Mission led Mag and Carth to one of the multiple entrances to the sewers. Carth didn't exactly fancy the idea of trudging through the tunnels, but he knew this was important. The smell was overwhelming and they all did their best to breathe through their mouths.

"So, how are we going to find Big Z? These tunnels must go on for miles!" Mag asked.

Mission laughed and tapped her nose. "I've got a general idea about where their base is and once the smell gets even worse, we know that we are heading in the right direction."

Carth looked at her with wide eyes. "Wait, you mean the smell is going to get worse?"

The girl laughed and nodded her head enthusiastically. "What else would you expect from a bunch of pig men living in a muggy sewer?"

Mag joined in with Mission's laughter, but Carth remained silent. It wasn't because he didn't find it funny, but because it almost made him sick to his stomach. He reprimanded himself in his head. "C'mon Onasi, you're a decorated soldier and you're going to let a little smell get to you?"

The group continued through the tunnels for about twenty minutes. Within that time, they were attacked by three, separate groups of rakghouls. Both Carth and Mag were impressed with Mission's blaster skills. When Mag complimented her, the girl only shrugged her soldiers. "It's what I had to do to survive. But if you think I'm good, you should see Big Z with his bow caster!"

Initially, Mag smiled back, but as soon as Mission turned her back, she frowned. It was clear how devoted the girl was to Zaalbar and Mag was terrified about what would happen if they weren't able to rescue him in time.

"Clear!" Carth shouted as he checked one of the side chambers. Mag walked past him and examined the two dead bodies inside. The first wore clothes that were similar to the ones worn by the Outcasts. The girl didn't appear to be older than Mission. Mag grabbed the satchel that was laying on the ground next to her. Animals had already scavenged the food, but there were still two datapads inside. She could tell that they were older models, but still in working condition. Everything seemed to match the description that Rukil had given her back at the Outcast village. Mag could feel her heartbeat quicken.

"Whatcha got there, beautiful?" she heard Carth ask.

Resisting the urge to call him out on using her newly acquired nickname, Mag told him that she thought she had found the journals that Rukil had been looking for. "Hopefully these will help him, and the other Outcasts find their Promised Land."

Mission perked up at the sound of the name. "I've heard that story before. I sure hope that it is true. They deserve so much more than what they have."

Both Mag and Carth nodded as Mag bent down to examine the second body. It was that of a Sith soldier. On his body, she found some credits, a blaster rifle, three grenades, and several vials of a glowing green serum. She held them up above her head. "Eureka!"

"Is that the rakghoul serum?" Carth asked.

Mag carefully tucked everything into her satchel. "I'm pretty sure. We will have to take it to Zelka topside, but this could be the big breakthrough that he was looking for. So Mish, judging from the smell, how close to you think we are?"

Mission stuck her nose up in the air and took a deep breath. Her face pinched up and she waved her hand in front of her nose. "We are definitely getting close. We should keep our guard up. Gamorreans are extremely territorial."

Carth unholstered his blasters and started walking towards the door. Just as his hand grasped the door handle, there was a loud grunting and snorting from the other side. Suddenly, the door flew open, causing him to go sailing across the room. Standing in the doorway were three Gamorreans. They smelled disgusting and each wielded a menacing looking battle axe.

Standing up as quickly as he could, Carth shook his head and raised both of his blasters. He aimed them at the Gamorreans and fired. They charged.

Although his shots were on target, but they did little to slow the attackers down. Carth watched as Mag leapt forward with both of her vibroblades extended. The smallest of the Gamorreans swung his battle axe over his head, bringing it down hard onto Mag's blades.

Her muscles ached with the effort to avoid her skull being cracked in half by the axe. The more she seemed to push up, the harder he seemed to push down. Out of the corner of her eye, Mag saw a blaster bolt zoom by her and strike the Gamorrean in the eye. The creature stumbled back a few paces before collapsing to the ground.

Mag turned and saw that it was Mission, not Carth, who had shot her attacker. She gave the girl a thumbs up before rushing to attack the next one. A few moments later, the three Gamorreans lay dead on the ground. Mag leaned over and started wiping the blood off of her blades on the shirt of one of the dead aliens. When she stood up, Mag noticed Carth rubbing his forehead where the door had hit him. She walked over to him and placed her hand on his face. "Let me take a look at that, flyboy."

He almost jumped back in surprise at her touch. But, Carth caught himself in time and allowed her to examine the injury. The bump was the size of a large egg and it was starting to turn purple. Mag reached to touch it and he winced in pain. Apologizing, she reached into her bag and pulled out a kolto patch. Doing her best not to touch the lump again, she adhered it to his forehead.

"Try not to get hit in face next time!" Mag said laughing.

Just as Mag turned around, she caught the smirk on Mission's face. Although the girl dropped her expression. When Mag made eye contact, the girl couldn't help but let out a little giggle.

Mag went to scold her, but she was interrupted by a loud roar. Mission spun around. "Big Z! He must be close!"

The group followed the direction that the roar came from. It led straight into the heart of the Gamorrean base.

"Sithspit!" Mag swore.

There were at least seven of the brutes, each with its own battle axe and some even held blasters. The two groups stood still, each sizing the other up. Dumb as they may be, the Gamorreans knew that there was very little room for an all-out melee skirmish. The seconds ticked by until Carth fired the first shot. The sound of the blaster bolt ripped through the air, breaking the spell. The bullet found its target and the first Gamorrean dropped dead of a shot to the eye. The six remaining Gamorreans all let out the same guttural battle cry and started swinging their axes violently.

Mag yelled at Mission and Carth to cover her. Before they could tell her to stop, she rushed into the fight. Between shots, Carth watched as Mag narrowly dodged axe blow after axe blow. He tried his best to take them down, but their gnarled hide was too thick. The only way he could kill them was to get a bolt through one of their eyes. But, with all of the movement, it was nearly impossible.

Eventually, the three of them were able to pick of all but one of the Gamorreans. Mag was exhausted from the fight and was near the point of collapse. She took a moment to quickly glance at the other and was dismayed that they were both in the same state. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for their last remaining opponent.

Mag pulled a spare vibroblade from her belt and tossed it towards Mission. "Carth, cover us!"

Mission quickly put her blaster into its holster and gripped the vibroblade tightly. The Gamorrean started charging at them. The two girls rushed to meet him and watched as several blaster bolts followed them. A few of them managed to hit their mark, but they did little of slowing their attacker down. Frustrated, Carth reached for his own vibroblades and ran over to join Mag and Mission.

As soon as Carth joined the melee, the tides turned in their favor. Although the Gamorrean was strong, it was difficult for him to keep up with the three attackers. He began to tire and this allowed Mag to spot a weakness in his armor. "Mission, his armpit! There is a hole!"

The girl nodded and thrust her blade into the unprotected area that Mag had spotted. The creature let out an angry snarl of pain. Carth took this moment of distraction and cut the Gamorrean's throat. It fell to the ground with a satisfying thud.

"Anybody hurt?" Mag asked while catching her breath.

Mission shook her head, but Carth nodded. "Yeah. Could you pass me a kolto pack, gorgeous?"

There was loud roar and Mission ran over to the door where it was coming from. She turned to Mag. "You patch up Carth and I'm going to work on picking this lock. It is an older one, so it might take me a minute."

Mag nodded and walked over to Carth. He was clutching his bicep. Through a tear in his orange, leather, jacket, Mag could see a dark, blood stain. Carth looked down at his jacket and swore. "Damn! I liked this coat!"

Chuckling, Mag asked him to take it off, so she could apply a kolto patch. She watched as he attempted to shrug out of it, but when he winced in pain, she moved to assist.

When his jacket was finally off, Mag saw that his wound was a short, but fairly deep. "What happened?"

"I think that the pig man's axe got me on the way down."

Carth watched as Mag nodded and then began to gently roll up his shirt sleeve. She reached into her bag and and pulled out of roll of bandages and a kolto patch. As she worked, Mag called out to Mission. "How's the lock coming?"

"Great! I am almost there!"

Mag smiled and looked up at Carth. "There. It should be better in no time. But please, be more careful next time."

He flexed his muscles and was pleased to find that the pain was already starting to alleviate. Carth watched as Mag made her way over to Mission. The way she had carefully bandaged him and then smiled had made him think, and hope, that their earlier fight had been forgotten.

"Got it!" Mission yelled at the door creaked open.

As soon as the crack was wide enough, the girl slipped through. Mag and Carth followed her and were pleased to see her and Big Z hugging. When they heard Mag enter, Mission turned. "Hey, Big Z, remember these guys. From the cantina? They helped me rescue you! I couldn't have done it without them!"

Zaalbar untangled himself from the girl and walked over. "Thank you for your help. I was scared that I was going to be sold into slavery. My people, unfortunately, fetch a high price on the black market."

Mission turned to translate, but Mag held up her hand. "You're welcome, Big Z. I'm just glad that Carth and I could help!"

Carth looked at her in disbelief, one eyebrow raised. "Since when do you speak Shirwook?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Since forever, I guess."

The suspicious nagging returned to the pit of Carth's stomach and he did his best to repress it. Before he could say anything, Zaalbar began speaking. "Mag, I would like to swear a life debt to you."

Mission looked rapidly between Mag and Zaalbar. "Are you sure, bud? It's a big deal!"

Carth raised his hand. "Could someone please explain what a life debt is?"

"A life debt is the most sacred promise that a Wookie can make. It means that Zaalbar will follow Mag and help her with whatever she does."

As much as he liked the Wookie, Carth wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of him tagging along. Especially since it was guaranteed that Mission would follow Zaalbar anywhere in the galaxy.

Just as he was thinking it, Mission voiced that she would tag along if Mag chose to accept the life debt. Mag swung her arm around the girl's shoulder. "I'm glad to have both aboard. We could use all the help we can get. Don't we, Carth?"

He wordlessly nodded and Mag shook her head. "Just ignore him. He's always like this. I'm sure he will come around eventually."

That statement made Carth frown, but everyone else chuckled. Well, he was pretty sure the Wookie laughed, but it sounded slightly like a threatening growl. Once she caught her breath, Mission spoke. "I'd say that it is too late to break into the Vulkar base now. But, they'll probably be out prepping for the race all day tomorrow. So, we should head back to the Outcast village, rest up, and get an early start tomorrow morning. That way we will be at full attention for the big task!"

Everyone agreed with her plan and began making their way out of the sewers. Zaalbar and Mission led, since they knew the layout better, and Carth protecting the rear. With Mag walking in front of him, he noticed that she would clutch her side ever so often. He didn't want to say anything in front of the other two but figured he could ask her when they reached the village.

After forty five minutes, the four made their way out of the sewer. Thankfully, the exit that Zaalbar and Mission led them through was only a short distance from the Undercity gate and they didn't have to fight any rakghouls. As the gate slid shut, Mission and Zaalbar decided to find Gendar to see if there were any open tents for them to spend the night in. Mag watched as they left and then turned to Carth. "Do you want to come with me to find Rukil? I want to give him the journals we found."

As she adjusted her pack, she winced. "You alright there, gorgeous? I noticed that you were doing that in the sewers earlier, too."

Unexpectedly, she shot him a steely glance. "I'm fine. Just a few bruised ribs."

Mag stalked off and didn't wait for Carth to follow. Instead, he waited until she was a safe distance away to begin walking. He wasn't exactly sure what had just happened. Carth thought that they had been getting along better when they were down in the sewers. He rolled his eyes; he was beginning to doubt if he would ever begin to understand her.

Carth waited outside the tent while Mag delivered the journals. It was long before there was excited chatter coming from inside the tent. The flap burst open and the old man came dashing out. Mag followed him out and quickly told Carth to follow her. Rukil was surprisingly spry for someone who was supposed to be over one hundred years old.

When they reached the center of the village, they saw Mission and Zaalbar talking to Gendar. Rukil pushed his way into the conversation. "Gendar, Gendar! She found them! I told you that it was real! The Promised Land is real!"

The leader turned and faced the old man. "What are you talking about Rukil? Who found what?"

"The diaries! Mag found the diaries! With the complete set, all the pieces come together! We have all the information we need! The Promised Land is closer than we ever imagined!"

Gendar pinched the bridge of his nose. "Rukil, we have been over this a thousand times…."

"Please, just look at them. If you don't see what I see, then I won't bother you about it again."

Partially to humor the old man and partially out of curiosity, Gendar took the diaries from Rukil. He scanned the books and then raised his eyebrows. "Rukil, are you sure the information in here is correct?"

The old man nodded vigorously. "I would stake my life on it! Before me, my father and grandfather worked hard to decipher the clues and I believe that all of this is true."

Gendar smiled. "We could leave within a few days. Our supplies are high right now. It will be a long journey, at least three weeks. I will assemble everyone for a meeting and we can plan from there."

The leader walked away and Rukil turned to Mag and grasped her hand. "Thank you. Because of your hard work, we are finally getting to the Promised Land."

The hope and happiness that filled the man's eyes nearly brought Mag to tears and struck her speechless. Rukil didn't wait for her to reply. He kissed her hand and walked back towards his tent, singing a jaunty tune. Moments later, Gendar returned. "I forgot to tell you that there are welcome to stay here tonight. There are some empty tents and I'll put out a call for extra blankets."

The four of them thanked Gendar and followed him to the empty tents. Mission pointed to one of them and said, "I'll take this one and share with Zaalbar. Trust me, you don't want to be around when he starts to snore!"

Zaalbar playfully growled and Mission gently punched his arm. "You know it's true!"

The two of them disappeared into the tent. Carth walked over to the other one and held open the flap from Mag. He could tell from her facial expression that she was entirely thrilled to be sharing a tent with him. But, knowing that she didn't have another option, he hoped that maybe they could work out their issues.

Although the tent was dark, patched, and smelled slightly of mildew, it was at least a safe place to sleep. Mag retreated to one corner and zipped up her jacket. "I hope Gendar brings those blankets soon, it is freezing down here."

Carth scooted closer to Mag. Sitting cross-legged, he unzipped his own jacket and passed it to her. "Here."

She pushed it away. "No, that's okay."

He ignored and instead, draped it over her shoulders. Mag rolled her eyes, but she didn't move to take it off. "Thanks, flyboy."

Carth nodded. Without his coat, Mag caught sight of the kolto bandage wrapped around his arm. She pointed to it and asked how he was feeling. He shrugged. "It's fine. I've had worse."

Mag raised an eyebrow but didn't press the subject further. She knew how touchy he was about his past. He was about to ask how her ribs were feeling when there was a voice at the entrance of their tent. It was one of the villagers delivering a pile of blankets and some dinner. They thanked the man and dug in. The fare was simple, but it was hearty. The Outcasts clearly knew how to make the best out of what they had. The two of them didn't speak while eating, they were starving. After dinner was finished, Carth and Mag arranged the blankets on the floor. As she went to lay down, there was a sharp, excruciating pain in Mag's chest. She sat up quickly and swore.

"What's wrong?" Carth asked.

"It's my ribs, from when that Gamorrean smacked me. Would you go find Esala? They are killing me!"

Carth nodded and sprang up. A few minutes later, he returned with the village healer. After Mag explained what was wrong, Esala asked her to remove the two jackets and her shirt. Carth felt himself blush and quickly excused himself from the tent.

The fabric of the tent was thin and Carth could hear Mag groaning in pain. He wanted to go in and help but didn't want to embarrass her. Ten minutes later, Esala emerged. She smiled at Carth, but didn't say anything. He leaned closer to the tent and said, "Mag, are you decent? Can I come in?"

"Mmmhmm, come on in."

Carth pulled back the tent flap and stepped inside. Mag was sitting on the ground, zipping up her coat. He sat beside her. "How are your ribs doing?"

She made a face. "Esala said that a couple of them are fractured. She also said that it was my own fault for fighting with Gamorreans."

He chuckled as she continued. "She gave me a kolto shot and some pain medication. And I'm not supposed to strain it."

Carth snorted. "Like that's going to happen."

Mag gave him a dirty look. "What's that supposed to mean, flyboy?"

"You know, well, uh, you can be a bit reckless. Sometimes."

She watched as Carth ran a nervous hand through his hair. It took all of her strength not to burst out laughing; she just loved messing with him, even though it might increase his paranoia. After waiting a few seconds, Mag playfully punched him in the arm. "Calm down, I'm only messing with you."

He flushed. "Right, I knew that."

For a brief moment, they both forgot about all the fighting. It had been taxing on the both of them. But both were also too stubborn to admit it.

Not knowing what to say, Carth cleared his throat. Mag looked up at him and grabbed one of the blankets. Wrapping it around herself, she said, "Good night, flyboy. Sleep well."

Carth grabbed a blanket for himself and settled down for the night. However, sleep wouldn't come to him. He tossed and turned for a while, but finally decided to lay still. As he listened to Mag's even breathing, Carth found himself jealous that she was able to fall asleep so quickly.

As quietly as he could, he rolled over on his side to face Mag. She looked worried. her brows were furrowed and her mouth was turned down into a frown. He glanced down and saw her fist clench and unclench. It was clear she was only sleeping because she was physically exhausted.

After several moments of hesitation, Carth reached out and grasped her hand. Even though she was asleep, he expected her to pull away. To his surprise, she intertwined her fingers in his. Having not paid much attention before, Carth was shocked at just how small her hands were. For the most part, they were smooth. But, her palms were calloused, similar to his own. It was clear that Mag had led a harsh life. Carth laid silently for several minutes, too many thoughts running through his mind. Eventually, sleep claimed him.

When Mag woke up the next morning, she panicked for a moment when she didn't see Carth. After untangling herself from the blankets, Mag ran out of the tent. To her relief, she saw Carth, Mission, and Zaalbar were gathered around a campfire with some of the Outcasts.

Mission caught sight of her and waved Mag over to join them. She smiled, walked over, and accepted a bowl of food. It was the same fare as the night before, but a meal was a meal. She settled down next to Mission and began eating.

Carth smiled at her. "How'd you sleep last night?"

She shrugged. "Fine, I guess. My ribs are still killing me. How about you?"

He offered the same shrug. "Not too bad."

They ate the rest of the meal while Mag laid out her plan. "Mission, you will give us the door code so that Carth and I can break into the base. You and Big Z can wait here for us. We will be back as soon as we can. Hopefully we can slip in and out before anyone notices we were there."

Mag was shocked at Mission's reaction. The girl jumped to her feet. "No way! You told me that you needed my help. I ain't just some dumb kid, you know!"

Carth and Mag exchanged glances. They hadn't anticipated that reaction. As much as Mag believed that Mission was capable, she just didn't feel comfortable bring a fourteen year old girl into the middle of a street gang base.

"Mission, it's not that we don't want or need you with us. But infiltrating a gang base is dangerous."

She swore in Twi'lek and Mag raised an eyebrow. This time, it was Carth who spoke. "C'mon, Mission. If you want us to treat you like an adult, you should start acting like one!"

At this, Zaalbar let out a low growl. Everyone took a step back. Mission raised a hand towards him and slumped her shoulders. "I'm sorry, guys. I just don't like being left behind. How about I show you the best route to the base and then head back here with Zaalbar?"

Although Mag knew that Mission was up to something, she knew that their time to get the swoop accelerator was running out. So, she agreed to Mission's plan. "Alright, but we have to hurry."

After thanking the Outcasts villagers for their hospitality, the four set off for the sewers.