The woman crept closer to the cloaked figure. Was he dead? Injured? I could see her chest heave with every breath; practically feel the hot vapor she exhaled.
If she would remove the mask, show me who that man is—was, it could all make sense. But it was fading again…
My eyes fluttered open. I sat up and began kneading the crick in my neck. Carth was leaning against the wall opposite from the bed. He had a haggard look to him.
"How long have you been up?" I yawned.
"All night." His voice was gruff. "Your Wookiee friend likes to snore."
I snickered as I slid from the bed. I headed over to Carth, careful not to step on Zaalbar who was curled up next to the bed, Mission sleeping soundly in his arms. The girl's head seemed to rattle with each raspy breath the Wookiee exhaled.
"Why don't you lie down?" I suggested. "You're no use to me exhausted."
Carth's eyes lingered on the mattress for a moment before he shook his head. "We need to talk." he said.
"You're not allergic to Wookiee, are you?" I gave him a toothy grin as I stretched my sleepy arms.
"What were you doing in the Undercity?" he pressed.
"I think I should wake Mission and Zaalbar up." I mumbled. "We need to head to the Vulkar base."
As I turned away, Carth grabbed my bandaged hand. I tried to jerk my arm from him, but he wouldn't let go. Carth roughly tugged at the gauze and began to strip my injured hand.
"Why did you stop at Zelka Forn's?" he asked quietly.
The voice in the back of my head screamed Lie! I had to remind myself of the promise I had made. The bandage was in Carth's fist now; the healing wound's puckered skin was exposed. My normal flesh tone was slowly coming back but the vicinity of the puncture was still a ghastly shade of white.
"I lied earlier about not being bitten." My throat wanted to close up and swallow the admission. I forced myself to continue. "I had to go back with Zaalbar to find serum."
Carth led me hand-first towards the bureau. He pulled the top drawer open and produced a roll of gauze.
"Why didn't you just tell me?" He began to redress my injury.
I snorted bitterly. "Tell you that I was infected with an incurable disease that would turn me into mindless killer and risk you filling me full of blaster holes as a precaution?" I sighed. "No thanks pal."
"You think I'd shoot you?" Carth pulled the fresh bandage tightly around my hand. He lacked the bedside manner that Doctor Forn had, but it was no less effective.
"Well, it would have been an easy solution." I held my bandaged hand out for inspection, flexing it carefully.
"I think Zaalbar's awake." Carth cleared his throat.
The Wookiee barked a quick good morning in reply. He stood, the small Twi'lek still in his arms. He set Mission softly on the bed.
"Is this human bothering you, Rian Vega?"
"What if he is?" I smirked.
"I will take care of him." Zaalbar lumbered over to Carth.
Carth shot me a confused look as the Wookiee lifted him off the ground by his collar. Zaalbar roared and Carth struggled for his blasters.
"Zaalbar!" I exclaimed. I tried to reach his outstretched arm connected to Carth's neck, but realized that I was too short. I jumped and grappled for the Wookiee's forearm.
Zaalbar glanced at me dangling from his arm. "Is this not what you want?" he questioned.
"No!" I hollered. "Put him down. Now!"
Zaalbar relented. With a sigh he released Carth and I dropped back to the floor. Mission giggled from her seat on the bed and Carth glowered at her as he ran a hand over his throat.
"What was that about?" I cried.
"I was protecting you." Zaalbar said.
"Protecting…" That was too much. I doubled over, laughing until my eyes brimmed with tears. I grabbed my aching sides with my hands and forced myself to stand up straight.
"Zaalbar," I managed between guffaws. "I don't need protection from him." I motioned a thumb at Carth.
"I don't understand." Zaalbar moaned. "Is Carth Onasi part of your honor family?"
"Will you not attack him?" I asked.
"I have made a grievous mistake." Zaalbar's eyes became perfectly round. "Your honor family is my honor family. Please forgive me."
"Just don't let it happen again." I fought the smile that wanted to cross my lips. "Is there any decent caffa in this place?"
After breakfast we headed back to the sewers. Mission led us to the force field, a brassy look of confidence on her face. Zaalbar meanwhile crept lightly around Carth. The Wookiee seemed sincerely apologetic and was looking for an excuse to redeem himself.
"I think you were right about Bastila surviving the crash."
Carth stopped trudging through the sludge at my statement. "What makes you so sure?"
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the lightsaber. "Zaalbar and I found some of the Republic pods while looking for the Rakghoul serum." I explained. I tossed Carth the lightsaber. "The only body by the crash was a soldier's."
"Good work." he murmured. Carth passed it between his hands briefly before giving it back to me.
Carth and Zaalbar had trouble keeping up with Mission's nimble figure. The girl made leaping over debris look flawlessly easy. I was less graceful than she, but quicker so I could stay on her heels although my clothes were far more soiled in the end.
The force field gave the entire hall a blue glow. I'd hate to be any hapless creature that tried to crawl through those lasers; they probably wouldn't even be given the chance to think 'Sithspit!' before they were vaporized.
"Lucky for you, I've got the proper codes." Mission gave us all a smug grin. "I picked them off the pocket of a Black Vulkar who had a little too much to drink in the cantina one night."
The blue Twi'lek punched in the code. As the energy field fell, her grin widened.
The tunnels leading to the Vulkar base were much quieter than the normal sewer ways. Water dripping from a leaky pipe echoed with an eerie resonance.
Mission was confidently plodding forward. Zaalbar was still following Carth hesitantly, a look of despair on his furry mug. Carth had both blasters in his hands and I had the sinking feeling that he would accidentally shoot Zaalbar if startled.
"Zaalbar. Carth." I stepped between the two. "Why don't you two just talk and get it out of the way?"
"It's not that simple, Rian Vega." Zaalbar moaned.
"I don't speak Shyriiwook." Carth replied.
"I do."
Carth gave me a wary look as I offered a thumbs up. Zaalbar looked embarrassed.
"Just apologize and get it over with, Zaalbar." I insisted.
"It's not that simple." he rumbled. "I must redeem my honor."
"See? It wasn't so hard, was it?" I turned to Carth. "Zaalbar says he deeply regrets ever trying to hurt you."
The Wookiee's nostrils flared in a snarl. "I never said that!" he growled.
I shrugged. "It was a rough translation."
"What ever he said," Carth interrupted. "it doesn't matter. Zaalbar doesn't need to apologize. I just want to put the whole thing behind me."
"I will redeem myself, Carth Onasi." Zaalbar vowed.
I shook my head. At least I tried.
Before an enormous open doorway, Mission stopped dead in her tracks. Slowly, she turned to face us, her nose wrinkled in disgust. Her deep blue eyes were directed towards Zaalbar.
"Hey Big Z." She walked over to him and took a tentative sniff. "We've got to do something about your breath. I didn't want to say anything, but it's bad. Worse than usual, which is hard to believe." Mission announced matter-of-factly. "In fact, now that I think about it, your breath has been pretty rancid ever since we rescued you from those Gamorrean slavers. What did they feed you, buddy?"
Zaalbar turned his head from Mission. I noticed the Wookiee's nose twitch, trying to detect any odor.
"They didn't." he replied finally. "I wasn't their guest, Mission. I was a prisoner. I don't think they cared much what happened to me."
"Oh Zaalbar, that's terrible!" Mission exclaimed. She walked over to Zaalbar and threw her head against his torso as she hugged him. "I know how grouchy you get if you don't get your eight square meals a day. I'm amazed you didn't pass out from hunger."
Zaalbar shrugged uncomfortably. "I did manage to take a chunk out of the arm of a guard that wandered too close to my cage." he replied. "But it tasted awful, so I spit it out."
"Eww!" Mission pulled herself away from Zaalbar abruptly. "No wonder your breath is so bad, Big Z. Gamorreans smell like bantha poo doo!" she declared. "We'll have to pick you up a toothbrush to clean that stench out of your choppers."
"Wookiees do not brush their teeth, Mission!" Zaalbar roared. "It… it just isn't done! What humiliation will you use on me next? A comb?"
"Okay, relax. No toothbrush. Sheesh." Mission stuck out her tongue. "Just try to eat something else to cover up that smell, okay? Stay away from anything that's smart enough to lock you in a cage next time."
The Wookiee sighed and nodded. "I'll take care of it as soon as I can, Mission."
"I smell something too." I piped in. "But I don't think it's Zaalbar."
"I think I know what it is." Carth said as he poked his head through the doorway.
"Oh?" I peered around the doorway and gasped.
Amid piles of bones and strewn about rotting corpses, it stood. Pink and fleshy, the rancor was enormous. A single claw from the creature's hand was at least half my height. I had no desire to become dinner, but we had to get past that thing.
"I've been able to sneak past it before." Mission said pointedly.
"Don't even think about it." Carth cut in.
Mission's lower lip began to jut out as she glared at Carth.
"It doesn't matter if you can get past the rancor or not." I interrupted. "Carth and Zaalbar can't. We need another plan."
"Such as?" Mission raised an eyebrow.
That snotty little brat! "Do you have any permacrete left?" I asked.
Mission began rummaging through the satchels on her belt. Zaalbar also plucked a few things from the ammo clip strapped to his chest.
"These are not permacrete, but I believe they may be helpful." he said as he handed me two grenades.
"Thanks, pal." I turned to Carth. "How's your throwing arm?"
"So your plan is just to lob explosives at the rancor?" Carth gave me an incredulous look. "What happens if we make this entire tunnel collapse?"
"Do you have a better idea?" I asked.
Carth groaned in reply.
Mission had fished out her remaining permacrete and split it up between Zaalbar and herself. I gripped a grenade in my sweaty hand.
"Is everyone ready?" I waited for their nods.
I leapt into the room and whistled as loud as I could. The rancor's head snapped up in attention. I must have looked pretty tasty because the creature rushed at me.
"Now!" I screamed.
On my word, we all pelted the rancor with explosives. The monster shrieked as the first chucked grenade exploded. Raw flesh was exposed and the rancor began to frenzy, thrusting its claws about aimlessly. It charged at me, lead by its open maw.
Mission must have screamed. It had to be her. The voice was too high-pitched to have come from my throat. I was given a moment, rooted to the ground, to stare at the rancor as his gnashing jaw came closer.
I hit the ground with a thud. There was a deafening blast. My head crashed through a pile of bones and the nerve endings in my tailbone throbbed in agony under the weight of my Wookiee savior.
Zaalbar rolled off of me and groaned. Carth ran towards us, Mission on his heels.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"What about the rancor?" I gingerly touched the back of my head.
"It's dead." Carth said.
"Yeah," Mission chimed in. "Big Z knows how to save the day. Not only did he knock you out of the way, he managed to toss some permacrete into the rancor's mouth while doing it."
"Good job." I muttered. I stood up and brushed myself off. "Zaalbar?"
Zaalbar was still on his back, taking controlled breaths. A long gash grazed his ribs. Mission immediately fell to her knees at his side.
"Oh Zaalbar…" she murmured.
"I will live." he grunted.
Carth helped Zaalbar to his feet. I snagged Carth's pack and started sifting through it. Zaalbar was right, he would live, but a little bacta wouldn't hurt.
I found the bacta patch and pulled it out. I tried to gently push Zaalbar's fur out of the way of the wound. The Wookiee winced and I bit my lip.
"You saved my life." I said as I haphazardly dressed his wound.
"Life debt." Zaalbar said simply.
"Maybe I should swear a life debt to you in thanks." I suggested.
"Are you mocking me, Rian Vega?" he growled.
"Not at all." I put the finishing touches on his bacta patch. "I'm just unfamiliar with the custom. I saved you from the Gamorreans and you swore a life debt. You just saved me from a rancor, shouldn't I do something?"
"You are alive and that is enough." Zaalbar turned and headed towards the Vulkar base.
