But you write well. A pro, perchance?
Heh, I wish; but thanks for the compliment!
Oh, and what's an "Aurek"?
In this picture (
http://members.aol.com/dannilalfletch/StarWarsTheAncients.jpg), the Aurek is tattooed to the man's forehead. It's a letter in the Star Wars alphabet equivilent to the letter "A".
Oh, and this may sound a bit pedantic, but doesn't the brown-robed Jedi's sabre turn from orange (in the first part) to green (second part)?
There's a reason for that; just keep reading and it'll all make sense!
Do blasters have recoil? I thought that they were las-weapons?
In the movies, they do appear to have some kind of kickback. The most obvious examples in SW1 are when the Naboo use the blaster cannon on their Flash Speeder to blow up an AAT, and when Captain Panaka is blowing out the window in the Royal Palace.
So. When do we get the next one?
Right now; once again, questions and comments are welcomed!
The Ancients: Part 2
The northwest outskirts of Xament were notorious; widely known for being the most dangerous part of the spaceport city, and given an even wider berth from travelers not wanting to get caught in the crossfire that frequently soared across the unkempt streets. However, three individuals, two humans and an Odlar strode boldly upon the dirt walkways.
"You live in these slums, Greyson?" Rek inquired, his eyes flicking left and right nervously. "You certainly have moved down in the universe since we last met!"
"Often, the best place to hide in is the last crack an enemy would think to look," Greyson replied, then he glanced down to Venъs who's eyes scanned over the dilapidated buildings as though searching for an opening for escape. "I wouldn't advise straying," Greyson informed her. "I doubt even the Jedi would trek into this part of the city to rescue you if you fell into the sites of a blaster."
"You seem sure that I would," Venъs observed, her eyes narrowing.
"That's because I am." Greyson patted the butt of his sidearm.
After that, the three unlikely companions walked in relative silence, while all around them the sounds of urban warfare drifted throug air dense with a palpable sense of hopelessness and desperation, until Greyson directed them into a restricting alley. At first glance, it looked like all of the other side-streets in this desolate suburb. That illusion vanished as Greyson pressed upon a false brick and a door hidden in the wall slid up with a mechanical whir. "Welcome to my humble abode."
Humble was probably the last word to describe Greyson's lair. The walls were a serene blue, bleached white by the glowpanels inlayed into the ceiling. A plush bantha-leather couch dominated the large entry-room and was surrounded by every creature comfort a human could want. On three sides of the room were doors leading into other quarters.
Rek whistled with admiration. "By Alderaan's graveyard, this is something! How the kriff could you afford it all?"
"I have my ways," Greyson said simply. "Now, my dear Venъs, Rek and I need to discuss what we are going to do with you. You may make yourself comfortable in my quarters. They're just through that middle door. You will be safe there." Venъs bowed to them slightly, then walked toward the door, the very picture of sullen obedience. "Oh, and Venъs? There is no way out of these appartments besides the way we came in, so don't even think of escaping."
Once his guest and prisoner was secured in his quarters, Greyson sat back on the large couch, propping his feet up on a short table. Rek wandered around the room, peering at every accessory and knick-nack with stunned awe, then the Odlar turned his inquizitive gaze on Greyson himself. "Would you happen to have any ale? Getting the poodoo beat out of you can leave a man parched!"
"I take my ale at the cantina," Greyson replied. "I have no need of it here."
"Bah..." Rek glanced around quickly as if searching for anyone who might be hiding and eavesdropping on them. "Greyson, I had heard all the rumors, and I thought they fit with you."
"What fit?"
"The rumors of the Jedi."
"You saw the Jedi at the Cantina with your own two eyes. If you still think I'm that rogue Jedi, you're even stupider than I had thought." Greyson took his legs off of the table and leaned toward the Odlar. "You said you were working through an agent?"
"Yes, indeed," Rek confirmed.
"Who was it?"
Rek's right eye twitched, and a nervous and unsure expression passed over his orange face. "Why are you asking me? The girl knows why we were after her!"
"Rek, answer the question," Greyson growled. "When I question Venъs, I want her to think I know more than I do about all of this. She seems the kind you need to bluff to before she shows her hand."
"Ah... y-yes, of course, that makes sense, I suppose," Rek stammered.
"So, who was the agent?" Greyson demanded again.
"A crime lord named Boss Nivac," Rek finally said.
"Boss Nivac?" Greyson frowned. "The gungan?" Rek nodded. "Then perhaps the answers I seek lie in the swamplands of Naboo."
"Stang... believe me, Naboo's worse than this dustball of a planet! It was never the same after the Empire got a hold of it! Full of the dregs of the civilized galaxy!"
"In other words, you should fit in just fine." Greyson thought for a minute. "We should leave as soon as possible; whatever Venъs is involved in it's big."
The hour was late, and the house computers had dimmed the glowpanels in accordance with the sleep cycle. Rek's spindly, slumbering form was sprawled across an oddly-shaped art-deco chair in one corner of the entry-room. Greyson sat upon the couch and leaned over a holoproj that held articles from the holonet suspended in midair before him.
The object of his search were gangs and cults who were linked to this mysterious Aurek tattoo. He rubbed his rough chin thoughtfully as he read over an old entry from pre-Imperial times. An intriguing piece recalling the abrupt loss of communications with a colony on one of the moons of Iego. When Galactic Republic operatives arrived to investigate, they found the colony in ruin. Many were unaccounted for and the rest were found in their beds, on tables or left to rot in the street, their blood drained by incisions in the shape of an Aurek across their chests.
Greyson pulled up similar articles, and found a cycle of events very similar to the first, occurring approximately every century stretching back to the very first colony that was founded on the moon. The same deaths, always the Aurek used to drain blood--evidence suggesting while the victim was still alive.
Then, one sentence caught Greyson's calculating eyes. "This tragedy is suspected to be the work of a cult called The Ancients," he read aloud. Reading further, Greyson found that though it was suspected that The Ancients were based on the moon of Iego, but no attempts had been made to discover their lair.
Greyson leaned back against the cool leather of the couch and tapped his fingers against its arm, deep in thought. "Rek!" he called to the sleeping Odlar. When the sounds of snoring did not miss a beat, Greyson took up a small wooden Kashyyyk sculpture from the tabletop and hurled it at him. In Rek's efforts to defend himself from this surprise attack, he slid down off of the chair and onto the floor.
"Force!" he muttered, rubbing his backside painfully. "What was that for?"
"We've got a change of plans, old friend," Greyson told him. "Naboo's out... The Moon of Iego is in."
Greyson didn't notice the shadow that passed over the Odlar's face.
To Be Continued...