FSE

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Coruscant, many weeks later

Ken'la ran down the hallway, waving her arms frantically, "Help me!"

A group of stormtroopers turned to her. The whole of Coruscant was on high alert. Every trooper was assigned to a team and were ordered to patrol every spaceport and transportation facility. This group was blocking off a transport hub.

"What is it?" the lead trooper asked.

"A group of rebels are attacking the shops back there!" she cried out, "It's terrible!"

Blasters could be heard going off. The troopers immediately sprang into action and ran down the hall. Nuz popped out of a hatch and landed silently behind them. He ran to catch up with Ken'la.

"Are they going to be ok?!" she asked.

"Don't worry, Daddus and Knot have everything under control," said Nuz as he led her into the transport facility, "Hey, just what we need!"

"An imperial transport?" Ken'la asked.

"It'll help us get into lower Coruscant without raising any alarms," he said.

Ken'la loaded into the transport with Nuz. The shistavanen powered the ship up and took off out of the facility. He flew deep down into Coruscant. There wasn't any of the usual hustle and bustle of daily activity. The once thriving planet of Coruscant was now barren of any activity with heated scuffles here and there between what was left of the empire and the political leaders who no longer wanted anything to do with the empire.

"How far in is your family hiding?" Nuz asked.

"Let me put in the coordinates," she said.

"Hmm, there's going to be some traffic blockades on the way," said Nuz, "This might get tricky."

"You are a jedi, I have faith in you," Ken'la praised him.

"We can dip further down, but there's word that a lot of the crime families are causing an uprising against the imps," said Nuz, "Flying this thing in there could be a problem."

"What if we park in a garage and steal some swoops?" she suggested.

"I can borrow a swoop," Nuz nodded, "But, I think you should stay with the ship."

"But my family..." she cried out.

"It'll be fine," said Nuz, "I'll find them and figure a way to get them here to the upper levels. I've sent the coordinates to Grok and he can guide me from the Eta."

Nuz pulled down to a garage on the lower level before proceeding further. He stepped out of the ship and dodged out of the way as someone opened fire on him. He pulled out his lightsaber and started to block the bolts. The firing immediately stopped.

"A JEDI!" the gotal that was firing at him poked his horned head out, he looked much like a goat, "WE'RE SAVED!"

Nuz lowered his weapon as a large group of people came out of the garage. They crowded around him crying out for him to save them. Nuz was shocked and didn't know what to do. He held up his hands to silence the crowd.

"Uhm, hello there!" he said, "I'm trying to save my friend's family. Do you have a speeder I can borrow so I can shortcut through the lower level to get to them?"

"Can you save us too!?" the gotal that had fired at him asked.

Nuz suddenly realized that by saving one family, he'd be faced with the challenge of saving more. This must have been why Thikok was reluctant at letting him go in the first place. He did a quick headcount and sighed. There were nineteen of them in total.

"I... I don't know if I could save all of you," he confessed.

"Are there more jedi on the way?" someone asked.

"J... just me," Nuz lowered his head.

"It's ok, lad," the gotal patted him on the arm, "I'm just happy to see there's still jedi out there doing what they can to protect people. You can't save all of us."

Nuz took a deep breath, looking over at the imperial transport they stole, "Maybe I can save all of you. I have an Eta locked down at one of the spaceports. My friend Ken'la can get you there. We can use the imp transport to help us get out of here."

"How will we do that?" the gotal asked.

"Half of us can use the imp ship," said Nuz, "And the other half can get on the Eta. That way we at least have some elbow room. Can any of you fly in space?"

"It's been years, but I'm sure I can figure it out," said the gotal.

"What's your name?" Nuz asked.

"Jix Nurnan," the gotal stood up straight and saluted, "Ex-coordinator for clone troopers."

"So you're good at getting people where they need to be," Nuz nodded, "Get all of them into the imp transport and get to these coordinates. Don't stop for anyone. If you run into trouble, get to my ship, help will be waiting. And when I return, we leave Coruscant."

"Not my first show," Jix smiled, "Come on people, let's get loaded up.

Jix led the crowd into the imperial transport. It was a bit cramped, but they all fit with themselves and their bags. Nuz grabbed a swoop from within the garage and took off as the imperial transport went back up. He made his way down into the deepest depths of Coruscant. He made his way as quickly as he could to the coordinates Ken'la gave him.

"Come in, Grok," Nuz messaged him.

"You good Nuz?" he asked.

"Yeah, there's a transport on their way to you," he said, "It has Ken'la and a few others on board that we're taking with us."

"That was the plan, wasn't it?" Grok asked.

"Well, I'm just now working on the plan," said Nuz.

"How many did you collect on the way?" Grok asked.

"All in all, there's going to be twenty four extra bodies," Nuz waited for it.

"This is a jedi thing, isn't it?" Grok asked, "You can't save everyone!"

"Well, we have an extra ship now," said Nuz, "I don't see how it could hurt. Also, I'm sending you coordinates, I need your help navigating the lower tunnels."

"Wait, are you in gang territories?" Grok inquired.

"Yeah, I had no choice, there's a ton of imperial blockades throughout the lower levels," said Nuz, "I needed as smooth of a run as I could get to sneak through."

"I hardly call gang territory smooth," Grok was going through the map for the area he pinged Nuz in, "I'm sending you a detailed route. Don't you dare die on me."

"Don't worry," said Nuz.

Grok scoffed and complained before cutting communication. Nuz followed the route Grok sent him. He would need to figure out a way to get Ken'la's family transported up. Police droids were zooming around in all directions when Nuz went back up to the next level. He had to be careful not to do anything suspicious as he finally made a landing.

He inspected his surroundings. He spied an unoccupied taxi nearby. There had been orders for all of them to be grounded. It was going to be better than nothing Nuz thought as he made his way to the coordinates on foot. It was a tall, rundown building. The front door didn't even exist anymore.

Nuz made his way into the apartment building. He took the stairs two at a time as he went up five floors. He looked up and down the halls to make sure there were no police droids or troopers. Everything seemed quiet in here. He made his way down the hall and rang the bell for Ken'la's home.

There was some noise inside. The door flew open and Nuz was looking down the barrels of two blasters. Ken'la's husbands had taken to arms. The both of them lit up and pulled Nuz into a bone crushing hug. Both yarkora were not much different than Ken'la herself.

"Oh, you made it!" Gurga, the first husband, said.

"Our hero, twice in our lives," Tong'in, her second husband, said.

"Yes, yes, it's good to see you both again," Nuz wheezed out.

"My goodness, how you've grown!" Gurga patted Nuz's thick arms as he looked him up and down.

"She was good to save you!" Tong'in agreed.

"Are you all packed?" Nuz inquired.

"Of course! Gurga motioned to their piles of bags.

Their three children were nearby, staring at Nuz in awe. Ken'la and her husbands must have told them wild stories about him. The oldest Nuz had met when he was a baby. He looked most happy to see him, and Nuz knew why. The yarkora family picked up their bags and readied up.

"Alright, this is going to be fast and messy," said Nuz, "There's a taxi nearby that we can take to get back up to the main surface. I can summon Grok to meet us at the top and we can get out of here."

Nuz led them downstairs. A group of troopers went running by, chasing after the sound of blasters. Nuz led them over to the taxi. It was a tight fit getting them all in. The yarkora weren't known for being small. The youngest laid over three of them in back. Gurga sat up front with Nuz as the shistavanen fired up the engine.

He pulled up and away as several police droids came to stop them from driving away. Nuz sped as fast as he could as he sent a signal to Grok. He zoomed in and out of winding apartments before breaking up into a wide open shaft that led upwards. Above them were several platforms with troopers patrolling the area.

"Gurga, take over driving," Nuz unbuckled and jumped onto the hood of the taxi, "The rest of you, get buckled in."

Gurga moved into the driver's seat. The youngest clambered into the other front seat and buckled up. Nuz looked around, studying how many troopers were in this mad gauntlet up and out.

"Alright, Gurga," said Nuz, "I'm going to need you to zigzag as much as possible, run circles around. Do what you can to give them a hard target to hit. Just keep pulling up as fast as possible."

Nuz pulled out his lightsabers and lit them up. He could hear the audible gasps behind him as the blue light washed over them. He gripped the claws in his feet into the taxi's hood. Gurga shot them upwards running around in a circle as they built up speed. It didn't take long for the troopers to notice them.

Nuz closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. He could hear blasters ringing out from all directions. He tilted his head down into the wind and started to send the bolts back. He scrunched his eyes as tightly closed as he could as Gurga drove out of control in all directions. The yarkora's were cheering him on, but all Nuz could hear were the troopers.

Nuz felt his heart sink as the sound of blasters increased exponentially from all directions, "Gurga! Spin and go straight up!"

Gurga did as he demanded. Nuz frantically swung his lightsabers in all directions to redirect the bolts. One of the kids threw up as they continued spinning out of control up into the clear open sky of Coruscant. A platoon of ships were rapidly approaching their location. Nuz opened his eyes and leapt off of the taxi and onto one of the ships.

He ran down the side of the ship and slammed his sabers into the thrusters and leapt off to the next ship. Immediately, the ships let out jumptroopers to take care of Nuz. The shistavanen had their full attention as Grok was down below, helping Ken'la's family out of the taxi and onto the Eta.

Nuz continued to run along the ships, jumping from one to another as he took out the jumptroopers and their ships. One by one, he took the ships down. He saw that Grok had cleared the taxi and was waiting for him. Nuz leapt up and grabbed one of the troopers.

"What's up!?" Nuz laughed as he triggered the troopers jetpack to send them flying down to the Eta.

Grok gave him coverfire as he used the trooper to dive down to the ship. Nuz leapt off the trooper and into the ship. The trooper was spiraling out of control and slammed into a nearby building. Knot fired up the engines and took them right up to Coruscant's orbit, the stolen transport right behind them. Once they were in space, the shuttle docked with the Eta. Knot fired up the hyperdrive and they shot away from the failing stronghold of the empire.

Mon Cala

Today was the fifth swoop race. Mon Cala is considered one of the more difficult routes to navigate as most of it takes place underwater in tubes. Tight quarters made it a perilous trek. This is why it was the first qualifier to move on to the next round. Bokoof was in a safe position. He got fifth on Danoor, third at Esseles, and second at Aqualaris.

Aqualaris wasn't too different from Mon Cala, as its routes were underwater as well. Mon Cala just had tighter tunnels. Bokoof was confident he could navigate this just as well as he did in Aqualaris. Aqualaris had the nostalgic tone as the last stretch of the race ended on the once used podracing track.

Mon Cala was completely new to the competition. It's popularity gained traction on this planet only because of one of their own racers. Bruckdee Sesch. A local Mon Calamarian. Their species have large domed heads, goggle-like eyes, and webbed hands. They were at home whether it be on land or in the sea.

Bruckdee Sesch was the most focused person Bokoof saw on the track. More than himself even. The Mon Calamari are known for being peaceful, but when it came to prove themselves, they went above and beyond. Bruckdee is a true Mon Calamari in this aspect.

He was busy signing autographs before the race. He was truly happy to be surrounded by so many fans. Bokoof smiled to himself. He saw Sirrfhukk watching from his swoop. The wookiee was coolly watching everyone as he waited for the race to begin. Bokoof went over to him.

"So, you gonna let him win this one?" Bokoof thumbed over his shoulder toward Bruckdee.

Sirrfhukk chortled and barked at him.

"Ah, not gonna let this one slide, huh?" Bokoof smirked, "He is pretty good. But, I do have to ask, since you seem to keep up front and alter the race last second quite often, why?"

Sirrfhukk looked thoughtful for a moment before letting out a few growls and rumbles, ending in a chuff.

"What do you mean you don't have a reason?" Bokoof pressed him, "Are you just trying to decide who you want to face in the end or something? Cause the only way you're getting the boot is if you mess up really bad during a few races, but you've been unstoppable."

Sirrfhukk merely smiled and chuffed at him.

"You're a pain," Bokoof laughed and shook his head as he went to his swoop.

Thikok came up to him, "Bokoof, a word."

"Master, usually you're not in the thick of this," said Bokoof.

"Well, I came to wish you luck," said Thikok, Bokoof squinted at him, and he continued, "But also, I think someones been following us the last few planets."

"Yeah, I've been feeling a powerful presence," said Bokoof, "Always feels the same. I don't think they mean any malice though."

"You're too trusting," Thikok handed him his helmet.

"Could be a superfan," Bokoof smirked, "Maybe I have a stalker worth worrying about."

"A superfan?" Thikok arched an eyebrow.

"The force works in mysterious ways," said Bokoof, "Maybe they have a strong attraction to me. It's bound to happen with someone that looks as good as me."

"Don't be cocky," Thikok poked him in the gut, "Now, come on. Win this, and we can get the parts needed to fully fix our engines. I'll see if maybe I can pin down who this mystery person is."

Bokoof smirked as he put his helmet on. The last call went out for the track to get cleared. Thikok left the field and went under the seating where the crowd was starting to get revved up as Yum and Guna took to their mics. Thikok sat on the ground and closed his eyes. He concentrated on all the noise before singling them all out as he let his body get taken over by the force.

From person to person he could feel himself move. All seemingly normal. He continued to concentrate as the roar of the swoops taking off washed over the crowd that was in a fit of cheers. Then deafening silence hit Thikok. The shistavanen felt uneasy as he felt a chill run up his spine. There was a new presence close by. He opened his eyes.

"Sith..." he whispered to himself.

Thikok ran away from the crowd and hopped onto his swoop. He immediately took off back to where they parked the ship. Buklam and Dokraar were talking with a few droids when he pulled up. They were making arrangements for a shipment from Mon Calamari to their next destination.

Buklam broke from the droids to greet Thikok, but saw the worry on his face, "Uh oh, what happened?"

"There's been a strange presence following us since we left Danoor," said Thikok, "But just now, I found another presence hiding among the crowds at the race."

"Everytime you meditate, something bad happens," Buklam frowned.

"Sometimes for the good," Thikok shot at him, "However, I don't think this new presence is here for us. I could feel the darkside around them, but I couldn't see them. I think they're hunting."

"The first strange presence?" Buklam asked.

"Maybe," said Thikok, "We may need to keep our guard up."

Buklam whistled over at Hungo, "C'mere you."

Hungo begrudgingly got up off the crate he was relaxing on, "I'm not moving no more crates today."

"I have your favorite job for you," said Buklam, "I need you to track down two unidentified beings." Buklam looked over at Thikok, "I guess one is following us. And someone bad is following that one."

"The second one is likely sith," said Thikok, "So, look for someone that isn't afraid to show untoward confidence or aggression, and more importantly, look for a lightsaber."

"You want me to take them down?" Hungo asked as he pulled his sniper rifle off his back.

"No, just help us identify them," said Thikok, "Do not engage until we're aware of who they are."

"And what if they engage me?" Hungo asked.

"If they look evil or have a red blade, run," said Buklam, "And don't stop running."

Hungo rolled his eyes, "Very well. I won't engage. What of the good one?"

"I find it unlikely that they'll approach you," said Thikok, "I think they're waiting for a good time to engage with us. Especially since they've been following us since Danoor."

"Where should I look?" Hungo asked.

"Head to the stadium," said Thikok, "I could feel both in the area. I'll keep watch from the outskirts. I don't want either of them to stumble upon me. I have no idea what their powers or capabilities are."

Thikok posted himself up in a tree as Hungo rapidly made his way to the stadium. The dug scaled the wall with ease and swump himself around a nook beneath the stadium seating. He then squirmed himself between a crack in the wall and shimmied his way upwards. He soon reached the back of the stadium seating and climbed up a pillar that overlooked the whole starting arena.

Hungo looked up at the holoprojection to see a battle break out between Vee and Kaana. The twi'lek had her swoop locked onto the front of Vee's swoop. Hungo let out a cheer when Bokoof blasted between the two locked swoops, sending them both spinning off track.

"That's my boy," Hungo chuckled.

The dug gripped his feet onto the top of the pole at the top of the pillar. A flag swirled around above him as he pulled out his binocs to get a good look around. He kept himself steady and still as he looked over the crowd. The only thing that looked out of place for him was a four legged creature perched on top of the starting gate.

Hungo brought his wrist up to call Thikok, "I don't see anyone out of the ordinary, nor does anyone seem to be tracking anyone down. Not even a staredown or a scuffle. Everyones watching the race."

"Do another sweep," Thikok called back, "There's definitely a presence there."

Hungo sighed and did as he was asked. He broadened his search this time. This time he may have had something. On the other side of the track was a woman standing just out of eyesight beneath the commentators deck. Hungo saw her staring at something so he followed with his binocs. The white creature?

"I just see a weird red lady hiding under the announcers, staring at some critter," said Hungo, "I doubt this is what we're looking for. Probably some strange animal lover."

"What kind of critter?" Thikok asked.

"It uh..." Hungo looked through his binocs again, "It's fuzzy. Small. Four legs. White. Long ears. Might be some sort of hound. I don't know."

"Go ahead and come back," said Thikok, "We'll have to keep an eye out. For now, let's get loaded up and toward the finish line."

Thikok and Hungo headed back towards the ship. There, they found Buklam a few shades more purple in the face then when they left. He was surrounded by a crowd of people and Buklam was furiously reprimanding someone.

"You said there would only be five or six!" Buklam tugged at his hair, "You brought back nearly thirty!!!"

"It just sort of happened," Nuz frowned, "I just couldn't leave them there. They were desperate."

"Desperate or not, Nuz," Buklam grabbed him by the shoulders, "I don't know how to help this many people. My kind got displaced, and we didn't know what to do with ourselves."

"I'm sorry, Buk," Nuz sighed, "I'll fix this. It was my decision."

"I'm sorry if I'm comin' off as mean," Buklam lowered his ears, "But, we struggle enough helping the slaves from the races, and delivering food to refuges. We have to take care of ourselves too."

"Don't you fret captain," Jix stepped forward, "I've been talking with Ken'la about our predicament."

Ken'la piped in, "We have burdened you enough with our rescue. We are going to speak with the Mon Calamari refuge office and see if we can get work here or transferred to another system. We couldn't ask any more of you. Letting Nuz come to rescue us has been more than enough."

Buklam rubbed his forehead, "Are you sure? The Mon Calamari are good people, but they're slow to take care of the immediate needs of others."

"I can be a problem enough for them, that they'll happily get rid of us," Ken'la beamed.

Nuz chuckled at this.

"Well, alright," Buklam squeezed Nuz on the shoulder, "Please make sure they'll be alright. We gotta catch up with the race."

"I think they'll be fine, Buk," Nuz assured him.

"You find your sith?" Buklam asked Thikok.

"Sith?" Nuz asked alarmed.

"Don't know if they're sith yet," said Thikok, "And no, Hungo didn't see anything out of the ordinary really."

"I'll keep a watchful eye on our surroundings a bit more from now," said Hungo, "Don't need anyone sneaking up on us."

"Come on then, let's load up and head to the finish line," Buklam led them onto the ship.

Nuz left to help the people he'd brought from Coruscant. Ken'la and her family were helping people coordinate into groups to start setting up a makeshift camp at the imperial shuttle they'd taken. She was tasking everyone with jobs to make sure they would be fed, bedded, and comfortable for the night.

"I talk to the dock worker here," she told Nuz, "He said this port doesn't see much activity and that we can take time to figure out how to fix our situation."

"It would have been easier if it was just you and your family," said Nuz, "Buk is right. It was dumb of me to pick up everyone."

"You did what your good heart would do," said Ken'la, "Just like when you saved me, Gurga, and my precious baby from those gangsters. You can't save everyone, yes, but you can save those that you can. I think that is most important."

Nuz nodded, "I suppose that's right. I'll need a bigger ship if I continue down this path."

"Have you considered going out on your own?" Ken'la asked, "I know your master wants you all to keep your heads down, but maybe now's the time for the jedi to return."

"I'm not so sure," said Nuz, "I've been content with where I am. Besides, I have Grok. We've been so happy just traveling amongst the stars, visiting strange new worlds, meeting all the people."

"You would have been a good senator," Ken'la smiled, "You probably would have done better than the moof-milkers we had up there when the republic fell."

"All this time, you fought from the inside in your own small ways," said Nuz, "I'm surprised you were never caught."

"No one pays attention to the lower level administrators," Ken'la shrugged, "They just think we push files all day and do reports."

"Well, I hope this new beginning for you works out," Nuz smiled.

"Oh!" Ken'la got excited as she pointed, "Look at how precious that creature is!"

Nuz squinted, "Huh, must have escaped from a ship. It doesn't look native to this area."

A white, four-legged creature was trotting across the landing pad. Nuz watched it go and disappear down one of the tunnels leading down into the underwater city. He then noticed a red woman running toward where it had disappeared.

"Ah, see," Nuz chuckled, "Poor woman. I hope she catches him."

* * * * *

Bokoof felt his feet leave his swoop as Kaana slammed into him. She lost control and rammed full on into Sirrfhukk and Cacyn. Both of them flipped off their swoops. Sirrfhukk grappled Cacyn into his arms and landed on his back. Vee cried out as Bokoof landed on top of her swoop which caused her to crash into the checkpoint meter.

Bokoof softened the impact for her against the pole. Sirrfhukk threw Cacyn off of him and marched right up to Kaana's swoop. He let out a furious growl as he picked up the swoop and tore it in half. He chucked the broken pieces at her and hopped back onto his swoop. The wookiee took off, his engine sputtering as he went.

Vee shoved Bokoof off. He was sure he had some broken ribs as she took off. Sparks flying out of the front of her swoop. Bokoof shakily made his way back to his swoop. He was seeing double, but he had to finish the race. He used one of his boosts to catch back up. Cacyn was chugging in behind him.

Vee let out a cry as her swoop sputtered to a near standstill. Bokoof flew by and leaned into his accelerator. He could see Sirrfhukk's back. Blood was dripping heavily from his back. He certainly took a hit for Cacyn. Sirrfhukk sideyed and saw Bokoof coming up on his flank. The wookiee leaned forward.

He passed the finish line, with Bokoof coming in behind, and Cacyn in third. The roar of the crowd excitedly cheered for them. Sirrfhukk stood up off his swoop and immediately collapsed. Bokoof rushed over to help him to his feet. He winced. Wookiees weren't light, and he wasn't exactly in any condition to do this. Cacyn rushed over to help.

"We have you big guy," Cacyn said, "Thank you for saving me."

Sirrfhukk chuffed at him.

"Come on, let's get him to the medical team," Bokoof grunted as the three of them stumbled off the track.

Sirrfhukk roared out as the medical droids pulled rocks out of his hide. His fur was matted down with blood and water as they helped rinse him. He let out a satisfied sigh when they sprayed him down with bacta. Bokoof suffered from six fractured ribs. None of them were broken thankfully. He unfortunately had a concussion from the impact against the checkpoint pole. Cacyn made it out with scraped knuckles.

Kaana didn't fare well at all. She had broken both of her legs, her left arm, and suffered a fractured clavicle. The racing judges put the full blame on her, and excused Sirrfhukk's reaction for ripping her swoop in half. Bokoof was pretty sure they forgave him in fear he'd rip them in half too.

"Quite a spill you took," Thikok entered the medical room.

"Heh, nothing I can't walk off," said Bokoof, "I should be fine after the bacta injection. Just need to take it easy for a few days."

"A lot happened while you were racing," said Thikok, "Nuz returned with about thirty people, instead of the small amount he said he would."

"Typical Nuz," Bokoof chuckled, "I'm assuming he's figuring that out."

"I hope so," said Thikok, "Come on, let's get your winnings and get you some rest."

Tunk and Zonk were already walking his swoop back to the ship. Bokoof noticed Sirrfhukk just sitting on his bike. The wookiee looked tired. Bokoof whistled over to Tunk and Zonk.

"Zonk, come help Sirrfhukk with his swoop," Bokoof hobbled over to the wookiee, his body was quite sore, "Come on Sirrfhukk. Let's get our winnings, and you can come hang out with us. We cook some really good food."

Sirrfhukk growled and huffed at him.

"No you don't," said Bokoof, "Your plans are with us. I've learned you're on your own."

Sirrfhukk chortled and stood up. He motioned for Zonk to take his swoop. The droid chittered and pushed it after Tunk. The wookiee and shistavanen went into the collection room. FR-33 was waiting for Bokoof inside.

"Good to see you sir!" FR-33 greeted him, Bruuk and Mekka towered behind him, "Right this way. A second place! You are on a roll."

"Yeah, that accident could have been a lot worse," said Bokoof.

"I was quite frightened when I saw you fly off!" FR-33 said, "I was so worried that you were done for."

"Well, at least Kaana is out of the race now," Bokoof huffed as his ribs tingled, "Who else didn't qualify?"

"A togruta named Tezid, and a yarkora named Wu," said FR-33 as he had Bokoofs winnings packaged up.

"Aww, poor Wu," said Bokoof, "I hope he had fun at least."

"He did not seem disappointed," said FR-33, "He merely celebrated finishing the race with his family and friends."

Sirrfhukk had already moved onto the least liked part of the races. He was wandering around thirteen slaves with a protocol droid along to translate. He barked and chuffed and the droid translated. The wookiee started to split four hundred thousand credits with all them. The protocol droid gave them instructions on where to go for each of their desired destinations. One didn't leave.

Sirrfhukk roared at him to leave. The trandoshan lowered his head. Bokoof could see the shame in his eyes. The trandoshan are lizard-like with short flat snouts and scaly bodies; and were well known for being wookiee hunters. The fact that Sirrfhukk was generous enough to give him credits to leave was surprising.

"You should take your credits and go," Bokoof suggested.

"I told him I had nowhere to go," said the trandoshan.

"Well, he's not going to keep you," said Bokoof, "Your kind hasn't been particularly nice to his kind in the past."

"I told him I would ssserve him," the trandoshan started to tear up, "I just want to prove that my kind aren't all bad."

Sirrfhukk barked and growled at the trandoshan.

The trandoshan got on his knees and groveled at Sirrfhukk's feet, "Pleassse, give me a chanccce! I'll do anything you asssk!"

Sirrfhukk rolled his eyes and motioned for him to be taken away.

"No!" the trandoshan cried out, "Please, I'll ssserve you until death. Let me prove my kindnessss."

Sirrfhukk narrowed his eyes. He looked almost fed up looking down at the trandoshan. He then chuffed and growled. Bokoof was surprised. The trandoshan sobbed in thanks, still on the floor. Sirrfhukk rolled his eyes and pulled him to his feet and dusted him off. He rumbled at him.

"My name is Phiss, master," he bowed.

Sirrfhukk barked.

"Please ask me for anything," said Phiss, his s's becoming shorter now that he calmed down "I will gladly do it."

Sirrfhukk looked to Bokoof for help.

"Phiss, maybe don't push it too much," said Bokoof, "None of us are too keen on having full time servants. Don't you have anything you want?"

Phiss struggled, "I... I've never been free. Anytime I had thoughts of my own, I would be sent off for retraining."

"Ah, you're one of the harder cases," said Bokoof, "Sirrfhukk, if you take him on, you'll need to slowly break him of servitude. It's going to take time."

Sirrfhukk chuffed, barked, and growled.

"I know, I know," said Bokoof, "But if you outright free him, he's just going to get picked up as an easy target for another slaver. You could try and free him at a refugee camp, but he'll struggle to adapt. I strongly suggest taking him on for a few months or find someone who can, and ease him into freewill."

Sirrfhukk grunted and waved for Phiss to follow him. Bokoof bid goodbye to FR-33 and led Sirrfhukk and Phiss to his ship so they could enjoy a meal together. Sheef went full fanboy when Sirrfhukk approached. The squib immediately shot into every detail about the race. Sirrfhukk was yet again left without knowing what to do. Bokoof chuckled and sat down to get some rest.

Nuz arrived back with the Eta and mounted it atop the 720. Grok, Daddus, and him all looked exhausted as they gathered around for dinner. Phiss insisted on serving dinner to everyone. Dokraar allowed him to take over the dishes. The trandoshan put in extra care to make the dishes look nice. He even wiped off the edges with a towel.

Bokoof held up his cup of Riosan mead, "To victory and friends."

Nuz chuckled and toasted with him, "To saving a few of the many trillion people from Coruscant."

Sirrfhukk ate silently. Phiss stood behind him the whole time unless someone went to get a refill on mead. After a while, Sirrfhukk barked at him to sit and eat. Phiss begrudgingly did so and sat next to the silent wookiee and ate with him.

"So, Sirrfhukk," Dokraar broke the silence, "Why do you travel alone?"

Sirrfhukk looked thoughtful for a moment before grumbling out an answer.

"Well, being alone is alright," said Dokraar, "But even then, only having fans to interact with from time to time is not enough. Companionship is healthy."

Sirrfhukk disagreed.

"I guess we're all our own kind of creatures," said Dokraar, "But now you have Phiss. You can't maintain your peaceful lifestyle anymore."

Sirrfhukk huffed and growled. He then gave a more eloquent argument. Eloquent for a wookiee at least. Dokraar nodded.

"I see your point," said Dokraar, "But even after you teach him a life of freedom, would you want to let him go?"

Sirrfhukk looked over at Phiss and back to Dokraar. He merely chuffed and went to get more food. Dokraar smirked. He was clearly satisfied with the answer. Bokoof bid Sirrfhukk and Phiss farewell after dinner was finished. The wookiee was still unclear on how to feel having gained a trandoshan as a live-in companion. He barked as he took off on his swoop with Phiss tucked behind him on the seat.

"He's an unusual fellow," said Dokraar, "Almost as mysterious as your sponsor."

"I think he's just had a hard life," said Bokoof, "He's very kind, but I think his end goal is to make enough money for something he needs."

"Guess you'll let him win in the end?" Dokraar smirked.

"Absolutely not," said Bokoof, "The final race yields five million credits."

"We could get a new ship with that," Dokraar laughed, "Maybe something with more room. And perhaps something with space for Mugg."

"Speaking of Mugg," Bokoof started.

"Don't worry, I found him a feast of fish to eat," said Dokraar, "He's been sleeping it off."

"Thank you, Do," Bokoof bowed.

"You're welcome, Bo," Dokraar squeezed him on the shoulder, "Come on, let's get you to bed. You need rest if your ribs are going to heal in time for the next race."