A Mercenary's Tale – Chapter Nine
That scoundrel..
"You took your time," Maria muttered in my direction. I just blinked my eyes in total disbelief.
"You're dead! I saw you die!" I exclaimed. Maria shook her head and grinned.
"I'm a mastermind, Jaro. What you saw is-," Maria replied, I didn't give her the chance to finish.
"I saw you DIE, you-," I exclaimed, but was abruptly cut off.
"Let her speak!" Rivu said impatiently. Maria glanced at Rivu, nodded in her direction and redirected her eyes towards me.
"There was no way out, Jaro. One of us had to die and I chose that person to be me. Except, I was cleverer than that. The wound you gave me with your vibroblade wasn't enough to kill me." Maria shook her head gently and I watched as she fumbled around in her pockets, "I used this." She said, throwing a hypodermic in my direction. The hypodermic fell on the metal barred floor with a clatter, between my black booted feet. I lowered my head and stared down at it, bending down to pick it up. I raised it up to my face and gazed at it in the light.
"I don't get it, what am I supposed to say.." I said, as I twiddled with the hypoderm in the artificial light, watching as the light glinted off the transparent cylinder.
"Nothing. How about you let me explain?" Maria asked, sarcastically. It was obvious she was back to her old self.
"Oh well, I was hoping the shock may change your attitude problem." I replied as I walked over to the rounded table, placing the hypodermic down on it. Maria just grinned at me, seemingly victorious. "Well, I didn't find your little antics very funny, Maria." I told her, frowning at her.
"Scared that you almost lost the most amazing woman in the galaxy for a moment?" She asked me, and in my mood, I couldn't let that one go. I was vehement at this, how could she feign her own death? I knew the reasons why, we would have never have gotten out of that tight spot, but it was unfair not to let me know.
"I lost the most amazing woman in the galaxy a long time ago, sister." I replied. I watched as Maria's face turned into thunder.
"That's coming from a scoundrel, huh? Well, should I let you know how I lived now?" She enquired. I shrugged my shoulders and wondered to myself, did it really matter? Maria sighed and her gaze fell on me for a while, I silently sat down and made sure I didn't stare in her direction. The tension was soon broken by Rivu.
"I want to know, Maria!" She exclaimed. Same old Rivu as always, I thought. Maria turned to Rivu's direction as she began her story.
"There's not much to tell, really. The hypoderm was filled with a toxin that would dull all my vital signs long enough for Urna's elite mercenaries to think I was dead.. Then when the job was done, several hours later, my life signs returned, all thanks to that lovely drug. I then silently made my escape." Maria told us. I kept my eyes focused in one direction however, almost letting everything go through one ear and out the other.
"I think I've heard of that drug before," Rivu replied, "Is that the drug called Tragrim?" She asked. Maria nodded.
"It was risky, if those mercenaries knew anything about Tragrim, I wouldn't be here, but I am." Maria replied, then she sighed. I watched as she rubbed her head, more out of what looked like frustration than anything, "I just remembered.." She muttered.
"What?" I asked, not giving Rivu a chance to reply.
"The uniforms." Maria replied, shaking her head slowly. Rivu gracefully swung her backpack off her back and opened it up producing two shiny Sith uniforms.
"Ta-da!" Rivu exclaimed, with a gentle giggle. Maria looked and her eyes lit up.
"Rivu, how did you manage that? That must have been some skill." Maria asked, lighting up a cigarra and smoking one calmly, just as if nothing had happened..
"You forget that I had a huge advantage, Maria! I have been in Urna's palace countless number of times and knew my way around there. Plus, you're my family, how could I let you down? Anyway, I.. Thought you were gone, so I got the uniforms for me and Jaro, but since you're alive.. Are you going to carry on with the march tomorrow?" Rivu asked her. Maria gently turned towards me and looked at me, I returned the glance once I felt her eyes burning holes in the side of my head.
"Depends on whether Mr. Kep still wants to go." Maria said almost rhetorically, I shrugged my shoulders at her, still a bit bitter and paranoid about everything. "We've come this far, Jaro. The Sith are up to some dodgy dealings, are we going to stand here and let them have their way?" She asked me. I sighed, what was I getting myself into? But then I realised, did I have anything else to live for? Was I just supposed to sit around and wait for Revan to fall onto my lap? No.. No, I just didn't want to live my life on that hope. That false hope that may never happen. It was going to be a billion in one chance, why should I hold on? It was the only thing that was keeping me living, but what Maria was suggesting.. It was three of us, against the Sith. That's three of us, non force using imbeciles against a Dark Lord and it's apprentices. Either I was crazy, or I had a death wish. Then there was the ever frightening fact that Maria may have a soft spot for me.
Was I supposed to stay around?
I visibly shook my head at this point. Not knowing what to say. If I stayed, the possibility of me and Maria could be a high one, if I left, maybe Revan would fall out of the sky onto my lap. What in forces name was I supposed to do? Then I remembered, the Force was meant to control this, meant to judge my one true fate and destiny.
"I'll go." I whispered
-----------
Ok, just to let you know. This story wasn't updated in a long time because I had a lot of things going on in my life. New guy, more interested in school, exams, revision, homework. Just a bunch of important stuff. Anyway, I neglected this a bit, and decided to start writing again after a long hiatus. So sorry if you thought I'd never finish the story. As for me finishing it, I will, it's good self therapy for me, and I need all that I can get.
Thank you everyone for the support, I really enjoy reading my reviews because they're very positive and it gives me reason to create more when I see that I make people enjoy my writing so much.
That scoundrel..
"You took your time," Maria muttered in my direction. I just blinked my eyes in total disbelief.
"You're dead! I saw you die!" I exclaimed. Maria shook her head and grinned.
"I'm a mastermind, Jaro. What you saw is-," Maria replied, I didn't give her the chance to finish.
"I saw you DIE, you-," I exclaimed, but was abruptly cut off.
"Let her speak!" Rivu said impatiently. Maria glanced at Rivu, nodded in her direction and redirected her eyes towards me.
"There was no way out, Jaro. One of us had to die and I chose that person to be me. Except, I was cleverer than that. The wound you gave me with your vibroblade wasn't enough to kill me." Maria shook her head gently and I watched as she fumbled around in her pockets, "I used this." She said, throwing a hypodermic in my direction. The hypodermic fell on the metal barred floor with a clatter, between my black booted feet. I lowered my head and stared down at it, bending down to pick it up. I raised it up to my face and gazed at it in the light.
"I don't get it, what am I supposed to say.." I said, as I twiddled with the hypoderm in the artificial light, watching as the light glinted off the transparent cylinder.
"Nothing. How about you let me explain?" Maria asked, sarcastically. It was obvious she was back to her old self.
"Oh well, I was hoping the shock may change your attitude problem." I replied as I walked over to the rounded table, placing the hypodermic down on it. Maria just grinned at me, seemingly victorious. "Well, I didn't find your little antics very funny, Maria." I told her, frowning at her.
"Scared that you almost lost the most amazing woman in the galaxy for a moment?" She asked me, and in my mood, I couldn't let that one go. I was vehement at this, how could she feign her own death? I knew the reasons why, we would have never have gotten out of that tight spot, but it was unfair not to let me know.
"I lost the most amazing woman in the galaxy a long time ago, sister." I replied. I watched as Maria's face turned into thunder.
"That's coming from a scoundrel, huh? Well, should I let you know how I lived now?" She enquired. I shrugged my shoulders and wondered to myself, did it really matter? Maria sighed and her gaze fell on me for a while, I silently sat down and made sure I didn't stare in her direction. The tension was soon broken by Rivu.
"I want to know, Maria!" She exclaimed. Same old Rivu as always, I thought. Maria turned to Rivu's direction as she began her story.
"There's not much to tell, really. The hypoderm was filled with a toxin that would dull all my vital signs long enough for Urna's elite mercenaries to think I was dead.. Then when the job was done, several hours later, my life signs returned, all thanks to that lovely drug. I then silently made my escape." Maria told us. I kept my eyes focused in one direction however, almost letting everything go through one ear and out the other.
"I think I've heard of that drug before," Rivu replied, "Is that the drug called Tragrim?" She asked. Maria nodded.
"It was risky, if those mercenaries knew anything about Tragrim, I wouldn't be here, but I am." Maria replied, then she sighed. I watched as she rubbed her head, more out of what looked like frustration than anything, "I just remembered.." She muttered.
"What?" I asked, not giving Rivu a chance to reply.
"The uniforms." Maria replied, shaking her head slowly. Rivu gracefully swung her backpack off her back and opened it up producing two shiny Sith uniforms.
"Ta-da!" Rivu exclaimed, with a gentle giggle. Maria looked and her eyes lit up.
"Rivu, how did you manage that? That must have been some skill." Maria asked, lighting up a cigarra and smoking one calmly, just as if nothing had happened..
"You forget that I had a huge advantage, Maria! I have been in Urna's palace countless number of times and knew my way around there. Plus, you're my family, how could I let you down? Anyway, I.. Thought you were gone, so I got the uniforms for me and Jaro, but since you're alive.. Are you going to carry on with the march tomorrow?" Rivu asked her. Maria gently turned towards me and looked at me, I returned the glance once I felt her eyes burning holes in the side of my head.
"Depends on whether Mr. Kep still wants to go." Maria said almost rhetorically, I shrugged my shoulders at her, still a bit bitter and paranoid about everything. "We've come this far, Jaro. The Sith are up to some dodgy dealings, are we going to stand here and let them have their way?" She asked me. I sighed, what was I getting myself into? But then I realised, did I have anything else to live for? Was I just supposed to sit around and wait for Revan to fall onto my lap? No.. No, I just didn't want to live my life on that hope. That false hope that may never happen. It was going to be a billion in one chance, why should I hold on? It was the only thing that was keeping me living, but what Maria was suggesting.. It was three of us, against the Sith. That's three of us, non force using imbeciles against a Dark Lord and it's apprentices. Either I was crazy, or I had a death wish. Then there was the ever frightening fact that Maria may have a soft spot for me.
Was I supposed to stay around?
I visibly shook my head at this point. Not knowing what to say. If I stayed, the possibility of me and Maria could be a high one, if I left, maybe Revan would fall out of the sky onto my lap. What in forces name was I supposed to do? Then I remembered, the Force was meant to control this, meant to judge my one true fate and destiny.
"I'll go." I whispered
-----------
Ok, just to let you know. This story wasn't updated in a long time because I had a lot of things going on in my life. New guy, more interested in school, exams, revision, homework. Just a bunch of important stuff. Anyway, I neglected this a bit, and decided to start writing again after a long hiatus. So sorry if you thought I'd never finish the story. As for me finishing it, I will, it's good self therapy for me, and I need all that I can get.
Thank you everyone for the support, I really enjoy reading my reviews because they're very positive and it gives me reason to create more when I see that I make people enjoy my writing so much.