KotOR I: Orin Dakall

Oh man, guys. I'm sure you're irritated that it's taken so long for an update, but I promise you I'm irritated myself. This past week has just been working endlessly on another writing project (which I may get paid for) and somehow fitting in the day job and a few hours of sleep. Not even hours, some days. I'm glad to be back though, and hopefully things will be regular again. At least until I move next month.



yoshidoce--I've only read the first two chapters of your story, but I really like that Revan remembers everything and has her own agenda. And Trask living makes it a lot more interesting--changing an element like that makes a walkthrough a lot less predictable. Nice. And how can you get through so much story so fast?? Here I am on chapter fifty, and we're still on bloody Taris!



Thanks for your patience, guys. And if you've been impatient, well, thanks for checking back and reading in spite of that.



Enjoy. I'm off to bed.



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"So... you guys are just gonna go get a droid?" Mission asked, sprawling down onto Orin's vacated bed-space.



Orin couldn't help her smile. "Not the life of endless excitement you thought it'd be?"



Mission shrugged. "I sort of thought that, well, I mean, if you guys don't need me, there's something else I could do."



"Like what?"



The Twi'lek looked suddenly flustered. "Nothing important. Just, you know, stuff to keep me occupied and out of trouble."



Orin raised an eyebrow, glancing at Zaalbar, then back. She shrugged. "It's okay by me."



"Yeah, go ahead, Mission," Carth added. "It's not like you'll be missing anything interesting."



He lied. They'd barely made it out of the apartment when Carth, staring straight ahead, spoke.



"Just how many death matches were you in on Nar Shaddaa?"



"I--"



"You were on Nar Shaddaa?" Bastila looked over, surprised.



"It's where--"



"Answer my question."



"Carth, I--"



"Actually, I think--"



"STOP!" Orin held her arms outstretched and a hand up to each of them. She looked back and forth between the two of them like she might pounce on the next to move. "I don't know what you were told, but this is fetch-the-droid time. Not interrogate-Orin time."



"Dakall," Carth began. Orin growled and thrust her hand forward again.



"Droid." She gave each a stern look, then continued walking.



"Fine," he muttered. Orin clenched her jaw, but kept moving. "I was just looking for clarification. I mean, if you've gone through more opponents than Bendak, there's really no point in me nagging you, is there?"



"So, I just have to say I've killed thousands and you'll leave me alone?"



"That's it."



They never paused their walking, and the silence stretched into increasingly palpable awkwardness. They were nearly at Janice Nall's droid shop when:



"Answer him!"



Orin and Carth turned to Bastila, stunned.



"I don't know how many people I've killed," Orin said, still staring a bit wide-eyed at the Jedi. She blinked and shot a glance at Carth. "I've never been in a death match, though."



He grunted in response. For a moment his face showed relief, but then it was worry. Then annoyed and grumbly again.



He looks like that more and more, Orin thought. If he wasn't old enough to have a couple kids I'd warn him about frown lines. He looked at her questioningly and she quickly moved toward the shop again. For being so keen on rescuing Bastila, he sure has been moping a lot since we found her.



"Customers?" A pretty Twi'lek looked up from the innards of a protocol droid and quickly wiped the grease on her hands off onto her pants. "Come in, come in! Janice Nall at your service. Welcome to my droid and droid supply shop."



Orin was about to glare at Carth for the dumb smile on his face as he gazed at Janice, but then she realized Bastila was already doing it for her.



Jedi's got a little crush! Ugh, but he's gotta be twice her age...



"Always good to see new faces," Janice continued. "Customers are hard to come by. A lot of Taris citizens won't even come in here; they refuse to shop at a store owned by Twi'lek."



"We aren't Tarisian," Orin said. "Are you sure it's not because you're female?"



"That might be part of it," the Twi'lek conceded. "But they really don't like 'aliens' here in Upper Taris. They tolerate us Twi'leks, but they'd rather see us as dancers in the cantina than successful business owners."



"Still sounds like a sexism issue to me."



"You'd think people would be a bit more tolerant of others in this day and age," Carth shaking his head and sighing, the infatuated look not completely gone from his eyes. "I guess stupidity and ignorance will never go out of style."



Janice gave him a grateful smile. Orin tried not to snort.



He's going to sweet talk his way into her bed if he gets a chance, she thought, utterly amused. Particularly at the strained look on Bastila's face. Man, bonus points if we get to drop her off with her master. This and losing the lightsaber would be prime anecdotes to share.



"You'll see a few aliens around, but most non-humans stick to Lower City."



"Have you considered kicking that crazy old man spouting garbage propaganda about non-humans out from in front of your store?"



Janice gave her a knowing look and Orin nodded, pursing her lips.



"Right. No one's going to enforce it."



"And a lot of business owners in the area are just waiting for me to do anything they can spin against me. They'd have government police on me before I'd gotten near Gorton." She shook her head and smiled. "I've learned not to dwell on it, though. I try to stay focused on running my store."



She gestured around, leading them further into the dimly lit gallery and workroom. "My selection is limited right now--the Sith confiscated my assault droids. But I've got a utility droid you might find interesting."



Bastila broke in before Orin could reply or Carth could openly drool. "Canderous Ordo informed us that you would sell the T3-M4 droid to us." She was stiff and formal, even moreso than was typical for her.



"Canderous sent you!" Janice beamed. "Well, why didn't you say so? It's ready and yours for 2000 credits."



Carth was already pulling out the roll of credits. Orin put her hand on his chest, stopping him.



"That price is outrageous! An astrodroid for 2000? I'll give you half, tops."



"Half?" Janice responded, sounding just as disbelieving. "If you're trying to rob me, why not just stick a blaster in my face?"



Orin was actually a little tempted to. Negotiations would be so much simpler.



"1500," Janice said. "I want to stay on Davik's good side."



"If you want to stay on his good side--" Orin began darkly, but Carth immediately cut her off, handing over the credits.



"Deal."