Dear readers, Uncle Sam is taking a hiatus for personal reasons, so my friend SB17 will now be helping in the completion of this story.
On board a small freighter known as the Blazing Phoenix, the remaining crew of the Nova Star were flying throughout the galaxy with two of Jabba's most trusted bounty hunters, Jens looked at the navicomputer, he could see that they were drawing closer to Nex Slars's ship. Looking over the design plans of the ship, the Nova Star captain was quite impressed with what he was looking at. The ship is a custom made, super luxury 3000 space yacht, called the Taint of Darkness and the only one of its kind. Able to hold up 800 passengers and 500 crew. It was going to be used by high class politicians of the once great republic, but Nex Slars had gotten his claws into it first and made it his flagship.
Jens switched to another thing of designs of the ship, trying to find out where the Holocron would be kept. However, something started happening to the captain.
"Your nose is bleeding," Cad Bane said as he checked the to see if his hat was on right.
The captain's hands began to shake, and his vision began to turn red. Voices started echoing in his head, followed by thoughts of violence. He looked over at the Duros bounty hunter. Jens felt so hungry, so angry, so… sick. Jumping from his seat, the captain hurried to the only refresher on the ship and started throwing up.
From outside, Feline looked at Siv, she was very concerned for Jens. Ever since that day on the Ember Moon, he had started showing signs of early infection symptoms. "Siv, I think we need to deal with Jens before he turns," Feline said sadly, not wanting to think of what needed to be done.
"I think you're right, but he hasn't turned yet," Siv replied before turning to Kenna who was going over her data on the outbreak on the Ember Moon. "Still trying to find out if there is a cure?" he asked the concerned medic.
"All I see is ways to slow the infection," she said looking defeated. Then Kenna threw her data pad against the wall. "Why did he wait to tell us he was infected only after we left Tatooine?!" she shouted, only causing the other Star crew members to look sadly at their captain as he left the refresher.
Before he even could speak, a sharp, stabbing pain in his head made him gasp, and grabhis head. Everyone stared at him. In spite of his pain, Jens was all too aware that Siv, Kenna and Feline had brought their weapons to bear.
He gritted his teeth, waited it out. Then, as quickly as it had started, it faded. Jens took a few deep breaths. The hunger and pain were gone. "I'm okay. I'm okay. Really. I feel great." He nodded vigorously, as if could convince them with false cheer and too broad a grin. The weapons were lowered, and everyone went back to preparing for the meeting with Nex Slars.
But Jens knew they were all watching him from the corners of their eyes.
Still, as Jens took his seat in the cockpit, the Nova Star crew were disguising themselves as to blend in with the rest of Nex's guests of his yacht. Siv simply wore his armor with his family's crest. If anything, people would think he was still part of his Great-Great grandfather's cult. Aleah however had removed her translator collar and slipped into something more revealing. Her beloved Mandalorian could not take his eyes off her. The beautiful Nelvaanian wore a two-piece slave girl outfit that came with a gold collar. However, there was another girl who had caught the eye of a certain Jedi.
David looked longingly at Kenna; she looked absolutely beautiful in her disguise even if she was a Shistavanen.
"Like what you seen, David?" Kenna asked noticing him staring.
"Oh, yes," David said as a red blush appeared on his face.
"Once we get to the Taint of Darkness, we need to find the money to pay off Jabba's debt, get the Sith holocron and save Lyra," Dray said now dressed as an officer of the now disbanded Separatist army.
"Siv, you keep an eye on Aleah while David and Kenna go with Dray to retrieve the Sith holocron," Jens said returning from the cockpit. Cad Bane was right behind him, hand on his blaster in case the captain started turning due to the spreading infection.
"You got it," Siv said as he held Aleah's hand in his.
"Bossk, you keep a lookout for anyone looking like their part of the Empire while we infiltrate the Taint of Darkness," David said.
Bossk nodded "You got it."
"The rest of you spread out and case the joint, look for anything that might be worth taking," Jens said.
"Next time, don't try to catch us off guard or even shoot me," Fang snarled aggressively as he shoved David to the side.
"It was just a flesh wound, Fang," David grumbled in protest.
"Excuse me, but will Cutie and I be doing?" Clank asked.
"You two will stay on board and wait for us to return," Bossk said.
"And don't go looking for trouble once we land," Cad Bane said with a smile.
Meanwhile back on the Nova Star, Darth Vader and his Clone troopers were also making their way towards the Taint of Darkness. The Sith enforcer looked at the two clone pilots. "Distance to target?" he asked. One of the pilots looked up.
"One rotation to go," he stated confidently.
"Good," Vader said turning to leave when he stopped after feeling a disturbance in the Force.
"What is it, Lord Vader?" the second pilot pilot asked him.
"I sense a third Jedi has survived Order 66, especially one that Anakin Skywalker befriended in the Old Republic," Vader said.
"Is it possible that David Creed survived Order 66?" the first pilot asked.
"Possibly so but keep your guard up. We may be heading to a trap."
"Yes, Lord Vader."
In the ventilation shafts, deep within the shadows, the lone Alderran survivor gasped at the mention of David Creed's name. "My cousin is alive. I have to warn him," the lone survivor said.
Back on the Blazing Phoenix, Feline noticed David had something hanging from his neck which she only noticed just now. "What is that, David?" She asked.
"My ancestors called it a rosary," David said to the young girl. Feline looked intrigued. "It's over a thousand years old, passed down to every son in the family."
Feline leaned in closer to notice some strange words in an unknown language carved into the rosary. "What do the words mean?" she asked.
David smiled. "Crede in filium, salus manet. Translated, it means Believe in the son, salvation awaits."
"Who is this son?" Fang asked sitting next to David, who only shrugged.
"I don't know."
Soon, the Phoenix arrived at Nex's ship and landed on special landing pad. The first thing the Star crew noticed that the ship was crawling with BD-1 and BD-2 droids and Droideka as Nex's security. Taking a closer look around, the Star crew saw some pretty terrible things. Feline shuddered at the sight of slave trading taking place on viewing board. Siv shook his head at seeing an advertisement on death battles, oh how the weak must suffer. Fang however smiled at seeing a gambling tournament scheduled for the day.
"This place makes me sick," Keena said. "Death battles, slave trading, even gambling. What else could be worse than this?"
"Child prostitution," Faolahd growled noticing two small human children being led into the cargo bay of a small ship docked next to them, the captain, and well-built Kiffar could be seen undoing his pants as he hurried in after them.
"I'll kill that man!" David shouted, drawing his lightsaber.
"Easy, David. Remember, the path of the Jedi is to help others and maintain the peace, not kill people out of rage." Dray said reminding his fellow Jedi about the reason they were still needing to follow at least some of the rules of the Jedi order.
"You're right. Forgive me, Master Dray. But what about the slaves?" David asked.
"He's right," Danny said speaking up. "We can't just leave them here."
"You're right," the Bothan said slipping his lightsaber into his boot. "First we'll get the Sith holocron, rob Nex's main vault, then if we can, try to free the other slaves." Dray said.
A few minutes later, Jens and the others were met by Nex himself, welcoming them with a dark smile. "Welcome to the Taint of Darkness, everybody," he said.
"Thank you," Dray said. "We happen to hear that you had just returned from Tatooine."
The Dathomirian pirate smile faded. "You are very informed, commander." he said, but his attention on David Creed's eyes. "Do I know you from somewhere?" He asked.
David knew Nex was trying to remember him, but thanks to the disguise it was harder. Still, he needed to keep the Dathomirian in the dark. "I don't think we met. I think you're mistaking me for someone else," David lied.
Nex rubbed his chin. "Maybe you're right," the smile returned. Looking at all the new faces, he stretched out his arm. "Please enjoy your stay."
As the Star crew and Bossk headed inside, Cad Bane turned and walked the other way; into the ship where the children had been taken. He had recognized the Kiffar as one of the bounty targets of Jabba. While the Duros was here, he might as well collect a few bounties to pass the time.
Once inside the Taint of Darkness, things looked even worse. There was almost no controlling the many different criminals, but at least they weren't pulling blasters and starting a firefight.
"Wow, and I thought the lower levels of Coruscant were bad," Faolahd frowned shaking his head. Danny took his wookie by the hand gave him a soft smile to let him know things would be alright. The two of them made their way to the battle arena to see some gladiators fighting off some kind of alien frog called a Oggdo.
"Come on!" One spectator called.
The gladiators fought the Oggdo with everything they had, but the Oggdo stuck its tongue out at them and brought them to its mouth and chewed them up.
"That's the game! The Oggdo is the winner!" A BD-1 droid at the PA system announced.
"Damn! I lost 500 credits!" A Dug spectator said sadly as he walked back to betting board to pay up.
"Yeah, I won!" Rodian spectator cheered and hurried over to collect his winnings.
However, as the Wookie and Mirialan couple went to look at something else, they happened to pass a group of slaves being put up for action. Danny noticed some of the slaves were suffering from starvation, dehydration and cruelty as some of them were having lashes on their back.
"Let me see his teeth," A mean looking Lasat said as he examined a slave. "He's too skinny," then spotting a female Pantorun, the Lasat took a closer look. His yellow eyes lit up. "This is more like it."
The beautiful Pantorun just stood there as her shirt was ripped open, exposing her breasts. "Perfect breasts." the Lasat smiled, then inspected the rest of her. "Gold eyes, purple hair and..." he pulled her into his arms, after tossing the slaver a hand full of credits. "I'll take her."
Danny watched in disgust as the Lasat took his newly bought slave away. This whole thing was really starting to get to the Mirialan. He thought back to when he was enslaved by the Zygerrians and sold to Nex. Thank Goodness David Creed saved me from the slavers. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't last very long. Danny thought to himself.
And speaking of Nex, he was escorting several of his guests including Dray, Kenna and David to a room filled with treasures. The Dathomirian began boasting about all his wealth while keeping Dray and David in his sight. Kenna however, he could care less about. The more said pirate bragged the more the Bothan Jedi became board. Finally, Dray spoke up.
"So, Nex, is it true that you have a friend who is pro Empire?" said Bothan asked with a smile.
"Indeed. And he'll be very happy to meet you three." Nex said leading the three Star crew members to a nice room. Dray felt uneasy and he turned to the Dathomirian.
"Are you not going to join us?" he asked.
Nex stopped. "No, but I'll send down some refreshments for you," he said not making eye contact, an evil smile was on his face. The door closed behind him. Once he was alone, the Dathomirian pulled out a small intercom. "Contact Captain Parck, tell him that there are some Jedi on my ship. Prepare to split them up and capture them," Nex said on his intercom.
"Roger, Roger," a BD-1 droid said as it began to gather other droids for the ambush.
Back in the room, something suddenly felt very wrong. "I have a bad feeling about this," David said.
"I don't sense anything," Dray said.
"It's not about the mission or Lyra, Dray. It's something... elsewhere, dark."
"Don't center on your anxieties, David. Keep your concentration here and now, where it belongs," Kenna said.
"But Master Yoda once said to me I should be mindful of the future."
"But not at the expense of the moment or Lyra," Dray said sternly. "Be mindful of the darkside of the force, Jedi Knight. It can corrupt you in many different ways."
"Yes, Master Dray." David replied taking his seat.
Down two decks below the two Jedis and female Shistavanen's feet was Jens. He was tired and could feel the infection trying once again to claim his mind. Unbeknownst to the sick captain was one of Nex's crew. He had been waiting for Jens to be alone, now, he was.
Up in the entertainment deck, Siv and Aleah had been told that Nex himself was going to want to talk to them. As they waited in one of the many VIP booths, a lovely Chiss brought them something to drink. Although the drink tasted a bit funny, the two of them seemed to be alright. Just then the lights dimmed around them. Siv reached for his blaster, but calmed down when he heard music begin to play. He and Aleah turned their attention to the stage in front of them.
The Nelvaanian stared at the stunning sight before her. She had seen many Twi'leks before, but not like these two that were stepping onto the stage. Both females had the most enticing eyes, their breasts jiggled with every step, their beautiful red skin almost shined with what little light there was on the stage. The Twi'leks wore nothing but simple thong and leather top, which seemed to hardly keep their breasts from popping out.
Before Siv could even get Aleah's attention, the Twi'leks began to sing and dance to the music. The Nelvaanian could only sit and stare as her body began to tingle.
Eyes glazed with want and desire,
Filled with the most potent of all sins,
As you gaze upon the one you admire.
But you know you must hold back, you can't give in.
The Mandalorian tried to stand but one of the Twi'leks pushed him back into his seat. His brown eyes were wide with shock as the dancer leaned in as if to kiss him, but no. She never did. Siv shuddered when he felt the Twi'lek's hot breath on his ear, her sultry voice piercing into his very mind as she sang her song.
But my darling, please surrender,
And I will help you see.
Oh, my darling, just surrender,
All your love to me.
Then it happened, Siv surrendered to the Twi'lek as she began kissing his neck. In the corner of his eye, he saw Aleah kissing the other Twi'lek. The sight surely was one the Mandalorian wasn't going to forget. When the Twi'lek saw that he was not paying attention to her, she smiled and pulled out a small injector.
Siv never felt the needle going into him, he just saw darkness.
The other Twi'lek then pulled her lips away from Aleah. Cupping the beautiful Nelvaanian's cheeks in her hands, the seductive dancer smiled as she started singing again.
When we kiss, it burn's like fire,
And it's filled with hot desire.
When you hold me in your arms, my love,
Send me to heights above.
Aleah didn't know when or how it happened, but her hands shot forward and yanked her dancer's thong down. Never had there been a sight more amazing then when Aleah first saw Siv in all his necked glory. The Twi'lek's pussy was so smooth, not to mention wet. The Dancer smiled as she pulled the Nelvaanian in until Aleah's lips brushed up against those wet lips.
She began to lick the Twi'lek with a burning desire. She wanted more, but the dancer she was pleasuring looked to her fellow Twi'lek, who nodded and started preparing another tranquilizer.
Aleah started to really dig into her dancer's pussy as her body was began shaking with excitement. The Nelvaanian slipped her fingers into her own wet pussy and began to masturbate, trying to keep up with the sexy Twi'lek. Finally, both she and her dancer came. The Twi'lek pulled Aleah into one more hot kiss, before finishing the song.
So, my darling, please surrender,
And I will help you see.
Oh, my darling, just surrender,
All your LUST to me.
Aleah looked over to see if Siv had enjoyed the show, but to her shock, he was slumped over in his chair. Before she knew it, the Nelvaanian felt something go into her neck, then everything went dark.
The two Twi'leks smiled as they quickly tied up the two unconscious Star crew members. Oh, how they loved it when their boss would give them something to do other then be a couple of whores who danced for his guests. Still, they both were very glad that the Nelvaanian and Mandalorian had drank the drugged drinks, thus making it easier to subdue them.
Down in the gambling den, Fang was too busy winning to notice some armored thugs coming his way. However, Bossk and Cad Bane had seemed to have vanished. This made Nex very concerned because if Jabba had put a hit out on him and sent those two bounty hunters out to claim the bounty, he was done for. Thinking fast, he contacted his all his BD-2 droids to find those two. Still, in the bottom of Nex's cold heart, he knew that wouldn't be enough to stop those two.
Back in the room with Dray, David and Kenna, a TC-14 droid arrived to give them three drinks as they sat at the table.
"How do you think Nex will deal with this Empire contact when he arrives?" Kenna asked.
"Nex and his crew are cowards. The negotiations for the holocron will be short," David said.
As Jens went to check a supply box, a blaster bolt struck him in the shoulder. He screamed and hit the floor.
One of Nex's pirates emerged from the darkness, behind him, four more figures appeared. It was Danny and Faolahd being held at gunpoint by two other pirates.
The lead pirate turned and looked at the prisoner. "I only wounded him, I didn't-"
A sudden, high-pitched shriek made the pirate turn. Jens started thrashing on the floor as black blood began spewing from his mouth.
No one moved, not even the one who had shot Jens.
The captain was in agony, so much agony, he could barely isolate what hurt worse. All he could feel was the hunger growing stronger, rage that had been pent up was now at its boiling point. Giving one more loud scream, Jens lunged upright, glaring at the pirate.
"What the hell is wrong with him?!" the pirate gasped looking at a now turned Jens.
"He's infected!" Danny shouted.
Faolahd not wanting to suffer the same fate gave a loud roar which echoed through the halls. Hoping that his Jedi friends would hear his distress call through the force.
The roar indeed caused a huge tremor in the force, it triggered David and Dray to draw their lightsabers as the TC-14 dropped the tray in shock. It also reached a meditating clocked figure inside an ancient hidden Jedi temple on Dantooine.
Looking up, the cloaked figure smiled. "It is time," he said.
From up on the Taint of Darkness command deck, an Evereni guard watching the Jedis ignite their lightsabers, paid no attention down in the storage room where Jens had finally turned. He pressed a big red button on his control panel. The screen then displayed the words: Dioxis tanks open!
Gas began to flow into the room. "Dioxis," David said as he and Dray powered down their lightsabers and held their breaths along with Kenna.
Outside, BD-1s gathered at the door as a hologram of Nex Slars appeared before them. "It's a shame that they're dead. Destroy what's left of them and bring me David Creed's lightsaber."
The BD-1 in charge nodded. "Roger, Roger."
The door slowly opened, and the battle droids drew their weapons, ready to see if anyone was going to come out of the room. Sure enough, the first one to come out was the TC-14.
"Oh! Excuse me." the protocol droid said. The battle droids eased up but didn't lower their weapons. Once the TC-14 out of the way, the leading BD-1 turned to its second in command.
"Check it out, number two. We'll cover you."
Number two nodded. "Roger, Roger."
Suddenly, David and Dray's lightsabers ignited in the fog. The leading BD-1 took a cautionary step back before issuing orders. "Blast them."
Lasers fired as David and Dray deflected the beams with their lightsabers and cut them down while Kenna rushed to the treasure room. She quickly took care of the any BD-1 droids guarding the treasure, then the lovely Shistavanen began filling the bag she brought with her. Taking the amount Jens needed to settle the debt that was owed to Jabba, Kenna hurried back to join David and Dray.
"What is going on down there?" Nex asked one of his escorting droids.
"We lost the transmission sir," the droid said.
An Azumel ran up to the Dathomirian pirate. "Nex! A CR90 just emerged from hyperspace!"
Nex frowned and swung his fist right into the jaw of the Azumel, knocking him to the ground. "Send a welcoming party! No survivors!" he shouted.
"So much for stealth," Feline whispered to herself as she overheard Nex's outburst.
Back down in the supply room, Danny and Faolahd had manged to get free from their guards and escaped the room. As soon the door closed behind them, the screaming was heard with a few blasts from a blaster. The wookie turned to his boyfriend.
"We need to get out of here!" he said panting.
"Yeah," Danny shuddered at hearing the same scraping sound of metal from behind the door. "Jens was only the first, now this whole ship could be infected in just a matter of hours!"
As David, Dray, and Kenna fought their way through the halls of the ship, something caught the Bothan's eye. There, sitting among a collection of stolen relics was the Sith holocron. Without hesitating, he used the force and pulled to the holocron to him. "We got the Sith holocron!" he cheered.
"Great, now let's get out of here before..." David said before he felt something in the Force. "Do you feel that?" he asked the Bothan.
Dray closed his eye and focused. "Yes, I do," he said feeling the same presence that had been on the Ember Moon. "I sense the fear, the hate, the anger, and the suffering." The Bothan looked suddenly scared.
"No! It can't be!" he said, turning to look over his shoulder to see an infected pirate shuffling from around a corner. Kenna took aim and shot the infected pirate in the head, putting him down for good.
But there was also something else. David could feel it. The dark side of the force was strong here. That could mean only one thing.
Darth Vader walked over the bodies of the dead pirates, his red lightsaber still on. Clone troopers followed behind him, weapons at the ready. The Inquisitors flanked the Clones as they entered the main lobby of the ship. The door was sealed by an energy shield, one that was strong enough to even deflect lightsabers. Turning to Clone tech officer, the Sith enforcer pointed to the nearby control panel.
"Get it open," he ordered.
"Right away, Lord Vader," the Clone saluted.
Back in the gambling den, things were already falling into chaos. The one of the infected pirates had been busy infecting some of patrons in the back before going after the one in the main room. Fang, with his pockets filled with credits, jumped from one gambling table to the next, trying desperately to keep away from the increasing number of infected.
Back up on the command deck the Evereni guard watched in horror as the ship began to fall into chaos, he had no idea where Nex was. All he wanted was for someone to tell him what the hell was going on. He looked at the monitor and smiled. Nex's key card had been used in the elevator, which was now coming to a stop on the command deck.
The door slid aside behind him. He glanced back over his shoulder, happy to find out what his boss going to do about this growing problem. "It's about time. What is…?"
The Evereni guard's eyes widened as fear overtook him.
It wasn't Nex.
A now mutated Jens smiled at his next victim. Nex's key card was locked between his now razor-sharp claws.
By the time Darth Vader and his forces finally entered, the dark lord looked at the carnage. Bodies were all over the place, those that were still alive were being attacked by their own fellow crew or by the pirates that had turned.
Vader looked at a small boy who was ripping into the stomach of a dead Dug. Looking up at Vader, the boy gave a loud screech. Infected rushed him, but the Sith enforcer readied himself.
The Clones took aim and began opening fire, while the Inquisitors joined Vader in battle.
Elsewhere on the yacht, Aleah awoke to find Danny, Faolahd and Siv barricading a door. She could hear the infected banging on the door from the other side. Even though her body still felt weak, the Nelvaanian rose to her feet. Her eyes scanned the room. It looked to be some sort of research lab or a medical bay of some sorts. Aleah looked at her friends and put her translator collar back on.
"Jens is dead, isn't he?" she asked already knowing the answer. Siv only nodded. "And the others?"
"Unknown?" Danny said slumping to the floor.
Faolahd walked over to the only security monitor. "I think we can find them with this," the Wookie hypothesized, activating the screen to see what was happening. Infected were all they saw first, Faolahd switched the to the next.
Two pirates trapped on top of some cages in the cargo hold, but eventually they were taken by the infected.
The next just showed a group of Clones mopping up a group of infected in the engine room. Next showed Feline and Fang barricaded in what looked like where Nex would have kept all his slaves.
Aleah sighed in relief. "At least their alive," she said. Faolahd switched over to the next image. There was Dray, David and Kenna, surrounded by many infected, but the screen became all disorientated. The Wookie tried to get the screen back up but by the time he did, only Dray and Kenna were seen, David was gone.
"Find him!" Siv shouted.
Switching to the next, everyone looked shocked to see another ship land and a single cloaked figure emerge from the ship. Keeping a close watch on the stranger, everybody, especially was shocked to see that it was a handsome Nelvaanian male. In his hands was a lightsaber, the color…
Aleah gasped. "Orange?"
Siv cocked his head as he watched the Nelvaanian kill each and every infected he crossed paths with, including any Inquisitors. "Does orange mean he's a Gray Jedi?" His question fell on deaf ears as the Star crew members were too busy watching the Gray Jedi.
Within ten minutes, the Nelvaanian Gray Jedi rescued Fang and Feline, found Dray and Kenna along the way and finally reached his detestation. Using the force, he ripped open the wall, totally ignoring the others and went straight for Aleah. He looked at the beautiful Nelvaanain with a gentle smile.
"Hello, Aleah. I'm your father."
Aleah almost fell backwards in shock. She had never her father was Jedi, but there was something else about him. The way he had used the force, had fought with his lightsaber. It was way too aggressive for a Jedi, so he no doubt been trained in the dark side of the force.
She looked up at him. "What do you want?" she asked him.
Her father smiled. "To take you home," he threw the others a disgusted look as he glanced over his shoulder. "To take you away from this filth."
Elsewhere, David had collected his thoughts after that infected had knocked him down the open elevator shaft. Getting to his feet, he picked up his lighsaber and began looking around for some kind of floor plans or at least a mouse droid to help him find his way back to the others. As he walked through the blood-soaked halls, David flinched at every sound.
As the lone Jedi turned a corner, there standing in front of him was Darth Vader, lightsaber still on and dead infected around the Sith enforcer. David took a deep breath activated his lightsaber. The two former friends stared at one another. David knew the only way he was going to get back to the others was to fight Vader and he really didn't want to.
Looks like Aleah's father has finally shown up, but why did he wait so long to reveal himself to her? No idea. Now even Vader will be dueling his former friend, Jedi Knight David Creed. Still, the Nova Star crew aren't out of danger yet, they still need to get off the Taint of Darkness, free the slaves who are still alive, and return to Tatooine to save Lyra.
All this will happen in the next thrilling chapter in Voyagers.