A Life Twice Lived

A/N: Thank you to those who have been reading this story so far. I hope you're enjoying this particular spin on things. As far as whether Skye will be light or dark side, I'm not really going to commit to either one right now. I want to make her real, most of all, and I know that we don't always do the right things in real life. This is about her inner struggle and her relationships with others. You can judge for yourself whether you think she's a good or bad person - or maybe somewhere in between.

Disclaimer: I can claim no ownership of KOTOR and make no money from the writing of this fiction.

Day 7 (continued)

Carth and I made our way over the plaza and toward the Cantina. We stopped by the Equipment Emporium that the old janitor, Kadir, told us of. The proprietor, Keebla Yurt, was very friendly. We asked her about the escape pods and she said she heard that a couple of them crashed down in the Under City. She was certain that anything of value from them had already been taken by the Sith, the swoop gangs, or Davik's men.

Davik, a name we were starting to hear a lot. I asked her about him and she explained he was part of the big intergalactic crime syndicate called the Exchange. He dealt in smuggling, slavery, extortion and everything illegal. He even made Keebla pay a monthly fee - a 'protection' fee. But, apparently, Keebla didn't mind as she received most of her merchandise through Davik's operations. She just doesn't ask where it comes from.

Keebla also told us about the two main swoop gangs in the Lower City: the Black Vulcars and the Hidden Beks. She warned us to stay out of the Lower City because these two gangs were at war and many innocent people were getting killed just walking down the street. She also mentioned that the Sith aren't doing anything to help the situation.

Carth and I left Keebla's shop and made our way to the Cantina. We found a table and decided to order a few drinks and something to eat. Taking one sip of Tarisian ale, I decided I wanted to know more about this man I am working with. Carth had already downed half his glass of ale, and I could tell he was on the verge of intoxication as he began looking at me in a flirtatious manner. I didn't mind. He was, well, adorable for lack of a better word.

Somewhere in our conversation, he slipped in a comment of me being beautiful and I asked him if he was flirting with me. He denied it, saying it was just a habit.

A habit? I wanted to laugh, but I think I would have confused him at this point. I always thought that one would have to repeat an action over and over for it to become a habit, and as far as I knew, this was the first time he had called me beautiful, unless he says that to all the women.

I told him I wanted to get to know him better and he became a bit defensive. Not the reaction I was hoping for. But the clever man quickly turned the table on me and began asking me about my past.

I explained that I was a smuggler, recruited by the Republic fleet for my knowledge and skills.

"A smuggler?" he said. "I should have guessed. Isn't it odd, however, that a smuggler who was added to the crew at the last minute just happens to be alive?"

I didn't quite get what he was saying. He told me that Bastila specifically requested me for this mission, and the fact that I happened to survive out of all the people on board seemed suspicious to him.

This conversation definitely wasn't going the way I had wanted. It started out great, with flirting, and now Carth is accusing me of having something to do with what happened on the Endar Spire! Can you believe it?

When I expressed my irritation at his accusation, he said it was nothing personal. It was just that he didn't trust anyone. He hinted at someone betraying him before and that's why he learned not to take things at face value.

It was obviously a hurt that ran deep, because he wouldn't elaborate on what happened and he clamed up when I tried to dig further. Stubborn man, not even Tarisian ale could get him talking.

"Well, we are on the same side, Carth," I said to him. We had finished our meal and I told him we needed to mingle and speak to people in order to find our answers. "I think it's best if we separate for now. People seem more approachable when they are alone." Carth, who was still brooding, nodded his head. I watch as he sauntered off, approaching a woman at another table who immediately looked at Carth with interest.

I rolled my eyes and said, "Oh, please!" Getting up from the table, I walked off in the opposite direction. I went into the music room which featured a Bith band and two Twi'lek dancers. This was a room populated with men, as it seemed the skimpily clad dancers held a certain appeal to them.

A man named Jergan introduced himself to me. He was a big fan of this band apparently and he asked me if I'd like to meet them for 20 credits. "No, I'm not interested," I told him. I walked off; irritated at having a sales pitch thrown at me the moment I walked in. I noticed a man standing in the back of the music room and decided that he looked approachable.

He was friendly, if not a bit guarded. His name was Yun Genda, a Sith junior officer with the Sith occupation force. A flag went up in my mind and I knew that I just may be able to get some information of value from him. I decided to pour on the charm. Like most men, he enjoyed talking about himself and it didn't surprise me that he wasn't happy being stationed on Taris. He explained that most of the locals didn't like the Sith and so it was quite lonely and he was not having much fun.

I made an extra effort at softening my gaze and letting him see my interest. It worked. He ended up inviting me to a party tonight that some of the Sith were throwing to let off a little steam and have some fun. He said, "I really would like to see you again."

"I would like that, too," I flirted. He gave me directions and then left for his shift at the military base. I sighed, thinking that a room of drunken Sith ought to be a good place to hear news.

I walked out of the music room, proud of having made a date so quickly, only to have my mood dashed by the snobby comments of Tarisian nobles. Some looked at me in distaste and I overheard comments about my clothing. Stupid prigs! I quickly made my way into a large room where people were gathered, watching a monitor screen.

It seemed to be a duel of some sort between an old man and a blaster-wielding opponent. The old man dropped his blaster on the floor and the other man took the opportunity to shoot him down. I thought it was a comedy and I let out a loud laugh causing the other people around to look at me in surprise. I pointed at the screen and said, "Did you see that? That was so pathetic!"

"That was Deadeye Duncan," a spectator replied. "He always loses."

"Always?" I ask. "Why does he keep doing it?"

"Because he has tenacity, if not talent," a voice answered from behind the crowd. My eyes sought out the man with the voice and I made my way through the crowd to him. "Hello, I haven't seen you around here before. I'm Marl, one of the duelists," he said.

"Nice to meet you, Marl. I'm Skye Avery. What are these duels all about?" I asked in curiosity.

"Two combatants enter the ring and one leaves on a stretcher. No one dies, however. Death matches became illegal awhile back," he explained.

I had a good talk with him about the other duelists and how the duels operate. Apparently there are good credits to be made here. 'Carth and I needed credits,' I thought. I glanced over at Deadeye Duncan and I knew it would be easy money indeed.

It didn't surprise me that a Hutt ran the duel operation. Wherever there was gambling, there seemed to be a Hutt. I walked up to the Hutt in charge, Ajuur, and let him know of my interest in dueling. He was very happy to have someone new because everyone was tired of watching the same old duelists. We decided on a duel name, the Mysterious Stranger, and he arranged a fight with Deadeye Duncan.

I had to wait an hour for Ajuur to announce it to the public and for the spectators to purchase seats for the duel. I walked up to Deadeye and introduced myself. That was a mistake. He was very offensive and threatened to wipe the ring with me. So much for good sportsmanship.

I left for the moment and watched the Pazaak players. A man named Niklos, who seemed very full of himself, was laughing at everyone who lost to him while his Pazaak groupie hung onto his arm and giggled at his bad comments. No one I met seemed to want to talk until I found an old man, Garouk, by the Pazaak table. He told me pretty much the same thing that Keebla did about Taris. He also had a Pazaak deck he was selling for 50 credits because he was giving up gambling. "Too old," he said. "It's a young man's game."

'Or a young woman,' I thought. I looked guiltily around the Cantina, hoping that Carth wouldn't see me spend 50 of our precious credits on a Pazaak deck. I felt confident that I could win the credits back and then some. Pazaak didn't look that difficult. The kind old Garouk also gave me a Pazaak lesson for free and I picked up a lot of good tips from him.

By now, however, it was time for my duel and I rushed back to the dueling room and through the door to the arena. "Where have you been?" snapped Ajuur.

"I'm here, aren't I?" I snapped back.

I stepped into the starting spot and looked across the arena to Deadeye Duncan on the other side. "Remember, don't finish him off after he goes down," warned Ajuur. Even Ajuur knew Deadeye was done for.

I glanced around the arena at the spectators while the announcer began introducing us to the crowd. It was a heady feeling to have all these people clapping and cheering for you. Or perhaps they were cheering for Deadeye. 'Who knows,' I shrugged. I pulled out my vibroblade and watched Duncan as he held his blaster with a shaky hand.

"Easy money," I mumbled.

"What did you say?" Deadeye yelled at me.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head, waiting for the starting signal.

"I'm going to pulverize you, fresh meat!" Deadeye taunted me. I looked at him and the thought came to me that if I but waved my blade at him, he'd wet his pants. The crowd seemed to love his bravado, however. They cheered at each of his forced comments.

"How dare you think to go against Deadeye Duncan," he yelled at me. "I will mess you up!"

The signal went off and I ran toward him. His blaster shook as he shot off round after round at me, missing most of the time. "Ahhh," Deadeye yelled when I raised my sword and took him down with one strike. The crowd cheered, but I knew that it was not much of a show. Surely they had better fighters than this?

Ajuur paid me 100 credits for that duel and I felt less guilty about buying that Pazaak deck when I left the arena. Carth was waiting outside the room, his arms crossed and an irritated look on his face.

"Great way to keep a low profile!" he snapped. "I happen to walk by one the monitors and low and behold, there you are."

"Oh, Carth, don't be that way. Look, I've made 100 credits. It's an easy way to support us while we search for Bastila," I told him. "Besides, I didn't use my name."

"What if you had gotten hurt?" he persisted.

"Oh, please," I said. "Did you see that guy? These duelists are not very tough." I smiled at him and added, "Aren't you happy that I made some credits?"

Carth sighed and said, "Yeah, I suppose it's a benefit."

"I thought you were busy with that blonde…" I prodded, pressing for information.

"Sarna?" Carth replied. "Yeah, we talked for awhile. She's a Sith soldier. Complained about her job quite a bit, but she didn't tell me much of value. Clamed up after awhile when I asked too many questions. How about you, any luck?"

"Maybe," I answered. "I met a Sith officer, Yun Genda. He's invited me to a party tonight."

"A Sith party?" Carth asked with wide eyes.

"No, a rakghoul party," I answered, sarcastically. "Of course a Sith party. I can overhear all their drunken comments. Perhaps they'll talk about Bastila or the escape pods."

"I don't like it," Carth frowned. "I should go with you."

I shook my head. "No, Yun was hoping to see me again, you understand? I can't arrive with another man." Carth seemed put out by this and shrugged, deciding to punish me with silence.

We walked out of the Cantina to return to our apartment, only to find two Rodians waiting to attack us. We fought them and took their equipment away. I thought the Upper City was supposed to be safe?

"Stupid brat!" Carth muttered, looking down the street.

"Pardon me?" I asked, insulted.

"Not you," Carth replied. "Those thugs were sent by a family of nobles."

"Why?" I asked in confusion.

"Well, I kind of insulted the daughter when I went to the bar for a drink. She thought I was the waiter and she was very snippy with me. Let's just say a snipped back," Carth grinned.

"You sure know how to make friends," I replied.

It was back to the silent cold-shouldered Carth. Did I mention how handsome I find brooding men? A secret part of me thrilled that Carth seemed jealous of my date with Yun tonight. Didn't he know that it was all part of the job? I looked at him as we walked back to the apartment and knew that I'd rather spend an evening holed up with Carth in our apartment, than attend a drunken Sith party with Yun Genda pawing at me. But we needed information, and what better place to get it than straight from the mouth of a Sith.

Day 8

I've just woke up and my head is hurting bad. I underestimated the effects of Tarisian ale last night and I think that the Sith did as well. Let me recount the events at the party.

I arrived at the apartment in which Yun had directed me and found the party in full swing. Yun was very happy to see me. He obviously didn't think I would show. I also saw Sarna there and remembered feeling relieved that I had told Carth not to come to the party.

Earlier, I put the Pazaak deck in his hand and told him to win us some credits. I was happy he didn't ask where the cards came from. I think he assumed that I had brought them with me from the Endar Spire in my pack.

So with Carth at the Cantina, I spent my evening dancing, drinking and pushing Yun's hands away from certain parts of my body. I wish I hadn't drunk so much myself as I cannot seem to remember who said what, and even what was said by whom. Needless to say, we all pathetically passed out on the floor and I was roused in the wee hours of the night by the scowling and concerned face of Carth looming over me.

When I hadn't returned from the party, he came searching and found us all on the floor in drunken stupors. I was happy to see him. "Carth…," I slurred, "do you want to dance with me?"

"You're drunk," he stated, trying to help me to my feet again. "I suppose you didn't get much information tonight, did you?"

He had his arm about my waist as I held on to him unsteadily. "No…," I said. "But… look over there, Carth, - uniforms." I had seen the uniforms stacked in a corner earlier and I knew that if we possessed a few of those, we could get into places we normally couldn't.

Carth seemed thoughtful as he looked at the uniforms. We took a pack of one of the Sith and dumped everything out of it. Then Carth shoved two Sith uniforms inside of it before helping me stagger back to our apartment. His arm was about me and my head kept falling onto his shoulder. He was so warm and smelt so good. It was almost worth this hangover to feel his arm around me like that. How long has it been since I felt so cared for?

When we arrived back at the apartment, he placed me on my bed and I fell asleep immediately.

Now it's morning and Carth is anxious to be off again. My head is fit to burst and I'm not in the mood for exploring. But, alas, we need to find a way off this planet with its head-splitting ale. Carth says there is a medical facility down the street and that maybe they'd have something there that could help me. Sounds like that will be our first stop then.
At least Carth seems nicer today. Perhaps he feels my hangover is punishment enough.

OOOOO

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