Vanguard
Chapter 5
"Unfavorable answers"
[Orbit above Toydaira]
Longarm had just entered the cruiser's cockpit after leaving his blaster and electro-staff in one of the onboard quarters he claimed for himself, he found Ahsoka pressing buttons and flipping switches on the ship's main control panel when she turned her head and saw him walk in.
As Longarm takes the co-pilot seat next to her, she reports "Senator Amidala had already transferred the credits to my account; once we make it to another planet I can make a withdrawal and give you your fair share."
Longarm raises a hand in refusal saying "Keep it . . . they'll be put to better use under your supervision."
Ahsoka shrugged not wanting to argue and asked "Alright then, can you set the engines to hyperdrive? I already have the coordinates locked in for our next destination."
Longarm gave a glance to Ahsoka and said with an unconfident tone "Yeah sure, hyperdrive."
Ahsoka looked over to see Longarm scanning the controls unsure on which button or switch to use as he began quietly muttering "Hyperdrive . . . hyperdrive . . . hyperdrive . . ."
Ahsoka then comments "You don't know how to set the hyperdrive do you?"
"No no . . . just give me a moment . . . hah! Here it is!" Longarm quickly replies trying to reassure himself.
The SPARTAN pressed a button he was sure was the hyperdrive sequence initiator, after waiting a second the two heard the door open behind them with no one walking through.
Ahsoka and Longarm turned back to see the door open then Ahsoka turned to him saying with a smirk "That's the door controls . . . just admit it."
Longarm sat back in his chair letting out a sigh then said "Yeah I don't know . . . I can't even understand the writing here."
Ahsoka was surprised and asked "You don't know Aurebesh? That's one of the most basic things in the galaxy! Even little kids know that!"
"What do you expect from a guy that came from a different galaxy?" Longarm asks as he looks out the cruiser's viewport.
Ahsoka took a moment to think about that then asked "How did you even survive these last few years?"
Longarm remained staring out into the stars as he answers "A lot of stealing and running I guess. I did what I have to do to survive."
Ahsoka then asked "Okay . . . What did you do back in your galaxy, as in like what did they have you do?"
Longarm then glances at Ahsoka asking "What like an occupation?"
Tano nodded prompting the SPARTAN to answer that "I was a designated sniper, one of the best snipers in the galaxy. I also specialized in covert warfare, melee combat, and mechanical engineering."
She sat there quietly listening as Longarm continued "I also was trained to fly several strike craft and earned exceptional grading in officer leadership though I have a strong tendency to work alone unlike most of my kind."
"Why is that?" Ahsoka asked
"SPARTANs have been trained extensively to know by heart that teamwork is everything, not me. On nearly every operation I've been in with another SPARTAN, I always go my own way to get the job done even if it means going against my commander's orders. Nonetheless I always get it done with maximum efficiency" Longarm explains as he turns facing Ahsoka.
Tano then questioned "If teamwork is everything the why go against it?"
"Why did you leave the Jedi Order?" Longarm asks in response.
Ahsoka didn't know where Longarm was going with that question then answered "I left because; I felt that I couldn't trust those within the Order nor myself, I also left because I feel that I need to find my own path with the Force."
Longarm understood her meaning and comments "That's why I never worked alongside other SPARTANs, if something goes wrong then I can be ready for it and take the blame for our actions."
She gave him a confused expression which prompted him to say "I may not work well with others, but that doesn't mean I don't look after them."
One of the sensors on the control panel began blinking green rapidly; Longarm noticed it and asked "What is it?"
Ahsoka knew it was someone contacting them and she also knew who it was, she also knew that if Longarm found out that she was speaking with the person who attacked him then there would be serious consequences to pay dearly, using the knowledge that Longarm knows practically nothing of their technology she says "You said you specialized in mechanical engineering right? I need you to head towards the engine room and check on the ion converters, there's supposedly a systems malfunction."
The SPARTAN bought it as he shrugs his arms and walks out of the room doing as he was told, Ahsoka then pressed a button which allowed a holographic representation of Asajj Ventress to appear in front of her. Asajj was in her bounty hunter outfit with the intimidating helmet and gear as she held up a small portable holographic projector in her right hand.
"Judging that you're in a ship; you made it off Coruscant I take it?" Asajj asked.
Ahsoka nodded in confirmation as she states "We're in orbit above Toydaria, Longarm is with me but I sent him on a systems check around the engines just so I can get him out of the room."
"Good, have you learned anything about him?" Ventress asks as a worker droid walks pass her.
Ahsoka replies "I haven't gotten a lot out of him yet but I'm making better progress than you did."
"Keep working on it, I'm already at an ideal location for us to meet up but it is best that he does not know about this at all . . . for your own sake."
"I didn't know you cared for me" Ahsoka comments with a sarcastic grin.
Asajj hissed "I don't, I'm sending you the coordinates now. Get here as soon as possible."
The hologram dispersed just as Tano received the coordinates which appeared to be on Dantooine in the Raioballo Sector, she wasn't sure what she was going to find out there but she saw no other way as she began resetting the navcomputer to make a safe trip there. After setting the coordinates she pressed two different buttons and pushed a throttle lever all the way up and watched as the stars turn into a blur of black and blue as the cruiser jumps into hyperspace.
The door opens and Longarm's voice spoke "Well there was nothing wrong from what I could tell; I'm going to my quarters to rest for a moment."
Ahsoka turned around facing him in the doorway and said "Alright, I've already set a course for another system and we're making our way there as we speak."
Longarm didn't say anything but simply nods and leaves the cockpit to his room, the door shuts as Ahsoka turns back around to think about what kind of situation she was getting herself in. She was fully aware that she had deceived the SPARTAN but was not sure how well he would take it if he found out about it and if he does then she would have to pay the consequences dearly, she also became aware that the two of them were starting to have something in common such as their trust issues with their fellow allies. She was actually starting to like him despite his somewhat rough and resolute demeanor towards others, but she made the assumption backed up by the fact of Longarm's tendency to work alone that the SPARTAN had problems coexisting with others around him as a military. What she couldn't understand is why was someone like Longarm is to a degree enjoying the company of someone like her, she thought about the possibilities that maybe she represents a different ideology to him that he finds desirable, maybe she's the only one that has been kind to him unlike Ventress and the clone guards on Coruscant, her last thought was maybe Longarm is looking for a place or someone to call home or a family. The last thought prompted her into deeper thinking, Longarm's family must be proud to have him as a soldier protecting them, or maybe they were abusive when he was young which made him join the military that exists in his galaxy 'So why form an attachment with me? I'm just an ex-Jedi trying to find her own path now' she thought. Her head began to hurt in the next few moments of thinking and she decided to activate the auto-pilot systems and leave the cockpit for some time.
Longarm sat down at the personal desk in his quarters and brought the electro-staff on top for inspection and examination, the staff weighed around two kilograms at approximately four and a half feet long tipped off with a electromagnetic pulse emitter on each end when activated becomes surging with an electrical charge capable of damage ranging from a simply stun to a very lethal shock. The only problem however, was the fact that it was too cumbersome for Longarm to conveniently carry it around without having it slam into something, he noticed that the staff's main handling component was segmented for manufacturing purposes, this gave him an idea as he stood up taking the staff with him and headed for the door. After entering the main corridor of the small cruiser, the SPARTAN caught a glimpse of Ahsoka to his right who was now entering her room for reasons he didn't know. He dismissed the thought and made his way to the lower deck which held the boarding ramp and the cargo hold behind it, took a few minutes for Longarm to enter the hold and began searching through the disorganized crates for parts and tools.
As the SPARTAN searched through various crates to find what he was looking for, he couldn't find anything but scrap metal and damaged electrical components though he would rarely find something that actually works but had little use for them. Eventually he found something he could use, he found a handheld plasma torch that was powered by a small power unit similar to those he uses for his blaster, he turned several knobs and began to gently squeeze the trigger allowing a small stream of concentrated plasma to reach out of the nozzle, he then releases the trigger and holsters the tool on the magnetic strip on his right thigh. He takes the electro-staff placing it on top of two crates set next to each other and began to slowly dismantle the weapon with a slow burn of plasma emitting from his torch to make some 'modifications' on the weapon's design.
Less than two hours has passed since Ahsoka went to rest in her quarters to ease her mind, instead of sleeping she was attempting to meditate with the Force, a procedure not commonly done by young former Jedi. She wanted to know more about Longarm than he was willing to say, even though he had been open to questions she felt that he was hiding something from her that she needed to know. Using the teachings from Grand Master Yoda, she placed all her focus onto Longarm to search for answers about his past. She felt nothing but fear, pain, suffering, and great loss; she began having difficulties searching for answers because the emotions of the SPARTAN began to overwhelm her train of thought. She began to hear voices she has never heard of before, some sound human while others do not, she diverted her focus on to the voices in hopes of finding something but the voices were a jumbled mess varying from different times and places.
"Sierra one-twenty-one report that's an order!" a faint male voice called out.
"We got Covenant on approach watch your vectors" Longarm's voice spoke with a disturbing sense of calm.
Plasma fire broke out with a loud demoralizing alien roar mixed in with the cries of death of a human.
Tano began getting a faint image but it was clear enough for her to make out what it was, she stood in the middle of a large field on what she assumed to be an agricultural world where the sky was orange and black filled with smoke. She began to hear a unified march like an entire army was coming through; she couldn't find the source until she turned around and found this unbelievably massive army of alien species she never encountered before. There were creatures of all sizes and shapes as they marched determined to battle whatever foe they seek, small ones wearing tanks on their backs and armed with small energy based weapons, taller ones with a bird-like appearance armed with the occasional rifle, then there was these much larger ones adorned in armor with hind legs and mandibles around the mouth. The army was getting closer forcing Tano to prepare herself for battle but her weapons were nowhere to be found, she began to take steps backwards until she accidently tripped on something and fell. She looked at what she fell over and found a dead clone's body, he lied there motionless but something about the trooper's armor made her turn stone cold. The armor was partially painted blue in a pattern that she knew all too well.
"Rex . . .?" she asked not believing he was dead but the Captain did not respond.
Ahsoka quickly turns over Rex's body and found two stab wounds in his chest like somebody took a lightsaber and killed one of her closest friends. She stood back up in shock and disbelief as the alien army drew closer, she had no other choice but to leave Rex where he laid but the moment she turned around she found numerous dead bodies, ones she knew.
"No . . ." Ahsoka muttered to herself as tears came from her eyes.
Everyone she ever knew laid dead scattered across in front of her, Obi-Wan, Senator Amidala, Master Plo-Koon, Master Yoda, various other Jedi and even numerous clones, then there laid one body in the middle of the group . . . her master Skywalker.
"No!" Tano cried out defiantly not believing in all of this.
She turned around to face the army in defiance as the soldiers of this seemingly unstoppable force simply marched on passed her and over her deceased friends, one of the larger aliens however stopped merely feet in front of her looking down with a menacing glare. Ahsoka held her ground but then the alien lunged out and seized her neck within its left four-fingered hand and raised her several feet off the ground. Tano struggled to free herself but the alien's grip was firm, she couldn't take her blue eyes off of the alien's that was filled with hatred and fire.
The alien's mandibles moved as it spoke in a deep voice "Look out to the beyond and behold our unflinching strength."
Ahsoka continued to struggle but gradually ceased as she looked out beyond the initial waves of soldiers and saw what no one should ever see in their life, thousands upon millions of soldiers marched across the plains towards a common goal, beyond them were giant spider like monstrosities firing off green beams of concentrated plasma as they crushed whatever little resistance faced them, floating artillery platforms that gently glides over the surface in massive numbers. A trio of ground based aircraft soared above Tano forcing her to look up and behold entire fleets of warships numbering in the thousands flying overhead with colossal numbers of individual fighters flying along with them, some warships were larger than most known cruisers in the Clone Wars.
Ahsoka looked down at the alien still holding her up by the throat and asked coldly ". . . what are you?"
The alien spoke as it rehearsed an old religious verse "Your destruction is the will of the gods . . . and we are their instruments!"
Soldiers all around spoke in unison with the alien leader as they marched on:
"When we joined the Covenant we took an oath!
According to our station! All without exception!
On the blood of our fathers, on the blood of our sons,
We swore to uphold the Covenant!
Even to our dying breath!
Those who would break this oath are Heretics,
Worthy of neither pity, nor mercy!
We shall grind them into dust!
And continue our march to glorious salvation!"
The alien then raised its right hand revealing a weapon similar to a lightsaber hilt, the weapon activated with a loud pulse of energy as it formed into two curved energy blades coming out of both ends of the hilt and facing outwards. The alien cocked its right arm backwards readying his blade for the killing blow, and plunges the two blades into Ahsoka's abdomen who then cried out in sheer pain as the blades scorched the insides.
Tano came screaming back into reality in utter fear and pain, she was sitting on her bed when she jumped up to quickly and fell off hitting the floor with her back. Her eyes looked around wildly expecting to find the same alien standing before her ready to kill her for real but there was no one in the room but her. She placed one of her hands down around her stomach looking for any signs of cuts or stab wounds but felt none, she felt a brief moment of relief knowing that it was not real but fear came back into her for what she had discovered while searching through Longarm's feelings. Ahsoka figured that she have dove far too deep into Longarm which resulted in finding the one thing he hates and fears together. She breathed heavily from actually feeling the two blades go through her despite that it wasn't real, for several minutes she began to regulate her breathing back to a normal state. It was mere moments after her coming back to reality when she began to hear heavy footsteps rushing towards her door, the door opened and Longarm came rushing in with his blaster ready but found no hostiles.
He kneeled down next to Ahoska asking "What happened?"
Tano looked at Longarm's helmet as he stared down at her when she replied "It . . . it was nothing, I'm fine."
Longarm then called her by her name for the first time ever "Ahsoka Tano . . . it wasn't nothing otherwise you wouldn't have screamed like that."
The SPARTAN extended his hand down and pulled her up to her feet as she argued "No seriously it wasn't anything. I'm fine."
But Longarm didn't buy it as he watched her looking for any indications of lying; he then called her name again showing how serious he was treating the situation "Ahsoka . . ."
Tano took a moment to think then simply asked "What do you know . . . about the Covenant?"
Longarm sighed deeply hoping to have forgotten that word but he remained strong and says "Come with me down to the cargo bay, we can talk about that there."
The two then walked out of the room towards the cargo bay where the SPARTAN had been working. Ahsoka desperately needed answers now more than ever, she didn't know what he'll say but there was no doubt that she wasn't going to like it at all. Like it or not, this may be the only key to finding out what the SPARTAN really is and how he came into this galaxy.
As a heads up, I'll be working on my 'Unforgotten' story quite a bit because it is nearing its end so it'll be some time before another chapter for 'Vanguard' will be posted. As always, leave your comments and thoughts. Thank you.
