Sonic HotOR Ch.5

Chapter 5 - Tarisian Corruption

"Hello. What's this?" Sonic asked, opening the door to another building & walking inside. When he entered, he saw a few tanks full of a bubbling clear liquid, a table with a middle-aged man working on a few instruments, & with a computer with a younger assistant working on a few things. "Hello?" Sonic asked, walking inside. "New to this Taris planet. Can anyone give me directions or any info on where to get more supplies?" "Sonic!" Carth quietly yelled at Sonic. "Don't be rude." "It is alright. I understand his impatience." The middle-aged man assured calmly. "It's not like he's the only one. Still you are welcome here. It's not like Zelka Forn will refuse anyone. Do you need healing or medical supplies? I can treat almost any ailment here….except the rakghoul disease of course."

"What's the rakghoul disease?" Sonic asked. "The terrible affliction has plagued Taris for many generations." Zelka answered, explaining. "It is spread by the rakghouls; horrible monsters that live in the Undercity below Taris' great skyscrapers. Prolonged exposure breeds the disease & those infected will eventually transform into rakghouls themselves, becoming mindless beasts who feed on the flesh of others." "That's terrible." Sonic commented, shaking his head in shock & disbelief. "Isn't there a cure for this?" "Hmmm. There is no cure for the disease." Zelka answered. No cure? Sonic thought to himself. Why is the Tarisian government sending people to the Undercity just to make them suffer more? I think I like it better back on Mobius than this dump!

"Though I heard that the Republic scientists at the military base here on Taris were close to perfecting a cure." Zelka continued. Well that's a relief. Sonic thought to himself, sighing with relief. "Then the Sith arrived." Zelka added, shaking his head. "They overran the military base & now they refused to allow anyone to access the laboratories inside. The Sith are keeping all the serum for the patrols they send down to the Undercity." Sounds like what RoButtnik would do. Sonic thought to himself, knowing how much of Robotnik's selfishness was equal to the Sith's. "If I could just get my hands on a sample of that serum, the rakghoul disease could be wiped from the face of Taris forever. But I don't see how that's going to happen." Zelka continued, showing his determination to finally make a cure for the horrible disease.

"What if I could help you get your hands on that serum?" Sonic asked. "I don't see how anyone could get their hands on that serum." Zelka answered. "The military base is crawling with Sith guards. Breaking in their would be a suicide mission. I suppose the Sith patrols in the Undercity might have a sample of the serum on them, if they hadn't already used it because of a rakghoul infection. But I doubt that a patrol would just hand the serum over. And nobody's stupid enough to attack one of the Sith patrols, even in the Undercity." "Well if you want the rakghoul serum, I'll find a sample for ya; I'm there & back before you knew I was even gone!" Sonic said to Zelka, finishing with a snap of his fingers. "Please don't say that!" Zelka hushed Sonic. "If the Sith hear you they might think I'm suggesting you start attack one of their patrols! They could shut me down! I only mentioned the serum because you asked. I don't expect anyone to get me the serum. Now is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No. I'm outta here." Sonic answered. Goodbye & good health to you." Zelka said, smiling. "If you need any medical aid or treatment, you know where to find me." Sonic nodded & the two Republic soldiers started to jog out of the medical station until they were stopped by Zelka's assistant, Gurney. "Psst! You there! Wait a minute! I need to talk to you about the rakghoul serum. I've got an offer you wanna hear!" "What do you mean?" Sonic asked. "Zelka isn't the only one who wants to get his hands on the rakghoul serum." Gurney explained. "Davik Kang will pay you ten times what Zelka can if you can get the cure." Sonic thought about it for a few moments. *Hmmm. Well we could use the money.* Sonic thought. *But is all that money worth the lives of hundreds suffering?* "No way!" Sonic refused. "I'm giving the serum to Zelka; he'll use it to help people." "Helping people is all well & good, but you have to help yourself first, right?" Gurney asked, hoping to change Sonic's mind. "I'm telling you, Davik will pay big credits for the cure!" "And then only the rich could afford the cure. Just let the poor suffer, right?" Carth asked, displeased by Gurney's selfish request. "Good point." Sonic agreed. "If you find the rakghoul serum, just take it to Zax in the Lower City bounty office." Gurney instructed, ignoring Carth's remark. "He works for Davik. He'll pay you what the cure is really worth!"

Sonic shook his head & he & Carth jogged out of the medical station. "What a jerk." Sonic muttered to Carth. "Why does Zelka keep a slime ball like him around?" Carth asked back. "I dunno." Sonic answered. "But I don't care what he says, I'm giving that serum to Zelka &-." "Davik says you missed your last payment!" Sonic was interrupted when he & Carth came across a couple of bounty hunters, one human & one Mobian dog, bullying a helpless old man. "Davik doesn't like it when you miss payments!" The other bounty hunter added. "Here, I've got 50 credits. A down payment." The man explained, trying to convince the bounty hunters to leave him alone. "That should buy me some time right?" "Sorry, you're outta time." The human bounty hunter refused. "Now it's all or nothing! Davik can't have people not paying his debts!" "But I don't have that much." The man explained. "How can I give you credits I don't have?" "That's too bad." The other bounty hunter shook his head. "Davik's gonna want to make an example of you! You're coming with us." "No! Help! Somebody help!" The man pleaded, hoping anyone would help save his life. "They're going to kill me!"

"I know we have to be careful about drawing attention to ourselves but are we just gonna let them drag this guy off?" Carth asked Sonic. "Hold on a sec." The human bounty hunter stopped, noticing Sonic & Carth. "Looks like we got ourselves a witness here." "Davik doesn't like witnesses." The dog bounty hunter added. "Hey why don't you two slime balls pick on someone your own size?" Sonic yelled at the bounty hunters. "Guess we have to teach you to mind your own business!" The dog bounty hunter growled, pulling his blaster pistol & immediately shooting at Sonic, who jumped to miss the shot & then used his Spin Dash to knock out the dog bounty hunter while Carth shot the human bounty hunter & then shot the dog bounty hunter, making sure he was dead. "Thank you! I owe you my life!" The man thanked Sonic & Carth. "Those bounty hunters were going to take me away & kill me. My wife warned me not to take a loan from Davik. But now I can't pay him back! It's not good to owe a crime lord money! He'll just keep sending more bounty hunters after me until I'm dead!"

"Maybe I can help ya." Sonic suggested. "You already helped me by saving me from those bounty hunters." The man explained. "So unless you have a spare 100 credits to give me so I can pay off Davik, there's nothing else you can do." Sonic then checked his pocket & saw the money he made so far from the few duels he fought in.& counted, putting 100 credits in his other hand. "Here's 100 credits. Take them." Sonic offered to the man. "You're giving me 100 credits?" The man asked, surprised. "Just like that? I….I don't know what to say! Thank you! Thank you!" "You're giving 100 credits?" Carth asked, while the man took the credits Sonic gave him. "Generous." "Now I can pay off Davik! You've saved my life! Thank you! I better give these credits to him right away!" The man quickly ran to the door that leads to the Upper City North. "We better get to the party." Sonic suggested to Carth. "Don't wanna be late." Carth only shrugged as he tried to keep up with Sonic's jogging. "You're too slow!" Sonic teased Carth. "I'll show you who's too slow once I-!" Carth started. "I was only kidding!" Sonic explained, laughing. "Can't you take a joke?" "Why do I get the feeling that he's gonna annoy Bastila to no end with his jokes?" Carth asked himself as they made their way to the Upper City North.