Hello! This chapter has been updated since the first posting of it. I wanted to flesh it out better and make it more readable.
I hope you enjoy!
Useful
"The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well."
Samirah wasn't off to a really great start.
She had barely even left the apartment, let alone the complex itself and already she had found the very people they were actively trying to avoid.
Before she could even move away from their newly secured door, a loud voice rang down the hall and Samirah's blood froze.
"Alright, you alien scum, this is a raid! Everyone against the wall!"
Frack it all, she thought.
She slowly raised her hands, turning to see who had found them so quickly and her face blanched.
Ah.
Sith.
Of course it had to be the Sith.
Carth must not have been as stealthy as he thought he was and she cursed herself for making them waste three days while she recovered. She wondered how well and how fast she could move her hand down to her blaster without drawing any suspicion.
She'd be damned if another Sith took someone away from her. She was going to fight with everything she had if they so much as inched closer to the door.
It wasn't until she actually listened to the Sith talk that she realized they weren't here looking for fugitives at all. At the very least, they didn't seem to have a clue that the Republic was hiding out here. Not yet, at least. The Sith's attention was, instead, focused on a pair of aliens in the hallway.
From the way the two Duros tenants trembled before the Sith, Samirah could see that this wasn't a new occurrence. They were afraid. Petrified. One of them was quietly following the orders given while the other seemed to be trying to persuade the Sith to leave.
Looking closer, Samirah noted that only one of the Sith was actually human. The other two were droids that flanked him and were seemingly only there as support. If they suspected Republic refugees here, Samirah had a feeling that they'd have sent more than just a small patrol.
"But there was a patrol just yesterday!" The Duros man pleaded. "Why can't you leave us alone? Can't you tell that we have nothing left to give?"
The sound of a blaster was all she heard before the Duros crumpled to the floor. Not once, but several times.
The shock of it froze Samirah in place, her eyes going wide as the Sith holstered his blaster again. He hadn't even hesitated.
"That's how we deal with smart mouthed aliens here." He remarked cooly, his lip twitching up in one corner. "Now, everyone else, get up against the wall before I lose my temper again."
His gaze slowly shifted to the other Duros, daring him to protest or talk back. He did not. Further down the hallway were a few more residents who huddled against the walls or quietly moved back into their apartments, hoping to avoid any confrontation at all.
This was a common occurrence, then.
Samirah stared, unable to move her body forward.
It was apparent that all these residents feared for their lives, knowing that they couldn't do anything to stop this man. He was a Sith. They were aliens. They meant nothing to him. Every part of Samirah wanted to do something but she didn't need to draw any attention to herself. She had Carth to think about. She had Bastila to think about. Right now, everything was riding on them staying hidden. Their advantage was that no one was specifically looking for her and Carth. She couldn't get involved...
The Duros stared down at his friend, his whole body trembling with fear.
We'll make it out alive together, Samirah, don't worry. We can do this.
Trask's voice breathed past her mind and that was it. That was all Samirah needed.
No, not again. I'm done with this nonsense, Samirah thought, unable to stop herself.
The Sith had done enough. She was tired of being helpless and allowing them to do as they pleased. She didn't entirely know what she was going to do but she couldn't let this go on. She couldn't ignore someone who clearly needed help.
No. For once, Samirah wasn't going to let them win.
It wasn't until the surviving Duros turned his head away that Samirah saw the Sith raise his blaster. He pointed it at the Duros. He was going to kill this man anyway. He was going to shoot him in the back. A slow smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
"Hands up." He crooned.
Her temper flared again.
"That's enough!" She shouted, hand already touching her blaster.
The Sith spun around, locking eyes with her and she momentarily regretted giving away her element of surprise.
"Excuse me, did you say some—" He stopped, blinking as he accessed her. "What's this? You're a human?"
He seemed shocked at the very idea. For a moment, his blaster was forgotten as he lowered it.
"A human's hiding out with aliens?" He said quietly to himself.
The Duros was now all but forgotten to him. Samirah presented him with a surprise he hadn't been expecting. This clearly deserved his full attention.
"Hiding out? What, I can't just live here?" She seethed.
These people weren't criminals, but she knew that didn't matter to him. Not as his eyes widened with intrigue.
"In an alien infested apartment complex?" He scoffed, "Not likely. Not likely at all. I've been down these halls many times and not once have I ever come across human occupants."
"Maybe that's because you've been too busy harassing the other tenants."
After she had said it, she flinched at her own stupidity.
This wasn't the time to be confrontational. They needed to keep a low profile and not do anything to attract unnecessary attention. Like the attention Samirah was expertly attracting now.
The Sith seemed to like the fact that she was being defiant. His lips twitching into a smile as he took a few steps closer to her. Then, his smile grew as he took in her appearance.
"And somehow missed someone like you? No, that's very unlikely." He crooned again.
When he motioned for the droids to step closer, Samirah tensed.
"You know, there were some empty Republic space pods that had recently crashed here. Their occupants having already fled. Now, if I were a Republic Fugitive, where would I hide?"
The tension was palpable in the air, the Duros man trying to make himself seem as small as possible. He wanted none of this attention and Samirah couldn't blame him.
This was bad. If he was able to send out an alert, Carth and her were as good as done for.
You better make it out of here, Trask's voice echoed in her head.
I will.
Samirah's hand twitched towards her blaster and that was all the Sith needed.
"Attack her, now!" He cried and she immediately slipped out her blaster.
She aimed her shot at the droid to the right, hitting an exposed circuit in one of his joints. He jerked sporadically before falling forward.
Quickly dodging the hail of blaster bolts, she rolled to the side as the remaining droid and Sith fired. She ducked behind some storage units that had been left in the hallway. As blaster fire hit the metal, she flinched and kicked herself for not engaging them sooner. Shouting at them had made her lose the advantage. She had likely saved the Duros but how was she going to save herself?
Now what are you going to do... she sarcastically chided herself. This was anything but ideal.
When she heard someone scream, she quickly looked out to see the Duros man. He had a vibroblade in his hands and had shoved it through the Sith's abdomen without a moment's hesitation. The look of surprise on the Sith man's face would have brought Samirah a bit of smug satisfaction if not for the droid.
It turned in response and that was going to be her only opportunity to act. She wasn't going to waste it this time, knowing that her new ally was now a target.
Samirah vaulted over the storage units and rushed at the droid, vibroblade in hand. The droid's blaster bolt caught the Duros in the collarbone as he retreated back behind a corner.
That was all she needed, raising her blade up high.
With one furious swing of the vibroblade, Samirah separated it's mechanical head from it's body and watched as it fell.
Samirah loosened a shaky breath, falling down to one knee as she took a moment. That was a bit dicey for her liking. She hadn't planned on a firefight so soon. Her body was still healing and it definitely made sure she was aware of that. She winced as her stiff shoulder cried in protest, not happy at having to be so roughly used.
The Duros that had helped her reemerged, moving quickly to his friends side. He hadn't moved and one look told Samirah that he wasn't going to ever again.
I was too slow...
"Poor Ixgil…" The Duros said quietly, rolling him over to reveal the blaster wounds on his chest.
"He should never have talked back. He knew better than that..." He sighed, shoulders slumping forward before turning to Samirah. "Thank you for trying to save us. It was too late for Ixgil, but I at least still owe you my life."
"No, you paid me back by stopping the Sith. Without your help, I'd likely be in the same shape as our friend, here. I hadn't really thought this battle out..." She admitted. "I hadn't thought any of it out. Does this happen a lot?"
He nodded.
"This isn't the first time the Sith have caused us trouble here but I hope it is the last. Thanks to you." He winced as he tried to move Ixgil, the pain in his shoulder hindering him.
Samirah stopped him, looking it over and frowning. She reached into her bag and found a med pack tucked away- compliments of Carth Onasi and his own resource gathering abilities. She carefully removed it and handed it to the Duros who stared at her with wide eyes. For a moment, he seemed to not understand.
"Human, are you sure? You may want to keep that to yourself, for your own wound." She followed his gaze to where a mark had grazed her arm and she hadn't even noticed.
Probably because it was the same spot as the first wound she'd gotten aboard the Endar Spire.
Figures.
"You're wound is much more severe than my own." She insisted, holding it out to him again. "Please, it's the least I can do."
"Human, you have already saved me and to give this to me… that is true kindness." He said slowly, reaching out to take the medpack. "I accept with gratitude."
She smiled at him, taking this moment to sit against the wall. Maybe a little more rest would have done her some good. It was too late to go back now, however. She was committed to this outing and she would not return empty handed. Too many things needed to be done and this patrol only told her how close they were to trouble.
Samirah didn't want to imagine what would have happened if the Sith had found them first.
While she had the chance, Samirah found a few pieces of cloth in her pack that allowed her to make a temporary bandage on her arm. Now that she was aware of the wound, it was insistent that she not forget. The skin was red and angry as she wrapped it in cloth carefully. It was difficult to do on her own but she managed it well enough. Ensuring that the bandage wasn't going to come loose anytime soon, Samirah allowed herself a few more moments to breathe.
She looked down the hall at the other tenants as they all quickly scurried into their apartments or leaving all together. Only a Twi'lek man by a cart stayed, watching them with awe. She frowned as she turned her attention back to their present situation.
"Won't someone come by looking for the missing patrol? It would seem odd for them not to report in."
The Duros nodded in agreement.
"Do not worry, I will move them elsewhere. Make it look like they were killed in an accident... or something. There are much more dangerous places on Taris that could get them killed. That should at least keep them away from us."
When he stood, Samirah promptly followed and winced when her body made every little ache known. How she wished Taris had hot spring baths she could sneak in to. That would have been perfect.
Actually, any bath would be welcomed.
"Hopefully, they will not come back." The Duros continued, looking at her again. "Thank you, again, human."
"My name is Samirah. Samirah Alda… and it was my pleasure. I couldn't just watch them kill anyone else. I am sorry that I wasn't able to do more…" She trailed off, looking to Ixgil and the Duros frowned.
"You do not need to trouble yourself over it, Samirah. He was the one who spoke knowing the risk. And... you may call me Elek." He finally said with a small bow of his head.
He began to move Ixgil and when Samirah tried to help, he stopped her and she frowned.
"I can at least help you move them, Elek." He chuckled, shaking his head again.
"Better one of us do it and risk getting caught then us both."
"If... you're sure."
He did have a point but Samirah didn't like leaving the burden to him. No matter how content he seemed to do it.
"It is my duty to take care for my own fallen. Good luck, Samirah Alda. If you are a Republic Soldier as they said, then your secret is safe with me… all of us to be certain."
She paused, staring at him in mild surprise.
Elek gently lifted Ixgil off the floor, setting him against a wall and some unused storage units. He gently placed Ixgil's arms over his chest and closed his eyes. He said a small prayer before moving on to the Sith man who he was less gentle with, dragging him by the arm.
"We dislike the Sith and all that they are. All that they do. You are a cause worthy of our support. You demonstrated today why that it is." Elek roughly shoved the Sith into one of the containers. Before closing the lid, he paused and reached in, fumbling with the Sith's uniform.
He pulled free a pouch from the Sith's waist and threw it at Samirah. When she caught it, she heard the jingle of credits and her eyes went wide.
"You earned more than that but, well, it's all he had on him." He finally said, smiling at her softly. "Safe travels, friend. I have much work to do but will happily do it with the life you have saved."
He then knelt down and began the arduous task of disassembling the two droids.
Samirah felt her heart clench. Not in pain like it had on the Endar Spire. This was a good feeling that made her eyes sting briefly, forcing her to quickly brush them away.
There was something good that she could do. Since she couldn't pay it back to Trask, she would give it to people she met. The people here who needed someone to stand up for them the way Trask has stood for her. She would help push back the Sith with whatever she had, with whatever strength she had left to give.
She would do whatever it took to help save the Republic and the people left behind.
Samirah quietly excused herself, allowing Elek to finish his task. There was nothing more for her to do here.
She had started to head for the exit, trying to find her way out of the complex before the Twi'lek man from before stepped in front of her. He hadn't moved from his perch behind a cart. His eyes still glittering from the earlier firefight in the hall.
"Well, I don't see too many of your kind around here. Most Aliens here are Illegal and most humans who come here… well, it's always just the Sith." He looked pointedly at where she'd just rid them of one such Sith.
"Yeah... I guess you could say I'm just passing through." She said cautiously.
Despite Elek's endorsement, she was going to still be a little wary until she knew everyone's intentions. It was in hers and Carth's best interest if they didn't broadcast that they were fugitives in hiding from the Sith. However... this Twi'lek probably overheard the whole conversation.
The way he smiled and nodded at her told her much the same.
"Yes, I suppose I can say that." He grinned. "No other human would come here. Most despise us and so we are to hide ourselves from them. Most would be quite content if the Sith were to just rid themselves of us."
Samirah fidgeted, uncomfortable all of a sudden. He spoke so matter of fact, as if it didn't sound like his entire existence was under threat. What kind of planet was Taris? It wasn't a place Samirah had ever had to visit and she was starting to see why.
As if suddenly made aware again of who he was talking too, the Twi'lek grinned at her, shaken out of his momentary reverie.
"Oh, but excuse my rudeness. My name is Larrim, human."
He offered a flourishing bow which made Samirah blush at the grandeur of it all.
"Uh, yes, it's a pleasure to meet you, Larrim. My name is Samirah Alda."
He stood straight, that same big grin on his face and clasped his hands together.
"It may not be my business, but you look like you may need an energy shield. For, uh, potentially future uses." He said quietly, glancing over to where Elek was now moving droid parts.
He was currently dropping them unceremoniously into the same container as the now deceased Sith patrolman. A few other tenants had come out of hiding to help deal with Ixgil while Elek dealt with the other mess. When he caught her gaze, he just gave her a small wave before wheeling the container in the opposite direction. Despite the gruesomeness of the whole encounter, Elek seemed more than chipper at disposing of the Sith.
Samirah smirked, turning back to Larrim.
"Thank you, but I'm hoping not to be in need of any kind of shield. I'm not purposefully looking for any fights." Her hand moved up to her forearm, feeling the blaster mark. "Or being shot at again. If that changes though, I promise to let you know first."
His grin widened as he nodded. He started to say something else but Samirah had a thought, suddenly.
"Actually," She said quickly, earning his full attention. "I do have one question if you don't mind me asking."
"But of course. Ask me what you'd like!" He beamed and Samirah was more than grateful by how accommodating he was.
If everyone on Taris was going to be like this, they'd have no trouble finding Bastila.
Samirah highly doubted they were, though.
"Earlier, you said illegal aliens…"
This made Larrim's face fall a bit, the enthusiasm not as forthcoming as before. He let out a big sigh, slowly nodding his head.
"Ah yes, well, aliens are not permitted to live in the Upper city. Some of us Twi'leks have been permitted up here, but no more than that. No self-respecting human would want to live here so the landlord has rented the apartments out illegally. The authorities have turned a blind eye to the complex and when the Sith arrived... well, so did they."
Larrim looked up to see a few tenants carefully moving Ixgil away. Samirah stepped out of the way, watching as they gently moved him down the hall and presumably somewhere they could respectfully do away with his body. Respectfully and secretly, of course.
"Well, they turn a blind eye where it suits them." He amended.
"Thank you..." Samirah said quietly, watching the unofficial procession go by.
"Of course." Larrim smiled, his attention going back to Samirah. "If you find yourself in need of something, feel free to ask—I have many sources and can get just about anything you may require." They shook hands and she smiled graciously at him.
"Thank you and I just may take you up on that offer."
"I hope you do." Larrim said, raising an eyebrow.
They parted ways and Samirah was glad that there were people here who were willing to help her. Unlikely allies in a place where she would surely need the support and discretion.
She eventually found the elevator door after passing by an old man who had called himself the janitor. A nice enough old man who seemed too old to care about fugitives or the Republic. Just happy enough to get his days work done.
When she stepped into the sunlight, she was briefly blinded before she was able to see the city for what it was. Structures were stretched up so high, you had to look straight up just to glimpse the tops that were closed like domes. Businesses, shops, homes, apartments—everything one could possibly need was somewhere in those buildings. A metropolis of people. And where you had this many people bunched up together, you were bound to have criminals.
And Samirah knew better than to assume the aliens she'd just met were the criminals the upper class assumed they were.
No, she was willing to bet that Crime Lords were as abundant here as they were on Nar Shaddaa. As a scout, sometimes the easiest way to get information was to go straight to the source. All she wanted was information and Crime Lords always had their ear to the ground. Their fingers were usually right on the pulse of the city, too.
The information never came cheap but she had ways of acquiring the credits if need be. And this was definitely going to be a case of acquiring them, fast. She could make it work if really, truly pressed for it. Checking the pack of credits she'd just earned, she noted that she'd likely be pressed for it if she wanted to bargain for any information at all.
Samirah let out a loud sigh.
She wondered how many Crime Lords actually lived on Taris. How many were well known and how many went to great pain to make sure they were nothing but a shadow—a fragment of Taris but with a lot of power behind the scenes.
She glanced around the city, taking in the infrastructure as she slowly eased herself into the crowds. A few Sith Patrols were scattered about and she did her best to look unassuming. Samirah was banged up, sure, but that could be easily explained away if asked. So long as she didn't act or look like a criminal to them, she could likely get by.
She meandered her way across the walkway, turning at random corners and following the slew of people in hopes of finding something- anything, really. Now that she was out in the open, seeing Taris for all it was, she didn't really know where to start. Best she could do was let the people hide her and see where that led.
She inevitably stumbled into a weapons shop. The owner, Kebla Yurt, explained that she was the biggest shop in Upper Taris but had most of her heavy weapons confiscated by the Sith. Another perk of a Sith occupation apparently.
It seemed most of the locals weren't a fan of their new overlords either.
When Samirah found a Permacrete Detonator she couldn't contain the giddy feeling she got in her stomach. She had rigged up a few in the past and she thought that 50 credits wasn't a bad deal at all. Mentally thanking Elek for the small bit of funds, she purchased the detonator. What did she need it for? She had no idea but she figured it would come in handy at some point. If not… hey, she had a detonator. That had so many uses that she'd rather have it and not need it then to wish that she had bought it all that time ago.
Kebla looked at her cautiously, almost like she had wished she hadn't sold it.
Samirah supposed that with all of the trouble the Sith brought, Kebla didn't want to be responsible for selling a detonator that would have been used to disrupt the balance—if what they had going on was even considered balance. She assured Kebla that she had no nefarious plans in the making.
Not yet, at least.
When Samirah had started to leave, she noticed the Sith Trooper standing guard a little ways off. This was the first place that she'd seen where the Sith felt it necessary to guard it.
So obviously she needed to know what was behind the door.
Samirah poked her head back into the shop, finding Kebla quite easily. No one else was shopping so the woman was back at her desk, taking notes on a datapad.
"That Sith guard over there..." Samirah started, earning Kebla's attention rather quickly. "What's he guarding?"
Kebla furrowed her brow at Samirah and frowned. In hindsight, maybe that was a strange question to ask.
"Well, that's the cantina… you must be an offworlder if you don't know that much. The Sith guard it to avoid trouble with locals. They have soldiers who go there to… relax from duty so they don't want any trouble."
Samirah's face lit up.
"Oh, perfect! Thank you!" She said quickly, dipping out of the store once again.
That wasn't somewhere she needed to immediately go, but it was definitely high on her list now. A Cantina is where all the best intel could be found. Knowing where it was would make things so much easier for her and she made a mental note to revisit.
Sure, there were likely as many Sith soldiers in there as there were regular patrons and common sense should be telling Samirah to stay far away, but it was too good of an intel spot to ignore. Sometimes, to get what you needed, you had to entire the den of Kath Hounds. It wouldn't be her first time going into the heart of danger either. She would, however, save the Cantina for when she was done scouting their immediate surroundings first. Priorities and all.
When she returned to Carth, she wanted to return with something to be proud of. If anything she was able to gleam from this excursion proved useful... well, then she was on her way to proving herself vital to the cause.
Not just a liability.
I'm a Republic Soldier too, damn it, she told herself.
Falling back in step with the crowd, Samirah kept her eyes open for things of note. Which, fortunately for her, didn't take much time. There was an elevator nearby that had another Sith guard posted by it.
There seemed to be a pattern to this that Samirah was well acquainted with. No matter where you were, it was always the same.
Guard plus Door equaled a place she needed to go.
It was the same set of variables no matter where she inevitably went. Ryloth, Corellia, Devaron- that one time on Hutta.
She had overheard a few people in the crowd talking about what lay below the city in hushed tones. As if it were some big secret to be kept or place to be feared. Apparently it was what they unimaginatively called the Lower City and she was willing to bet that if there were Crime Lords to talk to, they were down there.
The shadier people never failed to be found in the most obvious of places. When one was in need of a thug or a Crime Syndicate, one should always go to the darkest, slimiest, hell hole you could find. After that... well, they would usually find you of their own accord if you asked enough questions.
A life lesson Samirah had learned once or twice before.
Samirah had been so busy with thoughts about her plan that she didn't notice how the crowd had thinned out until she was the only one approaching the door.
"Hey!" The Sith shouted, startling her to a halt. "This elevator is off limits!"
When she glanced around, finding herself alone, her cheeks flushed.
Way to go, Samirah, she chastised herself. This wasn't the time to lose focus.
"Citizens aren't allowed into the Undercity without the proper authorization papers and you," The guard said, enunciating the word as he gestured at her mess of clothing, "Definitely don't look like you have the required paperwork. Move. Along."
The venom in his voice left no room for questions. Samirah quietly and quickly mumbled her apologies, her eyes watching his hands flexing towards his blaster. Before he could fuss at her anymore, she excused herself and scurried away from the elevator. She didn't stop until he was out of sight.
The Sith base further down that path, however, did not escape her notice. Nor did all of the Sith gathered outside, presumably changing shifts or preparing to look for a lost patrol. She hoped it wasn't the later.
It did, however, seem like it was the main Sith outpost. A place she didn't need to be anywhere near right now. She made a mental note of where it was regardless.
Cantina. Elevator to the Undercity. Sith Base- She was doing pretty good so far. Carth would hopefully be impressed.
Following the flow of the crowds again, Samirah somehow found herself outside a medical facility. Samirah knitted her brows, confused by how she got here. Looking around, the crowd had once again dispersed. The walkway seemingly ended at the Medical Facility and the crowd, no needing medical attention, went about their merry way in different directions. That left Samirah, once again losing focus, at the doorstep of this place.
It would be useful to know where a clinic was but it wasn't going to be of any help to her now. She was also quite hopeful that she wouldn't be in need of their services anytime soon.
Now, where to go from here...
She had only backed up a little, thinking that she had plenty of room to move. Instead, she bumped into someone else. And something else.
"Oh! I'm so—" She started to apologize but he didn't let her finish.
"—Hey! Watch it!" The man snapped. In his arms were several crates that he was balancing precariously.
Bumping into him, Samirah had nearly caused him to drop everything. The large, bolded words saying FRAGILE told Samirah all she needed to know. When he had stabilized himself, resuming the balancing act, he threw her a glare.
"Can't you see I'm kind of in the middle of something?" He clarified through clenched teeth.
"Uh, yeah, s-sorry about that." She stammered, backing out of his way with her hands held in front of her. "I wasn't, uhm, looking..."
"Obviously." He muttered. Samirah bit back her sarcastic remark.
Perhaps her luck of finding helpful people had finally run out.
"What, do you want something?" He spat when she had yet to move on and Samirah fought to keep herself from snapping back.
"Actually-" Of course, he didn't let her finish before pushing past her again with a roll of his eyes.
"By the-Go talk to Zelka, then. I'm busy."
She stumbled away from him as he kept walking, completely dumbfounded.
"Don't mind him, he's always like that."
Samirah turned to see an older man holding a small box under his arm and a deep frown set into his old features. His eyes followed the other gentleman who cursed as he bumped into someone else inside the facility. His choice in vocabulary was anything but polite.
"He's always a little jumpy and particularly too cranky with our visitors if you ask me." The man chuckled, turning his attention to Samirah. "He means well, I'm sure."
"I may have my doubts about that." Samirah pursed her lips and the man gave her a toothy grin.
"Was there actually something I could help you with?" He finally asked, gesturing to himself. "My name is Zelka Forn, I run this medical facility. I promise my bedside manner is much more accommodating than my colleague there." He offered helpfully.
Somehow, that put Samirah at ease.
"Oh, this is your facility then?"
He nodded, gesturing for her to follow him in.
Well, she might as well. She'd made it this far and she wasn't about to turn down someone else who seemed helpful. Not wanting to seem rude, Samirah walked with Zelka into his facility and was astonished how how well kept it was.
It wasn't as furnished as one might be in the core worlds, being much more humble in its design, but Samirah felt like it got the job done. Kolto tanks were stationed around, drawers and filing cabinets perfectly situated between each one, as well as a few shelves where goods were on display for purchase. At present, only two other people were inside, not including the gentleman from before.
"I can treat almost any injury or ailment here and have been the primary healthcare provider to the citizens of Taris for a number of years. I'm equipped for just about anything." He said, a note of pride in his voice.
A note that faded away as he set down his box on a desk, his smile faltering a bit. When he looked back at Samirah, he just sighed.
"Except the rakghoul disease, of course."
The... what now?
"Rakghoul disease?" She asked and he nodded slowly, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Yes... you've not heard of it yet?"
She considered lying to him but knew that wouldn't end well for her. If there was a disease running rampant on Taris, she probably needed to know about it. The last thing she needed was to die from some illness instead of the Sith.
Actually, she needed to just not die at all. So, she slowly shook head and Zelka nodded thoughtfully.
"Figures an offworlder would get trapped here and no one informs them of the situation. It's a terrible affliction that has plagued Taris for many generations. Rakghouls are horrible monsters that live in the Undercity. Prolonged exposure and you yourself become a rakghoul. They become mindless beasts that feed on the flesh of others."
Oh, no. Samirah didn't like that at all. That was definitely something to avoid at all costs.
"Several generations and there's no way to cure it?" She asked incredulously. Zelka nearly laughed.
"Cure?." He nearly scoffed, plumping down into his desk chair. " I'm afraid not. Though, the Republic scientists that were here before the Sith were trying to perfect a cure… but when the Sith arrived, they took over and kept it all to themselves. It's highly likely that if the serum works at all, we won't be seeing it."
His voice was bitter and Samirah felt sympathy for the people of Taris. Sympathy that seemed to grow with each person she talked to. This... this wasn't a well looked after place. Not that she expected the Sith to be gracious rulers but this?
Zelka leaned forward, his hands clasped over his mouth and his tired eyes distant as he spoke.
"If I could just get my hands on that...that serum! I could possibly mass produce it and…" He trailed off.
The idea was there, but the means to fulfill it seemed impossible… for him at least.
From his tired eyes she could tell he had been working extremely hard. She glanced at his table and noted the datapads scattered across the surface. Tests, theories, results, graphs, ideas, trials and errors—work that he was sifting through hoping to find some answer and from the look on his face and the bags under his eyes… it wasn't hopeful.
He needed the serum the Republic had started work on.
"Maybe I could get it for you." She finally said, a thought occuring her.
Zelka's eyes snapped up to look at her in shock. Then, he just chuckled to himself in disbelief.
"I don't see how. The only place you'd find it is the base and it's crawling with Sith. Breaking in would be suicide."
She smirked.
"There are other ways to get things done." She mused, thinking out loud. "You just let me worry about that." The look he gave her was anything but confident.
She crossed her arms and nodded as if that was the end of the discussion. As if just saying it outloud made it something easily done. It didn't, but she wanted him to feel reassured in her abilities.
Instead, it only drew his attention to the sloppily bandaged wound on her forearm. It had become loose and was slowly unraveling, revealing the angry mark beneath.
"How long has that wound been there?" Samirah looked down at it, frowning as she tried to fix it.
"Maybe an hour? Maybe more? I'm not exactly sure." She shrugged as the bandage was temporarily tightened again. "It's fine though, I've certainly had worse."
Zelka just frowned as he stood up, completely forgetting their earlier conversation. The way she had tied the bandage was painful to watch; Zelka knew it would barely last the next twenty minutes. Reaching under his desk, he grabbed his medical supplies and sat her down in a chair beside him. He gave her no room to argue.
"Regardless of if you've had worse, it could get infected." He unraveled the bandage with ease and then looked pointedly at her. "You can't just wrap it with a bandage and hope it'll get better, Samirah. This needs treatment." He admonished.
Her cheeks flushed as she looked away, a little embarrassed.
"I was going to properly care for it when I got home..." She mumbled.
The incredulous hmph from Zelka made her think he didn't believe her.
When he started to pull out his supplies, Samirah immediately started to protest but he promptly cut her off with another sharp look.
"No need to worry, it won't cost you anything. I just don't want to leave it untreated."
They stared at each other for a long moment. Samirah considered arguing the point but then Zelka just raised his eyebrows at her, daring her too. She finally relented. She reconsidered her surrender when he gave her a smug smile.
He dressed her wound fairly quickly, his expertise in his field very apparent. She had barely blinked before the wound was disinfected, cleaned, and swabbed with kolto. When he had tied a neat little bandage around it, she felt her cheeks flush again.
Compared to how he wrapped it, she realized her own attempt looked quite pitiful.
When he had all but finished, his gaze was drawn to the other bandages that peaked through her clothes. As he looked her over, he pulled his lips back into a thin line.
"It seems you acquire a lot of wounds." He said flatly, brushing her hair out of the way to reveal the cut she had tried to hide with her bangs.
Samirah suddenly found the kolto tanks to be more interesting than they were.
Without waiting for an explanation, Zelka began removing the bandages. His frown only deepened before he moved and pulled out a partition to separate them from the rest of the people in his clinic. Samirah already knew what he was going to ask before he did and she crossed her arms in defiance.
"Doc, I'm fine. Really, this isn't necessary." She protested but Zelka was having none of it.
"I just want to freshen the bandages. Don't make me put you in a Kolto tank." He threatened, looking at her pointedly.
Pursing her lips, she conceded again. Gently, she pulled off her shirt so that she was only in her brown undershirt. She felt embarrassed a bit as his frown deepened. When she looked down, she was surprised to see how bruised her body actually had been. After a moment of thought, she just nodded her head slowly.
After the few days she had had, this made sense. The shuttle crashing was likely responsible for most of the damage.
"Yes, well, I'm a bit clumsy." She finally said as he began cleaning with the kolto.
He only raised an eyebrow in response, not stopping as he worked. He could see through her and she didn't like that.
"And... maybe I also tend to stick my nose in where it probably doesn't belong all the time." She added quietly.
Zelka coughed, trying to hide his chuckle.
"Why is it that I'm not the least bit surprised by that?" He accused and she tried to shrug innocently, her shoulder screaming in agony as she did.
He just chuckled again when she winced, lowering her arm slowly. She had a vague idea of which events in particular were responsible for this pain.
They fell into a comfortable silence as Zelka moved, gently poking and prodding her muscles and then applying Kolto to soothe when she would flinch. Which, was quite often. Zelka was amazed at how many injuries- no matter how minor- she had. Some were fresh and others... well, he could take a few guesses as to how she'd acquired them. None were good, however.
"I'd be careful if I were you, Samirah." Zelka said quietly, looking at her pointedly. "There are those around here who don't like interference."
"So I'm starting to see..." She grunted as he tested her shoulders mobility.
She really did appreciate his concern, even more so that he was willing to bandage her up at no cost. It made her feel all the more inclined to help. And Samirah knew exactly what it was she needed to do to help.
I need to get that serum somehow, she reminded herself.
It would be risky but now she more than owed it to Zelka. Hell, she'd have gone to find it for him even before he offered to bandage her up. She'd done riskier things in the past. Just another Tuesday in her books, really.
When he moved to her forehead, she winced at how tender it was. The bruise around it was anything but pretty.
Zelka carefully cleaned the cut and placed a small, thin bandage over it. As he finished, he stepped away and gave Samirah an approving smile. He was satisfied with his handy work. Samirah tested out her mobility and grinned at him. He had done an amazing job. Not that she expected him to be a bad doctor or anything, but this was much better than what makeshift mess she and Carth had thrown together.
"Thank you, Zelka." She breathed, rolling her shoulder. "I really do mean it."
He just smiled, cleaning his hands on a wet rag and putting away his med kit.
"Ah, don't mention it." He waved off. "I would be a lousy doctor if I ignored someone in need."
Zelka was rarely ever graced with such pleasant people. With the Sith roaming around, they could hardly sneeze without a gun being pointed at their face. Their every move was under suspicion and to live their normal lives almost felt like a crime. The few patients he did see were usually people who had angered the wrong people and now feared for their life. People who were terrified of just living.
Seeing this girl was like a breath of fresh air—a breath of hope in this seemingly bleak planet. It had been a long time since someone had smiled so freely in his clinic.
Samirah shrugged her shirt back on as Zelka moved the partition back again. When he turned back to face her, Samirah had her hand stretched out towards him. He blinked a few times before looking back at her quizzically.
"Hopefully, the next time I see you, it'll be because of good news." She beamed and he smiled back, taking her hand.
"Yes, it has been a pleasure meeting you. Be careful out there, Samirah. And if you're not, you know where to find me." He joked.
As she turned to leave, she threw him a smirk over her shoulder.
"I'm always careful, Doc."
Zelka had a hard time believing that. He was actually pretty worried by the kind of trouble she was likely to find. Well, he had tried to warn her and she seemed determined to finish whatever it was she had started. This clinic existed for a reason and so, if she found herself in need of aid, he hoped that she would come looking for him.
Zelka turned back to his desk, settling down to review his own notes about the disease he so desperately wanted to cure.
One day, He thought. One day I'll be able to do something.
Until then, Zelka would do what little he could.
Samirah was slowly making her way out of the clinic, happy to have met someone like Zelka. He was a good man, put into a difficult situation. A situation that felt similar to her own. That feeling of being useless and helpless as people around you suffered. As people died.
No, there was something she could do to help. Samirah knew that she already had a list of things to do but she couldn't not help.
As she was almost out of the clinic, she heard someone hiss at her. Samirah paused, looking around until she found the rude man from before. He was facing a wall, datapad in hand as if he was in the middle of work but his eyes were focused intently on her.
"Psst." He tried again.
When she didn't move, only narrowing her eyes instead, he rolled his own eyes at her.
"PSST! That means come here!"
She just glared at him before slowly approaching.
"You're being really weird..." She remarked and he just waved it away.
When she approached, however, he resumed pretending to work. Which annoyed Samirah. Didn't he just call her over?
"I don't know what's happening here..." She admitted as he thumbed through his datapad. He rolled his eyes again but kept his tone low as he spoke.
"I heard you talking to Zelka about the Rakghoul serum. I've got an offer and you'll want to hear it."
Samirah scowled.
"Really? What makes you so sure I'll want to hear it?"
He grinned, moving his hand up to mime the act of counting. It seemed like he was pretending to take stock.
"Well, Zelka isn't the only person looking for that Serum. Davik will pay much more than Zelka can for it. Zelka likely doesn't have more than ten credits to his name!" He scoffed.
"Who?"
This time, his facade slipped as he turned to look at her slowly. He peered intently at her before settling on the conclusion that she was serious.
"Oh come on, really? Davik Kang?" He enunciated the name as if that would help.
It didn't.
"Davik Kang…?" She repeated and he groaned, dropping his hands and rolling his eyes.
"Boy, you're a sharp one. Davik Kang's only the big boss around here. Gambling, smuggling, extortion, you know-" He gestured around wildly, trying to poorly illustrate his point. "He's the boss. He's into all the shady deals."
"So he's... a Crime Lord!" She said, a little louder than he wanted.
He scrambled to throw a hand over her mouth, looking back to see if Zelka had noticed. Samirah followed his gaze to find that Zelka had actually disappeared somewhere.
She then promptly began swatting his hand away.
With Zelka nowhere in sight, the man dropped all his pretenses. He turned his attention fully on her, discarding the datapad on the nearby table with a loud thud.
"I prefer to think of him as a role model. He had nothing but now he's got it all: Credits, power... women." Samirah raised an eyebrow at him and he just ignored her. "It's the dream we all want to live. I would give anything to be in his place."
He leaned back against the wall, sighing at the idea.
"So he wants the cure?" She asked plainly and he groaned.
"That's what I'm saying. He'll pay big credits for it too. I guarantee it."
"No." She didn't even hesitate, crossing her arms. "I think I'll pass. I'm not in it for the credits."
"What?" He scoffed. "Come on, be smart about this, woman. If you find the serum, just take it to Zax in the bounty office and the rest will take care of itself, understand?"
A loud cough made them both look up to see Zelka returning to his desk. He was clearing his throat but didn't look at either of them, a cup of some hot drink in his hand. The assistant quickly picked up his datapad again, pretending to work. He spun around so that his back was to Zelka but his eyes stayed on Samirah as he hissed at her.
"Make a lot of credits or earn a brief pat on the back? I think it's clear." He hissed, moving on to the next shelf.
"Yeah… I think so too…" Samirah muttered, turning on her heal and marching out of the clinic.
She was vaguely aware of the concerned look she was getting from Zelka as she left. There was no way for her to tell if it was concern for her or about whatever it was his assistant had wanted from her.
In the back of her mind, Samirah hoped that Zelka knew what kind of person she was. That no matter what, she wasn't going to betray his kindness and trust to men like his assistant. The nameless cretin that he was. It was a bitter irony that he worked for Zelka, in a clinic that was designed to help people in need.
There was no doubt in her mind that everything that rat did had a selfish motive. If Samirah could get the serum, it was going to Zelka. No questions asked. It had never been about the credits and that wasn't about to change.
She wasn't that desperate for funds.
She wasn't sure where she was going and for the moment, she was okay with that. Following the tide of pedestrians was calming. It gave her a chance to just breathe and be alone with her thoughts. She passed several closed or run down shops and apartments, clearly forgotten or unkept. Every so often she saw people preaching on street corners about a plague and others complaining in whispers about the quarantine that had been imposed on them.
Everyone had the same look of fear in their eyes. Sane or not.
No one was happy here.
Well, maybe the Sith were but that was to be expected. She grimaced at the thought of them and their imposed occupation. It wasn't their home and yet they trampled over everyone as if it were. As if they had earned the right.
It was despicable.
By the time Samirah resurfaced from her thoughts, she found herself standing outside the Cantina. The Sith standing guard didn't pay her any mind which she was grateful for.
Well, a Cantina was always a good place for her to clear her head. A familiar haven where she would have time to plan her next steps. If she was lucky, find an information broker or runner for one of the Crime Lords. What was that one's name... Davik Kang. She'd need to remember that name.
Walking in, the music from the band instantly put her at ease. Samirah hadn't realized how tense she had been until her shoulders finally relaxed. She found an empty table off to the side, not at all surprised at how many people had flocked here. Cantina's made it easy to forget just what kind of trouble you were in. The ale probably didn't hurt either.
After the waitress took her order- just a hot cup of tea- she laid her head in her hands, suddenly feeling her exhaustion settle in.
How the hell was she supposed to do this? Sure, she'd been able to gather a lot of intel but it suddenly dawned on her that she still had no idea where Bastila was. Or how to break the Sith occupation. Or how to break in to the Sith base.
She groaned to herself, realizing that maybe she hadn't made as much progress as she thought she might have.
The waitresses footsteps approached as they set the cup down beside her. Samirah quietly thanked her and pulled the cup in closer. Taking a deep breath, she leaned over the cup and put her head back into her hands.
Okay, she needed to start somewhere. She needed to look for someone in this cantina who'd be able to give her that start. Maybe-
A new set of footsteps approached and when they stopped next to her, she slowly lifted her head from her hands.
"I know that look. Have you come here to relief a little stress too?" A man asked, peering down at her.
She laughed softly. Oh, if only he knew.
"What, am I that transparent?" She asked and he grinned.
He cautiously gestured at the seat beside her and she offered him the seat. His smile widened as he sat, a cup of ale in his hand.
"A little, but that's because the look of exhaustion has become so familiar to me." He shrugged, sipping his drink.
"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised. I'm sure this place has become quite popular because of the quarantine."
He winced slightly, looking to the side a little abashed. Samirah scrunched her brow at him as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"Yeah, not too many people are happy about that." He admitted, slowly looking back to her. "And since I haven't seen you around here before, I'm assuming you're one of the off-worlder's we stranded here?"
His voice went up a few octaves, as if he already knew the answer but was hopeful she wouldn't hold it against him.
To which she just blinked instead, her whole body frozen as she slowly repeated the one word that had caught her attention.
"We?"
He flinched like he regretted the words.
"Yeah… us Sith." He said slowly.
Samirah couldn't stop her eyes from widening or how the blood drained from her face. It took everything she had to just blink. Seeing her petrified look, he quickly went on.
"I'm not on duty or anything!" He stammered, leaning forward with both hands on the table in a calming fashion. "I'm purely here to just enjoy myself, I swear. I'm not even armed!"
He joked, raising both hands in the air so that she could see that he meant it. When Samirah slowly relaxed into her chair, a cautious gaze still on him, he relaxed with a smile of his own. He dropped both hands and breathed out.
"Good, I was afraid you were going to bolt on me. I haven't had a lot of time off from the base so that would explain why you seem like a new face and didn't already know. Most of the people who come here are the regulars. Everyone else wants to be nowhere near us..."
He grimaced, looking down at his drink before taking a big sip. The frown only lasted a moment, quickly disappearing when he looked back at Samirah. The sincere look on his face a stark contrast from who Samirah now knew him as. Sith.
She couldn't help but to just blink again. And again. She was stunned as she looked at this man. This Sith who was seated across from her- talking to her- and felt like she was being conned. He couldn't be. No, Sith were... well, they weren't this man. Sith were monsters. This man was nervous. This man was abashed and... was he blushing nervously? He was!
He didn't look anything like the man who killed Trask. Or the man who had tried to raid the apartment complex she was currently hiding out in. This Sith looked... well, like anyone else who had been aboard the Endar Spire. He acted like the many other flight crew members she'd played Pazaak with during her long hours on the bridge. He smiled like all the crewmen who listened with interest as she spun tales from her adventures on Teth, navigating its jungles.
"You're from the military base?" Samirah said slowly. "You don't look like one of the Sith."
His face lit up and he seemed to relax a bit at that.
"Well… I'm off duty right now, so I'm not in uniform." He said quickly, extending a hand towards her. "My name is Yun Genda—junior officer first class with the Sith occupation force."
She wanted to laugh. Not because it was funny but because of the pure irony of it all. Was she being punished for something? Had she brought this on herself somehow? Samirah wondered how he would react if he knew he was talking to a Republic fugitive. How would Carth react if he had known? He'd likely be screaming for them to run and never look back.
Tentatively, Samirah shook his hand. Yun's face softened, relaxing again at the gesture. It was like he had been holding his breath.
"It's nice to meet you, Yun. I'm—"She paused for half a second before continuing. "Sami."
Yun didn't seem to notice her moment of hesitation. Instead, he let out a big sigh of relief, chuckling as he did..
"You know I'm a Sith and you're still talking to me." He laughed, a big grin on his face. "I'm a little surprised by that. A lot, actually. Most people here on Taris can't stand us."
Samirah pursed her lips, not really sure what to do with this. What in the name of Alderaan was happening, right now? This Sith wanted to have a friendly conversation with her. She wanted so badly to hate him. She wanted to blame him for the past couple of days. For Trask. For the people aboard the Endar Spire.
By the stars, she had so much anger pent up for the Sith and yet, she was conflicted by Yun.
"It can make the job a little lonely when even the locals don't want anything to do with you." He said quietly, running a hand through his hair.
His gaze drifted slowly to look at all the other locals in the Cantina. Yun even looked lonely and Samirah hated how that made her feel sympathy for him.
"Well, you can't blame them. You did kind of conquer the planet."
She said it before she could stop herself. Yun's gaze snapped back to her, eyebrows raised in surprise. When he opened his mouth to protest, Samirah quickly continued.
"What I mean is, it feels like you did. Obviously this wasn't all your fault. You're not the one making the orders... right?" She realized towards the end that she didn't know how high ranking he was.
Junior officer didn't sound like high enough ranking to order planetary occupation but she wasn't going to take chances. When he laughed, this somehow put her at ease.
"Me? No, not at all. I just do what I'm told. I don't see myself climbing the ranks that quickly."
Yun finished off his ale and signaled the waitress for another. Watching her, Samirah noted how stiff she was talking to Yun. She was polite, quick and said as few words as she possibly could without seeming rude. Yun seemed to notice too and sighed loudly when she had left.
He swirled his fresh glass, mumbling his words.
"The people here don't understand how good we've been to them. I mean, we could slap on a curfew, but we didn't. Everyone here is in a permanent bad mood and they don't know how to make the best of things, when they should."
Samirah didn't know how any of the people could make the best of it. From what she'd seen, there were enough Sith with ill intent around to keep everyone on edge. No matter how positive Yun wanted people to be, it was a Sith occupation.
An occupation. That should be self explanatory.
Not all Sith seemed to feel the way Yun did either. The more she and Yun talked, the more conflicted she felt about Sith all of a sudden. Samirah didn't like that.
"You've got such positive attitude about all this..." Samirah said softly, meaning it more for herself than for him.
When Yun blushed slightly, she felt the flush on her own cheeks.
"Uhm, what I mean," She stammered, trying to hide the blush. "Is that not all the Sith I've met have been so, uhm, conscientious of the locals. Some have been... uh, w-well..." She stumbled over her words, trying not to say something damning.
The last thing she needed was to say something to bring out the real Sith in Yun. To say something that switched him out of civilian Yun and into the unfeeling monster Samirah wanted to keep believing every Sith was.
"Cruel." He finished for her, a small, understanding smile in place. "Yeah, it's a reputation. We're not all like that. I didn't ask to be put on Taris but now that I'm here, I'm trying to make the best of it."
He leaned forward, adjusting the collar of his shirt. Samirah couldn't tell if the rosey color of his cheeks was from the ale he kept sipping when he wanted to look away from her or because of their conversation. Either way, he made her feel a little self conscious. She'd never talked to a Sith this long and certainly not when she was in such a precarious situation either.
Usually blasters were involved.
"It's pretty easy to get depressed on assignments such as these, but we try to keep our spirits up." Yun looked at her and when their eyes met, he quickly looked away.
Why did he suddenly seem so nervous? Him being nervous was making her nervous and that was not what she needed.
"Blowing off steam every once in a while doesn't seem like such a bad idea." She said softly, earning his gaze again. "You'll go mad if it's always work. It's why we both ended up in a Cantina, right?"
"That's true." He said slowly, fiddling with his cup. "It's, uh, nice to meet someone who understands what I'm going through. It's actually really nice to be able to talk to someone about all this and… well it gets lonely at the base."
She pulled her eyebrows together, trying not to laugh… hadn't he already said that? Yun was starting to remind her of a child. Part of her hated that this conversation was humanising some of the Sith and part of her was glad. It was a difficult thought to think that all Sith were evil. That they were an irredeemable people.
Samirah didn't know if this helped her or not.
Yun checked the time and frowned before looking at her, his face suddenly forlorn.
"I have to get going soon—I've got a shift at the military base." Yun grumpled, finishing his ale.
He pulled out a few credits, placing them gently on the table as he smiled at her.
"Your drinks are on me." When she started to protest, he waved her off. "You only had tea, it's barely worth you arguing. Besides, it was nice to have pleasant company and, well..." He trailed off for a moment, seemingly reluctant to go.
It lasted all of a second before his face lit up and he was suddenly beaming at Samirah. He grabbed her hand quickly, holding it between his own. Immediately, her face flushed and she was frozen in place. Of all the things she had expected from Yun, a Sith Officer, this was not it.
A Sith Officer was holding her hand. Never in a million years would Samirah have ever guessed this outcome.
"You know," He started, squeezing her hand a little. "Some of us Junior Sith Officers are having a party tonight to blow off some steam and well…" He paused, trying to gather some courage to go on.
Samirah almost hoped he wouldn't. She was terrified about what he might say.
"… I'd really like to see you again. Why don't you drop by the party? You could relieve a little stress of your own. No one would mind, either!"
What... is happening, Samirah thought.
Her mind wasn't keeping up. Did he just invite her to a party? A party full of Sith Officers!? Yun was looking at her with the most hopeful look she thought she had ever seen.
Say no. Say no. Say no. You're literally a fugitive from the Sith, Samirah.
"Sure." She finally said, sounding way more excited than she felt. "Sounds like a wonderful idea and I would love to go." She smiled at Yun and the look he gave her was full of excitement.
She must be chewing the luna-weed to agree to this. She was insane.
"Fantastic! I'll give you the address. Don't be late, either. I have a way or two of finding you if you are." He teased, looking pointedly at her. He really couldn't stop smiling.
Samirah laughed nervously and he hoped he thought it was because she was embarrassed. She knew he was joking but that didn't stop the way her heart tried to beat out of her chest at the insinuation.
"We're starting right after our shift ends. Most of us won't even be going back to the base to lock up our uniforms. So, I hope you won't feel uncomfortable or nervous because of it. I promise, they'll all just be trying to have a good time. I'll make sure they're all on their best behavior." He finished with a playful wink, noting the way her eyes had widened.
Samirah wouldn't be uncomfortable. In fact, she stared at him in awe as the wheels of a plan started to form in her mind. This was exactly what she had been waiting for. It had to be. This was the progress she needed. A party full of Sith who were drinking and thought of her as just a local that one of the other Officers had taken an interest in?
This was almost better than finding a information broker. She genuinely smiled at Yun, unable to hide her excitement or anticipation.
"Thank you, Yun. I can't wait!" She said enthusiastically.
Yun took that as a good sign, his whole face lighting up with pure joy. Samirah kicked herself for seeming so eager to go. He likely just received the wrong message but it was too late to take it back now.
"Of course, Sami! I really look forward to seeing you there."
She knew he meant it.
Yun reluctantly let go of her hand, taking a moment to give her the details of the party and the address. When he was certain she'd have no trouble finding it, he finally started to leave. Reaching the Cantina door, however, he couldn't help but to throw her one more wistful look. He was positively grinning from ear to ear. Then, he was gone.
Samirah sat in stunned silence, momentarily forgetting about the way the Officer had smiled dreamily at her.
This was it. This was it.
She had possibilities now. She had a direction. Even better, the beginnings of a plan were forming.
With a Sith uniform, she'd be able to walk around Taris unnoticed. She'd be nearly invisible. Could it get her into the Lower City? She wasn't sure but she had to try. It was better than anything else she had which, well, was nothing.
Finishing her tea, Samirah grabbed her things and was quickly out of the Cantina. She needed a plan. She also needed more sleep before diving into a den of Sith.
Though, she had an inkling that Yun wouldn't let anything happen to her while she was there. So long as he was none the wiser about her being one of the Republic Fugitives, she was safe. Samirah was confident she could keep that hidden.
She hurried through the crowds, retracing her steps down the walkways until she found herself at the apartments once more. It struck her again at how uncared for this building was. She quietly entered, trying to be careful that she wasn't followed before coming anywhere near their room. Doing a couple of leisurely laps around the hallways told her that she was in fact safe for the time being.
Yun seemed nice but Samirah wasn't just going to blindly trust him either. He was still a Sith no matter how sensitive he seemed. She hadn't lived this long by not being cautious.
She quietly opened the door using the code she had programmed into it and then locked it behind her as she slipped inside. When she turned around, she found that Carth hadn't moved at all. His sleeping form was so still that she stepped closer to make sure he really was asleep. The rhythmic motions of his breathing told her he was in a deep, hopefully restful, sleep.
Samirah smiled to herself, turning to the small table in the corner. Picking up one of the food provisions Carth had been able to salvage from the escape pod, Samirah slumped into the chair and ate quietly. She leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling as more ideas fell into place.
She could do this. If she could gain access to the Lower City, it would be the perfect step. She would be able to figure out what happened to Bastila and they could make some real progress. The Lower City was surely where she needed to go, she could feel it. All it had taken was a lonely Sith Officer to find someone he could talk too. Someone who was open to talking to a Sith. Samirah was still surprised that of all the people in that Cantina, he chose to sit with her. He had no idea who he was talking to and he had talked so openly with her.
Samirah still couldn't come to terms with the fact that she had just had a productive, civil, and almost enjoyable conversation with a Sith.
Her face suddenly flushed as she remembered how he held her hand, the earnest look in his eyes and the smile he constantly gave her. She leaned forward in her chair, holding her hand to her chest and chastised herself for being so stupid.
I think I gave him the wrong impression, she thought with a frown.
It had gotten her results, but now what was she supposed to do at the party?
One problem at a time, Samirah.
It wouldn't be the first time she had found herself in such a predicament. She'd been to many other worlds where she'd had to play a part to get what she wanted. Flirting wasn't her forte, but she could get by if she had too.
Her cheeks flushed again and she chided herself for being a child.
She removed her blaster and vibroblade, setting them aside and dropping all of her things in a corner. She was careful not to wake Carth. He likely needed the sleep more than she did. He had stood guard over her for several days and it was apparent that he barely slept at all during that time. They weren't in the safest of spots right now and she could only imagine how worried he must have been. Even more so knowing that every moment she didn't wake up was a moment they could get caught.
When hand touched the bag Trask had left behind, she paused and stared down at it. It was worn, having seen a few years of usage and had been resewn in a few places to reinforce the weaker points. It wasn't exceptional sewing and was actually sloppily done. Almost as if the person who had sewn it back together had never held a needle in their hand before. Samirah chuckled quietly. A chuckled that tried very hard to be a sob.
How different would things have been if he had survived?
She clenched her fist over the bag. The guilt was slowly ebbing its way into her mind and she could feel her eyes sting.
Trask had died to the Sith and here she was, preparing for a party with them. A party with Sith Officers.
The realization hit her that this was her first real moment to herself. Her first moment to really think about Trask and to let his death settle into her core. As quietly as she could, she allowed herself a few moments to mourn Trask. She held the small bag tightly in her arms and wished that there was some way that she could have honored his memory. Something better than a few tears in an abandoned apartment.
She stayed like this for sometime, silently mourning. Until she could mourn no more and the sun had finally dipped below the city. When she had composed herself again, she wiped her eyes and looked over at Carth. This was who she had left to trust and she really didn't know that much about him.
But Trask trusted him, so that would be good enough for her.
She wiped her eyes and took a shaky breath. Samirah tried to go over her plans and intel from the day again but she didn't progress any further. The weight of the past few days had finally hit and she was drained. From what Carth had said, the sleep she had gotten was anything but peaceful. If she was going to crash a Sith party later, she'd need to be able to stay awake through it.
She placed Trask's bag on the table, using it as a pillow as she laid her head on it. Her eyes drifted over to Carthy and she watched his breathing, how his chest rose and fell rhythmically. It was oddly comforting. Something that slowly lulled her to sleep, her eyelids falling heavily.
She slowly succumbed to sleep, happy that it was almost of her own free will. She didn't want to wake up confused and disoriented again. If she could get a night without nightmares, she would also consider that a blessing as well.
She just wanted some rest; some easy and peaceful sleep to help her through the next few days that she knew would be grueling.
A simple request but one rarely answered.
Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you enjoyed it. I love hearing what people think 3
I'm slowly updating all the chapters so if there are mistakes, I want to fix them and make this story more enjoyable for any who read it. Thank you for your patience and time! On to the next Chapter!
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