Chapter 42: Breaching Belsavis – Part Three

A/N: More of our Sith Warrior storyline and some of those fun, fun, fun side quests on Belsavis... maybe with a slight twist. Because I don't have to follow the story perfectly exact. That would be boring, wouldn't it? Questions? Comments? Concerns? Speculation? Super excited about the upcoming "Quinn-cident" and want to chat? I like comments. Comments make me happier than Wildescent in comfy clothes, sitting on the big couch, eating ice cream with her crew on a late Saturday night while watching Pixar movies - trying to catch Pierce pretend to not cry. PS - Star Wars Episode 7 trailer #3! So Excite! Much Star Wars! (Where the hell is Luke, damn it?!)

Songs in order of appearance: Battle Hymn ~ Manowar, Heads Will Roll ~ Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, Paranoid ~ Black Sabbath

We arrived at the location that was supposed to be Ruger's stronghold. Waiting for us were ten Imperial troopers, sent by Medechas to assist us. Their Lieutenant Commander approached us, looking searchingly between us three Sith and then Vette and Pierce. He was dark skinned, with reddish hair and striking green eyes. His nose was a little too thin, lips a little too thick, and a nasty triple scar caused both features to pucker and pull to the left.

Jaesa stepped forward, to ease his uncertainty. "I am Lord Cynn, I assume Lord Medechas sent you."

The man nodded at her. "Lieutenant Commander Ossir. I apologize for the small number I bring with me, but our resources are spread thin here and these men were the only ones I trusted to do this right."

I looked over at his small unit. Each man, young and old, held the same wary battle knowledge in their eyes.

"I am pleased you found as many as you did in such a short amount of time," Jaesa commented with a smile. "Let's head in and squash Ruger once and for all."

He nodded and called his troops over. "We'll back you up. Lead the way."

Jaesa turned and marched up the ramp into the complex, with the rest of us falling into formation behind her. I reached up and shared my music with my team.

With the extra firepower the Troopers offered and our sneaky Talz ahead, Ruger's men weren't as difficult as it could have been. They even outgunned us at least two to one.

Deeper inside the building, we came across the much discussed force field. Vette pulled the key we took from Gholan the Devaronian and used it to calibrate the code, disabling the blue barrier that protected Ruger and his higher officers. She smiled brightly and popped around the corner, blasters drawn with Pierce at her back. The troopers went in after them and after a few moments of heavy projectile warfare, the room fell silent.

Jaesa, Quinn and I walked into the room, zeroing in on the large man standing across the way. He stood on a platform, arms crossed in a defiant way and stared disapprovingly at the twelve sets of blaster weapons trained on him.

We walked past the Imperial soldiers, up the ramp and stopped to face the Republic lawman.

"Well, now." Marshal Ruger looked us over, frowning. "There's two ways you can leave, Imperials: cuffed down or feet first."

Jaesa scoffed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head at the overly confident older man. "We're walking away from this. You won't be so lucky."

"Feet first it is," Ruger replied with an almost eager delight.

He pulled his large, single blaster from his belt and Quinn reached out with his left hand, pushing the Marshal into the wall with the Force. I used another application of Force and ripped the gun from his hand, crushing it and letting the ruined metal fall to the floor. Ruger glowered at us as Jaesa walked up to him, walking her fingers up his chest to caress through his gray beard.

"I'm a little disappointed, Marshal. All that posturing and promises for what?"

"All right," he growled out. "Hold your gloating. Get it over with."

"Make your peace. It is over." She beckoned to me and I stepped forward, igniting my main blade.

A holoterminal nearby began to chime. All of us turned to look at it, even Ruger. A moment later, the chiming stopped and an image formed of a pale, rotund man. He was clean-shaven with a smooth baby-face and dark hair.

"Ruger! Come in, Ellis Ruger! This is Warden Graal. We're taking fire and can't reach your position. I've used emergency protocol to break through. What's your status?" Graal practically shouted. Blaster fire could be heard in the background.

Jaesa looked at me and I smirked, pausing in front of Ellis Ruger, blade at his throat.

Quinn spoke up, addressing Warden Graal. "Wrong question, Warden. Instead ask yourself what would you give to have him back?"

"Is this a joke? Whose on this frequency?" Graal questioned.

Quinn raised an eyebrow, stepping up and hitting a button to enlarge the viewing area of the holoterminal.

"Wait! I've seen you on our cameras," Graal said in surprise. "What do you want?"

"My only desire is to watch your face as I do this," Jaesa said, smiling darkly and giving me the signal.

I thrust my blade into Ruger's throat at an upward angle. "Bad news, warden. You're going to need a new peacekeeper," I said as I pulled it free again and Quinn released his Force push.

Ruger's body crumpled to the floor.

"You monsters! Ellis Ruger... he was the last hope for law and order on Belsavis. I won't forget this. Warden Graal out." The warden's form faded and the holoterminal shut off.

"That was satisfying," Jaesa said to me as we turned to gather our forces and head back to the outpost.

"Quite," Quinn agreed, nodding.

###

We returned to the minimum security Imperial command center a few hours later. Once again, Vette, Pierce and Broonmark headed into the main building and cantina while us Sith reported to Lord Medechas.

Lord Medechas greeted us with a beaming smile.

"That was a rare occasion. We had half their numbers and still handed them their heads! Ruger must have been furious. I can only imagine the thrill of snuffing out his life," he said.

"I'll only be thrilled when this prison is wiped clean of the Republic," Jaesa replied.

Quinn and I... Rhyot and Dezyer... stood silently at her back.

"Then you won't have to wait long," Medechas promised. "With Ruger out of the picture, our landing zone's untouchable. If you'll excuse me a moment, duty calls. I must re-establish contact with Commander Calum."

He turned to the holoterminal in the room and entered some information. The imager came to life a moment later, Commander Calum – the Imperial Guard from the orbital station – appeared.

"Lord Medechas. Come in, Lord Medechas," Calum said.

"I am here, Commander Calum. What is your will?" Medechas gave a small bow of respect.

"Ellis Ruger was blocking our signal. Your men re-established contact once he fell, but I've heard nothing from our other operations groups. Captain Vandorn must be reached. Our mission is still in jeopardy." Calum explained.

"I've defeated Ruger, the Republic is dealing with the riot. What's left?" Jaesa asked.

"The Republic may be the least of our worries in this prison," Medechas stated grimly.

"Lord Medechas is right," Calum added. "That's why he'll defend the landing zone against any further Republic interference. I'll need you to perform the rendevous."

Jaesa nodded and Calum's form faded away.

"Captain Vandorn was last seen in the high security wing," Medechas handed Jaesa a new datapad. "Find his camp, but be wary. The Republic is conducting strange experiments with the inmates there."

Jaesa glanced at the datapad and then handed it back to me. I handed it over to Quinn.

###

We decided to not work on the ancient droid task Master Sargent Korum had requested of us. Vette ran off to tell him while the rest of us grabbed some food and a quick nap.

High security was one step closer inside the planet's maze of prison blocks. We arrived close to evening and managed to snag Captain Vandorn before he retired for the evening.

Jaesa led us over to his command tent. Pierce, Vette and Broonmark stood vigil outside while us Sith reported in.

"Captain Vandorn?" Jaesa inquired to a thin man of average height in Imperial uniform. "Commander Calum sent me to assist."

The man looked us over briefly, then gave a short waist bow. He appeared to be in his forties, with wind-burnt tan skin, short dark hair, brilliant green eyes, and about three days unshaven scruff on his jaw.

"Operation Group Four's honored, my lord. I'm happy to report that our prisoner release program is on schedule. We've hit only one hiccup, really. The prisoners here – they're gangs of rabid aliens. Formerly members of some Republic experiment. The gangs attack the Republic as planned, but they're also tormenting our boys." He grimaced and shrugged. "Now there's a large number of berserk aliens between us and the Dread Masters."

"Minor miscalculation," Quinn whispered.

I rolled my head on my neck to discretely shoot him an amused look.

"I don't care how ferocious these prisoners are. We'll reach the Dread Masters." Jaesa said with confidence.

"Even if you find the Sith Lords, we need this area secure for their escape," Vandorn shook his head. "My team's instilling order now and... excuse me..." he reached up to activate an incoming call on his ear-comm. "Captain Vandorn. Dead? All of them? No – that's impossible! Well, stop blabbering and... Sergeant? Sergeant?" He looked at the three of us, face set in grim lines. "The alien gangs have wiped out Operations Group Four. We've lost control of this wing."

"Where the military falls, Captain, the Sith will triumph," Jaesa replied.

Vandorn nodded, hope restored on his face. "Belsavis twisted these aliens into savage killers. Your lightsabers are just what they deserve. Carve up their top gangs and make the aliens fear us. Then we'll be able to evacuate the Dread Masters."

Jaesa smiled darkly, glancing back at us. "Now, Captain, you'll see what Sith are capable of."

"Thank you." He turned and leaned over the closest computer terminal, entering some data. "Gun for the Gamorreans, Anomid and Gand. They're the fiercest scum of the bunch." He looked at her over his shoulder. "Datapad?"

Quinn handed Jaesa one of his and she in turn handed it to Captain Vandorn. He attached the small device to the console, uploading information onto it.

"Kill enough members of each gang and they'll learn to respect the Empire." He disconnected the datapad and turned, returning it to Jaesa.

"Oh, don't worry, Captain. If we leave any alive, they'll rue the day they met the Empire." Jaesa promised with a smile.

She turned and led us from the tent, Vette and Pierce falling into formation behind us.

"Let's get a restful night's sleep. Then, in the morning we'll see what we're going to be up against." Jaesa recommended as we crossed the durasteel deck toward the outpost's mess hall and barracks.

"As you command, Lord Cynn." I replied with a grin.

###

In the morning, we set out toward the last known coordinates of Operations Group Four. We parked our vehicles back from the main area of activity. What we found were day old dead Imperial soldiers, stripped bare of anything useful or valuable, and a whole lot of Gand, Gamorrean and Anomid gang members.

"Looks like target practice," Pierce said as he knelt down to the nearly bare bodies, collecting their dog tags from them. The snow around the dead was dirty and trampled into slush.

Broonmark deactivated his stealth field, kneeling down to look at the tracks and then the figures off in the distance.

"Sloppy kills. Sith clan will triumph easily," he bellowed out.

"Then lets go take out some rabid life forms," I replied, igniting my lightsabers and heading toward the gangs.

We returned to Captain Vandorn several hours later, bloody and triumphant. None of the blood was ours.

"Those alien gangs will think twice before attacking the Empire again," Jaesa commented as we came into Vandorn's tent.

Pierce stepped forward and handed the rescued tags to the Captain, face set in grim lines.

"I hope you kicked a few of them while they were down," Vandorn replied, accepting the tags with a nod. "The alien inmates are right where we want them – bruised, broken and terrified of the Empire. But if I know criminals, they'll be back to their old tricks soon. We better ensure their wounds stay raw. But we don't have the manpower that disciplinary action takes."

Jaesa shrugged at the Captain. "Find the meanest gang of aliens, then deputize them. They'll keep the rest in line."

Quinn and I shared a look, both of us impressed with her on the fly suggestion.

Captain Vandorn snorted. "A repugnant idea. Which, I'm afraid, is the only way out of this mess. The aliens here are mostly slack-jawed brutes, except the Trandoshans. They follow a strict warrior's code of honor and competition." He chuckled. "The fools even worship a goddess – some "Scorekeeper" they think rewards honor. Devotion's carved them into fanatics. Now they roam this wing, hunting dangerous prey."

"These Trandoshans owe their freedom to the Empire. It's time they repay us," Jaesa suggested.

"They won't volunteer peacefully, my lord. You'll have to appeal to their appetite for competition. Trandoshans can't resist a worthy foe. They'll fear you, but the chance to take on and kill mighty Sith will be too tempting. Challenge their leader to a duel. Demand that if you win, his entire pack serves as the Empire's enforcers. They'll be honor-bound to obey."

Jaesa nodded, fiddling with her lightsaber hilt on her belt. "The Trandoshans will soon serve the Empire."

"Thank you," Vandorn said, looking relieved. "The sooner we lock this wing down, the better. The Trandoshans built their fortress inside a vault. Storm the place and challenge their leader. Make the scaly thugs bow to the Empire."

He held out his hand and Jaesa glanced back at Quinn, who handed her one of his datapads. Jaesa handed the device over to Captain Vandorn to input new coordinates.

###

We walked out of Captain Vandorn's tent, heading to the mess tent for some food when we were flagged down by a dark-haired woman dressed in neutral-toned fine garments.

"The aliens! Did you see them? Tearing everyone to pieces?" The woman asked as she approached our group. "They're frenzied, bloodthirsty, tore through my military escort in half a minute. I didn't know aliens could be so, so violent!"

"If it's dangerous, why are you hanging around here? And how did you survive the attack?" Jaesa asked the woman.

"I have no choice. I'm here on Darth Malgus' orders. As for my survival, well, I'm not too proud to admit that I hid under one of my fallen guard until our attackers left. These alien gangs are pawns in a Republic-engineered domination experiment; forced to fight each other in the name of Republic science."

"Knowledge of certain species' strengths and weaknesses could prove vital in the coming war," Quinn said. "I'm surprised we didn't think of it first."

The woman glanced behind Jaesa to Quinn, nodding. "Yes, my lord. Darth Malgus actually sent me here to eliminate their head start. Special Agent Ava Seldin, at your service." She gave a small waist bow. "With the Republic's findings, we'd have months, maybe years worth of insight into alien behavior. Plus, we could expose the Republic's dirty secret." She gave a small smile at the last.

She looked us over, meeting our eyes – all except our invisible Talz – and folded her hands at her waist.

"I hate to ask, but I can't go back out there. Could you retrieve the Republic's domination experiment research?"

Jaesa looked back and I nodded at her minutely.

"Leave that to us," Jaesa replied, turning back to Ava.

"Thank you! It's about time we know what the Republic's been working on." Ava said, sounding relieved as she stepped away from us.

We proceeded to the mess tent to set up our next strategy.

###

The next morning found us heading out into the wilds of the High Security Sector, with the intent of finding this clan of Trandoshan and then recovering data for Darth Malgus' initiative. We were split into two teams heading in opposite directions, for the time being, to scout out the two areas and make better preparations.

My team was myself, Quinn and Vette. We were heading to the area the research was supposed to be stored to check out the security and what other obstacles awaited us. We were nearly to the coordinates when suddenly our landspeeder shuddered and its power shut off.

"Seriously?" Vette blurted out in frustration as she piloted the vehicle to a gliding stop.

"Malfunction?" I asked.

"Something like that. All the electrical systems just crapped out," she said.

"That's highly improbable," Quinn replied, leaning forward from the back to look at the panels.

We got out of the speeder to investigate. Quinn popped the hood and Vette leaned in to check the computer core. That's when the electro-stun darts came from the south and we were struck in ambush.

The last I saw before I had a sack thrown over my head and was physically removed, were Vette and Quinn writhing on the ground from involuntarily spasms. This was easier to do than one would think when you are also suffering from waves of electric shocks wracking your nervous system. Quinn's head was strained back, a look of pain and alarm on his face. And then, blackness as I felt an injector pressed to my neck.