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Chapter 3 – Lost and Found

Carth opened his eyes. His skull was pounding. He looked at the blue Taris sky. It all hit him at once. The convoy, the ambush and the destruction of the Endar Spire.

He knew what he had to do – find Bastila. She was what it was all about.

"Arrogant Jedi, they'd kill us all to save one of their own, all-mighty bastards."

Still it wasn't Bastila's fault and he had to find her. Not for the Jedi, but for the republic itself.

He climbed out of the escape pod and saw that people were gathering around to see what had landed from straight out of the sky. He slipped into the gathering crowd and searched for somewhere to lie low. It wouldn't be long until the Sith would be on the scene and he couldn't let himself be caught.

Carth entered a run down looking apartment complex and the first thing he noticed was that there were no humans in this apartment - Just the place to hide on Taris. It was full of aliens so there was little chance of people or authorities i.e. Sith searching or checking around here.

He walked around the corridor until he found an abandoned apartment and entered it.

Carth took a moment to take in the apartment. It wasn't much. It was nearly nothing in fact, a few tables, two panels jutting out of the wall on the sides as beds, an old footlocker and a dusty workbench.

"Home Sweet Home" Carth thought sarcastically as he threw his gear bag onto the nearest table and lay down on a bed. He needed some well-deserved rest.

When he woke it was late evening and the Tarisian sun was setting beneath the clouds. A Sith patrol was heading towards the apartments, probably looking for republic fugitives Carth thought. He walked across the Upper's city's streets. There was a fountain with three metal arcs floating vertically above it directly outside the apartment. The streets were immaculately clean and the people – all human – were clean and well dressed. It was hard to believe that underneath all this poverty, decay and dilapidation reigned. It was getting cold as Carth held his arms around his sides and shivered. Trying not to think of the Sith searching for him Carth headed to the local cantina across the way.

He walked in and the smell of juma juice, caffa and an assortment of other alcoholic beverages hit him. He surveyed the room and began chatting to the rather inebriated locals about any interesting "news" lately. After buying a used pazzak deck for Garouk he decided to give the local boy Niklos a game of cards. A great opportunity for a bit of a chat and Carth had always enjoyed Pazzak anyways.It was one of the few luxuries he could indulge in, in his free time aboard republic cruisers.

"So, Niklos, is it? Any news on Taris lately?" Carth asked striking up conversation with his opponent.

"You mean apart from the Sith taking over?" replied Niklos rhetorically as it were the most obvious thing ever.

"Well any news more recently?" asked Carth reiterating his question.

"Well apparently the Sith are searching republic escape pods in the Undercity for any surviving republic soldiers from the battle, you know, up there," Niklos continued pointing up towards space "good luck getting down there though unless you've got some Sith armour handy."

"Really?" Carth continued playing dumb " I wonder if they'll find anything interesting there."

Niklos reached into his pocket. "I don't know, don't even care either" he continued "anyway thanks for the game, here's you're forty credits and if you ever want to play again you know where to find me."

Carth got up and thought about what he had just heard "Sith armour, where would I get that?" he asked himself.

Suddenly he heard a female voice over to him. "Hey you there, would you care to join me for a drink?" Carth turned to find a female Sith officer sitting at a table alone. She was beckoning him over with her finger and as much as Carth hated the Sith and everything they stood for he knew not to pass up such a golden opportunity.

All he had to do now was figure out how to get the Sith armour out of her.

He sat down beside the female Sith officer. "Hello I'm Ca… Carl Onka" Carth lied.

"That's an… interesting name, I'm Sara Regan" replied the tipsy female officer.

"So what's a girl like you doing in a bar like this?" Carth asked and gave a wonky smile. Hopefully he looked and sounded genuine.

The officer giggled, "What am I doing here? I have no idea. Looking out for some republic soldiers probably." She giggled again. "Hey Ca… Carl I like you, do ya wanna come back to our apartment for a little get together we're having? Its not like there's anything better to do around here."

Carth couldn't believe his luck now. "I'd love too" he hastily answered.

Carth took the officer to the North apartments where she and the other Sith around were stationed. He entered to see other Sith officers out of uniform drinking over a keg of Tarisian ale. "Strong stuff" Carth thought.

Sara proceeded straight to the keg and poured to glasses of ale. "One for you and one for me" she said merrily, hastily downing her glass and getting another. Carth sipped his tarisian ale. All he had to do was wait until the officers got paralytic and fell asleep then he could liberate the Sith armour.

An hour later and he hand the Sith armour stuffed under his top as he snuck out of the apartment and back onto the streets. Carth was tempted to leave a plasma grenade behind him to blow everything in the apartment sky-high but he thought better of it knowing he definitely didn't need the attention that would cause. It was night now and the stars were in full in the Taris skyline.

He headed towards the lift at the end of the street. Outside the lift Carth slipped into his Sith armour and headed towards the lift.

The officer stationed there looked up at him "Lower City patrol?" the guard asked "Rather you than me." Carth gave him a quick glance and got into the lift.

When the lift opened onto the lower city Carth could hear blaster shots and shouting. A gang war was in progress. Carth snuck down the grimy street. At the midsection of the street blaster shots were being traded between two rival gangs. "Black Vulkars rule the undercity!" one gang proclaimed as the others shot back with their chant "Hidden Beks for life!" Carth watched the battle unnoticed in the dark when he noticed a young twi'lik girl Lying unconscious just four metres from of the gangs.

"Poor girl, what are doing in this middle of this" thought Carth to himself, as, in the darkness, flung her over his soldier and carried her back towards the lift. They could kill each other for all Carth cared but he wouldn't let innocent people get hurt and his young rescuee looked far too young to be involved with either gang.