I don't own Star Wars, this is a fan fiction only.

When you consider my life as a Marine, this situation turns out was pretty easy to adapt with. Most of the days since I've been here, me and Canderous have become something of icon partnership for Exchange. I can't say I like having to help scum like Exchange and I've seen some pretty nasty people within group, Calo Nord being one of them.

However working with Canderous has helped, almost everything I needed to know about this galaxy had came to him. While he can gruff and rough around edges, he is a good man that much I can tell.

If my day had something that could beat the rot of every day life it was my hobby. The lower city was were the poor and non humans were forced to live by the rich and powerful people that lived up on top. There were many levels in the lower city but they all had one thing in common. They had no one to protect them and they were under the constant threat of the gangs.

These gangs often flaunted their power by riding swoop bikes, and to me they reminded me of the lawless biker gangs that plagued outlining small towns back in the U.S. These gangs in contrast had little to no mercy to those they abused and exploited. The gang I hated the most call themselves the Black Vulkers.

When ever I had a chance during my day I would look for a chance to rescue some poor lower city people, or disrupt their attempts to exploit the people. It never ended peacefully and by the end of each time I tried to help, I always ended up killing a few of the Black Vulkers.

Canderous often asked me why did I bother defending people who clearly were to cowardly or unwilling to stand for themselves. "John it's a fact of life that those that don't have the will to defend themselves will always be prey to those that can fight. Mandalorians learn this as children. You can't depend on anyone to keep yourself safe. You must fight and defend yourself and that which you consider precious or someone will kill you and take it from you."

I knew that he was right but I only had to touch my arm, my face and feel the coldness of the metal that covered the implant that was now both my ear and translation device to remember what they did to me. "Canderous I know you are right, I know that eventually I will not be around to protect these people. You could say I help them because doing so allows me to hurt those that hurt me."

I slowly gotten used to the cypernets the implants. I even learned thanks to Canderous to turn them into an advantage in combat. I guess that which does not kill you makes me stronger. Why did I keep remembering these tired old sayings my DI used to tell us during basic training.

The food was pretty much the same flavorless stuff that you really needed to work hard to swallow at first, but as time went on I got used to it. The real tasty food was pretty much only affordable to the rich families in the upper city.

Canderous and I made a decent amount of credits, but never enough to buy food from those pricey and fancy restaurants in the upper city. Even if we could we were simply to practical to waste the credits on such things.

The bar by the Hidden Beks base was a peaceful and friendly enough of a place. They always had good food, affordable drinks and for the most time pleasant company. It was also a very good place to hear information from.

Canderous used to joke that the few twi'lek strippers in the place used the excuse to tell me some juicy gossip to try and hit on me. I just looked at him and smiled as I enjoyed my meal and usual juice. "You really think these ladies would be interested in a guy who is pretty much an enforcer for the local Exchange boss? Nah, they are too smart and cautious to do that."

I saw him take a sip of his ale and laugh as he heard me say that. "You my friend have a had habit of undervaluing yourself. You're a nice, decent, hard working guy. You never treated anyone wrong, unless they did something to deserve it. Here we are as usual in a bar and what are you eating a salad, some fish and a cup of juice. You nerve have any booze and you helped the staff of this bar more times than anyone."

I was enjoying my meal when I nearly choked when I saw Mission being threatened by a bunch of Vulkers. I put down my fork and walked over to where the young twi'lek was at. Zalbaar was as quiet and enjoying his meal as always.

"Hey Mission these scum causing you grief? You know I am always willing to give you a hand." I met her during one of our usual excursions down in the under city. Can't say the kid sure gas a nice friendly upbeat personality, no wonder she made friends so easily.

"Nah, John I got this under control me and Big Z are always bothered by them since they want us to leave the Beks and join their gang. Never going to happen though, Gadeon has done so much for us both. We never betray him."

Seeing that there was no trouble I went back to my meal, which by now was cold again. Canderous was laughing his head off as I walked back to my seat. "John she has a Wookie with her and we both know the big guy would not let his surrogate little sister be hurt. I keep telling you Walker you got a saving people thing."

I attempted try get back to my meal, trying not pay much to coldness. But that was when I noticed a familiar figure with a mushroom like hat, "Great, here comes mushroom head." I mutter darkly, Calo Nord passed us without so much of a glance, probably too busy or just not interested.

All in all it was a normal day for me. Who would gave even believed that this kind of existence would be my norm. I couldn't complain much since I did manage to make the situation for a few people a little better. I guess my friend is right, but I would never openly admit that I had a saving people thing as my good friend said. The Vulkers would never say that about me of that I was certain.

Just your every day hunt for any possible sort of tech we could ever put to good use. It was often surprising to me how much high tech equipment was discarded and ended up in several places in the under city. The place has a village of descendants of supposed criminals called the outcasts. We got along fairly well with the leader and it was for a good reason.

Ever since Canderous and I began hunting down there we managed to save quite the few outcast scavenger from either becoming a rakghoul or ending up as a meal for them. No matter how many of them I kill I never get used to seeing them.

"That damnable Davik I swear he treats us more like slaves than workers sometime. How does he expect us to keep carrying all this stuff and fight through hordes of these disgusting creatures." I finished the last of the current pack and looked at Canderous who was smiling at me.

"John if he treated us as slaves we wouldn't get any pay. I might like how the guy treats other than work with us, but he is the best paying employer on this rock. We don't have many choices. We either work for him or we make enough money to go to another planet. As for why we are doing all this alone, it's simple I don't trust others to help us get the job done. They would be more of a liability than help."

Deep down I understood what he was telling me, but having to gather this stuff and repair it for the peanuts we get paid always left a foul taste in my mouth. One day I would make that scum rue the way he treats others. I guess I have to keep up pretending to be a loyal and appreciative worker.

As we delivered the things we found to the prearranged drop point. I decided to walk home ahead to clear my head. I hate these stupid Vulkers, especially when they think that they can get the drop on me or that numbers would be enough to do me in. I fought against rakghouls on the daily basis and next to that these gang members were a pathetic joke.

I took my blaster rifle and set it to rapid automatic fire. By the time Canderous made it to the front door to our apartment building I was already picking through the dead bodies of the dead Vulkers who tried to ambush me.

I found they had quite a few datapads, blasters and other forms of sensors and electronic equipment. It was fairly obvious that these idiot also went down to scavenge in the under city.

"So John you find anything useful on them? Or does that datapad say something interesting?" I told him it was nothing as important as what I planned to do with the stuff. I told him a major holiday was coming and thus I needed to be ready.

Canderous looked at me and smiled. He knew exactly what holiday I was talking about, since this was not the first time that I prepared a few gifts. I explained to him that me giving these gifts shows my appreciation and gratitude to these people for being there for me and being good friends to me.

I used the datapads to make the bar owner a terminal to help her organize her files. I made a few mods for the heavy blaster Canderous loved to use so much. For Mission a hand blaster pistol mod to help her accuracy. Zalbaar being the proud wookie he was would never take a gift like a new weapon, but I did make a mod to allow faster firing and reloading for his bolt caster.

I loved making them since it allowed me to use the things I learned before getting to meet them. "If you love to build these things, why don't you build a few security droids for the bar and the apartment buildings near our home in the lower city?"

I finished packaging and placing a label on each box before I answered his question. "To put it simply I lack the skill level to program the operation system for such a complex machine. The terminal and mods are relatively easier when you consider the level of programming such a droid would require to merely operate, much less be effective."

I picked up my gifts and decided to go to the bar. I knew that Mission and Zalbaar would not miss their chance of going. Zalbaar had a rather big appetite and tonight was one of the few nights that was all you can eat. Considering his appetite it always surprised me why did she do this once a month.

I walked in through the door and sure enough there was Zalbaar eating and Mission more than likely still trying to finish her salad. I walked up to them and only Mission looked at me with a smile. "John, Canderous you might want to get some of the food of the rack before you know who finishes it all by himself."

I laughed and gave her two of the packages. "Don't you worry about us Mission. I have to do some deliveries before I get to even picking my food. Hope you like your gifts." There is something universal about a person getting a present. No matter the species or place I had yet to see someone look unhappy about getting a present.

She opened hers and Zalbaar in a hurry, from the looks of it she loved her gift. Zalbaar I was sure would love his too he was just too busy eating his barbecued ribs at the moment. I walked over to the bar owner and gave her the present for her. She too opened it and she must have liked it because she gave me a big hug.

"John this is exactly what I always needed for my bookkeeping and inventory management. This is going to be a major help for me. Thank you for this." Canderous for some odd reason looked happy to see her be so happy about my gift.

"Guess that will also help you deal with those guys with the sticky fingers. If you know what is going missing, you can set a tracking gear on the stuff and find who is stealing things from the storage room."

I smiled as he said that and handed him his gift. He knew I was going to give him something, but I always get the feeling that he thinks it was no necessary for me to do this for him. I however knew better than not to be grateful.

He probably thinks I didn't know it, but I know it was him that dragged me to the clinic after those Vulkers left me to die. I also know he paid my clinic fee and even for the implants that they installed on me. If that was not bad enough he gave me a chance to earn a living and work with someone trustworthy. There was no chance I would not be grateful after he has done and does so much for me.

As the day was over and I at least felt like I did a nice thing for my friends Canderous looks at me and he gives me a box. He laughs and pats on my shoulder. "What did you think we don't have things to thank you too? We all chipped in to get you this gift. In my defense I was out voted to what to get you."

I decided to open the box and I found something I was not expecting at all. It was one of those holographic computers I been hearing about for sometime. It kind of made me feel bad at first truth be told. Comparing this to my gifts is like comparing between getting a watch to your own personal library.

They did tell me that they loved their gifts, well the bar owner and Mission also said that they valued the care for their well beings. What is the first thing I looked at on it you ask? The current news about what was happening in and around civilized space.

I couldn't believe my eyes as I saw and read that the supposed hero that saved the galaxy had turned around and was pretty much trying to conquer it. Canderous pretty much told me what he remembered about the Mandalorian Wars but this simply did not fit what he said Revan was like during those days.

"Canderous this doesn't make any sense. You pretty much told me Revan was a tactical genius. That he didn't take the easy way to victory and that he wasted no potential sources of resources. This doesn't add up with what I am reading here. Here it says his fleet bombed a planet called Telos even after they had surrendered."

Canderous looked at the display and nodded his head in agreement. "If what we have is accurate you are right, but you have to keep in mind that all this could be misinformation to eliminate any potential allies he might obtain. They pretty much did the same to my people."

I kept looking at it and deep down I felt that such a tactic was dishonorable at best and down right cowardly at worst. "We will not know until we hear what happened on Telos. Not that there were many survivors reported."

I woke up bright and early the next day, we had a fairly busy schedule it seems. We got a communication from Davik's right hand man that today we were tasked with punitive strikes against several swoop gangs. It said that Davik wanted to punish them for being late in their payments.

Just when I thought that I couldn't think less of the man. I find a new reason to dislike him. Finally I knew the reason these swoop gangs try to get as much out of people, these kick backs that Davik demanded were not small change by the looks of it. Funny thing is that the Black Vulkers or Hidden Becks were not mentioned at all.

Just like Canderous told me when I first began working with him. This was dirty, grimy and unpleasant work. I guess this is what he meant that this work was not spiritually fulfilling. It was work, it provide the credits for all my primary needs. It provided a roof over my head, food, clinic that patched me up, gear and ammo. It even gave me chances to help a few people each day in the lower city. All in all it was a living, not a very satisfying living but a living none the less.

I kept reading the news every day and I wondered how long before these so called Sith would take to reach and take over Taris. On the one side this place was pretty much a planet who was famous for their ale and any rum on Earth was about a thousand times better. If they wanted to take over for the people. Most of the upper city citizens were either xenophobic or down right racist bigots.

"You know Canderous I just can't see any strategic value in taking over this planet. I just don't see what these so called Sith would benefit from holding on to this world or even why would they want to take it over in the first place?"

He laughed as I said this in a bar we usually have our meals in. "Granted Taris is by no means a paradise but let me take a guess. If I were their leader I probably want this place as a sort of recruitment source at best, and a resupply, repair and funding base. There is always the possibility they want to pressure the exchange or use it to ambush enemy ships in the surrounding region around this planet."

I took a drink and looked at him. "I just know that if they place a trade blockade Davik is going to go nuts. You know how much he hates the idea of something messing with his precious spice shipments. If that happens the shit will not hit the fan but practically cover it."

He took a drink from his ale and looked at me. "Well we aren't Jetti so we don't have the ability to tell the future in visions like they do. Either way when or even if it happens you know I will always back you up."

I took a drink from my juice cup and smiled as I heard him say that. "Likewise, I will never desert you my friend. Here is to hoping those guys never get here." I sometimes wish that I could see the future like the Jedi were rumored being able. I just couldn't shake the feeling these so called Sith would come to Taris, and they would make leaving this planet nearly impossible.

As we paid for our meals and got ready to go back to our work I hoped that nightmare I been having lately was just that a nightmare. I certainly didn't like what I saw in that dream, not one bit.