Prince Elite Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 This story is one i made a couple of years ago, any questions comments or "how dare you, you evil punk." can be directed to my profile, thanks, and enjoy the show. Star Wars Rise of a Warrior Origin. It had been a word that had plagued the mind of young Chris Bralor his entire life. He had never known his father and it was his life’s ambition to find out who he was. The young Mandalorian walked around the room, he was waiting for an important transmission and he did not intend to miss it. He was an opportunist; he had been his entire life. Sometimes the opportunities would reap benefit and sometimes it would reap punishment. The many scars on his body attested to that. Chris observed a scar on his right forearm as his holoprojector signaled. He approached his holocamera and watched as a grey armored figure appeared on the holoprojector. Chris bowed his head and said “Lord Krayt.†Krayt observed the surrounding room and then replied “Chris Bralor. I have another target for you if you accept.†Chris asked “what is the target?†Krayt replied “the target is Galdon Merick. He has stolen an important datapad from me. Kill him and bring back the datapad. With your skills as a hunter, I’m sure you can get the job done.†Intrigued, Chris asked “how much for the target?†Krayt smiled and said “75,000 credits. I’ll give you 10,000 now, and the rest upon completion. You will receive instructions later. Do we have a deal?†Chris replied “agreed.†After half an hour Chris had collected his gear and boarded his GAT-12 Skipray Blastboat, named the Rumbler. It had been a gift from a previous benefactor. Chris had modified it to be more effective in space combat. These models were more suited for atmospheric battles. He had also upgraded the nav computer. It was voice-printed and had coordinates to virtually any location. Chris put down his gear bag and sat in the pilot’s seat. He started the ship and flew out of the hangar of the Kuat Passenger Port. The ship was not followed as he left the port. Once Chris had flew out of gravitational influence the holoprojector signaled. He turned it on and the image of Darth Krayt appeared and said “I’ve wired the 10,000 to your account.†Chris replied “thank you. I need the information on the target.†An image of a human appeared as Krayt said “Merick is a computer analyst. He used to work for me before he decided to steal my datapad and sell it to the highest bidder. His last known location was Eriadu. I suggest you start there.†Chris replied “well it shouldn’t take more than a few weeks to scour the planet.†Krayt said with a thin smile “your sarcasm is noted. I’ll give you an extra 35,000 for your trouble. That’s 100,000 credits when you finish.†Chris already knew the sum. He said “very well. It’s not like I had anything else to do today†A flicker of understanding dawned in Krayt’s eyes. He said “oh yes. It’s your 18th birthday today isn’t it?†Chris replied “you remembered, well done.†Chris turned off his holoprojector, adjusted the nav computer and engaged the hyperdrive. Chris walked around his ship and examined his travel pack. It consisted of a DT-57 heavy blaster pistol, a DC-17 hand blaster, a combat knife and a Vibro-sword. The pack also had medical supplies and provisions. After noting that everything was there, he examined his swoop. It was a Flare-S swoop. He had taken it from a previous target and made several modifications. He remembered that target, a crime lord from Berchest. Chris infiltrated the crime lord’s base and silenced him, as per the contract. Chris preferred stealth missions over any other type. Remaining stealthy was a good test of Chris’ skills. After Chris had made sure that it was working properly he proceeded to perform his training regimen. His training was an hour of strength exercises and half an hour of sword and blaster practice. Years of this had lead to Chris being very physically strong and capable of wielding most weapons easily. All Mandalorians had combat drilled into their minds, and Chris honored this. After two hours, Chris finished his training and showered. He looked at the many scars on his body while he dressed. He had been a slave once. When he was ten years old he woke up in a prison on Kessel, he was then told that he’d been sold into slavery and he would never escape. “But I did escape†thought Chris. “It was a miracle, but I managed to pull it off.†A beeping sound invaded his train of thought. The Rumbler was approaching Eriadu. Chris entered the cockpit and deactivated the hyperdrive whilst engaging the sublight engines. The ship came out of hyperspace over the trade world of Eriadu. He debated where to go, decided to try Eriadu City, and guided his towards its spaceport. A voice on his comlink said “this is Eriadu Spaceport, Please identify.†Chris replied “Blastboat Rumbler. I am the only one aboard. I request permission to land.†After a few minutes the voice spoke again “You are permitted to land. The Eriadu Spaceport reserves the right to search any vessel and you will be inspected upon arrival. Do you understand?†Chris replied “yes.†The voice said “land at docking bay 90.†After Chris had landed, the inspectors arrived to search the Rumbler. After the search was complete, an official exited the ship and said “well, you have some odd stuff. But it’s all legal. Welcome to the Eriadu Spaceport, and enjoy your stay.†Chris thanked the official and proceeded out of the docking bay. He pondered the situation for a while. Krayt had given him almost nothing to go on. All he had was the planet, and Krayt had said it was the last known location. Merick could be on the other side of the galaxy. “Don’t think like that†he told himself. “He could be here; you just have to look properly.†Chris decided to try at a cantina. Nine times out of ten, a bartender could help in situations like these. Chris had no luck for the first three cantinas. On the fourth attempt however, he had success. After a little prompting, by way of 300 credits, the bartender said “Merick. I think I remember a guy called Merick in here yesterday. He seemed pleased and was having a victory drink.†That wasn’t good. That meant that Merick had either sold the datapad, or was about to. Chris asked “did he say what he was celebrating about?†The bartender responded “he said that he was going to be very rich in two days time.†Chris asked “did he have anything with him?†The bartender shook his head and said “no.†Chris turned to leave when the bartender said “oh yes. He left with a woman and said something going to his penthouse.†Chris thanked the bartender and turned to leave. A Zabrak ran into him. His drink spilled, and he said in a slightly threatening tone “you better be able to pay for that.†Chris protested “Why do I have to pay. You ran into me.†The tension grew high and half the clientele sought cover. Chris knew that there was only one way out of this situation. Quicker than the eye could see, he raised his fist and punched the Zabrak’s jaw with a right hook. It was a well executed attack and it successfully knocked the Zabrak out cold. Unfazed, Chris shook his hand and left the cantina, walked up the street and started to think. Merick would sell the datapad tomorrow, and he was staying in a penthouse. Chris didn’t have a lot of time, and there were many hotels in the area. He calmed himself and decided to make an educated guess. He was staying in a penthouse. He believed he would sell the pad successfully; therefore he wouldn’t spare any expense in where he was staying. Chris accessed an information panel and found that the most expensive hotel was on the other side of the city. He went back to his ship, flew it out of the city and towards an abandoned industrial area. Once he had done that, he retrieved his tactical pack and drove his Flare-S swoop to the hotel. Chris walked up to the doors of the hotel. Keeping his face hidden he approached an intercom. It asked “do you have a reservation?†Chris replied “no I don’t. But my friend is a guest here and I wanted to talk to him.†The voice on the intercom said “well unless he comes down here or sends for you personally, you cannot come inside. Only guests and employees are allowed in.†Chris turned around and rounded a corner. He needed a way in and the front doors weren’t going to yield passage. Chris considered ways in. If he tried to break in then he’d be gunned down. This hotel had security in spades. He could use his jetpack to fly to the top of the building, but the penthouse was miles up and he couldn’t take the chance that he’d be seen. The voice from the intercom kept floating in his head “Only guests and employees are allowed in.†He could afford to rent a room, but then he’d have to give his name, and even if he gave a false one. There were cameras everywhere, and a small investigation would reveal that he rented a room just before the murder was committed. Therefore, he concluded that he would have to stealth his way in. After dark, dressed in tactical gear, carrying a jetpack and spying from a distance Chris noticed an employee’s entrance around the side. It was a code-lock door. Chris noticed an employee approach the door. Seizing the opportunity, he quietly but quickly approached the employee whilst drawing a stun baton. The employee keyed his code. With a carefully measured jab to the employee’s back, the employee fell face first onto the ground. Chris holstered his weapon and ran through the door before it closed. “Stage one: complete.†He said to himself. He walked around a corner and noticed a locker-room. He entered it and looked around. There were uniforms and clothes on hooks. Chris selected a uniform that was his size removed his jetpack and put the uniform over his clothes. He wouldn’t have time to change once the contract was complete. He left the room and turned to close the door. A voice behind him asked in a metallic voice “who are you?†Instinctually, Chris grabbed his sword and whilst turning, swung his sword to the neck of his confronter. The head of the confronter fell. It was a droid head, and he managed to get a perfect slice between the neck joint. Alarmed, Chris grabbed the head of the droid before the clattering could alarm anyone. He dragged the droid into the uniform room and locked the door. Chris had to get a move on now. If they noticed that the droid was missing a search would be called. That would make it impossible for him to escape. Chris had hurried to the turbo lifts. To his dismay, the lifts did not lead straight to the penthouse. They lead to an antechamber. He would have to find a path through the antechamber that would allow him not to be seen by the cameras. Chris took a metal serving platter, put his jetpack into it and covered it with a lid. Holding it near his face so he wouldn’t be seen he entered the antechamber. It was full of people. Chris guessed that it was some sort of function. He looked at the cameras and noticed a blind spot between their search patterns. He began to walk through the antechamber. A camera turned towards his direction. Anxious, Chris dropped down, pretending to tie his shoe, he thought to himself “too close.†Chris reached the turbo lift without incident. He stepped inside the lift, put his hands on his face and smiled in relief. His smile turned into a scowl as he looked at the button panel and noticed that the lift did not go to the penthouse. Angrily he pressed the button that would take him to the highest floor that the lift could reach. Chris stepped out of the elevator and stealthily walked across the floor. He saw a turbo lift at the end of the floor and approached it. “A private lift.†thought Chris. He examined the golden-plated door and said to himself “there is no chance that there won’t be a few cameras in there, and if there aren’t. Merick will hear the elevator.†Chris calculated his options, they were few. He couldn’t give up, but he couldn’t stay here. Any minute now he could be challenged and the game was up. Chris noticed a service panel on the side of the elevator. He made sure nobody was watching, opened it and looked up. It was a relatively high climb. He couldn’t use his jetpack or Merick would hear that too. Chris guessed at a 750 metre climb to the top. “Can I do it manually?†he asked himself. It was a stupid question. He could do it, and if he couldn’t then he couldn’t call himself strong. Chris got out his liquid-cable launcher and fired. It was a good shot. He began to ascend. There were moments where he almost fell. Eventually however, he reached the top. Chris looked down and saw the distance he climbed. Smiling Chris eased open the service panel. He entered the living-room of the penthouse. It was rather nice in Chris’ opinion. He quietly stalked around the penthouse and placed an explosive on the window. “I may need a quick getaway.†Chris thought. He approached the bedroom and heard laughing. The door was slightly ajar. Chris peered in and glimpsed a woman pouring a drink for a man. Chris identified the man as Galdon Merick. The woman spilled some on the drink the floor and said “I’ll get a towel. Don’t go anywhere.†The woman entered another room. Capitalizing on this opportunity, Chris drew his sword, silently entered the room and crawled quickly the bed. He noticed a briefcase next to the bed. Chris retrieved it and prepared to kill his target. Merick was inebriated and hadn’t noticed him. Some would call killing an unaware opponent cowardly. Chris called it tactical advantage. He rose quickly placed the sword against Merick’s throat and before Merick could do anything, Chris plunged the sword in Merick’s throat. He quickly but quietly exited the bedroom but before he could do anything, he heard a terrible scream. Chris pressed the detonator and ran toward the window. It exploded and Chris leapt out the building. He triggered his jetpack and glided for a few blocks. He landed in a street and ran down it, looking in every alley until he found the right one. Chris ran towards the alley and saw his swoop. He had parked it there a few hours before. Chris got onto it, sped out of the city and towards his ship. He was being followed. Lights were behind him, faint, but there. Chris put every bit of power into speeder as possible. After 30 seconds the ship was in view. He slowed down and guided his swoop bike into the hold. The door sealed behind him as he ran into the cockpit. Police forces surrounded the ship, setting up turrets. Knowing he only had seconds, he activated an Ax-108 surface defense blaster cannon. It fired rapidly against the police forces and the Rumbler began to fly. Chris flew the Rumbler out of the atmosphere. He adjusted his nav computer and once the ship had left gravitational influence, Chris engaged the hyperdrive. After half an hour, two different jumps and burning the hotel uniform, Chris walked out of the cockpit and typed in a code to Darth Krayt. After ten minutes the holoprojector signaled. Chris activated it and Darth Krayt appeared. Chris bowed his head and said “the contract has been fulfilled, Lord Krayt.†Krayt examined Chris and asked “and my datapad?†Chris held up the briefcase and said “it’s in this briefcase.†He opened the briefcase. It indeed contained a datapad. Krayt looked at it and said “very good. Was it difficult?†Chris gave a thin smile, closed the briefcase and said “I have to forge a new registration for the Rumbler, get a new paintjob for it. Other than that, it was a breeze.†Krayt smiled and said “you’ve held up your end of the bargain. I will hold up mine. I’ve arranged for you to stay in a penthouse suite of the 500 Imperialist on Coruscant. Call it a break, if you will. You’ll receive your money when you get there.†The transmission ended and Chris shut off the holoprojector. He entered the cockpit and set a course for Coruscant. Exhausted, he went to his sleeper and sat on it. Whilst setting the alarm, Chris hoped that the 500 Imperialist had better security than the hotel at Eriadu. “Get up scum!†a droid shouted. Chris opened his eyes and saw a droid with many weapons. Chris asked “what happened?†The droid replied “you have been sold into slavery; I am going to show you the proverbial ropes.†Horrified, Chris said “slavery, no.†The droid said “failure to comply.†The droid activated an electrojabber and moved in to attack. Chris awoke with a jolt, still in his sleeper. The alarm had woken him. That was his first day of slavery. “Why was it always that one?†he got out of the sleeper, went to the galley and poured a drink of water. Beeping echoed through the ship. The Rumbler was approaching Coruscant. Chris entered the cockpit and disengaged the Hyperdrive. Coruscant come into view. The cities glowed amber in the night. Chris piloted towards the City. As he approached a voice on his communicator said “right on time.†A thin smile stole across Chris’ mouth as he said “Krayt. Observing the channels are we?†Krayt replied “when my greatest asset comes to my home, I tend to greet him properly.†There was a pause and Krayt said “I may have another contract for you. But first, I imagine you are anxious to receive your money.†Coordinates appeared on Chris’ computer. Krayt said “these coordinates I sent you, they lead to a docking bay. You can park your ship here.†Chris inquired “why?†Krayt replied “you mentioned that you needed a new registration and paintjob. I take full responsibility for this. I will have a team repaint your ship. Do you have any ideas as to what pattern you’d like?†Chris said “Jungle camouflage I guess. How long will it take to paint it?†Krayt said “maybe a day. In the meantime I suggest you collect your payoff.†Chris shrugged and said “sounds good to me. Thanks.†Chris shut off the comlink and made a mental note to inspect his ship thoroughly for anything that could be planted. Chris docked his ship in the bay. He grabbed his equipment pack, hopped onto the speeder bike and left. After ten minutes he had reached the 500 Imperialist. It was extravagant and grand. From what Chris could see, it had security far greater than anything Eriadu had. He got off the speeder bike and a valet approached. Chris fished out 75 credits from his pocket, gave it to the valet and said “get it refueled. You can keep the change.†The valet said slightly eagerly “yes, sir.†As Chris approached the door, a doorman opened it and said “welcome to the 500 Imperialist, sir.†Chris entered the reception area. There were Azurite decorations in the room. Chris approached the front desk and said to a receptionist “I have a reservation. Chris Bralor.†The receptionist opened a file and said “yes, Penthouse suite. 1 day. Paid in full†The receptionist handed Chris a card and said “For the turbo lift.†Chris couldn’t help himself as he asked “does the lift have access panels on the side?†The receptionist looked slightly surprised and said “no. Why do you ask?†Chris replied “just wanted to know. Thank you.†He walked across the reception and found the turbo lifts. Chris put his card into the receiver, it scanned it and the lift opened. Chris entered it and pressed the button to the penthouse. Chris examined a painting on the walls as the lift began to move. It depicted Mandalorian armor. Lines had been carved into the helmet. Chris leant forward to get a better look. The lines had been painted cleverly in Chris’ opinion. It was almost as if he could see another room. Chris’ thoughts had focused deeply on the picture when he could hear sounds of battle, people being killed and in his head, he could see a woman being attacked. Chris shook his head to try and stop the images and sound, but they wouldn’t. His head was almost splitting with the sounds of battle. He tripped and the sounds stopped. “What was that?†he said to himself. He couldn’t answer that question. Perhaps he was tired; perhaps he had eaten something spoiled. None of these theories seemed likely to the young hunter. Largely due to the fact that he had only woken up an hour earlier, and he only kept quality food aboard his ship. He shook his head and shrugged it off. The turbo lift opened and he entered his penthouse. It was decorated, large and luxurious. “I’ve earned a holiday†thought Chris. He sat on the couch with the intention of having a rest. An almost silent sound from the door however, stopped that. Within an instant, the young hunter had drawn both his blasters and aimed at the darkened doorway. A female voice broke the silence “Impressive, I understand what my master sees in you. But you would do well to put your weapons away. Besides, I will do you no harm.†Chris cautiously holstered his weapons. He knew that in a pinch, he could draw them again, faster than the eye could see. A red Twi’lek entered the room. “Lethan†thought Chris. The Twi’lek had many black tattoos. She was carrying a briefcase. The Twi’lek put the briefcase down on a table and proceeded to open it. Chris noticed a rock lightsabre hanging from her belt and asked “Lord Krayt is your master?†The Twi’lek replied “yes.†Chris approached the table and looked inside. The briefcase contained many credits. The Twi’lek said “it’s all here, the full 100,000. My master wanted me to tell you that he may have another contract for you. If you are interested you should call him by 16:00 tomorrow.†The Twi’lek exited the room. Chris began to count the money. The full amount was there. Chris closed the case and sat on the couch. Chris woke up early in the morning and deposited most of the money in the bank. After banking his money, he decided to have breakfast at one of the café’s. He left the bank, retrieved his swoop and drove to a café. He ordered hotcakes, breakfast fruit and juice, sat at his table and observed the clientele of the café. Noting that nothing was suspicious, he sat back and waited for his order. After a few minutes it came. Chris began to eat when he noticed a small datapad hidden in his napkin. He surreptitiously slipped it into his pocket. Making a mental note to examine it later, he continued eating his meal. Ten minutes later the young hunter drove his swoop to the docking bay. The Rumbler had been repainted. Chris entered the Rumbler and checked for anything that may have been planted. After noting that the ship had not been bugged, he activated the datapad. An image of a Togruta appeared. She bowed and said “I am Rana Ti. I represent a wealthy businessman. He is willing to reward you with a million credits, provided you complete a mission for him.†Coordinates appeared on the screen and Ti said “these will lead you to my employer’s orbital base. If you accept, please reply and come to the designated location immediately. Thank you.†The image disappeared. Chris considered the situation. One million credits was an extremely good deal, but he knew nothing about the person offering it. After a time, Chris decided that he would go. If he did not like it, he wouldn’t bother. Chris replied to the message, guided the Rumbler out of gravitational influence and engaged the hyperdrive. After several hours the Rumbler arrived at the orbital base. He examined it and noticed that it was not so much an orbital base as it was a defence satellite. Chris guided the ship towards the docking bay that his coordinates pointed to. The ship landed as Chris grabbed his equipment pack and exited the ship. Rana Ti approached him and said “Thank you for coming.†Chris replied “I will let you know, I may not accept this contract. I’m here to find out what it is first.†Rana Ti smiled and said “of course, I will take you to my employer immediately.†They walked to a set of turbo lifts. After several minutes they entered a chamber. At the end of the chamber was an indistinct figure cloaked in darkness. They approached it. The figure spoke in Rodese “Welcome to Holse.†Chris asked “Holse?†The Rodian replied “it is the name of my defence satellite. It is good to see you again.†A puzzled look stole across Chris’ face as he asked “have we met?†The figure moved out of the darkness. It was a Rodian, but he had an Emerald for his left eye. He approached the young Mandalorian and asked in a slightly hurt voice “you don’t remember me?†The Rodian casually waved his hand. Suddenly, a guard kicked Chris in the back of the leg. Chris fell and the other guards restrained and disarmed him. The Rodian leered down at Chris and said “I remember you.†The Rodian looked up and did a quick calculation. He smiled and said “it’s been eight years. You were so young then.†The Rodian turned around and approached a cabinet. He retrieved something, turned to the young hunter and said “you caused me a great grievance by killing Galdon Merick. He was working for me, but that idiot went and lost the pad to you. I’m sure you’ve given it back to Lord Krayt. So I won’t bother asking.†He turned and showed Chris a helmet. It was a Mandalorian helmet. “My mother’s helmet†thought Chris. Abruptly images stole into Chris’ mind. Blaster fire lashed to and from a decrepit looking outpost. Soldiers attacked trying to pierce the defenses. A soldier walked entered the attackers command centre and said “Sir, we are nearly through the defenses. The enemy troop numbers are thinning as we speak, and we have sliced the security systems inside. We will soon begin blanketing the outpost with sonic grenades. They will not be safe for much longer.†A Rodian with an Emerald for his left eye smiled and responded in Rodese “good.†Inside the outpost, gunfire blazed as the defenders desperately tried to hold off the attacking force. A female warrior put on a helmet as she readied herself for the worst. Troops died around her and the sounds of battle moved closer. She grabbed her blaster and looked around from her cover. The woman fired two well aimed shots into the chests of two stray attackers. She saw that the enemy troops had breached the outpost walls, troops were pouring in. She fired her blaster until her clip had emptied. Her efforts and the efforts of her comrades were not enough to prevent the fall of the outpost. Within minutes, the enemy had successfully blanketed the compound with sonic grenades. The troops had been defeated. After several hours, the compound had been emptied and processed. The Rodian smiled evilly as he looked at the many prisoners. He noticed the woman who had killed several of his best soldiers. “Sergeant Crowley.†the Rodian called. The sergeant approached and asked “your will, sir?†The Rodian replied “bring this woman to my quarters in five minutes. She has something that interests me. Make sure she does not have her helmet on.†Sergeant Crowley nodded and said “yes sir.†The Rodian was readying a bottle of ale when he heard a gruff voice from out side saying “you’ll go in and if you don’t do what you’re told you’ll be shot, understand?†The female warrior was pushed through the door. She wasn’t wearing her helmet. The sergeant bowed to the Rodian and left. The Rodian said “you must forgive Sergeant Crowley. He is a good soldier but he does not have many people skills.†The Rodian poured a glass of ale and said “I am Seedar Mato. I am commander of the Green-Gem Force.†Mato offered the warrior a glass of ale of which she refused. Mato drained his glass in one gulp and said “I am looking for something. Something of which is very valuable to me, and if you were to help me find it, I would reward you for it.†The warrior replied with a harsh tone “I doubt what you are looking for is here.†Mato gave a thin smile and said “no, I am sure it is here.†A blaster shot rent the air and the warrior turned her head. Mato noticed a thin scar on the back of her neck and enquired “where did you get that scar?†The warrior faced Mato and replied “in a duel.†Mato’s smile grew to full length and said “I’m sure.†He lunged at the warrior and tried to pin her down, but the warrior was ready for him. They wrestled for a few minutes until Mato was forced to call his guards. The guards pinned her to the floor as Mato drew a knife. As he sliced open the scar Mato asked “and what do we have here?†He carefully fished out something small and clear. Mato smiled. He looked up and said “kill the prisoners.†The warrior tried to struggle, but the guards held her firm. She cried in despair as she heard her fellows fall. Mato slipped on a pair of brass knuckles and punched the warrior in the head with incredible strength. The warrior stopped struggling. She was dead. Mato left his quarters and looked at the chaos he had caused. He grinned insanely and asked “are we ready to leave yet?†Sergeant Crowley replied “In a few minutes sir.†Mato picked up his blaster rifle and observed it when Crowley said “sir, there is a small heat source on the scanner. It’s coming from this building on my left.†Mato looked at the building and said “well I suggest you go find it.†After ten minutes. Crowley and his men returned with a boy who looked to be ten years old in their clutches. Crowley said “we found him in the wall. We gave him a twelve hour dose of sedative before he saw us. Should we kill him?†Mato considered the situation and replied “no. Slavery will do. Load him on the ship. We’ll put him on Kessel.†The images stopped. Chris regained his senses and anger built inside him; he wanted to rip out Mato’s throat. He struggled against the guards and managed to free himself and grab his combat knife. Chris ran towards Mato and raised the knife, determined to place it into Mato’s throat. He neared Mato and took a strike. Mato dodged and punched Chris in the chest with the pair of Brass Knuckles. Chris fell, fighting for breath. Mato stood over him and said “foolish boy.†A guard approached and raised his blaster rifle. Mato stopped him and said “no don’t shoot.†Mato leaned close to Chris and said “I’m going to destroy your ship and send you back to Kessel. Who knows, maybe you’ll escape again.†Mato and the guards roared in mirth as the Rodian shot Chris with a sedative. Chris woke up in a prison cell. It was dark, but he slowly adjusted to it. There was another prisoner in the cell. The prisoner was dangerously thin and had a long graying beard. He looked familiar to Chris. Chris took a guess and asked “are you Sergeant Crowley?†The man responded “Once upon a time.†Chris asked “what are you doing here?†Crowley replied “socio-economic disparity.†Chris asked “what?†Crowley answered “well you see, I chose a rather bad time to fall into depression and picked up a rather substantially large tab.†Chris turned his attention to the cell. It was barred. He looked through the bars. There were many other cells forming a hall. Five guards were posted in the hall. One of them approached the cell and said “ha, so you’re the one who escaped last time.†Chris replied “yeah I did.†The guard said “well you’re not getting out again.†Chris responded “so it seems.†The guard grinned evilly and said “You look just like him.†Chris asked “who?†The guard replied “your father. He was a space pirate, and he was a drunkard.†The guard clearly knew nothing of Mandalorian family. Family bonds were strong, and it was inadvisable to make any comments against Mandalorian’s family. Chris said “stop.†The guard didn’t. He said “he was a real fiend.†Rage began to boil through Chris’ body. The guard spoke again “I took a great pleasure in gutting him. It was the most fun I had in my life.†Chris screamed “no!†The guard laughed and said “I didn’t mean it.†A powerful shockwave erupted from Chris’ body and blew the door off its hinges. Astonished but seizing the opportunity, Chris ran out, took the guards weapon and began firing at the other guards. It only took seconds and the guards were dead. The other prisoners we’re calling for him to rescue them. The young Mandalorian yelled “move back!†The occupants of the other cells did so and Chris fired at the lock of the cell near him, he repeated this on the next cell. On the third cell there were three men were looking through the door. Chris asked hurriedly “Basic?†They shook their heads and one said in Mando’a “We will not speak Basic here, we will only speak Mando’a.†Being a Mandalorian, Chris was fluent in the Mandalorian language and said in Mando’a “move back, I am going to blow the lock away.†The three Mandalorians moved back and Chris fired at the lock. The cell yielded passage and the three Mandalorians exited. Chris instructed them to collect the weapons of the guards he had previously killed. They took them and then the four began to destroy the locks of the other cells. In a few minutes all the prisoners had been released except one cell that was shielded. Inside were two Wookiees. Chris asked the assembly of escapees before him if any of them could slice a computer panel. A Weequay answered the call and began to slice. After a few minutes the shields dropped. Chris approached the Wookiees and asked “can you understand Galactic Basic.†One of the Wookiees nodded. Chris told the Wookiees to join the assembly. Chris spoke to the assembly “ok, we’re going to have to wing this thing, the people who know more about combat should be in front, the ones who no nothing need to find cover. We’ll take the weapons of any guards we come across. Casualties are inevitable, but I’d like them to be few. We’ll liberate as many prisoners as we can. Chris instructed the Mandalorians to lead the escapees. They exited their cells and fired upon any resistance they came across, after one hour, 11 escapees had perished and they had rescued about half the prison. After another hour the whole prison had been liberated. Chris shot at the last guard in the cells and said “ok to the landing pad.†The escapees ran and after 15 minutes, they had found the landing pad. The escapees secured the landing pad and commandeered an Action VI transport. Chris found five other crew members and quickly left the system. Chris walked around the ship and noted many problems and errors. The craft could be flown. But trying attack a defence satellite would be insane. He would need a new ship. The Mandalorians approached and one asked in Galactic Basic “who are you?†The young hunter replied “Chris Bralor.†The Mandalorian said “I am Sharpblade.†Sharpblade indicated the other two and said “these are my brothers Quickfire and Ironknife. Our names represent the weapons we are most proficient in.†Chris shook hands with the three brothers and said “I am going to let these prisoners off at a safe planet. I will then go to Holse and crush Mato’s skull.†Sharpblade replied “good, we will join you.†Chris paused and asked surprisingly “you will?†Ironknife replied “yes, we will avenge our imprisonment.†Chris said “very well. But we can’t attack them in this ship. We will have to find others.†Quickfire replied “we have starfighters and munitions stockpiled at our house. Good ones.†Sharpblade said “however, we have been imprisoned for five years; we don’t know if our house still stands on Concord Dawn.†Chris replied “we will find out then.†Chris took the prisoners to a friendly planet and then proceeded to fly to Concord Dawn. Sharpblade directed Chris to fly into a forest. After landing, the four Mandalorians exited the ship. As Chris walked down the landing pad, Sharpblade said “our house is a mile from here. If it is inhabited, they would have heard us so we must remain vigilant.†After ten minutes, the four Mandalorians reached a small house. Chris turned and asked Sharpblade “you keep munitions in there?†Sharpblade replied “not in the house itself. We have a bunker that connects to the house which we keep our munitions in.†The four Mandalorians secured the house. Quickfire approached a fireplace and looked at a painting of a decorated vase of flowers; he pointed at a pedal and said “Yield this passage in the name of Mandalore.†The fireplace’s floor slid back revealing a ladder. The three Mandalorian brothers approached it and climbed down. Chris hesitated slightly and followed. He climbed down the ladder and found himself in a dark room. A hand grabbed Chris’ shoulder. Chris tried to slacken its grip. Sharpblade’s voice spoke through the darkness “remain calm, Chris.†Chris stopped and Sharpblade said “we are in a tunnel. There are no lights, so if an intruder were to find this place, they would be blind. We have night vision attatchments to our helmets so we have the first advantage in a firefight.†Sharpblade began to walk and Chris followed. Sharpblade said “there are many tunnels down here and we know the true path off by heart.†After several minutes and many turns, the four Mandalorians entered a dimly lit room. Ironknife accessed a light panel and turned the lights up slightly. Chris’ eyes adjusted to the light and he saw that he was in a large stockroom. Weapons and ammunition were stacked in several locations around the room. Quickfire said to Chris “the weapons are placed in strategic locations so if we were unprepared, we could arm ourselves easily. Our weapons are never more than five paces away, and we always have vehicles ready. We keep them in this hangar here.†He indicated a doorway on his left. Chris spoke in admiration “this is the most efficient layout I have ever seen.†Quickfire replied “thank you.†The Mandalorians formulated a strategy to take out Holse, and armed themselves. Without his typical weapons, Chris armed himself with a vibrosword and two IR-5 blaster pistols. As he was putting the blasters in his belt Ironknife moved towards him. He was armoured and carried his helmet in his hand. Ironknife asked “don’t you use armour?†Chris replied “because armour slows you down, and speed is my greatest asset.†Ironknife smiled and said “good. Come with me.†Surprised, Chris followed. Ironknife lead him to a cupboard and accessed the panel. It opened, revealing black armour. Chris looked at it and Ironknife said “I invented this myself. It has the weight of light armour but it’s very strong. You can wear a flight suit over it. It’s better than nothing. We’re the same size so it should fit you, my gift to you.†Chris picked it up and said “thank you, I’ll treasure it.†Ironknife patted him on the shoulder and said “good man.†Chris put on his new armour and found that it fit well. He performed several melee attacks and found that he was held back only slightly. Satisfied, Chris put on his flight suit and entered the hangar. The Mandalorians were performing flight checks on several starfighters. Quickfire approached Chris, noted his new armour and said “I hope it works better this time.†Puzzled, Chris asked “what happened last time?†Quickfire smiled bleakly and said “Ironknife was testing it and he found out the hard way that it wasn’t very fireproof.†Now distressed Chris said more confidently than he felt “well, I’m sure he fixed the design.†Quickfire replied quietly “once the burns healed.†This did little to alleviate Chris’ distress. Quickfire left to check his ship and Sharpblade sidled over. Sharpblade said “ok Chris. We’re going to attack the satellite in four X-83 starfighters. They’re fast, agile and strong. They should get the job done.†Chris boarded his starfighter and accessed the control panel, after several minutes of preparation the four Mandalorians fired up the engines and flew through a concealed hangar. Through a comlink in Chris’ helmet he heard Quickfire say “alright Chris, these fighters have a voice-controlled computer, you ask it a question and it responds. Try it.†Chris thought quickly and asked “what is the speed capability of this fighter?†A cool metallic voice responded “the speed capability of this fighter is 1200 kilometres per hour.†Chris said “interesting.†Quickfire said “we felt that it was easier to fight someone when you don’t have to look at the databank.†Chris asked “where do you get this stuff anyway?†Ironknife cleared his throat and replied “we could tell you, but it’d be under the strictest of confidences, understand?†Chris replied “yes.†Ironknife said “well, we’re actually deserters, there was a battle. We had about 1000 men, they had over 10000. We couldn’t have won, so we ran.†Chris spoke with contempt in his voice “cowards.†Ironknife said with justification in his voice “and that’s why to this day, we fight against any tyrants we find, to redeem ourselves.†Chris tried to keep his voice neutral as he asked “that still doesn’t answer my question.†Sharpblade spoke “we steal most of it from our enemies.†Ironknife said “we also hire ourselves out as mercenaries, we pick our assignments though.†Chris spoke “I see.†The four Mandalorians engaged the hyperdrive systems and began the journey to Holse. The four Mandalorians exited Hyperspace and stopped to reiterate their plan. Sharpblade spoke “we’re just outside scanner range. Does everyone know what to do? Ironknife said “I go across the east side of the satellite and knock out their communications array.†Quickfire responded “I go across the west side and attack their grid defence network.†Chris said “I go across the north side and attack their secondary shield generator.†Sharpblade replied “and I go north-east and attack their primary shield generator. After we execute these objectives, we form up and attack the central command centre. If we do this, Mato should fold.†Chris said “It isn’t going to be easy. That thing is full of fighters. There’ll be plenty of resistance. Sharpblade replied in amused voice “well, be careful.†The four Mandalorians flew to their various objectives. Chris soared north of the station and prepared his torpedoes. He avoided a path of fire and shot at three passing fighters. Two of the fighters exploded. One managed to evade the attack and moved behind Chris’ fighter. A red light flashed on Chris’ control panel. Chris dived and said “I’m being targeted.†The enemy fighter fired a missile at Chris. Ironknife said over the communicator “That’s a buzz droid missile.†Chris turned sharply and said “how swell. How do I get rid of it?†Ironknife was about to answer when the missile raced ahead of Chris’ starfighter and then began to release the buzz droids. Ironknife said quickly “do an aileron roll, now!†Chris asked vehemently “what the heck is an aileron roll?†Instructions appeared on his computer screen and Chris followed them. With half a second to spare, Chris performed the roll and avoided the buzz droids. Ironknife sighed in relief and said “good, but it needs improvement.†Chris said “why don’t you come over here, Ironknife?†Ironknife replied “I’ll pass, Chris.†Chris was about to fire on an enemy fighter when unease tingled in his mind. Chris dived to be safe and a missile flew past him. Ironknife spoke urgently “Chris, behind you.†Chris turned his fighter around and saw an interceptor. The interceptor’s pilot said over the communicator “who are you?†Chris replied “your worst nightmare.†Chris soared towards the interceptor who proceeded to retreat. Chris locked on to the interceptor, but before he could fire, the interceptor vanished. Chris said “he’s using stealth, coward.†Chris accelerated with the intent to find cover. Suddenly the sense of unease tingled again. Chris circled and fired. The attack hit the interceptor and it exploded. Ironknife said over the communicator “how did you know he was there?†Chris replied “believe me, I have no idea.†Chris soared towards the shield generator and fired several torpedoes at it. It detonated with a fiery blaze. Chris said “that’s it, I got it.†Sharpblade said “good, rejoin the team. Sharpblade asked hurriedly as the four Mandalorians formed up “how are the ships holding up?†Chris replied “I’m fine.†Ironknife responded “I’ve been hit, but I’m alive.†Quickfire’s communicator crackled and then stopped transmitting. Chris looked at Quickfire’s fighter and saw him moving his hands in sign language. Chris asked Sharpblade “what’s he saying?†Sharpblade replied “he’s on backup power and he can’t send communications.†Sharpblade said “alright. We take out any resistance and then, form up in a diamond formation, Chris and Ironknife on flank and Quickfire at the back. We’ll deliver our full payload on the command centre.†The four Mandalorians soared across the satellite and after dealing with several fighters; they formed up and began the final assault on the satellite. They neared and Sharpblade said “alright, we’ll be in range in five seconds.†Chris put his finger on the trigger and prepared to attack. Sharpblade then said “fire!†The four Mandalorians released eight proton torpedoes on the centre. The torpedoes battered the centre and destroyed it with a fiery blaze. The four Mandalorians cheered as the station began to power down. Chris said in triumph “that’s killed old scramble-brains.†Ironknife spoke in apprehension “guys, we have a situation.†Sharpblade asked “what?†Ironknife replied “I hope I’m wrong, but something that resembles a Pellaeon-class Star Destroyer is entering north of our vicinity as we speak.†Chris looked north and sure enough the warship appeared. The voice of Seedar Mato spoke over the communicator “you really thought you could beat me just like that? Well, don’t party just yet. I’m still in business.†Sharpblade asked “why haven’t you started firing?†Mato replied “ah, a good question. You see, Chris Bralor has cost me money by freeing my prison on Kessel. He’s a lose end, and lose ends should be cut off. However, you could be an asset to me in the future. Chris, you can’t beat me, surrender and you’ll live.†Chris said with anger “I’ll beat you right now.†He activated his afterburners and flew at an astronomical speed towards the Star Destroyer. Mato’s voice was shouting on the communicator “activate all batteries and change frequencies.†The communicator cut out. Sharpblade began to speak “Chris, attacking that thing is suicide. The odds of surviving are nonexistent.†Chris replied “I like those odds. I’m going in there and I’m not coming out until Mato’s is dead.†Ironknife said “Chris.†Chris replied “what?†Ironknife said “the shields are still up.†Chris replied “thanks.†He soared towards the hangar, avoided battery fire and fired upon the unshielded outsides of the hangar. The stress of the attack caused the hangar to short out. Chris seized the opportunity and flew into the hangar. As he entered the shields reactivated. He landed quickly, drew his blasters and exited the ship. Battle droids poured into the hangar and began firing. Chris took cover and began to fire back. He fired a shot and heard collapsing, he had hit a droid. Chris picked up a hand grenade from his belt and threw it towards the troops. It exploded and he ran towards a set of turbo lifts. He jumped in it and pressed a button. The doors closed and Chris saluted mockingly to the droids outside. Chris took off his helmet and removed his flight suit. He strapped his belt to his armour and said “time to see if you really work.†Chris reached for his blasters but just as he touched them he felt a temporary flash of pain. He closed his eyes and the pain fled his body leaving a sense of calm and ease. Chris opened his eyes and somehow he could sense where Mato was hiding. He pressed another button on the lift and the lift descended. He drew his blasters and waited. The doors opened and Chris ran out, firing as he did so. The droids fired back but their shots missed, whereas Chris’ shots hit every target. After ten minutes he found himself at the escape pod room. He accessed the door and entered. The room wasn’t well lit. The only light came from several red lights spaced across the floor. He raised his blasters and proceeded to move around the corner. He moved quickly and saw nobody there. He moved around another corner and heard a quiet step behind him. He turned quickly before being smashed in the face with Mato’s Brass Knuckles. Chris keeled over but quickly regained his footing. Mato stood wearing a cloak and battle armour, his fists clenched. Chris aimed his blaster at Mato’s head and pulled the trigger. The blaster didn’t fire. Mato laughed and said “energy weapons don’t work here. I’ve installed an anti-energy field. I have the advantage here.†Chris drew his vibrosword and said “Oh?†Mato replied “I am also trained in the ways of the sword, fool.†Mato felt inside his cloak and produced a vibrosword. Chris and readied his sword. Chris saluted and attacked fiercely. The two dueled for several minutes when Mato scored a hit against Chris’s left arm. Chris groaned in pain and proceeded to fight with only his right arm. Chris scored three blows, two to Mato’s right arm and one to Mato’s chest. None of these attacks managed to stop Mato’s furious assault. They continued fighting and a stray attack opened one of the escape pods. After thirty seconds Mato had Chris pinned against the wall. His sword inches away from Chris’ throat. Mato asked in a mocking voice “any last words?†Chris replied “not really.†Mato nodded and raised his sword for the killing blow. Chris took this opportunity, sidestepped Mato and superkicked him in the chest, faster than the eye could see. Mato’s cloak fell off and Mato himself was knocked backwards into the open escape pod. Chris picked up his blaster, put his arm inside the pod and said “energy weapons work in here. Don’t they?†Mato asked fearfully “are you going to shoot me?†Chris replied, smiling evilly as he did so “no.†Mato sighed in relief. Chris said “but I’m not going to let you live either.†Chris activated and threw a Class-C thermal into the pod, and prepared to launch it from the outside. Chris looked through the window and saw Mato trying to deactivate the detonator. He knocked on the window and Mato looked up. Chris waved mockingly and pressed he eject button on the pod. The pod released and flew into space, five seconds later, the pod exploded. Chris turned with a grin on his face. He began to walk and stumbled over Mato’s cloak; he picked it up, saw it had pockets and examined them. The cloak contained another pair of brass knuckles and a datapad. Curious, Chris activated the datapad, several seconds later a cool metallic voice said “password required.†A timer appeared on the screen giving him ten seconds; Chris decided to take a guess and replied “Emerald.†The voice said “access granted.†The datapad flashed and icons appeared on the screen. Chris examined them and saw one that read “droid control function.†He accessed it and found a file that said read “attack settings.†Chris clicked on it and set the droids to follow his orders. Chris smiled in fulfillment, and said to himself “my own Star Destroyer.†Sharpblade and Ironknife were talking amongst themselves. Sharpblade said “he’s been inside that thing for half an hour; he has to be dead, or worse.†Ironknife replied “don’t count him out, he’s got a lot of spirit, it’s ridiculous, but I think he could actually come out alive.†Sharpblade began to speak when the communicator signaled. Sharpblade activated it and Chris’ voice spoke “hey guys, how are we all doing?†Sharpblade asked “Chris?†Chris replied “the one and only. I killed Mato and found a datapad which has given me control over the entire crew of this ship, all droids. It’s my Star Destroyer now.†Chris deactivated the shield, allowing the Mandalorians to land. The four Mandalorians went to the private quarters of the ship and Chris told them of the ships’ takeover. “I threw a detonator in his pod and ejected it†he finished saying. Ironknife patted Chris on the back, Quickfire nodded in Chris’ direction. Sharpblade said “well Chris, you did a good job.†Quickfire looked around the room and said “well, I think we should give this ship a name.†The others agreed and Chris said “how about the Remembrance?†Quickfire asked “why?†Chris replied “in remembrance of our victory here.†Sharpblade said “well said.†Quickfire responded “very well, the Remembrance.†Chris picked up a transmitter and spoke into it “all droids, this is your new commander. Set our course for Coruscant.†Chris sat on the bed and said “I could use some sleep.†Chris was walking down a dark hallway. It was narrow and at the end he could see two people. Both sets of his instincts were instructing him, one set told him to approach. The other told him to stay away. He decided to approach cautiously. He closed in on the figures and saw that they came from a mirror. He took several steps to see them clearly when the cave shook. Chris woke to find Quickfire shaking him. Chris asked groggily “what is it?†Quickfire replied “we’ve been stopped by an interdictor.†Chris said “an interdictor couldn’t stop a ship of this size.†Quickfire replied “did I say one? I meant ten, not to mention the rest of the fleet.†Chris looked out the window and saw forty warships and many starfighters. Chris bowed his head and said “we’re in trouble.†Ironknife entered the room and said “Chris, they want to talk to you.†Chris turned his attention away from the fleet and asked “who?†Ironknife shrugged and said “how am I supposed to know?†Chris rolled his eyes and headed for the bridge. The four Mandalorians entered the bridge. Chris activated the communicator and said “receiving.†A harsh male voice said “unidentified vessel, you have entered a restricted area, we are preparing to board, will you comply?†Chris looked at the other Mandalorians and said “yes.†The voice replied “good.†Minutes later, a company of troops had entered the Remembrance. The four Mandalorians were stripped of their weapons and armour, escorted to shuttle and taken to a Warship. After ten minutes they were brought to the bridge of the ship. One of their escorts approached a hooded figure. The escort said “These are the only lifeforms aboard their ship. The rest of the crew appears to be droids.†The hooded figure replied “very good Colonel Benoit. You and your guards may leave.†He indicated the three Mandalorian brothers and said “take them with you.†Colonel Benoit bowed, he and his guards left the room. The hooded figure asked “what does Krayt want of me?†The figure turned around and removed his hood. Chris’ eyes widened in surprise and he said “Roan Fel.†Fel paced around the room and asked “why did Krayt send you?†Chris replied “Darth Krayt didn’t send me. We were on our way to Coruscant. We took a wrong turn I guess.†Fel gave a short smile and said “traveling to Coruscant, in a Pellaeon-class Star Destroyer? They are the warships of Krayt’s so-called Imperial army. Chris said “I know it seems unlikely, but we took that ship from a black-market organization.†Fel’s smile grew wider as he said “really? Which organization would this be?†Chris replied “the Green-Gem Force, led by Seedar Mato.†Fel said “oh, you just happened to steal a Star Destroyer from one of the most powerful beings in the Savareen sector?†Chris answered with a slight hint of pride “more than that, we destroyed his orbital base, stole his flagship, and I killed him personally.†The door opened with a hiss and Colonel Benoit entered the room. He walked up to Roan Fel and spoke in a language that Chris recognized as High Galactic, although he could not speak the language himself. Fel nodded and replied in the same language. Obviously he had dismissed the Colonel because he left a few seconds later. Fel paced a little more around the room and said “well, it seems your story is true. My engineers have inspected your ship and it is indeed a warship of the Green-Gem force.†Chris breathed in relief and said “good, so you’ll let us go then?†Fel shook his head and said “I received some more information as well. It seems you are the notorious Chris Bralor.†A surprising look stole across Chris’ face as he asked “what of it?†Fel replied “the same Chris Bralor who has worked for Darth Krayt on multiple occasions, all of them involving assassination.†Chris’ face returned to normal and he said “because he offered a good reward. They were all criminals, I assure you.†Fel nodded and said “how do I know that you aren’t here to kill me.†Chris replied “If I was here to kill you, we would not be speaking.†Fel smiled and said “well I’m sold. I don’t think you are here to kill me.†Chris replied “thank you. I’ll leave then. I won’t tell anyone of your location.†Fel’s expression became very grave and he said “I will not let you leave so easily, unless you make an act of good faith.†Chris replied sharply “and what act would that be?†Fel said “I want you to kill Darth Krayt.†Chris asked vehemently “you want me to kill the reigning Dark Lord of the Sith? It can’t be done.†Fel said “Darth Krayt is evil; he enslaves and murders innocent people everyday. You’d be saving a lot of lives if you did.†Chris replied “I know he is evil, I’d kill him myself if I could, but I can’t so what’s the point? Besides, he is a Sith, he will be dethroned one day.†Fel said “perhaps, but the sooner he dies the better chance we have.†Chris’ opportunist instinct kicked in and he said “If I do this for you, I get four million credits shared equally over 12 secure accounts, and free fuel for my warship whenever I need it.†Fel smiled and said “no trouble at all.†Chris shook hands with Fel and said “we have a deal. Where is Krayt?†Fel said “our intelligence has confirmed that he is traveling to Had Abbadon. Good Luck. Chris and the three Mandalorian brothers were given their possessions back and escorted back to the Remembrance. Chris entered his private quarters, activated his comlink and ordered his pilot droids to take the Remembrance to Had Abbadon. Sharpblade asked “why are we going to Had Abbadon?†Chris replied “to kill Darth Krayt.†Sharpblade said “crazy.†Quickfire said “foolish.†Ironknife said “not a good idea.†Chris raised his voice slightly and said “look, I don’t think it’s a good idea too. But I’ve already accepted the mission. Sharpblade said “you’re free to risk your neck, but why should we risk ours?†Chris replied “well, there’s a millions credits for each of us if we complete it.†The attitude of the Mandalorian brothers changed faster than the speed of light. Ironknife and Quickfire stood up and in unison they said “I accept this mission with honour.†Chris gave a slight laugh and asked “what about you Sharpblade?†Sharpblade considered the issue and said “well, it’s not like I had anything else to do today.†Chris smiled and said “good.†The Remembrance stopped one parsec from Had Abbadon. Inside the armoury, the four Mandalorians put on their armour and readied their weapons. Chris checked his blaster and Quickfire asked “what’s the plan?†Chris holstered his weapon and said “well, we leave the Remembrance here and take a small vessel to the planet. We find Krayt and kill him, simple.†Quickfire said unsurely “that doesn’t sound like an ideal plan.†Chris patted him on the shoulder and said “Quickfire my friend. This isn’t an ideal mission.†Chris took a sniper rifle down from the wall and looked through the scope. Quickfire asked “what vessel did you intend to use?†Chris said “I’m glad you asked me that. Follow me.†Chris and Quickfire went to the hangar and Chris pointed out a High-Altitude Entry Transport-221. Chris said “I’ve checked this thing out. It’s fitted for space travel, Hyperspace capable and it can enter and leave any atmosphere. We’ll be able to enter undeteced and if Krayt decides to take a stroll, we’ll blast him away.†Quickfire breathed and said “it just might work.†The four Mandalorians boarded the High-Altitude Entry Transport-221. They then felw out of the hangar, engaged the hyperdrive and proceeded to finish the journey to Had Abbadon. The HAET-221 entered the atmosphere of Had Abbadon. Quickfire pressed a switch and said “we’re scanning for settlements now. Wait a minute. What’s that?†Sharpblade asked “what?†Quickfire said “there appears to be several people 23 kilometers southeast of our position.†Chris primed his sniper rifle and said “then let’s go, cautiously.†The HAET-221 closed 5 kilometers away from the area. Chris said “bring us down.†Quickfire piloted the HAET-221 towards the ground. Chris tied a rope to a carabiner. He rappelled down to the ground and began to run towards a rocky hill. He looked through the scope of his sniper rifle and saw fighting. He scanned through the fighters and quickly found Krayt. Krayt was fighting two women. Chris pointed his crosshairs at Krayt’s head and said “say your prayers Krayt.†Suddenly, one of the two duelists stabbed Krayt in the chest and the other unleashed a blast of lightning. Krayt was then force-pushed off the cliff. Chris looked down in frustration and said “there goes my million credits.†Chris stood up and proceeded to go back to the HAET-221. Chris climbed up the rope and they flew out of the area. Chris sat down and Ironknife asked “is he dead?†Chris’ opportunist instinct kicked in and Chris said “yes, he’s dead.†The three Mandalorian brothers cheered and Chris said “let’s go back to Fel and get our reward.†After several hours, the four Mandalorians arrived at Fel’s fleet. They were escorted to Fel’s flagship and Chris was sent into Fel’s office. Fel was looking out a window. He turned when Chris approached and said “you’re alive. That’s good, but is Krayt dead?†Chris nodded and said “yes, Krayt is dead.†Fel stared at Chris, almost in a piercing way and said “splendid. Four million credits have been deposited to 12 secure accounts, and we will refuel your ship whenever you need it.†Fel handed a datapad to Chris and said “this contains the information to your new bank accounts. Chris bowed slightly and left the office. The four Mandalorians were escorted back to the Remembrance. Chris went to his quarters and found a bottle of ale and several glasses in a cupboard. He poured four drinks, handed them to each of his comrades and said “a toast. To our victory and a million credits apiece.†They raised their glasses and drank. Chris drained his glass and said “well, I could use a good bath.†Chris left the room and ran a bath. He examined the cupboards to see if there were any toothbrushes when he had a vision. He was fighting a hooded figure wielding a black, etched sword. Chris had no control over this vision. He fought against the hooded figure wielding a blue lightsabre, the legendary weapon of the Jedi. His attacker kicked the lightsabre out of Chris’ hands and force-pushed him to the ground. Chris’ attacker raised his weapon for the killing blow when a voice shouted and a man ran into the room with a green lightsabre. Chris looked at this man and saw…himself? Chris snapped out of the vision. He calmed in time to hear a knock on the door. Quickfire said “there’s a towel here if you need it.†Chris swallowed and said “yeah, thank you.†The next few days would change Chris’ life. The three Mandalorian brothers left for Concord Dawn in the early morning. Chris went to the kitchens and ate a bowl of cereal. His life had always been a routine. He’d get his contract and perform it and repeat. Now that his usual benefactor was dead, he had nothing to do. He could retire, but life would be boring. Chris walked around his new star destroyer and felt unhappy. This wasn’t his life. His life involved traveling and strategy. Living aboard a Star Destroyer was not his style. Chris turned to go back to his chambers when his holoprojector signaled. He activated it and an image of a human appeared. The human said “Greetings bounty hunter. My name is Macgregor. I have a mission for you.†Chris replied “go on.†Macgregor said “The target is Jarcen Kell. He is the leader of a large swoop gang on a city on Nar Shaddaa.†Coordinates appeared and Macgregor said “His gang is called the Grey Phantoms. Kill him anyway you can. The reward is 50,000 credits.†Chris nodded and the signal stopped. It was time to get going. After 10 minutes Chris had collected his gear and found a YV-929 armed freighter. Chris put the coordinates into the navicomputer and flew out the hangar. The ship zoomed out of sight as it hit hyperspace. After two hours of training, Chris showered and then the navicomputer began beeping. Chris pulled out of hyperspace and flew towards Nar Shaddaa. He piloted the ship towards a landing pad in the city that Macgregor had designated, collected his gear and exited the ship. Chris looked around the city and thought “I’m not going here for a holiday.†A voice broke his thoughts and Chris turned to see an old man walk towards him. The man said “this is my landing pad. You want to stay here. You’ve got to pay 50 credits.†Chris looked around at the pad and said “It’s a public landing pad. I don’t see any official markings here, and 500 credits is robbery.†The old man shouted in a loud voice “Cain, get over here.†In two seconds a man who stood at almost 7 feet tall and powerfully built walked over. Cain said “is there a problem here?†The old man replied “this gentleman thinks my prices are robbery. What do you think of that?†Cain said “I think that he’d better take back that statement.†Chris could have shot them both, but trouble this early wouldn’t be a good idea. He reached for his wallet and said “do me a favour old man. Jump off the pad.†He extracted 500 credits and handed them to the old man. The old man didn’t move. His eyes glazed over and he said “I have to jump off the pad. It’s the fastest way down after all.†Chris and Cain said simultaneously “what?†The old man ran and jumped over the railing. Cain looked at Chris angrily and asked “what did you do?†Chris said “I did nothing, I swear.†Cain’s eyes glazed over and he said “yes, you did nothing.†Chris quickly walked away and entered the street. He looked at his hands and said “that was a mind trick, I’m sure of it. Could it really be possible? Could I really be force-sensitive?†Chris shook this revelation off. He had work to do and he was wasting time. He walked up the street and began to think. A swoop gang leader could be operating anywhere in this city. He decided that he would start in the place that more people visited and more information was held anywhere: a cantina. Chris entered a cantina and walked towards the bar. The bartender put down a glass and said “what can I get you?†Chris replied “some water, and any information you might have on the Grey Phantoms, particularly Jarcen Kell.†The bartender said “well it’s two credits for the water, and 200 for the information.†Chris decided to test his power and said “surely 100 would be enough?†The bartender raised his hand in front of his face as if swatting something and said “150 is my final offer.†Chris did not know if this had anything to with his new powers but said “agreed.†He handed 152 credits over and the bartender said “well, the Grey Phantoms operate in the lower city. They have the police in their pocket and nobody gets to be a member unless they do something special.†Chris asked “how would I go about gaining membership?†The bartender said “well, they hold a swoop race every year in the lower tunnels, both for commemorative purposes and to look for new gangs to join theirs. The winner of the race is entitled to automatic membership and 10,000 credits. Kell himself presents the prize. The race itself is supposed to be held today.†Chris asked “how do I get in this race?†The bartender replied “there is a swoop racing circuit across the street. The Phantoms watch the racers. The top two times usually get to participate.†Chris handed the bartender 20 credits and said “thanks.†He left the cantina and began to think. He didn’t have a swoop bike because it was on the Rumbler when Mato had it destroyed. Therefore he would have to buy one. Chris walked down the street and found dealer. He entered the dealership and a Gran walked up to him. The Gran said “may I help you?†Chris said “do you have a Flare-S speeder bike?†The Gran replied “well, yes I do. But I don’t think you’ll want it.†Chris said “why?†The Gran replied “I’ll let you see it.†The Gran took Chris to a loading station. The Gran walked up to a swoop and said “this is it.†Chris examined the swoop. Its chassis was burned and it looked very old. Chris opened the panel to the engine and saw perfection. The engine was well built. Everything was in place and it was in excellent condition. Chris smiled. The Gran noticed Chris’ smile and said “I assume you like it.†Chris said “it’s brilliant.†The Gran said “I just got it in yesterday. I haven’t had time to paint it.†Chris said “how much.†The Gran said “4000 credits. It comes with a racing helmet too.†Chris paid the money to the Gran and took his new speeder out of the shop. He drove it to the swoop racing circuit and put it in the holding station. Chris entered the racers lounge. There were a collection of people. Chris walked to the front desk where a human said “welcome to the Nar Shaddaa racing circuit.†Chris said “I would like to compete in an official race.†The human asked “do you have your own swoop?†Chris replied “yes, it’s a Flare-S model.†The human said “very well, it’s 100 for a race. But today for a mere 500 credits, you get unlimited races.†Chris paid the human 500 credits and the human said “You understand that you are competing of your own free will and any injuries you may sustain are not our responsibility?†Chris said “yes.†The human pick up a ticket, gave it to Chris and said “good luck. The time to beat is 58.73 seconds.†Chris went into the garage and drove his swoop to the racetrack. He handed his ticket to an attendant and moved his speeder to the line. The attendant pressed a button. A siren signaled and lights began to flash. Chris revved his speeder’s engine and put on his helmet. The lights changed from red to yellow and then to green. He accelerated and sped down the track. He turned left and ducked a post and touched a speed pad. A light signaled on the control panel and Chris pressed a button and the swoop increased speed. Chris jumped over a metal barrier and landed on another speed pad. Chris hurtled down the track and saw a forked path. Chris chose the left track and avoided a flaming swoop. He touched another speed pad and flew towards the finish line. Chris went across the line and his swoop automatically stopped. He drove his swoop to a holding station and looked at a screen. It flashed 59.10 seconds. Chris gave a slight scowl and drove his swoop back to the starting line. It was only on his fourth attempt that Chris actually got somewhere. He crossed the line and went to the screen. It displayed 58.20. Chris drove back to the starting area and entered the lounge. The people applauded him and Chris gave a short bow. He smiled and went to the desk where the human said in a slightly excited voice “you’re the new champion! You’ve beat the seven year record, new champion!†Chris left the lounge and a hooded figure approached him. The figure said “you’re the new champion. Congratulations.†Chris said “thanks.†The figure said “do you know of the Grey Phantoms annual swoop race?†Chris said “I’ve heard of it.†The figure said “do you want to compete in it?†Chris replied “yes.†The figure said “good. Be at the lower city sewer entrance with your swoop in half an hour’s time.†Chris replied “I will.†Chris collected his bike and drove to the sewer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prince Elite Posted April 21, 2011 Author Share Posted April 21, 2011 Chris waited at the sewer. It had been half an hour and he was waiting for someone to come. He got looked at his chronometer when a grating sound echoed throughout the sewer. Chris turned and saw part of the wall slide upwards. A Rodian walked out and waved for Chris to follow. Chris drove his swoop into the opening. The wall slid downwards. Chris eyes adjusted to the poor lighting and he saw a tunnel. The Rodian said “you’re here for the race?†Chris replied “yes, I am.†The Rodian said “well, I’m here to escort you to the racetrack.†Chris asked “do I get to practice on the track?†The Rodian replied “nobody gets to practice.†Chris said sarcastically “great.†The Rodian escorted Chris to the racetrack. Chris looked down at the track and saw many obstacles. The Rodian pointed to a space between two other swoops. Chris drove towards it and engineers began to refuel Chris’ swoop. The Rodian waved at a person in a spectator’s box. An announcer picked up a microphone and said “welcome to the Grey Phantom’s annual swoop race.†The crowd cheered and the announcer continued saying “this race has twenty competitors. The Grand Prize of 10,000 credits will be presented by our glorious leader. Mr. Jarcen Kell.†A man stood up in the spectator box and saluted. The crowd cheered and announcer said “all engineers clear the area. The engineers did so and the announcer said “start your engines.†The racers turned on their swoop’s engines. Chris revved his loudly and looked left. Another racer stared at him from underneath their black helmet and Chris put on his own helmet. The lights flashed and Chris revved the engine again. The lights changed from yellow to green and the racers sped down the track. Chris flew down the path and two speeders tried to sandwich him. Chris accelerated and the two riders hit each other. Chris jumped an obstacle and swerved to avoid a swoop. He turned right at a forked path and blaster fire lashed at his swoop. Chris turned to see a Duros trying to shoot him. Chris drew his blaster pistol and shot the Duros’ engine. The Duros’ speeder exploded and Chris put down his blaster. Chris focused on the track and dodged several obstacles. He put on a burst of speed and saw the finish line. He raced towards it when the black helmeted racer moved next to his speeder. The racer pulled out a throwing knife and tried to throw it at Chris. Chris caught it by the handle. The black helmeted racer moved ahead of him. Knowing that he couldn’t lose, Chris raised the knife, took aim and threw it into the fan of his opponent’s speeder. The speeder made a groaning sound and slowed. Chris zoomed ahead and flew across the finish line. He applied the brakes and raised his hand in victory. Chris exited his speeder and bowed to the applause from the crowd. The Rodian walked towards Chris and said “well done.†The crowd cheered loudly as Kell approached Chris with a briefcase. Kell grabbed a microphone and said “that was the best race I’ve ever seen.†The crowd cheered louder. Kell waved and said “this man is truly worthy of the title of champion.†He put down the briefcase and asked “do you have anything to say?†Chris drew his blaster and pointed it at Mendez’s head. The guards drew their weapons. Chris said “yeah, I have something to say, nobody move or Kell dies!†The crowd went silent. Chris said “now Kell. Order your guards to put down their weapons or my first shot will be to your eye.†Mendez said “put down your weapons.†The guards put their weapons down and Chris said “good, now follow me.†He grabbed Kell by the arm and moved into the spectator box, closed the door and said “I don’t know what you did, but someone wants you dead and I’m here to fulfill their wish.†Chris was about to pull the trigger when a blaster was pressed against the back of his head. He looked around and saw the black helmeted racer. The racer said in a distorted voice “drop it.†Chris put the gun on the ground and the racer said “good. Now move.†Chris moved out of the way. The racer drew another blaster with her left hand, she pointed it at Kell and said “goodbye.†The racer dispatched him with a shot to the head and pointed both blasters at Chris. The racer said “who sent you?†Chris was about to answer when the sound of blaster fire interrupted. Chris looked out the window and saw a silver armoured figure move down the tunnel. The figure was wearing a black crown. Chris recognized the man. He was Macgregor. Macgregor shot the guards with a blaster rifle and dispatched them all in five seconds. Chris looked at the racer, pointed at Macgregor and said “he sent me.†The racer looked out the window and said “not him. Not now.†The racer exited the room and shouted “what are you doing here Jack?†The figure replied “is that really how you greet family?†Chris picked up his blaster and quietly moved out of the room. The racer repeated the question and the figure replied “I’m here to kill you, I thought that was obvious.†The figure raised his blaster rifle and instinctually, Chris shot him. The figure heard the shot and took cover behind some rubble. The figure and Chris began a firefight. The racer joined the battle and began to attack the silver armoured figure. After a minute of fighting, the figure said “This thermal detonator will destroy us all.†He prepared to throw it and the racer withdrew a blaster and fired. The figure fell behind his cover and Chris ran to his swoop. The detonator exploded and the tunnel began to collapse. Chris and the racer got on the swoop and Chris drove it out of the collapsing tunnel. Chris parked the swoop outside the tunnel pointed his blaster at the racer and asked vehemently “what is going on here? Who are you?†The racer said “my name is Tasmyn Corrigan. I’m a bounty hunter. I was sent to kill Kell.†Tasmyn removed her helmet. She was beautiful. Her hair was brown and she looked to be Chris’ age. Chris stared at her and then regained his composure. Chris lowered his gun and asked “who was that back there?†Tasmyn replied “his name is Jack Reynolds. He’s my half-brother.†Chris said “he sent us both to kill Kell. Why?†Tasmyn replied “I don’t think Kell was important. I think that he wanted both there so he could take us both out.†Chris asked “why would he want me dead?†Tasmyn replied “I don’t know. I don’t even know why he wants to kill me.†Chris holstered his gun and said “great.†Tasmyn asked “could you please take me to my ship? It’s very important.†Chris grudgingly replied “fine.†The two arrived at a landing pad ten minutes later. Tasmyn retrieved a remote from her belt and pressed it. The access ramp of the ship lowered and she began to walk towards it. Chris got a bottle of water from his pack and began to drink. Tasmyn ad almost reached her ship when a sense of unease tingled across Chris’ mind. Alarmed, Chris put down his water bottle and breathed in. A faint smell of plasma confirmed Chris’ theory. Someone had put a bomb on Tasmyn’s ship. Chris ran towards Tasmyn, grabbed her and moved behind cover. Tasmyn asked angrily “what are you doing?†Chris was about to answer when a shockwave interrupted his response. The two looked from behind their cover to see the ship engulfed in flames. Chris looked at Tasmyn and said “I was saving you from that.†Fury stole across Tasmyn’s face and she said “great, how am I going to send a message now?†Chris said “there are plenty of holoprojectors in the city.†Tasmyn looked at Chris and said “yes, but I need a secure line.†Chris took his holoprojector from his belt and said “use mine.†Tasmyn whispered harshly “not here, somewhere safe.†Chris suggested “my ship?†Tasmyn nodded and said “that would be better.†After 5 minutes, Chris and Tasmyn entered Chris’ freighter. Chris checked that the ship was secure and after he was satisfied, he handed Tasmyn the holoprojector. Tasmyn took it and said “thanks, but you’re going to have to leave until I finish this message.†Chris nodded and he moved out of audible range. After several minutes, Tasmyn walked to him with a gloomy look on her face, she handed him the holoprojector and said “he wants to speak to you.†Puzzled, Chris took the projector and said “who’s he?†Chris activated the projector and an image of a General appeared. The General said “Greetings, I am General Evan Darrow, Commander of the Arkanis Sector Armies.†Chris replied “What can I do for you, General?†General Darrow said “We are currently at war and could use talented individuals like you. I am asking for your help. You will be rewarded handsomely.†Chris said “What do you want me to do?†General Darrow said “For security reasons. It would be best if you come to our base on Arkanis. You’ll be briefed there.†Chris considered the issue and said “yes sir.†General Darrow replied “good. End transmission.†The projection faded. Chris typed a message into his communicator and sent it. Tasmyn walked up to Chris and said “well, are we going?†Chris nodded and said “yes, we are.†Chris sat in the pilot’s seat, flew the ship out of Nar Shaddaa and entered Hyperspace. Chris exited the cockpit and went to the service kitchen. He made two cups of coffee and walked into the cafeteria. He saw Tasmyn and approached. She was shuffling a pack of cards. Chris asked “do you want some coffee?†Tasmyn looked at him and said “thanks.†Chris put her cup on the table looked at Tasmyn’s gun and said “what type of weapon is that?†Tasmyn replied “it’s a dart gun. I made it myself. Sometimes a blaster isn’t very useful when you’re trying to stealth, and sometimes you need a quiet way to eliminate opponents.†Tasmyn indicated a pouch on her equipment belt and said “I keep lots of darts, all with various effects. Poison and sleep darts are my most common, but I have other types too.†Tasmyn finished shuffling and Chris asked “do you play Pazaak?†Tasmyn grinned and said “I’m the best.†Chris gave a small smile and said “well, I’m not too bad myself. Want to play?†Tasmyn nodded and said “sure.†Chris lost the first two sets. If he lost this set. Tasmyn would win with a clean sweep. Tasmyn shuffled the deck and dealt four cards, face down to Chris and herself. She then dealt one card face up for each player. Chris looked at his. It was a nine. Chris picked up his face down cards and examined them. He had a one, a three, a six and a four. Chris said “pass.†Tasmyn passed too. She dealt Chris another card. It was another nine, making his total 18. Tasmyn dealt a card to herself. It was a two, making her total 14. Chris picked up his one and added it to his total, making it 19. Chris grinned and said “beat that.†Tasmyn picked up a card and put it on the table. It was a six, making her total 20 and the outright winner. Chris shook her hand in respect and said “well done, noble adversary.†Tasmyn asked “do you want to play again?†Chris replied “no, but I could show you a magic trick.†Tasmyn smiled, gave Chris the deck and said “go ahead.†Chris rifled through the deck and drew four tens. He fanned them out in his hand, pointed at the deck and said “these tens will rob this bank.†Chris straightened the cards and put them on the deck. He took the first card and moved it to the bottom of the deck. He took the second card and moved it to the lower section of the deck. He took the third and fourth card and moved them into the middle of the deck. Chris announced “the four tens are robbing the bank as we speak. However, the police arrive and the tens make a quick getaway.†Chris tapped the deck four times and drew the top four cards. They were the tens. A bewildered expression stole across Tasmyn’s face as she asked “how did you do that?†Chris replied “magic.†Chris drained his cup of coffee and left the cafeteria. Four hours later. The freighter arrived at Arkanis. Chris piloted the ship towards the planet and asked “where are they, Tasmyn?†Tasmyn replied “near a set of cliffs on the south-east section of the planet. It’s near a plain.†Chris nodded and flew the ship to the specified location. After several minutes Chris spotted some cliffs and piloted the ship towards them. His communicator crackled and a voice said “please identify.†Tasmyn said “Tasmyn Corrigan, I am here by orders of General Darrow.†Chris heard a clattering and the voice said hurriedly “please wait.†After 30 seconds, the voice said in the same hurried tone “you are cleared to land at docking bay 30. Please enjoy your stay.†Coordinates appeared on Chris’ computer. A puzzled expression stole across Chris’ face as he guided the ship across a plain. As he approached, a hole appeared in the face of the cliff. Chris flew into the hole and landed in a docking bay. Tasmyn patted Chris on the shoulder and said “good piloting.†She left the cockpit and Chris followed. They exited the ship and General Darrow approached them. He was 6 feet tall and he looked to be about 60 years old. His face was quite worn, but an aura of strength and command followed him. Chris felt respect for him and saluted as he approached. General Darrow answered the salute and said “welcome to Arkanis.†Tasmyn walked towards the General and hugged him. The General said “It’s a gift to see you alive.†Chris’ confusion increased. Tasmyn and the General separated and the General turned his attention to Chris. Chris cleared his face and stood at attention. The General said “at ease.†Chris relaxed his stance. The General said “we should speak in my office.†After several minutes, the three entered General Darrow’s office. It lacked grandeur, but was clean and well organized. The General sat behind his desk and said “please be seated.†Chris and Tasmyn sat on chairs. The General said “Firstly, Mr. Bralor. I must thank you for protecting Tasmyn.†Chris nodded. The General said “as you know, I command the Arkanis Sector Armies, the ASA for short.†The General opened his desk and withdrew a holoprojector. He activated it and an image of a human appeared. The General said “We are at war with this man. His name is Alex Toby. His legitimate face is the Toby Building Corporation. It is a company that makes buildings. He has many contracts over the Galaxy and is very rich.†Chris asked “and his other side?†The General said darkly “he steals his resources. He enslaves his workers, and he is trying to take over the Arkanis sector because it is a good trade route.†Chris asked “have you tried to get assistance from the government?†The General said “he has the government in his pocket. He bribes the government, so they look the other way.†Chris said “what can I do to help?†The General was about to answer, when the sound of an explosion echoed throughout the base. The General grabbed his comlink and said “damage report.†The General nodded, put down the comlink and said “it looks like Toby has tried to attack us again.†Chris asked “how many times has he tried?†The General answered “this will be the sixth time. Our base is well hidden and fortified from air attacks, but we are vulnerable to ground units. He is attacking from the south. Follow me.†Thirty seconds later, the three arrived at the command centre. Chris examined a holoprojector. Several hundred troops were marching across the plain. An officer approached General Darrow and asked “Orders, Sir?†General Darrow replied “get the artillery into position. Have our troops on standby, send them all to hell.†The officer said “yes sir.†Chris asked “permission to speak?†General Darrow replied “granted.†Chris said “their strategy is very poor. Marching across a plain is almost inviting an artillery attack. Their strategy is suicide.†General Darrow nodded and replied “that’s what I thought. It seems like a distraction.†The General raised his voice and said “double security around all entry points. I don’t want anything to get through.†General Darrow barely finished speaking when a shockwave hit the base. Everyone in the room fell over. Chris stood up and helped Tasmyn regain her footing. General Darrow stood and said “where did that come from?†A tech officer replied “It originated in Cryptology Department.†General Darrow said in horror “they’ve infiltrated the building.†Unease stole through Chris’ mind. He looked around the room and saw a man point a rifle at the General’s back. Chris grabbed his pistol and shot the soldier in the hand before he could shoot. The assassin cursed and ran out of the room. Chris ran after him. They ran down two sets stairs and Chris began to gain on the soldier. The soldier ran into a turbolift and pressed a button. The doors closed and the soldier waved mockingly at Chris. The turbolift ascended slowly. Chris clenched his fists in anger and then an idea stuck him. Chris opened the doors to the shaft and looked up. The turbolift was still in sight. Chris withdrew his cable launcher jumped into the shaft and fired at the ascending lift. Chris fell for a few seconds, and then began to ascend. The launcher had hit the target. Chris pressed the ascension button on his launcher and began to gain on the lift. The lift began moving incredibly fast and Chris struggled to hold on. Eventually he caught up with the lift. Chris opened the panel above him and entered the turbolift. For a fleeting instant, the soldier stood bewildered, but he quickly recovered and attacked. The assassin punched Chris in the head. Chris doubled over in pain, but quickly gained his footing. The assassin tried to draw his blaster, when Chris kicked him in chest. He fell to the ground and Chris drew his sword. He put it against the assassin’s throat and said “why did you try to attack General Darrow?†The assassin replied softly “they were my orders.†Chris asked quickly “where are your teammates?†The assassin laughed, coughed and said “it’s too late. They’re leaving right now, and they have the data with them.†Chris drew his blaster and clubbed the assassin over the head. The soldier fell unconscious. Chris stood up and looked at the button panel. The button that had been pressed had a label next to it that read “hangar 12.†Chris sheathed his sword and readied his blaster. The turbolift stopped and the door opened. Several men were loading equipment into a shuttle. One of them looked at Chris and shouted a warning to his comrades. Chris fired at the thieves and they ducked for cover. Several tried to shoot Chris. Chris crouched and fired back. The shot hit one of the thieves in the chest. The shuttle’s engines roared to life and the thieves boarded it. The shuttle began to take off. Chris looked to his left and saw a small airspeeder with an open cockpit. Chris climbed into it and activated it. Chris flew out of the hangar and began to pursue the shuttle. After several minutes, he had the shuttle in sight. Chris wondered why they hadn’t already left the planet. He then guessed that the thieves wouldn’t try until they were clear of the base’s anti-air defenses. Chris increased the speed of his airspeeder and caught up with the shuttle. Chris moved close to the shuttle and the exit ramp descended. One of the thieves tried to fire at Chris. Chris dived slightly to avoid the shot, drew his blaster and fired back. The shot missed. The thief moved back inside the shuttle and began to close the ramp. Chris flew as close as he could and jumped into the shuttle at the last second. He drew his sword and began to attack the thieves. In a few seconds they were all dead. Chris was about to sheath his sword when another thief exited the cockpit. The thief pointed a blaster at Chris and said “drop your weapons or you die.†Chris dropped his sword and put his blasters on the ground. The thief said “good.†Chris asked “who’s flying the ship?†The thief replied “it’s on autopilot for now. But that’s not your concern. What concerns you is if you’ll live the next thirty seconds.†Chris asked “do I get a choice?†The thief replied “of course you do. You’d be a great asset to my master. He could make you a very rich man.†Chris said sharply “no thanks, I’m good.†The thief said “very well.†Chris looked out the cockpit window and feigned a look of horror. The thief quickly turned his head and Chris kicked the thief in the abdomen. The thief fell over and in an instant; Chris drew his sword and plunged it in the thief’s chest. Chris saw a small datapad in the thief’s pocket. Chris grabbed it and entered the cockpit, disengaged the autopilot and turned the ship around. Chris flew towards the base and activated the communicator. Chris switched the communicator to the emergency channel and said “This is Chris Bralor, I have reclaimed the data and I am returning to base. The voice of General Darrow said “very well done Chris.†Chris smiled. Several minutes later, Chris arrived in the hangar. He exited the ship to applause. Many soldiers had gathered in the hangar. General Darrow approached him and saluted. Chris answered the salute and handed over the datapad. The General handed it to a tech officer who left the room. General Darrow asked loudly “do you know how long I have known this man?†The soldiers replied in the negative. General Darrow answered “I have known him for little more than twenty minutes, and in that time, he has proved himself to embody the same traits that any ASA soldier embodies.†The soldiers applauded. General Darrow said “It was because of Chris’ quick thinking and bravery that we still have the data in our hands.†General Darrow waved and a soldier appeared with a box. The General opened the box. Inside was a medal. The General handed the medal to Chris and said proudly “therefore, I confer on Chris Bralor, The ASA Gold Cross. The highest award we can bestow.†The soldiers applauded loudly. General Darrow said “I also confer on Chris Bralor, a commission, as a Major. Assuming he accepts, of course.†Chris considered the issue and said “I gratefully accept.†General Darrow smiled and said “Very well, Major Bralor.†The General saluted, and all the soldiers did as well. Chris answered the salute. Chris stifled a yawn, and said “I could use some sleep.†General Darrow said “very well.†The General clicked and a Corporal approached and stood at attention. General Darrow said “Corporal, please show the Major to his quarters.†The Corporal replied “yes sir.†Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prince Elite Posted April 21, 2011 Author Share Posted April 21, 2011 After 3 minutes, Chris and the Corporal had arrived at the living quarters. The Corporal stopped outside a room. The Corporal said “your quarters, sir.†The Corporal pointed down the hall and said “the shower room is down there.†He indicated down another hall and said “the mess hall and turbo lifts are there. Goodnight sir.†Chris saluted and entered his quarters. He closed the door and heard the Corporal walk away. Chris looked around the room. It was sparsely furnished, but that was to be expected. Chris put his weapons on the desk. He was about to go to bed when he heard a voice from the bed say “greetings, Major Bralor.†Chris picked up his blaster and pointed it at the bed. Tasmyn was sitting on it. Chris breathed in relief, put the blaster down and said “don’t do that.†Tasmyn laughed and Chris said “oh, very funny.†Tasmyn collected herself and said “I was watching on the cameras, very impressive.†Chris replied “thank you.†Tasmyn smiled and said “and now you are a Major. Well done†Chris replied “look, I’d love to have a chat, but I’m really tired. Could we save this for tomorrow?†Tasmyn stood up and said “ok then. Goodnight Major.†She saluted and moved to the door. Part of Chris was sad to see her go, but he dismissed these feelings and went to bed. Chris woke very early the next morning. He looked on his desk and noticed that a Uniform had been placed there. Chris grabbed it and left to have a shower. After Chris showered, he put on his uniform. It fit well. Chris pinned his medal to his uniform and left the shower room. He began to walk down the hall when his comlink signaled. Chris picked it up, answered it and said “Chris Bralor speaking.†The voice of General Darrow said “Major Bralor, I need you to come to come to my office immediately.†Chris replied “I’ll be there right away sir.†Chris deactivated the comlink and set off towards the turbo lifts. He reached the lifts and pressed the button. The door opened and Chris entered the lift. He pressed a button and the doors began to close. A voice shouted “hold the lift.†Chris put his hand in front of the door and Tasmyn ran in. Tasmyn looked at Chris and said “oh, it’s you.†Chris said “yes, we really seem to be running into each other.†Tasmyn gave a short laugh. She looked at his uniform and said “you look very sharp.†Chris said “thanks, are you going to see General Darrow.†Tasmyn replied “He called me just then. It sounded important.†Chris hesitated slightly and said “I imagine your grandfather has a lot on his mind.†Tasmyn gave a half nod and then her expression turned to bewilderment. She looked at Chris and asked “how did you know that?†Chris replied “well, my first indication was how you hugged him when I first met him. The way that you embraced him suggested that you were close. The second indication was how you speak of him. You speak of him in a loving manner. The third and final indication however, was the one that confirmed it. Your eye shape and colour is precisely the same as his. This would indicate that you are related, and considering his age compared to yours, it is most likely that you are his granddaughter.†Tasmyn’s expression remained bewildered, she changed her expression to neutral and said “remind me not to cross you, ok.†Chris laughed and said “I’ll remind you.†The turbo lift stopped and they exited it. After thirty seconds, they reached General Darrow’s office. A guard opened the door and the two entered the office. General Darrow syood up from behind his desk and Chris saluted. General Darrow answered the salute and said “please sit down.†The two sat and General Darrow said “Major, I trust that your quarters are adequate?†Chris replied “yes, they suit me just fine.†General Darrow said “good, now to business.†The General sat down and said “we have noticed that a large portion of Toby’s troops have moved away from his bases. We do not know why he is taking such risks, but naturally this gives us a chance to strike. Our most skilled servicemen and agents are being deployed to critical areas. You two are being paired together. Since you two are the most capable, the more dangerous missions fall to you. You have a choice here, however.†Chris asked “what are these missions, General?†General Darrow replied “The first possible mission is to destroy an Ionite processing lab on Bandomeer. We know that Toby gains a lot of money through Ionite processing, thus it is a prime target.†Chris asked “and the other?†General Darrow replied “The second possible mission is to gather Intel from one of Toby’s bases on Corellia. He has diverted many of his guards so this mission is possible, and because we have very little credible Intel on Toby. This mission is a prime target also.†Chris considered the matter and after thirty seconds he made his decision. Chris said “I think that gathering Intel would be more advantageous.†Tasmyn cleared her voice and said “I disagree. I think that if we cut his funding, we will be limiting his strike potential too.†Chris looked at Tasmyn and said “that’s true, but we know that Toby has many other sources of funding. If we take out just one, it will have little impact.†Tasmyn said in a slightly irritated voice “and what if we find the Intel that we find is useless to us?†Chris began to speak when General Darrow said “enough. I can see that you will not be persuaded to change your views. You have both brought up valid points. But I believe that Chris has brought up more valid points than you Tasmyn. You two will try to gather Intel from the Corellian base.†The General handed a holoprojector to Chris. The General said “this contains all the information on the base that we have.†Tasmyn shot a look of anger towards General Darrow. The General did not see it. General Darrow said “you should leave immediately.†The two stood up and left the room. They began to walk down the hall when Tasmyn said vehemently “I can’t believe he’d side against his own granddaughter.†Chris replied “calm down Tasmyn. He’s just trying to do his best to make sure that the Sector is protected.†Chris pressed the button to the turbo lift. It opened and they entered. Chris pressed the button to the hangar, the doors closed and the turbo lift descended. Chris turned to Tasmyn and said “look. I need you to be at your best. Getting into that base will be difficult, and if we aren’t working as a team, we have no chance.†Tasmyn calmed herself down and said in a neutral voice “I think I know someone who can help.†Chris asked “who?†Tasmyn replied “his name is Aemon Rhodes. He’s a computer technician, a hacker.†Chris asked “is he any good?†Tasmyn replied excitedly “he’s thoroughly reliable. He has an IQ of 135, and he hacks the security system of a Star Destroyer everyday for training.†The turbo lift stopped and they entered the hangar. Chris lowered the freighter’s entry ramp and the two entered the ship. Chris moved to the cockpit, sat in the pilot’s seat and asked “do you know how to contact him?†Tasmyn replied “he’s usually on Tatooine.†Chris gave an involuntary shudder and Tasmyn asked “what’s wrong?†Chris replied “I can’t stand deserts. Not enough water.†Tasmyn laughed as Chris flew the ship out of the hangar. They arrived an hour later over Tatooine. Chris asked “where do you think he is, Tasmyn?†Tasmyn replied “I have no idea. I’m going to ask him.†She changed the frequency on the communicator and picked up the receiver. Chris grabbed her hand to stop her and asked “what are you doing? Do you know how many people could be listening to that?†Tasmyn moved her hand away and said “he’s the only one who uses this frequency.†She raised her voice a little and said “Rhodes this is Corrigan. Please report in.†There was no response. Chris said “it doesn’t look like he’s here.†Tasmyn replied “he’s here. Estral! I know you’re there and I’m not going away until you respond!†A voice angrily said “aright, aright, I’m here, what do you want?†Tasmyn said in a clam voice “that’s better. I need your help.†The voice replied “fine, you might want to land near the canyon on the north-side.†Tasmyn said “thank you. She turned off the communicator and Chris said “he seems very reliable.†Chris piloted the ship towards the canyon. He landed the ship and quickly changed clothes. Wearing an officer’s uniform seemed inappropriate. The two left the ship and a man walked up to them. He was Chris’ height and appeared to be a little younger than Chris himself. Tasmyn shook hands with the man and said “It’s good to see you again Aemon.†Aemon replied “I’m afraid I’d be lying if I said the same, when I work with you, I usually get shot at, or worse.†Aemon looked at Chris and asked “who are you?†Chris replied “Chris Bralor.†Aemon shook hands with Chris and said “Aemon Michael Rhodes.†Aemon looked at his chronometer and said “we’d better go indoors before we crisp.†Aemon walked down a path into the canyon. Tasmyn and Chris followed. Aemon walked to a rock formation, moved to the side of a particularly large rock and pushed. The rock slid sideways revealing a tunnel. Chris looked bemused and Aemon said “you have to have security. Make sure you close the door.†Aemon entered the tunnel and Tasmyn followed. Chris entered the tunnel and pulled the rock in front of the entrance. He moved through the tunnels and after a few seconds he found himself in a bunker. Chris looked around and saw many pieces of equipment. The room was very cool. Chris noticed an air cooling machine in the corner of the room. A weapons rack hung on the wall. It was filled with blaster of all types. Next to the weapons rack was a desk with a computer on it. Chris also saw more tunnels in the walls. Chris asked “what is this place?†Aemon answered “It’s an old abandoned military bunker that was built into the canyon. I’ve erased all the records of it so nobody will find me.†Chris asked “how do you power all this equipment?†Aemon replied “I have a thermal energy collector built into this bunker, that’s how I get energy for my equipment. I also have a hydroponics lab for food. I’m completely self sufficient. Someone on the run could hide here forever and never be found. No matter how many people were after him.†Chris asked “how do you get water?†Aemon replied “wells, this area has so much water underground.†Chris said “impressive.†Aemon nodded, turned to Tasmyn and said “you said you needed something.†Tasmyn said “yes, we’ve been assigned to collect Intel from a one of Alex Toby’s bases. We have to do it stealthily. That’s the essential point.†Chris handed the holoprojector to Aemon. Aemon moved to his computer and began typing. He activated the holoprojector and continued typing. Shortly after, a picture of the building appeared on the screen. Aemon whistled and said “It’s a good thing you contacted me first, if you tried to infiltrate this thing without my help. You’d be dead before you even tried.†Chris said “please explain.†Aemon cleared his throat and said “Firstly, this building is built like an ordinary low-level office building. But it’s anything but. It has guards, turrets, all sorts of defenses on the outside, getting in will be extremely difficult.†Chris asked “and on the inside?†Aemon continued typing and said “I’m trying to tap into their system. After a few minutes Aemon shouted “I got it!†Chris asked “you’re in?†Aemon replied “yes, I can enter their system whenever I want.†Chris said “good, we need to know what the interior defenses are.†Aemon began to type and then he said “well, guards are posted every twenty meters, a mixture of droids and humans. There are security cameras everywhere, they have thermal vision, and there aren’t any blind spots, you won’t be able to stealth your way in.†Chris asked “what are the guards armed with?†Aemon answered “all guards are equipped with DT-57’s.†Chris lowered his head for a second and said “is there anything you can do.†Aemon said “well, I could disable the cameras, and I could reprogram the droids not to attack you, but I can’t do anything about the human guards, or about you getting in for that matter. The only way in or out is through the front door.†Chris looked at his hands and remembered his dealings on Nar Shaddaa. Chris said “then we go through the front door.†Tasmyn asked “are you feeling alright?†Chris ignored this and said “It’s simple. We cause chaos. If you can control that building, then we can do whatever we want with it, make the guards go where we want them to go. Make the lights turn off at the right time. Make distractions in the right places, as long as we hold the cards, it’s possible.†Aemon said “well, it is I suppose, but you’d have to get inside first.†Chris smiled and said “that’s easy. How long do the guards outside stand a post for?†Aemon looked in the records and said “three hours, then they change with another guard.†Chris said “and if none of the guards were scheduled to stand a post. That’d leave a gap. Someone would notice that the guards hadn’t been posted, but you could make it look like a technical error.†Aemon grinned and said “I could do that.†Chris thought for a second and said “disabling the cameras aren’t enough. We have to reroute them to show normal conditions. If we disable them, the people watching them will know that something is wrong.†Aemon said “ok, I’ll make a recording of them during normal time. Then I can reroute the cameras and loop the video, that way it’ll look like everything is fine.†Chris said “and once I’m inside, you reroute the cameras and the droids, turn off the lights when I need to evade a guard. All I have to do is make my way to Toby’s office.†Aemon began typing and then he said “I’m afraid you’ve got no chance there. I can’t change the schedule for Toby’s office guards. His lights have backup power and nobody gets in without a key card.†Chris considered the issue and asked “and what if the guard simply doesn’t notice me?†Aemon asked “how are you going to do that?†Chris replied “easy. I wait quietly outside Toby’s office. Once a guard shows up for his shift, I knock him out and take his key card.†Aemon asked “and when the guard wakes up? He’ll say they he was attacked, and when they find that his key card is missing, they’ll know that there’s been an intruder.†Chris thought about this and asked “are there any alcoholic guards?†Aemon looked in the personnel records, brought up a picture and said “yes, Carn Orrik. He’s been in trouble a few times for sleeping and drinking whilst on duty.†Chris asked “when is he scheduled to guard the office?†Aemon replied “tomorrow night. 21:00.†Chris said “alright we’ll do it then. When I knock out Orrik, I’ll pour alcohol all over his clothes and down his throat. When he says that he was knocked out, they’ll just think that he was drinking and slept on duty.†Tasmyn said “it’s brilliant.†Chris said “alright it looks like we’re going to Corellia.†The three left for Corellia shortly after devising the plan. They flew to Corellia and located the building. Tasmyn looked at it and said “are you sure about this?†Chris replied “no, but I’ll do it anyway.†It was 20:20 when Chris began the infiltration. Aemon had set up his equipment inside the ship. Chris had dressed in his tactical gear. He had his equipment and a bottle of alcohol in his belt. Chris and Tasmyn hid Chris’ swoop in an alley. Tasmyn asked “you remember what to do?†Chris said “infiltrate the building, make my way up to Toby’s office. Knock out the guard and pour alcohol all over him, then I bug Toby’s communicator and computer.†Tasmyn asked “have you got the bugs?†Chris pointed to a small satchel in his belt and said “here.†Tasmyn kissed Chris on the cheek and said “good luck.†For a few seconds, they stared into each other’s eyes. Chris regained control and said “you’d better go back to the ship.†Tasmyn walked away and Chris put on a helmet. Chris said “Aemon, can you hear me?†Aemon’s voice spoke through the helmet’s comlink “clear as crystal.†Chris said “good. They’re about to change the guard. Be ready. It won’t be long before they notice that the next set of guards hasn’t arrived.†Chris moved into position across the street. The guards began to move inside the building. Chris said “reroute the cameras.†After a few seconds Aemon said “ok, go.†Chris ran across the street and moved inside the building. He walked across the floor and reached the stairs. He began climbing them and asked “which way Aemon?†Aemon said “move to the door on your right. It will lead you to a hall, there are three guards there. I’m going to kill the lights for a few seconds, that’ll give you enough time to reach the turbo lifts.†Chris replied “ok.†Chris activated the night-vision in his helmet and opened the door. The lights turned off and one of the guards shouted. Seizing the opportunity, Chris walked silently across the hall. He exited the hall and found some turbo lifts. The lights turned back on and Chris entered the lift. He turned of the night-vision function and said “I’m in.†Aemon said “these people are incredibly stupid. They put all their defenses outside; it’s not very good inside. Wait…†Chris asked “what is it?†The turbo lift started to move and Aemon said “someone on floor above you has called for the lift. If they see you, we’re done for.†Chris looked up and saw the lift’s access panel. Chris said “I’ve got an idea.†Chris opened the access panel and climbed on top of the lift. The turbo lift was ascending with great speed. With difficulty, Chris replaced the panel. After twenty seconds the lift stopped. Aemon said “you can’t go up to Toby’s office immediately. There’s a lift record and if there’s an unscheduled arrival. That’ll tip him off.†Chris opened the access panel slightly; the person in the elevator was Orrik. Orrik pressed the button to Toby’s office. Chris said quietly “Orrik is in the elevator, he’s going to the office right now.†Aemon said “what? He’s early, why is he here.†Chris examined Orrik and saw him withdraw a bottle of spirits and began to drink. Chris said “unbelievable.†Aemon said “what’s he doing?†Chris said “he’s having a drink.†Aemon said “well that’s one part of the job done. Knock him out and make sure he doesn’t see you; he knows he was drinking; he won’t bother raising an alarm. Chris slowly opened the box and silently lowered himself into the lift. He withdrew a needle full of sedative from his belt and jabbed it into Orrik’s neck. Orrik fell to the ground. Chris said “sleeping on duty.†Aemon replied “despicable.†The lift stopped and opened. Chris dragged Orrik’s body and put it against the. He grabbed Orrik’s drink and poured a little down his uniform. Chris half-considered taking a drink himself, but thought better of it. He put the bottle in Orrik’s hand, took his key card and opened the office door. He walked down the hall and moved into the office. The floors were marble, there were fine paintings hung on the wall and there was a large window with a view of the City. Chris approached the desk and began to bug the computer. He was halfway through his goal when Aemon said “Chris, we have a situation, someone on one of the lower level turbo lifts is trying to reach Toby’s office.†Chris finished bugging the computer and moved to bug the holoprojector. Chris said “I just need a few more seconds.†Aemon said “I’ll try to stall them.†Chris began wiring the bug to the holoprojector. He finished and moved to the door. Chris heard someone say “he’s not going to like this.†Chris hid behind a lounge and a man walked into the room. He had neat blonde hair and was well dressed, but he had a black eye. The man was carrying a comlink and a briefcase. Chris saw a nametag on the man’s clothes. It read “Shawn McClain.†There were several words underneath the name that were too small for Chris to read. McClain walked into the office and out Chris’ sight. Chris moved towards the outer door when he heard McClain talking. McClain said “Yes sir, I’m here now.†Silence ensued for a few seconds and McClain said “very well sir, I’ll do that.†McClain stopped talking and Chris left the office. Chris entered the turbo lift. Aemon said “Chris, we have another situation.†Chris asked “what is it?†Aemon said “they’ve posted double troops at the entrance; you won’t be able to get out the front door.†Chris asked “is there any other way out?†Aemon replied “well, there is a garbage chute for large items, twenty levels below you. Chris said “it’ll have to do.†Chris pressed the button. The turbo lift stopped, opened and Chris exited it. Chris saw the chute, but there were many people near it. Chris said “Aemon, kill the lights for ten seconds.†Aemon replied “consider them dead.†Chris activated the night-vision just as the lights turn off. The people started talking loudly and Chris walked up to the chute. He entered the chute and let go. Chris fell for thirty seconds when he saw the bottom. Chris knew he wouldn’t survive the fall desperately; he grabbed his cable launcher and fired. It caught hold and Chris stopped descending. His arm jarred and ached but miraculously, he was still alive. Chris lowered himself into the trash pile and breathed in relief. He unstuck his cable launcher and put it in his belt. Aemon said “I’m sorry Chris, I should have thought about it.†Chris said “that…was awesome!†Chris moved out the large bin and stealthily walked up the street. He reached his swoop, drove out of the city towards his ship. After 5 minutes, he reached the ship. Chris parked his speeder in the cargo hold. He entered the ship and Tasmyn ran towards him and said “Chris it’s horrible, they’re attacking Arkanis.†Chris asked “doesn’t he ever give up?†Tasmyn replied “It’s not a ground attack; he’s bombarding it from space. My grandfather has launched a defence, but they need help. We have to go Arkanis immediately.†Chris said “we might have to make a little detour.†Tasmyn asked “why?†Chris replied “to collect my Star Destroyer.†Tasmyn asked “you have a Star Destroyer? Where is it?†Chris said “Well, it should be in the system in three minutes time.†Tasmyn said “let’s go.†Chris moved into the cockpit, sat in the pilot’s seat and flew the ship off the planet. After several minutes, the ship reached the Remembrance. Chris piloted the ship into the hangar. Chris, Tasmyn and Aemon left the ship. They began to move towards the bridge. They entered the bridge and Chris said “take us to Arkanis, now!†The pilot droids moved to their station and began to work, after thirty seconds, the ship entered Hyperspace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prince Elite Posted April 21, 2011 Author Share Posted April 21, 2011 The ship was ten minutes away from Arkanis when Chris said on his comlink “droids, move to battle stations, we are about to enter a fierce battle, make me proud.†Droids began to run around the ship. After ten minutes had passed, the ship left hyperspace. The battle between Toby’s forces and the ASA was intense. Toby had several small capital ships and one large. The ASA had many fighters. Chris changed to the ASA frequency and said “this is Major Chris Bralor, reporting from the Star Destroyer Remembrance. I’m entering the battle.†Chris said to the droids “keep in battle formation, no retreating. I’m going out.†Chris ran to the hangar and found his X-83 Twin-tail Starfighter. Chris quickly put a flight suit over his tactical gear and boarded the fighter. He flew out of the hangar and entered the battle. Chris soared towards several fighters and destroyed them with ease. Chris noticed a Corellian Corvette ahead of him. He activated his communicator and said “I need a squadron to converge on my location now!†Several fighters began to move near Chris. Several more joined them, and in thirty seconds time, Chris had a full squadron by his side. Chris said “alright gents. We’ll go forward, strike the main reactor and evade, and if it survives that, we do it again.†They neared the Corvette and Chris said “fire now!†The squadron attacked fired a payload of missiles and the Corvette lost power. Chris said “alright gentlemen, let’s move on.†After ten minutes, Chris’ squadron had defeated two more capital ships. The battlefield was clear of all but fighters. Chris said “now, let focus on those fighters and win this battle.†Chris’ squadron disbanded and the pilot’s moved off to attack other starfighters. Chris destroyed a fighter and Aemon’s voice spoke through the communicator. Aemon said “Chris, do you read me?†Chris said “yes Aemon, what is it?†Aemon replied “three Gladiator-class Star Destroyers have entered the east side of the system.†Chris turned his ship east and glimpsed the Star Destroyers move in. Chris shouted “men, attack those Star Destroyers, strike and evade.†Chris said to Aemon “you and Tasmyn should go into the freighter and leave. I’m going to call the Remembrance into battle.†Aemon said “as you wish, we’ll be out in three minutes.†Three minutes passed and Aemon said “we’re out, go ahead Major.†Chris spoke in his comlink and said “droids, attack those Star Destroyers.†Chris put down his comlink and raced towards the Star Destroyers; he arrived and formed up with an attacking group. They fired their torpedoes and scored a shot on the sensor relay. After a minute, the Remembrance joined the battle. Outnumbered and outgunned, the Star Destroyers fell and the rest of fighters retreated. The pilots cheered and Chris smiled. He was about to congratulate the pilots when a voice sounded over the communicator. The voice said “they’ve got the General.†Chris shouted “where?!†The voice said “they’ve got him on an; they’re leaving on the northern section of the planet.†Chris said “all pilots move to that location, now!†Chris raced towards the location and saw the ship. He said “somebody use an Ion shot.†A pilot said “I’m targeting now.†After a few seconds the pilot fired, but the enemy ship entered hyperspace at the last second.†Chris shouted “no!†All the pilots stopped talking. Chris asked with difficulty “is the base intact?†Somebody replied “its gone sir and the rest of the senior officers have been killed. You’re in charge now sir.†Chris recognized the speaker as the Corporal who showed him to his room. Chris said “get a company to collect any survivors on the planet and move them to the Remembrance. Then get everyone else in a ship. We’re leavening Arkanis.†One of the pilots asked “where are we going?†Chris replied “I don’t know.†After several hours, the remaining ASA forces had left the Arkanis system. Chris was sitting on a chair in his private quarters. He was trying to decide what to do. Aemon entered the room carrying a datapad and said “Chris, there’s something you might want to see.†Chris asked “what is it?†Aemon sat down and said “we’ve received some Intel.†Chris said “let’s see it.†Aemon handed Chris the datapad and clicked on a button. A voice recording began to play. A gruff male voice said “our forces have succeeded in destroying the base on Arkanis sir, and the leader of the ASA has been captured.†A voice replied “very good, you may begin interrogation, see if you can get any useful information out of him.†The voice replied “yes sir.†Chris said “well, at least we know he’s alive.†Aemon replied “well, we know a little more than that.†Chris said “explain?†Aemon said “I tracked the location of the message to an old droid foundry. It appears to be from the clone wars era.†Chris said “alright. We get our forces, storm the place and get General Darrow back.†Aemon said “I don’t think that’ll be a good idea. It seems that Toby has reactivated the foundry. There are plenty of droids guarding the base. I can’t hack these ones either.†Chris asked “do you have the building plans?†Aemon nodded, took the datapad and after began typing. After a few seconds, he handed the pad to Chris. Chris looked at it and said “I could sneak in, and get General Darrow out. There are enough ways for me to stealth my way in.†Aemon said “but he’s got droids covering the entrances.†Chris said “stealth doesn’t have to be about not being seen or heard.†Chris pointed to several locations of the foundry and said “if we attack in these locations, they’ll have to divert their troops. That’ll give me time to infiltrate the base, and get General Darrow.†Aemon said “that might work.†Chris said “then let’s go.†Chris assembled a battalion of 500 soldiers, split them into five equal companies, appointed commanders and moved to the hangar for a briefing. Chris accessed a holoprojector and showed the plan of the foundry. Chris stood on the stairs and said over the chatter “alright, could I have some quiet please?†The troops stooped talking and Chris said “alright gentlemen. We are going to attack a droid foundry on Geonosis and reclaim General Darrow.†Chris indicated the foundry and said “companies one, two three and four will attack the north, south, east and west respectively. Company five will follow me and act as reserve.†Chris breathed and said “your objective is simply to cause enough mayhem to allow me enough time to infiltrate the building and find General Darrow.†Chris said “let’s get ready then.†Chris had the fleet stopped outside scanner range. He changed into his armour put a flight suit over it and moved into the hangar. 5 GR-75 medium transports had been selected to carry the companies. Chris boarded his freighter. He picked up his comlink and said “this is Mandalore One. Let’s begin. The other Company Commanders acknowledged the order and Chris guided his ship out of the hangar and towards the planet surface. After ten minutes, the ships reached the surface of Geonosis. Chris piloted his ship towards the southeast section of the foundry. He and Company 5’s transport landed. Chris removed exited the freighter. He waited behind a crag and said “are all units in position?†The Company Commanders replied in the positive. Chris said “commence the attack in ten seconds.†He put down his comlink and said “may the force be with us.†Chris began counting and after ten seconds, the companies began attacking. Chris waited thirty seconds and ran towards an entrance. He shot a guard and entered the foundry. Chris rounded a corned and shot at several droids. The droids fell and Chris began searching rooms. He found a computer room and accessed it. He began looking though some files when he felt a blaster being pressed to his head. The gunner said “turn around.†Chris obeyed and the gunner said “I’m going to be rewarded for stopping an infiltrator.†The gunner reached for his comlink. Chris seized the opportunity and kicked the gunner in the chest, the gunner fell down and Chris pointed his blaster pistol at the gunner’s head. Chris asked vehemently “where’s Darrow?†The gunner asked “who?†Chris fired the blaster in the air and said “General Darrow. He’s in this foundry somewhere.†The gunner replied “they brought a General in yesterday and then they moved him. He’s not here; he’s in a cave on the western section of the planet.†Chris said “follow me!†Chris and the gunner exited the room. Chris shot at several droids approaching him. The two ran out of the foundry. Chris picked up his comlink and said “this is Mandalore One. Cease the attack, return to the transports immediately.†The two moved near the transport and Chris said to the Company Commander “keep this prisoner under close guard and be ready to fly to my location.†Chris activated a homing beacon from his equipment belt and replaced it. Chris boarded his fighter and flew west. He scanned the area and found some heat sources. He flew towards the area and landed. Chris saw a cave entrance and walked inside the cave. Chris drew his pistols and looked around a corner. There was a staircase and three guards near it. Chris drew his blaster and fired three shots. The guards fell and Chris ran down the stairs. He walked for several minutes and found a hall. Chris dropped onto the ground and crawled to avoid detection. He heard footsteps, stood up quietly and waited. A guard rounded the corned and Chris clubbed him over the head with his blaster. Chris moved around the corner and saw a door. He approached it and looked through the glass panel. General Darrow was strapped to a chair. His uniform was tattered; his face was bruised and bleeding. There were four men in the room, one punched General Darrow and said “how did they know that you were here?†General Darrow spat on the ground. The torturer punched Darrow again. Chris looked at the door. There was a small black panel and next to it a label that read “Thumbprint entry only.†Chris quietly moved back to the unconscious guard. Chris drew his combat knife and cut of the guard’s thumb. Chris walked back to the door and placed the thumb on the door. A light next to the panel flashed green and the door opened. Chris drew his blaster and fired at the four men. The men fell and Chris entered the room. After noting that it was secure, he approached General Darrow and cut his bonds. General Darrow said “thank you.†Chris said “don’t thank me yet, we need to get off this planet.†Chris and General Darrow left the room. Chris shot at a guard and they moved out of the cave. Chris and General Darrow entered Chris’ freighter and Chris flew it off the planet and towards the fleet. Chris and the 5 Companies rejoined the fleet a short while later. Chris flew his freighter into the hangar and exited it. Tasmyn ran towards him and asked “is he alright?†Chris nodded slightly and said to all the soldiers in the hangar “attention!†The soldiers stood at attention and General Darrow exited the ship. The soldiers saluted and General Darrow answered the salute. After several seconds of silence, General Darrow said “as you were.†The soldiers raised their hands and cheered. Tasmyn gave General Darrow a hug and General Darrow said “I could use a cup of tea.†Chris said “someone make the General a cup of tea.†After several cups of tea, the General spoke of his imprisonment. He explained that Toby’s men had interrogated him about anything to do with the ASA. General Darrow finished speaking and Chris said “well, I’m glad you’re back.†The General replied “so am I.†Chris stood up and said “well, I’ll go and see how our injured are holding up.†Chris moved towards the door and The General said “wait.†Chris stopped moving and General Darrow said “I heard one of the guards mention something about an Aurora Sceptre and that Toby wanted it very much.†Chris said “what’s the Aurora Sceptre?†General Darrow replied “I have no idea.†Chris turned and said “but I know someone who might.†Chris left the room began to walk. After three minutes, he reached the prison cells. He entered the room and said to one of the guards “open the cell.†The guard did so and Chris entered. The gunner was huddled up in the corner of the room. Chris approached him and asked “what’s the Aurora Sceptre?†The gunner said “the what?†Chris saw the gunner’s eye twitch and Chris drew his sword and said loudly “you know perfectly well what it is, now spill it, or I spill you!†The gunner shuddered in fear and said “alright I’ll tell you.†Chris said “then tell!†The gunner said “it’s a stone sceptre with a diamond at the tip.†Chris said “why does Toby want it?†The gunner answered “it’s rumored that the Sceptre can turn any mineral into Diamond.†Chris said “no wonder why he wants it. Where is it supposed to be?†The gunner said “how am I supposed to know?†Chris raised his sword and the gunner said “it’s on Korriban; it’s supposed to be in the burial chamber of one of the tombs.†Chris asked “which tomb?†The gunner said “I honestly don’t know.†Chris sheathed his sword and turned to leave the room. The gunner said “you’ll never stop Alex Toby; he’ll soon be able to take over the Galaxy.†Chris said “hey, if all else fails, I’ll bomb Korriban into oblivion. I don’t think anyone would care.†Chris exited the cell and went to his private quarters. Chris gathered his gear and checked his weapons. He heard the door open and he turned around. Tasmyn entered the room and said “I assume you know something.†Chris repeated what the gunner had told him. After Chris had finished speaking Tasmyn said “what are we waiting for? Let’s go.†Chris didn’t want her to go. Chris could feel through the force that the threat of death awaited him at Korriban, and he didn’t want Tasmyn to suffer his fate. Chris said “Tasmyn, I don’t think this is a good idea. Darth Krayt’s headquarters are on Korriban, and his apprentices might find us.†Tasmyn replied “going to Korriban is never a good idea. But I’m not letting you go on your own. So if you’re trying to discourage me. Drop it. It’s not going to work.†Chris closed his eyes and said “fine, but be prepared for anything.†After five minutes, Chris and Tasmyn had prepared for their attack on Korriban. Chris and Tasmyn moved into the freighter and Chris piloted the ship out of the hangar and into hyperspace. The two arrived at over Korriban many hours later. Chris anchored the ship and Tasmyn said “where do we go now?†Chris closed his eyes and tried to meditate. He was hoping that he could tap into his force powers to find a solution. Chris saw images of dark halls. He smelled death. He heard sounds of monsters. Finally he saw a statue. The statue was of a humanoid wearing an exotic crown and carrying a sword. Chris recognized the humanoid as the Sith Lord Ludo Kressh. Chris snapped out of his vision and said “we’re going to the Tomb of Ludo Kressh.†Chris piloted his ship towards the Valley of the Dark Lords. After several minutes they arrived. Chris piloted the ship just outside the valley. Chris and Tasmyn exited the ship. Chris peered from behind a rock. The Valley had 3 guards on patrol. Tasmyn asked “What do we do?†Chris noted the size of the valley and said “we need to pick them off silently and without the other guards’ attention.†Chris looked around the buildings and saw a path they could take. A patrol was nearing the path and Chris said “we have to go now.†Chris and Tasmyn began moving. The patrol moved past a building and into a blind spot. The guard said “Why do we need to patrol? Nobody is going to look for us here.†Chris approached the guard silently and clubbed him over the head. The guard fell to the ground. Tasmyn moved to Chris’ side and said “well executed.†The guard’s comlink signaled and a voice said “all patrols report in.†A harsh voice said “patrol one, everything ok here.†Another voice said “patrol two, nothing to report.†Silence ensued for a second and Chris knew that the unconscious guard was supposed to report in next. Chris grabbed the guard’s comlink and said in a passable imitation of the guard’s voice “patrol three, area clear.†The comlink fell silent. Chris pocketed it and said “do you think he fell for it?†Tasmyn said “I think so. If he thought it was someone else, he’d have ordered the other patrols to kill us wouldn’t he?†Tasmyn looked from beyond her cover. Another patrol was moving from past a pillar. Tasmyn raised her dart gun and fired. The dart hit the guard in the throat. The guard trembled for a few seconds, reached for his comlink and died. Chris and Tasmyn ran towards him and Chris took the guard’s comlink. Chris said “we’re really on a roll here.†The two looked from beyond the pillar at the final patrol. The guard was walking towards where the unconscious guard was lying. Tasmyn raised her dart gun, aimed and fired. The guard tripped over a rock and the dart missed. The guard moved behind cover and Chris ran towards him. The guard drew his blaster and fired. The shot was poor and missed Chris completely. Chris drew his sword and cut the guard’s head off. The guard’s comlink signaled and the voice said “what happened?†Chris mimicked the unconscious guard’s voice and said “I thought I saw something so I fired. It was just an animal.†Chris waited in silence and the voice replied “I hate this place, so many things move. Continue your patrol, but make sure that you only fire on threats. If the Sith find out we’re here, we’re doomed.†Chris said “understood.†The comlink fell silent and Chris put it in his belt. Tasmyn approached him and Chris said “we’re running out of time, we have to go now.†Chris and Tasmyn moved towards the tombs. Tasmyn asked “which one do we go into.†Chris looked at the tombs and saw several statues. Chris looked at them and said “none of them are Kressh’s.†Chris closed his eyes and felt a wave of anger flow over him. Chris turned and saw a path. Chris said “there maybe?†The two moved up the path and eventually they found a cave entrance. Tasmyn sniffed and said “it reeks of death.†Chris said “yes, the dark side is quite strong here.†Tasmyn said in a light tone “you’re beginning to sound like a Jedi.†Chris replied “yeah, it’s frightening.†The two moved into the cave. They moved through the cave and came upon a bridge. The two walked across the bridge and Chris said “we’re very close.†Tasmyn pointed and said “Chris, look at that.†Chris looked at where Tasmyn was pointing and saw a gaping hole in the wall. Chris looked in it, he saw a tunnel. Chris moved back and said “it’s a tunnel; it looks quite recent though. They’re probably tunneling to the burial chamber.†Tasmyn asked “why would they tunnel there? Why not go through the tomb itself?†Chris replied thoughtfully “I think Toby is afraid of this place. He wants the Sceptre but he doesn’t want to go inside.†Chris moved down a path and saw an entrance. He said “this has to be it.†Tasmyn said “we should go through the tunnel and surprise them.†Chris closed his eyes again. He saw the images of the dark halls and said “no, I must go through here.†Tasmyn said “that’s not a good idea, I don’t think we should.†Chris replied “I must go in there, alone. You should go through the tunnel.†Tasmyn asked “why do you have to go in there?†Chris replied “I just have a feeling that I should.†Tasmyn looked at Chris and said “are you sure?†Chris said “I’m sure.†Tasmyn said “alright, I’ll go through the tunnel.†She turned around and began to move towards the tunnel. Chris walked through the tomb entrance. He walked through the tomb and stopped when he heard a crunching sound. He looked down and moved his foot. A crushed skull was lying on the ground. A look of disgust stole across Chris’ face as he moved forward. After several minutes, he reached a doorway. Chris accessed it and entered a room. There were two people in the room. One was a middle aged man and the other was a small boy. Chris recognized both people. The boy was Chris’s 15 year old self. The middle aged man was a guard on Kessel when Chris was a slave. He had befriended Chris because the guard was had been a slave in his youth and felt empathy for Chris. The two had not noticed that Chris had entered the room and they started talking. The guard said “I heard that one of the guards attacked Elith Mari today.†Chris’ younger self replied “yes, I was there, she’s really badly injured.†Chris remembered that day. He had decided that he would escape by any means necessary. The guard turned and Young Chris grabbed the guard’s blaster from his belt. The guard faced Chris and said “what are you doing?†Young Chris said “I’m sorry, but I’m leaving. Give me your uniform, now!†Chris knew that the guard would be dead in ten seconds and he decided that he would not let it happen. Chris drew his blaster and fired at his younger counterpart’s head. Young Chris and the guard disappeared. Chris moved over to where they were standing. There was no blood, no footprints, nothing to suggest that anyone had even been in this room. Chris continued forward and moved through another door. He opened it and found himself in a dark hall. Chris moved down the hall and turned right. Several flying beast soared towards him. Chris drew his sword and fought the beasts. In seconds, they were dead. Chris sheathed his sword and moved down the hall. He saw another door and opened it. He was in a room with a metal box attached to the wall. Chris walked towards the box with fear in his mind. Chris opened the box and his fears were confirmed when he saw the box contained a bomb. Chris remembered this bomb. Chris had been sent to eliminate a professor from a University on Corulag. He had killed the professor and moved down into the kitchens to avoid detection. There he found the bomb, instead of raising an alarm or trying to disarm the bomb. He escaped the university and cruelly allowed hundreds of people to die. After he escaped, Chris had reasoned that if the university was destroyed, then it would help cover his tracks. Chris thought bitterly about his decision and decided that he would not make the same mistake again. Chris got out a pair of wire cutters from his equipment belt and proceeded to disarm the bomb. After several minutes, the bomb was fully disarmed. Chris stood back and the bomb disappeared. Chris found another door and opened it. Chris found himself in a corridor and moved through it. Chris glimpsed a round room and saw someone standing in the centre of it. Chris drew his sword and approached. He neared the unknown figure and said “who are you?†The figure turned around. It was Tasmyn. Tasmyn said “very impressive.†Chris looked at her, she was different. Her skin was pale and her eyes were yellow. Chris was about to move towards her when a voice shouted “stand back Chris, she’s a dark-sider.†Chris turned and saw Sharpblade. Sharpblade had his blaster trained on Tasmyn’s head. Chris asked “when did you get here?†Another voice said “she betrayed you Chris.†Quickfire appeared and stood by his brother’s side. Chris asked “is Ironknife here too?†Chris’ question was answered when Ironknife appeared and said “I have a shot.†Ironknife stood next to Quickfire. All three had their blasters trained on Tasmyn. Chris asked “what is going on here?†Sharpblade answered “your friend has turned to the dark side. We must kill her while we have a chance.†Chris turned to Tasmyn and asked “is this true?†Tasmyn replied “yes, I’ve killed thousands of people. I was responsible for Toby capturing my grandfather. I’m responsible for the attacks on Arkanis. I’m responsible for everything.†Sharpblade said “see, she even admits it. Let’s kill her now.†Chris drew his sword. He didn’t want to kill Tasmyn but he knew that if he didn’t, the Mandalorian brothers would. Chris decided that he would take the light approach: knock out everyone. Chris ran forward and clubbed Sharpblade over the head with the hilt of his sword. Sharpblade fell and Ironknife fired. The shot was poor and Chris dodged it easily. Chris jumped and hit Ironknife over the head with his hilt. Ironknife fell and Chris turned. Quickfire pointed his blaster at Chris and began to speak. Chris drew his blaster with his left hand and intentionally aimed above Quickfire’s shoulder. The shot missed Quickfire by inches. Quickfire turned his head and Chris clubbed him with his hilt. Quickfire fell and Chris approached Tasmyn. He picked up her dart gun, changed the setting of the weapon and fired a sleeping dart at her neck. Tasmyn fell to the floor unconscious. Chris looked around the room and the bodies of his unconscious comrades disappeared. The dart gun in Chris’ hand disappeared too. Chris guessed that it had all been a hallucination. Chris closed his eyes and a sense of empowerment overwhelmed him. Chris felt strong and he felt that he had righted the wrongs of his past. Knowing that he could do anything, he opened the door to the burial chamber. Chris moved into the chamber. He moved behind cover and saw three men. One was Jack Reynolds, the second was Alex Toby. The third person was Shawn McClain. There was a great deal of dirt and stone in one corner of the tomb. Chris noticed that Reynolds and the other man were digging a hole with shovels. The other man plunged his shovel into the hole and the sound of metal hitting metal echoed throughout the cave. The man said “I think we found it sir.†Toby rushed forward and said with excitement “get it out, Shawn.†McClain leaned into the hole and pulled out a metal box. Toby grabbed it from McClain’s hands and put it on the ground. The three men leant down as Toby opened the box. Chris looked at the tunnel and saw Tasmyn. Chris silently indicated that he was going to distract the three men and she should try to take Toby hostage. Toby said “the great treasure. Locked away in Ludo Kressh’s tomb and he didn’t even know of its existence.†Toby opened the box, grabbed something and raised it high above his head. Toby roared in triumph and shouted “at last!†Chris examined the sceptre. It was thirty centimeters in length and was made of a polished black stone. At the tip was a large diamond. Chris drew both of his blasters and stood up. He pointed both his blasters at Reynolds and McClain respectively. Chris said in a loud voice “I can’t let you leave with that, Toby.†Reynolds and McClain pointed their blasters at Chris, but they didn’t fire. Toby said “so, you’re the elusive Chris Bralor.†Tasmyn walked behind Toby, put the barrel of her blaster to his head and said “tell them to drop their weapons, now!†Toby nodded and the two men dropped their weapons. Toby turned and said “and you are Tasmyn Corrigan. My associate Mr. Reynolds has told me a lot about you, about your past and you explosive tendencies.†Chris heard a faint beep and realized, far too late, that Toby had voice-activated a grenade. A bright light filled the room and Chris senses went haywire. He could only see a white light and he could only hear a loud whistling. He waited for a few seconds and the effects of the stun-grenade wore off. Chris looked up from beyond his cover. Toby had Tasmyn pinned against the wall, he had taken her dart gun and had it pointed at her neck. McClain and Reynolds had picked their blasters in their hands and were aiming at Chris again. Toby said “now it’s my turn to make the demands.†Toby said in a polite voice “Mr. Bralor. I would appreciate it if you’d throw your weapons to my associates.†Chris had no choice, but to comply. He threw both his blasters to McClain and Reynolds; they caught them and put them at their feet. Toby nodded and said “Mr. Reynolds, would come here for a second?†Reynolds approached Toby. Toby handed Tasmyn’s dart gun to Reynolds and said “make sure she doesn’t move.†Reynolds took the gun, pointed it at Tasmyn’s head and said “yes sir.†Toby moved near the hole and said “before you die Mr. Bralor. I would like you to bear witness to something that hasn’t been seen in over 5000 years.†Toby drew a sword from his belt and said “this blade is made of Iron, and Iron is a mineral that can be changed by the Aurora Sceptre’s power.†Toby placed the tip of the Sceptre on the blade. The effect was instantaneous. Before Chris’ very eyes the blade began to change into diamond. After several seconds, Toby was holding a diamond bladed sword. Toby looked at the sword and said “it’s beautiful.†Toby sheathed the sword, turned his attention to Reynolds and said “Mr. Reynolds. You may fire when ready.†Reynolds aimed the dart gun at Tasmyn’s neck. He breathed and his arm muscles began to bulge. Reynolds closed his eyes and shouted “no!†Reynolds pointed the gun at Toby. Terror shot across Toby’s face and he asked “what are you doing?!†Chris ran towards McClain, knocked him out and picked up both of his blasters. Reynolds let out a scream in pain and ripped the crown off his head. He tossed it aside and said “I’m saving myself from you.†Chris pointed one of his blasters at Reynolds and the other at Toby. Chris asked “what do you mean?†Reynolds replied “he’s been controlling me with that crown.†Chris could see that Reynolds was telling the truth and pointed both his blasters at Toby. Toby said in a slightly panicked voice “all of this can be sorted out. I can you make you all very rich. Just don’t kill me.†Chris replied “no thanks, I’m good.†Toby nodded and a grenade appeared in his hand. Toby threw it with superhuman speed and it activated, it was a smoke grenade. Chris pulled a re-breather from his pack and put it in his mouth. His nerves tingled and he moved to the right. A blaster shot flew to where he was last standing. Chris fired back and he heard the sound of rubble falling, he had obviously hit the wall. The smoke cleared and Chris looked around for Toby. Reynolds and Tasmyn had been overwhelmed by the smoke and were lying on the ground coughing. Chris looked left and saw Toby stand up. Chris drew both his blasters and fired two shots, one at Toby himself and one to his left side. Toby moved to the left and realized his mistake far too late. The shot hit Toby’s blaster. Toby tried to fire but the blaster wouldn’t respond. Chris said “give up now Toby. You can’t beat me.†Toby said “I’ve still got one trick.†Toby drew his diamond bladed sword and saluted. Chris drew his own sword and said “let’s dance.†Chris ran forward and made a slice for Toby’s head, Toby blocked and aimed for Chris’ abdomen. Chris knocked the sword out of the way and jumped back. Toby ran forward and Chris successfully parried two blows. Chris managed to score small cut on Toby’s leg. Toby howled in pain and moved back. Chris looked at Tasmyn and Reynolds they had managed to stand up and were applauding. Chris smiled and a furious look stole over Toby’s face, he gave an inhuman snarl and ran forward to continue the battle. After two minutes time, Chris had Toby backed into a corner. Chris said “give it up. You can’t win.†Toby said “never!†Toby ran forward and leapt past Chris. Chris felt his blaster leave his pocket. Chris turned and hit Toby’s sword arm with the flat side of his sword. Toby’s arm broke, but it did not stop him from firing a shot at Tasmyn. Chris heard someone shout “no!†Chris turned and saw Reynolds move in front of Tasmyn. The shot hit Reynolds in the chest. Reynolds gave a faint laugh and fell to the ground. Chris turned his attention back to Toby. Toby had the blaster pointed at Chris’ head. Toby said “drop it.†Chris put down his sword. McClain awoke from his unconsciousness and stood up. Toby said “ah Mr. McClain. Get the medpack. My arm needs to be bandaged.†Keeping the blaster pointed at Chris, Toby walked towards McClain. They both stood near the recently dug hole. McClain withdrew bandages. He began to apply them and Toby said “Chris, you’re an excellent fighter, I could use someone like you.†Chris nodded and said “yeah, I see why I’d want to.†Toby jerked and shouted in pain as McClain applied too much pressure to the bandage. Toby hit McClain over the head with his other arm and said “useless clod, can’t you do anything right.†McClain’s expression turned to fury. He picked the Aurora Secptre of the ground and stabbed it in Toby’s chest. McClain said “that’s the last time you abuse me. Calcium is a mineral isn’t it?†Toby’s expression turned to horror. He raised his arms and shouted, and after a few seconds, there was silence. McClain pulled the Sceptre out of Toby’s chest, put it on the ground and raised his hands in surrender. Chris ran towards Tasmyn and Reynolds. Reynolds was lying on the ground. Chris approached them and asked “will he make it?†Reynolds answered in a weary voice “no, I probably have minutes left to live.†Reynolds said “I prefer it this way; I’d rather die now, than have to serve Toby for the rest of my life.†Reynolds raised his hand towards Chris. Chris took at and Reynolds said “thank you for taking care of my sister.†Chris and Reynolds shook hands and Reynolds turned his attention to Tasmyn. Reynolds said “I’m sorry.†Tasmyn replied “I forgive you.†Reynolds smiled. He closed his eyes and his breathing did not continue. Tasmyn cried and Chris embraced her in a gentle hug. He let go after five seconds and moved towards Toby’s motionless body. Chris put his finger against Toby’s throat. He felt a pulse. Chris said “he’s still alive.†McClain said “yes, but all of his bones are diamond now.†Chris looked at the hole and said “that hole is big enough to bury him in.†McClain nodded. The two pushed Toby into the hole and began to pile dirt over it. After some time, the two had filled the hole. Chris said “we should get out of here before the Sith come looking. Chris holstered his blasters, sheathed his sword. He grabbed the Aurora Sceptre and put it in his belt. Chris moved over to Tasmyn and said “we have to go.†Tasmyn nodded and Chris picked up Reynolds body. He hoisted the body over his shoulders and they began to walk down the tunnel. After several minutes, they reached the Valley. The three walked towards the freighter and McClain said “I’m not going to get out of this, am I?†Chris asked “how did you get here?†McClain replied “I have a ship on the other side of the Valley.†Chris said “well, as thanks for all your help. I’ll give you a free pass. Don’t waste it.†McClain saluted and said “thank you sir.†McClain walked off towards his ship. Tasmyn said “that’s a noble thing you did.†Chris said “you’re right, I should get him back. I hate nobility.†Tasmyn laughed and they continued walking. They reached the ship. They entered and Chris put Reynolds’ body on a chair. Chris moved into the cockpit, sat on the pilot’s seat and flew the ship out of Korriban and into Hyperspace. They arrived at the Remembrance hours later. Chris piloted the ship into the hangar. Chris and Tasmyn left the ship. Many soldiers had gathered in the hangar. Chris shouted in a loud voice “Alex Toby is no more.†The soldiers cheered in triumph. General Darrow walked forward and shook Chris’ hand and gave Tasmyn a quick hug. General Darrow said “we owe you two an enormous debt.†Chris said “thank you General.†Tasmyn said quietly “grandfather, there is something I need to tell you about Jack. General Darrow said “go on.†Tasmyn explained what had happened, to the General. General Darrow asked “and he is aboard your ship right now?†Tasmyn replied in the positive. General Darrow said “very well, he is to be given a hero’s funeral.†Reynolds’ body had been placed in one of the ship’s furnaces. General Darrow approached the body and put his hand on Reynolds’ head. General Darrow said “my grandson.†He stood back and signaled for the furnace to be activated. A soldier activated the furnace and the door to the furnace slid shut. The furnace activated and flames engulfed Reynolds’ body. Chris saluted and the rest of the soldiers followed suit. Chris gathered his equipment pack and boarded his ship. He was just about to seal the access ramp when a voice cried “wait!†Chris obliged and Tasmyn walked up the access ramp. Tasmyn asked “what are you doing?†Chris replied “I just received a mission. I’m going to Nal Hutta.†Tasmyn said with disgust “Nal Hutta? The Hutt slime pit?†Chris nodded and said “that’s the one. Now, if you don’t mind. I need to go.†Tasmyn asked “how difficult will this mission be?†Chris answered “well, it’s not going to be simple, from what I can tell.†Tasmyn asked “would an ally be helpful?†Chris answered “yes, it would.†Tasmyn said “then what are we waiting for, let’s go.†Chris sealed the access ramp and moved into the pilot’s seat. The ship glided out of the hangar and flew out of the ship. Tasmyn moved into the copilot’s seat and said “Nal Hutta, here we come.†Chris smiled and made the jump to Hyperspace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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