Imperial times- Coruscant

Darth Vader was too busy chasing rebels in the death star to worry about Tarik or any of his former concerns. They were en-route to the secret rebel base, following a beacon all-too-easily planted in some smuggler-turned-rebel�s ship.

---------

Back on Coruscant, Riker South and Kyel Kirunne however had more than enough time to waste chasing down Tarik and his origins. They had managed to locate the charred and sealed-over remains of the lab where Tarik had been created.

"Sheesh, Vader really raked this place over," Kyel said, kicking the barren skull of one of the technicians who�d created the hunters.

"Don�t do that," Riker snapped, shining his lantern into the gloom of the charred lab.

"Sorry," Kyel said, unapologetic.

"Okay, according to the records, Tarik was the only one of the first prototypes left. The second generation were much more vicious, and much less inclined to go running off and join the rebellion," Riker said, still angry at what had happened with Tarik and the rebels.

"They�re the reason this place was ordered torched. Vader watched one of his students die at the claws of one of those things. Only one guy was supposed to die, he was a loser with the force-sense of a fruit gnat," Riker shook his head.

"They actually tested the thing on a Force-wielder?" Kyel said, incredulous. "Wow, no wonder dad likes Palpatine so much," he giggled revoltingly.

Riker looked back at him with a glare of disgust. "Just come on, let�s find the stupid sample and get out of here. This place stinks," he grumbled, stepping over a long-forgotten Stormtrooper who�d obviously gotten in the way of one of the creatures. Kyel laughed again, crouching next to the trooper and tracing a gloved finger along the gaping claw-slashes in the armor.

"Ooh, I like these things more and more," he mused aloud, patting the hollow armor on the back and standing to follow Riker.

Riker glared at him again, then sighed and walked off down the corridor. "This is the main holding lab," Riker said, wiping off a scorched sign plate and shining the light through the broken window. Rows of cages in varying sizes ran along all the walls, the only break was where two doors led to unknown rooms.

Riker opened the door carefully, stepping over another Stormtrooper. Kyel grinned in astonishment at the destruction around them. One thing Riker had noticed was the boy�s sickening taste for destruction, he enjoyed anything that was violent and dangerous. He repressed a shudder at the impressed glee and fascination in Kyel�s expression as he surveyed the room.

"Too bad daddy hates Vader, they�d love getting together to break stuff," he mused aloud, stepping over a definitely non-human being�s charred body. "I think I found one," he called to Riker. Riker stepped over to him.

"Yep, that�s one. It looks like a first generation though, one of the juveniles of the second batch."

Kyel looked up, "Juvenile? They made these things as children?" he seemed disgusted for the first time by the carnage around them. Riker nodded.

Kyel swore, "Not even dad and Erik put together are bad enough to do that," he muttered, looking around. "If you�re gonna make warriors, you don�t make them little, you flash-learn them as adults. It�s easier, and a lot better." Riker glanced back at him as he searched the others.

"I�m serious, if you try to raise something you cloned, the personality takes over and destroys the programming, that�s why dad...." he broke off, glancing up at Riker.

"Dad did what?" Riker said, stopping in mid-search. Kyel let out a slow breath.

"Dad helped Palpy in the clone wars," he said, then shrugged, "He designed the flash-learning matrix and provided the tanks and the know-how, Palpatine did the rest." Riker let out a low whistle.

"Wow," was all he could say at first.

"Yeah, I know, biggest secret in the galaxy outside Byss. Don�t worry, if Palpy knew I�d told you, he�d probably kill you," Kyel said with a shrug. Riker cleared his throat, looking around the room with the lantern. Kyel walked over to one of the missing doors, peering into the gloom beyond.

"What�s on Byss?" Riker asked from his corner of the room curiously. Kyel kept silent, smirking.

"The whole room�s missing over here," he said, changing the subject. Riker walked over, shining the lantern into the cavity.

"Woah, there�s three floors missing in here!" Riker said, his voice echoing in the huge space.

"There�s a cage down there," Kyel said.

"And those look like smashed cloning cylinders with it," Riker added.

Kyel nodded, "590a mark 3 models," he said, studying the wreckage.

"Cloning tanks have model numbers?" Riker said, surprised and amused.

Kyel shrugged, "They�re as much a product as speeders or starships, they�re constantly being upgraded and changed."

"It�s just that they�re, well," Riker began.

"Big plasteel cylinders with wires and buttons?" Kyel said with a smile.

"Yeah," Riker admitted.

Kyel snickered, "Let�s put it this way. The cylinders they used in the clone wars compared to what we make today are like comparing a sling-shot to a turbo-laser cannon." Riker�s eyebrows went up in surprise.

"Exactly. We�re so far advanced back home that we can make a full adult human clone in roughly two days without the notorious age-acceleration side effects. That clone-madness nonsense of the clone wars is long-gone. The only reason we don�t have an army of clones instead of an army of Stormtroopers is that clones make people around here squeamish."

Kyel sighed. "Here, cloning is illegal. Back home, we are the law. My father is the Chancellor Advocate, that�s as close to being a planetary leader as the Tel Addrun Cyclet will allow. Of course, if it weren�t for me and Ulee, my brother would inherit the title next."

He grinned maliciously, "Kyr will never see the kind of power my father has. The family�s power was practically sold to the Empire when I came here," he snorted derisively.

"Palpatine should never have assumed there were none left of the old...." he stopped, frowning and glaring at Riker.

"What I�ve just said stays here, if any syllable of it leaves, you will be dead," he threatened, the black-ice glare back to his dark eyes.

"Nothing, even if I did understand it, it wouldn�t leave," Riker said, feigning a smile. Kyel didn�t smile.

"Let�s find this dren thing and get out of here," he snapped.

-------

They found what they were looking for on the lowest level, down in the room filled with broken tanks. In a long-forgotten corner of the room, behind a small mountain of rubble and the deformed remenants of failed clones, sat a single unscathed tank.

Within the overlooked cylinder floated the preserved remains of a single, fully-developed hunter.

"That looks nothing like Tarik," Riker said, walking around the tank, examining the hideous creature.

It was mostly spikes, scales, and muscle, with massive claws and teeth. It had a scraggly bunch of hair at the back of its skull that looked more like stripped feathers or long, narrow scales than hair, and a ridge of spikes where the eyebrow should be. It had nearly the same kind of striped markings as Tarik, and a similar skeletal structure, with the unmistakeable long, pointy ears and yellow-tan underbelly, but was definately uglier.

"That is a work of art," Kyel corrected, staring at the creature with an awed reverence of someone studying a flawless work of art.

"It�s hideous," Riker grumbled.

"It�s goregeous," Kyel said, "look at the way the the muscles are proportioned, and the angle of the snout. Look at the way the foot balances, and the tendon attachments on the jaw," Kyel smiled.

"This thing looks like it�s here to kill you from the start. This is both biological warfare and psychological warfare. It scares you and kills you all at the same time." He grinned, walking around the tank, examining the creature.

"I have to have one," he said, "Only one, no others. We can�t risk more than one of these in existence, ever."

Riker nodded his agreement. "Including Tarik," he said. Kyel raised an eyebrow at him.

"My dear Riker, are you really so afraid of a harmless little green lizard?" he teased. Riker frowned.

"Boy, that lizard is neither little or harmless. I�ve seen it nearly rip a stormtrooper in half, armor and all." Kyel snickered, looking back to the monstrosity in the tank.

"If that cute little lizard can do that, imagine what this gorgeous beast can do," he said, grinning. Riker cringed, looking at the tank.

"I can," he said, "And i�m not sure i want to." He studied the tank for a moment.

"Vader dosen�t stand a chance."

"Why stop with vader?" Kyel said, grinning maliciously. Riker looked over at the boy, deeply unsettled. There was no way this sick little freak could possibly have any intention to...

He kept his mouth shut, Kyel kirunne was not someone he wanted to offend. The boy was as insane as he was powerful. A volatile combination, and dangerous to anyone near him.

What have i gotten myself into? Riker wondered.

----on to Part 5 of Chapter 6---

© 2000 Michelle Petrosky

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