Tales of Darth Skuldren
Chapter 9:
"Deals a Dozen"
In a quant little office in the corporate sector, two beings discussed a business transaction. The office was well furnished and comfortable. It was located on the upscale side of the city. Its owner was a Dashade mercenary, a Shadow Killer. He had drab olive skin and stood at an even 2 meters. As of the moment he was sitting behind his marbled desk wearing a black nerf hide jacket. Cold, black eyes stood out among his bald, hairless head. Sitting across from him was a potential client. The client was dressed in black, from head to toe. His skin and hair were pale white, offset by his red eyes. He was an albino. He was also a Sith.
"I hear you specialize in hunting force users. Is it true?" Asked the albino.
"My people have an amazing resistance to the powers of the force. I have fought many Jedi, and on occasion I have hunted them down for a fee." The Dashade's devilish grin of fangs stretched across his face.
"What about a Sith Lord?" The albino held his gaze at those black, beady eyes.
"I usually find myself in their employment. I must say it would be a challenge." He kicked his feet up on the desk and cocked his hands behind his head.
"I'm willing to pay the costs, plus this Lord is unique. He is weak in the force itself but is able to render others powerless to it. Your talents don't reside upon such power do they?" Asked the shadowed ghoul of a man.
"No, they don't. If this lord is weak in the force like you say, then we shouldn't have a problem. I'll need time to prepare and stalk the subject, say six months. In that time I guarantee the destruction of the target. The price will be 200,000 credits, one-fourth up front, the rest upon completion. You do want him taken out, correct?" The Dashade looked at the Sith earnestly.
"Yes, I want him taken out. The price is fine and so is the timetable. Shall we conclude our deal?" Asked the albino.
And so the two finished the deal. The Sith returned to his masters and the Shadow Killer began his preparations. In time he would add a new lightsaber to his collection. Until then, he would study his prey. One could never be too careful when dealing with Jedi. Sith were even worse. Across the galaxy someone else was also concluding business…
Walking briskly down the street, a young man eagerly strolled along, blending in with the passing
pedestrians. He wore a royal blue jacket laden with pockets. A data screen covered his left eye and allowed him to watch the local news as he walked. Looking around on the first day of his arrival he had noticed that they were quite popular. Zagduhl was a booming little colony founded by prosperous Feeorin trade moguls. Everyone in the colony was in one way or another involved in the entertainment business. Most were involved in film but some were in the music and theater industry as well. The location was conveniently located and the planet was very scenic. Only the fabulously wealthy and well to do could obtain an estate on Zagduhl. Darth Xenon had spent three days looking for his target. His efforts were met with success. It seemed that the Anzati collector, B.B. Sholmz, was a bit of a playboy. He socialized with only the highest circles and was invited to all of the top-notch events. Unfortunately Darth Xenon was unable to secure passes to any of these events. Nevertheless this was only a minor setback. Xenon had hoped to befriend the Anzati and drug him. Now it would seem a more direct approach would have to be taken. Thus he found himself walking towards the nearest speeder rental. He planned to pay a little visit to the man's estate.
Meanwhile, on the boggy surface of Nal Hutta, stood a tall man lost in thought. A small Hutt was beside him waiting for their escort to arrive. For as far as the eye could see was a green pond of stagnant water. Nal Hutta, "O' glorious jewel," at least it seemed fitting for its masters. Amid the bog Ziam stood on a small landing platform whose only structure was a small maintenance garage. Two Rodians were mulling around with a dilapidated speeder bike. The Hutt's tail twitched impatiently. His diminutive size showed that he was low in rank. Darth Ziam had managed to gain counsel with a Hutt lord named Corda. She was not the most powerful of Hutts, but she was influential. The small Hutt before him was one of her minions.
"Ah, there is our transport. We will arrive at the Mistress' domain very soon now." Boomed the scrawny Hutt.
After an hour's drive across the bog, the speeder arrived at its destination. Ziam noted the remoteness of the swamp fortress. It was very well guarded. Either the Hutt was paranoid or she had dangerous enemies. He would keep that in mind. His escorts led him past several security checkpoints and blast doors. Through a long, dimly lit corridor he entered a lavishly decorated audience chamber. Yet the Hutt was nowhere to be seen.
A heavy set Rodian spoke to him, "the mistress will be with you shortly, please sit and wait." To emphasize his point he patted his sidearm. Oh how little he realized just how dangerous this visitor was. Darth Ziam could have killed the man with no more than a thought.
After two hours of waiting, his boredom finally ended. The pompous Hutt entered the chamber on a large repulsorlift. The unit was an older model and it swayed up and down as it scooted along. Physically the Hutt looked like any other. Her chest sagged a bit more and perhaps she wore just the hint of make up, but beyond that she was indistinguishable. Along each side of her repulsorlift strolled four Ubese bodyguards. Each was extensively outfitted in high-tech body armor bristling with weaponry. As the repulsorlift came to a rest, the guards positioned themselves around the four corners of the lift.
"Soooo, you are the Siiith. Yoou ask for a strange gift. What do yoou offer in return." Her speech drew out the syllables like a sloth sipping molasses. Now that she was close, Darth Ziam could see that the Hutt had thick black lashes around her massive eyes.
"My lady, I offer compensation now and a huge return in the future. For finding and delivering the child I am willing to pay you 35,000 credits. After its education is complete, it will be returned to your service as a full fledged force user capable of seeing the future and bending the minds of anyone who stands in its way. Plus they will have the skills to defend themselves against any would be attackers. I assure you the Jedi would not teach a student the skills necessary to become a true leader, one capable of creating an empire unequaled in Hutt history." Ziam's voice was smooth and fluent. He did not bother using the force. It would have been wasted on a Hutt. Instead he did his best to actually sell the deal fair and square.
The Hutt squirmed on her mobile dias, shifting her weight into a new position. "Money is gooood. A Hutt skilled in uuseful force powers is better. Jedi always ruin a perfectly gooood Hutt. They give them ideas like sharing and charity. You teach him to take and forge powwer." Her eyes widened on that last word. Her mind was suddenly dreaming of an empire with her behind the thrown. "But yoou make him listen to me when he return or else. Yoou promise by your gods and the force." She stopped and waited.
"I promise." Said Darth Ziam, though he wasn't sure if he meant it or if it even mattered.
The Hutt seemed pleased either way. "Goood, now the matter of acquiring. There is a Hutt child like whom yoou looook for. He very closely guarded secret. He also member of family. I can tell you where, but yoou must get him. Yoou must take him." She bobbed her massive head to emphasize her point. He would have to kidnap this child.
"Very well."
Corda told Darth Ziam where the child was kept. In return Ziam paid the Hutt and went on his way. Using a scout speeder bike he cruised through the night fog of the swamp. The moon cast eerie shadows through the gnarled trees. In the distance he could see the mouth of a cave. This was the place. The Hutt said the child was kept down in the tunnels. Interestingly guards were not kept here at night. Supposedly the cave was haunted and no one dared to approach the place at dark. Ziam was tempted to simply ignore the statements as silly superstition, but there had to be something to the stories.
His master had once told him a tale about ghosts.
Master Skuldren once visited a planet in search of an ancient force relic. When he finally found the item it was night and darkness blanketed the plains like a shroud. As he approached it strange voices began to speak. Out of the darkness ethereal shapes emerged in the forms of people. Ghostly images. Three specters revealed themselves as long dead warriors, selected to guard the relic even from the realms of the afterlife. Master Skuldren took advantage of their plight by making them pledge to do battle in the
ways of old. Each would fight in turn, and the victor would get the spoils. Easily enough, Skuldren defeated the first two, but the third was another matter. In life he was a force user, yet in death he could still weld its powers. His abilities were unlike any Skuldren had ever encountered. Worse yet, the thing was immune to Skuldren's force sever. And so they battled in the ghostly night of darkness. Skuldren's red blade burned through the night's curtain and the specter met his blows with a phantasmal sword. The poltergeist battered Skuldren relentlessly with blows from the force. Bloodied and dying Skuldren was running out of options, so with one final blow he struck out and severed the ancient force relic. With a howling wind the ghost was swept back into the nether worlds and Skuldren was left alone in the darkness. The lesson of the story was that powerful ghosts could only maintain their existence in the physical world through an object. Eliminate the object and you eliminate their tie. Thus if there were truly ghosts guarding the cave, then there must also be an object tying them there.
Ziam was now at the mouth of the cave. There were no signs of ghosts. He entered the cave and noted the echoes of the solid surface. The cave was a natural formation formed in solid rock. Moss hung from the ceiling in heavy strands. Cobwebs crisscrossed through the tunnel. Carefully he journey down into the darkness. Using the force he could amplify the ambient light and thus see through the blackness. In the depths of the cave he could hear something, a low, rough growl. On and off the sound faded. The further he ventured, the louder it grew. Finally he found the source of the noise, it was the snores of a small Hutt. It moved slightly in the dark, its large eyes opened and small reflections of light twinkled in them.
In Huttese it spoke, "who is there."
"I was sent by Corda, but I've come of my own accord. You have an ability in the force and I can teach you how to use it. Come with me and you can learn what it has to offer." The Hutt was young, so he tried using the force to lace his words with its power.
"I would like that, but the Hutts would not be pleased. I have been promised to the Hutt elder council and I am afraid they would go to great extents to prevent my departure." This time the Hutt spoke in basic.
"I think we can leave without their knowing, at least long enough to get off world. I have a ship, however it some ways from here. I would have to leave and come back for you…" Darth Ziam was cut off in mid sentence.
"You obviously have never seen a Hutt swim. My people are notoriously lazy. I on the other hand, am in excellent shape. I could easily keep up with you on your speeder bike, as long as you don't go too fast." Replied the Hutt.
"How did you know I came on a speeder bike?" Asked Darth Ziam.
"I saw it in your mind, can you not see such things in the force?" Even in the darkness Ziam could see the
curiosity in its eyes.
"The force lends some talents more naturally to some than others. It would seem that such perception is one of your strong points." Ziam smiled warmly at the Hutt. "Shall we go then?"
"First my name is Moto, what is yours, I cannot quite see it in your mind."
"I am Darth Ziam. I'm glad to have made your acquaintance Moto." Ziam bowed very slightly.
The two of them made there way back out of the cave. All was well until they left the mouth of the cave. Amongst the trees something moved. No, that wasn't it, the trees moved, one in particularly. Slowly it approached them. The treelike thing was nearly five meters tall. Its eyes glowed dimly in the dark. Then it spoke.
"You are touched by the force, both of you. Ahh but you are so much stronger than the little one. I was hoping he would attract someone like you. Now you must die." The thing rasped.
It lunged its massive form towards them and Ziam was quick to react. In an instance he ignited his lightsaber and struck out at the tree monster. To his surprise the blade stopped short inside the things armored hide. It laughed in a booming echo and smacked him with a hard, lanky appendage. Ziam was knocked back, but he managed to keep his balance. Carefully he measured his opponent. Master Skuldren always emphasized strategy in combat. A warrior who acted without a plan was unprepared for battle. Ziam noticed that the thing was covered head to toe with a coarse hide. The only vulnerable spot was its face. Its long arms gave it a good reach, so he would have to get in close. He double-checked to make sure that Moto was out of danger then force sprinted toward the tree beast. The branchlike arms lashed out at him again but this time he ducked and jumped around their attacks. Now that he was close he lunged forward with his golden blade and pierced the thing in its face. This time the blade went deep and a purple sap seeped from the gaping wound. The creature screamed in agony, thrashing wildly with its limbs. Without pity, Darth Ziam finished the miserable beast with one last thrust. Now the creature was still. Ziam looked back to make sure Motto was all right.
"Well I hope that will be the last of our surprises, now I know why the place was considered haunted. Did you know about that thing?" Asked Darth Ziam.
"If I did I wouldn't have stayed in that cave, nor do I think I would have gotten much sleep." Replied Moto.
Thankfully they experienced no more surprises. The trip to Ziam's ship was uneventful and true to his word Moto kept pace. In no time they were traveling through the realms of hyperspace. Master Skuldren would be pleased.
Back on Zagduhl, Darth Xenon was spying on Mr. Sholmz. Things were getting very interesting. First off
Mr. Sholmz had a very attractive guest. The lights were dim and things looked to get intimate, but Xenon detected something odd about the Anzat. Of course, the Anzat was only seducing her so he could feed. Anzats were very good at hiding their features and most people never realized what they were until it was too late. As Xenon watched he debated whether he should intervene. The lady was visually stunning. Surely she didn't deserve to have her brain matter sucked out of her head by the Anzat's proboscis. So Xenon made up his mind and decided to act. He quickly ignited his lightsaber and cut a hole through the window. Leaping through the hole he landed on his feet and immediately blasted the Anzat with a blow from the force. The female guest was shocked and merely sat frozen on the couch. The Anzat got back to his feet, but now his proboscis were unfurled and wisping around his enflamed cheeks. In his hand was a long, thin vibroblade, humming in the silence. The girl saw the thing that almost got her amd quickly scrabbled towards the door. Foolishly the Anzat's eyes followed the girl. Xenon used the distraction to throw a small, sticky pellet at Sholmz's face. It hit him right between the eyes and stuck there. On contact the substance emitted a small cloud of vapor. Initially it blinded the victim. Then upon entering the nasal cavity it infected the blood stream causing the victim to fall asleep. The effects were near instantaneous. To Xenon's surprise the woman hadn't yet left. Perhaps he could mix a little business with pleasure on this mission.
On Kajji XII Darth Ziam returned with Moto. They were greeted by Master Skuldren and Darth Iconoclast. Master Skuldren was adorned in his typical black cloaks, while Iconoclast was brightly lit by an orange utility shirt crossed with a black X. They strolled over to the ship's boarding ramp.
"So you have succeeded? I didn't expect you back so soon, it's only been four weeks since you left." Master Skuldren's face beamed with pride. Ziam would make a fine Sith leader one day. This was but the first in many steps towards that goal.
"Master Skuldren, Iconoclast, this is Moto…the Hutt." Ziam smiled back at Moto who seemed pleased with the title.
"I am honored to meet you Masters Skuldren and…Iconoclast." Moto was careful to pronounce the names correctly in basic.
"Welcome to my academy Moto. Here you will find a wealth of information on the force. More than what the Jedi and the Sith have at their disposal. We also have numerous people who can offer you instruction. I will grant you my insight on the workings of the force but Darth Ziam will be your personal teacher. Come, we will show you around." Together they walked and squirmed across the stone pathways of the landing field. Moto would fit in perfectly among Skuldren's Sith. And Ziam was already realizing that now he had an apprentice.
Luckily for Darth Xenon he made the neutralizing spore to be nearly permanent. In order to end its affects you had to administer an antiserum. Xenon had all the time he needed. Later that evening he parted company with his newfound friend and returned to Sholmz's estate. He had carefully stored the body out of sight in case anyone came by while he was gone. That brought up an intriguing question,
what should he do with Sholmz. The man was obviously a murderer, but Xenon's real concern was the book. According to Master Skuldren it was an old book actually written on pages made from animal skins and bound in black leather. He looked through the Anzat's library but had no luck. Then he rummaged through all of the Anzat's rooms and belongings. Still no book. After several hours of searching he began to worry. Well, when everything goes wrong or nothing presents itself, turn to the force. Times like this made the living force a lifesaver. With just a few moments of relaxation and focus the problem revealed itself. Just like a holodrama, there was a secret doorway hidden behind the bookcase. Xenon went over to the bookcase, hit the secret button, and revealed the hidden doorway, which seemed to lead to a basement.
Xenon crept through the narrow passageway and was immediately assaulted by the nauseating stench of lime, acid, and decay. At the end of the passage was a large open area but it was hard to make anything out in the darkness. Looking around he managed to find a primitive light switch. Now what he saw was grisly. In the middle of the room were two large vats. Upon closer inspection Xenon realized that one was filled with acid and the other with lime. Off to the side were several operating tables. Each was appropriately adorned with an array of medical instruments. In one corner was a large industrial oven. In the ceiling were several chutes, probably connected to more hidden passages in the house. But the most shocking thing of all was the walls. There were shelves, probably over fifty of them, all of them full of ghastly trophies and parts. Xenon was no stranger to science labs or even dissection, but this was too much. Then, off to right, on one of the grim shelves was a book, the book. Quickly Xenon went over to the shelf, flipped through the book to make sure it was the one, and just as swiftly left the dungeon.
Now that he was in a much comfortable atmosphere he could think. He had the book, mission accomplished. And there was Mr. Sholmz, sleeping soundly in the closet. Before Xenon left, he made sure Mr. Sholmz would never wake up again.
As busy as Darth Skuldren's apprentices were, Truger Paego was even busier. He was a Dashade mercenary and not just any Dashade, but a true Shadow Killer. It felt good to him to once again be in the thick of things. He was getting bored hunting down the usual scum, now he would get to go after the Jedi again. No, he had to stop himself. This time he was after a Sith. He had to take a moment and reflect, had he ever gone after a Sith? There was that one time a Sith tried to double-cross him and he handled that situation easy enough. Yet he wasn't hired for that, it just happened. Even then, that Sith was not a Sith Lord. Over the years he had met and worked with quite a few Sith Lords. The war was keeping them busy with the Jedi. Lately, however, things were slowing down. Paego thought to himself, maybe I should contact my old buddy, nahh, best not to get him involved. And so he went back to shifting amongst his arsenal of equipment. He would need all the dirty tricks he could carry to take down a Sith Lord. Sure he was suppose to be weak in the force, but since when were Sith Lords weak in the force. Better to be safe than sorry he thought. First he inspected his rifle, Telesta. It was only fitting for a warrior to name his weapons. Telesta was a handcrafted beauty. Two side-by-side barrels backed by a superheated plasma charger, encased in black thermal pored durasteel synthex. The rifle fired two simultaneous projectiles, which forced a force user to block one and dodge the other. Several volleys were often enough to overwhelm any opponent. On top of that, the plasma projectiles had a splash
effect when they hit a lightsaber. A careless opponent who tried to deflect the plasma bolt would quickly realize that they had merely split the bullet rather than deflect it. Of course one weapon was never enough. For back up he carried a stubby little blaster. Unlike most, this one was forged by a skilled Baragwin gunsmith. The original owner was a Gamorrean and the weapon resembled the species. The barrel end of the blaster looked like a snout with two tusks flanking the barrel. Along the exterior of the weapon were warts, which added to the grip. As repulsive as the weapon looked, the result was startling. Like Telesta, this blaster had two barrels, an over-under combination. When fired simultaneously the blast could cut a Hutt in half. In fact, he had actually seen it happen. The owner had a grudge against a Hutt, pulled the blaster, and blew him into two slimy pieces. Afterwards Paego killed the Gamorrean and took the blaster. Now it was his and it had a name, Chopper. Already he could feel the thrill of battle coursing through his veins. A Sith Lord, this would be exhilarating.
Excerpt from the recordings of Jedi Holocron 1783-MZK of the Jedi Archives,
Personal Memoirs of Darth Skuldren…
Personal Note: Well I managed to get Skuldren's holocron to begin cooperating again. I must admit I am beginning to really enjoy these stories, thus I must also be careful not to loose sight of the objective, the Krudesh rituals. Regardless I'm pretty sure the tree creature that Darth Ziam encountered was a Neti, though I've never heard of a violent one. It is also interesting to note that Ziam is also the first of Skuldren's apprentices to receive an apprentice. So far everyone has been "blooded" in the warrior tradition except Darth Bacillus, the holocron specifically said it was leaving that story for tomorrow. I'm reluctant to tell anyone, but I think I have befriended the holocron. We seem to share an interest in wisdom. I don't think the council would be pleased with this. Nevertheless I seem to be making better progress this way. One final note, it may be possible that this Truger Paego acquired the Krudesh scrolls, that is if he was successful.
