Khameir dared to venture outside of the Senator’s building to explore the underground community of Coruscant. For five years he had been training under Sidious, stuck in that stuffy building like a hermit. His wanderlust had become too great to ignore.
He summoned a speeder that transported people all over the city and directed the driver to go anywhere “different”. The odd-looking humanoid alien stared at his passenger oddly, bewildered by his bizarre request. Khameir gave the creature a dark look. It shrugged its small shoulders and sped away.
Khameir watched the buildings fly by as he traveled to his different place. After a few minutes of traveling, the speeder stopped in front of an old, derelict building with a large neon sign blinking above it.
“That’ll be twenty credits, pal,” the driver wheezed. Khameir absently tossed him a pouch of money and stepped outside of the speeder. Dozens of alien females dressed in next to nothing loitered on the street corners. Down here, away from the noise and bustle of the upper city, old-fashioned streets and walkways still remained intact. So did the bars, clubs, and whorehouses. Khameir was overwhelmed by the amount of sleazy aliens that populated this underground place. One of the scantily clad females sauntered up to him.
“Hey, handsome, looking for a good time?” her voice was hoarse from inhaling too much of the smoke from her handheld hookah pipe. Khameir recoiled in disgust and backed away.
“No, thank you,” he replied gruffly and sidestepped her to enter the building. She shrugged and returned to her corner. Khameir stepped inside the building and looked around. Loud, booming music blared from the large mounted speakers against the wall. This was something he’d never seen before during his stay here on Coruscant. It almost excited him and amazed him all at once. Throngs of humanoids clustered together in the center of the glossy dance floor, pressing up against each other in an orgy of movement.
“You lookin’ for somethin’?”
Khameir turned to look at a strange-looking female alien carrying a round tray under her spottled arm. He shook his head slowly, unsure of how to answer. She rolled her reptilian eyes and walked away from him. Obviously, this was the place to get “something”. He walked over to a bar counter and sat down on one of the stools.
“What can I get ya?” the bar alien asked him. Khameir looked at him, thought for a moment, then replied:
“Something.”
The alien eyed him with an odd expression. “Something as in what?” he asked. Khameir looked past the alien’s shoulder and pointed at a large bottle.
“That. I want some of that,” he ordered. The alien reached behind him and retrieved the bottle. The label read Coruscant Comfort. The alien poured some of it into a small glass and pushed it towards Khameir. Khameir cautiously picked it up, sniffed the drink, then gulped it down.
A bright red blush trailed up his neck and covered his face. A strangled sound came from his throat before he coughed violently. Tears came to his eyes and streamed down his cheeks. The bar alien chuckled at him.
“Not used to it eh?” he asked good-naturedly. Khameir shook his head and coughed a few more times. “It’s not exactly the lightest drink we have in here. I could bring you something with a little less kick if you like.”
“No, this will do just--” a cough “Fine thank you.” Khameir hit his chest with his fist sharply to clear his lungs. The bar alien nodded and poured him another shot.
A few hours and about a dozen more shots of the hard liqour later, Khameir stumbled out of the pub. He roamed the near-deserted streets, half-aware of what was going on around him. Suddenly, a flashing sign attracted his wavering attention. He tried to stumble closer to it, tripped on something on the street, and went spilling into a heap in the walkway. He grunted in pain, lifted himself up to his elbows and shook his head. Just then, a foot got in his line of vision. Khameir squinted at the black-toed boot then glanced up.
A tall, imposing four-armed beast of an alien stared down at Khameir. “What the hell do you think you’re doing here, buddy?” it demanded gruffly. Khameir stood up and dusted himself off. He only reached the creature’s chest but was undaunted. He glared up at the beast through hazy vision thanks to the large amount of alcohol he’d consumed.
“I’m walking, that’s what I’m doing,” he retorted sharply, stabbing the behemoth in the chest with one finger. The beast roared with laughter.
“Is that so? Well, pretty boy, if you’re gonna be doin’ that I’m afraid you’ll have to pay the fee,” it said, mimicking Khameir’s previous action.
Khameir stood his ground surprisingly well for his drunken state. “And what fee is that?” he asked darkly.
Grinning a mouthful of sharp teeth, the behemoth drew his meaty fist back, and hooked a sharp right against Khameir’s chin. Khameir was thrown backwards into a pile of rubble. He flipped upwards quickly and reached for his lightsaber. He started in shock when he realized he’d left the building without it. Guess I’ll have to do this without my lightsaber, he thought and lunged forward for the beast. It caught him in all four arms and started to squeeze him tightly. Khameir struggled against the force being applied to his arms.
He recalled his master’s words about using his own Force and used it against the giant who held him. Dozens of pieces of rubble flew off the ground to strike the beast in the back, neck, and shoulders. It grunted in pain but kept its hold on Khameir. Clearly, something new had to be used. In a rather childish last resort, Khameir bit down on the beast’s shoulder savagely. This got the response he wanted. The creature howled in pain and released Khameir. Khameir backflipped away from his opponent.