(C) 2001 Sean N. Koury. Based on the universe and situations
created by George Lucas. STAR WARS and its likenesses are
owned by Lucasfilm Ltd. This story takes place eighty-two
years before Star Wars Episode Four: A New Hope.
Star Wars: Incarceration
by Sean N. Koury
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To: Governor Fentok Parnel
Gerhelion Sector Command
From: Warden Gril Ornam
Gerhelion Penal Facility, planet Gerhelion
Governor,
You requested a report on the recent incident at the
Gerhelion Penal Facility. Why this particular incident is
of any more interest to you than any other, I do not under-
stand. I will admit to some curiousity on the matter, however,
I will not press the point.
Enclosed are pages from Prisoner # 113478-2B's personal
journal. I apologize for the crudeness of the account; the man
was definitely no story teller.
Also enclosed are a few eyewitness accounts. I am about to
begin interrogating the instigator tonight. A complete transcript
will follow.
Warden Ornam
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FROM THE JOURNAL OF PRISONER # 113478-2B (Gerg Daetsnah)
DAY ONE
My name is Gerg Daetsnah, and I am a criminal.
At this very moment, I'm sitting shackled to my seat inside
an old model PTV, enroute to my new home at the Gerhelion Penal
Colony. There are about twenty other prisoners in here with me,
each of them looking as miserable as I feel. And I feel awful.
The planet Gerhelion is a miserable planet to look at. It's
all grey and murky, kinda like my mood. The local vegetation is
mud, which is to say, of course, that there is no vegetation.
None that's visible to the naked eye, anyway.
Why am I here, you ask? Well, I murdered someone, of
course. How else do you think you get to go on a trip to such a
wonderful vacation spot.
I grew up on the planet Ingo. Yeah, I know you didn't ask
for my life story, but I don't care, y'see. I'm setting the
mood; building the atmosphere, like a real writer would. So just
sit down and shut up.
Where was I? Oh yeah. I grew up on Ingo, and life was rough.
Everyone says that, I know, but I'm telling the truth.My dad was a
glitterstim addict, and mom, well, mom was a lady of the night, if you
catch my drift. Dad used to beat me. Regularly.
I mostly worked as a gun-for-hire. One day, one of the
local Anno-Dat crimelords (who shall remain nameless) hired me to
infiltrate one of his rival gangs. The rival, a mean bastard by
the name of Bilbav Trenaken, had recently sneaked someone into
the Anno-Dat's gang and had had his son killed.
I was to return the favour.
And I did. I became close friends with Trenaken's boy, a
little weasel named Pofal. I waited two months, until the boy
trusted me with his life.
Then I stuck him with his own vibroblade. I still laugh
when I envision the hurt look in his eyes, as his life dripped
out onto the sidewalk in a dark, red pool. How wonderful.
Unfortunately, a local law enforcement officer happened onto
the scene, and there I was in all my glory. Needless to say, he
blasted me up real good.
So four bacta sessions later, here I am.
A Gammorean sitting behind me just coughed up some black
crud. How nice. At first I think to help, but the guard that
just whacked Pigman in the head with his shockstic changes my
mind. That probably hurt like hell.
The blond human to the left of me leans over and asks, "What
are you in for?"
I look him up and down. You have to be careful. Never show
fear. Finally, decide to answer him. "I killed a guy? You?"
The blond man gets a faraway look in his eyes, then
chuckles. "Same. We should compare notes." He lifts his hand.
"Name's Coban Jeets."
I look at his hand like it's covered in sores. I don't
shake it, but I do answer him. "I'm Gerg. Gerg Daetsnah."
Jeets nods, then looks forward the the front of the PTV,
out the window. I can see Gerhelion Penal Colony ahead, looming
menacingly. It looks like crud. "Home sweet home," I mutter.
That's when the guard decides I need a dose from his shock-
stic. Damn, it does hurt like hell!
Jeets leans back in his seat and laughs.
DAY TWO
So here I am, safe and sound in my new home. Boy, I'm
having so much fun.
After getting off the PTV yesterday, Jeets and the rest of
us got to meet our keeper, one Warden Gril Ornam. The guy has
got to be the biggest sklaghead I've ever met.
Anyway, after our 'Initiation', we were given the grand
tour of the place. Glad I don't have to stay here forever; oh
wait, I do.
My cell stinks. My cellmate, the Gammorean who was coughing
up that black stuff, stinks even more. I am thinking of asking
for my own private cell, one with a view of the grounds. Yeah,
like that'll happen.
Anyway, today we get put to work. It is a grueling job, let
me tell you. Mining ore. They say that the stuff we are mining
is something important, but it just looks like a bunch of rocks
to me. And they're too cheap to even give us some laser miners.
All we have are some old fashioned pics. They say it's so we
don't try to hurt the other prisoners. Gimme a break. I could
kill someone just as easily with this pic as I could with any
laser drill.
At least Jeets seems to be an alright guy. Right now, it's
break time, and he's off trying to get us some cigarras. He says
prisoners always manage to have stuff like that. I'm standing
next to our new friend, a huge Barabel by the name of Okteppr.
I'm sure he'll come in useful in a place like this.
Jeets comes running up. "Hey, look what I got," he says,
holding up two cigarillos. Not quite as good as a cigarra, but
they'll do. He hands one to me, and I use a sparkstick to light
it. Taking a long haul off of the thing, I let out a sigh and
smile.
"Good job, Jeets. You're a lifesaver." Jeets just laughs.
Okteppr asks where his is.
"Sorry, big guy. I didn't know Barabels smoked."
The Barabel shrugs his huge keratin-scaled shoulders. "We
do not, as a rule. But it is the thought that counts." Me and
Jeets break out into guffaws. Okteppr was alright.
One of the guards shoots his blaster in the air, and we all
turn to see what's going on. A gigantic Wookiee prisoner is
in a fight with an equally gigantic Barabel. Okteppr nudges me,
and points at the Barabel. "That one is Bonterap. He is the
boss here. Wookiee will learn this."
I turn to watch. Bonterap has the Wookiee raised over his
head. Just then, three guards rush in and stick the Barabel with
their shockstics. At first, they seem to have no effect, but
after three more shocks, Bonterap flings the Wookiee and falls to
the ground. The Wookie crashes into some poor little Rodian, and
they both end up in a heap. The guards grab Bonterap under the
arms and drag him away.
I shrug. "Big guy doesn't look so tough to me." This draws
amazed-looking stares from some of the other prisoners around me
and Okteppr leans down to whisper in my ear, "You would be wise
to keep such remarks to yourself, Gerg. You do not want Bonterap
after you." He stands up to his full height and flashes his
razor-sharp teeth at me. "Trust me on this."
Jeets taps me and points to the Wookiee. This is when I
first notice the gaping bitemark in the Wook's stomach. As the
guards try to move him, the Wookiee's guts come pouring out. The
guard begin vomiting, causing some of the prisoners to laugh. I
just stare.
"I didn't even see the Barabel bite him," Jeets groans.
"Not the way I'd choose to go." He turns to look at Okteppr, or
to be more precise, Okteppr's teeth. The Barabel chuckles, then
turns and walks away.
That's when the rest of the guards rush down into the
prisonyard, shockstics blazing.
Great. My first riot.
DAY FIVE
I am sitting in the mess hall, choking back the greyish
glop that passes for food around here. I'm sitting with
Jeets and another new friend, Cantah Beels. Cantah is a
Lemorian. He is a feline-type that kind of reminds me of the
little pittens I used to torture when I was a lad. He's a
good sort, though. Not too bright, though.
As I shovel another mouthful of gruel into my mouth, Cantah
leans over the table to say something.
"Did you hear that Bonterap is out of solitary?" he asks, as
some of his food falls out of his mouth onto the table.
Jeets and I nod our heads. I had just heard the news from
my Ho'Din buddy, Kellt. "So what?" Jeets says.
Cantah looks around him before continuing. "I heard he's
out to get Okteppr. Seems the prison isn't big enough for two
Barabels." He leans back is his chair.
Jeets and I exchange worried glances. Okteppr can handle
himself in a fight; I've seen him do just that on numerous
occasions in my short stay here. But even Okteppr himself would
admit he's no match for Bonterap. "Did you tell Okteppr this?" I
ask.
Cantah laughs. "Of course I did. Right after I told Warden
Ornam."
Jeets chokes and some of his lunch flies out of his mouth.
"You told the warden?" he sputters. "Are you daft?"
I had to agree. "Yeah. You just signed your own death
warrent, Cantah."
The Lemorian looked worried now. "What do you mean? What
was I supposed to do?"
"I don't know," I say, wagging a finger in his catlike face,
"Keep your mouth shut. Bonterap's gonna gut you."
Cantah's eyes glance nervously around the mess hall.
Spotting Okteppr sauntering our way, he stands up. "Okteppr,
pal. You're not gonna let that bruiser do anything to me,
right?"
Okteppr places his hand on Cantah's shoulder. "That was a
very foolish thing you did, my friend. Warden Ornam just placed
Bonterap back in solitary. For another ten days." He glances
over at me and Jeets. "Apparently, the warden told him he got
the info from Cantah here."
Cantah looked as if he was going to die where he was
standing. "Why that lousy, kriffing bastard! He said he'd keep
my identity a secret."
Jeets looked sadly at the Lemorian. "Looks like the cat's
out of the bag."
DAY THIRTEEN
There are two more days until Bonterap gets out of solitary.
Cantah has been busy trying to get the other prisoners to help
him out, but so far he has no takers. Jeets, Okteppr, Kellt and
I have told him repeatedly that we will back him up, but it
doesn't seem to be calming his nerves. My Gammorean cellmate,
Chogg, has offered his help, as well. He's obviously too stupid
to understand the situation.
What does that make me, then?
I am sitting in my cell alone. Chogg is working his mining
shift. Mine starts in two hours. Until then, I have nothing to
do except sit and contemplate the situation.
As I am doing this, Jeets comes in. He had a family visit
today, or so he told me. As I look up at him, I am surprised to
see his face is wet with tears.
"Hey, Gerg. What's up?"
I tell him to sit. "Never mind me. Have you been crying?
What happened?" Jeets has become a close friend to me over the
last half a month. Probably closer then any friend I've ever
had. He was usually so full of life, which is saying a lot,
considering where he was.
Jeets wipes his face, seeming ashamed to be showing that
kind of emotion. He looks over at me. "My son came today to
see me." I nod. "He told me that my...wife has been..." He
stops here and begins to cry again.
I put my hand on his shoulder and tell him to take his time.
But I've figured it out already; Jeets' wife is dead. He talks
about her constantly, so much so that I felt like I knew her.
She seemed like a wonderful person.
"She's dead, Gerg. Shot down like a womprat in the street.
All because she didn't have any money to give her attacker." He
stands up, anger replacing his grief. "It's my fault, Gerg. I
should have been there for her. Not locked up in this place."
He pounds his hand against the wall of my cell. Hard. I
can see his hand beginning to bleed. I stand up. "Jeets...
Coban, it's not your fault. You can't blame yourself."
He whirls on me, and for a second I think he's going to
punch me. Then he settles down, and his head falls forward,
staring at the floor he says in barely a whisper, "My son does."
"Look, Coban, he's just mad right now, like you. He'll come
around eventually. I'm sure wherever she is, your wife doesn't
blame you." I surprise myself with this speech; I've never been
good with this kind of stuff. Comes from a cruddy upbringing.
That and the fact that I've never cared for anyone except myself.
But I continue on anyway, trying to make Jeets fell better. "I'm
sure that wherever she is, she still loves you just as much as
she ever did." Arrgh! If I start bawling, I'll never forgive
myself. Big tough murderer guy, bawling because his friend is
under some emotional distress. What is wrong with me?
Surprisingly, my talk seems to help. Jeets looks up at me
and manages a half smile. "She did love me," he mumbles. "Core
only knows why, but she did love me. More than life itself."
He sits down on my bunk, and we spend the next two hours
before shift talking about Jeets' wife.
Cantah's problem has been forgotten for the moment.
DAY FIFTEEN
It is the last day of Bonterap's solitary confinement. We
are ready for anything. Not surprisingly, nobody has seen Cantah today.
Surprisingly, Bonterap doesn't try anything. He glares at
Okteppr during our shift in the mines, but that is all. Okteppr
is nervous about this. Jeets, still slightly subdued after his
wife's death, but more like his usual self, tells us we should
be cautious.
Sounds like good advice to me.
DAY SIXTEEN
Kellt and I manage to pull laundry duty today. Chogg is
around here somewhere, as well. Though why anybody would assign
a black crud spewing Gammorean to laundry duty is beyond me.
Nobody has seen Cantah for two days.
Kellt passes me some folded prison fatigues and asks, "So
where exactly do you think Cantah is hiding?"
I look up into the Ho'Din's willowy face, watching the worm-
like tube things on his head as they jiggled. Then I shrug.
"Who knows? Somebody told me that Lemorians are good hiders.
He's probably just holed up in the basement somewhere."
Kellt looks dubious. "I don't know. You'd think that the
guards would have found him by now."
I take a moment to ponder this. I've been doing that a lot
lately, pondering.
I hear a wretching noise, then see Chogg getting stuck once
again with a guard's shockstic. He's just ruined a load of
socks. Kellt and I chuckle.
Jeets wanders in. "Bonterap is going after Okteppr. Right
now!" The guards all rush out, so we stop what we're doing and
follow.
Out in the hall, the two Barabels are going at it. It is
the most viscious fight I've ever seen. Prisoners are standing
around the two in a circle, hooting and cheering. Chogg looks
like he wants to jump in, but I grab his arm and shake my head
negative. The Pigman looks downcast, but stays where he is,
seeming to understand that this fight is a matter of honor.
Kellt wonders aloud, "Why aren't the guards doing anything
to stop this?"
Jeets shrugs. "Probably the same reason we aren't. It's
between the two of them."
When the fight is over, Bonterap is the winner. Okteppr
is dragged away by the guards.
He is quite dead.
DAY TWENTY
We are all still hurting over Okteppr's death. And there is
still no sign of Cantah. We fear he is dead, as well.
Those fears are soon laid to rest.
Apparently, while we were on mining duty, one of the guards
on duty in the furnace room noticed a foul odour coming from the
far corner of the room. The furnace generator room is only
maintained once a week, if that, so nobody noticed the smell
until today.
What the guard found was Cantah (as if you hadn't guessed).
He was very dead, his body pinned to the wall with some kind of
hooks. His stomach was ripped open and his guts were all over
the floor. In addition, two huge bitemarks were found on the
body; one on his arm, the other had taken a good chunk of the
Lemorian's head with it. According to my source, Lemorians have
green brains. Go figure.
We sat together after our shift and wondered what was next.
DAY TWENTY-THREE
I guess what was next was Bonterap trying to off the rest of
Okteppr's lackies. Meaning us. I guess he sees us as a threat.
One of his mindless drones tried to shiv me in the 'fresher
unit today. I was lucky that Jeets was there or I might've
bought it right then and there. As it is, I'm having problems
writing this down today, due to the fact that the shiv caught me
in my writing arm.
Oh well. An arm's better than getting it in the heart.
Good ol' Jeets.
DAY TWENTY-SEVEN
The arm is feeling a bit better today. I'm writing this
right before they shut the lights out for the night. Chogg is on
his bunk, snoring away, and dribbling black stuff out of his open
mouth. I laugh to myself.
A strange thing happened today. Bonterap made a move to
kill Jeets. Personally. And Jeets beat him. Bonterap is now
food for the worms. I swear, Jeets keeps surprising me. I mean,
he can fight, I tell you. The moves he had; if I didn't know
better, I'd think he was a Jedi Knight or something. Maybe he
has some Force talent or something. Not that I really believe in
that mystical crud, but I've seen Jedi do some crazy things. It
could just be cybernetic enhancements, or drugs or something, but
they can move. And Jeets definitely has some kind of training.
Anyway, the other strange thing that happened was, after he
finished wiping the floor with Bonterap, he turned and said to
me, "It's almost time." Then he smiled and was dragged away by
the guards.
I'll have to ask him what that meant. When he gets out of
solitary, of course.
I chuckle again. That Jeets. He's one surprising bastard.
DAY THIRTY-ONE
The prison is in total disarray. Ever since Jeets killed
Bonterap, everyone's been fighting to be top dog. The Barabel's
cronies are, so far, trying to keep the power, but most of the
other prisoners are looking to align themselves with me, Chogg
and Kellt. And of course Jeets. He is the one who got rid of
Bonterap, after all.
Jeets is out of solitary tommorow. All of us are excited.
He'll know what to do. And essentially since I'm such good friends
with Jeets, I'll be the second-most powerful prisoner in
this dump.
And trust me. I love the sound of that.
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(Note to Governor Parnel: This was the last entry in Prisoner #
113478©2B's journal. What follows are eyewitness accounts of
what occured the following day. Warden Ornam)
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EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT PRISONER # 45678-1C (Kellt)
It was the most horrible thing. Jeets was getting out of
solitary that day, and all of us were excited to see him. The
day started out like any other day. We went and had breakfast,
then Gerg, Jeets, Chogg and I headed out to the mine yards for our
shift.
The power struggle, I'm sure you know what I'm talking
about, was getting heated. Especially now that Jeets was out.
Gerg and Jeets spent the shift talking about it. It was obvious
to anybody that these two were going to be the next Top Guys.
You know what I mean. Jeets didn't really want the
responsibility, but Gerg kept convincing him that it had to be
him. I agreed. After all, Jeets was the one who dethroned the
last boss. I mean, even Okteppr, May he be One with the Force,
couldn't do that. Even Chogg seemed to understand, and he
grunted out that "Yes, Jeets lead! Yes Yes!" Or something along
those lines, anyway. My Gammorean ain't so great, and Chog's
Basic is even worse.
So, finally Jeets agrees to take the job, and him and Gerg
begin to strategize. They were still working hard, mind you,
just like the rest of us, but they were talking while working.
Understand?
Anyway, shortly after second break, one of Bonterap's goons,
I think it was Benta Kollbana, you know, that big Kiklan bruiser.
I think he was Bonterap's second in command or something. Well,
he comes over and tries to crack Jeets over the head with his
pic. Jeets sidestepped the blow, and swung back with his pic.
I was expecting the guards to break it up, but to my surprise,
the guards were nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile, Jeets is dancing around this Kiklan, twice his
size, and is slowly wearing him down. I guess he got a little
too cocky, 'cause Tollbana lashed out blindly and managed to
connect his pic with Jeets' jaw. He moved in to finish the job,
but Gerg, Chogg and I stepped in to protect him. He was our
friend, after all, and you gotta stick together in a place like
this.
So Tollbana clears out, saying he'll finish the job another
time. Gerg doesn't know what to make of this. I guess he
thought Jeets had Jedi magic or something. Me, I think he
could've kicked Tollbana's tail; he just got a little cocky after
wasting Bonterap.
This is where it gets weird. Jeets is lying on the ground,
unconscious, or so I thought at the time. The guards are still
nowhere to be seen. No, I'm telling the truth. They weren't
there. Fine, don't believe me. Anyway, like I said, I thought
Jeets was unconscious or dead. So did Gerg. He was mortified;
Jeets was his best friend in here, y'know, and I don't think Gerg
had many friends in his life before Gerhelion.
So Gerg leans over Jeets, and is slapping him in the face,
trying to get him to wake up. You can tell he's genuinely
concerned.
That's when it happened. Jeets' eyes snapped open, and he
reached up and grabbed Gerg behind the head. Gerg starts to help
him up, but faster than lightening, Jeets' other hand shoots out,
holding a shiv. I don't know where he got it, but there it was.
Then he stabs Gerg in the throat with it, then pulls it out and
stabs him in the stomach. He twisted it around in there, to mess
up Gerg's guts really good. I thought at first that he did it by
accident, y'know thinking it was Tollbana above him, but then he
said it, in the moment right before Gerg's life left him.
"Bilbav Trenaken sends his greetings."
What in the name of the Force does that mean? Anyway, Gerg
seemed to understand what it meant, because, right before he
died, I could see a look of utter betrayal in his eyes.
Jeets just chuckled, then the guards reappeared and dragged
him away.
Can't you tell me what's going on? Yeah, I didn't think so.
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-
EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT PRISONER # 113475-2B (Chogg)
(Please note: Chogg is Gammorean. We asked him to speak Basic
for this account, which, in hindsight, may have been a mistake.)
We get up. Eat good gruel. It yum. We go to rocksmash
place, smash rocks. Chogg like smash rocks, this place fun.
Gerg, no Jeets, get in fight with Tuhblanna. Tuhblanna
hit Jeets good with rocksmash stick. Chogg want to hit somebody
with rocksmash stick.
Jeets fall down. Gerg look sad, tries to help frund Jeets.
Jeets stick sharp thing in Gerg's neck. Gerg fall down and die.
Jeets say something, then ticklestick men come and take him
out.
Chogg hungry, want more breakfast.
(At this point, Chogg began coughing up some kind of viscous
black ooze, and the interrogator ordered him removed from the
room. These were the only two prisoners who seemed to have seen
anything. Apparently, blindness is a side effect of mining on
Gerhelion.)
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---
TRANSCRIPT OF PRISONER # 113486-2B'S INTERROGATION (Coban Jeets)
Lt. Metg Fallo presiding
MF: Why did you do it!
CJ: I'm not talking to you. Get the warden in here.
MF: I will ask you again nicely. Why did you kill prisoner
113478-2B.
CJ: Because I felt like it.
(Lt. Fallo hits Jeets in the face. Prisoner doesn't seem to be
affected.)
CJ: (Smiling) You shouldn't do that. I don't like it.
MF: Yeah well, tough. Now, one last time; Why did you kill your
friend, Gerg Daetsnah?
CJ: No, I'll tell you one last time; Get the warden in here now.
I'll only talk to him.
(Lt. Fallo moves to hit Jeets again, but the prisoner has somehow
managed to get loose of his binders. He grabs Fallo by the arm,
twists him around, pulls the lieutenant's blaster and points it
at Fallo's head.)
CJ: Now, get the warden! (Points at the other guard) And turn
that blasted recorder off!
(At this point, Warden Ornam is summoned.)
END TRANSCRIPT
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---
FROM WARDEN GRIL ORNAM'S PERSONAL JOURNAL
Two weeks have passed, since Gerg Daetsnah was killed by his
friend Coban Jeets. Or should I say, bounty hunter Lawg Skrak.
The hunter infiltrated my prison, apparently with the permission
of Governor Parnel himself. This explains the governor's
interest in the incident, but not why he would allow such a thing
to happen. Especially without informing me first.
At the moment that Jeets confronted me with his true
identity, I didn't believe him. I thought it was some ploy to
get me to let him go. But I had seen the holos of him fighting
Bonterap; there was also the relative ease with which he escaped
his binders to take into account.
Then, when he pressed a spot on his right arm, and told me
to look out the window, I was convinced. His ship, the Avenging
Angel was hovering outside the room, all weapons pointed in at
us. I guess he had some kind of undetectable beckon call
implanted under his skin. I had no choice but to free the man.
As Skrak left, he told us not to bother trying to match his
face to any known persons lists, as he'd undergone some cosmetic
surgery for this job. Surgery, he assured us, that would soon
be reversed. Besides, he said, his real face wasn't on any
lists, either. He also said not to worry about being in too much
trouble; Governor Parnel would verify his authority in this
matter. Then he left.
Unfortunately, I was unable to contact Governor Parnel
about this at the time, and now it seems the governor has been
transferred.
Leaving me with a lot of unanswered questions.
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----------
A historian's note on these documents.
The preceding documents recently came across my desk during
my arduous task of researching the events of the Deridian War.
While digging through the events of that conflict, I became
enamoured with the historical figure of General Lynathria Skrak,
and as a result, began, as a hobby of sorts, researching the
Skrak family line.
Needless to say, everyone knows the current day Lawg Skrak,
bounty hunter, sometime NRI operative and husband to Jedi Knight,
Taara Hentt. He is also known as a decent man. This was not
always the case, however. Belonging to an unknown alien species,
and having lived for over a century thus far, Lawg has had a
reputation for being one of the hardest, cruelest bounty hunters
to ever roam the galaxy. The reputation isn't quite deserved
anymore. He is still feared and respected, but in a different
way, and I thought I'd heard all the terrible stories about him
that there were to hear.
After attending his and Taara's wedding two years ago, Lawg
himself filled me in on his personal history, as well as giving
me a datapad he'd stolen years before from Pordus Ore (datapad
information can be found in File 3348-1A7). He didn't know much
about his family tree, as his species is unknown to even him;
however he did give a rather detailed account of his own life.
Some of the tales were awful. Lawg did some terrible things in
his day, but he never mentioned the events mentioned in these
documents. He never mentioned them to me, at least. I'm sure
his wife knows about them.
I will be asking him about them; in fact I am meeting with
him and Taara on Yavin Four in two weeks time. However, after
reading these papers, I'm sure I can figure out for myself why
he never brought it up. Apaling, to say the least. I hope the
galaxy never again sees the Lawg Skrak who once roamed the stars.
Expect a follow-up in two weeks time.
The events accounted for in the preceding pages occurred
eighty-two years before the Battle of Yavin.
From: Deridian War Documentarian Karl Khent
To: New Republic Historical Council
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Follow-up to report 89900-4T
After having talking recently to bounty hunter Lawg Skrak
regarding the events of my last report, I have learned the
following information.
When confronted with the query, Lawg said the reason he
had said nothing earlier was simply because he was too ashamed
to talk about it. He really didn't want to say anything more,
but did decide to help me put the tale into a more, how did he
say, 'historical perspective'.
And what he told me was interesting, to say the least. It
put a whole new spin on the Lawg Skrak mythos.
The tale he began to weave started shortly after the Battle
of Endor, and about four days after Lawg, Taara and General
Calrissian's encounter with Atha Prime. This encounter with
Lawg's uncle, Kathar Drek, is of course known to us (see File #
6675-LS). What wasn't included in that account was that, shortly
after Lawg killed Kathar, he salvaged his uncle's personal logs
from his downed vessel. Contained in these files were evidence
of Kathar's behind-the-scenes manipulation of Lawg's life.
Kathar had admitted to this before Lawg killed him, but the logs
served to confirm it. So many things that had happened over the
course of the bounty hunter's long career had been a direct
result of his uncle's interference, including the deaths of his
parents.
It also sheds some light on Warden Gril Ornam's curiosity
towards his superior's unusual interest in the events at the
Gerhelion Penal Facility. After doing some quick research, I was
able to ascertain that Governor Parnel served as governor for a
period of one week before Lawg infiltrated the prison, then
mysteriously disappeared one week after the incident with Gerg
Daetsnah. The report said he was transferred, but no other trace
of Parnel can be found in any Republic records.
Lawg says this is because Governor Parnel was, in fact,
Kathar Drek.
As to what Drek's motivations behind this incident were,
Lawg can only speculate.
More information as it is uncovered.
From: Deridian War Documentarian Karl Khent
To: New Republic Historical Council
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
created by George Lucas. STAR WARS and its likenesses are
owned by Lucasfilm Ltd. This story takes place eighty-two
years before Star Wars Episode Four: A New Hope.
Star Wars: Incarceration
by Sean N. Koury
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To: Governor Fentok Parnel
Gerhelion Sector Command
From: Warden Gril Ornam
Gerhelion Penal Facility, planet Gerhelion
Governor,
You requested a report on the recent incident at the
Gerhelion Penal Facility. Why this particular incident is
of any more interest to you than any other, I do not under-
stand. I will admit to some curiousity on the matter, however,
I will not press the point.
Enclosed are pages from Prisoner # 113478-2B's personal
journal. I apologize for the crudeness of the account; the man
was definitely no story teller.
Also enclosed are a few eyewitness accounts. I am about to
begin interrogating the instigator tonight. A complete transcript
will follow.
Warden Ornam
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FROM THE JOURNAL OF PRISONER # 113478-2B (Gerg Daetsnah)
DAY ONE
My name is Gerg Daetsnah, and I am a criminal.
At this very moment, I'm sitting shackled to my seat inside
an old model PTV, enroute to my new home at the Gerhelion Penal
Colony. There are about twenty other prisoners in here with me,
each of them looking as miserable as I feel. And I feel awful.
The planet Gerhelion is a miserable planet to look at. It's
all grey and murky, kinda like my mood. The local vegetation is
mud, which is to say, of course, that there is no vegetation.
None that's visible to the naked eye, anyway.
Why am I here, you ask? Well, I murdered someone, of
course. How else do you think you get to go on a trip to such a
wonderful vacation spot.
I grew up on the planet Ingo. Yeah, I know you didn't ask
for my life story, but I don't care, y'see. I'm setting the
mood; building the atmosphere, like a real writer would. So just
sit down and shut up.
Where was I? Oh yeah. I grew up on Ingo, and life was rough.
Everyone says that, I know, but I'm telling the truth.My dad was a
glitterstim addict, and mom, well, mom was a lady of the night, if you
catch my drift. Dad used to beat me. Regularly.
I mostly worked as a gun-for-hire. One day, one of the
local Anno-Dat crimelords (who shall remain nameless) hired me to
infiltrate one of his rival gangs. The rival, a mean bastard by
the name of Bilbav Trenaken, had recently sneaked someone into
the Anno-Dat's gang and had had his son killed.
I was to return the favour.
And I did. I became close friends with Trenaken's boy, a
little weasel named Pofal. I waited two months, until the boy
trusted me with his life.
Then I stuck him with his own vibroblade. I still laugh
when I envision the hurt look in his eyes, as his life dripped
out onto the sidewalk in a dark, red pool. How wonderful.
Unfortunately, a local law enforcement officer happened onto
the scene, and there I was in all my glory. Needless to say, he
blasted me up real good.
So four bacta sessions later, here I am.
A Gammorean sitting behind me just coughed up some black
crud. How nice. At first I think to help, but the guard that
just whacked Pigman in the head with his shockstic changes my
mind. That probably hurt like hell.
The blond human to the left of me leans over and asks, "What
are you in for?"
I look him up and down. You have to be careful. Never show
fear. Finally, decide to answer him. "I killed a guy? You?"
The blond man gets a faraway look in his eyes, then
chuckles. "Same. We should compare notes." He lifts his hand.
"Name's Coban Jeets."
I look at his hand like it's covered in sores. I don't
shake it, but I do answer him. "I'm Gerg. Gerg Daetsnah."
Jeets nods, then looks forward the the front of the PTV,
out the window. I can see Gerhelion Penal Colony ahead, looming
menacingly. It looks like crud. "Home sweet home," I mutter.
That's when the guard decides I need a dose from his shock-
stic. Damn, it does hurt like hell!
Jeets leans back in his seat and laughs.
DAY TWO
So here I am, safe and sound in my new home. Boy, I'm
having so much fun.
After getting off the PTV yesterday, Jeets and the rest of
us got to meet our keeper, one Warden Gril Ornam. The guy has
got to be the biggest sklaghead I've ever met.
Anyway, after our 'Initiation', we were given the grand
tour of the place. Glad I don't have to stay here forever; oh
wait, I do.
My cell stinks. My cellmate, the Gammorean who was coughing
up that black stuff, stinks even more. I am thinking of asking
for my own private cell, one with a view of the grounds. Yeah,
like that'll happen.
Anyway, today we get put to work. It is a grueling job, let
me tell you. Mining ore. They say that the stuff we are mining
is something important, but it just looks like a bunch of rocks
to me. And they're too cheap to even give us some laser miners.
All we have are some old fashioned pics. They say it's so we
don't try to hurt the other prisoners. Gimme a break. I could
kill someone just as easily with this pic as I could with any
laser drill.
At least Jeets seems to be an alright guy. Right now, it's
break time, and he's off trying to get us some cigarras. He says
prisoners always manage to have stuff like that. I'm standing
next to our new friend, a huge Barabel by the name of Okteppr.
I'm sure he'll come in useful in a place like this.
Jeets comes running up. "Hey, look what I got," he says,
holding up two cigarillos. Not quite as good as a cigarra, but
they'll do. He hands one to me, and I use a sparkstick to light
it. Taking a long haul off of the thing, I let out a sigh and
smile.
"Good job, Jeets. You're a lifesaver." Jeets just laughs.
Okteppr asks where his is.
"Sorry, big guy. I didn't know Barabels smoked."
The Barabel shrugs his huge keratin-scaled shoulders. "We
do not, as a rule. But it is the thought that counts." Me and
Jeets break out into guffaws. Okteppr was alright.
One of the guards shoots his blaster in the air, and we all
turn to see what's going on. A gigantic Wookiee prisoner is
in a fight with an equally gigantic Barabel. Okteppr nudges me,
and points at the Barabel. "That one is Bonterap. He is the
boss here. Wookiee will learn this."
I turn to watch. Bonterap has the Wookiee raised over his
head. Just then, three guards rush in and stick the Barabel with
their shockstics. At first, they seem to have no effect, but
after three more shocks, Bonterap flings the Wookiee and falls to
the ground. The Wookie crashes into some poor little Rodian, and
they both end up in a heap. The guards grab Bonterap under the
arms and drag him away.
I shrug. "Big guy doesn't look so tough to me." This draws
amazed-looking stares from some of the other prisoners around me
and Okteppr leans down to whisper in my ear, "You would be wise
to keep such remarks to yourself, Gerg. You do not want Bonterap
after you." He stands up to his full height and flashes his
razor-sharp teeth at me. "Trust me on this."
Jeets taps me and points to the Wookiee. This is when I
first notice the gaping bitemark in the Wook's stomach. As the
guards try to move him, the Wookiee's guts come pouring out. The
guard begin vomiting, causing some of the prisoners to laugh. I
just stare.
"I didn't even see the Barabel bite him," Jeets groans.
"Not the way I'd choose to go." He turns to look at Okteppr, or
to be more precise, Okteppr's teeth. The Barabel chuckles, then
turns and walks away.
That's when the rest of the guards rush down into the
prisonyard, shockstics blazing.
Great. My first riot.
DAY FIVE
I am sitting in the mess hall, choking back the greyish
glop that passes for food around here. I'm sitting with
Jeets and another new friend, Cantah Beels. Cantah is a
Lemorian. He is a feline-type that kind of reminds me of the
little pittens I used to torture when I was a lad. He's a
good sort, though. Not too bright, though.
As I shovel another mouthful of gruel into my mouth, Cantah
leans over the table to say something.
"Did you hear that Bonterap is out of solitary?" he asks, as
some of his food falls out of his mouth onto the table.
Jeets and I nod our heads. I had just heard the news from
my Ho'Din buddy, Kellt. "So what?" Jeets says.
Cantah looks around him before continuing. "I heard he's
out to get Okteppr. Seems the prison isn't big enough for two
Barabels." He leans back is his chair.
Jeets and I exchange worried glances. Okteppr can handle
himself in a fight; I've seen him do just that on numerous
occasions in my short stay here. But even Okteppr himself would
admit he's no match for Bonterap. "Did you tell Okteppr this?" I
ask.
Cantah laughs. "Of course I did. Right after I told Warden
Ornam."
Jeets chokes and some of his lunch flies out of his mouth.
"You told the warden?" he sputters. "Are you daft?"
I had to agree. "Yeah. You just signed your own death
warrent, Cantah."
The Lemorian looked worried now. "What do you mean? What
was I supposed to do?"
"I don't know," I say, wagging a finger in his catlike face,
"Keep your mouth shut. Bonterap's gonna gut you."
Cantah's eyes glance nervously around the mess hall.
Spotting Okteppr sauntering our way, he stands up. "Okteppr,
pal. You're not gonna let that bruiser do anything to me,
right?"
Okteppr places his hand on Cantah's shoulder. "That was a
very foolish thing you did, my friend. Warden Ornam just placed
Bonterap back in solitary. For another ten days." He glances
over at me and Jeets. "Apparently, the warden told him he got
the info from Cantah here."
Cantah looked as if he was going to die where he was
standing. "Why that lousy, kriffing bastard! He said he'd keep
my identity a secret."
Jeets looked sadly at the Lemorian. "Looks like the cat's
out of the bag."
DAY THIRTEEN
There are two more days until Bonterap gets out of solitary.
Cantah has been busy trying to get the other prisoners to help
him out, but so far he has no takers. Jeets, Okteppr, Kellt and
I have told him repeatedly that we will back him up, but it
doesn't seem to be calming his nerves. My Gammorean cellmate,
Chogg, has offered his help, as well. He's obviously too stupid
to understand the situation.
What does that make me, then?
I am sitting in my cell alone. Chogg is working his mining
shift. Mine starts in two hours. Until then, I have nothing to
do except sit and contemplate the situation.
As I am doing this, Jeets comes in. He had a family visit
today, or so he told me. As I look up at him, I am surprised to
see his face is wet with tears.
"Hey, Gerg. What's up?"
I tell him to sit. "Never mind me. Have you been crying?
What happened?" Jeets has become a close friend to me over the
last half a month. Probably closer then any friend I've ever
had. He was usually so full of life, which is saying a lot,
considering where he was.
Jeets wipes his face, seeming ashamed to be showing that
kind of emotion. He looks over at me. "My son came today to
see me." I nod. "He told me that my...wife has been..." He
stops here and begins to cry again.
I put my hand on his shoulder and tell him to take his time.
But I've figured it out already; Jeets' wife is dead. He talks
about her constantly, so much so that I felt like I knew her.
She seemed like a wonderful person.
"She's dead, Gerg. Shot down like a womprat in the street.
All because she didn't have any money to give her attacker." He
stands up, anger replacing his grief. "It's my fault, Gerg. I
should have been there for her. Not locked up in this place."
He pounds his hand against the wall of my cell. Hard. I
can see his hand beginning to bleed. I stand up. "Jeets...
Coban, it's not your fault. You can't blame yourself."
He whirls on me, and for a second I think he's going to
punch me. Then he settles down, and his head falls forward,
staring at the floor he says in barely a whisper, "My son does."
"Look, Coban, he's just mad right now, like you. He'll come
around eventually. I'm sure wherever she is, your wife doesn't
blame you." I surprise myself with this speech; I've never been
good with this kind of stuff. Comes from a cruddy upbringing.
That and the fact that I've never cared for anyone except myself.
But I continue on anyway, trying to make Jeets fell better. "I'm
sure that wherever she is, she still loves you just as much as
she ever did." Arrgh! If I start bawling, I'll never forgive
myself. Big tough murderer guy, bawling because his friend is
under some emotional distress. What is wrong with me?
Surprisingly, my talk seems to help. Jeets looks up at me
and manages a half smile. "She did love me," he mumbles. "Core
only knows why, but she did love me. More than life itself."
He sits down on my bunk, and we spend the next two hours
before shift talking about Jeets' wife.
Cantah's problem has been forgotten for the moment.
DAY FIFTEEN
It is the last day of Bonterap's solitary confinement. We
are ready for anything. Not surprisingly, nobody has seen Cantah today.
Surprisingly, Bonterap doesn't try anything. He glares at
Okteppr during our shift in the mines, but that is all. Okteppr
is nervous about this. Jeets, still slightly subdued after his
wife's death, but more like his usual self, tells us we should
be cautious.
Sounds like good advice to me.
DAY SIXTEEN
Kellt and I manage to pull laundry duty today. Chogg is
around here somewhere, as well. Though why anybody would assign
a black crud spewing Gammorean to laundry duty is beyond me.
Nobody has seen Cantah for two days.
Kellt passes me some folded prison fatigues and asks, "So
where exactly do you think Cantah is hiding?"
I look up into the Ho'Din's willowy face, watching the worm-
like tube things on his head as they jiggled. Then I shrug.
"Who knows? Somebody told me that Lemorians are good hiders.
He's probably just holed up in the basement somewhere."
Kellt looks dubious. "I don't know. You'd think that the
guards would have found him by now."
I take a moment to ponder this. I've been doing that a lot
lately, pondering.
I hear a wretching noise, then see Chogg getting stuck once
again with a guard's shockstic. He's just ruined a load of
socks. Kellt and I chuckle.
Jeets wanders in. "Bonterap is going after Okteppr. Right
now!" The guards all rush out, so we stop what we're doing and
follow.
Out in the hall, the two Barabels are going at it. It is
the most viscious fight I've ever seen. Prisoners are standing
around the two in a circle, hooting and cheering. Chogg looks
like he wants to jump in, but I grab his arm and shake my head
negative. The Pigman looks downcast, but stays where he is,
seeming to understand that this fight is a matter of honor.
Kellt wonders aloud, "Why aren't the guards doing anything
to stop this?"
Jeets shrugs. "Probably the same reason we aren't. It's
between the two of them."
When the fight is over, Bonterap is the winner. Okteppr
is dragged away by the guards.
He is quite dead.
DAY TWENTY
We are all still hurting over Okteppr's death. And there is
still no sign of Cantah. We fear he is dead, as well.
Those fears are soon laid to rest.
Apparently, while we were on mining duty, one of the guards
on duty in the furnace room noticed a foul odour coming from the
far corner of the room. The furnace generator room is only
maintained once a week, if that, so nobody noticed the smell
until today.
What the guard found was Cantah (as if you hadn't guessed).
He was very dead, his body pinned to the wall with some kind of
hooks. His stomach was ripped open and his guts were all over
the floor. In addition, two huge bitemarks were found on the
body; one on his arm, the other had taken a good chunk of the
Lemorian's head with it. According to my source, Lemorians have
green brains. Go figure.
We sat together after our shift and wondered what was next.
DAY TWENTY-THREE
I guess what was next was Bonterap trying to off the rest of
Okteppr's lackies. Meaning us. I guess he sees us as a threat.
One of his mindless drones tried to shiv me in the 'fresher
unit today. I was lucky that Jeets was there or I might've
bought it right then and there. As it is, I'm having problems
writing this down today, due to the fact that the shiv caught me
in my writing arm.
Oh well. An arm's better than getting it in the heart.
Good ol' Jeets.
DAY TWENTY-SEVEN
The arm is feeling a bit better today. I'm writing this
right before they shut the lights out for the night. Chogg is on
his bunk, snoring away, and dribbling black stuff out of his open
mouth. I laugh to myself.
A strange thing happened today. Bonterap made a move to
kill Jeets. Personally. And Jeets beat him. Bonterap is now
food for the worms. I swear, Jeets keeps surprising me. I mean,
he can fight, I tell you. The moves he had; if I didn't know
better, I'd think he was a Jedi Knight or something. Maybe he
has some Force talent or something. Not that I really believe in
that mystical crud, but I've seen Jedi do some crazy things. It
could just be cybernetic enhancements, or drugs or something, but
they can move. And Jeets definitely has some kind of training.
Anyway, the other strange thing that happened was, after he
finished wiping the floor with Bonterap, he turned and said to
me, "It's almost time." Then he smiled and was dragged away by
the guards.
I'll have to ask him what that meant. When he gets out of
solitary, of course.
I chuckle again. That Jeets. He's one surprising bastard.
DAY THIRTY-ONE
The prison is in total disarray. Ever since Jeets killed
Bonterap, everyone's been fighting to be top dog. The Barabel's
cronies are, so far, trying to keep the power, but most of the
other prisoners are looking to align themselves with me, Chogg
and Kellt. And of course Jeets. He is the one who got rid of
Bonterap, after all.
Jeets is out of solitary tommorow. All of us are excited.
He'll know what to do. And essentially since I'm such good friends
with Jeets, I'll be the second-most powerful prisoner in
this dump.
And trust me. I love the sound of that.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Note to Governor Parnel: This was the last entry in Prisoner #
113478©2B's journal. What follows are eyewitness accounts of
what occured the following day. Warden Ornam)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT PRISONER # 45678-1C (Kellt)
It was the most horrible thing. Jeets was getting out of
solitary that day, and all of us were excited to see him. The
day started out like any other day. We went and had breakfast,
then Gerg, Jeets, Chogg and I headed out to the mine yards for our
shift.
The power struggle, I'm sure you know what I'm talking
about, was getting heated. Especially now that Jeets was out.
Gerg and Jeets spent the shift talking about it. It was obvious
to anybody that these two were going to be the next Top Guys.
You know what I mean. Jeets didn't really want the
responsibility, but Gerg kept convincing him that it had to be
him. I agreed. After all, Jeets was the one who dethroned the
last boss. I mean, even Okteppr, May he be One with the Force,
couldn't do that. Even Chogg seemed to understand, and he
grunted out that "Yes, Jeets lead! Yes Yes!" Or something along
those lines, anyway. My Gammorean ain't so great, and Chog's
Basic is even worse.
So, finally Jeets agrees to take the job, and him and Gerg
begin to strategize. They were still working hard, mind you,
just like the rest of us, but they were talking while working.
Understand?
Anyway, shortly after second break, one of Bonterap's goons,
I think it was Benta Kollbana, you know, that big Kiklan bruiser.
I think he was Bonterap's second in command or something. Well,
he comes over and tries to crack Jeets over the head with his
pic. Jeets sidestepped the blow, and swung back with his pic.
I was expecting the guards to break it up, but to my surprise,
the guards were nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile, Jeets is dancing around this Kiklan, twice his
size, and is slowly wearing him down. I guess he got a little
too cocky, 'cause Tollbana lashed out blindly and managed to
connect his pic with Jeets' jaw. He moved in to finish the job,
but Gerg, Chogg and I stepped in to protect him. He was our
friend, after all, and you gotta stick together in a place like
this.
So Tollbana clears out, saying he'll finish the job another
time. Gerg doesn't know what to make of this. I guess he
thought Jeets had Jedi magic or something. Me, I think he
could've kicked Tollbana's tail; he just got a little cocky after
wasting Bonterap.
This is where it gets weird. Jeets is lying on the ground,
unconscious, or so I thought at the time. The guards are still
nowhere to be seen. No, I'm telling the truth. They weren't
there. Fine, don't believe me. Anyway, like I said, I thought
Jeets was unconscious or dead. So did Gerg. He was mortified;
Jeets was his best friend in here, y'know, and I don't think Gerg
had many friends in his life before Gerhelion.
So Gerg leans over Jeets, and is slapping him in the face,
trying to get him to wake up. You can tell he's genuinely
concerned.
That's when it happened. Jeets' eyes snapped open, and he
reached up and grabbed Gerg behind the head. Gerg starts to help
him up, but faster than lightening, Jeets' other hand shoots out,
holding a shiv. I don't know where he got it, but there it was.
Then he stabs Gerg in the throat with it, then pulls it out and
stabs him in the stomach. He twisted it around in there, to mess
up Gerg's guts really good. I thought at first that he did it by
accident, y'know thinking it was Tollbana above him, but then he
said it, in the moment right before Gerg's life left him.
"Bilbav Trenaken sends his greetings."
What in the name of the Force does that mean? Anyway, Gerg
seemed to understand what it meant, because, right before he
died, I could see a look of utter betrayal in his eyes.
Jeets just chuckled, then the guards reappeared and dragged
him away.
Can't you tell me what's going on? Yeah, I didn't think so.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT PRISONER # 113475-2B (Chogg)
(Please note: Chogg is Gammorean. We asked him to speak Basic
for this account, which, in hindsight, may have been a mistake.)
We get up. Eat good gruel. It yum. We go to rocksmash
place, smash rocks. Chogg like smash rocks, this place fun.
Gerg, no Jeets, get in fight with Tuhblanna. Tuhblanna
hit Jeets good with rocksmash stick. Chogg want to hit somebody
with rocksmash stick.
Jeets fall down. Gerg look sad, tries to help frund Jeets.
Jeets stick sharp thing in Gerg's neck. Gerg fall down and die.
Jeets say something, then ticklestick men come and take him
out.
Chogg hungry, want more breakfast.
(At this point, Chogg began coughing up some kind of viscous
black ooze, and the interrogator ordered him removed from the
room. These were the only two prisoners who seemed to have seen
anything. Apparently, blindness is a side effect of mining on
Gerhelion.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
TRANSCRIPT OF PRISONER # 113486-2B'S INTERROGATION (Coban Jeets)
Lt. Metg Fallo presiding
MF: Why did you do it!
CJ: I'm not talking to you. Get the warden in here.
MF: I will ask you again nicely. Why did you kill prisoner
113478-2B.
CJ: Because I felt like it.
(Lt. Fallo hits Jeets in the face. Prisoner doesn't seem to be
affected.)
CJ: (Smiling) You shouldn't do that. I don't like it.
MF: Yeah well, tough. Now, one last time; Why did you kill your
friend, Gerg Daetsnah?
CJ: No, I'll tell you one last time; Get the warden in here now.
I'll only talk to him.
(Lt. Fallo moves to hit Jeets again, but the prisoner has somehow
managed to get loose of his binders. He grabs Fallo by the arm,
twists him around, pulls the lieutenant's blaster and points it
at Fallo's head.)
CJ: Now, get the warden! (Points at the other guard) And turn
that blasted recorder off!
(At this point, Warden Ornam is summoned.)
END TRANSCRIPT
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
FROM WARDEN GRIL ORNAM'S PERSONAL JOURNAL
Two weeks have passed, since Gerg Daetsnah was killed by his
friend Coban Jeets. Or should I say, bounty hunter Lawg Skrak.
The hunter infiltrated my prison, apparently with the permission
of Governor Parnel himself. This explains the governor's
interest in the incident, but not why he would allow such a thing
to happen. Especially without informing me first.
At the moment that Jeets confronted me with his true
identity, I didn't believe him. I thought it was some ploy to
get me to let him go. But I had seen the holos of him fighting
Bonterap; there was also the relative ease with which he escaped
his binders to take into account.
Then, when he pressed a spot on his right arm, and told me
to look out the window, I was convinced. His ship, the Avenging
Angel was hovering outside the room, all weapons pointed in at
us. I guess he had some kind of undetectable beckon call
implanted under his skin. I had no choice but to free the man.
As Skrak left, he told us not to bother trying to match his
face to any known persons lists, as he'd undergone some cosmetic
surgery for this job. Surgery, he assured us, that would soon
be reversed. Besides, he said, his real face wasn't on any
lists, either. He also said not to worry about being in too much
trouble; Governor Parnel would verify his authority in this
matter. Then he left.
Unfortunately, I was unable to contact Governor Parnel
about this at the time, and now it seems the governor has been
transferred.
Leaving me with a lot of unanswered questions.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------
A historian's note on these documents.
The preceding documents recently came across my desk during
my arduous task of researching the events of the Deridian War.
While digging through the events of that conflict, I became
enamoured with the historical figure of General Lynathria Skrak,
and as a result, began, as a hobby of sorts, researching the
Skrak family line.
Needless to say, everyone knows the current day Lawg Skrak,
bounty hunter, sometime NRI operative and husband to Jedi Knight,
Taara Hentt. He is also known as a decent man. This was not
always the case, however. Belonging to an unknown alien species,
and having lived for over a century thus far, Lawg has had a
reputation for being one of the hardest, cruelest bounty hunters
to ever roam the galaxy. The reputation isn't quite deserved
anymore. He is still feared and respected, but in a different
way, and I thought I'd heard all the terrible stories about him
that there were to hear.
After attending his and Taara's wedding two years ago, Lawg
himself filled me in on his personal history, as well as giving
me a datapad he'd stolen years before from Pordus Ore (datapad
information can be found in File 3348-1A7). He didn't know much
about his family tree, as his species is unknown to even him;
however he did give a rather detailed account of his own life.
Some of the tales were awful. Lawg did some terrible things in
his day, but he never mentioned the events mentioned in these
documents. He never mentioned them to me, at least. I'm sure
his wife knows about them.
I will be asking him about them; in fact I am meeting with
him and Taara on Yavin Four in two weeks time. However, after
reading these papers, I'm sure I can figure out for myself why
he never brought it up. Apaling, to say the least. I hope the
galaxy never again sees the Lawg Skrak who once roamed the stars.
Expect a follow-up in two weeks time.
The events accounted for in the preceding pages occurred
eighty-two years before the Battle of Yavin.
From: Deridian War Documentarian Karl Khent
To: New Republic Historical Council
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Follow-up to report 89900-4T
After having talking recently to bounty hunter Lawg Skrak
regarding the events of my last report, I have learned the
following information.
When confronted with the query, Lawg said the reason he
had said nothing earlier was simply because he was too ashamed
to talk about it. He really didn't want to say anything more,
but did decide to help me put the tale into a more, how did he
say, 'historical perspective'.
And what he told me was interesting, to say the least. It
put a whole new spin on the Lawg Skrak mythos.
The tale he began to weave started shortly after the Battle
of Endor, and about four days after Lawg, Taara and General
Calrissian's encounter with Atha Prime. This encounter with
Lawg's uncle, Kathar Drek, is of course known to us (see File #
6675-LS). What wasn't included in that account was that, shortly
after Lawg killed Kathar, he salvaged his uncle's personal logs
from his downed vessel. Contained in these files were evidence
of Kathar's behind-the-scenes manipulation of Lawg's life.
Kathar had admitted to this before Lawg killed him, but the logs
served to confirm it. So many things that had happened over the
course of the bounty hunter's long career had been a direct
result of his uncle's interference, including the deaths of his
parents.
It also sheds some light on Warden Gril Ornam's curiosity
towards his superior's unusual interest in the events at the
Gerhelion Penal Facility. After doing some quick research, I was
able to ascertain that Governor Parnel served as governor for a
period of one week before Lawg infiltrated the prison, then
mysteriously disappeared one week after the incident with Gerg
Daetsnah. The report said he was transferred, but no other trace
of Parnel can be found in any Republic records.
Lawg says this is because Governor Parnel was, in fact,
Kathar Drek.
As to what Drek's motivations behind this incident were,
Lawg can only speculate.
More information as it is uncovered.
From: Deridian War Documentarian Karl Khent
To: New Republic Historical Council
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------