Savage-Time Chapter 18 (Patreon)

[Nar Shaddaa, Palace of Grakkus the Hutt]

Savage Opress

Grakkus received us with all the pomp and ceremony that the Hutts delighted in, I expected a different reaction to the chaos I caused with his underlings.

The Hutt quickly made his way to us, the metallic clink of the machine that helped him move was unique and unmistakable, I had the distinct delight of feeling the surprise of three different force users at the sight of the Hutt’s muscled form.

“You are a most difficult individual to capture,” Grakkus said as he approached us “I can see that you brought some friends and that the prize I wanted is nowhere in sight”

I had decided to abandon the corpse of Fay on the ship, it was better to avoid giving Grakkus such an obvious temptation, his ability to turn on anyone at the drop of a hat was so reminiscent of the Sith that I know just how dangerous he could have been if he had been Forse Sensitive.

“I present to you my brother, Darth Maul and the two children standing with us are our recruits” Turning to them I put on what I would call a friendly smile and then spoke “Give Grakkus his prize, he has been waiting anxiously for a Jedi of his own and while this one is still a youngling that doesn’t make him less of a Jedi”

Briefly, the girl hesitated but the moment the Darkness reached out and she took the barest hint of its power inside the hesitation disappeared, the boy didn’t have any trouble with that as he gave himself easily to his darker impulses, now Maul just had to make sure that he didn’t nurture his appetite for betrayal.

Together they dragged the Cerean until they stood in front of Grakkus who quickly snatched him up with one hand showcasing just how strong he was, the boy was moved every which way as the Hutt observed his prize taking in every minute detail of the little Jedi, he poked him until the youngling made some noise confirming he was alive.

Once he was satisfied, Grakkus turned back to us “I recognize his species, one of them is a member of the Jedi council, I also heard that they were going extinct”

“You’re correct on both accounts, his species has very few males which makes repopulation very hard and Ki-Adi-Mundi is this child’s father, one of many children he has had but the only one known to be Force Sensitive” that last bit was a lie but what Grakkus doesn’t know won’t hurt him

“And the father won’t retaliate?”

“They think he’s dead and even if they knew the dogma of the Jedi prevent him from coming for him in fear of creating an attachment, furthermore, the Republic would rather sacrifice one Jedi than anger one of the Hutts in these trying times”

The booming laugh of Grakkus confirms his acceptance of the boy, with a gesture of his hand the Cerean is taken away so that they can put an explosive in his body, I believe that is a mistake but who am I to tell a Hutt how to enslave someone.

“Our business is concluded then…unless you have more to say”

“Only one last thing, in the name of our friendship it would please me if you would accept my brother’s help in our new endeavor, besides, he can help if any Jedi tries to fight back”

Grakkus thinks about it for a moment before nodding “He shall be my guest and advisor in all Jedi-related things”

Maul smirks at me as Grakkus heads further into his palace, the first stage of our takeover of the criminal underworld was about to begin, in a few months the need for the Hutt’s help will be lessened and then Maul will take over after convincing some of the men working for Grakkus to change sides.

The two new acolytes are waiting for our orders and as I start debating whether I should leave them both with Maul or take one with me, Maul decides for me.

“The acolytes should remain with me, it will help you focus on your mate” he finishes the sentence with a laugh while he goes off to explore the castle, the younglings glanced at me briefly before following their master, leaving me gritting my teeth.

I could have retorted with something about his new lower half and lack of manhood but that was just asking for a fight that we didn’t need at the moment.

“What is this about a mate?” Nox pops out his ghostly fingers sparking with lightning “You should think more about learning and less about women right now”

“I-“

“Don’t interrupt me!” the blatant hypocrisy of his words make my brain short-circuit as he continues his tirade “Now we will start a new training exercise while you speak to me about this new lover of yours, it’s very simple you will talk and I will shock you with a bit of lightning all you have to do is endure without going all crazy on me now begin!”

The trip back to the ship was not going to be easy.

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There were no words in any language of this galaxy or my previous one, to describe the loathing that I had for Darth Nox and his antics. It was not a feeling as powerful as hate or all-consuming as rage; the strange mix of emotions that his new training method had elicited from me forced my mind to maintain control despite what I was feeling.

Nox wanted me to dissociate my mind from my feelings without losing control of my body, he wanted me to maintain my consciousness at the forefront of my mind while letting my emotions rage on in the background.

The fact that the new training method was working as intended provided little comfort to my now electrified body.

“Good, you’re better than I thought you would be, clearly my teaching methods deserve all the credit.” if you looked for the word arrogance in the dictionary Nox’s face would stare back as an example of it “It’s a pity that you don’t have a lover, letting out your rage by fucking would also be useful”

Nox had laughed so much after I revealed who my new apprentice was and how I got her that the old Sith even forgot to zap me for a few seconds.

“I have to take precautions in case I’m targeted by an assassin”

“You lack vision, turning an assassin to your side via seduction is a vital skill. Worry not my slave I will impart upon you my mastery over the art of sex”

I looked at him befuddled and worried. Thankfully the sound of my comm beeping saved me from any more mental harm.

Lux Bonteri appeared before me once more and if his grim face was any indication the news he had were not good.

“San Hill is dead, and the Banking Clans are in disarray because now they lack an obvious leader. For many years had San Hill been the linchpin that held them together and they are starting to fractionalize.” Lux was worried and for good reason, most of the finances of the separatist cause were intertwined with the banking clans and a split here would cause the collapse of a unified government.

“We must move quickly if the CIS is to survive. I will call for a meeting with the rest of the council, you have to drum for support in the senate toward a meeting between the largest polities, and make sure they understand that this is a temporary issue any attempt to change sides will be severely punished”

My mind raced quickly as I explored different possibilities and their eventual outcome, in the end, there was only one solution that would prevent the Republic from getting an advantage.

“Be prepared for renewed hostilities and give me any information you have on the current candidates for San Hill’s position, it seems that the Republic will have some trouble with pirates very soon and it’s best if the Outer Rim is prepared for the same”

“I understand…”

“You have something more to say, Lux?”

“I was in contact with the Mandalorian group known as Deathwatch before your arrival and while I cut contact because of Dooku’s death it seems like they have heard of my new influence among the CIS, I implied that someone was leading from the shadows, they want to meet with you as soon as possible”

Lux had overreached in this by revealing my existence, but I was going to go public eventually, so it isn’t a real problem and the Mandalorians have the dark saber. I laughed in my mind as I thought of how much like Grievous I’m becoming when it concerns them.

“We will have to meet close to Dathomir, not only do I have something important to retrieve nearby but the security of the system is quite lax on account of the isolated witches making it a perfect meeting spot”

“I will deliver your message” Lux’s image disappears as the connection cuts and soon after Nox’s masked face materializes in the same place.

“You will send your brother to cause chaos immediately instead of waiting for a more opportune moment, that is a great risk you’re taking”

“If the Republic moves to secure the lines of credit of the Banking Clans, then every planet flying our banner will desert us, you cannot fight without money”

“I disagree, you can fight without money, perhaps you won’t win but you can fight” Nox was doing something with the Force as he looked at me, but I couldn’t understand the erratic movements of the Dark Side “You’re at the precipice of becoming a man worthy enough to receive a name but the most dangerous test you receive will be after you’ve gained more power”

“What are you talking about?”

“I once heard of a Twi’lek that after escaping from the Hutts found herself on Korriban, she trained and became a Sith to destroy slavery in the galaxy, but the stronger she became the farther she was from her goal. Soon she was wrapped up in Sith powerplays and in hoarding influence, she still remembered her goal, but the lure of power was too great to ignore, in the end, she died fighting for more power”

That sounded suspiciously like what happened to Sidious once he had no concrete goal once his empire came into being, the old man simply hoarded more and more power while making a mess of the galaxy.

“The point of the tale is to caution you, not against gaining power but of becoming obsessed with it to the point you forget why you wanted power in the first place. Many Sith do and they don’t last long after that”

I could admit that the warning was…troubling. I had not considered what I wanted to do should I manage to win this war or what would come after, perhaps it was time to look into myself and discover or rediscover any passi-

Clarity struck me at that moment, it was all about passion. That is what Nox wanted to tell me, Nox delighted himself in his jokes, in the sarcastic attitude he had for all people, and in the manic almost insane temperament he had. I had to find something for myself something that could never be boring or stopped that rooted my mind in the present and stopped me from obsessing solely about power.

“I understand, Master”

“Finally some proper respect, I bet you don’t regret picking up the Holocron now, Revan himself couldn’t help you as I can and Malgus for all his fame never accomplished his goals, only I among the Sith lived to accomplish what I wanted and passed from the world content. A feat so great that not even the immortal emperor Valkorion achieved in his millennia-long life”

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[Coruscant, Senate]

Jackar Bowmani

Jackar had never understood why people didn’t see the Jedi as he did, they were beings blessed by the universe and who deserved not only respect but worship. He understood this mission was of critical importance it had been explained to him by one of the members of the ruling Jedi Council and if everything went according to plan he would be put further into their confidence.

His wife didn’t understand, she never could. Jackar knew that the love she had once felt for him was long gone and now they remained together simply because it was easier for them both, she had spied on him when he met with the Jedi in his home and had decided to reveal their plan thankfully the Jedi had sensed her treason against them and as penance for endangering their lives Jackar himself killed the woman.

His devotion to them could never be in doubt, not for anyone or anything. It was a relief to know that he among all those who served the Jedi was chosen for such an important task.

The Kaminoan was leisurely walking out of the Senate building uncaring about the consequences her policies were bringing and it was by his hand that the wrongs committed would be made right.

Ignoring the traffic and all signals to stop, Jackar entered the restricted space and with the push of a button the door was opened, the guards trailing behind the Kaminoan didn’t react in time, it was perhaps ironic in a way that a cloner would die shot by a weapon that was reserved for clones, but Jackar found it fitting.

Now he only had to get away.