A/N: Thanks for all your reviews for the first chapter. I've noticed and took heed of a review from a Guest user who voiced some disapproval of Revan's premature and somewhat excessive flirting with Elena, and I apologize for that. I'm a bit too used to writing for a Revan like that which is featured in my "Heart of a Padawan" fic, as well as Renee Enderson's "Second Chances" and "Revanchism". It'll be quite difficult for me to properly and fully adjust, but I'll do my best to tone things down for now.
I've currently planned out a lot of material for what will happen on all of the planets, save for Dantooine. I really can't be bothered to write about all the side quests, especially the non-essential ones such as the Sandral-Matale feud, so I'll just stick to the essential elements of the main plot. While I will try to make things as original and refreshing as reasonably possible, please keep in mind that I probably won't be able to write something that's a "total conversion" of the KOTOR storyline.
Please be patient with what happens on Taris. I'll re-use some of the events which happened in the game and which I consider relatively essential to plot advancement, but I'm going to add my own twists to them. Some of the stuff will stay relatively in line with the game, but I have very different plots planned for the lower and undercity. I'm also going to add many more complicated ethical dilemmas in this story in comparison to the game, as I was very bored and disappointed with the typical "give people money=light side points, say anything bad=dark side points" scenarios.
Anyhow, here's the newest chapter. Hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 2
Glimpse of Darkness
"Oof!" a young Elena groaned as she bumped into another Padawan in the library of the Dantooine academy, unaware of where she was going as she had her attention buried in some old historical texts. The manuscript sheets slipped out of her hands and fell in a messy pile in front of her feet, and she crouched down to begin frantically gathering them.
"Are you always this ditsy?" the young boy of around nine years old said to her, a tired tone evident in his voice.
"Can't you help me pick these up?" Elena said to him in frustration.
"Why should I?" he replied with his arms crossed. "You're the one who bumped into my side while I was walking along just fine. You don't have a sense of responsibility?"
Elena stopped picking up the papers and looked up at him with a grumpy stare.
"Oh, fine, then," he sighed and began helping her pick up the rest of the papers.
"Thanks," Elena said slightly apologetically.
"I don't know…you seem to be a little…lost," the boy noted, looking at her curiously. "Are you new around here?"
"Uhh…yes, I am," Elena nodded and proceeded to introduce herself. "Elena Adarné. I was transferred here from Coruscant last week."
"Ah, figures," the boy grinned. "Kids from Coruscant always were a little ditsy in their first few weeks. Pretty name, by the way."
Elena put her hands on her hips and frowned at him. "Are you going to tell me your name?"
"Sorry," he chuckled. "I'm Revan. I've been raised and trained here on Dantooine for as long as I can remember. Masters Kreia and Zhar are my regular teachers. Never really liked Master Vrook for some reason."
Elena then took notice of a small wooden pendent which was strung around Revan's neck. "That's quite a unique necklace you have. May I ask where it's from?"
"It's…uhh…" Revan stammered slightly. "It was a parting gift from my mom. She gave it to me the night before I left to join the Order."
Elena tilted her head and questioned him. "Where's your mother now?"
Revan shrugged. "Not sure. She gave me up to the Jedi when I was around four years old on Corellia. I know that I was born on some planet beyond the outer rim, but I never knew anything beyond that. Mother never really wanted to tell me much about our homeworld."
Elena was silent with sympathy for a while, then spoke to farewell Revan before she left. "Well, I have to leave now. I just finished reading these, and I have to return them to the academy's archives."
"I should get back to the training chamber as well. Otherwise, Master Vrook will scold me. He's got the temper of a bomb and the patience of a short fuse."
Elena smiled at him, finding humor in his words. "It was nice meeting you, Revan. Hope to see you again sometime."
"Sure thing, Elena. And remember – keep your eyes up next time," he teased with a wink as he walked past her. Elena simply chuckled and continued on her way.
"Revan…" Elena whispered under her breath as she aimlessly strolled through the streets of Taris, straying away from the route to the cantina that lay straight ahead.
"Are you always this ditsy?" Kael spoke to her words which struck her emotions sharply as he pulled her slightly by the arm to steer her back on course. "Or are you still not awake properly from your nap?"
"I am not ditsy," Elena defended herself, swatting away his hand. "I am just…tired."
"Must be mighty tired, then. You were just mumbling about heaven and all," Kael grinned.
"I was merely expressing my utter disappointment at the fact that I had to be stuck with a downright scoundrel such as you," Elena shot back.
Kael frowned jokingly. "Is that any way to talk to a guy who saved your life?"
"I know, I know, sorry," Elena rolled her eyes. "Let's just meet up with Carth, ok?"
"Whatever you say."
-o-
Immediately after entering the upper city cantina, Kael and Elena were bombarded with a wafting smell of alcohol and an endless racket of several gambling tables filled with drunken and enthusiastic patrons. The two of them were cautious as to avoid any off-duty Sith officers in uniform, regardless of their state of intoxication. Eventually, after much searching in the crowded venue, they managed to find a very much sober Carth, who was blending in with the crowd merely by having a drink in hand.
"Glad to see that you're up instead of sleeping like a vegetable on the bed," Carth chuckled at Kael as they approached him.
"You seem surprisingly…" Elena winced, not knowing what to say.
"Sober? Yes, I am," Carth affirmed. "Just buy a large glass of Tarisian ale and lay your head down on a table: people around you won't even know whether you're out cold or not. That's how strong the stuff is, apparently."
"Ensign Kael Deren reporting for duty, sir," the soldier reported, albeit in a hushed voice and without raising his hand to his forehead in what would normally have been a customary salute.
"Don't sweat it, Kael," Carth insisted with a wave of his hand. "Forget about ranks while we're on this planet. The Sith have eyes and ears pretty much everywhere,"
"So is there anything you've managed to find out about Bastila?" Elena asked.
"I did, and I also had the displeasure of being spoken down to by a spoilt brat who claims that her father owns the cantina," Carth began to explain in detail. "I had the fortune of coming across a heavily drunken female Sith officer who's inadvertently told me some details about where Bastila's escape pod crashed. It turns out that it crashed somewhere in the lower city, and it was quickly pounced upon by some gang called the 'Black Vulkars'. Poor thing must have been drunk out of her mind: she went further and told me, after I asked her, that only Sith patrols in uniform are allowed down in the lower city, and that their security paper check standards have fallen so low that wearing a uniform is pretty much the only requirement to get into the elevator."
"I see. And how would we acquire the uniforms?" Kael inquired.
Carth reached into his jacket pocket and took out a messy, scrunched piece of paper on which barely readable handwriting was scribbled. "Are you two party people?"
-o-
"I can't believe how easy that was," Kael snickered beneath his Sith helmet as the three of them walked the dimly-lit streets of the lower city. "I think I've learned an important lesson today: never trust Sith if they're sober, always trust them if they're drunk out of their minds."
"If only the Sith trained their regular soldiers to be as strong-willed as they are cruel, then this war might be tipped even further against our favor," Elena remarked, looking very refined in her Sith officer uniform.
"Gotta feel sorry for them, though," Carth said. "I can't imagine the grilling they'll get from their superiors for losing their uniforms. I just wish we could've come out here sooner. I have to admit I felt a little nervous after you started to get more involved in the party."
"What – can't a guy have a little fun before embarking on a dangerous mission?" Kael smirked.
"I'm afraid I must agree with Carth," Elena humorously added. "Seeing you getting close with that officer made me think for a minute that you were considering defecting."
"Look, what matters is that we're here now," Kael retorted, "with plenty of weapons and ammo to spare in case we run into trouble. Besides, the Sith are still probably out cold from over-drinking. By the way, if I may add," he said, shooting a half-lecherous glance at Elena, "that grey uniform really suits you."
"Don't get eager now, Kael," Elena grumbled.
"Shh…did you guys hear that?" Carth suddenly piped down and crouched in the shadows along a section of the side wall.
"What's the matter, Carth?" Elena asked in a hushed voice.
"Something around the corner…do you hear that?"
They ceased making any and all noise, tweaking their ears towards several voices which were barely audible through great concentration.
"Do you have the specimens that we have agreed to purchase from you?" a man asked.
"Took us a fucking long while and a hell of a lot of effort to get our hands on this, roots and all. It's right here," a Weequay said in gruff Basic, presumably presenting whatever he held in his hand to the man.
"Ah, good. I've got your payment right here. Furthermore, we're willing to throw in two slaves, whom we will send down to your base in due time."
A few seconds passed, and the Weequay spoke again. "We want more."
The man questioned him with curiosity and slight irritation. "…What?"
"I said we want more. More in cash. Slaves are easy to snatch from the streets, whether it may be from the upper or lower levels, or the undercity. We want greater remuneration for this act. Those damned Grey Hands have security that is second to none among the major gangs."
"Yeah…no…," the man declined.
"We demand it. If you know what's good for you, you will give us greater payment," the Weequay raised his tone.
"Hahahaha!" the man laughed heartily. "You really think that Davik gives a shit about lowlife worms like you? Do you have any idea of what kind of turnover the Exchange makes on a daily basis? Let me put it this way – it's in 27 figures. You really think that we care about what trouble pests like you Vulkars went through to provide us with goods which aren't even worth a thousand credits? You really think that we seriously care about a Tarisian drug which doesn't even stack up against stuff in other parts of the galaxy? I strongly suggest that you take your pay and leave."
The snapping up of a gun could be heard as the Weequay spoke again. "You will give us greater payment…or else."
The Exchange member took a heavy sigh and spoke. "You have three seconds to apologise, take your money and leave. If you do, then I'll be more than willing to look over this little…event, and we can all gain from this. If you don't, then…I'm afraid you're not walking away from this at all."
"Hah! And what are you going to do? There are five of us, and only three of you. You're armed with nothing more than a blaster pistol each, while we have rifles and shields! Now play nice and hand over the money…"
"One…"
"You heard that, boys? This is going to be fun. Warm up your blasters."
"Two…"
"Last chance – hand over the money now," the Weequay smirked as he and his gang raised their guns at the Exchange members.
"And…three…"
"Looks like your little ruse failed. Now prepare to die, Exchange scum," the Weequay chuckled. But then, out of nowhere, five blaster bolts came flying from the shadows and struck all of the Vulkar members dead.
"Stupid gang punks. Think they own everything. How sad," the Exchange member grumbled. "It makes me sick that I have to even take back the credits I gave this idiot. Then again, credits are credits to Davik. Nice work as always, Calo."
A moment of silence followed, and then another one of the Exchange personnel spoke. "Alright, Calo, no need to get so grim. Your payment and next contract will come to you as a bundle within the next three hours."
One menacing footstep after another treaded in Kael's direction, causing the soldier to nervously grab the hilt of his vibroblade and the handle of his blaster pistol. To his great fortune, Calo turned to enter the cantina. The bouncer at the door didn't dare speak to him, petrified beyond belief. Relieved that a potentially disastrous outcome had been avoided, Kael let out a tiny sigh, but immediately froze in terror as he saw that Calo had stopped in his tracks and turned his head ever so slightly to his right, although he did not look behind him. Deciding that whatever it was wasn't worth his time or attention, Calo proceeded into the cantina past the shaking bouncer.
"We're done here. Let's move out," the Exchange leader said, and they began to leave with their credits in hand.
Listening attentively to the sound of the men's footsteps, Elena breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that the Exchange members were walking away into the distance. However, her eyes shot towards Kael, who began to creep out for a reason she could not determine.
"Kael! What the hell are you doing? Stay where you are!" Elena said in a forceful whisper.
"I'm going to try and get a better view of those guys. We might be able to follow behind them and get more information somehow."
"No! Don't be crazy! Who knows when that bounty hunter will come back?" Elena berated him.
"You're a Jedi; why are you scared of some bounty hunter?" Kael shot back.
"Listen to her, buddy. Be reasonable," Carth warned.
"It'll be alright. I'll just lean around this corner and—" Kael said as he crept towards the end of the wall, but then froze as his foot trod on a shallow puddle which made a significant amount of splashing noise. "Oh shit…"
"What was that?" the third Exchange member grunted as they spun around and approached.
"Nice going, Kael," Elena rolled her eyes and grabbed her lightsaber.
"Sounds like there's something around the corner," the second man from the Exchange guessed.
"Blasters ready, boys. No questions – just shoot em'," the leader ordered.
"…Really nice going, Kael," Elena rubbed salt in the wound. "Ok, get ready to attack."
"We should take the pre-emptive approach," Kael continued on. "They know that they have to come over here to investigate. We know where they're coming from. If I can just get a few shots in from my blaster, I could take them out."
"Shut up! Just follow my lead!" Elena hissed, but to no avail. In an impulsive course of action, Kael reached out his arm and fired several wild shots in the general direction of the Exchange members who barely reacted in time to dodge every attack. "Oh, for the love of the Force!" Elena cried as she activated her lightsaber and began running towards their enemies while Kael got out of the corner and provided her with covering fire alongside Carth.
"Fuck, it's a Jedi! Switch to stun!" the leader yelled, and soon the red blaster shots which Elena had so easily deflected were soon replaced by wide rings of low-voltage electricity. Taken aback by the sudden change in the hostiles' tactics, Elena only managed to dodge the attacks temporarily until she was overwhelmed and incapacitated on the floor, her lightsaber falling out of her hand.
"Elena!" Kael shouted, horrified by the outcome of his rashness. He intensified his attacks on the Exchange members threefold, but was irked by frustration that none of his attacks hit due to them skilfully taking cover behind rubble and pillars. They had now set their weapons back to kill, content to capture a Jedi and eliminate her followers.
"This is taking too long!" the second Exchange thug shouted as he clicked a sonic grenade and tossed it hard at the wall which was situated behind Kael and Carth. The two Republic soldiers looked back with a sense of impending doom as the grenade detonated, rendering their vision white and blurry and throwing them into a state of weariness.
Kael could feel his entire body overcome by artificial lethargy as he lay helpless on the floor. He could not even shudder as he heard the Exchange members walk up to him and Carth.
"Reckless little fucker of a Sith, isn't he?" one of them chuckled, kicking Kael in the side.
"Was. We've no use for him or the other guy," the leader said, pointing his gun at Kael's head. "We've got the Jedi, or whoever that saber-wielding woman is, and she'll fetch a handsome price in the black market."
"Yeah. Lower city hutts and big-time gangsters are always hungry for new dancers and personal slaves. Just strap a strong suppressant disrupter around her neck to be safe, and she should be good to go."
"Too bad it's obvious she's in her thirties, though," the second one laughed. "She may be a fine looker now, but she won't last that long, I can guarantee that. Unlucky for her, most of the crime lords have a fetish for Twi'leks over humans or any other species."
"Whatever. I don't have the time or luxury to think about that kind of shit right now. We've got a job to do; let's leave the headache to the others who are in charge of the slave trade," the leader mumbled, putting his finger on the trigger of his weapon. "Son of a bitch grazed my arm, will you believe? Time to end th—"
The leader's words were drowned out by a thunderous roar which was accompanied by a shower of green laser fire which came spraying towards him and his two associates. Before they could react to put up an effective resistance, all of the Exchange members were dead. Kael finally gave in to fatigue and lost consciousness as he heard the lumbering and heavy footsteps of a beast approaching him.
-o-
"Wha…where…" Kael murmured as his eyes were suddenly bombarded by a bright white light. He leaned forward to get up, but found that he was strapped against the table he lay on with three ropes around his shoulders, stomach and legs.
"Shut up, and answer my questions." He could feel the barrel of a blaster pistol being held against the side of his head, accompanied by the stern and strong voice of a pale-skinned female Twi'lek with violet-colored lekku.
"Who are you? Where am I?" Kael asked her.
"Shut up, Sith, or I'm going to kill you," the Twi'lek reinforced her dominance over him.
"Not so harsh, Zaerdra," a tender and younger blue Twi'lek came up to him and laid a hand on Zaerdra's back. "Poor guy just came out of unconsciousness, and how can you say that he's a Sith? We didn't even find any identification papers on him or the other two."
"He's wearing their uniform, Mission. That's enough for me," Zaerda pouted and then turned back to Kael. "I'm not going to ask you again. Who are you, and what are you doing in the lower city?"
"My…my name is Kael Deren," he explained himself. "I'm an ensign with the Republic fleet. We crashed on Taris in our escape pod after the destruction of our ship over orbit. We're trying to figure out a way to extract a person who has been taken prisoner by a gang after her escape pod crashed. We stole these uniforms from Sith who were heavily intoxicated at a party, so that we could come down here and look for her."
"Zaerdra, I…I don't think he's lying," Mission voiced her opinion. "And besides, you saw yourself that the lady's lightsaber was blue, not red. I don't think she or the two guys are Sith at all."
"The last time you made a judgment like this one, I had to come myself and save you from a bunch of thugs," Zaerdra shot her a glare. "I'm not going to be sticking around to mother you forever, Mission. It's time you learned to take care of yourself. Properly."
"Hey! Don't you say those things about me! You're not my mother! I can take care of myself just fine!" Mission protested.
"W-wait…Carth and Elena…where are they?" Kael slightly panicked.
"Who?" Zaerdra gave him a cynical look.
"Carth and Elena. They were the ones who were with me when we fought against the Exchange members. Are they…are they alright?"
"You see, Zaerdra? He can't be a Sith. Why would he express genuine concern for others if he was?" Mission concluded.
"Fine," Zaerdra puffed and walked away. "Interrogate him if you want. Just make sure to keep him tied up. None of the three are to be released without me or Gadon's approval. Understood?"
"Yeah," Mission said grumpily. Zaerdra took a scolding look back, but Mission didn't turn. The older Twi'lek grunted as she left the room.
"Please forgive Zaerdra – she's been uptight about security for the past few years, following Brejik's betrayal." Mission sat on the stool that was placed next to Kael. Looking up at her, Kael saw that she was a rather young teenage girl who had a peaceful disposition about her grey eyes.
"Betrayal?"
"Yeah. Brejik used to be the right hand man of Gadon, the current leader of this gang, the Hidden Beks. After Gadon lost his sight in a swoop bike accident and received ocular implants, Brejik tried to persuade him to relinquish leadership. Gadon refused, saying that Brejik wasn't experienced enough and that he was still well enough to lead, and so Brejik left in a rage and joined the Vulkars. He eventually rose to the rank of gang leader, and he's been tormenting us ever since."
"The Vulkars…they are…"
"The guys who were taken out by the Exchange members who attacked you. They're a dangerous group, but believe me when I say that the Vulkars are a petty mob compared to some of the more notorious gangs of Taris. The top lower city gang right now is the Grey Hand. Terrifying to even think of them. They have some of the best assassins in the lower city. No-one dares to mess with them, and the Exchange deal with them on a regular basis." Mission's eyes then fluttered as she realized that she failed to properly introduce herself. "Oh, sorry. I didn't even give you my name properly. I'm Mission Vao."
"You know mine," Kael smiled. "But erm…could I ask a small favor?"
Mission raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"Could you possibly…loosen these ropes just a slight bit?"
Mission chuckled as she granted his request. "Sure. I can tell you're a good guy, so why not? Here you go."
"By the way, how did we exactly get in here?" Kael asked.
"You were really lucky that we came across you when we did," Mission remarked. "Big Z and I saw you being attacked by those Exchange thugs while we were on our way down towards the undercity. Big Z's got quite the temper when it comes to injustices. Even makes me scared sometimes."
"Big Z?"
"Oh, Zaalbar? He's my Wookiee friend. You'll see him soon enough," Mission said as she stood up. "Zaalbar and I met a couple of years back, but, that story can wait for another time. Just stay still, ok? I'm gonna go and check on your two friends. They should be awake by now."
"Ok," Kael replied, slightly frustrated by his restraints. Mission snickered as she walked away to join Zaerdra and Gadon.
-o-
"Hello to you. I am Gadon Thek, the leader of the Hidden Beks here in the lower levels of Taris," Gadon introduced himself to Kael, Carth and Elena after they met with him under the careful watch of Zaerdra. The three Republic refugees were out of their Sith disguise, dressed in their regular clothing they wore underneath their Sith uniforms. Mission and Zaalbar stood by Kael's side, attracting cynical looks from passer-by Beks.
"Pleased to meet you, Gadon," Kael courteously replied. "You may have been told about this by Zaerdra already, but let me introduce ourselves. I am Kael Deren, and this is Carth Onasi and Elena Adarné. The three of us came down here to the lower city in search of another Republic escape pod that crashed not long before our own arrival. One of the most important people in the fight against the Sith was taken by the Black Vulkars. We would be grateful for any help you can offer us."
"What makes you think we're going to believe you?" Zaerdra crossed her arms.
"If they meant harm to us, Zaerdra, then everyone in this base would be dead at this very moment," Gadon said. "It is clear that Elena is a Jedi, and should she have deemed us a threat, none of us would be alive."
"The one that Kael speaks of is a Jedi named Bastila Shan. Have you heard any news of her?" Elena asked.
"I am sorry to tell you this, but the Vulkars have indeed captured her and are probably holding her as a hostage in their compound. No Bek dares to walk within two hundred feet of the Vulkar base, for fear of an all-out war. Such an outcome would only result in disaster for the poor people of the lower city who would only suffer greatly."
"So how can we exactly get her out of there? A frontal assault is obviously out of the question," Carth inquired.
"There's another way, y'know," Mission told them. "There's a manhole in this base with an extending rope that leads down to the undercity. If you want to avoid the Sith patrol manning the entrance to the elevator that leads to the undercity, then it's the best way to go. While you're at it, you might want to leave your Sith uniforms here and pick up some forged Sith identification documents; they're much more convenient to have on you, and the Sith aren't that thorough in their checks. The undercity may be a spooky and frightening place for you guys, but it's the only way to gain entrance to the Vulkar base unchecked."
"…Spooky and frightening?" Kael raised an eyebrow.
"Ever heard of rakghouls?" Mission tilted her head.
"Rakghouls…they are twisted monstrosities of the dark side, capable of turning their victims into one of their own," Elena shuddered.
"They're deadly, but that doesn't mean that they're bright," Mission assured them. "Just stick close and try to avoid attracting attention, and we should be fine."
"It's obvious that we're going to have to prepare for one hell of a fight. Could you possibly be kind as to spare us any weapons and ammo?" Carth requested of Gadon.
"I am sorry, but unfortunately things are very tight for us right now in terms of supplies. The Vulkars are growing stronger day by day, while we continuously diminish in strength. Our resources are already stretched due to the fact that we reach out to the less fortunate in the lower city while also tending to our own. However, if you are up for it, there is one way that you can purchase weapons and equipment from our tech specialist, Geado."
"Please go on," Kael said.
"You can compete in the duelling ring in the upper city, or that of the lower city. The potential payoff is much greater in the lower city ring, but it comes at a tradeoff," Gadon began to explain.
"Tradeoff? In what way?" Carth questioned.
"If you value your life greatly, you would do well to compete in the upper city ring. Unlike the upper city ring which always has in place an energy suppression field which prevents death of the combatants, the lower city ring has only a 50 per cent chance of being active for any given duel. To compensate for this, lower city duelists are provided double the rate of pay of their upper city counterparts. I can only advise you to opt for the upper city ring, although I understand your need to rescue your Jedi friend as soon as possible. The choice is yours."
"Taking the life of another just for the sake of extra credits? I cannot approve, Kael," Elena shook her head.
After a while of ponderous thought, Kael answered. "We can't go back to the upper city. Not until nightfall, anyway. There's no question that the Sith will be scurrying around the streets like mad after we stole three of their uniforms. I know it goes against your convictions, Elena, but I must choose to compete in the lower city duelling ring. The need to rescue Bastila overrides all other priorities."
Elena shuddered at the fact that Kael's decision closely mirrored those of another person who once meant so much to her before he walked down the road of tyranny. She could only manage a whisper as she hoped with all her heart that Kael would be able to avoid setting himself on such a dangerous path.
"…So be it, Kael…"
A/N: I'm not going to include the swoop racing subplot with the prototype accelerator, as I don't want to concern myself with swoop races on the other planets, which are mainly just distractions from the main plot.
I've got very different events planned out for the undercity in comparison to the game. Ideally, I want to portray the undercity as a place that's a truly terrifying and horrible place to live in, instead of just a place that's relatively devoid of food and sunlight and has a few rakghouls roaming around.
Just so you know, I'm going to add a brand new party member into the team in the next chapter. Who will it be? You'll find out in the next update.
Please leave your reviews!