Chapter VII - Mandalorian Messenger
"Uh, do you realize those stealth troopers are right on your tail?" asked Cody, glancing nervously behind.
"For the eleventh time, Cody, I have known they are behind us for the past half hour," Anakin sighed.
Star City was peaceful for a change. Stellar-Con had been over for a week. The Eye of the Storm was in full swing. Except for Austin and Liberty, who were honeymooning in Florida, and Trapper, who was currently in Chicago with his mother, most of Vader's Elite was at home. It was a lazy summer day, perfect for a stroll, and Cody, Amethyst, and Anakin were taking advantage of the glorious weather to do so.
It would have been perfect if the stealth troopers hadn't demanded to accompany them. Anakin silently wished something would attack and off the guards just so he could have a little peace.
"So how're things with the younglings?" asked Amethyst.
"I declared today a free day so I could have a break," Anakin answered. "Brigham volunteered to watch them."
"He'll convert 'em all to Mormonism," teased Cody.
"Actually, he'll be a great babysitter," Amethyst defended. "One of his first church jobs was teaching Primary -- that's Mormon Sunday School for kids, he told me."
"Is being a Jedi against their religion?" asked Cody.
"Search me."
A Jedi-dress Luke Skywalker impostor and an AT-AT pilot walked out of the Leapfrog Diner at that moment, nearly running into Anakin.
"Excuse us," the Skywalker wannabe mumbled.
"Hey, isn't he..." began the pilot.
"You know what, he isn't," Amethyst cut in. "Dave here just gets that so much, being as big as he is. It's rather annoying."
"I can imagine," the fake Luke noted sympathetically. "I look a lot like Mark Hamill and get teased a lot for it. Nice costume, by the way."
"Geeks are so gullible," Cody giggled as the two went on their way.
"At least it's the Eye of the Storm and I can pull that off," Anakin replied. "The rest of the year I'm at the Stargeeks' mercy."
"Hey, has Luke called?" asked Amethyst.
"Once. He believes a Jedi might be behind the pirate attack."
"A Jedi?" she repeated. "You mean one besides Yoda and Obi-wan survived?"
"Well, the son of a Jedi, anyway. He thinks the pirate leader wants revenge for my role in the death of his mother, though how his plan involves harassing some out-of-the-way world is unclear."
Amethyst shrugged. "Maybe he needs provisions for a war effort against Earth."
"Honey, you coulda gone all day without saying that!" Cody exclaimed.
"Oh, calm down, dear. Or have you been watching another cheapo alien invasion film?"
"Listen, Mary Poppins, just 'cause I saw 'Plan 9 From Outer Space' again last night doesn't mean I'm going paranoid or anythi..."
A Boba Fett impostor emerged from the alleyway behind the Leapfrog at that moment, pointed a blaster rifle their way, and fired. The shot was a deliberate miss that hit the concrete at Cody's feet. His spiel terminated in a high-pitched shriek as he tried his hardest to climb up Anakin.
"What the..." demanded Amethyst.
Immediately the stealth troopers clustered around the three of them, guns trained on their attacker.
"Don't shoot," the man rasped. "I have a message for Mr. Skywalker."
"Stand aside," ordered Anakin. "Get off of me, Cody."
Teeth chattering, Cody complied, and the troopers parted to let Anakin get a good look at their assailant.
At first glance he appeared to be simply another Fett imitation, something fairly common here during the Eye of the Storm. But the color of his armor was wrong -- metallic blue, with a green-edged T-slit in the visor and a darker green bodyglove beneath the armor. A ragged tan cloak was flung over one shoulder, and a vibroblade with a twenty-centimeter blade hung from his belt. Other weapons were visible on his arms, legs, and belt, and Anakin was sure more were concealed from view. Even more disturbingly, on each shoulder he wore a band emblazoned with the dragon-starburst crest of Kruvex.
"You're a Mandalorian," he noted, gripping his lightsaber.
"Obviously," the man declared. "You may call me by my mission's code name, Claw."
"Then the Mandalorians have joined the pirates in their siege," Anakin replied, more stating a fact than anything.
"We have," Claw replied, "though not for their leader's cause. We are receiving payment for our troubles."
The two geeks from the Leapfrog pointed at the standoff, gawking. Soon a crowd was gathering to witness the altercation. Anakin hoped Claw wouldn't attack, but if he did, he hoped no civilians would be injured in the fray.
"Why are you here?" he demanded.
Claw lowered his rifle. "Because we have learned the full nature of our mission, and one of our number had died for betraying that information."
Anakin was at once attentive. "Go on."
"I cannot give full details, as I, like my comrades, am sworn to secrecy on pain of death. My sister, code-name Venom, was captured by the Jedi, and our employer murdered her when she revealed too much." There was a jerk of movement in Claw's neck as he swallowed hard. "I would like to avoid such a fate, so I, too, must keep the vow."
Anakin suppressed an impatient snarl. He could understand the mercenary's reluctance, but it still irked him to be so close to a source of information and yet so far.
"I can, however, tell you this much -- your son is in mortal peril if he and his students remain on the planet. I came to warn you, for unlike pirates, Mandalorians have a sense of honor. And though we dislike the Jedi -- " and his tone made it perfectly clear that the warriors more than simply disliked the Order, " -- we have no wish to see them exterminated a second time. The galaxy nearly self-destructed the first time the Order died out. A second extinction might destroy us all.
"My advice would be to take one of two courses of action. Call Luke back from his mission and send him back to the safety of his Academy, then let the Republic deal with the pirate issue. Or give yourself over to my employer to end the conflict and save your son. Either way, act fast. My employer grows impatient, and it will not be long before he hurries his plans along."
Anakin nodded. "I am most grateful for your warning, sir. You may go."
Claw gave a respectful bow. "May the Force be with you." He spun on his heel and strode briskly into the Leapfrog.
"All right, back off people, nothing more to see here!" shouted Amethyst, shooing the crowd away. "Move along, move along."
"Dude, what was that all about?" asked Cody.
"It was a warning, never mind the source," Anakin replied. "And I'd be a fool not to act on it. I'm going home and calling Luke."
"No!" Luke exclaimed firmly over the holocomm.
"Luke..." began Anakin.
"The Republic Army's been trying to do something about these pirates, and they haven't been able to stop it," Luke continued. "That's why we were sent here. I can't stop the mission now. We have to help these people!"
"If it came down to losing Tatooine or losing the New Jedi Order, I would rather lose Tatooine," Anakin replied.
"Aren't you overreacting, Father? It WAS a Mandalorian that told you all this, and they're in league with the pirates, you know."
"We won't discuss overreaction," Anakin shot back. "Those thrice-blasted stealth troopers of yours nearly killed my informant before I could question him."
Luke gave a mock scowl. "Don't make me come back there and assign more troops to keep you in line."
"Oh, I'm afraid," Anakin replied blandly.
Luke laughed.
"Look," Anakin went on, "I sensed no deception in the man. And he has every reason to hate the pirates. Their leader killed his sister."
"Sister... she must have been the one we questioned!"
"Yes. There is truth in his words. You're in great danger, Luke. You must leave Tatooine."
"I can't. I'm sworn to protect these people."
"Luke, I will NOT lose you! If I weren't in exile, I'd go as far as turning myself in to the pirates to ensure no harm came to you."
"And I'm not going to lose YOU, not again! You're going to stay right there until we've sorted this mess out! On my orders as well as Mace Windu's!"
Anakin's phone rang.
"I can't stop you, Luke, even though I dislike what you're doing," he growled. "But swear you'll be very careful." He picked up the receiver. "Skywalker."
"Better turn on the TV, Anakin," Mrs. Hendrix said from the other end of the line. "Channel four, the news just started. Somethin' you need to see."
"That bad, is it?" He picked up the remote and activated the device.
"Just thought you'd wanna know," she explained, then hung up.
"What's going on?" asked Luke.
Anakin turned the holocam on the projector so Luke could see the screen.
"An innocent science fiction party at a Star City dance hall turned deadly this evening when an injured, unidentified man died on the floor," reported the newscaster. "Witnesses say the man, who was wearing battle armor similar to that of resident bounty hunter Boba Fett, staggered into the building acting delirious and confused before collapsing. Although CPR was performed immediately, he was pronounced dead on arrival at the Star City Medical Center."
"Claw," Anakin realized. "It had to be Claw."
"Paramedics at the scene say the man's confusion was most likely caused by excessive blood loss," the reporter continued. "Official autopsy reports will not be released until tomorrow afternoon, but paramedics say it appeared that the man's injuries were inflicted by a knife or claws. Anyone with information regarding this man's identity or the identity of his assailant is encouraged to contact the White Deer County Sherrif's Department."
"Evidently he said too much," Luke said gravely as Anakin turned off the set.
"Yet not enough," Anakin replied. "He did us a great service, yet we still don't know what our Kruvexian friend hopes to accomplish by brutalizing Tatooine."
"I have a feeling we'll soon find out."
"Uh, do you realize those stealth troopers are right on your tail?" asked Cody, glancing nervously behind.
"For the eleventh time, Cody, I have known they are behind us for the past half hour," Anakin sighed.
Star City was peaceful for a change. Stellar-Con had been over for a week. The Eye of the Storm was in full swing. Except for Austin and Liberty, who were honeymooning in Florida, and Trapper, who was currently in Chicago with his mother, most of Vader's Elite was at home. It was a lazy summer day, perfect for a stroll, and Cody, Amethyst, and Anakin were taking advantage of the glorious weather to do so.
It would have been perfect if the stealth troopers hadn't demanded to accompany them. Anakin silently wished something would attack and off the guards just so he could have a little peace.
"So how're things with the younglings?" asked Amethyst.
"I declared today a free day so I could have a break," Anakin answered. "Brigham volunteered to watch them."
"He'll convert 'em all to Mormonism," teased Cody.
"Actually, he'll be a great babysitter," Amethyst defended. "One of his first church jobs was teaching Primary -- that's Mormon Sunday School for kids, he told me."
"Is being a Jedi against their religion?" asked Cody.
"Search me."
A Jedi-dress Luke Skywalker impostor and an AT-AT pilot walked out of the Leapfrog Diner at that moment, nearly running into Anakin.
"Excuse us," the Skywalker wannabe mumbled.
"Hey, isn't he..." began the pilot.
"You know what, he isn't," Amethyst cut in. "Dave here just gets that so much, being as big as he is. It's rather annoying."
"I can imagine," the fake Luke noted sympathetically. "I look a lot like Mark Hamill and get teased a lot for it. Nice costume, by the way."
"Geeks are so gullible," Cody giggled as the two went on their way.
"At least it's the Eye of the Storm and I can pull that off," Anakin replied. "The rest of the year I'm at the Stargeeks' mercy."
"Hey, has Luke called?" asked Amethyst.
"Once. He believes a Jedi might be behind the pirate attack."
"A Jedi?" she repeated. "You mean one besides Yoda and Obi-wan survived?"
"Well, the son of a Jedi, anyway. He thinks the pirate leader wants revenge for my role in the death of his mother, though how his plan involves harassing some out-of-the-way world is unclear."
Amethyst shrugged. "Maybe he needs provisions for a war effort against Earth."
"Honey, you coulda gone all day without saying that!" Cody exclaimed.
"Oh, calm down, dear. Or have you been watching another cheapo alien invasion film?"
"Listen, Mary Poppins, just 'cause I saw 'Plan 9 From Outer Space' again last night doesn't mean I'm going paranoid or anythi..."
A Boba Fett impostor emerged from the alleyway behind the Leapfrog at that moment, pointed a blaster rifle their way, and fired. The shot was a deliberate miss that hit the concrete at Cody's feet. His spiel terminated in a high-pitched shriek as he tried his hardest to climb up Anakin.
"What the..." demanded Amethyst.
Immediately the stealth troopers clustered around the three of them, guns trained on their attacker.
"Don't shoot," the man rasped. "I have a message for Mr. Skywalker."
"Stand aside," ordered Anakin. "Get off of me, Cody."
Teeth chattering, Cody complied, and the troopers parted to let Anakin get a good look at their assailant.
At first glance he appeared to be simply another Fett imitation, something fairly common here during the Eye of the Storm. But the color of his armor was wrong -- metallic blue, with a green-edged T-slit in the visor and a darker green bodyglove beneath the armor. A ragged tan cloak was flung over one shoulder, and a vibroblade with a twenty-centimeter blade hung from his belt. Other weapons were visible on his arms, legs, and belt, and Anakin was sure more were concealed from view. Even more disturbingly, on each shoulder he wore a band emblazoned with the dragon-starburst crest of Kruvex.
"You're a Mandalorian," he noted, gripping his lightsaber.
"Obviously," the man declared. "You may call me by my mission's code name, Claw."
"Then the Mandalorians have joined the pirates in their siege," Anakin replied, more stating a fact than anything.
"We have," Claw replied, "though not for their leader's cause. We are receiving payment for our troubles."
The two geeks from the Leapfrog pointed at the standoff, gawking. Soon a crowd was gathering to witness the altercation. Anakin hoped Claw wouldn't attack, but if he did, he hoped no civilians would be injured in the fray.
"Why are you here?" he demanded.
Claw lowered his rifle. "Because we have learned the full nature of our mission, and one of our number had died for betraying that information."
Anakin was at once attentive. "Go on."
"I cannot give full details, as I, like my comrades, am sworn to secrecy on pain of death. My sister, code-name Venom, was captured by the Jedi, and our employer murdered her when she revealed too much." There was a jerk of movement in Claw's neck as he swallowed hard. "I would like to avoid such a fate, so I, too, must keep the vow."
Anakin suppressed an impatient snarl. He could understand the mercenary's reluctance, but it still irked him to be so close to a source of information and yet so far.
"I can, however, tell you this much -- your son is in mortal peril if he and his students remain on the planet. I came to warn you, for unlike pirates, Mandalorians have a sense of honor. And though we dislike the Jedi -- " and his tone made it perfectly clear that the warriors more than simply disliked the Order, " -- we have no wish to see them exterminated a second time. The galaxy nearly self-destructed the first time the Order died out. A second extinction might destroy us all.
"My advice would be to take one of two courses of action. Call Luke back from his mission and send him back to the safety of his Academy, then let the Republic deal with the pirate issue. Or give yourself over to my employer to end the conflict and save your son. Either way, act fast. My employer grows impatient, and it will not be long before he hurries his plans along."
Anakin nodded. "I am most grateful for your warning, sir. You may go."
Claw gave a respectful bow. "May the Force be with you." He spun on his heel and strode briskly into the Leapfrog.
"All right, back off people, nothing more to see here!" shouted Amethyst, shooing the crowd away. "Move along, move along."
"Dude, what was that all about?" asked Cody.
"It was a warning, never mind the source," Anakin replied. "And I'd be a fool not to act on it. I'm going home and calling Luke."
"No!" Luke exclaimed firmly over the holocomm.
"Luke..." began Anakin.
"The Republic Army's been trying to do something about these pirates, and they haven't been able to stop it," Luke continued. "That's why we were sent here. I can't stop the mission now. We have to help these people!"
"If it came down to losing Tatooine or losing the New Jedi Order, I would rather lose Tatooine," Anakin replied.
"Aren't you overreacting, Father? It WAS a Mandalorian that told you all this, and they're in league with the pirates, you know."
"We won't discuss overreaction," Anakin shot back. "Those thrice-blasted stealth troopers of yours nearly killed my informant before I could question him."
Luke gave a mock scowl. "Don't make me come back there and assign more troops to keep you in line."
"Oh, I'm afraid," Anakin replied blandly.
Luke laughed.
"Look," Anakin went on, "I sensed no deception in the man. And he has every reason to hate the pirates. Their leader killed his sister."
"Sister... she must have been the one we questioned!"
"Yes. There is truth in his words. You're in great danger, Luke. You must leave Tatooine."
"I can't. I'm sworn to protect these people."
"Luke, I will NOT lose you! If I weren't in exile, I'd go as far as turning myself in to the pirates to ensure no harm came to you."
"And I'm not going to lose YOU, not again! You're going to stay right there until we've sorted this mess out! On my orders as well as Mace Windu's!"
Anakin's phone rang.
"I can't stop you, Luke, even though I dislike what you're doing," he growled. "But swear you'll be very careful." He picked up the receiver. "Skywalker."
"Better turn on the TV, Anakin," Mrs. Hendrix said from the other end of the line. "Channel four, the news just started. Somethin' you need to see."
"That bad, is it?" He picked up the remote and activated the device.
"Just thought you'd wanna know," she explained, then hung up.
"What's going on?" asked Luke.
Anakin turned the holocam on the projector so Luke could see the screen.
"An innocent science fiction party at a Star City dance hall turned deadly this evening when an injured, unidentified man died on the floor," reported the newscaster. "Witnesses say the man, who was wearing battle armor similar to that of resident bounty hunter Boba Fett, staggered into the building acting delirious and confused before collapsing. Although CPR was performed immediately, he was pronounced dead on arrival at the Star City Medical Center."
"Claw," Anakin realized. "It had to be Claw."
"Paramedics at the scene say the man's confusion was most likely caused by excessive blood loss," the reporter continued. "Official autopsy reports will not be released until tomorrow afternoon, but paramedics say it appeared that the man's injuries were inflicted by a knife or claws. Anyone with information regarding this man's identity or the identity of his assailant is encouraged to contact the White Deer County Sherrif's Department."
"Evidently he said too much," Luke said gravely as Anakin turned off the set.
"Yet not enough," Anakin replied. "He did us a great service, yet we still don't know what our Kruvexian friend hopes to accomplish by brutalizing Tatooine."
"I have a feeling we'll soon find out."