The Empire of the Hand | Guardian of the Galaxy

[JavinTye]

The Colonies:  Rachuk Sector:  Commenor System:  Commenor:  Munto

8 Standard Years Prior to the Battle of Yavin



The youth held his gaze steady through the scope, with his right cheek resting against the stock of the weapon.  The long barrel extended ahead of him, but his finger was nowhere near the trigger.  Tonight the weapon was not his tool, but the scope was his eyes.  He could have taken the scope off of the weapon, but in this moment it felt comforting. 

You never know when things might go wrong.

His left hand moved the body of his weapon slightly, searching the area above the building. 

*         *         *

Commenor was a prestigious world, similar in stature to many Core planets, and Munto was one of the major cities on the planet.  It was home to many of the rich and influential citizens, though the city itself was very diverse.  The city proper was built into a valley, while most of the influential members lived in houses built along the terraces across the valley walls.  This gave the affluent the ability to look down upon the city proper, which symbolically matched their actual views.  In a similar fashion, the spaceport had been built in the middle of the valley, both to isolate off-world visitors from the elites and to provide additional security.

Because of the danger posed from vessels traveling to or from the spaceport, and the accompanying noise, all approaching craft descended into the valley from the northwest, and followed a path to the spaceport.  Doing so allowed the buildings on the edge to look down on the visitors, and from inside the vessels it enabled a stunning view of the beautiful terraces on the valley walls.  It also allowed the spaceport extra time to scan each incoming vessel, something the affluent residents viewed as a boon, though the shipping organizations viewed as just another hassle.

Departing vessels continued along the same path southeast from the spaceport through the valley exit before being cleared to turn skyward.  This had created a residential area called "the path" where some of the poorer elements and businesses of Munto were located.  The path rattled as vessels flew through.  Though the buildings were well-shielded for protection from potentially repeated exposure to radiation from the vessels, few residents enjoyed living near the constant noise. 

The penultimate in a series of small turns that ran the length of the valley, this one was no more significant than any others save for tonight with the lone youth and his rifle watching traffic.  Finally his eyes saw the barrel-shaped bridge of the XS-800 Ancient Ruby peek around the corner moving slowly through the turn before beginning to accelerate.  He glimpsed the ramp extending before he lifted his head off the stock, and slipped the strap of the rifle around his shoulder.  He grabbed his pack with his other arm and headed off to the edge of the building. 

The vessel slowed to a crawl as it approached the building.  The final turn in the valley was right after the building, and as such it created a perfect moment for the cautious pilot to slow to a near crawl.  The pilot swung the vessel awkwardly too far and hovered over the building momentarily.  A large man hung by the edge of the ramp, one arm wrapped around a servo, the other extended.  Clad in all black, the youth bounded to the edge of the building and leapt onboard the ramp, running up into the opening, while the vessel righted itself and proceeded out of the valley.  The entrance was shut before the vessel was moving upward and out of the atmosphere of Commenor.

*         *         *

Lavi Achava's burly arm strained and helped pull the youth inside as he scrambled up the ramp.  The youth took a few steps forward toward where Educo Fortiter was waiting, while Achava watched until the entrance chimed, sealed.  Once the ramp was closed, Achava approached the youth from behind and sized up what he could see.

The stranger was taller than both of the crewmen.  While Achava was shorter than the average human, Fortiter was slightly taller, and their guest was taller still.  He had a small pack strapped on his left shoulder, and a rifle slung across his back around his right shoulder.  Both fit neatly behind him.  Over his head was a hood, the same black that the rest of his outfit was.  Even with his gear he was not as bulky as Achava.  Though Achava was shorter than the average human, he more than made up for it in his strength, a source of some pride to the man.

"Well if there was lighting around this stupid turn I wouldn't have missed it!"

The voice of Spes Perennis came from the bridge.  Normally she was not the pilot, but in certain times it made sense for her to fly.  She was more than capable of making that turn properly, but sexism was still rampant in many societies, and playing off her mistake as a hapless female in control of a ship too big for her had been the original plan.  Apparently it was quickly devolving into shouting between her and spaceport control.

"If the lighting was on then you need more!"

The men had spoken briefly about trying to scam a bit more money out of their fare, but at this moment Fortiter paused.  Times had been tough, but the crew had survived by being smart and safe.  This contract had been neither.  A clandestine meeting with their new guest outside the spaceport had led to a contract to be paid half on pick-up, half on delivery, with no questions asked.  He had never even seen the man's face, but the price was considerable.  He starred now into the lower half of his face, visible below the reach of the shadow of the hood he wore.  It was emotionless with a scraggly beard of stubble.  He could tell the man was returning his gaze. 

The visitor dug into his pocket and pulled out a credit chip, expecting a piece of information in return.  Fortiter pointed toward the rear then crooked his finger to the right, indicating where the passenger's quarters were.  Not a word was exchanged before the hooded man tossed the chip toward Educo, and headed toward his quarters.  Achava eyed Fortiter expectantly as the stranger walked by, but the latter merely shrugged and headed toward the bridge. 

"I corrected already!  I'm just trying to leave this stupid planet!"

Three humans at once considered it best they didn't hear the response from spaceport control.

*         *         *

The ship was already safely in hyperspace when a knock came loudly at his door.  A moment later, the door whooshed open at a command from the stranger.  His hood was still on, but his bag sat unopened at the foot of his cot.  His rifle was resting against the near wall, shielded from view of his guest.  Standing on the other side of the doorway was the last member of the crew he had yet to meet in person.  The third human of the crew, Perennis was almost as tall as Fortiter, with long straight hair that was light, matching her pale skin.  She was of average build, but her soft eyes, charming smile, and pretty face melted most hearts. 

"The crew was supposed to talk to you, but in the excitement...." Her voice trailed off as she chuckled softly.  Normally the resulting smile weakened the resolve of men. 

Perennis had not expected the lack of reaction, but pressed on undeterred, "The arrangement that was set up may not be sufficient if there are details we were not told that we need to know."  Again, the figure did not move.  It felt like the quiet grew even deeper, penetrating her mind. 

Finally after nearly a minute, an even more exasperated Perennis broke the silence once more, "Look, that taller man out there, Educo, is my husband.  The short headstrong tank of a human is his best friend, Lavi, and he's always looked out for me as well.  We keep our heads out of trouble.  If you did something back there, and it's going to endanger us, I need to know now, so we can figure out how to finish this and get the rest of our payment!"

At this point his silence had become downright palpable, sending a chill down her spine and turning her skin clammy.  It was not a reaction she was used to feeling.  She was the diplomatic member of the crew, used to resolving disputes, and convincing hostile parties to play nicely.  Educo was the tactician, and Lavi was the muscle.  Together they had managed to avoid any many major confrontations, and successfully eked out a life in the Colonies and beyond.  That life depended on never taking on too much risk.

Her voice was barely a whisper, "What are you running from?  What did you do?" and she paused for half a beat, and finally asked, "Where do you want us to drop you?"

She waited for a couple moments with held breath, more than a little unnerved by the situation now.  She wanted nothing more than to be rid of him.  This visitor could be dangerous, and he could upend their entire existence. 

"Where are you headed?"  She visibly jumped when his deep gravelly voice broke the quiet. 

She didn't know it yet, but she was right on both counts. 

[JavinTye]

The Mid Rim:  Bright Jewel Cluster:  Bright Jewel System:  Ord Mantell

8 Standard Years Prior to the Battle of Yavin



Four jumps through hyperspace would have been sufficient to follow standard routes from Commenor to Ord Mantell, but Perennis had insisted on a lengthier route.  Two extra jumps had taken them toward the Outer Rim then approached Ord Mantell from the opposite side.  None of the crew it would be sufficient countermeasures were anyone actively pursuing them, but after their second jump the Ancient Ruby had become the Ocean Sapphire and was now the Onyx Ghost.

Fortiter had booked their next meeting while on Commenor through one of his contacts.  He had assumed they would need time to drop off their current guest, but Perennis' conversation with the man - if a handful of words could be considered a conversation - had freed up more time in their schedule.  It had also made the trip seem more necessary.  The crew had taken to a different sleep schedule, splitting waking time between Achava, Perennis, and Fortiter.  Two of them were up at any given time, though their guest never left his quarters.

They were accepted into Ord Mantell's line of traffic without any delay, and Perennis pulled Achava into the lounge to discuss their plans while Fortiter took the craft down toward the surface.  He had first filled her in previously.  She sat down in one chair with her back to the corridor to the bridge.  She grabbed a datapad and began scrolling across some information.

"As you know we're supposed to deliver an item to Gyndine."  Achava nodded while Perennis continued.  "Here's what we can infer from pickup.  Buyer and seller wanted a neutral site for the exchange.  More than likely this item is the property of some government and/or the seller is a government official and the buyer did not feel comfortable getting on that world."  

Perennis paused clearly upset at some of the unanswered questions.  "If the item is that hot we have to be careful.  Supposedly this is a piece of tech, capable of generating sound waves to disrupt the internal mechanics of a device.  So when it's onboard, don't zap anything you care about."  Her comment was intended to be amusing and though both were too nervous to chuckle, it still lightened the mood.  The vessel"s movement changed as it slowed in the final approach to the spaceport.

"We're meeting north of the spaceport at Worlport all the way over on Ten Mile Plateau."  She rattled off some coordinates and projected an area from the datapad.  "We will be isolated.  We were given 100,000 credits."  She didn't mention her initial thoughts.  Any buyer who authorized that much funding, would spend more in bounties to kill them if they cheated him.  "We see the device in action, approve the transfer, deliver the item to Gyndine, receive our remaining 25,000 credits, and go our merry way to our next destination."  

The numbers were impressive, and spoke to why Fortiter had accepted the mission.  The added bonus was their guest was apparently departing on Ord Mantell and that set the crew more at ease than the financial payoff.  They had worked together for a long time, splitting money four ways, with the fourth split going to ship maintenance and repairs, which set Achava's mind rolling on the math.

25k plus the 5k we got upfront, and the 10k from that creep, plus the remaining 10k on dropping him off, and that's 12 and a half k for each of us from that trip to Commenor.

Perennis overcame her nerves and smiled in spite of herself.  She turned off the datapad as the vessel switched to repulsorlifts and lowered to the ground.  The smile vanished instantly as the stranger stepped out from the dim corridor.  His stride did not falter as the vessel touched down, and he stopped near the exit.  His left hand fished into his pocket and both Perennis and Achava tensed, but he pulled out a credit chip and tossed it to Perennis.  He turned to face the exit and his right hand paused at the security panel stopping him from exiting the vessel.  

"Sometimes we don't want people leaving."  Perennis calmly stood, walked to the panel, and punched in a code rapidly which opened the ramp.  She imagined his eyes peering at her from under the hood, but she didn't meet his gaze.  He bowed slightly, turned, and strode off the ramp.  

[JavinTye]

The Mid Rim:  Bright Jewel Cluster:  Bright Jewel System:  Ord Mantell:  Ten Mile Plateau

8 Standard Years Prior to the Battle of Yavin



"One crisis down, one to go."  Achava's boisterous nature was back with the stranger's departure.  The three friends were riding on the back of their landspeeder.  The rental had been cheap, and served their purposes, but would not take them all the way to their destination.  A few klicks outside of the area they left the landspeeder and took the rest by foot.  The plateau was arid and rocky, but the time passed by uneventfully.  Their datapad had synced with local information and they were near enough to the point specified for the exchange.  That was obvious by the cluster of individuals in the distance.

All three members of the crew were armed with blaster pistols and smaller weapons.  Achava sported a heavy rifle slung around his neck as well as a pistol on his side.  He fingered the trigger guard idly while the group traveled in the direction of their counterparts.  When they were close to each other Perennis began to speak, but Achava's mind was elsewhere.

The area around them contained a few pieces of available cover should things turn bad.  Achava didn't think it was likely, but in situations like this, that was his job.  The seller had brought bodyguards, seven of them visible.  Depending on any other forces, the few large rock formations might provide sufficient cover.  One was relatively nearby on the left, another was further up the way on the right, but there were a few others they might use as well.

The seven mercenaries ? they had to be mercenaries ? had a combination of light and heavy weaponry in their hands.  Their clothing was casual.  Their eyes were locked on the crew, very clearly each had their own assigned targets, but their muzzles were still pointed at the ground.  Each were a few meters behind the seller, three flanking to either side, with one close behind.  Achava stayed behind Perennis and to the right, while Fortiter was on the left.  

Something about this is off.

*         *         *

Perennis had a similar feeling as the mercenaries approached, flanking behind the apparent seller, but turning and running didn't seem like a great option, so she continued on undaunted with their transaction.  She was barely a meter from the seller when she spoke.

"Hello, Dr. Johannes, I am here to arrange delivery of an item to Mr. Andreas."

The seller's eyes narrowed slightly, but he reached into his coat and pulled out a small metallic cylinder with a button on top and assorted dials on the side.

"Where is Andreas?"  The supposed Dr. Johannes asked sharply in a high-pitched voice.  Perennis doubted that was his real name, and questioned the validity of the title.  

"Andreas is not here.  We are here to complete the transaction, we have the money, we just need a demonstration of the device," but Perennis never got to complete the sentence as Johannes cut her off.

"This is unacceptable!  Contact Andreas, get him here now!"  His voice was higher in pitch now and anxious.

*         *         *

Fortiter was a somewhat nervous now.  Many deals had been blown by bringing in new people at deal time.  He was surprised "Andreas" had not told "Johannes" there would be an intermediary.  The deal was worsening by the minute.  

Something is not right here.

His brain tried to piece through the puzzle he was facing, but the pieces didn't seem to fit.  

"We can't contact Andreas.  Demonstrate the device, take the money, and we can part company."

Fortiter glanced at the conversation going back and forth between "Johannes" and Perennis.  He loved his wife dearly, and more than once had thought about protecting her in their work, but she usually chastised him when he tried.

"You married a wild one, that's not going to change."  She had smiled to him during their first mission after getting married.

Still in moments like this he couldn't help but worry about what would happen if he lost her.

"Fine, I will demonstrate the device, did you bring what I told you to bring?"  Johannes' voice had calmed slightly, a good sign for the meeting.

The bodyguards are all humans.  That's odd.

*         *         *

At the very same moment Achava was noticing the same thing.  Rarely were mercenary crews xenophobic.  They hired whomever they could, and filled in the gaps with whomever they could whenever they lost guys.  

Perennis pulled out the small sensor device and activated it before tossing it on the floor.  The device was a simple sensor mine without the ordinance.  Johannes eyed the device, adjusted a dial on the side of the cylinder, and flicked the switch.  Nothing seemed to happen but his eyes were fixed on the device.

Achava's mind half watched the demonstration, but he was thinking through a different problem.

If "Johannes" is an important Imperial, and these are his bodyguards from his homeworld it might make sense that they were all human, but an Imperial wouldn't bring his bodyguards with him on a traitorous mission.

The light on the sensor extinguished.  

"It's ingenious.  Lightsabers use a containment field to keep their plasma in place.  Any sound wave device loses power as distance increases because the waves expand.  I created a containment field to trap those waves, continually reflect them inward, reinforcing the blast.  It can focus to a point 1 centimeter in width, or expand to as wide as 30 centimeters.  The field can extend to a distance of 3 meters.  Anything outside that distance will suffer from the same diminished power problem as any sound wave device."  Johannes was rambling now about his invention in a more even tone.  

If those aren't bodyguards from his world, he would've hired them here.  But he wouldn't have found a crew of seven humans here.  If he's extremely xenophobic maybe he hired seven separate humans, but that's an awful lot of work.  And these guys scream unit.

*         *         *

Perennis shifted her weight toward her right.  The nearest rocky outcropping was in the other direction and she was already thinking about being able to throw her weight in a direction to gain momentum quickly.

"Now call Andreas, I have shown you the device."  Johannes had assumed Andreas would be free to come now that the device had been shown.  The delusion had bought them a minute of time, but no more than that.

"Dr. Johannes, Mr. Andreas is not on this world as far as I am aware.  I am authorized to transfer the money to your account.  My orders are to pick up the device for Mr. Andreas and await further instructions for delivery."  The last part of the comment was a lie, but Perennis did not want Johannes to think he could pursue Andreas without them.

"That is unacceptable!"  His voice had once more risen to almost a shriek.  Perennis knew the situation was about to unravel.  

*         *         *

Fortiter tensed as Johannes pointed the cylinder at Perennis.  She tried to de-escalate the situation as best she could, while Fortiter focused on where they would go once this went bad.  "Dr. Johannes, please, there's no need to threaten any violence."

Rocky outcropping to the left.  Lavi won't make it in time.  Spes might.  There's one to the right for Lavi.

Johannes cut her off once more, "Do you know what this device will do to you?  It'll throw your heart out of rhythm.  You will experience the worst heart attack in history.  Point it at your brain and I can fry the synapses and cause a seizure."

Get down and lay cover fire for Lavi so he can grab a position to the right.  Seven hostiles here but there could be reinforcements elsewhere.

And that moment is when the situation dawned on him.

*         *         *

Achava was very protective of his friends, and the threat to Perennis was more than he could take.  

"It took you a good seven seconds to disable that sensor.  Before you'd be able to hurt her, I'd blast you so full of holes, it'd be easier to inventory what parts of your body weren't gone than what parts were."

The comment seemed to break Johannes from his shrill revelry over his device and he snapped his gaze to Ahava.  

"Oh?  Really?  You feel so much in control don't you?"  His cackle was disturbing, as if mentally he were unraveling.  Then his high-pitched voice took on an eerie calm as he began speaking to no one at all.  "Snipers shoot them!"

*         *         *

Perennis froze at the comment.  Even with only two of them out in the distance they would be pinned down.  The long-range weaponry could trap them in a position where they could not use the rocks to protect them from the mercenaries.

"Dr. Johannes, please, take the money, we can walk away, and you can go find Andreas.  We will tell you whatever you need to know.  There's no need for this situation to escalate."

But Johannes was still speaking to himself.  "Snipers?  Report?  Hello?"  His voice was becoming more rattled by the second.  

*         *         *

Fortiter was expecting a target on his chest and silently thanked whatever god he owed for this good fortune that something was hindering Johannes' ability to communicate with his snipers.  

He could tell Johannes was actually not an Imperial agent.  Whether he was a scientist that had been turned, or just helped the Imperials setup their buyer was inconsequential.  This was an ambush for Andreas, a fake name attached to a man no member of the crew had ever, or likely would ever meet.  The device was bait.  They were trapped.

Johannes turned toward the Agent before and off to the side of him.  "Well there's seven of you!"  He began to move toward him, toward Fortiter's side though further away from the crew.  "Shouldn't you sho-"

His words were interrupted as a large bolt exploded through the back of his neck, continuing through the gap between Achava and Perennis.  The blast completely severed Johannes' head from his body.  The force of the energy impacting him, transferring into both pieces; his body fell backward and crumpled and his head launched upward, spinning end over end.  It landed off to the right of Perennis.  

The world paused for a moment, as the closest Agent's eyes widened in surprise and shock.  He had little time to issue a command as the next bolt left a smoldering hole where his chest once was.

Then chaos broke loose.

*         *         *

Achava was moving at the first shot, bounding to the right.  He could get uphill, to a flanking position outside the right-most Agent, behind a small rocky outcropping.  If Fortiter and Perennis could get to the larger formation to the left, they could trap the remaining agents in the middle.  He glanced over after the second shot, and saw his friends bounding to the left as blaster fire erupted filling the area.  

The agents were also scurrying for cover.  Three on his side had found a large rock to hide near and the other side had a group of two and a single Agent behind another rock, but they weren't putting the rock between Achava and them.

They're hiding from the sniper.  Those shots came from behind them.

He smiled.  The Imperials were trapped.  If they blocked his angle, they were wide open to the sniper.  Right now they were more afraid of the sniper.  Achava and Fortiter both leaned around their cover to let loose a short blast.  Fortiter's missed, but Achava hit his target twice.  Perennis followed Fortiter's blasts and struck where Fortiter had missed.  Two more agents were down.  One of agents on Achava's side tried to sneak around the rock, and the whine of the high powered rifle struck him down.  

The fight was over in less than a minute, with only a singe on one of Perennis' legs.

*         *         *

Once the last agent was down Fortiter headed to Johannes' corpse and dug out the ear com piece that had been used in the mission.  He spoke into it clearly, "Whoever you are, thank you."

He rifled through the remainder of Johannes' pockets before speaking to his crew, "Let's take their identification, weapons, and anything else of value.  We need a plan to move their bodies and a place to torch them.  Quickly.  They probably have backup and we won't have much time."  He grabbed the cylinder from Johannes' hand and thought about the best way to move the bodies.  He pocketed the com device.

Out in the distance he heard the whine of an approaching landspeeder.  The area was not often traversed, so Fortiter initially worried about backup, but the craft was dragging something behind it.

Three somethings.

Achava grabbed for his rifle and backed toward cover, but Fortiter raised his arm and placed it across his friend's chest.  

As the speeder approached he could see the hooded stranger driving with his rifle in the back of the vehicle.  

Along with three other rifles.  Guess that's what's left of their sniper team.

The thought was initially extremely cavalier, but as the seconds went by his blood ran cold.  This stranger snuck up on three different snipers and executed them, before killing at least three of the remaining eight men they faced on the plateau.  

And he saved all of our lives.

Fortiter spoke fast.  "You take the bodies west and torch them.  We'll walk to our landspeeder.  It's a few kilometers south from here.  We'll meet back at the ship."

The stranger reached across to his passenger seat, and threw a length of fibra-rope to Fortiter.

[JavinTye]

The Mid Rim:  Bright Jewel Cluster:  Bright Jewel System:  Old Mantell:  Worlport

8 Standard Years Prior to the Battle of Yavin



The three friends were onboard taking stock of what had happened. 

"He's dark."  Perennis said.  The diplomat in her did not trust him and she felt more than just a little worried about this stranger.

"He saved our lives!"  Fortiter countered to his wife.  Perennis knew when Fortiter said ?our lives' he meant her life. 

"I had it covered."  Achava's behavior was back to normal, but he was a couple glasses of Corellian whiskey in already.  "He did make it easier though."  The allowance from Achava was particularly generous, he felt.

The debate continued briskly for a few more minutes until the ship's alarm buzzer sounded.  Fortiter punched in a few buttons into the computer in the middle of their table and the ship's computer projected an image outside the ramp.  Their guest was standing outside the door, with his hand hovering near the panel to enter.  His fingers were curled as if to punch a code in, but he hesitated and curled his hand back and set it by his side.

Fortiter looked at his wife and knew she supported his decision, even if she disagreed.  He punched in the code to open the door.  The stranger walked in, with his pack and his rifle both slung the same way they were when he first arrived, cause a momentary de ja vu for the captain.

Fortiter gestured to the table where a fourth chair was arranged.  All three members of the crew were in some way facing the fourth chair.  The stranger walked toward the chair and sat down, leaning his head down, so his hood covered more of his face.  He rested his elbows on the armrests. 

"We owe you a debt of gratitude," Fortiter began.  It had been a lively few minutes discussing what they should do, and while they did not agree, they all accepted this as a smart choice of action.  "You saved our lives.  Because of your actions, we came into a monetary windfall, and we'd like to pay you your share.  20k."  Fortiter pulled a credit chip from his lap and spun it in his fingers before extending it in the direction of the stranger.

It was a generous offer.  The stranger breathed deeply before nodding slowly andtaking it from Fortiter's outstretched hand.  Achava drunkenly blurted out, "No thank you?  You think you deserve more than that?"

Fortiter's eyes narrowed watching the scene play out, bouncing his gaze from Achava to the stranger.  Achava was a strong fighter, but the stranger had killed six men today.  No one wanted to see this escalate to violence.  Achava was getting itchy to test their guest.

It was that moment that the gravelly deep and quiet voice of the stranger was first heard by Achava and Fortiter.  "No." 

The anger in Achava's voice drained from his face at the surprise of hearing from their guest and even Fortiter paused. 

"I want to join your ship."  The declaration from the guest caused Achava's shoulders to sink down and he was the first to respond, before even Perennis could object.  "No.  No, no, no, no, no, no."  Fortiter chuckled against his better judgment but his eyes looked over to Perennis who was deep in thought.  The comment had obviously changed her perception of the stranger and she was squinting and gazing downward as she considered the new information.  Achava was busy reciting how long the crew had been together and how little they wanted a new passenger, but finally her eyes looked up and met Fortiter's.  She pursed her lips expressing her conflicted feelings, but ultimately nodded slightly.

Fortiter took that moment to speak, "We're a family here."  His pause gathered a nod from Achava who tried to speak once more but Fortiter cut him off.  "Lavi over there is like a brother to me, and has protected my wife on many occasions."  The burly man visibly swelled with pride.  "But in this case, I think he forgot a few years ago, when he was just a stranger himself."

Achava looked confused as Fortiter motioned him to remain calm.  "You can stay with us, work with us, and maybe earn a place with us.  But not as a stranger.  If you want to join us, you have to trust us with who you are, before we can trust you."

The man breathed deep before reaching his hands up to pull back both sides of his hood at once.  His face was tight, his hair was somewhere between blonde and brown, but cut short and offset against his jade-green eyes. 

"My name is Adir Dror."

The computer buzzed as Worlport control had granted them clearance to depart.  Fortiter reached over a punched a few commands in.  The vessel's engines powered up, and he got up to walk toward the bridge.  The conversation behind him quietly continued, and he stopped before leaving the room. 

"Welcome to the Grey Infinity, Adir.  That's the real name of the ship by the way."  Fortiter turned and continued toward the bridge.

[JavinTye]

Outer Rim Territories:  Brema Sector:  Sullust System:  Sullust:  Tunnels

5 Standard Years before the Battle of Yavin



The Sullustan chirped something and looked to the black protocol droid by his side.  "Master N- oh dear, yes well he says the delivery of both himself and his translator - oh, that' s me! - to the destination must be secretive.  They must not even know we are departing.  He will pay thirty thousand credits upon delivery."

Perennis' attention remained fixed on the Sullustan while the droid spoke.  In times of bargaining with species that raised language barriers, it was polite to pay attention to the actual speaker and not the droid conveying the message, but it also allowed for Perennis to read the smaller Sullustan's body language.

A moment after the droid finished speaking Perennis responded.  "I' m going to have to burn a false identity here, create a headache for myself if I ever come back to this volcano, and potentially piss off the Empire since SoroSuub is in bed with them.  Let's not even discuss how much of a hassle that' ll add to our trip if they decide to send a half dozen Star Destroyers to chase us.  Sixty thousand credits and I want forty thousand up front."  The droid turned awkwardly to face the Sullustan and began to relate the message into Sullustese.

Achava was already bored of the discussion.  He was there for security in a situation where the term was meaningless.  Their potential passenger was alone beyond the droid.  He was shorter than Perennis, pinkish gray-skinned, with the standard dewflaps and large ears of his race.  In essence, he looked like any other Sullustan.  Achava had little enough experience with the race to make any estimations of age or even to recognize the features required to pick this Sullustan out of a crowd.  

He had initially examined the area for signs of a trap or other dangers, and after that there was little else he could do beyond stay ready.  They weren't likely to survive any trap, at best they could make it painful for their enemies.  They were underground for protection from the heat on Sullust's surface, and the number and length of passages meant any number of unknown assailants could ambush them at any point.  

Another round and a half of communication had passed before Perennis responded once more to the Sullustan.  "We can take forty-five thousand, but we need fifteen thousand up front for costs of launch and sunk cost in leaving Sullust."  The Sullustan's eyes narrowed slightly and his lips pursed as Perennis spoke.  He clearly understood Galactic Basic and was pondering the offer.  The protocol droid turned to face him and relay the message, but before he could the Sullustan's head bounced up and down causing his jowls to shake slightly.  

Perennis smiled.  "Meet us tomorrow with the money."

*         *         *

Dror was still often a recluse, though the crew had come to expect it.  He never introduced himself to potential clients, and rarely left the ship in ports with the crew.  Many times they knew he had gone out on his own separately, but even those trips were brief.  Mostly he stayed onboard, trained, and stayed out of everyone's way.  Even on their missions, Dror was often separated from the team.  

Except for when missions are planned.

Fortiter had been the one to insist on it for multiple reasons.  The entire crew had always taken part in the process, and fitting Dror in required that, no matter how many times he had saved them.  Dror's skills in stealth enabled him to be more effective coming from where he was unexpected, and he needed to see the entire map to plan his positioning.  He also seemed to possess an innate ability to see potential flaws against a myriad of potential enemy positions.  

Maybe it's not innate.  Maybe it's training.

It was not the first time Fortiter had wondered about Dror's background.  While Dror was not talkative during these sessions, and still often wore his hood, he tended to offer crisp suggestions to improve the plan.  More often than not they were implemented.  In this case though there would be little for him.

"We could store our friend in the shielded bays, but they'll notice if they scan us closely.  SoroSuub's people are pretty good.  So we're just going to have to make a clean break for it.  We won't know how hot this guy is, or where he's going until we're out of the atmosphere and we try to figure this out."

Most of this conversation was unnecessary.  Achava and Dror weren't pilots by nature, and Perennis' skills were mostly developed from the few times she was required to pilot.  It was routine though to keep everyone informed.  "I've already looked at our scans coming in, there's a sizeable fleet in orbit, so finding an exit may be difficult."  

He punched a few buttons and a galaxy map appeared.  "Our passenger told us our destination would be Core-ward, so we're going to take a jump toward the Rim, probably aim for around Clak'dor," his finger pointed toward the blip on the map, "And then circle around to Kabal, Sanrafsix, Enarc, and then New Cov, where we'll catch the Corellia run toward the Core.  It's a long ride, but considering we're getting forty-five thousand to transport someone, it' s probably best to be safe."  The contract was enormous, and whenever they were overpaid, the crew became worried about the details.  

The proximity alarm beeped and Fortiter punched in new commands as the holographic galaxy display vanished and was replaced by an image of a Sullustan and a black protocol droid walking toward the vessel's ramp.  Once they reached it, Fortiter punched in yet another command, and the doorway opened.  Their new guest said nothing, but handed a small credit chip to Fortiter, who gestured for him to follow the captain to the bridge in the front of the vessel.

[JavinTye]

Outer Rim Territories:  Brema Sector:  Sullust System:  Sullust:  Tunnels

5 Standard Years Prior to the Battle of Yavin



The Grey Infinity was parked in one of the many shielded caves across the planet's surface.  The numerous caves provided ample areas for groups to hide.  Because of this, unlike most planets, Sullustan Control did little to grant permissions for vessels to leave, but rather they tracked, scanned, and tasked fighters to check out departing ships.  There were assigned warships to patrol sectors to assist in this process.

The entire crew was on the bridge running pre-flight diagnostics.  The Sullustan had strapped himself into one of the visitor chairs in the back of the bridge and his protocol droid was trying to find a way to sit properly in the chair next to him.

"Navigation is up and running, just waiting for our friend to give us a destination and we'll plot coordinates and jump."  Perennis turned to face Fortiter after she spoke.  They both knew they wouldn't care where the Sullustan would say, they were going in the opposite direction.

"Weapons ready."  Achava chimed in.  Dror was near him helping with the weaponry controls and studying the combat scanners.  Though they didn't want a fight, if it got desperate they would try to blast a hole large enough for them to run through.

"Then let's get going."  Fortiter said to himself as he fired up the thrusters and the ship lifted up onto repulsorlifts.  Moments later the engines kicked on and the vessel pushed forward out of the cave.

"Incoming hail from Sullust Control - I'll take it."  Perennis flipped open the channel.

"Natural Amber this is Sullust Defense Platform 13D, please pull to the flight path we are transmitting for routine scanning."  The voice on the other end was mechanical and clearly not Sullustan.

Perennis muted her microphone before turning her chair to face the rest of the crew, but the first voice to speak was the Sullustan in the back.  "He says that they may be looking for him and you might consider not following their orders."  The Sullustan screamed angrily at the droid in Sullustese before the droid spoke again, "He wishes me to convey vehemently that his previous comment was not a suggestion."

It was Dror who spoke next, calmly with his gravelly deep voice.  "Stay on the path.  If we divert early they can bring vessels from around the planet to converge on us.  Once we're near the platform, we've narrowed the field down, even if we are closer to their guns."

It was a risky call, but it was the same one Fortiter had been considering.  Running along the surface would allow the defense forces to call in starfighters - faster than the Infinity - and allow cruisers to penetrate the atmosphere to chase them.  If the defense forces knew which vessel their guest was on, then the enemy would be converging on them anyways.  If they didn't know which vessel he was on, they would scan every vessel and until they had completed that, no extra activity would be undertaken.  

At least that's the plan.  Once they see our new crew member though, they're going to come after us.

"Agreed."  The vessel shifted in direction as Fortiter followed the path transmitted to his screen.  As the Infinity closed on the edges of the upper atmosphere a flight of TIE Fighters arrived from space and maneuvered behind the freighter as an escort.  They broke through the upper atmosphere with their escort in a diamond formation behind them.  Fortiter was not maxing out his speed, and he knew the TIE Fighters were also forced to slow down to stay behind him.

"We're almost in range of detailed scans."  Fortiter spoke, his tone growing a bit terse.  Once they were scanned, they had to break off and run, but he needed a plan first.

They were down to almost seventy-five kilometers from the platform when Dror finally spoke, "Exiting atmosphere at Mike, 13, November."  Dror was most familiar using a three dimensional plane to describe their position.  Most starship computers offered this option, with arbitrary positioning of the origin in each system.  Military organizations often required a synced set of planetary navigation data to facilitate sharing telemetry and coordinating attacks, but in the case of unexplored worlds they would merely overlay the grid and update the system.  In contrast, many freighters and starfighter pilots often used relativistic positioning when engaging enemies but Dror saw outside of just the Infinity.  He saw the entire system.  

"I've got a Dauntless-class heavy cruiser holding station at the edge of the gravity well in Indigo, 18, Indigo, a Hornet Carrier at Romeo, 18, Romeo, and some smaller corvettes and gunships with it."  Each position was already noted on Fortiter's screen but Dror's details from the scanning made the image more understandable than a collection of dots.  "Assorted platforms from Lima, 15, Lima to Oscar, 15, Oscar.  Can't tell which are military. Plenty of starfighters in the distance to avoid.  Head toward..."  The pause was exasperating for Fortiter who was watching the distance shrink between the platform and the Infinity.  "Call it Juliett, 18, Kilo.  Run up to the Dauntless before we cut around it and block the Corvettes on the other side.  Exit out Hotel, 19, Juliett.  Watch the Liberator-cruiser coming from around Foxtrot, 12, Papa."

The vessel's engines roared to full power as Fortiter began to maneuver.  "Got the coordinates.  Spes calculate a jump from around there.  Give me a point to reach and I'll get us clear."  The Sullustan in the back started yelling something as the vessel swung to the side, but Fortiter was too busy trying to maneuver toward a location while evading his now-hostile escort.  

Fortiter had noticed that in serious moments, Dror was prone to using humor.  Pressure seemed to relax him into a more social persona. So he smiled inwardly and asked Dror, "What's the DHC named?"

"The ... oh come on that's just gibberish."  Dror said exasperatedly.  Fortiter laughed despite the danger.

"Sirs if I may, that vessel is named the Grandeur of Serres Sarrano.  It is a well known and respected vessel in service of the Sullustan naval defense forces."  Came the helpful voice of the protocol droid in the back of the bridge.

"Tagging the DHC as the Who Cares."  Dror's sarcasm brought a chuckle from Achava.

Two near misses of green energy flew past the vessel from one of their escorting TIE Fighters and snapped the bridge from their banter.  "Lavi do something about those kriffing TIEs!"  Perennis was busy handling a response from the defense platform, and the protocol droid began to try to translate the Sullustan, but the response fed into the background noise as the chatter of the bridge grew.

"Ain't easy to nail those buggers with you driving this barge like you're a dozen drinks in!"  Achava was focused on the screen controlling one of the quad laser cannons on the vessel.  Dror had control of the other while Fortiter had access to the proton torpedo tubes in the bow.  Achava and Dror could both take command of those tubes, but neither often did.

A small electrical discharge appeared as Achava struck a fighter on the joint connecting a wing to the cockpit.  It spun out of control out into the distance and there was one less fighter trying to chase them.  

"I've only seen Educo have five drinks so far today.  That's a pretty normal handicap for us.  You might be getting old Lavi."  Achava grunted next to him before Dror continued.  "I've got the remaining 8 fighters from our escort squadron approaching from Lima, 15, Lima.  Gunships and Corvettes on intercept already speeding up.  Dauntless also moving to intercept."  Dror's focus went back to his quad laser cannon and he was rewarded by striking yet another TIE Fighter, the last of the initial four, mere moments before the remaining eight from the squadron patrolling the platform arrived.

"In Lavi's defense, I snuck a few in while you were gone Adir."  Fortiter was too focused to see his wife roll her eyes at his comment.  "We're midway through Bravo - about to execute the undercut."  The Dauntless was facing toward their intended sector.  While Fortiter couldn't travel in a straight line and dodge incoming fire, he had maintained a consistent path so the Dauntless would know where they were headed.  

Once the Infinity was in range of the much larger vessel's guns, Fortiter pushed the yolk forward and the freighter plunged straight downward.  Some of their pursuers continued on the same plane preparing to loop back around to pursue, but at least four fighters were still on their tail following the dive.

Not my problem.  Lavi and Adir have to handle them.  I gotta get us to the jump point.

Once he had extended low enough he pushed forward hard, snapping the nose up facing the direction they had come from then quickly yanking the stick hard to the right.  They were flying upside down relative to their previous orientation, below the Dauntless Cruiser.  They were still outside of the range of the limited number of guns it carried underneath it.  The Dauntless' captain tried to orient her bow to chase or at least bring her heavy guns to bear on the now escaping freighter, as it looped around the larger vessel and continued moving out of the system.  

The Sullustan shouted something which was translated by his protocol droid.  "Master Nom - Oh blast! - Sorry sir, these covert actions are straining my processor. He says we seem to be headed toward a jump to the Rim.  He insists we head toward the Core!"  The protocol droid blabbered as Fortiter once again put the vessel into a tight turn aimed at righting them toward his destination.

"Well Nom will have to deal with this.  I'll explain it later, but now it's not up for debate!"  Fortiter shouted as the vessel was rocked.  He wasn't sure if Nom was the Sullustan's first or last name but at this point it didn't matter.

"Shields are barely holding."  Perennis checked in with the status report.  

"Corvettes and Gunships are blocked by the Dauntless while it turns.  Should be enough for us to get out of here."  Dror said stoically but his monitor beeped a new contact that made him take his eyes off the gunner viewscreen.  

"Liberator coming in fast now at Hotel, 14, November and it has a ton of fighters pushing toward us."  Dror took his unhappiness out on a TIE Fighter that crossed his view as he punched holes through the transparisteel cockpit and sliced through the pilot.  Another shot rocked the Infinity and this time sirens blared.

"Shields are failing, rerouting weapons to engines and shields.  Get us out of here quickly!"  Perennis rerouted power to keep the vessel moving as quickly as she could.  The Liberator cruiser and compliment of fighters approaching had cut their time short.

"Sent the spot you need.  Coordinates for hyperspace are locked in!"  Perennis' voice had taken on a bit of stress from their rapid descent into chaos in leaving.  It was clear she was worried.

"Thanks babe."  Another sharp turn as Fortiter tried to relax her with his choice of words.  He rarely used pet names in front of anyone else.  "5 seconds."  

"But Mister Fortiter, Master Nom strenuously objects to heading Rim-ward!"  The protocol droid said as Fortiter pulled the levers and yanked the ship into hyperspace.

[JavinTye]

Hyperspace

5 Standard Years Prior to the Battle of Yavin



The Sullustan fidgeted with his restraints while yammering to the droid next to him.  "Master Nom wishes to renew his concerns about our destination."  The yammering increased in tone and tenor.

Fortiter looked around the bridge.  Perennis and Achava were discussing what systems needed checking on.  After a moment, Achava proceeded to leave the bridge muttering something about his tools.  Perennis grabbed her headset and began speaking to Achava about systems circuits.  

Dror was on the other side of the bridge reviewing after-action film of the battle.  Fortiter could have joined Dror, but the younger man appeared focused more on the tactics of the defense cruisers rather than the piloting.  And someone had to deal with the mousy alien on their ship.

"Fine, we have a moment now.  What is ..." Fortiter hesitated not knowing if Nom was the first name or surname of the Sullustan and decided to simply mimic the droids choice, "master Nom's problem?"

"Master Nom told you our destination was core-ward because our actual destination is Rim-ward.  He was going to inform you once you made the jump.  Oh my!  Master Nom that is terribly deceptive."  The Sullustan hit the droid in the torso and shouted another comment in Sullustese.  "There is no need for violence!  The hope was the misdirection would lose our pursuers and confuse their efforts at finding us."  

And it would also allow Nom to control our movements without us knowing where we were going.

Nom was clearly a bit paranoid about his mission.  Yet they had instituted extra scanning leaving Sullust.  Sometimes even the paranoid are being followed.

"Great!  I've got full power readings from the shields Lavi, now I need you to check on something in the port side thruster."  Perennis and Achava were managing to patch up any damage the ship had taken.  

"What does Nom think we should do?"  Fortiter asked the protocol droid.  The Sullustan seemed to pause as if the question had not been considered.  

Great, he knew we were wrong but doesn't have any idea how to fix this problem.

There were few things more useless in Fortiter's mind than a person who could tell you why you were wrong, but couldn't help you find a solution.  The Sullustan muttered something that sounded like the verbal equivalent of a shrug.  "Master Nom says that's why he hired you.  He also added that you should know our final destination is Sluis Van."

Fortiter turned from the pair of guests and walked to the navigation station next to Perennis.  He began poring over details of their section of the galaxy.

[JavinTye]

Hyperspace

5 Standard Years Prior to the Battle of Yavin



"I fixed all the systems broken by your piloting - you'd think you could figure out a way to turn this around."  Achava was mildly cranky from climbing in the narrow spaces to fix the freighter.  

"Problem is Sluis Van is really only accessible by a small amount of routes.  I think the best bet is to hit Kabal as we planned and turn south and try to make our own path across.  Problem is, I really want them thinking we're going Core-ward.  Wish that walking jowl would have just told me the truth from the beginning."  Fortiter was more than a bit upset about this turn of events.  

An alarm sounded on the bridge indicating a gravity well approaching rapidly and the ship decelerated from hyperspace.  The hyperspace timer said they had not reached their destination yet, and as the starlines faded into specks of light in the distance they saw their problem.  Three monstrous asteroids filled the viewscreen.  

"There's no asteroid field from Sullust to Clak'dor that I remember."  Fortiter's voice trailed off and free from his own conscious decision, his body had begun walking to the pilot's station.  Dror had also begun moving as well though at a much quicker pace, sprinting to the opposite end of the bridge.

"I've got what appears to be a half dozen of those asteroids," Dror's voice was steady but it was clear he knew something was wrong.  "Three in front of us, the remainder more spread out."

"I'm maneuvering us around them.  Shields are up.  Get our friends up here.  Spes find out where we are."  Fortiter spoke calmly.  Achava was now over by Dror and Perennis had sat back down in navigation and communications.  Both of the guests were in their quarters, but Perennis spoke into the ship's intercom explaining they were needed on the bridge.  The sudden drop from hyperspace should have conveyed sufficient urgency.

"I've got a hit.  Intermittent.  Either these asteroids are playing havoc on our sensors, or..." Dror did not finish his statement.  Everyone on the bridge knew what it could mean.

The viewscreen was filled by the image of an asteroid, and on the side they could see another asteroid that Fortiter had maneuvered around.  The Sullustan arrived on the bridge followed by his black protocol droid who spoke the moment he was near enough to be heard, "Master Nom wishes to know what is going on."  

As if in response Dror began to shout, "I've got two, now three contacts warming up engines.  We've got company."

"Tell Nom to strap in," Fortiter replied to the droid without turning around.  "Someone's hunting him."  He pushed down on the yolk trying to put distance between himself and the hostile contacts.  The protocol droid lost his balance while trying to handle the sudden shift in direction.  A set of black metallic limbs flailed and crashed to the deck.

"Looks like three freighters, Corellian.  Action-class, and a couple of YZ's.  Can't pull specifics yet.  Transponder codes seem to be disabled."  Dror didn't add on the fact that everyone knew already.  They were desperately outgunned, and the lack of transponders signified likely mercenaries or pirates.

 "Labeling targets Alpha, Beta, and Gamma is the Action-class.  Looks like they were waiting for us to try to get by, Alpha coming from about 1:30 high, Beta at 9, and Gamma from noon."  Dror had switched into relativistic positioning and that alone meant something to the rest of the crew.  There was no grid, there was nowhere to run, and they were in for a fight.  

"Nav computer is still trying to match this system." Perennis shouted from her station.

"Where's the nearest place to put down?"  Fortiter was hoping for any solution to a fight they couldn't win.  A crowded spaceport was beyond his wishes, but even some colonies could provide enough to help.

"About 7:30 high.  Uploading it to you," Dror replied.  "There's a small moon ."  

"We're being hailed.  Putting it on speaker."  Perennis' hands were a blur of motion as she multitasked sending information to other stations and trying to figure out how to get the navigation system working.

"Greetings Jade Beast.  Or is it the Natural Amber?  No matter, power down your shields and weapons and prepare to be boarded.  Turn over the Sullustan and we'll let you off on the nearest world unharmed.  Resist, and we'll destroy you."  The voice spoke with an odd lisp and was clearly non-human, but the tone was calm and eerily non-aggressive.  

"Like hell."  Fortiter pulled out of the dive and turned hard left, then pulled up coming out on the other side of the asteroid.  

"Alpha's trying to pursue, Beta coming around fast on the other side of that far asteroid at 9."  Dror said in his characteristic gravelly voice.  

"One pass and we break for the moon."  Fortiter gritted his teeth.  The Infinity was flying directly toward the middle of the asteroid until he pulled back, skimming the surface in the direction of their target Beta.  Once they leveled out, Dror monitored the screen and began unleashing torrents of laser fire from his guns.  Achava followed suit, and Fortiter began firing untargeted proton torpedoes from the bow.  Beta flashed over the edge of the asteroid a moment after the firing began.  

Beta was a YZ-775 freighter, well-armed and larger than the XS-800, but it flew right into the heavy fire.  The first pair of torpedoes struck it instantly, combined with laser fire racking the bottom of the cockpit and underside of the vessel.  It tried to break off the approach pulling out into space, but that was the direction toward the moon.  The Infinity pulled up and matched the turn of Beta.  

Fortiter's missile targeting system sounded a solid tone signifying a lock and he unleashed another pair of torpedoes, followed by another pair.  They struck one after another in the same area of the underside of the vessel, punching through the armor plating.  The neck of the vessel separated from the engines as laser fire traced holes through the compartments.  

"Beta's dead in space.  Gamma is coming around the field and bringing their heavy guns to bear," Dror reported.  Action-class Transports were big and could be heavily armed.  As if to emphasize the comment large red blasts from their turbolasers reached out to strike the space nearby.  One rocked the Infinity and an alarm sounded at Perennis' station.  The protocol droid in the back shouted something that was lost in the noise.

"Shields can't take much more of that."  Perennis sounded genuinely worried.  They had barely escaped the defenses on Sullust, and she knew their luck would eventually fail them.  Fortiter turned further away from the heavy transport trying to put distance between it and the heavy guns.

"Alpha is coming clear of the asteroids and trying to force us toward Gamma's guns," Dror relayed calmly.  Trapping a vessel in space was difficult since the environment usually meant the vessel could run in any direction.  In this case though, the enemy was using the moon as an additional wall.  With the navigation system unable to locate their system, and the two vessels fast approaching, the Infinity was limited in options.  Going to ground was a good strategy, but their pursuers were openly accepting of that.  They weren't trying to prevent them from reaching ground.

They know they outnumber us and they must know there's nothing down there.

"What's on the moon?"  Fortiter knew the answer before he asked the question.

Dror paused switching his focus as the ship weaved toward the planet.  Achava kept firing wildly at their pursuers, but the lack of concentrated fire was doing little.  Dror's reply was low and dispirited.  "Survivable atmosphere. Low tech, low pop, scattered all over, no major centers, and lots of forests.  It's barely even a colony."  He triggered off another blast from his cannon more out of frustration than anything else.  The mood on the bridge became somber.

Another shot rocked the ship.  Even if they put down in the forests, the superior ground forces on the two remaining vessels would slaughter them.  There was only one play left for Fortiter.  "We're one minute away from hitting the moon's atmosphere.  We'll launch the bridge when we break through and explode the ship.  Debris will mask our landing.  Then we're on foot."  The implications were clear to the crew.  At best they survived and hid among the small native populations and were stranded.  Worst case they fought against a massively superior force.  There was no running anymore.

Dror unstrapped himself from his seat and bolted for the exit from the bridge.  

[JavinTye]

Deep Space Along Rimma Trade Route

5 Standard Years Prior to the Battle of Yavin



A chorus of shouts followed Dror from the bridge.  The comments were a mix of profanity, shocking disbelief, and questions.

Dror darted into his quarters and grabbed his pack.  It was neatly sitting in the corner of the room.  Another direct hit shook the vessel and alarms sounded out in the corridors.  Most of the crew knew to leave their personal belongings on the bridge, but Dror needed his pack to be readily accessible.  He grabbed the rifle from against the wall and was back out the doorway in a flash sprinting to the bridge.

As soon as he broke the doorway to the bridge, Fortiter slammed the ejector.  The vessel was already shaking from numerous hits and the ejection separated the bridge from the rest of the vessel.  A moment later the body detonated and debris filled the area behind and around the bridge.  The momentum of the explosion separating the bridge slammed Dror into the sealed blast door behind him, but he began moving toward his station under the dais on the right side of the bridge.

"We've lost inertial compensators," Perennis shouted.  She was being pulled against her chair but was harnessed in tightly.  The ship was accelerating into the descent.  They were below the cloud of debris the rest of their ship was making.  The bridge's thrusters were pushing them ahead hoping the atmosphere would distort the enemy sensors enough to put to ground before the enemy could spot them. Dror gripped the railing tight as the force of the descent pulled at him strongly now.  He began pulling himself along the railing, like climbing a rope, only in the wrong direction as the bridge continued heading downward.  The g-forces were threatening to make him lose consciousness, but he just needed to make it to a seat and strap in, or the collision would likely kill him.

It may do that anyways.

It was a sobering thought.  The vessel rattled again and a dull roar began in earnest.  He dimly heard Fortiter yell out something about a hull breach.  Blackness clawed at the corners of his vision, and he continued to fight against the incoming force and the disorientation of the pressure change.  He gripped the rail around the bridge one pull at a time until he was beyond his seat. 

Fortiter shouted something above the rising sound of leaking atmosphere.  Dror's mind was too muddled to make sense of it.  The descent seemed to slow slightly and he heard something new join the cacophony of destruction. 

Repulsors?

His vision was blurred but he willed himself to push off from the raised dais in the middle of the bridge that the railing followed.  The descent force slammed him hard into his seat and he barely pulled himself into a normal sitting position. 

He vaguely heard Achava scream at him for leaving.  He couldn't make out the words through his haze, and the mask on Achava's face.  The bulky man reached over and began helping Dror fumble with his straps, as Dror's eyes dazed and closed. 

Doesn't Lavi know?  I need my pack.  There could be lions down there.

Even he knew the words in his thought were somehow wrong, but that thought was the last one he had before he lost consciousness. 

*         *         *

The Colonies:  Rachuk Sector:  Commenor System:  Commenor:  Forest outside Kliffen

9 Years Before Battle of Yavin

 "The kid seemed to know what he's doing - at least up until now anyway.  Now he's playing with the lions."  Commandant Martin Young noted to the officers nearby.  Of average height and a sturdy build, he was the military commander of all ground forces on Commenor. 

"This is a lot to ask of him on his first night at the school."  Admiral James Maxwell was the head of naval defense forces in Commenor.  He was taller and leaner than the commandant, and not accustomed to jaunts on the ground, but he was aware this was not standard procedure for a new recruit into their elite operative school.  Then again, this boy was not a normal recruit.

"Well he wanted to play with my troops, so I brought out the best I have."  Young thought of all soldiers under his command as his men.  With good reason, many of those in the military had served directly under him or with him in some capacity. 

Maxwell chuckled softly and added, "Well according to Avi he's guaranteed to succeed.  He's already even got a nickname.  What was it again?"

The third man in the group, Avi Dror said nothing.  It was his son on the exercise, and his eyes were trained in the darkness.  Together with Young, Maxwell, and a brigadier general named Dutch Irvin, the four men were the target.  They were positioned on a hilltop in the forest.  Below, two squads of special forces were looking for one soon-to-be-man.  Their job was to prevent the youth from reaching his target.  The mission had started at midnight, and it was almost two in the morning.  A few minutes of silence passed in the darkness.

"I didn't really expect him to make it here on his first try.  Irvin grabbed the best, didn't ya?"  Young's voice was barely a whisper.

"Yes sir," Irvin responded.  Irvin was in charge of the special ops school, and pulled two squads off active duty to break this kid hard.  "He doesn't have the experience, but I trained him as best I could.  This kid has the eyes though, cold for someone so young."  His voice was barely a murmur.  Their location on the hilltop was known, but exactly where on it they stood was still a secret.  They didn't want to help him find their exact spot, or mask his movements.  "Not helpin' him tonight though.  These are the best, and I told them what happens if he gets through." 

"Don't you know how to play fair?"  Maxwell smiled at Irvin in the dark.

"Sir, fair means my people win.  Fuck everyone else.  Beg your pardon, sir."  Irvin's words showed why he was well liked by his men and the heir apparent when Young retired.

"Always been my definition of fair too."  Maxwell noted in a somber nod.

An hour passed with no word of contact.  At just passed 3 the group began to relax.  There was no way he was going to make it before 4 as the mission required. 

"What did you think of Another Broken War, James?"  Young asked the admiral.

"It wasn't bad though it seems to be getting critical acclaim.  Mostly from people who haven't seen a battlefield."  Maxwell wasn't much of a politician, and he was wary of anything that approached propaganda status.  He had seen many battlefields, both from above, and after the action was over.

"Gentlemen, we're losing our concentration."  Irvin gently reproached the two superior officers.

"Quite right, excuse us."  Young glanced at his watch, and the men resumed their silence.  The two officers noticed Irvin barely seemed to breathe in the darkness.  Time passed by in long minutes until finally Maxwell stretched and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.  He pulled one out.  It was just before 4.

A voice in the darkness murmured from nearby, "Anyone got a smoke?  I'm out and I could sure use one."

"Here you go soldier," Maxwell said, holding out the cigarette to the darkness.  He pulled his torch lighter and flicked it in the direction he had held out the cigarette.  The moment it lit he jumped back a step while yelling, "Shit!"

"I really thought the ground battles in Another Broken War looked overly staged to be gory.  Tried too hard to convince the viewer about the dangers of chaos."  Adir Dror took one puff of the cigarette without inhaling then tossed it on the ground before stomping it out. 

"How long have you been here?"  Young demanded.

"'Now he's playing with the lions,'" The youth mimicked.  "I 'killed' you around 1:45, sir.  And my nickname is Ghost."  The younger Dror added the last part to Admiral Maxwell.   

"You son of a bitch!  You killed me?"  Irvin wasn't livid.  He was shocked.

"And you were very polite about being quiet too."  The comment had come from the elder Dror, and it was clear that the youth's cold yet mirthful look was genetic. 

"Light it up.  Exercise over."  Young spoke intensely into his comlink and shortly after the lights near the forest lit up the wilderness near the staging area.  Irvin barked commands to the operatives who fell in line and left the staging area.  Young looked the tall youth square in his piercing-green eyes.  "How in the nine hell did you do that?"  The youth said nothing. 

The brigadier turned his attention to the commandant, and added into the silence, "I think he'll do, sir."  Adir had never felt happier than when he looked into his slightly shorter father's eyes and saw the pride in them.

[JavinTye]

Outer Rim Territories:  Mayagil Sector:  Triton System:  Triton Calph

5 Standard Years Before the Battle of Yavin



The image in Dror's mind snapped him back to consciousness.  His instincts kicked in.  He fumbled with the restraints on his seat and started to stand before the pain snapped sharply in his mind.

Hit the chair hard.  Landed hard.

He fell back fully into the chair and closed his eyes hard.  His hand found his forehead and rubbed it roughly.  His pack was still hanging behind him, uncomfortably forced against his seat, while his rifle was slung across his body in front of him. 

"Anybody alive?"  The voice came from the other side of the bridge.  It was female, but it took a moment for the haze in Dror's brain to report it as Perennis. 

"I'm here," Dror replied.  "Gonna check on Lavi."  The words were barely a hoarse whisper.  He was seated next to Achava, but he hadn't heard anything from the shorter man yet.  The images of the shorter man strapping Dror in came rushing back in an instant.

He saved my life.

Ignoring the pain in his head, Dror managed to stand.  He took off his gear and dropped it near his seat before walking to Achava.  Part of his brain noticed the bridge was still level, either a miracle or the work of some timely maneuvering by Fortiter. 

"Lavi," Dror said as he slowly walked toward his colleague.  His voice was a hoarse whisper.  "Come on."  The lack of a response was troubling but things were still processing slowly.  He had reached Achava's slumped over figure before he even began to think anything could be wrong.  "Lavi?"  Dror's tone was more concerned now and his fingers found the man's neck.  There was a steady pulse. 

Dror tried to inform Perennis on the other end of the bridge, but when he tried to speak loudly it resulted in a dry cough.  He covered his mouth with his hands and the noise got the attention of Perennis who looked over and saw Dror.  When he pulled his hand away from his mouth he saw the blood.  He closed his hand completely until he reached over and wiped it on the back of Achava's seat.

"Please help," the words were barely above a whimper from Perennis' quivering lips.  She was standing near the front of the bridge, where a pile of debris lay in the piloting station.  Dror grunted and pushed himself to walk over, the pain causing his eyes to open wider and the fog to clear from his head. 

The front of the bridge was gone, the viewport collapsed inward and pieces of the forest had joined the last piece of the Grey Infinity.  Dror grabbed a piece of the transparisteel and threw it to the ground behind him.  The pain was immense, but he forced himself to continue.  Part of his brain reached a connection long enough to tell him there was a familiarity here, but beyond the eerie de ja vu his brain refused to tell him why. 

Another piece of transparisteel covered a large branch.  He glanced forward through the broken front of the bridge but knew the tree this came from had to be behind them.  The branch was immense, stretching under other strew pieces of debris.  He uncovered his end piece by piece, and paused when he saw a hand gripping to a stub on the underside of the branch.

Dror's pause caused Perennis to look over and move as quickly as she could to his side.  The hand looked old and frail in that moment.  Dror knew the couple to each be at least twenty years his senior, but they were always a bit more wild than he had ever been.

"No... Eddie..." Perennis barely held in her tears until the hand moved and a finger stretched.  "He's alive!  Help me get him out!"  The words were barely out of her mouth when the tears fell down the corners of her eyes.  Dror squatted and grabbed the end of the branch.  He lifted the end it up and away toward Perennis' side of the bridge with enough force that it slammed down on the other side. 

Underneath it was a broken monitor, and a small nest of panels from the ceiling of the bridge separated by a few gaps, one of which had an arm through it.  Through the other gaps, Dror and Perennis could see the trapped form of Fortiter. 

"Not getting rid of me," Fortiter coughed and squinted upward at the pair, "that easily sweetheart." 

Dror moved the broken monitor and a few panels before offering a hand to the man inside.  Fortiter grabbed it and maneuvered himself out the hole in his cocoon.  Once out he favored his leg left, but he and Perennis hugged.  She was on the verge of sobbing into his neck but she choked out a few words, "If you ever scare me like that ..."

Dror turned and left the couple.  He walked back over to Achava.  He crouched down near his friend and reached into his pack.  There were some basic medical supplies.  He pulled out a small stimulant and jabbed the hypo-syringe into his friend's arm.  A moment later his eyes snapped open.

"I was resting!  Get that needle out of my arm!"  Achava shouted loudly enough to be heard across the bridge.  Dror depressed the button and injected him anyways. 

"You're gonna need it."  Dror said, mirroring another memory he could not remember.

*         *         *

It had been only a few minutes since the bridge had "landed."  Dror had left the remainder of the crew inside the bridge to gather up any supplies and remaining belonging they needed.  There wouldn't be much.  He had taped his ribs with a bacta pad hoping it would heal the damage and then rigged the bridge with explosives. 

He had already grabbed a pair of viewfinders out of his pack and was surveying the forest.  The devastation had been immense, and yet the forest looked undeterred.  It had shrugged off the invasion as nothing more than a nuisance.  The sun shone brightly on the moon.  The temperature was warm and revitalizing.

Fortiter and Perennis hobbled out, followed by Achava.  The three were deep in an argument of where to proceed next.  Behind them came their Sullustan friend and his translator trying to interject his master's words into the conversation.  It was all noise to Dror who was focused on the distance and the furthest pieces of debris he could find.

There.

He turned to face the arguing crew.  "Okay, Achava you ..." Dror's words trailed off beneath the tenor of the argument.  His face flashed annoyance at their momentary arguing.  He swiftly pulled his pistol from his low-slung hip holster and blasted the protocol droid's right thigh, then left thigh, severing both limbs before the droid's torso could fall.  All three members of the crew fell silent as they watched the scene unfold.  The droid and the Sullustan both shrieked loudly, but as Dror's blaster remained fixed on the area, both soon fell silent.  The crew looked into Dror's eyes but all they saw was a green fire.

"They're coming."  Perennis began to protest, but he cut her off with a glance.  "They tried to wound us in space and they know it.  Fortiter's stunt bought us a few minutes, but they should be landing soon, I saw them in the atmosphere circling."  He paused for a moment to let the news sink in.  The debate over whether to try to find civilization or forage in the forest was over.

"Achava, you take them east north east.  There's a cave in the distance.  Barricade yourself in there.  Finish breaking that droid up."  The droid began to protest but Dror turned and walked away without another word.  As he moved he raised a remote and made sure the crew saw him arm the bridge's explosives.  He coughed slightly and covered it by raising his viewfinder again to the largest clearing around the debris circle.  The Action transport had found it and was landing, due south of them.  The other vessel would come in northwest of their position. 

Achava walked up beside Dror.  Achava was boisterous and loud in many circumstances but in this case was solemn and serious.  "I want in." 

Dror didn't even acknowledge the man.  He continued looking out in the distance, but Achava continued.  "Right now you have me babysitting everyone else in a holding action while you go save the fucking day."

Dror shifted the viewfinder to the left slowly and paused.  "You're a good fighter, and they'll need you - "

Achava cut him off, "And what?  You'll fight them all alone?"

Dror lowered the viewfinder and turned to the shorter man. "They're unloading right now, southeast.  The other vessel is landing northwest of here.  They're going to try to form a perimeter outside the zone of falling debris and that meant their spots would be a few klicks out.  Once they set up, then they're going to go after that little mouse-eared credit chip we're babysitting.  He's going with you.  They've probably got just under 50 men.  Educo's on one leg, Spes isn't exactly a crack shot, and so far that rodent hasn't done much else besides cry to his droid.  So I think you'll probably be plenty busy with them, and you're better than I am in close quarters with a lot of enemies."  His voice was even, but the compliment threw Achava's anger slightly.  It was more words than any member of the crew had heard Dror speak uninterrupted.

"And what're you going to do?"  Achava was desperate to know, to see everything as Dror did.

A small smirk appeared on Dror's lips, curling from the outside.  His eyes shifted from fiery to cool and playful.  "I'm goin' killin'."

*         *         *

The rest of the crew had disassembled the protocol droid, and created a small pouch for the Sullustan to carry the droid's head.  The small group began moving northeast and Dror began moving south toward the intercept of the Action transport and the crew's destination.  Once he was away from the crew he pulled another hypo-syringe from his pack.  It was a pain killer.  He needed to be able to move swiftly and unhindered, and his cough had hinted at internal bleeding.  He only had a handful of them and had already used one on Fortiter.  Though Dror knew little about medicine in general, he knew enough that Fortiter would need it to keep going on his mangled leg.

The dilemma was because these drugs often clouded the mind, and he needed to be focused, but he couldn't risk slowing down.

He jammed in the syringe and depressed the plunger.  The flood of chemicals numbed his body and softened his thoughts.  He pulled the viewfinder to his eyes and blinked a couple times to focus. 

The Action transport had finished unloading.  Dror couldn't tell which class of Action transport it was - seemed like there were a dozen of them and they all resembled flying boxes. 

The troops were in the process of spreading out in the area.  It looked like five teams of four each.  Their job would be to extend a perimeter, and when someone made contact, to draw in the remaining teams.  As if on point he heard the other freighter landing behind him and to his right.  They would fill in the other half of the circle and push inward. 

They'll track the crew heading east, and converge on them.

That meant the bigger concern was the teams headed east.  The bad news was that was still a lot of targets. 

In space he wasn't a pilot, and was at best a decent gunner.  His ability to see a battle was unparalleled but that could only go so far in many circumstances.  On the ground, with his rifle, that changed.  It was time to show them they weren't continuing the hunt anymore, now they were the prey.

[JavinTye]

Outer Rim Territories:  Mayagil Sector:  Triton System:  Triton Calph

5 Standard Years Prior to the Battle of Yavin



Surprise was Dror's biggest asset, but he had to pick his moments.  He had to keep as many of them off Achava and the others as he could.  He opened his pack and pulled out an antipersonnel mine.  He had already placed two trip mines earlier, and this was his only remaining mine.  

His entire path here was away from the path the crew took, so he wasn't worried about their approach.  He set the range to 50 meters and targets to three then placed the device against a tree.  He started heading northeast.  Once he was clear from the detonation range he raised his viewfinder again to check the other groups coming east.  They had stopped and were helping form the perimeter.  

The detonation would lure the western side inward moving all forces toward him and his friends.  They'd inspect debris while moving, but a land mine meant a direction to proceed.  The other two mines he had placed were high trip wires.  After this first detonation, they would be looking down, and would miss the higher elevation mines, hopefully removing another two patrols.  

He had considering heading for the western side of the perimeter, but it would have just cut him off from the crew and vice versa.  

I need to keep the bad guys from splitting us up, but keep hurting them while they try to get to Achava.  Hopefully when the patrols reach the cave there'll be so few he can handle the rest with my help.

The painkillers finally stopped the nagging memories from staying just out of reach.

*         *         *

Dror finished paying for his lunch at the cafe in Chasin City before leaving his table.  It was months before his stunt in the forest, and one of his days off.  Dror was enjoying a sunny day outdoors before heading back home for his vacation.  Out of the corner of his eye he saw the tall well-dressed man get up as he did and take almost the same amount of time as he did to fumble through paying.  

It's nothing.  Paranoia from training.  

He turned his back to the other table and kept walking paying attention to reflective surfaces.  The man was still behind him.  Dror suddenly dropped to one knee to check the cuff of his pants.  The reflection in the puddle nearby showed the man inspecting a designer store.  Dror got up and walked another block and the man continued behind him.  Dror took a sharp turn into an alley and prepared to confront his tail.  A moment later the man never passed the area.  

Maybe it was nothing.  Maybe I spooked him.  Maybe...

He never finished the thought.  A bag came down over his head full of a powerful drugging agent.  He woke up a few moments later to Brigadier General Dutch Irvin standing over him.  "There's two ways to follow someone," Irvin began his lecture.  "First way they never notice you.  Second way they only notice you."

*         *         *

Dror broke out of his trance-like memory as the land mine detonated.  The shockwave hit him slightly but the large tree blocked most of the impact force.  When he had placed the mine the patrol had still been minutes away.

He shook his head to clear the cobwebs then peered around the tree.  There were four bodies strewn in the area.  One Rodian had half his neck cut by shrapnel from the mine.  The closest to the blast, a human, was scattered around various brush.  Another human was slumped against a tree his head at an unnatural angle.  The last, a Trandoshan, had been in front and was clawing away from the detonation, his legs gone from the waist down.  

The Trandoshan were resilient and perhaps this one could recover, but Dror strode across the area quietly closing the gap.  He approached the Trandoshan from the side, all pretenses of stealth abandoned.  The lizard stopped clawing and reached toward his belt for something only to notice his missing lower half.  The horror froze him in place.  Dror put his knee on the scaly neck of the mercenary, grabbed the side of his head, and yanked upward.  A small crack escaped, and he went limp.  

*         *         *

Perennis heard the explosion southeast of them.  The crew didn't speak but Achava hurried them along from the rear by gesturing.  The trail behind them clearly marked their path and every time she looked back she knew there would be little to escape that.  They had walked closely together, with her and Fortiter in front, followed closely by the Sullustan Nom, and Achava behind bringing up the rear.  The close tracks meant it was difficult to distinguish how many of them there were, and Achava was doing his best to make it impossible.

She hoped that Dror could delay them long enough to reach the caves, but she knew those could easily become a death trap if the mercs attacked them with their freighters.  Everything to this point had seemed like they were interested in taking their prey alive, but it was difficult to tell if that meant they wanted something from Nom or something they could take from their bodies.

Nom had gone silent since the droid had been deactivated then disassembled.  There was still power in his head, but he had no ability to move quietly, and he served no purpose when he couldn't speak.  He hung around the neck of the Sullustan who seemed to be scared and sad.  

It was difficult for Perennis to know the emotions of Sullustans, but she turned and smiled a tough smile back at him anyway, hoping to impart a bit of courage to him.  She turned back and continued to walk slowly, helping hold her husband's right side up.  She had tied a makeshift splint to Fortiter's leg as soon as they had stopped.  His leg was probably fractured at best, and in time the bacta pad she had attached could have done miraculous work recovering his wounds, but they didn't have much time.

Only whatever time Dror can find for us.

*         *         *

Dror had hidden among the trees near the slaughtered patrol.  With four of at least forty down, a plan had begun to form in his mind.  He had stolen one of the comlinks from the mercenaries and hooked it into his earpiece.  Normally he would've maintained communications with the rest of the crew, but they had agreed on radio silence.  They couldn't risk anyone listening to them.  The second patrol group had reached the detonation spot, and the lead member, the rear of the diamond, was reporting the findings.  He couldn't hear the voice from his position but he heard the transmission.

"Team 1 is dead.  Explosive high in a tree, caught all four of them."  The voice did not seem concerned over the loss of his comrades.

Then the familiar lispy rasp of the voice from space came over the channel.  "It looks like our target headed east.  Bring all teams west of the Cutlass in.  Keep a look out for more mines.  Team 2 get out front.  Team 3 curl inward behind Team 2.  4 and 5 will be there to back you up momentarily."  The voice paused momentarily then continued, "Teams 9 and 10 hold the north end.  If that was a mine it may have been misdirection on their escape."  He sounded confident.  He had the manpower to win this fight even without four men.  Unfortunately he had made one small error.  

'4 and 5 will be there.' That's not telling them.  That's where you are Rodian.  Coming in from the west.  

Another voice broke into the channel, "Hey boss we found the bridge, you were right, it seems they made it down.  Looks like five of them and most of the remains of a droid.  And at least one of them is hurt, there's blood. Rowharr says they're heading east."  A Wookiee roar added punctuation to that comment.

The Rodian jumped back into the channel, "Check it out thoroughly and see if you can track them."

Dror waited patiently as he watched the approaching bodies coming from west of his position.  He had scouted this patrol group already and knew what was in it.

Two humans, a Rodian, and a Twi'lek.

It was amazing that in the near infinite expanses that made up the universe, so frequently the species that rose from the muck were so frail and easily killed.  Of course almost every species could be easily killed in the right spot with the right weapon.

*         *         *

"Never go anywhere without a knife."  Irvin had unsheathed the blade from his belt and turned it in his hand. It was perhaps 275 millimeters long from tip to butt.  "In the millennia since it has been discovered, man has developed myriad ways to slaughter each other, but sometimes the best way is the oldest."  Dror's face remained passive at the odd display in the middle of the small corral with only one animal inside.

"Most people think in terms of how to kill with these weapons.  On a human the upper thigh has an artery that once cut will bleed out a victim in a minute.  The upper arm can cause a similar fate.  And we all know what happens with the veins in the throat are cut.  Clearly," the general gestured with the knife to his chest, "everything in here can cause a lot of damage and death."  He tapped the blade against his skull, "And anytime you break through the skull against most species you'll probably cause death."  

The points seemed trivial.

Of course a knife can kill someone.

"A knife will never run out of ammo and it will penetrate most standard energy shields.  But we kill efficiently and quietly."  The general gestured to the only animal in the corral, a small nerf.  "So how would you kill it?"  Dror was unsure of how to answer the question, or whether it was even a real question, but the general handed him the knife.

The nerf didn't seem to startle easily so he ignored any aspects of stealth while approaching the beast.  He didn't know much about nerf physiology, so he went for the throat, the ideal point connecting blood to the brain of most creatures.  He gestured there with the knife while looking at the general who merely raised his eyebrows in surprise and gestured back at him to proceed.  Dror breathed deep, he had always loved animals, but there was no time for hesitation in front of this man.  He jammed the knife in quickly, and ripped it across the front of the throat.

The sound that followed could best be described as a wet slurping noise as blood filled the vocal cords of the creature.  The animal tried to cry in pain and Dror winced as the sound hurt him.  He hopped back to avoid the death throws of the beast which twisted and fell to the ground and continued making noises of pain.

"Never forget that sound."  The general closed the gap quickly and unclipped a closed knife.  He flipped the blade out, shorter than the one he gave Dror and bounded around the animal as it continued to spasm in pain.  In a swift move he deftly penetrated the back of the base of the neck with enough force to sever the spinal cord from the brain.  "Lights out in one thrust.  No noise."  The gurgling seemed to slow then stop, and the nerf did not move.

*         *         *

The crackling of a broken twig and crunch of leaves under boot from a member of the patrol was a reminder that he was not alone, but the patrol was in front of him now.  He blinked hard forcing himself to focus as he held the body in front of him, with his knife downward in the neck of the Twi'lek.  He pulled his knife from her flesh and wiped the blade against her back.  He didn't remember approaching them after they had passed, but he had to act now.  He placed her softly face down on the ground.  

Dror sprung quietly to the right.  Walking silently was not just about how to walk, but where.  He saw the ground differently than most, and explaining the differences had always been a failed effort.  He approached the right member of the diamond patrol who stopped abruptly to pull out his canteen for a drink.  As he did so, his vision began to turn and Dror knew the moment was then.  He switched the blade into his off-hand and leapt forward slashing through the human's throat.  

Blood sprayed outward and the noise was horrific but his momentum carried him into a roll beyond the dying human.  The noise attracted the attention of the other two, both of whom turned toward their comrade, but Dror had already rolled to a stop beyond the man who was now gurgling blood.  The moment was all it took.  His pistol was out and the Rodian was down with a smoldering head wound.  The human's attention had jumped from the gurgling blood to the sound of the blaster fire, and finally to their source.  He was rewarded with a momentary glimpse of the apparition that had been haunting his friends, before red fire perforated his chest multiple times.  

Then the second explosion of the afternoon rocked the forest and the chaos began.

[JavinTye]

Outer Rim Territories:  Mayagil Sector:  Triton System:  Triton Calph

5 Standard Years Prior to the Battle of Yavin



Perennis heard the noise west of them and knew it was the remainder of the bridge.  The last piece of the Infinity was destroyed.  The sound drew her attention behind her and the entire crew paused to look to the west.  She had heard the mine detonation previously, but this was an eruption of fire.  There was billowing smoke rising above the forest and she wondered how likely it was that the forest would ignite.

If it does the cave is a good destination.

She turned and prodded Fortiter in the side to continue moving.  The rest of the group followed their lead and continued moving from the explosion when a secondary smaller detonation sounded to the south west. 

Another of Dror's mines.  Sounds like he's been busy.

For a moment she caught herself hoping the man was okay.  There wasn't much time for thought, her husband was wounded and his closest friend was their only real protection in a forest surrounded by hostiles.  Dror though had been a faithful acquaintance.  He may not have had the emotional warmth of the others, but she had seen in his eyes a remorse that showed he wasn't a sociopath. 

And he's saved our lives many times.

She hoped this time would be one more.

*         *         *

The mine had detonated east of Dror and the explosion was northeast.  There was still one more mine out there.  He couldn't count on the second or third mine taking our entire teams but as long as they were all wounded, they were no longer useful for pursuing them.

He turned and began heading north for the next part of his plan when he heard the final mine detonate.  His brain nagged at him for a moment.  It was eerily close to the previous detonation.

*         *         *

Dror lay prone on the rooftop waiting in the darkness.  His training had been continuing for weeks and this was his first real training mission.  There was no guidance, just an order for him to accomplish.

Capture the target.

The target in this case was a friendly agent, who was well aware of being a target.  Dror had been given one week to accomplish the mission, longer than he would in the field he was certain.  Normally in the field though agents would not be aware the enemy was coming, and this more than made up for the discrepancy.

In the field they also wouldn't be under strict orders not to hurt each other.

Blasters were set to stun, and hand-to-hand combat was strictly forbidden in this exercise.  Dror had watched his target for three days now.  The "enemy" had a basic routine.  He was looking for certain dead drop signals, and though his route varied each day, certain destinations were the same.  He had followed him from a distance for two days to learn those locations.

One of these spots was in a narrow alley between two buildings.  After the first night, Dror had inspected the site.  The alley turned to the left where there was a small atrium.  The atrium contained a large dumpster under a garbage chute and an externally locked exit leading out of an apartment building.  The agent probably had an asset in the building.

After watching the second night, Dror had prepared his ambush for there.  It was quiet, away from people, and while he could not have line of sight on the atrium, he could see when the agent entered the area.  There were a couple of restaurants nearby as well as a few small stores, all of which provided excellent cover. 

He had placed a small sensor in the area to ping his comlink when it was triggered.  While a camera would have been prefential, Dror had been given very limited devices for this mission.

"In the field you have to improvise.  You won't always have the best tools at your disposal."

The words had come from Irvin before the mission when Dror saw he only had a comlink, a pistol, and some money.  Dror had scrounged the parts to build the sensor.  While his mechanical skills were not great, the basics of a triggering mechanism and a sensor were not foreign to him.  He placed the sensor during the third day, and later that night while enjoying dinner in one of the restaurants with no view of the alley, he received the ping on his comlink to tell him his noticed the agent. 

Hours after the ping, Dror had gone and placed his trap.  It was a poorly rigged stun net triggered to his motion sensor.  When the agent entered the atrium, it would fire from behind the dumpster with enough of an electrical charge to stun the agent. 

Dror picked a spot beyond the alley entrance and ate freely outside with his back to the walkway.  His cloak was up, not uncommon for many of the patrons in the area.  He tried using mirrored surfaces to see behind him but the exercise was difficult at best.  Finally, he caught a glimpse of his target walking slowly toward the alley.

He was about the same height as Dror, with darker hair and a light beard.  The human turned into the alley.  Dror counted the paces it would take for him to reach the end and reached the number.  His heart skipped a beat when no ping arrived at his count, but two moments later it did.  He had already paid his bill for the meal, and he stood carefully and turned back toward the alley. 

It was hard to control his pace but he reached the corner and peered around the end cautiously. 

A blue bolt caught him full in the face and he fell down to the ground twitching hard.  He tried to fight to keep conscious and grabbed for his blaster, but his nervous system was experiencing the havoc of the stun blast.  His earpiece crackled to life and the voice of Irvin came in, "Never underestimate your enemy, he found…."  Though Dror knew the words were important, the blackness seeped into his mind and he drifted out of consciousness.

*         *         *

A blaster bolt flew through the air and hit a tree a meter from Dror. It didn't break his momentary lapse into his memories, but the voice that popped into his ear did.

"Team 10 has made contact."  The sound of blasterfire echoed in his head from the transmission as well as being heard around him.

*         *         *

Achava had been the first to notice the sound, a cracking from the brush that didn't match their movements.  He had been expecting the attack to come from behind them, and the noise was east north east of them - just off the direction they were heading.  He eyes spotted the Klatooinian and drew his weapon quietly and tracked the alien.  With the silence the crew continued walking in front of him.  The Klatooinian was busy surveying the land but his eyes stopped just in front of Achava, at the rest of the crew.  His weapon was aimed low but he began to raise it when Achava fired his first blast.

Achava's first shot was far more accurate than he had hoped, hitting the large humanoid in the chest leaving a smoldering hole there.  A moment later blaster fire responded from around the now dead patrol member. 

Achava dropped to the ground and rolled toward a tree to block the incoming fire.  Blaster bolts would cut through the dense wood but it offered some protection.  The rest of the crew had tried to as well.  The Sullustan was now prone on the ground with the droid head resting on his back.  Fortiter and Perennis had found a downed tree and were slightly bettered covered than he was.  Perennis was busy tending to Fortiter, who was in obvious pain.

He's hit in the shoulder.

Two of the members of the patrol were firing at any point but they were steadily advancing on his position.  He could tell by the advance there were three of them.  He triggered off some shots toward the general area of the non-firing position, and was rewarded by hearing Perennis also fire a few shots into the area of those firing.

The advance stopped momentarily but it was a losing battle.  Fortiter crawled away from Perennis quietly amidst the fire and brought his blaster up using the downed tree to steady his aim.  His first shot resulted in a strange warbled wail.  Whatever he had shot had been hit.  Achava smiled.  The old man was never out of a fight.

Shots returned toward Fortiter's location and Achava noticed they had switched to stun bolts. 

So they do want us alive. 

He peeked around and fired toward the sound of the shots but his target had already moved behind cover again.

And they just have to keep us here until the rest of their men arrive.

He ducked his head back behind the tree and his mind nudged him about the other gunman.  The crack of a branch too close warned him what was coming and he saw the large Aqualish above him raising his blaster. 

Then a large blast separated the Aqualish's head from his body, and the amphibious body collapsed on top of Achava squirting blood on the stunned human.

*         *         *

Dror saw Perennis' shoot the last of the patrol members, and quickly rolled off his rifle and pushed himself and brought his knees under himself.  He grabbed his rifle while getting to his feet and began running towards his crewmates at a dead sprint.

He was there within moment while they had begun moving back to toward the cave.  "Lavi."  The shorter man turned quickly but did not draw his weapon.  Dror was glad to see him in one piece, though he seemed to have hurt his arm when the Aqualish had fallen on him.

The other three turned and Dror saw two weak smiles.  Fortiter looked frail, but his face showed his determination.  Perennis was tired. 

And I have no idea what that rodent is feeling.

Sullust emotions were still a bit difficult for him to understand and he didn't care regardless.  Dror walked over to Perennis and took her place helping Fortiter walk, while Achava followed closely.

"More than half their forces are dead.  The cave is about a quarter klick away," Dror had seen it through his scope.  "Get in there, bunker up.  There should be no one in your way but they will be coming here fast."  He paused and saw how dispirited they were by the prospect of him leaving them.  They were injured and tired.

"Southern patrols are dead.  I'm going to go try to push back the northern side until you're safe."  Dror suddenly felt the dire circumstances they were in.  He reached into his pack and grabbed a pair of grenades.  He had six in the pack, but two were flash-bang grenades, and two more were thermal detonators which would be useless in the cave.

Just as likely to trap them in there and kill them.

He handed Achava the two fragmentation grenades and nodded at him.  The shorter man nodded back solemnly and holstered his blaster before taking Dror's place supporting Fortiter. 

"I'll see you soon."  Dror said, before flipping up his hood once more moving north.

[JavinTye]

Outer Rim Territories:  Mayagil Sector:  Triton System:  Triton Calph

5 Standard Years Prior to the Battle of Yavin



Four of them, one Rodian, two humans, and ... a Wookiee?  These guys are less like a strike force and more like a friggin' zoo.

The Wookiee was bigger than the average human, covered in brown and black fur and looked to be in front of the others.  That made it target number one.  As Dror continued moving his scope from side to side he noticed more than the standard four units.

Five, six, seven ...

Eight had to be around nearby as well though he couldn't see him yet.  If two patrols had met and joined together he was sure he'd have heard it on their frequency.  For a moment he worried about how many of his mines had actually been tripped and how many had been detonated, but it wasn't something he could change now. 

"There's no such thing as coincidence." 

The pain killers were wearing off and all he heard was the voice of a memory rattling around in his head.

"If you think you're being played, you are."

He released his weapon and reached below the barrel where his pack laid.  He had two things he needed in there.  He pulled out his small medical kit and grabbed another hypo-syringe of pain killers.  His resolve wasn't even tested this time as he jammed it into his thigh and depressed the plunger. 

The relief spread instantly through his body like a warm hug.  He placed the empty device back in the kit and closed it before zippering the sides.  He replaced the kit in his pack and removed the detonation belt.  He had already given away his fragmentation grenades.  They were light enough to be used in the mines with minimal fear of a cave in, but for his purposes, something more substantial was required.

He held the gray spheroid in his hand, and blinked heavily as the drugs flooded his mind completely.

*         *         *

"There's the cave!"  Perennis tried to hold her voice down but it was difficult.  They had been struggling to reach this destination for a while.  Though she loved her husband, he weighed more than she did, and was taller, making the exercise uncomfortable for both. 

As if in response, a few seconds after the exclamation blaster shots rang out in the forest from behind her.  She saw one strike into the side of the outcropping that was part of the elevation of the forest.  It was Achava's voice that broke the echo of the bolts. 

"MOVE!"  He hadn't fired behind them and had holstered his weapon instead charging around and in front of Fortiter. He leaned a shoulder into Fortiter's midsection, and lifted the older man onto his shoulder and began to run with him like a bag of vegetables.

The Sullustan was first into the cave, with Achava and Perennis right on his heels as a collection of bolts trailed wildly behind them.  Perennis activated a small flashlight on her multi-tool.  The cave led fairly deep, with numerous outcroppings of rocks.  It seemed fairly smooth and led slightly downward as if running water had cleared the area.  Perennis' knowledge of geology was minimal, but if the cave had been formed by water running into it, then there was likely a pool at the bottom she was sure.

Unfortunately it also meant entrenching here meant fighting opponents with the higher ground, minimizing the effectiveness of their cover.  None of the fire seemed to come into the cave and she was certain her outburst had given them a direction but had not led them yet into the cave.  She knew that it would not be long until they did find the entrance, and when they did, it would be difficult to hold them off.

*         *         *

Dror took a moment to blink again.  He was alternating between viewing the quickly incoming patrol through his scope and through his normal vision by switching which eye was open.  His scope was still on the Wookiee, by far the largest of the group, but he needed to make sure they were well within 100 meters.

Optimally with his rifle 100 meters was closer than Dror liked to be.  He preferred to think of distances in kilometers, not meters, but in this case he wasn't limited by the likelihood of his shot striking his target, but rather the strength of his arm. 

The limited distance also increased the likelihood of being spotted.  Dror had covered his position with some brush.  Most of his body was behind the base of a tree directly to the left of his rifle.  His range finder held a point of about 50 meters, directly in front of the path of the Wookiee. 

Blaster fire sounded in the distance behind Dror and he fought the urge to turn and protect his crewmates.  He had to trust them to handle whatever they were encountering. 

Almost ...

Wookiees were often very adept in traveling through forests and this one was no different.  During the time Dror had been watching this Wookiee had wandered too far in front of his patrol and been forced to wait.  He used that time to scout the area in front looking for potential traps.  He was stopped now, sniffing the air and looking around.  He was just short of the 50 meter mark and Dror prepared for his shot. 

From a prone position aiming upward Dror tended to aim low.  If his shot missed high, the target would say a few extra prayers to whatever being they attributed their success toward, but if it missed low, they died in a matter of hours or minutes instead of instantly.  The difference was critical. 

The Wookiee stayed facing Dror's direction, and then barked something unintelligible to his colleagues.  Whatever it was, Dror didn't want to give them an opportunity to respond.  Dror's first shot flew a bit low, connecting mid-abdomen on the Wookiee, but the force of the round knocked the Wookiee back a few inches and to the ground. 

Dror's eyes were off the target the moment he pulled the trigger.  The strap was still attached to his shoulder making for an awkward position during the shot, but his off-hand grabbed the barrel and flipped it over his shoulder.  The barrel was facing down, backwards from normal, but timing was more important. 

While flipping the rifle back, Dror began his roll to his left behind the tree.    The motion of the roll carried his right leg up and he used that momentum to plant his foot and spin up and around the other end of the tree.

Blasterfire perforated the area near his perch but it was still a bit out of range of most blaster rifles to be effective weapons.  With 7 gunners though suppression fire could be effective to close in on him and he couldn't let that happen.  As soon as his left foot came down, the gray explosive sphere was in his hand. 

Dror's right leg stepped back and he thumbed the device to life.  A short hop step later the thermal detonator was flying to the right of the Wookiee with the large hole in his torso, and the timer began in Dror's head.

4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...

After releasing the detonator, Dror crouched low was behind the tree once more.  His arms covered his head forcing him down into the shape of a small ball, moment before he hit zero.  The explosion rattled the ground as everything within 20 meters of the explosion was engulfed in hellish flames.  While the detonation of the bridge had begun a small fire in the forest, this second detonation had incinerated every source of fuel nearby. 

Dror waited half a breath for the fireball to recede and the shockwave to pass before looking around the edge of the tree.  The entire area was turned to ash.  Much of the exterior had small fires caught on trees, and some branches outside the circle had fallen, but the damage outside the detonator's radius was minor compared to the force within.

Dror stepped away from the tree and removed his backwards slung rifle, before righting the orientation.   His pistol was in his hand and he began clearing to the left around the perimeter of the explosion.  He saw some movement inside the area, but most of it was the ash remains of some debris collapsing. 

Where are you number 8?

Number 8 had taken Dror a few minutes to notice because the human seemed to hang behind the rest of the patrols.  Far from being a leader, he seemed to be unwilling to even be there.  Many of his squadmates had pushed him and forced him to continue.

Dror caught a glimpse of the human, crouched near a tree.  He was covered in dirt and dust from the explosion but seemed relatively unharmed.  His arms were wrapped around his knees and his clothes were severely ripped.

Dror kept his blaster aimed and closed the gap quickly between his target but the human never even looked up at the approaching figure.  By the time Dror had cut the distance to about fifteen meters it was clear that a covert approach wasn't necessary.  Number 8 was clearly not paying attention to the outside world. 

At ten meters Dror cleared his throat, but the human still ignored him.  He wasn't dead.  He was very clearly talking to himself softly and shaking.  At this range Dror could tell he was just a boy, not even 18 years old.  Dror fired a shot into the tree and the noise brought his attention to his left where Dror was standing. 

The boy started to try to crawl backwards away but his quaking caused him to lose his balance and fall backwards.  His hands went to cover his face as Dror strode over to him and gazed down.  The sounds of blasterfire continued southwest of their encounter.

"Now you're going to tell me exactly what I need to know."  Dror said quietly. 

*         *         *

Achava squeezed off a few more shots to the front of the cave then ducked again behind his rock as he heard more blue stun bolts strike the surface.  His ducking had led to Perennis and Fortiter firing from behind their rock.  The Sullustan Nom was busy reloading a power pack into the blaster Achava had passed him. 

"They're gaining ground!"  Perennis shouted and Achava just gestured for them to fall back, and he resumed firing.  The length of the cave had made the area into a bottleneck, but their pursuit was slowly moving from outcropping to outcropping along the way.  They had wounded a few targets, but the same cover that helped protect them from fire as also being used against their attacks. 

The husband and wife stopped firing and Achava and Nom each began to rake fire toward the cave entrance, while the pair moved back toward an outcropping behind them.  Achava's mind was churning over ways to hold their adversaries at bay, and he began to think about the two grenades Dror had given him when he spotted a small dark sphere fly toward the outcropping behind them. 

"GRENADE!" Achava shouted, and he grabbed Nom and slammed his head down for cover ignoring his role of cover fire.  The cave's downward slant had made grenades difficult to judge.  Most explosive devices were cylinders or spheres and when thrown they tended to roll.  On level ground it was not a problem but the downward slant had made the first few grenades roll to the back of the cave and detonate away far from crew leading to mild shaking inside the cave but no damage to the crew.  This sphere though, landed against the rocky shield Perennis and Fortiter were headed toward. 

*         *         *

Perennis heard the word out of Achava's mouth but she didn't stop.  There were blue bolts filling the area as she moved, and she had to reach cover quickly enough to offer more fire to protect Fortiter.  She had wanted him further down the cave but he refused to leave her side.  She was over the rock when the word had fully sunk in.  She rose quickly to a crouch in time to see Fortiter's eyes on the crevice in front of her cover.

Time seemed to slow as her husband looked up at her and he smiled weakly as he collapsed quickly into the crevice.  She screamed, 'No' but the noise seemed to travel slower than her thoughts.  Fortiter mouthed the words 'I love you' but no sound came out. 

As his body dropped down, her face stayed locked with his, and she sunk behind the rock staring forward to where his eyes were on the other side.  She felt the vibration of the grenade through the rock and squeezed her eyes shut tight.  After a breath, she opened her eyes, rose to one knee and began firing in the direction of the cave entrance.  She didn't even notice that she was screaming at the top of her lungs. 

[JavinTye]

Outer Rim Territories:  Mayagil Sector:  Triton System:  Triton Calph

5 Standard Years Prior to the Battle of Yavin



The boy may have wanted to tell Dror what he knew, but the explosion had temporarily knocked out most of his hearing.  Though Dror didn’t bring a datapad with him, he always made sure to keep a few sheets of flimsiplast and a writing stylus.  Unfortunately this mode of conversation made threats seem awkward, and less effective than normal. 

Those threats and promises had led to an agreement of sorts, and this agreement had led to the boy, who had written his name was Bahkhor, approaching the bridge of the landed YZ-900.  It was an impressive starship, with the standard Corellian extended bridge made famous in a variety of freighters. 

Once Bahkhor was in front of the bridge, he raised his comlink and blatantly tapped it a few times.  The powercell had been drained.  He began waving it around to get the attention of the two remaining crew members on the ship.  Dror had walked around the vehicle and was approaching stealthily from the tree line, but if the ship had cameras along the exterior, and they weren’t focused on the boy, then he would be spotted.

Dror could see Bahkhor jumping up and down waving his hands with the comlink.  Finally it seemed a crew member had gestured to him in response and they were heading toward the ramp.  Bahkhor had told Dror where both the cargo exit and the passenger ramp were, and Dror was under the vessel, nearer to the passenger ramp.

The door opened and the ramp descended while Bahkhor waited beyond where it reached.  "What the kriff are you doing?" The voice was old and experienced.

"My patrol and another were annihilated!"  Bahkhor tried to mask his excitement with rapid fear and was shouting.  "I’m the only one left!  All dead!  By some ..."

Dror was airborne before the sentence completed.  Sideways he grabbed the servo that held the ramp up and swung his legs in the gap between the servo and the hull.  His boot connected with the skull of the old crewman sending him plummeting off the ship.  The second crewman, a Rodian, had seen the assault and was fumbling for his blaster when Dror released his grip and landed on the ramp. 

Dror’s own blaster was up a moment after he landed and the crewman quickly stopped struggling with his own weapon.  The pause lasted an eternity then Dror pulled the trigger leaving a hole in the crewman’s green face.

"Ghost." Bahkhor finished his statement.  An animalistic female laugh broke the silence from inside the ship.

*         *         *

Achava grabbed Nom by the shoulder and pointed back.  The Sullustan was up quickly and moving back toward the beginning of the empty basin at the back of the cave.  The cave had proven too short for long-term defense. 

Achava glanced over and saw Perennis crouched with her back to the same large stalagmite formation as before.  She was struggling to switch power cells on her weapon because she was visibly shaking.  Her barricade was still in front of Achava’s position and he had already called twice for her to move, but she had been consumed by her rage.  Unfortunately that left her vulnerable as the enemy began to move closer.

Perennis finally managed to succeed reloading her weapon and she looked over to Achava.  Her eyes were glistening with tears. 

"You have to move!" Achava shouted across the sounds of stun bolts.   She nodded and rose to a crouch again.  She began firing in a more composed fashion.  Achava began backing toward Nom slowly firing a few bolts as he got clear.  Then Achava saw a tail wrap flick into view from in front of Perennis’ barricade. 

On top of Ed?!

The creature must have snuck forward when Perennis was crouched.  Achava tried to squeeze off a shot from his crouched over position but couldn’t get an angle on the moving tail.  A gray-skinned hand started to reach a blaster over the barricade and Achava reacted.

He stood from his crouch and moved toward the target blaster pistol firing.  The first shot struck the rodent in the hand, the second in the weapon.  He was in full stride across the cave and each step revealed more of the rodent, which he filled with holes from his blaster.

Perennis shrieked and darted back toward the empty cavern.  Her cry snapped Achava out of his trance and he began to move back but a blue stun bolt caught him in the chest and his nervous system caught fire.  He crumbled to the ground trying to fight off the electricity as he fell unconscious mere meters away from Fortiter’s body.

*         *         *

"Come on, please can you let us out of here?  I’ve been here too long now.  Look at me!  I’m not violent!"  The question came from a skinny human male trapped behind a field in one of the many cells onboard the vessel.  He was lying on his back on the floor, his long hair spread out, and he was idly poking at a metallic stud in his chin.

"Yes, let us out."  These words were not a request, and the Twi’lek woman issuing them seemed prepared to do whatever it took to carry out her demand.  There was venom every time she had spoken.  She was red-skinned and covered with black tribal tattoos.  Her anger was palpable outside of her cell.

Dror ignored both and grabbed the Bahkhor by the shoulder.  He pointed the boy toward the bridge.  Behind him came a string of complaints from the long-haired human man and what Dror assumed was a litany of profanity from the Twi’lek woman.  Once they reached the bridge, Dror stopped the boy and turned him to look at Dror’s hooded face.

"I ...may have ...forgotten to mention them."  Bahkhor stammered his reply to the taller Dror whose face remained expressionless.  "They were hired to help -" Dror cut the boy off with a gesture to the bridge.

"I need help flying this."  Dror’s voice was sharp and to the point.

The boy breathed deeply and rushed over to the controls.  "I signed up to navigate not fight, so, where should we go?" 

"If someone thinks they have the upper hand, break it." 

Irvin’s voice rang in Dror’s head as he sat down in the pilot’s chair.  "To even this fight." 

*         *         *

The stun bolts had stopped firing and with no targets, both Perennis and Nom had stopped firing as well except at the occasional moment they spotted the enemy moving.  They were moving to take the next barricades.

Achava was lying motionless on the floor when the first set of arms grabbed him and dragged him up.  A few shots flew from Nom but Perennis was too afraid of hitting Achava and shot toward the Sullustan to stop him. 

The movement and the bumps had woken Achava to the edge of consciousness, but he still was unable to resist.  The Trandoshan that had grabbed him lifted him up raising his head over the barricade he had been dragged toward.  His eyes caught a glimpse of Fortiter on the other side of the cave before he was fully upright and rage started building up inside the strong human.

The Trandoshan said something to a creature next to him, the gray-skinned rodent he had shot before.  He wasn’t a Bothan, but Achava didn’t know enough of the galaxy to know this species. 

He looks pissed.

"Here you go little Ryn.  Consider your favor repaid in full when this is over."  The Trandoshan hissed to the rodent.  The Ryn smirked and nodded.  He drew his blaster in an awkward motion with his other arm and placed it against Achava as he stood up slightly behind the man.

"We told you to give us the Sullustan and we would let you live," the Ryn began to speak loudly for Perennis and Nom.  "Now you’ve caused a lot of hassle you.  So we’re going to kill you either way."  Achava heard Perennis yell a curse in another language he didn’t recognize.  He saw her head peek around the corner to see Achava in front of the Ryn.

"Very funny.  But I’m an honorable being," the Ryn’s voice took on the sound of mock gravitas.  "The choice is yours.  Give up Nom now, and we put you all out of your misery cleanly.  Keep fighting and we’ll kill you all slowly."  The Ryn motioned the weapon toward Achava’s knee.  "And in your case, it’ll be after the crew has had their fun."  Achava’s blood boiled inside him but his nervous system refused to provide the correct signals for his body to move.

Another curse came from deeper in the cave, but Perennis didn’t dare shoot.  Achava knew she couldn’t with his body shielding the smaller Ryn.  The Ryn shrugged, made a gesture of raising the weapon and using the shoulder of his damaged arm, changing the setting.  He placed it to the side of Achava’s left knee and a moment later a whine sounded and searing pain shot through his knee and into the lower half of his other leg before smacking into the cave floor.  A rush of adrenaline flooded into his body as the pain receptors in his legs cried in agony.

"Ooops, forgot that would go through both."  The Ryn said in a sadistic tone.  Perennis let loose another scream of profanity, and Achava caught a few words in Basic that he hadn’t heard the woman say before. 

"I know this man matters to you.  I saw how much he cares for you when he saved you earlier and cost me MY ARM."  The edge in his voice showed he may have been a bit unhinged from his own pain or whatever he had used to treat that pain.  "As you can imagine, I have plenty of reasons to enjoy this."  The Ryn paused momentarily and thought.  "You have 30 seconds."

*         *         *

Dror knew where they were headed, but an extra set of hands on sensors enabled him to fly more efficiently.  The trip was short, and in moments the landed Action-transport was visible through the front of the bridge.  They were hailing the YZ-900 apparently named the Shade of Inferno. 

Dror had instructed Bahkhor to ignore the hails and in response the Action Transport had begun to power up systems.  The vessel didn’t even have time to raise their shields though before the first blasts from the turbolasers on the Shade struck the transport.  It was obliterated in moments.

Once it exploded, Dror swung the vessel awkwardly toward the cave to the east.

*         *         *

"Time’s up sweetheart.  Shot number 2 coming up!"  The Ryn looked awkwardly at the situation and took a step back.  He yanked Achava’s left arm behind his back, and placed the blaster against his upper arm.  The blast seared through his arm and struck the cave wall on the other end of the room.  The pain was excruciating and more adrenaline flooded his system.

"Careful Ryn."  The Trandoshan holding Achava up admonished the Ryn.  The bolt had missed him but both bolts had been too close for comfort.  The Ryn looked angrily at the Trandoshan then sheepishly remembered his own position in the food chain and his look changed to apologetic.

"You have 15 more seconds before I start going for the torso."  The Ryn had moved his blaster behind the body that was Achava was fighting against the stun bolt, willing his nervous system to respond.  His right arm rested against his pouch. 

I just need to reach a weapon. 

A moment later his finger near his waist moved and relief flooded his system. 

"10 seconds.  How much do you want this man to suffer?"  The Ryn snickered softly to himself.  Achava tried to respond, but all he managed was a soft groan.

"Oh looks like the fun is waking him up to suffer more.  What was that you said?  I couldn’t hear you."  The Ryn seemed to enjoy this turn of events.  Achava’s eyes caught movement closer to Fortiter.  There were more men moving in on Perennis’ side. 

Achava fought once more to make his body respond, but all he managed was a raspy pant.  The Ryn cackled with glee, and prodded the weapon into Achava’s kidney from behind.  "Looks like his kidney is next.  Humans have two though I heard." 

Achava felt the shot rip through his lower left side.  He was fighting to stay conscious as nausea from the stun and the pain from his wounds crept into his mind.  All he had left was his will.  His body was flooded with adrenaline but the pain was excruciating. 

He knew these would be the last moments of his life and he remembered meeting Perennis and Fortiter.  Years spent with the people he loved, doing what he enjoyed.  The images flashed through his mind telling the story of over a decade of his life in mere moments.  His face cracked a smile instinctively and even though it hurt, he wouldn’t stop it if he could. 

The Ryn noticed his facial movement and screamed out, "He’s delirious with pain now!  It’s over, don’t make him suffer needlessly."

Achava struggled again to say what he wanted.  There wasn’t much time left, but there was so much to say.  Four men were approaching from Perennis’ side.  She needed to stay behind the rock and let Nom cover her.  Everything seemed important in these last seconds, but the images running through his head made it clear. 

"Thank ...you," Achava managed to gasp out the words quietly.  The Ryn was shocked and confused and reflexively fired another shot through Achava’s shoulder causing the burly human to yell in pain.  "Thank ...you ...for everything ...Spes."  Achava yelled in gasps from the end of his scream of pain. 

Then the fragmentation grenade in his pouch went off and a spray of metal shrapnel engulfed the three men.

[JavinTye]

Outer Rim Territories:  Mayagil Sector:  Triton System:  Triton Calph

5 Standard Years Prior to the Battle of Yavin



The Rodian mercenary Ponni was not used to waiting.  Rodians were trackers and like most Ponni sought to hunt down his prey, but as first officer for this crew, he had other orders.  Those orders were given to him by his cousin, Wallid, and Ponni never doubted Wallid's orders.

"Boss I've got something weird here."  The voice had crackled on his comlink but no replies came. 

Wallid was in charge of this loosely affiliated mercenary gang, known as the Supernovas, and was known among Rodians for his brutal and efficient tactics.  It was Wallid who had switched channels after losing the first patrol group and Wallid who had warned the men enough to know to detonate the other mines in the forest.  It was also Wallid who had instructed them that there were two groups of survivors.  Their job was to ambush the other group if they arrived to save their friends.

Which, for Ponni, meant waiting.

Wallid had taken five other men inside the caves to pursue their objective, and left Ponni to keep the other thirteen outside and prepare an ambush at the entrance.  Ponni had accepted the assignment after Wallid had pointed out that this second group had already killed at least eight other Supernovas.  Rodians were not above vengeance.

It had made tactical sense as well.  The cave was too narrow and there wasn't enough cover for twenty men to advance.  They would've just limited their own effectiveness.  It was bad enough trying to get that Sullustan alive.  Sitting in the forest though, Ponni wished he was in the fight.  He squinted his eyes and sniffed the air again hoping to pick up the scent of his prey.

*         *         *

Bahkhor broke the silence as the freighter barreled along closing the gap to the cave quickly, "I'm picking up some beings around the cave." 

Planned on trapping me? 

Dror smirked and cut throttle to the minimum necessary to keep the ship airborne.   

"If it seems like someone is out to get you, they probably are." 

Irvin's voice was clear as day, and Dror depressed the front firing laser cannons incinerating forest and mercenaries at the same time.

*         *         *

The explosion seemed to suck the air out of the room as shrapnel banged off both walls of the cave.  Perennis heard moaning but instead screamed and turned the corner ready to fire at anyone.  She caught a glimpse of a large reptile as she started to move.  Her muzzle was barely around the corner when a green hand grabbed her and yanked her roughly from the corner, disarming her with the other hand. 

As she was spun she saw Nom crouched low and ready to fire, but her body was blocking his shot.  He stood and stepped out from behind the corner to try to get a better shot and took a blue bolt in the chest from the hobbled Barabel Perennis had seen in the middle of the cave.  The butt of Perennis' own blaster came down hard on the side of her head and the world went dark.

*         *         *

"Grab the Sullustan," Wallid grumbled to the Barabel near him.  He had heard the laser fire and knew they had a problem.  He awkwardly pushed a button on his belt comlink while holding the limp human up.  "Despoiler are you there?  Anyone on my ship alive?"  The Despoiler was his ship.  He had earned it over a long career as a mercenary and the thought of it being gone was disheartening.

He dropped Perennis to the ground and pumped one stun shot into her body.  The Barabel looked skeptical at Wallid.  "Berat," Wallid began, "they've taken our ship.  I'm going to barter with this one for our ship back.  Then the two of us will split the payment on this mission and be very, very wealthy."  The Barabel had been a member of the Supernovas for years and would be a good second in command.

Wallid picked Perennis and started dragging her up toward the cave entrance.  He reached over to his comlink and changed frequencies before broadcasting.  "I have your female and Nom.  You have my ship."  They were entering the shrapnel covered area and a part of Wallid's mind nagged at him.  Boot scuffed against metal in the background as Wallid continued, "Let's make a trade.  Our initial agreement.  Your female for my ship and I'll leave you on this world alive.  Otherwise I kill both." 

There was a crunch as his boot landed on another piece of shrapnel and his mind became more anxious to get his attention.  Wallid paused for a moment and switched the woman to a position in front of him as a shield.  Berat saw his leader's movement and followed suit. 

What is wrong?

He was smart enough to know something was off and he couldn't shake it.  His brain started asking questions about everything.

Is that a grenade?  No, just an empty powercell and some debris.  Was that human always on his side?  Why is there no debris on his chest?  Oh . . .

The thought never finished as his eyes traced down to Fortiter's pistol pointing in his direction.  The red blaster bolt struck the Rodian at a distance of less than two meters in the side of the head.  The noise distracted the Barabel, but he couldn't see the shot.  He did see Perennis and Wallid both crash to the ground. 

Perennis fell face first into the shrapnel causing Fortiter to cringe inwardly. 

His next shots traced the side of the Barabel, grazing him twice.  Berat threw Nom to the ground and charged toward the prone Fortiter who emptied his power cell into the mercenary leading to the reptile collapsing on top of the old captain.