Okay, I know I totally confused you guys in the last chapter. Sorry about that. Anyways, I don't want to give anything away, but what you need to know is that everything Aminta remembers from before she was six is absolutely, totally, and completely true.

And even after she was six, all of the memories that are shown are true too, but they're warped in setting, clothing, etc. Such as the scene with Vitaria. You'll see the real memory after the Leviathon.

And as for the name… Aminta's been through three different names in her lifetime. I don't want to give anything else away, so that's all I'm saying.

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Aminta bit her lip as she swung her legs over the swoop bike. Despite her earlier certainty that she would easily remember how to ride, she was now assailed with doubts. I can't do this, she thought fearfully as she familiarized herself with the bike, biting her lip so hard that it bled. She had done fine in the practice rounds over the past three days, even going as far as to beat some of the Hidden Bek's top scores, but things were different now. This was for real. There was nothing to keep her bike from exploding now that the prototype was installed, no cushioning to break her falls should she crash… Come on, Jae! Get a grip. You've done this thousands of times, so why are you all worked up over a single race?

But the strange thing was, she couldn't remember racing anymore; all she could think of was the forbidden practice rounds that she had taken. Nausea gripped her, and she wiped perspiration from her brow before quickly putting her helmet on, her fingers trembling as she securely fastened the straps beneath her chin. It isn't that hard. You've done this so often you should be able to race in your sleep, she thought, trying to convince her stomach to cease its rolling. It didn't work- not by a long shot. She was frustrated with herself now, angry that she could so easily be taken over by fear and weakness. You have people counting on you! You have to do this, for them. Lives are at stake here!

Almost immediately, her mind cleared and her heartbeat settled to a normal rate. She nearly groaned from her seat on the bike. You are getting way too attatched to them, Jae. She looked up towards the platform of the upper city, knowing that her friends were waiting for her in their apartment up there, counting on her. They counted on her far too much. She wouldn't be around much longer, and she didn't want them getting too attatched.

Quickly, she refocused her attention to the powerful Jedi whom she was racing for, praying that she would be a friend and not a foe by the time that all of this was over. Bastila's youth had surprised Aminta when she had first seen the woman; she couldn't have been more than twenty. Her beauty had also come somewhat as a shock to Aminta as well. Aminta had constructed the image of a Jedi to be a fierce, hardened warrior, made beautiful only by their skills in battle. This auburn haired woman, with a complexion as pale and flawless as alabaster, had challenged that view, making Aminta wonder what else she had misjudged. Not that she would amit her mistake to anyone, of course.

Red. The glow of the light made Aminta bite her lip again, and wrenched her mind back to the race. Even though her stomach had settled for the most part, her nerves were still acting up. Just Breathe… she thought to herself in an attempt to calm the rest of her frayed nerves.

Yellow. The sudden change of color brought the nausea that had been banished earlier back again in full force. Don't think about what could go wrong. Just breathe. In with the good air, out with the bad air… It amazed her how nervous she became over a single race when she had been perfectly calm while she was one of the top people on the Exchange's hit-list. Of course, she was always nervous before battle, to the point when her knees would begin to shake and her stomach would do thousands of flip-flops per minute, not that it showed. But her nerves always settled down when…

Green. Aminta hit the accelerator, and zoomed out onto the track, her nerves suddenly the farthest thing from her mind. She went over the track expertly, and she was barely conscious of the way that her protective leathers flapped wildly in the wind. It was the same in battle. She was queasy and, quite literally, a basket case before any of the fighting truly began, but after the fight ensued, she was as calm and collected as can be. In a way, she supposed that racing was like fighting. The odds were the same, at least. Death was always the risk that loomed just ahead, if you should fail. She crossed the finish line, and jumped off of the bike, checking it to be sure that it hadn't overheated too much. Seeing that it was in decent condition, she hurried off of the track with a smile, and a wave towards the cameras. Vika and Rae had made her promise to wave at them, and she never wanted to be accused of breaking a promise.

Once off the track, she removed her helmet and sank down into a chair, relieved that the whole mess was over. She had earned one of her highest times yet - 21 seconds- and hopefully, no one would break it. She reached over for a glass on a nearby table and took a swig of water. While watching the rest of the race, her attention constantly wavered back to the Upper City. She wondered if her friends had been as nervous for her as she had been for herself…if their stomachs had fluttered and their palms sweat while watching her on holovision. Stop that right now! You are developing a complex!

She pried her thoughts away from her friends and back to the matter at hand. A Vulkar rider was up next, and Aminta sat straighter in her chair, immediately transfixed. Her stomach was tied in knots once again as he raced down the track. Please don't let him beat my time…please don't let him beat my time… He finished a grand total of one second after she had. Sithspit!

Aminta sighed wearily as she pulled her helmet back on and put her drink back down on the table, ready to race again. Despite the fact that she had been on the bike just minutes before, she was once again gripped by nausea as she settled onto the bike. Don't think… just do. The lights changed to green, and she took off again, the world around her lost in a blur of light and color as she raced past. She checked the gauges, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw how overheated the bike was getting.

Despite all of her efforts, the bike refused to cool down, She quickly switched gears in an attempt to lower the rising temperature, but it wasn't working. Panicked, she looked over to the finish line. It was close, very close. She looked back to the gauges. She didn't have much time before the bike blew up. She took a deep breath as she increased the speed, and tried hard to follow her earlier advice to herself, and to do instead of think.

She looked to the finish line. Almost there. She looked back down at the gauges, and her chest constricted when she saw how overheated it became. She looked back to the finish line, and took a deep breath, holding it until she crossed over. The moment that the finish line was behind her, she jumped off the bike as quickly as possible, rolling at the impact. She was vaguely aware of the bike exploding somewhere behind her, but the medics that suddenly swarmed her drowned out most of the noise.

Gritting her teeth with determination, she ignored the pain in her ribs anf forced herself to stand, shouting at any of the medics that got too close. After a few choice insults and several threats, they retreated and left her to herself.

She was barely able to register the comments being made to her and didn't even bother to look at the cameras that time. She started with surprise when her time was announced - 16 seconds! Aminta's jaw dropped when she saw the time in which she had cleared the track. Never had she gotten so low before. She could feel the stares of her fellow racers, as well as their anger, jealousy, and resignation. With the other racers unable to beat the score, Aminta was announced the winner.

She breathed a deep sigh of relief, and wiped several strands of sweaty hair back from her forehead as she stepped forward to claim her prize, her eyes flickering over to Bastila as she did so. Just then, Brejik stepped forward. Aminta had only ever heard of Brejik, and had never seen him before, so what she saw came as a shock. From what she'd heard about the Vulkars, Brejik had sounded like he was large and tough, able to take on any number of thugs. But the view was very disappointing. He was a short green twi'lek, a tad on the scrawny side. His clothes were padded to give him the illusion of being larger, but in reality they dwarfed him. Peeking from beneath the layers of padding, a small, ugly green head poked out, its lekku curling in anger.

"The Beks cheated! They used a prototype to make their bike go faster than everyone else's, giving them an unfair advantage. Because of this, the Vulkars are withdrawing their share of the prize!" he exclaimed in his nasally voice.

Aminta's eyes widened a fraction, and her mouth compressed into a thin line. Before she could say anything, however, the Swoop Race Official cut in. "Brejik, you entered the woman into the race, and it is too late to withdraw her from it now."

Brejik's hands curled into tight fists, and he glared at the man, an expression that made him look somewhat comical, for his brown eyes bulged from his small head, and the few wrinkles beginning to gather on his forehead suddenly looked like immense rolls. Were it not for the situation, Aminta would have laughed. "The Vulkars can do whatever they want to do, and you are unable to stop me!" He shouted, drawing his vibroblades from their sheaths.

Aminta drew her own blades, ignoring the blazing pain in her side. She had fought through worse situations, and a puny twi'lek was hardly a challenge. Vulkars, attack!" he shouted, and the gang members present rallied to his side.

Aminta did a quick head count and figured the odds. Oh, Damn, she thought with resignation, wishing that Carth or Zalbaar was there to help her take down a few of the thugs.

———————————————-

Aminta's friends, however, hadn't been in the Upper City as they had told her that she would be. Rather, they had left three sleeping little girls and followed her down to the Lower City at a discreet distance, stepping into the cantina to watch the race via holovision.

Carth stared at the holoprogram, showing the duel that was about to begin. "How much blasted trouble can one woman get into?" he shouted at the screen, earning a few shocked stares from the other patrons of the Cantina. Oblivious to the scene he was causing, he slammed his fist down on the table so hard that he was sure that he broke a bone.

Mission met the stares of the patrons with a sheepish smile. "He's her lover," she said with an amused shrug. The patrons nodded knowingly, and returned to their business. Mission looked back at Carth, and saw what an awful look he was giving her.

"We. Are. Not. Lovers." he said slowly, emphasizing each syllable as though the twi'lek was just now learning how to speak his language.

Mission gave him a knowing wink, and shrugged. "Don't worry, Carth. She'll handle 'em," she said with all the confidence of youth before taking a sip of her juice.

Carth stared at the teenager. "There must be twenty guys against her!" he exclaimed, his attention quickly shifting back to the screen.

Mission shook her head. "Carth, you're shouting again. Ami has been able to take care of herself just fine. I actually think that she's better with her blades than you are. She'll be okay. Besides, look how many of the Beks are helping her now," she said, gesturing to the screen.

Carth saw that Mission's statement was true, although exaggerated. There were four Beks who had come to Aminta's defense, but they were still outnumbered by fifteen. "I should be down there," he said as he stood to leave.

Mission quickly grabbed his arm. "By the time you get there, the fight will be over, Carth. There's not much that you can do. Besides, as I've said, she's really good. Trust her a little," she said, and Carth winced.

"I do trust her in most things, but not when the odds are stacked so high against her," he said as he jerked from the twi'lek's grasp.

"Look, she had a feeling that you'd do this, and so she made me promise to keep you here. She even said it was okay to make the wookiee sit on you," she said with a nod in Zalbaar's direction. "She'll be fine," she finished. Carth frowned, but sat down again, quickly becoming engrossed with his drink. Mission redirected her attention to the holo-screen relieved that Carth had been dealt with, and that he hadn't put up as much of a fight as Aminta thought that he would. Good thing too, she would have killed me if… She lost her train of thought when a young woman came into the camera's view, and from the lightsaber that she held, Mission was fairly sure that she was the Jedi they'd been looking for. "Hey, Carth? Is that Bastila?" she asked, pointing up at the screen.

Carth choked on his drink when he saw her. The prim, proud young Jedi was dressed in the clothes of a Joy-girl, and Carth wondered what sort of harm they'd had to inflict on her to get her to wear the skimpy outfit. Just how much do those Jedi robes hide anyway? He wondered as he looked at her via holo-vision. He felt Mission looking at him for an answer, and regained his composure enough to do so. "Yeah. That's her," he managed, quickly taking a deep gulp of his ale. "Maybe Ami will stand a chance after all, huh?"

Mission looked at him strangely. "You mean you didn't think she could take 'em all? She could have beaten 'em all without breakin' a sweat!"

Carth just shrugged, and took another swig. The small group quickly became engrossed in the fight, and Carth had to admit, Mission was right. Aminta was holding her own in the battle unfolding, even matching Bastila in her number of kills. Of course, that probably had something to do with the fact that Bastila was a Jedi and was showing some restraint, but… no matter. When the fight was over, the two women were bruised and bloody, but alive. Medics and reporters quickly swarmed them, and then the feed cut out.

Zalbaar nudged Mission. ":We should probably be heading back to the apartments now. Aminta would be very upset if she came here and learned that we did not take the young ones with us:" he said in reference to the three little girls that the trio had opted to leave behind.

"Yeah…" Mission admitted reluctantly, and swung herself off of her stool. "Come on Geezer! I'm sure Ami will kill you if she finds out that you put sleeping powder in their juice," she informed him as she headed towards the door.

Carth stared at the teen. "But I…" Suddenly, he realized why the kids had been asleep so long. "Mission! You didn't!" he exclaimed, but she was already out the door. Grumbling, he laid the credits for their drinks down on the table, and followed the girl out, wondering when it was that he had begun to roll over to the whims of the female species.

————————————————-

When they arrived at the apartment the three little ones were still out, something Carth was ludicrously grateful for. If she would have gotten here and they had told her… He winced at that thought, and was unwilling to pursue the direction in which he had been heading. He sighed and flopped down on the sofa, grimacing when he heard the springs squeak.

Mission rolled her eyes at Carth, and settled down cross-legged on the floor. "Hey, Big Z! You wanna play some Pazaak?" she asked, pulling out her deck from her pocket, and beginning to shuffle them.

":We aren't playing for credits are we:"

Mission laughed. "Nah, we'll play by republic senate rules…unless you wanna play by Nar Shaddaa rules. Although, I don't really think that would be much fun since you're naked all the time anyway," she said as Zalbaar sat down to join her, giving him an impish grin. Carth sighed loudly and shook his head before going to work on his blasters.

Zalbaar gave a growl that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle, but he covered his amusement with feigned outrage. "Mission, Wookiees are never naked; our fur serves as our covering," he informed her as he began shuffling his own deck of cards.

"Yeah, yeah, say whatever you want, but you're still naked. I think that when Ami gets back the two of us should go shopping for an outfit for you…maybe something pink and frilly," she teased as she began to lay down her cards and trying to figure out how she could get her hand to equal twenty. For a kid who was supposedly no good at math, she was a wiz at figures.

Zalbaar just shook his head and he too looked at his cards, companiable silence filling the room. For a time, they all remained just as they were- Mission and Zalbaar playing Pazaak, the girls fast asleep, and Carth at the workbench. Their relative peace was rudely interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Carth quickly looked up from working on his blasters, and had to chuckle with amusement when he saw Aminta enter in. She looked exhausted, but more than that, she looked downright…annoyed.

She had a murderous glint in her eyes, one that he hadn't seen since they had managed to reach something that resembled friendship. Not far behind her, another woman came into view, far more modestly garbed than she had been a few hours prior. "Bastila!" he exclaimed, a broad smile lighting on his features. "Finally, things are beginning to look up!"

"Gee, thanks flyboy," Aminta muttered, and she walked over to the bed where the girls still slept soundly, bending to press a kiss to Raeanna's forehead.

Carth grinned sheepishly. "Didn't mean it like it sounded, Beautiful," he said, and turned away from her to find Bastila scowling at him. He shrugged his shoulders at the Jedi, before growing business like. "What I meant to say was now that we've found Bastila, we can figure out a way to get off this planet."

Bastila nearly choked. "You mean you didn't manage to find a way off Taris?" she demanded incredulously. At Carth's nod she grew livid. "Just what have you been doing this whole time?" she glared him down, and Carth felt frustration grow within him.

Aminta quickly jumped into the conversation, her face flushed with anger. "We were trying to rescue you, remember?" she asked her voice raised to an unnaturally loud pitch, and she furiously brushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes.

Carth stared at her and cleared his throat, glad that he wasn't on the recieving end of Aminta's anger. Bastila's gotten to her…and in record time, too! Bastila laughed derisively. "That's what you called that misadventure? A rescue?" she sneered. "Maybe things will actually get done properly now that I'm back in charge of this mission."

"You know, for a Jedi you really seem to have a bug up your ass," Aminta shouted. Mission dropped her cards, and Carth just stared. Bastila's eyes narrowed into little slits of anger. She quickly recited the Jedi code in her head. There is no emotion, there is peace…

Feeling slightly calmer, Bastila managed to place a serene expression on her face as she gently sank down onto the couch. "I will choose to forgive your impertinence." Her voice unintentionally came out haughty, and Aminta seethed.

"Blasted Jedi poster child," she muttered under her breath, and Carth suppressed a laugh.

Bastila's spine straightened a fraction further at the insult and she stared at the woman. "Excuse me?"

"Are you going to choose to forgive me this time?" Aminta smirked, and Bastila paled.

Carth grabbed Aminta by her elbow and pulled her off to the side. Ignoring the glare she was casting at him, he pulled her close enough so that he could whisper. "Look, I know she's… moody sometimes…"

"Oh? Is that what you call it? I can think of a better word," Aminta glowered.

Carth bit back a grin, but continued as though she hadn't interupted him. "…but she is still our superior, and we have to be somewhat decent to her."

"Getting along with her is like trying to make a pet of a Krayt Dragon," she muttered, throwing a glare towards Bastila.

This time, Carth couldn't help but to let out a chuckle. "Trust me, I know that as well as anyone. I have to work with her, remember? But she is going to be staying with us, and you should probably learn to deal with her."

"Oh, I know how to deal with her," Aminta's voice was dripping with an unspoken threat.

"Not that way. Look, why don't you get out of here for a little while? Clear your head." Carth suggested, wincing at the glare that she gave him.

Aminta let out a deep breath after a second and then grudgingly nodded. "But only if you promise me that you'll take her ego down a notch or two."

Carth grinned. "I'll try."

"Mission, I'm heading out of here. Do you want to come with?" she asked as she headed out the door, not bothering to look over her shoulder at the still seething Jedi. Whatever happened to them being emotionless? She sure seems to have issues. Oh, Trask, if only you could see how bratty the poster child is…

Mission quickly stood, and shoved her cards back in her pocket. "Sure, Ami. I'll be right back Big Z," she exclaimed hurriedly before quickly following her friend out the door.

Carth watched the girls go, and shook his head. "You know, Bastila…"

"Jedi Shan," Bastila corrected unconsciously.

"Unless you want to be killed by thugs and bounty hunters, you'll have to get used to being called by your name, not your title," he snapped, but quickly reigned in his temper. "As I was saying, you shouldn't be so hard on her. She worked her tail off trying to get you out of the base, and you should show a little gratitude."

Bastila let out a pent up breath. "Look, Carth, just because you're sleeping with her…"

"Why does everyone think that I'm sleeping with her?" Carth cried out in frustration. "And even if I was, what's the difference? She's a good person, and she did work really hard to get you out of your unfortunate position."

"I got out by myself, thank you. And the two of you should have come up with a plan to get us off of Taris in our spare time. Since I have become the leader once again, things will be done properly, and we will be off this planet with no further adieu."

Carth counted to ten. 1…2…3…She's a Jedi, be nice…4…5…6…Control your temper, Onasi. It'll get you nowhere fast..7…8…oh hell with it! He fought to control the level of his voice. "Look, Bastila, being the leader isn't just about ordering your troops around and expecting them to follow your every whim. You can't berate them either, I mean, you have no idea what they might have gone through. Take what our group has been through for instance. Aminta and I managed to fight our way off the Spire but she hurt herself pretty badly when our escape pod crashed. That killed about two days off of our mission. Then, of course, we had to earn some credits so we could do the essentials in life…you know, like to eat, as well as scouring every source available to find any trace of you. Then we fought our way through the rackghouls and sewers of the Under City to find Zalbaar here, and Ami nearly died in the rancor den… There are a thousand more things that happened too, but we really don't have the time to go into everything. To put it simply, we've been working non-stop since we got here. Being a leader means you care about the things your troops went through, and not berating them because things didn't go to plan," he finished with a loud sigh, and sat back down on the couch.

Bastila listened in stunned silence, before bowing her head. "I'm sorry, you're right…of course. I…I've just been through a lot these past few weeks. I know that doesn't give me an excuse for taking my frustration out on you, but…" she sighed softly, and gently massaged her temples with her fingers. "I'm sorry," she finished lamely.

Carth cracked a smile at her. "It's alright; tensions always tend to run high on a mission like ours." He pulled out his comm unit, and spoke into it. "Ami, you alright?" he asked. There was no harm in her coming back now that things with Bastila were settled, so long as she had cooled down as well.

"Just peachy. How's the princess doing?"

Carth winced as Bastila tensed again. "She's fine. You planning on heading back now?"

There was a silence on the other end of the comm, which was finally broken by a sigh. "I guess, although I was going to stop by the cantina on the way back to the apartment," she said, the reluctance to face Bastila again obvious in her voice.

Carth frowned. "What for?" he asked, though he would bet his last credit chip that a large part of it had to do with a certain young Jedi who was listening far too closely to their conversation.

"Besides the obvious?" her voice came through, and Carth chuckled. Bastila shifted her weight to her other foot uncomfortably. "Some merc wants to meet up with me to…discuss things. I think his name was Canderous. Works for Davik."

Carth choked. "You're not serious. You're actually going to meet with some mercenary without me there? What exactly does this guy want to discuss?" he asked, his voice filled with worry.

"Don't tell me you're jealous, flyboy!" Bastila smirked, and Carth chuckled. Zalbaar was suspiciously quiet.

"Not a chance, beautiful. But seriously, what does he want with you?" he asked, his voice grown sober. Merc, cantina, and a pretty girl alone don't exactly add up to be the best situation.

"I honestly have no idea. His messenger said he was impressed with me for the race and the fight afterwards, and that he has a business deal to make. He also mentioned that this Canderous is a Mandalorian, and that his breed don't like to be kept waiting. Like I didn't know that."

Carth nearly jumped a foot high when he heard the word Mandalorian. "Which cantina are you planning on meeting him in?"

"The one that we went to in the Lower City. Why?" she asked, and Carth could hear the confusion in her voice at his change of tactics.

"I'll meet you at the elevator, okay?" he said, and he quickly pushed his blasters into their holsters. I might need these. I wouldn't trust a Mandalorian as far as I could throw him, and with all their muscles that definitely wouldn't be very far.

"Carth, you hated that cantina. As I remember, you could never get out the door fast enough. You sure you want to tag along?"

"Positive." I really hope that I don't regret this.

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The cantina was every bit as horrible as Carth remembered it to be. Smoke filled the air, and he gagged as much as the first time that he had been there, the speakers hadn't been fixed yet, and apparently, the multitude had become fixated on being as crude, disruptive, and malodorous as possible. Note to self…never, ever come back to Taris again after you get off of this planet.

Aminta seemed to be in her element though. She fit into the crowd with ease, completely unperturbed by everything around her. She frowned slightly as her eyes scanned the room. He said that he'd be here. He wouldn't stand me up, would he? Gods, I sound like I'm waiting for a date or something. Finally, she saw someone who didn't quite seem to belong. Yep, that'll be him, she thought, and her suspicions were proved true when he waved her over.

Mission had disappeared sometime between their entrance to the cantina and their walk to Canderous' table, but Carth was still close to her side, despite his discomfort. Canderous stood to greet her, and she was immediately struck dumb by the sight of him. Judging from Carth's sudden tension, she knew that he was intimidated as well. Canderous stood well over 6′5, and was an odd combination of bulging muscles and graying hair. His eyes were sharp and hard, his mouth set into a sneer. He had the stance of a warrior, and she guessed that his obnoxiously large gun wasn't just for show. She reached out her hand to him in greeting, and his large, calloused paw swallowed it whole. "Aminta Jae," she said, introducing herself.

She was intimidated, Canderous knew, but she didn't let it show; that impressed him. Her hand still grasped in his, the mercenary took a moment to study her. She was a slip of a thing…short and skinny; didn't look like she could handle a vibroblade. But she had the bearing and grace of an Echani fighter, and her hands bore the calluses that came from dealing with vibroblades. But over everything, it was her eyes that caught and held his attention. They were the color of the sky, and he suspected that her dark lashes had beguiled more than just one man. That, however, wasn't what caught his attention. It was the fire that burned within them, one borne of determination and strength, which assured him that this young thing was worth his time. He grinned down at her. "Canderous Ordo," he said, and he sat down, motioning for her and her companion to do the same.

"This is Carth Onasi," she said, gesturing to the man that sat beside her. Canderous leered at Carth. He was a soldier, to be sure…that was made obvious through his prim and proper behavior. But he wasn't a warrior, not like the woman was. Canderous quickly concluded that the male sitting across from him wasn't worth his time. He could feel her gaze boring into him, so he gave Republic a gruff sound of acknowledgement.

"Well, now that the pleasantries are out of the way, I think that we should get down to business." he said, and took a deep gulp of his ale.

Aminta nodded. "Yes, I think that would be best." she agreed. "I assume that this has something to do with Davik, and on that note, I really don't like the man. He's a vain, bigoted gammorean pig man. Now, if you consulting me has anything to do with helping him, I should let you know that Carth and I will be leaving," she said. Canderous grinned. The girl got to the point real quick, and didn't mince words. He liked her.

"Actually, I was wondering if you needed a way off planet. And what I have planned will be sure to take Davik's ego down a few notches." he said, and his grin widened as he saw her eyebrows lift with interest.

She leaned closer to him from across the table. "I'm listening."

——————————————

"You are doing what?" Bastila demanded, barely restraining herself from stomping her foot in frustration.

Aminta continued to braid Vianka's hair, unperturbed by Bastila's outburst. "I'm breaking into the Sith base, getting the launch codes, stealing a ship, and then Carth is going to fly us out of the Sith blockade," she said with a shrug, barely glancing up from her work.

Carth snorted with amusement at her bored tone, and earned a scalding glare from Bastila. Whatever happened to Jedi having no emotion? he wondered, absently noting that Bastila looked like a caged Kath hound - not a pretty sight. Bastila began to pace and wrung her hands, her short auburn pigtails bobbing as she did so.

"Do you realize how many holes there are in this plan of yours? Did you even stop to think to consider what you were doing before you concocted this hairbrained scheme with a Mandalorian?" Bastila exclaimed, her voice rising with every word that she spoke. Of all the stupid things that this woman had done in her lifetime, this is by far the most absolute…There is no emotion, there is peace… Bastila stopped moving suddenly, and her face became emotionless agian. It was, for lack of a better word, eerie.

Aminta didn't seem to realize the change that had settled over the younger woman, and her eyes flashed as she glanced up from Vianka's hair. "Do you have a better plan, Princess?" she snarled.

"I think I'll take Mission and the kids for a walk now," Carth said to excuse himself from the catfight that was sure to ensue.

Aminta looked over to him, and her demeanor changed completely. Her eyes softened, and her mouth curved into a slight smile as she nodded her approval. She quickly tied Vianka's hair, planted a kiss on the little girl's cheek, and pushed her towards Mission. Mission too had seen the change in Aminta, and she, like Carth, didn't want to be around when the pair started screaming any louder than they were already. She took Vianka's and Raeanna's hands in her own, before hurrying out the door after Carth, who was bouncing the baby on his hip. "Bye Ami!" the teen called, and gestured for Zalbaar to join her. The wookiee looked between Aminta and Bastila quickly, before he too decided that the streets of the Upper City were far safter than the apartment.

Aminta watched them go, shaking her head affectionately with a rueful smile. She turned back to Bastila, and her face grew stony again. "As I was saying, if you have a better plan, I'm sure that I'm dying to hear it," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Bastila's mouth opened, then shut again. How can this be? She isn't supposed to be like this…

Aminta's voice effectively cut into her thoughts. "You don't? I'm so surprised," she said, and clucked her tongue with mock amazement. Bastila's back stiffened at the tone that Aminta was using with her.

"I confess, I do not have a plan. But you must admit, yours is riddled with flaws. How are you going to get into the base, for instance, and what battle strategy will you use while you are within? And how in all the galaxies do you plan to get close enough to that ship to actually manage to steal it?" Bastila questioned with a raised brow, certain that she had caught Aminta at her own game.

Aminta rolled her eyes, and unceremoniously flopped down onto the couch. "I already went over the logistics with Canderous. Davik has a droid on order, and Canderous supplied me with the credits to purchase it. Oh, and he's also given my a healthy potrion of 'Davik's good will,' just in case the shopkeeper, Janis, hesitates in selling the tin can to me," She said the last part with a derisive snort. "The droid has the over-ride codes to the Sith Base, and I figure that a good melee and a few stealth generators should take care of us while we're inside," she finished with a shrug.

Bastila's eyes widened. I should have realized long ago never to under estimate this particular woman. It appears there aren't as many flaws in her plan after all. Bastila cleared her throat, and managed a slight smile. "Perhaps I haven't given you the credit that you deserve," she managed, and delicately sat down on the edge of the couch, as far away from Aminta as she could get.

"You think?" Aminta asked, barely sparing Bastila a glance.

Bastila struggled the urge to lash out at the older woman. She was too passionate, too quick to give into her emotions. The council had always warned her that was her upmost weakness. Instead of screaming with frustration, she managed to convey serentiy into her voice. "I am very sorry for how I have treated you, but given the condition that I've been in these past few weeks…" she trailed off, refusing to allow herself to dwell on the matter.

"Yeah, I know." Aminta's voice was gruff, and her head was turned completely away from Bastia. Bastila bit her lip, and looked down at her hands.

"It has been hard, but it still gave me no excuse to be as…" she fumbled for the proper word.

"Bitchy?" Aminta offered. A look of horror flashed accross Bastila's face, and Aminta rolled her eyes with a slight smile. "You Jedi are far too prim and proper," she grumbled, but in an amused tone of voice. "Does 'annoying' suit you better?" she asked lightly.

Bastila smiled slightly at Aminta. Now this was the woman that she remembered. "Yes, thank you. As I was saying, the hardships that I have endured give me no right to be as…annoying as I have been towards you and your companions."

"So, do you promise you won't stick your saber in my gut while I'm sleeeping?"

A look of horror came over Bastila's face. "I had never entertained such a thought! You wouldn't do such a thing, would you?" she asked slowly.

Aminta merely shrugged. "Maybe, but I promise I won't hurt you. I'll even try to be civil."

"That's a relief," Bastila breathed, but perturbed that the woman wasn't above killing someone in their sleep.

"It will be one to Carth, at least. For a man who is so incredibly impossible to deal with, he sure hates tense surroundings," she mused.

Bastila looked over at Aminta warily. "You two are…close?" she asked, a brow raised.

Aminta propped herself up on one elbow, and smirked at Bastila. "I guess you could say that."She didn't answer my question. Same old girl. "What exactly is your relationship with him?" she tried again, hoping for a more definitive answer.

Aminta pushed herself up again, and grimaced at the question in Bastila's eyes. "You know what? I'm really sick of talking about my sex life."

Bastila suppressed a chuckle. She could well imagine how that teenage twi'lek…What was her name again?…could torment the woman sitting before her. She decided to let the subject drop. "I'm going to make myself some tea. Would you like me to make you a cup?" she asked as she rose from the couch.

Aminta's face screwed up in distaste. "I hate the stuff. A good cup of Caffa is so much better," she said, without moving from her sprawled out position on the couch.

Bastila shook her head, and headed towards the kitchenette. She would have offered to prepare Aminta a cup of caffa, but she had no idea how to work the machine.

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