And There Was Another✔️

Chapter 02: Welcome To Taris

"Whatever it is, make it quick," a female voice called.

Seth took that to mean he could come in and opened the door. It opened smoothly enough, though it creaked loudly as it did. He slipped into the shack and took it all in with a sweep of his sharp gaze. A cot and small table tucked into one corner, a small chemical toilet and what might have been a makeshift washbasin across from it. (Looking at the toilet made him realize he had to piss very badly. He ignored that, too.)

The other half of the shack sported a battered metal table, a tall, slim, dented locker, and an old plasteel cylinder. The occupant was presiding over the table, making repairs to what he recognized as his own armor. Silver and tan Republic mod armor. She was a twi'lek, wearing a formfitting black jumpsuit over a deep blue skin. She wore heavy boots and had a dagger on one hip and a blaster pistol on the other.

She glanced at him. "Oh, you're up. And you're welcome."

"Thanks for saving me," he replied, a little stiffly.

Saying thank you, even when it was completely justified, had always been difficult for him, even from a young age. It wasn't until he was older that he realized just why he was so uncomfortable with this simple and reasonable act.

It was like a tiny surrender.

"You're welcome. Sorry about your friends. I'm Nova," she said, turning back to his armor.

"Seth," he murmured. "Can I have my armor back?"

Now she stopped working on it and turned fully to face him. "Planning on going somewhere?" she asked.

"I was hoping you could tell me where a good place to go might be," he replied.

"Afraid there aren't too many of those on Taris, at least not down here," she said.

"I need to confirm that I was the only survivor. There should have been at least two other people in that pod with me," he said, only remembering seeing two other soldiers getting into the pod, them turning to face him, raising their rifles as he materialized through the smoke, then lowering them upon recognizing him as an ally, beckoning him closer.

Then the world turning to white-hot pain.

"There were three bodies in the pod," Nova replied, "all of them wearing armor like this. They were certainly dead." She paused. "I'm sorry. I thought you were dead, too, but you weren't. Just burned badly and knocked out." She paused again, now looking frustrated, and she seemed to be trying to temper herself, calm herself. "There was kolto in that pod with you, Seth. Do you have any idea how rare kolto is down here? It's as crucial to us as a pressure suit in space. I had to use almost all of it to keep you from dying, and to bring you at least up to fighting power."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because you owe me for that. For saving your life and putting all that kolto to use. You're a veteran, not some rook fresh out of the academy, and I'm guessing you've got skills to match. I saw your scars. I desperately need another fighter down here," Nova explained, staring hard at him now, holding his eyes with her intensely blue ones.

"I don't intend to stay here," he said, worrying that she was asking him to join their wretched little settlement beneath the city.

"Neither do I," she replied. "Will you help?"

He considered it for a moment. He couldn't stay here, he had to find some way off of Taris, or, at the very least, some way to get in touch with the Republic.

"I need to get off Taris," he replied simply. Not exactly a no, but definitely not a yes.

"Don't we all?" she asked. "But that isn't an answer."