Wrehn, The Hunter, and The Hunted

The Rodian male sat in his ray-shield jail cell at the Limdast City, 427th Imperial Army Police Station, on planet Ziost. He hugged his knees to his chest, shivering, still recovering from the after effects of carbonite freezing.

The station duty sergeant, having verified the identity of the shuddering Rodian, proceeded to make an entry in the station's logs, while an Imperial army clerk registered the Rodian's information into the inmate database.

The duty sergeant then proceeded to transfer one hundred twenty five thousand Imperial credits into the bounty hunter's business account. The hunter felt the buzzing hum of her personal datapad and, retrieving it from her utility belt, verified that she'd been properly paid for her work.

Wrehn told the duty sergeant, "It was a pleasure doing business with you, Sergeant."

The sergeant replied, "Sure." Then he added, "I wasn't so sure, when the Dark Council permitted Aliens to be granted Imperial citizenship and all of that a few years back, but I have to admit you Aliens aren't such a bad lot." Turning to look at the captured Rodian, he continued, "I guess every group has their bad seeds," and then turning to face Wrehn, concluded, "and every group has their hard working, dedicated folks who strive to do good things."

Wrehn, knowing the sergeant, a human male, meant well with his words, replied, "Thanks, Sergeant. May you enjoy good days ahead."

The cobalt blue skinned Chiss woman with the bright red eyes (all red, no whites) turned and walked out of the army police station and made her way to a speeder where two of her crew waited patiently for her return. Wrehn was not an Imperial citizen. She was Mandalorian but maintained her independence, choosing not to join any of the clans within Mandalorian society.

She was also the only living Great Hunt champion in the galaxy. Galactic Republic S.I.S. agents, together with Jedi, had conducted a raid a few years ago and murdered the three only other Great Hunt champions in Mandalorian society. They were after Wrehn and her crew, but they had mistakenly sprung their raid before Wrehn and her crew had arrived to the gathering. The gathering was to celebrate Wrehn's victory in the Great Hunt and to welcome her into their very elite group of champions.

A few years ago, Wrehn had arrived to the hotel and casino suite on Nar Shaddaa, only to find the bodies of the slaughtered hunters sprawled all over the floor in the suite. Next to one of the dead Mandalorian hunters, was scrawled in her own blood, SIS Jedi. Wrehn could immediately tell that three dead or wounded individuals had been removed from the scene. She had surmised that the attackers had taken their dead and wounded with them when they left the scene.

Wrehn and her crew quickly left the scene. As they fled to their rented spaceport hanger, where their ship was berthed, they were ambushed by SIS operatives. However, Wrehn and her crew were fully alert and heavily armed. They easily broke the ambush, killing four operatives from the start, forcing the remainder to flee with the Jedi.

After launching their ship – without clearance from the spaceport authorities, she contacted Mandalore, the chieftain – king of the Mandalorian clans.

Wrehn told him, "SIS and Jedi raided the hotel suite where I was gonna party with the three previous Great Hunt champions. They were all killed in the raid with their crews."

Mandalore stared blankly for some time before he finally managed to ask, "How do you know it was Jedi and SIS?"

Wrehn replied, "One of our dead had written in her own blood, SIS Jedi next to where she died. Then as me and my crew went back to our ship, we were ambushed by a well disciplined group of operatives led by a Jedi. We were ready for them. We killed a few and made the rest run for it."

Mandalore said, "Very well. I'll find out what I can, and return in contact with you."

Wrehn said, "Me and my crew want to be the ones to get vengeance on them, Mandalore."

Mandalore said, "Of course it should be you. You are the last surviving Great Hunt champion. It is your place to seek vengeance for your fellow champions' deaths."

Mandalore cut the connection.

Wrehn told her crew, "We can't let this go. We got to hunt these guys down and make them pay."

A Human male and the only other Mandalorian in Wrehn's crew, Torian Cadera, shouted something in the Mando language at Wrehn.

Then turning to the others, repeated what he'd said in Basic, "Death is too good for them, but that is what they'll get."

Gault Rennow, a Devaronian male, replied, "You know, Torian, you could save a lot of time and effort if you'd just say it in Basic the first time around, every time around."

Skadge, a Houk male chimed in, laughing, "You'd save us all of lot of time, if you didn't say anything at all!"

The cybernetically enhanced Human female, Mako, laughed and was about to add her own two cents, but suddenly became serious, telling her crew mates, and her employer, "I got something!"

Mako had been scanning the Holo-net, making a deep search through her brain's direct connection to the holo-net via her cybernetic implants, and found a clue.

She said, "There's a hit called out for us! A half million credits for our capture or deaths. The Exchange Gang put out the call!" Then she added, "It just came out a couple of minutes ago!"

Yehw-reh-nomai, whose core name is Wrehn, observed with some respect, "The SIS move fast."

Shortly after, Mandalore had got back in contact with Wrehn and her crew.

He told them, "You have recently done work for the Imperial Information Service. It is for the highly effective nature of your work that they have targeted you."

Wrehn was wanted for her successful hunts. She had captured a Jedi who worked closely with the S.I.S, and had killed his two padawans. She had also successfully killed or captured several Galactic Republic government officials and military officers. It was work for a very lucrative contract with the Imperial Information Service, the Sith Empire's spy agency.

Wrehn, looking introspectively, replied, "They could have ambushed us on the way to or from the party at the suite without killing anyone else. They didn't have to slaughter the others."

Mandalore, struggling to keep his fury under control, replied, "They have wounded our honor by so easily killing our very best. You cannot let this insult stand. Our honor must be restored."

A data stream began to download into the ship's intra-galactic holo-transceiver. It was a list of fifteen names with fifteen holographic images of human men and women, members of the SIS team that was formed to go after Wrehn and her crew. The data included the image of a Jedi, and his name, as well.

Wrehn immediately recognized the Jedi. She also recognized some of the faces, as the four that had been killed by her crew when they had been ambushed. After the SIS operatives fled, Wrehn and her crew had unmasked the dead, and went through their belongings for clues.

There were no identifiers, datapads, communications devices, nor any other items that could be used to identify the dead operatives. Even their weapons were of different manufacture. No two recovered weapons were the same. They were high quality weapons without any serial numbers to trace ownership. The only clues Wrehn had were their faces.

She told the chieftain – king, "Mandalore, we killed four of those people in the images you sent us. We had to take their masks off to look at their faces." Pointing out which four those were, she concluded, "These guys, here." She added, "At the hotel suite, we saw evidence that at least three dead or wounded were removed from the scene. So, the way I see it, seven of the fifteen have been taken out."

Laughing ruefully, she told Mandalore, "You have some real good sources. That was fast, and accurate. You wanna share your source with me? I'll pay." She added, "By the way, the Exchange Gang put a half million credit hit out on us a few minutes ago. I think the SIS are behind it."

Mandalore laughed, telling Wrehn, "You know who my sources are. Make your own contacts." Becoming serious, he said, "Make them pay, Yehw-reh-nomai. Make them pay. I'll take care of the Exchange Gang."

He cut the connection.

Pointing at the holographic images, Wrehn told her computerized human subordinate, "Find them, Mako."

Mako replied, "Already found the Jedi. He's founded an orphanage on Nar Shaddaa a couple of weeks ago, and already got orphans living there. Oh! And happy coincidence, all fifteen of the orphans happen to have the same names as those fifteen SIS agents, and we killed four of them."

Wrehn said, laughing, "At least give me a chance to finish giving an order before you finish carrying it out!"

Mako replied, "I'm just that good. You know I won't hold back." Then she told Wrehn, "You have an incoming message from Rooronu the Hutt Spaceport Authority."

Wrehn said, "Good. I need a hanger to berth my ship. We need to get back there before they leave the moon."

Even as Wrehn ordered, "Put him or her on," a Twi'lek's holographic image appeared on her ship's intra-galactic holo-transceiver.

The male Twi'lek official spoke, "You have violated regulations that were put in place to ensure the safety of all starship traffic. That was a very reckless act. If you wish to ever return to Nar Shaddaa, for business or pleasure, then you must pay the fines and other penalties which shall be imposed."

Wrehn said, "O.K., but just to let you know, I had extenuating circumstances."

The Twi'lek asked, sounding unimpressed, "Oh? And what might those circumstances be?"

Wrehn told him, "Some Republic SIS agents was after us, trying to kill me and my crew. We was running for our lives."

The Twi'lek, clearly not believing her, replied, "SIS agents were after you, clearly." Then, deadpan, he added, "The fine is thirty five thousand credits, in Hutt currency. Additionally, also in Hutt currency, your penalties are in the amount of fifteen thousand credits."

He looked at Wrehn as though he expected her to exclaim in outrage at the ridiculous penalties and fines.

However, his smug look was quickly replaced by indignation, as Wrehn replied, "That's all?! I thought it was gonna be worse." Then to Mako, "Mako, pay it."

Mako replied, "Already paid."

Returning her attention to the official, Wrehn told him, "I need to book hanger space for my ship, I need to get back."

The Twi'lek clearly flustered, tried to speak, "Back?! You just… You owe…. I just…"

He paused to listen to someone speaking to him. He seemed to deflate as he listened to whoever was speaking to him.

Then, returning his attention to Wrehn, said disgustedly, "I see that the fines and penalties have been paid in full. I'll book you the same hanger space you had before. The same deposit and daily rates apply."

Wrehn replied nonchalantly, "Thank you."

She turned to Mako and opened her mouth to speak, but Mako had cut her off, telling Wrehn, "It's paid."

Wrehn complained frustratedly, "Let me get the words out!"

Wrehn turned back to the Twi'lek, and asked for landing codes. Those were transmitted to the ship, and immediately thereafter the Twi'lek official cut the connection.

She turned to the Devaronian, and ordered, "Gault land the ship." To the Mandalorian, "Torian, get your heavy assault blaster rifle." To cybernetically enhanced human female, "You too, Mako." To the Houk, "Skadge, get your blaster cannon. We're going to have us a small war."

Skadge shouted, "HELL YEAH! That's what I'm talking about!"

Wrehn walked to her captain's quarters, and went into her weapons locker. She unholstered her light and medium duty blaster pistols, and secured them in the locker. She removed her armored vambraces, and replaced the left one with a modified vambrace which had a one shot flame thrower attached to it. She replaced the right one with a vambrace that had a four shot mini rocket launcher attached.

Next she removed her open faced helmet, and donned her full head and face helmet.

She switched it on and spoke a command, "Begin pre-combat diagnostic test."

As the electronics suite builtin to her helmet started its preprogrammed diagnostics checks, she detached her holsters from her thigh armor, and attached another set of holsters in their stead. Then, from her weapons locker, she took two heavy assault blaster pistols, carefully inspecting both before holstering the pair.

She had these blasters made special for her by a well known armstech on planet Duro. The pair of blasters had cost her two hundred and forty thousand credits. These blasters were capable of taking out heavy war droids. They put out a lot of energy, and had a very, very fast rate of fire. The only disadvantages were that they ate through power packs very, very fast, and got very hot, very fast.

Wrehn walked out of her quarters, and stuck her head in the control bridge. Gault was already slowly gliding the ship to its landing spot.

Wrehn, shocked into surprise, thought to herself, "That was too fast!"

Worried about the ship's exterior paint, she asked Gault, "Did you burn us through the atmosphere? You didn't burn us through the atmosphere, did you?"

Gault Rennow replied, "You said, we needed to get to them before they left the moon. To me that sounded like, burn us through the atmosphere. So, I burned us through the atmosphere."

The Devaronian touched the ship down in its landing space, and then began the post flight shut down procedure. When he had completed the shut down procedure, he swiveled the pilot's seat and got out. He found Wrehn staring at him, quite intently.

Defensively, he asked, "What?"

She replied, her voice deadly serious, "You are going to scrape the burned paint off of the hull. Get it ready for a fresh coat of paint – if you make it back alive." Then she added, "Get your heavy assault rifle, we're going in for a firefight."

Gault, looking down at the deck and sighing, thought aloud, "So, if I get killed, I can get out of scraping the hull, eh?"

Wrehn had heard him from the open door of her captain's quarters, and called back, "I won't let you off the hook that easy, Gault."

He shook his head as he walked out of the control bridge, and past the captain's quarters towards the back of the ship. He walked to the metal grate staircase in the cavernous cargo bay, and walked down to the lower deck of the ship.

He made his way back towards the front of the mostly empty cargo bay with a five passenger speeder parked in the front right corner of the cargo bay, tied down to the deck with tie-down straps. He heard Wrehn call down to him from behind the safety railing of the observation deck high above the main cargo deck. He looked up at her expectantly and saw that she had removed her helmet. Her expression was somber.

When she didn't say anything, he asked, "What?"

Wrehn told him, seriously, "Gault. Please, be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you before you scrape the hull clean."

Then she turned away, walking back to her quarters laughing up a storm.

Gault shook his head, in amusement, as he walked the rest of the way to the crew quarters, which he shared with Torian Cadera, and Skadge.