Chapter Four

Carth awoke, startled. There was an unusual pressure on his chest and he sat up quickly. There was a muffled yelp followed by a few words that he thought were curses in an alien dialect. "What are you doing, flyboy?"

He had completely forgotten that Mag had been sleeping next to him. Sheepishly, he shrugged his shoulders and ran a hand through his hair. "I woke up and felt something on my chest. I kind of forgot that you were sleeping here."

Now it was Mag's turn to be sheepish. "Sorry, that was all my fault. I got cold and you were right there. I must have put my hand on your chest."

Carth was glad that it was still dark inside the dorm because he would feel himself blushing. "Oh. Well, that is okay."

Mag was about to respond, but was thankfully saved by an irritated Bek member. "Would you two be quiet? Some of us are trying to get some sleep around here!"

She heard Carth chuckle and then lay back down. Following suit, she thought about how glad she was that she didn't have to respond. It was an awkward situation and Mag didn't want to have anything to ruin the already tenuous partnership.

The next morning, Carth woke with the same pressure on his chest as the night before. Being careful not to move too much, he lifted his head slightly to look down at Mag. Even in her sleep, she looked tense; as if she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Glancing next at his watch, Carth realized it was time to get going. He gently shook her awake. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Morning, flyboy. You sleep alright?"

"Well enough. What's the plan for today?

She attempted to calm the craziness that her hair had become during the night. All this earned was a laugh from Carth. She gave him a look that was intended to quiet him, but all it earned was more laughter. "I'm thinking we should top of our supplies from the Bek's stores and then head straight to the Undercity. There is a good chance that we can find Mission and Big Z down there and they can help us get that swoop bike part back. We can't really plan out more than that since neither of us had been down there before."

Carth nodded and suggested that they eat breakfast first and then head out. "That sounds great, I'm starving." Mag said as she shifted out of the bunk and began to lace up her boots. Carth followed suit and the pair made their way to the mess hall. They ate a quick, but filling breakfast, stocked up on medpacs, and left the Hidden Bek base.

The elevator to the Undercity wasn't far from the Hidden Bek base. Using the stolen papers, Mag and Carth were able to make it past the guards and into the elevator without a problem. When the doors slid shut, Mag turned to Carth. "So Carth…"

He turned to face her. Carth was surprised to see an apologetic look on her face. "What is it, Mag?"

She looked down at the ground. "Well, it's just, uh, we didn't exactly end our last conversation well. I wanted to know where we stand."

Carth ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "No, no we didn't. I knew you wouldn't understand. I do consider myself lucky to have you around. You have to be one of the most skilled women I have ever met. Not only have you saved my ass on more than one occasion, but you seem to speak every alien language that we have encountered so far. But, regardless, I'm not going to stop watching you. I'm not built that way, period."

Mag threw up her hands. "That sounds like an excuse. Besides, what did I do to deserve this?"

"No, uh, no, you haven't done anything. Yet. But, there's no guarantee that you won't. I've nee betrayed by people before, people very close to me. I won't let it happen again. I can't let it happen again."

Although Mag wanted to scream at him, she kept her cool. "Well, it obviously won't happen again if you don't trust anybody."

Carth could see that the situation was quickly spiraling out of control. So, he attempted to diffuse it. "Look, there is no reason to take it personally. I'm not trying to insult you. This is just the way I am. Just calm down."

That was clearly the wrong thing to say. It did the opposite of diffusing the situation. Mag stood up on her tiptoes and poked her finger into his chest. "Don't you tell me to calm down, you hairless Wookie!"

At first, Carth wanted to laugh. But, one look at Mag's angry expression took that urge away. "Woah sister. Just calm down before your head explodes."

"We'll just see whose head explode you ungrateful monkey-lizard!"

He sighed and went to speak, but Mag interrupted him. "I can keep going all day, flyboy. I know insults in a dozen languages, but they would be lost on you."

For what seemed like the thousandth time that day, Carth ran an aggravated hand through his hair. "Look, gorgeous. I'm not trying to make things personal. I just don't trust people easily. And if you were smart, you wouldn't either. Not me, not Bastila, not even yourself."

Mag rolled her eyes. "So what you're saying is that you don't even trust yourself. That seems like a pretty awful way to live your life."

Carth sneered. "I don't need to be analyzed, thanks."

She returned his sneer, but didn't say anything. The rest of the elevator ride down to the Undercity was filled with an awkward silence. Both were too stubborn to apologize for their actions. When they finally reached their destination, the lift doors creaked upon. Almost immediately, they were ambushed by two of the residents. They demanded a toll of five credits. Carth was about to tell them to bother someone else because it was a public elevator when Mag pulled out some credits. "Here you go, I gave you ten because there are two of us riding."

The pair exclaimed with glee and they scampered off into the darkness. Within moments, Carth and Mag were approached by another resident. She was a young woman, not much older than Mission. "I'm sorry about those two. They give the rest of the Outcasts a bad name. My name is Shaleena. You're from the upworld, aren't you? I've never seen it; I was born down here. Is it as nice as they say?"

Carth glanced over at Mag. He wasn't good at this sort of thing and knew that she would be able to handle the situation with tact. He was surprised, however, to see that her eyes were a little misty. "It's….beautiful."

Shaleena smiled. "Even though I've never been to the surface, I think that I can see it in my dreams sometimes. The sun, the stars, it all seems so wonderful."

Suddenly, her smile disappeared. "But Gendar says that I should spend less time daydreaming and more time helping improve life for the colony."

"Is Gendar the leader here?" Carth inquired.

The girl nodded. "Yes. You'll probably be able to find him in the village somewhere. He is always wandering around, helping where he can. If you're looking for information, Rukil would be a good person to ask too."

Mag tilted her head to one side. "Who is Rukil?"

"He is the oldest man in the village. The children call him 'Rukil Wrinkle Skin'. He has a good memory, despite his age. He is usually in his hut, on the south side of the village, telling stories to whoever passees."

Carth thanked Shaleena for this valuable information and started to walk towards the village. After a couple of seconds, he realized that Mag wasn't following him. He turned back and saw that she was talking to Shaleena. The girl had a confused look on her face and quickly turned and ran away. When Mag approached him, he asked what that was all about.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not entirely sure. I asked her if I could help her in any way. She said no and then ran off."

His eyes narrowed. "Mag, we don't have time for all of this."

She shot him a venomous glance. "Look at this place, Carth! It is wretched! There is a lot of suffering down here. I was only trying to help!"

"We have a lot more important things to worry about! Like saving the key to winning this damn war!" He shouted.

Mag pinched the bridge of her nose. "I know that, flyboy! It's not like I am going to jeopardize the mission! But, if I can alleviate some of the suffering here on my way, then I will! I can't just walk by and ignore it!"

Without waiting for a reply, Mag marched off in a huff. Carth shook his head and thought to himself. "Way to piss her off even more. Smooth move, Onasi."

He rushed off to catch up with her. Although he was walking right behind her, Mag acted as if he wasn't there. They walked into what served as the center of the Outcast town and spotted out a man distributing tasks. Mag confidently approached him and stuck out her hand. "Are you Gender, by chance?"

The man looked her over and accepted her handshake. "I am. May I ask your name, miss?"

"My name is Mag. This is my partner, Carth. We were told by Gadon Thek, the leader of the Hidden Beks, that you might be able to tell us where Mission Vao is."

Gendar nodded. "I saw her and her wookie friend, Zaalbar, pass through here a couple of hours ago. She's a good kid. Sometimes, they'll bring us back stuff that they find and they think that we can use."

Mag thanked him and she and Carth asked where the nearest exit from the village was. Gendar pointed them in the right direction. "If you need anything else, please don't hesitate to ask."

The leader just asked them if they wouldn't mind excusing him because he had some village business to attend to. After shaking hands, he walked away. Carth started to walk away, but once again, it took him several yards to realize that Mag wasn't following him. He turned around and saw her disappearing into one of the Outcasts' tents.

Knowing that Mag would have told him if she wanted him to follow, Carth decided to stand outside the tent. There was no point in making her more angry than she already was. She was inside the tent for at least twenty minus. Just as he was starting to worry, Mag emerged.

Mag had a strange look on her face and Carth was dying to ask her what had happened. But, given the way their last few conversations had gone, he kept his mouth shut. However, she did offer up some information. "That was Rukil, the village elder that Shaleena told us about. He mentioned some journals that could be helpful to the Outcasts. So, keep an eye out for them, okay?"

Carth nodded and resisted the urge to press her for more information. They began making their way over to the gate that Gendar had told them about. As they approached it, they saw that there was a small crowd gathering there. I front, there was a young woman arguing intently with the guard. "You have to open the gate! Hendar will die out there if you don't!"

Without waiting for Carth, Mag began pushing her way through the crowd. "What's going on?"

The woman turned to Mag with tears streaming down her face. "My husband, Hendar, is outside the gate. There is a band of rakghouls stalking him. If the guard doesn't open the gate now, Hendar will die!"

Mag looked to the guard, but before she could speak, he shook his head. "I can't open the gates. There is a chance that the rakghouls could also enter and then we would all be in trouble."

She nodded. "I understand that. But, let me out instead. I'll help fight them off."

By this time, Carth had reached Mag. He shook his head in disbelief. This woman was insane! "I'm coming with you."

Mag didn't argue and the guard decided to let them out. Carth wasn't thrilled with the prospect of being torn to shreds by a monster, but figured if they succeeded, they would save a man's life and he would be back on Mag's good side. She turned to him. "Cover my back. I'm going to get to Hendar and make sure he has a weapon."

Carth nodded and pulled out his blasters. Mag dashed off, towards the man. She handed her his spare blaster. "Do you know how to use this, Hendar?"

He shakily nodded, but it was clear that he was terrified out of his wits. Mag unsheathed her vibrosword with one hand and grabbed Hendar's free hand with the other. Suddenly, there were several menacing snarls from behind them. Hendar and Mag began running, but the rakghouls were faster than she had anticipated. She let go of his hand. "Hendar, keep running. I'm going to hold them off. Don't worry."

The man didn't need telling twice. He took off, leaving Mag to defend herself. She was shocked when she finally caught a glimpse of the rakghouls. They looked like people, but also nothing like a person. Their skin was a pale, transparent, grey. Through some of the gross process, their limbs had been extended and their fingers were turned into long, threatening claws. Mag gulped and unsheathed her second vibrosword.

Then, she heard a series of shots fired from behind her. Mag spun around and was grateful to see Carth running towards her. Her confidence went up, knowing that he was behind her. So, Mag started to attack the rakghouls. At first, she was successful, cutting off the heads of three of the group. Carth eliminated another three, but that still left two to deal with.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Mag spotted a rakghoul emerging from the shadows, right next to Carth. "Flyboy, on your left."

Carth spun around to shoot the monster, but it was too fast and knocked him over. Mag rushed over and stabbed the animal in the shoulder. However, all this did was anger it. The creature leapt away from Carth and smacked Mag square in the chest. She flew backwards and hit her head on the concrete pillar. It knocked her unconscious and she slumped to the ground.

The rakghoul snarled and prepare to bite Mag. But, before it could do so, Carth stood up and shot it in the heart. He quickly shot the remaining two rakghouls as they raced to attack them. Putting his blasters into their holsters, he knelt down next to Mag. He tried to shake her awake, but it didn't work. So, he picked her up and tried to get her back to the safety of the city before another rakghoul attack.

Mag started to stir as soon as they entered the town gates. As they slid shut, Mag told Carth that she was fine and he could set her down. As he did so, as gently as possible, Carth noticed that she was unsteady. She wobbled a few times before standing up straight.

She turned to thank Carth, but Hendar and his wife rushed up to him. The woman threw her hands around Mag's neck and began thanking her profusely. Carth watched as Mag visibly stiffened. She was clearly not used to this display of affection. He was shaken from his thoughts when Hendar grabbed his hand and began vigorously shaking it.

"How can I ever thank you? My wife and I don't have much, but whatever we do, it is yours!"

Not knowing how to respond, Carth stood there awkwardly. By then, Mag had untangled herself from the enthusiastic hug. "That won't be necessary, Hendar. Carth and I were just glad that we could help out."

The couple thanked them again and walked away arm in arm. They stopped and passionately kissed. Hendar picked up his wife and held her close as they kissed. Carth watched enviously. They had what he once had and he would have given anything to get it back. He snapped back to reality when Mag touched his arm. "You alright, flyboy?"

He looked at her, half expecting to see her half-crooked teasing smile. To his surprise, there was genuine concern in her expression. He cleared his throat before answering. "Uh yeah, I'm fine, gorgeous. How's your head? You hit it pretty hard."

Mag knew that he was trying to change the subject on purpose and she decided that it was for the best. She placed her hand on the back of her head. There was a nasty bump forming near the base of her skull and it was tender to the touch.

She hissed in pain when her fingers brushed it. Carth moved her hand aside so he could take a look. It was starting to bruise and swell. He was worried that she might have a concussion. He told her so, but she waved his concern aside. "I've hit my head worse than this before."

Carth rolled his eyes. "Still, please just have the town healer take a look. With all of these rakghouls running around, we can't afford to have either of us be injured."

Mag knew that he was right, but her stubborn streak didn't want him to be. "Fine, but we can't take long. There is only a short time before the big race."

He nodded and started walking with her towards the healer's tent. When they entered, both were impressed with the healer's innovations. She clearly made due with whatever bits and pieces that made their way into the Undercity. After Mag explained to the healer what had happened, the woman took a small flashlight and shined it into her eyes. Then, she examined the lump on the back of Mag's head. Finally, the healer spoke. "It doesn't appear that you have a concussion. But, it is a nasty bump. I'm going to apply a kolto bandage, which should accelerate the healing process. You should be better in no time."

She then carefully applied the bandage to the bump. While handing a packet of pills to Mag, she said. "You're probably going to have a terrible headache soon. These should help with the pain."

Mag slid off of the examination table and gratefully accepted the pills. She reached into her bag to get credits in order to pay the healer. But, the woman would not accept them. "I heard how you and your partner saved Hendar. It is the least that I could do."

Even in the dim light of the tent, Carth could see the low flush that began to creep up Mag's neck. She clearly was embarrassed by the gesture. He stretched out his hand and the healer shook it. "Thank you for your help."

"Anytime. Please come back whenever you need healing. My door is always open."

They told her that they would and exited the tent. Carth and Mag crossed through the village, back towards the gate. Before they got there, a sleazy looking man stopped them. He was surrounded by various wares, so Carth and Mag assumed he was was a shopkeeper. "Hey, upworlders. Hold on!"

Although Mag could tell in an instant that he was up to no good, she stopped anyway. Her curiosity got the best of her. Carth didn't like the look of him either and casually put his hand on his blaster.

"Thank you, upworlders. My name is Igaer and I run this humble shop."

Mag resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Even down here, someone was trying to sell her something. The man licked his lips and continued. "I just so happened to notice that you were speaking with Rukil. And knowing that crazy, old man, I'd be willing to bet that he asked you to keep an eye out for those lost journals. Am I right?"

She raised an eyebrow and quickly surveyed the little shop before nodding her head. The man's eyes lit up momentarily. "Ah. I figured as much. Well, I have a business proposition for you. For each of the three journals, I will pay you 100 credits."

Carth watched the exchange, slightly confused. Mag had not explained the significance of the journals. So he had no idea why they would each be worth one hundred credits each. He looked at Mag and saw that she was wearing her crooked, half-smile on her face. "I'll think about it."

Without waiting for a reply, Mag started walking towards the gate again. When there were out of earshot of the merchant, Carth asked her about the journals. "Rukil told me that the notebooks hold the key to a lost colony. I'm not sure if they are real, but the old man seemed so convicted, I had to agree to help. And there is no way in hell I'm selling them to that slimy shop keeper. Even if they amount to nothing, the books are a symbol of hope. The people down here need that more than anything. But, I figured it would be a bad idea to cross one of the few people who have supplies down here."

Carth was amazed at the compassion behind Mag's words. She didn't know there people, yet she was willing to help them in any way she could. He knew that this should make it easier to trust her. But, that nagging voice in the back of his brain still told him no. "I see. I'll make sure to keep an eye out for them."

Mag thanked him as they made their way to the city gates. This time, the guard let them through without an issue as there were no rakghouls nearby. Now that they were not under attack, Mag and Carth were able to take a good look around. While the community of Outcasts had an organized, purposeful feel, outside the gates was another story. The ground was littered with debris, bones (Mag wasn't sure if they were human or animal), and a handful of scraggly plants.

"So, where do you suggest we start looking for Mission?" Carth asked.

Before Mag had a chance to answer, they heard someone yelling. Suddenly, Mission appeared out of one of the tunnel entrances. At first, they couldn't make out what she was saying because she was crying. Once Mission had caught her breath, she managed to blurt out. "You have to help me! No one else will help me! Not even the Beks will help me!"

The young girl collapsed crying. Carth caught her and she leaned into him until he was forced to cradle her. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Mazg almost laughed when she saw the helpless and embarrassed look on Carth's face.

Instead of chuckling, though, Mag decided to kneel down next to Carth and Mission. She offered the young girl some water. She accepted it gratefully and took a deep drink. Mission then took a deep breath to try and stop crying. Once she had calmed down, Mag asked her what was going on. Although Mission looked like she was on the verge of crying, she explained to them what happened. "Big Z and I were exploring the tunnels. We do it all the time! Then, a big group of Gamorreans found us. Zaalbar told me to run, so I did it. Normally, he can take care of himself, so I wasn't too worried. But, when I got to the end of the tunnels, he wasn't behind me! I waited for a while, just in case, but he never showed up. I just know the Gamorreans have him! And since he is a Wookie, they will sell him into slavery. You have to help get him back! He is my best friend in the entire galaxy and I can't let anything happen to him!"

After she finished her story, Mission started to cry again. Mag felt for the girl, it was clear the Zaalbar was the closest thing to family she had. Over the girl's head, Mag gave Carth a look to indicate that they were going to help her. Carth nodded in agreement.

They gave Mission a few minutes to calm down. Once she had, Mag told her that they were all going to go look for Zaalbar. "But, Carth and I need your help too. We heard from Gadon that you could possibly get into the Black Vulkar base."

Instantly, Mission brightened up. "Thank you! And I can get you in no problem!"

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "I picked this out of a pocket of a drunk Vulkar two nights ago. It is the codes for the back door of the base, so we should have no problem getting in. Poor sucker probably didn't even realize it is gone."

When she heard this, Mag's heart skipped a beat. Finally, they were making progress towards finding Bastila! She stood up and helped Mission to her feet. "Let's go rescue Zaalbar!"