Chapter 19

I would like to thank my reviewers, those who added my story to their alerts and favorites, and to all anonymous readers.

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or Prototype.

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Alex was bored.

The march from Anchorhead proceeded mostly in silence; Bastila was probably too focused on the confrontation with her mother and the revelation of her father's demise to speak up. Voren was probably thinking on how to be the best Jedi he could, save little babies and such nonsense, and HK-47 seemed as cheery as usual. This meant he had asked Alex seven times if he could blast this or if he could blast that. Frankly, HK-47 was the only one he could have an interesting conversation with. He had opted to ask the droid what protocols it had for killing Jedi but decided to save that conversation another time, seeing as he was surrounded by two at the moment.

From Izi's memories he knew they were about two hours from the Sand People's camp, the later part would take them through a small canyon which would be heavily guarded with patrols that attacked anything and anyone stupid enough to pass through. From there it would be a straight shot forward towards the camp; he briefly wondered what kind of security they have. Sadly the Jawa didn't dare go passed the canyon and into Sand People territory, such memories would have been useful now.

Focusing his vision ahead, Alex spotted several large piles of broken equipment in the sand. The group now stood in the middle and observed the area, piles of broken equipment was not the only thing there. A couple of broken speeders in various shapes and sizes lay dead against the sand.

Alex shook his head. It was all highly unusual, why would such a gathering exist? There was no strategic advantage in having a camp here, nor could he see any equipment for cultivating minerals in the ground. Czerka was the only company on the planet with both the resources and the means to mine, but there were no signs of their involvement.

Two large humanoids jumped out from behind the piles holding large heavy axes, surrounding them on both sides. He recognized them immediately, how could he not. Only one species he knew of looked like boars, they were Gamorreans. The one closest to Alex approached slowly, telling him to hand over their belongings or they'd kill them.

He felt ashamed to fall for such a trick. Lay out a worn-down camp and wait for someone to search it, than ambush whoever comes. It was so unoriginal and basic. He should have seen it, yet here they were under attack.

Alex tensed when the first ambusher threatened to kill them for the second time if they didn't hand over all their credits. Normally he would have relished a fight against anyone strong-looking and they did seem quite strong but he just wasn't in the mood to fight someone who had thick snouts, tusks and two small horns on their heads.

His biomass went into motion, flowing towards his right arm and finally settling into a hammerfist which he firmly planted in the ambusher's face. The Gamorrean flew backwards, bouncing against the desert sand twice before coming to a screeching halt.

Alex glanced towards the other one.

"You. Run. Now!"

Apparently he didn't need to say it twice; the second Gamorrean disappeared over the dunes faster than he had ever moved before.

Alex chuckled. What was the saying? No loyalty among thieves and all-around scumbags. It really wasn't a surprise; Gamorreans were not exactly known for their great intellect and high standards. Essentially, their entire species were nothing more than brutes. It was a popular belief in the galactic community that these boars was as smart as the average cement extruder, the only thing they are good at was getting into fights and making little Gamorreans.

HK-47 observed the retreating boar.

"Statement: That was… disappointing."

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The journey continued through the Dune Sea, coming closer to their destination with each step. Yet it was not fast enough in Alex's book, he still couldn't figure out why they didn't hijack a speeder back in Anchorhead. Trekking through a desert was not high on the list of things one has to experience before dying. In fact, it wasn't even on the list. This however was simply a minor annoyance for Alex, his teammates on the other hand fared worse.

They shifted ever so often to release the sand that just about managed to get in under their armor and inside their boots, eyes physically hurting from squinting in the sunlight for several hours. Alex might have felt some small amount of pity for them, but they chose to venture into the desert in normal gear. Now they suffered for their lack of planning.

Voren felt sweat ran down his face and he had begun feeling the strain of traveling through a desert on foot. When leaving Anchorhead he had been quick on the step, now he could feel the numbness setting in, and the fluttering shift of screeching birds above did not help at all. He felt some small comfort in the fact that Bastila seemed as tired as he was, and a great sense of jealousy when seeing Mercer walk as if nothing's happened. Mercer returned his gaze and smiled as if didn't have a care in the world; he just had to add insult to injury.

He wiped the sweat of his brow. "How the hell are you not tired? We've walked for hours."

"As HK-47 would put it. I don't have any squishy parts that cause fatigue."

Voren sighed. "Of course you don't."

"Correction: You consist of one large squishy part, master."

Alex were about to retort when coming up a particularly large dune when he spotted something shining in the distance. The light seemed to originate from a large wall of rock; at the bottom he could see a small entrance with several shining objects. Upon activating his thermal vision, several beings appeared. Some were moving in a repeating pattern and some were stationed just inside the pathway.

"There's a path up ahead leading into Sand People territory. The entrance is protected by eight Tusken Raiders."

Voren focused and sent out a probe with the force. "Yes, I sense them."

"Tusken's are known for shooting first and never asking questions." Bastila grabbed her double-bladed lightsaber. "We should sneak up and take them by surprise."

"I agree." Voren began. "We need to negotiate with their chieftain. It's highly unlikely they'll let us through in a peaceful matter."

Voren moved forward but was blocked by Alex's outstretched arm.

"HK-47 and I are more than willing to take care of it for you. Besides you two need to conserve your energy."

It was true; he and Bastila could use the rest. The journey had taken a greater toll on his body and mind than he first thought it would; he decided then and there he would never travel through a desert in anything less than a comfortable speeder, a speeder with refreshments and with the AC on full.

"Okay."

Alex grinned and charged straight at them with HK-47 in tow.

He would have called out, who could be stupid enough to charge straight at the enemy with no weapons, but held his tongue as Alex shook off the incoming fire and killed two attackers in one swift move. Then proceeded to grab a nearby enemy and throw him like a rag-doll into the stone wall, he finished the sequence by literally pulling an enemy into himself. As the fight progressed, Voren realized this wasn't a fight at all. This was a savage beast playing with its prey, too caught up in the moment to care about anything else. Mercer didn't even bother to dodge their attacks as he mow through them. He instinctively reached for his lightsaber and held his hand around it; Voren doubted he would ever forget the sheer brutality of what he'd just seen.

Voren actually felt sorry for the Tusken Raider's as HK-47 squeezed the trigger of his Assassin's rifle, hitting the last enemy straight on causing his body to slump to the ground. He would need to have a serious conversation with Mercer when this was done. They approached the scene slowly, seeing Mercer standing near the entrance looking very pleased with himself.

Alex looked at the carnage before him and smiled. He hadn't felt this good since coming to this dry heap they call a planet. There's nothing as relaxing as cracking a few eggs, in this case Sand People eggs. Granted they didn't put up much of a fight, couldn't even force him to use anything near fifty-percent, but all in all it was an enjoyable experience. His good mood even caused him to let HK-47 get one; he couldn't hog all the fun now could he.

Voren knelt beside one of the bodies, searching up and down for anything useful. The only thing of interest was their gaffi sticks and their desert-colored robes which gave them protection from the harsh environment of Tatooine. The gear he realized could be useful.

"We can use these to sneak into their camp. Put them on."

Bastila nodded in agreement. "Right, turn around."

As she predicted, Voren turned the other way without hesitation.

Alex however did not.

"You too, Mercer."

He stared at her long and hard before turning around.

But not before saying. "Believe me, Jedi. There's nothing you have that I would be interested in."

Bastila gasped, first thought was to defend her wounded pride, but decided not to give him the satisfaction of knowing he had gotten to her. Alex, with a single thought, willed his biomass to change. The transformation took less than a second, replacing his default black leather jacket and gray hood with that of a Tusken Raider. He also learned something else, something Blue would be interested in. This particular piece of knowledge he decided to keep for himself for the time being.

Now fully dressed in their disguises, they pushed forward through the dark pathway. From the exit they could see the camp ahead, several teams patrolled the area. This however was not the source of Voren's concern, the massive auto-turrets at the entrance brought about this feeling. He doubted they could survive for long if they got discovered unless they could make a quick retreat. The group moved forward, trying to act natural as they walked past the nearby patrols.

The patrolling Tusken's observed them for a second before continuing on their way, it did not take long for them to reach the entrance. The outer doors opened automatically as they approached, a single guard inside greeted them. The guard looked them over and screamed at them.

"Interjection: It may not have been his intention, but I believe he communicated something."

Voren nodded. "Tell him we're not a threat and we're here to negotiate with their leader."

"Result: I believe we have confused him. We have showed an interest not common among outsiders. But his duty requires that he report to the Chieftain."

"Extrapolation: It would seem we are worthy of curiosity. I would rather this get bloody, master, but it is your call."

"Do as Voren say." Alex commanded.

The guard motion for them to follow, navigating through the enclave in various corridors. Small bins and crates where placed all over the place along with many stationed guards. Their guide brought them into a larger room filled with various stuffed animal heads, it was the Chieftains trophies. It seemed the one with the most trophies commanded the most respect among their people.

A figure stood in the middle of the room, wearing a darker robe than the rest. At his side he held a large gaffi stick with various symbols imprinted on the edge, another totem granting respect. Alex was unimpressed, he had defeated many powerful beings in his time and never did he feel the need to keep mementos. Keeping trophies of your achievements was something the weak do to remind themselves and others of what their capable of. It was a useful tactic for intimidating weaker beings, but totally useless when facing someone with real power.

The Chieftain yelled at the guard than focused on them, his tone spoke volumes of his despise for all outsiders.

"Translation: I can translate with some amount of accuracy that he is demanding to know why he should let us survive this encounter."

"Well," Alex began. "Tell him we'll slaughter them all if he doesn't give us what we want."

Voren sighed. "What Mercer means is that we want to negotiate a peaceful solution, but that we will defend ourselves if necessary."

Alex shrugged. "That works too."

"Translation: He doesn't believe us; outsiders have attacked and invaded their lands for hundreds of years. He requires proof of good faith that we are not a threat. Shall we perform some unadulterated violence now, master?"

"It would be quicker." Alex surmised.

"Ask him what he wants." Voren directed to HK-47.

Alex leaned in close and whispered. "Is this a bad time in mentioning that Blue's brother is held captive here?"

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The negotiation ended fairly quickly, the Chieftain demanded moisture vaporators and in return he would reduce the attacks on Czerka employees. He even agreed to release the Twi'lek and the Jawas they captured some time ago. After getting the vaporators the camp would be moved further away from Anchorhead, and having hostages would slow down the process. This time however they all agreed to 'borrow' a speeder when returning to the camp. As a bonus the Chieftain gave them an updated map of the Dune Sea, they now had the location of two caves in the nearby area.

The exchange went without any incident, and it was decided that Bastila was to bring them back to Anchorhead while the rest of the team continued their search for the Star Map. Frankly Voren was not comfortable with having the homicidal droid do it, neither was he comfortable with Mercer. The hostages were more likely to die in some horrible way than to actually getting back in one piece.

Voren knew something was off as they approached the first location given by the Sand People. The cave ahead radiated with the dark side, the same sensation he had back on Dantooine when in the presence of the Star Map. He then knew this was the right place, but caution was still required. A device such as the Star Map was inevitable draw the attention of the local wildlife and that cave looked really big, too big for a simple map.

Alex moved towards the cave when he felt it, small vibrations just beneath the ground in a fluctuating rhythm. A few seconds passed, the vibrations intensifying with each second as he stood on the defensive. Now powerful enough for the others to notice, something very big and heavy was coming their way. And there was only one species on the planet that could cause tremors like this. A Krayt dragon.

He grinned as the dragon peaked outside the cave, revealing a five-horned crown ridge in a yellow-brown camouflage pattern. Its yellow eyes bore into them and it took a step out with one of its massive legs, the ground shook as it touched the ground. Alex laughed; he needed to take this opportunity. How many times do you get to wrestle with a Krayt dragon?

"HK-47! Aim for its head. Keep it distracted."

Alex yelled as he sprinted towards the dragon, the beast must weigh more than fifteen-tons to cause tremors like this Alex mused as he went into a full-out sprint. He quickly closed the distance and transformed into his full armored form. Razor-sharp claws sprung forth from his hands and he leapt high at its head.

The dragon shifted its massive body to the side, revealing its full size. At the end, a spike-studded tail swished menacingly. He stopped grinning when the dragon swung its tail at him, and he braced himself for the impact.

Oh crap!

The impact felt like being hit by a full-powered freight train. He flew backwards and slammed into the ground, causing a massive crater which filled the area in a cloud of sand. Recovering from the shook, HK-47 continued showering the beast in fire and Voren closed in with his lightsaber drawn. Focusing his attack against its legs, but the blue blade barely made a dent on the creature's skin.

Pain filled every fiber of his being as Alex pulled himself up slowly, but not as much as the rage he now felt.

No one flats Alex Mercer away like some annoying insect.

Finally he stood up, yelling, and charged at it again. He shifted his claws into a blade and charged under the dragon's body, slashing at its underside with all his might. Alex barely escaped its massive body as it tried to crush him under its weight. With its body low, he jumped onto its back and sprinted along its length and slamming into the side of the dragon's head, making it scream in pain as it thrashed around wildly. Alex latched on with his tendrils for added support as he violently began slashing and hacking away with his blade, grimacing at the warm blood covering his upper half.

The dragon shrieked again as several well placed sniper shots hit inside its mouth, and it thrashed violently, forcing Alex to jump off before suffering another painful slam into the ground. Alex observed the shrieking dragon and grinned. Perhaps now it could understand a little of his pain. The dragon roared and swung its tail, trying to crush them in a fit of rage.

With the others distracting it, Alex had a small moment to observe the beast. It was bleeding heavily from the wound on its cheek and it was also the only opening not protected by its powerful skin. Leaping high into the air, grinning, Alex willed his biomass into his arms and let it gather by his hands. When the strain became too much he released the pressure in the form of a projectile of hard tissue.

"Take this!"

The shockwave created as it flew through the air caused Voren to lose his balance, and he just had enough time to see the projectile hitting the dragon through its wound. The dragon exploded and it buckled down to the ground, now missing a large part of its head as it collapsed.

Alex felt the strain on his body as he strolled towards his defeated enemy, he needed sustenance, and he just got a giant buffet on his plate. He set his now untransformed hand on the dragon and let his feeder tendrils spread across its head, and he willed them to consume as they enveloped its head completely. A creature this massive was impossible for him to consume completely, its head was causing him to push his limits even when weakened.

He closed his eyes as the familiar rush of memories pushed their way into his mind, its animalistic nature caused him to stumble ever so slightly. Then he felt it, a change in his inner workings. Filling his armored form into existence gave him a rush of power he hadn't felt before; he could feel the increase in strength and durability. But it wasn't the only change; his armor now had a brownish color along with five spikes protruding from the top of his scalp forming downwards.

Alex grinned as returned to his normal form; oh he would have so much fun with this.

Voren didn't say a word as he approached the glowing Star Map and observed its information in great detail.

Now standing alone with HK-47 outside the cave, the droid raised a concern.

"Query: Can I ask you something, master?"

"Sure."

"Observation: In less than a day you've ordered me to kill several meatbags, considered my offer to blast two of your teammates, killed a bunch of Tusken Raiders and not to mention, you managed to bring down a Krayt Dragon."

"Conclusion: This behavior is a perfect match to my own. Therefore I'm beginning to wonder if you are my creator."

"Sadly I'm not."

"Disappointment: Perhaps your memory banks have been damaged like my own, if so it would be another thing we have in common. Are you completely sure?"

Alex nodded. "Indeed I am. Though I would very much like to meet your creator and discuss your workings in detail."

Voren approached slowly. "I got what we need. Let's head back to the ship."

He sighed as they sat out; thinking about how good it would feel to just sleep for a week or too. However, they didn't get very far before he spotted something in the air, something which was closing in on them fast. On a closer look, he realized what it was.

"Get ready! We got company!"

Alex observed the incoming object with small interest, until it began firing its turbolasers at them. Bolt of red swished passed them from both sides as a group of eight revealed themselves up on the dunes.

"Ambushed again? What is this, ambush Alex day?"

Voren fended off several shots for him, they were all too tired and few in numbers to win this fight.

"We have to retreat. We'll be overrun soon."

Alex was about to try out his new form when he felt a small prick on his chest, a foreign substance pushing its way into him and spreading fast. He felt his movements slowing as the poison forced its way throughout his body.

He growled and shook his head. "You think you can stop me with this?"

Three more small wounds appeared, increasing the numbness that now took over his entire body.

A figure clad in blue and white entered his vision before darkness claimed him.

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Au

This story reached over 50 000 views with the last chapter, you guys are awesome. I just had to make a play against all the ambushes you experience on Tatooine, it's ridiculous. But the last one did manage to capture Alex, a feat in and of itself. There are many powerful poisons in the galaxy which he hasn't experienced yet. Now who could the attacker be? It's not that hard at all to figure out.

The move that killed the Krayt dragon was the Critical Pain Devastator, if you didn't recognize it. Does anyone know the limits of Alex's strength? I image him being able to lift around 2-3 tons, seeing as he can throw cars a couple of blocks.