Chapter Text
War
Thunderous explosions echoed throughout the valley as the warring factions of The Galatic Republic and the Separatists Alliance fought head-on.
It was the Third year of conflict and destruction that was dubbed The Clone Wars. Clone Troopers that fought and died bravely for the Galactic Republic faced off against hordes of Battle Droids, both factions aimed to gun the other down without mercy.
Far from the battlefield, a large structure stood, smoke escaping from the tip of it. What was more noticeable was the armies of battle droids that came out. Releasing hundreds of thousands of these death machines.
"Looks like the intel was right, Sir." A Clone Trooper fitted with a pauldron over his shoulder said. His built-in binoculars on the trooper's helmet scanned the large factory off in the distance.
"Indeed, Commander." A young man in his early twenties replied. Unlike the soldiers beside him, he wore tan ropes that were dirty by mud and a build up of ash. It had been a while since Orion last took a shower and the same thing was true among his troops. Orion and his legion received word of a potential droid factory in the area. They suspected this to be the case due to the droid’s increasing numbers and now it was up to the team of twenty, including Orion, to shut down this droid-making factory.
"I'll inform the ground forces to hold off the Separatist forces while we do our job and scrap some droids!" Orion declared confidently, patted his comrade as he rose from his spot to do just that in the tents that were set up the day before.
Suddenly, the Commander's comms blared out, drawing his attention as he took out his Holo communication. The device immediately projected a figure, his head hidden by the hood that was black as night.
"Commander Pax... Execute Order 66."
The clone froze at the new orders. The time had finally come, the Jedi Knights weren't no longer allies of the Republic, but traitors that needed to be put down at once. The Commander stood straight with an eerily manner like a droid. Without any sense of emotion.
"It'll be done, my lord," Pax answered as the cloaked figure cut the transmission. The clone turned to the direction of where his now-former general had left. It had to be done. After all, good soldiers followed orders.
As the Clone Commander approached, Orion stumbled back and shook his head. The Jedi Knight rubbed his forehead to easy the sudden headache, but while he did, he felt it. A massive shift in the Force, but within it was death, loss and fear. Something big was happening across the galaxy and yet, he didn't-
Click.
Orion turned toward the notice only to spot Pax, his blaster raised at him! "Commander?" Orion called out to the clone who was dead silent. The Knight’s hand hovered over his metal hilt as he stared at his commander.
A single blaster was fired followed by a loud thud. Shortly after a fury of blaster fire erupted until silence drowned the camp once more.
___________________
It was very early in the mining world that was Nag Ubdur. The planet's sun had barely broken through the horizon. A land transport left the merchant city of Binji-Tin and straight towards the mines that were many miles away. Luckily, the transport was more than fast enough to get there in no time. The workers sat on an open cart, the wild wind blowing as the transport continued approaching the mines.
Among the many miners that sat and chatted with each other was a young man in his mid to late twenties. He silently waited for their arrival to work. The man wore dark pants, his upper uniform was a dirty tan jumpsuit fitted with two brown stripes wrapped from each shoulder, down to the hips that held small leather tool pouches, and both his hands were covered by brown leathered gloves.
The man's brunette hair was messy, it flew all around thanks to the rush of wind. His blue orbs gazed ahead, they weren't that far from their destinations. In little time, crowds of Ubdurians, humans, and many other diverse species exited the public transport with mining tools at hand.
"Alright, boys. I've been given commissions by the Imperials to export at least 150,000 tons of Zersium from these mines by the end of this month. Now get to work!" The hundreds of miners began to head straight to the caves after the small briefing. The man strolled through the dark catacombs, passing support beams, lamps, and rocks as well as other workers. He finally made it to his designated tunnel with a small sigh.
"Ah! Good morning, Pax!" Two Ubdurian miners called out to him from behind in their native language. The man, known as Pax waved back at them. "Mornin' Dalos! Mornin' Anton!" Pax greeted the pair of Ubdurians as they stretched in preparation for what was ahead.
"Hey, Pax! Ready to get covered in my dust?" Anton chuckled while Pax managed to chip off a chuck of rock from his tunnel, spotting a vine of Zersium.
"You better mean that cuz I won’t go easy on you." Pax laughed as he placed a respirator that covered his nose and mouth along with goggles to shield his eyes.
"Just another long day." The man sighed to himself before hammering down on the Zersium and more to come for the rest of the day.
___________________
The glare of the sun forced Pax to cover his eyes as a painstaking irritation erupted from his head while his orbs began to adjust to the sudden difference of light. His uniform was drenched with sweat, dust sticking from head to toe. Pax felt like he could collapse at any moment as he ripped off the respirator from his face. He wiped off the sweat as best as he could and went towards a gathering of workers.
Many lines were formed as each worker received their credits through repurposed Gonk droids after swiping their ID tags. After collecting his pay, a shadow blocked the sun causing him to glare up at an imperial flag with the emblem of the Galactic Empire plastered on it. He looked at it with a bitter stare before moving on.
"Move along." Stormtroopers directed the workers onto the transports back to Binji-Tin. Patrols of troopers guarded the mines and most importantly, the vast raw ores of Zersium that were currently being loaded onto Imperial Transports that were leaving off-world.
"Hmm. Wonder how much Zersium do they really need to make Durasteel?" Pax wondered while Dalos overheard his friend's comment.
"Probably for a new fleet of Destroyers or something else. The Empire does have a galaxy to govern." Dalos shot his best guess with a shrug while Pax shook his head before the two would enter the public transport back to the city.
"Binji-Tin"
Both Pax and Dalos parted ways as Pax strolled through the alleys and crescents of the massive merchant city. He passed by many Patrons, most were Ubdurians, some were human, and others were neither.
Eventually, he entered a lot filled with parked speeders. Pax dug out his keys from his pocket and approached a 74-Z Speeder bike.
It wasn't brand new by any standard, but it served him well. Pax quickly hopped on the leather seat of the bike, placed goggles on over his eyes, and inserted his key. The engine roared as he sped off through the road. The wind smacked his face as he maneuvered passed other speeders and vehicles alike.
He made one final turn before coming to a halt in front of a small hunt. He shut the speeder off, yanked his keys out, and walked up to the front door. Pax click several digits on a keypad causing the door to slide open.
The miner entered the tiny household, his bed was to the right against the wall. Down the small hall leading to the kitchen and bathroom. Of course, there was a table to the man's right. It wasn't cramped or spacious, but it was comfy and just silent. He stood in the middle of the room, alone. He simply sighed before shutting the door behind him.
Night fell onto the streets of the merchant city of Binji-Tin which were filled with crowds, and speeders passing over them. Small critters crawled around the ground, scouring for food of any kind. This was the far edge of the city which wasn't much compared to the city's center. Within a small stone hut among many, Pax lay on his bed, twisting and turning underneath his bedsheets. He had also been plagued with a cold sweat.
"No... I'm sorry... Stop!" Pax jumped up from his cushion before realizing his surroundings. Despite this, his breathing was fast, too fast. He quickly lunged out of bed and moved away some small furniture with little care.
Behind it was a secret compartment in the walls, Pax pressed the digits to the small keypad in a hurry. The metallic shelf opened wide, dropping two items. A round metal disc and a silver hilt. The disc was an average handheld holo device while the other items looked to be a strange tools. The hilt was straight. The lower part had a black leather handgrip along with a flat switch right above it.
Pax paid no mind to the hilt and grabbed the holo device off the floor. His erratic breathing continued as he pressed the center of the small device that let out a chime
A hologram appeared, there was a man with light tan ropes wrapped in a brown cloak. He had a sad, yet calm and composed expression. "This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic have fallen." The message began, Pax's eyes were closed shut as he listened to the recording.
"With the dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place. This message is a warning and reminder for any surviving Jedi." He reopened his eyes now focused on the metal hilt that lay under him. He noticed the dust that had been collected by it, he gazed at it with fondness before placing it back, safe and hidden.
"Trust in the Force. Do not return to the temple, that time has passed. And our future is uncertain. We will each be challenged, our trust, our faith, our friendships." Pax's breathing began to slow down and his composure returned.
"But we must persevere. And in time, a new hope will emerge. May the Force be with you. Always." Kenobi gave a small smile of hopefulness before the hologram faded back into the holo device.
Pax leaned against the wall, whipping away at the sweat on his forehead as a huff of frustration left his breath."Blast it. Get yourself together, Orion." He cursed to himself.
Four long years had passed since that day and yet, he could still hear the screams, the pain, and the one thing that he'd hoped would just go away but hadn't. The fear- no. His fear remained.
"Moon of Jedha"
The streets were silent, the cold night had fallen upon Jedha. Street lamps lit the narrow paths of the city, critters roaming in the shadows. Suddenly, two hooded figures ran through the streets in a hurry from something or someone. The shipping port was on the other end of the street from where they were. The two ran as fast as possible until out of nowhere, a crimson bolt of energy struck one of the fleeing figures by the shoulder, causing them to fall.
The fall unhooded them to reveal a female Twi'Lek. Her skin was bright red and Lekkus were revealed. "Mother!" The other hooded one screamed, turning to help her mother up. They removed their hood as well; it was a young girl. She looked to be around the age of a teenager. She had beige skin, bright red locks of hair instead of Lekkus, and a pair of hazel green eyes like her father.
It wasn't long before flashing bright lights approached the two. "They're over there!" Two pairs of Purge Troopers ran towards the mother and daughter with blasters at hand. Their jet-black armor made them barely visible until they came closer. Their intimidating presence was enough to make the girl freeze in fear.
"R-Run, Mirae. You must get to the s-ship." The mother weakly uttered, the burning pain was too much to bear. The troopers ran up to them, their blasters raised at the two. "Hands up!" Two troopers pointed their weapons, keeping the teen at bay as another trooper pulled out cuffs.
The fourth Purge Trooper went off to the side on their comms. The girl held her mother protectively, trying her best to not show her fear."We have the girl." He spoke through his comm-Link, waiting for a response. "And the mother?" He waited once more before getting his orders.
"Understood, Sir."
He caught his fellow trooper's attention with a nod. "Take the girl to the Twelfth Brother, get rid of her." He gestured to the mother with his rifle, his comrades began to separate the daughter and mother.
"No! Leave us alone!" Mirae shouted as she struggled to break free from her captors that continued dragging the teen away from her mother.
Before things got worse, one of the four troopers was blown away by a blaster bolt. The remaining three were immediately alarmed, dragging both Mirae and her mother towards cover. Bolts of energy flew all around them as they quickly took refuge in a narrow gap between two buildings.
"Call for backup!" The lead trooper ordered as he fired back at their unknown attackers while one of the three troopers struggled to hold down Mirae who tried freeing herself from his grip. The armored trooper that restrained Mirae's mother called for help through his commlink.
Until a loud shot was fired from the other end of the narrow space they were taking cover in. The trooper holding Mirae's mother was shot in the head, releasing the Twi'Lek as he fell with a loud thud.
The Purge Trooper firing turned around and panicked. "Blast it! They've out flaked us-Gah!" It wasn't long before the last two troopers were shot down. The shooting came to a stop as groups of masked men with robes came to the recently captured hostages and broke their cuffs.
"The Guardian of the Whills! Thank goodness!" Mirae cried with relief as they were helped back to their feet. Before any words were exchanged, the sound of incoming troopers caught their ears.
"Get outta here, Sylea. Take your daughter to the port and get off the planet. We'll hold them off." Monk Rhugo, a close friend of the family of two and one of the heads of the Whill’s gestured the two forwards to the opposite end of the street.
"What about all of you?" Sylea asked as blaster fire erupted once more on the other side of the street, troopers making their way to them.
"There's no time, go!" Rhugo shouted at the two which they did with reluctance. However, Sylea's injuries made it difficult to run even with her daughter's aid.
The firefight continued as Guardians began to drop in numbers while reinforcements for the enemy arrived. Two large squads of Purge Troopers came with a dark figure among them.
His uniform was mostly black like his troopers, the crest of the Empire embedded onto both shoulder plates that kept his raven cape steady. The figure was a member of the Sakiyan species, but what was more noticeable to him were his unnatural yellow bloodshot eyes.
He walked through the streets, unfazed by the blaster fire zooming passed him. Several troopers that took cover turned to the dark figure, awaiting any further order.
"Don't let them escape." A loud cackle followed by a crimson blade appeared from a hilt he held.
Not a single bolt landed as the shots from the Whills were deflected back at them with precise maneuvering by this evil figure. He cut them down like cattle as he advanced. Sylea knew that their time was running very short.
"We have to hurry! They won't hold out for long!" Mirae continued helping her mother as fast as she could without making her injuries worse. The ship was just right ahead of them.
Despite, the Guardian's best efforts, they started getting overwhelmed by the imperial force. This left a wide opening on the two as a bolt aiming for Mirae flew through the air.
Sylea acted quickly, lunging herself at her daughter and taking the shot to the chest. In an instant, Sylea collapsed to the ground.
"Mom!" The whole galaxy seem to pause for Mirae as she saw steam erupting from her mother's chest. Without hesitation, Mirae rushed to her mother's aid.
"T-There's no time... g-go... please, my daughter. I-I love you." Sylea managed to utter, she could feel herself passing, there was nothing either of them could do.
“I’m sorry for everything, Mirae.” Tears form from her eyes, the teen could feel the warmth draining from her mother. But her grip tightened firmly. She wouldn’t accept this!
"No! We can make it! I'll carry you if I have to!" Mirae tried batching up the wound with Med Batches in her pouch. Her hands shook frantically, desperate to save her mother regardless of the low odds of survival.
"L-Listen, Mirae!" Sylea gripped her daughter's hands, stopping Mirae's futile efforts to save her life.
”Mom! Stop it!” The teen shouted between sobs, but stopped as her mother’s hold held her back.
"T-there's nothing you can do but run. Once you get to the ship... set course for the Ubdur System. M-My informant says someone will help you on Nag Ubdur." Mirae tried to go argue, but her mother continued regardless. Sylea then dropped two items along with a small blaster onto her daughter's hands. A data drive of some kind and a locator.
"His name is... Orion Al'Taris..."
Those were the last words she uttered before taking her final breath, a tear left the young girl. Unfortunately, Mirae didn't have the luxury of mourning her loss as time was of the essence. She glanced at the cargo ship dead ahead and made a run for it before taking one final look at her mother's face.
The firefight began to die down, The guardians had suffered heavy losses and started retreating much to the Twelfth Brother's pleasure. He could feel all their fear as they ran into the dark alleys of the city. All that was left was his prey.
"Twelfth Brother. We captured one of the insurgents, Sir." The commanding Purge Trooper reported as the ruby blade withdrew into the hilt and clipped it to his belt.
"Good. What of our targets?" The Inquisitor asked the black armored clone.
"The mother is dead." The Purge Trooper informed the inquisitors who gently stroked his chin.
"And the girl?" He inquired.
As if right on cue, the outburst of an engine echoed through the streets. They all looked up to see an automatic cargo transport shoot up into the clouds, leaving the plant's atmosphere as the 12th Brother gridded his teeth before glancing at his prisoner.
Two troopers restrained the man, his face bloody and beaten yet remained defiant when faced with the Inquisitor who reignited his saber.
"Where is she headed?" The dark-side user hovered his blood-red blade near Rhugo’s neck. Its crimson light illuminated his face.
"I don't know. Even if I did, I'd tell you to go kiss a Womp Rat!" He cursed at the Inquisitor before spitting on his face. The 12th Brother sensed that the man in front of him told no lie before calmly wiping away the saliva off his pale raven skin with a look of disgust.
"So be it."
He immediately sliced the man's head off with his blade and the body crumbled to the ground. The Inquisitor looked on with a sadistic grin on his lips. "Twelfth Brother. What about the Guardians of the Whills?" A Purge Trooper question the dark acolyte as his red blade retracted back into his saber.
"Leave them! Have the stationed garrison deal with those religious fools! I still have my pray to catch. Prepare my ship, she will not escape me a second time." The 12th Brother looked on at the sky where the cargo transport had left before heading to his ship.
The ship rattled as it left Jedha and soon, only the emptiness of space was seen. Mirae sat against the wall, the blaster lay in her palms. Mirae's eyes stared at it will little to no emotion.
Tears struck out of her orbs as she slowly pointed the weapon at her head. Her hands began to shake as her index finger hovered over the trigger.
Mirae took one last breath before she paused and scanned her surroundings. There was no one, yet Mirae sensed something or someone nearby. A sensation like she's never felt before erupted, like being wrapped in a warm blanket. Mirae couldn't understand what this feeling was until a voice spoke out to her.
"Don't... You must live.”
The voice. It was deep and modulated like a droid, but calm and soothing.
“Find Orion Al'Taris..."
Another voice whispered, but it was the voice of a woman but just as tranquil as the last voice, albeit warmer. Mirae’s hand began shifting away from her head. More tears fell off her cheeks as the grip on her weapon faltered."I-I'm sorry, Mom..." She sobbed, dropping the blaster onto the floor. Instantly regretting what she was attempting to do.
Mirae wiped away her tears as she gazed at the small window across from her, the ship was still in hyperspace. It'll take a while more arriving to Nah Ubder, but she'd wait. Now one goal remained in the young girl's mind. Find whoever this Orion Al'Taris is and survive. She would see this through to the end, if not for herself, it would be for her mother's sacrifice.
"Nag Ubdur"
It was another long day at the mines, Orion and his fellow miners, Dalos and Anton were stationed much closer to the mine's entrance this time.
"Man! I can't believe we're starting a completely new shaft!" Anton huffed from annoyance as he brought down his pix axe before wiping his forehead of sweat. "Could've at least given us a heads up." Anton whinnied irritability.
"It's what the boss wants." Dalos sighed. "The Empire's been pushing for more Zersium from this sector these days. For what reason, I don't know or care. As long as I'm getting paid for my labor is all that matters." Dalos said with little care, chipping off another slab of stone with his drill.
"Man, are credits all you think about?" Anton laughed at his fellow Ubdurian's desire for a shiny coin.
"Hey! Who doesn't love credits? The pay is decent but good enough for me. Hey, what'd ya think about this whole thing, Pax?" The two turned towards their human friend who had just been listening to the conversation while mining away.
"Eh, whether we're in the mines or doing something else, in the end... we're still digging." Orion wiped away the sweat that had built up on his forehead with his sleeve.
"Ha! True. Very true, my friend." Dalos chuckled at the blunt truth to their situation. Suddenly, a fellow miner ran passed them and then another much to their confusion.
"Why are you running?" Orion asked his coworker who ignored him as both Dalos and Anton shrugged at him. Without warning, cries and screams were heard throughout the catacombs which alarmed the group.
"The hell? You hear that?" Dalos asked before his eyes widened and shoved Anton away as an unknown assailant swung a two-handed axe at him. Fortunately, he only managed to hit the air as the group backed away from the attacker. Orion acted quickly, grabbing the handle of the weapon before he and their assailant struggled with control, ramming each other onto the walls of the tunnels.
The attacker managed to shove Orion to the ground, but before he could swing his axe down, Anton slammed his pix axe onto the thug's head. The assailant dropped onto Orion to their relief.
"He's heavy! Help!" Orion struggled to lift the attacker. Orion got a better look at their unconscious aggressor, he was a Weequey and pretty bulky considering his species.
"Oh shoot!"
"Sorry, Pax!"
The two Ubdurians rolled the Weequey off of their colleague as Orion lifted himself off the stone floor. "Who the hell is this guy? What's going on?" Anton's mouth rushed with unanswered questions while shouts and cries echoed from the surface.
"He must be a pirate. A gang might be here to steal the Zersium from here." Orion guessed the thug's objective. After all, that was the only resource of interest in this system.
Dalos walked up to the unconscious Weequey and grabs his weapon off the ground. "Come on! We have to help." Dalos marched off towards the exit of their tunnel but was quickly stopped by Anton.
"Hold it, you idiot! Do you even have a plan?" Anton scolded his coworkers recklessly as Orion caught up with them.
"Anton's right! We can't just rush out of the tunnels. We need a solid plan." Orion chimed in, he couldn't let Dalos do any too rash, especially in a situation like this.
"Oh, of course, I have a plan! There's should be an emergency beacon in the boss's office. We have to turn it on without getting spotted." Dalos explained as they made it to the entrance of their shaft. From there, the group saw many workers lined up with their hands held above their heads.
The pirates had already taken control of the surface and had already begun stealing as much Zersium as possible while the workers could only watch helplessly. The trio dashed out of the tunnel's entrance and hid behind some crates.
Luckily for them, most of the pirates were either loading up the raw ores of Zersium onto their vehicles or keeping watch of their captured hostages. "Look over there!" Dalos whispered to the group, pointing at their employer's office that was across from them.
"Alright let's go!" Anton grabbed the back of his friends collar, pulling Dalos back. He was about to snarl back at Anton who pressed his hand over Dalos's mouth. Right on cue, two patrolling pirates walked by, ignorant of the group's presence. Anton gave his coworker an irrigated scoel which Orion kept a close eye on the raiders ahead. The two thugs approached a fellow compatriot of theirs.
"Keep checking the mines, there could be workers in the catacombs, we have to keep them in check. The last thing we need are imperials coming here." The third pirate ordered as they entered the mines, leaving a clear path to the office.
The group sprinted across the road and stopped right in front of the blast door. Dalos quickly ran up to the key pad and entered his code, only for it to decline access. "Blast it. Our worker codes won't work on this pad!" Dalos turned to Anton who shrugged, but Orion stepped forward.
"I know how to bypass the lock! Just keep a lookout will ya." The two Ubdurians nodded as they split up to different corners, surveying their spots. The man glanced at his colleagues, ensuring that they weren't going to witness what he was about to do. Orion waving his hand above the key pad. In an instant, the blast door was unlock.
The three rushed inside the office, the place looked messy as if a brawl occurred. The group began to inspect the room, searching for their beacon of hope, literally.
They search through the bookshelves, the cabinets, until all that was left was the desk. Anton walked over to the desk to check for the alarm. Anton was under the desk while Orion and Dalos continued searching elsewhere, but the loud click of a blaster caught their ears.
"Now what do we have here?" A pirate exclaimed with a hiss, he was a Trandoshan. The green scaled thug peered with his lizard like eyes, towering over the miners with his heavy blaster at his large three fingered claw. The raider pointed his rifle at Dalos, gesturing him to drop the two-handed axe.
Dalos raised his arms with a fearful gaze. "Please... We're just miners." The Ubderian pleaded, but the scaled thug only raised his blaster forward as Orion quickly stood in front of his coworker. "Listen, take what you want, just don't harm us." Orion calmly requested.
"Shut it! I'm thinking what I should do with you two." The Trandoshan let out another reptilian snarl, displaying his rows of sharp teeth. The miners were relieved that Anton was left undiscovered, so the two would buy him some time.
Another snarl dragged their attention back at the Trandoshen."Hmm. I think I'd like some target practice." He chuckled as he pressed his weapon forward until a blaring alarm erupted the entire mine, the room now covered in flashing red light.
The alarm distracted the Trandoshan momentarily, but gave Orion the opportunity to strike. He did a wide kick that knocked the blaster out of the pirate's grip before following up with another to the abdomen.
"Guys! Run!" Orion glanced back at the green scaled thug who was caught off guard before regaining his composure and swung his long thin arms at the miner. Orion swiftly dodged any attempts at hitting his body until he countered with his fist while Dalos focused on the blaster that laid on the floor.
The Trandoshan tried to strike back, but his fist was caught by Orion's left hand with easy. "Hmm, a cybernetic hand." He examined Orion's hand, before grabbing his forearm and threw him across the room, hitting his back on the wall before slamming onto the floor.
A blaster bolt flew across the room and it the wall, nearly hitting the scaled pirate. It was Dalos, who wasn't that good of a shot, but persisted with another bolt. However the pirate let out a roar, charging at the Ubdurian, evading another bolt of energy before punching Dalos in the gut.
The Ubdurian fell to the ground in pain, dropping the rifle. "Hehe. Nice try." The reptilian plucked his weapon off the floor as Anton rushed out with the axe at hand. Unfortunately, he was evaded and the pirate smashed the bud of his rifle to his forehead.
Anton curled on the floor, before being kicked away by the thug. Dalos was about to rush the pirate again before the barrel was pointed right at him. Everyone but the Trandoshan paused, Orion looked on as Dalos shielded himself with his arms.
In that split moment, time seemed to freeze for Orion as the thug's finger began to press over the trigger. Orion instinctively extended his hand toward the pirate, he was going to use it. His eye focused on the pirate, he could feel the power flowing through his body. It was about to be unleashed until he saw his hands covered with blood and the cries of children echoed all around him. In the last second, he pulled his hand back, surprising himself in the process.
A loud shot echoed the room as a burn mark was embedded in Dalos chest. Anton let out a helpless cry. "Dalos! No!" A thin stripe of steam arose as Dalos struggled to breath, his footing got weaker as he crashed into the ground.
Anton came to his friend as the pirate prepared for another shot with the intent to kill all three of them. But was stopped at the very last moment by another bolt of energy. Imperial Storm Troopers appeared from the entrance of the office, still on guard for more hostiles, but only found Orion and Anton.
Anton raised his hands, signifying that he wasn't a threat."Don't shoot! We're miners! We turned on the beacon, our friend is injured! Help, please us!" The two troopers glanced at each other before decided to help the group. They inspected the wound and checked for a pulse, but felt nothing. "He's gone." Time once again seemed endless for Orion, his shaking hand covering his ears. Anton could only curse in frustration as a small tear left his eye.
Outside, serveral squads of Imperial Troopers overwhelmed the pirates, taking some prisoners while others... not so much. Orion look deeply at Dalos's lifeless eyes. The world around him was in an unnerving silence, only a painstaking ringing could be heard until a harsh grip on his shoulder was felt. "Sir, are you injured?"
Orion snapped out of his thoughts and glanced at the Storm Trooper in front of him before answering the soldier."No... I'm alright..." The trooper nodded and joined his comrades in securing the mines. Anton had placed his jacket over Dalos with his head down, silently mourning. Orion looked on at the sight, but could only think of one question before gazing at his trembling hands.
'Why?'
The ride back was the most silent it had ever been for him. The mood hadn't changed in the slightest, small critters ran off as Orion approached the metal blast door. He tiredly entered his home and dropped his leather straps without care. The incident had halted his travel back and as a result, the sun had already set hours ago.
Orion came up to the table at the other side of the room, adjacent to his bed. His hands curled up into a fist before he finally let out a shout of rage mixed with sorrow.
He shoved everything off the table, loud thuds and clacks filled the room for a short moment. Until Orion flipped the table over with only his left arm easily. His breathing was ragged. How could he?! He refused to save an innocent life! Was this his life now?! Is this how he'll live out to be?! A coward.
This outburst of rage finally decided to cool down as his fist relaxed. Orion pressed his back against the stone wall and sliding his back down till he hit the floor. Four years of loneliness have worn him down and now, he can't even protect the defenseless. Those he swore to protect.
'How long do I have to put up with this...' Orion had a defeated look as he stared onto the ground with plain eyes, void of any emotion. His knees were tucked and he had his arms crossed above them. He sat there in silence as that was the only thing he had come to know. He was just tired, his orbs slowly closed until all he saw was darkness.
His eyes immediately shot wide open, his door was rattling with banging and thumps. 'Great. Another drunk bastard.' Orion picked himself up and prepared to yell out whoever was causing such nonsense. He irritably pressed several buttons before the blast door opened. Orion was about to raise his voice before actually taking a look at the person in front of him.
The mysterious figure unravel their hood, it was a young girl with freckles that crossed her nose and bright scarlet locks of hair. What stood out the most to Orion was the determination in her gaze. She only had to utter one name that caught his attention right away.
"Are you... Orion? Orion Al'Taris?"
|To Be Continued|
Next Chapter: The Runaway