Rise of the Unknown Sith 2 (Patreon)

The closest planet with an extra ship I had stashed away was a dustball called Tatooine. It'd be a two day trip, then another three before we'd leave. I hadn't been on Tatooine in a decade, so I needed to check on my enterprises, make sure that the puppet I'd put in place (after popping Jabba like the disgusting, puss filled boil that the majority of hutts were) was still operating as he'd been ordered.

Keza, during the two days, was doing everything that she could to "make up" for the fact that I'd kidnapped the Queen (who told us her name was Padme) with her BDSM toys. From how I'd seen the latter sitting in front of a mirror with glazed, vacant eyes as Keza stood behind her, braiding her hair while chattering endlessly about whatever nonsense had her focus this time, I figured that my twi'lek girl had succeeded.

I had to say, with all that ridiculous makeup and fancy, over the top regalia that probably cost more than the ship removed, she was pretty. Young, granted, but still pretty. I wasn't the best at judging human ages, I always forgot that they'd be dead of old age before a wookiee hit early middle age, but I'd guess that she was a little younger than Keza.

It was during breakfast on the third day that Padme finally asked, “What were you doing on Naboo in the first place?”

“Making a delivery, I know some people who retired on the planet, and I had a hold full of blasters that the original buyer wouldn’t be able to take anymore. I know rural folk, and so I knew they’d certainly pay for more blasters,” I told her, Keza whispering a translation into her ear.

“Why would you think of Naboo? We’re not…” she started, but I only snorted in amusement at what she was about to say.

“Trust me, rural folk are all the same, regardless of planet. Agriculture and small population sizes have a way of shaping people. A very independent and self-sufficient kind of person is the result. Just wait, when you get back to Naboo, the only places that the Trade Federation won’t be struggling with will be the cities,” I stated confidently.

If it weren’t for the fact that I knew her, I’d think Keza’s mumbled, “Force seeing him like this is hot,” wasn’t supposed to be said aloud.

A few hours later, and we finally landed on the sandy planet of Tatooine. The heat was nearly unbearable, and the sand flew around in whirls as we made our way to my contact; Padme dressed in some of Keza's spare clothes. Keza had insisted on coming with me, citing that Padme shouldn't be left alone on a strange planet, and while I agreed, I also knew that Keza just wanted to see the sights.

My contact, a greasy little man with a penchant for shiny trinkets, led us to my business operations. It was a front, of course, for my true interests: spice smuggling and gambling dens. The Queen was visibly uncomfortable as we made our way through the dimly lit halls, and I couldn't blame her. The air was thick with smoke and the sound of shouting and clinking coins.

But it was what I knew, what I was good at. And it was what funded my other endeavors, the ones that mattered more. The ones that had been set in place by my master, and her master before her, which would eventually topple the Republic and bring about a new era.

As we made our way back to the ship, Keza chattering excitedly about some new trinket she had acquired, I noticed the Queen watching me warily. I could tell she was wondering what kind of man I was, what kind of leader could condone such shady dealings.

But I didn't honestly give a whomp rat's left testicle. I had a mission, and I would do whatever it takes to accomplish it. Even if it meant kidnapping a queen and taking her on a detour to Tatooine.

That didn't mean I couldn't have some fun along the way though. Especially since I had a potential contact within the Galactic Senate practically fall into my lap. The ship we'd be taking, from Tatooine to Coruscant, was rather conveniently the slowest ship I owned. Which gave me plenty of time to plant a few suggestions and have Keza work her magic on training the Queen.

Keza was hardly my first slave, but if her moron of a father had known what a gem she was, he'd have charged a lot more for her. On top of being the best pilot I'd ever encountered, a better fighter than most mandalorians, a damn skilled medic, and, most importantly for my purposes, she was extremely skilled at training other slaves.

Not the way that hutts and zygerrians "trained" their slaves, that was the most wasteful and stupid way of going about it imaginable. Pain and torture didn't make for productive or useful slaves. No, Keza's training was different. She taught them skills that made them valuable to me and my associates. She taught them how to fly ships, how to fight, how to heal, and how to be discreet. And she did it all with kindness and respect.

It was amusing, the way that she trained people to wrap themselves in chains of shimmersilk, without even realizing it. She'd started in on it with Padme, correctly assuming that I wouldn't be opposed to having her under my thrall.

I shook my head, pushing all those thoughts aside as I made my way to the set of suites I stayed in whenever I visited Tatooine. There was a time for planning out the future, but for the moment there was a talk I'd need to have with Padme. Someone as sheltered and embedded in the ivory towers of Republic Politics as her would almost certainly want to have words about the criminal underbelly I favored.

I found Padme sitting on the balcony overlooking the desert landscape, her hair blowing in the hot breeze, showing an earpiece I'd last used when I first purchased Keza before she learned Shyriiwook. She glanced up at my approach, her eyes guarded.

"Is there something you wanted to discuss with me?" she asked, her voice carefully neutral. I leaned against the railing next to her, taking in the view.

"I wanted to make sure you understood something, Your Highness," I said, using the formal title to remind her of her status. "I may operate on the fringes of society, but that doesn't make me any less capable or effective than those who operate within its borders."

Padme turned to me, raising an eyebrow. "I never said that I doubted your capabilities, Captain," she said, her voice cool.

I chuckled wryly, "You didn't have to. I could see it in your eyes."

There was a moment of silence between us, before Padme spoke again. "What is it that you want from me, Captain?"

I straightened, looking at her squarely, "I want your support. Your influence. The Republic is a corrupt and broken system, and the common person suffers. I seek to take over the shadows and force it into something more productive."

Padme's eyes widened in shock. "You're talking about a rebellion?" she whispered.

I shook my head, "No, I am not looking to overthrow the Republic. What I am after is taking control of the criminal element of the galaxy. Shaping it into something that isn't so wasteful."

Padme shook her head, her expression troubled. "I can't be a part of that, Captain. I have a duty to the people I represent."

I leaned in closer to her, my voice low and rumbling in my chest, "And what good will that do, when the Senate is powerless to stop the Trade Federation? I have been out in the galaxy, I have experienced it, and I can promise you: when we reach Coruscant, no matter how you plea, no matter what argument you use, the Trade Federation won't see so much as a slap on the wrist."

She stared at me, looking into my eyes, before finally saying, "I am sure that you believe that, but I do not."

My answer was prefaced by a chuckle, "Do not worry, I am not offended. But there was one other thing I wished to discuss before we continued: it will be a few days before we will be able to leave for Coruscant. The Boonta Eve Classic is in two days, and there are several business associates that have been avoiding me that will be attending."

"My people are suffering and..." she began, but I held up a hand to cut her off.

"These associates are slavers and traffickers, one of which was what drew my attention to Naboo in the first place. Are you by chance familiar with a Wurth Rheva?" I asked, partly genuinely, partly rhetorically.

With the way her eyes widened, I knew she was. I wouldn't pretend that I was opposed to slavery, regardless of age, but I was opposed to sloppiness. Wurth Rheva was practically the definition of sloppy, especially in how he procured children to be sold on the slave markets. Agreeing to ship him from Naboo to Nar Shaddaa was not my best business decision.

"He's been avoiding me for the last five years, and this will be the first time he hasn't managed to find out I'm on the planet in time to grab passage offworld. There are several others that need reminding of the rules I put into place," I told her, mentally smiling at the raw, seething hatred visible on her face upon finding out that Rheva was present.

She gave me a curt nod, before turning to look back out over the desert horizon. I let her, turning to leave her to stew in her thoughts while I went to deal with Rheva and some other former business associates and soon to be dead men.

Keza slipped into the room as I left, both to bring some food and to continue her subtle training and manipulations. As the door shut behind me, I closed my eyes, immersing myself into the boughs and branches of the Force. I needed the one that led to Rheva, and after feeling the tension in the limbs stretching out from where I stood, I had him.

I strode down the crowded streets of Tatooine feeling the intense heat emanating from the twin suns through my fur, but I pushed it aside, focusing on the task at hand.

As I made my way through the throngs of people, I caught sight of Rheva up ahead. He was a short, pudgy man with beady eyes and greasy hair, and he was surrounded by a group of rough-looking thugs. I knew that I had to be careful, as he was armed and dangerous.

I approached him from behind, my hand hovering over the hilt of my vibroblade. As I got closer, I could hear him speaking in hushed tones to his men.

"Keep an eye out for any trouble," he was saying. "We don't want any interference from the likes of Captain Vrekk."

I smiled to myself, knowing that he had no idea that I was right behind him. I stepped up beside him and said, "Hello, Wurth. Miss me?"

He turned to face me, his eyes widening in shock, "C-Captain, I didn't know you were on Tatooine," he said, his voice shaking.

I chuckled, "I'm hurt, Wurth. I thought we had a business relationship."

He swallowed hard, his eyes darting around nervously. "Of course, Captain. I was just about to send word to you."

I raised an eyebrow, not believing a word he was saying, "Is that so? Well, I'm here now, and I need to have a word with you. I seem to recall a deal we made when I smuggled you off Naboo all those years ago. You remember that deal, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" he agreed immediately, his voice high and squeaky. His eyes raced around the street, searching desperately for anyone or anything that could save him from the deceptively calm wookiee. He came up short, even as I turned my gaze to the thugs he had with them, men I already had on my payroll.

"Ensure we aren't disturbed," I ordered, wrapping an arm around Rheva's shoulders as I forcefully led him into an alley. "This isn't a conversation to have on the open street."

"No problem," the thug in charge of the group agreed easily, making Rheva pale.

"It was just a few credits worth of product, nothing valuable enough to..." Rheva began, before I cut him off.

"He doesn't care about the cargo that you lost, you hairless simpleton," I snarled, making him whimper. The fear and dread wafting off him was like a finely aged wine, but fortunately for him, I was always more of a whiskey drinker. "What the boss cares about is the fact that you thought you could get the Jedi involved. You know the rules regarding what to do when the Jedi get involved, instead you thought you could just slap a shock collar on a padawan and get away with it? That kind of stupidity isn't something that the boss needs in his organization."

There was the rare occasion where I wished I had orchestrated having myself at the head of my criminal empire. This wasn't one. In many ways being known as the primary enforcer to the shadowy figure that had come to rule an enormous swathe of the galaxy's underworld had far more benefits.

Rheva's eyes widened in terror as I drew my vibroblade and held it to his throat. "Please, Captain Vrekk, I'll do anything," he pleaded, his voice cracking.

I leaned in closer, my hot breath making him flinch. "Anything, you say?" I whispered, my tone laced with malice. "Well, I do have a few...tasks that need attending to. Consider it a way to make amends for your...indiscretion."

Rheva nodded frantically, his eyes darting back and forth as if searching for a way out. "Anything, Captain. Just tell me what you need me to do."

"Oh, I think you'll find my requests quite...interesting," I said, my lips curling into a sinister smile. "But first, let's get you cleaned up and presentable. We can't have you meeting my associates looking like a mess."

I pushed him towards the end of the alley, where a small group of my personal attendants were waiting. "Take him to the cleaning chamber and make sure he's properly dressed. And keep an eye on him, I don't want him trying to escape."

As they led Rheva away, I couldn't help but chuckle to myself. There was nothing quite like the feeling of having the upper hand, of knowing that you had complete control over someone's fate. And with Rheva in my clutches, I had just that.

But there were other matters to attend to, other deals to be made. As I made my way back out into the busy streets of Tatooine, I couldn't help but smile. The galaxy was my playground, and I was going to make sure that everyone knew it.