Chapter 1: The Job is taken
The night was bustling with activity. Cantinas were crowded, the airspeeder lanes full of zooming ships, and lights were bright. Aliens and humans alike were shuffling from shop to shop apartment to apartment, looking to participate in the nightlife of Nar Shaddaa. Whether they were partying in clubs or wandering aimlessly, they were on an exciting and dangerous planet nonetheless.
Keth Arthul was one of those people making the planet dangerous. Keth was a bounty hunter, clad in blood red armor and armed with blasters. He was currently looking for a job that he had heard about from a fellow hunter. He didn't know what the bounty was about, but he knew that the bounty was high. Very, very high. Almost one million credits! He had traveled halfway across the galaxy to Nar Shaddaa just to take up this hunt.
He came to the address indicated in the job description. It was a tall skyscraper, and grandly lit. The front door was a spinning door, which Keth walked through. As he entered, he heard the blasting sound of a distinguished jazz band playing, and people clapping and cheering. This guy's gotta be filthy stinkin rich to get all of this stuff, Keth thought to himself, looking around the massive building. The jazz music was playing in a grand ballroom directly in front of the doorway, with people eating and dancing.
Two curved staircases led up on either side to elevators and rooms. Keth pushed past a few people and walked up the staircase to the right, and was met by a large being. It was a humanoid, with pale skin and light blue veins pulsating under his skin.
"Do you have an appointment with Mr. Val'Tala?" he asked in a deep voice.
"Yes, I do," said Keth. "I'm here to take up a bounty issued by Val'Tala here." Keth took a small packet from his belt, and unfolded it, revealing it to be a miniature computer. He brought up the Val'Tala Bounty documents, and showed it to the guard.
"Very well," the guard replied. "You may enter." The guard punched in a combination on a door panel, and a metal sliding door slid open. Keth entered a dimly lit lift tube, and was transported upwards to the top floor. The door slid open, leading him to a hallway. In the hallway was another guard, who led him to Val'Tala's office. The guard stopped by a dark gray door, and opened it for the bounty hunter. Keth nodded and entered. The door closed behind him.
The room was dim. Keth removed his Kidarian battle helmet and put it on a table near the door, and then took a look around the room. The office was cold, very expensive, and impressive. He caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror. His unshaven face and straight black hair couldn't look more handsome in his opinion, and none begged to differ for fear of being shot. Sitting at a desk was a large Besilisk, typing documents on a small hi- tech computer. He didn't see Keth enter until the hunter was sitting in a leather chair next to his desk. "Oh, um...please be seated," said the Besilisk, turning away from his work.
"I think I already am, but thanks," chuckled Keth.
"Yes, I see that...uh, my name is Tarkin Val'Tala. You can just call me Tarkin."
"I'm Keth Arthul, and I'm here to take up your bounty that you offered."
"Oh, the bounty! Finally I have some takers!" yelped Tarkin. "Yes, well, errrr..." The Besilisk began shuffling around through the things on his desk, and finally pulled a holo-projector from the pile of items. He handed it to Keth, who then activated it. The hologram flickered to life, showing an image of Tarkin, and began to vocalize.
"Hello, I'm Tarkin Val'Tala. I am issuing a bounty on the Dark Jedi...yes, a Dark Jedi...Mon Tifoke. He has been pestering my business for as long as I can remember, and he's gone too far. I want Tifoke dead, and it doesn't matter how you kill him or his associates, as long as Tifoke is dead! Here is a picture of him..."
An image of a tall, gaunt man with red hair with a streak of blond appeared. He was dressed all in black, but it was in the style of the Jedi robes. At his waste was a lightsaber, the typical weapon of a Force user. He wore large black boots, and black gloves to match.
"He has stolen money and equipment from my depot in the Corellian sector of Nar Shaddaa, and has headed off planet. He should be on Coruscant, if I'm not mistaken. Closest associates of his are Doc-Far, a Nikto gunrunner, Krrathor, a Dark Jedi Wookiee, and Baret Nuor, an assassin and bounty hunter. It will be a difficult fight, but if you succeed in killing at least Mon Tifoke, you'll get a reward of one million credits. If you kill any of his associates you'll receive one million, five hundred thousand credits, and if you kill all -- which I find unlikely that you will -- you will receive a grand prize of two million credits. Please dispose of Tifoke! I hope the challenge does not discourage you. That is all!"
The hologram ended, and Keth turned to Tarkin. "A Dark Jedi? This should be easy..." Keth said with an evil grin. Keth had once been a Jedi Hopeful, but decided that the life of a bounty hunter was more adventurous when he was ignored and almost sent to be a worker on the agricultural world of Gravlex Med. His powers had faded, but he decided they still worked enough to conquer a Darkie.
"Then you'll take the job?" questioned Tarkin eagerly.
"Job taken. And you'll give me two million credits for the deaths of his associates as well as him?" replied Keth.
"Yes, but you absolutely must kill Tifoke. If you come back with everyone but him dead, you'll receive nothing," Tarkin ordered.
"Okay then. I'll see you later then," the hunter said while putting on his helmet. He left the room, walked down the hallway, went down the lift, walked down the staircase after passing the gigantic guard, and went into the ballroom.
The night was bustling with activity. Cantinas were crowded, the airspeeder lanes full of zooming ships, and lights were bright. Aliens and humans alike were shuffling from shop to shop apartment to apartment, looking to participate in the nightlife of Nar Shaddaa. Whether they were partying in clubs or wandering aimlessly, they were on an exciting and dangerous planet nonetheless.
Keth Arthul was one of those people making the planet dangerous. Keth was a bounty hunter, clad in blood red armor and armed with blasters. He was currently looking for a job that he had heard about from a fellow hunter. He didn't know what the bounty was about, but he knew that the bounty was high. Very, very high. Almost one million credits! He had traveled halfway across the galaxy to Nar Shaddaa just to take up this hunt.
He came to the address indicated in the job description. It was a tall skyscraper, and grandly lit. The front door was a spinning door, which Keth walked through. As he entered, he heard the blasting sound of a distinguished jazz band playing, and people clapping and cheering. This guy's gotta be filthy stinkin rich to get all of this stuff, Keth thought to himself, looking around the massive building. The jazz music was playing in a grand ballroom directly in front of the doorway, with people eating and dancing.
Two curved staircases led up on either side to elevators and rooms. Keth pushed past a few people and walked up the staircase to the right, and was met by a large being. It was a humanoid, with pale skin and light blue veins pulsating under his skin.
"Do you have an appointment with Mr. Val'Tala?" he asked in a deep voice.
"Yes, I do," said Keth. "I'm here to take up a bounty issued by Val'Tala here." Keth took a small packet from his belt, and unfolded it, revealing it to be a miniature computer. He brought up the Val'Tala Bounty documents, and showed it to the guard.
"Very well," the guard replied. "You may enter." The guard punched in a combination on a door panel, and a metal sliding door slid open. Keth entered a dimly lit lift tube, and was transported upwards to the top floor. The door slid open, leading him to a hallway. In the hallway was another guard, who led him to Val'Tala's office. The guard stopped by a dark gray door, and opened it for the bounty hunter. Keth nodded and entered. The door closed behind him.
The room was dim. Keth removed his Kidarian battle helmet and put it on a table near the door, and then took a look around the room. The office was cold, very expensive, and impressive. He caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror. His unshaven face and straight black hair couldn't look more handsome in his opinion, and none begged to differ for fear of being shot. Sitting at a desk was a large Besilisk, typing documents on a small hi- tech computer. He didn't see Keth enter until the hunter was sitting in a leather chair next to his desk. "Oh, um...please be seated," said the Besilisk, turning away from his work.
"I think I already am, but thanks," chuckled Keth.
"Yes, I see that...uh, my name is Tarkin Val'Tala. You can just call me Tarkin."
"I'm Keth Arthul, and I'm here to take up your bounty that you offered."
"Oh, the bounty! Finally I have some takers!" yelped Tarkin. "Yes, well, errrr..." The Besilisk began shuffling around through the things on his desk, and finally pulled a holo-projector from the pile of items. He handed it to Keth, who then activated it. The hologram flickered to life, showing an image of Tarkin, and began to vocalize.
"Hello, I'm Tarkin Val'Tala. I am issuing a bounty on the Dark Jedi...yes, a Dark Jedi...Mon Tifoke. He has been pestering my business for as long as I can remember, and he's gone too far. I want Tifoke dead, and it doesn't matter how you kill him or his associates, as long as Tifoke is dead! Here is a picture of him..."
An image of a tall, gaunt man with red hair with a streak of blond appeared. He was dressed all in black, but it was in the style of the Jedi robes. At his waste was a lightsaber, the typical weapon of a Force user. He wore large black boots, and black gloves to match.
"He has stolen money and equipment from my depot in the Corellian sector of Nar Shaddaa, and has headed off planet. He should be on Coruscant, if I'm not mistaken. Closest associates of his are Doc-Far, a Nikto gunrunner, Krrathor, a Dark Jedi Wookiee, and Baret Nuor, an assassin and bounty hunter. It will be a difficult fight, but if you succeed in killing at least Mon Tifoke, you'll get a reward of one million credits. If you kill any of his associates you'll receive one million, five hundred thousand credits, and if you kill all -- which I find unlikely that you will -- you will receive a grand prize of two million credits. Please dispose of Tifoke! I hope the challenge does not discourage you. That is all!"
The hologram ended, and Keth turned to Tarkin. "A Dark Jedi? This should be easy..." Keth said with an evil grin. Keth had once been a Jedi Hopeful, but decided that the life of a bounty hunter was more adventurous when he was ignored and almost sent to be a worker on the agricultural world of Gravlex Med. His powers had faded, but he decided they still worked enough to conquer a Darkie.
"Then you'll take the job?" questioned Tarkin eagerly.
"Job taken. And you'll give me two million credits for the deaths of his associates as well as him?" replied Keth.
"Yes, but you absolutely must kill Tifoke. If you come back with everyone but him dead, you'll receive nothing," Tarkin ordered.
"Okay then. I'll see you later then," the hunter said while putting on his helmet. He left the room, walked down the hallway, went down the lift, walked down the staircase after passing the gigantic guard, and went into the ballroom.