Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my computer and brain
Chapter 1: Endar's destruction
ALARM
'What the fuck is going on?' I thought as I opened my eyes and sat up. 'Why is the alarm going off? And why the fuck is the ship shaking?' I asked myself. I looked around and remembered that I was alone in the bunk I shared with someone I've never met. I gave myself a once over before I climbed out of bed.
For a smuggler I didn't look to bad for all I had been through smuggling spice and blasters and then working as an adviser here on the Endar Spire. Just then the door opened and a republic soldier stood there looking at me.
"We've been ambushed by a Sith battle fleet! The Endar Spire is under attack! Hurry up - we don't have much time!" he said eyeing the room trying to look for traps or stealthed assailants.
"Who the fuck are you?" I snapped grabbing the blanket off my bed to cover my goods from his perverted male eyes.
"I'm Trask Ulgo, ensign with the Republic. I'm your bunkmate, but we work opposite shifts; I guess that's why you haven't seen me before." Trask replied a little hurt. I could sense he wasn't a threat so I relaxed my guard a little. "Now hurry up, we have to find Bastila! We have to make sure she makes it off the ship alive!"
"Who the fuck is Bastila?" I asked before a beautiful female face flashed through my mind. 'Do I know Bastila?'
"Bastila's the Commanding Officer on the Endar Spire. Well, not an Officer, really. But she's the one in charge of this mission." Trask said slightly surprised, I guess he thought I knew Bastila. "One of our primary duties is to guarantee her survival in the event of an enemy attack! You swore an oath just like everyone else on this mission. Now it's time to make good on that oath!"
Images flashed through my brain but I couldn't make out any of then except for one. The image of a woman in a dark black with the hood pulled up and a helmet covering her face, if it hadn't been for her stance and the way the robe hugged her curves I might have thought she was male. 'Who is that? Why do I feel like I know this person?'
"Okay, let's go help Bastila!" I said trying to shut him up.
"So hurry up and grab your gear. You need to suit up so we can get out of here." Trask replied.
"Fine." I said finitely.
I walked over to my footlocker and pulled out my gear. I quickly dressed, strapped on my stealth generator, tucked my short sword in my belt, and grabbed my blaster. I have been through enough to know that no matter what happened I was ready for whatever came next.
"We should stick together; you'll have more success with a party than on your own." Trask said before glancing at the door. "Because of the attack this room is in lookdown, but don't worry - I've got the override codes. You'll have to let me unlock the door."
"Fine, just shut the fuck up. By the Force you're the most longwinded Bantha I've ever come across." I snapped. I was starting to get really fed up with this guy.
"Door's open, Lead on." Trask replied as the door retracted into the walls. A few steps into the hallway and both of our communicator's flared to life.
"This is Carth Onasi -- the Sith are threatening to overrun our position! We can't hold out long against their firepower! All hands to the Bridge!"
"That was Carth contacting us on our portable communicators. He's one of the Republic's best pilots! He's seen more combat than the rest of the Endar Spire's crew put together." Trask said stating the obvious yet again. "If he says things are bad, you better believe it. We have to get to the bridge to help Bastila!"
I nodded and headed for the door only to be stopped by Trask endless explanations yet again. "There's a map of the Endar Spire and a copy of Carth's message in your electronic journal, just in case we get separated."
"Let's roll." I said. I knew there were enemies on the other side of the door I was ready for anything.
"That door's locked and I don't have the codes to open it. You'll have to use your skills on it if we want to get past." Trask told me.
"Fine, just shut up." I said pulling my tools out of my belt. Deftly my fingers worked the tumblers in the lock until it clicked and the door slid open. A republic soldier was there firing a blaster at Sith Troopers, anger at the troops for attacking the ship and rage at the Sith for waking me up filled me with energy.
"Theses Sith must be the advance boarding Party! FOR THE REPUBLIC!" Trask shouted and started firing hitting every thing but the Sith.
I used this as a diversion to activate my stealth generator and get behind the two Sith Troopers. I drove my short sword through the gaps in the armor of one of the Troopers piercing his lung and shot the other Trooper in the back at point blank range before he could turn around. Trask looked at me like I was some kind of Jedi or something.
I tossed him my sword and said, "With the way you shoot, you're probably better with a sword."
He sighed and nodded. "This was all that was left." He said tossing me the blaster.
By the Force this blaster was so old and worn out I was surprised it fired at all, when I checked the bodies for items I dropped the blaster. We then proceeded towards the bridge killing more Sith Troopers in the next room. Where I proceeded to raid canisters and footlockers for gear, when I had rummaged through everything thoroughly we continued into the hallway opposite where we entered.
"It's a dark Jedi! This fight is too much for us -- we better stay back. All we'd do is get in the way." Trask shouted over the din of the obvious lightsaber battle in front of us.
I noticed several openings in the dark Jedi's attack and mentally scolded the Jedi for not attacking or watching for a weakness. The Jedi managed to mortally wound the Dark Jedi after she blocked his power attack, but died when a grenade thrown by a Sith trooper went off behind her.
"That was one of the Jedi accompanying Bastila. Damn, we could have used her help!" Trask cursed as her brandished his sword at the Sith Troopers that had come into view.
Knowing what was coming, and how closed in the bridge would be I switched to dual short swords. I held the sword with the tip of the blade at my elbow and flew into the Sith Troopers in a flurry of attacks taking them down easily. We then proceeded to the bridge where two Sith Troopers rushed us, we cut them down just as fast as the last.
"Bastila's not here on the bridge -- they must have retreated to the escape pods! We better head that way too." Trask said surveying the bridge. "The Sith want Bastila alive, but once she's off the ship there's nothing stopping them from blasting the Endar Spire into galactic dust."
I nodded and continued through the bridge towards the starboard side of the ship. Killing a couple of Sith along the way. We reached a dead end and I felt a ominous foreboding coming from one of the doors in the room.
"There's something behind here." Trask said opening the door with sword in hand. "Damn -- another Dark Jedi! I'll try to hold him off, you get to escape pods! Go!" the door slammed shut behind him and locked before I could even think of helping the ensign. I turned and headed for the starboard side of the Endar Spire.
"This is Carth Onasi on your personal communicator. I'm tracking your position through the Endar Spire's life support Systems." A voice said through the comm. buried somewhere in my clothes. "Bastila's escape pod is away- you're the last surviving crew member of the Endar Spire! I can't wait for you much longer you have to get to the escape pods!"
I sighed, time was running out, I was not going to be the only person left alive on this ship when the Sith blasted it into space dust.
"But be careful. There's a Sith patrol just down the corridor. You might want to use your skills to sneak past him." Carth stated through the comm., at least he was being helpful.
I activated my stealth generator and slowly moved down the hall. I caught sight of said Sith Trooper and decided that a dead Sith Trooper was better then an avoided Sith Trooper. So I moved behind him and twisted his neck until it broke. As I laid his body on the ground the helmet rolled off and I could see the face of the boy that I just killed. Faces and people flashed through my cerebral cortex as I looked at his face, I knew this boy but from where I didn't know.
I continued to the next room silently thought still buzzing around my head. I killed the two Sith in the room and searched through the containers. As I neared the door for the next room the comm. flared to life again.
"Be careful! There is a squad of Sith Troopers on the other side of that door! You need to find some way to thin their numbers." Carth said. "You could reprogram the damaged assault droid to help you, if you have spare parts. Or you could use computer spikes to slice the terminal and use the Endar Spire's security system against the Sith."
I decided to do both, most doors on the Spire had proximity detectors and if you got close enough they would open. I fixed the assault droid first and used him as a decoy so I could slice into the security system unharmed. I grabbed a prototype vibroblade from the dead captain after the security system killed the Sith by exploding a power conduit.
"You made it just in time! There's only one active escape pod left. Come on, we can hide out on the planet below!" Carth said as the Sith started bombing the Endar Spire.
"How do I know you won't try anything?" I asked, I may be hardened warrior but I was no soldier, he could probably force himself on me and I wouldn't be able to hold him off for long.
"I'm a soldier with the Republic like you. We're the last two crew members on the Endar Spire. Bastila's escape pod's already gone, so there is no reason for us to stick around and get shot by the Sith. Now come on -- there will be time for questions later!" Carth said.
We climbed into the escape pod and launched it just in time. The Endar Spire exploded knocking into the escape pod. The last thing I remember is Carth saying 'Hold on' before my head smacked against the wall of the escape pod, that's when everything went black.