Revered and Reviled

Patience stepped back from the Twi'lek dancer, sweating from her exertions, and listened to her thanks as the promoter told her that they had passed the audition.
"Where did you learn to dance like that?"
She shrugged, suddenly embarrassed as she realized that Carth had watched the entire performance. "Doesn't everyone know how to dance?"
"Not like that," grinned Carth.
Patience smiled back, "I could give you a few lessons, if you like." She swayed seductively, mocking him.
Carth laughed, then stepped up to her, slipped an arm around her waist. "Okay. Go ahead."
Patience looked at him in surprise, and they smiled at each other. "All right," she laughed. To her surprise, Carth didn't need any lessons, and matched her steps perfectly. Patience laughed in surprise, then in genuine joy. She put her arms around his neck, and they danced together, smiling and laughing, for the rest of the song.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," Patience looked at him, wondering, hoping he wouldn't bring up her past again.
"Why do you dye your hair?"
"Oh, are my roots showing?" she touched her head nervously.
Carth laughed at her, shook his head. "No, I noticed it when you were unconscious, after the crash."
"Oh." She sighed in relief. "I do it to make myself look older. I know, most women want to look younger. I don't. I'm already too short for anyone to take me seriously. Dark hair makes you look more authoritative."
"I would have thought the two swords made you look authoritative enough."
"You would think so, but no, it doesn't."
"You would look a lot prettier with your natural hair color."
"That's the problem! I look too pretty. By the Maker, that sounds conceited. But it's true."
Carth threw back his head and laughed. "You're quite a woman, Patience Keçrye." He smiled down at her. "You know, I'm glad you're here. We just might make it out of this okay."
"You know, coming from you, that's quite the vote of confidence."
Carth grinned at her. "Okay, enough fooling around. Let's meet up with the Hidden Beks, and see about this swoop race and rescuing Bastila."
"Okay, let's go." They walked out of the cantina, and started back towards the gang's hideout. She glanced at his profile, somber and dark again. "What?"
Carth grinned, half-heartedly. "Am I thinking too loud again?"
"Yes. I can feel the distrust rolling off you."
"I'm just thinking about the whole memory loss thing, it's really… odd."
"Do you want to see the scar? It's right at the back of my head. Look!" Patience started to undo her ponytail.
"No, that's okay, I believe you, it's just… I'm sorry, I'm just not very good at accepting coincidences. Not anymore."
Patience didn't respond. She didn't like to hear Carth so bitter and angry. She liked it better when he laughed. "You didn't compliment my dancing. For that matter, you didn't pay me for the lesson!" She waggled her finger in his face. "I see what this is about! You're just trying to distract me from what you owe me!"
Stunned, Carth stared at her, then realized what she was doing, and chuckled. "Fine, just put it on my tab."
"Don't think I'll forget, mister."
Carth laughed quietly. "Come on." They entered the base.
Carth didn't trust her, and she couldn't blame him for it. He was right, this whole thing - her memory loss, the crash, the lost Jedi - it was odd. Hopefully, the Jedi Bastila would be able to help, and explain who Patience was, what she was doing here, why the Jedi Council had sent her on the Endar Spire in the first place. The Hidden Beks explained their plan for winning the swoop race with the experimental accelerator that Carth and Patience had recovered for them.
"You want us to do what?" Carth exclaimed.
"Look, I can't put one of my racers on this bike. It might blow up," said Gadon, the leader of the Hidden Beks.
"Oh, but it's okay to make us do it!"
But it seemed the only way to save the Jedi was to win the swoop race.
"I'll do it," Patience offered.
"What?"
"Have you ever raced a swoop bike before?" asked Gadon.
Patience shrugged. "Does it matter? All I have to do is not fall off, right?"
"Have you lost your mind?" Carth demanded.
"Yes," Patience grinned. "Didn't we just talk about this? Do you want to check the scar again, or something?"
Carth tried to glare at her, but ended up laughing. "All right, you win. You'll probably be fine. Just don't push it," he warned. "Let one of the Hidden Beks win, and try to keep out of everyone else's way."
Patience nodded.
"Did you hear anything I just said?" asked Carth in irritation.
"Oh, yes, of course. Only," she frowned, "you didn't mention anything about how good I would look on a bike, or anything about how sexy I am, or – "
"Okay, let's just go."
"Nothing about a box of chocolates and some flowers for all my hard work, or any jewelry, or – okay, stop pushing me, I'm going!" She grinned at Carth, and followed the Hidden Beks to the racing compound.
Patience looked over the bike again. Strange, unfamiliar, and yet… she ran a hand over the lines of the bike. It was built for speed. It looked dangerous. She looked at the track, curving sinuously into the distance, then back at the bike. It looked like fun.
"Are you ready?" asked the Ithorian mechanic.
Patience nodded, and got on the bike. She looked down at herself, then out at the crowd. A sea of faces, cheering, shouting, and the only one she could make out was Carth, frowning. Concerned for her safety, racing on an experimental second-hand bike that could blow up at any second. She smiled at him and waved, even though she knew he couldn't see her under the helmet, but she saw him relax, as if he somehow knew that she was trying to reassure him.
At least I look good in these racing leathers, she thought to herself, so if I die, I'll leave a sexy corpse. Patience started the bike, and waited for the starter signal to leap forward.
The wind whipped past her, challenging her. There were other racers on the field, but they didn't matter now. It was only Patience, and the wind. She slipped past the other bikes, taking the curves as fast as she dared the first time, then faster and faster. The wind sang to her, dared her to push her limits and break them. The bike hummed beneath her, the experimental accelerator clicking solidly as she flew past the other riders. The machine responded to her trust, promised to hang on as long as she would keep going.
She laughed, wild and joyous as she sped around the track, dodging the other bikes, the debris scattered here and there. No, she had never done this before but now she wanted to. She hoped there would be more races she could try, more competitors she could beat. The final lap started, and Patience left the other racers in her exhaust. She was more than a full length ahead of the next rider. With a wild cry of joy, she ran the bike in for the finish, and heard the crowd go wild at her success.
Patience pulled off the borrowed helmet, and stepped off the bike, with the help of the Hidden Beks' mechanic. She patted the bike gratefully, and walked up to the organizer to collect Bastila and the other prizes. She collected her weapons and armor, and geared up again while Brejik, the rival gang leader, gave the speech where Patience was acknowledged as the winner.
"But because the winner cheated," Brejik snarled suddenly, "I'm going to withdraw my share of the prize!"
"What?" snapped Patience.
The race organizer protested, but Brejik brushed his complaints aside. "I know you cheated!" he shouted at Patience. "And I'm not giving her up."
Patience looked over at the cage where Bastila was locked up. The Jedi looked half-dazed, but seemed to waking up a bit. "I didn't cheat, you jerk!"
"Yes, you did! Do you think I didn't know about the accelerator? You stole it from our base, after all!"
Patience glared at the gang leader. "Okay, so how did you know about the accelerator, then? And what was it doing at your base anyway?" She gestured angrily at the bike. "Go ahead and check the bike, you gizka! I didn't cheat!"
Brejik stared at her in surprise, unable to tell if she was bluffing or not. While he hesitated, Bastila suddenly seemed to awake.
"If it's all right with both of you, I'll just be going now." Bastila opened the cage and stepped out.
"What?" Brejik shouted, "I had a neural suppressor on you. That door was locked! How did you get out?"
"It fell off," said Bastila sharply. "Now, as I said – "
"Stop her!" Brejik shouted, and the Black Vulkars drew their weapons.
"Here!" Patience kicked one of the gang members, disabling him and grabbed his blade, tossed it to the Jedi.
"Who are you?" Bastila demanded as she caught the sword.
"I'm here with Carth Onasi! We came to rescue you!" Patience drew her swords, and drove back two of the attacking gang.
Carth jumped over the railing, and blasted a Black Vulkar who was trying to shoot Bastila in the back. The other companions they had picked up, the Twi'lek girl, Mission Vao and the Wookie, Zaalbar, were covering the entrance.
Bastila cut down two more Black Vulkars, and then she joined Patience, who was facing down Brejik. Together, the two women beat down his guard and broke through his shields. Brejik fell finally, fighting to the last, just as Carth made it to them.
"Come on, we have to get out of here!" Carth pointed towards the exit, where the Hidden Beks were having a running fight with every other gang on Taris.
"Wait!" Bastila searched Brejik's body, and pulled out a long metal rod. "Finally."
"Is that your lightsaber?" asked Carth curiously. "How did you – "
"I dropped it," snapped Bastila sharply. "Let's get out of here, quickly."
"You dropped your lightsaber?" said Patience in disbelief. "How?"
"I couldn't find it after the crash," Bastila blushed. "It must have rolled under a seat, or something. Can we please discuss this later? This is hardly the place."
Carth and Patience looked at each other, and tried not to laugh at the Jedi's embarrassment.