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Author's Notes:

Tails of the Old Republic is a crossover between the Sonic the Hedgehog universe and the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic video game.

Sonic and all related IP belongs to SEGA/ Sonic Team
SW: KotOR and all related IP belongs to Lucas Arts/ Bioware Corp
No copyright or trademark infringement intended.

Series rated "Web-14" for violence, mild language, and suggestive themes.

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Undercity of Taris — Mission

Tails' head felt like it was spinning in place. First, he was thrilled that he and Carth had found Mission so serendipitously — or, rather, that Mission had found them. She, according to Gadon, had the best chance of getting them into the Black Vulkar base so they could take back that swoop bike accelerator, enter the swoop gang race, and win Bastila's freedom. Barely eleven hours remained to accomplish all this, so encountering the young blue Twi'lek girl just outside the Outcast village had been incomprehensibly lucky.


However, Mission Vao was talking so fast, Tails could hardly comprehend what she was saying. The fact she was completely out of breath didn't help, either.


"Please! He's me friend! You'll help me, won't you? I can't just leave him there!" the girl huffed. Her eyes darted pleadingly between Tails and Carth.


"Whoa, slow down, Mission," said Carth Onasi. "Tell us what's wrong."


Mission gulped and breathed exhaustively for nearly a full minute. "It's Zaalbar!" she finally blurted out. "He's in trouble! Big trouble! We have to help him!"


Tails remembered Mission's Wookie friend – mostly, how freakishly gigantic he was. Zaalbar was twice as tall as Tails, and easily weighed four times more.


"Zaalbar? You mean, your Wookie friend?" chimed Tails. "What happened?"


"Me and Zaalbar, we were just wandering around in the Undercity; you know, looking for stuff we could find – exploring!" answered Mission. "We do it all the time!"


Carth grunted. "Well, with a Wookie at your side, I guess you gotta figure you can handle the odd rakghoul attack," he commented.


"Only, this time, they were waiting for us – Gammorean slave hunters!" Mission huffed. "We didn't even have a chance to run! Big Z threw himself at them and roared for me to run. I-I took off; I figured Zaalbar would be right behind me – but there were too many of them! He couldn't get away! They're going to sell him to a slaver, I just know it!"


Tails remembered her saying that, for whatever reason, the Hidden Beks couldn't help her this time. If Mission had no one else could help her, it was no wonder she sounded so desperate!


"Do you know where they took him?" Carth asked as calmly and deliberately as possible.


"I don't know for sure," she answered. "But those Gammoreans like to hang out in the sewers — the stink reminds them of home, I guess! That's probably where they took Big Z!"


Tails knew that without Mission's assistance, he and Carth would likely never get into the Black Vulkar base, and Bastila's life would be forfeit. He also guessed that the chances of her helping them would be next to zero unless they helped her rescue Zaalbar. Tails already felt morally obligated to help, but he knew that now was the chance to seal a deal.


"If we help you get Zaalbar back, will you get us into the Vulkar base?" Tails asked.


"Sure — it's a deal!" she declared, and relief washed over her features.


"Shake on it?"


"Huh?"


Tails extended his arm. Mission looked down at the boy's gloved hand with a dumbfounded look on her face, apparently unused to the gesture. Finally getting it, the blue Twi'lek clasped his hand and shook it hard.


"Right! As soon as we get Big Z back, I'll show you into that Vulkar base. Now, let's get moving before Zaalbar gets sold into slavery – or worse!"


Mission took the lead, and as the trio departed, Tails summed up her defensive capabilities. It looked like she had confiscated both a Sith blaster rifle and a personal energy shield, identical to the one Carth had strapped to his left arm. She wasn't wearing the same clothes she had on in Javyar's Cantina, either, but was now wearing sleeveless brown torso armor (the flexible fiber kind) and navy-blue armored pants. She looked like she could handle a threat, but the adolescent fox wondered just how effective she would be in actual combat.


Of course, Tails noted how both Carth and Mission both now had armor and energy shields, while he had no more protection than his boots, gloves, and some holey pants. In his current, weakened state, Tails wondered just how effective he'd be in a fight. With his agility compromised and his Chaos powers effectively dead, the fox knew how quickly he could be overwhelmed.


As the dim lights of the Outcast village faded behind them, both Carth and Mission turned on their flashlights to pierce the darkness of the Undercity. Carth carried his in one hand, leaving the other for his blaster, while Mission already had hers attached to her head, via her fancy headband. Tails' night vision slowly took over, rendering everything as a shade of greenish yellow. He had to avoid looking directly into the spots where their flashlights shined, or else the backscatter would overload his eyeballs. Tails just hoped neither would turn around and point those things directly at him.


Mission, Carth, and Tails alternated between a slow run and a brisk walk, trying to keep up the pace without sacrificing their security as they crunched the dirt and rocks beneath them. They checked every direction for a rakghoul attack, but to their mild surprise, their were none around – at least for the first several kilometers. Tails was somewhat amused that he had, apparently, wiped out the rakghoul population surrounding the Outcast village, although it was hardly amusing while he was fighting for his life.


But, sure enough, a quartet of rakghouls attempted to ambush them. Two rushed in from the sides, and two charged from behind. Tails had brought up the rear, and his ears had picked up their approach. But the monsters were fast, and he could barely shout, "Incoming!" before Carth and Mission were already busy defending themselves. Tails drew his blaster and fired upon the rakghoul closest to him. He hit it in the side and it stumbled, but Tails sensed it wasn't dead; it's buddy behind it, however, was already lunging for Tails' head.


THWACK!


Tails struck the creature across its chest with both his namesakes, catching it beneath its left foreleg. Tails sorely missed his tail-blade attack, but he hurled the rakghoul a half dozen meters away. The fox's suspicions were confirmed as the wounded rakghoul behind him now lunged again, hoping to take a bite out of the boy's leg. Tails jumped back, trying to dodge, and just as the creature was about to chomp him, Tails blasted its cranium.


The second creature was not amused that it had been chucked such a distance, and it charged the fox at full speed. Tails was already tiring, and his muscles burned as he aimed and fired. He struck it in the shoulder, but its momentum drove it forward, and the fox guarded himself with his tails as the creature bowled him over. Desperate to evade its teeth and claws, Tails quickly peeled himself away, but not before throttling the monster's neck with his tails. The fox fell to all fours, and with a great heave, Tails flung the rakghoul into the ground.


WHAM!!


Tails scurried away, retrieved his blaster, and aimed. But, the rakghoul didn't move; Tails had broken its neck. Just to be safe, the boy shot it anyway.


"Tails, are you all right?" asked Carth. He checked the surroundings, then knelt down by where the fox was gasping for breath. "We saw you get tackled..."


Tails felt numb, and he honestly couldn't feel if he was injured or not. He checked his cybernetic systems, and they confirmed that his skin had not been breached.


Caution: Repair protocols only twenty-two percent completed, said the AI in Tails' head. Further exertion will result in internal damage.


"No, I'm good," Tails rasped. "They didn't infect me a second time."


Carth Onasi helped Miles up, and the boy dusted himself off. Gratefully, both the Human and Twi'lek were keeping their flashlights off the fox's face.


"Wait... you've already been infected by those things?" asked Mission. She stared at the fox, and noted all the recent wounds on his body.


"It was several hours ago," Carth answered. "We had serum."


"How did that happen?" she inquired, now looking at Carth.


"Him being a heroic idiot."


"Thanks, Carth," Tails muttered.


"Are you really all right?" the man asked


Tails panted for a moment, then replied, "Yeah. But... I'm having a renewed appreciation for the meaning of fear."


The trio watchfully rested for about five minutes, then departed again. Tails was grateful for the breather, but the pain in his body was intensifying. He wished he could  spend the next half hour in one of Zelka's regenerator machines, but the boy knew that was a pipe dream. The three of them continued alternating between brisk walks and slow runs, always checking for a potential attack.


Mission led them through cave after cave, and Tails wondered if she really knew where she was going. He kept his mouth shut, though, and figured Mission was taking them to the sewer system nearest where she and Zaalbar got ambushed. The girl really didn't explain any of that, so Tails just had to guess.


They entered another expansive cavern, and halfway across, the trio encountered what looked to be a large salvage team... lead by none other than the burly Mandalorian known only as Canderous. And he still carried that enormous blaster cannon.


'Uh-oh', Tails thought.


The burly man was followed by thirteen other goons, each hauling sacks of salvage. The Mandalorian didn't look happy, and the other guys looked skittish. One of them hastily raised his blaster and pointed it at Tails, Carth, and Mission. His arms trembled as he held up his weapon.


"Don't... d-don't come any closer! I-I know how to use this blaster!"


Canderous rolled his eyes and back-handed the goon across his face.


"Settle down, you moron," he growled. His voice was threateningly calm. "We've already lost enough men to those damned rakghouls. The last thing we need now is more casualties from a needless fire fight!"


The Mandalorian shifted his gaze to the trio in front of him. "Hmm... by the look of you, I'd say you're here for the same reason we are — to salvage something from those downed Republic space pods. Let me give you some advice: forget about it. Do yourselves a favor and just head back from where you came."


"Are you threatening us?" asked Mission. Both Carth and Tails inwardly groaned.


"Listen, missy, I'll be short and sweet: no," Canderous replied. "I'm not so stupid as to risk my assignment just to swat pesky passerby. You go your way, and we'll go our way. Now, this isn't a good place to stand around chatting. The Undercity is crawling with rakghouls, and I've already lost more than half a dozen men to those monsters."


Tails' ears picked up movement.


"Canderous, I heard something!" said one of the lackeys. "There, in the..."


"Rakghouls, incoming!" Tails shouted.


Two dozen of those mutant creatures charged in.


"We got company! Get those blasters ready!" the Mandalorian commanded.