Rian:
"That's the second body you've ransacked." Carth crossed his arms.
"So?" I snapped. I started digging through the pack that the Sith corpse had carried.
"I just thought that you didn't want to take a long time down here." he replied.
"Well, maybe on the way we can figure out what happened to Rukil's apprentice." I said.
Carth raised his eyebrow, but said nothing. It was okay, he didn't have to believe me, just so long as he didn't catch on to my real motive.
"We need to find Zaalbar before it's too late." Mission said. She looked anxious to move.
I ground my teeth together. A few credits, an uncharged blaster and an identification card. No serum.
"You're right." I told Mission. "Let's find the Wookiee."
I stood up and followed the other two through the sewer. There had been fewer Rakghouls in this section of sewer and gradually more Gamorreans, so we must have been heading in the right direction.
I stopped in my tracks when I heard Mission gasp.
"What's wrong?" Carth asked.
Mission glared at him and elbowed him in the ribs. I couldn't blame her. A few yards away, a Gamorrean sat sleeping in front of a sealed door.
"Some guard." I whispered.
"I'll take care of this." Carth murmured.
Mission and I looked on as Carth crept towards the slumbering Gamorrean. He cracked the Gamorrean over the head with the back of his blaster. The Gamorrean slumped forward and Carth slipped his blaster back into his holster.
"He'll be out for a while." he said.
Mission scurried towards the door and began to examine it. She ran her hands over the control panel and then scowling, kicked the door.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Look at this." she muttered, staring intently at the door. "This is one of those old style manual locks. No computer codes or nothing. The sewers are the only place you'll see one of these on Taris. You can't use conventional security spikes on these old locks."
"Well can you do something?" I demanded. Damn it, I wasn't trying to be impatient but I could feel it itching around my puncture wound. If I could cut it out, I would, but it was in my blood. I couldn't just drain every drop of blood from my body.
"Don't worry." Mission didn't sound too sure of herself. "I've come across them before. I've rigged up a little device that should do the trick."
Mission quickly went to work, reaching into her pockets. She popped something into her mouth and started chewing fiercely. Red and blue wires were sticking out of something.
"Rigged something, huh?" Carth muttered. He had a peculiar grin on his face.
"What about it?" I asked.
"The kid's playing with permacrete." he said.
"What?"
Mission stuck the detonator to the door. She turned to face us and shot an impish grin.
"On the count of three," she said. "I'm going to trigger this thing. When I say three, we run."
"But—" I spluttered.
"One."
"Wait a minute…" I pleaded.
"Two."
"Stop it. I mean it!"
"Three." Mission jabbed a red button on the detonator. It started to beep.
"Run!" Carth screamed.
I scrambled to the other end of the corridor with Carth and Mission on my heels. I covered my head with my hands, between crash landing on Taris and dancing with a Rakghoul, my skull couldn't take another beating.
The explosion was deafening. Carth's body collided with mine and I landed face first in a puddle of muck. When the dust cleared I shoved him off of me and wiped my face on his shirt. Mission was already standing brushing herself off. She giggled.
"What's so funny?" I growled.
Mission pointed towards the decimated door. We had managed to escape the blast, but forgot about the unconscious Gamorrean. What remained of him lay underneath a pile of rubble.
"Is that a Twi'lek thing, or do you just have a really sick sense of humor?" I grumbled.
"Twi'leks and humans aren't that different." Mission sniffed. "As a matter of fact, I was told a story when I was a kid about how humans used to be Twi'leks."
"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. I stood up and glowered at the stain on my pants.
"Really." Mission said. "There was a group of Twi'leks that disobeyed the wishes of their clan and as punishment had their lekku removed. They took the name 'humans' because 'blight of the galaxy' would be too obvious."
"I'll remember that." I said dryly.
"You're a sight for sore eyes, Mission."
Mission's eyes lit up at the sound of Shyriiwook. Through the debris around the doorway, the newly freed Wookiee carefully made his way out.
"Zaalbar!" she squealed. She ran over to the Wookiee and dove into his arms. "I'm glad to see you too! You didn't think I'd forget about you—Mission and Zaalbar together forever!"
Zaalbar wrapped Mission up in a hug. Her feet left the ground and she nuzzled her nose into his fur.
Zaalbar looked up and gave Carth and me a wary eye. "Who's that with you?" he asked her.
Mission grinned and jumped down from his embrace. "These are my new friends, Big Z." she announced. "Rian and Carth. Without them, I never could have got you out."
"Don't mention it." Wookiee vocal cords can resonant deeper vibrations than humans, so my ability to speak Shyriiwook was limited, but it was a simple phrase. I laughed nervously.
The Wookiee's eyes, watery and black, ate holes into me. What did he see? What was he thinking? I crossed my arms, conscious of my damaged palm.
"You know the language of my people?" Zaalbar was astounded.
Mission grinned from ear to ear jubilantly. Carth had his hand on his goatee, shaking his head.
"That is rare among your species; I am impressed." the Wookiee said finally. "You have saved me from a life of servitude and slavery. There is only one way I can repay such an act. I will swear a life debt to you."
Mission's jaw dropped. "A life debt?" she blubbered. "Are you sure about that, Big Z? Think about it carefully. You better be sure about this."
The Wookiee wasn't about to be swayed. "I am sure, Mission. This is an issue of great importance to me. Because of our great physical strength, Wookiees are being used as slave labor on our own homeworld." he explained. "They see us as brutes and animals to be exploited. Over the years slavers have taken many of my people; we must always be on guard against raids against our villages."
Zaalbar let out a deep sigh. "When the Gamorreans captured me, I thought I was doomed to a life of servitude. I have been saved from such a fate and the only way I can repay that is through a life debt."
"Big Z swearing a Wookiee life debt to you." Mission murmured. "Wow—this is major. Do you realize what this means?"
I looked to Carth for help, but he just smirked. "It's some kind of loyalty vow, isn't it?" I said hesitantly.
Mission nodded. "A life debt is the most solemn vow a Wookiee can make." she said. "It means he'll stay by your side for the rest of your life—wherever you go, whatever you do, Zaalbar will be with you."
I tried to smile as I shook my head. Carth laughed softly. I glared at him and opened my mouth. Zaalbar cut me off.
"In the presence of you all I swear my life debt. Forever after I will be by your side, Rian. May my vow be as strong as the roots of the great wroshyr trees of Kashyyyk."
I offered a weak smile. "I'm honored to accept this vow." I sighed. Just what I needed, a walking carpet to shadow me.
"I guess that means you're stuck with me too." Mission grinned broadly. "Wherever Big Z goes, I'm going. I almost lost him once—it's not going to happen again."
"I'm glad to have you aboard, Mission." That saccharin smile was frozen on my face. Paranoid flyboy? Check. Hairball and Snot-nosed brat? Check. My problems were just stacking up. I needed to find that serum and soon.
"So…" Mission's voice trailed off. She kicked a small piece of rubble. "I guess I still owe you one secret path into the Vulkar base. That was the deal, wasn't it?"
I raised an eyebrow and glared at her. Mission had better not be thinking of backing out on me now.
"Don't worry." She raised her hands, defensively. "I know a back door into that scum den."
"Good." Carth cut in. "The sooner we get there, the better."
"I better come with you." Mission said. "The Vulkars put up a force shield to keep the sewer dwellers out. I'm one of the only non-Vulkars on Taris who can get you past it. It's to the northeast, if I remember right. I just hope the rancor monster isn't still there."
"Rancor?" I spluttered. "Are you serious?"
Mission shrugged. "There used to be a rancor monster that made its nest in that part of the sewers. Pretty much eats anything it can get its claws on." she explained. "That thing is huge! Luckily rancors aren't too bright. I was able to sneak past it before, so I'm sure we'll figure something out. That is, unless you change your mind."
I glanced at Carth. He gave me a stern look. I sighed. "That's not really an option."
"Okay then, off we go." Mission said.
I shook my head. "Not so fast. It's late." Carth opened his mouth to argue, but I interrupted him. "Let's call it a night and start again early in the morning."
"I guess you're right." he muttered.
I chuckled to myself nervously. I sure as hell wasn't going to get any sleep that night. Let them be cozy and warm in that crowded apartment, I was going to spend the night in the Undercity frolicking from Sith corpse to Sith corpse until I found some serum.
