CHAPTER VII: The First Quest
The howl of the speeder bike echoed over the tree line, as its rider rode high enough to avoid accidently clotheslining himself with a branch grown out to far.
For this Republic Commando, this was his first set of assignments given to him by the Adventurers Guild of this country, and thus his first official 'work' since his time stranded on this planet.
With a couple of blinks to the top right corner of his vision, it requested a query, and with a series of long and short blinks, he imputed the request.
Scanned documents. Last two hours. Keyword: Adventurers Guild.
One imputed, three documents popped up immediately, each of them having the official seal of the Adventurers Guild.
Quickly scanning over the three documents, eyes immediately landed on the third document, reading it to himself.
Adventurers Requested
At the request of the elder of the hamlet to any who are interested
A lot of goblins sighted on the outskirts of the town roughly two days ago.
See the Hamlet Elder for details.
Reward for clearing out these pests to be given by the guild on completion.
The commando blinked, causing the transparent holo-scan of the document to disappear from his sight, refocusing on the open sky ahead of him.
If the directions the Inspector gave me are accurate… I should be no more than five klicks out. Leaning the speeder to the right, he pushed down the throttle, his helmet showing the speeder begin to speed up from 200 km/h. This was to be a two days travel, but with a speeder…
It didn't take more than a few minutes for him to see a rise in the ground and reveal a small settlement with a number of dwellings.
Stopping and allowing the bike to hover above the tree line, he pulled out electrobinoculars and observed from a distance. There was a small fence, made of wood of dubious quality, at some points was broken, and at the center of this settlement was a dwelling of slightly larger size.
Perhaps that is where the Hamlet Elder resides.
Putting down the binocs, he looked down to his BARC Speeder, recalling that this planet was one that falls under 'feudal' designation, and antigravity technology to feudal worlders with no knowledge of the greater galaxy could seem like the work of the divine or malign spirits… and he had no intention of being seen as a God or deranged mage that was a herald of some unspecified end time or an individual, and riding atop a 'levitating equine' might cause some… misunderstandings.
Best not scare to locals then.
Deciding to slow the speeder as to keep its engines at a low hum, he looked for a suitable pathway to approach the town. It didn't take long, and when he had arrived close enough, he dismounted his vehicle.
Deactivating the antigrav generator, the vehicle harmless floated down and allowed for him to easily cover it with the foliage tarp.
If anyone did find this vehicle, they'd be unlikely to know what to do with it.
Stepping onto the dirt path, he adjusted the patchwork cloak, and put the wrap around his helmet to hide most of his faceplate. It would be best if he looked the part of a 'porcelain' for the time being.
As he got closer to the entrance of this little hamlet, he immediately noticed what appeared to be two worn boxes which must be used as seats of some kind, and with no one standing around, he assumed that this was were they likely had their village's guards post up during the night.
A couple steps in, and he immediately could feel stares fall onto him, most likely peering through the windows and cracks in their dwellings, his helmet immediately catching some of the gossip of the stranger walking into their hamlet.
Some of the voice spoke of hopes of that this was their promised savior from the guild. Others commented on the mangy equipment he wore on the surface, a few pessimistic ones speaking that he was a rogue here to swindle them and profit on their woes, and finally, the chatter of completely unrelated topics.
As he continued into the town towards the center, he could see that while people were out and about, but almost as soon as he passed by, they retreated into their dwellings, the air filled with some tension and fear, perhaps some recent tragedy had occurred?
Once reaching the house on the hill, he knocked on the door.
It took only a second before the door opened, and a young boy appeared.
Clearly not expecting an armed stranger, he backed slowly for a moment, startled and somewhat worried.
"H-hello!" The boy spoke after a few seconds of collecting himself, still stammering the words out. "Wh-what brings you to our hamlet?"
"I'm here to speak with the elder." The Commando simply responded as he pulled out his adventurers tag. "Is this his dwelling?"
Eyes widening at the tag, the boy exhaled with relief.
"Thank the Gods our prayers were answered swiftly!" The boy gave thanks as he walked back into the hut. "Wait here for a moment!"
The door shut and he continued to stand there, awaiting the boys return.
While waiting, he could hear footsteps approaching from the east, and without turning his head, he could see in his peripherals some movement dash behind one of the huts, but it was quite obvious to him what had been following him.
Now that he was certain where they were, he kept his eyes focused on the shadows casted by the shack, and in them he could see a single head pop out around the corner again, before another two heads underneath appeared as well.
Younglings. Trying to remain hidden too.
His helmet picked up their 'whispers' and focused in on them.
"Whos do ya think is that?" One whispered.
"I dunno." Another one replied. "A bandit?"
"A bandit?!" The first youngling responded with concern. "Here?!"
"I dunno?" The second youngling stated uncertainly. "Maybe?"
"Ain't no bandit, so shut up." The eldest of the three spoke up, voice concerned as she ordered them to silence. "He might hear us."
The door cracked open and standing before him was a stout elderly man, being assisted by the younger boy that greeted him.
"My grandson here tells me that you're an adventurer?" The elderly man pointed at him. "Are you one?"
"I am." The commando nodded.
"That's good news, come, sit." The elder gestured into the dwelling, and the three of them sat around a table.
"So, tell me what brings you to this hamlet?"
"I accepted the quest at the Frontier Guild." The commando looked to the elder. "I was told to speak to the hamlet elder for details."
"Our request made it to the Frontier Guild already?" The elderly man seemed surprised, bushy brows perking up. "Heavens, that's roughly a few days out, you must be exhausted."
"I am not." The commando shook his head. "I am here to deal with the goblins."
"I see… you adventurers are something else." The elderly man gestured to his grandson, and he walked away to a firepit with a pot. "Can I get you anything to drink then?"
"No." The commando declined the offer of hospitality. "I need the information on the goblins, whatever you can provide." The commando began. "Where were they last sighted? How many were sighted? Do they have a nest?"
"Um… before I begin, I must ask…" The man seemed a bit nervous as if he was worried of the response he'd be getting. "Is the rest of your… party on their way here?"
"Party?"
"Adventurering companions?" The elder explained further, worry still present. "Most adventurers have companions they travel with, and my grandson said you were the only one outside… so I assumed—"
"I have no party." The commando shut down the assumption. "I came here alone."
"Alone… oh." The elderly man nervously stroked the stubble on his chin. "Then are you a high rank? Silver? Bronze?"
"Neither." The adventurer pulled out his tag once more. "Porcelain."
"O-oh…" There was disappointment in his tone. "Yo-you plan on taking on the goblins alone?"
"Yes." He nodded. "I need to know where the goblins were last seen."
"A-are you sure you can handle them on your own?"
"I can." He simply responded, uncaring of the man's desire for his idealized vision of a party. "Though if you are unhappy with the guild's choice of sending me, I can always leave—"
"Nonono." The elderly man waved his hands apologetically. "I meant no offense! After all, I suppose it was wistful thinking to hope for a Silver or Bronze Ranked adventurer to come here…"
"In order to deal with the goblins, I need to see the information requested."
"R-right." The man brought up a cloth to his forehead to wipe off the sweat. "First the goblins were sighted between the brightest star and the suns rise."
"Northeast." The commando noted. "Numbers?"
"There was a raiding party, maybe six or seven?" He shrugged. "They ransacked a home, thank the gods the ones living in it were out of town for this night."
"I see, no casualties then?"
"Only our peaceful sleep has been hurt." The elder tried to make a joke, but judging by the developing bags under his eyes, it was obvious it wasn't all humor. "Aside from that, I don't know much else."
"Alright then." Standing up, he nodded. "Can you show me this ransacked house?"
"Me? It'd take all day." The elder looked to the boy. "My grandson will show you where they were last seen."
"Right."
"Make sure to send him back once you got the trail." The man now turned to his grandson. "If it gets dangerous out there, run back here ok?"
"I will." The young man nodded turning to him. "Alright, follow me then."
And so, the two of them left the shack, and for a second the boy looked around before perking up.
"Its that a ways." The boy pointed northeastwards, and began leading on. "Come on."
With a nod, the commando followed close behind, however as they began to move away from the elders house, his helmet caught the sound of footsteps moving their direction from behind, small and light ones at that.
A quick turn revealed his peripherals that the younglings were trying to keep to the shadows to follow the two of them.
Deciding that they were not a threat, he allowed for them to follow along only until they reached the edge of the town.
Once at the exit of the town, he stopped abruptly, somewhat confusing the young man leading him out of it.
"Why do you follow us younglings?" The commando turned around and looked directly at where the children were hiding. "Come out."
After a few brief moments, the eldest of the three popped out first, a dissatisfied look on her face.
"You saw us?" She grumbled. "Since when?"
"Since I was waiting outside the elders house." The commando looked down at the other two that approached. "You're not as sneaky as you believe yourself to be."
"Um... that's because— you got lucky!" Like a Nemodian caught with bad credit, she tried to justify her poor stealth skills. "Yeah that's the only reason you spotted us."
"Little ones, you still haven't answered his question." The grandson of the Elder looked down at her.
"Well… we was wondering if youse was a bandit…" The youngest of the three spoke up, not making eye contact. "But guess not if you are with the hamlet brother…"
"I am not a bandit." The commando shook his head, looking down at the children, who were no taller than he was when he was a cadet. "I am a—" Commando was the first thing he about to say, but the word would have no meaning to them. "An adventurer."
"Oooh." The second child seemed amazed. "So-so you gonna bash them gobbins? The ones mommy and daddy been talking about?"
"I intend to." The commando crouched down now, trying his best to be eye level with them. "They should be gone soon."
"Really?" The youngest pipped up again. "My mama 'old me tat no one was coming?"
"Y-yeah!" The second child spoke up again. "My pa was tinking of packing our stuffs and 'eading to his pa's place in the town."
"I see." With a nod, he focused back onto the eldest. "Run along now. I'll handle things from here."
"You promise?" The eldest of the three looked at him now. "Right?"
"I'll deal with the goblins, promises or not." Standing up he turned back around. "Go home you three."
"You heard the adventurer." The elders grandson spoke up. "Run along now."
With a bit of reluctance, the three ran off back into the hamlet.
"Alright, can we hurry up?" The grandson urged. "Daylights burning."
Without another word, he continued to follow the boy, and it didn't take long for them to reach the house in question.
"Here we are…" The boy gestured to the home. "Can I leave now?"
Eyes scanning over the 'looted area', he could see the tall grass was disturbed all around the hut, wooden shutters broken open, and the front door shattered, wooden splinters all over the dirt outside the hut.
"Can I look in the hut?"
"Sure… as long as you don't take anything?"
"I won't." With that, he began to walk to it. "You are free to leave."
"Thank you." With permission, the young man began to run back to the more populated areas of this hamlet.
First he checked the ground, and to no ones surprise was the obvious sign that several bipeds had walked in this area. Small bear feat indicated to him that the small humanoids were most likely the goblins this town was fearing, and while it was clear that they constantly entered and exited for a short period of time, it was less so clear from where they came from.
The doors broken from the inside… Walking up to the front entrance, all the splinters were practically splayed about from the inside. Meaning they entered from the windows…
Walking inside, he could see that the entire inside was a mess. There were empty bottles and what appeared to be the scraps of a feast, the pantry having been raided in its entirety, cooking utensils, pots and pans taken. There was a single bottle partially shattered, and beside it some dried blood. Crouching down he could see yellowish fangs, and picking it up, he identified it as a tooth.
Looks like our guests partied a bit to much. Flicking it into the pile, he shook his head. Rowdy vermin.
Moving over to the cot, it was big enough for two, yet it was obviously splintered and destroyed for the most part. Strangely enough, there was a lack of any blankets. Searching what must've been a drawer before its destruction, there were no traces of fabrics either, meaning that the clothing was taken.
Finally, he reached the entry point, as muddy footprints began to track in from the store room, which was a similar scene to the main room. Obviously ransacked, yet all the food had been brought to the main room.
Pots and pans looted… fabrics and blankets taken… and food sprawled about with little regard instead of returned to a nest?
Putting his hand up to his chin, he thought of it.
Taking only what you can carry, using whatever you can find to do so, and a generous feast with no regard for the coming days… Peaking outside the window, he quickly moved back outside and observed the ground around it. They might not have a permanent camp... maybe more nomadic?
Finding a number of footprints returning into the nearby woods, he saw three or four pairs of footprints walking towards the tree line, yet he knew that there could be some overlap between them.
I'll find out soon enough.
With a nod, he grabbed his blaster from within his cloak and entered the woods.
…
In a forested area, there was a ruined house, the structure half collapsed within itself, and the rest decrepit and barely standing.
The main living area was currently filled with a number of sleeping goblins, around a slowly dying fire.
A single goblin, larger in stature sat with its back leaning against one of the support pillars, eyes on the outside of the structure.
This hobgoblin had been a wanderer for most of its life, having found itself a survivor when its nest was destroyed and hidden away by its sire.
After feasting on the remains of the dead, he made his way out of his old nest and joined a small warband. They were destroyed by a group of adventurers too, but he managed to kill one with its own axe and run away with it.
From there, he had bodyguarded a chieftain for a few months before he too was killed. He killed the one who did it, but since the none of the adventurers who survived were female, he ate them and moved on.
He encountered this group in the middle of a leadership dispute, and after selecting the goblin who would feed him better and provide him with a female when they were situated, he swiftly dealt with the rival and was now guaranteed a meal before every other goblin.
Alongside this one, there was another two goblins on watch, both of the lazy runs leaning on their spears as they made no attempts to speak to either himself or the other. They had been a little bit chatty earlier in the 'night', it seemed that they stopped talking at some point.
What they talked about, he didn't know or care because a stronger goblin like himself did not need to involve himself with these weaklings.
Right now things were perfect. Guaranteed food, hopefully a proper den, and if he got lucky, maybe the chance to overthrow the weakling that he is helping now. After all, if he was the leader, then he'd always get first pick of the riches, of the food, and of the women.
A smile spread across the hobs face as he imagined himself sitting on a bone throne with a horde of goblins he sired. What a beautiful sight indeed.
The real world shunted him from his fantasy as his stomach began to churn. He could feel the chicken stolen from the town deciding to make its way out of his bowels.
Getting up, he scratched his bum as he moved to the more open area in which refuse and all of the trash had been piled up.
One of the other goblins on watch squawked something at him, probably demanding answers for what he was doing, but he did not need to answer such questions from a lesser. He gave his response through his fist, knocking the weakling down, with enough force to put him to sleep. While he was not opposed to killing a weakling such as that one, he knew that they were better as fodder.
Moving to his preferred area, he squatted down, he began to do his business, thinking of the nearby town.
He could smell the fear scent of many women from the town, perhaps he would get to try—
A hand covered his mouth as a blade slid across his neck, not only cutting through with ease, but splattering blood everywhere.
In the last moments of life, it could see a magical blue hum from underneath a hood as crimson began to flood into its jaw and out on the ground around him.
…
"One." Blood spurted out of the wound as a muffled cry for help vibrated his hand. It only took a few seconds for the beast to stop resisting as blood flooded its jaw, effectively silencing it.
Laying it down on the ground, he crouched down beside the goblin, using its loincloth to wipe the blood off of his blade.
The commando immediately began to scan the dead body, looking for anything of immediate strategic value, and while a pat down was not necessary, a bundle of crudely made javelins was slung on its back.
Grabbing them, he slung them over his left shoulder as he looked in the direction which the goblin had come from. With careful foot placement, he easily slunk his way towards the ruined structure, and hung close to the wall.
Taking a quick peak around the corner, he could see that within this shack, a low fire humming in the center of their camp.
There seemed to be one goblin laying down on the ground, clearly knocked unconscious from a smack to the face if the bruise growing on its face and bloodied nose were any form of evidence to support that claim, and another goblin laughing at the misfortune of its companion.
Hiding back behind cover, he began to formulate a plan. While these primitives would pose almost no threat to him, he still needed to come up with something that was both adaptable but sound.
First plan that crossed his mind was to throw a thermal detonator. All the goblins were sleeping in a very tight group, it would make short work of them. While that idea would be great in theory, he only had a limited number of them and had no way to resupply. If he decided to one here, that was one less he would have at a later date.
Second plan was to use his blaster. It would easily kill each one of them with precise shots and he would not have to get any closer than where he is now. Unfortunately the blaster itself is pretty loud and if they woke up, some might make an attempt at flight if in danger.
The final plan that crossed his mind involved getting close and dirty. He had a vibroblade and a vibro-knukleplate on his person. If he just quietly moved around slitting throats, it should be no issue. Of course he would have to either be mindful or eliminate the one on guard at this time. There would be no doubt an alarm would be raised and exterminating these creatures would become much more difficult.
So he would simply deal with the guard first, before killing the rest.
The commando waited for the laughter to stop, and for the creature to shuffle off towards where it was standing earlier. Peaking around the corner once again, he could see that the goblin was now out of sight.
Carefully maneuvering around the building, he peaked around the corner, he found what was likely the main entrance to this decrepit dwelling, with the single goblin now leaning up against its spear. While it was obvious that this goblin was on guard duty, it was not as vigilant as any trained soldier.
That is why it did not react quickly enough when the commando had jumped around the corner with a javelin in hand.
Before it could vocalize any alarm, the thrown instrument pierced through flesh and skull bone, throwing the goblin to the ground as it began to silently convulse.
Moving up to it, he stabbed it through the skull one more for good measure. If it wasn't dead before, it certainly was now.
"Two."
He allowed himself a moment to see if the action he took had either alarmed or alerted any of them, and after noticing no change in the mass of sleeping hostiles, he moved in to do his work.
It wasn't much of a hassle to eliminate a sleeping target, whether they be a Wookie, or in this case, a goblin.
"Three"
Crimson red gushed out of the open wound across its neck.
"Four"
The sabre made a wet sound as it slid out of the goblins chest cavity.
"Five."
Another flick of the blade across another hostile's neck, causing it to squirm, letting out a wet but quiet gurgle.
"Six."
A careful snap of the neck.
"Seven."
A precise stab to the forehead, causing a relatively quick death.
"Eight."
A slash to the right side of the throat.
"Nine."
A bit of the blood sprayed from the jugular of number nine, stirring awake what was soon the be number ten.
Blinking the sleepiness out of its eyes, it quickly became awake once the smell of blood and voided bowels filled its nostril.
Covering its mouth to prevent a scream, he could feel its grimy hands attempt to pry him off of it, to no success.
Slowly resting the blade next to it as not to wake number ten, he carefully positioned its hand at the back of its skull, at the base of it.
Eyes widening, the goblin realized what was about to happen.
A quick snap caused the life to quickly leave from its eyes.
"Ten."
Turning to the last one, which had only turned away, grumbling about something in its sleep, he decided that he didn't need to be silent any longer.
Looking down at it, he stomped down on its neck three times, each stomp leaving an audible crack, causing the throat to be more deformed after each attack.
He could see it squirm as the life left its body, caring little about whether or not its death was quick.
"Eleven. Eleven goblins in total." He spoke to himself as he looked over the bloody mess. "Disgusting creatures."
Looking around for a bit longer, he found a small pouch nearby, filled with a number of trinkets and a few valuables. Some of these trinkets were made of wood with some decoration on them, others looked like religious necklaces or other bodily ornamentation made of gold or silver, which were most likely collected off of travelers they had ambushed.
Taking the bag, he secured it to one of the belts on his person and stood up.
It would be best to inform the quest issuer that the job was completed, and move on to the next.
Hey all, I know it's been some time since I posted a chapter for this story. Can't believe it's been over four years since I posted the first rendition of the first chapter, and it has been well over a year and a half since I last updated.
A lot has happened since I started this story. I graduated from community college and transferred to a 4 year school. I got my first job, graduated from college and even got a new job that pays decently.
This story fell to the wayside, some of it due to the happenings of life, but it was mostly victim to my apathy of Star Wars and overall distain for Disney. So eager to use the nostalgia of their fans they butchered the Republic Commandos making them the interim Stormtroopers and completely ruined the Mandalorians and their culture by failing to show that Mandalorians care more for their individual ideologies than the core tenants that make a Mandalorian a Mandalorian.
I moved on to other projects and for a while, I even considered cancelling this project. I didn't think I would be able to come up with anything compelling to tell.
They massacred Republic Commandos and Mandalorians with their new canon, and for a while I considered cancelling this project overall.
I considered making a new Star Wars/Goblin Slayer Crossover with new characters and a new plot and everything. Yet every time I considered doing that, I thought of RC 02/105, and while he's nothing special as far as an OC goes, he's one of my first Star Wars OC's.
This fanfiction was started with a desire to see how a Republic Commando would survive in the unforgiving world where the dice rolls determine if fate is fair to its inhabitants, or if it will lead them to uncertain doom.
So I've decided that I'm going to continue this story, hope to do semi-frequent updates between my other stories.
Also, here's what I posted on Space Battles;
What if: Side Story Year One – Right Place Right Time
»»-««
Life in the village was simple.
She lived an idyllic life with her younger brother ever since the small home the two of them lived in had been inherited.
Their mother had been a herbalist and their father a priest, both of whom had passed due to an epidemic, a resurging plague which had unknown origins. While her father believed it to be a sign of the Demon Kings return, her mother had believed it to be due to bugs.
Regardless, it fell onto her to raise her younger brother, and while it was a thankless job, it was one she prided herself with nevertheless.
She had help from their neighbors, the nice Aunt and Uncle and their sweet little daughter who was the only other child as young as he, making sure that the only worry she had was making sure her younger brother learned how to read and write and ensuring he stayed out of trouble.
That included making sure he did not wander too far, lest the dangers that loomed in the nearby forest harm him.
Their humble town found themselves shorthanded as all the young men of their hamlet had been levied into their lord's army earlier this season to aid in the fight against the Demon Lord's army. And without the men here to help, the town elder found himself worried that goblins might come and attack.
She remembered some years back a handful of goblins had attacked the town, but the men had managed to fight them off, yet they were no longer here.
So a request was put in the local Adventurers Guild, in hopes some adventurer would help them.
But some would say that hope is the first step on the road of disappointment.
Life in the village was simple.
Distant cries of horror jolted her out of bed, and a quick peak outside alarmed her of the threat.
A horde of green had appeared out of thin air, attacking the village under the cover of darkness.
Heartrate increasing, she could see while her brother had yet to wake, she knew there was no time to spare.
Moving to him, still in her night gown, she shook him.
"Wake up." Her voice had urgency as the sounds of fires beginning to blaze was heard. "Wake up!"
Her brother groggily came to as she hurried him out of bed. She swore that not even an owlbear slept as heavily as he.
Without giving him a second to get his bearings, she moved him to a room in the back of their humble home.
"Sis… what's going on?" The situation still not registering in his mind. "What's happening?"
"Don't worry." She did her best to hide her panic as she moved the rug, and by using her finger on the hole in the board, she pulled it up, revealing a cubby. "Remember what I told you to do if there was trouble?"
Silently, he nodded, his eyes widening with fear and worry.
"Good. Just like we practiced." She grabbed one of the chairs and used it to jam the door, ignoring all the sounds that she heard outside. "Just like we practiced."
Turning around she could see him halfway into the cubby, and she knew that regardless of what happened, he would be fine… she had to make sure of it.
"Now all the way in." She crouched down as she grabbed the cover. "Come on."
"But sis—"
"Don't worry." She cut him off, hearing the nearby sound of wood splintering. They were closing in. "I'll be fine!"
She gave her best smile and tried to make it sound convincing.
After a second, she heard him go in, and she put the cover on, moving the rug over it to provide some additional cover.
Looking around this room for what she was sure to be the last time she quickly grabbed their fathers old dagger, which had an eagle carved into the handle.
Splinters flew inwards as the head of an axe stuck through the door, retracting as she could see an amber eye peer through it.
Acting quickly, she jabbed the knife through, hearing the pained wailing of one of the vermin, and the sounds of others laughing.
Again, more splinters flew into the room as they continued to try to get into the room.
Looking at the bloodstained dagger, she saw how shaky her hand was, and felt how uneasy her breathing had gotten.
While she had told to her brother that she would be fine, it was an obvious lie. She had to do it, or else he wouldn't have dared to go into that cubby
She knew the truth of the situation. One more swing was all it needed to come crashing down, and
Once this door was broken, she was a dead woman, and she would fight for as long as she could.
It was the one thing, the only thing she could do, in hopes that they would not discover him.
And then the door broke down entirely, the first goblin receiving a stab to the throat, and the second one being pushed away.
Yet she was only one village girl, and this was a proper horde.
So she found herself thrown to the ground and pinned, tears welling up in her eyes.
She could feel their grimy and wart-like hands over her skin as they began to tear off her nightgown and prepared to violate her.
Closing her eyes, she braced herself for what was to come, and gave a silent prayer to the Gods that her brother would be safe.
But the goblins didn't continue any further.
Then she heard the sound of something wiz over her, and through her closed eyelids, a blue light over her, followed by the sounds of Goblins dying.
When she opened her eyes she could see why they had stopped.
A figure at the doorway.
Clad in armor of silver, she immediately noticed the blue glow on his helmet.
〈 〉
RC 02/105 had only crashed landed on this planet at least half a month ago after the (debatably) successful mission to Cossul III.
The Kappa class shuttle was in worse shape than he hoped, and he knew he was stuck here for the foreseeable future, so he was doing some night time reconnaissance.
The mission: To gain familiarity with the nearby locations where the locals of this planet lived.
The first week on this new world, 05 had found a farm nearby his crash site and the place named 'Frontier Town', if the signs in what he believes to be 'Low Aurebesh' are to be correct.
This week, he had resolved to do recon over several days around said town, however after overhearing a conversation while hiding from the locals, they spoke of a 'piss poor hamlet to the west' that should've paid more to deal with their 'goblin' problem, whatever that meant.
So, deciding to extend his 'recon operation', he found himself walking in no particular direction to the west, staying low to the tall grass in the open fields.
Certainly difficult when your armor is a pure silvery color that reflects the sun's light, yet he was certain he had remained undetected and by the time nightfall he had reached the outskirts of said town.
And when he arrived, the village was in bad shape.
The low light vision of his helmet caught the sight of two gored up gate guards, and a dead little man with a broken spear through its skull.
Despite never seeing one creature of this race, he had an instinctive feeling that this was a goblin.
Looking into the town, he saw that dead men and goblins littered the streets, and there was still ongoing screaming and fighting.
Still, it wasn't his place to intervene.
05 had simply planned to mark this interaction down and move on, as not to be in violation of the Unknown Alien Encounters Orders, but as he had planned to leave, he saw something so disturbing that the U.A.E. Orders were not worth following if her couldn't intervene.
He saw five of these 'goblins' surrounding a woman, and using her for their own pleasure, yet that was not the disturbing part. What was is that she had clearly expired no than moments ago if he had to make a rough guess, and they were simply laughing and jeering, as if this was the norm.
Gritting his teeth, something within him just snapped as he raised his blaster, and found that each bolt struck their heads true.
As he moved up, he made sure to put another blaster bolt into them just to be sure that they were dead, and as he looked down at the poor soul. There was a knife in her back, and while these barbarians likely didn't know why she was unresponsive, it was likely she had bled to death.
His helmet confirmed that her spleen had been punctured, and while he couldn't say it was a painless death, it was certainly better than living through this.
Removing the blade, he turned her over, and shut her eyes, and looking slightly in front of her there was a tree, and from it was a man roughly the same age, hanging with many spears and arrows through his corpse.
Looking to the goblins again he exhaled.
"Good riddance."
Stomping on their necks for extra good measure, he knew he made the right choice. They deserved it.
"Now all the way in." The shaken voice of a young woman spoke, his helmet's audioreceptors had picked up a survivors voice. "Come on."
It didn't take long for his helmet to pinpoint an exact location where the noise was sourced. A highlight marker appeared on his visor to a nearby home.
"But sis—"
His helmet picked up the nervous plead of a child, which was cut off quickly by the woman.
"Don't worry." The verbal tells of a lie spoken. "I'll be fine!"
With caution, he began to move up to the house, managing to kill another two goblins with which had popped out of another home.
Then his helmet picked up the sounds of a struggle, and he knew that he needed to pick up the pace.
Reaching the front door, he could see the goblins over a lone woman, her clothing in tatters on the ground.
Not wasting a second, he fired a volley of shots, first shot immediately killing the goblin which was about to violate their 'hostage', and the successive volley dealing with the other ones around.
A few more goblins in the building looked at him, and he did not let them remain alive, shooting each of them with accuracy unlike anything this planet had seen.
One even threw a dagger at him, it harmlessly smacking against the personal deflector shield built into his armor, a light rippling around the impact zone.
As he moved in and looked around, he could see that there were no more hostiles in the building, so switching to his helmets annunciator.
"Ma'am, are you ok?" Moving to her side, he crouched right by her. "Do you speak basic?"
With a nod, she began to sit up.
"A-are yo-you a-a-an adventurer?" While there was an unnatural stillness to her, he could see how all the color of her face had drained. Her voice stammered with fear and shock, and he could see the tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "D-d-did the g-g-guild s-s-send you?"
"I was just passing by." He gave her a simple response, before extending his hand out. "Are—"
Without any further words, she practically threw herself at him and began to cry, arms looping around his neck.
If he hadn't just rescued her from such a situation, he might have reacted defensively to a non-Republic Citizen doing such an action.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She sobbed in between each expression of gratitude. "I-If yo-you ha-hadnt..."
This felt… strange, at least, not in a bad way.
Sure it was foreign, and there was something about this that made him feel something, although he wasn't sure that something was.
"Thank you!" Once more she rested her head on the breastplate of his armor, sobbing into his chest. "Thank you!"
His helmet began to tune out her as it amplified the wet footsteps of hostiles incoming.
"They're coming." Prying her arms off of him now, he moved to the doorway, prepping a flash detonator.
Tossing it outside, he turned away briefly, and the moment it went off, he jumped into action.
Seeing a patrol of five goblins, his DC-17m's semi-auto fire rate easily tore through them, each one going down with a single shot, their death cries and screams being the last thing they heard.
Another group of ten began to rush him, so he decided to use a thermal detonator.
Tossing it at them, it struck one in the face, causing the rest to stupidly look at the blinking red light in confusion as the 'strange rock' made a sound foreign to them.
One even moved to pick it up before the explosion turned them all into red mist.
More of these green creatures popped out of the shadows, but this meant nothing when one could see in the dark.
Blue bolts continued to fly towards his foes, and a few of them retaliated by firing their bows.
Like the dagger, the forcefield around him prevented them from even harming him, the impact areas rippling like water as he easily gunned down the goblins.
Reloading he once more focused on the ones trying to engage in melee, and while he stood in front of the door, he allowed none of them to pass.
Out of shots. Ejecting the power pack from his blaster, he used it as a club before using his knuckle plate vibroblade to finish off the creature.
As he reloaded, another one seemed to have climbed onto the house, and jumped onto his back, trying to stab him between his armor, and while it was a good plan, he wasn't the target to do it on.
Using his left arm, he easily ripped off the goblin and tossed it to the ground, filling it with holes before returning to the main horde.
Another large patrol of goblins arrived, and he threw a thermal detonator, this time however, it seemed that these goblins had wised up and a few managed to get out of the blast radius unharmed.
Still, it didn't stop him from filling them with hot plasma.
One goblin seemed to notice the number of dead goblins that were piling up on this one stretch of street, and decided that this effort was no longer profitable, beginning to run before receiving an ionized bolt to the back.
Others attempted to run away too, some successful whereas most were not, the last few managing to get away as he emptied out another power pack.
"Alright…" Ejecting said power pack from his blaster, there was a burst of air that hissed from it before he inserted another pack. "Are you two safe?"
Turning around, he could see that she had put on something to cover herself, but did notice the look of surprise, as she had not mentioned that there was another.
Still, she had to recognize that this place was unsafe and they could not stay here any longer.
"Little brother. The Silver Knight is going to help us get out of here." The young woman was coaxing the boy out of his hiding spot now. "We're going to be alright."
"I-it's safe… right?" The boy asked, looking up to him.
"No." He bluntly stated, moving up to the boy. "But if we don't leave, you and your…"
Looking to her, he gestured to her and she responded to the prompt
"Sister."
"Sister will be in danger." 05 concluded his statement. Putting his hand on the boy's shoulder, he spoke softly. "It's a brother's job to look after his unit, and… and to protect them."
Standing back up, he moved back to the doorway, remaining guarded.
The sister moved to her younger brother, giving him a soft smile and a hug.
"We need to be brave now." Patting him on the back, she looked him in the eyes. "Once we're out of danger, the Silver Knight will help us get to town."
While he had agreed to do no such thing, he didn't deny it, for doing so might delay their departure.
"R-right…" The ad'ika grabbed his sister's hand. "I want to leave."
"Do you know how to use a blaster?"
"Um… no?"
"Its like a crossbow." Pulling out his DC-15 blaster pistol, he gave a quick demonstration. "Point at the enemy pull this trigger to shoot." He tapped the trigger slightly, but not activating it. "Keep your finger on the guard when not fighting.
"O-okay." The woman the foreign object, and after the initial discomfort of it in her hands, she kept it pointed away from herself and did exactly what he said. "Right…"
She was a quick study, but he was certain that it would be at best a deterrence, and she would not likely hit anything.
"Let's move." Blaster raised; he looked over to the eldest of the three. "Remain vigilant."
With a silent nod, the three of them began to move, heads on a swivel to leave the town.
With him taking point, and the young lady at the rear, they moved through the ruins of this village.
Homes set ablaze and the many bodies of men who died in an attempt to defend their homes, he could hear the boy vomit and his sister trying to make sure that he was alright.
While it seemed that the goblins had decided to leave them alone for this time being, he occasionally turned around to see if the two civilians behind him were keeping up with him.
And each time he looked, the worried look on the lady's face didn't disappear, as if one of those creatures would jump out from the shadows and take the three of them, and for the boy…
He could see that in those maroon eyes, they held an all too familiar look in them.
The destruction of one's lifestyle, of one's home… it was always a sight one would never forget.
He'd seen it in his own eyes after the Battle of Geonosis, and seen it in the eyes of many of the Clone Cadets when the Seppies launched their first assault on Kamino a month after the war begun. He'd seen it in the eyes of insurgents fighting for and against the Republic.
05 was certain that this spark would become a flame that would rage long after the embers of this village died out.
»»-««
The moon had dipped considerably lower as they continued to walk down the aged road.
They had been on the road for at least an hour, which put them a distance away from the tragedy that had befallen her home.
Her brother was currently asleep in her arms, the rhythmic breathing being the only other sound aside from their shambling and the Silver Knight's orderly footsteps.
There was so much to process since they escaped.
Their village… their home had been destroyed.
She didn't know if anyone else managed to escape, but the death and carnage that they passed by while moving through the dirt paths of their hometown.
The Village Sisters… oh how she hoped they got away, or died painless deaths…
The neighbors next door who helped raised her after their parents passing… dead and hanging from a tree…
The number of other familiar faces that were once living now dead were etched into her mind.
She felt herself wanting to cry, but could not muster any tears now.
How could the Gods allow such a tragedy to occur…
Shaking her head and clenching fists, she knew she couldn't think like that.
She was alive. Her brother was alive.
And it was thanks to this Silver Knight who they followed.
If it were not for him… she'd be dead… and her brother… only now did she realize that her brother would've been left all alone…
No… she needed to think of the present and be strong.
For herself.
For her brother.
Still, it didn't stop the fatigue from slowing her down.
Since they were no longer in immediate danger, it seemed that her 'survival instinct' had worn off, she felt the after-effects of managing to escape such a dangerous situation.
Yet she knew that they couldn't stop. Not now, and not unless the man in silver agreed to it.
She struggled to stay awake, so she decided that conversation would keep her awake.
"Um… Knight… sir?"
When he did not respond she spoke up again.
"Silver Knight?"
Finally, he deigned her with a response.
"Yes?"
"I'm not sure if I can continue much further." She let out a strained breath. "We've been moving for hours."
"Three."
"Exactly." She moved up to a tree, leaning against it now. "Just… just give me a moment."
Halting, he quickly returned to her, and kept an eye out.
"I realized that I have been calling you 'Silver Knight', but you haven't introduced yourself." She spoke softly in between breaths. "I didn't mean to be rude, but what do your people call you?"
He took a moment before speaking.
"RC Oh-Two One-Oh-Five."
"Arcee Outoo Wonoufief?" Her eyes widened slightly before raising her head, looking at him. "Is that your name? Like real name?"
"No… that's my designation and birth number." There seemed to be confusion as he turned to her. "I'm a Republic Commando."
"O-oh." She looked away, slightly embarrassed by the assumption. "I realize I haven't introduced myself…" With a weary voice she spoke. "I was… am the Village Sister."
"Village Sister?" He turned back around, and continued to walk. "That's a title, not a name."
"Huh?" She tilted her head, confused. "Do you not know?"
"Know what?"
"That names are sacred." She asked. "Only for the namer, named, and Gods above? Saying your real name is... taboo"
"I see..." He stated clearly. "I am not from around here."
"That much is obvious." She let out a giggle, shaking her head once again. "My apologies."
He simply shrugged.
"We'll walk for another half-klick before we stop." He pointed to a worn-down shack that was barely visible in the moonlight. "I'll stay awake while you two rest."
"I see." She let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, sir."
〈 〉
RC 02/105 could feel the exhaustion creep up on him as the three of them continued on the road, to the Frontier Town.
While a trip like this on his own would be a day and a half at the shortest by himself, the civilians with him made travel slower.
The boy and his sister had not said much, however from what he could understand, it was likely they were still thinking about what events had happened.
Still he couldn't blame them, if Kamino had been turned to slag, he too would be unsure of how he would feel.
Probably disbelief, then rage most likely.
No sadness would be wasted on the Aiwha-bait that lived there, but for the loss of his birthplace.
The sound of his stomach made him nearly causing him to nearly raise his blaster.
Di'kut. He shook his head.
"I-is something the matter?" The older sister was still holding the DC-15 pistol, looking around. "A-are they nearby?"
"No." He shook his head, pushing the blaster down. "I think it's safe to take a rest."
Without saying anything, she nodded as they sat on the side of the road, the only thing around them being tall grass and open fields.
Setting his blaster to safety, he sat down and reached over his shoulder. With a hiss, his bag opened and from it he grabbed a silver package, which contained dry rations.
He tore the seal open, and before he took off his helmet, he looked to the two of them.
They were ragged, dirty, and definitely exhausted.
"You two hungry?" He shook the packaging. "I got a few ration cubes."
"No Republic Commando, were—" The older woman began to speak, however her stomach growled, causing her face to flush with redness before looking away. "Fine…"
"Cup your hands." Walking over to the boy, he did what he was asked. "Three for you… and three for you."
The two of them, never having seen dry rats before, marveled at them.
As they put them in their mouths, their reaction was… mixed.
The boy didn't seem to care much, however the young lady seemed slightly surprised.
"Its tasteless yet… so sugary…" He could see her rub the left side of her chin. "Chewy too."
"Yep." With a sigh, he took off his helmet and set it off to the side. "Six's a day's meal, so three should keep you filled for now."
Putting it to the side, he grabbed more dry rats and started to eat.
As he ate, he could see that the lady and the boy were looking at him.
"Is there something on my face?"
"N-no!" Village Sister blushed and looked away. "Its just that you're younger than I expected."
"I see."
He didn't, simply opting to put another cube in his mouth.
When he noticed the young boy eyeing his helmet, he decided to gesture to it.
The boy almost acted on his own, first looking to his sister. Only once he had approval did he move up and take the helmet, examining it first before putting it on.
A small smile appeared at the edge of his lips.
Like a cadet who just received his first training helmet, he was in awe of the piece of equipment, bringing back fond memories of when put on his first set of Katarn-class armor. He was basically the same way…
It was best to distract him with the helmet than have him ponder the tragedy he just experienced.
Exhaling, he looked back to the sister.
"Do you two have people… other people?"
"We do… the lady next door… Gods rest her soul… said that her brother owns a farm nearby the town." She nodded, a small frown on her face as she remembered the dead. "I'm sure we could go to him for help... he's practically our uncle."
With a nod he stood up. They still had a fair bit of ground to cover if they wished to make it to the town by tomorrow evening.
"You two ready to get back on the move."
"I'm still hungry…" The young boy looked at him, taking off the helmet. "Can I have more?"
"Give it a few minutes." The Commando rubbed the boy's head, much like he would to a cadet, before taking the helmet back. "I made the same mistake when I was younger."
"Come on." The elder sister helped her brother up. "We have to keep going."
"Ok." He meekly replied, before grabbing hold of his sisters hand.
"If we're ready, then lets get moving."
Putting his helmet back on, the H.U.D. reactivated and they were on their way.
…
Most of this day had passed by too, and the sun was readying itself to sink below the tree lines she often saw in the distance.
The Village Sister held the hand of her brother as they continued their travel to the Frontier Town.
While their savior had stayed a few paces a head of them, slowing down only when he noticed that he had strayed too far ahead.
"We're almost there."
Perking up, she felt her brothers grip slip as he rushed forward to reach the top of the hill.
"He's right sis!' Her younger brother shouted with joy. "Its right there!"
Slowly walking upwards, she finally saw it.
The Frontier Town, and the river that circled around most of it.
"Thank the Gods above." She did a cross motion over her chest, signifying thanks to the Supreme God. "We've made it."
Moving up to her brother, she went in to hug him.
"We're safe now, we've survived…"
Everything was alright now. They would soon make it to the town, have a meal together, and the three of them would think about what to do next.
"I think this is when we part ways."
"What?!"
Both herself and her younger brother turned the man who had saved them.
"I don't have business in the Frontier Town."
He simply stated as if that explained everything.
"No! Come with us!" The young boy ran up to him and hugged his leg. "W-what if goblins attack us again?"
"The roads nearby this settlement have proven safe enough to travel on." The man tried to gently push the boy away. "Since I can't stay… you need to watch over your sister… remember?"
"Y-yes…" He sniffled slightly. "A brother watches over his unit… right?"
"Exactly, ad'ika." Tussling the hair on his head, the Commando sounded pleased. "Now don't make any trouble for her."
"O-ok."
"If we are parting ways, do you want this back?" Holding up the 'blaster' as he had called it, he nodded. Handing it back to him, he expertly holstered it at his side. "Back where it belongs."
She brought a hand up to giggle.
With a nod, he began to turn away, likely leaving, however before he could do so, she impulsively grabbed his left arm gauntlet with both hands, causing him to halt.
"Is there something else."
"I know this isn't much…" Turning his hand so the palm would be upwards, she put the embroided pouch she had at her waist. "Please take this."
Taking the pouch, he opened it to see that a sizable amount of coin was in it.
"Its our savings… you didn't need to help us, but you did."
"I can't accept this." He pushed it back to her. "It's all you have left."
"Oh…" She looked down back at the pouch. "Then… can you take your helmet off?"
"Why?"
"I don't know when I'll see you again." If she ever saw him again. "So I want to memorize the face of the man that saved my life."
The helmet tilted upwards for a moment, and then he lifted his hands up to it. With a hiss, the helmet came off.
She studied the face of her savior, from the mundane brown eyes to the unique fashion he wore his hair.
Slowly, she found herself stepping on the tips of her toes.
She studied the scars, some of which had faded away, and others that were still as fresh as the evening dew.
One hand moved to cover her brothers' eyes, while the other managed to caress one of the many scars.
She studied his pale tan complexion, which were rather and quite handsome.
So, in her mind, it was no surprise when her lips touched his.
Such a chaste kiss, yet it was something she had never done in such a manner, and it left her feeling warm inside.
Slowly moving back, still feeling the tickle on her chin from his facial hair.
And as for him, his brown eyes were still wide with surprise, as if he had been completely blindsided by such an action.
"Thank you for saving us."
Feeling the corner of her eyes wet, she suddenly felt bashful, and turned away.
Moving past him, she grabbed her brother's hand and began to pull him away, to which she found no resistance from.
"Come on, we need to get to town before it gets dark."
"Huh?" The boy found himself suddenly pulled away, resisting for a moment before finally walking along with her "Bye Mr. Commando!"
Her brother had shouted, and while she did not turn back to see him, she could feel his gaze on her.
Despite thinking about all the things she needed to do before the night was out, the warm fuzzy feeling she felt didn't disappear.
…
As the two disappeared into the distance, 05 put two fingers to his lips, and felt rather strange.
There was a strange feeling welling in his gut, and it was different from the something he felt earlier.
It didn't start until the 'Village Sister' did what she did, and for some reason, he couldn't get that smile out of his mind.
"Sergeant, are you there?"
A voice from his helmet broke him out of his thoughts.
"I read you."
"You have been away longer than you stated." The IM-6 droid spoke monotonously. "I was worried something happened to you."
"Nothing bad." He reassured the droid. "I'll return to base and rest."
"Copy."
The droid acknowledged and stopped talking.
Beginning to move towards the forest, he could not help but take one last glance at the Frontier Town.
He pinpointed his feeling.
It had to be the exhaustion. There was no other explanation.
He had been awake for three whole days.
Yeah. Exhaustion.
Putting two fingers to the chin of his helmet, he wondered when exhaustion felt so good?
