EPISODE I
Chapter 3: Scum and Villainy

One month has passed since the successful defense of Ossus. Zolph Vaelor has been sent to Tatooine to investigate an unusual uprising in criminal activity on the planet. Zolph, piloting a Z-95 Headhunter, prepared to dock in Mos Eisley Spaceport to get a headstart on his investigation.

"So why I am here on this boring, lawless dustball with two suns again?" Zolph asked over his ship's radio while preparing to land.

"There's been more crime than usual on this world, and we need you to find out what's causing it. Besides, almost every galactic hero has been to Tatooine at least once in their life, so now it's your turn," Luke replied back through the radio.

"I still don't see how this has anything to do with our war with the Valkoran."

"And that's what has me worried. This didn't happen until very recently, and I'm also sensing another disturbance on the planet. Whether the two are connected, I don't know."

"Okay, so I may have some real reason to be here after all. I might as well start here in Mos Eisley. From what I heard, there are a lot of seedy types here, especially at the cantina."


At the Mos Eisley cantina, Zolph walked in, wearing a white cloak and sand goggles. He noticed many aliens, some looking at him suspiciously, as if they could take advantage of him. He then walked up to the bar.

"Hey!" Zolph told the bartender, a middle-aged human male "Corellian Ale. Just a small shot will do."

"May I see your I.D., son?" the bartender asked Zolph.

"Whoa! Tatooine has a drinking age? Since when was that established?"

"I'm just kidding, boy. Most young folk like to take advantage of this world's lawlessness. Even if they ain't young, they usually point blasters at me when they don't get the results they want, but I see you ain't that type of person." The bartender then put a shot glass next to a drink dispenser, poured the ale into it, and gave it to Zolph.

"Yeah, I'm just a galactic adventurer looking for something interesting."

"Well, there ain't much to see here on boring ol' Tatooine. Just sand, Jawas, Sand People, Krayt Dragons, and more sand. It's also a rough place, especially with the recently-increased crime rate. If you ain't careful, the local crime boss may decide to have you killed, or worse, fed to the Pit of Carkoon."

After he finished drinking from the glass, Zolph then laughed as if he weren't taking him seriously, gaining the eyes of some of the patrons. "Oh come on, pops. Do you really think some crime lord is going to have me mugged or fed to a Sarlacc if I talk even the slightest bit of Bantha Fodder about him? He's probably Swoop gang material."

"You may want to leave now. Apparently, some of the rougher types here may have a bone to pick with you just for saying that."

"Yeah, and I've had enough to drink…"

"Only one shot?"

"I'm still underage by Alliance standards, and I'd prefer to stay sober." Zolph then gave the bartender some credits and exited the cantina.

After Zolph exited, a lightly armored Nikto and his Gamorrean colleagues went out the other exit.


In the streets of Mos Eisley, Zolph walked into a back alley, only to be clubbed with a stun baton.

"You should know better than to stand up to Lord Va'Za, offworlder." Zolph heard in Huttese as he got back up on his legs. It was coming from a Nikto enforcer, escorted by two Gamorrean thugs armed with vibro-axes. "He doesn't want anyone inspiring opposition to him, so we're going to make an example, and what's a better choice than some naïve offworlder?"

"Hold it, Spikeface," Zolph told the Nikto, "Who is this Va'Za person?"

"You don't know Va'Za the Hutt? He's the one that makes it easier for people like me to get riches, women and power."

"In other words, let you make it in society at the expense of others." Zolph replied in a deadpan tone.

"Of course, that won't matter since you won't be around to cause him trouble much longer."

Zolph then gave a psychotic smirk. "Actually, you idiots just fell into my trap!" He then used the Force to throw the two Gamorreans into the alley walls and knocked them unconscious.

"A Jedi?!" the Nikto reacted with shock. He tried to flee, but Zolph lifted him up in the air before he could turn around. "What do you want with me?!" he exclaimed in fear.

"You already told me who your boss is, but now," Zolph then dropped him to the ground and waved his hand, "you will tell me where I can find Va'Za and you will forget we ever met."

"I will tell you where you can find Va'Za." The Nikto repeated. He then gave Zolph a datapad.

"Goodnight, Spikeface." Zolph then made the Nikto pass out, making him forget everything that happened in the process. He then did the same to the unconscious Gamorreans and left the alley.


Zolph activated his comlink as he passed through the streets. "Vaelor to Skywalker, I figured out who's pushing the crime rate. It's a Hutt named Va'Za."

"Va'Za? There's something wrong with that. Va'Za was not this influential here, even for a Hutt. He's most likely being backed by another powerful group. Now I need you to find him and figure out who's backing him."

"I already know where he is."

"How did you…?"

"I got some of his lackeys to pick a fight with me and made them spill their guts. It was pretty easy considering how impulsive and weak-minded they were."

Another voice spoke on the comlink, "Kid, I don't know if you're very bold or very insane, but that was still a clever move."

"Mara?" Zolph asked with surprise. "You're not usually around the academy much these days, what with having a kid to raise and all."

"I thought I'd take Ben to visit his father since he's usually busy helping a rebuilding galaxy. Aside from Maesterus, I don't see why he'd need my help with the Valkoran. I will help when I happen to pass by, though."

"Well, it's nice to talk to someone different over the comlink for once…no offense to your husband, of course. Now I need to get back finding the giant slug." Zolph then deactivated his comlink.


Several hours later, Zolph had traveled across the Dune Sea on a rented Swoop Bike. He eventually found himself at Va'Za's palace, built in the image of a B'omarr monastery, similar to the one Jabba resided in before his death nearly two decades and a half ago.

"A fake B'omarr monastery, huh?" Zolph told himself. "I guess Jabba really popularized them with the rest of his species once they adopted this planet as their new home."

He then knocked on the monastery's door, and out of a circular hatch popped out the stalk of a TT-8L gatekeeper droid. The droid then spoke in Huttese, "What is your business here?"

"I'm here to speak with Va'Za the Hutt. Now let me in."

The droid then mockingly laughed at Zolph and retracted back into the hatch.

"Hey! You get your ugly eye back out here or I'm…" Zolph was then interrupted by the monastery doors opening. "Wow. That was a very odd droid."

Once Zolph entered the darkness of the monastery, the door closed behind him, shutting out the light of Tatooine's Twin Suns. A Weequay and Klatooinian attempted to block him off, but he casually threw them aside and continued moving forward.

Zolph then found himself in the palace courtroom where many unscrupulous types of various species and Va'Za, a typically corpulent and green-skinned Hutt with a short mustache centered right below his nostrils, waited.

"You have a lot of nerve to just demand entrance into my lair, boy," Va'Za said to Zolph in Huttese.

"Yeah, well I'm not letting you avoid me, so I'm being assertive."

"And what exactly do you want with me?"

"I want to know how a once-lowly gang lord like you suddenly became powerful enough to let your henchmen terrorize the citizens of Tatooine whenever the hell they want."

The Hutt then laughed at Zolph, "Foolish boy. I have a lot of money, and with money comes power." He then pulled the Twi'lek slave girl sitting next to him on his throne right in front of him. He then put his tongue out and the girl reacted with terror as he tried to devour her.

Zolph, annoyed at the Hutt's avoidance and disgusted with his beyond-gluttonous behavior, used the Force to pull the girl away from him before he could pull her into his mouth. "Hey! People are not food! And I know there's something you're not telling me, so spill your guts out, or I'll make you do it!" He then activated his lightsaber and pointed it toward the Hutt, with some of his guards pointing their blasters towards Zolph.

The Hutt then lost his cool. "Alright, alright! I never thought a Jedi would threaten me! This group called the Valkoran is funding me in exchange for creating a distraction from their activity here."

"Activity? What kind of activity?"

"They're operating around some ancient ruins from a lost alien race found in the Eastern Dune Sea. They also paid me to give the location of these ruins."

"That's all I needed to know, and sorry for wasting your time." Zolph deactivated his lightsaber and walked away. As he made his way out of the courtroom, he then said to Va'Za, "Oh, and one more thing, Va'Za: If I ever catch you doing that again, I'm putting you on a permanent diet." He then left as the Hutt had a surprised look on his face, wondering if he was even talking to a Jedi.


Outside Va'Za's palace, Zolph activated his comlink. "Zolph to Luke, I've learned that the Valkoran are indeed backing Va'Za's activity here."

"So they're involved in this after all, but why?"

"They're using the rising crime rate to divert us from their activity in the Eastern Dune Sea."

"Most stuff on Tatooine happens in the Northern and Western Dune Sea. What about the East has them so interested?"

"That disgusting slug said something about some alien ruins there, but why are they interested in something from a long-gone civilization?"

"That's very suspicious. Zolph, I have another objective for you."

"Let me guess: you want me to investigate the ruins and report what I find there. I was already thinking of doing that before you assigned it as an objective. I have a very bad feeling about this."

Zolph then took off towards the Eastern Dune Sea on his Swoop Bike.