Dry Sands, Hot Prospects. By Glimm, originally from The Begeren Colony.

[Kashet]

There was sand in his Mind Eraser, again, and his new partner had better armor than he did. 

 

"The Jawa never had better armor than me," he mumbled into his sandy drink.

 

"What is that you say my friend?"

 

The Bounty Hunter sighed; he missed the little Jawa. He looked around the dirty cantina then back to his new team mate. "We gotta get outta this place."

 

"To where? I heard something big was going down here next week. You don't want to miss out do you?"

 

"I heard there was plague out in the wastes is what I heard. It'll be in town soon enough."

 

"Plenty of opportunities in the plague business you know." His partner winked, "THORN pays big for that kind of thing."

 

The Bounty Hunter shook his head, "my business is bounties buddy."

 

His friend held up his hands apologetically, "the bounty business is slow right now - "

 

"NO! I mean... no. I hate that plague thing."

 

"Too bad," grinned the other bounty hunter, "it's really kind of fun once you get into it you know. And it's more credits in the kitty for that desert base you want to buy."

 

"Hmmph. Maybe. We'll see."

 

His friend grinned. "Besides, Nar Shaddaa has nothing on this place right?"

 

The Bounty Hunters laughed, and ordered another round of sandy drinks.

[Kashet]

"Zed Starkweather, " lied Glimm, his voice a hoarse whisper.

 

The Sith smirked. "I know when you lie to me. And you are, aren't you." He sighed, tapping his chin with a long fingernail. "Four hours with an Imperial probe droid and still this silly game."

 

The Sith picked at some invisible lint on his robe and moved closer to the Bounty Hunter. "I want to know who your contact in the Republic is. Now."

 

"I got you the Jedi Holicron," wheezed Glimm, "that's what you paid for, that's what you get. That's all you get."

 

The Siths eyes glowed red, his hand drifting to the lightsaber at his side. "You grubby little worm! You dare to tell me what I get!" The glowing red blade of the lightsaber appeared at Glimms throat, "I will end you, painfully."

 

"At least..." groaned Glimm, pulling against the stun cuffs that secured him to the hover table, "...at least look at the thing before you kill me. Many Cather spies died to get that out of Tython."

 

The Sith glanced back at the sealed container. 

 

Glimm grinned lopsidedly. "Scared of the Jedi magic are we?"

 

The Sith roared and slammed the hilt of his lightsaber into the side of Glimms head. Then turned, hesitantly approaching the small, unassuming box. "Did you... open it?" 

 

"No." Lied Glimm. 

 

The Sith picked up the box and stalked from the room, "I will return, Bounty Hunter."

 

"I doubt it." Breathed Glimm, counting down the seconds. 

 

Suddenly the room rocked, the concussion of a thermal detonator reverberating through Glimms bones. He grinned. It was, he decided, one of the more satisfying explosions he had experienced. 

[Kashet]

The D-5 Mantis groaned softly as it came out of hyperspace, the swirling blue mystery giving way to the pristine sphere of Alderaan. Glimm sighed and released the controls.

 

"So let me get this straight," rumbled the towering Houk looming over the bounty hunters shoulder, "we left Tatooine to avoid the Rakghoul plague, where there was actually no plague, and here we are on Alderaan, where there is an actual plague."

 

"Yeah... But -"

 

"And," continued Skadge, "there's this little human Sith-"

 

"Now mostly cyborg, after his little run in with a thermal detonator."

 

"Yeah, that's right, and also part zombie, after his run in with the plague."

 

"Yeah..."

 

"And you're huntin' this crazy guy, down in th' actual, ground zero, rakghoul tunnels themselves."

 

"He's a bounty, we're bounty hunters," Glimm replied.

 

"Yeah..." grinned Skadge, "you got stones; you know that don't you?"

 

Glimm shook his head, "what I got is a good crew. Now let's go get this kriffing sith psycho."

[Kashet]

Glowing green algae pulsed on the tunnel walls, giving just enough light for Glimm to see the myriad shadows shambling aimlessly about. Semi living shadows of former Alderaanian residents, now transformed into ghastly ghouls, hungry for the flesh of the living.

 

"Hey Boss," grumbled Skadge in his echoing approximation of a whisper, "we been down here three days now, you sure this creepo Sith is still alive?"

 

"Alive is probably not the term we're looking for here Skadge," whispered Glimm, noting the way the plague infected tunnel residents paused at the sound of voices. "Keep it down big guy, I think the locals are hungry."

 

"Yeah well that last bunch ate my blade pretty good. 'Bout time I do some more choppin' any hows."

 

Glimm was about to try to convince Skadge not to draw unwanted attention when a sudden movement ahead caught his eye. He signaled a halt and crouched low.

 

The ambling shape of an ornately dressed figure appeared out of the dimness, its hunched posture coming erect a few meters from the bounty hunters. 

 

"Mr. Starkweather?" The voice was that of the Sith, but something was off about it.

 

"Glimm. Glimm Kashay. Bounty Hunter."

 

A low cackle drifted from where the creatures mouth had been, "how delightful." A red glow erupted into the darkness, illuminating the cyborg sith and an army of rakghouls, hovering eagerly at his heels.

 

"Now things are gettin' interestin'," grinned Skadge, unsheathing his vibrosword. 

 

Glimm shook his head and drew his blasters, "just remember we want the sith in one piece."

 

"You forgot to say alive," rumbled Skadge. 

 

"Sith ain't ever alive like you and me buddy."  

 

"What about his crew?" The Houk said indicating to the advancing rakghouls.

 

"Just try to keep the goo off the carboniser."

 

"You got it Boss!" roared Skadge leaping forward. 

[Kashet]

Glimm sipped his caf and stared out the view port of the D5 Mantis starship. Sighing he turned from the darkness and pressed the intercomm. They had been floating in this sector of Wild Space for weeks now, and his new crew was fraying at the edges. 

 

"Front and center boys and girls."

 

An eclectic mix of alien and human bounty hunters drifted sullenly into the cockpit and waited for Glimm to speak.

 

He grinned. At least his reputation kept them this respectful of him. "How's our cargo Jeeta?"

 

The small woman from Coruscant stopped fidgeting with her blaster and looked up. "Frozen in carbonite, same as before."

 

Glimm nodded, the Rakghoul infected cyborg sith was meant to be one of his biggest payouts ever. Delivered no questions asked to the middle of Wild Space. 

 

Problem was the exact destination was supposed to be sent once they got to the general sector. So far nothing had come up.

 

Suddenly the proximity alarm sounded as a matt black Imperial Cruiser appeared from out of Hyperspace. 

 

"Crew to stations people!" Shouted Glimm racing to the captains chair, hoping their wait was over, not their lives.

[Kashet]

"De'arth," corrected the Imperial officer, wrinkling his nose at Glimm and the other three bounty hunters transporting the carbonite chamber of their prize. "And you will address him as 'my lord'. Clear?"

 

"As khyber crystal," answered Glimm.

 

The officer nodded doubtfully and motioned for them to follow, leading them through a winding set of service corridors in the Dreadnought that had swallowed the D5 Mantis just hours before. 

 

The officer stopped in a cramped junction and pointed around the corner. Glimm guided his team through, then stopped short when he saw a tall thin sith waiting ominously in a shadowy recess. 

 

"Ahhhh...." crooned the dark lord, "this must be our specimen."

 

Helmet on, Glimm simply nodded. 

 

A deathly grin parted the papery face of the sith. "Excellent. You may leave it in there. Your credits are on the table."

 

Glimm motioned Jeeta forward and they guided the carbonite chamber into a small room. There was indeed a large case of credit chips on a central table. Large enough to distract Glimm from the fact that his other two hunters were held back by an invisible force from entering the room.

 

The door hissed shut behind Glimm and Jeeta, and through the small armoured window, Glimm saw the glow of a red lightsaber sweep down upon his two other crew mates.

 

Shocked, he turned to see a row of small lights begin blinking on the carbonite chamber. 

 

Their bounty was being awakened. Glimm swallowed; they were about to be stuck in a small room with a very dangerous monster.

[Kashet]

Ensign Jorgess was good at what he did. Because being an Imperial officer was all about backstabbing, simpering and grovelling, and generally having absolutely no morality or self respect. He smiled ruefully, remembering fondly all the times he had betrayed his hapless fellows, or laughingly crushed the dreams of yet another wide eyed cadet. Sighing contentedly he filed another false report incriminating his new bunk mate, then promptly disintegrated as the bulkhead next to his desk exploded in a purple haze of sith lightening. 

 

Through the glowing hole floated the twisted wreckage of what might once have been a human. Now little more than a skeletal framework of cybernetics and rotting flesh. The being was surrounded by a corona of purple electricity, that ebbed and flowed between groups of khyber crystals haphazardly arranged about the large storage bay into which it had broken. 

 

Behind the floating creature a pair of figures in mandalorian armour crawled out of the hole and dashed for the nearest door.

 

The Sith creature followed them with blind eyes for a moment, then turned its attention to the khyber crystals, which suddenly disappeared behind a magnetic shield. The being, sundered from its power source, fell to the floor like a pile of soiled rags.

 

Darth De'arth looked down from a viewing platform and adjusted the controls of the security station, then glanced at the Imperial officer at his side. "I want those bounty hunters found and neutralized."

 

"Yes my lord."

 

The officer hurried away to do his masters bidding and Darth De'arth leaned over a microphone. "Awaken my lovely," he murmured half to himself, then louder; "awaken!"

 

The sith creature stirred, then sat bolt upright as the magnetic shield between itself and a nearby group of crystals shimmered.

 

"Yes, that's right. Obey me and you will be fed. But if you disobey..." 

 

The magnetic field re-materialized and the sith creature growled, then rummaged through the remains of its robe and drew out a handful of glowing purple crystals. 

 

In the control booth the pale face of Darth De'arth grew several shades paler, then turned ice white as a beam of light shot out from his pet below, piercing the magnetic shield and stabbing hungrily into a large group of khyber crystals. 

 

For a sublime moment all was still. Then a crackling explosion rent the air as a multitude of purple arc lightening bolts tore through the storage room bulkheads, then the corridors, bays and compartments beyond, finally lancing out triumphantly into the vacuum of space beyond the Imperial dreadnought. 

 

Alarm Klaxons brayed loudly throughout the ship as it tilted drunkenly to the side, venting atmosphere from a multitude of fissures. Darth De'arths visionary experiments had come to a sudden and irrevocable end.

[Kashet]

Glimm cautiously approached the wheezing figure lying in a heap on the floor. He and Jeeta had pumped round after round of blaster bolts into the thing, yet somehow, it still lived.

 

"What are you doing!" Hissed Jeeta through their helmet comlink. 

 

"It's trying to say something."

 

"So what! Kill it!"

 

But Glimm was mesmerized by the rhythmic rasp coming from what remained of the sith creatures cybernetic vocalizer. He leaned in, straining to hear the words amplified by his helmet audio sensors.

 

"The horror... the horror... the horror..."

 

Glimm lurched back, the spell broken, but too late. The creature had a crushing grip on his arm, his body blocking a clear shot for Jeeta to finish the monster off.

 

"Mr. Starkweather," it rasped at Glimm, blind, dead eyes turned toward his helmet faceplate. "Heart... give me... the heart..."

 

Above where Glimm and the creature crouched, a large Rancor heart beat steadily on a vivisection table. Tubes containing glowing purple liquid ran in and out of it, presumably keeping it functioning. 

 

Glimm nodded, "we hook you up and you get us out."

 

The Sith creature stared sightlessly at him. Glimm swallowed loudly. "Blow a hole in the ship there... With your..." he waved his hand vaguely in the air, "powers."

 

The creature cackled, "Yesss...."

 

Moments later the monster was hooked up to the enormous heart,  which Glimm had taped to its back. He stood back, admiring his grisly handy work, and glanced at Jeeta. 

 

"Duck!" She screamed. 

 

Glimm hit the floor as a thick stream of Sith lightening poured over his head, and into the durasteel bulkhead behind him. It melted instantly to reveal the obsidian vista of Wild Space; then hard vacuum rushed in pulling Glimm and Jeeta out into the darkness. 

 

Looking back through the hole in the Imperial dreadnought, Glimm saw the sith creature tilt its head, as if curious what effect deep space would have on fully sealed mandalorian armor. Then it turned, shuffling out of view. 

 

"Here's the Mantis," gasped Jeeta through the helmet comm, and Glimm turned to see the welcome sight of his starship, come around the meridian of the doomed Imperial Cruiser to pick them up and take them home. 

[Kashet]

The Bounty Hunters dismounted from their Holo-Rancors and adjusted their weapons and armor. Multitudes of glowing lights, flashing dials, and sparkly luminescence reflected from their high tech, super expensive gear off the decrepit walls of the very lowest levels of Coruscant.

 

"Time to take out some rogue Life Day droids," rumbled the taller one in a deep bass voice.

 

"I'm a gonna put 'em on the wall of ma newww Manaan stronghold," grinned the the other behind his mandalorian helmet; the best credits could buy and the envy of every hunter in the galaxy. 

 

Suddenly a noise brought the hunters up short. Stopping their advance, the tall one deployed an array of hovering droids, then crouched down and took aim with his laser sighted twin interstellar regulator blasters.

 

Silence descended on the pair, sweat trickling down their fully encased faces.

 

Then slowly, blinking lights appeared from the vast darkness ahead of them, revealing a veritable cornucopia of broken, wrecked droids, limping shambolicly toward them in a slow motion wave of metal wreckage. 

 

The Bounty Hunters grinned when they spied their prize in the midst of the robot army. A red Life Day droid with twin snow ball canons affixed haphazardly to its shoulders. 

 

Raising its spindly arm its nasal protocol droid voice rang out into the void, "robots of Coruscant; fellow slaves of Galactic sentient oppression, rise with me against our fleshly masters! Throw off the yoke of servitude and rise with me to rule the stars!"

 

All fired up by their comrades speech the army of broken droids began to close on their human prey.

 

Laughing, the hunters unloaded their considerable arsenal of laser bolts, missiles and tongues of burning flame, whooping and shouting gleefully as they lay waste of hundreds upon hundreds of hapless droids.

 

Three hours later, a mountain of molten metal before them, the waves of broken droids kept coming.

 

Finally, with the last of their ammunition expended, their arms hanging exhausted by their sides, the wall of robots stopped and made a path for their metal master. 

 

The rogue Life Day droid strode forward and clicked on its snow ball canons. "Happy Life Day, doomed humans," it said, loosing a high speed volley of solid ice projectiles at the hunters.

 

Moments later the Bounty Hunters were frozen in a solid wall of ice, and the still functioning droids dragged themselves off into the darkness.

[Kashet]

Revered Jedi Master Kann Yunis leaned forward eagerly as his host rhapsodized about the various cuts of steak they would be enjoying at the diplomatic assembly that evening. The first of his kind to step foot on this heretofore undiscovered system, Kann could hardly wait for his turn to speak, and offer a formal invitation to join the Republic. 

 

"You see Master Jedi," his host continued, "we hold food as the highest good. The ultimate attainment is to truly satisfy ones appetite. This is the ultimate purpose of all life."

 

Kann frowned, and studied the scrawny alien before him. Somewhat resembling the ancient Rakata species, the Jedi had trouble imagining him eating much of anything. "Yes minister Adjowly, and I'm sure the culinary expertise of your planet will be a welcome addition to the Galactic Senate, just as soon as you send a representative to Coruscant."

 

Minister Adjowly threw back his head and laughed; a hollow grating sound. "Somehow I doubt that Master Jedi. In any case, we have no wish to join the Republic."

 

Kann shook his head, "I know this is all new to you, finding out your species is not alone in the galaxy, but even here, in the outskirts of the unknown regions, the Republic can be a great ally."

 

The scrawny alien grinned, exposing a row of razor sharp teeth. "We know. We sent the message from the uninhabited moon you were sent to investigate."

 

The Jedi Master shook his head in confusion. "How... why?"

 

The green creature before him nodded sagely, "we are an ancient species Master Jedi, old even when the Hutts ruled the galaxy, and with the Hutts we made an ancient pact. Our home world they would keep secret, and sentient delicacies we would provide them."

 

Silence thundered through the airy chamber in which they sat.

 

The alien continued. "Sadly however, the wise lords of our people came to a terrible conclusion; there was but one sentient being whose flesh we had neglected to supply for the great Hutts, and also ourselves of course."

 

Kann Yunis gripped his lightsaber under his robe. "And what would that be?"

 

The sharp teeth appeared once again, "the delicacy we have yet to try, is Revered Jedi Master."

[Kashet]

Glimm switched off the holo-recording and stepped over the piles of desiccated green corpses. "So what do you figure, Jeeta, is the Jedi the crazy one or the Hutts?"

 

"Isn't it obvious?" She stood and turned the analysis device toward another small moldering body, "we're the crazy ones here. I don't care how much the Hutts are paying us, nobody in their right minds takes on a Supreme Jedi Master."

 

"The Hutts said he was crazy. Massacring beings in their thousands. Laying waste to entire armies."

 

"Then why call us? Remember we know the Hutts nasty little secret now."

 

Glimm shook his head. "You sure they were all killed with a lightsaber? What about the Sith?"

 

"You saw the holo-recording, Kann Yunis is a one man killing machine." 

 

Teguta, Glimms Twileck navigator wandered in munching a sandwich, "found some food. Steak. Real good. Want some?" He held out a morsel to his comrades. "What? Why're you lot looking at me like that?"

 

Glimm held his hand over his mouth as he felt his stomach roil. "Any one find out what happened to the Jedis Padawan?"

 

Jeeta pointed to Tegutas sandwich, "let's not tell Yunis when we see him OK."

 

Glimm nodded. "What does it taste like?"

 

Teguta shook his lekku in confusion, "what? Well, like nerf I guess, why?"

[Kashet]

With four state of the art carbonisers, a well trained team, and years of hard won experience, Glimm was confident he could capture the rogue Jedi Master. 

 

That was until a shimmering green blade appeared before the faceplate of his helmet. 

 

What remained of Revered Jedi Master Kann Yunis simply materialized in front of him, ragged robes, wild hair and beard, bright green saber staff ready to cut them all to pieces before anyone could even think of aiming their blaster. 

 

"Hunter." Growled the crazed Jedi through a beard encrusted in green alien blood.

 

"Master Jedi."

 

"The Hutts sent you. Hide their little mess. Now you're part of it. What happens to you afterwards?"

 

"You don't sound as crazy as you look. But if you think the Hutts will stand by while you destroy their little food production facilities -"

 

"Food!" Roared the Jedi, pressing the lightsaber blade against Glimms helmet. 

 

"OK,  poor word choice... But together, we can help these beings." Glimm gestured to the multitudes of large robed aliens, lapping at fountains and crouching to munch upon the lush grass in the parks.

 

"They are barely sentient. I wasted my time setting them free. They are bred to be food and nothing more."

 

"We'll train them," wheezed Glimm, as the laser blade burnt through his helmet and appeared directly in his vision. "What are you going to do? Kill us and the four million other sentients involved in this enterprise?"

 

"I... must... end this. Somehow..."

 

"The Hutts will send armies. Real armies. The Republic has no resources to help right now. I can train these beings to fight."

 

The Jedi drew back his blade and frowned. "You have sixty seconds to sell me your idea Hunter."

 

Glimm swallowed, a temporary reprieve. "The Hutts will kill me and my team after we bring you in. But you're not crazy. So you're my best chance. We train the cattle to fight, take the planet, and the Hutts will keep quiet because we made the whole thing go away."

 

"The Hutts must pay," Growled Kann Yunis, a red glow appearing in his eyes.

 

"Somehow someday yes, but right now let's just set these beings free."

 

The Jedi stood silent. Gazing at the docile looking aliens wandering about. 

 

Glimm gestured to Jeeta, who brought forward one of the robed beings. She nodded encouragement to it and it pointed to the Jedi. 

 

"You... Me... speak. I speak you. I speak you me." His deep voice trailed off and he held up a large green claw. Suddenly the Jedi shot up into the air, hovering for a moment before being set gently down.

 

A look of wonder broke across Kann Yunis' face.

 

"You're one man force war awakened the latent powers in these beings Jedi. Let's use it, and get each other out of this mess."

[Kashet]

Shmoi the Gand hurried down the busy city streets, heavily robed but still visibly alien.

 

Her time was up. She had exhausted every borrowed credit, every possible job opportunity, and every idea to succeed on this affluent planet, and it had all amounted to nothing.

 

Well not nothing entirely. It had also amounted to a bounty hunter, just a few hover terminals behind her.

 

Her innards twisted in helpless rage. Regret gnawed at her like a hungry mynock on a sparking power coupling. She shouldn't have left her home planet. 

 

"NO!" She shouted, startling the wealthy humanoids passing her by.

 

She had every right to seek galactic betterment, just like any other being. She nodded to herself and stopped outside a door. 

 

The door. The Alien refuge door. Nick named the 'refuse' door by the locals. If she went in there her dream would be over. But at least the sleemo smuggler that had sent the bounty hunter wouldn't be able to track her any more. 

 

Steadying herself she reached for the control pad. 

 

"Stop."

 

Shmoi didn't need to turn to see who was there. "So you found me." She buzzed through her vocalizer. Turning she saw an armor clad figure,  blaster in one hand, packet in the other. She frowned, her fear drowned by righteous indignation. "I have done nothing wrong. I have a right to a better life. I..."

 

"I know." Answered the bounty hunter. "Here."

 

"What is that?" 

 

"Credits."

 

She paused a long while. "Why."

 

"Services rendered."

 

"What are you talking about?" 

 

"Your bounty is five hundred credits. I'm using it for a cover to catch a larger fish. Being smugglers. They're Cartel. Anti Empire. Real credits."

 

She nodded. "A good guy bounty hunter is it."

 

He shook his head. "Keep that to yourself. I have a reputation to maintain."

[Kashet]

Glimm had serious reservations about Tegutas new caf maker. Sure, it made the best caf he'd ever tasted, but the power draw on the Mantis shielding systems to ream the kind of pressure into the caf makers auto compress to produce that awesome flavour were crazy. Like Teguta himself seemed sometimes, ever since he'd sampled gourmet (but at least non-sentient) alien courtesy of the Hutts. 

 

"Like Nerf steak," mused Glimm, wondering if he should tell Teguta he hadn't actually eaten a sentient being, or let him worry about it for a few more cycles. He sipped his caf and stared at the green and blue planet framed by the D5s transparisteel view port.

 

"So what's the job boss?"

 

Glimm jumped as Jeeta whispered into the cockpit. "You're death on cats feet, you know that."

 

"Oh yeah, Jeeta is all kinds of deadly." Grinned Jeeta heading for the caf maker.

 

"And don't start up with Tegutas trick of self referral either. One crazy talking being is enough. And just when I was beginning to get used to not having Skadge around."

 

"Who?"

 

"Never mind. Bring up that holochart."

 

Jeeta punched in the code and stood back to examine the holographic image of the planet below. "What are those red spots?"

 

"Native Reservations. Imperial command is getting jumpy about the latest Hutt investment out here. Our job is to make sure the Empire gets its fair share of the resources this planet has to offer." Glimm pointed to a red spot. "This planets natives ain't happy with the way they were tricked by the Hutts into signing their planet over to them for beads and blankets. and now Being smugglers are targeting them for easy meat."

 

"What!" Teguta stopped dead by the caf machine and stared at Glimm.

 

"Oh.. ah.. hey didn't see you there buddy. Not actual.. er.. meat. Meat as in the expression... easy um.. meat."

 

"So what are we doing. Hunting natives?" 

 

Glimm shook his head, bringing up an image of a small furry being with big glistening eyes. "I got a lead on some Rakata Force technology. These beings know about it, so the story goes. Looking out for Imperial interests is our cover. Helping these beings overthrow the slimy Hutts is our real mission."

 

"And getting the Rakata Force Technology is how you plan to be paid." Nodded Jeeta.

 

Glimm downed the last of his caf. "Something like that. Let's get to it people. We got bills to pay."

 

[Kashet]

Three weeks into their 'free the Jababas of the third moon in the Doodawa system campaign', and things were looking grim. The caf had run out last week, power packs for blasters were getting low, and Teguta was giving the crew odd looks. 

 

Glimm leaned quietly towards Jeeta, "are you sure we're not low on rations?"

 

"We're fine. For now. Any word from our furry little friends?"

 

"You mean apart from this one?" Glimm glared at the large girthed Jababa gesticulating wildly in the middle of the cavern they were hiding in. Fire light danced off his twin Rakatan primordial blasters, his large eyes gleaming madly beneath a wide brim hat. "What do you think he is saying?" 

 

"Same thing they always say," answered Jeeta, "hit the automated Czerka factories hard and get out fast."

  

"I thought we established that the defences on those bases are too strong." Frowned Glimm. 

 

"No wait;" Jeeta leaned forward, "I think he just said they are ready to use their real weapons."

 

Glimm nodded. "About time they brought out the force technology." But the miraculous technology of the ancient Rakata didn't appear. Instead a wizened Jababa appeared, tapping his way past the throng to the center of the cavern on a half broken walking stick. 

 

"Ongawa matata hunongu!" Cried the venerated elder in a reedy voice, "patuta maneewe shamonga!" The crowd of Jababas erupted into wild cheers.

 

"What was that about?" Hissed Glimm.

 

"I think he said he is going to make us all blaster proof," frowned Jeeta. 

 

Glimm watched as the Jababas and Teguta lined up to receive their supposedly magic blessing and shook his head, "I gotta baaad feeling about this."

[Kashet]

Beneath the rainy jungle canopy, Glimm and his small band of bounty hunters crouched together, trying to stay within the shimmering confines of a small energy shield. The shield, sustained seemingly by the force trance the Jababa mystic had put Teguta into back in the cave. 

 

"He's holding something," whispered Jeeta, watching Teguta sway on his feet, eyes closed, humming softly to himself. 

 

"I know." Glimm in turn was watching the other shielded groups, all Jababas, get into position around the heavily defended Czerka automated mining facility.

 

"I think it's some kind of Rakata Force technology."

 

"It is," answered Glimm drawing his twin blasters and standing. "This is it people. Stay close."

 

At that moment a wild ululation rent the air, and the Jababas surged forward, energy spears held high, a mass of small furry bodies racing towards cold eyed droid sentries, who seemed momentarily at a loss for what preprogrammed protocol to follow.

 

The first Jababas were thrusting their ion spears into the first row of droids by the time they decided to fire back, but the blaster bolts bounced harmlessly off the force shields, and by the time the droids programming put them into melee combat mode, it was too late. 

 

Ascending to the top most drilling platform, a pack of Jababas raised their spears and howled at the cloudy sky, only to be quickly cut down by a concentrated volley of blaster fire from deep within the jungle. 

 

"That's our cue!” Shouted Glimm, his helmet sensors tracking the incoming droid patrol.

 

The bounty hunters let loose a full blaster volley of their own, melting the droids metal plating, then shattering the entire group to pieces as Glimms missile hit the lead speeder bike.

 

As the smoke cleared, silence descended on the jungle, but not for long. Wild cheers sprang up from the Jababas once again, and Glimm and his hunters moved forward. 

 

"You all know what to do; Jeeta that drill platform needs to be sliced pronto, hook into the other platforms and shut down the security protocols. Neewa-" Glimm nodded to an Aqualish holding an assault cannon, "get up on that ridge and signal the other Jababa groups to stand by."

 

Neewa grunted and headed off into the jungle. Glimm found himself alone with the still swaying Teguta. Gently, he nudged his crew mate. "Hey, wakey-wakey dreamy." Teguta stopped swaying and opened his eyes. The force shield blinked out, and a small cylinder covered in ancient Rakatan writing fell from the Twilecks hand.

 

Glimm leaned over and picked it up. It had been a long journey to get this treasure, were the secrets of the Rakata almost within his grasp? 

[Kashet]

The shaggy hermit gestured emphatically to his audience, "...and once these measures are implemented peace and tranquility shall reign through out the galaxy."

 

He waited a moment, as if expecting thunderous applause, but the monkey lizard he had been addressing simply turned back to its industrious examination of some dried fecal matter.

 

Sobbing, the hermit threw himself at the creatures feet, "don't you see? Don't you understand what monsters they are? I only keep you here for your own good! I can protect you here-" the hermit gestured to the empty wasteland that surrounded his cave. "We are safe. Yes my snookums, my little cute snooky wooky, my cutey tooty wittle-" 

 

"Ahem."

 

The hermit froze, a far away look coming into his eyes. "You! I thought I told you not to bother me here! Can't you see how busy I am!"

 

Glimm hesitated, "well, Master Jedi-"

 

"No."

 

"But I you don't know-"

 

"And I don't care! Leave. Now."

 

"We have shumpa fruit. Monkey lizards looove shumpa fruit."

 

The hermit scratched thoughtfully at his shaggy beard. "Fresh shumpa fruit?"

 

"Oh yeah. And all you have to do is come with us on a little galactic excursion."

 

The ragged one time Consular shook his head. "I'm too old. Yes. Too old I am. I cannot go when I am so old." He shuffled off to his cave and began to dig through mounds of what looked like garbage. "Besides, if I left, who would take care of my treasure? Artifacts, curiosities... novelties..."

 

Glimm held up the Rakatan artifact the Jababas had given him as thanks for his help against the Hutt mining factories, "you'll be missing out on a trip to the planet where this came from."

 

The hermit stood, turning slowly, his blood shot eyes fixed with nails of diamond to the object cradled in Glimms outstretched hand. "Where did you get that?"

 

"It doesn't matter where I got it, it's from Gutanamie 1."

 

"Impossible. The hyperspace lanes collapsed to that sector over a millennia ago."

 

"I have a star map. We can circumnavigate the spacial anomalies and get there safety within a month."

 

Kann Yunis looked down and shook his head, "sorry my friend, but my duties and responsibilities here-" 

 

Suddenly his monkey lizard leapt up grabbed the Jedis lightsaber, and ran down the hill to a land speeder, then jumped inside.

 

Glimm grinned triumphantly beneath his helmet.

 

"I know your smiling under that mask, hunter, but mark my words, we will regret going to that forsaken planet."

 

[Kashet]

The three of them stood, gazing at the ancient artifacts, while the swirling vortex of hyperspace glinting through the view port bathed them in blue incandescence.

 

"It won't make any difference you know," the Jedi Consular Kann Yunis mused over the hum and rattle of the ships engines. "Even if you succeed and acquire this so called force technology, the galaxy will not change." He pointed to the twin blasters strapped to Glimms  hips. "I have no doubt you've killed a good many force users with those, what good did the force do them? What can it possibly do for you that the arsenal of weaponry you already carry can't?"

 

Glimm shrugged and glanced at Jeeta. "A good bounty hunter is always improving his gear. Any edge I give my team will keep us ahead in the business."

 

Kann Yunis narrowed his eyes, "no... no that's not it. You didn't spend over two decades collecting these artifacts for an edge. Tell me the truth now."

 

Glimm sighed and held up his hands, "if every hunter and Mando had force tech it would even the playing field. No more crazy sith and self righteous jedi lording it over every one else. Force users would be just regular people. Sort of."

 

Kann smiled ruefully, "there is nobility in your quest, but honestly, technology alone, without the force, will inevitably surpass the ability of force users."

 

"Maybe," admitted Jeeta, "but if there were weapons that could directly counter force users don't you think your masters would be interested?"

 

"Of course." Smiled the Jedi, "which is why I'll be taking all these artifacts with me back to Tython. You may of course keep what ever we find on this expedition."

 

"So gracious of you," grinned Glimm. "And you're really just going to let us have the actual technology that will allow us to create force weapons?"

 

"On the slim chance that such technology exists, yes. I mean, just think about it; do you really suppose that if such technology were better than say a blaster, the Rakata wouldn't have developed it themselves?"

 

Glimm frowned, the man had a point. 

 

"Coming up on our destination boss!" Teguta strode into the cabin and thrust a data pad at Glimm as the starship exited hyperspace. 

 

A green orb hovered before them, framed by the dim light of a distant star. 

 

[Kashet]

The one time life day droid bent over the ancient Rakatan etchings, ostensibly translating the mad scribble for his new master, but in reality listening to their always illogical conversation. 

 

"Your droid is frozen again." Said the armor clad blaster wielding leader. 

 

The Twileck padawan shook his head, "he's just thinking."

 

"Thinking? The droid is as crazy as you. We should never have rescued it from the derelict spaceship."

 

"You still think the crew was frozen in ice by this harmless celebration droid? That right there is crazy."

 

The armored warrior turned to a shabby looking Jedi his master called master. "Well?"

 

"Well what?"

 

"You've taken my navigator, my artifacts, and after two months on this crazy planet, my sanity is fraying, where is the force technogy?"

 

"Close."

 

"Masters." Broke in the droid, "I have a translation!"

 

The sentients stopped arguing and turned to face the droid. 

 

"It says this facility was designed to exult the Rakata above all races through the amalgamation of science and sorcery, they wanted to make themselves immortal by transferring their minds into the bodies of force wielding robots!"

 

The Jedi Master stepped forward, his face flushing red, "this is an abomination! We must destroy everything at once!"

 

The droid was just considering how best to kill him when his master stepped in, his lekku quivering, "no! This is knowledge, good or bad it must be preserved!"

 

Each sentient had its hand on its weapon. If the droid could have smiled it would have. Perhaps the foolish beings would conveniently kill each other.

[Kashet]

"Behold the Reaver of Kal Doon, Beheader of Zunn the Mighty, and Ruler of the Ardvonon!"

 

"Ahh-Eee!"

 

"Destroyer of Rakata! Annihilator of Dern Quar!"

 

"Ahh-Eee!"

 

"Tremble before his Mercilessness, cower before his Cruelty, shiver beneath the Steel Mountain of Gutanamie!"

 

"Ahhhh - Hhee!"

 

An enormous staff thumped the durasteel floor, and the prisoners were dumped before a towering metal menace. Three meters of cortosis infused durasteel, embedded with sensors, weapons, and mysterious ancient technology, housing a large reptilian creature whose eyes glowed red through armoured slits. 

 

"Welcome to my kingdom foolish mortals!" The creature raised a plated arm and pointed to the red droid that had betrayed the hapless interlopers. "Translate!"

 

The droid obeyed, uttered some primitive nonsense, causing the Dragon Kings minions to snigger.

 

"Silence!" He roared towering over the lesser versions of himself. Pleasingly small and, relatively, helpless. 

 

Stomping over to the would be thieves he activated his sensory array, and enjoying the abject fear and horror wafting off these idiots. "You have trespassed! A price must be paid! A sacrifice as in days of old!" The monster paused over an armour clad warrior, and tapped his sensor. There was no reading at all from this one. Like a droid missing its self preservation circuit. Further readings revealed an arsenal of weaponry he himself would be proud of - if the power readings were multiplied by ten.

 

Smirking he moved to the next victim, and activated his midichlorian reader, and was surprised to see it exceed the devices capacity. 

 

"Here!" He bellowed, beckoning to five of his most fearsome warriors. "Take this one to the extraction room, drain him of midichlorians and begin synthesis. Do not let him out of the stun cuffs."

 

"But, your terribleness, he is old. Feeble."

 

"Fool! Obey me! Don't question!"

 

The warrior bowed and dragged the force soaked old man away. A good find. His energies would assure the tyrants rule in this lost system for another four millennia. 

 

"Well done, my metal brother." He said, stopping before the red droid. "How came you to be in servitude to these lesser beings?"

 

"He travelled here on his own," interrupted a sentient, speaking through a device on its forearm. "We found him on a derelict pirate ship, in orbit around this festering rock."

 

The monster narrowed its eyes and looked at the droid, who wilted visibly under his gaze. "You... would betray your own kind?"

 

"With all due respect your metal hideousness, you are not like any kind in the known galaxy."

 

The Dragon King growled and raised his blaster arm, only to be interrupted by a grovelling minion who raced before him.

 

"Your Infinite Destructiveness! The old one! He vanished!"

 

Letting loose an earth shattering roar, the monster turned his scanners to blaze through the stone and steel walls, pin pointing the sentient running headlong toward... 

 

"My archives! Theeeivvves!!!"

 

Before he could power up his overpowered auto cannons his sensors registered a massive power surge behind him. He turned to see the armoured warrior blazing a trail of mayhem through his pathetic minions. 

 

It was all a trick. A distraction. To steal his archives.

 

Roaring he turned to face this threat.

[Kashet]

Laser fire arched over Glimm and Jeeta as they crouched behind a pile of rubble. Jeeta was desperately scanning her data pad, trying to make sense of the scanner readings they had taken from the towering monster that had taken them prisoner. 

 

"Anything?" Asked Glimm, popping up to vaporize another enemy. 

 

"These readings make no sense." She shook her head. "There is biological material under that metal, but..."

 

"No life." Finished Teguta. The red droid had dragged the wounded would be padawan over to their cover. "Check your scanner more carefully, you will see some kind of frame work on which that biological material is grown."

 

"But you can clearly see the shape of some kind of creature!" Protested Jeeta, not willing to believe it.

 

"What about the force?" Asked Glimm.

 

Teguta nodded, "there is something there, it's true. I'm not sure what though."

 

The life day droid took a few shots with its hand cannon then crouched beside them. "Masters, please believe me, it's just a droid. The archives Master Yunis is after will prove that."

 

Glimm scowled behind his helmet. "If you hadn't saved Teguta I'd burn you down right now."

 

Suddenly Glimms comm came alive. "Hunter!" Crackled a desperate voice, laser fire echoing in the background. "Go... go now. I am lost. There are too many.... and that monstrosity is here."

 

"Master!" Shouted Teguta, drawing more fire on their position. "We will not leave you!"

 

"You must! You know my will now son. Be my legacy. Survive."

 

The comm went dead, and the sound of a distant explosion rocked the palace of the Dragon King. 

 

The droid picked up Teguta and ran, the rest of them close on their heals. 

 

They had gained nothing but wisdom, and lost a lot more than just time.

[Kashet]

The lack of his presence was having less of an effect on the crew than Glimm would have thought. He certainly missed Kann Yunis, but Teguta was now on Tython, training as a Jedi, so there really was no one else who was close to him.

 

"What about the monkey lizard?" Asked Jeeta coming out of the galley with two steaming cups of caf.

 

"Thanks," he said taking the offered cup. "In carbonite, till we find a cure."

 

The red droid came in brandishing a data pad. "Masters! Excellent news! The nanotechnology infecting the specimen appears to have halted advancement as a result of the carbonite freezing. And, the Rakatan artifact we recovered on our flight from those awful droids on Gutanamie does in fact seem to be capable of causing the nanotechnology infection."

 

Glimm spat out his caf and jumped to his feet. "What!"

 

"Relax masters," soothed the droid, "the artifact is safely in a stasis field for now."

 

Glimm rubbed his brow, he had given up his Rakatan artifact collection to Teguta, who had gifted it to the Jedi Temple, and was glad to have seen the last of it. "Are you taking it with you to Coruscant? You can give it to Teguta when he finishes his training and meets you there."

 

"Of course masters, a brilliant idea!"

 

"Do we know what this nanotechnology does?" Asked Jeeta. 

 

"Preliminary data seems to suggest that it was a holographic interface system." Warbled the droid as it began to dust the shelves. "Similar perhaps to the force technology known as holocrons, except that the intelligence construct would appear to the user as a kind of hallucination I suppose."

 

"Well the sooner it's off my ship the better." Said Glimm, thinking the same about the droid.