The Leviathan

I'm such a big fat softy.

Rated PG

Disclaimer: I bet you aren't reading this.

The Leviathan

"Where is Saul Karath now?" Revan wondered aloud, leaning back against the force field surrounding her small containment vessel. She looked to her companions, pushing her bangs from her eyes with a sweep of her hand. Her voice was slightly dry after her screaming.

Carth stared back firmly, turning himself inside out and tucking his emotions safely inside. He would only be able to hold it for a little while, but it was usually long enough to get jobs done. He only allowed his anger to seep through. His anger was what kept him going. He just seemed to have so much of it, now that Saul had shown his face again. "Saul mentioned that Lord Malak was on his way," he said softly. "I think the Admiral left to prepare for his arrival… and to report the results of our interrogations." He forced the word 'interrogations.' More torturing than interrogating. What a sick, twisted Sith-spin.

Bastila spoke up to keep him in check. She could sense his emotions bubbling to the surface again. She shot him a quick look that would catch no one's eyes but his own before she said dutifully, "It is fortunate you were able to resist the Admiral's questioning. The fate of the galaxy could be changed by revealing the slightest piece of information." She seemed half-sincere, but Carth and Revan could both sense the hardness in her voice… the control and the stiffness that indicated that she wouldn't stand for any mishaps during this particular escape.

But Carth wouldn't let her get her way. Not this time. He had to say something… something about his emotions… even if it was a lie. "I, uh… I have to confess something," he blurted off of the top of his head. Bastila shot him the meanest glare in the universe. She was good at that. He glanced at her nervously before he spoke again, randomly making up something. "There was a… there was a moment – just a moment – when part of me was hoping that you would tell him what he wanted to know." Revan stared at him, her eyes going wide. Bastila made a small squeak of disbelief. He quickly covered up for this. "Just to make the horrible pain stop," he offered weakly.

Revan was sympathetic. "I'm sorry, Carth," she said quietly, looking him over for a moment. "Watching you suffer tore me apart."

Immediately Carth felt a stab of guilt. Oh no. He had made her think that he was angry at her. "No," he said instantly, "I know you wouldn't ever do anything to intentionally cause me pain." Though in fact he wasn't entirely sure of this, he certainly hoped so. "But you had no other choice. You couldn't betray our cause." Why not? He had to wonder. Didn't Malak already know about the Star Forge? But he supposed the two Jedi standing before him knew better. Women always knew better. It was hard to remember that, but it seemed to be increasingly true.

Revan nodded, giving him a small smile. She seemed to be apologetic. He winced back painfully. Why wouldn't she stop looking at him like that? It had been hard enough while she wasn't paying attention, or was asleep. But while she intentionally stared him down, allowing him to see her… Like when she had been out and the guard had kept at it… The mere thought brought him grief.

"I… I don't honestly know if I could have been as strong in your position," he admitted suddenly, for no reason at all. It just kind of came from him. Bastila looked murderous. "To watch you suffer like that I… I might have cracked."

Bastila spoke up briskly, glaring at him, letting him know that he was to shut up or regret it. "Did you feel that?" That was a warning. "A disturbance in the Force. The Admiral has sent his message, the Dark Lord knows we are here now. Malak is coming."

This was going to end up in a shouting fight if Carth didn't shut the whole issue down. "Well, then, we better hope Juhani busts us out of here before he arrives," he said loudly, forcefully.

Bastila pursed her lips with frustration, but let him have things his way. She turned her back to him, folding her arms.

Revan looked from one to the other in confusion and sighed resignedly. "Fine, whatever," she murmured, and sat back down. The others followed suit.

"So," Revan began conversationally. "How would you say I did on Tatooine in those swoop races?" At least it was something. Carth admired her for stepping up to the plate.

"Well," he said. "It's not incredibly surprising, considering your success on Taris. But to beat that time… Well, I never could have done it."

Revan grinned.

"To tell the truth, I was feeling rather displeased with your playing around," Bastila said, twirling a finger around a strand of her own hair. "We have a mission and you're taking your leisurely time to race. Though I must compliment you on your skills, we have more pressing matters at hand."

Revan frowned.

"Hey, now," Carth murmured, his face turning a little too warm for his liking. "Leave her alone. She got us some badly-needed credits, after all, and I'd rather like having something else to put my mind on than our mission."

"Oh!" Bastila said sharply, looking to him.

He quickly covered himself. "N-Not that… not that our mission isn't important!" he offered quickly. "It's just that we probably wouldn't have gotten so far stressing over it. A little relaxation helped my focus. I'm not sure about everyone else."

"Look," Revan said uncertainly, "a fight won't get us anywhere. We'll just…"

There was a distinct hissing sound and all eyes snapped to the door as it slid open to reveal a grinning Juhani. She bowed to her companions and quickly punched in the orders to deactivate the force fields. Carth, Revan, and Bastila jumped to their feet and rushed out of the cell.

"Well done, Juhani," Bastila said graciously as Revan hugged her. "In freeing us from the cell you have proven yourself truly worthy of the title of Jedi."

Revan didn't entirely agree. She believed that Juhani had earned her title long before.

Carth glanced over to the rest of the company as they filed out of their cell. Canderous shot him a cold, calculating look, and in nervousness he reminded everyone of what they needed to do. "If I remember the layout of this ship our equipment should be in a storage chamber just through the north doors. After we grab our stuff we need to get to the main bridge controls."

Everyone stared at him questioningly. Mission tilted her head to one side and Revan raised an eyebrow at him, though she smiled all the same.

Deciding to explain, Carth continued. "The bridge is the only place we can open the docking gates of the hangar where they've got the Ebon Hawk. We have to open those gates before we can fly out of here."

Bastila seemed to enjoy his dutifulness. She nodded at him eagerly, flashing him a winning smile, which was so heavily coated with honey and sweetness Carth could only roll his eyes in response. "We better get moving," she said. "I can feel the darkness of Malak's presence approaching, and I don't want to be here when he arrives. None of us is a match for the Sith Lord."

Carth glanced at Revan. He thought maybe there was one. She returned his gaze. He swore inwardly. How was it she always could sense when he looked at her?

"We need some type of plan," Revan said at last, looking away and gazing instead at Zaalbar, who growled quietly at her in an affectionate hello.

"Surprise and secrecy will serve us best," Bastila agreed, grinning still broadly. Mission shuddered. "A small group might have a better chance of sneaking onto the bridge undetected while the others make their way down to the Ebon Hawk."

Carth jumped at the chance. "Count me in then!"

Bastila looked at him slowly, venomously, her eyes flickering blocks of ice. "Oh?" She raised an eyebrow.

Carth continued, ignoring her. "I've got a score to settle with the Admiral before we get off this ship, and I have a feeling I'm gonna find him on the Leviathan's bridge!" He had to avenge his family, no matter what else might get in the way. As much as he wanted to move on, he couldn't. He was being held back. Perhaps revenge was the only way to sever that tie.

Revan frowned, uncertainly biting on her lips. "Careful, Carth," she said softly, "there's more at stake here than personal revenge."

Bastila was quick to cut Carth down. "That's true, Carth. You can come, but don't let your hatred of Saul Karath jeopardize our true mission: getting the Ebon Hawk safely off the Leviathan." Carth and Revan both opened their mouths to speak, but she continued firmly, looking at the latter. "You better come with me and Carth. The others can find their way on their own, but we might run into trouble. We'll need you and your powerful Force abilities to deal with it."

"To deal with it?" Revan hissed softly with distaste, bristling.

Bastila ignored her. The woman had an uncanny ability of getting her way. "The three of us will get our equipment and make our way to the bridge. The rest of you head down to the docking hangar where they've got the Ebon Hawk. You'll have to find a way to deal with the guards."

Mission squeaked in protest, but could find no words. Canderous, however, leapt at the opportunity to crack some heads.

"Don't you worry about that!" he said excitedly. "I know how to deal with the guards. They won't know what hit them!"

The sentients that would have to go with him turned pale and their faces puckered with identical expressions of foreboding. To keep them from angering the Mandalorian, Revan stepped up.

"Good. Get to the equipment room, grab what you need, and get going," she said briskly.

"We'll meet you there as soon as we get those docking may doors open," Bastila murmured, watching as the group took off. "Just make sure the Hawk is ready to fly when we get there. And may the Force be with you."

Juhani paused to bow to them before she raced off after the rest, leaving Carth, Revan, and Bastila alone for a moment. Once the group had left, they said their final goodbyes, and started off.

Carth sighed, shifting from one foot to another.

Revan glanced at him once before she clapped her hands. "We still have to get our equipment. Let's go."

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Author's Notes:Hmm. Well. Not as good as the first, I have to admit. But I'm getting there… And I will be continuing with this. I'm not finished. Look what you've done! Anyway, I got a couple comments asking why I called Revan "Revan." Well, I'm not sure about the rest of you, but it's merely cosmetic for me. When another author inserts a random name, "Lucy," "Reggie," or anything else you may think of, it detaches me from the character. It doesn't feel like mine anymore, because, of course, I named my character something entirely different. This way, you can instantly attach your character to mine. Do you see what I mean?

Amme Moto: Thank you yet again for your kind remarks. It really helps.

SilverSentinal21: Thank you very much. I hope you enjoy this one as well.

Starwarsfangirl: Thanks so much for the support.

Adrianna: Your vote has convinced me to push forward. Thank you very much. Do you regret it now? XD

Bald as Malak: I adore your username. What might I use in replacement for "risqué?" I hope to hear more from you.

OnasiGirl: You like Teen Titans as well? Thank you for your nice comments.