Slayers of the Old Republic

Book II: Taris

By Michael Weyer

Author's note: As some KOTOR fans will no doubt notice, this is not a literal translation of the game due mostly to space constraints. I've also taken into account how some parts of the quests and events work better in the context of a video game than in the story and have been doing my best to "streamline" it so the tale flows better. For Buffy fans, the Undercity segment is one of the longest parts of the game so thanks for being patient with it so far. As usual, all comments welcomed.

Gammoreans, Buffy quickly realized, were among the most disgusting creatures she'd ever encountered.

Each one was built like a sumo wrestler with green skin and pig-like mouths. One good thing was that, despite all their great strength, they lacked anything closely resembling smarts, which gave the new arrivals a definite advantage.

Buffy ducked the swing of one Gammorean and rose up to slice his chest with her lightsaber. Vance was near her, using his dual blades quite well to cut down another Gammorean. The sound of blasters ripped through the tight space as Mission fired at two others. It was obvious she was a crack shot, whether by practice or instinct, as both her targets went down.

They had been making their way through the sewers for the last half hour. Buffy had to admit, it was ironic that the sewers were probably the best-maintained part of the Undercity. Sure, there was that oppressive smell but not a lot of trash around. It was surprisingly well lit, perhaps to help the workers. Or, she suspected, to help the Vulkars get around to their base. There also weren't as many rakghouls, no doubt due to the Gammorean's work.

Vance pulled his blade out of one green-skinned body and wiped his brow. "How much further? I'm starting to get annoyed by these things."

"We should be getting close," Mission said as she pocketed her blasters.

Buffy furrowed her brow and reached out, her eyes fixing on a blast door nearby. "There." She led the way to it, pressing on the lock.

"Here," Vance said as he moved forward. "I can reprogram------"

Buffy jammed her lightsaber into the lock, causing it to spark and the doors to slide open. Vance raised his eyebrows at her. "Thought you Jedi weren't supposed to go so extreme."

"I'm…not your typical Jedi," Buffy said as she entered the room, the other two behind her. There was a Gammorean standing guard who turned as the trio entered. He hefted his axe and moved in but Buffy threw out her arm and a Force wave sent him flying back against the wall hard. He fell in a limp pile, letting out a groan before going still.

Inside a small cell, Zaalbar's eyes widened. "You're a sight for sore eyes, Mission!" he growled.

"You didn't think I was gonna forget you, did you?" the Twi'lek said as Vance quickly opened the cell door. She moved in and embraced the Wookie, who did his best to return the hug without crushing her. "Mission and Big Z-----friends forever!"

Zaalbar turned to face Buffy and Vance. "You…you have risked your lives to save mine. I did not think there humans capable of this. There is only one way I can repay this favor. I swear a lifedebt to you."

Mission's eyes went wide. "A lifedebt, Z? Are you sure about this?"

I'm sure, Mission. This is an issue of deep importance to me. Because of our great strength, Wookiees are being used as slaves on our own home world, or sent off-world as curiosities and beasts. Over the years, slavers have taken many of my people - our villages under constant siege."

"Life-debt?" Buffy asked. "What is that?"

"The most solemn vow a Wookie can make," Vance told her. "When a Wookie makes it, it means he sticks to that person for the rest of their lives, no matter what."

"In the presence of all of you, I swear my life-debt. Forever after, I will be at your side. May this vow be as strong as the great wroshyr trees of Kashyyyk."

"Well, looks like you've got both of us then," Mission stated. "Where Big Z goes, I go."

Vance rolled his eyes. "Great. Just what I wanted."

"Oh, be quiet," Buffy snapped at him. She looked to Mission. "Okay, we did our part. Now where's the Vulkar base?"

"This way," Mission said as she led them out into a side hallway. "There's a security gate at the end of this but I filched the codes off a Vulkar who had too much to drink."

"That'll save us time," Buffy said as she followed the Twi'lek. Mission led them to a small computer that stood by a shimmering force field. She quickly entered code and the field shut off. The quartet moved down the hallway, Zaalbar lumbering in the rear.

"Hey, Big Z, we've got to do something about your breath," Mission stated. "I didn't want to say anything, but it's bad. Worse than usual, which is hard to believe. What did they feed you, buddy?"

"They didn't." Zaalbar flatly admitted. "I wasn't their guest, Mission. I was a prisoner. I don't think they cared much what happened to me."

"Oh, Zaalbar, that's terrible! I know how grouchy you get if you don't get your eight square meals a day. I´m amazed you didn't pass out from hunger." Mission noted.

"I did manage to take a chunk out of the arm of a guard that wandered too close to my cage." Zaalbar noted, grinning slightly. "But it tasted awful, so I spit it out."

"Ewww!" Mission said, wrinkling her nose. "No wonder your breath is so bad, Big Z! Gammoreans smell like bantha poo-doo!" Buffy and Vance couldn't help but laugh when Mission mimed gagging and vomiting. "We'll have to pick you up a toothbrush to clean that stench off your choppers."

The Wookie's eyes went wide. "Wookiees do not brush their teeth, Mission! It… it just isn't done! What humiliation will you use on me next? A comb?" Zaalbar asked, obviously horror-struck.

"Okay, relax. No toothbrush. Sheesh." Mission made calming motions with her hands. "Just try to eat something else to cover up that smell, okay? Stay away from anything that's smart enough to lock you in a cage this time." Mission suggested.

Zaalbar sighed, but nodded. "I'll take care of it as soon as I can, Mission. For now, let´s stay focused on the task at hand."

The group was headed to a large blast door and had almost reached it when a massive roar filled the hallway. They all froze, thrown by the savage sound. "What the hell…?" Buffy asked.

Mission swallowed. "Oh, boy. I was hoping it was just a story…"

"What?" Vance whirled, his eyes peered. "What is just a story?"

Mission rubbed her face. "Um, well, it seems that as an extra security precaution, the Vulkars got something to guard the back entrance."

"What?"

"A rancor."

Vance and Buffy exchanged a shocked look. "Yep," Mission confirmed. "Don't ask me how it got on Taris, I have no idea. But, it looks like it may be behind there."

"And that's the only way in?" Buffy asked.

"Unless you want to go in the front."

Buffy bit her lip as she moved to the door. Her foot hit something and she looked down to see a severed arm clutching a datapad and a small vial. "Oh, great. It's a messy eater."

Vance reached down to take the pad and skim through it. "Interesting…" he muttered.

Buffy was more interested in the vial, lifting it up and taking a whiff. She gasped at the rancid smell but then smiled. "Well, well. I think this may be a help."

She moved to the door and hit the lock to open it. The four carefully peered in to see a large open chamber. In one corner was a larder filled with the remains of various creatures from rakghouls to Gammoreans to humans. Most of the bones had been picked clean of all flesh. At the other end of the chamber, shuffling near a doorway was the rancor. It was a huge beast, hunched over with skin as hard as steel. Its hands were bigger than two Wookies and the claws on it were sharp enough to slice through a starfighter. It was turned away but they were all aware of its giant maw with razor-sharp teeth.

"Oh my damn," Buffy whispered. She swallowed and turned to Vance. "Any grenades?"

"Just one," he said. "Had to use the other on those rakghoul by the sewer entrance."

Buffy bit her lip and looked at the vial. "Hmm…Give it to me. I got an idea."

Vance handed it over and with a deep breath, Buffy raced into the chamber. She did her best to use her powers to hide her presence as she made her way to the larder. She uncorked the vial and let the smell carry through the chamber. She could see the rancor smell it, the scent of fresh meat. Buffy had no idea why the late owner of the datapad was carrying around synthized odor but wasn't going to argue with her good fortune.

As the rancor began to move, Buffy quickly poured the serum over the grenade. She waited two seconds before activating the device and then took off in a dash back to the door. The rancor did not notice her, partly because of her Force masking and partly because it was fixated on the scent. It rummaged through the larder to find the grenade. Its puny mind couldn't comprehend what it was, the scent of food overwhelming and thus the rancor threw it down its throat. It was stepping back when the grenade detonated inside. It let out a loud roar of agony as light seemed to erupt from his mouth. Amazingly, its outer skin was still intact as it stumbled and then collapsed to the ground.

Buffy let out a breath as she moved into the chamber. "I'll be damned. It worked."

"Wow!" Mission said. "That was amazing!"

"Impressive," Vance admitted as they moved around the rancor's corpse. "Looks like the way is clear."

Mission nodded as she led them to the large doorway at the rear of the chamber. "Be sharp. This place is probably gonna be teeming with Vulkars."

"Maybe you should stay out here then," Buffy said with concern.

Mission glowered. "Hey! No way are you sticking me on the sidelines here! I got you this far, I'm going all the way!"

Vance smiled, starting to like this kid. "An extra pair of blasters can help," he pointed out to Buffy.

The blonde-haired woman sighed. "Fine, fine. But stay behind me." She marched to the doors and the hallway leading to an elevator. A quick ride up and the group were inside the Vulkar base.

As she suspected, Buffy could tell the place was, in essence, an intergalactic chop shop. They made their way down hallways and past a few doors, trying to keep quiet. They came to one door and Buffy opened it. Inside was a green-skinned Twi'lek and a human woman in clothes barely better than the Outcasts. Both reacted in shock to the intruders, the Twi'lek moving to an alarm. Buffy threw out her arm to stop him in place. "Quiet," she hissed with a bit of Force persuasion.

"Please," the woman whimpered. "I'm not a Vulkar! I…my father owed a debt and couldn't pay so they…they killed him and used me as a servant."

Zaalbar snarled as he moved to the Twi'lek. "I despise slavers!"

The man shook his head, his tentacles bouncing. "No! No! I'm not one of them! I'm a true Vulkar!"

"What does that mean?" Buffy demanded.

"I…I was a member back when being a Vulkar meant something," the man continued. "Three years ago, Brejik defected to us and we thought we had gained a significant advantage against our rivals. Within a year, he assassinated our leader, Karo, and consolidated power. His cronies and sycophants moved up and now I am here, a lowly guard."

"I take it you're not a fan of Brejik?"

The Twi'lek sniffed. "A gang war? Consolidating power? Attacking civilians? We were never meant to be a gang of thugs doing Davik's dirty work. If you're here to cause trouble for Brejik…well, go on and do it."

"You know where we can find the stolen swoop accelerator?" Vance demanded.

"That? Yes, Kandon has that with him. His office is on the upper garage level but he'll have some guards around him."

"We'll get around that," Buffy said. "Now, how about the prisoner you seized from the Republic escape pods?"

"Her?" the Twi'lek seemed surprised they were interested. "Yes, we had her but she's not here. Brejik doesn't trust the men with such an important prize and he's got her at a secret location. Only he knows where that is. He won't show her off until the time of the big race."

Buffy made a decision. "The Rancor's been dealt with by the side entrance. You two can get out through there to the Undercity."

"You…you're letting us go free?" the woman said, hope in her voice.

"See Gandon when you get to the Lower City," Buffy continued. "I think he'll be able to help you out."

"Thank you…thank you, human," the Twi'lek said as he rummaged through his coat. "Here. Consider this payment for your good nature." He handed Buffy a small datacard. "The passcodes to get past the security doors and turn off the turrets by the main garage."

"Thanks," Buffy said. "Good luck."

The woman paused only to give her a quick hug and then one for Vance. Then she and the Twi'lek raced out toward the elevator. "I am surprised," Zaalbar stated. "I have not seen many humans with such a streak of kindness within them. Most would have asked for money or simply killed them to keep an alarm down."

"You can't judge us all by a few bad apples," Buffy said.

Vance frowned at her. "What's an apple?"

Buffy brushed past him as they headed into the base. It seemed to be mostly empty and the few guards around were soon distracted thanks to a little Force persuasion. They found the security console and used the datacard to open the doors to another elevator.

A quick ride up and they found themselves in a huge garage, swoop bikes spread out all around, some hanging from the large ceiling. The group carefully stole across it and down another hallway before coming to a large door by an office. With a quick look at each other, Buffy and Vance moved in to slide the doors open.

Inside were a batch of Vulkars surrounding a green-skinned Twi'lek male with a yellow female bodyguard. All of them instantly drew weapons at the intruders. "Well, well," the Twi'lek, who Buffy guessed was Kandon, said. "I don't recall sending out an invitation."

"Shall I kill them, Kandon?" the woman eagerly asked.

"Not yet," Kandon stated as he calmly studied the arrivals. "You're not wearing Bek colors. Let me guess, a lackey conned by Gandon to steal back his precious accelerator? Well, I didn't go to the trouble of taking that prototype just to let that old fool get it back!"

"Let's make this easy," Buffy said, stepping forward. "Just hand it over, we leave and no one gets hurt."

Kandon chuckled. "Now, now, let's not get hasty here. You know, I think we Vulkars could use someone like you. Gandon is old news! He's blind, in more ways than one. Brejik is a visionary. Don't shackle yourself to a losing team."

Buffy snorted. "Please. You're talking to an Indians fan." Seeing the blank looks on the faces of everyone, she moved on. "Forget it, Kandon. I gave my word to Gandon and I intend to keep it."

The Twi'lek sighed. "Very well, then." He nodded to the woman and the other men nearby. "Kill them."

Buffy ignited her lightsaber and held it up, deflecting the first set of blaster bolts fired at her. Vance was already moving in to slice down one of the Vulkars. Zaalbar pushed Mission down as the other men fired and brought the bowcaster the others had recovered from his captors. The ancient Wookie weapon fired off its blasts in quick succession to nail another Vulkar.

Buffy sidestepped the dagger thrust the female Twi'lek attempted on her. She backed up as she made another wide arc and slashed Buffy's arm. The Jedi hissed and on instinct swung her saber out, slicing through the woman's chest. She turned in time to see Kandon kick Vance back hard. The man rolled around and looked up as Kandon moved in, his blade raised up. Vance held a hand out as if to ward it off. Buffy hefted her saber to leap forward but before she could, there was a shower of sparks and a large light fixture separated from above. Kandon had just enough time to look up as the fixture smashed right into his head, sending him down.

"Wow, that was lucky," Mission stated.

"Yeah," Buffy said, peering with slight suspicion as she looked to Vance. "Real lucky."

The man was pulling himself up as he looked around the office. His eyes fell on a small round-shaped object on a desk and he lifted it up. "I think this is it."

"Smaller than I expected," Mission noted.

Buffy jerked her head to the door. "Come on, let's go before more show up." The rest were eager to follow. As they exited, Buffy kept her eyes on Vance, unable to shake the feeling that there was more to that rescue than met the eye.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It took a while for the group to find their way back to the Undercity. There, they saw Faith and Carth waiting by the gates. "Hey!" Buffy called out. "You guys okay?"

Carth nodded. "It looks like the serum worked and I got patched up."

"Good," Vance said. "Come on, there's something I've gotta show Rukil." He led the way to the small tent where the old man sat. He stood slowly, the cracking of bones clear as he faced them. "You have returned," he croaked. "Welcome back, up-worlder. How goes your quest? Have you found the journals of my father and grandfather?"

"I believe I have," Vance said as he handed the journals over. "I think you'll find the information very interesting."

The old man's eyes lit up, "Can it be true? Is it possible that at long last the dream of my father and grandfather before him will be fulfilled? I... I can hardly bear to look." He took the journals in his trembling hands and began to read through them, "Hmmm... yes. Yes! Of course! Now I understand - it all makes sense! Now I see why the Promised Land has been so hard to find! It is so obvious!" Rukil finally raised his gaze from the journals, eyes shining. "You have done a great thing, up-worlder - a selfless act that will bring great joy to all the people of this village! I must take this to Gendar right away!" He quickly went to find him, the others quietly following.

As he saw the old man approach, Gendar sighed. "Rukil? What do you want now?" Have you more fables of a hidden paradise just waiting for us to find it?"

"You may not think these are fables after you see what I have brought you, Gendar! Look at these journals!" Rukil said, handing Gendar the journals, almost sounding smug.

Gendar's eyes widened when he read the information. "What... no. It can't be! Are these real, Rukil? Is this information accurate?" he asked, stunned.

"I swear to you everything in these journals is true, Gendar. The Promised Land - I told you I would find it!" Rukil said.

"The entrance is far from here, Rukil." Gendar noted, "It will take us weeks to get there... perhaps even months. And we will have to cross many rakghoul infested areas."

"I do not deny the journey will be hard, Gendar. But surely it is better than the miserable life we have here!" Rukil retorted.

"Wise words, Rukil." Gendar agreed, "Our supplies are high right now - we could leave by nightfall! I will tell the others to prepare for the journey."

"These might help," Faith said as she held up several vials. "Courtesy of Forn, the antidote to rakghoul venom."

Gendar's shock grew. "You….is this for certain?"

"We tested it on some of the infected you had locked up," Carth told him. "They were fine almost instantly. It will definitely help you on your journey."

"Thank you once again, up-worlder." Rukil said, beaming, "But we must part ways now. The Promised Land will be sealed behind us when we enter. I sense your destiny is yet to be decided, somewhere we cannot follow. The destiny of my people is at the end of the long journey ahead of us.''

"Good luck with it, Rukil," Buffy stated.

The old man gazed at her and made a small, sad smile. "And good luck to you as well." He paused and turned his gaze to Vance. "I hope that you two can gain strength from each other when the truth is found." With that, he turned and walked off.

Buffy just closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "God, I hate cryptic statements. I still hate them."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Buffy took a long breath as they exited the elevator to the Lower City. "God, I didn't think I'd enjoy this smell."

"Yeah, it's refreshing, huh?" Mission said as the group made her way back to the Bek base. She bit her lip. "Ummm… hey, Carth? Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Are you ready to have a civil chat? Or is this going to be just another childish tantrum?" he asked. Mission's eyes narrowed in a dangerous manner.

"Tantrum! I´m trying to apologize here, you nerf-herder!" she stopped, realizing she was making a scene, "Uh… I mean… I´m sorry. I didn't mean to get mad at you. It's just that I´m sick of everyone treating me like I´m a helpless kid."

"Yeah, I know" Carth said in a softer tone. "And I´m sorry about what I said, too. I´m just a little on edge lately. Not surprising considering all we've been through. But I shouldn't take it out on you."

"It's about time you two made up," Faith noted.

"Mission, you have to know that we don't think you're helpless." Carth explained slowly. "Look where we are, look at what we're doing. You're not just along for the ride. We need you."

Mission smiled faintly. "You really mean it, don't you? Nobody's ever said anything like that to me before, not even Big Z. He might think it, but he's not really one for words, you know. Thanks, Carth."

He waved that off. "Ah, it's no big deal. I know how it is. Sometimes you just need to hear a few words of encouragement. Kids are like that." He added, not so quietly.

"Kids are like that?" Mission gaped. "Listen you… " She stopped and then grinned. "Oh, I get it. Okay, you got me. You're pretty funny, Carth. For an old guy." She noted, smirking at his glare. "Come on, you geezer – let´s get back to what we were doing."

They came up to the Bek base and were let in immediately. Behind his desk, Gandon smiled as they came up. "Ah, you're back. Did you get it?"

Vance set the accelerator on his desk. "There you go."

"I was beginning to wonder if you would make it," Gandon said. "The race is tomorrow and my mechanics need time to install the prototype into the swoop engine of the bike."

"Okay, we lived up to our part of the deal," Vance said. "Now, how about getting Bastila back?"

Gandon smiled. "Don't worry, I´m a man of my word. I promised this race would get your friend back and it will do that. And I´m even going to go one better – I´m going to let you ride the swoop bike with the prototype accelerator installed on it. Without it, you won't stand a chance."

"Gadon! You can't be serious!" Zaerdra gasped. "We need one of our best riders on that bike! We can't let some rookie take the prototype engine into the race!"

"Hold on!" Carth burst. "You want one of us racing? I've handled starfighters of almost every type but nothing like this!"

"Me either," Buffy stated, looking to Faith. The brunette threw up her hands. "Hey, come on, B, I never even got a driver's license!"

"I'll do it," Vance said. At their startled stares, he shrugged. "I did some racing a few years back. I know how it works." He narrowed his eyes at Gandon. "But your second has a point. Why let me ride it?"

Gadon seemed a bit embarrassed when he explained. "I have to be honest with you – there's a reason I´m letting you take the prototype engine. The accelerator isn't stable; there's a good chance it could explode during the race."

"Explode?" Carth repeated, shocked. "Are you kidding?"

"I can't ask one of my own riders to do it – they'll be riding unmodified swoops. If you can complete the track before the accelerator overheats, then you'll win for the Beks. If you die, then one of my other riders could still come through for me." Gadon added as if Carth hadn't said anything.

"Sounds like you've got all your bases covered," Buffy coolly noted.

"You don't get to be leader of a swoop gang if you don't know how to work all the angles," Gandon replied with a small smile.

Buffy looked to Vance. "There has to be another way."

"None I can see," Vance said. "Listen, it'll be okay. Like I said, I've done it before, I know how to race."

"Very well, then," Gandon stated. "You can stay here tonight. The mechanics need time to install the accelerator on the engine, so you won't be able to practice your riding. Just try to relax and tomorrow we'll take you to the swoop track."

He moved to take the accelerator over to the mechanics as the group conferred. "I don't like this," Carth stated. "There's way too many risks here."

"I agree," Buffy said. "But we're not exactly bursting with options at the moment. Listen, you guys better get back to the apartment and hold the fort. I'll stick with Vance."

"You sure, B?" Faith asked.

"Yep," Buffy said. "Don't worry, I got my saber."

Carth sighed. "Okay then." He moved to shake Vance's hand. "Good luck tomorrow. For the sake of the Republic, I hope you win."

"Great way to leave the pressure off, Carth," Faith snarked as she led them away. That left Buffy and Vance to ponder the events of the day ahead.