-/Dark Times: Target 8\- (Better picture)

Under normal circumstances, Quay Sta’nn would have never thought of going back to his home planet Coruscant. Not after he got into quite some serious trouble with some crime gangs fairly soon after Order 66 got executed. But the job he was offered now was too big of an opportunity to miss. The Empire has initiated an assault on the mining world of Vanquo, and if this battle is lost the Empire will be vulnerable. Imperial forces have been called towards the center of Coruscant in case the Separatists attack the planet. This has left one of the biggest data vaults on Coruscant under low protection; a perfect opportunity to initiate a raid on the vault. The Red Hand, a crime syndicate Quay dealt with a few months ago, has hired all kinds of bounty hunters and smugglers to cause a distraction in the lower levels, and to raid the vault of its important information. Quay had taken the job to cause a distraction to draw Imperial troops away from the vault itself in exchange for a hefty sum of credits. The question floating around in his mind was, just how will he accomplish that?

 

After he had arrived at the planet on one of the spaceports, it immediately became clear to Quay how much the planet had changed in the few years he wasn't on Coruscant. As soon as Quay stepped out of the transport with the other passengers, a couple of heavily armed troopers walked towards them to see their IDs. Luckily, Quay brought a fake ID right before he left, otherwise he most likely would have gotten in trouble. The troopers took a look at his ID, gave it back to him, and nodded as a sign that he was free to walk through the gates. Quay walked through the gates and enjoyed the view of the skyline of this part of the planet. He took a taxi to the parts of the planet where he used to live, to see if his favorite places to go to were still there. After a bit of searching, Quay found one of the cantinas he’d frequented previously, down in level 4597.

 

On the outside, Gratt’s Tavern could just be described as one of the many, many bars down in the lower levels of this planet. But once you stepped inside, you could feel the warmth this place has. At every given point of the day, there was always some random smuggler or criminal enjoying a drink or playing a game of sabacc. The cantina had a variety of musicians who would play live music during the busy hours, and a reprogrammed protocol droid served as a waiter. And on top of that, the cantina was run by a kind old man named Terras Gratt, who could always provide a bit of advice and positive thinking when someone had some problems.

 

As Quay entered the tavern, memories of all the time he had spent in this place came flooding back. Here, he got his first mission, spent too many hours late in the night drinking all kinds of liquor, sharing stories with friends, and most of all, the apartment where Quay used to live was located right above the cantina. As soon as Gratt recognized who he was he walked towards Quay with a big smile on his face.

 

"Quay? You’re still alive? I thought those Imperials killed you years ago when you left here!” Terras said.

 

“I'm more surprised that you are still alive, you old barrel! With all the fights that break out in this part of the planet, it's a wonder that you haven't been killed yet,” Quay replied.

 

“The secret is just avoiding conflict at all costs. You can't be killed in a fight if you never are in a fight, to begin with!”

 

“Can’t argue with that logic,” Quay said. “So, how have you been holding up over these years? I could imagine the Empire changed a lot of stuff around here.”

 

“If you want, I have some time to catch up with each other. Apart from the occasional smuggler who stops by to get a drink, around this time of the day, it’s always quite calm here. And while we're at it, take a drink—on the house!”

 

After the two talked together for a while, they came on the subject of the apartment above the bar that Quay had lived in for quite some time before his departure from Coruscant. Terras owns the apartment and rents it out to people, but when Quay asked if someone came to live thereafter he left the planet, Gratt replied that the apartment had been vacant ever since he left.

 

“Would you mind it if I would stay there for a few days? Gotta finish this one mission I have, then I will probably leave again. And once I get paid for it, I will make sure to give you a share to cover the apartment.”

 

“Sure! It's quite a mess at the moment though. Since I couldn't get anyone to rent that place, I started using it to store left-over drinks and stuff I never use anymore. So unless you have a problem with sleeping in the mess, you are free to stay there.”

 

 

Because Quay would be gone in a few days anyway, he accepted the offer to stay in the mess for a couple of days. He packed the small amount of stuff he brought with him and headed to the apartment upstairs. As soon as he entered the room, Quay saw how much stuff was in there. Broken glasses, tables filled with blaster holes presumably from shootouts that happened there, tanks filled with fluids, and more junk was scattered all around the fairly big place. At least there was still a bed present in the room, and some other small furniture that Quay could still use. He dropped his luggage on the bed and opened the blinds to enjoy the view he used to see almost every day. Because it was almost night, Quay prepared to go to sleep. Just as he was about to go to sleep, the room was suddenly illuminated by a purple glow coming from the corner of the room.

 

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you on the spot.” a female voice said. A figure emerged from the shadows, and Quay saw where the purple light came from. The woman was holding a lightsaber, meaning that this person was most likely a Jedi.

 

¨Look, there’s no need for a fight here, I can get you whatever you want if you help me on a mission. Food, credits, a ride to get off this planet, you name it.¨

 

The Jedi thought about the offer for a moment, before accepting it.

 

“If you can get me a stock of credits and a fake ID, I will aid you on your mission. I'm planning on leaving this planet since it’s filled with Imperialists, but that’s hard to do when those troops closely monitor everyone who enters and leaves this planet. So, what is that job of yours?”

 

Quay explained what was happening on Vanquo, and the job the Red Hand offered him.

 

 

“So that is why the city center was so filled with Imperial troops.” the Jedi said.

 

“Indeed. The Red Hand tasked me with causing a distraction somewhere in these levels, but I have no idea how I am going to do that. In about 3 hours, the raids are supposed to start, but without a solid plan, I am not sure if I will even finish this job.”

 

“Don't worry about it. While you get me that ID and credits, I will stay here to make us a plan. But if this is all a trick, and you’re planning to give me over to the Empire, the pain of this blade slicing through your body will be the last thing you feel.”

 

“Alright, I’ll keep that in mind. I am not planning to give you to the Empire. By the way, I never properly introduced myself to you. My name is Quay Sta’nn. If you don't want to tell me your name, I can understand that.” Quay said before walking out the door.

 

“Shaella. My name is Shaella Xalrich.” The Jedi said.

 

Quay went out on the streets, still worried about how he would ever be able to accomplish this job, but he did know where to get a false ID, so that’s where he would start; he went to an old friend who was able to make him a couple of fake IDs for the Jedi without divulging any info. When he returned to his apartment a few hours later with some food he grabbed from a food stand a few blocks away, Shaella was still busy making the plan for the raid.

 

¨This has been a lot harder than i expected. I made a few plans, but they are very risky.¨ Shaella said.

 

¨Ah, forget it. The raid will be starting in about an hour. I doubt we will be able to participate in them without a solid plan. I got us some food, so if you want some feel free to take it. Also got those credits and that false ID for you, but I first want a solid plan before you will get those.¨ Quay replied.

 

Shaella nodded that she understood it, and started eating a bowl with food. She and Quay started talking about some stuff while they were eating, and Quay told her all kinds of stories from his past on this planet. The two enjoyed sharing some of their experiences to each other. After a while, they got to the topic of Order 66.

 

¨I have a bit of a weird question, but...how did you survive the Purge? I thought Order 66 wiped out the entire Jedi Order.¨ Quay asked.

 

Shaella went silent for a moment, before telling him how she survived the Purge.

 

¨Me, my master, and our pack of Clone Troopers were stationed on Colla IV near the end of the Clone Wars. Here, they manufactured droidekas and more droids for the Separatists. We were waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike at one of the factories, when suddenly the commander got a call from Chancellor Palpatine himself. Although I wasn't paying attention to what was said to them, I did hear a few words: ¨Execute Order 66.¨ Before I knew it, the Clones had their weapons pointed at me and my master. We managed to get to the gunship to escape the planet, but my master got wounded to the point where no surgeon could save him anymore. I managed to take control of the gunship and eventually crashed on this planet, but my master died a slow and painful death on the way there. He left me his Lightsaber, but since using one Lightsaber is risky enough on its own, I usually carry it with me at all times. To this day, I can still feel the emotional and physical effects of that event. Everyone that i knew and could trust, have been killed or is now held in a prison somewhere by the Empire. And while that all is happening, i am stuck here, without being able to do anything to it.¨

 

Quay went silent after hearing this story. He himself went through some heavy stuff growing up, but he could imagine the kinds of consequences an event like this could leave to a person.

 

The silence was quickly ended by someone banging on the door. Shaella hid behind the trash in the room, while Quay walked towards the door to open it. An Stormtrooper was standing in the doorway, with several more troopers standing behind him.

 

¨We have reports of a Force-sensitive hiding around somewhere in this sector. Would you mind if we take a look around this apartment?¨ The trooper asked.

 

¨Of course not.¨ Quay replied. Although he was worried that the troopers would find Shaella, he knew that if that were to happen she would be able to take them all on. 5 troopers stepped through the doorway, and started searching the apartment. It didn't take long before one of the troopers shouted: ¨Hey, what is this woman doing behind all of this junk?¨ Shaella quickly ignited her lightsaber and fighted the Stormtroopers. While the troopers did their absolute best to try to take her down, Shaella doged and blocked all of their attacks, and took them down one by one. Just before she was about to take down the last trooper in the room, he shouted in his comms:

 

¨The Force-sensitive has been found! Requesting immediate backup on level 4597!¨

 

Shaella´s blade sliced through the trooper, but it was too late. All of the Empire was now alerted of their presence, and would be at this location in a matter of minutes.

 

¨Well, what should we do now?¨ Quay asked Shaella. She thought about it for a second, until coming up with an answer.

 

¨I'm done with hiding from the Empire. I would rather fight them for the greater cause and go down in glory, than to spend my remaining days rotting away here.¨

 

The two stepped outside the door, and immediately saw dozens of troopers running towards them. Quay and Shaella quickly stepped into Gratt´s tavern. The cantina was filled with people, but if they didn´t get out as soon as possible, they would get caught in the heat of the battle. Shaella ignited her lightsaber, and yelled: ¨Everyone, get out of here, now!¨ Nobody hesitated for a second, and in a matter of seconds the cantina was empty, with the exception of Terras who stood behind the bar, terrified.

 

¨What is this, Quay? Care to explain why you are with a Jedi, who just scared away all of my customers?¨ Gratt said, noticeably angry and scared.

 

¨No time to explain right now. Listen, the Empire is about to arrive here in seconds, and without any good intentions. It's better if you get out of here, right now.¨

 

¨There is no way i am leaving my own cantina behind! I´ll stay here. I have a blaster here, so I can protect myself if needed. I will just hide behind the counter, together with my protocol droid.¨ Gratt replied.

 

¨Well, prepare yourself for a heavy fight if you stay here. And Quay; I hope you can handle this. You´ll need it if you want to survive this battle.¨ Shaella said.

 

Shaella threw something towards Quay. He caught it, and looked at what he held in his hands; it was a Lightsaber. He ignited it, and a green blade emitted from the saber.

 

¨This saber used to belong to my master. I held onto it for years, but I never used it.¨

 

¨Wow, I don't know how to thank you. I am sure this will be helpful in the fight.¨

 

¨Thank me later. First, we have some Bucketheads to take down.¨

 

Right as she said that, the first Stormtroopers walked into the cantina. While Quay had some trouble getting used to using a Lightsaber at first, he was able to quickly take down the first troops. Shaella used the Force intensively, and used it to hold one of the troops in the air right before piercing him with her Lightsaber. Just as that happened, a couple of troopers equipped with heavy-repeating blasters entered the cantina. Although Quay was able to dodge most of the blaster fire, a few of the blaster bolts hit the Lightsaber, damaging it enough to make the blade retract.. In the corner of his eye, he could also see one of the blaster bolts hit the Protocol droid Gratt owns, probably damaging it beyond repair. The fight seemed to last forever, until Quay and Shaella delivered the final blow towards the Empire. 4 Reconnaissance Troop Transports arrived, each carrying about a dozen troopers. Gratt quickly tried to get Quays attention, and he revealed some explosives he took as a payment from some arms dealers who stopped by to get a drink there earlier that day. Quay took some of them, activated them, and threw them at the troop transports. The devices rolled under the transports and detonated, causing the transports to explode. The few Stormtroopers who survived the blast, quickly received orders to retreat; the fight was won. Quay received a message from the Red Hand; The vault was successfully raided, and mostly thanks to Quay and Shaella. Although the Red Hand didn't know how he pulled it off exactly, a big part of the troops were sent to their location while other smugglers and bounty hunters raided the vault.

 

¨Well, I guess we didn't really need a plan to get this job done.¨ Quay said. ¨Thank you Shaella, I couldn't have done it without you. Since you have aided me in my mission, I will stick to my promise; here are the fake ID and credits needed to get off this planet. And Gratt, for you, I can get you some of the best repairers to fix your droid, plus some more credits to cover the damage we made here.¨

 

¨Quay, I want you to take this. I am ready to let go of my past, and start a new life somewhere. Since that Lightsaber of yours got pretty damaged, you can use parts of mine to repair it. With it, I have instructions on how to safely repair it. Goodbye, Quay Sta'nn. It was a delight to work with you.¨ Shaella said, before she walked off to get off the planet.

 

A few days later, Quay was working to repair the Lightsaber using Shaella´s instructions. The damage in Gratt´s Tavern was now mostly repaired, and his protocol droid was as good as new. Quay emitted the saber, and a purple blade emitted. It used to belong to a skilled Jedi, but now he owned it. He took his time to make it truly his own, and it showed off. He took a moment to process the power of the weapon he had in his hands right now. Anyone could use a blaster, but to handle a weapon like this it required more skill to handle. It will take a lot of time to learn how to properly use it, but one thing was for sure; This weapon would change Quay's life.

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Well, this took me a bit too long to finsh. My last moc for 2020, enjoy! (deleted the last version of the pic, since that one kinda sucked)

Done