The Rise and Fall of Darth Malak

Chapter 1:
Tarisian Hospitality


Carth pushed his way through the crowded upper city cantina, the customers were mostly human, many dressed in the standard issue uniform of Sith soldiers and officers. Eyes followed him as he entered, he couldn’t help but think these damn Sith were almost as arrogant as the Jedi.


It wasn’t long before he was approached; he had seen enough cantina pleasure girls in his time to know what the human woman was looking for.


“Hello, handsome, are you looking for some company.”


“I’m looking for information, on those Republic escape pods.”


“My time's money, sweetie.”


“How much?”


“A hundred credits for the hour, talking costs the same.”


“I’ll pay, but not here, too many prying eyes.”


“That’s alright, sweetie, but he comes along for the ride, so to speak.” Carth looked behind her at the man behind her, a tattooed giant, well over seven feet tall.


“That’s alright, but whatever information you give, stays between the two of us, in other words, you forget you saw me.”


“It’s a pity you only want to talk, sweetie, we get such ugly demanding customers in here lately.”


Carth studied the red head, her attractive face, her overly large bosom, any other time and he might have been tempted, but unfortunately he had things to do and hopefully people to find, if any were still alive.


Carth let the pleasure girl take him by the arm and then led her through the crowd, the giant following close behind them. The only thing to do was take her back to the apartment, hopefully she had the information he was looking for, otherwise this was a complete waste of his time and money.


Carth wondered about the woman, Nevara. Maybe she was already awake; it suddenly dawned on him that she was probably going to be less than impressed with Carth bringing a cantina girl back to the apartment when they had to find a way off Taris and find out whether Bastila was still alive.


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Nevara opened her eyes to the unfamiliar surroundings of the abandoned apartment; the last thing she remembered was falling to the surface of Taris aboard the escape pod. She could only assume the man from onboard the Endar Spire, she believed his name was Carth, although everything was a little hazy, must have brought her here, but if that was the case, where was he.


She sat up taking in the sparsely furnished surroundings of the apartment, it looked as though it had been abandoned quickly, the left over possessions of the previous occupants scattered around the room.


She stood slowly, her head spinning; she must have taken quite the vicious landing when the escape pod crashed. She decided to look on the bright side, she had been in far worse scrapes than this, and smuggling was a dangerous profession and had proved as such over the past year or so.


She walked over to the chest by at the foot of the other bed, hoping Carth had had the sense to bring along the equipment they had salvaged. She wasn’t disappointed. She had gathered a small but useful amount of equipment during her time as a smuggler, and the thought of having to possibly face a planet full of Sith troopers with little more than a vibro-sword and blaster was not something she wished to try.


She searched through the chest, taking out whatever equipment was going to be of use, energy and melee shields, a few grenades just in case things got desperate, as well as several blades and blasters. Like Carth she changed out of the Republic uniform and into something a little less conspicuous.


Now all she had to do was wait for Carth to return.


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Shaden ran, the indignity of having to run from such Tarisian gutter trash was almost enough to make him want to turn around and go back. His immediate thoughts were escape, and then if they still lived, rescuing Bastila and the others from the lower city vermin that had taken them.


The only good thing to come out of this was the fact he had sent ten or more of the worthless dogs to their grave, he gripped his light sabre, reluctantly allowing the force blade to disperse. He realised such displays were likely to get him either far too much attention or perhaps even killed, the local population didn’t seem at all keen on the presence of Jedi in their city.


It was certainly all a far cry from their victory over Darth Revan. He hadn’t seen Jennata during the struggle, perhaps she landed elsewhere, he would make it his first priority to try and find her, or at least find help somewhere on these vile planet.


There was a cantina ahead, perhaps a good place to lay low for awhile, although he could only imagine the clientele of such a place were going to be more of the same as the ones he had just escaped from.


Shaden entered the cantina, he had seen some unsavoury places in his time, but this smoke and stench filled pit had to be one of the worse. He pushed by a blue skinned Twi’Lek girl and her Wookie companion, looking around for an empty chair.


“Hey, be careful.” Mission shouted as the man knocked her into Zallbar, her Wookie companion.


Shaden didn’t bother to turn around, to hell with these people, he just wanted to get off this planet and return to Coruscant.


Mission followed behind him, intent on getting an apology from the man, she wasn’t likely to let it go until she did so.


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Brejik looked at his prize possessions in their cages, walking backwards and forwards taking in the sight of the three caged and chained Jedi women. And Gadon had the temerity to tell him he would never be a leader, with such prizes at his disposal; he was more of a leader than Gadon had ever been.


Anndreyya, one of Brejik’s female lieutenants walked into the room leading the woman they had captured the day before, A Mandalorian no less, but she had been drunk and easy to take down while wandering the lower city alone. The Twi’Lek lieutenant led the woman towards Brejik, a cruel smile displayed openly on her face.


Dana looked across at her, her head still a little groggy from the night before, she didn’t even know how she had come to be in this place, the last thing she remembered she was drinking with Ryann and Jadira in the cantina. The next thing she saw was the inside of a cell.


“You are Mandalorian, aren’t you?” Brejik asked, already knowing the answer, the tall blonde haired woman seemed a little surprised that was the first thing she would be asked. Brejik stared at her waiting for her to reply.


“Where am I?” She replied, avoiding the answer, no need in giving the bastard information she didn’t have to.


“Just answer the question; you’re in no position to seek anything from me.” Brejik replied with a hint of annoyance, who does this bitch think she is to question him.


“Go to hell; let me out of here or …”


The blow from behind knocked her of balance sending her to her knees, Anndreyya sweeping her legs from underneath her. “Show respect, Mandalorian.”


Dana yelped in pain as she was roughly pulled back to her feet by the Twi’Lek, her short blond hair being used to lift her off the ground.


“Why don’t you just answer the question, it will save you a lot of pain in the long run.”


“Alright, alright, I’ll answer, just call off this evil Twi’Lek bitch.” Dana replied, smiling slightly as she did so.


Anndreyya walked around to face her, a mistake she would regret. The head butt caught her in the eye, knocking her backwards into Brejik. Brejik held onto the Twi’Lek to stop her falling, she staggered forward dazed, the smirking Mandalorian looking down at her.


“You stupid fool. I want this one myself, Brejik, I’ll pay for the bitch if I have to, and you’ll feel pain like you’ve never felt before, Mandalorian.”


“I was captured by the Republic, during the Mandalorian War, what exactly is it you think you can do to me, Twi’Lek, that I haven’t already suffered at the hands of their torturers.”


Dana reeled from the slap to her face, a thin trickle of blood rolling down her chin from her cut lip. She couldn’t help but laugh, she was going to kill this gang bitch whore the moment the opportunity presented itself, she wasn’t too keen however on the torture this damn Twi’Lek probably had in mind. Another slap followed and then another.


“Anndreyya.” Brejik shouted, seeming to demand she stop. “If you want her, it’ll cost you. I was going to use her for the swoop race.”


“I want this Mandalorian whore to suffer, Brejik, name your price.”


“Two thousand credits.”


“I doubt she’s worth it, but I’ll pay. You’re mine now Mandalorian, you’re going to regret the moment you ever saw me.”


“I already do.” Dana shouted back at her, trying to remain calm, she certainly had no desire to be tortured, or likely humiliated by this Twi’Lek, but there wasn’t much she could do, bound in chains.


Dana pulled her by the arm, leading her out of the room, Brejik looked on amused, he a good idea of the treatment she was going to receive at the hands Anndreyya. Dana left the room pulling the shouting Mandalorian behind her.


“Do you see that Jedi? I’m certain Anndreyya would be only too pleased for you to be present when she tortures the Mandalorian.”


“You’re disturbed, all of you. That woman has done nothing to deserve such treatment.”


“And yet she was tortured by your own Republic, it would seem a little hypocritical to say that we are any different than you.” Brejik replied, Bastila would have like to wipe that smirk off his face, given the opportunity.


“That was different, she would have been questioned about information she may have had, during wartime, it’s a little different to torturing her for your own perverse pleasure.”


“It’s always different, acceptable, when the people doing the torturing try and justify it; at least we make no pretence of our intentions, unlike the undoubtedly disturbed people who torture for the Republic.”


“Have it your way, Brejik.”


“I intend to, maybe that isn’t the only thing I intend to have my way.”


“I would sooner die, than allow you or your filthy pig gang scum to touch me.”


“Don’t flatter yourself, Jedi. You’re perhaps the most outspoken among my prisoners, but your friend there, she is a little more attractive, perhaps you will enjoy the entertainment, and maybe it will go some way towards melting that …”

Bastila looked across to the cages of Mina and Nessa, they were her responsibility, she would do all she could to protect them from this vermin, but she was a little helpless herself at the moment.


“Leave her alone, if you’re that desperate to be entertained, I’m sure some of your …”


“Be careful, Jedi, be careful what you say. You are undoubtedly a valuable prize for the swoop race, but I will only put up with your amusing banter for so long.


‘Amusing banter’ that certainly wasn’t her intention, this pig was ridiculing her, her helplessness to act, he was actually getting off on the fact that he had three Jedi at his mercy.


“Or there’s always your Republic officers, they will fetch a fair price, or be used as prizes themselves, but I’m not nearly so worried about using them for our entertainment as you holier than thou Jedi.”


“There are thousands of cantinas on Taris, full of pleasure girls, why if you’re so desperate …”


“Now where’s the entertainment value in that, besides why would I pay for something I have for free. Perhaps you won’t care so much about the entertainment we have provided for you, along with your Mandalorian friend we took a Twi’Lek cantina girl prisoner, now surely you wouldn’t have any objection …”


“Would it make a difference what I said, aren’t you simply taunting me, making me thing that I can actually prevent any of this?”


“Why yes, of course, I just wanted to see how long it would take for you to actually work that out. Bring in the prisoner.” Brejik shouted to the men outside.


Moments later a terrified looking Twi’Lek dancing girl was brought into the room, Bastila had the feeling that no matter what she said, Brejik had every intention of making her and the other Jedi look at what was about to take place.


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