Master Yoda scratched his chin as the image of Feral began to disappear. He was sitting in the Jedi Meditation chambers with Master Windu as the small figure of Feral appeared before them and disappeared telling them about the Dark Jedi that now roamed the galaxy with a Mandalorian. The room was poorly lit with darkened windows, there were three chairs surrounding a small projector capable of alerting the Jedi in case of any emergency. Yoda looked back at Windu as he spoke.
"What do you want to do about this?" asked Windu looking at his old friend.
"A dark place this galaxy has become," Yoda paused as he searched for the presence of the Dark side. "Find out more we must before attacking."
"Should we send someone after this Dark power?" asked Windu looking out the nearby window toward the Jedi Council chambers.
"Send someone to scout this power we must, attack first the Jedi do not."
"I think we should send Obi-wan to deal with this power before it grows too large, we cannot let this Dark power rise."
"Carefully you should be when doing this Windu, send a knight to we must."
"Because Feral Kollam is close we should give him the task of scouting this enemy."
"Powerful this presence is, when Feral returns from Tatooine with more information, discuss this with the Jedi Council we will."
"Count Dooku we have news from our allies in the Republic," announced General Grievous as he entered the chambers of the Sith Lord, Count Dooku then turned around and looked at the cyborg general and the bodyguards that followed him.
"What news general?" asked Dooku stepping forward past the desk that sat at the end of the long hallway. This yellow glowing corridor was Count Dooku's personal chambers where he contacted most of his forces and commanders; General Grievous was stationed here from time to time.
"It seems that a young group of Mercenaries has discovered a way to finding the HK factory Revan created many eons ago." Count Dooku stood straighter than before as he heard the name, Darth Revan had created the factory thousands of years ago to combat his enemies. Darth Sidious once talked about the factory many years ago during the Count's training to become a Sith Lord. The HK series of droids would mean the end of the Republic; if Count Dooku would be able to gain the series of assassin droids. His Master's will, along with the Clone wars though would not let him pursue the factory directly. He paced the floor searching through his thoughts.
"Send Asajj Ventress to find these Mercenaries, give her the newly improved Commando Droids along with anything else she requires to catch these Mercenaries, I want them and what they know."
"And what if she fails?" asked Grievous looking at his lightsaber collection. "The Mercenaries include a Mandalorian, a Clone Commando, and a Dark Jedi."
"If she fails us then you can see to this matter personally."
Narek entered the conference room along with his two friends; they sat down at the large circular table. They had just touched down on Tatooine and were confused about the plan to find the heirloom that would combine with the key Master Revan had left. As they sat Lenovo appeared next to his master and walked along the surface of the table. This small program was the first to speak.
"I have bypassed the Tatooine system database and found several large encampments of Tusken Raiders along the Northern side of the planet near Fort Tusken. I have found no records of any heirloom that the Sand People possess," announced the program walking around the table looking at the other three figures that he called friends. Sand People were nomads to Tatooine and were extremely hostile to any outsiders; they wore large robes that covered their entire body along with large weapons called Gaderffii, which were custom made melee weapons, and the infamous Tusken rifles. The Sand People got their name from the constant raids on an encampment called Fort Tusken many years ago. These primitive creatures rode large fur covered creatures called Bantha, which were large fur covered creatures that had a set of horns that spiraled along the sides of their heads. All in all the Tusken Raiders were not friendly; they treated all outsiders as enemies, and never spoke Basic language. It was going to be a hard find for the Heirloom but Narek was focused on what Revan said, "This trial will test your strength and faith." Faith in what exactly? Narek was deep in thought as Drew and Robert commerce.
"Can you scan the locations of Revan's history on this planet maybe we could find a special group of Tusken Raiders that Revan came in contact with?" asked Robert looking at Lenovo.
"Impossible, Sand People constantly migrate from one unknown place to another; there wasn't a database on Tatooine when Revan walked the deserts." Tatooine was a planet completely covered in sand, not even a super-computer could find exact whereabouts of a specific village on the desert planet, and structures were constantly being buried in sand.
"There are less than two hundred thousand people on this entire planet including all the creatures the Hutts bring on this planet. If given enough time we could scout each village one by one," assured Robert.
"We do not have that much time, the Jedi Master Edvir will be constantly trying to kill us, we will need to stay ahead of the Jedi," pointed Drew looking at Robert, he then looked at Narek. "You have been quiet leader, what are your thoughts?" Narek looked up at his friends
"What did Revan mean by this trial will test my faith?" asked Narek looking at his friends, everyone had their helmets off and looked at each other with confusion. "Test my faith in what?"
"Maybe in us, we are your team now boss," stated Robert.
"Or it could be something that will happen on this planet, Master Revan was considered the most powerful Force user of all time, there is a possibility he foresaw what would transpire in your life,' Drew's point was farfetched however Jedi could see into the future but seeing thousands of years was never heard of. Lenovo then propped straight up as he had a surprised look on his face, he turned to Narek who was looking down at is friend.
"Master, there are clone troopers coming toward the ship along with the Jedi Feral, shall I kill them with the auto-turrets?" Narek let Drew's suggestion ring in his head, perhaps Robert and Drew were correct. Narek needed to have Faith in both his friends and in Revan. Narek turned to his friends.
"Don't kill them Lenovo, transfer to Robert's HUD, I want you to stay here."
"What are you going to do boss?" asked Robert standing up.
"Use your head." Narek left the conference room after he took his helmet and placed it over his face. He walked out leaving the other two completely confused.
"But I don't want to use my head!" yelled Robert as he and Drew chased after their leader. They came around the corner and grabbed the Mandalorian trying to pull him back. "Use your head boss, if you go outside the will try to kill you." Narek looked back at his friends and shook free; he then turned to face them.
"Edvir is after me, not the two of you. He wants what I know and I have to face him. While you two find the Heirloom and the location to forge the two components, I will go face our enemy."
"But Narek he will kill you!" announced Drew with frustration on his face.
"I have faith in you two, don't follow me go find the Heirloom and the one person who can find where to combine the two pieces. I'm counting on you both." Narek turned around leaving his two friends speechless as he exited the Wildfire and walked straight toward the Jedi waiting for him. They cuffed his hands with large restraints and the clones led him outside the star port.
Feral walked in front of the group as they entered the star port. Many civilians looked on as they came into the port and outside to the public. Tatooine's bright sun glared into Narek's visor, the desert planet had a slight wind that was kicking sand into everyone's eyes that wasn't wearing a helmet. The creatures in this city were especially diverse; they had aliens from every corner of the galaxy. As they watched Narek paid no attention, when they came outside a large Republic vehicle called a Juggernaut was waiting at the exit, it was a long white cart that stood several meters from the ground on extremely large wheels; it had several large compartments for turrets and missiles that were all along the side. The back of it opened up and Narek walked inside along with Feral and the Clone troopers. As he entered several other troopers were aiming their weapons as him, there were two levels to this behemoth that could be reached by ladders located along the sides, and the inside was lit by several white lights along the roof of the war machine, the insides were tan colored with clones walking around it. Feral led Narek into a small room, which was a barred with Durasteel poles, they took Narek's gauntlets and helmet placing it in a sealed container on the other side of the Juggernaut. Narek then sat down with the cuffs still on his hands and leaned over, and fell asleep.
As Narek awoke to the sting of electricity he looked up at Feral who was now standing at the front of the cage. The Juggernaut has stopped at various places throughout the day and night. It had been one full day and a half since Narek's capture, he looked around to see less clones on board. Feral then opened the cage and took the Mandalorian to another side of the Juggernaut. The Jedi led Narek into a small room with a large holographic projector. The walls were rounded off with a steel colored look. The projector then lit up showing a blue image of Edvir, the Noghri Jedi Master; he stood very tall and looked down at his opponent. Narek showed no emotion as they talked.
"My former apprentice tells me that you surrendered peacefully without a single bit of resistance," claimed Edvir folding his arms. Narek did not respond this made the Noghri fairly amused. He turned to Feral, "What has he done since you have captured him?"
"All he has done is sleep master," replied Feral looking at Narek.
"That was quite disappointing; I expected more from a Mandalorian."
"And I expected a Jedi to be smart enough to not fall for a fake communication," boasted Narek. After he said this Feral punched the Mandalorian in the face, the warrior shook off the blow and turned to the Jedi. "Wow, you hit like a Twi'lek." Feral grunted and pulled his fist back, Edvir called off the Jedi by waving his hand and laughing.
"This one has much fight left in him; I will make sure I break that. You see Narek, this transport is only a few miles away from the Republic base the Jedi Order allowed my former apprentice to place here since you have been harboring a Dark Jedi, and you have crossed the wrong Noghri my friend."
"If Feral has all this power why does he follow you?" asked Narek looking at the Zabrak who was standing only a few feet from him.
"Whatever power falls to him eventually comes to me, the Jedi know no different, and this war has blinded them."
"So is this the time where you tell me how you plan about going about this little conflict between you and me?"
"I intend to destroy the field of play, I want to kill you personally, but not before I get every bit of information I can from you."
"I can tell you now; my mind is not a nice place to be."
"We shall see Mandalorian," Edvir paused and looked at his enforcer. "Feral I expect you to keep a close eye on this man; do not let him…
A Massive explosion filled the room as the large Juggernaut was blown off its side, as the night sky filled the room; Narek looked up from the side of the wall to see the stars of Tatooine. The Jedi knight was knocked out and lay on the wall, which was now to floor as the Juggernaut fell to its side. Frantically the Mandalorian hopped up from his side rest and looked at the Jedi Master who was still barely imaging from the projector. His face turned to rage as the image of the Noghri disappeared. Still shocked by the initial blast Narek stood and walked out of the room to see many clones running from the now burning vehicle. Another explosion filled the room, making a large whole in the war machine. Before Narek could leave though he needed his weaponry that was sealed away in a container on the opposite end from where Narek stood, he saw the box as three clone troopers grabbed it. The Mandalorian sprinted out and crept up on the clones. With his hands still bonded he lashed out knocking the soldiers over by barreling into them and knocking them toward the ground. Before they stood the Mandalorian grabbed the box with his elbows and sprinted out the backside of the Juggernaut where the clones were trying to exit. After he emerged from the Juggernaut ten clones turned around and aimed down their sights at him. He looked for an escape route, but was saved by another massive explosion that projected from the ground. As the men were blasted into the air, two other clones stood up and tried to shoot Narek, they were cut down by a green laser that passed through their armor like a hot knife through butter. The shot came from an upward angle. The Juggernaut had taken a passage that was a slight extension of the Cliffside; the vehicle was in a canyon of Tatooine that was several miles long, in both directions. Above this trail was the top of the canyon where a single figure stood up and waved. The person then shot the cuffs off Narek's wrists before he could react; stunned the Mandalorian dropped the box and grabbed it with his hands. The distant figure than threw a rope down and yelled "Grab on!" Narek followed the orders and ran up to the wall of the cliff and began to climb the rope. The figure then started to pull making Narek's ascension even quicker. As he neared the top Feral emerged from the Juggernaut and looked up at Narek, with desperation he reached out with the Force and began to pull the Mandalorian down, before Narek was yanked away from the rope though the figure shot Feral in the stomach with a weapon causing the Jedi to fall over and the remaining clones to tend to his wounds. When Narek reached the top he looked at the figure to see a Tusken Raider, he had the usual Tusken look but with a set of goggles and much more padded clothes, he had two small pistols on either sides of his thighs and a long Tusken rifle in his right hand, with the infamous Gaderffii staff on his back. His face was covered as he looked at the Mandalorian.
"Why do you hold that box so closely?" asked the Tusken looking at Narek.
"It has my Weapons and Helmet in it," replied Narek trying to open it. The Raider then pulled out one of his pistols and shot the lock a few times allowing Narek to pull his gauntlets back on and place his helmet on his head. The Raider then looked up at the sky and turned to the Mandalorian.
"We don't have much time before they pursue follow me!" ordered the Tusken as he turned and began to sprint toward the desert. Narek followed very closely as the two sped off into the distance. As they ran the sound of the Republic gunship's hum could be heard, they were looking for Narek and it wouldn't be long before they found him and his new ally. The Raider then stopped and reached into the sand opening a small hole. He jumped in and was followed by Narek.
As the Mandalorian fell in, the darkness overtook him and he could not see, before he turned his night-vision on the Tusken lit a small candle showing the small hut that were now sitting in, the lamp burned brightly filling the entire room. The ground was padded Hardened sand with a half sphere roof over their heads. The Tusken sat down and pulled off all his weapons laying them on the side. The Raider then looked at Narek who already had his hand reached out.
"Narek Pride of Mandalore, thank you for saving me," stated Narek as the Tusken grabbed his hand and shook.
"Sliven Hett of Tatooine," replied the Raider as the two leaned back. The sound of ships flying above could be heard from the small hut they sat in, a second later and they would have been found by the Rogue Republic Jedi. Sliven's voice was low-toned with what seemed a lot of built up rage, he was about six feet tall with a well-built exterior. His garments were tan that matched the color of sand
"What is this place?" asked Narek looking around the room, you could not stand fully in this small hut, but it was not too small.
"An ancient technique my ancestors used when traveling alone, it uses various creatures saliva to harden the sand." Narek skimmed his hand on the floor. "It does not last long, but it provides shelter from the frequent sand storms."
"That is something I will remember in the future." Narek paused for a moment then turned back to Sliven. "Not that I am not grateful, but why did you save me, how do you know Basic, and where is your tribe or at least your Bantha?" The Tusken lowered his head at this question and sighed. The small lamp in between then showed the full terror of his Tusken mask.
"I have revenge to take on the Jedi, let us leave it at that shall we." Narek nodded a few times at this. "That particular Jedi with the tattoos on his body has been responsible for the death of many of my tribes in the past months along with his master."
"Has he been here for a long time?" asked Narek.
"The two Jedi come and go many times throughout our history, they are completely involved in Tusken affairs in the Northern regions, they have been for many years now. I have tracked them every time they come to Tatooine; I have tried to kill them for many months now."
"Where do I come in?"
"I was in Mos Espa when the Jedi took you into that vehicle, I knew that you had no friendship with the Jedi and I wanted to ask for your help to kill the horned human that holds power over my people."
"What do you mean hold power over your people?" asked Narek looking confused.
"The Jedi have come to our planet many times in the past months, however they came yesterday and began to attack our villages, and they have rounded up the Northern tribes and began searching through our camps looking for a strange object!"
"Why would these Republic soldiers be after the Tusken Raiders' belongings?" asked Narek looking confused, there was no possible way that Edvir could have learned that Revan's clue led to Tatooine, Narek's head was spinning from the frustration of that Jedi Master.
"No one knows why these men want our belongings; they have no value to outsiders." Narek looked down at the ground and back up; he bit his lip and looked through his thoughts. The constant words of Revan rang in his ears "faith." He owed this Tusken for saving his life and the least he could do was tell him the truth.
"They must be after an ancient Heirloom that a Tusken Raider possesses," stated Narek looking at Sliven.
"What do you mean by that? What could an Heirloom possibly do to create so much misery to my people?"
"Because that Heirloom is part of a forgotten key to an army beyond imagining, those Jedi want that Heirloom so they can find a factory of highly advanced battle droids called HK series."
"Is this factory on Tatooine?"
"I doubt it, but the Heirloom will combine with a pyramid that I have to show the next clue to finding this factory. "
"You are after the same goal as the Jedi?"
"I assure you Sliven that the Jedi and I are different, I would not kill your people to take the Heirloom." The Tusken looked around the hut; he seemed to be gathering thoughts. The Sand nomad was extremely unnatural to the normal Tusken Raider, the fact that Narek was now inside a small hut talking Basic with a raider was blowing his mind.
"How do I know that you are telling me the truth?" asked Sliven after he looked back up. Narek looked at his communicator, the signal was being jammed and he was too far away from Robert to see him on the HUD. In a matter of a few hours Narek had been a team leader, to a prisoner, to a powerless soldier, to an ally of a Tusken, these turn of events shook his world apart. Faith was all he had now, and faith was all he was going off of.
"Because I'm the only chance you have." Sliven breathed deeply after hearing this, his people were being confined, and they would begin to starve in only a matter of time. Sliven had only escaped this containment because he was out by himself trying to track the Jedi, his pursuit of these so called keepers of the Peace have led him to collecting upgraded weaponry, goggles that helped increase accuracy, the knowledge of the Basic language, and the communication to many outsiders. Sliven hated the outsiders, but the enemy of his enemy was his friend. There was something different about this warrior though, his armor was unlike anything Sliven had ever seen, and he was the first person to ever treat him as an equal in anyway in a conversation.
"My people are suffering, and if you take the key off planet will the Jedi follow?"
"Better than that, I will drive them off Tatooine."
"How?" asked Sliven scratching his covered chin.
"Because you are going to call the Jedi council, and tell them about Feral's behavior on Tatooine."
"How do you know that the Jedi council will stop them? The way I see it, the council is the root of all our problems, if they lead these Jedi."
"These Jedi are Rogue, the original Jedi way is to never harm the innocent, and if we can contact the Jedi overseers with a Republic Security network they will call off Feral."
"And how do you plan on doing this?"
"Every major city in the entire galaxy has an emergency contact network with the Republic in case of attacks. We need to return to Mos Espa and persuade the security teams to help us contact the Republic off world."
"The Leader of Mos Espa is an old friend of my tribe. My father kept the Tuskens from Raiding that city many years ago, the main leader Kav Goldor is in my family's debt."
"Then all we need to do is get to the Mos Espa security station, I don't know how though, these Republic ships will be circling the area until they find us."
"I have a way to get to Mos Espa without the Republic ever finding us."
Edvir pounded the ground as he walked out of the Republic communication station. The base he was in was a round shell that was on the far side of the Tusken containment camps. As he walked out he could see the many tribes of Raiders all in their encampments, the Clones were searching high and low for the Heirloom, but could not find anything matching a Holocron, Edvir was positive that the Heirloom would have a matching hieroglyphic on it. The Raiders that defied them were slain and placed on the side to burn. As Edvir looked up to the night sky the gunships were circling the far south looking for Narek and whoever had freed him, the rest of his team probably, Edvir's spies had lost track of the Dark Jedi and Commando in Jabba's Palace on the other side of the planet. As the Jedi thought, it was impossible for the two enemies to make it to Narek, they were probably looking for the one person who knew where to combine the Heirloom and the Pyramid the Sith spirit spoke of after his torture on Korriban. Edvir had control of the forces deployed to scout the Dark Jedi; he combined it with part of his own fleet to make a force large enough to hold the Tusken Raiders and supply vehicles like the freshly destroyed Juggernaut that Narek had escaped from. Edvir ran possibilities through his mind about what Narek could do to thwart the Jedi's scheme. He wouldn't attack directly that would be suicide; he wouldn't try to find the location to forge the key and the Heirloom together without both the fragments, he would try to link up with his team, that is why Edvir had all the com-links scrambled, he wouldn't try to convince the Jedi Council of Edvir's plot, but he would try to convince the Jedi Council of the Tusken Raiders that were now being tortured. Edvir was a tactical thinker; he must prepare for all possibilities and all outcomes. The Jedi Master went back into the communication station and secured a cryptic line, the clones guarding were ordered to leave. He activated the communicator and a young bald headed woman, with pale white skin appeared known as Asajj Ventress came to life on the blue image. He looked at the woman.
"I need you to come with those battle droids; I fear I will be losing support from the Republic soon."
Sliven and Narek walked through a large underground tunnel located several feet below the surface. It was immense and dripped with cool water, making it almost cold. The interior was gold rust that shined extremely bright whenever Narek shined his flashlight at the sides. Sliven and Narek crawled a few minutes in sand to reach this passageway that led out into the far reaches of Tatooine. The exit was near Mos Espa and its length was far enough to make it easy for the two warriors to slip away from the pursuing clones that hovered above the sand. Convincing the Jedi would not be difficult, as long as they had a representative to back their claims, the Mos Espa police force would be more than capable of supplying sufficient evidence. All they needed was Yoda's agreement with their side; the rest of the Council would practically follow his will. Hopefully Edvir would be present at least in a hologram; it would be great to see his face after his loss on Tatooine.
Narek walked through the cave following Sliven at a decent pace, as they walked inside the catacomb Sliven took many twists and turns as he walked about the cave.
"So this is how the Tuskens travel in stealth?" asked Narek looking at the high walls. Every once and a while the two would come near many cave drawing and it would show ancient Sand People carvings in the cave, showing the history of their people.
"This was once used to travel when the heat of Tatooine became too intense on various summer days; there are few places where these catacombs do not reach. However no outsider could possible track the entire labyrinth, these combs are completely sealed from your strange detectors," answered Sliven as he walked forward.
"How were these tunnels made?"
"Krayt Dragons and various other creatures used to tunnel in the ground to survive our sun. However the Greater Krayt Dragons would tunnel deep within the planet, passed the sand that covers our lands. As their species began to disappear we, and many other creatures began to use the combs that they made to travel about the planet during the hot days. When the outsiders came through with their climate changers many creatures stopped using these tunnels. My people still use them when we must travel without being found by outsiders."
"I will guess that the caves are no longer being made seeing as the Greater Krayt Dragons are gone?" asked Narek looking at the magnitude of the cave they traveled in.
"The Greater Krayt Dragons are still wondering the planet today, my people have always respected and feared the Dragons so we maintain a constant knowledge of these beasts where about."
"That can't be true, I think even my ship would be able to detect those creatures from orbit."
"The Greater Krayt Dragons have created a vast system that no outsiders can detect, how would you find these beasts if you cannot find where they have been." Narek looked around at the cave, the Tusken was right, if he couldn't even detect a large number of caves that stretched for thousands of miles underneath the sand how could he find the creatures that made them. "The outsiders put too much faith in the technology, when the ones called civilized humans learn to trust the land and become one with it as we have, and learn to live with it rather than suppress it they may one day come to realize the greatness that is my home world."
"You think it is bad to be technologized? To advance your species and become a higher intelligence?"
"Higher intelligence is a point of view Narek, you can travel among the stars yet can't find a creature larger than most of the spacecraft flying amongst the planets with you."
"I do not think you even know what a Mandalorian is."
"Why would I need to know that, is it a beast from your planet of Mandalore?"
"No it is my race, my pride, and my family. You may know more about the planet you live on, but you have no idea what lives out beyond your reach." Sliven stopped as Narek came up to him, he looked up at the Mandalorian and puzzled. "Think of all the knowledge you now have since you left the Tusken Raiders to find the Jedi, you can reason with others, something that your people have never done before." Sliven looked at the caves on the walls. He studied it for a brief moment before returning to the conversation.
"The reason we haven't negotiated with the outsiders is because they treat us like animals. My Father has been the only Raider that has ever received fair treatment from the outsiders when talking to Kav, and that man only counted us equals because of a Tusken army approaching the city." Sliven began walking again; Narek followed very close trying to keep the conversation alive.
"They don't treat you like animals, they fear you because you raid villages and take supplies."
"You have no idea what these natives have done to us, what my people have suffered."
"I think you are being overdramatic, why would you accuse the entire population on what history says, I'm sure if you…."
"Because an outsider slaughtered my family!" The cave echoed with Sliven's voice. The roar of this pride rang down into the cave, and came back at blazing speed. Narek drew extremely quiet as the Tusken stared up at his ally. Narek did not give any ground though; he stared back at his acquaintance for a long time before continuing. "A Jedi! An outsider slaughtered my Father, my mother, my sisters, and my brothers! Why do I have such built aggression to the Jedi, because one of them slaughtered my entire tribe! My Bantha, my friends, my brothers, and my sisters. I held my father in my arms as he passed to the next life!" Sliven sat down on the floor and shook his head; his anger had come to a pinnacle and was now pouring down the mountain of pride he had. Narek followed his guide and sat down opposite to him, his flashlight still illuminating the cave. "I left to track a Krayt Dragon that was threatening my village; I left at sunset and returned at sunrise with the Dragon's tooth for proof of my deeds. When I came back however my village was desolated, every one of my tribe was dead, and not just the men, but the women, and the children, their bodies slashed opened and burned by a lightsaber. My father was still alive as I approached my tent, as I held him in my arms he gave me his most prized possession. A Greater Krayt Dragon pearl that he had kept secret from me, it was to be my future wife's gift. I took the Pearl, buried my tribe and left to track down the murderers of my family. I found that this Jedi was pursuing my tribe from a local trader many months ago, he was no Sith, he was a Jedi, but he acted like a murderer." Narek listened carefully as Sliven's story continued, he felt great compassion for the Tusken, but his thoughts traveled back to Mandalore, to his own father of the cruelty and hostility that his parent trained him under. Narek's father had never said a word of kindness or of pride to his son. Narek bowed as he remembered this.
"Did you ever find that Jedi?" asked Narek looking up, he couldn't believe that a Jedi would kill a Tusken tribe; he must have had some reason to do it, maybe the loss of a love one. Revenge was a key tool used to inspire hatred and fear, Narek never had experienced this emotion and never gave it much thought.
"No the Jedi left before I could find him, I figured out though that the reason he came after us was because we killed a woman he loved dearly, and that she came from a place called Lars Homestead."
"You killed someone he loved, that would make a Jedi come to you, and take revenge."
"I never took the woman, and how could that justify the murder of my entire family." Sliven emphasized the word entire; he was extremely moved by this talk. This custom was a long time tradition in Mandalore when the men fought wars, the sharing the thoughts of loved ones, future wives, and families' strengthened moral and brotherhood, making the Mandalorian people extremely proud of one another and increasing combat by an unimaginable scale.
"It wouldn't but it does justify your need for revenge." Sliven stood at this trying to contain his grief. Narek tried to change the subject as they walked. "Where do you call home now?"
"I have found a new tribe who has accepted me, they travel much, but I always keep in touch with them when I return. They reside near Fort Tusken almost the entire year."
"Have you found anyone to give your father's pearl to?" Sliven let out a sigh that sounded extremely pleased, it sounded as if he was smiling under his mask. Sliven shook his head many times slowly.
"She is the most beautiful of all my people; she was the one who accepted me first into the tribe. Every time I come home she is waiting for me near the edge of the camp. She always stands with the Pearl I gave her showing to all who can see her. I love her so." Narek smiled as they walked, it had been a few hours since they entered the cave, even though the Juggernaut had taken more than a day to travel to the Northern part of Tatooine Narek and Sliven walked in a straight path and did not stop to rest. "Is there someone on Mandalore who you call wife?"
"No I haven't, I've always had police after me and the women I meet aren't exactly charming."
"Why is that?"
"I was one of the youngest in my old group, and they were fighting authorities for the wrong reason."
"Have you ever found one that you wished to call your own?"
"Actually yes, I had two crushes back when I was 16 and 19."
"What is a crush?" Narek looked at Sliven with furrowed brows only to remember that he was not custom to the slur that many humans used throughout the galaxy.
"A crush is when you have strong feelings for someone."
"Then why do you call it crush?"
"Because that is what usually happens to your feelings in the end." Sliven laughed as the two continued their walk down the long cave. After many more hours a small dim light appeared at the end. As the two came into the light, the afternoon sky of Tatooine shined extremely bright in their faces. Narek turned off his lights as they came out to the sand covered planet. Sliven looked up at a series of hills in the distance.
"Past those hills is Mos Espa, we will be there very soon."
It had been almost exactly two days since Narek had landed on Tatooine, his life was thrown into a wild tail spin as the Mandalorian was captured, then escaped, befriended a Tusken Raider, and walked across a large plain of Tatooine underneath its sand dunes. His fast march along the catacombs paid off for the better, he had reached Mos Espa in little under a 12 hour period while the Juggernaut took 36 hours to reach the Republic camp, mainly because of its frequent stops and the necessity to use trails made by the Republic to travel. The city of Mos Espa looked extremely short in stature as the two came up to the outskirts of the town. The bright sun would make it hard to see without a helmet, and the sand was blown into their masks by the wind. As they approached the town several police forces looked at the Tusken Raider, as they made their way closer to the city streets many alien eyes began to watch the Mandalorian and Tusken Raider as they walked throughout the streets. The immense colt of foreign life was unbelievable, the thought of this made Narek look back at Sliven who looked frustrated with seeing all the outsiders. As they walked in the streets several creatures spread like a sea as the Mandalorian spear headed the walk to the Police Station, it came into view over the mass of people, as they came close though two police officers stopped them along the clay colored fence that surrounded the building. They paid close attention to Sliven who was behind the massive Mandalorian.
"What is a Tusken Raider doing in the city?" asked the police officer. He was wearing a blue uniform with a large helmet that covered his face with laser proof glass; he had a standard pistol on his right thigh.
"He has come to ask the aid of Mos Espa, and is willing to bargain for cooperation between the two sides for help." Sliven tapped Narek on the back when he said this.
"You do realize that I am not an Elder in my tribe, I have no say in how we live with the outsiders," whispered Sliven as the Mandalorian reached back.
"We need to do offer something to trade with just play along," ordered Narek looking back at his friend, they whispered so the police officer couldn't hear them. The Tusken let out a sigh as Narek continued. "Can we negotiate with the police chief?" asked Narek looking back at the police officer. The man then clicked a small piece of his ear and began talking, when he did the other police officer came up, he was wearing the exact same outfit as the first officer.
"Kav Goldor will speak with you; my partner will lead you inside." Sliven and Narek followed the officer into the station. As they entered it was a large house with steel plated walls, floors, and ceiling. The Police chief was on the far right side standing; on the left side were a series of doors that all read different meanings, the one closest read civilian service. The building was small and out of date by a few light-years; the walls were rusting on every other steel covered plate. There weren't very many officers walking in the back as they entered. Narek could tell the station was neglected seeing the poor conditions that they were in, but that was expected Tatooine has always been a place for crime organizations to flee to but still the Republic held some influence in every planet known in the galaxy. The large insignia of the Republic was on the floor as the two warriors walked in. The police chief Kav walked forward and bowed showing respect. Sliven and Narek returned it as the man continued.
"I hear that you want to negotiate peace between us and your people Tusken, please step into my office." Narek, Kav, and Sliven walked into the only door half way into the building on the right handed side. As they entered they saw a small wooden desk with a lamp on it, Sliven sat down along with Narek in the two chairs provided in front of the desk. Kav sat down and folded his hands; he had a fading hair line with amber colored eyes. He wore a Grey version of the police uniform along with a more padded armor. As they sat Sliven began.
"Do you remember me?" asked Sliven to Kav, the man looked shocked as he looked up at the Raider, he then looked at Narek then back at Sliven.
"Sliven? Is that you?" asked Kav leaning closer. "You look a lot different from the last time I saw you!"
"It has been a long time my old friend, I am sorry to trouble you, but I have a favor to ask," stated Sliven as he looked down. "My people are suffering from abuse of the Clones and Jedi on this planet; they have captured my people and are holding a brutal occupation of our Northern grounds."
"I have noticed that my old friend, but I have no authority the control the clones, let alone the Jedi."
"We need your Republic security line to ask the Jedi Council to investigate the destruction of my people." Kav looked at his hands and then back to the Tusken.
"I cannot just willingly call the Republic security line, besides I only have a line to the nearest Republic fleet for assistance."
"My old ally, you once told me that you owed my father for saving Mos Espa from Tusken Raids, you owe my tribe your life. I come now in my most desperate hour, I need your help. I can negotiate with my brethren for anything I beg you please help Narek and I contact at least the Republic fleet." Kav bit his lip after hearing this and sighed, he reached into his desk and pulled open a lever, his desk retracted into a large holographic projector and a scrambled image began to fade in and out of the blue projection, as it did Kav spoke.
"This is Kav Goldor security of Mos Espa hailing any Republic ships in the system please respond." After a few more scrambled images a young human woman appeared on the projection, her features were blue but she had a well-built figure and was absolutely beautiful. She had a double bladed lightsaber on her right hip showing she was a Jedi. She wore a long Jedi cloak with several buckles on her thighs, boots, and gloves she wore; her hair was short and went slightly past her shoulders. Underneath her cloak was an unusual Jedi robes that had little sleeves.
"This is Jedi Knight Sateal Karan reporting to your distress call; my Republic Warship Liberty is in the Tatooine System, what is the emergency?" asked Sateal. Kav then turned the projector so that Sateal was facing both Sliven and Narek. The two stood and Narek pulled his helmet off, he was completely amazed by the Jedi's beauty.
"Jedi Sateal, my people the Tusken Raiders are being brutally held captive by a Jedi Knight named Feral, he has been killing us and holding our grounds for no reason. I would personally negotiate with my brethren toward a pass of peace if you could stop this madness." Sateal looked worried after hearing this, she was holding her hands together behind her back.
"Do you have any proof of this occupation?" asked Sateal.
"Transferring the data we have of this occupation," stated Kav pressing a few buttons on his data-pad. Sateal looked off to the side and back at the two warriors in front of her. Her expression grew even more worried as she looked at the data.
"This is impossible, Jedi Knight Feral should not have this many troops under his command. I will come personally to Tatooine to see this for myself."
"Will you give my people aid?" asked Sliven.
"If what you say is true of course. By my records Feral was sent by the Jedi Council to recon a certain individual, his forces are much too large. I will be there in less than a few minutes, do not leave this com-link." As Sateal disappeared Sliven let out a sigh of relief as he looked at Kav, Narek however kept his eyes on the image until she was completely gone. The Mandalorian was speechless, but he shook off his emotions and placed his helmet back on his head. As he did though a small alert came from his gauntlets, as he pressed his forearm a small image of Lenovo appeared.
"Master you are alright, I am glad to see you! You're gauntlets have come close enough to the ship for me to monitor you, why are you back in Mos Espa?" asked Lenovo as he showed his joy.
"It is a long story, where is Drew and Robert?" asked Narek looking hard into the image.
"We are on a Sandcrawler; Drew and Robert have believed to have found the one individual who knows where to forge the Heirloom and the Pyramid!"