KotOR I: Orin Dakall

The other two followed Orin. As she stooped to examine a holocron in the severed arm of a Bith, Mission turned to Carth.



“Can I... can I talk to you for a second?”



He raised an eyebrow. “Are you ready to have a civil chat? Or is this going to be another childish tantrum?”



“Tantrum?! I’m trying to apologize, you nerf-herder!”



He shrugged and began to move on.



“Wait,” she said, blocking him with her hand, “Uh, I mean, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get mad at you.”



“Which time?” Orin called over.



“How does she have such good hearing?” Carth asked, looking over.



Mission cleared her throat, and he looked back at her.



“I get it. She’s hot and human and whatever. But you could try to get through one conversation without staring at her.”



Carth turned slightly pinkish and muttered something about biology.



“Uh huh. Whatever. Look, I’m just sick of you guys treating me like I’m a helpless kid.”



“Yeah,” Carth said, scratching the scab on the back of his neck awkwardly. “I know. And I’m sorry about what I said too. I... I’m just a little on edge lately. Not surprising...” Don’t look at Dakall. Don’t look at Dakall. “...considering all we’ve been through.” He shook his head. “But I shouldn’t take it out on you.”



“What’s with all the apologies?” Orin yelled. “Fight! Fight! Fight!” She lowered her pumping fist, putting it on her hip. “You think we’re gonna die, don’t you?”



“‘We’, not so much,” Carth said with a wry smile in her direction. “You, however... That’s a certainty.”



He turned to Mission, but not before seeing Orin flip him off. “Mission, you have to know that we don’t think you’re helpless. Look where we are, look at what we’re doing. You’re not just along for the ride. We need you.”



The Twi’lek bit her lip. “You, you really mean it, don’t you?” She looked down, fidgeting with a loose flap on her armor. “Nobody’s ever said anything like that to me before. Not even Big Z.” She smiled and gave a little shrug. “He might think it, but he’s not really one for words, you know? Thanks.”



“Ah, it’s no big deal,” he said, clapping her on the shoulder as they moved toward an impatient Orin. “I know how it is. Sometimes you kids just need to hear a few words of encouragement.”



“You kids??” she snarled, throwing off his arm. “Listen you...” she trailed off, seeing Orin bent double in gleeful snickering. Carth smiled guiltily. “Okay, you got me,” she said. “You’re pretty funny, Carth. For a geezer.”



He held a hand to his heart, mortally wounded.



“You done with the heartfelt bonding yet?” Orin asked, tapping her foot, and trying to hide her faint smile. “Between that and the stink from my new pet, the fact that I’ve not vomited is really enough to make me believe in miracles.”



Carth curled his lip in disgust. “I don’t care how 'eccentric' you are. You are not keeping a Bith’s arm.”



“I don’t think he’s looking for it,” she said, peering into the next room. “But I wasn’t talking about that. I was talking about that.” She pointed.



Carth bent his head around the corner and gagged at the reek of rotting corpses and excrement.



“Isn’t he gorgeous?” Orin gushed. “His name’s Petey.”



Mission tried to stifle a giggle. Carth rolled his eyes.



“Yeah, well, unless you can train him in 15 minutes, we really don’t have time for you to adopt him.”



Orin’s face fell. “Stupid Bastila. Haven’t even met the brat and she’s still managing to ruin all my fun.” She sighed, then squared her shoulders. “Well, I have to say goodbye, at least.” She flipped on her stealth generator and was gone.



“Get your blaster ready,” Carth told Mission.



“Wha, I thought--”



“Just do it. Aim for the eyes.”



They waited, blasters trained on the gigantic rancor.



After a minute or two, Mission’s arm was getting tired. She braced it with her other hand, then squinted at the rancor’s feet. “Do you see...”



“What?”



“I don’t know. Something.”



They heard a whistle. The rancor whirled around, trying to find its source.



“Peeeeetey! Come ‘ere boy!” It was in the corner opposite them. The rancor lumbered over, pausing, confused, as it saw nothing over there. Then there was a shimmer and Orin appeared, pistol trained on the floor in front of it.



Bang.



The floor erupted in a shower of concrete from the half dozen frag mines she’d overlapped in front of it. With a roar, Petey fell. The dust was still rising as Orin sprinted over, gave him a quick peck on the forehead, and tossed a grenade in his panting mouth. “I’ll never forget you.”



She vaulted over his head and ran down his back, doing a mid-air flip as she jumped off his stubby tail. She crouched where she landed, covering her ears as the grenade went off.



The dust settled.



Carth and Mission, a bit dazed, walked into the room.



“Dakall?”



She exploded out of her crouch with a whoop. “Did you see that??” She burst into true, full laughter. “That was... It was... I took down a rancor! Can you fucking believe it??” She let out another whoop.



“She really is crazy,” Mission said.



“I keep trying to tell people, but they never believe me,” Carth replied.



Orin paused, as though she suddenly recalled... “But Petey! She dashed to the biggest piece of it that remained, throwing herself on it, sniffling. “You would’ve been the bestest pet ever,” she moaned. “We could’ve rampaged the streets of Coruscant...”



“Um,” Carth said, patting her shoulder, “I’m sure he’s better off where he is now.”



She looked up at him. “Where he is now?” She looked around. “What, on the walls?”



He sighed in exasperation. “You can get another one. Somehow. Once we--”



“--find Bastila, the girl-wonder,” she said with a sulk.



“If... If it makes you feel any better,” Mission said, “I really liked Petey. I mean, I didn’t really get a chance to know him, but...”



Orin stood and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Thank you.”



She shrugged. “And, you know, you took down a rancor.”



Orin couldn’t fight the grin that grew on her face.



“Yeah, yeah,” Carth said, checking his holocron for the time. “She’s great. Time to go.”



Orin glowered. “So you can take time for bonding, but I don’t get a few moments to mourn the loss of my first pet?”



“Yes.”



She gave a martyr’s sigh and hefted her pack. As they headed for the door to the Vulkar base, Carth looked over at her with guarded disbelief.



“You’ve really never had a pet?”



“Did you not meet Petey?”