Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or KOTOR but if George Lucas would like to share the rights, then I would love it and gladly accept it. Just call me.
Well, here's another story, probably the longest one yet. Hopefully, you guys will enjoy this chapter!
So, i'll stop talking and let you read! Enjoy guys!
Taking Chances
When she approached the double doors leading to the seemingly abandoned apartments, she walked in and glanced around the hallway before slowly venturing out. She was trying to be cautious since she felt uneasy in the pit of her stomach.
A couple of Vulkars walked out of an apartment the passed by and they smiled when they saw Samirah and Carth. They swung their blades and charged for them as Samirah pulled her blade out. Not missing a beat, she jumped in to fight them and almost fit perfectly into the fight. As soon as she and Carth defeated them, they moved on as practically all the door had Vulkars behind them. She grimaced as she had defeated the third or fourth group of Vulkars—she lost count—she came to a locked door.
"Oh, for the love of—"She began splicing the door.
"Samirah, what are you doing?" Carth asked, a little worried.
"Well we've practically opened every door! Might as well keep going, besides, this one looks abandoned—"The door opened as she smiled triumphantly until a voice shouted out at her.
"Hey—you can't come in here. This is a private apartment!" She stared at the Twi'lek who stood there.
"What are you doing in here?" She asked before she could stop herself. She mentally kicked herself again for speaking so rudely before trying to amend it. "This place looks abandoned... I didn't think anyone would be living in here…" She asked curiously. He narrowed his eyes at her.
"None of your business. Just turn around and go back the way you came, if you know what's good for you." Carth raised an eyebrow at the threat, wondering if he was the first Vulkar to actually speak to them.
"Come on, Samirah. Obviously he wants to be left alone…" Carth mumbled as he reached for her arm to pull her out. She avoided his reach, her eyes still on the Twi'lek.
Samirah only watched him for a few seconds longer, making him feel slightly uncomfortable under her gaze. He was fidgeting and kept making nervous glances at her and at the hallway behind her. He couldn't really sit still.
"You're nervous." She said it matter-of-factly, not as a question. "Are you… In some sort of trouble? Do you want to talk about it?" His tough guy façade faltered and Carth realized she had hit the nail.
"I… I guess I could tell you. You'll probably find out on your own eventually, anyway." He sighed, sitting down in a chair. "Zax is giving his bounties away like candy, or so I hear. My name's Matrik—I used to work for the Exchange, but all the violence and killing… it just started to get to me. I couldn't take it anymore and I knew what I was doing was wrong, so… I turned state's evidence."
"That's very brave… that must have taken a lot of courage." She said in amazement, but Matrik just laughed dryly.
"Yeah… brave. My testimony helped put some of the biggest criminals on Taris away for life. But Davik didn't like seeing his friends go down, so now he's got a bounty on my head." He placed his head in his hands. She knelt down beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"A bounty?" he nodded.
"I've holed myself up here… trying to avoid being caught…"
"Is there any way I can help?" He laughed again, and again it held no humor.
"I don't think there's much anyone could do and I'm getting sick of running. I've decided that I'm just going… to make my stand right here. I'm staying here until some bounty hunter finds me and kills me for the credits." He sighed looking more hopeless than Samirah would like to see.
She thought to herself for a moment, before looking at her bag and then back at Matrik. Carth noticed that look she had as the plan formulated in her mind and she smiled. She pulled her bag off her shoulders, placing it on the floor and began rummaging through it.
"Have you thought about… faking your own death?" He looked at her, curiously.
"I've thought about it. I even came up with a plan of how to do it. But I can't pull it off while I'm holed up in here."
"Go on." She urged, searching her pockets before standing up and looking through her vest pockets. He nodded hesitantly, watching her still. Carth was also curious as to what she was up too.
"Well, the trick is getting Davik to believe it when there's no body found at the scene. If it looks like I died in a massive explosion, he won't be suspicious when my corpse never turns up. If I had an accomplice go back and tell Davik that they were the one who set off the explosion to eliminate me, I think I'd be home free." Samirah frowned when she had checked all her vest pockets and then moved on to her belt.
"I have some demolitions experience from my own days in the Exchange so I could set it all up. But I'd need to get my hands on a—"Samirah smiled excitedly as she pulled a small device from her bag and Matrik stared at her in surprise. "—a Permacrete detonator! How did you-?" He couldn't believe she had one. She shrugged.
"I've had some experience in demolitions myself. I remember this one time on Nam Chorios where I had to escape from a—"She stopped short, smiling meekly. "Never mind, point is I met some people who taught me to rig up the explosives I needed. I think this will do the job quite nicely." He examined the detonator and smiled.
"Yes, this should do the trick. There won't be anything left of this apartment but some scorching on the walls after we set this bad boy off!" He and Samirah quickly set to work, rigging the explosives and setting everything up. Carth watched, amazed at her skill. No wonder she was recruited for the mission, she had a wide range of skills that would come in handy... especially now. They finally stood up after tweaking the final touch and started running to the hall.
"The timer's set! Now let's get out of here before it blows!" They started running and Samirah stopped short as fear struck her. She forgot it! She spun around to see she had left her bag sitting in the middle of the floor. Damn! She darted across the room to get the bag. Matrik saw her run and shouted to her. "No! You don't have time!"
Carth was already in the hallway and had turned to see her grab the bag. She spun around and ran as the explosives went off. She pushed her legs to run faster as the force of the explosion sent her flying through the door way, her arms wrapped around the bag. Carth quickly moved so that he caught her before she hit floor, sliding under her to cushion her fall. She slammed into him, knocking him back. They didn't move for a few moments
Smoke rolled out of the apartment and into the hallway. Electrical wires dangled and sparked where they had been ripped form walls and the ceiling. Everyone coughed as the smoke began to clear up and they could actually see the damage the bomb had caused in the apartment. A part of the ceiling had collapsed in front of the door, blocking anyone from entering… or leaving. If Samirah hadn't made it out in time, she wouldn't have been able to come out at all. Carth quickly glanced down at the form on top of him as he finally found his voice.
"Samirah!" He tried to sit up and positioned her so that she was still leaning against him. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she slowly opened them to look up at Carth with a smile. She looked a little disoriented but after a moment and blinking her eyes a few times, she seemed fine… for the most part. She was covered in soot with smudges on her face and her clothes had a few singes, but nothing that seemed to have seriously injured her.
"I… I got it…" She breathed. When she looked at him, she was startled when he just looked at her, angry. Wasn't she supposed to be the one still angry at him?
"What were you thinking? You—You could have been killed!" She positioned herself so that she was sitting up as Carth moved to let her. She showed him the bag and smiled sadly at him before looking back at the bag.
"I can't let this go yet… no, not yet. I haven't repaid my debt to him." Her eyes stung but she still smiled at Carth. She wasn't going to cry, of course not. What a silly thing to do. They still had too much to do and people to save. She could ponder on it later.
"Debt?" Carth looked at her, confused as Matrik walked up to them. He was astonished at the small girl before him. Risking all that for a simple bag?
"You are quite the character miss…?" She looked up at him with her ash covered face and clothes, almost like a child.
"Samirah Alda, at your service. That was some blast and… I do believe I've killed you, Matrik. May you're soul rest in peace..." She winked at him and he smiled.
"I'm not one for long goodbyes but I want to say thanks. If it wasn't for you, I'd be a dead man… literally speaking. But now I won't have to worry about Bounty Hunters anymore and its all thanks to you. So good luck, Samirah Alda, and goodbye. I'm out here, now that I'm dead, it's best if people don't see me."He smiled and it was a peaceful, serene smile. A smile she hoped no one could take away from him now that he was… free. Free from Davik and free from the hunters.
"The same to you, Matrik. I'll inform Davik of your untimely demise." He nodded with a smile before he jogged away. Carth stood up and helped Samirah up, looking her over for any injuries that he may not have seen the first time. He tried to dust her off and clean her face but she fidgeted too much and swatted his hand away... again, just like a child.
"You know, of all the people I've met, I don't think I've met someone as crazy and brash as you. What would you have done if you died?" He chastised. She shrugged.
"I don't know… maybe be dead." She laughed but he didn't find it funny. "Come on, Carth. I'm fine, that's all that matters."
He frowned. If only it were that easy.
She pulled her backpack on to her back and just smiled at him. He had to admit, she looked like a little cute kid with her ash covered face and that silly little grin of hers. She pulled out her hair time and fixed her ponytail, checking for any singed pieces of hair. Her bangs fell lightly on her forehead as she tightened her ponytail.
Carth shook his head. Unbelievable.
"Alright, come on, as far as we can tell, this apartment is the Vulkars hang out and where a large, inconvenient explosion occurred." He said as she smiled and agreed before they exited the apartments.
They started walking and passed the cantina, ignoring the Rodian's startled look at her appearance as they passed by. She bit her bottom lip, hoping it didn't attract too much attention and she was sure to clean up as soon as she got the chance. When they approached another woman standing outside the door, Samirah approached the door and the woman threw her arm out to stop them.
"Hold on there, you think you can walk right into the Hidden Bek base?" She raised an eyebrow at Samirah.
"This is the Hidden Bek base? That's fantastic… I'm looking for a Mission Vao. She said the Beks could help me." The woman rolled her eyes.
"That Mission is so trusting of outsiders. How do I know you're not a spy?" Samirah gestured to herself.
"I assure you, if I were a spy, I would come looking a little more blended in and not sticking out like a Sith Lord at a Jedi Enclave. Besides, I could prove to be an ally." The woman appraised her before nodding.
"Fine, go in. It's not like you can do much anyway, especially with Zaerdra inside." She motioned for them to enter and Samirah was happy to oblige. As they entered the door, Samirah saw as Beks ran from side to side. They seemed a little frantic. A man behind a desk was writing vigorously and talking quickly to people.
She walked to the desk and the Twi'lek next to him stepped in her path.
"Who are you and what do you want with Gadon?" Samirah looked over at the man as he looked up from his desk. She saw his eyes and was instantly intrigued by the ring in his crystal blue eyes... a sign of prosthetic eyes. Somehow, somewhere, he had damaged his eyes and required the aid of prosthetics to see.
"This is Gadon Thek? The man Mission spoke of? Thank the stars… I came to ask for his help." He stood up straight and waved Zaerdra away. She started to protest and when he shot her a meaningful look, she stopped.
"Let them through, Zaerdra. No one would be foolish enough to try anything in the middle of our own base." Carth shot a glance at Samirah wondering if she was willing to do such a thing if it was for a good cause. Would she attack someone in the middle of their own base? Just by looking at her… he was pretty sure he was.
He was almost positive if the conditions were right.
"We will not start attacking people at first sight like the Vulkars do, so let them by. They've come to us for help, right?" Samirah nodded and Zaerdra let them threw but not before she made sure the two knew she was watching.
"How can I help?" She approached him at his desk, aware of Zaerdra's eyes on her and the battle ready stance she took.
"I was told you could help me out. Do you have any information on the Republic escape pods that crashed in the Undercity?"He looked at her puzzled.
"I had heard that the Sith were asking around in the Upper City about them… But you don't look like a Sith." Zaerdra broke in, unable to sit idly by.
"A spy?"
"No, no, Zaerdra, they wouldn't send a spy. They aren't that patient. If the Sith had suspicions they would just come busting through blindly, not knocking on our door. No, this offworlder has her own agenda." She smiled at them both, genuinely.
"No, you don't have to worry. I'm not working for the Sith." The very idea.
"Well, the information can't harm us so why not. The Vulkars stripped those pods clean within hours after they landed. It's too bad we didn't get there first, considering what my spies reported the Vulkars found. A female Republic officer name Bastila survived the crash."
"Bastila!" Samirah said excitedly, startling Gadon. "Where is she! Is she safe! Is she here! Has anything—"
"Slow down there, friend…Unfortunately Bastila isn't here, that's for sure. We don't believe in intergalactic slavery but the Vulkars aren't like us in that—"
"Wait. Did you just say… intergalactic slavery…?" She stared at him horrified and he just nodded.
"Yes, I did. They took her prisoner." The wheels spinning in her head went into overdrive. Bastila and Intergalactic Slavery weren't not exactly the words she wanted to hear in the same sentence. She was pretty sure they went against the laws of the universe or something as well.
She was a Jedi, was she allowed to be a slave? Forget that, was she allowed to be captured! Samirah turned to look at Carth who had praised her abilities, her leadership, and well… praised her. She stared at him with eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. She didn't know what to say and this was definitely not what she planned. Things had just gotten that much more complicated. Carth just looked at her, just as shocked and shrugged. She looked back at Gadon trying to remain as neutral and calm as humanly possible.
"What… becomes of her now, then?"
"Well, since she's an officer, that's a rare catch." Carth leaned in to Samirah and whispered to her.
"If they still think she's an officer, that could work to our advantage." She nodded as Gadon continued, not really caring about their hushed tones.
"He plans on offering her up as a prize for the swoop race championship. He thinks that by doing so, all the smaller gangs in the lower city will join up with him and they will try and take us down. If they join together, we won't stand a chance." Samirah looked down thoughtfully, rolling the new information around in her head.
"Bastila will be in their base…" She said quietly earning a puzzled look from Gadon. Carth already knew what she was planning, he could see the gears turning in her head.
"Now, hold on just a second there, Samirah Alda." She turned to look at Carth and saw his disapproving look. She frowned.
"What?" He crossed his arms.
"I know what you're thinking and no. You're not breaking into their base, it would be suicide." Gadon cleared his throat and they looked at him with his raised eyebrow.
"Brejik wouldn't keep her in the base, she's too valuable. No, he'll keep her safe until the big swoop race. She's the main prize after all." Carth look relieved for the moment while a frown replaced whatever plan had begun to form in her head.
"Then… Gadon, can you help us? I want to win that swoop race to get her back. It's crucial that we save her…" He looked her up and down, measuring her up to her words before finally deciding he could actually help her.
"Alright, I think I can help you, but you'll have to help me in return in order for it to work." For a moment, she didn't say anything. More favors? Guess she could handle that. She was determined, after all, to do whatever was necessary to get Bastila back. When she nodded to him, he continued.
"You see, the Vulkars stole our prototype accelerator from us and they plan to use it in the race to win back their own prize and the smaller gangs. We need it. It isn't finished and we need to run some tests. It's the edge we need to win the race but since they have it… well that just can't happen. We can't allow them to win the big swoop race." Samirah nodded.
"And you want me to break in and get it back, right?" He smiled.
"Smart girl. Yes, if you could break in and steal it back then I will sponsor you in the upcoming swoop race. I'll even let you ride the swoop bike with the accelerator installed." He added and She smiled. The window she needed had opened up. And she still got to break in to the base. That was a plus.
"Gadon, you can't be serious! We need our best riders on that bike!" Zaerdra interjected more than simply surprised... She was outraged that Gadon was taking such a gamble. Carth seemed to agree to a certain degree with her as she spoke.
"Wait just a second here, why would you let her drive the one chance you had to win?" Gadon sighed before looking at Samirah.
"I need to be honest with you, the accelerator is unstable. During the race it could… well it could overheat and explode on the track. I've been trying to find a way to work it where none of my Beks get hurt, our numbers are so thinned as it is." Carth couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"What, so you're just—"Samirah stuck her hand out to Gadon who looked at her shocked making Carth pause in his outburst. Surely she wasn't serious. Surely, she wasn't going to accept the task when the odds were against her.
"Deal, how do I get in?"
And then again, maybe she was.
She was determined to get Bastila back, whatever the cost to herself. Carth could not believe it either. What risks was she not willing to take?
"Oh, what, you're not just going to ring the door bell and ask for it back with a smile? Maybe you can bring some gifts while you're at it." She turned and glared at Carth who didn't like the plan one bit. Gadon chuckled at the sarcastic remark.
"She could try but I doubt they would just hand it over like that. In fact, I'm willing to bet they have it guarded. No, I don't advise going in through the front door. Personally, I don't know how to get you in at all—but I think I know someone who has the knowhow. If she doesn't know how to get in, I seriously doubt anyone can. Her name's Mission Vao." Samirah and Carth looked at him with startled expressions as Zaerdra made her presence known again.
"Mission? She's just a child Gadon! You can't seriously—"He looked at her, a little annoyed. Samirah seemed only slightly annoyed by her outbursts.
"Mission has explored every part of the Undercity and knows it better than any of us. The fact that she even has the courage to explore down there is beyond me." He turned to look at Samirah again. "Find her and you'll have your way in." Samirah glanced around the room before looking back at Gadon, confused. Well… that was kind of the other reason she was even here.
"Is she not here? She said I would be able to find her here." He nodded
"She usually is but as I said, she likes to explore. You can usually find her and her Wookiee friend, Zaalbar exploring in the Undercity and—"He was cut short by a shout from the door.
"GADON!" They all turned to see the very girl they talked about, Mission, running frantically up to them. "You have to help me! You just have to!"
"Calm down, Mission. What happened?" She tried to take deep breaths but was too impatient.
"They took him! They took him and now they're going to sell him into slavery! We gotta go get him!" Gadon frowned as Samirah spoke.
"Who? Zaalbar? What happened to him?"
"Gamorrean slavers took him! We were in the Undercity exploring like we always do when they ambushed us. They—they were waiting for us! Zaalbar told me to run and so… so I did, thinking he was following me… but they got him and… I left him there! I just left him there! We have to go back!" She turned to Gadon. "Can you help me?" Gadon knitted his eyebrows together, rubbing his forehead, conflicted.
"Mission… I don't have the men to spare… between the Sith and the Vulkars… I have no one to send to help you." Mission looked frantically to Samirah, tears brimming her eyes.
"Can you help me, please!" She looked ready to cry. Samirah placed her hands on both sides of her shoulders and smiled as gently as she could.
"We'll get Zaalbar back. No Gamorrean slavers are going to take him, I promise." Her face lit up with relief as she hugged Samirah tightly. "Mission, do you think you could then help us into the Vulkar base once we save him?"
"Yeah, sure, anything! I'll help you do anything, just help me save Zaalbar." Samirah nodded before looking at Gadon.
"We have Sith Uniforms, will that get us down to the Undercity?" He shook his head.
"No, you'll need the security papers and lucky for you, we jumped a Sith patrol who… well, lets just say they never made it down. Teach them to interfere with us." Samirah grinned. "I'll trade you for the Sith Uniforms. With the security papers, you won't need them anyway." Carth looked at them suspiciously.
"How do we know you're not just trying to trick us?" Samirah was the one who spoke up, annoyed that his I don't trust anyone side decided to flare up again.
"They have just as much to gain as we do. It's not worth it to double cross us." Gadon nodded his head, agreeing with her.
"We need to win the swoop race just as much as you do."
"Thank you, Gadon. For all the help. We'll be back when we obtain the accelerator." She smiled at him and he nodded with a grin of his own.
"I'll be counting on that…"
With that, they traded items and then were off again, to find Zaalbar and break into the base. Samirah knew she needed to get some rest, her body was beginning to wear down on her but if she did that… who knows what would happen to Zaalbar.
Carth seemed to have the same thoughts as he followed them to the guard standing by the elevator. When she handed him her papers, he let them down, giving them the same warning about the Rakghouls as everyone else. He also chastised them for being so late, giving a funny look at Mission who tried to look older.
As he let them pass by, Mission walked with grace and stood between Carth and Samirah making it look as if she was the one in charge of the two. Samirah was grateful for the helmets and the guard's ignorance because she was grinning at Mission's eagerness to look like an adult.
Samirah had a lot more riding on her than she had started out with. In the beginning, all she had to worry about was surviving on the Endar Spire. Now, she had to worry about saving Bastila, saving Zaalbar and all the favors she had to do in order to get to her destination.
She still wished and hoped that she would wake up to find herself in her little cot on the Silver Meridian and her only worry was that she had gotten lost in the depths of space. She had done that few times… She would program her coordinates for Ealor and somehow ended all the way over on Belsavis. Belsavis was nothing but an ice world with ruins dotted everywhere… not exactly a vacationing spot.
Unfortunately, right now, programming the wrong coordinates was the least of all her problems. She was tired and she was confused. Bastila was a Jedi! A force wielding, lightsaber trained, head full of wisdom, chin held high, and sparkled every time they graced you with their presence—Jedi! So how did she get caught? Was she unconscious? Was she close to death?
That was the only explanation. There was no way she would allow them to get her… right? She was better than that. She was a Jedi for Edge's sake! She had been training to be a Jedi since before she could walk, right? That was how they did things at least to Samirah's knowledge.
She was pretty sure that little hamster running on the wheel in her mind had died from exhaustion. Her mind was in overdrive trying to make sense of it all and to no avail.
As the elevator descended, she knew she was inching closer and closer to rescuing Bastila and Zaalbar. As the elevator descended, she was that much closer from freeing herself from everything. Each day she felt weighed down by all these seemingly impossible tasks. It went from simply finding Bastila to stealing a stolen accelerator so she could win a swoop race with the untested, unstable accelerator so that she could free Bastila from intergalactic slavery.
The plan to escape Taris hadn't even been a thought on her mind.
Great galactic stars, she felt how impossible that all sounded. Especially since she wasn't sure how good she was on a swoop bike. She couldn't remember her time on Nar Shaddaa as well as most things. She knew she had raced but she wasn't exactly sure how good she was… at this point; she could only hope everything worked out.
When the elevator doors finally opened in the Undercity, two guys waited for them asking for a toll of 5 credits. When Samirah asked them, they explained how they were outcast and were shunned from society, left to live a wretched life. Samirah felt bad for them before she handed them 20 credits which they accepted with pure joy, not even bothering to thank her before dashing away with their spoils.
"You sure do give credits away like candy…" Carth observed. He meant it as a compliment but when she narrowed her eyes at him he sighed. "Look, I was trying to be sincere." She laughed.
"Wow, Carth? Sincere? What, do you expect me to die either in the base or during the swoop race? These aren't my final hours, you know?" He frowned. She had become a little less nice, hadn't she… and yet, if that were the case, she wouldn't have just given away 20 credits. Mission glanced uneasily between the two, sensing the tension that seemed to be there.
Samirah stared straight ahead again, not wanting to look at Carth. She wasn't mad exactly, just frustrated. He would worry about the little things she did and couldn't trust her as far as his arms could reach. Well, she didn't need his approval, she just wanted to get Bastila and off this planet. She wanted to start her travels again and forget it all. She had fun when she was a scout; she lived where ever her mind was, whether it was a cave or a canopy.
There were so many things left for her to discover, more people willing to trust her at the drop of a hat to help them. She felt needed. She felt helpful. Here, she didn't. She felt like Carth didn't want her around, despite what he said about not wanting her to go. It was suffocating—not knowing what he really thought of her and if he just kept her around because he had no other choice.
What was the Jedi Council thinking? Why bring her here? She wanted to hurl a knife at a wall and tear a pillow into tiny pieces will all this frustration building up. What she needed, though, was to calm down and forget her own inner turmoil. She needed to focus on the mission and believe that she would be able to find Bastila and make her way out of here.
As they got closer, they heard yelling coming from a gate and without missing a beat, Samirah darted over, not really thinking but just doing. A woman was pleading to the guard to open the gate and he refused. She turned to the gate and shouted.
"Hurry Hendar, hurry! I can hear it coming!" she screamed.
"He'll never make it. He's doomed."The gateman seemed to be panicking and wasn't about to take any risks. "Argh! I told him not to leave the village!"
"He will make it! Run, Hendar! RUN!" She screamed, grasping the gate and shaking it as if that simple act alone would wield some kind of power that would allow him to get through. Tears streaked her face as she screamed for him.
The man stumbled as he ran, tripping over rocks in his rush, but he kept on his feet. As he got close to the gate he shouted.
"Open the gate! Quickly, there isn't much time!" The gateman glanced behind him as sweat beaded his forehead. He was afraid and he shook his head to say no.
"I—I can't! The—The Rakghouls are too close, it's useless now!" The man reached the gate and was now grasping the gate alongside the woman. Their fingers entwined with the cold metal of the gate.
"The mutants will kill him if you don't open the gate! Please, I'm begging you!" The woman screamed. Samirah was now standing next to the gateman, catching her breath.
"And if I open the gate they will kill us all!"
"No, you can't do this, it isn't fair!" She cried, falling to her knees, shaking uncontrollably, her fingers still holding on above her head. Hendar's eyes were filled with fear, the fear of dying, the fear of leaving his wife… the fear of her alone.
"Open the gate and let me out." Everyone's eyes turned to Samirah as she pulled out her vibroblade. "Open the gate!" The gateman didn't move but looked at her shocked. "I'll take care of them. I'll buy the time you need to get him inside, now open the gate and let me slip out! While I slip out, he can slip in so do it!" He nodded and opened it enough to let her slip out and she urged Hendar to hurry.
He jolted past her and slipped in through the small opening in the gate before closing it. He only let Samirah out and Carth was frustrated that he hadn't been able to get out too. Instead, Hendar got those last few seconds to get in. Everyone went quiet as they watched Samirah standing in the middle as white creatures ran in her direction.
"Avoid their claws and fangs! They will poison you and turn you into one of them!" Hendar shouted out to her and she nodded from where she stood. In one hand she held her vibroblade and in the other a blaster. She shot several times at one of the Rakghouls, nailing him in the abdomen and killing him before he could even reach her.
She threw the gun aside when it became useless at their proximity. She dodged a swipe and brought the sword down on its arm as it screamed a terrifying shriek before sliding her blade into its abdomen. She yanked it out, not even sparing a glance at the form before she rolled out of the third ones reach, nearly missing his swipe. She attempted to create a distance between her and the creature but it wouldn't let her. She was left on the defensive as she blocked its attacks.
She didn't like being on the defensive. It hard a larger reach than she did and it was almost as quick as she was putting her at a disadvantage. She kept backing up, blocking each swipe and trying to avoid the rocky terrain beneath her. The creature continued to snarl and shriek at her making her flinch at the sound.
It was stronger than she thought and if she attempted a swing, she risked being poisoned... and worse. As she blocked, she quickly reached for a grenade stashed in her belt pocket and as the creature roared at her, tossed it into its wide open mouth. As she pulled back her hand brushed gently across its teeth before she did a back hand spring away from the creature as the grenade exploded flinging her a couple feet away. She tripped over a rock and rolled over as she covered her face to avoid any debris. When she looked up at the creatures, she was met with a puddle of flesh and pieces everywhere.
She breathed out shakily, thanking the stars that she lived through that. She didn't think when she jumped out there… she simply acted on the simple urge of wanting to save the man. The screams from the woman was all she needed before jumping into the fray. She glanced at her hand and fear rippled through her body as she stared at the spot where her hand had brushed against the teeth.
Damn it! A scratch!
She hadn't even felt it. It didn't fell like the creature had grazed her hand that deeply. She watched as a small trickle of blood fell from the spot and it sent a shiver down her spine. It broke the skin. That meant she was going to change if she didn't get her hands on a vile of serum.
What luck.
"Quickly! Before more come! Get through the gate!" She turned to see the frantic gateman, ushering her through, taking uneasy glances past her. She shakily wiped her hand on her shirt and hid the scratch the best she could. She picked up her blaster and ran over to them with the best neutral face she could muster.
When she stepped through, the gateman hastily closed the gate, locking it as the woman threw her arms around Samirah and sobbed.
"Thank you! Oh, thank you for saving Hendar!" the gateman was still watching her with wide eyes and suddenly he looked so ashamed. He could barely look her in the eyes.
"Thank you for saving him, up-worlder… You are braver than I. Maybe we Outcasts have lived too long in selfish fear." When the woman had let go of her, Samirah placed a hand on his shoulder.
"No, you did what you thought was right to protect your home. Your job must not be an easy one because their lives depend on your actions." He nodded thoughtfully at her, a small smile on his lips.
"Perhaps we can learn a lesson from your brave actions, then." She smiled before Hendar spoke up, still wheezing.
"I can't thank you enough for saving me, up-worlder. If I had anything but these rags on my back it would be yours… but we have nothing." The woman wrapped her arms around him, still trying to stop herself from crying but failing miserably.
"I still have you, Hendar! That's all I need..." She laid her head on his chest and looked at Samirah. "You saved my Hendar. You risked your own life to save him… I have nothing to give but my eternal gratitude for saving him." She looked back at Hendar with a smile. "Let's go back to the village." He nodded before they said their final farewell and thanks.
Samirah watched them walk away. She saved a life. The feeling that welled up inside her was… a good feeling. If she did indeed turn into a Rakghoul, it would have been worth it to save him—and she would kill herself before she transformed so it would still be a death that she would welcome.
Carth looked at her and finally let go of the breath he had been holding.
"I swear… you have to have a death wish or something." She looked over at him with a surprised look.
"A death wish?" He nodded.
"At a moment's notice, you through yourself into danger without thinking whether or not you'll make it through to see the end!" She frowned at him.
"And what makes you so sure." He pointed at the gate.
"There was no way you possibly thought about the outcome. We didn't even know what a Rakghoul looked like until now." The gateman's eyes widened at Carth's words, but Samirah ignored him.
"Yes, I did think about it Carth. I thought about how I would win and save that man's life. It was worth it." She rubbed at her hand but made sure it was inconspicuous so that she didn't draw attention to the scratch.
"You think—"Mission jumped in, her hands up in front of them. They had both forgotten that she was even there! She wasn't about to let them start bantering. She could see the tension that was welling up inside them.
"Whoa, whoa, I think you two just need to cool your jets, here! This is no time to be fighting!" Samirah nodded at her, thankfully.
"You're right… we need to find Zaalbar." She turned to the gateman. "Can you let us pass? If any Rakghouls appear as you open it, I swear not to leave it alive to harm you." The man nodded gratefully, trusting her words as he opened the door. She nodded her thanks to him before they were on their way.
They walked mostly in silence, Carth pondering on Samirah's brash actions, Mission worrying about Zaalbar and Samirah cursing herself for the scratch on her hand.
Carth could hardly believe her. Every move they made, she always surprised him around the corner. She wasn't just brash, she was willful and determined to get things done. She was also the most stubborn woman he had ever met. He shook his head as he followed her towards whatever brash action she was sure to do.
And that was exactly what she had in mind. She was planning on jumping any Sith patrol they came across in hopes of acquiring Serum. If they only had one, she would instruct Carth and Mission to make sure it reached Zelka because she wasn't about to use it on herself when she could save others. If she found more… then she would be on the winning side of luck.
They had only been walking for a few minutes when a voice caught them off guard and Samirah thought she was going to lose her mind... guess they got the jump on her before they could.
"Hey, you there! Civilian!" She looked up to see a Sith Patrol Leader run up to her. "This is a restricted area! What are you doing down here?" Samirah found her security papers and lifted them for him to see.
"Look… I've got all the proper security papers so there's no need to shout at me, soldier." Carth was amazed at how official she could sound. It wasn't long ago that she blushed at every word that was said.
"Security papers?" He questioned before it clicked. "Oh… you're one of those trackers the Commander sent down, right? They should have given you an armed escort—it's nasty down here…" He glanced around as he spoke, making sure there were no surprise attacks. A few of his soldiers had followed him over to where they stood.
"We've already lost a patrol and we're running dangerously low on Rakghoul serum… in fact, I think we're out." The mention of serum caught her attention.
"Serum? Would your downed patrol still have some left?" He looked at her weirdly before answering.
"Uh, well, yeah. I suppose they would since they never had a chance to use it, but I don't think it's worth it to go." He looked at her again and a new thought occurred. "Wait, are you here for a search and rescue? I didn't think they would send anyone. Well, they were in the southern section of the Undercity when we lost contact."
"Southern? Understood. Why don't you guys get out of here before you end up the same as—"
"—Hey, I'd never disobey my orders." Even though he sounded offended, she could tell he wanted nothing more than to leave. She understood the feeling. "I'm not a fan of court martial's and executions. I was just talking, you know? Come on patrol, let's get this over with so we can get out of here." He waved for them to follow before they headed out.
Carth watched them until they were gone before turning to Samirah, ready to say something when he noticed her intent gaze in the south and that look on her face—she was forming a plan.
"Samirah, what are you planning?"
"Why don't you guys stay here while I run to check the patrol." Carth gaped at her. Was she crazy? "It won't take me long to scope out the patrol and—"
"—Do you honestly expect us to wait her for you?" She turned to look at him and he just glared at her. "You always run off to where ever danger is!"
She grimaced. She didn't have time for this… if she didn't get that serum she wouldn't be able to save Zaalbar, protect Carth and Mission or save Bastila. Even though she knew that it all didn't ride on her and that if she died, Carth could take over… she still had a debt to repay. She still wanted to earn Carth's trust… no matter how impossible. And she didn't want to leave him to fend for himself
She kept rubbing at her hand. This really wasn't the best timing.
"Look Carth, you want to continue looking for Zaalbar? Then go ahead and I'll catch up to you so we don't lose time. I understand the time restraint, believe me, I do." He scoffed.
"Oh no you don't, you aren't running off on your own. I saw those Rakghouls too and they aren't exactly a walk in the park. So no, we're staying together." She spun on him, desperate to get him to understand. She had too much riding on their mission to die, just yet. If she was left with no other choice, then she was left with no other choice but she wasn't going to give up the opportunity.
"Carth, please, just listen to me, will you? For once, listen. I'll be fine but I really need to go check it out, ok?" She had unconsciously brought her hands up to her chest like she normally would when pleading with someone. The only difference was that she was rubbing the small wound on her hand, the one that began to feel numb.
Carth noticed that she was rubbing her hand and when he reached out to grab her wrist, she smacked his hand away. He then grabbed her wrist with his other hand.
"Samirah, what happened to your hand?" Mission had been keeping quiet until then when she gazed at the wound. The scratch had grown bigger and was surrounded in a purple bruise. She looked at Samirah, terrified.
"You didn't, did you…? Samirah…" Carth looked from Mission to Samirah, unsure about what she meant. Samirah looked away, pulling her hand free from his grip.
"It's nothing, I just—"
"—It's a big something! We have to get you fixed right away! Zaalbar can last the few minutes we need, but we have to hurry!" Carth looked at Mission, puzzled.
"Mission, what are you—"
"She was scratched by a Rakghoul and… and now she's—she's going to—"Carth's eyes darted to Samirah as they widened. He finished the sentence himself.
She'll become a Rakghoul.
"What?" He couldn't find any other words as Mission and Samirah began to hurry to the south as Carth followed behind robotically. Suddenly, he noticed the way she glanced at her hand nervously and the beads of sweat on her forehead.
Either she was really scared or she was turning. He really was hoping she was scared.
She felt awful. She felt the pit of her stomach swim and her limbs tingled. The idea of becoming a Rakghoul didn't sit well with her at all as her free hand rested on the hilt of her blaster. She was ready to use her weapon. She was ready to use it on herself the moment she couldn't hold on much longer and she was using as much will power as she could muster to not let the infection get the better of her.
They hurried, their eyes looking for any signs of Rakghouls as they came to a clearing. Samirah's eyes brightened up as she saw the Sith—who were unfortunately dead and guarded by more Rakghoul. Samirah grimaced before she pulled out her blaster.
"I don't have time to waste on you…" Carth noticed the strain in her voice and became even more nervous. Carth and Samirah aimed from their spots while Mission stood behind them, her vibroblade in hand. When they pulled the trigger they both hit their mark.
Two Rakghouls dropped from the impact as they fired again to finish them off. As three more Rakghouls came rushing at them, Samirah was able to wound one and Carth killed another. That left two. Mission ran for the injured one while Samirah pulled out her blade to go for the other. Carth sat back firing where he could to help them. Mission piqued hers off first before Samirah was able to kill her own. She was breathing deeply as she yanked her vibroblade out. Her face had paled a bit and the wound on her hand… well, it looked worse.
Carth walked up to her and wanted to ask how she was doing… but he could tell from just looking at her. She needed the serum now before it was too late. Samirah spun around and rushed to the bodies and began to search through them while Mission and Carth searched the others. Samirah found two while Mission and Carth didn't find any… except for empty viles of used serum. So they had attempted to use it.
Samirah immediately opened one and stabbed the needle into her leg, letting out a small whimper as the serum entered her system. She had felt her body trying to fight the Rakghoul disease, plague—whatever it was. She sat down, laying her elbow on her knee and she bowed her head.
She was feeling the strain and wasn't sure if the serum had worked or not. How long until it circulated into her blood stream? How long did she have to wait? Was it too late? She tried her best to control her breathing, aware of Carth and Mission's anxious gazes.
Whatever it was… it was a close call and she fought the fatigue that was ready to cave in on her.
"I'm fine." She finally said when neither one of them spoke. She looked up with the best smile she could muster and Mission let out a sigh of relief.
"You really had me going there for a minute. I thought… well, you know. But you're better now, so everything's cool, right?" She nodded and Mission smiled. "Now we can go save Zaalbar." Samirah stood up, ignoring her body as it protested.
They started to leave and had only walked a few steps before Samirah readied her vibroblade. Carth had begun to ask why but a voice interrupted him. Apparently, they weren't the only ones on this side of the Undercity. A man emerged from around the corner followed by an entourage of men.
"Don't… don't move! I-I'm not afraid to use this blaster if I have to!" One of the men pointed his blaster at them shakily and Samirah relaxed obviously not feeling very threatened by the nervous guy. A man reached over and pushed his blaster down.
"Settle down, kid. We've already lost enough men to those damn Rakghouls! The last thing we need now is more casualties from a needless firefight." With that, the man nodded but didn't put his blaster away. Samirah slid her vibroblade back into place as the leader looked at her, sizing her up.
"By the looks of you I'd say you're down here for the same reason we are: to salvage something from those downed republic space pods. Let me give you some advice: Forget about it. Do yourself a favor and just head back the way you came."
"Because of Rakghouls?" She asked, even though she already knew that was what it was. Her hand moved to her wound and she unconsciously rubbed it again, a feat that did not escape Carth's notice. The leader of the group frowned at her.
"Listen, this isn't really a good place to stand around chatting, The Undercity is—"
"Canderous!" The fidgety man was looking behind them, shaking. "I heard something! Over there, in the shadows! Sounded like a Rakghoul!" His blaster was pointing at the shadows as Rakghouls emerged, running full speed at them.
"Looks like we've got company! Get those blasters ready, boys!" Canderous yelled as they began opening fire. Carth began firing as Samirah pulled her blade out and rushed at the nearest Rakghoul, trying to take him out before he got to the soldier.
The Rakghoul tore into the man's abdomen and he screamed in terror as Samirah sliced through the Rakghoul. The man fell and when she checked his pulse it was fading quickly as he started to go into shock. The rest of Canderous's men were taking out the remaining Rakghouls with the help of Mission and Carth. The fallen soldier looked at her, scared as he gripped her arm.
She knitted her brows together, trying to think if there was a way to save him—it wasn't that he needed the serum, because he did. It was that he had lost too much blood and it would be useless to give him the serum if he wasn't going to live to feel the effects. The Rakghoul had torn through his abdomen and it wasn't a simple cut… it was a gaping wound… and she didn't think he'd survive.
He thrashed about a little more, gurgling what could only be blood as he gasped for air. He gripped her arm so tightly that she winced before he fell motionless and his body fell limply. She slowly closed his eyelids with a sad expression. Fortunately, he didn't have to suffer the pain for too long. Samirah moved away sadly as Canderous walked up to examine the man before he cursed under his breath.
"Damn! I told Davik this Salvage mission was a bad idea. His men aren't trained for this kind of thing and I can't babysit them all! Okay, boys… we're getting out of here before I lose anyone else. I can't carry all this salvage back myself." He hoisted the fallen soldier's bag onto his shoulders, glancing one last time at the man before he turned to Samirah, a grimace in place.
"You'd be smart to get out of here too. I doubt there's anything worth finding left in those Republic space pods." Samirah brushed the dirt off of herself before placing her vibroblade on her back, hoping no more surprise attacks would arise.
"You were down here searching those pods?" he nodded.
"Davik sent me down here with this motley crew—"He pointed over his shoulder to the trembling group behind him." –to scavenge whatever we could from the crashed pods but the lower city gangs got here first. Everything's practically stripped clean and by those damn Vulkars no less." She nodded. It didn't really surprise her… too much time had been wasted for her recovery and then to make it this far had taken a few days on its own. That was time that others had to reach the pods and clean them out of everything.
"The Damn Vulkars knew Davik would want first claims out here… Davik would be smart to smash those little bugs now before they really get out of control." He added with an aggravated toned.
"Thanks for the information, that'll help." He nodded. "I suppose we'll go our separate ways then and unfortunately… we can't leave just yet." He snorted.
"Suite yourself, kid. Thanks for the help, but now we're out of here with the leftovers. Come on boys… let's move out!" He motioned to them and they all fell into sink behind him. Samirah let out a big sigh as she began moving again.
She let Mission move in front of her so that she could show them the way to the sewers. She felt the serum in her blood and could almost feel some of the color returning to her face. She could have cried in relief. After seeing those horrible creatures… she was ready to put a blaster to her head before turning into one of them. Just because she felt the effects, it didn't mean she was about to put her guard down.
She was also aware of Carth's worried glances in her direction and she was almost irritated by the simple act. That man could act sincere and the like but when it came down to getting to the heart of their problems, he was skeptical of her every motive and would lock up like a high security safe. She wasn't sure it was worth it to try and open him up and she was a little tired of trying. She didn't have time for it anyway. She needed to focus on Zaalbar. She needed to rescue this Wookiee before he was condemned to a life of slavery… one no one should be forced to live.
She was ready for what lay ahead of them in the sewers. She was another step closer.
A step closer to Zaalbar. A step closer to Bastila. A step closer to escaping this insufferable planet and from the watchful eyes of one Republic Pilot.
One way or another, she was going to accomplish her goals and escape. She would soon be back in her own ship and away from everything that weighed down on her shoulders.
A weight she was determined to lift.
And now we are at the end of another chapter.
Hopefully, you guys enjoyed the story and props to you guys for continuing to read. Any feedback, comments or just random stuff is always welcomed! Thank you guys for being so awesome! I will be sure to update the next chapter as soon as possible. Again, its already written just needs to be proof read and corrected.
Thanks guys and I hope you continue to read!
- SilverShards -
