The Untold Story

Shadows of Kathol Kathol: The Untold Saga

I, along with Neil “Gorak” Spicer and Chris “Slave” Jarrett, loved the irony of Gorak teaming up with a droid named Slave, and because there was so much left open at the end of Darkstryder, the we all decided to write our own sequel.  The results are below.  We took it from the approach of a game, but a much more cerebral one. So Gorak nad Slave all have their parts, as does hte GM.  I shape the story, and the two “players” respond to it. So the result is a merging of Gorak’s, Slave’s and the GM’s writing.  Goraks thoughts are Default Font while Slave’s are in Blockquotes.

Chronicles of an Unsung Rodian

Part 1: The New Beginning

At one time, all Gorak wanted was a simple business, and a simple life, with very little to worry about. He had ambitions, but even they were simple. Things got complicated when Sarne came along, and he had to deal with the Empire face-to-face. Part of the reason he came to the Kathol sector was to avoid dealing with them directly in the first place. Things got worse when the self-righteous New Republic came along. Worse yet, he had to play along with those “do-gooders” for months on end…but at least his patience had finally reaped a few rewards.

Sarne was gone now, as was Gorak’s nemesis, Chuborro the Hutt. Aside from Sarne, Chuborro had been one of the most powerful beings in the sector. He controlled the underground. He controlled the Black Market. And, he controlled the Kathol Outback.

And now the Worm is dead. Gorak smiled at that notion. I never got a chance to see the slug die, to watch his fat eyes go all wide with fear when he finally realized his ship was doomed. But, at least he’s finally gone…like so many others that have crossed my path. The hunter lives…and the prey is consumed.

He peered across the flight panel of his new ship… one he had acquired from a nearby Chuborro-outpost. He had renamed her, The Sabiadorran Night, partially because the name meant so much to him. Sabiador was more than just a slave ring, much more.

It’s a business…it’s a life…it’s who I am.

Slavery was a business, just like spice and gun-running. Gorak had always been flexible with his business dealings. And he was willing to change…sometimes. The New Republic was hot on freeing all slaves and eliminating slavery across the galaxy. With fewer and fewer business opportunities around the sector, Gorak had had to rethink his business plan again. He had higher ambitions now, much loftier goals. There was great opportunity in the Kathol Sector now, and he had a lot to do.

It had been a few months since the final battle at the Darkstryder planet. It took him a month to simply get off that abominable world. Then it was a long trip through the Rift, and into the Kathol Outback. The New Republic had punched enough graviton-holes through the Rift that it was quite easy to navigate. They were too busy setting up a quarantine probe-net outside the Darkstryder world to notice another Rodian travelling along with one of their transports. From there, he was able to find his ship. The
Night was not a bad freighter really, a slightly modified YT-2400. It was a fast ship, well armed, and now well crewed.

He ran into familiar faces on the way off the Darkstryder world. Uta T’Cha and the droid, Slave, both had been looking for him. They had brought along Loh’Khar’s old playmates. The two squibs and the surviving Turazza all wanted to join up with the Rodian. They all knew, or suspected, what he intended to do.

The droid could prove useful…he has in the past, at least…and even the Turazza can dig up the kind of details I’ll need for my plans…but I’d really rather shoot the Squibs. The only reason I don’t? It’s a waste of my blaster’s charge pack…and I’m on a tight budget now…but later? Who knows?

After all the bantering and work I did, I had finally grown tired of the New Nepublic and wanted out. After all I am a free droid now and with what I know of him Gorak is a much better person to work with. At least we get along. And if the others get in the way we could always use them as cannon-fodder.

Chuborro’s organization was laid out on the galactic table for the taking. In the months he had been away, it was inconceivable that any one single figure had risen up to take over the entire organization. The last he had heard, the two deputies in the Kathol Core had defected to ally with the New Republic, leaving three others covering the remainder of the Kathol Core and the Kathol Outback. Other powerful players and organizations included the Noble Houses and the Church, both firmly entrenched in the Core.

The two Outback deputies from Chuborro’s organization had been at each other’s throats even before Gorak and the Farstar had journeyed into the Rift. This was, in part, thanks to the New Republic SpecOps team, the Night Terrors, and their mission Chillweaver. Those were a few of the many reasons why Chuborro’s organization had fragmented so quickly.

On top of all that, he had to deal with one other problem. A small, insignificant, and enigmatic empire called the Qektoth Confederation had taken upon itself to declare war on the New Republic. If things got nasty with them, the New Republic presence would increase in the sector, thereby reducing his chances of developing a good business from Chuborro’s legacy. He tossed the Qektoth report on the console. Ridiculous Qektoth…they aren’t even good sport for hunting. What are they? Machines? Biologicals? There’s nothing important about them except the disruption they might cause.

Gorak had all his notes spread out across the control panel; notes downloaded from his old residence on Pembric II, notes from allies he was able to contact this far out, and notes he had stolen from the Farstar’s systems before leaving the New Republic Fleet. He needed to know more. He needed a friend close to Yog’H’Toth, Chuborro’s old headquarters before his demise. Yog’H’Toth. What kind of name is that anyway? Huttese? Qektoth? Either is just as foul…

He ran through all the contacts he knew and the closest one he could think of at this point was K’Dasa Oran, a Whipid with a sense for the violent and the underhanded. He knew many things, and probably knew the whereabouts of what was left of his Sabiador allies. His former partner worked hard on eliminating Gorak’s allies within his organization, but he knew that some had the skill to get away from the hunt. He had to contact them, and fast. He was residing somewhere in the Kathol Republic region. He would set coarse to Hekmar as soon as his supplies were ready. K’Dasa is a freak…he would have made a good gladiator for Sarne’s entertainment. Always interested in hand-to-hand fighting. How stupid. Why would anyone settle for punching another being when a good blaster was available? Kozak lo neetzka, K’Dasa. I’ll stick with the blaster. But at least you’ve got a few other redeeming qualities…a bit of underhandedness is what I could use right about now. I just need to make sure you’re not pulling anything over on me while we’re about it.

His plans do not bother me. If he were stupid or overconfident I would mind but Gorak is neither and it would be a pleasure to work with someone who is not an idiot for a change. Besides I think that it would be fun. There’s nothing like the chance for fun to perk you up after a couple lifetimes of servitude.

There was only one choice. Speed was of the essence. He needed allies, new and old. He also needed to know his enemy. Who were the new boys in town? He knew there had to be some. He and the Farstar took out most of the old boys. Only he remained…as it should be.

Slave walked into the cockpit, and sat in the co-pilots chair. They had docked at the newly established outpost station at Shantuun. The proximity to the New Republic fleet had kept Gorak inside his ship the entire visit. Many of his old comrades from the Farstar were actually walking among the crew at the station, but he wanted to have nothing to do with them. He just wanted to re-supply and get back into the heart of the Outback. There, he could find someone. Here, he was useless.

Poor Gorak. Being able to put on a new body and walk around without any fear that people will recognize you is one luxury I don’t think he will ever know. Ever since I “appropriated” those armor droids and reprogrammed them to see to my own whims it has been so easy for me.

“I think we have a visitor aboard, Captain” The droid had taken it upon himself to refer to Gorak as Captain. Nice touch. “… of the shadowy-kind…”

Yes, Captain. At least he has earned the respect, unlike the last one. I hate it when everyone thinks that droids are so stupid that we would not be thorough in our security work. That defel always got on my nerves.

Kla’al! Great! The Defel had come to pay him a visit. As if beating Loh’khar, and being beaten by Qesya the Sludir weren’t enough. He had only recently gotten over the bruises from fighting the Sludir gladiator. Gorak gripped his blaster tightly, peering around at every shadowy corner.

I figure that the wraith could pose a serious problem to the current plans and frankly if he gets in our way I wont hesitate to deal with the situation. One of the many points Gorak and I agree upon is that a problem such as this must be dealt with quickly.

“Just to let you know, be on the look out. Do you want him dead if I see him?”

Hmmmm…tempting…and a lot less personal risk involved if the droid were to confront him. But Kla’al is a hunter…the best I’ve ever seen…lots of natural advantages to the Defel physiology. It would certainly be a challenge to anyone to hunt down a shadow.

“No, leave him to me, but don’t go far. I may need your help…and remind me to get you outfitted with some ultra-violet sensors sometime…”

I already have them, but the defel seems to have a nack for evading them. Just so long as no one asks where I got them then who is to know or care.