Slayers of the Old Republic

Book II: Taris

By Michael Weyer

The small room Buffy and Vance were placed in was a bit tighter than the Jedi would have liked but she made do. She was seated on her bed, staring at the wall as Vance lay on his side. "You should get some sleep," he murmured.

"You're the one racing tomorrow," Buffy noted. "You need it more."

Vance moved onto his back. "I don't need much sleep."

"Me either," Buffy said. "I've been used to being up at night a lot." She paused and looked to him. "So…what's your story?"

"Excuse me?"

"It's just…I don't really know anything about you. We're on a serious mission, we have to rely on each other and I know pretty much squat."

Vance shrugged. "Well, not too much to tell. I grew up on Alderaan. My parents…well, I never really knew them. I don't know if they died or just abandoned me but I grew up in some…foster care."

Buffy pursed her lips. "Sorry."

"Hey, not your fault," Vance replied. "Anyway, I learned some skills as I grew which came in handy during the war."

"Did you fight in it?"

"I served with the Republic," Vance confirmed. His eyes took on a haunted look. "But after it ended…well, I was just so tired of all that death, all that chaos. I…I just had to get away from it all."

"So you became a smuggler?" Buffy asked. "Not exactly a huge change in careers."

"I did my smuggling to people who needed supplies but the Republic red-tape wouldn't let them get it," Vance defended. "After Revan and Malak attacked, I started to aid the Republic more, getting goods behind lines and stuff. I guess that got attention from somebody high-up and they hired me to accompany Bastila." He sighed and spread his hands. "Lucky me, huh?"

Buffy bit her lip. "You really don't know why they wanted you?"

Vance shook his head. "Didn't Bastila say anything?"

"She never mentioned you at all."

Vance peered at her. "Don't start being suspicious of me. I already got that from Onasi."

Buffy held up her hand. "No, no, I believe you. I can sense you mean well." She saw him stiffen and frowned. "Something wrong?"

"I…I just don't like the idea of someone being able to worm into my head," Vance admitted.

Buffy smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not that strong yet. I can read emotions though and I've always had a danger sense warning me of trouble. From what I can tell…you're a good man."

Vance was silent. "If you saw what I did in the war, you might disagree," he softly said. He quickly moved on. "So your friend said you weren't always a Jedi?"

Buffy nodded. "Let's just say I fell into it late in life."

"I didn't think the Council took learners on once they got past childhood."

"That's me. Always the chosen one," Buffy tried to laugh.

Vance sniffed and rolled over. "I don't believe in that sort of thing."

"You don't believe in the destiny of the Force?"

"With all respect, Buffy, when you get into a true war, you'll see the Force can be pretty unfair," Vance said with bitterness. "I've seen too many good men and women die and too many tyrants and Sith live to believe in any great fate or destiny anymore." He closed his eyes and lay his head back. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying…Let's just rest. Tomorrow's gonna be a big day."

"Yeah, it is," Buffy softly agreed. She lay back but kept her eyes on him, once more struck by that odd tingle she felt when she looked at the man's aura.

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Buffy had never seen a swoop race before but it was easy to see the similarities to car races on Earth. The track was in an abandoned tunnel in the Lower City, long enough for the racers to go. There was a set of bleachers nearby for people to watch the large viewscreens set up by the ceiling. Some showed the track itself while others saw the view from the cameras set up on the bikes.

The various gangs crowded around their bikes. It was clear to Buffy they were divided between the Vulkars and the Beks as well as those gangs sympathetic to each. Both sides were giving the others ugly looks but it appeared they were willing to keep any violence to a minimum.

The bikes themselves basically resembled a large engine attached to a small passenger pod. The rules were simple: Just keep the pod going on the tunnel, avoid the obstacles set along the path and hit the five accelerator pads to keep the bike going. The person with the shortest time after five heats was the winner.

Vance was with the Beks as they pushed the bike onto the track, talking about the craft and what it could do. Buffy's attention was distracted as she swept along the section near the reviewing stand before finding what she was looking for.

She couldn't keep back a gasp as she saw her Jedi master. Bastila was standing in a cage, dressed in a rather unbecoming outfit that showed off more skin than Buffy knew she ever would have wanted to. Around her neck was a large metal collar that seemed to glow with electricity. Neural disruptor, Buffy realized. She tried to reach out to touch her teacher's mind but all she got was telepathic static.

Turning back to Vance, she saw him moving to the bike. "How does it look?" she asked.

"Not too bad," he answered. He nodded to the Ithorian next to him. "This is Tuula, the chief mechanic."

Buffy nodded to him. "Okay, let's put our cards on the table. How long with this prototype last?"

The long-necked brown-skinned alien who reminded Buffy of a hammerhead shark hummed. "Hmmm….I'd say three, maybe four laps before it blows. So you'll have to get a good time out there."

"What's the time to beat?" Vance asked.

"Thirty-eight seconds, rookie. And we've already had one rider that has crashed and died on the tracks. Don't get your hopes up. No first timer ever WINS the season opener. Most of them just die in it."

"I won't," Vance said as he slipped his helmet on. He looked to Buffy and grinned. "I don't suppose you'll be willing to give me a good luck kiss?"

Buffy crossed her arms. "How about you win and we'll see?"

"Ah, now that's an incentive," Vance said as he moved into the bike. Buffy moved over and leaned in. "Seriously," she whispered. "Be careful."

"I promise I won't die." He gave her a thumbs-up as the Beks moved the bike into position. He lay back, gripping the handlebars as he got ready. Buffy moved back with the other Beks as she watched, keeping herself calm.

Above Vance, the warning lights flashed and then turned green. Kicking the bike into gear, Vance ripped down the long tunnel, thrown back in his seat by the g-forces. He managed to keep the bike ripping down the tunnel, moving through stages of accelerating as he commanded the swoop. He jerked it from side to side to avoid the debris and other obstacles in his way, the world becoming a gray blur. Even on the viewscreens, Buffy had a hard time following his trail and before she knew it, he had crossed the finish line.

Vance immediately threw the emergency brake to slow down and stopped. He heaved for breath as the Beks helped pull the bike off the track and do the side tunnel leading back to the race start. The announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeakers above the crowd. "And that was Vance Jarcen for the Hidden Beks with a time of…thirty-five seconds, a new track record!"

"Amazing!" Tuula said as he helped Vance out of the bike. "I've never seen anyone handle a bike like that!"

"Not my first time," Vance admitted.

"Still, it will be hard for anyone to top that!"

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As it turned out, it wasn't that hard.

On the third lap, Redos, the arrogant rider for the Vulkars, ended up with a race of thirty-two seconds. It was, Tuula warned, a hard time to beat.

"Even with the accelerator," the Ithorian warned. "It will be hard. Go too fast and you won't be able to avoid the obstacles in the way. Not to mention I don't know if the prototype can take it."

"It has to be done," Vance said as he strapped himself back in the pod. "Too much is riding on this."

Tuula shook his long-necked head and gave him a pat of encouragement. Taking a deep breath, Vance leaned back and got ready.

As she watched him take off, Buffy felt that odd sensation again coming from him. She frowned and concentrated on it, focusing on the smuggler as he rode. She could almost sense him gauging the track before him, kicking the bike into speeds it was never designed to take but avoiding obstacles as if…

As if…

As if he knew they were coming.

Buffy's eyes shot wide open. She barely registered Vance crossing the finish line. She didn't hear the roar of the crowd. She didn't see the astonishment of the various gang members and riders as it was announced Vance had completed the track in a record twenty-five seconds. All she could do was think about the discovery she just made.

There was no doubt about it. The aura was unmistakable. Vance had been tapping into the Force with that last run. It wasn't a huge use, Buffy doubted even he realized it but it was there. Which meant that Vance appeared to be Force sensitive.

Buffy made her way down to the Beks who were huddled and cheering Vance as he stepped out of the pod and made a triumphant pump with his fist. She had no idea where this new development was going to go but she had to deal with it soon.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The race had a few more heats to go but the outcome was never in doubt. One rider who tried to beat Vance's time ended up a smear on the tunnel wall and the rest were willing to settle for second or third. At the end of the race, the Beks were declared the winners.

Vance headed to the winner's circle where the race manager was prepared to give him the prizes. At the stand was a dark-skinned man in bright armor and a sour expression that Vance knew had to be Brejik.

"And so," the Duros announcer was stating. "It is time for the Black Vulkars to give the prize to the Hidden Beks and their champion rider!"

Instead of handing it over, Brejik snarled and raised his arms. "People, hear me!" he called out. "The Beks cheated! The winner used an illegal swoop engine in the race and therefore he should be disqualified."

"You're a damn liar Brejik!" Vance accused.

Brejik continued, ignoring his statement. "Because of this, I am withdrawing the Vulkar's share of the prizes."

"You can't do that, all participants must submit a prize!" said the race manager. "Its tradition!"

"You fool!" Brejik snarled. "I don't care about your stupid traditions! The Vulkars are the future and then I'll do away with these rules! This woman will fetch a nice price on the slave market, and with her I'll gain the support of all the swoop gangs."

"Not if I have something to say about that Brejik." said a cultured voice with a pleasant accent.

Everyone in the pit turned towards the cage to see Bastila look up, her eyes clear and the collar off. She held out a hand and the guard next to her was thrown into the cage. It broke open and she grabbed his twin-bladed vibroblade out of the air.

"H … how is this possible?" Brejik gasped. "You were under the influence of a neural restraint collar; you couldn't have summoned the will to free yourself!"

"You underestimate the power of a Jedi's mind," Bastila spat. "A mistake you won't live to make again." Bastila spat

Brejik was furious that things were not going as planned, but also afraid of the Jedi that managed to escape; he had one last idea up his sleeve in an attempt to fix things. "Vulkars, to me, kill this woman, kill the swoop rider, kill them all!"

"I should have known," Vance said as he turned to punch a Vulkar guard and grabbed his sword. In seconds, the area was a battlefield as Vulkars, Beks and their respective allies went at it. Bastila was using the Force to fling several Vulkars back as Vance cut down another.

Buffy leapt into the fray, her lightsaber swinging toward anyone in Vulkar colors. Many of them fled at the sight of the flashing blade, allowing her more room to move. She saw Vance cut down Redos and saw Bastila dueling with Brejik. The Vulkar leader was good, his blade dancing in the air but he was up against one of the more experienced Knights of the Order. Bastila simply waited for him to overswing and rose up to jab her weapon into his neck. Brejik gasped out loud before falling to his knees and then collapsing to the floor.

The death of their leader was the straw that broke the bantha's back for the Vulkars and they immediately scattered. Most of the Beks followed after them while others tried to help the wounded among the various gangs. Bastila heaved for breath as she looked about, her eyes falling on Vance. "Maybe those bloody Vulkars will think twice next time before trying to keep a Jedi prisoner." She was still emotional from her ordeal and decided to take some anger out on him. "And as for you, if you think you can collect me as a prize …. wait …" she stopped abruptly as she took in his face. Her own dissolved into disbelief. "You…"

"Vance Jarcen," he answered. "I'm the contact you were supposed to meet?"

Shaking her head, Bastila's voice was filled with wonder. "Can you explain to me what you were trying to accomplish by riding in that swoop race?"

"I was trying to save you."

"Save me?" said Bastila incredulously. "Well you did a poor job of it. In case you hadn't noticed, I managed to free myself from that neural restraint collar without your help; in fact it's more accurate to say that I saved you."

Vance's eyes went wide. "Are you kidding me? You were collared and helpless, Jedi! Brejik had you at his mercy!"

"He may have had me at a disadvantage, but a Jedi is never helpless; maybe you've heard of a little thing called the Force." Bastila said in a mocking tone. "But I suppose I shouldn't be too hard on you. You did try to save me after all; even if it didn't go quite as planned. So, let's get down to business."

Vance just stared at her, overwhelmed by her arrogance. Bastila didn't' appear to notice as she rambled on. "We're not out of danger yet. If I'm going to figure out a way for us to get off this planet I need to know what kind of resources we can draw on. First are we the only two survivors left from the Endar Spire?"

"Bastila!" The woman turned to see Buffy coming up, her breath short as she came up to her teacher. Bastila smiled as she saw her. "Buffy!" she cried out. Seeing Vance, she quickly composed herself. "I mean…Ellaine…"

"It's okay, he already knows," Buffy said. She suppressed the urge to give her teacher a hug, knowing Bastila would let her have it for such an emotional outburst in public. "It's good to see you alive."

"And you as well, Padawan," Bastila said. She moved over to examine Brejik, pulling out her double-bladed lightsaber from his belt. "Ah, here we are. And I believe he had my outfit here," she hefted his bag. Buffy saw how Vance was observing her body and smacked him in the arm.

Rising, Bastila turned back to them. "Well, then. Now that this excuse for a rescue is completed, perhaps we can turn attention to important matters?"

"We'd better see Carth then," Vance stated.

"Commander Onasi is alive?" Bastila burst. "That is excellent news! Where is he?"

"Come on," Buffy said as she led her Master away. "Now that we've got you, we can work on getting off Taris."

Bastila sniffed. "Hopefully, it will be much less troublesome as this was."

Behind the two Jedi, Vance looked upward as if asking what he'd done to deserve this.