Star Wars_ Darth Bane 03_ Dynasty of Evil - Drew Karpyshyn [36]
Whoever killed Medd and your friends made you paranoid.
“With Gelba gone, I call the shots,” a bearded man was saying to one of the women. “And I say Gelba’s death calls for blood!”
“Draado,” Quano whispered, speaking so softly Set had to lean in to hear it. “Him one who dig up stuff you want.”
Looking closer, Set noticed an amulet draped around Draado’s neck, and he caught the glint of a ring on his finger—the only jewelry he had seen on any of the miners since he’d set foot on this destitute world.
“You want to start a war that will get us all killed,” one of the men objected.
“At least we’ll take a few of the nobles with us!” Draado snapped back.
Draado was standing less than ten meters from where Set was hiding, close enough that he could sense the power emanating from the talismans. The amulet seemed to call out to him; the ring beckoned with its dark heat.
“What happened to you, Draado?” the woman asked. “You always used to be the one who said we could get what we want without violence and bloodshed.”
“I’ve changed. Now I see the truth.” Draado pounded his chest for emphasis as he spoke, his fist striking the amulet.
“The nobles won’t respect us until they learn to fear us,” he insisted, turning to look at everyone scattered about the cavern. “We need to make them scared for their very lives. We need to strike terror into their hearts!”
Clearly Draado was under the influence of the talismans; they were corrupting his mind and his thoughts. The power of the dark side had taken hold of him.
No wonder Quano said he wouldn’t want to sell them.
The Dark Jedi considered his options. Bargaining with the miners was out of the question; Draado would never willingly give up his newfound treasures. Given the tension in the room and the itchy trigger fingers on the guards, it was pretty clear that any attempt to negotiate would probably end up in a firefight no matter what he did.
He drew out his twin pistols and took a deep breath, bracing for the confrontation. He needed the target practice anyway.
Leaping from his hiding place, he charged into the cavern with guns blazing. He dropped all four of the rifle-carrying guards before anyone had a chance to react. With the Force guiding his hand, he easily picked them off with four clean shots as he sprinted toward the cover of a large stalagmite on the far side of the cavern.
He skidded in behind it just as the miners began to return fire. They peppered his hiding place, sending up fine clouds of dust as the bolts disintegrated small chips from the stone. Poking his head out, Set fired twice more, reducing the number of opponents to six before ducking back behind the safety of the stalagmite.
The sound of enemy blasterfire reverberated off the walls of the cavern. Set smiled, enjoying the glorious clamor of battle. Halfway done already. This might be easier than I thought.
Behind him, he sensed Quano making a break for freedom back up the tunnel. Set could have taken him out with a single shot in the back, but he decided to let him go. He always preferred to leave someone behind to tell the tale of his exploits, anyway.
A sharp crack suddenly echoed across the cavern. Glancing up, Set saw one of the large stalactites from the ceiling plunging down to impale him. He rolled out of the way at the last instant, the deadly rock spear exploding into fragments as it hit the unyielding cavern floor. He ducked his head as the shower of jagged stone shards washed over him, scoring the exposed skin of his neck and bare arms with hundreds of superficial, stinging cuts.