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I'm sorry to say I've fallen a little behind on answering reviews...but I'll play catch up this evening.
So if I haven't sent a response for your last review, it's coming...it's just late.
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Chapter 33
~X~
"Cowardly is the Shepard who sends his sheep into the world as agents of terror. Courageous are the men and women who defy terror, in all its forms."
~Mandalorian Proverb~
"What is that horrible smell?" Ravana demanded, holding her hand over her nose as they passed what seemed to be the millionth large, deep hole in the ground.
"Sulfur," Din answered, apparently not effected by the stench, his helmet's filtration system apparently doing its job. "These holes appear to have been made by volcanic activity, perhaps shafts created by escaping gasses that built up underground."
And almost as if to prove him correct, not far from them one of the large circular holes spewed steam and gasses into the air, accompanied by a shower of small rocks and sand.
"Get down!" Din yelled, grabbing Ravana and covering her body with his own, the stones striking his armor and jetpack, bouncing this way and that. The kid was safely tucked inside his carrying bag between the two of them, while Zax had ran for cover under an overhanging rock. When the spray had ceased, and all was still once more, Din stood up, assisting Ravana to rise as well. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, thanks once again to you," she smiled, brushing off some of the black dust from her clothes. "Well, that was exciting."
"You have a rather odd way of looking at near death experiences," Din said with a shake of his head.
"Oh, pish," she scoffed, waving him off as they headed back on their way. "You call that a near death experience? We've both lived through worse."
"True, but I'd rather not push it," he grumbled, keeping his eyes on the horizon, eager for the moment the mysterious facility came into view. Most of the terrain was flat, if you didn't count the large, deep holes scattered here and there, but the few small hills had blocked their view of their target.
"Hey, you said get down, and I got down," Ravana reminded him. "I'm holding up my end of the bargain."
"Yes, you are," he nodded. "Let's just keep it that way and hope we don't run into any more trouble."
Sadly…Din had spoken too soon, for just then an eerie howl came from somewhere in the distance directly ahead of them.
"Now that didn't sound good at all," Ravana whispered, removing her blaster from its holster and inching closer to Din. "What are they?"
"Anooba," Din answered. "And it sounds like a whole pack of them."
"Are they dangerous?" she asked, afraid to hear the answer.
"Only if they're hunting you," he replied, removing the satchel that held the kid and handing it over to her. "You protect him. I'll protect you."
"And exactly who'll protect you?" she demanded, shouldering the bag and giving the kid a comforting pat on the head.
Yet before he could answer that, over the small mound before them came at least ten fierce beasts. They ran on all fours, with long tails, large pointed ears, and a lower jaw that stuck out farther than its top teeth, capped off with one sharp protruding fang. For all intents and purposes, they reminded Ravana of the dankers from her planet, save for the lack of the hammer-like head. Still, not anything she ever wanted to meet face to face…yet here they were.
"When I say, run for that large bolder and climb on top," Din instructed, removing his incinerator rifle from his back and loading it with one of the cartridges strapped to his right leg. "I'll hold them off as long as I can."
Din wasn't sure how the next few minutes would go, for lately it seemed that he'd had nothing but bad luck with animals. Mudhorn, Dankers, and even a Wookie - though he didn't believe Chewbacca counted as an animal – had recently tried to kill him. Would these Anoobas succeed where the others had not?
He was just about to give the order for Ravana to run, when Zax jumped up on a small rock directly in front of them, his hackles raised and his ears laid back in a sign of defense. As Din watched, the zaktan stretched out his neck and raised his snout into the air, his mouth open but no sound coming forth…at least that he could hear.
"Din…wait!" Ravana hissed, reaching down and covering the kid's ears as best as she could, just in case. "Remember the first reason I said I kept a zaktan as a pet? No other beast will come near them…watch!"
And sure enough, whatever high-frequency sound Zax was creating had the Anoobas whining and shaking their heads, lifting their paws to try and rub at the pain assaulting their ears. When they could stand it no longer, they all turned tail and ran, yipping and crying as they went, and leaving the four travelers in peace.
Din was shocked. He recalled Ravana having told him about Zax's special ability back on Pessue, but to see it implemented firsthand was downright amazing. He stepped forward and scratched the white animal between his now perked up ears.
"Nice going, mutt," he complimented, causing the zaktan to sit back on his haunches and stare at Din with what Ravana could only call hero worship. "Between you and the kid here, I'd say you make quite the formidable team. Good job. Why don't you lead the way from here on?"
As if completely understanding him, Zax jumped down and began strutting off, his head held high and his tail wagging with pride.
"There'll be no living with him after this," Ravana said with a roll of her eyes. "I swear, he would walk across fire for you now, Din Djarin."
"Like I said before, we males must stick together," he chuckled, re-attaching his rifle across his back. "Besides, it's only fair…I think the kid likes you best."
"It's not a competition, Din," Ravana laughed, taking hold of his hand as the two of them followed after Zax. "But if it was, you know I'd win."
"I've no doubt about that," he chuckled, loving how she could turn his mood around with only a few words.
Oh, how he loved her.
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It took them another hour of walking, and avoiding any more of the spurting holes, before they crested the last ridge that hid the facility from their view. Leaving the kid safely at the bottom with Zax, Din and Ravana crawled on their bellies to the top of the little hill, getting their first real look at where they needed to go. Taking out a pair of binocs, he handed them to Ravana while he adjusted the scope on his rifle to get a better look.
"I only see a few guards posted at what looks to be the main gate," he told her, hoping she was seeing the four Storm Troopers same as he was. "But the place appears to be sealed as tight as a Hutt's bank account."
"Then how will we get in?" Ravana asked, scanning the place with the binocs. "We need to find out what's going on in there, and obviously it has something to do with Gideon if the presence of his goons is an indication. Got any ideas?"
"A few," he nodded, putting his rifle away and signaling for her to follow him back to where the kid waited.
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Ravana took a deep breath and counted to ten, trying to calm her nerves before she did as Din had instructed. Sneaking up on the place had been easier than expected but getting past the four heavily armed troopers might prove a bit harder. On the count of ten, she stepped out, a smile plastered on her face and her hands held up in the air.
"Excuse me," she began, jumping just a bit as the four men clad in white armor whipped around, pointing their blasters directly at her. "Hey…wait! I'm lost and I need help. My ship crashed not far from here," she pointed to her right, watching as they all turned their heads in that direction. "And you see –" However that was the last word she got out before Din suddenly descended from the sky, his jetpack bringing him down right behind the troopers. Din opened fire, taking out two of them before the final two could even turn to face him. The third fell victim to the grappling line Din shot from his left vambrace, snatching the blaster right out of the trooper's hand before taking a hit to the chest from the Mandalorian's weapon. The fourth one didn't even see the shot coming from the blaster Ravana had been hiding behind her back.
"Quick, help me get them out of sight," Din hissed, cutting the little cable loose from his wrist-guard and taking hold of the first trooper's legs. He then dragged him across the floor to hide him behind some crates. Ravana did her best to help, though she had only managed to pull one out of the way by the time Din had taken care of the rest.
"These guys are heavy!" she complained, once the job was done. "Now I understand what they mean when they use the term dead-weight."
"Grab the kid and let's go," Din instructed, already at the door and kneeling down as he attempted to bypass the system and get inside.
Ravana stepped over to where they'd left Zax and the kid, the big toothy smile the child gave her making her grin back at him.
"You didn't think we'd left you two, did you?" she cooed, scooping him up, bag and all, as she slung it over her shoulder and headed for the door. On the way, however, she spotted something one of the troopers had dropped. Picking it up she went to stand beside Din. "Hey, look what I found."
"Not now," he hissed, concentrating on the job at hand, attempting to get the panel off so he could hotwire the mechanism.
"But Din, I think this –" However, once again he cut her off with a grunt, his mind fixed on getting the barrier open. Ravana looked down at the kid and gave him a little wink, before stepping over to the panel and swiping the key-card. Instantly, the door slid open.
Din halted what he was doing and stood up, his visor going from the open door to Ravana and back again.
"Don't let this go to your head," he huffed, though there was no mistaking the tone of pride in his words.
"Yes, Din," she hummed, slipping the card down the front of her shirt and tucking it away for safe keeping. "I wouldn't dream of it, Din."
"Come on," he chuckled, taking her hand and leading them forward, with little Zax bringing up the rear.
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Din had been to a lot of strange places in his life, seen a great deal, and lived to tell the tale, but never had he been anywhere that gave him such a bad feeling. He apparently wasn't the only one either, for out of the corner of his eye he saw Ravana give a violent shiver and the kid sink down lower in his bag, a tiny whine escaping his downturned lips.
Something bad was going on here…he could feel it.
"Stay close," Din instructed. Though with the way Ravana was now practically glued to him, he didn't think he had to tell her twice.
"What is this place?" she whispered, the stark white walls and long corridors almost hurting her eyes with how bright they seemed. Everything was so clean…so sterile.
"I don't know, but I aim to find out," he assured her. There were several offshoots, leading to even more long hallways of antiseptic white walls and floors. But for some reason, he could almost feel he was going the correct way…a way he wondered if he really wanted to find out where it led.
Halting once, Din chose to open one of the doors, curious as to what lay behind. Gesturing for Ravana to stand aside, he hit the button on the panel, his blaster raised and ready as the doors slid open. Yet, all he saw was what appeared to be medical equipment, leading him to believe this was once some sort of healing facility or laboratory. Either way, it offered Din no real answers or comfort, and after shutting the door, they continued on.
They had gone for quite a way, turning this way and that, when all of a sudden, Zax, who'd been trailing along beside them, spun around and began growling back the way they'd come.
"What is it?" Ravana hissed, taking hold of the kid's carrying bag and pulling it closer to her. "Is someone coming?"
Yet, before Din could hazard a guess, Zax took off running, reaching the end of the section of corridor just as several Storm Troopers rounded the corner, blasters in hand.
"ZAX!" Ravana yelled, panicked now that her pet might be killed by the advancing enemy.
Din began firing, striking one or two of them in an attempt to save not only themselves, but the zaktan as well. However, his shots quickly ceased when the doors directly in front and behind them slammed closed, sealing them inside a small partition.
"Rangir!" {dammit} Din barked, instantly knowing they were in serious trouble when a green mist began to fill the room. "Ravana! Don't breathe!" He knew his helmet could filter out the gas but there was no way to protect her or the kid, unless they found a way out…and fast!
He saw Ravana take a gulp of air and hold it, frantically placing a piece of the cloth bag over the child's mouth as well. It wouldn't keep out the gas for long, but it was apparently all she could think to do. Sadly, Din had even fewer ideas.
He scanned the area, seeing nothing to aid them in escaping. Add to that the fact that the small window in the door now held the helmeted faces of Storm Troopers, and he knew they were not about to get out that way.
Din was quickly becoming frantic, even resorting to beating his fists against the doors and attempting to shoot his way through them, but all that accomplished was a ricocheting effect that had both him and Ravana ducking for cover.
"Din…I…I can't hold my breath any longer," she gasped, trying not to breathe in, but failing as her lungs screamed for air.
The green mist had managed to fill the room completely, making it difficult to see. Yet, through the haze, Din watched as the kid's eyes began to droop closed and Ravana fell to her knees, unable to continue standing. Rushing to her side, he held her close, wishing there were some way he could halt her intake of the debilitating gas. His helmet's system told him it was not toxic, but it would render any who breathed it unconscious…which was exactly what was now happening to Ravana and the kid.
"Stay with me, cyar'ika {darling}," Din pleaded, though he knew she was helpless to fight it. "Just hold on!"
"You…you said I was to hit the floor if…danger came," she said through gasps for air. "Well…you can't say I…didn't follow your orders." And with that she closed her eyes, succumbing to the sleeping gas at last.
"RAVANA!" Din yelled, giving her a little shake, but she didn't wake up. Nor, he saw, did the kid - the two of them completely knocked out. He wanted to scream, he wanted to punch something…or someone. But sadly, a door blocked his way. So, at last, he did the only thing he could think of to get them to open back up.
Laying Ravana gently down on the floor, he grabbed for his throat and began to stumble to his feet, pretending that his helmet had been unable to protect him from the gas as well. After wobbling around a bit, he allowed himself to sink to the floor, falling over as his weapon slipped from his grasp…though not going very far.
Come on, you filthy Imps, he thought to himself as he watched them from behind his smoky visor. Take the bait.
Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long, for soon some fan kicked in and the green haze was sucked from the room, making it safe for others to enter at last. When the doors that led back to where they'd come hissed open, in stepped three troopers, each with their laser rifles trained directly on him.
Thankfully, from where he lay, Din could see that Zax was still alive and fighting as well, currently having his teeth sunk into the ankle of a fourth trooper who was attempting to dislodge him from his leg.
"Someone get this beast off of me!" the white armored man yelled, causing the three others to turn and glance in his direction.
Din made good use of the distraction and took his shot. Grabbing his blaster, he fired at the first one, watching him fall to the floor with a thud. He was quickly on his feet and taking on the second, his vibro-blade finding its way out of the holder in his boot and into the trooper's neck before he could get off a shot. With the second one dispatched, that left number three and four…the last of which was still grappling with an enraged zaktan.
Holstering his knife, Din shot out a blast of flames, engulfing the Imp in a ring of fire. Not even waiting for the now flailing man to fall, he turned towards the one fighting with Zax, and shot the grappling line from his right vambrace towards the trooper. It quickly wound around his neck, but the large man was not about to give up easily. Dropping his blaster, he gave a hard yank on the line, nearly pulling Din off his feet, as well as several yards into the corridor.
Zax, unwilling to let go of his victim only intensified his attack now that the man was otherwise distracted by the Mandalorian. Still, it took several long strides for Din to reach the man, and several more hard punches from the Mandalorian's fist before the trooper too fell to the floor. But fall he did, leaving both Din and Zax as the victors.
Heaving a deep breath, Din released the grappling line from his wrist, letting it fall and coil on top of the troopers armored chest.
"Thanks for the help, mutt," he commended the zaktan, earning a happy yip from the animal. He was just turning around to go back for Ravana when suddenly, the door separating them shut once more, blocking any access he had to her or the kid. "NO!" Din yelled, rushing back and pounding on the door in utter frustration. "OPEN UP!" Yet there was no one in sight to threaten if they didn't comply.
That is, until the door on the opposite side of the chamber Ravana and the child were in opened…revealing not only five more troopers, but another familiar face, one Din had seen before. He had dark hair, a short beard and mustache, wore round thick glasses and a greyish uniform that betrayed exactly who he was.
"Dr. Pershing!" Din hissed through clenched teeth. He recalled the man well, having last seen him on Nevarro, crouched on the floor begging Din not to kill him. He'd left him alive, but now he was starting to suspect that might not have been the wisest choice. Still, it did prove they had found the right place. For if the doctor was here, then Gideon couldn't be too far behind. However, that knowledge didn't do him any good while Ravana and the kid were passed out behind a set of locked doors and him with no way to get in and save them.
He desperately searched for a control panel but there was none, telling him that someone elsewhere had to be controlling the doors. They'd probably been watched from the moment they'd entered the facility, and now look at the mess they were in.
Din once again pounded on the door, shouting at the troopers as they began to lift Ravana and the kid off the floor and haul them out the back entrance, all the while ignoring the frantic Mandalorian as if he were of no consequence. It was only a quick, but oddly sad, look behind from Dr. Pershing that told Din someone had noticed him at all.
His anger and rage only intensified as the door on the other side shut, stealing Ravana and the kid from his view and leaving him helpless to follow. Unfortunately, he had very little time to dwell on this, for just then around the corner came yet even more troopers, heading right for him and Zax.
Turning around, Din braced himself, prepared to fight his way out of this at all costs. For unless he did…there would be no one to save Ravana or the kid. And he was not about to let that happen! He would live, he would escape, and he would make anyone who dared to harm his little family pay dearly.
This was definitely the way of the Mandalorian.
Well, folks...here we go. Expect a few cliffies from here on out.
Things are NOT looking good for our brave team. Din and Zax are locked out and facing a host of troopers, and Ravana and the kid are knocked out and taken. WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?
Did you enjoy Zax the wonder pet handling the Anoobas like a boss...and taking on the trooper like he did. No fear in that one!
More on Friday! See you then.
Guest Reviews:
Phantom Guest: I thought they should be 'caught' in a compromising position just once. ha ha. And Din's the one who said he wanted to wait, so why not torment him just a little bit. ha ha. I'm going to try saying it to win arguments from now on. ha ha. I'll see if it works. You know, you're not the only one who thinks they need another kid to even the score of the boys/girls ratio. ha ha. But they first need to get married by Mandalorian standards beffore THAT can happen! ha ha. And as you can see from todays chapter...everyone SMELLED something...and then trouble hit. Thanks!