Carth:
"And I win again." Mission grinned.
I groaned. The girl held out an expectant hand. I dug into my pockets for the necessary credits.
"Ready to play again?" she asked.
"No way." It had to have been more than a coincidence that she won six times in a row. "I've had enough of pazaak."
Mission frowned. "Well, what do you want to do then?"
What I wanted to do was head to the Undercity and drag Rian out of there. What did she think she was doing? She had promised to explain everything when she got back and like an idiot I agreed to let her go. Why hadn't she included me? To look after Mission? Not likely. The only reason she probably took Zaalbar with her was because he would go along with whatever harebrained scheme she had.
I shouldn't have been worried. Even if the planet blew up, something told me that Rian Vega would find a way to come out on top. But something was up that she was keeping me out of and it was driving me crazy. If I just had a glimmering of what was going on, I was sure that I could rest easier.
"Carth?"
I shook my head. Mission was looking at me with her head cocked to one side. She looked concerned.
"Huh?"
"Caffa?" Mission was holding a steaming mug in her hands. "Did you want some?"
"Oh." I smiled and took the cup from her hands. "Thanks."
"No problem." Mission walked over towards the bureau and poured herself a cup. "No offense, but you look kind of out of it."
"I do?" I laughed. "You're probably right. I've just had a lot of things on my mind lately."
"I bet." She had a mischievous smirk on her face as she took a sip of caffa. "It wouldn't have anything to do with a certain vibroblade wielding lady?"
I gagged on my caffa. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Mission giggled. "Hey, I might be young, but I'm not stupid." she said. "How long have you two been together?"
"It's nothing like that." I insisted.
Mission's eyes trailed to the sole bed in the apartment.
"I sleep on the floor." I stammered.
"Fine." That smug grin would not leave the girl's face. "What are you two doing on Taris, anyway?"
"We're looking for someone." I said turning back to my caffa.
"And that requires me to help you guys break into the Vulkar base." Mission raised an eyebrow.
"Trust me, the less you know, the safer you are." I said.
Mission snorted. "It doesn't matter what I know," she replied. "after I break into the Vulkar base with you guys, I'm not going to be safe anymore."
"We're breaking into the Vulkar base to help the Beks and in return Gadon Thek is going to help us." I sighed. "Does that satisfy your curiosity?"
Mission shrugged. She downed her caffa and started to shuffle through her pazaak cards. An agonizing silence enveloped us.
I started pacing. It was dark outside; they had been gone for too long. I'd wait for one more hour, then I'd go and look for them.
"You're a pilot for the Republic, right?" Mission's voice cut through the silence.
"Yeah, why?"
"You've been all over the galaxy I bet, right?" She looked hopeful. "So tell me, how would you rate Taris compared to other worlds you've seen?"
I chuckled bitterly. "I'll be honest, Mission. Taris would rate pretty low." I sipped my caffa, letting the bitter liquid linger in my mouth. "The prejudice, the rich spoiling themselves while the poor are crushed beneath them—not a pretty picture."
"Yeah," Mission shrugged. "but that's only since the Sith occupation. Before that… well, I guess it wasn't all that different really." She looked at me. "Maybe Taris ain't as great as I thought, you know?"
"Trust me, Mission. There are a lot of worlds better than Taris." I assured her. "There are worse too. But Taris is no place for a kid to live on her own—even a kid who's got a Wookiee to look out for her."
Mission's dark blue eyes narrowed into slits. "Hey, I ain't no kid!" she fumed. "I look out for Big Z as much as he looks out for me. Big Z's my friend, not my babysitter! Geez, I come ask you a question and you give me a lecture."
"Don't you snap at me, missy!" I barked. "You want a lecture? How's this: Only bratty little children fly off the handle because of a single comment."
Mission stuck out her tongue. "I don't have to listen to you, Carth!" she declared. "You ain't my father—though you're sure old enough to be! So keep your lectures inside your withered old head 'cause I don't need 'em!" She crossed her arms stiffly.
A disgruntled roar interrupted our spat. Mission eyed the door anxiously as Zaalbar entered. In his arms was Rian.
I leapt to their side. "What happened?" I demanded.
The Wookiee bared his teeth at me and moaned something.
"What did he say?" I glared at Mission. "What's going on?"
Mission groaned. "Relax, geezer." she said. "Rian's asleep."
"What happened?" I repeated.
Mission turned to Zaalbar. The Wookiee carried on in Shyriiwook. And I had thought studying Huttese in school had been a smart choice. Mission had no problem understanding, however, and began to translate.
"Big Z says that a side effect of the medicine is drowsiness." she said.
"Medicine?" I exclaimed. "What does she need medicine for?"
The Wookiee growled at me and started for the bed. Mission looked hurt and scrambled after him.
"What do you mean 'you can't'?" Her lower lip jutted out and she put her hands on her hips.
Zaalbar gently laid Rian on the bed. She sighed peacefully as she snuggled deeper into the pillow. Zaalbar pulled a blanket over her, covering Rian to her throat.
Mission scowled and jabbed Zaalbar in the ribs. "Talk to me, Big Z!"
The Wookiee moaned apologetically. Mission groaned and shot me a helpless look.
"Big Z said that he promised Rian that he wouldn't discuss it." She shrugged. "Wookiees are known to be stubborn."
"I'll just have to wake her up then." I grumbled. I headed for the bed.
Zaalbar stepped in front of me. He flashed his sharp teeth at me again.
Mission laughed. "Good luck trying." she said. "Big Z dedicated his life to Rian and he doesn't think you should wake her up."
I was speechless. The Wookiee smiled at me the way a child would at a stray garnant in its clutches. I groaned and threw my hands up.
"You've got to be kidding me." I muttered.
The Wookiee had no reply. His eyes, however, bore holes into me, waiting expectantly. I had no desire to be torn limb from limb so I backed off.
"Fine." I said. "I'll wait until the morning. But then I expect some answers."
What was going on here? It was difficult enough dealing with Rian when it was just the two of us. But now with a Wookiee bodyguard and a troublesome kid thrown into the mix things weren't pointing in my favor. Well, as soon as we got off Taris with Bastila, I would be reassigned and I could leave Rian Vega and her growing entourage behind.
