Ep. VII: The Lowest Reaches

NIGHT began to fall on the planet of Kashyyyk as the group and I continued toward the central bunker. Our allied Wookies alongside us, we made our way through networks of caves deep within the forest, rain continuing to fall as it coated a portion of the furry beasts’ homeworld in moisture. Ahead we could make out in the distance what appeared to be an immense landing over Kachirho, towering over the surrounding area. A wroshyr tree that must have been a thousand-feet-tall, a centric part of the arboreal city, was chosen for this burden; a rightful place indeed. The strong-willed warriors had constructed the landing itself out of hardwood from the very trees that surrounded it. A clarion call could be heard for miles, emanating from that same decked landing in all directions, stretching outward like the spiralling ramps which descended, wrapping around the wroshyr and connecting to others as well. This was a call to action.

Our destination lied in another direction, however. An orange moon, one of three which revolved around Kashyyyk, shed much-needed light ahead, and before us we could see grassy fields with winding paths, several of which led to a mountain range near the coast. Within this, “The Hive” was held: a series of cave networks leading downwards into the innermost regions of the planet, according to our guide, Zil. The Wookies kept a pace toward this location that was difficult to match, as their kind was known for their athletic prowess above all. We ran beneath the rising moon’s glow, as if stopping was surrender itself. I only glanced to my crew members when able, noticing Zeb having the hardest time of all; his short limbs working overtime to keep up with the group, Heavy Energy Rifle swaying, slung across his back. Dugs’ bodies were never meant for long treks through the wilderness of a planet like Kashyyyk... but if Zeb wasn’t quitting, neither was I. We continued on further, toward the looming mountains, our only hope of success just beyond their reaches.

When the group finally slowed, it was only out of caution, as a large fortification outstretched at the base of the mountain came into view. Spotlights lit up, shining brightly upon us. Members of the small party raised hands to eyes as we were greeted with suspicion.

“Ruh gwyaaaag!” Zil proclaimed loudly in the guttural language of his people.

A moment of muffled communicatin… Then, a gate built as tall as the thick lumber walls housing it, churned slowly open, as we were allowed into the compound retaining the outer world from one of Kashyyyk’s most precious assets.

Thin, bi-pedal, insect-like humanoids whose green exoskeletons looked as if they could be broken with the slightest pressure, stepped away from their tasks to greet us. They wore minimal clothing or armor, and my initial thought was that these beings could not stand up to the threat of the incoming forces; be it Trandoshans, Imperial Remnant, nor especially, Sith, if rumors were true. Antennae protruded backwards near both eyes, and the beings seemed to have a hive mind intelligence of some sort. You could feel it instantly when they communicated, as if never being on separate pages. They maneuvered as one, chittering back and forth in what could almost be assumed as a chittering, animalistic, unintelligible language, before one addressed us.

“I am Roffine. Your reinforcements are greatly needed. I will take you into the bunker.”

The great Wookie Zil responded, shaking his head, “Muawa, hrrryaa. Wyoorg,” Pointing to us with the last words he spoke as his mobile translator bridged the divide between languages.

“Ahh, I see.. Well... I hope they are well equipped,” said the green creature. “Follow me, please.” With this we said our goodbyes quickly to Zil and our other furry companions, and were led deeper within the walls of the small fortress, where we saw many of the unfamiliar species working on various technological upgrades that were being added to the compound. A laser turret was being assembled, there were a few weapons I wasn’t able to even comprehend… it seemed this species was well-beyond the average humanoid in terms of understanding, and their ability to work as a unit was unmatched from my experience.

“The Mandalorians and we had a falling out of sorts…” Roffine continued as we continued toward a large opened door signifying the entrance to the central bunker network. “We were brought here by them in number, as they needed workers to help build and maintain the bunker, as well as another task, which you will see momentarily.

Our colony’s Hive Mothers are displeased with what we have done here. But we have had no other choice, with the exception of subjugation. There was supposed to be a mutually beneficial relationship, but it has quickly turned into what you see before you.”

Amassed beside the entrance, pelted by the pouring rain, was a slowly growing pile - more being added to it as others of Roffine’s colony moved in and out of the large doorway - of Mandalorian bodies and armor.

My eyes grew wide at the sight… Mandalorians were known, if anything, for their combat ability as well as the Beskar steel they wore for protection. The fact that these insect-like creatures had overtaken them was quite a feat.

"So.. what happened??" I asked inquisitively, shocked at what they'd accomplished.

"This way," Roffine replied, ignoring my question, showing us through the doorway into the bunker.

My confusion quickly turned to awe as I stepped through the boundary between bunker and compound. Glistening brightly in the dimness that was the Hive’s uppermost level, where blaster-singed rock and permacrete met in the soft glow of the remaining light fixtures (many had been busted and were laying in razor-sharp pieces along the floor, cracking under the slightest pressure of footfall), were some of the most beautiful, shining, crystallized formations I’d seen in my short human existence. At no point during my travels within the capitals of Coruscant or Alderaan, the dunes of Tatooine, or the jungles of a place such as Scarif had I seen so much gleaming beauty in one place. These translucent crystals covered much of the walls inside this mountainous bunker, extending into the darkness ahead, yet creating something of a light of their own as illumination was refracted. Rainbow colors were spread across our vision simultaneously as we passed. This was something of a well-kept secret.

“What..are..these..” Aegeon wondered aloud as we slowly stepped forward, our attention on the battle being muffled as amazement momentarily passed over us.

“What the Mandalorians brought us here for. They needed them mined as some sort of energy source.” He paused briefly. “Our relationship turned quickly from partners..we the miners, they the ‘protectors’..” he scoffed at the word.. “to slave and master. But they underestimated the Verpine.”

“Verpine?” I asked. “Is that your species?”

He nodded solemnly.

“You all can communicate without others knowing.. can’t you..” I was beginning to realize the fault in the Mandalorians’ assumption.

“We can. We are not a species to be enslaved. Our antennae can pick up the faintest vibrations. We use this to our advantage.”

“...It only works when they can separate our minds..” He looked at me, a puzzled look turning to understanding, before we both turned our attention back to the crystals which surrounded us.

Sounds began to reach us from a far off distance.. blaster fire.. screaming.

Aegeon spoke as he opened his eyes from another trance. “Something’s there. Below us. I feel a terrible dark energy.. I’ve never felt before.”

Members of the group began to feel uneasy by this, shifting, slowing.

“Our species has taken out much of the enemy force. There are some that still remain, however. I will take you there if you are ready.”

We took a moment, preparing ourselves for what we might face.

“Let’s do it,” Aegeon said, the rest of us nodding.

“This way.”

And with that, we began the slow descent into The Hive, following Roffine through corridors and down shafts, in a maze of twists and turns that only probably a handful of Wookies knew so well.. unless you are a species who is adept at using sounds and vibrations to possibly navigate. That was my guess, as I followed, energy pistol raised in anticipation.

The dripping of gathering moisture following us as we trekked downwards, inching carefully closer to the battle raging nearby. It continued at a rhythmic pace, as members of any of the same tribe tend to do; finding others of its kind, searching, before culminating into a peak mass, and spilling outward into surrounding regions. From far above, the mountain was taking all the rainfall that struck it and sending each particle outward, to its temporary home. I thought of an old childhood friend who’d been taken along with me, into a life of servitude, and wondered if I’d see them again, as the drops of rain may meet again in a far away future..

Refocusing, I shook the thought, continuing on in the dimly colored light of the many glistening crystals.

Eventually we reached a bulkhead, separating us by a thick metallic door from our journey forward.

“On the other side of this,” explained Roffine, “is the manufacturing sector of the Hive. We are nearing the hangar bay on the southernmost side of the mountains.”

“How do y'all wanna do it?” I asked, letting my Corellian slang shine just a tad.

“We could blow it up?” Hector offered. “I’ve got that shape charge.”

Zeb pushed his way through the tight space to the front of the small party, taking a look at the electronic terminal beside the door. “I can do this without all the noise.”

Within seconds, he’d removed the faceplate from the terminal and was connecting his modded datapad into the circuitry using an adapter of his own creation. Never failing to impress when it came to mechanical knowledge, moments later the door “hissed” as the latch inside departed from the locking mechanism, the door sliding open in a blur..as a blast of heated air rushed into the room we occupied, evaporating every bit of moisture as it assaulted the pores of the rocky walls.

Zeb ushered us through valiantly with a gesture of his arm, snickering in his sneering Dug accent. “And to think, you were going to make all that noise over a locked door…”

Smiling to ourselves, we crossed over into the roaring oven of a facility, seeing pockmarked machinery filled with laser burns, wiring exposed. Sparking workstations were overturned. Aegeon was first in the line we’d made, his readied vibro-glaive’s familiar buzzing unheard due to the volume of the place; furnaces roared unattended, fluidic-powered machinery pumped to the tune of the highest possible output, as we adeptly made our way through to the other side of the large, multi-faceted room. Blasters twitched...left..right..for any possible threats lurking in ambush. Store rooms, containing just what we thought - massive holds of refined crystals, were positioned on either side of the seemingly abandoned complex. Moving into a corridor as we reached the end of the sector, checking each of the doorways we passed, we then looked to Roffine to confirm, who nodded ahead, and we directed our attention to the door which now lay only meters before us. Just over the deafening sounds of the refinery, we could hear once again the familiar echoes of battle, louder than ever before.

As we closed in around the airlocked entry, preparing to breach, the Verpine liaison spoke again, his voice now hardly audible. “The hangar bay is on the other side. Be cautious.”

We nodded our understanding, forming up into position; Hector first this time, then Aegeon, me, and following with Zeb and Roffine bringing up the rear.. As Hector depressed the release key on the airlock’s terminal, air once again rushed out of the pressurized room, into the high-ceilinged hangar ahead. A catwalk hung by metal structuring over a large open area below where several starships were sat, engines off..

We could hear speaking as we crept quietly out onto the catwalk’s grated floor, the airlock behind us shutting with a “hiss.” Cool air touched our exposed skin, bristling our hair, reaching us as it drafted upwards. The exposed hangar bay stood concealed by the large range of mountains it was constructed within. A passing freighter would only see a range of rocky terrain, taking care to steer clear, unless it were at just the right angle to catch a glimpse of the cavernous docking zone tucked carefully away. Moving further, we saw a group of ten or so stormtroopers - their white, plastoid composite armor glistening in the night's soft orange radiance that made its way indoors - as well as two Mandalorians, surrounding a single masked figure. Clad in a black cloak, white runes of some sort sewn-in near the hem of the fabric, the ominous leader was barking orders at his apparent subordinates.

“Do not lose this battle! We are too close now. Mandos - the two of you each split with a party of five troopers. Make your way to the lower levels quickly. Do not….”

The orders continued. I gestured silently toward the group, getting their attention before removing a concussion grenade from my utility belt, slowly moving into position directly over the unaware armored threats. Understanding, my companions Zeb, Hector, and Aegeon all eased into position, slowly readying blasters at the enemies below.

“Give support when needed and above all hold the central command station…”

With a click of a button, the grenade was prepped. I looked to my companions one last time and saw them all gripping their blasters, aiming down sights.

I activated it.. and let it fall.

“AAAAH!!” The two Mandalorians had caught the blast head on, both being pummeled backwards into a nearby cargo container. The remaining troopers attempted to shield themselves from the attack, most being taken off balance.

Aegeon was already over the catwalk’s railing, using his jetpack to ease the landing, while Hector and Zeb had already begun pouring down fire.

“Fools!!” The masked leader glanced up at me, and I felt piercing eyes boring through me behind the mask he wore. He turned quickly back to his soldiers, furiously shoving his covered hand forward. A wave of energy struck with such force that all but a few of the surrounding soldiers were thrown back into walls or against structural pillars, the two Mandos now unmoving. The figure abruptly turned, walking back to his ship.

I hardly saw it happen.

He collapsed to the floor in a blur of motion. An unexpected force, Aegeon, with a desperate launch of his jetpack, had streaked across the hangar bay in an orbit that placed him perfectly in contact with his target. Escape now cut off, both of them now sprawled across the permacrete floor..

Stormtroopers fell from the catwalk’s barrage.. the remainder scattering, taking cover behind anything they could find before returning fire. Shots scored the railing, others burning through spots in the floor beneath us.

The two combatants came back to their feet, and Aegeon was able to send a powerful kick, augmented by the armor he wore, directly into the dark figure’s chest. A blast of energy pulsated as the armor connected, and the cloaked enemy was flung backward once more. He rose once more, this time drawing a curved blade.

I fired shot after shot along with my two companions on the raised platform, taking out stormtroopers and vying for a clean shot on their leader. Bolts of energy bounced around the room, deflecting off permacrete walls and armored ship hulls. We had now left the majority of the enemy forces either painfully writhing on the cold floor or put out of their misery completely.

The blade sliced through the air, again, and again.. but the Zabrakian had seen the strokes coming.. dodging deftly as he attempted to maneuver into an advantageous position, before one blow caught him off guard - the fast-moving figure managed to out-think Aegeon for just a moment, and with a sidestep and a strong sweep to the left, the curved weapon struck true..digging straight into the arm of the augmented power armor. But it stuck there.

The masked being now unable to pull his blade free, he struggled.. and looked at Aegeon, before an incoming blaster bolt from a Waldweltian DLT-19 left a hole burning through his cloak as it passed straight through his neck..

A terrifying scream was let out as the darkly shrouded figure collapsed. Never hearing such a thing, I cowered for a moment, fearing uncertainty while covering my ears in pain. A radiant brightness filled the dim space, emanating from the figure, before two brilliant beams of gaseous light shot toward each of the Mandalorians lying on the floor of the hangar.. We stared in fear and wonder… as the two fallen enemies crawled, then rose to their feet once more, the first to rise looking directly at me.

I aimed my energy pistol over the catwalk’s blistered railing, my hand trembling.. and fired at the Mandalorian as the risen warrior jetted upwards at my position.. my shot just missing his armored body..and striking his jetpack. With a burst of sparks and smoke the propulsion system stopped abruptly. He fell. And when he did, Aegeon was waiting below. With a piercing stab toward the ceiling of the enclosure, vibro-glaive met with internals, skewering the last living foe before the powerful Zabrakian swept the buzzing blade across the room, slinging the lifeless body from its grasp.

The next Mando charged, heading straight for Aegeon.

A shot from Hector, just missing the target.

A well-placed shot from Zeb landed, striking the legs and just passing through a gap in the armor.

The attacker tripped, wounded.

I let my finger guide the trigger gently, leading the target. Aegeon readied himself to defend. But the shot from my modded energy pistol took away any need as the charged bolt blew through the risen Mando’s helmet. The body collapsed just meters before Aegeon’s vibrating blade..

We waited…

Nothing. The enemies laid still, before a gaseous light once more rose, though this time less intense, as it drifted harmlessly upwards, evaporating into the cavernous air.

Aegeon fell to one knee, weapon clattering to the floor.. the curved enemy blade still firmly stuck into his armor.

We moved quickly down the stairs from the catwalk to our downed companion.

“I’m fine...I’m fine.. I need a medpack is all.”

“I got ya,” Zeb said as he pulled one from his pouch.

“It’s a rough life, you know??” Aegeon laughed as he laid on his back, accepting the aid.

“Sure is..” replied Hector, chuckling.

“Where’s it at?” Zeb inquired, emptying the contents of the pack onto the floor.

“Where do you think?? That guy stuck his kriffin’ sword into my arm! Those reptiles just about shot me to pieces earlier too! This armor is good but it’s not indestructible you know?”

We all shared another laugh as Zeb helped Aegeon remove the armor, preparing some synthflesh and stim-shots, while Hector and I moved cautiously to where the cloaked being had fallen - his robes and mask now lying in a tangled heap where his body had been only moments before..

“Have you ever seen something like that??” I asked.

“Not in my lifetime.”

“I want that mask! That’s mine by the way!” Aegeon yelled from the permacrete.

“Will you just worry about your arm and getting that blade out of your armor?” came Hector’s reply.

“Leave it, I can do this,” the Zabrakian said to Zeb, who raised his hands in concession. “Just don’t touch that mask, I want it.”

“We got it.” I said, laughing once more, turning my attention to the enemy’s ship that sat grounded nearby. “What do you think is in there?”

“I think I wanna find out,” Hector said, walking toward the lowered entry ramp.

“Same. Aegeon, don’t get shot! We’ll be back!” I followed, joined by Zeb, who’d left the stubborn Zabrak to tend to his own wounds.

He began mumbling something in his native tongue of Zabraki-

“What was that?” I teased.

“Chut chut..” came his reply.

“Huh??” I continued playfully as I walked.

“I said if I didn’t have two hearts I wouldn’t give a kriff!!”

“Ohh.. Got it. Well just sit tight,” and with a snicker I ascended into the ship, looking around for anything of value; Zeb making his way forward to the cockpit.

Aegeon pretended to pay me no mind as he stuffed the syringe of a stim-pack into the flesh surrounding his now-bandaged wound.

“Roffine… You can come out now.” The insect-like humanoid poked his head around a pillar which the catwalk was attached to, before stepping meekly down the stairs, Aegeon quietly laughing at his shyness to battle.

“Looks like we’ve got some precious cargo here,” I mentioned to Hector as we rummaged through the cargo bay of the ship, finding two unlocked crates as well as another with an electronic locking mechanism attached.

“Let’s have a look,” he replied as we each lifted lids off of the two unlocked rectangular boxes.

Inside the one I’d chosen, were dozens of black, metal slugs. “Now that’s something I ain’t seen in a while..” Tusken Raiders back on Tatooine had been known to use the slugs as ammunition for their Cycler rifles. The old-school metallic rounds were thought to be quite dated, though sometimes useful, by most.

“Look what I’ve gooooot,” Hector happily rejoiced, beckoning me to check the contents of the crate he’d opened.

“Okay but see what you think of these,” I said, putting one of the metal slugs into his palm, before my eyes widened at the sight of the other crate’s contents..

“Bonds.” Hector said, as we stared at the stacks of physical credits piled into the box.

I grabbed a black duffel bag hanging from a wall in the cargo bay’s interior, filled with various tech and gear, and turned it upside down, the contents spilling and breaking across the floor.

“These bonds are flammable, ya know? We don’t want them catching fire and it’ll ruin this place if they go up.. Blaster bolts and all that charged energy.. we'll be doing the government a favor by keeping these safe.” Dropping the bag on the floor, I began taking credit bonds as Hector passed them to me, stuffing them inside the bag.

“Definitely,” he said. “Very dangerous stuff.. Plus, we don’t even know if we’re getting salvage rights yet, and I just realized we never even talked about pay, we were so eager to get our upgrades and get into battle.. and besides all that nobody said flack about fighting possessed Manda-”

“What is this?!” Zeb yelled, returning from the cockpit. “Which of you did this?”

“Zeb, we found credit bonds…” I said. “Credit bonds…..tech….credit bonds….tech.” I gestured as if weighing the options as I squatted over the bag, holding one of the bands of currency in both hands.

“Flupping Killik..” came the old Dug’s response as he attempted to check for anything salvageable in the small pile of mechanisms I’d left scattered about.

“So what’d you find?” I inquired, hoping to relieve the tension.

“Saved files-”

“See, I knew you’d find something nice-”

“Don’t..” He pointed one of his lower limb’s digits at me, staring coldly before continuing. “..I found a map with his travel route as well. Freedom Flight or the others may want a look at it.” He smiled to himself, before frowning at a comm unit split in two by the fall.

“Hey Zeb, we could use your help with this last one, although I’ve got a pretty good guess at what it may be,” Hector said, moving toward the last crate, having yet to be opened. Taking the black piece of ammunition I’d handed him out of his utility belt, worn around the augmented armor he and Aegeon each wore, he inspected it for a moment. The ex-military Waldweltian began turning the metal slug in his fingers..before crushing it into his armored palm. “Hm.. Cheap.”

A positive-sounding note came from the locking mechanism as it came free, Zeb’s handiwork complete.

Hector lifted the crate's lid off as I was zipping up the black bag now stuffed with credit bonds. “When we get a moment we need to count those," the grizzled war dog remarked. "Ahh..just as I thought.. It’s an old slug thrower.”

I took a quick look inside as well before continuing to look around the rest of the ship for valuables; the disassembled firearm looked somewhat ancient to me, especially when compared to my modded energy pistol. After Hector had taken it from a base model and made it into the overcharged weapon of destruction that had become, to me, a work of art, I was cherishing it in a certain inexplicable kind of way.

Checking bunks, the cockpit, lockers, etc, the rest of the craft turned up no further findings, and I descended the entry ramp to find Roffine and Aegeon inspecting the items belonging to the cloaked being whose spirit was now..with the Force? I don’t know..

Laughing to myself at the thought, I called out to Roffine. “So I guess you aren’t one of the warriors of your colony, huh?”

A bit insulted, though strangely showing it, he replied, “I was merely thinking of the group. If I was to perish, you would never accomplish your mission, due to the vastness of ‘The Hive’ and its complexities.”

“Hmm… Good point, but I’d just take one of these ships out of here,” I said, gesturing behind me as I neared them, duffel bag over my left shoulder.

“Don’t worry about him, Roffine,” Aegeon said. “He does this every time he gets the last shot.”

“No I don’t??”

“Mhmm.”

Roffine made a sort of clicking, snickering sound, as the remainder of the group gathered; Hector had taken the contents of the Slug Thrower’s pieces and put them into a duffel of his own.

“Hope you didn’t dump out anything important for that,” I gestured to the bag.

“One of these days, sleemo,” Zeb interjected, the words oozing with accent, “You’re going to understand the importance of hard labor. That’s what goes into technology, like the stuff back there you broke into a quintillion pieces.”

Nodding respectfully, I conceded… for the moment…

“Are we ready to proceed?” Roffine asked.

I nodded once more, the rest of the team as well.

“This way then. We must move quickly, valuable time has been spent.”

“Well, that’s what happens Roffine, when you work with mercenar-”

“Shut up, Killik. Now,” Zeb said, this time shoving one of his Dug digits into my chest.

“I’m surprised you can reach that far- Okay, okay! I’m done!”

“You do always do this, Killik,” Hector added.

I laughed, knowing they were right, as we followed the Verpine out of the hangar and into the next sector of The Hive, as each of us took a last look at our gear and checked weapons for charge, some applying stim-packs or last-minute bandaging.

The situation darkened as we descended downward still, and I knew the humanoid Roffine was right about what he’d said earlier; if we lost him, it may take us longer than we could afford to find the surface again, and who knows what other types of creatures may be lurking in the depths of the lowest regions. Again, we could hear the battle raging on, and before long we had come upon what Roffine informed us was the level of the Central Command Station. Bodies of those fallen in combat, both friendly and enemy, lay scattered about, as the battle had made its way to the very place we’d been sent to protect. Consoles and terminals of sorts were placed about, some spurting electrical charge into the atmosphere surrounding them.

Eventually we came to another bulkhead, a slat within it creating a viewport into the next room. Several terminals lie just beside it, fixed into circuitry. Beyond, screams could be heard violently as the sound of several automatic turrets burst to life in succession, pausing briefly between firing intervals to search for further targets. We looked at each other in preparation as we moved into position on the barrier, Zeb maneuvering toward the electronics as Hector peered through the gap allowing us to see in.

“It’s theirs. They’re dropping friendlies left and right.”

“Shab… This is not good,” I replied as he lowered himself back below the viewport.

“I’ve got the controls for the door, here,” Zeb said, his datapad connected to some sort of programmed chip which was inserted into the terminal..

“Could you see the turrets?” I asked Hector.

“They’re on the other side.. facing us.”

“Aand this is where we die. There’s no way I’m going in there,” Aegeon replied.

The agonizing sounds made me feel a bit uncomfortable. Our indecision was costing lives.

“Wait..there’s something here,” Zeb paused as he investigated the coding coming up onscreen.

Hector was peeking through the slat once more when a trooper’s vocoded voice yelled out, “Hey! Blast ‘em!!” before laser shots began pinging off the wall separating us, some even making it through the small slat in the permacrete bulkhead. “There’s someone over here! Let’s get ‘em!”

I could hear more stormtrooper’s make their way toward the doorway, moving into position on the other side. I raised my charged pistol, and with my other hand prepped a concussion grenade to toss through the small viewport, tensing for the moment that was upon us.

“Zeb! Anything?” Hector yelled as blaster fire scored the wall just beside us.

“I think I’ve got something!”

“Do it!!!” Aegeon cried out just as the troopers were gathering for entry.

“Son of a blaster..” I said, preparing for what could be our last moments alive. Roffine cowered beside us, humanoid hands over his head in terror.

“Aaand… die, sleemos,” Zeb said proudly as the turrets kicked in once more, this time their white-hot rounds of energy tearing through stormtrooper armor and flesh, vocoded screams echoing throughout the chamber within.

It took only moments before there was something similar to silence.. We looked to each other, Roffine still covering his head.

“I think we’re good, Roffine. It’s okay,” I said.

The team all breathed a small sigh of relief, and the doors opened. We carefully checked around into the next room as Zeb gave us the go ahead.

“And that is why you don’t disrespect technology,” Zeb firmly stated.

Smiling, I nodded. We maneuvered into the room, stepping over plastoid composite pieces and blistered stormtrooper bodies, as we were led once more, forward. Several surviving allied beings rallied behind us, some looking more worse for the wear than others.

Aegeon seemed to become increasingly nervous, overwhelmed almost by a feeling I could only wonder at..

Something having to do with the Force..

We searched through hallways, taking out stormtroopers one by one as we went - their overconfidence undermined by our ability as well as close teamwork - while Roffine motioned “this way” or “that,” using the natural sound receivers his species carried to find the next route of our journey.

Aegeon slowed, his pace moving to crawl. I could feel part of him wanting to tear away from the battle altogether, while the other half knew he must push...forward still.

A glow could be seen, burning...raging...a blinding, brightly shining color of the deepest red, and as molten lava pours and seeps, it filled the room ahead with its fascinatingly terrifying glow.

We advanced upon its origin, weapons raised. Within a pillared room, spread widely at the deepest point of The Hive, two beings stood, facing each other: One, a Mandalorian Protector, the emblem of his faction emblazoned on his Beskar armor; the other, a man cloaked in black - his torn robes escaping, a pale white face, eyes burning with a hatred I’d yet seen - carrying a lightsaber, whose metallic hilt radiantly emanated a single blood-red blade of plasma.

“The intruders!! You’ve let them in!!! You’ve led them here!”

“Tord! The battle is over,” the Mandalorian replied.

“NOO!! The Sith will reign..”

“I don’t think so,” Aegeon spoke as he readied his vibro-glaive, pacing slowly past pillars across the space separating him and the cloaked monster of a being, before stepping into a defensive stance, the rest of us walking measuredly behind him, never taking the Sith out of our sights.

A Trandoshan stepped out of a nearby corridor, blaster raised, and quickly fired at Aegeon’s side, the shot knocking him off balance and burning through augmented armor, leaving a singing hole where Hsiss-infused hide had just been. Blaster bolts rang out on both sides. The Sith shot forward, taking advantage of the moment and slashing madly with his saber, Aegeon blocking blows as they struck his raised glaive before leaping backwards out of range.

We fired on the Sith, our rounds hitting nothing but focused plasma as he deflected every shot, blasts of ricocheting energy exploding into nearby pillars of permacrete. We quickly gained cover behind pillars against incoming blaster fire, staggering our movements as we made our way from cover to cover. The Zabrak warrior Aegeon attacked ruthlessly, giving it all he had left. As he swung his vibrating blade at the menacing enemy his every strike was parried. It seemed the Sith was more than just a formidable opponent.

The reptilian slaver advanced, keeping us under cover as we attempted to fight two fronts: one forward and the latter to our left and closing. The pillar I was behind took multiple shots as I tried to edge my way out to fire on Aegeon’s attacker. Blasted bits of rocky debris blew into my face and eyes as I turned away, catching a glimpse of a Dug scurrying away to an adjacent room, followed by a green humanoid.

I hope he knows what he’s doing.

I peeked back around the corner to see the Trandoshan now focusing fire on Hector, as the Sith, Tord, plunged his lightsaber toward Aegeon, nearly a killing blow, as I aimed and fired.

The shot hit the lightsaber perfectly, knocking it out of his unexpecting hands. It pinged off the cold floor as Aegeon struck back. The Sith with a backwards leap, flipped, landing on his feet once more as the red saber flew into his grasp. He reached out with one cloaked arm, and hatefully gripped Hector through the Force.

I was now a believer.

Hector, struggling, but unable to move..cried out in agony.

“Aaagh!” Aegeon yelled in unison as he leapt toward his opponent, leaving caution to the wind as he pummeled the Sith with blows… they matched each other strike-for-strike.

I fired on the Trandoshan, forcing him behind a nearby sparking console.

Aegeon tore at the Sith. Finally, vibro-glaive connected with molded metal as the lightsaber was flung into the air above. With a powerful, stun-inducing kick, charged particles rang out as Aegeon propelled Tord to the permacrete, raising a free hand as the falling lightsaber made contact…

Tossing his vibro-glaive to the floor with a sharp clatter, he gripped the saber's hilt in both armored hands, wrapping his fingers around tightly as he looked upon his foe. A smile crept upon his lips.. and the blood-red lightsaber dove into its owner's stomach, melting the ground beneath him slowly as the man screamed in pain...then ceased...his head falling gently to its side as his eyes shut.

Hector, now towering over the downed Sith, quickly put another laser round from his rifle into the man’s head as the Trandoshan fired desperately at us. The reptilian slaver was picked apart. I struck his shooting arm with an energized round. Zeb, now returned from elsewhere, fired as well, hitting the lizard-like being in his chest. He fell from the impact, reaching for his fallen blaster with his remaining hand. Grabbing it just in time, he raised, firing into Hector, who advanced upon him; the shot pinged harmlessly off the augmented armor he wore.

With a swinging slice from the lightsaber now held by Aegeon, the Iridonian Zabrak, the Trandoshan was cut clean through, his body split in two.

We breathed heavily for a moment before gaining composure..before facing the last living enemy in the room.

“Surrender..” Hector said, pointing at the Mandalorian. “Do it!”

The Mandalorian raised his hands. “I’ll call my forces off… Don’t shoot.” Opening up a comm channel, the ranking official began addressing his allies, breaking the news of surrender.

With a fizzle of popping plasma energy, the lightsaber in Aegeon’s hands shorted out, the blade retracting into its hilt unexpectedly.

Zeb glanced over, a look of perplexity across his drooping, fleshy visage, before he spoke up.. “I’ve already commed Advisor Tribunis..He’s sending support our way as we speak. The battle was overall a success.. I’ll inform him we’ve taken Central Command.”

“Is everyone okay?” I asked, looking around at my companions.

They nodded. All except Aegeon, who took a seat on the floor, before setting the metallic hilt of the saber beside him. Letting his palms and fingers feel the permacrete’s coolness, he closed his eyes.

The rest of us set about to tasks, Zeb walking back to the next room as Hector and I began counting out our bag of cash. “Welp, I hope nobody has a problem with this..” I said. “Let’s finish up quick before they get here.”

At that moment, the door of the bulkhead opened to reveal several Mandalorian Ascendants, followed by Mandalore, pitch-black robes flowing like smoke as the leader walked into the scene of destruction, glancing at the downed enemies, and gesturing for his/her men to stand down.

Hector and I stopped in our tracks, each of us still holding bands of credit bonds in both hands.

“You have killed a Sith..” the figure said through a vocoded Beskar helmet (we went back to counting). “This is quite a feat. And you, Protector-”

“I have surrendered. I’ve called off my people. I am at your mercy.”

“And so you are.”

The two stared at each other for a long moment, before Mandalore turned back to our party.

“How much are you owed for your services? I see you obviously value currency.”

I stopped my counting.

“Actually… we had forgotten to arrange that ahead of time, as we were eager to get into battle… Although we did mention some sort of salvage rights with the group Freedom Flight.”

“That..will not be happening. We are taking every vessel as our own and turning them against our enemies. However, we will see that your ship - I’m assuming you still have one - is fully repaired and operational, and you will be paid handsomely for your services. And a bonus will be awarded for your part in the taking of this command center.”

“I have something I need to ask you about,” said Aegeon, walking to Mandalore, who nodded, as Aegeon brought out of his pack the mask worn by the strange being we’d slain in the hangar. “Do you know who this belonged to?”

Mandalore peered down at the mask, then back at Aegeon.

“Are you sure you’ve killed him?”

Aegeon paused, thinking, possibly, of the bright radiance we’d seen emitted from his body as he was slain.

“I cannot tell you much, as I do not know myself. But I do know who you speak of. I would not cross paths with him again if I were you.” He turned to his allies before speaking again. “See that they are paid. Forty-thousand credits each for the mission.. and to each another forty for the taking of this center...and the killing of a Sith. The Protector comes with us.” And with that, the masked leader paced out of the pillared room, Mandalorian Protector in tow, past the doorway and into the hallway beyond.

We looked to each other, quite pleased, as two of the Ascendant’s members remained behind to transfer the currency via datapad, Zeb dealing with them as Hector and I completed our counting.

“We’ve got another sixty here,” my ex-military companion called out as I zipped up the bag, throwing it back over my shoulder, the two Mandalorians rushing ahead to regroup with their leader, “and he didn’t say bantha dung about this slug thrower. It’s a Manda Ballista Assault Carbine.”

We gathered our things, Aegeon picking back up his vibro-glaive, as we made our way out of the doorway.

“It’s gonna be a long way back to the top...What do we think about taking a certain something from the hangar bay instead?” I suggested. “Wanna ride, Roffine?”

Laughingly, the group agreed. And we quickened our pace, followed by Roffine, upwards, back through the maze that was The Hive.

“Hector, you’re not going to like this,” Zeb mentioned as we neared the hangar, “but Kavikon’s fleet has arrived. He’s in orbit. The Jedi are welcoming him. Tribunis informed me.”

Hector’s energy turned to a shadowy darkness, as if a cloud had just appeared over him; he said nothing, however, trudging forward.

Minutes later, we were aboard the ship we’d earlier robbed of all belongings. Myself in the pilot seat, Zeb just beside me, co-piloting, and Hector and Aegeon in the aft section of the craft, one of them relaxing most likely, the other brooding, for our short journey back to Kachirho’s beaches. I edged the controls forward, and the powerful thrusters kicked in, launching the vessel out of the docking bay and into the humid atmosphere of Kashyyyk. Rain was now slowing to a hazy trickle as sunlight of a new day shined brightly on the Wookie homeworld.

Meanwhile, high above the planet’s surface, the undersides of several capital ships could be seen maneuvering into position, others coming into orbit as they dominated the skies. Battalions of small fighters poured into the surrounding space. I looked to Zeb from inside the viewport of the Scarlet Estoc.. This war was far from over.

END OF SEASON 1