Archive of Our Own

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Armies of Sith Empire Shocktroopers, Eternal Empire Skytroopers, Revanite fanatics, none of them had ever phased him that much. A person didn't get to be one of the best freelance transporters in the galaxy if they were easily bothered by odds being against them or situations being grim, after all. Okay, things like Skaavik stealing his ship or Polleran and Dodonna being Imperial agents and using him as a dupe had gotten him more than a little mad, but he'd taken those as opportunities rather than burdens. Somehow finding himself leading the formation of an alliance between various groups rebelling against the Eternal Empire's control over the galaxy was taking some getting used to, but it wasn't even the most annoying thing that he was dealing with after five years of an unscheduled carbonite-induced vacation. His biggest problem was the fact that in the last five years, his crew had gotten scattered across the galaxy and he hadn't seen a trace of most of them since he'd woke up. The droid had turned up on Odessen, somehow that hadn't surprised him, and Bowdaar had been working to free slaves from fighting pits on Zakuul, that had been just like the big fellow; everyone else however, not a trace.

He honestly wasn't too surprised by Risha going black; the Princess had spent ten years hiding, planning and training before he'd come along and she'd gotten to find her royal treasure. Somehow, the thought of her going underground to wait and bide her time until the Eternal Empire was no longer a possible factor in reclaiming the Dubrillion throne for House Drayen just made sense. It was almost the same for Guss; the Force-sensitive conman wasn't a risk-taker, he was the kind to lay low and run cons on simple civilians while staying out of the way of anyone that might actually follow through with wanting to kill him. Corso, though, that was a surprise. The way the other man had a sense of right and wrong that would put some Jedi to shame, he'd almost expected to find the Mantellian leading a resistance cell against the Eternal Empire somewhere. Maybe it had been too much to hope for; after all, the Eternals had gone after the Sith Empire as much as they had the Republic and Corso had never made any secret that he never had any problems with anyone going after the Sith Empire.

Then there was the last member of his crew, the one that was causing him to think about all of this at the moment. He was on a planet that was half-full of Mandalorians - the other half of it being full of the Skytroopers they were fighting - probably thousands, maybe tens of thousands of Mandalorians and there was only one of them on his mind. There had always been something about Akaavi Spar that drew him. Maybe it was that same mixture of shattered loss - from being the last survivor of her clan - and unyielding defiance she possessed that was so familiar. Maybe it was the fact that, of all the beings that he called his crew save the Wookiee Bowdaar, Akaavi was the one he could relate to easiest; not as naive as Corso, no hidden agendas like Risha, and certainly nothing like Guss. The three of them; him, Akaavi and Bowdaar, they were survivors, warriors - one for freedom, one for vengeance, and one to remind the galaxy that it shouldn't try to screw over a being without much to lose. Maybe it was that which had brought them together; he wasn't sure he'd ever know for certain nor was he sure that it really mattered.

He'd had his eyes open since landing, hoping, almost praying and it seemed like every Mandalorian in the galaxy was there; except the one he was actually looking for. It was something that hadn't gone unnoticed by his 'hosts'.

"Looking for someone, Commander?" Mandalore The Avenger asked, folding her arms.

"Yeah, actually." The Commander's eyes narrowed slightly, "Before my unscheduled nap, a member of my crew was Mandalorian. I was hoping I'd find them here; added bonus and all."

That had Mandalore, otherwise known as Shae Vizla's attention, "What clan were they?"

"See, that's the problem," The Alliance Commander fought down the urge to put his hand on his blaster in case he needed to quick-draw it. "I don't know how well you clans went along with Imperial declarations even when you were allies. For all I know, I say the wrong thing and I find myself facing a planet's worth of Mando'ade trying to take my head."

Vizla thought for a moment, then nodded, "You have my word as Mand'alor; whatever the situation with your crewmate, if it means we can't be allies, then you'll be allowed to leave here unharmed."

"Okay, then, we'll see if that holds," The Commander relaxed only slightly. Depending on the reaction to his next words, he might end up having to shoot his way off-planet and explain to Lana why they didn't get the Mandalorians as allies. "They were a member of clan Spar."

Vizla frowned, "Clan Spar was wiped out by the Empire under claims of treason."

"For what they have in brutality, the Empire lacks in efficiency; the clan was framed and one member survived to hunt down the real traitor and make them pay for it."

The Mandalorian leader shook her head, "...I'm sorry, but if they've survived the last five years, they were unable - or unwilling - to answer the Call."

"If they're not here, they were unable. They wouldn't refuse Mand'alor's Call."

"And if they were here, what then?" The redhead raised an eyebrow, "Ask them to rejoin your crew, invite them to join your Alliance?"

The Commander smirked slightly, "Hope she's more in the mood to kiss me for coming back to her than kill me for the separation."

Vizla snorted, "You'll have to console yourself with destroying Zakuul's factory for now."