Jedi Knight Cassus Tzaren loved his evening walks through the endless wastes of the once Sith home planet of Korriban. It wasn't the irony of a Jedi being able to walk freely on the surface of the most famed dark side planet. No, he was above such feelings. It was the simple freedom. The freedom of being himself. No Masters around lecturing, no constant rivalry from other Knights, however benign the competition was. Just him and an endless expanse of rust colored soil.
Stopping for the moment, Cassus inhaled deeply. The air was thick with the taste of dirt and dust, a sandstorm only recently died down. The sun was just a sliver over the mountains to the west. The Valley of the Dark Lords lay nestled within those mountains. The ancient burial grounds and tombs of the most famed, and most feared, Dark Lords of the Sith.
Cassus found himself often staring towards the valley. It called to him almost. He could feel the power of that area, the dark side so thick it was almost palpable. He had been warned- no, instructed to stay out of the catacombs. Many secrets still lay within those walls, and many unseen threats. All the more to pique his curiosity.
That was him to the bone; Curious Cassus. Always asking questions, always wanting to know more. Unlike most of his peers, he opted to forgo many hours of lightsaber practice. Instead, he spent his hours in between classes as a youngling and Padawan studying ancient scripts, datapads, and even a few holocrons, the storage devices of ancient Sith Lords.
He was one of very few with the ability to do so. He had befriended the kindly old Jedi Master Quin'thranos, the archivist of the temple records on Ossus. With her supervising, the two often spent a multitude of hours combing through tales of the first Jedi, and even the first Sith. Cassus especially loved the tales and exploits of Revan.
Revan was Cassus' idol. To go from the most respected military icon, to the scourge of the galaxy, and finally back to being the savior of the entire cosmos had always astounded Cassus. As a youth though, he had trouble with others being exiled or shunned by the Jedi Council. Hadn't they been the ones to allow Revan redemption? If the most powerful Sith Lord of the time could be converted back to the good guys, why couldn't a pair of Knights who succumbed to a moment of passion be allowed some clemency? Did the whole fate of the Order itself rest on whether or not they be completely, one-hundred percent selfless?
It wasn't until later in life that Cassus understood the answers to the questions. Still, it never sat well with him. After all, wasn't the love of Bastilla Shan one of the key reasons for Revan redemption?
Sighing mentally, Cassus resumed his nightly walk. He would venture to the base of the mountains, and return to the Dreshdae settlement, as usual. In a way, this was how Cassus meditated best. Not to mention the obvious health benefits from walking five klicks in triple digit heat dressed from head to toe in dark gray robes.
Cassus' sense of imminent danger sprang to life. He had reached the base of the mountains and reached out with the Force, probing the area. What he found was a bit of a shock. A group of four bounty hunters had set up camp in the foothills.
They had not seen him coming, which gave Cassus a slight upper hand. Normally, a small group would not have been cause for alarm, but Cassus could sense nothing but mal-intent rippling through the Force surrounding them. These four were up to something, and Cassus decided it was his job as this sectors Jedi Watchman to find out what that something was.
Concentrating on using the Force to mask his footsteps, Cassus slid his back against the face of a large boulder. The group, which he could now discern was comprised of two Transdoshans, a Twi'lek and a Duros, were sitting around an impromptu fire. Of the two Transdoshans, one was colored deep red and thickly muscled, the other was a drab green and looked to be suffering from anorexia. The Twi'lek was male, and wearing typical spacer garments, however what wasn't typical was his array of weapons.
Apparently, the bounty hunter preferred the use of slugthrowers and a long range kinetic rifle. Neither weapon produced a beam of energy, instead relied on the use of a solid bullet. Cassus instantly recalled where he had seen such weapons used. Back in the earlier days of the Jedi Civil War, Revan had created a corps of elite soldiers who only used these types of weapons. They were Jedi hunters.
Since the Jedi could not reflect the projectile back to its source, they could easily become overwhelmed from a distance. And, unlike most blasters, the wound did not self cauterize, often resulting in a wounded Jedi dying from blood loss.
It dawned on Cassus why he had the overwhelming sense of danger. These bounty hunters were not here to collect on a settlement dweller. They had come for one purpose; him.
Swallowing silently, Cassus used the Force to augment his hearing. During his studies Cassus had become well versed in many languages, including Twi'lek and Trasndoshan. However, he did not learn Durosian.
"The Jedi scum is here. This hunt will not be in vain. We will strike at dark. The stinking Jedi human won't be able to see us. It will be a glorious hunt indeed." It was the Red Transdoshan speaking in his native tongue. The other two species nodded, understanding him perfectly. The green reptile, however, didn't move his gaze from the fire in the middle of their circle.
Hissing lowly, Red turned to his counterpart. "Does this one fear the hunt? Yes, I sense it. You do not wish to kill the Jedi scum?" Green shook its head slowly. Infuriated, Red lashed out with its three clawed hand, striking the smaller one hard on the side of the face.
Rolling from its seat on a rock, the green Transdoshan made a face that Cassus could only guess as a grimace. Without lips or eyebrows it was terribly hard to decipher reptilian facial expressions. "How can we know the contract is for real? Who in their right mind posts a bounty on Jedi in these times? You all underestimate the Jedi. We need more than this if we are to even come close to standing a chance."
The green one stood to its full height, and it was only then, peeking over the rock, did Cassus realize it was a female. The red one, interpreting her standing as a threat, sprang from its rock, vibroblade in hand and teeth bared.
Deciding this was the moment to properly introduce himself, Cassus used the Force to hold Red in midair while jumping from behind the rock. Igniting his lightsaber, orange blade springing into existence, Cassus used the Force to bring the distance between him and the Twi'lek to less than a meter. Cassus swung his blade immediately, cleaving the Twi'lek's weapons in two.
Before the Duros could react to the lighting quick attack, Cassus swung the red Transdoshan into him, sending the two sprawling in a tangle of scales and blue skin. The Twi'lek, recovering from his loss of firearms, decided to instead swing a vibroshiv hidden in his sleeve.
Cassus reeled back, but not soon enough. The blade caught his right forearm, slicing through more of his robe's fabric than actual arm. The cut wasn't anywhere near life threatening, and probably wouldn't even require sutures. Re-directing his Force energy to the Twi'lek, Cassus pushed the man backwards, and hard. Catching his foot on a nearby rock, the Twi'lek involuntarily back-flipped, landing lekku first on the ground. The impact had been hard enough to cause a large smacking noise and probably a bruise, but other than unconsciousness the Twi'lek would recover fine. The same would not be true for his pride.
Turning to the shocked female Transdoshan, Cassus pointed the tip of his lightsaber blade to her chest. "I know you don't mean me harm. Go, now, and leave this planet. Find a better job. Something that doesn't involve taking lives." Cassus was surprised how well he was handling the encounter.
Nodding her head, the female turned tail and began running wildly towards the group's shuttle, parked fifty meters away.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end suddenly, and Cassus reflexively ducked. The vibroblade originally intended for the female swung a scant centimeter or two above Cassus' head. Whipping around, Cassus followed through with his lightsaber. It found its mark, and separated the Transdoshan's abdomen from its torso. Cassus couldn't help but catch the creatures eyes as it fell back, its face forever frozen in the mask of surprised death.
Feeling a slight pang of hurt from the life extinguished, Cassus whipped the orange blade through the muzzle of the Duros' hold-out blaster. Using the Force to hold the being stationary, Cassus extinguished his weapon.
Keeping the Duros completely still but pressing the Force all around him, Cassus took a few steps closer, deliberately staring into its giant, glassy black eyes. "Tell me who sent you."
The Duros mumbled in its language for a moment. By his demeanor and lack of expression, Cassus guessed he had refused.
"Either tell me know, and I'll let you go, or I can take you to the Dreshdae Police, and they can get it from you. Either way, I'll get my info."
The Duros responded with a series of violent shaking and a noise Cassus could only guess was the Duros version of laughter. Frowning, Cassus sighed outwardly. "Have it your way." Producing a pair of flexicuffs from his belt, Cassus maintained his pressure with the Force, and bound the bounty hunter's hands behind his back. Releasing the Force suddenly, the prisoner dropped to the red ground, hard. Letting out a wheeze and a few mumbles, the oval headed alien stumbled to his feet. Motioning with a tilt of his head, Cassus wordlessly began the hike back to Dreshdae, the Duros leading the way.
In the two centuries since the Sith fled the planet, the sudden lack of leadership causing the Order to tumble into anarchy, Dreshdae had flourished. It was no longer a spaceport with a bar, it was in its own right a full fledged city. Nowhere near the magnitude of Nar Shadaa or Coruscant, it was still more than adequate for a being to scrape a living.
That exact sentiment was how Shoba felt most days. Scraping by. Although she was only considered to be middle-aged for her species, the Iridonian felt almost as old as Dreshdae itself. The planet had a way of making the standard years drag on, the unrelenting heat of the days only punctuated by the freezing nights.
Pulling her night robes close to her body for warmth, Shoba groaned as she stumbled towards her apartment's entrance. Her interrupted slumber made everything seem fuzzy, the loud knocking seemed more like it was coming from down the hall. Reaching a hand out of her sleeve, she gingerly pressed the comm button next to the door.
"This had better be more than life-threatening. If the entire planet isn't about to explode, I don't want to hear anything."
"I'm sorry Shoba, but you're the only person I know who speaks fluent Duros." The voice was all too familiar. Shoba had befriended the young Jedi after he broke up a fight between a Mandalorian and a Dug in her Tap café.
Sighing lightly, Shoba unlocked her door. Wasting no time, Cassus shoved a flexicuffed Duros through the opening, following closely behind. "I found him in the foothills by the Valley of the Dark Lords," Cassus explained.
"I thought taking prisoners was against the Jedi code," Shoba stated more than asked.
"Normally, yes. But when the person in question is a bounty hunter sent to kill said Jedi, we tend to bend the rules a bit."
"So, what do you need me to do?" Shoba's mind had finally shed the haze of sleep.
"Translate. I know he speaks Basic, but I want to know what he's saying." Cassus proceeded to move the prisoner into her main room, forcefully putting him on a chair. without the use to restraints, the Duros didn't budge. Shoba figured Cassus was using the Force to hold the being still.
Shoba pulled her robes closer, nodding silently. She was always surprised by the young Jedi. Even though he was without horns or her people's customary facial tattoos, she found him strikingly handsome. The way his fiercely intelligent dark green eyes seemed to be able to look directly into a person soul always deeply intrigued her.
He wasn't physically large, slightly taller than the average human, but the way he carried himself, almost military like, gave the impression of being bigger than he was. He kept his dark blonde hair cut short, a couple centimeters long at most. However, it somehow manage to always look like he'd just risen from bed.
Shoba realized he had said something to the Duros, as it began speaking softly. "Jedi scum."
The Duros turned, looking directly at her now. The way his face showed no emotion, his jet black eyes unblinking, gave her a bad case of mynocks in her stomach. "You would align yourself with this human filth pig? It makes no difference, Zabrak. I'm not protecting anyone. I was hired by an elderly Twi'lek. He gave no name, and I didn't see his face. He was wearing black robes and the hood covered his face."
The Duros had called a her a Zabrak, a common misunderstanding. True, Zabrak and Iridonians were essential the same species, it was matter of pride. An Iridonian, such as she was, was born on their home planet Iridonia, where as a Zabrak was born elsewhere. Shoba didn't bother correcting the Duros. The sooner the captive was out of her home, the better.
Turning to Cassus, Shoba frowned. "He didn't give much. He says he was hired by an old Twi'lek who didn't give his name. He also said the man wore black robes and kept his face hidden. I don't think he's going to give us much more than that. Unless you plan on torturing it out of him."
Shoba picked up on the slightest twitch of the Duros' facial features. Cassus shook his head, and turned to face the alien. Stroking the stubble that had accumulated on either side of his mouth with his thumb and forefinger, Cassus focused intensely. Shoba mentally drew back, realizing that the Duros had not moved a centimeter since he was put into the seat. Cassus' control of the Force must have been on par with any master for him to keep control of the humanoid and still pace back and forth.
Coming to an apparent conclusion, Cassus moved his face close to the Duros'. "Listen to me well. If I see you in this sector again I won't hesitate to turn you over to the Republic authorities." With that said, Cassus suddenly pulled the Force off the Duros. Without a moment to spare the alien was on its feet and out the door.
Shaking her head, Shoba placed the chair back to its original position under her table. "A bit dramatic, don't you agree?"
"Maybe, but I think I got my point across."
"I thought you Jedi were all about justice. Why let him go? Wont he just come back?"
"Not likely. I'm actually counting on him to go back to whoever hired him. He'll tell his contact the deal is off and one of two things will happen.
"Either absolutely nothing, or he'll return with more cronies. Besides, I had nothing on him. You can't exactly turn someone in on intent alone." Cassus flashed her one of his infectious smiles and all Shoba could do was sigh.
"I suppose you're right. So, do you think it was the Sith then?"
The ends of Cassus' mouth turned downwards, and he crossed his arms over his chest. "I can't exactly say. My initial thoughts say yes, but it seems all to convenient. Why would a Sith hire bounty hunters, and not come find me himself? I would put my credits on a local crime lord trying to impersonate one. After all, there is still a handsome reward offered by The Exchange for Jedi, dead or alive."
Shoba nodded, and motioned toward the door the Duros had only recently sprinted out of. "Not that I don't love having conversations in the middle of a wonderful sleep cycle, but you should probably get going. I have to open up in about four hours. Governor Malkith rented out my entire restaurant for some semi-official meeting. Apparently some big-shot Republic Vice Admiral is coming by."
Cassus flashed another quick grin. "Well, that should definitely inflate his ego for a few cycles," he mused. "Once again, thanks for your help Shoba. Without your help that could have turned into one annoying debacle. Good night, and may the Force be with you." Cassus bowed slightly at the waist, and make a hasty exit.
Shoba smiled to herself, and sighed as she returned to her bed chamber.