Sith lord of Akkad

Spice deal

-garrison, Kemosh City, Samovar-

''You wish to see me, sir?'' I asked as I entered my superior, General Arlan Antonio Motti's office. Though the reason why I did not know.

''Yes, colonel.'' the general said as he rose up from his desk. ''Walk with me.'' he told me and we were strolling down the garrison here and there, just walking a bit till the general spoke. ''I wanted to thank you for saving me back then, colonel. Without your timely arrival, I mighy have been dead.''

''I was just doing my duty, sir. You ordered troops to come and I led them where you wanted us to come.'' I replied. ''The Samovar droid rebellion is finished along with the rest of the Western Reaches.''

''Yes. Must've been a great honor on your part, colonel.'' the general said to me. ''To be the one to win two wars. And you won twenty three battles here in Samovar alone. With the eighteen you won in Mimban, that's fourty one victories. And you recieved another medal.'' he said and I looked at my the chest of my uniform adorned with five medals.

''It's a great honor for me, sir, but it is an even greater honor for the imperial army. Truth be told, if it wasn't for the troops and their bravery, a victory wouldn't be possible. It is to them that owe my success to.'' I said to the general.

''How did you find the courage to face that jedi, colonel?'' the general asked me. ''Most would cower and run or put up a futile resistance. You on the other hand, came with a red bladed lightsaber and faced him.''

''The lightsaber is my own, sir. I had the droids in the imperial garrison make it for me with a design that I drew. The crystal was a gift from my aunt, sir. She gave it to me when I was 10 years old.'' I replied and the general nodded. ''As for facing the jedi... well, back in my home planet, all children were required to take part in a maturation phase. A product of the war-like nature of the ancient Akkadians. Here, boys and girls were taught how to fight and my uncle led a special training trip for the promising children to Hatti, one of the planets in my home system. There, we were told to survive for weeks by ourselves all the while we were under constant threat from the hostile wildlife. You had jackals, crocodiles, pythons and jaguars roaming Hatti's lands. I along with many more had to survive for more than a month.''

''That sounds... horrifying and as you young folk say, awesome, at the same time. Is your home system a place of wild animals, colonel?'' the general asked, intrigued to hear more.

''Yes sir. Loads of them. In Akkadia, you had qippoz which were big, three meter big owls who could tear even a speeder to shreds. Adamantine wolves and lions who's hides were so thick that they can take several blaster shots. Then you have the ninghiszida or river serpent. They could grow to over twenty two meters, has a mouth big enough to eat a bantha whole and breathe out a blue, sulphuric flame that can burn at temperatures exceeding 2,000°C. And of course, the fierce gorog which is so big it can hold a rancor in it's hands. They don't roam the sands of Akkadia much anymore and are restricted to special zones. There's the mûmakil which is an elephant creature about half the size of an AT-AT and what makes my home system so famous. The sandworms and the spice melange.''

''I was about to ask that. Your home system is infamous for the spice. How is it made?''

''They come from sandworms, sir. Big, yellow worms that grow upto four hundred meters and can easily bite even an AT-AT. Sandworms are found in Akkadia, Mizraim and Elam. At first, they become sand planktons and then mature into 'spice shrooms'. They create the spice when they come into contact with water deep beneath Akkadia's surface and after much exposure to the planet's heat, it will explode up to the surface.'' I explained and the general nodded his head.

''You spend time with your men. Eating, drinking and talking with them.'' the general remarked.

''It is my personal belief that troopers can fight better if their commanders and they can form a good bond, sir. Brothers in arms, if you will.''