A/N: Once again, guys, there's no recommended listening for this chapter. You're pretty much on your own this time. I just can't seem to find any music that suits for Upper City Taris, except maybe "Under Her Control" from FF8, but I don't recommend that. Anyway, that'll be all for now.

Oh, and consider this your mod use warning. Bastila in my story does not wear the default clothing that she has in the game. She instead wears the special cortosis-weave clothing from the Bastila's Revelation Robes mod, the teal variant.

Her lightsaber buzzed and snapped as she spun it deftly through the air, intercepting the red blade of her opponent, turning away his assaults as she pressed forward, a malicious smile twisting her lips.

She was enjoying it.

Her lightsaber struck, intercepted at the last moment by her enemy's crimson blade. Sensing his weakness, she shifted her blade along and under his, knocking it up into the air. Her own blade spun back down, leaving a glowing red scar along the man's dark clothing as he crashed back to the deck.

Two more Jedi stepped up to either side of her, their lightsabers blazing emerald and cerulean in the dim lightning of the bridge. In front of her, sickening cracking sounds emanated from the throat of a naval officer, the man struggling for breath against an outside force that was choking the life out of him.

As the officer fell to the deck, lifeless, a figure in a hooded black cloak, not a single inch of his or her skin revealed, stared down the Jedi intruders, spinning a crimson-bladed lightsaber around his or her hand before holding it up in a ready stance behind the back.

"You cannot win, Revan," Bastila told the figure, her hands tightening around the hilt of her own lightsaber. "Do not force me to…"

The figure interrupted her words with a masculine chuckle, his face hidden behind a forbidding red and black mask. He then twisted his lightsaber again, turning his body slightly to present his right side toward them, taking the lightsaber in a double-handed grip on his left, the point of the blade aimed unerringly at Bastila's head. In the background, another Sith cruiser drifted ever closer to the ship they were on.

The Jedi advanced.

Suddenly, Bastila leapt backwards. Not a moment to soon; she saw red light flare from the approaching Sith cruiser, and then the forward section of the bridge exploded in blinding light. The cloaked figure and both of her companions vanished in the blast that knocked her off her feet.

Pushing herself back to her feet, Bastila deactivated her lightsaber and returned it to her belt, then ran across the deck. She ignored the bodies of the Jedi and dropped to her knees beside the cloaked figure, gently lifting him up off the floor.

As she stared down at his still form, a tear slipped from the corner of her eye, sliding down her cheek to splash on the figure's fearsome mask.

---

Kagi's eyes opened slowly, blurry forms eventually coalescing into the interior furnishings of the apartment on Taris. He realized that he was in a more comfortable position on the couch; whether he had moved that way himself or had been moved, he didn't know. There was also a blanket draped over him, something he knew he hadn't fallen asleep with.

His left hand came up, blearily rubbing at his eyes. Another dream about Bastila. Strange. But the way she had spoken to that Revan figure, and the tear, was far more strange than the dream itself.

He sat up and yawned loudly, drawing the attention of the only other occupant in the room.

"You're a restless sleeper," Bastila told him, looking over from the small table.

He looked in her direction, and immediately noticed a difference about her. She actually had real clothes on. The clothing was similar to that which she was wearing in his dream, but instead of brown and beige colors, her current attire was teal and silver mesh, with metal accoutrements adorning it. He raised an eyebrow, appreciative of her clothing choices, but said nothing about that.

Instead, he asked, "What was Revan to you?"

Her eyes widened, caught off-guard by his question. "Revan? He was a great Jedi, until he turned against the Order, fell to the dark side, and became Dark Lord of the Sith."

"But that's not what he was to you," the commando pressed, knowing that she was evading the question.

She paled considerably, looked down into the cup she cradled between her hands. For a while, it didn't look like she was going to answer. Then she said, almost whispering, "I loved Revan. He had such charisma, such a presence, that you could not help but to be drawn to him. But for me, it was more. I knew since I was young that he held my heart spell-bound, and that he loved me as well." Her hands tightened on the cup, her knuckles turning white.

"So when he turned, his betrayal was all the more personal to you," Kagi said quietly.

She looked up at him, eyes wide, tears staining her cheeks. When he saw them, he looked away, mentally kicking himself.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," he said.

"You didn't know," she said kindly, forcing a smile. "May I ask why you wanted to know about that?"

"I had a dream," he replied. "More like a vision. I saw you, fighting against dark Jedi. And then a cloaked man, Revan I guess. But the way you spoke to him, I could sense that there was a more personal stake for you."

She went very quiet, turning her eyes back to her cup. It appeared as if she was going to swear. She looked at him again. "That is strange," she mused, staring distantly at the table. "Such visions are usually a sign of Force sensitivity."

He gave her a look that told her, in no uncertain words, that he thought she was full of bantha poodoo. "So you think I'm Force sensitive? What? A Jedi candidate?"

She frowned slightly, her brow furrowing in deep thought. "I… am not sure," she replied hesitantly. "It may be that you have some connection to the Force. It would not be unheard of. When we first met, your natural talent may have fed off my own Force abilities. It is possible that in the excitement of the battle's aftermath, the Force allowed you to witness one of my more intense memories."

"Intense," he mused. "The man you loved died." He winced suddenly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to–"

Her movements stiffening, she waved it off nonchalantly. "What is past is past," she said. "Any pain the memory may bring me is my own fault, my inability to come to terms with the way I felt toward him."

Hastily changing the subject, he said, "It's not the first vision I've had."

"The Force is complicated," she replied, glad to be off that particular subject. "Even I don't yet understand it fully. This is a matter best left to the Council. If you wish, we can seek their judgment once we escape Taris."

He nodded once. "I would like that."

She smiled faintly. "Then as soon as we are off Taris, we shall go to the Jedi Enclave. I promise you."

Before he could reply, the door of the apartment slid open, admitting Carth, Mission, and Zaalbar. "Where have you guys been?" Carth asked, dropping his gear on the floor. "We've been looking for you in the Lower City for hours."

Kagi shrugged helplessly.

The pilot shook his head. "No matter. Now that we've got things sorted out, we just need to figure out a way to get off this planet."

As Bastila began to reply, Kagi looked toward her, and was shocked at the complete change in her posture and expression. She had been open and warm to him a moment ago, but now she seemed…distant. "You mean you don't have a plan to get off Taris yet?" she asked, her tone colder than a block of carbonite. "What have you been doing this whole time?"

"We were trying to find you, Commander," Kagi replied, the change in his own tone a subtle hint that he didn't appreciate the change in her attitude.

For their part, Mission and Zaalbar quietly snuck away from the confrontation, making their way to the kitchen area and scrounging around quietly for something to eat.

"I see," Bastila said, either ignoring or oblivious to his tone. "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."

A snarl curling his lip, the commando stood to his full height, fire burning in his eyes. Before he could say or do anything, Carth interposed his body directly between them.

"Commander, I know you're new at this," he said, trying to prevent a fight, "but a leader shouldn't berate her troops just because things aren't going as planned. Don't let your ego get in the way of the real issues here."

"That hardly strikes me as an appropriate way to address your commander, Carth," she spat, as though his name were a poison. "I am a member of the Jedi Order and this is my mission. Don't forget that."

Kagi laughed, the harsh sound resonating in the room. "Jedi, huh? If all the Jedi are as pompous and arrogant as you are, then I'm not surprised Revan turned on you. Hell, I'm surprised he didn't do it sooner."

Pain flashed in her eyes, and she physically winced. "I…"

Sensing she was vulnerable, Kagi stepped around Carth and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. He didn't miss the fact that she flinched at his touch. "Just settle down," he told her, keeping his voice soothing and calming. "We're only trying to help you here. Let me tell you a secret. The true mark of a leader is not something that can be taught in any school or institution, even by the Jedi. A true leader cares for those she leads, and knows how to listen when she needs to."

She nodded slowly, her face flushed with shame. Despite himself, Carth was surprised that the commando could have that much of an effect on her. Mission and Zaalbar hadn't missed it, either.

"I don't have much military experience," she said, her voice filled with revulsion at the way she had been acting. "I should not be so quick to judge." She turned her eyes up toward Kagi and Carth, her resolve steeled once more, but this time in the proper direction. "What do the two of you suggest?"

"We can't get hung up on who's in charge, first off," Carth replied. He glanced back at Mission and Zaalbar before continuing, "We all need to work together if we want to get off this rock. The answer's out there, we just need to find it."

She nodded, then looked at Kagi. "And you?" she asked, her voice noticeably softer.

"Pretty much what he said," the commando replied with a shrug. "If we start getting into power battles, we may as well just hang it up."

She nodded again. "Well said. The sooner we start looking, the better. I've already been a prisoner of the Vulkars, and I don't plan on being captured by the Sith."

Kagi snorted and pointed to her lightsaber. "Just keep that light stick handy and you won't have to worry about it."

She gave him a short laugh, then said, "We're going to need some help getting off Taris. "Maybe if we ask around, one of the locals can help us out. We should probably start by asking around in the cantinas."

Kagi nodded, then turned to Mission and Zaalbar. "Can I trouble you guys to go dig up some knowledge in the cantina in the Lower City? You guys know that area better than us."

The Twi'lek girl nodded, finishing up a ration pack she had snuck from Kagi's pack. "You can count on us. We'll go see what we can find. Come on, Big Z."

The Wookie grumbled and, hoarding an armful of food he had taken from the Hidden Beks' base, followed her out.

"Carth, can I ask you to ask around the cantina on this level?" Bastila asked the pilot. "I'm afraid I don't know this place as well as you and Kagi do."

"I'm on it," he replied, following the earlier pair's exit vector.

That left the Jedi and the commando.

Kagi cleared his throat uncomfortably, breaking a long silence, then moved across the room to retrieve his boots. "I guess I'll wander around the apartment area," he told her, strapping on his boots. "You going to come with, or will you stay here?"

"No, I'll join you," she replied. "The forced inactivity would drive me out of my mind."

He raised an eyebrow. "Don't you Jedi meditate or something like that?"

"To tell you the truth," she said conspiratorially, "I never have been very good at meditating when there was action to be had."

"Ah," he said, crossing the room to retrieve his pack and blaster rifle. Then he triggered open the doors of the apartment. "Well then, shall we, Commander?"

She smiled ruefully. "Please, don't call me by a rank I haven't earned. Use my name."

He nodded. "As you wish, Bastila."

The pair exited the apartment, walking around the curved corridor toward the exit. As they passed the apartment next to theirs, they heard the sound of conflict from within.

"Wait," Bastila said, catching his right arm. "There's a fight going on in there."

He stopped, turned back, and keyed the access panel. "It's locked," he growled, inspecting the door. Then he paused, and looked toward her. "Can I borrow that lightsaber for a second?"

"Why?" she asked hesitantly, but handed the weapon over.

"Watch."

Thumbing on one of the glowing yellow blades, he drove the energy blade through the door, then slid it up, marched to the right, and back down again, cutting the rough shape of a smaller door large enough for them to pass through. Once he had finished cutting, he deactivated the lightsaber and handed it back, then braced himself and drove his right boot hard into the center of the outline, kicking in the impromptu door.

Inside, a couple of thugs were looking his way, quaking in fear, doubtless due to the fact that he had used the lightsaber to fight his way in. He calmly leveled his blaster rifle at them.

"You, the door, two minutes ago," he stated simply.

Without further argument, the thugs beat a hasty retreat. The woman they had been harassing looked at him, and Bastila walking in behind him, with a mix of awe and trepidation.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Just a couple of spacers," Kagi replied. "Any reason those thugs were giving you trouble?"

"I…I don't want to talk about it," she said.

He raised an eyebrow. "Afraid of reprisal? I'm pretty sure that the two of us…" He gestured at Bastila and himself. "…could handle the problem."

The woman hesitated, clearly torn. Then she sighed and nodded. "I'm in trouble with Hodan, one of Davik's men who can't keep his hands to himself. But all he got for his trouble was a nasty scar. Too bad I'm the one still paying the price."

"So he paid those thugs to put a squeeze on you?"

"Worse than that," she said. "He put a bounty on my head."

"A bounty?" Bastila repeated, clearly disgusted. "Over a mere act of self-defense? What is this galaxy coming to?"

"A good question, that is," the woman replied. "I doubt there's anything either of you can do. When you work for the local crime lord, the authorities tend to turn a blind eye. I'm afraid this is between me and Hodan now."

"I'll see about speaking to him for you," Kagi said. "What's your name?"

"Dia," she answered hesitantly, closely scrutinizing this stranger who would help her for no reward. "He usually hangs out in the cantina in the Lower City."

"I'll see what I can do," he told her, then turned and left her apartment.

"Lower City cantina," Bastila mused as they continued on their way toward the exit. "Do you have any way of contacting Mission and Zaalbar, to see if they can handle this for us?"

He shook his head slowly. "No, we'll have to wander down there ourselves, eventually." As they kept walking, he could feel her eyes on him. Smirking slightly, though she couldn't see it, he asked back to her, "Is there something you want to talk about?"

"Yes," she replied, the surprised tone in her voice telling him that she hadn't expected him to know she was curious. "What happened after you and Carth crashed on Taris, before we all joined forces?"

"Looking for you, mostly," he replied, holding his blaster rifle over his shoulder. "We had to go through an awful lot of trouble before we managed to find you."

"So I've heard. But surely there was more than a simple search involved? I doubt there were flashing signs pointing in my direction."

He chuckled. "That would have been funny," he interrupted.

She paused, reflected on what she'd said, then laughed as well, a light, almost musical sound that was pleasant to his ears. "Yes, yes, it would have been." She continued to smile as she said, "But you also managed to avoid the Sith, discover that the Vulkars held me prisoner, gain sponsorship for the swoop race, and become the Taris swoop champion. Quite an impressive resume."

Beneath her words, he could sense an underlying respect and, albeit a tiny amount, admiration in her voice as she said that. He grinned to himself. "What can I say? I'm a pretty talented guy."

"Yes, I can see you do not lack in ability, but modesty is another matter," she said. Though her words were mocking, he could hear the smile in her voice, and knew that she meant no real harm with her statement. Then, suddenly, her tone became serious. "I doubt anyone expected this much from you when you were assigned to my mission. A Jedi could have done such things, of course, but not without drawing heavily upon the Force."

As he looked at her, walking beside him, he raised an eyebrow. "So you really think I'm Jedi material, don't you?"

At first, she looked at him as though she was about to spout off more meaningless wisdom, then she relented and nodded. "I do. You have a remarkable amount of Force ability within you, such that it's amazing you weren't discovered and trained before." She shook her head slowly. "But the Council does not usually take anyone older than a child for training. I do not think they would train you."

"You sound disappointed."

She sighed. "A little, yes. You have such potential; it's a shame to think that it might be wasted."

"I don't think my 'potential' has anything to do with it," he said, grinning.

"And just what are you…" She looked up at him, caught sight of his grin, and narrowed her eyes fiercely. "Get that thought out of your head!" she spat, shoving him to the side. "I assure you, my interest in you is purely platonic."

He laughed, putting his hands out to keep him from slamming into the wall. "So you are interested!"

She growled, suddenly realizing that he was baiting her. Smirking, she decided to play his game. "Of course not," she responded. "You're not my type." Then she increased her pace, leaving him staring at her eminently-watchable backside.

"We'll see about that," he said to himself, chuckling.

---

In the Upper City cantina, Carth took a seat at an empty table, a bottle of fine Corellian whiskey in one hand, and a shot glass in the other. Just as he finished pouring his shot glass full of whiskey, a woman seated herself at the table across from him.

"Hey there," she all but purred at him. "Haven't seen you before. Of course, they don't give us officers much time off from the base."

The pilot's blood ran cold, but at the same time, he couldn't help but laugh at the irony of the situation. Here he was, stranded Republic pilot on a backwater Rim world with no hope of escape, getting propositioned by an enemy officer. "You're a Sith?" he ventured cautiously. "You don't look it."

The woman smiled coyly. "I'm off duty. I don't wear my uniform when I want to relax; nobody would speak to me. You'd be surprised at the power a set of armor can wield."

Oh, I think I have an idea, Carth thought, downing the contents of his shot glass.

She gave him an evaluative stare, her mouth curling into a predatory smile. "Speaking of, I'm surprised that you're still talking to me. I'd expected you to have moved to a different table by now."

Carth shrugged off-hand. "You're just doing your job, right? I don't hold that against you." I'd like to hold my blaster against you, though. Exercise some of that 'diplomacy' we learned about at the hands of you Sith monsters.

She smiled again. "You know, you're not half-bad. Me and a couple of the boys from the base are going to have a party later on. Perhaps you'd be interested…"

"Hey, hey, hey," a familiar voice called out, cutting through the din of the cantina. "What's going on here?"

Both Carth and the woman looked up to see Kagi and Bastila approaching through the crowd. As they reached the table, Kagi crossed his arms as he raised an eyebrow at Carth, grinning infuriatingly all the while.

"By the Force, Carth. Are you trying to get cozy with someone? Wouldn't that require trust first?"

The woman glared daggers at the commando. "Excuse me. I don't think you quite know who you're messing with. You wouldn't want to piss off a Sith officer, would you?"

At this, Kagi laughed aloud. "A Sith? Carth, you sure know how to pick 'em!" He doubled over, crossing his arms over his stomach as he fought to contain the laughter.

As he did so, the woman got a good look at Bastila standing behind him, and shot to her feet. "You!" she hissed, pointing at the young Jedi. "Don't move, Jedi! I'm taking you in, dead or alive."

The woman began to advance toward Bastila, but Kagi suddenly stood upright again, his face completely devoid of any emotion. More importantly, he held his vibroblade in his right hand, the point of the weapon pressing against the Sith woman's throat.

"I strongly recommend you reconsider that course of action," he said, deadpan. "It wouldn't do to gut your pretty little carcass in the middle of a well-to-do cantina, now would it?"

The woman glared lasers at him, and in response he dug his weapon into her neck a little bit deeper. She hissed, then raised her hands and slowly backed up, away from him. "Fine," she said. "You win this one, Republic. But know that we'll be back, and next time, you'll need more than that fancy letter-opener to stop us from taking your harlot's head."

As the Sith walked toward the exit, Kagi turned to Carth, pointing his thumb at the retreating figure. "Did she really just say that?" he asked. "I mean, I've blown some charges in my face and my hearing might be going… Did she really just call Bastila a harlot?"

Carth nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I thought so."

With that, Kagi tossed his vibroblade into the air, neatly catching it by its sharp point, and then spun, flinging his arm out in the direction of the Sith woman. Startled patrons ducked from his sudden movement, but the vibroblade sailed straight and true, driving right into the woman's back. He could tell immediately by the depth of the penetration that it slipped between her ribs, spine, and shoulder blade to hit something vital. She was dead before she hit the floor.

Whistling a little ditty, nodding to a nearby patron, the commando serenely strode over to the corpse, plucking his vibroblade from the dead woman's back. He knelt down beside her, using her tunic to wipe the blood from his weapon, before he slipped it back into his boot sheath.

Behind him, Bastila regarded him with a mix of awe and fear. She knew without having to be told that her cheeks were as red as a blaster bolt. She had just watched the man kill someone in cold blood over something as petty as a minor insult against her.

His knife throwing skills have not depreciated at all, she caught herself thinking admiringly. She shook her head once to clear those thoughts, and when she opened her eyes, she found herself staring at his amused face.

"Surely you're not unused to your suitors killing for you?" he quipped, grinning infuriatingly.

She only blushed harder.

---

As the trio left the cantina, a green-skinned male Twi'lek whistled to draw their attention. "You there, human," the Twi'lek said, looking pointedly at Kagi. "You are the rider who won the great swoop race in the Lower City, yes?"

Looking around uneasily, the commando shifted his shoulders, then approached the alien. "What of it?"

"I have a message from Canderous Ordo. He says to meet him in the cantina."

Kagi gave the Twi'lek a look that could have melted durasteel. "We just came from the cantina."

The Twi'lek shook his head once, his lekku mystically staying in place. "The Mandalorian waits in the Lower City."

Taking his time, Kagi looked to Carth. The pilot shrugged. He then turned to Bastila. Her expression told him, 'We might as well.'

Shrugging as well, Kagi turned back to the Twi'lek. "Alright, we'll play along."

"Wise choice, human. I would advise you not to wait too long. Mandalorians are known for many things, but patience is not one of them."

After the Twi'lek had vanished and the three were on their way, Carth suddenly spoke up. "Bastila, I was wondering something. How did the Vulkars manage to catch a famous Jedi like you? Were you knocked out when your escape pod crashed?"

"N-no," she replied hesitantly. "I was conscious. But my Force powers were exhausted from using my Battle Meditation in the battle for the Endar Spire. Without my help, you might have never gotten off the ship alive."

At the front of the group, Kagi sighed and shook his head theatrically, muttering, "Here we go again…"

Not having heard their comrade, Carth nodded to her. "Fair enough. But I've seen you Jedi in action. There's no way those thugs would've stood a chance against your lightsaber."

She stopped suddenly, drawing their progression to a halt. Color rose in her face. "My lightsaber was…misplaced…" she said ashamedly, running her fingers along the weapon on her belt. "I couldn't find it after the crash. The Vulkars overwhelmed me as I was looking for it."

"Wait a minute," Carth said, his expression disbelieving. "You lost your lightsaber?" He laughed. "Isn't that a violation of the Jedi Code or something?"

Her only response was to blush even harder, lowering her head in shame as her hands clenched into fists.

Kagi walked back up to them, planting himself directly behind Bastila, so close that she could feel his body heat radiating out of him. "Leave her alone, Carth," he said dangerously. "You want respect from her? How about showing her some in return?"

That rattled around the dust inside the pilot's head. He looked away for a moment, not seeing as Bastila turned her head toward the commando and mouthed "Thank you."

Smiling, Kagi patted her reassuringly on the shoulder, then waited for the pilot to reply.

"I'm sorry," he finally muttered. "You're right, Kagi. It's just…funny to think of a legendary Jedi losing her lightsaber." He snickered to himself. "Might want to leave that detail out of the history archives."

"What about you then, eh, Carth?" Kagi asked, crossing his arms. "You think it was fun picking on Bastila? Fine. Your turn."

The pilot paled, turning away. "Well, I guess I did say you could ask me more questions later. Is this really necessary?"

"Very much so."

"Well, fine." He chuckled. "Go ahead, interrogate me."

"Wonderful," Kagi replied, grinning. "Soon, your secrets shall all be mine!"

Carth shrugged. "All my secrets are purely of the mundane variety, unfortunately. Nothing worth extracting, but you're welcome to try." He held up a hand. "But first, I'd like to ask you a question. I've been going through the battle on the Endar Spire in my head and some things just don't add up. Maybe you could tell me what happened, from your perspective of course."

The commando shrugged. "I wasn't really in much of a position to see anything of importance. We came, they saw, we got owned like the British."

"The who?" Bastila asked, her eyebrow raised questioningly.

Kagi thought about it, then shrugged. "No idea, really. Just sounded good. Hey, help me spread it around, maybe we can get a catch phrase going." He chuckled, then turned back to Carth. "Really though, I don't know."

"And neither was I, to tell the truth," the pilot said with a nod. "I was on board as an advisor. The battle happened so fast, that it's anybody's guess what actually happened. We lost a lot of good people, and for what? The hope that Jedi powers would save us, somehow. It's not like Bastila had any opportunity to act."

Sensing another round of bickering, Kagi stepped directly between them, pushing his arms out toward them as far as they would go, forcing them to step back or eat his hands. "Not happening," he warned. He turned to Carth. "We didn't chose that battle, Carth. It got forced on us."

Not wishing to get on the commando's bad side again, Carth nodded agreeably. "Come to think of it, it's more than a little surprising that you happen to be here, isn't it? Just what is your position with the Republic fleet anyway?"

"We've been over this, Carth," Kagi replied, sighing theatrically. "I'm a SpecForces commando assigned as Bastila's personal bodyguard. Anything wrong with that?"

"Hell no," Carth replied. "With a man of your skills as her bodyguard, I pity the Sith that try to kill her. It's just that you have to consider you were a last-minute addition to the crew roster and you just happen to be one of the survivors."

The commando raised an eyebrow, and something dangerous flashed in his eyes. "Would you rather I hadn't?"

"Don't be ridiculous," the pilot replied, waving that idea off. "You've more than proved yourself since the crash. We wouldn't have made it this far without your skills. But still…"

"Oh, I get it. You're insinuating that I had something to do with the crash."

There was a long pause, then Carth shrugged. "Maybe. Don't get me wrong. It just seems odd that someone Bastila specifically requested to transfer aboard happened to survive."

Kagi knew the entire time that it had been her request to add him to the roster, but he couldn't stop himself from turning slightly to grin knowingly back at her. She blushed, and slammed her open palm against his back.

"Ooh," he said, squirming slightly. "That felt good. Do it again."

This time, she connected with the back of his head.

"Considering your connection to Bastila and the Jedi," Carth said loudly, trying to quell any potential violence, "your presence here seems a little convenient." He shrugged after getting the commando's attention back. "Of course, I'm probably wrong and this is probably nothing. But I learned a long time ago not to take anything at face value. And I hate surprises."

Kagi sighed, exchanging a knowing glance with Bastila. Getting anywhere with this damnable pilot was like pulling teeth from a rancor. "Define surprises," he said.

"You know, expect the unexpected." Carth shrugged again. "Just to be safe."

"Okay, you do know we're all on the same side, right?" Kagi asked, his voice that of an instructor trying to teach exceptionally slow pupils.

Bristling, Carth hissed through clenched teeth, "Look, it has nothing to do with you personally. I don't trust anyone, and I have my reasons." Before either of his comrades could say anything, he held up a finger to silence them. "And no, I'm not going to discuss them! So can we just keep our minds on more important things?"

Stepping up beside the commando, Bastila crossed her arms imperiously. "This is important."

Following her lead, Kagi also crossed his arms, nodding sagely. "What she said."

Carth shook his head irritably. "Alright, alright! You two are pretty damn tenacious, you know that?" He sighed. "Alright, we'll talk about it. But later. Right now, I just want to get going."

Both Kagi and Bastila sensed they weren't going to get anything more out of him. Exchanging a glance, they shrugged at one another, then continued on.

After a few moments, Kagi suddenly said, "You know guys, we really need a new hobby…"