"Evil is a word used by the ignorant and the weak. The dark side is about survival. It's about unleashing your inner power. It glorifies the strength of the individual."
― Darth Zannah
Sith Gothic 2
Part 4
From the cockpit I watched as Atton skillfully guided the freighter into the docking bay and set it down. He was a fine pilot, far more skilled than myself and most of the time I could use the Force to guide my actions.
Before leaving the ship I made sure that my body armour, which was modelled after a set once wore by Darth Bandon, who like me had once served as Darth Malak's Shadow Hand, a title given to the second-in-command of the Sith Master and as a term equivalent to an apprentice.
Over that I wore a long coat made of Armorweave which was a type of armoured cloth material capable of dissipating blaster bolts, and had at least limited resistance to lightsaber attacks. Bounty hunters, mercenaries, and the counts of Serenno traditionally wore capes and jackets made out of armorweave.
At my side hung a blaster, it was nothing special, and as I ever I had dagger tucked away on my person. Since my Force Powers were still weak it mattered more than ever that I had other ways of protecting myself.
I was first down the ramp with the others close behind as soon as we left the ship a woman called out to us over some sort of PA loudspeaker.
"Attention" said the voice "this is Citadel Station Bay Control. Please remain where you are. Lieutenant Dol Grenn will arrive shortly to meet with you. That is all"
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Atton glance worriedly up at the control booth.
"I don't like the sound of that" he remarked "If they think we caused the explosion… Uh oh."
He shifted nervously as four armed police in navy, white, and gold uniforms entered the docking bay.
"Here comes the welcoming party" he said "They may not know what happened, so don't blow it".
The lead officer was a middle-aged man, his hair was starting to turn grey at the temples and he had the look of man who seen more than his fair share of horrors. I'd seen those eyes in many a solider over the years. Some of whom I had killed.
"I'm Lieutenant Grenn, Telos Security Force" he introduced "I'm under orders to take you into custody in regards to the destruction of the Peragus Mining Facility"
No surprises here.
"Are we under arrest?" I asked.
While I was wearing my armour, and was now armed with a proper blaster pistol I had no intention of fighting anyone. My lightsabre, which I had found on board my ship, was badly damaged, and I needed special parts in order to repair it. Hopefully the Handmaiden wouldn't steal the Ebon Hawk since the Jedi Exile wasn't part of the crew. But if she did I knew where she'd take it.
"You haven't been formally charged," said Grenn, "but you will be placed under house arrest pending the results of our investigation. Due to the nature of the investigation, I have no specific timetable to offer you. In the meantime, your ship and any droids will have to be given over for safekeeping"
T3 hummed nervously and backed up slightly, his attention gotten. Grenn looked down at the little robot.
"Yes, that includes you. You are a droid, so you will be detained" he informed the droid.
He then looked back to me.
"In addition, we will have to take your personal arms and armour until the completion of our enquiry" he told me.
Again all of this didn't surprise me.
"Will we be able to get our gear back?" asked Atton.
Grenn nodded. .
"If you are cleared of any involvement, your personal effects will be returned to you. You will be held briefly in the TSF station until living quarters can be arranged, at which point you will be placed under house arrest" we were informed.
He fixed me with a serious stare.
"Do you understand?" he asked.
I nodded my head.
"We do," I replied, "We'll cooperate with your investigation".
Only because I hadn't actually done anything wrong. Although if they did figure out who I really was then I was trouble. Thankfully very few people knew that I was a Sith and they were unlikley to have that in their records. If they had anything at all it would be the false identity I'd used when travelling with Revan and her lot.
"Good," said Grenn.
He gestured, and two of the TSF officers slung their rifles and stepped forward.
"My men will relieve you of any arms and armour" we were told "Please follow me."
I saw Atton roll his eyes as he handed over his mining laser.
"Tell me I'm not going to jail again" he moaned.
(Line Break)
Once we had been set free it was a short walk to Module 82, which pleased me as I wanted more time to rest and to meditate, my connection to the Force was as weak as it had been back when I'd started my training. There were certain meditation exercises I'd used while at the academy to strengthen my connection to the Force I was hoping that they'd work again.
What also pleased me was that no bounty hunter had tried to kill me while I was locked in a cage, it seemed that no one here thought I was a Jedi.
The apartment was bare-bones, a single large room with a food synthesiser, the Star Wars version of Star Trek replicator, on one side and the door to the 'fresher on the other. The only furnishings were a square table, three dining chairs, and three beds.
"These will serve as your quarters for the duration of your house arrest," said Grenn.
I'd stayed in worse, my quarters on Korriban hadn't been as nice as this place.
"Well, this is a step up from a force cage at least," muttered Atton.
If nothing else we now had room to move about, if not by much.
"How long will we be here?" I asked.
"I can't say," said Grenn. "We have a ship examining what's left of the Peragus facility now, so your stay might be brief. We'll keep you informed".
With that the officers left.
"This isn't good." Atton said as he began pacing in front of the large window. "We've got to get off this station".
I was in no rush to go anywhere.
"What do you think the TSF is going to find at Peragus?" Atton was now saying "That could bring the Sith…"
He trailed off and walked to the window.
"You know what, forget it. As long as we're trapped here, it doesn't matter" he grumbled.
He wasn't the only one with an opinion on the matter.
"We cannot stay in one place for too long. But our path has brought us here for a reason." the sith witch said "I must meditate on this. In the meantime, you should rest".
Atton kicked off his boots and flopped down on one of the beds.
"As for me, I could use some sleep" he told us.
Kreia moved to sit cross-legged on the floor. After a moment, I did the same. I closed my eyes and tried to call upon the Force. I could feel the energy around me. There had been a time, not so long go, when I could have felt each life on the station. Hopefully I would regain my old strength; I would need it to stop the Sith.
(Line Break)
My meditation came to an end when I heard a beeping noise, it was coming from a terminal, which like most of the tech of this galaxy was rather easy to use. Once I had found the 'accept' button a GE3 protocol droid appeared on the screen.
"Good day" greeted the robot "I am B-4D4, administrative assistant for Czerka Corporation's Citadel Station Branch. I am attempting to connect you with Executive Officer Jana Lorso. May I put you through?"
I should at least hear what she had to say.
"Yes, go ahead" I told the robot.
"Thank you," said the droid pleasantly. "I will connect you now".
The screen went dark a moment. Then soon there was a new image, one of a Mirialan woman in her late thirties if I was any judge
Mirialans were a near-human species native to the planet Mirial. They had green to yellow skin and often had tattoos on their faces, although this female didn't. The Mirialans were known for their spirituality and strong connection with the world around them. This made the Force Sensitive members of that species very good Jedi. Although there were always a few oddballs, and I figured this woman wasn't a typical Mirialan.
"Thank you for accepting my call" the woman said "As my assistant no doubt informed you, I am Jana Lorso".
"Why are you calling?" asked, trying to act as if I didn't know already "What do you want from me?".
She soon told me.
"I believe you're a person of influence. Someone I'd like on my side" she said "I'm not asking for your help, though. I'm offering you a job. Work for Czerka, and be handsomely rewarded".
I thought about what to say.
"Very well I'll come met with you as soon as I can" I decided.
The screen went blank.
"Well someone doesn't like to waste time" I muttered.
(Line Break)
Atton either carried packs of Pazaak cards around with him or at some point he'd managed to convince one of the cards to bring us some. Not that it mattered, what mattered was that he and I were playing the game. This was as close to male bonding as I'd gotten for quiet a while.
Pazaak was a popular card game in which the goal was to reach 20 without going over, or at least come closer to it than the opponent. The player with the nearest sum to the number 20 won the round, and the player who won three rounds won the match. If in one round the scores of the two players were equal, the round was not counted at all.
However it wasn't that simple as there were two different decks in pazaak: the main deck, which was composed of cards numbered 1-10. There was also one side deck for each player in the game. These decks would be assembled by the players themselves and had to have exactly ten cards.
The side deck could have variety of cards, and each deck was unique to the player in that he or she could purchase different types of cards throughout the galaxy and choose whichever ones he preferred to keep in his hand. There were two types of such cards: Plus and Minus cards, which were blue and red, and Advanced cards, which were gold. Main deck cards were green.
Plus Cards were blue cards that added the written value to a player's total when played. The value of the cards ranged from 1 to 6 points. Minus Cards were red cards that were similar to the plus cards, but instead they subtracted their value from the players total. They also ranged from 1 to 6.
Plus or Minus Cards (+/-) were essentially a combination of the two; the player could choose upon play whether he wanted to add the number or subtract it from his hand. These were the most expensive and highly valued cards. They also ranged from 1 to 6.
The Side Deck was often the key to victory, as without it, a player relied solely on luck to win the match. Therefore, a player would have to conserve his cards, as the four side deck cards would have to last him through the entire match.
Again none of that really matter right now, we weren't gambling money, we were just playing to pass the time.
"So Gothic, you were a Sith Lord during the Jedi Civil war?" Atton asked me as we started a new match.
Rand won the round before I answered getting a twenty when I only managed 18.
"I missed out on the war mostly" I told him "I was Malak's apprentice shortly before he died, and you don't exactly stop being a Sith Lord, but for the part of the war I did fight in I was on the Republic's side".
This shocked Atton so much that he actually lost a match.
"A Sith Lord fought for the Republic?" he was finally able to say "Now I've heard everything".
To be fair it did sound unbelievable.
"Well it was more than I was against Malak than for the Republic" I went on to say "The Jedi wanted him defeated and so did I, it just made sense to aid them. He captured me during the mission and tortured me until I agreed to work for him".
Malak would have destroyed civilisation rather than rule it, he hadn't been the conqueror Revan had been. Plus he could have weakened the galaxy to the point that the True Sith would be able to invade.
"So what did you do during the war?" I asked.
Atton suddenly became even more focused on his cards.
"Let's just play" he said.
That was fine with me.
(Line Break)
After a somewhat comfortable night in the apartment, I got up and found that there was a message waiting for us on the terminal. Lt. Grenn would be dropping in later in the morning. In fact he arrived just moments after I'd finished reading the message.
"I've come to inform you that the Telosian government has completed its inspection of the Peragus facility" we were informed "It appears that the Harbinger had indeed been present, and was responsible for the station's destruction. Logs recovered from the facility's wreckage indicated that the miners perished as a result of sabotage, which began while you and your companions were either incapacitated or incarcerated. As such, you are to be released from house arrest. However, the Republic government wishes to interview you. They have insisted that you remain on-station until a special envoy arrives to speak with you".
That would be Carth of that I was sure, and I might as well wait for him. It might not be such a bad idea to inform the Republic higher ups about the two nearly unkillable Sith Lords that were running around the galaxy.
"When will he arrive?" I asked.
"The Sojourn is already en route," said Grenn. "It will likely be no more than a week. During that time, you'll have free roam of the station; feel free to use these quarters during your stay".
That was nice of them.
"Is the Ebon Hawk still impounded?" asked Atton
Grenn shook his head.
"The vessel's I&D is complete. Please visit the TSF station in Entertainment Module 081 to complete the necessary paperwork at the front desk. The Ebon Hawk should be transferred from the impound docks by the time you're free to leave" we were informed.
There was something else they had impounded.
"What about my T3 droid?" I wished to know.
That little robot was very handy to keep around, and he seemed to like me, assuming that a droid could like someone.
"After filling out the paperwork, it'll be transferred with your ship, along with your confiscated weapons and armour," said Grenn.
Then he turned and left the apartment, I figured he had more important things to worry about now that we weren't suspected criminals.
"Well, now what?" asked Atton. "We can't just stick around. We need to find a way off this station, whether it's the Ebon Hawk or some other ship"
He rubbed his chin.
"We could hit Nar Shaddaa, maybe" he suggested "If you've got people coming after you, it's where you go to get lost in the crowd."
I turned to face him
"You know that from experience?" I enquired.
Atton shot me a dirty look.
"Hey, everyone needs to get lost once in a while. Get away from something, you know? It's no big deal" he replied.
I then turned to the other sort of dark lord who was in the room.
"What do you think, Kreia?" I asked.
The sith witch took a moment to think.
"It is difficult to say. I feel we have come to Telos for a reason" she said "but we may have spent too much time here already. Even if the Harbinger was destroyed at Peragus, more Sith could already be on their way. Still, there is a chance we might learn of the Jedi here. Before the war, Jedi who failed in their training were sent to the fields of Telos, to serve the galaxy not as Jedi Knights, but as farmers and labourers. The destruction of Telos was complete, I doubt any Jedi remain. Yet there may be… echoes of their passing. We shall see".
I shrugged. I didn't care much for the Jedi, or even my fellow Sith. One group would rise and then the other as the Force sought balance, this would go on with or without me. However since a Sith Lord was trying to kill me I was involved in this endless struggle once again.
"In any event, we need our ship and gear back" I was now saying "That's our first priority. We'll hit the TSF office and go from there".
If my life was being guided by the Force then things would progress as they were meant to, there was no sense worrying about where we went. Rather I needed to focus on getting stronger so I could defeat the Sith who hunted me, and that didn't just mean restoring my powers. There were other ways to grow stronger.
(Line Break)
A GE3 protocol droid painted in TSF colours manned the front desk.
"Welcome to Entertainment Module 081's TSF station" the robot greeted "How may I be of assistance?".
"Hello, I'm Gothic" I told the machine "Lt. Grenn said to come here to get the Ebon Hawk and the rest of my possessions out of impound".
The robot turned to the computer in front of it.
"I will call up the appropriate information now," said the droid. "One moment. Searching… One moment…"
The droid hesitated for a few moments.
"I regret to inform you that the Ebon Hawk is gone. The TSF believes it was stolen and is currently investigating" it informed us.
Well this just meant that we'd end up with more people on board my ship, one of which could be the handmaiden, which I didn't mind so much as she could be hot.
"Any idea where it went?" I enquired.
The planet's pole I was sure, but world's tended to have two so I needed to be sure which one before we took a shuttle down there. I could just wait for Carth, but I'd started wondering if that was such a good idea, he didn't like the Sith, and he knew I'd served Malak. He might not be interested in helping me.
"It seems the Ebon Hawk was transferred to Telos' surface instead of an impound dock," replied the droid. "However, the point of delivery is unknown. In addition, the vessel is not showing up at any government-sanctioned landing site. I would conjecture that it has been stolen and the TSF records have been illegally accessed and modified"
Atton swore.
"I knew it! That stupid T3 unit stole our ship!" he yelled "It's probably joyriding through the system right now, laughing at us… laughing at me".
What problem did Atton have with T3?
"That is unlikely," said the protocol droid. "While your utility droid is not accounted for, numerous satellites track all incoming and outgoing vessels. There is no record of the Ebon Hawk leaving the system".
"Wait," said Atton. "You're saying the ship's actually somewhere on Telos' surface?" he asked "I don't understand. Telos' atmosphere is highly corrosive outside the shielded Restoration Zones. Where else could someone land safely?".
Alas his question was not answered, at least not directly.
"I'm sorry, I'm afraid that's all the information I have for you," the droid said. "However, it is unlikely that someone could steal a star ship from under TSF observation without considerable backing. If your vessel has been stolen, there is a fair chance that the Exchange possesses relevant information".
Great now I'd have to deal with the Black Sun of its day.
"Can I get my possessions back at least?" I requested.
I would feel a lot better with my armour on, it was just a shame I'd left my broken lightsabre on the ship, but perhaps that was for the best if people saw the weapon they might start thinking I was a Jedi.
"Fortunately, your possessions were kept in the armoury and were uncompromised" the robot told us "I will open the door so you may retrieve them."
The droid handed me a key card and pointed.
"You will find them in the marked security locker" it informed
Another good reason to recover our weapons was that we'd have to go and deal with the Exchange. I didn't think this could be avoided so I might as well use the situation to my advantage.
"Let's go pick up our gear" I said to the group
The armoury was just off the TSF lobby as such it didn't take long to find the appropriate locker and retrieved our meagre stock of weapons.
(Line Break)
Once inside the cantina I looked around and soon spotted Luxa. She was leaning against one end of the bar between two enormous Gamorreans, obviously bodyguards. Luxa had the same pink skin as all Zeltrons, deep red hair that was cut short, and pink eyes. She showed off her knockout figure with an outfit that people really shouldn't wear in public.
She was sipping a cocktail idly, pretending to relax while closely watching the room, as such I was sure she'd already spotted me and my... well not friends.
I was walking up to the Luxa when my way was blocked by a dark-skinned man flanked by a Rodian and an Aqualish.
"Can I help you?" I asked.
After dealing with all those droids beating up a couple of organic beings would be a refreshing change of pace, assuming it came to that.
"Perhaps you don't know who I am," the human said boastfully.
I smiled.
"Someone with an inflated view of himself" I joked.
The man's eyes narrowed.
"You haven't been on Citadel Station long, have you" he said "Let me introduce myself. I'm Benok, the man in charge of Loppak Slusk's protection. You do know who Loppak Slusk is, don't you?".
He then indicated the two aliens with him.
"With me are Matu and Nahata, Slusk's finest men. Other than me, of course" he boosted.
"Oh, leave the man alone, Benok," said Luxa. "I bet he'd come out on top if you fought".
Benok seemed to deflate a little as soon as Luxa spoke, clearly she was not someone to be messed with.
"Now, Luxa, I meant no disrespect," Benok said smoothly. "You're probably Slusk's strongest woman".
Luxa shrugged.
"It's your skin, Benok" the pink lady warned "Just warning you, Slusk could easily replace you".
Benok rolled his eyes.
"Well, we were just leaving anyway" he said as he jerked his head to Matu and Nahata. "Come on".
I didn't even bother to watch them leave.
"Wise man," Luxa remarked as she turned to look at me "Can we talk for a bit?"
I shrugged, making it seem as if it wasn't important to me.
"We can if you like" I said causally.
Luxa sipped her drink.
"I handle vice, you know, spice, gambling, the good things in life, for the local Exchange boss, Loppak Slusk" I was told "The thing is that squid and I don't see eye to eye on a lot of things".
Zeltrons were one of the few near-Human races who had differentiated from the baseline stock enough to be considered a new species of the Human genus, rather than simply a subspecies.
They possessed two biological traits of note. The first was that they all produce potent pheromones, similar to the Falleen species, which enhanced their attractiveness and likability. The second was a limited telepathic ability, used to project emotions onto others, as well as allowing them to read and even feel the emotions of others; some Zeltrons were hired by the Exchange just for this ability.
Because of their telepathic ability, positive emotions such as happiness, love and pleasure became very important to them, while negative ones such as anger, fear, or depression were shunned.
Another difference between Zeltrons and Humans was the presence of a second liver, which allowed Zeltrons to enjoy a larger number of alcoholic beverages than other humanoids, and their incredible metabolisms allowed them to eat even the richest of foods. Something a baseline human like myself envied them for.
Luxa's mental abilities would be telling her that I was that I was predator and therefore not someone to be pushed around, hence why she warned Benok not to mess with me. Plus given her connections it was possible that the moment I had arrived she had been looking into my background. Not many people knew I'd been Malak's last apprentice, but it was possible Luxa knew.
"You seem like a very capable sort. Tell me, are you a capable sort?" she asked.
That was a fair assessment of me.
"I'm capable" I replied
Luxa smiled.
"I like that in a man" she said.
That was when I picked up a faint pleasant smell, and I realised that Luxa was expressing pheromones.
"I have a proposition for you," said Luxa. "We should talk more,in private."
She waved away the Gamorreans and pointed to a door that I was sure led to an office. I turned to my companions.
"Wait for me outside" I instructed.
Kreia made a disapproving noise, but like Atton she did as she told. As soon as she was gone Luxa smiled lustfully and took my hand, leading me through the door, and then into a room.
"This is my office," explain ed Luxa. "I run this cantina along with most of the other entertainment venues on the Citadel"
The desk had several displays cycling through camera views of the cantina. Next to the desk was a small bar, and against the wall was a large divan. The whole place was done up in red silk upholstery and dark wood. I fond it pleasing to the eyes.
"You have good taste" I complimented,
Luxa gestured for me to sit on the divan. Then she walked to the bar, mixed a pitcher of cocktails, and poured two glasses. After that Luxa carried the drinks over and held one of them out to me.
Two drinks, same pitcher, that made it being drugged drink unlikely, not that she needed a drug, her control came form the pheromones.
"Here's what I want" said Luxa in a straightforward tone. "Help me with Loppak Slusk, and I'll help you find your missing ship".
If she knew about the Ebon Hawk then that made it more likely that she knew exactly who I was.
"Slusk works for Goto, who's all the way out on Nar Shaddaa. Now this Goto, he's rigid, ruthlessly efficient, and all he sees are numbers. Goto keeps the squid around because he maintains a steady flow of income" Luxa informed me "it's only half of what I know it could be. I should be the Citadel's boss, but Goto doesn't allow breaks in the chain of command. I can't go over Loppak Slusk's head, so I've got to take care of him myself".
As a Sith I was well versed in the idea of using murder in order to gain a promotion.
"I can get you into the Exchange suites in Residential 082." the pink lady was now saying More than a few of the guards are in my pocket, so there shouldn't be too much resistance inside".
Luxa was now sitting next to me, very closely, and I got the feeling that this wasn't all going to be business.