Disclaimer: I don't own anything LucasArts/BioWare created.
Thanks to skywalker05 who proofread this chapter!
A chaotic buzz filled their ears as soon as they entered the base. People dressed in the colours of the Hidden Beks walked around the base, glaring at the two newcomers. The place was less dirty than the rest of the Lower City, Maul noted. The floor was steel-grey, with a circular pattern. The walls were blank reinforced durasteel.
But it was not the looks of the place that interested him. The man who sat across the hall was, however. Maul increased his pace and brusquely pushed people out of the way, who shouted at him in annoyance, but he continued to push his way through the throng. Finally reaching the dark-skinned man, he was halted by a Twi'lek, her tan and purple-coloured head-tails twitching, pointing her blasters at him, in level with his head.
"Halt! Who are you and what is your business with Gadon?" Maul smiled mentally, he had guessed right about who the man was. Gadon, in turn, rose from his seat and chastised the Twi'lek for her outburst.
"Calm down, Zaerdra! Not everyone who comes down here is a Black Vulcar! Besides, they wouldn't do anything in the middle of our base!" She protested, eyes flaring with anger: "You trust too easily, Gadon! He could be a Sith spy!"
Squeezing into the somewhat heated conversation, Carth objected irritated: "I am no spy! I came here for help. I was told Gadon was the one to speak to." Reluctantly, after a sign from Gadon, she lowered her blasters and said with a hardly veiled threat: "You may speak to Gadon if you want, but I'm watching you, and I'm prepared to shoot you any time." Nodding, Carth took a few steps closer to Gadon, who sat down behind his desk. Pulling out the chair across Gadon's, Maul sat down and introduced himself and Maul who stood behind Carth's chair, his arms crossed over his chest, his yellow eyes glowering at Zaerdra.
"Greetings, Gadon. I am Carth, an officer for a certain government, from the Endar Spire that met its demise above your planet", Carth said in a neutral tone. "And behind me stands Maul, a soldier for the same government. What government it is, I will not say aloud, but you can surely guess."
Understanding the need for secrecy, Gadon nodded and said: "Greetings, then. An enemy of the Sith is my friend. I am, as you know, Gadon, leader for the Hidden Beks. And she", he pointed to the hostile Twi'lek woman who was watching them closely, "Is my bodyguard, Zaerdra." He looked at the two men, scratching his bald head, then asking: "So, what is it you want?"
"We need information, mostly. We need to know where the escape pods from the Endar Spire crashlanded."
"That's some information" Gadon commented, his artificial eyes staring at them. "They crashed in the Undercity. I cannot send any men myself right now, with the ongoing battles with Brejik's men, but there is one who can help you. Mission Vao knows the Undercity best of us all here." Zaerdra interrupted with a snort.
"Mission? Gadon, you can't be serious! She's just a kid!"
"That may be, but she and her Wookiee friend have searched every corner of the Undercity sewers."
Frowning, Carth contemplated the uses of that kid. She seemed to be smart, but she was young and probably inexperienced.
"Are you sure there are no others than Mission Vao? I'd rather not bring along a kid, not even if she can handle a gun, into a firefight, which I probably must" he asked Gadon, who shook his head, saying: "There is no other. She is your best bet."
Leaning in over Carth's shoulder, Maul whispered angrily: "We don't need some kid helping us! We can do it by ourselves, and I'll kill anyone who crosses my path." His yellow eyes wandered over the different aliens around them, while Carth thought furiously.
"We should take Gadon's advice. Who knows, this Vao could be real smart, you know?" he replied in the same, hushed tone.
Maul hissed aggravated, knowing that Carth would argue with him about it later. They turned back to Gadon, and Carth asked: "Do you know where we can find this Mission Vao?"
Smiling, Gadon replied soberly: "She's probably in the Undercity with her Wookiee friend, Zaalbar. But you have to get past the guard by the elevator."
"We got past the Upper City guard easily enough." Carth stated, glowering at Maul for his coldness. Gadon shook his head, the little piercing over his right eye dangling.
"The uniforms won't help you get past them. You need certain documents," his smile grew wide, and he said nonchalantly, "Which we happen to have." Carth's eyes widened, but restrained himself from jumping on the man. Instead he asked calmly: "And what would you want for those documents?"
"Well, since I have no real business down in the Undercity, and I already know of a few paths down there, you can have them, at the cost of that Sith uniform you're carrying." Gadon pulled forth the documents from under his desk, and put them right in front of Carth.
"Then we have a deal. I give you the uniform, and you give me the documents." Maul pulled the armour out of his backpack and unceremoniously dumped it on the desk. Gadon eagerly gripped it, and shoved the documents into Carth's hands. Out of curiosity, Gadon asked his new-won allies: "What is it that you are searching for down there anyway, if I may ask?"
"We're looking for a person named Bastila, a woman around the twenties," Carth said hesitantly, his grey-blue eyes fixed on Gadon, who assimilated the information. Then the older man's eyes widened slightly.
"Bastila? Then you must go into the Vulcar base! She is being held captive by the Black Vulcars, I believe. We overheard one speaking about a 'Republic officer' they'd caught in the Undercity. And, if I remember correctly, he might offer her as a price in the swoop race that is in two days."
"How do we get in there?" Carth queried. Gadon only mentioned 'Vao' again, saying she could get them inside the base. Then he added a request: "While you're in there, could you get a prototype engine they stole from us a few days ago? It might come in handy in the upcoming swoop race. I'll reward you greatly. Plus you get Bastila back."
Accepting the mission, Maul and Carth swiftly ran out of the base, to find the elevator down to the Undercity.
"I think we entered the wrong doors, Maul," Carth commented dryly as they walked inside the apartment complex. Maul said nothing, but continued onward, checking the doors for any certain lock.
Searching through every apartment, they fought small groups of Black Vulcars, which rewarded them with small credit chips from each dead Vulcar.
Then they finally found the right door, and as soon as they'd opened it, a large, white-haired woman harshly called out: "Who are you and what are you doing here? Speak, or I'll put a blaster shot between your eyes." Maul snarled like a feral animal, and pounced on her, thinking: "I'll savour the pain in her eyes as she bleed to death!" Believing it to be an easy match, Maul did not draw his vibroblades, thus giving the woman the advantage, who threw away her pistol and drew a small knife. As their bodies collided, Maul felt the sting from the woman's jab in his gut, but he could not give in, or he would lose the fight. Murderously pounding the woman with his fists, he relished every hit that connected with her flesh. Selven managed to tear up his light armour and make small gashes along his back, but she was losing ground. She tried to bury the knife in his neck, but he caught it, then sharply twisted her hand, breaking her right wrist, causing her to cry out in pain. Vainly she tried to claw at him with her good hand, but Maul's fast and relatively strong jabs pushed her breath out. Panic gripping her for the first time, she begins to wriggle and writhe, but Maul secures his grip and punches her as hard as he can, breaking her ribs with a sound crack. Her eyes dimming, she finally releases her last breath, relaxing under the heaving body of Maul, who licks his lips in ecstasy.
"That was some fight," he muttered to himself, the rage leaving his eyes and body. Looking back at Carth, who silently watched him, he rose and removed the broken piece of armour, putting on a newer, but of the same standard, light armour.
Then he moved back to the body of Selven, took her pistols and a large credit chip of 1000 credits, along with some med-pacs. Carth muttered under his breath, and walked briskly out of the dark apartment, inhabited only by a corpse from now on. The darkness of the room and the deed just done filled Maul with a satisfaction, but it was short-lived; For once he left the room the feeling disappeared. Catching up with Carth, they left the apartment complex littered with corpses.
"There's the elevator. Now let's see if these documents work or not," Carth muttered, and began walking slow military strides. A swoop bike lay a few meters away, ripped to pieces by the turrets operated by the Sith soldier clad in a more dirt-worn armour, almost camouflaged against the hallways of dirt and rust. A Twi'lek body lay close to the speeder, charred almost beyond recognizing.
As they approached the elevator, the soldier drew his blaster and threatened: "This is restricted area! Leave, civilian, or I'll turn you into nothing more than a hole-riddled corpse." He pointed toward the dead Twi'lek, to emphasize his point.
I hope for Gadon's sake these work as advertised, Maul thought and pulled them forth from his backpack. Putting a certain amount of authority in his voice, he remarked coldly: "I have allowance to pass, from the Master. Move out of the way, soldier." The soldier took the documents and skimmed through them.
"These looks to be in order," the man muttered, giving them back to Maul, "I'm sorry for keeping you sir, but protocol is protocol."
"Don't waste my time again." Maul sneered at the man, gave the documents to Carth and opened the door to the elevator, positioning himself inside it. Carth quickly stood beside him, in the small cramped-up elevator, and pressed the button pointing downward, and so started their descent to the Undercity.
A/N: Yeah, took its time, but now it is here! The next chapter! The chapter after this will be up sometime in the middle of next week. Promise!