Eye of the Shadow - Pt. 5 - Helping Hand

Helping Hand

Late Afternoon - Under City Sewer- Taris

Two hours after the meeting between Yagr and Gadon Thek

Yagr was sitting in one of his more common perches in the Undercity sewer waiting for the arrival of the Republican pair and their Twi'lek escort. He was deep in thought about 'Serena'. She's supposed to be dead. The darkest, nastiest villain in the Galaxy believes she's dead. I can't even begin to imagine a scenario putting THAT person in THIS place.

Yagr's reverie was shattered by the frightened cries of Mission Vao echoing through the tunnels. He held a special place in his heart for the little Twi'lek, though she never knew anything of him. He had dealt with more than a dozen situations before they could cause Mission great harm, but she never knew the role he played. He was just a grubby janitor in the Upper City Cantina, nothing more to her. Her brother had treated her like garbage, but she had loved him anyway. Yagr didn't understand that. He never had a sister, never had anyone to care for like that.

The sound of her voice propelled him into action. The sewers were a nasty place full of nasty treats for those unprepared. As he heard her cry out again, he began to move more quickly through the dank tunnels of the Undercity sewers. He switched scanning modes on his implant constantly looking for the source of her cries. Without thinking, he began shouting to Mission.

'Mission! Mission! Where are you!?' It felt strange to be shouting so loud. He was always trying to keep from being heard.

'I don't know anymore!' Came the pitiful response.

Listening to her response, Yagr had an idea of where the sound was coming from. As he moved in her direction, he started to sense the approaching rakghouls. His heart beat faster and his legs pumped harder, as he started to hear her quiet whimpering. She was close. Just around another corner, there she was, sprinting towards the corridor from which he had just emerged. Then, he caught sight of the two leathery-skinned predators. In a single motion, Yagr shoved Mission aside with his left hand while drawing his vibrosword with the other. The closer rak had lunged toward the falling Twi'lek, prompting Yagr to pivot hard, bringing his blade down, cleaving the creature in two through its midsection.

The other rak had paused to size up the situation with a bit more sentient thought. The creature was a gruesome sight, crouched low, eyeing its opposition. Yagr looked at it amazed that it could once have been a human being, now corrupted by some hideous genetic virus. Its moist, leathery skin glistened in the faint light. Mission lay in the corner, frozen in a mixture of curiosity and terror, watching the swordsman prepare his move.

Growing weary of the standoff after a few moments, Yagr simply dropped his guard. The monster saw the opening. Mission shrieked as she saw the rak propel itself towards her rescuer. Yagr's speed was amazing. He dropped to one knee, moving slightly to his left, and plunged his blade squarely into the chest of the oncoming beast. He released his grip quickly so that he did not get any of the potentially contagious bodily fluids got onto his own flesh.

The tunnel was suddenly quiet. Yagr was almost deafened by the sound of his own pulse, as his heart forced blood through his body at an inhuman rate. This battle had been different for Yagr. Some contests were for pride or honor or bounties. This time it was for the life of someone he cared about. He slowly turned to face Mission.

'Are you...' Yagr gulped in a breath of air before proceeding.

She nodded assuming he was going to ask if she was ok.

'No nicks or scratches, nothing like that?' He asked with concern since it took nothing more than a little scratch to transmit the awful contagion that caused a human to turn into one of these vicious monsters.

She shook her head, but a look of deep grief spread over her face and tears started falling again.

'But...They got 'Z'.' She buried her face in her hands.

'Gamorreans?' Those dirty slavers. It was a dark day on Taris when the Exchange brought in the pigs for their particular skill in slaving.

Mission nodded her head, still keeping her face covered.

'Mission, look at me...you can still do something for him.' Yagr kneeled down and gently pushed her hands away. 'Don't fall apart on him. He deserves your every effort.' The gentle and supportive tone began to restore some focus in the young girl. She took a deep look at his face, noticing first, as everyone did, the cybernetic port and attachment. Then, a flicker of memory hit her. It took a minute, since meeting Yagr here was out of context.

'Aren't you....I just saw you....are you following me?' Mission was a quizzical little thing. 'What are you doing down here? Aren't you a janitor?'

Yagr hushed her, as it was necessary to get back to their prime business. 'Listen, that doesn't matter. Take this.' He pressed a data pad into her hand. 'Go out towards the Outcasts' village. Gadon's people are over there digging for info. You need to find them, they can help you get 'Fuzzy' back. The datapad is marked where the Vulkar's usually hold slaves like 'Z' temporarily. Stay clear of the Sith that are to the north and northwest. Ordo and a couple of his nitwits are off to the South a bit; stay away from them too. Ok...Got it?'

Mission was dazed with so much information. She glanced down at the datapad, then back up at Yagr with a bit of confusion at the data overload.

'I was just supposed to take some people to the back door. And how do you know about them? Oh...I am so confused.'

Yagr grabbed her hand holding the datapad with impatience. 'Listen...' He was a bit harsher than he intended. Calming himself, he continued while pointing out a route on the datapad. 'I know you know your way around, but take them along this route. It has the fewest traps and guards. They are right about here.' He jabbed at a spot on the map. 'Do you understand?'

'Yeah...I suppose so.' Regaining her customary confidence, she adopted a more defensive tone. ' But, I didn't really need your map. I can figure this out on my own.' Yagr gave a little smirk. You could always count on Mission to be Mission.

'Ok, be careful.' He whispered, and then sliding his vibroblade out of his kill he was gone.

Mission called out after him, 'But, I thought you were a janitor!?'

Yagr had left Mission in order to chat with Canderous. He had already bumped into the two Republic personnel when Yagr caught up to him. It occurred to him that Canderous was probably the best bet they had for getting themselves and the captured Jedi off of the planet, so Yagr shared with him a brief overview of what Gadon and the two had planned. If the woman was who he thought she might be, then rescuing the imprisoned Jedi should be very doable.

In exchange for his info, Canderous revealed the potential access to Kang's personal ship, but nothing was moving in or out of the system without Sith codes. Yagr knew how to address that issue and told Ordo to meet him in the viewing pavilion at the swoop race.

As Yagr reentered the sewer tunnels, he watched from a distance as Mission stomped back towards the village with a rather pouty look on her face. It seemed obvious to Yagr that, upon finding the Wookiee, the group had sent Mission back to wait for them in relative safety. Good for them, he thought.

Yagr found the trio in the tunnels approaching a part of the geography that was very dangerous. Time and decay had left one section structurally unsound. There was only one safe path to where they were going, and he would have to make sure they followed it. Yagr had moved ahead of the group, using a small fusion welder that he had pick-pocketed off of Ordo to seal several entry doors.

Why can't you just go out there and tell her what you know and guide them to their destination? What would I say? Good afternoon, my name is Grym Yagr and I will be your guide this afternoon. Sure. Oh, how about: Hi Serena, long time no see. So, how's things? Ever get married? Oh right, conquering the galaxy got in the way... sure, I can understand that. Me? No, no, after being compared to Mynock excrement, I couldn't really bring myself to talk to another woman ever again. So, how did that whole galaxy conquest turn out? Yagr paused while working, exhaling heavily at the bumps in the road that had represented that particular part of his past. You're an idiot, Yagr. After working a little more he paused. What in the stars does Mynock excrement look like anyway? Is it particularly foul? Yagr stood up, needing a moment of reflection. Obviously, he had not been prepared to see her again. Can it possibly be her? I mean, she was Dark Lord...Lady?...whatever of the Sith. She is thought to be dead. Malak sure thinks so. Then, she pops up looking like some no-name NCO following a pilot of the Republic around a backwater planet. Yagr sighed. Ok, stop talking to yourself and get back to work.

Just as he leaned over to return to work, the door slid open knocking his welder aside. After clearing a dozen rooms and corridors of villains and creatures, the trio saw Yagr as just another enemy to be dispatched. Without a word or thought, the woman struck at Yagr with her vibroblade. Recovering just enough to defend himself, Yagr managed to blunt the strike by reaching in and pushing the hand of his assailant outward, wrapping her sword arm up under his armpit. From the corner of his eye, he spotted a blaster leveling at the side of his head and, using the woman as a base for leverage, kicked the pilot across the corridor. As he turned to redirect his attention to the woman, Yagr found himself staring at the nasty end of a small Bothan weapon.

She paused just a moment before firing, and Zaalbar's gigantic furry paw came down on the weapon. Yagr felt himself being jerked up and out of the way and set on the floor behind the Wookiee. Zaalbar let out a string of moans and growls, and his human companions exchanged confused glances. From behind the furry tower, Yagr explained, 'He said that I am not the enemy.'

'We know what he said. We just don't understand what he meant?' Retorted the woman.

Yagr heard the voice and knew it was true. It was her. He stepped cautiously out from behind the Wookiee hoping to see some acknowledgement in her eyes. 'Thanks a ton, Z.'

'So, who are you?' she asked, turning to the Wookiee. 'Who is he, Zaalbar?'

She...she doesn't remember me. She doesn't use the force. No lightsaber. She didn't try to reach into my head with a mind probe. What in the fires of Tatooine's sand is going on? Yagr's mind was ablaze with yet more unanswerable questions.

Opening his eyes after pressing them shut in thought, Yagr began, 'I am a friend of Thek's. I have been doing what I could to help you help him.' Not a complete truth, but enough for the moment.

'Ok, how can you help?' asked the pilot with a distrusting tone as he took an aggressive step towards Yagr.

'Don't go the way you were going.' Yagr said in an even tone.

'And why not?' The pilot responded, a bit of annoyed.

Yagr bent down, grabbed a small shard of rusted metal, and tossed it into the room he had been attempting to seal. A shattering blast filled the air with smoke and noise.

'Mines. Don't go that way.' Yagr answered in a smug tone.

'Thanks, anything else?' the pilot asked without a tremendous amount of gratitude.

'Not at the moment. My names Yagr, and I'll be around if you need me.'

The other man nodded in a begrudged sign of appreciation. 'Carth Onasi."

'Serena' was all she said for her own introduction.

Yagr stared for a long moment at the woman. Her ebony hair and piercing green eyes were just as he remembered. Wow, its been...what...eight years since the first time we met? Oh, and that last time she was on Taris. She was larger than life, so powerful and....righteous. How much has changed? Then it happened; a switch was flipped in Yagr's head. Yeah, Serena...then you turned into a monster. A murderer. A murderer of whole worlds. The anger began to swell in him. For the first time since he caught a hint that this woman may have been the former Sith Lord, Yagr began to view her as the enemy once again. What happened to you? How could you be the brightest hope, then tumble to become the epitomy of darkness and evil? Why do they call it a 'fall' to the darkside? You chose your path. You didn't fall; you wanted to be what you became. He squinted his eyes as that last thought passed through his mind. She was death, and he hated her for it.

He turned and took a step to move off in the opposite direction without saying another word. It was apparent that they could handle themselves for now. On second thought, he paused and looked back. 'Oh, and don't think too little of Mission. She isn't just a snotty-nosed little kid. Annoying, sure, but she will be very useful to you in the future.' The pair looked at each other then turned to face whatever was around the next turn. Zaalbar let out a quieter set of tones expressing his own gratitude to Yagr.

'No problem, shorty, thanks for the assist.' Yagr tossed a confident smile back to Zaalbar, then left to accomplish other errands.

Serena stopped before going too far and looked at her furry companion. 'So, who was he, Zaalbar?'

The response did not clear up much. 'I know, he told us his name, but why didn't Gadon say anything about him?'

Zaalbar wove a melodic series of tones to explain what little he knew of the man. 'Okaaaaay....' Serena paused trying to noodle through the explanation. 'So, nobody knows much of anything about him, he likes doing things in secret, and he tends to pop in out of nowhere. Thanks for clearing that up.' Her last comment was heavy with sarcasm.

'What do you think, Carth?'

'Let's just get back to the mission.' Ever talkative, Onasi kept moving down the corridor, leaving Serena alone with her thoughts.

He looked at me with such intensity, like he was trying to see into my skull. Maybe that's what he uses that robotic eye for. And...I wonder if I should know him from somewhere. The headache returned; the one she got every time she tried to remember something from her past. 'I'll bet we bump into him again,' she mumbled to herself.

'What did you say?' Carth asked from up ahead.

'Nothing, just talking to myself.'