The Rise and Fall of Darth Malak

Chapter 2:
For a few Credits More


Carth led Relkasha by the arm into the apartment, he found himself looking down the tip of a vibro blade before he had even gotten through the doorway.


“Wait, it’s me, you remember me from the Endar Spire, Carth, Carth Onasi. I brought you here after the escape pod crashed on Taris.”


“I remember you, vaguely. Who are they? She looks like a pleasure girl; I would have thought you had more pressing matters to attend to than …”


“They’re here to provide information, nothing more.”


“I thought you might have changed your mind by the time we reached your apartment, sweetie.”


“Sweetie?” Nevara questioned, an amused grin crossing her face. She looked at them both and the quite ridiculous looking man behind them.


“He seemed to like it.” Relkasha replied, grinning back at the woman who still held a blade to Carth’s throat.


Nevara lowered the blade, looking them over suspiciously, when all was said and done she didn’t know this man at all, for all she knew they were partners in some nefarious crime or something worse.


“You have information, on the escape pods?” Nevara questioned, suddenly very serious.


“The credits, your friend promised me.”


“Well pay her, Carth.” Nevara said impatiently looking across to the Republic officer.


Carth took out a credit stick with a hundred credits value, and handed it to waiting pleasure girl. She smiled and looked back at him, making certain she touched his hand before he had chance to draw away, taking it in her own.


“It seems like you’ve found a friend, Carth.” Nevara laughed at the ridiculous situation. Any other time and she wouldn’t have cared less what he was doing, but they at least needed a start on where they were going to look otherwise


“He’s sweet, not like a lot of the people we get in the cantina, you seem nice too.” Relkasha said with a playful smile, she had been paid, the hour was theirs now.


“The information.” Nevara interrupted, she seemed nice, but they had to find Bastila.


“Oh alright. I’ve heard that three or four of the pods crashed close by in the lower city, below this part of Taris. The word is that some prisoners were taken by one of the local swoop gangs, sorry I can’t be more specific, but we don’t go down there, it’s too dangerous with just the two of us. A few were supposed to have landed in the Undercity, but only the Sith and mercenary groups ever go down into the undercity.”


“Well it’s a start, Carth. It’s certainly more than we had to go on before.”


“You should try one of the lower city cantinas; they’re more likely to be able to be a little more specific. Decent folk tend to stay out of the lower city unless they really have to go down there.”


“Thanks … I’m sorry; Carth didn’t get your name.”


“Its Kasha, or Relkasha if you can be bothered. So now what, am I staying or going?” She asked, still clinging on to Carth’s hand and looking him in the eyes.


“Please yourself, Kasha, I’m sure Carth wouldn’t mind if you stayed.”


“Yann, wait outside, I might be awhile.” Kasha turned to the giant; he simply nodded, turned around and left.


“So what’s it to be, Carth.”


“I … We don’t have time, we have people who need our help …”


“I’m taking a shower, Carth, if he’s fool enough to let you walk out of here, I’ll be in there.”


“Nevara, we …”


“Go and see what you can find out Carth, my heads still a little fuzzy from the crash, I’ll see you later."


“Bye, Carth, pity you’re not staying, we could have had some fun.”


Nevara walked into the shower room, seconds later Kasha stood behind her, helping her out of her clothes. Nevara returned the gesture; they both stepped under the shower, the red head giggling like an excited Twi’Lek.


Kasha traced the outline of Nevara’s body with her fingers, stopping at her waist, lowering her hand until her fingers parted Nevara’s legs. The water fell over them, soothing and warm. Nevara pulled the other woman into her, kissing her full on the lips.

Kasha brought a moan of pleasure from Nevara’s lips as she entered her, her fingers working inside her. She smiled before moving her face to take Nevara’s breast between her lips.


Nevara allowed her to do as she would; she certainly hadn’t expected this so soon after crashing on Taris, it boded well for the rest of their stay here.


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Shaden looked up to see the blue skinned Twi’Lek stood over him; she stared down, an angry look in her eye.


Mission waited a moment, looking to him for the apology she expected, after several minutes it was clear the arrogant man had no intention of apologising to her.


“Can I help you, young lady?”


“You pushed me, and didn’t even have the decency to apologise.” Mission complained to the seemingly


“Then I apologise, young lady. Now is there anything else I can do for you?”


“You’re not from around here are you?”


“And that is none of your business.”


“I think by the looks of you, you’re one of those Re…”


“Don’t finish that sentence; are you trying to draw attention to us?”


“You are, I knew it. I wouldn’t worry too much, there’s no one who will bother us with Big Z standing guard.” She turned to look at her Wookie companion, who let out a roar of unintelligible agreement.


“Please, if anyone were to find out, this place would be crawling with Sith.”


“The Sith hardly ever come down to the lower city, they’re scared of the gangs.”


“The Sith are scared, somehow I doubt that very much, I would imagine they don’t think this place is worth their time and effort, no offence.”


“Taris isn’t that bad. I bet I know something you would like to know.”


“And what might that be?”


“I know where they took those prisoners that landed in the lower city.”


Shaden suddenly seemed very interested, although remained sceptical. “Where, could you show me?”


“I can tell you, but I’m not going anywhere near there without a good excuse, the Black Vulkars are likely to take us prisoner if they catch us snooping around.”


Black Vulkars?” Shaden questioned.


“They’re a swoop gang, perhaps the biggest in the lower city of Taris. They’re certainly the most violent and brutal of all the swoop gangs.”


“So the prisoners, they were taken to their base.”


“That’s what I’ve been saying.”


“Could you at least take me and show me from a distance, I’ll do the rest myself.”


“If you’re thinking of going in there alone, it’s going to be suicide.”


“Let me worry about that, I just need to know how to get there, and then you and your Wookie friend can leave.”


“Alright, if you’re crazy enough to try, just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”


The trio left moments later, heading towards the Black Vulkar base.


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Anndreyya led the chained Dana back to her cell, still shouting but unable to do little else, the chains preventing her from even lashing out. She locked the cell behind the chained Mandalorian, planning on the torture when she returned. Moments later she was standing beside Brejik.


Brejik walked around Sashira, the Twi’Lek dancer shivered, the look in the man’s eyes was one of lust, one of violence and brutality. All she had done was offer to help the drunken Mandalorian back to her quarters, when the pair of them was suddenly set upon by a gang of Black Vulkars. If she managed to get out of this she promised herself never to get involved again.


Brejik walked back to his desk, sat and looked back at Sashira, “Dance for us.” He seemed to command, ‘Was that it, he just wanted her to dance, she could do that if she could stop shaking.’ She thought, the idea that she might escape this with no more than a dance was a perhaps being a little too hopeful.


Sashira looked across hopefully at Bastila and the other Jedi, all seemed to be pitying the girl in their expressions. Brejik followed the girl’s every movement, shifting uncomfortable in his chair as the dance intensified. Bastila wondered if it was time to make her move but doubted she would get far without her powers and her lightsabre, now simply wasn’t the right time, but if so much as came near any of them, she would make certain she killed him first, and to hell with the consequences.


“Anndreyya.” Brejik said, gesturing to the girl.


Anndreyya stepped behind the dancing girl, her arms around her waist, her hands moving up to her breasts, before removing the top half of her dancing outfit. Anndreyya cupped the girl’s breasts in her hands, slowly moving in time to the girl’s movements.


Bastila looked on in horror at the treatment of the girl, wondering what they had planned for her and the others.


Anndreyya laughed as she slid the bottom half of the girl’s outfit down over her thighs until it slid down her legs onto the floor, leaving her dancing naked, she did however continue dancing, perhaps relieved that was all that they expected of her, at least that was what she hoped.


Sashira felt the intense rush of pleasure as Anndreyya took her head tails in her hands and massaged them between her hands, her eyes closed she continued to dance, suddenly she had music to dance to, Brejik more than a little aroused had turned to the holo-display and turned on music from the Twisted Rancor group.


Anndreyya slid her hands down to the girl’s waist, moving with her to the sound of the Twi’Lek singers.


“Anndreyya, join her.” Brejik ordered.


Bastila felt a slight hint of satisfaction that the expression on Anndreyya’s face was more than a little surprised and annoyed. She was guessing she had as much choice as the girl. Anndreyya walked around to face Sashira, ordering her to help her disrobe.


Sashira unbuttoned the woman’s tunic, letting it fall to the floor, she took her trousers in both hands, going down to her knees as pulled them down. Anndreyya stood before the girl dressed only in her underwear; it seemed by the look on Brejik’s face that he wasn’t going to be satisfied with that.


“Don’t stop there girl, the entertainment’s just beginning.”


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Malak walked impatiently back and forth, occasionally looking at the young woman stood in front of him, the Sith apprentice looked up to meet his eyes then quickly turned away.


“Tell me, my apprentice, why is that of this one thing I have entrusted you with, I still have not heard that Bastila has been taken.”


“We are searching, Lord Malak.”


“Estalia, my dear girl, I do not accept excuses, perhaps Bandon will do a better job of finding the Jedi than you. Perhaps you are fit for nothing more than being a slave to my whims.”


“I will go to Taris personally, Lord Malak.” Estalia replied, desperate to please the Sith Lord.


Malak stepped forward, taking the girls face in his hand, lowering it to her throat, squeezing, gently at first, then tighter until she was struggling for breath. She began to slump to the floor, and suddenly found herself being thrown backwards into the wall of Malak’s quarters.


“Please, Lord Malak.”


“It is beneath you girl, a dark Jedi does not beg on her knees, perhaps I overestimated your capability, do you seek to be a slave, Estalia, a whore to please my whims. Your snivelling display is beneath you, and beneath what is required of a dark Jedi. From now on, Bandon will take your place; you … you will remain here, to satisfy my amusement.


“Yes, Lord Malak.”


“Pathetic, at least fight girl, have some dignity.”


Estalia looked up at the Dark Lord, wondering just what it was he expected of her, to resist would mean certain death, to not resist meant he would simply use her at his pleasure, if this was the Sith, then perhaps she had made a grave error in defecting from the Jedi Order.


“Get to your feet.” Malak shouted.


Estalia slowly stood, guessing that whatever was to come next wasn’t going to be pleasant, no matter what form it took.


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Jennata crawled out of the crashed escape pod, the darkness surrounding her. She could only imagine this was the very bottom of the city. To her right three dishevelled Republic soldiers sat on the ground, seemingly taking in their surroundings as they checked their weapons and equipment.


Max looked up, to see the Jedi crawling form her overturned pod, Rena and Yuri looked across moments later, all three running over to help the struggling Jedi.


Jennata stood, shaking off the rubble and debris from her Jedi robes. It wasn’t long before the four of them noticed the Sith patrol approach, they ran back for their weapons, just as the firing commenced.


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