-1The Rise of a Dark Galaxy
"And under the hills and mountains of the force there are veins, blood beneath the skin, and an apex to every thought and action that echoes and ripples to the surface."
-"The Knight"
But below that skin, beyond the ripples and deeper still than the life's blood of the force there are other forces and the misshapen creatures that live by the light of them. Beasts in ghostly unaware souls too old to be imagined. That they too feel ripples…hear echoes. Piercing mean noises from above that drive them to a madness. That prompt them to…
A…
Rising
Yadi Utomael stood on the deck of the R.S. Archangel. The old ship was a thing out of time and not unlike Yadi, himself. It was the sister ship to the old Endar Spire that burned out over Telos so many years ago. None of the ship's protocols or controls were advanced by any interpretation of the word. The hull was still bright and strong but the core soul of the ship had been worn by war. Yadi felt the wear and tear in the ship as he felt it within himself. It was old, yet it was all the Republic could spare for such a barefaced mission.
Seated ahead of Yadi was Holly Sundown, captain of the R.S. Archangel. She was full of the cheer and optimism of youth. Her hair burned a cherry red and her face was streamlined, sleek and perfect. In his youth, Yadi had an appreciation for the beauty of certain females, certainly Captain Sundown ranked high among that old list.
One of the ensigns leaned back in his chair and spoke up.
"We have arrived at Nar Shadaa, Captain."
Sundown nodded quickly.
"Excellent, maintain an orbit and signal the docking authorities that our ships will be landing as scheduled." The ensign wordlessly returned to his controls.
Sundown swiveled her captain's chair towards Yadi and gave the ancient Jedi a gleeful look of excitement.
"Are you ready, Master Jedi?"
Yadi smiled and nodded.
"As prepared as one can be for this business."
"You've never dealt with the Hutts before, have you?" She grinned.
"I confess, I have avoided them as often as I was able."
"They're not all that bad, and they're easy to read. You'll like them." She rose, looking slightly mismatched in her Captain's uniform. "I have a team of soldiers dressed as mercenaries to accompany us. Sugga the Hut has arranged the meeting in gaming district on one of his barges."
"Very well." He looked down at his aristocratic senatorial garb. "I suppose an old relic like myself would be more welcome in the guise of a non-Jedi."
In truth, Yadi fit well in his disguise. He had a look about him that was austere and rather magisterial. His short military style white hair and his sagging cheeks made him look like a very no-nonsense severe man. It was his charming Jedi smile that truly caught one off guard.
"If I was a Hutt I wouldn't want to see a Jedi." She agreed. "But I doubt he'd like talking with a Republic Captain either."
She removed her captain jacket to reveal old Cassandral spacer wear. She also pulled an eye patch out of the pocket and donned it over her left eye. Some of the ensigns were suppressing lighthearted chuckles. Yadi hid a laugh behind a grin.
Waiting at the end of the bridge was a score of Republic enforcers attired in random armor bearing all manner of blasters. The end result was preposterous. It painted a poor picture of the Republic. An outdated ship, an old Senator and a band of thugs. Ridiculous as it was, it was perfect. It painted just the sort of picture that would disarm any hostile gangster. No worries of aiding and abetting an imposing Republic would enter the old Hutt's mind. Nal Hutta and all of it's space were too remote to ever be sure of the status of the Republic, at least not any more.
The Republic was an underdog against the merciless foe of anarchy. Very few knew of it, but the Republic was silently building, creeping, springing back into life. Small deals with conglomerates lead to large deals which lead to quiet treaties and planet annexing and trade routes and Republic contracts. All of the wheeling and dealing had swollen to steady tide and the Senate was pinching every penny. The very state of this mission was proof.
It was Yadi who came to this new perennial Republic and brought the issue of a Jedi Council and Academy. It was he who unlocked the cold door to the Temple in Coruscant. It was he who started the fountains again. It was he who opened the Jedi Archives. And now, after he had learned about the wake of the One the archives called "Exile" He learned that on this planet was one who might already be a Jedi. The Republic made a quiet inquiry into it and found ties between this stray Jedi and Sugga.
It occurred to Yadi to worry about what kind of Force Adept would deal with Hutts. But even more troubling was the lack of Jedi. It was like a Republic without a Senate. Any new Republic needed Jedi. It was a safe logical assumption.
Yadi trailed behind the soldiers to the shuttle bay. The Republic would have their Jedi and it might even be in time to save the Republic…
An old Ubese knelt before a massive pile of wrinkled flesh. Glorha had been Sugga's trusted friend and operative for seven years, since he was routed out of Corellia. The Ubese rose and waved a cautious finger at the Hutt.
"Tanay enki Chesa, Sugga. Chesa. Anko ne kichi?"
The fat Hutt waved a hand at the bounty hunters that were trying to squeeze into every shadow and behind every pillar of the large apartment.
"Un kimposta…chu?" Glorha retreated to one of the corners. "Phihota."
The Hutt had barely finished muttering the word when a procession of well armed mercenaries marched passed the foyer vault and set up a perimeter in ranks. Behind them, with her own bodyguards, marched the captain of the R.S. Archangel and an old man dressed like an aristocrat.
The Hutt smiled sickly and nodded at the new arrivals. He couldn't help notice how physically perfect the female captain was and grunted.
"Achuta."
The captain made a curt bow and stepped out of the way for the old one. He surveyed his surroundings with a raised eyebrow and then rested it on Sugga.
"I am to assume that you are Sugga the Hutt?"
The Hutt leaned forward and made a bowing gesture.
"I am here, as you may or may not know, representing the Republic's interest in a slave that you hold here on Nar Shadaa."
The slug slovenly licked his lips and groaned in thought.
"Haa shag?"
"Atton Rand." The old man replied.
"Ahh, Atton."
He nodded. "Yes."
"Cha kolki makachisa, umm…thirteen."
"Will you accept ten from the Galactic Republic?"
At this the Hutt began a deep rolling laugh.
"Twelve." The Hutt spat.
"Would you accept eleven with the understanding that Nal Hutta is greatly admired by the Republic?"
The Hutt bowed again. "Kelenko." The Hutt swiveled it's head towards a dark corner. "Glorha." He belched.
The old man flinched as he watched a Ubese float in from the shadows. The Ubese was focused, thankfully, on the Hutt.
"Atton Rand." When the Hutt spoke the name, the Ubese retreated out of the Apartment, presumably to the slave quarters.
Yadi Utomael smiled inwardly and rewarded his mind by meditating one of the Jedi liturgies he had fished out of the archives. A nice flushing glow of calmness and well-being flooded his mind. He kept it under steady control so that it did not supplant him from where he was. He was still within blaster range of Hutt lackeys and without a lightsaber.
When Glorha returned, he was dragging a man in chains. The man had a light brown beard and shaggy hair. His face had one or two scars and his eyes were patient and hopeful. Yadi felt his mind and found an impressive blanket of guard that even an old master like Yadi would be proud to have. Rampant and shallow thoughts, insignificant and unimportant, were all Yadi could grasp onto in that calm controlled mind.
Those eyes took in all that surrounded him, the mercs, the old Jedi masquerading as a Senator, the cute Captain off to the side. The chapped leathered lips parted and soft cynical voice returned.
"What is all this? Sugga, what's going on?"
Glorha turned and looked him over.
"Unfortunately, my favorite whipping boy, you are being sold." He croaked in Basic. Atton's eyes cut over to meet the Jedi's. Yadi shaded his emotions with a dubious raised eyebrow. He turned his head to the Captain who responded by handing two containers to Glorha. Yadi smiled weakly at the giant slug.
"I trust that everything is acceptable and complete."
The slug incoherently groaned and gently tilted his head forward and then back.
"Excellent." Yadi looked over at the soldiers behind him. "Gentlemen."
One took the chains from Glorha and they all began to rank and file out of the apartment, the Captain being the last.