Broken Legacy
Chapter 3: Hunter
"Aden?"
The mandalorian took some form of amusement as he watched the young rebel's shifting expression, relishing how quickly he had been recognized. At least he had made his mark last they met. Sadly, it was about the only thing that amused him about this situation. To say that he was surprised to find Kalen here was a gross understatement. In fact, one could say he was quite annoyed. His presence could very well complicate the contract. And A'den had already about had his fill of unexpected complications as of late.
He had already noticed the heavy rebel force arrayed before him, though that was not much a concern for him. It would take at most a minute to neutralize the twenty or so soldiers, considerably less if he abandoned the non-lethal route, to which he was increasingly becoming disenfranchised with as his patience waivered.
Yet, his mood lifted slightly, spotting the unquestionably unique grouping of individuals seemingly protected behind the bulwark of rebel militiamen. He did not need remember their photos to realize he was looking at this so called Starfox team. They would stand blindingly out of place in even the most multicultural worlds of the galaxy. And those garish rebel flight suits did not help them either. They were almost nauseating just to look at, a sickening splotch of bright orange.
It crossed his mind that an uncomfortable silence persisted between him and the rebels, not that he cared in the slightest. He hadn't even decided yet if they were all going to live past this meeting, an unlikely prospect in all honesty.
As a rule A'den did not often tap into the force, feeling that its use cheated him out of truly enjoying a good hunt. But, for the sake of time, he was willing to make an exception just this once. He had many plans to set in motion and the less time he took the better.
Opening himself to it, he unhurriedly got a feel for his environment. He did not need scan the soldiers to know they were terrified, his reputation did well to precede him, and he would be most insulted if they had not known who he was. Indeed he would have killed them outright for that affront. Fortunately for their benefit, they did indeed know the man in front of them.
Instead he focused his efforts on his targets, getting a read for all but one. He was not all that surprised to sense nothing from the cerulean vixen, she was a force user as well, and most force users in this day and age learned quickly to nullify their presence, or facing a life of persecution by imperial authority would be the least horrible fate to befall them. What interested him however, was that he felt exactly nothing, no trace emotions or even intent. She was a literal void in the force, a most curious conundrum and quite an impressive achievement he must admit.
For that reason he allowed himself a more details inspection of this unusual oddity.
He had to admit, that granny mug shot did not do her justice. Even wearing that unflattering baggy flight suit she managed to maintain an imperious aura that one did not need to be trained in the force to see. Those piercing emerald eyes might have given him pause if he had been a lesser hunter. She cast her slender muzzle with a regal tilt, as if she considered the other denizens of the world beneath her attention. The vixen's triangular ears were perked upwards at attention; the furred lobes firmly focused on him, as was that jaded stare.
A'den smirked as he watched her expression shift to unease, unnoticeable to an untrained eye. No doubt she had tried to get a read off him only to realize that she could not. He always kept his presence concealed. One could never tell when they were being watched. And in a galaxy ruled by the Empire, it was almost a certainty that you were.
Seeing her in person lifted his expectations that this mission might not be so dull. She would hopefully prove to be an interesting opponent. He did not care much for the other members of the team, feeling they were not as thought-provoking as she. Indeed, she had caught his eye.
Who knows, if the vixen put up a good enough fight he might just let her walk, bonus be damned. He did not need take them all in, just most of them. And even he baulked at what Lord Vader would have in store for a force user as unique as her. At that point death would be a kindness.
Deciding that he had been silent for long enough, A'den returned his attention to the present. Hooded visage once more returning to Kalen, the only one here that might interfere with his plans. He regretted leaving the damn kid alive, and that just went to show that acts of kindness would only return to bite him in the shebs.
"There can be only one." He smirked underneath his helm. "Now let's not mince unnecessary words. I assume that you are not completely incompetent and know why I have come. If you would kindly give me what I desire we can part ways, no bad blood between us." He decided to at least offer the kid an opportunity to get out of this peacefully. After all, he was not as bloodthirsty as the stories suggested… well mostly wasn't.
"Uh hello… we're standing right here buddy." The bird spoke up, taking an aggressive step forwards as he raised his feathered arms up in disbelief, clearly insulted.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk as if we're some form of chattel to be bartered." The male fox joined in, a disapproving frown marring his muzzle.
"Silence!" A'den barked curtly, a faint dismissive growl to his voice. The force augmented power behind his demand was enough to subdue every person in the room. "I was not speaking to you."
"Harsh." The feline grumbled, and for a brief moment a different cat stood in her place, a pink one.
A'den shook his head, clearing his mind of the random connection. He did not need to be distracted right now. Not even his skill would save him from making foolish mistakes.
"I would not be so mean, we have you a teensy weensy little bit outgunned here. Or did you not notice?" The canine spoke up confidently.
A'den rolled his eyes. The bounty hunter disapproved of overconfidence.
Sighing, he made a disinclined gesture with an idle hand.
Following this, there was a multitude of startled gasps as soldiers unexpectedly found blasters ripped from their hands and sent clattering to the deck of the ship, the mandalorian having disarmed all twenty with an almost apathetic wave of a heavily armored gauntlet. Shocked as they were, none had yet gathered the courage to retrieve their weapons in the growing stupefied silence.
"Only speak such words if you stand at a position of strength." A'den snorted disinterestedly. It was rather frustrating; encountering those who think a show of arms would intimidate him. He had fought barbarous, frenzied sith lords during the clone wars and fanatical jedi acolytes during the purge. A threat from some fuzzy merc was not enough to even tickle his amusement.
"Otherwise you merely sound the fool."
He received no response to his chiding words.
It was then the team realized the validity of the threat he posed. They were stunned at this revelation. Krystal was the only force user they had ever encountered. They knew what happened to the Jedi during the clone wars and not many cerinians left their homeworld. Those that did often did not stay in the Lylat system, disappearing into the galaxy at large to places unknown.
The vixen herself had been silent throughout the encounter, jade eyes closely studying the strange bounty hunter. She quickly noticed that her attempts to read him bore no fruit, and this overt display of force aptitude had only confirmed her suspicion.
He was far more dangerous then he seemed, which was in itself frightening considering what she had already witnessed.
She did not wish to admit it, but she was nervous. The academy had prepared her for encountering hostile force users, in fact as a pupil she had been ranked highest in both defensive and offensive combat, though the instructors often chastised the vixen on her overtly aggressive style. They claimed it was not befit of a Guardian, that she walked a razor edge line between the light and the dark.
Krystal never really bothered to listen to them, she was strong, and they knew it.
But the sheer power of this man gave her pause. It seemed like a simple feat, tearing away those blaster rifles, and most naïve people would think this to be true. Yet she knew the talent it took to simultaneously disarm twenty soldiers with such coordination and precision. So she was aware that his propensity for the force was powerful. But where had he received his training? The academy was the only one of its kind that still stood, and the Empire would have never let go of a skilled adept like this one. And why would someone so proficient with the force choose such a lowborn lifestyle?
The only thing she knew for certain was that this enclosed corridor only offered him an advantage she feared he did not need. She was the only one that could stop him if he decided to make good on his threats… at least she prayed that she could.
Yet the vixen could see she was already at a disadvantage, underneath that black cloak, she could see the similarly shaded armor he wore, whereas she was still wrapped up in this damnable suit. In addition she could just make out the outline of a helmet underneath that cowl. He was fully armored, whereas her only defense came in the form of a thin fabric suit that made her appear as more of a tangerine than a fox.
What was worse, Krystal could feel those unseen eyes trained on her, perhaps more concerned with her then the rest of the team. Assuming that the Empire had given him information, he knew just exactly what she was.
That was a problem.
Krystal would rather die then fall into the hands of the like of Vader and his underlings. If he intended to take her, she would not go easily
"Now then…" The bounty hunter growled impatiently and gestured, almost politely, to the hatch leading into his freighter. "What shall it be? Will you come quietly? Or do I have the pleasure of dragging your unconscious bodies onto my ship. I promise the first option to be… gentler, then the second."
Krystal received the distinct impression that he would have greatly preferred the latter.
The vixen cautiously glanced to her left to see what Fox's response would be. She knew they would not just concede to some random bounty hunter. No one in their right mind would surrender that easily, glorified reputation or not. She was honestly surprised he had even bothered considering this. The answer should have been blatantly apparent.
Fox's eyes narrowed dangerously, Krystal taking that as a sign he did not appreciate the ultimatum. She could feel the disbelief growing within him, the vulpine affronted that the stranger would even think they would consider his insane proposal. And as she felt his hostility rise, the vixen unobtrusively slipped a paw into the pocket of her flight suit, grasping the hilt of the item she carried with her at all times. The fox had a feeling she would need it shortly.
In front of her, Fox's tail lashed back and forth as the tod stepped aggressively towards the bounty hunter, his own paw dropping to the heavily customized blaster hanging from his waist.
Violence imminent, Krystal took a deep breath and calmed herself, readying to draw upon the force to what would undoubtedly be a difficult fight.
Muzzle pulled back and teeth gnashing, Fox made his displeasure known. "Now listen here mother fu-"
Kalen jumped forwards between the vulpine and bounty hunter, arms shooting out as if attempting to throw up some inadequate barrier between the two powerful men, the hunter's only response being to glance down at the furred alien curiously. It was apparent by the lack of movement that he considered Fox to be no threat to him, an assumption that only increased the tod's anger as his viridian eyes blazed with indignation.
Ignoring the fuming vulpine, Kalen turned to face the mercenary. "I'm calling it, right now."
And the rest could only watch in confusion as the mysterious words actually managed to provoke a visible reaction out of the bounty hunter for the first time.
Hood fluttering in abruptly displaced air, A'den reeled backwards in surprise, Krystal faintly picking up on the frustration and disbelief that afflicted his force aura, a tinge of dark orange marring the neutral, white radiance that had surrounded him up to this point.
"You… what…" The bounty hunter whispered menacingly, his long drawn out words insufficiently projecting his full discontent. A finger on his left gauntly twitched imperceptibly, shadowing the true extent of rage underlying his icy tone.
Those chilling words sent a shiver down Krystal's spine. Never before had she heard someone speak with such… animosity. If words could kill, she feared Kalen would have died the moment the bounty hunter's voice slipped through his helmet's gritty vocalizer.
"Y-You heard me right. I'm calling in that favor, right now." The rebel captain stuttered weakly, all but crumbling underneath the ire brought crashing down upon him.
Krystal heard the creak of armor as the mandalorian clenched his fists.
Instantly Kalen's eyes bulged and the young man clawed at his throat, unseen hands having wrapped themselves around his esophagus, squeezing tightly.
"You have the impudence to say that to my face, to slur my honor in such a manner." The trod of heavy armored boots echoed in the silent corridor as the bounty hunter bore down on the struggling man with silent fury, the marines far too fearful to help their leader as they retreated from the mandalorians dominating presence. Kalen fell to his knees, unable to hold himself up as he desperately tried to force oxygen down his constricted airway. He cast pleading eyes to the cold blooded mercenary, wordlessly begging him to stop.
Dropping to crouch beside the gasping man, A'den lowered his hooded visage to stare into the dimming light of Kalen's eyes as they reflected upon the impassive onyx visor. "We both know what happened on Taris, you owe me far more than you could possibly hope to imagine. The only reason you are alive right now is because of me. You owe your life to me! And you think I am indebted to you?"
"Stop that! You leave him alone!" Fay growled, unholstering her blaster to aim at the bounty hunter's head in as threatening a manner as she could. Yet even the team could see the weapon shaking in trembling paws.
There was something… frightening, about the man's blatant disregard to the other occupants of the ship's crowded hallway, as if they were barely worth his attention. How confident could he be in himself to so boldly strike at the commander of this ship without regard or care for retaliation?
A'den only spared her a brief, indifferent once over, before he returned his attention back on the struggling human, an unexpected tinge of humor infecting his tone. "What's this? Made friends with the lylatians did you? How… amusing." With a reluctant sigh, A'den stepped away from the rebel captain, the man collapsing to the deck, wheezing as he sucked in air through a bruised throat. "I won't have it said that I'm not an honorable individual. Very well, if you believe that out of some misguided sense of self-worth that I am obligated to owe you a… favor, as you so eloquently put. Then I in my immeasurable generosity will consider granting it."
Kalen gasped and writhed on the deck like a fish out of water, fighting just to get back on his feet once more.
"Well come on then, spit it out, I don't have all day. I'm on a tight schedule now." A'den grunted impatiently, the occupants of the hallway not quite sure what to do in this bizarre situation.
Eventually, Fay stepped forward and helped the rebel to his feet, the man offering her a nod of thanks in return. Gingerly rubbing his gullet, Kalen spoke, his voice hoarse and nearly unintelligible.
"Let them go, A'den. Just this once can't you let it go?"
This request did not overtly shock the bounty hunter, for what else would the rebel leader ask for? It was however, unfortunate, being one of the few things he could not do. The man had an erroneous conclusion that he owed him a favor, and the mandalorian was willing to admit that he often let his anger get the best of him, and Kalen had been one of the few he had met from either side of the fence that he tolerated. Yet he could not accommodate the request, not just out of some sense of professional integrity, but because what finishing this meant to him.
"It is indeed ill-fated that you ask for one of the few things I cannot approve."
They were surprised to hear what sounded like genuine remorse coming from the mercenary.
"Even if I wanted to, I could not. No. I'm afraid my hands are tied here. This can only end one way. For what it is worth I want you to know, this is not what I wanted." As much as he tried, A'den could not keep grip on the passion for the hunt that usually invigorated him, it came and went as he pondered on his position. A'den had never before been given a contract he could not refuse. It grated at his honor that the Empire had rendered him nothing more but an indentured servant, a slave to be used for their depraved culminations. Perhaps if he had taken this deal on his own terms, once he had accomplished his goal, he might have felt the usual ardor that drew him to this profession and less of this guilt. Maybe he would have not felt as he did now, that he was making some mistake.
Why now of all times did this feeling of remorse choose to make itself known? After all the morally questionable contracts he had put himself through the years, why did this feel so different? Was it his lack of choice? A'den was neither enamored with the Rebellion nor the Empire. And he could care less who held dominion over the galaxy. The end result would still be the same. Power corrupts, and not even the lofty aims of the rebels would last for long if they ever gained the control they so desperately sought. They would end up just like Palpatine, peace through power.
Different face, same pace. That's what Krussk always told him. Governments changed influences as often as a hand of pazaak, and life remained unaffected. The weak suffered and the strong survived. As a mandalorian, he knew this well. As a man from a broken clan he had witnessed this first hand.
And yet…
He acted like no true son of Mandalore. Would Krussk approve of this? Would that old lizard be proud of what he had been reduced to? No matter what he might gain from doing as the Empire asked, was he willing to sell his honor so easily? Could he condemn an entire system to war for his selfish desires? Was finding him, worth the price of his soul?
Not so long ago, in his more heated days of youth, the answer would have been one effortlessly made. And even now he felt himself reach for his weapon, gauntlet lowered to a black hilt clipped to his belt. It would not take long, a few minutes at most and he would at last have what he needed to find the man that had damaged his life so deeply.
His movement did not go unnoticed, the cerulean vixen's paw similarly vanishing into that ostentatious flight suit, no doubt doing preparing to do the same. A'den could not help but smile at that. At least she was not a fool.
She knew just how dangerous he was.
So then, what dare he do? Bend to the yoke of imperial authority? Or break an oath twenty years in the making, bringing untold disgrace upon his clan's name and that of the worth of his own.
He did not have long until this decision would be taken from him.
If he did not report in at the appointed time, the imperial fleet would move in on their own, taking with them not only his bounty but the chance of finding the man he sought.
With a sigh, he realized that the choice was quite obvious.
There was no honor to be had in this travesty. Perhaps if he acted quickly, he could salvage what little he had left.
For now, he would wait.
After all...
He could always collect later.
Krystal prepared to fight, watching as the bounty hunter reached for his weapon. She would need every ounce of skill she had ever been taught if she intended to bring this man down. The team was not equipped to handle a force user, and the rebels would not put up all that much of a fight. That meant she alone could save them.
Then, with a single concise motion the mandalorian unhooked the hilt at his side and tossed it to the ground. The alloy haft loudly clattered to the deck as he declared a statement in an unconcerned tone that stupefied everyone in the docking corridor.
"I yield."
Shock and confusion willed themselves into being within her, the unexpected surrender hitting her like a speeding hovercar.
What?
A low reverberant chuckle filled the uneasy silence.
"Yield, submit, capitulate, acquiesce…. You do understand what that means?" He inquired in a darkly amused tone. The mandalorian stood their, expression and motive hidden behind his hooded figure as he waited impatiently for a response.
Yet still no one spoke, unable to comprehend this drastic switch in ideology.
Why would a bounty hunter, who had been wholly confident in his imminent victory, suddenly decide to surrender? It was something that concerned her more then the previously anticipated fight. Krystal eyed him suspiciously. What sort of deception was he plotting right now? Did he perhaps hope to catch them all of guard. If so he had to know they would not be so easily fooled.
Kalen, despite the fulfillment of his request, or rather because of it, was the first to articulate his thoughts.
"Truly?" He asked hesitantly, afraid that this was some cruel joke. The young captain had desperately hoped his idea would work, but had not expected it to. This came to him as a wholly unanticipated but nonetheless welcomed surprise.
The mandalorian scoffed. "I dropped my weapon did I not. Is that not how one capitulates? I must admit I have never surrendered before."
Somehow, even apparently defeated as he was, the bounty hunter could not withhold that condescendingly superior tone he carried.
Still completely baffled by this turn of events, Kalen was unable to offer an adequate response. Standing awkwardly in the enclosed space of the corridor in much the way the other occupants were.
Sighing in exasperation, the mandalorian retrieved his dropped weapon and returned it to his belt as it became clear no one else was doing anything about it. To tell the truth he was insulted. He had offered them the courtesy of his surrender and they did not even have the decency to follow proper etiquette. Honestly, didn't they know how this worked? Because to him it looked to be otherwise.
How typical, he would just have to do everything himself it seemed.
Looking to the closest marine he spoke.
"You do have a brig on this ship, do you not?"
The grizzled soldier flinched upon realizing that the inhuman, machinelike growl emanating from the shadowy hood was aimed in his direction. In response he gave a fearful nod.
"Might you happen to know the way?" A'den asked with a faltering degree of patience.
Why must he suffer the indignity of mothering these childlike individuals? Had the quality of the Rebellion's troops dropped so sharply in his absence? Yet the thought brought a smirk to his lips. He might be directly at fault for that. Still, he had already made a major concession today and would not make another. If he was forced to stand in this cramped space for a minute longer….
His benevolence would swiftly turn into malice.
Thankfully for the soldier, he nodded in acceptance to A'den's previous inquiry.
The mandalorian gestured courteously for the marine to lead the way. "After you then."
The man only spared a moment to confirm with Kalen, who gave a silent nod of approval, all that he was capable of doing at the moment. The Captain afraid that a single word from his mouth would degenerate the extremely tense situation.
"Oh, you seem to have forgotten something." The armored man indicated the blaster lying discarded on the floor, which the guard hastily retrieved, though he would have found little comfort and use out of wielding it.
With that, the mandalorian bounty hunter was directed into the ship, muttering something under his breath as he passed Krystal, the vixen's fur spiking at his anticipatory words, the hunger clear in his voice. And despite all that had transpired, it was these that sent a chill down her spine unlike anything she had ever felt before.
"Maybe next time, Blue."