Chapter 18
The space around Nar Kanji is absent of activity, save for the sudden appearance of the Shadow Redeemer and two support vessels as they drop from hyperspace. The remainder of the fleet remains in a holding pattern not far away, close enough to assist after a short hyperspace jump should the need arise. Anhiel stands confidently on the bridge of the flagship, gazing out the front panels at the nearby planet. A metal-on-metal sound vibrates in the nearby area as the plates covering the woman’s forearms and hands rub against the plates of her back when her arms are folded behind her. The Commander approaches, quietly waiting a couple meters away before addressing her. “Ma’am, no signs of activity detected upon our arrival. Captain Jov’aine has indicated his men are prepared to depart on your command.” The Admiral exhales deeply before turning towards the older man, “Thank you, Commander. I leave the fleet in your command while I am away.” The Commander salutes, but has a quizzical look. Anhiel looks at him impatiently waiting for him to voice his concerns, “Ma’am, I thought General Rend and Commander Sun were remaining. Would they not be in command?” Again, the Admiral sighs, mild irritation apparent on her face but its source is not the man before her. As she turns away she responds flatly “I sense they do not intend to do as they are told in this case.” The hint of a smile crosses her lips as she departs the bridge. The thought of Rend and Sun being stubborn was equal parts irritating and praise worthy. It showed they were developing resolve, something they would need much more of in the days to come. Anhiel’s footsteps echo loudly through the metal hallways as she makes her way to the hangar.
In the hangar, a ramp slowly descends allowing Mirr to step into the entrance of his X-70b. In the main lounge there are remnants of luxury in disrepair all around, a sentiment to times past. Mirr steps towards the back of the ship where a moderately sized room is located. The center table is scarred, evidence of many objects being tossed about its surface. After stepping inside the room he immediately turns towards the wall that holds the door. Mirr rubs the wall with his left hand towards the corner and finds a loose tile, underneath the tile is a manual button. Pressing the release opens a section of the wall tiles, Mirr pulls the tiles off in a single sheet and places it in the corner of the room where he is standing. Hidden behind the tiles is a rack frame, which the Mandalorian gives a slight tug causing the rack to roll out, exposing a plethora of different weapons. Mirr slowly scans the rack as he typically does when in need of specific weapons. First, he grabs his beskar sword and attaches it to himself. Next, he selects his long range bolt repeating rifle and places it behind him on the table. His final pieces are some thermal detonators and compression gas cartridges for his flamethrower. Mirr returns the rack to its fixed position and replaces the tile panel. Turning to grab his rifle he catches a glimpse of an old friend from long ago. Along the opposite corner of the room, slumped down, sits Mirrs droid, an HK-40 model, beaten and battered from the carnage it had witnessed from a not so distant past. Mirr steps to it and places his hand on its mechanical head, touching the life ending blaster bolt hole, “One day my friend. One day we shall see glorious combat together again.” After several moments Mirr rises and departs the ship, closing the ramp behind him. On the far side of the hangar stands a platoon of commandos, arranged in a neat formation with Captain Jov’aine at the front as he delivers the details of the mission. Several meters away stands Rend, Sun, Athin and Joash in their customary robes as they talk quietly. Mirr makes his way towards the group of Jedi while the door to the hangar slides open, revealing the Admiral who also makes her way to the small group. The Mandalorian and Anhiel arrive at the same time. Mirr remains quiet as Anhiel looks over everyone, her eyes resting on Rend and Sun as she speaks flatly “I thought I said you both were to remain here?” Sheepish looks form on the pair and Sun is the first to respond, “We wish to help, Grandmaster. And my technical skills will be of use in salvaging what we can.” The Admiral’s expression is unimpressed as her eyes glance down to the younger woman’s hip, noting the lightsaber clipped to her belt which elicits a mild “Hmm”. After several moments, Anhiel relents “Very well. Sun and Mirr will be with me. The rest of you will be with the main force.” The statement elicited various confused looks as she continued, “There will likely be resistance. Your job will be to secure the site while we identify key salvage and bring in the salvage team.” She beckons to a group of people by a nearby shuttle. “It would be foolish to bring them at the start when we do not know exactly what resistance we will meet.” Without waiting for confirmation or other questions, Anhiel moves away while waving her left hand slightly, indicating Mirr and Sun should follow her.
Four shuttles lift off from the deck. Two contain the bulk of the platoon, including Captain Jov’aine, Athin, Joash and Rend. One carries Anhiel, Sun, Mirr and a handful of elite commandos. The final shuttle carries the salvage team, which splits off from the group and enters an orbital pattern above the target site. As they approach the surface, a comm link initiates allowing the Captain’s voice to come through clearly, “Admiral, there appears to be a bandit force closer to the crash site than we expected. Estimated number is half of our own. The next settlement is two klicks away.” Anhiel contemplates the information before responding, “It appears that despite their ability to salvage much of the materials, maintaining control is a significant status symbol. Continue as planned. We will put down behind them and secure the inside of the wreck. If they fire on you, you are authorized to neutralize them. Secure the perimeter and prepare for follow up attacks.” Captain Jov’aine acknowledges the orders before the link is cut. Sun looks towards the Admiral nervously, “I thought the wreck was deserted?” Anhiel leans back, closing her eyes before responding in an airy tone “I told you to remain with the fleet. Don’t tell me you are second guessing your choice?” Sun shakes her head rapidly as Mirr offers a mild chuckle. The shuttle shakes as a nearby explosion rocks it, alarming Sun while the commandos, Mirr and Anhiel appear to be unperturbed. From the cockpit comes the pilot's voice, “We will be on the ground in sixty.” The sounds of weapons cycling fills the shuttle while Anhiel rises, sabers floating from her hips as she addresses the young Padawan, “Let’s see if you are ready for the burden of carrying a lightsaber.” The doors to the shuttle open, revealing flashes of blaster bolts which illuminate the rocky landscape. Anhiel exits first, deflecting a stray bolt before dashing into the gloom, leaving only the purple glow of her sabers visible. Mirr and the commandos follow suit, sending controlled shots into the darkness as they follow the Jedi Master. Sun grips the saber hilt she recently repaired, looking over it for several moments before she finds her resolve once more. The blade ignites, filling the shuttle with its deep green light before she leaps from the ship. Sun finds Anhiel, Mirr and the rest of the Commandos at an exposed door to the massive ship which was already opened. Quietly, Anhiel says “I sense multiple lifeforms inside. Be on your guard.” With that, she enters the dark ship, followed by Mirr. The few commandos beckon for Sun to follow before they enter, walking backwards to watch the entrance.
Outside the ship, the bulk of the platoon as well as the three Jedi exit their shuttles under heavy fire. Joash grumbles as they grab cover, “So much for unorganized bandits.” He glances over the cover, squinting to attempt to see their enemy in the darkness. Captain Jov’aine calls out, “The Admiral and her team have entered the ship, no one has pursued yet but she states there are people inside. General, I recommend we apply some pressure before they realize and send reinforcements to the ship.” Rend looks over and nods gently, “We will follow your lead, Captain.” Jov’aine turns quickly and barks, “Where is that heavy repeater? Lay down some covering fire so the Jedi may move up the flank.” Several sabers ignite, casting various shades of blue and gold in the area as the trio prepares themselves. Joash takes point, stepping into the open and darting forward, batting away the stray bolts that come his way. From their original position, a heavy onslaught of bolts erupts from the large repeating cannon that has been mounted. Joash runs for several dozen meters before leaping behind an outcropping, landing near an enemy who moves their blaster in his direction. The weapon is cut in two before the large blue saber is thrust through his chest. Rend and Athin appear just behind him as Joash growls while pulling his saber out of the fallen enemy, “Mandalorians…”
Inside the crashed ship, the squad moves quietly through the dark hallways, Anhiel in front with her sabers lit. As they approach a corner, a pair of armored enemies leap from cover and level their weapons. Before the shots could ring out, Anhiel dashes forward with inhuman speed, relieving their heads from their bodies. She glances down at the armored helmets, noting the similarity to Mirr’s. Her eyes lift up towards the Mandarlorian, “Friends of yours?” Mirr grunts lightly, “No. But the story will need to wait for another time.” Anhiel nods gently before looking down one of the hallways. “Sun, take Mirr and the commandos towards the bridge and find out how much fuel remains. I will go this way.” She departs without waiting for confirmation, disappearing into the darkness of the long hallways. Mirr moves in the opposite direction, his repeating rifle held at the ready, “The leaders will likely be on the bridge.” Sun nods, holding up her saber as she follows, flanked by the commandos.
Anhiel makes her way through the various hallways, encountering sporadically placed Mandorlians as she does. Each falls with more ease than she had anticipated. “It appears that they still do not know we are inside.” she thought to herself as she stepped around a corner, driving her right saber into the chest of another unsuspecting enemy. They fall, unceremoniously as she steps over the lifeless corpse, stopping at an ornate door. The Jedi Master inspects the door while trying to key it open. It does not respond despite the control panel having power after all this time. Irritatedly, she drives a saber deep into the door, coming into contact with the locking mechanism which melts upon contact with the blade. The door slides open, dripping molten metal onto the ground as it does. Anhiel steps inside, sensing the residual darkness of the previous resident in the atmosphere. Cautiously she walks around the quarters, coming to a stop in front of a bare metal wall. She reaches up a hand and places it on a nondescript patch of wall and presses gently. It buckles under the gentle pressure, rewarding her with a loud click before the wall pulls back and slides to the side. What is revealed is a black suit made of thousands of small metal plates no more than a square centimeter a piece, which sparkle in the dim light. Around the suit is draped a black robe fashioned from extremely elegant fibers, giving a lightness not typically seen in a standard Jedi’s robes. At the top of the stand rests a mask formed from the same small metal pieces that would cover someone's face from the bridge of their nose and down. Her com beeps as she looks over the outfit and she keys it on. Captain Jov’aine’s voice comes through with the sound of fading combat in the background. “Admiral, we have secured a footing around the vessel and it appears the enemy is falling back. Shall I call for the salvage team?” Her voice is even as she responds “Well done, Captain. The team is moving to secure the reminder of the enemy at the Bridge. Signal the salvage team to begin their descent but keep your eyes peeled.” As the link cuts, Anhiel removes the outfit from its stand and folds it up nicely, placing it in a pack that was hidden under her robes before she departs the room and heads in the direction of the bridge.
Just outside the bridge, a Mandlorian struggles as Mirr wraps an arm around his neck from behind and drives his Beskar knife into his back. The struggle continues for several seconds before he falls still and Mirr allows the lifeless body to fall to the floor. He kneels down, looking towards Sun and the commandos. Sun closes her eyes and strains her senses to sense what is just beyond the door. She exhales deeply before speaking, “I sense maybe a dozen life forms. But I am not very good at this yet so I cannot be sure.” Mirr nods to the handful of commandos as he pulls two thermal detonators from his belt. The highest ranking of the group returns the nod, acknowledging the statement that went unsaid before he reaches up and keys the door open. As the door was halfway open, Mirr activated the detonators and lobbed them into the room, one on each side. The blast was deafening, shocking Sun while her comrades entered the bridge and began to open fire. Sun’s assessment was not too far off, fourteen Mandolorians were on the bridge, five of which went down by the detonators. Despite being outnumbered by nearly a factor of two, Anhiel’s forces pressed onward, grabbing optimal cover just inside the room and taking controlled shots on the enemy, dropping two more. Mirr pulled the gas cartridges from his belt, slotting one into the flamethrower he unholstered from its place on his lower back. Popping up, he enveloped two Mandolorians that were pushing up in an attempt to flank the small force. At the same time, a concussion grenade bounced just behind their position and the force of the explosion knocked three of the commandos down, leaving only Mirr and two others in their position. Sun sat just outside the room, shocked by the ferocity and proximity of the combat when a familiar sensation touched her mind with a whisper, “That weapon is not an ornament.” The conviction in the Grandmaster’s words carried a tangible weight even through their remoteness. Sun grips the hilt tightly as she stands, igniting the blade before stepping into the room. A blaster bolt catches her by surprise but she narrowly bats it away. The commandos hit by the concussion grenade slowly stir but remain severely incapacitated. Mirr takes pot shots at the five remaining enemies, dropping one as they lean out of cover. A pair rushes Sun with short blades and she drops into the base form of Shii-Cho, deflecting the first strike and sidestepping the second before she slashed the second enemy across their back. Their armor absorbs most of the blow, but the blade still plunges into their flesh, causing them to drop unconscious. Without thinking, she thrusts the blade forward and catches the first opponent in the side as they attempt to turn and face her. Shock forms on her face as she watches the second body fall. The moment of her first kills instantly etching itself into her mind.
As Sun turns, she sees Mirr and one of the remaining enemies trade shots, each dropping but Mirr is able to move back into cover, grunting slightly. An arrogant voice calls out as the leader rises from cover, “I was not expecting to see you here, Mirr Styn. And with a Jedi. Your ability to disappoint knows no bounds.” Despite the mechanization in the voice from the suit, it is clearly the voice of a female. The remaining conscious commando rises quickly and lets off a flurry of shots, but drops instantly at the precisely placed shot by the Mandolorian. Sun grits her teeth at the sight and decides to step out from cover, holding her saber in a defensive posture. The lone enemy laughs audaciously, holstering their blaster and pulls out a beskar sword. “If you insist on dying, young Jedi. I will oblige you.” The young Padawan sets her features in her best impression of her Grandmaster as she launches forward, bringing a wide strike down on the enemy who moves with greater speed than anticipated as they side step, meeting the saber with their own blade. Sun struggles against the strength of the block before she dances backwards to regain her composure but the enemy does not give her any respite. They retaliate with their own strike which is wildly blocked before they spin, slashing the metal blade across Sun’s right thigh, causing her to fall to her knee in pain. The Mandalorian chuckles, unimpressed as Sun attempts to rise to her feet. As she steadies herself, she attempts to block the pain from her mind before launching a strike once more. Again, the Mandolorian sidesteps the strike, which leaves the Padawan’s side exposed. The leader takes the opportunity to drive an armored knee into her side and the hilt of the beskar blade into the back of her skull, causing the young woman to fall heavily on the floor, unconscious and bleeding from the large gash on her thigh. “Pathetic” the Mandolorian admonishes as they lift their blade to strike a fatal blow. A clatter of metal echoes throughout the bridge as the strike is interrupted by Mirr who throws his body into the other Mandalorian. His shoulder seers in pain where the blaster penetrated his armor yet he continues to grapple with the enemy’s leader, attempting to gain purchase around their neck to gain control. A quick strike connects with his wound, causing him to reel back, allowing his opponent to gain a top mount position and raise a beskar dagger from its holster. “To think you would grow even more soft than you already were. You are a dis…” The sentence never finishes as the blade drops from the female Mandalorian’s hand. All that can be heard is a gurgling and coughing noise as she struggles to breathe. Anhiel strides across the room with an arm outstretched, a hint of yellow in her irises as the Mandolorian now rises from the floor, spinning in the air to face her executioner. Seeing Anhiel’s face brings fear to the woman’s eyes, although it remains hidden under the helmet. Her attempts to plead die in her throat as Anhiel’s hand tightens into a fist, eliciting several cracking noises as the structures of the neck break causing the body to go limp. The Admiral lets the body fall to the ground and moves to where Sun lay, keying on her comm. “Captain, I trust you have secured the perimeter. I need medics on the bridge. Now.”