Chapter Sixteen

Terra smiled under her helmet as she watched another useless Republic soldier fall to her skill, a fountain of blood spraying from where his head had just been; she was laying on her stomach a few hundred yards away from the battlefield, silently sniping targets while her fellow warriors fought tooth and nail to get inside the seemingly impenetrable fortress.

Somewhere on that battlefield was Argyle, and Terra felt a worm of worry attempt to invade her thoughts before she pushed it away; Argyle was a capable warrior and Terra seriously doubted that any of the Republic scum could bring him down, especially if they were all as weak as those that the Mandalorians had encountered thus far.

To be honest, Terra had no idea what the Sith Empire wanted with this pitiful little world; Terra hadn't even bothered to learn its name, it sat just outside Republic space (almost in wild space, actually), and yet Darth Skall had been ordered to destroy the Republic troopers there by the Dark Council and Mandalorian aid was requested.

It had only taken the combined might of the Sith Empire and Mandalore a month to gain almost complete control of the planet, only this single fortress remained and Terra suggested that they just bombard the base from orbit, but this suggestion was immediately rejected by Darth Skall, leading many Mandalorians (Terra included) to believe that the real reason for this invasion was that the Republic was hiding something that the Empire wanted and could possibly be lost if the base was destroyed.

As Terra's thoughts drifted to the Sith lord, she involuntarily shuddered, causing her to miss a shot, much to her annoyance as she saw her target duck out of sight; Darth Skall was human, like most Sith of the Empire, but unlike the rest of his people, his skin was not pale but dark to the point that he seemed to disappear into his robes until the only sight of him that could be spotted were his eyes, and such eyes they were; full of hate and power that made all who looked into them feel like prey before a predator.

Thankfully Terra had only had to endure the Sith lord's presence once at the briefing before they launched their attack on the base, but once was enough and Terra would be completely happy if she never encountered the Sith lord again.

As she lined up her rifle and prepared to take out another of the base's defenders, Terra's thoughts drifted to her children; Killian and Aola had made her very proud with how far they had come in their training and Terra smiled warmly under her helmet as she thought of how hard they had pushed themselves so as to not shame their clan or family.

Killian especially seemed determined to push his body to its very limits and on more than one occasion, Terra had found him laying flat on his back and gasping for breath, too weak to do anything but lay there after that day's workout.

Terra knew the reason for Killian's determination to grow stronger and it made her proud, even as it made her sad in equal measure; Killian had spent a lifetime being tortured by those who were supposed to protect him, he had been abused and told he was worthless all his life and yet he had not been broken as one would have guessed.

Instead, Killian had been hardened by his experiences and was determined to never be that weak little boy he had been; being given a family and a chance to become a Mandalorian like the heroes from his stories only seemed to strengthen his resolve as now, Killian seemed focused on only one goal, with all the precision of a sniper bolt: proving he was worthy to wear the armor of his childhood heroes.

Terra still remembered the scared little boy that she and her family had encountered on Alderaan, the same little boy who had sobbed into her chest when she had first found him, who had been so terrified of taking off his shirt because he didn't want anyone to judge him because of his scars, and how those scars had horrified Terra when she first saw them.

Terra had never believed when she first found the boy that she would soon look at him like a son, but that was the truth of it; Killian was Terra's son in all the ways that mattered and she knew that Argyle felt the same way as she did.

They were both so proud of how far Killian had come since they had found him, though Argyle tried not to show it so as not to "Give the boy an ego," as he called it; where before, Killian had been a scared little boy, he now was almost a man and was shaping up to become someone that Terra was so proud of.

As she dropped another Republic soldier, Terra frowned as worry inched itself into her thoughts; it had been nearly three months since she had last seen her children and she wondered how they were doing in their rite of passage.

Argyle seemed to not worry, sure that the children were fine and that Aola and Killian would soon return to Mandalore as true members of the clan, proudly wearing the armor they had rightfully earned; Terra, though, wasn't convinced and could tell that her husband was just as worried as she was.

It wasn't uncommon during the Verd'goten for several children to die; some of the main reasons were either from exposure because they couldn't find shelter, starvation because they couldn't find food, or due to their own training mates who attacked for a myriad of different reasons ranging from fighting for supplies to just old grudges that they wanted to be settled.

The Verd'goten would be over in less than a week and then Terra would see hopefully see her children again, she tried not to imagine how she would react if Aola or Killian were among those who did not return; Terra didn't care at all about the shame that such an outcome would bring, she was more concerned about the fact that she would have to see her children's dead bodies and never again hear their laughter or another of Killian's wonderful stories.

A sudden explosion brought Terra's focus back on the battlefield, and she saw with some small amount of joy that her fellow Mandalorians had managed to bring down the west side wall, creating a large hole that her fellow warriors were currently swarming through, while the Republic soldiers desperately tried to push them back.

"If these people posed more of a challenge, this actually might be fun," Terra thought with a grimace; like all Mandalorians, she loved to fight and the thrill of battle was like nothing else in the galaxy, but these Republic soldiers posed almost no challenge whatsoever and Terra was beginning to grow bored with the endless victories that her people were achieving.

Surely, the Republic would send some kind of counter-attack soon, Terra wondered as she watched the one-sided slaughter through her scope; even with the Senate being as corrupt and useless as it was, surely they would send someone worthy of challenging to fight her people soon, otherwise, the Republic would fall and soon too!

A second explosion made Terra switch her focus and she watched as the North wall followed the West one into oblivion,

"Well, that's it then," Terra thought dryly, "Another victory and another slaughter. At this rate, the Republic won't have any planets left to defend!"

Slowly rising to her feet, Terra stretched lazily and let out a long yawn before she bent over and picked up her rifle; there was nothing left to do but head down to the base and see if there was anyone down there left alive who could give her a good fight before they were all slaughtered.

Without a word, Terra activated her jetpack and made her way toward the base; as she drew closer, the sounds of screams and blaster fire grew louder in her ears and Terra stifled a sigh, this really was becoming too easy….

XXXX

Killian's lungs burned with exertion as he ran as fast as he could, diving over fallen logs and ducking under branches; more than anything, he wanted to stop and take a breath but he knew that he couldn't and so he kept running.

Hoping to throw off their pursuers Killian and his squad had all run off in different directions, hoping to find the other squads and hopefully ally themselves against their common enemy. Proving once and for all that the universe hated him, the Jedi had zeroed in on Killian and hadn't even tried to follow the others, which was why Killian had been running as fast as he could for the past half hour.

But no matter how hard he ran, or how many times he changed directions and tried to lose them, the Jedi seemed to know where Killian was at all times and seemed to be gaining on Killian minute by minute, much to his annoyance and no small amount of fear.

As Killian burst from the brush, he stopped short as he realized how truly screwed he was; so desperate to escape the Jedi, Killian had not paid attention to his surroundings and now found himself standing on the edge of a cliff, far below a raging river lay and Killian knew that if he somehow managed to survive the jump, then the war would finish him.

Killian took one look at the river that lay perhaps fifty feet below him before spinning around, hoping to escape before the Jedi caught up to him; before he could take a single step, however, Killian saw to his dismay as the three Jedi exploded from the brush, the only thing that brought some relief to Killian was that they all seemed to be as exhausted as he was.

"You have nowhere left to go, boy!" The Togruta Jedi snarled as she quickly tried to calm her breathing,

"You've done well, thus far," the Bothan said softly, "But the chase ends here. Surrender and I give you my word that no harm will befall you."

"And I should trust the word of a Republic dog?!" Killian snarled back, "After what you people did to us at your supposed 'peace meeting'?!"

The three Jedi flinched at the accusation and looked suitably ashamed for a moment before Satele Shan took a step forward with her hands raised in an unspoken gesture of calm,

"The Jedi had nothing to do with that slaughter, I can assure you, child."

"First, I'm not a child!" Killian growled, "Second, you may not have ordered the bombing, but you follow those who did! What's that say about the Jedi?"

Killian's voice took on a mocking edge towards the end, causing the two older Jedi to turn crimson with embarrassment, (or in the case of the Togruta, anger at being mocked) while Satele looked abashed.

"Enough!" The Togruta hissed, baring her teeth angrily, "I will not have the order disrespected by some petulant whelp!"

"Careful," Killian replied with a wry smile, "Mustn't lose your temper, that's the path to the dark side, after all."

"I'm sure you would know more about that than I would," The Togruta spat back, "The dark side is pouring off of you like smoke!"

Killian took an involuntary step back at the words, wincing as he did so, which was unfortunately noticed by the Bothan Jedi who spoke softly as he took a step forward, his hands hanging loosely at his side.

"I can sense great power within you, Killian Farr. But you're walking a very dangerous path, all it takes is one misstep and you will find yourself tumbling into darkness, but if you come with us, we can help you."

"Help me?" Killian scoffed, "You think I want to become some pathetic Jedi? No thanks!"

"You speak as though you have a choice in the matter!" The Togruta spat, "You're too dangerous to be allowed to run free! So, you either join the order or spend the rest of your days in a Republic prison!"

"Not making a very good case for me to come with you," Killian said sarcastically as his mind desperately raced with some idea on how to save himself; his back was to a cliff and his only means of escape was being blocked by three Jedi, not very good odds.

"Killian…." Satele said softly as she took another step forward, "I know that the Jedi don't have the best reputation with your people, but the Sith are far worse! Come with us and I promise that no harm will come to you."

Killian took another involuntary step backward as the Jedi closed in on him, quickly looking behind him, Killian noticed, to his dismay, that he was rapidly running out of room and was approaching the edge of the cliff.

"Possible risk of horrific death or end up becoming a celibate monk and slave to the Republic…." Killian thought with a grimace as he tried to steel his nerves for what he was about to do,

"There's actually a third choice…." Killian growled, hoping the quiver in his voice wouldn't be noticed.

"What are you talking about?" The Togruta demanded; rather than answer, Killian spread his arms wide and closed his eyes as he took a deep breath.

Satele's eyes widened as she realized what Killian was about to do, but before she could do anything about it, Killian brought his hands together as though he was clapping, sending a shockwave at the three Jedi which caught them by surprise and threw them off of their feet.

Killian spared the three a momentary glance of surprise, he was actually surprised that two Jedi masters (as well as Satele Shan) were so easily caught by surprise, not once but twice; shaking his head to regain his focus, Killian spun on his heel and sprinted for the edge of the cliff.

"I hope this works!" Killian thought as he leaped from the cliff, "It would really suck to die twice!"

As the air rushed past him, Killian thought he heard someone scream his name, but all other thoughts suddenly disappeared as he slammed hard into the cold water a moment later.

XXXX

Aola was breathing hard as she leaned over and tried to control her breathing, her hands resting on her knees; it had been Alexander's idea to split up, no doubt he thought that the Jedi would likewise spilt up, thus making it easier for them to lose said Jedi.

The idea had gone sideways almost immediately when Aola noticed that the Jedi had completely ignored the rest of third squad and had instead decided to pursue Killian. Once it became obvious that the Jedi had no interest in the rest of them, everyone quickly regrouped and tried to catch up to Killian, something that was proving to be impossible.

"We'll never catch them at this rate!" Ben gasped as he leaned against a nearby tree,

"We have to!" Aola retorted, "If the Jedi catch him first, we'll never see him again!"

"I don't understand why they're focusing solely on him, though," Alexander stated, "If their orders are to capture the three of us, then they should be chasing Aola and me as well, not just Killian."

Aola and Dani shared a knowing look before Aola quickly cleared her throat and spoke in a worried voice,

"Perhaps they're trying to take us one at a time, if that's the case then we need to find my brother first!"

Without another word, Aola ran off toward where she had seen Killian go, a moment later she heard the rest of her squad began to follow her; she was beginning to lose hope when they burst forth through the brush and stopped in front of what appeared to be a river.

"Uh!" Aola yelled in annoyance as threw her hands in the air, "Where the kriff are they?!"

"There!" Ben cried, pointing upwards; following his finger, Aola felt her breath catch in her throat as she saw her brother standing high above them with his back to the edge of a cliff, while in front of him stood the three Jedi, blocking his only means of escape.

Aola couldn't make out what they were saying, but it was obvious that Killian was arguing with them; the Bothan and human Jedi appeared to be trying to placate Killian, while the Togruta seemed openly hostile.

A moment later, Aola's eyes widened in shock as her brother slapped his hands together which sent the three Jedi sprawling,

"What the…." Alexander said in amazement as he saw what Killian had done, "How did he do that!"

As she opened her mouth to answer, Aola's response turned into a scream of horror as she saw her brother take a running leap off of the cliff and out into the open air; he seemed to hang there for a moment before he appeared to fall far too quickly.

"KILLIAN!" Aola screamed as she watched her brother slam into the river; immediately Aola launched herself forward into the river, only to stop when Alexander roughly grabbed her around the waist.

"LET ME GO!" Aola screamed as she thrashed in her cousin's grip, "WE HAVE TO SAVE HIM! HE COULD DROWN!"

"I got him!" Ben yelled as he ripped his shirt off and jumped into the river; a moment later Dani jumped in after him and the two disappeared under the water while Alexander and Aola watched anxiously.

"Where are they!" Aola asked after a few minutes of inactivity that had her gripping Alexander's shirt in a vice grip; though he didn't show it, Alexander was just as worried and was about to jump in after Ben and Dani when the pair suddenly burst to the surface in a shower of bubbles, holding an unconscious Killian between them as they tried desperately to swim to shore.

"Killian!" Aola shouted as she ripped free from Alexander's grip and rushed waist-deep into the water to help Ben and Dani bring him in.

Once they were all safely on the shore, Aola released a breathed that she hadn't realized she had been holding when she saw that Killian was breathing; as Dani and Ben gasped for breath, Aola sobbed as she held her brother's unconscious body and begged him to wake up.

"We need to get out of here. Now," Alexander stated forcefully; turning to him, Aola saw him staring at the cliff that Killian had just leapt from, where the three Jedi were staring down at them with mixed emotions ranging from amazed (Satele) to livid (the Togruta).

"Let's get out here before they figure out a way down to us!" Dani cried as she grabbed one of Killian's arms, "Ben help me here, we have to move!"

Quickly pulling back on his shirt, Ben grabbed Killian's other arm and they began to move as quickly as they could back into the forest while the Jedi watched with amazement and anger in equal measure.

XXXX

"Well played, Killian Farr…" Master Sheen said simply before turning away, "Come, we must rendezvous with the others before the children manage to gain too much ground."

Without another word the two Jedi masters sprinted into the forest, Satele stared down at where the children had disappeared before a small smile appeared on her face,

"Foolish boy…."

Turning away from the cliff, Satele followed after her companions; it was a good thing that the two masters were so far ahead of her, otherwise, they would have heard Satele's gentle laughter as she thought of how a teenager had so thoroughly embarrassed two masters of the Jedi order.