Chapter 1: Dromund Kaas (EN)
Dromund Kaas
Dark clouds covered the sky over Dromund Kaas. Lightning streaked across the sky, tearing the distant, threatening silhouette of Kaas City, capital of the Galactic Empire out of the dark. Continuous rain fell like a veil across the planet’s vast jungle landscape.
"Geez, is it always like this?" Aslan Zala Taranus was not fond of the literally charged atmosphere and stood impatiently in the lobby of the spaceport as he gazed out into the sky with strained eyes, hoping that the heavens would close their floodgates for at least a moment. The young agent had heard a lot about Dromund Kaas and its sinister atmosphere but only once he had set foot on this planet in person did he understand the rumors. He wished he was back on Alderaan instead, his homeworld had no shortage of trees but there wasn’t any terrible weather like this. Even Tatooine with its scorching heat would have been preferable, he had learned to deal with it at a young age after all.
"It ain't no wonder, with all these gloomy creeps walkin' around - too much dark force." Kaliyo Djannis shared her partner's dislike of the uncomfortable environment but saw it with humor.
"I guess you're right, a little light force could not hurt in this case." Aslan had to smile a little, as the Rattataki wasn't exactly known for her light side. He tried to cheer himself up a little, after all his latest mission on Nal Hutta had been a complete success. Cleverly, he had managed to recruit Nem'ro the Hutt to the Empire.
Seeing through the essence of others was his specialty. Those slimy, fat hutts were easy to read, just like an open book. Give these power-hungry hedonists a common enemy, and you can playfully wrap them around your finger. Anyway, Kaliyo was quite impressed by the agent posing as the "Red Blade". He took one of Nem'ro's most trusted advisors out of the picture and framed the Republic for his actions. He then acquired a holodisc containing a list of supporters of Nem'ro's rival Fa'athra, and the course was set. The fact that nobody was killed during the operation was both astonishing and unamusing for Kaliyo. She had a weakness for manipulation and violence. Even if he had only fulfilled the first part, the agent was interesting enough for her to join him. The Rattataki took her chances to leave that swampy hole and quit her job as Nem'ro's enforcer.
The two unequal companions left the spaceport and went outside to take the land speeder which had been specially provided for them. The soaked ground was slightly muddy and splashed under their feet. The air however was pleasantly fresh and reminded Aslan a bit of his home, although it was warmer here and smelled a little stronger. Above all, he missed the sun shining through the trees during the evenings, creating a unique and magical light.
A humanoid-looking droid greeted them in a typically brassy voice:
"Wel-come to the im-perial trans-port ser-vice. Your spee-der is rea-dy to start."
Kaliyo was amused: "Great, I always wanted my own metal bucket slave, I could get used to this."
Aslan wasn't opposed to her idea. "As soon as we've really impressed Imperial intelligence, that should not be a problem. Let's get going!"
The Rattataki enforcer had a soft spot for fast speeders. Even if this model could not quite equal the raging pod racers, it could certainly get out a lot of speed. "Do you mind if I drive?"
"If you promise that we arrive in one piece - why not." The agent wanted to let her have a little fun, even if he had a queasy feeling in his stomach.
The enforcer took the controls of the slender two-person vehicle, fired up the engines and accelerated. The speeder drew as if dragged away by a furious krayt dragon. The Imperial military did not cut any corners at their equipment.
"Yee-haa!" Kaliyo was indeed having fun while her passenger was trying to hold tight while screaming loudly, impacted by the breath-taking speed, trying in vain to avert his gaze from the track. The agent didn't want to stay forever in this jungle, but this was certainly a bit too fast for him.
The route towards Kaas City seemed easy to drive towards, but by no means could it be called comfortable, not when there were Gundarks, Sleens, and other wild creatures lurking nearby to prey on careless travellers. At this moment, Aslan wasn't sure whether the local fauna represented the greater danger, or Kaliyo with her equally wild driving style.
After a few minutes, the two reached a checkpoint at the outskirts of Kaas City. The agent felt like he had just ridden for an eternity and had to take a deep breath. It was certainly not his first ride on a speeder, but it felt like it after this infernal experience. His blond hair had long since given up its shape and was thoroughly soaked, and single strands were covering his face. After he recovered and regained his breath, the agent showed their permits to the sentry.
Kaliyo joked about her companion: "You look so pale you could pass for a Rattataki." The affected was however only moderately amused about this comment and the previous hell ride.
"I’ll take it from here. Aliens in control are not too popular around here, driving vehicles included."
Slightly disappointed, the Rattataki accepted the decision, while pulling up the right corner of her mouth. "Hm ... such a pity, I’d just got going."
However she was aware about the peculiarities within the Empire, and besides, she didn't want to drive her superior mad any further.
The agent carefully drove the speeder through the streets of the capital. In the meantime, the rain had eased a bit, causing the city and its impressive architecture to be more easily visible. The dark blue, almost monolithic-looking buildings became larger the closer they were to the center. The interplay of dark buildings and glaring lights was in fact downright intimidating - like being in an oversized prison cell under constant observation. Perhaps that was even the intention, the entire city emitted a cold aura which could let the blood freeze in one's veins.
Kaliyo eyed the surroundings, equally interested and suspicious. Every larger street was lined with banners bearing the emblem of the Empire - a regular hexagon with arrows running from its corners. It symbolized the urge to expand, embodied by the Sith-led Empire.
She had her thoughts about which she knew was better to not say aloud: "Surely there’s more space for a few more of those fabric scraps - so that all these miserable bootlickers will not forget whose boot they lick."
The enforcer remembered how she had threatened to knock out the Keeper's teeth when he called her a 'servant of the Empire'. Without a doubt, the Empire was strong and would overpower the Republic in the long run. But that did not mean she would become a fervent and unconditional underling. She was far too proud and stubborn for that. Aslan was a bit different. He was neither fervent not unconditional towards the Empire, but he volunteered, and he had a good reason for it. Kaliyo would not be herself if she didn't try to break the agent out of this rigid structure.
The latter didn't have much time to see much of Kaas City. The traffic of the metropolis was too dense to get distracted. He turned onto a broad main street that ran straight down to the largest of all the structures - the Imperial Citadel. This monumental building was built over a thousand years ago and towered far above all the buildings in this city. On each side of the colossus, another tower was connected, which on one hand was occupied by the enclave of the Mandalorians, and on the other hand by the headquarters of the Imperial Intelligence.
Finally, at the end of the street, a large square opened, behind which the citadel rose majestically. There was an Imperial frigate hovering in the sky, its arrow-shaped hull seemingly piercing the clouds. Aslan briefly thought about his father at the sight, a man who had served as an officer in the Imperial Fleet. He used to often tell his son about the glorious battles of the Empire, and also about Kaas City, from where the fortunes of the fleet were directed.
However, he had not mentioned anything about this odd-looking splinter sculpture rising in the middle of the square, made up of blue, graduated prisms hovering around a split centerpiece. Then it occurred to him that this must be the “Spires of Victory” that he had heard about, a monument built by the Empire that symbolized the Sacking of Coruscant and the subsequent peace treaty. It looked like was completed quite recently.
Like almost everything here, this work had been carried out by countless slaves. Slavery has been an integral part of Imperial society from the beginning. Many prisoners had lost their lives over the course of the centuries for the countless construction activities, due to hunger, thirst, exhaustion and illness. Aslan felt this was a waste of life. If one had to subjugate people, then you should at least take care of them properly. Sooner or later there would have to be changes to end this exaggerated arbitrariness and tyranny. But unfortunately, that was easier said than done in a world of Sith, where the strong suppressed the weak mercilessly, crushing them like flies.
"Geez, is it always like this?" Aslan Zala Taranus was not fond of the literally charged atmosphere and stood impatiently in the lobby of the spaceport as he gazed out into the sky with strained eyes, hoping that the heavens would close their floodgates for at least a moment. The young agent had heard a lot about Dromund Kaas and its sinister atmosphere but only once he had set foot on this planet in person did he understand the rumors. He wished he was back on Alderaan instead, his homeworld had no shortage of trees but there wasn’t any terrible weather like this. Even Tatooine with its scorching heat would have been preferable, he had learned to deal with it at a young age after all.
"It ain't no wonder, with all these gloomy creeps walkin' around - too much dark force." Kaliyo Djannis shared her partner's dislike of the uncomfortable environment but saw it with humor.
"I guess you're right, a little light force could not hurt in this case." Aslan had to smile a little, as the Rattataki wasn't exactly known for her light side. He tried to cheer himself up a little, after all his latest mission on Nal Hutta had been a complete success. Cleverly, he had managed to recruit Nem'ro the Hutt to the Empire.
Seeing through the essence of others was his specialty. Those slimy, fat hutts were easy to read, just like an open book. Give these power-hungry hedonists a common enemy, and you can playfully wrap them around your finger. Anyway, Kaliyo was quite impressed by the agent posing as the "Red Blade". He took one of Nem'ro's most trusted advisors out of the picture and framed the Republic for his actions. He then acquired a holodisc containing a list of supporters of Nem'ro's rival Fa'athra, and the course was set. The fact that nobody was killed during the operation was both astonishing and unamusing for Kaliyo. She had a weakness for manipulation and violence. Even if he had only fulfilled the first part, the agent was interesting enough for her to join him. The Rattataki took her chances to leave that swampy hole and quit her job as Nem'ro's enforcer.
The two unequal companions left the spaceport and went outside to take the land speeder which had been specially provided for them. The soaked ground was slightly muddy and splashed under their feet. The air however was pleasantly fresh and reminded Aslan a bit of his home, although it was warmer here and smelled a little stronger. Above all, he missed the sun shining through the trees during the evenings, creating a unique and magical light.
A humanoid-looking droid greeted them in a typically brassy voice:
"Wel-come to the im-perial trans-port ser-vice. Your spee-der is rea-dy to start."
Kaliyo was amused: "Great, I always wanted my own metal bucket slave, I could get used to this."
Aslan wasn't opposed to her idea. "As soon as we've really impressed Imperial intelligence, that should not be a problem. Let's get going!"
The Rattataki enforcer had a soft spot for fast speeders. Even if this model could not quite equal the raging pod racers, it could certainly get out a lot of speed. "Do you mind if I drive?"
"If you promise that we arrive in one piece - why not." The agent wanted to let her have a little fun, even if he had a queasy feeling in his stomach.
The enforcer took the controls of the slender two-person vehicle, fired up the engines and accelerated. The speeder drew as if dragged away by a furious krayt dragon. The Imperial military did not cut any corners at their equipment.
"Yee-haa!" Kaliyo was indeed having fun while her passenger was trying to hold tight while screaming loudly, impacted by the breath-taking speed, trying in vain to avert his gaze from the track. The agent didn't want to stay forever in this jungle, but this was certainly a bit too fast for him.
The route towards Kaas City seemed easy to drive towards, but by no means could it be called comfortable, not when there were Gundarks, Sleens, and other wild creatures lurking nearby to prey on careless travellers. At this moment, Aslan wasn't sure whether the local fauna represented the greater danger, or Kaliyo with her equally wild driving style.
After a few minutes, the two reached a checkpoint at the outskirts of Kaas City. The agent felt like he had just ridden for an eternity and had to take a deep breath. It was certainly not his first ride on a speeder, but it felt like it after this infernal experience. His blond hair had long since given up its shape and was thoroughly soaked, and single strands were covering his face. After he recovered and regained his breath, the agent showed their permits to the sentry.
Kaliyo joked about her companion: "You look so pale you could pass for a Rattataki." The affected was however only moderately amused about this comment and the previous hell ride.
"I’ll take it from here. Aliens in control are not too popular around here, driving vehicles included."
Slightly disappointed, the Rattataki accepted the decision, while pulling up the right corner of her mouth. "Hm ... such a pity, I’d just got going."
However she was aware about the peculiarities within the Empire, and besides, she didn't want to drive her superior mad any further.
The agent carefully drove the speeder through the streets of the capital. In the meantime, the rain had eased a bit, causing the city and its impressive architecture to be more easily visible. The dark blue, almost monolithic-looking buildings became larger the closer they were to the center. The interplay of dark buildings and glaring lights was in fact downright intimidating - like being in an oversized prison cell under constant observation. Perhaps that was even the intention, the entire city emitted a cold aura which could let the blood freeze in one's veins.
Kaliyo eyed the surroundings, equally interested and suspicious. Every larger street was lined with banners bearing the emblem of the Empire - a regular hexagon with arrows running from its corners. It symbolized the urge to expand, embodied by the Sith-led Empire.
She had her thoughts about which she knew was better to not say aloud: "Surely there’s more space for a few more of those fabric scraps - so that all these miserable bootlickers will not forget whose boot they lick."
The enforcer remembered how she had threatened to knock out the Keeper's teeth when he called her a 'servant of the Empire'. Without a doubt, the Empire was strong and would overpower the Republic in the long run. But that did not mean she would become a fervent and unconditional underling. She was far too proud and stubborn for that. Aslan was a bit different. He was neither fervent not unconditional towards the Empire, but he volunteered, and he had a good reason for it. Kaliyo would not be herself if she didn't try to break the agent out of this rigid structure.
The latter didn't have much time to see much of Kaas City. The traffic of the metropolis was too dense to get distracted. He turned onto a broad main street that ran straight down to the largest of all the structures - the Imperial Citadel. This monumental building was built over a thousand years ago and towered far above all the buildings in this city. On each side of the colossus, another tower was connected, which on one hand was occupied by the enclave of the Mandalorians, and on the other hand by the headquarters of the Imperial Intelligence.
Finally, at the end of the street, a large square opened, behind which the citadel rose majestically. There was an Imperial frigate hovering in the sky, its arrow-shaped hull seemingly piercing the clouds. Aslan briefly thought about his father at the sight, a man who had served as an officer in the Imperial Fleet. He used to often tell his son about the glorious battles of the Empire, and also about Kaas City, from where the fortunes of the fleet were directed.
However, he had not mentioned anything about this odd-looking splinter sculpture rising in the middle of the square, made up of blue, graduated prisms hovering around a split centerpiece. Then it occurred to him that this must be the “Spires of Victory” that he had heard about, a monument built by the Empire that symbolized the Sacking of Coruscant and the subsequent peace treaty. It looked like was completed quite recently.
Like almost everything here, this work had been carried out by countless slaves. Slavery has been an integral part of Imperial society from the beginning. Many prisoners had lost their lives over the course of the centuries for the countless construction activities, due to hunger, thirst, exhaustion and illness. Aslan felt this was a waste of life. If one had to subjugate people, then you should at least take care of them properly. Sooner or later there would have to be changes to end this exaggerated arbitrariness and tyranny. But unfortunately, that was easier said than done in a world of Sith, where the strong suppressed the weak mercilessly, crushing them like flies.
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