For Dr. Tolhurst, reminding us all of the warrior code.
STAR WARS THE LAST NITE OWL A galaxy in turmoil! The Clone Wars have ended and the Jedi Order has nearly been destroyed. The downfall of the Republic has become the ascension for the Galactic Empire. Emperor Palpatine continues to extend Imperial control throughout the star systems. His apprentice, Darth Vader, has been tasked with overseeing this brutal conquest. However, rumors of surviving Jedi spread across remote systems and eventually reach Imperial spies. With so many potential threats to investigate, the Empire hires the deadliest bounty hunters in the galaxy to hunt the remaining Jedi and destroy them once and for all...
Chapter: 1 Bounty Hunter
Vala despised the planet of Nar Shaddaa. The polluted world held some of the galaxy's most corrupted scum. Vala scowled at the sight of such futureless filth. The Mandalorian woman lay perched on the ledge of a tower and down at her inferiors. "Disgusting," she spat. "Thieves and murderers without a single concept of honor, doomed to rot on this miserable planet."
A husky voice spoke through her helmet. "Just focus on getting the job done so we can leave."
"I'm only passing the time, Daliz." defended Vala. "If the information we received is correct, our target should be arriving at the watering hole within a matter of minutes. Then again, they were just rumors."
Daliz could be heard groaning with frustration. "We did not fly all the way out here to come back to Officer Talee empty-handed. Even if this planet is under Hutt control, it is still unwise to toy with the Empire."
"Quiet," intoned Vala. "I think I see the target." She lowered her antennae so that she could activate her rangefinder. Once it reached her helmet's viewplate, Vala was able to zoom in on the streets below her position. Her ID scanner highlighted every passerby from a lumbering Ithorian to a scrawny human. The scanner blipped and highlighted a hooded woman.
"Is it her?" asked Daliz.
"Stand by for confirmation," she replied while zooming in further. The woman quickly filled a bucket with water from the dirtied fountain. As she did so, the side of her face was revealed. "It's her. Jedi Master Ami Zena."
"Smoke her," ordered Daliz.
"On it," Vala stepped off of the ledge and allowed herself to fall. A light hover from her jetpack allowed her to land safely. She then cautiously weaved her way through the crowds of lowlives. Vala was no stranger to fighting Jedi. She knew she had to be quick to gain the upper hand against a master. Master Zena hastened her pace until she was faintly visible.
Vala still kept her eyes fixed on her target and assertively pushed through anyone in her way. She shoved an unsuspecting human who growled in response. He clenched his fists, "I ought to knock your-"
"Are you mad?" one of his friends stopped him. "Look at that armor. She's a Mandalorian."
"I don't want no trouble with mercenaries," the gruff human trailed off.
Vala ignored his remarks and closed in on Master Zena. She shoved another patron, withdrew her WESTAR-35 blaster pistol, and took a shot at the Jedi's back. The older woman dropped her water bucket and rolled to evade the attack. At the sound of the laser blast, the civilians of Nar Shaddaa immediately took cover. Master Zena stretched out her hands and struck Vala with a powerful Force push. She then ran down an alleyway.
Vala was casted into the air by the Force push, but she used her jetpack to fight against the attack. She flew high above the streets and eyed the fleeing Jedi. "She's headed for the docking district!" alerted Vala. "I'm in pursuit!"
"On her, Vala. Don't let her get away! Daliz shouted. "We've got 100,000 credits on the line here!"
"I know," growled Vala. "She won't get away." The bounty hunter rocketed after the Jedi and got close enough to tackle her. The two women crashed through a shack's fragile wall. Zena kicked Vala off of her, leapt to her feet, and ignited a blue lightsaber. The steaming blade's reflection could be seen against the darkness of Vala's viewplate. Vala fired her blaster several times, but Zena easily deflected them. Regardless, Vala continuously fired lasers at her target until her blaster jammed. "Not now!" she growled as the Jedi attacked. Vala ducked under her saber swing and then kicked the Jedi in the chest. She then activated a small energy shield on her wrist and used it to block incoming lightsaber attacks. Zena resorted to another Force push and sent Vala crashing out of the shack. She landed on the rooftop of another crude dwelling. The Jedi leapt down to her, and Vala immediately began firing her wrist laser. All of her shots were blocked again, forcing Vala to roll away from the incoming saber strike.
Vala turned and punched Zena while she recovered. The Mandalorian then grabbed her shoulders and repeatedly kneed her in the gut. Her durasteel kneepad struck hard against the Jedi's abdomen and made it difficult for her to breathe. One of the hits was enough to get Zena to drop her lightsaber. Vala headbutt Zena, and her helmet clanged against the woman's temple. Zena dizzily staggered backwards, pointlessly reaching for her saber. She began to pull it with the Force, but Vala shot her hand. The Jedi screeched with pain and attempted to use her other hand. Vala simply did the same to it.
Vala walked up to the weakened Jedi and looked down upon her. The older woman struggled to breath, leading Vala to believe that her kneeing had ruptured something. It would not have been the first time. "Jedi filth," she jeered.
Zena struggled to speak, "You call me filth...Yet it is you who cannot look me in the eye." Vala sneered and removed her helmet, exposing her platinum blonde hair and pale face. Her blue eyes narrowed underneath furrowed brows. The Jedi wheezed while observing Vala's face. She glowered, "By the Force. You're only a girl."
"I used to be," said Vala before pointed her wrist laser at Zena's face and firing. Vala pressed her earpiece, "Target terminated."
"Haha!" cheered Daliz. "Excellent! Now let's go get our credits!"
"I'll meet you back at the ship shortly," said Vala. She knelt down beside Zena's body and the Jedi's words echoed in her head again.
"You're only a girl."
In Vala's eyes, she stopped being a girl long ago. Before the rise of the Empire. Before she killed for money. Her mind began to wander as she departed from the area. Vala recalled the first time she ever met a Jedi. She was only seventeen at the time, and the galaxy was a very...very different place.
