CHAPTER 4 A NEW WAR
Azoth sat in what looked like some sort of interrogation room aboard the triangular type of ship he had seen in orbit. Azoth looked around the room for some sort of escape but couldn't find one seeing how he was cuffed to the table. They had also removed his armor so he was sitting there in his cargo pants and under shirt. Just as these thoughts were going through his head a door slide open at the opposite side of the room and the man who he saved along with the alien he had attacked walked in.
"Hogu la sita" the man spoke up just getting Azoth to cock his head in confusion as the man sat down. "Oliga ra" he said as he held up his hand and placed two fingers on Azoths head. Once he did that Azoth's head began to spin and then the man shot back as if he was hit by something.
"The fuck was that?" Azoth said shaking his head
"Ah good it worked." The man said holding his own head "you have a very strong mind."
"How can I understand you now?" Azoth asked in confusion
"Used the force to push on your mind so you could understand us." The man said
"The what?" Azoth asked head still spinning
"The force is what connects all living beings in the galaxy." The man said
"Great another radical religious group." Azoth sighed as he shook his head getting a confused look from two across from him
"Let's start over" The man said "My name is master Obi-Wan Kenobi and this is Ahsoka Tano" he said gesturing toward the alien. "what is yours?"
"Commander Azoth of the UNSC" Azoth said
"What?" Kenobi asked
"My name and rank." Azoth said "All I'm allowed to say when captured by the enemy."
"But we are not your enemy." Kenobi said "If I was your enemy why did you save me? and thank you by the way."
"Because you are human." Azoth said
"That is the only reason?" Kenobi asked
"So if it was me you would have left me to die?" Asoka asked
"I would have shot you myself." Azoth said looking over to her with a cold stare.
"Alright let's just calm down." Kenobi said "Why would you do that to her?"
"Because she is a xeno." Azoth said
"But why?" Kenobi
"Is this conversation being recorded?" Azoth asked
"No it is not." Kenobi said
"Alright can I get my data pad and helmet back, then I'll talk." Azoth said
"Very well." Kenobi said as he walked to the door leaving Azoth and Ahsoka alone
"Great stuck in a room alone with a damn xeno." Azoth sighed
"What is your problem?" Ahsoka asked
"Let's see, as I could gather you have been at war with those robot things am I right?" Azoth asked
"Yes" Ahsoka replied
"How long has this war been going on?" Azoth asked
"Bout two years." Ahsoka replied
"That's just adorable" Azoth replied as Kenobi walked back into the room
"I have your data pad and helmet." Kenobi said as he set the down on the table in front of Azoth who picked it up, pulled the chip out of his helmet and put it into his data pad, then hit a few buttons and placed it back down and the image of a man wearing dark robe and a hood over his face appeared.
"Damn't we are supposed to be on a black ops recon, RECON, mission not interact with locals damn't" Durzo scolded Azoth
"Sorry but I think the situation has changed." Azoth replied
"Fine I guess we will just wing it then huh?" Durzo sighed
"That is the only way I know how to work" Azoth replied
"Fine what we going to do?" Durzo replied as Azoth looked up at Kenobi.
"Alright only way I'm going to talk is if what we say here doesn't leave this room unless I say so." Azoth explained
"You're the prisoner here, you are in no position to negotiate." Ahsoka scolded
"Very well what is said here won't leave unless you want it to. I give you my word as a jedi." Kenobi said getting Asoka to look at him in shock.
"But master why?" Ahsoka asked in confusion
"Because I owe him my life and keeping his secret seems like a good way to repay it." Kenobi replied. "So neither one of us will tell anyone about this not even Anakin understood."
"I don't like it but I understand." Ahsoka said with a nod
"A man of honor, I can respect that." Azoth said "This may be hard to grasp but I am from a galaxy far far away." He said getting a shocked and confused look from the two jedi.
"What?" Kenobi asked
"Intergalactic travel is unheard of." Ahsoka said in shock
"Well we found the coordinates to this galaxy from ours in some ancient relics and we decided try to colonize some planets over here since most of the planets we had settled were glassed during the war."
"Glassed?" Kenobi asked
"Right ah… now from what I've gathered from being planet side and what this one told me." he said gesturing toward Ahsoka "You guys have been at war for the past two years correct?"
"That is correct." Kenobi replied
"Well two years for a war is a joke compared to the one we just got out of." Azoth explained getting a shocked look from Kenobi. "Well Durzo here could explain it better I guess." He said gesturing toward the AI hologram on his data pad.
"Yes but first what is he?" Kenobi asked
"I am an artificial intelligence program designed to assist Spartan Commander Azoth with his mission of RECON, but that is out the air lock now." Durzo sighed in annoyance "But until about thirty years ago humanity, well our humanity, had never come into contact with alien life. Well life from anything other than our own planet. But thirty years ago we came into contact with an alliance of aliens known as the covenant, who had one mission, to find an ancient civilizations technology and use it for what they called 'The Great Journey'. When they found us they saw us as a threat to their great journey and decided to wipe us out."
"And for twenty-five years they went from planet to planet 'cleansing' them of humans." Azoth replied "So when you say you have only been at war for two years I can't take it that seriously, to us that is two maybe three campaigns."
"Well I understand why you have such a distrust for Ashoka here." Kenobi said getting a shocked look from the padawan "I don't agree with it but I understand it, after being hunted down by non-humans for so long distrust and hate builds up."
"And the buildup was pretty big." Azoth replies "We were up against a stronger, larger, and technologically advanced enemy."
"Thank you Night Angel but you asked me to explain." Durzo said in annoyance
"Night Angel?" Kenobi asked
"My call sign." Azoth said
"Well as he said, the UNSC was severely outnumbered and out classed." Durzo explained "They methodically went from planet to planet killing any and all human life then when they finished just to be sure they glassed the planet."
"Glassed?" Kenobi asked "you said it before but what does it mean?"
"Orbital bombardment till the surface of the planet was turned to glass." Azoth replied getting a shocked look from the two jedi.
"That is just…" Ashoka began
"A nightmare." Azoth finished with a sigh
"Well don't see why you even brought me out if you're just going to cut me off on every subject and explain it any way." Durzo spat.
"Sorry." Azoth replied "How about you explain the different types of aliens we had to deal with."
"Fine" Durzo sighed as he was replaced by the image of an elite "First are the Sangheili also called elites, they were one of the leadership roles in their society and were in charge of the military." He explained as the image faded and the image of a grunt, a jackal, and a drone appeared. "These are three of their most common ground forces Unggoy, Kig-Yar, and Yamne'e. better known as Grunts, Jackals, and Drones or buggers. Not too dangerous on their own but massive numbers can easily over whelm a unit." He said as the image of a hunter came up "This is a Mgalekgolo or hunters a colony of worms joined together to form this single being, and they are tanks pack a punch and even harder to take down." Then an image of a brute appeared "This is a Jiralhanae or Brute these massive apes have a temper and the strength to back it up." Then an image of a prophet appeared "these are San 'Shyuum or prophets they are the religious leaders of the covenant"
"I'll take it from here." Azoth said as the images died out "Now you see why I want to keep my being here and my history a secret."
"Yes but we have to warn the others about this covenant." Kenobi said "and no offense you as well since you want to colonize"
"Don't worry about the covies, they are in civil war right now, and we don't want another war any time soon since we just got out of the last one. Our mission parameters said in case we came into contact with another alien race, observe do not interact. But that went out the window when I pulled you out of that wreckage." Azoth explained
"So what of the ship you came here on?" Kenobi asked
"Don't know they jumped after sending that resupply." Azoth replied
"That's really loyal of them." Ashoka replied sarcastically
"Well I told them too." Azoth replied "I wasn't going to have another squad's blood on my hands for some suicide mission, not again." He said the last part quietly to himself that only Kenobi caught but didn't say anything.
"Why did you pull me out then? If your mission was to observe and not interact why save me?" Kenobi asked "You seem like some sort of special operations solider, if it was your orders why go against them?"
"Because as I said earlier you're human." Azoth replied "I have spent most my life killing aliens across my galaxy, and I honestly expected to have to do the same here if the time came for it." He said looking at Ahsoka. "But when I saw you and that there were humans here, and you were at war, I couldn't stand by and watch it happen. But since I was a just a single man and they probably think, well most of them, that I died in that battle. They will continue the mission to find an uninhabited planet to try to colonize, and avoid alien contact at all costs."
"What do you mean most will think you're dead?" Ahsoka asked
"You see that isn't the first time I've been in an unwinnable situation." Azoth said as he got a distant look on his face "but that is a story for another time."
"Very well I think we have talked enough for today." Kenobi replied
"What will we put in the report?" Ahsoka asked
"We will say a mercenary sympathetic to our cause helped me." Kenobi said with a grin as he stood up and began to walk out of the interrogation room. "However I'm sure the council and some others would like to speak with you since there are so few mercenaries that are sympathetic to the cause. Telling them your true back story or not is up to you."
"I'll give it some thought." Azoth said as they left. He then turned to Durzo "Alright how did you learn their language?"
"Simple I hacked into their systems the moment they brought us on board." Durzo explained "their language seems to be an evolution of forerunner, as I theorized earlier."
"So they were here at one time then?" Azoth says putting his hand to his chin
"Yes I've downloaded everything I could from the ship but they have limited amount of data here." Durzo explained.
"So our mission has gone from recon to data recovery." Azoth said "we'll try to get as much as we can and try to find our way back to the ship."
"Sounds like a plan to me." Durzo agreed.
Once the ship made the trip through hyperspace back to Coruscant. Azoth walked off the drop ship as his head swiveled around taking in all of advanced technology and keeping his hand next to the pistol on his leg, as he watched all the different aliens running around.
"Well the Chancellor heard the report and would like to see you after you meet with the council." Obi-wan said as they walked into the jedi temple
"This is why I joined the infantry." Azoth sighed "To stay away from higher ups."
"Well sorry but that is how things go here." Obi-wan chuckled "Not every day we have a mercenary actually help us out."
"Yeah yeah," Azoth sighed as they came to a large circular room and he took his helmet off. He looked around and saw multiple different types of aliens sitting in a circle around facing toward the center where he was now standing. 'God I hate this.' He said to himself as he had to force his hand way from his pistol. He relaxed a little as he saw another human sitting down in the group, but only a little.
"My fellow council members, I would like to introduce Kyler Azoth." Obi-wan said gesturing toward Azoth "He is a mercenary that wants to assist in our fight."
"And why would a mercenary ally himself with the republic?" a human looking alien with an elongated head asked
"Self-preservation." Azoth replied getting an intrigued look from him "I took a job against the confederation, now they want me dead so best way to stay alive is to side with their enemy."
"So enemy of my enemy, situations." The bald human replied
"Exactly…." Azoth paused.
"Master Windu." The man said
"Right and…" He paused again pointing to the previous one
"Master Ki-Adi-Mundi." He said with a nod of the head.
"Question is why asylum you not seek from Hutts" a small green master asked.
"Good question master Yoda." Windu replied
"Don't trust me much do you." Azoth said with a grin.
"It's not everyday a mercenary offers his help." Windu replied "How do we know you weren't hired by the confederation here to spy?"
"You don't." Azoth shrugged, getting them to look at him more intensely. "But this is my offer. from what I've seen your only military leadership are you jedi."
"Yes and?" Windu asked
"From what I've seen you aren't made for war." Azoth replied
"And you are?" Ki-Adi-Mundi asked
"I've fought, some minor planetary wars on the out rim and uncharted areas." Azoth replied "Like I said they want me dead and I am offering my expertise in war."
"Well we don't have any way of confirming your stories. So if you really truly want to help our war effort how do we know you are not exaggerating your abilities?" Windu asked
"Well you have Kenobi's report." Azoth replied
"Yes we do, however that was only one instance." Windu replied "And we are appreciative of those actions."
"Me especially" Obi-wan added.
"Skills we must test more to asses; the use you could provide." Yoda replied
"Well Kermit, give me a mission. My specialty is black up and recon." Azoth replied
"I'm sure we can find a way to test you." Windu said "If that is all I'm going to call this meeting adjourned." He said as the rest of the masters stood and left leaving himself along with Yoda Azoth and Obi-wan in the room till the last master left.
"More to your story there is. Is there not?" Yoda asked
"Well can't get anything past you two now can I?" Azoth replied
"Sense deceit in your story, but also truth." Yoda replied
"And because of that truth is the only reason we are giving you a chance." Windu replied
"Well you seem like trust worthy guys." Azoth said "And from what I've seen here you two are the top hanchos on this council."
"Yes you could say that." Windu replied cocking an eyebrow
"Well I'll tell you everything if you promise to keep it between us." Azoth replied
"Your secrets we will keep." Yoda replied
"Well I wasn't lying about being in wars on planets in uncharted space." Azoth replied "However the part of space I come from is beyond your galaxy." He said with a smirk that gave Windu an unconvinced look.
"Rumors there are about others from beyond our galaxy." Yoda said scratching his chin "Ancient texts they are in."
"Wait, wait you're buying this?" Windu asked Yoda
"Let me guess these ancients were known as Forerunners, and showed up around the same time as humans did in these galaxy?" Azoth replied
"Archives we must check to be sure, but correct I believe." Yoda said
"Well over a hundred thousand years ago the human race along with the forerunners were at war, but there was a far worse threat known as the flood." Azoth said as he got a distant look in his eyes. "The flood was a parasite that consumed all sentient life and nearly enveloped the entire galaxy. The Forerunners developed a weapon that wiped out all sentient life in the galaxy starving the flood. Once they were no longer a threat the Forerunners plan finished by repopulating the galaxy."
"And that was so long ago what does that have to do with now?" Windu asked
"Well Earth the planet where I come from we began to expand into space around four hundred years ago, we never came into contact with any alien race. Till thirty years ago, when the war started." Azoth said as he got another distant look across his face. "These aliens called themselves the covenant. They worshiped the Forerunners as gods, they saw the humans as an abomination to their religion and began to wipe us out. Planet by planet, for twenty-five years they waged their crusade against us. We held our own but we were out matched and out gunned. They then found a Halo ring, one of the weapons used to destroy all life in the galaxy. They tried activating it but one of our men stopped it. That was when one of the races in the covenant found out the truth and began to help us. We stopped the war and began to rebuild."
"Then this far away from home why are you?" Yoda asked
"Most of the planets we had colonized were glassed, and uninhabitable." Azoth explained
"Glassed?" Windu asked
"Obital plasma bombardment from their ships." Azoth said with a solemn look on his face "I've watched too many planets burn. So we began to look for new places to colonize, we found the coordinates to this galaxy in one of the Forerunner facilities."
"And your kind wants to come here and take worlds from us?" Windu asked
"No." Azoth replied getting a cocked eyebrow from the jedi master. "We didn't know what we would find here, we did figure since the Forerunners had come here there would be some sort of life. So we came here to investigate, see if there were any planets we could colonize without starting a fight. We have seen enough war and don't want to start another."
"But hesitate you did not to jump into our war." Yoda replied
"I was born during the war, it is all I know." Azoth said "I'm a warrior, the battlefield is where I belong."
"More there is to this story." Yoda said
"There is but where is the fun in telling you everything on the first date." Azoth said with a smile
"Very well, you have been straight forward with us about why you're here. We don't need to know about your personal affairs." Windu said
"I'm just surprised you said so much to them, especially master Yoda." Obi-wan said
"Why is that Master Kenobi?" Windu asked
"Well when Ashoka came for us he attacked her, and during the interrogation he told us he didn't trust non-humans." Obi-wan replied
"Can you blame me?" Azoth replied
"No it is understandable given your situation." Windu replied "But why did you trust us?" he asked
"Not sure, it's just a feeling like I can trust you." Azoth replied
"What kind of feeling?" Windu asked
"Not sure, just a gut feeling I've developed while in battle." Azoth replied "It hasn't let me down yet."
"Interesting." Yoda nodded.
"Well now it's off to who was it again?" Azoth asked
"Chancellor Palpatine." Obi-wan replied
"Well let's get going." Azoth said as he turned around and walked out the door.
"The force sense it not in him." Yoda said
"Yeah, it has worried me." Obi-wan replied "but he seems honest"
"Watch him we must." Yoda replied
"We will figure something out with him." Windu said "For now you keep an eye on him."
"Of course." Obi-wan said as he followed Azoth out the door.
Azoth and Obi-wan took a tram to capital building, and were now walking up to the chancellor's office. As they walked up they were stopped by guards in red robes holding some sort of staff like weapons
"Leave your blasters here." The guard said gesturing toward a table. Azoth then removed his pistol and placed it on the table.
"If you mess with my side arm I'll kill you in a most horrific way." Azoth said to the guard who only nodded as Azoth and Obi-wan walked into the office. Once in the office they saw an elderly man sitting at a desk with a woman sitting with her back to them with a man standing next to her.
"Ah Anakin, Senator Amidala good to see you." Obi-wan said as they walked up to them "We aren't interrupting anything are we?"
"No master Kenobi, I was just going over the supply routes through Naboo." The senator replied "And who is your associate?"
"Ah yes this…" Obi-wan began
"Night Angel." Azoth replied
"Ah so this is the mercenary you spoke of in your report." The Chancellor replied
"Yes, Night Angel this is chancellor Palpatine, Senator Padma Amidala, and my old padawan Anakin Skywalker." Obi-wan replied introducing everyone.
"Good to meet you all." Azoth replied with a nod of his head
"So you are the one who saved Obi-wan from his own bad luck." Anakin chuckled
"Merely in the right place at the right time to help." Azoth replied
"And why did you help?" Palpatine asked
"Simple self-preservation." Azoth replied "I took a job against the confederation now they want me dead so enemy of my enemy is my friend."
"Well always good to have new friends in this war." Palpatine replied "But I saw you met with the jedi council before coming over here, may I ask why?" he said in a friendly manner
"They just wanted to thank me for saving one of their own, and ask the same as you why I did it." Azoth replied
"Well I would like to thank you as well, master Kenobi is a good friend of mine as well." Padma said holding out her hand as Azoth shook it.
"Not a problem ma'am" Azoth said "if I had known I would be thanked by such a pretty lady I would have brought him back in better shape." He flirted getting Padma to blush and smile, while Anakin gave him the stink eye.
"Well I hope this truce works out for all parties." Palpatine said
"Well the jedi are still a bit skeptical of me and want to test my skill." Azoth replied
"Well I may have a way to do that." Palpatine replied as he walked over to his desk and grabbed his data pad.
"Well you really are the boss man, already putting me to work." Azoth replied with a chuckle
"Why yes always things that need to be done." Palpatine shared in the joke "But we just received a report from Mandalore that there was a coup and that Duchess Satine is now imprisoned."
"What?!" Kenobi asked in shock "When did this happen?"
"I only received the report a few hours ago." Palpatine replied "Now I say to test your skills you need to go and retrieve her before she is executed."
"Not a problem." Azoth replied as he turned around and walked out of the office.
Azoth had quickly found the underground and soon found a ship, to commandeer.
"Now you're sure this is the best ship?" Azoth asked
"Yes, it was stolen from a republic testing facility, then stolen three more times, and since it was part of a secret project there are no official records tying it to the republic." Durzo explained
"Yeah sure but what makes it worth stealing?" Azoth asked
"It has a stealth prototype that was supposed to be as good as a prowlers, as well as scanners we can use to try and locate the ship after we get done with this job." Durzo explained
"Alright good." Azoth said as he looked around the hanger to see no one around, before he made his move he stopped and swung around a crate holding up his pistol to the head of Obi-wan then pulled it way. "What are you doing here? This is my job."
"If you are doing this to show the council your worth, a jedi must observe and judge your worth." Obi-wan replied
"Yeah sure whatever you say." Azoth said as he looked around the hanger again "Stay low and follow me." he said as he ran over to the ship and quickly opened the ramp. They quickly get to the cockpit, and Azoth jumps in the pilots seat.
"Why steal this ship, we could of provided one to you?" Obi-wan asked as they began to take off
"Simple they consider the republic an enemy and would shoot us down if they found out we came from the republic." Azoth replied as they made it into the atmosphere.
"Yes but you really shouldn't steal." Obi-wan replied
"Don't see you stopping me." Azoth replied "Besides I'm stealing it from a criminal organization any way."
"I can overlook it for now." Obi-wan replied
"Just like I can overlook you lying to me, about why you're here." Azoth replied
"What?" Obi-wan asked shocked as they entered Hyperspace.
"I've been in special forces since I was eighteen, I've been lied to more times than you can count so I know when someone is lying to me." Azoth said as he stood up from the pilot's seat "But don't worry as long as you don't hold me back or get in my way, I don't mind you tagging along."
"I'm a jedi I won't hold you back." Obi-wan replied with a bit of pride.
"Yeah you were all boat loads of help last time." Azoth said with a smirk
"I had a broken leg." Obi-wan defended as they went down to the storage bay.
"I had three broken ribs, busted arm, internal bleeding. I still crawled up the back of my enemy and stabbed him in the neck and ripped out his throat." Azoth replied
"Well… was your leg broken?" Obi-wan asked
"Didn't think the jedi were supposed to be prideful." Azoth asked
"We aren't." Obi-wan said as they entered the storage bay.
"Prideful and a liar going for a trifecta?" Azoth chuckled "I'm just giving you hard time."
"If you are from another galaxy how do you know so much about Jedi?" Obi-wan asked
"Durzo hacked your ships records and every other computer we came into contact with." Azoth replied "He has been giving me the cliff notes about you guys, just like he is doing now with the mandalorians, they say to defeat your enemy you must know your enemy. But they forget that you must know your allies in case they become your enemy." He said
"You're no longer talking about the jedi are you?" Obi-wan asked
"I've been betrayed too many times, to trust so quickly." Azoth sighed as they came to a crate, and opened it to reveal it full of blasters.
"These are EE-3's they are illegal on the open market." Obi-wan said in shock
"And they were heading to mandalor." Azoth said
"And what will we do with them when we get there." Obi-wan asked
"This is our in." Azoth said "We pose as the sellers."
"And if they know you are not the person they made the deal with?" Obi-wan asked
"Tell them the truth, I stole it so I could take the ship and make this deal." Azoth replied
"And if they don't like that answer?" Obi-wan asked
"Well we improvise." Azoth answered as he pulled out one of the blasters and shouldered it and moved it around "You know… this is a good weapon; think I'll keep one." He said putting it on his back.
END CHAPTER 4
