Chapter 30: Unwelcome Additions

Calak tried to get the Aqualish to take the gizka back to no avail. He was forced to go back into the Hawk which was no overrun with the small froglike alien reptiles. They hopped around and croaked in a cute manner. But that didn't change the fact of what they were… pests.

"Great!" Carth exclaimed. "Now our ship is a breeding ground for one of the quickest multiplying species of vermin in the galaxy!"

"I think they're kind of cute," Mission said as she gave a smile at one that wandered close to her.

"There's about thirty on here now!" Canderous said. "If we all work together, we might be able to kill them all!"

"No!" Bastila exclaimed. "These might be considered pests! But they can still be pets to others! We shouldn't kill anything except in self-defense!"

"Yes!" Juhani agreed. "These creatures are no threat!"

"Except their reproduction rate is off the charts!" Carth argued. "We can't feed them all and-

One of the Gizka suddenly did its business. A foul smell filled the nostrils of the crew.

"Our ship will smell like gizka shit and piss!" Canderous said. "And they eat through electric wires! Best we kill them now!"

"Arr!" Zalbaar moaned in agreement as he his paw at a Gizka that wandered up to him.

Mission sighed. "I guess, but would it really be so bad if there was just one of them?"

Another Gizka suddenly croaked from the bath leading to the engine. Only one had gone in that direction, but it came back with four much smaller ones. Babies.

"Those will be mature in just a week!" Carth said. "I visited a zoo on my home planet with…"

He trailed off and shifted. Calak felt a wave of sadness in Carth through the force.

"They had a colony of gizka, they had to spay and neuter all but two of them to keep the population from getting out of control. Female gizka can give birth to a new litter in a matter of days!"

Calak sighed. "We can't let our ship get filled with this these things!"

"They have gizka poison for sale in just about every spaceport!" Canderous suggested. "Since these things have traveled through practically every world a lot of people have ways to get rid of them in case they ever get out of hand."

"Or we could see if we can find a galactic wildlife merchant," Bastila tried to counter.

"Who knows how long that could take us to travel to, though?" Carth argued. "And we already made up our minds we have to stay here and find the Star Map or Malak might send more protection to it!"

"I think might be best to vote on this," Calak said. "Who's in favor of killing most of them?"

Carth, Canderous, Zalbaar rose their hands.

"And those against?"

Mission, Bastila, and Juhani rose their hands now. Calak looked at the only one besides himself that hadn't spoken. "What do you think T3?"

He looked around and saw the droid suddenly emerged from the nearby closet next to the main hold. Several gizka were climbing on him. The droid chirped in an annoyed way.

"Rwoo! Brooreep!"

"I guess that makes it four," Calak said before looking at the defeated trio.

If he were to vote for them, they'd end in a tie. But…

"Sorry girls but we're gonna have to at least get rid of them."

The three females of the crew looked down.

"Well, I'll take one as a pet," Mission said picking up the nearest gizka and taking it to her quarters. "Don't worry! I'll clean up after it!"

With their decision made, Calak, Canderous, and Bastila (who wore a disapproving frown) all headed out into the spaceport. They found a two headed alien vendor that had gizka poison in stock and brought a few doses of it. Taking it back to the ship, they picked up several of the gizka and fed them the poison. The gizka that were infected reacted violently and began to attack! Not the crew, but their fellow gizka. They lashed out with their froglike tongues which spread the poison. Soon all the gizka began attacking each other. All but the gizka Mission was keeping in her quarters would become infected. Calak and the others watched as the poison did its work. After a couple hours, all the gizka lay dead, the poison only worked on them and not other species unless they ingested it.

Bastila sighed. "Sad it had to come to this. But gizka do eat electrical wiring. They might have rendered our ship inoperable at some point and left us stranded in space."

"Hard choices have to be made in war," Calak said. "And at other times as well."

"Hard choices can be choices that lead to the dark side though," Bastila said.

"Maybe," Calak admitted. "I regret this though. If we had more time and less to worry about we might be able to find a place that could take them."

Bastila nodded. "I suppose as long as we don't forget our compassion or honor, we're better then the Sith."

"We'll help people, aliens, and other creatures where possible," Calak promised. "I helped a woman yesterday."

"You did?" Bastila asked.

Calak nodded. "She was desperate for credits. I could feel it. I gave them to her."

She smiled. "That's good to hear. We fight for people like them. But we must do more then fight. We must give to them."

They removed the gizka's bodies and their droppings as well. That took about an hour even with all their crew working.

"Well, we wasted a few hours on this," Carth grumbled as they sat down for lunch in the main hold which was freshly cleaned and sanitized.

Calak looked at him. "Carth are you okay? You've been quiet lately."

"Have I been quiet?" Carth asked sarcastically. "Oh, I guess it was just cause I've been feeling left out of the loop!"

"What do you mean?" Calak asked, confused.

"Left out of the loop! Not being told everything!" Carth stated. "For one thing its really strange that you've been accepted into the Jedi Order as an adult!"

"Yeah, that is really strange!" Mission agreed. "I don't know much about the Jedi, but I do know they aren't famous for taking on old Padawans!"

"Yeah, I know that too!" Canderous agreed.

"The council has their reasons!" Bastila objected.

"What reasons?" Carth demanded.

"Well…" Bastila hesitated. "For one thing, Calak has as much potential in the force as Revan had!"

There was a small silence.

"That kind of potential is not seen very often. Less then once in a generation, maybe several generations," Bastila continued. "But somehow… how Calak has that much power. It may be our only chance to defeat Malak."

"But if that's the case then Calak should be training!" Carth argued. "They just send him on a mission without a master to find these Star Maps and hope they will be enough!? Sounds like a bad plan to me!"

"The council is wise!" Bastila insisted. "They may make choices that seem strange to those who can't feel the force, but they have a clearer view then them! They foresaw that Jedi who went off to war would turn, and they were right!"

Carth sighed, unable to deny that. But if not for Revan and Malak, the Mandalorians would have won.

"From now on if you want to know, just ask," Calak said.

Carth looked at him and gave another sigh, this time of remorse. "Thanks, I guess. I know I'm not exactly easy to work with. I've seen you help people, and you're a great soldier… and Jedi. All of you have been great comrades. Even if we might not see eye to eye. I've just become so accustomed to expecting the worst in people since I was betrayed."

The others weren't aware of Saul, but Calak knew.

Carth looked at Juhani. "You turned back to the light. I guess evil can tempt anyone… for any number of reasons."

"Yes," the Cathar agreed. "I was impatient and aggressive, traits that led me to the dark side. I wanted to be a great Jedi. But lost myself to darkness."

"Guess even the desire to do good can lead one to evil," Carth said.

The same had been true for Revan and Malak it seemed.

Carth then looked at Calak. "I know I've probably been a pain in the butt."

"You sure have," Calak said with a grin.

Carth chuckled. "Well, I just hope we all stay true to the Republic and the good side. So will you accept my apology?"

"Hey what about us?" Mission asked.

"Calak's had to deal with my attitude the most!" Carth said.

"Yeah, that's true," Calak agreed.

"So, will you accept my apology Calak?" Carth asked.

"Only if you agree to work with me for once," Calak said.

Carth nodded. "Done! Let's get to it, shall we… partner?"

Calak nodded and got to his feet, walking up to the comrade that he'd been with the longest. He extended his hand.

"If I ever do turn to the dark side… and can't be turned back… I want you to shoot me dead!" Calak said.

"I will Calak," Carth swore as he took the Jedi's hand. "But I pray that day will never come for you or any of the others here. I trust each of you, even you Canderous. You could have betrayed us on Dantooine."

The Mandalorian chuckled. "I ain't gonna settle for scraps on small time worlds. There's a whole galaxy out there to go on this quest. I may not care for the Republic, but as long as this is the greatest battle to fight I'll stick with you guys."

"And I'll work to stop the Sith just as much as you Jedi for what they did to Taris," Mission vowed.

"Arr." Zalbaar gave a low growl and put an arm around his best friend, showing he would stand by her.

"Careful Mission, your anger can lead you to the dark side," Bastila said.

"Can I really turn to the dark side if I'm not force sensitive?" Mission asked.

"Yes, you can, in your own way," Carth said. "Maybe not the dark side of the force, but still the dark side."

"I'll never join the Sith," Mission vowed.

"Let's hope not," Bastila said. "Well, we should probably head out and see if we can find the Star Map."

"We'll ask the Jawas," Calak said. "If anyone's been in the deeper parts of the desert its them." "Maybe they'll know something."

"And don't forget about my brother," Mission reminded them.

"We won't," Calak promised. "We'll get him back and stop Sand People attacks while we're at it."

"I suppose we will have to kill the Sand People," Bastila lamented. "We can't speak their language. Though I've heard some Jedi can look into the minds of others and forcibly learn a new language."

"We should not resort to such things!" Juhani said. "That is an abuse of our power!"

"Even if it could prevent bloodshed?" Calak asked.

Juhani hesitated. "Maybe not, but have you ever attempted to dig into one's mind?"

"No," Calak said.

"It can destroy them," Juhani stated. "And even then you might only get fragments. You'd have to likely destroy the minds of many Tuskens to learn their language."

Calak gritted his teeth in disgust. "Leh, I don't want to do that."

"Enough talk, I think we should go and find those Sand People!" Canderous said. "They've got to be a worthy challenge!"

"Yeah, lets go," Calak agreed.

The crew headed out. As they walked out of the hangar and through the halls of the spaceport though, a Twi'lek passing by looked at them. Or one of them at least, she looked at Bastila as the group walked forward and approached them.

"Excuse me!" the Twi'lek said to Bastila. "Aren't you Helena's little girl?"

Bastila looked at the alien woman in surprise. "I'm sorry?"

"You're Bastila Shan aren't you?" the Twi'lek asked.

She then noticed Bastila's lightsaber at her hip. "Yes, you're a Jedi! And you look just like those holopictures I saw!"

Bastila's eyes widened. "I am Bastila yes. I take it you know my mother?"

"Yes, my name is Malare," the Twi'lek said. "Your mother and I are dear friends."

Bastila frowned. "Is there something we can do for you Miss?"

Calak frowned at her. "Don't be rude, Bastila!"

"Apologies," Bastila said. "Its just that… well… I'm a Jedi and I have an important Mission."

"I see. Well, your mother's been looking for you for a long time!" Malare stated.

"Looking for me?" Bastila was surprised. "Why?"

"You will have to ask her yourself. She's here on Tattoine as well! Seems fate has decided to bring your family together! That is quite fortunate!" Malare stated.

Having lost his own parents on Derallia, Calak could agree. But he would never see his family again. They were dead. But, his comrades… they were the closest thing he had to one right now. All his other comrades from Derallia, he'd been separated from them when he was transferred to Bastila's command.

"Your mother is rather ill," Malare continued.

"Ill?" Bastila spoke in a voice that had concern now. "What about my father?"

"I… don't know," Malare said. "I haven't seen him in some time."

"Great, another little detour," Canderous grumbled.

"Thank you," Bastila said. "I'll see if I can find her."

"Thank you. She often has dinner at the local cantina near the Swoop Track. I hope you fare well," Malare said with a smile before continuing on her way.

"Wow, my brother and your mother are here Bastila! What are the odds?" Mission asked.

"Seems the force has decided to reunite us with our families, Mission. Part of me would rather not see her at all. But if she really is sick," Bastila hesitated. "I should probably see. It might be nice to see my father at least."

Since Helena had dinner at the cantina, they knew to go there later. In the meantime, they questioned some Jawas about the Star Map but learned nothing. Then, they came across a droid shop.

"Well, we might find a useful droid here," Mission said. "T3 sure has been a great help!"

Recalling that the little guy had gotten them into the Sith Base, Calak had to agree. They had plenty of credits still.

"Let's take a look."

Calak, Bastila, Mission and T3 stepped into the shop. The others had split up from them to see if they could have any luck of their acquiring information. It was getting to be late afternoon. Tomorrow, whether they found any information or not, they'd head into the dessert.

Inside was an Ithorian shopkeeper.

"Welcome to Laka's Droids!" the Ithorian said in his native language. "I'm Yuka Laka! Perhaps you bring offworld money here to my shop?"

"What sort of droids do you have?" Calak asked, deciding to ignore the greedy indication.

"Currently functioning? None," Laka stated. "Except the one. A top-of-the-line assassin droid from the looks of it!"

He gestured to an orange-brownish plated droid in the corner. It had a human like shape and bright orange eyes. The droid also possessed a restraining bolt on its chest and a blaster rifle lay on a bench next to it.

"Assassin droid huh?" Calak asked, intrigued. "What can you tell me about it?"

"Well, it has a male programming, and seems to have seen its fair share of battles. Its plating has several dents and proof of being shot. It seems to have been repaired and patched up a few times before I happened upon it. Its memory is damaged as well though, and it had a tendency to indulge violence."

That last part certainly made Calak uneasy. But recalling Canderous was of a similar disposition and how handy the Mandalorian had come in when situations got hectic, a blood thirsty assassin droid might be little different. But-

"You don't seem to know much about it," Calak noted.

"I've tried to inspect its systems. Haven't had a look at its programming but its other functions seem to work perfectly. Its slightly uncooperative."

"And if the unit proves to be even more uncooperative once its purchased?" Bastila asked warily.

"I don't believe it will get out of hand," Yuka insisted. "But if you are looking for a droid that combat ready you might find this one is even better then the large assault droids! It has a shield disruptor, stun ray and a flame thrower! It even speaks a variety of languages and can function as a translator! It even claims to have the Sand People dialect!"

Calak was certainly intrigued. He recalled the Duros in Czerka who had pressed for a peaceful solution yesterday. Could Czerka be unaware of this droid? Or did they simply not care for peace? Given their greedy reputation they probably felt it would be cheaper to simply hire someone for a small price then buy this droid. Though the droid might be dangerous, another factor to consider. But Calak was confident he could handle it as a Jedi, and with two other more experienced Jedi to back him up.

"We can handle it," Calak said aloud.

"You're right, we're Jedi," Bastila agreed. "One droid isn't going to defeat us!"

Maybe lesser Jedi, Calak thought. But I have the same level of power as Revan. Its not going to defeat me. Wow, I seem to be getting a little overconfident.

"I'd like to speak with it," Calak said.

The Ithorian nodded and motioned to the droid.

Calak walked over to it. The droid looked at him with its fiery glowing eyes.

"Greetings prospective master," HK said. "I am HK-47 and will happily serve you! I will kill for you gladly."

Yuka hadn't been kidding when it was inclined toward violence.

"You aren't gonna attack me though are you

"Let's talk price," Calak said.

"Well, it's a very advanced droid so I think ten thousand could be a fair deal," Yuka said.

Calak frowned. He could afford that but it would be a big dent in his account.

"That price is outrageous!" he exclaimed.

"Hmm, perhaps so. Make it Eight Thousand then," Yuka said. "But I'm sure you'll be satisfied."

That was better. Calak counted out his credits, he had a total of eleven thousand. He'd recently used up three thousand to help that desperate woman. He'd have to find some way to earn more, just to be safe. Well, he would have the job with Czerka stopping the attacks. But there might be more.

He handed Yuka the credits.

"Enjoy your droid, whatever you plan to do with it," the Ithorian said with a greedy gleam in his eyes as he pocketed the currency with pride.

HK-47 was released.

"At last, I can walk freely and kill sentients! At your behest of course Master!" HK said.

Well, this wasn't an entirely welcome addition. But hopefully it would prove dependable in combat.

Calak was alright with credits for now but he not be able to buy any expensive weapons or things like this until he got more. He'd have to spend carefully and find a way to get more credits. He and the others would hopefully last until then.

Another chapter down. Hope you enjoyed and will see you next week. Will probably have to do some editing at some point. If you spot anything that needs fixing hit me up with a review or PM.