Chapter 2: Hunter
I stood over the fallen street waif as the force lightning dissipated from my fist. Bystanders gaped in fear at the beating I had unleashed on the girl, a scowl sent them scurrying along. The young bronzed skinned woman moaned in pain on the stone walkway. I nudged her with my foot, "Get up. If I have to carry you back to my ship it will be worse for you." I threatened.
I needed to leave sooner rather than later. The tentative peace between Sith and Hutt was held together by a mutual understanding to stay out of each other's business. A rule I had just broken. The Sith Lords would not care about my infraction, but they would also not protest if the local Hutt's thugs blasted me down for abducting one of her slaves. Tarelk was a rising power among the Hutts, still too young to be a serious threat, but she had controlled Nal Hale'et longer than the last three Hutts before her, through the sheer number of her enforcers.
Reaching down I grabbed the street rat by the elbow, "I said get up!" I repeated as I tugged her arm. If I could wave down a speeder taxi it would make this easier; but I suspected word of my violent capture of the girl had spread and the drivers would be too scared to stop. Being ignored by a petty speeder taxi would be a sign of weakness. One I could not afford on this now hostile planet.
As my frustration grew a green speeder stopped in front of me. There were six people in the speeder, three in the front and three in the back. A terrified Evocaii shuddered in the driver's seat, the band of metal around his neck marked him as another slave of Tarelk. Next to him sat the lanky Verpine my prey had been talking to earlier. The last rider in the front was a scaled Weequay who glanced at me lazily as his long thin braids swung behind his head. In the backseat sat another Weequay, younger than the one in the front seat, based on the shorter horns sprouting down from his jaw, a large leonine Cathar, and on the far side of the speeder was a Red Nikto. The trio in the back exited the speeder and set a perimeter around me and the girl. The Weequay circled around to my left Cathar strolled to my right, and the Nikto drew his blaster and rested it on the roof of the speeder aiming it at me.
Once I was boxed in the older Weequay leisurely climbed out of the front seat and addressed me, "Hello Sith, I am Hotaq Sonaffa and I protect the interests of the great Tarelk the Devourer." He waved his arms grandiosely as spoke. "I am sure you were unaware of this, but the street rat bleeding at your feet belongs to Tarelk. I can see you already punished her for whatever offence she caused, so hand her over to us and the mighty Tarelk will forget this incident."
The insectile Verpine climbed out of the speeder after Hotaq, "Are you alright, child." They inquired of my prey as they moved towards her.
"Fi'xzets… you came. Thank you." My prey muttered weakly.
I stepped between the two. "The girl is coming with me and we are leaving immediately. Payment for the slave can be worked out latter."
The Cathar and other Weequay put their hands on their blasters. "Tarelk is very possessive of her girls, she stays." Hotaq growled said the last part with a growl.
"That doesn't work for me." I shook my head.
"This does not have to get ugly Sith. Hand over the girl and walk away." Hotaq threatened me.
"Things got ugly as soon as you arrived. Now stop yapping like a mongrel and get out of my way." I sneered at Hotaq.
"Dumb move. Blast her!" he ordered the Nikto.
I was prepared for this, I opened myself to the Force, the dark Side rushing through me. I dodged to my left, the Nikto's shot sailed through where I had stood a moment before. My hand snapped to my lightsaber, drawing the deadly weapon. As the crimson blade appeared before, I felt complete. My lightsaber was one with me and I was one with the Force.
I rushed Hotaq, positioning him between me and the Nikto taking shots at me. Hotaq managed to draw his blaster and fire a shot from his hip. This gunslinger move was one of the fastest attacks in the galaxy, but I deflected it; my lightsaber crackling from the impact. With a simple wave of my lightsaber I cut off Hotaq's arm at the elbow and he feel to the street screaming in pain. As the severed arm tumbled to the feet of Fi'xzets, the Verpine turned and fled down the street.
The Cathar and other Weequay were not idle. They both drew their weapons and fired at me. I dodged one blast and deflected the other back to its source. The laser struck the shoulder of the Cathar and he dropped his weapon. Feeling a warning from the Force I rolled out of the way as another blast from the Nikto zipped above me. I came out of my roll and beheaded the younger Weequay.
Not pausing for a moment, I turned to face the Nikto hiding behind the speeder as he fired a third shot at me. I deflected the blast back at him, but he ducked behind the speeder. Turning my attention to the wounded Cathar, I saw him struggle to pick up his blaster. Reaching out with my armored left hand I channeled my rage and pushed him back with the Force. He crashed into the streetlight and tumbled to the ground.
The Nikto raised just his arm above the roof of the speeder and fired in my direction blindly. After narrowly dodging the shot I deflected back at him he was too scared to even peek above the speeder. His aim was so poor I did not even need to dodge the attacks. Annoyed I pulled a vibro-blade out from my right sleeve and tossed it above the speeder. Focusing my killing intent on the tumbling weapon I channeled the Force and slammed the blade down towards the cowering thug. Hearing the man howl in pain, I smiled.
Casually tucking away my lightsaber, I walked around the back of the speeder and saw the Evocaii driver reaching for the blaster of the wounded Nikto. With a simple Force move, I pulled the blaster into my hand and shot the Nikto with between his eyes. Leveling the barrel at the terrified Evocaii I coldly said, "Do exactly as I say, and I will let you live."
"Yes mistress. Anything you ask mistress." He stammered.
Pointing back at the force sensitive girl I had captured, "Load her into the speeder and take us to the spaceport." I ordered.
The Evocaii leapt to the task and loaded the dazed girl into the front seat of the speeder. I pulled my vibro-blade of the dead Nikto and climbed into the back and directed the driver, "Loading bay T13." I informed the terrified driver.
As the speeder wove through the city, I questioned the Evocaii for information on the local Hutt Boss. The Evocaii, his name was Meseph, readily regurgitated the typical gossip and propaganda from an Outer-Rim warlord. He told me Tarelk was planning on calling in a favor from a powerful cousin to help her crush a small group of Evocaii slaves who had managed to escape and had started to wage a guerilla war for the freedom of more Evocaii. Most of it was useless to me; but he told me Tarelk implants explosives into all her slaves to prevent them from escaping. "If you help me extract the device from this girl, I will do the same for you Meseph," I offered.
"Thank you, Mistress. But why would you do that for me?" he asked.
"You would of course owe me a favor." I explained.
"What could I ever possibly do for someone as powerful as you?" he inquired.
"Once you are free, you will no doubt flee into the wilds and join the local Evocaii resistance. Am I correct?" I probed.
"You are both wise and powerful Mistress, that is what I hoped for." Meseph admitted.
"I doubt Tarelk will be too pleased that I have stolen her slave and killed or maimed four of her enforcers. She may seek retribution and if she does, I will end her. To that end you would owe me a favor." I explained.
"To help you free my people and destroy Tarelk the Devourer would be the greatest honor." he looked back at me with adoration in his eyes.
"Eyes on the road." I reminded him, irritated at the reverent way he looked at me. "And I will only kill that bloated worm if she comes after me, freeing your people would be an unintentional by-product. The Sith Lords and Hutt Cartel have an understanding, any disputes between a Sith and a Hutt boss are settled by the individuals. Otherwise the two groups would have descended into all-out war.
"If your former master sends her enforcers after me or puts a bounty on my head. I will return and finish her. But if she knows what is good for her she will leave me alone. If she does you will never see me again and can forget your debt. Do you accept my deal?" I finished detailing my offer to the Evocaii.
"I know Tarelk the Devourer and she will not accept this defeat humbly. She will seek your life for the humiliation you dealt her. I accept your offer and I await your return to finish off that tyrannical worm." The Evocaii pledged himself.
During our conversation, the girl had recovered from her earlier beating, and she turned back to glare at me, "You seem plenty capable of dealing with one Hutt. Why are really freeing him?"
"Here is your first lesson on the path to the Darkside. 'The enemy of your enemy is another weapon in your arsenal,' and I enjoy crushing my enemies with as much firepower as I can muster." I patted the blaster I had taken from the Nikto as I said the last part. Meseph glanced back at me again, only this time fear had replaced adoration. I sighed happily and reclined in the back seat of the speeder. The last thing I wanted was some backwoods alien looking at me like I was some kind of savior. I was a hunter, not a hero.