I don't like this chapter; it doesn't flow right, or something. Or maybe it's too technical. Regardless, tell me wha y'all think. Maybe I'll revise it, if I'm so inspired.

---------------------------------------
Revan the Barbarian- Cht. 2
Taris, Preparations for the First Day
----------------------------------------

Darkness, like always… No. Something awaits…

Confidence… the feel of metal in the hand…

Ah… finally, they come… the intruders…

------------------------------------------

Alistair lay on the bed, tossing and muttering to himself.

Carth and Saino were worried about him; he had been asleep for the past three days. A normal sleeper would have awoken by now. Therefore, this was no ordinary sleep.

Saino knew a little about the deep, almost coma-like slumber that trauma victims usually fell into once things around them were calm enough to allow such a thing. It lasted for a day or so, most of the time, and they were always completely still. No tossing or muttering.

Which led to their worry; he had been sleeping for nearly three days now, and he would have these tossing spells on and off, as if he was trying to awaken, but something was holding him down.

----------------------------------------------

Far above, within the confines of the Leviathan, three figures approached the bridge, where a tall shape was awaiting their presence. All three were older men. One walked with a marked step, the result of a lifetime of military service. The next was slightly hunched, and his eyes glowed red with suppressed fury. The last walked with a kind of swagger, and his purple armor gleamed faintly in the lights of the hallway.

They reached the bridge. The tall man turned to face them, his prosthetic jaw gleaming slightly. The swaggering man started at the sight, but recovered himself quickly. The military man spoke. "Master, this person wished to speak with you. His name is Davik Kang, and he is the crime lord around here."

A raspy, mechanical voice filled the air. "Ah, yes. We have heard of you, Mr. Kang. What do you have to say?"

Kang stepped forward. "Sir, it has reached my ears that you are searching for… a woman. I believe I could help you find her."

The Sith Lord's eyes narrowed. "Oh, can you? And what makes you think our soldiers aren't capable of such a task?"

"The fact that they stand out. It is well known that the swoop gangs hate you, my lord. Well, not you specifically. But they attack your soldiers at every opportunity, and do all they can to hinder your endeavors. Then too, the citizenry feels much the same.

"See, they trust me and my men, to an extent. My men can go places yours cannot; they know the planet better than yours ever will."

"You speak truly, Mr. Kang. But your sort never offer aid without strings attached. What are your strings?"

Kang smiled. "You are observant, my lord. This is my price: access codes to leave the planet, and immunity from your troops. I have business I must attend to, and the economy of my planet cannot be allowed to fail. You understand, of course."

"I do. Very well, your offer is accepted, on these terms: only you and your pilot can know the codes, no one else. I will only authorize one ship to use the codes, so you had better chose your craft wisely. Finally, our quarry must be in our hands in four standard weeks, or we will take… drastic action."

Kang smiled again. "Those terms are acceptable. May I take my leave?" "You may. Saul, show him out. Trask, stay here. You have a report to give, I assume?"

----------------------------------------------

Carth and Saino had decided to get some sleep, on the reasoning that a watched sleeper never awakens. So they were caught off guard by the sound of a single scream, coming from a slightly disused throat.

They ran in to find Alistair sitting on the bed, looking for all the world like a drunkard after a long night with too much Tarisian ale. He looked up at his comrades-in-arms, and said, "What in blood's name happened to me?"

Carth spoke up. "You hit your head when we got out of the ship. You've been asleep for a few days now. Do you remember anything?"

Alistair groaned and held his head, rubbing it while trying to focus. He looked up and said one word: "Bastila."

"Yeah, what about Bastila?"

"She was the commanding officer. Pompous little thing, but she'd be a challenge if ever we had to fight."

"Well, let's hope that never happens. Now, Saino and I have been scouting things out here, and what we've found isn't good. The Sith have been here for some time, exercising their might and making noise, but nothing serious. However, in the last few days they've put a blockade in place, and the economy is already showing the signs.

"We've asked around, and several Republic escape pods have fallen to the surface; some say about twenty in all. It looks like ours was the only one to fall in on the Upper City; the rest have gone through to the Lower City, and one or two have penetrated all the way to the Under City."

Alistair stood and thought about what he had just heard. Knowing our luck, she'll be in the Under City, whatever that is. "Saino, have you been advertising the fact that you are a Jedi?"

"I've tried not to. My robes blend in pretty well, and the Sith grunts don't look too closely; I've got the feeling they're tired of this place."

Alistair snorted. "I would be too, if I was stationed here for any length of time. Really, I've never even heard of Taris! What do you know about it, Carth?"

The other soldier frowned for a second in concentration. "Well, the planet's all one big city, rather like Coruscant. But unlike Coruscant, Taris has long since seen her prime. She used to be a beautiful place, since she was at or near the crossing of several trade routes. But with the discovery of new hyperspace technology and the invention of better ships, Taris has become unnecessary. So she's been fading ever since.

"The city is divided into three sectors; the Upper, Lower, and Under Cities. The Upper City is where most of the life still hangs on. You know, the nobility, the prosperous traders, and the main businesses. You won't find many aliens because the humans are very haughty and prideful. It's all very fine, but you can tell its faded, or an act.

"The Lower City has been overrun by swoop gangs, crooks, and aliens. What law exists down there is made by the stronger gangs, not the government or the Sith. It's a brutal existence, but if they're like any other slum they won't ask many questions.

"The Under City is the worst. Outcasts from the Upper City are sent there to either die or eke out some sort of life. The sun hasn't reached that place in years; it's pretty pathetic. I would advise not going down there unless we absolutely have to."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Saino, it would probably be prudent if you continued hiding the fact that you are a Jedi. Find some normal clothes, and don't use your 'saber. Here, use the vibroblade we found on the Sith."

Alistair handed him the sword in question. Saino took the weird device he had found on another Sith corpse from his bag and attempted to insert it, without any luck. "Alistair, you said these didn't need any tools. Well, I have no tools, and I also have a surplus of bad luck here. What's up?"

Alistair pointed at a bench next to the wall. "I said they didn't need fancy, sophisticated tools. That table is equipped with everything you'll need." Saino grumbled, but did as he was told. Soon, he was engrossed in what he was doing.

Alistair watched for a few minutes, then turned and walked to his bag. I should get ready, too, he thought. With that in mind, he reached in and pulled out the mass of metal and leather. Carth looked on. "Hey, what is that?"

"Mandalorian dueling armor. It's lighter than assault armor, but still a lot heavier then anything else I've ever seen." "Huh. I don't see how you get it on. It looks like a bunch of chain weave and metal plates held together with a bunch of strapping. How does it work?"

Alistair chuckled. "I figured you'd say that. Watch and learn." He began untangling part of the leather, separating and lining it up. Then he pulled on one part of the chain weave, and it uncoiled into a sleeve-like form. He did the same with the other side.

Then he picked it up and shook it out; lo and behold, an armored shirt. He slipped it on over his head, the shoulder plates falling into place nicely. Carth noticed something. "Hey, why does it leave your stomach uncovered?"

Alistair laughed again. "Because I'm not through yet. Now hush, and keep watching." He picked up another bunch of armor and shook it out; pants. He put them on, and pulled up on a flap that would come up and cover the area Carth asked about. Several little slots provided space for the various straps on the shirt to go in and back out, where buckles hooked them back onto each other.

He reached behind himself, where a large plate covered his back. Several hooks hung down over the pants, and they were connected to the requisite slots. However, several still hung about, with no apparent companion hook.

He looked down; a few more plates remained. He picked up one that was shaped like a chest plate, and held it against his chest while he buckled the hanging straps into their respective slots. Only four plates, a pair of gauntlets, a belt, and the oversized blaster pistol remained in the bag.

The gauntlets were attached to bracers by a series of links. The bracers had more little hooks on the bottom, where they attached to his arm. Then three more straps were wrapped around and around the bracers to ensure they didn't slip at inopportune moments.

The four plates went onto his legs; shin guards and thigh guards. Finally, the belt went around his waist, and the final few hooks and straps were put into place. He then reached into a pocket on the side of the bag and removed a bunch of strange devices. These devices hooked onto the belt, where hidden wires were attached to them. These wires traveled throughout the armor, integrated with the hooks and straps.

Alistair stood, almost ready for battle; a few more touches were needed. First, his gigantic sword was placed into its scabbard, and the scabbard was strapped and hooked to his back. The tubes on the gun were sorted out, and then attached to ports in the left gauntlet. A holster hung ready at his side, a part of the armor. The gun went into it.

Those tubes snaked up his left arm, and hung out behind his shoulder. The plate on this shoulder was humped up, higher then the other; a device was underneath it, and the tubes were connected to it. Wires hanging from the back were then attached to the requisite devices on his belt.

At last, all was in readiness. A flick of a switch on one of the devices on his belt, and the whole lot stirred into mechanical life; slight humming noises emanated from it. Another flick of another switch, and a field of sorts flickered into life; the humming noise faded. A final switch; the device on his shoulder turned on. Fluid began flowing through the tubes; the device was a pump.

Alistair pulled the gun out again. It was an impressive sight; three and a half feet long, multiple barrels, lots of buttons and switches. He examined the barrels; six smaller ones surrounded a much larger one. He spun them around; a satisfying growl of energy came forth from it.

He turned a dial, flipped a switch, and spun the barrels again; the growl was higher pitched, not quite so threatening. Then he spun and shot the wall. The blast flew through the air, struck the wall, and dispersed; a stun shot. He flipped another switch, flicked off the first one, and shot again; a bolt of plasma shot forth, and once again struck and dispersed on the wall, leaving a burn mark. Carth, having gotten over his initial shock, whistled. "Variable power levels. Nice." "Isn't it, though? But I'm not through yet; keep watching."

He flicked yet another switch, and flipped off the other. This time the shot was a standard blast, striking the wall and bouncing off and up towards the ceiling, where a small explosion indicated its demise. He then flipped on all the switches, turned the dial up slightly, and moved a small lever from one setting to another. He pulled the trigger and held it for a second while energy built up within the chambers of the barrels. He released the trigger, and a large blast hurtled forth and exploded against the wall, nearly blowing it out. Carth yelled, "Hey! Are you trying to get us kicked out?!? Don't do that!" Saino cursed and dropped the sword and his tools. "Do you two mind? I'm working here! Sheesh…"

Alistair ignored them, however. He turned the dial back down and moved the lever again. He pulled the trigger, and a rapid stream of various energy types flew forth at the wall, dispersing harmlessly. He stopped after about three seconds. "That was all on the lowest power setting, except for the charge shot; that would take too long to charge on the lowest setting. You don't want to see any of those blasts when it's on full power."

He put the blaster back into the holster, and walked over to Saino. "Hey, you got that sword fixed up yet?" "Yep. You guys ready?" "Hold it. Carth, that jacket of yours isn't gonna do much. You'd better get something else." Carth chuckled. "That's what they all say. Look here." He unzipped the front and pulled on a seam inside, to reveal a section of chain mail sewn into the lining. "It's cortosis alloy, too. There's also a field generator for when we're up against blasters. So don't you worry about me, ok?" "Alright, Carth. Well, let's get out of here."

They walked out of the apartment and headed for the elevators. But they were stopped by the sight of a Sith patrol harassing a couple of Duros workers. The officer in charge was pissed off at something, and she was taking it out on the helpless aliens. "Alright, you alien scum. Everybody up against the wall! This is a raid!" One of the Duros made a mistake when he spoke up against them. The officer pulled her rifle and blasted the alien's stomach out. "That's how we Sith handle smart-mouthed aliens. Now, up against the wall!"

Saino was starting to loose his temper at the mistreatment of the innocent workers. He stepped forward, drawing his blade at the same time. "Hey you! Pick on someone your own size!" The officer whirled about, her eyes wide. "Jedi robes? They're republic fugitives! Shoot them!"

Saino threw himself forward and cut down one of the patrol droids before it could bring its weapon to bear, while Carth shot the second one into rubble with surgically precise use of his blasters. That left Alistair to deal with the officer. She snarled and drew a pair of vibroblades. "Die, Republic scum!" With that, she ran at Alistair.

Alistair had little time to react; the officer was rather fast. Hmm… this could be a challenge! He threw himself to the side just in time, spinning and drawing his huge sword at the same time. He brought it up just as the officer spun in a counter slash, nearly decapitating him. She followed up with a quick series of blows from her blades, using a style that spun in constant circles that made full use of the few defensive opportunities afforded by the use of two blades.

Alistair saw all this with his mind's eye, and automatically figured that with the size of his sword compared with hers, he would need all his speed and power; therefore, a two-handed grip was needed. So he jumped back and held his sword accordingly, in low stance with sword held high, which presented his lower torso and his legs to his opponent as bait.

She took it, with both swords cutting down in a scissor-like strike intended to cut through flesh and leave the victim legless. She didn't count on his armor being able to withstand vibroblades, nor did she count on his huge sword stabbing done and impaling her to the floor.

Carth and Saino had dispatched the remaining droids in the few seconds that Alistair and the officer had taken while they fought. The remaining Duros mourned his friend for a second, and then said that he would hide the bodies in a place that would implicate the local gangs. The group of Republic soldiers thanked him and moved on to the elevator, and then on to the Upper City of Taris.