A quest for answers...

[Raan Viktrad]

::I had packed a few things, food, extra clothing, for a short excursion. I followed the path from the Jedi Academy into the forests of Dagobah, where my ship was hidden away. I hadn't completed my jedi training yet, but I didn't think that this would take more than a couple of days. I would return to complete my training later. I slung my napsack over my shoulder and continued into the woods.::

::This trip would take me to Naboo, which I had learned was the location of the Jedi Hall of Records. If my father had indeed been a Jedi, then that was the place to find out about him. As I came into view of my ship, questions kept running through my head. Hopefully they would be answered soon, and I would begin the long process of uncovering my past.::

[Raan Viktrad]

::I walked up the boarding ramp of the Marauder 14, and pressed the button to open the door. I stepped inside, threw my napsack into my bunk, and climbed a ladder into the pilot's seat. I activated the control panel and accessed the navigation system, and started to input the coordinates of Naboo. When I finished, the ship started to hum and vibrate as the repulsorlifts activated. The ship started to lift off the ground, and I strapped myself into the pilot's chair as the cockpit began to rotate backward into flight position. When I reached a safe altitude, I oriented the ship into its verticle position and ignited the engines. Inertia forced me back into my seat as the Marauder 14 gained speed. In a few moments, I had cleared the planet's atmosphere. I now only had to wait until I reached safe distance from the planet so I could initiate hyperspace. As I did the necessary calculations to set the proper course for hyperspace, I thought of the recent events that brought me to this point...

<Flashback: Nearly six months earlier- Tatooine.>

::I rocked gently back and forth in the back of the transport, my arms and legs shackled and chained to the wall of the vehicle. The guard watched me intently, occasionally grunting obscenities at me. I paid no mind to him however, my mind was on the upcoming fight.::

::Most of the stronger slaves were forced to fight at the Arena, for the entertainment of their owners, and I was no exception. Gambling was a big industry on Tatooine, and the death-matches were one of the many events that contributed to that industry.::

::The transport came to a stop as we arrived at the Arena. The slave compartment flooded with light as the bck doors were opened. A guard climbed aboard, and unchained me from the wall. The guard hopped out of the compartment with the chain in his hand, dragging me along after him. I did my best to keep up with him (which was difficult with my feet shackled) as he led me to the Arena. We stopped at the entrance as I heard the all-too-familiar hum of repulsorlifts approaching.::

:: Obo Tenoba slowly became visible as he emerged from the darkness of the corridor, his mobile life support unit hovering toward me. I was a slave indentured to Multova the Hutt, and Tenoba was his personal assistant. He was a hideous thing; nothing more than a head floating in a cylindrical preservation tank with countless tubes and wires protruding from the neck. He was once an infamous bounty hunter, feared throughout the galaxy, but now was merely a ghost of the man he was, kept alive unnaturally in that hovering monstrosity by Multova the Hutt.::

Obo Tenoba: Ready for this match, are you?

::His snake-like voice boomed from the speakers mounted beneath the tank he floated in; the speakers wired directly to the speech centers of his brain. I nodded silently.::

Obo Tenoba: Good. Some very influential clients of ours have a lot of money wagered on you. I would hate to see them disappointed. And it would be a shame for you to die so close to being freed.

::Tenoba laughed menacingly.::

I remember Multova's promise, Tenoba. One more match after this one and I can go free...

Obo Tenoba: Don't worry, Slave. Multova will make good on his promise. But you need to keep your mind on the task at hand. Guard, get him ready for the fight.

::The guard tugged the chain sharply and led me into the corridor.::

[Raan Viktrad]

<Flashback, continued>

::The bars of my cell opened and a guard entered, attaching a chain to my waist. I had been prepped for the fight- fitted with crude armor, more for show than for protection, and I informed the fight coordinators of my choice of weapon. I chose a Mandalorian battle axe, same as always. It was a small axe with a large, broad blade, small enough to be easily wielded with one hand, but large enough to have a devastating effect on an opponent. It was the weapon I felt most comfortable with in my fighting experience.::

::The guard led me out of the cell and began to lead me to the arena floor. Two other guards took their places behind me and followed; they were armed with blasters in case I made an escape attempt. As I walked, I saw a Malisterian lingering in the passageway, he didn't seem to belong there. He was constantly looking around, as if hoping not to be found in the corridor, until he noticed my approach. He fixed his eyes on me, staring intently. As I got closer, I noticed he was examining me head to toe, with a studious look on his face. I stared back involuntarily, wondering why he was here and why he appeared to take such an interest in me. I continued to stare, turning my head as I passed him, until the guard behind me shoved me with the butt of his rifle.::

Guard: Eyes forward, slave.

::I turned back and kept walking.::

::I arrived at the arena floor and one of the guards detached the chain from my waist and went back into the corridor. Another guard came out, carrying a Mandalorian battle axe. He dropped the weapon at my feet and backed away. The two armed guards also backed away, with their blasters trained on me. I knew the drill; they would shoot me if I tried to pick up the weapon before they were out of harm's way. They backed into the corridor, closing and locking the gate behind them. I picked up the axe and waited.::

:: In a moment, my opponent emerged on the other side of the arena. The guards accompanying him went through the same procedure that they went through with me. My opponent was Gragorr, an unusually large human. He was about six foot seven inches, and wore a helmet adorned with Wompa horns. He was trained on Hoth; the harsh environment supposedly added to his ferocity. He was armed with a Gammorhean flail, a spiked iron ball connected to a two foot shaft by a barbed chain. The Gammorhean flail is noted for its spikes which are curved and almost hook-like, which ensures that the spikes not only pierce the skin on impact, but take a substantial amount of flesh with them.::

::It was clear that this would not be an easy fight.::

[Raan Viktrad]

<Continued...>

::I looked around the Arena, the stands were full. Above the crowd, I could see Multova's VIP box, where undoubtedly he and Obo Tenoba would be watching over the fight. Once the crowd seemed somewhat settled, an announcer came over the loudspeakers.::

Announcer: And now for the main event! A battle to the death between two of the toughest fighters in the galaxy.

::This was of course a great exaggeration, but the announcers liked to get the crowd excited::

Announcer: The first combatant, a human slave, native to Tatooine, owned by the great and powerful Multova the Hutt... Raan Viktrad!

::I raised my arms in the air, the axe in one hand, the other hand clenched into a fist, and slowly turned around in a circle for the whole crowd to see. This was not out of any egotism, it was more of a matter of survival. Many of these matches were rigged, and if you were a crowd favorite, they were more likely to be rigged in your favor. So it was not only important that you win, but also that you look good doing it. Showboating was as necessary as fighting. Cheers rose from the crowd as I turned. The announcer continued.::

Announcer: The second combatant, a Human slave hailing from Hoth, owned by the Kinako family... Gragorr!

::The crowd cheered again as he raised his hands in acknowledgement, but this time the cheering was mixed with boos and hisses. Gragorr was rather unsportsmanlike in his fighting, taking a lot of cheap shots and gloating over his victories. This cast him in a more unfavorable light among the spectators. Of course there were no rules in the death matches, except that no projectile, laser or mechanical weapons were allowed, but sportsmanship did count for something in the eyes of the crowd.::

Announcer: And to increase the danger of this match, two magakkiks will be added to the arena.

::Magakkiks were a type of tiger native to Kessel, and they were often put into the ring to add excitement to the match, along with various other animals, sometimes even Rancors were used. They would be chained to opposite corners of the arena, and anyone unfortunate enough to wander within range of the chains would be potential prey. The crowd cheered as the magakkiks were led into the ring by their trainers and chained down. The trainers then ran off the arena floor and locked the gates behind them.::

Announcer: Let the match begin!

::I raised my axe and prepared myself to fight.::

[Raan Viktrad]

<Continued...>

::The horn blew signalling the start of the fight, and Gragorr came out swinging immediately. Once he came within range, he swung the flail at my head, narrowly missing as I tumbled forward. I came to a stop at his feet, then swung my leg in a semi-circle, sweeping him off his feet. I stood and raised my axe to strike, but was not quick enough as Gragorr swung his weapon again. I had to leap backward to avoid getting hit. I took a few steps backward as Gragorr got back to his feet. I readied myself for another attack, but Gragorr only stood where he was, he would not approach me. By the time I realized why, it was too late.::

::I collapsed forward with the agonizing pain of claws in my back. I had wondered too close to one of the Magakkiks and it pounced on me. Before it could bite into me, I rolled to the left as much as I could under the animal's incredible weight and slammed my elbow into its jaw. It growled in pain and hopped off of me for a moment, but a moment was all I needed. I jumped to my feet and ran away from both the magakkik and Gragorr. The magakkik chased me until its chain would allow it to go no further. Gragorr, however, did not have the disadvantage of being chained down.::

::Gragorr leapt toward me and swung his flail; I ducked under it and rolled forward, and slashed his left thigh with my axe. I leapt backward as Gragorr grabbed at his wounded leg and screamed in pain. He swung the flail wildly, and as I raised my axe to block, the chain of the flail wrapped around the handle of my axe, and Gragorr yanked it out of my hand. Now unarmed, I turned to flee. My axe landed behind Gragorr, so it would be difficult to get it back. I looked back momentarily to see how far behind me he was, and as I turned, I saw the spiked iron ball of the flail swinging at my arm. I was taken by surprise, and the weapon tore three deep gashes in my right arm. Had he been a half-inch closer, he probably would have taken my arm off. I rolled forward into a sprint, heading for the arena wall. I had an idea, but if it didn't work I would probably end up dead.::

::I ran for the wall, Gragorr lagging behind a good distance due to his wounded leg. Just before reaching the wall I leapt up, grabbing hold of the top of the wall and pulling myself up. I grabbed one of the bars of the railing and braced my feet against the wall, and pulled with all my might. My wounded arm screamed with agony, and out of the corner of my eyes I saw armed guards running over, thinking that I was trying to escape. Finally, the rail-bar broke free and I fell backward. Despite the pain of the fall, I rolled to my feet just in time to see Gragorr taking a mighty swing at me. I lifted the bar in front of me, blocking the flail, with the chain once again wrapping around the bar. I quickly grabbed the bar by both ends and yanked backwards, and the flail flew from Gragorr's hand just as I planned, landing several yards behind me.::

::Both of us now unarmed, Gragorr roared with anger and tried to pounce on me. I tumbled forward, rolled between his legs and ended up behind him. Instead of turning to face me, Gragorr kept running forward hoping to retrieve his weapon. I ran after him, and as soon as I got close enough I jumped onto his back. I wrapped my left arm around his neck and tore off his helmet with my right. Then I grapped his ear tightly in my right hand and yanked. The ear came off rather easily, and Gragorr screamed as blood spurted from the gaping wound in the side of his head. He reached back and grabbed my arms and threw me over his shoulders. I landed near the other Magakkik, but quickly got to my feet and jumped clear of the animal's chain before it could attack.::

::Tearing off a man's ear throws off his equilibrium, making it nearly impossible to balance for a few minutes. At this time Gragorr was stumbling around like a drunkard, so I had a moment to catch my breath. That's when I noticed the crowd was chanting my name. I raised my arms in the air and the crowd rose into a near deafening cheer. Then I noticed the flail lying on the ground next to me. I picked it up and held it over my head, and the crowd cheered even louder. I walked over toward Gragorr, who was struggling to regain his balance. He saw me approaching and tried to lunge at me, but he only veered to my left and fell over. As I looked at this once-formidable adversary turned stumbling fool, I felt troubled. As I looked at this giant man who now lacked the ability to stand up, I couldn't help but feel pity. He was already beaten. I thought to myself that there was no need to continue this fight, and the idea occurred to me to spare his life. But I knew the Hutts would not stand for it. Two men enter, one man leaves. That was the law of the death-matches. This knowledge was only reinforced by the crowds, who were now chanting, "Finish him! Finish him!"::

::I lifted the flail, and with all my strength I swung it into Gragorr's face. He spun around in almost two full circles and fell facing away from me. The crowd cheered, and I dropped the flail on the ground. Then the crowd fell silent as Gragorr pushed himself up off the ground and started to crawl away. I looked across the arena and saw my axe, and ran over to pick it up. I held it up for the crowd to see and they cheered. I walked over to Gragorr and lifted the axe. The crowd once again fell silent in anticipation. At that moment, Gragorr spat blood (and several teeth) on the ground and turned his head to face me, and then spoke.::

Gragorr: Please... Please no... don't... please...

::I shut my eyes tight and brought the axe down, and Gragorr's pleas ended with a thump as his head hit the ground and rolled away from his body. I threw the axe down and turned around, and opened my eyes as I raised my arms in the air in a gesture of victory.::

::The crowd cheered and called my name, but I felt no pride.::

[Raan Viktrad]

<Flashback, continued>

::After my wounds had been tended to by Multova's surgeons (most of whom had been unable to legally pratice in the medical profession due to some malpractice or other legal problems and had no choice but to work for the criminal underworld) I was shackled and led back to the slave transport. As I walked through the corridor leading there, I once again noticed the mysterious Malisterian lingering in the hall. This time when he saw me, he called out.::

Malisterian: Viktrad! I must speak with you!

::He ran over and grabbed my arm.::

Malisterian: You must listen! we don't have much time!

::The arm he grabbed was my wounded arm, and it hurt very badly. I shoved him away and he fell down.::

Get away!

::The guard behind me hit me in the shoulder blade with the butt of his rifle::

Guard: Quiet, slave! Keep your hands to yourself.

::The Malisterian sat up and began to reach for me again.::

Malisterian: But I must...

Guard: Who are you? You don't belong here! Get going before you get yourself arrested.

::The Malisterian heeded the guard's warning and ran off. The guards continued to lead me to the transport. When we got there, Obo Tenoba was waiting.::

Obo Tenoba: A very impressive performance indeed, Viktrad. Your next match is in four days. I do hope you'll be ready. Master Multova wishes to go over the details with you tomorrow. But in the meantime, you've earned some rest. Guards! Take him back to the slave pits.

::I was loaded onto the transport and we were headed back to Multova's slave pits. During the journey back, I kept thinking about the fight with Gragorr. He pleaded for his life and I killed him anyway. It didn't feel right to me. All my other opponents had posed an immediate threat until the very end, but Gragorr pleaded for mercy. I kept telling myself that if I had spared him, the Hutts would have killed us both, but it didn't make me feel any better. I didn't sleep well that night.::

<Present Day, in the Cockpit of the Marauder 14>

::After departing from Dagobah, I arrived at a refueling station in orbit around the planet. I decided I should refuel now, just to make sure I would have enough for a round trip. I hailed the station with my comm radio.::

Station Control, This is Raan Viktrad, pilot of Marauder 14, requesting permission to dock.

Controller (on radio): Permission granted, Marauder 14. Commence initial approach.

Roger that, control.

::I maneuvered my ship close to the station, and once I was close enough, I fired the retro thrusters to slow down.::

Controller (on radio): Allright, Marauder 14, we have visual confirmation of your position. Commence final approach.

Roger that, control.

::I carefully maneuvered the ship toward the docking bay, and as soon as I was within range two docking arms emerged from the station and latched onto my ship. An umbillicus leading to the airlock extended and latched onto the upper access hatch of my ship. I climbed down from the cockpit to the access hatch and waited for the "all clear" from the ship's computer.::

Computer: Umbillicus is pressurized. You may now exit the ship.

::I opened the hatch and climbed out. Upon entering the station, a nearby refuelling technician welcomed me. I tossed him a few republic credits.::

Fill her up.

Technician: Yes sir.

::I headed for the Station Rest Area (which was actually just a bar) to wait for my ship to be refueled. The bar was fairly busy. There were shippers, smugglers, travellers and several Jedi hanging aroud (after all, we were in orbit around the headquarters of GJO), some of whom I recognized. I ordered a drink.::

::After the drink came, I turned on a view screen at my table.::

OOC: From here on, this is an open RP. Anyone is welcome to join. Just no fighting til after I get to Naboo, please.

[Multova the Hutt]

{As Raan sat at the table watching the viewscreen, a new message came on all the viewscreens in the bar. As communications data flashed on the screen, a computer voice sounded.}

"Attention. This is an all-points bulletin from Tatooine. Transmitting to all major spaceports in the Republic. Stand by..." the voice said.

{The mention of his homeworld caught Raan's attention, and to his surprise, the next image on screen was a live feed from Tatooine, showing his greatest enemies, Multova the Hutt and his aide, Obo Tenoba.}

"Attention, bounty hunters, mercenaries, soldiers of fortune..." Tenoba said. "The Great and Powerful Multova the Hutt is offering an open contract for the apprehension of a fugitive. The fugitive, Raan Viktrad, is seen here:

http://chuckless66.tripod.com/Raan.jpg

"He is wanted for the murder of several of Multova's guards, and for the theft of this ship, the Marauder 14:

http://chuckless66.tripod.com/firespray.jpg

"It is believed that he is still piloting this ship. Multova is offering 1,000,000 republic credits, or an equal value of your preffered currency, to anyone who brings Viktrad ALIVE to Multova's palace on Tatooine. An additional bonus of 500,000 will go to anyone who is able to return the Marauder 14 to Multova INTACT, or with minimal damage. Viktrad should be considered armed and dangerous. It is also believed that he may have connections to the Jedi. If you are interested in fulfilling this contract, it is not necessary to respond to this transmission. The reward will be given to the first person to deliver the fugitive to us."

{Tenoba did all the talking, Multova sat silently in the background. Tenoba proceeded to translate the message into several other languages, and then the message ended.}

[Raan Viktrad]

::I'm temeporarily in shock after seeing the message. As I look around the bar, I notice many of the patrons are now staring at me.::

Man, did I pick a bad time to leave Dagobah...

::I pick up my drink and head to the back of the bar, and find a dimly lit booth. When I sit down, I notice that there is a man sitting in the corner of the booth, passed out on the table. Next to him is a hooded cloak lying crumpled on the table.::

I don't think he'll miss this...

::I pick up the cloak and drape it over my shoulders. I finish my drink and pull the hood up over my head, and then pull my mask up over my face.::

Hopefully any bounty hunters around here won't recognize me.

::I get up and walk out of the bar. I head over to where my ship is docked, but when I arrive, I see the technician standing by the airlock talking to two Security Officers. I duck into a nearby corridor out of sight and listen.::

Technician: I didn't see anything suspicious about him at first, but then we recieved a message saying this ship was stolen.

Security Officer 1: Did you see where he went?

Technician: Last time I saw him, he was headed for the Rest Area.

::The officer turned to his partner.::

Security Officer 1: Okay, you stay here in case he comes back. I'm gonna check out the bar and see if he's still there.

Security Officer 2: Alright. I'll keep an eye out.

::The first Security Officer walked toward me, but I ducked back into the corridor and he passed without seeing me. The other officer stayed behind and kept watch as the technician went back to his work.

Blast! How am I gonna get out of here?

[Raan Viktrad]

::I begin to strategize my escape.::

Allright, there's only one guard there, I should be able to take care of him pretty easily, and the technician shouldn't be much of a problem...

::Just then, I see three more guards arrive from the other side of the dock. After a brief conversation with the guard on duty, they start to search the area. One of the guards starts heading right for me.::

Blast! I gotta hide!

::I can't fight the guard here, the commotion would attract the others. I look around for somewhere to hide. I notice a vent near the floor, big enough for me to crawl into. I pull the vent cover off and crawl backwards into the vent shaft, closing the vent cover once I'm inside. I finish just in time, as I see the guard's feet walk by right after I close the vent.::

All right, now what?

::I begin to crawl through the vent shaft, looking for someplace where I can safely exit.::

[Raan Viktrad]

TTT

[Feda Narudo]

*I couldn't believe my good fortune. Here I was, on a refueling stop en route to Klatooine to capture a petty informant on a 1000 credit job, and a 1,000,000 credit bounty just falls into my lap. I had been sitting in the bar at the Dagobah Space Station when not only do I see this message about this fugitive Viktrad, but the guy is right here on the station. This must be my lucky day!*

*I got up from my table moments after he left the bar, following a good distance behind (so he wouldn't realize something was up). He was headed for the docks. If Space Station security got the news about his ship being stolen, then he would have a hard time getting back to his ship. That's what I was counting on.*

*I got pretty close behind him as we got near the docks, but then he quickly ducked into a corridor. At first I was worried that he was onto me, and was taking the evasive. But as I got to the point where I last saw him, I realized what had startled him. There were a couple of security officers and a technician ahead. They were gathered around an airlock, and out of the viewport I could see what appeared to be a Firespray docked there.*

Heh, that must be my bonus...

*I walked slowly over to the corridor that Viktrad had ducked into, and moved with my back to the wall as I approached the entrance. I peeked in and saw him crouching low against the wall opposite me. One of the security officers had left, and now a few more were arriving. I drew my blaster and was about to enter the corridor to claim my prize...*

"Hey you! Freeze! Drop the weapon!"

*I looked over and saw one of the security officers coming for me with his blaster drawn. I held up my hand to show that I would not resist as I rested my blaster on the floor. I then pulled out my datacard displaying my bounty hunter credentials.*

You have a fugitive in this station. I'm a bounty hunter.

*The officer observed the data displayed on the card, nodded, and holstered his blaster. I reached down and picked up my blaster.*

"We're aware of the fugitive. We have the situation under control. Your help won't be needed." the officer replied.

I don't think you understand. This guy's worth a lot of money to me. He's mine.

"Sir, you're under New Republic jurisdiction. We will apprehend him so that he can receive due process of law." the officer said.

Look, I'm gonna make this perfectly clear. As you can see in my credentials, I'm fully liscensed to operate in this sector. And that means with or without your consent. So if I find him first, he's mine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a bounty to claim. And none of you glorified crossing guards better get in my way. All right?

*The officer scowled with contempt.*

"Fine!" he said.

*He stormed off to meet back with the other officers. I looked back into the corridor, and Viktrad was gone.*

Frell. I hate security guards...

[Raan Viktrad]

::After I had crawled into the vent shaft, I heard arguing out in the hall. One of the voices was someone claiming to be a bounty hunter.::

Oh, great. This is gonna get worse before it gets better...

::I crawled along the vent shaft, moving as fast as I could in the cramped space. A few meters in, the shaft branched, one path continuing straight ahead and the other turning upward. I chose the latter, and as I crawled I turned so that I would be able to stand up once I reached the branch in the vent shaft. I got to my feet and looked up, the shaft went about five meters straight up. I used my Force jump to leap up to the top and caught the ledge at the top of the shaft. I pulled my self up and wriggled into the vent shaft there, which seemed a little smaller than the one below. Nevertheless, I continued to crawl along.::