Nar Shaddaa

[Vihk]

Burnished-red, scored, beskar, shone in the fluorescent lights of Dorjoola’s evident opulence. The armor’s design was a callback to the Mandalorians of old. The neo-crusader inspiration was strong in the articulation of the plates and the fit of the bulky pieces. But the helmet was a merge between present Mandalorian sensibilities and the old Mandalore helmet once worn by Canderous Ordo – a very distant relative to Vihk’s aliit <>. The Cantina was crowded, which was the perfect cover. He didn’t need or want for the people to see him. He just needed to see one very specific person.

 

The black skinned smooth-talker rest, leaning against the bar and gauging the proceedings from afar. Vihk tensed the muscles in his right hand, feeling the echo of his hammer lingering in them. The singing of steel rang through his mind. The smoke of the bellows filled him with euphoric memories of his father and those before him. The tempering of steel and finishing touches seemed to glimmer and glint in Vihk’s mind’s eye. He sighed. Although he seemed young, the Mandalorian was mentally too old for this. Sixty-five years was a long hard slog and Vihk was tired of it. But, this was necessary. This was personal.

 

He reached out and grabbed Tarvil by the brim of his silk shirt. The dark colored human yelped, but before he could scramble away, Vihk put another hand on his mouth and dragged him out the back door that he came through.

 

It didn’t take long. But once they were both in the alley of the ped-way, Vihk forced Tarvil to the wall and pressed his iron hand against the man’s neck.

 

“Alright, you Chakaaryc, son of an Etyc Hut’uun. <> I wanna know where my metal shipment is and I want to know RIGHT now.” Vihk said, gritting his teeth beneath the barrier of his buy’ce. <>

 

“Uhhh….” Tarvil gasped out through choking breaths. “Hey, Vihk.”

 

Vihk’s hand shot out once more but held back so as not to crush the man’s windpipe.

 

“Don’t ‘HEY VIHK’ me. I’ve been waiting for that shipment for two weeks now. Where is that pile of kriffing dwang and why hasn’t he given me what I asked for?” Vihk replied, seething through the voice modulator in his helmet.

 

“He uh… He h-hasn’t gotten around to it. But he’s inside. If you wait, you might be able to talk to him.” Tarvil said, trying to push his words through what little room he had to manage.

 

Vihk glowered at him, searing hatred brimming to the top of his mind. But, he knew it was a waste. Tarvil hadn’t deserved death. He might be slimy and useless at times, but he wasn’t someone to arbitrarily kill.

 

“Alright. I’ll wait. But If I don’t find my shipment, or find another way to get my shipment, I am not only going to switch suppliers, but I am going to rescind all armor shipments and services from now on. And I’m the best armorsmith on this side of the galaxy. I’m not the best there ever was, but I am a damn sight better than the piddling amount that Dordjoola gives me right now.” Vihk said, releasing Tarvil and cracking his knuckles through the iron covering his fingers.

 

As casually as he could, Vihk ambled back into the bar area and ordered an Onderonian scotch on the rocks. He removed his buy’ce with one hand and then tossed the drink back with one solid swig. He kept a sharp eye on his smooth friend but watched the high-roller game with curious eyes.

[Emerald]

Linking her arm with the Chiss', Emerald escorted her firmly through the crowd towards the rear of the building. She flicked the hidden comm with her tongue to activate it once again. "Well done, Sapph," she grinned. "Bring the Cavalcade around and we'll send our dignitary on home."

 

Pushing open the door to the rear alley, she was surprised to find Tarvil, a deathstick clutched between his fingers, leaning up against the wall just outside the door.

 

"Tarv?" her tone was nonchalant, but her eyes shot daggers. His presence here could blow their whole operation if Dorjoola suspected that they had worked together in any capacity.

 

He shook his head fractionally, eyes darting upwards. Cameras, the thought came instantaneously. The parade of speeders came around, and Emerald tucked Ruby into the red speeder she had absconded with several nights prior. "All right, Your Highness," she said in a cheery tone that belied the grim feeling she had. "Your chief of staff will be waiting at the Grand Hotel to receive you. My congratulations on a game well played!"

 

No sooner had the procession of speeders disappeared than Tarvil spoke again. "I'm really sorry about this, Em."

 

Of course it had been too good to be true. She sighed in resignation. But they had completed the setup, and now had a publicly declared standing invitation to Dorjoola's palace. She didn't need Tarvil anymore, and he knew it.

 

With a sudden flash of motion, Emerald broke into a sprint. She charged down the pavement, but her strength was in agility, not endurance. Several sets of footsteps sounded down the alley behind her, gaining distance. She had to break line of sight, use her stealth training to her advantage. Darting around a corner, Emerald stopped--face to face with a dead end. Kriff, this is perfect, she thought sarcastically.

 

Tarvil stopped behind her, his sides expanding with exertion, flanked by a pair of Rodian bounty hunters. "It's no use. We've got the perimeter covered. You might as well come along and tell Dorjoola what's really going on here," he panted.

 

"Like hell," she muttered, dropping her body to the ground. She landed on her elbows on the pavement, gravel digging into her skin as she brought her legs around to sweep the first Rodian flat onto his back. Tarvil's blaster appeared in his hand, and she clutched his fingers, bringing her knee up to his solar plexus. The second Rodian managed to fire off a shot before Emerald's stiffened first two fingers found their way into his beady eye sockets. Tossing his body roughly to the ground over her shoulder, she stood just in time to catch Tarvil's fist, flying at her at lightspeed. Twisting his wrist around, she unlocked his knees and sent him spinning to the ground. She managed to wrestle his arms behind him, and gave the first Rodian a strong kick to the side of the head for good measure as she put all of her weight on Tarvil to pin him down.

 

"You're breaking my heart, Tarv," she breathed sarcastically, chest heaving, as she brought her hitherto untouched blaster out of its thigh holster. "Give my love to Dorjoola."

 

For a moment, she raised the blaster as though to unleash its stun setting, but thought better of it and brought the butt of her weapon across the back of Tarvil's head. That smack is so satisfying. Too bad nothing else about him ever has been, she thought as she studied his unconscious form briefly before breaking into a jog in the direction of the Blood Gems' apartment.

[Vihk]

Two scotches down. Still no buzz. Damn

 

Vihk leaned against the bar, his buy’ce cradled in the crook of his opposite arm. He swigged one more Onderonian scotch, desperately shooting for some fuzzy sensation. But he couldn’t hit it. He grunted and used a nearby napkin to wipe some liquid off his cheek. I don’t need to do it. But it’s fun and almost no one gets hurt.

 

No Vihk, you must think about the fut-

Wh-?

Legacy of your peo-

But... Booze.

 

The argument was drowned out by the third wave of burning liquid coursing down his throat and into his stomach. It was an uncomfortable feeling, but another drink would rectify that. Vihk made to signal the bartender when he noticed that Tarvil was gone. The old Mandalorian’s expression went sour. He rebuffed the bartender as he returned and replaced his buy’ce before stepping out after the two-faced son of a Huttspawn.

 

Vihk’s mind filled with barely contained rage; probably the booze. His steam was just about to pop when he passed through the threshold and found Tarvil and company rushing down the alleyway and around a corner. Vihk wasn’t going to let that slime ball get away. He tensed his muscles and pushed himself as far as his heavy armor would carry him. When he finally caught up, the wind from his lungs leaving in short bursts, he found that the group of criminals was getting their collective shebs kicked. A woman by the looks of it was holding her own against Tarvil and his gang, catching them off guard and shoving them around like she really knew what she was doing.

 

Interesting.

 

She ended her climactic exchange with a sharp ‘thok!’ to the back of Tarvil’s head and Vihk felt no sympathy. Tarvil had his chance. If he wasn’t going to cooperate, he was as good as dead on the durasteel.

 

Just when Vihk was going to congratulate her, though, she sprinted away. Damnit. I’m glad I’m in my younger body, or this would have really grated on my patience.

 

Vihk heaved the bulk of his iron frame behind her and tried to get her to stop. His mind was awhirl with activity. She gave him ideas. He didn’t want to let her run straight out of his life. After all, she may not be his type, but they’d just met.

 

“Hey, wait up! I have something I want to ask ya!” Vihk bellowed through the voice modulator in his buy’ce. He was huffing and puffing down the metal walkway and was starting to lose her. The sweat mounted on his head. He was just about to give into her retreat when she stopped, looking at the Mandalorian with a severely distasteful glare. Her eyes said, ‘why the kriff should I?” And her body said… Well, it said the same thing.

 

Vihk stopped, his lungs taking some time to catch up with his body.

 

“Right. I. Uh.” Vihk paused. He let his mind and tongue catch up with his lungs and looked at her. He removed his helmet with a flourish and heaved out a breath at the sudden exposure to more oxygen.

 

“Woof… Anyway. First, I would like to say that that was some impressive combat skill back there miss. Second, if you aren’t too busy, I may have a job for you at some point. A job that might actually turn into two jobs if the need arises.” Vihk closed a step or two closer to the woman but did so only with his hands up and his intentions certain. He knew she might be twitchy. A small beep that Vihk never wanted to hear, signaled from his hip and the severity of his tone changed. So, it’s that time, huh?

 

Vihk reached into a pouch at his side and pulled out a small device. It was a small piece of plastic no bigger than his thumb. It had the address to his forge inside and his comm number.

 

“You don’t have to decide right now. In fact, it seems I am needed. But, if you’re interested, here is my comm number and the address to my forge. Drop on by if you’re ever in the neighborhood. It never hurts to see a capable young lady and give her dangerous weapons and armor. In the meantime, Ret'urcye mhi” <>

[Sapphire]

By the time Emerald made it back to the apartment, Sapphire had already finished washing the blonde hair coloring out of her hair and was toweling off her red locks. "There you are!" she exclaimed. "I was starting to worry Dorjoola had picked you up too early. Everything is ready for tomorrow. Ruby will show up around 1100 hours local time, so you need to be in the fighting area before that. Remember: you're looking for talent for my new fighting holoshow. You'll have a staged conversation with Ruby, then when Dorjoola gets suspicious, you tell him all about me and my show and what you're doing." Sapphire flashed a brilliant white smile. "And it'll be easy from there. There's one thing you can always count on with Hutts, and that's greed."

 

The next morning was sultry hot. Sapphire was almost glad she didn't have much of a role to play today. She got to stay behind in the temperature regulated apartment and keep an eye on things through the Gems' comms. Ruby's part wouldn't be big either--today rode almost exclusively on Emerald's shoulders. But Sapphire was confident that her fellow pirate was up for the job. She gave her friend a playful shove out the door around an hour before Ruby was due to follow. "Just get him to see little credit signs dancing before his eyes, and all will be well. And remember I'm listening in, so if you need backup, just say something about those blood diamonds we picked up on Ryloth."

[Emerald]

With an extremely pleasant and kind hand gesture thrown in Sapphire's direction before she emerged into the sweltering Huttese air, Emerald contented herself with a snide grin. Tarvil's failed attempt at an ambush had gone perfectly according to plan, though the appearance and subsequent business proposition of the curious Mandalorian was a result she hadn't anticipated. The double-twitter from her comlink when she had arrived home told her that Tarvil had recovered from her beating. Bet I haven't heard the end of that...

 

Dorjoola's palace was a pentagon of large buildings in ascending height intersected by durasteel skybridges, which presented itself to imposing effect. Emerald brought the flame-red speeder into hangar 27-B of the smallest building. A handful of tittering Jawas pawed at her belt as she dismounted the speeder, and she slapped them away with little thought as she strode purposefully toward the corridor. The dock master gave her half a suspicious blink out of the corner of his eye, but turned his back and went back to the control console in front of him. Evidently, Tarvil had been as good as his word. Appropriate palms had been greased, and Emerald was now invisible.

 

By the time she had arrived at the training ground, Dorjoola had already arrived, touring to oversee his new recruits. His majordomo, a large Quarren named Syddro, who Emerald recalled from her days as one of his rotating bodyguards, was reading names off a large datapad as fists flew in the ring. She glanced at her wrist chrono. Ruby would arrive at any minute to collect, and then their plan would unfold.

[Sapphire]

It had taken a lot of convincing for Ruby to leave behind her personal arsenal and settle with a heavily modified repeater rifle. Sapphire could hear her grumbling about it under her breath almost the entire way to Dorjoola's palace. But both pirates knew it was the right step. Sapphire resisted the urge to go over the plan again and instead focused on making sure everything was in place. This was the easy part of the job, actually.

 

They pulled up right on time, and Ruby strode out, Sapphire staying behind as the chauffeur, a cap low over her face, her hair tucked up, and a fake Kiffar tattoo adorning her skin. She'd listen on comms the entire way.

 

---

 

Ruby made her way casually into the fighting arena where she was meeting the Hutt. Dorjoola was already there, so she slipped in off to the side and acted as though she had been there for a while. "C'mon pick it up!" she called to one of the fighters who was warming up with another. "Looking lazy out there!"

 

Doojoola's attention fell on her, and he slithered over, his majordomo in tow. She greeted him cockily. "Hey there, my slithery friend! You bring my credits?"

 

He sized her up. "What did you say you were doing on Nar Shaddaa again, Miss Wells?"

 

"Business," she answered casually.

 

"And what business is that?"

 

"Well, right now, betting against Hutts is being pretty profitable," she teased. "Am I right?"

 

He gave her a cold smile. "I guess you are."

 

"Is that my money?" she asked, pointing to a bag of credit chits Syddro was holding.

 

"Yes, this would be yours." He motioned, and Syddro handed the bag to her. She opened it, glanced in, then gave a satisfied smile. "Have a good day, Miss Wells." The Hutt's tone was as icy as Sapphire had ever heard it.

 

Ruby just gave a cocky smile and sauntered away. The Hutt and Quarren turned and disappeared into an office off the main training area. Meanwhile, Ruby meandered over to where Emerald was working with a punching bag and began talking with her. Emerald had chosen her bag well--it was right in view of a security camera.

 

---

 

While Ruby and Emerald staged their conversation, Sapphire was at work monitoring the security systems. She flicked on the camera in Dorjoola's office once the Hutt disappeared into it, and listened in. There was some disgruntled talk between them, and then suddenly the Quarren caught sight of Ruby and Emerald on the security monitors. He pointed it out to Dorjoola. "Look who's still here."

 

Dorjoola examined the scene.

 

"Do you want me to go see what Wells is doing? Keep an eye on her?" Syddro asked.

 

"No," Dorjoola rumbled after a moment. "Keep your eye on that one--the fighter. Something about her looks familiar. Forget about Wells."

 

Sapphire grinned. Everything was going perfect.

 

---

 

A few minutes later, Ruby came strolling back to the speeder and climbed in. "Great job," Sapphire greeted her. "They're focused on Emerald. So far, so good."

 

They took off and started a broad meandering course that would take them all through the area. Sapphire slid over and exchanged seats with Ruby, who took over driving. She then began to flick through traffic cams and other security monitoring devices. If things went as planned, they'd be able to record Emerald being "tried out" for Dorjoola's fighting ring.

[Emerald]

The rotating of the security cam overhead paused momentarily, and Emerald shot a parting grin at Ruby as the Chiss gave her a final nod and made her way out of the training room. She made an elaborate show of perusing the rest of the recruits in the room, pausing at any that showed particularly promising potential. After a good forty-five miutes had passed, Emerald buckled on her weapons belt, double-clicked her comlink, and headed back towards the hangar, but changed her course before she got there, opting instead to take one of the skybridges that connected the towers. The heights were dizzying, the grungy underbelly only vaguely visible from this highest building on the surface of Nar Shaddaa. She paused for a moment to take in the view, leaning on the railing alongside the glass skybridge, when out of the corner of her eye, she saw it coming.

 

With an abrupt about-face, she caught an assailant's fist in her hand. Before her was a mixed group that added up to four: a Devaronian, two human males, and one squatty female whose appearance was an insult to Emerald's senses. It was she who had thrown the punch. From behind her false Kiffari tattoos, Emerald flashed a predatory grin. "That's more like it," she challenged.

 

Turning a back handspring to put a modicum of distance between herself and the attackers, Emerald fell into a classic Mistryl fighting stance. Her left boot caught the first man on his ear, and the momentum propelled her into a swinging strike at the second man's windpipe. The Devaronian landed a blow on her ribcage which threw her against the transparisteel, and the entire skybridge seemed to shudder with the impact. Springing back to her feet, she seized a fistful of the woman's hair, ignoring the screams that ensued as she used it as a handhold to strike out horizontally with both feet into the Devaronian's chest. The first man had recovered from the blow she had dealt, and threw a punch which she blocked with the hand still gripping the female assailant. Her howl of pain echoed as her compatriot smashed her nose in, and Emerald released her to the ground as she threw her shoulder into the other man's ribs.

 

In a flurry of feet and fists, it was over. Emerald glanced around her at the bodies that littered the skyway, and gripped her ribs where the forceful hit had landed, panting for breath. She swept her unnaturally black hair into a ponytail high on her head, and turned to continue on her previous trajectory when a speaker crackled to life, burbling in Huttese. <"Impressive, my girl. We've missed you.">

[Sapphire]

Several more goons suddenly came out of nowhere and formed a tight ring around Emerald. "Please, Miss Ta'ara, don't try anything. There's no need for further violence. I'm sure we can work out an arrangement here that will be mutually beneficial. Please allow my men to escort you, and we'll have a civilized discussion."

 

The goons escorted Emerald back the way she had come. Opening a side door, they slipped her inside. Several familiar faces were waiting for her, including Tarvil, Syddro, and, of course, the Hutt himself. "So, Emerald Ta'ara," Dorjoola boomed. "It seems your fighting skills have not degenerated. We saw you lurking around here earlier. What is a pirate like yourself doing here? And why were you talking with that Chiss who robbed me of a bucket full of credits?"

[Emerald]

With an overplayed saccharine grin, Emerald repressed her revulsion as the scent of the Hutt finally reached her. "Dorjoola," she crooned, "you're looking massive as ever. I don't do that piracy stuff anymore. Not enough money in it these days, if you don't have an old Interdictor cruiser lying around. Which I don't."

 

A genuine pout crossed her face for a moment before she continued, picking idly at her manicured fingernails. "Anyways, it seems you were right, running an organization takes more than grit. I got in deep with the Chiss and I owe her more than I can pay back, so I'm the hired gun for now. She's selling my skills, and others, to this fancy new show they've got in the works. That's where the real money is, I'm afraid. Reality Holonet."

 

She shrugged in an air of forced nonchalance. "But if we're done here, I have work to do. Ol' Glowworm has an appointment with the producer, and she doesn't like to be kept waiting."

[Sapphire]

Dorjoola chuckled. He waved a massive hand. “You see all those men out there?” He pointed down to the fighting arena Emerald had been scoping out earlier. “They're pieces of meat. Like nerfs raised for slaughter. But they come to my gym every night 'cause they think if they work hard enough and fight hard enough that they can make it in the big leagues. Top fighting rings, and not just here on Nar Shaddaa. We're talking galactic circuit. And energy drink contracts. And no more working day in and day out, just fighting and women and money. And that's the dream I sell them. They listen to me because I can take that dream away. Now, you, you're different. You fight like something's tryin' to get out of you. Always have.”

 

He leaned forward. “Listen,” he said, drool leaking out of the corner of his mouth. “How much do you owe the Chiss? You can tell me, girl. I’m here to help. Whatever it is, I’ll pay it off if you come and fight for me instead. But you have to do one thing for me.” He put a heavy arm around her shoulders conspiratorially. “Bring me this reality holonet producer before you take her to the Chiss.”

[Terra]

The city smelled rank, rotting from the inside like some long dead animal left to decay and corruption, filling the gutters with maggots. It appeared like a carcass of rusting, twisted durasteel, alight only in the neon of filth and smut. A trickle of foul air drifted through the defiled streets, brushing along the vermin that ducked in and out of the blast doors in the Red light district. Amongst them, Terra slipped quietly through the milling crowds, her dark duster concealing the muted ebony Beskar’gam. Her flaxen hair was tied into a braid that fell like a serpent down her cloaked back, untouched by the foul breeze. Her eyes burned crimson in the permanent twilight, a result of the blackout smog that blocked out the starshine. She slipped quietly beneath a glowing sign, marking a bar named The Imperial Bowery.

 

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, the scent of sweat and spice invaded her nostrils, burning them with all too familiar scents. The music was of Bothan origin, and was made for dancing, but no one seemed interested. It was a bar of hushed conversations, overconsumption, and senseless indulgence. The young assassin approached the bar, passing by a group of heavily armored mercenaries. The Shistevan barman’s coat was charcoal with stains of white, marking his age, and his eyes sized her up as she approached.

 

“What do you want, human?”

 

The assassin smiled, showing her scarlet-stained teeth, sharper than even his. The wolfman frowned at her as she spoke

 

“Kai'tome… and spice…”

 

One of the mercenaries turned to look at her as she spoke the words in Mando’a. The barman nodded, producing a spiked deathstick for her from a tray under the counter, while he turned to the food processor. She placed it in one of her gloved hands and turned to the mercenary as he approached, taking off his helmet. His armor marked him as from clan Ader’kan.

...Kriff…

 

“Ad, have you heard Fett’s call? We depart soon as first light-”

 

She cut him off with a shake of her head

 

“Mandalore wants…”

 

With one fluid motion of her arm she leveled her flechette revolver at his emerald eyes.

 

“I am Greyjoy”

 

She pulled the trigger, splattering his skull across his friends, before they too were cut down by a hail of focused explosive darts. His look of terror before his face had been ripped into chunks, was delightfully haunting. With each pull of the trigger, ended another life, innocent or guilty of the crime of being a Mando’a she didn’t care. They were all loyal to Fett, and so their corpses stacked like cordwood, coating the floor in a river of blood.

 

..Slaughter…

 

Her armored bootsteps were muted by the layer of gore as she stepped through the bar, executing all in her path. A muffled gasp caught her attention, and she turned to a booth set in the far corner, where a young human female watched her in horror. The girl was blonde, and around seventeen standard years of age, making her older then the wraith that approached her, holstering her dual revolvers.

 

With an armored hand, Terra lifted the girl from the booth by the front of her scanty lingerie, kicking the deceased Hutt’s tail from over her legs. The young assassin slammed the girl into the wall, bringing them nose to nose. She could smell the girl's breath, which reeked of Hutt.

 

“Evening, beautiful… A friend of mine taught me this…”

 

With a wink of a crimson eye, Terra’s teeth tore through the girl’s ebony throat, her sharpened fangs ripping through the arteries and veins. She could taste the lifeblood as she tore through the girl’s windpipe, before her teeth clashed with bone. Terra stepped back from the girl as she exsanguinated, clutching desperately to close the mortal wound with fumbling fingers.

 

“Vor entye, beautiful…”

[Fieyr]

From a dark corner of the bar, what appeared to be a large man in archaic Mandalorian-style armor plates took a slow drink of his beer, his golden eyes seeming to glow eerily in the dark as he glanced down at his traveling companion. The younger woman had angular features and platinum blonde hair hidden beneath the black hood that shaded her face from the patrons of a bar such as this. The two had been watching the other woman since she'd entered the bar, even before she'd proven to be the one they sought. The one Ab'ki had seen in one of her visions, ripped from the fabric of the Force itself.

 

Fieyr's mouth twisted into a cruel smile as he gestured for the young woman to make her approach to the blood-bathed assassin. "Your mistress is the one that wanted her, you do the honors Naya'lee."

 

"You just want to have time to get away if she attacks me," the woman shot back as she slid from the booth. Fieyr just shrugged, though he did withdraw his sidearm from the holster and line up a shot from under the table.

 

As Naya'lee looked to the opposite corner of the bar where the woman now appeared to be feasting on an unfortunate slave or barfly, she considered the chain of events that had lead to Ab'ki sending her out with Fieyr to round out their preparations in light of Judyc's absence. It had been a little more than two weeks since he'd disappeared and with him any sign of the Mandalorian woman Naya'lee's mistress was hell-bent on ending, or her hunt partner. The mysterious Silver Spider-man had mentioned that Fett was the leader of his people and this woman obviously held no love for him. She'd been able to gather a bit more of a perspective from what little Fieyr had been willing to share about the Greyjoy uprising and subsequent decimation.

 

Stopping a few feet away, staring unflinchingly as the other blonde continued to feed, Naya'lee reached out gently with the dark side of the force. If I could provide a means for revenge on Fett, would you take it?

[Terra]

Like an ember catching upon the wind, the presence of the dark side entered Terra’s mind. It was a driving wind, carrying with it flame and ash into the corrupted depths of an unsteady mind. The darkness was unforgiving, harsher than the bitter flames of Hades. The assassin’s mind was a wretched and broken thing, ravished by the corrupted Ichor of Krath Magic. The woman’s words within her mind awoke the demons.

 

If I could provide a means for revenge on Fett, would you take it?

 

Terra turned slowly, her eyes burning as coals stoked by the presence of the Force. From her mouth the slave’s blood ran in slow rivulets, dripping down her neck, coating her alabaster skin in a sanguine kiss. Her lips twisted into a smile as the metallic taste of death alight upon her tongue, revealing her sharpened teeth, stained scarlet by blood debased by immorality and the demons of the Sith. The young assassin’s voice came from deep within her throat, sounding as if the words were raked across gravel

“If you gave me the chance… I would devour his life… But not before taking from him all he holds in honour.”

 

A bitter laugh that chilled the blood in all who would hear it sprang from her lips, carrying with it a spray of the blood that clung to her tongue

 

“I would start by killing whatever little di’kutla lover that shares his bed… Once I’ve mounted her head upon a stake before his horrified eyes, I would cast his worthless lifeblood upon the sands of Manda'yaim…”

[Emerald]

The Hutt's massive limb reeked of stale hookah and Kashyyykian tree-frogs, and whether or not the slimy coating of his skin was, in fact, seeping through her jacket, Emerald resolved to dispose of every article of clothing that had come into the palace with her at the earliest advisable opportunity. As always, with Dorjoola, she choked back a gag and painted a grimace on her face that might pass for a smile somewhere in the galaxy, like possibly Dantooine.

 

"Dorjoolie," she said, her tone mawkish. "you're the best. The Producer's name is Lieyhra Prann, from the Sleheyron Broadcasting Circuit. Apparently she's a visionary, the talk of the Holonet, Alderaan's hidden jewel. I was just here to pay my monthly tribute to the Glowworm, and I'm supposed to meet her in--" she consulted her wrist chrono "--a half an hour. If you can get me out from under that blue thumb by then, I'll bring her here instead."

 

Emerald's sharp eyes grew laser-focused, and the nonchalant air began to melt away only slightly. This was the key selling point. If she could get Dorjoola to put credits behind his promises, they'd have him hooked and wriggling on the rack. The figure she named for him was absurdly large, and while Hutts did not sweat, the oily secretion that followed him like a trail began to pool even more quickly on the creature's body.

 

"Or if not, I won't be seeing you. But you'll be seeing me... on reality Holonet," she offered with finality.

 

He broke the silence, throwing up his pudgy, stubby arms. <"Bring the woman here. You'll see your credits. I'm a Hutt of my word.">

 

Offering him a sloppy, casual bow, Emerald began to back out of the room. "You won't regret it, Dorjoola. This is the best decision you've ever made."

 

As she turned on her heel and headed for the exit, she slipped out of her jacket and dropped it down the garbage chute on the way out, her light-footed stride never pausing for a second. When she reentered her speeder, careening across the Nar Shaddaa morning, she pulled out her comlink. "Sapph, check the accounts," she said glibly, covering over the hush of excitement she felt in her bones. They had him right where they wanted him. "You're up."

[Sapphire]

The comm from Emerald was exactly what the pirates were waiting for. "I never doubted you for a second, Em," Sapphire returned over the comm. A few keystokes showed her the transfer had been completed. "The Gems are 100,000 credits richer. Meet you at Grindel's Cafe in fifteen."

 

Ruby and Sapphire hadn't been idle while Emerald was wheedling the Hutt. Ruby was busy getting everything in place for the rest of the plan, including purchasing the remaining supplies. Sapphire had worked on her newest disguise, dyeing her hair black, dressing in a boring stiff suit and sharp black heels, and using makeup to change the contouring of her face in order to hide facial recognition software. Ruby would be on comms in case she needed to make a realistic call, but Sapphire didn't think it likely. After all, Dorjoola was already hooked; she simply had to close the deal.

 

It was a short walk to Grindel's, and Emerald was there to pick her up right on time. The two made their way to a higher class establishment, and Sapphire got a table in a private room while Emerald headed off to bring the Hutt.

 

---

 

Lieyhra chuckled. "You know, you're actually quite mercenary," she told Dorjoola. "It might be more interesting to work with you than the Chiss, that's for sure. But it's a no from me."

 

"I'm not saying that the Chiss lied to you, Miss Prann," the Hutt rumbled, waving a chicken wing around in his hand as he spoke. "I'm just saying that she doesn't have the product she said she did."

 

Lieyhra shook her head. "What are you saying?"

 

"She's trying to steal my fighters. Which means she can't give you what you need for your show."

 

She appraised him. "Emerald told you about all that, huh? Fine, so you know my network is looking for a new fighting show, to air primetime on Sleheyron and then into the rest of the cluster. Add pay-per-view on top of that and we have one happy bunch of shareholders. If what you're saying is true...what would you want?"

 

He gulped down the chicken and wiped his mouth with the back of a flabby hand while Sapphire attempted not to gag. "You don't need her. She's the middleman. You need me, and my fighters."

 

She let a smile cross her face. "I'm sorry, your Huttness. The Chiss is paying half my production costs up front."

 

"How much do you spend on a show like this?"

 

"500,000 credits. And that, let me assure you, gets you the best."

 

"And the return?"

 

Her eyes glittered brightly. "My company gets full profits from the pay-per-views. With the Chiss' fights, we'll start off small, say 10 credits a fight."

 

He pursed his lips. "That's a quarter of what the companies here on Nar Shaddaa charge."

 

"Well, you need to stay competitive in this business," she shrugged. "My company estimates we'll get about 500,000 views, conservative."

 

The Hutt actually looked astonished. "That's 5 million credits. Is that per year?"

 

She laughed lightly. "No, your Huttness, don't be ridiculous. That's per event. And we do maybe 5, 6 of those a year."

 

"Let me get this straight," one of the Hutt's cronies piped up. "You spend 500,000 credits to make 5 million?"

 

"It's called deficit financing," she returned coolly. "It's how the Holonet entertainment industry works." The numbers were real; Sapphire had done her homework. It might be not a bad arena for them to get into sometime for real, she mused briefly. The pay certainly was good.

 

Dorjoola leaned forward. "I want in. All you need is product, and I have that in spades. What would you say if I covered 100% of your up front production costs?"

 

"I have an agreement with the Chiss."

 

"She tried to steal my fighters, but I just stole her best one. I've got her slotted for a fight already. You and I think alike. We're both interested in profits, and in playing the game." He let out a belch. "I'll get you the money as soon as you bring me the paperwork."

 

She hesitated, but only for a moment. "Alright then," she said with a predatory smile. "I'll send the paperwork to you within the hour."

 

---

 

Once the Hutt had left, Sapphire stood and headed out herself. Dorjoola had bought in faster than she had expected; he must really be desperate, she mused. Still, with caution and some good luck, this would all be wrapped up in the next day or two, and the Blood Gems would come out the victors.

[Emerald]

Syddro moved about his too-small office resentfully, putting everything right for the evening. He was just about to seal the room and retreat to his quarters on the fourth spire to spend several blissful hours recuperating in his tank when something caught the Quarren's attention: the communications holoprojector was blinking. At his cue, the relevant paperwork from the Holonet producer Dorjoola had met with earlier in the day appeared. Grumbling about schedules and timelines and how kriffing Holonet types never seemed to keep them, he turned the lights back on and resigned himself to his desk, irritation rasping in every movement. If it weren't for this Liehyra Prann woman, he'd already be out of the hateful scrubbed air of his office.

 

Spitefully, he pulled up the list of her references and contacts to revisit them, determined to find some reason to make this woman pay for the extra work she had caused him today. Absent-mindedly brushing off slime trails from the flailing fists Dorjoola had pummeled him with when he had dared suggest that investing this many credits at the suggestion of a mercenary-turned-pirate was an unwise business plan, he stumbled across a news article from the Sleheyron Broadcasting Circuit and did a double-take.

 

The New Face of SBC: Liehyra Prann

Meet the Woman Single-Handedly Revolutionizing the Reality Holonet Industry

By Sorja Besadii Plure, correspondent

We sat down today with Liehyra Prann, Alderaan's hidden jewel, to discuss her career and quick rise to the top of Sleheyron's VIP list. Prann, who completely revived the Hutt erotica industry before moving on to produce and co-write such gems as Days of Our Slime and All In the Hookah, has an impressive resume detailing her work cataloging and showcasing the Tatooine estate of the legendary Jabba Desilijic Tiure as well as his retinue, including a heartrending exposition on dishonorably discharged majordomo Bib Fortuna. Not only that, but she is rumored to have conducted a rare interview with the Hutt commonly known as Sheog the Mad, a gastropod combating discrimination against Hutts and t'landa Til in Force-user circles.

 

Syddro threw the datapad down on his desk in disgust, refusing to read the rest of the article. Bib Fortuna had not been dishonorably discharged at all, in fact, and Syddro himself had been to visit the Desilijic museum on Tatooine, the former site of Jabba's holdings. But the article could not be correct, could it? He remembered the exhibit eidetically. The curator had been a Devaronian female with an annoyingly deep voice, not this obnoxiously lithe Alderaanian. The woman was a fraud. He picked up his comlink and input Dorjoola's private comm number, which patched through to his service droid. Not many things were worth bothering Dorjoola at this time of night, but losing more than half a million credits seemed to fall into the "worthy" category. A creeping grin crawled onto his face like pince-worms onto a Hutt's tail algae.

[Fieyr]

Naya'lee's pink lips curled into a cruel smile, hardly phased by the creature in front of her after years of witnessing the atrocities Lady Ab'ki was capable of. Her mistress had been correct, once again, that they would find a weapon to aid them in their assault on the Mandalore sector in this festering pustule of a planet. The loss of Judyc had been a hard one to bear, though Lady Ab'ki had handled the loss of one of her greater generals with a surprising amount of placid grace that had made Naya'lee's blood go cold. Though, in the end, if Judyc had truly fallen to Fett as it was believed, it was better to lose him before the assault and replace him with someone stronger, and more hungry for Fett's blood.

 

"My mistress has other plans for his woman, though..." the platinum-haired woman considered for a moment, "Fett seems to hold being Mandalorian above all things. Taking from him his people would be the ultimate dishonor since he is their leader. Fight for us and you'll have your chance with him."

 

From behind her, the massive figure silently watched the exchange between the two women before draining his beer and rising. Time was growing short and their new recruit needed to be brought up to date on the latest preparations for their war against the Mandalorians.

 

((If you want to take us to Sorenno, go ahead.))

[Sapphire]

The Gems rested well that night. Everything seemed to be going fine, and all three were ready to play out the rest of the con. Sapphire dreamed of sitting on a throne in a palace, ruling over the entire planet. Upon waking, she shook her head in wry amusement at her own subconsious; it was ridiculous. But she couldn't deny the allure. Getting ready, she dressed in another business outfit, although she chose a more business casual type this time, wrapping a light scarf around her neck for flair.

 

The three headed out, Emerald and Sapphire in one speeder, with Ruby following behind just in case she was needed. And it turned out to be a good thing too.

 

There was a welcoming party waiting for them. Sapphire's heart dropped, but she didn't let it show on her face as she got out of the speeder. "Good morning, your Huttness," she said cheerfully. "I saw that you're already advertising for our first fight."

 

"Yes, yes Miss Prann," Dorjoola boomed. "Emerald will fight The Tank here." He motioned to a fantastically huge Trandoshan. The Trandoshan hissed and moved a step forward.

 

"Wow," Sapphire replied. "That'll be a big fight."

 

"Indeed," the Hutt rumbled. "Now why don't you bring in the rest of your team and we can stop this charade?"

 

Sapphire's heart sank but her eyebrows went up. "Excuse me?"

 

"I know you're a fraud," he said, getting angry now. "Did you think you could fool the Mighty Dorjoola?" The Tank took a few more steps forward. "Now you'll see how we deal with con people in this part of Nar Shaddaa."

 

The Tank leapt forward. Emerald moved to intercept, but before anyone could throw a punch, Sapphire threw up her hands. "Now, now, now, there's no need for that. With your wisdom, I'm sure we can work out an agreement here without resorting to any unpleasantries."

 

The Hutt considered for a moment. "She," he said, motioning to Emerald, "is not a fraud at least. People do wanna see that fight. So why don't you take on the Tank here? But the problem is that you're favored my dear. So I'm going to need you to lose. Take the dive. Make it look good, but lose big. I'll bet everything on the Tank, so it can't look like a fixed fight. You do that, we part ways and never see each other again."

[Terra]

A deep chuckle rolled through the wetness of the assassin’s throat as she listened to the woman’s words. It confirmed her suspicions that Fett did have a love more than his tin can demigods formed through the weak culture he had fostered. The young girl held out an open palm, armored with ringlets of steel, slowly dripping with innocent blood.

“You do what you will with her, but make sure to holorecord it…”

 

Her fingers curled into talons, crimson lettering beginning to run through the armor, now quenched with blood

 

“I’ll want to play it on the silver screen while I flay him. To see her... Ravaged... before i fill his eyes with molten Beskar…"

She beckoned them to follow her out of the bar, the worn floorboards littered with bodies and growing sticky with coagulated blood. They were greeted by the neon glow of the dying city, and the sound of several distant sirens. Terra ducked into a dark alley, leading the group towards the nearby docking bay. Clicking of boots echoed about them as they slipped silently in the dark, an obese security guard approaching from the opposite direction. A single flechette round separated the dome of his skull and attached scalp from his chubby face, the dart ripping through the squamosal suture above his right ear. As he fell in a quivering heap of escaping blood and death rattles, they slipped aboard Terra’s starship, Ironborn's Fury. With little hesitation, the ship escaped the gravity well of the dying planet, bound for Serreno.

[Emerald]

Her heart sinking as she looked back and forth between the massive form of Dorjoola and the even more intimidating Trandoshan, not to mention the hidden cronies she knew would be training blasters on them, Emerald sighed. "Well, kriff. I guess you win this round, sleemo. You've got yourself a deal," she quipped with a sidelong glance at Sapphire. This complicated their plans. Not irretrievably, but the stakes were higher now.

 

Dorjoola chortled uproariously with a mighty oh-ho-ho-ho, his sickening green eyes rolling back in his head as he did so. Feeling her upper lip curl in inescapable revulsion, Emerald tossed her again-blonde hair over her shoulder and folded her arms as she glanced at the Trandoshan. "The Tank? That's your name? They put that on your birth certificate? 'The Tank'? Bet you made friends easily growing up." She snickered as the Trandoshan responded with a guttural hiss.

 

An exasperated groan from Ruby over her hidden in-ear comm made it all the more difficult for Emerald to keep the grin off of her face. Glancing at the Quarren majordomo, Emerald gestured to him with her chin. "I guess this is the part where you set up the fight, Syd. Just don't let him bash my pretty face in too badly. I make money off this thing, you know."

 

The Quarren sneered at her. "Go to Kessel, you back-stabbing swill. I hope he destroys you."

 

She snorted. "I wish I could say it's been a pleasure. We'll see you creeps at the fight."

 

They turned to climb into Ruby's speeder as it pulled up alongside them. As it darted between buildings and over causeways, Emerald flicked the safety of her blaster on and off in nervous habit. "Kriff, Sapphire. How are we going to get out of this one? I don't know how much more behind-the-scenes magic I can put Tarvil up to."

[Sapphire]

Sapphire shook her head. "No, I'm not giving up. We can think of a way out of this."

 

The trio was silent as they made their way back to their safehouse, taking an extremely circuitous route and backtracking several times to ensure they couldn't be followed. The entire way, Sapphire was thinking. There had to be a way out of this.

 

When they got back to the apartment, she hopped out and headed inside. But she didn't sit down. Instead, she began to pace--back and forth and back and forth. She was frustrated, but she didn't let it get to her. There is a way... She continued to pace for the next twenty minutes, speaking to neither of the others.

 

And suddenly, like a stroke of lightning, she had it. "Ruby! Emerald!" she called out, her voice a little hoarse. "Succinylcholine!" She crossed over to the kitchenette and grabbed herself a glass of water. "Dorjoola is not going to risk trusting us to keep our word. It makes sense that he'll try to drug you, Em, to make sure the Tank wins." She sucked down some water, then held up the glass. "My guess is he'll put it in your water. But two can play that game. What if we snag the drugged one, you pretend you're drugged, and then..."

 

Over the next few minutes, she laid out the entire plan. It would take some acting on both her part and Emerald's, and Ruby would have to be the one to make sure she got Emerald a clean bottle of water. And of course, it all assumed that Dorjoola was going to rig the rigged fight. But this was Nar Shaddaa, and he was a Hutt. There were some things that were almost predictable in the underworld. Sapphire figured it was a safe bet. Another idea struck her. "And a little hacking magic will get us an even bigger payoff in the end."

[Emerald]

Syddro's work terminal lit up, and his tentacles curled in smug accomplishment. The bets were pouring in--a tiny Hapan girl against The Tank? She would be crushed. But half of their viewership might watch the fight just because of it. Humans were strange in their preferences that way: there was some twisted part of them that loved seeing beautiful things systematically destroyed. And if the blonde walked into that room to fight, she would be.

 

Syddro would make sure of it.

 

The door hissed open and the house manager, a burly Shistavanen named Romulo, padded in, his claws screeching against the durasteel. He paused several paces away, his sinews tense even in an at-ease stance before Syddro's desk.

 

"You wanted to see me?" he growled.

 

"Yes, Romulo, thank you for coming so quickly. It's about this fight. Dorjoola wants to ensure that our slimy little friend holds to her end of the bargain..."

 

---------------------

 

The alarm on her bedside table went off too early. Emerald slapped at it from beneath the satin sheets, groaning as she pushed herself up to a seated position. Today would be a true test of her mettle, and they had a lot of irons in this fire. It was kill or be killed. She dressed without incident, blowing a kiss to her complement of finery before donning a charcoal grey combat jumpsuit, its reinforced fiber able to turn the claws of the Trandoshan she was going to be spending some time with.

 

She skipped breakfast in favor of stimcaf, and threw back a couple mild painkillers in advance of her ordeal. Ruby shot her a testing glance from across her mug, and Emerald snorted at her.

 

"Don't look at me like that, Glow Worm. You're not about to get your lights put out by some Trandoshan called 'Tankini'," she quipped. "I need all the help I can get."

 

The sentence rang a little too true in the apartment for Emerald's taste, and she quickly covered over the seriousness of what she had said. She glanced around the living room, noting Sapphire was as of yet absent. "Where's our mastermind, anyways?"

[Sapphire]

"Just making us richer," came Sapphire's voice from the main hall. The red-head strode in, looking pleased with herself, but both the other pirates knew her well enough to see that something was eating at her. "Bets are pouring in for your fight today, Em. Syddro and Dorjoola are being careful, using a variety of different bookies from all over the sector. All of whom have terribly lax computer security, I'm sad to report." She grinned. "When this thing goes down, we'll have a nice little additional income to celebrate with."

 

She glanced at the Chiss. "You got the bottle ready, Ruby? Alright then...it's time." She hesitated, and then did something she rarely did. She walked over and gave Emerald a quick hug. "Good luck."

 

***

 

The three pirates arrived at the fighting ring right on time. "Alright, Em, make it look good, but not too good, okay? Don't make it go past the second round." They parted, Ruby and Emerald to the warm-up area, and Sapphire to Dorjoola.

 

"Ah, there you are. Are you ready?" Dorjoola couldn't keep the obnoxious gloating grin from his face.

 

Sapphire crossed her arms grumpily. "Let's just get this over with."

 

***

"LAAAADIESS AND GENTLEBEINGS!!! I BRRING YOU, A FIGHT FOR THE AGES! IN ONE CORNER, I give you THE CONTENDER, a Hapan fighter here to show us what she's got. LET'S HEAR IT FOR...EMERALD!"

 

The roar of the crowd was like a krayt dragon eager for a feast of bantha meat.

 

"AND IN THE OTHER CORNER, your LOCAL CHAMPION, the DEALER OF DEATH, the THIEF OF A THOUSAND VIRGINITIES, the ONE, the ONLY, THE TANK!!!"

 

There was the clanging of a bell, and the fight began.

[Emerald]

Trandoshan skin was not a pleasant sensation, Emerald thought as the Tank's knuckles raked across her cheekbone, scuffing her alabaster skin but not connecting with bone due to her quick dodge. Scaly, dry, rough, scratchy: it was nearly the polar opposite of the kind of thing Emerald wanted to collect in her life.

 

The fight had been going for at least fifteen minutes, neither of them landing blows with much success, each measuring the other's style. Emerald launched a lightly armored foot out towards his knees, catching him sidelong and causing him to stumble as his momentum carried him past her.

 

"I'll dance all day, big guy," she said, her voice sultry. "You think they came here to see you fight?"

 

The Tank gave a violet whuff as he brought his massive fist down where she had been standing just a moment before. She ducked into a roll, landing heavily on her shoulder and springing back up to her feet as he turned to face her once more.

 

"They came here for my lust appeal," she said, with an overplayed wink at the hovering holocams.

 

"You talk too much, fight too little, sissy human girl," he growled as he swung at her once more.

 

She caught his fist and pushed his momentum into the ground, roping herself around his back and falling neatly to the floor. "Oh, come on, they all paid well, at least give them a nice show."

 

He grinned a feral smile, showing a forked tongue between the sharpened teeth in his lizard face. "Oh, I will," he hissed triumphantly.

 

Emerald smirked, but a second later, her head began to swim. Narrowing her eyes at the Trandoshan in apprehension, she crouched into a fighting stance...

 

...and collapsed to her knees just before a blow from the Trandoshan caught her squarely across her midriff and splayed her out in the dull sand of the arena. Wheezing, she pulled herself back up onto her hands and knees, just to be caught again from behind, knocking her facefirst into the ground. She rolled away just in time to miss his boot, plummeting at incredible speed toward her and stamping into the sand where she had been.

 

Valiantly, she attempted to pull herself to her feet, murmuring into the open air, "Wait, something isn't right..."

 

Staggering, she lurched toward the wall of the arena. The Tank came charging at her, his fists moving in a barrage that caught her in the solar plexus, seeming to pound through her into the wall on the other side.

 

She was losing control, and she knew it. If she could not keep moving, he would drag her face through the floor of the arena, his victory assured and she herself utterly humiliated. Sapphire and Ruby were counting on her. A haze clouded her vision as his blows fell true.

 

Gritting her teeth, she pushed back against the drugged haze that clouded her mind. With a primal scream, she flung herself at the Trandoshan, and until it was over, all she could see were variations on the color scarlet.

[Sapphire]

Things were going okay, until suddenly Emerald took some nasty hits. Sapphire grimaced from the sidelines. She knew Em was going to have to get beaten up, and have to make it look good, but this was ridiculous. How many did she think she needed to take before it was good enough and she could just give in?

 

Something didn't seem right. She caught her fellow pirate's intense green gaze, and it was clouded and hazy. A jolt of alarm went through her and she spun, turning on Syddro. "What did you do?" she cried.

 

"Nothing," the Quarren replied a little too smugly.

 

"Nothing!? Look at her!"

 

"Just making sure you keep your end of the bargain. A little insurance."

 

Sapphire's face went pale. "You didn't," she breathed. "How could you drug her? Ruby, get the med droid."

 

"No need," Syddro said, "she'll be out soon."

 

"You don't get it, do you?" Sapphire retorted, her tone desperate. "Emerald isn't like other fighters! She doesn't play games. She fights to survive; it's her training. It takes all of her control when she fights. By drugging her, you just made her more dangerous! You've taken the safety off the blaster!"

 

There was no reaction from the Quarren.

 

"Look Syddro, if you want to keep the Tank fighting for years to come, you have to end this now!"

 

"And lose the fight? You must be joking. Never," the Quarren replied. "The Tank can still take her."

 

Sapphire's face fell. Come on, Emerald...

[Emerald]

Blow after blow rained down on Emerald, her muscles rebelling against the bioelectric commands trickling down her spine. Dread tightened in her gut as the panicked realization began to set in.

 

Forget winning or losing: she might not survive at all.

 

The roar of the crowd continued to increase as the blonde attempted to fend off her Doshan attacker to little avail. Somehow--her mind was so fuzzy from Syddro's drugs that she could barely even remember how--the Tank had worked her into a corner, pouring his fists like molten metal into her abdomen, doubling her in half as she ducked to fend off the blows.

 

Then, without warning, Emerald snapped.

 

She would not play Dorjoola's game anymore. She would not have her reputation tarnished like this just because their extortion plan was foiled. With a twitch of her muscles, she sprang into action, her vision colored crimson with hot unleashed rage, and then it all went black.

 

---

 

When she came back to herself, she was standing over the limp form of the Tank, who lay facedown in the arena sand. She was panting, sweat dripping from the ends of her long stringy hair, hands balled into fists and every muscle tensed. For a moment, she reveled in the afterglow of victory, whatever the repercussions.

 

Then she looked down at his still, unmoving frame, and her hands flew to her mouth, shaking. "I didn't..." she began hoarsely.

 

She turned her face up to Sapphire, her countenance pale and wan. "I didn't mean to kill him."

[Sapphire]

For a moment, the arena fell completely silent, the cheers dying on the crowd's lips as they realized what had happened.

 

The referee suddenly jumped in the arena. "We need a medical droid, quick!"

 

Squid-Head came to his senses first. "Okay, everybody out! Let's go! Everyone out of here! Fight's over, people! Everybody out, c'mon!" The crowd began to disperse, hurried along by Dorjoola's security teams. A med droid was on the scene now, hovering over the Tank, giving him injections, trying to revive him.

 

Dorjoola was furious. "What the kriff just happened?"

 

"What do you mean what happened!?" Sapphire retorted. "You could have killed her!"

 

"Do you realize how many credits you just cost me? I'm gonna make you pay! We had a deal!"

 

"Excuse me," the droid interrupted. "The fighter is dead. Revival attempts have been unsuccessful." There was a stunned pause. "She killed him."

 

"Wait, are you sure?" Syddro countered.

 

"There's nothing I can do. I've got to call the Hutt Families."

 

Dorjoola blanched. "No! Listen to me. You work for me. Let's just keep this quiet. Don't call the Families."

 

"There were hundreds of witnesses," the droid countered. "And there is a dead body. Protocol insists that the Families be notified."

 

"You worthless piece of tin! The Families didn't sanction this fight. I could be on the hook for millions in liability. This isn't worth it." He started to slither away.

 

"Not so fast, Dorjoola," Sapphire said quietly. "I think we know a way this can all go away." It was time to make their offer.

[Ruby]

Turning her red eyes onto Dorjoola, Ruby smirked at him. "You can't run--er, slither--away from this, Dorjoola. We both know that your ability to complain about cheating or breaking agreements was forfeit after you drugged Emerald. The Families will be after you, and then everything that happened here will be exposed. You'll be finished."

 

The Chiss toyed with the butt of her blaster in its holster. "Or," she began again with a shrug, "you could sign the assets of your organizations over to us, we can fake your death, and whatever heat the Families try to bring will just disappear. It's your choice."

 

Bulbous eyes studied her as Dorjoola seemed to be weighing his options. "Done," he croaked finally, holding out a grubby, oily palm toward Sapphire.

 

"No!" screamed Syddro. "They're playing you! I know they are!"

 

Ruby shrugged once more. "What choice do you think you have? If you want to take your chances with the mercies of the other Hutts, be my guest."

 

That shut Syddro up effectively, and after a brief interlude where they all adjourned to sign the contract, the whole of Dorjoola's operations on Nar Shaddaa belonged to the Blood Gem Pirates.

 

"Come on," Ruby said with an elbow in Sapphire's ribs, "we should go check on Em. I bet Tarvil has her by now."

[Sapphire]

Sapphire kept a straight face as Dorjoola slithered away, followed by his cronies. Once they were gone, she and Ruby headed over to where Emerald and Tarvil were standing next to the medical droid and the Tank's body. Emerald was beaten badly, but was standing on her own, so Sapphire knew it looked worse than it was. She smiled at her friend, then turned to the droid.

 

"Did you give him the new drug?" she asked it.

 

"Affirmative. When he awakes, he will have no memory from the past ten years of his life."

 

"Good," she replied, slipping the new I.D.s she had made for the Trandoshan into his pockets. One of Tarvil's men would dump him on some random world far outside Hutt Space, and that would be the end of him. Sapphire had toyed with simply killing him, but in the end, they had agreed that they didn't want to risk any heat coming on Emerald, even if she was sure they could get her off on a plea of self-defense. It was just tidier this way. Taking out her weapon, she blasted the med droid, shattering it's processors and turning it into scrap. That was the last of the loose ends, save for Tarvil.

 

The three pirates turned on the man. "Now Tarvil, here's where you come in. We will turn over running of Dorjoola's empire to you, in exchange for your fealty to us. We have little interest in the day-to-day workings of his empire, and you know all about it already. But we will be watching, and we'll expect regular shipments, credits, and access to everything. After all, it is ours."

 

"Ladies," he grinned, "that sounds mighty fine. You have yourselves an agreement."

 

***

 

The next two weeks was spent mostly cleaning up the business. Dorjoola's death had been faked, and he had slithered in shame off to some filthy Outer Rim world where he could hide in the ashes of his former glory--made even ashier when he discovered that all the money he had gambled on the fight had been with bookies that had all been fakes that Sapphire had set up, making all of his losses end up as a bonus in the Blood Gems' bank accounts. Tarvil had taken over the running of the empire, and he was smart enough to not betray the Gems, which made him quite a decent manager.

 

And the Gems--they were the Pirate Queens of Nar Shaddaa. They had access now to almost unlimited resources. Anything they wanted could be theirs. And for Sapphire, that meant that all her fondest dreams had come true. She had everything she wanted in life, and more.

[Emerald]

The banquet at which Sapphire and Emerald presided the following week (once Emerald's bruises had faded enough for the blonde to stop complaining about them) was the best of Nar Shaddaa: extravagant, seedy, and licentious.

 

Lounging on Tarvil's lap in a pearlescent cream-colored gown, bubbling cocktail in one hand, Emerald twirled her hair around her finger idly in the other. "You know, you really had them all fooled after that kriffing Sabacc tournament," she said in between sips of her drink. "I even had some rando Mando check on me to make sure I was okay after I kicked your ass."

 

Tarvil scoffed. "I'm hurt. He should have checked on me. Besides, I barely even tried, you were supposed to win."

 

"If there's anything you should have learned from this whole endeavor it's that the Blood Gems rarely do what they're supposed to," she quipped coyly.

 

"Fair enough," he said, smacking her leg playfully. "So, where are you ladies running off to now that you've made a mess that I have to clean up?"

 

Emerald shot Sapphire a knowing look. "Well, actually, Ruby volunteered to stay behind with you, Tarv," she said regretfully. "It's not what I want, but she wants to rework another prototype pulse mine and set up an R&D facility for her various, rather explosive, experiments."