As consciousness returned to Terra, several things became apparent; first, she was lying on her back without her helmet. Second, the sounds of battle were echoing all around her. Finally, as Terra slowly began to raise herself into a sitting position, she noticed a medic cursing next to her as she looked through her bag for more medical supplies.
"What's going on?" Terra asked softly, making the medic spin around quickly to face her,
"General Farr! You're awake!" The medic said with relief, "I was beginning to worry! Nothing in my pack seemed to be working."
"The last thing I remember is that Sith bitch attacking me," Terra growled as she rubbed her sore head.
"She almost killed you!" The medic responded, "Were it not for your son, she may well have!"
"Killian saved me?" Terra asked in surprise,
"Yes, general," the medic replied proudly, "He used the force to shove the Sith off of you!"
Terra felt her blood freeze in her veins at the medic's words, and it took her a moment to respond,
"Killian can use the force?" Terra asked in a small voice, hoping the medic would buy the lie.
"Yes, general!" The medic responded proudly, "You needn't worry about your son facing repercussions for being a force user. Everyone here saw your son use his boon to save you! No doubt Killian will be a great warrior one day! Mandalore's first force user!"
Terra felt her fear ebb at the medic's words and silently prayed that the rest of Mandalore would agree that Killian's gift did not make him an automatic enemy.
As Terra slowly rose to her feet, helped by the medic, a sudden explosion rocked the tent and nearly sent Terra back to the ground; only by grabbing onto the medic's shoulder was Terra able to stay on her feet.
"What in the kriff is going on?" Terra demanded as she regained her footing,
"The Republic, it seems, has decided to throw away any chance of subtlety and launch everything they have in one final attack," The medic replied with a sneer, "I stayed behind to make sure you would be okay."
"Who leads our warriors?" Terra asked, bending over to pick up her helmet as another explosion rocked the tent.
"Ricket took command and urged our warriors to battle," the medic replied, watching as Terra lowered her helmet and began to check her weapons and armor, "But that was some time ago, now. Who knows if he's even still alive!"
"Silence yourself!" Terra ordered, instantly annoyed by the medic's words, "You do not speak that way about your fellow Mandalorians. Is that clear?!"
"Yes, general!" The medic replied, snapping to attention. Sighing in frustration, Terra finished checking her equipment before turning back to the medic, who was still standing at attention.
"Do you have comms?" Terra asked, daring to hope for a moment.
"Unfortunately not, general," the medic replied sadly, "It's one of the first things I tried when you didn't respond to the meds. Something is jamming all off-world comms, which means we can't call for help."
"Dammit!" Terra swore angrily, "Can you track where the jamming signal is coming from?"
"I believe so, general,"
"Good," Terra replied, "Then stay here and do so! We need to let our ships know what is happening down here before there are none of us left!"
"And what will you be doing, general?"
"Finding my children!" Terra snapped as another explosion echoed nearby, "As well as any warriors we happen to have left! We've got to get out of here!"
"We're just going to abandon the Sith army, general?" Surprised, The medic asked, "Won't the Mandalore be angry with us for breaking faith with the Sith army?"
"I think my brother will be more upset that his son and heir died needlessly on a planet of little worth to either side," Terra retorted as she drew her twin blasters and spun them in her grip, "Just get me a location of that jammer!"
"Yes, general!" The medic replied, "At once!"
Before exiting the tent, Terra turned back to the medic, who was pulling different things from her pack and spreading them out in front of her.
"One more thing!" Terra said seriously, drawing the medic's attention, "Anyone comes in this tent who isn't a Mandalorian, shoot them down!"
"Yes, general!" The medic said seriously, drawing her blaster and placing it on the ground beside her. Seeing that, Terra nodded once before stepping out of the tent and into the battlefield that was once a peaceful camp.
XXXX
Darth Avarice hissed contemptuously as she beheaded yet another filthy Republic soldier who stupidly thought themselves her equal; the Sith had lost track of the number of Republic soldiers she had killed since this attack began.
As the hate and rage filled her, Darth Avarice felt stronger than ever before, and she issued a laugh of madness as she extended her arm and issued a stream of lightning from her fingertips, which caused the six attacking Republic soldiers to collapse to the ground, screaming in agony.
So drunk on the power that was filling her that Darth Avarice failed to recognize the warning that the Force had just sent her; an instant later, a Jedi fell from the sky and sliced through the arm that was electrocuting the Republic soldiers, severing it just below the elbow.
Releasing a cry of agony, Avarice looked down at her severed arm in shock before her gaze became one of hatred as she looked at the scowling Jedi standing before the groaning soldiers. The Jedi was a pale-skinned human male who appeared to be in his late twenties with bright green eyes and shoulder-length black hair that had several neatly tied braids running through it, which was complimented with a neatly trimmed black goatee.
Rising to his feet, the Jedi turned to face Avarice and scowled at the glaring Sith before throwing off his brown robe and activating his lightsaber; as the green blade suddenly appeared, the Jedi lowered himself into the form of Ataru, causing Avarice's eyes to widen momentarily in surprise.
"It's rare to see a Jedi use such an aggressive form," Avarice sneered as she drew and activated her own lightsaber, the blade igniting mere inches from her face, "I thought you Jedi scum were against aggression. Isn't that one of the words in your pathetic code?"
"In the right hands, even an aggressive form of combat can be done peacefully," the Jedi replied with a sneer that made Avarice's blood flow with anger; how dare this Jedi mock her!
"Die, Jedi filth!" Avarice snarled, shooting forward with more speed than her size should have allowed; the Jedi just sneered contemptuously at the charging Thisspiasian before charging forward himself.
As the two force wielders collided, a wave of power suddenly exploded from them, blowing everyone within a dozen feet of the two off of their feet; Avarice's preferred form, Juyo, met the Jedi's form, Ataru, and the two aggressive forms turned their duel into almost a dance.
Hoping to capitalize on the Sith's distractedness, a Republic soldier ran toward Avarice's undefended back, raising a blade to stab into her; just before he reached her, however, he felt himself lift into the air and be pulled in front of Avarice to act as a shield. The Republic soldier had just enough time to gasp in shock before the Jedi's blade cut him in half, causing the Jedi to cry out in horror.
"How could you!" The Jedi cried out as the two halves of the Republic soldier dropped to the ground; sneering contemptuously at her kill, Avarice locked her hate-filled eyes on the Jedi before sneering at him as well.
"Why do you care for such weaklings?" Avarice spat, "They are simply bodies to do with as we wish!"
"And thinking like that is why the Sith will always fail!" The Jedi retorted, "All life is sacred, for without life, there is no Force! In your arrogance for power and dominance, you destroy the very thing that gives you your power!"
"Enough of your weak Jedi rhetoric!" Avarice snarled as she surged forward, determined to kill her hated foe; the Jedi simply sneered before charging forward as well, equally determined to keep the Sith from killing any more innocents.
As the two Force wielders ducked and dodged, the soldiers on both sides tried to get a proper aim on either the Sith or the Jedi, but both were moving too fast for any chance of a shot hitting its mark.
After several minutes of the most intense combat that either side had ever seen, Avarice lunged too far, allowing the Jedi to spin around her and impale his blade through her back. Avarice gasped in shock as she looked down at the smoking green tip that was protruding from her chest. With a final sneer, the Jedi ripped his blade from the Sith's back, sending Avarice falling to the ground in a heap. Seeing the Sith fall, the Republic troops cheered as the Imperials groaned in misery.
"Well done, general!" A Republic soldier said happily as she approached the Jedi, "I thought we'd never be rid of that Sith scum!"
"There is another one nearby," the Jedi replied as he stowed away his lightsaber, "No doubt, the apprentice. I've been feeling his power since the battle started. Tell your troops to find him, but be wary; he could be far more dangerous than he appears."
"Yes, general!" The Republic soldier said with a salute before hurrying off to spread the word. As the Jedi looked down on the Sith's body, he couldn't help but feel sadness at such a waste of life. If only the Sith would surrender and return to the proper way of the Force, all this senseless slaughter could finally come to an end, and the Force could once again be whole. Still, the Sith would never change their ways, the Jedi thought sadly, and because of that stubbornness, countless more worlds would be forced to endure senseless slaughter.
Turning away from the fallen Sith in disgust, the Jedi stormed off toward where he had last sensed the Sith's apprentice; a few moments later, Avarice's eyes shot open, and she began to slowly drag her body away from the battlefield, groaning in misery at her wound.
XXXX
Killian limped down the battlefield, groaning in pain with every step; in his hands were two blasters that he had taken from a fallen Republic soldier. It felt like he had been searching for his family for hours, yet Killian had still not found any of them. He was beginning to fear the worst at this point when he heard a strange song drifting in the air; as he grew closer, Killian smiled happily as he realized that he recognized the one singing. Increasing his pace, Killian couldn't hide his shock at how many bodies there were lying on the battlefield; there were perhaps a hundred or more lying in heaps that Killian passed on his way to the source of the singing.
After climbing over a literal wall of dead bodies, Killian saw Aola, Ben, and six other Mandalorians all sitting in an exhausted heap surrounded by dead bodies; Ben appeared to be the only happy one and was singing the song that had led Killian to them, while using a bloody rag to clean his knife. Aola was sitting with her back against Ben's and looked utterly exhausted, sitting with her head bowed and her hands lying between her legs lifelessly.
Beaming happily at seeing them alive, Killian made his way down to them, as he called out,
"Ben! Aola!"
Aola's head shot up at the sound of her brother's voice, and upon seeing him, she jumped to her feet and barreled into him, squeezing as tight as she could as she cried into his shoulder,
"I thought I lost you! I thought they took you from me!"
"It's okay, big sister," Killian said softly, as he rubbed her back, "I'm okay, and I'm not going anywhere."
Pulling away, Aola winced as she took in the injury to Killian's eye; the eye would no doubt be a total loss, and Killian would have to get a bionic replacement.
"Oh, Killian, your eye…" Aola said sadly as she ran her hand gently over the wound, only for Killian to pull her hand away with a sad smile,
"It's just an eye, Aola," Killian replied softly, "I've got a spare one, so don't worry about it."
"I'm more worried about what Mom and Dad will say when they see it," Aola murmured, making Killian pale.
"I'm glad to see you alive, Killian!" Ben called happily as he approached, slapping Killian on the back with a laugh, "By the look of it, you've been having just as much fun as the rest of us!"
"Fun?" Killian asked in surprise, "You call this fun?"
"Of course!" Ben replied jovially, "This is what we've always dreamed of. Glorious battle where we prove our strength!"
"I think Ben might have gone insane from the battle," Aola quipped, making the surrounding warriors chuckle in agreement,
"Bah! You're just jealous of how badass I was!" Ben said with a chuckle as he moved back to where he had been and sat back down.
Pulling Aola aside, Killian spoke softly to avoid anyone overhearing,
"We need to find any surviving Mandalorians and get out of here!"
"Why?" Aola asked in shock, "We're winning! We've beaten them back three times!"
"You don't understand!" Killian hissed back, "The Republic is going to win this battle!"
"You know this?" Aola asked, understanding at once what he was saying, "From your other world?"
"Yes," Killian said quickly, "It's going to be a slaughter! The Republic spares no one!"
"What do we do?" Aola asked, her skin paling slightly at her brother's words,
"We find any surviving Mandalorians and find ourselves a ship and get the hell off of this planet before we all die!"
Nodding once, Aola turned back to the resting Mandalorians and called out in what she hoped was a strong voice,
"All right, Mandalorians! On your feet! We're moving out!"
"Where to?" A warrior in light blue armor asked, "There's nowhere to go!"
"First, we'll go back and get my mother!" Aola shouted, "Then, we'll find any remaining Mandalorians and find a way off this damn rock!"
"We're just going to abandon the Sith?" A warrior in green armor asked,
"They broke our alliance first!" Aola shouted angrily, "When they tried to kill my mom! Our general!"
"I'm with Aola," Ben said, rising to his feet and placing his helmet back on, "Let's get out of here!"
As the other Mandalorians began to agree slowly, Aola slipped her helmet on and growled,
"Grab as much ammo as you can; it's going to be a fight if we want to get out of here alive!"
Tossing down the blasters, Killian picked up a large rifle that was lying next to a Republic soldier,
"Oh yeah," Killian purred as he powered the rifle on, "This will do nicely."
XXXX
Dani struggled to breathe under her helmet as she glared hatefully at the Republic soldiers; she and Alexander were the only Mandalorians left from their group, and both struggled to stay on their feet as they stood back-to-back.
Surrounding Dani and Alexander in a complete circle were a dozen glaring Republic soldiers; as one of the Republic soldiers stepped forward, Dani narrowed her eyes in suspicion,
"You have fought bravely!" The Republic officer called out, "But even a fool can see that this battle is over! Surrender, and your lives will be spared!"
Dani turned her head to look at an exhausted Alexander; even through his helmet, Dani seemed to be able to see his answer and nodded her head in understanding before turning back to the Republic officer.
"As tempting as your offer is," Dani shouted back, "I'm afraid we'll have to turn you down! Mandalorians have their reputation to protect, after all. And our code tells us never to surrender! So, sorry but no thanks!"
"So be it…" the Republic officer sighed before returning to his place among the other Republic soldiers.
"It's been an honor, Dani," Alexander said with a painful gasp as the Republic soldiers all raised their rifles and took aim.
"Same to you, Alexander," Dani said resignedly, "There's no one better to fall beside."
As the barrels of the rifles began to glow, Dani couldn't help but shut her eyes and pray that it would be over quickly; suddenly, the sound of blaster fire went off, making Dani flinch for a moment before she realized that she hadn't been hit.
Slowly opening her eyes, Dani couldn't help but gasp in shock as she saw that all of the Republic soldiers lay dead around her and Alexander; as Dani looked up into the air for their saviors, Dani felt herself smile as she saw General Farr and more than a dozen other Mandalorians slowly descending to the ground, each holding a smoking plasma rifle.
As Terra finally landed on the ground, she turned her jetpack off and approached the two exhausted teens while the other Mandalorians set up a perimeter.
"General…" Alexander said weakly, "It's good to see you…"
Terra paused for only a moment to take in her nephew's injuries; many looked like blaster wounds, while a few others appeared to be cuts or slashes. After only a moment's pause, Terra grabbed Alexander and pulled him into her embrace,
"I am glad to see you alive as well, nephew…."
After a few seconds, Alexander returned the hug, and Terra could feel the poor boy's shoulders shaking with quiet sobs; she would not hold it against him, though, after what he had been through, Terra could completely understand if the boy was close to breaking down.
After a few moments, Alexander seemed to regain control of himself and pulled away from Terra. Taking a quick look around the battlefield and breathing a sigh of relief when she didn't see the bodies of her children, Terra turned to Dani and asked quickly,
"Where are Aola and Killian?"
"I lost track of them soon after the battle started," Dani replied at once, "I only found Alexander by chance, and as you can see, our position was overrun soon after that."
"Dammit!" Terra swore as she gazed out on the battlefield that had once been a peaceful camp; seeing the endless piles of bodies, she felt herself sigh in despair; her children could be anywhere. They could already be dead for all she knew! Quickly shaking the thought away, Terra turned back to Dani and Alexander, frowning sadly as she saw how injured they were.
"I know you're both in pain," Terra said softly, "But I need you both to be strong for me, okay? We need to find any surviving warriors and flee this place."
"Where will we go?" Dani asked, "I tried to get a signal out, but all communications are being jammed!"
"I have someone working on tracking the point of origin for the jamming signal," Terra replied, "If we can take that out, then we can call for help off of this rock!"
"But what about our alliance with the Sith?" Alexander asked weakly, "If we leave, will that not violate our alliance? Father won't be pleased if that's the case."
"This battle is already lost!" Terra exclaimed, "And I think he would be far angrier at losing his son and heir than he would at me ordering a retreat from an already lost battle."
"I suppose you're right…" Alexander said after a moment of thought as he leaned heavily on Dani's shoulder.
Terra was about to say something more when the sound a someone stepping on a branch drew her attention and made her aim her rifle toward the noise,
"In the name of the Mandalore, I order you to come out with your arms up or prepare to be destroyed!" Terra shouted, in no mood to play games, "I'm not kriffing playing!"
"Don't shoot!" A voice called out, "We're Mandalorians!"
"Come out slow!" Terra ordered
A moment later, eight Mandalorians, all wearing different color armor, came limping from behind a pile of bodies; as Terra watched nervously, she saw that she recognized three of the warriors as her children and their tall friend, Ben. Aola and Killian were helping each other move; each had one of their arms thrown over the other, and both were limping and bleeding from a myriad of wounds.
"Aola! Killian!" Terra called happily as she strapped the rifle back across her back and ran forward to embrace the two of them in her arms,
"Mom!" Aola cried happily as she hugged back for all she was worth; a moment later, Killian's arms joined the hug as he, too, cried with relief at seeing her again.
After a few moments of this, Terra pulled away and looked at her children; her expression turned pained with worry as she saw the slash to Killian's face. It would undoubtedly cost him his eye, and even after a bionic implant, it would leave a horrible scar.
"Oh Killian…" Terra said softly as she ran her hand gently over his new wound, "I am so sorry…."
"It's okay, Mom," Killian replied resignedly, "Scars are just a part of the life we live, remember?"
"My brave little warrior," Terra said proudly, "I am so proud of you. You have shown all the qualities this day of a true Mandalorian."
"Thank you, Mom," Killian replied, looking down in embarrassment as the nearby warriors who had heard Terra's words mumbled their agreement.
"What do we do now?" Aola asked as she lowered herself to the ground, "We need to leave!"
"I couldn't agree more!" Terra replied, "But we need to save as many of our people as we can before we leave! So, you all will remain here and wait while Klaw, Rikkard, and I see if we can find more survivors. If we can't find anyone in fifteen minutes, we'll turn back and come back here."
"Understood," Killian replied,
"If something happens that forces you to flee this area," Terra continued, "Head for the Sith bitch's tent! It's about a quarter of a mile east of here, just over the next hill. You can't miss it. We'll regroup there!"
"Be safe, Mom," Killian said softly, making Terra nod once before activating her jetpack and shooting up into the air, followed a moment later by two other Mandalorians, both in black armor.
XXXX
Not long after Terra and the other two Mandalorians had left, Killian felt a buzz in the air as though there was a bug in his head. Raising himself into a sitting position from where he had been lying, Killian gazed around suspiciously.
The buzzing seemed to be getting louder, and as Killian looked around, he frowned in annoyance; the other injured Mandalorians were all laying in small groups, while the uninjured had set up a perimeter and were holding their rifles as though they might be attacked at any moment.
As Killian rose slowly to his feet, the buzzing was all but screaming at him now that something was wrong; looking around worriedly, Killian began scanning the nearby area.
"Killian? What's wrong?" Aola asked as she raised herself up into a sitting position from where she had been lying next to him; all of the third squad had been lying next to one another, and Ben was fast asleep and snoring, almost making Killian laugh.
Killian was just about to turn to respond when he saw movement from behind one of the nearby groups of tents; his eyes widening in alarm at what the buzzing had been trying to tell him, Killian shouted out,
"Ambush!"
Instantly, blaster bolts came flying from nearly every direction, bouncing off of the Mandalorian's armor and sending a few onto their back as Killian desperately tried to get everyone to their feet so they could adequately defend themselves.
"Up! Get up!" Killian snarled as he tried pulling a warrior in red armor to his feet, "You wanna die on your back or your feet! Get up!"
Just as he managed to pull a female warrior wearing purple armor to her feet, the buzzing in Killian's Head became unbearable. Still, the point of origin of the buzzing seemed to reveal itself finally. Looking up in annoyance, Killian's eyes widened in horror as he saw the origin of the buzzing was coming from a Jedi, a Jedi who was leaping towards Aola with his lightsaber activated, swinging it as though to decapitate the pink Twi'lek, who was trying to pull Dani to her feet and was as such unaware of the danger she was in.
"Noooo!" Killian roared, leaping to his sister's defense; as he leaped through the air, Killian extended his right arm and willed a nearby vibro-sword into his hand. To the surprise of all, the vibro-sword obeyed Killian's command and immediately shot off of the ground into Killian's open palm. Shaking off his shock, Killian gripped the handle of the sword as tight as he could as he dove behind his sister and blocked the Jedi's blow, sending the Jedi stumbling back with a surprised look on his face.
"It's you?" The Jedi asked in surprise, "You're the apprentice? You're but a boy."
"I don't know what the kriff you're talking about!" Killian snarled as he raised the vibro-sword defensively, "But I promise you that if you try to hurt my sister again, I will kill you!"
The Jedi's eyes moved over to Aola for only a moment before they returned to the scowling boy; as the Jedi stared thoughtfully at him, Killian desperately tried to think of a way out of this for him and his friends.
The Jedi was tall, well over six feet, and looked to be in his late twenties to early thirties; he was wearing the traditional white outfit of the Jedi, albeit without their customary brown robe.
As Killian looked at the shimmering green blade, he couldn't help but swallow nervously; this wasn't an opponent he could beat, not in his current condition, at any rate.
"You're not the Sith's apprentice…" the Jedi said so softly that he might have been talking to himself, "You're just a boy…"
"I am a Mandalorian!" Killian snarled back, "My only loyalty is to my people!"
"And yet, you could be so much more," the Jedi replied calmly, "I sense such power in you. Power that you could use for a better purpose than meaningless slaughter!"
"What is with you guys!" Killian retorted, rolling his eye, "If it ain't the Sith trying to recruit me, it's the Jedi! I'll tell you what I told them: I'm not interested! I am a Mandalorian, and that is all I wish to be!"
The few listening Mandalorians cheered at Killian's response, while the Jedi frowned as though disappointed in Killian's response,
"I'm sorry you feel that way, boy. You're too powerful to be left alone to do what you please; I'm afraid you will be coming with me. The Council will decide your fate after that."
"Like hell!" Aola shouted as she opened fire with her twin blasters; the other Mandalorians immediately copied the pink Twi'lek and began shooting at the calm Jedi. The Jedi instantly began to dip and dodge out of the way of the blaster bolts, sending those he couldn't avoid racing back at their senders by flicking the bolts with his lightsaber.
Three thankfully missed their mark; the fourth, however, connected with Aola's shoulder, sending her to the ground with a painful cry that made Killian's blood boil with rage. How dare this Jedi harm his sister! As the Jedi swiftly decapitated a nearby warrior, Killian issued a scream of hate and jumped into the air with his sword held high, determined to cut the Jedi in half for harming his family.
As fast as he was, Killian was no match for a fully trained Jedi knight and growled in annoyance as his vibro-sword was battered away effortlessly; as the hate for his enemy filled him, Killian began to feel power like never before. His exhaustion seemed to leave him as his movements got faster and his blows became stronger; the Jedi looked at Killian in shock before a grim resignation seemed to take over him. A moment later, Killian attempted to block a sudden attack, only for his eyes to widen in shock as the lightsaber cut the vibro-sword in half, leaving Killian defenseless.
"You are beaten!" The Jedi snapped, showing his first sign of emotion, "Surrender!"
"Go to hell!" Killian spat as he threw the broken sword to the ground, "I will not let you brainwash me into becoming one of you kriffing Jedi!"
"That choice is not up to you, boy," The Jedi replied with a weary shake of his head; the battle was finally winding down, and only ten warriors now stood in a protective perimeter around Killian and the other younger Mandalorians, where once stood more than two dozen. As Killian counted their few remaining warriors, Killian couldn't help but smile with pride as he saw that his fellow warriors had taken twice as many of the Republic soldiers with them as they'd fallen; only a dozen or so Republic soldiers were coming out of hiding, all aiming their weapons at the few remaining Mandalorians, and all waiting for the order to fire.
"I'll ask one final time," the Jedi said sadly, "Surrender or fall. What is your choice?"
"We will not surrender our honor to become prisoners of the Republic!" A tall warrior in black armor shouted back, eliciting cheers of agreement from his fellow warriors and making the Jedi shake his head wearily.
"So be it," the Jedi replied with a frown before turning back to the Republic soldiers, "Kill them all, except for the pink Twi'lek and the black-haired boy in the white armor."
As the Republic soldiers raised their rifles, smiling cruelly with anticipation, Killian couldn't help but take his sister's hand in his own; it was very likely that they would never see each other again after the two were taken to the Jedi Council. The Jedi weren't big on allowing ties of any kind, especially familiar ones.
Just as the Republic soldiers were about to fire, the ground suddenly exploded with cannon fire, turning the land into a shower of dirt as everyone ran for cover; the Republic soldiers and the Jedi ran toward the nearby trees while the Mandalorians dove for the ground.
When the explosions finally came to an end, the sound of thunder appeared, making Killian and the others raise their heads to see what had happened; as Killian's remaining eye focused on the cause of the sound, he found himself gasping at what he saw. Landing before them was an Imperial drop ship, with his mother behind the wheel. As the dropship finally landed, the doors on its side quickly opened, showing Rickett waving at the surviving warriors with a determined look.
"Come on! What are you waiting for, a written invitation? Let's get the hell out of here!"
"Move!" An older warrior in grey armor shouted, causing the watcher to jolt with understanding before they all began to run to the dropship. A few seconds later, blaster bolts began to tear through the air, and Killian could see the Jedi sprinting forward to stop them from escaping. Killian began to fear they would not make it as the Jedi grew closer; only the sudden blaster fire from the drop shop slowed the Jedi down, forcing him to defend himself from the interminable blaster fire that sailed toward him.
After shoving Aola into the drop ship as gently as possible, Killian grabbed his cousin's arm, pulling himself into the ship alongside the others.
"That's all of them!" Rickett shouted as he slammed the door shut, "Take off!"
A moment later, Killian felt his stomach heave as the ship lifted up into the air and away from the attacking Republic soldiers; as he gazed out of the door's window, Killian could see the Jedi watching the ship, with an annoyed look on his face.
"Where are we going, now?" Alexander asked as he leaned heavily against the other side of the ship.
"Now we head to the location of the jamming signal," Rickett replied, making Killian look up at him. Rickett's armor was covered in blaster burns, and he appeared to have taken a few injuries himself, judging by the amount of blood.
"After that," Rickett continued, "We send out a call for pickup from our ships, and get the hell off of this rock."
Mumbles of agreement echoed from the exhausted warriors, and Killian couldn't help but look around the dropship; only about two dozen warriors were left."
"Is this all that's left of our army?" Killian asked in a hollow voice, making the other Mandalorians bow their heads sadly, "Surely there are more out there that need our help?"
"We looked, Killian," Rickett replied in a broken voice, "But all we found were bodies…."
"But we can't just leave them!" Dani said hotly, "They deserve a proper burial! The Republic will steal their armor to be melted down and throw their bodies into a mass grave! And that's if they're feeling generous!"
"Dani!" Alexander shouted, drawing her attention, "I know how you're feeling! Really, I do! But there is nothing we can do for them! If we don't retreat, we'll all die here! Then, who will take back word of how bravely our comrades fell? Who will tell their stories to their family and let them know that they died with honor?"
Dani bit her lip at that as tears ran freely down her cheeks; around her, other warriors were also trying to hide their despair at being forced to leave their fallen brothers and sisters behind. A sudden explosion rocked the ship and made Rickett snarl contemptuously,
"Of course, they have kriffing artillery! Why wouldn't they!"
Killian grabbed Aola and pulled her close as the air surrounding the ship began to explode with black smoke. At the same time, their mother desperately tried to avoid being hit, dipping, and weaving so much that even hardened warriors were fighting to keep down their breakfast.
XXXX
Jedi knight Talon Oaksmith gazed up at the fleeing Imperial drop ship; Republic artillery was attempting to bring it down, but the pilot was impressively managing to avoid being shot down as the ship got further away. Finally, it dropped out of sight, and Talon sighed wearily at the powerful teenager having escaped him; the Jedi Council would have to be informed that the Mandalorian had a warrior in their midst that could use the Force and a powerful warrior he was too.
As Talon remembered what else he had discovered about the boy, his expression darkened; during the fight with the warrior, Talon had dipped into the boy's mind a bit to try and learn some helpful information about the powerful Force-user. What Talon had discovered had stunned him; not only was the boy incredibly powerful, but he was also the nephew of the Mandalore! However, before he could glean any further information, the dropship had broken his concentration and forced him to run for cover.
As Told stowed his lightsaber back on his belt, he looked back toward where the ship had disappeared,
"Killian Farr…" Talon said thoughtfully before turning and making his way back to his ship; he had a message to send.
XXXX
A few hours later, Killian and nearly everyone else who had participated in what was becoming known as "The slaughter of Bomodon," were lying in the infirmary as the Mandalorian ships fled back to Mandalore. Out of nearly a thousand warriors, only fifty-seven were coming back, and almost every single one of them had received some form of grievous injury. It seemed as though other Mandalorians had the same idea as Terra, so that when the dropship landed at the coordinates of the jammer signal origin, it was greeted by nearly three dozen other warriors who had also made their way there.
The signal's origin turned out to be an underground base; seeing no other options, Terra had led the surviving warriors headlong into the base, slaughtering everything that got in their way.
By the time they had cleared the base, seven more Mandalorians were dead, but so were more than fifty Republic troops; after that, it had been easy to turn off the jamming signal and call for aid from the Mandalorian ships waiting just outside the atmosphere of Bomodon. Once all the surviving Mandalorians were taken off-world, Terra ordered a planetary bombardment for twenty-four continuous hours, desiring revenge for her fallen troops. When the bombardment was finally over, Terra had ordered an immediate retreat back to Mandalore, which was where they were all now heading.
As Killian and Aola slept peacefully, Terra couldn't begin to express how happy she was that they had all made it out alive; had she lost her children, Terra didn't know if she would have wanted to survive. Their beds had been placed right next to one, and as Terra watched with a small smile, she saw that their hands were nearly touching, just like they had slept as children.
Her calm was suddenly broken when someone approached her from behind and coughed gently,
"General, we've uncovered a stowaway."
Turning to Rickett, Terra's eyes went as cold and as hard as diamonds, making the warrior flinch slightly,
"Who is it?" Terra demanded, stepping past Rickett and walking toward where she knew the brig to be, "Where were they hiding, and more importantly, HOW THE KRIFF DID THEY GET ON MY SHIP?!"
"We found her in the cargo hold, heavily wounded," Ricket replied quickly, limping as he tried to keep pace with Terra, "It's the Sith bitch who attacked you!"
"Darth Avarice?" Terra asked in shock, "She's still alive?"
"Yes General," Ricket replied as they approached the entrance to the brig; standing against the door were two warriors, each holding a shiny new rifle.
Stepping inside the brig, Terra felt her anger flare instantly as she saw the coiled form of Darth Avarice lying on the floor of her cell; the Sith looked a hazy blue due to the force-field door that was keeping her in, but even with the haze, Terra could see that the Sith had been beaten badly. She was bleeding from a dozen different wounds, but the worst was an oozing hole in the center of her chest.
"Ah, General Farr," Darth Avarice groaned painfully as she raised herself into a sitting position with one hand pressed against the floor to keep her up, "It's about time you showed yourself."
"Indeed?" Terra quipped with a raised brow, "Not looking too good there, Sith."
"I'll be fine as soon as you take me to your medical infirmary," Avarice snapped angrily, "The Dark Side sustains me, and it will not allow me to be killed by some pathetic Jedi Knight!"
Terra said nothing, just glared down at the Sith, whose idiocy had been responsible for nearly her entire army being slaughtered, including her two children and nephew!
"We need to head to Korriban," Avarice continued, "There I can make my report to the Dark Council and inform them how the Republic drove your people off!"
"What?!" Terra cried in outrage, "It was your people who were so easily defeated! If they had fought back a little better, perhaps that slaughter might never have happened!"
"I am in command here! And you will do as I say!" Avarice hissed back, trying and failing to look intimidating while Terra's mind whirled; this Sith scum was going to blame her people for the defeat at Bomodon! And if that happened, the Dark Council would no doubt demand that the Mandalore make an example out of the survivors, family or not! He would have no choice but to obey the Dark Council or fear Mandalore becoming the Sith Empire's next target.
"But if the Sith were never able to make its report…." Terra thought slowly, "Then my family will be safe. The blame would go to Darth Avarice alone…."
Making up her mind and steeling her reserve, Terra turned to the wall beside Avarice's cell and punched in the code on the nearby terminal; as the blue force-field door faded away, Terra turned back to the smiling Sith and drew her blaster.
"What are you doing?" Avarice demanded, her eyes widening as she finally understood her danger, "Put that away this instant!"
"Nearly a thousand of my brothers and sister are dead because of you…" Terra hissed in barely-contained rage, "My children almost died because of you! And now to escape punishment for your own incompetence, you would use us as scapegoats! Never!"
Before Avarice could do anything other than snarl weakly, Terra began firing at the wounded Sith, hitting wherever she could as Darth Avarice shrieked weakly in pain. Finally, after what seemed like quite a long time, Terra stopped firing and entered the cell, going down on one knee to stare into the still-living eyes of the dying Sith lord.
"I hope you burn in whatever hell your people believe in!" Terra spat before placing the blaster to Avarice's forehead and pulling the trigger; Darth Avarice's Head rocked backward before her body was finally still, soaking the cell in a growing pool of blood.
As she rose to her feet, Terra turned to see Rickett looking at her with a proud look on his face,
"Well done, General," Rickett said at once, "I almost did it myself."
"No one can know about this," Terra replied, "Have the body destroyed!"
"At once, General!" Rickett replied with a salute, which Terra returned before hurrying out of the brig and back to her children's side.
XXXX
"You're sure about this, Knight Oaksmith?" The hologram of Jedi master Bela Kiwiiks asked, making Talon turn to the female Togrutan Jedi and bow appropriately,
"Yes, my master," Talon replied, "I saw the boy use the Force myself to summon a vibro-sword in defense of his sister."
"And this boy," an elderly human male asked, "You're sure that he's the Mandalore's nephew?"
"Absolutely, Master," Talon replied, "I found out his name when I sorted through his mind during the battle. What's even funnier is his hidden name."
"Why would that be funny?" A blue Twi'lek female asked with a raised brow,
"Because, my Master," Talon replied with a soft smile, "Killian Farr is the Bard. The one responsible for all the amazing stories that the Galaxy has been enjoying for the last few years."
Gasps of shock emanated from more than one master on the Council, especially as many on the Council had a personal favorite of the Bard's work that they enjoyed occasionally.
"Impossible!" The elderly human Jedi said at once, "Such amazing work cannot possibly come from the mind of a mere boy!"
"Youth often has no bearing on talent," Master Kiwiiks replied with a smirk, "But his talent for storytelling is not important here! His ability to wield the Force is! How powerful is he, Knight Oaksmith?"
"Incredibly, my master," Talon replied at once, "I could sense that he has even had a little bit of training, and though wild and untamed like a forest fire, his power was an incredible sight to behold. With the right training, Killian Farr could be an incredible asset to the Republic."
"Or an incredible boon to the Sith Empire…" Another human Jedi master said warningly, making many others nod at once.
"That is why we MUST find him first before the Sith realize what he can do!" Talon replied at once, "The boy has far too much potential for it to all be thrown away in service to the Dark Side!"
"He only has potential if WE can capture him," the elderly Jedi human stated, "And just how do you plan to do that?! Going to fly to Mandalore and capture him there?"
"No, my master," Talon replied, bowing so that the Council could not see his humiliated expression, "I recommend that we advise all Republic soldiers to be on the lookout for Killian Farr! The next time he goes into battle, all effort should be to capture him alive and take him back to Coruscant!"
"You would have us waste valuable resources and potentially lives trying to bring in one boy?" The blue Twi'lek Jedi asked,
"If you had felt this boy's power, you would as well," Talon replied at once, making many of the Council stare at him momentarily in silent shock.
After a moment of silent consideration, Grandmaster Zym, a Kel Dor, raised his head and spoke in a weary voice,
"If the boy is truly that powerful, Knight Oaksmith, then this Council charges you with bringing him before us. That is your new mission from now on. Do you understand?"
"Yes, my master," Talon replied with a respectful bow before ending the hologram; once he was alone, Talon sighed wearily and leaned against his starfighter. The battle of Bomodon was over, and the Republic had procured its first victory in this war; though that victory had come at a great price. Nearly five thousand Republic troops lay dead in bloody heaps from where they lay; even now, Republic soldiers were digging graves to bury their fallen comrades while others went to work ripping dead Mandalorians out of their armor and throwing it all into one growing pile. The armor would be melted down and serve as new armor for the Republic, which would enrage the warriors of Mandalore as they saw their hated enemy wearing the armor of their fallen. Personally, Talon found the idea distasteful, but even he couldn't deny that there was no better armor than that of the Mandalorians. No burial awaited the fallen warriors; their fate was to lie here on this battlefield until the birds and beasts had torn the flesh from their bones, and that was another gross injustice as far as Talon was concerned; enemies, though the Mandalorians may be, even enemies could show respect to one another.
Releasing another weary sigh, Talon climbed into his starfighter and began to turn it on as his Astro-droid began to whistle."
"Come on, T-7," Talon said softly, "We have a new mission to complete. One given to us by the Council themselves."
As the ship began to rise into the air, Talon remembered the look that Killian had given him when he stood before the pink Twi'lek, his so-called 'sister.'
It was a look filled with hate, desperation, and, above all, fear that Talon would take the Twi'lek from Killian. As Talon's eyes narrowed somewhat, he remembered another detail about the boy's eyes: they were Sith yellow.
XXXX
Author's Note:
No, this story hasn't been abandoned; despite how few are actually reading it, I plan to see it through to the end. Hopefully, the next chapter won't take so long, and you all won't have to wait to see what happens now that the Jedi Council know about Killian.