The Leviathan
The crew goes to the Ebon Hawk.
Rated PG
Disclaimer: Dream on.
The Leviathan
"Haha!" Canderous said triumphantly, giving his repeater an excited twirl. Mission winced, praying to the gods he didn't blow her to bits accidentally. But he seemed to know what he was doing, and not a single accidental shot was fired.
Mission grabbed her blasters and got dressed. Juhani stood nearby, placidly adjusting her lightsaber. T3-M4, in his excitement, crashed into a nearby wall and his sensors automatically shut down for thirty seconds to check for damage. HK-47 laughed at him, which was rather odd, considering that droids normally couldn't laugh.
Canderous gave the laces in his boots a firm jerk and started off without waiting for the rest of the crew. Crying out and hurrying to finish dressing, they hopped after him. Juhani went barefoot, swinging her sandals between her fingers. She hadn't had time to put them on. T3-M4 sputtered to life and, with an almighty bleep of panic, zoomed down the hall and nearly lost control. Mission's vest had gotten twisted and her hands were pulled painfully behind her back. Zaalbar helped her fix it, but his rough hands tore the fabric in the back.
Carth watched them walk off in a large clump, jostling each other and swearing. What a colorful crew. He felt honored to work with them.
Revan slipped in, bending to pick up one of Jolee's sandals. He'd be sore when he realized it was missing. Oh well. Carth watched silently as she moved about, collecting their items and getting dressed. He felt sort of dirty for watching her dress, but it wasn't really anything new. When you've been in a fifty-foot radius of a person for a year, there wasn't much the other hadn't seen.
But of course, for Carth, 'nothing much' was 'too much.'
Bastila began getting dressed, throwing Carth another look. Why did she hate him? He had to wonder as he began rummaging around for his armor. He found one of Canderous's socks. Worthless. He tossed it across the room and resumed rummaging. Finally he came across what he was looking for.
His armor had previously been Calo Nord's, but had been scrubbed clean and underplayed with mesh, and now it was his. It held out well and only had a small mar from Revan's lightsaber. Carth was proud to wear it.
"Bastila, is this yours?" Revan asked, tossing Bastila a pink-tinted Jedi robe. Bastila stared at it for a moment, a look of pained embarrassment passing over her features before it left.
"Yes," she said in a clipped way. "Thank you."
Revan grinned. "No problem."
Carth shot Revan a smile. He loved how she did that. When times seemed to be the most stressful she either had something comforting or amusing to say. No matter what happened, he felt sure that she would handle it to the best of her abilities, and everything would be fine. He looked her over once, standing there grinning, half-dressed. It strongly reminded him of someone he had known. The feeling made his chest swell, but he quickly turned his attention to his armor, which seemed to be pinching his arm.
Bastila finished first and gave her lightsaber a test run. Revan did the same. "Alright," she said. "Let's get moving."
Carth nodded, checking the safety on his blasters. They were in order. Revan started down the corridor, counting out loud the Wookiee hairs she found along the way. Though Carth laughed, Bastila was less than amused. She really did need to lighten up.
"Elevator," Carth said suddenly, pointing with his blaster.
"We can see it, Carth, we are not blind children," Bastila replied crisply. As she and Carth glared at each other, Revan stepped inside and began punching in the coordinates to the bridge.
The comm. blinked. Revan picked it up. "Report," she said.
"This is Canderous. We're at the Ebon Hawk. Like we figured, it's under heavy guard. But don't worry… we'll figure out a plan to take care of them."
There was a collective groan on the other side.
"I got you," Revan said, and shut the comm. off and motioning for Bastila and Carth to join her in the elevator.
Deciding to put their squabble off until later, Carth and Bastila followed her inside as the doors shut with a hiss and the elevator began to move.
They were greeted almost instantly by a Sith guard. The entire place seemed to be crawling with them, and seemed to be breeding like gizka, because no matter how many they killed more just kept coming.
Carth swore as an enormous ice mound bloomed at his feet. He couldn't move. He began shooting angrily at the Sith chucking grenades. How much longer was this going to last? Bastila and Revan were gasping for breath, their lightsabers nothing but colored blurs in the smoke. People were screaming and the air rung with blasterfire. Carth's tongue burned with the taste of blood and metal and his head spun with the lack of air and the battle pitch.
Then, quite suddenly, it was over.
Revan sent out a healing wave to Bastila and Carth. "How're you feeling?" she asked. "Carth… your face…"
"I'll be alright," Carth murmured.
"But you're bleeding…"
"I'll be alright. Don't worry about me. How are you?"
Revan raised an eyebrow. "I'll live. Let's keep moving."
They cut their way through the Leviathan, until they reached a equipment room. "Whoa! Check these out!" Revan said, lifting some space suits.
"Take those," Carth said. "We'll need them."
Revan blinked. "We will?"
"I bet the whole ship is in lockdown thanks to us," Carth told her. "The main door to the bridge is probably closed."
"You're right, Carth," Revan murmured huskily, and took the suits with her. The words echoed in his head for a moment but he quickly blocked them out. Not now. Now was not the time.
Revan led the way, picking corridors more carefully this time. They found the door to the bridge and, like Carth had suspected, it was in lockdown. Swearing, they continued on, turned the corner, and froze.
"There are Dark Jedi on this ship?" Revan screamed.
The Jedi attacked, and Carth shot as best he could. After a while the Dark Jedi were brought down, and Revan wasted no time in healing them. "Now let's keep moving," she breathed. "There is no time for wasting."
Before Carth realized it, they had walked through space and started down the corridor.
After cutting through some Sith troopers, they came to the bridge. "Here we are," Revan breathed. "Are you ready?"
Carth said nothing. Bastila set her jaw. Taking a deep breath, Revan opened the door, and was greeted by Admiral Saul Karath himself.
"Very resourceful," Saul sneered. Revan looked around. Saul wasn't talking to Bastila. Saul wasn't talking to Revan. He was talking to Carth. Carth felt himself beginning to quake with anger already. His grip on his blasters tightened. Saul continued coldly. "I assume you had some part in this; you learned your lessons well from me."
Carth turned red in the face. He could feel Revan's eyes on him, but he ignored her for the moment. "The only thing you taught me was betrayal and death, Saul!" he barked.
Saul seemed undeterred. He merely smiled, fingering a pendant on his jacket. "Don't be a fool. I am giving you and your… companions." He looked Bastila and Revan over closely. More closely than Carth would have liked. His face turned even redder. If Saul laid a hand on her Carth would rip him limb from limb. Saul was still speaking and Carth had to tune himself in. "… companions a chance to surrender. A chance to live. Darth Malak himself is on his way, he will be arriving any moment."
Carth knew Saul was lying. It was only a trick to scare them. "Liar," Carth hissed, but Bastila looked at him sadly.
"He speaks the truth, Carth. I can feel the Dar Lord's presence approaching."
Saul shot Bastila a harshly seductive grin. She glared back defiantly, squaring her tiny shoulders. "Malak will destroy you, but if you throw down your weapons now I will ask my Master to be merciful," the man drawled. He shot Revan's breasts another look. Carth could see Revan's fingers begin to tap a tattoo on her lightsaber.
Carth knew he was going to crack if this kept up. "I've seen enough of Sith mercy!" he shouted angrily, unconsciously moving closer to Revan.
Saul sighed, but behind the act Carth could see clearly that the man didn't care. "You always did like to do things the hard way," Saul said remorsefully. "Lord Malak would have preferred live prisoners, but corpses will have to do."
The Admiral drew his weapon. Instantly a hungry battle pitch struck Carth and he charged forward, shooting recklessly, like a berserker.
Revan gave him a firm nudge as she swept past him, her lightsaber glowing. She struck Saul with prejudice, her face contorted with anger. Bastila went on to attack the troopers and Dark Jedi.
The fight was long and hard, but finally Carth managed to hit Saul right in the chest. Saul doubled over, wheezing, his eyes fogging over. He sank to his side and lay still. Revan kicked his dead body and moved on to help Bastila. Carth stood, enthralled, staring at Saul's body.
It was over.
Just like that.
When the last Sith on the bridge had been exterminated, Carth, Revan and Bastila stood together. There was silence as they healed their wounds, and very faintly could be heard a voice…
"Carth… Carth…"
All eyes snapped to Saul's dead body. Bastila gasped loudly.
"The Admiral! He's still alive!"
The crew rushed up and stared. Saul looked up at them pitifully, his teeth stained red with blood. He was dying.
Carth aimed his blaster right at Saul's head. "It's time to finish this," he growled.
Revan bit her lip and reached out to stop him. "No, Carth, don't give in to your hatred," she said quietly. "He's not worth it."
Carth bristled. Unbridled fury was making his head spin and he could hardly bear it. He turned on her, bringing himself up to his full height. "Don't you understand what this man has done to my life?" he shouted. "Do you know the pain he's brought me?"
"Killing him won't ease the pain, Carth!" Bastila cried. It was clear that Malak's presence was making her uneasy. "Do not become what you despise."
Saul ignored their arguing. He sensed his time was nearing and he wanted to say what he needed to quickly. "Carth…" he wheezed, coughing sporadically. "… must tell you… must tell you something… come closer…"
Carth warily approached and kneeled at his side. He could feel Saul's lips on his ear and shuddered.
"Your pretty little companion…" Saul gave a dry, raspy laugh. "She is not just a little lap pet. She is the dark Jedi Revan. You will see… can you remember what she's done. The Jedi keep it a secret… they warped her mind… She'll come back someday. Just wait."
Carth blanched. His head was reeling. He could barely understand what Saul was saying.
More dry laughter. "You didn't know, did you? Hahaha. Remember my dying words. Remember them whenever… whenever you look at those you thought were your friends!"
Carth staggered back. He couldn't feel his insides and his outsides had turned to numb jelly. "H-He's gone," he stammered. "He said…" He looked to Revan, who stared back blankly, and he felt as if he was going to be sick. "It can't be true, can it? No. No… no – it can't! Damn you, Saul! DAMN YOU!" He looked to Revan pleadingly, and she looked genuinely worried.
"Forget it, Carth," she told him gently. "Whatever he said he was only trying to hurt you." She reached out to him, but Carth jerked away from her hand.
His gaze snapped to Bastila, who looked very much like a wild animal in a land speeder's headlights. "Bastila – it is true, isn't it?" Carth said, registering her expression. No! No! He felt like he was going mad. Fault and blame. Fault and blame. It was Bastila's fault! The Jedi! They… they had lied! "And… and you knew! You and the whole damn Jedi Council! YOU KNEW THE WHOLE TIME!"
Bastila stammered back a hasty response, turning pasty. "Carth, it's not what you think. We had no other choice! Please, you don't understand…"
Carth blew up. "SO MAKE ME UNDERSTAND!"
Poor Revan stood there, confused. "What are you two talking about? What's going on?"
Bastila looked like she was about to vomit. "Not here, Carth. Please… there's no time. Malak is coming. This isn't the place." Carth was shaking and opened his mouth to protest. She would tell him NOW, or she'd never live to explain. Sensing this, she began to plead. "Please, Carth, I'm asking you to trust me. For a little while longer."
Revan's voice suddenly broke through Carth's furious blindness like a knife through warm butter. "She's right, Carth. This isn't the time. We can get into this after we escape."
Carth knew he couldn't argue with Revan. He couldn't. No matter how much he wanted to hate her, she made perfect sense. He sighed, giving up. "I'll trust you, Bastila but as soon as we're off this ship I expect some answers!"
"Of course, Carth. As soon as we get to the Ebon Hawk I'll explain everything. To both of you, I promise."
Revan nodded and started for the door, but it slid open to reveal three Sith troopers.
Carth actually smiled. Finally. Something he could understand. Slaughtering Sith.
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Author's Notes: I made this up quick. I'm not good at explaining battles. Poor little Carthy.
SilverSentinal21: I'm glad you noticed how I handled my characters and added my own touches to the happenings between the dialogue. It's nice to hear from someone who catches things like that.
Amme Moto: Eh. I'd rather not. It makes it sound like a book title rather than the name of the ship. If you don't mind, I'm going to keep it normal. But thanks for the help.
Revan's Lost Soul: Thank you. Your words truly help.
Amber Penglass: Thank you very much. I hope this was interesting as well for you.
Exar kun: Hmm. Well, maybe if you'd read my notes at the end of the chapter, you would know. ;)