Repetent Slaughterer: Traveling Merchant

Repetent Slaughterer: Traveling Merchant is the first in what will hopefully become a short story series about the Zanari Nai-Sui, a Slayer from the appropriatly named Fury War, twelve years after said war.

The Traveling Merchant
"Hey, I don't remember this stall being here before..." Sasha'yla, a little Lethan Twi'lek, said, walking away from her mother for a moment to investigate the rather poorly constructed bazaar stall. "Hello?" She asked, looking over the counter.

"Ow! Oh, hello!" A humanoid face popped up from behind the stall, looking slightly embarrased. "You want to buy from Nai-Sui, yes?"

"Who?" Sasha'yla asked, confused.

"Nai-Sui is this one." The humanoid pointed at itself.

"What do you sell?" Sasha'yla cocked her head to the side, curious of the strange creature. "What are you?"

Nai-Sui smiled brightly, pulling out a small jar. "Nai-Sui sells yummy jams, drieds, and much of stuff. Nai-Sui is a Zanari, Nai-Sui is from Tesaki." Nai-Sui then opened the jar, scooping out a dark blue jelly with a finger, and putting said finger into Sasha'yla's mouth as she was about to speak. "Yummy jam, yes?" Nai-Sui withdrew the finger, still smiling.

Sasha'yla, surprised, enjoyed the sweet and cinnamon like taste of the jam and nodded. "I'm Sasha'yla... you can call me Sass for short though, Nai-Sui!" She smiled back, before running a hand over one of her lek. "What's that?" She pointed to two long, thin, dangling objects tied by a sash to Nai-Sui's waist.

"People protection!" Nai-Sui sat up on the counter of the stall, still smiling. The smile quickly faded into a shocked expression. "Nai-Sui doesn't think his stall can hold him." True to those words, the stall cracked and caved, bringing Nai-Sui into the ground. The tarp set above it also fell down, covering him and Sass. "Oh Liyalu." Nai-Sui moaned, standing up and pulling the tarp off of himself and Sasha'yla. "Nai-Sui apologizes!"

Sass patted Nai-Sui's thigh. "It's okay! Accidents happen!"

"Oh my-!"

"Run!"

People began either running or gathering in a circle where Sass realized her mother had been at only moments before. "Mommy!" She shouted, running to the circle. "Mommy!"

"Sass, wait for Nai-Sui!" Nai-Sui called, catching up to her and holding her back before she could break into the ring. Nai-Sui naturally towered over a few of the sentients watching, and was able to see a rather tired Twi'lek female collapsed to the ground, her basket overturned and the contents scattered. A Human had his foot squarely planted on her back, with a Weequay digging another foot into her leg.

"Mommy!" Sass screamed, trying to run towards her fallen mother, despite the tight grip Nai-Sui had around her waist. "Mommy!"

"Sass, stay here." Nai-Sui said with his same cheerful tone, letting go of her and walking into the circle, right up to the Human. "Why are you harming this poor lady?" He asked.

The Human turned around, taking his foot off of Sass's mother and looking up at the Zanari, his eyes narrowing. "Huh? Who the hell are you, Girly-Boy?" He asked, exuding a air of confidence over the slender and taller sentient.

"Nai-Sui is a jam, drieds, and mush seller. Not much else." Nai-Sui said, smiling. "Why are you hitting the lady?"

"She owes our boss a 'tax'." The Weequay answered.

Nai-Sui looked confused by the word, crossing his long arms and looking up at the glaringly blue sky above. "A tax? For what? Nai-Sui wants to know what your Boss is taxing."

The Human chuckled, motioning to his Weequay friend. "Well, her freedom, duh. No Twi'lek female should be wandering around now, right? Come on." He and the Weequay walked into the crowd, which was quickly dispersing.

Nai-Sui frowned, reaching down and picking the Twi'lek mother up before turning to Sass. "Sass, can you get your Mama's basket?" He asked, the smile returning to his lips. Sass nodded, somewhat dumbstruck, and scrambled to pick the basket and the meager amount of food her mother had been buying."Now, can you take this silly Nai-Sui to where you live?" He requested.

"Uh-huh. Follow!" Sass began walking quickly to the meager mud hut outside of Mos Trine. She opened the door and revealed that the hut only contained two meager beds, a small stove to cook on top of, and a small box where the clothes were stored. "That's Mama's bed." She pointed to the slightly lumpier looking one, with the smaller sheets.

Nai-Sui placed the Twi'lek female upon the bed, and quickly checked for any wounds. Only a few scratches adorned her, but now up close to her, Nai-Sui could trace his fingers over the scars upon the blue skin. They were faded, and to someone else, the scars would have looked only like slightly lighter and raised ridges over the flesh which could have been easily overlooked, but Nai-Sui could see them as stories, vivid with blood still dripping from them. "A slave." He noted.

"No she isn't!" Sass said suddenly, putting her hands on her hips. "We aren't slaves! Mama says so long as we don't think we're slaves, we aren't! 'Cause we aren't!"

Nai-Sui turned to look at the little Twi'lek, then looked down. "Nai-Sui is a dum-dum."

"Yes, yes Nai-Sui." Sass confirmed, bonking him in the head with her tiny fist.

"Nai-Sui needs to go get something. Nai-Sui wants Sass to stay here." Nai-Sui said, patting her head and walking outside. "Nai-Sui'll be back."

"Okay!"

"Nn? Pain..."

"Don't move, you have a few broken ribs and a broken leg, Miss Tenlla'yla." Nai-Sui said, rubbing a salve on the few cuts on her flesh. "Nai-Sui luckily knows some things about medicine, but Nai-Sui thinks Tenlla'yla should go see a real profession about the wounds." He smiled serenely and then looked behind him. "Sass is sleeping on her bed, she's a very hyper little child."

"Who are you?" Tenlla'yla wheezed out, feeling the constricted force of broken ribs.

"Nai-Sui is Nai-Sui."

"Nai-Sui...?"

Nai-Sui nodded, and then for some reason took off his own shirt! Tenlla'yla watched as he began tearing it into shreds and searched around the hut for something. "Nai-Sui needs to remember where Nai-Sui puts things." He mumbled. Tenlla'yla gasped, seeing the Zanari's back. Carved into the back were thousands of characters, she couldn't read any of them, but recognized them as Zana due to their similiarity to Simple Zana characters. "Ah! Found it!" Nai-Sui turned back to her, holding onto a slim piece of hard plastic. Nai Sui then proceeded to wrap the strips of shirt around her arm and the plastic piece, binding it to the arm as he turned it into a sling. "Better, right?"

"Y-yes, thank you." Tenlla'yla said, watching Nai-Sui.

Nai-Sui smiled, patting her head. "Your daughter... she's special." He noted, looking at her. "How old is Tenlla'yla?"

"I don't know..." Tenlla'yla admitted. "I do know I was born around the time President of the Senate Voun Tyko took the seat." She noticed Nai-Sui's lip quiver.

"You... are really young then to have a child at that age." Nai-Sui said, scratching his chin thoughtfully.

Tenlla'yla chuckled lightly. "Well, you're probably the same age as me-"

"I'm four hundred thirty nine years old in Standard Years." Nai-Sui quickly revealed, a sort of 'Think-Before-You-Speak-Please' look on his face.

Tenlla'yla bit her lip, her eyes widening and nodding her head. "R-really... you're... uhm..."

Nai-Sui patted Tenlla'yla's head. "You should rest a bit, Nai-Sui thinks you may be a little woozy-moozy from being hurt."

She nodded, laying back down on the bed. "Thank you." She mumbled, before drifting off to sleep.

Morning had just risen over the dunes, bathing Mos Tirne in a sort of ethereal glow. Sass woke up from her deep sleep and wobbled outside. The little child smiled, looking into the sky. "Today is going to be a wonderful day."

Nai-Sui rolled his shoulders, shaking sleep out from his limbs and pulling on a new shirt while still being curled up. "That was a nice nap for Nai-Sui!" He said, sitting up. He looked to the two beds, noticing them empty. He got up from his little corner and climbed out from the mud hut, looking about. "Tenlla'yla? Sass?"

"Are you looking for Tenl and Sass?" A Human woman asked, walking up beside him. "Some men just took them away."

"To where if Nai-Sui can ask."

"Gabub's Cantina." She pointed towards a rather large building that partially blocked out one of the suns of Tatooine. "Hey, a little guy like you can't really stand up to all of the people in there."

Nai-Sui didn't listen, instead he was running and waving his arms in a frantic motion. "NAI-SUI WILL HEEEEELLLLPPPPP!!! NAI-SUI WILL BRING THE JAAAM!"

The woman sighed, crossing her arms. "Idiot."

Nai-Sui pulled the door open, walking onto a auction. The tables and chairs had all been focused around the stage where a large Hutt was lazing on a repulsorlift and watching a Rodian announce the prices for a few very lovely slaves who stood beside him, shackled to the floor. Amoung them though, were small children such as... "Sass!" Nai-Sui called, waving his arms in an attempt to get her attention.

"Nai-Sui?" She peered out, and spotted him.

<<"Who is interrupting?">> The Rodian asked angrily in Huttese, before smacking Sass in the back of the head. <<"Silence, whelp!">>

"Ow!" Sass retaliated, attempting to dig her nails into the Rodian's snout.

<<"Someone blast her!">> The Rodian screeched, batting Sass off. The Hutt looked on, more amused then anything else.

"It's the ass from yesterday!" The Human and his Weequay friend appeared on either side of Nai-Sui. "You were spared by me, Tolumew Wey the Twenty Third yesterday but to-omphk!" The Human stumbled backwards, clutching the area underneath his eye. "H-he broke... the bone!"

"Tolumew!" The Weequay shouted, checking his friend. "You! What did you do to him!?" He turned to Nai-Sui, who was holding onto one of the long thin objects that his sash kept to his waist.

"Nai-Sui jabbed the hilt of his weapon right undeath Wey's eye. It's fractured." Nai-Sui said, his voice cheerful as ever. "But Nai-Sui didn't mean for it to hurt that badly! Nai-Sui apologizes! Bad Nai-Sui! Bad Nai-Sui!" He bonked his head several times. "Okay then, come on Sass, it's time to go find your Mommy." He began walking towards the Twi'lek girl, a serene smile still on his face. A large Trandoshan moved his way over towards him, as silent as night despite it's large bulk. A slow sort of 'grin' crept across the Rodian's face.

"Nai-Sui! Behind you!"

"Now now, Nai-Sui can't play games right now. Please let Sass and her mother-" Nai-Sui jabbed his weapon up again, this time, into the Trandoshan's exposed jaw, sending it flying backwards into a patron's table. "I wasn't finished speaking." He hissed, before smiling and walking closer to Sass. "Come on Sass! Let's go!" He then unsheathed his weapon...

A flimsy sword! It wasn't even a broadsword. It was a thin one, with a very dulled blade. The laughter from the patrons shook the entire cantina.

"A sword! It's not even a vibroblade!" One man in the back laughed.

"To think we're afraid of that!" Another sentient chuckled, and that chuckle was soon followed by the audible clicks of the patrons taking out their blasters.

"Nai-Sui thinks that all of the people in here should put their weapons away. Nai-Sui is just a traveling merchant, Nai-Sui doesn't like to fight!" Nai-Sui said, not looking around him, not even seeming to care that over a dozen blasters were ready to sear a crater in his back. He flicked the weapon two times, breaking the chains on Sass's wrists. "The war twelve years ago... should have been enough." He said, taking Sass into his arms.

"What's with all your talk! All you have is a little sword, primie!"

Nai-Sui slowly turned around to look at his 'opponents'. One of the more sensitive individuals, a Zeltron, nearly fainted, while the others stood still, afraid and yet not understanding why. Nai-Sui then turned to look at the Hutt. "I take her and her mother with Nai-Sui, okay?"

<<"H-her mother is in the medcenter... main road...">> The Rodian said, shaking as the Hutt remained silent. Nai-Sui smiled at him, and then left without another word. <<"Master Gabub! Are we really going to let him get away with that!?">>

The Hutt slowly closed his eyes, then opened them. Even a giant sluggish powerfully rich being as himself knew when he was outmatched and overpowered. <<"Klunsh, twelve years ago, the bloodiest war in Galatic History took place... and the eyes he had... We should be thanking our luck that he only decided to cart off a Lethan.">>

<<"Huh?">> The Rodian was still confused.

<<"Not even the Sarlacc could help us dispose of all the bodies. Those eyes... I didn't think anyone like that was still alive today...">>

Finally, Klunsh understood what the Hutt was saying. <<"Are you saying that he was a... a... Slayer?">>

The Hutt only nodded, not willing to admit that he too, beneath his slimy exterior, was also afraid of what would happen should Nai-Sui have truly gotten serious.

"So, you're leaving?" Tenlla'yla asked, looking up from her needlework to Nai-Sui.

Nai-Sui nodded, pulling on his new shirt that the Twi'lek had made for him, and strapping his boots on. "Yes, Nai-Sui likes to travel to many places. Nai-Sui can't stay on planets for long though." He said, smiling. "Nai-Sui stayed for a long time here though, to make sure Tenll would get better and Sass would be safe!"

"Well, thank you, thank you very much." Tenlla'yla watched the Zanari, her eyes a glow in admiration. "Nai-Sui, I've been wondering something."

"Tell Nai-Sui!"

Here it was, the big reveal. Tenll would know what those characters on the back were! "What does your name mean?" She blurted out instead.

Nai-Sui stopped strapping his left boot, and turned to look at Tenlla'yla. He was still smiling. "Nai-Sui isn't Nai-Sui's real name. Nai-Sui means..." He reached out and put his hand against Tenlla'yla's cheek. "'Repetent Slaughter.'" Taking advantage of Tenlla'yla's shock, Nai Sui picked up his bag and walked to the door of the hut, opening it and standing at the threshold. "Tenlla'yla is a smart female. Nai-Sui thinks that if Tenlla'yla tried... she could help a lot of people."

Sass ran down the dusty street, seeing Nai-Sui already a couple steps away from the hut, and threw herself at him. "Nai-Sui! You're leaving without saying good bye! You... you... bad person!" The Lethan kicked the poor Zanari several times in the leg. "You can't leave until I say so!"

"Sass, that kinda hurt." Nai-Sui cried, rubbing the blossoming bruise on his leg. "Listen, Nai-Sui has to leave, because Nai-Sui is a traveling merchant. So Nai-Sui sells things everywhere!"

"Ca-can't you just sell your stuff here though?"

Nai-Sui shook his head. "Nai-Sui can't let Sass or Tenlla'yla get caught up with him. Nai-Sui did things Nai-Sui is not very proud of." His hand unconciously reached to the hilts of his blades. "So Nai-Sui will repentent for those bad things. Sass, you are a very special child, one day, when you are big and strong, Nai-Sui hopes you will be a person who protects." He patted her head, smiling. "A weapon is used to kill, but a person can choose whether to end a life... or save two lives." Nai-Sui walked away, humming to himself as his steps kicked up little dirt and he adjusted the large backpack on his shoulders.

"Bye-bye!"