Chapter 5

Slayers of Shadows

"The streets of Coruscant aren't something to smile about. Especially when you are the one who has to patrol them all the time. Only good thing I love about the streets is that you get to see a lot of action there. That is probably the only reason I used to like my job as a 143rd Security Division of the 66th..."

-Lieutenant Scalpel talking to Captain Rose.

Back in the streets of Coruscant, Dunkel and a small squad of troopers are patrolling around, just like their old guard as Coruscant Security. The clones with Dunkel were Kicker, Sky and Blackout. The Chancellor had requested them to make sure the streets of Coruscant were clear from any signs of enemy activity.

"Why do we have to do this again? I mean, we're part of the new 66th Slaughter Corps, we should be taking over Separatist planets or blowing up space stations, not patrolling Coruscant!" Sky continued complaining.

"Hey, Sky. Wanna know what happens when you have a mouth like that? You can be thrown off this bridge!" Blackout shot back. That shut Sky up.

Since the assault on their original base, Sky got an upgrade. He was now wearing robes, but he still had his black and red armor under it. He had also been giving a company, the 1st Reaper Company.

They all continued walking in silence, when suddenly they started to listen to crying, "Please! Stop that Mister! Please! I have done nothing to you! Gaaah!" It must of been a child. But why was a child walking alone in the streets? They didn't know.

"Alright, let's move it out!" Dunkel ordered. They ran up to the ally where they heard the crying, but when they got there no one but a beaten up boy was there. The boy was pouring blood out of his head.

"What the heck?! Who could of done something? To a child in fact!" Sky puzzled. Someone else must of been watching them. A dark figure appeared before them. He knocked Sky over and began to flee from the crime scene.

"Kicker, get the kid to General Kira! She'll know what to do! The rest of you, fall in behind me!" Dunkel ordered. Kicker leaped forward and grabbed the boy and ran out of there, and began his search for a speeder.

Sky jolted back up and charged behind Commander Dunkel. Blackout took out a grapple gun and took the high ground. There was no way this man could get away from them. Not forever.

Kicker was sprinting as fast as he could. Everywhere he looked, there were only people gasping, not someone offering to aid them to help the child. Kicker arrived in an open area where barely anyone was located. Or so he thought. Suddenly, 5 bounty hunters who work together surrounded him. Holding the child over his shoulder, he brought out the Z-6 Rotary Cannon he acquired earlier and began blasting the hunters, taking 2 down before they went into cover.

Kicker rolled a grenade in, and was able to blow two of them up. The last one standing seemed to be very smart in battle, overpowering Kicker with ease. Suddenly, the child woke up and saw the bounty hunter.

"Gaaaahh!" He screamed, and suddenly the bounty hunter was force pushed into a speeder flying by that was going very fast.

"How did..?" Kicker was confused. There was no one else there, and the force was only used when the boy woke up, "What are you... Some kind of Jedi?" Kicker got back on his feat, still carrying the boy over his shoulders, then he propped him down. "What's your name, anyways? Don't worry, I'm with the Republic and not here to harm you."

The boy looked at Kicker in fear, then at last replied, "I'm.. Sala'kun Dexmer... Thank you... For helping me..."

Kicker smiled at him, "Alright. Come on, let's get you somewhere safer."

Dunkel and Sky were in hot pursuit of the bounty hunter, who seemed to not be slowing down anytime soon. "Man, I'm glad I didn't get that MEC armor..." Sky mumbled.

"Spare me from the chatter, Sky. We need to catch that scum." Dunkel reordered Sky, not that it changed Sky's opinions that much.

At long last, they trapped the bounty hunter in a corner, where he had no where to run. "Hands up, now!" Dunkel ordered.

"Do you have any idea who I am?" The bounty hunter went on. He wore black clothing and has a sort of a ghostly figure, "I am the Shadow. The man in the ally ways who takes his targets down. The man who is stealth with full bite. The man who..."

Dunkel and Sky watched and barely listened to him. "Sir, can we PLEASE just set our guns to kill and spare the clones at the cellblock?" Sky pleaded.

"I'd love to do that right about now, as well Sky," Dunkel grinned under his helmet. They aimed their guns at the Shadow in the middle of his ramblings when suddenly someone grabbed his neck and put him to sleep.

"Thought I'd help you guys end that conversation faster," Blackout joked.

"Well, you were able to shut him up," Dunkel noted. He picked up the Shadow and dragged him, making sure he puts cuffs on him.

"Sir, the Shadow has been captured. His mission along with the other hunters there at the time failed to capture the child," an anonymous figure stated, "Do you think we should send in Zerd?"

"No... Zerd has other business with me involving the Senator. Maybe afterwards," Zankokuna stared at the figure with bright red eyes.

"Aye, sir, but it seems the Republic has the boy. I'll send in some units to take him back," he assured Zankokuna, who smiled under his hood.

"Good job, Captain," Zankokuna ended the call. He stood up and stared out into the space, and the planet below.

Kicker stepped out of the speeder and helped Sala'kun Dexmer out of it, waving the speeder off, only to find that Dunkel, Sky, and Blackout got here before them and were standing in front of the 77th ARC Unit's General, Kira.

"So, Kicker. I see you haven't kicked the bucket yet doing this mission. Oh, and you are very late," Sky teased Kicker. Kicker grunted, but kept his anger on the inside. He noted that Blackout was carrying a body, possibly the man who assaulted Sala'kun, and looked pretty tired, either because he 'did all the work,' or because what Kira is talking about is boring. He'd go for the first one personally.

"Ah, Kicker. I'm glad you showed up. I thought the leader of a whole unit in the 66th Slaughter Corps wouldn't be here for a talk from his own Jedi general," Kira spoke, and Sky chuckled when she wasn't paying attention. General Kira had brown hair ranging down her robe, it seemed like she never cut her hair, as it was 3 centimeters from the start of her legs. She wore a brown robe with white armor marked with green under her robes.

"Gener-" Kicker was about to begin, then corrected himself, "Kira, Dunkel had me rescue this child and take him here, and we were attacked by some bounty hunters, but this child... He used the force to push one of them off the edge!"

Kira nodded at the end of his statement, then looked down at Sala'kun, "I'll have the council see his fate, but I'm pretty sure they'll say something like, 'he's too old' or similar," she explained.

"I understand, Kira, but it seems like someone wants this boy, and I am pretty sure he is homeless," Kicker testified. Kira nodded once more at his statement.

"Get in line for now, Kicker," she added.

Captain Kicker joined the other three in line at stared at Kira.

Zerd landed his ship on a landing pad far away from any Republic base, and left it with the Senator and Akira at his side. There, a robed figured awaited for them.

"Hello, I have a package for Mr. Sidious," Zerd joked. Darth Sidious was not amused at it, but he grinned when he saw Senator Darlin Masino appear behind Zerd. "Where do you want me to leave it?" Zerd continued, becoming serious again.

"Put him over there, Terrorly. I'll have my droids interrogate him," Darth Sidious went on. It was very rare when Zerd let people call him by his last name. It showed he had respect for the person who dared speak of his last name, no matter how deadly it made Zerd sound. "You know Zerd, your previous family members I've heard share one huge thing in common; they all were terrorizing the hearts of others as they raise up to power and wealth."

Zerd chose to say nothing, just staring at Darth Sidious. Two interrogation droids took Darlin Masino into a room to the side of the hanger they sat down and began conversation in. Zerd stood up and walked towards Akira, who was waiting for him at his ship.

"Zerd," Darth Sidious stopped him, "how about you stay along a bit longer? And get that girl to work and fetch us a drink."

Zerd turned to Sidious, and motioned Akira to do what he says, no matter if she enjoys being a servant instead of a bounty hunter or not.

"Zerd, how is your sister, Luna?" Sidious tried starting a conversation.

"I keep her safe, no matter what she says. She is my only living relative, and if I die she will be the only one who can continue the Terrorly legacy," Zerd briefly explained to Darth Sidious. Akira returned as soon as Zerd finished speaking of his sister and she placed two beverages in between the dangerous men. In the middle of the table, Darth Sidious had a hologram plop up an image of Luna.