Opening my eyes, I sat up and looked around, ignoring the headache that I had. Looking to the bed, I saw Rika was laying down, out cold. She appeared to be having a nightmare, with me looking over to a sleeping Carth. Standing up, I made my way over to Rika and placed my hand on her head to see if she was suffering from a fever, which she was not. Looking at the room once more, I notice that we were in a apartment, and by the looks of things, abandoned one at that.
"You're up." Carth said, waking up and rubbing his face. "You've been out for a few days, she might be out longer than that." He said, confusing me. "She hit her head in our crash, both of you did, but she got it worse." He said, with me nodding.
"As long as we're alive." I said, walking over to the window and looking outside. "The sith have the planet on lockdown, most likely searching for survivors." I said, with him nodding. "What's the mission, because the way I see it, I have to follow orders to get around." I said, with him nodding.
"I know you don't serve the Republic, but I thank you for sticking by." Carth said, looking at Rika. "We have to find Bastila, and the best thing I can think of is that she crashed on the lower levels. We cant get past the guards without the proper paperwork or without a disguise." He said, with me rubbing my chin in thought.
"I'll scout the area and see what I can find, I might take a job here or there as well." I said, with him nodding.
"Don't take too long or draw attention to yourself." He said, with me crossing my arms.
"I'm a smuggler, the best place for me to go is the cantina." I said, walking to the door. "I'll be back with any information that I can find." I said, with him nodding as I stepped out. Walking down the hall, I saw the aliens looking at me, some with fear, others with curiosity. I nodded to them as I reached the exit, with me seeing a sith trooper standing there.
"Halt!" He said, aiming his gun at me. "State your business-"
"As I told the other three who came here the days before, I rented out that room because I'm stuck here!" I said, raising my voice as I rolled my eyes, leaning back a bit once I said it. "Why cant you troopers pass on that information?" I asked, leaning forward, with him relaxing.
"Why didn't you just rent a room over at the other-"
"Because this was cheaper, that's why, now if you will excuse me, I'm going out drinking with my buds, you're free to join me once you're off duty." I said, shouldering past him as I walked on. Looking over my shoulder as I walked, he stared at me then went back to standing guard at the post. 'Well, that's not good.' I thought, seeing two others join him then they walked inside. 'Carth can take care of them, lets just hope Rika wakes up in time.' I thought, moving along.
Later, Cantina
Walking about, I saw a women yelling at a man who approached her, and the way she went off on him, meant that she was a Sith Trooper off duty. Seeing someone spill her drink, they ran as she started yelling at them, with me taking the two drinks I ordered and made my approach. "Rough day?" I asked, handing her the drink, with her looking at it then me as she took it.
"Yes, it is hard to relax after work." She said as we took a seat at the table she was at. "I haven't seen you around before. Of course they don't give us Sith Officers from the military base much time off." She said, with me nodding.
"I can see that, names Dakota, I'm currently trapped here after the fight that the sith had in space, saw some of you removing bodies of republic soldiers, no telling whos who, am I right?" I asked, with her nodding. "So you're from the military base? Wouldn't expect to see a Sith Officer here of all places, but who am I to judge, I'm here as well." I said, with her shacking her head at me with a small smile.
"My names Sarna - junior officer first class with the Sith occupation force." She introduced, with me holding my drink out to her and we tapped glasses before drinking. "I'm actually a little surprised you're talking to me at all... most of the people here on Taris cant stand us Sith. It can make this job pretty lonely." She said, with me nodding.
"Flying everywhere can be lonely, but baggers cant be choosers." I said, with her nodding her head at me. "You're just doing your job, no one needs to hold it against you." I said, trying to make her feel a little bit better. "After all, we're both strangers on Taris, and people like us have to stick together." I said, with her smiling at that.
"You're right! Its like everyone on this backwater planet is in a permanent bad mood. Don't they know they have to make the best of things?" She asked, with me nodding.
"I agree, and you have a pretty positive attitude." I said, pointing at her.
"Exactly! Its all about attitude. I didn't ask to be assigned to this backwater planet, but I try to make the best of it!" She said, with me nodding again. "Its pretty easy to get depressed on an assignment like this, but we do what we can to keep our spirits up."
"Screw Depression, you just need to blow off steam once in a while." I said, with her raising her glass to that and taking a sip.
"That's true. Its nice to meet someone who understands what I'm going through. Its good to talk about this stuff - it gets pretty lonely up at the military base." She said, with me knowing that she hasn't been with a man in forever. Seeing her look at her watch, she deflated. "I have to get going soon - I've got a shift at the military base. But some of us junior Sith officers are having a party tonight to blow off some steam." She said, smirking at me as she said that. "I'd really like to see you again. Why don't you drop by the party? I'll show you where it is on your map." She said, with her handing her my hallopad, where she input the coordinates.
"I'll be there." I said, smirking at her. don't be late. "We're starting right after our shifts end. Most of us wont even be going back to the base to lock up our uniforms. I look forward to seeing you there." She said, winking as she took off. 'Disguise, check.' I thought, seeing Carth and Rika walking over to us. "Well, look what the cat dragged in." I said, looking at the two as they stopped at the table. "What's up, you two looked like you got caught?" I asked, with them looking at the other, then at me.
"We ran into a group of Sith Troopers on our way here, I hope everything's been ok for you?" Carth asked, with me nodding.
"Yep, I got us a way to get some Sith Uniforms to get to the lower levels." I said, with the both of them looking impressed. "Wont get them until later tonight." I informed, standing up and downing the drink. "Well, what else do you two want to do here?" I asked, with Rika leading the way, looking around.
We entered the Hutt room, we walked over to a screen and watched as two gunners got ready for a fight. "This." Rika said, with me looking at her.
"You think you can use a gun?" I asked, with her looking at me.
"I prefer swords, you on the other hand, can win us some credits to use." She said, with me sighing as I knew she was right, and it was a pass time.
"You don't have to do it, there are other things-"
"Carth, I got this." I said, patting him on the shoulder as I walked up to the Hutt.
As I approached, the Hutt held its hand out to me to make me stop, which I did a few feet away from him. "I'm sorry human - the betting windows closed. No more fights right now. People are sick of seeing the same duelists all the time. Its bad for business." He said while speaking Huttese, one of the many languages that I knew, with me smirking.
"Hutt, call me your next duelist." I said, gaining his attention as I crossed my arms. "I need the cash, you need the business. How about a deal?" I asked, with the hut looking confused. "I take on the two who were just in the ring at once. I win, I get half the profit. I lose, you get full payment plus an additional six thousand on my part." I said, with the Hutt thinking about it hard. "I'll even work here for free if I lose once. I said, with the Hutt looking up at me.
"My name is Ajuur, and I'll change the bet. If you win, you get twenty percent of all wagers. Most fighters in the duel ring use Vibroblades or stun sticks because the rings pretty small, but a few of the duelists use blasters. Use whichever you prefer." He said, making me smirk as he accepted the deal. "New blood for the ring! You will need a nickname, like Ice or Deadeye-"
"I have one already." I said, interrupting him. "The Mandalorian Smuggler." I said, with him laughing at me, where I frowned at that.
"The Mysterious Stranger sounds better, you're sticking to that!" He said, making me sigh.
"Ya, sure, whatever, now point me in the direction of where I'm going so that I can get us some good money." I said, with him nodding to the droid to his side, with it leading me away.
Later
"Ladies and Gentlemen, draw your eyes to the center of the ring!" I heard the announced as I walked onto my platform and was risen from the ground. "We have a very special presentation in store for you!" The voice said as I reached the top, seeing both my targets standing across from me, both looking at the other in confusion. You've seen him lose night after night after night. "This time, he's after fresh meat. In this corner, I give you Deadeye Duncan!" The Announcer said, with the old man waving at the crowd.
'He's going down first.' I thought as I looked from the old man to the young adult. 'Well, I think both of them will go down at once.' I thought, smirking at them.
"In the same corner, one of the greats; a man so tough even a disfiguring injury couldn't end his career. I give you Gerlon Two-Fingers!" The Announcer said, with Gerlon waving at the crowd this time. "And in the other corner, a newcomer to the Taris dueling scene. Emerging from the shadows with no history, no past, and no name... The Mysterious Stranger!" The voice said, with me staring them down, getting ready for the fight.
Seeing the timer drop, I pulled out my DT-29 Blaster Pistols, I shot their guns out of their hands as soon as they drew them, with them grabbing there hands in pain. Seeing them looking at me, I started shooting their feet, making them dance around as I stepped forward. Once close enough, I shot them both in the chest, taking them out.
"Its over! The fight is over! The Mysterious Stranger has won!" The Announcer said, with me spinning my blasters and putting them back in their holsters before walking back to where I had came from. "Deadeye losing isn't news, but the defeat of both Deadeye and Two-Fingers in such a feat is impressive. The Mysterious Stranger has more to him than meets the eye!" The voice said, with me making my return to Ajuur.
Later
Walking up to the Hutt, I saw him looking at me in surprise. "Well, as you can see, I won, and will be taking my credits." I said, with him holding out the bag of credits to me. "Nice doing business with ya, hope to see you again." I said, giving him a salute and started walking away.
"Not so fast." I heard to my left, with me seeing a girl approaching me. "We have a fight, and I believe that this will be a good one on our part." She said, with me nodding.
"Ok, and you are?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"Ice is what you will call me, any thing else and I'll make sure your blood runs cold." She said, with me rolling my eyes.
"Alright, lets head back to the ring, I'll make this quick." I said, with her glaring at me as she lead the way.
Later
"Ladies and Gentlemen, draw your eyes to the center of the ring!" I heard the announced as I walked onto my platform and was risen from the ground. "We have a very special presentation in store for you!" The voice said as I reached the top, seeing Ice standing across from me. "Over in this corner, a woman with steel on her bones and ice water in her veins. She's cold and quick as death itself. You know her, you love her... Ice!" The announcer said, with her getting her gun out already. "And in the other corner, a rising star taking that first step into the big leagues... I give you the Mysterious Stranger!" The Announcer said, with me crossing my arms, not reaching form my guns yet.
As I waited, Ice took aim, with me moving out of the way from her shot by leaning to the left, pulling out one of my blasters and shooting her gun, knocking it out of her hand, shocking her. Walking over to her, I continued to shoot her legs, with her falling to her knees, with me stopping in front of her, with her looking at me as I aimed the gun at her head point blank. "I win." I said, smacking her upside the head with my other gun, knocking her out.
"Its over! The fight is over! The Mysterious Stranger has won!" The Announcer said, with me putting my blasters back in their holsters while walking back to where I had came from. "Ice is knocked out cold! Looks like we have a rising star in the Mysterious Stranger, folks: but how high can this star soar? You'll just have to watch and see!"
Later
Walking up to the Hutt, I saw him looking at me with stars in his eyes. "I will be taking my credits, I have something I need to do." I said, with him holding out the bag of credits to me. "Nice doing business with ya, hope to see you again." I said, giving him a salute and walking over to Carth and Rika, with us walking out.
"How much did you get from that fight?" Carth asked, with me opening the bag.
"Nine hundred credits, seems fair." I said, with Rika taking the sack and looking inside.
"You call that fair?" She asked, looking at me. "I knew you could shoot, but not like that, and what you did to Ice was just cold." She said, with me wrapping an arm around her and rubbing her head.
"Rika my dear, if there's one thing I know, is that I'm the best damn shot in the galaxy." I said, with her shrugging my arm off.
"Only time will tell." Carth said, with us walking out of the Cantina. "Its getting late, we should head back to the room." Carth said, with me grabbing his jacket.
"Hold it, we still have one more mission to take care of." I said, confusing him. "We have to go to that party, to get our disguises." I said, with him nodding.
"Right, I forgot about that." He said, with us following Rika as she was leading the way. As we walked, we reached the end, with Rika stopping to look to her right, where she started making her way over to the building. "Rika, the party is the other way." Carth said, with me following her.
"Somethings here." She said, walking in, with us seeing that it was a Medical Facility.
"I see from your appearance that you are off-worlders." We heard, with us looking to the man as he approached us. "Still, you are welcome here. I'll not have it said that Zelka Forn refused to help somebody just because they weren't a citizen of Taris." The man, Zelka, said, looking at the two of us, with me seeing that Rika was staring at the far room. "Do you require healing or medical supplies? I can treat almost any injury or ailment right here at the medical facility, except the Rakghoul disease, of course." He said, gaining our attention.
"Rakghoul disease?" I asked, with him nodding as Rika walked over to the far side, still focused on the door.
"The terrible affliction has plagued Taris for many generations. It is spread by the Rakghoul's, horrible monsters that live in the Undercity below Taris great skyscrapers. Prolonged exposure to the Undercity breeds the disease and those infected will eventually mutate into Rakghoul's themselves, becoming mindless beasts that feed on the flesh of others." Zelka informed, with me humming in thoughts.
"And there's no cure?" I asked, with him shacking his head.
"There is no antidote for the disease, though I head Republic scientists at the military base here on Taris were close to perfecting a cure. Then the Sith arrived. They over ran the military base and now they refuse to allow anyone access to the laboratories inside. The sith are keeping all the serum for the patrols they send into the Undercity. If I could get my hands on a sample of that serum, the Rakghoul disease could be wiped from the face of Taris forever, but I don't see how that's going to happen." He said, with me placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Sir, I will get you that sample, because disease is something that needs to be destroyed, no matter what it is." I said, with him smiling at me. "If there's one thing I'm good at, its smuggling." I said, giving him a smirk.
"If you could, I would be grateful, everyone on Taris would!" He said, with me nodding. "But, I don't see that happening, no one is stupid enough to attack the base or one of the Undercity sith patrols." He said, with me grinning even more.
"Please, that's me to the T." I said, with him shacking his head.
"Then you are a deadman. If you fail, there would be no trace back to me, but if you prevail, then that could mean the lives of the Undercity would of gotten better. He said, giving me a nod. Please, don't fail." He said, with me nodding and looking at Rika as she had her hand on the door.
"Tell me, have you received any Republic troops, recently?" I asked, with him looking nervous.
"No... Why would you ask me that? I have not involved my self in any way with the republic." He said, with me smirking.
"Are you sure, because my friend there seems interested in what's behind that door, and between the both of us, she is a Republic troop, but something tells me that she might be more. "I said, with him looking at the door. "Like, Jedi more." I said, with him looking at me, then back at the door.
"I'll confess, yes, there are Republic troops on the other side of that door, but they are in critical condition." He said, with Rika looking at us then walking back over to us. "I don't think that they will live much longer, only thing I can do is make sure they their last days are conferrable." He said, with Carth walking up to us.
"Well, for that you have my thanks. Its good to know that at lease some of these men ended up in compassionate hands." Carth said, with me looking at him.
"Better here than in Sith hands." I said, with Zelka nodding his head.
"Anything we can do to help?" Rika asked, with Zelka shacking his head.
"Nothing can be done, I am sorry." He said, with me placing a hand on Rika's shoulder.
"Its for the best that we leave them in your care." I said, with us bowing to Zelka, with me pushing Rika down to bow as I did. "Take care of them, and you as well." I said, with us walking out. As we walked, I took notice to someone spying on us. Taking out my blaster, I pointed it at the man. "Speak, or I will shoot you where you stand!" I said, with him holding his hands up.
"I come to you with a counter offer to the cure!" He said, with me shacking my head at him.
"Sorry, but I don't deal with third rate scum, now beat it!" I said, with him taking off.
"So, we should keep an eye out for anything suspicious like that now." Carth said, with me nodding as we made our way to the party. As we walked, Carth stopped up and pointed at a old man who was getting dragged away. "I know were supposed to keep a low profile, but are we going to let them do this?" He whispered, with me walking up to the two.
"Hold on a second." The human said, looking at me. "Looks we got ourselves a witness here!" He said, looking over at the Aqualish.
"Davik doesn't like-"
"Shut your ass before more gas escapes." I said, shocking them and scaring the old man. "Don't you guys think that picking on an old man is degrading. If you're Bounty Hunters, then go do some actual jobs, not sit here and do something so insulting." I said, with them glaring at me. Seeing them draw there blasters, I was surprised that the human drew a sword. Rika attacked the man while Carth and I took care of the Aqualish. It was short, as the man couldn't handle Rika and the Aqualish was out gunned. Looking at the bodies, Rika and I dragged them to the edge, searched them, then tossed them off the edge, getting rid of them.
"Thank you, but if I cant pay my debt, then Davik will just send more after me, better ones too." The old man said, with me looking at him.
"How much do you have to pay?" I asked, with him looking at me.
"I have to pay a hundred credits, but I only have fifty-"
"Here's a hundred." I said, shocking him. "Looted it off the man, so you're free to pay this Davik." I said, with him smiling and running off.
"You could of used that for something else." Carth said, with me nodding.
"True, but he needed it more." I said, with us continuing.
Later
Walking up to the door that had music, I looked at the other two, with them nodding and turning around to walk about. Scouting the area. Knocking on the door, I watched as Sarna opened it with a bottle in her hand, smirking at me a she leaned against the door. "Hey, you made it! I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show! The party's in full swing - come on in." She said, taking my hand and pulling me in. There were a good amount of people here, each with a bottle in hand and looking drunk already. "You have to try this Tarisian ale - its fantastic! We should have conquered this planet ages ago!" She said, with me taking a bottle and looking at it, keeping my mouth shut as I knew how strong this stuff was and for someone her age drinking this as a party drink, meant that they were going to pass out later... or soon as I didn't know how long they were drinking.
"I think you should slow down, this wines got quite the kick. A couple more bottles and you'll be passed out on the floor!" I said, placing the bottle down.
"Who cares? We're not on duty tomorrow - lets live a little! Come on - drink up!" She said, giving me her bottle and forcing me to drink some. She soon passed out, with me shacking my head as they all started dropping one by one.
"Told ya." I said, shacking my head. "Clear." I said, with Rika and Carth walking in. "Come on, search them and I'll grab the Sith Armors." I said, walking over to the closet and seeing said armors. There was quite a few of them, all from the people around us. Taking out two men's uniforms, I grabbed one female uniform and started walking to the door.
"Come on, we need to get back to our place, well head out in the morning." Carth said, with us taking off so that to make sure that we weren't seen.