Legacy of The Shadow-Born: Prologue

"Do a job for the Jedi they said. It's your patriotic duty they said. It's just transporting an astromech droid, What could go wrong? they said. Fuck all of them!"

"Boss-Remember what the Doctor said about talking to yourself."

"Not now Corso! Just focus on getting us away from these Imps!"

"Yes Boss! Right away Boss!"

Corso threw back the throttle, almost sending his Captain flying into a bulkhead. "Akaavi! Bowdaar! Thin out those fighters!"

"There are too many of them Captain."

Suddenly Corso went to consult the instrument panel and his eyes widened. "Uh oh."

"What? What? What uh oh?" Risha Drayen said from the copilot's seat.

The young pilot sighed and fell back against his seat "We're in their tractor beam."


"So it's down to a vote. We fight or we go peacefully."

After they had been caught in the tractor beam of the Imperial War Ship, Dus'nil Vao, their fearless leader and captain of The Lucky One had summoned them to the conference room, where he was not feeling so lucky.

"We fight." Akaavi said placing on her helmet.

"I agree Boss" Corso said.

"Oh come on, we're in an Imp Battle Cruiser. We fight them and we won't make it out alive. We just need to surrender." Risha turned to her Captain. "Captain, we already hid the droid in the cargo hold. Let's just go peacefully and see if we can get someone to be reasonable."

A bang at the bottom of the loading ramp.

"Well looks like we don't have time to decide" Dus'nil mused, picking up his favorite blaster.

A squad of Imperial Troopers burst up the ramp and surrounded The Lucky One's crew. "Put down the weapons now!"

Akaavi whipped forward with her technostaff and tried to wrestle the rifle from the soldier's hand.

From the shadows behind the soldier, came lightning that hit Akaavi square in the chest. The Zabrak fell to the ground, gasping in pain as the lightning seared through her. A young man in his twenties with black hair and a tattoo over his left eye walked out of the hall of their ship. By his side was a nexu, the creature growling softly at his Master's heel.

"I would suggest paying attention to the sergeant's orders. We wouldn't to damage your lovely ship."


The crew of the Empire's Fury had summoned him from Dromund Kaas on the basis that his skills were needed. He was one of the best non-Sith interrogation experts in the Empire and he wasn't afraid to admit that. Although he wasn't sure why everyone was so concerned about one smuggler's ship.

"Excited Statement: Young Master, my circuits are abuzz with anticipation at this oppurtunity."

He smiled at the droid's earnestness, HK-51 had been a gift from his father in celebration of his graduation from the Imperial Academy. He had had the top score of his class, specializing in interrogation and assasination techniques. He got his choice of assignments and got to follow all of his own rules. Which was the way he liked it.

"Agent," a soldier greeted him as they stepped off their shuttle. "Lord Arrryyn is expecting you."

"Then by all means lead the way."

Sometimes soldiers didn't know how to approach the field agent. He was young, only nineteen, but had risen through the ranks quickly. There were often rumours that his station from birth had been the reason for this but those rumours were usually quashed by watching the young man at work. He had worked hard for his rank, he had earned it.

The soldier led him down to the brig of the ship, while HK followed behind him. As they walked past the cells the soldier opened a door at the end of the hall and led them to a bank of interrogation chambers, where Lord Arrryyn, Wookiee Sith Lord stood waiting for him watching one of the prisoners through the window.

"My Prince."

The young Agent scoffed "You know I prefer the title I earned over the title that was given to me my lord."

Arrryyn growled in laughter "My dearest apologies Agent Qai'zon."

"You are forgiven. Now tell me about our friend in there."

"He is the captain. Very strange man, he has been talking to himself the whole time we've left him in there."

"Interesting, HK what do you think?"

"Personal Opinion: Master I do believe that this twi'lek meatbag is psychologically unstable and should be liquidated as soon as possible."

"You could be on to something HK but I think I know what he may be doing." Qai'zon moved closer to the window and observed the blue skinned twi'lek smuggler closely. "When I was in the Academy, Cipher Nine was brought in to teach us Intelligence trainees about techniques to shield our mind from Force-users in the case that were ever captured. My father was so delighted at how quickly I picked it up that he allowed me to practice on all my siblings."

Arrryyn smiled "The Emperor always encouraged such cleverness in you children. It is the reason you all have made your mark on the Empire so strongly."

"Perhaps I shall speak to our friend here alone." Qai'zon suggested. "He will only be closed up to seeing a Sith Lord. No offense my friend, it's nothing personal."

"My ego is not affected. I will observe from here."

"Query: What about me Master?"

"Better stay here too HK."

"Sad Statment: If I must Master."

"Nice ship you got there. The captain told me you guys really gave The Fury a run of it. Commendable. Not many smugglers can say that."

Dus'nil looked up at the sound of the door opening. A tall orange skinned Zabrak covered in black tattoos walked into the room, a young kid probably no older than twenty in an Imperial uniform.

"Wow, I'm honored. They send the Emperor's brat to be my interrogator. You Imps really know how to make a guy feel good."

The young man only smirked at his verbal jab, "Mother always said I inherited my father's looks. Was it the tattoos that gave me away? Or my skin tone? Whatever it was it is no matter. You can't choose your family can you?"

Dus'nil just turned away from the Imperial. "You'll never make me talk."

The man came behind him and bent down next to the prisoner "No I will. Because you see, my brothers are both Inquisitors. You do not want to have to talk to them. They both are a touch more serious than I. Inquisitors have the tendency to be a very sour bunch. Horrible horrible tempers Inquisitors have. Especially when they want information."

The Imperial stood up "But again, you can't choose your family can you?"

"What's in it for me and my crew if I talk to you?"

"Ahh the noble heart of a ship captain, willing to sell out his own mother if it would save his hide. Well Dus'nil Vao, if you tell me what I wish to know, we shall keep the droid you were transporting and allow you and your ship to go freely."

He thought for a moment, even though the Republic money was good, he didn't want to die over a stupid droid.

"I don't know anything about what the droid is carrying. All I know is that a Jedi Knight payed us 3,000,000 credits to transport it to Master Satele Shan."

"3,000,000 for an astromech droid? Interesting. Now where was this droid supposed to be brought to?"

"I don't know."

The Zabrak Imperial suddenly moved like a snake and wrapped his hands around the smuggler captain's lekku, squeezing tight.

"Now, you were doing so good and you had to go and ruin it. You don't want to talk about where you were bringing the droid? Fine. Then let's talk about the Jedi who gave you the job. Describe him."

"All-I know...was his name...it was Julian. He was a twi'lek...a red...red skinned...twi'lek..."

The captain's sentences were broken up by gasps of pain.

Suddenly something flashed through Qai'zon's mind, he let go of the captain and pulled a datapad off of his gauntlet and called up a picture of his older brother, Augustus.

"Did he look like this?"

"Yeah, only smaller and with no tattoos."

It can't be.

"You have been most helpful Captain."

He knocked on the window and two soldiers appeared at the Interrogation Room's door. "Please bring the captain back to his cell."

"Hey we had a deal!"

"I said we may let you go Captain. I never said when."

He left the soldiers to deal with the captain and returned to Lord Arrryyn who was still observing through the window.

"Do you think it could really be him?" Qai'zon asked.

"I do not know, but whether you feel the Force or not, everything happens for a reason. It was no accident that this smuggler ship was captured by our ship."

"Yeah yeah I know the whole force has a sense of humor crap blah blah blah."

Arrryyn smiled "You would have made a fine Sith Qai'zon."

"You think so?"

"Yes I do. Then perhaps I would've chosen you for my apprentice instead of your sister."

The younger man grinned "I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"Well relish it. Come, we must go contact your father."