I don't own anything. And I don't get paid anything. Please leave a review, gutsy but constructive criticism is always appreciated, that's why my little pet project is on here. I am aspiring to be a real writer one day….

Mother Mayhem

A/N: Pol Valor is Revan.

Chapter One – Taris Upper City Hideout

Stepping cautiously out of the abandoned apartment they had recently claimed as their own, Pol and Carth were accosted by an out of breath Twi'lek runner.

"You there, human, you are the rider who won the great swoop race in the lower city yes?" The green Twi'lek gasped

Carth and Pol exchanged a quizzical look, and after a moments hesitation Pol answered. "Rather depends who's asking. What do you want?"

"Me?" Gulped the Twi'lek "I want nothing I am only a runner. I work for the man who hired me"

"Yeah, how's that going for you?" Pol gibed, motioning to Carth, "Let's go."

"Wait!" The messenger stammered, with wide eyes darting between the pair anxiously. "I have a message from Canderous Ordo. He says to meet him in the upper city cantina"

Pol paused at the Mandalorian's mention; she shrugged slightly and raised a brow askance at the Twi'lek. "What does he want with me?"

"Two guesses," Carth snarled anticipating the worst and instinctively reaching for his blaster. Pol stayed the paranoid pilot with a gesture. She had encountered the Mandalorian twice in two days and neither meeting had been all bad. In her private opinion, both occasions went rather well.

Flashback – Lower City

The first occasion; was a typical Lower city scene. The merc's presence had been employed to diffuse a potentially messy shake down between Exchange debt collectors and a lower city gang. Evidently the Black Vulkar's were behind in their bribe money, but soon came good without a fuss when Canderous arrived. Despite being inured to violence Pol had appreciated the quiet threat he posed the reluctant payees. From where she stood in the shadows she admired the blood free scene and the man who had kept it that way.

At the time Pol was sequestered, or so she thought, stealth clad in the shadows of the lower city. A nearly invisible bystander to the scene, no one noticed her, except for Canderous. His grey eyes seemed perpetually seconds away from scowling or smiling. He stared straight at her. He nodded in her direction discreetly then spoke to the small gathering. "Too bad, I was looking forward to cracking some heads," he stated in mock resentment of the nonviolent resolution.

When the crowd dispersed Canderous lingered waiting for her to make herself known. He was still brandishing a weapon though more out of habit than intent. Ashamed at being caught out, Pol approached the seasoned warrior somewhat sheepishly.

"I'd get my credits back on that stealth field generator if I were you." He suggested with a leer.

"Good advice," Pol shrugged her mouth curving slightly. "So who are you that men tremble in fear?" She asked rhetorically. The man, by name and by build, was clearly a Mandalorian veteran. Despite the hollowness of the question, Canderous introduced himself formally in a voice that seethed with fierce pride; though his eyes told Pol he would rather be elsewhere.

In true Mandalorian fashion, he maintained an air of arrogance, not asking her name, nor for any explanation as to why she had been skulking cat like through the lower city. Canderous stated that he had more work to do for Davik. Then he strolled off with an easy stride to his pace, it was obvious to Pol, he knew she was still watching him.

It took willpower, but she managed to look away before he was completely out of sight. Pol was irked at the Mandalorian's indifference to her. This was mainly because it indicated that he had her pegged as 'no threat'. She cursed her busted stealth unit angrily. Most would have been relived for that kind of attention from a Mandalorian, but Pol was not most people and as a scout turned warrior she found it insulting.

Moreover, Pol was desperately embarrassed about appearing so unskilled in front of such an acclaimed predator. "Bah, I can eat Mandalorians' for breakfast; I don't need to prove myself to him." She consoled herself with a whisper and continued about her business only half believing the statement to be true.

The second encounter – Under-City Sewer Entrance

Their first meeting had come as a shock to Canderous. Seeing the young woman unaccompanied in the lower city was unexpected, mostly because of the Sith quarantine. His first thought was: Now how did she get by me? She was clearly an offworlder a fighter of some sort; She couldn't have come down in the pods…could she? She looked nothing like a Republic soldier, she moved all wrong, and it was Canderous's job to know all the bounty hunters and mercs'. A casual inquiry at Javyar's had revealed her name to be, Pol Valor, but no further information could be had.

Canderous soon revised his estimation of Pol when they met again in the lower city. The scavenging mission Davik had sent him on was demeaning, the company appalling. Nine barely trained thugs with shaky hands and poor aim. It went badly, and would have been worse had the girl not intervened.

To start with the downed escape pods had already been scrounged by the Vulkars' when Canderous arrived with his team, and what salvage could be had was barely worth the resources to procure it. Worst yet Canderous was losing men fast to rakghouls. When he reached the 'half my team is dead' point he turned back for the surface. He had just lost another man when he ran into Pol near by an entrance to the sewers.

Seeing Pol Valor for the second time and with her present companions near the sewers was positively alarming. She was flanked by Mission, a Twi'lek girl that ran with the Hidden Bek's Swoop gang, and a blaster toting thug. Canderous decided the man looked like a Republic soldier who was trying not to look like a Republic soldier. He ran down a mental note of the thug's description, planning to have him checked out by Davik's sources later on. Strange company, he could only guess as to their purpose in the sewers.

Canderous greeted the trio gruffly, not about to ask what their purpose was, though it was curiosity that drove him to approach them. He took a guess.

"By the looks of you, I'd say you were here for the same reason we are: to salvage something from those downed Republic escape pods. Let me give you some advice: Forget about it. Do yourself a favor and head back the way you came."

"Are you threatening me?" Pol asked cheekily.

Rolling his eyes at the younger woman's audacity Canderous replied wearily, "Mandalorian's don't make threats, we make promises. But that was just a friendly warning, nothing more." Canderous noticed her eyes were brimming with something unfamiliar…amusement? Not only is she not intimidated…She thinks I'm kidding?

"Look this isn't the place to stand about chatting, the under city is crawling with rakghouls. I've already lost six of my men to those monsters; ah crap… Looks like we got company. Get those blasters ready boys!"

Within seconds a pack of rakghouls was on them. Pol shoved her young companion back from the fray and dove headlong into the melee, brandishing a vibrosword like a hell fiend. Before Canderous could take aim Pol had lopped the head of his targets, in a gorgeous whirling circle of impossibly fast death. She took the entire pack down almost single-handedly.

Now THAT is inspiring, I have to resume melee training.Canderous thought to himself as he admired her form. Very capable, hmm I'll have to watch this one. And with a face as fine as that it won't be too hard a chore either.

"C'mon boys," Canderous gathered the two remaining salvagers; recalling how incensed Davik had been the last time he had returned without a crew. "I better get the last of you out of here; I can't carry all this salvage on my own. If your wise you'll move out too, you might not have trouble handling rakghouls but I doubt there is anything worth finding in those pods anymore," Canderous held Pol's gaze a second longer than is polite; a Mandalorian test for weakness. To his surprise, she met him eye to eye without fear and without any intention of looking away.

"I thank you for your advice and assistance with the rakghouls, but my business down here is my own." Pol held the gaze and smiled lightly waiting for Canderous to crack. She exuded quiet confidence. Had she a cigarra, she would have lit it at this point.

So she thinks she knows this game? Ha, I invented it."Very well," said Canderous dismissively, without breaking the gaze.

"So you'll be going then?" Pol smirked I have the upper hand good Mandalorian, and I NEVER lose Thought she of the indomitable will.

The onus was on Canderous to back down, his men were getting restless at the delay, and Pol's companions were looking both perplexed and concerned by turns at the impromptu staring competition. Nark it thought Canderous bowing out of the struggle reluctantly. To consolidate his superiority, or so he saw it, at the time, he looked her over from head to toe, committing her to memory with accuracy that bordered on vulgar, before departing.

"What are you doing? That's CANDEROUS ORDO! He's Davik's top merc. Tell me you weren't picking a fight with him!" Mission groaned with dismay whilst rubbing her forehead.

"I'd say he's Davik's pimp too," Carth commented disapprovingly.

"I doubt that, I've heard a lot about this guy. A lot. But I never heard that." Mission interjected.

"Am I the only one who saw how he was looking at Pol? Eh maybe you're too young…" Carth said.

"I don't have to take this; as soon as we get big Z back, I am gone old man!" Mission Vao bristled at any slight on her age, which was teen aged.

"That's enough. Zaalbar needs us, so if you can't say anything nice to each other…" Pol began her scolding.

"…Don't say anything at all" Carth and Mission completed the sentence in unison with such petulance Pol had to laugh. They had only been working together for a few hours but they were learning fast.

Taris - Hideout

Carth frowned seriously, "So explain something to me, why we are meeting this animal again?"

"If you're going to harbor that attitude, I'll take Zaalbar with me instead of you Carth. We are meeting Canderous because he may have useful information for us."

"Oh yeah, and I bet he will part with it in exchange for a few favors too." Carth opined caustically.

"Carth! I have left you alone thus far because these trust issues were your own, but now that they are becoming my problem…" Pol was getting tired of Carth's distrust.

"Ok, maybe I'm being paranoid, but why should this guy help us? It reeks of a set up. Either that or he sent a runner to ask you on a date." Carth scuffed his boot against the worn carpet in a display of agitation.

Pol caught her warped reflection in the durasteel doorframe and preened surreptitiously, "Either way he can buy me a drink anytime." Pol murmured under her breath.

"Huh?"

"Nothing, let's just go already, soonest gone, soonest back." Pol swept past Carth holding in her breath vainly hoping he wouldn't notice the faint perfume she had breezily applied moments before. Her luck wasn't with her.

Carth gave her a puzzled look, "Pol… Are you wearing perfume?"

"No." Pol lied.

Meanwhile at the Upper City Cantina

Canderous leaned impatiently against the bar. He had positioned himself to monitor the flow of traffic in and out of the main entrances and so that he wouldn't get whiplash from checking his blind spots. Ten more minutes and I am gone. He told himself for the fourth time.

Pol walked in through the main doors. Her confidence so apparent, that any one who didn't know the cantina's publican would have thought she owned the room. All eyes were on her as she made her way to Canderous's side. No wanting too much attention at this point he threw the old 'Mandalorian death stare' across the crowded cantina and watched the interest she had drawn from about the room withdraw. Her admirers mostly Swoop fans, and dueling freaks recoiled when they realized who she had come to meet. Canderous's reputation had flourished on Taris and evidently no one wanted to get involved.

Damn she bought the soldier. No matter. Canderous thought as he acknowledged the pair. He had done his homework and had a wealth of information about her companions, but very little about Pol herself. I'll just have to work that out on my own he decided.

"I saw you in the swoop race, very impressive," he stated in a tone gilded with admiration. "You seem like the kind of woman who can get things done, just the kind of person I'm looking for. I'm presently working for Davik Kang and the Exchange the hours aren't great, but they promised me a fortune to work for them and I have nothing better to do. Mandalorian mercs' like me are in high demand. But lately Davik hasn't been paying me what he promised. I don't like getting cheated so I figure its time for me to break Sith quarantine and get off this backwater planet."

"What has this got to do with me exactly?" Pol asked, taking a seat beside the huge Mandalorian.

"I have a plan to escape Taris, but I can't do it alone. I need some one I know can get the job done to help me. That's where you come in." Canderous motioned to Pol affably, a gesture that set Carth on edge.

"Hands off," Carth threatened and shouldered his way between the pair, "Pol, watch yourself mercs like this haven't got a lick of conscience they'll betray you in a heartbeat. This could be a trap."

"Thank you brother Carth, I would never have guessed that…" Pol retorted sarcastically. Her comments won a laugh from Canderous and a frown from Carth.

"Well I aint talking to you, I'm talking to your friend aren't I?" Canderous asserted with a leer. "I saw you win that swoop race and I started thinking any one crazy enough to ride like that is probably crazy enough to break into the Sith military base." He brushed past Carth roughly; and leaned closer to Pol who was a vision of calm, for all of Carth's pouting.

He addressed Pol in a baritone textured by an intermittent cigarra habit, "I need you to steal the Sith launch codes from the base. Without those codes any ship trying to break the quarantine will be destroyed by the Sith fleet's automated guns."

"What's in this for me?" Pol prompted.

"Here's the deal, you get me those codes and I'll provide you with the vehicle to get off this planet, Davik's flagship, the Ebon Hawk." Damn her eyes I'm giving away more information than I intended…

"How?" Pol asked plainly pushing her luck.

"Uh huh ha, not yet," You won't catch me that easily woman. "Bring me the codes first, and then I'll tell you the rest of my plan." Canderous grinned wolfishly at Pol's apparent disappointment.

I had him for a second, she thought waving away a drinks waiter, got to stay sharp with this one. "I don't imagine getting into a Sith military base will be a simple task." Pol leaned against the bar, rumpling the beer towel runner, she gave it a tweak with her fingers straitening the cloth, but upsetting a bowl of nuts.

Canderous shrugged casually, "It won't be easy, with the encryptions on the security doors you will need a top of the line astromech droid to slice in. Luckily for us Davik was having one made by Janice Nall. Just tell her Canderous sent you and she will sell you the droid."

Pol rubbed her fingers together in a 'gimmie the credits and I'll go get it' gesture, "Well then, pay up soldier."

"Ha! You just won the season opener, and you expect me to believe that you're broke? What kind of idiot do you take me for?" Canderous laughed, "I like your style though, nice try."

"So am I to understand that I get no compensation for my troubles?"

"You can keep the droid when you're done." Canderous conceded dryly after short consideration.

"That's charitable of you, Mandalorian, considering I will be the one paying for it, but won't Davik get narked if I take his droid?" Pol asked barely reigning in her sarcastic streak.

"He commissioned the droid, but he placed me in charge of the task, he won't care how I get the codes as long as I get them. Normally I'd do this myself but everyone knows who I work for. If I broke into the Sith base they would send an army down on Davik's estate to get those launch codes back. That's why I need you."

Pol gave her answer instantly. "Ok Canderous, you got yourself a deal."

Carth added, "I hate to say it but he's probably right, we're going to need that ship."

"I'm going to wait for you in Javyar's cantina you come find me when you get those codes and I'll make sure we both get off this rock." Canderous paid up his tab and left the cantina at a brisk pace, he had preparations and inquiries of his own to make.

"Where are you going?" Carth asked Pol as she started to leave.

Pol paused so he could catch up, "To buy me an astromech droid, you coming?"

"Sure, but don't you think we should speak to Bastila about this plan first?"

"Carth, Bastila won't like it. You know this. So why bother telling her, it's not like we can take her with us to a Sith base, that would be like handing her to Malak himself."

"I see your point, but I still think she should know about this. Incase some thing goes wrong." Carth reasoned.

"All right, you go talk to her, and I'll go shopping." Pol suggested brightly.

"You really don't want to talk to her about this do you?"

"Carth, there are two kinds of people in situations like these, those who like to talk a lot cough Jedi cough and those who would rather shut up and do." Pol made a gagging face at the Jedi word. A former fan of the Jedi, Bastila had gone a long way to lowering them in Pol's esteem.

"Fine, but watch your back ok? These streets are nasty and I don't like the way that Mandalorian looks at you." Carth grunted.

From Pol's experience Carth didn't like any one looking at anything period, but she decided not to raise the issue. "I am only going to get a droid. When I bust into the base I will take you and Zaalbar with me." Pol agreed.

"It's a deal, let's go soldier." Carth waved Pol by, sniffing the air behind her, she was definitely wearing perfume. A nice one tooCarth judged before heading back to the hideout. She lied to me. Carth thought suspiciously.

Hideout

Carth arrived at the apartment to find Bastila fuming. She had just found out about the meeting with Canderous. Mission had accidentally let the gizka out of the strong box.

"Carth Onasi, what the hell are you doing meeting with a Mandalorian merc behind my back?" Bastila charged angrily.

"It wasn't directly behind your back Bastila." Mission argued, "if you step out in public the Sith will know you're here, not mention the Vulkars weren't thrilled with your escape…" The young Twi'lek girl rationalized the situation beautifully.

"Mission is right Bastila, you're too well known to be seen in public on Taris." Carth added.

"That is not the point. Whether I go to the bloody cantina or not is of no matter. The Republic and the Jedi council placed me in charge of this operation. Dealing with a rogue like Canderous Ordo is not my idea of a sound plan. I make the decisions, not Pol! Speaking of which… where is she?"

"This isn't going to solve anything Bastila. Look Pol has a plan to get us off this planet, yeah it involves the Mandalorian but I believe she knows what she is doing," Carth tried to placate the Jedi though he was harboring his own doubts about Pol.

"No plan involving a Mandalorian merc can be a good one! Carth you fought them in the war, you know this!"

"Hey prejudice aside, here Canderous is a good contact to have in a city like Taris," Mission added "and Pol is a capable woman, and if she needs back up me and big Z will be there for her!"

"Oh great a Wookiee and a toddler," Bastila seethed as she paced the apartment floor.

Zaalbar groaned noisily as Mission yelled, "Stow it you sour old hag! We're out of here!" Mission lost her temper quickly and stormed towards the door. On reaching it she was intercepted by Carth who she assaulted with the lid of a Plasteel container. Carth recovered himself in time to halt her progress. Zaalbar whined incomprehensibly, he didn't want to get involved in the fray.

"Let her go and have her tantrum." Bastila sniped at the struggling pair.

"You're lacking in leadership quality Bastila," Carth retorted. Earning Mission's attention, he said to her, "Mission you can't storm off like that in a huff, all unfocused… it's not safe."

Zaalbar moaned in agreement and Mission relented. "Yeah you're right, but I would rather be helping Pol. At least she respects me."

"We all respect you Mission. You're a talented young person. And I am sorry I didn't say so earlier." Carth offered a genuine apology as he rubbed the bruise that was forming where the Plasteel container had made contact with his shin.

"You mean that?" Mission asked, her eyes misting up.

"Yeah I'm sorry; really I should know better, I had a son your age…I know how important praise is to kids…" Carth teased

"Kids!" Mission, fumed before breaking into a sparkling grin "Oh ha-ha, I get it; you're pretty funny for an old geezer."

"So you forgive me?" Carth winced brushing his hair from his eyes

"Yeah, I forgive you Carth," Mission said aloud. Under her breath she mumbled to Zaalbar, "But the Jedi can still shove it."

Zaalbar roared with laughter, which educed a paranoid, but in this instance justifiable response from Bastila.

"What was that comment, Wookiee?" She demanded, rage building.

"Whoa slow down Bastila. Look Mission, I bet Pol could use your help buying that droid, she's on her way to Janice Nall's shop now if you want to catch her." Carth held back Bastila with one hand and shooed Mission on her way with the other like a crossing guard directing traffic.

"I have got to find a new line of work." He whispered to himself as Mission left and Bastila set about modifying her lightsaber at the workbench.

A New T3 for Me

Mission arrived at Janice Nall's workshop to find Pol haggling prices with Janice Nall herself.

"Hi Mission." Pol greeted the Twi'lek despairingly between bargaining.

"Hey Pol, you need some help?"

"Yeah considering Janice here is cutting my throat over prices." Pol agreed. She knew when she was outmatched.

"That droid is one of a kind." Janice reassured jovially.

"Look I'm buying this for Canderous; can't you take that into account with the pricing?" Pol pleaded.

"I already have, if it weren't for Canderous I wouldn't be selling it to you at all! 1500 credits." The proprietress insisted.

Mission entered the bargaining with the savage intent of a professional buyer. "He's barely worth it. We offer 500 credits."

"No way! 1300 credits or I can't cover the costs of rebuilding it." Janice proclaimed.

Pol grinned at Mission and went for her wallet, happy with the 700 credit price reduction, but Mission stalled her. "1000 credits Nall, not a penny more, this is our final offer take it or leave it. I suggest you take it as the droid has been purpose built for this sale."

"Ok you got yourself a droid!" Janice Nall beamed happily; she was still getting 200 credits more than the thing was worth.

"Thanks Mission," said Pol. "I've never been too sharp with haggling."

"Eh we still got ripped off, but Janice is a nice girl, and there's no easy living for Twi'leks'' in this city. You know Bastila was kind of sore about you making plans with Canderous, behind her back."

"It wasn't behind her back," Pol defended herself halfheartedly, she hadn't slept in days and all of Bastila's infighting and Carth's paranoia were wearing thin.

"That's what I said. But she's not hot on the idea of dealing with him. Any way she's been taking it out on the rest of us."

"Damn, I'm sorry for that. What do you think Mission? Am I crazy for trusting him?"

"Its ok I can handle her. As for Ordo, I have heard Canderous called a lot of things; deal breaker is not one of them. He has a lot of power and influence, in this city, enough to make things happen, but when it comes down to it he is still just one of Davik's thug's for hire. And all mercs have a price." Mission often showed a street smart brand of wisdom beyond her years, and Pol loved that about the youth.

"That's kinda how I see it too; hell what loyalty does he owe to anyone? Except maybe to some long dead Mandalorian leader in a shiny envirosuit. I do know this though, if Canderous is planning to double-cross us it won't be with Davik."

"How do you know that? For sure, I mean." Mission asked.

"Mission, have you ever hired a Mandalorian merc and then not paid him the agreed price for his services?"

"Ah no can't say I have." Mission said shaking her head slowly.

"That's because you have a keen survival instinct." Pol surmised with a wink.

"I got ya." The understanding swiftly dawned in her baby blue eyes.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Aside from minor hiccups, that left Zaalbar with a few furless patches, infiltrating the Sith military base went relatively well for Pol and her crew. But Carth noticed that the better things were going, under Pol's direction the more agitated Bastila became. So Carth took it upon himself to take Pol aside for a little 'chat'.

"She's kinda touchy about you leading the operations." He said.

"Yeah, you'd think what with battle meditation being her forte that she'd be a more centered soul than she appears," Pol hated these chats. This was because the resolution was usually a watering down of her plans. And that culminated in some half baked version of her desired outcome.

"That's true; she doesn't strike me as the meditative type." Carth accepted staring thoughtfully into the air and restyling his goatee with his fingers.

"Oo I know I know! Maybe she's not the real Bastila Shan?" Teased Pol, knowing full well Carth's paranoid persona would have a field-day with the notion.

"Oh ha-ha, very funny; you can't bait me that easily. You may think me paranoid but I have good reason to be. Pol I've been betrayed by people before, I won't let it happen again."

"Carth, I hate to break it to you man, but you can't control a thing like that. People can't be directed that way, but I get your point. It sucks boma guts to be cheated. As for the Bastila thing, perhaps if you took on a more commandeering role she would simmer down? Just while she is in hiding; she really seems to hate me in particular and technically you are her second in charge." Pol poked Carth in the chest with a foolish grin.

"A reasonable idea but I doubt that would help much, as Canderous seems intent on dealing with you directly." Carth's voice resonated with suspicion.

Pol smiled. "Well I am the champion swoop racer." She gushed, breathing on her fingernails and bringing them to a shine on her lapel.

"Oh ho!" Chortled Carth, "Is THAT why you think he wants to deal with you specifically?"

Sadly yes,thought Pol. "Something like that flyboy. Look I'll try to downplay my role in this 'escape Taris' mission if it helps any, but we need Canderous to get the Ebon Hawk. Meanwhile you and Zaalbar try to keep Mission and Bastila from killing each other while I am gone."

"What do you think I have been doing all day?" Carth groaned.