[Ok i've decided to take all of the pieces i've written and finally bring them together and put them in some sort of order
I suggest before reading this anyone should check my bios for a breif history of Raziel's past. The story starts at the very beginning and then skips to the end of his old life. The rest will be revealed during the return which will be carried on soon]
The Beginning
The Boy pushed forward with all of his weight and dragged the heavy broom across the floor, another couple of bristles fell out and another choking cloud of dust rose up. The Boy coughed once and wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his grimy shirt before carrying on.
He held his breath as he pulled the wet cloth from the bucket, wrung it out and started to wipe the vomit from the floor. The water was already dark from cleaning the bar, but The Boy was too tired to get up and change it. The smell from the foul stuff rose up to his nostrils, but the bar already stank enough for it to make little difference. A sharp pain shot up his arm as he cut himself on a shard of glass. His finger went straight to his mouth, but not before a few drops of bright red blood landed on the shard of glass he had missed. He looked down on the glass and bright green eyes starred back at him, the blood spread across the shard and tainted his eyes.
Eventually he had finished cleaning his father's bar. The crowd had been rowdy tonight, disturbing his sleep, and it had taken him a long time to clear up the mess. He slipped out of the door and quietly eased it shut behind him, fearing to wake his father. He squelched up the nearby hill and sat down on a flat piece of wood he had dragged up here a long time ago.
He sighed as he sat down on the hard wood, flinching as his blood-soaked bandage caught on a splinter of wood. Nal Hutta was a flat place and he could see a long way from here. Just down below him was the retched settlement where he lived, it was a small town on the outskirts of the planets largest port. Most of the people here worked at that port moving shipments of goods from place to place, most of the people were slow witted and heavily built. He couldn't remember the last time he had had a conversation with one of them.
He raised his eyes, above the border of the little town. To the north was the port city of Arduan the bright signal lights lit up the humid Nal Hutta atmosphere and made the sky glow red. Like the moon Nar Shaddaa the place was a hive of smugglers, corrupt merchants and other scum. It was quite a disconcerting sight. A large sprawling city with a vast red haze above it, almost as if the place was cursed.
He wandered why humans had ever come to this place. The land was flat and marshy and the atmosphere thick, damp and hot. Humans had of course quickly adapted, they had learned to build on the bogs and over a few generations they were now excellent at staying cool in the hot, constricting atmosphere where sweating was almost no use. But still the people here were living under the shadow of the Hutt population. The Hutt tolerated the human presence because they made excellent bodyguards and smugglers. They also liked to have something in-between themselves and the outside world, they valued their privacy.
One thing, The Boy reflected, that no man had learned to live with was the day. The days here lasted a massive 87 hours and there was no-one who could stay awake for much over twenty. Instead the people treated it as two days, one light and one dark. They would work hard during the first part of daylight, before it got too hot, then they would rest. They would wake up for dusk and go back to work and then they would enjoy themselves for as much of the night as they could stand. The Boy didn't come out much during the day; he mostly stayed inside and cleaned the bar. He dozed when it reached the busiest hours as his father hired more people then. When it was closing time he would get up and clean the place up as quickly as possible and then he would come out for the night. He loved the night.
He swivelled himself around and looked at the nearest Hutt city, a very different place from Arduan. The richest Hutt families gathered vast amounts of wealth and could live in luxury, secluded behind their high walls.
The Boy laid down and looked up. His eyes were drawn instantly to the great nebula. It was a thing of absolute beauty, most nights he would spend hours just starring at it. If he looked at it for long enough he could make out many patterns in the gas, each of them adding to the greater design of the nebula. Some days he felt that he could almost make out an order to the swirling designs, an overruling order amongst the chaotic beauty. Just as soon as he thought he could see it, it would fade away and elude him.
Tonight however his gaze shifted almost immediately. The moon Nar Shaddaa moved slowly across the night sky, closer and closer to the nebula. It was not a thing of beauty. It was black in colour, but bright orange lights criss-crossed its surface making it look like the rock was breaking up. He had been told that it was the centre of the galaxy to many people. Those people being the same kind that inhabited Arduan. The moon drifted across the Nebula, it looked like an intrusion. One terrible dark, evil entity moving across the image of beauty.
The Boy looked back down and sat up, he would go walking tonight.
He woke slowly. Eventually he gained enough consciousness to stop the thing that had been annoying him. He reached across his bed and turned off his alarm. Most nights a crowd of young burley men came into the bar to drink and fight the night away. One night a week was different though.
One night a week none of those men were foolish enough to come into the bar. Tonight a small group of people would come from the city to gamble and talk. They were wealthy merchants from the city and they would use this time to make deals and sign contracts in the privacy of the small quiet town. The Boy didn't really know why they came to his father's bar, but he understood that his father had once been one of them. He swung his legs out from under the covers and stood up, reaching for his trousers.
He opened his door and walked out onto the gallery above the bar. The tables had already been set and the men were already off. They played various games, most with cards. He sat down and hung his legs over the edge of the gallery, held onto the rails and watched.
At first they had complained about the small boy starring at them with intense green eyes, they were used to it now and ignored him. The Boy liked to watch them cheat. At first he had never noticed them cheating, but now it was easy to see. His quick eyes followed their hands and counters and he found it amusing to watch people slyly hoard counters or hide cards. He had even learnt to spot the men playing tricks with the cards to make sure they had the advantage. He tested his wits this way every week, it was a relief from the boredom of life.
He looked down at the table where his father's best fried sat. J'den was a powerful man, the child could see it in the way the others looked at him. J'den was a tall darkly coloured man, who was also a good friend of his father's. Seeing The Boy looking at him the man smiled even more and waved. The Boy smiled back, he liked J'den. He was always smiling and was genuinely nice to him.
After watching for a few seconds The Boy saw that a lightly built, fair haired man sat across from J'den was trying to cheat him. He watched as the man quickly slid a pink counter up his sleeve as he laughed about a joke someone had just made. The motion had been ever so quick, but The Boy's keen eyes spotted it. Somehow by the end of the game J'den had still won. Shaking hands with the other players he stood up and went to talk to The Boys father. The Boy stood up and went down to talk to him.
"What do you want boy?" His father said. The Boy shrank back into his shirt, but J'den smiled and patted his head.
"How've you been Raz?"
"Good, thank you sir," The Boy replied. His father was about to say something when J'den cut in;
"Give The Boy a rest 'Leth I'll watch him," The Boys father looked at J'den for a second and then walked off into a back room. J'den looked down at him and smiled. He saw something in The Boy that attracted his interest. Somehow the lad just didn't fit in here, he couldn't imagine how The Boy had been spawned by the failed businessman that ran this bar. No, there was something different about this boy, he had potential. But for all his efforts J'den had not discerned just what it was.
"You were watching our game I saw you!" he said in mock anger.
"Sorry I didn't mean to put anyone off if that's what I did i.."
"No, no its fine lad. Do you ever get to play double twist?"
"Only when you play with me," The Boy replied, reflecting that J'den not his father had taught him how to play the various games.
"We could play now if you like? I have some business to do, but not for a while."
"That man was trying to cheat you!" Raziel said. He just blurted it out and pointed to the fair haired man. J'den starred at him, he looked at him seriously for a second.
"You noticed him cheat?" he asked suspiciously. The Boy wandered if he was in trouble.
"Yes sir, he was hoarding some pink and red counters, as well as swapping the dice over." J'den smiled at him and held his hand to his chin in thought.
"Come sit over here and we'll play something." J'den sat at a table and set all of his counters on the table.
"Now Fenith over there," he indicated the fair haired man. "Is actually quite a good cheat. I wouldn't expect any novice to notice what he does. You see he is a good player, not excellent, good. He has a weak grasp of subtlety and his hands are quick, to spot what he does you'd have to have sharp eyes and a quick mind." The Boy smiled with pride.
"Thank you. How good are you? I mean, I'm not saying you cheat sir, but how do you always win?"
"Do you ever see me cheat?" J'den asked
"No" The Boy replied slowly, afraid that he had angered his friend.
"Do you think that's because I don't?" he just looked at J'den. "What you have to understand lad is that cheating is a part of the game for us, those who are best at it win. Although there are occasions when you need to lose, but I wont go into that." He looked at The Boy for a second, an idea hit him. "Would you like me to show you how to cheat?" The Boy didn't even think about it.
"Yes"
"Ok then, there are some things you need to know first. I want you to remember these things, they don't just apply to the games we play here either.
"First of all hide you assets. Never let anyone know what you can do, what you know and what you're planning. If you know everything about your opponent and can guess what he will do next you already have a huge advantage." J'den smiled and paused for a second. The Boy was digesting what he had just said and he could see that The Boy would understand. This kid was sharp. "Ok number two: distract people, divert their attention. It is one thing to have you opponent guessing, it is entirely different when they think you're doing something you're not." To accentuate his point he threw his left hand out to one side, drawing The Boy's attention and then opened his apparently empty right hand to reveal a coin. Again J'den paused for a second and read The Boys reaction.
"Lastly you must move in ways they do not expect you to move in. Strike unexpectedly and take control when they least suspect it. In this way you can keep your opponent guessing and take control. Oh and also take every advantage; don't be afraid to cheat, because the next man would do the same to you. If everyone is willing to take advantage of you, don't be afraid to take advantage of them." Raziel smiled, he thought he understood. Again J'den watched him for a second to read his reaction, The Boy would make a fine businessman.
"Now enough of the life skills and back to games. By the rules you have to leave your counters on show, some people take advantage of this rule by hiding the odd counter they believe will be important. Remember rules two and three. This means don't hide counters which the other players believe are important to you, they will notice and distract people so they don't see what you are doing." J'den started bouncing some counters in his left hand. He then smiled, as Raziel watched the counters intently. The Boy had seen people do this before, if he kept track of each of the bouncing counters he would spot the missing one.
"You missed it," J'den smiled.
"They're still there!" The Boy protested.
"You're absolutely right, these counters are here!" he looked down at a pile of counters by his right hand, which appeared to have shrunk. The Boy smiled.
"You see most players you've seen will do something like bounce counters or play tricks with them to distract you from the fact that they are hiding them. However the good players let people watch them do this as they go about cheating elsewhere." He pushed the pile of counters towards The Boy. "You try!"
The kid started bouncing the counters in his left hand. "Like this?" he asked.
"Yes, but don't look at them look elsewhere. You don't want to make anything too obvious. If you don't want the other players to see you look at something, distract them and take a quick look."
The child carried on bouncing the counters, J'den saw something flash in the corner of his eye and saw that some counters were gone from the pile.
"Wow!" he said, genuinely impressed. He paused for a moment to count the counters "That was damn fast!" he looked at the smiling boy for a second before regaining his composure.
"Anyway you looked at the counters for too long! You have to completely throw people." Then J'den went on to show him more techniques and was more and more impressed by the lad's potential. Then two Twi'leks entered the bar and stood in the doorway looking in their direction.
"Sorry lad, but I've got to go. I'll be here again next week."
"What's it like having power?" The Boy asked quietly. The question completely threw the man.
"Good. The respect is the best part of it. However the worst part is you can't rest, there's always someone trying to take it from you." He looked to the two Twi'leks at the door who were starting to disturb people.
"I'll see you next week."
Raziel sat on the gallery again, waiting for J'den to turn up. While he waited he watched the men playing. He realised that there was a whole new level to the games that he hadn't seen before. His eyes followed the player's movements and he kept the boredom away for another evening by testing himself. He looked down at a stray coin on the floor. He looked back down at the gamblers and shifted the way that he sat, at the same time his hand snaked out and snatched the coin. He looked down at it and started thinking.
The End
The assassin looked down at the family huddling in the corner. The confused child clung tightly to its mother and looked up enquiringly at Raziel. The assassin just removed a small comm unit from his jacket. The target looked down at his two dead bodyguards, their blood still pooling on the luxurious carpet. He looked at his loyal servant of six months who had now sheathed the undetectable organoplastic knife and was taking a blaster pistol off one of his dead minders.
Raziel felt thoroughly pleased. It had taken his a great deal of time to get employed by his target, but the six months of hard work had paid off. He had finally gotten close enough to the target.
"Good you have them with you now, alive?" came a thundering voice from the comm-unit.
"Yes" Raziel replied impassively. The woman started to cry, truly scared of the emotionless killing machine her trusted servant had become.
"Tell him that this is what he deserves for trying to con my clan!" Raziel relayed the warning, still slightly bemused that one of the ancient Hutt family was talking over the comms, rather than Ania, his Twi'lek intermediate.
"We never conned anyone, you tell your master that he cheated me!" The man realising his family was on the line started to rise. Raziel gave him a swift kick to the stomach and stood back as emotionless as ever. The woman sobbed loudly again.
"Never the less, he was a good trading partner; for a human, for a time. Tell him that if he renews his contract with the clan then we will spare him." Boomed the Hutt's voice. Hearing the message the man looked back at Raziel defiantly, but when his wife sobbed again his look softened.
"Okay, whatever you want." He whispered.
"He said yes." Raziel said without changing tone.
"Good Good! But this can't go unpunished. Kill his wife and children. Slowly."
Hearing this the man got up again. His hands trembled in rage and sweat was beginning to drip from his head. He looked at his child, then back at Raziel.
"No!" he shouted charging at Raziel. He screamed in rage and threw all his weight at the assassin. Raziel dropped the gun and leant away from the attack. He crouched and effortlessly threw the man over his shoulder. He fist whipped around and caught the man on the back of the head. The assassin dragged the bemused man back to his family.
"I don't Torture." Raziel spoke into the comm.
"Well kill them quickly then, that will suffice. Then give him the contract and return to me." The comm closed off.
The assassin slowly reached down and picked up the blaster pistol. He looked up at the weeping woman and then slowly straightened, not taking his gaze from her. He levelled the pistol at the child, who stared back at him with wide, blue innocent eyes.
"Please," whispered the man.
* * *
Raziel hit the ground moving at a high speed. He absorbed the shock of the fall and went into a roll. He came up fast with his pistol and stopped his momentum against the door as he tried to find a target amongst his spinning view. He fired off a few shots at his pursuers before slipping through the door. He ripped the controls from the side of the door and fired off one more shot into the electronics.
Two men had fallen to his last shots. That left another seven men and that assassin. Raziel raced down the stairs and leaped down the last two floors, crouching low and then rolling to keep up his momentum. There were another two of the clan's men guarding the door. Before they could react he brought up his pistol and let off two quick shots, before carrying on out into the streets below.
Raziel turned to look for pursuit and saw the assassin who had come with the men burst out of the door and turn towards him. This assassin was decked out in black and had a Coruscanti rapier at his side. The assassin looked straight into Raziel's eyes and then brought a blaster rifle up to his shoulder and took aim.
Fleeing once again; Raziel ducked and turned a corner and dropped down into another dark alleyway. A shot from the assassin scorched the intersecting walls just above his head. Raziel sped off into less desirable sections of Nar Shaddaa once more. His only refuge against the vengeful and powerful Hutt clans.
* * *
His face peered back at him from the mirror. Raziel didn't like what he saw, but he was expecting it. Without care his beard had grown, hiding his sharp chin and jaw line. His eyes had sunken into his; his skin was dark with grime and looked distinctly unhealthy.
The renegade had been in hiding for months now, how many he didn't know. He had felt confident that he could escape his masters when he had ignored their commands. Raziel had been so confident in himself then. His nickname had been feared across the planet and as the personal assassin of the ancient Hutt clans he had been wealthy too. They had simply cut off all the ports and sent other assassins, eager to gain their own reputation, after him. Raziel had dispatched those naive assassins and his confidence had swelled.
Then the angry Hutt clans had taken matters into their own hands. They had sent bounty hunters, trackers and assassins into the depths of Nar shaddaa leading the Hutt's own men. Again and again Raziel had been forced deeper into hiding, his youthful pride shattered. It seemed that the whole planet was against him: Raziel had a price tag so large it was probably truth. And for any assassin that had been living in his shadow there was a greater prize still.
Raziel took a knife from his small pack and a can of foam. He then removed a comb and brush from his pack and placed them next to the old, dirty sink. If his plan failed tomorrow, he would at least get to see his old self looking back at him from the mirror once more.
* * *
That did it; the last connection had been severed. He had done it so well it would be hours before the port's security knew that their security recorders were no longer working. He picked up the metal panel and slid it easily back into place. Nothing seemed out of place.
Raziel then removed his jacket and pulled the last clean shirt he owned off over his head, revealing a lithe sinewy chest. He unrolled a black bag of equipment and laid the contents across the floor of the computer room; an old fashioned needle, a drip and two bags of clear liquid.
First Raziel took the drip and slowly inserted it into the inside of his left arm. There would be no time to try and find a vein later. He then took the green bags and tied them around his chest, one under each arm. One squeeze and the packs would break open, letting loose their contents. Raziel redressed and took out another small pouch. In this one was his pass and a card with a time written on it. On the back of the sleek opaque card were the notorious imperial symbol and the liberating words "Vast Empire"
Raziel pulled the hood of his brown cloak tight around his head, hoping that anyone would think he was trying to conceal his face. He walked out into the entrance of the port and headed straight for the boarding tubes. He followed his route; eyes darting left and right, searching for the men that would be looking for him. As he approached a check point he spotted three men on the left looking at everyone as they were searched before they could board the ship. Raziel was almost at the boarding tube now. He had spotted another five men on his walk and none had seen him. Maybe he would get through cleanly even with the tightened security.
Then he felt something cold against his neck.
"We knew you'd get desperate eventually. Keep your hands where we I can see them." Raziel could see the civilians in front of him turn and stare, another amusing event for them to joke about later perhaps. "I'm security! Keep on moving and enjoy your journey!" shouted the man holding the gun.
Raziel was led back through the security checkpoint against the flow of human traffic, as they walked he noticed other civilians nod at his captor and follow along. He was pushed roughly through a side door into a long, dark corridor. They stopped him momentarily to tie his hands before continuing. On his left he could hear the constant whirring of heavy machinery, he didn't have the freedom of movement to look around though. After what seemed like an eternity he was brought to a halt before an insignificant white door.
Following after two of the guards he entered into a plain, large white room. There wasn't a single distinguishing mark on any of the walls. The only furnishing was a simple metal chair in the centre of the room. He was frisked quickly, they only took his blaster. Fortunately they didn't find the packs of poison or the drip in his arm. He could finally look around now. There were now ten men all looking at him nervously. Raziel had the urge to make a sudden movement to see how they would react, but refrained. He was tied securely to the chair and left there with all ten men clutching their weapons tightly.
Eventually his sharp ears heard a familiar voice from the corridor outside. The door opened and Ania stepped into the room with another guard. Raziel groaned, Ania had hated him he knew, but she feared her masters too much to do anything to the prized assassin.
"I trust you have searched him?" she said.
"Only quickly, we took his gun. He's not going anywhere, trust me."
"Don't be so stupid! This man is very dangerous!" she retorted. The guard looked down at the floor and nodded dumbly. "Four men stay at the door and make sure no one comes in, I need to talk with our friend."
Raziel was furiously working with the brace holding his hands. He couldn't act until he could reach that needle. He sorely hoped that those guards would come back in before Ania left. He wanted to see her die so badly.
"Hello there 'Dark blade' it is reassuring to see that you couldn't stay away for very long."
"Shut up fool," Raziel said. He got a fist hard in the stomach for that. He groaned, but managed to recompose himself. If they beat him and punctured one of the sacks....
"We never thought you could be so weak, we trained you so well." She hissed.
"Master what do you want done with him?" she said to someone else.
"Keep him there for now, we will see him ourselves. Go now and arrange transport. No-one betrays us." Harsh Hutt language came from somewhere within Ania's cloak.
"Keep him safe for now, I will return to take him." The Twi'lek opened the door and left the room, telling the four guards outside to return inside on her way.
Raziel felt the braces on his hands give way. He knew he had to act quickly, before Ania could return. He was already late for the meeting. He hoped that the guards hadn't notice the sweat that was beginning to roll down his face. He brought his arms down hard into his sides, breaking the two packs. In a millisecond he felt his head begin to go light from the gas.
In one movement he pulled his hands from behind him and removed his precious combat knives from his pack. He left arm arced out gracefully and slashed underneath a guards chin. He shifted his weight and thrust back into the guard on the other side of him. He started to make a run for the door as his nose and throat screamed in pain as the gas stripped a layer of skin. The gas was fast acting though, and he fell to the floor in pain. The rest of the guards could not retaliate against Raziel. They were all on the floor in agony as well. Struggling against the pain Raziel reached for his belt. He had to stop, as his vomited violently. He couldn't see for the pain as he pulled up his sleeve and pushed the needle into the drip, he hoped for his life that the vein hadn't collapsed. He emptied the needles contents into his bloodstream as consciousness slipped away from him.
He coughed up blood as he awoke sharply, his stomach wrenched once more as he fully regained consciousness. The anti-dote had worked, he was alive at least. He felt like crap, but that was more than could be said for the men around him. Not one had managed to reach the door in time and the room reeked off vomit. He wiped himself off on one of the guards' uniforms and checked the time before heading for the meeting place.
"Good day," said the interviewer.
"Hi there, sorry I'm late." Raziel replied.
"Well let's get on with this, I'm corporal Cosmic and I believe you want to join the army corps?" he looked up at Raziel's skinny form amused.
"Yes, can we go soon and do this elsewhere I really do need to get away from this place. I can't stand it." Raziel said.
"Well my shuttle is here. I've already picked up a load of recruits so far, but I must ask something about your background. "Have you had any previous experience and what is your main reason for joining?" Comic asked.
"Erm Well, I've run into my fair share of trouble over the years. I'm could with a pistol, or a blade, I can handle myself just fine. I've lost everything on gambling though, my luck ran out along with my credits I don't have much of a choice."
Cosmic looked at the time: "Yes we get a lot of that; anyway we'd better continue this on the journey I have to go now." Raziel smiled.
* * *
Ania's face suddenly flashed up in Raziel's dream, interrupting his flash back. "We are coming for you!" she hissed.
Raziel woke up bathed in sweat. He fumbled for the light and flicked it on. He moaned before sitting up. He had not thought much about his past for so long, his training had kept him focused. A thought crossed his mind, something inside his head had put two and two together. The assassin with the coruscanti rapier: he had met him again. Three times in fact, on missions with the corps, each time they had fought and Raziel had come out the loser. If that assassin was a figure from his past, then he could have recognised him.
He could be coming for him.
There was something else that tugged on him. Someone else from his past and a promise he had made. A promise he would never forget
The Return
The foul smoke from a deathstick wafted up Raziel's nostrils. He slowly lowered the data pad he had been reading and turned to regard the man next to him, who smiled back at him meekly. Raziel deliberately placed the pad down beside him and looked at the stick that the man was holding casually. The round faced man turned away and started to bring the stick up to his mouth for another puff. Suddenly Raziel's hand was clamped around his wrist. Raziel leant across him and pulled the deathstick from his hand and dropped it to the floor, crushing it under the heel of one of his boots.
The man turned to Raziel with a look of utter disbelief spread across his face. He started to open his mouth, but then Raziel starred at him. His thin, pale face was completely expressionless but all that the man could see was his eyes. Those strange green eyes that shimmered in the light. He gulped once then sank back into his seat, the moment Raziel looked away he stood up and walked away. Raziel had to hide a smile. He still had the touch.
This was Cepany's orbital docking station. Currently Raziel was sat, with his back pressed against a plasti-glass window, in the public waiting terminal; hoping that his commercial flight wouldn't be too late. The hall was impressively large and just as noisy and the vast array of species bustling about just added to the effect. On every side of the large domed room were food stalls and shops that would cater for humanoids from all but the farthest reaches of space.
Raziel looked up at the holo-screen above him, no matter which angle you looked at it from the journey times would jump out at you. Admittedly it was slightly disconcerting, but it was an effective method when maybe a thousand ships would be docking here every few hours. He looked up and down slowly until he found the ship that "Raziel" was taking. It was very late. Looking at it he would get there before that ship even arrived. He smiled, he would find her soon.
Unbeknown to most people Raziel had a great deal of alter-egos that he had set up over his long career. A lot of them he had chosen to abandon when he had become Private First Class Raziel, he had told few his real name. Not even the ancients knew that, they did however know about a great deal of his alter egos, after all other clans under their supervision had trained him to use them in the first place. He didn't really know why he had starting setting up his "other selves" recently. At first he thought it was because he needed to get back into practise, but he had realised that it was something deeper, a realisation that he was in danger and would soon need to disappear. Above all else he had decided it was time to complete unfinished business.
His training under Japheth had begun to falter as he realised this. For a long time he had been experiencing flash backs whenever he tried to use the Force. Images of Ania's face pervaded his thoughts and clouded his mind. It had gotten so bad that he could no longer access the Force, all of Japheth's attempts to training him farther had been in vain. He had told Japheth that he had unfinished business and that he could no longer continue his training. Japheth's pupil had been showing some promise, and the Krath had not taken it very well. Raziel had fled the citadel on Lopen in disgrace, but now he was focussed. He knew what he had to do, he had a promise to keep.
He had always been naturally cautious, whether it had been dodging his father's drunken rages or avoiding a pickpocket. He had only really started to have his obsession with personal security, which verged on paranoia after he had met Jamel his mentor, and ultimately, friend.
"You'd be surprised how quickly those with less talent than yourself will come after you. A lot of them seem to think it is unfair that you are working for some of the leading powers in the system whilst they are still shooting good men in the back for their spare credits. Be warned though, although most of them will never find you some will dedicate themselves utterly to finding you and killing you. What they lack in talent they make up for with determination and good planning. You must remember, everyone is mortal and one lucky shot can finish you, one good ambush can end it all."
Raziel was sat opposite his mentor with his back to the door, which he hated. Jamel was the clan's current, ageing assassin who had been tasked with training Raziel and making sure that he would profit the clan. Raziel had only just left the service of the wretch Ma'Hond and was still rather taken aback by his new surroundings. The idea of not even seeing you're boss face to face was entirely new. The scale at which these people worked amazed him. There were a few things he had learned to trust: Firstly J'dens rules of life. They just seemed to be the only way one could get on in this world. Next he trusted Jamel, in a place full of people ready to exploit him this man genuinely seemed to sympathise with Raziel. Not that Raziel let him see an inch of what he could do, unless it benefited him to. He wandered if Jamel knew everything that he got up to and found it amusing to see his influence develop. He wouldn't put it past the wily assassin to have already infiltrated Raziels own network of spies and contacts. The other thing that Raziel trusted was himself, if all else failed he could fall back on his instincts and he could pull through. He noticed Jamel watching him.
"They would come after me? Now?" Raziel asked.
"Well of course, they've let me know enough times that they want me dead and I'm sure news will spread that I'm actually training someone. God knows one day it might sink in with me. Anyway you've got the whole calling card thing going, rumours of the so called "Dark Blade" are already spreading. Did you know that? Ah of course you did, you're going about things as I told you. If you get as good as I think you can be, and judging by the job you did on Machlenon, you are, you'll have a great number of eager wanna-be's more than willing to spill you blood."
"What would they achieve?" Raziel asked. Sometimes Jamel would go on like this for hours at a time, when all he wanted to do was learn more about the old assassins way of life and be shown more strategies and techniques to get the job done. In a way though Jamel was telling him about his way of life, Raziel thought. He smiled for a moment, Machlenon had been an over paranoid business man who had made too many enemies. The man had surrounded himself with hundreds of defensive legal representatives and soldiers. Raziel had been the worst lawyer the man had ever, ever hired.
"You haven't been working for the Hutt long, in a way you still aren't, directly anyway. Soon enough you'll know how they do business. If they come to trust your abilities and someone takes you out, don't think for a second that they wouldn't hire him on the spot." Raziel looked at Jamel for a second. He was used to people being untrustworthy, but that to him seemed truly despicable. Jamel was looking at him intensely now as if he was searching Raziel. The man sighed slightly and leant back in his chair. A look of pity crossed his face briefly.
The next week Raziel had been sleeping soundly when the first of them came. He had recently moved from Arduan into one of the larger, more temperate cities. He had a small apartment in one of the less desirable areas of the city.
Firstly there was a knock on the door. Raziel rose slowly, but as soon as he realised what it was, he was instantly alert. Something was wrong. The way the man was knocking on the door immediately had Raziel suspicious. His window backed onto a long dark alley, he held a small mirror up to the edge of the window. His over-sensitive eyes could just about pick someone out in the far window. Then he heard a single footstep above him, it was a shuffling noise as if someone had almost tripped.
He shouted something to the man of the door as he assessed the situation. The angle from the far window would not give a great shot of the door, but the angle would put whoever was there at risk. As he was thinking he was gathering his few personal things. He picked up a window shield and slid it onto the edge of the window. Jamel had been showing him how to disable one. If someone broke through the window the pocket sized device would sound an alarm and activate a temporary shield. Immediate access would be denied and anyone crossing the barrier at the time would be cut in two. Raziel then pulled down the shutters to block the view and as an after thought activated the windows own heating to stop anyone getting a thermal image.
"Hi there," Raziel said as he slid the door half open. He yawned and leant his head back, keeping his eyes barely open to get a good look at the man. He tried his best to look tired and leant back on the obscured wall.
"Sorry to wake you at this hour, but I'm afraid we've registered an error with the heating in your room. Could be dangerous." The short man flashed some I.D. on front of Raziel's eyes. His acting was average, but the way he stood gave it away and didn't they realise Raziel would have known the workings of these apartments perfectly. He knew every procedure and every technician.
"Does it have to be done now?" Raziel asked, half-yawning again.
"I'm sorry sir but it wont take a moment, it should be that one there," the man said as he leant his head round the door and looking at a heating unit. Raziel noticed him look at the window. Raziel couldn't quite work out what the plan was yet, maybe this guy would install a bomb or something if the sniper couldn't get a shot. "I tell you what, I'll quickly check my terminal to see if it's still there." The technician put his bag down on the floor and took out a datapad.
The window it is then, thought Raziel. He stayed where he was for the time being, just inside the door. His right hand slid slowly down to his thigh where a small knife waited. He could just about make out a small, constant scratching noise. He doubted the "technician" could hear it.
He shook his head and sighed. He tried to consider who these people could be and how they had found him, but he simply couldn't. Not now anyway, he was still running on adrenaline and hoping his instincts would pull him through.
The technician turned his upper body slightly, the movement was negligible, but it made all the different to Raziel. He mentally prepared himself for action, making sure that every muscle in his body was ready. There was a sucking noise behind Raziel as the slab of plasti-glass fell out. The technician turned towards Raziel brandishing a fletchette pistol, at the same time the window shield activated back in the room almost defeaning Raziel with its alarm.
Raziels left arm shot forward and the Quickfire-3 shot out of it's sleeve mount into his palm, his finger pulling the trigger almost instantly. At the same time as his shots hit the "technician" in the stomach, chest and head he swivelled his torso around and let the knife fly behind him without looking. The knife thudded harmlessly into his assailants upper torso. Only the top of his chest, head and rifle had got through the hole before the portable shield had activated. Raziel picked up his bag of belongings and made his way down the corridor away from his room. He threw away the half-depleted Quickfire-3 hold out blaster and pulled a 'Penetrator' hold out from somewhere in his clothing. If he met any more of these people they would likely be armoured. His journey to the speeder had been a relatively uneventful. The sniper had probably fled and there had probably been only three assailants.
He had never really believed that someone would come after him. His opinion of his self-worth had never been high, even if he did understand his own abilities. He hid in the shadows for a reason: he didn't want to be seen. An anonymous reputation was one thing, but the thought of being exposed to people who wanted him dead terrified him. Raziel had always had the ability to choose how deeply he slept. Since that night he had never had a good nights sleep.
The hairs at the back of Raziel's neck started to stand on end. He suddenly felt very jittery and he couldn't concentrate on the news. Not that he had been paying much attention.
He had spent years of his life perfecting what he did next. He looked around without seeming to move an inch, in a couple of seconds he had scanned the whole room without seeming to look up from his news. He realised that there were two men sitting on opposite sides of him watching him far too intently. Raziel had amazing spatial awareness, he could close his eyes right now and put a knife in each of them still. He to observed both of them, without actually watching them. Now that took practise. Rhylena had been the only person he'd ever met able to observe their surroundings in the same manner so well.
The feel of a Quickfire 4 hold out against his thigh re-assured him. He wasn't well armed, but he had never been able to travel with a gun before. It was amazing what Fury could arrange. The two men were hostile, he could just feel it. Really he had just learned to read people over the years. Raziel had had to have so many different talents to reach his previous position. He had worried that he would be incredibly rusty after the years of army work, but to his immense pleasure he was as sharp as one of his knives.
He breathed a sigh of relief after one of the men did a few things. Firstly he pulled a newspaper out from underneath him. Hardly anyone printed on paper any more. He then proceeded to fold it up in a particular way and got up and left. Raziel refrained from smiling and followed the man. It was more difficult now that a super freighter had arrived and people were heading for the docking bay, but Raziel had one of those presences about him. Something in peoples subconscious just realised that personal safety involved moving out of this mans way. People would generally move out of the way of large, frightening people's way. They also did the same with
Dangerous people, they just didn't realise they were doing it then.
The newspaper holder pushed open a swing door on Raziel's left. They were in a long, wide, round corridor at the moment. It was the way people who felt like walking would go between the ticket booths and the waiting room. Raz caught the door as it began to swing shut. He found himself in a tiny waiting room. Two seats lined one wall and that was about all there was room for. When the door thudded shut behind Raziel the newspaper holder opened the opposite door.
No matter where Tucker felt like being, he took his office. Raziel had met him in city centres, cargo ships and even devastated planets. Every time Tucker would be sat behind his desk in a large open room. You never saw the security guarding him, you just felt it's presence. The man holding the door open proceeded to sit down and read the paper. The whole thing was very surreal, but that was always the case with Tucker.
"Good to see you!" Tucker said enthusiastically. He smiled and motioned to a chair opposite Raziel, who took up his offer.
"How many years has it been? And you've never once changed this chair to make it more comfortable," Raziel said as he squirmed in the hard chair.
"You remember in school they used to make you sit in the worst chairs and they said it was because they were teaching you important stuff and they wanted you complete attention?"
"Hmmm," was Raziel's only response.
"So you're really going to go back?" Tucker asked, he got up from his chair and sat on the table opposite Raziel.
"I guess so,"
"Well do you want me to give you the obvious warning about the serious health risk's associated with putting Raziel on Nar Shaddaa?"
"Do you know anything in particular?" Raziel smiled. Free information was always good.
"Well lets see. The Ancients know that you're coming and they've personally contacted the best bounty hunters around as well as launching their personal police force. Erm, you remember that assassin you met on one of your missions? Well his name's Vandross and he thinks this is his chance to bring you down." Raziel groaned at that. Every time so far this mysterious assassin had bested him.
"What do you know about him?" Raziel asked.
"Well it goes something like the Ancients won't employ him so he believes that sending your head to them will be a serious boast to his CV."
"The usual then," Raziel smiled.
"Why are you going back Raz? I tell you what I can send me best men in to get her out for you! That way you could stay far, far away from Vandross and still keep to your word."
"It's not going to work like that, the ancients added her to their grudge list. They'd go for her just as much as they would for me! And besides I have other things that need sorting."
"Yes but the ancients haven't got that Twi'lek bitch Ania whispering in their ears about her now have they?" Something suddenly struck Raziel. He had never once mention Ania to Tucker. Through all the years that bitch had been the go between for the ancients. Then again Tucker knew almost everything so it was only to be expected.
"And what would this service cost me?" Raziel asked wearily.
"Just a few jobs. Well actually only one that requires your particular talents. I've told you many times that my network has a big gaping hole in talent with your name written across it." Tucker smiled. Raziel didn't, he stared blankly at him.
"I'm sorry I don't work like that any more. This is something I need to do myself anyway. If I come back maybe I could do you a favour and help some of your men out." He said as he stood up. Something beeped quietly in Tucker's ears as the second man from the waiting room walked up silently behind Tucker. Raziel had heard rumours that Tucker knew where every one of his agents were. Jamel had once told him that he had some kind of electronic tracking system fitted to all of them.
"I thought that would be the case. Anyway I'll have some people keep an eye on you and watch your back for the bounty hunters, I'm not promising much mind." Tucked sighed and held his hand out for Raziel to shake.
After he left the room Raziel felt like going back inside just to see if the desk was still there or whether it had magically transform back into a baggage hold. Looking up at the sign he saw the ship that he was pretending to take was early and the ship he was actually travelling on was now late.
'Win some, lose some.' Raziel thought.
Raziel was awoken from his light sleep when the transport dropped out of hyperspace. The whole transport shook and Raziel immediately knew something was wrong. Checking the time he saw they were scheduled to stop at Nar Shadaa in only another five minutes.
"Apologies, but there will be a delay. Some wreckage is blocking our path." Came a stern voice over the tanoi. Looking out of his window Raziel saw they weren't kidding. A massive transport the size of their own had a serious chunk, perhaps a quarter of the ship, blown out of it. Debris floated gracefully through space and harmlessly deflected off of his own transports deflectors.
It was the transport Raziel had booked another seat on. This was going to be interesting.
Appendix
Characters
Ania - Twi'lek assisstant to the ancient Hutt clans. Bears a grudge against Raziel and wants nothing better than to see him dead. Raziel slipped through her fingers before and she is determined to see him dead now.
Ma'Honds - Owner of a small theives guild in Arduan, Nal Hutta. Also involved in various other illegal activities
Jamel - The aging personal assassin of the clan of ancients. His last task is to train his replacement.
Archon Khalldryn - Lord of the Spire
Lucef - Rich trader of antiques. Lives in Arduan.
Rhylena Talans - Daughter of the owner of the largest private security group on Nar Shaddaa and talented bodyguard and leader.
Jhocus Kray - ???
Tucker - Owner of one of the galaxies largest intelligence groups. An old contact of Raziel's and before him Jamel. Although his motives are never revealed, he has men guarding Raziel's back on Nar Shaddaa
Saj'ette - Rodian weapons master on Nar Shaddaa. Creates personalised weapons for Raziel's use for a high price.
Vandross - A very dangerous assassin, who seems to bear a grudge against Raziel.
Places
Nar Shaddaa - "The smuggler's moon" A twisted version of coruscant, this moon orbits Nal Hutta and is the base of the largest smuggling operations. Vertically built cities cover the whole moon.
Nal Hutta - The planet is ruled by the oldest Hutt families, who control Nar Shaddaa from their homes. The planets landscape is flat, marshy bogs.
The Spire - The largest hive city on Nar Shaddaa. It stretches from the tallest point on Nar Shaddaa's cityscape, where the aristocracy loves, to the deepest sites of the old mines, where no-one sane goes anymore. A complex maze of industrial sites and factories, lawlessness rules.
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+ Advance Recon Commandos {ARC} +
PL:A/SGMRaziel/1PLT/1COMP/1BAT/1RGT/VEA/VE/{EW1} (WoS1) (VP) {IG} {CDS} {BoA} {PoC}
Assistant Squad Leader - Squad4 Wraiths
"Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music." Kristian Wilson, Nintendo, Inc, 1989.
CM/DJK Raziel/lion 1-5/Krath/VEDJ/VE