A/N: Many wonderful thanks to all who have read my story. Special thanks to those who have left reviews. I really appreciate all comments and criticisms and will answer any questions that I can. Also, my apologies for the delay in posting this chapter!

Chapter Four

Danger In The Depths

Friendship, of itself a holy tie, is made more sacred by adversity.

- Charles Caleb Colton

The rusty pipes of the sewer complex were leaking, causing a crusty film to cover the walls after years of neglect. The steel grated floors were slippery in places where hydraulic fuel had leaked from the pumping stations throughout the vast maze of tubes. The air was heavy with the smell of decay.

They had combed miles of tunnels; so far they hadn't spotted anything that resembled life, much less their lost Jedi.

Carth's brows furrowed as they came to a nexus with three other tunnels branching from it. He moved forward a bit while his hand quickly found his blaster; it was an automatic response to the faint noise that drew his attention.

"What?" Traviata whispered with her blaster in hand as well.

"I thought I heard something," he said, continuing to stare off into the distance.

They stood like that for a moment and then Carth shrugged his pack off his shoulders, fishing a pair of comlinks out of it.

"Here. Special encrypts, military frequencies, a few state of the art add-ons," the Captain said, pinning one to the collar of her jacket for hands-free use. He'd kept the obviously military devices hidden away in case the pair was caught, but desperate times…

He was thankful once again he always kept a go bag ready. When he got back to civilization he was making sure he added a bioscanner to the bag too. It would have helped to diagnose her previous injuries and it could also identify life signs, which would have assisted them greatly in their current search.

"We're going to need to split up, we can cover twice the ground that way," Carth informed her, putting his comlink on his flight jacket collar.

"Good idea," she agreed. Traviata followed him toward one of the conduits, coming to a stop at the opening.

"I'll take the one to the east," he said gesturing in the direction he had heard the noise. "You give this one a look; just recon, that's all."

"Right," Traviata acknowledged, taking a step into the tunnel. She was stopped by a hand on her arm. The soldier turned, her eyes questioning.

"Stay in constant contact," he said, clearing his throat, his hand resting on her arm. "Traviata, don't try to be a hero, you see something, hold your position and report it, do not engage," his intent gaze held hers, his hand still on her arm.

The experienced Commander knew it was sound military strategy. He had ordered troops into much more dangerous situations before, it went with the uniform. The idea of sending Traviata off alone to face hidden danger though bothered him more than it should.

"Roger, that," she affirmed. Impulsively her hand found his, giving it a light squeeze, before treking into the large pipe.

The Captain watched her retreating form until it was out of sight. With effort he shook off the thought of following after her and made his way quickly down the opposite passageway.

Carth proceeded carefully into the labyrinth; the indistinct noise he'd heard earlier was getting louder. It was an ominous sound of growling and banging on metal. The spaceship Captain hesitated as he came to a "T"; the noise was coming from the west.

"Carth?" Traviata's voice came from his comlink.

"Affirmative," he said in a hushed voice.

"Bad time? You okay?" Traviata asked, her voice a whisper as well.

"I'm fine. Just going to check something out," he paused, the growling grew louder.

"Report," Carth ordered automatically.

"No contact. Nothing to report, except I'm going to check out something ahead. It seems to open into a larger area. May lead to something," she said quietly.

"Affirmative," Carth's voice sounding distracted. "You be careful, just take a quick look and report back to me."

"Roger that, and hey, you be careful too," she agreed soberly.

"Onasi out," Carth replied and muted the comlink.

He eased around the corner, toward the sound. At the end of the hall, maybe 10 meters, was what looked like a prison door. The Captain looked through a small barred window; he couldn't see anything in the pitch darkness. He tried pushing open the door, when it wouldn't budge, he took a chance and shot the door with his blaster. It fell back into the room with a loud thud, smoking and crackling.

They were running out of time, he could feel it. Their hunt for Bastilla was taking too long, there was no time now to play it safe.

He pulled out a glow rod from the side of his pack, using it to illuminate the room.

The Commander's eyes widened in shock as he took a sharp breath. It was a huge wookie, at least two meters tall the best Carth could tell; it was difficult to judge with the way he was chained to the wall.

The wookie let go a sorrowful wail. He may regret it, but Carth knew he couldn't leave the wookie like that. If the wookie was detained for any official reason, it certainly wouldn't be down here. Then he wondered if Bastilla was in the same type of cell in one of the many tunnels.

Carth tossed his bag on the ground and crept over closer to the wookie.

The wookie strained against his chains at Carth's approach letting go a ferocious anger filled growl. The Commander froze in his tracks, holding his hands up.

"Whoa, buddy. I'm not going to hurt you, calm down. I'm a Republic Officer, I don't know why you're chained up like this, but I can guess," Carth explained while holstering his weapon.

The wookie slave trade was a booming business, at least in the outter rim. This was the first sign that there really was a crime ring operating nearby. They were getting closer.

"All I want to do is free you. Okay? I'm not with the ones who did this to you. I'm looking for someone who's a prisoner down here, too," Carth went on.

"So let's make an arrangement, big guy. I'll unchain you, and you won't break me in half when I do? Deal?" Carth asked inching closer.

The wookie said something Carth couldn't understand, but he did seem to nod his head.

The Commander inspected the cuffs and chains, now standing beside him. "No problem, I've got just the thing," Carth said with a smile.

Carth darted over to his pack, retrieving a small laser cutter. He'd included it in his bag after needing one once off-ship and not having it.

With a click, the room was illuminated with a green light. He moved slowly to the wookie.

"It's the only way I know to free you. Okay?" Carth said.

The wookie seemed to hesitate a moment, and then growled what appeared to be an affirmative.

It took much longer than Carth had hoped; it was tedious work, taking care not to hurt the wookie any more than he already had been. Carth glanced at his chrono and noted the time with surprise; he'd been in there an hour.

He was almost through the last cuff when the wookie broke free, flinging his arms out wide. Carth stepped back while quickly dodging the hairy limbs, his body tense and battle ready, unsure of the wookie's intentions.

The wookie let go a fierce growl as he ran over to the other side of the room and began throwing huge steel lockers against the wall. The containers burst upon impact spilling the contents all over the floor.

"I get it, you're pissed, but not the best idea. You wanna' keep it down?" Carth warned him.

The wookie roared and the Commander briefly wondered if he was next. Then he realized there was more than rage behind his actions, noticing the items now strewn all over the floor. The wookie gathered a crossbow off the floor, slinging it onto his back, with a variety of ammo. Then he gestured to the floor at the remaining articles left. When Carth didn't move the wookie picked up a special ammo cartridge and handed it to him.

Carth let go a low whistle of appreciation and gave the wookie a broad smile. The wookie let go with a sort of chuckle. The Commander quickly picked up the assorted grenades, blaster mods, and several thermal detonators. Everything you need to ruin someone's day, Carth thought.

The wookie watched Carth and then, with an unmistakable growl of gratitude, he engulfed Carth in a big hug, picking him up off his feet briefly before letting him go.

"No problem, big guy, and thanks for this." Carth said in response, putting a hand on his pack, now stuffed to the point of bursting.

"You should probably get outta here before whoever did this to you comes back. Especially with all the noise you made," Carth advised. He swore under his breath, again noting the time on his chrono.

The wookie said something unintelligible to the Captain. "I can't understand you big guy, listen I have something I need to do."

"Traviata?" Carth said, activating his comlink.

No response. "Traviata, report," he tried again.

Carth tossed the cutter into the bag and onto his shoulder. "I've gotta go, Pal. Be careful out there."

The wookie didn't budge, Carth let go a long breath. He didn't know why he would want to stay, but he had larger concerns now.

The Commander rushed out of the room. "Suit yourself," he mumbled under his breath.

He went a few meters and noted the wookie was following him. "You don't want to follow me, big guy.

"Where I'm going will probably be crawling with the same people who took you prisoner. I've got to check on a friend who may be in trouble," Carth noted uneasily.

The wookie put a furry paw on Carth's arm, his big brown eyes, trying to communicate with him. The wookie went off on a long speech. Carth couldn't understand one word.

"Listen, buddy," Carth said glancing at his chrono. "If you want to follow me, I'm not going to try to stop you. I don't have time for this though," he said with strained patience, his thoughts on Traviata.

Carth tried reaching her; again nothing. His stomach tightened in knots. He began a full out run toward her last known location, the wookie on his heels.

They'd gone about 10 meters when he heard a garbled noise, he stopped and thumbed his comlink.

"Traviata?" Carth said.

"-finally-in some trouble-could – help," Traviata's garbled transmission said before ending.

"Your transmission was unclear. Repeat, last," Carth said.

No response. Well, the wookie said something.

"Traviata?" Carth tried again. The Commander took off in a sprint toward the nexus where he'd left her.

I never should have let her go alone. If something happens to her, I'll never forgive myself.

He pictured her in a cell like the one he'd just freed his new friend from, hurt and alone or worse. The thought made him want to throw up. The Republic Commander realized in that moment that at some point during their time together, Traviata had come to mean something more than a crewman to him. The idea took him by surprise and he quickly pushed the thoughts out of his mind. He'd think about it later, it wouldn't matter if he was too late to save her...Carth had to push that thought out of his mind, too.

"Damn it," he swore under his breath. Carth's speed quickened as he covered the last few meters to the connection to the tunnel Traviata went down.

It was enormous, it was terrifying, it was ravenous, and it was hunting Traviata.

Traviata tried to slow her breathing; she used the sleeve of her jacket to wipe the sweat from her brow. The soldier had been running around the cavernous room for almost an hour trying to evade the hideous mammoth creature. She'd been careful entering the area, hadn't seen anything, and without the help of a scanner, there was no way she could know the rancor was there crouched in a man made cave.

When the beast came rushing out of hiding on his short stubby legs, Traviata had been shocked. She'd tried to make it back to the way she came in, but he blocked the way. He had her scent that was for sure; every time she'd try to quietly edge around him behind his back, he'd seem to know. Each time she barely escaped his long arms.

What the blazes anyone would have a rancor down here, she couldn't fathom; well, there would be one use. Keep everyone away from the passageway she'd seen on the other side of the cave. It seemed to do that quite effectively, judging by the amount of skeletons she'd seen.

I'll be joining them soon too, she thought ruefully; the feral animal was winning their intense game of chess.

The room was brightly lit, which was the only thing working in her favor. Rancors couldn't see as well in the light, allowing her to hide if she could get enough distance between them. That was getting to be more and more of a challenge. Each time she tried to escape, she ended up injured, either by falling or lurching out of its grasp onto the rocky terrain. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to make this creature a habitat.

Traviata leaned over around her cover chancing a look, and quickly darting back. It was just 20 meters in front of where she was. She felt her heart beat accelerate and let herself sink against the huge mound made of dirt, debris, and she didn't want to know what else. The soldier didn't know what to do; she'd overheated her blaster to the point where it was only good as a paperweight. At least she finally reached Carth, hopefully he understood her message. The comlink didn't work well in there; apparently there was some type of jamming device.

There was no doubt in her mind at all that somewhere on the other side of that passageway was their missing Jedi.

All she had to do was get past the extremely vigilant guard dog.

Yeah, when Hutts ride swoops, she thought.

It was impossible given her current state and with no working weapons; not that her blaster had been effective against it to begin with. Carth will come, she told herself, and she just had to hold out until then.

Traviata hoped Carth was okay and hadn't ended up in a similar situation. The idea made her heart race even faster. The enigmatic Captain was much less of a mystery to her now that she understood the source of his anger and trust issues. The idea of him thinking she could ever betray the Republic made her heart sink a little. His opinion of her mattered to her, and she was determined to prove she was worthy of his trust.

Carth was loyal, compassionate, honorable; a real patriot. All were some of the reasons she respected and cared for him. Traviata took a long breath trying to calm her thoughts and her breathing. She'd have to get past it; he was her superior, it was impossible for there to ever be anything between them. Traviata rolled her eyes, like he'd ever see her that way. He was ready to kill her hours earlier when he'd thought her words traitorous.

"You're losin' it, Vee. Going frakin space happy," she muttered to herself.

The rancor let out a thunderous roar moving closer, causing Traviata to crouch down further, wrapping her arms around her head. The creature's sense of hearing must be phenomenal, she thought, silently cursing as it thudded around the pile of muck, searching for his prey.

Traviata jumped up, scrambling over the mound, evading the creature. She'd have to make a run for it; maybe the passageway, she thought. She bolted that direction, the best she could, her leg aching from twisting it earlier. The creature quickly over took her, coming to a stop in her path, causing her to trip and fall. He bent down baring his razor sharp teeth in another ear splintering roar.

"How the hell do you run so fast with those frakin little legs?" she screamed up at the monster.

Traviata did her best to scramble back, using her arms to propel herself. The creature's revolting breath hot on her moist skin, he claimed his victim in one quick movement of his arm.

Carth's heart stopped when he ran into the large chamber and saw that the rancor had Traviata in his grasp. In an instant he had a thermal detonator in his hand, throwing it close enough to get the creature's attention without hurting Traviata. The explosion rocked the monster, causing him to fall to his knees, dropping Traviata to the ground.

The rancor was up in a flash and running at Carth with a murderous roar, his heavy foot steps making the ground shake. The Commander threw a couple of frag grenades at it, causing it to fall to its knees again. The wookie fired exploding arrows at its face with his crossbow. The soldier wasted no time and ran up to the creature, throwing a thermal detonator into its mouth.

"Sweet dreams," Carth spat, then turned, running towards Traviata. The resulting explosion sent him flying, landing beside her, amidst a shower of rancor and dirt.

The Commander rolled over and got to his knees, his elbows leaning on either side of Traviata. His hands brushing her hair away from her face, his eyes intently searched hers. "Are you okay?"

"I'm- fine, I - think" she said, still stunned by all that happened.

Carth gathered her to his chest in a tight embrace, thankful she was alright. He'd never forget the sight of her in that monster's hand, so helpless, like a rag doll.

He held her away from him, to inspect her further, his eyes scanning her.

"Are you sure?" he asked with apparent disbelief.

"Yeah, nothing major," she nodded slightly, her shock beginning to wear off. Traviata's and Carth's emotion filled eyes locked.

"I -" Traviata started, her words cut off. Carth's arm's engulfed her, pulling her to him, her face buried in his shoulder. She felt him kiss the top of her head several times, his hand cradling her head to him and she wondered if she was dreaming.

After a few moments his embrace loosened, she turned her head, and tentatively traced his strong jaw line.

"I knew you'd come. Thank you," Traviata said. Her mouth dry, feeling like her heart was in her throat.

Carth drew her tighter to him again in response, resting his head on the top of hers. The Commander didn't know what had come over him; he was flooded with relief and emotion. "You don't have to thank me. Don't you know that, Viata?" Carth said barely audible.

The sound of a roaring wookie walking up behind them brought Carth's thoughts back to the mission.

He stood, helping ease Traviata to her feet, the pair held each other's eyes for a moment, silently communicating, acknowledging their affection for each other. There was now an unseen tether tying the two together and they both realized it. Their relationship had just completely changed, to something very much beyond Commander and crewman. Which meant things just got even more complicated than they already were.

"Big Guy, meet Traviata," Carth said with a nod to Traviata.

The wookie growled what was perhaps a greeting.

"Hi, Zalbaar. Thanks for helping to save my ass," Traviata said with a smile.

Zalbaar then went on a diatribe, taking several minutes for him to finish. Traviata nodded as he spoke, smiling softly at one point looking to Carth with affection. When he finished Traviata said, "So you were busy, Commander. You've made a very large new friend."

Carth looked to Zalbaar and then Traviata, "You understand shyriiwook?"

"It's not that good, but enough to understand the basics. Like you freeing him. He said to tell you that you were right, they were selling him into slavery," she paused. "He also says he owes you a life debt, which he will happily honor."

Carth's fingers massaged his jaw as he considered that. Then with a nod to the wookie, "I'm honored Zaalbar." He wasn't going to insult the wookie by refusing the pledge, he could handle making sure the wookie understood he was free after getting them all safely off Taris.

There was of course a reason for the rancor being in that location; it was protecting the entrance to a massive underground compound of the crime gang. The modern facility was also very well protected from within.

"Clear. That's the last one, at least in this hallway," Traviata's voice coming over Carth's comlink, as the thug fell to the floor.

"What part of we'll make a sweep of the area together, did you not understand? You were just supposed to watch the door. Never mind. Wait," Carth told her sourly, his jaw tightening, turning a corner seeing the Private, surrounded by several dead bodies.

"What? You were tied up with downloading the information you wanted. I heard these clowns coming down the hall, and so I took care of them," she paused eyeing her weapon with appreciation.

"My blaster has twice the power it did since you fixed it, by the way," Traviata said to Carth as he treaded up to her.

He rolled his eyes; stubborn woman. She just didn't get it, or didn't want to, more likely the second. "You know one of us could have broken away and helped you. You take too many risks. You do remember what orders are and how to follow them, right?" Carth persisted.

Zalbaar chimed in his agreement with Carth. Traviata chose not to offer that interpretation unless it was asked for.

"I was following your orders and engaging the enemy if they posed a threat to our mission objective or to our team, and you-" Traviata countered defiantly, pausing as she thought about his previous instructions. Okay, so maybe she didn't follow all the orders, they were also trying to keep a low profile. They were only supposed to engage the enemy if evasion wasn't possible.

"I'd be careful with your words," Carth interrupted, ice in his voice.

He knew damn well she heard something and without a thought of taking back up, or waiting to see if they'd just walk by not noticing their presence, she decided to just run in and attack. Traviata was lucky that time, but he'd seen too many soldiers become dead heroes that same way. He also was hoping to keep their presence unknown for as long as possible. That was unlikely if they engaged everyone they encountered.

Her eyes faltered under his steady glare for a moment, before meeting them again.

"They could have become a threat, I felt that they would anyway," Traviata defended.

"We'll continue this discussion later," he added decisively, his eyes telegraphing his anger.

Traviata felt a shiver of dread run through her at his words; he was furious. She knew him well enough by now to know that tone and look. It meant there was a storm coming later.

She grimaced slightly. It had just felt like the right thing to do at the time, though she couldn't deny she didn't really followthe intent of his orders.

The soldier was discovering she had instincts, something inside her warned that they were dangerous to them. It was strange; she felt she had to follow the feeling. It was almost a compulsion. Traviata pictured explaining that to Carth. She sighed inwardly; that would be an interesting conversation. He was right; they should talk about it later.

Traviata nodded her agreement, her gaze shifting to the map pulled up on his datapad, uneasy with his intense scrutiny. His eyes looked into hers as if he could see clear into her soul.

"Looks like you hit solid ore," Traviata offered, gesturing to the device. There was an uneasy silence for a moment; she could feel Carth's eyes still on her.

"I think they may be holding Bastilla here. This looks like a prison cell with a force field, it shouldn't be able to contain a Jedi with her abilities, but she may be injured," Carth explained, running his finger over the datapad; there was no trace of his former anger. He was clearly in control of his emotions and focused on their mission.

"Here, here, and here, those could be anything. They flank and cross the cell. They're designated as storage, but," he paused thoughtfully. "You can never fully trust these maps," Carth explained.

"There's a control center here," Carth continued, his voice distracted, tapping the datapad. "It appears to be the hub for communications, security, hell all their systems. It's an extremely sophisticated facility for a bunch of criminals, very similar to a military base, though a bit dated."

"What are you thinking?" Traviata wondered, leaning in closer, peering at the screen.

"Carth?" she repeated when he didn't respond. He was starring at the display, not seeing it; you could almost see him working things out in his head.

Zalbaar hovering close by was within earshot, but carefully watching the adjacent corridor. Traviata eyed the wookie before giving a slight shrug. The eerie quiet of the corridor was interrupted by the loud hiss of the ventilator coming on, followed by the tangy lemon smell of over scrubbed oxygen.

Carth nodded once, seemingly making up his mind, before looking up from the datapad.

"Here's what we're going to do. We go to the control room first. Try to access as many systems as we're able to, give ourselves every advantage we can. Then we hit the cell, two on defense, and one on retrieval, depending on how much resistance we encounter. A lot will depend on how successful we are with breaching their system controls," he paused, scratching his chin. "I'd like to be able to knock out their communications and security systems if possible."

Traviata watched Carth closely. "I have some experience with hacking, they will probably be heavily encrypted, and that could take some time."

"Time is a luxury we don't have, we've been here over a week," he looked meaningfully at her. "The Sith will make an aggressive move soon and by now even these idiots have figured out that the Jedi they're holding is more valuable to them than they realized."

"Right, so what are you saying?" Traviata asked.

"Smash and grab, we move silently and quickly and attack with force. Having said that, I still want to make a quick stop at the control room and see what we can accomplish within a few minutes," Carth explained.

"Sounds impossible. I like a challenge," Traviata enthused, hoping her skills were up to it.

Zalbaar rumbled his agreement.

"We stay together," Carth said over his shoulder to Zalbaar, his eyes on Traviata.

Then, leaning in so close that they were almost touching, "That means you stay in our line of sight, no exceptions, no excuses. No heroics, no solo incursions. This is an order from your CO, are we clear on this point?" Carth demanded quietly.

It took Traviata a moment to respond, her head made fuzzy by his proximity, but she finally nodded her response.

"Yes," she whispered, finding her voice.

Carth's eyes studied her face; he hesitated as if going to say something, but changed his mind, straightening abruptly.

"Zalbaar, you have our six, I'll take point," Carth said, charging his blaster.

The trio made their way quietly to the control room, only meeting one security patrol along the way.

Inside the room there was only one person, and he was asleep in his chair when they entered. Zalbaar shot an arrow, rendering him unconscious instantly. Traviata sped to the control panel, keying madly. Carth hovered behind her, while Zalbaar covered the door.

"Why didn't we see more minions on our way, do you think?" she quizzed, her fingers flying.

"I'm guessing they've figured out who their Jedi is and have her heavily guarded," he noted uneasily. He watched her progress with interest; he'd never seen a human key so fast.

"Access denied," the computer beeped.

"Forget security, try communications," Carth offered, glancing at his chrono.

"Access denied," the computer voice echoed.

Traviata tried again, same response. Her fingers moved faster, trying a different system, looking for a back door.

"Good try, you did your best-" Carth started when a myriad of camera views popped onto the large screen they were standing in front of.

"Can you pull up the cell?" Carth inquired.

The Jedi came into view, startling Traviata, causing her to gasp out loud. She looked familiar, but she knew she'd never met her, still there was something about her.

"What? They have her in a force cage in her cell," Carth pointed out.

"That explains why they've been able to hold her. She looks fine though, in fact she looks like she knows we're watching," Carth observed.

More Jedi hocus pocus; it gave him the creeps, and must have shaken Traviata too by the looks of it. "Now show me the storage rooms and the corridor leading there."

The three of them stared at the screen in disbelief, there must have been twenty-five thugs making their way down the hallway. Traviata shifted the view to the storage rooms.

Carth's jaw tightened at the sight. "Like I said, you can't trust the maps."

"That's no storage room, well maybe for people," she paused. "There must be fifteen guys in each of those barracks," Traviata said her eyes widening.

"Well armed guys," Carth noted pointing to the weapons. "Let's move out," he added, fishing grenades out of his bag.

"Just a sec," Traviata's was busily tapping at the keypad.

"No time, forget it," Carth shot back.

"Wait, I've almost got it, Carth" Traviata rebutted, with a hard shake of her head.

"Mi'kael, pull up the cameras and check for activity in the area," a voice said coming from the control panel.

Carth rolled his eyes, grabbed her by the arm, pulling her. "Would you stop? Time to go," Traviata resisted, keying in the final lines of code.

The frustrated Captain picked her up by both arms, removing her from the panel, standing her in front of him. "Damn it, Viata. You and I are going to have a serious talk when this is over," he said through clenched teeth.

Just then sprinklers dropped down and drenched the room, followed by booming alarms, dimmed lighting, and fire retardant spraying from nozzles in the wall. Zalbaar roared loudly, grabbing his ears.

Traviata's smile spread across her entire face. "A distraction," she said, obviously pleased with herself.

Carth ran a hand through his soaked hair, straining to see her through the cloud of chemicals now filling the room. "That you are," he said so quietly she wasn't sure she heard him correctly.

"Come on," he said walking briskly to the door.

"Same as before, Zalbaar," Carth paused noting the wookie's discomfort. "Hey, pal, you okay?"

"He says he'll survive, he's anxious to go though," Traviata said with a cough; the room was getting toxic.

"Okay, same formation as before, shoot anything that gets in our way, they know we're here. Go straight for Bastilla," Carth said choking back a cough while opening the door.

The trio sped down the hall; their blasters cut a path through the musclemen, Zalbaar slammed down any goon who got anywhere close. At least half of them ignored them, running for an exit apparently. Visibility was difficult in the narrow passageway; breathing was becoming harder, too. The Captain had to admit that the payoff was big on the time spent in the control room. It gave them the advantage they needed.

In just a few short minutes they'd made it to the corridor. Carth ran up to Bastilla's cell. The Jedi was immobilized by the cage.

"We'll get you out of there, just…" Carth assured her. "Try to relax," he finished as Zalbaar slowly approached. "We have to get this shield down," his face fell; his eyes surveyed the area and then Zalbaar's face.

"Where's Traviata?" he demanded, his brow furrowing.

The wookie roared something and then shrugged his shoulders, placing his hands on his ears once again. The Captain tried comming Traviata and then remembered their devices didn't work in the area. "Frak, I Frakin knew she'd pull a stunt like this," he yelled, pounding the wall, continuing to swear under his breath.

He couldn't very well leave the Jedi, though he did briefly consider it. He'd have to free her and then look for Traviata. The Commander began the time consuming task of recoding the force field security with a scowl on his face.

Traviata wondered why she was doing this, following some instinct she never realized she had before. It was that feeling again, this time stronger, urging her down an opposite hallway from their objective. It was easy enough to lose Zalbaar in the fog of chemicals; he was distracted by the alarm painfully blaring away. Carth had been focused on clearing the way of enemy combatants, making it easy to slip away from the pair.

Traviata entered the dark room at the end of the hallway unsure what she hoped to find. It had better be something remarkable to be worth the epic ass chewing she knew was heading her way when she returned.

Movement drew her eye to the corner; she eased her way along the outer edges of the makeshift living quarters, picking her way through debris, all slick, covered with fire retardant. She squinted through the fog raising her pistol, hearing heavy breathing. She inched closer; the sight of a young blue-skinned twi'lek aiming a blaster at her caused her to lose her footing. Traviata slid, and went crashing to the floor, dropping her blaster and bringing a nearby work table crashing on top of her as she scrambled to keep her balance.

"You're not a very good gangster," the blue-skinned female came closer to the soldier. "Maybe you'll make a better a prisoner."

Traviata cocked her head slightly. "I'm not with these thugs, I'm a Republic soldier. My name is Traviata Kerkes," she informed her, shifting under the weight of the work table.

Her leg still sore from her run in with the rancor was aching pinned beneath the table. She may have actually broken it this time; great news. Following her feelings had gotten her into one hell of mess, she thought staring at the blaster pointed at her by the little twi'lek.

"They were holding you prisoner?" Traviata quizzed. The girl looked like she was barely matured, though judging by her tattooed eyebrows and attire, she looked like she'd learned how to use her assets. Female twi'leks were highly sought after as dancers and often sold into slavery due to their beauty.

"A Republic soldier?" the twi'lek asked squatting down beside her. "No wonder we're losing to the Sith, I mean if you're telling the truth. Look at you there, all covered with slimy goo, lost your weapon and trapped. I didn't even have to do a thing, you did it to yourself," the girl noted as her head tails twitched.

Traviata's eyes met hers. "I'm telling you the truth. You're not exactly catching me at my best, okay? I'm having a really bad day," she declared, blowing out a breath. "I don't even know why I came in here. I'm supposed to be helping to mount a rescue. On top of this, my day is going to get a lot worse when my Captain finds out I've disregarded his orders, again. Gotten myself into a mess, again. Though the rancor thing was clearly not my fault."

The twi'lek seemed to consider her words. "If you're with the Republic, what are you doing on Taris?" the pale blue-skinned girl quizzed.

"Our ship was attacked and we escaped here. We're trying to find someone very important to the Republic right now who ended up in the hands of these Sith spawn," Traviata explained, trying to shift her weight to give some relief to her leg.

"You came down in the pods that fell all over the place?" the girl asked.

"Yes," Traviata said struggling to free herself but unable to get a grip with everything covered in slick film; she groaned when she ended up with more weight on her throbbing limb . "Do you think you could help me with this? I'm in some pain here. What's your name anyway?"

"Yeah yeah, I'll help you. Mission's my name," she seemed to consider her options. Then got busy lifting up the table high enough for Traviata to scoot out from.

"Thanks, Mission," Traviata expressed, rubbing her leg. "What made you decide to believe me?"

"If you were one of them, you wouldn't have asked, you'd have threatened," Mission stated, her big eyes watching Traviata. "Plus, you look pretty pathetic covered in all that slimy ooze."

Traviata nodded once, "Right. Mission, I've got to get out of here and get to the rest of my party. They're rescuing a Jedi right now,"

"Aren't Jedi the ones who are supposed to do the rescuing?" she quipped, arching one of her dark eyebrows. "Like I said before, no wonder we're losing."

"It's a long story, Mission. She has some very powerful enemies, who want to capture her. So you side with the Republic I take it?" Traviata inquired. That was twice now the girl identified herself with the Republic.

"Of course, my story is long too. Let's just say that it wasn't my choice to be left in this hell hole," Mission's tentacles shuddered at her words, while she handed Traviata her blaster.

"Thanks. Listen, I need to get moving," Traviata explained, grimacing as she stood.

"Me too. Oh that Jedi? The force field where they're holding her has Sith encrypts on it, by the way. All of the force fields down here do," Mission offered.

Great another complication. "This day just gets better and better," Traviata replied. How in the world did this obvious cantina dancer know about the shields, she wondered.

"Thanks for the heads up. Why did they capture you anyway?" Traviata queried.

"I broke in looking for my friend, they caught me over riding their force field at the entrance near your Jedi," Mission related.

"Wait, you overrode the security codes, with Sith encrypts?" Traviata's eyes widened as the girl nodded her head. "You say there's an entrance close to the cell? Where does that lead?"

"There's a turbolift just outside the passageway there that leads to the corridor where they have your friend. I can help you, if you want. Sith encrypts aren't easy, but I've been breaking their codes for years," Mission offered.

"Damn, we could have avoided the rancor if there's a turbolift near her," Traviata said to herself out loud.

"You went through the rancor entrance?" Mission's shocked voice asked.

Traviata nodded. "It's not a rancor entrance any more," she clarified limping to the door.

"Wow, you have had a bad day," Mission followed the soldier. "I can spare a few minutes to help you with the shields. We need to go to the control room, you'll never hack it at the jail cell."

This must be why she felt she was to come here. Maybe she was going space crazy, but if this young twi'lek could do what she said, then it was the miracle they needed.

"Mission if you could help us that would be great, and we'll get you out of here," Traviata offered.

"No, not without my friend. They've taken him, and I'm all he has. He's protected me since I was a kid, and I can't desert him," her voice rose as she spoke, tears streaming down her face.

"Okay, it's okay, Mission," Traviata instinctively wrapped an arm around her.

"Let's get that force field down and then we'll go see my Captain and maybe he'll agree to us helping you with your search for your friend," Traviata didn't think she could walk away and leave this young girl down here alone, and she believed that Carth wouldn't either.

"Yeah, sure," Mission said obviously not putting much hope in that working out. "This the same guy you're in trouble with when you get back?"

Traviata gave a quick nod, not wanting to think of that.

Mission's wide eyes took in the appearance of the soldier standing before her. Traviata's hair was matted to her head with a myriad of substances, her clothes were tattered and ripped and blood covered in places, covered in a film of what looked like glowing mud. Cuts, bruises, abrasions were apparent on any skin that was showing. The beautiful showgirl wondered how the woman got in such a state.

"No offense, but one look at you and I'm pretty sure you'll be busted to Private. I don't think he'll be in a mood to be doing you any favors," Mission said bluntly.

Traviata grimaced, giving herself a quick once over. The greasy skim she'd gotten all over, mucking about on the floor, combined with the mess she already was, made her look like a new born goblin. Her appearance wasn't what worried her though, it was her deviation from the mission protocol. More than that, there was something very personal in his order to stay with the team. He was going to be mad on a professional and personal level. The soldier pushed the thought aside, time to get that Jedi and get the deuce off this rock.

"I've already been busted to Private. What else can they do to me?" Traviata replied.

"Yikes. Sounds like you have a knack at finding trouble," Mission retorted.

"I found you, didn't I?" Traviata shot back. The twi'lek broke out in a smile which Traviata returned.

"Come on, Mission," Traviata instructed moving into the fastest hobble she could manage.

Carth swore vehemently; nothing he tried would get him past the security codes. He was going to have to try to re-wire it. Bastilla hadn't said one word, she would open her eyes periodically, but apart from that it seemed like she was in some sort of Jedi trance. He'd long since stopped trying to engage the arrogant Jedi in conversation. She seemed fine, just unwilling to talk.

Carth ripped off the cover to the control panel, exposing the innards and walked over to his bag and grabbed a pair of cutters, splicer, and a miniscule welder made for delicate work.

Zalbaar rumbled something that sounded like approval.

The Commander shrugged. "I've just learned over the years to be prepared. Definitely going to add security spikes to my bag when I can. Beats trying to bypass the security system manually."

He fished the wires out lifting the circuit board up so he could look at it closer.

The force field disappeared. The alarms stopped, along with the other fire containment measures.

Zalbaar roared his approval.

"I didn't do that, big guy," Carth's gaze narrowed, looking at the security camera.

Zalbaar quickly ambled up to the cell, and would have walked in if not for Carth's hand on his arm.

"Wait, it could be a trap," Carth warned. He stood there going over his options, it was a set up or it was Traviata.

The sound of footsteps on the metal floor echoed in the now quiet passageway. Carth discarded the tools, opting for his blaster. He only had to wait a moment, when two figures emerged into the sparsely lit area.

Carth felt several intense emotions at once: relief, anger, frustration and shock. His eyes surveyed Traviata's condition; she was obviously limping and covered in a lubricious coating. She also had a companion, a twi'lek.

Zalbaar roared running at the young twi'lek.

"Wait," Traviata yelled thrusting herself between the wookie and Mission.

"Stop," Carth hollered running for Zalbaar.

"Zalbaar?" Mission screamed with delight, pushing Traviata out of her way.

Zalbaar rumbled his joy, embracing the young twi'lek gently in his large fury arms.

Carth smiled, watching the pair who apparently knew each other, relieved he hadn't actually had to try to restrain the wookie. His eyes found Traviata, who was now leaning against a wall, completely absorbed in the reunion unfolding in front of her.

He walked over to Traviata, torn between rage and happiness that she was at least in one piece.

"Are you okay? What the hell happened to you?" Carth demanded.

"I'm fine," her eyes met his hesitantly. "I know you're mad," she paused. "Okay, beyond mad, but I can explain. That girl there, Mission; we couldn't have lowered the force field without her help. She was being held prisoner here when they caught her breaking in trying to save Zalbaar. I only found her because I had this… this feeling guiding me to her and I followed it…" she trailed off at the look on his face.

A muscle twitched in Carth's jaw, his features tight as granite.

"I'm not doing this with you right now. We have a mission to complete," Carth said darkly, trying desperately to control his anger at the woman.

Traviata nodded. "Fine, but you should talk to her," she suggested, tilting her head in the direction of Mission. "She knows a faster way out of here." The less contact Traviata had with him in his current mood, the better.

"Zalbaar, you watch our backs. Traviata and I are going in the cell to free Bastilla," Carth related, holstering his weapon. "After you," he directed, gesturing with his hand to the cell.

Carth swiftly released Bastilla from her bonds, the angry buzzing of the device going dead. The Jedi just stood there for a moment staring in Traviata's direction. The Commander's gaze shifted to Traviata, finding her holding a hand to her head, blinking.

"Commander, if you would be so kind?" Bastilla requested, holding out her hand for him to help down from the machine.

"Of course. Are you hurt Bastilla?" Carth asked, his attention now on the Jedi, assisting her off the contrivance.

"I'm quite well, thank you, Commander. Just staying out of sight, as you put it, before you sent me spiraling into space," Bastilla quipped.

"Ah yes," Carth said rocking back on his heels. "Sorry about that, but it was necessary for your protection, and that of the Republic," he said checking his chrono. "We can discuss all of this later, right now we need to get you out of here and someplace safe," he grimaced inwardly. Not a conversation he was looking forward to.

Carth's eyes went to where Traviata had last been standing; she wasn't there. He turned looking behind him; he saw Zalbaar and Mission, but no Traviata. He ran a hand through his hair, his agitation rising.

"If you'll follow me," Carth directed, walking to where the two friends were standing.

"Traviata?" Carth asked approaching.

Mission pointed to the entry about thirty meters away. "She asked which way we'd be going, and when I told her, she said that she was going to guard our exit while you spoke to the Jedi. She said to let you know if you didn't see her," Mission explained, giving Bastilla a critical once over.

Carth's eyes speedily found Traviata, leaning against the door frame, her back to them, with her pistol in hand.

"Thanks, kid," Carth said, his brows drawing together.

"You should cut her some slack; she's had a really bad day. She's all worried about you being mad at her," Mission advised Carth.

Carth's gaze tightened further at her words. "With good reason, kid."

"Well Captain, I look forward to hearing about all that's transpired while I was keeping out of sight," Bastilla said with an arched eyebrow, her gaze lighting on Traviata before focusing on Carth.

"I'll fully debrief you, but later," Carth's tone was clipped, still watching Traviata. Something wasn't right, and it always came back to the Jedi.

"I also expect a full debriefing, just so you know. You are going to tell me just what mission was worth my ship and the lives of my crew, and, since I'm old fashioned, ladies go first. That will all have to keep for now though," he informed her, his gaze drifting to hers.