*Edited: Typos & Grammatical Errors.
Chapter 7: Escaping Taris, part one
Ashla looked through the bag of clothes she had accumulated over the past few weeks while Bastila cleaned up in the refresher. Bastila needed something to wear besides the slave outfit the Vulkars had fitted her in for the race. Deciding the brown pants and matching top would work until Bastila could find a replacement, Ashla set them beside Bastila's lightsaber. As her fingertips accidentally brushed against the weapon, Ashla gasped as the apartment faded into blackness.
Bastila's lightsaber whirled as she fought the dark Jedi. Other Jedi joined her fight, lining up behind her. The dark Jedi lay crumpled at her feet. "You cannot win, Revan," Bastila said, as she twirled her lightsaber back into the ready position. The Sith lord was clad in long black robes and flourished a blood red lightsaber. There was an explosion, knocking Bastila, and the Jedi behind her, unconscious. When Bastila rose, Revan was lying unconscious on the floor of the bridge before her.
#
Finally, things were looking up! Carth thought as he, Mission and Zaalbar walked back to the apartment. They had found Bastila after weeks of searching. Before too much longer they would find a way to get off this planet, and he'd be back with the Fleet. He and Ashla would go their separate ways, too. That's for the best, he thought as he pushed away a faint feeling of disappointment. Thinking of Zaalbar trailing behind him, at least she'll have a Wookiee, and probably Mission, with her.
As Carth opened the apartment door, he saw Ashla sitting on the floor with her head between her hands. "Ash?" Carth dashed across the room to kneel beside her. "Whoa, what happened?"
Bastila stormed out of the refresher. "What's the matter with her?" Bastila demanded, tying the sash of Ashla's blue robe around her slim waist.
Zaalbar raised his bowcaster at the sight of the unfamiliar young woman, growling softly.
"Carth, call off your Wookiee, if you please." Bastila said as she picked up the clothes Ashla had set out for her.
"Zaalbar, lower your weapon. This is Bastila, the Jedi we have been trying to find." Looking back at Bastila, he said, "I don't know what happened. I walked in and found her like this."
Having assessed that Carth had things under control, Bastila retreated back into the refresher to finish getting dressed.
Mission watched fretfully as Ashla began to stir. She grabbed a water pouch out of her bag and took to Carth, who nodded his thanks.
Ashla slowly opened her eyes to see Carth looking at her in concern. "Wha… what's going on?" She said sluggishly, as the room slowly came back into focus.
"I was kind of hoping you could tell me, beautiful."
Ashla massaged her forehead, trying to clear the fuzziness away. "I'm not sure. I was getting clothes for Bastila. I…" Ashla blanched. "I don't know. One minute I was fine, the next I accidentally touched her lightsaber and then, the world went black. I saw..." She swallowed, not wanting to continue, afraid that Carth would think she was going crazy.
Bastila had come out of the refresher and stood behind Carth, staring down at her. It reminded her of how Bastila looked down on the Sith lord in the vision. Ashla's brows furrowed together in a frown.
"What did you see?" Bastila asked in a soothing tone.
Ashla stared at the young Jedi, deciding what she should say. It seemed all eyes were on her. "I saw you. You were fighting someone. A Sith lord... Revan, maybe. I don't know. The person wore all black robes and a mask." Ashla shuddered visibly.
Bastila took a step back. "This is… strange. A vision?"
Ashla nodded. "I'm not sure. It happened when I accidentally touched your lightsaber. I can't recall ever experiencing anything like this before."
"Visions are often signs of force sensitivity." Bastila picked up her lightsaber and clipped it to her belt.
Carth helped her to stand. Ashla strode over to the window. She gazed out over the sunset, deep in thought. Why had the Force given her a vision from Bastila's past? "Are you saying I can use the force?" She opened the water Carth gave her, taking a cautious drink.
"I'm not sure. You may have some connection to the force. It's not unheard of…" Bastila said. "It is possible that when you touched the lightsaber, you witnessed one of my more… intense moments."
For Carth, some of the small oddities that he had witnessed over the past few weeks began to make sense. He thought back to the other morning when she woke early and couldn't sleep because of a 'feeling.' That morning, it seemed like they were in the right place at the right time to meet Mission, and to save Zaalbar from the slavers. Or, how easily she took to racing a swoop bike… or managed to dodge blaster fire on occasion.
Bastila continued, "the force is complicated… even with all my training, I sometimes don't always fully understand. This matter is better left up to the Jedi Council."
Carth agreed. "Yes, we should get back to the matter at hand. We need to come up with a plan to get off Taris."
"What? You don't already have a plan? Well… just what have you been doing all this time?" Bastila scoffed.
Ashla turned away from the window to face Bastila and the others. Her eyes narrowed as she stared down Bastila. "We were trying to find you, remember?"
"Hmph. I see. Well, now that I'm back in charge of this mission, perhaps our escape will go more smoothly than they did when you rescued me from Brejik." Bastila chided her.
Ashla inhaled sharply, and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"You know, you may be new to all of this, Bastila, but a good leader doesn't belittle her troops when things aren't going as planned. Perhaps you should keep your ego in check and not let it get in the way of the real issues here." Carth said stiffly.
"My ego?!" Bastila gasped. "I'll have you know my battle meditation has been instrumental in aiding the Republic."
"Well, your talents might win us a few battles, but that doesn't make you a good leader! A good leader would at least listen to the advice of those who have seen more combat that she ever will! " Carth crossed his arms, glaring at the young Jedi.
Ashla slammed her hand on the table, getting their attention. "Enough! This isn't helping us right now. Carth, while you are right, arguing isn't going to get us off this planet."
Bastila narrowed her eyes while crossing her arms defensively. "I see. Very well. I apologize, Carth. This has been a difficult time for me. Of course, I'll listen to your suggestions." She grumbled.
Carth nodded. "First of all, we can't get hung up on who's in charge. We need to work together as a team to get out of this situation. There are answers out there, we just have to find them."
"Nicely put, Carth. I suggest we start with the locals. Ask around to see if any of them can help us out. It would probably be best to start in the cantinas." Bastila said, as she looked around the room. "We could continue to use this as a base of operations. It will... suffice."
Ashla swallowed down a stinging retort, perhaps you would prefer your cage, your highness? She was grumpy, tired and hungry… and had had just about enough of the young Jedi's haughtiness for one day. She strode stiffly over to the footlocker beside the workbench and threw it open, tossing her vibroblades inside. In their place, she equipped a pair of blasters. Grabbing a handful of credits, she stuffed them into one of the pockets on her belt. Rifling through her pack, she found the rakghoul serum, which she placed in another pocket on her belt. She glanced at Zaalbar, and nodded towards the door. The Wookiee fell in step behind her, with Mission following at his heels.
"Hey, where are you going?" Carth asked as she opened the door.
"Out." She glanced pointedly at Bastila, who was at the workbench adjusting her lightsaber.
Bastila reclipped her lightsaber to her belt, and walked across the apartment. "Are we heading to the cantina?"
She wanted to say no. Instead, she nodded stiffly as the group followed her out of the apartment. It was going to be a long night.
#
The cantina was crowded and loud, which did little to soothe Ashla's nerves as she sat at the table, alone. They had agreed to split up when they reached the cantina, that way they could cover more ground and talk to as many people as possible without drawing too much attention to themselves.
Mission and Zaalbar had set themselves up at the bar. Ashla sat at a table with her back to the wall, watching the pair. Mission giggled as a young man flirted with her, while Zaalbar growled menacingly behind her. Carth was with Bastila roaming around the cantina, eavesdropping on conversations in hopes to find some way to get them offworld.
Her Tarisian ale sat untouched before her, as she drummed her fingers on the table. The server dropped off her plate of noodles and vegetables. Picking up the chopsticks, she dug into the plate, while watching the throng of people mill around the cantina.
A shadow fell over her as she picked up her ale.
"I saw you in the swoop race this morning. Very impressive." The man's voice was deep and gravely.
Ashla looked up to find steely grey eyes staring down at her. "You must have mistaken me for someone else." She said cooly.
"I don't make mistakes. You seem like you know how to get results. That's just the kind of person I'm looking for." The man pulled a chair out next to her and sat, so that his back also faced the wall behind them.
Ashla sat her chopsticks in the noodle dish, and pushed the plate away. She looked around the cantina for Carth and Bastila. Carth had noticed the large man sitting down beside Ashla, and was heading her way, with Bastila trailing behind him.
Ashla looked back to the man sitting next to her. He was older than her, by at least ten years, maybe more. He had slightly greying hair, and a light olive complexion. Very tall, well built and muscular, the man would be a formidable foe on the battlefield.
"I'm listening." Ashla sipped her ale calmly.
"My name's Canderous Ordo. I work for Davik Kang. You've heard of him."
Ashla nodded.
"Good. The hours aren't the greatest, but he offered to pay me handsomely." Canderous shrugged. "I have nothing better to do. Mandalorian mercs like myself are in high demand."
"Alright. Why tell me any of this?" Ashla leaned back in her chair, turning slightly to face him.
"Lately, Davik hasn't been paying what he promised. I don't like feeling as if I'm being cheated. I figure it's high time to break the Sith quarantine and get off this backwater planet."
Carth and Bastila approached the table cautiously. Carth glanced at Ashla, a questioning look in his eyes. Ashla gave a slight shake of her head, and held up a hand motioning for him to wait.
"Again, what does any of this have to do with me?"
Canderous looked up at Carth and Bastila standing silently in front of the table. He glanced down at Bastila's lightsaber, which hung from her belt on her hip. Looking back at Ashla, he said, "I have a plan to get off of Taris, but I can't do it alone. I need someone I know can get the job done to help me. That's where you come in."
Carth crossed his arms over his chest. A scowl covered his face. "We should be careful, Ash. Mercs like this can't be trusted. He'd betray us in a heartbeat. We could be walking into a trap."
"I ain't talkin' to you, pal. I'm talking to the lady here, aren't I?" Canderous sneered. He turned back to Ashla. "I saw that swoop race, and it got me thinking. Anyone crazy enough to race like that is probably crazy enough to break into the Sith base."
Ashla steepled her fingers together and leaned her elbows on the table. "That's a tall order, Ordo. What exactly do you need stolen from the Sith base?" She arched a quizzical brow.
"I need someone to steal the launch codes. Without those codes, any ship trying to leave the atmosphere will be blown to bits by the Sith fleet's automatic defense guns."
"What's in this for me?"
"You provide the launch codes, and I'll provide the ship to get us off this planet. Davik's ship, the Ebon Hawk." Canderous tapped his fingers on the table.
"Sorry, not interested." Ashla said, as she crossed her arms.
"Damn, but you're a stubborn woman!" Canderous said.
Carth bit back a retort, you don't know the half of it, man.
"Listen, I heard your friends asking around about getting off the planet. You know that neither of us will be able to pull a stunt like that off alone! You bring me the launch codes, and we both get what we want." Canderous said.
"Hmph… and, just how do you propose we get into the base? It'll be locked down tight." Ashla frowned.
"The base is secured by an encrypted system. You'll need a top of the line astromech droid to slice through it. Luckily, Davik was having one commissioned by Janice Nall. Just tell her Canderous sent you, and she'll sell you the droid."
Ashla looked at Carth and Bastila with a questioning look. At their slight nod, Ashla sighed. "Alright. You've got a deal."
Canderous slapped the table. "Good. Meet me in Javyar's cantina when you have the codes. Then, we'll get off this rock."
Canderous rose and stalked off, giving Carth a smug look as he passed.
Bastila sat down wearily. "I didn't sense any deception from him."
Carth sat in the chair next to Ashla, that Canderous just vacated. "As much as I hate to say it, he's probably right. We're going to need that ship, and we'll need his help to get it."
Ashla picked up her ale, "looks like we get to go shopping for a droid. Luckily, we have some credits. Let's just hope we have enough."
#
Ashla was restless that night. Carth gave up his bed once again, offering to sleep on the floor, since she had let Bastila have her bed. Mission and Zaalbar both found a darkened corner of the apartment, and were sound asleep. She glanced over at Bastila, who had fallen asleep quickly, and her brow furrowed together. Rolling back over unto her back, she stared at the darkened ceiling. Something about the young Jedi didn't sit well with her, but she couldn't figure out what it was or why. While Bastila had being arrogant down to a science, she hadn't been cold to her. Rather, Bastila had been mostly indifferent, choosing to confer with Carth regarding their plans. She tossed and turned for what seemed like hours before finally drifting off to sleep.
The next morning, Ashla woke feeling exhausted. The smell of brewing caff roused her out of a deep slumber. By the time she crawled out of bed, the others were already dressed and ready for the day. Carth handed her a cup of caff as she came out of the refresher.
"Thanks. Why didn't someone wake me? We could've made an early start." She asked as she sipped the caff.
Carth waited to answer until Bastila entered the refresher. He spoke quietly. "I asked her not too. You seemed like you didn't sleep well last night. I heard you tossing a lot. I figured you could use the extra rest."
Ashla looked up in surprise. "Oh… yes, I did have trouble sleeping. Thank you, flyboy."
"Anytime, beautiful," he replied quietly. "Though, you better eat up. She wants to get started as soon as you're ready to go…"
Ashla looked around the room. She noticed that Mission and Zaalbar were gone. "Where's Mission and Big Z?"
Bastila replied, "I sent them on to scout out the Sith base, and report back," as she came out of the refresher.
"By themselves?" Ashla asked, as she pulled on her boots.
"They seem like a capable pair." Bastila responded.
"Yeah? Well, let's just hope we don't have to bust them out of the base while we're at it, too. They don't deal very kindly with aliens here in the Upper City." Ashla said. She looked at Carth. "Did you agree to that?"
Carth raised his hands up in front of him, while glancing over at Bastila.
"You need to remember that we are part of a team, Bastila." Ashla retorted. She couldn't believe Bastila would send them out without consulting with everyone first.
"You are a member of the Republic Fleet, and this mission is under my command, remember?" Bastila said sternly.
This again! I thought we agreed we would work as a team! Ashla stormed over to the footlocker, and threw it open. "Oh, yes, I remember... The Republic Fleet…" She said sardonically. She pulled out her belt and secured it around her waist. After clipping on the vibroblade onto her belt, she turned back around to Bastila. "The Fleet that isn't here right now, Bastila? Or, the Jedi Council that isn't here... Right now, all we have is ourselves. Being high and mighty isn't going to help our mission, it could get one of us killed. You should remember that. We work as a team, or not at all."
Ashla patted her sides down, checking that she had everything. She reached into the footlocker, and pulled out the bag of credits to put in her pack. After hoisting her pack onto her shoulders, she headed towards the door. Her cup of caff sat on the table, forgotten, along with her unopened ration bar.
Bastila frowned. The mission was not going as planned. The Council is not going to be pleased, she thought as she followed Carth and Ashla out of the apartment.
#
The night before they counted their credits, hoping they would have enough to purchase the droid. Between the three of them, they had a little over two thousand credits that they had amassed from selling equipment, and Ashla's prize credits from the dueling ring. Mission and Zaalbar had very little credits to offer. Ashla refused to take theirs since they were assisting them, and they had no way of paying them for their help.
After dropping off the rakghoul serum to an enthusiastic Doctor Forn at the clinic, they checked in on Mission and Zaalbar. Once Ashla was satisfied that the pair wasn't getting into any trouble, she gave Mission her personal communicator information to contact them with updates. They planned to meet back at the apartment in one standard hour. Ashla, Carth and Bastila continued on to Janice Nall's droid shop to see about purchasing the astromech, which was located in the northern section of the Upper City… not far from the Sith base.
The droid shop was small, but neat and tidy. Janice Nall, a female Twi'lek, greeted them as they entered the shop.
"Oh, come in! Come in! New customers! Janice Nall at your service. Welcome to my shop. What can I do for you today? It's so nice to see new faces! Most won't shop here because they don't want to support a business run by a Twi'lek." Janice said, excitedly.
Bastila looked around the shop. "What do they have against Twi'leks here?" She asked.
Janice smiled. "Oh, they don't much like aliens here in the Upper City. They would rather see us as dancers or entertainers, not running our own businesses." Ashla shot Bastila a I told you so look.
Carth sighed. "You'd think people in this day and age would be more understanding and tolerant of others. I suppose ignorance and stupidity never goes out of style."
Ashla stepped forward, smiling politely, she said, "Canderous sent us for the droid."
Janice beamed, "Oh! Of course! I believe Davik will be pleased with T3-M4! Teethree's such a clever little droid! Davik has already paid the down payment, but the rest was due upon delivery. The remaining balance is 2,000 credits."
Ashla nodded. Beside her, Carth counted out the credits as he placed them on the counter. She bent down to inspect the little droid. He was a work of art. Manufactured by Duwani Mechanical Products, Teethree was a silver plated astromech droid, outfitted with several customizations, including a flamethrower and a repeating blaster.
"Hello there," Ashla said as she inspected Teethree.
"Doowooo…" Teethree replied.
"What specs have been installed on you, little guy?" Ashla asked.
Teethree responded in a series of beeps and whistles, while Ashla nodded and murmured to the droid.
Bastila stood back, watching attentively as Ashla interacted with the droid. Bastila found it interesting that Ashla spoke to the droid like he was an actual person, not a machine. The droid rocked back and forth excitedly when Ashla asked if he'd like to come with them. Ashla patted the droid affectionately on the head.
"A big spender! A pleasure doing business with you!" Janice waved as they left the shop, Teethree rolling behind them.
#
As they were walking back to the apartment, Bastila kept a watchful eye on Ashla. Ashla having had a vision complicated the mission, and Bastila wasn't sure about the extent of Ashla's force abilities. She jogged up alongside Ashla and the new droid, Teethree.
"Could I ask you something, Ashla?" Bastila requested.
Ashla looked warily at her. "Sure, what did you want to know."
"I'd like to know more about what happened after you crashed. I'm curious as to what you and Carth were doing before we joined forces."
"We were looking for you, remember? We weren't out dancing every night, if that's what you're asking."
"Of course not, I know that... But, there were hardly signs pointing to my location, yet still you managed to find me."
Ashla stopped and looked at Bastila. What was Bastila getting at, she wondered. Teethree rolled to a halt beside her, and swiveled his silver head up at her. Carth paused beside the trio, and gave her a questioning look.
"That's very true. It was frustrating at times." Ashla said, as Carth made a 'hmph' noise beside her.
"You also managed to avoid detection by the Sith, gain sponsorship to the swoop race, and then won said race. That's quite a resume." Bastila said.
Carth chimed in, "you forgot to mention, she almost was the next Tarisian dueling champion, and managed to get a Wookiee to swear a life debt to her, recruiting Mission in the process. Not to mention all of the people you offered to help along the way."
Ashla shrugged. She wasn't sure where this was going. "Helping others who couldn't help themselves was the right thing to do. We needed the credits, so I entered the dueling ring. We happened upon Mission in the Undercity, who was frantic because Zaalbar had been taken by slavers. I couldn't have helped Zaalbar without Carth's and Mission's help. Plus, I couldn't have gained sponsorship in the race without them either. Besides, Carth almost rode in the race. The mechanic suggested I ride at the last minute."
"Only because you kept beating my time." Carth pointed out.
"That wasn't hard to do with how slow you were driving." Ashla teased him.
Carth laughed. "Driving slow? Now, wait just a minute…"
Teethree let out a series of beeps that sounded like a chuckle.
"I'm not doubting that… it's just that… well, a Jedi could have accomplished all that you did in such a short amount of time, but only by drawing heavily on the force." Bastila said, pulling the conversation back on the matter at hand.
Ashla's smile waned. "I think perhaps you are underestimating us non-force wielders."
Bastila shifted her weight, looking a bit uneasy. "Perhaps. Though, it is obvious to me that you must have been drawing on the force, or it was working through you. There's no other explanation, however, I don't know quite what to make of it. If you weren't so…"
Ashla arched a brow at her. "So what… Old? I believe that's the word that you're looking for, Bastila."
Carth coughed to cover up a laugh, causing Ashla's mouth to turn up slightly in a half smile.
"Well. Um...yes. If you were younger, then perhaps the Jedi would consider you for training but at your age…"
"Thirty-seven." Ashla stated. Bastila looked quizzically at her. "That's how old I am. I think we're done here. I don't want to talk about this anymore." Ashla stalked off, leaving them to follow behind her.
Teethree beeped at Bastila. When the young woman didn't move out of his way, he rolled around her, beeping rudely, to follow Ashla. Bastila stood, mouth agape, as Carth chuckled beside her.
#
Mission and Zaalbar arrived back at the apartment unscathed from their scouting trip. They reported there no patrol guards were stationed outside of the main entrance to the base. However, there was a security camera positioned over the front entrance. It would seem that the Sith were extremely confident that no one would be brave, or crazy, enough to try to break in. Ashla suggested that it would be better for them to go back tonight, when they would have the cover of darkness to cloak their nefarious intentions. Carth suggested that they leave Teethree, after slicing open the door, with Mission and Zaalbar to watch the outside of the base and alert them on their comunits if the Sith sent in reinforcements. After all were in agreement, all that was left to do was to wait until darkness fell.
#
Ashla and Teethree waited as Carth used his blaster to take the camera offline before striding confidently up the front entrance of the Sith base. As Mission and Zaalbar predicted, there were no guards stationed at the wide entry way.
"Alright, Teethree, do your magic." Ashla said, as she patted the droid on his head.
Teethree beeped in affirmation as he approached the door. The droid extended his multipurpose arm, inserting it into the lock. Teethree swiveled his round eye onto Ashla as he gave a series of beeps and whistles. The door slid open with a quiet whoosh.
"Great job, little guy. You wait here with Mission and Zaalbar. Contact us if reinforcements show up." Ashla patted the droid on his head before she, Carth and Bastila entered the base.
"DeeeWooo…" Teethree rocked side to side as he watched them enter the base, before rotating back around and rolling to stand beside Mission.
"Don't worry, little guy… They'll be fine." Mission comforted the astromech.
Zaalbar huffed softly as they positioned themselves in front of the base.
#
The receptionist had been easy to get past. Fifty credits had bought her silence, and she fled from the building. Ashla informed Mission to let the woman pass unharmed. Ashla loaded her datapad into the receptionist's terminal and downloaded a map schematic of the base. She sat her pack beside her on the desk, opening it up to see how many computer spikes Mission had loaded into it earlier that afternoon. Hopefully, she would have enough. She used what spikes she had to disable the assault droid and the turrets that the terminal security camera feed showed stationed in front of an elevator, and then to override another computer terminal located in the barracks in an effort to thin out what remaining troops were left inside the building. With luck, she'd find more spikes along the way to use at another terminal. Nodding that she was finished, she loaded the pack back upon her shoulders, and the group trudged onward, further inside the base.
Bastila and Ashla walked calmly down the quiet long corridor, while Carth followed behind them. They had searched most of the base, encountering a few troops in each room, which they easily overtook. Ashla studied the map again as they paused in front of what appeared to be a secondary barracks. After stuffing the datapad back inside her pack, she slid it onto the floor beside the door. She unclipped her vibroblades as Bastila opened the door. Ashla leaped at the nearest Sith trooper, while Bastila rushed past her, her lightsaber twirling in a colorful arc. Carth stayed back outside the door, raining blaster fire upon the third trooper in the room. Ashla saw the red beams of blaster shots as they flew past her into the trooper as she thrust her vibroblade in a quick upward motion, silencing the trooper.
Bastila and Carth searched the room silently, while Ashla did the same. So far, they had been through the majority of the base, and had not found the launch codes on any of the terminals they had come across. Ashla found a Sith passcard in one of the footlockers. She put it in one of the pockets on her belt, thinking they might need it to access the elevator down the corridor.
As they exited the barracks, Ashla hoisted her pack back over her shoulders as they crept silently down the hallway toward the elevator. The assault droid lay motionless in the center of the room before the elevator, as did the turrets. Ashla swiped the passcard to unlock the elevator. They were silent as they rode up to the next level, to the Governor's room.
The elevator opened to an empty foyer. Carth stepped out of the elevator and checked his blasters. Bastila sat down in the foyer, knees folded under her with her head bowed in meditation. Ashla slid the pack off her shoulders and sat it down on the floor quietly. She checked her pockets on her belt to make sure she had plenty of medpacks before unclipping her vibroblades. She glanced at Carth, checking to see if he was ready. At his slight nod, she noticed that Bastila was rising to stand and had activated her lightsaber. Ashla stode calmly toward the closed door at the end of the foyer. As she neared, it opened with a quiet swish.
"Who dares to disturb me at this hour?" The Sith Governor demanded, as he rose from a seated meditation position.
Ashla stood calmly before the Sith. Bastila stood back beside Carth in the foyer.
"Wait. I sense the Force is strong with you. Very strong, indeed."
Ashla didn't reply. She arched a brow at him, and flourished the vibroblades in her hands.
The Sith laughed. "Who would have thought such talent would be found here, on this small insignificant planet. No matter… you won't stand a chance against an agent of the Dark Side."
Ashla felt a current stirring inside her. She pointed one of her vibroblades at the Sith, her voice full from the Force. "Turn away from such teachings… they will only bring you to pain and suffering."
Carth was stunned at how different Ashla sounded. Her voice resonated in his ears.
Bastila gasped at hearing Ashla's words. She could feel the Force flowing through Ashla.
"Spoken like a true drone of the Jedi. We, Sith, have learned the potential of the Dark Side! It gives us strength! How advantageous, us meeting like this! My Master will surely reward me with my lightsaber once I kill you!" The Sith sneered. He twirled the double vibroblade in a sweeping arc, then dropped into a low half lunge.
Ashla leaped at the Sith, bearing both blades down on him as she landed. Bastila ran up and joined the fray, her lightsaber humming with power, while Carth aimed both blasters at the Sith.
Ashla felt the streaks of red energy whiz past her as she dodged to the side, while using her blades to block the Sith's attack. Suddenly she felt as if she couldn't move, like she was frozen in place and could only watch as the Sith leaped past her towards Carth.
Bastila reached out with the Force, to stun the Sith Governor. He froze in front of Carth, who backed up quickly, aiming his blaster at the Sith and released a volley of blaster fire upon him.
Ashla watched, unable to move, until the effects of the stasis had ceased. Then, like lightning, she rushed at the Sith, and leaped. She brought both the blades down upon his back as she landed. The Sith whirled upon her, forcing her to use the both blades to block the incoming strikes. Bastila reached out with the Force, sending waves of warm energy over Ashla. Ashla felt the Force swirl around her, healing her. She arced the blades in an upward motion, sweeping them across the Sith, then leaned back to land a kick in the center of his chest, sending flying backwards. Carth released another volley of blaster fire as the Sith fell to the floor.
Ashla whirled the blades in a circular motion, and dropped into a ready position, waiting for the Sith to stand. Bastila did the same, but the Sith Governor lay silent and unmoving. Ashla moved forward cautiously, peering down at the Sith. He lay still, and judging from his pallid complexion, Ashla thought he wouldn't be getting back up.
She leaned down and checked quickly for a pulse. None. The Sith Governor was dead. "He's down." Ashla said, as she began checking his body for the launch codes.
She found a datapad, which she handed to Bastila. The small bag of credits, she tossed to Carth.
Bastila exclaimed, "I've found the launch codes! It's saved on the datapad!"
Ashla pinged Mission's communicator.
"Yeah?" Mission responded.
"How's it looking out there? Are we still all clear?" Ashla asked.
"Uhh, roger that. All clear."
"Good. We've got what we've come for. Over and out."