Disclaimer: I Do not own star wars. These events are what lead up to Revan and Malak searching for the Star Forge, and it features Liam Olin, ancestor of Ferris Olin, a bounty hunter.
1
"...and your sure that this plan will work?"
The vents shake violently, and it appears the room below did as well.
"What was that?" a voice from below proclaimed.
"Captain Braxer, the Mandalorians are assaulting. A whole star fleet is reigning upon us as we speak," another voice said.
"Ervsen, give me the data-pad fast, and you two, get to your stations, help will not arrive today," warned Braxer.
Red lights began to flash as sirens rang throughout the ship.
"Attention crew, all hands report to battle stations, I want all guns firing at these Mandalorian scum," the Captains voice bellowed throughout the ship.
"Damn, I don't think that I'm going to be getting back to Taris anytime soon," I said to myself. This man is going to get killed, even if I don't get to him. I wonder what kind of information is inside th…"
My thoughts are cut off by the sounds of multiple explosions and violent shaking in the vents.
"Sir, you can't stay on the ship, you need to get that data-pad off the ship in one piece, as well as yourself," ordered an officer. "There is no way our one ship will be able to take down an entire battle ready fleet, they will kill us all. So I think you shouldn't be worrying about…"
"The Mandalorians are here for the data-pad, they are going to cripple the ship, board it, and take it from us, so we still have time," interrupted the Captain. "We need to get as many armed men as possible to guard the room. Ervsen, Jenks, you two will accompany me inside the escape pods."
Blaster fire began outside in the corridor, with many men screaming in agony.
"The Mandalorians are aboard, let us in, please, many of us are wounded."
More blaster fire was heard, and the man screamed in pain.
Braxer began giving orders again. "Once my escape pod has left, you all may proceed to the escape pods yourselves. Believe it or not, this data-pad has vital information that may lead to the end of this war. So it is important that this gets out of here intact. Good luck, and may I see you all again one day."
Braxer left the room.
"Shit, I need to get out of here, and fast," I said to myself as I began to run through the ventilation system.
As I ran through the vents, I could hear the combat from the corridor, and the crew dying helplessly.
"I need to get out of this vent, Braxer is not getting away from me again."
I kick open the vent and jump out.
Five Mandalorian soldiers had just ran through this corridor, tailing the Captain.
"This may get ugly," I said to myself as I clenched my custom DH-17 blaster pistol in its holster.
I tailed the group of Mandalorian soldiers, remaining out of sight. I stumbled as more explosions rang throughout the ship. I knew that if I followed those soldiers, I would find the Captain, and that data-pad that the Mandalorians are keen on obtaining.
The soldiers came to a stop, and one of them began to speak.
"Captain Germain Braxer, I believe you have something that belongs to us! The high command of Mandalore has sent this fleet to take back what is rightfully ours. So hand it over, and we may let you live."
I jump out with my blaster drawn and open fire. Three Mandalorians drop, leaving the other two in shock. As they staggered to draw their blaster rifles, Braxer and his escorts drew their blasters and downed the remaining two.
Then Braxer began to speak. "Who are you, and what do you think you are doing on this ship?"
"There is no time to explain right now, so I think our best idea is to get into the escape pod and get off of this ship, because I'm pretty sure a lot more than five Mandalorians are on their way right now to kill us and get whatever is on that data-pad!" I exclaimed. "So lets move!"
The four men piled into the cramp escape pods. One of them punched in the codes, and the pod blasted off. There was a small view point inside the escape pod. The occupants watched in awe as they saw the massive Mandalorian battle fleet. They counted at least 35 battle ready assault cruisers, blasting away at their, in comparison, ant of a ship. The bridge exploded in a burst of blue and red, and the rest of the ship followed. One or two other escape pods were behind us, but that was it.
"My ship," Braxer said in disbelief, "my ship is gone."
Braxer was staring at the wall in complete shock.
"Sir, that was only a rundown transport ship, that can't possibly have been your main ship" I said.
"Oh but it was, I've captained her for twenty years, and she remained nameless," responded the captain. "I really should have named her though..."
"Why would the Republic send you out into space to deliver a data-pad full of vital information, inside a junker that was practically defenseless?" I questioned.
"Now I realize why they chose me for this, realized the captain. They must have figured the Mandalorians wouldn't bother tracking down a run-down transport ship. But they were wrong, and now we are inside an escape pod with a stowaway, for who all we know, is a Mandalorian spy that will kill us for the data-pad. And even better, this escape pod is plummeting down to Duro, where Galactic Basic is barely spoken. We will be stranded there for a long time. The Republic never keeps track of it."
"Well, maybe one of the people on the other two escape pods have a communications device" encouraged Ervsen.
"I doubt it, the Mandalorians will go down to Duro and track us down," I responded. "They would probably jam any form of communication on Duro, to make sure we don't call for help."
"Well, maybe I should have sent out a distress signal," Jenks said as he sank back into his seat.
"You mean you didn't send out a distress signal when we were hopelessly outnumbered and probably were going to die!" exclaimed the captain.
"You should have made sure, CAPTAIN!" Ervsen said sarcastically.
"Hey, you all just need to calm down, the last thing we need is for you guys to be turning on each other, because if you do, then we are already doomed," I warned. "We need to work together, so first things first, we will need to abandon your ranks, so captain, you will be referred to as Braxer, I will be addressed as Liam, which is my first name, and same thing for Ervsen and Jenks. When we land, we will have to try to meet up with the other surviving crew members."
Oh I sure hope we survive the crash landing, I thought to myself.
"It looks like we are about to hit the atmosphere!" proclaimed Jenks.
The escape pod began to shake, as red flames can be seen on the front of the small vessel. The shaking felt like it lasted hours. I had my eyes closed shut, clenching my fists in fear. I had never experienced the severe g-force like this before. It usually lasted seconds when I was piloting my normal starship, "The Shade." After a period of three minutes, they had safely breached the atmosphere.
I opened my eyes to see the lush, jungle covered surface of Duro. There were some oceans on the surface that were visible. I had never actually been down on Duro, and I wasn't expecting to come here under these circumstances.
I had been so mesmerized by the sheer beauty of Duro, I forgot we were plummeting down to the planet, and were probably going to die in the crash.
"I'm opening up the flaps now!" announced Ervsen.
The flaps jerk open simultaneously. They were meant to slow down the escape pod, though I highly doubted it would help.
"We need to level out the pod right now, if we hit at this angle, we will be nothing more than a pile of ash!" exclaimed Braxer.
"Brace for impact!" exclaimed Jenks.
2
Large slamming noises could be heard as the pod hit trees, many of them falling down. Leaves and vines were already covering the front of the pod.
Then they hit the ground. Dust was stirred all around the pod. The front visor was shattered, and the door was smashed open. Everything was absolutely still. There was no noise at all. It was as if nature had stopped to listen and watch the pod slam helplessly onto the surface.
Braxer was the first to talk. "Is everyone alright?"
There was a pause, but then someone responded.
"I'm here...this is...Ervsen. Can't...breathe…"
He went completely silent.
"Ervsen!" shouted Jenks as he got out of his seat.
"Be careful with him," I warned. "We don't want him injured worse than he already is."
They all pilled out of the pod, Jenks carrying Ervsen. They could see the trail from their crash. There was a multitude of collapsed trees, and a trail of flames.
"Oh God..." Jenks said quietly.
A large piece of shrapnel from the door was impaled in Ervsen's stomach, and he wasn't breathing.
"If he hadn't suffocated, he would have bled to death, there's nothing we can do now." I said, trying to comfort Jenks.
"I'm proud to have served with him," said Braxer.
Jenks was completely silent. The three stood in silence, in honor of their fallen comrade.
Then they heard the crash of another escape pod nearby.
"We need to get to the other escape pod, and fast." said Braxer.
The three got up and ran toward the area of smoke and fire.
The pod was half engulfed in flames as they arrived.
"We have to get them out of there!" exclaimed Jenks.
The three ran to the entrance of the escape pod. It wasn't blasted open like theirs, it was sealed shut.
"We need to open that door fast!" said Jenks.
"The only thing I have is a thermal detonator, since I'm assuming a pass code won't open that door anymore," I said. "Everybody get back, I'm blowing this door open!"
I placed the detonator and stood back. There is an explosion full of brilliant oranges and reds. Thankfully it didn't engulf the rest of the pod.
The three ran into the pod to grab the survivors. Braxer and I ran out helping men, one of them badly burned.
"I can't get the straps off this guy, they're jammed, do any of you have a knife or something?" asked Jenks.
"Yeah, here!" I exclaimed as I tossed a knife into the pod.
Jenks catches it and begins to cut away at the straps.
They were tough to cut through, Then he realized they were meant to keep a man in place as they plummeted down to a planet.
One strap gave way, as the fire inched closer and closer. The second gave way, which was just enough to get the man out. He pulls him free and out of the pod.
"Everyone else inside is dead." said a survivor grimly.
The flames reached the remaining fuel, causing the entire pod to explode.
There was a strange calm.
Then I began to think to myself. What do I do from here? I can't just kill Braxer and run off. I need them, and they need me, if we all want any chance of getting off this planet. I just need to play along until we are off this planet, then I'll take him out, then get the data-pad. I'm sure Davik will pay me extra.
"Hey, look at the sky!" exclaimed Jenks.
I look up to see what appeared to be a meteor shower. We all knew it was the remains of our ship. Far off in the distance, I spotted A large ball of fire, with two Mandalorian Star Fighters behind it.
"Look!" I exclaimed. "It's the other escape pod, but the Mandalorians are tailing it!"
"They're doomed..." muttered a crew member from the destroyed escape pod.
He couldn't have said it any sooner. A proton torpedo flew out of one of the star fighters. The pod is instantly vaporized. No chance of survivors. I knew immediately that those fighters would spot the smoke of our escape pods, since they are burning, making an obvious cloud of smoke in the sky.
"Everyone, into the tree line!" I ordered. "They are going to be on top of us in a matter of seconds!"
Everyone ran into the tree line. All except for one crew member made it to the forest in time.
A proton torpedo slammed into the already destroyed escape pod. The crew member with a severely burned leg couldn't run fast enough. He was vaporized, almost as fast as the other escape pod. I saw an explosion over by our escape pod. They were obviously destroying them, to ensure we have nowhere to hide.
The crew member that had just been blasted away had given all of us that were hidden away.
The two star fighters began opening fire into the forest around us. Their blasters and torpedoes shredded every tree around us. Everybody broke into a sprint deeper into the forest.
"We've been spotted!" exclaimed Jenks.
One star fighter had began to hover in the air over us. He was examining us. Seeing if we were worth the kill. Then he opened fire.
We were all running faster than we had ever run in our lives. I hear the sound of two other star fighters soar over our heads.
Laser fire was hitting the ground around us. Another survivor from the other escape pod went down. We couldn't stop to help, we just kept running.
I than began to wonder, why would they be trying to vaporize us? Don't they want the data-pad? As I thought that, the four star fighters had encircled us.
A fifth Mandalorian ship arrived, but it wasn't a star fighter. It was some kind of transport ship. It landed, and approximately twenty Mandalorian soldiers piled out. This is a much better idea than blowing us away, I thought to myself. I knew of course, they were going to try and kill us.
"This is Admiral Shawnee Draquen!" proclaimed a voice from the ship. "If you do not hand over the data-pad, you all will be slaughtered, and it will be taken from your cold, limp, maybe fried bodies. If you hand it over, we might just let you live."
Then there was a series of blue laser rounds shooting over our heads. Two Mandalorian star fighters went down. This was our chance. We all bolted away from the Mandalorian soldiers.
Then I saw seven Duro star fighters fly over hour heads. We didn't stop running. For all we know they would kill us for trespassing on their planet, just like the Mandalorians.
I spot some small objects hurtling toward the planet from above. They weren't debris, but they were thirty Mandalorian star fighters heading to engage with the Duro.
Then I saw a massive ship appear behind the inbound star fighters. It was a Mandalorian Frigate.
3
I see multiple Duro star fighters approaching the battle heated area behind us.
"This will give us more than enough time to get away, and account for our loses, then we can see what supplies we have," I said.
There is a severe number of explosions and laser fire behind us. Then I spot the large squadron of Mandalorian soldiers tailing us.
"We need to get to higher ground!" commanded Braxer.
"And where do you think we could find higher ground?" questioned that last crew member of the other escape pod. "We are in a jungle, with no mountains in sight, being tailed by twenty Mandalorian soldiers."
"What's your name soldier?" asked Braxer.
"My name is Jonah, and that's all I'm going to tell you. I don't want to get too acquainted considering the circumstances."
"That's a good way to talk." I said.
We came to a clearing with the Mandalorians close behind. We hit a dead end. Below, there was a valley, with a river at its bottom.
"Should we jump?" asked Jenks.
"I have a much better idea" I responded. "Braxer, give me the data-pad."
"How do I know your not just going to give it to them and leave us for dead?" questioned Braxer.
"You don't, but you have to trust me," I responded.
I pull out my blaster and hold it up to the data-pad.
"What are you doing!" exclaimed Braxer.
"You'll see, all of you draw your blasters, their here!" I yelled.
The twenty Mandalorians came out into the clearing, all with blaster rifles. We were outnumbered, and out gunned. They all lined up, ready to shoot, when their Admiral came out of the ranks.
"What are you doing?" she yelled.
I responded confidently. "If we aren't going to be able to keep this data-pad for ourselves, then we shouldn't let you have it! Even if you shoot me, there are three men behind me that will shoot it. So now we are at a stalemate."
"You know, data-pads are water-proof" whispered Jenks.
"I know, I'm just letting them know we will destroy it when we are about to die" I whispered back. "We jump once the Admiral has said what she has to."
"But, there is no guarantee of survival," Jonah said.
"I know, but what other options do we have?"
We all knew we had to jump.
The Admiral began to talk. "Well maybe we can work something out that benefit both side, you don't need to destroy it."
That was our queue. We all backed up and jumped. It felt like we were falling in slow motion. I flipped around to see the rapid waters growing closer and closer. I could hear Jenks screaming at the top of his lungs.
Then we hit the water. It was just like I had hoped. It was deep enough so that we wouldn't get crushed by rocks. The water was icy cold, chilling me to the bone. I was still clenching the data-pad as I floated to the surface.
I looked to the sky when I heard the muffled voice of the Admiral, and several Mandalorians looking down into the river, trying to spot us. I had seen everyone else float to the surface.
Then a new problem rose. We were being taken down stream with the river. I knew this would happed, but I hadn't thought about the fact that we need to be able to get onto the river banks.
I saw Jenks gasping for air, coughing. He had obviously swallowed water, but I noticed that he kept going under, and was flailing his arms. He couldn't swim!
"Jonah, grab Jenks, he can't swim!" I exclaimed.
Jonah swam over to him, and held onto him, keeping his head above water. The water grew shallow. I saw some rocks up ahead that we could use to get onto the banks.
Then I heard the distant roar of water. A waterfall.
"Guys, we need to get a hold of those rocks, and fast, if not, we'll more likely than not plummet to our deaths." I warned.
Jenks' eyes widened in fear.
I got a good hold on a rock, and Braxer came by and got hold of a rock farther down. Then Jenks and Jonah came by. Jenks grabbed a rock, which was a huge relief to him. Jonah kept on going, and wasn't able to grab a rock. Braxer was already near the bank. I hadn't even thought of going towards shore. I knew I had to go get Jonah. The more people, the better chance of survival.
I kicked off the rock, which propelled me at Jonah. I heard his screams for help, but barely. I began swimming with the current to catch him. He clings to a rock, but he isn't going to hold on for long. I grab a rock nearby. The current is so fast, I could barely hold on. My hands were slipping from the rock, as were his. I reached my right hand out and grabbed his. I began pulling. He inched closer and closer to me. He finally reached my rock. Then we had to get to the other bank, where Braxer and Jenks were laying down. We then had to do something that risked us going over the edge. I had to whip him over to the rocks towards the bank. I was able to get him across, but I had lost my grip. I went downstream, to the edge of the waterfall. I felt a hand grab me. It was Braxer's, to my surprise. Him and Jenks went back into the water, and linked their hands so they would have enough force to pull me in. I was pulled in, then I had to cling to Jenks, then Jonah. I grabbed a rock, and pulled myself to shore, as did the others.
I let out a sigh of relief. We were alive. Then I spotted something approaching us from the adjacent bank. The Admiral must have sent her soldiers after us. They opened fire, but were to far away to hit us.
I ran to the cliff next to the waterfall. There was a small outcropping just narrow enough to get us by. I signaled for the others to follow me. When I stepped onto the outcropping, Jenks spoke.
"How is that going to hold all of us?" he said doubtfully.
"I don't even know, but we have no other options, so this is what we have to do," I responded.
"The Mandalorians are crossing the river!" exclaimed Jonah.
"Come on, we have to do this!" I yelled.
We all began to slowly scale the outcropping. I heard three Mandalorians screaming as they fell to the bottom of the waterfall. I heard the other Mandalorians footsteps approaching. Then there was blaster fire. Some shots went over our heads. One hit the ground in front of me and caused parts of the outcropping to break off. I avoided the deadly drop and continued moving cautiously. I heard a Mandalorians scream in agony as he fell off the outcropping. Jonah must have shot him.
I reached the end of it and drew my blaster. I was able to position myself so I could have a good view of the five Mandalorians on the outcropping. A blaster pistol was much easier to operate than a rifle, considering the obvious size difference.
I spotted a lose set of rocks above the outcropping. I aimed carefully and fired. The rocks tumbled down, hitting the Mandalorians, and making a huge hole in the outcropping. Three of them fell to their deaths, which left two, who couldn't get across, due to the hole I had just made. Braxer, Jenks, and Jonah had gotten across safely. We all fired at and killed the final two Mandalorians.
The other eight Mandalorians were at the start of the outcropping, and decided it was better for them to fire at us considering they couldn't get across. None of their shots hit their marks, so we left the area.
We ran back into the forest to asses ourselves. In the distance, I could see the aerial combat of the Duros and Mandalorians. Then I saw the Mandalorian frigate approaching the battle sight. I heard the sound of the transport over by the river, then realized it was picking up the soldiers that were sent to hunt us down. The transport flew over the forest, searching for us. The Mandalorians had obviously told the pilot our general direction.
"Hey, I think I found some shelter where we can actually sit for a while," said Jonah.
He points over to a cave, with trees surrounding it and on top of it. It was covered with vines and other resourceful plants. From above, you couldn't tell there was a cave. The perfect hiding spot.
The group ran into the cave. It was the first good thing to happen to them all day. They all laid down to relax, when we heard the transport hovering nearby. We all knew we had to stay down, and keep quiet. We were going to be here for a long time.
4
"I finally have the chance to figure out who the hell you are, and why the hell you were on my ship!" exclaimed Braxer.
"I'm no spy, I promise." I replied.
Technically I wasn't lying, since I'm a bounty hunter.
"I was a stowaway that wanted to leave Dantooine, and go to a new world, like Taris. I wasn't exactly expecting all of this to happen." I lied.
"Well your still a stowaway, which makes you a criminal," Braxer said. "I should have you arrested for this!"
"I can't believe your saying this Brax!" Jenks said. "He saved us many times today, and your considering arresting him! I can't believe you. If it wasn't for him, we would all be dead!"
"We'll, look who finally got the guts to stick up for something!" taunted Braxer. "And you will refer to me as Braxer, not "Brax." Your afraid of heights, and you can't swim! How did you even end up with the republic, your a sniveling coward!"
I had to hold myself back. I knew why Braxer was my target. He's the biggest asshole I have ever met in my entire lifetime, which is shocking considering I'm a bounty hunter.
Then something happened that completely surprised me. Jenks had ran and tackled Braxer. Jenks was on top of him, pounding his face with a surprising amount of force. Braxer didn't stand a chance. Jenks' fists were covered in blood in seconds, as was Braxer's face.
Jenks stood up, grinning. "And you call yourself a Captain." Jenks then spits on him, adding insult to injury.
I thought he was done, when he ran back and started kicking him in the gut. I had to go against what I knew was right, and stop him.
I tackled Jenks, restraining his arms.
"You can't just kill him!" I screamed. "We need him, we all need each other, killing him will not help us at all, but help the Mandalorians."
Jenks calms down.
"I'm sorry, I just couldn't control myself," he responded. "Something just took me over, and I lashed out."
"Hey!" exclaimed Jonah. "He's out cold."
I couldn't believe Jenks could inflict that much pain. He knocked out Braxer, who was his commanding officer. I can't imagine how mad he'll be when he comes to.
I had completely forgotten about the situation we were already in. I had to remind them.
"You guys, the Mandalorians are still after us." I said.
"Oh I know," replied Jonah. "You'd think the fight and the screaming would have led them to us."
I listened outside. There was no sign of the transport. I peered outside and looked around. There was no sign of any Mandalorians anywhere. The aerial combat between the Mandalorians and the Duros had subsided.
"I wonder who won," I said to myself.
I already knew the answer, which was obvious. Even if the Duros could have handled the star fighters, they had to deal with the frigate.
The Mandalorians would be sending out foot patrols to search for us, I just knew it.
The skies of Duro became a deep orange, which meant it was getting late. Dawn was approaching.
"We need to figure out what supplies we have right now!" I exclaimed. "We all have our blaster pistols."
Jenks pulled out a flashlight, and some dried fruit. Jonah pulled out some credits, which were useless out here, and some ion grenades. I pulled out a combat knife, a stealth system, three thermal detonators, ten packs of food, and a bacta tank.
"Some stowaway, huh?" Jonah said.
"I didn't know what exactly I would need, so I packed light, to conceal myself from the crew," I responded. "I think the best thing to do right now, is get some rest, because I'm sure we are all exhausted."
Jenks and Jonah agreed, then found a nice spot in the cave, where they laid down, and went to sleep. I did the same.
I jumped awake to the sound of footsteps outside the cave. I heard voices outside. I immediately caught on to their Mandalorian accents. I got up to warn the others. They were already awake, including Braxer. I was that last person to wake up.
"I was just about to get you," said Jenks.
They all went further into the cave, and found a sizable rock to take cover behind.
"Wait, did you all get our equipment when you got up?" I asked.
"Of course we did," responded Jonah as he pointed at the pile in the corner.
Five Mandalorian soldiers entered the cave. They were talking just loud enough for us to hear.
"Do you think they are in here?" said one.
"Doubt it," replied another. "We found another cave on the other side of the hill and explored, and they weren't there. I bet this cave is connected to it. We can just camp here for a while, and let the other patrols find them."
"Sounds good to me!" replied a third soldier.
After about ten minutes, the Mandalorians had settled down in the cave. One was assigned to patrol the entrance to the cave. Another ten minutes passed, and I could hear snores coming from the Mandalorians. That left the one guard still awake.
"I have an idea," I said softly. "I will need Jenks to accompany me."
" Sure, what's the plan?" Jenks asked.
The others listened in as well.
"If what the Mandalorian said was true, then farther into this cave should be an exit. Jenks and I will go out the back of the cave, then climb up to the top of the hill its under. The cave is in the dead center of the hill. I'll go left and Jenks will go right. When Jenks reaches his spot just above the cave, he will tumble some rocks over, which should attract the guards attention. You would then run back towards the second entrance to the cave. I would go down the other side of the hill with my combat blade drawn. I will get up behind the sentry and take him out."
Jonah was the first to talk.
"Don't you have that stealth device thingy?" he asked.
"I'm afraid its been used, it can only be used once," I replied.
We jumped into action. Since using the flashlight might risk giving us away, we had to go through the cave in the dark. The Mandalorian was right, there was a secondary entrance. We cautiously exited the cave, and climbed up to the top of the hill. We split up to get to our positions. I drew my combat knife as I ran. I reached my position above the cave entrance, and I saw the sentry. I sat for a minute, than I began to worry. Where could Jenks be? He shouldn't be taking this long.
I heard twigs breaking and the sound of an alarmed voice, causing me to turn to stone. On the other side of the hill, I saw Jenks with his hands up, with two Mandalorians pointing their weapons at him. I snuck across the hill and got positioned directly behind the two sentries. I winked at Jenks, and he knew what to do.
I sprang into action. I dug my knife into the neck of the first Mandalorian. The other turned to me, then Jenks pounced like a starved Kath Hound. In seconds, the Mandalorian was on the ground being pummeled by the back end of Jenks' blaster. Then the struggle stopped. The Mandalorian was knocked out, just like Braxer was before. To take extra precautions, I drove my knife into the downed Mandalorians heart.
"Just making sure," I said quietly.
We then went to our positions above the entrance of the cave. I gave Jenks a thumbs up. When the guard was facing my direction, Jenks kicked multiple rocks down the hill. The sentry immediately turned around to investigate. When he was at a distance, I dove down and ran at the guard. I got him in a headlock, then stabbed him directly in the heart. I had covered his mouth with my hand to make sure he couldn't cry for help. His eyes looked up at me for a second, then they balled back into his head. I lay him down quietly, he was dead.
I then went to the sleeping Mandalorians. I silently slit their throats. They died quickly, most of them didn't even open their eyes.
Jonah and Braxer came out to congratulate us on a job well done.
"One last thing," I said to them. "We need to gather the bodies up, so when the sun rises, we dump them over the cliff we were at before, we don't want their stench to attract other patrols."
After about three minutes, there were seven Mandalorian bodies lined up. We all then went back to sleep, we really needed it.
5
After the bodies had been disposed of, we knew we had to leave the cave.
"Where do you suppose we go?" questioned Braxer.
"I'm not exactly sure, but the Mandalorians will notice an entire squadron missing very soon," I replied.
We gathered our equipment and went off. We all had our blasters drawn in case of an attack. I had to make sure Jenks stayed behind Braxer, because I suspected he would try something.
The trek through the forest lasted about ten minutes. We heard the sound of a transport ship above, so we immediately took cover. It landed about two-hundred feet away from us in a clearing we hadn't seen. I heard the sound of two scouting drones come our way. They went right over our heads, not even noticing us. A massive amount of footsteps became audible. I peered out from our hiding spot, a hollowed out tree, to see five groups off five Mandalorians going by. Each group went in different directions.
I overheard one commander giving orders.
"Now, the last time we had contact with Centron squadron was 6 hours ago," he said. "They had given us their coordinates. They were at a cave about ten to fifteen minutes away. We are the only squadron heading there, so be on the lookout, those rats could be anywhere."
I couldn't believe they had the nerve to refer to us as "rats". So, rats were able to take out Thirteen Mandalorian soldiers in one day. They were belittling themselves.
The transport then took off to join the search for us.
"Lets move!" I ordered.
"Since when were you put in charge?" questioned Braxer. "I am the highest ranking officer here, so you all should be taking orders from me! Not this stowaway! He could be leading us into a trap, and turning us into the Mandalorians!"
"That doesn't seem likely, considering he killed most of the Mandalorians we encountered so far," Jonah replied. "And besides, how many times have you given us orders this whole time. He has kept us alive, so I'm going to trust in what he says!"
"Yeah!" added in Jenks.
Braxer's unnecessary rages were getting on my last nerve.
We began to move. We just about ran for half an hour before hunger began to set in.
"I think we should all stop and eat," said Jonah.
"I agree," said Jenks.
"Then lets go ahead then," I said excitingly.
Jenks pulled out his dried fruits and downed them fast. I opened my packs of food to hand out to everyone. There were Bantha Cakes (the good kind), some type of mush containing some fruits from a planet I've never heard of, and some roots. This was the same for every food pack. One pack was designed for five people, so we had enough for about three days.
We began walking again. We saw lights up ahead, and paused. People were talking, but I didn't know what they were saying. They must be speaking Durosian, which means we may have some friendly people who may help us.
"That's a Duros village!" I exclaimed.
We all dashed towards it. We were almost to the entrance when we were halted by a Duros. He started speaking to us, but we had no clue what he was saying. I spoke in the Galactic basic, hoping he would understand.
"Can you help us?" I asked. His eyes widened then quickly signaled for another Duros to join us. He began to speak to us.
"So you are the refugees the Mandalorians are searching for?" he asked.
"What is it to you?" Jonah asked.
"The Mandalorians are occupying our village, and they are looking for you," he warned. "The worst part is, they are willing to kill our civilians to get to you. Our armies are being crushed by them. What they are doing is unspeakable. Come with me, we have a place to hide you for a while."
We followed him to a shack in the middle of the village. We had to keep low, since there were Mandalorian soldiers patrolling the streets.
He opened the door and we quickly rushed in. He shut the door hastily behind him, then opened a hidden hatch on the floor. We went down it, into a room that was much bigger than the one above.
"We will provide you with food, and make sure the Mandalorians won't find you," he said. "Each day, one of you will have to journey to my house which is on the other side of the village. Always keep a low profile, because if they find you here, they will certainly massacre the village."
"Thank you for your kindness," I said.
"Your welcome, in the meantime, I will be arranging transport for you off the planet," said the Duros reassuringly.
Everyone in the room was overjoyed, but Braxer remained silent.
"So tomorrow, I will get the food, then Jonah, then Braxer, then Jenks," I said, hoping they would agree.
"That seems alright," said Braxer said quietly.
He was deeply pondering something, and I couldn't help but wonder what was going on in that mans head. Its nothing good, I know, but what? I'm going to have to keep a close eye on him.
"So what do we do from here?" asked Jonah.
"I think we should just stay here, and wait it out, I'm sure in a few days, the Duros will get us off the planet, so we can deliver the data-pad to the Republic," I responded.
"I don't like this, sitting around, we can't just sit by and watch the Mandalorians terrorize the Duros," Jonah said angrily. "If we leave the planet, the Mandalorians will just kill more and more Duros since they won't know we left. Even if we send the Republic here, it will take a while, and more Duros will die."
"Your right," I said grimly. "But what can we do? They don't have enough ships to take down one frigate, so how would four extra men help them?"
"We'll have to think of a plan, since we are going to be stuck here for the next few days," Jonah responded.
The next day, I had to journey to the other side of the village to the Duros' house that was helping us. I looked around trying to spot him. All Duros look the same. Big, blue heads with wide eyes. How could they tell each other apart?
I spotted a Duros sitting outside a building wearing a long robe, with a hat covering his face. Next to him on the ground was a package. I knew it had to be him.
The crack of thunder startled me. It instantly began to downpour. I was going to run to the Duros when two Mandalorians were heading my direction.
"Did you hear about Centron patrol?" asked one.
"Yeah, they went missing near some cave, right?" responded the other.
"Well, they found that cave, and there was blood all over the ground!" exclaimed the first Mandalorian. "They ran D.N.A. tests on all the blood puddles, and it found that the blood belonged to the seven missing soldiers."
How could I have forgotten to clear out the blood? I was mad at myself, until I realized that just let them know we were capable of killing their men. Maybe it will instill fear in them.
They passed by as I hid behind a crate. Once they were out of sight, I ran to the Duros.
"Here take it, and get back with haste!" warned the Duros.
I ran back through town, staying in the shadows. I reached the shack and went inside.
Jenks let out a sigh of relief. "I was worried you were spotted!" he said happily.
"Surprisingly, there aren't that many patrols in the village," I responded.
I opened the crate to find that there was some strange kind of meat inside.
"This is the only food they are going to give us a day?" Braxer said in an annoyed tone.
"Maybe it can hold us over?" I said with doubt.
There were four bottles with a green liquid inside as well.
We all dug in, and after two bites of the meat, I was stuffed.
"How is this possible?" I said in a puzzled voice. "I'm full, yet I ate so little. The drink quenched my thirst for water in just a sip."
"Maybe that's what the food does!" Jenks exclaimed. "It fills us up, so we don't go through the whole supply in one meal. I don't know how they could do this."
"They did invent the hyperdrive, so I'm sure they are quite capable of doing this too," said Jonah.
By dinner time, the food was gone. The small supply turned out to be enough food for three meals. The next day came and was pretty uneventful. None of us could figure out a way that we could help the Duros. The next day, Braxer ran back into the shack shortly after he departed for the food.
"Guys, our Duros friend is in trouble with the Mandalorian patrols," he said in a low tone. "Somebody ratted him out, but luckily not us."
We all gathered out weapons and ran out of the shack.
Inside of town, there was a large crowd of Duros. I realized our friend was tied to a post surrounded by ten Mandalorian guards.
"We have to do something!" Jenks exclaimed. "
I've got an idea, follow me!" I exclaimed.
We all ran into the back of the crowd of Duros. One Duros recognized me, it must have been the one that didn't speak Galactic basic. He signaled for four Duros to join us. One spoke.
"You are those refugees that are going to get Ixgil killed, aren't you?" one said.
So his name was Ixgil, I thought to myself.
"Gather as many Duros as you can from the back, so the Mandalorians can't notice them missing, then follow me.
A group of twenty Duros came to us, then we all ran back towards the shack. I heard Ixgil speak.
"Ugh, I told you, I don't know.." Ixgil's words are cut off as the Mandalorian beats him even more.
Back at the shack, I explain the plan.
"I need you to gather any weapons possible, blasters, slings, anything, just get them, and go onto the top of some buildings in the village," I explained. "The crowd should be enough to stop the Mandalorians from noticing us entering buildings. Once on top, I will take the first shot. That's when you all open fire on the Mandalorians."
After about ten minutes, they all have their weapons. Then the plan is executed. The group splits up. Jenks, Jonah, and I go onto the same building, and Braxer goes to another. We crouch down, waiting for the others to get into place. As we waited, I watched intently as the Mandalorians continued to pummel Ixgil. Then a soldier took out his blaster pistol, and took aim at Ixgil's head. My blaster was already drawn. The Mandalorian was seconds from pressing the trigger. Then I took the shot.
6
The Mandalorian dropped dead where he stood, and the crowd gasped. The other Mandalorians searched the rooftops for the shooter. The armed Duros opened fire. Two Mandalorians drop, and the rest shot at the assailants. The crowd scrambles, perhaps to their houses, or to get a weapon to help. Three Duros on the adjacent rooftop to mine die, as another Mandalorian perishes.
I spot thirty armed and ready Mandalorian soldiers approaching the sight. One of the seven remaining Mandalorians on the ground throw an Ion grenade at a rooftop. Five Duros are blown away, leaving two on that roof. I see blasts coming from a building. Duros villagers that hadn't been with us before opened fire.
As the large group of Mandalorians approached, I knew I had to go get Ixgil. I ran, and Jenks followed, leaving Jonah to cover us. I exited the building, and opened fire on the now four remaining Mandalorians. Jenks joins in. They all go down. The large garrison of Mandalorians spot Jenks and I, and open fire. I untie Ixgil, and we head for the shack.
The Mandalorians are charged by the angered Duros villagers. Half of the Duros were unarmed, and most of them were easily gunned down. I get to the shack, and Ixgil is breathing heavily.
"Thank you, friend," he said quietly. "I'll stay here, you go fight."
Jenks and I go to the battlefield and find the Mandalorians locked in a melee with the Duros. The Duros as well as the Mandalorians had their vicious Vibro-Blades and Vibro-Swords drawn. I scan the rooftops, wondering where Braxer has gone. Then my heart sinks.
The Admirals transport ship arrives, with Mandalorians on board. Some patrols that were out searching for us came to the village when they received word of the battle. I looked into the battle in the town center, and couldn't help but grin. I saw that there were now more Mandalorian bodies than Duros. We still had Duros on the rooftops shooting the Mandalorians. Jenks and I run to two dead Mandalorians. We take their blaster rifles, knowing they would help us more than the blaster pistols.
The transport ship drops off Mandalorian troops on the rooftops to engage my force of now 12 Duros.
Jenks and I run to the rooftop, and are taken by surprise. Jonah was locked in a sword fight with Braxer, and was losing. I give Jenks a couple Ion grenades and instructed him to toss them at the patrols entering the city.
I drew my Vibro-Sword, but was too late. Braxer drives his Vibro-Sword through Jonah, who then collapses on the ground, almost certainly dead.
I dash at Braxer, in a blind rage. Our blades lock.
I hear the explosions of Ion grenades, and the screams of Mandalorians. I knew Jenks was doing his job.
I begin swinging my blade, Braxer blocking every blow.
"How could you!" I shouted as I blocked his blows.
"I knew the Mandalorians would come, and I knew we would be killed by them. So I joined them, and alerted the patrols, ratted out Ixgil, and contacted the Admiral!" Braxer responded with a lot of anger in his voice. "Besides, I hated all three of you for treating me like a janitor that works in the Undercity of Taris, that is infected with some mutant disease. I deserved respect. I was promised a high rank with the Mandalorians when I leave here."
"That's if, you leave here," I responded with anger.
I swing my blade harder and harder, but met Braxer's every time. He lunges, and I parry, gashing his arm, which held the sword. He screamed out in pain. He swung low, and I jumped over the blade. He then swung and hit me with the blunt end of his sword on my head, knocking me senseless. I collapse to the ground, my head pounding in pain. I thought these were going to be the last moments of my life. I couldn't hear anything, and could only see Braxer standing above me, ready for the kill. I saw a red flash, then Braxer went down. Jenks runs over to me to see if I'm alright.
After a few minutes, I regain my hearing, but had a terrible headache.
"He's still alive," I said, gritting my teeth. "He wont be much longer!"
I pick up my Vibro-Sword, then gratefully drive it through Braxer's heart. Then he lay still, dead.
I snuck onto his ship to kill him, and now I have completed my job. I go to his body to take a ring off his finger, which is what Davik had asked for.
I considered Davik a Hutt, though he was a humanoid, since he had many bounty hunters, and he was a dirty, greedy old man, like most Hutts. He was based on Taris, a massive city covered planet on the outer rim. He acted as if he was from Nar Shadaa, a moon of Nal Hutta, the home world of the Hutts. He will be happy to find out Braxer was dead.
Now I had to focus on the task at hand. Jenks had blown the incoming patrols away with grenades, but the Duros were beginning to lose the battle.
The transport ship then gave an announcement.
"Stop fighting, Mandalorians and Duros."
The two groups stopped and looked up.
"I am the Admiral of the frigate that is above your planet," the voice said. "We are here to retrieve a data-pad with vital information regarding the war between Mandalore and the Republic. Some men from the republic have it, and if you show us to them, we will leave Duro in peace."
The Duros looked up at the rooftop Jenks and I were on.
The Admiral sounded overjoyed. "Pilot, take the ship over to them!"
The transport flew over to our rooftop, and the Mandalorian soldiers went over to it as well.
"You have five seconds to give the data-pad to us, then we shoot!" demanded the Admiral.
"Your wasting our time, because we don't have it!" I exclaimed.
"Then where do you suppose it is?" the Admiral questioned.
"Ixgil! Lets let our Mandalorian friends how we feel about their occupation of this planet!" I exclaimed in absolute delight.
The roar of three-hundred Duros soldiers was heard. They piled into the village, outnumbering the Mandalorians. Then, twenty Duros star fighters showed up and began circling the transport.
"Liam, how did you arrange this?" Jenks asked.
"I may have slipped Ixgil a Mandalorian communicator, a message, and the data-pad," I said with a grin. "I programmed it to the Duros radio wave."
The Duros soldiers attacked, completely overwhelming the twenty Mandalorian soldiers in the village. They were all killed in minutes, the transport ship fled back to the frigate, being perused by star fighters.
The remaining Mandalorians on the rooftops had surrendered. The Duros villagers began to celebrate. Ixgil came to the rooftop and gave me the data-pad.
"Ixgil, I'm going to need you to translate my words to the villagers and soldiers," I asked.
"Begin," Ixgil said cheerfully.
"Now listen up, everyone!" I exclaimed. "We may have one this battle, but there still is a fully armed Mandalorian frigate to deal with. We will need to get the rest of the army battle ready, but the fighting will only be taking place on this area of the planet. That is because I have a data-pad, that if delivered to the Republic, will possibly end this war. I could very well leave the planet now, but I want to see that frigate burning on the ground before I depart!"
The Duros scream as I say that.
"We will need to prepare boarding parties, because we are going onto that ship, and tearing every Mandalorian aboard limb from limb! Now lets move!" I finish my speech, then I'm spoken to by Ixgil.
"I have received word that our military general would like to speak with you about the attack," he said. "He has arranged for a transport to pick you and your friends, I mean friend, up and taken to high command."
"We need to bury Jonah, we didn't get to bury Ervsen before, so I feel it's right," said Jenks.
"Then lets bury him," I said. We dug his grave behind the shack, and had a moment of silence, then with the help of the Duros, we filled the grave. The transport to the Duros high command was waiting for us. Tomorrow, was the day we take the Mandalorian frigate down.
7
The flight to the high command of Duro was abrupt. Jenks and I remained silent, contemplating the events that had just transpired.
Out the window I could see an immense canyon below, with a massive roaring river at the very bottom. The vast vegetation of Duro was in every little spot within the canyon. The ship dropped into it, then flew along side the river. It slowed, and turned into a cave, hidden by vegetation. We went farther and farther into the cave. A distant light became visible. It grew closer by the second. The ship slowed to a stop, and finally landed.
A Duros approached us, and signaled for us to follow him.
We stepped off the ship, and followed the Duros to a large door, which opened. There were ten Duros guards on each side of the cave, lined up, each with five foot long poles and a foot long blade at the end, with a vibrant orange shield in the other. They stood motionless, not acknowledging our existence, or even blinking.
We walked through the doors, when a bright white light shined. The floors began to move below our feet. We shot forward, being taken to the high council chamber, I had assumed.
We were taken up into an extremely long hallway, which couldn't have been brighter. Mirrors lined the walls, which was meant to brighten the room even more.
I finally got a look at myself. I hadn't seen my reflection in weeks. My face was covered in dirt. I had dried blood on my fore head from my previous fight with the late Captain Braxer. My jet black hair was now a greasy mess, with soot from fires sitting in it. My bright blue eyes were accompanied by large, sagging bags under them. I was completely exhausted from the fights.
I glanced over at Jenks, to see tears streaming down his eyes. In the past few days, he had lost two good friends, Ervsen, and Jonah. He was also the last surviving crew member of his ship, which obviously had an effect on him. He must have had other friends who were lost on the ship.
I grasped his shoulder, giving him some comfort. The floor stopped moving. There was a staircase in front of us, with two shinning gold doors at the top. We walked up the stairs, and the doors opened.
The room we entered was made of complete glass, with a massive obsidian table in the center. Five Duros were sitting at the table, awaiting our arrival. The Duros in the very center of the five spoke to me first.
"Ahh, so you must be the famous soldier who led a small group of villagers to victory against the Mandalorians," said the Duros gratefully. "Thank you, for helping us fight off the Mandalorians, I fear without your leadership, that the entire village would have been lost. I am D'Shiv, high counselor of Duro, and military leader of the Duros army."
"It is a pleasure to be in your presence," I said. "I am sure, that together we will be able to mount an assault large enough to take down that frigate, and deliver this data-pad safely into the hands of the republic. Now lets get started!" I exclaimed cheerfully.
Hours went by, and it appeared we had developed a perfect assault plan, that will surely take down the Mandalorian ship. A Duros runs into the room frantically.
"High councilor D'Shiv!" he exclaimed, with fear in his voice. "The Mandalorians are bombarding the planet. Thousands of acres of forest have been leveled, as well as multiple villages!"
"We have no time to spare, we must take action now!" Councilor D'Shiv shouted.
A ship was hovering outside, as a on of the glass panels opened.
"This is our transport out of here, we will be on the front lines!" exclaimed D'Shiv. "I want to see each and every Mandalorian scum gutted and hung on display for what they have done!"
We all boarded the ship, and it took off immediately. Night had fallen, yet I could see light in the distance. There was an ominous red glow in the horizon. It was the burning forests. The Mandalorians must be trying to stop any guerilla attacks on their ground forces. Our ship rose higher and higher into the sky, until we could see the flames far below. The glow of the frigate in the distance was frightening. Countless canons on board were bombarding the forest.
"Look!" Jenks exclaimed.
Hundreds of Duros star fighters were behind us, heading straight for the frigate.
"D'Shiv, is there any way I can have my own ship to lead the attack?" I asked.
"Fine, I'll signal for one to be sent," D'Shiv responded.
"I want to come with you!" Jenks exclaimed.
"I was about to ask you to come, I need you for this!" I responded cheerfully.
A Duro starship hovered up next to our ship. The pilot got out, and signaled for us to get inside. Jenks and I strapped in and took off. I spoke into the radio.
"Attention all Duros star fighters, follow my lead!" I shouted. "We need to take down the shield door if we want to get inside. The shield generators for the door are on the left and right of it. Focus your fire on the generators, and when they are down, the troop transport ships will land, joining me inside, to take down this frigate!"
Twenty Duros ship flew next to us, in formation. I then spotted a large number of Mandalorian star fighters approaching us.
"Break formation!" I bellowed into the radio. "Attack the fighters! All units engage!"
The Duros fighters in formation with me broke off, and flew at the Mandalorians. Then both sides opened fire. The Duros ships shot green beams, and the Mandalorians shot red beams. Three Mandalorian ships went down within thirty seconds, but five Duros ships went down with them. My ship shook, as alarms went off. We had been hit.
"Jenks!" I exclaimed. "Man the back turret! Take that fighter down!"
"Got it Liam, I mean, sir!" Jenks responded with haste. "Now lets see how much you like the tastes of blaster fire!
Jenks opened fire, turning the Mandalorian ship perusing us into a ball of fire, which fell down to the burning forest floor. We were now within range of the shield door generators.
"Troop transports! Get ready to board!" I shouted. Three Duros fighters joined me in shooting proton torpedoes at the generators. They both burst into flames, and the shield door went down.
"Board now, move!" I shouted. "Jenks get ready to fight, that hanger is going to be hell in a few seconds!"
The Duros troop transports began landing, one by one, within the hanger. We flew into the hanger as well, and landed quickly.
"We're ejecting in Three!" I shouted. "THREE! TWO! ONE! Here we go!
The canopy blasted open, as Jenks and I are propelled in the air. I was already holding my blaster rifle, and had my own blaster in its holster. I had hoped Jenks did the same. We crash to the ground in a daze. We get up to see the hanger was full of heated combat.
Twenty Mandalorians, in their Bluish-white armor, each with a helmet covering their face, were in the hanger, raining fire on the Duros soldiers, most still getting out of their transports. Jenks ran up next to me, with fear in his eyes. Then we ran.
We sprinted across the battlefield, to the cover of a landed transport ship. Most of the Duros were out of it, but the pilot remained. I ran inside and gave him his orders.
"You may have landed, but your still useful!" I yelled. "Use the ships blasters to take out the Mandalorians!" He did as I instructed, and most of the Mandalorians were blasted away. I got out of the ship to join the Duros taking cover. We had sustained minor casualties.
"Run!" shouted a Duros in their native tongue.
I knew he had said that because two Mandalorian star fighters were now in the hanger. They shot proton torpedoes at our landed ships, each blowing up immediately. Then, the Mandalorians received reinforcements. Thirty more fully armored soldiers ran into the room. Their star fighters then focused their attention on us on the ground. They shot at a group farther away from us, completely annihilating them. Luckily, some of our star fighters took out the Mandalorian ones, then went back outside to continue the battle.
Three more Duros dropped dead in front of me. I then opened fire on the enemy. I took down a couple, then the Mandalorians did something that completely surprised me. The all drew their blades, and went into an open charge. This was foolish of them.
"OPEN FIRE, THEY ARE VULNERABLE!" I shouted to the force of Duros.
They did as I ordered, firing at the charging enemy. They had good armor, but still sustained severe casualties. Many of them reached our cover, forcing us into a melee. I took out my blaster pistol because we were in close quarters combat, and I decided it was much better to bring a gun to a sword fight. One Mandalorian was running at me. I took aimed and fired. He had no chance. He was hit right in the forehead, and dropped dead. Jenks had drawn his sword, and it surprised me to see him taking on three at once. I knew he could handle himself, so I directed my attention to the Duros I was with. They were losing their melee, so I had to help. I drew my Vibro-Sword, and charged in. I drove my blade through the back of an unsuspecting Mandalorian. The others near him had barely noticed. I swung, and chopped another's head clean off. That's when the others noticed me. Two ran at me, and at that moment three Duros joined me by my side to assist us. The Mandalorians in front of us then dropped dead. They had been shot by Duros who had finished their melee. The Mandalorians retreated back to the doors that led inside the ship. This gave us time to regroup, and asses our loses.
We had two-hundred and fifty Duros to start with. We were down to about One-Hundred and Ninety men. We had lost about sixty soldiers! I knew we could still do this. The Mandalorians had ran back into the ship. We had overwhelmed them. We ran into the ship.
A few Mandalorians were waiting for us. They opened fire, having taken cover behind the wall. Six Duros dropped, but we continued charging in. Jenks and I were at point, shooting our rifles. We weren't even aiming, just spraying bullets around the corridor. Most of the hiding Mandalorians died, but two came out, surrendering.
"Please don't kill us!" one pleaded.
I shot them both mercilessly, then continued on.
The bulk of our boarding force went on ahead of us. They directly engage the waiting Mandalorians. Jenks and I took a different route.
"We need to get to the bridge if we want to take the ship down!" I said. "With the Mandalorians focused on our assault inside, they won't think that two men would be sneaking around the ship, heading towards the bridge."
"Yeah, but how do you suppose we get to the bridge?" Jenks questioned.
"We go up I suppose, the hanger was positioned directly below the bridge," I responded.
We went down a small hallway, leaving the combat heated corridor behind us. We paused as we reached the end of the hallway. A large sound of footsteps became audible, obviously heading to the battlefield. Someone tapped my shoulder from behind, but Jenks was in front of me. I immediately grabbed their arm, twisted it, and slammed them against the wall.
"Wait stop!" the person exclaimed.
I looked to see it was a Duros. It was Ixgil.
"I didn't know you were a soldier!" I exclaimed.
"I wanted to join the cause, to kick some Mandalorian butt," Ixgil said.
"Then lets go," I said.
We waited for the sound of footsteps to cease, then we continued on. We ran down the corridor as fast as we could, so a patrol wouldn't spot us. More running Mandalorians were near. We all ran into a small indent in the wall. It wasn't covered in light, but I was sure it wouldn't hide us. Then, a group of twenty Mandalorian soldiers ran by, ready for combat. Once they went by, we stood out of sight, waiting for the coast to be clear. I was crouching, so I stood up. I hit my head on a red pipe. I glanced up at it, and I knew what to do.
"I have an idea!" I said to the two.
I walked out into the corridor, and examined the pipe. It went into a room, that said restricted area on the door.
"Lets go in there, I'm going to help out our soldiers!" I said loudly.
I kicked the door open, taking two Mandalorian techs off guard. Jenks and I simultaneously knocked them out with the butt ends of our rifles.
"This must be their source of heating," I said.
There was a massive containment unit in the room. Below it were red canisters. They were filled with plasma. I was wrong. These tubes were meant to transport highly explosive plasma throughout the ship. I put a lid on the canisters, then I gave Ixgil and Jenks instructions.
"We have to place a thermal detonator on each of the canisters. Then we roll them to the back end of the Mandalorians. We then detonate them, which will kill many. Then, we will blow up this massive containment unit, which will wreak total havoc!"
I finished giving the instructions.
I placed thermal detonators on the canisters, then we each rolled one out of the room, one at a time. We broke into a sprint as we rolled the canisters. The sound of the fighting grew louder and louder. We reached then end of the corridor, then looked around the corner. The Mandalorians were holed up in this position, and were heavily fortified. Jenks, Ixgil and I rolled the containers closer to them, then gave them a push with all our might. We let go, letting them roll into the Mandalorians hind end. We ran around the corner. I heard the Mandalorians shouts of confusion, then I pressed the detonator. The was a loud explosion, with many shouts of agony following. The corridor around the corner was glowing red, on fire.
"Yeah!" I exclaimed.
We all proceeded back down the corridor. Many Mandalorians who survived the explosion were now perusing us. We dashed as fast as we could, not slowing down. They opened fire, not hitting us. We passed the room, then were stopped. Fifty Mandalorians were in front of us, armed, and aiming at us. No sooner, I detonated the plasma containment unit.
I heard the loudest explosion I had ever heard in my life. Then the wall burst open, with red flames following. The Mandalorians behind us were blown away, along with the ones in front. I couldn't hear at all. I hadn't even realized that Jenks, Ixgil and I were blown across the corridor. I was on the ground, with pain all over. The corridor was burning, and the ship was shaking. The line of plasma must be exploding! It ran through the entire ship. There is no telling what damage could be done. Ixgil and Jenks had picked me up, and were shouting. I couldn't hear what they were saying, and I was completely numb. I completely blacked out. I regained consciousness, in a small room.
"Where are we?" I asked.
"We are in a supply closet," Jenks said. "I thought we had lost you."
"Not yet, you haven't," I said.
"The explosion blew a massive whole in the ship!" Jenks exclaimed. "There is no telling how much damage was done for sure, but you did help the Duros out a lot!"
We exited the supply closet. I looked over to see a massive hole. It was charred black from the plasma, but the fires had stopped. I ran over to it and looked up. The explosion blew a hole through four floors.
"The Duros have moved on through the ship," Jenks said. "When the plasma line exploded, it ripped holes all over the ship. Its main shields are down, and as we speak, the Duros star fighters are bombarding the ship."
"We need to keep going!" I exclaimed. "How long was I out?"
"Five minutes, I think," Jenks responded.
"Lets move!" I yelled.
We continued down the corridor. We maneuvered over the rubble from the explosion, then broke into a sprint. There was a squad of Mandalorians behind us. They were shooting at us.
"ARRG!" Ixgil yelled, as he was clenching his shoulder. "I'm hit!"
"Use your blaster pistol if you can!" I exclaimed.
We turned the corner as we returned fire. We missed the Mandalorians, but luck was on our side. The floor gave way below them. The squad fell below, to their deaths. The plasma was still burning below, and the floor was far to weak to support any weight. We continued running for about three minutes, then we had to stop. We were at the back end of the Duros lines. One of the soldiers ran up to us.
"I found a lift that would take you up a few floors!" he yelled over the blaster fire. "We sent ten men up it, to see what they would find. We received contact from them, but it wasn't good. They were pleading for their lives, pleading to the Admiral."
"We have to go up there!" I exclaimed.
"But ten men went up, and were forced to plead for their lives!" said Jenks.
"We need to get to the bridge, even if it means risking our lives!" I shouted.
"Soldier, gather the Duros behind you, we are going up there. This ship will fall.
8
The group of twenty five men, including Jenks, Ixgil, and I, went up the massive lift. We passed ten floors, the sure sign that we were about to reach the bridge. The lift came to a halt, then the doors opened. Before us, were nine freshly killed Duros.
"M'en'shif!" exclaimed one of the Duros.
He ran over to a body. He must have known him. He broke down screaming, so we left him there. We approached the door, to what I was assuming, the entrance to the bridge.
It slammed open, with Mandalorians in shields waiting for us, each with a Gatling laser. Ten Mandalorians in combat shields approached us, weapons drawn.
"Stand down," I whispered to the Duros.
Then the Admiral walked over to us.
"So," she said. "You've come to give me the data-pad so more Duros don't have to die?"
"I'll never hand over the data-pad!" I exclaimed. "I don't even understand what is so important about the data-pad. What information is even on it? I would have looked, but I don't have the encryption codes."
"I'm not going to tell you, our spies know what is on there, but I fear you would go to even more drastic measures to protect it," said the Admiral.
"Fine, then I will duel you for it!" I shouted. "You have all your men drop their weapons in that corner, and my men will too!"
"Fine, I will enjoy taking the data-pad from your cold, dead hands!" exclaimed the Admiral.
She drew her Vibro-Blade and charged. I drew my Vibro-Sword, and charged as well. When our blades clashed, sparks flew. We circled each other, occasionally swinging at each other. We were assessing the others skill, stance, and style.
I winked at Jenks, and he snuck behind the Mandalorians, who were watching intently on the fight. He snuck over to the mainframe and inserted his data-pad. We had developed a virus that would have the auto turrets attack a designated target. Jenks selected the Mandalorians, and the auto turret memorized their signature. Any auto turret on the ship would shoot a Mandalorian, and no one else.
I continued to swing at the Admiral, but she was very skilled with a blade. She had obviously had professional training, unlike Captain Braxer, who nearly killed me. Mandalorians believed that dying in combat was the honorable way to die. She began relentless swinging at me. Her blade met mine every time, and it was tiring us both out. She was tired from swinging, and the sheer force of her blade hitting mine hurt my wrists. She had given me the advantage. While she was breathing heavily, I went on the offensive. I elbowed her face, and she fell back. Her nose was bloody, I had broken it. I swung with all my might, then our blades locked. I was pushing her blade back, and she was losing her footing. She parried my sword, and gashed my abdomen. I cringed in pain. I was clenching my injured stomach with my left arm, which left me vulnerable. The Admiral saw the opportunity and attacked. I blocked most of her blows, but she kicked. Her foot met my abs, causing the pain to intensify. I was on my knees. She circled me, waiting to kill me.
"Now, you die, and soon, you will be joined by your friends," the Admiral sneered.
I stood up on both my feet, and pointed my sword at her.
"You will die by my hand, and you Mandalorian scum will pay for the damage you have done!" I shouted.
The Mandalorians broke into laughter.
"Your blood loss is making you light-headed, isn't it!" teased the Admiral.
She charged at me. I brought my sword up in defense. She brought her sword up, for one final killing blow. I saw my chance. I did a round house kick, which made contact with her side. She fell sideways to her knees. That kick hurt me almost as much a her. I ran at her with the little remaining energy I had. She got to her feet and ran at me. I was swinging as much as I could, thinking I was going to die. Our swords locked again. This time, I parried, and cut her had. Her blade fell to the ground. I put my blade up to her neck.
"Now it looks like your dead!" I shouted. I drove my blade through her heart. She glared at me, as blood spewed from her mouth. She was coughing, choking on her blood, then buckled over, dead. The Mandalorians were angered, and drew their swords. They had only dropped their blasters.
"NOW!" I shouted.
Jenks activated the virus, and the auto-turrets attacked. They shot precisely, downing every Mandalorian in seconds. The same was for the rest of the ship. The Duros let out cheers of happiness and victory. I ran over to Jenks, and hugged him.
"We did it," I whispered into his ear.
I looked out the view point of the bridge. Outside, the Duros star fighters were finishing off the Mandalorian fighters. I saw smoke bellowing from the ship, because of the explosion I caused. I ran over to a Gatling laser and picked it up.
"Stand back!" I ordered.
I fired the laser, taking out the protective glass. I felt the rush of air hit my face. I spoke into my communicator.
"Transports, the bridge is ours, take the Duros out of here."
Then I spoke into their inter-com of the ship.
"Attention remaining Duros, return to the hangers, and board your transports, the battle has been won. Transports flew into the bridge and picked up the Duros soldiers. Jenks and Ixgil stood with me. One transport stood, waiting for us.
"You two get on the transport, I will join you guys," I said. "This frigate is going to be decommissioned, for good. The transport left the bridge.
Finally, its almost over, I said to myself. I took control of the frigate. I made the frigates engines go to full power, then I made it go downwards. The wind rushing into the bridge almost blew me across the room. The frigate was going down onto the surface at top speed.
The transport came inside, struggling to stay stable. I ran towards it, trying to hold my ground. Jenks opened the side door to spot me. The ship inched closer to me, and I ran closer to it. I reached my hand out to grab Jenks' hand. I had five seconds. The transport began lifting up. That's when I jumped.
I reached Jenks' hand, and held on tight.
"Go! Go! Go!" Jenks yelled inside.
The transport flew out of the bridge. Jenks pulled me aboard. I looked down to see the frigate make contact with the ground. It crashed into the already scorched forest. It exploded, our final victory. Then I remembered something very important. I was bleeding to death. I walked inside the transport, and fainted due to blood loss.
9
I woke up on a table, with a bright light shining on my face.
"Hey, he's awake!" I heard Jenks exclaim.
My body was sore all over.
"Where am I?" I asked.
"You are on Taris, the Duros took us here," responded Jenks.
I glanced down to notice I was in a white gown.
"Where is all my stuff?" I asked.
"They're in that crate, over there," responded Jenks. "And yes, the data-pad is safe."
I let out a sigh of relief.
"So where exactly are we on Taris?" I questioned.
"You are in my medical bay!" said a voice I didn't recognize. "I'm Zelka Forn," said the voice. "You were taken here by your friend to make sure your all right. Your Duros friend, Ixgil, I think, said that the Duros could only patch up your wound temporarily, so they took you here to fully heal you."
"Thanks a lot, when do you think I could leave here?" I asked.
"Whenever your ready, your wound shouldn't bother you anymore!" Zelka said, reassuringly.
I got off the table and went over to the crate where my stuff was. I was dressed in a few minutes. I made sure I had the data-pad and Braxer's ring. I wanted to get my moneys worth after all I went through. I had to make a serious decision. If I gave this data-pad to Davik, I would be paid extra. If I give it to the republic, it would possibly end a war. Should I go against my new found friend Jenks, or let greed control me.
"The republic embassy is right down the street actually," Jenks said. "We could go there, and if you mention the data-pad, I'm sure you would gain access.
I made up my mind, and left the shop. Ixgil was standing outside.
"Its good to see you up and about," Ixgil said. "Thank you for everything, you saved many lives, including mine."
"I couldn't have done it without you, Jenks, and everyone else who helped," I said, blushing. "So will you be coming with us?" I asked.
"I'm afraid not, I have a friend who already lives here, and he said I could stay with him," replied Ixgil. "He's waiting over there, I bid you farewell, and I hope our paths cross again."
He ran over to his Duros friend, and they walked off. Jenks and I proceeded to the Republic Embassy. We reached the door, where a protocol droid was standing.
"What is your business?" the droid asked.
"I have a data-pad that the republic has been waiting for," I responded.
"Oh my!" The droid exclaimed. "Follow me!"
We went inside, where two Jedi were already waiting. One was wearing a dark cloak, with a red facemask. The other was wearing traditional Jedi robes. I recognized them as two Generals for the republic. Jenks did as well. The one in the cloak approached us.
"You have the data-pad?" he asked.
"Right here," I said confidently as I held it out to him.
He grabbed it, and let out a short laugh.
"Finally, we will know where to start our search!" said the other General.
"This is a great day for the republic, Malak!" the cloaked one exclaimed.
"Indeed it is, Master Revan!" exclaimed Malak.
"Thank you, you should be on your way, here is 10,000 credits for your troubles, I heard you had to kill many Mandalorians to deliver this information!" said Revan.
"Thank you master Jedi," I said.
Jenks and I left the Embassy overjoyed.
"First, we have to split up the credits!" I exclaimed. "5,000 for you, 5,000 for me! You take your 5,000 and rent an apartment, there are multiple complexes nearby. I need to go get my ship, The Shade, I've been away from her for too long."
"Alright! I'll see you soon right?" asked Jenks.
"Of course, now go find an apartment," I said. "And with haste."
"Of course, Liam!" Jenks exclaimed.
Then he ran off. Now, I go to the exchange, and get Davik's payment. I took out my communicator and called for some of my other bounty hunter friends to pick me up, I was without a ship. In no time, a ship arrived. Three occupants walked out.
"Ahh, Liam, your alive!" exclaimed one.
"Cassus, it's good to see you!" I exclaimed. "I think Davik will be most pleased I'm back.