Chapter Six: Rescue Op
Starlight Fortune exited hyperspace near the edge of a star system. They had received an offer of buyer looking for spice a few days ago and agreed to meet them in the Fardon System on the edge of Wild Space. The First Mate, an Ishi Tib male, thought this was a bit sketchy but was overruled by the rest of the command crew.
"Ship detected, on the edge of our sensor range," a Human crew member managing the ship's sensor monitor acknowledged.
"Run the ship's ID," the Captain, a large framed Weequay male, ordered, "See if its the one our client gave us."
"Scanning now," the monitor stated, "ID confirmed, it's our client's ID."
"Incoming transmission from the ship," the communication officer shouted, "Patching through now."
The hologram display flickered to life to reveal the client, an older bearded Human male dressed in Serenno formal clothing. His posture was straight backed and exuded authority.
"Greetings Captain Boris," the figure declared, "It pleases me you are unharmed."
"Indeed," Boris answered as he stroked his leathery jawline, "I hope to conduct our business soon."
"Proceed to dock with my ship," the client explained, "We'll discuss more onboard. Sending the approach vector now."
With that, the hologram winked out while the navigator received the approach vector for the client's ship, an old civilian model Gozanti.
"Making our approach now."
"It appears they've taken our bait," Dooku said over the comlink. Kal Skirata, laying prone on the spine of the ship, acknowledged the Jedi Master before signaling to Rav, Jace, Silas and Arla who were crouched against the starboard side of the ship.
"How far out are they?" Arla asked quietly over the helmet comms. Kal Skirata used his helmet's scope function to take a distance reading on the spice runner ship.
"About a hundred and sixty clicks out and closing," he answered, "Should be here in ten minutes."
"Good to know," Syfo-Dias piqued over the comms, "I sure hope Vhonte is a good shot with an ion cannon."
The Mandalorian woman in question didn't answer, as she was in her modified Cloakshape-fighter was positioned behind the Starlight Fortune. Comm silence was needed for this to be pulled off.
"She'll be fine," Rav Bralor added, "She's the best starfighter pilot I know and never backs down on her word."
"Target fifty clicks out," Skirata said in a hushed voice, "Commence comm silence. Nothing more than short bursts."
As the chatter died down, the large bulk freighter moved closer and closer. The Mandalorian boarding squad watched as the large pirate ship moves to dock with them. Eventually, a docking tube extended to their ship's airlock, ready to commence the operation.
"It's go time."
With the docking tube connected to the customer's ship, Boris and three crew members exited their ship and walked into their potential customer's airlock. A Human male with long hair and a chin beard dressed in the rather formal clothes greeted them, flanked by two armed Mandalorians.
"This way," the well dressed man said gestured to a door leading to the ship's bow, "My master is waiting."
The spice runners followed the man through the door while the Mandalorians followed behind them. After a few minutes the group made it to the cargo hold, where the client waited while two more Mandalorians flanked him.
"Greetings gentlemen," the client said as the Weequay and his crew approached, "Let us conduct our business."
As the deal began, none of the spice peddlers noticed one of the Mandalorians press a button on a comlink, sending a discrete transmission.
The message was received by Vhonte Tervho, giving her the go ahead to switch the engines of her modified Cloakshape-fighter, The Strill's Fang, from run to start. All systems showed green as she flew towards the target, charging her ion cannons along the way. Once in range, three shots along the spine of the modified bulk freighter rendered the ship dead in space.
"All clear Skirata," Vhonte said over the comms, "Good hunting."
"What in the world was that?" Boris demanded as he stumbled from the ship being rocked from….something.
"Nothing that concerns you," the client said evenly, "Just taking care of something."
The Weequay was about to object until he noticed that the Mandalorians had their blasters trained on him and his associates. A crackle of energy behind him caused him to turn at the client and find him holding a blue laser of sorts, followed by another blue laser sword.
"You are under arrest, Captain," the older man stated, "I suggest you not resist."
Meanwhile on the ship, Kal Skirata and the boarding squad had entered the ship through the airlock thanks to a quick undocking procedure. The two guards would probably be very surprised to fight five Mandalorians in their ship if they hadn't been suck out the hole in the umbilical's roof. This allowed the airlock to be secured without a fight.
"Rav, access that wall terminal over," Kal ordered, "Find out where they're keeping Jango and the rest of the slaves."
"Roger that Skirata," Rav Bralor saluted as she got to work. After a few moments, she got what she needed and started to transmit data to her helmet and sharing it on her squad mate's HUDs.
"The slaves are kept in a corded off section of the cargo hold," she explained, "Not far from the spice lab."
"Let's move out then," Skirata ordered, all five head toward their objective.
When the power on the ship went out, the crew and slaves were thrown into some disarray. As the backup generator came back on to power the ships vital systems, Jango Fett saw his chance. Using his strength and Mandalorian training, he over powered the nearest guard quite easily. The other slaves saw this and did the same thing with all the nearest guards.
Pretty soon, the entire cargo hold had been seized by the slaves. Their captors were trying to regain control of the situation but they had little chance against a dug-in opponent.
That is if unless they could outflank them….
When the rescue team heard blaster fire from the cargo hold, they got concerned real quick. A few of the spice freighter's crew tried to get in their way only to receive a blaster bolt to the head. Once they reached their destination, they observed several crew members attempting to assault the slaves that had erected some makeshift barricades from some cargo containers on the far side of the hold.. The slaves seemed to have the upper hand for now.
"They're about to be outflanked on the right," Arla informed the rescue team.
True to her word, three spice runners were attempting to sneak around the slave's right. Thinking quickly, the five Mandalorians blasted them with ease. This gave them the opportunity to fire off their jet packs and do their won flanking maneuver.
Jace and Silas performed an airborne strafe on the spicer's front ranks to draw their fire with Arla backing him up. Meanwhile, Kal and Rav went after the attackers trying to flank the revolting slaves. With a hail of blaster fire, the spice runners were dead and one slave stood at the head of the rebels, a burly man with black hair, wore a hardened expression along with his slave garbs, and had a blaster carbine trained on Arla in her old Death Watch armor.
He was the man they were looking for.
"Su cuy'gar," Tadd said to break the silence, "Bic's jate brokar ret' tug'yc Jango."
"How do you know my name?" the slave man asked curtly.
"Relax vod," Silas said as he took off his helmet, "We're here to help."
"Silas?" Jango asked as he lowered his blaster in shock.
"Not just him either," Jace says as he takes his helmet off as well.
"Good to see you too, Jace," Jango says as both of his old brothers-in-arms step forward to embrace him. Arla, Kal and Rav took their helmets off as well, in spirit of the moment.
"Who are these three?" Jango asked as he finished embrace his battle brothers.
"Kal Skirata," the older Mandalorian answered, "This is Rav Bralor and…"
"Hello Jango," Arla stated, "It's been a while."
"You look," Jango queried, "familiar."
"It's me, Arla," his sister answered.
"How?" the younger brother asked in disbelief, "I heard the blaster fire from the house."
"That was Death Watch gunning down Mom and Dad," Arla stated somberly, "They touched the crops afterwards, to flush you and the True Mandalorians."
"How did you survive?"
"Death Watch took me," Arla answered bitterly, "Kept me to have fun with and train as one of their lackeys."
"As much as I hate to break this family reunion," Kal Skirata added, "But we should probable leave this ship."
He then proceeded to pick up one of the fallen spice runner's blasters and toss it to a nearby slave.
"Use it to take the ship for yourselves," he told them. This prompted the remaining slaves to cheer as they armed themselves with more discarded blaster and head towards the bridge. The Mandalorians decided it was a perfect time to leave and headed towards the airlock. Since Rav had commed their ship, they had already re-docked with the spice runner. From there it was a simple act of detaching and jumping into Hyperspace.
"So," Jango said as he settled into a seat in the hold his rescuer's ship, "Who do I have to thank to for this?"
"That would be me," a voice that didn't belong to any of his rescuers answered. Jango turned to be met with a familiar face. The face of the Jedi that led the task force that apprehended him on Galadraan all those years ago. With him was another Jedi, helping him carry a storage chest.
"You," Jango said with a tone of fury, "Got a lot of nerve to come here Jetii."
"I know," the older Jedi explained, "That's why I'm hoping to make things right."
"And just how are you 'making things' right Jetii?"
"Freeing me from Death Watch," Arla answered, "Also cured an addiction I had to stimulant chems."
"Indeed," the Jedi added, "Along with organizing this rescue party, believing that you'd
rather be rescued by your fellow Mandalorians."
Jango thought about this for a moment. If Jedi had showed up to free him, he probably would have done his best at reenacting his encounter with Jedi on Galadraan. The likelihood of him surviving a fight with multiple Jedi while unarmed was pretty slim.
"Point taken," the Manda'lor begrudgingly admitted. He hadn't completely calmed down but his hackles were no longer raised.
"We also have something else for you," the Jedi Master explained as he and the other Jedi holding the crate set it down. Jango approached the crate with cautious curiosity and opened it to be greeted with a sight he thought he'd never see ever again.
It was his armor, his Beskar'gam.
"Where did you get this?" Jango asked, barely containing his shock.
"The Governor of Galadraan had it in his private collection," the Jedi answered, "I don't think he needs it anymore, wouldn't you agree?"
"Definitely not," Jango added curtly, "So what happens now?"
"If I were the Manda'lor," the Jedi Master explained, "I'd return to Concord Dawn and broadcast a challenge to the Death Watch's leader Tor Visla. If he fights he will die and if he refuses to fight, he's proven himself a weak leader and his followers would turn on him. Defeating him would help reassert my authority. Of course, I am not the Manda'lor."
"Indeed," the Manda'lor replied as he started to equip himself in his armor, "Fortunately, I am, and it sounds like the proper course of action."
"I'm surprised," the Jedi Master stated with a raised eyebrow, "I figured you would ignore my suggestion."
"I'm tempted by our shared," the Mandalorian answered, "But rescuing me makes us even. Plus it's nice to know people seem to care about my well being."
It was by now that Jango had finished putting his armor, still in it's True Mandalorian colors. A quick diagnosis of all the helmet's heads-up-display showed all systems normal. Apart from some scuffs, the armor was in good shape.
"Still fits," the re-armored Manda'lor stated satisfied, "So where are we headed?"
"Concord Dawn," the Jedi Master answered, "The local Death Watch contingency is gone and it would be a good place to end this."
"Right, I suppose I should get speech ready."
(Corellia Sector, a week later)
"Sir incoming transmission," an armored Death Watch member a ship's console announced. Tor Visla was intrigued by this. People rarely called him or the Death Watch for anything. Scratching his chin, he decided it wouldn't hurt by seeing it.
"Put it through."
The holographic display flickered to life with the message. Tor's curiosity turned soar when he saw who this message was from.
The visage of Jango Fett sitting on a bench and painting a cuirass. The Manda'lor waited a few seconds into the broadcast before he spoke.
"Thought yourself clever didn't ya, Tor Visla? Using the Jedi to come after the Mando'ade on Galadraan. You and the Governor must have had a good laugh," Jango set the chest piece down to work on the gauntlets before continuing, "Pity the Governor thought I was better as a slave than as a corpse. Now I'm free again and I've got my Beskar'gam back. I'm sending you the coordinates for us to settle this, once and for all. Vi kyr ibic olar bal jii! Jango Fett out."