No Rest For the Wicked

Chapter 4

ON THE YUKON EXPRESS

The crew of the 'Yukon Express' were busy passing the time until they could find the Smuggler that was being hunted. Tran was piloting the ship, of course, with Makara arguing with Hinji in the background.

"Would you both quiet down back there?" Tran asked, slightly annoyed but with a smile on his face. Makara smirked and looked over.

"Maybe if you would fly a little faster we, wouldn't have to argue so much", Makara said with a chuckle. Hinji leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.

"And maybe if this girl wasn't so insistent on hugs and showing affection, you could fly faster", he mumbled. Makara shot him a dirty look and the two were at it again. Tran sighed and set the ship on auto-pilot and went to roam his ship. He knew Makara and Hinji were in the cockpit, arguing. He knew where Acelyn and Obliv were…or at least he could guess.

"Pazaak…again", Acelyn said, smirking. Obliv sighed and payed up what he owed from his 10th loss in a row.

"I swear you are a cheater Ace", he teased, "The Jedi thing is too much of an advantage."

"No it isn't! I just play pazaak in my head a lot. Got it from an ancestor of mine", Acelyn smirked and crossed her arms. She was wearing black fingerless gloves and Obliv looked at them.

"Those are from him right?" the Trooper asked. Acelyn nodded and raised one of her gloved hands.

"Atton Rand. He was my great, great, great, great Grandfather. He traveled with the Jedi Exile…He had some children with her too", Acelyn smiled. "Not all of them turned out great I guess. My family definitely wasn't on the good side", she sighed and closed her eyes. Obliv frowned and took Acelyn's hand.

"Don't dwell on the past Ace", he said soothingly. Ace smiled and nodded. Both crew mates turned as there was a knock on the cargo hold's door. "Come on in", Obliv said. The door slid open and Tran walked in.

"How are you two doing?" the captain asked.

"I'm doing fine", Acelyn said with a grin.

"I'm ok too", Obliv said, throwing a salute. Tran nodded to both of them.

"You two should come to the cockpit. We are about to reach the location of one of the Republic Fleets. We can look for our Smuggler friend there", Tran said. Acelyn and Obliv nodded and followed Tran to the cockpit. Tran took his seat in the pilot's chair when they all got there, and prepared to pull the ship out of hyperspace.

WITH THE REPUBLIC FLEET

"Sir! You may want to take a look at this!" one of the Flag ship's navigators said to the Fleet Admiral.

"What is it?" the Admiral asked. He walked over to the navigator's view screen and looked. The radar on it was enough to make the Admiral's skin turn pale. He quickly rushed over to the com system. "Attention all hands! Sound the alarm! A large Imperial Fleet has located us! Prepare for battle!"

The alert rang throughout the fleet, waking up a certain Smuggler and his crew.

"What's going on here?" Jaicer asked groggily. Felix was already up and running around, panicking. It took a flying boot to the head to calm the boy down.

"Sorry sir", Felix mumbled. He stood up straight and saluted. "According to the alarm, a large Imperial Fleet is closing in on us. It is probably bigger than our fleet right now", Felix gulped. Jaicer sighed and stood up, quickly throwing his trench coat and hat on.

"Gather the crew…I'll see what I can do about this attack", Jaicer said before leaving 'Enduring Wind' and rushing to the bridge. He passed through the barracks of the ship as a shortcut and bumped into some familiar faces.

"Watch where you are going squirt", an old looking Trooper Commando said. He had white, black, and red heavy armor. He also sported a nice grey military hairstyle and a stubbly beard. He was standing beside 2 more Troopers. One looking fairly young with black, short hair, and the same armor, and the other being a middle aged bald man with a nice blond goatee, also with the same armor, only with green decal where the red would be. Jaicer looked at them and blinked.

"Garth, is that you?" the Gunslinger asked the gruff looking old one. The Commando had a questioning face before recognition hit.

"Commander Jaicer! Oh it's good to see you again my boy!" Garth said to the younger Commander. The old veteran was grinning ear to ear as he grasped the Smuggler's arm. "You look healthy…a little stringy too but a little bit of ol' Garth's workout will get ya back into shape", the old Commando laughed.

"Oi, are you forgetting about us Garth?" the bald Trooper asked, crossing his arms and smirking.

"Sorry Chrom, got wrapped up in the reunion", Garth said. Chrom waved him off and looked at Jaicer.

"Good to see you sir", Chrom said, saluting and smiling. Jaicer nodded with a grin then turned to the last Trooper. This one was a Vanguard.

"Hello Jax", Jaicer said smiling. Jax smiled and nodded to Jaicer. If you didn't know any better you would have guessed the two were twins. Before more pleasantries could be shared, Garth spoke up.

"Sorry to ruin the moment but we better get to the bridge", The old Commando said. Jaicer nodded and the 4 rushed out of the barracks. The ship was suddenly shaken by explosions all over the hull. The Sith Fleet had arrived and they were doing major damage to the startled, smaller, Republic Fleet. Jaicer and his Trooper friends went faster to the bridge. This was all déjà vu for Jaicer though.

"Alright men…The Republic brought us onboard for a reason!" Hazard Squad Unit 1 leader, Commander Jaicer Reed, said to his men. "The Republic Fleet orbiting Ord Mantell is in danger of being destroyed. We are here to save it", Jaicer said with a cocky grin.

"Why are we always the last resort boss?" Jax asked as he cleaned his sniper rifle.

"It's because we are just that good", Jaicer replied with a chuckle. "Now gear up boys, we are boarding the Flag ship. The RAS 'Unconquerable'. Try not to let nostalgia keep you from doing your jobs", with that Jaicer put his helmet on and turned to head back to the cockpit. The Hazard Squad Troopers of Units 1, 2, and 5 began to armor up. Unit 1 had their standard black, white, and red armor with red visored Commando helmets. Jax was the sniper of the unit and Garth ran demolitions. The other 2 commandos of the unit were Lucas and Blaster. Lucas was the slicer while Blaster was one of the Pointmen. Jaicer was the other Pointman.

Unit 2 was compiled of Chrom, a pointman, Jester, the squad clown and Demolitions, Hunter, squad sniper, Burner, second pointman, and Goeffry, squad slicer. Unit 2's armor was black, white and green with a blue visored Commando Helmet.

Squad 5 was a bit of a mystery since they always ran missions by themselves leaving the other squads to handle themselves. Their armor was black and white though. After all the Hazard Troopers had geared up, they went to the loading bay of the freighter they were on.

"Alright boys, change of plans. Flag Ship has been secured. We are to split up by Unit and handle the other ships as we get to them. Each one has been boarded and is being taken over from the inside out. They don't plan on taking the ships though. Each one's sensors indicates explosive ordnance is being planted on the inside at weak points. We will have to diffuse them", Jaicer said to his men. Each Unit nodded as one and helmets were put on.

"Linking up to your HUD boss", Unit 1 said at once. Jaicer nodded and they were all off to their separate boarding pods.

"Let's hope the welcome wagon isn't to big", Lucas said over the squad radio. Garth made a snorting noise.

"Don't tell me you're scared kid. You have been on tougher missions like this and you have survived. This is going to be a cake walk", the veteran Commando said. Lucas sighed and his HUD flashed green.

"Blaster is ready to shoot em up", Blaster said, full of energy. His HUD flashed green as well. Garth and Jax's HUDs flashed green too and the pods were launched. Unit 1 was underway. The events after the launch were a blur to Jaicer. The pods connected with one of the ships and opened, revealing a large amount of Sith soldiers waiting for them. Blaster fire was immediately flying everywhere as the Commandos of Hazard Squad Unit 1 mowed down the enemy. They split up through the ship to take out the Sith and find the bombs.

"This is Blaster. I found one!" Blaster radioed in. Garth found one almost immediately after that and Jax was next. Jaicer had yet to find his and Lucas hadn't said anything since they separated.

"This is Jaicer. Found my bomb and am diffusing it now", Jaicer said in his radio. This wasn't a very advanced bomb and it only took moments to diffuse it. After looking it over, Jaicer discovered it was just a large amount of thermal detonators and implosive grenades. "What were the Sith trying to do? Dent it?" Jaicer mumbled to himself as he discarded the bomb and ran for the bridge. That was where Lucas had gone.

"Sir…this is Blaster…I've arrived at the bridge…" Blaster's voice was unusually quiet and solemn.

"What's wrong boy? Adrenaline going out on you?" Garth asked with a laugh. Jaicer quieted the older man with a 'shush' and turned his attention back to Blaster.

"No sir…but….Lucas is dead…" Blaster said quietly. Jaicer and Garth stopped in their tracks. They were facing each other and Jax was standing in the middle. He had heard the news too apparently. The three shared a look and began sprinting down the hall to the bridge. "I'm sorry sir…I tried to save him…There is a Sith lord on the bridge…He was too strong. I'll deal with it though…" Blaster continued.

"Hold it Blaster, we are on our way!" Jaicer yelled into the radio as they neared the door to the bridge. Suddenly there was a new voice on the radio.

"Remember my name fools…I am Darth Destructus…your Grim Reaper if you will…" With that the radio went silent except for static. Jaicer and Garth were about to ram the door when the radio picked up again.

"Goodbye sirs…it was an honor to serve with you…" Blaster said. The door busted open as Jaicer and Garth threw their weight into it and they saw it. Blaster threw the bomb he had diffused in the air. He drew his side arm and fired into it. The explosion sent Garth, Jaicer, and Jax back as their vision went white. When things became clear again, the three surviving Commandos of Unit 1 were floating in space, their suits life support system barely keeping them alive.

"Destructus…I will get you for this…" Jaicer whispered before he slipped into darkness. He heard the engines of a rescue shuttle before all senses escaped him.

Jaicer, Garth, and Jax arrived at the bridge of the ship. The fleet Admiral Jaicer had talked to had already left to return to the base he came from. A new Admiral was there now.

"Ah good. You must be the men I called for. I am Admiral Gurgess. Do you think you men can handle the mission I'm about to give you?" Gurgess asked. The 4 men nodded and the Admiral continued. "Good. I need you men to get on your ship and handle their lead ship. We have identified it as 'Fist of Korriban'. We believe the man in charge of this attack is a Sith Warrior named Alarick", Gurgess said. Jaicer's eyes flashed in recognition.

"I'll deal with this…" the Gunslinger said. Gurgess halted him with a hand.

"Hold it Commander. We have hired a few people to help you", the Admiral waved his hand and a familiar crew walked in.

"Hey there Smuggler. You may not remember us but we know you", Tran Yukon said as he, Acelyn, Makara, Hinji, Luuta, Kord, and Obliv walked in. Jaicer immediately leveled his blaster at Kord.

"Who invited this guy?" Jaicer questioned as he eyed the Duro suspiciously.

"Calm yourself Smuggler. I respect my contracts. The Republic has hired me on to assist you", Kord said in his metallic voice.

"Chill out buddy", Acelyn said, placing a hand on her lightsaber, "We are here to help."

"Ahem…anyway, these people will help you out in the attack with their ship…get to it men!" Gurgess said before turning. The Hazard Troopers saluted and placed their helmets on before turning to Jaicer.

"We'll take my old ship…Jenny can pilot 'Enduring Wind' to assist in the attack. Let's go", Jaicer holstered his pistol and walked out. Garth, Jax, and Chrom followed him. Acelyn turned to follow Tran as he left with his crew but stopped. She quickly turned back and sprinted after Jaicer.

"Um…I wanted to say thanks…for helping Tillia at that cantina…" Acelyn said to Jaicer quietly. Jaicer stopped walking and turned back.

"Wasn't a problem…you better get back to your captain now…" Jaicer turned after he said this and began walking again. Acelyn pouted.

"What kind of 'you're welcome' was that?" she mumbled to herself. Suddenly the cruiser shook again and the group fell into a heap of body parts.

"Oh I think I broke something…" Garth moaned as he rolled off of Jax.

"Yeah…my spine…" Jax moaned as he stood and cracked his injured back.

"Quit complaining you punk", Garth said as he stood. "Sound off boys. You still alive?" the veteran asked. Jax and Chrom showed green on his HUD. "Right. Let's get moving to the Commander's ship!" Garth exclaimed. Jaicer stood up, hauling Acelyn up with him by her arm.

"Be more careful Kiddo…" Jaicer said as he released the Jedi girl and walked with his Commandos. Acelyn turned to leave with a 'humph' when another explosion went off and the doorway collapsed.

"Oh you have GOT to be kidding…" Acelyn growled. She was about to release force push on the blockage when the smell of gas stopped her. "Oh boy…" she mumbled as the rubble exploded and knocked her back into Jaicer.

"You are a pain you know that!" Jaicer growled as he hefted the now unconscious Jedi over his shoulder. "Let's move!" Jaicer ordered. He and his men went off in a sprint to the hangar bay. The hall behind them was starting to send off electric arcs and explosions as the ship took more damage.

"All hands! Get to the escape pods! This ship can't take much more!" Admiral Gurgess' voice rang over the radio. Chrom mumbled a curse under his breath and Jaicer mimicked it as they double timed it to the hangar.

They finally arrived and looked upon an old freighter much like 'Enduring Wind'.

"Good to see the ship is still intact…" Jaicer said as he opened the loading ramp.

"Yes sir. We kept 'Reason' in good repair since you left. Although it's shields aren't up fully so we might want to escape before they shoot at it", Chrom said. Jaicer nodded and the men, and unconscious Acelyn, boarded the ship and prepared it for launch. Jaicer jumped into the pilot's seat and began the pre-launch sequence. His comlink went off before the launch though.

"Don't have much time so make it fast please", Jaicer said quickly as he answered it.

"This is Gurgess. We are off the ship. We advise you escape and continue your mission while you can. We will relocate on Ord Mantell and meet you there when you finish the job", Gurgess said. Jaicer sighed and acknowledged the man before hanging up.

"Hold on tight! This bucket is about to perform a miracle or two!" Jaicer launched the ship out of the hangar right before the Republic Cruiser exploded.

ON 'FIST OF KORRIBAN'

"Have you killed the Smuggler and his crew yet?" Alarick asked the Fleet Admiral in charge of the Sith Fleet. The Admiral gulped and was visibly sweating.

"Umm…no we haven't my Lord. His ship as well as two others escaped before the cruiser we destroyed exploded…" the Admiral said. Alarick frowned and his organic eye flashed.

"I do not tolerate failure…" Alarick waved his hand and the Admiral fell limp, his life taken from him in a simple motion. Alarick sighed and cut communications as he went to the med station. Rage was floating in a Kolto tank and giving the Sith Lord the old stink eye. She spoke through the force to him.

"Was that really necessary Alarick?" she asked mentally. Alarick snorted.

"Doesn't matter. He wasn't a very good Admiral anyway. How are you Rage?" Alarick asked. He didn't seem very vicious at the moment.

"I'm fine. It was just a cut. I don't think I need to be in this tank…" the female Sith said. Alarick closed his eyes and ignored the comment as he began to meditate.

"When the healing is done, snap me out of it…" he said before drifting off into his meditative state. He was angry inside. He had underestimated that Smuggler. He had also used his lightsaber instead of his tremor swords. He wouldn't make those mistakes again. The fool had humiliated him and he would have vengeance….one way or another…

ON 'ENDURING WIND'

"What do you mean you are continuing on your own for now!" Jenny yelled at the hologram of Jaicer. Jaicer recoiled and checked to make sure his eardrums were still working before he responded.

"Relax! I'm with some of my finest men and a Jedi. I'll be fine until you can find us. Just meet me above Korriban and we will get this over with", Jaicer said. Jenny crossed her arms and growled before nodding. Tillia then jumped into the picture.

"Jaicer I swear if you don't make it out alive, I'm going to kill you!" she screamed. There was silence for a little before she reworded her statement. "I take that back. If you don't make it out alive, I will never forgive you!" she said. Satisfied with her sentence she stood by Jenny.

"Calm down already! Geez is my entire crew going to give me an ear full? You are gonna wake the girl!" Jaicer scolded. Tillia and Jenny both glared at the Smuggler.

"What girl?" they said in unison. Jaicer immediately regretted his statement.

"Um…just a Jedi girl that…fell into my care", he said truthfully.

"Jaicer, if I find out I'm getting a niece or nephew soon without you being married, I'm going to-" Jenny was interrupted by a sudden yell from the background.

"I swear to the Force girl, if you don't calm down I'm going to stun you!" Garth yelled loudly to Acelyn.

"I'll have to call you back…" Jaicer grumbled as he hung up before his sister or Tillia could comment. He went back to deal with the situation. "This is going to be a long trip…" he groaned…

There. That's that.