Bonus Chapter II: The Upper City
Matthias dreamed. And his dreams were strange indeed. In his dream he saw a female Jedi on the bridge of what seemed to be a Sith ship. The Jedi wasn't dressed in the standard robes of the Order, but in a form fitting unisuit, with an ornamental tabard on the front. She held a blazing yellow lightsaber and was dueling fiercely with a dark Jedi, dressed in gray and black. Slashing her saber across the Sith's wrist caused him to drop his weapon. The Jedi drew back her yellow blade and struck. With a dull thud, the corpse of the Sith collapsed to the deck.
-KOTOR-
Matthias awoke to find himself lying on a bed in some sort of apartment room. He sat up, stretched for a moment, and then stood as fast as his aching muscles would allow.
"Good to see you up instead of thrashing around in your sleep. That must've been a hell of a nightmare,' said a voice from behind. Matthias turned around to see a man seated at a table in the middle of the room. He was dressed in a burnt orange leather jacket, he vaguely recognized. Seeing that he wasn't responding Leather Jacket decided to keep talking.
"I'm Carth. I was with you when we jumped in that escape pod. Do you remember?"
"Carth, the one from the Endar Spire, right. What happened after we ejected?"
"Well when we came down, you got a nasty crack on the head. I had to drag you out of there and make a break for it. By the time the Sith showed up we were long gone."
"Thanks for that, Carth."
"No thanks are necessary. I've never left a man behind before and I wasn't about to start now," replied Carth demurely.
"Right. So where are we anyway?" asked Matthias.
"We're in an abandoned apartment on the surface level of Taris. You've been unconscious for a day or so. While you were out, I did some scouting around. The basic bad news: Taris is a now a Sith world. Their fleet is orbiting the planet, they've replaced the local government, declared martial law, and imposed a planet wide quarantine, but I've been in worse spots," said Carth.
"The Upper City, where we are now, is where most of the elite of the planet lives and is pretty safe at least for us. However the farther you go down, the worse it gets. The Lower City is filled with swoop gangs that are in the middle of a bloody war for control and the Undercity is even worse. Turns out The Undercity is home to mutant creatures called rakghouls. All in all not a very pretty picture. Now I heard some reports of Republic escape pods going down in the Undercity. I figure that's probably the best place to start looking for Bastila."
"How can we even be sure that Jedi Bastila is still alive?" asked Matthias.
"We can't be sure. But, for the sake of the Republic war effort we have to try and find her," replied Carth.
"Not to sound too much like a pessimist, but given the odds of finding Bastila alive, shouldn't we worry more about getting off the planet and getting back into the fight?" said Matthias.
"That smack to your head must have done more damage than we thought," said Carth, with a sardonic grin, "Bastila is the key to the Republic war effort. She's a Jedi and her skill at Battle Meditation has kept the Sith from total victory, that's why Malak wants her so bad, either to turn to the dark side or destroy her."
"Well then, I guess we gotta go rescue us a key," grinned Matthias.
"Well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. First we need to find Bastila," said Carth, "Now the Sith have got patrols everywhere, but I figure as long as we don't do anything stupid we should be ok. I've heard some grim stories about the Sith interrogation techniques. They say the Force can do terrible things to a person. It can wipe your mind and strip away your very identity. But they're looking for Bastila, not a couple of grunts like us. All right, let's move out," said Carth.
-KOTOR-
Outside in the hallway of the building, the duo ran into trouble immediately. A Sith soldier and two war droids were in the hallway with their backs to the three soldiers.
"All right you alien scum! Up against the wall! This is a raid!" bellowed the Sith.
"Oh great this is the last thing we needed," groaned Carth. One of a pair of Duros aliens standing next to the Sith spoke up.
"Why do you Sith insist on bothering us? You've been here before and found nothing. Why don't you just let us be?" The Sith promptly shot the poor Duros between the eyes with his rifle.
"That's how we Sith deal with smart-mouth aliens," sneered the officer, "Now the rest of you up against the walls before I lose my temper again!" he bellowed. The Sith officer promptly turned around to make sure his orders were being obeyed and saw Carth and Matthias.
"What? Humans hiding out with aliens? They're Republic fugitives! Attack!"
"Well we're off to a great start at keeping a low profile aren't we?' remarked Matthias.
As the droids raised their rifles, Carth and Matthias drew their weapons with a speed that only came from training and experience. A volley of blaster bolts cut the two droids down. The officer looked like he was about to say something when a blaster shot from behind blew through his chest, It was the companion of the Duros the officer had slain, who held a smoking blaster pistol.
"Poor Ixgil. He should never have talked back to that Sith," remarked the Duros, "Don't worry, I will move the bodies so it will look like they were killed elsewhere. I would have been dead if you had not stepped in when you had."
"Won't you be running a risk doing that?" asked Matthias concernedly.
"Consider this a repayment," the Duros replied.
-KOTOR-
The two allies stepped out onto the streets of Taris amidst a frenzy of activity. Gaudily clad Tarisians moved about on their business while silver-clad Sith troopers marched precisely down the streets. A large group of Sith had congregated by the downed escape pod that had brought Carth and Matthias to Taris. All around them, the skyscrapers of Taris rose into the horizon like glittering teeth.
"This way," said Carth, "The Upper City Cantina should be a good place to start."
They made their way across the street without much incident. There was a tense moment when a pair of Sith troopers marched right past them and one of them turned its helmet to look at the duo, but said nothing and continued on.
Passing by a shop that had a sign that said 'Kebla Yurt's Equipment Emporium' Matthias couldn't shake the feeling that something was bothering him. No… not him but… someone else. He turned around and saw that Carth was trailing behind him and seemed to have a look on his face that suggested he had something on his mind.
"Hey, Carth?"
"Yes? What's on your mind?" Matthias decided that it might be a good idea to ask about Carth to get him more comfortable.
"I'd like to know a bit more about you, seeing as how we'll be working together in the future."
"About me? Well there's not much to tell really. I've been a starpilot for the Republic for more years than I can count. I served in the Mandalorian Wars before all this started. But with all that, I've never seen anything like what these Sith animals can unleash. My homeworld, Telos IV, was one of the first to fall to Malak's fleet. The Sith bombed it into submission and there wasn't a damn thing that our Republic forces could do to stop them!"
"You're talking like it's your fault," said Matthias.
"It shouldn't be my fault. I'm just a soldier, I go where the fleet admirals tell me and I do my duty," said Carth, his voice rising, "I just wish that doing that didn't mean I failed them. I didn't!"
"Them? You mean the people of Telos?" said Matthias.
"No… yes, I mean… I'm sorry I must not be making much sense. I'm not accustomed to talking about my past. At all actually." Carth looked like he was about to say more, but stopped.
"They'll be time for more questions later, right now let's get on with what we were doing." Matthias closed his mouth, but silently vowed to pick this up later. Carth wouldn't wriggle out of this so easily.
-KOTOR-
The air inside the Upper City Cantina was thick with cigarra smoke and the smell of exotic ales. Right in the entrance hallway were several Pazaak tables and further in was the bar itself.
The two split up and spread out through the cantina. Carth wondered over to the Pazaak tables where a heated match was in progress. The player sitting near where Carth was standing threw down his cards and some credit chips and stalked away. Pazaak was a simple enough card game where you had to use your card deck to get to twenty in nine tries and win three hands to win the game. A simple game but responsible for making and breaking a thousand fortunes across the galaxy.
"And Niklos the great Pazaak player wins again!" stated the winning player. He was dressed in an immaculate tunic and had a pretty girl under each arm. Carth grinned. He had learned long ago in his matches against shipmates, that the ones with the egos were usually easy to beat, depending on how good their deck was.
"Mind if I play?' asked Carth. Niklos looked him up and down, taking in his scruffy appearance and grinned like a shark about to devour a helpless fish.
"Of course my friend," he said in his thick Tarisian accent, "provided of course you have the credits to wager? Shall we start the betting at, say, 100 credits?" he chuckled with a sneer. Carth grinned right back.
"Sounds good to me."
This guy was so done for.
-KOTOR-
Matthias was making the rounds of the bar, holding a glass of juma juice, when he was brought to a halt by a pretty woman sitting at on of the tables.
"Hello. I don't think I've seen you in here before."
Matthias examined her closely. She was quite pretty and seemed not to be overly drunk.
"I'm Matthias Starseeker. And the lovely lady's name is…?"
"Sarna. Junior Officer Third-class Sarna with the Sith Occupation Force."
Matthias leaned forward, now very interested in this pretty young woman.
-KOTOR-
After charming the Sith officer, Matthias had made his way to the back of the cantina, into a room lined with wall-mounted monitors and a medium-sized Hutt reclining the corner.
"Oh I can't believe I didn't get tickets for this match! Now we'll have to watch it on the viewscreen," said a woman who was standing with a taller man near one of the screens.
"Who cares? It's Duncan and Gerlon fighting, it's not like we're missing anything good."
"Quiet the match is about to start!"
Attracted by the conversation, Matthias moved over to watch a free screen. On it she saw a circular arena with raised seating platforms that formed a pit in the center. Two men clad in armor were standing at opposite ands of the arena.
"Ladies and gentlemen may I direct your attention to the dueling ring! The match is about to start! In this corner: looking to climb the ranks yet again is the ever persistent DEADEYE DUNCAN! And in this corner is his challenger! A man so tough even a disfiguring injury couldn't end his career ha ha ha! I give you GERLON TWO-FINGERS! LET THE DUEL BEGIN!"
At those words a gong sounded and both duelists drew blaster pistols. Actually Gerlon drew his pistol while Duncan fumbled his and dropped it to the floor. Gerlon fired, the bolt hitting Duncan dead in the chest.
"And to nobody's great surprise Deadeye is down again. Don't worry folks; he's just unconscious as usual. And the winner is GERLON TWO-FINGERS!"
Matthias stepped back from the screen.
He had an idea.
He saw the duelist, Gerlon Two-Fingers emerge from a side door and start talking to the Hutt. With a wide smile he strode over to introduce himself.
-KOTOR-
Two VERY long hours later, Matthias had managed to disentangle himself from the Arena and went looking for Carth; he had some very interesting things to tell them. He ran into Carth on the other end of the bar, who was holding a large stack of credits and was trying to brush off some girl named Christyaa or something.
"What is with this planet? I've been yelled at five times and been mistaken for a waiter twice! They have no concepts of manners here," Carth complained to Matthias.
"Tell me about it. From what I've heard they don't appreciate the Sith being here, but as long as they don't start stealing the elite's money, they seem content to sit back and let the Sith have free reign."
"But what in the sithspawn happened to you?!" said Carth, eyeing the burns on Matthias's clothes.
"The dueling ring," he answered, and then proceeded to tell Carth about the huge amounts of credits there was to be made in the ring. He had gone up against the first three of the top six duelists on Taris and had already made a little more than 1,000 credits.
"We could use the credits… but powered-down blasters and vibroblades? And nobody ever dies? How come I get the feeling they're trying to take you for a ride?" said Carth as he supported Matthias on the way out.
-KOTOR-
They stopped a passing protocol droid who directed them to a small clinic run by a Dr. Zelka Forn. They walked through the double doors, the balding, dark-skinned doctor rising from his desk to greet them.
"I'm Dr. Zelka Forn. From the looks of you I'd say you're from off world. But I'll not have it said that Zelka Forn refused treatment just because his patient was an off-worlder. If you'll come this way I should be able to patch you up. I can treat most any injury here, except for the Rakghoul disease."
"What exactly is this Rakghoul disease?" asked Matthias, ever inquisitive.
"The Rakghouls are horrible monsters that live in the Undercity, and spread their disease to the inhabitants of Taris. The Rakghoul plague has afflicted Taris for centuries because of this. The Republic scientists were working on a cure at the military base, but then the Sith invaded. If there is a cure, then the Sith are probably stockpiling it for their soldiers who have been sent into the Undercity to look for those downed Republic space pods."
"We sure picked a great planet to crash on, huh Carth," moaned Matthias.
-KOTOR-
After Zelka had tended to Matthias under Carth's watchful eye, Matthias wandered to the back of the small clinic while Carth took care of the bill. An unmarked door caught his eye. Every other door in the place was clearly labeled, but this was not. Additionally it had a lock that looked capable of stopping a blaster bolt. He oh so casually leaned against the door and slipped a security spike into the lock. Click! He eased open the door and gasped. Inside was a long room with eight kolto tanks lining the walls, four of them filled with two men and a Mon Calamari. Unfortunately that was the exact same moment when Zelka and Carth caught sight of him.
"Hey! Don't go in there it's restricted!" yelled Zelka, but Carth beat him to the door. Carth gasped when they saw what was in the room.
"This is Sgt. Ashaad! And over here; it's Ensign Baan!" she said.
"And this is Lt. Ackran the navigator," said Matthias, examining the Mon Cal.
"You know these soldiers?" asked Zelka, "Then that must mean you're Republic soldiers too!"
"What happened to these men?" asked Carth.
"Ever since the space battle overhead, people have been bringing in these soldiers. Most of them have injuries that are too severe, they won't last much longer. All I can do for them is make their last days as comfortable as possible." Matthias and Carth shook his hand.
"It's good to know that some of the men fell into compassionate hands. On behalf of the Republic I thank you.
"Just please don't tell anyone they are here. Although it seems after they're initial questioning the Sith have not returned."
Matthias mimed closing a zipper over her mouth. "You're secret's safe with us friend."
-KOTOR-
As they stepped out of the clinic, night was beginning to fall on Taris, and the lights were starting to come on, bathing the skyscrapers in a myriad of colors that dazzled one to look at.
"The city looks much better at night," said Matthias.
"Maybe… but the beauty masks the corruption deep inside," said Carth.
"Bright ray of starshine, aren't you?" remarked Matthias, "Anyway we should head back to the apartment."
-KOTOR-
As they bedded down for the night, Matthias told Carth about Sarna and the party she had invited him to.
"I don't like this. It could be a trap," said Carth.
"A trap? Carth that woman had no idea who I am. Besides you missed what I told you about how she said that they would have their uniforms with them. We can use those uniforms to get down into the Lower City to search for Bastila. It's the best plan we've had so far so I say let's do it."
"All right all right, I'll go but don't expect me to act all chummy. What we're doing could be considered fraternizing with the enemy.
"It's called espionage, nerf herder! Now let's get some sleep ok?" said Mahias, throwing him a sardonic grin.
-KOTOR-
The next evening they made sure their clothes looked aspresentable as could be managed, and then walked down the aerial walkways to the address that Sarna had given Matthias. As they walked through the door of the apartment building, Matthias turned to Carth, whom he'd noticed being a little distant.
"Yes? What's on your mind?" said Carth.
"Is this a good time to continue our conversation from earlier?"
"I guess I did say that you could ask me again later. But is this really necessary?"
"I just want to get to know you a little better," said Matthias as they stepped into the building turbolift.
"Oh, well if it's an interrogation you wanted why didn't you say so."
"Excellent! Soon all your secrets will be mine!" grinned Matthias.
"All my secrets are purely of the mundane variety, I assure you. Let me ask you something first though. I've been going over the battle on the Endar Spire in my head and some things just don't add up for me. Maybe you could fill in the blanks?"
"Like you said when we first met: Bastila didn't have time to use her powers."
"True. Bastila is as powerful as they say. I guess no Jedi ability, however powerful makes up for being completely outmatched. We didn't choose that battle anyway, it was forced on us. Hell, I'm surprised that any of us made it out of there to talk about it." Carth stared at Matthias his brow furrowed.
"Come to think of it, it's a little strange that you ended up here with me."
"You'd rather I wasn't?" asked Matthias, confusion knitting his brow.
"Don't be ridiculous, you've more than proved yourself since the crash, we wouldn't have made it this far without you. Still…"
Are you implying that "I" had something to do with the crash?" asked Matthias, now shocked.
"No! Well maybe. You're strangely curious about me and it just seems strange that someone that Bastila's party specifically requested to be aboard is among the survivors. Considering your connection to Bastila it just seems that your presence here is a little convenient."
"You know Carth shouldn't we be trying to work together instead of making unfounded accusations?" asked Matthias.
"I am working with you, I'd be a fool not too. I've just learned to expect the unexpected."
"You do know we're on the same side right?" asked Matthias.
"I just don't trust easily, for good reasons," said Carth, looking Matthias in the eye, "Reasons which are my own, and no I'm not going to discuss them so can we just get on with what we were doing?"
-KOTOR-
The party was in full swing. Sarna quickly spotted Matthias and practically hauled the two Republics over to her table.
"Here you are! I thought you weren't going to show. You have to try some of this Tarisian Ale. It's fantastic!"
"Careful Sarna," warned her friend, "That ale's got enough kick to keep us out till morning."
"Who cares? We're not on duty tomorrow so let's live a little.
As the party wore on, Matthias and Carth found many varied excuses to not drink any of the very potent Tarisian Ale. Around midnight, the last of the Sith officers had dropped to the floor from alcohol-induced exhaustion. The two adventurers quietly slipped out with a pair of Sith uniforms and melted into the night outside.
-KOTOR-
The next morning found two of Sith troopers marching down the causeway towards the elevator that lead to the Lower City.
"Aren't you a little short for a Sith shocktrooper?" asked Matthias of Carth, whose armor was indeed one size too large.
"Shut up," he said.
As they approached the guarded elevator Carth seemed to grow more nervous.
"This is not gonna work," he said.
"Why didn't you say so before?" said Matthias.
"I DID say so before," retorted Carth, but they had arrived at the gate and it was too late to turn back now. The guard looked them over once and then reached for something in his belt. The two stiffened up immediately but it was only a small signal device.
"Another patrol going down to the Lower City eh? Be careful down there it's nasty. The swoop gangs will take a shot at anyone, even us," said the guard and pressed the button on the device. The gate opened revealing the cramped elevator. Matthias and Carth boarded and the gate shut with an ominous clank. The car started to descend, plunging them into weakly lit darkness.
"One small step for us, one giant leap into hell to go," murmured Matthias.