Chapter 11- Nal Hutta
It took time, but finally I was ready to listen to Khar.
"Look, Jaq. Don't you get it?"
"Don't I get what?"
"It! You shouldn't be able to use the Force like this. The best the rest of the assassins could do is prevent a Jedi from entering our minds or shift an enemy lazily to the left."
"Tomen could do it."
"Yeah, and where is Tomen now?"
"Dead! Much like the other half of the assassins. But I won't die, I am skilled with the Force."
"No, you don't get it. Jaq, you never listen. It's unnatural to have this ability. That's why Tomen's gone, he could use the Force. That's why Karath asked if you could use the Force. I intercepted a message from Karath to Darth Malak a week ago."
"So?"
"Karath requested permission to reassign Tomen from the KorribanAcademy to the one on Manaan."
"I don't understand."
"Their taking the Force sensitive ones and turning them full Sith! Revan did it, Karath did it, and now Malak is too! The assassins, none of them have died. Not one. They're all alive and have been turned into Dark Jedi. They've been turned completely! They are no longer freelancers."
"When were we ever freelancers?"
"You don't get it, Jaq. They are completely Sith. They don't serve the Sith, they are the Sith! Like you, only they're forced. They've lost all mental thought and capability. Their morals have been replaced by orders that have been whispered into their ears by Malak."
"Khar. I am fine. I'll just refrain from telling them. Plus, from what I hear, you've been getting better with the Force too."
"Yes, instead of shifting an enemy lazily to the left I can shove them rapaciously to the right! I've given up looking after you."
"It's not your job too look after me!"
"If you don't look after yourself who the Krayt will?"
I shut off the transmission.
Khar was getting on my nerves. He claimed he was letting go, that he was going to stop pestering me. But he hadn't stopped. He tried to contact me thrice while at Coruscant. I had told him that the mission was a long one, that I was busy each time he called me. He saw right through my lies. The mission on Coruscant took less than a minute, I simply flew over the training camp and dropped a Hex missile on the training camp leaving a one hundred percent casualty rating. He called me twice more while I was on Ziost. Malak had suggested if I was awaiting missions I could escort a Sith patrol who had recovered some ancient Sith Artifacts on Ziost. Unfortunately for them, the artifacts had been hidden in a vault by the Republic. I engaged the Republic interception attack force and scared the Jedi to death, literally. No really I did!
The Bishop began its descent through Nal Hutta's atmosphere. The gasses prevented my vision out of the ship's front view-ports. The golden clouds were toxic to those who inhaled them. This planet was a Hutt, it was smelly, gassy, and extremely poisonous if you sucked in too much of it's gasses.
It descended onto the landing pad located on one of the open planes. Lowering the landing ramp and stepping onto the grass I realised how toxic the planet really was. The ground mushed beneath my boots. The grass was as golden as the rising gasses. The planet was a giant yellow ball of flatulence and it hadn't changed in the least since I'd last landed there. My mission was simple, a Bounty Hunter was being held in a Sith outpost by the landing pad. The Hunter was the target, I had to receive him and terminate him. They were holding him not in the holding cells but in a briefing area. You see, the base used to belong to her Bounty Hunter crew.
As I approached I was greeted by the sounds of blaster fire. I entered the bunker and was further greeted by the sight of four dead Imperial Agents. In the centre the Bounty Hunter, she twirled the blaster pistols towards him and sheathed them into her belt. I began.
"Ma'am, you're going to have to come with me."
"Not on your life kid. I've got a bounty to take down."
"Oh really? Maybe I could help you out."
"I don't think so. I'm taking down Nal Hutta's best hunter, goes by the name of the Kath Hound."
"Come… with… me."
"Hey, can I ask you a question? What in Revan's name made you think I was a chick?"
"Well you're…well you're…you…you uh…sorry what was the question?"
Woops.
She…uh, he fired a few blasts at me and raised my hand. The blasts impacted on my palm but ceased to exist as soon as they hit, it was the power of the Force.
"Damn it!"
She…no, he yelled. He unsheathed his lightsaber, a red one, one he had from his Sith days. He was a Sith, how could intel on him be wrong? Maybe I'd just forgotten. Anyway, he lunged and we clashed lightsabers. The green and red splashed and flashes of white caused some temporal blindness in my eyes. But when my eyes could not see the Force did the watching. The Force soon revealed the truth. He was a she. She was a she.
"Liar! You're a woman!"
She stopped.
"And you're a Force user!"
She had caught me out. In her non-sword hand she unsheathed a Rodian Death Blade and attempted to shove it into my gut. She missed and I ended up catching her wrist. She tried to plunge it in again and again. I dislodged her wrist and stabbed the blade into her gut. In retaliation she endeavored to ram her helmet against my forehead. I sidestepped and she ended up tripping forward. When she collapsed on the ground her blade was forced deeper in until it stuck out her lower spine. A fresh spray of blood from her back signaled her end. Mission success. And easy success.
I took a few minutes to recover, while the mission was only short it was still tiring. She had given me everything she had. Behind me I studied a corpse, there was still life in this one. The life was slowly draining out of him and it was not worth preserving. I fried a few bolts of electricity at him, part of a technique Revan used called Death Field. With every inch of life the man lost, I gained. I painful yet fulfilling process. A hologram appeared in the centre of the room. The hologram of Darth Malak.
"Jaq. You have been very good these last few days and in this short time you have proven yourself worthy. Worthy enough to become my apprentice."
Apprentice? I was going to be a Darth? No, the only way I could do that would be if I had the Force. Did Malak know?
"I am honored. But how can I? How can I if I don't have the Force?"
"But you do, don't you. I can feel it."
"I really don't. I can't even use the Force that effectively."
"Well, if you do, if you can best my new apprentice you can take her place."
I knew there would be a catch.
"You have an apprentice, my lord?"
"Yes, Jedi Master Bastila Shan."
"The one who killed Lord Revan!"
I didn't realise I'd said it out loud.
"…yes, that is what I wanted to discuss with you. Your next mission is going to be forwarded to the ships on your databanks. The mission is entirely confidential, your target is incredibly untrus-"
The Hologram cut out and a after some glitched flickering the image of a Hutt appeared. In front of the Hutt was a blonde Bounty Hunter, the Kath Hound. She was as deadly as the gas that came from the Hutt behind her. I recognized the Hutt instantly. It was Gherlga the Hutt, the Hutt I'd double crossed all those years ago. He spoke a language unfamiliar to me. He spoke for quite a long time and I half expected The Kath to translate. But she didn't. She looked down on me as if a lesser. I heard one word I half recognized.
"Die."
With that the windows of the outpost shut down and all technical equipment in the room froze up and deactivated. The room was going into lockdown. I felt as though I should have dove for the door, but I still felt like I had some chance of survival. I heart the smushing of feet against soggy grass followed by similar patterned running feet. Now the squishiness had become clanging, they had reached the outpost. I threw my lightsaber at the door. Eight bounty hunters entered via the door and lasted about a second before they were all instantly sliced in two by my weapon. I was unstoppable.
I waited a few seconds and power came back to the bunker. A blinking light on the main console lit up informing me that I had a new message. I figured I should ignore it, but there was a voice inside screaming for me to read it. I pressed down on three of the large red buttons on the console. A pop-up opened and I witnessed a message from the Hutt Gherhal.
I remember you. I remember what you did. I will not send my hunters after you unless you get off my planet or return my ship.
I ignored it. There was no need for me to bother considering, I needed to leave anyway. I took a step and a half outside and saw several silhouettes lining themselves up in the dead tree line. They were lining up their shots, waiting to see if I'd stay. From what I could see there were enough for me to take down. The Force told me that there were far more on the way. No need for an unnecessary fight. So I walked up the Sleheyron's Bishop's landing ramp and went on my way. I punched in the coordinates to Malachor V. It was time I stocked up on equipment.
As I ascended in to space I couldn't help but take a deep breath. Fresh air flooded my nostrils. I became dizzy with confusion from the purified oxygen that now worked its way to my head.
Why did I leave the fight? That was unlike me.
I stood from my pilot's chair ready to move to the comms room. There would be my orders. Instead something grabbed me, a hand touched down on my shoulder. A familiar hand. Naresha? No it was in the Force, and the power was far stronger. Revan? Malak and Karath were discussing you previously. Are you really dead? Still the hand held onto my shoulder. It was a woman's touch. And it made me feel warmer inside than I'd ever felt in my entire life. It made me feel light.
Confused by what had overcome me I sat. I pressed my hands onto the console and allowed my hands to type in whatever coordinates they were forced to touch. I didn't know what I was doing, but whoever was calling for me truly wanted me to see them. From here, all the way across the galaxy I could feel her presence with me. She was beautiful, it appearance and it smell. She was peculiar, someone I had never met, someone I knew so long.
I loved her…