[FIC]Star Wars: Victim of Betrayal

[Sabretooth]

For the first time since his daredevil leap out of the gunship, Captain Wefive relaxed. It had been about two standard hours since they entered hyperspace. Onderon was near, only a few more hours away. Captain Wefive finally broke the ice and started conversing.

“For a second I thought I was gonna be dead meat. If you hadn’t come up with this ARC, you’d be the one flying away…”

“Not a chance, Captain. I’m bad at flying starfighters like this. It was luck that let me fly and the force that let me fire the torpedoes at the gunship. And besides, I wouldn’t have made it this far. I would have been shot down before I could even started making the Hyperdrive checks.”

“Yeah, well coincidence, luck and skill. The golden trinity for any damned feat. So, what happened at the medical?”

“Well, I broke out. Lot of people got fried, then slashed, then hit with their own blaster shots…”

“So you massacred them.”

Seliqa fell silent at his cold statement.

“You massacred them, Seliqa. Not a very, well, Jedi-ish thing to do.”

“I don’t know. It just had to be done, right? I mean, there were, like, a hundred troops crawling in that base. I couldn’t get past them without…”

“You should. You should find a way to do what you can’t. It seemed impossible for me to take out two troopers unarmed. But I did. I held off a gunship alone for like, thirty seconds. I…”

“You, would have been burned alive had I not been there.”

“We complement each other’s stupidity then.”

Seliqa fell silent once more. For the first time in her life had she been verbally defeated by a non-Jedi. It dawned upon her that she had much to learn still and if the ways of the Force are learned through a Master, the ways of the galaxy, life can only be learned from someone who has much of it, without the Force. The key to mastering the world, the galaxy is to learn living both with and without the Force.

“Come on, don’t be so grim. I just don’t like snappy Jedi.” The Captain joked, noticing the silence.

Seliqa smiled and nodded. “Well, even the best of Jedi Knights are foolish at times.”

“And I’m proud to have met one!”

Both laughed, even at an hour so grave. Seliqa resumed the earlier discussion.

“So, I found my lightsaber in a vault. There were other Separatist weapons and datapads there.”

“Must have been a safe, for the spoils of war. Don’t know why they keep them, though.”

“Maybe so that if their dead preys get resurrected and want their possessions back?”

“Maybe.”

“What happened to you, by the way. Standing off against a gunship and millions of clones is no easy feat.”

“Not if you have a million dumb clones. They bought the idea that I won’t rebel. Four troopers were to escort me to the RAS Garendator, then to Coruscant’s holding cells where I would await my trial.”

“Okay, so going to Coruscant is not a good idea…”

“No, but hey, you have the Jedi Temple there! They must be fighting off the clones!”

“Coruscant is almost filled with clones. They won’t… I don’t think they will make it out alive…”

“Damn, things are going down.”

“What happened to the Chancellor, by the way? I hadn’t expected him to go rogue.”

“He hasn’t. According to him, the Jedi have. It was in his plan all along. Wait… he knew he was going to get the emergency… wait, whoa! He actually commissioned the clones!”

“That would be going too far. He can’t plan that much, even if he’s a Supreme Chancellor. Maybe he… just got absorbed by power. Maybe he wanted to have the entire galaxy at his own feet, not at a senate’s.”

“Possible. He’ll be dictator. And that’s dangerous. The galaxy is going to suffer without Jedi and without the Senate.”

“I sense something more than this. There are more, hidden secrets beneath the veil. Perhaps we need to give it time to unveil itself…”

“Jedi riddle-talk” the Captain mumbled.

 

Time passed by and the lone starfighter raced to Onderon. Seliqa continued discussing with Captain Wefive about the Clone Wars, Chancellor Palpatine and estimated the number of Jedi that could have been lost in Order 66. While the Captain was skeptical, Seliqa estimated that the casualties will be less, as the Jedi are strong and can predict such matters. What surprised her, was that how cleverly Chancellor Palpatine had hidden his motives from the prying Jedi. Having a mind as strong as that was unusual in most beings, especially those who are insensitive to the Force. On top of that, the entire Jedi foundation was based on Coruscant, home of the Chancellor’s operations.

The topic diverted quite soon and the two were conversing on Seliqa’s trust in Captain Wefive. But the conversation had to be cut short as Captain alerted Seliqa that Onderon was near. Seliqa readied herself, her eyes set on the radar. Within seconds, the blue tunnel evaporated, into millions of rays, which seemed to grow shorter. And suddenly, the illusion disappeared as the starfighter jerked out of light speed and slowed to crawl. Onderon was dead ahead, but what was around it was more noticeable for the duo.

“Captain, the radar is showing… multiple units… starfighters, two RASs”

“So, how do we proceed?”

“I say we hit straight for one of the moons. Onderon must be watched closely.”

“Right… what are chances we’ll live through one day on one of those deathtraps? I would rather we get to Onderon, stay put, and jump off as refugees.”

“The clones will be watching…”

“Yeah, well we can enter each RAS, slice every living organism, blast the ship after escaping it, then repeating on every Republic vessel on Onderon. Not a bad idea, General.”

“Please, I’m a General no longer.”

“And I’m no Captain, so we’re equal now. We’ll get rid of those robes, the lightsaber, and you mask your Force thingies, and we should be safe on Onderon.”

“Sacrifice my saber for a getaway? We’d might as well hijack a civilian transport.”

The cockpit fell silent.

“I’m putting us down on Onderon. The longer we linger here in the middle of space, the faster we’re going to be burned, charred, tortured, and then killed.”

Accordingly, the starfighter’s engines blazed and it sped towards Onderon. However, their flight did not go unnoticed. Before they could realize it, Seliqa and Captain Wefive had five ARC-170 Starfighters on their tail.

 

As the ARC cleared the first stages of Onderon’s atmosphere, the warmth of a planet greeted the two. The forests, the mountains, the seas all became much clearer as the starfighter slowly changed its angle. Seliqa was observing the natural beauty of the planet when a change in the radar alerted her.

“Um, Wefive, we have five ARCs after us… Not good.”

“We’ll just have to evade them…”

He fired up the engines and the Starfighter rushed across the planet. The starfighters below escaped the radar, but appeared soon later, catching up with the starfighter.

“Are they firing?” asked Wefive, his eyes not leaving the controls.

“No. They just think it’s odd to have an ARC starfighter appear out of nowhere and fly above Onderon without greeting them.”

“We’ll have to land, Camman.”

“We can’t. They’ll get us before you know it. And when they find an ARC Trooper and a Jedi, I don’t think it’ll take long for them figure out things.”

“Yeah, well tell that to our fuel tank.”

The Starfighter slowly began losing height and its pursuers increased their speed, like Caxdatra birds going after a dying bird.

“Ready your ejection, Seliqa.” The former Captain notified.

Seliqa used the controls on the craft to ready an ejection seat. She knew Wefive’s plan all too well. They were to crash the craft and make it look as if they have perished in the crash. She had her own doubts on the success of the idea, but didn’t express them, as she didn’t have any ideas herself. Right now Wefive had earned her trust. He had saved her life in more than one occasion and she was willing to accept his plans and ideas.

The starfighter approached the trees. They were only some hundred feet below now. Their chasers were getting closer. Wefive suddenly turned off his engines, to make it look like an engine failure. He was almost hoping somebody shoot the craft and make a fuel leak. “Get ready…” Wefive signaled as the craft began to get dangerously low. Within a few seconds, he shouted, “Eject!”

The canopy, electrocuted, broke apart and the two seats shot out of the canopy. Wefive and Seliqa used their controls to keep the seats below the tree level. Slowly, they controlled the repulsorlifts to alight upon Onderon’s surface.

The ARC, on the other hand met an infernal fate as it’s wings, were clipped off by the trees, the fuselage collide with several trunks and eventually, the starfighter crashed, it’s belly wrecked, and brought down a dozen trees with it. Seliqa and Wefive, however, were already on the run. The starfighters passed above them as the two hid below a tree’s branches. They were careful not too let themselves visible, by distancing themselves and covering themselves with leaves. Once the starfighter passed by, the two regrouped and sitting on a lonely log, they pondered their next step.

Captain Wefive looked around, his hands on his knees. He took off his helmet and let the surrounding fragrance enter his nose. He inhaled deeply and sighed. Seliqa got up again and began pacing back and forth. Her eyes were intent, as if observing something, but it was impossible, since she was constantly moving. Shortly, she began to mumble. The Captain leaned back placed his helmet on the log. Through her fast words, he interpreted the Jedi Code. She was reciting the code over and over, as if she were in some sort of a trance.

“Chanting the Jedi Code isn’t going to get us anywhere, miss.” He remarked.

Seliqa continued pacing, ignoring him. Her forehead morphed into a frown. Her words increased their momentum. It was as if she was in battle, and had reached a critical point in it. The Captain learned that thee was not much to be gained from interrupting her. Taking his helmet, he got up and stretched as much as he could through his limiting suit.

“Hey!” he suddenly cried out. Seliqa was concentrating hard on her trance and didn’t pay heed to the Captain. “I heard something in those trees!” he said.

“Be back in a minute” he said and rushed into the forest. Kneeling down, he examined the fallen leaves. They were crumpled and torn. He had seen the leaves fall, but what caused them to was beyond his reckoning. In any case, he knew that they weren’t alone. He reloaded and cocked his rifle. With one hand, he put on his helmet and took a few steps back.

“Seliqa, watch out. We, are not alone.”

Seliqa’s eyes were closed. Her chant descended to a whisper, and then disappeared. At last she opened her eyes and fixed them at the forest. Her lightsaber floated to her hand and ignited. She took up her stance, looking out. Wefive, realizing that Seliqa had lifted herself from her trance, nodded at her and scanned the forest. Seliqa turned off her lightsaber. The Captain, surprised, was about to remark, but decided against it. “I sense no enemies.” Seliqa said. Wefive answered with a sigh and shaking his head.

A man came out of the forest, from behind a tree. He wore a forest camouflage suit. It was a light, padded armour, green and brown. He looked nearly middle-aged, accentuated by a full grown beard and moustache. In his hand was a blaster, one of the older varieties and on his belt were first-aid supplies and a hunting knife. “Not many Jedi in these parts” he told the duo for an introduction. He had a strange, winding accent.

“My name’s Esnaw. Esnaw Repol. I’m a… beast rider.” He turned to the Captain. “And my Desna’am is what alerted you, stranger.”

Seliqa nodded. “I am… Seliqa Camman, a Jedi. This is…”

“Leffar Benike, bounty hunter.” Captain lied.

“A bounty hunter, a Jedi? Unusual pair, but anything’s possible in this galaxy. Your extraordinary method of alighting upon our territory was what alerted me and my beasts. Not many prefer to crash their craft into the forest after ejecting it.”

A gentle smile spread out Seliqa’s face. “We’re on… a secret mission. A bounty, you can say. A rather unusual one, though. We’re looking for other Jedi. Until we find them, we cannot turn on each other.”

“Damned Jedi…” Captain mumbled.

“And some syndicate is after us, in those starfighters.”

“I’ve heard of a war, that Jedi are fighting on this planet. It’s mostly at Iziz or the space, however…” the beast-rider commented.

“Iziz?” Seliqa asked, innocently.

The beast-rider watched as a hound-like creature came by him and whined at his feet. He spoke something to the animal in a native language and the dog scurried away.

“It is not safe to speak here, in the middle of the forest. Our village is a little far from here, and our swoop bikes were destroyed by a perfect example of an imbecile. Me and my hunting crew have set up a camp nearby. Please, come with me. You will be safe there.”

“I would be honoured.” Seliqa answered and began following the beast rider. The Captain followed them, after a brief delay.

[Sabretooth]

Fastest 2000 words+ chapter I've ever written...

 

*phew*

 

Anyways, thx for the comments, everyone! P.S. My last two chapter titles actually have specific reasons for being titled so.

 

Chapter 6: Breaking through the Storm

You don't need to be a genius to know why I titled it this.

Chapter 7: On the Run

Repeat "On The Run" as fast as you can.

[RC-1162]

on the run huh? it makes Onderon, right?

 

awesome work, Sabretooth, for you

[JediKnight707]

Whoa. Weird. Nice work

[Hallucination]

Great job! Keep it up!

And you know that the teddy bear part is good, just not for serious stuff .

[Sabretooth]

on the run huh? it makes Onderon, right?

 

Smart. Try and figure out why I chose "Breaking through the Storm". Don't repeat it constantly, you'll be wasting time. Just, well,

 

 

Summon your Star Wars Lore

 

[RC-1162]

they were trying to get away from the stormtroopers?

 

or

 

they were trying to escape from the storm of enemies?

[Sabretooth]

they were trying to get away from the stormtroopers?

 

*mumbles silent curses as he hands RC 1162 ten cookies*

[RC-1162]

BOOYAH!!

 

*accepts cookies*

[Sabretooth]

The infuriated Commander was busy admonishing lieutenants and captains when an unanticipated hologram message was redirected to his terminal. He gave a cold stare at his subordinates before accessing the message. The hologram broadcaster lit up a blue figure. It was a Clone Captain, boss of the renowned RAS Bayonet. He was nodding to a message in his helmet for some time, before diverting his attention to the Commander. The Commander made the first move.

“Captain DQ-92I, this is Commander SOY-34, you may proceed.”

“Commander, the RAS Bayonet is stationed at Onderon and we have detected a lone starfighter emerging out of hyperspace, from your direction.”

“A lone starfighter? Where did it go?” The Commander was trying his best to pretend to be naïve.

“It was an ARC-170, jumped out from a hyperspace route connecting Delfahera and Onderon. We could not establish contact with it. It headed towards Onderon, without making any violent approach.”

“It must not have come from here. It… it must be a stolen ship. Mercenaries, smugglers, underworld operators. They steal Republic equipment.”

“Or, it could be Jedi attempting to escape Order 66.”

“Unlikely. Every ARC-170 is heavily guarded by clone troopers. They will fire on sight. What did you do to the ship?”

“It’s pilot committed suicide. Onderon’s forests. Either that, or his engines overheated.”

The Commander flinched. For the first time in the military life, he flinched. He realized that the rogue Captain and the Jedi had not only evaded him, but had humiliated his power, his authority and gotten away with it. He knew that the two had not committed suicide, but had obviously used it to put the Republic off their tail. He had hoped that The Bayonet would have taken the starfighter down, but recent developments had changed everything. He now had to rid the galaxy of the Jedi, or the incident would taint his conscience and his career for years to come.

“Commander SOY?” the awaiting Captain said, noticing the Commander’s unusual reaction. “I am sending teams to investigate the crash, locate and identify the bodies. I will notify you after that has been done.”

After a brief delay, the Commander spoke, “Will do. Commander SOY-34 Out.” The hologram sputtered before dying.

The clones in the room looked uneasily at the Commander, who had his arms together, his gaze on his desk. He was contemplating the next manoeuvre in this game of dejarik. He had cleared his enemy’s pawns, and now only the elusive king and queen remained. And he would not rest till he had won the game.

 

 

Seliqa helped herself to the second serving of Valeupol, an exotic Beast-rider dish that featured the meat of Valeunallis, a local bird and other herbs and spices. An old beast-rider was entertaining the party with his hunting tales and dishing out information to Seliqa. She had learned the trick of effective manipulation without using the Force. She had to get information about the area, but not in a method that would alert and possible provoke the beast-riders. Instead, she was using the old man’s enthusiasm to her advantage, mixing local news with ancient folklore. The Captain seemed rather distant and ate one serving, before leaving the campsite to retire. Seliqa listened to the old man, Neiopa’s stories and learned much.

The clones had secured Iziz as a stronghold, while the Separatists were using several beast-rider settlements and staging a strike on the walled city of Iziz. The clones had done a good job of protecting Iziz, but there had been one particular day, when one wall was near falling. The Republic managed to send a team of elite Commandos to infiltrate a Separatist base and disable their weapon, a powerful rocket-equipped tank droid. The Commandos destroyed the droid and escaped in time, never to be seen again on Onderon. The other troops then staged a counterattack on the many Separatist strongholds across the outskirts of Iziz.

“So did the beast riders help Iziz?” Seliqa asked, donning the face of a curious, young girl.

“Why, the beast riders wouldn’t dare interfere in such large-scale wars. It’s just beyond us. We live life quietly and some go to work at Iziz and other cities. But don’t consider us one of those rural fools who know nothing about the galaxy. Believe me, Jedi, there have been several riders who have made their mark outside the planet.”

“I’m sure they have.”

As the old man continued the story, Seliqa listened, her eyes reflecting the vivacious fire. On the very next day, the Separatists received reinforcements and renewed the battle. The larger battle was going on above the planet, however. Spacefighters fought each other thousands of miles above Onderon, the massive RASs, the numerous starfighters and the Separatist army that never ceased to bring reinforcements. Eventually, the Republic learnt of a nearby droid factory on the urban world of Sirattannam. With the factory destroyed and the area secured, the droid forces lessened in the sector. Soon enough, the droids were lesser and lesser. The ground forces became extinct and the clones gradually evacuated.

Seliqa did not stop here, she asked Neiopa on local happenings, the common feuds, the menacing beasts and extracted information on how to make a lethal strike on some of them. Most of the beast-riders retired early into their portable tents, while some discussed matters, often in their native tongues. Eventually, Seliqa got the hint that Neiopa was feeling tired and needed rest, so he left her for his portable tent. Seliqa sat on the log she was sitting on all this time. As all other riders had, she tossed her makeshift paper plate into the fire. She sat all alone, thinking about the Captain who had turned against his brothers and his vow, only to help a Jedi in her time of need. She thought about the Chancellor and his cruel assault on the Jedi. The whole idea of him planning the order seemed too far-fetched to her. But she could no longer deny the magnitude of damage the lone command could do. She imagined the Jedi order, the very organization she had grown up in and believed in, die a sudden death. Several Jedi died, gunned, destroyed, their lives lost. It was a shock and Seliqa had to cope with it, or die trying. Exhausted, she got up left for an empty tent.

 

The next day, when she opened her eyes, Seliqa saw that the sky had not yet turned blue. It was instead a rather dark blue, hinting at dawn. She got up and out of her tent. A few beast-riders were already out, some stretching, the others gathering equipments for the days breakfast hunt. She went to the Captain’s tent and peeked in. There was nobody inside. Instead, she heard a voice, a familiar one. It was Esnaw. “Looking for the bounty hunter, master Jedi?”

A polite smile spread over Seliqa. “Yes. He is not known to getting up early.”

“Well, ma’am, we riders get up real early. Early morning hunt, treks and all that. I’m not sure I sighted your… uh, friend.” He smiled upon the last word.

Seliqa returned the smile. “Well, we have much to do and we need to get to Iziz, or any city nearby.”

“The nearest is Iziz, yes. But it’s not near enough to traverse to on foot. You’ll need some vehicle and I’m not talking about a Falkachet or an Anonnae. Those beasts are rare in these parts. We’re trekking back to our town, Bashunash. There must be a few speeders there we can spare…”

“Will do, sir.” With that, Seliqa left Esnaw and strolled out of the camp. Outside the camp, the Captain was talking to a beast rider. He was unarmoured and the beast rider he was conversing with held the bulky armour in his hands. After coming closer, Seliqa learned that the Captain was trading clothing. In return for the clone armour, the rider was offering his light, yet protective forest suit. The rider then retreated to his tent to change, while the Captain, in simple red clothing stood facing a nearby lake, his hands at his back and his chest high. Seliqa stood beside him.

“Wise option, Wefive.”

“Yeah. You’re wearing the rider’s clothes though. You can’t hope to enter a bustling city in those robes and get away with it.”

“And what about you? You’ll be rather vulnerable.”

“Believe me when I say this, Camman. I’ve been in more critical, more vulnerable and definitely more dangerous moments than this. I’ve had to defend a hill against a thousand droids. I’ve had to enter a nest of Geonosians alone and without ammo. I’ve had to swim ten thousand feet to the surface with heavy equipment.”

“I respect you, Wefive. You’ve really been through a lot. Maybe, you’re more experienced than me as well!”

The captain turned as he heard some radio-voiced chatter. It was the rider with whom he had bartered his armour.

“Hands up, you two! The Republic has you now!”

Wefive made a small chuckle and instructed him on the use of the helmet and gave him pointers on when and where to wear the armour. Seliqa took the beast rider armour and left for the camp. She arrived a few minutes later, wearing the suit. It was a little oversized and she looked odd in it, but it had to suffice.

 

Meanwhile, dark operations were afoot on the RAS Garendator. A recon squad, that of the illustrious Recon Leader Xydan had arrived, fresh from their latest operation in a cluster of Separatist mines on Crysm. Xydan arrived, in his special, grey-white armour. In the briefing room were Commander Soy, Lieutenant CL-441 alias Calladar and Lieutenant FRE-B40 alias Ferbazor. As Xydan entered the room, it’s occupants rose and saluted. Xydan returned the salute and took a seat, accepting the Commander’s gesture. Xydan’s subordinates, Recon 1R-83 alias Irtan, Recon B14-394 alias Blade and Recon JQ6-458 alias Jesqas soon followed.

Once everyone were on their seats, the Commander rose to address. “Recon Squad DY44, your actions have been recognized all over the galaxy and the code DY44 has become not just a Recon Squad name, but a legend. Your actions have shaped the face of the war and have turned its tide more than once. I call you once more for an operation, a mission that may decide the fate of the Republic.

You must realize, however, that this is a covert operation and its details shall not escape this room. During your last mission, to the HO870 mines, Order 66 had been executed. Unfortunately, an ARC trooper accompanying a Jedi turned on us and helped the Jedi destroy his own squad, as well as the nearby Magenta squad, designation MR93. Unfortunately, he slaughtered his own brethren in the Cavern. We… tracked him down with the help of Magenta, but he escaped. He stole a Separatist hyperspace-capable starship from the Separatist base and escaped us.”

“That is impossible, sir. There are well over four hundred troopers on this planet and numerous satellites are orbiting it. An escape by a lone Separatist vehicle is… unthinkable.”

“The satellites had been cleverly disabled by another defector, possibly lurking on that planet. I have my men working on it. Your objective is top secret, and equally important. We suspect the defectors escaped to Onderon, a nearby forest world, inhabited. You are to enter the planet and find any whereabouts of the defectors, or their ship.”

Lieutenant Calladar rose, as the Commander sat back. Callader continued, “We have calculated the approximate landing locations, considering the vehicle’s hyperpace, engine and other capabilities. We also used the planet’s rotation and revolution data, coupled with data on incoming and outgoing vehicular traffic from the Republic satellites at Onderon. The RAS Bayonet is stationed there, by the way. I’m transmitting the data to you, includes co-ordinates and distance data.”

Xydan nodded as his visor lit up with message alerting him of an incoming transmission. Calladar sat, and nobody rose this time. The Commander spoke. “Recon Leader, it is of paramount importance that we secure the location of the Jedi and the defector, Captain W-E5S. You are to find the rebels and assassinate them, when appropriate. Do not fail me, DY44.”

The assembly then discussed more regarding the Jedi, the Captain, their personalities and was briefed on the environment and structure of Onderon. Commander Soy tried his best to keep the truth as buried as possible. It was strictly forbidden to execute vendettas in the army, but the Commander’s future depended on it. After more discussion the party rose, saluted and left the room. Xydan and his squad, the DY44 left for the hangar, where their starfighters awaited. A long day lay ahead of them.

[JediKnight707]

Great job, man!! Though you put "manoeuvre" isn't that spelled "maneuver?" Or something close to that.

[Sabretooth]

Great job, man!! Though you put "manoeuvre" isn't that spelled "maneuver?" Or something close to that.

 

Manouevre is the British (and pretty much the International) version of the Amercian "Maneuver". I couldn't avoid some other American English errors, since I have a bug in MS Word that uses American as a default dictionary and changes British to American.

 

Whatever the case, glad you liked it and thx!

[RC-1162]

its great! another W.O.A. from the ruler of the world

[Sabretooth]

RC, what did I tell you about the ruler part? I'm no frickin' wooden ruler of this world.

 

I just own the world, that's all. You wanna buy it, I'm the person to see. You wanna rule it, go talk to Bush someone else.

[RC-1162]

right. well then:

"another WOA by the owner of the world"

[Sabretooth]

It had been three hours since Esnaw had official started the trek back to Bashunash. Seliqa and Wefive were trudging alongside the beast-riders, elevated above the forest canopy. They know hiked through a hilly region that distinctly stood out, if seen at the horizon. There was rudimentary path, yellow from overuse, on which the party marched. When Seliqa reached the top of the hill, barely a half a hundred feet above sea level, she could see the true extent of the path. It went down, only to reappear on another hill and then traveled east with the range. Seliqa’s eyes followed the path east. The path then went level for sometime, before rising and going north again, the direction the group was traveling. According to Esnaw, Bashunash was a few miles north-east to the northeastern tip of the range they were traveling on.

For the first time since their great escape, Seliqa could see the Captain’s facial features. The face that had been hidden behind a Clone mask for several hours had been revealed. Seliqa had hoped that he would look different from other clones. It was a mild expectation, which was squashed when she saw the Captain’s face like that of any ordinary clone. It was the same chocolate of Jango Fett, scarred and blemished. His face was grave, as if in regret, or as if he could foresee a great danger. His eyes were wary, constantly darting to check every movement. It wasn’t surprising, considering that the Captain was a veteran and had seen more than his share of combat. Even he was against it, his senses would be ever-watchful for traps, enemies and just about anything that was to threaten his survival. He marched almost militaristically.

Another hour passed and the party now trekked upon the sloping, winding path into the taller hills. They had passed the path’s turning east and then back north. The path was not only but a long ledge sticking out of a hill’s sharp surface. A constructed railing prevented injury, for most people at least. To the right was another hill, out of which some unusual trees had grown horizontally. Some had even taken support of the railing. The distance between the railing and the surface of the other hill was roughly two feet. And below lay a vast chasm, green and yellow, where nobody dared to look. After about half and hour, the riders lumbered down the hills, onto a plateau, roughly a hundred feet above the ground. It was, like the rest of Onderon, dense with vegetation. At the end of it, the path became more civilized and journeyed downwards, overlooking a large river, with a metal bridge across it. Before it was a large clearing.

When the first beast-rider arrived at the edge of the plateau, he called out to Esnaw. The latter ran up to him and looked out with binoculars. When the rest of the party regrouped, Esnaw turned back to Seliqa. “Well, Jedi. It appears you are in luck.” Seliqa took the binoculars she was offered and looked down the plateau, towards the bridge. The bridge was about three hundred feet long, and on it was hovering an airspeeder. It was a rather new build, long and with an optional canopy. Inside sat a pilot, unmasked and in beast-rider clothing. The airspeeder crossed the bridge and made it’s way to the top of the plateau in a few minutes. It levitated a good four feet above the ground and as Wefive reckoned, it was capable of flying upto a hundred feet in air, maybe more.

The airspeeder steered towards the riders as it slowed near them. Inside was the beast rider Esnaw and the scout had spotted. After making some end-engine adjustments, he jumped out and casually made his way to the party. He leaned back on his speeder and surveyed the team. It comprised of roughly 10-15 people.

“Forgot how to run speeders again?” he joked.

“Some mechanic” Esnaw replied, turning to one of party members, “apparently didn’t do a good job of fixing them up, after we were attacked by a herd of Falkachets.”

The pilot chuckled. “And the Jedi? You pick her up at a Jedi Survival Camp?”

“What? What do you mean?” asked Esnaw, confused.

The pilot chuckled again. “Been to Iziz yesterday. Clones shooting Jedi. Saw it with my own eyes. The clones said that it was none of my business, but looks like someone doesn’t like Jedi. And, there’s a lot of money to be made…” he said, looking at Seliqa with a smirk drawn out across his face.

“Shame on you, you traitor!” cried out Neiopa, “How dare you think of turning over a Jedi? Do you not know that we survive because of Jedi? How greedy can you get, Sadarr?”

“Yeah? Well, where were the Jedi when those droids bombed Nattoyan? They were obviously preaching at Coruscant while my parents, my sisters and my brothers were burned by their blasters. Where were you, Jedi?”

Seliqa stepped ahead before anyone could answer. “The Jedi are limited. We couldn’t be everywhere. I apologize for your loss, Sadarr, I…”

“How the hell do you even think of speaking my name? You don’t even know who I am. And now you apologize to me! What do you have to apologize for? The Jedi doesn’t care about us, the…”

Wefive lost his temper. His face twisted by rage, he strode angrily to Sadarr and getting hold of his throat, pushed him into the speeder. Overcome by surprise, Sadarr gawked and fell in without resistance. “The Jedi don’t care, do they? Well, I don’t care either. In fact, I wouldn’t care to see you die in agony here, today.” He shouted out to the bewildered Sadarr. Sadarr came to his senses and dodged Wefive’s punch and ramming him with his body, he threw Wefive off the speeder.

When Sadarr got to his feet, he was welcomed by a flurry of punches, before Wefive was jerked back by Seliqa’s command of the Force. Wefive got to his feet, but Seliqa was ahead of him. Sadarr, sore from his beating cried out enthusiastically and charged for Wefive, but was stopped by Seliqa, who used the Force to keep him from reaching either Wefive or herself. In a calm voice, she apologized.

“I am sorry for the behaviour of my companion. He is a rough man, and prefers urban centers to forests. He is a bounty hunter…”

“He ain’t no damned bounty hunter!” Sadarr retaliated. “He’s a clone! One of those independent thought ones, maybe. Just look at his face!”

“Well you’ve got no business with me, so let’s drop this!” Wefive yelled back.

Esnaw, who was watching the spectacle now stepped forward and consoled Sadarr, who, out of frustration shrugged him off and jumped back into his speeder. Esnaw leaned over his speeder. “Come on, Sadarr. He’s just a hothead. And we, well, we need your speeder.”

“What for?” Sadarr asked, sulkily switching on the engine.

“You can walk home tonight, enough speeding for one day. We have an injury in out party and we need to heal him up fast. We fear the worst…”

Sadarr didn’t reply, but his speeder hummed and rose. After some time, it dropped low again and with a sigh, Sadarr jumped out.

“I came here for some hunting. Any kills?”

“We’ve got raw Vanoe and Cannok skins. Come on, we’ll hunt some more and let the Jedi be on her way.”

Seliqa politely bowed as she received the speeder codes from Sadarr. It didn’t take long for Wefive to figure out that Seliqa wasn’t as innocent as she pretended to be. She had obviously used her tricks on Sadarr. Wefive hopped in and the speeder rose, before shooting out over the trees at four hundred miles an hour.

 

DY44 was known to do its job quickly and efficiently. The Team leader, Xydan had developed a code of operation in his team. With this code, the team would achieve it’s objectives by whatever means necessary, “knot the loose ends” and leave the battle in a breeze. Although it wasn’t against standard procedure, Xydan had instructed his team to maintain silence and speak only when necessary. The team often realized the actions they were undertaking without the need of speech. DY44 was a perfect epitome of the proverb “Actions speak louder than words”.

DY44’s Special Recon Starfighters, codenamed UR14’s dropped down the Onderon atmosphere and hurtled towards the forest canopy. These UR14 Starfighters had been developed at Kuat, and their blueprints had been designed off the new Jedi Starfighters. These UR14s were shaped like sharp, thin arrowheads and were slimmer than the older Jedi Starfighters. Like the Jedi Starfighters, they were equipped with vertical fins, larger than the Jedi crafts and curved concavely. To the rear was one ion drive engine, along with two boosters to give the URs speed that allowed the Recon to move in and out of battle zones swiftly.

The four UR14s dropped down into a forest clearing some fifty metres away from the crash site. Turning off the engines and turning on the shields, the four troopers got out of their starfighters and regrouped at one edge of the clearing. After some routine checks, the team advanced to the crash site. The crash had certainly taken down a number of trees with it. In a clear line behind the wrecked starfighters was a trail of broken and fallen trees. The starfighter itself was highly damaged and ruined. It’s canopy was open, with no glass. Having much recon experience, Xydan first climbed the three wings and started with the cockpit. As he had suspected, there were no glass shards anywhere, and the glass was not Vareutan Casshias, the glass that can dissolve in thin air with a simple button.

The rest of the team, after a brief search regrouped at Xydan’s location. Xydan’s theory, that the rebels had jumped ship before it crashed was plausible to all. They would obviously want to feign death and the not only the lack of bodies, but the lack of glass shards was pointing to the theory. Xydan also found it unusual that the RAS Bayonet, RAS Banshee and the RAS Deathbringer had not sent teams to search the base. Xydan suspected foul play on the side of the Commander, but he was in no position to question or counter the idea. Besides, his biological programming did not allow him to do so.

Their arrival and presence did not go unnoticed, however. Another beast rider clan was wandering nearby and had sent their scouts to check on the new crafts that had landed. One of the scouts stumbled into the crash site and watched the armoured men work on the craft. A second joined him soon. Once the inspection was done, the troopers descended and approached the beast-riders. The clones, with their specially decaled and modified armours, looked very intimidating. One of the riders even stepped back.

“State your name and business.” Spoke Xydan.

The beast-riders fumbled for words.

“We are… um, beast-riders and we’re here to, well, check the crash site.”

“What do you know about this crash?” Xydan curtly asked.

“Well, it happened yesterday, I think…”

“Yes, yesterday.” His companion assured.

“Any specific timing?” Xydan asked.

“Well, the afternoon, I think. Or was it evening?”

“What do you know of its pilot and the gunner?” Blade asked.

“What? Uh… no. It just crashed and we… came.”

“Took you long enough to reach here… if you saw the crash in daylight, yesterday.”

The beast-riders were getting nervous, at least physically.

“Go on, we won’t hurt you.” Xydan ensured.

“Look, we… should be going.”

“Yeah, we’ll miss the hunt.”

Xydan realized that he had used up the two.

“Clean up.” He commanded. The two beast riders stood dumbfounded.

Within seconds, they were brutally shot down multiple times. Their bodies were searched and buried a few feet underground, below a bush. All this was cleared up in a few minutes. Many would call this inhuman, or vicious, but for DY44, it was nothing but simply “knotting the loose ends”. DY44 cannot, in any case make their presence aware, especially locals who loved to gossip and spread news. No one could be trusted. Not even the DY44 teammates.

[Renegade Puma]

Wow what a great chapter ST. Keep up the top notch work mate.

[Sabretooth]

Thx, Renegade! Next Chapter on Monday/Tuesday or so...

[Sabretooth]

Both Seliqa and Wefive were quiet through most of the speeder ride. As the speeder covered more and more trees per second, the Onderonian sun declined. The colours of the sky shifted from a beautiful blue to an ominous orange and violet. Bird cries were frequent, as were the sights of birds migrating south in neat formations. The stars then penetrated the bright cover of the sky and peeked at Onderon. Soon enough, the sky was filled with multitudes of such stars. Dxun rose, and the rest of Onderon’s moons followed. Some two hours after Seliqa and Wefive had left the beast-riders, the speeder traffic had gradually increased. Speeders flew on invisible roads, some towards Seliqa’s direction, but most were just silhouettes on the horizon.

The walls of Iziz stood tall and strong and were visible from quite a few miles away. Over the years they had been strengthened and made taller. They had originally been built to protect the city-dwellers of Iziz from the wild beast-riders. However, the beast-riders allied with the citizens of Iziz, following the marriage of Iziz’s princess and a beast-rider chieftain. The walls of Iziz were then used to keep the wandering animals away and protect the beloved city from any other possible enemies. According to custom, the walls of Iziz were expanded regularly. Every two years, the wall would be expanded one foot, and made upto a metre taller. The Wall eventually became a symbol of power and of strength. Some mathematicians say that the exact date the building of the wall had started could be determined by carefully calculating statistics of the wall such as the length, breadth, the height, number of bricks etc.

Made about a thousand years ago, the Izizia Ondera Spaceport was a location teeming with activity. When Onderon had integrated more fully with the Republic, it needed to show that it was new, modern and could easily merge with the rest of the Republic. Iziz’s largest spaceport was therefore, rebuilt and named Izizia Ondera., the Izizian from Onderon. Unlike the older spaceports, this one was situated on a platform above the walls. From the spaceport, one had a beautiful view of the city, and could walk the magnificent walls. Three cantinas rivaled each other, filled with creatures of all sorts.

Seliqa arrived at the Izizia Ondera Spaceport about three hours after leaving the beast riders. She neatly parked the speeder in a Speeder Parking Zone, beneath the platform that served as the foundation for the Izizia Ondera. The parking lot, one of the six lots was rather empty. It was filled with a number of speeders; however there were only a couple of sentients loitering in the lot. Seliqa killed the engine and exhaled. The Captain, silent for a long while, got talking.

“Alright, we’re here. To start with, we’re gonna need equipment. This blaster rifle and pistol is good enough for me. You, need a pistol of your own. I need a good set of armour, since it’s not a good idea running into a battlefield naked, and this clothing is as good as that. You will need something, as well. I’m sure this beast-rider thing isn’t too comfortable.”

His guess was confirmed by a nod from Seliqa.

“That lightsaber stays hidden. You’ll need a pistol, or two. After that, we’ll go look for a ship.”

“Okay, but Wefive, no starfighters this time.”

Wefive chuckled as he hopped out of the speeder and double-checked it look for any leftover equipment. When the checking was done, he quietly opened the speeder’s hood and shot the systems. Sparks flew in all directions. The two loiterers, both rodians stood stunned. Seliqa masterfully blinded their minds so that they were left temporarily stunned and would not remember the last ten minutes. Seliqa’s conscience was slowly catching up with her. She was on the path to betray an advice by her Master. Her Master had explicitly told her not to overuse or exploit Mind tricks. It is a technique that temporarily blinds the target, but has the potential of permanently blinding the user. Blinding the user from the light side.

 

The Eccsun Emporium was one of the stores at the Izizia Ondera. Like all the new stores, this one too was desperately trying to attract new customers and make its mark in the spaceport. The life of a storekeeper in a newly founded store is hard, especially if the spaceport is filled with bigger, better stores. The merchant lives on money. He sells and buys, then repeats on a higher scale. And people want the better stuff. So they go to the more advanced, seasoned stores rather than the lower-grade stores that don’t have the rare, high-quality equipment they needed. The strategy was to watch a city, and when it builds a spaceport, move in fast and sell fast. Even the slightest of delays could be fatal.

Run by two Sullustans and a Twi’Lek, the Eccsun was no different. The three were young merchants, who met each other at Nar Shaddaa and were double-crossed by a pair of female Rodians. In lack of money and ideas, the trio moved planet-to-planet offering their economical skills to those interested, but were largely unsuccessful. Eventually they contributed their funds and founded the Eccsun Emporium, but were at a loss. Hardly anyone walked into their store and whoever walked was most likely too poor to afford a good percentage of the merchandise.

The arrival of Seliqa and Wefive changed the bored Sullustans. They got to their feet and began yelling their merchandise and prices at the two customers. The Twi’Lek, more experienced, kept quiet and stood alone in a corner. Wefive placed his rifle on the desk and calmly said, “Shut up.”

The Sullustans complied. Wefive took over.

“We need equipment, and we need it cheap. We have two thousand credits. One suit of light armour, one heavy. One blaster pistol, and then you can go to hell.”

One of the sullustans was already on his calculator, and pulling up armour specifications. Seliqa followed the Twi’Lek into a store-room, where he gave her a relatively light and cheap suit of armour. He claimed it could withstand most blasters and was quite flexible. It’s cost was some six hundred credits. Wefive’s armour was rather easy to find. He only needed something not to obtrusive, but enough to cover his features and his face. He settled for a suit of Bajjoragh Armour, the specialty of the planet Basokuurn. A thousand credits. The pistol was a non-modified piece straight from the Fatonyech Factory. Light, not heavy and effective enough. Two hundred credits. The last two hundred credits that remained would have to be used sparingly. Very sparingly. The two still had to get their ship and that would definitely cost more than a meagre two hundred credits.

 

Their next step was to decide on what the next step was. Two hundred credits was not good money, and would not even buy a child speeder. Their only hope would be to masquerade as victims of a double-crosser and get a ship. It was a far-fetched plan, but anything would work in this situation. News blared that two Republic Assault Ships had departed orbit and left for some other war-torn world. Only the RAS Bayonet lay in space now, swarming with clones and starfighters.

One of the best places to find just about anyone, is a cantina. Teeming with all sorts of sentient life, Cantinas are havens for people with problems, people with a story or people who would soon be dead. Seliqa and Wefive entered the Taliandra Usccaindis, the Sword of Queen Talia, one of the oldest, largest and most popular cantinas. The fresh spaceport air soon turned into the stuffy, incensed air common to cantinas and the dark red, green and blue lighting hurt Wefive’s eyes. The cantina had become so large over the years, it now had some five bars, three large sabacc dens and all sorts of cantina accessories. Seliqa made her way to the nearest bar, and for courtesy’s sake, ordered a Daboulateure, a drink with an intoxicating taste, but having no real intoxicants. Wefive ordered the same.

Seliqa silenced her thoughts and tried to hear the commotion around her more clearly. It is common Jedi knowledge that if one concentrates, one could hear the life of a crowded place. One could see the conquerors, the victims, the depressed, the triumphant, the weak, the strong and listen to their minds. While Seliqa stared at the cantina and entered the Force, Wefive quietly sipped his Daboulateure, a luxury he never had in his army days. The drink felt good and almost went to his head, but he kept the intake down and kept his mind sharp by thinking further steps and playing at planning a battle strategy. A sudden gasp from Seliqa brought him to his senses. Setting his drink down, his extended his arms, about to grab Seliqa, until he learnt that she is not falling.

Seliqa, on the other hand had made a startling discovery. Somebody in the cantina was brimming with Force potential. That could only mean it was a Jedi, an untapped Jedi or a Dark Jedi. The other two options being highly unlikely, Seliqa settled it to be a fellow Jedi. Suddenly the mystical air of a Force trance lifted and she found herself at the bar, beside Wefive. Wefive’s concern was washed away by Seliqa’s “I’m alright”s and “I’m fine”s. She told him to sit where he was and be wary, while she went to search ‘something she had sensed’.

This search wasn’t too far, fortunately. Only in the next room, she found the source of energy, a young human male in his thirties. Only when she got closer did she recognize him.

“Torrd!”, she called at the man.

The man turned back suddenly and instantly recognized Seliqa.

Seliqa rushed at his side and took a seat beside him. Torrd, whose real name was Torrdemnon Wassi was a Jedi who had been with Seliqa when they were young Padawans. Seliqa felt relieved that at least Torrd had made it out alive.

“Seliqa! I thought they sent you to Crysm!” Torrd remarked.

“I escaped and landed here, on Onderon. There was a defector, an ARC.”

Torrd was about to say something, but decided against it. It was too risky to speak in a Cantina as risky as the one they sat in. Torrd told Seliqa to meet him outside, in a secluded corner in the spaceport. He assured her that if she could find him in a crowded cantina, she should have no difficulties finding him outside. Seliqa agreed and Torrd left. Seliqa left for her bar as well.

 

Finding Torrd was no more difficult than finding an attractive Twi’Lek in Nar Shaddaa’s Red Light Sector. Seliqa let herself be followed by ‘currents’ and ‘veins’ that flowed through the life in the spaceport. Torrd was in an alley, dark and hidden from the eyes of the public. Seliqa entered the corner, followed by Wefive. Wefive was, as always wary. His rifle was constantly cocked and he always checked behind his shoulder. Seliqa was aware of his unusual suspicious nature, but didn’t discourage it. It did keep them on their toes.

Torrd pulled Seliqa into the alley as soon as she approached it and then throwing her behind him, went into an aggressive stance against Wefive. By instinct, Wefive raised his gun, ready to shoot if need be. Seliqa had told him about Torrd, but that did not change Wefive’s skeptical suspicion over just about everyone. Torrd’s hands was over his lightsaber, but Wefive knew that he won’t ignite it.

“This is a private matter, mercenary” Torrd spoke, eyeing Wefive’s armour.

“It’s okay, Torrd. He’s Captain Wefive, an ARC. He’s the one who has saved my skin more than once. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here.” Seliqa vouched.

Torrd dropped into a more casual stance, as Wefive made his way in. His helmet turned to Torrd’s head.

“So… I take it you’re both shipless.” Torrd started, his well-known smile spreading across his face.

“Pretty much obviously. We came to the cantina hoping we’d find a ship…” Seliqa answered.

“As a matter of fact, Camman, I do have a ship. It’s a fine cruiser, small and enough for two.” He looked at Wefive as he completed his sentence.

“But I’m sure we can squeeze you in, wise guy.” Wefive answered the silent provocation.

“That’s good news, Torrd. Where are we going to go, though?”

“Polis Massa, where else? You were lucky I was planning on catching up local gossip in the cantina, or I would have already been in hyperspace!”

“Polis Massa? Why there? That’s an asteroid or something…”

“I take it you didn’t check your datapad… There was a message for the Jedi to regroup at Coruscant, but it was a bogus message. That damned Skywalker set it up. Master Yoda and Master Kenobi got to the place in time and diverted the message to Polis Massa, that’s where we’re going.”

“That can be bogus as well…” Wefive commented.

“But it’s out only hope. Besides, it’s better than running blind into a planet full of clones. What say, Seliqa?”

“I concur.”

Wefive stood silent for a while, before giving his approval.

“Great, we’ll leave immediately. I hope you two caught everything you wanted, cause…”

“Aw, looks like I forgot my underpants. Can we run back to Crysm?” Wefive joked.

Torrd took the hint and walked out, followed by Wefive and Seliqa.

 

Torrdemnon’s ship was a little outdated. It stood alone in the large dock. It was small and as Torrd showed, it had just a corridor and a cockpit, after the loading ramp. Wefive commented on it being an oversized passenger starfighter. He was right, in a way. The ship was equipped with minimal weaponry. Two blaster cannons, but no torpedoes. The cannons, too, were locked and could only be used with a Heavy Blaster License, which Torrd did not possess. Bought only a few hours ago, the ship, whose name was The Emmire was of Onderonian build. It was fast, but not as durable as some other ships. It was fuelled and ready to leave, by the time the three made their way to the cockpit.

[Sabretooth]

This adds a new player into the story...

There are still some 6-7 chapters left to end the story, so stay tuned.

 

w00t! 3000th Post!

[RC-1162]

Awesome work, bhaia. your an official battlefield tactician

 

PS: id like to buy the world. how much?

[Sabretooth]

Awesome work, bhaia. your an official battlefield tactician

 

PS: id like to buy the world. how much?

 

A cent for the people and the leaders, two cents for the variety and culture, two hundred million bucks for the natural beauty.

 

But you'd might as well forget it, since you can't do anything much with the world even if you buy it.

 

Washington DC and Micronesia are free, yaar!

[JediKnight707]

Washington DC and Micronesia are free, yaar!

 

Hell, I'd take them just to blow them up Great work, blah, blah, blah.

[Sabretooth]

DY44’s progress through the jungles of Onderon was slow. Unsatisfactory as it was to Xydan, DY44 wasn’t built for chasing traitors. DY44’s missions upto now had involved covert operations. Spying, demolitions, computer slicing, pathfinding, reconnaissance (which was the team’s primary focus) and emergency operations were common for them. Never before had they tracked an enemy in open, however. Cities, public life and non-military zones were unthinkable. DY44 was a weapon that swiftly scoured enemy bases and cleared them.

Xydan had his doubts about the operation since it was explained to him. It was obvious that the mission had not been officially given to him. It was more like a personal favour for the Commander. A favour Xydan did not owe. And yet, he could do nothing but follow. It was something in his mind, that he had often wondered when he was alone. Is it possible to break free from the Republic’s chains? Is it possible to be freed from commands? No matter how hard he thought, Xydan couldn’t help it. He had to follow orders and he did, even if he had a grudge with the one who gave it.

Their search was going futile. It was now mid-day, when the sun shone the brightest, glistening off the well-polished clone armour. Using tracks, trails and technology (the golden ‘trinity’ of recon) they had managed to get to the beast-rider encampment. There were signs of pitched tents, a fire in the centre and logs well-arranged to substitute furniture. After thoroughly checking the campsite, DY44 spread out and watched the site for thirty minutes. After seeing nobody breaching the invisible perimeter, they regrouped and proceeded with the search.

The footprints that were clear enough before were now lost in a multitude of earth, tossed, stamped and messed up. The disturbed soil helped Xydan’s crew for a while, till they reached an area with dense woodwork. The soil was quite messed up in all directions and footprints were invisible, if present. Without a word, the squad spread out in various directions, constantly reporting observances and any activity, which was mostly animals peeking at the visitors. Most animals took a peek and jumped away. Those that lingered for too long, didn’t last long.

By Evening, DY44 had almost given up their quest. The search was taking too long and since the mission was a private one, they had complete reason to complain. DY44 had to evacuate and they did. They regrouped and returned to square one: the four UR14s. Huddling around the leader’s craft, they watched as the holocommunication unit attempted to make contact with the RAS Garendator. After two failures, Xydan cancelled the idea and decided to check the maps again. Plugging in his datapad, he watched as the 3-dimensional hologram of the area upto 50 miles away lit up. He studied the terrain, the forests and concluded that there were ample ways to get to Iziz.

Irtan, Jesqas and Blade watched Xydan go into a brainstorm. He was pointing into the map, detailing on the numerous possibilities that could arise. Night was setting in, but Xydan continued. He knew that it was just as useless as stupid to hide in a forest here, isolated from the rest of the galaxy. The duo had obviously gotten to a nearby city, or town. Beast-rider towns weren’t many, and the only thing within a walking distance of two days was the walled city of Iziz. Having no other plans, the other three complied and set off.

The UR14s silently lifted off the ground. Xydan’s craft shot out first, followed by Irtan and then Blade and Jesqas, who flew parallel to each other. They set their course for Iziz and maintained low altitude. Once they were twenty miles to Iziz, their crafts suddenly gained altitude and rose high enough to see Iziz. They disconnected formation and flew independently, cutting off communication. Their special radars, designed to automatically scan every ship ID in view set off. Xydan’s guess was that if they were to escape, they would do so in a bought or rented ship. Smuggler, civilian and medium-sized ships, therefore were the first suspects.

Once one such ship was sighted, one of the DY44 would track it down and establish contact with it, masquerading as Iziz Air Security searching for stolen cargo. From the massive galactic databanks, DY44 had downloaded voice IDs for Wefive (which was too easy) and Seliqa, who’s ID was stored in the Jedi Temple, now maintained by Imperial Troops. Xydan’s plan was foolproof, and he knew it.

DY44 scanned every ship, until it came into contact were above the Izizia Ondera. They spread out and flew a few miles away and returned. Having plenty of fuel, they had no problems making several rounds. Xydan feared that the two had already left. Their co-ordinates would be unknown to him, as would be their plans. And Xydan did not like that.

 

The Emmire rose haphazardly, emitting all sorts of noises, from gas escaping to it’s engines humming randomly. Once the landing pads were pulled up, the ship’s engine shot out exhaust. Inside the ship rumbled, almost bringing Wefive down. Seliqa and Torrd had taken their seats and Wefive was the one to explore the one-corridor ship. There was a closet, empty and a ladder to go up onto the surface of the ship. There wasn’t anything else. The engine would shudder and so would the ship, but Wefive clung to a rod just outside the cockpit as Seliqa and Torrd talked.

“So where were you, Torrd?”

“Right here. There’s a Separatist research lab, underground. It was some hundred miles from here. I led a raid into it and well, pretty much cleared the sector. Those clones went rogue in the facility. Well I was alone in a room and some rookie comes in, guns blazing. My saber already on, I fed him his own laser. I stood on my guard and found that every damned clone was after me. I used a cloaking device to hide myself and stumbled out…”

Wefive found the tale rather amusing.

“And the clones didn’t use their infra-red visors? Not too feasible, Jedi.”

“Nobody said the clones were geniuses. So I got out, jumped into a Sep airspeeder and blasted out of the place. I came down here, hid my saber, flipped up the hood and hid out into the cantina.”

“Sounds like you’re the happy-go-lucky sort.” Wefive commented.

“You can say that.” He turned to Seliqa. “Where did you pick up this piece of garbage anyways? Looks premium Raxus Prime.”

Seliqa smiled and turned to Wefive, who was almost ready to slaughter Torrd.

“Crysm. This fellow turned against his own kin to save me. He came up with the plan to get out, to get to Onderon and all that. Believe me, he can be trusted.”

“I’m not too keen on keeping a clone around in my ship.” He turned to Wefive. “We’ll drop you. Anywhere you like.”

“I’m not planning a vacation. I’d prefer sticking it with you too and helping you Jedi.”

“Yeah, well you’ve done what you could. We’d appreciate it…”

“I’ll appreciate if you keep you damned trap shut and fly the ship! I didn’t kill those brothers for nothing! I didn’t fly ARCs, come with plans and save our skins multiple times just to be dropped off at some planet and live as a mercenary.”

“Poor temper, eh? Well, be warned that we’d be happy to slice you should you show us the slightest provocation.”

“And I’d be happy to fry you alive.” Wefive patted his gun.

Torrd grinned and patted his lightsaber. Once things were even, he got back to his ship, which Seliqa had been flying. If Wefive was fuming, he definitely wasn’t showing it. The ship had finished the last of the departure procedure and was going by a path dictated by the Onderon Air Protocol. The shaft they flew in was clearly visible as a long line of ships moving steadily upwards at a relatively low angle. That was when Wefive noticed something in the radar. There was the green dot that marked the center of the radar and several readings all around which indicated the air traffic. But there two ships darting in and out. At times they would escape the line and rejoin later. They would pretend to be flying at the standard speed, then suddenly speed up and overtake. Seliqa and Torrd ignored it, but Wefive observed the radar as if enthralled by it.

He used a control beside the radar to increase it’s range. Wefive found two more starfighters, some hundred meters behind and carrying out the same routine. Torrd looked at it as well.

“What is it? Looks like some drunken rodian experimenting with spices.” He commented.

“No, there’s something else to this. They’re flying… very systematically. In a very organized method, slow and steady, and coordinated.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem, though I sense they’re all connected…”

“Blast the hull! Those are Clones! The movements, methods, interaction – has to be some sort of Special Recon!”

“Whoa, hold down. What was that? Special Recon?”

“Fast and Effective. One notch below Commandos and ARC Troopers. If they’re here, we have to get out.”

“Couldn’t it be a coincidence?” asked Seliqa, without changing her view through the window.

“Sure, a bunch of drunken rodians experimenting with spices and flying an organized pattern emulating the Special Recon? Unlikely.”

Torrd was getting impatient. “Alright, we’ll get an ID of those.”

He submitted ID requests for the four ships, still darting here and there. After a few seconds, the replies arrived – Unknown. There was no owner data, ship class, seller, purpose, nothing. It was all either blank or unknown. Every ship had an unknown certificate. Wefive found this news even more disturbing. Special Recon was extremely dangerous. It was like commandos without the genetic modification. They were raw clones, with refined fighting abilities.

“Bad.” He commented, “An unknown certificate will mean that they’re flying high-range prototypes. The Republic has not officially sanctioned them, but the army needs no authorization. They have a ship, they’ll…”

He was cut away by a beep from the computer. It was an incoming message, from an ‘unknown ship’. Seliqa was about to pick it up when suddenly Wefive yelled out not to. “Seliqa and me will have to stay shut. No voices. Torrd, you talk and you communicate, got that?”

Torrd nodded with Seliqa and hit the button to initiate communication. There was some static, but the voice that followed was rather clear. It sounded clone, but was oozing heavy Onderonian accent, very poor, as Torrd noticed.

“This is the Onderon Air Security. A heist has been committed at a merchant shop at the Izizia Ondera Spaceport and we need to manually check every ship leaving. Please report your name, purpose and ship.”

Torrd thought fast and spoke on-the-fly. “This is Tarfe Cuir, the ship is the Immerire and uh… purpose. Well, I’m a merchant and have unloaded all my stuff at a merchant shop nearby…”

“What is the name of this shop?” the OAS officer asked curtly.

“The Cututu Emporium, heart of city. I’m off to… uh… Nar Shaddaa to load up and catch a shut-eye. You got a problem?”

“We apologize for the inconvenience, but we will have to check the ship. Please land it at…”

Wefive stepped in and modulated his voice controls on the helmet. He now had a very low-pitched voice, almost like a Hutt. He stepped up and spoke, “This is Vercie Lammar, Captain of the Immerire and I wish to know your name, officer. The inconvenience you have caused me is irreparable. My client will be furious now. I must give complaint!”

As soon as he finished the last words, however, his helmet failed. The voice modifier reset and Wefive’s plain voice was heard. There was silence on the other line. Wefive realized his own mistake. Before he could turn off the communicator, the call disconnected. Special Recon had no more reason to talk. They had they’re target in sights, now they just had to take it down.

“Blast! Go go go! Get the hell out of here!”

Torrd responded by shifting throttle to full and blazing through the traffic. Their start bought them distance, as they saw the ‘unknowns’ lagging behind in the radar. Soon enough, they charged up and pursued their prey, dodging traffic and even shooting the more stubborn ones. Torrd kept bending the control stick, diving, then rising. Running out of the highway would be dangerous. They would be in open air and easy targets.

The chase was harrowing, especially for the Emmire. It was bulkier and not equipped with the latest anti-crash equipment. So much as a scratch with a ship would bring down the craft. That, coupled with the fear of being blasted by the Special Recon was unnerving. Seliqa accessed navigational co-ordinates and using Torrd’s datapad, inserted the Polis Massa co-ordinates. Wefive watched, alerting for traffic ahead and the speeding ships behind.

The ground was relatively far below and whatever was visible of it stood visible only for a fraction of a nanosecond. The highway now wound and separated, as it approached the edges of the atmosphere. Torrd took the lesser crowded path, not only because his instinct advised him to, but also because Seliqa announced the hyperspace route to be in that direction. But the manoeuvre was risky, since it left more open space for the Recon to strike. And the Special Recon took every opportunity they had.

The first shots to connect with the Emmire were fired from Irtan’s fighter. The shield system effectively stopped the blaster fire. The Emmire’s shield was strong, but once it expired, the ship was very vulnerable. The ship was now crossing the bridge between the atmosphere and space. The temperature dropped slowly, but nobody noticed it. It was only when the ceiling hit him that Wefive made a discovery – he was floating. He was not standing on the floor, but was floating the air. There was no gravity in the craft.

“No gravity!” he yelled at Torrd.

“They said… it was damaged.” Torrd replied, dodging a light cruiser. “But there are air tanks, don’t worry!”

“Take a thirty-seven in right, forty up.” Seliqa guided, avoiding another confrontation.

Torrd nodded and turned the ship accordingly. Seliqa further guided him towards the hyperspace route. Torrd kept moving the ship and made sudden turns, which often gave Wefive another hit on the head. He got used to it, though. Sticking his head low, he held on at the shaft behind the cockpit, yelling at Torrd. He kept an eye on the shield levels, which he had made his primary priority. He knew all too well that should the shield break away, they were history. The ship had depleted half-way through and Wefive alerted accordingly.

Seliqa looked up through the window and down into the datapad, then at the navigation computer and punched in the codes. Torrd took a look at them, before the Emmire took another dive and a more sudden rise. Once near the co-ordinates, he hit Autopilot and chose the “Aggressive” setting. The engines roared, the ship shuddered. Wefive tried to get his feet on the ground, cursing the gravity generator. Seliqa run the Hyperspace checks and the systems began to light green. Behind, the four starfighters were incoming, guns blazing. They were far from any highways, so they were relatively secure.

A while later, the Emmire was bombarded by a volley of torpedoes released by their pursuers. The ship’s shields took heavy damage and reached 25%. Wefive watched the shield display, shouting out the diminishing sequence of numbers. The red light went on. Whether it was a hyperspace alert or a low-shield alert was unknown to Wefive. The spacefighters were getting uncomfortably closer, the shields dropped and time was running out. The final checks and engine preparations were complete. They heard the relieving beep that signified that the ship was ready for a jump. But a siren rang out a second later. It was the no shield alert. A few blaster shots would kill them all.

In frustration, Wefive punched the button marked ‘hyperspace’ with his fist. The ship suddenly flung out into the depths of space, after another shudder indicated another hit from their attackers. They had been hit in the rear, but the well-timed jump had almost negated the effect. Wefive crawled back to the cockpit, watching the vortex of stars in relief. The jump had thrown him back due to inertia and the broken gravity generator. It wasn’t serious, since Wefive had knowingly caught another bar outside the closet. He had almost begun to think that was what they were made for.

As soon as the stars had turned into the infinite lines of hyperspace, there was a sigh of relief in the room. Torrd took off his seatbelt and floated in the air. Seliqa checked the astrogation computer.

“Two more days, and we’ll be at Polis Massa.” She announced.

“Wow, what’re we gonna eat?” Wefive asked, looking out into the space.

“Yeah, well you help yourself to some fallen nuts and bolts. We’ll catch lunch at ‘Massa.” Torrd answered. Two more standard days will have to pass. He wondered how many Jedi had been killed. Realizing that he doesn’t even want to know the answer, he decided to meditate floating instead.

[Sabretooth]

Largest Chapter yet (2903 words)! According to my roughest plans, there are...

 

 

SIX more chapters to go. But they will most likely change in plot/length etc.