Niki (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
niki_chidon) wrote2007-08-05 10:14 pm
niki_chidon) wrote2007-08-05 10:14 pm
Fic: Nights of the Old Republic 3/?: Day 2 (Carth/femRevan)
Title: Nights of the Old Republic 3/?: Taris, Day 2, Part 1
Author: Niki
Fandom: SW:KotOR
Rating: NC-17 overall, this, I belive is R
Disclaimer: George Lucas and related companies own everything and everyone
Summary: Pretty much a waklthrough of the game with romance flavours
Preivous parts: Prologue, Chapter 1 and Interlude
Chapter 2: Taris - Day 2, part 1
-----------------------------------------
The glow was soon gone in the lower parts of Taris. Squalor, pain, desperation, and a gang war that admitted no outsiders but made everyone a target.
And a cantina.
"You going to take those bounties?" Carth asked her when they were exiting the bar after collecting all the intel they could from the gossip.
"Davik's? No, I don't kill innocent people for money, nor do I do gangster lord's dirty work for them. The government bounties again... They are people whose deaths would save lives. And we need the credits. So if we happen to run into them - I won't think twice about taking them down."
Killing felt so abstract to Shin. She knew she had killed before, and especially here on the lower levels it was a matter of their lives or the Vulkars'... but she was happy to stay behind and provide covering fire while Carth took the more active role. She knew some of those bodies were dead because of her. And she didn't really know how that made her feel.
She wasn't a soldier. Her ways were sneakier. She'd generally much rather sneak past a man than take him down... but it was so easy... so easy to go in guns blazing and shoot your way through...
She'd kept an eye on Carth's blaster skills, he used two of them, and she could see no difference in his gun control in his different hands. It intrigued her. His primary weapon was a customised blaster that had obviously been in his possession for years but in his so-called off-hand he had a standard blaster, much like her own... that is, until they found something better.
They shamelessly looted all the corpses they encountered (some freshly killed by themselves, some older) because in their situation it did not pay to be squeamish. Most of the weaponry was worse than theirs but the fifth Vulkar they killed had something interesting.
"Hey, Carth, look at this."
He took the blaster, tested it for balance, and shot a practice round.
"Not bad. Here, put this old one in the back bag then, we can try selling it later."
Shin looked at another ion blaster next to a body, pondering, then picked it up and tested its weight on her right hand. Satisfied, she transferred it to her left hand, and took out her own weapon. She turned to look at Carth, holding them both. "Teach me."
He looked at her, the blasters, and around them in the empty corridor.
"Okay... Well, basically, you can't shoot two targets even if you have two guns. You just can't aim them at different directions, so what you are doing, is shooting the same target with two guns. This means you need to keep them somewhat on level," he moved to hold Shin's hands up, and showed her how to position them, "and close enough to be able to see where you are pointing them. See, like this. If you keep them wider apart, you're not sure to hit the target. And it's easier to aim when they're on level."
He lifted a helmet off the floor, and placed it ten meters away. Then reconsidered and brought it closer.
"How do I aim? How do you do that?" she asked, when he hit their practice target with both beams.
"Practice. You get the feel of the weapons after you get used to this. It's different from single-handed combat."
"I say."
"Yeah. You can't really aim as you would if you only had one blaster. So you guess. And you improvise. And you go with approximations."
He looked at her practice rounds.
"Not bad for a beginner. Remember, a humanoid is a bigger target, so it will be even easier. If they're stationary, that is. But you can't really go for the head shots. Aim for the largest target area, the chest. If they have an active shield and you only have one ion blaster or a disruptor, don't waste energy on shooting your regular blaster, go for one good shot with one weapon, then when the shield is down, you can shoot with both. And if you're unsure in a battle whether you're hitting something or not, don't hesitate to ditch the other weapon and concentrate on your better hand until you're sure. Okay?"
"Yeah, I think I'm getting the hang of this. Gives me brand new respect for your skills, though."
"Oh, I'm a talented guy, sister," he grinned, then turned his head, flustered. Obviously, it didn't *quite* feel the same to be flirting with her now.
"I know," she smirked.
"I have to ask," he sounded hesitant, "you told me not to worry."
She tapped her left thigh wordlessly as a sign of permanently attached contraceptive implant.
"Ah."
"And I figured you are clean since you passed the boarding medical for the Spire."
Maybe it was lucky that another Black Vulkar decided to attack them behind a corner just that second. The mood was getting more awkward by the minute...
Shin wasted precious moments fumbling with her blasters but once she got them out and on level it was surprisingly easy to aim them at the large figure running closer. Because he was running straight at them he made a good target, and Shin actually noticed Carth lowering his weapons after noticing they were in no real danger.
He had been right, a humanoid was a much easier target.
"Right. Let's move on."
- - -
They did 'run into' one of the government bounties, and made short work of her. They ended up collecting one of Davik's bounties too - after helping the man to fake his own death to escape the Exchange.
It seemed that even here Shin was able to get people to trust her, to help them... she even talked their way into the Hidden Bek base the young Twi'lek girl with her improbable name had told them about the day before. And there they got their first palpable lead. Bastila was a prisoner of the Vulkars, to be handed out as a prize in a swoop race.
She met Carth's eyes and they shared a silent joke. He had told her about the haughty Jedi, her impressive skills - especially the Battle meditation - and to think of her as a Prize... She sobered up soon enough, and worked on getting the gang boss's trust.
In the end they struck a deal. Quid pro quo - one returned prototype for a sponsorship in the upcoming race, their one realistic chance of rescuing Bastila.
She didn't think twice.
- - -
"Have you actually ever raced a swoop bike?" Carth enquired politely after they had left the base minus their Sith uniforms but with a written permission in their stead after another quid pro quo exchange with the Beks.
"I don't think so. I wouldn't know, would I?" she grinned carelessly.
"Shin..."
"What? It's the best option we've got. Besides, we need to worry about finding Mission and getting into the Vulkar base first. Who knows, we might run into Bastila there."
"The day just keeps getting better and better..."
- - -
Continued in Chapter 3
Author: Niki
Fandom: SW:KotOR
Rating: NC-17 overall, this, I belive is R
Disclaimer: George Lucas and related companies own everything and everyone
Summary: Pretty much a waklthrough of the game with romance flavours
Preivous parts: Prologue, Chapter 1 and Interlude
Chapter 2: Taris - Day 2, part 1
-----------------------------------------
The glow was soon gone in the lower parts of Taris. Squalor, pain, desperation, and a gang war that admitted no outsiders but made everyone a target.
And a cantina.
"You going to take those bounties?" Carth asked her when they were exiting the bar after collecting all the intel they could from the gossip.
"Davik's? No, I don't kill innocent people for money, nor do I do gangster lord's dirty work for them. The government bounties again... They are people whose deaths would save lives. And we need the credits. So if we happen to run into them - I won't think twice about taking them down."
Killing felt so abstract to Shin. She knew she had killed before, and especially here on the lower levels it was a matter of their lives or the Vulkars'... but she was happy to stay behind and provide covering fire while Carth took the more active role. She knew some of those bodies were dead because of her. And she didn't really know how that made her feel.
She wasn't a soldier. Her ways were sneakier. She'd generally much rather sneak past a man than take him down... but it was so easy... so easy to go in guns blazing and shoot your way through...
She'd kept an eye on Carth's blaster skills, he used two of them, and she could see no difference in his gun control in his different hands. It intrigued her. His primary weapon was a customised blaster that had obviously been in his possession for years but in his so-called off-hand he had a standard blaster, much like her own... that is, until they found something better.
They shamelessly looted all the corpses they encountered (some freshly killed by themselves, some older) because in their situation it did not pay to be squeamish. Most of the weaponry was worse than theirs but the fifth Vulkar they killed had something interesting.
"Hey, Carth, look at this."
He took the blaster, tested it for balance, and shot a practice round.
"Not bad. Here, put this old one in the back bag then, we can try selling it later."
Shin looked at another ion blaster next to a body, pondering, then picked it up and tested its weight on her right hand. Satisfied, she transferred it to her left hand, and took out her own weapon. She turned to look at Carth, holding them both. "Teach me."
He looked at her, the blasters, and around them in the empty corridor.
"Okay... Well, basically, you can't shoot two targets even if you have two guns. You just can't aim them at different directions, so what you are doing, is shooting the same target with two guns. This means you need to keep them somewhat on level," he moved to hold Shin's hands up, and showed her how to position them, "and close enough to be able to see where you are pointing them. See, like this. If you keep them wider apart, you're not sure to hit the target. And it's easier to aim when they're on level."
He lifted a helmet off the floor, and placed it ten meters away. Then reconsidered and brought it closer.
"How do I aim? How do you do that?" she asked, when he hit their practice target with both beams.
"Practice. You get the feel of the weapons after you get used to this. It's different from single-handed combat."
"I say."
"Yeah. You can't really aim as you would if you only had one blaster. So you guess. And you improvise. And you go with approximations."
He looked at her practice rounds.
"Not bad for a beginner. Remember, a humanoid is a bigger target, so it will be even easier. If they're stationary, that is. But you can't really go for the head shots. Aim for the largest target area, the chest. If they have an active shield and you only have one ion blaster or a disruptor, don't waste energy on shooting your regular blaster, go for one good shot with one weapon, then when the shield is down, you can shoot with both. And if you're unsure in a battle whether you're hitting something or not, don't hesitate to ditch the other weapon and concentrate on your better hand until you're sure. Okay?"
"Yeah, I think I'm getting the hang of this. Gives me brand new respect for your skills, though."
"Oh, I'm a talented guy, sister," he grinned, then turned his head, flustered. Obviously, it didn't *quite* feel the same to be flirting with her now.
"I know," she smirked.
"I have to ask," he sounded hesitant, "you told me not to worry."
She tapped her left thigh wordlessly as a sign of permanently attached contraceptive implant.
"Ah."
"And I figured you are clean since you passed the boarding medical for the Spire."
Maybe it was lucky that another Black Vulkar decided to attack them behind a corner just that second. The mood was getting more awkward by the minute...
Shin wasted precious moments fumbling with her blasters but once she got them out and on level it was surprisingly easy to aim them at the large figure running closer. Because he was running straight at them he made a good target, and Shin actually noticed Carth lowering his weapons after noticing they were in no real danger.
He had been right, a humanoid was a much easier target.
"Right. Let's move on."
- - -
They did 'run into' one of the government bounties, and made short work of her. They ended up collecting one of Davik's bounties too - after helping the man to fake his own death to escape the Exchange.
It seemed that even here Shin was able to get people to trust her, to help them... she even talked their way into the Hidden Bek base the young Twi'lek girl with her improbable name had told them about the day before. And there they got their first palpable lead. Bastila was a prisoner of the Vulkars, to be handed out as a prize in a swoop race.
She met Carth's eyes and they shared a silent joke. He had told her about the haughty Jedi, her impressive skills - especially the Battle meditation - and to think of her as a Prize... She sobered up soon enough, and worked on getting the gang boss's trust.
In the end they struck a deal. Quid pro quo - one returned prototype for a sponsorship in the upcoming race, their one realistic chance of rescuing Bastila.
She didn't think twice.
- - -
"Have you actually ever raced a swoop bike?" Carth enquired politely after they had left the base minus their Sith uniforms but with a written permission in their stead after another quid pro quo exchange with the Beks.
"I don't think so. I wouldn't know, would I?" she grinned carelessly.
"Shin..."
"What? It's the best option we've got. Besides, we need to worry about finding Mission and getting into the Vulkar base first. Who knows, we might run into Bastila there."
"The day just keeps getting better and better..."
- - -
Continued in Chapter 3