A Tale From Star Wars: a story told about bounty hunters, clone troopers, fights, and etc.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 38

2010-09-13T16:40:00.002-07:00

Kessa sighed as she hung her head. CSF had delivered the food and...er...buckets. Still, there was no sign that they were going to be let free anytime soon.
Were they going to wait until the bald man start picking them off, one by one? Okay, she was probably overreacting, but seriously, how long were they going to have to sit there on the cold, concrete floor with a blaster pointed at them.
"Lurchis, get on the comlink channel," the bald man said to another Jabiimi. "We might have to start persuading the Republic."
She didn't like the sound of that.
Lurchis had just started tapping buttons on the comlink when a loud BOOM erupted.
Kessa immediately ducked down and wrapped her arms around her head.
Bits of scrap metal and dust flew up everywhere. Kessa rolled over against the wall, and watched four burly figures enter the room. From the back, two more joined the fray. The newcomers were big and bulky, wearing full body armor, though two were slightly narrower and were decked in white.
Blaster bolts zoomed through the air, and the smell of burning flesh filled everyone's nostrils.
It seemed like a long time, but quickly all the Jabiimi terrorists had dropped.
It seemed to be over. But it wasn't.
Suddenly, a fellow hostage, the young man with the brown hair ran up to the bag of explosives, and pushed button on the little device. One of the clones fired at him, and the man fell, dead.
But the beeping, like a soft heart beat, was fully alive in Kessa's ears. She felt her gut twist, and everything seemed to grow cold.
Then the trooper from the holotransmission, most likely the sergeant, yelled to get all the hostages away. A commando grabbed her by the arm and hauled her up. She was dragged quickly out of the building towards a set-up medical center. Kessa managed to turn her head around the thick body pulling her away. She caught a last look at three figures huddling over the package of explosives.

Author's Note XIII

2010-09-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

Greetings! This is the author (well, of course you know its me, the author. Who else would it be? Okay, I guess I could be a hacker, but I'm not...I think). I would like you for taking the time to visit my blog! You wouldn't believe it but 'whispers' I don't get a lot of visitors. Weird, huh? Anyway, I'm here to apologize with the lack of updates. An awful monster known as Realityzilla likes to snap its jaws at me everyone once in a while... So, I'll try to get back to this site whenever I can find the time and inspiration. Thank you for waiting.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 37

2010-09-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

Kessa was hauled upright by the bald man (she had taken to simply calling him that, since she doubted he would volunteer his given name).
He grabbed a comlink and handed her to a fellow Jabiimi, who pressed the muzzle of his rifle to her head.
"Be silent," hissed the man gripping her.
The bald man turned on the comlink. An image flickered up. Kessa caught a glimspe of a CSF uniform, and several bulky figures in armor.
The Jabiimi leader started to speak. "Republic troops," he said, "withdraw now and release Koam Rah from prison and the hostages will be freed."
The man in the CSF outfit leered. "Surrender the hostages now, criminal, and this can be all over. You're surrounded. You don't stand a chance. Why not let the hostages go and just walk away?"
"My people have suffered enough at the hand of the Republic. You have long tormented us, and we have only grown stronger. We will not cow," the bald man stated. Then he reached out and grabbed her. She grunted slightly as he hauled her up in front of the hologram. A blaster was again pressed onto forehead. "If you want this girl, and the rest of my prisoners, alive, then I suggest you release Koam Rah from prison, now." The Jabiimi said, tightening his grip on her shoulder.
The CSF officer was about to respond, but one of the Republic troopers interrupted him, requesting to speak with the bald man. The clone commando, who gave off a rather menacing aura, was allowed to talk, and he took over the negotiations.
Kessa half-listened, desperately wishing she was anywhere but here. Why oh why wouldn't they just let the hostages go? Why were they bullying civilians who had never even been out of the Inner Core?
Funny, she thought to herself. This is the sort of thing you see in holodramas, and never imagine in your life that it could actually be you in that situation.
Once the clone and the Jabiimi were done talking, she was thrust back onto the floor. Ow. The bald man faced his prisoners. "The Republic sleemos will be bringing some supplies soon, so I want no funny business, understand?" He said, glared at all of us, then squatted down and breathed in our faces. "Cause if you don't..."
He pulled out a knife and ran the blade beneath his grimy fingernails. Faster than Kessa could blink he snapped the knife downward, driving it into the floor and inch away from Kessa's hand. I looked up as he gave me a yellow-toothed smirk, before pulling the blade out of the ground.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 36

2010-08-31T16:43:00.000-07:00

Kote's P. O. V.

In that short, brief moment of silent panic, I curse myself for not thinking of this earlier, for not preventing this from happening. One of the soon-to-be hostages that boarded the bus earlier today had been a terrorist. He had been the inside man for the Jabiimi. And now, with all his colleagues dead, he had suicidally set off the device that would kill us all. Shame Tag has already shot the chakaar. I would've liked to have a go at him.
"Get the hostages out of here!" Sarge shouts, breaking the silence. Reluctantly, Blindspot, Tenner, and Tal herd the civvies out the door. I squat down next to the bomb and unscrew the cover of the timing device. As squad demolitions expert, its my job to make things go boom, and keep us from going boom as well.
"Looks like a homemade timer," I say. As I speak I slip off my helmet. Its cooler with my bucket on, but I prefer the heat to tell the truth. Lets see...blue wire connecting to energy cell...or is it connecting to the mainframe? And what's this yellow wire doing here? Osik, this thing is a mess.
I glance at the digital numbers on the screen. Red dashes blink at me. It beeps in an unbroken rhythm. Great. Now I know I'm going to die but I have no idea how much time is left.
Sarge is still with me. Good ol' Sarge. He'd stay with his men to the end. Just like Forty, my first sergeant. pull out my vibro blade, searching along the lining of the device. Then I notice Tag standing behind me. "What're you doing here, you di'kut? Get out now while you can.""Not a chance," Tag says, "Not while I can still help. I know my way around a charge. Besides, I didn't have any plans for tonight anyway."
"Fine, slice open the bag--careful--see if you can remove any of the dets," I say. Tag acts fast and starts working next to me before I finish my sentence. He's doing a pretty good job for an infantry grunt. Seems to be a bit nervous, but that's understandable. So long as he doesn't faint on me.
Hmmm, the red wire doesn't seem to be connected to the blue wire or the black one. Cutting the white wire first before cutting the black one would be suicidal. If I cut the blue wire I might be able to isolate the countdown device.
"Kote, I've got a red wire over here attached to the explosives," Tag says. "I can't move the dets connected to it."
Red wire. Okay, if that one is connected to the dets, the blue wire to the energy cell, the striped wire to the black wire, and the yellow wire to...
I raise my knuckle plate, vibro blade extended.
Yellow. Black. White.
Snip. Snip. Snip.
I can sense Tag and Sarge holding their breaths.
Striped wire.
Snip.
There, that should do it. I look at the screen. No, I thought. The thing is still blinking. A lot of colorful words come to mind.
"Red...or blue?" I mutter to myself. I feel like I'm in one of those cheap action holofliks, only I don't have a secure happy ending.
Red leads to the dets. Blue to the energy cell. Which would feel worse when it blows up? Just when it seems that we've reached the bottom, the blinking picks up. The beeping runs through my ear faster. Great, just great. We're falling fast, and it looks like we're about to hit the end.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 35

2010-08-24T13:45:00.000-07:00

It started out as a regular day for Kessa Jahl. She woke, locked her apartment, went to the nearby caf shop, ordered her usual (one lump of sugar, two dashes of cream, and a sprinkle of cinnamon), then took the local transit to work. She hit a snag when the shuttle she boarded was taken over by Jabiimi men with blasters. Things pretty much went downhill from there.
The terrorists took them to an abandoned building in the industry district. They were forced to sit in two lines of five, back to back. A bag was placed on the floor next to them, no doubt a bomb by the mechanism attached to it. She sighed. Her boss would totally fry her for being late. That is, if she got out of this mess.
Kessa rolled her head over her shoulders, glancing around the room. She peered at her fellow captives out of the corner of her eyes.
Surprisingly, there were a few "famous" people among the hostages. One of which was Bessh Tro-mek, an HNE announcer who Kessa used to watch when she got stuck with the late shift. Bessh Tro-mek didn't seem nearly as glamorous as on the HoloNet, with his wrinkles and creases clearly visible. Next to him sat an eldery man with even more wrinkles, but Kessa gave him some respect, because at least his hair was real. One the other side of her were two middle aged women. Behind her were the other five hostages, including a woman only a few years older than her, a man in a suit, another man most likely in his twenties with brown hair, and a woman who looked vaguely familiar. Kessa thought about it and matched the woman to a an old Holodrama. The woman was now a hairstylist.
Speaking of hair, the Jabiimi group seemed to be following the bald man, who was busy pacing. He had sent demands to the Republic. Kessa had heard the CSF sirens outside. Maybe this would be over quickly. Then she scowled. It wouldn't be much good if she got out alive and the bald man got what he want. No, CSF would probably attempt a rescue, right? At least, she hoped they would try for a rescue.
The bald man stopped pacing. He walked up to the hostages, leering.
"I am going to have a little chat with the Republic dogs," he said with a thick Jabiimi accent. "And I'll be needing...a volunteer."
Kessa did not like the sound of that. She remained silent.
"No takers? Then I guess you'll have to do," the bald man said threateningly, reaching out a menacing hand to grab the elderly man.
"Coward!" Kessa suddenly shouted. The Jabiimi turned to her in surprise. "Bantha poodoo! The Republic's not going to let you through with this."
The leader walked slowly towards her. He glared at her. Kessa's head jerked back as he punched her. Stars swirled around her dazed head.
"You've just volunteered," he sneered at her.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 34

2010-08-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

"Wonder what the buckets are for," Tal said, staring at the neat stack of supplies
"Think, you di'kut," Blindspot said. A pause. Then Tal's puzzled expression changed to that of understanding--and a little bit of disgust.
"Oh," Tal muttered, wrinkling his nose.
"Yup, technology sure has come a long way," I said.
Lieutenant Fillik came up. "Sergeant, I must inquire as to what your plans are."
"Well, first we drop off the supplies..." Sarge started.
"Then we charge in and slot the bad guys," chimed Kote.
"And finally, we get to go back to barracks," Tal said. "Happy ending for everyone."
"Unless you're a Jabiimi terrorists," stated Tenner.
Fillik frowned. He asked Sarge, "But what about the explosives? Surely you aren't just going to charge in there and hope that your luck holds."
"Can't say I put much stock in luck, Lieutenant. What I do count on is my squad," said Sarge. "Kote took a look through the ol' spy-cam. He confirmed that the explosives packed by the terrorists are indeed hooked up to a timing device. We go in smart, we get out alive."
"And if not..."
"Then we all go kabloowie," Kote said, interrupting Fillik.
"Kabloowie," Fillik repeated with slight disbelief.
"Don't worry, Lieutenant," Sarge said, reassuring him. "We do our job and you can go home to a nice, hot cup of caf. Psi squad, form up."
A member of CSF dropped off the supplies. We watched the front door as two men slid it open. One of them grabbed the food and buckets while the other kept a firm grip on the female hostage from the video. They moved swiftly.
"Tal," Sarge said as the Jabiimi disappeared back into the room, "what's on the holocam?"
"Looks pretty quiet. A by the front door, B by the window, C and D by the hostages, and E by the back door," Tal said. "Pack of explosives is positioned behind the hostages, against the wall, three meters from the backdoor. As long as the terrorists don't activate the device, it'll be fine."
"Got it. Right, lets move in," Sarge said.
Everything after that came fast, like a blur.
Tal and Blindspot took the back. One of them tossed a grenade at the backdoor, at the same time Kote blew the charges on the front. We rushed in, DC-17s blazing.
"Backdoor down! Backdoor down!"
"Cover the hostages!"
"D is out!"
"E, where's E?"
I scrambled past the blasted bodies of D and C. Baldy, or "A", was firing off his rifle. A bolt skimmed me right before I smashed into him. Pushing him back against the wall, I fired into his stomach. The man wouldn't die, and struggled against me, using the stock of his rifle to hit me in the chest. It wasn't enough to hurt a trooper in armor, but I feinted, and took a step back. I came at him again, this time punching him in the face with one hand, while using the other to shove my vibroblade into his gullet. He stopped struggling.
"A is dead--definitely dead," I said, panting slightly. I swung my deece up and looked for anymore targets. Tenner and Kote were taking out C. Tal was kicking B out of his way. Sarge was busy slamming E into the wall. Everything seemed to be going according to plan. But a prickly feeling on the back of my neck made me take a second look. Something was wrong. And then one of the hostages got up and ran to the back wall. He was carrying a holdout blaster. Instinctively I fired. My first shot skimmed him. The second shot nailed him in the head. But not before he had reached the controls on the bag of explosives. He set off the device. A soft beeping emitted. I knew that sound too well. Everyone in the room froze. My stomach went cold. It was all too familiar.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 33

2010-08-16T12:33:00.000-07:00

Baldy stared up at us. "Republic troops," he said, speaking with a thick Jabiimi accent. "Withdraw now and release Koam Rah from prison and the hostages will be freed."
Fillik started to speak, sneering at the Jabiimi, "Surrender the hostages now, criminal, and this can be all over. You're surrounded. You don't stand a chance. Why not let the hostages go and just walk away?"
It was Baldy who sneered next. "My people have suffered enough at the hand of the Republic. You have long tormented us, and we have only grown stronger. We will not cow." Then he leaned out of view on the hologram, and reappeared with the girl he had hit earlier. She was clearly bruised. Baldy pressed a blaster to her forehead. "If you want this girl, and the rest of my prisoners, alive, then I suggest you release Koam Rah from prison, now." He paused to let the message sink in.
Fillik was about to reply when Sarge spoke up.
"I'd like to speak with our friend here," Sarge said, indicating Baldy. "Sir."
Lieutenant Fillik opened his mouth, then snapped it close. He seemed to be conflicted with letting a simple clone like Sarge take over. Kote clicked his deece impatiently. Finally Fillik relented, and nodded.
Sarge stepped up and looked Baldy in the eye, or as much in the eye as you can while wearing a helmet.
"Perhaps we got off on a bad start," Sarge said evenly. "Maybe we can find some even ground here. Obviously you need Rah. Now, it will take time to get Rah out of prison. There's a lot of paperwork and etc. to be taken care of. In the mean time, why not release one of the prisoners as a show of good will?
"Nobody leaves this building until you give us Rah!" Baldy stated.
"Fine, don't get upset. But it must be awfully uncomfortable for both you and your men at the moment. You were quite fast in taking over the transit vehicle, so I'm guessing you were traveling light. In the meantime, is there anything we can get you?" Sarge asked.
Baldy narrowed his eyes. "Why should we expect help from the Republic dogs?"
"Orders," Sarge said. "Your duty is to your people. Right now mine is to get those civilians back to their families safe and sound."
"Yeah, cause it sure wouldn't look good if the GAR slotted an innocent civi," Kote muttered in the helmet comlink. "Whoops, sorry Sarge, my trigger finger just slipped! Honest."
I heard Tenner stifle his laughter.
Baldy's eyes moved back and forth, as if testing the debts of Sarge's words. "Food." The Jabiimi terrorist said. "And buckets."
Sarge nodded. "Got it."
The transmission ended.

Author's Note XII

2010-08-14T16:39:00.000-07:00

A little pic I had in my files. I wasn't sure when to post this, but now seems to be as good as any time.

*Also, all respected credit goes to the original pictures and their owners, etc., etc. I simply added my own tweaks.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 32

2010-08-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

"Well, what do you think, Sarge?" I asked the commando.
His head tilted slightly down, studying the recording. Then he spoke, "Well, we don't have a confirmed number of suspects, but we've got at least four terrorists, ten hostages..."
"...and what looks like a pack of explosives ready to go," Kote finished.
"No worries then, eh?" Tenner remarked casually, but I could tell that he was nervous.
"No worries, so long as we don't blow up," Blindspot muttered.
"Ahem! What are you planning to do, clone?" Lieutenant Fillik asked, clearly irked with having to work with us inferiors. He couldn't hear our conversation so long as we were talking on the private com channel.
Sarge switched his to audio. "Right now, what we need is to get a better view of the enemy."
"So...we just walk right up and say hello?" Tal offered.
"I've got a different idea," Sarge said.

Five minutes later we had a holocam up and running. Sarge had spotted a broken vent in the side of the building. Of course, the Jabiimi weren't stupid. We had set up a small diversion.
"You know," Kote said conversationally, "even if we could slap a strip cam in their face, this would still be standard procedure." He talked as he planted a ribbon charge beneath the door. I stood next to him, DC at the ready, in case somebody got the idea to pop us one.
"Yeah, okay," I said, glancing around. "How about less talk, more work?"
Kote made a tisk sound. "Don't worry. Blindspot's watching the roof, Sarge and Tenner are covering the cam, and Tal's got out backsides. Besides, would you open a door that had just been set up with dets?"
He made sense, but I still didn't like waiting on a terrorist's doorstep.
"Okay, done," Kote said, straightening up. We returned to the rest of the squad.
Sarge glanced at us. "Come and join the party, ner vod. Look at what's on channel 7," he said, showing us the screen he held in his hand. The image kept flickering with glitches of static. It displayed--through the bars of a vent--a rectangular room, small, with two doors; one to the back, and the other the main entrance. We could see the hostages surrounded by four men. One of them, a tall man, bald, was pacing. Another was watching the front through a crack in a boarded up window. For a moment the pacer seemed to be immersed with thinking, but stopped and turned toward the back door. He started talking. I was wondering why he was talking to the wall. Then I realized that somebody else was standing at the back doorway. A fifth man.
"Any audio?" Kote asked.
"Sadly, no," Sarge said. "I can't get the remote to pick up the feed. Signal's bad, as you can see."
"Shame," Kote said. "We really ought to invest in cable."
Watching, I saw the bald guy walk up to one of the hostages, a female human probably in her early twenties or late teens. She seemed to be arguing with the man. Then the bald guy said something back, and then struck her. The girl crumpled, and the guy watching the window turned and made a remark to the bald guy, who seemed to shake it off.
"Looks like Baldy's reaching for a comlink," Tal said. For confirmation, the CSF's own open com started to beep. Lieutenant Fillik reached for it, and up popped an image of Baldy.

Author's Note XI

2010-08-09T14:44:00.000-07:00

Greetings to all you readers, commentators, fellow writers, random people surfing the web, and the occasional spammer telling me I won the "Toyota $1,000,000" contest. Anyway...
Things have been going a little slow on my end. Now, I had hoped this would never happen, but... I need help! And, no, a therapist will not do. Anybody got any ideas for a story with Jatne Solus? I'm afraid he ran into a little, uh, writers block. Don't worry, I'm sure he'll recover. So, if you've got an idea, feel free to leave a comment. Hey, even if you don't have an idea, go ahead and still leave a comment! All opinions* are appreaciated.

*Make sure to follow all Feedback Rules**

**Feedback Rules are under the header***

***The header would be the big picture with this site's name on it****

****This site's name is A Tale From Star Wars

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 31

2010-08-05T15:48:00.000-07:00

"So where can I drop you tourists off?" Our pilot, Smack, joked. We were flying through the upper levels of Coruscant, making our way around the maze of skyscrapers.
"How about making a 'round about for Naboo? Drop off, get a quick drink, maybe even stop off at the beach..." Tal said.
"We'll have to take a rain check on that drink, Tal'ika," Sarge said. "I left my sunscreen at the barracks. Anyway, we've got a transmission coming in from homebase. Patch it through, Smack."
A blue hologram flickered alive. Captain Maze stood before us, as serious and prompt as we had left him.
"Psi squad, about a standard hour ago a group of Jabiimi terrorists grabbed control of a local transport vehicle. They took the driver and the nine passengers hostage, and landed the transport at a nearby docking bay. From there the terrorists brought the captives to a deserted warehouse scheduled for demolition, which is where you're heading. Two of the passengers are HNE "'celebrities'", so there's quite a few news hounds already there. Try to put on a good show. CSF is at the scene of the hostage takeover. I'm directing a call to Lieutenant Fillik as we speak, Psi squad. Tell your pilot to dock at coordinates 19 dash 12.1." The transmission flicker out.
"Coruscant Security Forces, hmm?" Kote murmured. "Don't see what use they are if everyone just calls us in anyway."
"Did you hear all that, Smack?" Sarge asked the pilot.
"Which part, Captain Maze's briefing or Kote's remark on CSF?" He asked in a light tone.
Smack flew towards our landing coordinates. We could see a small building on a docking bay surrounded by CSF barricades. Beyond that were the civilian crowds and HNN reporters.
"Standby," Smack said as he lowered the larty. "Doors opening. You are good to go, squad." We exited the larty, dropping to the ground, blaster at the ready. Sarge directed us to what appeared to be a makeshift command center. Uniformed CSF cops were busy bustling around talking on coms and checking holomaps.
"Senate seems to think we can't handle anything without the heavy armory," CSF Oban Va muttered to his fellow cop. "Next thing you know those clones will be taking our jobs."
"Psi squad isn't it?" Lieutenant Fillik said disdainfully, walking towards us. "Come right this way." He pointed to a hologram mounted on a crate. He pressed a button. A blueprint of the building in front of us popped up.
"Here is the building's layout. The hostages were taken into this room. We managed to make contact with the head of the Jabiimi terroists. He wouldn't give us a name, but he stated that the hostages are surrounded by explosives, and that they would all be killed unless terms were met."
"And what were those terms, Lieuntenant?" Sarge asked.
"Ridiculous, really," Fillik said, wrinkling his nose. "They requested that a former leader of their's, under the name of Koam Rah, be released from prison. Rah is in jail for life do to crimes against the republic. Of course we wouldn't agree to these terms, which is why you're here."
"And have there been any signs of activity before we got here?" Sarge inquired.
"Nothing, besides their transmission to us," Fillik said.
There was a pause. "May we see the transmission?" I could hear Sarge's quickly draining patience in his voice.
"Yes, here it is," Fillik said, pushing a key on the holorecorder. "This is the only part where we get a shot of the hostages in the room. We couldn't identify any of the Jabiimi. The rest of the terrorist's request was written." Up popped a blurred video. The shot shook, as if someone was holding the holocam. The cam shifted to show ten civilians on the floor, in two lines of five. In the corner stood two guards, opposite them was a third. They were all holding rifles. Stacked up against the wall was a large pack with some sort of computer device. No doubt the explosives. I felt my gut twist. It reminded me all too much of Geonosis, and Kando, and the bomb.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 30

2010-07-30T16:19:00.000-07:00

Psi squad gave us a quick tour on rapid entry, squad formation, and sniping. Blindspot was an excellent sniper. He remained calm and collected at all times, a gift which was, sadly, not rubbed off on Kote.
"Slice into the terminal," Sarge had said.
"Aw, Sarge, can't we just blow it up?" Kote had whined.
Now we were working on a different training "operation."
"Offensive positions," Sarge said, motioning with his hand. Quickly Blindspot and I formed up. We were practicing what Sarge called an "In and Out," where the squad was inserted to capture live, armed, adversaries. Stealth was key.
"Blindspot, slice the panel," Sarge said. Blindspot moved to the controls next to the door in front of us.
"Cover me," Blindspot grunted. I took position behind him. The locks on the door flashed from red to green.
Sarge held up his hand. "On my mark. Three....two...one!" I tossed in a flash bang grenade before we rushed into the room.
"Secure targets A, B, and C!" Sarge's voice came over the com.
"Target A is captured," Blindspot said.
"I've got B!" Sarge called.
I tackled a white body in the corner. "C is out!" I said, putting the prisoner into a headlock.
"Oof! Is the headlock really necessary?" complained Tenner from the floor. I waited until Sarge gave the OK signal before I let him off the ground.
"Sheesh, 'bout time you got here, Sarge," said Kote. "I was starting to wonder if the Seppies had arrived ahead of schedule."
"If that were the case, I would've made sure you were the first in line to greet them," Sarge responded.
Tal chuckled. "We would've gift-wrapped you," he said, "put a nice pink bow in your hair, too." Kote glared at us as we laughed.
Just then the door slid open. An ARC trooper in red armor walked briskly in. Immediately we hurried to salute.
"At ease, we haven't got time for pleasantries. General Zey is sending you on a mission. We've got a hostage situation that needs to be taken care of ASAP," the ARC said.
"Understood, Captain Maze," Sarge said. "We'll head to the brief--"
"Didn't you hear me, Sergeant? There's no time, you'll be filled in on the way," he said. "There's a larty on standby and the pilot has already been prepped, so get going."
"Yes sir!" Sarge snapped. Captain Maze exited, and we walked out of the room.
"Looks like you boys are about to see a some action," Sarge said to us. "Ready to put that training to use?"
"You mean the three hours of practice we've had?" I asked.
"Others have had less," said Sarge.
"Way to lie to the poor grunts, Sarge," Kote said nonchalantly. He clapped Tenner on the back. "Don't embarrass me out there, white job. Gotta keep up my handsome image."
"What image? You mean that ugly mug that cracked my mirror?" Tenner teased him.
We laughed, but it was time to get serious. We had a job to do.

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 29

2010-07-26T11:35:00.000-07:00

I was on the job, once more. This time my work took me out on Coruscant, the center of the republic, hunting some rogue Jedi knight that was waving his saber in the wrong direction. Apparently, Jedi Knight Master Jast Ollast had left the Jedi Order several years back to become a regular desk jockey, working at different companies using a whole new identity. Interesting choice of career for him, and he could have retired peacefully, but he made the mistake of selling intel from Corp-Tops to their rivals, the Corellian Interstellar. So, of course, Corp-Tops became my new client. Capturing ex-Jedi wasn't usually on the menu, but I was willing to expand--for a small price.

Former Jedi Wanted: Dead or Alive

The dead or alive part gave me some options.
I tracked Ollast to the lower levels of Coruscant, not quite the underworld, but certainly smellier than the upper layer. It was a big change from Aktoro's apartment, that's for sure.
I went into a seedy looking diner, crowded with all sorts of aliens, humans, and droids.
"Two stacks of Corellian cakes, and fry up the bitter crest eggs!" A Twi'lek waitress called into the kitchen. I took a seat at the counter.
"Hi, I'm Ru-Ka," a smiling human waitress said. "What can I get you? Our Corellian nerf steaks are the best in the planet. They come with a side of Mustafar hot sauce."
"You could give me some intel," I said steadily, although the steaks did sound good, "I'm looking for a Jast Ollast." I clicked one of my blasters. A blaster showed that you were deadly, serious, all business--and would blow someone up if they got in your way.
Her smile faded. "I don't know anyone by that name," Ru-Ka said nervously.
"He'd be shorter than me, early twenties, gray eyes, chestnut brown hair, medium build," I informed her, pulling out the handgun slowly.
"Look, I serve a lot of people here, and we don't want any trouble, so why don't you go across the street to the..." She kept talking. I ignored her. She didn't know anything. I scanned the diner. My intel informed me that Jast had been spotted on several security cameras entering this room. He had to be here somewhere... There, in the corner. A young man sipping a cup of caf, feet rested on a table top. Did no one teach him manners?
I stood up, and heard Ru-Ka groan. This had to be Ollast. He was wearing a brown hood, so I couldn't see his face, but he was the right size and shape. When he looked up, I matched him instantly to the profile I had on my HUD. Yep, it was him alright, or a really good cardboard cutout.
"Don't scream," I warned Ru-Ka. She merely whimpered, and backed behind the counter. Lets see, diplomacy or violence? I readied my projectile launcher. Ollast glanced up again. He could sense me, I knew it. Whish! The net flew out. Ollast back-flipped over it, slicing through the fibers with his activated lightsaber, blue blade humming. He kicked back against the wall, rebounded off, then leaped over me and out the door. By this time everyone was screaming and trying to get out of the place. I saved time, activating my jet pack and exiting through a window--which was not open. Didn't these people ever hear of fresh air?
Outside I scanned for Ollast and saw him racing down the street. I hurried to get to my speeder bike and outrun him, firing my blaster several times his way, each bolt only hitting the floor. Ollast grabbed a two-man speeder, knocking the driver out of the way. I revved the engines on my bike and rushed towards him, shooting twice. He deflected the shots, and flew upward. I followed him, both of us circling in and out of traffic. I held up my launcher and loaded it. The reticle wouldn't lock on. I needed a clear line of fire.
I got my chance when a large utility speeder pulled into the lane, right in front of Ollast. He was forced to the left, and I took the shot. The mil-dot crosshairs were right on the back of his head. Pow!
He jerked the speeder, hard, and the shot fell short--but not short enough for him. The rocket hit his bumper, causing him to lose control of his back repulsors. I sped up, using the open space between us to close in. Then I did the near-suicidal thing, and rammed my speeder into his.
A miniature explosion erupted from the two collided engines, and I jumped out of my seat to tackle Ollast onto the rooftop of a building meters below. We landed with a crunch (mostly on my half, as I was wearing the armor).
"Oof!" I let out a soft grunt as I hit the concrete roof. Losing my grip on the ex-Jedi, we both rolled to a halt in separate directions. I bounced to my feet, just in time to see Ollast's lightsaber come up in front of me.
I ducked down and headbutted him in the gut, pushing his hilt upward with my freehand. He let out a cry of pain before Force pushing me across the roof. I hit a utility box and broke the cover.
Panting, I knelt down and fired the missiles on my jet pack. Ollast danced to the side, bending and twisting to avoid the projectiles. This gave me enough time to rush forward and bring out my flame thrower. Nothing says in-your-face like a flamethrower.
Ollast let out a strangled scream as fire licked his side. He stumbled back, wounded. I could see the place where the flames had burnt through his tunic and scorched his skin. Flesh sizzled.
"Alright, Ollast, I'm gonna rip out your guts if you don't..." I didn't get a chance to finish before Ollast swung his lightsaber at me. Was it because I said I'd rip out his guts? Anyway, I dodged and rolled to the side. He brought his blade down then up, in a fierce slicing attack. I had to dash around, firing my dart gun while I tried not to lose a hand. The blade hummed dangerously close to my head as I ducked. If I wasn't careful I'd be turned into Mon Cal sushi. But he was injured, and I would extort that to my advantage. I started firing darts to his lower left, where the burn was. He couldn't move as well there, and he couldn't deflect the darts with the blade either. I fired one up high, at his neck. He instinctively brought his lightsaber up to slice the dart. This moved his guard. This gave me room. This was his mistake.
Running forward, shoulder first, I hit him hard, and punched him in the jaw. Ollast's head whipped back, and he flipped backwards only to fall to the ground, finding that his knees weren't working properly. He swung his lightsaber. I jumped over it, thanks to a thrust from my jetpack. Then I landed, one foot stamped against his sword arm. I knocked the hilt away with my foot and slammed his head to the ground. Ollast clumsily shot back up and stumbled. Then I brought my own blade into his gut. Blood squirted out. Red liquid splattered against my gauntlet. I swung my right fist upwards against his chin. Disoriented, he didn't see me bring my helmeted head down, smashing his face. Blood oozed out of his nose, which was nearly crumpled in half. He kicked me in the ribs, but I steeled myself against the pain and pulled my knife out of his gut and into the back of his neck. He died instantly.
I straightened and shook blood off my hands. Scarlet droplets hit the ground. A shrill breath left my throat.
"Time to collect my bounty."

Spoiler 28.02

2010-07-25T15:25:00.000-07:00

Rogue Jedi Meets Deadly Bounty Hunter

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 28

2010-07-20T14:48:00.000-07:00

"So how did you like that nerf steak, Jatne?" Sayiisa asked.
"Best piece of nerf I've ever had," I said.
"Why, couldn't you tell, Say'ika?" Kale asked. "I've never seen anyone clear their plate that fast."
"Ah, cut it out, di'kut," I said, fondly cuffing the side of his head.
"Well, don't just stand there, there are dishes to be washed," Sayiisa called from the kitchen. Kale went to join her at the sink, while I cleared the rest of the table. After gathering a tall stack of plates, I marched towards the kitchen door. Pushing it open slightly, I saw Kale and Sayiisa talking together, quietly. They looked happy to be with each other, as they sloshed grimy, gritty utensils under the rusty faucet.

As I watched Kale and his wife Sayiisa, I felt oddly left out. How would my life be different if I settled down, like Kale? I shook that thought off. Being a bounty hunter was enough for me. I didn't need to complicate myself with household doings. My ship was all I needed. At least, that's what I kept telling myself. I backed out of the kitchen. What would it be like to settle down? With the bounty I had gotten from Weesko and my savings over the pass years, I could easily afford a nice place not to far from here. Is that what I wanted?
"Hey Jatne, did the world suddenly end or are you just slow as a Muknar slug?" Kale asked as he walked out of the kitchen. "Think you can manage a few plates? Or are pirates easier?"
"I'd take pirates any day," I said, managing a grin. Taking the plates, I brought them to the sink, and we finished cleaning up.

"You sure you can't stay longer?" Kale asked me. "I could always use another hand around the farm."
"Yeah, I figured you only wanted me around so I could do your chores for you," I said, smiling.
"Here," Sayiisa handed me a carefully wrapped package. "I know how much you like uj cake."
"Thanks," I said, accepting the cake. "Its been great seeing all of you. Take care! K'oyacyi!"
"We'll miss you," Kale and Sayiisa said. "Make sure to visit again! K'oyacyi!"
I gave one final nod, then boarded the Silver Wing. As I turned off the brake and boosted the engines, I allowed myself one final look at Kale and Sayiisa and their home. Civi life was okay, and maybe I'd try it--some day. For now, I had a job to do.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 29

2010-07-19T15:56:00.000-07:00

DC-17, a Republic Commando's best friend, right up there with things that go bang

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 28

2010-07-19T15:20:00.000-07:00

"Okay, the DC-17 is a fine, death-reaping instrument," Kote said. "Its a little different from the simple DC-15 trash you guys are used to, so it might take a little while before you grunts can catch up..."
I was waiting for Tenner to snap. I could already tell that he and Kote would be at each other's neck. Tensing, I stood by in case Tenner took a knife to Kote. Instead, to both my relief and surprise, Tenner merely picked up the DC-17 and fired a shot at the circular targets that were moving across the room. It was a perfect hit, dead center.
Tenner lowered his blaster, pleased.
"Hmmm, not bad, not bad," Kote said. "But lets see how you do when we pick things up a bit." Kote changed the settings for the target room, and the boards that we were aiming for sped up.
Tenner sited and shot, again and again, never missing a beat.
Kote scowled.
"Hey, you gonna just sit there or are you gonna show a simple white job like me how its done," Tenner taunted.
"Watch your mouth, before I stick a blaster bolt in it," Kote warned. But he picked up his blaster and the two squared off.
Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! It was a rhythm of precision.
"Your pod mate there is pretty handy with a deece," Sarge said, nodding, as the rest of us backed up to give the two psychos room.
"He picks things up fast. But when you get on his competitive side, he's like this," I said, emphasizing by snapping my fingers.
"Same with Kote," Sarge said. "I can't wait to see how this ends."
"Yeah, me too," Tal said, chortling. "Kote's finally got what's been coming to him, ha!"
Blindspot merely smiled.
I raised an eyebrow. "I don't know," I said. "I mean, Tenner's good with a blaster, like I said, but he's never had any commando training before this."
"Oh, don't worry," Sarge assured me. "Tenner's done enough just by keeping up with Kote this far, 'specially since this is his first time with the DC-17. Kote's just roughing him up, since you two are sort of the new kids on the block."
"Where'd you here that term?" I inquired.
"A holo flick," he answered.
"Then come by sometime on the front line and we'll show you just what we infantrymen do in our free time," I said.
"I'm sure you will," he replied.
"Hey, looks like the two gladiators are finally tiring," Tal said.
I looked up to see the last of the tattered targets disappear. Tenner wiped his brow, and Kote straightened.
"You're not so bad--for a white job," Kote told him.
"You too, squadie," Tenner replied.
"Aww, isn't it cute to see them cuddling?" Tal asked me.
"Yeah, but we might have to leave when they start kissing," I said. Tenner turned and took a swung at me, but I ducked in time.
"Aw, shut up!" Kote yelled. We all merely laughed.

Author's Note X

2010-07-17T09:52:00.000-07:00

"i read all yur stories. they rock"

Thanks for the comment! I'm glad people are enjoying this. Besides commenting, people can now vote at the bottom of the post how many *stars* they think it deserves (i.e. 1 star is bad and 5 stars means that its the best). Also, any ideas for what an upcoming character should be called? The character is going to be male, possibly human. Names?

HoloNet Updates (FMK) 1

2010-07-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

Testing 7 8 9...hello?...Is this com on? What's that? Press the green button? What green button?! There is no green b--Oh, wait...

Click!

Hello there citizens of the Galactic Republic! We are broadcasting from the wonderful planet of Alderaan, 280 days after Geonosis. Alderaan is certainly a beautiful place to be! We invite all of you to take a trip to this marvelous planet! Green grass...brilliant mountains...crystal sky...let's hope nothing ever happens to this planet! Anyway, in the headlines this week a strange green meteor was scene flying over Coruscant's upper levels. According to witnesses, what made this meteor particularly strange (besides the fact that there even was a meteor) is that it was "shaped just like that Jedi dude." By "Jedi dude," it was meant that the meteor looked just like Jedi master Yoda's head. Strange...
Moving on to sports we have an exciting, upcoming match between commandos and troopers. Bolo-ball is heading to the barracks! An exciting game no doubt.
As for Home Improvement, we recommend using white sheets of plexi in any room for a sterile, sturdy, and inexpensive way to renovate!
That's all for now, but tune in next eon to here how you can get those annoying spots off your DC-15.

Author's Note IX

2010-07-15T13:49:00.000-07:00

I'd like to announce two more additions to this blog. First off, a new poll has been added to the sidebar (see sidebar). Every vote and every comment counts! Second, a HNU(FMK) is going to be written for this sight. Posting dates will very, so keep checking back!

HNU (FMK)= HoloNet Updates (From My Keyboard)

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 27

2010-07-15T09:41:00.000-07:00

"Woah," Tenner muttered. "Those guys are walking tanks."
"Yeah, you said it," I murmured back.
"So we've got to learn from them?" He asked.
"Uh huh. Special Ops Brigade wants more commando trained soldiers," I said.
Psi squad approached. I gave a casual salute, which was returned.
"Sergeant Tag, my boys are ready for departure," one of them--the sarge--said.
"And so are mine..." my voice trailed off.
"Sarge," he said. "My names Sarge."
"A sarge named Sarge. Hmm, how 'bout that?" Tenner muttered. "Maybe we should rename you that."
"Sarge, then," I said, ignoring Tenner. "I'm Tag. No need for formalities."
"Hey, looks like they're bringing out grunts to be on our squad," said one of the other commandos, the one with blue stripes on his shoulder plates.
"Who you calling grunts, shiny boy?" Tenner muttered.
"Easy, ner vod," Sarge said to him. He looked back at me. "Don't worry if Kote here gives you a rough time. His brain cell's a bit lonely."
"Ah, kaysh mirsh solus," I said. Since most of them didn't have their helmet on, I could see Psi squad's surprise.
"Where'd you learn Mando'a, white job?" Kote questioned.
I shrugged. "I pick things up, here and there," I said simply.
"Well, how about an intro? You already know me and Kote, our slicer. That's Tal, our demolitions guy, and Blindspot, our sniper," Sarge said, pointing out his squad members. He seemed decent enough. Tal looked to be a cheery guy with a cheeky smile, while Blindspot just stood off to the side, helmet on, watching. Kote, was a bucket head.
"This is Tenner," I said, gesturing.
"Just you two?" Sarge raised an eyebrow. "I thought we were taking the 408th's finest squad. Not pair."
"I know, but..." I hesitated, uncomfortable, then continued. "We were under attack. Only five of us survived. Three were injured and are still in the med bay. Its just us for now."
"Ah," Sarge said, nodding. "S'okay, ner vod. This isn't our original pod, either. Blindspot and I were the only survivors from our old squad, just like Kote and Tal."
Kote glanced at Sarge, as if he thought that was too much info. Sarge seemed to notice, and said, "Well, enough chitchat. Let's show you infantrymen how to fight like commandos."

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 26

2010-07-09T14:34:00.001-07:00

Hiiiiisssssssss. The doors slid apart. I groggily struggled to open my hands. I tried to get up and nearly fell over. One hand against the wall I was able to stand, blinking at the bright lights.
"Uugh," I groaned, my head aching.
"Tag, you're awake!" I turned to find Tenner and Jotter walking in. A med droid followed them.
"Good to see you up again, Sarge," Jotter said, smiling.
"What happened?" I asked, looking around the room. "Where are we?"
"We're aboard the Reviver," Tenner said. "Reinforcements came along and blasted those tinnies into heaps of trash."
"And the rest of the troops, the squad?" I inquired.
Jotter paused, and glanced at Tenner, who said, "We lost Breaker, Talon, Switch, and One-Four. The company suffered heavy casualties, but the capital city is safe."
My stomach quenched. "You should sit down, sir," the med droid said. "You were only recently stabilized."
I sat without protesting.
"The rest of our squad is in bacta," Jotter said. "They should be out in a week or so."
"And our orders?" I asked, wincing as the med droid prodded me in the arm with a needle.
"General Zaaton said that we'll be patrolling this system for now. But I here that you and Tenner are going to have a training session soon," Jotter said grinning.
"Why just us?" I wondered.
"I was thinking the same thing," Tenner said, turning towards Jotter. "What are you talking about, Jotter?"
"Captain Sil informed me that you two are in for some commando training," Jotter said. "I'm not coming because of my arm."
"Commando training? Ugh, that's just great," Tenner grumbled. "Those guys are blockheads. I'm surprised that they don't trip over their own ego in the morning."
"Might not be so bad," I told him, not entirely convinced myself. Republic commandos were ruthless and tough, many of them having been trained by mercenaries. "Who knows, we could learn a few tricks."
"Yeah, like how to lug around fifty pounds of armor and twenty pounds of ego," Tenner said sarcastically.
We laughed. I quickly stopped, though, because my ribs were sore. Pain was a good sign. It meant that I was alive. I wish I could say the same for the rest of my squad.

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 27

2010-07-05T15:08:00.001-07:00

"Good to see you again, Briikase!" I exclaimed as I got off my ship. Snapping off my helmet, I attached it to my belt as I greeted the man standing before me.
"Its been too long, Jatne," he laughed. "And no one calls me Briikase anymore. Now, its Kale."
"I've never understood why you would want to change your name," I said, as I gripped him in a tight hug.
"Yeah, well some people aren't too Mando friendly, like some of my buyers. Besides," Kale added, "I like Kale. Means success. Hmmm, it looks like you were in a bit of a scrap recently."
He pointed to the scorch marks on my ship. "Oh, that," I said disinterestedly, "Its from a little lesson that I was teaching to a bunch of di'kutla pirates."
"Always in a fight," Kale said, shaking his head. "Always, in a fight. I find it easier to let the rest of the world's morons make their own bloodshed."
"Well, you were never into the knife slashing and gut-punching stuff," I recalled.
"That may be true, but here on my own bit of land, I'm doing quite well in the farming area. I've just sold our harvest, and got a nice shiny credit for it, too," Kale said.
I clapped him fondly on the back, saying, "You were always good with plants, little brother."
"And you were always good at slotting things. If my memory serves me right, you were good at filling that gullet of yours, too," Kale chuckled. "Now, come on in. Sayiisa has got a fantastic dinner all set up for you, Mando Boy."
We headed towards their home.

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 26

2010-07-01T15:44:00.001-07:00

A conversation on Mandalore, between a buyer and a farmer

Kale stands next to a speeder attached to a load of his crop. He fixes the buyer, a man from the Inner Rim, with a solid stare. The buyer's name is Ram-shok Nexuma.

Kale: 20 grand, upfront.

Nexuma: Ha! Make it 10.

Kale: Perhaps you didn't hear me. I said, "20."

Nexuma: Not a chance. I'll raise my offer to 15.

Kale: This here is top quality grain. You won't find a fresher harvest.

Nexuma: Look, there are tons of farmers on this planet I could buy this stuff from.

Kale: I suppose you could, but the thing is that there are a lot of Mand'oa out there, and I can guarantee you that they won't hesitate to point a blaster at your throat if you don't accept their deal.

Nexuma (considers what Kale says): 18, final offer.

Kale: Deal. Plus sales tax and that's, oh, lets see...20 creds.

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 25

2010-06-28T11:24:00.001-07:00

After I jumped to hyperspace, I realized I didn't have enough fuel for the whole trip. I stopped off at a nearby moon to refuel.
"You hear what happened to Dralin Kantele?" A man standing next to a bulk freighter asked another.
"Yeah," said the second man. "Fourth time this week somebody's lost their ship like that."
"I know, that's why I had to postpone that shipment to Corellia," the first man said, "I'm staying here until I can get an escort."
"Probably best this to do," responded his friend. "Though you can't always be sure with pirates."
So, it sounded like there was a pirate infestation here. I hoped for their sake that they didn't pick on the wrong Mandalorian.
Leaving the fuel station, I departed and flew my ship through the atmosphere. I was almost out and ready to engage my hyper drive, when my radar detected another ship. It was headed my way--and fast. I got a look at the other ship, which appeared to be a mess of parts and gears patched together with rust. I checked the license on it, and what popped up on my HUD was an arrest warrant. Could be pirates, I thought. And to prove my theory even more, the blasted ship fired on me.
I swerved, and brought the Silver Wing into a barrel roll to avoid the searing bolts. I wasn't too worried about them taking the Silver Wing, I was just concerned that I might be late for my meeting.
"Good thing I updated the cannons," I commented to myself as I fired upon the pirates. They tried to dodge, but were hit on the left wing. "That paint job was bad in the first place"
The pirates must've been a stubborn bunch, because they kept up the fire barrage. A few bolts seared the Silver Wing, and caused the ship to shudder. It seemed to me like they needed to be taught a hard lesson. Which is why I didn't feel bad when I let loose with a few concussion grenades. I flew upwards, over the pirates, and dropped the grenades onto their ship. They were thrown about, and multiple pieces of plating fell off.
I banked the Silver Wing right, and fired into the pirates' back engine. The engine exploded, and the ship steadily began to fall downward. They would crash on the surface, or burn up in the atmosphere. Whichever came first. Shame I couldn't charge for that.
I exited the atmosphere and jumped to hyperspace. I checked my chromo. I was still on schedule.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 25

2010-06-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

GAR Infirmary, aboard the Reviver

Med droid: Sir, I am going to have to ask you to return to your room. I can not allow patients t--

Tenner: Now listen here, clanker, my squad mates are in there, and if you don't let me see them someone--or something--is going to get its head busted open.

Med droid: I am sorry sir, but violent behavior will not give you authorization to my ward. Now, please move along before I contact your superiors, clone.

Tenner: Why you stinking piece of junk... (raises fist angrily)

Jotter: Hold it! (Comes running up) Easy now, Tenner.

Med droid: Sir, I cannot allow this clone into the vicinity. His psychological state is questionable.

Tenner: Hey, wait a se--

Jotter: Which is exactly why I need to take him in to the med bay. He'll have to have a cross-examination, right now.

Med droid: Very well, then, sir.

Med droid leaves. Tenner and Jotter enter the med bay.

Tenner: Thanks.

Jotter: Its no problem.

Tenner: Are you okay? (points to Jotter's arm, which is in a sling)

Jotter: I'm fine. They're keeping me here to help out with the wounded, since my arm is broken.

Tenner: What about the rest of squad, the ones that (slight pause) survived.

Jotter: Jinx and Chatter are still in bacta. We lost One-Four the other night. His wounds were too serious. As for Talon, Switch, and Breaker, you already know.

Tenner: Yeah... poor guys. What about Tag?

Jotter: He's right in here.

Jotter points into a room. They stand outside, and peer in through the window. Tenner can make out Tag's body, lying on a table while two surgeon droids operate on him.

Tenner: Will he be alright?

Jotter: I can't make any promises, but Tag is tough. He'll pull through. The docs have been working on him for about an hour now.

Tenner watches in silence.

Jotter: (reaches over and pats Tenner on the back) Don't worry. Like I said, he's tough. He'll pull through.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 24

2010-06-22T14:10:00.000-07:00

Six standard months after MLAACT Part 23

We were in the midst of battle, on some planet in the mid-rim. It didn't really matter where we fought, so long as we won.
"Brace for impact!" I shouted, as the ground shook from another missile. The Separatists were invading this world, extorting its natural resources and trade. Thus, of course, it fell to the GAR to ensure that not a single rock left the planet in Seppie hands.
"Fall back to the ditch!" Captain Sil yelled through the com.
"Fall back, fall back!" I ordered my men. We were defending the capital city from an army of droids. So far the tinnies were putting up a sweaty, bloody fight--for us.
"Get into the ditch!" I called. The ditch was literally our last line of offense. Captain Sil activated the shields, blocking out the droids with a blue screen.
"Captain Sil, how long will the shields hold?" I heard General Zaaton ask.
"Not long, ma'am. We've got minutes before the power grid burns out," he said.
"I've sent out the emergency signal. Reinforcements should be on the way," General Zaaton said.
"Then lets just hope they get here before we're overrun, I'd hate to see you in a body bag, General," the captain said. "It would go horribly with your hair."
The Jedi--in the face of possible death--laughed.
"Shield power is depleting!" A trooper shouted, over the increasing fire.
"Get ready to dig in!" General Zaaton said, taking a stance with her lightsaber.
"Great, we're doomed," Talon groaned.
"Could be worse!" Jinx replied.
Chatter swallowed, then said, "It was nice knowing all of you. I admit, sometimes Tenner scares me, and Breaker's constant foot tapping gets on my nerves, and there was that time when..."
"Chatter," Tenner interrupted.
"Yeah?" He asked apprehensively.
"I'll miss you too," Tenner said. Chatter became speechless.
"Well, now I hope I die for sure," Tenner muttered next to me. "Or else he might think I really care."
"Yeah, it'd be a real shame if everyone knew what a softy you are," I said, rolling my eyes.
"Keep your spirits up," said Jotter. "We're not dead yet."
"Yet being the key word there," Tenner responded.
"Come on," I told them, jumping into my role as squad sergeant. "We'll show those droids how its done."
"Here they come!" A trooper farther up cried out, as the shield fell.
"Fire at will!" General Zaaton yelled, leaping forward and slicing into the droids' ranks.
"Take, take, take!" I hollered. We fired, shrapnel spraying up in all directions. "Watch your left!"
Again and again we fired. The droids just kept rolling forward, crowding around the ditch. I popped an EMP grenade, and threw it at the clankers. They fizzled out, but there were plenty more.
"Tag, get down!" Jotter shouted. I obeyed, and blaster bolts flew overhead, hitting the dirt behind me.
"Thanks," I said, giving him a thumps-up. "Keep it up, men!"
We were fighting our hardest. But there were too many. We were being pounded on all three sides, and soon, the droids would take our fourth.
"Man down, man down!" Someone shouted. Who? Who was down? I didn't know.
Missiles were pounding into our flank. If only we had air support, that might have stopped the droids from overrunning our post half a klick ago. I pushed my wishy-washy thoughts aside, and focused on pounding the clankers in front of me into scrap metal.
The com crackled with activity.
"...incoming from the left!"
"We're losing ground!"
"Push forward!"
"Jas? Jas! Has anyone seen Jas?!"
I shut my air filters as a nearby grenade exploded, throwing dust up everywhere. Cold sweat trickled down my neck as I struggled to stay on me feet; the ground was shaking with each explosion.
"Gah!" It was Switch. He let out a horrible gurgle, before dropping, a gaping hole in his neck.
I lost my breath for a moment, then regained it. "Don't stop shooting!" I managed to choke out, forcing my eyes to look away from the gruesome sight. I turned to aim, but I suddenly found myself facing the sky instead. Bright flashes crossed over, and I shuddered as pain rippled through me. Everything seemed to become distant, as if it was all happening somewhere else, on another planet. Spots filled my vision, as everything else was blotted out. The last thing I saw was a group of specks in the sky, shaped just like a fleet of Republic ships...

Author's Note VIII

2010-06-21T15:01:00.000-07:00

I would like to thank everyone for their comments! While constructive criticism is welcomed, its nice to hear that people are enjoying the story. Again, opinions and ideas are welcomed. By the way, I will be adding another page under the header. It will be titled FAQ, so if anyone has any questions at all, please comment/ask to let me know!

{Plus, new template design! Any feedback?}

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 24

2010-06-19T14:05:00.001-07:00

Six standard months after MLAABH Part 23

Bartering with a Hutt isn't always the best thing to do, but after spending two weeks getting chased by Trandoshan slavers, outrunning a stampede of banthas, and getting ale tossed in my face, I was through with playing games.
"200 grand," I demanded. "Now."
"Lord Weesko only agreed to 200!" The Hutt's translator a nervous near-human named Bic Tyandas, declared. Weesko the Hutt lay on his own pedestal, decorated with Mon Calamari pearls and gold designs. He was small for a Hutt, and a glimmer of slime oozed on his brown, wrinkled skin.
"I said, 200," I spoke steadily, keeping a threatening edge in my tone.
The Hutt spoke again, and I could understand most of its Huttese, but I didn't let them know that. The translator spoke again, "Lord Weesko offers 150."
"200," I said, without pause. I wanted to get paid and get out. I had an agenda to keep.
"The bounty is not worth that much!" Tyandas said, clearly frustrated--and scared. he should be. When Weesko got angry, he had a reputation for smashing whatever--and whoever--that was around him.
"I charge extra for my expenses," I said impatiently. Since I specialized in data retrieval and crowd control, Lord Weesko had hired me to hack into a neighboring Hutt's database, in order to find supposedly valuable glitterstone mine locations. It was a bit of a gamble on Weesko's side, since blue flauxine crystal deposits (worth only four digit numbers) have been known to be mistaken for glitterstone mines.
Weesko hissed, and the translator swallowed visibly. "Reconsider!" He pleaded .
"No," I refused, "Glitterstone mines are valuable investments. On the black market they're selling for high prices. I should be asking for double. In fact, I think I will for you wasting my time. I'm a busy man."
Weesko roared in protest. Tyandos flinched, and then said, "175!"
"200, or I keep the data. I can always start my own mining business," I retorted. I let my hand dangle next to one of my blasters, signaling that he really should accept while he had the opportunity. "Last chance."
The Hutt's tail flopped up and down, and he gave a gurgle. Tyandos listened, and then said, "Lord Weesko agrees. It's a deal!"
"Pleasure doing business," I said, giving a mock salute. I left, my bank account 200 credits richer.
Inside my ship I guided, I exited the atmosphere and went into hyperspace. Checking my chromo, I was relieved to see that I was still on schedule. That was good; I didn't want to be late. After all, I had a family reunion to attend.

Spoiler 23.01

2010-06-17T15:37:00.000-07:00

One word: Visiting family
...
Or is that two?

Also,

Elite Soldiers
Ever read Karen Traviss?

Author's Note VII

2010-06-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

This note is to give you a better idea of the characters' physical appearance. Tag wears the current Phase I armor, and carries a standard GAR issued DC-15. Jatne, on the other hand, is outfitted in traditional Mandalorian armor, complete with rocket launcher, dual hand blasters, retractable vibro blades on both knuckle plates, cable launcher, dart gun, flame thrower, and hunting knife strapped to his leg. The jet pack is optional. A later picture is to come of the characters in a future notice.*
On another topic, there have been no responses to any of the past posts of whether or not people would like spoilers. If you do, please comment to let me know.
Also, new pages have been added under the headed.

*Items may be removed or added in the future

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 23

2010-06-16T09:35:00.000-07:00

We were laying down fire. Tenner launched an anti-armor round, and a hole was created in the wave if droids, but more came to fill their places.
"This isn't going too well," Breaker said over the com.
"Really? What made you think that?" Tenner asked, his voice tinged with sarcasm.
"Quick the chitchat," I ordered. "We will hold the droids off--or make 'em crawl over our dead bodies."
"How inspiring," Tenner muttered to me through a com channel that was connected to only his helmet and mine.
"I'd like to hear you do better,," I snorted.
"Hey, that's why I'm not the sergeant," he said.
"Thanks a lot," I told him. He laughed.
It wasn't going so well. We were closing in at the wall which had been blown up, leaving a nice big opening for the droids to crawl through. Across the whole of the battlefield were clone troopers battling off droids, and there wasn't much to do except to keep on firing.
A blaster bolt flies by me, an inch from my head. There are too many close calls, and not enough troops. The clankers were nearly point blank, and shooting them meant the risk of getting caught in the spray of shrapnel. So I went for the direct route, and simply used my blaster like a club to smash in a droid's head. Unfortunately, this left me vulnerable to the tinnie next to me, who took the opportunity to fire an open shot, right into my chest. The bolt would've hit me, had not a certain green come whooshing upwards, deflecting the bolt and slicing the droid in half. I turned around to come face to face with General Zaaton.
"Good to see you again, ma'am," I said. I would've saluted, except I had to keep firing at droids.
"Good to see you, too, Sergeant," she said, clearly out of breath. The Jedi looked exhausted, and was smeared with soot. "Sorry I'm late, the Separatists didn't appreciate me blowing up their com centers--along with their power core."
"No need to apologize to us, General," I said. "We're just doing our job."
She glanced at me for a second, and then shook her head, smiling. "Come on, gather the rest of your squad. We've got scrap metal to be made."

With help of General Zaaton, we were able to trash the droids in no time. Once we finished, there were only the wounded to tend for. And, as I promised, I made sure that Jinx would get the proper medical care he needed.
"Light casualties," I heard Captain Sil say. He was talking to the Jedi. "In comparison to how many droids were in that base. Leave it to Intel to not tell us about a Seppie base, then tell us the wrong number of droids in the base."
"I'll speak to Master Tiin on that," General Zaaton said. "We need decent Intel and or reinforcements, if we're going to continue fighting. Still, the troops fought well. I'll speak to Master Tiin to see if we will be transferred to another planet, now that Master Secura's fleet is heading this way."
I walked back to join the rest of my squad. We were gearing up to head back to base, and from there to wherever the Republic ordered us. We follow orders, and our orders are all we need.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 22

2010-06-15T15:47:00.000-07:00

Jotter's P.O.V.

I was administering to Switch's leg under the shelter of a pile of canned SBDs. Switch's armor had taken the blunt of the blast, but once I took off his shin guard, I could see just how swollen and bruised his leg was.
"How bad is it, doc?" Switch asked. He kept his head up, watching the battle.
"Well, it doesn't seem broken. Bit of bacta and some rest and you'll be good as new!" I told him, keeping my voice cheerful. A sad medic is a bad medic, the old field doctor on Kamino used to say. Troops look up to a medic to hear the most important news, its life or death literally. As a medic I need not only treat wounds, but to keep morale up as well. So, I do my best to stay optimistic.
Jinx started hacking. His ribs were broken, and the edges of his chest plate had cut through the bodysuit, leaving long, bleeding cuts. Talon tried helping Jinx, but he was still having trouble breathing. I could see Talon's forehead crinkled with worry.
"Hey, Jotter," Talon called over.
"Let me have another look at Jinx's wounds," I said. "Here, finish wrapping up Switch's leg for me, okay?"
"Sure," Talon said. "Just, you know, make sure Jinx comes out of this alive."
"Don't worry," I reassured him. "They don't let just anybody become a medic."
I sat down next to Jinx, who was still struggling to breathe.
"Aw, I-I ain't s-s-so b-badly wounded you n-need to s-stop helping S-Switch, Jotter," Jinx struggled to say.
"No, you aren't, but I think Talon can manage taping Switch's leg," I said. "Okay, tell me where it hurts the most, any places that are making it hard for you to breathe."
I gently pressed Jinx's ribs, and I could sense him inhaling sharply. He closed his eyes.
"T-there," he gasps.
I ran my fingers over his ribs again. There wasn't much I could do, except give him a pain killer.
"Well now, this isn't so bad," I said. "Hang on a little bit and we'll get you in a tank of bacta in no time."
Pew! Pew! I ducked quickly, shielding Jinx's exposed body as blaster fire flew overhead. I hoped that Tag and the rest of the squad would be alright, and that the fighting would soon be over.
"There," I said, as I finished injecting the pain killer. "You'll be good as new after some R and R."
Jinx just smiled weakly.

Author's Note VI

2010-06-11T16:42:00.000-07:00

This post is here to discuss spoilers. Spoilers are things that give away information on the plot, characters, etc. Writing the story for this blog, I keep in mind a general direction in which its heading. There are bits here and there that I know for certain will be in future entries. But before I go blabbing out all the details, I will need to know if anyone will actually be interested in reading spoilers. If so, please let the author (aka me) know. Also, as to not upset any person/s that do not wish to what is going to happen, spoilers will be written like this: (0v0) spoiler alert testing Okay?

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 23

2010-06-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

After that little mishap in the tunnel, Commander Lexter called us (me really) into his office to have a nice, friendly chat.
"YOU DID WHAT?!" He yelled.
"I eliminated an active threat to society," I said monotonously.
"THAT IS NOT WHAT YOU DID!" Commander Lexter shouted. I could practically see the lava spilling out of him.
"Its not? Then what was it that I did?" I inquired curiously.
Commander Lexter took in a deep breath. "I knew that when we--I--hired you, that you would have your own rules," he said calmly. "But, it is not acceptable for you to go blowing everyone up! We must have regulations, boundaries! Whoever you incinerated will not be able to give us any information in our task to keep the Senator safe!"
"If I had not acted, the Senator would be dead," I responded, keeping my voice cool. "I did not take time to think about prisoners, especially since we already have one."
He sighed. "We do have a prisoner," the commander said, "but he will not talk to our interrogators, no matter what we do."
I looked Commander Lexter in the eye, as I didn't have my helmet on. I said, "If you want this mess to be wrapped up now, then I suggest you let me talk to him. Five minutes."
Commander Lexter kept the stare up on his side, but in the end he looked away, and sighed again.
"Very well," he said. "Five minutes."

After Commander Lexter agreed to my deal, I was allowed into a room with the prisoner. In exactly three minutes I had all the information needed to capture the rest of the terrorist cell, including who, what, when, where, and how. In five minutes I had enough data that I bet the ex-sniper would've told me the key code to his own mother's private quarters if I had asked.
"Incredible!" Commander Lexter said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Just incredible!"
"So," I said as I walked out of the interrogation room. "Time to go 'round up some new cellmates?"
"It would seem that way," he said. "I'll contact the rest of the on-duty officers so we can get this whole mess cleaned up today!"
"And then I get paid," I said, not asking a question.
"And then you get paid," he repeated, as if he'd been mind influenced. That was all I needed to hear.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 21

2010-06-08T07:39:00.000-07:00

The whole planet seemed to shake as the rocket exploded upon impact. I was knocked backwards, and I hit my head on something. I struggled to get up, but I seemed to be pinned down. The more I fought, the harder it got to get up. A sharp pain stabbed me in my chest, and knocked the wind out of me even more. It was hopeless.
"Get up, Tag, get up," I thought I heard Commander Kando's voice whisper in my ear.
"But I can't," I responded. No one answered me. Was I really just going to die right here? Right now?
"No," I whispered to myself. This time I placed my hands, palms up, on whatever was holding my down, and I pushed as hard as I could. The weight shifted, and then someone else pulled the rest of whatever it was off of me.
"Tag, Tag are you okay?" I heard someone asking me this. I could see whoever it was silhouetted against the sun. "Oh, sheesh, that was some blow you took!"
"T-Tenner?" I stuttered.
"Who did you think it is? A talking bantha?" He said, sarcastically. I struggled to get up, but he pushed me back down. "Easy, you were knocked down pretty hard."
"I'm okay," I managed to wheeze as I sat up. "Just got the wind knocked out of me."
"Doesn't look like that," Tenner said conversationally, firing off a couple shots as he covered for me. "I bet you've got some nasty bruises, if your ribs aren't broken."
"I'll be fine, just hand me my deece," I ordered. He gave me back my blaster, and I assumed a crouching position to take aim.
"This is Tag, how's everyone holding up?" I spoke into my com, and waited to hear the voices of the rest of my squad-mates.
"Jotter here, sir," he said. "Everyone's alive. Switch took a bolt in the leg. I'm tending him. He'll be fine, sir. Talon's keeping an eye on Jinx. He may need a a little time in the bacta tank, afterwards."
"I'll see to that," I promised. "Everyone else who's not helping our wounded, I want you here on my left. We need to stop these droids from overrunning our position."
There was a chorus of "Yessir!"s, and I tried not to wince as I got up.
"Captain Sil," I said inside my helmet. "This is sergeant 8112. My squad is at coordinates mark one-nine dash oh-nine-five. We are requesting back up at the front."
"I hear you, Sergeant," the captain's voice crackled in my ear, "but I've got problems on my side, too. The general isn't back yet from the droids' base, and the SBDs are nearing the cannons. I'm afraid you'll just have to dig in for now."
"Copy that, Sir!" I quipped. My heart sunk. Changing back to my squad's channel, I said, "Looks like we're on our own for now, boys. Come on, lets show those clankers what a deece looks like--up close."
"Sir, yes, sir!"
"Alright, tinnies, time to hit the junk yard," Tenner said.
"Do the destroyed droids really go to the junk yards for scrap value, or are they just left on the battle field?" Chatter asked curiously.
"Chatter?" Tenner said.
"Yeah?" Chatter responded.
"Shush up and shoot," said Tenner.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 20

2010-06-06T15:14:00.000-07:00

The tinnies' base was destoryed, but that didn't mean the droids would stop fighting. I crouched down and snapped out my spent power pack, in putting a new one. All around me blaster fire was exchanged at loud pows and bangs. Through my helmet comlink I could pick up on the chatter that was going on across the valley.
"--back up! I need back up!"
"Cannons charging!"
"Fire!"
"Medic! Medic! I need a medic over hear!"
"Where's the general?! Anyone got her status?"
"Keep the heat coming!"
"More SBDs are coming from the left!"
"Who's watching out flank?!"
Whump! The droids were laying down heavy fire on our position. I could hear Jinx yelling in pain. Looking sideways, I saw one of the SBDs standing over him, metal foot on his chest. Without even thinking I turned and pointed my deece, firing before the droid could lift its durasteel arm blaster.
The droid was knocked to the side, and another shot to the faceplate finished it off. Jinx was still on the ground, and I could see him twitching in pain.
"Jotter!" I called. "Get over here and assist Jinx!"
"Yessir!" Jotter hurried over and pulled Jinx towards better cover.
Focusing on the battle again, I looked up in time to see see a purple tailed rocket blazing right towards us.
"Take cover!" I yelled.

Author's Note V

2010-06-06T14:07:00.000-07:00

This is a post for those who haven't noticed the new pages added under the header. There is now an "About This Blog" and "Dramatis Personae." Both may be updated later on, along with possible *spoilers*, and more pages might be added. If anyone has any questions about this blog, please ask and the author will try to get them answered as quickly as possible (maybe in a FAQ page).
Also, if anyone has any remarks on the story so far, or any ideas, COMMENT them under one of the posts. Who knows, maybe I'll put a cameo in...

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 19

2010-06-05T15:16:00.001-07:00

We were approaching the Seppies' base. Nearly all troops had been briefed and deployed. The commanding officers had decided to attack at noon, before the rain clouds rolled in from the south.
We had reached the edge of the valley, just out of sight. All we needed to do was wait for Captain Sil to give us the signal.
"So," Chatter started to say, uneasily. I could here him swallow, and waited for him to hurry up and spit it out. "So, any advice on what do when the fighting starts?"
Of course. Chatter hadn't actually fought on Geonosis. Neither had One-Four, Jinx, Talon, and Jotter.
"Just listen to orders and think fast," I said.
"Yeah, and don't do anything stupid," Tenner said.
"Don't do anything stupid, got it," Chatter said. I could tell that he was nervous.
Waiting, I glanced around at the rest of the troops. No one else was saying anything, but I knew that they were all as hyped up as me. Then Captain Sil spoke into the com channel.
"Everyone is in position. Remember, clear a path down the left flank, cannons are set along the ridge, we need to get our men into that base to set off the explosives. In three...two...one...go! Go!"
Charging towards the base, we fired repeatedly, aiming for the droids that had come out to see what the racket was all about.
I crouched behind a boulder, and signaled my squad to move behind me. The droids were starting to pour out of the base's doors, wave after wave. I motioned my hand, telling my men to aim for the super battle droids on the right. We hit them hard. But the droids fought back. Several SBDs actually came right up to the boulder we were using. They were so close, I would have gotten an unwanted haircut if Tenner hadn't shoved me down.
"Droid poppers!" I yelled. Jinx and Talon tossed two EMP grenades at the SBDs. They cackled with electric impulses, then dropped to the ground.
"Keep it up!" I encouraged my squad. There were a few human rebels that joined the fray. One ran up and tried to knife me. I reached out and twisted his hand, kicking him in a place polite people don't talk about, nonetheless kick. As the rebel fell to the ground, I fired a shot into his head, knocking him out of the running.
Nearby was the Jedi, Zaaton. She was right in the front, slashing through the ranks of droids. Taking out a pair of SBDs, she stepped up right next to us.
"Status, Sergeant!" She shouted over the noise of battle.
"Droids keep coming, ma'am," I said, "But don't worry, my guys' trigger fingers have been itching for this."
The general actually laughed out loud. "Good, cause it looks like more of them are rolling out."
She was right. Through the open doors came out three Destroyer droids.
"Think you and you're men can give me some cover?" General Zaaton asked, pointing at the rollies.
"You bet, General," I quipped. Gesturing, I signaled my squad to hit the droidekas, distracting them while the Jedi flipped above the blaster fire, landing behind one of the rollies where its shield was weaker. She stabbed it with her lightsaber, the jumped onto another and brought her blade through its head. By this time the last of the destroyer droids had noticed what was happening, and it rolling into its trademarked sphere shape and sped towards the general. The only problem was that it had to let its shields down to do so, and my squad quickly blew it apart before it even got five yards.
General Zaaton nodded in our direction, a silent thank you, and then flipped over the base's walls, disappearing from sight.
"So, how long do you think until she blows up the place?" Tenner asked conversationally.
"I give it ten minutes," said Talon.
"Ha, I say five," said Jinx.
"Three," Jotter said as he blasted a droid's head off.
"How 'bout now?" I asked as the base blew up in a semi-fireball.

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 22

2010-06-04T15:34:00.001-07:00

"So is the sniper dead?" Senator Aktoro questioned.
"No, I used a stun round," I said. We were back at Senate Guard HQ, for the interrogation round.
"How come none of us below heard the shot?" He asked.
"I told you, I used a silencer," I said.
"And is you killed him?" asked Senator Aktoro.
"No, I used a stun round," I said again, "otherwise there's no point in us being here to interrogate him, is there?"
Sheesh.
Lexter entered the room.
"Incredible," he said, shaking his head. "We spend a month trying to grab a suspect, and you do it in one hour."
"That's why you hired me," I said simply.
"Well, now that we've got the suspect, we'll try questioning him about the other members of his group," Commander Lexter said. "It might take a while, though, before he squeals."
"Or, you could let me in there and quicken things," I told him.
"As much as effective that would be, we must do things according to regulation," he said.
"Fine," I replied. "But when you need me, you have my number."
The senator, his bodyguards, and I left the room.
"Finally!" Senator Aktoro exclaimed. "Now I can get on with more important things. This whole mess should be cleaned up any day now."
"I doubt that. With one of their members in custody, the terrorist cell will most likely try to speed up things, before they are ratted on," I warned. The senator ignored me.
As he boarded the speeder, I held up my hand for him to stop. "I need to check the vehicle first," I said.
"Please, how could someone rig this speeder without our seeing him? Get in, or we can leave you," the Senator said.
I took out my blaster. "You may not care, but I don't want to get blown up," I said. After a thorough run through, I found that the speeder was clean. Ignoring the Senator's smirk, I got on.
"After we head to my apartment, I'll need to make calls to the Senator of Rodia. We have important issues to discus about the trade routes. I need someone to go and pick up my laundry, I'll need my tuxedo for the party I'm attending..." Senator Aktoro droned on.
I kept quiet, blaster in hand. If these terrorists had any brains, and they must have to avoid capture for so long, then they would know their partner had been captured, and that they needed to act now. I kept my scanners on for any suspicious activity.
"...to send an invite to the Senator of Naboo, we'll need to discuss the fund raiser. I'll need to plan a meeting with..." Senator Aktoro kept talking.
I quickly straitened. I had noticed something through the rear view window. Getting out of my seat, I shoved the guard who was driving and took his place.
"We've been tagged!" I exclaimed.
Senator Aktoro stopped talking. "Tagged? What does that mean?" He asked, confused.
"It means that a certain blue speeder is following us," I said, banking our speeder right.
"What? That can't be," he said.
"I disagree. Two lanes back, behind the red speeder. Its been following every since we left Lexter," I said, cursing myself for not spotting it sooner.
"Salos! Slow down, I'm crinkling my tunic! This is handwoven silk from Alderaan!" Senator Aktoro cried.
"Yeah, well it'll be stained with blood if you don't let me concentrate," I snarled. I made a sharp turn left and changed lanes, then dropped two stories down before ducking below a high-pass. The blue speeder stayed on our tail. I could see one of the windows rolling down, and a Merson grenade launcher poke through the opening. I sucked in a breath and tilted the speeder left, then dropped another twenty stories. Up ahead was a construction tunnel. There were no workers today. Ignoring the yellow signs and roped off entrance, I drove right through the tunnel. It was completely plunged in darkness--only the lights had yet to be installed. Night vision took care of that problem.
The blue speeder didn't seemed deterred by my change of course. The grenade launcher still stuck out the window. It looked like they were trying to aim.
"Here goes," I muttered. The tunnel was fairly straight, so I didn't worry too much about crashing. I turned around, opened the sun window, and took out my own rocket launcher.
"Are you insane?!" Senator Aktoro cried.
"Do you really want to know?" I asked. Holding the scope to my eye, I aimed for the front engine of the blue speeder. ...3...I placed my finger on the trigger....2...Sighting, I could still hear the senator whining...1...BOOM!

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 21

2010-05-30T16:02:00.000-07:00

I tagged along with the senator and two guards. He had to attend some sort of press conference. I didn't care. But the faster someone tried to kill him, the faster I could catch them. And the faster I caught them, the faster I got paid.
As Senator Aktoro gave his speech, I circle the perimeter again and again. The speech was being given in front of a large building, surrounded by traffic. Where would I be if I wanted to kill him? I'd be somewhere in one of the neighboring buildings, with a Verpine sniper rifle. If it were me, I'd have taken a shot at the beginning of the speech, when people would least expectant, because as the press conference were on, the more tense I got.
Switching to infrared, I scanned the skies once more. There. A hot red blur on the balcony of a MotorCrusors factory, which had been closed because of the Senator's presence. I flipped back to regular view and zoomed in. Standard sniper, most likely off the black market. Casually, I finished walking the perimeter and slowly backed into an alley. I couldn't let the sniper know that I knew that he was up there.
I went around, towards the side of MotorCrusors. A jet-pack would be faster, but in this case of stealth I decided to use my grappling line. Good thing I stocked up on rope. At several stories high, there was a thin ridge stuck out, just level with the balcony. Zzzzip. The line stuck. MotorCrusors could sue me later for the new hole in their exterior wall.
I climbed quickly and swiftly, keeping one eye on the senator and another on the sniper. Once on the edge, I sucked in my breath and crept towards the corner. Once I turned it, I'd be spotted. I counted under my breath. 1...2...3...go!
I rushed around, activated my jet-pack, sited, and fired, all before the sniper could turn around and say, "What?"
Of course, I still had the press hounds and a senator below to deal with.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 18

2010-05-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

We came to a rocky ridge, crawling on our bellies in case there was a sniper. Tenner was up ahead. As he got to the edge, he stopped. I could hear him suck in a breath.
"Um, I hate to be the rain cloud on a sunny day," Tenner said, "but it looks like trouble's found us."
I crawled next to him and peered down into the wide valley. Below, on the front wall, was the Separatist symbol.
"Woah," I heard Chatter say. "All this time, the Seppies have been building a base here, too."
"Sure looks like it," I said. The base looked to be heavily armed, maybe a battalion of droids. There were tanks in the courtyard, and droids appeared to be busy unloading crates from a ship. This was bad.
"We need to report this to command," I told my men. We had to hurry.

"So, the Separatists have made their way to Quell," General Zaaton said, rubbing her forehead.
"By the look of the holoimages that Sergeant Tag and his men brought, I'd say we're dealing with a full blown attack. We will need to face this head on, General," Captain Sil told her.
"Yes, it would seem so. The terrain lacks cover, but I doubt that we'll be able to get air support anytime soon. And we can't waste time now that they're here," she said. "You and your squad did well getting this intel, Sergeant."
"It was nothing, ma'am," I said modestly.
"I don't think discovering a once unknown Seppie base is nothing," General Zaaton told us. "Thanks to you we can launch an attack. Dismissed."
As we filed out of the room, I could almost smell the oncoming of battle.

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 20

2010-05-28T17:06:00.000-07:00

Coruscant, Pal-porean District

"So," I said, unusually conversational, "what senator is crazy enough to be hiring me?"
"Senator Vanexxio Aktoro of Ucret, to be precise," Commander Lexter of the Senate Guard said stiffly. "And though this is an unorthodox employment, I expect full respect from you."
Underneath my helmet, I smirked.
The door opened, and we stepped out from the hallway. The room was decorated with fancy silk curtains and exquisite rugs. Crown molding encircle us. A chandelier hung from the dome-shaped ceiling, genuine Ashpier diamonds glittered, throwing sparkling lights around. At the center of the room was a small holoprojector mounted on an ivory table. Around it stood several men and women. It was easy to pick Senator Aktoro from the group, although not all of them wore simple uniforms. He was dressed in fine navy blue robes, tied together with a dark velvet sash, and wore a gold chrono. But, it was his expression that really gave his identity away. The upturned nose, the crinkled forehead--and if the face and dress wasn't enough, the two hefty bodyguards by his side were.
"Senator Aktoro, this is the bounty hunter we discussed," Lexter said.
"Ah, yes, Soolis, right?" Senator Aktoro said. He had the sort of voice that made you want to wring the owner's neck.
"Its Solus," I corrected.
"Yes yes," Senator Aktoro brushed me off, waving his hand. "Now that you're finally here, I trust that Commander Lexter has informed you of my predicament?"
"Assassination attempts for the past month, car bombs, snipers, the works. No suspects in custody, but the Senate Guards think its some angry terrorist group from your home-planet that are upset about land being given to large foreign industrial companies," I said briskly. I could tell that Commander Lexter was surprised that I had adsorbed so much info, but all I had to do was read the data off my HUD. I love my HUD, by the way. Definitely worth the credits.
" So far the Senate Guards have failed to prevent these inconveniences," Senator Aktoro said.
"Sir," Commander Lexter spoke through gritted teeth. "The Senate Guard has been keeping you alive from these attacks..."
"But they haven't stopped the attacks, Commander," Senator Aktoro interrupted.
"Which is why I'm here," I butted in. "So, Senator, what security measures have you set up?"
"All that Commander Lexis gave me," he complained. "A measly guard drives around this apartment every hour, and these two escort me wherever I go anywhere."
"Plus I've set up multiple alarms and cameras all over," Commander Lexter said, though he muttered it.
The two bodyguards looked like they were going to squirm out of their blue senate armor. Obviously, they hadn't volunteered.
"Then I'll need access to all the security cameras," I told the commander. He nodded.
"And? What are you going to do about the assassins?" Senator Aktoro asked with a sniff.
"Why, catch them," I said. "Or kill them. Whichever comes first."

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 17

2010-05-26T15:24:00.000-07:00

A week went by, and all we did was reconnaissance. I could tell that the troops were getting twitchy, wanting some action.
"I want some action," Breaker groaned, as we walked down a short hill.
"Oh, shut it," Tenner snapped. "You're starting to sound like Chatter, going on and on and on."
"Hey!" Chatter cried out. "I'm not the one whining! This is important that we go over as much of Quell as possible, to ensure that..."
"Oh no, there he goes...again," Talon moaned, to much laughter.
"Remind me again why we're here," said Switch.
"We are here," I said, making my voice firm and strong, "because this planet is a key listening point and a safe distance from the current battles. Here the Republic will build a medical station where our brothers can rest without getting shot at."
I knew that the complaining would stop there. Med stations filled with helpless soldiers would be an easy target, so we had to make this one as secured and ready as possible.
Half an hour pasted, and we had a idea of the area--or so we thought.
"Sir! Something's disrupting out comlinks!" One-Four shouted, pressing his hand to the side of his helmet.
"All long range channels are completely filled with static," Jotter said, as he tried channel after channel. I did the same.
"Something's jamming it, local rebels, maybe?" I suggested.
"Not them, Sarge," Jotter said. "GAR encryption is top credits. Whatever has our coms jammed is too high-tech for some angry farmers."
"Then lets do what they sent us here to do," I told them, "and get some intel."

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 19

2010-05-25T07:38:00.000-07:00

Conversation between Coruscant Senate guards off duty

Guard #1: Ugh, I just got off my route around the Pal-porean District.
Guard #2: That's not so bad...
Guard #1: It is when you're watching Senator you-know-who.
Guard #2: Youch.
Guard #1: Ever tried talking to him? It's like conversing with a pipe, out one ear and then the other. I can't blame someone for wanting to slot him. Even I want to shoot him.
Guard #2: You might be in luck. I heard that Commander Lexter wants to hire a "professional." You know what that means.
Guard #1: Yeah, bounty hunters. What, he thinks we're not good enough?
Guard #2: Maybe so. But this is good news for us. Cause the faster this mess gets solved--
Guard #1: Then the faster he starts letting up security. I'll drink to that! Hey, we got any caf?
Guard #2: Yeah, Ricker's made some this morning. It's a little cold, but still got some kick to it. Here, I'll get you a mug...

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 18

2010-05-24T07:22:00.000-07:00

The ride back home went by smoothly, but I was still waiting for the Siisk to make the bump in the road. I kept my HUD focused on him as we landed on the bay. Mor-Hon would be waiting for us inside.
I walked towards the stairs, still keeping an eye on Siisk. His fingers were dangling by his side.
"Mor-Hon's inside," I grunted, stating what we already knew. "'bout time we got paid."
"Yessss, only," Siisk said, "you won't be getting your sssshare."
Siisk fired at the spot where I had been standing. I had seen him go for his rifle, and the whole statement about me not getting my cut was obvious enough. Spinning to the side, I pulled out my dart gun and pulled the trigger.
Siisk let out a soft groan as he dropped to the ground, dart sticking out of his neck.
"Next time," I told him, even though he was dead, "don't waste your breath with the petty speeches and just shoot." Luckily for me he wouldn't get to heed my advice.

Author's Note IV

2010-05-20T16:10:00.000-07:00

The best way to predict the future is to create it.

~Peter F. Drucker

And, as I create the future for Jatne and Tag, I'd be interested in reading how readers would feel if, say, I killed off one of them. If anyone has any opinion on what will happen, please comment. I might also set up a poll for readers to vote on, but either way, let me know what you think!

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 17

2010-05-19T16:28:00.000-07:00

I raced away from the trading post and slid down the smooth surface of a bank, leaping over stepping stones onto the other side. My ship was docked on top of a plateau. When I came to where it overshadowed the land, I hit the controls on my forearm plate, activating my jet pack and lifting thrusting me up with speed. The flames would be seen from a distant in the night. If anyone was following me they'd have an exact position. Thanks to my armor, I don't worry too much about snipers now. I hurried to my ship, blinking twice to unlock it from my helmet. The ramp dropped down.
The first shot was too high, soaring over my head. The second one, however, nearly skinned me. And the third and fourth caused me to duck down. Blast! It was Vor and Siisk. They had made it. And now they were here for the jewel, which was in a large pouch tied to my belt.
Whipping around, I fired both blasters. They dodged, giving me time to calculate just how far away my ship was. The dash to the ramp would be a good thirty feet or so.
"Give me the rock, and I'll give you a quick death!" Vor roared at me.
"Aw, shut up," I muttered back. I fired repeatedly, relying on my armor for protection.
Vor managed to escape the barrage of fire. Then he tossed a smoke grenade, blinding me momentarily. All I saw was a dark blur--right before Vor came at me with a knife. We were both thrown to the ground, and I lost my blasters. I gripped his left hand, which held the knife. He towered over me, foot pinning me to the ground.
"Not so tough now, are you, Mando?" He gloated. The knife hovered inches away from my throat. "I'm gonna slit you like a nerf," he said.
"I doubt that," I told him, as I ejected my vibro blade from my knuckle plate and drove it into his gut.
Vor seemed stunned for a moment, pausing long enough for me to kick him backwards. He coughed and spitted blood out. Retrieving my blasters, I pointed one at him, aiming for his head. Even wounded he was still dangerous. Vor snarled, wincing, and threw his knife at me. I sidestepped and fire. He dropped, dead.
Exhausted, I turned to face the Trando, who had stayed out of my way--so far. I readied myself for another duel, but Siisk raised his hands in an act of supposed peace. He dropped his rifle, and spoke, "Looksss like itsss jussst usssss."
"Yeah, I guess so," I said.
"Then why ssshould we fight? You can keep the bonusss," he hissed. "Jussst let me get my pay. I know that you are an honorable man."
He was probably playing me, and I didn't need to take any chances. But... His ship's records would show that I had been in the area, along with my ship's license number, and I didn't want any of the thugs finding that information. There was always the option of blowing up Siisk's ship from space, but the huge flaming fireball might be a bit of a giveaway. "Fine," I said. "First sign of trouble, though, and I'll off you before you can even pull out a blaster."
"Then let usss not wassste time," Siisk said.
We both boarded our respected ships, and prepared to jump into hyperspace. As I drummed my fingers against the dashboard of the Silver Wing, I wondered when Siisk would inform me of his true intentions.

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 16

2010-05-18T16:58:00.000-07:00

P.O.V. of a Mandalorian, from approximately 3,500 BBY

Munit tome'tayl, skotah iisa, ke nu jurkad sha Mando'ade!

Translation: Long memory, short fuse, don't mess with Mandalorians!

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 16

2010-05-18T16:06:00.000-07:00

After the med bay we were sent back to our bunks. The next day we were called for a debriefing--and no, they don't make you take off your underwear there. Chatter already asked that question.
When we got to the room, we saluted General Zaaton and Captain Sil, who were both present. I gestured my squad to stand next to the rest of the platoon."
"At ease," General Zaaton said. She reached up to push back a stray lock of hair. "Thank you for coming, especially after those who were caught in that crash yesterday."
"We are always ready for duty, ma'am," I said stiffly.
I thought I saw a small smile on her face, but it could have just been the lighting. She leaned over a holoprojector and pressed a button. A map of popped up.
"Much of the local area is rural, and some has never been accurately mapped. Scouting squads will be sent to here, here, and here..."
The brief continued for another twenty minutes, before we were filing out the door.
"So, reconnaissance," Tenner said casually. "Get to see the great outdoors, eh?" He prodded my shoulder.
"That's what orders are," I responded, knocking his hand mercilessly away.
"Could be worse," Jinx said, cheerfully.
"Don't jinx us, Jinx," I warned. I wasn't very superstitious, but I didn't want any negative attitudes forming, either. "Like what Captain Sil said, we make sure that Quell is secured and ready--for anything."

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 15

2010-05-17T16:01:00.001-07:00

Chatter's P.O.V.

After that terrifying crash we were all sent to the med bay to make sure that no one had head trauma. I had a set of bright blue and purple bruises on my side and leg, due to that door pinning me down. No broken bones, thankfully. In truth though, it was remarkable that no one was killed. I mean, who names a pilot Crash. Really. All I can think of that's worse is Sicko. You could say it was a bad sign from the beginning. But my new sergeant, Tag, says that Crash's good flying skill held keep the ship together until we landed. Tag's different from the other sergeants I know. He doesn't like being called "Sergeant," or "NCO." He'll take "Sir" or "Sarge" if you have to, but otherwise its "Tag."
Jotter's fixing Tenner up, who's got a metal splinter stuck in his hand. That must sting.
Tenner is Tag's batcher, and it seems like he's his second in command, the way they're always talking. They both served on Geonosis. I wasn't there on the ground, but on-board one of the cruisers with the rest of my company. We only landed at the end of the battle, to help the wounded. Some troops went out to fend off some resistance at the edges, but I got stuck at the landing bay. I did catch a glimpse of the battlefield, though. It was awful, bloodied bodies lying among the felled droids. I can only imagine what a nightmare it must have been for the survivors.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 14

2010-05-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

I never knew larties could bounce. I guess you learn a new thing everyday. Over the com I could hear my men shouting as the ship crash landed onto the grass. I think the ship flipped over, but it was hard to tell with all the banging and bashing we were getting. Once it seemed like the planet wasn't spinning anymore, I called out, "Check in!"
"Tenner here."
"Jotter, all in one piece, too."
"This is Breaker."
"Talon checking in."
"Chatter, alive and accounted for."
The squad all called in, even Crash. I felt a little bit relieved.
"Is there anyone who is unable to move?" I asked. Silence.
And then, "One of the doors fell in on me, I'm pinned down." It was Chatter.
I scrambled up, careful not to cause anymore damage. I couldn't stand up all the way, since so much of the larty had crashed inward. "Hang on, Chatter," I told him. "Crash, have you contacted the base?"
"Yes sir, my com channel's clear now, and reinforcements should be right outside, in fact," Crash said. To prove it, a voice crackled in my helmet.
"Sergeant 8112, are you and your men alright?" It was another clone.
"Yessir, but one of my men is trapped underneath a broken door, he needs assistance," I informed him.
"Don't worry, we've got General Zaaton here. We'll get you out in no time," he said.
Two bright green blades poked through a cracked metal wall and started cutting out an opening, a sign of itself that help was here. I exhaled, relieved. It looked like we were going to be OK after all.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 13

2010-05-14T18:24:00.000-07:00

Alarms went off. Yeah, its not like I knew anything was WRONG, I thought sarcastically. I could here Crash saying something.
"Sir! Captain Sil and Sergeant Tack have landed and are leading a squad to deal with the rebels," Crash said.
"Sounds good, but a little too late for us," I said. "What's our status?:
"Half the engines are overheating, and the other half have been obliterated. I'm flying with nearly one wing, and I think something's jamming my com. Otherwise, its paradise," Crash told me.
"How far are we from base?" I asked.
"Not too far. It should be located around that bend upahead, 'bout a klick away," he said.
Within my helmet, I let out sigh, making sure that none of the others could hear me.
"Don't worry, Tag, these larties are tougher than they look," Jotter said reassuringly. The Kaminoans seemed to have given him the optimistic genes.
"And the pilots are even tougher," Crash joked.
"Hmmm," I murmured. The ship rocked, and bodies clashed, despite the fact that we were clinging for our lives.
"Hold on to your buckets!" Crash shouted. "The base is in view. Its too risky to land where the rest of the ships are. I'm going to see if I can get us in that field over there."
The ship swung, banking left. Smoke streamed out from the back of it. Crash guided the larty towards the place he had designated earlier.
"Jotter!" I called. "I want you on stand by, in case this gets a little bumpy."
"Yessir!" He said, falling back on the regs now that we were so close to what could be our deaths.
"Landing in 5...4...3..." Crash said over the com. "2...1!"

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 15

2010-05-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

Everyone seemed to converge towards the precious stone at the same time. I, however, took this as an opportunity to slide out my second blaster. With a blaster in each hand, I prepared to wreck havoc. Pew! Pew! Pew!
The bolt flew out, taking down every being they hit with deadly accuracy.
Two Weequays fell, before I switched targets and took out a bald human who was running towards me. Pretty soon I needed to change the power pack. I crouched behind a broken pillar, and quickly switched the packs. A prickling feeling caused me to look up, just in time to see a Duros with a machete come swinging down on me. I rolled and fired my blasters simultaneously, nicking his leg. He howled in pain, but then raised his knife in an upper strike. I blocked the blade with my right hand and aimed my blaster with my left, shooting twice, both bolts entering his head.
Recovering, I surveyed the room. On the up side, nearly all the thugs were out of the running. On the down side, Herso, Siisk, and Vor were still alive. All of them were still fighting, and I took this as my cue to grab the Bantha's Heart and go.
Crawling in between bodies and depris, I made my way to where the jewel had fallen. My breathing slowed as I reached to pick it up, sliding one of my pistols back into place. In the dim light the rock seemed to sparkle and shine, almost as if it was really beating. Just as I pulled it towards me, a plasma bolt hit the ground, centimeters away from killing me. I jerked my body back and fired off the blaster I still had in my hand, shooting at random objects in surprise.
"Drop it!" Vor yelled at me. Great. I'm not usually for the spotlight, but now everyone--meaning just Siisk, Herso, and Vor--were looking at me with greedy eyes.
"Now hold on," I said, "we can work this out. There's no need for all of us to die over this."
"No, I just need all of you to die so that I can get my bonus!" Herso shouted.
"Calm down. You know, this reminds me of a time on Tatooine, where I met this--kaPOW!" I threw the grenade between Herso and Vor. It exploded, leaving a hole in the wall and a way out. I raced towards my exit, firing at the other bounty hunters. Once I got outside, I turned and pulled out my rocket launcher. Squeezing the trigger, I shut my eyes as the bright rocket streaked into the chamber. I saw Herso fall, but couldn't spot Siisk or Vor. At the moment I didn't care. All I needed was to get back to my ship and get the Bantha's Heart to Mor-Hon. What could go wrong?

Author's Note III

2010-05-14T07:19:00.000-07:00

X Wing 05 said... Um, i think you mentioned in the first post it was a LIONS heart. ( not banthas )

Originally that was correct, but if you look back I changed it, to make it more "Star Wars"-ish. Because there are so many posts (with more to come), sometimes a change needs to happen in a previous entry. Of course, I'll try to limit these changes as much as possible.

Nice job catching that mistake, I was starting to think that no one read this.

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 14

2010-05-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

The gangsters were in obvious panic. Vor and the rest had the element of surprise. However, the criminals had numbers. Soon the chamber was fill with the burning smell of baster fire.
I watched as my former co-workers took out at least five of the thugs. If this kept up, I would barely have to do any work.
"Get the rock, R1!" Vor yelled to the droid. R1 crossed the room, dodging baster fire.
"Oh no, that bonus is mine!" Herso cried out and fired upon the droid. R1 tried to swerve but was knocked over by a large Weequay thug. Herso's bolts hit the droid, blowing its circuits out.
Angry, Vor threw a knife at Herso, missing by an inch.
I leaned closer to watch Herso fire on Vor, who hid behind a collumn. An odd, slow motion, very fluid, yet a little jerky, caught my peripheral vision. I craned my head to look down at the shadows of the wall I was above, where IG-86 was steathily making his way to the container that held the bounty. The thieves were too busy fighting the bounty hunters (plus fighting each other), Siisk was struggling to shoot a Verpine shell into a Duros' skull, and Heros and Vor were duking it out. IG-86 was almost in the clear. No one was giving it a second thought.
I exhaled within my helmet, and prepared to kick open the vent.
1...2...3! I thought to myself, striking out my legs to bring to air vent cover crashing down on some Weequay's head.
I pulled one of my blasters out from it sheath before I even hit the ground. My boots touched the floor, and I aimed. IG-86 was holding the glass container in which the jewel laid. I fired, and IG-86 hit the ground, its red, artificial eyes fading.
When I had shot it, one of IG-86's metal appendages smacked the glass lid, breaking it into a hundred pieces, and leaving the Bantha's Heart out in the open. Through the loud battle noises in the room, everyone seemed to hear the glass shatter. And everyone converged upon it's important content at once.

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 13

2010-05-10T17:14:00.001-07:00

The blueprints my HUD dug up guided me right down the central ventilation system. I came to a split in the shafts, which led me to consult the schematics.
"Hmmm, right turn here and then drop directly over them," I muttered to myself before taking the right. Crawling through the vent, I had to use my arms to drag my body, constantly worrying about clanking of my armor against the sides of the shaft. It really was a tight fit.
Finally I came to the vent right over the holding chamber. I had hoped that it would be empty, simplifying my job.
Ah, what I'd give to be born under a lucky star. The room was full of gangsters. By the sounds of the raised voices, they were arguing. It was probably about how big a cut each one got. I could make out the large red jewel I had been sent to retrieve. It was perched in a locked glass container in the center of the chamber, surrounded by thugs. There was no way this would be easy.
I contemplated different plans on how to get the Bantha's Heart, preferably without having me die.
A sudden explosion resulting in the door being blown apart (along with two of the goons). I looked at the new hole, as well as the gangsters, who were then set upon by blaster fire.
Vor, I thought. He and the others had got here, and now I would have take them out along with the criminals. Unless...an idea crossed my mind, and I aloud a small grin to appear on my face.
The plan? I would sit tight--and wait.
Thugs poured into the room.

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 12

2010-05-10T16:59:00.000-07:00

"Aaagh!" Vor cried out. Siisk immediately clapped a hand over his mouth. Vor had slipped on a pool of grease. If his R1 droid hadn't been behind him, he'd have gone crashing down.
"Careful, we mussst be ssstealthy," Siisk growled. Vor's eyes bugged out, but he didn't say anything.
As I pulled myself up a ledge, I discovered the exit. Finally. I listened for any outside noises, before kicking the metal sheet out of the way. Straightening, I pulled out my set of blasters and checked the hallway. The others came out behind me.
"Clear," I said. I beckoned with one blaster towards my right. Accessing the place's schematics through my HUD--heads-up display. "There's a heavily fortified chamber that way. If we go around, we can sneak through the side room and enter the ventilation system--"
"Now hold on," Vor said. His droid counterpart was hooked up to the trading post's mainframe. "R1 has disabled the security cameras. Why don't we just go through the front door? We've got enough fire power to overtake them. And there's no way I'm doing anymore climbing."
Annoyed, I answered, "My HUD scans show that there is a security system in the chamber that includes mounted repeating blasters on the ceiling. They are usually trained on the entrance. Any attempt would be suicide--"
Vor interrupted me again, saying, "I don't care, I'm not doing anymore crawling or whatever. Unlike you, I'm not scared of a couple of blaster bolts."
Now I was more than annoyed. My fingers tingled as I gripped my blasters. And then an idea occurred to me.
"Fine," I told him. "You go that way. I'm taking the shafts."
I turned to depart. It looked like Herso was staying with Vor, and the IG-86 as well. Siisk seemed to be contemplating his choices.
"Better to ssstick with the group," Siisk said. I shrugged. If they were that stupid, then that was good for me. My chances of getting that bonus seemed to brighten.

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 11

2010-05-10T16:36:00.000-07:00

Climbing, or to be more acurate--scrambling up the slope turned out to be tougher than it had appeared. There were grease slicks along the walls, and it looked as if no one had inspected the chute in years.
"This place is a diasaster," Herso declared in his Jamaican-like voice.
"Ssshut up, Tentacle-Head," Siisk said.
"Why, should I listen to you, Lizard-Brain?" Herso muttered.
Siisk purposely stamped his boot on top of Herso's head.
"Please, gentlemen, we're all professionals. Lets work together," Vor soothingly said. R1 burbled an echo. IG-86 remained silent.
After Siisk muttered a couple of unintelligible words under his breath, he continued climbing.
Since I was in front, I wondered if dropping a grenade down on my colleagues would be such a bad idea. Nah, the shaft wouldn't hold and I'd be burnt to a crisp, armor or no armor. Too bad.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 12

2010-05-09T16:07:00.000-07:00

We were approaching the base fast. Our company was only klicks away. I could see the ground below, peppered with trees.
And then things started getting complicated.
Whump! The larty jolted violently. I clung to the rail above, barely managing to stop myself from hitting Tenner.
"Crash! What's going on out there?" I called to the cockpit.
"We're taking heavy fire from below. Looks to be like old BC-09 cannons, sir," Crash responded. "The captain's ordering all ships to take evasive action and meet up at the base."
"I thought there weren't any droids in the area," Chatter's voice vibrated as the ship shook.
"Must be local rebels," I told him.
"Great, just great," Tenner muttered.
The larty took another hit, and part of the door on my side was peeled apart.
"Crash! Close the hatches!" I yelled.
"Closing hatches, or what remains of them, sir," Crash said. "I'm going to see if I can slingshot around the cannons and get out of range."
"Yeah, do that. We'll just stand here and wait..." Tenner muttered.
I could here a rattling noise, and smelled the sickly sweet scent of smoke.
"I am I the only one worried?" Chatter said. "I mean, we just lost half the of the left wing, and by the smell of it the engines have burnt out."
"Listen, Chatter, I don't know how things were for you in your old company, but in ours we have a little rule to keep everyone happy," Tenner said easily.
"Yeah?" Chatter asked.
"Yeah, and it goes like this," Tenner said. "'Don't make comments on things that can kill you.'"
"Oh," Chatter said in a quiet voice.
Whump! The ship took another hit.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 11

2010-05-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

In the morning the rest of the troops and I boarded one of the many larties in the hangar, preparing for the landing on Quell. The departure was quick and brief. Soon we were flying, heading for one of the completed bases.
"Pilot," I said through my helmet comlink. "Status report."
Our pilot, nicknamed Crash for reasons I didn't want to know, replied back, "So far everything is going smoothly, Sergeant. Arrival in fifteen."
"Copy that," I said. Slipping off my helmet, I wiped my brow with the back of my gauntlet. After the last mission, I was feeling a little nervous.
"Hey, you okay?" Tenner whispered to me.
"Peachy," I muttered.
Tenner looked at me, not quite believing what I said. But we were soldiers. Correction. We were the best soldiers, engineered to be able to fight and take orders.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 10

2010-05-07T15:51:00.000-07:00

I, along with the rest of my squad, returned to our designated quarters aboard the Reviver.
"So," one of the men from the other company, Chatter, starts talking, "what are our orders, sir?"
"Lay back for the rest of the night. Get a good night's sleep and report in tomorrow wide-awake," I said. "Also, don't call me sir, unless in the presence of a CO. Got it?"
"Yessi--er, yes, Tag," Chatter said.
I heard Tenner stifle his laughter as I plopped down on my own bunk. Sleep came quickly.
Darkness clouded my vision. I found myself running downhill, across gritty red sand. I started panting, and my legs felt sore. Behind I could make out a beeping noise. Beep. Beep. Beep.
Suddenly I knew where I was, and Commander Kando appeared next to me.
"Don't look back!" He shouted at me.
"Yessir!" I said, but felt strangely confused, as if I had just forgotten something. I began to feel lightheaded, and my vision became blurry.
Commander Kando's voice drifted towards me. "Its no use...no use."
From the corner of my eye, I could see him starting to runn towards me. And then I could remember.
"No! No! Sir, don't--" I tried to cry out, but then a deafening explosion showered us with rocks and rust colored dust.
"No, no, no, no, no." The voice woke me from my nightmare. I looked around, startled, then realize it was me muttering to myself. Sitting up, I gave myself a good shake, trying to clear my head.
"It was just a dream, just a dream," I murmured. But it hadn't been. And the stinging from my left shoulder kept reminding me.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 9

2010-05-06T15:38:00.000-07:00

The landing bay of the Reviver, on its course to Quell.

I stood to attention, in front of one column of troopers. The entire 408th had assembled. Of the 144, eight men stood behind me, the closest being Tenner. During Geonosis, I had lost five squad mates, who had been replaced by troopers from the other company. Surprisingly, Jotter was one of them.
"So, where's that new commander we've been hearing about?" Tenner asked through a private com channel.
"Probably talking to the Jedi General," I answered back.
"Well, I hope they hurry up, I can't stand still like this forever," Tenner said.
"Yes you can stand still and you will stand still, so help me if you embarrass me I'll throw you out the airlock," I snarled.
Tenner snorted, saying, "All I meant was that I've got better places to be."
It was my turn to snort. "Like where? The mess?"
As Tenner was about to retort, the commander entered. Immediately everyone stood up even straighter, if that was at all possible.
"At ease," the commander said. No one relaxed. Walking forward until he was at the middle of the front line, he reached up and pulled off his helmet. He looked exactly like me, and the guy next to me--big surprise there. Taking a breath in, he spoke, "You will address me as Captain Sil, or sir."
"Sir, yes, sir!" We all respond. Huh, so it wasn't a new commander but a captain.
The captain started pacing. Captain Sil said, "The 408th has been assigned to Quell. The planet itself serves as a key post for this war. With it, we will be able to monitor space traffic, as well as use it as a place to refuel ships. No Separatists have been sighted in the area, but that does not mean you should be any less alert. Several bases are being set up there, and it is important that those bases are secured and ready."
He paused, and then continued, "Jedi General Zaaton will be leading this operation. Other than her, you will report directly to me. Is this understood?"
"Sir, yes, sir!"
"We will be landing at 0600 hours. Dismissed," he said.
In precise order, one line at a time filed out of the landing bay.

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 10

2010-05-05T16:00:00.001-07:00

The trading post was located on one of the moons circling Tatooine: Chenini. After Loz's explosion, no other ships blew up, so our course there was uninterrupted. We landed far enough away from the trading post so as not to alert them. I slung my leg over my speeder and rushed down a small hill to an overhanging, where I had seen a small door. The others followed.
Once at the door, I realized that it was actually a garbage shoot. It would be big enough for only one person at a time, as it was slightly smaller than a turbolift. That is, once we got it opened.
"Locked!" Herso said in his thick accent.
"Then letssss blow it to ssssmithereensss," Siisk hissed.
"Or we could take a stealthier approach. R1?" Vor gestured to R1, who glided toward the door. Accessing a panel with an array of tools, R1 began pulling out wires. I realized then just how much work Vor had done on his droid partner.
Swoosh. The door slid open, revealing a dimly lit, rather dank, chute going upwards. I glanced at the other bounty hunters, and, seeing that none of them stepped forward, I said, "So, who wants to climb into the creepy chute first?"
When no one volunteered, I stepped inside and started climbing.
"Here goes," I whispered to myself.

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 9

2010-05-05T15:55:00.000-07:00

As my ship took off, a loud explosions below caused me to look down. What had been Loz's Correllian cruiser was now engulfed in a fireball. There was no way he could have survived. I glanced at Vor's ship, and saw him and R1 holding a small control through the cockpit window.
Hmmm... I had been right in not letting R1 near my ship. Still, the less competition, the better.

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 8

2010-05-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

I stood on top of my ship, fixing the broken panel. I glanced around to check on the other bounty hunters. With listening ears I had found out that the Trandoshan was Siisk, the assassin droid an IG-86, the human with the R1 unit was Yan-Tuso Vor, the other human was Lyel Loz, and the Nautolan was Wikk Herso. All of them were either in their own ships or studying datapads.
Suddenly I whip out one of my two hand-blasters and fire off a quick shot, barely missing R1, who had been inching towards my ship.
R1 beeped erratically, and Vor shouted out, "Hey!"
"Keep your droid away from my ship," I growl. R1 beeped at me before shuffling back to Vor. I hold anyone above saboteur.
Jumping down to the ground, I gave my ship a quick once over before stepping inside. I prepared to leave the landing bay. That 200,00 bonus was going to escape me easily.

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 7

2010-05-04T16:25:00.000-07:00

Somewhere in the Inner Core

I stood against the wall, back straight, hands dangling by my side, waiting for the guy to start talking.
My soon-to-be employer cleared his throat before speaking, "I am Mor-Hon. The organization I work for has gathered all of you here because of a certain, shall we say, "gang" that has disrupted an important industrial operation."
Mor-Hon, who's organization was really part of the black-market, turned on a holo-map. He pointed to a small moon on the chart. Mor-Hon started to speak some more, saying, "What we need you to do is to sneak into the trading post and steal back a rare jewel known as a Bantha's Heart." He pointed to a picture of a stone the size of a fist. It was blood-red.
The man continued, "Its fullest value can only be achieved with the right tools, which only my organization has. Your goal is to retrieve the gem and bring it back to me."
That sounded simple enough. What wouldn't be easy were all the other people in the room with me. There was a Trandoshan, two humans, a patched up R1 unit accompanying one of the humans, an IG-series assassin droid, a Nautolan, and me. All the flesh beings were male, and everyone was a bounty hunter. Let me just say this: I don't play well with others. And this crew looked like they were built of ice.
"Now," Mor-Hon said, "all of you will be payed upon your return and the return of the jewel. As an incentive, the one to hand the Lion's Heart over to me will be rewarded a 200,000 bonus."
Things just got colder.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 8

2010-05-04T16:13:00.000-07:00

War Room: 1 standard hr before MLAACT: Part 7

Jedi General Saesee Tiin: While I take the fleet to Outer Rim, we'll need someone to oversee the set up of the bases on Quell. So far the locals have been supportive of this movement, and we do not want to wait until it becomes too late.
Jedi General Kylara Zaaton: I know what you're getting at, so I'll just volunteer before you "request" that I be the one to do it. It doesn't sound like there'll be a lot of action, though.
Tiin: Action or not, we need a Jedi on Quell.
Zaaton: I'll take the new 408th; the 81st did well on clearing the way for me on Geonosis."
Zaaton leaves room.
Admiral Mikelson: She seemed a little disappointed.
Tiin: Yes, I noticed. Still, adventure can find you in the strangest of places.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 7

2010-05-04T07:46:00.000-07:00

I met up with Tenner at the mess. Although I would much prefer hitting the bunk for some Zs, my stomach demanded food.
"So, you okay, Tag?" Tenner asked me as he shoveled food rations into his mouth. Back on Kamino one of the trainers had called him a "sarlaac pit." The trainer had been wrong. Tenner could out eat a sarlaac any day.
"I'm fine," I lied.
Tenner kept eating, but glanced at me from the corner of his eye. Thankfully he didn't make a comment.
Swallowing, he said, "I heard that there's not going to be an 81st, that they're combining our guys with the--"
"The 408th," I said, interrupting him. "Yeah, all the officers--NCOs included--were informed. Our new commander is CC-2410. We'll be joining with them tomorrow on our way to Quell. They're building stations there."
"Quell, eh? Better pack my shorts and sunscreen," Tenner said as he scooped up another bite.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 6

2010-05-03T16:07:00.000-07:00

I gripped the rim of my helmet as I held it loosely beside my leg. One of the medics was attending to my shoulder wound, although I had told him it was just a scratch.
"You know, I don't think a 'scratch' would have so many pieces of shrapnel in it," the medic said nonchalantly. Another fragment of metal clinked into a plastoid bowl.
I grunted in response.
"So, what do they call you? Certainly not 'Chatty,' eh?" He said. Taking a roll of cloth, he wrapped my left upper-arm.
"I'm Tag," I said simply.
"Jotter," Jotter replied. "Well, Sergeant Tag, looks like you're all patched up. Your company's probably over there. Better hurry to catch 'em."
"Thanks," I said, as he adjusted my left shoulder plate. I got up, and hurried to follow the rest of the troops boarding the ship. I had a report to make.

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 6

2010-05-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

I tenderly applied bacta to the bruise on my left shoulder that I'd gotten from the assassin droid. Clenching my teeth, I rolled down my sleeve and replaced the shoulder plate. For the next couple days or so, I'd have a bright purple mark on my arm. It was a good thing I didn't wear T-shirts often.
Turning in my seat, I reached for the controls of my ship, the Silver Wing. I had a delivery to make.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 5

2010-05-03T15:53:00.000-07:00

From inside my helmet, I swallowed my tears.

Picture of clone troopers on Geonosis

Author's Note II

2010-05-03T15:24:00.000-07:00

X Wing 05 said... Awsome blog! its definitly going to have a place in my bookmarks! about how often do you post an entry?

Entries will be published depending on how much time/what ideas I have. There should be at least one entry per week, possibly more. If you wish to be updated on new posts, feel free to become a follower on the sidebar.

Also: Thanks for the compliment, I'm glad you're enjoying it!

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 4

2010-05-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

I woke up.
I couldn't tell what time it was, because something was obscuring my vision. There was a heavy weightt on my chest. I reached up to push it off. It fell from my body with a solid thud. A sick feeling filled me as I realized what it was.
"No..." I moaned. I covered my helmet with my arms, until I forced myself to look. It was Commander Kando. There was multiple pieces of shrapnel sticking out of him, blood dried onto his armor. I groaned as I shifted my weight to crawl over and lift off his helmet. There was no question about it. Dead.
At the last moment of his life, he had made the decision to shield me from the blast with his own body, enabling at least one of us to get out alive. I felt sick to my stomach. Kneeling over, I nearly upchucked right there. I staggered, hands on my knees, panting and sweating, though not from the hot, merciless sun.
"Hey, you okay, sir?" A trooper said to me from behind, "The battle finished up a few minutes ago, we're getting all the survivors to the ships right now. Can you make it back?"
In response, I stumbled and nearly fell. The trooper gently grabbed me and guided me down off the cliff-side. As we made a turn, I caught a final glimpse of Kando's body.
When we finally made it back to where the ships were, a captain approached us.
"Sir," the trooper supporting me said. "CT-0328, 'porting in, sir! This here is..."
"CT-8112, sir," I said weakly.
"Well, ships will be taking off by company, but I suggest you get that arm checked by a medic first, 12," the captain said and pointed to my arm.
I looked at it. There was a piece of shrapnel wedged under my shoulder plate. I hadn't even known I'd been hit.
"I'll get it fixed up right away, sir," I said. The captain nodded. 28 hesitated, as if not sure whether or not to follow me. I turned to him and said, "I'm fine, thanks for helping me. I can make it to a medic by myself."
He paused, but then let me go on my way. Heading to where the wounded were, I waited for one of the medics to finish up. I took a seat on an overturned crate, and tried to block out the thoughts of bombs and bloodied bodies.

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 5

2010-05-02T15:39:00.000-07:00

From inside the plunk droid, I smiled.

A picture of a plunk droid.

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 4

2010-05-02T15:06:00.000-07:00

Captain Vanders', head of a small gang of smugglers on Hutta, P.O.V.

Those lousy excuse for smugglers were all crowded around a game of cards. I had to get better men than this. Shaking my head, I walked over to the bar for a drink. At least with that chip I stole I could make a little change in my pocket. Times were tough. I had just picked up my cup when the alarm went off. Cursing, I dropped my drink, the glass shattering upon the ground.
What had happened? We hadn't had a good job since those Corporate geeks fired us. The only thing we had was...
Oh shoot. The chip.
I yelled at my men, the ones who were at least sober enough to hear me, "Get on, now! We've got an intruder! Block off all exits! Stop all ships! Shut off the main power-core! I want a squad of men to follow me to the computer database! What are you waiting for? Get moving 'fore I shoot all of you!"
They scrambled to follow my commands. Dashing to the back room that I had stored the chip in, several of my men went around to the other side, blocking off all chances of escape. I yanked the door open and pointed my blaster at...
Nothing. All that was in the dark room was the computer, and my fried assassin droid. To the side were several old, rusty droids I had been storing there until I could reboot them.
I slammed my fist onto the keyboard, hard. The chip was gone. And so was the intruder.
"Blast!" I turned around. "Well, what are you waiting for? He couldn't have gotten far! Quick, I want every corner of this place turned inside out, you here?! And get that plunk gonk droid out of here!"
I pointed to the droid, which must have reactivated, and was wandering aimlessly around. Again, my "men" scrambled to find the thief. One of them ushered the plunk droid out of here.
I just stood there, and then dragged myself out of the room.

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 3

2010-05-01T16:02:00.000-07:00

When Wilkes said that the ex-fraction had been used to "ship" goods, he of course meant "smuggle." The smugglers base on Hutta was easy to get find, thanks to the intel Barquester had given me. Entering it had been even easier. All I had to do was climb aboard one of the many cargo ships, whereupon I was transported into the landing bay. Once there I sneaked passed the four drinking guards by the parapet and entered through--guess what?--the front door. These guys really needed to hire a locksmith, or at least take away the guards' ale.
Next came the more difficult part: finding the chip. If I was a smuggler with a stolen chip, what would I do? Well, first off I'd take a bath. Man, did this place stink. Did they not believe in taking showers or something? Anyway, after a good clean rinse, I'd put the chip somewhere secure, most likely near a computer base so I could examine the data. It was a start.
I found a utility closet and broke the pathetic lock on it. Careful investigation showed that most of the power in this place lead to a room off to the back. Chances were that the electricity was for a computer, so I headed in that direction.
I was nearly to the room when I caught the sound of voices. I slipped into a doorway and waited for the source of the noises to pass.
"...yeah, and then ya know what he says when I says that?" A sluggish smuggler said to his companion, who had an eye-patch.
The one eye guy asked, in a heavy slur, "What he says?"
"He says I smells!" The first smuggler exclaimed.
"Why he says that for?" One eye said.
Yeah, I sure wondered why...
"I don't know. So I says now, I says that I'm leaving, but then he grabs me and wham! I gots a bump on my head the size of an egg!" The first smuggler said loudly, gesturing with his hands.
The two passed me, and then I hurried away before they could turn around.
Entering the room, I was delighted to discover that there was indeed a huge computer inside. What really brought me down was the assassin droid standing guard in front of it. I wasted no time dodging to my right, firing my dual blasters at the same time. The droid was hit twice before it managed to fire off a shot. My armor softened the blast, but it was still going to leave a bruise. I tackled the droid full on, knocking its blaster from its hand. I raised my own weapon and fire three shots into its head.
Getting up, I winced as I moved my bruised left shoulder. Making my way over to the computer, I pushed aside an old (PLNK-series) plunk droid and started hacking into it. I needed to make haste, certain that someone had heard the shots.
"Come on, come on," I muttered. Finally! The droid had been placed there for a reason. I clicked a few buttons and out popped the data chip. Slipping it into my pocket, I silently congratulated myself. Maybe no had heard the blaster bolts after all...
BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP!
Shoot. I had triggered the alarm. I could here running feet in the distance. There was only one exit, which would lead me right towards them. And then, the lights flickered off, leaving me in the dark.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 3

2010-04-30T16:23:00.000-07:00

Flashes. Bangs. There's explosions going off on all sides. I found myself panting, pressing up against a rock for cover. The commander was next me. I'd lost track of Tenner.
Boom! Boom! My helmet's advanced technology protected me from bursting an eardrum. Those cannons were giving us a hard time.
I spun around and started pumping blaster fire into a group of droids that were breaking our ranks. Ducking down quickly, a plasma bolt soared over my head.
"Lieutenant Tag!"
"Yessir!" I responded quickly and promptly to Commander Kando.
"We need to take those bugs' cannon and show 'em where to shove it. You with me?" I asked him.
"Sir, yes sir!" I said loudly.
The commander gestured to a broken path that made its way up to the cliff top. Together we jogged quickly over the rocky terrain. A rock formation covered us from the scorching heat, but I was still sweating. We slowed as we reached the top, and Commander Kando and I took places opposite an opening in a rock where we could see the Geonosians, who were reloading the cannons.
"On the count of five," the commander whispered, even though are helmets were soundproofed.
I gave him a nod.
"One...Two..." he counted.
Suddenly one of the Geonosians turned around, and pointed in our direction. Uh oh...
"How 'bout changing that to a count of three?" I asked as we leaped up and started blasting the bugs. I dived around to the left and forced them against the ledge. Commander Kando rushed forward and stabbed two of the Geonosians with his vibro-blade.
Dodging a shot, I stock striked a bug and shot another. Pretty soon all of them were down. For our first battle, I must say that we were doing pretty well.
"Aaand that troopers one and bugs zero!" I shouted, pumping my fist into the air.
Commander Kando remained calm, but I could tell that he was as pleased as me.
"Nice job, Tag," he said. "Come on, we need to get back to the rest of the troops before--"
He stopped mid-sentence. I paused and listened. Beep. Beep. Beep.
Oh no.
I took a quick sweep of the cliff and spotted it. Mounted right up against one of the cannons was a small backpack. Jammed into was a bundle of explosives. Attached to it was a small console. I couldn't see the numbers, but I knew what it meant.
"No time to defuse it! Go, go, go!" Commander Kando yelled at me. We ran for the trail and sped downward, but this was no small cliff. We were only yards away when I heard the beeping speed up. Through the comm I could hear the commander muttering words he sure didn't learn from the Kaminoans. My legs ran as hard as they could, but I knew, deep inside of me, that there wouldn't be enough time. Suddenly Commander Kando spoke up.
"Its no use...no use," he whispered. And then his helmet turned towards me, giving me a creepy feeling.
"Sir, wha--" I was interrupted as Commander Kando shoved me behind a boulder and puched my head down. At first I was confused, but then I realized what he was doing.
"No! No! Sir, don't--" I was cut off as the whole clifftop exploded.
There was a loud rumbling noise, and then I blacked out.

Author's Note I

2010-04-30T16:20:00.000-07:00

Hi, this is the author of this blog, though you probably already know that, since who else would writing right now? Anyway, this post is here to clear any questions up. There are two main stories taking place right now: My Life as a Bounty Hunter (from Jatne Solus' p.o.v.) and My Life as a Clone Trooper (from Sergeant Tag's p.o.v.). 's story takes place more about twenty years before Tag's tale, during the Clone Wars. But, as you shall read on, you'll see that the two stories will interconnect as they progress. Anyway, thank you for reading and please comment any questions you have.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 2

2010-04-30T07:46:00.000-07:00

Commander Kando's P.O.V.

Geonosis should've been called the planet of dirt, but maybe "geonosis" translates into that. Once we landed, I rallied the troops to our position. We were supposed to outflank a battalion of droids to clear the way for some Jedi Zaton-or-other. So far, things were not going according to plan.
The Geonosians had set up several cannons on top of a cliff. They were hammering into us with such force, it was only a matter of time before we were squashed to pulp.
"Sergeant Tag!" I shouted to him over the comm. We were only feet away but the explosions blocked everything out.
"Yessir!" He responded quickly.
"We need to take those bugs' cannon and show 'em where to shove it. You with me?" I asked him.
"Sir, yes, sir!"
He was a good soldier; always ready for action and extremely fast when given orders. That's why I chose him. Sending out a few orders to the troops, telling them to keep on hammering the droids until we got rid of the cannons, Tag and I headed for a narrow rocky trail next to the cliff.

My Life as a Clone Trooper: Part 1

2010-04-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

I leaned against the side of the LAAT/i. My heart thumped against my armor chest plate. My company and I were being shipped out to our first mission: Geonosis. Commander Kando stood next to me.
"You nervous?" Tenner, my fellow batcher, asked me.
"You want the truth?" I asked him.
"Sure," he said.
"I'm scared out of my boots," I told him.
Tenner just looked at me. He said, "Aren't you supposed to boost confidence and arouse company morale as a sergeant, Tag?"
"Well, I always knew I had no future as a cheerleader. Besides, I'd look awfully silly waving around pompoms," I responded. Tenner chuckled lightly.
The pilot's voice came on over the speaker, "81st, we are landing in five standard minutes. Prepare for ground assault."
"Geonosis, here we come," Tenner whispered.
If my adrenaline wasn't pumping before it sure was now. Swallowing, I checked my Deece to make sure it was loaded.

Note that this story takes place during the Clone Wars, around 22BBY.

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 2

2010-04-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

A conversation between Barquester and Wilkes:

Barquester: He seemed unfriendly.

Wilkes: Of course he's unfriendly, he's a Mandalorian, for goodness sake! (Sips ale) So long as he gets the job done, that's all that matters.

Barquester: I hope he gets that job done. Otherwise Commander Vanders will be all over us about losing that 'pad. And if Vanders gets involved...

Wilkes: Then the boss will, too. Relax, Barquester. Have another drink.

Barquester: I think I will have another drink, cause it'll sure be my last if we don't get that 'pad back.

My Life as a Bounty Hunter: Part 1

2010-04-29T17:07:00.000-07:00

I walked down the street, acting casual. Everyone seemed to avoid me. Perhaps it was the Mandalorian armor that said to stay away, or maybe it was the suspicious red stain along the side of my chest plate, or the R8-Y4 rocket launcher strapped to my back. Who knows...
I entered the local pub, strolling through the rusted doors with faked confidence. I had to look like I knew what I was doing. After all, I was here to do a job.
In a corner booth of the rank room was two security officers from some giant corporation.
Walking to the officers, I gave a polite nod and took a seat.
"So glad you could meet us here, Bounty Hunter," one of the officers--name of Barquester--said smoothly. "Would you care for a drink?"
He raised his hand as if to signal one of the bartenders, but I stopped him, saying, "When do I get paid?" I didn't make this trip out here for nothing.
Barquester's partner, Wilkes, chuckled lightly and slipped a hand to his belt. Instinctively I reached for my own dart gun, loaded with a poison that could kill three grown men instantaneously. Wilkes pulled out a credit chip.
"So, Jatne-you don't mind if I call you Jatne, right?" He asked.
"No."
Wilkes seemed slightly taken aback. Regaining his composure, he tried again, "Well, then, Mr. Solus--"
"I don't want to be called that either," I said.
"Fine, then, sir. The job is simple. A datapad was stolen from one of our ships by an ex-fraction of the Arkanian Corporation. We need it back. Their base is located on Hutta. We hired them to ship goods for us, until there contract expired. Any intel you need will be provided. Fifteen upfront and thirty-five thousand when we get the datapad back," Wilkes said. "Is that a deal?"
I plucked the chip from his hand. "It's a deal."

This takes place during 42 BBY, about ten years before the start of the Clone Wars