The Valiant dropped out of hyperspace in the Y'Toub System, just out of sensor range of Nar Shaddaa. The moon was everything Nal Hutta wasn't. With bright lights that reached far beyond its surface, a sprawling, planet-wide city, and millions of ships bringing trade to and from the world, Nar Shaddaa was the heart and soul of the Hutt Empire. Yet, of all the sights to grace their eyes, the one Taladon found himself glued to was a fleet of ships in orbit over Nal Hutta, homeworld of the Hutts. It seemed there were hundreds of them, all with strange shapes, like they were massive space creatures, but armed to the teeth with ordnance.

"What are those?" Taladon asked, and Arkin glanced over to see what was up.

He hadn't an answer. "Don't know, but I doubt they're anything good." He increased speed to Nar Shaddaa, transmitting their ship codes along the way. As they neared the planet, they were forced to join one of the many space lanes leading to the surface. Arkin could have sworn he saw a Gran pilot make obscene gestures through his cockpit after seeing how shiny the Valiant was. It was the only entertaining sight during the fifteen minute jog to the atmosphere, and once there, it was another slogging half hour before they made it to the Upper Industrial Sector, where the Crimson Thorn Headquarters was located. Arkin set them down on a secluded landing pad, one he'd likely have to pay to land on, but knew King Valoris would foot the bill for. The ship gave a low rumble as it set down, and Arkin cut the engines just before clicking off his seatbelt. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "I welcome you to—"

"Enough theatrics," Taladon cut him off, and turned to the docking ramp. He caught the smirk Lumin made. At least someone thought he was funny.

The only sound to greet their ears on stepping outside was the whistling of speeders and starships shooting about in all directions. The sounds rang through Taladon's eardrums. It was his first time hearing so many ships, the loud obnoxious whining of their engines enough to make him cover his ears.

"Something wrong, prince?" Arkin asked, barely stifling a laugh as he led the way off the landing pad. It was a short walk across the diagonal ramp between their pad and the rest of the sector, but during, they could look out and see just how high up they were. Easily a mile from the next piece of solid ground. Arkin felt the wind whip his hair around, and was forced to run his hands through and fix it.

Lumin stopped to lean over the side of the ramp. She had never seen so many buildings before. Speeders shot beneath their landing pad, and she stumbled back at the sudden surprise before turning around to see the mile-high buildings off in the distance. "This city's huge."

Arkin cocked an eyebrow. "It's an ecumenopolis, sweetie. That's how they work." He waved a hand for them to follow, and walked to the other side of the ramp where a small security office was. He was right, they'd have to pay. Approaching the office, he placed an arm on the counter before flashing his devilish eyes at whomever was on the other side. It was a Gamorrean. Bad move.

The pig squealed incessantly at him before a translating drone popped up from behind the counter to speak on his behalf. Its voice was monotone, deep, and appeared to carry the authority of the entire Hutt Empire with it. "Payment is required before entering the city."

"What currency?" Arkin asked.

"Republic credit or wupiupi."

Taladon brushed past Arkin and handed the Gamorrean a credit chip. The Gamorrean inserted it in his terminal at the back of the small office, a light pinged green, and he handed it back to him. Taladon nodded to the guard before stepping away, Lumin and Arkin in tow. After they had gotten a dozen feet from the security office, he took a good look around and realized he hadn't a clue where to begin looking. "Where was that Headquarters again?"

"Got it right here," Lumin said, and pulled out a small locator device. A handy piece of technology, it contained the most recent of star maps, and could pin down any location so long as it existed legally. It had proved beneficial so far, and had fetched a high price to purchase. "Several blocks straight to Duchi Street, take a right, up a turbo lift, another right, a left, go a few more blocks, and we're there."

It was then Arkin stepped in front of them, his hands up. "Hold on, let's think this through before we do anything rash."

"We're not going to do anything rash," Taladon said, and unsheathed his vibrosword before waving it about. "We're just going to have a nice, pleasant talk with these vermin."

Arkin took a step closer to him. "We don't even know how many vermin there are, and you just wanna go in guns blazing?!"

"Sword blaz—"

"I get it!" Arkin snapped, hands almost grabbing ahold of Taladon's face when he chose to refrain at the last second. He then turned to the industrial sector, hands on his hips. "All I'm saying is a little recon wouldn't hurt. Then, if you still wanna bust some kneecaps, we can do that."

Journeying through the city was an experience for all of them, despite Arkin being the most acquainted with such sights. He'd been on Coruscant once, learned what it was like to hear thousands of speeders racing about, to hear the foot traffic of a millions souls, and the occasional mugging. He was most surprised by Lumin's reaction. Unlike Taladon, she had seen other worlds, traveled the stars, but in that moment, looked as if she had never stepped off Ryloth.

"You've been all over, Lumin," Arkin remarked. "Yet this city seems to have you starstruck."

Lumin glanced over at him. "Largest planet I've seen was Zygerria." Her eyes were suddenly empty. "Wasn't a pleasant experience."

Arkin dropped the subject, following close behind the others as they moved up through the industrial sector's numerous levels. A turbo lift delivered them to level thirteen, where they stepped out to find themselves walking along the edge of the sector, with shops to their left and open air to their right. It was not long before they arrived at a crossroads, with their target on one side of the street and a small bar on the other. Both had flashing signs outside in Aurebesh.

"Get a good look," Arkin said, leaning against the railing that, if broken, would send him into a mile-deep fall. "What do you see, Taladon?"

The prince observed the Crimson Thorn Headquarters. One guard, presumably a bouncer. "What sort of guild has one guard?" he asked.

"One that may be posing as more than a guild," Arkin pointed out. "Perhaps the front of the building is a club under the same name, meaning civilians are inside. We start slicing and dicing, and innocents are gonna get hurt."

"Besides," Taladon added, "we need information. We kill them all, and there's no one to tell us what we came for."

"Right again," Arkin nodded, and pushed away from the railing. "But, you know what they say: when looking for information, always try somewhere with a few loose tongues."

"Meaning?"

Lumin stepped in. "Meaning he wants to check out the bar," she said, and pointed to the building across from the guild. "Not that I'm a fan, but he has a point."

Arkin shook his head, chuckling all the way. "This isn't a joyride. I won't drink… much."

The three approached the bar. There was no bouncer. On stepping inside, they were greeted by hues of blue and purple light bouncing all around the room. Some Weequay sat in one corner of the room while a pair of Gungans sat in another. It was midday, and not surprising to see the place sparsely populated. A Quarren sat up by the bar, a drink in hand while he ordered another. Arkin was about to make his move when Taladon stepped up to the plate.

"I've got this," he said, and strolled up to the bartender, who was fetching the Quarren another glass. Taladon slowly leaned forward, arms resting on the counter, and gave the bartender a look somewhere between ecstasy and lust. Neither were what he was going for. "I'm in need of some information," he said.

The bartender was a Besalisk, four arms working simultaneously as he gave Taladon a low chuff before drawing closer to him. "This is Nar Shaddaa, kid. Information doesn't come free."

Taladon gave a shrug. "All the same. First I need to know what you're selling."

The bartender raised an eyebrow. "What do you want?"

Taladon jabbed a thumb in the direction of the guild's headquarters. "The Crimson Thorns. Who runs it?"

The bartender was about to answer when the Quarren raised his head. "Who's asking," he growled.

Taladon turned to him. "Just a man with a little intrigue."

"Well snuff it, fast," the Quarren snarled, and downed another drink. "You have a problem with the Crimson Thorns or something?"

"Maybe," Taladon replied. The eyes of his protectants went wide. "A bounty hunter of theirs tried to have me killed." Wrong answer. The Quarren had a blaster to his throat before he could unsheathe his sword.

"Then I'll finish the job," he uttered, when he heard weapons fly free of their holsters. He turned to see Arkin and Lumin with blasters raised at him.

The bartender threw up his arms. "Hey, no fights in my bar!"

A hole was through the Quarren's side before anyone could move, the round exiting the other side of his body to crash against the shelf of drinks behind the counter. Liquid splashed in all directions, and the bartender looked up to see a figure in the doorway, an unusual one at that. Few warriors had such armor, and fewer still would dare wear it away from their homeworld. A Mandalorian, his armor dressed in green, stepped through the doorway before lowering his weapon.

"I said no fights," the bartender growled.

"Wasn't a fight," the man replied, and whipped his blaster back into its holster.

The sight caught Arkin's attention, and he waved the others over to him. He had an idea. Moving cautiously, slow enough not to raise any alarms, he stepped over to the Mandalorian's table and took a seat across from him. "I've heard that voice before," he said, and pointed a finger to the man. "You're a clone."

"Yes," the Mandalorian answered. "Son of the greatest bounty hunter in the galaxy."

"Got a name?"

"Boba," he said. "Boba Fett."

Taladon and Lumin drew closer, coming to stand just behind Arkin as they eyed the Mandalorian. Taladon especially took an interest in his armor. "That beskar or durasteel?" he asked.

"Why you asking?" Boba replied. "You're not the one wearing it."

All Taladon could do was roll his eyes, while Arkin brushed off the man's hostile tone and leaned half an inch closer to him. "What brings you here?" he asked.

"Have a score to settle with the Crimson Thorns," Boba stated. "Did a job for them, never got paid."

Taladon put a hand on Arkin's shoulder. "As luck would have it, we're having problems with the guild ourselves."

Lumin nodded to him before looking back at Boba. "A bounty hunter of theirs tried to off our friend."

Boba almost chuckled. "Well… can't have that can we?" He then gave the side of his helmet a double tap, and watched for the others' reaction. Data transmitted to Lumin's device as he rose from his seat. "Schematics of the guild's headquarters," he said, and gestured for them to follow. He stepped outside, waited for them to join him, and pointed to a second story window. "I'll shoot up to there and make my entrance while the rest of you breach the main door," he said. "If we want to do this, we'll need to do it fast."

Taladon stepped closer to him. "How many hunters do they have inside?"

"Twenty, maybe," Boba guessed.

Arkin raised an eyebrow. "What about the civilians?"

"Collateral happens," Boba said. They knew where he stood on the matter.

Lumin shook her head. "We'll give them time to escape before we start sweeping the building."

"Suit yourself," Boba replied, and moved several paces away from them before turning to look them in the eyes. "But I can't promise there'll be anyone left for you to interrogate." With that, his jetpack ignited, and he shot up into the air.

Taladon nodded for the others to follow him, and the trio made their way swiftly across the street to the guild, where a lone Weequay bouncer stood guard. He made sure his body was in their way when they tried to pass.

"Name and business," he said, his voice gruff, like he was a hundred years old.

Taladon gave a shrug of his shoulders. "A bounty hunter of yours tried to have my family killed. I just want to know why."

The Weequay's eyes went wide. "Aeternia!" he shouted, and reached for his blaster. The edge of a blue saber pierced his chest before he could get it out.

"So much for diplomacy," Taladon remarked, and dropped the body to the ground. Laser fire flew out the doorway, and he took cover behind the wall, with Lumin joining him while Arkin ducked on the other side.

"Jedi!" someone inside the building roared. "A Jedi's here."

Taladon groaned. "If only." A flood of people ran through the doorway, and he watched Lumin help usher them out before returning to his side. Once the building was clear, Taladon prepared to step inside, but Arkin beat him to it.

The Corellian whipped out his S-5 heavy pistol, wielding it with one hand as he aimed into the main guild hall. He caught a Weequay in his sights and fired. A single shot was all it took to blow through the man's chest. Arkin saw a Quarren to his right, turned, and fired, an explosion of light gracing his eyes as the body sputtered backwards before flopping to the ground. Three more bounty hunters emerged from room at the end of the hall, and Arkin struck the first through the skull, only for a laser to graze his right arm. He knelt down, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. The wound wasn't deep, but the pain was very real. He heard blaster fire shoot over his head, followed by the screams of two more hunters, and turned to see Lumin by his side, DL-18 in hand. The woman then pointed to the balcony, where three more bounty hunters were lining up with rapid-fire blasters.

"Up top!" she called out, and opened fire. She nailed one of them through the side, but when the lasers started coming down, she was forced to take cover. She dove behind the guild hall's stage, to the right of Arkin, and readied a detonator.

Arkin, on the other hand, had another idea. He reached for the rifle at his back with his left hand, pulled it from its holster, and fired. He blew straight through one of the hunters, cocked the cycler rifle, and fired again. Sparks lit up the remaining body as his shell flew true. "Clear!" he shouted, and watched Taladon step inside.

"Up the stairs," Taladon said, unsheathing his vibrosword as he led the way up to the balcony, and then through a tight corridor to the back of the building. They had almost reached the end of the hallway when a pair of Falleen stepped through the doorway. Taladon could see their blasters, and dove into a roll as they opened fire. His protectants took cover on either side of the hallway as he leaped into the fray, and on returning to his feet, knocked the blaster from one with his sword before spiraling around to slice through the second with his lightsaber. He quickly turned back to his final opponent and lopped off the man's head. He stepped into the final room, several paces from the stairway leading to the administrator's office, when he came upon six bounty hunters, all with their weapons to him. "Well," he uttered, "this might be a tough one." The wall to his right caved in a moment later.

Boba Fett flew through the gap, rifle in one hand and pistol in the other. He opened fire, shredding the first three men in half a second. The rest tried to shoot him down, but he was an expert with his jetpack, and weaved between their shots before tilting his body forward. The missile on his back flew true, creating a small crater in the floor where the bounty hunters had once stood. He landed beside Taladon, who had fallen in the fray, and picked him up.

The group of four climbed the short staircase leading to the administrator's office, and Taladon kicked in the door with ease. They stepped through to find a Hutt lumped behind a desk, two Gamorrean guards in front of him. Boba shot the guards before they realized what was happening, and Taladon pointed his saber at the Hutt.

"Who are you?!" he demanded to know.

The Hutt was rather thin for his kind, though he still weighed hundreds of pounds. His skin was blue, and his eyes were wide with horror. He spoke in a deep, rumbly voice, but it was clear he was distressed.

Boba was forced to translate. "He's Fay Hutt, Guildmaster."

Taladon moved even closer to the Hutt. "Someone hired a member of your guild to infiltrate my home on Sanctum. Who was it?"

The Hutt cautiously leaned forward, his fingers moving to type away at the terminal before him. His terror-filled eyes never dissipated as he looked toward the databanks on display, and he glanced up at Taladon before speaking again.

Boba almost laughed. His gaze went to the ground, and he gave a slight shake of the head before turning to face Taladon. "He says it was a Jedi. Malus Vention."

Taladon felt his heart sink. His jaw fell agape, no words to be spoken. He sort of hung there in the room, like a person who wished to remain in shadows. His protectants were by his side, but there was nothing they could do to change his situation. "The Jedi… they tried to kill me."

"Or your father," Arkin remarked with a huff, arms crossing over his chest.

Boba gave a shrug of indifference. "Got what you wanted," he said, and turned to the Hutt. "My turn." He fired on Fay without giving it a second thought, and holstered his blasters while he stepped to the wall behind the Hutt's desk. Using a splice laser, he cut into the steel, unveiling a private stash within. Inside it were a hundred thousand wupiupis. "My pay, with interest."

All was quiet as the group abandoned the now vacant guild headquarters. The only thing to be heard was the roaring of speeders, the wisping away of starships, and the pounding of feet against the hundreds of levels of city architecture. Taladon's heart was racing. What did the Jedi have against him?

"Nice mess you made back there," Boba said as they returned to their ships, knocking Taladon out of his daydream. "Wouldn't mind working with you again some time."

Taladon gave a weak nod of the head, trying to put on a smile, but couldn't. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Lumin staring at him with sympathetic eyes. Arkin was on the other side of him, eyes somewhere else entirely. The group turned to see a strange ship on the landing pad to the left of their own. It was large, animalistic, with tall creatures in jagged armor exiting its hull. None of them had ever seen such beings before. "What are those?" Taladon asked. He noticed they carried long spears, but the tips appeared to be shaped like the head of a serpent.

"Yuuzhan Vong," Boba answered, and stepped toward his ship. "Media has it they've been torching planets in the Outer Rim. Got themselves into a quarrel with the Republic."

Taladon turned to the Mandalorian, who was now quite a distance away. "What do they want?"

"Conquest," Boba said, "but on a scale I've never seen before." He stopped dead in his tracks, and turned to Taladon for the last time. "My advice? Run. Head to the edge of the galaxy, maybe Raxus or Dantooine."

"It's that bad?"

"They're scorching planets," Boba replied, and turned back toward his ship.

Taladon was left with many thoughts as they boarded the Valiant, and as their ship rocketed through Nar Shaddaa's atmosphere. These Yuuzhan Vong were waging a different kind of war, and the Jedi wanted him dead. Neither end of the spear felt safe to him.