The lightly shielded ramshackle starship pushing its way at an alarming speed for its condition made this trip to Tatooine even more hectic than I had anticipated, my weary eyes couldn't help but mull over the filthy cramped cabin I was forced to be in. "How long till we meet this disgusting slug?" I rasped out through a vodered groan.

The ship was a remolded freighter meant for quick spice runs...not so much a vessel for a future Dark Lord of the Sith but at least the Cognus no longer babysat me. The female Rodian bounty hunter's blue fulgent eyes seemed affixed far from the current situation as usual. "Why are you so antsy, not every random guy with a lightsaber can just meet with a Hutt let alone Kiro...You should be grateful!" Yoshirii said to me, I sensed diminutive embers of fear in her heart but ignored them. Her white bobbed hair gently swayed with the ship's jagged hurdle through hyperspace.

"I do not enjoy the damned sandy planet in the slightest." I offered her basic conversation, unfortunately, this was her favorite pastime besides slaying Republic senators. "You had your ship picked apart by those little Jawa Shits before too?" The slender woman's turquoise frame came to life for a moment as she scanned my face for a reaction.

I cast my gaze outside the viewport of the ship before speaking again, shimmering luminescents gliding by. " I thought bounty hunters were supposed to be ruthless--the idea of your raggedy ship being pilfered does not bode well for us..." The snide remark caused her to huff loudly as she set the ship into auto-pilot. "Pilfered?? Definitely are pushing that abnormal royalty narrative hard, huh?" Her coy blue eyes flashed with playful sadness. The twitching crescent-like antennae on her head were amusing to watch react, unlike Cognus' aging cracked visage that grew more dusty with the years.

"Do you want me to sound like spacer garbage, ya folks love ta annunciate." My electronic voice began to mimic her's as I pretended to shoot a blaster at invisible targets. "Credits, Credits'n Treasure, right?" My acknowledgment of our differing statuses was a constant between us, out of all the wretched beings orbiting my master and I, Yoshirii was out of place.

"Fuck you, I don't sound like that at all...I should sell you to Kiro instead of this crazy-ass plan of yours." Her voice seemed to slightly break as the vision of the future mission must have sat like a hefty weight within her...Yoshirii never had acted as if anything mattered until more recently though, I imagine the closer Cognus wormed her way between her previous boss De'busk, and into our retainer the closer she was to figuring out that even he was disposable to us. "The plan is solid, the issue is 66 percent of the manpower are drug-swilling murderers for hire." I rattled off trying to not give away my true feelings.

The Rodian stood up to me with her pouted snout fully facing me, scaled spines resting under her short hair flexed slightly with anger. "I KNEW YOU WENT THROUGH MY SHIT WHEN I WAS IN THE FUCKING BATHROOM!" Her tone was still as much playful as it was accusatory in truth. She angled her brow at me for a moment waiting for some disparaging remark but my patience had worn thin, the hum of the engines drilling through the blanket of space had brought me back to the reality of our situation. "I tire of how easily you admit your depravity and your mistrust in me."

"Well, tell that quirky old monster to pay us more, my trust is easily bought...unlike you I don't make friends easily." The sarcasm in her voice began to annoy me as she tried to connect on a level not tried the whole time I've known her, the twitch in my scarred face went unnoticed by the Rodian. "What's the deal with her anyways?" She said as her brow was still pursed together.

"I mean don't get me wrong, I hate the republic as much as anyone else out here--" My hand debated using its power to close her longwinded lips for her but I allowed her to press on. "But two crazy anti-Jedi ain't taking down the Republic...even if you could get Kiro to work with us." She rippled a heat in the force that mixed lukewarm into the ship's cramped cabin.

I did not entertain the idea of Cognus letting me in on her plans, which instead of my brooding nature prevailing in mysticism it was now obvious even to this vain little part-time bounty hunter that the prince of the Sith did not know how the grip of the Order or the Republic would crumble at all. "You are using the term us liberally" My tone expressed my sharp intent of escaping the topic, I made sure to return my practiced menacing glare onto her instead of the vacuum of space.

Yoshirii was unfazed by my attempt at insult. "That's my point you need more US than that old kook is willing to manage...Why has it taken so damn long to get things rolling?" She motioned with her suction-cupped hands in a small circular motion, her phrases filled with disrespect for the Banite way. "I have waited a long time just to no longer exchange with the droning delusions of an aged rancor...Please stop subjecting me to further ravings and questions I do not care to ponder." Before my last words came out she responded, smugly brushing her white hair back then resting her hand above her neckline. "So you admit it is taking forever." Yoshirii had a knack for being able to probe even the toughest torture victim we came across...but not with me.

"I admit that you are getting too close to the idea that she will not leave you dead in the void of space." The comment came as I noticed a stark wave of apprehension through the interlocked chains of the force. "Okay, you're not going to strangle me, right?" Yoshirii finally answered after moments of silence. "For what exactly?" I knew not to make a promise I would not and could not keep, lies were for those below me.

"Some digging on your behalf, the nigh-omnipotent super genius god mommy has been around a long time...even for a Sith, apparently." Though she hoofed around the issue her face ridges became tense, almost like she was begging me to dive deeper into her meaning. "Why would her unending lifespan interest me at all?" I responded, waving my hand dismissively to whatever this led to. "Well forgive me for peeking into your weird little cult but, basically she's been running around trying to find one very specific writing of that Bane guy." Yoshirii finally became authentically defensive--now out of all times...

I let my temper slip, balling my hand into a solid fist. "If you don't get to the point I will collapse this ship with us in it." My threat hung for more annoyingly long seconds without a response from her, causing me to lean slightly closer down to meet her eyeline. Before the ship could learn if my menace was actual or not, she fished deep into a pack near her seat at the from of the cockpit. "You can read it yourself!" Her green fingers found a tome bound in grainy film, unmistakable Sith symbols wrapping around every inch of the sacred texts put forth to me.

My clawed hand rifled through the dark incantations I barely could make out, but it was clear what she wanted this spell book for! The ancient Sith text seemed to radiate an aura of malevolence. "She...she means to switch bodies with me! That is why the old witch had strained to make me as powerful as possible, not to take her place!" The story before me told of Bane's attempt to keep his soul locked in the mortal realm through body-snatching means...the only reason he did not succeed was Cognus' own master Zannah who had slain him before he could complete the process.

This Ritual's depiction had the same marking and symbols as the ones on Dantooine there was no doubt in my mind that with this last key to the puzzle, I would be nothing more than a viral stepping stone to Cognus' eternal game with the Jedi. A look of horror crossed Yoshirii's bumpy features as the realization hit her, her mind quick due to her job's necessity for that vital skill. "I didn't know that's what it was, holy fuck....I thought she was trying to drain your life force like it says in this part." She shakily pointed to a disturbing passage detailing a ritual of essence transfer.

I felt ill, suddenly conscious of the cybernetic enhancements lacing my body...gifts from my supposed mentor to strengthen me as her future vessel. "The very 'miracle' was the key all along of my latent draining abilities she must have sought after for a century before stumbling across me. "I blindly let her will me into thinking she was my caretaker like a suckling child!" Waves of bitterness, scorn, and humiliation washed over me as I contemplated the depth of Cognus' deception.

Yoshirii seemed equally appalled, her usual cockiness evaporated. "That was beyond disgusting to listen to and imagine...I'm sorry I hid it from you for so long. De'busk and Kei had warned me not to waste my time investigating, but--" She again brushed her hair back nervously, a bad tell for a good liar.

There was no way the De'busk would be able to hide such treachery from me."The lizard knows of this?!" I snarled, my single lung straining against the breath mask. How many more had been privy to my ignorance? A nauseating sense of vulnerability crept up my spine, the sting of my fully beskar foot's constant itch returned as if I just had it implanted.

Yoshirii held up her hands defensively, her eyes fixed on my scarred face. "How could a dirty spacer bounty hunter keep any assurances when you keep me in the same dark as your mommy dearest puts you in?" There was an unmistakable edge of pity in her voice now even with her attempt at levity.

I recoiled as if slapped, a frigid fist fixating around my beating heart. Of course, this was all a setup for extortion by Yoshirii. "So I guess this is where you blackmail me?" I placed my hand subtly on my shoto lightsaber.

But to my surprise, Yoshirii's expectant expression softened into one of repentance. "No, I...I want you to have a choice, Filo. You've always done what she asks...you have more cybernetics than anyone I know, but you aren't just some droid--y'know." If my R-unit heard her right now it would have blown a fuse at her well-meaning comment, for me it opened my mind to the possibility that this was all for nothing in the end.

I could only stare at her mutely, struggling to process the cataract of revelations crashing over me. My life was nothing even now...no ascension to power or living forever, Cognus was truly the alpha of the Sith way. I solemnly conceded at that moment her depravity knew no chasm, Yoshirii reached out and cautiously took my hand, interlocking her fingers with my claws to my shock.

"You are your own person," Yoshirii murmured. "And you should choose what you want to do." The gentleness in her voice cut through my tumultuous emotions far more keenly than any threat could have. "Why..." I swallowed hard against the lump in my throat. "What do you stand to gain?"

"Nothing, I--" Her words were cut short as the sleeping cabin hatch swung open, admitting the gruff bulging form of Kei, her brother eyed me with a telling look then let out a groan. "Oh damn...you told him? Kriff, why would you go and do that?" Yoshirii straightened defensively, pushing a blaster into his chest as always when they fought. "He deserved to know!"

I turned a withering gaze on Kei. "So of course you knew about this as well." The broad-shouldered Rodian grimaced, his bald head revealed large head spines decorated with many stupid tattoos. "Look, I hate to break it to you, but the little bubble you live in stops at the space we sail through daily, kid. You're not the only morally bankrupt person allowed to exist out here." A resigned chill settled over me as I listened to the dung-brained man try to belittle me before calmy responding. "So where does that leave us?"

Kei's eyes flicked between me and Yoshirii calculatingly, almost the same way I had reacted earlier. "Well, US as in me and Yosh are gonna split the second Cognus finds out we're all lying to her." Kei began to check the controls in the cockpit to ensure we were still on the correct course.

"Maybe--" Yoshirii started, but the large Rodain cut her off. "Ain't no maybe out on the Rim, sis. He's on his own the minute things go south." A heavy silence fell over the freighter's cabin. Yoshirii stared at me helplessly, a myriad of emotions playing across her features that I didn't have the strength to decipher with the heavy weight in my chest.

"I agree. I am alone in this." A cold fury overcame me as I stared at the vile spellbook documenting the profane ritual Cognus intended to use me for. With an inarticulate curse into the Force, I ripped the tome asunder, ancient pages fluttering through the air like blasphemous snowflakes.

Sith incantations and diagrams depicting the forbidden transfer of mind essence were unceremoniously shredded by my ragged claws. I could feel the Dark Side energies agitating around me in response, yet feeding on my burgeoning hatred and betrayal.

I refused to let these caustic emotions consume me as they had so many other times. Instead, I willed my mind into a bastion of beskar forged from sheer determination. Ready for anyone who attempted to stand against me, no longer would I be the malleable, naive apprentice blindly following Cognus's twisted agenda.

The freezing undercurrent of the Dark Side settled within me as my internal safeguard solidified. From this point on, I would trust no one and nothing but my own conviction. My destiny would be mine to control, not foist off to the designs of anything at all but what was mine. As our battered freighter broke through Tatooine's atmosphere, the roiling desert planet coming into view, I sensed Kei and Yoshirii's energies flaring up in front of me.

"Strap in, kids," Kei yapped with excitement. "It's going to get rocky with all the turbulence." Kei glanced down back at his sister, nervously back seat driving the plane with small glimpses of fear. "Don't lecture me on piloting," Yoshirii shot back peevishly, her bumpy brow twitching in aggravation.

The two Rodians bickered like ordinary as we jostled our way through the upper atmosphere. I stayed facing forward, letting their squabbling wash over me. Yoshirii's presence brushed against my consciousness during a brief lull, and I felt a strange flutter of concern and... Curious.

Of all the mercenary rabble Cognus had assembled, the quick-tongued Rodian was the one who had seemingly developed a conscience, even risking her employer's wrath to show me the truth. I made a mental note of the feeling she radiated. As the ship's engines strained to level us out over the dune sea, endless waves of sandy dry land stretched in every direction.

Yoshirii expertly brought us down in a billowing crouch, setting us amid the wreckage of what must have once been a massive criminal outpost. "Can't go announcing our arrival to every scum licker in the sector," she muttered, powering down non-essential systems. Kei then snorted derisively.

"Why? Afraid of those cute little Jawa scavengers coming to pick your ship apart again?" Kei knocked his fist against a missing inside panel. "Can it, bog breath," Yoshirii snapped, but I detected a hint of apprehension underlying her words as we touched down roughly.

We were here...at the vile, oppressive heart of the Hutt Cartel's empire on the Outer Rim. The seat of Kiro the Hutt's unlawful dominance beckoned, filled with untold perils, yet for now, my path forward was clear. I would use Kiro just as he and every other player in this intergalactic game of dejarik sought to use anyone.

My machinations were my own now though. Rising from my seat, I gestured for them to follow as I strode down the boarding ramp without another word. Into the scorching binary sunlight of the sand-blasted hellscape that was Tatooine to try to gain back autonomy.

-----------------

The merciless binary suns of Tatooine beat down on us as we struck out across the dune sea towards Kiro's formidable palace-turned-fortress in the distance. Each step through the coarse sand was taxing, the scorching grains working their way into the sealed seams of my armor weave suit.

An antiquated rusty protocol droid, clearly sand-blasted and malfunctioning after decades of disrepair, jerked ahead to meet us. "Welcome, honored guests, to the glorious palace of His Excellence, Kiro the--" It cut off with a stuttering burst of static. Kei slapped the droid's chrome chassis in annoyance, his large fist creasing the top of its head slightly. "This piece of junk still operational?"

"Statement: Fuck yo--ou--ou--ou meat bags," the protocol droid garbled, its vocabulator obviously corrupted or tampered. "See?" Kei snorted derisively. "They need to find themselves a new guide before--" The pesky droid swiveled with a groan of servomotors and lurched off, leaving us to hurry after it or be stranded in the wastes. "Oh for kriff's sake, wait up!" Kei took off after it, blaster drawn as if he could threaten an obedience program into the rickety relic.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

I shook my head in disgust, about to follow when Yoshirii fell into step beside me. Even through her protective goggles and breath mask, I could feel the weight of her concerned gaze. "So...what's your plan now, Filo?" Her tone was uncharacteristically frail, lacking any edge. "After we meet with Kiro, I mean."

I tensed, the memory of Cognus' deception still raw. "Don't concern yourself. I'll find my path forward." An awkward silence fell between us again, the only sounds being Kei's muffled curses as he tried to reason with the errant droid. After a moment, Yoshirii spoke up again.

"You know...you don't have to be alone." She said with the same tone as the wafting breeze. "Whatever comes next--." I flinched, tempted to yank myself away but finding her concern disarmed my defensive impulses slightly. "Why?" I asked roughly. "Why unite yourself to a man with no purpose beyond existing as a living battery for that decrepit monster's soul transfer?" Yoshirii recoiled slightly, hurt flashing through covered features with the force.

When she spoke, her voice was thick with bubbling sentiment. "Because you're more than just a Sith and not some...some experiment." Despite my ingrained cynicism, her words seemed to bypass my mental barriers. I found myself searching her bright blue eyes, seeing only naked compassion reflecting at me. "No one should have to face the unknown alone," she mumbled. "Even I have Kei...De'busk has the hairballs--"

A lump formed in my throat at her raw sincerity. I couldn't remember the last time anyone had shown me such open care and concern. Before I could formulate a response, Kei called out irritably. "You two coming or are you planning to swap campfire stories all day?" Yoshirii shot him a rude Rodain gesture, but her expression turned tender as she looked back at me. "Whatever you decide, just...don't shut me out, okay--might be nice to get away from Kei."

I could only nod mutely, oddly comforted by her uncomplicated offer of support amidst the swirling cyclone of upheaval utterly dominating my life right now. As we paced slightly to catch up with Kei and the malfunctioning droid guide, I couldn't help stealing sidelong glances at the female Rodian's light form.

Her blunt displays of compassion had awoken something indescribable yet welcome amidst the frenzy within me. Perhaps I wasn't as alone as I'd resigned myself to believe after all. After what felt like an eternity slogging through the dune sea, we finally crested an immense sandy rise.

There, glittering like a debauched oasis, stood the opulent palace of Kiro the Hutt--the infamous "Pirate King of the Rim." The titanic, repurposed multi-Sandcrawler complex radiated an aura of sinister decadence, bristling with mounted blasters and swarming with all manner of armed sentries. Even from this distance, the air reeked of spice, sweat, and desperation over at least a half-mile out.

Around the chateau's periphery sprawled an inelegant shantytown of ramshackle huts and illicit gambling dens, teeming with a dizzying array of disreputable rim aliens and underworld riffraff. Slaves in ragged bindings were brazenly put through their paces in full view, alternately humiliated and beaten by their seedy masters.

Shady deals and underhanded schemes seemed to permeate every nook and alcove. In short, it was the perfect den of iniquity for the likes of Kiro and his ilk to operate unmolested by the laws of civilized society. The sheer open grotesquerie on display made even my calloused senses recoil.

Kei chuckled darkly, slapping a new clip into his blaster. "This is where the real fun begins." The malfunctioning protocol droid juddered ahead, listing from side to side but undeterred. Perhaps the decrepit thing was simply too scrambled to register its profoundly unethical surroundings.

Yoshirii shouldered her pistols, hunkering down as if anticipating a battle. Her eyes flicked my way momentarily, shining with a mixture of trepidation. "Stay ready, Filo. Things tend to go chaotic around these parts..." I gave her the barest hint of a like-always nod, acutely aware that all regards would soon be scrutinizing my every move.

Cognus had imparted extensive training in exploiting the Force to plant insidious commands, but those mind-bending skills paled in comparison to the subtleties of genuine persuasion required here. If I hoped to somehow turn Kiro's underworld empire against my twisted "mother," I would need to apply every shred of charm and negotiation prowess I possessed. All while simultaneously obscuring my true motivations from Cognus' prying senses.

One misstep and her vindictive wrath would descend on us all. As we passed through the outer security perimeter, a pair of hulking Gamorrean guards grunted a challenge, leveling their vibro-axes near our heads. Kei flashed them an infuriatingly casual smile, hands raised in mock surrender.

"Easy, boys. You know me - just here to settle up a few outstanding debts with Kiro myself." The guards snorted and sneered something unflattering about the Rodian's mother before waving him through with disdainful shoves to his muscled back. "Shut up, I bet you like that too!"

Yoshirii moved to follow, but one guard barked a demand and formed a fist as he smooched his fat lips at her, obviously referring to Kei's own debts. With an exasperated sigh, the female Rodian dug into a side bag and flung a fistful of credits at the hulking swine. "There, that covers that bar tab for another month?" She jolted her head towards me. "There's a little extra in there so keep your snouts in the trough."

The guards grunted slightly and stepped aside, mollified by the bribe as he stared at her swaying hips. We strode deeper into the carnal den of sacrilege that was Kiro's domain, my mind raced with possibilities.

Undoubtedly the bloated crime lord assumed we were arriving in service of Cognus' grand plan, but what if I could somehow seduce him over to my side with visions of even grander ambitions than a paltry Republic-leaning coup attempt?

A rancid fume hung like a miasma as we were ushered into Kiro's not-so-opulent audience chamber. My vision struggled to adjust to the dim, hazily lit confines awash in tasteless hues and indulgent markings depicting perverse scenes. Sprawled across an oversized couch bed in the center of the room lay the towering, sluggish bulk of the Hutt crime lord...

large globs of spit protruded grotesquely as Kiro exerted himself to speak, his words a gurgling string of syllables in his native Huttese. A wizened, half-yard-tall Jawa translator shuffled forward, robes dusty and face obscured. "His Excellence welcomes you most grudgingly to his palace," the diminutive figure wheezed in Basic. "State your business quickly before he loses what little interest he has left."

Yoshirii shot me a short stare then Kei puffed out his chest, apparently intent on taking the lead. "We've got unfinished business to hash out, big boy..." the male Rodian blurted with a brazen tone. "Starting with you paying out the bounties ya stiffed us on over in the Mustafar system a few months back!"A shockwave of dismissive giggle rolled through Kiro's assembled entourage of sycophants and toadies.

The Hutt gurgled out something that prompted the Jawa to speak again. "His Transcendence reminds you that bounty hunters who fail to serve their end of a bounty do not get paid, by definition." The diminutive alien's synthesized voice dipped into a mocking tone. "And that the penalty for bringing frivolous grievances before the mighty Kiro is typically...brutal."

Kei bristled, hand inching towards his holstered blaster, but I cut him off with a warning flare through the Force. Let me handle this delicate situation...Please. Taking a deep, steadying breath, I focused my energies and altered my vocabulator's resonance to produce the graveled tones of a courtly dignitary. "Great and magnanimous Kiro, we come before you not as common mercenaries scrapping over scraps, but as emissaries of great import."

The Hutt towed himself up slightly, eyes narrowed in sudden curiosity at my imperious baritone. Yoshirii's aura twitched in surprise. "Your infamous reputation for...equitable business arrangements precedes you," I spoke the bald-faced lie with consummate confidence. "Which is why we have been tasked to present you with an opportunity of mutual benefit that will elevate your stature within the underworld tenfold." I flourished my hands before bowing low.

For a long moment, the oversized slug stared at me appraisingly, beady eyes glittering with avarice. Then a burst of phlegmy chuckles gurgled forth from his grotesque maw. The Jawa cleared its synthesized throat nervously. "His Immense Fatness wishes to know what sort of proposal could entice him, and whether it will provide...opportunities to further indulge his hobbies."

I bristled as Kiro's disgusting gaze wandered over Yoshirii in an unmistakable leer. The Rodian huntress stiffened, hand drifting naturally over her chest from the slug's intrusive stare. Even through the heavy goggled mask, I could sense her revulsion and anger simmering.

With a concentrated pulse through the Force, I compelled the Hutt and his retinue's eyes to remain locked on me and me alone--gambling the nature of subtlely but most likely he must have thought it was a mere symptom of his obesity. "Rest assured, O illustrious one, the arrangement we have in mind could potentially grant you untold riches and...diversions."

I let the unspoken implication linger salaciously. Kiro seemed convinced enough to at least hear me out, burbling orders for refreshments and entertainment to celebrate our "proposition." As scantily-clad Twi'lek dancers gyrated hypnotically before the Hutt's lascivious gaze, I took the opportunity to lean close to Yoshirii during the small break in the parley.

"I need you to trust me," I murmured under my breath in a tone only she could hear. "This could get...unseemly before it's over." To my surprise, the dynamic Rodian merely gave a controlled nod, expression unreadable behind her stone-like countenance. Eyes still locked firmly forward, she replied in a low voice. "I'm with you, but don't push it." Her loyalty and quiet determination in the face of Kiro's crass posturing sent a definite quake through my consciousness' wrapped persona.

Pushing such distractions aside for now, I steeled myself to begin an intricate gambit that could unravel a sordid, generations-old Sith conspiracy... "You underestimate the breadth of my capabilities, great Kiro," I stated with an indulgent chuckle. "And my willingness to facilitate your...ambitions on a galactic scale." The corpulent Hutt fixed me with a beady, intrigued stare, his lieutenants murmuring in a mixture of skepticism and avarice.

"So, let us get down to obliterating pretenses," I stated in my carefully modulated tone of aristocratic authority. "What boon could potentially sway one as... influential as yourself to our grand endeavor...name your price first." Kiro belched out a phlegmy response, his bulbous eyes tightening shrewdly.

The shriveled Jawa translator shuffled forward once more. "His Immense Ugliness requires one of three... considerations before even deigning to hear your proposal." The desiccated alien cleared its synthesized vocals. "One - direct payment of 10 million credits, upfront and non-negotiable." My grip tightened fractionally the hilt of my saber.

Even working in concert, draining all our liquid assets would leave us profoundly depleted before I'd even begun. "Two..." The Jawa's reedy voice took on an unmistakable leer. "The svelte Rodian female currently in your employ would make an exceptional addition to His Rotundity's harem of beautiful women." White-hot anger bubbled through me at the depraved implication.

The diminutive translator seemed to relish our discomfort before continuing. "Or third... you could deliver the head of the current Supreme Chancellor on a platter as proof of the power you supposedly wield." A tomb-like silence fell over the seedy chamber. I could taste the growing anticipation and sadistic glee radiating from Kiro's obese form as he awaited my response.

For a fleeting moment, doubts cascaded through my mind like a virulent plague. Did I truly possess the influence and cunning to manipulate a criminal powerhouse like the Hutt families from within? Could I even trust my own motivations at this point after a lifetime of indoctrination under Cognus' toxic influence? Perhaps this entire scheme was simply a futile act of hubris destined to immolate us all...

Then my gaze fell once more on Yoshirii, standing resolute and defiant despite the lustful undercurrent. Even after learning the sordid truth of my existence, she pledged to stand by me. An oath of loyalty that clearly meant more to the irreverent yet caring bounty hunter than simple self-interest.

In that instant, my path became clear once more, quite suddenly and inexplicably. "Your proposed price is indeed... steep, O obese Glob Of Grease And Unhinging Jaws," I stated carefully, subtly reinforcing the image of candid disdain in Kiro's sluggish mind. Just as I sensed the bloated crime lord's resistance began to crumble, a cacophony of drunken laughter and shouting erupted from the far end of the strange bar/throne room.

Kei had apparently wandered over to one of the Royal Court gambling pits and been thoroughly swindled by a cluster of trickster spectators. "You kriffing womprat lice!" The indignant Rodian's deep yet shrill voice carried clearly, even over the raucous jeering. "I'll see every last one of you shot if you don't--"

Before he could utter another syllable, a potent Force grip clenched around Kei's throat, choking off his tirade and lifting him a foot into the air. My influence was usually imprecise and crude, but rage endowed my abilities with surprising strength. I could not afford even a minuscule disruption at this pivotal moment, even stooping to the favored move of my master. "Kei!" Yoshirii gasped in shock, hurriedly re-stowing her weapon to avoid provocation.

Her quaint features twisted with worry even through the breath mask. I let my fury bleed out into the Force, directing it into an aura of menacing composure that cocooned my already dark figure. "Apologies for this uncouth interruption, great Kiro." The overweight Hutt gurgled out a phlegm-laden chuckle of dark amusement.

With an indolent wave of his stubby arms, a pair of Gamorrean brutes seized the choking Rodian and began raining bludgeoning blows down upon him to the crowd's raucous delight, sparing him but treating him to pain as he deserved. Through it all, Yoshirii remained at my side, hands curled into white-knuckled fists though showing her true feelings.

I sensed her dismay and indignation at her sibling's treatment, but she made no move to intervene. "Now then..." I refocused my resonant intonation with a slight smile. "Where were we, O illustrious Kiro? Ah yes... envisioning the untold opportunities awaiting us both in the aftermath of cataclysmic upheaval..."

"Not only shall I deliver unto you the Supreme Chancellor's head on a platter as prepayment...I will also secure for you a much more valuable prize." Kiro grunted something interrogative in his guttural tongue. The shrunken Jawa translator shuffled forward once more. "His Immensity wishes to know what prize could eclipse such shocking imagery in his eyes."

A cold smile displayed on my cheeks. "Why, the offspring of the Banking Clan's most influential family, of course. Snatched from the very heart of their precious Coruscant behemoth and delivered into your grasp...utterly unharmed and ready to be ransomed." A shocked hush fell over the audience chamber, followed swiftly by raucous guffaws of disbelieving mirth.

Even the sadistic Kiro himself seemed taken aback by my audacity, his bulbous eyes crinkling with undisguised amusement. The Jawa made an odd, synthesized chittering that could only be translated as laughter. "You...you cannot be serious," it finally rasped, once the riotous Hutt laughter had subsided somewhat. "Even for a crazed bounty hunter, what you propose is nothing short of a suicidal act of lunacy!"

I forced my features to remain impassive, injecting an aura of supreme confidence through the Force as I let my words linger enticingly. "Is it, though? Is the reward of potentially holding a Core World's entire financial aristocracy hostage not worth entertaining...even the most remote possibility of success?" Kiro seemed to consider this for a long, tense moment, his flabby maw working silently.

Around us, the assembled crime lords and toadies took on expressions of sadistic glee at the mere thought of such an audacious sinister power play. Finally, Kiro rumbled out a fresh torrent of gurgling contemplation, attended by his Jawa translator. "His Excellency admits he is...hhh...intrigued by the very notion. However! Even if you managed to pull off such an impossibility, he would require absolute guarantees of discretion and--"

An abrupt, retching noise shattered the growing tension like a thermal detonator. Over by the gambling pits, a thoroughly insensate Kei had vomited up the contents of his evening's drinking and passed out in the noxious puddle. Yoshirii turned, a maelstrom of humiliated fury and mortified concern rippling through the Force around her at her brother's bad habits no doubt.

For a brief moment, I thought the irreverent Rodian might abandon all pretext of decorum and march over to cuff her brother across his massive skull herself. Sensing the burgeoning meltdown, I fell back on an old intimidation tactic and gathered my influence in an unsettling psychic wave.

As it crashed over the assembled court, every sycophant and flunky was suddenly gripped with a pervasive aura of overwhelming anxiety and loathing. The temperature in the chamber seemed to plummet by twenty degrees as my will was broadcast telepathically in an ominous, reverberating baritone. "Make jest at my promises again, and you shall be made to experience horrors that will scar your very souls in ways you cannot even fathom..." Kiro himself flinched back, suddenly sweating and apprehensive.

Even the bravest of his retainers were reduced to a cowering, petrified lump. The only being seemingly untouched was a shaken but resolute Yoshirii and confused Gamorrean guards most likely laughing internally at their master.

When I broke the unnatural miasma of dread a few seconds later, an uneasy quiet smothered the room. Clearing my throat, I refocused on the perspiring Hutt. "Fret not about discretion, great Kiro. What I deliver to you shall remain uncompromised by any means...as long as our understanding is honored with the utmost integrity."

My voice took on a subtle edge as I turned a meaningful look at the motionless Yoshirii beside me. "And any attempts to further insult or compromise what few people remain precious to me...will be met with consequences that will make what you just felt seem like an evening massage as well." Kiro issued a nervous, gurgling affirmative, diminutive eyes darting around as if searching for potential threats.

With a dismissive flick of his tail, the entire court erupted into fawning kowtows and obeisances toward my cause. "His Immensity is m-m-most amenable to your very generous terms," the shaken Jawa stammered out. "He shall make all resources at his disposal to facilitate this...endeavor, no matter how lunatic the scheme may sound--If you succeed he will help."

"Wise decision," I replied coolly, tilting my head in what could be mistaken for a superficial bow. As we turned to depart the squalid den, Yoshirii paused to deliver one final, loaded look in Kiro's direction. "And if any more bedmates are required in the interim, let's be clear - I am not, nor will I ever be, among the stock you can sample from your grotesquerie." Her tone was utterly devoid of any humor or sarcasm and sent a profound chill scuttling down even my spine.

Yoshirii then hurried along behind me, leaving the stunned Kiro to digest the implicit warning behind her words. As we stepped over Kei's passed-out, soiled form sprawled across the threshold, I turned and delivered one final, unmistakable promise of my own.

"Do not let my words be a mere symphony upon the wind, Kiro of the Hutt Cartel. Deliver on your end of this grand bargain without reservation or falsehood..."

I let the implicit implications resonate profoundly through the Force before pivoting on my heel and striding out into the crimson Tatooine evening, Yoshirii falling into step beside me with undisguised agitation rippling through her aura as Kei lifted like a juvenile's doll behind me.