AN: Thanks to those who have reviewed the story, it motivates me to write faster. And I did promise to get this chapter done quicker than the one before.
Welcome to Paradise: Part III
When the elevator opened there were immediately rushed by two youths in ragged clothing.
"Hey, this is our elevator. You gotta pay a toll for usin it." said one youth
"Yeah, five credits." Demanded the other
"What?" Ian asked, taken aback by the demands of these children, "Now you listen here kids, we …"
"Here you go." said Mya, interrupting Ian and tossing them twenty credits
Off to the side a slightly older female youth came running over. "Get outta here you two, leave them alone." She said berating the boys, "I'm sorry, we're not all like that."
"It's alright, don't worry about it." Said Carth, waving a hand saying to forget it
"It's just we don't want the Outcasts to look bad."
"Outcasts?" asked Carth, slightly confused
"We are outcasts, never aloud to leave this place."
"Your stuck down here?" asked Ian
"Yes. We can't even travel to the Lower City." The girl said sadly, "I have a question; the surface is it beautiful?"
"Yes, its quite lovely." Mya answered
"I thought so; I had heard stories from Rukil." The girl said, "Oh, I'm sorry, I never told you my name. I'm Shaleena."
"Nice to meet you." Said Carth, "You wouldn't happen to know where a blue, female Twi'lek named Mission could be?"
"No, I'm not sure where she could be. You could ask Gendar, he is the leader of the village; his tent is over there." Said Shaleena, pointing to a tent to the left of where they were standing.
"Who is Rukil?" asked Ian
"Rukil is the oldest Outcast, he is very wise and tells stories to us; like the one about the Promised Land." She said
"Promised Land?"
"It's a special place where the Outcasts will be able to live happy, but I know it's just a story." Shaleena said sadly.
"Well, we should be on our way. I'm sorry we don't have time to talk anymore." Said Carth
"Oh, okay. Well, I'll be around if you ever want to talk." She said with a weak smile
For the first time the three got a chance to really look around the Outcast village. They thought the Lower City look pretty bad, but this was horrific. The people had to live in small, torn tents and had to build many fires in order to keep warm and to see since light did not penetrate this far down from the surface. They had few supplies to live on, not much food and their clothing was rags. To top it off, they were caged into a small area making what little they had cramped in the space. Mya, Carth and Ian could not believe people had to live like this.
After their look around, the group headed over to the tent that Shaleena pointed out for them. Standing in front of it was what appeared to be a middle aged man with dark skin. It was clear that he was a leader, even with the poor situation the Outcasts have, Gendar stood proud and had a strong presence.
"Excuse me, but are you Gendar?" Carth asked
"Yes I am Upworlder, is there anything I can help you with?" said Gendar with gentle, yet commanding voice.
"Yeah. Have you seen a Twi'lek by the name Mission Vao?" asked Carth, "Also, have there been many other Upworlders down here recently?" he added as an after thought.
"Mission Vao, hmm, yes I have seen her. She and her Wookie friend like to explore the sewers past the gate over there." Gendar said, pointing to the main gate, "As for more Upworlders. There have been many soldiers lately, making patrols I assume. Is that all?"
"Yes, that is very helpful, thank you." Said Carth
"How did you become Outcasts?" asked Mya, curious to how all these people became trapped down here.
"Well young lady, the Outcasts were created by a situation that occurred a century ago." Began Gendar
"A century?"
"Yes. There was a minor civil war, the poorer people were upset with the way the wealthy were running things, only thinking about themselves. Well, the fight did not go as planned. The wealthy could afford better weapons and quickly won the battle. As punishment they took more control and sent the rebels down here never to return."
"But, why are all of you down here?"
"Another part of the punishment is that the descendants of those sent down here also may never leave."
"That's terrible, you shouldn't have to pay for the crimes of others."
"But that is the way it is; and I doubt it will ever change."
"Well, thank you again for the help Gendar, but we must be going." Said Carth
They were making their way to the main gate when they were stopped by an old man. He was gangly and his face was covered with wrinkles, it was a face that spoke of many hard years, but also much wisdom.
"Halt there Upworlders, I see the mark of destiny on you." The old man said the group
"We should be careful of this one, he seems to be a few Pazaak cards short of a deck." Carth whispered to Ian and Mya.
"Speak to me Upworlders, do you not wish to know what your fate may hold in store for you?"
"Who are you?" asked Ian
"I am Rukil, the oldest of the Outcasts."
"Okay, so what is this destiny that you were talkin about?"
"Ah, you are confused. That is understandable. I believe you to be the savior of the Outcasts."
"You think I am the 'savior of the Outcasts'?" asked Ian, skeptical about this assumption
"No, not just you, all three of you." Rukil explained, "You are a team, only together can fulfill your destiny."
The three looked genuinely confused by what Rukil was saying.
"What do you mean?" asked Carth
"Each of you possess different abilities and traits that will allow you to succeed. But I feel that there are more to come and aid you on your quest; but the three of you should be enough for the task at hand."
"What is this task you want us to do?" Mya asked
"I need your help to find the Promised Land." Rukil said, with a glint in his eyes
"Isn't that some children's story." Ask Ian, not interested in this insane task. All he wants to do is find Bastila, get off this shitty planet and then go to Nar Shaddaa and get drunk.
"Oh no Upworlder, the Promised Land does exist. Ancestors of mine were searching for it and I have recently found out that they may have found it's location." Said Rukil, "They had written down clues to finding the Promise Land in their journals, but both of them left the village never to return. I know the journals are out there and I want you to find them."
"We don't have time for a scavenger hunt." Said Ian, annoyed that this old man would waste their time with worthless tasks when they had more important things to do.
"Don't worry Rukil, we'll make time to look for the journals."
"Thank you Upworlders."
After that interesting discussion, Ian was ready for some action and he was quickly making his way for the gate; forcing Mya and Carth to jog a little to catch up.
"Mya, why did you say we would help him?" Ian asked
"After hearing Gendar's story, I thought that the Outcasts deserved a break." She said, "Plus, remember, I am a Jedi."
"Right. Thank the galaxy I'm not."
Approaching the gate they could see some commotion, there was a woman yelling at a man to open the gate. Further, past the gate, there was another man running for all he was worth; what he was running from was hidden in the shadows. When they got closer they could here what the woman was saying.
"Hurry Hendar, the rakghouls are gaining on you." She screamed, "Please, you must open the gate, he wont make it."
"I can't, the rakghouls we get in if I open the gate." The man said
"Please, I don't know how I will go on without him." The woman pleaded
"I can't." the man repeated, obviously dispirited by his choice
"NO" she cried, "Please hurry Hendar."
The man, Hendar was getting closer to the gate now, but the rakghouls were closing in on him; he would not make it to the gate in time. Coming out of the shadow, the group got their first look at a rakghoul. It was an ape like creature without the hair; also the rakghoul was white, slimy and sported large teeth and deadly claws. The hideous creatures were feral and mindless, existing only for the kill; their panting mouths open, giving a good view of their teeth and the venomous fluid dripping from them. Rakghouls were frightening creatures, regardless of the fact that a single scratch or bite that broke skin meant the transformation into one of them. For Mya they were twice as frightening, since they had a Force presences that she had never encountered before; the rakghouls were there, but they lacked the normal presence of mind that even the simplest of creature had. Normal creatures had a survival instinct to protect itself from attackers or run when its life was in danger; but these rakghouls were just murderous beasts.
"Lower the gate, we'll help him." Mya called over to the two standing by the gate
"I … I don't know, the rakghouls are getting to close." the man stammered
"Please, let them help Hendar."
"Alright, I'll let you through. But I'm closing it right after."
The three ran out to help the Outcast fend off the two rakghouls that were rapidly gaining on him. Carth fired at the closest on with his blasters, but even with his good aim the rakghoul was able to dodge most of the shots. The ones that did hit caused significant damage to the beast; its forward left arm had a bolt tear through the shoulder and forearm, slowing it down considerably. By the time it reached the Outcast a few more blaster bolts had wounded the creature even more, making it much easier for Hendar to hack away at it with his double-bladed vibrosword. The combination of Carth blasting the rakghoul and Hendar slashing it, soon killed the creature.
Mya and Ian fought the other rakghoul with their vibroswords, but they weren't very effective. The hide on the rakghoul was strong enough to protect it from most damage the weapon would cause. The two rapidly hacked at the beast, while dodging its claws and attempts to bite them. The rakghoul had many gashes along its body, leaking a greenish slime that one would assume was blood; but it was still coming on strong. Blood red eyes gave the rakghoul more of a demon appearance as it swung its claws at Ian and Mya. All of a sudden, the rakghoul backed up and pounced on Ian, knocking him to the ground. Try as he might to push the creature off, Ian couldn't get out of the rakghoul's hold and had to wait for Mya to do something. Seeing the trouble that Ian was having, Mya slightly tapped into the Force and shoved the rakghoul off Ian and onto its back. Not giving the rakghoul a chance to recover, Mya ran over to it and thrust her vibrosword into the beast's chest bringing a blood curdling scream from its throat. To finish it off, Mya then stabbed a soft spot in the rakghouls neck. The rakghoul collapsed to the ground gurgling slimy, green blood flowing from the wound in its neck and a bit from the mouth; after a couple spasms the creature lay still.
"Well that was fun." Said Ian sarcastically, "Thanks for the assist, Mya."
"Your welcome."
After defeating the rakghouls, the group, including Hendar, ran back through the gate and into the village. Everyone, besides Carth, suffered a few bruises and torn clothing, but nothing that would infect them with the disease. Hendar went over to the woman who was pleading for his survival and took her into a tight hug.
"I'm so happy you made it back Hendar." She said, kissing Hendar, "If it wasn't for these Upworlders you might not have made it."
"I wouldn't have made it Hester." He said, "Thank you Upworlders, if I had anything to give you I would."
"That's alright, you living is enough." Said Mya
The two Outcasts walked off, leaving the three to prepare themselves for the rakghoul infested area. Ian and Mya took kolto shots for their bruises, while Carth checked the charge left in his blasters.
"Alright, we'll have to avoid those rakghouls as much as possible." Said Carth
"It'll be hard." Ian said, "Hopefully Mission will be easy to find."
Heading back out into the large field they looked around before deciding where to go. Straight ahead there were the remains of an escape pod; girders and scraps of metal strewn about around the crash site.
"Lets start looking over that way." Carth said, pointing to the escape pod
Walking around the chunks of metal, the group made it to the escape pod with out seeing a rakghoul. Searching the immediate area, the trio didn't find anything of value. They thought someone might be hiding in the escape pod, so they checked that out next. Indeed there was someone in there, but not the Twi'lek, it was a human male in a Republic uniform. He was huddled into far side of the escape pod, rocking back and forth.
"Are you alright soldier." Ask Carth
"Th … the demons are out there, its not safe." He said
"I think he means the rakghouls." Said Mya
"Thanks for the clarification." Said Ian
In response Mya stuck her tongue out at Ian.
"Real Mature; I didn't think Jedi acted like that."
"Humph." She pouted
"Come on soldier, come out here and lets get you some kolto."
"No, there's no time. They could be back at any time." The soldier said, while climbing out of the escape pod and looking around frantically.
"Did any of the rakghouls bite you?" Carth asked
"There's no time." He said again, this time he took off for the gate
"NO, wait!" Carth ordered, but the soldier didn't listen
Approaching the last pieces of girder and metal on the ground, rakghouls jumped out in front of the soldier. He came to a halt and slowly started backing up, his fear making him forget to draw his blaster. The rakghouls waited a couple seconds before pouncing on the soldier and tore him apart. The group could hear his screams, while the rakghouls made quick work of him; all that was left were bloody chunks. After finishing with the soldier, the three rakghouls stalked towards Mya, Ian and Carth.
"Everyone ready?" Carth asked, warming up his blasters
"Yep." Said Ian and Mya in unison. Ian gripping his vibrosword and Mya igniting her lightsaber.
Carth was going to question Mya about using her lightsaber, but the rakghouls were getting to close, so he opened fire. Shooting rapidly, he was able to wound two of the rakghouls before they got into melee range. Ian and Carth copied the strategy from before, attacking with blasters and vibrosword on the same rakghoul. Mya was the lucky one, getting to face the other two rakghouls herself; one coming from the left and the other the right. Twirling the violet blade in a circle in front of her, she looked back and forth between the beasts waiting for one to make a move. The left rakghoul came at Mya a couple seconds before the one on the right. Her blade was at the top of its counter clockwise spin when the rakghouls attacked; Mya changed the arc of the weapon, bringing it down to the right cutting off the left arm of one rakghoul and then quickly pulling the blade up while moving to the right, decapitating the other rakghoul. Twirling her body around, Mya turned the hilt of the lightsaber in her hand making the blade point backwards; completing the half turn, she thrust the blade into the middle of the chest of the wounded rakghoul, which was still reeling from losing its limb. The job done, she disengaged the lightsaber, but still kept it ready in hand.
"You sure it's a good idea to be using that?" asked Carth
"It works much better than those vibroswords." Said Mya, "Plus, who is going to be looking for a Jedi down here?"
"I hope your right."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
She and Big Z went to the Under City, like they do all the time, to search for useful stuff in the field and sewers. This time they even made a stop at the escape pods to see if there was anything left after the Vulkers raided them. They knew there were Gamorreans in the sewers, but they had never bothered the pair before. This time they had been waiting for them; Gamorreans aren't known for their intelligence, but they came up with a decent trap. When Mission and Big Z had gotten a few hallways into the sewers a flash grenade was rolled in and temporarily blinded the pair. From there the Gamorreans had strength in numbers, it was impossible for Big Z and Mission to beat them. Big Z was able to hold them off long enough for Mission to activate her stealth belt and escape.
Mission wasn't stupid; she wasn't afraid of the Gamorreans, but also she knew that there is no way she could take them out alone. The first place she thought to look for help was the Beks, but they couldn't help her they had their own problems to deal with. Without the Beks there wasn't anyone else Mission could count on for help, sentients mostly looked out for themselves down here. She knew that she had to hurry, there was no telling what those Gamorreans would do to Big Z. There was a secret passage in a corner of the Outcast village that led to Lower City, so she ran in that direction hoping that someone in the cantina might help her.
As she was running toward the village, she spotted a few rakghouls jumping out to attack some human. Wanting to save the charge on her stealth belt, Mission had turned it off after leaving the sewer; so instead of becoming another victim of the rakghouls, she hid behind a girder. There weren't many things that Mission was afraid of, but rakghouls were one of them; its hard for someone not to be frightened by the hideous creatures. She watched the man get torn apart by the rakghouls, from the safety of her shelter; feeling a little sick by the gore. Then she saw the beasts move in to attack three more humans, but they were able to kill the rakghouls.
Hmm, maybe these guys can help me. And did I see that girl use a lightsaber? A Jedi would be a big help.
After the rakghouls were exterminated, Mission ran out from behind the girder to ask the three humans for help. Getting closer to them, she recognized them as the group from the cantina. Even though her mind was full with thoughts of saving Big Z, Mission learned to be aware of details even under dangerous situations.
I wonder what they're doin down here? Probably searchin those escape pods.
Carth noticed Mission out of the corner of his eye. "Hey, just the Twi'lek we have been looking for." He said with a relieved smile, thankful that they didn't have to search any longer.
"Ne … need help … he's in trouble …. can't do it alone, they'll hurt him." Mission stammered, due to breathlessness and apprehension. "Please …. you must help me."
"Whoa, slow down there," Ian hesitated trying to remember her name, Mya mouthed Mission to him, "Mission. What's going on."
"They have him, I can't save him alone." She said quickly
"Calm down a sec. Who are they, and who do they have." Ian asked, doing his best to get the Twi'lek to settle down
"Gamorreans, they have Big Z. I have to save him, but I can't do it alone."
"Alright," Mission brightened up at getting some help, "but, in return could you show us how to get into the Vulker base?"
"Ya 'course I can." Said Mission, with a big smile on her face
"So, where are these sewers?"
"This way … come on."
During the conversation Mya thought she sensed a slight disturbance in the Force. She couldn't be completely sure of it, but she thought that it was coming from Ian. To her it seemed that he unconsciously used the Force to project and aura of calm to help put Mission at ease.
Interesting. I'll have to tell Bastila about this once we find her.
Taking the lead, Mission led the group in the direction she came from; starting at the main gate of the Outcast village, it would be the path to the left. Fortunately the field was devoid of rakghouls while they made their way to the sewer entrance. There may not have been any rakghouls, but there were plenty of corpses. Outcast and Sith soldier alike had become victim to the mindless creatures; random body parts littered the ground. Ian and Carth would stop to search an intact Sith corpse to see if it had any rakghoul serum, but they found none.
"Not to many rakghouls around." Said Ian
Learning the hard way that one does not temp the Force, two rakghouls bound out from nowhere.
"You do not temp the Force." Mya said irritated that he had to say something, so she punched Ian in the arm
"Hey"
"You just had to say something." Said Carth
Mission and Carth pulled out blasters and opened fire on the rakghouls, which were quickly approaching. Ian got a firm grip on his vibrosword, waiting for the beasts to get in range. And Mya ignited her lightsaber and reached out to the Force.
Both rakghouls were slightly wounded by the time they reached the two melee fighters. Ian had little trouble taking down his rakghoul while it was being shot at by two blasters. It was slowed down by injuries and Ian timed a thrust to hit the rakghoul in a soft spot on the neck. Mya's opponent came right at her and pounced. Before it could hit her, she moved to the left and made a downward arc cutting off its arm and quickly pulled the blade up, decapitating the rakghoul.
A little ways off to the side, the group didn't notice a Sith patrol returning from searching the escape pods. At first all they saw were a bunch of sentients fighting rakghouls, but then they saw the glow of a lightsaber. Knowing their orders after locating a Jedi, the Sith commander radioed to the base alerting them of the Jedi. The communicator told them that they were to attempt to capture the Jedi, but if they had to kill the Jedi it didn't matter.
"You, Jedi, put your weapon down and don't resist or someone will get hurt." The Sith commander called. Him and the other seven soldiers had their blaster rifles trained on the Jedi, ignoring the other three in the group.
"Just great." Said Carth, "No one looking for a Jedi, you say."
"Sorry, my mistake." Said Mya, "No, I don't think I'll put my weapon down." She called back to the Sith.
"It's your funeral."
All eight Sith opened fire on the Jedi, still ignoring the other three sentients. Tapping into the Force more, Mya moved with inhuman speed to deflect the blaster bolts coming at her. Taking advantage of all the fire being concentrated on Mya; Carth, Mission and Ian fired back at the Sith. Half of the patrol fell before they reacted to the being shot at; they ran behind some cover to fire from.
Having the Sith on the run, the group tried to press the situation. Carth was able to take down another Sith and Mission wounded another. The last two made it to some cover, and began shooting again. Mya was able to easily deflect the blaster bolts now, with only two gunmen instead of eight. Acting on desperation, one of the Sith soldiers threw a frag grenade at the group closing in. With a flick on a wrist, Mya sent the grenade back the way it came and the last two Sith were killed by their own explosive.
"Well, they were right." Ian said
"About what?" Mya asked, confused
"Someone did get hurt."
"Mya, be more careful about using that lightsaber, alright." Said Carth
"Sure." She said, hiding the weapon again
Before leaving the group examined to Sith corpses to see if there was anything of use on them. What they mostly found were weapons and extra charges for their blasters. There were also some pass cards, but they would be void once the Sith realized that this patrol wasn't coming back. Searching through all of the hidden pouches in the Sith uniform, Mission was able to find a syringe filled with a strange green liquid.
"Hey, ya think this is that rakghoul serum you were talkin about?"
"Hmm, let me see." Said Carth, taking the syringe and examining it, "Well it looks odd enough. I guess we should take it to Zelka, he should be able to figure it out."
Continuing on their path to the sewer, they came across another group heading in their direction. There were five of them, they all looked slightly run down, but a couple were worse for wear. Two of the group were barely limping and had to lean on the others for support. That left the man in front to carry the majority of their equipment. He was obviously their leader, he had a commanding presence and looked like he could create fear in the bravest of warriors. He was a mammoth of a man, being a good six inches taller than Ian's six foot frame; he was incredibly fit for a man who appeared to be about mid fifties. As impressive as his physical shape was, it was his face and eyes that told his story. There were many scars covering his face, though most only noticeable up close, but there was one that stood out on the right side starting just above his eye and ending in the middle of his cheek; they spoke of many battles and near escapes from death. His grey eyes shone with a wisdom that not many would expect from him and that he usually hides. But most of all, he had the essence of a warrior who has seen great battles and crushing defeat.
"H .. hey stop right there, or … or I'll shoot." Said one of the men, pointing his blaster at Ian
"Settle down kid, we've lost enough men already, we don't need a pointless fire fight." Said the leader running a hand through his slate grey hair, then he turned to Ian, "I'm Canderous Ordo, and I'm in charge of this group of misfits. I bet your down here for the same reason we are, to search the escape pods. Don't waste your time, everything of value has been taken and this place is swarming with rakghouls. You should head back to the surface."
"Is that so? Well, I think we'll have a look for ourselves if you don't mind." Said Ian, sizing the man up.
Carth recognized the name Ordo, it was a Mandalorian clan name. He openly glared at the man with hate, disgusted with Mandalorians and their 'warrior' ways/
"Hey, I'm just handing out friendly advice, not something I usually do. I don't care if you heed it, its your life to throw away." Said the Mandalorian
At that moment there was a scurrying sound a little ways away.
"Did you hear that?" asked one of the men, "It sounds like a rakghoul."
Just as he said the word rakghoul did ten of them jump out and charge at them. Both Carth and Canderous sprung into action, old battle instincts kicking in. Carth emptied his twin, personally modified blasters onto the coming assault; while Canderous dropped what he was carrying and swung his repeating blaster into a ready position and unleashed hell. The others were a bit slower to react at getting their weapons ready. Since the rakghouls attacked from the rear, they came to the straggling, wounded men first. They were overwhelmed by the ten abominations; taking advantage of their distraction with the two injured men, everyone else doubled their efforts in killing the rakghouls.
Half of the beasts were killed while they were tearing the wounded apart. The other half continued to press forward, consumed with the need to kill. Everyone was backing up while firing their blasters, not wanting to contract the rakghoul disease; but they came at the sentients faster than they could retreat. One jumped at Canderous, but he just bashed it aside with his repeater; he then pointed the muzzle at the creature and blasted the thing, ripping it apart with all the bolts.
Mission and Carth were further back shooting at the rakghouls. Carth firing with the efficiency of a career soldier, doing considerable damage to them. He was able to take down another one before it could attack one of Canderous' remaining men. Mission was taking more time aiming the shot before she fired, while she has used a blaster before she lacks proficiency with the weapon. Training her sites on one rakghoul, she managed to shoot a bolt into its shoulder.
The two men still alive from Canderous' group were able to kill another rakghoul, leaving two to deal with. They both charged at Ian and Mya. Ian had to discard his blaster so he could pull out his vibrosword in time to barely deflect a massive paw aiming for his head. Together, Ian and Mya hacked away at the rakghouls with vibroswords, while the others helped with blaster fire. One of the creatures was becoming slow from its injuries and Mya found an opening to cut its head off. The last rakghouls was bombarded with blaster bolts and it too was killed.
After that was over, everyone took a minute to catch their breath and inspect themselves for wounds. Canderous looked over to the two new corpses, which were part of his scavenger party.
"I told Davik it was a waste of time, but he didn't want to listen." He muttered, shaking his head.
"Oh no." said one of the two men, suddenly trembling in fear.
"What's your problem." Canderous barked
"I … I got scratched by one of the rakghouls."
Carth was going to offer him to try out the serum they found, which they hoped was the right stuff; but before he could Canderous shot the man in the head.
Everyone stared in shock, but only Carth spoke up. "Why did you do that for." He said angrily
"Because, it was a better death than he would have gotten otherwise." He answered casually
"But we have a serum. We could have saved him." Carth shot back. Canderous simply shrugged and started walking off.
"I suggest you listen to my advice, and leave this place before you end up like them." He said, sparing a glance at the three bodies.
"Well, I've seen enough of this. Lets get to those sewers quickly, maybe there wont be any rakghouls there." Said Carth
The four trudged on, only stopping for a second to take out some ration bars. After about an hour more of walking, they finally reached a metal door.
"Well, here we are." Said Mission, opening the door.
The four walked into the darkness of the sewer; Ian, Carth and Mya hoping that this mission to find Bastila was almost over.