Caught in the WEB

The winds of change

2005-03-01T11:53:00.000-05:00

Hmph? Oh ... you ... hello, again. Haven't seen you lately ... well, true, yeah ... I haven't exactly made myself available lately, either. Hey, get over it! I'm a busy man, I can't sit around here and tell you stories all the time just for the hell of it. There's money to be made and battles to be won out there, this sort of "downtime" is a luxury I can ill afford. Huh? Well, I suppose I could take a few minutes to tell you a bit more about what's been going on. Pull up a chair and sit down.

I think its safe to say that folks have noticed the balkanization around Wanders End. There's this group and that group and the other group ... lots of contributing factors, some personal ... some not. I've made my own reservations known, to what end who knows ... probably to no end, but that tends to be the way it goes when the political tides are against you. I suppose a decent portion of that is my fault, I've never been one to deal with problems with much less than a scorched earth campaign. If the bridge is falling down you may as well burn it down and finish it off once and for all. On the same token ... there's plenty of blame to go around, there's just those who are willing to accept it and those who are not. I'm tired of being cast as the sole source of all that has gone wrong ... especially when the bulk of that view comes from someone who has begun to strike some disturbing parallels to what we once fought against to make a better place ... but ... ahh ... I suppose that is the irony of ironies. There is an old saying that says that absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely. To be honest I never much believed that ... but as events have unfolded, I've begun to have my doubts. I am sure it's not so much a matter of true corruption ... corruption implies deceit and duplicity. I do think, however, that the mantle of power does tend to blind those in authority ... that sometimes they fail to see what they have done or what they have started ... perhaps, moreover, what they have not done ... and where it might someday lead.

It strikes me as somewhat amusing that amidst a period of time which has been a source of much joy, I find it couched with the realization that all is still not well. The joy of joys ... whisking Saari aboard my yacht, The Prodigal Son, for a tour of space above Lok. I asked her to marry me up there, amidst the nebulae and asteroids ... and she graced me with an affirmative answer. We hugged, we kissed, and I told her how happy she had made me ... how happy I had been since I had met her. I would do anything for this woman, I think ... well, virtually anything. On the ground ... politics was dictating policy as the city of Wanders End lurched further towards autocracy as it was declared, minus any vote, that the guild and town would now be one entity. I had to assume this was done as some response to the belief that I was going to switch sides in the war and bring a strong Imperial presence to town. How my friends misjudge my motives. My desires were so less complex, so terribly lacking complication ... I loved a woman with all my heart, and I wanted her to be as much a part of my life as possible. A big part of my life was the Brigade itself ... and while my love's political aspirations differed markedly from my own, we already had several members of our organization with similar political beliefs. Admittedly they were political free agents ... Dok Death, Elazar. even Mayor Caco himself ... they had a history of playing both sides of the war for their own personal gains. The answer was, however, a resounding "no." This added to the deepening rift between myself and the powers that be around the Brigade and city. Teague, the Brigade leader, and I exchanged some heated words ... regrettable words ... I felt, and still do feel, that the bulk of the resistance to Saari being asked to formally join the guild was coming from Kesa and a desire on her part to deny me something she knew I wanted. The rift between she and I was growing and deepening ... Teague demanded some sort of resolution but I had none to offer. What was there to be said? I pointed out to him that there wasn't much room for me to complain about some of the leadership if I was complaining about the woman he was involved with himself. This simply angered Teague further, that I felt he was incapable of seperating the business of the guild from personal affairs. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike Teague ... in fact I am rather fond of him and his easy-going approach ... but he is a man, and as a man myself I know full well that when the business and personal are mixed it IS difficult to deal with one without impacting the other. I've been there and done that ... in fact, it could be said that my own attempts to do so were what initially set this whole series of unfortunate events into motion to start with.

I spoke with some of the others around town ... Timewalker insisted he didn't want to get too involved, that the politics were not something he was much interested in. He did say, however, that he had a problem with Imperials in the city and in the Brigade, and I could respect that point of view ... it was one that I once had myself. Yet ... at one time, it would have been unthinkable, at one time not long ago there would be no quarter for Imperials in this organization. The reality is, however, people have changes of heart and one can never be assured that the political views of an individual will remain unchanged for their entire life. The valiant rebel warrior you recruit at some point may be swayed by the riches and power found amongst the ranks of the Empire. There is no such thing as a sure thing ... there are no gaurantees. Timewalker agreed but insisted you had to take your chances ... which is quite true, but then walking out of your door every day was a matter of taking your chances. Others told me that they didn't like the idea of Imperials around, but since they were already here ... and coming into the city via the shuttle all the time ... that an exception in this case should not have been an issue, since Saari was known to many and generally well-liked by all. My support of the rebellion was still strong ... but the inflexibility of some of my peers reminded me of the staunch dogmatism of the Empire itself. How do you win hearts and minds when you show nothing but contempt?

A group of us ... Timewalker, Rak Kendall, Ipovi, Rogue, TW's friend Twilks, and I decided to clear our heads and take a foray into the Geonosian Bio Lab hidden away in the remote hills of Yavin IV. Saari came to see us off and wish us luck ... I wondered what the others might have thought of it, but these displays of affection were becoming more common place. It was good for the mind and spirit ... we fought well and cohesively ... I was amazed at how well we functioned as a team despite the fact that some had never ventured to this dangerous place before. Ipovi, an entertaining Mon Calamari with a glib nature, proved himself to be an extremely capable warrior ... and Rogue was once again in the spotlight as a medical practitioner of extreme excellence. In the end we were unable to secure the dread beast Acklay at the end ... but no one died, and we made our way back out of the place with time to spare. Twilks was strong and impressive as well ... I wondered if he would eventually join WEB himself ... he would be a great addition to the group. Rak ... I had adventured with him some before ... it was interesting to stand shoulder to shoulder to someone else who was nearly as capable with a Lightning Cannon as I was ... his skill had certainly increased since I had last observed him in the heat of combat.

The winds of change, however ... they were still blowing. A contingent of others around town spoke to me about the grave mistake that closely linking the city to the Brigade. Surely the two were always linked in some way, but it was more of an informal arrangement. Guilds come and go as we are all well aware ... but a city is something that can, and should, endure for some time. It was a point of view that I happened to share, that it was perhaps better for both entities to be able to operate on their own, but again the arrangement of power was such that there was not much room for discourse. I could see the logical step in wanting to relate city and guild ... but the benefits there are lost if the guild falters, and guilds all eventually falter and fail. The municipal politics could cause more of a drag on guild affairs ... just as the politics of the guild could disrupt the city. It was already happening and several saw it each having their own personal view on the whys and what-fors. The part many found disturbing was that the princples upon which Wanders End had been founded ... namely trying to have as many included into the process of decisions as possible ... had been eroded away into what had become an oligarchy and those who dared disagree were sent off to sit in a corner and be ignored or castigated. Ah ... the echoes of Copia right outside my door. I remind myself that these are all still good people with noble intentions ... that they mean well in what they do ... or I at least pray for that, and I am not one for much prayer.

Color me foolish, moreover naive, if I believed allowing one more Imperial would make no difference at all ... especially when it is a woman I love and a woman whom I know would never do anything to knowingly hurt me or the city I love as well. I understand the fear that some of them have ... but Wanders End is now a growing part of the planetary and galactic economy ... and stepping off that shuttle could be anyone or virtually anything. The Imperial crackdown is in full swing across the galaxy and members of the rebellion have to expect attack at any turn as it was ... no where was safe ... no where. Not this city, not this planet ... and any illusion to the contrary was just that ... an illusion. That's all I have to say at the moment ... take your drink with you if you're not done with it, I'm not cleaning up after you. We'll talk again later, I'm sure.

Lyrical Interlude 2

2005-02-11T13:27:00.000-05:00

((From the author ... now and then you can expect me to throw in some song lyrics here or there to sorta "add to the soundtrack" if you wanna call it that. I tend to find appropriate songs amongst those that I normally would listen to and others that I wouldn't ... but the song is appropriate just the same for one reason or another. I like to think they help set some mood for the rest of the story. Anyhow ... here's one.))

Song: Maybe I Should Stay Here - by: Alan Jackson

Maybe I should stay here
For the rest of my life
My compliments to you dear
You're so easy on the eyes
I'm likin' how my Jack and water mixes with your
Estee Lauder ooh
So maybe I should stay here
And keep makin' eyes at you

Maybe you should stay here
I beg you not to go
There's something I must say dear
I'm compelled to let you know
My intuition makes me think
That holdin' you's a possibility
So maybe you should stay here
And keep makin' eyes at me

Some lovers lose, some lovers win
But honey I don't care
Somebody said only fools rush in
But me, I'm already there
So maybe we should stay here
'Cause here's where we belong
Like me the night is lonely
Like you the night is young
There's no reason why
We shouldn't have these feelings
If it happens naturally, oh yeah
So maybe we should stay here
For all eternity, oh baby, we should stay here just
You and me

Lock and Load!

2005-02-11T11:55:00.000-05:00

Hmm, so where was I when you were last bugging me? Oh ... yeah ... I was telling you about one of my forays out into the wilds of Yavin IV, hunting down members of the Black Sun criminal organization. OK ... yeah I'll finish that story up for you ... sit down, shut up, and you just might learn something or three. Then again you may just get bored ... if so, tough, you're the one who came to me.

I yelled over the commlink to Saari to fall back to a nearby ridge, the Black Sun we'd encountered were on the top of one rise but as we had flown past on our speederbikes, we'd dipped into a small valley. We reached the top of the rocky outcropping with the Black Sun Assassin and his lackey Guard still proceeding towards us, but they were taking their time, it was a slow and deliberate approach ... they knew something we didn't. Saari and I stowed our bikes and took up defensive positions between the rocks and the few small craggy trees nearby. The hiss of a crystal snake was audible to my right, amongst a patch of scrub-growth 30 meters off ... but that snake was the least of my worries at the moment. The Black Sun were coming into range when I happened to look over my radar and spotted three more blips moving in our direction from our left, they were coming uphill ... but they were coming. Blaster fire erupted from all sides ... I think perhaps Saari fired first at the Assassin that had been following us. The additional blasts confirmed what I feared ... the Assassin had reinforcements coming up the rise to assist him. Damn! We could deal with two of them, perhaps even three ... but five would prove to be too much, and today was not a good day to take a trip to the cloner.

"Saari, fall back, fall back ... we've got three more coming in hot ... get outta here."
"What? I don't see them ..."
"They're downhill still ... maybe not on your radar yet but I see them, put on your running shoes and get the hell outta here NOW."

Saari turned and started running as fast as she could ... but we were in the middle of this rocky zone midway up the side of the mountain ... there were lots of little rises and valleys to negotiate and Saari wasn't trained like I was in covering a lot of rough terrain in a short period of time. Being a bounty hunter had its disadvantages ... yes ... but running over terrain like a brackaset wasn't one of them. Before long Saari was hauling ass down one of the valleys heading towards the forest floor while I was several hundred meters back, sitting on top of the next series of ridges. It looked like the the first two Black Sun had lost interest ... but the other three were moving quickly to Saari's position.

"Ow! They're on me. Goddammit these bastards hit hard."
"Saari can you head towards me? Use your radar ... just keep moving."
"I can't get away uphill, I'm too slow ... dammit, they're going to get me ... shit."
"OK, stay calm ... just keep moving on the flat terrain and try to put as much distance between you and them as you can, I'm coming."
"Well sure ... but hurry the frig up, big boy, because I can't take too much more of this."

I slapped a powerup on my damage-modified scatter pistol and took off as fast as I could downhill towards them. The branches of some of the shrubs and bushes whacked against my armor plates ... they'd have ripped my skin had it been exposed. Over and down I went until I saw the three Black Sun in question ... two Henchmen and another Assassin. There was Saari as well ... about 20 meters in front of them. I targetted the Assassin who was in the middle and opened up with a series of fan shots, allowing me to strike all of them at once. The Henchmen turned towards me and opened fire but the Assassin remained in pursuit of Saari. Black Sun Henchmen aren't too bright nor are they terribly powerful ... bottom of the totem pole rank-and-file of the organization you might say. A threat they can be, yes, especially in numbers ... but it looked like Saari already had both of them wounded and bleeding and I was able to dispatch each as I ran downhill at them.

"Jakob, help, I'm going down ... I can't run any more ... aaugh."

I saw her drop in a heap at the base of a large rock ... damn damn damn. The Aassassin was still several meters away from her, but he was making his way towards her slowly ... he was going to finish her, I had to act fast. I ran straight at him and let fly with a series of torso, bleeding, and eye shots. Dammit if I couldn't blind the bastard but I did light his ass up with a good burn to go with additional bleeding. That got his attention and he turned towards me and started shooting. I stepped back up the rise, trying to draw him towards me and away from Saari and it seemed to be working ... he kept shooting and started to close the distance between the two of us. I dodged a few of his shots but he hit me squarely in the arm causing one hell of a bleeding wound and then he hit me in the head, disorienting me ... my ears were ringing inside my helmet like a rock being shook inside of a metal bin.

It was right then that the mind-altering effects of the entertainer I had visited before heading out here began to fade. I felt a little light-headed, my ability to focus greatly diminished ... and it was as if the son of a bitch knew it because the next two shots rung my helmet like a bell. Down the hill and behind the Assassin, I could see Saari geting to her feet, composing herself in her own particular way. She was cussing like a member of the Imperial Navy, which meant she was really none the worse for wear. Despite my own issues at hand, I found myself cracking a knowing smirk ... how could one not like that kind of dogged determination in a woman?

I scrambled behind some trees, buying myself a little time as the Assassin tried to line me up in his crosshairs. I was too full to drink any more brandy and I was already loaded up on synthsteak and ahrisa to eat much else. The air was thick with the moisture of the heat rising from the jungle floor as well as from the sweat running down my brow. I eyed a muon gold I had in my pack ... oh so tempting ... but I despised the use of spices ... I didn't like what they did to you later, downers always seemed to happen at the most inopportune times. Yet ... there was my focus crystal ... the one which I had picked up for my work with the Aurillian Village on Dathomir. I squeezed it and focused ... my mind felt balanced, at ease, and strengthened. I applied another powerup to my scatter pistol and rolled out from behind the tree with a steady burst of torso shots. It was time to take this bastard out or die trying.

Saari was making her way up the hill as well, even though she'd not fully recovered ... she looked a bit dazed but she was shooting at the Assassin, doing what she could. I watched as the fire burning on the Black Sun grew brighter and hotter as he stepped into melee range and produced a large axe to swing at me. I tried to pistol whip him to the ground, but he resisted and kept swinging that big bloody axe. There was no sense in running as I felt my armor beginning to give way in places from the assault ... I stood my ground and kept lighting him up while Saari kept a steady stream blaster fire on him. Finally my own bleeding stopped ... the worst was now over and the tide had indeed turned. The Assassin turned to make a run for it, but I was on him before he got far ... and soon after his life was extinguished.

"Are you ok, babe?"
"Yeah, dammit, I'm ok now ... I thought he was going to kill me."
"Well, heh, he was ... why I started shooting at him with all that I had to get his attention. I'm just thankful he decided he come chase me down and leave you for later."
"Well, yeah ... thanks, babe, guess you kinda saved my ass again."
"Hey, doll, no worries ... if you hadn't composed yourself and come back up to help me out, I'm not positive I could have held him off. My mind was shot and I was too full to eat or drink anything. You know I'm no freakin' medic, either. Heh heh heh."
"Let's just get the hell outta here and go relax somewhere, ok? This was enough excitement for me for one evening on Yavin IV."
"You got it, let's head back to the outpost."

She drew close to me then, standing on that rocky ridge above the jungle and embraced me tightly. The corpse of the Assassin was still smoldering to our side as she pulled off her own helmet and then helped me take my own off ... so she could kiss me ... it was a warm, firm, earnest kiss. She smiled, I smiled ... we got on our speederbikes and headed in to the relative safety of the Mining Outpost to relax and unwind.

Yavin IV ... a nice place to visit

2005-02-07T10:11:00.000-05:00

I've always had an affinity for Yavin IV ... perhaps it was the long streches of white sand beaches, perhaps it was the unique flora and fauna. I think perhaps I liked it due to the fertile hunting it provided ... for both quarry on four legs or two legs ... as well as eight legs. When a bounty hunter takes a bounty, he never knows where the mark may be tracked down. Sometimes the mark is discovered on one of the more genteel worlds ... Corellia, Naboo, Tatooine ... but sometimes, in their desire to evade capture, they attempt to hide amongst the dangers of Endor, Yavin IV, or even Dathomir.

Endor isn't a bad place, so long as you don't let any of the fraggin' critters bite you. Seems that everything has some sort of freakin' poison or disease out in those deep forests. Then you've got the Ewoks and the Duloks ... frenetic little furballs existing in very rudimentary societies. There's also the Death Watch to be wary of ... but I'll get into my experiences with them at some other point in time. Dathomir, heh ... now I really do hate that place. Even with my great terrain negotiating abilities, the constant hills and valleys are confusing and disorienting, especially at night ... but then Dathomir seems to be shrouded in darkness most of the time. The rancor monsters, baz nitches and other creatures are plentiful and sometimes challenging ... but the real threat out there is running into the Force Witches, namely the Nightsister and Singing Mountain clans. When it comes to indigenous peoples of these worlds, I have a firm belief in picking a side and sticking to it. On Dantooine I try to stay within the good graces of the Jantas and Dantari ... and on Dathomir I keep myself aligned with the Singing Mountain Clan. I'm sure they'd prefer to simply capture me for breeding stock ... but I've hunted and killed enough Nightsisters that the SMC leaves me alone. Heck, there's been a few incidences where members of the SMC have come to my aid while I was under attack by their hated rivals ... and that's the sort of assistance money simply cannot buy. Still ... tracking a mark across the hellish terrain of Dathomir is daunting enough without having your swoop blown out from underneath you by a burst of force lightning while you feel your throat being crushed by a force choke attack.

Yavin IV lacks the native populations of these other places ... although there is no shortage of various expeditionary or exploratory forces to be found. The Empire, Rebellion, and even the Hutts all maintain a good deal of minions on the ground ... and each can present its own set of problems. Generally, however, unless you are spoiling for a fight, they are avoidable and you can be blending into the undergrowth and on your way before they even realize you were near them. The ancient temples of the Woolamander and Blue Leaf are notable sites to be seen, and I find myself often returning to both. In a historical sense I think they once served roles within the ancient Jedi Order ... but now both are ruins teeming with the scurrying woolamanders or insect-like dark klikniks. I understand that the ancient Sith Master Exar Kun once held the Blue Leaf in his thrall ... if this is the case, it explains much about the aura of evil which permeates the place. The big bugs you find there are more formidable than their brethren found elsewhere on Yavin IV ... and they are present in great numbers. Hunting there, with all that action awaiting, is something I find relaxing.

In the northwestern uplands on Yavin IV, however ... ah, that's where you will find the greatest danger. The Black Sun, a galactic crime syndicate which aligns itself with whomever is willing to pay its fees, are often found in the area working on their combat training. You can't miss them in their distinctive armor while they patrol the ridges and valleys looking for targets upon which to practice their assassination techniques. Recently I decided to practice some of my own assassination skills against these trained killers and I asked Saari, whose company I was finding myself more and more in need of, if she would like to go. I explained to her the inherent dangers but she was game for the excitement ... she got that devillish glimmer in her eyes that makes me smile. We made our preperations and flew into the Yavin IV Mining Outpost ... mounted our swoops and made a bee-line for the northwestern regions.

On our way there I encountered a small band of stranded Imperials ... I readied my lightning cannon and dismounted my bike, taking quick aim and rushing the Imperial position. The concentrated burst fire of electricity made short work of the Emperor's boys ... but then I could feel the stare ... I turned to see Saari sitting on her bike giving me a stern look and then she laughed. I had to laugh as well.

"I should turn you in, you know ... for what you just did."
"Yeah I suppose you could ... but somehow I don't think you will. Just pretend you never saw anything."
"Hrrmm ... perhaps I didn't see anything ... perhaps I did ... perhaps I need to be persuaded to forget?"
"Oh don't you worry about that ... I'll think of something to make you forget."
"Bwhahahaha! Oh good!"

As we travelled further into the uplands, we flew past a small rebel encampment ... and the previous scene repeated itself, but in reverse. At one time I think I'd have been infuriated seeing some good rebel soldiers being slaughtered like pigs ... but then I suspect Saari's views on this in reference to Imperials was once much the same. Yet I found myself worrying less about the Galactic Civil War ... or should I say I was definitely beginning to view it in more of a matter of where the money could be made. My underworld contacts in Theed were all Imperials ... but yet they were also working against the Empire in their own ways to secure their own little piece of the contraband pie. The enemy of my enemy is my friend ... well, perhaps some of the time. That's another story for another time, though ... maybe I'll chew your ear off with it later. Anyhow ... Saari and I continued deeper into the wooded uplands ... looking for two legged quarry.

There were others out here as well ... it turned out members of WEB were already scouting the area, themselves in search of the sometimes elusive Black Sun. Teague Watson, our leader and consumate warrior, was covering territory with Kesa Mist and her litany of rifles at the ready. Dr'Uv, a Bothan bounty hunter, was out here as well ... so was Kaclo, a Rodian swordsman, and our big resident Wookiee who simply went by the name of Shagg. My commlink was definitely buzzing with updates and locations. Saari and I headed to the base of the mountainous zone and began to move upwards ... it didn't take long before my helmet rung from a blaster hit. We dismounted our bikes and fell back to a nearby ridge ... it was a Black Sun Assassin and his guard with him who had seen us and they were now closing in. Lock and load ... the party was about to start in earnest.

A distress call answered ...

2005-01-28T11:13:00.000-05:00

I was at the Mining Outpost on Dantooine monitoring several of the wide band public transmission channels. The Empire strictly monitors all of these frequencies, but they don't always recognize codetalking for what it is. It's amusing, really, that Alliance operatives can be talking about a strike on an Imperial position and the very same shellheads about to be attacked are listening to a conversation about quenker lairs that need to be cleared to make room for development. I suppose it was also rather ironic ... but this was a war and, essentially, all bets were off when it came to rattling the forces loyal to the Emperor and his lapdog Vader.

Earlier I had met up with Timewalker, a bit of a swashbuckling doctor who had recently joined our band of rebels and outcasts ... I passed him some credits and he applied his usual battery of ability enhancing stims. He asked me what I was hunting ... I told him I wasn't sure yet ... but if anything interesting crossed my path, I'd give him a call. Time had told me his real name once but for the life of me I can never remember it ... besides 'Time" or "TW" was easier for me to recall and he seemed to answer to it just as quickly. After arriving at the Outpost I stopped to pay a visit to Risque Foru ... an entertainer who was often there performing. A nice girl, really, rather talkative ... loved to sing and dance. I tipped her and she provided her usual excellent show. I suited up in my black and silver composite armor and slowly walked back outside amidst the crowd gathered at the Outpost, listening to the comm ... watching the people pass.

My communicator crackled a little bit on a little used frequency ... at least not one that was often used here on Dantooine. It was a fairly busy channel on Corellia and Talus ... but not out here on the pink and lavender planet. The voice was female ... and was in obvious distress ...

"Huurtons, many of them ... closing in on my position ... can't hold them off ... requesting assistance. Please ... hurry ..."

I wondered about the transmission ... and reviewed the coordinates provided. It wasn't far from the Mining Oupost ... perhaps 1200 meters. Could this be some rebel codetalking on a little used freq in the hopes of increased secrecy? Of course maybe it wasn't a bunch of shellheads ... maybe it was huurtons, they were indeed pugnacious and vile little beasts once disturbed. The voice, however ... the voice even in its obvious distress was ... intriguing. I felt the need to investigate and assist regardless of what the situation actually was. I unholstered my scatter pistol and fired up my swoopbike ... tearing out of the Outpost and towards the source of the distress call.

When I arrived I found a pack of the angry feral beasts chasing down a smallish form in full body armor that was obviously female. She was shooting at them wildly but they just kept coming and I could tell she was close to losing consciousness. I ran towards the pack of huurtons and began strafing them with blaster fire, which killed a few of them and got the rest of them interested in me. The beasts charged me and I took to a knee and began hammering each of them as they rushed onwards. The last of the pack managed to claw at me before I smacked it upside the head with my pistol, knocking it to the ground, and then finished it off with a few more blaster shots. The damage was minimal, but I was somewhat annoyed it had actually managed to get that close. I stood back up and slowly approached the woman ... she was fumbling in her supplies, perhaps looking for some medical kits. I lifted my helmet off my head to put a friendly face on and show her I meant no harm ... she wasn't one of ours, that was certain. She may well have been an Imperial for all I knew ... but I wasn't going to turn and run now, not my style.

"Ma'am, are you ok? I came as fast as I could ... but the frequency you were using ... well, it's not often used out here on Dantooine. You must be from off world, I gather."

"Yes, I am ... Talus, actually. I was out here for some hunting and relaxing ... I didn't have time to switch my freq over to one more often used on this planet. I didn't think huurtons could gather in such large numbers."

She was eyeing me suspiciously ... perhaps thinking the same thing I was ... was I really friend or foe? Could I be trusted? She took her helmet off, however, perhaps gambling like I had that a more personal face would diffuse the unease. I was struck by her beauty ... her eyes were deep and probing, full of determination and strength but also with something of a devillish glimmer. Her skin was smooth, tanned, toned ... and her hair meticulously adorned with beads. She moved with a grace that was alien to a soldier ... she knew how to fire a pistol, yes, but even a master gunslinger doesn't glide so lightly on their feet.

"Well I am glad you are ok, ma'am ... my name is Jakob ... Jakob Dakkari ... happy to have been of service."

"Thank you, Jakob, you really did bail me out of a jam. My name is Saari Ecuton ... my pleasure to meet you. Especially so in these circumstances ... hahaha."

We shook hands and I was impressed with the firmness of her shake ... it wasn't manly, no ... but it was ... firm, confident. She was proving to be more and more interesting by the moment. Little did I realize then that that handshake was going to perhaps be the start of something more. Something I really hadn't expected in the least when I answered that distress call.

Over the next several days Saari and I began to meet to talk and explore some of the more interesting points of interest on various worlds. She was as intelligent as she was beautiful ... a postive delight to talk to not to mention fight along side. I learned that her inner grace came from her training as a dancer ... but she was also honing her skills with a blaster and her progress in that endeavor was coming along slowly, but it was coming along. I took her for a spin on my yacht, The Bounty, putting the ship into an orbital cruise over Lok ... the scenery from the viewing deck was breathtaking. We talked a lot up there ... slowly moving around the reddish desert world. She asked about what I did, where I got my combat training ... I told her I was a bounty hunter ... and much of my skills I had learned in the field and in the streets, not from formal military training. She noticed a small rebel insignia I had on my datapad ... and a small look of distress crossed her face, her delicate brow furrowing.

"Jakob ... you are a member of the Rebellion?"

"Yes, Saari, I am. I'm a Colonel with the Alliance, in truth ... and I suspect you are loyal to the Emperor ... otherwise you would not have asked."

"I am. This is ... troubling."

"Is it? I have no desire to talk politics with you, Saari, I simply like to spend time with you ... you fascinate me."

She smiled slowly, that devillish little twinkle in her eyes all the more visible. She took my hand and we hugged, watching the various ships and asteroids pass around us in space. I thought to myself what was I doing ... I was in the arms of the enemy ... a representative of the forces which I had sworn to fight from planet to planet by any means necessary ... yet ... Saari was who she was ... and she was so unlike so many other Imperials I had met. She was warm, kind, real ... genuine. Perhaps not all members of the Empire were the brutal monsters that they liked to appear to be ... but this was something for me to consider another time. I was enjoying the hug and tender kiss far too much to worry about the nascent politics right then.

Entering the WEB ...

2005-01-25T11:39:00.000-05:00

((to the reader -- more background info covering a lot of territory, not every little detail covered, but enough to have readers up to speed))

Hmmph, oh you ... yeah, hello. You wanna hear some more, eh? OK, fine ... you caught me in a good mood ... or was that a weak moment? I suppose it really doesn't matter ... sit down, shut up, and I'll tell you some more while I have some time. If you talk too much I'm gonna tell you to get lost, so keep your yap shut ... you've been warned.

Our band of outcasts, led primarily by Vannton Goodstar from HOPE, set out wandering Dantooine as I had said last time. We finally found a place that agreed to the lot of us, and began the work of creating a small town for ourselves. Vannton was a generous and capable leader ... but he was also prone to fits of anger and bouts of terribly sour attitude. It was perhaps best for many of us that while we were in the planning stages, he became lost in the wilderness for weeks. To be honest I am not sure whether he seriously became lost or whether he simply wanted to lose himself for a while ... heh, I know I've wanted to do that sometimes ... but fact remains he went off one day and didn't return for weeks. Elaan, my old friend, had done much the same ... told me he was going to stake out the Imperial Outpost on Talus and I never heard from him again ... I simply assumed the worst ... little did I know it was actually much worse than that.

The discussions amongst the group circled about what we should name our little town ... there were several ideas thrown about. Vannton had suggested Wanderer's End, I shortened it a bit to Wander's End, and it stuck. I thought it had a bit more ring to it and was a bit easier on the tongue. Maybe it did, maybe it didn't ... regardless the bulk fo the crew seemed to like it and it was adopted for use. Three guild organizations ended up being formed in town ... the origjnal HOPE guild, the Watchmen which I founded as a primarily Bounty Hunter's guild, and the Adventurer's for Kash, started up by Teague Watson. Some of the HOPE members branched off to Watchmen and AFK, and some new faces came along ... for a time the three groups functioned somewhat independantly but also still as units of a larger organization.

Kesa found herself handling the bulk of the day to day operations for HOPE, which was the largest of the three, in Vannton's absense. Teague brought along Huray Lightingmist from HOPE to act as his second in command for AFK, and I had enlisted Pahoo Pehoe, Dups Vawax, and Crazy to assist me with Watchmen. Pahoo and Crazy (and he has always been known as simply Crazy to us all ... he's never shared his real name) were bounty hunters from SFA and HOPE, Dups was an old associate of Vannton's and someone I had grown to respect for his bounty hunting skills as well. Huray I thought would be a solid choice for Teague with AFK ... this was a woman with a bit of fire in her belly as well as her eyes ... a fire I sometimes thought that Teague, in his sometimes terribly stoic approach, lacked. Granted sometimes a guild leader needs to be able to be cool, calm, and collected ... but sometimes they need to take the bull by the horns. In time Teague would begin to learn these things, but at this point I think he was in a bit over his head.

The arrangement went along fine for a time ... but under the surface there was always some trouble. Members of the Watchmen began to take up other professions and drifted away from running down marks ... AFK, despite Teague and Huray's best efforts, was having a hard time getting itself rolling as a viable guild ... and HOPE, while still solid, was indeed missing the leadership hand from Vannton. I tried my best in fill the void when I could ... some might say I did admirably, some might say I didn't ... but I always felt it was never really enough and it wasn't really my organization. The mentions of Vannton were never far away, and as much as I respected him, I really wanted him to simply fade from memory. Being honest with myself, well ... my intentions here were far from altruistic. There was something I wanted and that something was that ever-on-the-go pint-sized dynamo Kesa Mist. I think the others realized it, perhaps, or maybe they didn't. I think sometimes I wasn't sure so much about it myself ... opening up these sorts of feelings could be like antagonizing a pack of enraged bull rancors. There was a forming bond there, this much is true ... but it became irrelevant when one day Vannton returned from his long walk around the wilds of Dantooine.

Vannton came back like the returning hero from a war campaign ... all rejoiced ... myself included. Part of me wished he had stayed lost ... but part of me was indeed glad to see him amongst us again. Yet ... well, it hurt. I'd done my best to provide some guidance and leadership, and now my services were no longer needed. Why I let it hurt me so I don't know, and I've been told numberous times that I should simply let it go. To forgive, well that is easy and I have done so ... but forgetting has always been an issue for me. Even now I still think back to that period as one of the best times of my life ... and it still stings that it was rather unceremoniously taken from me. Maybe it's because the attention of Kesa and the others went immediately back to Vannton? I'm sure that has something to do with it ... and as Teague once told me. "he was our leader, my loyalty was to him as our leader." Yeah yeah ... duty honor and all that boyscout crap. Screw it, I was still pissed off beyond words ... but I tried to make do.

Wanders End was growing steadily under the watchful stewardship of Caco Deeja, our mayor, and Elad Korts ... the head of the militia and someone who had become quite a powerful soldier, often taking point for us on many missions into enemy territory. Vannton seemed to have some problems readjusting to the new arrangements ... many of us, myself included, had become quite self-reliant on our own and no longer needed to depend on him for all manner of support. Caco and Elad, while both somewhat quiet, both had a certain degree of fortitude in the leadership area that was reassuring to us all ... they were steadying, and moreover wanted to listen to all sides of an issue. Elad especially provided a nice balance to the hotheaded nature of Vannton. In an attempt to perhaps reclaim his place as the "man amongst men," Vannton slipped into a rash of irrational outbursts and criticisms. The result was to only further isolate himself from the rest of us ... and in the end he wandered off again, this time telling us all he was going for good and he would never return. To this day he has honored that statement. I cannot say I am upset about that. He, much like Lesia, became one of the people in my life that I had once wholly trusted and then came to truely dislike.

As this drama unfolded, other problems were also at hand ... AFK was crumbling and Teague considered it an abject failure. The Watchmen continued to become less a group of bounty hunters and more a group of just whatever profession was the flavor of the day. My pain over what had happened in the events leading up to all of this caused me to withdraw ... the leadership void was there again but I was not inclined to try again, in fact I did my best to avoid it. Kesa tried her best to bring me around, but I kept her and virtually all others at arms length ... or further. I went back to running bounties more often ... working alone as I generally preferred, the politics of the town and the guilds became something I just did not want to think about ... squeezing the trigger of my scatter pistol with a mark lined up in my sights afforded me the opportunity to forget. It was during this time that Kesa and Teague decided to merge HOPE and AFK into one group, under the AFK banner ... to be renamed at a later point. I had been mulling the fate of Watchmen with Dups for weeks ... that perhaps it was time to fold the group and allow people to move onto their new endeavors. Had I been asked about the merger, I would have jumped at it ... but I believe due to the distance I had put between myself and the rest, that invitation was not forthcoming.

When the others were trying to arrive at a new name for the consolidated guild, I tossed out Wanders End Brigade as a possibility. I hardly expected it to be used, considering my tenuous status with them all at the time. Yet it was adopted ... and I sat there waiting for someone to perhaps suggest merging Watchmen at this point, but once again the suggestion did not come. Perhaps I should have discussed my desire on this end with the rest of them. Perhaps I should have talked to Teague especially as he became the leader of WEB, with Kesa and Huray as his seconds. I didn't however, because I felt it was obvious and didn't need to be stated ... they should have known, should have offered anyhow without being reminded. They didn't discuss much of their guild matters with me, why would I do it with them? I talked more with Dups, Crazy and Pahoo and they all were in agreement that if I felt it was best to fold the group, that was fine and they would move on. Hence Watchmen ceased to be ... and its members scattered to join WEB or other organizations.

I myself eventually came to join WEB ... but the role of footsoldier and militia man was never much my whole ambition in life. Teague was growing into the leadership role, and part of me resented it. I knew I should have been happy that he was finding his way in life and becoming a capable adventurer and ally in the Galactic Civil War ... yet, well, I was slow to take on such a degree of appreciation. It would come eventually ... but it would take time longer than it should have, for reasons many of which were not of his doing. As I struggled through this, I found myself using Kesa as a sounding board ... part therapist, part confidant. She always was able to take my mind off of my problems ... and I in turn listened to hers, helping where I could. All the times before, all the flirting and drifting towards and away from each other ... well, we became very close. It was a great time of peace for me, but even this ... as with so much in my life ... could not remain uncomplicated. I was falling in love with her and she was otherwise involved with Teague ... it was bound to end badly and it basically did.

It is difficult to detach yourself from a situation when dealing with two people who have a profound influence over your life outside of simply the issue of romance. It made me think of Lesia and SFA again, how I had the wisdom then not to mix the two ... and the stark reality here was that I regretted that I did not muster the same strength this time around. I struggled with my demons for weeks over this ... at this point I think I have finally achieved some degree of peace with it. Yet ... still ... there will always be that small tug of pain ... I'm told it eventually passes. In time I suppose I will find out ... if it doesn't, well, there is always the old saying that it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. I say that to myself often, I am not sure I really believe it ... but there's not much else to do about it. Teague and Kesa are still close friends and allies ... and I have worked to try to mend the bridges and place the group as more of a priority in my life.

DoktorDeath, another one of the guys in WEB who goes by a nickname and never shares his true identity, told me in the midst of it all that there would be other women out there, that the pain is always hard but there's always someone else for you, you just have to find them. It was an interesting observation from someone who otherwise is known as a pure prankster devoid of a serious bone in his body. I came to learn that he was suffering some pain in his life and was dealing with it in such a way that had him more reflective than usual. He helped me tremendously with that small comment, whether he intended to or not ... and, as it turned out, he wasn't wrong.

How right was he? Well ... not long ago I was at the Dantooine Mining Outpost, monitoring various public transmission channels on my communicator. A distress call came in ... and, well, I'll tell you the story later. My tongue's tired and my lips are chapped from all this gabbing. Come back later and maybe I'll tell you the rest ... don't give me that look, either.

The march of time ...

2005-01-20T13:49:00.000-05:00

((to the reader- my apologies for the size of this entry, but I want to cover a lot of ground in one fell swoop, so please bear with me))

Eh? No I am not going to get into every damn little nit-picked detail about where I came from and how I got to where I am. It'd take weeks to tell it all and I don't feel like taking that kinda time to do it. Huh? Oh sure, yeah ... I'm flattered you're interested and all but like I said ... ain't gonna do it. I'll tell you the main turning points ... probably the only stuff that really matters anyhow. Beyond that, don't ask for more, got it?

I worked out of Tyrena and Coronet for a time ... taking the odd mission here or there and living out of my camps. You can get by on the cheap pretty well like this ... hunting game, harvesting meat and other resources to sell on the commodities market. Eventually saved up enough money to get rid of the pieced together armor I was using to buy a full set of nice black Ubese. I regularly added to my weapons collection with purchases from the bazaar. Every now and then I considered that datapad from Dern'ast and Quo'Lana by the campfires at night ... but I found being apolitical to be comfortable. Others with more noble aspirations and drives for justice or power could fight the war, I was simply just looking to carve out a little place for myself.

I met many people in my travels around Corellia ... indeed Coronet was the hub that nearly all passed through at some point or other. A few of note ... a Rebel private by the name of Elaan and his friend Cauil, who I later found was an Imperial operative. I don't believe Elaan knew Cauil's political orientation ... at least not at first. I had my suspicions, but the man was affable enough and he was always game for a hunt with Elaan and I. Another I met during this time was a rather frenetic Zabrak named Sysaic. He was a member of the Rebel Alliance as well ... and was a piece of non-stop action. Sys got the wild idea for us to travel to Dantooine one time and hunt quenkers ... Elaan and I were not terribly keen on it, but it sounded like a possible bit of fun. Sys assured us we'd be fine, he'd use his skills to keep us safe and we believed him. Hmmph, well was that a mistake. The quenkers were challenging but not much of a problem ... but when we were beset upon by a bunch of poisonous voritor lizards ... well, we didn't last long. I marked in my logbook not to listen to Sysaic's ideas on "fun" for some time to come.

I resumed my hunting around Corellia ... gradually expanding out to the other cities on the planet and seeing what sites there were to be seen. It was in Kor Vella that my political views were altered permanently. While standing at a mission terminal and sizing up my options for hunting, I was flagged down by a group of Imperial Stormtroopers. Before I could say much about it, I found myself thrown to the ground, a rifle barrel to the back of my head, and the raspy voice of one trooper saying "Citizen, we are searching you for contraband and evidence of other suspected illegal activities." I found my memories going back to Anchorhead while I was roughed up and then fined for the possession of illegally modified weapons. They didn't want to hear my explanations, they didn't want to know the particulars ... they took my money, chuckled a bit, and marched off. I was angry but also a bit relieved ... it would seem that Imperial intelligence had not been terribly effective in spreading my face around as a wanted fugitive from Tatooine. Nonetheless if this was the way it was going to be, I wanted the ability to answer such force with force in kind. Later that day I made my way to an Alliance recruiter in Coronet and joined the Rebellion. Not long after this I ran into a charismatic Rebel soldier named Date Sunrunner ... he talked me into joining RAID, a large Rebel group from Aegis Thais on Dantooine. Dantooine ... ugh. I felt lost in the masses, and travel to and from home was expensive ... not to mention dangerous. My resolve to support the Rebellion never flagged but my desire to try to exist on this godforsaken pink planet faded quickly. My time with RAID was relatively short ... I made my goodbyes succinct and went back to living out of my camps.

Elaan was happy with my decisions, Cauil was noticably lacking an opinion. Over the next few weeks we saw less and less of Cauil, I suspect because it was Cauil's best way of isolating himself from the knowledge that Elaan and I were earning money by assaulting Imperial camps around Corellia. We both progressed in our survival skills and began work on the more serious wilderness skills of the ranger. The lure of money was always a strong one for me, however, and I contacted the local bounty hunters guild and also began working some contract hits around Corellia and Naboo. Every time I squeezed the trigger and let a mark have it, I thought of Tynibia and what she might be up to or where she might be. As cover, however, I made it known that my profession was that of a ranger ... and it was that allowance that put me in contact with an unusually talkative Mon Calamari named Norwind Stargazer.

Norwind approached me while I was standing outside the Coronet starport, simply watching the people pass by. He asked if I enjoyed exploring the wilderness, I replied that I did. He asked if I liked to hunt, and I replied that I did. He asked me why I wasn't doing either at the moment and I told him I also liked to watch the people pass by and "eavesdrop" on their foolishness. He found this amusing and told me about his resource business and the town where he resided ... Copia, on Naboo. He headed up a hunting organization known as the Society for Adventurers ... a non-political group that was mostly concerned with adventure and hunting for profit. Ah ... hunting for profit, this was something I knew well ... albeit hunting those on two legs, not four. We spent time talking and over the next few days I found myself with a house on Naboo in the town of Copia, as well as a new member of the SFA organization. Elaan followed along not long after ... as for Cauil, he was putting together an Imperial group called the Shadow Skull Squadron ... and it seemed that he, Elaan, and I would be forever on opposite sides of the politics of the galaxy.

In Copia I met many new people, some of which I am still in contact to this day ... Pahoo, Taheet, Bonaparte to name a few, all basically hunters like myself of one stripe or another. There was also Lesia Withe ... heh ... oh Lesia. What is it with me and dancers? Lesia was easy on the eyes and easy to talk to ... she took an interest in me immediately and I in her. There was more going on here than met the eye, but I was too young and naive to see it for what it was. We flirted a lot, and while I suspect she wanted more from me ... it never got much beyond that point. Maybe it could have gone further, I'm sure it probably could have ... heck I know I considered it. In the end, however, I felt it would be a disservice to the guild to get too involved. I had always been one to keep my emotions close to myself, and this was no time to vary from that. In time I would see that I had indeed chosen correctly in this regard. Of course in time I'd also find that allowing my emotions to get away from me was a road to ruin in and of itself.

Copia grew steadily over time, people moving in and setting up their businesses and so forth. One day Norwind brought in one of the leaders of another hunting organization called HOPE. They were a rebel group led by a rather abrasive yet friendly warrior named Vannton Goodstar, but the person he brought in tow was a woman, another ranger, named Kesa Mist. I did my best to behave myself but she was something to behold ... a little sparkplug of fire and energy, always pacing about, always looking for action. I really often found myself marvelling at her, but I tried not to let Vannton catch me doing so, he tended to be ... terribly protective. HOPE moved their entire operation to Copia, swelling the town's citizenship and making it a much more bustling place. This was a good thing in the short term ... but a bad one in the long term. Any time you have a large group of people move into an already established community, there is going to be a period of adjustment ... and in Copia it did not go well.

The people from HOPE had aspirations for changes to the shopping venues in town, they also sought to see some changes made to the way government was handled ... so that it was more representative to all rather than just whomever had the mayor in their pocket. Devay, the mayor, was young and eager to please ... he was also easily persuaded by some of the more forceful personalities involved here, my own included. I happened to agree with the basic outlines set forth from the HOPE people ... but Lesia, who really was the driving force behind Copia despite not being the mayor, saw it differently. Oh the arguments and allegations that flew forth ... Lesia on the one side, Kesa and I pounding the table from the other side. One member of HOPE, Teague Watson, attempted to be something of a mediating presence, but I have to be honest ... I had little use for his terribly patient approach. Lesia began contacting others about possibly running for mayor when she felt Devay might be going along too much with the new residents. I myself even entertained a run for office but eventually opted against it ... I liked to talk politics, but I didn't like to DO politics. In the end there was a lot of hurt feelings, a lot of bruised pride. I wanted badly for it to work out, I wanted badly to not have to leave ... but leave I did and with others.

Eventually myself, a few other SFA members, and the HOPE guild itself left Copia en masse and relocated to Dantooine ... setting up a small town called Wanders End in the Rieleg Steppes region. Dantooine! I hated this damn pink planet! Yet ... we scouted around for a location and found one tucked away in the southern regions ... a place not so pink, a place that kinda reminded me of Corellia. We laid out plans for all the matters that had led us to this point and we vowed to work together to see it through. By in large it proved to be a great success ... but, as with all things, there would be some rocky times as well ... some rockier than others. I'll get into that at some other time, however ... I'm pretty damn tired of talking now ... so get outta here and let me sip my brandy in peace.

Lyrical Interlude 1

2005-01-11T13:42:00.000-05:00

((From the author ... now and then you can expect me to throw in some song lyrics here or there to sorta "add to the soundtrack" if you wanna call it that. I tend to find appropriate songs amongst those that I normally would listen to and others that I wouldn't ... but the song is appropriate just the same for one reason or another. I like to think they help set some mood for the rest of the story. Anyhow ... here's one.))

"Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" - band: Green Day

I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me and I walk alone

I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
and I'm the only one and I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk alone
I walk alone
I walk a...

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone

I'm walking down the line
That divides me somewhere in my mind
On the border line
Of the edge and where I walk alone

Read between the lines
What's f----d up and everything's alright
Check my vital signs
To know I'm still alive and I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk alone
I walk alone
I walk a...

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk a...
I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
And I'm the only one and I walk a...
My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone...

Some background on Jake ... part 3

2005-01-11T11:31:00.001-05:00

Hmmph ... you again. Ya still ain't heard enough, have you? Well ... OK ... I'll tell you a little more about my past, but then really, I don't want to talk about it any more. Grab a brandy and pull up a chair and listen. Did I mention keep your yap shut, too? Yeah do that as well ... I'm telling the story and you're listening to it, I ain't hear to answer questions.

Well, when I left off last time, I had just made it back to Anchorhead after travelling on foot across the wastelands for a number of hours. I guess that's the sort of thing that can happen when you have an impulsive rendezvous with a beautiful Twi'lek dancer who also happens to be a calculating and deadly bounty hunter. When I arrived at the homestead of my adoptive parents, Quo'Lana and Dern'ast, the place was swarming with Stormtroopers. I watched from a distance and tried to see if I could wait them out, but it seemed they were sticking around and just waiting. As I peeked from around a corner and tried to decide what to do next, I felt a hand on my shoulder ... I assumed I'd been discovered and the end would be swiftly upon me.

"You are Dak'kari, are you not? The human male adopted by Quo'Lana and Dern'ast?"

I turned to gaze upon the source of the inquiry ... it was a slight looking Twi'lek man, obviously advanced in years. It was obvious to me that he was at one time a strong and proud individual, but the years had sapped his strength and stature ... his eyes, however, still burned with the inner fire of determination.

"Yes, I am Dak'kari ... but my parents also called me by my human name, Jakob."

"In either case, young one, it is still you. I haven't much time and neither do you ... I will attempt to tell you what you need to know but I must not be seen and you must not stick around Anchorhead any longer. Your time here is at a close."

He levied his words gravely and sullenly but without any degree of malice ... he simply was trying to convey the importance of the situation. He apparently knew me, at least knew of me, but I had never seen him around the homestead before. Neither did I recognize him as a business associate of either of my parents.

"Very well, sir, I am listening ..."

"Quo'Lana and Dern'ast are dead ... as dead as your birth parents are and for much the same reasons. I suspect that they never told you this, but your birth parents and your adopted parents knew each other well and all worked for the Rebel Alliance as intelligence operatives. You are a smart lad, I am sure you can figure out the dangers of espionage against the Empire. The Empire will be looking for you as well ... a loose end as it were. They will expect you to return here to Anchorhead which is why you cannot stay ... they would not expect you to be warned ahead of time, they do not know there are still many operatives here in the city. We cannot help you directly, however, without jeopardizing ourselves."

The words hit me like a pile of falling rocks ... the bit of stability that I had in my life was taken away from me. I found myself now as a fugitive of the Galactic Empire in the midst of the maelstrom. As I stood there with my jaw left slack, the elderly Twi'lek passed me a datapad and a bag with several hundred credits inside.

"This datapad has information you may find of use ... or not. You will have to make that decision for yourself in time. The money ... you will need it to get off this godforsaken rock of a world ... and you must do so immediately lest you be discovered and summarily executed. Take the shuttle to Mos Eisley, you stand the best chance to avoid detection there ... mix in with the scum and villainy as much as you can. Get yourself to the city of Tyrena on Corellia ... and keep a low profile amongst the tourists. Beyond this, it is up to you."

I thanked my benefactor and did what he told me to do. I turned my back on the homestead and walked away without looking back, leaving behind all that I'd really known and most of what I owned. His instructions were accurate and true ... and before long I found myself walking amongst the gardens outside the Tyrena Starport. Curious, I sat upon a bench and examined the datapad he'd given me. An Alliance insignia was the first image to cross the viewscreen ... followed by an image of a male and female human ... I knew immediately that they had to be my birth parents ... the woman spoke first ...

"Jakob we pray that somehow you will see this message someday. Please know that we love you very much but our time amongst the living is nearly at an end. The Empire has discovered our true roles here on Tatooine and we fear we cannot hide from the Inquisition much longer. I will be uplinking some data that we hope will help you when you need it ... it will follow this message."

The sound of blasterfire could be heard erupting in the distance ... loud explosions and cries of pain. The man I presumed to be my father drew a carbine and rushed from the room, yelling "Long Live the Rebellion!" The image on the screen showed my mother manipulating the datapad, connecting it to another device and then passing the datapad to a Twi'lek ... a female Twi'lek ... Quo'Lana, but a younger version of herself. There were more explosions and the screen then went black.

The next series of images were a mix of pictures and coordinates, liberally interlaced with pieces of information. The location of a Rebellion Base on Corellia ... of another on Dantooine ... the names and approximate locations of several Rebel Alliance operatives who could provide assistance when need be. Other information was contained within ... evidence of the attrocities done by the Empire, tips on eluding capture, and a list of cities and towns that had proven to be safe havens for Rebel operatives on several planets.

I was about to snap the datapad closed when the image changed once again ... it was now Dern'ast standing before it, and he appeared bloody and shaken. I had never seen him shaken before ... ever ... but I could see the fear in his eyes. His lips trembled when he spoke ...

"Dak'kari ... Jakob ... the Inquisition has come for us as they did your parents. My time is soon over and I shall be joining with the Force. Quo'Lana and several of our comrades were just slain in a battle on the streets of Anchorhead ... this is best as had they been captured, the fate of a Twi'lek female in Imperial hands is not a pleasant one. I had been inside the house when the battle began and I can hear them now breaking down the door, there isn't much time. I am giving this datapad to another comrade, one who has proven to be elusive for a long time, due to his degree of cover ... one whom I hope will get it to you in time. May the Force be with you, my son."

The message abruptly ended there with a flash of blasterfire. Snipers from outside the house perhaps? Maybe ... but it seemed unlikely to me ... I know my firearms and it looked like a shot at close range. In the coming months I would learn that Dern'ast had been slain by the very same Twi'lek who had given me the datapad in the first place ... he had been a mid-level Imperial officer who was secretly feeding information to the Rebellion. Apparently Dern'ast preferred death at the hands of an ally than torture and death at the hands of the real Imperials ... and the execution would allow this officer to walk from the scene with his cover quite intact, thus still able to operate for the greater good of the Alliance. Ah yes ... all for the greater good ...

OK, I've had enough of this ... get out of here ... I've got to sit back and collect my thoughts again. This crap is stuff I haven't thought about in a long time and really shoulda just kept it that way, damn you and your curious nature. Maybe at some other time I'll tell you some more but really there isn't a lot more to tell you about how I managed to end up sucked into this Civil War. Not to say there isn't more to tell ... there is ... but history is history and, well, I'm not sure you need to know a lot more of it at this point. I ain't sure I wanna go into it, anyhow ... so ... scoot!

Some background on Jake ... part 2

2005-01-09T13:19:00.000-05:00

Eh? Oh so you're back again ... you want to hear more about my past, I gather. Well, alright, I guess I can entertain you for a bit ... I've got some time on my hands at the moment. Sit down and take a load off and try not to track any dirt on the rug. Now ... where was I ... oh yeah, I was racing out of Anchorhead with a curvaceous Twi'lek dancer/bounty hunter known as Tynibia clinging to my back. She'd just offed some lightsaber-toting Imperial officer who was looking for some play in the cantina back room ... what a wonderfully deceptive way to lure in your prey. Well, heh ... I digress ...

I kept the throttle wide open until we were a good 1000km outside of Anchorhead and I brought my speederbike to a stop at the bottom of a small valley that provided a natural shield against the raging sandstorms. I set up camp and got a nice fire going while Tynibia, currently wearing little more than her dancer's fleshwrap, fished around in her supply pack. I asked her if she wanted anything to eat or drink but she declined ... instead she began to remove pieces of composite armor from her pack, meticulously laying them out around her. I watched her while slowly chewing on some biscuits, she went about cleaning and making small adjustments to the shining black and silver armor. I'd seen some soldiers wearing this stuff before ... but it had never been much my style ... too heavy, too inflexible.

"Good job, kid, I knew I could count on you. Didn't have time to fetch my own ride ... and that place was gonna be swarming with Stormtroopers in short order. It's ironic, isn't it? The Empire's desire to purge the galaxy of the jedi "menace" means they'll pay those like me to take out their own men should they have discovered the path to the old ways. Yet ... their propaganda machine being what it is, the contract killer is labeled a "rebel terrorist" and the dead are "celebrated" by the organization that paid to have them killed."

"Uh ... Tynibia, I have to tell you I don't much follow politics. I know there's a civil war going on but we don't see a lot of it around these parts. Nobody important ever comes to Anchorhead."

"Heh ... no issues with that, kid ... don't follow politics much myself. I follow the money trail ... if the Empire will pay me to kill their own men, I don't have a problem with it at all. Sometimes it's rebels ... sometimes it's non-aligned individuals ... whatever, no matter. Credits are credits and a mark is a mark. It's just business."

"If you say so ... I guess it pays well."

"Sure does, kid, sure does. Hey ... what is your name anyhow? You know mine from the cantina advertising, but I never caught yours. You mind telling me? I'd like to be able to call my "hero" something other than "kid," yanno? Heh heh."

"Jakob ... my name's Jakob Dakkari. Well ... no ... umm ... yes ... well, dammit sorta I guess."

"Well there Jake, I didn't think that was a difficult question to answer, especially for one who seems pretty resourceful and fairly intelligent. What's with the stumblin' and bumblin' of words, eh?"

"Alright ... Jakob was the name given to me by my parents, but they're dead. Dak'kari was the name given to me by the family that raised me. I know it's a slight difference in emphasis on the syllables, but I find Dakkari rolls off the tongue easier."

"Dak'kari, eh? That's coming from a speaker of Ryl for sure. You sayin' you were raised by a Twi'lek family? You speak Ryl as well, maybe?"

"Yeah, I can but my adopted parents never have let me to use it much. They think a human boy should stick to speaking Galactic Basic. I don't think it matters much, I hear the traders in the cantina speaking all sorts of languages ... whatever it takes to close a deal."

"Jake, your adopted parents were probably right, I think ... but it's still appealing to know a human who can speak Ryl ... and, I would guess, is rather fluent in Twi'lek culture. I will disagree on one thing, however ... you're a strapping young man, you're not a boy."

Tynibia's lekkus were twitching quite noticeably ...

The night passed like a blurred vision of sand, screams and sweat. To say more would be inappropriate in polite company so you can forget even asking, I ain't tellin' you now and prolly ain't tellin' you ever. When I awoke, Tatooine's twin suns were approaching their zenith in the sky and Tynibia, along with my bike, was gone. I shook the cobwebs out of my head and stumbled to my feet ... trying to track the speederbike trail leading away from the camp. I followed for a few hundred meters until the tracks went into rough terrain and I lost them. The walk back to Anchorhead was long and uneventful ... but I had plenty to think about. I had even more to think about when I found the domicile of Quo'Lana and Dern'ast, my home, surrounded by a dozen or more Imperial Stormtroopers.

I'm tired of talking now, however, too many bad memories. Get outta might sight, yer buggin' me. I might finish this story up later when I am in a better mood, or not ... we'll see.

Some background on Jake ... part 1

2005-01-08T13:17:00.000-05:00

My name is Jakob Dakkari and I am a hunter of sentients, a polite term for Bounty Hunter. These things are probably all many ever really care to know about me ... and I surely won't tell you all there is to know in one sitting. If you stick around a while, perhaps I shall give you small glimpses into what goes on inside my head from time to time ... but right now ... just some background so we can get better acquainted, eh?

I was orphaned on Tatooine at a young age ... an age which I am not purely sure of other to know that I barely remember my parents. I recall the abrasive temper and jealousy of my father as well as his inner strength ... I remember the warm touch and flowery smell of my mother, along with her soothing and calming voice. I was eventually told, by the Twi'lek merchant family that took me in as a toddler, that my parents were killed by soldiers of the Galactic Empire. In time the specifics of their killings were revealed to me ... but I shall save that for another more appropriate time.

Quo'Lana and Dern'ast, who essentially became my foster parents, operated a small supply store in Anchorhead ... making frequent trips to Wayfar and Bestine. Quo'Lana, as I look back on her, was a shapely and beautiful translucent blue Twi'lek ... her lekkus long and dabbled with red markings. Dern'ast was rather burly and nearly olive in skin tone, his lekkus tossed back over his shoulders and nearly devoid of markings at all. They tried their best to raise me with a mix of both their culture and what they knew of human culture ... it is an ongoing question as to just how well they fared. I surely acquired the general love of the arts that permeate most Twi'leks ... but that love was not enough to allow me to pursue a career in such a field. I was a hellraiser, simply put, and when I was old enough to figure out how to drive a speederbike, I whisked myself away to the cantinas to watch people and create trouble. I scrounged dropped credits off the floors, pickpocketed loose items from unsuspecting patrons, and (as I began to appreciate the opposite sex) stare enraptured by the beautiful Twi'lek dancers on stage.

Using my ill-gotten gains, I purchased supplies for adventures away from civilization ... and would spend hours walking the desert, examining the lifeforms I located out upon the wastes. Sometimes I would travel hours from home encountering all manner of things ... some hostile, some not ... when supplies were low, I'd developed quite an eye and talent for living off the sand. No, not the sand itself ... but finding edible fruits and resources that would allow me to linger ever longer away from the din of citylife. Defense of oneself on the wastes of Tatooine is no small undertaking in and of itself ... and over time I became quite skilled with all manner of firearms. Be they pistols (which I prefer for their rapid refire and elegance), carbines, or rifles ... I carried several in my backpack for various situations. Sometimes it was wiser to sit under cover on a hill and snipe at a target ... sometimes the target was upon me and a hail of blasterfire was all that could save my ass. In any event I became rather adaptable to my foes and seemed to have a gun for all occasions.

I existed this way for a number of years ... Quo'Lana and Dern'ast's disapproval notwithstanding. They wanted me to be a true son ... a true heir to their business ... but peddling parts and junk was never to be my calling. No, my friend, my calling began to be realized when I approached the age of maturity and another Twi'lek entered my life. Her name was Tynibia and she was the most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes upon at the time. Her skin a smooth light pink and her lekkus (not to mention the rest of her) were supple and ample. She was a new dancer in Anchorhead and she was simply mesmerizing. How I would watch her for hours, every now and then she'd give me a small smile or a knowing wink as she danced. This went on for weeks until one day a gruff man who bore the uniform of the Empire was amongst the audience and he appeared especially taken with Tynibia ... and she with him. He tipped her well, and she left the stage with him to a rear chamber of the cantina. Scant moments had passed when I hear a sound I'd never heard before ... a static-laced crackle of energy, whirring quickly ... followed by repeated blasterfire. The man in the Imperial uniform came running from the back ... horribly wounded, a glowing blade in his hand. Tynibia was in rapid pursuit and slew him amongst the crowd that was now fleeing in abject panic. As his lifeless corpse thudded to the dirty floor, his blade extinguished and I watched transfixed ... a Jedi? ... dead? ... by Tynibia's hand. I felt a set of fingers interweave amongst my own, tugging earnestly ...

"C'mon kid, I've got to get out of here ... he'll have a swarm of Shellheads looking for him at any moment. You know the land around here better than most, help me escape and I'll make it worth your effort."

Tynibia needed my help? Who was I to refuse? As we raced from the scene and onto my waiting speederbike, the thoughts raced in my head ... Tynibia was a bounty hunter ... as beautiful as she was apparently deadly. What had I gotten myself drawn into? Moreover ... as her arms were wrapped around my waist as we rode away, was I terribly concerned? The fear and excitement was a taste I found I savored.

Hmmph, well enough of that for now, my friend. Maybe I'll tell you more about the start of my early escapades at a later time. Right now, frankly, you're annoying me with your stupified stare and looks like you might be drooling a bit. I think you better go do something else with yourself for a while and give me some space. We'll speak of this all again, I'm sure.