This is probably my favorite part of the arc. You'll see why soon.
Thanks again STARWARZMYLIFE, Firehawk1100 and KatieBirdy for being my betas for this chapter. I couldn't do it without them.
The First of Many: Part Five
Amieto swept the foot out from underneath the pirate scum with the use of the bladed hook end of her staff. She flicked the other end at the downed enemy, sending a bolt to their chest, ending their horrid existence. She gazed forward, scowling at the hail of blaster fire. Her body moved with decades-long instincts, swaying through the onslaught with ease. A growl left her lips. She was being pushed back. These filth were pushing her, Chieftain of the Elomin, back.
The very notion was sickening. She knew she should've made it a law to have blasters back in the clans.
Coquer came to her side, firing wildly at the pirates. The onslaught lessened with his assistance. He barked out words as he reached for a grenade from his belt. He threw it at the pirates huddling behind high-stacked crates. It blew and the trash was rightfully incinerated. With his free hand, he tapped her on the shoulder, yelling over the carnage of the battlefield and into her ear.
Amieto wondered why the boy talked when they both knew they didn't understand each other. While being a hazard on the battleground, it would have been good to bring the droid just so she could understand Coquer's words.
"Watch it," she said, pulling Coquer out of the way of a plasma bolt that was sure to kill him.
They quickly separated. Being clumped together was a sure-fire way of being killed. He slid behind cover. She believed she saw a smirk on his face. Coquer leaned out of cover, firing at the pirates. He spoke in his native tongue—it was short and sounded like he was holding back a chuckle.
Then again, one didn't necessarily need to converse words when fighting against a common enemy. Just survive and kill the foes where they stand. That was something her people took to heart. And it seemed, so did Coquer.
When Coquer contacted her asking for assistance, she was shocked. When he told her of the plan he concocted, she was speechless. Sure, he spewed some nonsense, stating that this attack would strengthen the relationship between her planet and the CIS, but she knew better. He needed disposable pawns and what was better than those he had just conquered?
Amieto heard a sharp cry behind her. She turned, seeing one of her warriors fallen, becoming one with nature. Two more quickly joined their brethren. Her nostrils flared as she let out a feral sounding growl. Her warriors—her people were being slaughtered, and for what? To be a distraction for the boy's droids.
No more!
Amieto faced the pirates, ignoring the plasma that zipped past her. She raised her staff high in the air. "We are the warriors of Dakou!" she roared for all to hear. "We fight—"
Her warriors chanted, "—to bring honor to her name!"
She ignored the frustrated expression of Coquer as he spoke in an aggravated tone, gesturing for her to get into cover. "We fight—"
"—to never be cast in the darkness again!" Her warriors—her Elomin, banged their chest as they barked and growled like the raquor'daan she knew they were.
One of the pirates landed a lucky shot at her torso, but she didn't yield. She didn't even grimace or flinch at the pain. "We fight—"
"—for we never submit!"
Amieto thrust her staff forward. "Slaughter the scum who hunt our Elom brethren!"
Her warriors howled a ferocious battle cry, shaking the very ground they stood on. She led the revitalized charge, sending a bolt to one of the pirates further away, killing them. Her warriors dispatched those that got too cocky with brutality she was proud of. They were now on the offensive, pushing pirates back to their last line of defense. It was the vile corsairs' last stand. It seemed her warriors were more than enough to take care of the filth.
She spotted a few of them retreating into the ship. Her eyes widened at the cowardly act. Her warriors tried to push onward but were kept at bay from the relentless blaster fire. One of her men tried to break the stalemate but was killed before they could take a step forward. She heard the pirate's ship coming to life, violently shaking the pebbles at her feet.
Amieto stood, about to jump over her cover and rush the enemy, but was yanked down before she could.
She whipped her head to Coquer, who had stopped her. She growled at the boy, ripping off his hand from her shoulders. "What are you doing, human? They are getting away!"
An annoyed-sounding sigh left his lips as he shook his head. He pointed two fingers at her eyes, then moved his hand towards the horizon. Amieto followed where his hand directed and saw what looked to be thousands of battle droids coming over the ridge. They fired upon the ship, showering the night sky with a red hue with their continuous firing.
She watched in amazement as the pirates were in full retreat, shoving each other to get on their starship. They tried to take off but it was too late. Being pelted by constant blaster fire broke the ship's shields and a lone rocket struck at the vessel, ceasing their short-lived air time and forcing them to crash.
Maybe this was the true reason Coquer requested her assistance. To show her and her people first-hand what they harrowingly avoided. To warn them what would become of them if they seek to return to the Republic or to raise a hand against the CIS.
Coquer spoke suddenly, startling Amieto. She turned to her right, seeing him with an outstretched hand and a tiny smile. His smile held no warmth, looking demented with how forced it seemed. His eyes were cold and distant, like the warriors who finally came home after years of warring against the other clans.
He tilted his head. He looked even more crazed now—sociopathic, even. He uttered her name with a concerned tone. Air bombard her lungs as she remembered to breathe. She stared at his face then at his dirt-covered hand. How could he sound so casual while having such an expression?
Amieto reached out and accepted his hand. He helped her to her feet. His eyes roamed her toned frame. She fought the urge to squirm under his gaze.
Coquer settled his eyes upon her own. She could see life returning to his empty eyes. His worry for her health was clear in them. He looked the same as when they first met.
How could he change so easily?
Coquer holstered his blaster, smiling as he gave a friendly tap on the shoulder. She tensed at his touch.
A droid of his walked up to them. The machine spoke to the boy and his expression quickly darkened once more. A breath caught in her throat at his demeanor changing again. Coquer muttered in his tongue, sounding furious as his lips peeled back into a scowl.
The droid nodded, leaving to accomplish whatever Coquer assigned it to do. He faced her, a friendly smile welcomed her. Coquer spoke to her; it sounded like a question.
She didn't know what he said, but she knew one thing. For the first time, in her eighty years of living through constant conflicts, she was afraid.
Despite the losses Amieto received, the young Commander was pleased everything went according to plan. While Coquer still disliked the notion of warriors, he had to give credit where credit was due. The warriors were better trained and more disciplined than he originally thought. They acted more as a militant unit rather than a mismatched team of brutes. Really, most impressive.
If it weren't for the majority carrying steel weapons, he was positive his droids wouldn't have been needed.
Coquer and Amieto stood before the surviving few of the pirate gang. The colorful band sat cuffed and huddled in the center of their combined forces. The veterans of the merry bunch were obvious—indifferent from the sight of blaster toting machines around them. Even sending hateful glares to the Elomin, spitting at their feet.
Disrespectful little...
Coquer sharply exhaled through his nose. He was rightfully irritated. Any normal person would be too if they found thirty fur pelts made from once-living people. Coquer couldn't help but wonder why. Why skin living people? Why make innocents suffer?
He removed his vibrorapier from its sheath. Taking slow measured steps around them, the inexperienced or new to the pirate life made themselves known to Coquer, shaking in what he assumed was fear.
They should be afraid.
"H—hey, there's no reason to be hasty, mate,'' a Nikto urged, his voice shaky.
Coquer stopped, turning to regard him. The Nikto seemed to be the youngest of the survivors, his black eyes still had a shimmer of innocence in them. Coquer knew better though. No one before him was innocent in the slightest.
The Nikto cleared his throat, taking Coquer's silence as the okay to continue. "Maybe we can hash out a deal, or some—"
Coquer speared his blade into the talkative man's mouth.
"Mous!" yelled a member of the pirate gang.
The pirates reeled away from the sword imbued Nikto—Mous, Coquer guessed the filth's name was. He yanked the rapier out of the dead's mouth, splattering the purple blood onto the ground. The corpse slumped forward.
A male Weequay growled and tried to lunge at Coquer, but was stopped with a hit to the back of his head by a droid, having used the butt of its blaster.
"You son of a bitch," the Weequay hissed through clenched teeth. "Mous was just a—"
A choked gasp left the pirate's lips, and blood from his leathery neck. The Weequay gurgled, choking on his own blood. He tried to clamp his hands over the wound but the cuffs around his wrist prevented it.
Coquer watched as the trash slowly died, jerking in all directions in a vain attempt to live. The thin-cut he afflicted was made for the pirate to die from suffocation rather than blood loss. It was practically mercy compared to what the thirty Elom suffered.
The Weequay's writhing abruptly ceased. He lay motionless next to Mous, his eyes still wide in panic with dried tears of fear on his leathery face. Blood seeped from the corpses, intermingling into a small pool of essence. Coquer took a step into the blood puddle, eyeing his prisoners. The veterans were now afraid; the youngblood terrified.
Good.
"There will be no deals," Coquer wiped off the blood from his blade using the two deceased's shirts, "or parlays." He sheathed his vibrorapier. "Which one of you is the leader?"
"He is," a female Weequay blurted out all too eagerly, jerking her head to a fellow Weequay on her right. "Yagonn is the leader," she cried. "I—I don't want to die."
"You doshin' traitor," the now-named Yagonn spat. "If I get out of this, Soli, I swear I'll make you regret ever leaving your mother's womb!"
Coquer walked to Yagonn. The leader tensed up when he crouched in front of him. He only had one question to ask.
"Why?"
Yagonn's eyebrows knitted together. "What?"
Coquer narrowed his eyes. A scowl etched on his face. "You know exactly what, pirate."
It seemed Yagonn understood what he meant since his eyes widened. He chuckled, which heated the simmering anger in Coquer's stomach into a boil.
He shook his head. "Hehe, I guess you are as young as you look." He flashed Coquer a grin. "Credits, kid. Why else?"
Coquer blinked, completely stunned by his candor.
"It was nothing personal, all business," Yagonn admitted. "Some ritzy senators want some Wookie pelts, and Eloms were easier to hunt than those blokes. Cheaper, less of a headache, and those rich muppets would be none the wiser."
Supply a demand? Ritzy senators? Credits?
Amieto spoke from behind him. It sounded like a question, a nervous one based on her stuttering.
Coquer suddenly took out his blaster and aimed it at Yagonn. The pirate flinched at the sight of the weapon, closing his eyes to not see the inevitable coming. He nestled the barrel against Yagonn's skull, enjoying the sight of him squirming, trying not to cry.
Coquer expected the trash's answer. Credits were all his kind ever cared about. Despite predicting what the answer was, hearing it was another story. Rage filled him like no other at the casualness of Yagonn's tone. There was only one way to pacify his anger—justice.
The Commander teased the trigger, wanting nothing more than to kill the man in front of him. Grant him a taste of what his victims went through.
"Rargh!" Coquer fired his blaster in the sky. The abrupt act caused the pirates to jump, as well as Amieto and her warriors. His droids quickly silenced their cries of shock by aiming their blasters at them.
But he couldn't. It was not his justice to seek. No matter how much he wished to be the one to deal it.
Yagonn creaked an eye open, nervously watching Coquer holstering his blaster, walking away. The buccaneer chuckled, smiling at the sight of the Commander's back.
"Ha! I guess you really are just a kid playing soldier—"
Coquer move like lightning, unsheathing his blade and pierced Yagonn's right shoulder. The filth bellow in pain. He dug his blade further in as he leaned in to Yagonn's ear.
"Don't mistake my sense of justice as mercy, pirate."
He ripped his weapon out of the shoulder, watching Yagonn wallowing in agony.
Coquer sheathed his blade, turning away from the man—no, he was not even a man. Yagonn was even below the blood-soaked dirt he was standing on. "Patch Yagonn up and transport him to Elos to wait for our meeting with Leader Skona."
Two droids moved to Yagonn. They roughly grabbed hold of his shoulders as they forced him to his feet, ushering him out.
Coquer closed his eyes, inhaling through his nose then exhaling out of his mouth. Was this the ugly truth of war Trench prepared him for? Was this what his father wanted him to participate in? He opened his eyes, seeing the scared and tensed faces of Amieto and her warriors.
How he wished he was back on that outpost in the Horox system.
"Commander." A droid walked up to his side. "What should we do with the rest?"
"Sir, please." Soli crawled towards Coquer. A droid stopped her before she could even get close to his feet. "Please, sir, mercy," she begged. She placed her head against the ground, sniveling. "W—w—we promise to never set foot in this sector ever again. We'll give you everything on the ship, just don't—"
"Pathetic." The single word ceased her groveling. She craned her head up, staring at Coquer with teary eyes. "As I told you, there will be no deals or parlays."
He directed his focus to the droid that originally asked the question—B1-259, he thought it was. "Take them to the capital as well, but keep them separate from Yagonn. Skona will cast their judgment on them, not us." He raised his hand, stopping his droids. "Leave three—doesn't matter which."
"Roger, roger."
His droids followed his orders and left three pirates who were shaking in fright. Coquer turned around to face Amieto. He grimaced at how she tensed up. He hoped this would make her not as afraid of him.
"I know you can't understand me, but I want to thank you for helping. It couldn't be done without your warriors." He placed an open hand out, inviting her to shake it. "I'm sorry for the men you lost today."
She stared warily at his hand like it was going to bite her or something if she touched it. She slowly and cautiously accepted it, giving him two hearty shakes before quickly pulling away.
This was not how Coquer wanted their relationship to be. He desired mutual respect, not fear.
He gestured to the three cuffed pirates. "I know it will not bring back your men, but you may punish these three as you see fit."
The pirates started to beg for their life from his proclamation. He knew she didn't understand his words, but he believed the message got across based on the pirate's display of repentance. Amieto barked an order to her warriors and they dragged the three away.
She gave him a single nod before turning and walking away.
Coquer guessed he should also return to his droids. He had a big day with the Skona in the morning.
The hair on his neck stood on end as images of a pistol being aimed at him flooded his vision. Coquer blinked, no longer seeing the images. He brought a hand to his head, feeling lightheaded.
What was—
His eyes widened as his body moved on instinct alone. He stepped to the left, harrowingly dodging a plasma bolt to his back. He moved quickly, removing his pistol from his holster, and fired at the bleeding pirate that laid among the debris, killing them.
He took a couple of deep breaths, calming his rapid beating heart. He almost died. He would've died if he didn't react as he did. Coquer paused at the thought.
How did I know where he was and that he was about to shoot me?
Author's Note: So it seems Coquer inherited a little more than Dooku's good looks. If you read the OG, you probably saw this coming. If not, surprise!
I hope you like the glimpse of how brutal Coquer could be when angry. It was so much fun to write. There would be more than that down the road, mostly in Year Two.
To answer AJ comment on the previous chapter, yes, that is the same Mar Tuuk from that episode of the Clone Wars. This arc takes place as soon as the first battle of Geonosis started. The battle of Ryloth takes place in the middle of the first year I think.
Till Next Time
Updated Dec 20 2021