Hi. It's been a long time since the last update, but the tory is still alive.
Bad news today. My grandmother passed away. Poor woman. There are some hard days ahead of me...
Enjoy the chapter (and thank you, dear reviewers!)
Chapter 10: Once a slave, always a Mared
"Stupid piece of junk," Master Daego aggressively shouted out as he kicked the hull of the crashed and burned-out Sith-fighter. He laid his hands on his waist and looked at the little ship in which he had reached Beneris. He had taken extreme precautions. He had engaged the fighter's stealth mode, given the Sith the right code to pass the blockade and even concealed his Force-presence. Yet the Sith had discovered his true identity and dispatched a group of fighters to destroy him. But he had laid a Force Confusion upon their minds which caused them to take each other out. One of them still had managed to hit him a couple of times though. His right engine got blown up, and he crashed down on the planet below. Now he had almost nothing. No transportations, no clue of where he was, but what was even worse: no idea of where to start his search for his presumed-dead Padawan. Luckily he still had his three main assets: the Force and his two deadly lightsabres.
"No sense standing around," Master Daego thought by himself, and so he let his instincts pick out a direction for him. East. As good as any.
As he walked, he hummed a song from his childhood. One that his father always sang for him. It was about a boy, lost in a desert and threatened by wild animals. But the father came to the rescue. The Weaponmaster recalled the deepness and warmth of his father's voice as he put small Jenson Daego to bed. It always warmed his heart and helped him in times of trouble. Like now.
Jenson Daego stopped walking. He felt something in the east. A lot of activity. Enough for a settlement. He felt hundreds of souls, and most of them echoed pride and happiness. Some, however, resounded grief, anger and humiliation. It were two such opposite groupings it intrigued Master Daego. He decided to go and check the town out. It couldn't do him any harm.
He set a brisk pace and after about fifteen minutes he reached the borders of the town. It had dusty, sandy roads and cheap houses made of plasteel. The roads were empty. Master Daego sensed everybody had gone to the town square, so he went there as well. Upon his arrival, he saw a big stage. On stage, there stood a tall Shelee, holding a blaster pistol in his right hand and a datapad in his hand. The town square was packed with excited Shelee. Master Daego noticed they all had a pack of credits in their hands. Strange...
"My friends," the Shelee on the stage said in their grizzly language, "today is a big day. The Mared have been enslaved and we are free at last. Zeborah and Mopaka reign supreme at last!"
A loud cheer erupted from the mass and hands and arms flew into the air in a moment of rejoice. Master Daego shivered.
"And now, I am honoured to present you with... the first shipment of Mared slaves, all broken and submissive!"
10 large cages were brought forward and the Jedi immediately saw it. Mared were crammed in the cages, barely able to breathe. Most looked like they were starving. Some had effectively died already. Their cheeks had a crust of dried tears upon them and the large, sad Mared eyes were bloodshot or absent. Weals marked their bodies and some of them were mumbling incoherent talk. Those were probably the lucky ones. They had already gone insane and were oblivious to the pain and humiliation.
"Bidding starts at two credits per slave, beginning with this one right here," the slave-trader shouted, as his companions shoved forward a tiny Mared, bearing the marks of torture and his countenances etched with despair.
"Two credits right there, do I hear three? Yes, three, no! Four! Does someone offer five credits? No? Sold to the likeable fellow over there for four credits!"
The boy was grabbed by two other slave traders and presented to his new master, along with a detonation system linked to a detonator in the slave's body. It kept them from running away. The Mared willingly followed his purchaser as they walked off. The bidding went on and on, and as Master Daego watched it all, he felt so powerless and useless it made his blood boil. The compassion he felt for the Mared made him crazy.
The auction continued until every Mared was sold. The marketplace began to empty, and as some Shelee noticed him, a loud whisper erupted from the remaining crowd.
"A human," he heard some of them mumble, "what's he doing here?" Master Daego didn't like the attention, but he figured he could use it to his advantage. Shelee were cowards.
"Who are you and what is a human like you doing here?" one of the Shelee suddenly confronted the Jedi. It was the one who had organized the auction.
"Who wants to know?" he replied.
"I am the one asking the questions here, you filthy piece of slime!" the Shelee shouted. "I own this town! You respond to me!"
"Want me to answer with these?" Master Daego responded, and he took his two lightsabre hilts from his belt. He wasn't wearing any Jedi robes, just plain clothes, but lightsabres were a symbol that surpassed clothing. The Shelee shrunk back, and dropped to his knees.
"Forgive me, My Lord!" he shouted hysterically. "I did not know! I did not realize!"
Master Daego grinned. It was apparent they thought he was one of the Sith Lords, something that would undoubtedly benefit his immediate safety. And it was also obvious the Shelee feared the Sith. And they were right to do so.
"Anyone who questions me again, anyone who does something I do not like, anyone who disobeys the Sith-law, shall be killed! Do you understand me!?" he shouted. He didn't like threatening others, not even these slavers, but he had no other choice. All the surrounding Shelee remained silent.
"Good," Master Daego said and he focused his attention back to the auctioneer.
"On your feet," he said and the Shelee got up in less than a second.
"What's the name of this town?" he asked.
"Iqukejab," the Shelee stuttered. "It means 'Land of the Free' in our old language..."
"How ironic," Master Daego thought. "What's the shortest road to Sheleepolis?" he asked. "I have business there."
"You should head to the East. It's a couple of days with a regular speeder, a bit more than a week on foot. We live pretty desolate here. The only reason we were here so quickly with those slaves, was that we were able to lend a freighter there. I'm going back to Sheleepolis tomorrow."
"Why?" the Jedi inquired.
"To hand over the proceeds of the sales."
"You can give them to me," Master Daego said while putting his hand out. "I'll make sure they're delivered safely."
"But... I was told to hand them over personally in Sheleepolis."
"Give them to me, or you shall lose your hands altogether. Now!"
Somewhat reluctantly, he handed the Jedi a small bag. It was heavy as lead though and his arm almost gave way when he took it.
"One more thing," Master Daego said. "I need a communication device. One that can send holo-calls. Mine's broken."
"Certainly, my Lord!" the Shelee replied, and he motionedhim to follow. After a couple of minutes walking through the dusty roads, they arrived at a cantina. It looked filthy from the outside. They stepped inside, and Master Daego gagged at the stench in which the cantina almost seemed to be drenched. The insides were even worse than he had thought. But he had seen worse places than this. What disturbed him most, were the slaves. He remembered a couple of them from the auction. Apparently their current owner had wasted no time putting them to work. Some of them were serving drinks, others were cleaning. And judging by their revealing clothes and their rounded statures, those weren't the only jobs they were going to be forced to do. A table nearby mysteriously fell over as Master Daego clenched his fist. The auctioneer took him to the back, where a fat Shelee sat, along with his wife. Undoubtedly the owners and managers.
"Prrkts," the fat owner stuttered, the effort of moving his jaws causing him much trouble speaking normally, "what is this? You're bringing a human inside my private house?"
"Not a regular human, Mnnjk, but a Sith Lord!"
Mnnjk's mouth fell open. His wife's remained open, but her eyes got bigger.
"He wants to use your holo-transmitter," Prrkts said.
"Yes... Yes, certainly," Mnnjk replied, standing up. His wife followed his example. "Please forgive me, My Lord, I did not intend to..."
"Forget about it and get out of here," Master Daego said, and he made a gesture with his hand that signalled they had to move rapidly. They bounced away as quickly as they could, and Master Daego looked around him. It was a plasteel house, quite cheap. Lots of nice furniture though. And the fact they had a holo-transmitter indicated they were quite rich. He walked over to the communications device, and tapped on the touch-screen. He typed the number of the Jedi Temple, along with his personal authorization code. There probably wasn't a meeting going on, but with a little bit of luck, he could get a hold of some important Council members. While the connection was being laid, Master Daego wondered what he had to say to them. He couldn't really think of something. But he didn't have no more time to consider. The small bodies of Master Kraenos, Kae, Ahas, Lumenos and Opiaf popped up on the screen as holograms.
"Jenson, finally!" Master Kraenos said, sounding overly worried. "What took you so long?"
"I got shot down, but I'm okay. My communicator was broken in the process though, and I'm momentarily in a desolate village a couple of days away from Sheleepolis."
"Status report on your mission?" Master Lumenos asked, straight to the point as always.
"Well, the enslaved Mared here seem to have lost their fire after all the misery they've been through lately. They have to live in appalling conditions and have to do the worst jobs imaginable. They're being treated like... well, slaves! But I think I can rekindle their fighting spirit. All they need is a well-placed ember."
"What exactly is your intention in the near future, Jenson?" Master Kae friendly asked.
"Well, I need to get to Sheleepolis of course, to find a trace of Jaxxon. But I can't just leave these people to their fate. It's unbearable. I'm going to find a way to free them."
"Just be careful, Jenson," Master Kraenos observed. "I sense anger in you. I can feel it from here. That's very unusual. Keep those feelings hidden. Better even: cut them out. If I can feel them, so can Genocid. Which also means he can find out where you are."
"Yes, Master," Master Daego nodded.
"How do you plan on freeing the slaves?" Master Ahas curiously asked.
"It's impossible to release them without killing some, if not all Shelee," Master Opiaf snorted.
"They're all going to be dead soon anyway," Master Lumenos replied to the remark of his colleague.
"Yes, at least this puts the Mared in safety," Master Kae added. "That's one step further at least."
"Do they know what's coming to them?" Master Kraenos canvassed.
"No, Master, they don't. They do fear the Sith though. I've told them I belonged with the Sith and all of a sudden they started crawling before my feet. It's remarkable."
"You should try to free those Mared of course, but can't you try to convince the Shelee of the truth?" Master Opiaf asked. "I've said this before: they deserve to know what's in store for them. If you can get the Shelee on your side, freeing the Mared will be as easy as putting on a robe."
"I agree," Master Ahas added.
"But Master, if I can't convince the Shelee, an even bigger massacre will come forth from it. Besides, there's a blood-feud between the two races. Right now I have the element of surprise. It's too big a risk to lose it."
"Then what do you suggest?" Master Kae asked.
"Stealth," was Master Daego's reply. "Pure and simple. If I'm lucky, I can free them without waking up more than a quarter of the town's population."
"That's fine with me," Master Kae replied. "Try to avoid as many casualties as you can. But get those Mared out. At all cost!"
"You heard it Jenson," Master Kraenos said. "Do what you have to. Try to report back to us tomorrow."
"Yes, Master," the Weaponmaster said. He bowed, and switched off the communicator. He erased every little detail about his message the device had saved onto its hard drive and walked out of the room.
"My Lord," Mnnjk immediately said as he came running towards the Jedi, bowing in such a way it couldn't have been comfortable. "Can I offer you anything? Something to drink perhaps? Or something to eat? Or... Or perhaps you would like to take a slave to your room and have your way with it? Normally, it's 50 credits, but for you, its completely free."
"Erm, no," he replied, barely resisting the temptation to knock the Shelee's block off. "Although... On the other hand, send your finest female slave to my quarters. I'm sure you know what I mean when I say 'finest', don't you?" He had a little plan. But it contained a lot of improvisation.
"Certainly, my Lord," Mnnjk replied and he added an ugly grin to his words.
"Show me where you keep your slaves during the night," Master Daego ordered.
"W... Why do you want to know?"
"Show me where you keep your slaves during the night," he repeated.
"Yes... Yes, certainly. Follow me."
The fat Shelee guided Master Daego to some downward steps that led to an underground room. It was heavily barricaded, but Master Daego was sure his lightsabres could cut through it.
"They are being kept here. Nothing will get through these gates, unless you have the authorization code." Mnnjk proudly stared at his prison. "Practically all other Shelee in this village store their Mared in underground chambers. But none of them are as fortified as mine," he added while straightening his shoulders even more. "All slaves shall be kept here, save the ones on duty. That means the slave assigned to you shall not be kept here tonight. Of course..."
Master Daego listened with sincere interest. The fool did not realize that in his pathetic attempt to show off, he was forging his own downfall.
"Very well then," the assumed Sith said. "Send your finest slave to my room at once. I'm sure we'll have lots of fun. And by the way, Mnnjk. For all the damage done to her, I shall pay you back a hundredfold."
"That's most generous of you, my Lord," the Shelee said while hurrying away. Master Daego wondered if it was the Shelee's greed or stupidity that prevented him from seeing the subliminal meaning behind his words. Either way, he didn't care. He shrugged, and went to the surprisingly comfortable room the Shelee had prepared for him.
He sat in a peculiar, fluffy chair when he heard a faint knock on the door. With a slight motion of his hand, the door slid open. In the opening stood a young, rather little Mared girl. She was quite pretty... for a Mared. Her mouth was tinier than that of most Mared, and her hair seemed to be made of silk. It barely reached her broad, defined shoulders. She stepped forward and Master Daego closed the door, still examining the girl from out of his seat. Even as he sat down, the slave was shorter than him. Her body, arms and legs were very much in proportion. The only thing about her that wasn't, were her breasts. Master Daego was taken aback by their roundness and perimeter and was astounded she didn't just fall over. And for a second, he hesitated. Why shouldn't he? She was completely at his mercy. Why not take her? Right here, right now. No one ever had to know. But... He couldn't do that. It wasn't right. It brought his missions in danger, so he just kept quiet and did nothing. He felt the tension rise in the room, and Master Daego began to sweat. He felt lust. And he knew that wasn't good. He needed some distraction. He stood up, and turned his back to her.
"Do you speak and understand Basic?" he asked after a couple seconds of silence.
"Y-Yes Mylord," she hesitantly said. Master Daego was impressed. She obviously had to come from a rich family, by Mared standards of course. Only they could afford a Galactic Basic teacher. Or perhaps she picked it up from a stranger, perhaps her lover was a deep-space pilot? But it was irrelevant. She spoke it, and that was the important part. It would smooth the coming conversation. He could also implement Galactic Basic into her brain, but that was a dark technique rarely used by Jedi. Only when it stood in the way of honest negotiations. He had used it only once before: when convincing a group of Trandoshan bounty-hunters to state the name of their employer.
"What's your name?"
"Mrr'Lija," she replied, her eyes peering at the ground.
"That's a good name. Means 'Wise Flower' in ancient Mareddian doesn't it?"
She nodded softly. Master Daego turned around. He felt sorry for the slave and wanted to comfort her a bit. But it was dangerous for him. He had already done some rather dodgy things: threatening others, stealing credits, pretending to be a Sith... Last thing he needed was this girl stirring up the emotions he had locked away right underneath his belt. So he continued to be friendly, but from a distance.
"Do you want to sit down?" he said, while pointing at the chair behind him.
The girl looked up, and her big eyes peered right at his.
"What do you want from me?" she asked. "Can't... Can't we just get this over with?"
"Look," Master Daego quickly intervened. "I don't want anything from you right now. I just want to talk. I have absolutely no intentions of violating you."
The Mared calmed down a bit, but the distrust remained.
"You can trust me. I am not who you think I am."
"Then who are you, if you're not a Sith-Lord coming to take advantage of a mortified slave?" Her voice trembled with fear and audacious mockery at the same time.
"My name is Jenson Daego. I'm here to rescue you."
'Rescue me?" was the reply. The Jedi felt the doubt in the Mared's mind come forward. She seemed confused, relieved, even... Grateful. But she remained wary nonetheless. "If this is some kind of test... I have no intention of fleeing."
"This is not a test. I am a Jedi. I've been sent by the Jedi Council to free the enslaved Mared," he explained, although it wasn't the exact truth. "I'm pretending to be a Sith, so I can gain the Shelee's trust and respect, which allows me to roam freely. I can get you and your companions out of here. But I shall require your aid."
"If what you say is true... Why not bust all slaves out of here?"
"I do not want to cause a battle. I want to do this as quiet and stealthy as possible. A couple of Shelee will have to die, but if at all possible, I want to avoid casualties."
The Mared girl snorted. "They should be lined up and shot, the lot of them. They've treated us like beasts. You have no idea what I had to do since I was enslaved. All I can say is... I'd rather die than fall that low again. So, whether you're an imposter or a righteous liberator, I shall be free again. Or die trying!"
Master Daego respected the courage in the girl's heart, but was concerned by her lust for revenge. It would certainly be of help, but he was unsure whether he could trust her to do what he had in mind. If her vengeful emotions got the better of her, she could easily embark on a doomed-to-fail assassination attempt of her master and ruin his plans, forsaking her life in the process. It was a gamble, and the Jedi was hesitant to lay his card upon the table. It was like being tied 19-19 in a game of Pazaak where the other player had just 'stood'. The chances of winning were small. He could easily dominate the girl's mind, of course. Make her a puppet of his will and have her do exactly what he wanted. In some situations there was no other safe solution. But he was afraid of what he would do if he found the Mared subject to his will. Her physical attractiveness didn't exactly help.
Master Daego sighed. "Why do all girls I work with have to be so hot?" he thought. "It's frustrating. Why can't all women be like Master Kae or something..."
"What should I do then, exactly?" was her question.
"Go downstairs, and get back into the storage room. Tell your master you did not meet my expectations and that I shall come down to punish you and pick a new slave for tonight. That's the easy part. Sit tight, and wait until I open up. It's possible Mnnjk is with me. If that's the case, I will personally disable him. Next, we go upstairs, and paralyse every Shelee we encounter, after..."
"How?" Wise Flower interrupted.
"Right, I forgot to tell you," Master Daego remembered and he reached in one of his pockets. He retrieved three Bothan Stun sticks. He showed them to the girl, who understood.
"A Jedi is never unprepared," she said with a faint smile.
"Quite right. Now, the stunned Shelee shall be thrown into the bunker where they are currently keeping you and the other slaves. We use this same method time and time again until every slave is freed. Got it?"
"Sounds easy. Too easy, if you ask me."
"What's wrong with easy?" Master Daego asked. "Not everything has to be ultra-complicated you know. Besides, the Shelee..."
"Aren't worth keeping alive. We should kill them now we have the chance."
"No, I will not allow that!" Master Daego forcefully said. "The Shelee are in graver danger than they realise. We shall take them out without any killing blows or you can forget about my help. Got that?"
Mrr'Lija reluctantly nodded, but it was enough to satisfy the Jedi Weaponmaster.
"Good. Now, you know what to do? Good. Then go. I shall be there shortly, so hurry up."
The Mared turned around, and confidently walked out of the room. Master Daego sat himself down, trying to ignore the swelling in his underpants.
"What a job!" Master Daego cried out, sitting himself down, burying his head in his hands. "And to think I could've been a wealthy farmer..."
"What's wrong, Master Sith?" Mnnjk asked, when Master Daego came walking down the stairs. "Did the pussy not meet your expectations?"
"Keep the filthy talk to yourself, will you? And besides that, you're right. She didn't." Master Daego peeked around the entrance hall. It was empty, save for one Shelee who was eating some kind of sticky goo. With a nod of the Force, Master Daego implemented a made-up appointment with the hairdresser in the Shelee's mind. This was quite a feat, as he was as bald as a Selkath's ass. It was all empty, now. Everybody had returned home or had gone to bed, be it with a slave or alone. Perfect.
"But... But... I'm sure we can work something out," the Shelee quickly said. "The slave you sent back told me you wanted to try another one. I can arrange that. I'm sure we'll find someone who can fulfil your... needs."
"I hope so, for your sake."
The Jedi followed the fat pimp down the stairs, to the underground chamber they had already been to. To his surprise, Jenson saw it was now guarded by two sturdy Shelee. He knew they wouldn't leave without a fight. But a challenge, they wouldn't be.
"So, this should do the trick," Mnnjk said as he entered the code. And the doors securing the slaves opened with a hissing sound.
"Thank you," Master Daego politely said. "Good night," he added, as he hit the fat Shelee with a well-placed right fist. He sent the two guards flying with a Force Push, and the durasteel walls did the rest.
"It's safe, you can come out now."
Slowly, Mrr'Lja and the other slaves stepped out of the shadows that filled their quarters. 9 Mared lined up before the Jedi Master.
"Right. I trust Mrr'Lja informed you about my plan? It's going to be simple. We go upstairs, and with a bit of mind manipulation, I will lure the Shelee into a trap. That trap will be three of you, holding a stun stick in your hands. When we paralyse a Shelee, we throw them in this container they kept you. Got it?"
The Mared all nodded, after Mrr'Lja translated it for them. It was a waste of time, but Master Daego didn't feel like implementing Basic into their minds.
"Okay... Here you go," he said as he handed out the Stun sticks. "You follow me, and you two," while pointing at the strongest looking Mared, "follow me as well. Mrr'Lja, you and the others stay here and guard the prisoners. And do not harm them!"
He said this last phrase with such power in his voice she didn't dare to resist or complain. He turned around, and walked up the stairs. In the main hall, Master Daego locked the entrance doors, preventing anybody from getting in or escaping. They continued to the bedrooms, and at the first door, they stopped.
Master Daego concentrated. He sensed one Shelee in the room, who was sleeping. Not for long. He woke the Shelee up by rolling him out of bed with the Force. He grinned as he heard a loud thud and a violent curse from inside the room. Now came the finishing touch... He used the Force to squeeze the Shelee's bladder. After a couple of seconds, he came out of the room, his hand firmly around his crotch. But he was met by three stun sticks: one to the jaw, one to the gut, and one to the knee. The Shelee fell down, and didn't move. But a wet patch started to grow from the place where he had been squeezing.
"Should've thought of that..." Master Daego observed. "But it doesn't matter. Take him away..."
They repeated the same procedure flawlessly until every Shelee, about thirty, were locked inside the chamber. They also recovered ten more slaves, making for a total of twenty.
"That went smoothly," Mrr'Lja remarked as all the Mared were enjoying a drink in the main hall.
"Yes, it did. But we have an entire town to recuperate. It's going to take a while before all the slaves are freed."
"Not if we take a more... aggressive stance."
"I am not going to help you commit murders. I'm still a Jedi, you know. I don't slaughter people so easily, even if I could. No, we're going to do this with stealth. Every house in this village will be dealt with exactly like how we did it in here."
"And where do we go from there?"
"Sheleepolis."
"Why?"
"I need to find someone. Someone who means a lot to me."
"Is it a Mared?"
"No."
"Your sweetheart?"
"Not exactly, no."
"Who is it, then?"
"The greatest warrior I know."
"Ya ready, rudeboy?" Kieran asked Jaxxon, who was scratching his wounds.
"Yes, but this damn itch is driving me crazy," the Padawan replied.
"Ye gon' get scratched all over soon, bredren, don' worry. Dem itch'll disappear, seen?"
"Yeah." Jaxxon sighed. They were being called to the ring. They had been transported to a room that had an exit into an arena. Outside, Jaxxon felt tens of thousands of mad Shelee screaming in enthusiasm. But what really gave him the shivers down his spine, was the presence of a dark signature in the Force he knew all too well: that of Darth Genocid. There was no doubt in his mind that he would recognize Jaxxon the moment they came out. Luckily, thanks to his Master's incredibly effective training, he was able to keep his own Force signature undetected from all but the most powerful Force users. Even though Genocid could detect him if he tried hard enough, Jaxxon knew that he hadn't the patience, nor the time to meditate on such things. The minds of a Sith, and the Dark Lord of the Sith in particular, were filled with other things. This, he knew for a fact. But in a couple of minutes, it'd be over. No more hiding...
"Today is a great day, Lord Genocid," Zeborah said from his leaning chair on the high balcony of the execution arena.
Darth Genocid, who was peering over the edge, looking at the mass of Shelee, shook his head. "Something isn't right. This is not how it is supposed to be..."
"What are you talking about?" Mopaka asked. "We've enslave the Mared with minimum resistance, and after this display of strength, we'll have the backing and support of every Shelee on the planet. They're broadcasting this worldwide, you know."
The Sith Lord grated his stubbly beard. "We'll see. We'll see..."
"It is time," Zeborah said, giving the trumpeters the sign to commence. A long, strident sound emerged from the countless instruments, and the entire arena was silent. Zeborah and Mopaka rose from their seats, and took place next to their presumed ally.
"People of Beneris," Zeborah began with a surprisingly loud and piercing voice, "today we celebrate our dominance. Today will be the day we show the galaxy what we are capable of!"
"These Mared, have committed a crime!" Mopaka continued. "They were born!"
The arena erupted. Every single spectator cheered their lungs out. Even Genocid was impressed by their readiness.
"They shall be punished for their insuperiority. Death is the only thing they deserve! Release the prisoners!"
The gates opened. Genocid's heart was pounding, and he had no idea why. A couple of ared stepped through the gate. He could feel their fear, and he rejoiced in it. The prisoners continued to come, and he suddenly saw an odd sight. A Twi'Lek girl amid the enslaved Mared. "Strange," he mumbled.
The Twi'Lek girl looked around. She was waiting for someone. A foot came out of the door. A human foot. Genocid's heart skipped a beat. He could feel something. It... Wasn't possible! The human came out, and the Sith Lord's jaw dropped.
"This can't be!" Genocid looked at the two Shelee next to him.
"Something wrong, my Lord?" Zeborah asked.
"You!" Genocid screamed, as he grabbed the Shelee's throat. "What's this human doing there?"
"I... I don't know, my Lord!" the Shelee attempted to bring out, barely able to speak.
"Do you know what this means?" the Sith screamed?
"No..."
"Please, my Lord," Mopaka begged, "release him!"
Genocid obliged, but he looked at both of them furiously. "Do not order your Shelee to fight them until I come back!" he foamed.
Furious, Genocid stepped inside. He activated his holo-transmitter. The hologram of a young woman with brown skin and corrupted features that were once pretty popped up.
"Yes, my Master? How can I be of assistance?" she asked.
"Darth Jannays," Genocid said as a manner of greeting. "You will never guess who I've just met."
"Who, my Lord?"
"An ex-lover of yours. A young man. A Jedi. A Padawan. A traitor."
"Dorma? But I thought you said he was dead?"
"Yes, exactly. They told me that they had killed one of the Jedi and that the one with the blue lightsabres escaped. They said they dumped the other one with the other Mared corpses and torched them. I don't understand how this is possible." Genocid paused a couple of seconds to catch his breath. He was seething with anger. "I should've checked it, damn it! I should've gone over to his lifeless body and make sure of it. I should've sliced the pig's head off just to be sure!" Genocid struck his temple with the palm of his right hand. "I've made a mistake."
"Where is Dorma now, my Master?"
"He's waiting in the arena to be executed. Right under the eye of tens of thousands of Shelee."
"Whoever they sent to kill him, they're no match for him."
"I know. I know." Genocid sighed in an attempt to release a bit of the frustration. It didn't help.
"You can't let him fight. He'll make all of you look like a joke. You cannot risk it, Master!"
"Yes, but the two Shelee won't be too pleased with that suggestion. And it's too early. They're still important. We still need them. I can't enforce my will on them."
"Dominate their minds..." Jannays suggested. "Nobody will ever be the wiser."
"Too risky. They are very resistant to mind manipulation."
"Threaten them."
"We still need their military backing. For now... "
"Barter with them."
"In the name of the Dark Side, Jannays! Sith don't barter with anyone!"
"Why not? If it's in the best interest of both parties..."
"It is not done, okay?"
"Intimidate them."
"I already did that. They're too smart to step into the same trap twice. Beneris will become a planet of the Sith Empire and follow the law of the Sith. That's what we agreed upon. But they are leader figures. If they start to claw back and whip up the Shelee against us, we can forget about Beneris. And without Beneris, no slave trade. No slave trade... Less military power. And that is something I am not willing to risk."
"It is a big risk either way, Master."
"Yes, I know. You just stay focused on your duties on Dantooine, okay? Keep the planet under control, that's all I'm asking of you. It's important we keep the planet in fear."
"Understood, Master. I will not fail."
The hologram of the woman faded, and Genocid put the holo-transmitter back in his pocket. He knew the next couple of minutes were going to be very important. If only those two fat aliens would be willing to stop the fight! If not, he wasn't sure what the consequences would be. He did know that it was going to be ugly. Very ugly.
"Are we just going to stand here all day long?" Lara asked herself out loud. The crowd became impatient, and wanted to see blood. It was extremely warm and the hot sand scorched their bare feet. They all had either a longsword or a blaster pistol, with the exception of Kieran, who had two longswords. Lara had a blaster. It were weapons of the lowest quality, but it was better than nothing at all.
"The I don wanna rush things, y'kno' love,"Kieran replied.
"What are they doing up there?" Lara said, while peering at the balcony where the two Shelee and the Dark Lord of the Sith were discussing something.
"It's simple," Jaxxon intervened. "They're talking about their biggest threat."
"Who?" Kieran asked.
"The I, Kieran. The I..."
"You two!" Genocid bellowed as he stormed onto the balcony. "These slaves are not going to fight!"
"What are you talking about? Of course they're going to fight!" It was Mopaka who took the parole.
"No, they're not!" Genocid shouted. "It's too big a risk."
"I don't see a risk. I see a vastly outnumbered group of Mared who are terrified and about to be slaughtered."
"See that human over there? Do you? He's not just a human. He's a Jedi! He's going to slaughter your people. Every single one of them."
"Come come now. Even a Jedi can't win from what we've got in store from them."
"That's gambling, Mopaka. And if there is one thing I hate, it's gambling! And do you know why? Because it includes losing!"
"This is not a gamble, my Lord. You'll see. They'll die. Right here, right now."
"I hope so, Mopaka. I hope so Zeborah. For your sake. And that of your people."
The trumpeters blew through their instruments, and the gates opened once again.
"They're coming out!" Lara shouted.
"Dis is dem moment, ye know, bredren!" Kieran said. "Jus' stay close to the I and ye'll be safe. I and I watch each uvva's back, seen?"
"Here we go..." Jaxxon mumbled, as the first Shelee-gladiators came through the gates.
Next chapter: Jaxxon and the Mared fight for their survival in the arena.