Hunting the Dragon

[Viru Lentus]

Sitting in the dimly lit cantina on Ession, Viru sipped from the mug filled with Corellian ale. The sweet liquor had become one of Viru’s favorite things to drink since his revitalization. When he had been frail and on the verge of death Viru never had the chance to indulge in any type of liquor. All vices had been off limits to him as anything could possibly lead to his death… Now! Now Viru was free to do as he wished, he could go out into the vast city and experience the nightlife. Experience dancing to music, partying, indulging every craving he had never been able to fill. Usually such a change would cause some to go insane, or even fall into a pit of carelessness. Viru knew where that line was and he dare not cross it, the only thing he had hated more than being sick and confined to a chair was wasted potential. Which he would become if he let himself loose like all the others in the cantina.

Bobbing his head to the rhythm of the Jizz music Viru cast a glance around the cantina to see if his contact had arrived yet. If he had still been that old, frail man trapped in a wheelchair meeting in a cantina such as this would not work. He simply wouldn’t have been able to fit in and would’ve stood out like a sore thumb. Now however Viru looked no older than someone in their mid-twenties. Twisting one of his long dreads in his finger Viru looked at all the others in the cantina. It was filled with many wannabe smugglers, bounty hunters, and mercenaries. Looking at his chrono Viru couldn’t help but feel a bit of aggravation. He had been very specific about the meeting and time. So pulling out his datapad to send another message, Viru stopped upon feeling a hand placed on top of his forearms. “Calm down boy. I’m here now.” A gruff, withered voice said from behind Viru.

 

[Viru Lentus]

Coming into view an older male probably in his late fifties sat across from Viru. The man was more heavy set and sported a large white beard on his round face. Though with his bald head and his intense blue eyes the man still cut an imposing figure. “I got your last three messages.” The man growled as he waved his hand summoning the waitress. “Shesharilian.” The man said to the waitress while offering the young women a kind smile.

“Well if you got the messages how about you answer them? It shouldn’t be that hard, or are you just too old to understand how to use a datapad?” Viru asked as he drained the last bit of alcohol in his mug. “Unlike you I actually have work that needs to be done, and I can’t afford to be away for long.”

Making a sound as though sucking his teeth the older gentlemen glared daggers at Viru from across the table. “There are plenty of others that have a vested interest in the items I find for them… I don’t have to sit here and take this from some young punk.” The man spat his white skin going red.

“If you plan on leaving I expect a complete return on the credits I gave you.” Viru said eyeing the man up and down. “From the looks of it you don’t even have what I asked you to acquire. If you did I would’ve known… So what’s it gonna be Viper? Or should I call you Bilor Cole?”

Stopping in his tracks the man froze casting a glance back at Viru to see the young man smiling smugly. Sitting back down Bilor accepted the drink from the waitress with a nod. “How did you get that name?” He asked in a hushed voice.

 

[Viru Lentus]

“Oh come now.” Viru said as he handed the waitress his empty mug. Watching the women walk away Viru bit his bottom lip watching her hips sway in the dress that was far too short to be decent. “Do you really think I would just pay someone thousands of credits without finding out everything I could about them?” Viru asked as though scolding a child. “For example, I did not know that you had three daughters… Three daughters that all go to school on Coruscant. Shall I name them off?” Viru asked finally looking back at Bilor when the women was out of sight.

“No.” Bilor said through gritted teeth before taking a swig from his drink. “And I didn’t fail.” He said pointing one of his meaty fingers at Viru. “Its just that…”

“Just what? Just that I paid you in advance and you squandered it?”

“No!” Bilor said louder than he had intended and drew the attention from many of the patrons who turned to look at the large man. Lowering his voice Bilor spoke so only Viru could here. “It’s just that this Sith stuff is not easy to come by you know. What hasn’t been scavenged already by the jedi and spirited away is probably in the hands of the One Sith.” Bilor said taking another sip from his mug. “I don’t think what you’re asking for truly exists.” Bilor said.

“Oh it exists… I know it.” Viru said his eyes narrowing as he stared at the overweight man. “So I take it there was nothing on Coruscant to find? Nothing in their databanks?”

“I know how to do my job... So I may need just a bit more time to follow up on what my leads say. Everything I know points towards Korriban.”

 

[Viru Lentus]

Barely paying attention to Bilor’s words Viru tuned the older man out. Hands coming together and fingers locking Viru began to think back on the visions that had come to him weeks ago. They plagued his mind almost every moment that he slept. Visions of worlds covered with the dead, of a threatening man on a throne his face invisible to Viru except for those eyes. Those eyes that haunted him, and in front of him floated a glowing holocron. It called out to Viru, urged him to claim it as his own. He would do just that. No one would stand in his way.

Finally tuning back in Viru looked back at the man. “You mean their ancestral world? I thought that was in jedi territory? Is it even safe to try and travel there without drawing the overbearing attention of them? I’d really prefer you not to get caught and give away information about the one who hired you. Or even what you're there for...” Viru had never worked with the Sith nor the jedi, and even after living a hundred and ten years he had no intentions of turning to them for help. His parents had known Viru was a force sensitive when he was a child however due to his sickness and how frail he was not even the jedi would claim the boy. Clicking his tongue Viru felt a slight bit of anger raising up in him. Maybe if they had trained him he could’ve been healed decades ago. The Sith were not much better, Viru had lived to see the destruction wrought by those malicious beings. No… He’d have to learn alone. "Yes they'll be sure to watch Korriban closely."

"I'm not some amatuer." Bilor said finally finishing his drink. "I'll be able to get past them... Somehow."

 

[Viru Lentus]

“I’m sure you do know how to do your job, but do you know how to deal with the jedi? How do you think they’re going to treat anyone that dares to land on that planet? With the utmost scrutiny I bet. Probably scared of more Sith rising against them, or people doing exactly what I hired you for.” Viru said his eyes narrowing. He would not let the jedi steal what was his. Whatever that pyramid was it belonged to him and he would have it! IT was rightfully his!

“Well… I was going to simply sneak onto the planet and sneak off before they noticed I was there.”

“Really? That’s all you were going to do is it?” Viru asked mockingly. “Do you seriously think they would fall for that? That they wouldn’t have the landing pads and such under constant observation? That they won’t just shoot you out the sky?” Viru asked with a growl. “No… I can’t trust you alone to do this job… I will accompany you.” Viru said rising from his seat in the stool. “Preparations must be made if I am to be ready to leave by tonight.” The young Kiffar/Epicathix hybrid said as he turned to leave.

Feeling Bilor’s heavy hand on his wrist Viru looked back at the older man. “I never said anything about you riding along. This is my job, and I will get it done! I do not need some stuck up brat riding with me across the galaxy. It will be easier if I do it alone. I just need more time.” Bilor said.

Snatching his arm out of the man’s grasp Viru turned his back on the treasure hunter. “You have a week. If you do not return to me with my artifact by this time next week, in this very same bar I will personally show you why you should fear me more than the jedi.” Viru said as he began his exit.

Sitting alone in the bar Bilor shook as a chill retreated down his spine. He had no clue why but the boys presence alone set him on edge, and those violet eyes were frightening and seemed to be more aged than Bilor’s own. “I’m gonna need something a bit stronger.” He said to the waitress.

 

[Viru Lentus]

One again sitting in the seedy cantina Viru sipped this time on Spiced Corellian Ale. He could feel the burn in his throat as he drank and felt as though he would cough. His eyes watered a bit but Viru held his emotions and facial expressions in check. HE needed to fit the crowd around him. Last week it had been filled with younger smugglers and mercenaries. Now it was filled with Gruff men and the tension was so thick one could cut it with a knife. These men were ready for a fight and all it would take was a small light to set the whole bar off.

As the night progressed to the later hours Viru gave up on just waiting and had begun doing some work on his datapad. He was willing to give Bilor just a few more minutes, however when midnight struck and the overweight man did not arrive a blood vessel could be seen on Viru’s head. His fists were clenched in front of him and if looks could kill everyone in the bar would be dead. You’ve been deceived. Viru thought to himself as he rose to his feet leaving the booth behind. I knew I should’ve went with him. If you want the job done right, you got to do it yourself.

Not even the cold night air could cool down Viru. He could feel his head heating up as his temper boiled over. One would usually be mad over the credits that had been lost in the deal he had made with the treasure hunter. Instead Viru was more angered by the fact that his artifact was almost in his hands and just like that he was back to where he started. At least he had a hint of where to go, but this time he would do it himself.

“Take me to the spaceport.” Viru said to the speeder driver as they pulled off and into the sky.

 

[Viru Lentus]

Viru bought spare clothing at a few stores near the spaceport, all to fit his façade of a mercenary out of work. He used to prefer suits and such, however now all he walked out in was a pair of somewhat torn jeans. Forgoing his shirt Viru let his well-defined upper body show as he walked through the spaceport. No one on this planet knew his true identity, nor what Viru once had been so it made it easy for him to pass himself off to others as a bounty hunter. Setting his face in a grim frown Viru made his way through the crowds of people for the private docking port. He paid no heed to the common rabble, they meant nothing to him. Though his left hand did rest upon the butt of his blaster pistol which was holstered opposite his combat knife.

To find a shuttle that was going to Korriban would be impossible. Almost no sane person would go within lightyears of the planet before. Now that it was in jedi territory the chances of that happening were even less. So instead Viru bought an older HWK model ship. The paint was worn on the ship, carbon scoring littered its hull, and rust could be seen here and there. Not something he would usually want, but it would have to do for now. Standing on the loading ramp Viru looked up at the sky above and the stars twinkling. Eyes narrowing as he thought about just where in the galaxy Bilor could’ve gotten to. Whenever he did crop up again Viru planned on meeting the large man again. “I will find you.” Viru whispered before entering the ship and closing the ramp behind him.

 

[Viru Lentus]

Exiting hyperspace Viru watched as the stars came back into view and before him the planet of Korriban seemed to almost glow. It was shocking how easy it was to find the coordinates to the planet. Why wouldn’t the jedi hide or at least try to stop the circulation of the coordinates if they didn’t want people to go there? Or was it that there were simply to many people that knew about the planet already to cover it back up? Maybe after this war is over it will make a good tourist attraction. Viru thought as he checked the sensor readings. It would be something to look into, could be worth a lot of money in the future. If no one else profited off of it, he would try to. There wasn’t even a single ship picked up on the sensors. Didn’t mean there weren’t any out there. It was probably due to how poorly the ship had been cared for.

Hearing a chirping Viru quickly clicked on the com station. “Forgotten Treasure, this is the Silver Jedi Coalition. Exactly what is your business in this part of space?”

Great… Viru thought with a roll of his eyes. IT was a good thing he had planned for such an event. “Listen, my friend was last seen in this portion of space a few days ago. We were chasing a bounty together and the last message I received was from that planet.” Viru said over the com. He hadn’t told a complete lie to the jedi, as he was associated with Bilor. Or at least that’s how Viru thought of it.

“You’re a bounty hunter?” The voice chirped back. This time a hint of almost annoyance in his voice. That was good, that meant that they’d probably want Viru out of their hair as quickly as possible.

“Yea. Dude we’re chasin ripped off a cloner out in the outter rim a few days ago.”

There were a few moments of silence as Viru waited. He could feel sweat beading on his brow now. If the jedi didn’t buy it they’d be down on him in a heartbeat. There was no way he’d be able to outrun them, outfly or even combat them. He was outclassed in every way imaginable by the jedi. “Permission Granted. Hope your friend didn’t get lost in the wastes, its dangerous out there.” The jedi said before the com flipped off.

Releasing a breath, he hadn’t even realized he was holding Viru relaxed, the hardest part was now behind him, or at least that’s what he thought.

 

[Viru Lentus]

Exiting his ship Viru stepped onto the surface and as his foot touched the orange dirt he felt a shiver retreat down his spine. He felt as though he was being watched and as though some dark presence was bearing down on him, his throat tightened reflexively and Viru found it hard to even breath. Everything hit him like a speeder at full speed. Images filled his mind as his inherent Kiffar abilities went wild. In his mind Viru saw so much death, chaos, the loss of numerous lives. It all bared down on him driving the man to his knees.

There wasn’t just one vision that Viru saw but dozens, maybe even hundreds. People being cut down, beings in dark cloaks overlooking a facility built into the side of a mountain. Just so many things and Viru couldn’t peace them all together. It was nothing like he had ever experienced before. That malevolent energy did not give him strength, instead it felt as though it would strike him down. “Give yourself to us! Come to the dark!” Voices said as they assaulted Viru’s mind. Then finally appearing in his mind Viru saw the orange holocron as it glowed brightly in ones withered hand. “Yes!”

“Enough!” Viru shouted as he cut himself off from the visions shoving them back into his mind. Lying face down in the dirt Viru looked up to see the final vestiges of Korriban’s sun as it descended. The part that angered him though was that it wasn’t by his willpower that the vision had ended it felt as though something else had stopped them. His entire front covered in dirt Viru wanted to return to the ship and bathe, but knew better. The longer he was on the planet the more likely another vision would be. So even if it meant traveling at night he had to do it. Hefting his survival pack Viru ventured off into the wastes.

 

[Viru Lentus]

Making his way through the dark valley Viru held out his hand which held a glowstick which cast a dim glow around him. It was near impossible to see in the dead of night, Viru could barely see more than a few feet infront of himself and was fearful that before he knew it he would end up falling off the side of a mountain somewhere. If not that probably end up being eaten by something. Every time he heard a rock move or a sound Viru would turn looking over his shoulder to be sure he wasn’t being chased, but each time there was nothing. The sounds had been drawing closer and closer ever since he had first embarked on his journey. Then came the howls. The bone chilling howls that made the hair rise up on Viru’s neck.

At first it was only one creature howling then slowly more and more joined its call. Looking up Viru saw golden lightning flash through the sky and in the short instant that it had he saw not one, nor two. But dozens of creatures crouched and watching him. Only then did he notice the glowing red eyes and the horns atop their heads. The sight probably would’ve given an older man a heart attack. Even Viru could feel his heart hammering against his chest. Every fiber of his being telling him to make a run for it. Another strike of lightning and five of the creatures had left their perches making their way to Viru in a wild sprint. Their roars could be heard over the thunder that rang out… That’s when Viru ran and as he did so all the beasts howled and gave pursuit.

 

[Viru Lentus]

Viru dare not look back as he ran, he could hear the wild beast’s growls as they chased him. He could smell their rank breath even while being ahead of them. He knew they were gaining on him, even with the massive lead he had at the beginning and being in the best shape of his life Viru couldn’t outrun them on his best of days. Neither did it help that when they began their descent upon him he had dropped his glowstick. Lost only guided by the flashes of lightning that happened ever so often Viru was lost. Was this what the jedi meant? Viru thought as another flash of lightning came followed quickly by thunder that seemed to almost make the ground shake.

Though whether by some divine intervention the lightning had showed Viru a collapsed staircase built into the side of the canyon wall ahead of him. Not having a chance to question it Viru put as much of his strength into a jump as he could to grab onto the edge of the staircase. It had been a ten-foot jump and Viru had barely made it. Beneath his left hand some of the stone crumbled making him almost lose his grip. “ARHG!” Viru yelled as he struggled to get a grip again. The straps from his pack weighed heavily on him now as they dug heavily into his skin. Finally reacquiring his grip on another part of the staircase Viru felt a foreign weight on his pack. It threatened to drag him down and from the sound of it and the tearing it didn’t take a genius to figure out what had happened. “If you want it… Take it.” Viru said as he struggled out of the packs straps and letting the beast fall back to the ground with its allies. Casting a look back down Viru watched as the numerous glowsticks he had bought activated casting a glow on the beasts as they devoured his rations.

 

[Viru Lentus]

Pulling himself up onto the staircase Viru breathed heavily not daring to cast another look back down at the roaming animals below. Their growls signaled that they still wanted him. He could hear the scratching as they tried to climb up to him. Considering that Viru knew nothing about them there was nothing saying they couldn’t. I have to keep moving. Viru chided himself and as he got to his feet he drew his blaster pistol. Looking down as a one of them had finally gained purchase Viru shot it between the eyes causing its corpse to fall back into the throng of the beasts.

Turns out that was a mistake as the sound of the blaster firing and the corpse hitting the ground drew the attention of the other beasts. Howling out for their ally they tried with a renewed determination to get Viru. Firefek! Viru thought as he fired again, and again into them. Each shot dropping one of the beasts. It wasn’t that he was some marksman, but it was impossible to miss any when they were all bunched up. Finally, after fifteen shots Viru decided he had wasted enough time. They were slowly making their way up. So he made his way up the staircase. With no railing Viru was fearful of tumbling off. So he patted the side of the canyon with one hand and tested out the ground ahead of him with one of his feet to be sure he wasn’t about to walk off the side.

It was slow progress and he could still hear the animals behind trying to make their way up. Whenever the lightning flashed Viru used to guide him taking off at a sprint using his memory to guide the way. At the top of the staircase he saw almost what looked like an incredibly large Masoleum that reached high into the sky. The closer he got to it the more the feelings of malice and the dark energy returned haunting him. It was the exact same building he had seen in his dreams, and no less intimidating. It looked out over the valley and as lightning flashed again Viru ran for the top leaving the howls of the Tukata behind him.

 

[Viru Lentus]

The hike up the stairs was long and grueling, about halfway up Viru had to stop running to take a breath as it reached just that high up. Another twenty minutes were spent climbing the stone stairs. As the Mausoleum came into view Viru couldn’t help but admire the condition that it was still in. Signs of age were obvious of course such as the moss that clung to the walls and the few pieces of upturned stone. Some parts of the building even had dark spots as though shot at with a blasterbolt.

Off to his left though Viru saw a ship that sat on a makeshift landing pad. The landing ramp was up, and it looked like a refurbished corellian ship. Then casting a glance back to the open doorway Viru’s eyes widened. I can’t be too late! He thought as he ran forward making his way into the already lit mausoleum. They weren’t lit by torches however, instead they were lit by glowsticks that littered the ground, and next to one was a dark stain. Anyone on Viru’s line of work would’ve known what it was instantly… Blood. And there was a lot of it. It coated the murals that lay around and up ahead in the distance two corpses of the same beasts Viru had encountered lay dying. Maggots infested their swollen bodies and the smell made Viru want to gag.

Drawing his blaster pistol and making his way past the corpses Viru moved slowly following the trail of blood. The further he went in the more he felt cold descend upon him. Goosebumps now covered Viru’s skin and his hands shook. “Get ahold of yourself! You are not a child.” Viru said scolding himself for his cowardice behavior. He wasn’t even scared of what he’d find but of the voices that were slowly returning. That almost seemed to be whispering to him. At the end of the trail was the last thing Viru expected to find.

 

[Viru Lentus]

Laying against a large stone casket was the corpse of Bilor. His skin had become a dull gray and his head slumped forward. Moving closer to the body Viru examined the corpse to find out how Bilor had been killed. His death had to of been incredibly slow and agonizing as not only was he missing a large chunk of flesh from the right side of his torso, but his left leg was mangled with shards of bone poking through the skin. Off to the right sat a discarded blaster pistol while in his hands Bilor held a holorecorder in one and what appeared to be a scroll in the other.

Viru’s initial thoughts were to snatch up the scroll and leave Bilor’s corpse behind, but this man had died under his employ. The least Viru could do was listen to what the man had said or at least see to it that his corpse was returned to his family. Squatting down Viru had to pry the datapad from the cold dead hands. It was odd. Just a few days ago Viru had been planning multiple ways to torture Bilor and get payback for thinking the man had betrayed him. Now he felt an odd sense of guilt knowing that the treasure hunter had died in trying to complete Viru’s mission.

Flicking the switch Viru watched as the blueish form of Bilor popped up. The man did not look well, sweat covered him from head to toe causing his clothes to stick to his large mass. “I don’t know when someone will find this… I don’t know who will find this, but I’m sure these will be my last word. Funny. I thought this would be my easiest job yet, find some treasure for a stuck up brat and make enough credits to retire in the outter rim.” Bilor said as his body shuddered.

“I-If you can please return my bodies to Coruscant… I have three daughters there. The oldest named Sina attends a university there…” Coughing a few times Bilor cut off again. “I wish I had spent more time with them, set a better example. I could’ve been a much better father. It’s too late for that now. At least all my credits will be given to them.”

“IF you can look up a kid named Valkor or… Something that started with a V. Maybe his name was fake. I don’t know. Deliver this to him and let him know I didn’t completely fail.” Bilor said holding up the scroll so the recorder could see it. Looking off as though someone had called him Bilor smiled. “I guess its my time.” Were his final words as the video ended.

Feeling something rolling down his cheek Viru reached up to wipe it away. What he saw on his hand was water. No the remains of a tear. You weak fool. Viru cursed as he turned away from the body his eyes red. Seeing this dredged up memories of his own parents, how they toiled to always care and provide for him. Looking over at the scroll Viru bent down to pick it up.

 

[Viru Lentus]

The moment Viru’s hand touched the scroll another vision assaulted his mind. With only the light of a candle to see by a Red Skinned Chagrian sat at a desk writing on the scroll with ferocity, as though pouring his heart into it. Viru was given a glance down onto the scroll and as he watched he was able to make out what the Chagrian was writing. “I have seen my master’s weaknesses. I know what makes him who he is. What he draws on for strength. He clings to these memories like a stubborn infant clings to their mother. I know of his past loves, his rivalries… Even of his time as a jedi. He was weak and deserved death, and I granted it to him. I shall not make apologies for what I’ve done as it is the way of the Sith. I have done as our forebearers would have. Now along with power I acquired my masters knowledge. It is not safe here, I shall send it away back to where his journey began. On the world where the sand covers all.” Stopping the Chagrian looked up and over his shoulder directly at Viru but with a grunt he returned to his writing.


Snapping back to the present Viru found himself breathing heavily a pain in his chest. In his palm he held the scroll. He needn’t unfurl it just yet. He had gotten the first clue to where he needed to go. A planet where the sand covers all. While there were a lot of dessert planets in the galaxy it would help Viru narrow his search. “So you braved these dangers to get this for me?” Viru asked Bilor’s corpse. “For that I am most grateful, and I will ensure your body makes it back home. I will pay your children the remainder of your credits and extra for your sacrifice.” Viru promised as he moved to take the corpse with him. It was his fault that three children would be without their father, Bilor's death had been caused by Viru's own arrogance and greediness. Some probably wouldn't care, others would justify the actions, but Viru hated himself for it.