Slayers of the Old Republic

Book II: Taris

By Michael Weyer

The smell assailed them as soon as they stepped off the elevator. "Damn," Carth gasped. "Scratch this place off the next shore leave."

"Ah, now I'm really reminded of Nar Shadda," Vance said, wrinkling his nose.

"Now you get why the Uppers like to stay up there," Faith said as she led the way down the corridors. They stopped as they saw two gangs facing off with one another. Each was a mix of humans, Rodian, Ithorian and Twi'leks. One gang wore red and orange clothing, the others in tan. "Ah, shit," Faith muttered.

A Ithorian in tan pointed at the other gang. "This is Vulkar territory! You Beks shouldn't be here!"

A Bek Rodian snapped at him. "You Vulkars can't keep pushing us around! We'll fight to be here!"

"You'll die here then!" With that, the groups went at it with daggers and vibroblades. Seeing as how the Vulkars outnumbered the Beks two to one, it wasn't too surprising that within minutes, the four Beks lay dead on the ground. The lead Vulkar turned to see the new arrivals. "So…big bad intruders from above, eh? You should have just kept walking!"

"Ah, hell," Carth muttered as he yanked his blasters up and fired a trio of shots into the leader's chest. As he went down, the others moved, blades out, Buffy's lightsaber flashing in the dim lighting. She sliced through one Vulkar's blade, cutting through it and its owner's head. Faith dodged another Vulkar's strike to slice him across the back, then buried her blade into the chest of another. Vance was a whirlwind with the two swords he carried, cutting down a pair of Vulkars, blocking the thrust of another before slicing his throat. Carth's steady aim soon took the last of the Vulkar's down.

The four checked each other over to make sure they were okay. "Damn," Buffy said as she switched her saber off. "I forgot how easy non-Sith can be."

"Don't get cocky," Faith quickly said. "These were just some lower-rung gang guys. If we were to run into any of Davik's men…well, he's stricter in hiring practices."

Carth and Vance quickly checked over the bodies to pull out credits and other materials they might need. "We'd better get moving before someone finds this," Carth stated.

"They'll probably think they just killed each other," Faith stated as she led the way down the hallways. "But yeah, we'd better move. Come on, Javyar's is nearby. It's a cantina, neutral ground and just the place to get some info."

"What's it like?" Buffy asked as she followed the other woman."

"Remember Willy's?"

"Yeah?"

"Not quite that high-class."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It didn't matter what galaxy it was, a cantina was still a cantina. There was the buzz of conversation in various languages, a haze of smoke, music from a band nearby, the usual atmosphere of danger and greed.

As the four entered, they saw a trio of Vulkars coming toward a man sitting at the bar. He was a short and stocky man dressed in a blue cloak, black gloves and pants and an elaborate suit of armor under his tunic. A large white cowl covered most of his head and face and large mirrored glasses, almost like goggles, covered his eyes.

The man didn't look up but simply spoke in a flat tone. "Go away."

"Hey, you no talk to us like that!" a Rodian taunted. "We just want to say hello to the big bad bounty hunter, Calo Nord!"

"This can't be Calo Nord!" a Twi'lek laughed. "Calo Nord said to be big and tough! This guy's just a runt!"

"One," Nord flatly intoned, still staring at his drink.

"What? What, you trying to be funny?"

"We're Black Vulkars! You don't wanna be funny with us!"

"Two."

"One? Two? What, you counting?"

"Counting how many of us against you? Make it easy, little man. Three of us. One of you. Big trouble for you!"

"Three."

Even Buffy couldn't follow what happened next. In a move so fluid it hardly registered to the eye, Nord swung away from his chair and smashed the glass mug into one Rodian's face. As he staggered back, Nord hopped off his stool, drew a pair of blasters and fired three times. As the three Vulkars dropped dead to the ground, each killed by a single shot, Nord slid his blasters back into their holsters.

All action nearby froze as everyone stared at the amazing aftermath, most not even seeing what happened. Nord bent to examine one dead Vulkar, pulling out his purse. He rummaged about to throw some coins on the bar, poured the rest of the credits into his own pocket and dropped the purse on the owner's body. He walked toward the exit, pausing as he saw Buffy, Faith, Carth and Vance all staring at him.

"One."

Very quickly, the four immediately scattered out of his way.

"Smart," Nord noted with the faintest trace of amusement as he marched past them and out the exit. The bar started to go back to normal, a pair of bouncers already dragging the bodies away.

"So that was Calo Nord," Vance breathed. "I…I didn't think he was actually real. I thought he was just some story they created to scare smugglers."

"Did you see how he moved?" Carth asked.

"Actually, no," Buffy stated, suppressing a shiver. "There's a story that the Sith hired him to take out a group of Jedi on Felucia."

"Did he?"

Buffy shrugged. "They never came back from their mission. It's possible they ran into some lifeform there or a Sith attack. I thought it was impossible for one guy to take out five Jedi. But now…"

Before Faith could reply to that, they heard a loud female voice. "Bug off, creep!" The four turned and moved into the cantina. Near the spot where Nord had killed the three Vulkars, they saw a pair of Rodians hassling a young woman. She was Twi'lek with blue skin, the tentacles that were unique to her species flowing free from her head with a dark band between them. She wore leather pants and a dark jacket with gloves, an annoyed expression on her face as she faced the two aliens.

"Litte girl shouldn't be here alone," one Rodian sneered. "Little girl not too bright, shouldn't be here alone."

"I said, back off if you know what's good for you!" the Twi'lek barked.

The other Rodian laughed. "Ooooh, little girl got big mouth! Maybe she need lesson in manners?"

Instead of showing fear, the Twi'lek just turned and called out. "Hey, Zaalbar, a little help here?"

The answer came in a series of roars and it took Buffy a moment to realize what language it was. She smiled at the others. "Oh, this is gonna be good."

"Come on, you can wait a minute!" the Twi'lek called out. "You could use a workout by ripping these guys' legs off!"

There was a sigh and then a massive figure appeared beside her. It was a Wookie, standing nearly seven feet tall, covered completely in brown fur with a loose pair of shoulder straps attached to a belt its own clothing. He moved in and glared at the two Rodians, who immediately backed up. "We don't want no trouble with Wookie!" one said.

The Twi'lek grinned. "You got a problem with me, you got a problem with Big Z. Now get out of here before he gets mad. He's already annoyed at missing his meal."

"Little girl lucky she got big friend!" the Rodian said as he and his companion quickly walked away. The girl was chuckling as the group came up to her, Faith wearing a bemused expression. "Still got a way with people, huh, Mission?"

The Twi'lek's face brightened. "Faith! Hi, it's good to see you again! What brings you down here?"

"Ah, just giving some friends the tour," Faith said. "This is Carth, Vance and…Elaine," she said, giving Buffy a look that Carth noticed. "Guys, this is Mission Vao and the big lug with her is Zaalbar."

The Wookie grunted a greeting and Buffy smiled. "Good to meet you as well, Zaalbar."

Vance nodded and spoke something that sounded like a series of barks. The Wookie's eyes widened. "You know the language of my people? That is rare for humans!"

"I have a knack for languages," Vance explained. He looked to Mission. "I have to admit, you're only the third of fourth Twi'lek I've met who speaks Basic."

"Most of us learn it," Mission stated. "Most just prefer to speak their own language. Me, I grew up here in Taris so I find it a bit easier to just stick with Basic." She crossed her arms as she looked over the group. "So, off-worlders, huh? Let me guess, you were coming by for a quick stopover and got stuck here by the quarantine, huh? Well, if you need any info, you've come to the right place! Me and Big Z have explored all over the city, even the Undercity and sewers. What do you guys need?"

"Actually, we're looking for information on the Hidden Beks," Buffy said.

"The Beks? Yeah, me and Z hang out there a lot. Gandon, that's the leader, he's a great guy!"

"We heard there were some…troubles with them and the Vulkars."

Mission snorted. "That's the understatement of the year! The Beks and Vulkars have always been rivals but it wasn't too serious. That all changed when Gandon got into a swoop bike accident that damaged his eyes. He got some special implants to allow him to see but was still technically blind. Everyone figured he'd step down and let Brejik, his second in command, take over as leader. But Gandon didn't think Brejik was quite ready and stuck on."

"Bet that didn't make Brejik happy," Carth said.

"You better believe it," Mission continued. "That miserable Hutt-spawn quit and defected to the Vulkars. Gandon was practically a father to that punk and Brejik just spat on all he'd done for him! Next thing you know, the Vulkars are fighting, looting, attacking passerbys and the Beks! This whole damn gang war is all Brejik's fault."

Carth nodded as he took the news in. "Is Brejik connected to Davik?"

"There are rumors but nothing proven. I wouldn't put it past either one of them to do something like that. Course Davik's already got a few things on his plate. One's Calo Nord."

"The bounty hunter who just came through here?"

"Yep. My bet is that he was brought here to do a job but got stuck with everyone else when the Sith took over. He's probably gone as soon as he gets the chance. And if Davik has his way, that'll be soon."

"What do you mean?" Vance asked.

"Well…" Mission rubbed her chin. "There's some rumors that Davik's got some souped-up ship, the fastest on the planet. Problem is, if he tries to leave without the right access codes, the Sith fleet will blast it to pieces. But if I know Davik, he's got a half-dozen plans to get those codes by now."

Carth and Vance shared a knowing look. "Thanks for the info, Mission," Faith stated. "Say, you know anything about any Republic escape pods that might have crashed."

"No," Mission said. "But the Beks might."

"We'd better check with them then," Buffy said. "It was nice meeting you."

"Yeah, me and Z better get going. I wanted to check out something anyway."

"But Mission, I still haven't had my meal!" Buffy had to bite back a smile. She didn't think it was possible to hear a Wookie whine.

"Will you quit thinking with your stomach for ten seconds?" Mission asked as the two headed off.

Vance smiled at Faith. "Quite the unique pair. How do you know them?"

"Ran into them a couple of times during the job," Faith answered. "They're not crooks, just trying to survive so I just let her off with a warning."

"Still, a Twi'lek and a Wookie…not exactly the sort of pairing you'd expect."

"Mission said it's the perfect combo, his muscle and her street smarts," the Slayer replied. "In this place, strength in numbers is a good thing."

"A good fact to bear in mind," Buffy agreed as they headed back out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Beks base wasn't far from the cantina and the group was passing another intersection when they saw a man in a dark outfit facing off against two Vulkars. "You Vulkars have been slacking off with your payments," the man was saying in a hard tone. "You think because you're in a gang, you can slack off your dues?"

One Vulkar had a sour look on his face. "I don't see Davik risking his neck. We take the risks, we do the work. I'd like to see him come down here and take our money."

The man smiled. "Okay, have it your way." He let out a sharp whistle and from the shadows, a man stepped forward. He was about six feet tall and broad-shouldered with a hard muscular physique. His square-jawed faced was marked with several scars and his hair was cut in a quite short military style. He wore light pants with thick boots, a muscle shirt with brown vest and he carried a blaster cannon as large as Buffy's leg.

There was no doubt what the man was. If ever a person could be the definitive picture of a Mandalorian, it was him.

The Vulkars apparently realized it, both becoming quite nervous. "Hey…hey, Canderous," one stammered. "We…we didn't know you were working for Davik now."

"Now you do," the Mandalorian said in a cool tone.

"Um…okay…here's the cut!" one Vulkar quickly said, throwing a whole bag to the other man. "Take it, we don't want any trouble."

"Smart move," the gangster sneered. "Now get out of here!" The two Vulkars quickly raced off as the Mandalorian lowered his gun.

"Too bad," he growled. "I was looking forward to busting some heads."

"Maybe next time," the gangster said. "I've got to get this over to Davik." He walked away as Canderous watched him. His back was to the group so it was a bit startling when he suddenly spoke up. "Those Vulkars are dumber than a Coruscant granite-slug. They actually think being part of that pathetic little gang makes them important. Gandon's smart enough to keep the Beks in line but Brejik's getting delusions of grandeur. Can't wait for Davik to slap the little punk down."

"Who are you?" Buffy asked.

The man turned and fixed her with a steely glare. "I'm someone you don't want to get on the bad side of. And I don't have time to waste talking to some off-worlder." With that, he turned and marched into the shadows of the hallways.

"Good riddance," Carth muttered. "Last time I was this close to a Mandalorian, I had to put a blaster shot between his eyes. Trust me, this guy was on the friendly side."

"He didn't seem happy," Faith noted.

Buffy nodded. "Must be hell for him."

Carth gaped at her. "Are you kidding me? He's a thug and a mercenary, how can you sympathize with him?"

"He used to be a warrior and now he's just an enforcer," Buffy said. "Believe me, Carth, I know how it feels to lose out on something you were once a big part of."

Carth shook his head. "No offense, Elaine," he put special emphasis on that name. "But you were just a kid during the wars. You haven't seen what those butchers did to helpless, innocent civilians. I'm not wasting any time sympathizing with him."

There was obviously something hanging over Carth but none of the other three was in the mood to explore it right now. Instead, they made their way down the hallway to come to a door with a female human guarding it.

"Hold it!" she snapped. "This is Hidden Bek territory. What's your business?"

"We want to speak to Gandon," Buffy said diplomatically.

The guard sniffed. "Lots of people want to speak to him. Like the Vulkars and the Sith. He's got too many enemies to let anyone in!"

"We can be allies against those enemies," Buffy said, putting the mildest touch of Force persuasion into her words.

The guard thought about it and nodded. "Well, you don't look like Sith, that's true. And I doubt you'd be dumb enough to try anything in Gandon's own base. Okay, you can go in. But watch yourselves." She hit a code and the doors behind her slid open.

The quartet entered to see various beings milling about, all in Bek colors. Some were playing a card game, others working on a swoop bike in the corner, a couple milling about a table at the rear. Seated behind it was a black man in a nice riding suit. His eyes seemed glassy, as if blind yet he seemed to be studying a data pad. Next to him was a Twi'lek woman, her skin pale and her eyes cold as she focused on the approaching guests.

"Hold it!" she snapped in Basic. "Who are you and what do you want! If you're here for trouble, you're going to get more than you can handle!"

"Easy, Zaerdra," the man said. "No one's going to try anything in our own base. It'd be a suicide mission."

The woman kept her gaze focused on Buffy and Vance as she addressed the man. "You're too trusting, Gandon. Brejik and the Vulkars want you dead! These people may be spies or assassians sent by them! It's my job to protect you and any stranger is a potential threat!"

"So we just attack anyone on sight?" Gandon demanded as he rose to his feet. "How does that make us better than the Vulkars? I won't let it come to that!"

He turned to the group and sighed. "You'll have to forgive Zaerdra. She's been a bit overprotective of me. She forgets I can take care of myself," he directed at his second, who bristled a bit. Shaking his head, Gandon returned his attention to the group. "I'm sorry. I'm Gandon, leader of the Hidden Beks. How can I help you?"

"We're looking for information on any Republic escape pods that may have crashed," Carth explained.

"Escape pods?" Gandon frowned. "Interesting…You don't look like Sith, that's for sure."

"They could be spies working for them," Zaerdra interjected with hard suspicion in her voice.

Gandon glared at her. "If the Sith thought we knew anything, they'd send an entire battalion to kick our door down!"

"I take it you have problems with the Sith?" Vance asked.

Gandon snorted. "A hostile army invades our planet, takes over and declares martial law? You're damn right, I have a problem with it! So far, they've left us alone, which is smart. If they came down in force, all the gangs would put aside any differences and unite against them. We'd use guerilla tactics, urban warfare, hit and run attacks. That would put a dent in those tin-plated bastards."

"Don't fool yourself," Carth stated. "The Sith would never do that. They'd do something more…more grand like total bombardment to wipe you all out!" Faith noticed a tremble of anger in his voice when he spoke, as if it was from experience.

"I've tried to explain that to Brejik," Gandon said. "But he refuses to listen to reason and instead keeps up this stupid gang war." He sighed and shook his head. "Sometimes I think it would have been better if I'd just stepped down and let him take over. Maybe we could have avoided all of this."

"Don't think like that, Gandon," Zaerdra said, her voice a bit softer. "He wanted this gang war, one way or another. If you'd stepped down, he'd just have led the Beks against the Vulkars! He was always power-hungry, that's why you didn't want to give him control."

Gandon sighed sadly. "I know you're right, Zaerdra. I just hate to admit it. I did my best to teach him and that he was plotting behind my back all the time…it's a hard betrayal."

"It's always hard when it's a friend," Carth said with a bitterness in his voice. "It makes it harder to see the obvious clues." Once again, Faith made a note to ask him about why this sounded so personal to him.

Buffy noticed it too but had more pressing questions. "Any word on the escape pods?"

Gandon shook his head. "Sorry, but they were already picked clean by the Vulkars before we could get there. I also heard they captured a Republic officer."

That got the group's attention. "Bastila," Buffy whispered. "Where'd they take her? To the Sith?"

"No, she's too valuable for that," Gandon answered. "A Republic officer is a major catch so I'm sure Brejik is figuring out a good deal for her."

"They still think she's just an officer," Carth whispered to Buffy. "That could work to our advantage."

"If I know Bastila, she'll figure a way out herself."

"I doubt it," Gandon said. "Brejik wants her as a prize. He won't trust her around his men. He'll have her kept under wraps until the race."

"Race?" Vance asked.

Gandon nodded grimly. "I'm afraid your friend has become a pawn in Brejik's scheme to take over the Lower City gangs. He's offered up your friend as the Vulkar's share prize in the big Swoop Race. By offering such a big prize, he's hoping to gather more of the smaller gangs to his banner and use their numbers to wipe us out."

"So how do we go about rescuing her?" Buffy demanded.

Gandon rubbed his chin. "Well, the best way would probably be to win the big race."

Carth's eyes shot wide open. "Are you kidding me?"

"It's the best method," Gandon said. "And, I can help you out with it. Provided, of course, you do a favor for me."

"What sort of favor?" Faith asked with suspicion.

"We got a prototype swoop accelerator designed. It's guaranteed to be faster than anything the Vulkars can put out there. Which is why they stole it from us and are planning to use it themselves. If you can break into their base and get it back, we'll sponsor you as our racer. Win the race, you get your friend without having to fight off the entire Vulkar gang."

"I assume we can't just stroll in the front door," Vance noted.

"No, you'll have to go through a side entrance," Gandon said. "There are some ways through the sewer system in the Undercity. Mission can help you with that."

"Mission?" Zaerdra erupted. "Gandon, you can't be serious! She's just a kid!"

"She's also explored more of the Undercity than anyone else," Gandon argued. "She knows every back alley, crawlspace and hidden corner. If anyone can get you in, it's her."

"We met her earlier," Faith stated. "I think she said she was heading to the Undercity."

"In that case," Gandon said as he opened a drawer on his table. "These might help. We ambushed a Sith patrol a while back and got some authorization papers. They'll get you through the elevator up here and down to the Undercity."

Buffy accepted the papers. "Thanks."

"You watch yourself down there," Gandon warned. "The creatures there are more nasty than you can imagine. And there might be Sith patrols as well."

"I can handle nasty," Buffy stated.

"Yeah, you should have seen this one guy she dated-----"

"Faith!"

Vance nodded at Gandon. "Thanks for the help. We'll be back as soon as we can."

"Make sure it's just you," Zaerdra stated, her eyes narrowed. "Or else."

Her glare still remained on them as they exited. Vance glanced at Buffy with a frown. "Guy you dated? I thought Jedi didn't have attachments."

"I wasn't a Jedi then," Buffy easily answered. "And no, we're forbidden attachments. Emotions, strong ones especially, can be dangerous and lead to the Dark Side."

Faith raised an eyebrow. "Damn, B. When did you become a drone for lessons?"

Buffy glared at her but Carth interjected. "Okay, what's this 'B' thing? What is your real name? I know it's not Elaine."

Buffy sighed. "Buffy Summers." Carth and Vance exchanged a surprised look. "Yeah, yeah, I know, I've heard them all," Buffy spat.

"So, why a different name?" Carth asked, the suspicion clear in his voice.

"It's a long story."

"I want to hear it," Carth said.

Buffy glared at him. "Why do you care?"

"Because I don't like secrets," Carth said. "Secrets indicate lack of trust and I've already told you I don't trust people. I'm not made that way, not anymore."

"Why?"

Carth looked away and Faith rolled her eyes. "Oh, brother, this Bastila is soooo dead."