[fic] Another time, Another place, Another life

[Chevron 7 locke]

(( This is the first in a series of one shots that detail what cold have been. This is a story where it's not Tarro Blood who was the Bounty Hunter's rival.))

 

Republic Cruiser Aurora

Brig

 

"It didn't have to end this way."

 

Zassos looked at the woman sitting behind the force field and shook his head. His helmet was badly damaged and battle scarred but Zassos had vowed that he would keep wearing the helmet until the day came that he would finally avenge his mentor, Braden.

 

That day would be today.

 

"You betrayed the old man." Zassos said quietly. "You killed Braden and Jory and for what? To make sure that I couldn't enter the great hunt? To make sure I couldn't claim to be the best?" Zassos leaned in close to the force field and looked the woman in the eye as best he could considering the helmet.

 

"It was never about being the best for me. It was about escaping Hutta, It was about making the man I thought of as a father proud. It was about trying to make his dream come true after what he did for me."

 

The woman laughed but said nothing else. Zassos continued staring at her from under his helmet. "And what about Mako?" Zassos said quietly as he remembered his now deceased wife. "You had to take her from me...You took the people I considered family from me."

 

"Just making sure you didn't have any advantages. Of course that didn't stop you considering we're both here and after the Jedi." The woman said with a chuckle.

 

"I got lucky." Zassos said curtly. "I've already taken down Kellian Jarro and I've set the ship's self-destruct. Now the only question is what to do with murdering filth like you."

 

Jewl'a Nightbringer stared at her opponent through the force field. "I know what your going to try to do. Your going to try and figure out what Braden and little Mako would have done." Jewl'a smiled smugly at Zassos.

 

"They would let us settle this feud with honor. Deactivate the field and let's settle this once and for all."

 

Zassos laughed in disbelief. "Honor? You honestly think you have honor? After what you've done?! Let me make something clear to you Jewl'a: You have no honor. You killed Jory and Braden. You shot my wife in the back on Nar Shaddaa and you've tried to kill me at least four times. No. You are not worth it."

 

Jewl'a narrowed her eyes at the armored figure. "Too much of a coward to fight me?"

 

"No." Zassos said quietly. "I'm not going to fight you because that's what my wife would have wanted me to do. She wouldn't want me to waste any blaster bolts on a coward like you."

 

The Aurora shuddered and alarms began to wail as the computer's voice echoed through the hallways. "Self-destruct in two minutes."

 

"You can't do this! You can't! Your too weak!" Jewl'a shouted after him as Zassos turned and headed towards the hanger where his ship was.

 

"Goodbye Jewl'a." Zassos said simply as he heard the enraged Zabrak woman shout after him.

 

Braden...Mako...Jory...I did this for you." He thought as he ran up the ramp to his ship and activated the engines as the Aurora continued to destroy itself around him.

 

As his ship flew out of the hanger barely ahead of the flames from the exploding vessel, Zassos felt a sense of calm wash over him. It was over.

 

The nightmare was over.

 

He sent a holo-recording that his helmet cam had recorded of the battle between the Jedi Master and himself to the the coordinates he had been sent earlier.

 

He looked down at the controls of his vessel and sighed heavily as a set of coordinates appeared along with a message.

 

Attention Hunter,

 

Mandalore awaits on the Spirit of Vengeance.

 

Zassos silently thought for a moment about what he could have done to keep Mako alive. How he could have saved Jory and Braden back on Hutta.

 

There will always been regrets. But remember to live your life in a way that honors their memories.

 

Zassos's ship shot into Hyperspace just as the Aurora exploded behind him, scattering debris across the area.

 

Time to move forward. The future awaits.

[Chevron 7 locke]

((This is the story of what could have happened if the Hero of Tython hadn't been born in Republic space.))

 

Harrower-class Dreadnaught Oppressor

Bridge

 

"This ends now."

 

The Lord of the Sith who had managed to destroy Uphrades and now threatened Tython, the ancestral world of the Jedi smiled at the two Jedi Masters who now dared to confront him.

 

Bela Kiwiiks, the Togruta Jedi Master of the padawan Kira Carsen and Master Orgus Din slowly circled the Sith Lord with lightsabers ignited and ready for battle. After Kira managed to secure the blueprints of the planet prison back on Coruscant they had managed to find out what this new Lord of the Sith was planning.

 

The destruction of the Republic itself. They had been one step behind the Sith Lord since the beginning but they had finally caught up with him here: in the Tython system. Many lives had been lost in the pursuit, but the super-weapons that had brought all of this about had been either recaptured or destroyed.

 

And now after battling their way through the Dreadnaught, they finally had a chance to stop this threat once and for all.

 

"You truly think you have a chance against me?"

 

Orgus and Bela didn't answer him as they continued circling their opponent as they searched for him weak spots. They knew what this man was capable of, what he had done and they knew that there was no chance of redeeming him.

 

"Nothing to say?" The sith taunted. "Very well, a silent death it will be."

 

The sith unleashed a stream of force lightning at the two Jedi Masters who barely managed to catch it one their respective lightsaber blades. Orgus managed to switch his lightsaber to his left hand and used his right hand to unleash a wave of force energy that caused the Sith to falter for a brief moment that Bela was able to take advantage of by force jumping at him.

 

"A valiant attempt. But it won't work." The sith laughed as he caught the Togruta in mid-air with the force and slammed her into one of the bulkheads with a good amount of force that knocked her out cold.

 

"You're next." The sith smiled as he turned towards Orgus only to see that the Jedi Master had somehow managed to vanish.

 

"You can't hide Jedi. I will find you." He laughed darkly. The laugh stopped abruptly as red lights began to flash and alarms began to wail throughout the ship as explosions began to shake the ship. A holographic figure formed above a projector. "Lord Rothor! We've been sabotaged! Someone managed to plant explosives throughout the ship and the reactor has been critically damaged! We can't keep up with the damage reports that are coming in!"

 

"How long until you can repair the weapon?" Rothor asked, his pale eyes flashing with rage.

 

"We can't! The ship has been too badly damag-!" The engineer's voice was cut off as his hands went to his neck as Rothor raised his hand and closed his fist.

 

"I do not tolerate failure." Rothor said quietly as the engineer stopped moving and hit the ground with a thud.

 

The Dreadnaught continued to shake as explosions continued to rock the vessel as more and more explosives detonated throughout the ship.

 

Rothor looked up as a voice cut through the comn channels. "I hope your having fun up there." A female voice taunted. Rothor narrowed his eyes. "Carsen. I should have known Din and Kiwiiks would sneak you on board. It doesn't matter though. I will find you and Din. Your Master has already been incapacitated and captured."

 

"Really?" Kira's smug voice caught Rothor by surprise. "Have you taken a closer look?"

 

Rothor whirled around and saw the prone form of the Jedi Master laying on the floor, but as he looked closer at her he saw her form flicker slightly.

 

A hologram!

 

"It's been fun, but It's time for us to leave. You won't escape this time, Lord Rothor, Master Orgus already has Master Kiwiiks and I've placed explosives all around the hyperdrive." There was a slight click as though a button was being pressed.

 

No...I won't die like this." Rothor growled as he turned and headed for the hanger. He continued on even as Kira's voice echoed through the ship again. "Of course right now your probably heading for the hanger in an attempt to escape so that's why I've recorded this message."

 

A recording?! Rothor's eyes widened in shock as he saw a small Republic shuttle fly past a view port and soar towards Tython.

 

"I wish it could have ended differently, but you are beyond redemption. You've killed so many and you've ruined so many lives. Goodbye Lord Rothor.

 

Rothor let out a roar of rage as the explosives around the Oppressor's

hyperdrive detonated and the ship was consumed in a massive fireball. The last thing Rothor saw was a wave of fire surging towards him.

 

 

 

Republic shuttle.

 

"Is she going to be alright?"

 

Orgus looked over the unconscious form of Bela Kiwiiks and checked the medical readings that were monitoring her.

 

"She should be alright." Orgus said quietly as the shuttle rocked slightly from the shock-wave produced from the explosion.

 

"We didn't have a choice." Kira said as she sensed the regret coming from Master Orgus. "He was threatening to destroy Tython and he's killed more than his fair share of Jedi."

 

"I know." Orgus said quietly. "But I can't help but think what would have happened if he had been a Jedi."

 

"He could have served the Galaxy brilliantly."

[machievelli]

Read chapter 1