1
"Cordona! Cordana! Cordana wake up!" a voice called out of the blackness of Aiden Cordana's dreams. He awakened with a start, hearing the sound of blaster fire around him. He quickly reached for the familiar spot of his heavy blaster pistol in the holster at his side. But when he reached for it, there was nothing there but the holster. He then took a look around and took in his surroundings.
He was in a small cargo room of a ship. He now remembered exactly where he was. He also remembered the woman that was standing by the door of the cargo room. On the other side of the door he saw a hallway that a number of men were standing in with blaster rifles firing down the hallway at the enemy Aiden couldn't see but he knew who they were.
Aiden quickly jumped into action taking cover on the other side of the door opposite to the woman who greeted him promptly.
"Thanks for joining us. Did I disrupt a good nap?"
"Well in this dream I had my blaster. There's no way I can make that a reality can I?" Aiden quickly shot back taking a look down the hallway. The enemies were just like he remembered them. Large mechanical droids with snake like tails following them. Mounted on their arms were lasers that were getting too close to the doorway that provided limited cover for Aiden.
"Dammit Cordana, don't you remember anything from an hour ago?"
"I'd rather not remember getting captured by a Hutt and getting knocked out by Severus Nord. But thank you so much for reminding me Captain." Cordana shot back at the woman. He ducked as a laser hit the wall right next to him, barely missing his head. "All I wanna know is what the hell happened to my blaster?"
"I guess you were unconscious at that part." The captain replied. "The Hutt has it. My men just barely have enough firepower to get us to their ship. We need to get out of here Cordana."
Aiden backed away into the room and began rummaging through the cargo.
"Captain! We have to pull back!" a voice came from the hallway. Aiden didn't pay any attention to it. He finally found what he was looking for when he opened a footlocker on the edge of the cargo room.
"Cordana! This is our last chance. We need to get out of here!" the Captain shouted.
"Okay first off, stop yelling." Aiden said very calmly, his back still turned as he gathered what he found. "Second off, we were hired for a job, we are expected to do it. I'm not gonna let a bunch of Hutt droids get in the way of that." Aiden stood up and put something over his head on rested it on his shoulder. "Third off…" Aiden returned to the Captain. He was carrying an EE-3 blaster carbine and was outfitted with an ammo bandolier across his chest. His brown vest was full of ammo and grenades and on his belt was a vibroblade and a regular blaster pistol, which he finally grabbed and dual wielded with his carbine. "I really want my blaster back, this Hutt stuff will probably overheat before we get off the station but it's gonna have to do. Let's go Captain Antilles"
Before the Captain could respond, Aiden jumped out into the hallway and started firing. Not only did he start firing, he was moving faster than anyone under the Captain's command could imagine.
The Hutt droids in the hallway were quickly dispatched and Aiden quickly tossed a frag grenade down the hall. The blast sent two droids flying into the wall of the ship and sent the rest in a retreat.
The Captain was left in amazement in what she just saw, but she soon realized that this was the guy to follow, even though he seemed crazy. Before she entered the hallway she looked to her troops and said with a sigh, "May the force be with us I guess."
Her troops took that as indication that they were to follow the orders of Aiden Cordana for the rest of the mission.
Aiden waited till the soldiers were following him down the hall to start barking orders. "Form up behind me. Stay sharp and watch for Hutt droids." He commanded holstering the blaster pistol and gripping the carbine with both hands. "Try not to get to close to those droids. They have vibroblades in their other hands and they're more deadly at close range."
Captain Antilles quickly traded her sonic pistol that she had grabbed when her team had come to rescue her and Cordana, with a T-6 heavy blaster pistol one of her troops had on hand.
The team of soldiers darted through the hallway of the ship, every once in a while running into a slug droid that would be quickly dispatched by Aiden or his soldiers.
Finally they reached the door that led to the bridge. Aiden rushed to it but soon realized that the door was locked.
"I need a breaching charge. Chances are the Hutt is on the other end of this door. We get through here we have control of the ship." Aiden called out. He retreated from the door and to the side of Captain Antilles while the soldiers started to breach the door.
"You didn't mention the Hutt's… weapon…" Antilles whispered to Aiden as he was by her side. She was cautious because she didn't want to be the one to mention it.
Aiden looked nervous but it was a cocky nervous. It was as if he saw the puzzle he was putting together come together in slow motion but there was a piece slowly heading the wrong way. "Be prepared for anything men. Anything could be behind that door. Expect the worse."
Antilles didn't think this was sufficient. "Very inspiring Captain Cordana." She said sarcastically walking to the equipment the soldiers were setting up.
"I'm sorry Captain. Do you wanna mention what might be on the other side of that door? Something that might be in the possession of the Hutt? Something that might be dangerous to your men?" Aiden shot back going to the equipment and trying to help in vain, like the Captain.
"No, Captain Cordana. I don't want to mention what might be on the other side of the door, especially if it something that might be the death of my troops!" the argument about the figurative thing beyond the door had started to confuse the troops.
"Damn! Both of you! What in the name of all that is great in the force is on the other side of that door?" Antilles's lead soldier finally yelled.
The two commanders looked at each other.
"Well…" Antilles started.
"There's a chance…" Aiden interjected
"Not an absolute…" Antilles shot back.
"But still a chance…" Aiden returned.
"There might be a kind of weapon…"
"More like a Hutt sized clothing apparel…"
"That could create a giant explosion…"
"And blow the entire bridge to hell." Aiden finally said.
"The Hutt has an explosive vest?" the top officer finally said. All the soldiers stopped working and looked at the two commanders for an answer.
"Yes… possibly." Antilles responded finally.
"The Hut may have mentioned that if he ever were to be cornered he might blow himself up if it meant taking down a certain someone." Aiden said very quickly.
"If it meant taking down Aiden Cordana here." Antilles finally finished. She left the soldiers looking at them with a look of disbelief.
"So what do we do?" the officer demanded an answer. Aiden swallowed hard and said.
"We don't really have a choice. Aslaba the Hutt is on his way to bring an arsenal of weapons to supply an army in the name of the Hutt. If this army is supplied and able, they will make their way into the Core Worlds and begin a conquest of the already weakened Republic. Now when I signed on with you all. I had the understanding that you all loved Democracy, you all loved the Republic. So I'm asking you now…" Aiden wasn't sure when his unsure mannerism had manifested themselves into the charisma he was using to address these troops but he wasn't going to lose it now. "Do you want the Hutts to control the Republic?"
The soldiers were also confused where this sudden charisma came from but one of them suddenly called back, "No."
Aiden took this and ran with it. "Do you want to speak Huttese for the rest of your life?"
A few more of them responded. "No."
"Then I hope you're willing to die for the freedom you have now. If you are, open that door."
It took a moment, the soldiers were still letting this speech sink in. Finally the top officer started encouraging them all to start working again.
"Where did that come from?" Antilles whispered to Aiden as they both stood up and walked to the back of the group.
"It seemed necessary." Aiden responded.
Finally the charges were set and Aiden called the soldiers back. They crouched behind some canisters they brought out from a cargo bay in the Hutt ship.
"When that charge blows, you swoop in and start shooting." Aiden commanded. Antilles couldn't take it anymore. She divided the team up and finally barked her commands.
"Red group," pointing at the group of soldiers to her left. "You sweep the left side of the bridge." She then pointed at the group on her right. "Blue group. Sweep the right side of the bridge. Cordana, the lieutenant and I will take the center. Everyone understand?"
Everyone responded. "Yes Ma'am."
Aiden shot her a look and she shrugged innocently. "Lieutenant. Blow the charge." She commanded.
The charge blew.
Aiden was moving in action in seconds. He began firing straight ahead. Through the aftermath of the explosion he could hear droids being hit by his bolts. At the exact right moment, he drew his vibroblade and slashed the dusty air. As if he knew, a blade hit his. He whipped his carbine under the arm with his vibroblade and fired. The blade his had met fell limp as droid circuits made their disfunctioning sound.
To his right he could hear Captain Antilles cries of battle as he heard her vibroblade come unsheathed and slash through circuits. Through the blinding dust, he saw her blaster move in front of his nose and fire. The bolt quickly hit something, something Aiden hadn't seen.
As more blaster fire engulfed the bridge, Aiden searched as the dust started to clear. He knew it wouldn't take much visibility to see the large figure that was Aslaba the Hutt. But as the dust continued to clear, there was no such figure.
Finally there were two droids left at the far end of the bridge. Even though they were emotionless Hutt droids you could see the surprise in their lighted eyes when they saw the squad of men appear from the dust.
Captain Antilles didn't give them any time to analyze options. She jumped over the bridge consoles with her vibroblade and blaster in hand. The vibroblade held reversely in her hand she quickly swiped at the neck of the droid while reaching out her blaster hand and firing several shots at the other droid. She rolled in between them and crossed her arm stabbing the droid she had just shot and firing at the droid she had just sliced. With the droids barely standing she stood up with ease. One droid collapsed and deactivated while the other fell but deployed its vibroblade from its arm in a last ditch effort to hurt the soldier. But she simply stepped on the vibroblade pinioning it on the ground, then placing her blaster against the head of the droid and pulling the trigger.
Circuits were quickly fried and the droid was destroyed.
Everyone in the squad was in awe of the display of power of their commanding officer. Nobody said anything until one of the soldiers finally said, "The Hutt isn't even here."
"Good observation soldier." Aiden commented pulling off his bandolier and unburdening himself of grenades. "Lieutenant, have your men secure the bridge and begin securing the ship, go room to room. I'm going after Aslaba."
"I'm coming with you." Captain Antilles said sheathing her vibroblade.
"Should I even argue?" Aiden asked the Top officer. He only shook his head. He then looked to Antilles and beckoned while he started for the other door of the bridge. "Let's go. He might be heading for the escape pods."
Aslaba the Hutt was a very big Hutt for his species. Hutts were known to be large creatures but the size Aslaba was, was large in Hutt's standards. He barely fit through the crusier he designed himself. He was accompanied by two Hutt droids, one in front and one in back of him.
Strapped to the Hutt's slimy shifting torso was a vest that was partially hidden by his long white beard. In one of his large hands he held a detonator, but it wasn't armed. Not yet.
"Hurry you confounded droids!" the Hutt shouted in its language. It was a useless cry because the droids weren't the ones holding the Hutt back. It was his size.
But he finally made it to the room designated as the escape pod room. He pointed to one of the droids and commanded, "Prepare the pod. You!" pointing at the other droid. "Give me a weapon!" The droid nodded and responded with a Huttese dialect. He left the room and soon returned with an oversized blaster cannon that was modified for Hutt use. He gripped the weapon with one hand and had the detonator with the other.
"Watch the door now!" Aslaba commanded. As soon as the droid reached the doorway though, it was quickly met by a blaster bolt to the face and it collapsed.
"Is that you Cordana?" Aslaba called out gripping both his weapons tightly. The droid preparing the pod stopped working for a moment but Aslaba whipped his tail around as best as he could and hit the droid telling him to continue.
"How'd you guess Aslaba?"
"How'd you guess I'd be here?"
"Well it wasn't that hard. I just followed the slime and smell of cowardice."
"Cowardice?" Aslaba started to feel his anger start to boil. "I will blow this ship to hell right now if you test me."
Suddenly Aiden came around the doorway, pointing his carbine straight at Aslaba. Aslaba raised his cannon and pointed it at Aiden.
"Do it."
On the other side of the wall Captain Antilles was watching in horror as the fellow soldier barely had his guard up and he was standing up to an explosive Hutt.
"What?"
"I want you to pull that trigger Aslaba. If you can."
"What's to stop me from blasting you right now?" the Hutt said straightening the aim of the cannon.
"Cause you'll miss." Aiden said quickly and almost smugly. "You know that so why not make sure the deed is done."
"Cordana what are you doing?" Antilles whispered loudly enough so Aiden could hear but the Hutt couldn't.
Aiden watched closely as the Hutt deliberated with himself. As he did, he slowly started to walk closer and closer to the Hutt.
Finally the Hutt raised the detonator and opened a latch arming the detonator. "See you in hell Cordana."
Aiden for a split moment closed his eyes as the beeping of the vest started to pick up. It got faster and faster and suddenly it stopped. But nothing happened.
The Hutt was confused. He lowered the cannon for a moment to check the vest that was suddenly shooting sparks out of the control panel on the front of the vest.
But before anything could be observed. The Hutt found Aiden charging towards him, jumping up onto the Hutt's long log-like arms and fire a blaster bolt into the hand carrying the cannon. While doing this he lifted up another food and launched himself up to the torso of the Hutt and press the barrel of the carbine deep into the place on the Hutt's head he assumed was the temple.
"I'm gonna ask you this one time Hutt." Aiden said. The Hutt and his droid behind him didn't move a muscle. "Where is my blaster?"
The Hutt gave out a hefty roar. And then pressed the button of the detonator, thinking he hadn't pressed it hard enough the first time. But the vest did not go off.
"I guess I got lucky this time. Now I won't ask you again."
"Terminate subject!" the droid suddenly yelled in a robotic blood curdling voice. He raised a blaster pistol straight at Aiden. Aiden quickly jumped up off the Hutt as the droid shot. The bolt came straight towards the Hutt and grazed his slimey shoulder.
Meanwhile, Aiden jumped over the droid and pushed his blaster straight at the core of the droid and fired several shots, all of them going through the droid and into the skin of the Hutt. He cried out in pain with each blast.
But that didn't stop him from pressing a button and having the floor drop from below him and dropping him straight into the Hutt sized escape pod. Before Aiden could do anything the hatch closed and the escape pod was off.
"Blast!" Aiden cursed. His foul mood was short lived however when he saw the blaster the droid had been carrying.
Captain Antilles came out of her cover disappointed but amazed at the same time.
"You're incredibly foolish you know that right?" She scolded as she watched Aiden pick up the blaster. "That Hutt's vest could have gone off at any minute!"
"Like I said." Aiden said. His eyes were more fixed on his coveted blaster he had lost as he spun it and placed it in his holster and tossing the Hutt one he had despised. "I guess I got lucky this time." The smirk on his face annoyed the Captain to an almost unbearable length.
"You could have been killed!" She finally yelled. Aiden took his eyes off his blaster and looked surprised at the Captain.
"Cap… Jen… I didn't know you." Aiden exclaimed saying the Captain's first name for the first time.
Jen Antilles was a mess. She was infuriated with her partner but at the same time was experiencing terror. Aiden took a step closer to her and she collapsed into his arms.
"I mean we have only been working together for a month now, right?" Aiden said with a concerned voice. He was surprised she was embracing him so hard.
"I know." Jen said with a sigh.
"I just didn't know it would happen this quickly." Aiden said with a chuckle. This comment finally pulled Jen out of her state.
She drew back and pushed Aiden away from her.
"You knew this was going to happen? Screw you Cordana!" And she stormed out of the room. Aiden stood there confused about what had just occurred.
When Aiden returned to the bridge there were Jen's troops operating the controls and carrying crates across the room.
He saw Jen standing with her lieutenant at the front of the Bridge. He thought it was necessary for him to join them.
"The ship will go for a good price won't it?" Jen was asking her lieutenant.
"I'm thinking Raxus will give us a fair price when we bring back it and the cargo." The lieutenant answered. Aiden smirked and interjected finally.
"You won't get nearly as much as you could for it." The comment was so matter-a-fact that it could have been mistaken for a comment to himself. But that was the point. Jen looked at the man she had just been in the arms of with disgust and annoyance now.
"What do you mean?" she finally said. She knew this was exactly what Aiden wanted to hear.
"I mean I know that the majority of the items on the ship belong to Farzine…"
"All of the items on the ship belong to Farzine." Jen quickly corrected.
"Right, right, right." Aiden shrugged off. "But Farzine only wants the cargo Aslaba was carrying. They weren't expecting your team or even me to capture the entire ship."
"That's what we mean. It'll be an extra bonus for us." The lieutenant added. But Aiden shook his head.
"It'll be an extra bonus for Farzine. I know you both are company men… and women to be fair…" Aiden said confidently. "But do you want to get what this ship is really worth?"
The lieutenant and Jen looked at each other. They both seemed to be interested but they were also both cautious.
"What'd you have in mind?" Jen said hesitantly. Despite the hesitancy, Aiden smiled that cocky smile.
"Load the cargo into your ship. Go back to Farzine and get your pay from Hugo. Give me the Hutt's ship."
"Give you the entire ship?" the lieutenant exclaimed. If Aiden hadn't continued he would have immediately declined anything Aiden was about to say.
"I have some contacts back on Corellia. They can get me a very good price for the ship. Once I get the best price I can, I come back with your team's share and we both come out rich."
"You're going to fly this ship to Corellia by yourself?" Jen said unbelieving.
"Hey I'm not saying I couldn't do it." Aiden said cockily. "But no. I have a crew that can help me out there. Once I get the green light I'll give them a call, they'll be here as soon as they can."
"I don't know." The Lieutenant questioned. "What's to stop you from taking the entire price of the ship?"
"Oh c'mon. I thought we were trusting partners here?" Aiden said acting hurt.
"Her I trust." The lieutenant said pointing at Jen. "Them I trust." He said pointing at the soldiers around them. Finally he pointed at Aiden. "You I don't trust."
Aiden shrugged. He was still offended by the comment. "Farzine is still paying me a good amount of credits for assisting in this little expedition we've had here. Not to mention I'd like some more work with Farzine. That along with half of the ship's worth and I'm a pretty happy camper."
"Half? I don't think so." Jen interjected quickly. Aiden was about to argue but he looked in her eyes and knew this wasn't an argument he was going to win.
"Forty, sixty. You happy?"
"Seventy-five, twenty-five." Jen bargained. "Consider future work with Farzine part of your reward."
It was much lower than Aiden expected but he surrendered.
"I'll give my crew a call. Get your ship loaded, they'll probably be here by the time you're ready to leave."