*Edited typos & grammatical errors.
Chapter 8: The Ebon Hawk: Escaping Taris, part 2
The Leviathan, the flagship of the Sith fleet, stalked Taris from above. Darth Malak glared at the planet below. Damn their incompetence! Malak fumed as he thought of the time wasted on searching for one Jedi. Almost a full standard month had been spent looking for the Jedi. How hard could it be to find one single Jedi on such an insignificant miserable planet?!
"Send for Admiral Karath." Malak ordered the junior officer who sat at a terminal overlooking the bridge.
The junior officer paled when the Dark Lord addressed him. He rose and bowed stiffly, then activated Admiral Saul Karath's comm-unit to summon the Admiral to the bridge.
Malak seethed as he waited impatiently for Saul. He would not lose all that he had gained over one young Jedi. Now that Revan was dead, the Republic was all but in his grasp. Soon, he would rule over the Galaxy… He would mold it to be stronger, united under his banner and able to withstand any threat that would loom from Wild Space. However, to do so, he must rid himself of one last obstacle: Bastila Shan.
Admiral Saul Karath felt his communicator go off. What now? He thought as he activated the channel. The junior officer stammered that he was to report to the bridge at once. Unease gripped him as he realized who was requesting… no, demanding, his presence immediately. Working under Lord Malak was tortuous. It almost made him miss working under Lord Revan, who was known for employing strategy and logic to gain the upper hand, whereas Malak relied upon brute strength and terror.
Saul took a deep breath before the elevator doors opened to the bridge, trying to calm his stressed nerves. Running his hands over his uniform in an effort to smooth out any creases, he raised his head high, and marched up the long walkway to where Darth Malak waited. He paused and tugged his uniform down into place before addressing the Sith lord.
"You summoned me, my Lord Malak?" Saul said. He bowed his head slightly as Malak turned to face him. The sight of the metallic cuff around the dark Lord's neck was still an unnerving sight to behold.
"Yes, Admiral Karath. The search for the Jedi is taking too long. We cannot risk her escaping alive. Destroy the planet." Malak waved his hand toward the planet below.
"Th… the whole planet? But, my Lord, there are billions of people living on Taris. We'd be slaughtering countless innocent civilians, not to mention our own troops still stationed on the planet below." Saul blanched at the request. Instantly, he was reminded of Telos, the planet Malak had ordered to be destroyed while Lord Revan was away on a mission. When Revan returned to the news of the planet's destruction, the Dark Lord was furious. Saul remembered the echoing sounds as their lightsabers clashed. Malak may have taken Telos, and its resources which Revan coveted, but Revan took Malak's jaw in return.
Darth Malak, his eyes narrowed, as he seethed, "Your predecessor once made the mistake of questioning my orders, Admiral. Surely, you are not foolish enough to make the same mistake." His voice deep and metallic from the synthesized vocalizer within his cybernetic jaw.
Saul paled under the intensity of the Dark Lord's gaze. "Of… of course not, Lord Malak. I will do as you command. Although, it will take several hours to position the fleet, my lord."
"Then I suggest you get started. Immediately." Lord Malak waved his hand in dismissal. "You are dismissed, Admiral."
"Yes, my Lord Malak." Saul bowed his head, and backed away from the dark Lord. He swallowed hard as he looked upon the planet below.
#
"Carth, would you calm down, please?" Ashla sat as Carth paced inside the small suite they had been escorted to inside of Davik's estate. He'd been on edge all day, grumbling about the possibility of Canderous leading them into a trap.
Earlier that morning, they met with Canderous at the Javyar's cantina in the Lower City with the stolen launch codes. Due to Carth's concern that Canderous was walking them into a trap, they suggested that Bastila remain at the apartment with Mission, Zaalbar and Teethree. Bastila, seeing she was out voted, relented and agreed to the plan. Once they had the Hawk in possession, Ashla would give Canderous the launch codes and then ping Bastila's communicator immediately so that they could meet at the rendezvous point before launching off the planet.
Canderous escorted them to Davik's lavish estate, located in the Upper City. He introduced her as Ash McVee, the winner of the swoop bike race, a new potential recruit for the Exchange, whereas Carth was her loyal bodyguard, Carth Vortega. After getting the grand tour of the estate, they were escorted to a private suite where they were to wait for the background check to go through. While in truth, they were waiting for Canderous to come back later that evening so they could steal the Ebon Hawk.
Ashla tried to calm herself but it was proving difficult with the tension that was radiating from Carth. Last night, it felt as if something had awakened inside of her… something that had been asleep, or waiting, for the right moment to reemerge. Bastila called it the Force. Whatever it was, she could sense his unease through it. She could feel the tension rolling off of him in waves. He had been pacing for about half of a standard hour when it began to grate on Ashla's nerves. She inhaled a deep breath and closed her eyes, focusing on the breath that swirled inside of her, filling her lungs. As she exhaled, she felt calmer… more centered… more focused.
"How can you just sit there and wait?" Carth grumbled as he paced. He glanced at her sitting crossed legged on the sofa. She looks like a damned Jedi, sitting like that. She sounded like a Jedi last night too, he thought, remembering how she spoke to the Sith Governor, 'Turn away from such teachings… they will only bring you pain and suffering.' Where in the hell would she get that? He wondered. When he asked her about it last night, after everyone else was asleep, she whispered, 'I don't know, Carth. The words came into my mind, and before I knew it, I was speaking them. It's as if something has awakened inside of me. I don't know… I can't explain it.' He certainly couldn't explain it. While he had worked along with a few Jedi over the years, he didn't know anything about the Force. He felt useless having no suggestions for her other than to wait, and see what the Jedi Council might say.
Ashla opened her eyes. Carth stood with his hands on his hips. His mouth was set in a hard line. She sighed deeply, "it's better to sit and wait, than to wear myself out worrying. Carth, please, sit down." She patted the sofa beside her.
Carth cast a worried glance at the door before sitting down beside her. "There. Happy, now?" He grumbled.
Ashla tried to relax, but it was nigh impossible with Carth fidgeting beside her.
"Alright. Out with it." Ashla said. "What's this really about, Carth? It can't be just about fearing Ordo would lead us into a trap, which I don't think he has. Bastila said she didn't sense any deception from him. Honestly, I believe he wants out of here as badly as we do, just not for the same reasons."
Carth folded his arms over his chest, silently debating whether or not to get into this discussion. He hated thinking about his past, much less talking about it. After everything fell apart, he kept to himself. He was careful to keep everyone at an arm's length, not allowing them to get close. How did this happen, he wondered. How did she manage to get under his skin so easily when he had been able to keep others at bay? "You are such a frustrating woman, you know that?"
"I'm sure I've been told that before, flyboy."
He let out a frustrated sigh. "Why do you care so much?"
Ashla's eyebrows drew together as she considered his question. "Why shouldn't I care? You've been there for me countless times over this past month, Carth. You've saved my life more than once. Not to mention, you took care of me when you could have left me for dead in the escape pod, or left me for the Sith to find. Of course, I care."
"I don't leave soldiers behind." Carth mumbled. He took a deep breath, "You're right, it's not just about Ordo. Although, I don't trust him at all." He paused, deciding on where he should begin. "We lost a lot of men to Revan and Malak when they began their campaign. Several defected to join their cause. It was difficult to see good men go over to join with the Sith."
Carth waited for Ashla to interject but when she remained silent, he continued. "One man stands out to me the most. Saul Karath."
"Saul Karath… that name is familiar." Ashla frowned. Where had she heard that name before?
"Yes, and with good reason. Saul is the commanding officer for the Sith fleet. He was my commanding officer, back when the Mandalorian Wars first began. He taught me everything I know about being a soldier. I respected him, and looked up to him. He approached me, right before he left." Carth closed his eyes, and rubbed his hand over his chin, thinking how to continue. "He argued that the Republic was on the losing side, and that I should start thinking about my… survival."
"Your survival? He was trying to convince you to leave with him. To join the Sith?"
"I know that now. I… I couldn't conceive of that then, though. We ended up in an argument, and he left. I never saw him again after that."
"You didn't want to believe your mentor and friend would betray the Republic."
"No, it's more than that, really. I just couldn't believe it. He had led us through so many victories against the Mandalorians, even when things looked grim. I mean, I just couldn't conceive that he would do that. But, I was wrong… so very wrong. He gave them the codes to bypass our scanners."
He stood, and turned to face her. He folded his arms back over his chest, with his eyes downcast. His voice was deep with emotion. "I remember waking up as the Sith bombers snuck past our defenses. They destroyed half of our docked ships. I knew right away what happened. I could have stopped it. I could have stopped him."
Ashla frowned. "How, Carth? You would have been killed in the process, and the Sith still would have destroyed the Republic's forces that day."
"I could have tried. Sure, I could have been killed, but I might have taken him with me."
Ashla could sense his pain. She was sure there was much more to the story than his mentor defecting to the Sith. She was getting to know him well enough to know he had told her as much as he would for now. Ashla rose, and gently touched his shoulder.
"He was your friend. You have a right to feel angry."
Carth hung his head. "He was my hero, and he betrayed us all."
#
Carth leaned against the wall, watching the door. He resisted the urge to check the time on his datapad again. He glanced at Ashla, who lay curled up on the sofa, asleep. He hadn't opened up to anyone like that in years. He almost told her everything, but hesitated at the last moment. Somehow, he knew she understood when she smiled and said, 'you can tell me later.'
He wondered how she did it. How did she manage to get to him? Before, when it was just him and her searching for Bastila, he longed to find the Jedi so he could have Bastila as a buffer between himself and Ashla. Now that they had added Mission, Zaalbar, Bastila and Teethree, he found himself missing when it was just the two of them. He reminded himself that it was good that others were there to help create space between them. It would help when he had to go back to it just being just him. The Fleet was all he really had any more, since Telos. When everything unraveled.
The door slid open as Canderous entered the room quietly. Ashla bolted awake at the sound of the door opening.
Canderous said, "Good. You're awake. It's time to get moving."
#
Saul closed his eyes and steeled himself for what he had to do. He reopened his eyes and stared at Taris. Ripping his eyes from the planet below, he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. He knew what Lord Malak would do to him if he dared to disobey his command. He remembered the grim faces of the junior officers who had been ordered to remove the body from the bridge when the previous Admiral refused a direct command from the Dark Lord.
The Dark Lord struck silently, raising his gloved hand while curling his fingers into a fist. The Admiral rose from the floor, his feet kicking violently in the air while his fingers clawed at his throat. The man gasped for breath, struggling to remove the invisible fingers which wrapped around his neck. Dark Lord clenched his fist together quickly. The snap echoed across the bridge as the Admiral's head rolled to an unnatural position. The Admiral dropped to the floor as Lord Malak released his fist, opening his hand.
"Vice Admiral Karath. You've been promoted. The bridge is yours." The Dark Lord said menacingly as he strode past the broken body laying on the bridge floor without a glance.
A junior officer approached Saul cautiously. "The fleet will be in position in thirty standard minutes, sir."
Saul nodded to the officer, and dismissed her with the wave of his hand. Soon this travesty would be over. The Jedi would perish on the planet below, and Lord Malak would bring peace to the galaxy. After all, it was what Lord Revan had offered him years ago…
#
Canderous led them through the quiet estate toward the hangar bay door. Canderous and Carth flanked the door, while Ashla hit the release button. There was a clicking sound followed by a faint beep from the control panel. Access denied.
"It's locked tight, Ordo." Ashla said. "Do you have a passcode to override the control panel?"
"Damn Davik. No, I don't have an override code to this door. Every other door, sure." Canderous grumbled.
"That's just great, Ordo." Carth mumbled.
Ashla frowned. "Is there a computer terminal nearby? Perhaps we can bypass the lock."
"In here." Canderous said, gruffly, as he motioned toward a door down the hallway.
They moved quietly down the corridor. As Canderous opened the door, Ashla heard one of the men stirring inside.
"Hey, Ordo, you're not allowed in here." The man grumbled.
"Yeah? Well, I am now." Canderous said, as he punched the man, sending him flying into the wall. Three more men woke as the man slammed against the wall. Ashla pulled her out her blaster and aimed. Beside her, Carth did the same sending red streams of energy blasting into the men.
"Better be quick about it. It won't be long till we have company." Ordo said in his gravelly voice when the last man slumped to the floor.
Ashla darted to the terminal situated against the far wall. Her fingers flew over the screen. She wished Mission was here to work her magic on the computer.
"Damn it. I need an access card. Check the bodies. See if you can find an access card for this thing." Ashla said, as her fingers paused on the screen. "If you can't find one, I'll have to use a couple of the computer spikes."
Ashla pulled a couple computer spikes out of her bag, in case Carth and Ordo came up empty handed.
"No card, Ash." Carth replied.
She looked at Canderous, who shook his head. No access card. "Check the containers."
Ashla entered the requested amount of spikes, hoping that she would have enough to disable the lock on the hanger door. Carth stood behind her as Canderous guarded the door, while she scrolled through the interface looking for the correct prompt. "Carth, how many spikes do we have left? I need ten to disable the door."
"Not enough."
Ashla used what spikes she had to release a gas into another of the rooms to eliminate the number of hostilities they would encounter. She accessed a camera feed for a room labeled as a guest chamber. This guest chamber looked more like a torture chamber, complete with a man in a torture cage and two torture droids.
"Canderous, do you know this man?" Ashla pointed to the man locked in the torture cage.
Canderous sauntered over to the terminal. "Oh, yea, that's Davik's old pilot. I wondered where he had run off to."
"Do you think he would have the codes to disable the hangar bay door?"
"Possibly. It's worth the risk." Canderous nodded.
The two torture droids flared to live as Ashla opened the door to the guest chamber, blasting angry red lasers at them. Ashla aimed her blaster at the nearest droid, while Carth and Canderous fired upon the other droid further in the room. With a loud creak, the droids began to falter. The two droids fell onto the floor in a sparking heap of metal.
Ashla dashed over to the terminal. With her last computer spike, she accessed the torture cage, releasing the man inside.
"Thanks! You have no idea what it was like in that thing! I thought I might go mad if I didn't get out soon." The man gasped for breath.
"We happened to be in the right place, at the right time." Ashla smiled at the man as she helped him step out of the cage.
"I'm sorry I don't have anything to offer to you in the way of a reward, but I do have information that could prove useful." The man grimaced as he gripped his side.
Ashla dug into her pack and handed him a medpack. "What is it regarding? Your intell?"
The man nodded his thanks again as he took the medpack from her. "I used to be Davik's ace pilot. We had, ah… a disagreement recently and I've been locked up in here since. I could give you the security clearance codes to the hanger where he keeps The Ebon Hawk. Steal it… sell it… Hell, I don't care as long as you hit Davik where it hurts. Here I can load them into your datapad now. You could make thousands of creds."
Ashla pulled her datapad out of her pack at Carth and Canderous' slight nod of approval and handed it to the pilot. The pilot deftly entered the information into her datapad before handing it back.
"I best get out of here before Davik realizes that I'm gone. If you were smart, you'd do the same." The pilot nodded briefly at Canderous and Carth before running out of the room.
"We got what we came for… let's move out." Canderous said.
#
Saul waited impatiently on the bridge of the Leviathan while the fleet positioned itself above Taris. The bombardment was about to commence. It was only a matter of minutes before this would all be over, and he could put it out of his mind. Like he did with Telos. Like he has done since the day he left the Republic. The junior officer nodded to him that the fleet was ready.
"Commence bombardment in three… two… one…" Saul pointed to Taris. The Leviathan's massive turrets unleashed a volley of blaster bolts onto the unsuspecting planet below.
Lord Malak would be pleased. The destruction of Taris had begun.
#
Ashla entered the code the pilot had uploaded into her datapad. The control panel beeped once, then flashed green as the door slid open. Ashla heard a loud boom coming from outside of the hanger. The Ebon Hawk stood gleaming in the large hangar bay. She proceeded towards the small freighter, with Carth and Canderous close at her heels.
Ashla peered past the ship as flash of laser blasts poured down from the sky. The Sith had begun an orbital bombardment. She could feel waves of terror all around her from the citizens of Taris. Behind her, she felt Carth's unease deepen.
Calo Nord and Davik Kang stepped out from behind a stack of crates.
Davik sneered at her, "So, you think you can just saunter in here and steal my ship while the Sith blast us to bits? Sorry, lady, I don't think so." Davik pulled his blaster and aimed it at her.
Calo Nord aimed both his blasters at her, "Don't worry, Davik. I've been looking forward to this for a long time."
Bolts of blaster fire streamed past her as she rushed toward a crate to use as a shield. Leaning out, Ashla aimed at Calo Nord but her blaster fire seemed to bounce off his Echani shield. Damn, I should have brought my vibroblade, Ashla thought as she activated her own Echani shield and stepped out from behind the crate, sending red streams of energy aimed at Calo. Behind her, she heard Canderous and Carth unleash a barrage of blaster beams at Calo and Davik.
Calo holstered his blaster, and pulled a thermal detonator off from his belt. "You may have me outnumbered and outgunned! If I'm going down, I'm taking you all with me!"
Beside him, Davik covered his head as a blast from above shook the hangar. "Damn the Sith! They're going to bring this whole building down on our heads!"
Ashla braced herself for the blast as Calo reached for the activation switch on the detonator. Beside her, she heard Carth's sharp intake of breath. A loud rumble ripped through the air, as the ceiling of the hangar began crashing down on Calo Nord and Davik Kang.
"Carth! Get those engines fired up! We've gotta get out of here! Now!" Ashla yelled at Carth, who stared at the angry red beams of energy blasting the buildings outside of the hangar, sending them crumbling into the lower levels.
Carth ran towards the Ebon Hawk, pushing his memories aside. This is not Telos, he repeated.
"Canderous! C'mon! We've got to leave! Now!" Ashla yelled to Canderous as he pulled the armor off of Davik's body, and threw the pieces of armor onto the ship.
"Alright! Let's go!" Canderous yelled as he stood on the ramp.
Carth felt another boom rattle the floor beneath him as he ran up the loading ramp into the Ebon Hawk with Ashla following close behind. He ran through the ship searching for the cockpit.
Ashla slammed her hand on the button to raise the loading ramp. She dashed through the ship after Carth. She found him in the cockpit, already firing up the engines and retracting the landing gear. She slid into the copilot seat and reached for her communicator, hoping that Bastila and the rest of their crew were safe.
#
Mission watched in awe as Bastila used the Force to divert the falling pieces of duracrete which crumbled down around them. She huddled under a metal awning, with Zaalbar and Teethree beside her. Mission couldn't believe the Sith would actually destroy her home. She had heard stories about Telos, but never really believed that that could happen to her world. C'mon, Ash! Please come back!
Bastila rushed over to the girl. She could feel the terror of the young Twi'lek as she pulled her into her sheltering arms. Through the Force, she could feel waves of horror as the citizens of Taris screamed out in pain. She closed her eyes, and reached out with the Force, trying to sense Ashla and Carth. There! They're safe! They did it! Bastila released her hold on the Force swirling around Carth and Ashla. They were heading this way.
"Mission! Get ready!" Bastila gently shook the young Twi'lek right as her communicator pinged.
#
Lord Malak strode to the large transparisteel viewport on the bridge of the Leviathan. He watched in satisfaction as the destruction continued. Malak closed his eyes as he felt the pain and the anguish rising through the Force. He focused on it, pulling it within him... feeling it strengthen him.
Admiral Karath approached the Dark Lord hesitantly. "Taris is defenseless against our assault, my lord. They are offering no resistance. The city lies in ruins, Lord Malak."
"Resume the bombardment, Admiral. Wipe this pathetic planet from the face of the galaxy." Darth Malak said, his voice dark and metallic from the vocalizer.
#
Carth maneuvered the Ebon Hawk into the cramped area where the rest of the crew waited. He tried to get the ship as close to the skywalk as possbile while Ashla lowered the loading ramp.
"Hurry up! I won't be able to hold her steady very long with the debris falling around us!" He yelled into his headset, which was plugged into the Hawk's intercom system.
Ashla held onto a bar as the loading ramp extended. She could see Mission running toward the ship, as Bastila used the Force to divert the falling debris. Zaalbar, loaded down with the supplies they had accumulated over the past weeks, was running up behind her.
"Mission, jump!" Zaalbar roared.
Teethree rolled behind Zaalbar, beeping wildly, as he dodged a piece of duracrete which had tumbled from above.
Mission ran towards the hovering ship, and jumped onto the ramp. She ran inside as Bastila landed on the ramp with Zaalbar.
Teethree rolled to a stop at the end of the skywalk, beeping and whistling frantically at Ashla.
"Bastila! Teethree needs help!" Ashla yelled.
Bastila ran back to the loading ramp. She inhaled deeply, calming herself as she focused on the little droid and the Force swirling around him. She reached her arm out, and visualized the droid floating in the air and into the ship. Teethree began to whistle with excitement as he began to rise up into the air, and drifted towards the loading ramp.
Ashla heard Carth yelling for them to hurry. Once the droid was safely in the ship, she retracted the loading ramp. "Carth! Go!"
Carth heard the console beep at him as the ramp clicked into place. Behind him, he heard feet thundering down the corridor towards him. Bastila slid into the copilot's chair beside him. He nodded and steered the ship upward, gaining altitude and speed as they climbed into the black of space.
#
Saul saw one lone ship racing away from Taris. Damn!
"Send a squad of bombers after that ship!" Saul barked. "They can't be allowed to escape."
"Affirmative, Admiral." The officer's fingers flew over his terminal as he sent the orders.
Saul watched as a squad of bombers raced after the small freighter that dared to escape Lord Malak's wrath.
#
Ashla stood behind Carth's pilot chair. She watched as the Sith fleet continued their destruction of Taris. Red lasers blasted down onto the planet, destroying the beautiful buildings she had admired just that morning. She could feel the suffering from the planet below, as if millions cried out at once, through the Force. She gripped the back of Carth's chair, and inhaled deeply to settle and calm her ravaged nerves.
"Teethree, plot a course for Dantooine!" Bastila turned to Carth, "there's a Jedi enclave there. They would offer us refuge."
Carth heard alarms blaring from the side console. "Incoming fighters!"
"Someone better get on those guns," Bastila called. "Hold those fighters off while we get the hyperspace coordinates loaded into the navicomputer!"
"On it!" Ashla called as she headed towards the dorsal turret, while yelling for Canderous to take the ventral turret.
Ashla climbed up to the turret seat. She pulled the headset on quickly, then grabbed the controls. She locked onto one of the bombers, and pulled the trigger. The bomber exploded in an array of colors against the black drop of space. She fired upon another.
She could hear Carth's voice through the headset. "Someone get me an opening! Teethree's almost there! Just buy me some time!"
Ashla breathed deeply as she set her sights on another bomber, and fired upon it.
"Coordinates are locked in!" She heard Carth say through the headset. Ashla leaned back in her seat as blue swirls streaked past as the Ebon Hawk entered hyperspace.
#
Saul stared at the small freighter as it slipped into hyperspace. Lord Malak will be most displeased, he thought uneasily as he closed his eyes and prepared for the worse.
Lord Malak, standing silently beside Saul, clenched his fists in anger before reaching out with the Force to pull the Admiral to him. The Dark Lord held him tightly by the throat with an invisible hand.
Saul clawed at his throat, trying in vain to keep the invisible fingers from tightening further around his neck. His feet kicked helplessly at the air.
Lord Malak released him suddenly. "Do not fail me again," he said harshly before stomping off of the bridge.
Saul nodded weakly as he pushed himself to standing, rubbing his aching throat.
#
Ashla could hear the cheers from below as they entered hyperspace. They had done it. Leaning back into the seat, she relaxed for the first time in days. It was hard to believe they actually managed to pull this off. But here they were, in hyperspace, heading toward Dantooine.
Sighing, she climbed down from the turret station back down into the corridor of the Ebon Hawk. She glanced down the hall towards the cockpit where Carth sat, still in his pilot's seat, staring out into space.
Bastila rose from the co-pilot's seat and motioned for Ashla to join them.
"We should be safe at Dantooine, at least for a time being." Bastila sighed. "It feels like a lifetime since I was last there, but in truth, it's only been a couple of months."
Carth rotated in his seat and looked at Bastila in disbelief. "Safe? You saw what Malak did to Taris! There wasn't a building over two stories tall left standing! They turned…" He shook his head. "They turned the whole planet into a pile of rubble."
"The Sith wouldn't dare attack Dantooine. Many of the Jedi's most powerful masters are there." Bastila said smugly.
Ashla listened while the two argued, pondering if she should get in the middle of their debate.
"We can't keep running. We need a place to regroup and plan. We can get supplies and recuperate there. I think we all could use that after what we have been through." Bastila continued.
Carth's face softened. "Maybe you're right. It's not easy watching the annihilation of a planet. I know Mission must be taking this pretty hard."
Oh, no... Mission, Ashla thought with dismay. She turned and ran down the corridor, searching for Mission on the ship. She found the young Twi'lek curled up on one of the chairs in the common area of the ship with Zaalbar gently patting her back.
"Mission," Ashla knelt in front of the girl, concern etched on her face. "I'm so sorry, Mission."
Mission raised her tear stained face up at Ashla and solemnly nodded. "Thanks, Ash. I… I'll be okay. It's just…"
"I know. Mission, we're here for you." Ashla hugged the girl close to her, murmuring soft words of sympathy to the girl.
Carth jogged down the corridor and pulled up short when he saw Ashla was already comforting the girl. He placed his hand on the young girl's shoulder in sympathy. Mission smiled weakly at him in thanks. He patted her on the shoulder before returning to the cockpit.
#
Ashla sat with Mission until the girl fell asleep in one of the bunks. Zaalbar had gone off to find his own bunk, to bed down for a few hours. Now, she meandered her way through the ship, taking stock of what it had to offer. The garage boasted its own swoop bike. The cargo hold had a few empty crates. Most of the crates were stocked with portable rations, while one had extra blankets and bedding materials. The galley was small, but equipped with a food synthesizer and a small machine to brew fresh caff. There was a refresher located off of the galley. While it didn't have free running water, it did have a sonic shower, toilet and a hand sanitizer. The med bay was well stocked, even though it was small and didn't have a kolto tank.
Ashla found a crate in the cargo hold and sat down on it wearily. She hugged her knees close to her chest. These past few weeks had given her a sense of purpose again. She wasn't sure if she was ready to go back to the fleet and just work on the ship's droids any more. Plus, there was the Force and her budding abilities. She was nearly forty years old. There was no way the Jedi would take her in for training. She would just have to accept that and move on.
#
Carth left the cockpit in search of some caff. He thought he saw a caff maker in the galley. Rummaging through the small cabinetry, he found some of the caffeinated grounds used for brewing caff and set to work. He whistled softly when he looked at the package. Damn, Davik didn't worry about wasting credits, he thought as he looked at the expensive grounds. While the caff was brewing, he checked out the food synthesizer. Davik had expensive tastes and it showed.
While he waited for the caff to finish brewing, Carth wandered through the ship. The dormitories had been easy enough to find. Although he usually just slept in the pilots seat, it was a good idea to claim a bunk. He found the garage and saw Canderous cleaning his weapon at the workbench. As he passed the cargo hold, he noticed Ashla was sitting by herself on a crate. She had unbound her long hair, and her head rested on her knees.
I should just leave well enough alone. Go back up to the front of the ship, and drink my caff, he thought. The smell of brewing caff reminded him of the first day after she woke up in the small apartment, and the look of bliss that came over her face as she sipped the caff he brought back for her. Hell.
Back in the galley, he grabbed two mugs and filled them with the freshly brewed dark liquid. He picked up both steaming mugs and headed back toward the cargo hold.
Teethree rolled past him and beeped happily.
Carth smiled at the little droid. Somehow they had managed to not only find a ship, but also an astromech droid to help pilot it. No, not somehow… Ash. Bastila was right. Ash had been the pivot point in all what had taken place on Taris. There was no way he would have been able to accomplish all that they did on his own. If it had just been him, he would have likely perished, probably along with Mission and Zaalbar when the Sith destroyed Taris. Perhaps Bastila as well.
Ashla's head popped up at the sounds of footsteps approaching. She looked up to see him standing in the entryway of the cargo hold grasping two steaming mugs. "What are you doing, Carth? Shouldn't you be in the cockpit?"
He handed her one of the mugs, while he sipped the other. "Teethree has everything under control." He sat down on a crate opposite of her. "Something wrong?"
Ashla tucked a long strand of dark red hair behind her ear. "Yes, and no. I don't know. I guess I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed. I was thinking about all those people that we helped, Carth. Was it even worth it? They're probably all dead now." She held the steaming mug in her hands, lending her its warmth.
Carth sipped his caff while he thought how to respond. Carth took the mug out of her hand and set both of the mugs on a crate close next to them. He took her hands in his. "Of course, it was worth it, beautiful."
A tear slipped down her cheek as she looked at him. "Dia. She was so happy to be able to have her life back, for what? A week or two of freedom?"
"You helped her feel happy again. You gave her peace of mind. It was worth every credit." Carth said warmly.
Ashla pulled her hand away from his to brush away the tears. "You were so mad about the credits." She laughed weakly.
"I wasn't that mad. Did I wish it would have cost less… sure, but mad? No. You'll know when I'm angry." Carth winked. She smiled weakly at him.
"We couldn't save everyone, Ash." He said gently.
She sighed. "I know, but… I'll be fine. This 'Force' stuff is a bit overwhelming, I'll have to admit."
"You should talk to Bastila about it when we get to Dantooine. Maybe the Jedi will have some answers for you." Carth said, as he released her hands and handed her mug back. "I contacted the fleet after we got into hyperspace. I got in touch with Admiral Dodonna and told her about the attack on the Endar Spire. Plus, I informed them about the destruction of Taris."
Ashla took a sip and nodded. She figured he would have alerted the fleet as soon as he was able. "What are our orders? Return Bastila to the Jedi, then return to the fleet?"
Carth rubbed his chin. "It's strange. I would have thought that too. But, no. Admiral Dodonna wants us to stay with Bastila for the time being. The Jedi have her a top secret mission, and we are to help give reinforcements and aid her mission in any way possible. At least for the time being."
"So, an authorized vacation. Sounds great." Ashla said jokingly, as she smiled and raised her mug to her lips.
"I've been around the Jedi enough to know this isn't going to be a vacation." Carth laughed.