Bastila:
The stale air of the apartment was strangely soothing. I sat on the bed in lotus position and let my mind go blank. Deliciously blank.
Carth had been kind enough to purchase a tunic for me so I could be rid of that tasteless bustier. It was a bit large, but I didn't mind. It covered what the leather pants did not.
As for Carth, he was in the refresher. After we had attempted to devise alternate escape plans, he grew frustrated and stormed into the bathroom. I realized that our conversation had ended by the sound of running water that followed. I honestly could not believe that a man of his ranking could be so impatient.
The hiss of the apartment door gliding open pulled me from my meditation. In walked the blue Twi'lek child followed by the Wookiee and Rian Vega. The woman sported a lopsided grin and the reek of alcohol.
"Well, hello to you too." she replied to my look of disdain.
"Do you realize how long you've been gone?" I asked.
"I had hoped it would be long enough for you to calm down." Rian said tartly. "Should I come back in a few hours?"
"You'll do no such thing!" I exclaimed. "You've been gone long enough."
"The doctor's visit took longer than I thought." She shrugged with her good arm.
"Oh?" My calm seemed to be slipping away. "What about after the doctor's?"
"I went to the cantina just like I said I would." Rian snapped. "Do you have paperwork for me to fill out now every time I want to leave the apartment?"
"Perhaps I should if you intend to drown yourself in a bottle." I retorted.
"I was able to coax the doctor into allowing me one glass of wine." she growled. "Whether you believe it not, that was all I had."
How foolish did she think I looked? "Did you bathe in this glass of wine, then? You stink of the stuff."
The Twi'lek giggled. Rian glared at her. The girl's lekku flattened against her shoulders and she sat down on the floor and motioned to her Wookiee friend. She produced a pazaak deck and the two began to play. Rian faced me with a heavy-lidded look of exhaustion.
"A lovely patron in the cantina thought he could purchase Mission from me, so I had Zaalbar heave him into a table." she said flatly. "In the process, I got soaked. Stung my arm like hell too."
I slid off the bed and walked towards her. Rian shifted her weight to one leg. She looked agitated.
"That's beside the point." I persisted. "While you were off gallivanting at the cantina, I was here with Carth trying to find a way off of this planet."
"Well," Rian sighed. "while you were trying to find a way off of this planet, I found one."
"This should be interesting." I murmured. What sort of harebrained scheme could she have possibly come up with amid her drunken stupor?
"The only way to break the quarantine and make it off Taris alive, is by snatching the launch codes at the Sith base." she stated.
"What do you propose we do then?" I smirked. "Knock on the front doors?"
"I propose that I do nothing, as I'm currently wounded." Rian shot back. "There's a little place in town where you can pick up an astromech droid who can bypass the security system. Scrounge up enough credits for the little bugger, break into the base and nab the codes."
"Even if we manage to get the codes without a legion of Sith soldiers swarming down our throats, we still don't have a ship." I argued.
"Nope." she agreed. "But Davik Kang does and I've got an insider who'll help us."
"And what do you know of this insider?" I questioned.
"He's a tough-as-nails merc with a heart of gold?" Rian grinned.
"Don't forget big and ugly looking." Mission chimed in.
"He's aged pretty well if you want my opinion." Rian chuckled.
"So you know nothing?" I demanded.
"His word is good." Rian assured me. "Call it a hunch."
I threw my hands up. "This is ridiculous!"
"What's ridiculous?" Carth asked as he walked out of the bathroom. His goatee had been trimmed and the neck of his shirt sported fresh water spots.
"She thinks we should raid the heavily armed Sith base because of a hunch!" I pointed a finger directly at Rian.
Rian crossed her arms. "You're just mad because you didn't think of it, aren't you?"
"What?" I spluttered. Of all the preposterous things I have ever heard, that had to be the worst.
"Besides, I don't see you coming up with a better plan." Rian's eyes were daggers.
"If you just gave me some time—"
"Time is a luxury that you don't have." Rian interrupted me. "Now the first part is easy. All we need is credits to buy the droid. How much money do we have?"
"If I had any money I can assure you that it was taken by Brejik." I spoke through clenched teeth.
"Carth?" Rian turned to the pilot.
"Most of my credits belong to Mission now." he grumbled.
"You have a horrible bluffing face." the Twi'lek stated simply. "Should I start letting you win?"
"Hand them over." Rian held out her hand.
"No way!" Mission protested. "I earned them. You want them, you'll have to play me for them."
"For your sake, I'm going to decline." Rian replied. "It's not in my nature to take people I'm fond of and obliterate them."
"Whatever." Mission rolled her eyes.
The Wookiee walked forward and placed some credits into Rian's outstretched palm. He spoke too quickly for me to decipher his words, but Rian was pleased by them.
"Alright, folks." Rian announced. "With Zaalbar's, Mission's and my credits combined we're a couple hundred credits short. Any suggestions on how to get some quick cash, or am I supposed to sway the shopkeeper on charm and good looks alone?"
"My credits?" Mission demanded.
"Yeah, yours." Rian retorted. "Or did you really think that Zaalbar saved up those credits he handed me instead of listening to his stomach and buying a nerf burger?"
"Zaalbar!" Mission exclaimed as she hopped to her feet. She jabbed him in the gut with a fist. The Wookiee shrugged and apologized.
I started to open my mouth when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked over to see Carth shoot me a sympathetic look.
"Rian's idea actually sounds like it's our best option right now." he muttered. "Unless you can come up with another plan to counter hers, maybe the easiest thing would be to go along with her for now."
I sighed. I sat back down on the bed and pulled my ankles in towards my torso. "Do whatever you want." I told Rian. "I would like to return to my meditation."
I closed my eyes and tried to shut the four others out.
