The dream was strange, like a memory, but not her memory. A Jedi woman in a non-traditional robe fighting a Shadow Hand, her yellow lightsaber cutting the Dark Sider down like the punk was nothing. Then she woke up again, in a strange room, on a strange bed, not knowing where she was or why.
"Ah, kriff, this better not become a pattern, I swear to the stars." Meranda said as she got up and stretched, taking a moment before realizing that Carth Onasi was standing next to her.
"Good to see you up, instead of thrashing around in your sleep. You must have had one hell of a nightmare. I was wondering if you were ever going to wake up." Carth said, his concern seemed genuine, but also seemed a little weary of Meranda for some reason.
"I'm tougher than I look. So what's the situation?"
"You've been slipping in and out of consciousness for a couple of days now, so I imagine your pretty confused about things. Don't worry, we're safe... For now. We're in an abandoned apartment on the planet Taris. You and the other soldier were banged up pretty bad when our escape pod crashed, but luckily I wasn't seriously hurt. Me and the droid were able to drag you two from the crash site in all the confusion, and I stumbled onto this apartment. By the time the Sith arrived, we were long gone."
"Thanks for not leaving us to burn in the rubble. What are the odds of us getting off the world quietly?"
"Very low, I'm afraid. Taris is under Sith control. Their fleet is orbiting the planet, they've declared martial law and imposed a planet-wide quarantine. But I've been in worse spots."
"I'm sure you say that to all the girls your trapped behind enemy lines with. Got anything to eat, or should we go out foraging?"
"Got some rations from the pod right here." Meranda took the bag given to her, savagely taring it open and feasting on the contents. Military rations were not the best food in the galaxy, but seeing as she spent two days without eating, it might as well have been an Alderainian delicacy.
"I saw on your serves records that you understand a remarkable number of alien languages. That's pretty rare in a fresh recruit, but it should come in handy while we're stranded on a foreign world."
"Especially seeing as we shouldn't be expecting rescue, right?" Meranda said between bites of her nutrient bare.
"Exactly, there's no way the Republic will be able to get anyone through the Sith blockade to help us. If we're going to find Bastila and get off this planet, we can't rely on anyone but ourselves."
"Groovy, so what makes Bastila special? I mean, I know she's a Jedi, but what makes her more important than any other Jedi?" Carth looked at Meranda like she was a two-headed Gamorian for a few moments before responding.
"That smack to the head did more damage than I thought. Bastila's a Jedi, she was on the strike team that killed Darth Revan, Malak's Sith master. Bastila is the key to the entire Republic war effort. The Sith must have found out she was on the Endar Spire and set up an ambush for us in this system. I believe Bastila was on one of the escape pods that crashed down on Taris. For the sake of the Republic war effort, we have to try and find her."
"So if we find nothing but her mangled corpse, the Republic is doomed?"
"We won't. Bastila is young and has a strong command of the Force. We survived the crash landing, so I'm willing to bet she did too. Besides, it's like you said, if Bastila is dead, then there is nothing to stop Malak and his Sith from wiping out the Republic. So I'd rather operate on the assumption that she survived."
"How very optimistic of you. But I still don't understand how anyone, even a Jedi, could be so vital to the war?"
"Bastila is no ordenary Jedi. She has a rear gift the Jedi call Battle Meditation. Bastila's power can influence entire armies. Through the Force, Bastila can inspire her allies with confidence and make her enemies loos the will to fight. And often, that's all it takes to tip the balance in battle. But there are limits to what she can do. From what I understand, it requires a great deal of concentration and focus to maintain Battle Meditation. The attack on the Endar Spire was so fast I don't think she had enough time to use it, let alone escape with her life. And now she's trapped here just like we are."
"Well, kriff, we better find her then, if only to get a better chance of escaping the planet. Any idea where we should start looking?"
"While you were out, I did some scouting around. There are some reports of two escape pods crashing in the Undercity. That's probably a good place to start. But the Undercity is a dangerous place. We don't want to go there unprepared. It won't do Bastila any good if we go getting ourselves killed."
"Get geared up, then head on down to rescue the damsel, sounds pretty straightforward."
"Good Idea, we can use this apartment as a base, and we can probably get some equipment and supplies here in Upper city. Just remember to keep a low profile. I've heard some grim stories about Sith interrogation techniques. They say the Force can do terrible things to your mind. It can wipe away your memories and destroy your very identity! But if we don't do anything stupid, we should be ok. I mean, after all, they're... They're just looking for Bastila, not a couple of grunts like us."
"Please, I'm the mistress of subtlety."
...
"Bendak is down! It's over! It's over! The fight is over! Bendak Starkiller is down! Bendak Starkiller is dead! All hail the Mysterious Stranger, the greatest duelist to ever grace the rings of Taris!"
"YA! LOOK AT ME, YOU KRIFFING SHUTTA'S! SAY MY NAME!" Meranda screeched as she held her vibro-sword over her head, taking in the fame of a massive crowd cheering her stage name. On the other hand, Carth was simply face palming in a mix of shame and horror.
...
Meranda took another shot of something she couldn't pronounce. Carth then up to her, looking rather annoyed.
"Welp looks like we either have to get our hands on some Sith uniforms or steal some papers."
"We knew that already."
"Well, I had to do something while you just sat around and drank."
"I wasn't just drinking Carth. I was talking to that woman over there. It turns out she's a Sith trooper. She and her buddies are going to be partying, a party they are looking forward to so much that they won't even get out of uniform until they get there."
"What!? We need to get there now."
"No rush, it's in like three hours. We can take our time." The two of them then walked out of the cantina. It was a bit of a walk, so Meranda decided to make small talk. "Hey, Carth, I'd like to some more about you."
"Me? Well, I've been a star-piolet for the Republic for years. I've seen more than my fair share of wars... I fought in the Mandalorian Wars before all this started. My homeworld was one of the first worlds to fall to Malak's fleet. The Sith bombed it into submission, and there wasn't a damn thing our Republic forces could do to stop them!"
"I'm sorry, Carth, we don't have to keep talking if you don't want to."
"I'm just a soldier; I go where the fleet admirals tell me to. I follow my orders, and I do my duty. It just... *sigh* Doesn't seem right that doing that means I failed them! I didn't!"
"You mean the people of your homeworld?"
"Yes. No... No, that's not what I mean. I mean... I'm sorry. I'm not making much sense, am I? You probably mean well with your questions. I'm just not accustomed to talking about my past very much. At all, actually. I'm more used to taking action... Keeping my mind focused on the business at hand. So let's just do that. If you have questions, ask them later."
"Ok, we're almost there. Here's the plan, get the bastards too drunk to stand, slit their throats, then we can take the uniforms and book it." Carth nodded, looking a little disturbed by the statement, but didn't protest the action either.
...
It was getting pretty late at night, Meranda looked over the wounded soldier they escaped the Endar Spire with. He was in critical condition. They left the droid to guard him while he recovered. Unfortunately, his injuries were too severe. Even if he survived, he would probably be crippled for life. She moved over to were Carth was, eager to look over his work.
"Well, the uniforms will fit, only needed some minor refitting."
"Hey, is it ok to ask you more questions?"
"I'm all ears, beautiful."
"Beautiful? Isn't that a little inappropriate?" Meranda said in a mock tone. She didn't really mind the attention, and it's not like Carth wasn't attractive himself.
"Is there something you'd prefer I called you?"
"How about gorgeous? I like that better."
"I'll consider it. What will you call me in exchange?" Carth said with a scoundrel's smile on his face. She wondered if she should take him down a peg or keep edging him on.
"How about... Handsom thug?"
"Well, I like the first part of that. I'm more partial to, the most handsome piolet in the galaxy. What do you think?"
"I'll think about it~."
"Well then, I guess, gorgeous will have to do then, won't it? But, in all seriousness, you're not going to give up on those questions, are you? Are they really necessary?" All the flirtation left his voice, so Meranda took a more serious tone as well.
"I just figured that we should get to know each other while we're stuck here."
"Well, if it's an interrogation you wanted, why didn't you say so?"
"Excellent, soon all your secrets will be mine!" Meranda laughed as she made the evilest face she could. She was getting a few chuckles from Carth as well.
"All of my secrets are purely of the mundane variety, unfortunately. Nothing worth extracting, though your welcome to try. Let me ask you something first, though. I've been going through the battle abord the Edar Spire over and over again in my head since we crashed. Some things just don't add up for me. Maybe you can tell me what happened... From your perspective."
"Well, let's see. I woke up, kicked as much ass as possible, watched some of my allies die horribly, inflicted that same horror on as many of the enemy as I could. Then I got the kriff out of there with as many people as I could."
"What is your position with the Republic fleet anyway?"
"I'm a soldier, joined up to protect our people. But now, I just want to see Sith bleed! I thought you said you looked at my records?"
"I did. It still seems a bit odd that someone who was made a last-minute addition to the crew is one of the only survivors."
"What's so odd about me being added at the last minute?" Meranda crossed her arms and was considering a scowl. Carth seemed to have the talent to go from being cute to annoying in a flash.
"You were the only one, and it was Bastila's party that requested your transfer."
"Wait, she did? Why would a Jedi I never met before want me abord?"
"No idea. The Jedi requested numerous things when they came on board... Hell, they practically took over the whole ship, as far as I can tell. Considering your connection to Bastila and the Jedi... Whether you know it or not... Your presence here is a little convenient. I'm probably wrong, and this is probably nothing, I know. However, I learned a long time ago not to take things at face value, and I hate being surprised."
"Trust me, Carth. I'm just as confused as you are. Maybe when we find Bastila, we can both get answers on that?"
"Look - It has nothing to do with you personally. I don't trust anyone... And I have my reasons. And no, I'm not going to discuss them. So can we just keep our minds on the task at hand?"
"Very well, but if you ever want to talk or have fun teasing someone, I'm around. Let's get to bed."
"Right, goodnight... Gorgeous."
"Sweet dreams, fly-boy~."