This pain. It was hitting my skull every second. Burning my eyes. That torture... But did... Did it mean I was alive? Would I have survived?

"Hey."

A noise. A sound. A voice. Painful too.

Onasi?

"Galhor, open your eyes."

I did not know how long it took me to respond to Carth's request. But I finally opened my eyes, painfully, and struggled to get up from my lying position. I immediately felt Carth's arm come to support my back, and help me in this perilous, yet so harmless, undertaking. My vision was partially blurred. I was unable at that moment to examine the place in which my Lieutenant and I were staying. I could only deduce that we were not outdoors. I could identify walls, ceiling and windows that seemed to be covered by blackout curtains. Gradually my eyes regained their capacity, and I could make out what appeared to be a table, chairs, one or two benches, and some bunks. My mind was still very confused. So much so that for a moment I thought I was on the Endar Spire, questioning the reality of all the events I had experienced earlier.

"Here." A concerned Carth Onasi said, handing me a glass of water with his free hand. I looked at him for a few seconds, confused, then finally grabbed it and brought it shakily to my lips. "Drink it in small sips." The man recommended, which I obediently did.

"You scared me, Galhor. For a moment I thought you would never wake up."

I listened to my superior with difficulty. I could hear the words he was saying, but I couldn't put them all together and grasp them effectively. Without responding to his words, I nevertheless made a painful attempt to communicate:

"Where are we?"

"Taris. Our capsule crashed in the lower city. You lost consciousness when we entered the atmosphere. The shaking was very violent. Your head took a nasty blow and sent you into a deep unconsciousness."

I tried to look at Carth, attentive.

"By the way, do you remember what happened?" The Lieutenant asked almost abruptly. I looked at him quizzically, inviting him to clarify his thoughts. "I am aware of some of your information. I understand that this is not the first shock to your head. And I understand that you have some after-effects."

My eyes meeting my hands, I took a short breath before answering. This was an event in my life that I had not yet fully accepted. My accident, my long convalescence, my amnesia... I had no clear memory of what I had experienced, making the present reality even more elusive and unacceptable. I was unable to mourn a part of my memory, and therefore a part of my life. A life of which I had almost no images left. There was nothing coherent about it, but it was there.

"I am no more of an invalid than I was, don't worry Lieutenant." I finally said, defensively. A tone that Carth seemed to perceive.

"I am simply asking how you are, Corem." My superior replied with a certain softness and warm familiarity.

"I still feel shaken up, but I think I'm fine, Lieutenant." I answered much more kindly. Onasi smiled contentedly, relieved to hear the good news. "Where exactly are we?" I continued.

"In an old abandoned flat. When the capsule crashed in the lower city, I rushed to get us out. The gangs have taken over this whole part of Taris. Crashed Republican cruiser escape pods are a wonderful opportunity for them to loot and capture. Not to mention the Sith quarantine that was instituted during the attack on the Endar Spire. They were wisely waiting for the pods to land to pick up the survivors." Carth seemed suddenly to be particularly worried. What about Bastila Shan? But he quickly recovered his posture and continued:

"I carried you to the upper city. In the middle of the evening, we were attracting a bit of attention, but many people just thought I was taking a fellow party-goer home. At worst, we made a bunch of Tarsians laugh."

We both smiled in amusement.

"I wandered around the upper city. Then I ventured into this building, which, while not totally insalubrious, did not seem to be particularly well managed. During my exploration, I discovered this flat, the door half open. I didn't hesitate. I moved us in. I figured that if someone were to come back here..., well, they'd just kick us out, full stop. But, so far, no one has ever been in this flat except the two of us. Four days have passed, and here we are, talking."

"I've been unconscious that long?" I asked incredulously.

"Yes."

I sighed and continued, "Thank you, Lieutenant. I owe you my life." I announced gratefully, looking at my superior.

"There is no need to thank me. It's my duty. I never leave anyone behind."

This last word provoked in me a violent burst of regret. It threw the sacrifice of Trask Ulgo, and the loss of all my comrades, right in my face. Of course, I had nothing to blame myself for, but it was hard not to feel a little responsible. I took Carth's words as a judgment, even though the poor man had no idea what had happened on the cruiser.

"What now?" I asked in a tired voice.

"Now that you're conscious, and apparently valid, I'm going to go and look for information about the crash of the other pods. Let's not fool ourselves. If Bastila is still alive, she must have been captured by the gangs."

"Or by the Sith." I replied.

"No. If that were the case, they would have all left Taris by now. We have to bet on the gangs. Or something else. But, clearly, the Sith haven't gotten their hands on her. Not yet."

Carth then moved away from me and I saw him grab his familiar orange jacket, which he quickly put on. Instinctively I rose from the bunk on which I had spent the last four days, and prepared to join my superior. Only, as I struggled to get hold of my boots, Carth gave a sort of dull whistle at me. I turned to him in confusion.

"You stay here. You are with us again, but we are in no condition to explore. Stay here. There is a small supply of food in one of the lockers in the kitchen area. Get your strength back if you want to be useful afterwards."

The Lieutenant finished by offering me a kindly smile, to which I responded. Then he left the flat, looking for information that might lead us to our Commander. For my part, I obeyed the orders and remained in the appartment. I searched the lockers and found a handful of dried biscuits, some fruit, and several pieces of dried meat. I grabbed a portion of the meat and a fruit, which I happily ate on one of the benches in the flat. I enjoyed the peace and quiet of the place for a while longer, before getting back to work properly.


Carth returned after about two hours. As he passed through the doorway I saw him take off his jacket and place it roughly on the back of one of the chairs around a round table at which I had sat. Then he looked up at me and sighed wearily before taking his seat.

"Did you learn anything?" I asked in a rejuvenated voice. The man stared at the tabletop for a moment, then replied very factually:

"I'm sorry to have to request your help so quickly: you're invited to a little party tonight."

I raised my eyebrows before frowning almost violently. Then I scanned the room, hoping perhaps to find the link that would enable me to understand what Carth had just told me. But nothing came, and Carth spoke again:

"The gangs were the first to join the capsules. They stole everything that could be stolen and captured all the survivors."

"Is the commander one of those survivors?" I asked reasonably. Carth seemed to grit his teeth before answering me:

"I don't know for sure. But I have heard of an upcoming swoop race in the lower city, run by the Black Vulkar gang. It would be the 'final' race of the season, which was suddenly advanced, when the pods crashed."

"The point is?" I asked.

"They would give a very special award this season. I thought it might be Bastila, but I didn't really believe it. Then someone mentioned a 'very high ranking member of the Republic'. When Bastila left the Endar Spire, she was wearing the uniform, and the command badge. They must have found her, captured her, and offered her as a prize to the winner of this upcoming race."

I nodded slightly, my eyes glazing over. What he was saying made sense. Nevertheless, it was a fragile assumption. But we had no choice but to pursue it. Suddenly I snapped out of my thoughts and stared firmly at my superior:

"What about this party... ?" I asked. Carth could not conceal a slight smile before offering an explanation.

"We need to go to the lower city. We need to be there on the day of the race, and before the Sith show any interest. We need to get close to the pilots, the staff, but most importantly the prize. And you don't just walk into the Undercity as you please. During my wanderings, I met a young, tipsy woman who works for the Sith, a woman named Sarna. She invited me to a party she was hosting at her home with some of her Sith colleagues. This would be a good opportunity to get some passes."

"So you're the one invited." I corrected, gesturing with my hand, pointing to my Lieutenant.

"Yes, but I'm not going." The man replied first, his eyes fixed on me."She was quite liquored up, Sarna. She wasn't able to put a name to my face. I'm not a huge celebrity, but if I show up in a flat full of Sith, surely someone will recognise me."

"But how is your girlfriend going to react when she sees me on the doorstep, while she's waiting for you? We wouldn't be so easily confused."

"Play it smart!" He said in a cheerful tone. I could almost think that he was amused by the situation. "You tell her that you are this nice guy she met in the cantina in the upper town and invited to her house for a party. Fresh as she was, there's a good chance she'll be fooled by your eloquence."

I observed my superior with a touch of false vexation. The man, who was holding my gaze, seemed for a brief moment confused. Then, suddenly, his features relaxed, and he gave a somewhat embarrassed laugh.

"I wasn't implying that you had no charisma, Corem." The soldier justified himself, barely holding back a laugh. I accompanied the man with a certain pleasure. Such lightness brought some light to our dark situation.

"Good. I resumed, stifling my laughter as best I could. "It's time to go and coax that depraved woman."