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AUTHOR'S NOTES
Before we begin, since this is FAN fiction, there are a few departures from the canon of the SWTOR story. Several large changes involve the Sith Inquisitor. In SWTOR the Inquisitor storyline happens roughly at the same time as the other characters'. In this story, the Inquisitor's storyline is finished well before my main character's has even started and as follows, the Inquisitor is a member of the Dark Council. In addition, the Inquisitor has romanced and married Ashara Zavros, who is not Togruta, but has been changed to human. The reasons for these changes are addressed very early in the story (at the start of Chapter 2) but I'd rather not spoil things in this introduction.
This is my first published writing of any kind. Feel free to leave comments if you wish. Thank you so much for checking out my first foray into writing, and I hope you enjoy Sarrak: A SWTOR Story. May the Force be with you!
PRELUDE
It is a pivotal time for the SITH EMPIRE. Having secured an uneasy truce with the GALACTIC REPUBLIC, the Empire now seeks allies among the neutral systems.
The foul planet HUTTA is the Empire's latest target, but its wealthy and corrupt crime lords refuse to take side in the cold war between Republic and Empire.
To tip the scales, Imperial Intelligence's latest shadowy operative has been dispatched to Hutta under command of the Empire's mysterious spymaster….
Chapter I: The Red Blade
The starship appeared out of nowhere just a few million kilometers away from the target planet. Drifting unnoticed past the dozens of ships itching to land on the smuggler's moon Nar Shaddaa, the ship continued its course to the Hutt controlled planet, uncreatively named Hutta. A sickly shade of olive green permeated the clouds above Hutta, indicating a toxic atmosphere only a Hutt could find comfortable. The oceans were a dull brown, suggesting a similar lethality in the water. The ship pushed past all of it and surprisingly found no resistance in the upper atmosphere, touching down safely in a semi-crowded spaceport landing zone not far from the settlement Jiguuna. Allowing for the rowdy crew of assorted drunkards, gamblers, smugglers, and riff-raff to leave first, the final passenger of the taxi ship finally exited the craft. She waited until it took off mere moments later to check her personal tracking device.
The objective was near. Continuing through the spaceport, she saw two suspicious Gamorrean pig-men looking around wildly, keeping tight grips on their axes. They started coming her way, but she slipped into the crowd easily. Regardless, she was still safe, still an unknown. The pig-men went right on past to confront a feisty bug-eyed Rodian. He went down quickly when one of the pig-men kneed him in the gut. She reminded herself there wasn't any time to watch the rowdy locals, and continued towards her assigned destination, the local cantina.
Proceeding to one of the back rooms, she quickly made sure nobody else was around, and started to tamper with a looped holorecording of a beautiful translucent Twi'lek dancer. With the right cross wiring and inputting into her portable device, she successfully uploaded the correct holofrequency of her contact. The dancing Twi'lek was replaced by the blue frizzy hologram of a stern looking older man wearing a grey Imperial Intelligence officer's uniform. His feet were firmly planted on the ground and his arms were behind his back. He was in a position of authority, ready to give orders.
"Secure transmission established. This is Keeper. We may speak freely, agent; prepare to receive your orders," the hologram said.
"Agent Arierra Sarrak, reporting for duty. Ready to receive my mission," the young woman replied.
"Yes, Agent Sarrak. You were chosen for this operation because of your exemplary performance and leadership skills displayed during your previous team-based missions on the capital world Dromund Kaas. Imperial Intelligence needs agents capable of working independently in the field. Now you apply your training to the real world.
"Nem'ro the Hutt and his organization run Jiguuna, and you're in town to convince Nem'ro to supply the Empire." Keeper delivered the rundown swiftly, his grimace never fading once. Apparently this Nem'ro was giving the Empire a lot of trouble.
"Give me background. What are we working from?" Arierra asked. Better to know as much going into the mission as possible.
"Jiguuna is an industrial town, and Nem'ro runs most of the industry. The Hutt supplies weapons, drugs, and raw materials—but not to us. We believe Nem'ro has been reluctant to lose Republic customers by publicly siding with the Empire. It's time he overcame this reluctance. We need to know what Nem'ro and his advisors are thinking before we can act. I want you to obtain access to the Nem'ro clan's inner circle.
"You'll require a cover identity. One of our contacts—an alien named Jheeg—has prepared a background for you and will provide the details."
"It's as good as done," Arierra said with a short nod. She had been quite successful with subterfuge missions before, and her confidence was exuding from her, enough for Keeper to notice.
"Don't underestimate the Nem'ro clan. The galaxy has seen more effective gangsters, but rarely more sadistic ones," Keeper warned. "Jheeg will be waiting for you at a safehouse. Locate him, take what he offers, then report to me. Your combat training should see you through, but expect brutality and expect to be targeted. Jiguuna isn't friendly to strangers. Keeper out."
The hologram disappeared in a blink. She tampered with the base of the projector and unplugged her device. The dancing Twi'lek returned, as if Arierra had never been there. She turned and exited the room, slipping past drunks as she stepped out into the muggy open air of Hutta. The safehouse wasn't too far away, but there was some blaster fire in the street. Probably some gang members riled up. It didn't bother Arierra. She was a master of stealth, even given her white-as-snow hair. She kept it clipped extremely short to keep it out of her face when looking through the scope of a blaster rifle, and to draw less attention. The last thing anyone wanted while working as an agent for Imperial Intelligence was attention.
She made it to the safehouse and found a hideous alien who could only have been her contact Jheeg. His head was horizontally elongated, with large round glassy eyes that had no pupils or irises at all, just shiny black reflective surfaces that made her shiver with unease.
"Wumba oomba juga las ta Jheeg," he grumbled.
What did he just say? Must be speaking some alien language, she thought.
"Why couldn't you just speak Basic and make this easier on me? Hold on," she said with an exasperated sigh. She fiddled with her portable device and turned on the universal translator. "Could you please repeat that, I didn't quite understand the first time."
"You. You are here softly, from the Empire. I am Jheeg. I am expecting you. I have your new identity," the translator said. "Do you know the Red Blade? Small-time pirate. Rich. Mysterious. No one knows true species. Gender. Color. I planted rumors, made Nem'ro think the Red Blade is coming to visit—enjoy Hutt palace, do business. You will be the Blade. No one will doubt you."
"This sounds too easy, Jheeg. What's the catch?" Arierra asked. Nothing was ever this smooth. The alien was hiding something. She could feel it in her gut.
"Ah, yes. Catch is unfortunate. I will explain. Real Blade brings tribute to friends; brings presents, bribes. Real Blade is far away now, exploring Outer Rim. Won't cause trouble. Many things Nem'ro wants, things Nem'ro likes. Once Nem'ro has gifts, all suspicions go away. You become pirate. You become Red Blade. I contacted Imperial handlers. As assured, yes? The call is arriving now."
An audio device on the nearby table activated, and Keeper's voice started talking.
"Jheeg, from this point forward operational security will be at a premium. You will not contact us from this terminal again."
"Yes. Leaving for your privacy. I will await contact," Jheeg whispered. He left the safehouse and another hologram popped up from the audio device so that she and Keeper could talk face-to-face, more or less. Thank goodness that was over. Any more of that insufferable alien and she would have put her head through a wall.
"Now that you have your cover identity, your next task is to access Nem'ro's inner circle. Present yourself to the Hutt as a fellow gangster—as this Red Blade—and offer him Jheeg's gifts. One of the gifts is implanted with a listening device, which we will use to monitor conversations within Nem'ro's palace," Keeper explained.
"Are we listening for something specific?" Arierra asked.
"At this juncture, our primary goal is to find weaknesses in Nem'ro's organization. Even if the Hutt won't join us, we might influence his lieutenants. Talk to Nem'ro and his men. Determine who we can turn and how we can sway them. We will be listening."
We will be listening. It was always like that, wasn't it? Always listening. Always being watched, always aware of just how many eyes and ears were out there. It was calming and terrifying all at once.
"In that case, I'd better watch my mouth," Arierra said with a smirk. It was half joke, half serious.
"Yes, be careful what you say—and lose the accent. When you're in the Hutt palace, you're no longer an Imperial. Contact me from the palace cantina once Nem'ro has his "presents". Keeper out."
It was a short walk to the palace, but the humidity made it feel longer. As soon as she entered the palace a large man stepped in her path, blocking her from moving forward. He pressed a button on his in-ear commlink.
"This is Karrels. Tell the throne room that the Blade's arrived." Karrels gestured her to follow him further into the palace. He laid down the rules as they walked to the throne room. "When Nem'ro shows, stay at least five meters back and don't come up unless you're called. One wrong move and you're a pile of ash," he warned.
"You worried I'm going to cause trouble?" Arierra said in a flawless Republic backwater planet accent.
"Just going over the rules. You've got a reputation, and we don't want any problems."
They stepped through a doorway into the throne room and he was the first thing she saw. He was hard to miss. A gigantic beige slug with short grubby arms and two bulging eyes lay on a comfortable couch of royal purple and gold adornments. She could smell his rancid stench all the way from the back of the room. He waved them forward and they proceeded to present themselves.
Karrels spoke first. "Allow me to present Nem'ro the Hutt—the illustrious crime king of Jiguuna." Karrels gave a small bow and backed away. Arierra pulled out her translator; Hutts never bothered to speak Basic, it was beneath them.
"So, the Red Blade finally comes to visit the house of Nem'ro. Great honor comes to the both of us. I did not expect you to be so…soft, however. Very few pirates possess charms like yours. Hahaha!" Every word that came out of its hideously wide mouth made her want to throw up, but she held it in. She had to be professional, no matter how much she hated being near these putrid slime balls. "Now, let us see if the legends of the mighty Red Blade's generosity are true. What have you brought me and my clan?"
Looking around the room, it was clear that like all Hutts, Nem'ro was as greedy as he was ugly. The room was filled so many expensive decorations it was like a tornado came through a Corellian art gallery and settled down in Nem'ro's palace. It would be in her best interest to embellish as much as possible to get on the Hutt's good side.
"Vast treasures, plundered from worlds in every sector in the galaxy—" She nearly choked while saying this next part, "—all for you, great and powerful Nem'ro."
"You talk big, little pirate, but your boasts do not interest me." Karrels went over to the table and inspected the gifts. His eyes lit up with glee.
Karrels stepped forward to inspect the treasures. "Not bad! Nem'ro—the idols here are real aurodium. The cloth looks like—"
"I see, Karrels. I see. Mmm…" The Hutt was silent for a few seconds and then nodded his flabby head in approval. "You are an impressive and beautiful creature, Blade. You may conduct your dealings on Hutta with my approval. Now, experience the luxuries of my palace. Enjoy my slaves, and wallow in opulence! Let me introduce you to my advisors. You have met Karrels Javis; any business you have you may discuss with him. And this is Toth'lazhen—"
A fierce-faced red Twi'lek man got up from a chair and approached Nem'ro.
"Nem'ro, we have little time for guests right now. Security reports that Fa'athra and his clan have struck at our shipments again."
"WHAT!?" Nem'ro's whole body shook with rage. He started screaming and ranting, and Arierra took several steps back. All the movement was making his odor get worse. Karrels led her out of the throne room.
"Looks like your audience with Nem'ro is over. You'll have to forgive the interruption. I've been working for that Hutt since he killed my gang when I was thirteen. Trust me, you can't talk to him when he's like this."
"Thanks for the introduction. I look forward to doing business with all of you," she said.
"No problem. And hey, you don't have to be all business. Get a drink, relax, make yourself at home while you're here." Arierra gave him a firm handshake and made her way to the backroom of the palace cantina. Once again tampering with the holoreciever device, she tapped into Keeper's frequency.
Keeper's likeness appeared and he looked pleased. "Well done, agent. The listening device is working perfectly, and Nem'ro can keep no more secrets from us. Imperial Intelligence has determined that Nem'ro's human lieutenant—Karrels Javis—is the weak link in his operation. You're going to twist the man until he serves us."
Arierra nodded in confirmation. "He won't be any trouble to manipulate," she said, back to her stiff and proper Imperial accent. Keeper continued.
"Unfortunately, Karrels is on the verge of disfavor with Nem'ro, while the Twi'lek lieutenant—Toth'lazhen, I believe—is Nem'ro's rising star. I want you to go to Karrels and offer your services as the Red Blade. Do whatever is necessary to bring Karrels glory in Nem'ro's eyes." There was a moment of silence and Keeper's usual stiffness was overtaken by a glimpse of nerves.
"One other thing, agent. This operation of ours has drawn the attention of a member of the Dark Council—Darth Jadus himself. The Council's authority is second only to that of the Emperor. It's a rare…honor…for an Intelligence operation to be overseen in this way."
Arierra sensed his unease and decided to push. "With all due respect, what does the Dark Council care about Hutta? This operation isn't exactly a threat to the Sith."
"I don't know why Lord Jadus is interested. Nor is it our concern. The Sith aren't obligated to share their reasons. Report back once you've rendered whatever aid Karrels requires. Keeper out."
Not even five paces from Karrels' back office, a Zabrak stepped out in front of her to block her path. A crown of horns adorned his bald head, and his face was covered in light tattoos of intricate design.
He's rather handsome for an alien, she thought while eyeing him up, trying to find any potential weaknesses if this was going to get violent.
"Don't be in such a hurry, Blade. Don't you remember me? You're old buddy, Dheno Rey? I don't think you looked this good when we met up on Hoth—or so girly. But you couldn't be an imposter. You know your old friend Dheno." He cocked his head slightly, his eyes running up and down her body, smirking to himself.
Cover is blown. There are always risks when going undercover, might as well play along, and get through this as quickly and quietly as possible.
"Of course, I remember you Dheno! How long's it been?" His smirk slowly faded.
"Little too long, it seems. Turns out we've got a problem. You see, you don't look like the Blade I know. The Blade who owes me credits. But…you say you're the Blade, my pretty lady friend, so I'll take you at your word and ask for my money. You understand?" She didn't like the look in his eye, but she had a few tricks up her sleeve. A lot of men could be easy to manipulate.
In her sweetest voice she could muster, she took one slow step towards Dheno and said "I thought we were close, Dheno. I thought you were my very, very close friend."
He looked intrigued. "Yeah, I can see that…But come on. I really do need the cash if I'm gonna keep your little secret." Damn, he wasn't backing down. Sometimes she hated what she had to do to keep her cover safe. She stepped towards him again, placing her hand gently on his shoulder, caressing him softly.
"Come on, you're a good guy. You'd take a girl's last few credits? Leave her broke and wanting?" She leaned in closer. He pushed her away.
"It's tempting…really tempting. But I'm not talking about settling a bar tab here. I'm talking big credits. Either you give me what you owe me, or I start telling Hutts that the Blade's still dodging asteroid fields in the Outer Rim." He slowly reached for his blaster pistol, but Arierra cut him off before he could grab it. She blocked him and he kicked back at her. They scuffled for a few seconds and suddenly she was overwhelmed with awareness. The fight slowed down and she sensed terrible danger. She saw Dheno stabbing outward with a hidden knife, coming right for her gut. She reached out to try to redirect his arm but he simply stopped thrusting. It was like he had hit a solid invisible wall. The knife wouldn't go further. She pushed with all her might against him and suddenly he went flying backwards, all the way down the hallway, smacking into the wall. It all happened so fast, there was barely time to register what had happened. Dheno was unconscious on the floor.
Did I just…?
Her suspicions were confirmed when she felt a presence materialize behind her. She slowly turned around to see a tall figure, hidden under a thick black cloak. His face was shadowed, hidden well enough that the only features she could make out were the pointy tip of a chalk-white beard and his eyes. Oh those eyes. Those pale, piercing, ghostly white eyes. Not the yellow and red corruption normally associated with a master of the dark side of the Force. These eyes indicated something much, much worse. She managed to tear her gaze away from those eyes and look downward to see the glint of metal in his grip. Fast as lightning, a meter-long plasma beam protruded from the metallic hilt, lighting up the dim hallway in a splash of crimson light. The Sith raised his lightsaber up to her, the end of the red blade barely a centimeter away from the tip of her nose.
"We have much to discuss, Agent Sarrak," he said in a cold, commanding voice. He lowered the red blade down to his side.
She let out a frustrated sigh, never imagining she'd address this Lord of the Sith, member of the Dark Council, the universally feared and reviled Darth Phantos, ever again in her life.
"I imagine we do…father."