Hello and welcome back. Many of these chapters are old so I have gone through and tried to update the ones to make them flow much easier and be less clunky. I tried to be thorough with any mistakes and I feel like I'm more true to Samirah as a character now.

I hope you enjoy her story as much as I do!


Debt

"You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you."


After a long day, Samirah was finally able to be dismissed and make her way to the refreshers for a well deserved shower.

She hadn't even seen her bunk mate as he left for his night shift on deck. He was seriously a ghost to her by this point. Some days, she wondered if he even existed at all.

She was exhausted after yet another uneventful shift. Shutting off the water flow, she began to dry off her long brunette hair as it clung to her skin. She dressed in her night attire- a basic brown half shirt that fit nicely and a pair of brown shorts. Clothes that were easy to wear under your daily attire in the event that you needed to be dressed quickly.

The Republic military was nothing if not efficient.

She threw her stuff in the corner of the room before plumping down on the bed. She was not nearly as tidy as... well, probably the rest of the crew.

Huh. Maybe she was the only messy one on this entire ship.

Aboard the Endar Spire, not much had happened. She met a couple of other recruits who were friendly and just as bored as she was. Their duty was the same: to help escort Bastila Shan, a Jedi, to her destination. The Jedi whom she briefly met on her first day. The same Jedi who had waited expectantly for Samirah to get out of her way.

That... Jedi.

No one was too thrilled about the job since Bastila seemed to have this haughty air about her—a rumor that Samirah had no trouble believing. They rarely saw Bastila anyway as she mainly kept to herself or spoke solely to the officers on deck. Everyone else was likely considered too far beneath her.

Another rumor that Samirah felt rang true.

Ugh. Jedi.

Her flight captain, Devron Uhdea, was as pleasant as ever. He was patient with her and seemed to have this jovial, almost light atmosphere around him. He was one of the things she looked forward to when she had a shift.

He was laid back and always had some light joke to toss around, never failing to lighten the stressful mood everyone seemed to always be in. When he was around, everyone felt free to share their stories and exploits from around the galaxy. Daring rescue missions, harrowing escaped through asteroid fields- you name it, someone likely had a story for it.

Honestly, Devron was a good soldier and knew how to facilitate relationships among his crew. He was quickly becoming a friend she never thought she'd ever have… even if he was a superior officer. She had this inkling that he was also trying to make her as comfortable as possible around the other seasoned crewman. It must have been easy to see how green she was on a ship filled with other people who didn't want to kill her.

Again, he did an amazing job of making sure everyone got along.

If he was going to continue being her superior, well, maybe this transfer wasn't so bad after all. Even if it was only temporary.

Samirah pulled the thin sheets over her as she slid into bed.

She flicked the light switch by her bed as she tried to let the exhaustion overwhelm her and it wasn't that hard to do. Her body melded into the cot and she breathed a sigh of relief at the comfort. It was no Alderaanian day spa but, when you were as tired as she was, it might as well have been.

She had fallen asleep almost immediately, dreaming about her wild space. About what she could find there and what discoveries could be made. A whole world, waiting for her to-

The ship lurched and shook violently.

She popped opened her eyes, frowning as one hand gripped her side table in an effort to keep herself steady. A moment passed and the ship seemed to settle back down.

What was the pilot doing? She thought. Is he purposefully going through an asteroid field?

Samirah was as bored as the next person during her shifts, but she wasn't lazy. She did her job thoroughly. The least the pilot could do was the same. He had one job.

Don't. Hit. Anything.

Was that so hard?

She had just closed her eyes when it shook again. This time, she didn't get the chance to steady herself. The quake was way more violent than the first and she was tossed from her bed, smacking her shoulder hard against the floor.

She cursed quietly to herself as she sat up and rubbed the tender spot. When the alarms started to sound, she cursed less quietly.

"You've got to be kidding me..." She hissed.

She stood cautiously, ensuring another shake from the ship wasn't going to send her flying again. Then, she quickly moved towards the locker she kept all of her things.

There was a slight chance this was not a drill. If it was a drill... well, she and the pilot were going to have words.

She stumbled when the ship lurched again and then again. It was as if the ship was being impacted by several things at once. A thought she was not thrilled about. On the third hit, she finally fell against her locker, cursing loudly again as her shoulder took the brunt of it.

This was one hell of a drill if that's what was going on. If not...

Well, then there was no more time for her to be wasting. She needed to be moving.

She was pulling her uniform on when the doors to her room slid open and someone rushed in. Samirah whirled around to see who she assumed was her bunkmate. When he locked eyes with her, he breathed a sigh of relief and holstered his blaster pistol.

His relief made her feel guilty for not remembering his name. They had yet to officially meet but she knew it was... uh... Tayvor? Talon? Damn, what was it?

His blonde hair was ruffled and he almost sounded a little winded. He must have run all the way here.

"Good. You're already up." He breathed.

She smiled as she pulled on her other boot, trying to be quick. The ship shook again and she hobbled, just barely catching herself against the locker.

"Kind of hard to sleep through this, isn't it?" She grunted. That was going to be a bruise.

His mouth tugged in the corners before he looked seriously at her again. There was this sense of alarm as he started talking quickly and urgently. Samirah could feel her blood going cold.

"We've been ambushed by a Sith Battle Fleet. The Endar Spire is under attack so we need to hurry, time is extremely limited for us."

Guess this wasn't a drill after all.

"Frack..." Samirah muttered, grabbing her things. "Mr... sir, what do we need to do?"

She tried to cover for not knowing his name but the wry smile he gave was indication enough that she failed. Despite the situation, it was stupid that it literally took a Sith invasion for them to officially meet.

"My name is Trask, Trask Ulgo. We don't see much of each other so I don't blame you for not remembering. You're Samirah? Right?" She looked up and smiled guiltily at him.

Oh, he knew her name. That made it worse.

"Guilty as—"another blast caused the ship to jerk around knocking Samirah off her feet and across the floor as the ship tilted.

She slid into the back wall with a loud thud and letting loose a few more colorfully chosen words. Trask had managed to brace himself against the end of her bed. When the ship had settled, he quickly helped her up as she winced from the now forming bruise.

Or bruises.

"—charged…" She finished.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded as she rubbed her head again.

"Yeah, for now, I guess. I've had worse. I was once bitten by an angry Bantha so, yeah. I can survive the hull of the ship, I think."

He chuckled as they both moved through the room, collecting anything they needed to take with them. The continuous sound of the alarm blaring was enough of an incentive for her to move quickly. As Trask said, time was of the essence.

"I've heard about you from everyone onboard." He started as he emptied his storage locker into a backpack. "It's strange hearing about your bunkmate from other people and being surprised by what they know. You've explored the farthest reaches of the galaxy and you've visited planets I've never even heard of."

Samirah spared him a glance as the ship rocked again. He looked back and smiled, shrugging as if he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. It sounded as if the others on the ship were a bunch of gossiping old woman.

"If we had more time I would be picking your brain about it instead of relying on what I've heard. I wish we'd had a chance to talk before now..." He paused, looking away. His tone becoming more terse. "But we have to find Bastila. And we need to find her now."

"Bastila's the Jedi that we're escorting, right?"

Samirah had strapped on her blaster, equipped her vibroblade and tightened the straps of her backpack as they moved out of the room. Trask paused for a moment, giving her a strange look before continuing forward.

"Not just any Jedi but the commander—well , not really a commander but she's in charge of this mission. That makes it our job to protect her. So, we need to make sure she's safe."

"Protect a Jedi...?" Samirah mumbled. "Isn't that..."

Trask looked at her with a raised eyebrow before she could finish her sentence.

"Think of us as her personal bodyguards until she makes it to her destination. It's more of a formality, I guess." He shrugged as if that would answer her concern.

It did not.

As they headed to the door leading out of the dormitories, Trask attempted to open it. Instead, he cursed.

"Damn!"

"What?" Samirah asked.

He turned to the console by the door, ripping away the panel and began to type away at it quickly. A series of numbers scrolled past as he bypassed the locks.

"Because of the attack, the rooms in lockdown but luckily for us... I have the override codes to get us out of here. Consider it my welcome gift." He mused and Samirah rolled her eyes.

This had to be what having a brother was like.

He pressed one final button before the doors opened and Trask almost cheered. Almost.

The hallway was a wreck of metal and debris. A lone maintenance droid was attempting to fix a door that clearly wasn't going to open again anytime soon. The lights in the corridor flickered and what once was brightly lit corridors became something far more grim. Samirah could see a few crewman who had been unlucky in their escapes. People in the wrong spot, at the wrong time.

The gravity of the situation was becoming very clear to her now.

Their commlinks flashed on as a voice came through. In the distance was the sound of someone typing away at a console and the echoes of the alarm.

"This is Carth Onasi—the Sith are threatening to overrun our position! We can't hold out long against their firepower! All hands to the bridge!"

Just as quickly as it had come, the voice was then gone. Samirah tried to place where she had heard that voice before but was coming up empty. He sounded vaguely familiar...

"Who was—"But Trask was a step ahead.

"That was Carth. He's one of the Republic's best pilots and has seen more combat than us all put together. If he says things are bad… well, we should just take his word for it. We need to move. And Fast." Trask said in a low voice.

"No argument there."

They moved quickly down the corridor, trying to not waste anymore time. However, it seemed the Endar Spire felt differently about that.

When they attempted to open the next door, Trask cursed again before he knelt down and began trying to splice this door open as well.

"So, I suppose you don't have the codes for this door then?" His mouth twitched into a smirk.

"Hey now, you can't expect me to do all the work here. I don't see you pulling any door codes or keys out of your pocket." She laughed softly.

No, no she wasn't. Despite the situation, she was glad that her companion was fairly level headed and could still crack a joke even if they were about to die.

"Fair enough." Samirah nodded. She wasn't going to tell him that she likely could splice the door open just as well as he could.

It really wasn't the time for that kind of competition.

When the door opened they moved quickly out into the corridor and nearly barreled right into a firefight. How Samirah could have missed the sounds of blaster bolt was beyond her. She was quite accustomed to the sound.

But she didn't hesitate at it, either.

Samirah saw the Republic soldiers fighting their intruders and she pulled out her vibroblade in one motion. She wasn't usually one for combat but that didn't mean she wasn't combat trained. It also didn't mean that she was afraid to fight for people. And right now, her people needed help.

She leapt forward to defend the three Republic fighters as Trask shot from behind a makeshift barricade of debris. His shots met their mark and her blade easily found theirs.

However easily they brought down their enemy, their enemy had also managed to bring down their targets as well. The Republic soldiers fell, stray bolts of blaster fire that Samirah could do nothing about.

When the last attacker fell, Samirah quickly moved to them, hoping something could be done. She, however, already knew the answer. Nothing could be done.

"They didn't make it… and I have a feeling that won't be our last battle with the Sith." Trask said quietly, looking at her as she stood up.

She nodded slowly as she realized what he meant.

"If they've made it onboard, countless others have too."

He nodded in agreement.

"Come on, we have a Jedi to find, don't we?"

She kept her hand wrapped tightly around the hilt of her blade. That they did.

"You're right."

They moved quickly down the corridors of the Endar Spire, making their way towards the bridge. They didn't even know if Bastila would actually be there but... well, it was at least somewhere they could head and something they could do.

Every second that passed was another impact against the Endar Spire. You didn't need to be an engineer to know that the ship could only take so many more hits before it would take its last.

Along the way, they also encountered several other Sith and Republic soldiers in mid combat. Neither Samirah nor Trask hesitated to assist their allies and, most of the time, they were too late. The shots were fatal and their comrades had already faded away.

The loss of the people Samirah had only briefly known was a hard weight to carry. She had met these people in passing. Some she had worked with and some she had only known for a moment. Some had shared their stories with her and she shared hers with them. They had all been considered her allies.

And she was watching them die.

Samirah didn't waste time before leaping forward into each and every fight. Her goal was to prevent her allies from dying and she felt more and more helpless as each one fell. She was too slow and not yet skilled enough to change the tide in any battle. No matter how she tried, she couldn't save anyone.

In the end, she had failed again and again. Fleeting glances or parting words from people who had tried their best. Trask would urge her to keep moving, as would those that lay dying before her. The ones whose hands she would clasp just as the light faded from their eyes.

They couldn't wait.

Their priority was to make sure Bastila was safe.

Samirah prayed this woman was worth the lives of everyone dying here.

As they pressed on, Samirah recognized the sound of lightsabers clashing behind a door. She didn't hesitate as she opened it and was met by the intense battle between a Jedi and a Dark Jedi. She started to rush in to help when Trask caught her arm and pulled her back.

"Woah! This battle's too much for us. We'd only get in the way, Samirah."

"But-" She started and he tightened his grip on her arm.

"It's too much." He said firmly. "We're going to have to wait this one out. This is not a fight either of us could win."

Samirah gripped the hilt of her blade tightly. She did so to prevent her hands from shaking.

She didn't want to wait, she wanted to help. She wanted to be able to save someone and by standing on the sidelines, she couldn't do that. Yes, she wasn't a fighter. Combat wasn't at the top of her strengths but it was on the list... somewhere.

If they could just get into this fight without being noticed...

Trask noticed how on edge she was. She was a cat, coiled and ready to spring forward at a moments notice. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder and almost instantly, they slumped. When she looked back at him, it was with a face of resignation.

He was right. This fight was too much for them.

The battle carried on and the woman seemed to be winning, Samirah could tell that much. When she was finally able to make the final blow, her lightsaber arcing across his chest, the Dark Jedi lay crumpled on the floor. The Jedi retracted her lightsaber and released the deep breath she must have been holding.

Samirah had started to move closer to the Jedi when an explosion erupted behind the woman. The ship shuddered from the impact. The Jedi screamed as she was forcibly shoved forward from the blast. Samirah threw her arms in front of her face instinctively as debris and dust rained on her and Trask.

When she removed her arms and the ship had settled once more, she saw the Jedi lying motionlessly on the floor. Samirah's heart dropped. She ran forward before falling to her knees beside the Jedi.

"No, no, no, no..." Samirah whispered, looking for a sign of life.

Trask hurried beside her but it was evident that the Jedi hadn't survived. That blast had been right on top of her.

"Damn! We could have used her help… damn it!" He cursed again.

"No, there has to be something we can do! Trask, we just can't—"He grabbed her arm and pulled her up quickly.

She wanted to protest but he didn't give her a chance. He yanked her roughly behind some large pieces of metal that had fallen from the hull and shot at two Sith that had rounded the corner. Trask moved her behind him as he shot and found his mark one of them.

"There's nothing more we can do, Samirah. She was doing her duty to protect Bastila, now we need to do ours. We need to keep moving." Samirah nodded mechanically.

He was right, again. This was no time for her to lose focus.

Focus, Samirah, focus! She chastised herself.

She took a deep breath and then spun around and sprinted past Trask. She vaulted over a few pieces of debris while Trask tried to cover whatever reckless plan she was about to enact. The Sith tried to turn on her but Trask didn't let him, his blaster bolt knocking the weapon from the Sith's hand.

In a matter of moments she was face to face with their last attacker and brought her vibroblade roughly down on him while he was distracted. She sliced from shoulder to waist, giving him no chance to even be surprised.

When he fell, she exhaled again, turning to Trask.

"Thank you, Trask." She said quietly.

He just nodded at her again.

"We'll make it out alive together, Samirah, don't worry. We can do this."

"Sami." She said and Trask tilted his head, confused. "My friends sometimes call me Sami."

"Then Sami it is."

Another large explosion caused the ship to rock and they knew that they were running out of time. Many of the lights in the corridor were now failing all together. They were on borrowed time.

They needed to keep pressing forward.

They moved quickly and quietly down the corridors, the sudden silence of combat slightly distressing. Where was everyone else? The Endar Spire had a massive crew... had they already escaped? Who was left on the ship? Or, worse, were they all already dead?

Samirah pushed those thoughts away.

They finally came to the door that led to the bridge of the Endar Spire. They glanced at one another before nodding, almost hopeful that they'd succeeded.

They had not.

Trask opened the door to only reveal that they had lost the bridge.

Without sparing another moment, Samirah threw a grenade out into the middle of the group as Trask began picking off the few Sith on the corners. The fight was much grittier than Samirah expected but the grenade proved to be the deciding factor, giving her and Trask an edge.

One sith had nearly escaped her notice, aiming for Trask's back. He had yet to notice them and it was mere moments before the trigger was pulled. Samirah threw her vibroblade, knocking the blaster from the Sith's hands and in one deft motion, she yanked free her own blaster pistol.

She did not miss.

As the Sith fell, Trask stared at his would be killer.

"Thanks. It seems I owe you one."

She holstered her blaster with a smile, moving to retrieve her vibroblade.

"As far as I can tell, I owed you. You didn't have to come back and get me out of there. You could have just as easily left me and escaped on your own, but you didn't." Trask chuckled lightly.

Trask had never even thought about it. All he knew was that she was supposed to be asleep and likely unaware of what was happening. She would have woken up confused… or not at all. There was no scenario he could have imagined where he would have just left someone behind.

That's not what the Republic did.

He was also glad that he did go back and regretted that this was their first time meeting. She would have been fun to have around.

"I appreciate it… Sami." She grinned at him.

They quickly checked the bridge for anything useful and for signs of Bastila. They found neither. Just more people who didn't have a chance to escape.

"Come on, Bastila isn't here so I can only assume she's already escaped by now. That's where we need to go too..." The ship lurched from not just one, but four more impacts and they held on tightly to anything they could to keep from being thrown across the floor.

When the ship settled, the alarms blared even louder and they shared a glance.

"... and we need to go fast. They want Bastila alive so if they realize she's escaped already… well then there's nothing stopping them from blasting the Endar Spire into galactic dust!"

"For some reason, the idea of being galactic dust isn't really all that appealing to me. Let's move!"

Trask was inclined to agree and followed her to the next door.

They opened it, hurring into another hallway and as Samirah began to step forward, Trask threw his arm out to stop her. She threw him a confused glance before she followed his focused gaze. He was staring at one of the unopened doors just beyond them.

She wasn't exactly familiar with the ship so she wasn't sure if that was where they needed to go or if something was wrong. As explosions echoed throughout the ship, however, Samirah didn't think they had that much time to waste and decide. When she started to move again Trask only held her back, his arm remaining firm.

"Sami…" He breathed and she stared at him.

He slowly stepped past her as he approached the door. His voice was low and cautious. A warning.

She didn't like his sudden seriousness.

"Trask, what's—"

"—Something's behind this door…"

"What?"

He slowly reached up and opened the door. It hissed open and Samirah felt her heart drop again.

No, no, no, no...

On the other side stood a Dark Jedi carelessly swinging his dual bladed Lightsaber. Samirah sucked in air, knowing full well that they didn't have the means to battle him. Even together, she was willing to bet they couldn't survive it.

"Damn!"

She glanced at Trask as he readied his blaster, fingers curling around the trigger. She could see the determination on his face and knew, without having to ask, that this was to be the final stand.

She readied her vibroblade, looking at all the options available to them. Looking for a win. For a way out of this for them.

She couldn't find any.

"Another Dark Jedi… Sami—"

"I know, we don't stand much of a chance but we'll manage something." When he laughed softly, she couldn't stop herself from staring.

His faint smile made her stomach knot up.

"Trask?"

"Sorry, Sami. Looks like this is where we part ways."

She tilted her head, not sure that she understood what he was talking about. Part ways? That wasn't how they were going to win this. Besides, where else was she supposed to go to help?

"I'll try to hold him off while you get to the escape pods. With both of us fighting him, we won't stand a chance so I'll buy as much time as possible."

Samirah blinked at him. Was he crazy?

"I wish I had met you sooner than now. It would have made the Endar Spire more interesting, I think."

No, he couldn't possibly think... Was he out of his damn mind?

"You better make it out of here, Sami. Now, GO!" He shouted as he dropped his pack and darted into the small room where the Dark Jedi stood, smirking in a way that made Samirah's skin crawl.

By time Samirah realized what was happening, it was too late for her to act.

Trask quickly closed the door behind him before she could stop him and with one last fleeting look in her direction, he smiled at her. He smiled at her as if nothing was wrong at all. Her blood went cold, her foot frozen in place.

One last fleeting look.

"Good luck, Samirah."

And then the doors closed and she was alone.

Snapping out of it, she rushed to the door, trying to open it but it was locked. She yanked out the console, trying to see if she could splice through. Her frantic fingers just fumbled over the keypad, the screen blank and the system unresponsive.

She screamed. Splicing couldn't fix this.

"NO! Trask! TRASK! Open the door!" She screamed, her fists pounding against the durasteel.

Part of her knew that he probably couldn't open the door even if he wanted too.

The ship rocked and groaned as more explosions echoed down the corridor. She could hear as the Endar Spire was pulling itself apart but she didn't care. The whole blasted ship could go down, she wasn't going to leave him behind.

She couldn't leave him behind.

"Trask..." She sobbed.

He didn't answer and she knew that the decision had already been made. She pounded one last time as hot tears formed.

You better make it out of here.

What kind of damnable order was this? She didn't know how she was going to fulfill it. Damn it, Trask. Damn it.

"This is a debt... that I'll never be able to repay…" She whispered.

For a moment she was met with silence.

Get up, you fool, she admonished herself. Don't waste this sacrifice.

With that she pushed herself from the door, grabbed the pack he had left behind and began running towards the escape pods. At least, where she thought they were. She wasn't sure if she was going the right way but she had to get off the ship. She wasn't going to let Trask die in vain. She would escape and find a way to repay this debt.

And to do that, she needed to survive.

As she stepped through one of the doors, a voice spoke up and she immediately held up her blaster.

"This is Carth Onasi on your personal communicator." The voice offered and she lowered her weapon, feeling foolish at having been startled by it at all.

"I'm tracking you through the Endar Spires life-support system. Bastila's escape pod is away—you're the last surviving crew member of the Endar Spire!"

Her heart dropped and tears stung her eyes. Last surviving crew member. She knew he couldn't have won but still, it was as if her heart was being squeezed. Her chest felt so tight that she had to take several steadying breaths.

Trask had died. Trask was gone.

Samirah wished that he hadn't so stupidly gone in there. That they had met before this night. That he didn't run back to save her, trading his life for hers.

Carth kept talking, unaware of how conflicted she suddenly was.

"Listen, I can't wait for you much longer; you have to get to the escape pods!" The link ended before she could respond.

Samirah supposed that was fine. What did she have to say? Everything else could wait for now. She moved quickly, room to room, wasting as little time as she could. With each explosion that rocked the ship, Samirah knew she was nearing the fatal hit.

When she came across Sith soldiers, she didn't even falter in her steps. Her anger flared and she leapt at them. She was being reckless, she knew that. Her anger, however, would not be tempered. She could either cry and be sad about the loss of her friend or she could be angry and take out every one of these bastards.

Right now, anger seemed the most fitting. Trask didn't deserve to die. These Sith, however, did.

She caught many off guard with her brazen attacks, but some recovered quick enough to shoot off a few bolts at her. She moved quick enough to avoid any fatal shots but not dodging them all entirely. They weren't enough to stop her or to diminish the hatred she felt for them.

All of this, for one woman.

All of this, for a Jedi.

And where, exactly, was she now?

When the Sith were dead, she had only suffered a few wounds, none serious enough to halt her progress to the escape pods. She approached the terminal by the door just as Carth appeared on the screen, startling her.

She had just been about to open the door but his voice had stopped her.

"Be careful! There's a whole squad of Sith Troopers on the other side of that door. You need to find a way to thin their numbers."

Why would she want to do that? Part of her wanted to be the last face they would ever see. She wanted them to pay for all of these deaths. To pay for what they had done.

Carth continued, unfazed by her silence.

"You could reprogram the damaged assault droid to help you, if you have enough repair parts. Or you could use computer spikes to slice into the terminal and use the Endar Spire's security systems against the Sith." She frowned.

"Where in the galaxy am I going to find—hold on." She pulled Trask's backpack around and opened the flap to find computer spikes inside.

She laughed but there was no joy in it as she pulled out the spikes. Of course he was prepared. Of course he had planned this whole escape all ready.

"… I guess that's another debt I owe you then, huh." She murmured.

Carth raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing more as she began to use them on the computer terminal.

She began typing away until a satisfied smile crept up on her face. She pressed the final key before switching the terminal over to the video feed. One of the electrical pipes began to sizzle before electricity jumped out from the small consoles on top. It snaked out and grasped each Sith trooper so quickly that they didn't have a chance to fight it.

How could they?

They yelled and panicked for the briefest of moments until they all fell and lay motionless on the floor.

Carth watched as Samirah's face also fell, as if she didn't feel proud of herself. If it wasn't for the fact that there was a time constraint, he would have complimented her on a job well done.

But they needed to go and they needed to go now.

When he started to open his mouth she finally snapped out of it, switched off the terminal and hurried through the room. She spared none of the dead a second glance.

She hoped they would soon be forgotten. Not even remembered as spacedust.

When she opened the door to the escape pods, Carth exhaled loudly.

"You've made it just in time! There's only one active escape pod left." He pointed behind me, gesturing for her to go ahead. "Come on, we can hide out on the planet below!"

A little wearily she glanced at him, her weapon still in hand.

"I remember you… from the first day?" He smiled, nodding.

"Yeah, and this isn't the time to try and catch up. That'll have to wait. Bastila's escape pod's already gone, and you and I are literally the last ones alive on this ship." He said, turning back to the console and typing furiously away at it.

"You make a convincing argument..." She mumbled, putting away her blaster.

It seemed the fighting was done for now. That only left their great escape.

"Yeah, and we've lucked out with the last pod here. There's no reason for us to stick around and get shot by the Sith. Now, come on—" He urged, opening the hatch. "There'll be time for questions later!"

She nodded quickly and as if for emphasis, an explosion caused the ship to lurch again. She and Carth stumbled into the wall as the entirety of the Endar Spire quaked. The ship groaned as wiring snapped and doors warped shut. More lights flickered out, leaving only the dull glow of the emergency light system left. Even the blaring alarm was finally shorted out.

The ship couldn't last another blow like that.

Samirah cursed as she pulled away, finally feeling all the bruises and scuffs she'd accumulated thus far.

Maybe she had been a bit too reckless.

"Do you think we can even make it to the planet below?" Samirah asked through gritted teeth.

Her whole body ached now. A particularly sharp pain on her upper arm suddenly broke through all of the adrenaline that was coursing through her and she winced at it. A quick glance showed her the blood bleeding through her shirt and the rip in the cloth. She could also deal with that later.

"We're sure as hell going to try. Better strap in for the ride."

She didn't argue.

Samirah hurried over to the escape pod and climbed in, strapping herself into a vacant seat. When Carth had finished with the console, he climbed in behind her. He strapped himself in before quickly finishing the detachment sequence.

When the hatch lid closed, he pressed one more large button and they dropped from the ship

Samirah braced herself as they fell, Carth focusing on making sure they were still alive when they landed. Though, inside the pod, there was very little he could do aside from watch. Samirah decidedly squeezed her eyes shut and prepared herself for the inevitable outcome.

Their odds didn't look good. She was certain they were about to die.

"Come on… we need to be clear of the ship or—"Carth's speech was interrupted by a large explosion.

He didn't want to think about how close that was.

As they fell, the Ship exploded and folded in on itself. Carth cursed to himself as the shock wave from the explosion hit the escape pod, violently shaking them around. Samirah braced herself as best she could while Carth did the same. He was trying to keep focused on the computer in front of him but, well, there was little more he could do. They were in the hands of gravity now.

As they entered the atmosphere, it got worse. The ship continued to shake and jerk about as they accelerated. Several panels blinked and warnings blared as the turbulence got worse. It was all Carth could do to move his head, the rest of his body being firmly pressed against the back of his chair.

Carth managed to glance over at Samirah to find her squeezing her eyes shut and gripping the straps so hard, her knuckles had turned white. He turned his attention back to the computer, waiting with bated breath.

When they were close to impact, he braced himself for the hit.

It was barely enough.

They slammed into the ground so hard that he wondered how his neck hadn't broken from the whiplash. It was definitely going to be sore later.

Samirah wasn't as lucky, her head slamming so hard into the side of the ship that is disoriented her. She only saw a shattering of stars before everything slowly faded into blackness. A void of nothingness that she knew was coming for her. In the back of her mind, just as she was fading out, she wondered if this was it.

Maybe she'd get to see Trask sooner than she thought after all.

It wasn't the ending she would have chosen but, well, we didn't usually get to decide those things.

Usually being the key word.


The impact of the escape pod created a small crater in its wake. It was not the first escape pod to land on Taris, but it was likely the last one from the Endar Spire. The other pieces of debris that reigned down on the unsuspecting planet served as a smoke screen for them. At least, for the time being.

It at least bought them time.

Carth was well aware of the time crunch. They needed to move and get somewhere safe to recollect themselves. But it was so hard to make his body move. He felt like jelly and there was a ringing in his ears. It was all he could do to finally focus on the escape pods panels and watched as it sparked and flickered before going out completely. A small, thin line of smoke wafting out.

Yeah, this pod was shot.

After a few more minutes, Carth had finally cleared his head enough to move. They didn't have time to waste. He unstrapped himself from the seat, groaning at the aches and bruises that protested.

"At least we survived," He grunted, forcing his body to move. " Okay... We need to get out of here before—"

When he turned to look at his only ally left, he cursed.

She was motionless in her seat, her body having gone limp. He reached over tentatively, checking for a pulse. His fingers pressed against her throat, hoping he found a hint of life. When he found her heartbeat, he sighed a breath of relief.

When he finally was able to free her from the restraints, he quickly examined her for any serious wounds that couldn't wait to be treated. Aside from the concussion she likely had, he thought she could hold out a bit longer. He hoped she could, anyway.

He kicked opened the hatch, holding his breath as the sound rang out into the night. He thanked the stars that it was night, checking for anyone or anything moving in the darkness.

When nothing charged or screamed at him, he figured that was a good sign.

Taking a few moments to collect any useful supplies, he took the Ensign's two bags and his own, strapping them together. Carth was going to have to carry this woman and he couldn't afford to leave anything behind. Ensuring that all the equipment was securely in place for their escape, he finally turned back to her.

She hadn't moved. Of course not. A small trickle of blood on her head was likely the reason why. Carth reached in and gently pulled her out, maneuvering her so that she was on his back and their supplies were on his chest.

Don't fall, don't fall, He chanted in his head.

He wasn't sure if he meant Samirah, or himself.

Carth moved as fast as he was able, maneuvering through the alleys of this towering city. The streets were empty, only a few people meandering about which told Carth how late into the evening it must have been. He was grateful for that. The evening would help shroud their escape.

It took him some time to find a seemingly vacant apartment complex. At the very least, it seemed as though the authorities here didn't patrol this area very often. Trash littered the streets, each building a far cry from the majestics ones he had already passed by. They had been pristine and glittery, where as these were dilapidated and dark.

He entered cautiously, hoping that he and the girl on his back looked like two people who had had a little too much to drink. The occasional mumblings from her likely helped sell whatever story Carth wanted to present. Even better that her mumblings were all incoherent.

Luck was, however, on his side as he soon realized the apartments had no human inhabitants whatsoever. From first glance, it was easy to tell that much.

The few inhabitants that were out at this late hour were of alien species and they did not stay out long. And they certainly didn't care what Carth and the girl he carried were doing here.

Actually, they seemed more fearful of them, ducking back into their own apartments and switching their lights off. It was as if they wanted to avoid him all together.

That suited him and his plans just as well.

Carth found the most vacant, trashed, and seemingly abandoned hallway to search. He checked every console at every door until he found a vacant apartment which, again, didn't take much looking for. This place was in some serious disrepair. A glance around the hall told him that this was the least likely spot for trouble to find them. He placed the girl against the wall, exhaling sharply as his whole body ached when relieved of the extra weight.

Man, he could really use a shower.

Later, he reminded himself. There were other priorities.

Splicing into the apartment was actually way easier than he expected. He knew this wasn't some upscale apartment but, well, a little security was still to be expected. However, there was none. This was child's play.

When the door popped open, he checked the hall one more time before throwing their bags into the room and then quietly scooping her up as well. He found the bed and gently laid her down, removing all her gear and placing them on the floor beside her.

It was then when he finally noticed all the wounds that were prominent on her body. She had taken one hell of a beating up there. He also noted the smallest trickle of blood on the side of her head. Frowning as he pulled out a med pack, Carth began to treat her wounds as best he could. Being a pilot meant he saw his fair share of injuries, so he could at least do a decent job of fixing her up.

He cleaned and wrapped her wounds as gently as he could, afraid that she'd wake up from the pain. But she didn't. Instead, she winced and thrashed about like she wasn't only in physical pain, but maybe even having a nightmare as well. A few times she would jerk her hand away from him, only to let it fall limply back into place.

Carth felt her forehead and when she didn't have a fever... well, he had to settle with the idea that she was just having a really bad nightmare. He wasn't sure which he preferred, honestly. A few times, he was certain she had woken up. Her mouth would move and she would seemingly be talking to him but everything she said was incoherent. Sometimes, she would only groan and whimper as her face contorted before finally relaxing for a momentary reprieve.

When he had her bandaged and tucked in, he allowed himself a moment to breathe... but only a moment.

The time had come for him to assess the situation and come up with the next plan. He would have preferred to have her input but, well, she seemed to be out cold. That blow to her head looked rough and he didn't expect her to be up and running around anytime soon. Which, unfortunately for him, meant it was up to him to make sure they survived.

You can do this, Carth, he told himself.

Inspecting their supplies told him that they were in sore need of food, medpacks and, taking a look down at himself, fresh clothes that didn't scream Endar Spire survivors. Carth also needed to know where they stood and what kind of attention they'd put on themselves.

So, reconnaissance it was.

And, as he thought, they had acquired quite a bit of attention.

Waiting for the all clear, Carth slipped back out into the city to see if he could find other escape pods. It was here that their strokes of good luck seemingly ran out. The Sith had already overrun the escape pods and had searched them thoroughly. Theirs had been stripped clean and patrols were stationed around all the others, keeping careful eyes out for the possible stragglers.

Carth cursed, quietly and quickly making his way back to their temporary home. He at least hoped this was temporary. It wasn't looking good, though.

While he waited for her to come to, he made use of his time. Cleaning himself up and acquiring fresh clothes for them both being at the top of his list. He had no money that he could use for food so he had to be a little resourceful. He made sure not to be gone too long, just in case she woke up soon.

However, she never did.

On the third day, he was worried that the impact might have been more serious than he originally thought. She barely moved and the few times he thought she might have been coherent, it was a false alarm. She'd wake up in terror, words flying from her mouth but none of them making any sense. Then, just as quickly as it would come, she'd fall right back into unconsciousness.

He had resorted to pacing several times, anxious.

The longer this persisted, the less he wanted to leave her side. What if she woke up and he wasn't here? What if she didn't wake up at all...?

Come on, kid, he thought, wake up. Don't get lost in there.


Samirah moved her head as her mind tried to clear itself.

She had had the weirdest dream and she wasn't sure what it meant. Sure, she'd had dreams before but this was vivid. It had looked like she was watching two Jedi fight on a bridge of a ship. She could see each swing of their lightsabers, how they spun and parried with each strike of their blades.

The vision was hazy and would dip in and out of focus before she could get a clearer picture but... there was something off about this fight. For instance, why were two Jedi fighting? This wasn't like a sparring match, this was... this was a fight to the death. It took her a few more moments to realize that one of them was not a Jedi at all.

And then her mind slowly cleared and she came to another realization.

The Sith had attacked. She had been in an escape pod. The Endar Spire had exploded. Now she was-

Oh, no. Where was she now? She could feel the bed beneath her, the sheets stiff and old. The mattress was barely even a mattress at all.

Had she been caught? And by who? How long had she been lying here? Did the Sith catch her after all?

These questions spun around in her head, not letting up for a moment before she forced her mind to quiet itself. No. She could answer those later. There was only one question she could answer now.

She opened her eyes slowly, allowing them to adjust to the dimly lit room. She couldn't see much of her surroundings but she could figure out enough. The room was small, dark and mostly unfurnished. So she wasn't in a prison but that didn't mean she wasn't a captive.

And wherever she was, they decided to not restrain her. That was a mistake.

She figured she had about a ten second window of surprise and she was sure as hell going to use it.

Taking a few steading breaths, she cleared her mind. She could do this. She could make it out alive.

It was now or never.

She swung her legs off the bed and fell into a crouching stance. Smiling to herself, she noticed her vibroblade beside the bed. Her captors had foolishly left it beside her. Their second mistake.

Sparing no more time, she grabbed her sword and turned to face… well, the only other person in the room.

Maybe it wasn't the Sith, after all. Someone else?

She hoped it wasn't someone with a grudge... that most recent incident on Nar Shaddaa wasn't entirely her fault.

Her captor started, nearly knocking his chair back as he was immediately to his feet. She noted the blaster on his waste and... why wasn't he reaching for it?

Instead, he held both hands out to her, attempting to placate her before she came at him with her vibroblade. His face registered somewhere in her memory and she tried to place him. No, he wasn't an enemy... why was this so difficult?

The splitting pain that radiated from her head reminded her why.

"Whoa… calm down there for a moment, would you?" He offered slowly.

Carth held his hands up defensively, clearly seeing the dazed and confused look she was giving him. She faltered slightly before the blade clattered to the floor and she fell back against the bed. One of her hands reached up, tentatively touching the small bandage on her head.

She was clearly exhausted and not fully recovered.

After a few moments passed, she spoke softly and he almost couldn't hear her.

"The… pilot…?" He nodded slowly as she relaxed a little more.

Not completely, but enough that relief had washed over him. He didn't realize how tense he had become, waiting to see what she would do. He grabbed some water and offered it to her, which she accepted graciously. When he was sure she had settled down, he sat in a chair across from her and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees.

"Thank the stars… it's, uh, good to finally see you up… instead of thrashing about in your sleep…" He rubbed his face as he let the relief wash over him. By the stars was he tired.

"You must have been having one hell of a nightmare. You had me worried for a while there, I was... wondering if you were ever going to wake up…" He said that last bit softly as he rubbed his eyes and chuckled. "I was really worried you weren't going to wake up."

She looked at her bottle as she fiddled with the cap, unsure how to respond. Her head was still trying to piece it all together and it was taking a moment for her to focus on all the details.

"I'm Carth, a Republic Soldier from the Endar Spire." She flinched at the memory. It had exploded. They were the last ones on the ship.

Oh, right. No one else survived that they know of. Trask had saved her. Oh...

Her shoulders slumped slightly as she leaned against the wall, closing her eyes momentarily. There would be time to mourn, but it would have to be later. Carth continued speaking, his voice soft and slow.

"I was with you in the escape pod… do you remember?"

She waited a moment before finally looking at him. He was watching her with his brow knitted together and she had to swallow a few times to get her voice to work. She was grateful that he was patient enough to wait.

"Carth… the one from the communicator on the ship. You waited for me... I remember." Her voice trembled slightly as she tried not to remember how Trask had praised Carth.

Carth nodded slowly. He continued, in a low voice.

"You've been slipping in and out of consciousness for days now so I can only imagine that you're pretty confused right now. Try not to worry too much, we're safe… for the moment. We're currently in an abandoned apartment on a planet called Taris. You were banged up pretty badly in the crash but luckily I wasn't. I was able to get you out of there and into this apartment."

She grimaced at that.

Again, she was helpless to do anything and the idea of having to be saved again picked at the back of her mind. Was this the life she was doomed to live? Being helpless was not one of her favorite things in the galaxy. Being useless was even more upsetting to her.

"I…" When she started to speak, Carth's head snapped up to look at her.

She took a moment to clear her throat and a few steading breaths. When she lifted her eyes to meet his, she was intent. Whatever melancholy had tormented her earlier, it was gone. Replaced by a kind of determination that caught Carth off guard.

"I owe you my life… and my thanks. You didn't have to save me. You could have just as easily left me there and saved yourself... it would have been much easier for you…" She again thought back to Trask, cursing herself for her uselessness.

This could have been a repeat of the Endar Spire. Someone saving her and then dying because of that choice. She wasn't going to let that happen again.

"Hey… there's no need to thank me. I've never abandoned anyone on a mission and I'm sure as hell not about to start now. I saw someone who needed my help and I acted. If we got caught, well, I'd have dealt with that when the time came." He smiled softly at her, trying to put her at ease.

"I just wanted to get you out of there. Alive, if I could."

Sure he had thought about it as he carried her, but not when he was unbuckling her from the escape pod. No, he wouldn't have left her there. The very idea didn't even sit right with him. Though, now that he thought about it… there was another reason he saved her, but it wasn't like it was the only reason he saved her.

"I'm, uh, also going to kind of need your help getting out of here." Her head snapped up at the sound of the word help and she suddenly felt wide awake.

Samirah could already feel the adrenaline pumping through her as she readied herself for the next step of this whole ordeal. Resting could wait until later, until they were somewhere safe and out of the line of fire. Right now, she could help.

Carth rubbed his face again as he felt the weight of his next words.

"Taris is under Sith control, their fleet is orbiting the plant, they've declared martial law and they've imposed a planet wide quarantine." He said quickly and then looked up at her with a smirk. "But I've been in worse spots."

Samirah couldn't help the smile that twitched in the corners of her mouth. He was trying to lighten the atmosphere and the weight of the work that was sure to ensue.

"I've read your service records and saw that you understand a remarkable number of alien languages. That's pretty rare in a raw recruit." She shrugged and immediately regretted the decision.

She felt as stiff as a board. Not wanting to let Carth know just how rough she felt, she settled on a smile to hide the grimace.

"What can I say? You pick up on a few things." He chuckled.

"Well, it should come in handy while we're stranded on this foreign planet. The Republic isn't going to be able to send anyone in through that blockade… so we're on our own. If we're going to find Bastila, we're going to have to do so by relying on our own skill sets. I have an idea as to where she is. I scouted for a bit while you were out, but all I got was that a couple of escape pods crashed in a place called the Undercity." He rubbed his face again as exhaustion overwhelmed him.

He knew what this was all going to entail; he had had a full three days to figure out this much. Though, there was a difference between thinking about a plan and voicing it. Now, for some reason, it sounded all the more tedious when spoken aloud.

"Bastila… why is she so important?" Samirah found herself asking.

Carth raised his head slowly to see if she was serious. Apparently she was.

Samirah only knew most of what Trask had told her. That she was a Jedi and the leader of the mission but other than that, she didn't know much. Being a Scout, she didn't stay current with news and was more focused on reaching her destinations on the rims of the galaxy.

Or sneaking into places in the core worlds.

The point was that she didn't know who Bastila was or why she seemed to be on everyone's radar.

"Guess that smack did more damage than I thought…" He mumbled. "Bastila's a Jedi."

He paused when Samirah audibly sighed. He looked to see that she was frowning, her arms crossed over her chest.

"What?"

"I've already gathered that she was a Jedi… I'm not that far out of the loop." She quipped and Carth's face twitched into a smirk.

"Alright, so you remember that much. She was also with the strike force that killed Revan, Malak's Sith master. She's the key to the Republic's war effort and the Sith want her because of it."

He stood up from his chair, slowly starting to pace. The exhaustion was slowly starting to creep in and if he didn't keep moving, he knew he would pass right out.

"So that's why they attacked the Endar Spire?" He looked at her as she squeezed her bottle tightly. The tone in her voice has surprised him. "That's why the ship was… was destroyed and everyone inside—" She couldn't finish the sentence.

Her eyes stung at the thought of everyone on that ship.

"...Not everyone died." He finished gently for her. "We lived, and I'm sure Bastila did too. I'm sure of it. I'm sure she was on one of the escape pods that crash landed here, too. If the Sith can get rid of her it'll cripple our war efforts. For the sake of the war, we have to find her."

"She sounds… so important. One person can be that important…" Her voice was all but a whisper. It didn't seem fair.

"Well, she's not exactly an ordinary Jedi. She has this rare ability they call Battle Meditation. That power… her power can influence entire armies. With that power and through the force she can inspire her allies with confidence and make her enemies lose the will to fight... but at a cost. You see, from what I've heard, it takes a lot of concentration."

He paused for a moment, lost in thought as Samirah waited for him to finish. When he looked at her again, he eyes felt distant. Not scared, but in awe of the very idea.

"These powers the Jedi can wield are… unfathomable." He whispered, shaking his head with a low chuckle. "They even say the force can wipe away memories and reprogram new identities. The kind of stuff you hear from stories as a kid. You don't really believe any of it until you see it and, well, I've seen what her abilities can do and it's a hell of a thing."

He collapsed back in to his chair, staring up at the ceiling and letting his words just hang in the air. This was likely a lot for her to take in and they were likely going to be stranded here for a bit. The least Carth could do was give her the time to digest it all. They had a lot of work ahead of them and so they could take a few minutes to be on even footing.

"I can only imagine." Samirah finally whispered.

She hadn't realized that Bastila was the woman who held the war on her shoulders. No wonder everyone admired her. No wonder Trask had prioritized finding her. She was the symbol of hope that the Republic needed. If they lost her... well, they might as well surrender the entire war.

"She sounds… so unreal."

Carth didn't respond and only nodded at her as he rubbed his eyes again, keeping his face in his hands a moment longer. This time Samirah noticed.

"You're tired…" She said it almost as if she was surprised by the realization. "… You haven't slept at all… have you?"

Carth shook his head, a low, tired chuckle rumbling out.

"With you out, I didn't trust myself to fall asleep. What would have happened if we had been discovered? I've hardly slept these past few days, but I'll manage." He slouched in his chair, shooting her a wink. "I've been through worse, remember?"

Samirah furrowed her brow, slowly standing up from the bed. Her fear was that she would collapse back on to the bed and all of her intentions would be wasted. Fortunately for her, she was met with sturdy legs and an even sturdier resolve.

"Hey, should you be moving?"Carth questioned, a little uneasy as she took easy steps towards him.

She nodded, a slow smile forming on her lips. No, she could do this. She needed to be moving anyway. Carth watched her suspiciously before she finally grabbed his arm and pulled him from the chair.

"What are you—"But with no strength left, he couldn't refuse.

"Don't complain." She chided ruefully.

She pulled him easily from the chair and gently started to usher him towards the bed. When he figured out why, he tried to pull back and push her away.

"No. I'm not going to sleep. Not happening." His voice was firm.

"Why not? You're obviously exhausted and I feel guilty enough as it is. Come on, I can keep watch while you finally get some rest." He sat on the bed but looked at her, still refusing to fully give in.

"Look, its… well, it's not that I don't trust you but… I mean I hardly know you." Carth wasn't going to blindly trust her.

She rolled her eyes and held her hand out to him. He just stared at it, unsure what she wanted from him.

"My name is Samirah Alda. I'm a Republic Soldier who, like you, was on board the Endar Spire. I used to be scout and then got transferred to your ship. I talk to myself in hallways and apparently just learned today who Bastila was." Carth just stared at her, blinking. Was she serious?

"I want to help, Carth." She offered quietly, smiling. "And right now, the best way I can do that is to let you sleep and regain some of your strength."

"Forgive me if I'm not so obliging but—" Her face fell at that and he stopped mid sentence.

"Please… let me be of some help. I want… I want to be useful and I want to be able to do something to help you. So please, let me do this… even if it isn't much." Her hand faltered for a bit but she still held it out for him, waiting. He took a deep breath. "If anything else, do it for Bastila. You won't be able to do much to help her if you're already half dead."

His face hardened as she raised an eyebrow at him.

That seemed to close the deal. He finally grasped her hand and shook it, loosening his breath.

"Fine, you win. You're stubborn for an Ensign..." He muttered and she beamed at him.

"It came with the training."

Carth just scoffed but didn't argue more.

He kept his boots on but opted to take his jacket off, laying it at the end of the bed. Carth eased himself into the mattress, his whole body relaxing into it. Oh yeah, this was dangerous. He wasn't going to be able to move and his body knew it. There was this fear that slowly surfaced in him about Samirah. A momentary fear that lasted only the briefest of moments before his eyelids were too heavy.

The last thing he saw was her pulling a blanket over him and then he surrendered to unconsciousness.

Samirah smiled to herself as Carth's eyes closed and he fell right to sleep. With all the fuss he had just put up, she was surprised to find him out like a light.

"Sleep tight..." She murmured.

She, on the other hand, was going to go get information.

She would be as helpful as she could without risking his life. The debts she was collecting was already becoming cumbersome and she wanted to start making every sacrifice worth it. Remembering how cautious Carth had been, she silently promised him to be quick about it.

Time was, as he had pointed out, of the essence.

She slid on the bag that Trask had left her before she looked in a mirror. The bandage around her forehead would probably draw too much attention so she unraveled it carefully to see the jagged cut on the side and the light bruising around it.

It wasn't enough to draw a whole lot of attention, she thought, and it didn't really look that bad. Right?

A few days and it would be all healed up. Tops.

Satisfied, she equipped her blaster and vibroblade and did a room check of supplies. Carth had been busy. There were a couple of stashed away medpacks, an assortment of junk food and- where did he find these rags? Her nose scrunched up as she inspected the barely held together pieces of fabric that she assumed were once pants.

Okay, she thought. Time to get us some proper things.

She was a scout. This was exactly what she had been trained to do.

Before she left, she glanced at the door that was the only thing protecting her sleeping comrade and frowned. A quick inspection of it told her all she needed to know. It was not a reliable lock and could be easily sliced.

Case in point, the new occupants who now lived here.

She knelt down by the door and began to tinker around with the wiring. She chewed her bottom lip as she worked, moving this wire there and that one here and then rearranging these components- ah! That's what she was looking for.

When she was done, she had added an encrypted code and make it much harder to slice.

Proud and satisfied with her work, she locked the door as she left, enabling the code. It was a trick she had picked up in Kathol while trying to help out. A bunch of… underground revolutionaries had taught her different ways of slicing and rerouting different consoles to suit her needs. They had given her plenty of practice in high stress situations.

She shuddered a bit at the memory.

Carth would be able to leave if he wanted too, but no one would get in without making enough racket for Carth to at least wake up and blast them into oblivion first.

She smiled at her handy work. She would prove more useful to Carth than she had been to Trask and that was a promise she was going to see through to the end. And that started with finding Bastila.

No more failure. No more death. She was going to get things done.

That was a promise.


I am much happier with this chapter as opposed to how it was originally written so long ago. If you're new to the story then I welcome you and am happy you've joined. Faithful readers, thank you for just being here for the journey and seeing my writing grow over the years.

I look forward to writing many, many more. The chapters will slowly be polished as I go 3

If you enjoyed the story, please write a review and let me know. I always look forward to any and all reviews!

Thank you 3

-SilverShards-