Challenge Set Ten:
46. Captain
Fire rained down from the sky. Soontir glanced at the captain on his right. The man stood rigidly, eyes wide at the destruction.
"Jade did that?" the captain asked.
"Yes," Soontir replied as another tower from the Hand of Thrawn collapsed.
"Was this a…failure?" the captain asked with trepidation.
"Yes, Captain Raine, it was. Take this lesson to heart. Never underestimate a Jedi."
"She did prove that her skills were more than adequate," Raine quipped.
Soontir grinned bitterly, "Yes, she did."
Soontir and Raine stayed standing on the hill, watching the fire eat the building. Tomorrow they would move on.
47. Pilot
Twist. Roll. Bank right. Bank left. Dodge. Loop. Shoot. Repeat.
Not die.
Soontir wasn't stupid. He knew how few TIE pilots made it to age 30. He was determined not to be another number to the loss. He had survived this long because he was the best. It was not foolish pride. That would get him killed. It was a simple fact.
Lasers sliced through space. Soontir expertly maneuvered away from them, not even taking a scratch. He looped around behind his assailant, locked him in the crosshairs and fired. Soontir flew away before the debris cooled.
He would survive.
48. Mechanic
He was a mechanic. He had red-gold hair and blue eyes. His muscular arms were tanned from working in the sun. His right shoulder had a circular scar. His pants were ripped and covered in grease. A half-empty bottle of whiskey sat next to his toolbox. He was seated on a crate, adjusting some part in his hands.
He was exactly the type of man her father would disapprove of, Cherith thought. She wondered where he had come from. Few humans were at this base.
She smoothed her hair, straightened her uniform and walked over to him.
"Hi, I'm Cherith."
49. Mercenary
Davin hated playing mercenaries, but for some reason, it was Chak's favorite game. It was his turn to choose what they would play. Chak chose Davin to be one of the mercenaries out of spite, he thought. Jagged and Cherith were either mercenaries or the law enforcement, depending on their mood. Or depending on what Chak and Davin had done to them recently.
Davin hated the game because mercenaries were worse than bad guys. They didn't have principles. They just went wherever the money was. Davin found it selfish. He didn't understand what Chak loved so much about the game.
50. Serenity
The calm, cool sea air soothed Syal's frayed nerves. Tomorrow she was leaving to become an actress. She didn't know how long it would be before she would be able to see her home again. She wanted to capture the smell in a bottle and take it with her. The beaches of Corellia were beautiful and dangerous. As a child, she had had a difficult time believing how something so beautiful could be so harmful. Part of her still didn't believe it.
She closed her eyes and tilted her head back to inhale the salty air. The future was here.