One Week Later...

Ketsu Onyo scowled. Rebel soldiers - if you could call them that - scrambled about; some built impromptu barricades, others distributed weapons, and a small minority were already behind something and ready to fight. Ketsu was in none of those groups.

She stood straight and with professionalism, a blaster held in each hand. Despite what many of the more… backwater thinkers often thought about females, she wasn't a slouch in combat and nor was she one to shy away from a fight. The troopers she worked with knew that full well, and as such they moved with the motivation to not anger their mandalorian commander.

Ketsu was aware of her reputation among the Alliance as being more militant; but the nobles' who started the cell had hired her, hadn't they? She'd whipped the rebel cell on Sereno into shape; it had been well-funded from the start, as many of the planet's nobles thoroughly hated the Empire for encroaching upon their influence. The cell then had had competent leaders, but their grunts were less so. The cell had already joined the Alliance by the time Ketsu had been hired, and they didn't do anything about it.

"Ma'am!" Came a voice from behind her. Ketsu turned to see a human male about two metres tall, with a knotted frame of muscle poorly concealed by their black garb. The mandalorian smiled a bit

"What is it, Rez?" Rescal was his real name, but Rez made for a more entertaining thing to say. It wasn't like he was going to fight her of all people over it; he was a nobleman's son, and as such treated any and all women like minor deities.

"Ma'am, our radar has picked up several Imperial signatures," Ketsu began to arch a brow but, thankfully for Rescal, he knew enough to continue talking.

"Our technicians have estimated that they will arrive in fifteen minutes." Ketsu's scowl deepened. Rescal must have noticed something in her posture, because his face took on an expression of worry.

"Is something wrong, ma'am?" Ketsu shook her head.

"No. Now go prep the shuttles for evacuation. On the double!" Rescal nodded, stumbling for a moment as he made his way to said shuttles. Ketsu rolled her eyes. Rescal's kind only seemed to be able to wear expensive suits or vests without tripping over themselves. He wasn't that rare, especially the higher up the social chain you went. Much to Ketsu's chagrin, that kind made up the majority of the "Officers" she dealt with in the cell. Still, they knew how to follow orders.

"The Imps are gonna arrive in fifteen minutes! Double time it people!" The rebel troops within earshot spread Ketsu's orders to those who hadn't heard them and they began to, indeed, double their efforts. Ketsu felt a small amount of satisfaction as she watched them work, yet it was tainted by the threat of death by imperial lasers.

Ketsu was far from being afraid of death - you didn't get far as a bounty hunter if you were - but nearly everybody she'd fought against had either been cowards or without formal training. Dealing with stormtroopers, though… their commanders might have been stupid at times, but most infantry can get a lucky shot in at some point. And with what was probably an entire regiment of stormtroopers baring down on her Onyo hoped her luck was better than the stormtroopers'.


Captain Frendid Gandar observed the old, abandoned ship lot the rebels on Sereno were using as their base with contempt. What was it with people? Why couldn't they just accept who the powers at be were?

He shook his head in silent disapproval. He had been assigned to Sereno for a reason. Kill rebels. This was the place that gave the galaxy Count Dooku, so it was really surprising that the Empire hadn't found rebellion here sooner. Of course, that didn't save people like Frendid from getting their hands dirty.

The Imperial Captain was also on edge for another reason: the Inquisitor that was accompanying his forces. He understood the decision, of course; the Emperor needed to send a zero-tolerance message to Sereno's nobles. To show that the Empire was strong.

But the Inquisitors were so… strange. It didn't help that the one he was stuck with was their interrogation specialist, either. Frendid didn't even know what species they were; the angular, triangle-shaped mask they wore was made so it made them look like they had a very pointed snout. Of course, if anyone ever voice these thoughts, Frendid couldn't do anything to save them from a private "Conversation" from that inquisitor.

"Are your troops prepared, Captain?" Frendid's blood turned cold as he saw the inquisitor's form approaching him. He suppressed any sign of weakness in his voice when he spoke.

"Of course, Inquisitor. My troops are ready for battle - as I said they would be." Frendid said curtly, putting as much dignity into his voice as he could manage. How could a being who Frendid was confident had never seen frontline combat question an imperial infantry captain. In any other situation they couldn't, but the inquisitor's connection to the force awarded them, in the Emperor's eyes, more authority than someone who had served in the military for a decade. Frendid resisted his urge to shake his head again.

"That is fortunate, captain, I'd hate to see a person of your abilities go to waste for their failure." Frendid instinctively straightened his posture at the veiled threat, working to keep his tone even.

"I agree, Inquisitor." The inquisitor nodded, folding their hands behind their back and stepping up beside Frendid to look out the viewport of the walker they rode on. The imperial officer felt buried his discomfort at the inquisitor's presence. The ship lot proper was in Frendid's view now, and before he could give the order to commence the attack, the Inquisitor turned and said offhandedly,

"I'm heading down. Tell your troops to commence the attack." Frendid internally bristled at the Inquisitor's offensively nonchalant attitude, but nodded nonetheless. He opened his mouth to give the order when he heard the sound of the walker's entry hatch being opened. He spun just in time to see a black blur jump through it. He sighed.

"Tell all squads to begin advancing on the rebel positions."


The inquisitor jumped out of the walker and landed on the ground with grace worthy of a professional athlete. Some stormtroopers turned in their direction and, after seeing what had caused the noise, spun their heads back to the abandoned ship lot. Whispers spread throughout the ranks, and most had the common sense not to look back at the inquisitor just behind them.

The inquisitor steeped themselves in the force, reaching out for any potential candidates for manipulation. They touched the minds of a dozen or so lieutenants and sergeants, reading their emotions; it was, on average, fear mixed with uncertainty while some replaced uncertainty with grim determination. The inquisitor, beginning to question if this cell had anybody worth their time, found one; their emotions were grim determination and, unexpectedly, excitement. The Inquisitor smirked. This one was a mandalorian, no less.

The smirk remained on their face even as a rocket came hurtling toward one of the imperial walkers. The rebel line opened up with a volley of blue, green, and red bolts that were met a moment later with a series of moans and faint clattering. A stormtrooper in front of the inquisitor screamed as a laser seared a hole in their abdomen. The inquisitor side stepped the laser, deflecting a bolt that cae soaring toward their form a second later. By this time the imperial troops had gotten their bearings, and began to return fire.

Another walker staggered as a rocket slammed into it's main body. Said walker fired back at whoever fired the rocket, only to be struck by another a moment later; this one hit one of the legs, and the walker fell forward, scattering stormtroopers in its wake. The inquisitor was still steadily advancing along with Frendid's troopers, occasionally deflecting bolts, but staying smug. A stormtrooper had their weapon shot out of their hand next to them. The trooper dove to the ground, only to get a laser to the forehead a moment later. Another got shot in the arm and fell, writhing on the ground in pain, groaning loudly. The inquisitor paid them no mind.

The rebels, though, didn't have numbers on their side, and the fighting soon devolved into a melee only moments after the imperial forces reached their fortifications. The din of battle was soon the only thing the inquisitor could hear, and they saw stormtroopers and rebels savagely combating each other with anything they could scrounge up; rocks, the butts of their rifles, pieces of permacrete…

The inquisitor sidestepped a clumsy, emotionally-fueled swing at them from a rebel holding a vibroblade; its edge gleamed for a moment in the light of Sereno's sun. The inquisitor grabbed their arm, giving it a hard yank. They stumbled comically forward, eyes shooting wide open when the inquisitor, in one smooth motion, drew and ignited their lightsaber, and drove it into the rebel's gut. They withdrew it a moment later, deflecting a stray blaster bolt casually. The rebels were fighting valiantly, yet the sheer number of imperials was overwhelming. A rocket soared into a walker - Frendid's walker - and struck the main gun. The armament exploded and the walker staggered back; the rebel crew reloaded and a second later fired another shot to one of the walker's legs. The inquisitor sensed Frendid's terror as it fell forward, crushing several imperial and rebellion forces. Those who escaped the walker's destruction went back to fighting; a rebel straggler, shellshocked, was caught off guard when the inquisitor beheaded them from behind. For a moment their frame was still, and then collapsed to the harsh permacrete of the ship lot turned battlefield.

The inquisitor deflected a an orange bolt from behind them, spinning to do so, only to deflect another a moment later. They saw a figure wearing battle armor and a helmet with a helmet that had T-shaped visor standing fifteen metres away from them, a blaster held in each hand. The inquisitor's smirk grew more mirthful. They'd found the mandalorian.

The mandalorian fired two more shots - both of which were dismissively reflected - and activated their jetpack. They soared into the air, moving up and to the right, firing shots all the while. The inquisitor defended against all their bolts, throwing their lightsaber in an arch towards the mando'a's torso. They weakened their jetpack's thrusters, dropping just low enough to avoid the inquisitor's lightsaber. The weapon returned to its owner as the mando'a began another barrage of blaster bolts. They fired off shot after shot as the inquisitor slowly made their way toward them. Orange bolts went flying off into the distance over and over again, until the inquisitor was just five metres away from them.

Panic rising, they drew a staff from their back just as another sound rose above the cacophony of the battle. The roar of a ship joined the din, and the inquisitor broke off from their attack as the ship - a small, heavily-armed freighter by the looks of it - shot at the only remaining imperial walker, which had yet to be rocketed. The walker, not designed to deal with such stress, exploded. The walker's explosion caused a flash that bought the mandalorian enough time to put a good ten metres' distance between them and the inquisitor. The inquisitor's smirk dropped for the first time, replaced with a frustrated scowl. The freighter circled once more over the battlefield, thinning the imperial lines before lowering its boarding ramp.

A solitary silhouette jumped down from it, igniting a golden lightsaber mid-air. The freighter flew away, but the inquisitor was too stunned to notice; the only person known to have a golden lightsaber was the fugitive Ezra Bridger…

The inquisitor's smirk returned in full. They turned their attention away from the mandalorian they were fighting. The prestige they'd gain from killing Ezra Bridger would be enormous. Bridger turned the hood of their cloak towards the inquisitor as he saw them approaching him. The inquisitor ignited their lightsaber's second blade, grinning behind their mask. Without a word Bridger and the inquisitor began circling.

"I'm surprised you'd show yourself again, Bridger. Imperial intelligence reported that you were on the verge of collapse after Malachor V." Ezra didn't respond, remaining silent. The inquisitor perked up a brow; everything they'd read said he was often witty during combat.

"Silence?" They asked mockingly, "has that planet really affected you as much as the reports said?" Ezra didn't respond, allowing his anger to build. The pair continued circling as the battle raged just beyond them.

"Are you going to attack or shall I begin executing your death sentence?" The inquisitor said. Ezra snorted derisively.

"I'll be executing yours."


I don't have much to say this time around. I just hope you enjoyed the read. Any reviews/follows/favorites will be duly noted. - Raging Celiac