"A Fair Day"
By: Jae Dyn Brael

Location: New Plouton, Tae'Karada
Date: Eos 17, 3 ABY

***

Traffic on the street was light as Jae Dyn Brael walked along the narrow path. A few speeders every couple minutes, an occasional passer-by. Not much traffic indeed. Her eyes flashed across the windows of the various shops lining the street. Business was slow today. Not many people requiring whatever wares the local stores sold. Then again, it was still early in the day. Especially for this part of town.

Jae Dyn stepped aside for a Rodian who appeared intent on getting to the tavern at the end of the street. She turned and watched him move. If she had to guess, she would have guessed he was coming from a tavern from up the street as well. They probably would sell him no more drinks, and he went off in search for a more reasonable barkeep.

Jae Dyn continued down the street. The small room she had found to rent was not far.

How had she ended up in this situation? On a backwater world, far away from her homeworld, hunted by the Emperor and his minions. She wasn't supposed to be in hiding. Why had it come to this? Why were her kind such a threat? And why couldn't people see just how evil the Emperor was? How could they just let him do it?

The Rebellion was doing the right thing. Of course, she hadn't joined the Rebellion. Her presence there would probably only bring trouble. She would endanger them all, and the future of her kind. Fortunately there were others. She had even heard rumors of another strong one with the force here. She would have to seek him out.

She turned up the stairs that would lead to her place. It was small, but it offered her shelter from the elements. The small light near the door activated as she entered. The room had few luxuries, but Jae Dyn required little more than the bare essentials anyway.

She unstrapped the tie holding the blaster to her thigh, and unbuckled the belt. She dropped the holster and blaster on the chair near the door. She glanced around and nodded. It would be a quiet day, and later a quiet night.

She decided to wait until later before eating, opting first for some meditation time. She moved to the center of the room, dropped into a sitting position and closed her eyes. She cleared her mind and stretched out with her feelings. She smiled lightly as she dropped further into a meditative state. It would be a fair day in her new home.

"Deep Darkness"
By: Dargus Kandran - Head of the Kandran Syndicate
Jae Dyn Brael - Jedi Knight
Mer'rarr and Gor'garr [NPCs] - Dargus' Bodyguards

Location: New Plouton, Tae'Karada
Date: Eos 17, 3 ABY

***

With the night falling, the air of Thanatos cooled. A gentle breezed kicked sand into the air as it blew across the blasted land, and against the pock-marked buildings. Any who would venture out now would need heavy clothing against the cold night of the desert.

Two figures loomed over a third as it shrunk back from them beneath the white light of the Thanatos arc lamps. The two figures wore no protection from the cold save the thick fur that covered their bodies. The two larger forms were wookiees, and Dargus Kandran's wookiees at that. There was nowhere they stepped on Tae'Karada where they did not bring fear. Fear of their wrath, and, more so, that of their master.

The third figure, a Twi'lek, backed against the street lamp, a tremor taking his body as he wished to run. Though, he knew he would not even get out of the area of light in which he stood before they tore him apart.

"Mer'rarr and Gor'garr," he stammered. "A pleasure as always."

Neither wookiee wore the translators tonight. There was no need. The message they were bringing was universal. Mer'rarr's fist closed around the twi'lek's throat and he bellowed out his anger.

"Look," the twi'lek rasped. "I'll get it. It's just. My. Ship. Boarded."

Gor'garr leaned close and growled.

"I'll get it," the twi'lek rasped. "I....will."

Gor'garr grabbed his arm, and the twi'lek whimpered. Then with a bellow, the wookiee yanked. A scream pierced the night as the twi'lek struggled to break free, his head thrown back and his throat raw as pain brought scream after scream from him.

***

The night air was crisp. It felt good breathing it in. There was a hint of industry in it, but not much. Not enough to spoil the freshness of it though. It was a nice night for a quick run around this section of the city. There was only so much physical activity Jae Dyn Brael could do in her small residence. And, the streets were fairly deserted this time of night.

A scream pierced the night air. It wasn't far away.

Jae Dyn's senses snapped into perfect clarity as she sought the source of the noise. Definitely not far. Only a few blocks away.

Jae Dyn diverted her movements, angling toward where the screaming was coming from. It had been a scream indicating trouble. A person in deep pain.

She came out of the end of an alley, eyes searching for the source of a scuffle. She found it. Across the street, two figures hunched over a third. Wookies and a Twi'lek. The Twi'lek was having difficulty supporting himself, and his arm was hanging at an unnatural angle.

It only took a moment to take in the situation. In this section of town, the Wookiees were most likely enforcers for a local crimelord. Dargus Kandran would be the most likely choice in this neighborhood. She'd only heard vague rumours of the man; but from what she had heard, he was supposed to be bad news.

She unhooked the concealed sheath for her lightsaber and moved forward. Two against one wasn't fair. And, two Wookiees against two was still unfair. But when one of the two was a Jedi, the odds evened up a bit.

Jae Dyn moved to where the glow from a streetlight illuminated her.

"Release him," she called out to the Wookies. "I am certain we can come to a reasonable settlement that will be beneficial to him and your boss."

Mer'rarr pulled his hand from the Twi'lek's throat and grunted a command for his brother to hold their charge. He turned and eyed the woman who dared to disrupt their work. Tired of playing, Gor'garr merely ripped the dislocated arm from the Twi'lek's body and threw it to the ground. Blood flowed from the wound, and the wookiee released his burden to face the small woman.

"Go back where you came, human," Mer'rarr bellowed in his native tongue. "My master doesn't settle for anything. Though, he might make you his slave in the place of this pathetic piece of nerf waste."

With surprising reflexes, the wookiees lunged forward, and quickly they had her blocked between them. Staring down at her, they laughed.

Jae Dyn glanced at the Wookie in front of her, and briefly at the one behind her. She had been in worse situations.

These two were just thugs. There was another hand in the darkness controlling them, sending them to do his bidding. What they had done to the Twi'lek would be his fault, and he would be the one to suffer for it. She wasn't quite certain what the wookiee had said, but was certain she wouldn't like it if she did. She had to get out of this, and then go after Dargus Kandran.

Jae Dyn leapt into the air, arcing back over the Wookie behind her. The move was graceful and practiced. As she unfolded from the backflip and her feet hit the ground, the lightsaber was already in her hand. The Wookies were reacting to her escape, spinning toward her. They hadn't been expecting that. The violet blade ignited and she brought it up to defend herself.

Using the lightsaber might turn out to be a mistake, but against the Wookies, she wanted to use her strongest skills. Any who saw it would know she was a Jedi. Or at least carried a Jedi weapon.

As the first wookiee charged her, Jae Dyn brought her blade around. She slashed up and around, and the scream of pain was deafening. Gor'garr fell to her left and his arm dropped to the right. His days as an enforcer would be numbered.

Jae Dyn reached out her senses for the other wookiee and felt him behind her. She needed to confront the one controlling these two. They were just his weapons, he was the one controlling the situation. He would be the one she would face. She felt the wookiee preparing his blow, and she readied herself for it.

The massive fist crashed against the back of her head, and darkness filled her vision. She lost her balance and fell to the ground, her lightsaber falling from her grip. She tried to remain conscious, but could not maintain her hold before she drifted into empty blackness.

Mer'rrar bellowed defiance at the fallen Jedi. He quickly moved to his fallen brother. At least there was no bloodflow to stop, the lightsaber had taken care of that. He helped him into the speeder that would take them back to the ship. He then grabbed the woman and put her into the back of the speeder. She would be a nice prize for Lord Kandran. He glanced down at the Twi'lek and growled at the dying man. He would be dead before morning.

Before entering the speeder again, he picked up the lightsaber the woman had dropped. She had a Jedi weapon, and certainly knew how to use it. A definite prize.

An hour later, the speeder touched down in the docking bay of the Sadaral's Pride, Dargus Kandran's cloaked pleasure ship. Jae Dyn was taken from the speeder and moved to the room where Dargus usually interrogated his prisoners. In the room with the crimelord, he had Mer'rrar and thirty of his best guards. With a Jedi, he did not want to take any risks.

As she started to come around, he moved in front of her once he was certain the bindings at her wrists and ankles was secure. "What right do you have to interfere in my business," he asked, looking her over.

Jae Dyn looked over the man before her with an impassive gaze. "I saw a man being assaulted by two wookiees. I figured that it wasn't exactly a fair fight, so I came to his aid. Two against one, and wookiees no less. Besides, where I come from, a person helps those under duress. And, they didn't exactly identify themselves as your bodyguards."

"This is Tae'Karada, my dear, and people have learned to mind their own business. You're new here, or else you would have known Mer'rrar and Gor'garr." He smiled. "Oh, and they were able to reattach Gor'garr's arm. You might stay away from him until the rage dies down. At least a few years. He wants a few hours alone with you. I explained that you're mine though." He lit a cigar and moved closer.

"Now, tell me who you are," he said. "I know what you are, but not who. Now we will get acquainted. You will be here for a good long time, I assure you. Have you ever been the concubine of a rich, powerful man? No, I suppose not. But you will find out. I'm certain you will like that. First thing we'll need to do is get rid of all these clothes.

Jae Dyn watched Dargus through impassive eyes. A concubine? He was a Hutt in a human body. It was too bad, because it was a nice body after all.

"I know you're a Jedi Knight, my dear. Even though you have their weapon, he said you have the skill to go with it." He leaned closer to where his mouth brushed against her ear. "I can sense it in you."

Jae Dyn made no reaction to his revelation. She had sensed something in him as well, but now was not the time to search that avenue. She continued to watch Dargus. Or at least she thought he was Dargus. Formal introductions had not yet been made. She would need to play this carefully.

He smiled. "It surprises you that I have some of that gift. I can see that in your eyes."

"I sense it in you," she said. "And, it surprises me not that you have knowledge of it, a man of your resources."

Dargus sighed. "So, how shall I punish you for your interference? I should have you select your own punishment, and you will be punished for what you've done."

Jae Dyn shook her head. "I would not know what you would consider a suitable punishment," Jae Dyn said. "Though, to answer your questions, I would think five hundred hours of meditation would be suitable for such a transgression."

Dargus laughed. "Oh, and perhaps that's how you can punish yourself, but I'm afraid that I will need to ask you for something more tangible, more painful. No, when a woman defies a man, she should be made to see her proper place. You must learn the error of your ways. You must serve me. Usually women are weak. Most cannot fight, and are easily dealt with. But you are different. I imagine you could do me serious harm if given the chance. But, I have thirty guards here to protect me, and I dare say that you could not reach me before they cut you down. Is that enough to convince you to do my bidding?"

Jae Dyn looked around the room at the guards. "I have faced worse odds," she said with a glance back at Dargus. "But, in my current situation--" she glanced at the restraints "--I believe my chances of surviving the encounter are somewhat diminished."

Dargus snapped his fingers and a naked woman pushed through the crowd and approached. "Bring the container," he ordered. She bowed low and then disappeared from the room. Once she was gone, he turned back to Jae Dyn. "She will return momentarily. I am sure there are several people in this galaxy who would pay considerable amounts of money to get their hands on you. Though, they'll have to wait because tonight I intend to get my hands on you as well." He laughed long and loud, enjoying the look on her face.

Jae Dyn made no response. The man was crude, crass, and abhorrently vulgar. And, he laughed at his own jokes.

The naked woman returned carrying a clear container with a small snake-like creature clinging to a thin branch. Dargus moved to the concubine and took the container from her. He turned to Jae Dyn and smiled. "I can no longer feel you," he said. "I bought this creature from an Ithorian bounty hunter. In the presence of this creature, a Jedi is powerless. I plan to have my little friend here when I confront Darth Vader and the Emperor." He approached her so that she could feel the Force leave her. "You do know what this is?"

"Ysalamiri," Jae Dyn said. "Though, I must admit that it does not surprise me that a man like you makes use of such a creature. From the incident between your wookiees and the Twi'lek and then this, it makes complete sense. I guess I am now powerless to resist you, Dargus Kandran. From the appearance though, it would seem that this is how you prefer your conquests:

to take with as little resistance from your quarry and as little risk to your own hide as possible. The typical coward's ploy. I believe I am at your mercy." Jae Dyn met his gaze, her own cool and calm.

Dargus smiled. "I see," he said. He handed the case back to the concubine. "Everyone out!"

Jae Dyn watched as the room quickly cleared, leaving her alone with Dargus.

"The odds are more even now," he said with a smile. He closed the distance between them and removed her restraints. "I know you cannot kill me without risking the dark side. And, if you do that, I win."

Jae Dyn smiled at Dargus. She stood up from the seat and stretched her arms and legs. "Your knowledge of Jedi Lore is impressive, yet it is incomplete. A Jedi can kill, and I have on a number of occasions. There is nothing within the Jedi Code that prohibits a Jedi from taking a life. The key is in not acting out of anger or hate, emotions upon which the dark side feeds. You have done nothing but hold me against my will, that is true. But, how many have suffered at your hands, died at your hands? Or died through an extension of your hands? For the wrongs you have done me, your death is not warranted. But, for those who you have wronged before, or will wrong in the future...? The question then, is the universe better served without you in it?" She turned an icy gaze upon Dargus.

She sensed good in him. It was buried deep, but it was there. To turn Dargus Kandran back to the light would be a difficult task, but a challenge she would be willing to accept.

She let the moment drag on a little longer before offering him another smile. "Your death will not come today though," she said. "Perhaps your ways can be mended, and you will find favor with the Force." It was a test, one she knew he would probably see. To laugh at her statement, or to refute it in any way would be failure on his part, and she would have to destroy him. It would be an action she did not wish to take, but if the Force demanded it... If she needed to destroy him she would, but it would be a pity to destroy something that was so...pleasing to the eye.

Dargus gave her a wolfish smile. "Perhaps you can help me find the Force's favour in my bedroom? You are not being forced into anything. Nothing against your will. So, is that body of yours good for something other than backflips and chopping off the arms of wookiees? So lithe and supple."

Jae Dyn smiled. "There are no oaths of celibacy or chastity in the Jedi Code," she said. "Jedi's have all the biological urges of their own species. I still have the same desires as any other female human; I am just able to control them better than your average human."

She had no idea where she was. She didn't trust that she could walk out of this place and be back at her apartment. Dargus probably had it floating in orbit. Her ship wasn't set up so she could call it to her. She doubted that Dargus would provide her with transportation back. She glanced over at him as he watched her. She could only imagine what was going through his mind.

"So," she said, tilting her head to the side, "which way to your bedroom?"

Dargus' smile widened. A victory at last.

"This way," he said, showing her through a door and down a short hallway. Once they were in his bedroom, he began removing her clothing. She was quite beautiful, and definitely worthy of the honour of being one of his concubines. He was somewhat disappointed that she'd given herself to him. It would have been nice to force this one. To take a Jedi to his bed against her will would have been a feat indeed.

She watched Dargus as he began to remove his own clothing. It had been a long time since Jae Dyn had been in a situation like this with a man. Five years ago on Saellis, and it had been wonderful. She tried to maintain control, remain calm. His body was exquisite, solidly built and cared for. She watched as the last stitch of fabric dropped away. Her eyes took in his form and she smiled.

Dargus pushed her back onto the bed, smiling down at her. Without another word, he took her. He was good at what he did, but he was rougher than usual with this one. She needed to know that he was the one in control. Again and again, he took her, and when she cried out for release, he denied her until she begged. His skill was incomparable, and he used it to sway her to him as much as he could. By the end of their hours of sex, she was exhausted. And, in her eyes, he could see that she had given part of herself to him that night. A victory indeed.