Everyone stared at Leia, then at poor Han. Encased in carbonite, his still frame gazed sightlessly out at everyone else as the Skull raised an invisible eyebrow up.
"Well, Ms. Solo? Whatever are you going to do?" he wanted to know.
That was when Leia reacted. Before The Skull could do anything she launched something from her own belt pouch! BRRRZZZAAAAAAAAAAAPP! An electrical grenade that encased the Skull and the Eye together in a powerful, sizzling electrical cage! The buzz of static filled the air as they flopped onto the ground, yelling in pain as Leia turned to the others.
"We've GOT to run!" She insisted, Zack's eyes going wide with sheer shock at her suggestion but…well…this was Leia. If she truly, honestly thought this was the best way then…well…he'd support her. Leia quickly bolted off, she and the others racing after her, all of them barreling down a nearby alleyway and returning to the ship they'd arrived in. The Skull and the Eye of the Sith continued to yell and shriek in pain, but their cries vanished into the distance as everyone finally arrived at the ship, and tried to regain their breath.
Zack held Leia's shoulder, and gently squeezed to comfort her as he noticed Rey and Ariana were flopped on their butts, panting heavily. Ariana ESPECIALLY was in a bad state, and Zack saw the clear, horrible radiation burns on her face. He approached, reaching for his belt as Finn and Poe looked up, clear appreciation on their faces.
But when Rey gazed at him, however-
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" She shrieked angrily, holding her lightsaber up with one hand, the other clutching Ariana for dear life as if she was afraid that, if she let go for one moment, Ariana would be swept away in a flood.
"It's just bacta for the burns." Zack insisted as "Darth Mendax" held up a bacta spray. Rey's eyes narrowed, but then she carefully lowered her lightsaber to let the "Sith" apply it to Ariana's face. He gently sprayed over it, going as cautiously and slowly as he could. "Deep breaths, in through the nose. It's gotten less burning than your mouth, so mouth breathing will be difficult for the next few hours. You'll need separate radiation treatment for the worse damage, to head off possible internal injuries or getting cancer or the like." He added.
"Why did you just run? You left Mr. Solo behind!" Omarosa proclaimed as Leia turned, seeing Omarosa looking positively MORTIFIED at what Leia had done as she put her hands on her hips. "How could you just leave your husband behind?!"
"Because they won't kill him." Leia insisted. "…I…HATE…the idea of leaving him there in the hands of those…those MONSTERS. Sith with those kinds of powers…it's horrifying. But they won't kill him. They knew he'd make a good hostage, that's why they didn't just kill him to begin with, and if they do try it…they can't have any more "fun" with me. As long as he's alive and in carbonite…they believe they can keep me, and the New Republic at bay. At least…that's my guess." She muttered. "It's an educated guess, given how…FOUL they are. How braggadocios they are. But I think I'm right."
"I guess we'll see…" Zack muttered. "But there's something that's been bugging me." He murmured as he rubbed his chin and paced back and forth in front of the Dyad. "He said he was from Earth. Earth. That old planet's supposed to be just a fairy tale. Something far off in a galaxy far, far away. But…I DON'T think he was lying there. The way he said it, a clear, obvious brag about where he's from…that bit was sincere." He wheeled on the Dyad. "I could feel it coming off of you two! When he brought up that planet, you were practically peeing your pants in fear! What's going on?"
Rey and Ariana glanced at one another as Poe and Finn scratched their heads. "Yes, mistresses, we've heard you bringing up Earth before." Poe admitted. "You once said you visited there ages ago."
"Yeah, something about "The music's the only thing that doesn't suck"?" Finn remarked as he glanced at his Sith mistress, and then at Zack. In fact, he seemed to keep stealing looks at "Darth Mendax". Quite a lot of looks!
"Ugh! Damn it, you two!" Ariana snapped as she rubbed her chin, cringing. She accidentally breathed through her mouth and took in a harsh, rasping breath as Rey patted her tenderly on the back.
"Fine. We went there, yes. It was a place we picked up some valuable resources we used to help gain wealth. We were actually able to make connections with the Hutts based off of our first expedition to Earth."
"Nobody noticed two Sith walking around?" Leia wanted to know, her eyes wide with shock. "This was YEARS before you were a thing. They didn't ask questions?"
"Earth's full of dumb, stupid fucking idiots who think people like us are just…made up! Where do you think those portals go to? THAT rock! They don't even know the Force exists!" Rey snorted. "Plus, those "cave people" are easily fooled by the…assets we had to offer." She added with a small chuckle. "ESPECIALLY the men."
"I was literally able to sneak a man's wallet out of his back pocket because he was too busy staring at Rey's chest." Ariana said quickly before she gripped her mouth again and cringed. Shouldn't have bragged. Still had about two and a half hours before her mouth fully healed!
"Yeah, you need to treat the people of Earth like…like children. They don't know any better at all." Rey added. "The morons haven't even discovered hyperspace travel! Can you believe it? And the dummies are still figuring out nuclear energy! They don't even have laser weaponry! They use METAL BULLETS!" She began to laugh, wiping a tear from her eye as she guffawed loudly and proudly. "This one idiot traded us thousands of their dollars if we promised to show him how to make a lightsaber!"
"Did you do it?" Omarosa inquired, sounding very intrigued. Indeed, everyone was leaning forward, transfixed by the story as Ariana smirked and Rey nodded and winked.
"Oh, we had some spare crystals and metal and other materials and sure…we taught him how to make one. Just not how to USE it. Idiot burned down his own house and half the neighborhood he lived in with him in it cuz he tried to do some fancy tricks to show off his shiny new toy to his neighbor next door. One minute he's all "I'll teach YOU to dump your fuckin' leaves in my lawn, Kysliak" and then the next minute his front lawn's all in flames!" Rey was trying VERY hard not to laugh because she'd been doing it so much and so hard, it was now hard to breathe.
Omarosa chuckled a bit, but Finn and Poe looked a bit concerned, glancing slightly at each other, Zack seemed to pale a little and Leia looked absolutely revolted.
"Did you do ANYTHING to try and put that fire out?!"
"Nope. Let the buyer beware as the saying goes…" Rey said with a shrug as Leia shook her head in clear, obvious disgust.
"Let's go. We're leaving. Let's find somewhere we can talk in private." She told Zack as she and Omarosa and Zack followed her in of Rey and Ariana…but Finn and Poe. to the ship. "Darth Mendax" turned his "blind" face to glance back in the direction not ESPECIALLY Finn. He couldn't help but notice Finn had been staring at him over and over!
"We've got a problem. A HUGE problem!" Luke announced as the ship soared up high, Shadaa, and they turned on the autopilot so it could take them out of the city limits, where they high over Nar could be hidden for at least a little while and plan properly.
"This transmission has been going out across the galaxy." L'ezz confessed to them all, the Gamorrean Jedi holding up a small vid-screen as Zack, Leia, Omarosa, Rose and Luke sat around a table to watch. Upon the screen there was nothing but darkness, until…armor, faintly lit up on its sides, manifested. A shadowy figure was faintly visible, barely illuminated by those tiny lights, a humanoid but…not human. Something else. Something…unpleasant-looking-indeed from what little you saw. It was as if somebody had tried to create a human from memory but not done a good job remembering what people LOOKED like.
By his side…stood familiar figures indeed. The Eye. The Skull. They flanked his left. Frequency and…a VERY familiar rabbit-esque female alien to his right. A child-like alien was to the left as well, standing alongside a hooded being with glowing eyes, and to the right was a serpentine being, deep, jet black eyes, wearing a fancy robe and bangles on his wrists.
"The Body. That little brat." Rose grunted angrily. "He's from the Planet Libertia, ALL his species looks young and he's a disgusting, rotten little perverted piece of filth…"
"And who're the others? I see Frequency there, that blue bounty hunter and Ember too…" Luke murmured.
"The Mind of the Sith. He's that being in the hood…" Rose said, pointing at him. "The snakelike being is called the Soul of the Sith. I don't know their true names, though…we never knew beyond Ember and Frequency, our master wanted them as mercenaries, for their assistance with his plan to take over the galaxy."
"You may have heard of me." The being in the middle of the vid screen spoke, face hidden in shadow. "I…am Darth Plagueis the Wise. Your galaxy is mine now. And in case any of you are thinking of trying anything foolish like "resisting me", well…you'll meet the same horrific end as Han Solo here."
Leia turned pale as Darth Plagueis snapped his fingers. KRAA-THROOM. Light flooded behind him, illuminating not only a catwalk…but the carbonized frame of Han. Leia covered her face with her hands, looking horrified, trying to suppress a scream as Luke placed a hand on her shoulder and tenderly squeezed. They'd been right. Han was still alive…as a piece of propaganda.
"Your pathetic princess Leia is on the run. Your beloved Luke Skywalker is dead. Your precious Han Solo is in carbonite. No more heroes anymore." Darth Plagueis proclaimed. "So don't try to be one. Or you'll learn the hard way…that most heroes tend to end up…dead. I will be in touch." He added with a distinct sneer spreading across his shadowy face, as a flash of teeth was faintly visible. "Especially with you, Dyad…and with you, New Republic. To discuss your…terms of unconditional surrender."
And with that, the transmission ended as they all glanced at one another and Luke looked at his sister.
"We WILL get him back." Luke insisted. "We did it before. We'll do it again."
…
…
…
… "Well. I didn't think you'd be here."
The Soul of the Sith entered the room where the Mind laid. He was currently in what appeared to be deep meditation…or at least, HAD been. The glowing eyes of the Mind glanced up as it gazed upon the Soul of the Sith, the serpentine being tilting its head slightly as it gazed behind the Mind at the carbonized form of Han Solo.
"…why meditate HERE of all places?"
"…what is it you call it? Good "Feng Shui"?" The Mind remarked. "The Force flows freely here…all around Mr. Solo, ironically, despite him not having an ounce of Force power himself."
"I heard from our master you've not got a lightsaber." The Soul asked as the bangled jewelry on its wrist jiggled about, and it held up its own unique blade. It appeared to be a kind of…well…a guitar. Long neck, true, but ending in a distinct set of strings, a finely-carved guitar made of some sort of odd metal. The soft glow of a crystal could faintly be seen within, powering the guitar/lightsaber weapon as the Soul strummed leisurely upon the strings…and the main body of the guitar glowed.
The Mind didn't speak. It just rose up, keeping its robed, hooded form hidden as it held its hands together, just looking at the guitar/lightsaber in The Soul's grip.
"You know I've ALWAYS wanted to know how it is that you've gotten to such a high ranking that our master considers you his number two…"
The Soul launched forward at almost insane speed, the guitar swinging with the force of an enormous axe! But then KRRSSSHHHHTTTT! It was stopped in place, in mid-swing, as the Mind had raised their long-robed arms up. Now the Soul saw why he had no saber…he was manifesting saber energy directly from spots in the middle of his thick, black, featureless hands! The Soul stepped back, twirling his guitar/saber around as the Mind held his arms out, and a array of tiny little lightsaber-esque daggers manifested around him, swirling around, twirling about as if they were a little grindy shield.
"That IS impressive. The crystals for them must be built into your body, so you can't be a normal creature." The Soul remarked. "That's a VERY nice trick." He added as he put his guitar away, slinging it onto his back as the Mind put his own weaponry down and nodded. "…but you're obviously not a mere robot. Robots have a specific smell, and you don't smell like one."
"Some secrets aren't for telling." The Mind said, leaving it at that was the Soul clucked his forked tongue, and then took his guitar off his back, and began strumming it as he exited the room, singing a rather sad little song.
"And when no hope was left insiiiide on that starry starry night…you took your life as lovers often doooo..but I could have told you, Vincent…this world was never meant for one as beautiful as yooooou…"
The Body had been watching from down the Hall and he stuck his tongue out in disgust, the Eye standing alongside him, going over some reports on a datapad on troop movements.
"The Mandalorians seem to be proving…very irritating. They've actually routed several of our shipping lines." The Eye confessed. "We will have to equip our cruisers with more high-range firepower and double the escort. I do not comprehend why they're assisting the Dyad. There's little logic in it when the Dyad have been blaming their species for everything they can in relation to issues that affect Nar Shadaa…"
"If I had to guess…they paid the Mandalorians off with something big. But what's REALLY irritating is that stupid snake." The Body grunted. "I am SO sick of him. He thinks he's hot shit cuz he's been here the longest. Supposedly he even MET our Master Plagueis back when the master was still learning his skills, but if he's so old and so amazing, why doesn't he look it? And why doesn't he go on the front lines like me or the Skull or you do?"
"Data upon him is…inconclusive. I believe his birthplace of Earth interferes with a proper analysis of him." The Eye intoned. "All I can definitely gleam is carbon dating of skin flakes he's left behind. He is indeed centuries old."
"And the worst part is he's always looking down on me cuz I look like a kid…" The Body growled. "Well they won't be doing it for long. I've got a plan. I've set up an experiment and the results should be bearing fruit soon…and right under their noses, on Corsucant! I got a man on the inside not even our MASTER knows about. Oooh, wait until he finds out…"
"Our master does not exactly like…surprises."
"Well, better to seek forgiveness than ask permission." The Body giggled.
"…forgiveness from a Sith?" The Eye almost seemed to be…smiling. Despite having no "face" to do it with. "Were I capable of true emotions…I'd find that to be a "real laugh"…"
The Soul made his way into his room, sitting down on his bed as he looked across the way…and then pulled out something from his little cupboard he had by the bed. "Here." He said gently, passing the little bag to the person who sat next to him. "I got you that candy you liked. You said it was your favorite."
"…thanks." The fairly-good-looking, bearded man smiled as he took the candy and began to hungrily munch on it, loud crunching noises ringing through the air as the Soul smiled at him.
"Had a good day?"
"Brushed up on my lightsaber skills. It's been a while since I was in a lightsaber fight and I didn't want to lose my touch so I used the training room. You don't mind, do you?"
"Nobody saw you?"
"Erased the footage and everything, just like you suggested."
"Good, good." The Soul smiled. "We can do some proper lightsaber dueling tomorrow. I've got a mission that our Lord, the ever Wise Plagueis, asked of me. He wants us to try and get rid of the Dyad's Sith padawans, to cut the legs out from under them. I think they'll prove to be a good challenge, and they're supposed to be hiding out at Anoat City."
"Oh yes, I went there a while back." The human cringed. "QUITE an unpleasant place, the city was vacated ages ago, it's almost one gigantic sewer system now, so not a bad place to hide. Who'd want to go to a planet who's only tourist attraction's a sewer?"
"Yes. Quite a…shitty mission." The Soul said, as he and his friend both laughed uproariously before the human hesitated, then spoke up.
"The thing is, next week is…"
"Oh. OH." The Soul's eyes widened. "Yes, of course. I've got the body repaired." He said. "You can have that day off."
"Nobody noticed the body went missing for a few days?"
"The New Republic's sort of got its hands tied. NOBODY pays attention to the morgues…"
Meanwhile…quite a long distance away…
"So I said, "Your weak link is…I'm from EARTH."
"Oh you are SUCH A DORK."
The Skull, like the others, didn't live close to Darth Plagueis. He'd insisted on that. He didn't just want time alone, he wanted his apprentices to be able to get to him easily and quickly, but not have them live where he did in the event something happened to their headquarters. No, except for him, it was empty, manned only by a robotic skeleton crew as needed. The rest of his Sith "squad" had their own homes, and the Skull…lived in a long-abandoned subway of all places.
The Skull was sitting on a big, surprisingly plushy mattress, a comforter draped around a young black-skinned child next to him. He looked the kid up and down, clucking his tongue a bit…well, lack of tongue. Skull for a head, after all.
"Hey, says you. It was funny."
"You're a lot of things. Funny ain't one of them. But you DID make the news. I saw that." Said the kid the Skull sat next to. The kid was nicknamed "Bones", because of just how incredibly skinny he was, and the Skull had been crashing with him for months. He'd found the abandoned subway tunnel when he'd been searching for a portal as per Plagueis the Wise's request. The Skull, like the Soul of the Sith, was from Earth, and he'd returned to Nar Shadaa to re-inspect a newly-opened portal.
The Skull had entered the galaxy months ago, brought forth by Darth Plagueis, according to his master. But the portal had only been open for a few brief minutes…long enough ONLY to call him forth. But now, supposedly, it was back, and Darth Plagueis wanted it inspected.
Sure enough…the Skull had found it. And, in of all places, the portal was buried far, far below the surface, beyond where almost anyone went. It was buried so deep you couldn't pick it up on normal scanners, but the Skull had had a calling…the Force seemed to reach out to him, drawing him there, and that'd been where he'd found the kid he nicknamed "Bones"…who's real name was Mike Bozeman.
The Skull wasn't sure why, at first, he'd not just beaten the kid up and demanded he leave, or do something worse. Maybe it was because the kid had been shivering on a pathetic blanket, huddled desperately around a small fire made up of some crumbled-up paper and sticks and old wooden sign chunks and he'd just looked so PATHETIC, too pathetic to kill or hurt. Or maybe it'd just been that he'd been impressed when the kid said he wasn't afraid of him.
"You're not scared?" he'd asked, holding up his fist. "Do you know what radiation is?"
"No."
"It's like…invisible fire. But, well…I can make it VISIBLE." He'd said, a dark grin on his face as he clenched his fist tighter and THWOOM! Horrifying-looking flames enveloped it. "Are you scared now?"
But no. "Bones" wasn't. And it was clear why as he really, TRULY looked at the child. This kid had never known love. He looked like someone had shot at him. Tiny chunks of flesh seemed shot off his frame, his skin was so tightly wound he looked like all muscle and fat had melted off months ago. His head, when the Skull reached out, felt CRISPY. A head was not supposed to feel crispy up top. The child had obviously been abused.
Perhaps it wasn't just one thing, but ALL of that. Either way, the Skull considered Bones his best friend. "You've got to get some new clothing, you know." The Skull told Bones.
"Hey, it was 12 shirts for a single credit. Wearing the same thing every day works for Luke Skywalker and Han Solo and all those guys." Bones remarked. "…and…y'know, ABOUT Han…"
"I know what you're going to say. But the boss wanted it done, so it's got to BE done. It was Solo's own fault for getting involved." The Skull insisted. "We're not killing him. Leia wouldn't risk us doing that. She won't try anything with him as a hostage. Anyway, we need to find you somewhere else to live. I don't want you near Plaguei, for one but well, that surfer boy, he's alright. He's fun."
"Yeah, maybe you're right." Bones admitted. "I'm just scared of being around your friends, you've told me they did some really awful stuff…"
"The surfer boy and his girlfriend are less mean." The Skull insisted. "I'll talk to them. See if they can take you in." He added. "It's not like they're doing big jobs right now. The Body's working on this huge trap, the Mind is crafting that special castle, and the Soul's supposed to be working on what he calls the most horrifying Sith bioweapon known to the galaxy and what're THEY doing? They got a stupid MUSEUM on Corsucant to knock over. They're supposed to be stealing some kind of stupid tablet." He shrugged. "Like, it's not even a Sith artifact or Jedi weapon, it's a HISTORICIAL tablet. Don't know why Plagueis even wants it."
But there was a reason Plagueis wanted it…and a damn good one. That much was clear, Frequency could tell, as he examined it. Yes, it was ALL in Latin…a language nobody in THIS galaxy knew. But Ember…she could read it. As they stood in front of the exhibit, the footage in the museum being on loop so the guards wouldn't figure out the truth, Ember looked closely at the stone tablet, an eyebrow raised. It had been a week since that announcement to the galaxy and people were panicking, and governments were trying desperately to short up their capital buildings, their weapons stashes, everything important.
A museum, to them…was NOT important. Let alone one of the less popular exhibits that nobody really could READ.
"Yes, it's about the Prophecy." She said, her eyes beginning to go wide. "There's supposed to be more than one Dyad, evidently, but I can't read more than that until we clean this tablet up and properly examine it in our lab." She reasoned. "You got your laser cutter?"
"Sure." Frequency smirked as he held it up. "You're SURE we weren't followed, right?"
Ember frowned a bit. Her lips were slightly pursed.
"…I thought you said YOU were going to make sure we weren't followed."
"No, I thought you said YOU were going to make sure-"
Ember put a finger to his lips. "Shhh, shhhh, shhhhh. Wait. So...NEITHER of us checked." She realized aloud, she AND Frequency's eyes bulging as they turned slowly around, peering about, listening intently…
Sure enough, a voice rang out. "Well…well…well. I remember YOU."
Of all people…there they were. Finn stood alongside the very people nobody would have expected him to stand by…
Mandalorian Warriors. Ember raised an eyebrow up, rubbing her chin thoughtfully at the sight of these well-built, finely-armored specimens. The distinct "T" shape of the helmets, the fancy jetpacks on their backs, the high-class, gleaming armor…
Well…none of that was on THESE Mandalorians. They'd clearly seen better days. The armor was dirty and scarred, the jetpacks were missing, if not for those crappy-looking helmets you'd barely be able to tell they WERE Mandalorian warriors!
"We didn't think you'd be here. I suppose it makes sense both our Sith masters want the tablet." Finn remarked. "My lady Ariana says it was important to bring it back to her however we could, and we're GONNA take it, so stand aside. Or else." He held up his lightsaber and BRRZZZT! It hummed to life as he swung it through the air.
"Yeah, listen to The Kid." One of the Mandalorians said as he patted Finn on the back, and Finn noticeably blushed at this.
"Yeah, Kid knows what he's talking about. Y'all ain't got a prayer. You're outnumbered."
"No offense but…you guys look…I mean, I was expecting something more." Ember confessed as she shrugged and Frequency threw his hands in the air.
"Yeah, man, you guys look AWFUL! Like, did you get your armor out the DUMPSTER?!" He asked as the Mandalorians all growled or grunted angrily, a few taking a step forward.
"The Mandalorian race has been hit with hard times, alright?" Finn said. "My home planet's in a bad spot."
Indeed, Ariana and Rey had been desperate for help. Lord Plaugeis had an INORDINATE amount of men, it seemed. A secret army of Sith soldiers willing to do his bidding, and on top of that, many people had been scared outright into compliance with his orders since, after all, Leia had been forced to run, tail between her legs, Luke was seemingly dead, and Han Solo was in carbonite. Their beloved heroes of the galaxy couldn't help, and so the only logical choice seemed to be to bend the knee…
Even if it meant doing it to a Sith.
Darth Furiosa and Darth Raize had thought, perhaps, about going to Earth to call for help. After all…
"There's a lot of stupid fucking morons on that hick planet. I mean, we were able to get plenty of stuff just by making a single lightsaber for those dumb cave dwellers." Ariana reasoned as she and Rey stood in front of a big, fat whiteboard they'd drawn up, as Finn and Poe were sitting in the same room, and taking notes, ready to offer suggestions.
"Yes, but…let's be honest, those stupid idiots are so far behind us in tech, it'd be pointless." Rey admitted. "The best they have is nuclear weapons. I'm not using that." She remarked. "They don't even have mini-nukes developed yet! It'd be pointless. And these are the same silly asses who test it on their own planet!"
"Well…where else are they gonna test it on?" Poe found himself asking as Finn looked over at him. "I mean, they evidently don't have any other planets with vegetation or life to see what nuclear explosions do, and if they just did it on their moon…well, it'd just make a big crater. And they don't have any cities or buildings on the moon either that they could test them on to see what a bomb would do on a city, right, so…" He shrugged. "Where else would they test them?"
"Well, just don't HAVE them if you aren't gonna use them somewhere else, then!" Rey snapped. "I mean, obviously!" She added as she threw her hands in the air.
"Still, we could use the manpower for basic building of bases." Ariana reasoned. "Surely there'd be people there easily swayed by shiny things to build stuff for us. Evidently they're really into gold…"
"There's one place we COULD go to…" Finn nervously spoke up. "We've lost a lot of men ever since a lot of our people quit to go join Lord Plagueis's forces or the New Republic…so, maybe…uh…we could…" He gulped nervously and then just blurted it out. "We could call on the Mandalorians?"
Ariana and Rey gaped at him. They'd been scapegoating the Mandalorians as enemies for years now. Claiming the Mandalorians had been behind attacks on Nar Shadaa's moon, that they'd harassed the Dyad's merchant ships, and now…NOW Finn wanted them to go to those bucket heads for help?
"…you do know what you're asking, do you not?" Ariana quietly intoned. "After all we said about them, you think they're just going to forget all that and work for us?"
"Well…um…the…the thing is, I…" Finn hesitated again. "…you know I'm from Mandalore. I…I have friends down there I've kept in contact with, to…to check in on them and my father. Thing is, they're not…doing so well. Their economy's actually really gone down the tubes, and they could actually really, REALLY use a benefactor."
"…so you're telling me we wouldn't even HAVE to apologize to them for all we said about them." Rey's eyes went wide as she ran to Finn and gave him a hug. "Oh, I LOVE YOU! That's BRILLIANT! We can really rub it in their faces that they need us desperately, and they can't do a thing about it! We can have our cake and eat it too!"
"So you gonna do this the easy way, or the hard way?" Finn asked as he got into a fighting stance, and the Mandalorians all trained their weapons on Ember and Frequency, who looked at one another.
"Well…yeah, you know what, you're right. We're outnumbered and it'd be stupid to pick a fight with…" Frequency began counting. "…wow, you got TWO DOZEN Mandalorians, all for us. I mean, even with the lame armor, that's totally radical, dude."
"It's like he's speakin' our language, Kid." One of the Mandalorians remarked. "These guys talk so much like us…"
"Yeah, but…thing is…we REALLY wanna boogie." Frequency added with a grin as Ember grinned too.
"Hope you all don't mind getting beaten by a girl, boys."
"I'm a woman." One of the Mandalorians said angrily as Ember held her hands up again.
"My bad, my bad." She remarked…before she then leaped up into the air and twirled around. THWAA-SCHWOOOSH! As she kicked, a swirling mass of burning, fiery energy launched itself at the Mandalorians. They reeled back and tried to fire on Ember and Frequency, but Frequency dived to the side, Ember leaping away.
Finn launched himself through the air, spinning rapidly. He sliced at Ember, who had to keep leaping back, side-stepping quickly to avoid his strikes. Frequency, meanwhile, cringed as he hid behind a large pillar that was being quickly blown to chunks by Mandalorian fire! TSEEEWWW TSEEEWWWW!
"You can't keep dodging forever!" Finn proclaimed as he swung at Ember, who clenched her fists tightly, as burning, fiery Ki energy swelled around her paws. Finn could FEEL the raw power of the Force swelling up in them as she swung forward and…
CAUGHT the blade! For a few brief moments, she grinned with pride at him and he stared at her. Everyone was transfixed by this, it seemed to be a miracle! The raw power of focusing living Force energy had given her very hands a sort of "lightsaber" esque energy field that burned around them!
But…
It was clear that it couldn't last. She was sweating up a storm and beginning to cringe, as Finn began to push the lightsaber back, towards her, and her shoulder. Shoulder wounds hurt like HELL, he knew he'd get her to drop if he could just dig slightly into that spot! But unfortunately for him, Frequency acted quickly. He launched something through the air and it struck Finn in the forehead! He reeled back, Ember reeling back as, sure enough…THAAA-SCHWOOOOSH! A heavy smoke fell from the thick, round capsule that had struck Finn's head! As the smoke filled the room, Finn and his team looking around, putting on their helmet's scanners. It was, thankfully, one of the few "nice" bits of technology they still had on.
"Man, if I had my missile backpack working right now, kid, they all would be road kill right now…" One of the Mandalorians told Finn as he sighed and held his saber up, gripping it tightly, biting his lip, and trying to sense the two bounty hunters through the Force. But it was difficult…them being from a whole other realm of existence, if what his mistresses had said was true, meant he couldn't get a proper bead on them!
I wake up to the sounds of the silence that allows for my mind to run around…
With my ear up to the ground!
Music. Distinct music lilting through the air as Finn stiffened. He glanced left and right, trying to find the two, but neither Frequency nor Ember could be seen in the smoke. Where were they hiding?
I'm searchin' to behold the stories that are told when my back is to the world…
That was smilin' when I turned!
Then he realized, too late, where they were. They weren't hiding among the smoke…they were hiding…ABOVE.
Tell you you're the greeaaaateeest…
But once you turn they haaaaaate uuuuuus!
He looked up JUST in time to leap away, as a burning, fiery fist slammed into the spot where he HAD been moments ago! Ember's foot spun forth, catching him and knocking him into the wall as she held her fists up, all a-flame, a big grin on her face!
"Oh the misery!" She cried out, as she spun around and THWA-SCHWAK! A burning, fiery kicked slammed into a charging Mandalorian! "Everybody wants to be my enemyyyy!"
Frequency was next, landing expertly, whipping out a high-powered pair of pistols and firing left and right! BUDDA-BUDDA-BUDDAA! He fired on the Mandalorians before him, who ducked and dove out of the way, trying desperately to avoid his assault! "Spare the sympathy! Everybody wants to be! My enemy!"
Now the two mercenaries leaped together, landing in the center. Ember slammed her palms into the ground, as a burning, cascading web of fire spread out. THWOOSH-THWOOOOSH! The flames billowed all around, the Mandalorians forced to reel back, and as they tried to fire their blasters and rifles at the mercenaries, the blasts DISSOLVED in the shield of fire she was wielding…as Frequency then spun around and around! He AND Ember twirled around and around, launching waves of fire from her paws, Frequency unloading a gigantic chaingun that had hung around his back!
The horrific cry of gunfire rang out, thick, enormous bullets slamming into the Mandalorians! The armor was great at glancing off normal blaster fire and more high-powered plasma to boot, and even regular metal bullets but…not ones THIS huge. Their bodies were being richoeted around, they spasmed about as they were struck again and again, it was turning into a one-sided massacre!
Pray away, I swear, I'll never a saint, no way!
My enemy!
Pray away, I swear, I'll never be a saint-
"Look out for yourself!"
Finn didn't duck in time. He felt the bullet tearing into his ear, and he shrieked in agony, falling to the ground, amongst the ravaged Mandalorians. Amazingly…they weren't dead. But they looked like crap, they were oozing blood, fuel from their jetpacks and other fluids as they laid in near-broken heaps, Frequency approaching, and putting his gun to Finn's knee.
"…I want you to pass on a message to the Queen bitches." He said. "Next time…don't skimp out."
"Stop." Ember spoke up, holding a paw up, gently kneeling by Finn and putting a hand to his ear. Finn gasped, as a brief flash of sheer fire swelled up, the wound becoming cauterized as she looked deep into his eyes, red and green into brown. "I'd rather not keep hurting you if I can help it. Your shattered pride is worth more than a shattered knee." She said, giving him his blown-off ear. "Go and get your fellow Mandalorians help." She said. "…and don't face us again. You can't beat us as you are. Nothing's as powerful in this galaxy as a Dyad."
Finn's eyes went wide as a small little smile spread across Frequency's face, as he put his gun away. He and Frequency sauntered off with their prize, bringing the tablet along with them as Finn felt the rage rising in him, looking down at his blown-off ear in his palm.
At last…he spoke.
"…GOD…DAMN IT!"