Death Marks

"You're going to have to be faster than that if you want to catch it," Gadon chuckled. He jogged forward and casually scooped up the reigns to the lumbering nerf. A lanky Rodian farmhand followed him, muttering a series of expletives in Rodese.

"Now, now. It's not the creature's fault you're slow," he said with a grin on his face. He pulled the creature towards the posts and quickly looped it's reigns around the pole. The Nerf chuffed loudly and he ran his hand up and down the creatures smooth-furry snout and by its forehead. He motioned for the Rodian to come close and placed its hand by his own. The Rodians suckered hands resisted for a moment but then relaxed as the creature quivered under his touch; Gadon smiled and clapped a hand on his back.

"See, learn to respect the creature and it'll learn to respect you. They're peaceful beasts and they don't want trouble no more than we do," he said. The Rodian chittered, expressing his gratitude and Gadon nodded, replacing the wide-brimmed hat on his head. He swung his legs over the fence and waved to the other Rodians leaning against the wooden fence. 

"Watch your friend now," he said, pointing at the Rodian nearest the Nerf. "He's got the hands down but he's no herder yet". They all hooted and chortled in a chorus of laughter. Gadon smiled and started up the shallow hill towards his house. He looked at his chrono, still lots of time to get back. The past few days he had returned late and Kea had expressed her great disinterest in that habit. It was easy to lose track of time in this sleepy community. 

Jagga II was a quiet and out of the way planet as it was. Although it was near enough to the Namadii Corridor, a direct link to the Core Worlds and Coruscant, or Imperial Center whatever those Core Worlders called it now, their distance from the physical trade route actually made them quite isolated. The colony of Atraeus had been established around sixty years ago with the intent of providing an element of civilization for the Imperials stationed on Ord Mirit and Borleais. Unfortunately, the planet lacked few natural resources that were worth investing any significant infrastructure in so the Imperial funding ceased and what was left on the colony remained. All-in-all, the entire town likely housed around 500 people, not including various Star Captains and Traders who passed through, hoping to save a credit or two on fuel. It was a pleasant community, a mixture of all races, and somewhere that Gadon and Kea were happy to call home. 

It look him the better half of an hour to make it the five-hundred meters from the base of the hill to the top, where his small mance was. Nothing ever happened fast at Atraeus. He had to stop and talk to nearly everyone one his way. Greeting his neighbours, buying some fresh fruits from Turis Mordun, the Sullustan marketeer who Gadon knew was padding his prices a bit too much but there was nothing much to be done. He strode toward his house and began to shoulder open the door. 

"Afternoon Gadon. Always a pleasure to see you," a woman's voice came from behind him. He sighed and turned around, masking his discontent with a smile. 

"Afternoon Dayana," he said with a curt nod. He was leaning on the door and trying to manipulate the doors keypad with his elbow. The young woman stood in front of him, beaming and shuffling nervously on her feet. She was quite fetching. Most of the younger men in the town had developed some semblance of feelings for her and she was the prize-to-be-had in the colony. Everyone wanted her, save Gadon, and that meant the young blonde set her sights on him. She was like a Mynock on a power-coupling; sucking every minute of his day that she could get her fangs into. 

"I'd love for you to show me some of your tricks there with the Nerfs. I saw you wrangling them with Zhin. You're so talented," she fawned. He smiled again, urgency building as the young waif glided forward towards him. He felt the controls under his elbow and he let out a small sigh of relief. He pressed back and the door chimed softly and glided open.

"Of course," he said quickly, bustling inside. "Come by in a few days and we'll see if we can't make you a Nerf Herder yet," he said. She nodded excitedly and the door slide shut behind him.

"Stang it that woman's worse than a Hutt at a Twi'lek Girls' Boarding School," he said, collecting the fruits he had dropped.

"Now that's an image I didn't want in my head," a woman's voice sounded from behind him. Gadon whirled to see a brunette in a tight-fitting jumpsuit looking at him. He grinned widely and shrugged. She shook her head and strode forward, Gadon watching her intently - he loved the way she walked, and collected the fruits from his arms. 

"Dayana giving you a hard time again?" she asked. He sat down on a chair near the door and began to pull off his large boots, coating in mud and dust from the Nerf pens. He grunted an affirmative.

"Now, now. The great Gadon Naydar struggling with a girl. You know what you need to do," she teased. 

"C'mon Kea, she's just a kid. I can't just crush her like that. You know I don't work like that," he said.

"Not anymore," she smiled and winked. "I remember quite the wily scoundrel who swept me off my feet," she finished and glided forward. Gadon couldn't help keep they boyish grin on his face. He tossed his boots in the corner nearest the door and opened his arms.

 Kea appeared slender in the worker's jumpsuit. It was deceptive. Her could feel her muscles as he traced his arms down her body. She smelled of grease and lubricants. She had likely been out in the garage working on the landspeeder. Another smell pricked his interest. It was strangely familiar. Kea melted into him, draping her arms over his muscled shoulders and straddled his legs. He pushed her back slightly and inhaled deeply through his nose.

"What-what is that smell? Is that blaster cleaning solution?" he asked with a frown. She gave him a wry smile and then bit her lip in a playful expression.

"What? I got nostalgic," she said playfully and pecked him affectionately on the neck. 

"Just be careful with those. I don't want you to get hurt," he said, trying to ignore her obvious advances - at least until he finished the conversation and got his point across. She rolled her eyes and then reached down in front of her. His eyes widened and he looked at the woman on his lap.

"I think I know how to handle a blaster there ace," she whispered into his ear. 

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Gadon awoke in his bed. He looked around the room and smiled. It looked like it had been ransacked by a group of Jawas. Chairs and tables were on their sides. The top of his dresser was covered in some liquid - he sniffed and got the oaky finish of Whyren's Reserve. He peered over the bed and saw the smashed bottle on the floor. He smiled and leaned back into his pillow and stared at the woman sleeping on his chest. He watched her breathe and matched her breaths with his. She was asleep - good. Kea often struggled to sleep. Between the nightmares and the utter silence of Atraeus, it was difficult for her to settle. 

A flicker of movement caught his eye. He tensed. His eyes were still adjusting to the dark but he was sure he has seen something move from the door to the corner of his bedroom. He looked down and Kea and realized her breathing was more controlled, exaggerated now. She was awake. he could feel her tensing on his chest. He could feel her hands sliding slowly up the bed and under the pillow. The shadow moved again from the corner, tracing along the side of the bed by the spilled whiskey. He leaned closer to Kea and whispered quietly. 

"Wait-" he said. 

There was a small splash as the shadow disturbed the liquid on the floor. Kea sprang to life. She lunged forward, a vibroknife held in her hands. She snapped up, using Gadon as a springboard to propel herself into the attacker. There was a muffled metallic-squeak followed by a gurgling sound. Gadon rolled onto the other side of the bed and caught the second attacker with a brutal kick to the side of the head. A sharp pain shot from his foot as it connected with a hard surface. He cursed, it was laminate armor. Regardless, the kick was solid enough to catch the attacker off balance and send it careening into the ground. Ignoring the pain in his foot, he leaned his knee between the attacker's shoulder blades and yanked the helmet of its head. He inspected it quickly. It was black stormtrooper armor, similar to that used in special operations; however, there was a symbol on the smooth dome of the helmet which he didn't recognize. He leaned down and pulled up the man's head by the hair.

"Who sent you," he growled to the man who squirmed and protested under his grasp.

"I'll tell you nothing scum," the man groaned. Gadon nodded and raised his hand to catch the vibroknife which Kea tossed to him. He caught it and drove it deep into the man's skull with a sickening crunch.

He stood up and realized her was still naked. He moved quickly to the window and peered out. It was still dark in the town but he could see flickers of movements in the shadows moving up the hill towards his house.

"Stang it," he cursed. "Kea there's more coming. We have to go," he said. He moved to the closest and pulled out some of the padded clothing he used for hunting in the reaches and began to pull on his pants. He looked at Kea and stopped for a moment, moving forward to take his head into his hands. He looked deep into her green eyes and gave her a small smile.

"It's going to be okay. We're going to get away from this," he said quietly. She gave him a weak smile. There was still a wild look in her eyes. He frowned and turn towards the room door, he wouldn't let these men take her from him. He finished putting on his clothes and belted a blaster holster around his waist. He checked the power packs quickly and frowned. Low-charge. It would have to do. He leaned against the doorframe and looked over to Kea who was belting the hilt of a vibrosword to her waist. A 12 Defender Blaster Pistol was tucked into her knee-high boots. He held a finger to his lips and motioned to the door.

"Follow me," he mouthed and moved through the door.

Two stormtroopers stood at the top of the stairs, moving cautiously. They weren't expecting him to come out as fast as he did. Two quick blaster bolts in succession caught them each in the head. He moved quickly towards the stairs, pausing for a moment, and then leaning over the bannister and squeezed off three more shots. He leaned back and heard the sound of three more bodies hitting the floor. Seven down - five more to go. Stormtrooper Commando Squads always operated in strike teams of twelve. It was a classic Imperial Military tactic. They were likely brought in by a covert-modded Lambda Class or some dropship of similar calibre on the outside of town. Two Squads would move to secure the town, trying to deny their target an escape route, and the other would be the kill squad. 

Kneeling, Gadon shuffled forward towards the staircase and looked down into the main floor of his house. He couldn't see much past the base of the stairs. Fortunately they had left some of the more amber lights on which Kea loved so much. They basked the room in a warm glow and turned the black laminate armor of the fallen soldiers into hazy mirrors. He squinted at the armor, trying to make out the shapes. He could make our three for certain. They were hunkered down behind his table, poised and ready to blast anyone that came down the stairs. He turned to Kea and motioned for the window at the top of the stairs. She nodded, unsheathed her vibrosword in a smooth motion, and moved to the window. She gave him one last look over her shoulder, the light of the twin moons of the system turning the narrow blade of her vibrosword into a white beam of light. She gave him a fierce look of determination and then vaulted over the windowsill and outside. Wasting no time, moved back towards the top of the stairs. Kea would make her way around the back of the house. The remaining two stormtroopers would likely be trying to make their way around the back of the house to flank them. They wouldn't expect Kea and she would make quick work of them. In a way he felt back for them. His wife could be particularly lethal and not merciful when she was angry and equipped with her vibrosword. He waited for her signal. It would be an animal call of some sort. A species not native to Jagga II but something that the Imperials wouldn't know the difference otherwise.  

As he crouched by the staircase he looked down at the fallen stormtroopers. Their faceplates were scorched and cracked from the blaster bolts. The same symbol which crested the helmet was emblazoned onto the chestpiece of their laminate armour. He frowned at the symbol. It seemed vaguely familiar. Not something he had seen before but the style of it reminded him of something he had seen before. He logged the symbol in his mind for future reference. This would not be the end of this encounter. Whoever organized this strike against him and his family would pay...dearly. 

A throaty-cooing sound came from outside. Gadon smiled at the sound. It was a Cholgannan Warbler. That was definitely remote enough and maybe even pushing his luck. Cholganna was a hellish and wild world on the edge of Wild Space, not somewhere he wanted to ever see again. He moved down the stairs and following a count of three, rolled down the remaining 5 steps and levelled his blaster at the Imperials. 

"That's fine right there Mr. Corrino," a cool voice called out. Gadon scanned the room, blaster still levelled. Cursing he stood up and lowered the blaster to his hip. A Chiss held Kea roughly with his one blueish hand wrapped around her head, forcing her chin up, a wicked looking vibroknife was being held to her neck. A thin line of blood ran down her neck. He had his leg positioned between her legs and was forcing her backwards so she was off balance. One of three soldiers was dead on the floor, a pool of blood forming under his body. The other two flanked the Chiss with blasters levelled against him, their green eyes reflecting the amber light of the room.

"Drop the blaster and kick it towards me," the Chiss said. This man was dangerous, Gadon could feel it emanating from him. Gadon rammed the blaster into the holster and unclipped his belt, letting it clatter to the floor. He looped a foot under the leather holster and kicked it towards the stormtroopers. It tumbled to the floor in front of one of them who cautiously reached forward with his own foot and pulled it towards him. 

"What do you want? We ain't go no credits or anything to offer y'all," Gadon said gruffly. The Chiss scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Now, now. You can't drop the Fringer bit. You're from Bespin if I recall?" he said slyly. "And this lovely woman is from Thyferra?" Kea squirmed and the Chiss squeezed tightly, pressing the vibroknife to her neck and drawing more blood.

"Let's not do anything rash," he said into her ear. 

"What do you want," Gadon said, dropping his accent and speaking in his native tongue. It felt odd speaking normally after all these years.

"I want to know why two living legends fell of the face of the galaxy and are holed up here in this dead end colony off the beaten path...as stanging nerf herders," he said mockingly. Gadon frowned and raised his hands in submission.

"Listen, we don't want anything to do with that life anymore. I haven't spoken to anyone from that part of our life in two years. I have nothing to give you. We've got a new life here and we just want to live in peace," he said calmly. He stared and Kea intently and she stared back. His heart pounded in his chest. The Chiss smiled and leaned forward slightly.

"Good," Gadon thought. "He's lightening up". 

"People like you don't just live a peaceful live," the Chiss seethed. "I don't care what you want to do with your lives. What I care about is what you used to do and more importantly - what you know," he said.

"And what could I know that would interest an Imp like yourself?" Gadon asked.

"You're falling behind shooter. Try to keep up," he laughed. "I want to know everything about your mission to Rishii and more importantly what you found". Gadon grew cold and had to suppress a shiver. Kea frowned at him in confusion. The Chiss noticed and let out a cold and cruel laugh.

"You didn't even tell your beloved wife about that one?" 

Gadon shook his head, still staring at Kea. It was almost time now. He could make a dash for her 12 Defender which was kicked under a nearby table and try to take them out. It would leave Kea to deal with the Chiss herself but that was a risk they may have to take. Kea winked at him suddenly and Gadon's eyes grew wide.

"No don't!" he yelled and reached out towards her. Kea elbowed the Chiss in the stomach and then grabbed the Chiss' knife-wielding hand with both arms. She used his own momentum against him and slammed the vibroknife into her shoulder. She let out a cry of pain and the Chiss grunted at the vibroknife hit him in the chest. Cursing, Gadon dived onto the floor and scooped up the small blaster into his hands. He squeezed off a series of shots, twelve in all, into the two soldiers who were turning to blast Kea. They crumpled to the floor, dropping their blaster rifles to the ground. 

The Chiss was unmoving on the floor behind Kea. She leaned forward and pressed her hand at the rapidly growing bloodstain on her chest. She moved towards Gadon and stumbled, he reached forward and caught her in his arms. 

"We need to leave," he said to her. Cradling her in his arms, he shouldered the back door open and hurried towards the garage. Down the hill and into the town, he could hear shouts and screams intermixed with blaster fire. With a grim expression he ran into the garage and gingerly lay Kea down into the speeder. He hopped over her into the pilot's seat and thumbed on the ignition. The speeder hummed to life and jostled up as the repulsorlifts kicked in. He pulled the speeder out and surveyed the town with one final look. There was a small fire closer to the nerf pens and he could make out the forms of bodies in the fields below in the dim light of the fire. 

"You'll pay for this," he said. He looked down and checked Kea, who was breathing shallowly beside him, and then pushed the landspeeder forward, off into the darkness. 

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The stormtrooper turned over the Chiss and rammed a stimpack into his leg. The Chiss gasped and sat up, eyes wide with shock. 

"Sir, are you alright?" the stormtrooper asked. The Chiss pushed him away and got to his feet. He cursed and reached into his pocket, pulling out a comlink and thumbing it to life. It chimed as it connected.

"This is Virai. Have a death mark placed against a Tera Wen and Troy Nadir in this sector. I'll upload you their images shortly," he said and keyed off the comlink.