[fic] [FIC]Betrayal and Retribution: Potential Energy

[stingerhs]

Betrayal and Retribution

 

after much consideration, this story is going to recieve much attention in the form of editting, enhancement, and reorganization. what has been posted will remain largely untouched with the exception of minor editting. in other words, no major changes are planned for what is already written.

 

however, the last four parts within this thread that deal directly with Jeez, Miranda, and setup for another section of the plot will be moved to a new thread and will likely be reorganized to fit a newer storyline that i've developed. the rest of this story will be split up at appropriate intervals in seperate threads due to the overall story's length.

 

the upcoming subplots will include:

• multiple events leading up to the Clone Wars (1-2 threads)
  
• several important battles from within the Clone Wars (2-3 threads)
  
• Order 66 (one thread)
  
• the aftermath and final culmination of the overarching plot (1-2 threads)

 

it is a bit ambitious, but the ends will definately justify the means. besides, it's my goal to finish this before the end of 2006, so i still have lots of time on my hands. links to the other threads will be posted below.

 

Links:

• Percieved Reality

[starmark2k]

This Looks really good and i almost can't wait to read the story that will go with it.

[stingerhs]

Update: i'll be posting the first rough draft of Chapter 1 on Monday or so, so stay tuned.

[stingerhs]

Potential Energy

______________

 

I've always hated this part.

 

The man walked up to the small, and apparantly armed, frieghter.

 

And if its armed, that means the owner is probably some pompous bastard.

 

The outer hatch opened, and the man was greeted by what appeared to be a very plain man. Well, with the exception of the heavily scarred face, the man appeared to be quite plain. And not a blaster in sight. The docking officer quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Although most people wouldn't notice something so subtle, the frieghter pilot had to hide the smile that was trying to creep to his face. He knew that this Docking Officer had seen the turbolaser attachments on his ship and had been afraid he might force him to do something against the rules.

 

"Welcome to Corellia Public Docking Module 230582. Since you are an unscheduled dock, I'll need to see your official cargo and passenger manifest and some Personal Identification," the Docking Officer just about quoted.

"As you wish," the pilot responded. The pilot already had them ready and handed them over to the Official. The Officer quickly looked over the manifest, which didn't indicate anything more than personal effects. Pressing a button on the datapad, the official then took a look at the ID the pilot presented.

 

"Alright Mr. Fe'ra, everything appears to be in order. Is your visit for business or pleasure?"

"Both, actually. I'm picking something up for my employer, but I also plan on taking a day or two to enjoy the beautiful locations here."

"Have you ever been to Corellia before?"

"A couple of times, but never long enough to enjoy it."

 

"Very well, you are aware that all unscheduled docks are fined 100 credits as declared by Section 079853 Order 23 of the Corellian Docking Authority Act?"

"Yes, I've been informed. Here are the credits you need," Fe'ra stated as he handed over the credits.

"Alright Mr. Fe'ra. Enjoy your stay here at Corellia. Have a good day," the officer quoted without enthusiasm while handing the datapad back to Fe'ra.

"Thank You."

 

As the Docking Officer walked off, Jango Fett, which was Mr. Fe'ra's real name, went back into his ship and placed the datapad back in its storage compartment. Although it hadn't really been necessary to hide his identity from Corellian Docking Authority, Jango knew that people talk, and having a docking officer start running his mouth about how the bounty hunter Jango Fett had just arrived at Correllia wasn't exactly what he wanted. Rumors were the last thing he needed if he was going to get the man he was after. Jango sat down in front of his database computer and opened the file back up on the man.

 

He was a bar owner, and supposedly ran a very reputable bar. Of course, having a good reputation tends to attract higher ranking persons to enjoy an evening, especially with recommendations from locals. And that's exactly what attracted Jabba the Hutt to his bar on a very rare visit to anywhere besides Nar Shadaa, Nal Hutta, or Tatooine whenever Jabba wanted to discuss something with a client. Or at least someone that didn't want to die at the hands of Jabba's henchmen, Jango thought to himself. At any rate, this bar owner, a human with the name of Tiralia, refused service to Jabba. Of course angered by Tiralia's refusal of service, Jabba threatened him with his entourage of guards, which quickly prompted Tiralia to notify Corellian Authorities. It was probably Tiralia's biggest mistake of he would ever make to refuse service to a Hutt. Of course, this made sure that Jango was now under the employ of Jabba the Hutt, but if there's credits to be made, it didn't matter who you worked for. And it doesn't matter if this guy is dead or alive. Still, its about 45,000 more if he's alive.

 

It was already getting late on Corellia, and Jango needed to scout out his target before he made his move. Jango quickly switched off the computer and headed back outside Slave I, his personal ship. Jango closed the hatch and tapped in a short series of commands that activated the security system. Jango knew that he'd have to take things a bit slow, and of course, remain somewhat anonymous. Jango made his way over to the public transportation module. Lots of people were out, and the transport that would take him to his target's sector was packed full of people. Many of them were younger in age and were probably heading out for a night of fun, sex, and endless Corellian Ale. Jango smiled to himself as he made his way to the transport. It had been some time since he had last been with a woman. Perhaps tonight was the night? No. I'm here for business only. No pleasure tonight, Jango thought as the smile quickly faded. As the doors closed on the packed transport, Jango sighed softly to himself. He loved his line of work, but there were many prices he had paid to get it. And he wasn't about to do something that cost him further. The last thing he needed was personal attachment.

[stingerhs]

_______________

 

The Twi'lek man downed the last of his cocktail of juma juice and corellian ale. Then, without looking, he backhanded the human woman that was standing beside him. The woman let out a brief yelp as she felt the impact of the strike. Tears came to her eyes, and she did her absolute best to hold back herself from lunging at him.

 

"You are lucky you are so beautiful, Quiinzara. If it wasn't for that, I would have killed you long ago for your continued disobediance," the Twi'lek stated. He finally turned to look at her out of the corner's of his eyes and then looked forward again. "Time and time again I have shown you leniance and mercy but yet you continue to test your limits. But that time has come to an end, Quiinzara. For tonight, you shall once and for all prove to me that I no longer have to concern myself with your disobediance, am I correct Quiinzara?"

 

Quiinzara swallowed the lump of hatred that had seemingly formed in her throat. How she wanted to just scream at him that she hated her job with a passion, and that she hated his tyranical rule over her and the rest of the whores that were under his control. The inside corners of her eyes lowered in anger as she breathed in short, deep breaths. She once again longed for the day when she would be able to press the edge of a blade through the middle of his throat. But today was not that day.

 

"Yes sir," she said with vieled anger. The Twi'lek raised his chin and lowered his eyes, sensing her anger through her words. Without hesitating, he backhanded her again, this time hard enough to knock her backwards onto the floor. He then turned his head and sneared at her with his own anger rising to the surface. "You WILL respect me, Shutta. Hate me all you would like, but you will never free yourself from me. As many young women of Ryloth know from birth, you now understand: your life is to offer the services of your body and nothing more. And if you can't understand that, then you truely are of no use to me. Then you will understand this: you will never be able to offer yourself to anyone ever again as I will personally end your miserable existance. Is that clear, Shutta?" the pimp asked her. Once again holding back tears, Quiinzara could do nothing more than to respond with, "Yes sir".

 

"Good. Now get yourself cleaned up for the night and get yourself out on the streets. And know this: if you can't bring me back something of value tonight, your service to me will be finished. Now get the **** out of my sight."

__________________________

 

Music played softly in the backround as many of the elite of the galaxy had come to socialize, debate, and have a bit of fun. It was a common sight to catch glimpses of Senators and the tremendously wealthy from across the galaxy. The people had come from many places such as Alderaan, Naboo, Corellia, and of course, Coruscant. One couple, however, was garnering a bit of gossip that night because of the escort they had with them: Jedi Knight Tsunin Uralai. The young Jedi was making an attempt to understand the politics of the Senate and had figured that the night's event would prove to be a valuable insight into her studies. After contacting the Overwatcher family, who were local supporters of the Jedi Order and even made contributions to its finances, Tsunin was able to make it to the event.

[stingerhs]

(continued from previous post)

 

"Alderaan appriciates your support, Senator Palpatine, but eventually the Trade Federation will back down. The Neimoidians have never been ones to be confrontational, and they'll be the ones to back down in this case," Senator Bail Antillies stated. A prominent and respected Senator of Alderaan, those in the immidiate circle understood that he was telling the truth. "That may be true, but in time, the Trade Federation may prove to be more confrontational than you suspect. Unless action is taken now, while your system is under scrutiny, the Trade Federation will soon cease to take the initiative to back down. And the Neimoidians have a much larger security force than either of our systems that could easily be used to coerce our governments into a treaty that we would not want to hold," Palpatine responded.

 

Just outside of the circle, Tsunin just about did a double take. In her studies of the Trade Federation in Galactic politics, Senator Palpatine's rebuttal to Senator Antillies didn't make a lot of sense. A blockade or even invasion was too risky a move for even the Trade Federation. The Federation had enough clout in the Senate that they should hardly ever need to use such risky tactics. Senator Palpatine almost sounded like he was on the inside of some sort of plot.

 

"The Trade Federation may be a greedy lot looking to maximize their profits through outright control of shipping lanes, but that does not make them aggressors of that sort. They wouldn't dare to be so bold," Senator Antillies responded. Lifting up his chin ever so slightly, Palpatine replied, "Then for all of our sakes, I pray that you are correct in this matter, Senator Antillies."

 

Tsunin shook her head. How could politicians manage to take such differing viewpoints but still manage to support each other? Despite her attempts to understand the workings of the Senate, she was beginning to see Master Dooku's point about politics being much more confusing than they ought to be. Tsunin walked away from the group to join her companions for the night: the Overwatchers.

 

An influential couple, the Overwatchers had made a fortune by simply investing in various organizations and reaping high rewards for them. Although they would seem a bit too rich considering their investment choices, the Overwatchers were also adament supporters of different Senators. As for being supporters of the Jedi Order, well, no one was quite sure why, although Tsunin believed it was more of a political statement to gain supporters among the Senate. It made sense since the Jedi Order had a number of very influential supporters in the Senate. From her studies of politics, Tsunin did understand that having influence on the Senate could lead to a number of advantages, although one did have to be careful about turning yourself into a lobbyist. But making friends among Senators, as evidence of the night's event, wasn't exactly classified as lobbying.

 

"So, have you managed to uncover any secrets about the Senate?" Mr. Overwatcher asked. "Not really. I just can't seem to understand why Senators would support each other on some issues and then try to push some type of agenda. Why can't they just come to a consensus and move along?" Tsunin replied.

"Simple: they're Senators. You'll soon come to find that everyone has an agenda that they think will be beneficial to their respective governments. But more importantly, they're looking for more political power in the form of influence. They have to strike a balance between the two or risk losing their seat to someone else. Then they would have no power whatsoever."

"So, this whole thing is about trying to play things out to your own advantage rather than everyone else's? I thought the whole point of politics was to help the masses, not the elite."

"Well, you can't expect everyone to act like a Jedi, now can you?"

 

"Then it is all truely the same ongoing story, isn't it? Where you have those that suppress the less fortunate in the name of power and money?" Tsunin asked with distaste.

 

"That's what a System Government's job is: to make sure that the common populace isn't being suppressed. The Senate has made sure that it is a guarenteed right to all Repbulic Citizens."

"Then why do the Senators need more power?"

"Influence, my dear Jedi. Influence. Nothing can ever be acomplished in the Senate without influence. Just look at the Senators that propose the most laws and acts, and then take a look at the Senators that make sure those proposals become law. The difference is influence."

 

With that, Mr. Overwatcher took another sip from his Onderanian Martini. Mrs. Overwatcher then looked directly at Tsunin and said, "But don't worry too much about it, my dear. You're a Jedi. You don't have to worry about these things the way we do."

"But I'm trying to learn. I guess the real question is why do you guys bother with it? I mean, if politics is about influence, then why do you bother trying if you're not apart of the Senate? Well, officially apart of the Senate."

"Well, contrary to the image that we have to present ourselves as to the Senate, we truely do have no real agenda other than that we want to help those that need help as much as we can. That's the real reason we support the Jedi. The Jedi are guardians of peace and the overall good, and that's why we want to help."

 

As the night continued, Tsunin did her best to understand politics with her newfound insight from the Overwatchers, but she still didn't entirely understand. Perhaps there was more factors than simply influence, or perhaps there were outside forces that had influence of their own. Either way, she didn't understand it too well.

_________________

[stingerhs]

Jango departed the transport along with the rest of the night goers. This sector on Corellia had definately earned its reputation. Dazzling lights flashed and flickered from the buildings in a flashy method that seemed almost over the top for Jango's tastes. Sure, it was one of the largest night-time entertainment districts in the Republic, but it didn't make it any more attractive to Jango. Massively large crowds moved about from place to place, with the majority of the crowd being the young or overly oppulent. Surprisingly, it wasn't all too difficult to spot the oppulent males: they were often escorted by one or more very attractive and horrendously underdressed females of either the twi'lek or human species.

 

Not too surprisingly to Jango, it was also quite easy for him to notice the prostitutes out making their nightly runs. But the ones on the street weren't the ones that made the big bucks. The ones that brought in the big credits would be the ones inside the bars, cantinas, and casinos. Especially the casinos since the casino owners were heavily rumored to offer the dancing girls for thousands of credits to VIPs for just a single night. Rumors or not, it was supposed to be outlawed, but everyone knew it existed, even the Corellian Law Enforcement. The multitude of prostitutes, however, reflected one of Corellia's on-going problems: a very large network of illegal distribution centers, or a Black Market. Although the fabled 'Exchange' had long since been routed from the Galaxy by the Republic, private runners had since risen to take its place generations ago. The massive-scale prostitution was just a more local way for these private black market runners to have easy access to extra funding for their operations.

 

There were rumors of a new organization coming to power that was helping to solidify the black market under a single power, but Jango knew the truth: it already existed. He knew this from several past bounties he had collected for this new 'Black Sun' that it would soon wield the same power that the Exchange once had. But that wouldn't have any effect on the illegal prostitution on Corellia. There was really big money in prostitution and more than one black market operator relied on it to keep them afloat during rough times.

 

Jango pressed on towards the cantina. Often forcing his way through the thick crowds, Jango had to turn away more than one of the more enterprising prostitutes that were no doubt being pressed to earn something for the night. He eventually arrived at the cantina and went inside. Scouting the place out, it was quite the cantina. Over 10 seperate rooms offered everything from exotic dancers, big band music, traditional cantina music, large-scale dancing productions, relaxed settings, dance floors set to various types of music, and at least one barstand in every one. Jango set about observing the security teams located throughout the building and studied their motions. They were well trained in the way they studied the crowds, but they lacked a sense of alertness. That means they aren't expecting much more than the occasional bar fight, Jango thought to himself.

 

Jango did his best to make it look like he was a newcomer and was trying to find the best room to hang out in. That's when Jango spotted two guards that were standing in the most intimate set rooms in the cantina. That meant a couple of things: private VIP rooms, backstage access, and access to the office and living quarters of its owner. Jango incospicuously made his way into the dimly lit room. Quiet jazz from a live band played in the backround, and a number of lounge chairs were located in the darker recesses of the room. Jango made his way over to the lone barstand. "Alone, ehh? I'll bet you could use something relaxing. How bout I get you a Tarisian Ale, hmm? How's that sound for you?" the bartender asked. "That'll do, thank you," Jango replied while continuing to study the room. The door the guards were standing by was nothing more than a dark maroon curtain draped over a space. Taking the time to study the guards, they were dressed formally and no weapons were readily apparent, especially in the dim light. However, to trained eyes like Jango's, the blaster pistols and stun sticks were readily apparent through their cloaks.

 

"One Tarisian Ale. Anything else I can get for you sir?"

"No, that'll do, thank you."

 

Jango then walked over to one of the few tables in the room located near the stage for the band and sat down. Jango had already deturmined a number of things: a nightly capture and return would be quite difficult due to the large crowds outside. Second, the security may not be very alert, but that didn't make them inept. The last thing Jango needed to do would be to underestimate the security considering the professional attitude they seemed to hold among themselves. It wasn't something that you easily noticed, but from one that was professionally trained, the attitude was quite easily recognized. And the large crowds inside the cantina meant that it would be very easy to just simply run in with blasters blazing but at the cost of countless lives. That meant government trouble and all that would do would be to complicate matters more than they needed to be.

 

Still, Jango had to wonder how alert the security truely was. Jango downed the last of his drink and left the glass on the table. Jango then immidiately noticed something odd about one of the other customers. Jango wasn't entirely sure what it was, but he could feel it in his gut. Jango knew he needed to find out about whomever it was, but for now he simply went back to the bartender. "Get me another ale, please."

 

"Feeling especially lonely tonight, ehh? Problems with the wife?" the bartender asked innocently. "No, just lonely," Jango replied.

 

"Well, if you think you could use some companionship for the night, you just let me know, alright? Here's the ale sir, and you let me know if you need anything else."

"Thank you."

 

This time, Jango just simply sat at one of the seats at the barstool, cradling his drink. Thinking to himself, Jango did seem to feel a bit lonely. It was one of the prices he had paid to get where he was. He was an accomplished bounty hunter although not quite as distinguished as he'd like to be. And although a number of bounty hunters had a spouse and children, none of those seemed to have the reputation needed nor the gumption to build a distingished status among the heavy payers. To Jango, those bounty hunters appeared to be mired in family affairs while attempting to distinguish themselves. Some were more successful than others but none were considered among the elite of the bounty hunters because they were held back. For Jango, though, there was always a part of him that felt that he needed something for him to cherish in life more than a simple reputation. There was something to be said about passing on your heritage to your own blood and posterity, and there was also something to be said about having a companion that loved you more than anything else in the world.

 

Jango took another sip from his drink. "Bartender, what exactly do you have to offer as 'companions'?" Jango asked.

__________________

 

Quiinzarra slept soundly next to Jango. She had done her duty for the night and had correctly predicted that placing herself on the "Barra'ta Cantina" prostitute list for the night would fetch what she needed from a single customer. Although the cantina would recieve a cut, she had gotten more than she needed to make her pimp happy. Jango, however, was not sleeping next to her, nor was he laying next to her. Instead, Jango was sitting in a chair by the bed cradling a glass of wine that had been brought to the room. Quinzarra had been much more than Jango was expecting, and she had been quite gentle and intimate which was far more than you could expect from most prostitutes. Still, Jango wasn't quite getting the feeling of satisfaction he had been expecting. It wasn't Quiinzarra's fault: she was just doing what she knew to do the best she could. Jango knew it was just simply that they had just shared something that was supposed to be worth more than what it had just been made to be. As of now, what they had just shared was nothing more than a business transaction and it lacked the fulfillment Jango had been looking for.

 

Jango quietly got up and looked over at Quiinzarra. She was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, and the intimate way they had been together made Jango feel much more attached to her than other woman he had been with in the past. Inside, he almost longed to just simply take her away with him and be with her always. Then Jango realized that the prospect of 'attachment' was coming to the surface again, and Jango knew he could not take her with him. Instead, Jango knew she would need the money, so he left her an extra three hundred credits along with a personal note telling her to keep it for herself. As Jango quietly walked out of the private room the cantina had just provided for him, Jango switched his focus back onto the mission.

 

Jango knew the back rooms weren't nearly as heavily guarded as the rest of the cantina and that they offered easy access to where ever his target was. A guard was just ahead letting a prostitute and a young twi'lek male into their private room. Jango quietly got up behind the guard as he was closing the curtain. As the guard closed the curtain, Jango grabbed him from behind and quickly made use of the stun stick that the guard had hidden on him by jamming it into the guard's side. With his hand around the guard's mouth, the guard could do little more than to let out a muffled cry for help than not even the couple beyond the curtain next to them could hear. As the guard began to go unconscence, Jango pushed the stun stick further into the guard's side to the point that it was beginning to break the skin. Finally, the guard went silent and Jango quietly wrapped his arm around the guard's neck and broke it. After hiding the body in an empty room, Jango quietly headed towards the main office where his target was supposed to be.

__________________

[Snafu7]

awesome job stingerhs,the story is great, I can't wait for the next chapter.

[starmark2k]

I like the work so far can't wait untill we get some jedi action

[stingerhs]

_____________

 

Yun Liula watched as the man ordered a Tarisian Ale. This guy must not have many reservations about spending money, Yun thought to himself. Tarisian Ale was getting more and more expensive as the years past by in the Galaxy due to its demand among the elite and the relatively few makers. Once a very popular drink due to its potency, Tarisian Ale had largely been replaced by Trandoshan Vodka as the preferred potent drink, well, at least among commoners. And the best of it was a particular brand that was based on the original formula developed on Taris itself.

 

One would think that Taris would have made a rebound in the Galaxy since the destruction one of the Sith Lords wrought on its surface had been thousands of years ago, but that wasn't the case. After the bombardment of its surface, the few Tarisians that survived moved into the underwater facilities that had been used to harvest kelp from its oceans. Now, where there had been towering cities that rivaled the metropolis of Coruscant, ghostly shells of an era long past still lie rotting on the surface. Although life was slowly beginning to creep out of the oceans, the surface was still a massive wasteland. On the Outer Rim, Taris was never truely considered to be a vital part of the Republic, so it never recieved the funding it needed to clean up the surface. Thus, the Taris metropolis slowly rebuilt itself underwater over the course of time.

 

Few parts of the Tarisian culture remained intact, and the lone brand of Tarisian Ale that is manufactured there is surprisingly one of its largest exports. this also reflects an ongoing problem for Taris: a lack of trade. The most valuable commodity out of Taris is its kelp which is used by the Republic to help provide food to the impoverished of the Galaxy. Otherwise, Taris has little the rest of the Galaxy wants.

 

As Yun downed the last of his own drink, he continued to study the man with the Tarisian Ale. He didn't really seem like the type that would order such a thing. He was dressed fairly plainly and had a couple of facial scars. Probably an independant freighter pilot. Or a smuggler. Bah, what's the difference these days? Yun asked himself. Still something wasn't quite right about the man. Yun had noticed that this man had been quite occupied with examining the bar, particularly the security. Although the man seemed to be caught up in his own personal issues, something else seemed to take precedence for him.

 

As the man finished his ale and walked back over to the bartender, he looked straight at Yun. He wasn't just looking at Yun: the man seemed to know that Yun wasn't just a customer in a cantina. Yun began to focus on the man and felt that he wasn't a threat, at least not to him. As the man looked away and sat at the bar, Yun realized that he was gripping the hilt of his lightsaber. He quickly relaxed his grip and breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing I need would be for me to reveal myself here and endanger the Council's mission, he thought. Yun listened in as the man ordered not just a drink, but also a prostitute.

 

This is what Yun had been waiting for. Yun didn't want to order a prostitute himself because of the implications it could hold in the Council. As the man looked through the selections for the night, Yun waited patiently. The man finally made a selection and paid his tab for the night. Probably a thousand credits, if not more, Yun mused to himself. As the man headed into the back, led by security, Yun decided to wait a while before heading into the back himself. As a waiter came by, Yun ordered another cocktail. Whenever the cocktail came back, Yun leaned back in his lounge chair and listened to the jazz playing in the backround.

_________________

 

"Another drink, ehh? Well, its going to cost you," Mr. Overwatcher told his wife in a drunken stupor. "Cost me what? A night ofv' fun?" she replied. Both of them were now at their home after the party. Tsunin was already on her way back to the Jedi Temple, and both of the Overwatchers had gotten drunk on their way back in the speeder. "No, it'll cost you the bed," he replied as he burst into laughter. As they stumbled into their bedroom, Mrs. Overwatcher tried to grab the flask that Mr. Overwatcher was holding, but he pulled it away causing her to promptly collapse on the floor. She rolled over on the marble floor and burst out laughing. "Here, let me help you up, dear," he stated, holding out his hand. Instead of using him to pull herself up, Mrs. Overwatcher pulled him down on top of her.

 

"You clumsy oaf. I don't need any help from you," she stated with a drunken slurr. "Oh really? You're worse off than me and you call me clumsy, ehh?" he replied.

"Well, why not? I wouldn't have married you if you weren't so clumsy."

"Every good man has his bad qualities."

"And you have a few too many bad ones, I'm afraid. But thats why I love you so much," she said while smiling at him. With that, they began to kiss, and Mr. Overwatcher carefully began to feel around her neck for the clasp that held the halter part of her dress on.

[stingerhs]

Yun finished his cocktail. It had been over a half-hour since the man had gone into the back to be with the prostitute he ordered. Yun had made a point to follow the man's progress into the back through the Force. By concentrating just slightly on the man, Yun could tell whenever the man had stopped to meet his woman for the night. Yun could also tell whenever the man had gone down a series of hallways and finally arrived in the room. As passions began to ignite between the two, Yun stopped concentrating for the sake of staying focused on the mission at hand. Although Yun was a Jedi and followed the Code to the best of his abilities, it was still difficult to not give into the primitive human desires.

 

Yun had already made up his mind on how he was going to get into the back. Sensing that the other guard was preoccupied with something, Yun took his opportunity. Yun got up and headed straight for the curtained door. "Excuse me, sir, but unless you have a reason to get into the back, I won't be letting you through," the guard stated. Yun concentrated on the guard and looked at him straight in the face. "I need to get in the back. You will let me through," Yun stated. "You need to get in the back. I will let you through, sir," the guard replied. Nothing like an old-fashioned Jedi Mind Trick, Yun thought as the guard opened the curtain for him.

 

Yun headed towards the location he had felt the man and the prostitute begin their passioned time. Yun sensed a guard up ahead and quickly ducked into a crevice in the wall. "I have a right to check on my property," a man stated. "I'm sorry sir, but you are not allowed in the back. And if you continue to make attempts to get inside, we will escort you outside the cantina," the guard responded.

"Nobody turns me aside like that."

 

Yun then heard some struggling between the two, and finally some gurgling sounds. Yun felt outwards and realized that the guard was about to die. Yun turned the corner slightly and noticed a Twi'lek man getting up and going into the back carrying a bloodied vibrodagger. Yun quickly and quietly stepped outside his hiding spot towards the mortally wounded guard. Just as Yun reached him, Yun could feel the guard become one the Force. His neck had been slit wide open by the Twi'lek's weapon and fresh blood stained the expensive carpet. Yun quietly reached down and closed the eyes of the dead body and quickly moved on towards back. Curiously, the Twi'lek seemed to be heading to the same room that Yun was heading for. Yun sensed that danger was about to befall the prostitute, and he began to quietly run towards the room. Grabbing the hilt of his lightsaber, Yun wasn't about to let this Twi'lek do anything to the woman.

 

As Yun turned the last corner, the Twi'lek had just opened the curtain. Yun quickly lashed outwards with the Force, throwing the Twi'lek away from the entrance. As the Twi'lek slowly began to get up, he noticed that Yun was holding a lightsaber. "Wait a second, Jedi. I didn't do anything wrong," the Twi'lek managed to say. "Don't lie to me. What were you about to do to that woman in the other room?" Yun asked as he approached the Twi'lek. The twi'lek began to back away while still laying on his back. "What does it matter? I own her," he replied quivering in fear. Yun realized that he needed to check up on her. Yun quickly looked inside the opened curtain to see the naked back of the woman. The man that had been with her was gone. Yun looked back over to where the twi'lek was, but he was gone. Yun sensed outwards and could feel him running away. Yun just simply let him go and entered the room, shutting the curtain behind him.

 

Yun took a seat opposite of the bed and noticed a bottle of wine cooling next to the bed on a nightstand. Yun took the bottle out of the cooler and studied the label. A local vineyard. But I'll be darned if this isn't one of the best years Correllia ever had as far as wines go, Yun thought. Curiously, there were three glasses, two had been used, but one glass was still quite clean. Yun raised his eyebrows slightly at this turn of good fortune and decided to pour himself a glass while he waited for the woman to wake up.

______________

 

Reeon'oliaya finished repairing the generator. "Alright Wilnor, turn it on," Reeon stated as he slowly got up from the ground. The machine slowly began to hum to life. The machine was one of many ancient generators that powered the mining machines used for gathing ryll, a powerful mineral that could be used for medical purposes, although it currently had a much higher value among the Black Market. Ryll was a potent hallucinogen if the dosage was high enough, but it was also an effective painkiller, if used appropriately. The problem was that ryll was extroidinarily effective at baffling the medical community since it had quite unpredictable results when given to patients. Some patients would take the prescribed dosage only to inexplicably overdose. Other patients would take the prescribed amount and it wouldn't do a thing for them unless they took a higer dosage. Of course, those patients would often overdose by doing so. For the most part, this was the reason ryll had pretty much been removed as an effective treatment from the medical community.

 

But its hallucinogenic properties made it a highly sought after drug for those that wanted to experience a different type of high. Spice was one thing; ryll was a completely different experience. Many described it as an euphoria that was similar to sex without to work your way into it. And it was moderately addictive, making it an even more lucrative trade item for Black Market operators. Of course, the only place in the Galaxy that had it was the planet of Ryloth, homeworld of the Twi'leks, making it a very valuable export. Although most Twi'lek clans sold the ryll legally as a medical supply, just about every clan sold ryll illegally in the Black Market.

[stingerhs]

That's where things start to get quite complicated. Although the Twi'leks control the ryll, the Twi'leks also have little in the way of weaponry or defenses. Concerned more with trying to have profitable holds in the Galaxy than defending themselves, the Twi'leks often find themselves dealing with black market runners in exchange for control over the ryll. Although some runners can be controlled with bribes, most runners demand a very different type of payment which is also another large illegal export out of Ryloth: Twi'lek slaves. Renouned for their dancing abilities, beautiful skin tones, and exquisite beauty, young Twi'lek females often bore the brunt of the tradeoff between the runners and the clans. Although males were sometimes sold, they hardly ever fetched the same price since their value was more often measured in hard labor than beauty.

 

However, contrary to popular opinion, the Twi'leks didn't sell all of their women off to various criminal organizations. The large majority of Twi'leks were married and had a number of offspring that were quite safe from slavery. However, this arose another issue: a class structure within the clans. This structure was fairly similar to what you would probably expect: a lowly working class, a descent middle-class, and the opulent that would flaunt their wealth at will and control the other two classes. The opulent were the clan leaders and formed the basis of individual clan government. That meant that when it came to ryll dealings, they held all the cards while the rest of the Twi'leks would simply be subject to whatever their rulings were.

 

These dealings, however, led to a growing problem among the lower class. Since the opulent didn't particularly care much for the working class, the offspring of the working class would largely become the source of slaves sold off in the black market. Thus, this often led many working class couples to view their only worth in the form of the work they provided and the ability to breed. It was not uncommon to find pregnant Twi'leks working in the ryll mines or providing services to those that could afford them. It was also not uncommon for a working class woman to birth 9-10 children within 15 years. Since not all Twi'leks were sold as protection for the ryll, these women often hoped that their children would bring them some form of money so they could move up in the social ladder.

 

And those that managed to survive the slave trade would end up as workers themselves which was getting to be largely male populated recently. Finding an unwed female was very uncommon. Finding an unwed male, on the other hand, was very common. Such was the case with Reeon. "Alright, lets move down to the next one. And somebody please let the foreman know that these darned things need replaced before they kill somebody," Reeon shouted to his team over the noise of the generator.

 

As the team made their way down the tunnel, Reeon sighed to himself. He was the lone mechanic for this section of the mines, and these machines had been in use for decades. Heck, his father was the one that taught him how to fix most of them. Of course, that's exactly what he was doing now: training. His team was nothing more than two teenagers and a young woman who was recently widowed due to a rare mining accident. If there was one thing the opulent bothered to ensure was safe working conditions to help appease the workers. Of course, this was all the more reason for Reeon to scratch his head and wonder why these ancient generators hadn't been replaced two decades ago. The rest of the mining equipment in his sector was brand new, giving him hours of study time with the various manuels. As they reached the next generator, Reeon expertly scanned the generator for common problem areas.

 

"Sir, umm, that one's working just fine. Why do are you bothering with this one?" one trainee asked. "Simple: preventative maintenance. If there's one thing you'll learn about this machinery its this: if you can keep it from breaking down, you'll keep everybody happy. If it breaks down, nobody is happy. So, just try to remember what breaks often, where to look for excessive wear, and definately be on the lookout for broken parts that don't appear to be vital. Trust me, if its broke, fix it right away without hesitating. You'd be surprised at how one broken link will literally doom a piece of equipment for the scrap heap."

 

Reeon decided that the generator was in good condition, so they moved on down to the next generator where Reeon had to start replacing a number of parts.

________________

 

Quiinzara slowly got up. She had slept quite a bit, but she didn't oversleep. As she looked over at the nightstand, she noticed a stack of credits as well as a small note. She reached over and picked it up, and it read, "I appriciate your work for tonight, and I felt that leaving you to go on your way wasn't quite enough. Please keep these credits for yourself and don't let whomever controls you know about them. Once again, thanks." She quickly counted the credits: 345 credits. Dang, I didn't think he was that rich, she thought. "Well, that was kind of him," Yun stated, startling Quiinzara. "Hey, easy now. I'm not here to hurt you. On the contrary, I'm here to help."

"Who-"

"-am I? My name is Yun Liula, Jedi Knight. I'm here to investigate the problems with prostitution here on Corellia."

"But why? Its a very well established institution."

"Established or not, its illegal. By the way, I don't think I caught your name."

"Oh, well, I'm Eurwallici Quiinzarra. Most people just refer to me as Quiinzarra, though."

"Why your last name?"

"Heh, well that's probably because its easier to pronounce."

"Well, why don't you get into some clothes while I wait outside, okay?"

"Sure."

[stingerhs]

Yun stepped outside for a moment and thought for a moment as he remembered the twi'leks words. What does it matter? I own her, he had said. Yun was a bit puzzled for a moment. If he truely did own her, that would up the ante from simple prostitution employment to slavery, Yun thought. And that would mean...

 

The curtain opened and Yun had to supress himself slightly at the astonishing beauty of the woman. She was dressed in a somewhat conservative black dress that conformed to her body's natural curves with a low cut that draped loosely across her breasts. She was stunning, and Yun could hardly contain himself, even with his Jedi training. Remembering what he just thought, Yun quickly began to feel her body with the Force. Finally, at the base of her brain stem, Yun felt what he had been dreading: a very small explosive set to go off if she left a certain area. And Yun knew that it wasn't uncommon for these devises to be modified to that they will go off whenever the owner enters a code into a transmitter.

 

"Umm, why don't we head outside for a moment, hmm?" Yun asked rhetorically. As they made their way outside, Yun decided it would be best for him to appear more, well, attached to Quiinzara, so he reached over and clasped her hand. Surprisingly, Quiinzara not only acted as if was something expected, she also moved closer to Yun so that his hand was rubbing against her as they walked as if they were a couple for the night. Yun could hardly stand it as he had never experienced something like this before. D*** code. It never prepares you for everything, Yun thought.

 

As they finally made it outside the cantina, the crowds were just beginning to ebb. "So, where do we go from here?" Quiinzara asked.

"Well, if you don't mind I'd like to take you my temporary apartment to talk, if you don't mind."

Quiinzara paused for a second. Although this man could be a Jedi, there was no way for her to know for sure. She had heard stories of several enterprising black market factions that would regularly stop by the cantinas and 'steal' the very good prostitutes away from their pimps. She thought that perhaps this one could be better than her current abusive pimp, but again, there was no way to be sure. She thought for just a second and leaned a bit closer to him and purposely brushed up against Yun's lightsaber. "Hey, what's that?" Quiinzara asked, motioning to his lightsaber.

"What do you think it is? Come, these streets are no place to indulge curious people such as yourself as well as other more prying eyes," Yun replied a bit annoyed.

 

As they made their way through the streets, a twi'lek began to follow them. She carefully felt the edge of the blaster's handle that was holstered on her side. Well, I wonder where she's going now, the twi'lek thought to herself. An 'enforcer' prostitute for her pimp, she had been assigned to shadow Quiinzara for the night and had lost her in the cantina. Not one to appear suspicious, she didn't bother checking the cantina's prostitute registrations to see if Quiinzara was signed on. Instead, she had then notified her employer. Unlike Quiinzara, she was truely a free woman that was operating as a true employee instead being someone that was bought from a couple of smugglers to be a slave. Although he had come to personally check on Quiinzara, the twi'lek felt that it was likely he was going to raise hell and cause a multitude of problems. He seemed to have a knack for doing that as he felt much more powerful than he actually was. As Yun and Quiinzara boarded a transport to take them to a residential area, the twi'lek inconspicuously boarded the same transport just as it began to close the automatic doors. As the transport took off from the pad and headed towards the residential area, she quickly took note of Quiinzara's pickup. Curiously, he was not at all acting like he should. Usually, the men that took in prostitutes for the night would be flirting or kissing on the transports, but not this man. He didn't even appear to be happy as he held her hand, and that only meant one thing: he had come to steal her. Even then, most of these 'prostitute theives' usually knew to make public attempts to at least appear to be taking her in for the night, but this one wasn't even trying. Pompous bastard. He should've thought ahead about this one.

[stingerhs]

_____________

 

Reeon sighed to himself as he headed for the lift back to the Aoliaya Clan-Homes. Damn. I hate going home to an empty pad all the time, he thought. As he entered the lift and started to close the safety gate, Reeon noticed someone coming down the shaft. "Hold up!!" a female voice yelled, sending suppressed echoes across the shaft. Reeon recognized the voice to be that of his trainee for the past couple of days: the young widowed woman that was looking to start fresh in life. Reeon pushed the metal gate back up and began to cycle through names, but she appeared before he could recall her name. "Thanks, Reeon. The main lift was too full, and I really didn't want to wait," she told him as she entered the lift with Reeon.

"Meh, no problem. Besides, nobody hardly uses this one any more," Reeon replied while closing the safety gate.

 

Reeon looked her over briefly. She was definately quite young and still retained her youthful beauty, although several scars were visibly noticable on her arms and lekku. It was surprising to Reeon that she hadn't been sold as a slave long ago given that her light violet skin hue was stunningly attractive. Well, at least it tingled Reeon's senses slightly, anyway. Reeon began to wonder, for just a moment why she hadn't remarried. The accident that had left her a widow had been over 8 months ago. Surely there had to be a suitor somewhere, but as Reeon thought about it, he hesitated in acting on it. He was never one to just boldly come out with a question or openly flirt with a woman. Nothing more than a mechanic, he had never bothered with it as he could never truely grasp the right "tool" to use.

 

"Umm, Reeon, I was wondering, how am I doing? I mean, how close am I to getting you to recommend me for a post?" she suddenly asked, a bit sheepishly. Despite the hum of the lift bringing them to the surface, the sound of the question was enough to shatter the silence. "Well, its only been a couple of days, but you seem to be getting the hang of things pretty well. It probably helps that you know how to navigate a tool box."

"Thanks. I had to help my Father a number of times when I was a child. My only brother was sold before I was born, so the duties of helping your parents fell to me. So, I guess it does help, a little."

"I think it helps a lot. What exactly was he, your father, I mean? Was he a mechanic or.."

"..My Father was a mechanic, yes. He didn't get a chance to teach me much, though. I think it was my mother that insisted that I shouldn't work here in the mines. So much for that, huh?"

"Well, I guess now its for the best. I'll be looking forward to working with you some more. It can get tiring trying to teach these 'younglings' how to do something that they've never tried to do."

 

The lift finally reached the top, but Reeon hesitated a bit before he opened the safety gate. He really wanted to at least try to become one of her suitors. What the heck? It couldn't hurt any. "Hey, umm, if you want, I'd be more than happy to host you at my place for dinner. I'm not exactly used to company, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to cook," Reeon stated with his heart suddenly racing. Slightly surprised, Ryshai thought for a moment. Reeon wasn't exactly the most attractive man she had ever met, but he was a good mentor on the job. And he was a more rational choice over the hordes of younger men that were constantly inviting her to do things with them, which was partially why she took the job as a mechanic in the first place: to get away from the constant hounding from younger men that didn't even have solid jobs. Of course, this also meant that she could skip from having one of those lousy food rations that she had to settle for every night since she didn't have the proper cooking equipment at her apartment. "Well, I guess, if only for the food. I really wish Offa'ia would start ordering us at my apartment better rations. I'm really getting tired of salted oreggial all the time," she replied while rolling her eyes. "Just let me head back to my apartment to get in some clean clothes. And it'll give you time get things going with the food, OK?"

 

Now it was Reeon's turn to be surprised. Wooing the opposite sex was definately not his forte. Well, perhaps eight months has been long enough for her to live without a mate. Or she may just want the food, too. Well, it wouldn't be the first time, Reeon thought. Wait a second, what was her name? It was, it was.... Ryshai!! That's it!!

 

"Umm, that'll be great. And the name's Ryshai, right?" he asked.

"Yep, that would be me. I'll see you in about an hour, OK?" she replied, laughing lightly to herself. "Sure. I'll see you then."

 

As they turned and walked their seperate ways, Reeon could hardly believe what was happening. He was finally making a move in the direction of marriage. Finally, he was about to make his move up the social ladder, if only by a couple of rungs.

[stingerhs]

____________________

 

"Wait a second. I can't just go somewhere with you. I have an..."

"...Explosive devise attached to your brain stem that will go off if you venture too far outside of whatever range your owner assigned. I'm well aware of that you can't go too far, but you have to understand that I need evidence to bring before the Jedi Council that a slavery problem exists here on Corellia. So, the plan is not necessarily to take you away, but to remove the devise," Yun replied.

"Well, that's easy for you to say. Its not your life on the line whenever some random surgeon has to both deactivate and remove the **** thing," Quiinzara yelled back angrily.

 

Now in the apartment Yun had rented out for the duration, they had spent the past ten minutes arguing over what needed to be done now that Quiinzara was in Yun's protection. "Even then, it would all be to free countless lives from the same slavery that's bound you. This isn't all about you; its about everyone that had to live the life that you've had," Yun stated.

 

"Oh, so now the truth comes out. This isn't about me at all, is it? You just need your bit of 'evidence' that you can bring before your council so you can help everyone else and get all the glory. So much for the Jedi ideal of the selfless individual," Quiinzara replied bitterly. "Hey, wait a second. I'm no hero. And you seem to be forgetting that you'll be a free woman at the end of all this."

"Yeah, and all I have to do is to submit to an extremely risky surgery. I get a 10/90 chance while you get your prize either way."

 

Yun dropped his head back and rolled his eyes in frustration. Perhaps I need to try another angle, he thought. "Ok, so you dont' want the surgery. Fine, you don't have to go down that road. If you can tell me where to find your former master, I can find out where the transmitter is that controls the 'safety zone' for the devise. Would that be a bit more of a sound plan?"

 

Quiinzara sighed to herself as she calmed down. "Yeah, I guess. But what are you going to do for me in the meantime? You can't just run off and leave me here. I don't want to be alone," she said as tears started to form in her eyes.

"Hey, look, you're going to be fine. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure that you'll be safe. You have my word on that," Yun replied softly.

 

Looking up at Yun, her emotions that had been suppressed for so long finally all seemed to burst at once. Falling into Yun's arms, it was as if a dam had broken inside Quiinzara and everything was spilling out as she wept in his arms. Not really expecting such and outpouring of emotion, Yun was at a slight loss and just simply held her. For Yun, however, it was more than just a matter of consoling Quiinzara. As a Jedi, he could feel the tumult of emotion spilling out of her, and he could hardly hold it back from himself. Even as a Jedi, Yun couldn't contain the tears that slowly crept to the corners of his eyes.

[stingerhs]

"I'm sure of it, sir. I've followed them to this exact point where I've heard them arguing for the past ten minutes," the woman stated into the communicator. "Very well, and good work. Don't worry, neither of them will get away with what they've done. I'll see to it personally that they are both taken care of. In the meantime, stay where you are and don't make yourself noticeable," the pimp replied over the communicator. A calm professional, the twi'lek wasn't about to reveal outwardly that she was about to attack and kill a rival prostitute. Too bad there's so many of them. Oh well, one at a time, starting with Quiinzara, she thought to herself.

________________

 

Yun took out his lightsaber as he sat down on the lone couch. It was a pretty lousy apartment. Sure it was furnished, but it was nothing more than one room with a bed, a desk, a very small cooking and dining module, and the couch Yun was sitting in. At least is was cheap, Yun thought as he smiled to himself. Opening the outward casing, Yun took out the power cell and examined it.

 

Quiinzara was just across the room sleeping in the bed. She was quite exhausted with all the events that occured that night, and Yun knew that she was going to need her rest. After checking the charge on the cell, Yun replaced the cell back into the lightsaber and re-attached the casing. As he looked up, Yun suddenly felt very tired and started to close his eyes. Suddenly, his eyes snapped back open. Something is very, very wrong, Yun thought to himself. He hadn't seen anything, but he could feel it strongly within him.

 

"Quiinzara!! Get up!!" Yun said intensely. As she stirred, Yun got up and took off his outer cloak while facing the door. "What's wrong" she replied sleepily. "I don't know. I just know that we both have to be ready for something."

"What are you talking about? We're perfectly-"

"No we aren't. Something is about to happen, I just know it."

 

Noticing that Yun was staring intently at the door to the apartment, Quiinzara got out of the bed and got behind Yun. His right hand was gripping the lightsaber, and Quiinzara noticed that the emitter was unusually pointed behind him.

 

The noise was like a saw, and sparks were flying everywhere from the door. Then, the door blew open. Not even flinching, Yun ignited his lightsaber and began to block the incoming blaster fire. Using a backhand technique, Yun very quickly closed the distance to the door and quickly cut down the point man of the assault team. Running through the door, Yun brought his arm upward, pulling the tip of the lightsaber across another gunman's body. In a chaotic mess of smoke and moving bodies, all Quiinzara could see through the opening in the door was blaster shots and a very fast moving beam of blue light.

 

Just as quickly as it began, it stopped. All Quiinzara could hear through the opening was the hum of a lightsaber. Getting closer to the door, the smoke settled down enough that she could see Yun holding his lightsaber next to the throat a twi'lek man. "Quiinzara, is this your master?" Yun asked. Pausing for a second to take in everything that had just happened, she just nodded her head.

 

In one swift moment, Yun switched off his lightsaber and grabbed the pimp by the shirt and tossed him against a wall. Bouncing off the wall like a rag doll, the twi'lek started to collapse onto the ground when Yun grabbed him again and pinned him against the wall. "Where is the transmitter that controls the explosive in her head?" Yun asked intensely. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me, I know you implanted an explosive in her head so that you can control where she is at all times."

"Like I said, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Deny it if you like, but all the Jedi Council is going to hear is that you put an explosive inside of her head after you bought her as a slave so that you can control her on the streets as she exchanges money for her body every night in prostitution. And that's just the Council. What do you think the Judiciary is going to do after the Council turns you over with an execution recommendation?"

"Hey, look now, we can deal on this-"

"Can we, now? Start talking," Yun stated as he let the twi'lek drop to the ground.

 

As the twi'lek slowly got up to his feet, he looked over at Quiinzara. He remembered the day he bought her from a group of Trandoshan slavers for a couple doses of spice. He remembered the day he initiated her into his group of prostitutes by torturing her for a small group of men so they could have some 'stimulation'. He remembered a number of times where he had her beaten or tortured because she hadn't brought in enough credits. But now-

 

"Are you hard of hearing? I said start talking!" Yun yelled at him as he once again ignited his saber. Bringing it to bear on the twi'lek's throat, he began to tremble slightly. "Ok, in my back pocket, there's a small control module. It's what controls the 'boomers' on all my girls." Reaching around the twi'lek, Yun was about to feel for the controller when the twi'lek quickly kneed Yun between the legs and hooked Yun across the face.

 

Caught by surprise, Yun stumbled backwards as the twi'lek performed a roundhouse kick across Yun's face. Falling to the ground, Yun dropped his lightsaber, and the failsafe in the lightsaber automaticly deactivated the lightsaber. As the twi'lek stood over Yun, a smile slowly curled at his lips. Reaching down to grab Yun, a single blaster shot range out. Looking up at the twi'lek, Yun saw a burst of flame come from the upper left torso of the twi'lek as the blaster bolt impacted him.

 

As the twi'lek crumpled dead onto the floor, Yun turned over to notice that Quiinzara had picked up a blaster from one of the dead attackers and was holding it straight out. "What did you do that for? I had the situation under control," Yun exclaimed while struggling to get back on his feet. "Yeah, I'm sure you did," she replied while bringing the blaster down. "Look, he said it was in his back pocket, so lets just take it and go."

"Yeah, well, we could've just brought him with us to put him on trial or-"

"Or what? Let him escape and come after me? I don't think so. Jedi or not, you're just going to have to understand that I have to do what I need to do sometimes."

 

Picking up his lightsaber. Yun felt around the body of the twi'lek, and indeed, the controller was in his back pocket. "Alright, well, lets just get out of here," he said exasperated.

[stingerhs]

Yun and Quiinzara grabbed whatever things they had in the apartment and headed back outside. With the night finally ending, dawn was beginning to break over the horizon. Heading for a transport bound for the public docks, a loud explosion rang out from the distance. As the tall buildings trembled beneath them, Yun could feel something. Looking to the right, Yun saw a very large fireball coming from the night district. Closing his eyes to concentrate on the Force, Yun couldn't feel any death as a result of the explosion. "Its just something for the authorities to worry about. Come on, let's keep going," Yun said to Quiinzara.

________________

 

"Get in," Jango commanded to his captive. Having captured Fe'ra from the bar, Jango had set a very large explosive to destroy the place to hide any evidence. To ensure that there wouldn't be anyone killed, aside from Fe'ra's security, Jango had waited until the streets were empty and the bars and clubs had closed. Escaping on one of Fe'ra's speeders, they were now at the spaceport.

 

Fe'ra hesitated for a moment, so Jango just pushed him in. Stumbling onto the floor, Jango grabbed a syringe filled with a sedative. Pushing the button to take them to the proper level, Jango then knelt down to his captive. "Why are you doing this?? I've done nothing wrong," Fe'ra managed to gasp out. "Its simple: you are worth a lot of credits, my dear Mr. Fe'ra. Whatever happens to you after I trade you in is Jabba's business."

 

"Jabba?? What does he want with- ahhh..." Fe'ra started to say as Jango injected him with the sedative. "That, my captive friend, is no longer your concern," Jango replied while returning the syringe to its case. Standing up and facing the door, the elevator started to slow down and stop well before it had reached Jango's level. As the door opened, Jango instantly recognized the two people standing there. Of course, Yun and Quiinzara also recognized Jango.

 

"Well, its a pleasure to see you again, madame," Jango managed to stumble out. As Yun and Quiinzara boarded the elevator, Yun looked down at the sedated Fe'ra, raised his eyebrows for a second and then started to punch in his level number. "Well, that's convienent. We're on the same level," Yun stated. Motioning towards Fe'ra, Yun asked, "What's wrong with him?"

 

"Him? Oh, he just had a few too many drinks last night. He'll be alright," Jango replied. After that, the elevator began to ascend again. The elevator car was awkwardly silent, and Jango began to rock back and forth on the balls of his feet. Looking down at the floor in a bit of embarassment, Quiinzara realized that she was still wearing the same revealing dress that she had on earlier. Trying to cover herself a bit, she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

 

After what felt like an hour, the elevator finally slowed and then stopped at the level. As the doors opened, Yun and Quiinzara started to walk outside while Quiinzara stole a glance at Jango. Catching the glance, Jango smiled slightly and nodded in her direction. Bending down, Jango then heaved Fe'ra onto his shoulder. Yun and Quiinzara then turned left towards Yun's fighter while Jango turned right and headed for Slave I.

 

"Well, that was... awkward, to say the least," Quiinzara told Yun quietly. "Hmm, bounty hunters: they think they can hide the truth from anybody," Yun replied. After walking past a number of hangars, Yun finally arrived at his hangar. Opening the doors, Yun headed for his fighter. A red astrodroid beeped a greeting at Yun. "Hey Rudy. I'd like you to meet Quiinzara. Quiinzara, this is RD7-8, or just Rudy for short," Yun stated as the cockpit opened with a hiss. Pulling out the controller from Quiinzara's pimp, Yun plugged it into a port inside the cockpit.

 

"Ok, Rudy I need you to decode that thing and deactivate the explosives tied to it." Beeping an acknowlegement, Rudy started to work on it. After a couple of seconds, Rudy let out a number of beeps. Knowing what all the beeps meant, Yun turned to Quiinzara and said, "Its done. You and all the other slaves tied to that controller are now free."

[stingerhs]

((i'm going to go ahead and skip ahead a couple of chapters since most of the intervening chapters are just setup and more character introductions.

 

to summerize: Yun provides shelter for Quiinzara on another part of Corellia after she discovers her pregnancy. Checking in on her every two weeks, Yun is there with Quiinzara when she gives birth to Jeez. Yun is quick to recognize Jeez as a Force Adept and calls in Master Yoda to confirm. Whenever Yoda confirms, Quiinzara initially refuses to let them take her baby. Under urgings from Yun, Quiinzara agrees to move to Coruscant to raise her infant for at least 2 years under the watchful eyes of the Jedi. Things go according to plan, and Quiinzara tearfully gives up her son to the Jedi whenever he turns 2.

 

The Overwatchers also have their own little bundle of joy that they begin to raise. With such close ties to the Jedi, their child, Miranda, is recognized to be a Force Adept and is taken to the Jedi Temple for training at the age of 3.

 

As a part of the same class, Miranda and Jeez see each other often and are fast friends. Their friendship remains close and very solid for many years. Curiously, they often get into trouble as they find ways to play with each other around the temple. Although they make other friends, those friendships never seem to last as long nor are as constant as theirs.

 

As for Reeon and Ryshai, they fall in love and are married after two years of courtship. Soon after, they have their first child: a girl they name Ryshan'aoliaya, which roughly translates into 'Beautiful Sunset' in the twi'lek dialect. They love their girl and do the best they can to raise her. Although the value of a child, especially a girl is high, niether one of them want her to be sold into slavery. However, whenever their clan comes under scrutiny by a band of Slavers for a 'lack of trade', they are force by the upper class of the clan to sell Ryshana off to the slavers. Reeon is heartbroken, even more so than Ryshai, and commits suicide.

 

Meanwhile, Ryshana is placed into servitude training at the age of 3. Due to her age, she is sold to a Senator as an 'investment in the future'. Tipped off about the Senator's slaver dealings, the Jedi set a trap for him at Coruscant and arrest him. Ryshana is recognized to be a Force Adept and is taken into the Temple for training.

 

so you recognize the timeline, Ryshana is being taken into training as Jeez and Miranda are already about two years into their Jedi training which puts their ages at 5 for Miranda and Jeez and 3 for Ryshana.))

[stingerhs]

in an effort to avoid stating what has already been stated, simply read the notification at the top of the thread.

 

feel free to offer suggestions, encouragement, or critical analysis below.

[machievelli]

read

[Darth_Yuthura]

*Past tense* Read.

 

I admit I wouldn't have given this a second thought if it came up after I was on this forum. It does deserve some more recognition than you've received.