Chapter 4 –Search
Carth carried the twi'lik girl all the way to Zelka the healer's building on his back. Getting her past the Sith security officer at the lift was easy. He told him that she was being arrested. He accepted it without any questions – luckily – and let them past.
Carth lifted the girl down onto the medical bed in Zelka's office. Zelka looked at her for a couple of seconds before asking, "What happened to her?"
Carth looked at the doctor "I found her just outside a gang battle in the Undercity, I didn't want to see her get hurt so I brought her up here to you.
"Well it's not nothing too serious, just a slight concussion and some blaster burns. An arm's fractured. A day or two in the kolto tank ought to do it." The doctor pulled away from the table and opened the door towards the side of the facility.
"Carry her in here" he called out to Carth. Carth got the girl in a fireman's lift and brought her into the room. It was a long room lined with kolto tanks at each side and two at the end wall. It was warm in there with a sterile smell in the air. Zelka called Carth over to an open tank and they lifted the young girl in. Zelka strapped the oxygen mask over the girl's mouth and nose and shut the tank. The tank began to fill with kolto liquid and in five minutes the twi'lik girl was suspended in the healing liquid.
Carth noticed two men in the tanks at the end of the room. "Are those… are those republic soldiers in those tanks" Carth asked inquisitively.
"Yes they are, but then… you must be from the republic too" Zelka answered in shock and happiness.
"Well in that case you're welcome in this establishment. You know I couldn't let the Sith find those men, there interrogations are awful, you know what they're like. People bring the soldiers in and I heal them up here. Most won't survive more than a couple of days anyway but I can make their last days more comfortable here."
"Its good work you're doing here doctor" Carth replied "Is there anything I could do to help you?"
"Well unless you can get me some Rakghoul serum there's not much you can do?"
"Rakghoul serum?" Carth repeated.
"Yes" Zelka verified "the republic was close to developing a cure when the Sith invaded. Now the keep it all for themselves and only give to the soldiers going into the Undercity. The republic's lab is locked up tighter than a Hutt's vault so I wouldn't even think of breaking in there for it."
"I could get some off a Sith Patrol in the Undercity and bring it back to you." Carth offered.
"Well I wouldn't be able to give you much for it, I only charge what's necessary to keep the place open around here."
"That's not important, what's important is that you make a cure for those people who have it." Carth said in a tone, which said, conversation over.
Carth decided to leave. He'd come back later to check on the girl and make sure everything was ok.
Carth went back to the apartment's where very nervous woman who took several moments to register bumped him into she had actually been stopped and was walking into someone.
She looked up at Carth "Sorry sir, I can't stay to talk. I have to go… if you'd kindly move." She spoke in a posh, pious voice.
Carth stood aside and let her go. "Odd woman" he thought.
The next day after some more exploration of the upper city of Taris Carth returned to Zelka's medical facility.
"How is she?" Carth asked as soon as he reached Zelka's desk.
Zelka looked up "She's fine now, she woke up only five minutes before you got here."
Carth raised his head and looked around "Where is she?"
Zelka pointed at the side door with his thumb. "She's back there, hold on I'll let you in there."
Zelka opened the door and returned to his work at the desk as Carth walked up to the girl who was drying herself off with a towel at the tank.
Carth saw her and turned away and covered the side of his face with his open hand. "Oh sorry, I'll let you get changed first"
"Hey mister, who do you think you are walking in on like that!" the girl asked agitatedly. "Oh wait" she continued, voice softening "you must the man who rescued me and brought me here. I'm Mission Vao, thanks for saving me" She offered Carth a glistening wet hand . Carth turned to see she had wrapped the large towel around herself. Carth took her hand and shook. "I'm Carth Onasi."
"Well Carth, It's nice to meet you. You didn't happen to see a wookie around here, answers to the name of Zaalbar – Large? – Hairy?"
Carth shook his head.
"Thought so, he's probably back at the Bek's base waiting for me to get back. He'd be lost without me ya know" she chirped.
"I suppose we had better go to the Bek's base then hadn't we" Carth suggested.
"Yup, lets go, but you're gonna have to leave now. I have to get changed!" Mission grabbed her clothes from the table as Carth turned away and walked out the doors.
Five minutes later Mission was out and ready to go. She thanked the doctor and beckoned Carth to follow as she ran out of the facility.
When Mission saw that she was on the Upper City she stopped in her tracks. She breathes in deep enjoying the crisp, clean air of the upper city. It tasted almost sweet when compared to the stuffy Lower City. She had rarely every seen the upper city and the shine and cleanliness of it hit her at once. She had never seen such a beautiful sky before.
She recovered from her momentary amazement and turned back to Carth who had been watching her there on the street. "Well come on. We don't have all day!"
Carth ran up to her and after a quick change into the Sith uniform was "escorting" the young twi'lik back to the Lower City.
Five minutes later Mission and Carth were standing right on front of Gadon a large, proud standing man who radiated an aura of confidence and respect. The Bek's base wasn't very difficult to find as it was near the Lower City Cantina and there was an armed guard standing outside it. It was easy to see why the Bek's followedGadon and Carth thought it was the sign of a good leader to make himself accessible to all the gang members by working in the main lobby of the base instead of in some closed office room. Carth could inderstand why the Bek's were more or less the most powerful swoop gang in the Lower City at the present time.
Mission looked pleadingly at Gadon "Please Gadon, you've got to know something about where Zaalbar is."
Gadon spoke softly to her "Look mission, after the battle Zaalbar went off in search of you. The last I heard he was in the Undercity. That was yesterday and he hasn't been heard from since."
Mission looked even more worried "But what if the Rakghoul got him" she fretted as her voice grew higher.
Gadon reassured Mission "You know Zaalbar can hold himself against Rakghoul pretty easily. Actually Mission I've heard a rumour, and now its only a rumour, but apparently Garmorean slave traders have caught a wookie in the Undercity and how many wookie do either of us know"
Mission perked up "Zaalbar!"
Gadon nodded.
Mission grabbed the Hem of Carth's jacket and started to pull him towards the door of the base. Carth stood his ground. Turning to Gadon he asked if he had seen or heard about the republic escape pods in the Undercity. Gadon explained to him that the Black Vulkars had been first on the scene – even if they knew Davik, the local crime-lord, would have wanted first pick – and had apparently captured a commanding republic officer and were offering her as a prize in the Inter-gang swoop races coming up.
He then told Carth about how the Vulkars had stolen a prototype accelerator that the Bek's had developed which if not recovered would surely give the Vulkar's victory in the swoop race and that if they did the new members they would get would be enough to topple the Bek's control and bring chaos to theLowerCity.And for the first time since they met Gadon actually seemed worried.
Carth straightened up and told Gadon in his most reassuring and respectful voice that he would recover the accelerator for the Bek's when he got into their base and after trading the Sith armour for the papers required to enter the Undercity he and an enthusiastic Mission left for the Undercity.
Carth sighed, "Why is Mission, that with everyone I meet I end having more work than when I started?"
Mission shrugged "Maybe you're just one of these guys that everyone turns to when they need help. You seem very dependable you know."
"Great" Carth said in an irritated tone. He had his own problems to deal with without every other single person's on this planet!
Mission could hear the distain in Carth's voice and changed the subject quickly "Why'd you give him the armour Carth? We could've used it down here"
"Well Gadon wanted them as trade for the papers and we needed them more than the Armour at this point." Carth replied Carth nonchalantly.
Mission nodded and accepted that Carth didn't really want to chat at the time as they continued on walking towards the Undercity.
Hi everyone, sorry for the wait in getting this chapter up. I've been pretty busy this week so I didn't get the time to write it but here it is. Read and Enjoy. And Please Read and Review. Seriously all reveiws whether agreeable or critical (please make it constructive if you must) all greatly appreciated.
