So sorry for the delay in updates, I had some serious writer's block and a lot of family business to take care of.
Also, work has been a hassle. Anyway, hope you enjoy chapter 14 of Republic Commando: Death Trap. And if you want to read a lot more about the commandos you should check out mandowriter, he has a lot of material on it.
Ciao!
Drago Gang headquarters, Coruscant Underlevels-
It was dark, and the sound of tiny clawed feet filled the air as rodents ventured out from their hiding places. Rever had no idea where he was or how long he'd been hanging there. He was disoriented from the blow to his head, the beatings he had taken, and his arms ached from the weight of his suspended body; judging from the amount of pain, he was certain his arm right arm was dislocated. The sound of voices bit through the darkness and fog, pulling Rever to the world of the conscious. The lights turned on and Rever had to close his eyes to protect them from the sudden, blinding light.
"Have you gotten anything out of him?" one voice asked.
"No, he hasn't said anything," a second voice said.
The owner of the first voice huffed in frustration.
"Sladner wants to see the two of you, dump him back to his cell, I don't think we'll be getting anything out of him any time soon," he said and walked away.
"Vinny! Come help me with this," the second man said, he flipped some switches and gravity pulled Rever's body to the ground and Vinny grabbed Rever's arm to haul him up. When Rever was on his feet he lashed out, ramming an elbow into the second man's nose and feeling it cave. Rever was about to deliver another blow when something hit him hard behind the ear and he fell.
"Stupid barve," Vinny snorted. "You beat him to a bloody pulp and he still managed to break your nose, Delan."
"Shut up!" Delan snapped, holding his nose, which was gushing blood.
"Just get him back to his cell..." was the last thing Rever heard before the friendly arms of unconsciousness enveloped him.
Apartment Complex, Coruscant middle class sector-
"So when were you going to tell me?" Arcus asked as he drove.
"About what?" Arsenal asked.
"About your pregnancy," Arcus said.
Arsenal tensed up. "How did you..." she stopped as Arcus cut in. "Ex-Jedi, remember?" He said, a smile playing on his lips.
Arsenal relaxed, slumping slightly again her seat. "I just found out today," she said.
"And I'm assuming that, due to the time you've been spending together, Rever's the father?" He asked.
Arsenal nodded. "What do suppose he'll say?" She asked.
Arcus was silent as he carefully weighed his answer. "I think he'll be happy, and possibly a little scared," he finally said.
"Rever scared? I find that hard to believe," Arsenal said, some humor in her voice.
"Everyone gets scared sometimes, the question is, are you scared?" he said.
Arsenal had to think about that one. The only time she had been scared was after her father and brother were killed. She had wondered how she would manage hunting down Sladner without them. Now that she was pregnant, she was frightened over what the future would hold. She had no idea how to be a mother and now she was being thrust into the role.
"Coruscant to Solus, come in, Solus." She realized that she had left Arcus's question hanging and shook herself.
"I guess," she said. "I've got no idea how to be a proper mother, I'm chasing down a madman built like a rancor, and my baby's father and uncles could die anytime, so yes I am a little scared."
Arcus reached over with his free hand and grabbed Arsenal's hand. "You'll be fine, you may not know how to be a good mother, but that comes with time, you won't be hunting down Sladner alone, and even though Rever and the others won't live forever they'll always be there."
Arsenal smiled. "Thanks Jennel," she said.
Arcus smiled back. "Anytime, Solus."
Drago Gang headquarters, Coruscant Underlevels-
Sladner stood facing the viewscreen, contemplating his revenge, when the door hissed open and Delan walked in, Vinny close behind.
Delan's nose was slightly crooked and dried blood rimmed his nostrils.
"You wanted to see us, Sir?" Delan said.
"Did you get anything out of the clone?" Sladner asked.
"No," Delan said.
"What about the woman, has she said anything about Arsenal's whereabouts?" Sladner asked.
"No, apparently she's an ex-cop, so she knows how to resist interrogations," Delan said.
Sladner snarled. "We're wasting time!" He snapped. "The longer they remain silent means the longer Arsenal has to find us, that would put us at a disadvantage."
Sladner was silent for a long few minutes, causing Vinny to squirm nervously. "Bring the prisoners here, I think it's time to level the playing field," Sladner said.
Delan and Vinny mumbled a few yes sirs and left the room, leaving Sladner to his thoughts.
Roberta, Railyn, Bloodbath, and Rever had all been thrown into the same cell, while Ves has been chained to a beam in the center of the room. Bloodbath had lost track of time a while ago, but that was more due to his concussion than anything.
Rever had been brought back a while ago, unconscious, all bruised and bloodied from the beatings. His civilian shirt had long since fallen apart and his trousers were not far behind. His chest, now exposed, bore the scars of many battles past, but the one that caught Roberta's attention covered Rever's throat and the upper central part of his chest.
It looked like a blaster scar and could probably explain his inability to speak.
Her own interrogation hadn't been as violent, though she was now sporting a split lip and a black eye.
She and Railyn made them as comfortable as they could, but Roberta knew that if they didn't receive medical attention they could die. The biggest problem at the moment was keeping Bloodbath awake, if he fell asleep with a concussion he might never wake up, so the women kept him talking as much as possible.
They had just asked him to describe when Canon Squad first met Arsenal when the guard room door opened. A man lowered the shield and another six walked in, four grabbed the clones, and the other two grabbed the women.
"Where are you taking us?" Roberta demanded only to be slapped across the face.
"Shut up," the man snarled and pushed her towards the door.
They all had their hands tied behind their backs so they couldn't lash out, the guards had learned that lesson when they first captured the clones.
Delan, the one guiding Railyn, pressed himself up against her and attempted to grope her backside but was interrupted by a growl followed by someone crashing into him.
Bloodbath had seen what he had been doing and somehow managed to shake off his guards and attack Delan. Ves started growling and barking at the men but yelped when one of them kicked him in the side.
The other guards quickly dragged a livid Bloodbath off Delan.
"Don't you touch her you filthy di'kut!" He yelled and Delan responded with a fist into Bloodbath's gut. Railyn screamed and tried to back away from Delan, but was stopped by another gang member.
"I'd like to see you stop me," he sneered. He grabbed Railyn, she struggled but was no match for him, pulling her into a deep kiss.
"Delan," Vasig said, and Delan released a crying Railyn. "Not now, there will be plenty of time for that later, right now Sladner wants to put on a little show for Arsenal."
Apartment Complex, Coruscant middle class sector-
Arsenal and Arcus made it to Roberta's apartment When they got to the door Arcus tensed. Solus, sensing this stopped.
"What is it?" She asked.
"Something's wrong, I'm feeling a lot of residual fear and anger... look," he said and pointed at the lock, it was blinking red and was stuck in the closed position. He pulled his lightsaber out from a hidden pocket inside the civilian jacket Des had lent him. Arcus motioned for Arsenal to move away and placed his hand on the door, it was locked tight, so Arcus activated his blade and thrust it into the lock.
The door opened with a hiss and they stepped inside, Arsenal went first with her blaster despite Arcus's protests and did a quick IVA.
"There's no one here" Arcus said and Arsenal nodded. The two of them looked around the living room, taking in the damage and the dried blood on the floor.
"What happened here?" Arsenal asked, though she had a gut feeling about who it was.
Arcus went over to the blood spot and picked up a holographic projector that was beside it.
"Solus, I found something," he said, holding up the device.
"It's a holoprojector," he remarked rather obviously. Arsenal snorted.
"Well, duh, genius," she remarked sarcastically. At that moment it began beeping, Arcus and Arsenal looked at each other before he thumbed the ON switch.
Sladner stood behind a line of prisoners with gang members on each side. He smiled a toothy smile that did not bode well for the unfortunate hostages.
"Arsenal, it is so good to see you again, I believe you know these people?" he said, nodding to the men who stepped forward and removed the hoods.
Arsenal stifled a gasp at the sight of their faces.
The hostages were Rever, Bloodbath, Roberta, and Railyn. Roberta and Railyn looked to be alright with just a few bruises, Bloodbath had a head wound and possibly a concussion judging by his almost indiscernable swaying and slightly glazed expression. Rever, though, looked to be in the worst shape; his shoulder had a strange lump sticking out, meaning a dislocated shoulder, he was bloody and bruised, and his nose was broken.
"Come to the old munitions factory on level 1350B," Sladner said stepping forward, gripping Rever by his hair and jerking him up and his head back.
"And you'd better come alone..." he started.
Sladner pulled out a vibroblade and dragged it across Rever's face, ignoring the cries from Railyn and Roberta, Bloodbath tried to stand but was hit in the face with the butt of a blaster.
Rever didn't make any noise, but it was obvious that he was in pain as the blade sliced across his left eye. Sladner pulled the blade away from Rever's face and looked back to Arsenal.
"...Or this clone will lose more than just an eye," he finished, dropping Rever and, turning his back to them, he walked away.
The holoprojector deactivated leaving Arsenal and Arcus stunned. Arsenal had sworn not to cry when her father and brother died, but she was coming close to breaking that oath.
"We need to get this back to the others," Arcus said, Arsenal only nodded her consent and the two of them exited the building, ignoring traffic laws in their haste.
That is chapter 14 for you, I hope you like it. Please read and review.
If you have any ideas for the plot feel free to share. :)