"Perhaps your way lies with the Sith... and the heart of their darkness. To recognize what strength is, and bring that strength to those that follow you... and those that defy you. The way of a Sith Lord."―Kreia
Sith Gothic 2
Part 9
I entered a large room that had several black floating droids within it, I also found a projected holographic image of a human who seemed to be waiting for me.
"Welcome aboard," the man said in what didn't sound to be a natural voice. "You should feel honoured. Not many get the chance to visit my yacht".
I had been expecting mines, combat droids and turrets, but all those had been turned off. Clearly the owner of this fine vessel had known who was coming on board and had prepared the way.
"Goto, I presume?" I asked rhetorically.
The holoimage nodded.
"Indeed. And you are Lord Gothic" the hologram said "It hasn't been easy to track you down. I would like to thank you for agreeing to speak with me. You coming here voluntarily does make things so much easier".
I noticed then that T3 wasn't with me even though he was suppose to be. The Handmaiden and Visas were, they hung back, as for everyone else I'd left on the ship in case we needed to make a quick getaway.
"As you may be aware, I am a representative of an organisation whose business is focused around non-sanctioned trading, here in Y'Toub system and Republic space" Goto told me.
I tried not to role my eyes.
"You're a smuggler," I said.
The human image frowned.
"Please, let's not be gauche," Goto requested.
I would attempt not to be.
"My apologies," I said "Now what did you want to speak to me about?".
"There is a question that I want to ask you," Goto replied. "Are you a Jedi?".
I shook my head.
"Unlike some of the Sith I have never been a Jedi" I informed Goto "Nor do I wish to be one".
The image frowned.
"That is unfortunate," Goto said. "Though perhaps not surprising since I have seen your records".
Well if he'd seen my records then he should have known I'd never been a Jedi, but perhaps he'd assumed that I had been one as I had changed my name upon joining the Sith. This wasn't an uncommon practice, and some Jedi may have done it.
"If you really need a Jedi then I can't help you" I told Goto.
The hologram didn't move or make noise for a while.
"No matter. If you agree to take on this job for me, then I will reward you with a reasonable sum of credits" Goto was now saying.
Right now I was feeling as if I'd skipped a page in the story of my life.
"Job?" I ask.
I was pretending as if I didn't know exactly what he wanted.
"Yes, I have a job for you," Goto explained. "It is why I have gone to considerable lengths to bring you here. Well, it wasn't you in particular that I wanted. I just needed a Jedi and as I am a member of something that the Jedi typically disapprove of, simply asking for help did not seem a wise course of action, however I doubt a Sith Lord will have any problems working with me".
I was confused by something.
"Your methods of recruitment could use some work, by placing a bounty on Jedi you've done much to help wipe out the Order "I pointed out. "And it was already weakened form years of war and…".
Well there was no need to mention the other Dark Lords.
"An unfortunate side effect," Goto conceded. "I had specified that the Jedi were to be brought to me alive but if people will not listen then nothing can be done. Even only paying half price for dead Jedi didn't seem to help. I would have refused to pay at all but being seen to go back on your word doesn't do you many favours. And besides, if a Jedi can be brought down by common bounty hunters then they are not suitable for the task that I have in mind".
That made some sense, if only a little.
"So what task can I assist you with?" I asked.
If he was going to pay me to save the galaxy that made doing so far more tempting.
"There is something precious to me that must be protected. I have tried to do so alone, but the facts have shown that I cannot do it by myself," Goto revealed. "The Republic is broken and I need it to be fixed".
I smiled.
"Its amusing to hear a crime lord say that" I told the hologram.
The image was not amused.
"Just because I dislike some of the Republic's trading policies doesn't mean that I want to see it collapse" Goto commented "And it will. Within six months, the Republic will be destroyed not by war or secession, but because of the collapse of its infrastructure. Though many believe otherwise, it was the Sith who really won the Jedi Civil War".
We did? I wasn't aware of that. The Sith empire Raven built hadn't lasted without him.
"The Jedi Civil War left the Republic on the brink of collapse and it hasn't recovered sufficiently in the years since it ended" I was informed "The Republic was recovering slowly, but the events on Peragus have set into motion a chain of events that are undoing all of that".
Perhaps I should feel bad about that, but I didn't since I wasn't at all to blame.
"I have been studying this problem for weeks now and no logical solution is forthcoming. I am beginning to believe that there is not one and that is why my search for a Jedi is even more pressing" Goto explained "When nothing predictable is readily available, it is time to turn to unconventional methods".
Well hiring a Sith Lord was very unconventional.
"There is something moving in this galaxy that is beyond my powers to predict and my ability to see" Goto was now telling me "I believe that it is some remnant of the Sith, but I have been unable to determine the source. It has been striking at key figures throughout the Republic for some time and it has also somehow been destroying worlds such as Katarr where many Jedi were lost. I cannot find any pattern and can only speculate that perhaps the Jedi were in some way involved".
So Goto didn't know what the Dark Lords were up too.
"Well if you want to destroy the Sith, good luck with that" I said to the hologram "We tend to be hard to stamp out".
The holoimage shook its head.
"No, I'm not particularly invested in the destruction of the Sith," Goto clarified. "The conflict between the Jedi and the Sith is tearing apart the galaxy, as this last war so neatly illustrated. If one side is no longer present then there would be nothing more to fight about".
Alas it wasn't that simple.
"There's always the risk that a Jedi will fall even if there are no Sith to tempt them" I warned Goto.
My words were no heeded.
"The galaxy needs a break from these constant conflicts" he replied "So either the Jedi or the Sith have to be destroyed".
A few times I had considered taking out both groups and letting the slate be wiped clean. Of course if I wiped out the Jedi then no one would be able to stop the Sith in the Unknown Regions when they invaded.
On the other hand even if I did kill all the Jedi Master new followers of the light would rise up before long even as new dark siders did. That was just the way it worked, but in the short term taking out both groups would give the Republic a break from all the wars.
"You would be the one stopping one side or even both so the decision is yours," Goto said diplomatically.
Well since I was trying to stop the Sith anyway it made sense to get paid for it.
"Alright I'll get right to work on stopping the Sith," I told the hologram.
As for killing the Jedi Masters, well Kreia would take care of that.
"Ah, that is where we are at a cross-purpose," Goto said apologetically. "I can't set you free".
Say what?
"If you can't set me free then how in the world am I supposed to be able to help you stop the Sith?" I asked.
Goto hesitated.
"You're a destabilising influence, I'm afraid," the holoimage said.
Since when?
"What do you mean I'm a destabilising influence," I questioned.
I was soon told.
"You began the fall of the Republic when you destroyed the Peragus mining facility," Goto accused. "And since then you've disrupted rule of the Exchange here on Nar Shaddaa".
I gritted my teeth.
"Peragus was not my fault!" I hotly debated.
"Wasn't it?" Goto asked rhetorically. "Peragus was just fine until you showed up. Then within a matter of days it blew up, and took out the fuel supply of many worlds with it".
Well that was true, from a certain point of view.
"The HK-50 assassin droids that you employed are the reason Peragus was destroyed. One of them told the miners about your bounty so they planned to turn me over to the Exchange. Then the HK-50 killed everyone in Peragus to stop that from happening, and when I woke up he attempted to kill me as well. All for your bounty. I think you bear far more of the blame than I do".
"That assassin droid acted on its own and did not blow up anything," Goto insisted.
True, not directly.
"No," I conceded. "But neither did I, and because I was incapacitated by your bounty hunter, a Sith managed to track me to the facility and blew up the asteroid field trying to get at me, if you'd never posted that bounty I'd have left Pergaus long before any Sith showed up".
The holoimage wavered for a moment.
"I need to think on this," Goto declared before promptly disappearing.
Now it was time to leave. I could sense danger, and I had the feeling that while I'd been talking that T3 had been off causing trouble.
(Line Break)
"Kriff!" swore Atton. "They must think Goto is using our ship to escape. Hang on, I've got to lose them".
He punched the throttle and started up a series of evasive manoeuvres. From what I could tell the shuttles being used by the Bounty Hunters couldn't keep up, and Atton managed to gain enough distance between us and them so that we could vanish from their sensors.
"I can't believe we just blew up Goto's yacht!" Mira yelled as the ship moved through the atmosphere of Nar Shaddaa"That's going to destabilise crime throughout this whole sector."
There was no need to use the Force to sense how little anyone else gave a fuck.
"Yeah, well, you'll understand if I hold back the tears" Atton said.
"You don't understand. Crime in the Y'Toub system,it's like the economy." Mira told us "Plus the power vacuum? Even if Vogga gets up and running again, the system is going to be feeling the effects for years to come".
I also had no fucks to give. I'd just fought my way through what had seemed like an army of bounty hunters, and that meeting had been rather pointless. Goto hadn't impressed me at all, and since I was going to stop the Sith anyway, if only to save my own hide then he didn't really need a Jedi.
Getting paid to aid the Republic would have been nice, but I was going to it anyway because the Republic needed to exist to fight the Sith within the Unknown Regions. Without the Republic they'd steamroll over the galaxy and the Emperor would kill everything.
"Plus we didn't find that Jedi Master with the weird name," Atton mentioned.
Now that the ship was on the ground we made our way back to the main hold.
"Zez-Kai Ell? Um… well, that's not true," Mira said. "I already found him. Actually, he found me first. First he paid me to set up hiding places for him; later he hired me to watch over you, until he could meet with you".
He should get his money back. Mira had not been useful it watching my back.
"He's in a safe house of mine" the red head then told me "I promised I'd meet up with him there if we ran into trouble".
Now I just had to decide if I'd kill him or let Kreia do it later.
"If you thought to escape me so easily, you would be wrong" a familiar voice said.
One of Goto's security spheres suddenly decloaked right next to the holodisplay. Several of the crew reached for weapons; but I called them off. The droid then turned to face me and projected the usual hologram.
"It is now quite apparent that I have miscalculated" the machine told me "Even if I were to recapture you, and it would not be cost-effective to do so. It seems my best option is to assist you, much as I dislike being unable to control the situation. As a token of my goodwill, I present to you a gift: this droid. It will serve you well on your journey. While not designed for front-line combat, this unit is a highly capable scout, and is armed with blaster weaponry. It is also equipped with an advanced cyberwarfare suite, which will allow it dominate the programming of other droids".
Again I found it hard to care. I needed another drink, it had been a long day, and I still had a Jedi Master to met.
(Line Break)
Mira and I walked through the streets heading towards her safe house.
"So, were you raised here on Nar Shaddaa?" I asked the bounty hunter.
Since the red head had decided to tag along I'd decided to get to know her. If only to pass the time.
"Yeah, more or less," Mira said with a shrug. "I wasn't born there, just ended up there".
Like so many others.
"What happened to your family?" I asked "No one with anywhere else to go would come to Nar Shaddaa so I assume you don't have anyone".
Mira winced.
"Well, the war happened, the first one, against the Mandalorians. Had family right up until the end" she told me "It's not really a new story, you hear it all over the galaxy. After Revan crushed the Mandalorians, we didn't have anywhere to go".
Now I was surprised.
"You're a Mandalorian?" I asked.
She nodded.
"I am, as much as any slave becomes a Mandalorian. They took prisoners on every world they conquered to bolster their ranks, and they took a lot of worlds" I was told "They mostly used me to carry ammo packs and munitions. Toward the end of the war, they needed everyone they could get. They taught me to fight, to hunt, to survive. I was part of their squad, even when I was young. Everyone served as part of the unit, and I felt like I had a place there".
Mira stopped for a moment.
"After Malachor, it didn't really matter anymore, the Mandalorians lost" she the added.
I sought for something else to say.
"What happened between you and that Hanharr?" I wondered.
He'd tried to get in my way while I'd been trying to get off Goto's ship, that hadn't gone well for the Wookie.
"I didn't kill him once. Biggest mistake ever" the red head said " I made someone mad. Mad enough for them to send Hanharr after me. Turns out, they were even able to get him cheap. He'd heard about me, and wanted to hunt me down. For sport. He tried to box me down in vents beneath the Nar Shaddaa docks, and he'd set one too many proximity mines to cover the escape routes. I think he'd hoped to drive me into the mines and let them do the work, or that I'd be too scared to try and walk through them. But I know mines and munitions, from when I was a kid. It was pretty easy to broadcast a signal to blind their sensor receptors for a minute or two. I'd just made it to safety when he hit the first mine. The blast levelled the entire ventilation section, and Hanharr was caught right in the middle".
Mira paused, as if remembering.
"And he survived" she then said "Barely. He was crawling around, blinded from the flash and the plasma burns. I had the drop on him, and he knew it. I suppose I should have killed him, but I couldn't do it. He was in pain, and he was helpless. So I dragged him out of there, enough to get him to safety"
Mira shook her head.
"That's why Hanharr was after me" she said next "I don't pretend to understand it, but among his people, they have these codes of honour. But somewhere along the line Hanharr's got twisted. His people form these things called 'life debts.' If you save the life of one of them, they pledge themselves to you, but he hates... I mean he hated every other living thing in the galaxy, so pledging himself to someone else, especially a human, was unbearable. So when I saved his life, it was the worst thing I could do, it was like slavery, but it was in his head".
I remembered Big Z, but I'd hardly say I knew any Wookie, still I doubted there were many of them like Hanhar
"The safe house is a block further down. My client is waiting for you. Have your meeting" Mira instructed.
(Line Break)
I reached behind the HK's head and powered it on. There were a few random-sounding clicks and whirs, then the droid's eyes slowly lit up red.
"Diagnostic: HK-47 activated. Running checks through primary systems" it said.
I waited.
Assessment: It appears I have suffered considerable damage. My central control cluster seems to have taken several repeated blaster shots at close range. How crude".
This was something I couldn't remember. I was only able to assume that when the Sith had boarded the ship they'd shot my droid.
"Are you okay?" I enquired of the killer robot.
HK angled his head down.
"Answer: if by 'okay,' you mean the loss of almost all my existing assassination protocols, then no, I am not okay. Furthermore, I seem to have no discretionary control over my vocabulator, causing me to reveal my true function as an assassin droid of unrivalled sophistication" it said.
HK wasn't suppose to tell people that it was an assassin droid. I'd have to see if I could fix that.
"Any idea what happened to you?" I asked.
"Answer: It seems you would know more than I," said HK. "My memory centres are experiencing some setbacks. Reflection: Of course, for some reason, that does not alarm me. I suspect I have suffered such repeated memory failures before. Still, the loss of my higher combat and assassination protocols is shameful and degrading".
That was disappointing, I needed the extra fire power what with the Sith chasing me and it hadn't been cheap to fix HK up.
"I should tell you that some droids that look just like you have attacked me" I informed the robot.
"Answer: Oh, that is impossible, master," HK said quickly. "If I were out to kill you, we would not be speaking, even with my reduced capabilities. And regardless, I am a unique model. Why, even to think that there could be other versions of me is unacceptable"
T3 rolled forward, warbled, and activated his holoprojector. He played a recording of the time a HK droid had blasted it, back when I'd been trying to escape that blasted mining colony.
"Conclusion: You speak the truth, Master This discovery is also causing me some degree of anger. And humiliation" it said.
HK paced for a while, it was a very human thing for it to do.
Statement: I mean, I have only just been re-activated, only to find that there are sub-standard duplicates of me running all over the galaxy, corroding my good name. But if they are, in fact, hunting you, than I look forward to the opportunity to meet these units… and to educate them in proper assassination protocols".
That suited me just fine.
"So if we run into anymore of these droids you'll help me deal with them?" I asked.
"Answer: Yes, master. HK-47 is ready to serve".
I'd not realised how much I'd missed this killer robot.
