Stari Chronicles
# 8
A Warriors Soul
" " = Talking
' ' = Thinking
(" ") = Talking in different language
(' ') = Thinking in different language
15 Years ago
4-year old Sarli Kennison rummaged through the trash pile, her stomach growling at her loudly. Sarli smiled a big smile when some meat was in the trash pile. She sniffed it, and then smiled when it smelled good enough to eat.
Sarli finished eating the meat in no time, but her appetite still wasn't satisfied. Sarli was thinner than any one should be, but it wasn't by much. Sarli was about to go through the pile again, but stopped when she heard, "Hey you!"
Sarli looked in the direction that the voice came from, and saw two boys. Both of them were red headed, but one looked to be around eleven or twelve-years old while the other looked to be her age.
"Are you hungry?" Asked the other one, as he reached into his pocket, and then pulled out some small Bantha patty's. Sarli looked at the food, and then at the two kids in front of her. "Don't worry. This isn't any trick of some kind. Come here, eat. Us kid's abandoned need to stick together after all. My name's Galen Falco, by the way, and this is my little brother, Horuck Falco."
Horuck smiled, and then waved at Sarli, saying, "Hey there. What's your name?" Sarli walked up to Galen and Horuck, slowly, and then replied as she grabbed the Bantha Patties, "Sarli. My name's Sarli Kennison."
She firmly grabbed the patties, and then shoved them into her mouth. It was the freshest food she has ever tasted before. "Well, nice to meet you, Sarli. I wish we could give you more, but we need some food as well."
Sarli looked up at Galen, and then said, looking as innocent as she could be, "P-Please take me with you, k-kind sir? I-I'm all alone, I don't know anyone that will take me in..." Galen put his hand on her head, a big smile on his face. "Don't worry, Sarli. I'll help you out. Both Horuck and me will. With the three of us looking out for each other, I know we can survive on the street's."
Sarli smiled, for the first time in her life being absolutely happy.
Two weeks later
Horuck fell unto the ground after being punched again, Sarli hiding behind some nearby boxes. Three full grown Zabrak's and two Ithorian's were snickering evilly over him, while one Wookie and a Bothan were holding Galen down, and behind them was a Trandoshan with two human's behind him.
"You see, Galen? This is what happens when you promise someone money, and then don't give it." "I told you, Draz, that I only need one more day! All I need is three more credits, and then the debt will be paid off! Besides, the money isn't due for another week!" "I know, but I decided to shorten it a week. Thought I could make it more interesting that way." Draz said, and then chuckled.
"YOU SON OF A MURGLAK! THIS IS NOT A GAME! YOU'RE MESSING WITH PEOPLE'S LIVES HERE!" Galen yelled, outraged at Draz's sudden change in heart. "I know this isn't a game, but it's more fun this way. Well, it is for me."
Galen and Draz looked at Horuck when they heard one of the Ithorian's crying out in pain. The Ithorian landed on the ground just as Galen and Draz spotted the scene, crimson blood coming out of a open wound in it's throat. In Horuck's hand was a small Vibro Knife, and he looked at the Ithorian with bright eyes.
He obviously didn't mean to kill the Ithorian, just scare him, but when he swung his knife wildly, his knife sliced the Ithorian's throat. "Why you son of a Murglak!" Draz yelled as he pulled out a small blaster pistol.
"You'll pay for what you did!" Draz and his men froze up when they heard a sound behind them that they knew all too well. They looked back, and saw three Jedi, two female human's and one male Yarkora. One Female had a green Lightsaber, and the other Female and the Yarkora had blue Lightsaber's.
"Shit! It's the Jedi! Scatter and rendezvous with me back at the usual place!" All the alien's started to scatter, running out the opposite side of the alleyway. When they reached the alleyway, they started to scatter in random directions, pushing people out of their way to get further away from the Jedi.
Sarli came out of hiding, and she hugged Horuck's arm as Galen ran over to Horuck. Galen started to check Horuck's injuries, not even paying attention to the Jedi walking up behind him. Galen smiled when he saw the injuries were only small bruises and cuts, but didn't like Horuck's bloody nose.
Galen looked back when the Yarkora said some something in his language. "What?" Galen asked, and the Yarkora looked at Galen, as if he couldn't speak Galactic basic. "Sorry about that. My name's Myyse Niachel, and this is Odala Shaia, and our friendly Yarkora Jedi here is Bendak Talus." Said the Female Jedi with the green Lightsaber.
"Hi. My name's Galen Falco. This is my little brother Horuck, and our friend here is Sarli Kennison." The Yarkora said something in his language, surprised at something, and then Myyse replied, "I guess they're all not related."
Galen didn't get how he could understand them now, but when Galen first spoke he didn't understand what he meant. He must be new to speaking Galactic basic, and didn't know how all the words.
Myyse looked at the three kids, and then said, "There is a reason why we are here. A very specific one. The three of us felt something in the force whenever we meditate, and when we try to find it, we always find it on this side of the planet, so we decided to check it out. Luckily we did, or else you three would be dead. I sense you three are the disturbance's we felt, and..." She stopped, and said, "Can you wait here? We need to discuss something privately for a while."
Galen nodded, and the three Jedi walked off five feet away, and started to whisper to each other. They were talking for almost a minute. They stopped, and walked back to the three of them. "You three are force sensitive, we know that, and so we want you three to come with us to the Jedi Temple, where we will train you and teach you the ways of the force."
Galen couldn't believe what he was hearing. When he was 9 and Horuck was only 1, their parent's abandoned them on the streets, and Galen lost almost all hope, but now he has hope again. Hope for a good future not only for him, but also for Horuck and what looked like to be Horuck's fan girl.
"Well? What do you say? Well you want to be trained in the force and…" Galen, Horuck and Sarli all answered at the same time, "YES!" The Jedi smiled, and then started to escort them to the Jedi Temple. When they reached the Jedi temple, Galen, Horuck, and Sarli was healed up from any injuries they had, was given food, the Jedi clothing, and then sent off towards their class's. Galen was sent to a class for new Jedi around his age, and Horuck and Sarli were sent to a class with kids for their age as well.
Galen sat down at his desk, feeling a little weird being here. He never imagined himself as a Jedi before, but he did like the Idea of it. "Hey there." Galen looked to his left, and saw a kid his same age, but he didn't have any hair at all.
"You must be new here. My name's Edor, Edor Sonten. I've been coming here since I was five, and I don't remember seeing you here at all. What's your name?" Edor said as he extended his hand towards Galen. "My name's Galen. Galen Falco, the greatest Jedi that will ever live when I graduate from the academy." Galen replied as he shook Edor's hand.
"Wow, now that is a big goal, and a tough one too because of all the great and powerful master's of the past, but your goal is impossible because that's gonna be me when I become a Master."
Edor sat next to Galen, and the two of them started to talk wit each other. Galen later received his Lightsaber, and his Lightsaber color was purple.
Horuck and Sarli felt weird being the new kids in the Jedi Academy. It didn't feel right. Sarli looked to her left at Horuck, blushing at how cute he looked. When Horuck looked at Sarli, she quickly looked away, a blush on her face.
Horuck was about to turn away, but stopped when a miraculous sight beheld his eyes. The moon shined brightly out the window, it's bright light shining through the window unto Sarli's short, brown hair, the beautiful star's surrounding Sarli, and her Jedi Robes, somehow, made her look absolutely beautiful.
Horuck looked back at the Aqualish Jedi that was giving them their lessons, thinking, 'what's going on? How come I think Sarli looked absolutely beautiful just now? Sarli's just a friend, nothing more! But still,' Horuck took a quick glance at Sarli, thinking, 'She does seem pretty cute.'
Present
Horuck Falco and Danis Stari were in Mandalorian star fighters in Hyperspace. They were heading towards the planet Mandalore, where they were doing what many have tried and failed before.
Six hours earlier
Tyro Taa walked off his desk, happy about the outcome of the meeting. Danis walked up to him, and then said, "Well done, Chancellor. I doubt any one else that was in your situation couldn't have done a better job. I do have to admit, I have a idea that could help us out." Tyro seemed interested at what Danis just said.
"Really? What is that?" Danis grinned, and then turned around as he said, "I'm gonna try to make a peace treaty with the Mandalorian's." Danis walked out of the room, leaving behind a surprised Tyro, Lyra, Faith, and the remaining four troopers.
Present time
"Danis, is this really a good idea? I mean, no one's been able to make a treaty with the Mandalorian's ever since the Yuuzhan Vong war! They keep to themselves now, so what makes you think that they'll even want to TALK with us?" Horuck said over the Com.
"Because I already told Mandalore that I want to speak with him, and he said he'll listen to me. He said that I was to come by tomorrow, where we'll disguise ourselves as Mandalorian's, and then talk with him during the Warrior's Soul festival."
"What's the Warrior's soul festival, master?" "The Warriors soul festival happens only once every ten years, where twenty Mandalorian's are sent out to hunt down and kill as many of the most dangerous animals as they can in order to win the Warrior's spirit, a sword that has a blade made out of a material that is Lightsaber proof. It is never used for battle, but is but a trophy, and is used as a sign to show other Mandalorian's that they are the best Mandalorian hunter and fighter other than Mandalore himself, who is banned from entering the tournament since he already is the strongest."
"Wow. What animal's do they hunt?" "The question is, what Animal's DON'T they hunt? They hunt down Kath Hounds, Correllian Spice hounds, Rancor's, and, for those that really want to prove themselves, even a Gorog. The list is almost endless, and every animal is worth a certain amount of points. If you can kill a Gorog, you automatically win."
"Well, how many Mandalorian's are coming?" "All of them. This is a amazing festival, and every Mandalorian who can't come is disappointed, and some even commit suicide. It is one of the greatest honor of a Mandalorian to participate in this festival. Although, what you saw before we left any one would want to see." Danis said, and Horuck blushed brighter.
5 hours and twenty minutes ago
Sarli took off the last of her clothing excluding her underwear. She finished with her training with Maryna a while ago, and she was sweating badly. She was going to change her underwear first because she already took her shower, and is now changing. Her new Jedi robes were on her bed, and she put her hands behind her back to unstrapped her bra, but then stopped.
She couldn't help but think of what she heard from the news. 'A Sith army, and one big enough to kill us all. Now Tyro has his own clone army for the Republic, and... and I don't know what to do anymore. I'm scared that this army will be too much, and we'll lose.'
Sarli shook her head, and then thought, 'No! The Sith may be strong, but we can stop them. I know we can.' She unstrapped her bra, and then started to take it off. When she got it half-way off, the door opened up while, and Horuck walked in, saying, "Hey Sarli, I just wanted to tell you that..."
Horuck and Sarli both froze right on the spot. They were both too surprised to move an inch. Sarli was happy that her bra was only halfway off, but not the fact that Horuck was the one that was seeing her like this. A bright red conquered both of their cheeks.
Horuck's eyes wandered down from her face down all the way to her bikini. "H-HORUCK!" Sarli yelled as she covered herself, and used the force to pick up her pillow, and then threw it at Horuck.
"OH JEEZ! I'M SORRY, SARLI!" Horuck yelled as ran out into the hall, the pillow barely missing him. Sarli used the force to bring the pillow back in, and then closed the door. Sarli still covered herself as she looked at the door, wondering if Horuck would enter. After a minute, she was certain that he wasn't going to enter again, she looked down at the floor.
She has that feeling again. That feeling between her legs again. She looked down at her special area, and then gulped. She's been trying to ignore this feeling for a long time now, but she can't ignore it anymore.
She put her fingers into her panties, and then moaned silently, "Horuck." She bit her bottom lip, and then continued to move her fingers. She was ashamed of this, but she couldn't stop herself. She then stopped what she was doing, and then pulled her hand out, thinking. 'I shouldn't be doing this. This is a terrible habit, and if Horuck ever knew what I was doing, then he would think I'm a disgusting person.'
She stood up, changed her underwear, and then got dressed in a new set of Jedi robes.
Present time
Danis laughed out loud as Horuck blushed brighter. "I still can't believe you did that, Horuck! That is the most hilarious thing a Jedi has ever done!" "Master, shut up! You know you would like to be in my place, but instead of Sarli, it would be with Maryna!" "Hey, I'm not denying a thing."
Horuck looked at the time, and sighed. It's almost been six hours, and they still haven't reached Mandalore yet. It takes at least six hours to reach Mandalore from Coruscant, and normally Horuck would call someone like Maryna, Cron, or Sarli, but he didn't want to talk with Sarli because he didn't want to hear how she would respond with him, so he called Cron, but when the Cron answered, it was actually Sarli, and Horuck immediately hung up.
Horuck forgot that Sarli and Cron were suppose to do training today, and was afraid to call Maryna in case the same thing would happen. Horuck could call other people, but he didn't want to. He just wanted to get the peace treaty done with. Then again, when it get's done with, he'll have to go back and face Sarli. He didn't want to do that as well.
In a few minutes, the two Star fighter's exited hyperspace, and the planet Mandalore was in sight. "Where do we land, Master?" "Mandalore told me that he would have a space station where we can land at, but he didn't tell me where it was." Almost as if on queue, a space station decloaked in front of them.
The Space Station had three rings around it with tube's attached to the main part, was as big as a command ship, had turbo laser's all along the here wheel's, and had several hanger's. "Jedi, I am glad you are here. This is Mandalore. If you would be so kind as to dock on the space station, we will tell you your instructions and how we will do the peace treaty."
Danis and Horuck steered their fighter's towards the Space Station, Horuck feeling uneasy when the Turbo Laser's seemed to be locked on them. The two of them entered the hanger bay, and then docked in it. 21 Mandalorian men in battle armor with Mandalorian Heavy repeaters outside, and while twenty were blue, one was red, meaning he was a sergeant.
They stood in two rows, ten in each one, and the red one was between the two lines and in front of them, and were standing perfectly still as they pointed their gun's at the ground. Horuck and Danis opened up their cockpits, and then came out. When they landed, the Mandalorian's saluted with their left hands.
Horuck and Danis walked up to the Sergeant, and then the Sergeant said, "Jedi, I am honored to meet you. I am Sergeant Borran Darkstar, leader of Alpha star squad 7 here."
"Hello there. I am Danis Stari, and this is my apprentice Horuck Falco." They both bowed, and then stood straight up. If you would please follow me and my men, we will lead you to Mandalore the Machine."(Fun fact: Each Mandalore has their own title, like Mandalore the mighty, Mandalore the demon, etc.)
'Mandalore the machine? Why is he given that title?' Horuck thought, and then started to walk behind Danis as the squad led them through the space station as it cloaked again.
In five minutes, the Mandalorian's stopped walking in front of a door, and on the front of it was Mandalore's symbol. They all stepped to the side of the door except three of them, one of them being Borran and two other Mandalorian soldiers, and then Borran knocked on the door.
"Come in." Said a female voice, and then Borran opened the door. Inside was a female Mandalorian in Female Mandalorian battle armor with long, brown hair behind her that was in braided ponytails. "Sergeant, you and your squad are dismissed. Jedi, come in. Mandalore is waiting for you." The Sergeant saluted, and then responded, "Yes, ma'am." The three of them turned around, stepped around Danis and Horuck, and then the rest of the Mandalorian's followed behind the Sergeant in lines of two.
"Greetings to you, Jedi. I am Catta Annix, second in command of the Mandalorian's, assistant to Mandalore the Machine. I'll answer any and all questions you may have." "Sure, I have one. Where and when will the meeting take place?" "Tomorrow, at the warrior's soul festival in a secret room where he can watch the games, be safe, and no one can see inside it. Perfect for a hidden negotiation." "Hidden? Why does it have to be hidden?"
"Us Mandalorian's will never even allow a negotiation to start between us and the Republic, but Mandalore wants to see if peace is possible, but it has to be in secret. If you want to know the specifics, then ask Mandalore. What else do you want to know?"
"Well, I was wondering when we'll be leaving for Mandalore." "At night. The reason why will become clear when Mandalore tells you." Danis saw something weird here. She was telling them things that only Mandalore allows, but why not let her give them all the information? "How come you're not telling us everything? How come Mandalore does?"
"Strict orders from Mandalore himself. He doesn't want a chance of a spy listening to everything. I've only told you a small part of the negotiations, and Mandalore will tell you everything else in his secured office. I will stay out here and keep a watch on everything. If something happens to me, a alarm will go off, and camera's will take snap shot's of the one's that are responsible while we chase them down while the camera's track them down through the station."
'Wow, they sure are paranoid, but I can't blame them. This Negotiation will decide the future of the Mandalorian's, even the Republic itself! I guess they can't be too careful.'
Danis looked at Horuck, and said, "Horuck, do you have any more questions?" Horuck started to think, and then replied, "I'll save my questions for Mandalore if Catta here won't answer them fully." Catta nodded, saying, "Good answer. Now," Catta stepped to the side, revealing a doorway behind her. She motioned towards it as she continued to speak, "Mandalore is waiting for you inside his office."
Danis and Horuck walked up to the door, and then Horuck pressed a button on the side of the door. The door opened up, and the first thing that Danis and Horuck noticed was Mandalore standing in front of his desk, and two Mandalorian's in gold armor, which meant their general's.
"Mandalore." Danis said as he walked in with Horuck behind him, and when the door closed behind them, they both bowed. Mandalore chuckled, and then said, "I forgot how you Jedi are always so modest. While you are on my space station, you can, and will, call me by my real name. Dash Kuolor."
"Of course, Manda... I mean, Dash. Now, let's get started on what the plans are for the negotiations." Dash nodded, and then replied, "Right. Now, this will take place tomorrow because every Mandalorian will want to see me, and I can't stay on this ship long enough to form a treaty without someone realizing I'm gone, so we will do it in my secret room where we can see the festival happen, but no one can see us. Also, you will travel down in Mandalorian battle armor, and be with a patrol of mine. You will act like the soldiers, and do what the Sergeant says. Up next is the matter of your Lightsaber's."
Dash turned towards his desk, and then pushed a button on it. The wall to Danis's and Horuck's left swung opened up, revealing two blue Mandalorian armor with Mandalorian Heavy repeaters next to them, attached to the wall. "This armor has a hidden holster for your Lightsaber's." Mandalore continued as he walked over to the armor.
He pressed a button on the wrist, and two hidden holsters on the legs popped out. "We made sure that these could fit your Lightsaber's, so don't worry about them not fitting. We also tested it, and it is completely comfortable, and won't harm the Lightsaber."
Danis was impressed. Mandalore knew that, if anyone realized whom Horuck and Danis was, they would probably attack them, so this way they would have their Lightsaber's to defend them better. It will also catch their assaulter's off guard as well. Mandalore was truly brilliant.
"Now, you will leave in six hours, so my general's here will give you two presents." Mandalore motioned towards the two Mandalorian General's. They turned to the desk behind them, and pulled out two things. They walked over to Danis and Horuck, and extended their right hands, revealing a small circular device.
Horuck and Danis grabbed the devices, and activated them. A light blue hologram of the space station appeared, and on it was a red dot in one of the hangers and two dots in the room Horuck and Danis are in. One green, the other orange.
The general's put two small, almost unnoticeable chips on Horuck and Danis's cloaks, and the chips attached to them. "This map will tell you the location of your ship, and the orange dot is Danis and the green dot is Horuck, so you two will know your position and know how to get back to your ships. Also, in case you two need a map for some reason, this will help you get around the station." Dash said as he pointed at the two circular objects in their hands that were forming the map.
Two minutes later, Horuck was given permission to travel around the space station, and they both wanted to explore different parts of the ship, so Horuck and Danis both split up to search on their own.
Horuck was looking around the hallway, the shiny, reflective silver surface of the walls, ceilings, and floors. Horuck stopped walking when he heard Catta say, "...Ready, Master."
Horuck snuck up to Catta's door, and heard a muffled voice say, "You have done well, Catta, but don't mess this up. If Mandalore discovers of your betrayal to him, then we will lose the element of surprise, and our plans will have to change. It's risky for you to even call me when two Jedi are on board."
Catta laughed, and then replied, "Please. This is a big space station, and the chance of them learning about this, or being near my room, is highly unlikely." Very well then, Catta. Just remember that if you fail the Sith, the consequences are… deadly, as you may put it. But, if you serve us well, then you will be rewarded greatly, future Mandalore."
"Of course. Thank you, Darth Whym. Well you lead the assault tomorrow?" "Of course. After all, I think it's time for a family reunion." With that, the sound of a Communicator went off, and Catta started to head towards the opposite direction of the door.
Horuck see's what's going on. Catta was selling the Mandalorian's to the Sith so then she will become Mandalore, and rule the Mandalorian's for the Sith. Horuck started to silently walk away from the door towards Mandalore's office, hoping to get there before the Sith get there.
Sarli and Maryna was on a bench in the middle of the temple, where it was open sky's, had a fountain, a few bench's, and was called the relaxing zone. Maryna was standing up with her arms crossed, and Sarli was sitting on the bench, her hands on her lap, and was looking down at the ground.
"Okay Sarli, spit it out. What's bothering you? You've been distracted all day!" When Sarli was about to speak up, Maryna interrupted her, saying, "And don't use that excuse of Horuck walking in on you naked again! Remember, we have a force bond, and I can feel that it goes deeper than just that. Please tell me what's wrong, Sarli. I'm your master, and I want to know what's wrong with you, and how I can help."
"Well, um, I don't know." Sarli said as she looked away from her master. 'Fine then, Sarli. I guess I have to force this on you. I am sorry about this, Sarli.' Sarli was trying to think of what to say, but her eye's widened in surprise when she felt Maryna's presence searching her mind, and was nearing the memory of her masturbating about Horuck.
"Master! Please don't look there!" Sarli said as she quickly looked at her master, but it was too late. Maryna's eye's widened in surprise, and Sarli looked away from her master in shame.
"Sarli, you masturbai..." Sarli shot up, put her hand over her master's mouth, and then whispered, "Master, please don't say it so loudly! I already regret doing it, and I wish I didn't do it in the first place."
Maryna nodded in understanding, and then Sarli took her hand off her master's mouth. "Sarli, what you did is from the emotion of lust, a Sith emotion. You MUST learn to control it before it control's you."
Sarli nodded, saying, "Yes, master." Maryna could sense Sarli sill had more to say, and so she asked, "You have something else t say. What is it?" Sarli looked up at her master, and said, "Well, I know that this may sound like the worst time for this, but... I was wondering if I could take the Jedi Master trials!"
Maryna started to think about what Sarli just said. The Jedi Master trials weren't much of a trial. It take's three weeks to do so, and it is because you go through three week's of intense training, and not everyone passes. The ending trial is to go on a mission with one other student that passed, and then succeed. The mission won't be easy as well, some teams don't even make it out alive, but that happens rarely. Also, in order for a Jedi go through the trail, the Padawan must get his/her master's permission, and also the council's permission.
"Me and Horuck are hoping to do it together, but.." "Horuck!" Maryna said, interrupting Sarli. "You mean to tell me that the man that made you masturbate is going to be with you in the Jedi Master trials! Sarli, you know what I think about this, right?" "But master, it's not his fault! I was at a moment's weakness, and I couldn't help myself! Please Maryna! If it helps, after the trials, you can see into my mind and check to see if I masturbate any time during the entire trial! This can be a test for me as well, master. After all, if I can hold myself back while I'm near Horuck for three whole weeks, then that proves that I can master my feelings, and it will also help me master my feelings as well."
Maryna started to think for a few seconds, and then sighed. "I guess I have no choice. You do make a good argument, like you always do. That's one reason why I hate you, but it is also the ONLY reason. You have my permission, Sarli. Now, let's continue today's training. The next Jedi Trials will begin in two days, and later I will talk with the council, and you're gonna need all the help you can get to pass the ritual. "
Catta was in her nightgown, reading the traffic report while sitting on a couch. 'This is amazing. Eight-tenth's of the Mandalorian race have a nightgown back to Mandalore, and now the Jedi will be leaving for Mandalore in five hours. With that, I can signal the Sith, and then they will start their attack. I can't wait.'
Before Catta could continue reading she immediately reached for her hidden blaster when the door busted down, and six Mandalorian's barged in with Mandalorian heavy repeaters, all of them screaming, "For Mandalore!" Catta went behind her couch, pulling out a Sonic pistol with it's setting on kill.
She crouched behind the couch as the laser fire went all around her, and she blindly fired her pistol, not moving out of her cover. She activated her Communicator, and said, "This is Mandalore's second in command Catta Annix. I am being attacked by six rogue Mandalorian's in my room, and I need help!"
She looked up, and saw one of the Mandalorian's was pointing his heavy repeater at Catta, and just before Catta could fire, two Mandalorian's appeared next to him, and then the other three appeared behind her.
"Catta Annix." Catta knew that voice anywhere, and as she stood up after discarding her pistol, she held her hands in the air, and looked at the door. Standing in the doorway, with two Mandalorian's with red armor and Danis and Horuck standing next to him, was Mandalore the Machine. "Mandalore? What is the mea…" "Don't act so innocent, Catta. Horuck here heard your conversation with this 'Darth Whym', and we are now preparing for the Sith invasion with our forces here in the space station, and our secret army on the land is ready for them. Also, you will be executed right here, right now, and the cover story will be that you were assassinated in your quarter's back on Mandalore. Trust me on one thing, Catta, and that is that I have my way's of thing's going my way."
Catta felt the six gun's press against her, three on her back, and three on her stomach. Blood came out of her mouth as the laser fire went straight through here, and harmlessly passed by the Mandalorian Soldiers, hitting the wall's behind them.
Catta fell to the ground, her body motionless. Danis could feel how Horuck hated the fact that Catta was executed without even a fair trial, but the both of them knew it would end up the same.
"Dash," Danis started, drawing Mandalore's attention away from the scene of the execution. "What just happened here is serious. Not only was there a betrayal, but also we now know of a Sith assault about to come, and they will probably be here soon if they planted a fleet nearby. What's worse is that we don't know which directions they're coming from, so we can't make adequate defense plans. We know of their ships and firepower, and how they attack, but those were only surprise attack's to gain a small foothold in the galaxy. Now they will attack, and they don't care if the Republic knows it or not. I say we call off the festival, call in the Republic, and then..."
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Danis. You see, we haven't officially made a treaty yet, and while you have revealed a spy in our midst's, and of a upcoming attack, that might be a good enough reason for the Republic, but not for us Mandalorian's. What you are proposing is almost impossible. The Soul festival cannot be simply called off, and then have another day! It shows a warrior's soul, like it's name announces, and the day is special to us!"
'Special? What's so special about tomorrow that's so different than any other day?' "You see, the warrior's soul festival is sacred because it mark's the day that the Mandalorian clan's reunited, and how they made their own Government without the Republic! It is considered a holy day for us, and we hold the Warrior's soul festival in honor of that day! If I do change it to another day, it could take years, maybe even centuries, of arguing with the council to do so, and if I do change the day, the Mandalorian's will be angry at even the thought, and possibly try to kill me!"
Horuck was amazed at what Mandalore just told him. This day was special, but it wasn't going to be so joyous to the Mandalorian's when it becomes the day the Sith enslave them in one sift strike thanks to their leader.
"Still, we should warn everyone of the Sith threat. It won't be wise to not tell them about this threat." "You don't get it, Master Jedi, do you? If I warn them of the Sith threat, there WILL be investigations, questions, hard ones that I can't answer, and when they find out about my hidden battle station here, I will immediately lose my title of Mandalore, my honor, and any chance of a treaty with the Republic. We will keep it a secret, and hopefully we can hold them off. I have to go to the planet now, Jedi. I hope you will have a nice stay here on Mandalore while it's still... nice."
Six hours later
Horuck and Danis felt weird being in Mandalorian armor. It was cramped, they had a hard time seeing through the visor of the helmets, and what's more is that they have to actually be on a three-hour patrol in these things. The patrol is to convince everyone that Danis and Horuck are really Mandalorian Soldiers, but Danis and Horuck didn't mind.
After all, the patrol is nothing. The time of the Sith arrival is unknown, along with where they'll come from, how many there's gonna be, and what their target is. So the patrol the two Jedi don't mind, it's how they can come up with a defense for the Sith.
Horuck and Danis were in a drop ship with eight other Mandalorian soldiers, all of them private, and one sergeant. The drop ship landed, and the ramp opened. The sergeant was the first one to move out, and then everyone else. They were in rows of two, Danis in the row on the right two people behind the Sergeant, and Horuck in the row on the left in the very back. The two rows had five people in them.
After the three hours of patrolling, Danis and Horuck entered a Hotel room, where the blinds were shut, beds made, and on a table were Nerf steaks. Horuck pulled his helmet off, and Danis did the same. In the same hotel, the other Mandalorian's in their patrol were also in this hotel, checking into rooms together in pairs of two. Horuck and Danis sat down at the table, and before Danis could take his first bite, Horuck said "Master, can I ask you something?"
Danis looked at Horuck, and replied, "Sure, Horuck. What is it?" Horuck took a deep breath, and then said, "Master, I want to take the Jedi master trials." It was the understatement of the year if you said Danis was just surprised. He didn't expect Horuck to ask him this yet.
Horuck could feel surprise, confusion, but best of all, joy. Danis's first apprentice became Darth Zyloon, and was part of the Sith army now. Horuck knew that Danis chose Horuck as probably a chance of redemption, to make up for his last apprentice. "The Jedi master trials?"
Horuck nodded up and down. Danis put his silver ware down, and then looked Horuck sternly in the eyes. "Now Horuck, this is a big step. Not only must I approve of it, but the council must as well. Also, if you become a Master, you will be given the responsibility of having a apprentice. That is no small task, Horuck. Now, before I give you my answer, are you sure you're ready for this?" Horuck looked down at his steak, deep in thought.
Horuck looked back up, and said with a voice of confidence, "I do think... no... I know I'm ready for the trials, master. Besides, with the Jedi master training, I'll be stronger, and I know that I need the training. The Sith won't always leave us alone after fighting us, like with Darth Zyloon, Byloon, and Karklon!"
Danis laid back in his seat, and then crossed his arms. "You're right, Horuck. You do need the skill's." "Ha ha, Master. Very funny." Danis grinned, and then started to eat his nerf steak along with Horuck.
The next day, Noon
Mandalore was in his private quarter's, which views the entire stage beneath him, and next to the chair he was sitting in was a holo map, and when the players are unleashed, they will appear as green dots, and when the animal's are unleashed, they will appear as red dots.
There was a entire crowd of people in bleacher's at the start of the contest, all of them having stun guns. They are allowed these weapons to protect themselves from any animal's that somehow get's past the shield that surrounds the entire arena, which consists of a big forest, plains, a small water area, mountains, and was almost two hundred miles long. The Festival will go on for two days, giving them enough time to set up a home base, set traps, and get lots of kills.
The contestants can choose any gun they want, but it has to be a rifle type of weapon, that means no rocket launchers or anything like that, but they are allowed to bring grenades, mines, and any other types of guns as well.
Mandalore heard the door opened up, and two of his ten Mandalorian bodyguards who are in black Mandalorian armor, said, "Hold it! Who are you two!" "We're from the Republic. The two Jedi." "All right, come in, but I have my eyes on you Jedi."
Mandalore looked towards the door way as the door closed and locked. Two men in Mandalorian armor stood before him, and then they removed their helmets, revealing Danis Stari and Horuck Falco.
"Jedi. Please, sit." Mandalore said as he motioned to the seats beside him. Horuck and Danis walked towards him, and then sat down in their seats. "Mandalore, shouldn't we be worried someone might see us through the glass?" "No, we don't. This is a one way viewing glass, and we can see out, but no one can see in. Also, sorry about the guard. He is not very fond of Jedi, He's had some bad experience with them before." "Yeah, I can tell."
"So, how far away are those Sith planets again?" "Twelve hours away at least. They should be here by now." "That means they're waiting for something, or they're being stalled."
"Well, maybe we can get the negotiations over with, and then we can call the Republic in." "Why do we need to negotiate this? We know you need the Republics help, so why…" Because I don't want to agree to a treaty that will be bad for my people. I want to negotiate this, and we have time. My men are ready, and so is our fleet." "Fleet?" "Well, yeah. The battle fleet. We always have it out during the festival, to stop any pirates from attacking us during these wonderful two days."
"So, you're prepared for the Sith fleet, but it looks like you're not. That is ingenious." "Yes, and since there are also not enough seats to seat every Mandalorian, some stay up in their ships and watch it from their ships. So that adds to the number of ships in our fleet, and while some watch it from homes and hotel with their weapons that aren't set to stun."
"So that means you also have a stronger military force, and with two Jedi here, that also increase's your defense. Am I right?" Danis replied. Mandalore nodded, replying, "Correct, Jedi Master. Now, let us begin the peace treaty."
In the contestant locker room, all the contestants were gearing up, arming them with whatever they can equip that is legal. Triko Sato was in green and blue Mandalorian armor. On his wrist was a dart shooter loaded with six poison darts. One poison dart could almost kill a Gorog, while two kill the Gorog.
He was mainly armed with a Mandalorian assault rifle, and had two side arms, both of them Mandalorian heavy repeaters. He had four Thermal detonators, six mines, four concussion grenades, thermal binoculars, and his supplies for his camp.
Triko loaded his gun, but stopped when he heard, "Triko." Triko looked back, and saw a man in black Mandalorian armor, and had the same weapons as him as far as the blaster's go. He might be equipped differently, especially with the poison. Triko got the poison off of a Hutt crime lord off a low price. Now is the time to test out if the poison really works or not.
Triko waved at the fellow Mandalorian, saying, "Maxon. What are you doing here? I thought you weren't participating." Maxon walked up to Triko and said, "Well, I changed my mind. I can't let my little brother have all the fun, now can I?"
Triko chuckled, and then said, "Well, be ready to lose. If everything goes according to plan for me, then I'll win this for sure." Maxon put his hand on Triko's shoulder, and then said, "Well, that is like you, Triko. You always have a plan, don't you?"
"It wouldn't be me without a plan, now would it?" Triko said as he stood up, and waited patiently with his brother for the games to begin.
Ten minutes later
The bell rang off, and the Mandalorian's started to head off into the forest section. Triko and Maxon took different paths since it was illegal to travel in teams. Triko traveled for seven minutes, and then stopped. The animal's will be unleashed when ten minutes of the games start, and the contestants must get everything ready by then. Triko must be far enough in the forest by now.
Triko sat down, and pulled out all of his gear. First, he set up his tent. That took two minutes. Then he pulled his food out, put it in his tent, and then put a small circular device around it, which formed a shield around it. It can only be opened with the code 50265. The shield protects it from any animals, and stops it's scent from going out.
Then, he rolled out his sleeping bag and pillow, and then pulled out some small auto-mated turret's that fire at any animals, but no Mandalorian's. That took him five minutes.
Triko started to head deeper into the jungle, his Mandalorian Assault rifle out. He turned around, and shot a Kath Hound that was about to pounce on him. The Kath Hound fell on the ground, dead. Triko continued towards Gorog territory, where he plan's to kill a few Gorog's to gain some major points.
"So, Danis, what will you give us in defensive properties." "We will give you enough ship's to defend every planet you Mandalorian's have." "So, now you have enough fleet's to protect your planets, but now our ten planets. That sure is nice of you, and it sure does show me how much strength this clone army of yours has, but what about Rishi and Emrido? They were at war with you, and there are rumor's that they'll surrender to the Sith without even a fight."
"Will, we do need to have a major force to be able to defend ourselves against the Sith, and we'll make sure that doesn't happen." Mandalore pulled out a small disk, pressed a button, and then the number, 1000, appeared on it. "This is the least amount we're willing to pay. Now, is this too much, or too little?" Horuck was absolutely bored out of his mind. He knew that these peace treaties would be boring and take time, but he didn't know it was this boring.
Horuck spoke up, saying, "No offense, but I'm kinda bored. May I please search around?" Mandalore motioned towards the door, saying, "No offense taken. I know how boring these meetings must be. You may search around, but in your Mandalorian disguise. Also, I suggest you check out Praxis tower." Mandalore pointed at a tower that was seven stories high.
"You can see the entire city from up there. You can spend as much time as you want there." Horuck stood up, bowed, and then left the room with his helmet on. It took Horuck a good seven minutes before he reached the tower.
Horuck reached the door, and then pressed a button on the side of the door. The door slid open, and inside was a empty room. Horuck walked in, and started to walk around, looking for another room. There was one desk, with a lot of papers on it, and nothing else was in the room besides a few seats to sit on.
Horuck walked up to a elevator door, and pressed a button to the side of it. Horuck waited for five seconds before the door opened up. Inside the elevator was empty, and had some elevator music as well. Horuck walked into the elevator, and then pressed the button for the top floor.
Horuck watched as the door closed, and then felt something in the force. Something dark, and it was on the top floor. Horuck was ready to push the button that would eject the Lightsaber, but not quite doing so. Whatever was on the top floor, Horuck would be ready for it.
Triko panted heavily as he undid the lid on his cantina of water, and then took a sip from it. He took the cantina away, and then put it away. The smell of the three dead Gorog's behind him made Triko want to barf if he didn't have his helmet on.
Triko hated that he used up all six of his poison dart's to kill the three Gorog's, but was happy because now he had the most points in the game. His points were displayed on his visor, which were 3,000,000. "Hey, Triko!" Triko looked over, and saw Maxon approaching him.
"You know," Maxon started as he put his blaster away. "The whole point of the game is to kill as many animal's as possible. Since you killed these three Gorog's, it's going to be impossible to beat you now."
Triko walked over to Maxon, and then said, "Well, the whole point of this is to win, after all, and that is what I am going to do. A few more kill's here and there, and that should keep me in the lead."
Maxon put his hand on Triko's shoulder, saying, "I can't believe my little cry baby brother killed three Gorog's today. I'm so proud." Even though Maxon was wearing a helmet, Triko could tell that Maxon was smiling a big smile.
"Hey, Maxon, you shouldn't call me a cry baby. After all, I saved your ass from that nest of Garlian's on Garlo. Remember?" Maxon took his hand off his brother, saying, "I thought we promised not to bring that up again."
Triko pulled out his Mandalorian assault rifle, replying, "True, but you won't stop calling me the cry baby. So there." Maxon laughed, and then started to walk away. "Well, see ya later, Triko. I gotta try to look good instead of a loser compared to you."
Triko yelled, "But you already are a loser!" Maxon didn't reply. That was really typical of him. Triko turned around, and headed back towards his camp. When he was half way there, he stopped, and then ducked, a barrage of laser fire missing him.
Triko rolled into cover behind a rock, pulling out a Thermal detonator as he rolled into cover. Blaster fire surrounded the rock, trapping Triko behind the rock. "Triko, this is Maxon contacting you on your personnel communicator. Unknown enemies, probably cloaked, are attacking me. I need assistance!"
"Maxon, this is Triko. I'm in the same situation. Try contacting Mandalo…" "I've already tried. We only have short-range communications, and the enemies seem to be able to attack us without any one knowing it. I don't know how, but they must be using some sort of special camouflage machine to hide the area their in, making it look normal from the outside of the area. As far as we know, the entire coliseum could be covered in it."
Triko hated to admit it, but he was right. If the people in the stadium saw this, then sirens would be going off like crazy. "All right, so other than seeing, they must also have sound dampener's to block out the sound. So, are we to assume we're the only survivors?" "Possibly."
Triko heard Maxon chuckled, then say, "Just like that time back on Mandiblore." Triko smiled, then responded, "Yeah, but this time you're not crying and screaming like a little girl."
Sarli was walking down the hall of the great Jedi Temple, happy about the thirty-minute break Maryna gave her. Sarli and Maryna were training almost non-stop for a few hours, so they both were pretty exhausted.
Sarli stopped walking in front of a door that said, "Bane". Sarli knocked on the door, and then waited a few seconds before a woman with long, black hair, and had a 9-year old child at her side answered the door. The child smiled, saying, "Zarli! You're here!"
Sarli laughed as the girl ran up, and hugged one of Sarli's legs. "Yes, Katalana. I'm here, and my name's Sarli, not Zarli." Katalana looked up, a confused look on her face, replying, "Isn't that what I said?" Sarli giggled, and then looked up at her mother, Viera Bane.
"It's nice to meet you, Sarli. I heard a lot about you from Cron, like how you and Horuck are mates for life." Sarli's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "W-We're only friends! That's all! Just friends!"
Viera laughed, and then responded, "I know, I know. Cron didn't say that, but I just wanted to see your impression." Viera was Cron's wife, who was surprisingly human. It's surprising since Cron was a Wookie, so the two of them together really puzzled Sarli, but she didn't question it. Love was a strange thing, after all.
Viera and Cron decided to keep their relationship a secret, since many people would be against their love, but ever since the assault on Kavar, their secret has been exposed. Now Viera and Katalana both changed their last names to Bane.
Viera turned around, replying, "Come in, Sarli. I'll fix you up something to eat." Sarli graciously accepted the offer, and walked in, Katalana hugging her leg the whole time.
Sarli walked with Viera into the kitchen, and then saw something. "Where's Cron?" Viera looked back, replying, "He's been sent to defend Zal Ceerta in the front lines. If you ask me, that planet is dangerous enough without the Sith threat. I mean, there's all the dangerous predators, the quick sand, the fact that it is a swamp planet that is mostly misty all the time. I think that..." "Mommy!"
Viera looked down at her child, and saw her smiling. "Tell Zarli the great news! Tell her! No, wait! Can I tell her?" Viera smiled, and then said, "No, I'll tell her, Katalana. You go and get your gift I got you. I think it's time you open it."
Katalana's smile grew even wider, and then she ran off towards her room. Sarli watched her disappear, and then looked back at Viera. "So, what is it? What's the big news?" Viera blushed, and then replied, "Well, I know that this isn't the best time for something like this, but..."
Viera put her hand on her stomach, saying, "I'm a month pregnant." Sarli smiled, and then said, "Oh my gosh! That's amazing!" Viera looked up at Sarli, replying, "So, when will it happen?" Sarli had a confused look on her face at what Viera just said.
"When what will happen?" "Oh, come on, Sarli." Viera looked behind Sarli to see if Katalana was back, and saw that she wasn't. "When will you and Horuck get together?" Sarli blushed, and then replied, "What" "Sarli, we both know that if you want Horuck begging for you, all you have to do is show off a little cleavage."
Sarli's blush grew brighter than Tatooine's three sun's, and then replied, "I-I don't want Horuck to date me just to have sex with me!" Viera chuckled, and then said, "Come on, Sarli. All you have to do is show a little skin, and Horuck will be drooling over you!"
Sarli was about o say something, but was interrupted when Katalana said, "Zarli! Look over here!" Sarli looked back, and saw Katalana running up, a Lightsaber in hand. "Look what mommy got me!" Katalana said, and then activated the Lightsaber, a green blade coming out.
Viera and Sarli both smiled, Viera saying, "Now, Katalana, you be careful with that. I gave you that for self-defense, nothing else. Now, put it away before you hurt yourself, or someone else."
Katalana deactivated the Lighstaber, and then ran back to her room. Sarli looked back at Viera, saying, "Um, Viera, I have a question for you." "What is it, Sarli?" Sarli gulped, and then said, "H-Have you ever masturbated before?" Viera was caught off guard, but before she could respond, Sarli said, "I did yesterday, and I am trying to find someone who can help me find a way to control these feelings. Please tell me what to do."
Viera sighed, and then said, "Look, I did the same at one point about Cron, but here's what I did. I just started spending time with him, and then I didn't feel like masturbate anymore. I don't know if it works with everyone, but it did with me."
Viera looked at a clock as it beeped, and then said, "Oh, it's time I make Lunch. You wanna stay over for Lunch?" Sarli nodded, saying, "Sure, I would love that, and thanks for the help."
Horuck hated how long the elevator was taking. It's been a few minutes, and he still isn't at the top, but luckily he will soon. After a minute of waiting, the door opened up, and Horuck looked inside. The room he was in looked like the one downstairs, except for one thing.
It was small, but Horuck found it strange. It was a small red dot on the wall behind the counter. Horuck walked up the desk, and then stopped. He looked behind the desk, and his eyes widened when he saw a woman lying on the ground, her head cut off and a pool of blood around her.
Horuck pulled his com. Link out, and then said, "This is Horuck Falco calling Mandalore, do you read me?" Static was his response. "I repeat, this is Horuck Falco, calling Mandalore. Do you read me?" Static.
Horuck cursed, and then put the com. Link away. Horuck looked back at the elevator, and was about to head towards it, but stopped when he heard blaster fire. Horuck headed towards the sound of blaster fire, and stopped outside a door. Horuck peeked in, and gasped.
Five Mandalorian's with heavy repeaters were shooting at a man with a Lighstaber, and the color was red. What Horuck found weird about this Sith was that he had a blindfold on, and was fighting them off like he wasn't scared of dying.
He killed two of the Mandalorian's with one slice of his blade, cutting them in half. Horuck opened the door, and aimed his heavy blaster at the man, but before he could fire, the last three Mandalorian's were killed.
The man lunged at Horuck, who jumped over the man, doing a flip. When Horuck landed, he pressed the button on his armor, and the secret holster hiding his Lightsaber came out.
The Lightsaber flew into his hands, and then he activated it, his armor reflecting the blade's green light. "A Jedi? I guess I should've saw this coming. After all, Catta told me everything I need to know."
He got into a defensive position, saying, "Except of who you Jedi really are." Horuck didn't understand something about this Sith. How come he sounded so familiar? Was it because of the helmet Horuck was wearing? Did it make him sound different to Horuck?
No, that isn't right. Danis didn't sound any different, so then why did this Sith sound so familiar? The Sith lunged himself at Horuck who side stepped him. Horuck brought his Lightsaber up, trying to cut him in half, but his blade was blocked by the Sith's red blade.
The two of them exchanged blows, both trying to hit something vital, but their opponent blocked their attacks. Horuck ducked as the Sith tried to cut his head off, and then brought his Lightsaber in a wide arc, cutting off his head.
When the head fell to the ground, Horuck jumped to the side, barely avoiding a Sith Lightsaber blade. 'What? Is there two of them?' When Horuck landed, he looked to see his next opponent, but was surprised when he saw the one that almost killed him was the Sith's body.
What freaked Horuck out more was the fact the head was chuckling. "Wow. I never thought that you would be this tough. Oh well, I guess it's time I finally stop holding back."
The body picked up the head, and put it on the neck. A light shined out from the cut, and when it disappeared, the line was gone, and the Sith smiled. "Now I, Darth Whym, will stop holding back."
He lunged at Horuck, and tried to cut him in half in a vertical slice, but Horuck jumped back, missing the blade by almost a foot. When Horuck landed, he extended his hand, and Darth Whym went back a couple of feet. When he was about to lunge at Horuck again, he stopped when he heard, "DIE!" He looked behind him, and saw a Mandaorian with a SK-25 launcher, which was a type of rocket launcher, but had heat seeking and a scope on it. It also was a small explosion, so this was good for assassination attempts. If you want the assassination to be in a explosion, that is.
The man fired the SK-25, and hit Darth Whym, who turned his back on the Mandalorian. Fire engulfed Darth Whym, body part's flying everywhere. Horuck shielded his face with his arms from the shrapnel that flew from the blast, and was so happy he was out of the blast range.
When everything calmed down, Horuck looked at the scene. It was a bloody mess everywhere. Horuck stood up, and looked at the Mandalorian that fired the shot. He was wearing normal Mandalorian armor, the color being green and black.
Before Horuck could thank him, he shielded his eyes when a bright light conquered the room. It lasted for a few seconds only, but if it wasn't for the helmet Horuck was wearing, he would be blind.
When the light disappeared, Horuck looked at what caused it. His eye's widened in surprise. Right there, standing in front of him, was Darth Whym, his Lightsaber active.
The Mandalorian tried to reload his SK-25, Darth Whym threw his Lightsaber, cutting the Mandalorian in half. Horuck saw his chance! Horuck lunged at Darth Whym. And then tried to cut him in half. It won't stop him, but it will definitely slow him down.
Darth Whym's Lightsaber came back in his hand, and then he swung around, blocking the Lightsaber. Darth Whym pushed Horuck back, and then started to unleash attack after attack.
Horuck blocked each of the attacks, barely being able to keep up with the Sith. Darth Whym striked again, but instead of unleashing another strike, he used the force to send Horuck against the wall.
Horuck landed on the ground, his helmet rolling off. Horuck started to stand up, his body feeling a little bit weak. Horuck looked up at Darth Whym, seeing a shock of surprise on his face.
"Y-You're Horuck Falco. Am I correct?" Horuck nodded, as he stood up the whole way. "Yeah, I am, but you can call me your worst nightmare." 'Just as soon as I find out how to beat this guy. He's survived a explosion, even though he was blown apart to different area's to the room, and also a beheading! Also, who knows how many times he was hit with the blaster bolts, so I can't use those moves, maybe... That's it! I think I know how to kill him!'
Horuck was about to lunge, but stopped dead in his tracks when Darth Whym said, "I can't believe that we meet again, brother." Horuck's eye's widened in surprise. 'What? Brother? No... no, that's impossible! But he does sound familiar... is it possible that this man is my brother, Galen?'
To Be continued in # 9 the battle for Mandalore
