Episode 4 – Ruins of Dxun.
A Sith presence: Revealed! Acting on information from Senator Lux Bonteri of Onderon, the Republic has learned of the Sith's interest in Dxun, the Jungle Moon of Onderon! Hoping to keep the people of Onderon calm, the Republic has sent Jedi General Kento Marek to investigate!
In the Kashyyyk System…
The Republic Star Destroyer: Liberty, an Imperial-II Star Destroyer, flew in orbit over the Wookiee homeworld with the rest of its fleet group. Liberty Group consisted of the Liberty itself, a Nebulon-B Frigate, an MC30c Cruiser, a handful of Corellian CR90 Corvettes including a couple Corellian DP20 Gunships and plenty of starfighter and bomber squadrons situated in the hanger bay of the Liberty itself.
Onboard the Liberty, Jedi Knight and General Kento Marek walked onto the bridge of the Star Destroyer, being saluted by several soldiers as he passed, approaching the Liberty's Captain and the Commander of Liberty's fleet group: Rear Admiral Kasan Moor.
"Admiral." Kento greeted the older woman who regarded him with a stern glare.
"General. You're just in time. We're receiving a transmission from Command." Kasan said as they both stepped over towards a holoprojector near the back of the bridge, allowing a hologram of Jedi Grand Master Luke Skywalker and Jedi Master and Republic Grand General Galen Marek to appear.
"Admiral Moor, what's the status of your fleet?" Galen asked as Kasan stood at attention.
"Liberty Group is one-hundred percent operational, sir. We are currently on station in the Kashyyyk system and awaiting further instructions." Kasan reported.
"We're fine by the way, thanks for asking." Kento added, earning a slight yet brief glare from Kasan.
"Good. We're sending you to Onderon. My father and Master Katarn have uncovered evidence of a possible Sith presence on Dxun, the moon of Onderon. Senator Bonteri has asked for our help in insuring the system doesn't fall to the Sith." Luke explained.
"With respect sir, that sounds like a tall order for a small fleet group such as ours." Kasan said as Galen nodded understandingly.
"This isn't an invasion, Admiral. This is more of a cleverly disguised scouting run. Officially, Liberty Group's presence in the Onderon system will be to defend it against pirate attacks. Unofficially, it will be to investigate a possible Sith presence on Dxun." Galen explained as Luke turned towards Kento.
"Kento, your ship, the Mynock, is equipped with state of the art stealth systems. With it you will lead a small contingent of ground troops down to the surface of Dxun in attempt to find evidence of a possible Sith presence on the moon." Luke instructed as Kento crossed his arms over his chest, a look of curiosity on his face.
"Dxun is nothing but jungle and wild beasts. What could the Sith possibly want from there aside from its obvious strategic proximity to Onderon?" Kento asked.
"Master Tionne has done some digging in the Jedi Archives and according to her findings, she believes there to be an ancient Sith tomb located somewhere on Dxun." Luke explained.
"A Sith tomb. Wonderful." Kento mumbled sarcastically.
"If I may sir, but does the General's findings explain whose tomb it belongs to?" Kasan asked.
"According to Tionne's findings, the tomb belongs to Onderon's first king. An ancient Sith Lord named Freedon Nadd." Luke replied.
"And if the Sith find his tomb, they may find something that they could use against both Onderon and the Republic." Galen added.
"Consider that tomb; raided then." Kento said with a smirk.
"Don't be reckless Kento. We don't want to put the people of Onderon into a panic. We want to remove the Sith presence, provided there is one, as quickly and quietly as possible." Galen said as Kento nodded with a roll of his eyes.
"Yes dad." He droned.
"May the Force be with you all." Luke said before the hologram disappeared.
"So how do we want to do this, Admiral?" Kento asked.
"My suggestion would be to deploy the Mynock from the Liberty as soon as we arrive at Onderon. I'll remain here and coordinate the fleet." Kasan said as Kento scratched his chin in thought.
"Then you would be on station in case we need back up." Kento said as Kasan nodded.
"That's the idea. Just remember that General Marek wants this to be a covert mission. If we start dropping troops on Dxun, Onderon might get suspicious and it could lead to a panic." Kasan explained, Kento rolling his eyes.
"Yes I know, I know. Hopefully we won't need reinforcements unless the Sith decide to try and take Onderon itself, in which case we'd need a whole kriffing fleet besides just us." Kento said.
"True." Kasan said as she turned her attention to a holographic display of Onderon and Dxun.
"So about deploying the ground team. It might raise some suspicion if the Onderonians happen to detect us launching from the Liberty. I suggest we launch the Mynock first and have the ground team arrive ahead of Liberty Group and deploy on Dxun. Then Liberty Group arrives later on 'official' orders to monitor for pirate attacks." Kento said as Kasan nodded in agreement.
"An ordinary looking freighter arriving in the system would definitely go unnoticed. They may assume it got lost in the traffic." Kasan said as Kento started backing away.
"Then I suppose I better assemble the team." Kento said, turning to leave before Kasan cleared her throat.
"Are you taking the Bounty Hunter with you?" Kasan asked, causing Kento to pause.
"I sense you have an issue with her." Kento said, turning back towards the Admiral.
"Her loyalty belongs to the one with the most credits. What assurances do we have that she can't be bought off? The fact that you trust her so much concerns me. Are the two of you together somehow?" Kasan asked, Kento crossing his arms over his chest with a scowl.
"First of all, she's way too old for my tastes. Second, I can vouch for her loyalty. The Sith nearly killed her and her family so she wants nothing to do with them. And while the Jedi don't condone revenge, she's offered her services to the Republic in exchange for the opportunity to get payback. Third, she's my advisor. And fourth, she and her people saved my life and the lives of the Chancellor and numerous Jedi, not to mention my mother. So you could say we owe her something for that." Kento explained before turning and walking out of the bridge, leaving Kasan with a curious expression.
"Her people?" She muttered to herself.
…
Down in the Liberty's hangar bay and onboard the Mynock, Ailyn Vel sat in the main hold, disassembling a sniper rifle on top of a Dejarik table, as well as on most of the floor, while wearing a black tank top and baggy white shorts. She had a small audio-emitter sitting atop a nearby console playing a recording of Lapti Nek in the background.
"You know, when I said you could stay on the Mynock, I didn't mean you were confined to it." Kento said as he entered the main hold, carefully stepping over the parts of Ailyn's rifle.
"I like my privacy. Your Republic di'kuts just stare at me whenever I leave the ship." Ailyn replied, not looking away from the rifle as she worked on it.
"Well part of that is because you walk around in…well…that." Kento said motioning towards her attire as he pulled a cylindrical container from a compartment, opening the container to reveal a liquid beverage.
"They can learn to keep their eyes to themselves." Ailyn replied.
"Or you could put some clothes on." Kento mumbled as he took a drink.
"I heard that."
"Are you going to be at that much longer?" Kento asked as Ailyn quickly surveyed the strewn parts of the rifle before looking back at its main assembly.
"No telling. Why?" She asked.
"We've got a mission and we'll be using the Mynock to transport a ground team to the surface." Kento explained as Ailyn glanced at him for a moment before she started reassembling the rifle.
"Where to?" Ailyn asked.
"Dxun, the jungle moon of Onderon. We've got intelligence that the Sith are looking for an ancient Sith Tomb somewhere on the moon. It's our job to find them, if they're there, and flush them out." Kento said as Ailyn stopped reassembling the rifle, looking slightly towards the ceiling in thought.
"Dxun…The place has some significance to my people if I'm not mistaken." Ailyn said as she resumed her reassembly, turning off the audio-emitter before continuing.
"I'd have to check the holonet but I think you're right. It's significant to the Jedi too. Can't remember why though. Old Republic History isn't my best subject." Kento said, sitting down across from her, sipping his drink.
"Either way, if there's a possibility of the Sith being there, I'm in." Ailyn said as she set the still-disassembled rifle down atop the holo-table before she started scooping up the rifle pieces, karting them off to her private quarters on the Mynock, Kento following her as far as the door to her quarters.
"You don't mind working with a bunch of Republic troops, right?" Kento asked through the closed door.
"I don't make a big deal about working with you now, do I?" Ailyn asked back from inside.
"That's different, we know each other…sort of." Kento said.
"Look, I'll make do. You just worry about getting the di'kuts ready." Ailyn replied.
"Right. See you in the cockpit when we're ready." Kento said before walking away.
A few minutes later…
The Mynock launched from the hanger of the Liberty, flying away from the fleet before making the jump to hyperspace. By now the main hold of the Mynock was filled with twenty-eight Republic soldiers in forest camouflaged armor, reminiscent of the armor worn by the Rebel soldiers at Endor. The troops were standing or sitting around, talking with one another while some took advantage of the Dejarik table. All conversation abruptly stopped when Kento, Ailyn, and a white R4 series astromech with green markings entered the room. Ailyn was in full Mandalorian armor with a DC-15S in hand while Kento had thrown on a forest camouflaged poncho over his Jedi robes and armor.
"At ease troops. I assume you've all been briefed on our mission?" Kento asked, earning a series of nods. The trooper ranks consisted of mostly men but also a few women as well, including a pair of identical Twi'lek twin girls. Most of the troops were human but there were other races amongst them.
"Good. I just want to make sure that we're going in without any lingering questions. If you have any, now is the time to ask them." Kento said looking the troops over.
"What kind of resistance will we find down there?" one of the troops, a Bothan male, asked.
"In terms of Sith resistance, unknown. Dxun itself however will undoubtedly provide us with some of its own." Kento replied as another trooper raised their hand.
"If I may sir, I'm from Onderon and I may be able to help answer the question." The trooper said as Kento motioned to the empty center of the room with a nod.
"Please enlighten us, soldier." Kento said as the trooper stepped into the center of the hold, removing his helmet. He was very young by his appearance, no more than twenty if that. He had short military cut black hair and a thin face.
"Dxun is home to a wide variety of carnivorous beasts. Most of them are relatively easy to take care of with a few blaster shots, but some are tougher than others." The soldier said, not noticing as Vel's ID scanner swiveled down over her eye.
"How old are you?" Ailyn asked, startling the soldier.
"Nineteen galactic standard, ma'am." The trooper replied. Ailyn then turned to Kento who knew she was looking to him as a living lie-detector. Kento nodded, indicating the boy was being truthful.
"Is she coming with us?" another of the troopers, a human woman, asked while glaring at Ailyn.
"She is. She's a Mandalorian and the Mandalorians are our allies in this conflict. And according to both Republic and Mandalorian history, Dxun used to be a place that the Mandalorians once occupied millennia ago. I also trust her with my life." Kento said as the troopers murmured amongst themselves.
"Are there any more questions about the mission and not about who is or is not coming along?" Kento asked, the soldiers shaking their heads.
"Alright then. When we arrive on Dxun, we'll split into six squads of five and fan out. One squad will remain with the Mynock on guard while the rest look for signs of Sith presence. Maintain comms silence unless absolutely necessary. Understood?" Kento asked as the soldiers nodded. They then heard a beeping sound.
"Sounds like we're close to Onderon. Lock and load and prepare for landing." Kento said before he hurried to the bridge. Soon the Mynock had dropped out of hyperspace, its stealth systems activating as it started to fly towards Dxun.
…
The Mynock had touched down in a large clearing on the jungle moon, the Republic troopers quickly disembarking the freighter with Kento and Ailyn amongst them.
"R4, stay with the ship." Kento ordered to the astromech which beeped an affirmative. Kento was almost instantly approached by the Bothan trooper.
"We were elected to guard the ship, sir." The trooper said as Kento nodded.
"Good. Keep her safe and keep comms usage to a minimum." Kento said as the Bothan nodded with a salute.
"Yes sir, General." The Bothan said as Kento and Ailyn stepped out into the clearing, four of the squads already venturing out towards the jungles while the young soldier and the Twi'lek twins remained behind.
"So you three are with us huh?" Kento asked as Twi'leks and the boy nodded.
"Yes sir." The boy replied with a salute. Kento gave the three a curious look.
"We're going to get nowhere if I don't know your names." Kento said.
"Private Rayon Mead sir." The boy said, saluting.
"Private Sumi'Ra." one of the Twi'leks reported.
"Private Sugi'Ra." The other Twi'lek added, both sisters saluting.
"Well we certainly have our Privates hanging out." Ailyn mumbled.
"An honor to meet the three of you, now let's get moving before the rain starts." Kento said, making note of the storm clouds overhead as they started walking into the jungle.
"I don't think we were ever quite introduced to the Mandalorian though." Rayon said, glancing at Ailyn.
"Scruff, I think he's talking to you." Ailyn said as she walked ahead of them by a few feet. She had passed the responsibilities of introductions off onto him.
"Her name is Ailyn Vel. She's a Mandalorian Bounty Hunter that's got a personal vendetta against the Sith. She's offered her services to us in exchange for a chance to exact her revenge. I personally don't condone the notion of revenge but who am I to stop her?" Kento explained.
"I see. The men onboard the Liberty are always whispering about her. They aren't sure what to make of her." Rayon said as they came to a clearing, Ailyn climbing atop a low hanging tree branch to survey the surroundings.
"How long have you been in the service?" Kento asked as they stopped, cautiously looking around for any signs of trouble even though he didn't sense anything save for the planet's natural miasma of the Dark Side. Rayon seemed hesitant to reply.
"Two months. This is my first assignment." Rayon said as Kento glanced his way.
"You don't sound very confident in your abilities, Private." Kento said as they started moving onward into the jungle, keeping their voices low.
"I haven't had much experience." Rayon replied before Kento motioned to stop and be quiet at the same time. After a moment, he motioned for them to get down and started reaching for his lightsaber. They all crouched down, Ailyn raising her blaster, her ID Scanner swiveling down over her eye. Rayon and the twins both raised their blasters as a precaution. Suddenly Ailyn took aim with her blaster and fired off a single shot. They then heard the death wail of a beast before seeing a large green reptilian creature come tumbling out of the underbrush with a smoldering blaster hole in the center of its head. At this, they all rose up from their positions.
"A Boma beast. Nasty predator. This one's kinda small though. Probably a juvenile." Rayon said as Kento gave him a nod with a smile.
"It appears that having you along with us is coming in handy. Have you ever been here before?" Kento asked but Rayon shook his head.
"No sir. But my father was a Beast Rider, he came here all the time. He made sure I knew which beasts were what." Rayon said as one of the twins noticed something about the Boma.
"It was injured." Sugi said as Ailyn knelt down near the beast. There was a straight black scorch mark on the creature's left thigh.
"Looks like someone grazed it with a blaster shot and recently too judging by the blood." Ailyn said as Sumi looked at her curiously.
"Are you sure it wasn't you?" she asked as Ailyn glared at her.
"I fired only once and this is where I hit it." Ailyn said, pointing to the blaster hole clear through the beast's cranium.
"Vel, can you retrace the beast's steps? I think the poor thing might lead us to whoever shot it." Kento said as Ailyn stood up with a nod, leading them into the woods. After a few minutes walking through the thick brush of the jungle in silence, Ailyn motioned to stop and get down.
"What is it?" Kento asked as Ailyn motioned straight ahead where a small mechanical box with a emitter dish sat embedded into the side of a tree.
"Sonic emitter. Designed to keep small beasts away." Ailyn said as Rayon rolled his eyes.
"Doesn't always work. The beasts here get pretty big." Rayon said as Kento crushed the emitter with the force.
"That device looked new. Someone planted it recently." Kento said as they cautiously approached the tree where the emitter had been planted. As they approached, Ailyn suddenly grabbed one of the twins and threw her down onto the ground, motioning to keep quiet. Rayon and the twins started looking for what she had seen and soon saw it. Through the brush was a clearing and walking through the clearing, sporting blaster rifles, were a group of Sith troopers. The five snuck up closer to the edge of the underbrush where they got a better look at the clearing. There were at least two Sith landing vessels with cargo and equipment laid out outside of a towering stone pyramid structure that had been long overgrown and long abandoned until recently. There were two small turret emplacements flanking the only visible entrance to the structure which was up a ramp of steps. Sith troopers and officers were patrolling outside the facility.
"Sometimes I hate it when Intel proves correct." Kento grumbled as Rayon raised his blaster only for Ailyn to lower it for him.
"Go ahead and fire if you want to get us all killed, private." Ailyn hissed earning a scowl from Rayon.
"We're here to kill Sith aren't we?" he asked.
"I am, but I'm getting paid for it." She replied.
"What do you think we're getting out of this? Free room and board?" he argued quietly. Ailyn was about to make a cutting remark when Kento shushed them.
"Can it, both of you. I have a bad feeling about this place." Kento said as he started backing away.
"Orders sir?" Sugi asked.
"Fall back to the ship for now and recall the other squads, we're going to need them to take the tomb." Kento said as they started rushing quickly and quietly back towards the ship.
"Did you just say take the tomb? We've only got five squads including us and there has to be dozens of Sith here. You can't be serious about taking it." Ailyn said as Kento glanced at her.
"You're half-Kiffar right? You have some latent connection to the Force, you can tell there's something happening here can't you?" he asked as Ailyn glanced away slightly and sighed, shaking her head. He was right; she had an increasingly uneasy feeling washing over her.
"So what's the plan? Wait for the Liberty to arrive?" she asked but Kento shook his head.
"You and I both can feel that disturbance. Something's happening inside that tomb. At first I thought we were just getting closer to the source but now that we're getting further away, that uneasy feeling we both have is getting stronger. If we wait for Liberty to arrive, it might be too late. We need to move quickly to neutralize the threat." Kento said as Ailyn sighed in frustration.
"There better be a handsome bonus package in it for me." She mumbled as they spotted the Mynock up ahead.
…
A few minutes later all but one of the squads had reported back to the Mynock and the last one was just arriving. The five troopers burst into the main hold, catching their breath while one of them nursed a nasty scar on their leg.
"Sorry we're late General. We had a run in with some of the native wildlife." The squad leader reported.
"Better get that leg looked at, Corporal. R4, get the medical droid." Kento ordered, ignoring the squad leader's apology. R4 promptly opened a nearby cargo compartment where a small orb shaped medical droid immediately lit up and floated out of its compartment to inspect the injured trooper.
"Sorry I let you down sir." The trooper said as the droid examined his leg.
"You might change your tune when I tell you what I've got planned. R4?" Kento said as R4 started to project a hologram of the tomb grounds.
"We've confirmed the location of the Sith tomb here on Dxun but we've also confirmed that the Sith beat us here to it. We know that the Sith are up to something inside that tomb and we can't afford to let them continue. Therefore, we'll be leading an assault to take the tomb from them." Kento said as Ailyn, helmet off, approached the hologram.
"We've identified turret emplacements here and here. They're your standard anti-infantry configuration, light armor, exposed back and topsides. Snipers?" she asked, looking at the troopers, three of whom raised their hand.
"Congratulations men, you're officially on turret clearing duty." Kento said as one of the troopers raised a hand.
"Sir, wouldn't it be easier to destroy the turrets?" he asked, Kento nodding in response.
"Yes but too many explosives could weaken the tomb's supports and might bring the whole building down on top of us. That's why we're using stun grenades only. We'll save the big explosives for after we've cleared the tomb to make sure that the Sith of this war and any future generations can't use it for anything else." Kento said as Ailyn smirked.
"Plus capturing the turrets will help us hold the tomb and help discourage any additional troops from showing up." She added.
"Right, here's how this'll work. The Snipers will be spread out among the underbrush here, here, and here with stationary escorts watching for beasts or enemy reinforcements coming up from behind. Their job is to keep the turrets unmanned while I create a diversion. Once the turrets are unmanned, we'll rush the steps. Snipers, you'll remain in place until after we've taken the entrance and the turrets are ours. Understood?" Kento asked as the snipers nodded.
"Alright, that about does it. May the force be with us." Kento said as the troops prepped their weapons and followed him towards the exit ramp.
Later…
Outside the tomb, a Sith Trooper emerged from within the tomb and approached one of the turrets where another trooper stood on guard.
"Any sign of intruders?" the trooper asked.
"No. Not even those little beasts." The other replied.
"Good. I've been sent to relieve you." The first said as the other stepped away from the turret.
"Don't forget to report in every few minutes." The second said as the first stepped up to the turret controls.
"Right. Like there's anything to –NAGH!" the first yelped as his body fell backwards onto the floor, a fresh blaster hole in its helmet.
"What the-?!" the second exclaimed before hearing another soldier let out a pained scream. The trooper spun around with his blaster raised to see the other turret soldier lying dead behind the gun. He spun back towards the front to see a figure with a green lightsaber charging towards the tomb steps with a blue armored Mandalorian and nearly five squads of Republic troopers charging after it.
"We're under attack! Blast them!" the trooper yelled as he and his other soldiers started opening fire on the Jedi and the Republic troopers, the air between them lighting up with red blaster fire. One Sith Trooper ran for one of the turrets but as soon as he stepped up to the turret controls, he was shot through the head. The Republic was gaining ground by the second, with Kento leading the charge.
"Bring up the droid!" one of the Sith officers yelled into the tomb. Almost instantly a four legged droid with black armor and a pair of tri-barreled heavy blasters on its arms emerged from inside. It looked like a slightly squished Destroyer Droid with four legs and without any curves on its frame. It had only one large red photoreceptor. The Droid activated a shield generator and opened fire on the Republic troops, halting their advance as they scrambled for cover behind the Sith transports.
"We're pinned down General!" the Bothan officer exclaimed as he ducked behind one of the transports while Kento remained out front, deflecting blaster fire with his lightsaber.
"Vel! Got any droid poppers?!" He exclaimed as Ailyn, who was ducked behind one of the transports reached into one of her pouches and produced a single detonator with a white-blue strip around it.
"Just the one!" she replied.
"Remember when we met that Assassin Droid on Rattatak?!" he asked as Ailyn groaned.
"How can I forget?!" She replied as she primed the detonator while Kento jumped into cover.
"Ready?!" he yelled as she prepared to throw it at him.
"NOW!" he yelled as she threw the detonator at him, but he used the force to launch the detonator straight at the Sith Destroyer Droid, the grenade slipping through its shields which were rated for blaster fire only, the detonator exploding on impact, frying the droid's circuits.
"Droid's down! GO-GO-GO!" Kento ordered as he and the rest of the troops leapt out from behind the transports, resuming their charge. The Sith's blasters had also been disabled by the grenade and they were unable to fire back as the Republic troops approached. The Snipers were doing their job well, keeping the Sith troops off the turrets. Sumi was one of the snipers and Sugi was kneeling behind her, watching her back.
"Good shooting sister." She said as Sumi smiled and took aim at another target.
"I wonder if this is what shooting Womp Rats is like." Sumi said. By now Kento was bounding up the stairs of the tomb, cutting down Sith Troops foolish enough to try and blast him from point blank. As he reached the top of the steps, one of the Sith Officers pulled a retractable electro staff from off his back, activating the weapon but Kento merely deactivated his lightsaber and crossed his arms with a smirk. The officer seemed confused for a moment before suddenly getting shot in the head by an airborne Ailyn on her jetpack. Soon the Republic troops had reached the top of the tomb steps and manned the turrets. Kento then waved his lightsaber in the air, signaling the snipers to move up and join them.
"Everyone accounted for?" Kento asked as the squad leaders did a quick headcount.
"We're all here." The Bothan officer replied as Rayon collapsed against the side of the tomb entrance, catching his breath.
"We never covered destroyer droids in basic." He panted.
"Don't get too comfortable, it's not over yet." Kento said as he looked into the tomb. It was lit up from the inside by a number of glow lamps that the Sith had brought with them but part of the tomb had an unnatural red glow coming from the walls.
"Orders sir?" one of the other officers asked.
"Form a defensive parameter here. Hold this entrance as best you can. If it's not Republic, turn it back or turn it to ash. Mead, twins, Vel, we're going in." Kento said as Ailyn cocked her rifle.
"Us, sir?" Rayon asked as he climbed to his feet.
"What's the matter? Scared?" Ailyn asked point blank.
"As a matter of fact I am a little. If I'm correct, this is the tomb of the cursed king." He said as Kento glanced towards him, still at the entrance to the tomb.
"You mean Freedon Nadd?" he asked as Rayon nodded.
"It's required reading for all Onderonian children in school. We all have to learn about the horrors the cursed king brought upon our ancestors during his reign over five thousand years ago. You know how some people have the old wives tale that bad little children get whisked away by Darth Vader at night? Well here they say the Cursed King is the one responsible." Rayon said as Kento scoffed.
"Please, like Vader ever did that. I would know." Kento said as the five ventured into the tomb, using his lightsaber for illumination. Rayon and the twins were confused by his statement.
"Did he ever really abduct children, Scruff?" Vel asked.
"If he did he never told me. My master's not very open about his darker days." Kento replied as they passed a pair of collapsed entryways. The entryways looked like they had been caved in for at least several centuries as the Sith had made little effort in clearing the debris.
"What is he talking about?" Sumi asked as Rayon shrugged.
"I have no idea." He replied.
"You should probably be aware that I was trained as a Jedi by Anakin Skywalker." Kento said as Rayon looked thoughtful.
"Should I know that name?" he asked as Kento shrugged.
"He's a hero of the Clone Wars, the Hero without Fear. He's also the father of Grand Master Luke Skywalker as well as the former Master of my father, Galen Marek." Kento explained but Rayon seemed clueless as they entered into a large chamber.
"Interesting place." Ailyn said as they looked the room over. The chamber, like the halls, was illuminated by a number of glow lamps but the eerie red glow from the floor was a little more noticeable. There were several entryways, all blocked by debris but one sat opposite the way in and led deeper into the main tomb where the sarcophagus rested at the back.
"The Dark Side's getting stronger. Whatever's happening here is coming from within that chamber through there." Kento said, motioning to the open entryway. The five approached the entrance cautiously where they could make out three figures inside, two Sith Troopers in lighter armor carrying vibroblades flanking a single figure in dark armor with a bald head and Sith tattoos all over his head. The center figure had a lightsaber on his belt.
"Ah so the Jedi that I heard about has arrived. I bid thee welcome to the tomb of Lord Freedon Nadd." The Dark Jedi said with an oily tone.
"Huh, this is almost exactly how I imagined this place. Dark, dank, dreary, and inhabited by a bald freak with tattoos and a lightsaber." Kento said as the Dark Jedi laughed.
"How droll. So then Jedi, what brings you to the tomb of the great Freedon Nadd?" the Dark Jedi asked.
"You do technically. We're here to make sure the people of Onderon are safe from a Sith threat. I'll give you this one chance. Surrender." Kento said but the Dark Jedi laughed again.
"Poor misguided Jedi. You assume that you have the strength to defeat us? Here, I gain power from the Dark aura of Lord Nadd's tomb! You can fight me Jedi, but ultimately you will die!" the Dark Jedi declared as he activated his red lightsaber, the two troopers flanking him raising their vibroblades.
"Uh-huh, Vel?" Kento said. Instantly the two troopers flanking the Dark Jedi were shot dead by two blaster shots to the face. The Dark Jedi noticed his dead compatriots and snarled at Kento.
"You're next di'kut. There's a price on your head that I intend to collect." Ailyn said as she held her blaster trained on the Dark Jedi.
"Pity you won't live to collect it!" the Dark Jedi yelled before pressing his fingers to his lips and letting out a shrill whistle. Suddenly, the entryways leading into the larger chamber behind them exploded, allowing Sith Troopers to pour through.
"Ailyn!" Kento ordered as Ailyn and the three troopers spun around and started firing at the troops, Ailyn firing a small rocket at the base of a nearby statue, causing it to topple over onto the ground, creating a barrier for the four to take cover behind. Kento in the meantime activated his lightsaber in time to block a blow from the Dark Jedi, the two engaging in a duel. Outside the tomb, the Republic soldiers heard the explosions and blaster fire echoing from inside.
"Quick! Get down there! The General might need help!" the Bothan Officer ordered before a blaster bolt flew past him. Sith Troopers were attempting to charge up the ramp to the entrance from inside the tomb. The Republic troops quickly took cover, firing down into the tomb.
"General Marek do you copy!" the Bothan exclaimed into his comlink. Inside the tomb, Kento and the Dark Jedi exchanged blows, the Dark Jedi's attacks being quick but not quick enough to break Kento's defenses.
"I'm a little busy right now!" Kento yelled into his comlink before leaping back from the Dark Jedi and using the force to throw a large chunk of debris at the Dark Jedi who attempted to catch it with the force but could only deflect it away where it crashed into a dried up reflecting pool basin.
"Sith Troops are attempting to retake the entrance!" the Bothan replied.
"Hold them off! We can't let them take the entrance! Try and force them back into the main chamber! Take the heat off of my squad!" Kento yelled. Back at the entrance the Bothan nodded.
"Yes sir! You heard him men! Let's push 'em back! Delta Squad, prep dets!" the Bothan ordered, four of the soldiers prepping stun grenades and moving into position near the entrance.
"Ready! Now!" the Bothan ordered as the four soldiers tossed the grenades into the tunnel, the grenades bouncing or rolling down the sloped entryway. The detonators then went off, stunning the Sith Troopers and giving the Republic soldiers a chance to rush the tunnel.
"GO-GO-GO!" the Bothan ordered as they charged the tunnel, leaving one squad to hold the entrance with the turrets.
"Don't let any of them get back up!" one of the other officers ordered as they blasted the stunned Sith while running past them, ensuring they were dead. They managed to reach the bottom landing where the main chamber was, Ailyn, Rayon, and the twins holding out in their makeshift foxhole against the Sith troopers.
"Blast them!" the Bothan ordered as the Republic troops took cover and opened fire on the Sith from the entryway. In the tomb chamber, Kento and the Dark Jedi continued to duel, although Kento seemed to be on the defensive rather than the offensive.
"What's the matter Jedi?! Afraid to take a life?!" the Dark Jedi taunted with a sneer. Kento merely chuckled.
"You obviously don't know who trained me." Kento said as he evaded a vicious swing by leaping backwards onto the top of the sarcophagus and then leaping into the air, over the Dark Jedi who spun around to attack but their lightsabers clashed again.
"I know who trained me! Once I kill you, my Master will make me one of her apprentices!" the Dark Jedi gloated as Kento scoffed.
"Yeah, don't think so. You think this Darth Akul will take you on as an apprentice? She'd sooner feed you to a rancor!" Kento argued, enraging the Dark Jedi.
"She will make me her apprentice and then once she's outlived her usefulness, I will strike her down and become all the more powerful!" he gloated as Kento dodged a swing from the Dark Jedi.
"I'd give it about five seconds, that's if you were successful!" Kento laughed, further enraging the Dark Jedi.
"You worthless Jedi scum! The Sith will rule the galaxy and I will be its emperor!" the Dark Jedi said as Kento bounded over the dry pool but the Dark Jedi started bringing the roof down towards him with the force. Kento quickly raised his hands into the air, catching the debris and tossing it away just as the Dark Jedi leapt over the pool, his lightsaber raised but Kento wasn't concerned and ignited his lightsaber with a swing, slicing the Dark Jedi's arms off at the elbows. The Dark Jedi landed on his side with a pained screech. This caused Rayon to spin around towards them and hurry to a corner of the room, watching as the Dark Jedi writhed in pain and anger.
"MY HANDS! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE JEDI?!" He screamed before having Kento's lightsaber thrust in his face, causing him to recoil in fear. The echoing sounds of blaster fire still rang through the tomb as the Republic Soldiers fended off the Sith.
"I told you once, you didn't know who trained me. I think once I tell you, you'll understand." Kento said as he knelt down to the Dark Jedi who snarled at him.
"I was trained by Anakin Skywalker." He said as the Dark Jedi's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Darth Vader's Apprentice." He said in shock as Kento stood up. It was at this that Rayon finally understood what Kento had meant by his comments earlier. Kento's Master was the one who used to be known as Darth Vader. Kento stood over the defeated Dark Jedi for a moment, called the inactive red lightsaber to his hand and clipped it to his belt while still keeping his own green saber pointed at him.
"Not anymore. Vader is dead. He died at Endor. All that remains of the man that used to be the Dark Lord is Anakin Skywalker, the man he was before Vader appeared. That you can take to the banking clan." Kento said as Rayon approached, holding his rifle pointed at the Dark Jedi.
"What do you want me to do with the prisoner sir?" Rayon asked as Kento lowered his rifle for him.
"We'll take him with us to Coruscant, where he'll be interrogated by the military. I imagine my own master will want a word with him. If there's anyone who knows how to interrogate Sith, it's Master Skywalker." Kento said as the Dark Jedi's face flashed with fear.
"No! No please!" he begged.
"See this Rayon? The Sith are typically like this. All boast with a lot of flash but once their shields are down, they're all cowards underneath." Kento said as they heard an explosion behind them. They spun around to see the Republic troops finishing off the last of the Sith, Ailyn having used a thermal detonator to clear a few lingering troops from within an entryway. The moment their backs were turned however, the Dark Jedi had leapt to his feet and was running towards a large pile of debris in the corner leading towards a hole in the roof where sunlight could be clearly seen pouring through. The two heard him running away and spun around to see him leaping up onto the debris.
"We'll meet again Jedi!" the Dark Jedi yelled as he leapt up towards another level of debris but Rayon had his blaster raised.
"Oh no you don't!" he yelled, firing a shot which struck the Dark Jedi in the leg, causing him to topple backwards and fall off the debris, falling straight towards a statue of Freedon Nadd holding a pair of swords into the air. The two cringed as the Dark Jedi fell upon one of the large stone swords, impaling himself through the stomach. The Dark Jedi, looked up weakly towards the statue of Nadd, a look of confusion on his face.
"My lord, why?" he rasped before he gave his last breath and died. All was silent in the tomb now, the blaster fire having ended. The two stared at the corpse on the statue in silence as Ailyn rushed up.
"Osik. Well there goes my bonus. Stolen by Scruff no less." Ailyn grumbled but Kento shook his head.
"Nope, the one who stole the kill would've been Rayon here." Kento said as Ailyn looked at the stunned soldier then at Kento before glaring at him.
"You're kidding right? The greenhorn got the kill?" she asked as Kento nodded.
"I might've disarmed the Sith but Rayon fired the shot that knocked him off and onto the sword there." Kento said as Rayon turned towards Vel who glared at him.
"Hmph. Lucky shot." She grumbled before turning and walking away as the Bothan officer approached.
"The tomb is ours General. We're looking for any remaining Sith but they appear to have been wiped out." The Officer said as Kento nodded.
"Excellent work. Have the men prep the demo charges, I want this place leveled so no Sith can get to it ever again." Kento said as the Bothan saluted.
"Yes sir. Oh, we just received a transmission from the Mynock. Apparently Liberty group has arrived and Admiral Moore wants to speak with you. I think she wants an update on our status." The officer said as Kento nodded again.
"Thank you. Tell her I'll get in touch with her in a minute. Oh and send the twins over here." Kento said as the Bothan saluted again.
"Yes sir." He replied before walking off.
"Your orders sir?" Rayon asked as Kento smirked and motioned for him to follow. He then reached down and unclipped the Sith lightsaber from his belt, opening up the casing and removing the red crystal from inside. He then handed the crystal to Rayon who took it curiously.
"What's this?" he asked.
"Trophy. You killed a Dark Jedi. Not many riflemen can claim that honor." Kento said but Rayon shrugged.
"But the Bounty Hunter was right. It was just a lucky shot." He said but Kento wasn't convinced.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that. When you were lining up the shot, you seemed to know exactly where and when to fire. You also aimed precisely so you would cripple him. You didn't know he would fall onto that statue did you?" he asked as Rayon shook his head.
"No sir."
"I can sense something within you Rayon. You don't realize it but you may have a latent connection to the Force. If you'd like, I can have you tested to see if you truly are force sensitive." Kento said as Rayon arched an eyebrow in shock.
"Wait, you mean I could become a Jedi?" he asked as Kento nodded.
"It's possible. It all depends on what the test results bring and what the council says. Of course if you'd rather remain a rifleman that's entirely up to you. I won't force you if you'll pardon the Jedi pun." Kento said as Rayon pondered.
"I'll take the test, but I'm still not sure." He said as Kento nodded understandingly.
"Fair enough." He said as he noticed the Twi'lek twins approaching.
"You called for us sir?" one of the twins asked.
"Yes I did. I wanted to congratulate you two on a job well done." Kento said as the twins saluted.
"Only doing our duty sir." The other replied.
"Regardless, I like how the entire troop handled themselves. Did we sustain any casualties?" he asked as the twins looked at each other.
"Aside from Corporal Hal getting scratched by one of the beasts before the battle and a few minor injuries, we suffered no casualties' sir. The enemy appears to have been completely wiped out." Sumi replied as Kento nodded with a smile.
"Well then I now know what I'm going to tell to Admiral Moore. I look forward to working with the three of you in the future." Kento said as he headed for the entrance.
…
Kento stepped out of the tomb into the Dxun sun where he saw Republic transports touching down nearby. R4-M9 was already rolling up to him with his receiver dish raised, chirping a message.
"Well put her through R4." He said as the astromech came to a stop and began projecting a hologram of Admiral Moore.
"General. What's going on down there? We've been trying to get through to you for several minutes now? What's your status?" Kasan asked as Kento smirked.
"We're fine Admiral, only minor injuries but the Sith presence on Dxun has been both confirmed and dealt with. I'd recommend informing the Onderon government that they should consider keeping a closer eye on Dxun for a while." Kento said as Kasan blinked at him in disbelief.
"Dealt with? I thought this was a scouting mission not a covert strike!" Kasan exclaimed.
"The Sith were up to something here and we couldn't allow them to continue. We're not sure what they were up to exactly but we'll be blowing up the tomb here so that it doesn't happen again." Kento said as Kasan sighed heavily.
"I understand. I'll relay this information back to command." Kasan said in exasperation.
"One more thing Admiral, I'd like to request that the men and women deployed with me on this mission be assigned to my direct command. They're all fine soldiers and they've proven themselves capable." Kento said as Kasan nodded.
"Consider it done sir. Oh, and General Skywalker wishes to speak with you. Patching him through now." Kasan said before her hologram disappeared, replacing it with a hologram of Anakin Sr.
"Master, you're looking cheerful this evening." Kento said with a smirk.
"That depends, Kento. What is the outcome of your mission on Dxun?" he asked.
"Sith presence confirmed and routed Master. If there are more Sith on Dxun we'll find them." Kento replied.
"Well done my apprentice. It seems you're proving yourself a fine General." Anakin said as Kento shrugged.
"I learned from the best, Master. Although I think Admiral Moore doesn't share your optimistic appraisal of my performance." Kento said, deliberately mimicking Anakin's voice. Anakin merely let a chuckle escape.
"I wasn't that popular with the admiralty either, Kento. It seems as if you truly are taking after your old Master." Anakin said as Kento chuckled back.
"Perhaps but since I've got you on the line I'd like to ask a favor of you." He said as Anakin looked at him.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I'd like to set up a force sensitivity test for one of the soldiers under my command. I believe he may possess a latent connection to the force." Kento said as Anakin crossed his arms over his chest.
"I will speak to the Jedi Council to arrange the testing. Next time you're at Coruscant, we will test him." Anakin said as Kento bowed to the hologram of his master.
"I'll see you then Master." He said as Anakin uncrossed his arms.
"I look forward to meeting him. Skywalker out." Anakin said as the hologram disappeared.
…
Soon the Mynock was lifting off from the jungle floor of Dxun. As it rose above the trees, it turned towards the tomb in the distance. From the cockpit, Ailyn sat, helmet off in the copilot's seat, counted down from three and when she reached zero, there was a colossal explosion as the tomb exploded into a heap of burning rubble.
"I love the smell of burning permacrete in the evening." Ailyn said as she sat back in her chair with a smirk.
"Part of me regrets blowing it up since it's a part of galactic history but the rest of me doesn't quite feel that way. The Onderon government even gave us their blessing to destroy it. Seems like the cursed king is as unpopular today as he was when he was alive." Kento said as Ailyn turned towards him.
"As I see it, you removed a potential threat. Onderon is no longer as vital a target to the Sith anymore which means they'll be less likely to be targeted for invasion. I think your jetii council would approve." Ailyn said as Kento pondered.
"They'll likely regret the lost chance at acquiring Sith knowledge but I think they'll agree for the most part that keeping that knowledge out of the living Sith's hands is for the best." Kento said as the Mynock approached the hangar bay of the Liberty.
"Still, makes me wonder what the Dar'jetii were looking for in there." Ailyn said as Kento nodded in agreement.
"We may never know, Vel. Let's just hope they didn't find it." Kento said as the Mynock touched down inside the hangar bay.
Meanwhile in another part of space…
A Sith Destroyer flew through the blackness of space. On the bridge stood a human woman with long brown hair with her hands behind her back. She wore the uniform of the old Galactic Empire with Admiral's stripes. She stood observing a holographic display of some ancient looking runes. Next to her was a hologram of Darth Akul, looking at the hologram with her.
"Is this the information we were looking for milady?" the Admiral asked as Akul looked at the hologram.
"Yes. It appears that the hopeful was successful in uncovering the information we were seeking…but not as successful in keeping the Jedi from destroying Freedon Nadd's tomb." Akul replied.
"I doubted his ability from the start milady. Had he been strong enough, he would've been able to eliminate any opposition from the Republic or the Jedi." The Admiral stated but Akul sneered.
"The Jedi he faced was the son of Starkiller. The boy is a formidable opponent. You forget what he did to Darth Vandal at Mustafar after all." Akul commented but the Admiral wasn't convinced.
"Regardless, he was weak and the punishment for weakness is death." The Admiral stated as Akul grinned.
"Keep that in mind, Admiral Daala, for now that we have the information we seek, we need to act on it. You may proceed to the next phase of the plan." Akul ordered as Admiral Natasi Daala bowed to the hologram.
"By your command milady." She stated as the holograms disappeared to be replaced by a hologram of a singular star system.
End Episode 4
Admiral Kasan Moor originated from the first Rogue Squadron game. She seemed to disappear after that game, with only cameo appearances in other media so I wanted to continue her story somehow or at least explain what happened to her. I own the Twi'lek twins Sumi'ra and Sugi'ra, as well as Rayon Mead.