Here Is The Official Chapter Two Of My Purge Series. Know That Any Comments and Tips are Much Appreciated. Thank You For Your Support and Enjoy!
Chapter Three: Stranded
By: AL_Stardust
There was a loud banging that woke them up. The Imperial Officer stormed into their room and beckoned for them to get dressed into their uniforms and come with him. They each got ready, and as they walked down the star destroyer's halls, they exchanged glances. This challenge was a lot earlier than the other ones yesterday. "Sarah, did you get what we need?" Alex whispered to her, "Not everything," She replied. "I was almost done figuring out how to blow up the ship. But then I heard on one of the officers' comics that someone was heading towards our dorms to take us to the challenge. So, I booked it back as fast as I could. If I can find a way to escape this challenge, I might be able to sneak back in to get what we need." "Ok, leave that to me," Alex said. "I have a feeling that this challenge may involve blasters. So, if Eli and I can provide a distraction, you can escape and get what we need."
"What makes you so sure that there will be blasters?" Sarah asked. "A feeling," Alex replied. "Oh, you mean the same feeling that gambled our chances of survival back on Mandalore?" Sarah teased. "The same feeling that also saved Eli and me from being blasted into oblivion by those other Mandolorians." Alex countered. "It hasn't killed us yet. So, I'll trust it." "Let's hope that feeling's right," Sarah said. They entered the arena they were in for yesterday's drill. But it was different. Instead of random pillars for cover, like there were yesterday, it was all now flat. You could see the entirety of the arena and how big it is. As they entered, they were escorted to a separate room they hadn't been to before. The armory. It ran about twelve feet lengthwise and about five feet in width. With every kind of blaster along the walls you could think of. After admiring the number of weapons at their disposal in shock, Alex couldn't help but wonder what exactly they would do for this challenge.
"An impressive stock, isn't it?" the officer said. "Go ahead, choose your weapons. You'll need it for your challenge." They exchanged glances, smiled, and shrugged at each other, then scattered to pick out their weapons. Sarah at once eyed and walked in the direction of the snipers. Eli bolted off in a random direction. But Alex stayed where he was. He knew something was up, but he didn't express his thoughts. Instead, he just walked past the officer and headed off to see if he could find what he was looking for.
After walking for a couple of minutes, something caught his eye. It was only a glimpse, but it at once hooked him. It was a DL-17 blaster pistol, he wasn't familiar with it, but it intrigued him somehow. He reached out and gripped it; it felt like it was built for his hands. It felt almost weightless, and Alex was excited to test it out. He noticed that all the blasters were set to stun. So, these weren't live-fire exercises. But he could feel that this blaster could pack a punch. Perfect for a sharpshooter like him. He holstered the blaster and grabbed a unique Karambit-Style vibroblade.
Meanwhile, Sarah was in a bit more debate than Alex. She was always drawn toward snipers but couldn't decide between the Nightstinger-Class Rifle or the exotic Amban-Class Sniper Rifle. She assumed no casualties would be allowed, so she knew the Amban wouldn't have to disintegrate rounds, limiting its effectiveness. So, she stuck with the Nightstinger and equipped it with a heat vision scope with anti-glare and a silencing nozzle. She then gripped and holstered a hidden DD-6 silenced blaster pistol.
After running for a few moments, Eli slammed the brakes to a halt after he found something that caught his eye. It was an XL-Rotary Battery. He took the blaster, but he removed the Rotary Battery. He disassembled the rest, grabbed a nearby Slug Launcher, and got to work. Eventually, he crafted a modded XL-Rotary Battery with the hilt of a rifle, back bracing, stabilizers, and an extra coolant tank to ensure it doesn't overheat. He then used the Slug Launcher to create a miniature version as an attachment. He then snuck some lethal thermal detonators just in case things went south.
Finally, they all met up back at the entrance to the armory. "I never knew that the Empire had such a wide variety of weapons," Eli exclaimed. "It doesn't," the imperial officer replied. "This is my vault of weapons, mainly claimed from my many victorious missions." It was now time for the challenge. Each of them entered the arena one at a time. The strange thing was it was just them. No opponents were facing them. That's when the officer announced what the challenge was. "Today, I have arranged a unique challenge for the three of you." He explained. Suddenly, floor pieces start moving up and down, creating interchangeable pillars. "You three will be competing in a battle royale against each other. The last person standing will be kept as head of my elite squadron. The rest will be left on Coruscant with other officers, and I don't think they would put you in a better position."
"What!" They each exclaimed, shock and confusion flooding through their minds. "Oh, and one more thing. No one leaves this room until the winner is declared." The stress is on them as if fighting each other wasn't hard enough. They would be separated no matter what. But they didn't have much choice, and they each knew that. So, they gave each other a nod and then. They fought. They weren't afraid to fight; at least their blasters were set to stun. The battle went on, and none of them were stunned.
On the contrary, it was as if they were all equally matched. Sarah ran to a corner and used an EMP detonator she hid to short-circuit the pillars surrounding her intersection. They were now stuck in the tallest position. Sarah's corner pillar was still moving as usual, however. It acted like an elevator, giving her plenty of cover and a clear view of the arena. All she had to do now was line up her shot. The anti-glare on her rifle and the constant moving of the pillars made it impossible to predict her shot. Making her more deadly. Just then, she saw Alex in her sight. He was on guard, standing still. She lined up her shot and took it. It should have hit him; the silencer and anti-glare combo should've made it impossible to predict her. But somehow, he dodged it. Now he knew exactly where she was, but before she could react, he was already there. He started shooting her while behind the cover.
She was cornered now. Suddenly, Eli began to fire at her, but not at Alex. Were they working together? It didn't matter if she got hit, she would only be stunned, and she knew the plan but didn't know when to go. She took a blind shot and hit Eli? At least Eli was on the ground, looking stunned. It became clear what would happen now.
Alex holstered his blaster and took out his Vibroblade. He wanted a showdown, no blasters, just hand-to-hand combat. Sarah accepted and came down to his pillar. "First one to get knocked off the pillar loses," Alex said. "Fair enough," Sarah replied. Then they dueled, the first strike coming from Alex. He wasn't very agile or quick on his feet, but he was naturally fast in the arms. That's what made him good in hand-to-hand combat. Sarah knew the Vibroblade wouldn't be used to kill her, just to try to shove her off the edge. She reached to take the Vibroblade, but Alex saw it coming. He constantly switched the Vibroblade between his hands by throwing it in the air and catching it with the other. Sarah saw an opportunity to take the Vibroblade, so she reached for it, but instead, she found herself hanging off the edge of the pillar. Alex backed her up and tricked her into falling off the edge, but she caught the Vibroblade. Now she was hanging onto the rim with that. "Sarah, take this," Alex said, giving her a thermal detonator. "What's this for?" Sarah asked, "Eli now!" Alex yelled, then Eli got up and launched a bunch of thermal detonators under Sarah, enough to make a hole for her to escape. Realizing what Alex wanted her to do, she let go of the Vibroblade and jumped into the flaming hole, escaping with only minor bruises. Alex and Eli jumped in after her. "Now, can we blow up the ship?" Eli asked, "Yeah, that's what Sarah's doing." Alex replied, "What? I wanted to blow up the ship," Eli complained, "I know, but Sarah is the only one who knows where to blow up to collapse this whole ship. She's also the only one who's fast enough." Alex replied, "We need to find a ship to escape on. Head for the hangar bay." Then the alarm sounded, and the officer's voice sounded on the intercom. "Red Alert: We Have Imperial Traitors On The Run! Bring Them To Me Now. Don't Let Them Escape." "Now would be a good time to get going," Eli said. Just as they got to the hangar bay, the loud whooshing of the hyperdrive sounded as the star destroyer exited hyperspace. They saw a huge array of T.I.E. fighters and Lambda-Class shuttles. Alex ran to one that was open, "Hurry. Get in." He said as Eli took the copilot's, "You sure you know how to fly one of these things?" Eli asked. Alex replied, "Not a clue. We barely made it last time." "Barely making it is still making," Eli said. Just then, squads of stormtroopers flooded the hangar bay. Surrounding them and firing at the ship, although their blasters couldn't penetrate the shuttle's shields. Both Eli and Alex knew that it wouldn't hold forever. Just then, one squad of stormtroopers flew five feet into the air from an explosion. Out from the smoke came running and shooting, Sarah! She sprinted across the hangar bay. Alex opened the hatch to enter the shuttle. The shuttle left the ground. Sarah Jumped, and Eli grabbed her hand and pulled her inside just as the doors to the shuttle closed. Alex then piloted the ship and blasted the controls for the deflector shields for the hangar bay. Stormtroopers poured outside the Star Destroyer into the cold dark vacuum of space. Their bodies and other debris spiraled into the planet's atmosphere as they disintegrated into flaming debris. "Wait, the ship didn't blow up?" Eli noticed. "What happened?" Sarah pulled out the detonator "Would you like to do the honors, Eli?" she asked, tossing him the detonator. Eli smiled, "This will be one of the most satisfying explosions ever!" He pressed the detonator. The ship exploded from the hyperdrive, leaving nothing but ash and fire. Alex realized they were being pulled in by the planet's atmosphere. Alex tried his best to pilot the ship downward without crashing. He had several minutes until they hit the ground. Just enough time for Alex to gain full control and barely count for a rough landing. As they approached the surface, they realized this planet was an extremely large city. They piloted into a giant hole where ships came in and out of. After swerving around other ships and speeders, Alex landed them several levels underground so the empire couldn't follow them. They could finally rest. "Well, at least we're still alive," Eli said. "I was holding my breath for a minute there." Sarah opened the entry hatch. "I'm going to check if it's all clear. Don't want any troopers following us." She spoke. After a few minutes of patrolling and helping Alex and Eli tend to their wounds. She gave them the news. "I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that we survived, and the empire is off our tail for now. The bad news is that we are in the heart of Imperial territory, on Coruscant. With no means of escape." They each looked at each other in disbelief. "So, what you're saying is, in the worst place we could possibly be. We are stranded." Alex exclaimed, still trying to process the situation. "Yep," Sarah replied. "Thankfully, the empire is not on us right ,o, we can salvage what we can here, then rest up for the night. They did just that, and a few hours later, Alex was the last to drift off to sleep, looking into the night sky of Coruscant. Wondering what new adventures and new ways to take the empire down would present themselves.