The loud rumbling of the smuggler-ship flying in woke me up. I gazed up at the starry sky through a small hole in the tent before I closed my eyes again. Shaz and I lay with the rest of our squad in a tent we had taken. I sent a hateful thought to squad four and rolled onto my back. Sleeping was impossible now that the rest of the squad had fallen asleep. What remained of it anyhow… Athei lay dead on in a ditch somewhere; Trace had more drugs running through his veins than I had ever seen in my life, his right thigh a complete mess where three bolts had seared their way through the muscles. To make matters worse: He snored loudly and was by now impossible to wake up. A good friend of mine, Calo Rost, sat outside and watched over Melia. Responsible as always, Jassin had ordered us to tie her up. She sat tied against a post with my blanket wrapped tightly around her for warmth. The regretful consequence of that became evident as Shaz changed his sleeping-position again. Generously he laid his arm and leg over me and placed his chin on my shoulder. It did not get cosier than this. One hateful though was not enough, so I sent another one to squad four before I struggled back to sleep. The warmth from Shaz did not help at all.

"Get up!" Jassin shouted into the tent in the morning. A few curses were muttered in return, and were answered by Jassin's boot. "Line up outside!" He ordered, sounding angrier than I had ever heard him before. One by one, we raced out and lined up in front of the tent. Everyone was wondering what the heck was going on. Jassin paced back and forth in front of us a few times before he finally started barking again.

"We have been given new orders." Jassin looked at Shaz and me now. "The ship has picked up a scout squad on its way here with reinforcements not far behind. Squad one is preparing the defence of this town as we speak, but they need more time."

"So we will ambush the enemy?" Calo asked, and Jassin nodded.

"Our mission is to buy time for squad one to mount the automated turrets and relocate the E-Web to a useful position."

"How many troopers are we talking about here?" I asked Jassin when he was at the other end of the line.

"A scout platoon." Jassin answered. "Which means we'll be up against eighteen troopers and ten scout-troopers. Nothing we can't handle. As far as we know, they are only on their way here to re-establish contact with this platoon. We are to proceed one quarter of a mile into the forest to the north and lay an ambush there. Any questions?" Shaz of course, raised his hand. "Yes, what is it Shaz?"

"What kind of ordnance do we get?" He asked, hitting the nail spot on for once.

"Our regular blasters, proximity-mines, thread-mines and grenades." Jassin answered.

"What use will thread-mines be of?" Calo asked.

"To make sure we're not flanked the fuck out of our game." Jassin answered sternly. "You'll see later. I don't think your mind would understand the tactic anyways. Get ready for marching mandalorians. We march to fight once again."Jassin said, and we started gathering our things. I had to admit, most of the warriors in the clan were quite thick in the head. "Squad dismissed." He ordered, and those who could walk ran back to the tent to fetch our gear. There was widespread grumbling, but that was to be expected. Everyone was tired. Quite a few were stupid to boot. Shaz had sometimes shown a glimmer of intelligence when under fire, but that was it. Calo was too stupid to do anything but follow orders. Jassin was a smart man, but he was too scared of Mandalore to think independently and operate outside mission protocol. I on the other hand was too scared of responsibility to be in command. I knew how to handle myself in a combat-situation, but to command a whole squad? I shuddered at the mere thought of it. I packed as much ammo I could bear without tiring me by the first mile. If I was right, we could be in for a long firefight. Shaz on the other hand packed too little for his rifle and too much for his shotgun. I shook my head at him, and he grinned in return.

"Who will be looking after Melia while we're gone?" Shaz asked. I pointed to Trace. Shaz laughed. "He will be useless even looking after himself."

"Not much of an alternative is there." I answered and closed the lid on my backpack.

"Point." He replied. Shaz was more of a vest-man. After raiding the imperial stores, we had stocked up on dry supplies and nutri-bars, and Shaz had food for three days. Four if he was careful. I had food for only two days, but ammo for five. When we emerged from the tent we saw Jassin in a quiet, but angry discussion. Cael was there, our temporary commander was there alongside a band of five men.

"You can't be serious." Jassin fumed and pulled Cael away from the men. I measured them carefully. They were armed with imperial weaponry, and their apparel was akin to hunters. "You cannot ask me to lead these strangers, these weaklings!" Jassin went on as soon as he thought he was out of earshot. He was clearly not, and the men shifted nervously. Seeing my chance to make some new... I could hardly call them friends... Acquaintances, was a more fitting word.

"And who might you be then?" I asked one of the brawnier-looking individuals.

"Conscripts." The man answered simply.

"The Empire had decided to enlist us for their army." A smaller one said and took a step forward. He had his E-11 in his hands like the rest of them.

"Eager to see combat eh?" Shaz asked, leaning over my shoulder. "Just can't wait to jump into the bloodbath?"

"No." The big one answered. "You seem like a stronger looking group than the Empire." He reason and shifted his blaster over to his back instead. They all had makeshift slings of either cloth or some bright-brown leather. Probably from a local animal. I gave them all a quick look-over. If the Pentastar Alignment had chosen these hillbillies for their army, the Alignment was either desperate or these men were actually promising fighters. The discussion between Cael and Jassin was still going on, but Shaz and I were doing a good job at keeping the locals from hearing it. Jassin kicked the ground, hard, and stomped over to his squad.

"Right! We have been given an attachment from the local hillbillly-battalion," He said, gesturing to the locals. "and they are to aid us in our ambush." The locals did their best to not show just how insulted they were. Jassin was sent a glare. "I hope you have provisions and ammo?" They nodded. "Good, because we have to stay in the field for as long as possible. Fall in behind me and my men. We will form the vanguard."

"Yes sir." A self-appointed officer said, and the hunters left. I was shocked now.

"Did I just..."

"Yes Shaz, you fucking did." I replied. What was left of squad three turned to Cael with fire in our eyes.

"The call of Mandalore can be heard by anyone." Cael said, answering our silent question. What the hell was that? "The situation being what it is calls for desperate measures. These men are hunters, and they know the terrain. Use them as best as you can. That is an order." And with that final comment, he walked away. There had been no room for discussion, and Cael had made that very clear. Mandalore had left Cael in charge of the entire operation, and it was not Jassins place to question that decision.

"His call for mercy will be heard everyone when I am done with him," Shaz whispered so quietly I could barely hear him. Jassin turned to Melia and raised a brow.

"What the hell is a prisoner of war doing here?" He asked and turned slowly towards Shaz and me.

"Spoils of war sir!" Shaz answered theatrically and saluted Jassin. I followed suit with a sheepish grin.

"Name, rank and regiment." Jassin demanded, turning back to Melia who glared defiantly at him.

"Lave Melia, Trooper second class, Pentastar Volunteers 15th regiment." Melia answered. "Those two brutes of yours captured me, and I am their..." Her glare turned to us now "Spoils." Her words were laced with venom. Jassin sat down by her side and checked her left shoulder and face with gentle hands. She did not try to bite him, like she had us when we had tried to bandage her.

"Have you been seen to by a medic?"

"One of our medics survived the slaughter, and he saw to me." She answered as Jassin lay a hand on her bandage.

"His name?" Jassin asked as he stood back up.

"Kroan, Drex Kroan." She answered. "Medic the Pentastar Support Corps."

"I will have him see to you." He said and gave her a small smile before he turned around and marched over to Shaz and I. "She is your responsibility. You feed her with your own rations, and if she rebels, you will kill her yourselves."

"Understood." We answered and Jassin nodded. Raising his eyes he looked at the men under his command. "Fall in!" He barked.

The Mandalorians formed the vanguard and Hillbilly-battalion fell in behind us. As we marched through the village I got a good look at it for the first time. The roads were made of dirt, but the buildings were made of cheap rockrete. There were no signs of wealth anywhere, except when I looked at the building where they stored their crops. That building towered over the rest of them, and right next to it there was a small platform for spacecrafts. Currently, our ship occupied it. The entire complex was surrounded by both a sensor-fence and an electric fence. If I was not very wrong, the E-Web would be mounted on top of that storage. Seeing as it was the only thing of value in the entire village, the enemy would deem it too valuable to hit with artillery. When we passed the market, we marched straight past the captured imperials. They all glared at us, but posed no threat. They had been stripped down to their suits and were huddled under blankets by a fire. Two men were guarding them, armed with E-11 blasters. As I passed, I noticed that the safety was indeed off. Many imperials had been caught. I counted twelve heads around the fire. I gave the soldiers guarding them a nod of recognition before we turned left and out onto the road leading towards our next fight. Scared villagers were watching us from the windows between barely shut blinds. It looked as if they had just gotten used to the imperial presence before we came along and turned their lives upside down again. They deserved none of my sympathy and I gave them none. The wisest among them would hear the call and become one of us. The rest of them... Would end their pitiful lives on this worthless green rock. Behind us, Hillbilly-battalion followed, and when they were out of earshot, our earbeads crackled to life.

"This will be a fighting retreat." Jassin announced. "The enemy will hit us hard, and we will have little to no time to regroup. The volunteers are pawns to be sacrificed if need be."

"What happened to the call of Mandalore?" I asked.

"Sometimes it falls on dead ears." Jassin answered and we all sniggered for half a second. If one of them actually survived this, he would be marching with us the next time we marched into battle. For now though, they were dirt beneath our boots. I just hoped they would take their sweet time before they became dirt underneath the enemy's boots. We marched by the road for the first two kilometres before we found a small clearing and settled in there, five hundred metres short of our objective. "Spread out and take up positions. Camouflage and crossfires." Jassing ordered before he walked back to Hillbilly-battalion. Shaz and I dug in on the left side of the road, making sure to get enough cover in case of heavy weapons. While I dug out the trench, Shaz went a few hundred metres back and fetched branches and logs to reinforce our cover with. On the other side of the road, the hillbillies were digging out their own trench. Calo had been sent on picket-duty while Jassin planted mines on our flanks.

The spot was far from ideal, but it would serve us well. We had dug into a mound that had been dug out for the road, and in front of us stretched a rocky surface covered with moss, for about thirty metres or so. The forest beyond was light with only a few bushes. Visibility would not be a problem, but still... It would be deadly close combat.

"What is the word on enemy ETA?" I asked as Jassin came back from planting the mines on our side of the road.

"Less than an hour. Speeders first. Infantry close behind."

"Standard procedure then?" I asked back.

"Standard procedure." He answered with a tired voice and sauntered past my trench. "Any word from Calo?"

"None Jassin." I answered and he turned towards Hillbilly-battalion. They were not used to digging trenches, but they had copied me and Shaz's work adequately enough. Calo would stay with Shaz and I while Jassin commanded the Hillbillies. As soon as he reached them, they started planning a retreat. Shaz walked over to see the planned route, drawn crudely into the earth, as I stayed behind and tried to at least rest my eyes. As far as I heard, the plan was not really that complicated, and it only took them about ten minutes to plan it. The next fifteen minutes was spent lecturing the hillbillies about the importance of covering-fire and how to signal it. Two shots in quick succession to mark the beginning and then a steady pour of fire. I doubted they would remember the two quick shots. I had forgotten about them myself during my first firefight. A knock on the head made sure that I did afterwards. Orsin had been a tough commander. Downright brutal when I thought about it, but a man in his position, a man of his ambition and potential, had to be. We would all show those jet-pack-jumping jackasses of Mandalore how true Mandalorians fought. We would make them feel terror as Basilisk war-droids rained from the skies and purged their world of weakness. Somehow I doubted that I would be alive to see that day. I closed my eyes and let darkness descend. There was no birdsong. Just a slow breeze rustling the leaves high above. Leaning my head against a thick brown log, I felt the rough bark against my cheek. The last thought before I fell asleep was that I could maybe grow to like this place. The next thing I remember is Calo shaking me by the shoulder.

"Enemy incomming." He whispered. "Dismounted scouts in front, troopers hundred metres further back." My eyes jerked open. Jassin had heard the order and I could hear the faint sounds of blasters charging up. "Attack pattern."

"Numbers?" I asked and shifted my position so I lay on the wall of the trench. All signs of weariness were gone now, as if they had never existed. Shaz lay at the far end of the trench with his blaster ready.

"Twenty-eight men total." Calo answered. I scanned the trees and laid eyes on our enemies. Slowly, going from cover to cover, they advanced.

"Attack the enemy on sight." Jassin ordered, and I did not have to be asked twice. Red bolts flew through the air, cutting into trees, bushes and bodies. The hillbillies fired almost simultaneously and the volley felled one of the scouts. The other three were driven into cover. On our side, two of the scouts fell, but the rest threw themselves down and returned fire. Without forewarning, a speeder appeared behind their forward line and unleashed automatic fire on the trenches.

"Fierfek!" I shouted as a pair of red bolts came dangerously close to my head. The scouts were not bad shots either. More than once did I smell Calo's burning hair, and the hillbillies even had wounded. Red bolts danced through the air and the guns on the speeders ate away our cover. Dirt was thrown into the air and branches were clipped above our heads. "Fierfek!" I shouted again returned fire at a scout behind a tree. The trunk took the hits and was left with deep scorch-marks, but my target remained unharmed. We exchanged fire for two minutes before hell broke loose. They had probably found our mines or something because they focused everything on a frontal assault. Shiny white armours emerged from the depths of the forest and advanced in an orderly line. Seven men marched forward under the cover of the speeder and the scouts. The other flank must have looked the same.

"Watch the road!" Jassin shouted, and half a second later, four troops rushed forwards along the road. I turned my blaster on them, but they knew well where we were. By now we were horribly outgunned. I let loose five bolts in quick succession at the party advancing by the road, but only one hit the target. One of the troopers went down with a shot to the thigh, but as he screamed, the bastard returned fire. Another trooper dropped as well and let loose a storm of death at hillbilly-battalion. "Grenades!" Jassin warned as the two troopers who were still running got the grenades out of their belt. The situation was falling hilariously apart.

"Displace?" I asked quickly. The enemy was advancing dangerously fast. The scouts were at the treeline and the troopers were not far behind, the speeder had taken up position in the middle of the line and advanced with them. Hillbilly felled one of the grenade-throwers, and the one on our side missed the trench by a full metre. The enemy lines were thinned, but there was no way in hell we could hold.

"DISPLACE!" Jassin shouted. "Covering fire!" He ordered. I fired two shots in quick succession, and poured what was left in my power-cell onto the enemy. They did not even flinch, but one of the troopers went down with three shots to his torso. Hillbilly, Calo and Shaz made the run for it.

"Grenade out!" I shouted, and threw a poorly constructed improvized grenade at the enemy. That made them take cover. The squad by the road fell one by one as Jassin and I made deadly use of our crossfire, and then we displaced. I just spun around in the trench and rolled over the back wall, onto the grassy plateau and out of view from the imperials. On the other side, Jassin had done the same and he had a grenade in his hand.

"Grenade out!" He shouted and lobbed it over the mound as we both ran for it. Shaz and Calo had already taken up position to cover me. Hillbillly-battalion had ran farther and left Jassin high and dry. He did not seem to care though and spoke into his radio. The only word I picked up was "Extraction", and it sounded quite urgent. He was on radio with Cael. As soon as he reached cover, we all fell back. The four of us were nothing against the force attacking us. We had to link up with Hillbilly-battalion, or make a run for it. As we ran, the enemy did not seem to be in a hurry to pursue. Hillbilly had ran just sixty or so metres further back, and we linked up with them quickly. Jassin once again assumed command, and a line was assembled. We had two minutes to regroup before we heard the familiar whine of speeders coming from our twelve o'clock.

"Everyone on your knees, I want a focused volley on the road as soon as we see those speeders." Jassin ordered. Having taken up position behind a curve in the road we made sure that the enemy would have to slow down.

"What is the word from Cael?" I asked Jassin.

"The village is secured." He answered, not taking his eye off the road. "We will be picked up in a few minutes by landspeeder." No one answered, but the hillbillies sighed in relief as we waited. The howling grew closer and I tightened my grip on my blaster. If any of us fired early, we would blow our chance of success. "Fire on my command." Jassin said, as if he could read my thoughts. The whine grew louder and louder until the unlucky scouts came around the curve. "Fire!" Jassin ordered, and a volley hit the speeders head on. Three scouts were shot clean off their speeders. Others took hits to their vehicles and lost control. Somehow, one of them managed to evade all the shots and his fallen comrades, only to crash straight into a rock. His speeder became a twisted wreck within moments, and we all waited to see if anyone had survived the ambush. A silent groan came from the crashed scout as he took off his helmet.

"He's still alive! Shaz! Get him!" I ordered.

"Belay that." Jassin replied and fired his blaster at the scout, silencing him forever. "We need no dead weight." Everyone else silently agreed.

"He could have had useful intel." I argued slowly.

"Nothing we don't know already." Jassin growled back, not liking to be openly questioned in the field. Had he done his job right, I would not have had to. "Orderly retreat." He ordered, and we slowly backed off. The troopers would not be far behind, and we would not be stupid enough to be caught by them again unless we needed to.

"Should we not kill these bastards?" Shaz asked Jassin as the formations joined on our side of the road.

"Mandalore and Cael has a different plan." He answered. "Or so I am told."

"We are to draw the enemy out." I explained to Hillbilly-batallion. One of them crossed the road to my side.

"Why?" The man asked.

"What is your name?" I asked back. He was older than me, but smaller, both in frame and height and his hair was a dirty blonde.

"Jobe," the man answered.

"Well, Jobe, if we can fool the enemy to attack the village, we can destroy them there. Perhaps even fool them to call for reinforcements." I said and paused to listen for footsteps, but I heard none. "If I know Cael, he has left some gaps in our defences to lure the enemy in." I smiled. "You have probably used the same tricks while hunting." The man nodded faintly, not really wanting to see the similarity. The Call of Mandalore would not be heard by him any time soon. "That is all war is my good Jobe. One big hunt. The battle will stand at the village."

"Its name is Velyme"

"Excuse me?" I replied at the sudden outburst.

"The village." Jobe insisted. "Its name is Velyme.

"I can't say that I care that much, but thank you for the information." I replied and turned to Jassin. "Extraction ETA?" I asked.

"They are waiting just down the road. No extraction though unless we make contact with the enemy." Jassin answered, and we all settled in to wait. Jobe sat down with me behind a tree trunk. There was no sound except our breathing. Calo had ran up to the speeders and pulled them back to our position, and was discussing with Jassin what to do with them. Jassin wanted them sabotaged, while Calo said we could make use of them. I just closed my eyes and let them bicker, as long as they kept their voices down.

"You take things easy." Jobe remarked, and I snorted.

"Have to." I answered, not even bothering to open my eyes. "I've been in this business long enough to know when to take a nap and when not to." I paused and changed sitting position so I leaned against the trunk. "The enemy is pursuing us on foot. We won't see them for a good little while."

"If you say so." He said, and shut up for a few seconds. "I never caught your name."

"Erdal." I answered simply. "The nutjob carrying the shotgun is Shaz, and the guy bothering Jassin is Calo. Learn the names and do as we do and you just might live to see Velyme again Jobe." I said and smiled. "Perhaps you will even see greater things."