"This time you've finally gone too far!" As expected, it became difficult to convey Iasa Ornan's request.
"I know it sounds crazy," Ken said. "But we have no choice. Now that he is our comrade, we must trust him."
"It's more than enough trust to drag him along at all. Leaving him unguarded now and putting a weapon in his hand is once and for all too much!"
"It would be too much to leave troops behind to guard him in the heat of battle," Ken argued. "Apart from that, he is an excellent fighter who could also help to us."
"He could just as easily betray us."
Ken just shook his head. He actually thought they had sorted this out long ago.
"I told you he wouldn't do that."
"You never know. Even if that's the case at the moment, you don't know his big motive behind it either."
She was actually right about that. Ken then suggested a compromise. "Let's give him a vibroblade until the next fight. I will then monitor him without him knowing. Then we'll see if he's really with us."
Iasa thought about it for a moment. "No," she then decided. "I can't risk him killing my men then."
"That won't happen. If Ornan really has something evil in mind, then I will notice it in time and be able to stop him."
"I don't like your confidence," Iasa said darkly.
"Come on. At least trust me. Then you have nothing to lose."
Iasa hesitated briefly. "Okay," she then forced herself to answer. "But I warn you, don't disappoint me," she told him.
"I would never come up with that stupid idea," Ken said. "Well then, let's go."
….
Two hours later they marched through the forest again. Cuyaes went ahead once more to check out the situation. Ken's legs are starting to hurt. Walking continuously for hours is strenuous, especially on such uneven terrain.
"Are we there soon then?", he asked Ornan, who was now finally unchained and strutting next to him with a vibro-blade.
"It shouldn't be far anymore."
Suddenly something rustled in the bushes and they heard someone approaching.
"Take cover!" Iasa shouted. Everyone immediately disappeared behind trees or other bushes. Ken was surprised he hadn't felt it. But then he realizes why. This presence posed no danger. He emerged from the tree again.
"Calm down, everything is fine," he told the others. "Glad you're back, Cuyaes! Next time it would be nice if you would announce yourself!"
"I'm sorry," he said and came forward. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and also came out. Ken looked at Iasa, who rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"What is there to report?" she asked Cuyaes.
"We're still about ten minutes from the bunker. It is heavily guarded by an estimated fifty men. A plan wouldn't be bad."
Ken was negatively surprised that they actually defended this bunker so intensively.
"Can you make us a quick sketch?" he asked Cuyaes.
He took a stick and drew a square in the dirt, which was supposed to symbolize the bunker, and a circle around it.
"The bunker is not very big, probably only sixty square meters. Plus it's in some kind of crater."
"That's certainly to our advantage," Ornan interjected.
"However. It is also surrounded by very dense forest. So we can circle them without being noticed."
Iasa looked closely at the sketch. "We definitely have enough explosives to blow everything up."
"Aha," said Ornan. "And then how are we supposed to get the necessary data?"
Iasa huffed angrily. She didn't like Ornan mending her.
"Does anyone else have a suggestion?" she asked the group.
Ken then thought of something. "I have an idea."
….
They continued until the shiny metal of the bunker flashed through the trees. At Ken's command, everyone then got into position. Iasa hid behind a tree and dared to look down. It was completely as Cuyaes said. The bunker was in the middle of a crater and was heavily guarded. He wasn't exactly big either. Maybe just eight meters long, three wide and four high. Nonetheless, there were more warriors stationed there than Iasa could count. But the advantage was that all the guards were in front of it, so they could easily carry out an ambush from the back. She still found this plan too daring, but it was the only one they had. From behind, Ken grabbed her shoulder.
"Chill out," he said. "It'll be okay."
She sighed. "I hope you know what you're doing."
He smiled. "I always do that." He took a comm from his belt.
"Is group one in position?"
"We're ready," Duke's voice came out. He and twenty men have positioned themselves behind the bunker. Ken's plan was that they would attack first, drawing all the warriors to the rear and clearing the way for Ken, Iasa and Ornan. As soon as the three were inside, Cuyaes and his men attacked from the front and caught them in the pincers.
"Very good," said Ken. "If you also have some explosives, don't hesitate to use them."
"I wasn't even thinking about that," Duke replied and Iasa could imagine him grinning.
Ken moved the comm closer to his mouth. "Let's go."
The answer to this were countless small explosions from further behind. The warriors immediately turned around, confused. When they realized they were being attacked, they all ran to the back until the path to the door was completely clear. Now the moment had come.
"Come on now," Ken urged. Ornan was ready to run, but Iasa still had something to say.
"So as planned, you'll run as soon as we get inside, okay?"
"Rely on us," Cuyaes replied.
"Iasa, we have to go!", Ken urged her on.
"Fine," she growled back aggressively.
As she ran off, she turned back to Cuyaes. "And when we get back outside, I want the situation to be under control!"
Cuyaes returned the command with a salute. They quickly slid down the slope and ran until they reached the locked door. Only three guards remained on the way, but they fell victim to Ken's lightsaber relatively quickly.
"Come on, go ahead," Iasa urged, pointing to the control panel as they reached the protective doors.
"Almost done," said Ornan and started to hot-wire the door.
But nothing was good yet. There was too much at stake here. Her husband and son were waiting and the fate of this group, and therefore that of the Mandalorians, depended on this moment. This battle would decide the further course of the operation and history.
"Watch out," Ken yelled, pressing himself against the wall.
An enemy spotted her and started shooting. Luckily the first one missed, but several followed.
"We have been discovered," Iasa told Ornan. "How long do you need?"
"Maybe buy me some more time. That would be very nice."
"No problem," said Ken and activated his blue lightsaber again to deflect the shots. But more were already added.
Iasa pulled out her twin blasters and killed two approaching warriors with them.
But she briefly became careless and a shot hit her. Luckily for her, it was her breastplate that got it, but it pushed her backwards hard.
"How much longer!" she shouted frantically.
"Got it," Ornan said and the door slid open.
"Go! Everyone in," Ken urged them. Ornan ran in first and immediately turned to the inner control panel. Iasa came next and hid in the blind spot. Finally, Ken walked backwards in and blocked a few more shots before the door closed again and Ornan locked it.
Everyone took this moment to take a quick breath. There were no lights on in the bunker. Only the terminals that were set up along the walls illuminated the room a little with their blue light. There was nothing else hidden inside and all you could see were the bare, solid, dark gray durasteel walls from which the bunker was made.
Then Iasa remembered that she hadn't seen Cuyaes attack yet. She quickly picked up her comm. "Are you attacking yet?"
"I told you: rely on us," Cuyaes replied, a little annoyed.
"Then show me I can do it," she snapped back, turning off the comm before another answer came.
"And now?" she asked.
"Now I'm going to tap into the terminal here to get the necessary codes and load them onto my datapad," Ornan replied.
"Then go on."
Ornan got to work while the other two just stood there waiting for him. Ken sat down and tried to meditate a little. Presumably to gather his strength. Iasa wondered how he could stay so calm. She started sweating. Just standing around doing nothing while all hell was going on outside made her extremely nervous. So much so that she even started shaking.
Another explosion sounded in a muffled roar from outside and the bunker shook, causing dust to crumble from the ceiling. Her collar was now bursting.
"Are you done now?" she shrieked.
"Wait… done!" Ornan reported.
"Good," said Ken, getting to his feet. "Everybody ready?"
"Go ahead," Iasa said impatiently.
With a burst of the Force, Ken opened the door and stormed out, lightsaber raised. He immediately attacked two Mandalorians and cut them out of existence with his lightsaber. Shortly afterwards he went back to blocking bullets. Ornan rushed after him and attacked with his vibroblade. Surprisingly, he did well. Iasa didn't hesitate for a second and jumped into the fight with her blasters. But unlike the two melee fighters, she needed cover from which she could shoot. She saw a larger rock on the edge of the crater and ran towards it. On the way she dodged a few shots and killed two enemies herself until she finally holed up behind the stone. She peeked out briefly and shot down another Mandalorian who was holding a grenade. When it fell, it immediately exploded and dust blocked Iasa's field of vision. Iasa glanced over at Ornan, just to be sure. He and Ken fought close together. Ken seemed to act as the shield that prevented shots from getting through. Ornan, on the other hand, lunged at one opponent after another until two were finally able to bring him to a halt. He bravely fought against both of them at the same time and managed to hold his ground.
Ken was definitely right. He was a good fighter. And he still stuck by them. Could it be that she was wrong about him after all?
The next moment Shesprer, who had taken part in Duke's ambush, also arrived. He and Ken nodded to each other and fought back to back against the crowds of enemies. Each of their movements seemed to be absolutely fluid and coordinated, as if they had memorized it beforehand.
When two shots hit just outside her head, she remembered that she was still in a battle and should stay focused. She quickly hid again, waited for the next two shots and shot back. Satisfied that she had killed two more enemies, she hid again. Shortly afterwards, Cuyaes also took cover behind the rock.
"And? Did everything go according to plan?" he asked.
"The data is in our possession!" she informed him. "If we escape now we will be victorious! What is our balance sheet so far?"
"Six dead on our side. The enemy still has the majority, but their casualty rate is higher."
Another explosion shook the ground and a body flew right at their feet. Iasa looked over the rock again. Just in time, she saw an enemy about to throw a grenade behind the rock and shot him.
"Do we have an escape route?"
"No! All we know is that it continues there!" Cuyaes pointed to a small path on the left flank of the bunker.
Iasa touched her head. "Doesn't anything work without me?" she growled. Another explosion showed her that now was no time to reprimand her men.
"Let's just do what we do best!" she said as she stood up determinedly and reloaded her blasters. "We're fighting our way out! Grab a few men and create an escape corridor! Come on!"
She immediately jumped out and shot at the Mandalorians who were threatening her. As planned, Cuyaes used this distraction to escape as well and immediately called five men to him.
Iasa managed to put so much pressure on her enemies with her fire that they had to take cover themselves. As she turned around, a vibroblade, wielded by a slightly smaller warrior, suddenly shot down at her. She barely managed to turn her body and avoid the blow. But her enemy did not let up and continued to attack continuously. Iasa managed to easily dodge or even block the hits with her blaster. Apparently she wasn't exactly dealing with a trained fighter here. Nevertheless, he stood his ground and continued to attack. She finally managed to drive him to the edge of the battlefield, where they were no longer noticed by the other warriors. Now Iasa decided to put an end to it. As she dodged another hit, she quickly holstered her blasters to free her hands. By now her opponent was a bit tired and his punches had become weaker. She took the opportunity to grab his forearms with the next hit and give him a strong kick in the stomach. When he staggered back, she immediately went towards him, grabbed him from the front by both shoulders, tripped him behind and threw him to the ground. The force of the impact caused the blade to fly out of the young warrior's hand. Iasa noticed this immediately and reached for it. She tore the helmet off his head to finish him off once and for all. But when she saw his face she stopped.
In front of her she saw the face of a boy, probably fourteen years old, staring hatefully at her. What was someone like him doing here? Weren't there actually only highly trained adult warriors in the army? The fact that such a young man was here could only mean that he had been elevated to the rank of neo-crusader through a special act.
Iasa was immediately punished for this momentary hesitation because the boy managed to break away and push her away. As she fell back he stood up, ready to fight again. Iasa had to give him one thing: he was more tenacious than many other warriors.
He took out a small vibroblade and attacked Iasa again. Reacting quickly, she blocked the punches one after the other and broke his stance. In a frenzy, she lashed out and cut a shallow gash into his throat. The blood spurted and he fell on his back, panting.
Iasa was startled. She was too engrossed in the fight, like a berserker. She didn't want to kill him. She only intended to incapacitate him. Killing such a young warrior would never occur to her. Apparently he hadn't been fully trained yet and deserved another chance. She had now taken this away from him in her intoxication. But at least she wanted to pay him her last respects and give him a proper burial.
She leaned over him and placed her arm on his chest. The boy's head was on one side and he was spitting out blood to avoid choking on it. Iasa looked down at him with sadness and regret.
"Tell me, are your parents here?" she asked him. She hoped that at least they could be left alive as compensation for their crime.
"They're dead," he croaked, spitting out more drops of blood.
Iasa lowered her head. "I hope you're at least reunited with them now..."
"I killed them," he interrupted.
Iasa stepped back. At first she didn't want to believe what she had just heard. When she realized it, her look showed how disturbed she was. This statement hit her with such suddenness that it took her a moment to compose herself again.
"Excuse me?" she asked again, hoping she had misheard.
"My parents were utter weaklings," he continued resolutely, occasionally wheezing. "They were without a shred of honor. They... they refused to take part in Mandalore's grand plan, to go to war... and fight. All because they thought it was best for me... I felt so betrayed that it disgusted me. They have taken away my rights as Mandalorian heir. They have violated our principles of asserting yourself as the strongest. So I redeemed them straight away… before their pacifism could degenerate them into weaklings."
Iasa felt deeply hurt by these words. Not just because it was a cruel story she heard here. Not just because she felt sorry for his parents and the boy who became such a monster because of Mandalore's doctrine. No, mainly because the boy thought exactly like her. And she had her son in front of her eyes. How he could also become something like that through her training. And one day he would kill her roo and claim his place. That thought alone brought a tide larger than the oceans of Mon Calamari to her eyes. There was no way she could let this happen.
As her tears dripped onto the boy's chest plate, he pulled himself up with the last of his strength to grab her by the throat and drag her to her death. But it didn't get that far. Iasa took her blade and stabbed him in the throat, causing him to die permanently.
Iasa sat on his corpse in a daze and stared at it without saying a word. It still stunned her how far this fanaticism could go. The fact that one would even kill your own parents for it is unforgivable. But she shouldn't really be surprised. After all, she had always had it around her. Even worse, she was like that herself.
….
Ken and Shesprer continued to stand back to back, lightsabers raised and projectiles reflected. Ken was proud of the little Pau'an. You could tell that he understood what Ken had criticized about him and that he was now trying to improve. Concentrated, he stayed where he was and made himself a living shield for his comrades. Ken just hoped he wouldn't forget that their priority now was to escape.
As he instinctively continued to swing his lightsaber, his eyes also fell on Ornan once or twice. Ken had to admit that he fought bravely and fulfilled his duty in an exemplary manner. Now he finally knew that he was on their side. He wouldn't have to supervise him in the future, even if he was a little too brutal for Ken's taste.
Duke also performed like a true warrior. Cuyaes, on the other hand, mostly stayed under cover. Ken already knew that Cuyaes wasn't a real fighter, but more of a scout, but it still surprised him that he only used ranged weapons.
As they continued to fight, desperately searching for a way out, Ken suddenly heard a loud rumbling. Then all at once a small tank shot out from the corner behind the bunker and opened fire.
"Get out of here!", Ken shouted to the others and jumped backwards in a high arc. Shesprer followed suit, while Ornan and Duke took charge. Most of the warriors succeeded in the evasive maneuver, only two were not so lucky. The tank's first shot hit them with full force and threw their bodies into the forest with an explosion.
Ken now knew that they had to escape now, no matter how. He saw Iasa, strangely sitting as rigid as a statue on the corpse of a warrior. What was she doing? Ken ran to her and grabbed her shoulder.
"Hey!", he called over the noise.
Released from her sudden stasis, she turned her head towards him. Her eyes were wet and red and she took a deep breath. Was she crying? At least Ken didn't care at the moment.
"We have to get out of here now, otherwise we'll die!"
She looked around briefly before her confirmation came. She straightened up and called for retreat in an unusually concerned voice.
All warriors reacted immediately and set off. To avoid getting in the way of the escapees, Ken jumped over them to get to Shesprer.
"We're retreating now," he informed him. "Our role is the same as it was back on Belkadan. We bring up the rear."
"Then let's go!", Shesprer shouted euphorically.
Ken nodded proudly at him and activated his blue blade again. While they protected their comrades from the enemy blasters, they ran between them until everyone was in the forest. All except Cuyaes. He was still standing in front of them with his back to them, staring at the tank.
"Come on now!" Ken shouted. "What are you waiting for?"
"We can't do this!" he shouted. "This tank is made for off-road! We can't escape it in the long run! Someone has to stop him!"
Of course, Ken immediately understood what he wanted to say. "We won't know until we try, so forget it!"
"Escape now! I'll do it!"
"Dont talk nonsense!"
"Come on!"
Cuyaes didn't let up. Ken also knew he was right, but he didn't want anyone to sacrifice themselves for him again. But he couldn't do it himself. He was too important to the success of this mission.
"Um, Ken," Shesprer said as he deflected the hail of blasters. "We really have to go now!"
Ken hesitated for a moment. Then he finally made a decision. "Then run!", he ordered Shesprer. When he had started running, he looked at Cuyaes again. "May the Force be with you."
He just nodded as he picked up two grenades and Ken ran off.
He then heard the first explosion behind him, which apparently caused two trees to fall over. Ken didn't dare look back, no matter how much he wanted to. Then he heard a second one, which was followed by radio silence. The blasters were silent and the tank was no longer active. He sensed that they were no longer being followed.