Chapter 3: Archaic

[Drake 53]

Once Layla had left, Tak replied to Jaim's comm. "Copy that. Our forces have fallen back from the hangar to help hold the command centre. Recommend you do the same."

Tak cringed at the Archaic leader's poor choice of words. When Tak heard the clatter of a blaster falling to the ground, he peeked out of his cover and found the man walking slowly towards him. The few remaining mercs had ceased firing but their weapons were still raised so Tak was cautious. He removed a pair of stun grenades from his belt. "First of all," he said. "I'm not Mand'alor, nor would I want to be." He thumbed on the activation switches. "Second, I do have to fight because this is my fight. This is my home and these people are my family." He calculated the proper trajectories on his HUD. "And finally, that girl happens to be my mate so, I'm sorry, but I most certainly want to kill you!"

Two stun grenades flew from Takeshi's cover and arced perfectly into the place where the remaining mercs were hiding. There was a sudden cry of alarm followed by a pair of sonic squeels and flashes of light, and then silence.

Tak rose from his cover, pointing his heavy blaster, at the Archaic officer, with one hand while gripping a katana in the other. "Now, you're going to answer my questions or you'll wind up like these two here." He jabbed a booted foot into the side of one of the decapitated Gamorreans. "Now I already know who sent you and for whom. Hell, I could even guess as to how you found out about this place. What I really want to know, though, is how exactly you planned on raiding a New Republic elite squadron base with a bunch of second-rate, heavy-handed, backwater mercs and a Bothan bounty hunter...who would sooner cut out your heart and eat it than follow through with a deal."

***

Meanwhile...

Two other bounty hunters slipped around the exterior of the base, opting to break in covertly, rather than with the rest of the mercenaries and the Bothan hunter. One, a Devaronian, sliced in through a service hatch and made her way towards the crew quarters. The second, a human hidden beneath grey armour, found a ventilation shaft and made his way inside, followed closely by his pet, an ugly creature called a strill. The grey armoured man quickly found an abandoned monitoring room, sealed the doors and began working quickly to infiltrate the system. Soon he had access to the base's camera system. Sifting through the camera views, the armoured man found his target. She was moving through the corridors on her way to the command centre.

He opened the doors and turned to the strill. "Come, Mird'ika. Our hunt is on the move!"

[Bad furday 57]

Bargwanna Raceway Park, Great Plains, Corellia

"This is fantastic!"

Arlan had to yell to be heard against the scream of the engines. Jya looked over at his excited features and smiled in return.

Twisting, serpentine Bargwanna Raceway Park always put on a good show when on the holonet, and in person was no different.

The pods were into their second lap now, and Biela was holding her own in fifth position. The start had been hectic, with two podracers

stalling on the grid, and the entire field having to thread their way around them.

Despite being on the plains, the starting line was on a downwards curve at the end of the long straightaway. There wasn't much runoff area in that section, but fortunately, everyone had flown through cleanly.

Biela had gained a few positions on the start, and if the battle for third was any indication, she'd find herself on the podium within half a lap.

Third place, a Gand, was fighting off fourth, a Rodian who had suprised everyone (including himself) with a good qualifying result.

The pair had been running their pods repeatedly into each other, hoping to crash the other off track.

"See how Biela's following the pair of them, but not getting too close? Smart move, they may take each other out, and she'll

end up in third." explained Arlan, watching the battle on one of the large holoscreens positioned around the track.

"Wouldn't she rather take third for herself, as opposed to hoping they'll crash out?" asked Jya.

"Well, yes, but if she's going to make a move, she'll have to do it in a section where there's enough room if either of them

try to force her off. "

The pods flashed by again, starting their final lap.

Biela hung behind the Gand, and watched as the Rodian again swerved in to block.

The two pods came together with a jarring impact, and the Gand turned right to force the Rodian off him.

The Rodian pulled away, then turned again to towards the Gand. The Gand would have none of it, and turned again towards

the Rodian, to ward of his attack.

Unfortunately, he over-corrected. The two pods' control cables being entwined, sending both of them veering off course.

Biela used this opportunity to sneak her way past, and take third spot.

In the stands, Jya, Arlan, and an estimated 76,000 other fans went wild with celebration.

[Princess 35]

Nima relaxed and composed herself, Nat's hand feeling like it belonged against her back. When she looked up at him, she had a vicious look in her eye. "You're right. And it's going to start with me facing that clansmen of mine that sold me into slavery. The Secura clan is not poor and does not need to look to slavery to stay alive. Look at Aayla'Secura. She was a great Jedi Knight, only to fall during the rise of the Empire."

[Vergere 1]

Brier's adopted father came over to Kaden. "No no no. This won't do. You're a guest in our house! Come, sit up at the head, with me." And without a reply, pushed Kaden's seat back in to the table before he could sit, and motioned to the open seat waiting for him.

Brier tried to contain her amusement by speaking softly to her husband as a child tugged on her arm, asking some question or another. The entire room was filled with the warm chatter of a large family that worked well together. TJere was no animosity or even a feeling of heirarchy amonst them.

The man spoke to Kaden again as he returned to his own seat. "Dinner is informal. Ask for whatever you want, and have as many servings as you want. Don't feel shy." And as the last person sat down, various droids brought in the rest of the food.

[Ayingel 24]

Coruscant

Szen turned off the HoloNet and looked around her room. I've really gotta get out of here...I'm going insane! She drummed her new hand on the arm of her chair and looked at the closet. She sighed as she got up and headed over to the closet. She grabbed her regular clothes and got dressed. As Szen walked out of the room, she was stopped by one of the few organic personnel.

"You're not planning on going anywhere alone, are you?" The nurse raised her eyebrow and looked Szen up and down. Szen raised her eyebrows in response. "I suppose we could let you walk around for awhile...some fresh air might do you good..But you're not going alone."

Szen rolled her eyes as one of the medical droids rolled to where they were. "A babysitter?"

"Just for now. You'll forget she's even with you."

Szen cursed under her breath. "Fine."

Outside, Coruscant was brimming with people, just like Szen remembered. The little droid the hospital sent with her seemed content just following her, so she let it be. She found a little diner and made her way inside. The droid tootled and followed her inside. "Well, aren't you just a fun little date." A couple of the people sitting at tables looked up at Szen and her metal companion, but payed little mind to them. Szen had just settled into a table in the corner when a familiar voice caught her attention.

"I'll just get us a table then!" A loud, green Twi'lek had walked into the diner and started looking for a table.

Szen looked up and saw that the only other table for two was right in front of her. "Great," she muttered under her breath. I really didn't think that I'd see anyone I knew ever again...

The Twi'lek gasped. "Szen? Is that you?" Szen looked at her and waved her good hand. "It is you!" The Twi'lek sat down.

"Hey Chir`da." She gave a small smile back to the Twi'lek.

"How are you? You've been gone for so long!"

"I've been better. My new job didn't start off too bad, but I wasn't expecting the..uh..." she raised her arm. "Occupational hazards to be so rough."

"By the holy stars! What happened?" Chir`da's mouth gaped as she took another look at Szen. Once the man with Chir`da had joined them, Szen recapped small bits of the accident, leaving out where they were and what they were doing.

"And, I guess, we miss judged that the frag was live and here I am now."

[Mara 29]

Kaden blinked a moment as he was moved closer to the head of the table, seated at the man's right side.

Finally speaking, he looked over at him and smiled, "Don't worry. I'm not shy around food."

[Ender 8]

"Copy that. I think it's a safe bet that these crones are after Layla. You might want to send her somewhere to hide out. Adarra out."

Jaim saw a shadow flash by as he put away his comlink. Suspicious, he took a blaster from one of the mercs he had dispatched and followed it.

[Vergere 1]

The man smiled a classically Corellian grin. "Wonderful! Then eat up. Eat, eat!" He motioned to the table full of food.

Even as he motioned, Brier burst out laughing as her husband, her brother, her sister, and she all fought to get the most food and eat it the fastest. For as old as they were, when together it seemed they still enjoyed acting like kids. Spouses just shook their heads and smiled, and the kids were cheering on their parents. Their father just sighed and held his head. Unfortunately, he too looked like he was having difficulty in not laughing. Definately not a formal setting. Very much a family one, however.

Brier grinned and stopped eating and leaned back in her chair to catch her breath as someone else won the competition. She flushed softly as she remembered they had guests. Amidst the laughter, she looked down the table and motioned to Kaden to have more food.

[Winters 0]

Cale looked up at the man in the Mando armor. Interesting...

"First off, forgive me, I keep on forgeting that Mand'alor is your cheif of state, that little snippit keeps on slipping my mind... anyway, forgive me. I, ahem, usually have a better pick of words." He looked around while the man held him. "As for this, and not for lack of a better word, scum." Cale laughed. "They're here for the adventure," he laughed again. "I pay them well enough for it, and I do add a bonus to PREVENT," here he pointed downward to make a point, "them from kill me and my own personal people." He sniffed, looking at the Gamorrean. "But again, obviously not well enough to bathe," he looked around again, "I obviously need to get showers installed on the transport ships..." He then sighed, looking up at the man.

"Kid, you use what you've got to use, what you have at your hands." He then reached up and patted where the cheek would be on the helmet. "Unlike you, who has the full might of the grand New Republic." He looked up, drawing all the emotion that he had in him. "I live in Corellia, do you think it's great there? No, not for a long while. Not since the Diktat came around. It's like living on an island. We don't have your fancy X-Wings or your credits!" He stared into the emotionless helmet. "I had to do with what I had. They may be ready to turn my back at the highest bid, but they're loyal to me at the moment. For now."

[Drake 53]

After several seconds of silence between the two men, Tak suddenly burst into laughter. "Oh wow. Do you always whine this much? Maybe that's why you're still just the minion and not the master." He took a couple steps closer to the Archaic man. "You and I both know that you aren't paying these cretins. Deign Argos is. And that means...you're expendable."

Takeshi lunged, aiming his sword for the other man's chest. He was just a foot away from the kill when a furry shadow slammed into Tak's side, knocking him off his feet and onto the floor. He lost his grip on the sword and it slid off beneath a nearby X-Wing. The pair of bodies slid a few metres, giving the Archaic officer plenty of leave for escape.

The attacker, now recognizable as the Bothan bounty hunter, was punching Tak's side and stomach between his armour plates. Takeshi delivered a strong blow to the Bothan's face with his elbow, knocking the bounty hunter away. This gave Tak a brief moment to stand and get ready himself before the next strike.

"Karsus," Tak said, mock-cheerfully. "I havn't seen you in ages! How are the wife and kids?"

"Takeshi," replied the Bothan. "Not bad...all things considering."

Tak nodded. "Considering that they're dead. Riiight."

A wicked-looking dagger appeared in Karsus' hand and he lunged with it. His attack was lightning quick but Tak remembered the Bothan's old tricks and how to counter them. He spun out of the way, coming back around with a snap-kick to the back of the bounty hunter's leg. Karsus went down momentarily. Tak started to bring his blaster up but the Bothan was already spinning around and lashed out with a palm-strike that sent the shot wide and knocked the blaster from Tak's grip. The dagger was also gone from Karsus' hand so the two spent the next seconds brawling with their fists and feet and both we no doubt left with their share of bruises.

Karsus delivered a particularly strong punch to the gut and a hammering blow to Tak's chestplate which both knocked the wind out of him and send him sprawling to the floor. However, instead of following through with his advantage, the Bothan ran off. Tak looked up in time to see Karsus picking up his fallen katana.

"You wanna play my game, do ya? Alright." Takeshi got up and unsheathed his second blade, holding it two-handed in front of him, patiently waiting for the other to make his move.

[Rogue 4]

Layla had her blaster in hand as she ran towards the command center. Her red hair whipped about, sticking with nervous perspiration to her pink skin. Her heart raced, and adrenaline pumped through her veins. She took a moment to evaluate the situation.

She had her blaster and two spare power packs on her belt. Hidden in her right boot was her hold-out blaster, and in her left was a small vibroblade. She had two stun grenades and a frag grenade on her belt. She hoped that would be enough to hold off anyone who came after her.

When it came to armor though, Layla was lax. The only armor she actually wore was the chestplate, which sat over a sleeveless top that left the chestplate sitting uncomfotably on bare midriff. And to top it all off, she was the only person on the base they were after, and she was the most brightly dressed.

Why can't the bad guys give you a warning call before they run in, blaster's hot, to get you? One thing was for sure, she was glad she had sent Sena away.

She raised her blaster, holding it protectively in front of her as she neared a corner, slowing as she approached. She looked around the side, to see if the corridor was clear.

[Drake 53]

The grey armoured bounty hunter and his pet strill crept silently down the corridor. He had tracked the target bounty's last position heading in this direction. So now he was careful and quiet.

Suddenly, the short gold fur on the strill's back stood on end and it barred its fangs. The pet was well trained. It didn't make a sound but the man knew what was the problem. It could smell and hear much better than the sensors in his helmet and it knew that their quarry was approaching.

The grey armoured bounty hunter crouched low next to a bulkhead and set his blaster to stun.

***

Karsus attacked, bringing his sword down in a diagonal slash. Tak parried with his own weapon and counter-attacked with a cut to the Bothan's side. The bounty hunter spun out of the range of the blade but Tak lunged, catching Karsus' exposed side. It was only a slight graze but enough to draw blood. Takeshi pulled back, not wishing to overextend himself and brought his blade up in time to block a vicious blow aimed at his neck.

"Not pulling any punches, eh Karsus?" Tak asked, pushing away the Bothan's blade.

"Let's just get this over with, Skirata," came the growl of a reply.

This time, Tak went on the offensive. He struck high with his blade while kicking in the same move. The Bothan grunted as Tak's armoured boot caught him on his injured side.

Karsus pushed away then lunged forward. Takeshi side-stepped the attack then brought his knee up beneath the Bothan's jaw as he over-extended his attack. Grabbing the bounty hunter by the back of his chestplate, Tak swung him around and pushed him head-first into a disabled hoversled.

[Rogue 4]

This part of the base was surprisingly quiet. Layla knew that the military staff on base had moved to cover certain key positions, like the command center, the communications tower, and the power generator. She also knew that the people following her would expect her to go to the command center, and wondered if it would be the best idea. Logically, she knew that with the main hanger overrun, the only other options were to use the shuttles in the command bay, or to steal an enemy shuttle for her own.

Neither one seemed like a bright prospect. The shuttles had little in the way of manueverability or defense. And most of them only had dual cockpit lasers. The enemy ships on the other hand would be defendable from the air, granted she stole the right kind of ugly. Still, ugly's were unpredictable and she'd only end up running straight into enemy captivity.

And Corellia wasn't a place she wanted to be anytime soon.

Still, what other choices did she have?

A bad vibe through her pheromones, cold and calculating, sent a chill down her spine. She felt that, and she also felt something feral that made her remove a stun grenade from her belt, keeping her finger near the activation button. Now holding the blaster in her left hand, she proceeded cautiously down the hall, taking note of the windows on both sides of the corridor. All it would take was one person to spot her through those and this would be all over.

***

Floating Rock Gardens, cavern near the Bright Lands, Ryloth

"That is true." Nat said, looking to Nima. "Aayla'secura was a great Jedi, belonging to a great clan. I believe that your clan sold her into slavery as well, but she escaped and persevered. I heard that years later she even returned to save a younger clansmen from a kidnapping. The Riamor clan doesn't have any great stories like that, but we have the same problems. I'll tell you this though, facing your clansmen will not be easy."

Edited May 24, 2008 by Rogue

[Ender 8]

Jaim followed the Devaronian all the way to the crew quarters, staying far enough away from her to avoid detection. She was dressed in slim, light armor, with large black cloak over her. She went in and out of the bunkrooms one by one, searching for Layla. After searching all of them, she let out a hiss of irritation, which turned to one of anger as she saw Jaim standing in the middle of the hall. She pointed her blaster at him.

"Sorry, she's not here. Already been moved." Jaim said nonchalantly. "Although, I might be able to tell you where she is, for a fee."

The bounty hunter curled her upper lip in disgust. "I have no need of you. Wherever she goes, I shall hunt her down. It would be impossible for her to escape."

"Perhaps, but it's quite possible that one of the other bounty hunters that landed would get to her before you. And then, Argos gives you nothing."

She growled, keeping her blaster trained on him. "Talk."

"She's gone to the command center. If you hurry, you may reach her before she reaches the guard."

She smiled, giving Jaim full view of her sharp teeth. "Thank you, human. Now I will only stun you, not kill you."

Before she could fire, Jaim slipped a knife from his sleeve and hurled it at the Devaronian's face. She tried to raise her blaster to block it, but she over-compensated and the knife stuck through her hand. Shrieking in pain, she dropped the blaster and yanked the blade from her now useless right hand.

"That was foolish, human. Now, you are defenseless, and will die," she hissed.

"Oh, I'm not quite defenseless." Jaim replied.

In a single smooth movement, Jaim reached into his coat with both hands and drew two blades, each a foot long and curved.

"I picked these up on Duros. They're handy in times like these."

The Devaronian was not fazed. From beneath her cloak she drew a scimitar more than half than she was tall. Swirling it around her, she smiled a triumphant smile.

"Wait a minute..." Jaim said. He then dropped the blade in his right hand, drew his other holdout blaster, and shot the bounty hunter in the heart.

She looked absolutely stunned as she fell to the ground.

"Completely forgot I had that."

[Drake 53]

The bounty hunter in the grey armour removed a canister from his belt. It was filled with pressurized knock-out gas that could incapacitate, or at least slow down, most species. His helmet would filter out any gas and the strill had been slowly trained to become immune to the effects, so both predators were safe.

The man triggered the canister for impact release and tossed it to the end of the hall, where the corridor split off. The grenade activated and began to rapidly release it's aerosol gas.

With a signal to the strill, he said, "Fetch, boy," and the beast took off down the hall.

***

Karsus' head smacked into the hoversled with a resounding clang!

"Oh, I totally forgot about the metal plate!" said Tak. "Hope I didn't knock anything loose in there."

The Bothan spun around, snarling then found Tak's foot meet his face. The kick snapped Karsus' head back and sent him tumbling over the hoversled. The bounty hunter scrambled back up but Tak was already there, having leapt over with his jetpack.

Swords clashed as Karsus brought his weapon up to protect himself. Takeshi booted him again, hard in the chest. The Bothan rolled back and onto his feet. He was clearly tiring and in pain but he attacked again regardless.

Tak whipped his blade around in a high block and deflected the reverse slash that Karsus was bringing down towards his neck. Then he dived forward, whipping his katana at the Bothan's foot. Karsus sprang away backward then countered, bringing his own weapon up toward Tak's stomach.

Karsus' blade just barely missed cutting into Tak's stomach as sword and armour, both made from refined Mandalorian iron, deflected off one another.

Takeshi's weapon came back around. Slashing at the Bothan's heel. It bit in just enough to sever the tendon running running up the back of the ankle. Karsus landed in an awkward stagger, nearly falling as his foot flopped around without any control.

Tak dropped to a knee then sprang. Karsus tried to turn to meet him, but only staggered. Takeshi feinted at the Bothan's head then, when he tried to block, slipped inside the attack and sliced clean-through the furry arm. Karsus roared in pain as his arm and weapon dropped lifelessly to the floor. Bringing the katana back up, Takeshi stabbed into Karsus' side, between his body armour plates. He continued to push, feeling the blade slice through his ribs and into his chest until, finally, penetrating the heart.

"Say hello to the family for me," Tak said with tone of sadness, as the Bothan's life left him and he dropped to the floor.

[Rogue 4]

Layla jumped as she heard the canister hit the floor, and a moment later she caught the silver glint of the cylinder. This was accompanied by a hissing noise, and a thick gas that rapidly began to fill the chamber. She covered her mouth and nose with a sleeve, turning to run down the hall in the direction that she'd come. She heard footsteps behind her, and knew immediatly that they didn't belong to a human. It had six feet.

Don't panic, don't panic...if you're going to get out of here you need to think on your toes!

She turned to look over her shoulder to see what it was that was pursuing her.

[Drake 53]

The strill burst from the cloud of gas and stopped for a moment to get its bearings. It saw the woman running down the hall. The beast bayed and growled then ran after its target.

Meanwhile, the man in the grey armour doubled back, taking a different route that would, hopefully, cross paths with the bounty's escape route.

***

Takeshi looked around. The Archaic man had long since left, probably using the distraction of the fight to make his escape. Tak shrugged and bent down to wipe off his bloodied sword on a dead merc's clothes.

Before leaving the hangar, he took some cable binders from the hoversled and secured the hands and feet of the unconsious mercenaries he had previously stunned. Then he gathered his weapons and ran off to find Layla.

[Rogue 4]

She saw the beast, six-legged, one meter long with razor sharp fangs. Her eyes went wide, and she threw the stun grenade in her hands into the hallway between them, turning back around and running as fast and far as she could until, unexpectedly she reached a dead-end. She ran through the closest doorway, which happened to be Lieutenant Riamor's office, and locked the door behind her. She pushed the office's desk in front of the door to try and keep the beast out. Then she looked around frantically for a way out of this situation and found it a moment later.

She backed up, shooting a round of blaster bolts into the transparisteel glass until it cracked and spiderwebbed, then picked up the Lieutenant's heavy metal chair and swung it hard. The transparisteel panel shattered, and she ducked her head to protect her face from the shards. She pulled the chair back and used it to push the shards still standing in the window out of it.

[Drake 53]

Upon seeing the stun grenade, the strill skidded to a halt then leapt into a receded doorway and curled into a ball, covering its face and ears right before the grenade went off.

After the ringing had stopped, the strill got up and continued down the hall, sniffing for its target's trail. The scent stopped at a closed doorway so the creature started to bay and bark.

Hearing the call, the grey armoured man came to his pet and found the door to be locked. "Ah, good Mird," he said. The bounty hunter removed a small explosive charge from his pack and planted it next to the door locking mechanism then stepped over to the other side of the door then set off the charge. A small explosion destroyed the lock and left a blackened hole in the wall. When the door failed to open on its own, the man used a mag-clamp and pushed it open manually.

Immediately, Mird, the strill, shot into the room, sniffing every corner despite the broken window. It could have easily been a trap and any lesser bounty hunter may have gone straight for the obvious, leaving their quarry hidden in the room. Once Mird turned up nothing, however, the man turned to leave the room. "Follow her outside," he told the pet. Mird chuffed then leapt out the window in a single bound.

[Rogue 4]

Layla ran straight into the thick wilderness outside the base, and kept running, trying to stay away from any trail that was obvious. As she did, she fumbled for her comm, and finally found it, bringing it up to her mouth. She wasn't sure if it would work in the woods but it was worth a try. "Tak, Jaim! This is Layla! Do you copy?"

When she got no reply she repeated it again.

[Drake 53]

Tak's comm crackled to life. It was Layla but she was breaking up and her transmission was garbled with static. "Tak...im! ...s Layl...you copy? ...Jaim! Thi...Layla! Do y...." The mercs were probably running an interference signal.

"Layla! This is Tak! Where are you!?"

***

The grey armoured bounty hunter made his way outside and started off in the direction of his pet. Mird was wearing a tracking collar so he could follow the creature's signal through the dense jungle.

[Rogue 4]

She breathed a sigh of relief as the signal came through and she heard his voice. "I'm in the forrest Tak! There's something after me. A beast with six legs, teeth, whiplike-tail and sharp teeth, I repeat, A beast with six legs, teeth, whiplike-tail and sharp teeth! Well trained too. Archaic doesn't have the patience for something like that! So whoever's after me out here is serious."

[Ender 8]

"I copy as well, Layla. I've taken down another bounty hunter, Devaronian, I'm on my way to you now."

With that, Jaim ran off down the hallway.

[Drake 53]

Takeshi stopped running. Though he heard had only heard about half of what she had said, he was beginning to get an idea of just what was after Layla. "It's called a strill. A Mandalorian animal. If the bounty hunter is a Mando, then Argos must be desperate."

He picked up the pace and soon made it outside. While the commlink was still active, he pinged Layla's unit and found her location. Tak overlayed her position on a topographical map of the surrounding area and found that she was currently travelling along one of the speeder bike trails

Tak ran down the back trail and soon came to the speeder bike depot. He hopped on one, diconnected it from its docking station and pulled out of the depot. Once clear, Tak pushed on the accelerator and went flying down a nearby path into the jungle.

***

The strill was following Layla closely, leaping tree-to-tree, using its skin flaps to fly and glide the longer distances. Whenever they came to an intersection along the path, Mird would bay at her from either side, forcing her either one direction or the other. It was almost as though it were herding her somewhere...

***

The grey armoured Mandalorian casually returned to his ship, a modified and black painted VT-49 Decimator called Null-10. He had landed in a clearing amidst a criss-crossing of speeder bike trails and his quarry and ran right into the maze.

Standing off behind the treeline, all the bounty hunter had to do was wait.

[Rogue 4]

Layla pulled out her blaster, shooting at the beast when it came into sight. She was shaking though, due to the adrenaline and blood pumping all too rapidly through her veins, and the movement caused her shots to miss. Her legs were aching, and she was forced to keep running. She couldn't let herself get captured. There were too many people depending on her. Her three year old daughter, Sena. The squadron, her friends. Takeshi.

He would live a boring life without her, whether he chose to admit it or not.

And she didn't want to return to Corellia. Not in this lifetime.

She turned at the thing howled, to make another shot, and tripped over a raised tree root. She felt something snap in her ankle, her eyes watering from the sudden pain as she fell to the ground. She looked up and saw the beast, the Strill above her, looking down from two branches. She extended her blaster arm and let out a shot. It dodged, but not entirely. She heard it growl and knew she'd hit flesh.

She forced herself up, limping forward. She needed to put distance between herself and the Mandalorian. She pulled her comm up as she continued on, using trees for support. The ankle hurt if she put any weight on it, but she carried on out of sheer will. She pulled her comm to her lips. "I shot the Strill...I don't think it's dead though, and I think I broke my ankle. Any idea where this Mandalorian would be?"