CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
--The Revenger--
"We've got them, general. It's a big one."
The seated Glorian general snapped the giant claw that served as his right arm, a yellow cybernetic eye glowing on the left side of his reptilian face. "Crew?"
"Eleven, sir, not counting our operative."
A mirthless smile stretched out the General's scarred visage. "Excellent. They shouldn't prove too much of a hassle then. Send a squad down there to apprehend them. I want at least half of them alive."
"Understood, sir."
The General leaned back in his seat, waiting patiently for events to unfold. He had a good feeling about today.
--The Eravana--
Han Solo had a bad feeling about today.
He, Chewbacca, and the Wraiths were in the cargo hold, arming themselves in preparation. While he was satisfied enough with his trusted DL-44, both Chewie and Sharr insisted he take a heavier gun and some explosives as well.
"These guys are soldiers, Solo," Sharr had said. "We fought a blasted war against them and nearly lost."
The Corellian couldn't argue with that, much as he wanted to. He did however object to being called "Solo."
"I only let gold protocol droids call me that," he had muttered.
Once they were all geared up, they waited near the entrance ramp for their captors to invade. Piggy and Huhunna had gone to retrieve Girdun from his cell and hide him somewhere, in case it was him the Glorians were after.
"I don't see why they would be," Trey had said. "As much of a slimeball Girdun is, I don't think he would keep company like the Glorians."
"Either way, I don't want to take any chances with him around," Han said before sending the two Wraiths on their way.
The remaining nine waited by the entrance, blasters at the ready. They could hear footsteps approaching the ship, armored boots echoing as they hit durasteel floor. The sounds got louder as the Glorians got closer; Han could even hear their armor plates clacking together.
He looked at Chewbacca and gave the Wookiee a curt nod. "On the count of three..." he murmured.
Chewbacca nodded back and primed his bowcaster, aiming it at the door. Han slowly counted; as soon as he said "Three", he slammed the control panel and the doors opened. Chewbacca fired his weapon and the foremost Glorian was sent flying backwards. The other Wraiths then unloaded on the invaders, shooting them down before they had time to react.
Green blaster fire was soon returned and the Wraiths were forced to take cover, retaliating with repressive fire. The Glorians seemed to have been focusing their attacks on Chewbacca, having just seen the effects of his upgraded bowcaster.
Han tried to tell his partner to fall back to get to safety. But the Wookiee either couldn't hear him or just wasn't listening. Regardless, the point soon became moot when a plasma bolt struck him in the shoulder, searing off a patch of brown fur.
"Chewie!" Han rushed over to his co-pilot and best friend, taking out the Glorian who had shot him. As he reached the injured Wookiee's side, he called over to the Wraith's medic Doc. "You! Get over here now! He's injured!"
Doc did not move, staring vacantly at him. When Chewbacca's pained moans got louder, so too did Han's voice.
"ARE YOU DEAF?! GET OVER HERE NOW AND DO YOUR KRIFFIN' JOB!"
Doc's blank eyes met Han's raged ones. The medic's silence persisted and the other Wraiths looked to him in confusion.
"Doc?" Sharr said. "Are you all right?"
The doctor blinked and Han noticed a ripple wave across his face. He cricked his neck as a strange, inhuman smile stretched across his face.
"I am," he said quietly. "In fact, I've never been better."
He then raised his blaster at Han. Sharr let out a yell and he lunged at the traitor, grappling with him as he tried to take the weapon. Doc elbowed him in the face, freeing his arms and allowing him to strike Sharr in the temple with his gun, knocking him out cold.
Preoccupied as they were with the Glorians, the other Wraiths barely had time to react and Doc brought down Myri, Thaymes, and Turman in short secession. Jesmin and Trey broke off from the firefight and tried to tack him but were sent flying by a prehensile whip of flesh that had suddenly emerged from his arm.
Han watched in disbelief as Doc's appearance started to change, his skin bubbling and peeling back. Where once a meek human male was now stood a massive, disproportionate Shi'ido. As the skin-changer lumbered over to Solo, the Glorians from outside stormed onto the ship and started to put restraints on the defeated Wraiths.
"Is this all of them?" one of the Glorians asked.
"No," said the thing once called Doc, its deep set eyes focused on Han and Chewbacca. "There are three others: a human, a Wookiee, and a Gamorrean. Only the last two are armed; they shouldn't prove an issue."
The Glorian nodded and took four others to find the remaining Wraiths and Girdun. The Shi'ido then bent down to pick up Han, only to have the barrel of a DL-44 press against his forehead.
"If Chewie dies," the former smuggler growled, "I'll blow your brains out."
The skin-changer snorted, a disgusting sound. "You're all going to die."
"Then allow me to repay you up front."
He pulled the trigger and the Shi'ido fell back, screaming in pain as it clutched at the missing chunk of its skull. One of the Glorians then strode over to Han and slammed the butt of their blaster into the Corellian's face. Everything went dark.
--Ossus--
Jaina panted heavily as she clutched her side, wincing from the bruise a Gotal Sith had dealt her. At her feet laid the Sith himself, sans head, courtesy of her lightsaber. Joining him among the dead were Bal Jal'var and two other Jedi Knights whom she did not know. Now she never would.
Master Plun Kil was still fighting, despite his mortal injury, and was holding his own against the Dashade Sith. Valisa was squaring off with a light-whip wielding Quarren while Natia and a Duros Jedi dueled with the one known as Kylo Ren.
The dark warrior struck Jaina as familiar, his aura feeling similar to that of someone she knew. She just couldn't put her finger on it....
Kylo Ren's blade came down onto the Duros and Jaina snapped out of her trance. Raising her violet lightsaber, she charged towards Ren and swung her blade at the masked man's head. He raised his saber to block her's and purple clashed with red.
As she leaned into the attack, she gazed into the mask's visor, trying to get a glimpse of the man who wore it. Although she could not see them, she could feel his eyes meet her own and a sea of emotions flooded into her: Hate. Anger.
Fear. Suffering.
She took in a short intake of breath as it all came to her. This man, he reminded her of someone. More than one person, she realized.
He reminded her of Anakin. He reminded her of Jacen.
He reminded her of herself.
Before she knew it, Kylo was pushing her blade back with his and she could feel the heat of the violet energy beam on her skin.
"Jaina!"
Barreling out of nowhere came her brother. Anakin Solo rammed himself into Kylo Ren, catching the latter by surprise and knocking him away. Jaina then called upon the Force and unleashed it upon the Knight of Ren, sending him flying several feet back.
All bore witness to this and the Dashade Sith, now the sole remaining one with his Quarren colleague dead, set his sights on the two Solos. Baring his hideous fangs, he turned away from his duel with Plun Kil and started running towards them. Battered and bruised, the Besalisk Jedi Master took after him, yelling as he spun his two remaining blades at the Dashade.
A clean cut across his torso silenced him.
Natia cried out as Plun Kil dropped onto the floor. Despite Valisa's best efforts to restrain her, the redhead launched herself at the Dashade, screaming in rage as she held her blade high over her head. The Sith simply laughed and spread his arms wide open, inviting her to strike him down.
Jaina acted quickly. Reaching out with the Force, she stopped Natia in mid-stride, pushing her away before she could reach the Dashade. As the Sith set his sights on her, she flung her lightsaber at the reptilian brute, controlling its spin through the Force. She closed her eyes as the purple blade cut through his neck, only opening them when the hilt returned to her hand.
Natia was already back on her feet, storming up to Jaina furiously. "Why did you do that?" she demanded. "Why didn't you let me kill him?"
"Because he wanted you to," Jaina said sternly. "He wanted you to embrace the dark side, which was exactly what you were doing."
"You're not my master!" Natia retorted. "I don't need you lecturing me like a child!"
Jaina opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by Anakin. "Uh, I hate to interrupt, but... where did our masked friend go?"
Jaina frowned, realizing that the Knight of Ren was nowhere to be found. It didn't take long for her to figure out where he had gone.
"He's headed for the Council Chambers."
No sooner had those words been spoken than Natia was running in that same direction. Leaving Valisa to look over the mortally wounded Plun Kil, Jaina and her brother went after the redhead.
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