Disclaimer: I do not own star wars or any of its character and while plot points are from various RPG games I take no credit for their origins only of their application in the story therein. This a labor of love and not for profit though if Disney or Lucas Arts would like to hire my creative brain I'd be more then happy to drop everything and come running.

Episode 4: Mandalorian Captain

Chapter 35: Past is Present

Pybus: Outside the remains of Vortga's Palace:

The moment the rocket had left his gauntlet Gaegan had regretted the choice. He'd hunted Jarek on multiple planets and across countless lightyears to exact his revenge. The use of a long distance explosive ordinance had felt too...quick. He wanted to be up close, preferably with a knife to see the look in Jarek's eyes. Haar'chak, he'd practically fantasized about the moment that the Dar'Manda would realize it was Gaegan who'd tracked him down. He wanted to watch as the life ebbed out of the mongrel's body. To savor it. To relish the moment the Outcast realized how it felt to be beaten by a true Mandalorian.

Alas Myler's warnings about not underestimating their opponent had somehow won out over his stubborn determination. Jarek was in the open and distracted by the mercenaries. It was nothing short of a perfect ambush opportunity. Despite the missed opportunity, Gaegan couldn't deny the thrill he felt when the explosion shattered the ground beneath Jarek's feet. Neither could he dispute the joy of watching his body be enveloped by fire and death. Even more satisfying was the sight of his limp corpse flying through the air into some nearby ruins.

Still, Gaegan would've preferred to finish things up close and personal. Perhaps even relieve Jarek of one of his eyes. The same way he'd done to Gaegan. Myler would be upset of course at not taking Jarek back alive. As if Jarek would ever let that happen. The older Mandalorian would also be upset at Gaegan for going off on his own, but the results spoke for themselves. Jarek was dead. Ja'Halir would care less about how it was done, only that it was.

Now all that was left was the cleanup. It wasn't necessary to kill the crew and mercs. The mission was over. He could gather up his team, board their stashed shuttle and be off the rock and no one would ever be the wiser. But where was the fun in that? Besides, it would make Gaegan feel better about not being able to cut out Jarek's eye.

The Mercenaries had been shocked into inaction by the Mandalorian's sudden attack and subsequently blusterous entrance. That surprise was quickly starting to wear off. While the crew of the Outcast had fallen back, the Mercenaries were drawing themselves up around their speeders.

A grunt and gesture from Daxos revealed the Merc's intentions. The Barabel and his few remaining fighters stood behind their cover. At a shout from their leader, the Red Pact opened fire on the trio. A majority of the bolts were absorbed by the partial cover offered by the ruins. The few that got through glanced harmlessly off their beskar plating.

"C'mon boys, that just tickles," Thalen joked. Gaegan didn't have to see it, to know a savage grin had dawned her face. Or perhaps he was projecting his own feelings. He was certainly enjoying the rush the battle was giving him.

Not wanting to waste any more time Gaegan, using his HUD, tagged both speeders. He sent the information to his comrades. "Rockets! Now!" Both Watchers' targeting arrays lowered, before taking a wide stance.

"Gonna wipe out ever last scum lot of you!" Daxos called out excitedly.

The tags pinged red and a second later a single rocket launched from both Mandalorian's jetpacks. The blaster-fire ceased as the mercs watched the twin plumes of exhaust shoot up into the crisp blue sky. Curiosity was quickly replaced by horror as the pair of silver warheads reached the apex of their parabola before arching back earthward.

The Barabel opened his mouth to issue either a curse or an order, but never got the chance. Before the first syllable could pass his lips the rockets struck their respective targets. The chassis expanded as the fuel ignited and power-cells detonated. Each speeder erupted in a chaotic mass of smoke and fire engulfing anyone foolish enough to be nearby. The mercenaries who weren't immediately consumed were eviscerated by the shrapnel.

The concussive wave caused by the blast had barely faded before Gaegan returned his attention to the matter at hand. Though the mercenaries were dealt with and the target executed, the mission wasn't complete until a body was presented to Ja'halir.

"And a body he shall have," he said to himself. His cybernetic eye practically hummed with glee. Finally, he had his revenge on that filthy Dar'Manda. He'd proven he was the better Mandalorian.

Onboard the Outcast:

"Say again, love?" Madlyn called out. She was currently bobbing and weaving through the craggy spires of the mountain range. Any transmissions from the crew that got through the monolithic structures were spotty at best. She'd caught Slick's initial words of '-under attack!-" But the rest was lost in static. In order to obtain a clear signal, Madyln would have to gain altitude. Unfortunately every time she so much as stuck her nose out above the ridgeline their pursuers tried to shoot it off.

The other pilot hadn't fallen for her trick to draw them into the endless canyons of the mountain range and lose them amidst the treacherous stone outcroppings. Instead, they'd remained at a safe altitude raining down blaster-fire on the freighter effectively trapping her. And why not? What sane pilot would risk her ship and crew in some hair-brained pursuit through the labyrinthian mountain range. Not when they could safely cruise at a safe altitude, wait for an opening, and fire-at-will.

If Madlyn was being honest with herself...she hadn't considered that reaction. A mistake that could potentially cost her everything.

Tersen had been no help; issuing more curse words and screams then helpful advice. Rather than exchange futile blaster-fire with the enemy ship, the Lannik had opted instead to augment their engine's power output. The results spoke for themselves. Particle shields were working like a charm. The maneuvering thrusters had been enhanced so that the freighter was as nimble as a womp-rat. The extra edge had allowed the ship to shrug off glancing blows from the blasters and falling rubble. The augmentations had also helped her gain even more of a lead. It wasn't much, just enough to give her room to think and allow her to get a clear transmission from the others.

As she waited for a signal she thought on her next move. Somehow she had to shake the craft. More importantly, she needed to get closer so as to bring her forward gun to bare. The ventral/dorsal mounted Taim & Bak dual medium laser cannon turrets were great against meteors and lightly shielded fighters but they'd barely tickled the pursuit craft. The ArMek SW-6 Heavy Ion Cannon; mounted below the chin, however, would make short work of their shields and shred their hull.

Perhaps she would follow up with the Arakyd Flex Tube Proton Torpedo Launchers mounted port and starboard. The torpedos had been collecting dust since they'd seized the freighter what seemed like ages ago. The crew had been considering selling them at the next port-of-call. She was grateful they'd procrastinated. At the moment they were practically begging to be used.

Just then her commlink jumped to life, but what she heard was anything but assuring.

"We need extraction now! Jarek is down!" The words jarred something deep within Madlyn. It was partly concern for the wellbeing of her friend, but another part that was annoyed he had gotten them into more trouble then they could handle. She'd sworn she'd do whatever it took to keep her crew safe and that damned Mandalorian and Era's treasure hunt were making it hard to keep that promise.

The second epiphany of the day struck her. "That's it!" She crowed excitedly.

"That's what?" Tersen asked over the commlink before squealing in surprise as Madlyn yanked back on the throttle while simultaneously hitting the reverse thrusters. She whipped the Outcast around and started angling her way back towards their pursuers.

The Alderanni had been flying in an attempt to escape the strange craft, but no amount of fancy maneuvers had worked. The other pilot had predicted every move and reacted with the patient grace of a bird of prey. If the opposing ship's job was to keep her busy or shoot her down than she had an obligation to make his job all the harder.

Onboard the Ruusan:

"Haar'chak Gaegan!" Myler hissed under his breath even as he stood motionless on the bridge in full beskar'gam. Not for the first time he was grateful for the anonymity the buy'ce provided. It helped to conceal his growing irritation at the brash young Mandalorian. In their briefest of acquaintances he'd discovered the whelp to be immature, hotheaded, and self-entitled. After the events of the last twenty-four hours, he would add hypocritical to the list.

Hadn't the little di'kutla chastised him for underestimating their quarry upon their first meeting? And now Myler found himself at his heels doing his best to catch up and was now forced to clean up the mess he'd left behind. If he hadn't needed the resources of the Watch so bad he would've shot the chakaar back on Tatooine.

The moment the Ruusaan had exited hyperspace they'd instantly pinged a ship in orbit. The ship had been quickly identified as the freighter operated by Jarek and his crew. It had been a slow slog catching up. While the bartender at the Orange lady had been more than willing to pass along Gaegan's whereabouts the owner of the Pearl had hesitated. Not that he hadn't wanted to help it simply took him a while to give them the proper coordinates to get to Pybus. The trip along the "Dead Road" had lived up to its name. Several times they'd had to make last-minute course corrections in order to avoid falling prey to one of the many hazards that plagued the route.

Now they had the Outcast by the throat; trapped in the maw of a mountain range that would surely claim the pilot's life and that of the ship. The moment the Outcast had confirmed its identity and a bio-scan revealed only a human female and Lannik male were on board he'd immediately ordered an attack.

The freighter pilot, the Alderanni, had proven herself capable at evading them, but the Ruusaan's own pilot had proven himself equal to the task. He'd not fallen for Madlyn Kallos' attempts to draw them into the mountains and use her smaller ship's maneuverability to its full advantage. He simply stalked them from above and fired whenever a target presented itself. After several direct hits, the freighter had not attempted to show itself, though scans revealed it was still somewhere below.

Once the Outcast was destroyed, Jarek and his remaining crew would be trapped on the moon. If Gaegen didn't make good on his vengeance, Myler would take to the hunt himself. It would be good to see if his son had remembered his childhood lessons.

As if transmitted from a holoprojector onto his visor those memories came unbidden. He recalled several moments during the time that Jarek had been training for the verd'goten. It felt like a lifetime ago. Ever more profound they felt like they'd happened to someone else. He recalled the young boy collapsing during an arduous hike with a heavy pack weighing down his shoulders. He remembered the many times he'd put the youth on his backside during combatives training. And even though he wasn't there he could clearly see Jarek plummeting into the darkness of that cistern so many years ago.

Jarek Orion had stumbled, fallen, staggered, slipped, and collapsed so many times during those years of training. More times then Myler could count and yet...each and every time, Jarek-his son-had risen back up. That moment he had pulled his tiny seven-cycle-old body from the cave with barely a scratch he'd been so relieved. Inwardly he'd also been-was-so proud of him. He'd fallen into darkness and not only survived...he'd risen.

"Al'verde, look!"

The alarmed voice shook Myler out of her memory and he cursed himself for his inattention. He must be getting absentminded in his old age. When it came to his adopted son it seemed his mind liked to wander from the task at hand.

The Outcast had changed course. At first, it had been content to put as much distance between itself and the Ruusaan. Now it was weaving back through the mountains. Unfortunately, the rocky peaks that hindered the freighters ability to communicate with its crew also played havoc with their scanners. One moment the Outcast was maneuvering through a canyon, the next it exploded out of the cloud layer in a spray of water crystals not even ten kilometers from the bow the Ruusaan.

"Kaysh mirsh solus!" The copilot stated even as he struggled to zero his weapons on the fleeing vessel. Suddenly the freighter reoriented so fast Myler thought he saw hull plating sheer off and then-

"Pare!" the pilot shouted yanking the control stick. Myler barely had enough time to grip the bulkhead to keep himself from being thrown to the deck. The Outcast had spun on its axis and rocketed directly at the Ruusaan. The ships had passed so close that the shields along the entire port side had flared with impact alarms. It had been to close to use any weapons systems but that hadn't been the intent of Kallos. Nor had her desire been to ram the larger ship. No, her plan was much more cunning.

"The Outcast is on our tail!" the pilot yelled quickly hitting the accelerator. On the console, Myler could clearly make out the freighter's signature less than a kilometer behind the Ruusaan. The pilot was desperately trying to put some distance between them at what had been their prey, but it wouldn't be enough. The older man knew what was about to happen before the copilot even spoke.

"Weapon's locke!"

A split second after the warning the Ruusaan shook with violence that no amount of bracing could help keep him on his feet. Looking up from his prone position he saw the co-pilot slumped in his chair and the pilot still working the controls. Without thinking he rose and removed the co-pilot and took his place.

"We're hit!" the pilot explained worry etched into his voice, "Weapons down, and shields are at a minimum."

Checking his monitors Myle took note of the status of the engines. There was a fire in the engine compartment but so far the suppressors were keeping it in check. Still, the loss in power was causing the Ruusaan to lose altitude. "We're losing power," he declared "we won't be able to take another hit like that." Judging from the extent of the damage the Outcast must've hit them with something a lot more powerful then blasters.

As he spoke two more Mandalorians rushed in, one in full armor, the other carrying a satchel of tools. Without prompting the mechanic slid under the pilot's station and set to work. "I can keep us from crashing," she declared even as he had worked on a damaged coupling, "But not if that freighter takes another shot."

With weapons down and shields failing, Myler wasn't seeing many options. The pilot was making a glorious effort at preventing the Outcast from getting a clean shot, but it was half-measure at best. With limited options, it looked as if an emergency landing was their only course of action. That was until he spotted the Mandalorian that had accompanied the mechanic onto the bridge.

The second Mandalorian he noted that she was a female, and her armor was deep crimson trimmed in white. She was armed and armored for combat with a jetpack attached as well. She must've been readying herself for the hunt and hadn't expected to be involved in a dogfight.

Myler hoped she was up for a boarding action at least. It might mean the difference between the Ruusaan landing or crashing.