Chapter 3
Too Late
"I can't believe you actually decided to do this thing!" Mission harangued Kael, following behind him in the bar floor of the Lower City cantina with her arms crossed. "Being good with a vibroblade is one thing, but do you seriously want to get yourself killed?"
"I already told you that we can't afford to go back up there to the Upper City. I'd rather take a chance down here than to face certain capture and death at the hands of the Sith," Kael answered. "And why are you two tagging along, anyway?" He looked over his shoulder at Mission and Zaalbar.
"Well…someone needs to tag along, so that we can make sure that you don't do anything stupid. My bad – anything stupider than what you're insisting on doing now," Mission wittily stated.
"Elena?" Kael turned his head after he couldn't help but feel her distress from the way she skulked after him.
"It's just…I have a bad feeling about this," Elena waited until they exited the ruckus of the cantina and entered the combatants' room before she further voiced her concern. "You are indeed a fine swordsman, I admit, but going into potential death matches? You really don't need to do this. I am a Jedi – I can protect you all, and I will, I assure you. Please don't risk your own life so needlessly."
Kael shook his head in disagreement. "You saw what happened with us against those Exchange thugs. We can't take any more chances like that. I don't doubt your ability, but we need to be serious about this. This is something that I must do."
"We could've avoided that situation altogether if you weren't so clumsy, y'know," Carth couldn't help but iterate. "Could have also resulted in us not depleting most of our ammo."
"Seconded," Elena added out of spite.
"Okay, whenever you're ready," Mission pointed her hand in the direction of a considerably slobby Hutt. "That's Zax. He's the Hutt who pretty much runs the Lower City here on Taris: bounties, the duelling ring, everything. Nobody dares cross him – not even the Grey Hands, the most dangerous of all of the gangs on Taris. Long story short, if you piss him off, you're a dead man. So go on ahead and talk to him about entering the arena."
"Are you sure you want to do this, Kael?" Elena placed her hand on his shoulder just as he took a step towards Zax. "Shall I take your place?"
Kael snickered. "You really think that even if I gave you my vibroblade, that some people won't be able to recognize and see that you're a Jedi? And besides, I thought you hated killing needlessly."
"…" Elena's lower lip stiffened.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be alright and take care of myself out there," Kael gave a slight back wave of his hand as he walked towards Zax.
"Here's to good luck, then," Carth sighed.
"Bah! Another desperate, scrawny little pup coming in for work! What'll it be, human?" the giant lump of blobby flesh spoke, his entire body reeking of alcohol amid other putrid stenches.
"I'm interested in joining in the arena. Any room for new takers?" Kael confidently inquired.
"Bahahaha! Excellent! Some new meat for the chopping block! Judging by your looks, even Deadeye Duncan of the Upper City ring would have something to smile about! You most certainly are aware of the difference between the upper and lower city duelling rings, yes? Yes, of course you are. Now…for a nickname!"
Kael raised his eyebrow. "…Nickname?"
"Of course! You really think that the crowd would give a shit about your real name? Something that's probably along the line of 'Frail Bob'? Gahaha! Now give me something that will send a shiver up my spine, human!"
"Alright, then…" Kael pondered for a moment in thought before lifting his chin up and making a suggestion. "How about…Blade Runner?"
"Hm? 'Blade Runner'? What do you do? Run around with that vibroblade of yours? Gahahaha!" Zax cruelly mocked. "Give me something else, otherwise I will choose one for you!"
"Then how about… 'Raven'?" Kael said, making Elena, who stood some distance away, shudder at the sound.
"Hnrghh… 'Raven'…Clever, cunning, deadly and swift…I like it, human," Zax agreed. "Very well, Raven. Your first match will take place in thirty minutes, and you'll be up against another recent newcomer known as 'Cerberus'. You know the way it goes: strike him before he strikes you, and if he happens to die, breathe a sigh of relief and know that it might have been you lying cold and dead on the floor. Got it?"
Kael solemnly nodded. "I'm ready."
-o-
Whether it was out of sheer luck or remarkable skill, Kael had quickly progressed through no less than five rounds in the arena, having killed one unfortunate combatant in the second round. To the surprise of himself and many spectators, a few risk-seeking duellists from the Upper City had somehow made their way into the Lower City arena, but ultimately lost to him, owing their lives to the energy suppressant field which happened to be active. Although Kael wanted to move on to the next fight as quickly as possible, Zax was far too pre-occupied with juggling both his bounty contracts and arena organizing tasks to permit him to do so.
Growing impatient and wishing to acquire more information from the Hidden Beks regarding any possible avenues by which she could find Bastila, Elena informed Kael of her desire to take temporary leave and departed the cantina. Once she was outside, she breathed a sigh of relief, glad to finally breathe air that, still relatively dirty as it was, wasn't drowned in the stench of alcohol, hard drugs and smoke. She made her way into the Bek base to speak once more with Zaerdra and Gadon, as well as any other Beks who may have possessed useful information regarding Bastila.
"You know, you look a little bit on edge," Carth said to Kael who wiped his face with a towel and sat on a bench. "Why don't you give it a small rest; refocus yourself?"
"I can't. Not while Bastila is still in danger. Every day we waste means that we're that much closer to losing her forever," Kael disagreed.
"Ha! A damn soldier through-and-through. I like you, kid," a gruff voice laughed heartily from behind. Kael spun his head around to see a stocky-built, imposing man with greying cropped hair walk towards him.
"Can I…help you?" Kael asked cautiously. Carth, Mission and Zaalbar also became tense.
"Relax, all of you," the man chuckled. "I'm not here to give you trouble. Quite the opposite, in fact. Name's Canderous Ordo. I'm here to offer you a proposition."
"Ordo…You're a Mandalorian?" Carth suspected, his memory of the Mandalorian Wars fresh in his mind.
"Why, that I am!" Canderous laughed. "And who might you be?"
Carth did not answer, instead giving Canderous a cynical look.
"Bah, suit yourself. I understand that you might very well be tense right now," Canderous waived Carth's distrust.
"You mentioned a proposition?" Kael asked.
"That I did. Now I came down here to the Lower City to be on the lookout for new potential recruits for Davik, the leader of the Exchange here on Taris. The boys his own recruiters take in are of laughable quality, that I have to come down here every now and then to find men who won't buckle and cower at the first engagement."
"Forget it! He's not going to join a crooked organization such as yours!" Mission snapped at Canderous, who raised his eyebrow at her.
"Oh? And I suppose you speak for him, little girl?"
"What? 'Little girl'? Why you—!" Mission fumed.
"Now, now, calm down, missy. Let me get to my next point. I've just told you the reason I came down here. Well, that was my 'official' reason. Now it's time for me to give you my true reason for coming to meet you. I've been watching the duels here in the Lower City for some time, and I've taken particular interest in your skills. I could tell from the way you used your sword that you're a Republic soldier – a very rigid, somewhat rusty, yet effective style indeed. Believe me when I say that I've fought – and killed – many Republic soldiers in the past war who fought in almost the exact same way as you. And because you're a Republic soldier, it only makes sense that you're seeking a way off this dreary prison cell of a planet. Lucky for you, I'm holding on to that lifeline."
Kael now gave Canderous his undivided attention. "We're listening."
"As you must know, the Sith have enforced a quarantine on the entire planet – no ships get in, no ships get out. What you don't know is that we at the Exchange have a secret agreement with the Sith, granting us exclusive access to a wide expanse of the planet's surface, from which no-one else can see us slipping in and out of Taris. The Exchange doesn't care about good or wrong, like you Republics do – they care about one thing only, and that is money. Its leaders are willing to make any deal or go to any length to make the maximum profit. Naturally, given the way the war is playing out, the most reasonable choice was to side with the Sith."
"The Sith? What could they possible want from the Exchange here on Taris?" Carth questioned.
"It's not just the Exchange's general line of operations on Taris they're interested in. It's all of the Exchange's dealings. Of course you're aware of the fact that the Exchange is the biggest and most profitable crime syndicate in the entire galaxy. In fact, the Sith and the Exchange have a pact established: the Exchange provides the Sith with oodles of goods such as fuel, rare and powerful weapons, personal shields, adrenaline stimulants and such, and the Sith pay them generously out of the tax revenue they milk out of their colonized worlds all across Republic space. Hell, I know many of my fellow Mandalorians who have profited greatly in the weapons manufacturing trade by selling their stock to the Sith through the Exchange: both the Republic and Sith know that there is no substitute for Mandalorian weapons.
"Here on Taris, things work a little differently: the Sith realize the importance of the Tach gland trade in the market for Tarisian ale, and so they charge a 15% tariff on the cargo of all shipments of Tach glands into Taris. The Exchange doesn't care much about the tariff since they can easily jack up prices locally to achieve the same profit margin, and the drunken fools of patrons will pay anything for their favorite drink. The Sith then sell the collected Tach glands to Czerka, other illicit traders, or even other branches of the Exchange: in short, everyone's a winner."
"I always knew that Czerka was a crooked organization, but to think that they'd work so closely with the Sith? That's just sad," Mission remarked.
"So how does that information help us in getting off this planet?" Kael crossed his arms.
"Straight to the point? Very well," Canderous smirked at Kael's directness. "I've been trying to concoct a way to get a hold of Davik's personal freighter, the Ebon Hawk. It's the fastest ship on this side of the galaxy, and may very well be our way off this planet. It possesses one of the unique trade permit codes that the Sith had issued to us. Rest assured, we won't be blasted out of the skies anytime soon if we choose to leave Taris."
"Wait a minute…" Carth couldn't help but notice something odd. "Judging from what you've told us about you coming to the Lower City occasionally to look for recruits, you must be in close contact with Davik. If you're so willing to find a way off this planet by taking the ship, then why haven't you already?"
"Let's just say that Davik likes to keep close personal tabs on all of his workers –and I mean all. If there's one man whom Calo Nord doesn't talk back to or threaten, it's him. I could tell you about a plan that some bright ones had thought of and attempted to carry out in the past, but all I can say to you is that those plans didn't end up being so…pretty as imagined."
"If it's so difficult as you make it seem, then what makes you think that you're going to succeed even with our help?" Carth said.
"Here's the punchline: I've got a special little droid - a T3-M4 unit – on hold at a droid shop in the Upper City that's run by a Twi'lek called Janice Nall. She's a humble droid dealer by looks, but she's heavily indebted to Kang, given how much she's borrowed from him to start that little shop of hers. Whenever she hasn't generated enough sales to make her monthly repayment to Davik, she repays him through…other means," Canderous chuckled, then went on.
"Tell you what; I'll give you this little symbol here. Present it to her, and she'll hand over the droid to you for free." Canderous then handed Kael a special symbol and continued on. "And that droid isn't any ordinary droid: it set me back a fortune, it did. It may appear to be just an ordinary T3 unit as any other, but I contracted the best of the best of the engineers and hackers that Czerka had to offer, and they made it just for me and for my purpose. If you head back up to the Upper City whenever you're ready, it'll be waiting for y—" He paused as he noticed a Rodian hurrying into the chamber and stopping in front of Kael.
"Tito? What's the matter?" Mission said in surprise, recognizing her fellow Bek member.
"Trouble. Big trouble for your friend, human," Tito panted, tired out from his hurried sprint to find Kael.
"Trouble? What do you mean? What could possibly—" Kael wondered before he froze in fear. "E…Elena?"
"I was out on my usual patrol in the western sector of the Lower City. When I looked about, I saw her walk right through the front entrance to the Undercity that is guarded by the Sith. I was powerless to do anything – I didn't know just how she even managed to pull off such a thing. You must hurry to talk to Gadon and Zaerdra immediately!" Tito panicked.
"Time for me to leave, I see," Canderous grunted. "Remember, go to the droid shop in the Upper City when you're done with whatever you have to do down here. There will be a Duros Exchange member waiting for you, and he'll give you all the further instructions you need." He turned and departed.
"Elena…why?" Kael sighed and held his hand over his shut eyes.
"She must be trying to rescue your friend all by herself," Mission concluded. "And knowing the limited knowledge of the Undercity sewers the other Beks have compared to me and Zaalbar, she's going to head for the direct route to the secondary entrance of the Vulkar base, which will only lead her to trouble."
"If we don't act now, they're going to kill her. We need to get moving," Carth insisted.
"No. They won't. Their security measures are nothing compared to the Grey Hands, but still impressive nonetheless. They'll be well and truly able to capture her alive, and offer both her and your other friend as a double-prize for the upcoming swoop race," Mission spoke.
"What do we need to do, Mission?" Kael asked, remaining optimistic.
"Luckily for you, I can be your guide," Mission winked. "Follow me."
-o-
"Get in there, you little bitch!" a Vulgar growled, gruffly shoving a disarmed Elena into an iron cell inside the Vulkar complex after dragging her along with a brutal grip on her hair. Elena grunted in pain as she fell down and hit her head hard against a metal bar of her new confines, sending her into a daze.
"Try anything stupid and you're dead," a second Vulkar barked at Elena, then departed with the first, slamming the prison block door behind them.
Elena sighed in shame and disappointment, a tear escaping her eye as she leaned her head against one of the cold, black bars which surrounded her. She gripped in frustration the neural and Force-suppressing collar which lay around her neck, devices which were purchased by the Exchange from specialists among the ranks of their Sith allies and then sold to their criminal affiliates at a premium. An hour of fruitless interrogation and beatings had now led the Vulkars to throw her in a cold, dark cell, leaving her helpless as she could only wonder what fate awaited her.
"…Master…Adarné? Is that…you?" Elena turned her sore head and opened her dreary eyes at the sound of a familiar voice.
"B…Bastila? I…I feared you were…" she gasped, both out of relief and newfound fear. The blurriness lifting from her eyes, she saw the young Jedi Knight crawling slowly towards her, the lethargic movement of Bastila showing that she was just as cruelly treated and tired as her. A collar much like her own was locked around Bastila's neck, preventing her from tapping into her command of the Force. Her face was dirtied and similarly bruised, bearing signs of the same savage treatment at the hands of the Vulkars.
"By the Force…what have they done to you?" Bastila wept softly, examining Elena's bruises with tender hands.
"Bas…tila…Feel so…weak…" Elena exhaled before collapsing onto Bastila's knees.
"Ssh…don't talk. I'm going to take care of you for now," Bastila wrapped Elena in her arms, and the older Jedi soon succumbed to the urges of her tired body, closed her eyes and lost consciousness.
-o-
Having attained Gadon's permission and approval to take the secret route down to the surface of the Undercity, Kael, Carth, Mission and Zaalbar accessed the manhole in the armory of the Hidden Bek base, carefully descending into the darkness below by using the rope they threw down to the surface. Once all four of them had laid foot on the ground, the Rodian Bek looking down upon them from the open manhole withdrew the rope, gestured at Mission a sign which told her to use her comlink device if there were any problems, then closed the manhole shut.
To their great fortune, Kael's winnings from the Lower City arena (as well as Mission's Pazaak takings which were secured through a combination of skill and stealthily concealing some cards under her sleeves) were just enough to secure them, with the exception of Zaalbar who insisted on sticking with his personal Bowcaster, a blaster rifle and blaster pistol each with extra ammo clips to spare. Kael's vibroblade was also repaired and renewed by a generous Zabrak Bek who carried out the fixes for free.
What confidence and bravery Kael and Carth had within them was quickly swamped by the doubt and uncertainty their new surroundings instilled in them. Thick and hazy fog…The sound of animals –presumably the rakghouls – lurking and howling in the distance…Barely a shrivel of sunlight shining down upon them…Not a single soul to be seen.
Not a soul.
"This place makes me feel…uneasy," Carth shuddered, his grip around the handle of his twin blaster pistols tightening as the group treaded across the barren wastelands of the Undercity.
"Sure, it seems creepy and all, but you'll get used to it eventually," Mission tried to assure Carth, albeit rather unsuccessfully. "Besides, the people of the Undercity have to live and cope with this every day. It's simply heartbreaking. A group of scavengers from the village comes by every now and then and trades with us: they give us weapons and a lot of other junk they manage to find hanging around, and we give them food and medicine in exchange. Although…"
"What's the matter, Mission?" Kael asked.
Mission sighed. "It worries me. They haven't been in contact with us for a week, whereas we usually exchange goods once every three days. Something's up – I can feel it." She decided to shirk away her anxieties, convincing herself that everything would be fine. "Meh. Don't worry about it. Maybe they're just aware of the fact that the Vulkars and Grey Hands have been stepping things up as of late. Just keep on following me, and we'll soon be at the village. I have a friend there called Leesha. She can fill me in on what's been going on."
"The sooner we get there, the better. I've been in a lot of intimidating battles in my time, but this place simply gives me the creeps," Carth said, taking steps to check his perimeter.
"Graargh," Zaalbar suddenly let out a muted growl, his senses kicking in as he jerked his head eastward and raised his bowcaster.
"What is it, Big Z?" Mission hushed her voice down. "Could it be—shit…"
"Is it rakghouls?" Kael questioned.
"Sure thing," Mission nodded. "Good thing Jeice sold us weapons that come with silencers on them. Be sure to put your silencers on. We don't want to attract any unwanted attention from more of those things. And Kael, don't even think about using that vibroblade of yours against those things. They attack in numbers. Even the smallest scratch or contact from their teeth or claws will turn you into one of them. Blasters only. Now stay quiet, keep on following me, and be sure not to get lost in the fog."
She began to quickly scurry with silent footsteps northward, listening attentively to the noises around her to avoid unwanted contact with the wild savage beasts. Kael, Carth and Zaalbar followed her every step of the way, each looking around with the gaze of ravens as their hearts pounded and eyes darted to and fro to check for any signs of the horrible monstrosities that would descend upon them.
At last, after what felt like an eternity of suspense, they caught sight of what appeared to be the walls of a settlement. Mission's face brightened up as she found a cause for relief.
"Here we are – the refugee camp. The main entrance that leads straight to it from the Lower City is guarded by a Sith patrol, so I'm sorry that we couldn't take that route. Maybe some of the people down here can tell us where your friend went off to. The gate should be right ahead, and—" Her jaw suddenly dropped open, her eyes contorting with horror as soon as she laid her eyes upon the sight which lay before her as a gush of wind swept across the barren wasteland, blowing away a thick cloud of fog.
The gate…
It was open…
It's never supposed to be lying open…
"Oh no…" Mission shook her head in disbelief, her breath seemingly escaping from her lungs as panic struck the core and heart of her entire being. Without so much as a warning, she immediately dashed across the landscape and through the open gate, leaving Kael, Carth and Zaalbar to hastily run after her.
"Mission! Wait up!" Carth panted, finding it difficult to keep up with the young Twi'lek who virtually disappeared into the mist after running into the open settlement. As soon as they caught up with her, they were horrified to behold the sight which struck such terror and dread in Mission's heart.
Blood. Dead bodies and torn flesh everywhere…Severed limbs ridden with bite marks…Mutilated corpses torn to shreds…
The sight was too horrible to look at for more than a fleeting moment. The stench of blood and decay swamped the entire settlement which lay in ruins.
"Mission…" Kael walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, in an unsuccessful attempt to provide her a small degree of consolation.
"How could I…how could we…not have saved them…?" Mission's eyes began to well up with tears. She was about to fall to her knees and weep, but then heard a tiny whimper from behind a nearby tent.
"Mis…sion…"
Mission's attention was quickly drawn westward towards the faint female voice which hoarsely called out to her. Without a moment's hesitation, she ran over and flung sideways the tent cover to reveal a bloodied and deathly pale woman who was evidently on the brink of losing her life. Blood was seeping from her mouth and nostrils, and her eyes turned an unnatural yellow shade.
"Fae!" Mission cried with a gasp, falling to her knees and wrapping her arms around the shoulders of her friend. "What the hell happened? How did this…?"
"Rano…came back from scavenging and hunting trip…bitten by rakghoul…None of us could have known…Went straight into his tent and…stayed there…Hours later…screamed and turned…Killed my mother and daughter…Jorn tried to get us out by opening the door…He was…eaten…" Fae then shut her eyes, sending a tear rolling down her blood-stained cheek before she coughed in pain, staining Mission's shirt with her blood.
"Mission, I know how you're feeling at this moment, but we must ask her if she knows anything about Elena," Carth insisted with great reluctance.
Mission looked up at him incredulously, but then realized that he was right. "Fae...did you by any chance see a stranger come by earlier? She was wearing plain and unassuming robes. Dark hair and grey eyes."
Fae shook her head, the pain it caused her to do so evident as she winced. "No…I never saw her…Rakghoul attack…"
"Elena must have come through here after the crisis with the rakghouls happened. It must have been horrible for her. I can only hope she's safe," Kael muttered.
"Mission…listen to me," Fae said weakly, her voice growing diminished by the second. "You need to…kill me…and get out of here…"
"Kill you? Fae, how could I do that?!" Mission's eyes widened in horror.
"You need to kill me, Mish…Otherwise, I'll…turn…I don't want that…I don't want to hurt you or your friends." Her eyes suddenly darted to Mission's weapon which lay holstered against her side. "Your…blaster…hand it to me, Mission…"
"Fae, no!" Mission implored her. "You can't just give up! You can't! I swear I'll save you! Where's Igear? He always has some rakghoul serum that's been scavenged by him and his team from dead Sith and Vulkars. I can use it to help you!"
"Too late for that…Entire camp…swarming with rakghouls…Mission…kill me now…please…"
"Fae, listen to me," Mission cupped her friend's face in her hands. "You're my friend. I'm not going to abandon you, whether it be to the rakghoul plague or death. I'm going to find the serum. Just stay put, keep your voice low and—"
Mission twinged with fear and released Fae from her arms. Fae's entire body began to twist and contort with pain, lurching violently as more blood gushed out of her mouth and nose. Instinctively, Kael quickly rushed forward and pulled Mission away from the thrashing body while Carth and Zaalbar readied their weapons. Fae screamed in pain as the last of her humanity began to leave her, repeatedly falling to the ground as quickly as she rushed to get back up and struggle in vain against her accelerating transformation. She fell to her knees, her eyes rolling back into their sockets and throat bellowing as she let out a blood-curdling scream before her transformation took full circle.
Kael and the others were horrified to see the true nature of the rakghoul transformation: Fae's entire epidermis was ripped to shreds as the plague took hold, replacing her human skin with the slimy, scaled flesh of a rakghoul. Her nails were replaced by vicious claws, and her once human facial features twisted and mutated until they disappeared altogether. The creature slowly turned with menacing eyes, its fangs dripping with blood and saliva.
It was hungry.
Letting out a savage shriek and howl, the rakghoul charged at them, but was soon stopped dead in its tracks as Carth and Zaalbar unleashed fire upon it, hitting the beast square and true on the forehead. Mission looked with mournfulness at what remained of her former friend who was almost a motherly figure to her and breathed a sigh of sorrow.
They all shuddered soon after, as the howling of Fae's monstrous self was shortly followed by a chorus of beastly growls all around them. The rumbling of feet which hurtled towards them filled them with terror, as Mission jolted to her senses and called out to the others.
"To the sewers! Quick, it's our only hope!"
The group made a dash after Mission who lead the way, their blasters blazing on all sides as they desperately fought off the onslaught of dozens of rakghouls. The beasts which charged at them showed every sign of the carnage they had gorged themselves in, blood and pieces of flesh drooping from their slobbering mouths and fangs. Kael's heart was racing uncontrollably, his fingers trembling as he nervously shot his blaster rifle at rapid speed to cover their left flank.
"Mission! Where the hell's the sewer?!" Carth shouted after shooting a rakghoul dead with a headshot. The situation grew ever more desperate as each of them depleted ammo clip after ammo clip, wondering whether they'd make it out alive.
"This way!" she responded, pointing at yet another entrance which lay ahead of them and was left wide open, presumably by more outcasts who made a last-ditch attempt to escape the bloodbath. Running past the lowered gate, Mission's eyes lay solely on the entrance to the sewer, inside which she knew there to be a manhole and ladder which led down to what would hopefully be a safer place.
"There's the entrance! Run for it!" Kael shouted, and they quickened their pace, paying no attention to their aching and tired legs. Zaalbar let out a mighty roar as he sent a charged shot of his bowcaster hurtling towards a rakghoul, the sheer power of the bolt being great enough to penetrate through the heads of the two targets which ran up behind it.
"Big Z! Get the manhole open!" Mission shrieked, turning around and firing her blaster at any rakghoul that hurtled towards them after they came to the sewer entrance. With a mighty heave and grunt, Zaalbar managed to do as he was asked, pulling aside the sewer lid and yelling at them once it was opened.
"Get in! Now!" Carth ordered. Kael pulled Mission by the arm, driving her towards the waiting Zaalbar who supported her into the manhole. Carth continued to shoot at the rakghouls while Kael descended next after Mission, then quickly withdrew as his blaster pistol ran out of ammo. The rakghouls quickly gaining on him, Zaalbar took a risky measure, activating and throwing a concussion grenade a few feet ahead of him, then scrambled to drop down the manhole and close the lid after him. To the great Wookiee's fortune, the grenade went off a split second after he successfully sealed the manhole shut, stunning the rakghouls which screamed with rage at the escape of their prey.
"Is everyone alright?" Carth asked, his voice echoing in the dark sewer corridor.
Kael immediately held his nose as he complained. "Ugh…this place stinks."
"It's a sewer, Kael. Get used to it," Mission whined, then groaned in pain. "Agh…"
"Is something the matter, Mission?" Kael immediately asked.
Mission shook her head as she tried to remain strong. "N…It's nothing. Just a slight bruise to the leg after falling down a bit."
"Well, we better get moving, then. We have to save Elena and Bastila," Carth said, reaching into his jacket pocket to take out an extra clip of ammo for his blaster pistols.
"Agreed," Mission concurred, getting up and pulling out her small flashlight which provided much-needed light in a place that was pitch black with darkness. Taking the lead once more, she implored them to follow her. "Come this way. I know the path that leads to the Vulkar Base."
But the moment she turned a corner, her face went pale and her flashlight clattered onto the metal floor as she came to a horrible realization, turning her eyes slowly leftward with fear.
A blaster pistol was held against her head, a twitch of a finger away from ending her life.
A/N: Sorry if the entire scene in the Undercity was bad for your stomach in any way. I was quite disappointed with the "transformation with flashy white light" routine that was shown in the game for the Republic soldier and/or the infected outcasts, and I've been watching a lot of horror stuff on YouTube – Walking Dead, Silent Hill, Amnesia, Slender etc – so I wanted the Undercity to be a much more frightening place than it is in the game.
I just realized that I didn't introduce the new party member that I spoke of in the previous chapter as promised. I was originally going to, but then decided to end this chapter here for a somewhat dramatic effect. I'll definitely feature the new party member in the next chapter.
I was considering incorporating the fight against Bendak Starkiller by bringing him into the Lower City arena, but decided to remove it because it would have taken too much focus away from the main story at this point. I thought it'd make much more sense that Davik would want to hire someone with a strong combat reputation rather than a racer.
I also decided to take out the subquest of raiding the Sith base altogether. It made no sense to me that the Sith would leave the exterior of their base so unguarded and exposed to enable T3 to hack the door's security, and so I came up with the Sith-Exchange deal to work around that.
Apologies for the very delayed update. I've had three university assessments clumped into the same week, so I'm feeling quite drained nowadays. I'll soon get onto writing the next chapter for "Heart of a Padawan", and then I'll start the next chapter for this one.
Please leave your reviews!