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---Thesos---
The air was bitter. Was to be expected, I suppose. Hoth was always a little chilly this time of year, but never bothered me any.
Aurek Base was busier than usual. Men and women coming in from patrol, trying to get warm beside the thermals. Unfortunate business for them... their armor wasn't meant to handle this cold.
I began to run diagnostics on my weapons and armor. Calibrations usually went crazy in the cold, but seems my cannon was good to go. Helmet's HUD integrated perfectly with trajectory and range finding, and hydraulics were in good shape. Comms were up and running, broadcasting the crystal clear frequency that belonged to the Republic.
"Alpha One, this is Trill Krill. How do you read me?"
"Read you loud and clear, Sergeant."
"Roger. Any word on the target?"
"Negative. Stand by... running scanners..."
"Just let me know when you find something."
I had to shake my head. Mission time was elapsing and I had nothing to go off of. I checked my datapad, hoping to find more details about this guy. As I scrolled through the endless walls of text, my mind began to wander. I started thinking about my childhood on Corellia, about how I always wanted to fly... I would listen to all the war stories of my teachers at the academy, how they shot down so many Imperials... it sounded like adventure, exactly the sort I craved. Got my license, then my military clearance... and got sent to the Company. Never imagined I'd be a ground pounder, but at least I was part of the best.
Uhh, Sergeant? I got a trace. Out in Claburn Tundra, flat land with a bunch of rocks.
I'm on my way.
I climbed aboard my speeder, plotted my course due south... and I was off.
Florentius was never much for our way of life. Always had his gun before his brain, and his mouth before either. Was quick to anger, easy to manipulate. Father never had much patience for his antics, but we all knew his affection for his second born was strong. But he had fallen too far... I had never seen my father shed a tear, but when the decision to cast him out was made, we all felt the same pain that flowed through him. Flor had exchanged his culture for wealth, infamy and dishonor, and that was unforgivable. Father announced to the clan that Flor was no longer one of ours. He would be known as "Dar'manda" from that day forth, and exile would be his punishment.
Florentius took advantage of his "freedom," as he liked to call it. Bound by no oaths, honor or code, he murdered and stole from anyone who appeared weak. He grew ambitious, and found work with the Empire. High value targets became a game of cat and mouse with him... and he always got his mark. Eventually, he moved on to Jedi... rumor had it that his collection of lightsabers was growing faster than any Sith's personal collection.
His rampage would not end there. Florentius thirsted for a challenge... and turned on his employers. Sith were dispatched to kill the upstart, but the bounty hunter would not die. "The Butcher" would become his new name, and as rumors circulated about him, my brother grew prideful. He returned to my clan's home... eager to boast to his former aliit his newfound strength and power. My father would have none of that... and while he chided and patronized, my brother's patience ran thin...
My father is now in a kolto tank, hanging onto life by mere threads. I have sworn myself to find my brother and exact justice, and return honor to my family. With the aid of my clan and my Company, I would hunt the Butcher across the galaxy, arriving moments too early or too late. Always a slippery one, my brother was. It wasn't until my sister, Calhia, came forward with a plan that I was finally able to catch him in the act. Her intelligence with the Sith House known as Kil'ndar suggested to me that a certain Twi'lek apprentice managed to get herself lost on Nar Shaddaa. Since then, the girl moved from the Smuggler's Moon to Alderaan, and hitched a ride on a Republic shuttle to... Hoth... of all places.
An encrypted message was sent to the Butcher's frequency, informing him of his new bounty. Then... we waited.
Clapburn Tundra had finally received its artillery. The war effort on Hoth was still stagnant, but it appeared the Republic finally had its edge. It wasn't long ago when I assisted Republic forces in taking the tundra, but war was as dynamic as the weather. I dismounted my speeder and checked my map. A large, red dot was pulsing in the canyon, likely the Sith.
Alpha One, this is Trill Krill. I have the target on sensors, making my way to rendezvous.
Copy that, Tee Kay. You're authorized to fire at will. Good hunting.
I followed the twisted path down to the Shattered Plains outpost, and activated my stealth generator as I approached the towering rocks...
---
An hour passed. The Sith had not budged, and neither have I. My binoculars in hand, I made what seemed to be the millionth scan on the horizon. Several times, I had seen flashes of red in the distance, but my mission was my priority. The snow was accumulating all over my armor... did I miss my window of opportunity? I dialed up my sensor's range, hoping to find any contact aside from the Forcie in front of me. I picked up nothing... and in my haste, I began to pack up.
A distant sound stopped me in my tracks. I did not believe it at first, but the humming droned on... and it grew slightly louder with each passing second. I dived to prone and allowed the snow to build up on me, allowing my white armor to blend in with the environment. The noise was getting louder and louder, but I kept my visor pointed in the direction of the Sith. Finally, I recognized the sound... the Butcher was here. Quickly and silently, I pulled out my rifle... and waited.
I regulated my breathing as I zoomed in on the site. One shot was needed to disable his speeder... I couldn't afford to miss. There... he dismounted! Right into the engine... I squeezed the trigger. The resulting explosion echoed throughout the canyon as my target dove for cover. The Twi'lek had ignited her saber... the red flash I kept seeing earlier. I jumped to my feet and scooped up my cannon. Ten second window... I activated my rocketpack. He'd gotten up, his weapon trained on the poor girl... but as I approached, he whirled around. I lunged at him, and he aimed his wrist at me.
The rocket barely missed my face as I tackled him to the ground. Both our weapons flew in opposite directions, and as we scrambled to our feet, his voice snarled out to me.
"Didn't expect to see you here.... sergeant."
"Your luck was running out, Flor. You didn't think you could stay under the radar forever, did you?"
"Never did, but I could always count on you to finally figure it out."
I felt his eyes piercing my visor. He sprung the trap knowingly... his confidence seemed to ooze out of his beskar'gam.
"Let me take you in, Flor... brother..."
*scoff*"I'd like to see you try, orivod."
I saw his helmet flash to his right. Followed his gaze... his carbine was just out of reach. He lunged for it, and I followed suit. His fist met my helmet, but I denied him his weapon. I lost myself in a red haze... there was me, and there was the enemy. Punch after punch, jab after jab... we fought like we had never fought before. I wasn't fighting my brother... I was fighting an animal. He was taunting, speaking... my focus was on survival.
One of us collapsed first, I'm not sure who. I got to my hands and knees... my cannon was just within my reach. I heard a click behind me...
"Thesos... orivod..."
A raspy chuckle, followed by a spit.
"You're done..."
I made my move. I rushed to my cannon, whirled it around in a split second... and came face to face with my brother. My barrel was in his gut....
"No..."
An explosive round. Didn't realize... weapon was set to demolition. A fine red mist erupted from his body as I pulled that trigger. A thin red paste covered my armor. I gasped and felt my head hit the ice. I was panicked. Done for.
I heard a lightsaber ignite. The Sith was coming in to finish me off. Made sense... I was her enemy. I opened my eyes, looked up through my tinted visor, and saw the hooded figure standing above me.
*cough* "You're welcome... Sith..."
I blacked out... but death never came.
The air was bitter. Was to be expected, I suppose. Hoth was always a little chilly this time of year, but never bothered me any.
Aurek Base was busier than usual. Men and women coming in from patrol, trying to get warm beside the thermals. Unfortunate business for them... their armor wasn't meant to handle this cold.
I began to run diagnostics on my weapons and armor. Calibrations usually went crazy in the cold, but seems my cannon was good to go. Helmet's HUD integrated perfectly with trajectory and range finding, and hydraulics were in good shape. Comms were up and running, broadcasting the crystal clear frequency that belonged to the Republic.
"Alpha One, this is Trill Krill. How do you read me?"
"Read you loud and clear, Sergeant."
"Roger. Any word on the target?"
"Negative. Stand by... running scanners..."
"Just let me know when you find something."
I had to shake my head. Mission time was elapsing and I had nothing to go off of. I checked my datapad, hoping to find more details about this guy. As I scrolled through the endless walls of text, my mind began to wander. I started thinking about my childhood on Corellia, about how I always wanted to fly... I would listen to all the war stories of my teachers at the academy, how they shot down so many Imperials... it sounded like adventure, exactly the sort I craved. Got my license, then my military clearance... and got sent to the Company. Never imagined I'd be a ground pounder, but at least I was part of the best.
Uhh, Sergeant? I got a trace. Out in Claburn Tundra, flat land with a bunch of rocks.
I'm on my way.
I climbed aboard my speeder, plotted my course due south... and I was off.
Florentius was never much for our way of life. Always had his gun before his brain, and his mouth before either. Was quick to anger, easy to manipulate. Father never had much patience for his antics, but we all knew his affection for his second born was strong. But he had fallen too far... I had never seen my father shed a tear, but when the decision to cast him out was made, we all felt the same pain that flowed through him. Flor had exchanged his culture for wealth, infamy and dishonor, and that was unforgivable. Father announced to the clan that Flor was no longer one of ours. He would be known as "Dar'manda" from that day forth, and exile would be his punishment.
Florentius took advantage of his "freedom," as he liked to call it. Bound by no oaths, honor or code, he murdered and stole from anyone who appeared weak. He grew ambitious, and found work with the Empire. High value targets became a game of cat and mouse with him... and he always got his mark. Eventually, he moved on to Jedi... rumor had it that his collection of lightsabers was growing faster than any Sith's personal collection.
His rampage would not end there. Florentius thirsted for a challenge... and turned on his employers. Sith were dispatched to kill the upstart, but the bounty hunter would not die. "The Butcher" would become his new name, and as rumors circulated about him, my brother grew prideful. He returned to my clan's home... eager to boast to his former aliit his newfound strength and power. My father would have none of that... and while he chided and patronized, my brother's patience ran thin...
My father is now in a kolto tank, hanging onto life by mere threads. I have sworn myself to find my brother and exact justice, and return honor to my family. With the aid of my clan and my Company, I would hunt the Butcher across the galaxy, arriving moments too early or too late. Always a slippery one, my brother was. It wasn't until my sister, Calhia, came forward with a plan that I was finally able to catch him in the act. Her intelligence with the Sith House known as Kil'ndar suggested to me that a certain Twi'lek apprentice managed to get herself lost on Nar Shaddaa. Since then, the girl moved from the Smuggler's Moon to Alderaan, and hitched a ride on a Republic shuttle to... Hoth... of all places.
An encrypted message was sent to the Butcher's frequency, informing him of his new bounty. Then... we waited.
Clapburn Tundra had finally received its artillery. The war effort on Hoth was still stagnant, but it appeared the Republic finally had its edge. It wasn't long ago when I assisted Republic forces in taking the tundra, but war was as dynamic as the weather. I dismounted my speeder and checked my map. A large, red dot was pulsing in the canyon, likely the Sith.
Alpha One, this is Trill Krill. I have the target on sensors, making my way to rendezvous.
Copy that, Tee Kay. You're authorized to fire at will. Good hunting.
I followed the twisted path down to the Shattered Plains outpost, and activated my stealth generator as I approached the towering rocks...
---
An hour passed. The Sith had not budged, and neither have I. My binoculars in hand, I made what seemed to be the millionth scan on the horizon. Several times, I had seen flashes of red in the distance, but my mission was my priority. The snow was accumulating all over my armor... did I miss my window of opportunity? I dialed up my sensor's range, hoping to find any contact aside from the Forcie in front of me. I picked up nothing... and in my haste, I began to pack up.
A distant sound stopped me in my tracks. I did not believe it at first, but the humming droned on... and it grew slightly louder with each passing second. I dived to prone and allowed the snow to build up on me, allowing my white armor to blend in with the environment. The noise was getting louder and louder, but I kept my visor pointed in the direction of the Sith. Finally, I recognized the sound... the Butcher was here. Quickly and silently, I pulled out my rifle... and waited.
I regulated my breathing as I zoomed in on the site. One shot was needed to disable his speeder... I couldn't afford to miss. There... he dismounted! Right into the engine... I squeezed the trigger. The resulting explosion echoed throughout the canyon as my target dove for cover. The Twi'lek had ignited her saber... the red flash I kept seeing earlier. I jumped to my feet and scooped up my cannon. Ten second window... I activated my rocketpack. He'd gotten up, his weapon trained on the poor girl... but as I approached, he whirled around. I lunged at him, and he aimed his wrist at me.
The rocket barely missed my face as I tackled him to the ground. Both our weapons flew in opposite directions, and as we scrambled to our feet, his voice snarled out to me.
"Didn't expect to see you here.... sergeant."
"Your luck was running out, Flor. You didn't think you could stay under the radar forever, did you?"
"Never did, but I could always count on you to finally figure it out."
I felt his eyes piercing my visor. He sprung the trap knowingly... his confidence seemed to ooze out of his beskar'gam.
"Let me take you in, Flor... brother..."
*scoff*"I'd like to see you try, orivod."
I saw his helmet flash to his right. Followed his gaze... his carbine was just out of reach. He lunged for it, and I followed suit. His fist met my helmet, but I denied him his weapon. I lost myself in a red haze... there was me, and there was the enemy. Punch after punch, jab after jab... we fought like we had never fought before. I wasn't fighting my brother... I was fighting an animal. He was taunting, speaking... my focus was on survival.
One of us collapsed first, I'm not sure who. I got to my hands and knees... my cannon was just within my reach. I heard a click behind me...
"Thesos... orivod..."
A raspy chuckle, followed by a spit.
"You're done..."
I made my move. I rushed to my cannon, whirled it around in a split second... and came face to face with my brother. My barrel was in his gut....
"No..."
An explosive round. Didn't realize... weapon was set to demolition. A fine red mist erupted from his body as I pulled that trigger. A thin red paste covered my armor. I gasped and felt my head hit the ice. I was panicked. Done for.
I heard a lightsaber ignite. The Sith was coming in to finish me off. Made sense... I was her enemy. I opened my eyes, looked up through my tinted visor, and saw the hooded figure standing above me.
*cough* "You're welcome... Sith..."
I blacked out... but death never came.