The Jedi did not have to wait long to find the whereabouts of the missing colonists, and the POWs. "Kadavo? That dump?" Kyle sneers in a way he usually would for his home planet. "You been?" Ahsoka asks. "Couple of times."
Ahsoka concealed herself walking through the impoverished neighborhood where Togrutas were sold. Kyle asks where were the POWs, Anakin explains they are in a work camp. A few were sold into slavery, but Humans didn't fetch the capital a Togruta or a Twi'lek could. The ambitious Zygerrian Queen hoped to expand her empire, the kinks in the market still needed to be ironed out.
The Jedi Masters concealed themselves wearing helmets and robes. They looked straight ahead, paying little mind to their surroundings. Jedi frowned upon attachments, Kyle was coming to understand why. Witnessing a mother hopelessly fend off scoundrels ripping their kin from their arms, or vice verse. Kyle and Ahsoka had to be restrained from letting their emotions get the best of them.
"We could save one, or thousands." Tera told Kyle. He'd rather save everyone. Something tells him it wasn't just the Padawans who sympathized with this. Anakin gives Tera a look of suspicion. Contemplating the right response for something so detached from feeling.
A child falls at their feet, an unruly Zygerrian did not care his slave wasn't fed, he was going push the cargo to its destination come Hell or high water. He raises his hand, ready to whip some sense into the child when someone grasped his wrist in mid motion. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Ahsoka gives him a steely gaze. Anakin steps in between them, apologizing for his slaves poor manners.
"Oh, yeah and..." His eyes focus on Kyle, like D'Nar did. "Monix?" They were befuddled, never hearing such a name. Kyle, however, froze in place at the mere utterance. "Monix Moon? It is you!"
"Uh... yes?" He winces. "A fan?" He hoped the answer was yes. A punch to the face informed him of the contrary.
"You have a lot of guts showing your face here after what you did. If I didn't have more pressing matters to attend to, i'd gut you like a fish!" He walks away, leaving Kyle splayed on the ground.
"Who was that guy?" Tera asks, while helping him up.
"Kyle did say he was here before." Ahsoka added.
"We have bigger things to focus on right now." Anakin reminds them. "You all right?" Kyle cradles his right cheek in his palm.
"Yeah, except I feel a tooth or two became loose."
The plan was simple enough. Ahsoka was to be given to the Queen as a prize. Her backstory is he's a servant of a fallen rival warrior Anakin's character killed personally.
However, they found their plan foiled from the jump. Dooku's apprentice warned the Queen not to let anyone besides those of her own race inside the palace doors. Anakin tried to persuade the guard, explaining he came barring gifts, but there was no such luck.
Wandering around the slave markets of Kadavo, Anakin whacked his brains out trying to carve out an alternative plot to gain an audience with the Queen. Kyle couldn't help but notice a poster showing the image of a face he believed to have recognized. Kyle's attention continued to be taken, this time by a holoprojector showcasing a tussle between two combatants. The sunlight blurs the images, but the name roaring over the speakers brings back memories.
"Vakidis is in trouble! Twiggy and his band are beating him senseless." Fortunately, Kyle was stationed not far from the arena and despite Anakin's orders to remain where by his side, he just had to drop everything to help his friend. Maneuvering past security, Kyle rushes down the small ramp and slides under the ropes and cleans house. Vakidis looks as if he's seen a ghost.
"Is that? It is! It's Monix!" The announcer couldn't believe it. Everyone in attendance is beyond confused. Those who remembered him jeered and pelted the ring with garbage. Those who didn't have any recollection merely followed the crowd and threw half empty cups, dousing the canvass in fluid. They rush to the back, Vakidis limping due to having his knee severely injured when smashed against the ring post over and over.
"You're back?" Vakidis was so high on adrenaline he couldn't focus on the pain. "Kyle who is this?" Anakin asks.
"This is my friend, Vakidis. Vakidis this is..." He knew outing Anakin as a Jedi wasn't a good idea, so he thought of a lie. "My manager."
"Oh, so you still wrestle?" Anakin's eyes widen, he almost barrels over in laughter.
"Wrestle?!" He couldn't help but blurt out. "You?" He gathers himself, suppressing laughter. "I mean, yes."'
"Yeah." Kyle sighs. "I mainly MC events for smaller markets."
"What brings you to Kadavo?"
"I'm... uh..." Kyle remembers the poster from earlier, saying something about a tournament. "I'm and entrant in the tourney."
"Oh, really? Well, it be great to see you in action again. Anyways, I have to ice down my knee. See you later."
The group reconvened back on the ship plotting their next move. "I can't believe I put this on for nothing." Ahsoka groans, referring to her revealing slave attire before changing back to her usual Jedi clothes.
"Why is it wherever we go, it somehow becomes about you?" Anakin asks, more frustrated at their roadblock. Kyle shrugs. "Well, in this case it's probably for the best." He shows Anakin the poster. "Winner gets an audience with the Queen."
Everyone was intrigued. "But who enters?" Obi-Wan wasn't sure about the answer to that question. Most of the universe knows who they are and they did not possess the technology to change facial features. "How about Ahsoka?" Anakin offers.
Tera shakes her head. "They don't allow Togrutas to compete."
"Figures."
After a brief silence, Kyle spoke up. "Well... I wrestled before. How about I do it?"
"You?" Tera couldn't believe Kyle competed in such a crass sport. Meanwhile, Ahsoka could barely contain her laughter. "It all makes sense now!" Anakin had to hush her.
"How are we going to do it?"
"The promotion behind this is the same one I worked for on Songin. I'll talk to the head promoter, tell them their Star is back and I'm off to the races."
(Scene break)
"No!" If Kyle wasn't already inside the office the door would have been slammed in his face. Just his luck. The head promoter was a Zygerrian who also hated his guts. The second in command was a Ferroan, he controlled the promotion for Songin, but clearly relinquished the reigns to the Zygerrian for these events.
"Come on, Rue." Harley defends Kyle. "This is gold you're turning down."
"No, I'm turning down trash." Rue quips.
"No, you're turning down a chance for add another zero to your paycheck. People will come from all over Kadavo just to see public enemy number one get beaten!"
Rue wasn't convinced this was enough for him to swallow his unmitigated hatred. "How about, if I lose, I never wrestle again. The Zygerrians can say they put their mortal enemy down?" Kyle hopes to have sweeten the pot. To the extent Kyle was willing to go shocked even Harley. It did the trick, and Kyle was given what he wanted.
"But let me warn you, I won't make this easy. You'll have little to no rest between matches. I can change what type of match you'll be having." Kyle wasn't too trouble at the prospect and agreed upon these terms quite eagerly. "Your first match is tomorrow." Rue informs him.
"Against who?" Rue only smiles before dismissing Kyle.
"Sorry, Rue likes messing with people." Harley caught up to Kyle outside of the office.
"Does that mean he likes me?" Kyle half-heartily asks.
"No, it means he hates your guts and wants to see you laid out in the center of that ring." Kyle takes one long look at Harley. A familiar feeling returned, a surge of confidence defining him.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but in this case, I can't wait to disappoint him."
