Aminta sighed softly as she stared up from her seat on the balcony into the Tarisian night, and jumped slightly when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, Oded, it's just you."

"Who did you think I was?" Oded asked with a smile as he handed her a steaming mug of caffa. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead before taking a seat next to her, smiling slightly when she snuggled against him.

Aminta shrugged, and toyed with a curl, enjoying the feeling of her loose hair blowing in the breeze. For a moment she had thought that it was Carth, and she wasn't in the mood to talk tonight. Oded hugged her closer, and she allowed herself to draw comfort from his arms.

"How's your wife?" she asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence, and her brother smiled fondly.

"She wonders where I spend my nights," he replied simply with a slight sigh.

Aminta turned in his arms to face him. "Oded…"

"I know. I promised you, and I won't go back on my word," he replied with resignation, and Aminta gave him an appreciative smile.

"So, why'd you come out here?" he murmured, drawing her back into his arms.

"Besides the obvious?" She gestured back to the house where Bastila and Carth could be seen arguing through the kitchen window.

Oded chuckled and nodded. "Yeah. Besides the obvious."

"I was just thinking. About Mom… about home. I'm not really in the mood to be around anyone tonight."

"Why didn't you come back? After you were taking out of service?"

Aminta grew still and rigid in his arms and quickly pulled herself away from him. She walked over to the rail of the balcony and leaned over it, looking down at the flashing lights. "Some things are better left unsaid," she murmured.

"Why?" Oded stood and walked over to her, staring into her eyes. He frowned slightly when she looked away. "If you can't tell your own brother, who can you tell?"

Aminta swallowed hard and blinked back tears. "No one."

Oded heard the loneliness in her voice, and knew instinctively that what she was hiding was life shattering. "You don't have to protect me."

Aminta stared into the night. "I know. But I want to."

The moment was shattered when Carth slammed the door shut behind him and stalked out of the kitchen. "I swear, that Jedi has got to be the most damned frustrating woman to talk to! Who the hell cares how you clean a fracking kitchen counter?" he swore, and then froze when he realized he wasn't alone on the balcony. "Uh… sorry. Do you want me to…"

Aminta shook her head and gave him a weary smile. "No, it's okay. You need as much of a break as I do."

Carth cleared his throat. "You sure I'm not interrupting anything?"

"Nah. It's fine."

Oded looked between his sister and Carth and cleared his throat. "I should probably be getting home now." He tugged Aminta into his arms and kissed her cheek, and then leaned close to her ear. "Even if you aren't sleeping with him, you could do worse," he whispered and laughed when she slapped him playfully.

"I thought you hated him."

"He's good for you," Oded replied with a slight smile, and made his exit. Aminta sighed softly, and sank back down into her chair, covering her head with her hands.

Carth watched her for a few moments before giving her a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry," he murmured, and he took a seat beside her.

"Carth, don't worry about it. He'll be back."

"What did he have to say about you racing on a swoop bike?"

Aminta grinned. "I didn't tell him, and you're not going to either," she instructed, waving a finger in his face. Carth chuckled and shook his head.

"You're something, you know that?"

"Yeah, I'm something alright," she murmured under her breath, and her shoulders hunched. Although it shamed her to admit it, she counted Carth as one of her closest friends, and she was comfortable enough around him to let her guard down. That had to change.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Carth asked with a smile as he slung his arm over her shoulders and gently squeezed.

She had gotten too close… far too close. In all honesty, it terrified her. "I'm a liar, and a thief, and a murderer, and a whore…" She laid it all out on the table, needing to put distance between them.

Carth squeezed her shoulders and gave her s slight smile. "Come on, Ami. Now you're just exaggerating."

Aminta stiffened and pulled away from him. "I never exaggerate." She was breathing hard, and her nostrils flared. Carth hadn't been given a glare like the one she was giving him in a long time, and it shook him to the core.

"You're serious," he said softly as the reality of her situation dawned on him. Aminta turned away, and stared at her hands. Carth licked his lips. "Ami, you're not a bad person."

Aminta laughed bitterly. "Aren't I? I steal from everyone, if not money than happiness. I've killed people just to collect their bounties, and I've slept with men for pay or information. You haven't seen who I really am." It was killing her to do, but she needed to pull away from him before she got too attached.

Carth froze at the cold tone she used, but after a few careful seconds of studying her face, he realized what exactly was happening with her. She had done horrible things, yes. Some things he never wanted to actually hear about…ever. But she wasn't as cold a person as she liked to display herself as, and he knew that the guilt of the things that she had done was eating her alive. He stood up and gently rested his hands on her shoulder. "I have seen who you really are, and you are a good person," he said slowly, emphasizing each syllable.

Aminta started to shake and she stared down at her hands. "Damn you," she muttered softly, and then stared him full in the face. "Damn you!" she exclaimed, glaring at him. She pushed him against the wall, taking his mouth in hers, running her hands over him.

Carth stumbled backwards, suddenly feeling cheap and dirty at the way she touched him. Abruptly, she pulled away and stared him dead in the eyes. "I can do that without remorse. You still think I'm a good person, flyboy?"

Carth swallowed hard, and sat her down roughly on the bench before taking her chin in his hand. "Don't go there with me, Jae. I know you better than you want me to, and you don't like it." He shook her to emphasize his point, "But don't you dare try to push me away."

Aminta stared him down, and then spat on him. Carth stumbled backwards and stared at her with wide eyes before he stormed back into the apartment. Aminta's face collapsed, and she wrapped her arms tightly around herself. "But I have to," she whispered into the night.

——————————————————

"We should probably be heading to Janice's shop," Aminta pronounced the following morning. Carth noted that she avoided making eye contact with him as she spoke. She'd had another nightmare last night, but she hadn't let him get near her. Carth could see her pulling away from him, and it scared him to no end. She was the first person that he'd trusted in a long time… he only wished that she would learn to trust him as well.

"I will accompany you," Bastila replied softly, smoothing the wrinkles in her clothing as she did so.

"No. You are going to sit back down." Aminta snapped, and Bastila's face turned red with suppressed anger.

Carth quickly intervened before Aminta made herself another enemy. "Look, Bastila. You are too easily recognized on the streets. Plus, Ami's probably going to head directly to the Sith base once she's done with Janice. Imagine how the Sith will react to seeing you."

Aminta glared at Carth, and he stared straight back at her. Finally, Aminta dropped her gaze and looked to Mission. "You're coming. I'm going to need you with me while I'm doing security in the base."

"Really? I get to go?" The teenager's lekku twitched with excitement, and Aminta spared her a smile.

"Yeah, you get to go. Anyway, I don't think we'll need anyone more than the two of us, so…"

"I'm going." Carth crossed his arms over his chest and planted his feet in determination. Vianka looked between the two adults before slinking back to Aminta's side.

Not wanting to cause a scene, Aminta finally gave him a curt nod and quickly grabbed her orange bag off of the sofa. "Mission, will you get me some of the security spikes you made? Oh, and some of the spare parts too." Mission hurried to do as Aminta had asked her, and Aminta stuffed an extra packet of bullets and a handful of med-pacs into the bag.

"Anything I can do to help?" Carth offered, and Aminta continued as if she hadn't heard him. There is no way I'm letting you do this. "I believe that I asked you a question."

"And I believe that I chose to ignore you." Aminta didn't even bother to look up from the bag.

Carth's hands clenched into fists at his sides, and he struggled to regulate his breathing. He generally over-rationalized a situation before he acted, but something about this woman brought out the worst in him. So, without thinking, he stalked over to her and grabbed her arm. "It isn't going to work," he hissed in her ear before releasing her.

Aminta felt a twinge of fear as she realized that he wasn't about to let her crawl back into her shell. Only one other person had been so determined when it came to their relationship, and that had ended far from well. She wasn't about to let another person get close enough for her to hurt. Aminta lifted her chin a fraction and glared at him. "Get away from me," she muttered lowly, and Carth was surprised by the venom in her voice.

Startled, he glanced around the room to see that everyone was watching the display with unabashed curiosity. "This isn't over." He turned on his heel and headed towards the workbench, away from the other's prying eyes.

The tension in the room became so thick that a lightsaber could cut through it. Mission was the first to break the silence. "So… This is why the Jedi take a vow of celibacy."

Carth choked and Aminta glowered. "Her undergarments are definitely getting chucked into the incinerator," she mumbled with a glare.

————————————————

Carth and Mission hung back when Aminta spoke with Janice, haggled being the better term. "What did you do this time?" Mission asked with a little grin as she looked up at the older man.

Carth merely shrugged and averted his gaze. The little astromech droid didn't look like much, but Carth had to admit that it would be helpful to have around. Aminta seemed to be quite taken with it, as she was holding an animated conversation with the tin-can. Apparently she likes droids a lot better than she likes people. He didn't blame her.

"Don't give me that. Tell me what happened between you two," Mission insisted, blocking his view of the droid.

Carth suppressed a sigh, and glanced down at the teenager. She was just a kid, and she didn't need to know his business. However, it would be nice to have someone to talk to that didn't yell at him… and the fact that she'd assisted saving his life several times put them on equal ground. In some ways. "I got too close to her."

Of all of the answers Mission had been anticipating, that was definitely not one of them. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Carth spared Aminta a glance to be sure that she wasn't paying attention. "She has trust issues. Almost as bad as the ones I have. And, I got too close to her for her comfort."

Mission raised an eyebrow and coughed. "By too close you mean…?"

"Emotionally." His voice held some measure of reproach, and Mission backed off.

"She's used to dealing with things by herself," Mission noted after a minute of silence as she watched the older woman. "We're a liability. She doesn't want us to get hurt."

Carth turned to stare at the girl, and Mission gave him a self conscious grin. She was sorry that she had said anything at all, but it was too late to turn back now. Zalbaar was right, she didn't know when to keep her mouth shut. "But she's closest to you, so she's putting as much distance as she can between you and her." Mission shifted to her other foot nervously. "Probably had a bad experience with guys too," she added as an afterthought.

"Yeah. All of the above," he sighed. The conversation was getting a bit too serious, and so he tried for levity. "Where'd you get so smart?" he grinned.

"Street rat, remember?" she replied cheekily.

Carth chuckled and shook his head as he gave the girl a half-hug. "You are one in a million, Mission. I don't think I've ever met a teenager quite like you."

"Well, what other teenager has a name like Mission?" At this Carth let out a full blown laugh, earning a nervous glance from the shopkeeper and a glare from Aminta. Mission just grinned.

"And Carth is supposed to be a good name?"

"Good enough… for a geezer."

"Watch it kid," he replied with mock severity. Mission grinned up at him.

"Time to head out," Aminta interrupted them as she headed out into the Tarisian sunlight, swiftly followed by the little droid. Mission gave Carth a look before quickly following her, and he hung behind. Maybe all Aminta needed was a bit of girl-time. Not likely, but possible… remotely possible… very remotely possible.

"He's awesome! What's his name?" Mission asked as she caught up to Aminta.

"T3-M4," Aminta replied without blinking. Sithspit! She's starting to turn on me too! Mission thought, and frantically wracked her brain for a way to draw her friend back to her.

"He's a cute little guy, isn't he?" Mission replied with a grin. "We should call him T-3. Drop the M4… that's too big a name for something so little."

Aminta cracked a grin, and Mission inwardly sighed with relief. "T-3 sounds good enough. What do you think?" She turned her attention to the droid.

"Beep doo beep!"

"He says he likes it," Aminta translated, but Mission waved her off.

"I can understand the little guy," Mission replied with a grin as she patted the droid on its 'head.'

"So… exactly how much trouble do you think we're going to get into when we're in the base?" Mission asked, and Aminta shrugged her shoulders.

"A lot."

Mission coughed and subconsciously touched her blasters. "Okay…This'll be…fun?"

Aminta chuckled. "It will certainly be something to tell your grandchildren about," she replied with a slight smile. "Besides, the guys have it coming. I do hope that Yun will be there," she mumbled under her breath, and Mission perked up.

"Who's Yun?"

The kid doesn't miss a beat, does she? "A son of a schutta who decided that groping was the way to a girl's heart. Didn't even bother with the chocolate."

Mission grinned. "I'll help you put some lead in his gut."

Aminta smiled and shook her head. "Bastila would kill me for corrupting you. If I have to hear one more lecture about the dark side, I swear I'm going to turn her over to the Sith. I'm not even a Jedi! I don't see why she has to preach to me," she grumbled.

"Who cares about Bastila? She's nothing but a hoity toity brat."

Aminta smirked. "I would definitely agree."

"Beep dwooo?"

Mission laughed. "Trust me T-3, you'll know her when you see her. She's kind of hard to miss."

"Beep doo beep?" T-3 came to a halt outside of a facility, and Aminta sauntered over to the door. Running would simply bring unwanted attention.

Examining it, she grinned at the droid. "You're right. It is the Sith base. Think you can crack the codes?"

"Beep!" T-3 hurried over to the door, and his little mechanical arms went to work.

"Everything okay?" Carth came to stand behind the trio, and Aminta gave him a short nod. Great, we're back to square one. "So, it was worth all those credits, huh?"

"He," Aminta corrected as she studied every move that the droid made. People underestimated the little things. You could learn a lot by watching one.

"He?"

"Yes. He's not an 'it.'"

"It's a droid!" Carth exclaimed.

"And you're a pilot."

She's being impossible! Well… at least she's talking to me. That's a good thing. "But I am a male. That isn't," he insisted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"How do you know?"

"Well, I know that I'm a male because I have some key parts to my anatomy that you don't," Mission stifled a giggle and Aminta rolled her eyes. "And that thing over there doesn't."

"Stop insulting him. You're going to hurt his feelings." Aminta folded her own arms over her chest and glared at him.

Mission stifled a laugh, and Carth sighed. "It doesn't have feelings! It is nothing but a combination of wire, metal, and circuits!"

"He does so!"

This time, Mission let out a full blown laugh. "This is pathetic. You two are arguing of the gender of a droid. This should so be sent to the Galaxy's Funniest Home Holovoids!"

"Beep doo beep!" T-3 chirped, and Aminta turned to her companions.

"He's in. Quit laughing, Mission, and let's get moving," she instructed before heading to the door, swiftly followed by Mission, T-3, and Carth.

——————————————————

Aminta was exhausted. Exhausted enough to wonder why she even bothered to continue fighting. Mission lay in a crumpled heap on the floor to the left of her, and if Carth's breathing was any indication, he'd be joining the teenager soon.

So this was the last thing Trask saw, she mused as a red lightsaber came within inches of her belly. She lifted her blade to block the blow, and her arms trembled at the impact. The Dark Jedi she was fighting had told her that she was force sensitive. She didn't feel very force sensitive right now. She was too tired to feel anything but pain.

She looked to her right, and smiled grimly at the little astromech droid. T-3 had certainly proved that he was worth his salt. The droid set off another round of shots, only two of which found their mark. The lightsaber deflected the rest of them.

Carth fired his blasters as well, and was pushed back into the wall for his trouble. Aminta saw him slump unconscious to the ground out of the corner of her eye. She gripped her vibroblades tighter so that her knuckles turned white as she faced the dark Jedi again. The guy had amazing stamina.

He leered at her and went on the offensive, his blade swirling in a display of blood red. Aminta dug deep inside herself and found the strength to continue, lifting her own blade to block every blow. Once he had concentrated on her, T-3 was able to land a few more shots to the Jedi's back, causing him to roar in indignation and throw his lightsaber at the astromech droid.

There is no way I spent three thousand credits on that thing only to have it destroyed within the first few hours of ownership! Without a second's hesitation, she threw her own blade at the one the Sith had tossed, and both weapons clattered to the ground.

The Dark Jedi threw a force push at her, but Aminta shrugged it off and lunged for his lightsaber as he called it to his hand through the force. Catching it, she rolled to break her fall, and stood quickly, his lightsaber in her hand. She'd never held one of them before, and she felt a moment of awkwardness as she tightened her grip.

The dark Jedi laughed at her, and summoned the saber to his grip with his hand while throwing a stasis over Aminta. Although her knees were weak with exhaustion, she brushed his powers away, cursing him under her breath. While he had been occupied, T-3 shot another round of shots at him, which only served to divert his attention.

While his head was turned, Aminta crept forward and thrust his own lightsaber through his heart. Blood bubbled from his mouth, and Aminta stared into his eyes as he fell. There was surprise there, anger, and a glimpse of respect. Then, there was nothing as the last spark of life left them.

Before the adrenaline faded, Aminta dug through the Sith's robes and pulled out the launch codes. Then, no longer forced to fight, Aminta slumped to the ground and fought to keep conscious. T-3 wheeled over to her, and gently prodded her. "Beep doo?"

Aminta managed a weary smile. "You did great."

"Beep!" He chirped happily, and Aminta examined him. He would need to have a lot of repairs done when they got back to the apartment since there weren't any repair kits left in her bag. Her eyelids were heavy, but she still had to get out of the base… with Carth and Mission. Somehow, she drew the strength to crawl over to her friends. Mission had a nasty gash on her side, and Aminta felt a twinge of remorse for dragging the teenager into the mess. Carth was in much of the same condition, although his head looked like a rancor had used it as a chew toy. Flyboy, you really got yourself in over your head this time.

Digging through her bag, her heart nearly stopped. There were two medpacs left. Two medpacs and three people who needed serious medical attention. Don't think, just do. Quickly, she injected the medpacs into her friends and left her own wounds to bleed freely. She waited until she saw them begin to regain consciousness, and then she allowed herself to fall into darkness.

———————————————-

Carth sat beside the cot in Zelka's office as he waited for Aminta to wake up. Mayenna had greeted him at the door when he had arrived, and had nearly screamed when she saw the condition that the woman was in. He didn't blame her. He had nearly screamed himself when he woke up to find himself in a pool of his friend's blood.

Her wounds had been extensive… so extensive, in fact, that Zelka had been surprised that she had survived. Neither he or Mission had been injured nearly as badly as she was, and yet she had used the last of the Kolto on them. Either she was very brave or very, very stupid. Carth suspected that it was a combination of both.

An eyelid flickered, and Carth tightened his grip on her hand. Hopefully, she wouldn't have any scarring. Zelka had used enough kolto on her to ensure if there was any, it would be minimal. Although he knew she was scarred already.

Her back bore several, some of which looked like they had come from a whip. He had seen them back when the crash had happened, but didn't allow himself to dwell on it since he had barely known her. But now that he did, and he had seen them for a second time, white hot fury raced through his veins, matched only by curiosity. How many secrets did one woman have?

Aminta moaned softly, drawing him from his dark thoughts. He gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face and her eyes fluttered open. "Carth?" she murmured softly, and he let out a breath that he hadn't known he'd been holding.

"Right here, beautiful." He brushed his fingertips over her cheek, and smiled slightly as she sighed. Hopefully she wouldn't attempt to put any more distance between them.

"Where's Mission?" she mumbled, too tired to care that her words were slurring.

"I sent her back to the apartment a few hours ago. You gave us quite a scare." Carth didn't bother to tell her that Mission nearly had to be sedated before leaving Aminta's side. Mayenna had finally dragged the girl back to the apartment complex to get some rest.

"T-3?" She tried to sit up, but a wave of nausea overwhelmed her and she sank back down onto the pillows.

Carth tried not to let his concern show on his face. "He's re-charging in the corner. Mission will need to fix him up when we get back home."

Aminta cocked a brow. "Home?"

Carth flushed. "It feels like home," he mumbled finally, and Aminta laughed slightly.

"Yeah. It does, doesn't it?" She closed her eyes for a second, and then forced herself into a sitting position. "We're going to go back there now," she declared as she swung her legs over the side of the cot, ignoring the wave of dizziness that nearly overwhelmed her.

"No, we're not," Carth replied easily, placing her legs back onto the cot. Aminta glared at him fiercely before jumping off the bed, and he caught her before she slumped to the floor. "First of all, you're two weak," he put her back on the bed despite her protests. "And secondly, there's the issue of your lack of clothing. He pushed the blankets over her body to cover her, and Aminta looked down in surprise.

"I'm dressed," she insisted as she tried to maneuver herself past him off the cot.

"In your undergarments," he replied dryly as he blocked her path. "You need to rest," he said forcefully as he tried to push her back down onto the pillows.

"If you want me to rest, take me back to the apartment," she persisted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No."

"I'm compromising here, Onasi."

"No you're not."

"I'm going to rest! But only if you bring me back."

"Absolutely no way. You need medical attention."

"A nurse lives right down the hall," she insisted.

"A very young nurse," Carth corrected her, and Aminta glowered. There was a minute of silence, and then her gaze dropped to her lap. Carth smiled slightly, believing that she had finally given up.

"The girls need me," she whispered, and Carth frowned.

"What girls?"

Aminta glanced up at him, exasperated. "Vika, Rae, Nai? You know. The girls!"

Carth grinned sheepishly. "Oh, them." Great, Onasi. You forgot about the kids. She's gonna love that. "They'll be fine without you for a night."

Aminta's hands clenched into fists. "Vika won't," she muttered through gritted teeth, and Carth frowned as he gently rested his hands on her shoulders.

"Why?" He gently touched her cheek, and she pushed his hand away. She's definitely feeling better.

"She has nightmares," Aminta replied simply, and Carth gave her a slight smile.

"So do you."

"They're about the men who molested her." Carth froze, and stared at Aminta for a second as he felt his temper rise. The girl couldn't be older than nine years old, and she was already filled with a lifetime of baggage.

"I am going to kill her mother," he muttered after he drew in a ragged breath. What woman could allow her own daughter to be used in such a way? Although Aminta hadn't said it, Carth knew in his bones that the woman had been selling her daughter.

"I'm killing her. You can mutilate her body," Aminta murmured with vehemence, and Carth swallowed. "I have to be there for Vika. She has to know that someone cares, that someone understands."

Carth frowned, and gently rested his hands on her shoulders. "This goes deeper than you're letting on," he murmured, and then he stared into her eyes. "That's what happened to you, isn't it? Your father sold you like her mother sold her." He felt as though he'd been punched in the gut as she stared straight back at him. The look in her eyes told him everything that he needed to know.

"Ami," he breathed as he gently cupped her face with his hands. She shuddered beneath his touch, and leaned her cheek against his hand, allowing herself to draw comfort from him. "You have nightmares about it too, don't you?"

Aminta drew back from him and blinked once before looking away. "I have to be there for her," she repeated firmly, and Carth finally nodded.

"I'd give you your clothes, but…" he gestured to the incinerator, and Aminta winced. "Zelka has a smock that you could wear."

Aminta shuddered at the thought of donning the shapeless, green robe, but nodded anyways. "Okay," she replied softly as she stared down at her hands. Carth knew more about her past than anyone alive at the moment, and it shook her to her core. Not even Oded… no, Oded could never know.

"Here," Carth said gently as he handed her the smock, turning his back to afford her privacy.

Aminta laughed bitterly and shook her head. "I'm not a child anymore, Carth. You don't have to treat me like one." She pulled the smock over her head and swung her legs over the cot again. When she went to stand, her legs gave out.

Carth hurried over and caught her before she fell. Despite her protests, he swept her into his arms, cradling her head against his shoulder. Aminta stiffened and tried to wriggle free of his grasp. "I told you not to treat me like a child! I'm not made of glass, Carth. I'm not going to shatter."

"But…"

"No buts! You've known me a lot longer than you've known about my childhood. Have I ever been anything less than capable?"

"No…"

"Have I ever acted like I was a child?"

"Um…"

"Nightmares not included."

"No."

"Then don't treat me like one just because you found out the truth! Now put me down. I can walk on my own!" She demanded, squirming in his grasp.

"You're injured. You can barely stand, let alone walk. The deal is that if you want to go back to the apartment, I carry you there." His tone left little room for argument.

Aminta finally slumped in defeat. "Fine," she muttered. Now that she no longer had to fight to get her way, her eyelids were growing heavy, and it became increasingly difficult to stay awake. Carth noticed, and shifted her in his arms so the her head rested against his shoulder again.

"It's okay, Ami. You can go back to sleep."

Aminta suppressed a yawn. "I'm not tired," she insisted stubbornly, her words beginning to slur.

"Now you're acting like a child," Carth chuckled, and Aminta felt the vibrations in his chest. It was a pleasant feeling…comforting. And it made it all that much harder to stay awake.

"I'll be a deadweight," she protested feebly.

Carth frowned lightly. "You're too light for it to bother me. I've told you before that you're too…" He stopped himself abruptly when he saw the weariness in her eyes replaced by a brief flash of anger. "But I'm not going to bring that up now," he concluded.

"Good," Aminta murmured, her eyes sliding closed. "Because I really don't feel like arguing right now," she admitted as she adjusted in his arms to get more comfortable. And then she was out.

Carth chuckled lightly, and he pushed open the exit door with his back so as not to disturb her. "I'm taking her home Zelka," he called over his shoulder at the doctor, who scrunched his face in disapproval but didn't object. He knew what a bad patient Aminta was anyways.

————————————————

Mission was the first to greet Carth at the door, and for once, the teenager didn't have a smart remark ready. "Is she okay?" the girl asked anxiously, wringing her hands in worry. It bordered on amusing how concerned the girl was.

"She's stubborn, tired and weak, but yeah. She's fine," Carth replied, heading for the bedroom. "You mind if she uses your bed tonight?" Carth asked, glancing over at Mission.

Mission shook her head emphatically. "Not at all. I'm not tired anyway. Big Z and I could probably play a few card games." Mission peeked over Carth's shoulder, and sighed with relied when she saw Aminta's face. "She's not white anymore," she noted.

Bastila came up behind the pair, and frowned slightly when she saw Aminta. "I can heal the rest," she murmured as she followed them into the room. Her frown deepened when Carth laid Aminta down on the bed and gently traced her cheek with his thumb before drawing back.

"That would probably be best. Especially since I've got the feeling that she's dead set on going to meet that merc tomorrow," Carth grumbled, clenching his fists at his sides.

A corner of Bastila's mouth turned upwards slightly. "You don't approve," she noted wryly.

"I don't like the Mandalorian," Carth clarified. "I don't trust him."

"You don't trust much, do you Geezer?" Mission piped up as she dug through one of Aminta's bags. "You'd think the girl would own a pair of decent pajamas," she grumbled under her breath.

"She can use one of my shirts," Carth replied, pulling one out of his own bag. "What exactly is in there?" Carth asked after a moment's hesitation, gesturing over to what Mission had been digging through.

"Datapads, datapads, and more datapads. One looks like it's a journal, a few look like they were meant for correspondence, a lot are data novels, and the rest are all random junk. There's a bunch of holos in here too," Mission added upon further inspection, and she dug deeper into the bag. "And there's some sketchbooks," she added with some surprise.

"Really? I didn't know that she drew." Carth glanced over at the sleeping woman, and Bastila scowled.

"Must you be such children? Going through her things when she's asleep?" Bastila kneeled beside Aminta's bed and threw one last glare at the pair.

Mission made a face at her, and continued going through the bag. "It's not like we're opening anything. Oh, look! A jewelry box! I didn't think that Ami would really be one for jewelry."

"All women like jewelry," Carth noted dryly, and Bastila stiffened and drew her hands away from Aminta.

"Do not attempt to generalize females, Captain." Carth ignored the tone of authority in her voice and turned to Mission. Bastila bit back another angry retort and refocused her concentration on healing Aminta.

"I wonder what's in here," Mission murmured as she picked the lock and opened the case.

"Mission, don't you think that the case was locked for a reason?"

Mission waved him off and then soft music floated through the room. She recognized the melody from a lullaby that Aminta hummed to Nailah to get the baby abed. Carth glanced anxiously over at Aminta, and was relieved to see that she hadn't stirred.

Slowly, Mission sorted through the things that were in the case, but there were very few jewelry pieces. There was a pretty locket, encrusted with pearls and chip gems. Mission opened it and whistled low.

"What?" Carth asked, overcome by curiosity.

"This guy is hot," Mission murmured, glancing over the picture. Unable to stay away, Carth knelt on the floor beside Mission and looked into the picture. The guy was attractive, he had to admit. Brown hair, light brown eyes, and built like a rock. The kind of body every guy worked hard to get. And on the other side of the locket was a picture of Aminta.

Carth's breath caught as he stared at it; it looked nothing like how she looked now. Sure, technically it was the same woman, but she wasn't underweight in the photo, and she was sporting a bright smile. He had never seen her look so happy. Instead of looking world-weary and bitter, she appeared youthful and… Gorgeous.

Mission carefully closed the locket and looked on the back. A date was inscribed, and Mission blinked hard. "Whoa. This must have been a family heirloom or something. It's two hundred years old!" she exclaimed in surprise, and carefully placed it back in the case.

"I have a sneaky feeling that we weren't supposed to see that," Carth murmured, and Mission shrugged.

"Me and Ami went snooping through your stuff the other day. Now you two are even."

"You did what?" Carth demanded, and Mission grinned.

"Don't worry. We didn't find anything that was too embarrassing." Her attention returned to the box, and she frowned as she picked up a small square item with a tube attached to it. "What the heck is this supposed to be?" she mumbled, and squinted at it. Realization dawned on her, and she quickly dropped it back into the box and snapped the lid closed.

"What? What was it?" Carth demanded, and Mission swiftly locked the box before he could reach it.

"You were right. We weren't supposed to see the stuff in there." With that, the teenager hurried out of the room, leaving a bewildered Carth in her wake. No wonder Ami was so good around kids… Mission had picked up her sonogram and the baby's ashes.

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Aminta crossed her legs and took a deep swig of her ale. "I believe I have something you want," she pulled the datapad bearing the launch codes from the sith base out of her bag and placed it on the table between her and the merc.

The Mandalorian reached for it, and Aminta drew it out of his grasp. "You have to deliver your end of the bargain."

Canderous grinned as he studied the woman. She was tired, but she was hiding it well. He also had to admit that she was smart; she kept the codes to herself until he fulfilled his end of the bargain. He had given her his word, but he knew that meant squat to her.

Her little boyfriend had joined them as well, and the man practically hovered over her and listened to nearly everything she told him to do. He was a wimp, and for the life of him, Canderous couldn't understand how Republic had managed to keep her interest. Republic glared at him, and he leered at the smaller man.

Carth tightened his grip on his glass at the look that the merc was giving him. He hadn't really wanted to come, but he had to be sure that Aminta would be alright. She had been in a near death situation only the night before. The Mandalorian downed the rest of his ale in one gulp and looked over at Carth with a challenge in his eyes. Carth stiffened, and Aminta grabbed his glass before he could do the same.

"So, what do you have for me?" Aminta cut into the silent challenge, glaring at both men briefly. Canderous smirked.

"A lot more than Republic has," he replied, gesturing towards Carth. Carth's face went red, and he set his jaw. Canderous grinned.

"That isn't what I meant, and you know it," Aminta snapped, and Canderous turned his attention back to the woman. She was getting annoyed, he could see it plain as day. But then she wiped her face of all expression, and he was left with an unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He crossed his hands behind his head and leaned back. "Don't worry, I got you your meeting with Davik. We'll snag the ship after you're in. Is your pet coming with you?" he gestured to Carth, and Aminta had to clamp her hand over his arm to restrain him.

"That a problem?"

"Not if we tell Davik that he's your joy boy. But then, of course, Davik might think less of you for getting involved with a weak man…"

"That's it!" Carth exclaimed and lunged at Canderous, swinging his fist at the merc's jaw. Canderous blocked it, and landed a punch to Carth's gut, who hunched over for a second in pain.

"Stop this! Both of you!" Aminta shouted from the sidelines, where a crowd of people had gathered. "Idiots, the lot of them," she muttered under her breath.

The men ignored her, and Carth faked a punch to Canderous' gut. While Canderous blocked that, Carth landed a punch to the merc's chin. Canderous whirled on Carth and head butted him, and only Carth's training as a soldier kept him upright.

"I've had enough," Aminta muttered, and picked up Carth's still full glass of Tarisian ale. The fighting stopped abruptly when the liquid sprayed over both men. Now that she had their full attention, Aminta stalked over to them and grabbed both men by their shirts. "Your acting like children!" she shouted as she dragged them back to the booth and shoved them down.

The fight over the crowd dispersed, leaving them alone again. She dug through her bag and tossed each man a medpac. "I should make you suffer," she muttered as she watched them take out the kolto.

Canderous chuckled and tossed the empty wrapper on the floor. "Sorry about that," he apologized to Aminta, and the woman nodded grudgingly. "If he were a warrior I'd apologize to him too, but you're the only one worth anything." Carth's chin lifted a fraction, and Aminta glared at him.

"Glad you think that I'm a warrior," she replied dryly, and took a deep gulp of her ale. "You two are going to drive me to drink," she muttered, and Canderous guffawed. Carth just scowled.

Suddenly she sobered, and glanced over at Canderous. "Do I have your solemn vow that you will get us off of this rock alive?" she pulled out a dagger, and cut her palm without wincing, and then she extended her hand out to him.

Canderous grinned. So, she's familiar with Mandalorian traditions. He took her dagger and did the same to his palm before grasping her outstretched hand. "Vagow," he replied, and squeezed her hand tighter.

He was surprised when her grip intensified as well, and she smirked. "Vagow." She repeated, and Canderous smiled genuinely.

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Well, this was slightly shorter than the chapters I've been doing recently, but I've been suffering writer's block. So, oh well. Well, Carth and Canderous had their fight, and I had a lot of fun writing their little spat. Canderous is probably the best character in the game… besides Atton and Mission.

Thanks for reading, and please review!