[FIC]Star Wars: Victim of Betrayal

[Renegade Puma]

Great job ST. You have a real talent for storytelling. Keep it up.

[Sabretooth]

“Damn!” Xydan heard himself curse as the smuggler vessel disappeared into hyperspace.

“Freeze target, location data now!” he ordered and got to work on his computer. The information on the smuggler ship, it’s course, it’s location of jumping etc. would be stored and calculations would be made. These calculations would guess the trajectory, landing sites, current location etc. Once the system reported a complete freeze, Xydan ordered his squad to move out and land in a jungle area, away from the city.

“We need access to the Galactic Databank. Our onboard systems don’t have any planets in that direction – or distance.” Jesqas reported.

“That’s the very edge of the damned galaxy! What’re trying to suicide?” Blade said enthusiastically.

“Cut the chatter. We’ll get to the RAS near here – the Bayonet. All RASs have access to the Databank. We’ll also contact Commander SOY-34.” Xydan commanded.

Without much discussion, the four fighters rose, gleaming in the moonlight. Nobody came in their way, and nobody questioned them in the RAS. They carried out the operation in the deathly silence they were known for.

 

A day passed since the jump had been initiated. Seliqa and Torrd spent their time meditating in the air, often upside-down. Wefive spent his time punching air, narrating war stories and such. He also experimented with the various tools and gadgets in his armour. He had found a flamethrower, with very little ammo, a gauntlet, a wrist-mounted grenade launcher, cooling systems, mini-organiser, and a tiny sonic weapon, that shot sonic waves in a 5-meter radius.

He was napping in the pilot’s seat when Torrd woke up. Torrd stretched in zero-gravity and flung himself towards the cockpit. Wefive, snoring without his helmet got up with a gasp when Torrd patted him.

“How close?” Torrd asked.

“Two parsecs.” Wefive answered, glancing at the astrogation computer.

Torrd nodded and somersaulted, much to Wefive’s annoyance.

“So, you’re an ARC. What was your mission on Crysm?”

“Just before leaving, we had received a private message that the Chancellor’s close to finding his new ‘apprentice’. Commander Soy had us get to base with Seliqa and then infiltrate a cavern swarming with droids. We did and Seliqa’s lightsaber went gung-ho. And then command tells us to get rid of the Jedi and return.”

“How many people were in your squad?”

“Some ten people, probably. A shame that I don’t remember.”

“You killed them?”

“Yeah, me and Seliqa. There was this sniper squad, but we evaded them. We stole a Separatist Airspeeder, new model. Then we go back to base and I pretend Seliqa’s dead. They’re about to send me for court martial on Coruscant or Kamino, but I got ‘em and luckily Seliqa got there with an ARC-170. Sweet fighter, that.”

“So you got to Onderon with that. Far-fetched, yet possible.”

“I’m surprised you’re not interrogating me about the Chancellor, or should I say… the Emperor of the Galaxy?”

“Please, fill me in on that one.”

“The order was given midway through the Wars. It was codenamed “Order 66”, and the order was, to kill all Jedi when they will betray – as prophesized by the Chancellor…”

“Hold up a second. Prophesized? His just a damned politician!”

“Yes, well he’s a Jedi damned politician. You see, he has Jedi powers. He was planning to having an apprentice, and said that it is crucial to the galaxy for him to have one. But a sacrifice must be made – the Jedi. The Jedi will oppose to this and they will ‘betray’ the Republic.”

“Anakin is his apprentice…”

“And that means we’re in deep danger. A guy like Skywalker against us is trouble. He’s that prophecy guy, right?”

“Right. The prophecy was wrong. Skywalker would not restore balance, or destroy the Sith. He was to destroy the Jedi. To restore balance in the galaxy without the Jedi. Where is the Chancellor?”

“Anywhere. He could be at Coruscant, or a secret base on some unknown planet, heck for all we know, he might be hiding in this ship…”

Torrd’s mind shook. He got a strange, unexplainable feeling and an idea – Wefive could be Palpatine. If Palpatine could mask himself mentally, then there was no telling what he could do. He could run illusions in minds – illusions that one is seeing what he shouldn’t. Wefive might be Palpatine, but Torrd could only see him as an ARC Trooper. The theory, although absurd was completely plausible. He decided to stay even more cautious with Wefive.

Wefive looked back at the console. The time was decreasing rapidly and drastic changes were taking place. Escaping the heart of the galaxy, the ship’s speed was increasing and was shooting faster through the vortex. The time fell below twenty-four hours, then twenty and fifteen, all in a few minutes. Torrd woke Seliqa up, who held on to the bar near the cockpit. The speed indicator was constantly increasing. Wefive adjusted it and the speed leveled out. Their destination was only a couple of hours away.

Seliqa strapped herself with a belt on the bed while Wefive and Torrd strapped their seat belts. A short, but loud beep signaled precisely two hours were left for the jump to end.

“Ever been to this place?” Wefive asked.

“No. Just heard of it.”

“Where?”

Torrd made a sharp glance at Wefive, noting his inquisitiveness. Wefive’s face didn’t move from the controls.

“Geography lessons. We go real in-depth. But then again, we force-sensitives can store much more knowledge than you can possibly dream of.”

“Why’d they choose this as an emergency point?”

“It was a Jedi secret. Some sixty odd years ago, there used to be one notable council member – Master Raphe. He was a Zabrak, ninety years old and very, very wise. He had a premonition that there will be a time when the Jedi order will be at the brink of death. It will never be destroyed, but will be near.”

“So… he randomly picked a planet?”

“No. At that time the Polis Massans arrived at Polis Massa and started archaeological digs into the asteroid colony.. Unfortunately, whatever artifacts they acquired from the rock, they were forcibly stolen by pirates, mafiosos and such. Their money was going down the drain and they desperately needed help. Borrowing some money, they got a ride to Coruscant and begged the council for help. The wise Master Raphe agreed to help them, but had one condition. The Jedi will clear the sector of all pirates and mafiosos, but when the time comes, the Massans will have to help the Jedi. The Massans agreed, the Jedi helped and everything went happily ever after… well, up till now, at least.”

Wefive only nodded.

 

A good two hours later, the vortex cleared, and the ship suddenly jolted out of hyperspace. Ahead lay a small mining colony. There were too many chunks of rock to count, which lazily floated in their quiet space. Only two more starships could be seen flying, both Jedi Starfighters. Soon enough, they got into communication with the Emmire. After receiving confirmation from Torrd and Seliqa, they handed over the landing co-ordinates for the Emmire. With Wefive piloting the ship, it did not take long for the Emmire to dock in the largest asteroid.

The loading ramp descended and out walked the trio. The dock was busy with workers, a few Jedi and of course, lots of ships. There were some 7-10 Jedi Starfighters and other ships of all sorts and sizes. But the one that stood out the most was the Tantive IV, docked away at one side of the gargantuan dock. It looked like a massive lightsaber handle, with tons of thrusters at it’s rear.

Seliqa knew the Tantive IV all too well. It had saved her life once when she was in an operation at Alderaan. A petty crime lord was trying to become popular by attempting assassinations on the senatorial representative of Alderaan – Senator Bail Organa. Seliqa struck the crime syndicate and killed the crime lord on his flagship. The crime lord’s assistant, upon realizing that the lord is dead, set the ship on self-destruction, and got out in his own ship after torching Seliqa’s fighter. Seliqa sent out a distress call and was helped out by the majestic Tantive IV itself.

“Senator Bail Organa is here.” She noted, gazing at the Tantive IV.

“OK, that’s great news. Alderaan’s with us. And if Alderaan’s with us, I bet a hell a lot of planets are with us.” Wefive said.

They strode to the door leading to the interiors of the colony. After a decontamination room, they passed into a series of well-lit corridors and rooms. After running wild in what could be best described as a maze, they finally reached a larger room with better furnishings. The floor was lined with black Desston stone and exotic plants lined the corners. Three sofas and two tables were in the middle of the room. Three Jedi sat on each of the sofas, discussing something when Seliqa, Torrd and Wefive entered.

One of the Jedi, a male Twi’Lek got up and looked at the two new entrants in delight.

“Torrd! Seliqa! Ganah Nuia!” he exclaimed in Ryl.

“Nice to meet you too, Sed. Who’s in charge here?” Torrd asked.

Wefive made a quiet approach towards Seliqa. “These Jedi make me nervous. I’ll be out at the ship if you need me.” He whispered. Seliqa nodded in reply.

“Master Kenobi and Master Yoda are here.” Sed informed, “They were the ones who set up this place. It’s been… three standard days since Order 66.”

“We’d like to speak with the Masters.” Seliqa said.

“They’re in the briefing room. This is a confusing place; I’ll help you out here. Follow me now.”

With that the pale white Twi’Lek turned around and walked to a turbolift. The door slid open and in went the Jedi. The turbolift then dropped a few levels downwards, into a corridor. At the end of this corridor was a large room, which was supposedly the ‘hub’. It was a huge room, with a dome on top. An incessant pit dominated most of the floor, with archaeological equipment in and around it. Strange beings were working inside, while others watched. A railing separated the archaeological ditch.

“The Polis Massans are mainly archaeologists. Don’t be surprised by such excavations in even the most formal areas on this mining colony.” Sed explained.

“What are they looking for in this asteroid?” Seliqa asked.

“Well, it’s believed that this whole asteroid colony was a planet – but was obliterated due to some unknown reason. These Polis Massans come from some planet in this system and start checking this place.”

“That’s an unusual motive for an alien species.”

They passed through more and more corridors and rooms, to reach another large room. Unlike other rooms, this one was occupied with more humans and Jedi. There were a few holo-maps, but no sign of Master Kenobi or Master Yoda. Bunches of people were huddled around the maps and discussed matters sincerely. Sed led Seliqa and Torrd to the end of the room and down a flight of stairs to another door. He opened the door and walked in. The door closed by itself.

The hall they entered was relatively dim, and furnished with a sleek, meeting table. It had bright lighting, omniholoviewers and other facilities. Jedi sat on chairs beside this table, chatting or discussing. Seliqa noticed the duo at the very end of the table – Master Kenobi and Master Yoda. Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, the ‘negotiator’ was nodding apprehensively at a Jedi. The enigmatic Master Yoda sat on side of the table, his head still as a rock. Yet the creases and wrinkles showed the old Master had seen much and that more was going on in his mind than what one would think.

Noticing that Seliqa and Torrd have spotted the Masters, Sed left their company. The two went towards the two iconic figures sitting at the end of the tables. Master Kenobi and the alien Jedi facing him were seemingly having a disagreement. Seliqa and Torrd took their seats beside Master Yoda. Master Yoda turned to face Seliqa, smiled and turned back. It took a while for Master Kenobi to please the Jedi, who eventually bowed and left. Master Kenobi and Master Yoda then turned to Seliqa.

“Seliqa Camman, if I am not mistaken.” Began the gallant Master Kenobi.

“True, Master Kenobi. This is Torrdemnon Wassi.”

Torrd bowed.

“It is good news that the two of you have survived. We will need all the help we can get, and with Jedi like you by our side, I doubt our failure.” Kenobi spoke.

“Master, we have been out of the loop. Evading clone troopers in two systems is a tough task, and we have been unable to get ourselves updated with the latest happenings.”

“Indeed. Let me tell you, then. You surely know of the Battle of Coruscant?”

“Yes, we had been informed of a strike on Coruscant and had been instructed to get to Coruscant as soon as the mission is complete.” Torrd answered.

“Well, that’s where the story starts. My former apprentice and I were on another world when we were called. Our mission complete, we headed in and received orders to rescue the Chancellor, who was held captive by General Grievous. We found the Chancellor, but also Count Dooku. In our duel against Dooku, I lost consciousness, but Anakin killed Dooku and not only did he save the chancellor, he also saved me from certain death. We then faced Grievous, who escaped and we had to land the burning ship on Coruscant. If it hadn’t been for Anakin’s landing skills, I doubt if we could have survived. Back on Coruscant, I was sent to Utapau to finish off Grievous. Anakin was left at Coruscant and got closer to the Chancellor. The Chancellor… he corrupted Anakin. And when Grievous was finished, the war was too. Palpatine would not give up his powers, and Master Windu tried to arrest him. Turns out Palpatine was the Sith Lord all along. He… brought an untimely demise to the great Master… and recruited Anakin as his Sith Apprentice. Anakin was not himself anymore, he was a twisted monster of hate, he was… Darth Vader. Vader was sent to Mustafar, for some reason. That’s about when Order 66 was executed. Palpatine, or rather Darth Sidious manipulated hundreds of minds in the Senate to bring about a revolution in the Republic. He claimed that the Jedi have betrayed him, that they tried to kill him and they were evil. I and Master Yoda evaded the Clones and got to Coruscant. Master Yoda tried to defeat Sidious, but the Sith Lord… was too powerful. I went to Mustafar to find my former apprentice. But he was a devastated being. He was… twisted, a creature of hate. I… had to kill him. There was no choice.” Obi-Wan spoke the words with remorse. “I… killed Vader. I watched him die, watched his body be incinerated, watched him hate me to his last breath. And then, I followed Master Yoda’s advice to establish a meeting point here.”

The conversation fell silent after Master Kenobi’s long explanation. Master Yoda had his sights downwards, as if he were regretting something. Upon Master Kenobi’s request, Torrd and Seliqa told him their story as well. Seliqa omitted Wefive from the story, but did not lie. Realising her story was incomplete without him, she mentioned the exploits of Capt. Wefive. Master Kenobi seemingly knew this trooper and had heard that the Captain had quite a reputation in the clone ranks.

“Be wary of the clone. To trust anybody, we cannot afford.” Master Yoda advised, speaking for the first time in the discussion.

The more important matter, of course, was the future. The past was gone, and Seliqa was more bothered about how the handful of Jedi can overthrow a massive Republic, or The Galactic Empire, as it was now called.

[Sabretooth]

The latest chapter was actually supposed to be longer, but since it was getting too big and more and more weeks were stretching by, I stopped, did a quick edit and posted. Hope this makes up for the massive delay.

[Renegade Puma]

Great job ST, keep up the saber-iffic work.

[Sabretooth]

Update: I prolly won't be writing for sometime, maybe upto a month, thanks to my Final Exams this April. Their ending near mid-April, so don't get too excited and happy and all.

[Sabretooth]

With the press of a button, the atmosphere in the room turned into a replica of the galaxy. The planets, the stars and all the other celestial bodies orbited the well-lit core of the galaxy. After a few adjustments on his touch-screen, Obi-Wan Kenobi found the planet of Kashyyyk, marked with an unmistakable green glow. The stars suddenly zoomed away and Kashyyyk came in the spotlight. The planet’s woody terrain was visible even in it’s holographic form. Another planet, which looked much like a Kashyyyk clone was visible in the far distance.

“That’s Kashyyyk, home of the wookiees.” Master Kenobi began, “The wookiees are a rather primitive species of primates, best known for their humongous strength, rage and of course, their long, brown hair. They are a species many have hunted for throughout centuries. In fact, there are records of wookiee slavery since the times of the Sith Lords! The Republic had forbidden slavery and Kashyyyk was, therefore, relatively quiet. The CIS brought with it a new wave of wookiee slavery, however. Luckily, Master Yoda and several clone strike teams eliminated the CIS operation and helped the wookiees achieve freedom.

The Empire will try to get the wookiees back as slaves. Since we have found that the CIS, the Republic and the Empire are in one way or another, one entity, it will have one goal – to enslave the wookiees. They make great, cheap labour and if the Empire doesn’t want them they’ll atleast make it legal and the crime will profilerate.”

“So we go in there and beat the Empire?” Torrd asked, impatiently.

“Only if you want to get yourself killed miserably. There was a secret Republic research facility on that planet. As large as a Danniun village, underground and well-connected with labyrinths. It’s situated under a forest, a bit of a lake and has a control room in a hill. We’ll transmit maps and such to your datapad when you’re ready. Your objective: make contact with the scientist team we have there. Do not interrogate them. If they are alive, send them orders to get out of there and go to Eardwin. Send the subsidiary team – Team Mandible to Polisnaktos, tell them to get to the Burning Rogeerf Cantina. There’s a relatively hidden apartment complex in that region. Tell them to talk to the bartender, Visman Visto. If he is not present, tell them to fend for themselves. We will make contact with both teams when necessary, but it will take time.”

“These look like serious scientists. What were they working on?” Seliqa asked.

“Something that will work better on our side than the Empire’s. Frankly, it’s classified and we cannot tell you.”

“A Weapon? C’mon, I need a hint. What if it falls into enemy hands?”

“Then we will have to do without it.”

“Trust your arms, you should not. When you use it, and when it uses you, you cannot tell.” Master Yoda spoke. Unlike his usual riddling proverbs, he spoke something clearer – and literal.

“Any Questions?” Master Kenobi asked, his charismatic face now bearing a smile.

There were none. After waiting a few seconds, Master Kenobi nodded. “May the Force be with you.”

The other two Jedi relied the greeting, to both Master Kenobi and Master Yoda and rose. Informing Wefive at the ship, they headed for their respective rooms in the dormitory. The dormitory too, was getting emptied as Jedi hurriedly packed their things, said their goodbyes and departed. As the quartermaster told them, they were afraid that someone may have leaked and the Empire might be on their tail. “The place will be emptied by a few days, after which I and Master Laél will stay behind to direct latecomers and to stay in hiding.” He told them. “It’s best you catch a wink, get your stuff and hightail it!”

“Will we be getting any clothing? I mean, what about the Jedi still in their robes?” Seliqa asked, obviously uncomfortable in her beast rider outfit.

“Yes, we’re giving out worker uniforms, male and female, all sizes. Check the armoury before leaving. Fifth door down the next hallway. Get yourself a few pistols, too. That lightsaber is best turned down.”

 

Wefive’s light sleep was interrupted for the umpteenth time. He got out of the pilot’s seat and stretched. His helmet was hanging nearby, but his armour was still on. Wefive actually felt that the armour was a good deal. He wondered how foolish merchants can get. He realized what had interrupted his sleep. It was the Tantive IV, it’s massive engines firing up. Through the facility entrance came the Alderaanian senator Bail Organa, Master Yoda, Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Alderaanian guards. Senator Organa was engaged in a conversation with the apprehensive Master Kenobi, while Master Yoda looked on. Wefive surveyed the situation and dropped back into his chair.

Senator Organa and Master Kenobi had seemingly reached an agreement, as they were both smiling and nodding. They were exchanging datapad notes and involved Master Yoda as well. Wefive could guess that they were parting, for a long time. His eyes darted back to the entrance, where surrounded by guards were a few females, in white robes. Among them were a couple of midwife droids, holding what looked like a small parcel. Whatever it was, it was wrapped in a white cloth. Senator Organa and Master Kenobi both looked inside and smiled, which made Wefive even more curious.

Eventually the women and the midwife droids boarded the Tantive IV. One of the parcels was still in Obi-Wan Kenobi’s hands and would probably stay that way. Bail Organa bid farewell and left for his majestic ship. Master Yoda and Master Kenobi seemed to be discussing something, before setting off for their individual starships. Wefive watched with great interest as the Tantive IV and later the spacefighters left the spaceport, branching out in different directions. Wefive could not come close to guessing what was the cloth-wrapped item. The midwife droids probably meant it was baby, but a baby was the most unlikely thing to be here. But it all fit in – the midwife, the females, the smiling and parting. Whose babies were they? Wefive wished he had an answer.

He spent a couple of hours playing dejarik on a holovision board, that came inbuilt with the ship. He lost twice, but found a strategy to win the third time. He won the next two rounds, before quitting. The hologram flickered and died. Wefive looked out of the window again. A lot of the ships he had seen when they had come in were now gone. Only a handful of starfighters and light cruisers remained, which were being hurriedly serviced. There was no Jedi in sight, only droids and workers and the occasional ‘Polis Massan’.

The door to the spaceport opened up and in came Torrd, eyeing The Emmire as he walked in. He then looked around, seeing a rather empty spaceport. He walked right into the Emmire and took a seat beside the ARC. There was a third chair, behind the two pilot chairs which looked odd.

“New chair? I enjoyed watching you clutching to that bar.” Torrd remarked.

“Yes, well, a Jedi’s life is a sacrifice and all.”

“Funny. You just sat here all day?”

“All day! I should’ve looked at the clock. It seems like a few minutes. What did you do all day?”

“Heh. We were briefed, or debriefed, whatever. Then we went into our dorms and had a good shuteye. Actually the briefing and all took a few hours and I slept for a some more hours. I then wandered the place.”

“Where’s Seliqa?”

“Sleeping. I wouldn’t bother her. The canteen’s great. They’ve all the good stuff, but unfortunately, you’re afraid of Jedi…”

“What happened?”

“Huh?”

“Tell me. What happened inside. Who told you what, everything.”

“The briefing? Master Kenobi told us the whole thing. To summarize, Skywalker’s dead, Palpatine’s alive, Dooku’s dead, Grievous is dead. The rest is pretty much unimportant.”

“Master Kenobi! That’s great news!”

“Yeah, well we have Master Yoda as well, but we lost Master Windu. Skywalker killed him.”

“The son-of-a-kath-hound.”

“Now we’re heading somewhere else… wookieeland.”

“Wait. You can’t be serious. That place is surrounded with droids. They’ll tear us apart and give our innards to Palapatine for lunch!”

“We’re going to the dark side of the place. Quieter place.”

“Right. Silence is Golden.”

Wefive glanced out. There were only three more Jedi Starfighters left. Wefive realized that by now the Empire must have announced a bounty on every Jedi Starfighter in the galaxy, and it’s owner. Suddenly Wefive felt very lucky.

Another ship slid into the spaceport from space and squatted on the white floor. It was a light cruiser, short and fat. Two spacefighters came in and huddled in a corner where the Tantive IV had once rested. The spaceport door opened once again and Seliqa came in. She boarded the Emmire and checked for supplies. The supplies, such as food, water, medical supplies and some ammo were neatly stacked and ordered in a wide storage closet. She sat in the new chair and swiveled around. She drew a datapad from her robes and inserted it into the reader, beside the screen. The screen blinked and started displaying information from the datapad.

“So… any clue where we’re going?” an impatient Wefive asked.

After some fiddling with the controls, a holographic map of Kashyyyk emerged. Seliqa touched a sector, which lay about halfway between the equator and the south pole of the planet. The view zoomed in and textual notes with lines connecting to the surface popped up.

“Well I’ll be damned…” Wefive uttered.

“What? You have a phobia of holograms? Wookiees?” Torrd asked sarcastically.

“No. That place. It’s Zivz 110011!” Wefive said, enthusiastically.

“What, it’s just marked Z-101 on the map.” Seliqa stated.

“Yes, that’s short for Zivz 110011. It’s a high-level-clearance scientific research facility. I’ve been to the place, dammit!”

“Eh? You’ve been to a place like that? What were you, a lab rat?” Torrd asked.

“No, mission. It was after the Battle of Mon Calamori, I believe. I was a Lieutenant back then. Our mission was to escort the scientists who work there and guard them once there.”

“What happened?” Torrd asked, serious for once.

“We escorted the scientists, while a guard vessel led us. We got close to Kashyyyk, but due to some completely brainless greenhorn, we jumped a few sectors off Kashyyyk, straight into Separatist space. The guard ship, caught by surprise deployed it’s fighters instantly while we and the scientist ship worked out the right co-ordinates. As soon as we got ‘em, we took off and didn’t wait for the guards. The guard ship, outnumbered, surrounded and outwitted succumbed a bad fate. So we reached the place and I had to protect the place, on the exterior. They didn’t let anyone on the inside. We held out for a couple of weeks, breaking animal bones, till the clone shipment came in from some nearby former battlezone.”

“Man. We are so in luck.” Torrd stated, “So you know the ins and outs of the place?”

“The outer side, yes. I have no idea about the inside though. I do know the ins and outs though…”

Wefive and Seliqa swapped chairs. Wefive continued narrating his battle exploits on Kashyyyk while Seliqa started the engines and powered up the ship. Within a few minutes the ship was out the hangar and in space. The hyperspace checks took a minute, and then the ship disappeared for Kashyyyk.

 

Meanwhile, watching them was another ship. It was a sleek UR14, invisible in the cold, black space. Three more UR14s slid in below it. Inside the first was the infamous Xydan.

“Xydan here. Enough observations. The place is a goldmine. Inform nearest RAS available and spread message. Aim for individual fighters, away from facility.”

Once all the complying messages were passed, the fighters slid out again and separated, their glossy forms hidden from the eyes of the Jedi.

[Sabretooth]

The latest chapter is precisely 2000 words and will be my last for the month. The next will probably come anywhere from mid to end April.

[RC-1162]

great work, sabre. ill be missing your writing while youre gone. keep it up!

[Sabretooth]

Kashyyyk’s unforgiving rain battered down on Wefive’s helmet as he struggled with the well-encrypted lock system that barred him entry into Zivz 110011. After half a dozen attempts, he threw his computer spike into rich, auburn puddle beside him. It floated back upto him. Wefive looked back and saw Torrd, his hood drawn, grinning. Wefive took the spike and violently threw it at the Jedi, who caught it and cleaned it wit the raindrops. Wefive came and sat beside Torrd, on a wet and rather slippery log. Seliqa sat on another log, reading the holographic map of Z-101. As Wefive’s bulk dropped itself on the opposite log, she took a quick look and continued studying.

“Alright, not my fault. This is a top secret scientific research facility, and I don’t believe they keep their front doors open all the time.” Wefive promptly stated.

“You’ve been here before, right? On the outside, too. Know any back doors?” Torrd asked.

“Hmm. There were a few docking nests topside, but they must be locked tight. There is one place, though. It’s called the Nest Hub. Hand me the map, Seliqa, thanks. See this here, on top of the building, this is the ‘watch tower’ as they called it. There are three docking nests on it, with support for multiple ships. The big blocky thing here, at the base of the tower is the hub. You can throw in a dozen ships or something there…”

“Wouldn’t that be closed?” Seliqa asked, looking up at the partially visible tower.

“Probably not. Sometimes I wondered if it even had doors, it had fat openings for ships to come in and get out with ease.”

“Worth a try.” Torrd stated.

“Yes, well there are other places, too. This facility was built very specifically. It’s modeled over the terrain below and around it. See the hills around? They’re part of the facility. The facility you see here is actually nothing, the real deal is below, within the hills, below the ground. The entrances are hidden. All the unimportant stuff was stacked up here, on top.”

“Then how do we go down?” Seliqa asked.

“There were openings in the forests or hills or something. They never told us, we just had to guard the counterfeit. Besides, they must be pretty much closed by now.”

“Back to the nest hub plan. How do you propose we go down to the bottom facility from up there?”

“There was a super-elevator which goes to the lavish fake facility. From there, there was supposed to be a small restricted-area sort-of elevator inside somewhere, which went deep down.”

A massive crack of thunder sounded in the air. The rain multiplied.

“Better get to it, then.”

 

The RAS Algos, whose last recorded post was at in the V-4T457 Dessé Asteroid Field, had become the busiest in it’s ten-month operation period. The incoming message from DY-44 sparked excitement on board and the ship traveled to the mysterious location revealed by DY-44. As soon as the massive behemoth arrived, all hell broke loose. Starfighters discharged from the underside of the Republic Assault Ship, raiding the asteroids of Polis Massa. A special ship, a sleek GD-59 Covert Bomber dropped a powerful anti-laser charge into the largest asteroid, pulverizing it’s laser capabilities. Ground troops then spewed from the incoming transports. Adept at space warfare, they murdered Polis Massans and Republic Troopers alike.

DY-44 sneaked into a dock at the rear of the ship, hidden from wary eyes. The ships quietly slid in and the hangar doors closed on their own accord. DY-44 was greeted by an enthusiastic clone, who guided them through the more intricate labyrinths of the ship’s rear end. They finally emerged in more familiar hall designs and architecture, until they met with the Captain of the Ship, Captain PV-924. After a cold welcome, they assembled in the sealed briefing room. The conversation started with a rather unnecessary update on the situation, but the meeting sparked to life with the arrival of Commander Soy, via holovision.

“We have received trajectory calculation data from the holonet, and things do not look good.” Informed a blue-plated technician, ejecting a datapad.

“Where were they headed?” Soy asked.

“Kashyyyk or Trandosha, considering the craft’s capabilities and speed estimation.”

“Suicide. Kashyyyk is being heavily patrolled and Trandosha is tropical hell. Those lizards are brain-damaged and the climate not too friendly. We have a good party out there anyways.” PV-924 analyzed.

“Precisely. They’ll want to hide under our noses, where we won’t find them.” Added a subordinate.

“Double the enforcement at Kashyyyk, Trandosha and all surrounding territories. Get those craft-detector satellites fixed and tracking. We need a hit at least this time.” Soy commanded.

His order was greeted by an acknowledgement by PV -924.

“Xydan, it is imperative that you leave immediately for Kashyyyk. I will send a nearby recon squad for Trandosha and flush both planets out.”

The technician approached Xydan and handed him a datapad.

“This contains information on the approximate landing co-ordinates for that craft, taken through Kashyyyk Rotation and Revolution Analysis Databank.” He informed.

The meeting soon came to a close, after more deliberations and decisions. DY-44 set off for Kashyyyk within minutes.

 

“I think I have agoraphobia…” whined Torrd as the fifteen-feet square elevator descended down a massive and dark cylindrical chamber. The walls were rimmed with pathways furnished with railings and gloomy, dark doors. The entire location was loosely lighted by what appeared to be moonlight, or a variant of it. The elevator lowered constantly, but the chamber seemed to be endlessly long, like a vertical tunnel of sorts. The little square patch of fresh blue light was like a gift of God, thrown away.

“Whoever made you a Jedi… deserves to be shot… here. In the head.” Wefive said, motioning his pistol to his head.

“Yes, well that’s precisely why we Jedi learn how to deflect blasters early on.” Joked Torrd.

The two had developed a rather close friendship, somehow. It had developed within and both could feel it. It was like drinking a cup from the fountains of healing, or floating in the sky, free from the pains of land. The two seemed to insult each other, but they were only joking and Seliqa had eventually realized it.

The elevator came to a shuddering halt and it was difficult to see what was around the base of the elevator, thanks to the darkness that prevailed. Wefive put on his infrared visor, which he had pretty much forgotten till now. The world of darkness around him was suddenly lit up by a bright red flame that engulfed the vicinity. He took out a torch from his belt and handed it to Torrd. Seliqa ignited her lightsaber for light.

The elevator had stopped in the middle of the vertical tunnel they had been traveling through. The stop was built in the middle of a ring, suspended in the middle of the tunnel by a metal pathway to the railed path that so closely hugged the round chamber. Wefive stepped out on the pathway, and away from the ring-like elevator stop. The shadows around them looked rather frightening, like a materialization of disease, or the presence of an omnipresent monster. The smell, which would have once been graceful and aseptic had now grown into a repulsive stench, laden with the carcasses of humans and beasts alike.

Wefive had found a corridor that led away from the cylindrical hub and into a series of doors, all marked with code or a name, and shut. There was no use stumbling into the unnecessary, as a death in a location as remote as this would be unnerving, at the least. Turns and hallways later, Wefive found himself descending down a flight of stairs. The group had maintained an unearthly silence, without as much as a grunt.

“Oh great captain of the clones, wait up so I may grace your presence!” Torrd called out.

“Shut up, pipsqueak. You’re no better than… Well just shut up and think of what we have in mind once we reach the facility.”

“I say we get to the comm. room and ask all survivors to respond, so we can personally rescue each one.” Torrd suggested, on a more serious note.

“Yeah, maybe we can ask them to spare us the effort and get their butts to the comm. room themselves. Yeah, good.”

“You think anyone survived?” Torrd asked, his eyes on the descending stairs.

“Nah, I think this place is a sophisticated graveyard…” Wefive answered.

“Then where are the bodies?” Seliqa asked.

The question left a trail of dead silence in it’s wake. They had encountered no body – living or dead.

 

The abrupt coming of DY44 sent loud shockwaves throughout the empty space that surrounded them. Their specially-designed cruiser, wrapped in a ring-like ultra-thruster did not pause for a moment as it jumped out of lightspeed and dove straight for the green sphere below that was Kashyyyk. The ultra-thruster was another of the Republic’s darker researches, which had been implemented while still in a prototype phase. Recon was always given the prototypes first, so as to test equipment before pushing them off for other ranks. The use of the ultra-thrusters required official sanction, which had not been taken in this case. The thruster would shoot the craft to a tremendous speed in space, some five times more than average hyperspace speeds.

It took quite a while before the soldiers of DY44 recovered from the shuddering jolt of the jump. As soon as Blade regained his senses, he detached the disposable thruster behind and doubled the speed, racing towards Kashyyyk. Irtan checked the information sent to the craft by Kashyyyk’s satellites. After analyzing and working with the data, he presented it to Xydan, who agreed on Irtan’s guess that the craft would head for an abandoned Republic research facility, in the middle of the planet-spanning forest. It was known as Zivz 110011, one of the few facilities which the Chancellor had ordered a “clean-up” of, prior to Order 66. The place had never been checked since the clean-up and there was ample opportunity for their prey to hide. Deep-scanning satellites had eliminated the possibility of the trio hiding in the open, under the cover of the trees. The scanning was inaccurate, but Xydan knew better.

He commissioned the Desci Ship-scanning satellite, which, by some stroke of luck lay in a nearby RAS. The smooth Desci satellite glided out of the Assault Ship’s belly and positioned itself near the Recon Cruiser. It’s invisible rays traveled through the empty expanse between itself and the planet below. They penetrated the thick tree-cover, raced parallel to the trees, some striking an unknown creature of nature’s. The remaining rays would continue their journey and strike the ground. After realizing they could not travel any further, they would bounce back up, and propel to the satellite’s receivers, where a three-dimensional visual representation of the terrain would be available.

An unusual looking terrain formation stood before the grand blast doors of Zivz. Xydan immediately realized, just as Irtan did, that this was no terrain formation. It was a sort of light cruiser often used by smugglers, and the very same model that DY-44 had given chase to on Onderon, and later spotted at Polis Massa. His guess was right. Their targets were found.

[HK-42]

sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt

:D

[Sabretooth]

heh, thanks. I motivated myself with the thought that there are only a few chapters to go. Hopefully I'll be able to do things quicker this time...

 

I have to gear up for my next fanfic

[Diego Varen]

I haven't read this Fanfic, but what will you do next?

[Sabretooth]

It's gonna be a completely new approach to Star Wars. It'll be somewhere around KotOR and will include Mystery and Horror influences. It'll be written in a journal-like format and it looks real good to me.

[RC-1162]

whatever, just get it up fast

great job with the new chapter

[Sabretooth]

Wefive, Torrd and Seliqa had reached the dark depths of the facility. After several ups and downs through stairs they reached a rather large corridor, lined with dark glass windows and occasional doors with red, or malfunctioning lights. A yellow display panel hanging from the ceiling gave the infrequent designation of where each door led. They were mostly labs, halls or something of the sort. The three advanced slowly, an air of eerie ghosts surrounding them. There was an ethereal silence in the facility ever since they had entered it. Not a soul stirred inside. No creatures, human or otherwise had been found. Not even the smallest of critters were to be seen.

Seliqa caught sight of a long glass window, which was much like the other opaque black windows they had seen. Except this one was transparent. What caught the young Jedi’s attention was a faint blue flickering from the other side of the window. Seliqa looked in and noticed the flickering was being caused due to damaged electrical equipment. Sparks flew around and from what Seliqa could make of the sudden dancing shadows, there was a large underground room beyond the window. The corridor they were on, was an enclosed observation deck that served as a pathway to the deeper labs.

Torrd stopped to peer into the darkness with Seliqa and he too, saw attempted to decipher why this lab was drawing their attention. There was something sinister, and dangerous under those shadows, in those labs below them. He spotted a stairway leading up from the lab’s floor and after a few turns, joining a corridor which hugged the ceiling and met the observation deck at a convenient door beside the window. There were wooden and metal tables below, most broken or burned. Papers, datapads and other stationery lay in a slapdash fashion. Computer panels showed bright blue error messages, were frozen in unresponsiveness or blank, if not broken or sparking. Again, there were no bodies.

The three stared down in a mutually established silence. The room had once been the site of much violence, chaos and confusion. A battle, Seliqa thought. A battle would explain the carbon scoring and lack of bodies. But then why was all the work left there, for visitors to pore over and learn the Republic’s secrets? Torrd was thinking of a science experiment gone wrong. He believed that the scientists had stumbled upon some sort of mind-altering drug, which had seemingly damaged either a subject or a scientist’s head. Wefive though of treachery. Rules in secret installations were strict. The slightest deviation from rules required thorough detention, and could even stretch to execution.

“Take a look at this…” Wefive whispered. He was looking through the window at a rather steep angle. Torrd took his place and gazed out, waiting for the flickering.

There were Bacta cylinders. The life-saving cylinders were used to keep specimens with absolutely no compromise on health. They were broken; the shattered glass and spilt bacta surrounded them. Torrd and Wefive also spotted four huge flat holding beds. Handcuffs at the ends held the victim’s arms and legs fast. Suddenly it dawned upon Torrd that the damage was not caused by any army, or mad scientist, or science experiment. It was something more primitive, more savage. The damage caused was not due to blasters, but due to raw powerful hands. It was not uniform, and definitely not sophisticated.

“We better take a look down there. Look for survivors.” Wefive suggested, without taking his eyes off the window.

“We’ve already sent a message through the intercom and waited a damned hour for nothing, and you think we’re going to find survivors, there? Of all places, there?” Torrd replied cynically.

“Yeah, well I at least want to what happened in there. Something’s happened here and you cannot deny that. This place is… freaking me out. It’s so, empty. Like some horror holovision movie.” Seliqa said.

After some moments of consideration, Torrd agreed and punched the door panel. It turned green and the door opened up, after much difficulty. He stepped in, shortly followed by Wefive and Seliqa. They were in another, smaller observation deck that shortly terminated with a sharp right and a flight of stairs which took right turns at a regular pace. As soon as the stairs started, the observation deck ended and the massive expanse of the room could be felt as the three descended into it’s depths.

It was dark, but not as dark as it had first appeared. It’s only illumination was the long window near the ceiling, through which Seliqa had once been peering. It’s featured were abruptly illumined because of the sparking wire. Seliqa and Torrd ignited their lightsabers simultaneously, so as to lighten up the place better. The pure glow from the lightsabers revealed a room of research, experimentation and secrets. The bacta cylinders loomed over Wefive as he made his way through the spilt bacta. Torrd looked around warily, hoping for the slightest trace of life.

They examined the place, looking up and down, wondering what had caused the destruction. The damage was evident now, and signs of forced violence had now become obvious. Something grizzly had occurred here before and an eerie feeling told Wefive that whoever was responsible for this act was somewhere there. He stepped up to one of the metal tables. It was made of strong durasteel, but couldn’t not shine against the carbon scoring on it. It was slightly deformed at edges. Somebody with enormous strength and used it as a punching bag. Papers and panels lay haphazardly on the table, some even fallen below. They all had ‘Top Secret’ and ‘Confidential’ watermarks on them.

As Torrd and Seliqa explored the great experimentation chamber, Wefive let his blaster rest on the table and shuffled through the papers. He looked with the expert eye of a battle observer. He swiftly changed pages, but most were unimportant babble on chemicals and protocols and other such ‘hypocritical rhetoric’ as Wefive put it. Seliqa spotted him going through the papers when she saw him fix his gaze on one paper. After scanning through it’s contents for a few seconds, he dropped it onto the table and read it more thoroughly. Seliqa could sense him growing tense. He was reading rapidly. His heart had started to beat faster. Seliqa could feel the disbelief, the growing sense of danger, the fear in Wefive’s mind. He slowly began muttering the page’s content as he rapidly read it.

As soon as his eyes ran over the last letter on the paper, Wefive looked up in fearful desperation. With a swift hand he threw aside the paper and grabbed his blaster, cocking it.

“Get out of here! Get the hell out!” he shouted, advancing towards the stairs.

“What is it?” Seliqa asked, anxious to know the contents of the paper.

“Hurry! We don’t have the flaming time! It…”

A sharp sound of glass breaking interrupted Wefive. His head snapped to the left, where the sound came from, to the opposite of the bacta tanks.

“Hell no. Come on, get out! Out!” he yelled.

“Look, what’s in those papers anyways?” Torrd asked, using the force to bring the papers towards him while Seliqa walked to where she heard the glass shattering.

Suddenly, out of the darkness an unknown entity rammed itself into Wefive, throwing him a few feet away from where he was standing. He fired his blaster, lighting up the room in short white bursts. The creature which had attacked him howled in pain as the burning laser connected. Torrd ignited his lightsaber, and the creature turned back. Against the faint light from the window above, Wefive got an idea of the countenance of his assailant. It was a large beast, almost nine feet in height and had a wide chest, with thick, iron-strong muscles. He was very furry and breathed laboriously. He growled loudly, as if threatening.

Wefive pulled the trigger and let the white blaster fire dig into the creature’s back. The creature roared in pain as Wefive got up. As soon as Wefive paused to reload his magazine, the creature turned back voraciously and slapped Wefive with his massive clenched fist. This time Wefive moaned in the painful impact he received on his head. Exulting his rage, the creature stormed towards Seliqa and with the same terrifying clenched fist, he delivered a deadly punch to Seliqa, who artfully dodged the attack. The frustrated beast then unleashed a flurry of attacks on Seliqa who continued dodging and jumping, enraging the beast further. And right when he least expected it, she ignited her lightsaber and made a quick, light slash while ducking through below the beast’s arms.

The beast expressed his fury by banging his hands in frustration on the metal table in front of him. His hands made quite noticeable dents on the table. The beast then turned to Torrd, or at least seemed to. Seliqa hurried to Wefive and took off his helmet. He was conscious, but dazed. He noticed Seliqa and then the creature. He whispered a faint “There”, pointing towards the monster facing Torrd. Torrd ignited his lightsaber, and waved it near the creature hoping it won’t harm the creature. He did not believe in senseless violence, especially against non-sentient creatures. This code had often landed him in more than one instance of trouble.

The beast had amazing agility and jumped right over the table that divided him and Torrd. He waved his hands randomly at Torrd, hoping to get some flesh within his claws, but failed and eventually withdrew, fearing Torrd’s lightsaber skill. The second he lowered the saber, the creature punched at a lightning-fast speed. Torrd stepped back instantly and avoided the blow. He came to his senses atlast and backflipped several feet behind.

“What the hell is this thing?” he shouted out in rage and desperation.

“A… It’s a…” Wefive sputtered, choking and attempting to get up.

“What?” Torrd yelled back.

“It’s a bloody mutant wookiee!” Wefive screamed, firing at the wookiee. Because of the distance, very few shots connected.

Wefive’s words hit Torrd like a bullet. He didn’t believe his ears for the moment.

“A mutant what?”

“Behind you!” alerted an alarmed Seliqa, just as the wookiee marched threateningly towards Torrd. The wookiee was growling fiercely, and apparently did not have a sentient mind. He was only a brutal, senseless monster of destruction and pain.

“Huh?” Torrd uttered, looking back. Milliseconds later, a mammoth claw struck his face, scratching it. Torrd staggered from the blow and moaned.

He lost his senses only a second later, when the first wookiee’s thundering punch connected his neck. He fell down to his knees, his vision blurry, his head throbbing. Tossing his head back, he caught a glimpse of the two wookiees towering over him. One of them was about to drive his massive paw into Torrd, when suddenly a bright orange lightsaber blade erupted from his abdomen. His eyes opened up in shock, from his mouth flowed a deafening roar of pain. Seliqa’s blade withdrew and once again plunged in, this time into the chest. A quick succession of stabs later, the wookiee toppled and fell, his body lifeless.

The wookiee’s companion did not take the incident too kindly. He screamed and shouted and began attacking Seliqa, clawing for her, ignoring the lethal swinging white blade. His fingers got chopped off by a graceful swing of Seliqa’s and his chest lightly slashed. It only enraged the pulsating beast further. He attempted a jump at Seliqa, but stumbled and fell as soon as Wefive stepped out of the shadows and fired rapidly at the wookiee from close range. Close range repeater shots are always deadly and the wookiee lashed about on the ground in pain as the blaster fire rained on him relentlessly.

“Quick! Out of here, now!” Wefive commanded, his finger firm on the trigger. Seliqa grabbed the semi-conscious Torrd and dragged him to the stairs. Wefive slowly followed her, his gun still trained on the wookiee. As soon as he was a dozen feet away from the writhing body of the creature, he stopped firing and ran up the stairs with Seliqa, reloading as he ran.

The mutant had developed an unbelievable stamina. He got up and after a round of confusion, lashed about, destroying anything in vicinity and then storming up the stairs. Wefive and Seliqa hurried, with the newfound danger following them. Wefive sprinted to the door and punched it harder than necessary. The door opened, with the slightly delay courtesy of malfunction. The wookiee charged up the stairs and reached the observation deck just as Wefive opened the door to the larger observation deck. Wefive hurriedly took out a smoke canister and loading it in his gun, fired it straight into the giant wookiee’s eyes. The wookiee screamed in rage, frustration and pain as the tear gas spread into his eyes and irritated his skin. The gas spread fast, but the wookiee slowed to a halt. Seliqa was already past the main door. Wefive lunged out and closed the door desperately. The door closed after a painfully long nine second delay.

 

Wefive heaved a sigh of relief as he dropped down against the wall of the observation deck and took off his helmet. Seliqa sat beside him, propping Torrd up beside her. Torrd was still moaning, but had become more conscious. He lay rubbing the back of his neck, which was apparently still throbbing in pain.

“Remind me never to run into an experimentation chamber next time…” Wefive said, his voice reduced to a breath-heavy whisper.

“That was… very painful.” Torrd uttered, still fondling his neck.

“Here, take this.” Wefive said, tossing two cylinders of blue bacta over to Torrd, “Found these down there. I took some and stored them in my suit’s pockets. He handed one to Seliqa and gulped a mouthful from another.

“That was refreshing. But the pain ain’t gonna go out… yet.” Torrd announced, emptying a cylinder.

Seliqa initiated her holographic map. Wefive looked into it. And with some tracing, tracked their position. “Okay,” he said, coming to a conclusion, “We’re close to the upper part. We just take a door to the left… somewhere, there that door. It should lead us somewhere above, then an elevator to go to the upper facility, and a stack of ladders and halls to the rear exit of the facility.”

“But where will we go?” Seliqa asked.

“Anywhere, dammit! Anywhere other than this scientific hell built here. We almost got killed there! It’s worse than facing those Recon goons!”

Seliqa hesitated and spent a moment of thought.

“I follow the clone.” Torrd announced, apparently still in pain.

“Alright, we’ll think better once we’re out.” Seliqa said and got up.

“Way to go. Now we’re talking, sister!” Wefive acknowledged, getting up. He extended his arm to Torrd and helped him up. He then assisted him in walking and the two slowly, but surely limped their way to the door Wefive had planned upon.

[HK-42]

still cool

[Sabretooth]

Wefive’s confidence had taken a plunge as he trudged through the seemingly endless hallways and corridors. His estimation had gone wrong and the three ended up strolling through the many rooms and tunnels of Zivz 110011. Torrd was feeling much better, and was seemingly fine, save a little soreness. Seliqa and Wefive had grown fatigued, and their energy depleted with every new door Wefive opened. The doors never seemed to end, and only darkness or dim, ominous lighting filled the air. Wefive’s hopes were fading.

He traced his steps back to a door he had not tried. It was a rather well-maintained door, with it’s shining durasteel and sleek red computer panels. Wefive inserted a computer spike and attempted jamming the door controls, to no avail. The door opened after several wasted minutes and powerful jab by Torrd. The door panels flickered and died out, then a dark green screen rose. The door opened shortly thereafter and Wefive marched right in.

It was a large room, with several seats and computers. It had a ramp that led to a high raised, circular platform, that had a transparent glass enclosure with computers for walls. Sometime this room had been abuzz with activity, with several guards inspecting every inch of the facility that could be seen through the computer monitors. A lot of them were now black or displayed white noise. Bodies lay everywhere. It was the first time the three saw bodies in the facility and it was a grizzly sight. The bodies lay contorted, choked, and in much strain. They were fallen on each other and many had their hands on their throats.

Torrd and Seliqa stepped into the room with a sense of a disgust and shock. There were some two dozen armoured bodies and half a dozen plain-uniformed bodies lying on the floor of the security room. Wefive crouched down to examine a body of a dead officer. He wore the grey-khaki uniform of a security officer and his hat was fallen. His eyes were red and evidence of tears was visible. His mouth was wide open, as if trying to say something, but his body was lifeless. Both his hands clutched his throat, but his body was surprisingly limp.

“Gas.” Wefive commented curtly, looking up at a ventilation duct.

“What? They were killed with gas?” Torrd asked, stepping down to examine another body.

“But the ventilation room in situated near the top and pumps in fresh air all the time. There is no other possible way to enter toxic gas in here.” Seliqa mentioned.

“True. Our massacre’s executor was a sharp tactician. He seized the ventilation pumps above and then pumped in poison gas into heavily secured rooms, like this, or the secret labs or something.” Wefive answered.

“Forget it. Let’s just get what we need and get out.” Seliqa suggested.

Wefive complied and after a brief search, found a computer still working. After issuing some commands, he waited as the computer processed his data. Soon enough the round platform in the middle lowered itself and the ramp descended with it, a strip of flooring covering it. The platform reached the floor to a point where it was no longer a platform. A holographic projector rose from the middle of the platform. It flickered at first, but then emitted a large blue holo-map of the facility. A yellow blinking dot denoted the map’s location in the facility. Wefive downloaded a copy of the map for future reference and shut down the computer system. The ramp reset it’s location and Wefive, Torrd and Seliqa exited the room, satisified with a better, more reliable route out of the facility.

 

The torrential rain that beat down on the beleaguered ground of Kashyyyk was unwavering. Jesqas returned to his squad, the DY44, as they waited for his arrival at their assigned meeting place at the starfighters. They had already spotted Torrdemnon Wassi’s cruiser, the Emmire resting in sullen quietness in a small clearing at the east of Zivz. After running a detailed search of the ship, Xydan had masterfully ‘disabled’ the ship. The computer systems malfunctioned, the engines were down. The mechanisms were jammed and the robotic intelligent interface inside the system had been permanently disabled. The ship had been rendered useless, except for a temporary shelter for some passing animal.

Jesqas cautiously avoided a think tree root that served as a small gate for the opening where his squad mates sat in wait. Xydan got up as soon as Jesqas arrived. The latter’s armour had become heavily muddy, which made appear chocolate-brown in appearance. He wiped some mud off his visor as he approached the camp.

“I’ve thrown in the last probe. Hope this one does the job.” He informed, setting his weapon aside and cleaning his mucky armour.

“Where the hell did you throw it, Jesqas?” Blade asked, polishing his gun, “You look like you’ve been diving in a mud pool.”

“The top of the facility. The hub or something, it says on the map. Ironic, isn’t it? I got soiled climbing the roof…”

“We have a match, gentlemen.” Irtan announced, his eyes dissolved in the live camera feed the probe droid sent in.

Jesqas, Xydan and Blade jumped off their fighters’ wings and checked the feed, behind Irtan. A small facility map showed the maps progress. The probe was hovering down a flight of stairs, it’s bright flash light revealing the location clearly.

“What match? I don’t see anything.” Jesqas asked, dumbfounded.

Irtan hit a switch on the computer for thermal imaging. The relatively dim computer screen lit up in a vivid blues and greens. There was a reddish trail on three paths that descended down the stairs. They were thermal footprints, tiny signatures of former heat imprinted deep inside the stairs. Under the X-Ray enabled thermal images, it melded the past with the present to form a ghoulishly accurate representation.

“Serendipity…” Blade whispered, his eyes fixed.

Xydan backed out first.

“Irtan, I need a direct video feed of that thing into my head.” He ordered, “And then you stack your equipment inside. We’re going in, through the backside.”

Irtan obeyed and began hammering away at the computer’s controls. Jesqas and Blade grabbed their weapons and reloaded them. After a personal inventory check, they waited for Irtan to stack away his equipment and join them on their new quest.

 

Wefive was on the right track. The datapad he held in his palm was the base of an accurate facility map. The yellow dot seen before was know moving with Wefive as he traced with his finger in the air, the corridors and stairs required for exit. They had come quite close to the exit and in fact, all they had to do was, once the elevator stopped, they would walk down the corridor, take a flight of stairs below and to a primary vein that connected the backside of the facility. The end of the vein was a large, spherical glass bubble that served as a lookout into Kashyyyk’s Wroshyr forests.

A shuddering halt broke his line of thought. A gratifying ding greeted the Seliqa, Wefive and Torrd as the metal doors slid open, revealing a wide corridor, with powerful lights embedded in the ceiling. The lights were switched on alternately and gave the corridor a passive glow, rather than a stark and painful light. Wefive stepped out and saw his armour shine as if painted anew in the light. The radiance lifted spirits of the three adventurers as they walked the corridor. Once again, doors lined the flat-walled passageway. Most were marked with symbols, or signs for some rooms, labs, hallways and other such areas.

Seliqa couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was wrong in the whole location. The party had already witnessed some of the most gruesomely chilling incidents – The massacre in the security room, the attack of the mutant wookiees, and a general demoralization in the team. However Seliqa felt there was a larger plan at work here. Somebody had very proficiently eliminated the personnel present in the facility. And Seliqa had a feeling this ‘somebody’ was stalking them, and that this somebody would appear at any moment.

Torrd was in high spirits after emptying his last bacta container. His injury had been numbed, if not cured and his will had been restored by what he believed was the Force. But despite his very vigilant state, Torrd could not sense the frag grenade that dropped from a ventilation duct and landed right behind him. The impact was very strong and Torrd was flung quite a few feet ahead. He masterfully rolled and turned back. The ventilation duct’s cover dropped down, heavily dented and malformed. Within a second, Xydan dropped through the duct, mercilessly firing his heavy blaster rifle. His indiscriminate shots narrowly missed Seliqa and Torrd, who were behind Wefive. Their lightsabers ignited, they stood back, elegantly deflecting the blaster’s fire.

Wefive paused and looked back sharply at Xydan. Another powerful blast, this time behind him, dropped him to his knees. He got up, only to become the target of more blaster fire. A ventilation duct on the other side of the party had been breached. Jesqas was on the floor, crouching his blaster rifle firing all out at Wefive. The latter hit the deck and fired a flare, the first thing he could find, straight at Jesqas. The corridor blazed in the searing red light that erupted out of Wefive’s grenade launcher. Jesqas couldn’t decide whether he should deliver his anticipated shot on Wefive’s helmet, or roll away from the position. The burning flare hit Jesqas’ head in only a few seconds, exploding on contact. The explosion released fireballs and Jesqas found lobbed several feet back. The heavily reddened corridor restored itself to the ethereal glow it formerly brandished.

Seliqa lunged at Xydan, aiming for him, but stabbing air. He fell back and kicked Seliqa to bring himself up. She attempted a heavy slash at him, and inflicted a few inches worth carbon scoring on Xydan’s armour. Xydan ran around Seliqa and released a frag grenade into Torrd’s face. Torrd gripped the grenade with the Force and shot it back at Xydan, who instinctively dived to the floor. The grenade exploded in mid-air, hurting no one.

“Quick, out of here!” Wefive shouted, grasping the situation.

Torrd and Seliqa stepped back cautiously towards the stairs, as did Wefive.

“We should finish the job!” Seliqa yelled back.

“Yeah!” Torrd acknowledged, his lightsaber pointed at Xydan.

The corridor was suddenly once again lit by the bloodcurdling yellow-red glow of an advancing rocket. In that split second, Wefive dived for the stairs, Torrd jumped to the wall, while Seliqa, who was looking in the opposite direction, failed to notice the rocket’s advance. The rocket and its burning trail swept centimetres off Seliqa’s shoulder as she leaned away just in type. She could feel the searing heat of the rocket as it almost burned her clothing. The rocket swept straight over the rising Xydan and exploded with the elevator, obliterating it in a ball of fire.

It was Blade, reloading his rocket launcher far in the distance that caught Seliqa’s attention. Torrd pulled her towards him and descended the stairs. Wefive launched a formidable anti-armour shot, just as Jesqas and Xydan reached the top of the stairs. The shot landed on Xydan, who’s armour got scarred severely. Wefive, Seliqa and Torrd rushed down the stairs, clearing through every flight and landing till they reached a wide lobby-like room, connected to the ‘vein’ they had seen earlier. They rushed into it, while DY44 still hurried down the stairs.

The predicted glass bubble indicated that the party had reached the right location. One short pathway led to a great hangar that would serve as an exit. “We need to ambush them! We just can’t keep running!” Seliqa yelled out to the advancing Wefive.

Wefive was about to reply, when he stumbled and crashed his armoured body down. He screamed in frustrated pain, as Torrd and Seliqa overtook him, and then slowed. DY44 erupted out of the opening through which the party had arrived. Torrd grabbed Wefive and dragged him, while Seliqa held off DY44’s shots with her lightsaber. The relatively darker room danced in vivid shots of white, red and Seliqa’s orange lights. Wefive got up and securing a heavy-artillery military stance, opened fire on DY44. Torrd overtook Seliqa’s location and vigorously blocked DY44’s shots.

DY44 comprised of no fools either. As soon as Xydan announced, “Beta Opera!” the team rushed ahead at breakneck speed, firing smoke and frag grenades along with their usual blasters. The tear gas rushed into Torrd’s eyes and he started backing out. The smoke grenade released a large white cloud, with blaster fire erupting out randomly from it. Seliqa backed away, too. She knew that in her state of surprise and fatigue, this was no battle to be won. Wefive turned around behind Seliqa and followed her.

Torrd ran with fatigued alacrity. His pain was returning. His speed slowed. His heart beat faster. His expert training and conditioning was failing him. Something had gone wrong his system. He touched his neck, and a cold fear gripped him. His velocity faltered. He had been shot in the neck. The blaster fire had buried into his neck and in the bacta’s pain-numbing effect, he had failed to feel the blaster. He gasped desperately. Seliqa overtook him, not noticing his plight. Suddenly an abrupt series of shots rung in his ears. Milliseconds later, he felt his back burn and singe in sudden blaster fire. The pain grew like a coming wave, building momentum and never stopping. He panted and stumbled, then fell to his knees. The blasters hit his back and neck and burned the area.

Seliqa jumped out into the glass bubble, suspended a few metres above the ground. She ignited her lightsaber and dug a hole in the bubble. As soon as she dug one out, she called out for Torrd and Wefive and jumped in. Wefive heard the call and advanced. He saw Torrd, fallen on the ground as he run past him. “Torrd!” he yelled and grabbed the body. It’s burn marks quite evident. Grabbing it, he limped ahead, only to be slowed down. He dropped the body and ran at full speed, DY44 following him.

Seliqa waited on the damp Kashyyyk surface for Wefive and Torrd. Seconds passed, no one was jumping through. She felt a release of pent up relief as Wefive jumped through and landed beside her.

“Hell, get out of here! They got Torrd! He was running up ahead of me, they shot him down!” Wefive spoke in quick bursts of words.

Seliqa felt her world freeze as she heard the words “They got Torrd.” Torrd was a formidable and reliable Jedi. How he could have fallen was unknown to her. But her survival instinct woke her up, as Wefive tugged at her. “Come On!” he yelled as he disappeared into the forest. Seliqa followed, fatigued, surprised and bewildered.

The ambush, the horror and the loss of Torrd had become a series of horrendous events, all linked together by the chain of fate. Seliqa trudged on with Wefive, her mind mangled in confusion.

[RC-1162]

man! youre writing faster than i can read it

great job once again

[Sabretooth]

LOL, I just want to get over with it. Besides my new version of Word gives me my motivation.

 

Just a little more left... <_< >_>

 

jk (?)

[Sabretooth]

The crashing thunder brought with a terrifying lash, like that of a massive whip, cracked in the air. Tachs and other animals scampered for shelter as another wave of powerful downpour released itself from the clouds and onto the damp earth. The rain fell relentlessly on the cold, untouched stones of the Temple of Kwayci. The temple was a known ritual altar, used by the Kwaycionkari tribe of Wookiees. The tribe would regularly sacrifice some of their profits for gaining more profits (which they would sacrifice again). The tribe was very religious and devoted, and their fierce fervour during battle was a legend told by many Wookiee historians. But that was thousands of years ago, and as time passes, so do tribes. The Kwaycionkari tribe was wiped out in one of the many thousand battles and skirmishes that have taken place on the rather primitive forest planet.

Seliqa pushed away a low branch of a tree as she trudged alongside Wefive. They had no precise idea on where to go, but Wefive had planned on some sort of small enclosure, hidden from the world. The forest would be too dangerous and the abandoned facility was unpredictable. The long hours without sleep had worn out both Seliqa and Wefive. After realising their ships were not functioning, their already squashed hopes were killed. They only walked in silence, passing the trees, ignoring the sounds and hoping for a cosy bed in the middle of the arboreal land they trespassed.

“This looks good.” Wefive said, stepping on the cobblestone flooring beneath him. The Temple, or more so the Ruins of Kwayci lay ahead of him. The magnificent temple was some twenty metres wide and fifty metres long, and seemingly consisted of a single sacrificial hall, where once appalling sacrifices had been made.

“What makes you so sure?” Seliqa asked sceptically. She too felt her spirits rise as he stepped on the firm stone.

The temple was elevated from the ground, and it’s wide door was greeted by a flight of stairs, which numbered anywhere between twenty to thirty steps.

“Well we’re away from DY44 and this place looks splendidly luxurious. Why not give it a try? Where’s the reservation counter? We need a double room…”

“Let’s just camp up on those steps.” Seliqa replied very tersely.

The two had not yet brought up the topic of Torrd’s death. Wefive had avoided the subject since he escaped Zivz and Seliqa had tried her best not to think about the incident. Her mind was too bushed for it anyways. She made her way past the wet stone towards the stairs. The stone railing that sandwiched the stairs had been well sculpted for a Wookiee artist and although the figures were a little abstract, Wefive guessed they would sell for millions if the right marketing strategy were used.

Seliqa collapsed on the base of the stairs and let the pure water of the skies soak her. She breathed in fatigued exasperation. Wefive dropped his gun and his helmet and sat beside her. They said nothing, and simply appreciated the musical, liberating quality of the raindrops, as they landed on their faces. Another thunder brought with it another great wave of water from the atmosphere, only to be reduced slightly in a few seconds. The rain formed a sort of illusion, of spirits fighting and killing demons above. The wind broke away these illusions to form new ones. Wefive sighed as he reviewed everything he had done, and achieved. He closed his eyes and thought for seconds, minutes into what seemed like hours. He was very tense, and Seliqa knew that. What she did not know, was what he was always thinking of, beneath that dense veil of his mind. At this stage, Seliqa did not care either.

 

DY44 had never been on a more frustrating assignment to date. Their prey had escaped them more than once, to the point where Irtan had begun to wonder why they are running in the first place. There was nothing on Kashyyyk, except dense foliage and probably some towns and villages speckled across it. Irtan was tapping away at his computer, his face bearing a very grim and serious expression on his face. Jesqas drew up behind him, watching the probe droid trace the red trail in and out of the jam-packed forests. Blade watched Xydan, who lay below on the muddy ground, his armour an ugly mess of clay and carbon scoring. Xydan’s injuries were too severe. He had influentially led the DY44, but the battle had not only sapped his strength, the blows dealt by his opponents had caused heavy damage.

He got up, in much pain and limped towards Irtan. He collapsed on a log and fell back, breathing heavily. “What is it?” he asked, pointing at the computer screen.

“The probe droid, he followed Camman all the way into the forest. We’re launching as soon as we find their resting place.” Irtan intelligently answered.

“No. Go now. I… need rest. My armour is banged, my weapon’s jammed and my body’s broken. I want you all to go and murder those turncoats, you get me?”

The rest of the squad nodded firmly.

“Once you are done, contact me and return immediately, upon which we will exit this piece of junk.”

DY44 agreed solemnly and after performing some checks and reloads, set out with a direct feed of the computer data into their helmets. They marched away speedily, cutting through the trees and other plants with ease. Xydan watched as they left and laid back on the log, letting his head rest and his eyes close. He was playing a gamble. His squad was nothing without their leader in the field, but his opponents were no more invigorated. He quietly switched on his squad radio on the helmet and kept it beside him, listening quietly, but not whispering a breath.

 

Seliqa awoke with raindrops plummeting into her eyes. She got up quickly and realised she was drenched. Her clothes were soaked and her back ached bluntly from sleeping on the stairs. Looking around, she recollected what happened last and saw Wefive in his armour, still on the stairs. Seliqa could not guess whether he was sleeping, or simply leaning. She assumed the former, since he neither turned nor spoke. There was an unusual tingling inside her and she realised that her Sense abilities had started working. The Force Sense works when the user is in danger, and surrounded by opposing energies. Sense can be accurate or not. It can be a simple, harmless mouse with malicious intentions, or a very powerful foe, ready to deal the user a painful death. Seliqa, being a true-born Jedi Guardian, had never sensed much or predicted a calamity.

She turned to where she thought the danger would present itself. Her mind was telling her, it would be none other than DY44, or at least some jungle beast sensing a new quarry.

“What happened?” Wefive asked, noticing Seliqa’s alert state.

“I don’t know. The Force is trying to tell me something. Some sort of danger is approaching. It could be mortal.”

“Yeah? Well just be more careful, then.” He said, getting up.

Seliqa turned back and asked in a very sombre tone, “How did… what happened to Torrd?”

Wefive turned down, on hearing the question. He found it painful to answer the question, as he had witnessed, in a very conscious way, the death of Torrdemnon Wassi.

“He was shot. Multiple times, in the neck and the back.”

“But that’s crazy. Torrd was a very experienced Jedi. He could block the attacks, or at least sense them.”

“He didn’t. The bacta had worked like a painkiller on his neck. He couldn’t feel a thing there. It was only much later that he did realise, and then it was too late.”

Seliqa opened her mouth to ask, but then closed it abruptly and thought in silence. She sat back down in the relentless rain as it poured down on them.

“What… what happens now?” she asked ingenuously.

Wefive lay silent for a while, looking out in the dark rain, almost as if ignoring her question. His featureless helmet revealed nothing.

“I don’t know. They got our ships. They got Torrd. We haven’t got anything. We’re alone in the middle of a Kashyyyk jungle. Perfect nightmare.”

“But there must be some locals. Master Kenobi told us to survive by any means possible. And we’re going to do it. We’re one of the few rebels. Our endurance is the key to the struggle. We can topple…”

“Enough with the half-baked lies already!” Wefive snapped animatedly and then buried his head in his hands. He sighed in the frustration built inside him, at all the meaningless struggles of existence they had fought since that one moment when Order 66 was announced.

“OK, look. We’ll rest here until the morn comes. Then we’ll head out and look for some village or something. You can speak Wookiee-language, right? Just use your mind tricks to have them follow us.”

Seliqa looked vaguely into oblivion. “Right. What after that? We head for Polis Massa?”

“No. We can’t go there. We’ve been ordered not to, remember? We’ll… hide on some far-flung planet, wait around till some big movement comes up, or we are contacted by Jedi. We can’t do anything else all the same.”

“Great. Any planets in mind?”

“Not many good planets survived the Wars. Most of them will have clone residue on them like dust. We’ll need to hunt.”

Seliqa was about to speak when she suddenly lunged ahead and fell straight down the stairs. Nanoseconds later, a brilliant blue sniper shot lit up the large ditch in which the Temple was nestled. The ditch was surrounded by raised forests, which rose to hills. The sniper shot struck right where Seliqa had been sitting.

Wefive jumped up, grabbing his rifle and reloading it. Seliqa ignited her lightsaber and stood at the stair’s base in a combat stance which clearly illustrated her battle expertise. Another Sniper shot followed, aimed for Seliqa. This time it came from behind, but Seliqa turned back in time and forcefully struck the laser, driving it back where it came from.

Wefive fired blindly where he thought the laser had originated. He hoped to land a lucky shot, which would expose his target. None of his shots connected his expected target. An unsettling peace pervaded the Temple. The rain battered down on the beleaguered stone, creating the satisfactory, chirpy sounds of the rain. Suddenly a whooshing and then, booming sound resonated in the ditch. A large, smoking ball erupted out of the woodwork and landed a few feet away from Seliqa, exploding with great intensity and sound. Seliqa jumped away in time and dodged yet another sniper shot.

She carefully concentrated into the forest, hoping to pinpoint her attacker’s location. It was broken soon enough, when a volley of blaster fire opened only a few metres behind her. She gracefully eluded the attack and turned around, slashing away at the rain and laser with her lightsaber. Her attacker was in full view, at the floor of the ditch. He was a recon trooper, armed with a powerful heavy repeater. Wefive counterattacked him, sending running for the bushes. Another flaming anti-armour shot jumped out of nowhere and landed straight at Wefive’s feet. Wefive, who was at the top of the temple’s stairs was knocked off. He fell down, and suffered on his back, but avoided the calamity that was to come. The blast knocked out the stones where Wefive was standing, shooting out rocks and stones in all directions. The pillar was shattered in a dazzling explosion and crashed onto the blasted stones below. The roof above the pillar, too crashed, unsupported by its trusty pillar. Wefive rolled around in pain, but it showed no signs of subsiding as rocks and boulders and debris rained on him with the water from the skies.

Seliqa brushed away the invading blasters and closed in at her assailant with deadly precision. Her opponent, Jesqas knew better. He stepped back with every step of Seliqa’s. His blaster did not falter. He had a plan up his sleeve, and he had put his life on the line. Seliqa found a gap in Jesqas’ shooting pattern and then leapt up into the air, seizing the first opportunity she found. She was about to thunder down with the rain, when another recon trooper rammed into her with a jet pack. Caught by surprise, Seliqa lost her concentration and plummeted to the unforgiving stone floor below. She felt the sudden rise of temperature as the heat of the jet pack swept past her. She regained her senses seconds before the fall and landed on her hands and legs like an experienced cat. She jumped away unpredictably and served a forceful stab of her lightsaber into Jesqas’ shoulder. Jesqas screamed in pain and fell to his knees. His hand went numb and the blaster rifle fell with his body. He rolled around and catered to his injury, but he knew very well that the damage was irreplaceable. No metal hand could ever match with a natural, organic hand.

Seliqa swung her lightsaber with full force, but the flying Recon trooper was out of her reach. She jumped up as high as the Force permitted her and grabbed him by the belt. The astonished trooper dodged and spun in the air, trying to shake off Seliqa. The latter held on firmly and ripped off the jet pack from the trooper’s pack. The jet pack flew wildly in the ditch and collided into the Temple’s wall, demolishing it. The trooper fell and made hard contact with the stone ground, as Seliqa drove him down. He kicked the Jedi off and quickly drew out his blaster, shooting a few desperate shots. Seliqa frantically deflected them and then swung some attacking manoeuvres at him. The recon trooper, Irtan, picked up Jesqas’ rifle and emptied a magazine as Seliqa advanced threateningly. He slipped out two smoke grenades and denoted them under his feet.

The incident looked like an accident. Seliqa stood bemused as all her visible space was filled up with the all-too-familiar white smoke. She heard the boots scamper across the wet stone. Following her instincts, she ran after the sound. The smoke grew denser and then clear, then again dense. By the time the smoke cleared away, pummelled by the rain, Seliqa stood wet and confused, opposite to the great stairs of the Temple. The right side of the stairs had largely been undone, because of the anti-armour shots. The entrance had been partially covered up with the explosion of the pillar. She saw Irtan rush up the steps and leap to the left pillar, still intact.

Wefive realised everything. He jumped onto the debris, and shouted “Watch it! The Recon Trooper is baiting you! They’ll launch an anti-armour!”

Seliqa stopped at her third step. She concentrated against the pillar and found Irtan hiding expectantly beneath it. Initiating a force pull, she pulled Irtan towards her and slammed him onto the pillar. Without losing her hold on Irtan, she concentrated on the pillar itself. Wefive watched as it chipped and cracked away. It’s smooth, round body reduced to a series of crevices. It suddenly gave way and churned down in white and grey smoke of dust particles. The roof above slammed down onto the unwary trooper and buried him in a large heap of stone, wood and smoke. “One down!” Seliqa yelled as the rumbling wreckage dropped on Irtan.

[Sabretooth]

Blade watched from his dark forest cover as his squadmate was buried alive in a heap of stone. His resolve fastened and his hand gripped the anti-armour gun tighter. He unloaded it’s empty shell and pumped in a new one. “Jesqas, report.” He whispered over the comlink.

“Jesqas here. Shoulder injured.” A broken and breathless reply surfaced.

“Irtan has been buried in a pile of stone. Won’t last.”

There was a momentary silence on the other end.

“Jesqas?”

“Here. We won’t last either. We must inform Xydan. This Jedi is powerful. We’ve never fought Jedi…”

“Shut the whining, Jess. We’re taking down this Jedi. Let Xydan know and ask him to contact command. Act as unconscious as possible, those Jedi can detect death-feigners.”

“Alright. Be careful and stay down. Jesqas out.”

Blade heard Jesqas’ words clearly, but he had no real intentions of following them. He had always lived on the brink of death and he knew completely well that the very purpose of his life is war. He is a war machine, only an organic one. He is engineered to fight, designed to think and conditioned to last. And he knew he would not give up that easily. Pulling out his three-feet long sniper rifle, he hoped the Jedi had not moved. He looked down the iron sight and zoomed in at a maximum, capturing a clear, albeit partially blocked view of Seliqa staring at where Irtan must have been. His finger lingered over the trigger. His mind was dying to make that one twitch that could end either his, or his target’s life. Seliqa, in her full senses was a very dangerous foe, and if Blade revealed his location with the sniper shot, Seliqa would slaughter him.

He dropped his sniper rifle and collapsed against a wall, in anxiety.

 

Wefive gawped over the seemingly unanimated body of Jesqas. His shoulder showed a clearly cauterised, ring-like mark made by Seliqa’s lightsaber. Wefive kneeled down into the mud and touched Jesqas’ helmet, his other hand ready to strike. There was no response. He unfastened Jesqas’ helmet and slowly pulled it out, letting Jesqas’ head drop onto the muddy stone. His eyes were closed, but his face was not peaceful, but more like a man resting before his revenge. The face was just as Wefive had expected – like his own. The same eyes, the nose, the ears, everything looked just like him. Wefive had never thought he would have to turn a gun against someone with the same face.

He got up and aimed cautiously with the gun, hoping to waste the least ammunition possible by hitting at a critical point – the exposed head. He got ready and was about to shoot, when Jesqas’ leg kicked Wefive’s and tripped him. Wefive stumbled and his gun fell ahead. Jesqas jumped to his feet, pushing Wefive aside and grabbing his gun. Too close for a safe shot, he butted the gun into Wefive’s helmet. Wefive fell to the stone floor and rolled back up, in a martial arts stance. Jesqas fired with his right hand, his only working one. Unaided by two hands, the gun fired in a very loose reticule. Wefive took advantage of this and leapt for Jesqas’ feet, bringing him down. He then grabbed his gun and fired Jesqas’ leg. The leg started incinerating and Jesqas cried in pain and his bashed his leg on the ground. Wefive fired away and struck Jesqas’ upper abdomen. The armour was strong, but Jesqas’ unusual jerks and twitches gave away the fact that he was in pain.

Wefive fired mercilessly and brought his aim up, towards the face. Jesqas watched in the few seconds of horror, as the white fire spread from his chest, to his neck, then corroded his cheek, filled his nose and charred it away. It then immolated his eyes and burned away his face. Jesqas’ last moments were short, but painful. Wefive stopped firing seconds later, long after Jesqas’ face had been corroded beyond recognition. Wefive fired twice more, further blackening the already scorched face and turned away.

He had claimed yet another life, and witnessed yet another horror.

 

Xydan got up and donned his reliable helmet. He half-limped his way to his starfighter. Switching on the input to the radio comlink, he called out for Jesqas, Irtan and Blade to report. He had heard the complete conversation between his squad, but had never interfered. His mind had been racing with thoughts. The thoughts that had formed in his mind from Jesqas’ last words.

“This Jedi is powerful. We’ve never fought Jedi…” Jesqas’ chant echoed through Xydan’s head. It was the cold truth, which answered all of DY44’s questions. DY44 had only faced droids and separatists before. Fighting a Jedi had taken too much out of them. Xydan traced the root of this disaster to Commander Soy, the egoistic imbecile who had launched the operation partly to hide his failure and partly to extract a vendetta. Xydan now wanted to kill him as much as he wanted to kill the Jedi. His monotonous mind, built to follow all orders given to him was on the verge of breaking it’s rules and running free. But it was impossible for him. The urge to complete his orders was irresistible, as was his hate for the Jedi and Captain Wefive.

He jumped into his starfighter and punched into it’s controls.

 

Wefive walked back to Seliqa, who stood alert before the stairs. She was soaked by the water, which continued to fall on them, showing no signs of stopping. Her lightsaber was turned off, and she looked calm, but Wefive could tell from the glaring heat in her eyes that she knew something he did not. He did not care anyways.

“I’ve killed another one. Pretended to be out cold, the idiot.” He reported coldly as he approached her.

“There is another one, and one more who has not shown up. I think we got him in the facility.”

“Well, there are four and we have halved our load. The other two must be running for their lives in the forest right now.”

Seliqa did not reply, but paced the brilliant blue and grey stone below her. She was in much frustration and apparently tired.

“Any clue?” Wefive asked, hoping to get a concrete answer from the Jedi, who seemed to be in a stupor.

She then suddenly leaped into the air and caught a medium-sized spacefighter as it flew above Wefive. She received a powerful impact as she landed on the blazing fighter. She punched it’s canopy hard, to no avail. The fighter rose and dived, and then took circles around the temple. It often rolled and swung, hoping to shake Seliqa off and fired recklessly on having Wefive within it’s sights. Wefive smartly dived into the debris where Irtan was buried alive and dug in to keep himself hidden.

Seliqa meanwhile, drew her lightsaber and noticed the rain evaporating off the lightsaber’s blade. She drove it into the canopy and dug a hole, only to greet a series of powerful blaster pistol shots. She ducked and hugged the front of the starfighter, while Xydan rolled precariously. She realised that his wizened acumen was starting to fade and the strings of desperation setting in. He punched into the air outside the breached canopy, only to feel serene raindrops on his gloved fist.

He dived his craft and got up, staring deep into Seliqa’s eyes. The few seconds, they stared at each other, waiting to see what the other would do. Wefive drew out his hand to smash Seliqa’s fist, which held onto the breach firmly. Seliqa quickly retracted it and in mid-air, drew her lightsaber and swung it swiftly, chopping off Xydan’s arm. She watched the fist fly off Xydan’s hand, and flee into the rain. Xydan dropped back, staring at his burning hand in horror. The smouldering sensation on his fist was intolerable. In a fit of rage, he drew out his blaster and fired a few clean shots out of the breach, none of which landed on his intended target.

He glanced down from his cockpit. The craft was losing altitude and spiralling downward. Seliqa, too looked down and then at a confused Xydan. She grabbed him and tried to draw him out. He shot her hand with his blaster, causing burns on his wrist. She retracted in pain and then grabbed him again, more firmly and drew him out. He protested, and dropped his blaster, watching in horror as it fell below him, with his beloved craft. It circled downwards, out of control like a toy. He saw himself falling down with Seliqa. He was some four metres above the surface, when he saw the massive explosion as the craft smashed into the edge of the Temple perimeter, a divider between the forest wall and the stone floor. The craft practically shattered to pieces and lit up in a magnificent yellow-red explosion. So engrossed was he in the blast, that he did not realise he had landed safely on the ground with Seliqa.

He jumped to his feet and stepped away, while Seliqa calmly watched his plight. His shattered craft had been broken into pieces and now no recognisable part was visible. He turned around to see Wefive approaching. He realised that he has appeared in the most critical position in his life. His death was only seconds away, and the worst part was, that he knew it well beforehand.

 

Blade was torn in a mental conflict. He had the perfect opportunity – he could wrap up the entire situation with a single shot. Because of their proximity to each other, the two would most probably die together. However that meant baiting Xydan. Without Xydan, DY44, (or what was left of it) was like a body without a spinal cord. Blade picked up his heavy anti-armour gun, a bulky weapon of great responsibility. He had seen his team-mates topple one by one. First it was Irtan, buried beneath the very rubble he wanted his enemies to be in. And now Jesqas had been personally executed by Wefive. Now only Xydan and Blade were left, and the knowledge bored a hole into Blade’s mind.

His mind drifted back to one of their first missions, on another temperate planet where the squad had to infiltrate a Separatist base and assassinate a bunch of Nemoidian conspirators. Then, DY44 had been in one of it’s most vulnerable positions. The squad had killed their targets, but could not complete their secondary objectives, or get out of the well fortified base. It was then, in that moment of desperation, that Xydan revealed his master strategy. “Complete your goals with whatever means possible, tie all the strings and escape as soon as possible.” These words now echoed in Blade’s mind. The cold truth that lay in the implication of these words now dawned upon him. The words were like candles that were extinguishing a dense darkness that surrounded him.

“Complete your goals with whatever means possible…”

Blade looked down from the edge of the forest, into Xydan’s exasperation and his utter helplessness, surrounded by two of his greatest foes. He looked at his large gun and pictured himself firing a rocket into the group of three, taking out all and completing his mission.

“Tie all the strings…”

Blade watched his dream with a dark delight, as Seliqa and Wefive flew like ragdolls and faced a miserable, yet quick defeat. They lay dead, in the rain.

“Escape as soon as possible…”

Blade walked toward his craft, satisfied of killing his foes and completing his mission – but at a great risk. He could feel the hole in his heart as he walked alone. And then his mind jolted back to reality and he came to his senses.

 

The orange blade erupted out of the previously calm lightsaber hilt. Xydan watched the rain disintegrating instantly as it hit the lightsaber blade. A feeling of unease grew in him as he learned that soon he too would disintegrate in a very similar manner. He looked around like an outnumbered prey. It was Wefive, in his scarred armour, cocking his reloaded gun, ready to fire at the slightest provocation. Xydan was heaving, breathing heavily and only now did he realise that his body was bouncing up and down maniacally.

Suddenly the pit was lit up in the all-too-familiar yellow glow of an incoming rocket. Xydan turned around and saw the yellow-orange star fly towards him at more than fifty miles an hour. The view got brighter every second. A quick glance to the left and to the right revealed that Seliqa and Wefive were stepping away, preparing a sprint. Xydan stepped backwards, but he knew he was no match for the speeding rocket. Then suddenly his vision was covered by a bright white light, as pure as any, but possessing a pretension of death and destruction. The sound that followed it was literally deafening and after a very sudden explosion, Xydan heard nothing. When his vision returned, a darkness ensued. He could not hear, but realised he was flying. He was flying backwards, towards the temple. His body was on fire, his armour disintegrated and his mind slowly recovered. The searing heat spread through his body. A wild pain emerged from his legs and spread upwards, accompanying the fire. Another sharp pain wracked his spine as he crashed like a ragdoll against the edge of what was left of the temple’s roof. His body jolted and blazed. He felt himself falling, into infinity. The liberating flame doused his pains and seemed to lift him up, away from the sinful world. His front connected the wrecked stone floor below, but he did not feel it much. He screamed instinctively as the last strands of his life were sapped away. His mind was extinguished and suddenly, he was no more. In that instant, Xydan died.

 

Blade was in shambles. His mind had virtually committed suicide. He watched helplessly as the rocket hit Xydan fairly in the abdomen and drove him away, burning him alive. His ragdoll body struck against the temple roof at a high velocity and then fell limp on the debris. He was clearly lifeless. Blade could not believe he had to kill his own boss. If this got out, Blade would be court-martialled. He looked around frantically for the bodies of Wefive and Seliqa. His heart sank. Seliqa was bruised and had burn marks over her, but she was somehow getting to her feet. Wefive too was using a nearby stone pedestal for support as he got up, with heavy carbon scoring on his armour.

Blade went insane as he realised Xydan’s sacrifice was in vain. He had killed Xydan, but to no avail. His intended targets were very much alive. He pulled out his sniper rifle and with shaking hands, reloaded it and looked down it’s scope. He pointed it towards Seliqa’s neck and fired instinctively, feeling the mild jolt of a blue laser escaping the gun. He felt no emotion as the laser raced through the air towards Seliqa. The latter saw it approaching and quickly whipped out her lightsaber, striking the bolt with spectacular accuracy. The thin strand of laser reversed direction and bounced back at double velocity. It raced into the forest and struck Blade’s helmet at a dazzling speed. Blade flew back a few feet and stumbled over a log. His gun fell out of his hands. He took off his helmet. While the laser itself was harmless to him, because of his armour, it was the force that struck him. The impact of the laser had emanated a powerful wave, crushing Blade’s facial nerves and affecting his spinal cord. He had heard it crack as the laser had hit him. His vision blurred in an instant, and he felt an emancipating force surge through his body and gush into his brain. Suddenly he lost his senses and died quietly.

 

The rain had refused to cease, it’s endless torrents crashing down on forest. Seliqa turned off her lightsaber and moaned. Her robes had been burned, and her body had suffered carbon scoring. She saw Wefive get up and felt a ripple in the force, as another life was extinguished in the forest. She breathed a sigh of relief and limped a few feet, until she got her bearings. Wefive too got up and tended to his banged and bruised head. Seliqa staggered towards the stairs of the temple, or what were left of them. She was heaving and her body rose and fell as it greeted the soothing raindrops. She felt the contrast between the hot ait escaping her body and the cool water dripping from heaven. She put her first foot on the flight of stairs when a sudden burning sensation entered her back. She had been unaware of her surroundings in her state of euphoric distraction. More pangs of the burning entered her back and her lower neck. She moaned in pain as a blazing weakness overtook her. She dropped to her knees suddenly, sending shockwaves in her limp body. The smouldering sensation grew wilder and further increased as she fell on the stairs. She looked back, despite her weakness and saw a mosaic of raindrops, darkness and forest. The body of Wefive, his gun aimed, pierced the vista. His gun opened a burst of fire and Seliqa felt it dig into her back. The cold flame of realisation singed her body.

The raindrops fell into her eyes, blurring her view. Wefive’s grey body splattered in her eyes and a darkness took over everything. And then the blaze stopped, as did her view. She felt the soothing raindrops pounce on her body, ignoring the flame that scorched her body. A debility overcame her and dissolved her, leaving only a lifeless, limp body on the cold stone steps.

[Sabretooth]

Well, this almost wraps up the story. Now all that's left is the epilogue and then I'll be done with this thing! It feels like a burden off your shoulders, honestly.

 

And now my next fanfic's concept is nearing completion. Hopefully, It'll be up in a few weeks, if I'm not lazy.

[RC-1162]

right, why the hell did Wefive kill her?

[Sabretooth]

Wait for the Epilogue.

[Sabretooth]

The sleek UR-14 slid into into a quiet dock on the belly of the RAS Rapier. It settled on a docking bay, away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the bay. Clones moved past swiftly, loading and unloading with clockwork efficiency. Wefive jumped out and made his way to the security checkpost at the exit of the bay. The clone trooper saw Wefive’s special armour and decided to enquire. He asked some short, obligatory questions and after sending a word to The Bridge, let Wefive pass.

 

The RAS Rapier was orbiting a large sun near the Coruscant system. The sun’s energy was being harnessed by several thousand Imperial Solar Energy Units to provide massive amounts of energy. This power would be used by the Empire for it’s ambitious projects. The Bridge faced the sun, and its black window coat prevented the sun’s glare from blinding the crew. Yet the sun’s brilliance shone into the Bridge, illuminating the already well-lit room in hues of yellow and ochre.

At the edge of the bridge was a dark, tall figure. It was staring into space through the window, supervising the multitudes of energy units. It was Darth Vader, the Imperial Executor, the right hand of the Emperor. Vader’s black armour shined in a golden tinge, reflecting the sun. His mind was dense, racing with thoughts, memories and plans. What was inside the monstrous contraption that held him alive was known to none. All that was known, was that Darth Vader was a tactile monster, capable of mass destruction. He was one of the few force-wielders in the galaxy, and was rightly feared by his subordinates.

A stormtrooper approached Darth Vader. The latter could sense his fear, his virtual perspiration as he prepared to address one of the most powerful personalities in the galaxy.

“Lord Vader,” the trooper began with much unease, “the secret operative you summoned has arrived.”

Darth Vader stood silent, as if non-existent. Only his apprehensive breathing announced his subsistence. He said nothing, and implied nothing.

“Sir, you’re orders?” the trooper prompted, his heart beat pounding in his ears.

Once again the Sith remained motionless, and then spoke abruptly.

“Send him to a private briefing chamber in the fifth wing of 6A Sector. Isolate the room. Cut off all communications and erase all evidence Wefive had been here.”

“Yes, yes Lord Vader.” The trooper stammered.

“I will receive him shortly. Tell him that. Dismissed.”

The trooper fumbled with another acknowledgement before walking away briskly and barking orders on his comlink.

 

Wefive took a seat uneasily and gingerly kept his rifle on the illuminated desk before him. The door opened and in stepped the tall, fearful figure called Darth Vader. Wefive had never seen Vader before, and his first impression of the Dark Lord was as terrifying as any – a lofty, dark, armour-clad silhouette against the bright hallway behind. Wefive shifted uneasily as Vader entered and closed the door. A few more electronic and mechanical sounds announced that the door had been sealed. Vader stepped ahead and his striking armour glowed ethereally in the blue light from the desk. His breathing, passive, yet dreadful suddenly struck Wefive’s ears.

“Former Captain W-E5S, you were the specially assigned special operative?” Vader rumbled.

“Yes.” Wefive answered, pertinent to the question. “Lord Vader.” He then added, in respect.

“My master informed me of your deeds. Your reconnaissance has provided invaluable information to the Empire and has helped further secure its position in the galaxy.”

Wefive did not know what to say. He sat motionless and uneasy.

“My master contacted you after your operation… FG-90. On Durankhia. He assigned you this new mission, which you accepted without hesitation. For this the Emperor is grateful. He could not commemorate you personally, or leave a holovision message, but assigned me to personally congratulate your efforts. And to inform you of the Empire’s offer to you.”

“Off-offer?” Wefive stammered.

“Your success in finding the Jedi hideout at Polis Massa helped the Empire in finding and eliminating traitors. Your actions are acknowledged, Captain. You must realise that you were on the verge of loyalty to the Empire, and that not even the Empire suspected you being a secret agent. The success of this operation has prompted the Emperor to plan more operations for you.

You have inaugurated the Special Operative Soldier of the Empire. You will fight as a traitor to the Empire and you will receive orders directly from me, or the Emperor. You will carry out operations for the Empire, without directly acting from it. It is a very risky, yet crucial step my Master is ready to take. Our soldiers will attack you and you will attack them. The unit W-E5S of the ARC-Clone Corps has been classified “Rogue” and “Rebel” under the Imperial Army Databanks. You are missing, non-existent in this world.

You will accept this offer, I take it. The rewards are plenty, as are the risks. I suppose you thoroughly understand the operation?”

Wefive thought silently, his head looking down. Vader observed him for a while and turned around.

“I am a patient man, Captain.” He spoke.

Wefive looked up and weighed the risks, the rewards and the consequences. Vader turned around suddenly and Wefive felt the searing heat of the Sith’s stare into his helmet.

“I… accept it, Lord Vader.” Wefive finally blurted out.

Vader strode to Wefive and shook his hand firmly.

“Excellent choice, Captain. You will be reassigned and you will officially now become SOS-1011. You are alone in this field, the pioneer of the Special Operatives. You will work alone and your first mission is ready for the taking. You have been commanded to rendezvous with the Emperor, on his Spire Palace at Coruscant. It is a secret location, and details regarding its position have been fed into your datapad. Dismissed, Captain.”

Wefive rose.

“Yes, Lord Vader.”

He turned around and walked away swiftly. His mind teemed with unanswerable questions and doubts as he waited for the seal on the door to open up. As soon as it did, he took one last look over his shoulder at Lord Vader, the dark sentinel staring into him. He hastily looked away and jogged away.

Everything flashed before his eyes – the Emperor secretly assigning him the mission, him killing his own comrades, flying with Seliqa, evading the DY44 and ultimately, killing Seliqa herself. He did not know whether to regret it, or forget it and look ahead to a new life.

He chose the latter option as he hopped into the UR-14 and dislodging from the dock, sped towards Coruscant. The new life had begun.