JEDI HoloNet

In the dreadful worlds of Hutt Space a child was born to a debauched merchant of vices and a slave turned into an unwilling bride. The child known as “Besk” was born in the oppulent house of Kunala Patna, a togrutan who had risen from the ranks of the hutts to a minor position of influence by successfully providing the markets of Nar Kreeta with fresh supplies of narcotics, exotic beasts, slaves for the mines, and potent aphrodisiacs. Besk grew up oblivious to the suffering caused by his family, enjoying the benefits of a household adorned with small luxuries from the criminal world which was maintained by slave workers. Every day he’d be attended by servants who’d dress him in fancy clothes and feed him the finest dishes a child could enjoy. His father had ordered him to always be accompanied by slaves who’d entertain him so that he wouldn’t face the illness of boredom. Pampered and a bit more round than most children, Besk was shaping up to be a very fine example of the “best” kind of person that Nar Kreeta’s aristocracy could offer. His father had taught him well how to bully both servants and peers, having no real friends but counting with the company of many sycophants who excelled at pretending to be one.

Kunala believed there was a promising future in the horizon and saw Besk as the heir of his growing criminal empire. Some dreams, however, are not meant to be and his ambition would be cut short when Tor’dul, a long standing rival in the slave market who had coveted Kunala’s riches for many years, successfully proved to the hutt authorities that Kunala had evaded paying proper tribute for years. Besk was 5 years old when he saw his father be fed to the very beasts that he used to sell. To make the wound really hurt, all of Kunala’s assets, including Besk’s mother, were confiscated and gifted to Tor’dul as a reward for his “selfless loyalty”.

Having no need for a toddler, and wary of the threat of a future blood feud, the new owner of Kunala’s manor ordered his thugs to take the child away and to dispose of him with extreme discretion. A sound plan, but even hardened criminals have a hard time killing innocent children, so to avoid the burden of guilt on their shoulders they left nature in charge of finising the job. Leaving Besk to die in a remote cave which had once been the source of precious minerals for the town. The thugs reasoned that if the local fauna didn’t get rid of the kid, starvation or the harsh elements would.

Besk throat was sore after all the crying he did, but no matter how much he screeched, there were no servants rushing to help him. Starving and alone for the first time, the caves looked even more frightening than they already were. Children don’t often think on their own mortality, but for the first time Besk felt the impotence of having nobody listen to his needs. For some time it seemed that despair would consume the boy, but when night came, the ever present silence of the caves felt like the embrace of an ethereal mother. Feeling the gentle touch of the void, he was able for the first time to be silent and listen the beautiful sound of nothingness. He was at peace.

3 days passed and his red cheeks were starting to pale when Pyp, a scavenger of abandoned machines, found a boy lying in the dirt and on the brink of death. Pity took over her superstitious heart and she decided to take the boy with her. Seeing him as something more valuable than any machine she could find in the caves, she named him “Besk”, reflecting how his endurance reminded her of Beskar. The rodian raised the kid as his own, providing food, clothing and shelter the best way she could afford to. For Besk, life with Pyp was a different world altogether. While he always was provided food, some days he’d have to content with just plain gruel and stale bread, instead of the exquisite cuisine of his gamorrean chef. Much skinnier than in his early childhood, now there weren’t servants to play with him, but it didn’t really matter because boredom never reaches the one who’s constantly moving, as scavengers are forced to since a day without work means not being able to afford the most basic of commodities. Besk wasn’t nostalgic however, as the years passed the vague memories of his early years in Nar Kreeta became more distant and sometimes he’d believe they were nothing more than a selfish dream instead of real life.

5 years had passed since his adoption and the image of a fat bully, selfish and pompous, was completely gone. Now there was a young red boy, skinny and generous, willing to share with the needy even if he couldn’t really afford it. Pyp had raised a good boy, who happened to have an unusual luck when it came to find the best pieces of scrap metal in places where other scavengers only saw garbage. Luck seemed to have brough them to Corellia, where they were selling bits and pieces in the junkyards when a Jedi noticed the boy’s talent. Pyp believed that fate had brought the boy to him and realizing that the Jedi could offer Besk a future much better than any she could give, decided to let the order take the boy with them.