KotOR I: Orin Dakall

Orin ducked her head to avoid Jergan’s gaze as they passed the band, and she noticed a man standing alone in a dark corner. She turned so suddenly that Carth had to pick her out of the crowd and backtrack to her. By the time he reached her, she was chatting up a dark-haired man, probably younger than herself.



“--Yun Gunda - junior officer first class with the Sith occupation force.”



Orin smiled shyly at him and tilted her head in a way that irritated Carth with its cuteness.



“Nice to meet you, Yun. I’m Orin Dakall.”



She would flirt with him, Carth thought. She’s just trying to annoy me. No Sith is going to--



But Yun was smiling shyly back, and scuffing one shoe along the floor. “I’m actually a little surprised you’re talking to me at all... Most people on Taris can’t stand us Sith.” He looked down, shrugging. “It can make this a pretty lonely job.”



“But that’s just it!” Orin said, indignation coloring her now-plaintive voice, “It’s just your job, right?” She blushed slightly and looked down as well, saying softly, “I don’t hold that against you.”



And Carth, standing behind Yun, believed her. But if she’s sympathetic to the Sith... he thought, How did she end up on the Spire? An ugly word floated into his mind which he tried to ignore. She was beyond unorthodox as a soldier, but there was nothing to suggest... Or was stealing from civilians and manipulating everyone she saw suggestion enough? He watched her, studying for some small sign, some proof. There was nothing definite, but Carth had a feeling she could tailor herself to whomever she spoke to, so he wasn’t likely to find anything. Still, that word seemed to sneak from his mind and emblazon itself on her forehead. Saboteur.



Orin stepped closer to Yun, gazing up into his dark eyes as he smiled hopefully down at her. “I’ll be there,” she said. Yun looked relieved and Carth mentally kicked himself for getting so caught up in studying her that he hadn’t heard what he’d been saying the past minute. Yun grasped her hand, squeezing it, and Carth felt another surge of irritance.



“Don’t be late,” Yun said, grinning. “We’re starting right after our shifts end.”



He turned and bumped into the hovering Carth.



“Mind not standing in everyone’s walkway?” he snarled, giving Carth a shove with his shoulder as he moved past. Carth glared, watching him go, hand creeping toward his blaster.



“And we have our in,” Orin said, as Yun disappeared from view. Carth’s hand detoured nonchalantly into his vest pocket. “Good thinking, hanging back. He wouldn’t have been nearly so open if he’d seen you around, listening in.” She nodded in approval, and he noticed the puppy-love look was gone from her eyes as she moved toward the last room of the cantina.



“So you were just toying with him?” Carth asked as he followed, not sure whether to believe what he saw now, or the blushing, coy Orin of a few moments ago. She looked back at him, surprised.



“That was the plan, wasn’t it? Get under one’s defenses so we could get the information we’ll need to find Bastila.” She smiled. “The party’s better than I could’ve hoped for. I was afraid I’d have to... take more distasteful measures.” Her smile turned grim. “As long as they’re drinking Tarisian ale, we shouldn’t have any problems.” Something in her tone intensified Carth’s worry. She sounded... hateful. But if she hates the Sith, what’s the problem? He just couldn’t understand this woman.



She punched him lightly on the shoulder. “Hey, you decide that Jedi’s not worth it, just say the word,” she said. “I bet I can find us a way off this rock without her.” A joking grin flitted across her face. “You could be back with your beloved soldiers just as soon as we find friendly space.” He glared at her. “Right,” she sighed. “Right. Key to Republic victory and whatnot.” She headed for a massive Hutt at the back of the room. “Back to work then.”



“I’m sorry, human,” he croaked at her. “The betting window’s closed. No more fights right now. People are sick of seeing the same duelists all the time. It’s bad for business. Unless...” She felt nauseous as his eyes slid over her body, taking in the blaster and swords, but lingering too long on other places. “My name is Ajuur. I organize all the duels here.”



Duels? Her eyes lit up in anticipation.



“Maybe you want to step into the duel ring? It can be a highly profitable venture.”



“I might be interested...” she began, seeing Carth roll his eyes. Apparently she hadn’t hidden her excitement too well. She cleared her throat, suddenly looking bored. “What’s in this for me?”



“You win, you get the standard contract: 10% of all wagers. And don’t worry, nobody dies in the duel ring anymore. Death matches are illegal.”



“The dueling rings in Nar Shaddaa were shut down entirely,” Orin said. “Though that might’ve been because no one stopped doing death matches even after that legislation was passed...”



Carth was looking at her strangely and Ajuur looked annoyed at being interrupted. He continued. “Most duelists use vibroblades or stun sticks because the ring’s pretty small, but a few prefer blasters.”



“Wait,” said Carth suddenly. “Vibroblades and blasters? And nobody ever dies? How come I get the feeling you’re trying to take us for a ride?”



“How come you didn’t tell me you knew Huttese?” Orin asked Carth, taken aback.



“The duel ring has energy suppressor fields to make sure nobody dies,” Ajuur interjected, steering the attention back to himself. “Weapons are limited so they hurt, but don’t kill. And we’ve got a medic droid in case of serious injuries. Are you interested?”



Orin threw her shoulders back, knowing Ajuur’s eyes would go immediately to her breasts, and swayed her hips to one side. “I’ll do it, but I want more than ten percent.” Ajuur burst out laughing.



“You’re joking, right?” She stiffened and could hear Carth chuckling at her failure. “You get the same as all the others - ten percent.”



“Fine,” she said through gritted teeth.



“Good, new blood for the ring! But you need a nickname. Good nicknames make people bet more. You’re an off-worlder, people won’t recognize you... I know! The Mysterious Stranger!”



A bit of the excited gleam returned to her eyes. “The Mysterious Stranger... I like it.”



Ajuur didn’t much look like he cared if she liked it or not. “It’s perfect. It makes you seem like you have some big, dark secret. People like that.”



Orin jumped as Carth’s voice whispered in her ear. “Using your real name is too risky anyway. The Sith might have a crew manifest of the Spire.”