crashed. As he spoke, Minuet started to relax.

"I guess I owe you my life. Thanks."

Carth was dismissive. "You don't have to thank me. I've never abandoned anyone on a mission and I'm not about to start now." Besides, I'm going to need your help. But first things first.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

Min nodded, but suddenly realizing that she was filthy from dried sweat and blood she added, "Is there anywhere to clean up first?"

"In there, but I'm afraid that there is only cold water."

"That's fine."

"Here, I uh…took the liberty of getting you some new clothes."

"Thanks."

Minuet rose gingerly from the bed, took the fresh garments and headed to the 'fresher.

---

It took her a good forty-five minutes to put herself back together. She showered for a long time letting the cold water flow over her sore muscles and wash away the blood and sweat from her body. Although masked mostly by her dark skin, she had to use some of her makeup to cover the sickly bruise on her chin and the newly healed flesh above her left eye. Minuet combed through her hair and felt almost human again.

She looked down at the clothing Carth had bought her and was amazed to discover that they fit her fairly well. Min inspected herself in the mirror and grimaced. While the beige tunic and trousers were not the most stylish clothing she had ever worn, it was at least clean.

When she emerged from the bathroom she headed straight for the food. Carth noticed that she looked considerably better. As she sat at the table Carth had to bite back the questions that were running wild through his mind.

Give her a break Onasi; she hasn't eaten for two days. She has to be starving.

Minuet could feel his eyes watching her as she dished out food for herself. After checking to see whether or not he wanted any she began to eat.

After several minutes of eating under his openly curious gaze, Min's patience broke "Okay, I can't stand it." She looked him squarely in the eyes. "What?"

Busted. Best to play ignorant. Carth feigned a confused look as if to say: I don't know what you're talking about.

"Why are you staring at me like I have just grown two heads?"

"Sorry, it was unintentional. It's just…."

"Yes?" she drawled.

"You haven't eaten for days and yet you sit there eating as if you were some sort of formal occasion. Like some Alderaanian lady at a banquet."

Min was torn between irritation and amusement. Amusement won. Barely. "And this is a problem because…."

Carth had the grace to flush. "It's not, it's just odd. That's all."

Min arched an eyebrow in his direction, "Anything else odd about me that you would like to comment upon?"

"Well, actually…."

The amused look was replaced by an irritated one.

The conversation was not going the way he had hoped it would. Way to go, you haven't gotten any information about her, but you've managed to piss her off in record time.

"What I mean is…well…just who are you?" he demanded as his impatience got the better of him. "I know you aren't a Republic soldier or a Jedi, but you were on board the Endar Spire. Why?"

Min pushed her plate away and wiped her fingers. She sat back in her chair, crossed her arms and looked directly in his eyes, her own burning with quiet intensity.

Min took her time studying the man on the other side of the table. He was ruggedly handsome and probably in his late thirties, with dark brown eyes and even darker brown hair. Even though he was currently wearing civilian clothes, with a jacket that was an unfortunate shade of orange, he still carried himself like a career soldier. He had an open and honest face which at the moment was showing discomfort at her open scrutiny.

She remembered seeing him at the cadet ceremony. Oh yes, now I remember, the war hero.

When Carth started to fidget she decided to humor him and answer his questions. He did save my life. I guess I owe him some answers, but he's going to answer mine first.

"All right Carth, but you first. Who are you?"

Quickly realizing that they could spend all day arguing who would go first, Carth sighed in defeat. "Fine. I'm Captain Carth Onasi. I've served in the Republic for years and seen more than my share of wars. I fought in the Mandalorian wars before all this started."

Min waited for him to continue.

"I was aboard the Endar Spire in an advisory capacity."

She was confused. In the hanger bay, she had gotten the distinct impression that he was in charge. "Advisor to whom?"

"Bastila Shan. Technically she was in charge of the Seventh Division Fleet which the Endar Spire was scheduled to meet up with over Hoth. But because of her um…" Carth struggled to balance truth and diplomacy, "…youth and inexperience I was made her advisor."

That's probably the understatement of the year.

"Why would the Republic even allow the Jedi to take command of a fleet after Revan and Malak?"

It was disconcerting hearing his own questions come out of her mouth. "Well, Bastila is no ordinary Jedi. She was the Jedi who killed Darth Revan. Also, she has the ability to influence large scale battles through something the Jedi called battle meditation. She's the reason the Endar Spire was ambushed and now Taris is under a Sith quarantine. We have to find her."

Min looked dubious. "Bastila's a Jedi. She can probably take care of herself."

Carth shook his head. "No. Everyone will be looking for her, but no one will be looking for us."

Minuet pointedly ignored the 'us' part. "If Bastila's so great, why were the Sith able to ambush the Endar Spire?"

Because she was an idiot and disregarded my advice. Aloud he said, "From what I understand, her battle meditation requires a lot of concentration and time to prepare. Since we were ambushed, she probably didn't have time to use it."

Impatient for answers of his own, he spoke before she could ask anything else. "Now it's your turn. Who are you and why were you on the Endar Spire?"

Min decided that fair was fair. "My name is Minuet Avery. I own a company called Midnight Run Antiquities. I hunt down ancient artifacts for wealthy buyers. A couple weeks ago, I was approached by members of the Jedi Council on Courscant. They said that they had a job for me."

"Which was?"

"I don't know."

Now it was Carth's turn to look dubious. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"The Jedi told me that they had some ruins that they wanted me to look at, but they wouldn't disclose the location. I wanted to know more than that, but they refused to tell me anything, saying that it would all be clear when I arrived."

He raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "And you took the job?"

"I charged them triple my fee, and technically, I haven't accepted the job yet. I was told to report to the Endar Spire and that I would be working under Bastila's direction. But I never got the chance to meet her. She preferred to deal with me through the other Jedi on board."

"That's…odd."

"I know. It was really starting to piss me off."

Carth stood, apparently satisfied with her answers. "If you're feeling better, we should get moving. We need to find out where Bastila's escape pod landed." He started gathering his gear.

"Wait a minute. What makes you think that I'm going to help you?"

Carth stared at her. "Well, the Jedi did hire you."

"Not yet they haven't. Saving important Jedi from the Sith fleet was not part of the deal. I'll return the money when I get back to Courscant."

He tried a different tactic, trying to appeal to any patriotism that she might have. "Bastila is the key to the Republic war effort and she is the only reason that the Republic has been winning any battles at all. If the Sith catch her, the Republic is done for," Seeing that she wasn't buying this argument, he added quickly, "which is bad for everyone, including you. Plus, getting off this rock would be easier with the help of a Jedi."

Min indicated her skepticism about this.

Undaunted, he forged ahead, unabashedly playing on her guilt. "I need your help. I found out that several escape pods crashed in the undercity, which is overrun by swoop gangs and diseased creatures. I'm going to need someone to watch my back down there."

It worked, guilt started to creep in. Damn it, I don't want anything to do with this. But he saved my life when he didn't have to….

"Fine. Let's go before I change my mind."

---

They decided to use her company as their cover; two treasure hunters stuck by the quarantine. It would allow them to carry weapons and wear armor without looking too suspicious. With that decided, they headed out to the nearest cantina in search of information.

The subterfuge was almost moot because they stepped out of the abandoned apartment, right into a Sith patrol.

Before Min and Carth had a chance to react, one of the troopers shouted, "Humans in this building? They must be Republic fugitives. Get them!"

Chaos ensued. Carth began shooting with his blasters taking cover in the doorway but unfortunately Min was unarmed, since Carth had insisted on keeping both blasters. Instead she charged the nearest guard and charged kicked him squarely in the gut. Before he recovered she had wrenched his vibroblade out of his hand and in one swift movement cut him clean across the chest. As he went down, Min realized that the blaster fire had stopped. It was then she noticed the other aliens in the hall.

A Duros approached Min cautiously. [Thank you human for you assistance.]

Min decided it would be best if she kept her surprise to herself. [Glad we could help. Sorry about your friend.] Min motioned to the Duros lying in the hallway.

[Poor Ixgal, he should have never talked back to that Sith.]

Carth stared at Min, astonished that she knew the language.

[Do not worry about the Sith bodies, I will take care of them. It will look like they died elsewhere.]

[Thanks, do you mind if I take a look at what they have first?]

[Help yourself, human.]

Min quickly rifled through the Sith's gear and was happy to discover another vibroblade, blaster pistol and some credits. Satisfied with their balance, she pressed the button on the hilt of the swords. The blades silently collapsed into the hilt. She tossed them into her satchel and turned to Carth. "Shall we?"

---

The nearest cantina was a dive. The dank hole stank of ale, smoke and sweat. In the background there was a band playing bland music, the kind that would not offend any species and as a result was awfully boring to everyone. It was perfect.

Carth mused to himself. "We need money if we are going to get armor and supplies. I don't want to go into the undercity without them."

They discovered that they had two choices: the dueling ring and the pazaak tables. Quickly discarding the far too public dueling, Min and Carth headed to the pazaak tables.

"I'm terrible at pazaak. Are you any good?" Min asked.

Carth threw a grin over his shoulder as he approached the gaming tables. "Watch and learn, sister."

He was good. Really, really good. Min watched him hustle three players out of all of their credits before she moved across the bar. They had decided to split up, he'd take care of the money and she would get information. When Carth tried to hand her some credits, she shook her head and, with an amused smile, indicated that she didn't need any.

Watching her now across the bar, Carth realized why she had been so amused. She hadn't sat down for longer than ten seconds before men started approaching and offering her drinks. After about an hour, it finally dawned on Carth why.

She's beautiful…and she knows it.

He sat there staring at her, wondering why he hadn't noticed until now. Half of the men in the bar were watching her, many with open appreciation.

If it took me this long to notice, I must be getting old.

He sat back and finally took a good look at her. She was long and athletic, with delicate features and smooth dark skin. Her thick jet black hair, presently tucked behind one ear, fell just below her chin in soft curls.

She sat on the stool with her elbow resting on the bar, drink in hand and a completely bitchy expression on her face. Her manner was downright condescending, as if she couldn't believe that she was surrounded such hideous lowlifes. What amused Carth the most was that he was certain that her facial expressions were an accurate reflection of her feelings about the bar and her admirers. Even funnier, was that instead of discouraging her companions, her obvious distaste seemed to intrigue them further. Of course the men weren't really looking at her face….

"Hey are you going to play or what?" The irritated voice snapped his attention back to the pazaak hand.

"Huh?"

His opponent followed his gaze to Min. "Ah, I see." He leered openly at Min's long legs. "After I clean you out of credits, I think I'll go take a shot at her."

We'll see about that.

---

A couple of hours later and seven hundred credits richer, they walked out of the cantina into the night air. Min filled Carth in on the information she had gotten from a lonely Sith officer stationed on this "crappy backwater of a world." Apparently, several escape pods had crashed in the undercity, but because of the rackghouls and swoop gangs the Sith were having a hard time getting to them. She learned that the Sith were however trying to control who came and went into the lower regions of Taris by guarding the entrances into the lower levels of the city. She outlined her plan to steal Sith uniforms.

"A party. You want us to go to a Sith party?"

"Not us," she clarified, "me. You can't come with. How would I explain you? I'll meet you back at the apartment in a couple of hours." Min started to walk away as if the discussion was over.

He grabbed her by the elbow. "Wait a minute! You can't go by yourself."

"Why not?"

"It's a room full of Sith troopers. It's too dangerous for you to go by yourself."

Min, already irritated from the four hours she had just spent in the dingy bar, yanked her elbow out of his hand. "Dangerous how? It's a party, not an interrogation. Thanks for your concern Carth, but I can handle myself."

"Maybe so, but I'm still coming with you."

"Listen, I've been doing just fine without you for the last thirty years. I've traveled across the galaxy and been in more tough spots than I you'll ever know about. I'm competent enough to handle one party without you. Go back to the apartment." She began to walk off again.

"No." Carth stated simply, his jaw set in a stubborn line. He began to follow her.

Min was almost to the officers quarters before she realized that he wasn't going to take no for an answer. With every step she took her anger grew.

Min ignored him and marched into the building. Don't get mad, get even.

---

She got her revenge at the party. Introducing him as her indentured manservant, Min had great fun ordering him around for the rest of the evening. Her favorite game was to order him to fetch her a drink only to reject it when he came, berating him publicly for his incompetence. The fifth time she did this he almost dumped the drink in her lap. Sensing that she had pushed him to his limit, she ordered him to stand out in the hallway and guard the door. He got to stand out there for several more hours of pure hellish tedium.

By the end of the night, he was ready to wring her neck. What really infuriated him, more than her behavior was her completely unrepentant attitude. He glowered at her as she stepped over passed out bodies and removed the Sith armor from the storage locker.

He was still glowering as they left the building.

Min smirked. Serves you right, you stubborn bastard.

---

Because they had been out practically all night, they got a late start the next day. They both ate what passed for breakfast in silence. She wondered if he was still angry about last night.

Min had to admit that she had acted childishly. She just didn't react well to people questioning her abilities. What made her feel even worse was that even though she had acted like a brat, he had insisted on her taking the one bed in the apartment. She realized that she was going to have to apologize, but she just wasn't up to it yet.

Carth stole glances at his companion across the table The trouble is, I don't know what to make of her. Just when he had written her off as a complete bitch, she'd completely surprised him.

On their way back to the apartment, they had run across a man getting worked over in an alley; some poor bastard who was unfortunate enough to owe money to a two bit loan shark. Min had heard the man shouting for help and hadn't even hesitated. Afterward she had given the man over one hundred credits of their money so he could pay off his debt. When he had asked her why she had helped someone who was stupid enough to borrow money from a local crime lord she replied simply "I hate bullies."

After that, it was difficult to stay angry with her.

Minuet finished her breakfast and looked over at Carth. She decided to test the waters.

"So, tell me Carth, how'd you learn to hustle people like that?" she drawled, not really expecting an answer.

"When I was a kid, my brother and I used to play for beer and cigarra money by hustling the other kids out of their lunch money. When I left home and joined the fleet, I began to play even more. Soldiers have a lot of downtime in between battles. You have to do something to pass the time."

Curious she asked, "Where is home for you?" The minute she asked it she knew that she had inadvertently put her foot in her mouth. Carth's expression had darkened instantly.

"Telos," he bit out.

"Oh." Min had no idea what to say. Telos was a world that Revan and Malak had almost obliterated by wholesale bombing. Everyone Carth had known on that planet was probably dead.

Lost in old memories, he continued softly, "When the Sith came, there wasn't a damn thing we could do to stop them."

He sounded like he was trying to convince himself of that fact. "You're talking like it was your fault, like you failed somehow."

"It shouldn't be my fault. I did everything I could…I followed my orders and did my duty. That shouldn't mean I failed them, I didn't."

"Who, Carth?"

He paused and for a second Min thought he might open up to her. "I'm sorry, I'm not making much sense am I? You probably mean well, I'm just not accustomed to talking about my past very much. At all actually. Look, can we talk about something else right now?"

"Okay." Min decided that she had done enough procrastinating. It was time to apologize for last night's behavior.

"Look, about my behavior last night…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have treated you like that. It was completely juvenile and uncalled for. I just get touchy when I think people are questioning my competence."

Her apology caught him off guard. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all. "I wasn't questioning your abilities."

"I know, but I wouldn't have blamed you if you had. You barely know me. Let's face it, you have no idea what I am capable of."

"Don't worry about it. It's already forgotten."

---

Armor suits her.

Carth watched her twist and turn in front of the apartment mirror, inspecting her figure. God, the woman was vain.

They had paid a visit to a shady Rodian who was selling stolen weapons out of his apartment. He had a good selection, and even better, he didn't ask any troublesome questions. Having heard about the rackghouls in the undercity, they wanted to be prepared and good armor was first on their list.

It seemed to take forever for her to decide, but it was hard to argue with the end result. The form fitting armor showed off her curves and long legs, the red and gold colors complementing Min's dark complexion. Although the armor she had chosen was adequate protection, he wondered what she would have done had she been forced to choose between crappy good looking armor and excellent bad looking armor. He suspected she'd choose the former.

After picking up the rest of the gear from the abandoned apartment, they headed out onto the street. So much for being inconspicuous. The woman's practically stopping traffic.

He insisted on stopping at Dr. Forn's clinic despite Min's protests that she was feeling much better. As he examined Min, she pumped him for information about the rackghoul disease. Dr. From was frustrated because while there was a serum that would stop the rackghoul infection from spreading, the Sith had seized control of it when they took over the planet. Dr. Forn was certain if he got a sample of it he could mass produce it. Min silently wondered if there was a reward for finding the serum.

Currently, they were standing in front of the entrance to the lower city and he was wearing the pilfered Sith armor. Carth had worried about how he was going to explain why a lone Sith officer was going into the lower city with a lone civilian woman, but the officer had a dirty enough mind to come up with his own theory.

"That was easier than I thought it would be." Min frowned. "I was sure he was going to ask us at least a few questions."

Maybe, but I think he was too busy checking out your ass. Deciding that his companion was vain enough, Carth decided to keep this observation to himself.

"Let's find some place where I can change out of this armor. I don't want to spend any more time in it than I have to."

Min agreed. "A lone Sith officer is just asking to get jumped down here."

Removing the Sith armor didn't seem to help. By the time they made their way to Javyar's cantina, they had been attacked three times. Javyar's itself turned out to be much livelier than the dive on the surface.

They had only been inside for five minutes before someone got killed. Min had just ordered a drink and she and Carth were lounging at one of the tables trying to figure out who they could get the most information from when they noticed three Rodians approaching a man who despite his somewhat fruity clothing, had "Do Not Mess With" written all over him.

Min could only catch pieces of the conversation. The Rodians were members of the Black Vulkar gang and it looked like they were trying to demand some kind of respect from the bounty hunter.

"This should be entertaining." Carth muttered.

"One." The bounty hunter stated in a dangerously bland tone.

The gang members were getting more agitated and began mocking the bounty hunter.

"Two."

Clearly not getting the message, one of the Rodians began to get into the bounty hunters face.

"Three."

The bounty hunter, who had run out of patience, moved swiftly. He stabbed the nearest Rodian in the neck with a knife that came out of nowhere while blasting the other two with the pistol in his opposite hand.

All three bodies hit the floor simultaneously.

Min's eyes grew large. "Wow. That was impressive." In spite of himself, Carth had to agree.

The bounty hunter stepped over the dead bodies without even breaking stride. As he was leaving he looked directly at Min. She nodded in response and the unspoken message was clear on her face. Keep moving, asshole. We don't want any trouble with you.

Fortunately, he kept moving.

The waitress had just come back with Min's drink when more trouble started. A young blue twi'lek girl had started rifling through the pockets of the dead gang members on the floor when another group of Rodian gang members approached her. Upset that their friends were taken out by the bounty hunter, they decided to prove their manliness on easier prey.

Apparently, they had hassled her before because she turned to them and said, "I told you to leave me alone. So give me some space bug eye – your breath smells like bantha poo-doo!"

[Little girl should not be in bar. This is no place for little girl. If little girl smart, she run away home now.]

"Who you calling little girl, chuba-face!"

"Heh. The girl's got style." Min murmured into her drink.

[Little girl needs lesson in manners!]

Min took out her blaster and placed it on the table, pointing the barrel in the Rodian's direction. She wasn't about to watch a kid get worked over by gang members. Interestingly, she noticed that Carth had done the same thing. But they needn't have bothered.

"Just a sec boys. Zalbaar…a little help here. I need you to rip the legs off some insects!"

Min nearly fell out of her chair when Zalbaar turned out to be the wookiee sitting at the bar.

[Mission, I'm busy. They just brought my food!]

"Quit complaining. You can finish eating later. Besides you need the exercise, so get over here."

Carth leaned back in his chair, enjoying the show. Oh man, you guys are in deep shit now! No wonder she was so cocky.

The wookiee petulantly got up and stood behind the girl, dwarfing everyone. The Rodian gang members actually started backing up stuttering, [We want no trouble with wookiee, our problem with you, little girl!]

"You got a problem with me, you got a problem with Big Z. So unless you want to take on my furry friend, I suggest you greenies hop on out of here.

The Rodians knew that they were outmatched and beat a hasty retreat. [Little girl lucky she has big friend,] they shouted over their shoulders.

Snickering, Min watched them go. You got that right.

The twi'lek girl noticed the blasters on Min and Carth's table. She approached them with a friendly smile. Young and pretty in an impish kind of way, she couldn't have been a day older than fifteen.

"Thanks," she said nodding towards the blasters.

Min nodded towards the Wookiee. "Clearly, you didn't need our help."

"Yeah, but most people down here wouldn't have even bothered."

Carth chimed in and gestured for her to join them at their table. "You showed a lot of guts dealing with those Vulkars kid. You got a name?" The Wookiee, satisfied that the girl was out of danger, returned to his neglected meal.

"Mission Vao, and that big wookiee is my best friend Zaalbar."

"Pleased to meet you Mission. My name's Minuet and that's Carth."

"I haven't seen you down here before, you must be new. I'd offer to give you a tour, but the streets down here aren't safe. But if there's anything else you need…."

Mission turned out to have a wealth of information including the dirt on the local crime lord Davik and his hired gun Calo Nord whose homicidal tendencies they had just witnessed. Most importantly, they learned that the gangs had stripped the escape pods in the under city. She told them to talk to Gadon, the leader of the Hidden Beks if they wanted something from those escape pods. They thanked her for the information as she grabbed her Wookiee friend and bounced out the door.

They were finishing their drinks when Min said, "Hey, Carth let me ask you something…."

She was about to ask him if he thought Calo Nord might be looking for Bastila, when he cut across her question.

Oh no, I'm not going to go for another round of questions about my personal life. Carth decided to distract her. He gave her a big smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm all ears beautiful."

Min's finely tuned bullshit radar went off and she fought to keep from rolling her eyes. Looking at him, she considered her options.

I could bitch him out for calling me beautiful or I could call his bluff. She decided it would be more fun to see just how far she could push him.

"I like the sound of that."

"Which? The fact that I'm all ears or the beautiful part?"

She pretended to consider. "The beautiful part, keep calling me that."

"I might consider it. What are you going to call me in exchange?"

"How 'bout sexist worm?"

Carth, genuinely amused at this point, egged her on. "Is that it? You can do better than that."

"Well, which would you prefer? Lobotomized gammorean or sexless marsh toad?"

"Ouch. Heh. That is better. Well I bet beautiful doesn't sound so bad in comparison now, does it?"

Min did roll her eyes now. "You're such a pain in the ass, Carth."

Carth laughed. "I try." He paused trying to figure out how to proceed. "Let me ask you something. I've been going over the battle on the Endar Spire over and over in my head and some things just don't add up to me. Maybe you could tell me what happened from your perspective."

Wondering where this was going, Min answered truthfully. "I wasn't in a position to know what was going on, really."

"Neither was I. The ambush happened so fast. Come to think of it…" he added trying to sound nonchalant, but failing miserably "…it's more than a little surprising that you happen to be here, isn't it?"

Min's eyes narrowed. "Are you accusing me of something, Onasi?"

"Not at all. I just think it's strange that you of all people on board happen to be one of the survivors."

Min was beginning to understand what the phrase "seeing red" meant. "You'd rather I wasn't?"

Carth backpedaled. "Don't be ridiculous. You've more than proven yourself since the crash…we wouldn't have made it this far without you. Still…."

Min's limited patience evaporated. "Are you implying that I had something to do with the attack?" she hissed, white teeth flashing against dark skin.

"No. Well…maybe. Don't get me wrong, it just seems odd that someone Bastila's party specifically hired to do some unknown mysterious job just happens to survive."

Min didn't even bother responding.

"It just seems convenient. I'm probably wrong, and this is probably nothing, but I learned a long time ago not to take things at face value. And I hate surprises."

"Are you always this suspicious?"

"Look, this has nothing to do with you personally. I have my reasons, and no, I'm not going to discuss them with you. So can we keep our mind on more important things?"

She practically spat out her next words. "Listen you obnoxious git, this is important! I'm not a Republic soldier and I owe the Republic and the Jedi absolutely jack squat! If you hadn't saved my life, I would be walking right out that door right now. So don't tell me this isn't important. How the hell are we supposed to work together if we don't deal with this?"

"Fine. We'll talk about this later. Right now we should go the Hidden Bek's base."

He stood up and left the table leaving Min seething in his wake.

---

Finding Bastila turned out to be a bigger pain in the ass than Min thought it would be. Not only did she have a paranoid flyboy watching her for suspicious behavior but now they had to go searching through the undercity looking for a teenage twi'lik and her sidekick wookiee.

Gadon, the leader of the Hidden Bek gang, had been somewhat helpful. They learned from him that not only was Bastila alive, but that she was being held by the Black Vulkars at some hidden location. Unfortunately, she was being offered as a prize in the upcoming swoop race. Gadon was willing to help them get Bastila back, but he wanted them to steal a special swoop accelerator from the Black Vulkar base. He told them their best bet of breaking into the base was to find Mission Vao and convince her to help them.

The undercity was a rank hell hole. The stench of filth slapped them in the face as they stepped off the lift. The area was lit by dim fluorescent lighting which cast a dirty glow over the filthy hovels. Sewage ran down the dirt streets. The people themselves were ragged and mangy, glancing at them suspiciously, not daring to come too close, with the exception of a pair of wannabe muggers at the entrance.

"I don't believe this planet." Carth muttered. "Even the beggars are trying to shake us down."

Min silently agreed with Carth, but since she was still angry with him she said nothing. Carth looked at her and wondered how long he was going to get the silent treatment.

Strangely, despite the horrible living conditions, most people in the undercity were helpful and were willing to answer their questions. Even the crazy old man Rukil was alright, even though although he had insisted, much to Min's chagrin, that she was the "chosen one" who's task was to find some missing datapads which pointed the way to the "promised land."

Min had promised to keep and eye out for them just so she could get away from the crazy old guy.

It wasn't hard for them to follow Mission's trail. The wookiee and the little blue twi'lek made a memorable pair. The gate guard pointed them in the right direction and sealed the gates behind them with a disheartening clang.

Using their blasters, Carth and Min were able to fend off the occasional rackghoul attack fairly easily. Actually, it was more accurate to say that Carth fended off the rackghoul attacks while she occasionally managed to hit one. Even though she was angry with him, Min had to admit that Carth was one hell of a shot.

Coming across a dead Sith patrol, Min searched their bodies and was pleased to find a small vial of the rackghoul serum.

"We should take that to Dr. Forn." Carth stated.

Min hesitated, she had learned from Mission that Davik would pay top dollar for the serum, and they could certainly use the money. "Maybe we could split the serum. Give half of it to Dr. Forn and sell the other half to Davik. Hopefully, we're not going to be on the planet much longer. I bet by the time Davik figures it out we'd be long gone."

Carth blinked in surprise, this woman could be downright devious. "But that would leave Dr. Forn holding the bag. Once Davik finds out, he'll kill him." He gave her a disapproving glare. "That's hardly the way to repay someone for saving your life."

As disappointing as it was, Min couldn't argue with his logic. Besides he was right, she did owe Dr. Forn. She was about to voice her agreement when Mission found them.

The girl came running up to them, incoherent with panic.

"Please, you have to help me!" She sobbed between panting breaths, her head tails twitching in distress. "Nobody else is going to help me. Even the Hidden Bek's won't help me. But I can't just leave him there – he's my friend!"

After getting her breath back, Mission told them how she and Zalbaar had been ambushed in the sewers by Gammorean slavers. Min didn't even think twice before promising Mission that they would help, she hated slavers.

Carth felt bad about it, but he had to bring it up the issue of breaking into the Vulkar base. After all, finding Bastila was their number one priority. Mission readily agreed to help them.

When Min glared silently at him, he realized that she would have helped Mission even if Mission had nothing to offer them in return.

Turning her attention back to the girl, she asked, "Where are they keeping him Mission?"

"In the sewers."

Min pulled a face. Lovely, can this day get any worse?

---

That question was answered as Min looked at the sleeping rancor. Yeah, I guess it can.

Finding Zalbaar was easy, and kicking Gammorean ass was very satisfying. What bothered her was the fact that Zalbaar had sworn a life debt to her. She had protested loudly and vehemently that the life debt wasn't necessary. She had even forgotten that she was angry with Carth and looked at him with a silent appeal for help.

"Sorry," he murmured softly enough that only she could hear. "I don't know what to tell you."

She had turned on him then, pointing out that Carth helped free him too. But the wookiee was undeterred.

[Mission told me that you were the one who agreed, not him.]

Carth for his part did not appreciate her trying to pawn off the life debt on him, a fact that he indicated to her with his scowl.

And since Mission and Zalbaar were inseparable, Mission declared that Min was stuck with her too.

It wasn't as if she didn't like the two of them. Admittedly, having a wookiee around had it's advantages, and as far as she could tell so far, Mission was a great kid. But I don't want to be responsible for their well being.

She was resolved to find a way out of the life debt, but that would have to be dealt with later. Right now there was a Rancor in their way.

Mission had come up with a plan, which in Min's opinion, was borderline suicidal. She was going to place a bunch of mines down and get the Rancor to run across them. Min wondered fleetingly why a fourteen year old had a bunch of mines in the first place.

"No. Absolutely not Mission! I'm not going to let you go." Min stated flatly.

"Look, I snuck past the rancor before. All I have to do is set a few mines and then run. I'll be fine," she said with youthful optimism.

[I understand your concern Minuet, but Mission is pretty good at this kind of thing.] Zalbaar offered, trying to be helpful.

In the end Mission had prevailed, because there was no other choice. Time was running short and they had less than a day to get the accelerator to Gadon. I hope Bastila is worth it.

Panic swamped Min's face as she watched Mission switch the stealth field on.

Carth was also worried, but Min looked like she was going to pass out. She cares, for a kid she's known less than a day.

In an attempt to reassure her, he stood behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Leaning in close to her ear he whispered softly "Hey, she's going to be fine."

But Min had seen what a rancor could do to a person. All she could think of was the sickening crunch of bones.

Minutes ticked by until Min didn't think she was going to be able to stand it. All of the sudden, Mission materialized out of nowhere right in front of the Rancor's jaws and fired her blaster at point blank range right into his nose. The rancor roared awake and instantly spotted Mission.

Mission began to run, picking her way thorough the land mines. It was a good thing that Carth had his hands on Min's shoulders because it stopped her from charging in after Mission.

"Wait!" Carth shouted.

In ten deafening seconds it was over. The rancor had charged across the land mines and was now a bloody mess. Mission stood in front of them grinning from ear to ear.

"See, I told you I could do it!"

Yes, she was definitely going to have to find a way out of this life debt before she died of a heart attack.

---

After the rancor, the Vulkar base seemed easy. After all, Carth reflected, the Vulkars were simple street thugs. They didn't have the discipline or training to go up against anyone who could actually put up a decent fight.

He watched Min and Zalbaar hack their way through the Vulkar base with their vibroblades. He and Mission backed them up with their blaster pistols.

Min had an unusual two handed fighting style. I wonder where she learned to fight like that. He added it to the list of things that didn't add up about Minuet Avery. He wanted to ask her about it, but he figured that she was probably still angry with him. I'd better wait for a while.

Min realized that he was watching her fight. She could practically see the suspicious wheels turning in Carth's head. She decided to ignore him. For now.

Gadon was pleased that they had managed to return with the swoop accelerator. Unfortunately, he expected her to race it. Gadon claimed that it was because the prototype accelerator was unstable and he didn't want one of his own riders getting hurt. But Min knew that that was only partly true. The main reason he wanted her to race the bike was that he thought she would lose. Gadon figured that as long as the Vulkars didn't have the special accelerator, his other racers could beat the Vulkars fair and square.

The four of them inspected the swoop bike with the newly installed the swoop accelerator.

Min shook her head. "I'm going to have to race the bike."

Carth was shocked. "You? Shouldn't I be the one to race? I mean, I'm the pilot. I figured it would be better if I raced it."

"I wish you could," Min sighed, "but you're too heavy. These bikes are made for light swoop jockeys to maximize speed. Having both you and the swoop accelerator on that bike would bog it down and likely blow the accelerator. Trust me, if I thought it would take your weight, I would let you have at it flyboy."

"I'll do it!" Mission chirped. "I've always wanted to race swoop bikes."

"No!" Min stated, a bit too harshly. I almost had a heart attack with the rancor, there is no way I'm going to let her ride an explosive swoop bike. But she couldn't tell Mission that since it would seem like she thought the girl was incapable and hurt her feelings even more. Teenagers.

So she pulled her aside and said in a conspiratorial tone "I need you to watch over those two jokers while I'm gone. Otherwise you know they'll get into trouble."

Could you come up with anything lamer Min? But it seemed to mollify Mission.

[Would you mind if I take a look at the accelerator Minuet Avery? I am fairly good at this kind of thing.]

Min gave Zalbaar a smile. "Have at it. And please, my mother called me Minuet, people I actually like get to call me Min."

---

"What do you think your odds of winning are?" Carth asked. They had accepted Gadon's offer to spend the night in the Bek base and were sharing a meal of Corellian noodles in the guest quarters.

"Realistically? None. I've never done this before, but I don't need to win. I just need to stay alive long enough to get close to Bastila. I'm hoping I can figure out a way to bust her out during the swoop race. If I can't, we're going to have to come up with another plan. It's too bad they won't let me take Zalbaar as my mechanic." She paused, pinning him with her eyes. "But there's something else I would like to discuss."

Uh, oh. Here it comes. He had wondered how long it would take for her to bring this up.

"I'd like to know if we have a problem."

"I knew you wouldn't understand where I'm coming from." Carth took a deep breath and struggled to explain. "You're probably one of the most skilled women I've ever met. You've saved my but more than once and I'm lucky to have you here with me. No question. But that doesn't mean that I'm going to stop watching you or being wary. I'm just not built that way. Period."

Min shoved aside her plate, suddenly not hungry anymore. "And what exactly are you watching me for?"

"I don't know that yet. Like I said before, it's probably nothing. But I've been betrayed by people and I, well it won't happen again, that's all."

"I'm getting pretty sick of this attitude of yours."

He was completely unfazed by her exasperation. "Yeah, well, you wouldn't be the first. Look, I don't expect you to be my friend. This is just the way I am, no need to take it personally."

Min knew that she was losing her temper. This is completely unproductive. I should stop this conversation right now. Instead she said, "How am I supposed to take it, you hairless wookiee!"

"Hairless wookiee?" Amusement of all infuriating things flashed across Carth's face. He held his hands up in mock surrender, his eyes crinkling as he chuckled at her. "Alright sister, just, just calm down before your head explodes."

That really did it. "We'll just see whose head explodes you ungrateful monkey lizard!"

He couldn't help it; she was so cute when she was telling him off. "Is that your idea of an insult? Come on sister, take your best shot."

"Drooling Bomarr cast-off!"

Carth clasped his hands over his heart as if he had been mortally wounded, "Oh, ouch. I think I hurt my man-feelings with that one."

He knew he had won when she resorted to, "Bite me, Onasi!"

"Wouldn't think of it. Feel better now?"

"No! This is serious!" So much for the hope that humor would placate her. She was still furious.

"All I mean is, if you're smart, you won't trust anyone. Not me, not Bastila and especially not yourself."

"Pretty pithy advice, Carth," she snarked sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms.

"I don't need to be analyzed, thanks."

"And I don't need someone around who doesn't trust me." She stood up abruptly and made for the door.

Carth threw his hands up. "Why is whether or not I trust you or anyone so important to you? Why do you even care?"

She spun on him. "Because it's insulting and disrespectful, damn it! You don't want to be my friend? Fine. I'm a big girl and I can handle it. But your questioning my integrity the night before I risk my ass on an explosive swoop bike to save your precious Jedi, is bullshit. I at least deserve the benefit of the doubt from you, but I'm done wasting my time on you." Then she turned and walked out the door.

---

She didn't return until really late.

Mission and Zalbaar had come back hours before and were sound asleep when he heard the door open. He watched her silhouette creep through the dark room, trying to be quiet. She needn't have bothered, it was unlikely that she was going to be louder than the snoring wookiee.

Carth sighed in relief, he had been afraid that she had left for good.

It would serve me right, I've been unfair to her.

Her words had stung, and he had to admit that she was at least partially right; it was insulting to accuse her of sabotaging the Endar Spire. If he couldn't trust her, he at least owed her a better explanation as to why.

I'll try to make it right tomorrow.

Min was still sleeping, when Gadon came to get her for the race. She looked tired and worn out. Carth realized that the last few days had been hard on her both physically and mentally.

"Good luck." He called out as she stepped through the door. Min just nodded barely acknowledging him.

---

Since they weren't allowed on the track and the swoop race was sold out, Carth, Mission and Zalbaar went to Javyar's cantina to watch the race on the holoscreen.

The cantina was packed with rowdy swoop fans and Carth was worried that they wouldn't be able to get a table. However, Zaalbar took care of that problem. He approached a table of young punks and indicated that they should move or he would rip their arms off.

Sometimes, it's good to have a wookiee around.

Mission was practically bouncing with excitement, her head tails twitching in anticipation. "I've never known anyone in a swoop race before!"

Once the race started, Carth wished he didn't know Min. It was very unsettling to watch some one you know race at those speeds. He was fine until one of the racers hit the wall. Carth watched the swoop bike flip and disintegrate on the track.

"Someone's going to have to scrape that guy off the track." Mission stated oblivious to Carth's concern.

Oh my god. I've sent her out to die. Carth tried not to toss his cookies.

But she didn't die. She did the impossible. She won. She won one of the tightest races in recent history.

She lied to me, she's done this before! But when he saw her face on the holoscreen he realized that she was as shocked as he was.

The swoop fans in the bar went crazy and their cheering was deafening. Mission was doing a victory dance around the table and Carth was watching Min take her place in the winners circle on the viewscreen when all hell broke loose on the track. One minute there was cheering, the next minute the screen erupted in blaster fire.

Oh shit!

He grabbed Mission and Zalbaar and ran out of the bar.

---

Min found herself standing smack in the middle of a gang war. She couldn't tell which were Beks and which were Vulkars. Instead she concentrated on working her way over to the cage where Bastila was held. Anyone who tried to stop her got attacked.

She was almost there when Brejik attacked her. She saw him coming out of the corner of her eye and barely managed to block his attack. Before she got the chance to strike back Brejik went rigid, started gurgling and fell to the ground with a knife in his back. Behind him stood Bastila who had managed to break free of her neural restraint.

"Vulkar animal!" she hissed, pulling out the vibroblade

Bastila prepared to attack, but stopped short when she recognized Min.

"I can't believe this, you're Minuet Avery aren't you. Yes, I'm sure of it!"

"This way." Min shouted and trying to make her way through the ruckus to the nearest exit. She hoped that Bastila was smart enough to follow her.

Bastila did one better. With a flick of her hand, she used the force to push the gang members out of their way.

That was so cool! Min thought as they ran for the exit.

Min's appreciation of Bastila lasted only until they were out of immediate danger. While making their way to the upper city Bastila decided she wanted some answers. She stopped in the middle of the street and began interrogating Min.

"How did you manage to end up racing for the swoop gangs?" she demanded.

"Look Bastila, it's a long story. I'm sure you want answers to your questions, but we need to keep moving." Min looked up and down the street hoping there were no Sith patrols nearby.

"Do you have someplace safe we can go?" It wasn't that the question was unwarranted, it was the snotty tone of voice it was delivered in. It set Min's teeth on edge.

"Yes, that was the plan. Save Bastila, go to safe house. Now let's move." She started walking down the street.

"Save me? Is that what you were trying to accomplish by riding in that swoop race. Well as far as rescues go, this is a pretty poor example. In case you hadn't noticed I managed to free myself from the neural restraint. In fact, it is more accurate to say that I rescued you." It took a few seconds for it to register that Bastila was not joking.

Bastila continued undaunted by the disgusted look that Min was giving her. "Brejik and his Vulkars would have left you for dead if I hadn't stepped into that fight. You're lucky I was here to get you out of this mess."

"Whatever. We don't have time for this. Onasi's waiting for us."

Bastila rushed to catch up with her. "Carth Onasi's alive! Finally, some good news. He sent you?" This information seemed to change Bastila's opinion of Min somewhat. "Maybe, I misjudged you. Carth wouldn't have sent you if he weren't confident in your abilities."

"Yeah well, it's not like he had a choice." Min muttered. "Come on, this way."

Min decided the only way to keep her sanity was to ignore Bastila.

But that decision didn't sit well with the young Jedi. She kept demanding answers to questions, but Min didn't even break stride. Bastila finally quieted down but inside she was seething. By the time they reached the apartment they were both fit to be tied.

The doors to the apartment slid open revealing a very worried looking Carth Onasi. Min was almost touched until she heard him say, "Bastila, you're alive! Finally things are starting to look up."

Figures, why would he worry about a Sith saboteur?

"Where are Mission and Zaalbar?" Min asked.

"Out there looking for you. We saw the fight on the holovid and we tried to get to the stadium but there were too many people. We couldn't get through. I came back here in case you showed up and told them to come back in two hours if they couldn't find you."

He grinned at Min. "I should have known that you'd make it. Now all we have to do is figure out a way to get off this planet."

Bastila snapped. "You mean you don't have a plan to get off Taris yet? What have you been doing all this time?"

"We were trying to find you, remember!" Min shot back. Carth finally clued into the fact that the two women were glaring at each other.

Bastila tried to take the situation in hand. "I see. Now that I'm back in charge of this mission, perhaps we can start doing things properly. Hopefully our escape from Taris will go more smoothly than when you 'rescued' me from Brejik."

Belatedly, Carth realized that he should have warned Min about Bastila.

Min was about to retort when Carth stepped in, desperately trying to keep the peace. "I know you're new at this Bastila, but a leader does not berate her troops because things aren't going as planned. Don't let your ego get in the way of the issues here."

"That hardly strikes me as a way to talk to your commander Carth. I am a member of the Jedi Order and this is my mission. After all my battle meditation…"

Carth cut ruthlessly across her words. "Your talents might win us a few battles Bastila, but that doesn't make you a good leader. A good leader would at least listen to the advice of those who had seen more combat than she ever will."

Min decided she'd had enough. As Carth and Bastila argued over who was in charge, Min gathered her gear in silence and headed out the door.

They deserve each other. I'm outta here.

Carth turned to her as she reached the door. "Where are you going?"

"As far away as I can from the two of you."

"You can't leave." Bastila stated. "You've been hired by the Jedi to do a job and we expect you to do it."

"Wrong. You're not my client yet. When I get back to Courscant I'll return the deposit."

"Min, wait. Let's talk about this."

Oh, now you want to talk. That's rich.

"I'm done taking abuse from paranoid flyboys and spoiled Jedi children. You saved my life, I got you Bastila. As far as I'm concerned, we're even. When Mission and Zaalbar return, tell them I'm at the cantina across the street." And with that, she marched out of the apartment.

Bastila actually looked panicked "She can't leave! The Jedi council needs her."

Carth's eyes narrowed "Why? What do they need her for?"

"Surely she told you. The council wants to hire her to look at some ancient ruins. I was ordered to bring her to the Jedi enclave at Dantoine." Bastila's tone became very frosty.

"Why you?"

"What?"

"Why you specifically? The Republic needs your battle meditation badly, but you're saddled with the job of escorting one woman to Dantoine? That doesn't make sense. Why not send another Jedi instead?"

"I don't know. It isn't my place to question the Jedi Council. All I know is that it is imperative that I bring her to Dantoine as soon as possible."

She's lying to me.

Carth voiced the suspicion that he'd been carrying since he saw Min standing at the back of the cargo bay. "She's the reason we stopped at Courscant, isn't she. The fresh troops were just a cover."

She must be damned important, and I bet Min has no idea. Those sneaky Jedi bastards!

"Why are we talking about this, I should be going after her. I have to make her come back."

"Oh no sister, you've done enough damage already. You're going to stay here."

"But it's my mission!"

"Look, we can't get hung up on who's in charge. We all need to work together if we want to get off this rock. If you go, you're just going to piss her off more." Yeah, like I won't.

The door slid open, and Carth hoped that it was Min. But it was Mission and Zaalbar looking depressed.

"We couldn't find her." Mission wailed.

"Don't worry Mission, I know where she is. Everyone just stay put. I'll be back."

---

He found her in the farthest corner of the cantina, feet propped up on the chair next to her, speaking intensely with a Mandalorian mercenary.

The Mandalorian watched Carth approach and the two men sized each other up. The Mandalorian was a big man and in incredibly good shape for someone who appeared to be in his early fifties. He looked like he had been carved out of granite. With a nose that had been broken countless times and a nasty scar under his eye, he had a face like a fist.

Standing up he spoke in Mandelorian, [You know where to find me.] After taking one last look at Carth he strode away.

Carth straddled the seat the Mandalorian had just vacated resting his arms on the back of the chair.

"You speak Mandalorian?"

Min didn't even look up at him, choosing to study the data pad in front of her. "Go away Carth."

"Who was that?"

"None of your business, now bugger off. I don't want to talk to you."

Carth decided to bait her. "So you want to argue some more, is that it?"

"You know us Sith spies, we're always up for a good fight with suspicious Republic pilots." Min replied dryly, still refusing to look up from her datapad.

Carth had to suppress the urge to rip the offending datapad from her hands.

"We're back to that are we? Look, I just don't trust easily, and for good reasons which are my own!"

She still didn't look up. "Hey, I didn't ask you to come here. As far as I'm concerned you can take your reasons and shove them up your-"

Min's tirade was interrupted by Carth reaching across the table and ripping the datapad from her fingers. "Will you at least look at me while you're telling me off?"

He had her attention now. She was giving him the: I can't believe you just did that look.

Realizing that he was going to get nowhere unless he gave her some kind of explanation for his behavior, he relented. "Ah, damn it. You want to know why I don't trust anyone? Fine, here goes. Five years ago the Jedi had just finished the wars with the Mandalorians. Revan and Malak were heroes and I was damn proud to have served in their fleet. It was completely unexpected when they turned on us, invading the Republic while we were still weak. No one knew what to think, least of all me. Our heroes had become brutal conquering Sith and we were all helpless before them. Think about it, if you can't trust the best of the Jedi, who can you trust?"

"They turned to the dark side obviously. Why is it so personal?"

"I…of course the Jedi turned to the dark side," Carth snapped. "But there were others who weren't Jedi, good men, trusted men, who joined them. Malak and Revan and the Sith deserve to die for that they've done, but the others who fled the Republic to join them are even worse. The dark side has nothing to do with them joining the Sith. They deserve no mercy!" She was surprised at the cold vehemence in his tone.

Min knew she shouldn't pry, but at this point she couldn't help herself. "Who Carth? Who deserves no mercy?"

"Saul."

"You say that name like I should know it."

"You don't? I thought everyone did. Saul Karath is the commander of the entire Sith fleet. He's half the reason Malak has done so well in the war. Saul was my commanding officer back when the Mandalorian war first began. He taught me everything about being a soldier, I looked up to him. Saul approached me before he left, he talked about how the Republic was on the losing side and about how I should start thinking about my survival. I know now that he was trying to recruit me into the Sith, but I couldn't have conceived of it back then. I argued with him and he got angry and he left. I never saw him again."

"You didn't think he would betray the Republic," she stated without judgment.

"Saul was my mentor, he led us to so many victories against the Mandalorians. I just couldn't conceive of it. He couldn't be serious. I was wrong of course, he not only left us for the Sith he gave them the codes to bypass our scanners. I remember waking up as the first of the Sith forces snuck past our defenses and started bombing our docked ships. I knew right away what happened. I could have stopped him, I could have stopped it all."

There's more to it than this.

"So you blame yourself for trusting your friend?"

"I blame Saul, not myself! I was stupid and I ignored the danger. He nearly destroyed us all. I've fought Saul for years now, and if I ever catch up to him…he will regret what he has done! He will regret it."

She considered his words. "I'd do the same thing in your shoes."

Carth dragged a hand through his hair. I'm so tired.

"I know I should apologize to you. I've become accustomed to expecting the worst in others and you've done nothing to deserve it. It's just that I'd rather not talk about it.

Min nodded letting him the subject drop. While it wasn't quite the apology she was hoping for, it was at least a start. She flagged the waiter down, and ordered both of them another drink.

"Thanks, I could use a drink."

Silence stretched between them. Carth was afraid that his explanation wasn't enough. I'm sorry, Min, its all I can give right now. It wasn't until after the waitress brought them their drinks that she spoke.

"Why didn't you warn me about Bastila? You had to know about her, since you are after all her advisor."

A rueful grin spread across Carth's features, "I figured that if I told you about her, you wouldn't help me save her."

"According to her I didn't."

"What?"

Min recounted what happened after the brawl on the swoop track. No wonder she's so angry. Between Bastila and me, she'd had a rough time.

"We should have left the Jedi princesses in captivity longer, it might have improved her perspective on things."

That won a smile from Min. "I seriously doubt it, we would have just been delaying the inevitable. What were the Jedi thinking when they gave her a fleet?"

"They were desperate. The Sith fleet has been kicking our tails across the galaxy. Quite frankly, the Republic is out gunned and out numbered. I try to cut her some slack because underneath it all she's just a scared kid saddled with too much responsibility. Her battle meditation ability is the only reason we've won the few battles we have."

"Then why isn't she out there doing her battle meditation thing. Why is she escorting me? Unless, whatever the Jedi want me to look at is really, really important. More important than winning battles?"

No one could ever accuse Min of being slow, Carth thought, short fused, vain and borderline bitchy perhaps, but not slow. "Yeah. Save the galaxy kind of big."

"What could possibly be that important?"

"I don't know, and if Bastila knows she isn't telling."

What she said next surprised him. "You know how you said it was convenient that I happened to survive the Endar Spire attack."

"Yeah."

"It wasn't a coincidence. A Republic officer was ordered specifically to get me to the escape pods. He even threw himself in front of a Dark Jedi so I could escape."

I knew it! I knew there was something suspicious about all of this. Wisely, he kept those thoughts to himself.

Min pulled her feet off the chair. She leaned forward staring into her drink. Carth could see the flood of emotions wash across her face from anger to fear. She looked up at him, her dark eyes pleading as if he could make it all go away. I wish I could Min.

"I don't want to be a part of anything this big, Carth."

"I know."

"I didn't ask for this responsibility."

"I know. But you're a part of it. Whether or not you want to be. Because," he continued "if this is as important as I think it is, I will hog tie you myself and take you to the Jedi Council."

Min broke out in laughter. "As if you could, Onasi. Although, I'm half tempted to let you try."

Carth flushed, as the mental picture of him tying up Min and throwing her over his shoulder flashed across his mind. He fought to recover, hoping that she wouldn't notice his embarrassment in the dim light of the bar. "So you'll come back to the apartment," he choked out.

Min looked at him in silence.

"Please? Come on, you can't leave me alone with Bastila. That would just be mean."

She cracked a smile. "Fine, let's go."

Returning her smile, he stood up, determined to get her back to the apartment before she could change her mind. "Good, now all we need to do is find out a way off this rock."

"Actually, I think I have that covered." Min replied as they walked out of the bar.

Carth's eyebrows rose. "Really. Already?"

"Not here. I'll tell you when we get back."

---

"Let's see if I have this correctly," Bastila said in a tone that could only be described as haughty. "You met a Mandalorian mercenary who works for a local crime lord, Davik. This mercenary wants you to break into the Sith military base to steal the launch codes for leaving Taris. Then you and he will steal the aforementioned crime bosses ship."

"Yes." Min stated through gritted teeth.

"That plan is unacceptable," Bastila announced, dismissing it with a wave of her elegant hand. "We will have to come up with another one."

"Wait," Carth asked, "How do you know he is on the level?"

"Because of the blockade, Davik hasn't been able to pay him. Besides, I made him swear on his clan name."

Bastila was indignant. "And were supposed to believe the word of a common criminal!"

Min struggled for patience, conceding that unless someone was familiar with Mandalorian culture, they probably wouldn't know. "He's a Mandalorian mercenary. Once they give their clan word, they don't go back on it. To do so would be an act without honor. He won't double cross us."

Carth agreed with Min, which settled the matter. They decided the best time to break into the base would be tomorrow morning after the shift change, and spent the rest of the afternoon in preparation. Carth and Zaalbar took care of getting proper weapons while Min took Mission with her to buy the droid needed to slice through the base security. She sensed that the little twi'lek was about to get into it with Bastila. Bastila herself was told to stay in the apartment.

"She interrogated us while you and Carth were gone." Mission informed Min.

"About what?" Min asked.

"You. And then when she was done she sat in the corner all by herself. So Big Z and I decided to play some pazaak to pass the time. We were having a good time minding our own business when she yelled at us for being too loud. She said we were interrupting her meditation. I told her to get bent."

Min made a mental note to try to keep them separate from now on.

On her way back Min, stopped at Dr. From's and gave him the Rackghoul serum sample. He was flabbergasted, and grateful.

"Are you sure you want to give this to me? I have to be honest with you, Davik would pay a lot of money for this."

"Davik didn't risk his neck to save my life. You did."

"I can't pay you much…"

Min held her hand up to cut off his protests. "I don't need your money." And that was that.

---

There had been a time, Carth reflected, when women had loved him. All it had taken was a flash of a smile and a teasing comment to get them eating out of his hand. Nowadays, it seemed that all he could do was make women angry.

Bastila was still angry with him for not deferring to her judgment and blindly allowing her to take charge. And although he and Min had fallen into some kind of uneasy truce, he knew it was only a matter of time before they began fighting again. And then there was Mission, who he had inadvertently offended.

It had started over dinner. When Mission had found out he had been a Republic ship captain, she had all kinds of questions about the worlds that he had been to. He had been enjoying the conversation, after all, Mission was a bright kid and it was hard not to like her. But he had inadvertently, but perhaps inevitably, put his foot in his mouth.

"Trust me, Mission. There are a lot of worlds better than Taris. There are worse, too. But Taris is no place for a kid to live on her own - even a kid who's got a Wookiee to look out for her."

He had watched as anger flashed over her pretty blue face and felt a pang of guilt. Of course she would be defensive about her home world. But that was not why she was angry.

"Hey, I ain't no kid! And I look out for Zalbaar as much as he looks out for me. Big Z's my friend, not my babysitter! Geez, I come ask you a question and you give me a lecture!"

Maybe it was because it was tired, but he had responded in the worst possible way: with the frustrated parent voice.

"Don't you snap at me, missy! You want a lecture? How's this: only bratty little children fly off the handle because of a simple comment."

"I don't have to listen to you, Carth! You ain't my father - though you're sure old enough to be! So keep your lectures inside your withered old head, 'cause I don't need 'em!"

Min had gaped at him as Mission stomped off.

"What?" he demanded as Min threw her head back and laughed.

It had taken Min a couple of seconds to get her breath back. "I can't believe you called her 'missy!'"

"Why is that so funny?"

She explained her mirth in between hiccups of laughter. "Because it makes you sound like a scolding grandpa!" That, he had to admit, had stung.

'It figures you would take her side." He groused.

"I'm not. She had no call to talk to you like that. But surely, it hasn't been so long that you can't remember what it was like to be a teenager," she had said, once she got her laughter mostly under control. "What they want most is the respect of people they admire. Not to be called a kid…even if they are one."

She was still chuckling when she left him stewing over her words.

Thankfully the remainder of the evening passed for the most part uneventfully with Min and Mission doing most of the talking. Unlike Carth, Mission opened up with minimal encouragement. Finding the attention flattering, Mission told Min about how she and Zalbaar had met, about her life on Taris and about her brother Griff.

Their good time was interrupted by questions from Bastila. Min indulged her, realizing that it was only natural for Bastila to have a thousand questions after all she'd been though.

It was Bastila's assessment of the situation that shocked Min.

"You are force sensitive." Bastila stated, as if she were stating that water is wet. The others in the room who had been half listening to the conversation were now staring at the two of them.

Min's voice echoed her disbelief. "I think you must be mistaken."

Bastila would hear none of it. "There is no other reason for your great success. You avoided detection by the Sith, discovered I was a Vulkar prisoner, gained sponsorship for the swoop race and became the Taris swoop champion. "

"What can I say, I'm a talented individual."

Bastila continued, not bothering to acknowledge Min's sarcasm. "When you were hired, I doubt that any of us expected this much from you. A Jedi could have done such things of course, but only by drawing heavily on the force."

"I think you're underestimating us non-Jedi, Bastila." Min replied dryly, dismissing the idea with a wave of her hand.

Remembering the swoop race, Carth could not dismiss the idea as easily as Min. He resolved to bring it up the next chance he got.

---

The group of Jedi led by Bastila closed in on the dark cloaked figure. Nearly tangible dark power radiated from the masked Sith. Bastila trembled, it was like facing death incarnate. The four Jedi raised their lightsabers and prepared to attack.

The hooded one taunted the Jedi, "Four against one, that's hardly sporting."

Bastila spoke, her voice remarkably calm despite the fear that nearly choked her. "You cannot win Revan."

Revan's lightsabers ignited and in one fluid movement Revan charged. An explosion rocked the ship and the power conduit behind Revan exploded, sending the white energy spidering up the Dark Jedi's back. Bastila knelt before Revan, feeling the dark one's life slip away…

Min awoke covered with sweat and gasping for air while Mission peered down at her with concern. "Are you okay?"

Min nodded dumbly in response. She shot a look over at Bastila, who was sitting up on the bed, her hair unkempt and her face pale.

She looks how I feel. Min stretched, groaning as she worked the stiffness out of her muscles. By mutual agreement, they had let Bastila take the narrow bed, figuring that she had probably had a rough time as a Vulkar prisoner. Bastila had actually been grateful and feeling somewhat guilty that the others had to bunk on the floor.

That gratitude was not in evidence now. "What did you see?" Bastila demanded.

"You…fighting Revan, I guess…"

"You were experiencing one of my memories."

"How?"

"I told you." Bastila snapped. "You're force sensitive. This confirms it." Bastila refused to elaborate any further, telling Min that she would have to wait until she spoke to the Jedi Council for more answers.

But force sensitive or not, it was time to get down to business.

---

It was ridiculously easy to break into the Sith base. The droid unit T3-M4 Canderous had hooked them up with turned out to be incredibly useful. It hacked into the security system and opened the front doors to the base. By scanning through the security system, it determined where the launch codes were being held, mapped out how to get there, sealed all doors in the base other than the ones Min and Carth needed to get through, disabled the security cameras and shut down the sentry droids. And in the end, it even managed to keep both of them from getting killed.

Min and Carth stood in front of the door to the Governor's office. As Carth stepped forward to open the door, Min raised a warning hand.

"What?"

She felt an oily coldness crawling across her senses. "I can…I can feel him on the other side of the door."

"Who?"

"A Dark Jedi." He wasn't as powerful as the one she had run from on the Endar Spire, but she could still feel a strong malevolent presence on the other side of the door. Min was cursing herself out for insisting that Bastila stay behind. "He must be the Sith governor."

"We can't go back now," Carth pointed out. "This is our only chance. Maybe we can…"

Before Carth got the chance to finish whatever he was going to say, the office door swooshed open and a Dark Jedi stood in the doorway.

"I thought I felt something out here."

Min and Carth didn't have time to react as Dark Jedi enveloped them in a stasis field. "A force adept, on this planet. How interesting. No matter." The Dark Jedi raised his double bladed sword.

Min watched helplessly as the blade swung towards her head when suddenly the Dark Jedi was engulfed in flame. As he screamed in pain and dropped his sword, the stasis field surrounding her and Carth disappeared, and both of them attacked at the same time. A few seconds later the Sith was a smoldering corpse on the floor.

Min gave T3 an appreciative pat on the head "Way to go!"

---

Back at the apartment, Bastila was attempting to purge her anger and frustration with meditation when the communicator Carth left with her chirped.

"We've got the codes and we're going to meet Canderous. Stay put." Before she could respond the comm link was cut.

Bastila frowned, still upset that she had been told to stay behind. She understood the reasoning behind it. After all, she was wanted by the entire Sith fleet so to walk right up to the Sith base would be sheer stupidity. But it was still frustrating having to sit in the apartment, waiting to hear from them.

She looked over at Mission and Zalbaar who were engrossed in fixing the broken holoscreen.

I wonder what the Jedi council will make of them coming along.

Although she would never admit it out loud, she was glad for the company. Sitting in the apartment by herself would be absolutely intolerable. Always seen as too distant and aloof, she never had many friends. The Jedi masters did not encourage emotional attachments and so Bastila was sadly lacking in social skills. When she got nervous or flustered she tended to get preachy and stiff.

And Minuet Avery made her nervous.

Admit it. You're intimidated by her. She scares you.

Bastila could sense the force swirling around the other woman like a maelstrom. She had never felt anything like it, it was both frightening and intoxicating. On the Endar Spire, she could communicate with Minuet through the other Jedi, but she did not have that luxury here. And she didn't even want to think about what the visions meant.

[Try it now,] the wookiee roared.

Mission whooped in delight as the holoscreen flicked on. She and Zalbaar settled in to watch swoop racing. Bastila resigned herself to the noise. So much for meditation.

She let herself get sucked into watching the swoop race and tried not to wonder whether the Jedi Council had made a grave mistake.

---

Davik lifted Min's hand to his lips, and said with a lecherous smile, "Come with me, I will give you a tour of my operations. I think you will be most impressed." Min managed to keep from wiping the back of her hand on her armor. Barely. Temper simmering beneath the surface, she tried to keep her face carefully neutral as he escorted her through his estate with his hand firmly at her elbow. Canderous, Carth, T3 and Calo Nord trailed behind them.

"I was most impressed by your performance at the swoop race, and the ensuing fight afterward. Which is why I sent Canderous to seek you out."

"Thank you."

Min regarded the man at her elbow. Middle aged, balding and slightly pudgy, Davik did not look like a crime lord. He was wearing the gaudiest battle armor that Min had ever seen. Although it was obvious that the armor was of the highest quality, it was a bright shiny purple. Min figured Davik must be compensating for something. Or maybe he just didn't have any taste.

It looks like something a teenage girl would wear. Mission would probably love it.

Despite herself, Min was impressed with Davik's facilities. Contrary to what her mother had always told her, crime apparently did pay.

The grand tour culminated in the hangar bay and the party stood before Davik's prize possession, the Ebon Hawk. As Davik droned on about the virtues of the ship, Min's attention wandered to the other members of the group. Calo Nord and Canderous were watching each other with open hostility. Carth on the other hand was staring admiringly at the ship listening to every word Davik said. The look on his face could only be described as…Lust. He's lusting for a ship.

Min's lips twitched as she fought to suppress a smile.

Flyboys. I wonder what it would take to get him to look at me like that. Unsurprisingly, the temperature in the room seemed to rise several degrees.

Before her thoughts could go any further, Davik pulled her back to reality.

"And now my dear, I shall escort you to your suite."

Min's suite was just as garish as Davik's armor. Purple satin and white lace everywhere. Carth and Canderous were shown to rooms across the hall.

Once there Davik made the rules very clear. They were not to leave the guest wing during their stay, unless accompanied by him or his guards, otherwise they would be shot on sight. "And that," he commented taking in Min's figure "would be quite a shame."

Carth fought the urge to break Davik's face. Down boy, she can take care of herself.

"You will join me for dinner tonight." It was delivered as an order and not a question.

Min scrambled for any excuse. "But I don't have anything suitable to wear."

"Don't worry my dear, I will send someone around to take care of that." Before she could protest any further, he left.

Min wheeled on Canderous with murder in her eyes. "You bastard!" She hissed. "You lied to me."

Canderous smirked. "No, I didn't. I told you that he wanted to hire you. You were the one who made the assumptions about what for."

"You failed to mention that he wanted me as his whore!"

"Does it matter? We're in, now we just need to get the security codes to that hanger." Using T3 was out of the question, since Davik had fitted the droid with a restraining bolt.

"How long before Davik has dinner?" Carth asked.

"Two hours," Canderous replied. "I know where we can get them."

The door swooshed open, and two female Twi'lek slaves entered. "Were here for your fitting," they announced.

Three more slaves entered carrying piles of clothing and other objects that Carth couldn't identify. It became increasingly clear that Min was not going to be able to join them without raising suspicion.

"Come on." Canderous said to Carth. They left, abandoning Min to the hordes of attendants.

---

It was almost two hours later when they came back for her. She had already changed back into her armor, the "dress" if it could be called that, littering the floor. It was really no more than a few strategically placed strips of purple cloth. Admittedly, it would have been more prudent for her to wait until she was sure they had the security codes, in case she did have to go to dinner with Davik. But her vanity wouldn't allow it.

I'd rather die, than be seen wearing that!

Tired of waiting for them, she fixed an energy shield to her wrist, hooked the satchel to T3 and started for the door.

The door opened and Carth and stepped through. Min stood in the center of the room hands on her hips. "Where have you been!"

Noticing the "dress" on the floor, Carth cursed himself mentally for not being faster. If I'd known she'd been wearing that, I'd have double timed my way back. His imagination kicked into overdrive as he pictured the purple cloth clinging to her athletic body….

Carth's thoughts were interrupted as, Canderous dodged through the door, using it as cover as blaster fire rained down upon him. Min grabbed one of her grenades out of the satchel and rolled it down the hallway. A muffled explosion soon followed, and then silence.

She picked up her vibroblades and started down the hall, leaving the men in her wake.

They were just outside the hanger bay when the first explosion rocked the building knocking them all to their knees. Canderous entered the code into the computer by the door. Min flicked on the energy shield.

As the door opened, they saw Calo Nord and Davik making for the Ebon Hawk. The crime boss and the bounty hunter were less than pleased to see that Canderous, Min and Carth had the same idea. Min moved quickly, charging at Davik while Carth and Canderous laid down cover fire. Davik was halfway up the boarding ramp before Min reached him. He turned and fired at her at point blank range. Min's energy field crackled, but held firm. Min dispatched Davik with a few swift blows and he crumbled onto the deck of the ship.

As another blast shook the building, and part of the hanger bay came crashing down, right on top of Calo Nord. Carth and Canderous ran up the gang plank behind Min, Canderous ruthlessly shoving Davik's body out of the way.

As Min and Carth made their way to the cockpit, Min shouted, "What's happening?"

Carth took the pilot's seat. "The Sith must be bombing the planet!"

"Alright, flyboy. It's time to earn your keep!"

---

It was a good thing Carth was with them, because a lesser pilot would have died. Min watched Carth pilot the ship through the burning city, dodging the ordinance raining from the sky. They reached the others with no time to spare. As they were boarding the ship when the apartment building where their hide out had been exploded behind them.

Carth pushed the Ebon Hawk to its limit, sending it into a near vertical climb. Min entered the bypass codes into the computer.

It was when they broke orbit, that Min began screaming.

Taking a precious second to look at her, he saw that she was covering her ears with her hands as if trying to block out some noise. But he didn't have time to help her, there were bigger problems. He flicked the comm on. "Canderous, get to the gun turrets. We've got incoming fighters."

Canderous looked around. Bastila, was leaning against the wall and looked like she was going to be sick. Seeing no other option he grabbed the little Twi'lek girl by the elbow and steered her towards the guns.

"I don't know how to do this!" She squeaked as he shoved her up the ladder.

"It's easy kid. Just point and shoot."

Between the two of them they managed to hold off the Sith fighters until they were able to make the jump into hyperspace. Mission was having the time of her life, the destruction of Taris momentary forgotten. She gave a victory shout every time she shot one down.

"Not bad." Canderous remarked.

Once they were safely in hyperspace, Carth turned his attention to Min. She had fallen out of the co-pilot's seat and was huddled in the corner of the cockpit. The screaming had turned into whimpering. Her unseeing eyes were wide open and tears were streaming down her face. Carth got out of the pilot's seat and crouched down in front of Min.

"What's wrong?"

She didn't respond. He frowned, he knew that watching a planet get destroyed was traumatic, but he never thought she'd go to pieces like this.

He placed a tentative hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's okay, we're safe."

Looking up at Bastila, who had just entered the cockpit, he noticed that the young Jedi didn't look much better than Min. Pale and shaking, Bastila slumped into the co-pilot's seat.

"What's going on?" he demanded. "What's wrong with her?"

"It's Taris. She can feel the people dying on Taris," she whispered.

Carth was horrified. "It's true," she said. "The deaths on Taris are causing shockwaves though the force."

He looked back at Min. "Why aren't you senseless like she is?"

"I've had training. I can use the force to block most of the effects. She can't, she can feel it all."

Carth couldn't even begin to imagine what that felt like. "Can't you help her?"

Bastila shook her head. "I can barely buffer against it myself. But the further away we get, the better she will be. There is nothing you can do."

Like hell.

Carth sat down on the floor next to Min and did the only thing he could think of. He drew her gently into his arms, stroking her hair as she silently sobbed.

Bastila stood up quietly and walked out of the room.