Characters:
Joel Raxon. 42 years, male Mirialan
Dressen Powers. 39 years, male Mirialan
Cody Myers. 49 years, male Human
Lex Sortia. 22 years, male Human
Jahavid Messa, 53 years, male Twi-Lek
Dorn, 25 years, male Human, Sith apprentice
Alisha Anderson, 36 years, female Human, Republic Commander
Don Pillet, 43 years, male Human, Republic Sargent
Chapter I
The sinister winds pounded against the tattered and squeaky wooden door that served as a meager excuse for a door in the dilapidated Cantina located in the small, some might say insignificant, Lytle outpost on Taris. Although relatively close on a global scale to the common spaceport of the republic restoration zone, the area received few customers other than an occasional brave soul willing to venture to the outpost. Despite the constant threat of Rakghoul attacks and even the occasional presence of the sith empire, the small settlement had a very remitted, relaxed atmosphere that a choice few held dear. Joel Raxon was one of those people; he opened the twittering Leku Cantina ten standard years ago, because he imagined a restored area and bright future for the former cityscape planet. After many years of almost no progress near his location, he gave up on the idea. Convinced Taris would never be restored. Things actually made sense to him now, as long as the Rakghoul's, along with numerous other problems, remain; nothing was going to get done on the planet Taris. It simply is just too much for anyone to handle.
His thoughts were interrupted by a crashing sound outside the windowless, dank, Cantina. The winds outside continued to howl at a chilling constant. With the winds breezing sending a fresh chill into the building, Joel almost didn't register someone tapping him on the shoulder; it was his old and loyal customer, Dressen Powers. Like himself, Dressen was Mirialan, yet their general evening crowd was Human and Twi-Lek.
"Can I help you with another drink old friend?" Guessing what Dressen wanted became increasingly easy. Receiving the drink with a warm smile, he replied "Of course, who wouldn't want an ale to warm oneself on this dastardly night?" Joel noticed the only other three people in the Cantina playing a casual game of sabbak in the back of the room, away from any windows. He decided a little happiness to contrast against the bleak night. "A round on the house gentleman?" The group stirred suddenly at the chance of a free round.
"Oh yeah of course." They all said, followed by mumbled thank you's. Through all the years, the twittering Leku was known for its hospitable service along with the finest home-brewed ale on the planet. If only more knew about his business, then he could certainly earn more. But it came back to the problems Taris constantly had, no one would be willing to lose their lives for some ale, good or bad. The trio of Sabbak players bad their way lazily to a barstool as it now began to rain with dark, menacing clouds. The exterior patio deck had suffered through the years of lack of treatment against water damage. Metal surfaces had to be cleaned of rust regularly. Joel slid the drinks down to the four customers. "Ghastly weather we have don't we?" he offered.
The Human nearest to him, Cody, nodded in concurrence. "Worst I've seen in a long time. It seems to reflect the state of the galaxy right now. Dark, dangerous, hopeless." Cody was an ex-republic soldier. He knew the horrors of war. If that was what he thought, it meant something. "Still, not all is lost. Hope is objective; it's there even if you believe it's not. We must trust the republic and the Jedi will get us out of this mess just like they did 300 years ago." Lex Sortia was a young and hopeful man, much like Joel once was. For some reason, he hoped more than anything this bright young man would have a long and prosperous life.
"How would you know? Have you been there?" Jahavid, the third Sabbak player now broke his own silence. "Can't you see this is a new enemy? An old enemy that neither the republic nor the Jedi have not faced. The treaty balances powers between the two factions so that neither will get too much power. The Treaty of Coruscant was good." Joel knew Jahavid's past only vaguely; through stories and what not. But he heard Jahavid lived most of his life in the outer rim, far from the republic and its laws, likely in contempt for them. "The Jedi have no desire for power, only order." Lex countered. "Is that what the Jedi order told you?" The tension broke between them when Cody nudged the two away from each other. "Come on Jahavid, just because you lost the most money in Sabbak doesn't mean you get a free rant. Let's just settle down" The older Twi-Lek stayed tense for a moment but then softened.
"Sorry Lex, get a little 'hardcore' when talking war and politics. You're a great card player too. Natural talent I suppose." Lex chuckled in turn, patting Jahavid on the back. No worries, it's mostly stuff we can do nothing about anyways, Sabbak is just a random game. Everyone has their moments in it. You'll win big someday." Dressen now stepped in.
"Well until then, we are going to call it quits. I think we should tell stories from our own experiences to pass the time. Best story gets fifty creds." Everyone looked at each other and nodded at Joel to go first. He shrugged in compliance, thinking up one of his old experiences at his beloved Cantina. "Alright, I think I have one you guys might like, it happened five years ago."
It was a sunny midafternoon and the Twittering Leku was filled with the usual customer, I believe you were there Dressen. So everyone was having a drink when suddenly a huge, dark red Rakghoul was seen across the street of the Cantina, ravaging a shop for food. Republic soldiers lay dead at the outpost entrance at the top of the street. No one stood to stop the abhorrent monster. People ran in terror and I realized I had to do something. "Guys, free drinks for anyone who helps me send that Rakghoul to hell! I suppose I spoke rather charismatically because everyone raised their blasters and vibroblades in hand and leaping off tables on the patio deck and knocking chairs down to stop the monster. We took it by surprise and quickly got its attention. Running as fast as it could, it headed straight for me. I thought I was a goner, but not without giving up a fight. I put a well-placed shot in its right eye and slid under it while he attempted to recover. By then the others leaped on the Rakghoul with their vibroblades and killed it. Not a single person was killed and everyone cheered for me. I felt so proud of myself I was nearly speechless until good old Dressen stood up for me. "I have an idea! Let's give our good pal Joel something he will remember." Of course, everyone heartily agreed and went to the nearest hunting shop to get me a new carbine. They also hung up in my Cantina the fangs of that very same Rakghoul. Too this day, if you look up over the wine cabinets behind the bar behind me, you can see the fangs there. It just goes to show how generous the people living in the Lytle outpost can be. To this day, the people back at the main settlement call me Red Rack Raxon.
Joel looked and saw everyone observing the fangs he just chronicled about, taking notice they were right above him. He took quick notice the winds began to pick up and the rain became so thick that you could only six feet outside of the Cantina. After a few minutes of observing the weather, Cody broke the silence.
"I remember when I faced my first Rakghoul. It was far from easy." Cody always had the most memorable stories of when he fought within the republic ranks. His deep and deliberate voice always added to his great story telling ability. "I think I remember the story, let me see oh yes…"
Me and part of by brigade was setting up the perimeter around our camp, since we just landed on Taris… this was over 20 years ago mind you… and presently we found a large, dense forest on the edge of our patrol area. One of my comrades took a few steps in and suddenly a loud, blood-curdling shriek came from the forest. He ran back to the rear of the group so fast, everyone laughed hysterically. But our humor vanished instantaneously when we saw the source of the shriek. A big grotesque Rakghoul emerged; his grey, leathery skin produced a reek that I could smell 30 meters away. Without hesitation, we all starting blasting at it like a bunch of frantic children. Unfortunately, it got to us before we could stop it. In a few seconds, half of the patrol was slaughtered. Remembering to stay calm and when to switch to melee, I threw a sticky charge onto its back and plunged my vibrosword into the wound. It's howl was so terrible, I haven't heard anything quite like it to this day. So of course, it swung around and nearly tore off my leg with one sweep of its gigantic claw. My left leg was instantly shattered and I fell on the ground, helpless. The pain was so overwhelming, I was sure I would get infected within a few hours. So I felt compelled to let the monster just finish me so that I would not kill anyone as a Rakghoul myself. It was about to do just that until a brown robe brushed my face. There in front of me was a Jedi with a golden double bladed laser-sword, ready to defend me against the ghoul, which by the way moved into position to bite a good chunk of this Jedi's upper body. Except he never got there, the last thing I saw before I blacked out was the mysterious Jedi plunging its golden blade into the Rakghoul's mouth.
By the time I woke up, I had lost my leg. But it was a small price to pay to keep myself from getting infected by the plague let along getting killed on the spot. One of the survivors from my group was there, so I started asking him questions about the Jedi, since I never recalled bringing a Jedi with us to Taris. He was about as clueless as I was, so I've never found out who that great man was.
"You sure you aren't making that up?" Jahavid quipped. But Cody did not seem to mind the skepticism. "Of course not. I've got the scars to prove it." Cody lifted his pants to reveal a completely metallic shin and knee cap. Joel could not help but notice some rust and corrosion resided on some joint areas. "Looks like you're gonna need a replacement soon. Rust isn't any better than arthritis." Everyone laughed, lightening up the mood.
"Nah I'll be fine. It's not like I have the credits anyway to buy a new one. But what really would help me is if we found out who that Jedi was. I never got to thank him for what he did to save me or my comrades." Dressen patted Lex on the back, who was a little too interested in the story. "I've never seen a Jedi before, they are such interesting people. What gives them such motivation to do good? And conversely for the sith, who are so intent on doing evil; and Cody, they don't use laser swords, they're called lightsabers."
"Good and evil is a matter of what someone thinks. It's not constant." Jahavid countered, "The Jedi do what they think is good and the Sith do what they think is good. No more complicated than that." Lex obviously was in disapproval, but did not say anything as the storm continued to rage on.