Carth:
The gates that led from the Outcast village into the Undercity were ominous. Gendar, the Outcast leader had been more than helpful, telling us everything he knew about Mission Vao. Rian stiffly walked ahead of me towards the gates. Her silence had begun to gnaw at me.
It was moments like these that made me wonder why I had left everything to join the military again. The Republic didn't need me. I wouldn't hesitate to give my life for my duties and that was admirable, but there were more important things to sacrifice myself for.
The image of long golden brown hair flashed in my mind again. I could have been a husband. But I decided to be a star pilot. A soldier. And a damn good one.
Instead I was stuck trudging through the Undercity trying to rescue a Jedi who may or may not be alive. The one person that had helped me so far, I managed to completely alienate. One stupid assumption on my part, Rian was pissed and rightly so.
"How big do you think these sewers are?" I asked.
Rian turned to face me. "They can't be too bad." She replied. "All we have to do is follow a trail of Wookiee hair anyway."
I nodded but she wasn't looking at me anymore. Rian was convincing the Outcast guard to open the gates.
It wouldn't take long. If there was one thing I had learned, that woman knew how to get her way. Even after growling threats at Gadon Thek's body guard, she managed to get him to guarantee a sponsorship to the annual swoop race in return for pinching a swoop bike accelerator that was stolen from them by the Black Vulkars. And my highest expectation of our meeting with the Hidden Beks had only been to find out what happened to those downed Republic pods.
Rian was able to milk that information from Gadon as well. The Vulkars looted the escape pods that crashed in the Undercity. A live female Republic officer was found in one. The name given for the officer was "Rian Vega." I had to stop myself from choking when I heard that. It had to be Bastila. And if it wasn't, well, I wasn't just going to let a fellow soldier be sold into slavery.
The creaking of the gates opening stirred me from my thoughts. Rian's nose crinkled as she glanced into the Undercity.
"Hurry up." she grumbled. "I don't want to be here any longer than I have to be."
"I don't blame you." I said. I hurried to her side.
The Undercity was a world of unfulfilled promises. Structures were half-built and abandoned generations ago. Amid the rusted, crumbling decay, Rakghouls thrived. They were hideous creatures with slick white deformed limbs.
I felt sick to my stomach and clutched my blasters. To think that these grotesques were once human. They seemed too preoccupied with fighting each other to notice Rian and me, and I was fine with that.
Immediately after entering the Undercity a girl seemed to materialize into the air. A blue Twi'lek girl.
"Isn't this convenient." I said, giving Rian a raised eyebrow.
"She must have been wearing a stealth generator." Rian shrugged.
"You don't find it odd that the kid we're looking for falls right into our lap?" I asked.
"I find a lot of things odd." A smarmy grin happened across her lips. "Like the Rodian mating rituals or certain flyboys with unkempt hair and an unhealthy fascination with their blasters."
"Is that it?" I chuckled. "Certain smart-mouthed smugglers with eating habits that could make a Hutt wince don't make your list?"
"Your flattery overwhelms me." Rian's smile died as the Twi'lek stopped in front of us.
The girl's face was flushed purple and she was openly panting. She blinked, her dark blue eyes round and fearful.
"Please! You have to help me! Nobody else is going to help me. Even the Beks won't help me." The young Twi'lek was frantic. If she had hair, she'd be pulling it out.
Rian stared at the girl intently. I couldn't read her and I didn't like it.
Mission didn't seem to notice. "But I can't just leave him there—he's my friend!" Her lip quivered and I noticed a bead of sweat get caught in her brow. "You'll help me, won't you?"
"Whoa, slow down, Mission." Rian gave the kid's shoulder a friendly squeeze. "What's wrong?"
"It's Zaalbar. He's in trouble—big trouble! We have to help him. If we don't they'll sell him into slavery!"
The Wookiee. I should have guessed when she showed up without him.
"Calm down, Mission." It was a gentle command, but Rian meant business. "Take a deep breath and tell me what happened."
Mission gave us a weak look. She looked like she had gone through hell just to get here, poor thing.
"Me… me and Zaalbar were just wandering around here in the Undercity." she said. "You know, looking for stuff, just kind of exploring. We do it all the time."
I slung my travel pack from my shoulder and rifled through it. There was a canteen in there somewhere. "I guess with a Wookiee at your side, you've got to figure you can handle the odd Rakghoul attacks." It was just a little casual conversation to ease Mission's anxiety.
I found the water and handed it to her. The girl took it graciously.
"Only this time they were waiting for us." Mission continued. "Gamorrean slave hunters. We didn't even have a chance to run." She handed the empty canteen back to me. "Big Z threw himself at them and he roared for me to run! I… I took off; I figured Zaalbar would be right behind me. But there were too many of them—he couldn't get away. They're going to sell him into slavery—I just know it!"
Mission gave us one last helpless look. Rian smiled.
"If I help you get Zaalbar back, you have to get me inside the Vulkar base."
My jaw dropped. This wasn't a game, what would happen if the kid didn't play along?
Mission didn't hesitate. "It's a deal—as soon as we get Big Z back, I'll show you a way into the Vulkar base!" she agreed. "Now come on—we have to find Zaalbar before they sell him into slavery or worse!"
The Twi'lek quickly did an about face on her heels and sprinted towards the sewers. Her blue hand beckoned for us to follow.
"Just follow the clumps of Wookiee hair." Rian grimaced as she trotted after Mission.
I groaned and fell in behind them.
