Chapter Two

Carth was thankful that the escape pod crashed into a street on the night side of the planet. The darkness combined with the chaos of the crash allowed him to pull his unconscious companion from the wreckage and find a safe place for them to hide.

He attempted to move far into the city and away from the crash site, but stopped because he heard Mag's breathing get continually more shallow. Carth spotted a sign that advertised a clinic about half a kilometer away and decided to head towards it.

When he reached the entrance, a worried attendant quickly rushed them into a back room. Carth gently laid Mag onto the examination table and waited for a doctor to come in.

Moments later, there was a knock on the door. A middle-aged man with dark skin and grey hair introduced himself as Dr. Zelka Forn. "What exactly happened to your friend here? Could you show me where she is injured? There is a lot of blood."

Carth was thankful that the doctor didn't ask any questions that didn't pertain to Mag's injuries. "She, was uh, hit by some flying debris from the escape pods that just crashed into the city."

The doctor raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Carth ran a hand through his hair, he had never been good at lying on the spot. He continued. "She hit her head hard and there is also a long cut across her abdomen."

Walking over to the counter, Dr. Forn nodded and grabbed a pair of medical shears and began cutting Mag's shirt away. Carth almost gasped out loud when he saw the maze of scars that criss-crossed across her torso. What kind of life had she led before joining Bastila's crew as a mere translator?

He watched as the doctor cleaned the dried blood away. After a career in the military, it took a lot more gore to faze him. "Thankfully, it looks a lot worse than it actually is. It's not much more than a cut and it doesn't appear to be caused by a poisoned blade. I'm going to stitch it up and apply a kolto bandage just to be safe."

With his skilled hands, it only took a couple of minutes to finish attending to the cut. After he was done, he washed his hands and proceeded to examine the one on her head. He moved her matted hair and pulled out a flashlight. When the light clicked on, he tsked and began mumbling to himself. Carth asked what was wrong, but Dr. Forn ignored him. He walked over to the intercom on the wall. "Guerney, please get the imaging apparatus and bring it to room three. Thank you."

Dr. Forn turned to Carth and said, "It appears that your friend here hit her head quite hard. I would like to take a look at her brain and make sure that there is no damage."

Carth nodded and watched as the assistant brought in large machine and helped Dr. Forn arranged the imaging scope by Mag's head. He became worried when the doctor got a puzzled look on his face. "What is it, sir?"

Forn shook his head. "I've never seen a brain like this before. It was damaged in the past, but somehow put back together, almost like a puzzle. It is quite strange."

Carth pushed away his paranoia and asked if Mag was going to be okay. "I'm not entirely sure. I will clean it up, but to be honest, we will just have to wait until she wakes up to see."

He nodded and took a seat as the doctor set about his work. "Now, you should be warned that there is no telling what her memory will be like when she wakes up. Be gentle and when she does wake up, please bring her back to the clinic right away."

The doctor continued. "Now, I have a friend who owns an apartment complex just south of here. They aren't the nicest of places, but it will be a safe place to recover."

He wrote the address and the name of the manager on a piece of paper and handed it to Carth. "If you tell him that Zelka sent you, I'm sure he will give a deal."

Carth moved to shake Dr. Forn's hand. "I can't thank you enough for all you have done for us. I only have a few credits on me, but as soon as I have the money, I will pay you everything we owe for the treatment."

Dr. Forn waved his hand. "That is quite alright. We can discuss payment when you bring the young lady back to me. I never charge people more than they could afford."

Carth was touched by the kindness. He shook the doctor's hand again and moved to pick up Mag. Thankfully, she was light and the apartment complex wasn't too far. Dr. Forn escorted them out one of the back doors. "Take this alley and you should reach the apartment in no time. And, there will be a slim chance you will be seen by anyone who cares."

He walked as fast as he could to the apartment without jarring Mag too much. When he reached the complex, he found the manager and was quickly showing to a dingy apartment. The door didn't lock, it smelled of mildew, and the rent was ridiculous. Knowing that he had no other options, Carth paid up and set up Mag in the bedroom.

After rewiring the door so that it could lock securely, Carth went through the small satchel that Mag had managed to escape the Endar Spire with. Inside as a datapad, a small purse with a couple hundred credits in it, miscellaneous medical supplies, and some grenades. He tried to read the datapad, but it was heavily encrypted. Sighing, he pulled a stim out of his jacket pocket and injected himself. There was no telling when she would wake up.

**Eighteen Hours Later**

Her nightmares were terrible. Ever since Carth had laid her down on the bed, she had been thrashing around and moaning. He had tried to wake her up, but to no avail. He could only hope that she would wake up soon because he wasn't sure how many more stims his body could take.

Thirty minutes after taking his last stim, Carth noticed a change in Mag's sleeping patterns. She got oddly silent. As he walked over, she started whimpering and sobbing. Worried, he sat on the edge of her bed, but was unsure of how to proceed.

That problem was suddenly solved when Mag shot up, wide awake. Before Carth could react, she reached over an unholstered his blaster. Pointing it directly at his face, she shouted, "Who the hell are you? I swear, if you are a Sith, I will pull this trigger faster than you can say Sithspit!"

She caught the look of surprise on his face, but still didn't lower the weapon. "Woah, hold on. If I were a Sith, I would have killed you already. I wouldn't have carried you up here and made sure you were safe. Don't you remember who I am?"

Mag paused for a brief moment and Carth was relieved when she handed his blaster back to him. "I apologize. You're Commander Onasi, right?"

He looked alarmed. "Mag, are you alright? You should know who I am! We met yesterday on the Endar Spire. We ran into each other, quite literally, in the hallway? Do you remember anything?"

She blinked a few times and then she shut her eyes tightly. "Uh, your name is Carth, we were on a ship together, there was a battle, and then there was an escape pod. Other than that, I've basically got nothing."

Carth stared at her for just a moment too long. "Force, he's paranoid." Mag thought to herself.

"Your memory problems probably have something to do with that nasty bump on your head."

"What, OW!" Mag said as she gingerly touched her head.

Suppressing the urge to laugh, Carth stood up and offered Mag his hand. "That's my cue. We're going back to the doctor."

Mag crossed her hands over her chest. "Not until I have had a nice, long, hot, shower."

"Good luck with that, so far it's only been ice cold water." He smirked.

Carth heard what he thought was a Rodian curse as she stomped off towards the fresher. He shook his head; he had a feeling that she was going to be a handful. The thing was, Carth wasn't so sure that he minded.

An hour later, Mag emerged from the fresher. Although the water had been cold, it had felt nice to get the dried blood and sweat off of her body. When she entered the living room, she was surprised to find Carth dozing on the couch.

Mag tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey flyboy, wake up. We apparently have a doctor's appointment?"

He awoke with a start. "Uh, sorry. I haven't slept since the night before the battle."

"What?"

"Well, somebody had to keep watch while you were out cold." he said while rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Mag nodded. "You have a point. You really should get some rest. We are stranded here and we both need to be on the top of our game if we are going to ever get off this rock."

He brushed her concern aside. "I'll be fine. It's more important that we get you back to Dr. Forn and then start searching for Bastila."

"Hold up, Bastila? I may not remember much, but I do remember her. She is a spoiled Jedi princess. I'm sure she has already figured a way off this rock!" Mag exclaimed.

"Geez, that bump on your head did more damage than I thought." Carth said, although he had to agree with the princess part.

He continued, hoping to appeal to her patriotic side. "Spoiled or not, she is the key to the entire war effort. We have to find her or at least make sure she is safe."

She was quiet for a moment and then sighed. "Alright fine, you got me. I'll help. But, let's be clear: I'm doing this for you, not her."

"Me?"

'Well, yeah. You saved my life and all. I don't take that lightly."

Carth was surprised, but he figured a yes was a yes. "Thank you, Mag. Now, let's get you to the doctor and then we can hit the cantina for some food."

Mag shook her head. "No, not until you at least get a couple of hours of sleep. I can't have you running on empty while you are supposed to be watching my back."

He rolled his eyes, but knew that it was pointless to argue with her. "Fine, but wake me up in two hours."

She nodded and watched him plod off towards the bedroom. Pleased that she had won, Mag sat down on the couch and began organizing the contents of her pack.

**Six Hours Later**

Mag felt a hand touch her on the shoulder and she immediately leapt off the couch and onto her feet. She was reaching for her vibroblade when she saw that it was Carth. She swore in a language that Carth couldn't identify. "Force, Carth. I could have stabbed you or something!"

He chuckled. "Hardly. Nice job keeping watch and waking me up."

She shrugged her shoulders sheepishly. "You clearly needed the sleep."

Carth rolled his eyes while grabbing his hideous orange jacket off of a nearby chair. "Let's get going."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes back at his evident irritation. It wasn't her fault that they both needed to catch up on their sleep. Mag grabbed her coat and followed Carth out of their apartment.

Just as they exited, the duo encountered a group of Sith interrogating two aliens. Carth held up his arm to stop Mag, but it was too late. "Humans hiding out with aliens? They must be Republic fugitives!"

Luckily for Carth and Mag, the Sith weren't very skilled and the skirmish was over almost as quickly as it started. After making sure that the one surviving alien was alright, they continued on their way to the clinic. They walked in silence, but eventually it was too much for Mag. "So Commander…"

"Call me Carth."

"Okay, Carth. I want to know more about you. We're probably going to be stuck on this rock together for a while, we might as well get to know each other."

He turned to face her, the look of surprise badly disguised. "Me?

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, you, flyboy."

Carth tried to glare at her, but when he saw the genuinely interested look on her face, he stopped himself. He ran his hand through his hair and started. "Uh, I've been a pilot for twenty years. I fought in the Mandalorian Wars before this one. I thought the Mandalorians were bad, but the Sith are even worse. They kill senselessly, like on…" he caught himself.

"Like on what, Carth?"

Realizing that he had said so much, Carth had to continue. "Like on Telos. My homeworld was bombed into submission. It was one of the first to go and there was absolutely nothing the Republic could do about it!"

There were a few minutes of awkward silence until Carth worked up the nerve to look at his companion. "Yes?" she asked when she noticed his gaze.

"People usually say something, that's all."

She nodded and shrugged her shoulders, not entirely sure how to respond to this revelation. "It wasn't your fault, Carth. There wasn't anything you could have done."

Surprised, Carth responded, his voice steady with anger. "I never said it was my fault. I did everything I possibly could to stop it!"

Mag's eyes grew wide with shock, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she looked straight ahead and continued walking to the doctor's office in silence.

A few minutes later, they reached the doctor's office. They walked through the sliding doors and Carth asked the assistant if they could see Dr. Forn. The man told that them the doctor was available and escorted them to an exam room. "The doctor will be with you in just a few minutes."

The assistant exited the room, leaving Mag and Carth to sit in their awkward silence. Both wanted to say something, but neither knew how to start after the way the previous conversation had ended.

Luckily, Dr. Forn entered the room. "Ahh, I'm glad to see you up and moving around."

Mag smiled. "Yeah, me too."

The doctor chuckled and began performing his examination. After a few minutes and the application of some kolto, Dr. Form declared that Mag was going to be okay, but take it easy. "I'm not sure if the memory problems will resolve itself, but it is possible. Head injuries are tricky."

Although she was sad about her memory, Mag was thankful that she was it good health otherwise. Carth paid the doctor and the two exited the medical building. "You know, it might be good to try and get some information at the cantina. The alcohol will make lips looser and all."

Carth nodded, but didn't say anything. He felt bad for his outburst earlier, but he didn't know if there was any way for him to save face.

They entered the cantina and Mag wandered off in the direction of the bar. Carth attempted to follow her, but she stopped him. "Where do you think you are going, flyboy?"

"With you, obviously."

She shook her head. "Oh no you don't. I'll never get any information with you following me around. Go play Pazaak and see if you can win us some credits."

As she walked off, Carth thought to himself, "What in the hell did she mean by that?"

Still confused, he made his way over to the Pazaak table closest to the bar. Just because she wouldn't let him go with her, didn't mean he wasn't going to keep an eye on her. Even though she seemed well intentioned, Carth didn't trust her as far as he could throw her.

After three hands of cards, it finally dawned on Carth what Mag had meant. Several men had approached her, but she had either waved them off or ignored them completely. One of the players followed Carth's gaze. "You've got good taste, man. After I clean you out of all your credits, I think I'll take a crack at her."

The look that Carth shot him quickly caused the man to shut up and they resumed playing the game.

Mag was getting extremely irritated. The only men that had approached her so far were spoiled Tarisian nobles with breath that reeked of ale. Just as she was about to get up and fetch Carth, a young Sith officer walked over. "Hey, I saw your drink was empty, so I took the liberty of getting you another."

She noticed his uniform right off the bat and gave him her most brilliant smile. "Thank you."

He blushed. "Don't mention it. My name is Yun. What is yours?"

"I'm Amaria." Mag said, figuring her middle name was a lot safer than her actual name. It was possible that the Sith had found a flight manifest among the wreckage and would know the names of the crew of the Endar Spire.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Amaria. You know, I'm pretty curious. What is a pretty thing like you doing on a scuzzy planet like this?"

Although all Mag wanted to do was roll her eyes and tell Yun to get lost, she gave him a slow smile. "Well, I got stranded with the quarantine. But, to be honest, I do feel a lot safer since the Sith took over control."

Yun's flush deepened. "You really think so? I honestly think you are the first person to say that."

"Oh sure. With all of the soldiers around, people think twice of harassing a girl." Mag purred. She reached over and ran her hand along his arm.

Yun gulped visibly and Mag did her best not to smile to herself. "Hey, look. A booth just opened up. Let's go sit over there." She said while grabbing his arm.

Carth had been watching the scene unfold and he didn't like it one bit. So, he cashed out of the game and walked over to the booth. When he arrived, Mag was leaning heavily against the young Sith officer and whispering something in his ear. Suddenly, the man casually brushed his hand across Mag's breasts. Carth decided that enough was enough. He cleared his throat loudly and slid into the booth across from them.

Carefully, so that Yun wouldn't see, Mag shot Carth a venomous look. He shot one back at her and refused to budge. Yun, upset that his moment had been ruined, demanded to know who this intruder was. "Don't worry about him, Yun. He is somebody my father pays to keep an eye on me. But, I pay him to keep quiet. This quarantine can be quite boring at times." Mag said, raising one of her eyebrows seductively.

Yun seemed satisfied with Mag's answer. He moved to grope Mag again, but was interrupted by another person joining their booth. This time, it was a pretty, blonde, Sith officer. "Hey Yun, who are your new friends?"

"Good to see you Sarna. This is my new friend Amaria and her bodyguard."

Sarna smiled at Mag and slid closer to Carth. "Wow, Amaria. Aren't you lucky to have this man guarding you?"

Carth smiled at Sarna, which was a terrible idea. Turns out, she was just as handsy as Yun. Mag almost burst out laughing when she saw Sarna's hand slip underneath the table and Carth visibly flinch. Things were getting heated and neither Carth, nor Mag, knew how to back out gracefully.

Thankfully, they didn't have to. Yun caught sight of a clock and jumped up. "Sarna, if we don't get moving now, we are going to be late for our shift on base!"

Sarna swore and moved towards the door. Yun turned to Mag. "Hey, a bunch of us are having a party after work tonight. I would really like it if you came."

Mag told him that she would love to come. Yun entered the address into her datapad. Then, he and Sarna dashed out of the cantina. As soon as the two Sith were out of earshot, Mag leaned her head back and let out a long sigh of relief. "Force, I'm glad those two are gone. That was a nightmare and a half."

Carth nodded, but couldn't find the words to reply. Mag snickered a little, knowing exactly what moment he was trying to forget. He gave her an annoyed look. To avoid any more awkwardness, she quickly changed the subject. "So, flyboy, how many credits did you win at the tables?"

"Eh, about 200."

"Not bad, that should be enough to get us some new clothes for tonight."

Carth gave Mag a surprised look. "New clothes? At a time like this? You have got to be kidding me! And honestly, you can't be considering going to that party! That place is going to be crawling with Sith!"

"Exactly! Yun and Sarna may only be junior officers, but they will still have uniforms. We snag a couple of those and we basically have a free reign of the planet."

Although he didn't want to admit it, she had a point. "But why the clothes?"

Mag ran her hands through her hair. "Geez, flyboy. You are such a man! You don't honestly think we can show up to a party in these clothes? They are disgusting from, well, you know what from." She was careful not to give too many details, lest someone overhear them.

"Besides," she continued, "we need something to replace that revolting jacket of yours."

Carth crossed his arms protectively across his chest and pouted. "I happen to like this jacket."

Mag smirked at him. "Yeah, it's nice. If you like something the color of bantha vomit."

They were saved from further argument when a waitress stopped by and asked if they wanted to order anything. Both ordered food and a stiff drink. It wasn't the best tasting fare, but it was hearty. Mag and Carth ate hungrily, neither talking. Finally, Mag pushed her plate back. "Well, that wasn't horrible. But it wasn't good either. At least the drinks are strong."

Carth couldn't have agreed more. Nonetheless, it was nice that they had been able to eat. Mag tossed back the rest of her drink. "Alright, flyboy. Time to get going! We have shopping to do!"

A few hours later, Carth found himself sitting on the couch in their living room. He tugged on the sleeve on the new black jacket that Mag had made him buy. As much as he hated to admit it, he actually liked the garment. Though, the orange flight jacket would always be his favorite. However, he did not like the shirt that Mag had insisted went with the coat. It made him feel stupid and it itched. He contemplated sneaking into the bedroom and switching it out when the fresher door opened.

Mag stepped out wearing the dark red tunic and black leggings that she had picked out. It was low-cut and fit her hips snuggly. She had taken her hair out of her normal braid and it fanned out in waves down her back. "So, what do you think? Is it okay?

It took Carth just a second too long to respond. "You look, uh, great, Mag."

Despite herself, Mag felt her cheeks heat up. "Thank you. You look nice too. I'm glad you ended up buying the jacket."

Carth chuckled to cover up his embarrassment. He didn't want Mag to see that he was blushing from her compliment. "As if I had a choice! You refused to let me leave the store without it!"

"I guess that's true. By the way, Carth, I am really glad that you are coming to the party tonight."

He looked up at her in surprise. Carth had figured that she wouldn't be too happy about him tagging along after the look she gave him at the cantina earlier that day. "Why is that?"

Mag hesitated for a moment. "Well, you saw him at the cantina. He had a hard time keeping his hands to himself. I'm nervous about what he will do when he has been drinking and around his buddies. I mean, I can take care of myself and all, but I'm glad that I'll have you as back up."

Carth raised one eyebrow. "You know, just when I think I have you all figured out, you say something like that and confuse the hell out of me. Despite that, I do have your back. Promise."

She returned his smile and said, "You and me both, flyboy."

The two of them made sure that they had a few weapons tucked away and headed out the door. They wandered through the streets of the Upper City, getting turned around a couple of times. So, when they finally found the apartment, the party was in full swing.

When Carth pushed up the door, the smell of sweat mixed with Tarisan ale hit the pair like a slap in the face. It was utterly disgusting. Mag looked up at Carth, gave him a shaky grin, and went off to join the party. Waiting a few minutes so that they wouldn't be seen together, Carth followed her into the crowd.

The next twenty minutes seemed like the longest of Carth's life. The constant toasts the Sith soldiers were making to their victory in war was making him uncomfortable and irritated. And then there was Mag. Her incessant flirting and drinking were starting to wear his nerves thin. He had just about had it when she approached him. She grabbed his arm and pulled him into a dark corner.

"Carth, listen. I'm going to challenge that big Sith over there to a drinking game. His uniform looks like it should be able to fit you. When he passes out, offer to carry him to one of the bedrooms so that he can sleep it off. While you're back there, try and find one for me."

He blinked, but didn't say anything. To be honest, he was in shock by her plan. It didn't seem possible that it could actually work. This irritated Mag and she snipply said, "Did I stutter, flyboy?"

Carth snapped back at her. "How are you still sober? I've watched you down a couple of bottles since we got here."

"Long story, I'll explain tomorrow. Please, just do it. This may be our only chance."

Before he could respond, Mag dashed off to find the man she intended to challenge. Carth shook his head; she was insane. There was no way she'd be able to drink him under the table. Regardless, he didn't really have a choice. He had to follow her because it was the only plan that they had.

He pushed his way through the crowd that was forming around the kitchen table. Mag was seated at one end, while a man was at the other. She was right, he was about the same size as him, so the uniform would probably fit.

In the center of the table, there were a couple of bottles of alcohol that Carth couldn't quite identify. But, even from his vantage point, he could smell their potency. Mag stared the man directly in the eye, and said, "Pick your poison."

The man chuckled and reached for one of the bottles. He took the top off and poured out three shots for Mag and three shots for himself. "Ladies first."

Mag smiled and easily drank the first shot. She flipped the glass upside down and set it at the table. Then, she looked up at her opponent. The Man cockily tossed all of his shots in a row. Mag copied him without blinking an eye. Hesitating for only the slightest of moments, the Sith poured out three more shots for each of them.

This process continued for a quite some time. The pair had finished off the first bottle of liquor and were currently working on the second. Carth was getting nervous and frankly couldn't believe that Mag had been able to consume this much alcohol. Finally, the Sith collapsed face first on the table. He was out cold. There was a triumphant cheer and one of the onlookers lifted Mag's arm above her head. After a few minutes of clapping, the drunken crowd got bored and dispersed to find entertainment elsewhere.

When this happened, Carth put Mag's plan into action. He casually strolled over to the man, put his arm around his own shoulder, and half carried, half dragged him to one of the bedrooms in the back of the apartment. He not so gently tossed the Sith on the bed and began awkwardly removing his uniform. Carth couldn't help but to chuckle to himself. Never in a million light years did he think he would be undressing a Sith.

After digging around for a little bit, Carth found an empty duffel bag and shoved the uniform into it. He then walked to the closet and looked for a uniform that would fit Mag. It was difficult because of her height, but after several minutes of searching, Carth finally found one that was short enough. He put it in the duffel bag, threw it over his shoulder, and walked out of the bedroom and find Mag.

As he exited the room, Carth couldn't find Mag. After a few frantic minutes of scanning with his eyes, he finally heard her voice. "Yun, stop it! Not now!"

"But c'mon sweetheart. Just one little kiss?"

"NO!"

Carth rushed over and found that Yun had cornered her. He grabbed the young Sith by his shoulder and pulled him off Mag. "Get your hands off of her!" Carth growled.

Yun did not take this suggestion kindly. He punched Carth in the face. However, there wasn't much power behind it and he was able to shake it off. But, that didn't mean Carth didn't retaliate. He landed a right hook on Yun's jaw and the Sith hit the floor. He was unconscious. Carth grabbed Mag's hand and pulled her to the door. "Let's get out of here."

It took them a while to get back to their apartment. It wasn't just because of the winding back streets of Taris. The amount of alcohol that Mag had drank had finally caught up with her. She was giggly and kept tripping over her own feet. "Carth, stop walking so fast." she stuttered.

Carth stopped and turned to look at her. "I'm not walking too fast. We have to keep moving. We don't want to be caught out here."

He grasped her arm, gently, yet firmly. "C'mon gorgeous."

Mag started giggling. "Awww, that is so sweet, flyboy. I think that deserves a kiss."

She stood up on her tip toes and leaned forward. But, she lost her balanced and toppled to the ground. Carth chuckled and bent down next to her. He placed one of her arms around her shoulders and his arm underneath her knees. He stood up, making sure that he had a good grip.

By the time he made it back to their apartment, Mag was sound asleep. Carth shook the duffel bag from his shoulder and placed her carefully onto one of the beds, taking care not to wake her. He sat down on the edge of the other bed and unlaced his boots. After kicking them off, Carth walked into the fresher to examine his hand. It was bruised and was crusted with blood. He wasn't sure if it was his or Yun's. Either way, he knew it would cause questions in the morning. After scrubbing the blood off, he looked at his face in the mirror. There was another bruise forming on his jaw where Yun had landed his punch. Sighing, Carth walked back over to his bed and quickly fell asleep.