Zephkiel was drenched in sweat as he opened his eyes, realising it was just a dream. He sat up, a little too fast, and felt the blood rush to his head.
"Good to see you up, instead of thrashing around in your sleep," Carth greeted him. "You must have been having one hell of a nightmare. I was wondering if you were ever going to wake up."
Zephkiel said nothing, the pain in his head almost overwhelming.
"I'm Carth, one of the Republic soldiers from the Endar Spire," he continued, but Zephkiel paid him no attention. "I was with you on the escape pod, do you remember?"
Zephkiel looked up at him, knowing he had to respond. "Carth, the one on the communicator. I remember," he said bluntly.
Changing the subject, Carth continued to talk. "Well, you've been slipping in and out of consciousness for a couple of days now, so I imagine you're pretty confused about things." Zephkiel shook his head, indicating he did not really care, but Carth took it as a reinforcement of his statement. "Try not to worry. We're safe... at least for the moment."
"Well this doesn't look like an escape pod," Zephkiel muttered. "Where are we?"
"We're in an abandoned apartment on the planet of Taris. You were banged up pretty bad when our escape pod crashed, but luckily I wasn't seriously hurt."
Zephkiel conceded the man's point and beckoned for him to continue. "I was able to drag you away from our crash site in all the confusion, and I stumbled onto this abandoned apartment. By the time the Sith arrived on the scene we were long gone."
Zephkiel, his head still in pain, lay back down on his bed. "So are we just going to wait here for the Republic to rescue us?" he asked casually, not overly interested in the answer.
Carth shook his head solemnly. "Taris is under Sith control. Their fleet is orbiting the planet, they've declared martial law and they've imposed a planet-wide quarantine. But I've been in worse spots."
"Martial law..." Zephkiel muttered to himself. "That's about the only law I'm more than willing to follow," he smiled.
Ignoring the remark, Carth continued. "I saw on your service records that you understand a remarkable number of alien languages. That's pretty rare in a raw recruit, but it should come in handy while we're stranded on a foreign."
Zephkiel waved his hand, dismissing the compliment. "What do you have in mind?" he asked.
"There's no way the Republic will be able to get anyone through the Sith blockade to help us. If we're going to find Bastila and get off this planet, we can't rely on anybody but ourselves."
"That suits me perfectly fine," Zephkiel agreed, casually tossing his scavenged Vibration Cell in the air to entertain himself. "Why is it so important to find Bastila?" he asked.
"That smack to the head did more damage than I thought." Zephkiel threw a glance at Carth indicating his disinterest in the man's appraisal, and so Carth answered his question. "Bastila's a Jedi. She was with the strike team that killed Darth Revan, Malak's Sith master."
"And?"
"Bastila is the key to the whole Republic war effort. The Sith must have found out she was on the Endar Spire and set an ambush for us in this system."
"Get the point," Zephkiel muttered.
"I believe Bastila was on one of the escape pods that crashed down here on Taris. For the sake of the Republic war effort, we have to try and find her."
Zephkiel sighed, not wanting to commit himself to any heroic deeds. "If Bastila's a Jedi, she can probably look after herself," he said casually, dismissing Carth.
"Basitla's going to need our help," Carth argued. "Many of Darth Malak's followers have mastered the dark side of the Force, and the Sith have already killed more than their share of Jedi in this war."
"And what makes you think we stand a chance?" Zephkiel asked, still throwing the Vibration Cell in the air.
"I doubt anyone's specifically looking for us anymore: we're not that important."
"Thanks..." Zephkiel muttered, rolling his eyes.
"But if we're careful we can move about the planet without attracting notice; a luxury Bastila won't have."
"Why not?"
"She's going to have half the Sith fleet looking for her. They know how vital she is to the war effort."
Zephkiel looked at the man, indicating for him to continue. "Bastila is no ordinary Jedi. She has a rare gift the Jedi call Battle Meditation. Bastila's power can influence entire armies."
Zephkiel put the Vibration Cell down and moved his hands behind his head, closing his eyes. "If Bastila's so great," he goaded, "how come the Sith managed to blow up the Endar Spire?"
"Through the Force Bastila can inspire her allies with confidence and make her enemies lose their will to fight. And often, that's all it takes to tip the balance in a battle. But there are limits to what she can do. From what I understand of her ability, it requires great concentration and focus to maintain her Battle Meditation. The attack on the Endar Spire happened so fast she probably never even had a chance to use her power. I'm guessing she barely got out alive, and now she's trapped here just as we are."
"Trapped?" Zephkiel asked. "What makes you think that?"
"The whole planet is under quarantine. No ships can land or take-off. So if Bastila's going to escape Taris, she's going to need our help. And we'll probably need hers."
"You're implying that two soldiers and a Jedi can bypass a Sith quarantine... The odds are so low that I'm half-tempted tag along. Any idea where we should start looking for Bastila?"
"While you were out I did some scouting around. There are reports of a couple escape pods crashing down into the Undercity. That's probably a good place to start."
"Suits me."
"But the Undercity is a dangerous place. We don't want to go in there unprepared. It won't do Bastila any good if we go and get ourselves killed."
"Nor us," Zephkiel added. "Come on. I want to scout this planet out a bit." Zephkiel moved to his feet, strapping his swords to his belt.
"Good idea," Carth agreed. "We can use this abandoned apartment as a base, and we can probably get some equipment and supplies here in the Upper City. Just remember to keep a low profile."
Zephkiel's stance indicated that he wasn't too bothered by the risk, so Carth continued. "I've heard some grim stories about the Dark Jedi interrogation techniques. They say the Force can do terrible things to a mind. It can wipe away your memories and destroy your very identity!"
"Ouch," Zephkiel conceded, but still not overly worried.
"But I figure if we don't do anything stupid we should be okay," Carth justified, more to himself than Zephkiel. "I mean, after all, they're... they're looking for Bastila, not a couple of grunts like us." Shaking his head, Carth altered his tone. "Alright soldier, let's move out."
Zephkiel caught sight of a small locker at the end of the room, pushed past Carth. "What's in this?" he asked. Inside he found some computer spikes and some medpacs, all of which he slipped into his pockets.
Spying a workbench, Zephkiel headed over to it. He had a small idea of how to build weapons, and he eyed the Vibration Cell. Grabbing it, he placed his Prototype Vibroblade on the table and opened the handle. "I thought as much," Zephkiel muttered, slipping the Cell into a small slot in the handle. Closing the handle, Zephkiel tapped the sword against the bench, feeling vibrations surge through the blade. "Nice," he muttered.
Walking out of the apartment complex, Zephkiel ran into a conflict between a Sith patrol, one soldier and two Battle droids, and a pair of alien residents.
"Okay you alien scum," the Sith spat, "everybody get up against the wall! This is a raid!"
"There was a patrol here just yesterday, and they found nothing!" an alien protested. "Why do you Sith keep bothering us?" He was met with a series of blaster bolts and he dropped to the floor, dead.
"That's how we Sith deal with smart-mouth aliens! Now the rest of you get up against the wall before I lose my temper again!"
"Anger problems?" Zephkiel asked the man.
"Hey, what's this?" the Sith exclaimed turning around. "Humans hiding out with aliens?"
"I wasn't hiding," Zephkiel retorted.
"They're Republic fugitives! Attack!"
"Yes sir," Zephkiel smiled, lowering into his attack stance.
Zephkiel targeted the droid to his left and Carth aimed for the droid on the right, saving the soldier for last. The Sith cowardly aimed for the defenceless alien, but Zephkiel charged the droids and cut them down in two swift strikes, before moving to the soldier. He dodged Zephkiel's first strike, but was not fast enough to dodge the next attack, and he was dead before he hit the ground.
"Poor Ixgil. He should never have talked back to that Sith. Thankfully you were here to step in and help us, human," the alien winced, holding his ribs. He had been hit by a glancing shot, but he seemed to be okay. "This isn't the first time the Sith have come in here to cause trouble for us, but hopefully it will be the last."
"Glad I could help," Zephkiel nodded.
"Don't worry about the bodies. I will move them so it looks like they were killed elsewhere. That should throw the Sith off the track."
Zephkiel smiled. "Good move," he said.
"With any luck, they won't be bothering us again for a while."
Zephkiel shrugged and headed over to the soldier, emptying his pockets. Pocketing a few grenades and stimulants, Zephkiel grabbed the man's Blaster Rifle and threw it to Carth, who strapped it to his back.
Standing back up, the alien spoke to him again. "Thank you once again, human. And as I said earlier, don't worry about the bodies. I will take care of them for you."
Zephkiel nodded again and walked off. Realising this place was devoid of authorities, he walked up to a locked room, a grin lining his face. "Carth, can you pick locks?" he asked.
"I can," he confirmed. "Why?"
Zephkiel nodded towards the lock. "What? No! I'm not breaking into anyone's apartment."
"It could be the room of more Republic Soldiers," Zephkiel pointed out, though more keen on checking out the room.
"I... I guess," Carth conceded, picking the lock. Inside was a single woman, Carth apologised, but Zephkiel walked up to her. On his way he spied a small bag, which he sifted through inconspicuously, finding more spikes, some credits and another medpac.
"Who are you? What are you doing I here?" the woman exclaimd. "You can't just come barging into someone's home!"
"I'm sorry, I was just investigating the area," Zephkiel replied innocently.
"That's no excuse. You can't just go around barging into people's apartments because you're curious!" Her face softened a little before she continued. "But at least you're more polite than that pig, Holdan," she sighed.
"Holdan? Who's that?" Zephkiel asked, slightly interested.
"Just one of Daviks' men who can't keep his hands to himself. But all he got for his trouble was a nasty scar from my vibroblade! Too bad I'm the one still paying the price..." she trailed off.
"What do you mean?" Zephkiel asked, his interest rising further.
"I... I don't want to talk about it," the woman stammered, her lip trembling. "I'm in enough trouble already. Besides, I don't know if I can trust you."
Zephkiel's mouth twitched slightly, but he suppressed the smile. "You can trust me," he tried to persuade the woman. "Maybe I can help."
Dia, relieved at the thought of someone trying to help, conceded. "Well I suppose you seem like an alright sort. When I cut Holdan it made him back off, but it also embarrassed him in front of his friends." The woman's tone turned bitter. "Holdan's a spiteful little Hutt-slug. He went and put out a bounty on my head for what I did!" She sighed, her voice going soft again. "That's why I'm hiding out here..."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Zephkiel asked, itching for another battle.
"I doubt it," the woman shook her head. "Holdan is one of Davik's men. When you work for the local crime lord the authorities tend to turn a blind eye. I'm afraid this is between me and Holdan now."
Realising bloodshed would only reflect badly on the woman, Zephkiel changed his approach. "Maybe I could speak to Holdan for you."
" You could try, I guess. He usually hangs out at the cantina in the Lower City. It probably won't do any good. Holdan's used to getting his own way."
"That's too bad..." Zephkiel trailed off, though more for show rather than him actually giving up.
"That's one of the fringe benefits of being a goon for Davik. Working for the local crime lord lets you get away with things. Still, I appreciate the offer."
"I'll be going now," Zephkiel said bluntly.
"Goodbye, and good luck," the woman said hopefully. "I hope you can talk some sense into Holdan."
Zephkiel nodded and turned, walking away. "That was... quite impressive," Carth noted, rejoining his comrade. "You've done this sort of stuff before, haven't you?"
"I kept myself alive manipulating people and convincing them to join my cause. I know how they work."
"Useful..." Carth muttered. "Dishonourable, but useful..."
"That's not true, Zephkiel dismissed. "All's well that ends well. Just because I said want she wanted to hear doesn't mean she won't achieve the safety she desires."
"True," Carth conceded.
Leaving the room, Zephkiel continued down the hall. "Well, I don't see too many of your kind around here." He was intercepted by a Twi'lek, clearly running a small business. "Most of the residents here in this run down old apartment are illegal aliens. My name is Larrim, by the way."
"Pleased to meet you, Larrim. Zephkiel Olandos," he nodded.
"I know it's really none of my business, but you look like someone who might need to purchase one of those new energy shields. They're the latest thing, you know. Very high tech."
"What's so great about them?" Zephkiel asked, not particularly interested.
"When you use one it surrounds you with a radiant aura-particle mesh that absorbs blaster bolts. Pretty handy in a fight. The shield even protects against lightsabers, or so I hear."
"Impressive," Zephkiel nodded, though he much preferred relying on himself for his strength and survival.
"The shields aren't perfect, of course. They can only absorb so much energy damage before they burn out, and ion blasters will take your basic duelling shield down pretty quick."
"And I can tell you from experience that they aren't any good at all against a simple vibroblade," Carth jumped in. "That's why the Republic has been training soldiers in hand-to-hand and melee combat."
"I've heard enough about these shields," Zephkiel dismissed, deciding he did not need them.
"Oh, okay," Larrim conceded. "Well then, you might be interested in knowing I have one for sale."
"No thanks," Zephkiel declined.
"It could mean the difference between life and death," Larrim pressed.
"Then I'll see you in Hell," Zephkiel nodded, a mischievous smile lining his face. Carth shook his head at the man's arrogance, but he had no desire to invest in the energy shield either.
The two moved on, coming across another locked room. Zephkiel nodded to Carth, who moved to pick the lock. The door opened and inside stood a Twi'lek.
"Don't hurt me!" she pleaded. "Just... just take what you want. I won't try to stop you."
Zephkiel shrugged and grabbed some droid parts, a medpac and some credits. "Sorry for the disruption," he apologised, walking back out of the room.
Another locked room revealed the same outcome, parts, a medpac and credits, with an Ithorian requesting he be spared. "Please, don't hurt me," he begged. "I have nothing of value in here. Look for yourself and see."
Zephkiel shrugged again and continued through the hall. Another locked room, and more of the same treasures. Zephkiel decided to give up at this point, and headed for the Apartment exit.
Zephkiel strolled through the streets, but stopped suddenly. He turned to face Carth; he could not put his finger on it, but he felt something was bothering the man. Knowing he needed the man to focus, he decided to talk to him about it to see if he could get him to open up.
"Carth?" Zephkiel asked.
"Yes, what's on your mind?"
"I'd like to know some more about you, Carth," Zephkiel nodded, not entirely interested but needing the man to stay focussed.
"Me?" Carth asked, surprised. "Well, I've been a star-pilot for the Republic for years. I've seen more than my share of wars... I fought in the Mandalorian Wars before all this started."
"Go on," Zephkiel nodded.
"But with all that, I've never experienced anything like the slaughter these Sith animals can unleash. Not even the Mandalorians were that senseless."
"Senseless?" Zephkiel asked.
"My home world was one of the first planets to fall to Malak's fleet. The Sith bombed it into submission, and there wasn't a damn thing our Republic forces could do to stop them!"
"You're talking like it's your fault," Zephkiel pointed out, "like you failed somehow."
"It shouldn't be my fault," Carth tried to justify it to himself. "I did everything I could... I followed my orders and did my duty. That shouldn't mean I failed them! I didn't!"
"Them? The people of your home world?"
"Yes. No... no, that's not what I mean. I mean... I'm sorry. I'm not making much sense, am I?"
Zephkiel shrugged, indicating the man had said nothing out of place. "You probably mean well with your questions. I'm just not accustomed to talking about my past very much. At all, actually. I'm more used to taking action... keeping my mind focussed on the business at hand. So let's just do that. If you have more questions, ask them later."
Zephkiel nodded, glad to finally have Carth focussing on what was at hand.