Savior Self

Taris part three.

Rated PG13

Disclaimer: I can do the chicken dance, but I don't own Star Wars.

Savior Self

The city of Taris was all a bustle. The first thing Cortessa did was explore the escape pod they had come in, which had crashed right outside the apartments. Carth stood by, watching silently, as she poked around and winced at the sight of blood.

"Is that mine?" she asked weakly.

"Yeah," Carth replied, taking her hand and leading her away. "Look, we have things to do."

"You saved us," Cortessa said, looking back. "We would have crashed in the Undercity if you hadn't –"

"Are you getting sentimental on me?" he asked, though he grinned.

She looked over to him, her eyes shining brightly. "Just… thank you."

Carth flushed and said nothing. He continued down the streets of Taris with her on his heels. "We should visit this shop over here," he said to end the conversation, pointing. A woman waved at them, her brown face twisted into a sweet smile.

Cortessa stepped forward, leaning charmingly against the desk.

The woman at the desk spoke enthusiastically. "Hello there! I haven't seen you in my shop before! Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Kebla Yurt. Welcome to the Equipment Emporium! You looking to buy some supplies? My shop's the largest one in all of Upper Taris! Best selection on the planet! Anything you need, I've got! Well… mostly."

Carth's ears pricked up. He tilted his head to one side. "Mostly? What do you mean by that?"

Kebla rolled her eyes and sighed. "Well, the Sith confiscated all my heavy weapons, and they impounded all my ships and swoop bikes, but I've still got a real nice selection, if you're interested."

Cortessa smiled, working up her charm to get the answers she needed. "I'd like to ask you some questions, if you don't mind," she said warmly.

Kebla smiled. "Anything I can do to help a potential customer out. What do you want to know?"

"I need some general information on Taris."

Kebla gasped sympathetically. "Oh, you're one of those off-worlders, aren't you? Come to Taris for a short business trip and get stuck here because of the quarantine, right? Oh, you can't be too happy, trapped on an unfamiliar world and all. But Taris isn't so bad, as long as you stay in the Upper City. Just try and avoid the Sith. Oh! And stay out of the Lower City. The swoop gangs are totally out of control. Even Davik's men are having trouble down there!"

Cortessa pressed her fingers to her own lips. "Hmm. What do you know about Davik?"

Kebla looked around. "Oh, Davik's a legitimate business man, if you catch my drift." She lowered her voice, looking Cortessa in the eye and pressing her finger to the desk. Carth leaned in to hear better. "Smuggling, slaving, extortion… mm hmm. They say he's a member of the Exchange – you know, the big intergalactic criminal organization."

Carth bent close to whisper in Cortessa's ear. She raised a finger to silence Kebla for a moment. "I've hard of the Exchange," Carth murmured. "Bad organization to cross. If anyone has blockade-breaking ships, however, it's them."

"I see," Cortessa replied, nodding, and turned back to Kebla, who was grinning at them as if she knew something they didn't. Carth stepped back and let their chatter continue.

"I have to pay them a protection fee every month," Kebla said with a shrug. "But it's reasonable, and I get most of my inventory through Davik and his suppliers – I'm just smart enough not to ask where it came from, you understand?"

Cortessa laughed. "Sounds like Davik's nothing but a petty crime lord."

Kebla's face blanched and she spoke in a loud hiss. "Careful where you say that! Davik's got spies and agents everywhere! Besides, he's as much a part of Taris as the skyscrapers or the swoop gangs!"

Cortessa nodded, listening to the monotonous clank of the Sith's metal boots. "Is Davik working for the Sith?" she asked out of nowhere.

Kebla shook her head, her eyes growing wide. "Davik hates the Sith as much as anybody! The quarantine has put a real dent in his operation too. But he's keeping a low profile as long as the occupation lasts." She chuckled. "Davik stays out of the way, and the Sith don't bother him. The swoop gangs could learn a thing or two from this tidy little arrangement, instead of always going after each other."

Cortessa thought for a moment. "You've mentioned swoop gangs a lot. What can you tell me about them?"

Carth sighed. The most boring part of being prepared was learning about the dangers ahead.

Kebla shook her head. "I don't have anything good to say about those swoop gangs; zooming around on their swoop bikes, terrorizing the Lower City like a bunch of animals! Things weren't so bad when the Hidden Beks were running the show, but ever since the rise of the Black Vulkar gang, the Lower City has been nothing short of war zone!" She sounded appalled. "The Sith haven't even bothered trying to maintain order down there! And I heard a rumor that Davik's own people are having trouble with the Black Vulkars now."

A Sith entered the shop. Kebla went rigid and smiled a fake smile. "Hello, sir!" she said.

"What's with this droid?" the officer asked, poking his gun in her assistance droid's face.

"He works to make sure the supplies are in order, s-sir," Kebla said, turning red.

"Very well," the Sith growled. "But if I see anything suspicious there'll be a problem."

"Of course, sir."

The Sith left. Kebla seemed to deflate, dabbing her face with a cloth.

Cortessa watched the officer leave. "I was wondering how you feel about the Sith?"

Kebla laughed nervously. "It's not smart to talk about the people in power, if you get my meaning. I just wish the Sith would ease up on the quarantine – they're killing my business!" She sighed, shaking her head. "I can't say I like having them here in the Upper City, but it could be worse. And we're still a lot better off than the Lower City, what with those swoop gangs and all."

Cortessa was getting down to more important things. "Do you know anything about the escape pods that crashed here on Taris?" she asked.

Kebla considered this. "I don't really know…"

Cortessa said nothing. She leaned forward, staring Kebla down. Kebla sighed.

"Fine. I heard a couple of pods crashed down in the Undercity. I bet the crash sites have already been stripped clean by the Sith, though – unless the swoop gangs or Davik's men got there first."

Cortessa nodded. "Thank you. I'll be going now."

Kebla nodded, grinning. "Good day to you then! Remember to come on back to my shop if you ever need any supplies."

"I will," Cortessa replied and, grabbing Carth by the arm, led him around the corner.Carth glanced back once to see Kebla sigh and rest her elbows on the desk, murmuring, "How sweet." He felt as if he had been slapped. She thinks we're… Mortified, he wrenched his arm from Cortessa's grasp. She glanced back once, raising an eyebrow, but kept on walking without him.

"There's the cantina," Cortessa said, pointing. "Let's go check it out."

Carth grunted a reluctant reply and she stepped inside, ignoring the Sith officer standing there. The cantina was crowded and warm. Carth found a seat and let Cortessa explore for herself. She indulged herself in a chat with a girl by the entrance. Carth didn't listen in. He focused on a nearby patron singing something about women and pirates. But then Cortessa started getting out of his sight.

"Hey!" he called.

"If you care so much, heel, boy!" she barked back, and a girl nearby giggled.

Groaning, Carth reluctantly followed her into a room where a band was performing. A smarmy man grabbed Cortessa's wrist out of nowhere. Carth reached for his blasters, but Cortessa was handling it herself.

"Well, hello there!" said the stranger in an obnoxiously pleasant voice. "I see from your exotic appearance that you are not from Taris originally. Allow me to introduce myself – my name is Jergan."

Cortessa looked like she was going to be ill. She tried to pry his hand loose but he held on. She groaned and lied through her clenched teeth. "Pleased to meet you. My name's Cortessa Blatt."

Jergan still seemed to be clutching her hand for dear life. Carth cleared his throat disapprovingly, and the offending appendage snaked back to Jergan's side. Jergan swallowed and rolled his shoulders to prep himself. "What do you think of our local music? The band is quite good, wouldn't you agree? They're on the verge of intergalactic stardom, you know."

Cortessa seemed to be struggling to refrain from telling the truth. "It's different, but I like it," she managed to spit.

Jergan was pleased. "Obviously you have an ear for music. Mark my words, they'll be famous soon enough. They were about to go on tour before this Sith quarantine stranded them here. Would you like to meet the band after the show? Maybe have a brief brush with fame before they become intergalactic superstars? I can arrange it you know!"

Cortessa pursed her lips and some sarcasm seeped through. "I'll pass." Carth snorted behind his hand. Jergan shot him a glare and tried to win Cortessa back.

"Are you certain? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity – meet the legends before they were famous! All it will cost you is a small handful of credits. I have a standing arrangement with on of the Rodian bodyguards backstage. For the small sum of 20 credits he'll let me set up a meeting with you and the band."

Cortessa's sweet disposition dropped. She wrinkled her nose. "Sounds like you're running a scam to me."

Jergan paled. "You sting me with your words! I merely thought I could offer you the rare opportunity to meet a celebrity before they were famous. But I see you're not interested."

"No, I'm not."

Jergan's jowls quivered. "That's too bad. They really are charming fellows. Very well, then – I hope you enjoy the music. If you change your mind come speak with me again."

"I won't," Cortessa replied, and turned on her heel to leave. Carth 'accidentally' stamped on Jergan's foot. The man yelped and glowered after them.

Cortessa paused. "See that guy?" she hissed in Carth's ear, pointing. A wolf-faced but sad-looking man stood in the shadows, head bowed.

"What about him?" Carth asked.

"I think he's got something he can tell me."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, doll."

"What the hell?"

"Never mind." She rolled her eyes and stepped up to the man, grinning her sweet, winning smile again and brushing up against him. He smiled at her weakly.

"Hi there. I haven't seen you around before," he said. "Of course… they don't give us Sith officers from the military base much time off…"

Cortessa's grin got wider. Carth was shocked. She had been right. "Oh, you're from the military base?" Cortessa asked, brushing her hair from her eyes. "You don't look like one of the Sith."

"I'm off duty right now, so I'm out of uniform," he said, smiling a little. "My name is Yun Genda – junior officer first class with the Sith occupation fleet." Carth gawked. How could a man brag about being with the Sith?

Cortessa shook his hand, or rather held it and moved it once. "Nice to meet you, Yun. I'm Cortessa Blatt."

Carth noticed that Yun was looking her up and down. What a slime. He felt his face grow hot and he looked away, beating a tattoo on his blaster angrily.

"I'm actually a little surprised you're talking to me at all… most of the people here on Taris can't stand us Sith. It can make this a pretty lonely job."

He was getting too close. Carth was prepared to intervene but Cortessa didn't look uneasy. She put on that weird voice… the one that was so lulling… so deep and comforting… Carth lost himself in it again. "You're just doing your job, right? I don't hold that against you."

Yun was smiling dreamily. "That's true." His eyes were fixed on what made Cortessa so attractive, and Carth had to focus on the performing Bith on the stage to avoid shouting out. Yun was still talking pitifully and Cortessa was lapping it up.

In the end, Yun offered to bring Cortessa to a party. His hand had found her hip sometime during the conversation, and for once Carth could see her losing patience with him.

"Sounds good," she said, recoiling. "I'll be there."

Yun grinned. "Don't be late. We're starting right after our shifts end. Most of us won't even be going back to the base to lock up our uniforms. I look forward to seeing you there." He dared kiss her, where her jaw met her ear, and he could see her eyes ice over. Her back went rigid and she said nothing as he left.

Carth grabbed her arm. "What was that all about?" he blurted.

She stared back and shrugged away her arm. She turned on her heel and continued on, until she reached the dueling room of the cantina. She eagerly participated, and beat the first three contestants before she became bored. Carth was amazed. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all. When he asked where these skills had come from, she replied, "They're a hell of a lot easier than the Sith on the Endar Spire."

They socialized a bit more and continued on, back to the open skies of the Taris walkways.

"Where to now?" Carth asked.

She grinned at him, undoing her shirt part-way. "We're going to a party."

------

As they made their way to the apartments, they came upon a grim sight. An elderly man was being harassed by another man and an alien. Both were heavily armed, demanding a payment for Davik.

"But I don't have that much," the old man cried. "How can I pay you credits I don't have?"

The man – a bounty hunter – rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. "That's too bad. Davik's going to want to make an example of you! You're coming with us."

The man and the alien grabbed the elder's arms. The old man screamed. "NO! HELP! SOMEBODY HELP! THEY'RE GOING TO KILL ME!"

Nobody stopped.

Carth was aghast. He whispered in Cortessa's ear. "I know we have to be careful about drawing attention to ourselves, but are we just going to let them drag this guy off?"

Cortessa opened her mouth, but the bounty hunter beat her to it.

"Hold on a second. Looks like we got ourselves a witness here!"

The alien bounty hunter rolled his shoulders, rather like the human one had. "Davik doesn't like witnesses," he growled.

Cortessa grinned. "Leave this man alone or you'll have to deal with me!"

The bounty hunters laughed. "Guess we have to teach you to mind your own business, space wench!"

Cortessa struck with prejudice and killed the first within seconds. The second grabbed Carth by the arm and spun him against his chest, pressing a blaster to his head.

"Nobody moves or the ham gets it," the bounty hunter growled.

"Hold still, Carth," Cortessa said, taking aim with her vibroblades.

Carth panicked. "No! No! Wait! Wait! W-What are doing? Stop!"

"I said hold still."

"Wait a second –"

Cortessa charged forward and, with an artful twirl, sliced off the bounty hunter's arms and head. Carth sank to the ground, staring blankly at the severed arm, which still clutched the blaster tightly.

"My gods," Carth gasped.

The old man stood there shaking. "Thank you – I owe you my life! Those bounty hunters were going to take me away and kill me! My wife warned me not to take a loan from Davik. Now I can't pay him back! It's not good to owe a crime lord money! He'll just keep sending more bounty hunters after me until I'm dead!" He burst into tears. Carth got to his feet, still dizzied, but forced himself to focus on the conversation.

Cortessa considered him. "Maybe I can help you."

The old man shook his head. "You already helped me by saving me from those bounty hunters," he said. "So unless you have a spare 100 credits to give me so I can pay off Davik, there's nothing else you can do."

Cortessa jammed her hand in her supply pack and unearthed a handful of credits. "Here's 100 credits," she said, putting them in his hands. "Take them."

The old man gaped. "You're giving me 100 credits? Just like that? I… I don't know what to say! Thank you! Thank you!" He hugged her and she coughed, flushing.

Carth was amazed, and, with the combined shock of the earlier attack, was completely boggled. "You're giving him a hundred credits?" he said. "Generous."

She beamed at the praise.

The old man ran off, blubbering happily about being able to pay off Davik. Cortessa dug around in the clothing of the corpses of the bounty hunters, unearthing 50 credits from each. Carth stared.

"You knew, didn't you?" he said, shocked.

She grinned. "Bounty hunters don't walk around bare-bones, doll," she replied, and stuffed the credits in her pocket. Maybe she wasn't such a saint after all.

They reached the Sith party as it reached its peak. Yun was completely drunk, immediately trying to drive Cortessa onto the bed. She teased him, dodging out of his arms and requesting another drink from him. One-by-one, the rest of the Sith slumped over their drinks, unconscious and dead drunk. Yun tried to remain standing, before he sank to the floor in a dead faint.

"Hmm," said Cortessa, kicking him to make sure he was out. He didn't even grunt.

Carth sighed and started as she knelt down and began taking Yun's clothes apart.

"What are you doing?" he yelped.

"Hey," she said, looking over to him. "Calm down. I'm just checking for credits." She blinked, unearthing his Sith uniform. "This might come in handy," she said after a moment, tossing it to Carth. "Save it."

"I don't see how we'll need this," Carth replied, but kept the uniform anyway. To his utter astonishment, she danced up and pecked him on the nose.

"Thanks, doll," she said, and twirled out of the room, leaving him there to steam.

------

Author's Notes: Eh? Eh? What do you think? XD

SilverSentinal21 - I know, right? You should tell people to come and visit. XD I never really had a problem with Carth's personality before. It was so easy I was worried that I was doing it wrong. I'm glad you told me. c",)