Star Wars: The Starkiller II

“What the hell are you doing?!” Galder shouted down to him, just as Gallador whacked down two of Bora’s guard. Tanic only gave him a fearful glance, holding his lightsaber up in defense as a few shots were taken at him.

There was a loud clatter as Bora tossed down the plasma discharger and drew a heavy assault rifle, then a low blatting as he fired down at Galder. Galder blurred forwards as the steps he had been standing on were splintered, then lunged for two of Bora’s guard himself, skewering them both on his blade alongside Gallador, who had also thrust through a bodyguard.

“Am I so weak now, Bora?” Galder hollered up to him. “Your precious Champ would be dead if I had been able to use these...”

“Blast him down!” Bora shouted urgently.

“Why have you failed me, Galder?” Kuylen’s voice echoed in Galder’s mind.

“I haven’t, Master!“ Galder cried out angrily. “It is you who have failed me!“

There was a blinding flash as one of Bora’s shots ricocheted off of Galder’s red lightsaber, and suddenly Galder was standing in Ascar’s lobby on Malastare. Persis stood atop the receptionist desk, while three of his bodyguards surrounded him, toting the vicious auto-blasters.

With an livid yell of defiance, Galder spun up through the air and landed between two of the security men, his lightsabers thrust through their collar bones and the tips of the blades emerging from the bases of their spines.

“Hello, still-born cripple!” Galder shouted to Persis, who merely raised his pistol and fired once. The bolt blew a hole in the ground.

"How wrong you are," echoed Kuylen’s voice. "How very, very wrong."

Galder’s anger took control of him at the sound of the disdainful tone. A swift attack cut down the final security guard, and he dashed up the stairs to reach the receptionist desk. He strafed to the side and let Persis’ shot rebound off his red blade, before lashing out with his blue. The lightsaber cut the desk’s lamp in two as Persis hopped lightly over the blade.

“You will die!” Persis spat at him, firing another shot. The bolt exploded against the desk’s leg as Galder reflected it, before suddenly leaping into the air and executing the infamous Starkiller scissor-strike. The two lightsabers carved an X into Persis’ chest, causing him to cry out in pain. Grinning maliciously, Galder performed another scissor-strike, aimed for Persis’ neck. In the bright flash, Persis’ body...no, Bora’s body...dropped to the ground, headless.

“You are weak, Bora Lantarnan!” Galder spat at the dead body, before heading through the hatch at the top of the stairs, cutting off the lock and punching it open with his metal fist.

= Chapter 34 =

He emerged into the lower hall. The hall was littered with bodies, most of which had been flung about towards the other end, the rest hacked apart on Galder’s end. Gallador stood in the middle of the hall, radiating pure hate as he moved in on eight guards that still stood, rallied around Yago Lantarnan. Galder saw that Rand was at the other end, heading up the stairs at a steady pace at the other end, his red lightsaber glowing in the dark of the stairwell.

“Where is Tanic?” Galder asked, but Gallador ignored him, and Rand could not hear him.

Suddenly, there was a familiar roar. "Rarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggghhhhhhh!"

Galder turned to see the Champ stamp his way to block the stairs heading back down into the hangar. The monster roared at him and pounded his fists on the ground; he was covered with various small scabs.

“Feeling better?” Galder asked, snarling as he took a few steps back. “A shame...you do not deserve the right to live...”

The Champ howled and stumbled towards him, trying to bowl Galder over backwards with his spiked fist. However, Galder back-flipped away and landed amongst the guards, just as Gallador jabbed at two, downing them.

Yago’s repeater riddled the stairs about Rand with bolts, a shot neatly sizzling through the Dark Master’s robes. Glaring, Rand made a simple gesture of his hand, and three of the guards around Galder went hurtling off the main walkway, cracking their skulls on the solid stone floor when they fell.

Gallador finished two more of the remaining guards, but Galder took down the last one as he made a wild spin. His left blade decapitated the guard, but the second blade hit nothing as the Champ took a step back, growling. Galder twisted about again, just lightly cutting through his natural armor and causing it to howl in pain.

Yago, growing desperate, turned his gun on Gallador. The Dark Jedi leapt over his shots with graceful agility, then landed in front of the panicking Lantarnan. With a prompt thrust of his blade, he ran Yago through; the young man went pale and whimpered slightly as Gallador pulled his lightsaber out with a boot planted firmly on Yago’s chest.

“Die, you beast!” Galder screamed at the Champ, twirling his blades about rapidly. Before he could strike, however, Gallador rushed to his side and jabbed his lightsaber through the Champ’s leg. It yowled in agony, giving Galder a chance to swing in, slashing across its chest with both blades, cutting into the spiked armor that was its skin deeply.

However, Galder’s vicious attacks had not enraged the Champ. The Champ lifted its fist and smashed Gallador backwards. The Dark Jedi slid backwards on his feet, not faltering for a second. With a cry of fury, Gallador lifted his blade and threw it. His aim was impeccable; the dark purple lightsaber planted itself firmly through the Champ’s heart, and its yowling ceased. It fell back with a tremendous thud, dead.

“I had them,” Galder said to Gallador, who jumped atop the massive corpse and retrieved his lightsaber.

“Actually...” Gallador began, but stopped to spit out some blood. The Champ’s blow had knocked his jaw out of place, and he pushed it back with the Force. “Actually, I did.”

The hall had fallen quiet. Rand had proceeded onwards up to the next floor, and all who had been resisting were dead or dying. The only sounds were the humming of the Dark Jedi’s lightsabers, and the moaning of Takuan, who lay clutching a wound to his chest near the place where Yago had fallen.

“Looks like you got into the worst of it, old friend!” Galder said as he deactivated his lightsabers and checked Takuan’s wound. He cauterization of the blaster bolt had worn off, causing Takuan to bleed. He was in incredibly bad shape. “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine...”

“I appreciate the help...” Takuan said, as Gallador slung him over his shoulder, causing him to cringe slightly.

“Take him to the ship, Gallador,” Galder commanded, before dashing off to the other end of the hall, to find Rand.

Behind him, Gallador was chuckling at the near unconscious Takuan. "It seems that Force was with me today, Takuan, maybe I am more powerful with the Dark Side after all! You might have more raw power, but I know how to use my anger, fear, and pain to forge the ultimate weapon. Now rest well little Orphan, I will let you live for now, you are useful."

With a quick dash up the stairs, Galder found himself in the more lavish hall for those who had been closer or of more importance to the Lantarnans, not that it mattered now. In the center of the hall, the battle was proceeding.

“Galder!” Rand shouted, looking to him as he came closer, before turning back to the fight. Deva Lantarnan, a burly man who looked similar to his dead brother Bora except clean-shaven, stood at a distance, lowering a rifle at Rand. Nine of his bodyguard still stood, firing pistols at Rand, while four Gamorrean guards swung their axes at close range to Rand. It appeared that Rand had already been struck by the axes, for he had bleeding gashes across his chest. He extended a hand, and three of the Gamorrean were thrown backwards into a wall. Another flick of his wrist, and their discarded axes were thrown at high speeds into their stomachs.

"Even now, you fail me, Galder," said Kuylen, as if whispering in Galder‘s ear. "And you never ask why."

“Then I implore you, why?” Galder asked, just as a bolt flashed brightly against Galder’s red blade. As Galder regained his sight, the Citadel had vanished once more. Towering buildings surrounded him, some toppling to the artillery fire. Around him, the streets were relatively silent...but he threw himself sideways as five Zeitonian fired their kinetic rifles. Behind the five, a Council member leveled an archaic blaster pistol in Galder’s direction.

“Gar’Veran!” Galder shouted. “You failed me once, but I never got to reward you for your trouble...”

Galder leapt from the alleyway with a bound and twirled his lightsaber, cutting through two of the Zeitonians. When he landed, Gar’Veran’s precise aim singed Galder’s thigh, then deflected off of Galder’s lightsabers into the face of a Zeitonian warrior. Galder rushed the two remaining warriors, skewering them on his blades, then hopping up to kick them off his lightsabers. He approached Gar’Veran, one swing taking his gun, another swing taking his arm, the last swing taking his life.

Deva Lantarnan’s body fell back, lifeless.

“What did you see, Galder?” It was Rand, standing over four slain bodyguards and the last Gamorrean. “All of your hallucinations, what did you see?”

Galder frowned at him, twirling his lightsabers into a backhand style. “Hade on Jaglon Beta, Persis on Malastare, and my lieutenant on Zeiton. Why?”

Rand cursed under his breath. “Useless.”

“What is?”

“Your hallucinations! They are extensions of our visions, Galder.”

“Really? I haven’t had a vision recently, so I wouldn’t know.”

“That explains things,” Rand sighed. “I saw myself...oh, never mind...”

= Chapter 35 =

The Citadel had grown quiet, for none were willing to come forth to challenge them at the moment.

Rand and Galder had slain a few more fighters that had tried to destroy them. Rand decapitated a Gran grenadier, the last one standing, just as Rianna and Gallador rushed up to the executive level. Rianna and Gallador were both incredibly pissed off, sending off waves of various levels of anger and hate.

“Enjoying yourselves?” Galder asked, with a sly grin. “Kill anyone notable?”

“I got Mika and his assassins, dealt with the sensors...” Rianna gasped. She seemed out of breath.

“You saw what I can achieve,” Gallador snarled. “Yago was crushed by my power...”

“You stabbed him, congrats,” Galder snarled back. “You still have the tablet, Rianna?”

She nodded.

Rand stood, having knelt for a rest. “Incoming.”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! You shall aaaaaaaaaall pay for thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis!”

Vigo charged down the stairs, flanked by his three pairs of IG series murderous droids. He twisted his staff, the two ends flashing brightly with green energy, then gestured for the six IG droids to go forth apprehend the Dark Jedi.

“You can’t win, Vigo!” Gallador hollered to him. “You are no match for the power of the Dark Side!” He concentrated, trying to confuse Vigo’s mind with random flashes once more. However, Vigo’s mind was too strong.

“Feeble sorcerers! I should have known you would chase the relic of your ancestors- and you are nothing compared to them!"

“Look at us, Vigo!” Gallador shouted, as the robots moved in. “We have killed your four sons! I shall have fun with your beautiful daughter...”

“Let’s finish this and leave!” Rianna cried out, raising her weapons.

The six droids moved into close combat with them, sprouting numerous sharp blades and buzzing as their scanners attempted to read their moves. However, they were too fast; Galder immediately lopped a blade off of one droid, but missed his other target, while Rianna removed one droid’s arm and Rand lightly nicked one, damaging a scanner.

Vigo moved in as well, and jabbed at Gallador with one end of the staff. Gallador batted away the poorly aimed blow, backpedaling. He then struck back with a well-aimed thrust of his own, but Vigo parried the blow, the tip of the dark purple lightsaber caught by the concentrated energy shielding. Vigo kept the lightsaber pinned, then spun the staff around to strike Gallador across the back, knocking him to his knees. Another blow struck Gallador’s stomach, flipping him over, then he was disarmed as one end of the staff smashed and shocked his hand; Gallador was out of the fight at last, though still alive.

Galder smirked as the Dark Jedi was defeated, then made a series of fast strokes at the droids he had attacked; the knives and swords were cleaved apart before Galder finally thrust his blade into the robot’s chassis, shutting it off. He turned with great speed and then removed the head unit on another.

Next to him, Rand was waiting for an opportune moment to strike back, while Rianna managed to destroy a third IG droid. However, she was shanked by a series of quick knife strikes from another next to her, one knife finding a spot in her ribs and sliding in with ease. She fell, dropping her lightsabers and cringing, as the droid pushed down. Galder intervened, lopping off the droids arm then kicking it back as his blades bit into the chassis of the IG droid behind him. He leapt backwards as the droids jabbed at him.

Rand dodged the IG droid’s futile attempts to do him harm, then intercepted the approaching Vigo with a jab to his midsection. Vigo firmly blocked him, then twirled his staff to jab at Rand’s midsection. Rand firmly blocked him in return.

“I will destroy you, Vigo...” Rand hissed, holding the lock. “Your reign has come to an end, and the Serpent will be crushed...”

Galder jumped back and forth as the three droids encircled him, thrusting their knives and swords in his direction. He hopped up over a sword strike and then landed, spinning like a top and dividing two droids in two. The remaining droid, unfortunately, dug its knife into his back, cutting him open. Enraged by the stinging, burning pain of the vibroknife, Galder spun and twirled rapidly, destroying the droid completely, leaving it as a pile of scrap.

Rand blocked another spinning blow from Vigo, then stepped back. He raised a hand in a clenched fist, trying to crush Vigo’s throat, but he was forced backwards as Vigo attacked twice more with the staff, both blows smashing across his cheek bones with a sickening crack. The electrical charge passed through Rand and crackled on his slick pale skin, his skull glowing inside his head for a brief second. Rand blocked a few more rapid blows, before Vigo shunted aside his defense and slammed the tip of the staff, full strength, into Rand’s chest. The crack was more sickening than the last two, as Rand’s sternum was shattered. Rand cried out in horrible agony, nearly dropping his weapon, as Vigo thrust the staff into his chest, shocking the life from Rand. His bones glowed green as the energy flowed into them, killing his nervous system.

Rand’s face was livid, and he suddenly clutched his weapon tightly, calling on the Dark Side for strength. He kicked Vigo in the stomach, forcing him back, then swung once in an expertly aimed, lightning fast, one-handed blow. The red lightsaber hissed as it passed through Vigo’s side, causing the Serpent’s leader to shout in pain.

Then, as Rand raised his lightsaber up to strike again...he fell backwards. The lightsaber slipped from his grip and shut off. The pain was too much.

Galder now confronted Vigo.

“I will be the last one standing, Vigo,” Galder hissed at him. “You may have defeated these fools...but you are no match for my prowess.”

Vigo said nothing, merely growling like an animal and clutching at the wound in his side before gripping the staff with his large meaty hands.

Galder approached. He began with a series of fast attacks, striking with both lightsabers, but Vigo deflected the blows. Frustrated, Galder swung his blue lightsaber hard, meeting Vigo’s staff. With a war cry, Vigo twisted the staff about and knocking the blue lightsaber from his opponent hand. It landed near Rand, hissing as the blade shut off.

“I will kill you!” Galder spat in his face. He lifted his red lightsaber and attacked again, his double-strike just narrowly parried by Vigo Lantarnan. Vigo smashed aside his attacks and proceeded to try and bash Galder through the chest with the staff, but Galder spun to the side and blocked.

“Grraah!” Galder bellowed as he forced Vigo backwards and stabbed for Vigo’s chest. The thrust was knocked aside, but Galder pulled his blade back into a backhand style as Vigo made a series of quick jabs at him. Galder positioned the blade with expert skill, causing Vigo to miss or be blocked. Quickly, Galder slashed as he brought the blade back into the standard style, scoring a burn across Vigo’s front.

Screaming, Vigo swung low, attempting to knock Galder off his feet with the staff. Galder nimbly leaped over the staff and landed atop it, pushing Vigo down to his knees as he tried to keep the staff in his hands.

Grinning maliciously as ever, Galder lifted his blade and let his blow fall on Vigo’s neck. It was the final blow. Vigo Lantarnan ceased to exist. His head rolled off to the side, while his body went limp. The staff shut off. The mighty man who had ruled the Golden Serpent with an iron fist was dead.

“Well, that’ll definitely raise the bounty on me...” Galder concluded, deactivating his red lightsaber and calling his blue one to him from its place on the floor. He placed the blue lightsaber at his belt, the red one back into the secret compartment in his arm.

“Everyone ready to leave?” Galder asked, looking to Rianna and Gallador and Rand. The latter were moving, but their leader was not. “Rand?”

Galder stepped over Rianna, who was semi-consciously trying to keep pressure on her frequent knife lacerations, and past Gallador, who pushed himself over and was nursing his hand. Rand was doing nothing, and Galder could not sense his strong, angry mind.

“Rand?”

Then Galder realized it. Rand was dead. Vigo had killed him. The Dark Jedi no longer had to suffer from his poor leadership skills. He was gone!

Galder smirked. “And so the mighty hath fallen, eh Rand?” He reached down, as if to check his pulse, but merely snatched the dead Dark Jedi Master’s lightsaber from beside him. It was thin and smooth, the hilt divided into two parts by a rubber grip. The activation button was large, easily pressed by thumb. The pommel of the hilt had a large, tooth-like thorn; most likely the tooth of a creature from Rand’s home world.

“Nice lightsaber...I think I’ll keep it...” Galder turned to go grab Rianna and Gallador, but the lightsaber did not go with him. It flew off his belt. His quick reflexes allowed him to catch it. However, he was not the only one. Rand’s pale hand was wrapped in a vice-like grip around the other end of the lightsaber. It was the grip of a corpse.

Galder pried it from him, but Rand’s outstretched hand snatched it from Galder with the Force.

“How...no!” Galder cried out. “You’re dead! I watched you die, Rand!”

“Your sympathy brings great warmth to my heart...” Rand muttered slowly and uneasily, as he stood to his feet. He paused and tried to look around, then clutched his chest for a moment. The skin and muscle covering his shattered sternum had been fried off by Vigo’s staff. Then, he stood fully erect.

“Incoming. I sense thirty or so armed men. Jena’s guard.”

Galder turned to see the thirty men coming from the Lantarnan’s floor, all armed. He ignited his blue lightsaber, but Rand placed a hand on his shoulder.

“No, Galder...” Rand said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “We do not stay to fight. We go.”

As the guard fired their first shots, Rand knelt to lift up Rianna, which he achieved with some difficulty and groans. Galder deflected a few shots back at the guard, injuring a man, before grabbing Gallador and following Rand down the stairs.

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They hopped off the stairs into the hangar, Galder at a sprinting pace and Rand now slowing to a near leisurely jog. They boarded the Serpent ship, which Tanic had ready for lift off, just as Jena’s guard reached the stairwell. Bolts spattered against the deflector shields and ricocheted off, as the ship left the hangar.

“Tanic, get us out of here!” Galder shouted as he reached the cockpit.

Tanic fired a few shots from the ship’s light cannons into the hangar, blowing apart the stairwell and a few crates. Then, he turned the ship about and shot off into the atmosphere, as soon as he emerged from the atmosphere, the Dark Jedi were home free. They were victorious in their mission.

= Chapter 36 =

“Setting course for Kuoni,” Galder said, sitting back in the navigator’s chair. He put in the coordinates at a leisurely pace, and Tanic took the ship into hyperspace. “It’s a several day journey; I hope we make it in time.”

“How did you program the sensors not to shoot us down, Rianna?” Tanic asked, at the helm.

“I didn’t...” she sighed, resting in a passenger seat.

“Then why are we not dead?”

“Mika programmed them to shoot us down, but I took out the entire bank with my lightsabers...”

“Well, that always works!” Tanic chuckled.

Galder thought for a moment, before stating proudly, “I counted forty-nine, Rianna.”

Rianna knew of what he spoke. “Fifty-one,” she replied, slowly.

He glared. “No way! How did you outdo me by two kills?”

She did not indulge him with an argument. She wanted rest.

Galder sat in thought for a moment, removing the glare from his face and glancing at the flaccid Nume Rand. He was unmoving, laying on a sofa at the back of the cockpit, except for the heavy, uneven rise and fall of his chest.

“So...Rand,” he ventured. “What...what happened?”

“I don’t know, Galder...” he muttered hoarsely, closing his bulbous black eyes.

“You were dead, Rand, I watched you die...and yet, here you are.”

“Here I am...”

Galder’s glare returned. Why is he still alive? Galder pondered, baffled. He cannot replace Kuylen!

“It is not unknown.”

Galder jumped in his seat, and turned to see Kuylen standing behind him.

“Dammit! Why am I still hallucinating?” Galder cursed, as the others looked at him.

"Only the power of the Dark Side can prolong someone past their end. But Destiny had more to say about it this time. You were not meant to die yet, any of you. The Force knew where your end would be."

He then held up his index finger. "One, Galder..."

“I take it that the Force has determined your destiny then?”

“I took control of my own destiny.”

“So you chose to die?”

“Well, what do you think that means, Galder?”

“I don’t know, Master.”

“That is why you have failed.”

“And the consequences of failure?” Galder was not even going to bother asking how they had failed.

“You have always known the price of failure, Galder.”

“I have, and yet I evade.” Galder narrowed his eyes at the apparition. He only raised his index finger again.

“One.”

Then, he vanished, though Galder felt it would not be the last time.

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The next day, most people were rested up and feeling slightly better. Rianna and Gallador were in much better shape, and Takuan was coming around. However, Rand was becoming weaker. It did not dim his willingness to go over the events.

“First off,” he said, hoarse and faint, “I wish to address our hallucinations.

“The hallucinations were extensions of visions, if you had them. The Force was telling you more...”

Rand, Takuan, and- surprisingly- Rianna were the only one who had actually had premonitions before engaging on their mission to liberate the Sith tablet. They did not share their visions, though they willing shared their hallucinations.

Galder went first, and described his vivid, but unusable, hallucinations; Kuylen talking to him and moving things about; Galder reliving twisted versions of fights on Jaglon Beta, Malastare, and Zeiton; Kuylen still talking to him.

“’Kuylen’ is obviously trying to tell you something,” Rand said. “Technically, it is the Force and your own mind. Hence, Kuylen sounded a bit sarcastic and bullying, much like yourself.”

“I’m not sarcastic!” Galder snarled, but he stopped as Tanic spoke up.

Tanic’s hallucinations were dominated by flashbacks; the rhythmic, eerie beat that the beings made mind slaves to the Puppet Master; his exploits at the Garel orbital platform and the throne room of the Empire of Pity before its reformation; a disturbing session of deja vu as he returned to the hangar and started up the ship.

“Deja vu as you started up this ship?” Rand inquired. Tanic nodded. “Strange...”

“Garel?” Galder interrupted. “That was you?”

“Yeah...I was declared dead after the incident...” Tanic told him, smirking slightly. “After I killed the Puppet Master...”

Gallador’s hallucinations, to Galder’s surprise, were also, for the most part, flashbacks of his time spent as a Jedi, missions that he tapped into the Dark Side on. He helped destroy a sect of the Nostra crime syndicate on tropical Palmero; he busted a drug lord on the back streets of Vataan. However, two incidents were bizarre. He had rushed to assist Rand in a place that he felt was a sort of throne room, fighting vengeful pirates, and then lost consciousness for awhile.

“I must note that that insightful fool, Grevor Scovione, was present through all of my hallucinations,” Gallador added.

“Jedi Master Scovione?” Galder asked.

“Yes, the very one.” Gallador did not elaborate. Not yet.

Takuan managed to maintain consciousness long enough to describe his own hallucinations. A pale, sickly Sith Lord was ever present, reminding Takuan of his imminent death, and he had assumed he was the same Sith Lord from his premonitions just after his affair on Belseraphon with the Miramar warriors, most likely from the graves he had discovered. His hallucination during the battle had started at those graves, and wandered him off through the jungles of Belseraphon, before he was shot down by Yago and his men.

Then, Rand. He had relived some of the more gruesome moments in the Rattatak arena, which he wished to avoid describing. He cut down security droids on Cynelline. As Gallador had described, he fought to keep his throne, his place of rule, his center of power, though he described it with more passion and enthusiasm, whereas Gallador spoke out of confusion. All the while, Doon had been taunting him, though also giving him advice at leadership- Rand did not specify about said advice.

“And then...” Rand faltered. “A woman with white hair...”

Takuan looked uneasy.

Rand chose this moment to halt his tale and yield to Rianna.

Rianna’s hallucinations, by far, had been the most disturbing and revealing of her future. Helkin had stalked her all through the Citadel, including during her various heists, and she had ran from him and the Demaran security through a wheat field once more.

“That’s not disturbing...or revealing,” Galder scoffed. “That’s just another...”

“I’m not done!” she shouted.

Her next hallucination was on a planet of petrified forests, on the run from a Dug militia, and a man named Rogan, whom she had a deep, painful fear of.

“I could not explain it...” Rianna sighed. “All I knew was that I must escape to the starport...I had to get away from this Rogan character. I did not see much, or Rogan.”

“Continue,” Rand urged.

She recalled for a moment, then continued. Shortly after killing Mika, she had pointlessly driven her lightsabers into a particularly jagged rock, of which there were a great many scattered throughout the desert. The battle droids had shown up shortly afterwards, and she cut them down. It did not cure her of the feeling that she was looking for someone or something, or both, in the desert of stones.

“Peculiar,” Rand mumbled, furrowing his brow as he lay sprawled on the sofa, gaunt and badly wounded.

“What of Rah?” Galder questioned, looking to the still closed medical bay.

“What of him?” Rand replied. “He seems to have lost all sense of reality and meaning. He’s been muttering to himself like a madman since you found him in there.”

“But why?”

No one knew.

= Chapter 37 =

Kuoni appeared as Tanic brought the ship out of hyperspace.

“Oh, wonderful!” Tanic declared. “No pursuit, no ambush! We’re here and there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Yeah...” Galder sighed, slightly depressed. “But it’ll be bittersweet. Kuylen is going to die.”

“He must have been a great man, the way you speak of him,” Tanic answered, his eyes on the controls. “Unfortunately, I didn’t know him.”

“You might have seen him, at least,” Galder told him. “He was a Jedi once...for all the good that did him.”

“He was!” Gallador sneered. “But now he is dying, defeated, why such respect for the leader that failed you?

“And you know nothing about Jedi Order, Galder, or am I wrong? You may be a good killer, but will your understanding of Force ever be complete?"

“No, and neither will yours if you don’t shut up,” Galder snarled. “I was never a Jedi, I have no need for their petty training.”

“Hah, Jedi training, what a joke,” Rianna commented, in response to Galder. “I trained as a Jedi and my knowledge of the Force is far from complete.”

“Yes, Rianna, but you never cared about much more than sword fighting, did you?” Gallador taunted.

"No, I really didn't care for much else than practicing with my lightsaber. But I certainly am able to do just fine with what I know of the Force, as I'm sure I have proven,“ Rianna snapped.

They moved on from the subject as Rand requested that Rianna get the tablet out and hand it to him. He was fairly weak and Rianna held it for him. After a brief going-over of the tablet, the weakened Rand stated that several Sith Lords were mentioned, prior to the Rule of Two.

“Darths,” he chuckled dryly. He seemed to be on the verge of dying, but refusing to go.

As Tanic set the landing coordinates, Galder began speaking with Gallador. He was a very peculiar person.

“So, you hallucinated about Master Scovione, huh?”

“Yes...” Gallador said. “He annoyed me so- his calm rationality conflicted with my impassioned approach.”

“Approach to...” Galder started, but Gallador cut him off, becoming slightly crazed.

“I saw through the limitations of the Jedi Order, foolish adherence to ancient code, fear of the Dark Side, inability to do what is right for the Republic, wouldn't it be the best for the good of all if Force-users ruled the galaxy with power and wisdom? Couldn't they see that their hypocritical morality is an excuse for being inept, fearful, stagnant and weak?

“Grevor Scovione was one of the few Masters that agreed to discuss matters with me, but he too proved himself too inflexible at the end. He hunted me down after I left the Order and tried to establish a Cult devoted to exploring the Force at a whole, including the Dark Side, and the power of emotions. But I escaped, and killed his apprentice, a young girl who was still not much more than a child! I could sense his pain, old fool got what he deserved!”

“Must have been after he trained that wretched boy I fought on Malastare...” Takuan thought, bitterly. “Blindly loyal child...”

“I remember Scovione,” Rand recalled, faintly. “And Gundark...and Marcus...and...Sannan...”

“Yeah, forgot you were one of them for awhile,” Galder groaned. “They ruined our dealings on Malastare.”

“You can do that by yourself...” Rand chuckled.

“Scovione always told me that no one person, or even group of people, had the right to try and dictate the terms of how the Galaxy is run to others- democracy must be respected within reasonable limits!“ Gallador continued to rant. “I could not accept the Order tied to a corrupt system- it is an all too sympathetic route to the Dark Side, altruistic improvement turned into a desire for domination.”

There was a hiss and sliding noise as the door to the medical bay unlocked, and Rah strode out.

“Rah!” Galder shouted. “Feeling better?”

Rah did not answer, sporting a silly grin and walking straight up to where Tanic sat at the controls. He seemed to watch how Tanic operated the ship for a moment, before gazing out the view port at the planet Kuoni. Takuan seemed very concerned, rising from his seat and moving to Galder’s side.

“I sense a lot of emotional confusion from him...high mental tension...” Takuan whispered in Galder‘s ear. “And...quite odd...but I hear a musical note...”

As Takuan muttered this to Galder, the unthinkable happened. Turning back from the view port, Rah spun about and kicked Tanic in the side of the head, knocking from the chair. As Tanic went down, he twisted the controls.

“Sorry pal, but if we land on this planet,” Rah muttered as the ship tilted sideways, then upside down, “we’ll all die.”

An alarm began to blare, and Galder knew what it meant.

“The gyroscopes have lost bearing!” Galder yelled to the others after he was thrown into a wall. “The ship’s in a spiraling death dive!”

I’ve gotta get the ship to stop spiraling... Galder thought with great urgency. He pulled and climbed his way up to where Rah was desperately trying to turn the ship around, to no avail.

“We must not land on this planet!” Rah cried with a hint of panic.

“You could have told us before!” Gallador snarled from the floor, which was actually the ceiling.

“Galder! Get the ship under control!” Rianna hollered at him.

Timing it correctly, Galder kicked off of a wall and grabbed the back of Rah’s chair. He slammed his left fist into the back of Rah’s head, knocking him from the chair, then sat in it himself. He strapped in to prevent himself from being flung from the seat, and took hold of the controls.

The approach is lost... Galder realized. We have about 45 seconds before we plunge into the ground...but where is the ground? I can’t...firing the retros would send us more out of control...more spinning...

He attempted to throw the ship into a counter-spin, but to no avail. He would need more to simply fight it.

I need to target it at the ground, but we’re entering too far away from cities... Galder continued to think. So nothing to...wait!

The sensors picked up a ship, and incredibly large one at that, with an open beacon transmission.

“That’s a one in a million miracle...” Tanic commented, having regained his head and looking at the sensor display.

“Never tell me the odds!” Galder countered, before calibrating the ship’s sensors to the large ship planetside. The auto systems stabilized the gyroscopes, which, combined with Galder’s counter-spin, brought the ship out of its disorienting spin. He fired the retros and pulled up in an attempt to pull the ship out of its death dive.

As the ship shot through the atmosphere, Galder began guiding the ship towards the massive ship he had targeted. To his displeasure, the ship was based in a starport, in a city.

How the hell did I not see that? Galder wondered, looking briefly to the sensors, which now had full read outs of the city and starport.

He did not have time to dwell on it. The ship made contact with the ground with a deafening crunching and screeching of the hull shredding and breaking. All inside were thrown from their seats or positions, into walls or each other, as the ship hit, going at speeds way beyond the safety limit. The landing gear’s stilts snapped like twigs, flying off in random vectors, and the ship spun carelessly about on the landing area. Sparks showered Galder and Tanic briefly as the former slammed on the breaks. Leaving a trail of debris, the ship came to a halt. They were still alive, and it was, for the most part, intact.

= Chapter 38 =

“Phew!” Galder exclaimed, slumping back in the chair. Then, he rose from the seat and turned to Rah, who was twitching in hysteria in the corner. “What the hell, Rah? We could have all died!”

“Give him time to explain, Galder...” Rand said between groans of anguish as he pulled himself up onto the sofa once again.

There was a voice on the comms unit. “This is Pharios Starport control to unidentified contact, please identify yourself.”

A cultured voice cut in before Galder could sit up and reply. “Pharios control, don't worry, the ship in question is here for a private meeting with me. They don't seem to be badly damaged and are in no need of assistance."

“Roger that, Flotsam. Out."

Rand looked up from the sofa. “Flotsam?”

Galder frowned at the comms unit, then looked out the view port. “What now?”

The starship that Galder had picked up its transmission beacon on the sensors was just outside the view port. It took Galder a moment, but he realized that it was actually three freighters of the same model crunched together at odd angles to make one large, extremely hideous vessel. It was consuming most of the starport

“What a piece of junk!” Galder snarled.

“What is it?” Rand asked.

“Huge ship, looks like three ships mashed to...”

“Aha!” Rand exclaimed. “Flotsam I!”

“What?”

“Flotsam I! It's famous throughout the Galaxy! It is AK-06's ship.”

Galder gave him a blank stare.

“Well...long story, but basically, AK-06 was a protocol droid. But over an extended series of events, he got totally re-programmed. He still speaks several thousand languages, more than most people ever need, but nearly all his linguistic databases have been replaced by mechanical and technical information. Combined with his emergent personality, it has made AK one of the greatest technical and mechanical geniuses in the Galaxy. It also made him incredibly profit driven.”

“Ugh, protocol droids...” Galder groaned.

Rand continued. “Avoiding the taxes of the Trade Federation and the Commerce Guilds, he trades in the Outer Regions, to planet and pirate alike. Flotsam I is so damn ugly because he's a droid and doesn't care how it looks, but it runs like a dream- he scavenged it together himself- and allows him to carry a huge store of parts.

“Because he is so damn useful, and because he's a droid, no-one can be bothered to hate him. In fact, Flotsam I is the closest thing the scum of the Universe has to neutral ground- no-one benefits from AK’s operation being harmed.

“But underneath all that, he still has the basic personality of a protocol droid...”

The ship’s large hatchway had lowered from the center freighter, and a humanoid figure was emerging, walking with an odd gait. As Galder left the ship to go greet this figure, he realized immediately what it was.

“Protocol droid...” Rianna groaned, having followed him out. “I hate protocol droids...”

“He’s got some well maintained casings,” Galder noticed, keeping his wrist blaster at the ready. “Not standard issue for a protocol droid...”

"... must say..." the droid was rambling, as it drew closer, "that these hotrod antics of yours these days don't do anything to endear yourself to me. I am a mechanoid and ignorant of the need for such stunts. What if something had gone wrong? Then you would have missed the chance for..."

It came to a halt when it noticed Galder and Rianna. Gallador approached him as well, joining the two.

"Oh my...I am sorry. I was expecting Mr. Doon."

“Actually, I was expecting Melkus Doon as well,” Galder explained. “We were told to meet him here.”

“Meet him here? Why?”

Galder’s senses began to annoy him slightly, telling him that he had missed something.

"We were sent a message to rendezvous with him here on Kuoni," Galder explained, leaving out the true reasons. "What's your excuse?"

"I don't have one," said the droid. "I have been wanting to complete my salvage dealings with Mr. Doon and was going to look for him soon when I detected your ship there coming into land, in such an extraordinary fashion. You are associates of his, I assume? Professional ones? And he is on this planet, then?"

“We are good at getting things done,” Gallador added simply.

"I am sure you are! Mr. Doon demands nothing but the best with his employees."

Employees? Galder pondered, before continuing.

"Indeed we are, and he should be," Galder replied. "What dealings were those, might I ask?"

"Oh, I have completed my re-assembly on the remaining salvage of that Jedi vessel."

"Jedi vessel?" Galder asked, treading on cautious ground. His senses were screaming at him. "Where did you find this...Jedi vessel?"

"Crashed on the planet Prias. Why, are you in salvage as well?"

Something’s not right about this conversation... Galder continued to ponder.

"Prias? Where's that?" Galder asked. "Who's craft was it?"

"Prias? Class C1 world in the Byrone sector where..." said AK, proceeding into a long and very technical definition of the planet and its Galactic position.

How’d we even get on this topic? He was expecting Doon, and we’re supposedly his employees...I don’t like this...

“...make him shut up...” Rianna whispered to Gallador.

Galder interrupted his description of Prias. “How were you organizing to meet Doon here?”

"Meeting? I am sorry, I seem to be under a certain amount of confusion,” AK-06 said, ending his description. “I wasn't organizing meeting Mr. Doon here."

"Yet you said you were expecting him,” Rianna said.

"Oh my! Mr. Doon has lost none of his taste in women, I see. But of course I was expecting him, when I saw your ship coming into land. I assumed he had come to talk to me."

“Why did you expect that?”

"Again, I must apologize," said AK. "I must be making myself unclear. Of course I was expecting Mr. Doon to be flying his own ship!"

Then it struck Galder. “His...his own ship?”

“Yes, of course...”

But Doon said he stole it from the Serpent...but if it is his...

There was a scream from the ship and Tanic raced outside, hands on his head and looking frightened as ever. Rah was still shouting hysterically inside.

"Your ship looks a little dented," said AK, not noticing the hysterical yelling. "I shall be back in just one moment...whilst I am getting my stock list, I may as well see if you are interested in some of these other knick-knacks..." He wandered back to the ship’s hatch and waddled up the ramp.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Galder said. “Back to the ship. Now!”

The three of them rushed back into the ship, Rianna grabbing Tanic.

“I recognize the ship!” Tanic cried. “It’s Doon’s! Doon’s personal ship!”

“Personal ship?” Rand asked, frowning as they entered in a hurry. “What do you mean?”

“AK-06 recognized the ship as being Doon’s,” Galder said, throwing himself onto the sofa opposite Rand. “The only way this could belong to Doon is if...well...he was a member of the Serpent.”

Rand opened his mouth as if to say something, but was dumbfounded.

“It is quite likely that Kuylen is not here with him.”

Galder began to feel quite angry at this realization. How could we have missed that?

“I thought you said you knew him,” said Rianna, scowling.

"I did meet him," Galder replies. "But that was a long time ago. I know nothing of the man, really, other than what he told us. He just managed to leave that out, I suppose..."

"That is over-thinking it, Galder,“ Takuan interjected. “He can't be a Serpent member. But I am beginning to feel we've been played. This droid here has answers we want, we just have to know how to question him. And like it or not, we still need Doon in order to make contact with Kuylen.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Galder said, trying to convince himself otherwise. “Of course Doon isn’t a member of the Serpent! He’s an independent operator...who just happened to have access to a Serpent vessel...with the correct security codes and a supply of Yaran root...” He looked to Takuan. “Isn’t he? I mean...Kuylen wouldn’t trust a Serpent member to work for him, would he?”

“I would not know that as well as you, Galder,” Takuan said.

“He was genuine, he was working with Kuylen!” Galder exclaimed. “Well...actually...Kuylen was buying stuff off of him, not working with him...now that I think about it, Kuylen and Saar did not like him much...”

“I start to have doubts whether we should still look for this great Kuylen, or just escape to the Outer Rim...” Gallador snarled. Galder rose to slug him when Rianna intervened.

“I mean, can we really trust this Doon?” Gallador asked, having not moved.

"I wouldn't trust him, at the very least he's severely misled us,” Rianna responded, “and we have no idea what we've now been lead in to."

"My, you all seem miserable all of a sudden!" AK-06 had wandered to the door of the Serpent craft, carrying some technical gumf.

“What do you know about Doon?” Rianna asked AK.

"Know about him? Why, he is a humanoid, from Corellia, an expert star pilot and smuggler, height, one point..."

“Where did he get the ship from?”

"Get it? Well, he didn't buy it. It's an executive privilege of his position, as opposed to his private vessel, which he built himself."

"Do you know what position this is that he has?"

"What funny people you organics are! As professional associates of Doon, surely you know that? Oh my...you haven't killed him, have you?"

“Not yet...” Galder muttered under his breath.

"No,” Rianna continued. “We just suspect that he hasn't been honest with us.”

"Oh good! He's one of my best customers. And he represents my biggest!"

“You would like to tell us everything, believe us you would,” Gallador snarled with an evil grin.

"And this biggest customer of yours that he represents is?" Rianna continued, ignoring Gallador. But AK did not.

"Sorry, I don't understand," said AK. "Why would I want to tell you everything? I am not sure what you meant."

"Aren't you a smart droid?“ Gallador rambled. “We are powerful allies to have on one's side, and enemies you would have nightmares about! Tell us everything about Doon, and you won't regret this choice! We would be indebted to you, and we are power!"

"I have more than enough connections inside the Serpent, thank you very much!" AK said, still slightly confused.

At this point, Rianna kicked Gallador hard in the shin to continue her questioning, Galder grinning and covering Gallador’s mouth to keep him from interrupting again.

"The Serpent?“ Rianna picked up again. “What sort of connections would you have with them? And would Doon have been one of them?"

"I am afraid I still do not quite understand what your colleague is getting at."

“Pay him no mind!”

“Oh, very well,” AK said, before falling silent. “Sorry, what was it we were talking about?”

"You said that Doon represented one of your largest customers. I'm curious who this customer is....as well as your connections within the Serpent. Would Doon be one of them?"

"I am afraid your strange way of conversing is overloading my interpersonal circuits,” AK said, his cultured metal voice getting on Rianna’s and Galder’s nerves. “Let me just recap. You are asking me if my contact Melkus Doon, the Golden Serpent's front man, their liaison with all other criminal organizations, chairmen of several dozen outer cells and with the support of hundreds of others, and the Serpent's number one find-and-acquire agent, and the most important man in the whole organization outside of the Lantarnans, with some not believing even they hold more power...is a member of the Serpent? Then...yes, he is. Obviously."

The words sank in.

No...it can’t be...no! Galder panicked in his mind. Adrenaline began to surge through his body as his anger welled up inside. We’ve been played, duped, used!

The others were completely silent, before Gallador shoved off Galder and asked a question.

“Do you believe Doon would be able to wrest power from Vigo?” he asked, in a stunned tone.

"I am afraid I am merely a technical expert and ignorant in such political matters," says AK. "But I fail to see how such a thing could be done!"

"It seems we brought him a huge gift, Serpent might be his now!"

"What do you mean?" asked AK.

“The Serpent is an aristocracy by birth, remember?” Takuan reminded Gallador. “He can’t have control.”

“Ignore that comment, please...” Rianna sighed, just regaining her breath.

"Oh my, now I am confused! Has something happened of which I am unaware?"

"Nothing that concerns you!” Gallador told him, glaring.

"Most events concern me," said AK. "They affect stock prices."

That brought the conversation to a halt. They looked to Rand, who seemed to look even paler than usual, even elderly beyond his years. He said nothing.

“Do you think...” Gallador whispered, “that it was a coincidence that Jena wasn’t at the slaughter?”

Galder suddenly developed a horrible pang of terror in his stomach. “No...”

“Do you know if Doon had any special dealings with Jena Lantarnan?” Rianna asked, turning from the group to AK.

"Special commitments? No, not that I know of.” There was a long pause. "Unless you mean the wedding, of course."

“He’s...they’re...getting married?” Gallador laughed shallowly.

"Well, they are getting married, very soon! That's actually meant to be a secret, but a droid in my position hears things..."

“Do you know how soon and where?”

"No idea, I am afraid. I am sure they will invite anyone relevant,” AK said, then turning to inspect the hull of the ship, and the shattered landing gear. “Now, I can't stay around here forever. I wonder if any of you want to buy anything? Your ship looks a bit dented..."