Savior Self

Generosity, my children, is the way of gold.

Taris part two.

Rated PG13

Disclaimer: Too tired to do a disclaimer.

Savior Self

Cortessa kept trying to win him over for the rest of the day, having small conversations by asking him what his favorite color was and the like. She was so cute and coy, trying to wind him around her finger, but he would have none of it.

"Didn't you say we were going to scout out this planet?" Carth asked, intentionally turning his eyes away as his companion craftily shifted her uniform to show off more of her neck. She was ridiculous, she really was. But it was amusing in its way, as it was at the same time horribly wearing.

She blinked and buttoned up her collar again. "Hmm. I guess I did say that, didn't I?" She grinned. "You coming with me?"

"Will you let me?"

She didn't reply. She pushed open the door and stepped out. Carth followed on her heels, hating himself for behaving like a lost Kath Hound cub.

They were greeted by a nasty sight: a Sith soldier raiding two innocent Duros merchants. The Duros were cowering, hugging each other, heads bowed. The two droids on either side of the soldier were glowering, their guns blazing.

The Sith spoke, waving his gun menacingly. "Okay, you alien scum, everybody get up against the wall! This is a raid!"

Carth caught motion out of the corner of his eye. Cortessa had powered up her to vibroblades, her eyes flickering, her legs bent. The stance of an assassin on the hunt. The sight startled Carth.

One of the Duros spoke up, his voice quiet and shaking. "There was a patrol here just yesterday, and they found nothing! Why do you Sith keep bothering us?"

The other Duros gasped. "Ixgil! No!"

The Sith grinned nastily and, with one well-placed shot, sent the Duros crumpling to the floor. "That's how we Sith deal with smart-mouth aliens!" the soldier barked. "Now the rest of you get up against the wall before I lose my temper again!"

The droid tapped him on the shoulder, cocking his gun back to Cortessa and Carth, who stood their awkwardly.

The Sith soldier snarled. "What's this? Humans hiding out with aliens?" He stopped, his eyes growing wide at the sight of Carth's jacket, on which he still had his badge (he himself had entirely forgotten about it). "Wait! They're Republic fugitives! Attack!"

Cortessa rushed forward without Carth, arms outstretched, her blade shining like newly-grown wings. She slashed through the two droids with ease before she brought the blades forward as if to embrace the soldier, and cut him in two. She stood there, blades crossed, her breathing ragged. Blood dripped fresh and strong on the floor and Cortessa's eyes burned with it, her mouth open and twisted into a bloodthirsty, wild smile.

The Duros was shaking. "T-Thank you," he stammered.

Cortessa came to, her eyes growing wide. She blinked once, her smile vanishing, and she sheathed her vibroblades. She bowed low to the Duros. "I'm just glad I could help."

The Duros sighed, looking at his companion's dead body. "Poor Ixgil. He should never have talked back to that Sith. Thankfully you were here to step in and help us, human. This isn't he first time the Sith have come in here to cause trouble for us, but hopefully it will be the last."

"Won't someone come looking for this patrol?" Cortessa asked, giving the upper half of the Sith corpse a nice kick. Carth inconspicuously pulled off his badge and slipped it in his pocket.

"Don't worry about the bodies," the Duros told her. "I will move them so it looks like they were killed elsewhere. That should throw the Sith off the track. With any luck, they won't be bothering us again for a while."

Cortessa nodded, looking like she wasn't entirely there, and headed down the hall to the nearest room. "I wonder what's in here," she said casually.

"You wouldn't!" Carth gasped.

Nonchalantly, as if was a complete accident, she rested her elbow against the activation button and slipped a spike into the wires. There was hiss and a click and the door whooshed open. A woman looked up, her face red from her tears, her lips pallid and shaking as she pressed her fingers to them.

"Who are you?" she asked. "What are you doing here? You can't just come barging into someone's home!"

Cortessa put on a honey-sweet voice. "I'm sorry. I was just investigating the area."

The woman snorted. "That's no excuse. You can't just go around barging into people's apartments because you're curious! But at least you're more polite than that pig, Holdan."

Cortessa looked interested. "Holdan? Who's that?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "Just one of Davik's men who can't keep his hands to himself. But all he got for his trouble was a nasty scar from by vibroblade! Too bad I'm the one still paying the price." She sighed, hanging her head, and sobbed some more.

"What do you mean?" Cortessa prodded gently.

The woman looked stricken. "I… I don't want to talk about it. I'm in enough trouble already. Besides, I don't know if I can trust you."

Carth was amazed at what happened next. Cortessa's voice grew soft and rung in a strange echo, and he felt himself being lulled by that voice, almost as if she could never harm him. He didn't know until later what she had done – and as such, was astounded.

"You can trust me," Cortessa said. "Maybe I can help."

The woman seemed to be pacified. "Well, I suppose you seem like an alright sort," she said dreamily. "When I cut Holdan it made him back off, but it also embarrassed him in front of his friends. Holdan's a spiteful little Hutt-slug. He went and put a bounty on my head for what I did! That's why I'm hiding out here."

Cortessa frowned. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

The woman snorted again. Whatever voodoo had been put on her, it was worn off. "I doubt it," she said. "Holdan is one of Davik's men. When you work for the local crime lord the authorities tend to turn a blind eye. I'm afraid this is between me and Holdan now."

Cortessa thought for a moment. "Maybe I can talk to Holdan for you."

The woman shrugged, lolling her head a little. "You could try, I guess. He usually hangs out at the cantina in the Lower City. It probably won't do any good. Holdan's used to getting his own way. That's one of the fringe benefits of being a goon for Davik. Working for the local crime lord lets you get away with things. Still, I appreciate the offer."

Cortessa bowed. "I'll be going now."

The woman smiled and nodded. "Goodbye, and good luck. I hope you can talk some sense into Holdan. Oh!" she cried as Cortessa walked away.

Cortessa looked back. "Yes?"

"My name is Dia."

Cortessa saluted and continued on her merry way. Carth wandered unhappily behind.

"Who's Davik?" she hissed in his ear. The heat from her breath made him shudder.

"From what she said, it sounds like he's some top-guy crime lord," Carth replied. "Please stop smothering me."

She stepped back and continued down the hall. Despite his weak protests, she picked every locked door and raided every home. Carth would apologize profusely when they finished, but people wouldn't look twice at him. He supposed they were ashamed.

Cortessa wandered down the hall and paused to gaze out the window. "The day is fading," she said. "We'll look the city over more thoroughly tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" Carth asked, unconsciously reaching up to touch the strip of his shirt that remained tied around her head.

"I'm sure," she said, swatting his hand away. "Mother."

He smiled back with equal cheek. He would make a game out of this if that was what she wanted. "I'm just worried. When we first crashed I would have sworn you were going to die. You kept screaming in your sleep…"

"I have nightmares," Cortessa muttered. "Look, it isn't important."

"Maybe you should see a doctor."

She stared at him firmly. "The nightmares aren't because of my wounds. Now leave me alone."

"But you…"

"Carth," she said shortly, and headed back to the apartments. He'd get nothing more from her today.

Perhaps it was a game. She wanted him and he wanted her – and neither were willing to give.

------

Carth woke the next day to silence. For once Cortessa was not screaming her lungs out in her sleep. It was comforting. He lay there for a while, listening to the stillness, when it struck him.

The silence…

He sat up, looking around. Cortessa was gone. He swore, jumping out of bed, and quickly threw his clothes on. He couldn't have her out there making a scene. She would jeopardize the mission! The door whooshed open and Cortessa stepped in, catching him as he hurriedly pulled on his boot.

"Are you alright?" she asked him slowly.

"Where were you?" he responded shortly, finishing his boot.

"I was getting something to eat," she replied with a shrug, and handed him a cup. "Here. You look like you could use something. You're paler than a naked gizka baby."

He raised an eyebrow. "That's a sweet thing to say," he said dryly.

"You're welcome." She sat down on her bed and leaned back against the wall, crossing her legs. She had pulled on a shirt and her pants and that was it. She looked almost vulgar, being dressed in so little. Nowadays even the poor wore some kind of robe. She glanced at him.

"I know I'm fascinating and all, but you can stop staring."

Carth stuck his nose in his cup.

Cortessa sighed, sucking on her finger.

"So, let's try and figure out a way to get to the Undercity," Carth said at last, finishing off his drink. "We'll have to talk to people, but please, keep a low profile."

"Yeah, yeah," she said to herself, flicking some caffa off of her finger.

They started out into the hall and came across the old janitor Carth had sent he first time he had entered the complex. "Hey, there!" the man cried. "Watch where you're walking! I just cleaned those floors!"

Cortessa blinked. "Sorry. I didn't know," she said, flustered.

The janitor smiled. "Well, alright then, no hard feelings. My name's Kadir. I'm the janitor of this building. You must be the new tenant here, right? I never thought they'd rent that abandoned apartment." Cortessa glanced back at Carth and flashed him a hard smile. He grinned back with as much dry sarcasm. Kadir continued talking. "Hmm… you look like an off-worlder. What happened, you get stuck here because of the quarantine? Can't see any other reason someone would want to rent that old apartment." Carth had to agree. The apartment was dirty and stinky and not at all clean, and there was an awful draft, but it was still nice. Large, too.

Cortessa flashed her winning smile. "I want to ask you a few questions," she said. "If you have the time. Do you mind?"

Kadir shrugged. "Don't know how much I can tell you, but seeing as how you're new here I guess I can try and help you out."

Cortessa glanced out the window behind her. "Tell me about Taris."

"Decent enough place to live, I guess," Kadir said evenly, running his palsied hands up and down the handle of his broom. "Except for the lower levels. That's where the swoop gangs hang out. Just stay in the Upper City and you'll be fine." Carth sighed. They weren't going to stay in the Upper City.

"Anything else I might want to know?" Cortessa asked gently.

"You also might want to check out the cantina. I used to go there when I was younger. Good place to get a drink and find out what's going on in the Upper City."

"Hmm. Where is the cantina?"

Kadir gave them directions, motioning with his hands, and Cortessa marked his words down in her datapad. "You can't miss it," the old man finished.

"Thank you," Cortessa said. "I'll be going now."

Kadir frowned dejectedly. Apparently he didn't get talked to often. At least not politely, by a pretty woman. "I should get back to work anyway," the janitor muttered. "I'll probably see you around – I'm here most of the time. This building doesn't clean itself, you know."

Cortessa nodded and started off with Carth again.

"Well, he didn't have much to say, did he?" she said as she stepped into the elevator.

Carth nodded, stepping inside after her.

"Hey, Carth?"

"Yes? What's on your mind?"

"Is this a good time to ask you some more questions?"

Carth smiled, deciding to play at her. "I'm all ears, beautiful," he said.

She looked stricken. She studied him, her face hard. "'Beautiful'? Isn't that a little inappropriate?" She frowned, looking him over.

Carth smiled timidly. "Is there something else you'd prefer I called you?"

She raised an eyebrow. "How about my name?"

Carth blinked. Wow. Angry. "Don't get yourself in a twist over it, gorgeous. I didn't mean anything by it," he said.

She gaped. "There you go again!" she cried, throwing her arms in the air.

Carth was appalled. She was taking this way too far. "Oh, for crying out –" He composed himself, "Fine. If it'll make you feel better, you call me something." She shook her head, but he continued. "Go ahead, come on. I can take it."

She laughed. "What? Don't be ridiculous." The elevator door opened and they stepped out together, into the main walkway.

"What? Are you afraid you'll hurt my feelings? Come on, spit it out! You can do it."

She stared at him, eyebrows raised, but he kept grinning until she rolled her eyes and said, "Well, how about, 'sexist worm'?"

Carth was stunned. Well. He recovered by laughing, waving a hand to dismiss the name. "Is that it? You can do better than that!"

Her face turned red and she blurted, "SEXLESS MARSH-TOAD!"

A nearby pedestrian scrambled for safety.

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

Cortessa smiled and laughed as well. "You are such a pain, you know that?"

He grinned back. "Guilty as charged. I'll bet you still have those questions in mind, though. Are they really necessary?"

She shrugged, grinning, giving him one last tease before she ended the little game. "Don't be such a child. It's just a few questions."

Carth laughed again. This woman was priceless! "Oh, no, how can I resist a challenge to my manly pride, huh? Fine, you've made your point. Interrogate at will."

She looked him over. "This isn't an interrogation. I never said that."

Wow. One minute they were giggling like children and the next his jokes flew right over her head. "No," he said. "I was just joking, though you do seem to be full of questions. It's rather refreshing, to be honest." It struck him, then. She was worming her way into him. He backed up, distancing himself. He remembered that he wanted to ask her about her past… those holes that had been left empty. Maybe she could tell him. "Let me ask you something first, though." She put her weight on one leg, resting her hands on her hips, listening. He continued on, picking his words carefully. "I've been going through the battle aboard the Endar Spire over and over in my head since we crashed. Some things just don't add up for me. Maybe you could tell me what happened from your perspective."

She bit her lip, considering this. "I wasn't really in a position to know what was going on, really," she said at last.

Carth didn't believe her, but played along. "Neither was I, to tell the truth. I was onboard as an advisor for the most part. The battle began so fast, it's anyone's guess as to what really happened." He became sobered, hanging his head sadly. "We lost the ship and a lot of good people… and for what? On the hope that the Jedi powers would save us somehow? Not that Bastila had much of an opportunity to act." He looked up.

Cortessa tilted her head.

"We didn't choose that battle, anyway," Carth said. "It got forced on us. Hell, I'm just surprised that any of us are around to talk about it!" He paused. "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?"

She gaped again, her eyes going wide. "Why?" she cried. "Are you accusing me of something?"

Carth waved his hands. "Not at all! I just think it's a little bit odd that someone who got added to the crew roster at the last minute just happens to be one of the survivors."

Cortessa looked like she had been slapped. Carth was amazed to see her eyes become shiny with tears. "You'd rather I wasn't?" she asked in a weak voice.

He shook his head, stunned. He made up something nice to say to calm her down. "Don't be ridiculous! You've more than proved yourself after the crash… we wouldn't have made it this far without you. But still…"

Cortessa spluttered. "Are you implying I had something to do with the crash?"

"No," said Carth, but realized that he had just spouted a flat lie, and corrected himself. "Well… maybe." She made a noise of disbelief, and she looked like she was about ready to leave. He grabbed her arm. "Don't get me wrong, it just seems odd that someone Bastila's party specifically requested to transfer aboard happens to survive."

Cortessa blinked and frowned. "What? Why would Bastila request my transfer?"

Carth shrugged. "The Jedi requested a lot of things when they came on board… hell, they practically took over the ship, as far as I could tell. Considering your connection to Bastila and the Jedi… whether you know it or not… your presence seems a little convenient." She turned white with fury. "Look, I'm probably wrong, and this is probably nothing, I know. I learned a long time ago not to take things at face value, however. And I hate surprises."

Cortessa raised an eyebrow – what a sweet little quirk – and looked at him suspiciously. "What do you mean by surprises?"

Carth decided to wrap this conversation up. "I mean I have to expect the unexpected. Just to be safe."

"You do know we're on the same side, right?"

"Look… it has nothing to do with you, personally. I don't trust anyone, and I have my reasons." He saw her open her mouth and cut her off. "And, no, I'm not going to discuss them. So can we keep our minds on more important things?"

Cortessa squared her shoulders, but he still towered over her. "I consider this important."

Carth raised his voice, to shut her up. "Alright, alright! If you aren't the most damned persistent woman I've ever met!" She grinned wolfishly. "We'll talk about it, but later. Right now I just want to get going."

She shrugged, satisfied for now, and started down the road, swinging her arms loosely at her sides.

------

Author's Notes: There you go, duckies! Hope you liked it!

SilverSentinal21 - I'll get around to reading your story, then. Carth didn't hit his head... he's just unhappy that Cortessa can get so easily under his skin. XD And my screenname... in my game, the first name I made up was Cortessa Blatt, so that's the name I used. Later I made Relina Paan and Cortana McMazy, and they may turn up sometime, you never know.