Author's Notes: The title refers to the Outcasts´ dreams of the Promised Land. So will a wonderful quote I found and will appear in the next fic – I just can´t seem to help myself. It's too fitting. And I think I found something fit for the big revelation and the final battle between (alignment/Force using class whitened) Revan and Malak.

And so we move down to the scary Undercity. Kids, don't worry – Revan knows how to decapitate and dismember (check your dictionary for the meaning) her enemies quite well. No one's going to die. Except for some rakghouls. And some Gammoreans. And… ah, screw it!

The Silver Serpent – it says Action/Adventure/Romanceso I guess there's gonna be some romance… though I intend to surprise you guys. I've had my fill of Revan/Carth and right now, I constantly keep rejecting our very own flyboy when I play KoTOR. Carthoholics please don't kill me – I like Carth, I´m just annoyed by the whole romance thing between him and Revan. There's too much of that kind of fics out there. I want this one to be different. No femslash, though. We'll just see how Rev interacts with the other characters and then decide… but Carth will fall for her, no matter what. Read on.

MilenaSkywalker – I drove you out of depression? Wow... glad to be of help. No Carthoholic? Ah, then everything's quite alright. I write Revan like I think she should respond – the things she says are mostly things I would have said in the same situation, but I sure as hell can´t swing such a mean lightsaber. That's why this fic is so much fun. Oh, and 340945788 to you too. :)

Dark Lord Daishi – he dammed well should. But Paranoid Pilot remains Paranoid Pilot. Plus, he has no idea what ickle Alexa Denali is truly capable of. Thanks for thinking it so funny. Read on.

X X X X

Chapter 4 – Dead dream

X X X X

Revan was awoken by the Tarisian sun, but she stayed in bed in the hopes of getting some more rest. Carth's snoring, however, was difficult to ignore. She sat up and threw the nearest object – a datapad – at him. It hit his forehead. And it didn't wake him. Shaking her head in frustration, she grabbed her vibroblade and went out to the cantina to have some breakfast and kill a certain death-match duelist. Not surprisingly, Bendak Starkiller was waiting for her.

"You ready for the fight, Stranger?" he jeered. "Got your beauty sleep?"

"Yeah, I want to look good when I'll be standing over your corpse." Revan coolly replied.

Bendak laughed, but lead the way to the arena. The announcer introduced Bendak as frightening as he could and literally made it sound that Revan was totally insane to challenge him.

"LET THE DEATH-MATCH BEGIN!" he finally shouted.

Bendak immediately began throwing frag grenades at her. She couldn't use the Force to push them back, so she had to let them hit the ground and dodge them. One hit too close and bruised her left arm. She shrieked in pain, but held her ground. Then, in the confusion from the blasts, she cast fear into Bendak´s mind and drained him of most of his energy to heal her own wounds. He was decapitated before he knew it.

"Bendak is down, it's over, the fight is over!" The announcer boomed, "Bendak Starkiller is down! BENDAK STARKILLER IS DEAD! ALL HAIL THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGER, THE GREATEST DUELIST TO EVER GRACE THE RINGS OF TARIS!!!" Revan looted Bendak´s corpse of his blasters and credits, then punched the air several times as a victory sign. The crowd roared and applauded her.

As she stepped out of the ring, even the duelists applauded her. She overheard Duncan telling Gerlon: "This is great! She beat Bendak! She´s a legend! Whoever asks me, I can tell them I was the first duelist the Mysterious Stranger ever beat in a match! I´m going to be famous!"

She sniggered at that. Ajuur seemed to be the one that was in the biggest shock.

"Bendak Starkiller is dead!" Ajuur goggled at her. "I can´t believe it! Bendak never looses! That was a great fight! Best duel I've ever seen!" he congratulated her.

Revan smirked. "I know, I know, I´m a living legend. Now, where's my cut?"

"I'll give you a bonus for this time only, Stranger, for setting your life on risk." Ajuur decided. "Biggest purse I ever handled. Plus, you get to keep those blasters Bendak used. Too bad no one will fight you now, Stranger. I´m sorry to say it, but your dueling career's over."

"No problem. It earned me good money, anyway." Revan shrugged.

"Everyone will be talking about you now, Stranger. They'll all know you were the one who killed Bendak Starkiller. You´re going to be famous." The Hutt commented.

Revan didn't care much for that or the clapping that echoed behind her as she left the cantina. She wanted to return to the apartment, but met Carth at the complex entrance. He seemed frustrated.

"You could have at least left a note you were leaving."

Revan shrugged, "Does it matter? If a datapad flying at your forehead doesn't wake you, what can?" she noted.

"You threw a datapad at me?" he asked, frowning.

"Yeah." She smirked, "If you have a wife, I pity her for having to endure the snoring." Carth didn't sulk as she expected him to do, just looked away from her and frowned.

"I´d prefer not to discus that, Alexa." He coolly said. Revan sensed bitterness and anger flash across his aura, stronger than before.

"I didn't mean to upset you, Carth." She noted, finally using his first name. It was the 'trust-me-I'm-an-ally' approach, "But if you want to talk, I'll listen."

"I… no. Not now. You probably mean well, but I´m not accustomed to talk much about my past… at all, actually." He admitted.

"Fine, I won't pry." Revan said flatly, "How 'bout we go kill some rakghouls?" she suggested. "That ought to cheer you up."

"Thanks." He sarcastically remarked.

"No problem. That reminds me," she took out Bendak´s personal blaster, "Here. A present from Bendak Starkiller." She added to answer his quizzical expression.

"Did I miss something?" He suspiciously asked.

"A death-match, me killing the guy and that the entire Tarisian population thinks I´m a superstar." Revan answered. "Otherwise, nothing."

He smiled, "You sure know how to start a day, Alexa."

X X X

The Upper City guard let them past once they showed him the papers from Gadon. Revan wanted to collect Selven's bounty along with Bendak's, so they began looting another Lower City apartment complex (she thought that the assassin might be hiding like Matrik was). They met Calo Nord along the way, who was talking to some Rodians.

"You seem to be watching our progress with great interest. Is there something you want, little man?" the first one taunted.

"Quiet, Luugro!" The other one warned him, deadly serious. "That's Calo Nord, the infamous bounty hunter!"

"There's a bounty on your little green heads." Calo casually noted. "I´m here to collect."

The first Rodian, Luugro, went for his blaster. "You can collect that bounty over our cold dead bodies."

"That's the plan." Calo nodded, smirking. And before the Rodians could react, he drew two blasters (which both Carth and Revan immediately recognized as Mandalorian weapons) and shot the greenies into the chests. He then glared at Revan, who just glared back at him, before he made himself elsewhere.

"Really charming guy." Carth sarcastically commented.

"We stay out of his way and he'll stay out of ours. Bounty hunters are like that." Revan said with a shrug.

The bounty hunter didn't worry her much – she had her lightsaber with her, in case. She was even beginning to consider using it on the Undercity mutants, just to be safe. Those beasts were somewhat nocturnal; they would probably run at the sight of a bright red energy beam. If not, there were other ways of ridding herself of their presence. She disliked rakghouls since her last visit to Taris. They had to go into the Undercity once for investigation and even though no one got bitten, she saw the little slimy beasts from up close. Even in the Force, they were an abomination. What kind of creature could be a void, one without a soul? They didn't even appear to be animals, just living killing machines, monsters with only one feeling – bloodlust. Even she disliked warriors who fought to bathe in the blood of their enemies. The cruelty of it wasn't what bothered her – it was the insanity that drove it. Whatever she fought, for any reason, logic led her decisions. Never bloodlust, never panic. She was above such things, as she was above petty emotions, such as compassion and love.

Aside from another strongbox (which had a complicated password and a Republic mod armor inside), only one thing was locked. Revan sliced the lock, revealing an ordinary apartment and a light brown haired woman in light battle armor. She quickly spun around and pointed her blaster at Revan.

"Stop right there!" She snapped, "What are you doing here?"

Before Revan could answer with her blade, she heard blaster fire and the woman (who she assumed was Selven), was dead on the ground. Revan glared at Carth with a smirk.

"Now who´s cruel?" she asked smugly.

He shrugged. "She would have killed you."

"Right. Since when do you care?"

"Since I was told we have to go kill rakghouls." He flatly answered. Revan smirked at the veiled compliment of her fighting and looted the corpse, which provided info that it was in fact Selven, then led the way to the cantina and straight into the bounty office.

"Back again, human?" Zax asked her, "Well, what brings you this time?"

"Selven and Bendak Starkiller are dead." Revan said simply.

"Yeah, we found the corpse of Selven. So she's dead. All the other bounty hunters failed to get her. Good. And everyone knows how you gunned down Bendak in the death-match today. Ironic, isn't is?" Zax asked, amused. "Bendak has a bounty on his head for death-matches and you kill him in one. 600 credits are yours, human – good work."

"These were tough jobs, Zax. I want more." Revan insisted.

Zax nodded, "I figured. But like I said, I like you, human. 800 credits it is. That's the last payment for now, human." He noted. "Come back sometime later – there's always someone we need to… deal with and good bounty hunters like you are hard to find."

X X X

The streets of the Lower City were mostly empty, except for some Vulkar patrols. Revan and Carth proceeded down the street to the Undercity elevator, but stopped at a strange but not uncommon sight. A human, presumably an agent of Davik´s, was 'persuading' two Vulkars to pay something.

"You guys are behind with your payments. What do you uh, do you thing just ´cause you´re in some gang you don´t have to pay Davik his cut?" one of Davik´s agents asked two Vulkars.

"I don´t see Davik doing anything for his share. We do all the work. He claims he's part of the Exchange, so let´s see him prove it!" the first Vulkar snapped.

"Yeah, let´s see the big crime lord come and get his money from the Black Vulkars!" the other one added.

"Ah, so you wanna do this the hard way, huh? Ha, ha okay!" The agent whistled and a tall man stepped out of the shadows. He was older than Revan or Carth, probably older than the two of them together, but that didn't hinder his posture, only hardened his cold, gray eyes. One glance at him and Revan was absolutely certain he was a Mandalorian, and an experienced one at that. He had a scar on his hard-featured face and the battle-ready glint of a warrior in his eyes. The Vulkars nearly jumped in fear at the very sight of the man.

"Oh, hey…Canderous." One of the Vulkars stuttered. "We didn't know you was working for Davik now."

"We were just goofing around here." The other one blabbed in fear. "We want no trouble with a Mandalorian. Here's Davik's cut." He handed the money to the agent.

"I know you boys would see a reason." The agent sneered. "Now get outta here!"

"Too bad." The Mandalorian said, glancing at the Vulkars with disgust. "I was looking forward to cracking some heads."

"Maybe next time, Canderous. I gotta take this over to Davik. I'll call you if someone else gets behind on their payments." The agent said before wandering off.

Seeing as the scene was most probably over, Carth glanced at Revan and she nodded, so they continued down the street. Carth lead the way this time, trying hard not to spare the Mandalorian a hateful glance as he departed.

X X X

"Hold on there, civilian." The guard stopped them as they approached the Undercity elevator. "Only official Sith patrols are allowed down there. Unless you've got the proper security papers, just turn back and head where you came from."

Revan handed him the papers. "Here you go."

"Now let me see." He examined them and nodded. "Hmm, these seem to be in order. Okay, you can go down if you want. Can´t say I envy you, though. The Undercity´s crawling with mutants. Rakghouls they call them. If you see anything moving down there, shoot first and ask questions later." He warned them, handing Revan the papers.

While the elevator was descending into the darkness, she took the time to read the papers. They said that the bearer had a special assignment and warned everyone not to be foolish enough to attack them. She smiled a bit and since Carth was looking at her with a quizzical expression, she handed the authorization papers to him. After he finished reading them, he sighed.

"Well, at least it suits your style."

"Thanks." She said, half-sarcastically.

When the elevator doors opened, their eyes had to become accustomed to the darkness that was now surrounding them. The Undercity was a grim, sunless place. They were in some sort of village made around several wide pipes and air vents heading up to the upper levels. All of the villagers wore rags, just like the two beggars waiting near the elevator.

"You there! Up-worlder!" the first one shouted. "Anyone using this elevator has to pay the toll!"

"Yeah, this is our elevator!" the other one added.

"I don´t believe this planet – even the beggars are trying to shake us down!" Carth sighed in frustration.

"Five credits! That's what it costs to use our elevator! Five credits!" they demanded.

"Get out of here, you filthy beggars or my vibroblade will end your suffering permanently!" Revan coldly snapped.

"Run, my brother!" The beggar whimpered. "Flee this one's wrath!"

"Go on, you two – get out of here!" a woman called to the two beggars while they ran away.

"Are you going to solve everything with violence?" Carth whispered to Revan.

"If necessary, yes." She whispered calmly. Carth glared at her, but the outcast woman caught up with them, panting slightly.

"I´m sorry about that… those two beggars give the entire village a bad name! We're not all like that, you know. Most of us are good people."

"I´m…sure you are, miss." Carth was a bit uncertain about that. "It's just too bad that your welcoming committee is here to give people a bad first impression."

The woman sighed and shook her head. She seemed really sorry about what happened.

"Who are you?" Carth politely asked.

"My name's Shaleena. You´re from the up-world, right? I've… I've never seen it. I was born here in the Undercity. Is it as nice as they say up there?"

"It's nothing special." Carth said in all sincerity.

Shaleena sighed. "Not to you, I suppose. But you´re probably used to its beauty by now. I've never been to the surface, but sometimes I think I can see it in my dreams. The sun, the sky, the stars…it all sounds so…so…so wonderful. Gendar, the leader of our village, tells me I should spend more time trying to improve things down here and less time dreaming about something I can never have. Maybe he's right. You probably thing I´m a fool, having dreams of a place I've never seen. But when I was little, Rukil used to tell me stories of what it was like up there."

"So, who are you people? Can you tell me about this village?" Revan rolled her eyes privately. Chivalry was the last thing they needed right now.

Shaleena smiled, obviously happy to be able to talk to someone from the Upper City.

"Well, I was born here, for starters. Everyone that lives here is an Outcast, or a descendant of one. They were banished from the world above and now live here. You should ask Gendar – he could probably tell you more. There were quite a few people from the surface here lately, but none of them bothered to talk to me. It's kind of neat to talk to someone from the surface."

Revan frowned – not good, but not unexpected. "Other people from the surface? Were they searching for Republic escape pods?" she sharply asked.

"I don´t know anything about that, sorry." Sharleena said, fearful of Revan. "But like I said, you should ask Gendar. He'll be somewhere in the village. He's always working, making things better for us."

"Thanks. Let´s go look for that Twi´lek."

Shaleena was a bit sad. "Oh, okay. Well, if you ever need anything or just feel like talking, come see me. I hardly ever get a chance to talk to someone from the up-world."

The village was really quite small, two gates with guards blocking the way in and out. A healer stood by the first exit. She told them that the Outcasts infected with the rakghoul disease are locked there, so they wouldn't kill the villagers. Eventually, they would turn into rakghouls themselves and kill each other.

"So you just lock them up in a cage like animals?!" Revan could understand Carth´s anger. It was similar to her own feelings when she found out about the Tarisian slaving operation.

"For the safety of the village, we must separate the infected ones from the others. Even if someone had the cure, it would be useless now – no one would be foolish enough to enter the cage."

They asked one of the Outcasts where Gendar might be and he pointed to an older black man sitting under something clearly meant to be a tent or some sort of shelter.

"You…you come from the world above!" an old voice called to Revan. She spun around to see an old man, presumably Rukil, staring at her, eyes wide.

"Is this the time of destiny, then? Is it a portent of salvation of my people? Or merely another false sign to mislead us from the true path? Are you the herald of prophecy? The beacon to guide us through the darkness? Or are you merely another harbinger of shattered dreams and unfulfilled promises?

"Be careful… this one might be crazy enough to be dangerous." Carth quietly warned her.

The old man was obviously a bit deaf, because he didn't seem to care. He stopped in front of Revan, examining her face closely. "Speak to me, up-worlder! What destiny do you bring to my people? Salvation or destruction? Speak, I beg you!"

"Speak?" Revan asked, her face blank. "The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent."

But Rukil didn't seem to be listening. "My apprentice is... lost." he said sadly. "I sent her out into the Undercity to find... well, I cannot tell you. Not yet. Sadly, my apprentice has not returned. Please, up-worlder - will you help an old man? Will you seek out my apprentice in the Undercity? Her name is Malya. I must know of her fate, whatever it may be. I must know what she... found."

Revan arched an eyebrow. "Right. Sadly, I've no time for this And I assure you, I'm no savior and certainly no beacon of salvation. If I happen to see her, I'll tell you. But don't hold your breath." And she walked away before Rukil could stop her.

Gendar was already waiting for them – apparently, Shaleena told him to expect them. He was a middle-aged dark-skinned man, his face showing many sorrows. "Greetings, up-worlders. I am Gendar, the leader of this village. Why have you come to this sunless place?"

"Shaleena said you could tell us something about the up-worlders that came here recently." Revan explained.

"Well, quite a lot of people from the upper levels came here only recently. Before that, there were only rare visits from the Lower City."

"No offense, but I think I understand why people try to avoid this place." Carth assured him.

Revan chose to speak before Gendar could be insulted. "Speaking of those rare visits, Gendar, we're looking for a young blue Twi´lek girl named Mission Vao."

"Yes, I've seen this Twi´lek many times, though I have never spoken to her. She and her Wookiee companion often pass through the village on their way to the sewers. I suppose you could find them there…but the sewers are dangerous, up-worlder. If you dare enter the tunnels, I would advise you to be heavily armed, lest you become a meal for the rakghouls or other foul creatures."

"Thanks. We should be going now."

"As you wish, up-worlder. If you ever need anything, I'll try to help you as much as I can."

Carth and Revan spotted the second gate. Before they could reach it, a merchant saw them. He examined them for a moment, just to be sure.

"Hey…you ain´t from the village. You´re from the up-world, ain't ya! And you've got credits, I'll bet."

"Watch yourself. There's something slimy about this guy. I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him." Carth noted, not as quietly as before.

"My name's Igear. Would you like to see what's in stock? Or do you need something else?"

"No thanks."

Although a bit disappointed, he nodded and let them pass. When they came close enough to the gate, they saw the guard standing there with another woman, who seemed very desperate and tense.

"Hurry, Hendar! Hurry!" she panicked.

"He'll never make it! I told him he was a fool to leave the village. He's doomed!" the guard shook his head sadly.

"He WILL make it!" The woman said through gritted teeth. "Run, Hendar, run!"

The Outcast man finally reached the gate, panting heavily. "Open the gate! There isn't much time!" he begged.

But the guard was anxious. "I…can´t. The rakghouls are too close."

"The mutants will kill him if you don´t do anything!" the woman pleaded.

"And if I open the gate, they'll kill us all, Hester!"

The rakghoul was approaching fast, closing in on the man. It was a human-shaped beast, but it was clearly no more intelligent than a kinrath, only having its sights set on killing and eating in order to survive.

"No! You can´t do this, this isn't fair!" Hester spotted the two up-worlders and fell to her knees, begging them to make the guard open the gate. But the guard still claimed that the rakghouls were too close. Revan swiftly calculated their chances. Three humans (a Sith, a soldier and an Outcast) against one rakghoul. Easy.

"Open the gate – I'll kill the rakghouls." She immediately said. But not out of compassion for the Outcast. Rather out of loathing of the rakghoul.

"You would risk your life for a stranger? You´re brave, up-worlder." The guard agreed to open the gate for them, if they would be quick enough to deal with the monster. The rakghoul looked very disgusting, covered with slime or something that Revan rather didn't identify and a single large eye in the middle of its forehead. The prototype vibroblade flied into Revan´s hand so quickly no one noticed. When the guard opened the gate, the rakghoul was only a few feet from Hendar.

Okay, so you like poison? Then I'll give you poison.

Revan didn't waste any time and cast a Plague on the rakghoul. The poison created by the Force invaded the creature's nerve system, weakening it. It slowed down its reflexes. The Outcasts didn't notice anything, but Hendar was quick to see that the creature was weaker now. He smacked it with the staff he was holding. Carth fired a few shots at the disoriented beast, killing it. There was nothing more to fight, so Hendar quickly ran through the opened gate. Revan and Carth remained on the other side.

"I can´t thank you enough for saving me! If I had anything besides these rags, it would have been yours!" the Outcast breathed.

"I still have you, Hendar." Hester said, her eyes almost teary. "That's all I need. Let´s go back to the village."

Turning around, Revan observed the surroundings. Piles of trash, weak grass growing from the ground…rakghouls hiding in the shadows. Wonderful. Plain perfect.

"Please, you have to help me!" a young female voice that sounded familiar shrieked from behind a trash pile. "Nobody else is going to help me, even the Beks won't help me! But I can´t just leave him there – he's my fiend! You'll help me, won't you?"

Mission Vao ran from behind a rather large pile of rubble. She was panting heavily, a desperate look on her face.

"Slow down, Mission." Revan grabbed her shoulders to stop her. "Calm down."

"It's Zaalbar – he's in trouble! Big trouble!" The Twi´lek was still breathing heavily. "If we don´t do anything, they'll sell him into slavery!"

"Take a deep breath and tell me what happened."

"Me…me and Zaalbar were just looking around in the Undercity, you know, looking for stuff we could find, just kind of exploring. We do it all the time."

"I guess with a Wookiee at your side you think you can handle the odd rakghoul attack."
Carth commented.

"Only this time, they were waiting for us – Gammorean slave hunters!" Mission continued, panting, "Big Z threw himself at them and roared at me to run! I…I took off, I figured Zaalbar would be right behind me. But there were too many of them! He couldn't get free! We have to save him, or they'll sell him to a slaver…or, or worse, I just know it!"

"I'll help you find him if you help me get into the Vulkar base, deal?" Revan asked.

Mission frantically nodded without hesitation, obviously too frightened to ask why they would even want to enter the Vulkar base or who told them she could help them. "It's a deal! Now come on! We have to get Big Z before they sell him to a slaver!"

"Do you know where he's being kept?" Carth wanted to know.

"The Gammoreans make their camps in the sewers. The stink reminds them of home, I guess." Mission noted, "I bet that's where they took Zaalbar. And that's where I'll show you the secret entrance to the Vulkar base."

And then… "You there! Civilian!" A Sith patrol interrupted their discussion. "This is a restricted area, what are you doing down here?" Mission's hand went for her blaster, but Revan shook her head slightly.

"Look… I've got all the proper security papers." She showed them to the leader.

"Security papers?" He repeated. Then realization hit him. "Oh… you´re one of those trackers the Commander sent down, right?" Revan played along and nodded. "They should have given you an armed escort – it's nasty down here."

"So we've noticed." she commented.

"We've already lost one patrol… we figure the rakghouls got them. We've had so many encounters with those things that we've actually ran out of rakghoul serum." Revan smiled to herself. "Plus we've had several skirmishes with looters from those Lower City swoop gangs. I´m telling you, we should just stay in the Upper City where we're in control!"

"Well, we don´t choose our assignments. You just follow your orders and keep looking!" she suggested in an authoritative voice.

The Sith leader raised his arms defensively. "Hey, I´d never disobey my orders… I´m not a fan of court martials and executions. I was just talking, you know?" he stuttered slightly.

"Nothing anyone has to mention to the commander." He turned to the two soldiers following him. "Come of patrol, let´s get back to it. The sooner we get this search done the sooner we can get out of this mutant infested hole. Move out!" And they did.

Mission let out a sigh of relief once they were out of earshot. "Phew. Talk about close encounters. Can you actually charm a Hutt out of credits?"

"You don´t want to hear the answer, kid." Carth warned her. Revan laughed quietly at Mission's puzzled look.

X X X

The Undercity was crawling with rakghouls. This wasn't the best time to fight with a vibroblade, so Revan merely killed them with her Force powers after a strike or two. It wasn't that hard to make it seem a natural death – her companions now both had heavy blasters (Revan gave one to Mission in addition to the blaster pistol she already had ready in hand, just in case) and were firing at the rakghouls whenever they could. Even if the blaster bolt didn't hit the target, Revan was sure to correct that and swiftly killed the creature without moving a finger.

"Hey Carth. You´re a pilot for the Republic, right?" Mission suddenly asked. "You've been all over the galaxy I bet, right? So tell me, how would you rate Taris compared to other worlds you've seen?"

Carth hesitated for a moment. "I'll be honest Mission, Taris would rate pretty low. The prejudice, the rich spoiling themselves while the poor are crushed beneath them – not a pretty picture."

"Yeah, but that's only since the Sith occupation." Mission claimed. "Before that… well, I guess it wasn't all that different, really. Hmm… maybe Taris ain´t as great as I thought, you know?"

"Trust me, Mission." Revan barely avoided snorting at that. "There are a lot of worlds better than Taris. There are worse, too. But Taris is no place for a kid to live on her own – even a kid who´s got a Wookiee to look out for her." he hit a nerve with that one.

"Hey, I ain´t no kid!" Mission snapped. "And I look out for Zaalbar as much as he looks out for me. Big Z´s my friend, not my babysitter! Geez, I come ask you a question and I give you a lecture!"

"Don´t you snap at me, missy!" Carth snapped right back. "You want a lecture? How's this: only bratty little children fly off the handle because of a simple comment!"

"Settle down right now – both of you! I thought I heard something." Revan quietly scanned the area through the Force. Several auras were approaching, one of them was wonderfully dark and somehow familiar. The others weren't worth a second glance, but they definitely were sentient.

"I don´t have to listen to you, Carth!" the yelling match continued. "You ain´t my father – though you´re sure old enough to be! So you're your lectures inside your withered old head, ´cause I don´t need ´em!"

"And I sure as hell don´t need this. Let´s just drop it and get back to what we were doing." He noticed Revan was already several feet ahead of them, gazing at a group of mercenaries. They were clearly a young and inexperienced bunch.

One of them spotted her and panicked, "Don't... don't move! I'm... I'm not afraid to use this blaster if I have to!"

"Settle down, kid." the clear leader of the group of mercs said, stepping forward, "We've already lost enough men to those damn rakghouls! The last thing we need now is more casualties from a needless firefight." he sized her up, but she didn't flinch. Coincidently, it was the Mandalorian they saw earlier, although she didn't need confirmation that he belonged to the clans – clear confirmation was the clan tattoo on his shoulder. "Hm... by looks of you I'd say you're down here for the same reason we are: to salvage something from those downed Republic space pods. Let me give you some advice: forget about it. Do yourself a favor and just head back the way you came."

"I thought Mandalorians made promises, not threats. Or is that a friendly warning?" Revan asked.

He raised an eyebrow, "Davik sent me down here with this motley crew to scavenge whatever we could from those Republic escape pods. But the Lower City gangs got here first. Anything worthwhile in those Republic pods is probably in their hands now. Davik won't like that."

"Canderous, I heard something!" one of the mercs said to him, sounding panicked, "Over there, in the shadows! Sounded like a rakghoul!"

Revan didn't need her Force Sight to see the four beasts charge at them, "Looks like we've got company! Get those blasters ready, boys!" Canderous said, charging a large Mandalorian repeating blaster.

Mission and Carth both leveled their blasters and also stepped into the fight. The rakghouls began attacking the other mercs, who provided a nice distraction. One was torn apart by the rakghouls. Revan stood back – there was no need to try and get shot. The rakghouls couldn't stand against all that firepower, so one thought it might be a good idea to attack her. It tried to bite her, but lost its head at the attempt. Revan kicked the corpse away with disgust.

"Filthy little beasts." She muttered.

Canderous examined the body of one of the mercs. "Damn! I told Davik this salvage mission was a bad idea! His men aren't trained for this kind of thing, and I can't babysit them all! Okay, boys... we're getting out of here before I lose anyone else. I can't carry all this salvage back by myself!" he glanced at Revan, "You'd be smart to get out of here as well. Even if you can handle the rakghouls I doubt there's anything worth finding anymore."

"You´re probably right." Revan said, nodding. "Guess the Vulkars got everything. Thanks for the help."

Canderous nodded curtly, but his gaze lingered on her a little longer than necessary. "Come on, boys, let´s move out!" he ordered the remaining group of mercs and led them to the village.

Mission hurried on to Revan´s side. She hadn't dared to approach so close before, out of wary respect for the Mandalorian."You should be careful with that guy. Canderous Ordo´s a major player in Davik´s business here on Taris. I even heard he's a…"

"Mandalorian." Revan interrupted her. "I know. Save for the tattoo, he had the typical facial features and movement of one." Mission nodded, a bit amazed.

"Yeah, did you see the riffle he had? Bet it could take down the Sith fleet, if he aimed it right!" She brightly commented and immediately began blasting the new wave of rakghouls, until they reached an outcast corpse. The outcast held a datapad, which identified her as Mayla, Rukil´s apprentice. Revan took it, since she did promise the old coot to tell him if she finds her. They returned to see Carth blasting some more rakghouls, covering their backs. Although deliberately not talking to each other, Mission and Carth followed her into the outcast village.

"Greetings once more, up-worlder." Rukil said as they approached him, "Do you bring news of my apprentice? Have you discovered her fate, and proved yourself to be a true savior of my people?"

"She's dead." Revan said flatly, "I found her journal on her body."

"It is as I feared, then." he said before Revan had a chance to walk away, shaking his head sadly, "She joins the list of those who have given their lives in the service of our cause. But though I am saddened by this news, there is yet hope. By finding my apprentice you have proved yourself worthy, up-worlder. You are to be the beacon on our path to salvation. You will guide us to the Promised Land!"

"Dream on." Revan coldly snapped.

"You are marked, up-worlder - even my dim old eyes can see the mantle of destiny that cloaks you."

"My destiny is not to be a savior of beggars."
"I offer you wisdom and you turn me away?" Rukil asked, blinking, "Perhaps you are not ready to accept the role you must play in the destiny and salvation of my people."

Revan´s eyes narrowed. The old coot was annoying her, especially the ominous tone of his voice. "Fine, whatever. Just be brief." Rukil smiled.

"The great city of Taris covers the entire surface of this planet. There is no land to grow food. Kelp harvests and the creatures of the sea are our only food source. A century ago rising levels of toxic pollution poisoned the oceans and famine swept the planet. The rich hoarded food for their own use, and the poor were left to starve and die. But the poor rose up against this tyranny and civil war engulfed the planet. Millions died in the fighting and huge sections of Taris were destroyed or abandoned. The rebellion was crushed in the end, thousands were taken prisoner. The jails could not hold them all, and so the practice of banishing all prisoners to the Undercity was born."

"And what has this to do with me?" Revan asked impatiently.

"Many brave men and women were banished here to the Undercity for their part in the rebellion." he explained, "People like my father and grandfather were cast down, along with their families. Now we live a dark existence beneath the streets of Taris, a life devoid of all hope but one: the Promised Land. And you will be the one to show us the way to get there."

"Don´t hold your breath." Revan muttered. "Now get to the point."

"Legends tell of a self-sufficient colony founded just before the famine and lost during the civil war; a paradise beneath the Undercity where droid servants tend to every need." the old man told him, "For many years I searched for the Promised Land, just as my grandfather and father did before me. When I became old and gray my apprentice continued the search on my behalf. I have collected many clues hinting at its location; the journal of my apprentice provides yet more information. But still there are too many pieces missing from this puzzle. But I know my father and grandfather each had journals where they recorded their own discoveries. Perhaps with their journals I could at last uncover its hidden location."

"I don't have time to go on a treasure-hunt for an imaginary paradise."

"Please, up-worlder - I am too old to search for the missing journals myself, and the other villagers think the Promised Land is nothing but a myth." the old man begged.

"Is that my problem? No." Revan hissed.

"I see." the old man sighed, dejected, "Well, perhaps you are not the savior I seek after all. I can only pray that if you find the journals you will have a change of heart and bring them to me."

"Hah. Heart. Yeah right." Revan muttered, walking away quickly.

X X X

She returned to the main gates, but only Carth was there.

"Where's the kid?" Revan asked.

"Ran off to find the rakghoul serum, or something." He muttered. Revan sighed at their childishness, which was understandable from Mission, but rather funny from Carth. As far as allies were concerned, she had been hoping for a slightly more experienced and professional bunch. Carth had been a semi-good start, but Mission was something she hadn't counted with.

Nonetheless, it worried her that the kid went alone into the Undercity. The sound of blaster fire was heard, not far from them. The pair exchanged panicky looks and bolted to a downed escape pod where a group of rakghouls was advancing on the lone Twi´lek. Revan immediately charged at the rakghouls, effectively decapitating them from behind. But not before one of them sunk its fangs into Mission's arm. The Twi´lek shrieked in pain and dropped to the ground. Revan dealt with the remaining monsters and ran to the girl.

"What were you thinking, running off like that, kid?" She demanded.

"I… I have the serum." Mission weakly said. Revan found that she indeed had a vial of green bubbling liquid with her. She injected it into the wound, which was still oozing, but seemed to heal slightly.

"Thanks… I found a dead Sith corpse with the vial and thought it would be useful." Mission explained, but her tone was uncharacteristically slow and weary, opposed to her quick tongue.

"And there was a Republic soldier here. He was infected, so I cured him. But he ran off, thinking he heard the rakghouls… and they got him."

"Did he mention someone named Bastila?" Revan asked.

"Yeah… I think. They were tracking some pod that went to the east… but that's Vulkar territory."

"It's okay. We'll just have to win that swoop race, then." Revan said with a sigh.

"Just… what are you guys, exactly?" Mission asked.

"We're with the Republic fleet." Carth explained. "We have to find Bastila, a Jedi with an ability called Battle Meditation, since she is important for the war."

"I think I heard of that Meditation thingy." Mission's energy and chirpiness was returning. "So she crashed here with you guys?"

Revan nodded. "Brejik captured her and offered her as the Vulkar share of the prize for the race. We have to win her back. But first we have to steal back an accelerator the Vulkars stole from the Beks. That's why we're going to the Base."

"Wow… sounds exciting." Mission noted. "Well, better hurry to the Vulkar Base then." With Revan´s help, she was able to stand up. "The sewers are this way."

X X X

The sewers were dangerous. But more than that, the stench was unbelievable. Still, the Gammoeran slavers were strong, but clumsy. Their patrols were quickly out of their way. Revan only cared about finding the captured Wookiee as soon as possible – she doubted her clothes would ever be fully free of the smell. At least she wasn't wearing her Sith robes, but she knew that she would soon have to find some new clothing. The Republic mod armor they salvaged could yet prove useful.

Fortunately, the sewers were not much of a labyrinth. One particularly heavily guarded spot in the sewers seemed hopeful. Revan reached out through the Force and sensed another aura nearby. Definitely not one of the Gammoreans… it was too light. But there was fear and bitterness in it as well. It was familiar, but she scanned it thoroughly for the first time. Mission also saw something of interest.

"Hmm…look at this. It's one of those old style manual locks. No computer codes or nothing. The sewers are the only place where you'll find one of these on Taris." she noted. "You can´t use conventional security spikes on these locks. But don´t worry. I've come across them before. I've rigged up a little device that should do the trick."

The young Twi´lek scoundrel reached into her pocket and took out a small metallic device. She used it to pick the lock. It was open within seconds. The stench of the sewers was even worse behind the door and Revan was now positively sure that it will take months to make her hair smell normal again. A tall furry brown figure ran to the Twi´lek.

"You´re a sight for sore eyes, Mission." He breathed.

Mission laughed as she hugged the Wookiee. "I´m glad to see you too, Big Z! You didn't think I´d forget about you – Mission and Zaalbar, together forever!"

Zaalbar released her and noticed the humans, gazing at them suspiciously. "Who´s that with you?"

"These are my new friends, Big Z – the ones from the cantina." Mission beamed. "Without their help, I couldn't have rescued you!"

"Don´t mention it." Revan said, calmly. Despite her unwillingness to aid others, this served her purpose. She respected the Wookiees… and if her calculations were correct, this could yet prove to be an advantage. "Good to meet you, Zaalbar. My name is Alexa Denali."

Mission's eyes mouth dropped and Carth´s eyes widened. Even Zaalbar was impressed. It might have been the fur, but he seemed surprised. "You understand the language of my people? That is rare among your species."

"Communication is the key to understanding."

Zaalbar thought for a moment, then nodded. "Those are wise words. You've rescued me from the Gammorean slavers. There is only one way I can repay you – I will swear a life-debt to you."

Revan´s face remained unchanged – she had been expecting this and hoping for it as well. a Wookiee on her side would never hurt. Mission's eyes widened in surprise. "A life debt? Are you sure about this Big Z? You'd better think this through."

"I am sure, Mission." He said, nodding. "It is an issue of great importance to me. Because of our great physical strength, Wookiees are used as slave labor on our own homeworld. They see us as brutes and animals to be exploited. Over the years, the slavers have taken many of my people; we must always be on guard against raids against our villages When I was captured by the Gammorean slavers, I thought I was doomed to a life of servitude. I have been saved from such a life and the only way I can repay that is through a life-debt."

The scoundrel turned to Revan. "Big Z swearing a Wookiee life-debt to you? Wow, that's a major."

"Careful with that." Carth warned the Wookiee. "I don´t know what a life-debt is, but serving a cold hearted all-too-persuasive woman can't be a good thing."

"Look who´s talking, Onasi." Revan commented, giving him a cold glance.

Before he had a chance to reply, Zaalbar knelt in front of Revan and took her right hand into his paws. "In the presence of you all, I swear my life-debt. Forever after will I be at your side, Alexa Denali. May my vow be as strong as the roots of the great Wroshyyr trees on Kashyyyk."

"I am honored to accept this vow." Revan said in Shyriiwook.

"I guess this means you´re stuck with me too." Mission noted, smiling. "Wherever Big Z goes, I´m going. I already lost him once. It's not gonna happen again."

A sigh almost escaped Revan´s lips. She had been hoping this could be avoided, but the emotional connection between the two seemed to be too strong. But as long as the child would be safely kept away from harm, Zaalbar´s obedience would be secured. She nodded, surrendering for the moment.

"So, I guess I still owe you that entrance to the Vulkar Base. That was the deal, huh? Don´t worry – I know a backdoor to that scum den. I better come with you. The Vulkars put a force shield up to keep the sewer dwellers out. I´m one of the only non-Vulkars on Taris who can get past it." Mission said proudly. "I can´t remember exactly where it was, but I know it was somewhere in the sewers. Over to the northeast, if I remember right. I just hope the rancor monster isn't there anymore."

"A rancor?" Revan repeated, slightly stunned. Thatm she hadn't anticipated.

"There used to be a rancor monster that made its nest in the sewers. Pretty much eats anything it can get its claws on. That thing is huuuge!" Mission voiced. "Luckily, rancors aren´t too bright. I was able to sneak past it before, so I´m sure we'll figure something out. Unless, of course, you want to change your mind…?" she added, slightly hopefully.

Revan sighed. "That, unfortunately, is out of the question. Let´s go."

"Okay then, off to the southeast, as I said. Just look for the force shield and we'll know we're there."