Chapter 25

The criminal underworld serves only those who thrive in it, those who ignore it, especially in high positions, also increases its longevity. But it's those who interfere, that make a difference. Everything comes with a cost, but the price secures the deal.

Jira Maak's Castle, Level 1313

Within the depths of Maak's Castle, lays a dungeon where his prisoners' bones rest for eternity. The current occupants in this dungeon are the Chancellor's Aide, A Jedi Master and their unlikely Weequay companion. The three, chained together, sat in their respective corners as they have no bed to rest their aching bodies.

"I can't believe this!" Hondo complained; "I was just minding my own business until you two came along and dragged me into this!"

"Will you quit complaining!" Suliman replied; "If anything, you should be grateful that we have not been executed on the spot."

"Grateful?!" The Weequay said; "You act like he's going to spare us."

"Just be patient, the Republic will come for us." Suliman assured.

"The Republic?! The Republic hasn't cared about Level 1313 in decades, what makes you think they will care now?" Hondo questioned.

"Suliman is right, we must trust that the Republic will come to our rescue." Master Syfo-Dias said as he meditates.

"Aren't you a Jedi?" Hondo said; "Why don't you use your powers and help us escape!"

Before the conversation could continue, a Sentinel guard tapped the metal bars of the cell with his staff as he yells obscenities at the prisoners in his Pyke language.

The three wait as the guard leaves, continuing the conversation; "You two don't understand how cruel Jira Maak is, I've heard many rumors of the kinds torture he would inflict on his prisoners." Hondo whispered.

"Like I said, we must remain patient." Suliman said; "Clearly he wants something out of us, which is why he has not killed us yet."

--

The Spice Lord, now sitting in his specially made dining room, indulging in his wine and other delicacies as his protocol droid plays music for him in the background. Maak's appetite was beyond quenched as he finished four plates and three glasses of wine. He called for his guards to bring in some entertainment as he rests upon his high chair. After a ten minutes pass, the guards brought in a Balosar female, who struggled to let go of their grasp as her body was too weak and nimble to muster enough strength to fight back; "Let go of me!"

The guards threw her bone-like body onto the ground, watching her roll around, attempting to stand to her feet.

Maak's protocol droid reverted back to its normal programming as Maak began to speak; "You there, stand up and dance for me!" The droid translated.

"You'll have to rip my limbs before I do anything for scum like you!" The Balosar woman yelled.

"Oh come on, dance." The droid translated.

"No!" She refused.

"Very well, guards! lift her up!"

They did as they were told and the guards lifted her back up, holding her by the arms.

"Now, I will say this one more time, dance for me!"

"No!" The Balosar refused once again.

"Fine, we will see if you will stick by that answer." The droid translated; "Guards! Proceed with the arm stretch."

The sentinel guards, with no hesitation, kicked down the woman and proceeded in stretching her nimble and bone-like arms as she screams in agony. Feeling her arms about to split in two, the women pleaded "Please stop!" The guards feet, planted on her back began irritating her spine, causing her to shed tears because of the unrelenting pain brought upon her. "Please!" She yelled.

"Guards! Lift her up!" He commanded once more.

The guards did as they were told and lifted the Balosar female up. The kidnapped woman felt her arms grow numb and her back become sore, almost failing to stand up as the guards hold her.

"Now, dance!"

"No!..." she said reluctantly, catching her breath.

"Again!"

The guards dropped the woman once again and stretched her arms until she pleaded and pleaded for help. "Lift her again."

They lift her back up, now with her upper body completely numb as the Spice Lord repeated his statement "Dance you wench!"

"N-no..." the Balasor female said, exhausted by the pain.

Maak grew impatient but he analyzed the woman and saw her tired eyes and almost starved figure; "I know what you want." He said as he reached into his robe. He pulled out a death stick, showing it to her as he watched her demeanor change; "Now, if you want this, you will have to dance for me and do what I say."

The woman, struggling to resist, turned to an almost zombie like state, as the desire to satisfy her addiction came over her.

But suddenly, the doors sprung open and a tall slender man appeared behind the guards. The guards quickly reacted and placed their weapons near the intruder's body, dropping the Balosar woman in the process.

"Who are you!?" The droid translated.

Without hint of movement, the intruder replied; "I am Heigo Damask, Representative of the Galactic Republic."

Jira's eyes began to squint, snapping for his sentinels to drop their guard. "The Galactic Republic you say? So the Chancellor received my message."

"Precisely." Damask said.

Jira snapped once more; "Take the Balosar to the dungeon, I will deal with her later."

On command, the guards grabbed the Balosar woman and dragged her out the room, leaving the Maak and his surprise guest to their negotiation.

"Sit, so we can discuss terms." Maak said.

"Very well." Damask said as he sat across from the Spice Lord in his round table.

"Now, do you have my credits?" Maak asked.

"No, I only come to negotiate." Damask replied simply.

"That will not suffice." The droid said. Maak snapped his fingers and called for his guards to bring in the three prisoners. After countless minutes pass, the guards return with the three prisoners as one of them began to argue with the guard. "Don't touch me!" Hondo said, as he's getting pushed by guard. The three stand in the middle of the round table with two guards standing next to them on each end.

"Who is that?" Suliman whispered.

"I don't know, but I have bad feeling about this." Syfo-Dias replied.

"Unless you want to see your companions executed in front of you, I suggest you agree to my terms." Maak threatened.

"Your terms do not matter to me." Damask said; "Instead I will present a better offer."

"Go on."

"I will grant you your credits, any amount you like." Damask said; "I will also guarantee you protection, not just from the Republic but your enemies as well." He continued; "But you must agree not to wage war against the Republic itself and to provide me with some needed information."

"Information such as?"

"Your spice connect." Damask replied.

"Spice connect? What is he talking about?" Suliman whispered.

"What do you mean?" The droid translated.

"I've done some research on you and have come to conclusion that you are distributing more spice than given by your superior, Lom Pyke." Damask explained; "It may seem you have gone into business for yourself, unless...you hand over your connect before your superior finds out the truth."

"Do you take me as a fool? I know once I hand over such info, that you will comeback with a whole army to take me down!" Jira replied, becoming paranoid.

"I assure you, that everything discussed here will remain between us, the Republic does not have to know." Plagueis said.

"What's going on here! You are supposed to negotiate our release!" Suliman yelled. A guard walked over and shocked the Chancellor's Aide with his staff, as the Aide screams in pain.

"What about them? What will you give me in exchange for them?" Maak asked.

"Execute them, they are of no use to me." Plagueis replied simply.

"What!" Hondo said, yelling obscenities at the Muun.

Master Syfo-Dias stood quietly as he sensed a mysterious energy coming from the Muun, he felt the dark energy creep up on his spine, a familiar one at that.

"Hmph, very well." Jira snapped his fingers and had his protocol droid waddle over to the Muun as it pulls out a comlink with a hologram appearing on it. A middle-aged looking man with long-black hair, a mustache and a fur robe came to form as the droid began it's explanation; "Jorran Kresh,leader of the Jorran Kresh Gang is one of the most prominent spice product makers in the entire galaxy. He reportedly has over twenty different underground spice factories within the black market and his whereabouts are currently unknown but sources say-"

"Enough." Plagueis interrupted. He directed his attention back onto the Pyke that sat across from him; "Is this truly your connect?" He asked simply.

"Why of course, he is the one that has delivered me my product all this time." The spice lord replied.

Darth Plagueis stood to his feet and stared down the Pyke intensely. After a moment passed, he then looked down on the hologram before him.

--

"Something isn't right." Syfo-Dias said, feeling a dark energy rise before him.

--

Plagueis grabbed the hologram, crushing it in the plam of his hand as his anger began to leak through his shapeshifting-bright yellow eyes. He then opened his clenched palm, releasing the leftover dust as it withered away from his fingertips.

"What are you doing?!" The droid translated.

Without any slight hesitation, Plagueis used the Force and dragged the spice lord toward his direction, with his neck landing on the Muun's hand. "You thought you could fool me? Didn't you?" The Sith Lord said.

Feeling his windpipe being crushed, Jira Maak was unable to respond as he continued flailing around. His guards immediately positioned their weapons towards the Muun, preparing to attack at will.

"Droid." He called; "Tell these guards that if they attack me, their master will die, alongside their lifeless bodies."

"Oh...ok." The droid replied. The droid did as it was told, translating what Plagueis had said, causing the guards to stand down.

"Now, droid." He called again; "Bring me the name of your master's actual spice connect and I will let him go, Failure to do so will result in his head becoming a centerpiece of this round table."

"Ya better listen to him!" Hondo said, Suliman nudged him as he said; "Quiet!"

"Al-Alright." The droid quickly opened it's left breastplate, revealing a comlink hidden within it. It activated, revealing the true spice producer behind Jira Maak's empire.

"Oruba The Hutt." Plagueis said. He let go of Maak, as his body collapsed on the floor. "Only those as fortunate as the Hutts could distribute spice to lowlifes such as yourself."

"Guards!...kill him!" Maak said in his Pyke language.

The Sentinel guards charged at the Muun as he stood still, examining the hologram. Once they got within an inch of his fiber and surrounded him, a bright red beam of light began striking them one by one, killing them instantly.

The bodies fell to the ground until their was no other threat before him. Plagueis, with lightsaber ignited in hand, walked over to the petrified spice lord as Jira froze in awe of what he had seen.

--

The 2 prisoners looked in shock as they could not believe what they have witnessed; "He obliterated them!" Hondo commented.

Suliman leaned over at the Jedi Master next to him; "Isn't that a Jedi?"

Syfo-Dias, realizing the true identity of the individual before him, replied simply as he said; "No, that is a Sith Lord."

--

Plagueis planted his foot on the Pyke's leg, twisting it as the spice lord shrieked in pain. "I saw through your lies, Jorran Kresh died during Old Republic era." He continued; "By doing this, you not only insured your demise but also made me waste a single breath on crushing your worthless life."

"Please! I beg of you, let me live!" Maak pleaded.

"Chaos awaits you, fool." Plagueis said, raising his crimson blade.

Syfo-Dias quickly scanned the room for his lightsaber until he saw it hidden within the pile of bodies that lay near the round table. Using the Force, he activated the green blade and sliced the chains into pieces. He then jumped over the table, with the lightsaber flying into hand as he aimed to stab the Sith Lord while he's distracted.

Sensing the incoming attack, Plagueis swiftly turned and blocked the airborne Jedi, pushing him off his momentum in the process. The two, Sith and Jedi, stood toe-to-toe once again after a thousand year absence of their ancient rivalry.

"You have made a mistake by revealing yourself, Sith Lord." Syfo-Dias said.

"And you have made a mistake by provoking my bloodlust, Jedi." Darth Plagueis replied.

They both stood in position to strike, while waiting for the other to strike first. Syfo-Dias jumped forward and clashed blades with Plagueis once again as the two trade blows. "Suliman! Take the spice lord and run!" He yelled.

Suliman nodded and grabbed the nearest weapon he could find and rushed toward Jira. Hondo, free from his bondage began racing toward the exit.

Suliman then grabbed the weakened spice lord and headed toward the exit as well.

Plagueis, seeing this, used the Force to shut the duel doors and pushed the Chancellor's Aide, Hondo and the spice lord to the side as he continued to trade blows with the Jedi before him.

"No!" Syfo-Dias said. While distracted, Plagueis managed to strike his shoulder, opening up a deep wound within it. Feeling the agony, Syfo-Dias returned focus onto his enemy and attacked with all the might he had in him. After a few exchanges, blood started to seep through the Jedi Master's robe. But his resilience helped numb the pain as he throws strike after strike, blow after blow, at the Sith Lord.

"I will not let you win!" Syfo-Dias yelled.

"Your emotions are taking control of you, I have already won, Jedi scum." Plagueis taunted.

"Your foolish lies will not help escape your fate!" Syfo-Dias said as he threw one big swing at the Sith Lord.

Plagueis blocked the strike, but felt a slight after effect from it. "The Jedi will not prevail in this age, for I will be the one to bring true order within the galaxy." Plagueis swung the Jedi's blade aside and brought about a rain of lightning upon his opponent.

Syfo-Dias fell, feeling the shockwaves pierce through his body and his skin, screaming until his vocal cords could not scream anymore.

Hondo, seeing this happening, took the chance to hide under the round table, to prevent from being seen.

After a few grueling minutes pass, Suliman awakened and saw his companion being tortured by the unfamiliar power of this evil Jedi. He then grabbed a staff and ran in front of the Muun as he blocked the lightning with it. Plagueis relinquished his attack, causing the Chancellor's Aide to fall to his knees out of exhaustion.

"You dare sacrifice your life for this Jedi?" Plagueis said.

"I don't know who you are...or what you are, but I'll make sure you will not hurt anyone else." Suliman said, catching his breath.

"So be it." Plagueis said, raising is lightsaber.

"Suliman! No!" Syfo-Dias said, reaching to grab the Chancellor's aide.

Plagueis swung his blade in a swift but precise fashion, causing the head of Suliman to start rolling on the floor, with the blood trailing from his severed neck.

Witnessing this, Syfo-Dias mustered the strength he had left and unleashed his anger upon his murderous foe through the Force. Plagueis was pushed back by the Jedi Master as the Jedi grabbed his blade, dashing toward the pinned Sith Lord.

With one big swing, the Jedi Master managed to make contact with a large fabric like substance. But when his eyes became clear, the body of Plagueis disappeared, leaving only a large curtain cloth lying on the floor. Syfo-Dias stood in confusion as he searched for any sign of a body in front of him, but instead he was met with a solid red beam, slicing through his chest. As he felt his soul leaving his physical being, as the words "I have prevailed." echoed into his mind, until the blade left his backside.

Plagueis watched as the body of Syfo-Dias fell before him. He then de-activated his lightsaber and walked toward the desk where the comlink was left on. "I know your under there." He said.

A few seconds pass and a Weequay head peered from under the round table, Hondo crawled out with his hands up as he looked up at the towering figure before him. "Look-I"

Plagueis reached into his robe and pulled out a bag of credits and threw it next to the Weequay; "if you tell anyone about what happened here tonight, I will make sure you will not live long enough to taste your final breath." The Sith Lord warned.

"Don't-don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Hondo promised.

Plagueis gave Hondo one last death-defying stare as he grabbed the comlink and left the horrific scene of which he caused.

Hondo, sighing in relief, picked up his bag of credits and began counting them. But unbeknownst to him, the Spice Lord awakened from his brief coma as his eyes become clear to what had happened.

Hondo turned and they both stared at each other, waiting for the other one to move. A split second passes and one of the doors slides open, revealing the abused Balosar woman holding a blaster.

"You...monster!" She said; "You disgusting parasite!"

"I'm not apart of this!" Hondo said, panicking.

she turned her blaster toward the Weequay and said; "Leave before I kill you too."

Hondo nodded and ran out the doors with his bag of loot in hand.

Jira pleaded in his Pyke language as the woman stepped closer and closer towards him. "Please wait!" The droid translated.

"Don't beg now..." the woman said, shooting the droid in the process. "Your begging means nothing to me."

In one last ditch attempt, the spice lord pulled out a death stick and showed it to the Balosar female. She took a moment to stare at it and then took it to examine it. But she suddenly threw it back at the Pyke and shot him as many times as she wanted until Jira was riddled with blaster burns.

She mustered up the last of her saliva and spat on the spice lord's dead corpse. After fulfilling her quest for revenge, she collapsed on the floor but still remained alive within a room full corpses.