Star Wars Mandalorian Commando: Warrior's Quest

by Raw Sewage Writings

(A continuation to REPUBLIC COMMANDO: SEARCH FOR THE FALLEN) With the radical reformation of the Galactic Empire, defectees Sev and his new allie, an Alpha ARC known as Keilbourn, pursue a new life, embracing the roots of the culture they were modeled after. However they find that their actions could compromise the very family that they earned their way into...

1. Chapter 1

STAR WARS

MANDALORIAN COMMANDO

WARRIOR'S QUEST

Chapter 01

Airon Sector, space/ 19 BBY/ 9 hours after Contingency Order: 66

Not a wink of sleep ever settled over him. Though his body was physically exhausted, Sev's mind was rampant. Too much had happened and all too fast. As a gifted marksman, trained to be an elite Commando in the Grand Army of the Republic, he prized himself of analyzing his situations, quickly adapting, and then executing with military precision. For the past half hour, all he had done was try to process his situation, though no matter what he did or whatever solution he came to, nothing sat right with him. Just yesterday, he'd woken up on the jungle floors of Kashyyyk's lower levels known as the Shadow Lands. He'd struggled back up to civilization only to find the Republic was no longer what it once was. What was worse, Sev was told he would never again see his pod-brothers, his team of origin, Delta Squad. As a unit of four, they'd grown together, trained together, fought and bled together. He missed them. He even found himself longing to hear one of Scorch's stupid jokes again. Knowing they would never be together again, made him truly feel alone; and he was. Sev laid on the bunk in the rather roomy dorm on the port dormitory onboard a Dynamic-class freighter. The craft had been a junker from the old days of the Republic until later found and restored. The bite of the cold nipped away at him as he lay motionless on his back wearing only the black body glove he wore under his Katarn armor. Finally abandoning the attempt of sleep, Sev rolled to his side and swung his legs over the edge. He rubbed his eyes as he sighed. He stood up, straightening his back with a stretch before stepping out of the cabin. The door opened allowing the Commando into the narrow hall which led into the main hold. He turned left and made his way past the communications center into the cockpit. Sev strode through the circular entry to find Keilbourn seated in the front chair, thoughtfully watching the swirl of hyperspace through his window from behind the glowing, humming control terminals. Upon entering, Sev slumped down on one of the three other available chairs. Keilbourn, a former ARC Trooper of the Republic swiveled his chair to face Sev. Sev eyed him closely. Though just a few hours ago, Keilbourn had saved Sev from misguided yet deadly Clone Troopers, Sev found it hard to fully accept him. The Commando wasn't exactly social and very short in his talk and manner.

"Just get up," Keilbourn asked. His tone was friendly, trying to convince the hardened Commando in such a way. Sev merely shook his head.

"Couldn't sleep," he said simply. Keilbourn watched him carefully. He didn't take much offense to Sev's curtness to him. In many ways, he sympathized with the former Delta. Keilbourn himself had witnessed what the loss of Sev had done to the Squad of Commandos. He had a slight history with the Commandos as his ARC training at times overlapped with the Commandos' training. Sev shivered slightly, though he tried to hide it.

"Cold?"

"Very," Sev replied. Keilbourn's mouth cracked into a grin.

"I've got some extra clothes in the storage shelf in the hold."

"Civilian dress?" Sev asked in disgust. Keilbourn laughed at the Commando's manner of non military standards.

"I've done quite a few covert operations. Can't exactly blend in wearing shiny-white," he said. Sev grinned slightly. He turned away peering out into space, allowing the awkward silence to spread for a good solid minute.

"So how do you know Vau?" Sev finally asked. The Commando had referred to his trainer. The Mandalorian warrior, Walon Vau was one of the few Mandalorians recruited to train the Clones of the Special Operations branch of the GAR.

"I would train with him from time to time. In fact," the ARC paused as he looked at Sev smugly. "I knew you too." Sev's face wiped of all traces of his hardened background as surprise swept over him.

"How so?" he asked defensively. Keilbourn's grin spread from ear to ear as he chuckled too softly.

"It was a CQC exercise in one of those mazes. I knocked you down on your sheb." Sev's face hardened again.

"Lucky hit, you got me from behind," Sev grumbled as his eyes narrowed. Keilbourn continued to laugh.

"Whatever you say," he said. A small flashing light emitted on his controls. Keilbourn directed his focus to the display to his left. "We're almost to Dxun," he announced. Keilbourn frowned as he turned again to face Sev. "I've been thinking," he said.

"What is it?" Sev asked as he watched the former ARC. Keilbourn opened his mouth and thought for a second before speaking.

"Follow me," he said as he stood up from his chair and walked out of the cockpit. Sev frowned as he too rose stepped through the circular entry and past the communications center. As he strode into the main hold and up to the glowing table in the center of the area, he spoke. "Before we head down to Dxun, I'd like to know for myself; get a grasp of what's really happening." Sev stood just past the entry with his arms folded and pondered Keilbourn's logic. Nothing bad ever came out of trying to get a little information before heading off into a world unknown to them. Sev nodded in agreement.

"So what'd you have in mind?" Keilbourn keyed in the coordinates of Dxun into the navicomputer installed into the holo-table. Within seconds, a large projection of Dxun hovered above the glowing panels of the table. The display zoomed out of the full view of the moon of Dxun and provided them with a view of a cluster of planets. In the center of the blue glowing projection, was the small moon. Keilbourn pointed to a point just to the right of Dxun in the midst of the holographic projection.

"We're here. I think we should find a planet where we can land and gather a little intel." Sev nodded.

"We'd have to find a CIS controlled system, we don't want to risk getting recognized," the former Commando observed.

"Yeah but then we risk faulty intel about the Republic. We need to go somewhere in the Republic."

"That is risky," Sev said.

"Nothing a couple of Spec Ops Clones can't handle," Keilbourn mused. Keilbourn again studied the large hovering projection. "Onderon is closest to Dxun," he observed. Sev too studied the projection. He stepped up to the table and scanned the projection carefully with his dark eyes.

"True but we should probably go more distant. If it gets hot, hiding to close may cause trouble." Keilbourn nodded at his logic. As he studied the map, he lightly touched the image of many planets, causing a small projection of text to appear next to the planet's image. After seconds of studying the map and the brief background of each planet, Sev pointed at one with his finger just north of their position.

"Contruum?" he inquired. Sev merely motioned with his eyes at the projection. Keilbourn took a closer look at the planet and read out loud the briefing of the planet. "Canyons, large oceans; mostly known for its Borium mines and shipyards. No sentient native species and currently, independent." Keilbourn frowned as he looked back up at Sev. "I thought we were looking for Republic systems?"

"Independent is better. There'll be information on the Republic without their presence." Keilbourn looked away again.

"Can't choose anywhere closer?" he mused. He walked past Se with a grin as he stepped back into the cockpit to enter the correct coordinates, redirecting their course.