Author's Note: Dearest readers, Happy Frozen Force Friday! As a special treat, a Star Wars OC from one of my other fanfics makes their debut this chapter! For readers of my other works, perhaps you'll be able to spot them! I hope you enjoy today's exciting chapter.
Long Live Imagination,
~ Michael
Chapter: 84 Batuu Battle Royale
"Never underestimated the power of reward money."
Flying solo! Jedi Padawan Tori Vica has made one of the most difficult decisions of her life. Having parted ways with her master in favor of her own path, Tori was on her way home. At least she was until she decided to investigate incriminating information from the bounty hunter in her company. The wary hunter, Embo, caught on however. Now, Tori must fight for her life if she is to escape with the vital information on his datapad...
The cockpit was eerily still as Embo and Tori stared each other down. The hum of the Pantoran's lightsabers combined with the hyperdrive's whir to form a surreal ambience. Hyperspace's vibrant, blue vortex cast intricate patterns across Embo and Tori's faces. Their eyes narrowed as each tried to anticipate the other's first move. As energetic as Tori was feeling from her fight against the Judge, she had to reel herself back into reality. Embo was a bounty hunter of the highest caliber. She'd seen what he was cable of in combat and considered that even her skills might not have been enough. Rather than focus on a glorious triumph, Tori concentrated on survival. Her priority was Embo's datapad, which was still tucked against the back of her utility belt. Her best chance at surviving with the intel was to incapacitate Embo and lock him somewhere.
Blast it, Tori cursed to herself. Meliz had always told me to observe my surroundings. If only I'd better done that, then I might've been able to locate potential advantages. In that instant, Tori glanced over Embo's shoulder and noticed several steady lights on a monitor. Each represented a capsule on standby for jettison. Of course, Tori rejoiced. Escape pods. If I can lure Embo into one of those, I can leave him in the dust. All I-
Embo made the first move before Tori could think further. He flung his hat directly at her and she Force-pushed it away. The daunting disc was merely a distraction so Embo could ready his bowcaster. As she deflected his incoming blasts, his hat proceeded to ricochet around the room. While rapidly spinning her lightsabers, Tori was forced to keep an eye on Embo's darting hat. Its dreadful clangs grew louder with each nearing strike. Amidst the clamor, Tori Force-pushed Embo back into the ship's dashboard. When she did so, his hat bounced off the ground and struck her in the gut. Its dull, yet heavy edge knocked the wind out of Tori and sent her tumbling back. The pain came to her in waves, making her feel as though the hat had fractured her very essence. The Padawan hunched forward, clutched her abdomen, and wheezed for strained breath.
Meanwhile, her Force push had knocked Embo directly into the hyperdrive release lever. "Pytet raivajur!" He cursed as the steel rod prodded his hip. Such an impact caused the ship's lightspeed jump to disengage. The spacecraft lurched forward as it was violently ripped out of the vortex. Warning signals blared across the ship as it soared into an unknown region.
While Tori's first plan had been to jettison Embo, her aching abdomen and newfound predicament forced her to improvise. As the bounty hunter recovered, he caught a glimpse of Tori fleeing down the corridor. Scarlet hazard lights flashed, for the ship's abrupt hyperspace removal had caused several malfunctions. Embo's ominous and hatted silhouette dashed between the strobing lights as he chased after Tori. She limped down the ship's winding halls, blocking blaster bolts and desperately searching for an escape pod. She gasped upon finding the designated capsule room and she lunged for it. Before she could reach the pods, Embo shot a nearby panel and forced the door to seal.
"No! No!" Tori yelled. Thinking quickly, she set one of her guard shotos to spin rapidly and used the other to start slicing the door. While disorienting Embo with the spinning blade, she bought herself time to carve the door open. With a swift swish of her arm, Tori Force-pulled the sliced door fragment and flung it towards Embo. Using what little time she had, she dashed into the room and slashed her sabers across the ground. Her maneuver caused sparks to flare up amidst billowing smoke clouds.
Caring little for her smokescreen, Embo charged in. He sprung into the chamber and eyed an escape pod through the smoke. There stood Tori...frantically trying to power up her pod. Desperation filled her panicking visage as she started whimpering. Her frightened eyes met Embo's as he casually aimed his bowcaster. With his prey cornered, Embo coldly pulled the trigger and landed a headshot. "Quil?" the bounty hunter questioned when a web of cracked glass formed across Tori's face. While he'd indeed shot into an escape pod...he'd instead aimed at Tori's reflection. By the time Embo turned to see her in the pod behind him, she had already powered it up.
"See ya," she scoffed and slammed a fist on the ejector.
By the time Embo took aim again, her pod was already smoking up the area with exhaust. He angrily sprinted through the smoke and stumbled over to the cockpit. From there, he watched as Tori's pod descended towards a lush and terrestrial planet. Ready to give chase, Embo clasped the controls and forced them forward. He growled when the ship's critical systems failed him. He peered down at a flashing message on one of the monitors.
ENGINES OVERHEATED
"Inotyle!" Embo cursed and punched the screen in frustration. All the bounty hunter could do was impatiently slouch until the ship's propulsion systems cooled. His infuriated, yellow eyes focused on the planet that Tori was heading towards.
"It needs to be stronger."
"It's only going to be as strong as you are."
"Tori Vica...that's a bold name."
Memories of Tori's first encounter with Master Sumar rippled through her mind. Her heart raced as her escape pod picked up speed. As she pierced a planet's strange atmosphere, her unresolved traumas also crept in. The pod's ongoing, uncontrollable rumble was extremely unsettling. Its rapid descent reminded Tori of when the Ethereal had crashed on Scarif and so many Padawans had died. That single reminder was enough to have thoughts of Surk crossing her mind. Even after all of this time, she still missed her best friend. Looking back as her life flashed before her, Tori wished she'd understood things as she did now. She wished she could've treated Surk better and shown him how appreciative she was...before it was too late.
No amount of lever shifting could slow the pod's descent. All Tori could do was throw herself into a seat and nervously buckle in. She clutched the stolen datapad like it was her last hope and held it close. Alerts blared throughout the pod's cramped chamber as she braced for impact. She observed the cloudy skies in her viewports until ominous shapes started zipping by. Before Tori could comprehend what the dark structures were, her pod collided with one directly in front of her. The crash sent her head jolting forward as she shut her eyes and gritted her teeth. Medpacs and galactic holocharts fell from their designated shelves while the sky spun outside. Gravity had its cruel way with Tori until the pod touched down.
The crash itself was explosively ear-splitting. Chunks of ashy dirt mixed with loamy soil spewed through the air. Smoke clouds billowed out and engulfed the pod. Once Tori was sure she wasn't falling, she hurriedly unbuckled and stumbled about. The pod's hatch cranked open as Tori coughed her way out. She felt her way through the smoke and immediately flopped into a colossal crater. "Oops," she commented on her pod's mark in the terrain. As she hobbled out of the crater, Tori searched around the crash site. She wondered what she'd collided with before ever meeting the ground.
As a temperate gust brushed against her body, it cleared just enough smoke for her to see the culprit. Crumbling fragments plummeted from a natural tower of some sort. Tori noted where her pod had struck the formation and stepped over for a closer look. The gray tower was one of many and looked as old as the planet was. There was an ashy texture to its petrified remains, one of which still left highlights of centuries past. As Tori examined the dark spire's unique structure, she knew she couldn't stay long. It was only a matter of time before Embo got the ship running again and resumed his hunt for her. The sound of a passing starship was as surprising as it was terrifying.
Tori's body went rigid as she looked at a nearby forest. While initially fearing that Embo was already planetside, she found relief in a merchant's vessel. Willing to take her chances, the Jedi desperately flailed her arms towards it. "Hey!" she screamed. "Hey! Over here! Over-" Her exasperated voice cracked as the ship proceeded onward. Why the heck is it flying so low? she thought to herself. Despite her situation, Tori found comfort in the sounds of multiple ships in the distance. The Pantoran squinted to try and get a better look, but was hardly successful through the ongoing smoke. "A spaceport?" Tori whispered while catching her breath. "A town?" Determined to lose Embo and return to the temple, Tori raced towards the sounds of incoming ships.
The ache in her abdomen was subsiding. At least that hat of his didn't break anything, Tori reassured herself. Or it's all gone numb and I'm in serious trouble. Wishing for the former, Tori pushed onward past the woodlands to reach a peculiar settlement. As Tori staggered down one its paved pathways, all she could utter was, "Woah."
Various structures jutted out from around her, each almost competing with the surrounding spires for dominance. A vast assortment of malodorous and delectable odors made their way to Tori's nose as she looked upon a dense marketplace. Merchant vessels soared overhead and yielded wide-grinned spacers with bountiful cargo. Sporadic chimes echoed down alleyways as droids of all models and conditions clunked about. As Tori tried to make sense of it all, a lanky and mustachioed man set her sights on her. "Bright Suns, dear traveler!" he declared and Tori froze. She was about to reach for her lightsabers when he raised his bare hands. "I mean you no harm, I assure you! I am but a humble bard of the stars. A poet, if you will. The name's Waltius, and I sing the praises of our beloved Black Spire!"
"B-Black Spire?" Tori inquired.
Waltius cleared his throat and flailed his arms like a majestic dancer. At least, he thought he looked majestic. Withdrawing a seven-string hallikset from his back, he proceeded to strum a melody while singing:
"At the edge of the galaxy so far away,
Black was the Spire that called me to stay!
A beacon for drifters, forgotten and lost,
The spires summoned those, broken and tossed!
Come stay here forever or just pass on through,
The spirit of Black Spire will forever change you!"
"Hey!" a burly Nautolan hollered from across the path. "You there! That's my hallikset!"
Waltius winced and hugged the instrument. "What? This old thing?" he chuckled nervously. "But I don't see your name on-" As Waltius peered down at the hallikset, he noticed the name 'Bulartz' etched into it. "...oh." Waltius gulped and glanced back at Tori. "Well, it was fun while it lasted." In that instant, the self-proclaimed bard sprinted down an alleyway as the angry Nautolan gave chase.
"What the actual kriff?" Tori mumbled. "What is this place?" Patting her belt to make sure the datapad was still in her possession, Tori found a secluded and shady corner. She knelt down in the darkness and activated a personal holocomm. The Vica Family's bright crest was displayed across it as Tori recalled her parents' message.
"For whenever you need a pick-me-up."
- Mom and Dad
"Oh I need one now," Tori muttered to herself and placed a call. "Literally." Every second awaiting a response seemed to stretch on forever. "Come on," Tori urged. "I swear, if you two signed up for another reality show-"
A projection of the family crest briefly spun before Hoff and Datya Vica came into view. "Tori!" her father rejoiced. "You called at the perfect time, sweetheart. We were just considering auditioning for Season 3 of Beskar Chef! What do you think?"
Tori groaned at his remark while Datya leaned closer towards the projector. Her mother's brows furrowed with concern as she asked. "Tori? What's wrong?" Hoff caught on soon after and worriedly tilted his head.
"I-" Tori bit her lip. "I'm in a bit of a fix," she confessed.
"Are you hurt?" Hoff asked. "Where's your master?"
"I'm fine and-" Meliz's departure was still fresh in Tori's heart as she shook her head. "It's just a lot to take in right now. I'm lost and-"
"Well where are you, dear?" Datya asked. "We'll come and get you-"
"No," Tori intoned as her breaths quickened. "It's too dangerous, but I need you to contact the Republic. Tell them I'm carrying vital information and that I'm running out of time. I need immediate pickup from-" Tori looked around as if still trying make sense of her surroundings.
"Tori?" Hoff worried. "Where are you?"
"I'm not sure," their daughter confessed. "My escape pod crashed near this outpost. It's populated by a bizarre assortment of patrons."
"Did any of them provide clues as to what world you might be on?" Datya queried.
Tori squinted as she recalled the bard's words. "There was this one guy," she said. "He kept going on and on about spires. A black spire!"
Hoff and Datya's eyes widened with realization. "And it's an outpost, you say?" Hoff asked as Tori nodded. "With massive, petrified trees surrounding it."
"Yes!" Tori blurted.
"Black Spire Outpost," Datya quickly identified. "Dearest, you're on Batuu. It's an Outer Rim World in the Trilon Sector."
"Separatist?" Tori asked.
"Not that I know of," her mother replied. "Although I'm sure you'll find travelers from all walks of life there. Listen, Tori. Whatever trouble you're in...just keep your head down. We'll get help to you as soon as we can. Stay hidden."
"Okay," Tori affirmed.
"Stay safe," Hoff added. "We love you, Tori."
"I-" the Pantoran bit back her response. While she was grateful, she still walked the fine line between Jedi doctrine and embracing her parents. But seeing how her now former master, Meliz, embraced Kor had put things into perspective. "I'll be safe," Tori ultimately said and cut the transmission.
Back on the stolen Revenant ship, Embo had yet to descend towards Batuu. Instead, he stood before a set of projected holograms. "Lai Pantoran ist seur lai plinit. Itu eli ay mis ayfarez," Embo finished explaining. Holograms of Jabba the Hutt and other members of the Hutt Council took in the Kyuzo's words. While some appeared deeply concerned about Tori's possession of the datapad, others kept their emotions suppressed. Jabba deliberated among his fellow Hutts to discuss a plan of action. Embo's eyes darted between the slobbish beings as they considered how to deal with Tori and possibly him.
Rather than punish Embo, Jabba offered another chance. He spouted off in Huttese before a new image materialized. Using footage from one of the palace's service droids, he'd created a bounty poster for Tori Vica. Embo kept a cool head, even as a fifty-thousand credit price tag flashed below her name. Both he and the Hutts knew exactly what Jabba had set in motion. It wouldn't matter whether or not Embo failed. With a fifty-thousand price for Tori's dead body and an extra twenty thousand for the datapad's retrieval...any hardened killer would want in on the action. As Embo accepted his potential new contract, he started to realize how little he even knew about his clients. Whatever secrets the Jedi could potentially trace, the Hutts wanted them wiped out with Tori Vica.
With a single wave of his influential and stubby digits, Jabba set his plan in motion. Tori's contract was live in every wretched hive of scum and villainy. "Well well well," an insidious voice hissed. Patrons of the Mos Eisley Cantina knew better than to contend with Latts Razzi. With fiery red hair and a piercing blue stare, this Theelin was lethal on the bounty hunting scene. A whiplike, grappling boa slinked across her purple neck as she examined the latest bounty mark. She ran an ominous fingernail across Tori's image and observed the price on her head. "Fifty-thousand dead. Plus an extra twenty for item retrieval. All for some Jedi kid." Latts smirked and peered over her shoulder. "Up for a trip to Batuu, boys?"
A set of daunting steps sounded from behind her. A massive, dark-plated droid towered over Latts. Its blood red photoreceptors glared at her as it computed in a deep tone. "I'm with Highsinger here," quipped a turbaned bounty hunter. He grinned and nodded to Latts. "Count us in. Although, I've never killed a Jedi before."
"There's a first time for everything, Dengar." Latts chuckled. "We'd better hurry. I doubt we'll be the only hunters getting in on this."
With a population of nearly three trillion, Coruscant was known to be a diverse melting pot among the Core Worlds. Its vast city contained everything from hopeful immigrants to uptight officials...and the occasional terrorist. Every gleaming skyscraper and ramshackle slum told a story. Countless airspeeders flew the skylanes. Their pilots remained blissfully unaware of the secrets dwelling within the most pristine structure.
Slivers of sunlight crept through the lowered shades of a Jrade District apartment. These minuscule beams were still enough to highlight a Phindian's hunched over figure. The reptilian's elongated cranium was most prominent over his twitching shoulders. His inquisitive, yellow eyes meticulously scoured over a set of data-blueprints. A nearby communicator blipped and he hastily answered it via text. As the Phindian re-examined his schematics, a distinct thump caught his attention. He raised a scaly and tattooed brow before cautiously powering his device down. The Phindian listened closely for another thump, but only heard the sounds of bustling skylane traffic instead. His stare lingered on the window for a moment longer before he ultimately dismissed his suspicions. As soon as the Phindian turned around, two pairs of plastoid boots came smashing through his windows. He recoiled against his desk as glass spewed amidst blinding sunlight. Meanwhile, a breaching explosive detonated from his apartment's door. Metal fragments twirled through the air and smoke billowed towards the Phindian.
A series of shouts echoed throughout the shrouded room. By the time the Phindian stood up, he was already staring down three blasters and a bright green lightsaber. Anna detached her rappelling wire from the window and dipped her blade towards the Phindian. "Get on the ground!" she commanded.
"Now!" Sergeant Blazer shouted at her side. "Hands behind your back!" Sparx and Speedy cut off any potential exits and kept their blasters trained on the Phindian.
While their target snarled, there was little he could do to counter such formidable opposition. He reluctantly dropped to his knees and placed his long arms behind his back. As soon as he did so, Lieutenant Sparx moved in and slapped a pair of binders on the Phindian's wrists.
"Moralo Eval," Anna sternly declared. "You're under arrest for treason against the Galactic Republic."
"You think you've stopped anything, Jedi?" Eval scoffed. "This is but a minor...inconvenience."
Anna sneered at his remark but restrained herself from acting rashly. "Get him outta my sight," she growled.
"With pleasure," Blazer asserted and yanked the Phindian by his cuffed wrists.
They pulled the captured terrorist out of his apartment complex, where members of the Coruscant Security Force were waiting for them. "Job well done. "How are you feeling?" Blazer asked Anna while hauling Eval.
The Jedi glanced towards the upper balconies and noticed several glowering bystanders. "Ask me another time," she huffed.
"Hey," Blazer tried to reassure her. "Don't let them get to you. It helps that you caught an actual enemy of the Republic this time."
"While I appreciate that-" Anna continued. "-I doubt any of these Coruscanti will ever look at me the same way again. Not after what happened with those Mirialans."
"You'll always be our hero, general." Speedy said.
Anna humored him with a glum smile before proceeding onward. "Well done Deathchasers," a nasally official spoke up. Lieutenant Tan Divo approached with a faint smile across his lips. "The CSF greatly thanks you for your services. We'll handle this nefarious Phindian from here." A pair of blue-plated police droids snatched Eval by his shoulders and hauled him into a cruiser.
Suddenly, Anna's holocomm chimed and she swiftly activated it. She and the Deathchasers huddled close as Watcher's face projected into view. "We were just about to call you," Anna said. "Moralo Eval has been apprehended. Chancellor Palpatine won't be getting kidnapped anytime soon."
"So I heard," Watcher replied. "CSF chatter has already reported the arrest and I'm glad my intel was accurate."
Anna worriedly glanced at Blazer. "So if you already knew...why are you calling?" she asked. "Usually we just report to you for debrief."
"Because time is of the essence," Watcher explained. "Return to the Legacy and restock on supplies. I'm rerouting you to Batuu."
"Batuu?" Blazer inquired. "As in 'home of delicious ronto wraps' Batuu?"
"No time to think with your stomach, sergeant." Watcher intoned. "This is an exfiltration mission of the utmost importance."
Watcher was typically calm and collected, making her urgent tone catch Anna's attention. "Who's the extraction target?" she asked.
"Jedi Padawan Tori Vica," Watcher replied and Anna's heart sank.
A dreadful exploration vessel soared throughout the Western Reaches of space. Operated by a crew of snarling Trandoshans, the ship maintained a steady course across the stars. One of the lumbering lizards poured a glass of ale for his superior and bowed his head. As Madame Meduza took a sip, one of her other servants approached.
"Madame," he hissed. "A transmission from Dryden Vos is here for you."
"Put him through," the luxurious redhead decreed. Her curious, green stare was unblinking as her boss' figure appeared. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked.
"We've got something," Dryden said.
"Morzetti?"
"No, but the Hutts just put a fifty-thousand credit hit on a Jedi."
Meduza wrinkled her nose. "What'd she do? Kidnap Jabba's son?"
"The word is that she's in possession of a datapad vital to the Hutts," Dryden explained. "The bounty listing has her last seen on Batuu and-"
"And if they want it, you want it." Meduza concluded. "You want me to track this brat down before the Hutts get their grubby paws on her. All you had to do was ask, my dear. Finding things is what my boys and I do best. Consider it done." Dryden nodded as Meduza cut the transmission. She smirked and waved a hand to her Trandoshan pilots. "Set course for Batuu," she commanded.
Carlac's snowfall never seemed to cease. The planet's frigid landscape was as harsh as it was serene. For a Death Watch warrior like Mulan, it was hard to balance between either sensation. She felt like she was constantly living on the edge and keeping a close watch on her surroundings. Ever since Death Watch's failed attempt to take Sundari, they'd been hiding away in exile. Still, thoughts of her time in the Mandalorian capital kept Mulan occupied. She leaned against a stack of frosted crates and observed her fellow warriors.
How far we've fallen, she thought. Mulan forced herself to harden her resolve, especially when it came to camp life. If she lowered her mental defenses, she'd find herself feeling like many of the others. Time away from the 'Crusade for Mandalore' had turned Death Watch's warriors into marauders. They'd become a barbaric lot, fighting amongst each other for sport and nearly living up to their demonization. As weeks turned into months in their snowy encampment, Mulan continued to wonder when their leader, Pre Vizsla, would lead them out of squaller.
"Mulan!" another Mandalorian called. "Pst!" She turned to see a youth poking her helmeted head out from one of the tents. The silver markings of Bo-Katan's Nite Owl's lay etched across her armor. "Mulan!" she called again. "Get over here! You gotta see what we found."
Mulan sulked, yet humored her fellow Nite Owl. "What is it now, Vala?" she groaned upon entering the tent.
The younger warrior removed her helmet and brandished an eager smirk. A short, blonde bob swayed atop her head as her bright blue eyes listed to her companion. "Evrus," she said. "Show her."
While Vala sported a lean physique, Evrus was built like a bulky mudhorn. He nodded to the women and activated a HoloNet datapad. Tori Vica's bounty poster came up as Vala awaited Mulan's reaction. "Well?" the blonde inquired.
"Well what?" Mulan griped.
"Oh come on!" Vala snapped. "Fifty-thousand credits and all we have to do is kill a Jedi. Think of what Death Watch could do with that extra cash."
"With blood money," Mulan murmured and looked down on them both. "Have you so quickly forgotten our ways and all that we're fighting for? The preservation and resurrection of our warrior past is adorned in honor. An honor of which we must respect. We aren't bounty hunters," Mulan concluded and stepped away.
She was nearly out of the tent when Vala rose to stop her. "And who are you to lecture any of us about honor?" she groused. Mulan paused and glanced over her shoulder as Vala continued. "You stole your mother's beskar and impersonated her to join our ranks."
"Vala Ketra," Mulan scorned and clenched a fist. "You're treading on thin ice. Unless you're challenging me to single combat, you should choose your next words wisely."
Vala was about to engage her further when Evrus held her back. "Whatever," Vala said. "Keep pretending that there's anything honorable about us in this exile. Evrus and I are going after that Jedi with or without you." While Evrus simply walked past Mulan, Vala made sure to aggressively bump shoulders with her.
"Dank farrik," Mulan grumbled as the duo departed. She stormed out on her own path until another Nite Owl approached her. Although Mulan was frustrated, the yellow markings on the woman's helm had her standing at attention. While she wasn't a lieutenant like Bo-Katan, Ursa Wren still held great influence over her peers. As the leader and countess of Clan Wren, she wasn't a warrior to be crossed.
"Something the matter?" Ursa inquired.
Mulan swallowed hard. "Nothing I couldn't handle, ma'am. Vala and Evrus lack discipline."
"And yet you leave them to their fate," Ursa uttered and Mulan froze. "You think that their dishonorable misdoings deserve consequences?"
"Well...no," Mulan stammered. "But...but I-"
Ursa placed a hand on Mulan's armored shoulder. "Nite Owls look after one another," she intoned. "In the brightest and darkest of circumstances. Our true honor and service resides in unity. Look after your warrior brother and sister. I will inform Lady Bo-Katan of your heroism."
Mulan sighed and nobly bowed before Ursa. "Yes ma'am," she obliged and set off into a jog. Vala!" she hollered. "Evrus! Wait up!"
The duo were just about to board a Kom'rk-class Gauntlet transport when Mulan caught up. "I knew you'd change your mind," Vala quipped until Mulan punched her arm.
"I'm just tagging along to make sure you stay out out of trouble," she asserted.
"With how boring things have been on Carlac-" Evrus began. "-I'll take a bit of offworld trouble." As Mulan boarded the ship with them, she glanced back at their camp. Several Mandalorians were gathered by the entrance as Lady Bo-Katan returned. Pre Vizsla was at her side with a pair of strangers.
"I wonder if that's the Bonteri kid Vizsla's been talking about," Mulan considered. She watched as a brown-haired adolescent was escorted alongside a youthful Togruta. "Although, I don't know who she is."
"Who cares," Vala snarked. "Are we getting this bounty or not? Evrus! Full speed to Batuu!"
A modified Porax starfighter drifted through space. Count Dooku's stern-faced hologram flickered from atop its cockpit dashboard as a Duros bounty hunter concluded negotiations. "Consider it done," Cad Bane said with a tip of his hat.
"Will you require any other means to achieve the desired goal?" Dooku inquired.
Bane's scarlet eyes listed towards a delivered projection of Moralo Eval. "No," he insisted. "In my line of work, the means typically present themselves." He ended his transmission with the Sith Lord and observed a bounty posting for Tori Vica. "In the end-" he told himself. "-it just comes down to manipulation. And playing your hand when the time is right."
A bulky craft touched down in Black Spire's spaceport. Its ramp dropped for Latts, Dengar, and Highsinger to disembark. "Now comes the hard part," Dengar grumbled.
"Please," Latts scoffed. "A purple-haired Pantoran scurrying around in a place like this? That Jedi will stick out like horns on a wampa. Let's move."
As the bounty hunters scoured the port, Tori Vica dashed down another alleyway. She bumped shoulders with multiple passersby and gasped when one of them lunged for her. Tori nearly reached for her lightsabers until the overwhelming aroma of wrapped sandwiches took over. "Can I interest you in a Ronto Wrap, my dear?" an elderly vendor proposed. "Best-selling sandwich in all of Batuu!"
"No thank you," Tori blurted and shoved past him.
"You don't know what you're missing!" he hollered as she tried keeping her head down. He chose to make her attire a selling point. "It'll propel your taste buds to new levels of excitement, young Jedi!"
Tori's heart sank as he referred to her as such. Desperate to get off of the street, she ducked into the nearest shop she could find. Shadows overtook the Pantoran as she struggled to catch her breath. What little wind had entered the shop whistled eerily throughout the darkness. Dangling relics chimed as Tori observed an assortment of bizarre artifacts. Ancient helmets and weapons from a variety of cultures were on display. A particular, chromium helmet caught her attention. As she stared into her reflection in its one-way visor, a second figure loomed behind her.
"Truly an iconic piece," a voice computed and Tori spun. "Yet it hails from such a dark time in the galaxy's history." She looked upon an older Ithorian who sported a dark beard beneath his maws. His eyestalks squinted towards Tori and the headgear as he continued. "The blast helmet of a Sith trooper. Old Republic era." He gestured to a statue of an ominously cloaked figure. "Servants to the Dark Lord Revan." Tori shuddered and almost reached for her sabers again. "Don't be afraid," the humble Ithorian said. "The den's currently undergoing refurbishments, but don't let its unkept appearance fool you. I'm always looking to buy new treasures." He glanced at her guard shoto hilts. "I've never seen lightsabers like those before, Jedi."
"They're not for sale," Tori answered sternly.
"Easy," the Ithorian placated. His translating vocoder blipped as he spoke. "I don't drive any hard bargains. Here at the Den of Antiquities, I understand when someone isn't looking to sell. The question is, why are you here then?"
Tori loosened up as the Ithorian spoke softly. "Let's just say I'm in a bit of a bind," she said.
"Who isn't these days?" the Ithorian jested until she stepped out of the shadows. "Oh karabast."
"What?" Tori asked as the Ithorian's eyes wandered. "What?" she blurted.
"You're the one that they're looking for," he said. "I saw your posting while I was out buying garden loaves." Tori's furrowed brows had him pulling up a file on his datapad. "You really have no idea, do you?" He turned the device over to Tori and her blood ran cold. Seeing her image combined with a hefty bounty sum had her heart racing as she stumbled back. She nearly knocked over a display case until the Ithorian steadied her shoulder. "Easy there," he said.
"Don't touch me!" Tori yelped and flailed out of the Ithorian's grasp.
He raised his elongated digits in surrender. "I'm not going to hurt you nor turn you in," he assured. "My name is Dok-Ondar and while I haven't met many Jedi, I have to believe that you have your reasons for stealing from the Hutts. I have no love for those gangsters and the rule they impose over others. Many of my kin have become slaves in their spice mines." Tori slowed her breaths as Dok-Ondar continued. "The bounty posting has you marked for this area, so someone must've traced your crash."
"Embo," Tori muttered under her breath.
"Black Spire's a well-known port connected to multiple hyperspace lanes," Dok-Ondar explained. "Make no mistake, I've seen hunters assemble for less. They'll be coming and you need to-" A sudden shuffling of boots outside had Tori and Dok-Ondar turning their heads.
"What the bloody hell is this place?" Dengar murmured as he and the other hunters approached the shop. "Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities," he read aloud.
"You're an antiquity," Latts jeered before leading the way inside. Highsinger clunked behind her as the trio of hunters made their presences known. Their sinister silhouettes cast creeping shadows towards Dok-Ondar's desk.
"Bright Suns," the Ithorian greeted. "And welcome to my shop, travelers." His eyes listed over each hunter as he observed their weaponry. "Are we looking to buy or sell?"
A smirk formed on Latts' purple lips. "Catch," she corrected. The Theelin strutted up to the counter and ran a finger across it. "Any Jedi come through here?" She peered up at the Ithorian's unwavering gaze. "Pantoran Jedi?"
Dok-Ondar stroked his beard. "Can't say I've seen one," he replied. "Although if I was a Jedi, I'd be hiding out in the woods and trying to use the elements to my advantage."
Latts hummed in deep thought. "Not a bad point, big guy. You've seen the posting too, hm?"
"Who hasn't?" Dok-Ondar mumbled. "The Hutts must really want that girl dead." The Ithorian noticed Dengar leering at him. "Yes?"
"Something you're not telling us?" the hunter asked.
"I'm not a mind reader," Dok-Ondar replied. "Ask fully and I shall answer."
"I've dealt with your kind before, Hammerhead," Dengar berated. "You tree-hugging slug-faces would never put a forest at risk."
"Dengar," Latts snapped while Highsinger observed. "Stand down. We're wasting time."
Dok-Ondar refused to back down, even as Dengar drew his blaster rifle. "You know," he murmured. "It'd be a shame if you were lying." He stepped back and paced about the den. "You've got a lot of neat junk in here," he added before aiming at the Revan statue. The Ithorian flinched as Dengar blasted it to pieces. "Oops," he snarked. He was about to fire on a bundled up wampa pelt when Latts forced his arm down.
"I said...stand down," she growled.
Realizing that his scare tactic wasn't working, Dengar reluctantly obliged. The bounty hunters departed and Dok-Ondar relaxed his shoulders as the door shut behind them. Amidst the ensuing silence and darkness, the wampa pelt started to shift. The Ithorian watched as Tori slid out from under the pelt and caught her breath. "Thank you," she panted having narrowly avoided discovery. She observed the blasted statue and said, "Holy kriff, Dok. They disintegrated Revan."
"Dok-Ondar," the Ithorian corrected. "I'm glad I could help, but you need to leave. They'll be back and worse will follow."
"I never meant to endanger anyone," Tori said. "I'm so sorry."
"I know," Dok-Ondar lamented.
"All I need to do is hold out until Republic aid arrives," Tori explained.
"How long will that take?" the Ithorian considered. "Your best bet would be to escape through the spaceport. I don't know who you can trust, so you'll likely have to stow away." He hobbled towards a passage behind the counter and pressed on a wall-mounted panel. "This back door leads into an alley. From there, it's a straight shot to the spaceport."
"Thank you," Tori said while entering the passageway. "Your kindness is much appreciated."
"Good journey, Jedi." Dok-Ondar said. "Now hurry before they return."
He sealed the door behind her as she staggered out into the alley. Stranded on a new planet and now there are bounty hunters after me, Tori told herself. Fantastic.
She followed Dok-Ondar's directions and crept through the alley. Just when she thought she was making sufficient progress, a set of distinct sniffs had her halting. "Blast," she cursed under her breath and backed up against a wall. Madame Meduza was skulking about the alley. Flanked by two hulking Trandoshans, she scoured the area for Tori. Just when the Pantoran thought she was safe, one of the reptilians raised his head. His orange eyes narrowed as he sniffed profusely.
"Got something?" Meduza inquired. The Trandoshan nodded and started walking towards Tori's position. Unaware of how many other hunters were out there, Tori opted to stay hidden. She hurriedly backed up and raced down the alley's adjacent pathway.
Latts groaned frustratedly as she and her posse scoured the streets for Tori. "I'm telling you," Dengar said. "That Dok guy knew something."
"Shut it," Latts griped. "Every second we wasted in there gave the Jedi a chance to escape. She could be offworld by now. I say we double back to the spaceport or we're never gonna find her."
In that instant, Tori came sprinting out of the alley across from them. She gasped at the bounty hunters and stopped dead in her tracks. "Found her," Dengar quipped as Latts grinned. Rather than open fire, the Theelin withdrew her boa. In a peculiar instance, Tori watched as Latts put on a twirling display. She spun the boa over her head before twisting alongside it. Like a flytrap luring a victim, Latts suddenly dropped her boa entirely. As she did so, she revealed Dengar and Highsinger taking aim. Tori ducked beneath their shots just as one of Meduza's Trandoshans rounded the corner. He hissed in agony as both blasts struck him in the chest.
"What the?" Latts blurted.
"No!" Meduza scorned as one of her servants fell dead. She and the other Trandoshan drew their blasters and opened fire on the bounty hunters. Their infighting caused a panic across the streets of Black Spire. Civilians screamed and fled in droves as the shootout raged on. Betwixt the sparking chaos, Tori slipped into the crowd and bolted alongside them. She could only hope the cacophony wouldn't lure more hunters to her position.
The Legacy soared through Batuu's atmosphere and glided towards Black Spire Outpost. As Admiral Shang oversaw their steady descent, the Deathchasers received a briefing. Watcher's hologram projected several civilian images from the shootout on Batuu.
"Looks like the party started without us," Sergeant Blazer remarked.
"It's madness down there," Watcher explained. "General Dellian, I've instructed Admiral Shang to drop you at a plateau overlooking Black Spire. This will also be your extraction point. Get Tori Vica out of there and bring her home."
"Understood," Anna affirmed and looked to her clones. "We all know what we need to do, brothers. Tori and I go way back. She trusted her parents to contact the Republic and now we need to deliver."
"Ma'am yes ma'am!" her trio of ARF troopers barked in unison.
As the Deathchasers readied themselves by the ventral hatch, they line up for a pre-battle ritual. The Legacy touched down on its designated plateau and the hold was soon bathed in blinding sunlight. As the squad basked in that glow, Anna stepped towards her troops. "Let's go, Blazer!" she roared and knocked on his helmet. "Come on, Sparx!" she hollered and knocked on his as well. "Speedy," she asserted. "Show'em what you're made of!" She gave his helmet a firm pat before dashing ahead of them. "Follow me!"
Tori's pace quickened as the sounds of laserfire erupted from behind her. Highsinger barreled through a stack of crates and took aim...only to be tackled by one of Meduza's Trandoshans. Just when Tori thought she was clear, she noticed a hatted silhouette following her from the rooftops. "Oh come on!" she groaned at Embo. "Not you again!"
"Vowez ni powvi soter!" Embo shouted back at her. While pursuing from above, he readied his bowcaster and fired multiple shots. Tired of just fleeing, Tori sparked up her sabers to repel the blasts. With a single twist, Embo dropped his bowcaster and flung his hat. Rather than strike Tori with it, he aimed for an upper awning which forced her to roll away. The ensuing collapse caused a chain reaction as multiple awnings toppled over.
Tori crawled out of the wreckage with a groan. She peeled the disheveled locks from her face and gasped at the sight before her. The stolen datapad had fallen from her belt and was resting out in the open. Embo's eyes widened and he leapt from the roof to retrieve it. As the Kyuzo did so, he was suddenly met with an unseen burst of energy. Tori angrily Force-pushed him into a wall and recovered the datapad. She stared at the hand she'd used for the Force push and said, "Why don't we do that more often?" Acting on her inquiry, Tori used the Force to fling Embo's hat into him for good measure.
The Kyuzo was far from defeated and became further flustered. He angrily retrieved his hat and pursued Tori back into the street. He followed her towards a market as she tried vanishing in the crowd. "Embo!" an old associate hollered. The Kyuzo peered over to see Latts on the adjacent side of the market. "Long time no see," she said. "I'll flank right. We'll cut her off inside."
"Triz ban," Embo concurred. Both hunters delved into the panicking crowd and aggressively shoved people out of their way. Even vendors fled as they pushed in. A popcorn machine's distinct pops had Embo's head snapping over. He quickly dismissed the sight while Latts moved in from the opposite end. As they narrowed down each table, they both caught a glimpse of Tori dipping into a shop. Latts nodded to Embo as they stealthily moved in. With weapons ready, the duo lunged as a single unit. Doing so caused them to fall directly into Tori's trap.
The Jedi raised her hands as she stood among a plethora of cages. Calling upon the Force, she unlatched every would-be pet and unleashed a multi-species stampede.
"Holy-" was all Latts could say before she and Embo were bombarded. Juvenile fyrnocks pounced at each of their legs. Ribbeting worrts sprung to their arms. Squawking porgs swarmed there bodies from above while baby krykna spiders skittered below. A frantic loth-cat pounced on Embo's head and scraped its claws across his hat. Meanwhile, a babbling Kowakian monkey-lizard tugged at Latt's pigtails. The bounty hunters flailed and wriggled while enduring nature's wrath.
"Get them off!" Latts hissed. "Get them off!" she furiously stomped on spiders and pried the monkey-lizard from her head. "Disgusting little-" she growled and punted it across the street. "Kriffing Jedi!" was all she managed to curse before a convore smacked its wing in her face. Embo ridded himself of the loth cat and realized that Tori had vanished amidst the distraction.
The Pantoran kept running as quickly as she could. Muscle soreness was catching up with her, but she willed herself to press on. As she neared the spaceport, a horrid whirring sounded beside her. By the time she looked over, all Tori could see was a gloved fist rocketing towards her. She endured the propelled punch and went tumbling to the ground. As she did so, a Mandalorian Nite Owl jetpacked beside her and cackled. "Aren't you Jedi supposed to have super reflexes?" Vala snarked and toyed with her prey. "You look tired," she said and readied her pistol. "I can help with that."
Tori's cheek throbbed from Vala's strike. Still, she drove herself to rise and ready her lightsabers. Vala fired and Tori deflected each yellow blast. The steady cadence was short-lived as Evrus rocketed in from beside her. The second Death Watch warrior aimed his rifle and tried to catch Tori off guard. The duo backed her into a corner while Mulan watched from a nearby rooftop. Feeling like she was only there to watch over her fellow warriors, Mulan didn't join the hunt. Instead, she observed as Vala and Evrus closed in.
"She is getting tired!" Vala taunted and jetpacked closer. Tori took a swing, but was forced back on the defensive by Evrus. Vala used the opportunity to kick Tori in the back. "Come on, Jedi! Live up to your legends!" she taunted and holstered her pistol. Tired and furious, Tori swung at the unarmed Vala. The Mandalorian dodged her saber strikes and delivered a series of swift jabs to her gut.
The hits were enough to make Tori involuntarily wheeze and whimper as she fell to her knees. Her lightsabers deactivated and clattered beside her while Vala cackled. She then proceeded to mimic and mock Tori's wheezing sounds. "Pathetic," Vala hissed. Despite how much she'd been through, that word still managed to haunt Tori. From Anna to Krell's bullying...it still left a remorseless sting. Yet no matter how enraged Tori was, she felt exhausted. She couldn't take all of these killers by herself as Vala unsheathed a combat knife. "Let's end this," the Mandalorian said as a blue laser struck her helmet. All were taken aback as Vala's body went tumbling over. She removed her blasted helmet and stared out towards whoever had taken that shot.
The Onasi pistol's smoking barrel extended from the shadows as Sergeant Blazer took aim. A green lightsaber ignited beside him and Anna Dellian stood ready with her troops. They moved up and performed a protective circle around Tori while she recovered her lightsabers. "What...took you so long?" the Pantoran coughed.
"Traffic was terrible," Anna joked and helped her up. "You alright?"
"Finally!" Vala declared and put her helmet back on. "A real challenge." She and Evrus readied themselves for a showdown as Mulan was forced to protect them.
"Deathchasers-" Anna began until she saw Mulan. The warrior's distinct armor took her back to their fateful fight on Mandalore. With a deep breath and racing heart, Anna declared, "Take them!"
Yellow lasers zipped against blue beams as a shootout ensued. Evrus jetpacked overhead and tossed a thermal detonator, but Tori was quick to Force-push it back. The following explosion sent rubble spiraling through the alleyway as the Mandalorians darted through the smoke. Such chaos brought Meduza and more Trandoshans running in from the adjacent corner.
"Got some company on our left!" Sparx hollered and returned fire.
"I don't know how well this extraction's gonna work," Anna said while going back to back with Tori. "We won't make it back to the landing zone with this much heat."
"Wait," Tori snapped. "You're all they sent to rescue me?"
"You're welcome," Anna mumbled while deflecting lasers.
"Do you even have a full plan?"
"You're looking at it!" Anna yelled as Tori sulked.
While the battle raged within Black Spire, Cad Bane quietly observed through a pair of macrobinoculars. He scanned his surroundings from afar, noticed the Republic presence, and chose the ideal time to move in.
"You!" Meduza recalled Anna from the Carlac banquet. As soon as she aimed her blaster, Anna used the Force to pull her coat's hem over her face. "Hey!" Meduza shrieked and flailed her arms. Before she could do anything else, Anna Force-pushed her into one of the Trandoshans. "No wonder Elsa uses the Force more often," Anna mumbled while staring at her hand.
"That's what I'm saying!" Tori quipped.
Suddenly, Vala jetpacked towards Anna and tackled her against a wall.
"General!" Blazer gasped.
"No," Anna grunted while wrestling with Vala. "Get...Tori...out of here! That's an order!" Upon giving her command, Anna ruthlessly elbowed Vala. Her plastoid had very little effect against her foe's beskar, so she kneed her in a gap along the torso. Anna tried slashing as Vala stumbled back, but was fired upon by Mulan.
"I can take this Jedi!" Vala insisted. "Go get the bounty!"
"I'm here to protect you two," Mulan contested. "Not get the-"
"Then protect Evrus!" she pointed towards her companion before enduring a kick from Anna. Evrus jetpacked after Tori and the Deathchasers, who were enroute towards the extraction point.
"We can't just leave the general," Speedy insisted. "One of us should go back for her. We-"
"Look out!" Sparx warned as Evrus fired from above. Lasers rained down upon them while Mulan joined in.
"Get indoors," Blazer ordered. He kicked down the doors to a warehouse and urged the group inside. "Hurry!"
Evrus watched as they fled and recharged his rifle. "We can cut them off from the opposite end," he said. "Come on." While Evrus managed to fly off, Mulan was suddenly trapped by a pair of bolas. The wired and weighted balls caused her to crash into a nearby rooftop and examine her assailant. A blend of black and scarlet hues made up her opponent's jacket. The bounty hunter's intense, brown-eyed stared peeked out from a narrow slit in her helmet.
"Now I knew this bounty was bound to attract a lot of attention-" the hunter began. "-but to even get Death Watch in on this? Now there's a surprise. Do me a favor and stay down." Feeling challenged, Mulan yanked off the bolas and rose to meet the scarlet-clad hunter. Despite all she'd seen in her ventures, Fennec Shand wasn't one to stray from a challenge either. "I'd expect nothing less from a Mandalorian," she remarked over Mulan's courage.
Back in the alley, Anna put some distance between her and Vala. "Shang," she called over comms. "Things are getting dicey. Think you can run a 'Scorching Scoop' for me?"
"A Scorching Scoop?" Shang choked while Anna battled Vala. "Is the zone that hot?"
"It may be our only ticket out of here!" Anna blurted. "Just get into position at our new coordinates. Blazer, did you get that?"
"Copy," Blazer replied while entering the warehouse with Tori and his brothers. "We've sought shelter for now but-" Suddenly, Highsinger's metallic arm punched a hole in the floor and sent Tori falling through the collapsed boards. "Damn it!" Blazer shouted. He and the Deathchasers were about to leap down after her when several footsteps thudded behind them.
Scarlet eyes and a wide-brimmed hat heralded the arrival of Cad Bane. "Good day, soldier boys," he murmured.
As Tori collapsed, she immediately found herself rolling away from Highsinger's stomp. She tried Force-pushing him, but the assassin droid clung to the ground. Dengar moved in from her left and unleashed a series of rapid fire lasers. "Give it up, kid!" he howled. Tori set her sabers to spin and dashed towards Dengar. She managed to slice his rifle before Latts snatched her ankle with her grappling boa. Tori Force-pushed the Theelin in retaliation, letting the boa uncoil from its grip.
Vala was a madwoman, deploying every weapon in her possession against Anna. She ignited her wrist-mounted flamethrower, but the Jedi leapt over and kicked her back. "Hold still!" Vala growled.
As Anna went on the offensive, she listened in when Shang called over comms. "Legacy to Deathchasers. Scorching Scoop underway. Prepare for extraction!"
"That's our cue," Anna called to her team. "Get in position, boys." Her heart sank when the call went unanswered. "Boys?"
Blaster holes lay strewn throughout the darkened warehouse. Singed boards and smashed windows were abundant as Cad Bane lurked about. His smoking, twin blasters searched for the clones he'd unfortunately missed. He'd narrowly avoided their own blasts in the fiery exchange. As Bane examined a fragment of broken glass, Speedy's reflection appeared in the shard. The clone lunged at Bane and tackled him at the torso. Gripping him tightly, he tried pinning him until Bane delivered a fearsome pistol-whipping. Sparx tried moving in to help his dazed brother, but Bane fired to keep him pinned. Amidst such a distraction, Speedy siezed the chance to sweep with his cybernetic legs.
"He's down!" Speedy shouted as Bane fell over. "Move in!"
The Duros' hat went flying off as Blazer emerged from hiding. The collision caused Bane to drop his pistols and the sergeant took aim. The bounty hunter raised his arms in surrender only to have Blazer shoot him with a blue-ringed stun blast. "Now he's down," the sergeant said. "Where's Tori? We've got to make the extraction!"
A pair of blue lightsabers dug a new hole in the floorboards as Tori leapt up. The bounty hunters weren't far behind while she tried to catch her breath. "They're...coming," she panted.
"Get to the roof!" Blazer ordered. While Speedy helped Tori up, Sparx hauled the unconscious Bane over his shoulder. The group rushed out to the structure's sunlit roofing and saw a ship gliding over in the distance. In accordance with a 'Scorching Scoop' the Legacy was flying dangerously low with its ramp lowered in a hostile zone.
"Popping flare!" Speedy declared and fired one into the sky. His signal sent the Hammerhead frigate tilting towards their position.
"Maximize shields," Shang commanded as they prepared for extraction. He'd made a smart call as multiple bounty hunters fired upon the Legacy.
Tori and the Deathchasers scrambled aboard as a clone officer asked. "Where's General Dellian?"
Shang caught a glimpse of Anna's green lightsaber on a rooftop several buildings away. "Straight ahead," he commanded. "Keep us steady."
Anna narrowly evaded Vala's combat knife and shoved her back. Still, Vala persisted and lunged again. As Anna rolled behind her, she sliced her saber across the Mandalorian's jetpack. Having struck crucial components, she triggered an imminent explosion and forced Vala to remove it. By the time the warrior was clear of such a blast, Anna had leapt to her ship's ramp.
"No!" Vala screeched.
"Later," Anna panted and offered a salute as they took off.
Despite her defeat, Vala rejoiced when Evrus jetpacked after the Legacy. "Make them pay!" she roared. "Where's Mulan?"
Mulan and Fennec's skills in martial arts were nearly identical. Every kick, jab, and spin was like fighting against a mirror image. "Not bad, kid." Fennec commented.
Before Mulan could answer, Vala's voice came shouting through her communicator. "Mulan! Where are you? Evrus is making a break for the Republic ship! We can still get'em!" Rather than battle Fennec any further, Mulan chose her people and jetpacked after them.
Evrus was determined to catch the Legacy before it left Batuu's atmosphere. He maximized the thrusters on his jetpack and launched its mounted missile.
"Sir!" an officer alerted Shang on the bridge. "Incoming projectile!"
"Deploy flares," Shang responded. "Where did that come from?" He glanced at ship surveillance monitors and observed the Death Watch warrior. Just seeing Evrus' T-shaped visor was enough to send a frigid chill down Shang's spine. In all of his service, he'd done what he could to forget about his father's murderer. Yet here was another one of those terrorists, surging towards them to commit more violence. Rather than give an order of retaliation, Shang simply said. "Lower the ramp."
"Sir?" an officer worried.
"Lower it!" Shang demanded and departed from the bridge.
The Legacy was nearing Batuu's upper atmosphere as Evrus closed in. Mulan was rocketing behind him and desperately rushing to catch up. Noticing the lowered hatch, Evrus soared in and dropped for a landing. Mulan was about to join Evrus when a blue laser darted through his torso. She froze mid-flight, shocked to see a Republic admiral unloading every charge in his DC-17 pistol. The shots were so precise...that it was as if the shooter had been meticulously planning such a killing against a Mandalorian.
"Evrus!" Mulan haplessly called out as his laser-riddled, smoking body plummeted from the ramp. The admiral stepped forth and stared down Mulan. Shang's eyes were wild with seething rage as Mulan took aim at him. They briefly exchanged laserfire before the Legacy's ramp sealed and it departed into space.
"Did you get them?" Vala's voice sputtered on Mulan's comlink. "Hello? Someone answer me!"
Mulan swallowed hard and prepared herself to deliver the news of Evrus' fate.
As the Legacy made the jump to lightspeed, those aboard recollected themselves. "I...hate...Mandalorians," Anna panted while slouching against the nearest wall.
"Not as much as the admiral," Blazer mumbled and gave her a nudge. They both watched as Shang returned from the closed hatch. His steely gaze had become increasingly stern as he walked to bridge. His still-smoking and nearly overheated pistol swayed at his side.
"You didn't see, did you?" Sparx told Anna. "Admiral Shang killed one of them."
"Has he ever killed before?" Anna inquired as her troopers shrugged. "Like...done the deed himself?"
"Maybe we should talk to him," Speedy suggested.
"I'd give him some time," Anna insisted. "Death Watch killed his father. This is...personal for him." She glanced over at Tori and asked, "How are you holding up?"
"I'm alright," the Pantoran huffed. "Thanks for coming to get me, Anna. Long time no see."
Anna humored her with a smirk, but it quickly subsided. "Say," she began. "Where's Master Sumar?"
Tori bit back a plethora of responses and forced a faint grin. "She's...okay. And that's all you need to know."
"Are...you okay?" Anna asked. "Beyond 'holding up'."
"I will be," Tori assured and plucked Embo's datapad from her belt. "Let's just hope this was all worth it."
"We'll take it to Watcher for analysis," Anna said. "With you back in Republic hands, the Hutts will likely drop that bounty to avoid repercussions. And-" As Anna turned, she nearly shrieked at the sight of Cad Bane sitting across from her. "Holy kriffing hell!" she snapped and sprung to her feet. "Is that who I think it is?"
"Mhm," Speedy said while securing cuffs on the unconscious Duros. "Looks like Bane wanted in on the bounty too."
"But you boys managed to take him down?" Anna lauded. "That's...actually amazing!" Her enthusiasm faltered when the Deathchasers looked at one another. "What?" she questioned.
"The boys and I talked it over," Blazer spoke up. "What if...it was you who nabbed Cad Bane?"
"Wait, what?" Anna sputtered. "Guys, that's not fair. I'm not gonna-"
"Hear us out," Blazer suggested. "This is still the guy who held members of the Galactic Senate hostage. Unlike Moralo Eval, Bane's a well-known terror on Coruscant. If you're the one who's known for bringing him in-"
"Then your view in the public eye will shift," Sparx added. "You'll be a hero again."
"Please, general." Speedy said. Anna nervously bit her lip until Speedy took his helmet off. "Don't make me do 'the face'." he warned. Despite saying such, Speedy still toted his saddest eyes and a rather adorable pout.
"Well that's not fair!" Anna chuckled. "How can I say no to Speedy?"
"That's the point," Blazer teased and wrapped an arm around her. "After all you've done for us, let us do this for you."
With a deep sigh and grateful grin, Anna obliged. As they hauled Cad Bane to the Legacy's brig, Tori was left to her thoughts. She wanted to be as celebratory as her companions, but something felt off. Perhaps Meliz had taught her a technique or two regarding Force empathy, but there was a disturbance in the air. Cad Bane is a notoriously lethal bounty hunter, Tori told herself. He's evaded Republic capture multiple times by setting traps and even faking his death. I remember hearing the story about how he'd squared up against Obi-wan Kenobi and Quinlan Vos. Yet, this trio of clone troopers captured him? Perhaps they are as skilled as Anna boasts they are. Or did Cad Bane want to be caught? Tori dismissed her overthinking with an insurmountable wave of exhaustion. Tired and achy, she made for the Legacy's crew quarters to get some much needed sleep.
Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading this week's chapter! Your support is always appreciated. I'm so happy to share such an epic installment and bring back an OC from one of my older fics as a treat. Vala Ketra was a Mandalorian warrior from my fanfic "The Last Nite Owl"...although she's gotten a personality change here!
Prepare yourselves for twists and turns next Friday, as we take on
Chapter: 85 - The Lies of the Jedi. (Can you see through them?!)
For my Halloween fans out there, happy first day of October! Tune in this Sunday, October 3rd for the premiere of my new Frozen Halloween Special: "HAUNTED ARENDELLE: II". You can even read the original on this site as well! There's always more to look forward to here at GoldenHeart Stories, and I thank you for your support.
Long Live Imagination and May the Force be with You!
~ Michael