Before - Legends Uliq Qel-Droma and Nomi Sunrider short story; The Taste of Vengeance (KotOR Era) (The Sith War Era)

Characters: Uliq Qel-Droma, Nomi Sunrider, Gron (OC)
Disclaimer: Uliq and Nomi belong to Dark Horse Comics, but the rest is mine. Thank you, George Lucas, for this wonderful galaxy in which we are allowed to play.

The Taste of Vengeance

To be united by hatred is a fragile alliance, at best? Darth Traya; Fifth Darth, 3995 bby


Nar Shaddaa, home or base to a considerable fraction of the galaxy?s more illicit individuals. The moon was sometimes referred to as ?Little Coruscant? and certain synonymous characteristics existed between the gaping maw of Nal Hutta and the Republic's capital. Both celestial bodies were completely enveloped in duracreet. A blade of grass that was not found in one of the cultivated parks was so rare that a person who found it would not recognize what it was except after close observation. If one looked aside from the fact that both Coruscant and Nar Shaddaa were one gigantic city, even a casual observer would spot the extreme differences. While Coruscant had its underworld and crime syndicates, they were still in the minority and drowned under the weight of planetary security forces and the respectable citizen. Nar Shaddaa?s crime syndicates and the native thug gangs formed the majority of the moon?s population however?not surprisingly since the moon orbited the breeding ground of the Hutts: the infested and bog ridden planet of Nal Hutta.

Nar Shaddaa had another more fitting title, ?The Smugglers? Moon?, and it is upon this endearing recommendation that many a less than respectable individual has visited the crime infested moon. Many of these poor souls are trapped by their own lack of control, gambling away their last credits upon some foolish notion that they have an ?unbeatable hand?. A planet, or moon in this case, does not gain a population in its tens of billions because it is generally accepted as ?hell? though, and many spacers, smugglers, illicit entrepreneurs, and criminals that come to Nar Shaddaa seeking wealth, power, or simply love find what they are searching for. These fortune-seekers that are successful are the minority but they are predominant in stature and when one hunts since the one who hunts eagle one ignores the sparrow.

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A dark-robed figure marches through one of the dark alleys that line the Smugglers? Moon on all its many levels. The man is tall but his step heavy and downtrodden, which would incline one to believe that he carries something that weighs him down. In the cheap cantinas that he visits daily, he is known simply as the ?wanderer?. The only thing that people know of him is that he owns a small skiff and that he leaves the moon every once and so often and returns days, weeks, months, and sometimes even years later. As with all silent and obscure types, men grew to fear him.

The shadowy figure vanished through a nigh-invisible doorway...

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The dark cantina smelled of dust, alcohol, and a vast mixture of different species. The Twi?lek barkeeper looked up as ?wanderer? entered but did not spare him more than a couple seconds of attention before he turned to other guests and thirsty customers. He did wait long enough to register the nod and proceeded to place a glass of Corellian whiskey before the tall dark-robed man. A credit chip mysteriously appeared in the barkeeper?s hand, as it always did when he served the shadowy man.

The first time the dark man had entered his cantina demanding a whiskey, it had seemed hardly unusual. Corellian whiskey was a novelty and 7 credits a shot but it was not excessively unusual to have someone order it. But when the credit chip had suddenly appeared in his hand?that is when the barkeeper had been set on guard not to get on the bad side of this customer.

After the first twenty times at attempting a friendly conversation and being rewarded by one word answers that, although enunciated meticulously signifying a good education, reminded the barkeeper of grunts more than words, h

 

This is a good short. I've been to similar places that Uliq has been and you captured that feeling of loss on the edge of madness perfectly.

?How dare you! How dare you critic me on how to use the fraction of the existence that you left me with. Who do you think you are that you can comment on the twinge of life, relative to my former one, that you dared not take from me because it would have made you a murderer you self-righteous fool??

This was probably my favorite section of dialogue.

 

Thanks, mate. I read those comics and when I wanted to continue writing my other story my mind was glazed by a "Tales of the Jedi Mood" if you get my drift and I just had to get this on paper to clear my mind.

Regards, Passon

 

I love this era. Especially the events that surround Uliq and Nomi and the entire Sith War with Exar Kun. Those comics is what got me interested into this era to begin with. Great short. An excellent way to capture what was probably going through Uliq's mind at that time. Excellent short.

Xeks

 

Thanks for the kind reply. Yeah, one's gotta love those comics and Exar Kun is just a great villian--evil with a twist of tragedy.

Regards, Passon

 

UP!

 

I've never read the comics. But I really liked your fic! Great work!



-Commander Tharen-

 

Interesting post. I like how Ulliq let Nomi going and showing how "better" he is by not killing him.

One thing that I can't help noticing is Nomi's quote about Ulliq being "blind" in the Force, like the Exile from KOTOR 2. Is that what's going to happen? Is Ulliq going to be alike the Exile?

 

Very interesting fic. I'm mainly a KotOR era writer, and I've been learning more of TOTJ. I liked how you characterized both Uliq (Ulic) and Nomi. I know she realizes later that she always loved him, so I imagine a scene like this would have broken her heart.

Well done!