Lies and Betrayal: “Part 2”

A woman talked to a bounty hunter.

Her features were hidden, and all that were her full lips-curled in to a nasty smirk. And a lock of brown hair.

She wore a long emerald green cloak down to her ankles, and high black boots about mid shin length. Smiled lightly as she looked at her associate.

The light shown insufficiently from a single torch only exposing a scared wooden table and the two businesses partners.

"So, did you hire Fett?" The voice hissed. His face peered in to the light. Exposing a young Trandoshan, yellow red eyes glowing with intensity.

"Yes." The woman’s voice was cold and emotionless. Her face stayed from the light source.

The Trandoshan leered closer in to the light, showing rows of sharp fangs and glistening scales. "Of course…I knew he would. The money is just too tempting." The Trandoshan snarled.

"All I want to know is if you would watch him Bossk…I don’t trust Fett" The woman demanded.

The Trandoshan Bossk didn’t know if he was talking to a woman or the wind, moving through the darkness.

"Oh of course my Lady…You are at my service." Bossk’s arms reached across the fragile table, digging his talons in through the softwood.

"If you fail, you will be at your knees for mercy." The woman raised, the chair beneath her scratched with a shrill screech. Her hooded head moved under the light, eyeing the Trandoshan suspiciously, "Do not speak of this meeting again, we never met."

Bossk nodded, smiling repulsively.

The woman rushed off out of the room, her boots clomping loudly as she melted in the dark shadows of Tatooine. When Bossk could no longer hear her footsteps, he sniggered under his breath, picking his teeth with a claw. She must really be desperate…Bossk mused, what ever this item she wants Fett to find. To have me watch him an’ all. Bossk sat silent for a moment, thinking things over. He stretched, got up and left the abandoned building where the meeting had taken place.

 

Hunters Log:

The Eye that Constantine wants is in the abandoned cathedral of the B’ommar Monks.

The Cathedral is located in the section of the city that was deserted years ago-on the far ends of the planet Arakis…After some sort of catastrophe.

I’ve heard stories of the incident; most of them rely on rumors about raging fires and hordes of zombies.

Now that part of the city is walled off, and no one is allowed to go in…Not that many people would dare to in the first place.

The maps of the area are easy to find-but the only problem is that like most of them, the one I got is over 50 years old.

I’ll make my way across the city ruins to the B’omarr Cathedral, then find a way in side. But ounce I’m inside, I got to locate the Eye.

Something tells me this isn’t going to be easy, but for the amount I’m getting paid…I’m willing to take some serious risks.

Boba Fett

Boba Fett, looked his map over, and reading the particulars Viktoria had given him about his next job.

There was a feeling in Fett that kept him up through the night that he stayed in the private room of the Nomad Cantina. No, it wasn’t the smells or the depressed nocturnal residents that rotted above. It was Constantine. That old man held a grin that Fett would never forget…Jagged and ugly, filled with rotten teeth. And that voice! So deep and grim it vexed him terribly.

Something is up between Viktoria and Constantine…better keep my eyes open. Don’t want to be caught in some sort of ambush.

Fett thought. It almost came to him that Ramirez had a point about that sinister elder. As he pleaded to Fett after his capture.

I’m getting to paranoid. All I want to do is get my money and stop pondering about Constantine; He’s just a senile man.

Fett shook his head to clear himself of the ridiculous musings he thought up, and went to get rest. He had to if he wanted to do this job properly…but couldn’t, the image of Constantine and his strange smile still burned brightly in his head.

There is something up with him, and he was going to keep aware of it. Maybe if I have some extra time, I’ll try to find some incriminating evidence regarding him. Fett thought to himself till he was asleep…Tomorrow will be a long day.

 
 
Again the evil was contained.

It would be a powerful tool in the wrong hands.

But would also insure against future cataclysm event.

Only then did we preserve the writings in extant locations.

 
 

• Sermon of the Eye and high priest of the Bo’omarr Monks

 
 
 
 


 



• Boba Fett looked at his surroundings, and it was what he thought it would be.



Dilapidated buildings were most abundant; their stone piled up like mountains on the swollen earth. Sounds echoed and moaned through the air; sounds like ghosts of the incident that happened so long ago.

There was no electricity, so it was dark and cold as space. Fett leaned against a wall; he shivered slightly when his flesh touched the dead cobblestone of the building. He ignored it, and looked at his map. I’m at Rubin Street. Fett thought as he looked up at a rusted street sign. He meandered his way down the street, glancing back and forth from his map and the aged signs. I’m not going anywhere doing it this way. Fett grumbled.

He looked through the darkness with his superior night vision and noticed papyrus under a pile of rubble. Fett cocked his head curiously to one side, what do we have here? As he bent down, grabbing the piece of document up. It read

Dear Brother Laurus,

Due to the inconvenience of the borough, I have requested that there be a gear icon to represent the electricity boxes on the map. This will provide light in most needed of all times. I hope that you will consider this being an easy alternative for our troubles.

Brother Martello

 

 
Fett smiled lightly looking at his map and in seeing that showed him there was a power box just in the building he was previously leaning on. He turned and stumbled his way through the shoddy doorway of the power building.

Here we go. Fett stood himself in front of the electric box and pulled the only manageable lever. He paused for a moment after pressing the lever.

For a brief moment the lights flickered then the lights finally stayed on. And that exposed the ugliness of the city even far worse. Blackened buildings and ground proved that the rumors were right about the fires. What caused this catastrophe? Fett didn’t want to even go further in to his musings about that.

He left the powerhouse and looked down at his map. A few crumbling flakes fell off the edges as Fett turned it in different directions to get where he had to go first. Boba Fett wandered his way to a building, its door was locked, but by time, it probably weathered by a long time ago. He walked over to the worn door and kicked it down with one hit. It banged loudly and snapped in half as it flew to the rotten wood floor.

Not much to see. An old landslide paraded through the building long ago, and beams from the ceiling lay sprawled along the floor, rotting in to the foundation. But there still was a second floor remaining. He hoped there would be something still salvageable here. Fett climbed his way up the dirt mound from the landslide an on to the second floor. To his luck, there were to boxes stacked in the corner. Also there was a strange red liquid on the floor, just to new to be blood. He ignored it and searched the boxes; there was an empty plastic bottle in one, and the other contained some loot, about 300 in gold and gems. This isn’t completely useless coming up here. Fett thought looking at the still shining piece of metal. But also he had a plastic bottle to scoop up the remaining liquid up off the floor. Fett knelt beside the red fluid and put as much as he could in to the vial. What do we have here? Fett got up and crept out the ruin.

 
 
After a ways down the road, map searching and light turnings. He got to Central Street, not too far from his final destination. He looked down at his map for a long while, planning his short cuts and ways to leave the ruins. He heard a muffled noise from a decaying ruin-but dismissed it as just further crumbling of the village.

Suddenly, he was pushed to the ground by incredible force. What the- but he had no time to think or see what or who was attacking him. Fett was scrambling to get control of the situation, but had no choice. A wheezed cough shrilled Fett’s ear. He turned his head about an inch to see the creature, only to find out it was some sort of zombie, with others joining. He jostled around, hearing the lumbering footsteps of the dead. The one on him managed to pull his neck guard down and bit at his skin.

Fett screamed in pain as the teeth of his opponent sunk in deeper. He turned around to have the thing now on his chest, clawing desperately to get in through his armor. The others crowed around him, getting ready to nibble at him too. Fett grabbed the vial of red liquid and began spewing it at the zombies. They flew back, writhing then melting or even exploding to chummy pieces. He finally got free, pulling the remaining arms of the zombie off his chest and clambered to a safe distance.

He took off his right glove and began to cradle his wound on the neck. Not too serious, but manageable. If I died there, I’d end up being one of them. Fett thought, cleaning his bite mark from the running blood, then covering it with a bandage. Guess I got to be more careful…Don’t want to warn out my welcome.

For a moment, he stared up at the inky black sky, filled with diamond like stars, then started for his journey. It’s not over yet.


Constantine sat deep within his lair, pondering after watching the brief debacle between Fett and the zombies. Safe behind his portal.

"That was too close! He shouted aloud. Viktoria was right behind him in the other room.

"Yes my lord," She said coldly.

"Did you speak to Bossk?"

"Yes."

"So?"

"It went rather well, Bossk agreed, and every thing has been ensured." Viktoria positioned her arms across her breasts.

"I don’t trust Fett, but I know he will prove a valuable pawn in our Project."

"Yes, he pleases me quite well, he will prove worthy as a sacrifice."

"Yes." Constantine smiled, a hideous smile, but made Viktoria smile cruelly.

"He is a man fool." Viktoria leered; eyeing closer to the holo-projector bearing Fett’s image at the Cathedral ruins…Everything’s going as planned.

The bounty hunter Boba Fett studied his map closer; Cathedral Street should be coming up soon. But after the zombie fight awhile ago, the thought of a clear entrance to the Cathedral would be slim. Better find another way around. Fett thought glumly. He heard another shuffling of noise and quickly became part of the shadows. He did it right in time. Some sort of apparition radiating shrill sounds of garbled voices cursing phrases and chants all at ounce. It was eerie, and this thing was coming right towards him, completely unaware of the living presence.

The apparition felt warmness of a living creature in the darkness. His ounce red robes were glory and pride among the B’omarr Monks, now was ragged, cold and dead, as his condemned soul. He saw the raw image of the living human’s heart beating like a jack- hammer, like a x-ray. Was all he could see as he could see as he walked over to the warmth steadily.

Fett knew that thing was coming towards him, I could make a run for it, right here and now…But he’ll catch me. He was running out of ideas, and options. But if he kept pondering, he’d be that things lunch.

The human moved! Suddenly, the apparition followed its movements; its heart was beating faster now, in rhythmic throbs. The ghosts whispers of jumbled thoughts and words grew louder, so loud it rang in the human’s ears like shrill cries. It dove against the wall, but again was trapped, lying like food on the dead cobblestone road. He came closer to it, ready to stop hypnotic beating of the heart to stop, ready to stop the warmness of the human.

He looked upon him with envious eyes; the sounds and sputtered words became louder, and louder, and louder. Fett yelled in pain, just to stop the madness, he fumbled for the remaining liquid in the vial and threw it uselessly against the phantom. It screamed. Yelling in terrible cries in vain. Fett watched in horror as the thing convulsed screaming and crying in pain. And then it suddenly vanished in the bleak darkness of the haunted village. Fett calmed himself, sighing in relief. This will get the better of me if I sit here much longer. He thought, he got up stretching lightly and then remaining in the shadows most quietly and carefully to avoid another fight. That thing was going to either rip my heart out or suck the life out of me. Either way wouldn’t have been pleasant. He could die here, and probably vanish from existence or turn in to one of those ghouls.

Fett stumbled a bit, but got his pace up again, looking at his map and following the road signs. I just hope none of these things are going to be around the Cathedral when I show up. He tossed the now empty vial aside knowing now he would be quite vulnerable without it, "Those things are immortal…Only immortal weapons would destroy them, his high powered weapons would be fruitless against the beings. And right now, my luck hasn’t turned for the better." He said to himself. But stopped in his tracked when he heard several more apparitions were heading his direction. Great! There’re all attracted to you! Fett thought to himself. He figured this time there would be a hole of darkness to hide in and sure enough there was. He quickly melted in to the shadows.

The four apparitions walked in single file, all had the dis-configured slurred words of speech the other did. They were walking to the Cathedral.

The night was perfect and morbid for them; they liked it that way. The ice air rushed past them like a flowing river, as they would be the cold rocks that bathe in its freshness.

Their ounce thick robes were red, orange and vibrant as fire. But now were murky and rotten as their condemned souls. As time would go on, they would continue to be dead and rotten, worsening yet still blowing in the air.

Something was not right, they felt and presence of a living being, but simply dismissed it because it was too faint and cold, and quickly disappeared.

Fett held his breath as he saw them between two ruined buildings, and finally exhaled when they walked a safe enough distance, just vaguely to be seen. He wanted it that way; he wanted to follow them to the Cathedral. They know this crazy place better than I do. He thought as he lurked in the shadows, keeping them in sight at all times.

 
 
There was a long slope, then immense gates at the head of it. That’s where the Cathedral is, just behind those gates. Fett sighed, after seeing the ghosts fade in to the gates, and in to the Cathedral. He started his way up the hill, and when arriving at the top, he found the gates locked. That lock is very old, I bet I could break it using enough force. He took out a blaster and aimed carefully, adjusting his silencer at the same time…and fired. The charred metal fell to the ground, smoldering. Fett started to open, but the giant door seemed to be jarred, he turned the handle and began slamming his body in to it, when he came for another blow, the door seemed to open for him on its own. He studied the small gesture slightly, and started his way in.

He stopped abruptly in his tracks; this area was more than the rest of the town. Fett gazed in awe at the monstrous Bo’omarr Cathedral.

The building was of gothic beauty and power. Columns and Buttresses towered above him, statues lined above one of the structures, their dark intense eyes watching, giving him a disturbing feeling. He examined they whole building. Painted windows depicted events of the Monks; idols of Gods that stood proudly long ago lay crumbled on the ground. Fett looked down at one of the heads of a statue and sneered.

 
 
But he felt something wrong, looking at the earth around him, skeletons laid sprawled every where, evidence of what happened so long ago. Fett walked his way through the graveyard to the front entrance. And of course they were all locked, and his guns were useless, they were completely bolted shut. He looked to see a golden plaque with the words inscribed.

Warning:

Great evil resides in this place

It is no longer fit for men.

The doors have been sealed to protect us from what lies within.

Do not remain here.

Damn, what am I going to tell Constantine?

He had to find another way inside. Maybe if I check around, I’ll find I clue as to how I have to get in there. Fett walked in the darkness to the other end of the building, he noticed some structures to mantle on to, that led up to an open window. Guess I could get a look of my surroundings before I go in…if that ever occurs. Chance of getting in another way than finding a way to unlock the main gate would be slim, and when he reached the top of the ledges, his guesses proved right. The window was the height of one of his arms, and was narrow enough to put his arm through. Breaking his way in the Cathedral would be sloppy, unlikely, and would attract soul-eating monsters. Finally, there was an obstacle that his armor was useless to. Thought it would never come to this. He stood a little while before looking in through the window, and then knelt down to peer his way in the Cathedral.

He got a glimpse of something, something bright and luminous floating above an alter. It was the Eye. To his understanding, speech vibrated from it, like a ghost surrounding him. It was loud and grim; he didn’t know how or what mechanism made it talk, but after he went through, anything would be possible now.

 
 
"Comes a man to rescue me…Poor man.

The Old Bounty Hunters Guild have sealed the doors…Only they know how open them.

Cross you the bridge to the grotto of the Old Guild two….

Stand you on the pedestal and illuminate the statue with fire….

Then discover the secret of the Talisman."

 
 
Fett raised and thought the Eye’s advice for awhile. Should he follow its advice? It’s a rock, what it said could be something that meant a care then, but…. I don’t have any other choice, if I want to give Constantine this thing.


Whatever purpose Constantine and Viktoria wanted with this thing he didn’t want to know. And the knowledge of that the Bo’omarr Monks worshipped that hideous thing winded up dead and condemned devils wandering to kill any living being.

But how did the Old Guild find have some link to the catastrophe? The Old Guild had vanished long ago, then only remaining is Cradossk and the Counsel of Elders. Which was now the New Bounty Hunters Guild.

Better find out how they got to do with this. And that was to go to the Guild’s grotto. Not like he had any other choice as to go with the Eye. Fett looked at his map. There was a symbol of a circle with a small triangle in the center. That was the symbol of the Old Guild.

Not too far from here, I just have to go back to Central Street where the zombies attacked me, and turn right in to the Guild. He looked out in to the darkness; the dead silence gave him a small shudder up his spine. He had to go back through the black streets of doom; risking his life again.

 
 
The grotto was almost hidden completely if he not had his helmet. There was a small island in the middle with a pedestal in the shape of the Guild’s symbol. He stood himself on the base and right in front of him, there was a statue of an ancient bounty hunter; founder of the Old Guild. And the Eye was right; there were two unlit torches on either side of the statue. He held his gauntlet up, aiming carefully to light them. A single switch was flipped and a stream of fire lit them up.

He stood, waiting for something to happen, for awhile he just stood, then a mantle piece on the wall opened up, revealing a secret entrance.

Fett found his way inside and through to a courtyard. A building locked by two doors, the way to open them was to pile rubble up on a pedestal that ounce held a statue on it. The other statue’s remains washed away, so he had to stand himself on it to open the second door. The doors opened up, he leapt from the right pedestal and in to the door. They closed just in time when he made it.

The building was dark and dismal like the rest. He crawled on the floor for there were traps and other kind of ambushes. What ever they were hiding, they must have not wanted any one else to know. He thought when he entered a small library.

Of course his night vision was superior to the darkness as he looked through a book written by one of the bounty hunters long ago.

My brother Lukas,

Please, we must consider the trust and commitment we must undergo to prevent another cataclysmic event concerning the Eye.

We have sealed the doors to the Cathedral, if any survived the event, there is no hope for them.

The Talismans are ever important! No man or creature must find them, so we will put them on the far ends of the galaxy, In the Lost City of the Monks and with our own.

Brother Renault

Oh great! There must be Talismans to open the Cathedral Doors, so that’s their contribution to this whole ordeal.Fett grunted under his breath. But there was another room that he still had to look in to.

The other was some sort of meeting room; there was a table with a map of the Monks Lost City. There was a strange stone he found it might also be able to be a key when he looked at it closer. It inscribed the symbols of the Guild and the Monks. Fett stuffed the stone in to a pocket and looked at the book that lay on the table beside it.

 

 
Dear Brother Renault,

I understand the deal here, but be ever mindful that these Monks are not to be trusted, I do not think we should trust that the two Talismans if Fire and Water should be with them. But I have no choice! I have given you the key to the City, please let this never be shown to any person or being as long as we reign. I trust that we keep the Talisman of Air with us, and the Talisman of Earth missing…. But I have a strange feeling in keeping Air, we may become too enveloped in them that we my lose our way to think and act, I say we should destroy them, but there is some sort of will beneath my soul to refuse…What has happened to me!

Brother Lukas

This was just some of the evidence that showed the beginning downfall of the Cathedral area. Well, Well, I see my friends sealed the doors with Talismans. Earth, Air, Water, and Fire…Must be really dangerous if they go through all this trouble.


Boba Fett threw the book down on the table then studied the stone-like key…or whatever it was. His gloved hand moved through every groove and dent that was in it, like a blind man feeling an object for recognition. His eyes strained through his helmet, looking at the intricate symbols engraved on the piece.

There was a noise, perhaps of falling debris, but alerted him enough to get ready to get out of here. He put the key in to his pocket and took one last look around him, just to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything important. Then there was this table, where the book and the key had rested. It must be a map for this so called Lost City. Fett made a copy image in his helmet…But he’d have to find an actual map to get more of a detail. This one had pieces missing or completely weathered away. He made sure there was no one at his present and exited the grotto.

Just over the ruin there, I can make it out…Just over there. I’ll be back when I get the Talismans’. Fett thought.