Open Space and Hyperspace

Continued from - Here

Part 3

The station in the Wayland system hadn't been hard to find. It was almost as if the slavers thought they didn't have to hide. In the shabla Mandalore Sector, too. Kaine wasn't having any of that.

Intelligence had taken less than a standard day from the raid on the Zygerrian Transport to provide Kaine with the location of the station. The children rescued from the slavers had been cross decked to a medical ship, and the Wild Boar was now sitting a short jump outside the Wayland System, ready to go into action.

Kaine had sent in a Lightstealth-18 recon craft to scout the station. It had defences, and they'd picked up several hundred lifesigns. On the strength of that information, he'd ordered in a squad of his very best infiltrators; The Night Witches.

These commandos were formed from a core group of former Mistryl Shadow Guards from Emberlene, who trained their sisters in the arts of combat and infiltration. They were equipped with state of the art technology, including holoshrouds, and able to slip into most security perimiters without drawing attention.


Kaine was waiting on the squad, led by one of his Jare'rami'kade; Riva Shiel, a Shistavanen Mando'ad who was as tough as she was silent, with a wicked gallows sense of humour.

Riva's whispery voice came over his comm, relayed by the Lightstealth, which was sitting off the station.

::We've secured the Hutt. Ready for your grand entrance.::

Kaine commed back. ::Nice work. There in five.::

He stood up, which told the Mandos in the crew compartment of the Tra'kad that the mission was on. Wild Boar jumped into the system and dropped off the Tra'kad, which approached the station.

Kaine commed the station. ::This is Kaine Australis to see Mongo the Hutt.::

There was a brief pause, the unannounced visit clearly rattling the moron on duty. He sounded inexperienced, which was no surprise, Hutts were notoriously cheap.

The witches had clearly done their job well, because clearance came with no issues.

::You are cleared to land, sir.::

Kaine smiled inside his helmet. This was going well so far. The Tra'kad touched down, and the Australis Alor exited. A squad of Copad Guard exited with him, but they stayed with the squat, ugly craft.

A pair of blaster toting Nikto flanked the hatch and fell in behind Kaine as he walked into the station. A rusted and dirty hallway led to the Hutt's audience chamber, which was packed.

Kaine was surprised to see the Hutt on the dais, apparently unharmed and not under anyone's guns. Riva had said they had secured the Hutt. Inside his helmet, he commed her an order. There were twelve of the team on the station including Riva herself.

::Riva, locstat on your team.::

The reply came back with a smile audible. ::Nine of the guards in the room with you.:: Kaine asked the obvious question. ::And the other three?::

Riva was positively mirthful. ::We're the Hutt.:: The shabla holoshrouds, of course. Somehow three of the witches had managed to combine their efforts to impersonate Mongo the Hutt. Impressing their Alor in an entirely new way, Kaine had to tip his hat to the display.

::Oh, very nicely done.:: Riva thanked him as the Hutt gave him a thumbs up. Cheeky, thought Kaine, scanning the room. No one important, no Zygerrians, or wanted beings. Just chancers who'd picked the wrong place to be. No need to kill them.

The guards were another matter, though the night witches had replaced nine of them and they would have the element of surprise, there were at least twenty or thirty visible, which meant at least that number again elsewhere. Not too many to fight, but enough that it would be a pointless slaughter. The witches could handle them, and with the guard in the hangar, it would be over quickly. Kaine was more interested in getting to the source, not bathing in blood. Quickly, he made up his mind to spare those who didn't ask for death.

Kaine spoke up, which hushed the room to silence quickly.

He was unreadable behind the T-visor, but his eyes were on an armored Twi'lek with a power blaster who looked to be in charge.

I'm giving you a chance to walk out of here. Anyone who points a blaster, dies here.

Anyone who walks away now, can go. My business is with the Hutt.

The Twi'lek, rifle still cradled, looked to Kaine.

This is Mongo's station, Mando.

Kaine spoke first to the witches. ::Unmask now, but don't shoot unless you have to.::

It was too easy. Before any of the real guards could react, nine of their fellows had become black clad, pistol toting infiltrators. Kaine spoke to the Twi'lek, not unkindly.

It was. Kaine pointed to the dais, where Riva and two of the Night Witches stood. The Twi'lek looked carefully, and sagged when he saw them.

The rifle's barrel dropped to the floor. Around them, as if that were taken for a sign, the other guards lowered their weapons.

Kaine nodded. Good choice.

He watched the guards all file out like schoolchildren, covered by the commandos. Kaine then approached Riva.

Where's the Hutt?

Riva leapt down from the dais, thumbing in the direction of a hatch.

We knocked him out. She led the way. Kaine followed in her wake.

How do you knock out a shabla Hutt? He wanted to know.

Trade secret. Riva said, rattling a garotte wire by way of explanation. The Hutt was squashed into a corner of what had been a storage room, snoring. Kaine kicked the tail none too gently with a booted foot, and the large eyes flickered, then opened wider.

HOW DID YOU! The sluglike crime lord boomed. Kaine kicked again to shut him up.

I'll ask the questions. The Hutt wasn't cowed.

You can't do this! The Cartel will put a price on your head!

Kaine cocked his head. Let them.

That got a reaction, though the defiance was still there. I won't tell you anything.

Kaine unsheathed his axe. Sure you will.

The Hutt pressed himself back against the bulkhead. You'll never be able to go near a civilized system again!

Kaine tapped the beard of the axe against his vambrace, the beskar ringing with an approving echoing tone that he figured had to sound like the crack of doom to the cowering Hutt.

To be continued...

Had there been negotiations, which there were not; they would have been short. Slaving was a no-no in Mandalorian space, and these minions of the Hutts had chosen their profession.

Those that threw down weapons and surrendered were to be spared. Otherwise, no quarter was to be given. Vevut and Cerani watched it all from the command bridge in orbit above Wayland.

Three major camps had been identified. Vevut's plan called for three armored columns to land and assault. Six platoons of Redback riflemen had been positioned on good ground to the East, while the heavy assault came in from the West. Anyone running away to the North and South would run into Greenbacks, hidden in the forest waiting for prey.

There would be no escape. From above, the fighters and capital ships could deal with any escape craft, though none had been detected on the ground.

The assault had gone perfectly, with the armoured columns landing and catching the scum's attention, drawing it away from the rest of the commandos, who landed further out and humped their way inward to their positions. By the time the tanks and walkers were into assault range, the commandos were in position.

The slavers had fought hard, but not hard enough. The battle was almost over when casualty calls began to come from the Commandos.

The unmistakeable hum of a lightsaber was heard. Mandalorian swearing was also heard.


That'll be the one they call the Slayer. Cerani said. Vevut reacted quickly, knowing lives were on the line on every instant.

::Pull back.:: He ordered the commandos. Sensible order, they were good, but not equipped to deal with a Dar'jetii. Dark Jedi, no longer a jedi as the word in Mando'a labeled them. Worse than Jedi, Vevut knew. He looked to Cerani, but she gave him the look that said he was being tested.

He outranks me. Vevut said, thinking that his older brother was the best suited to order to deal with the enemy threat. Cerani was severe.

What is rank? You're not in uniform, Kain'ika, but you are in command here. Vevut's spine stiffened as she used the name he hated, the one that struck at the core of who he was, but the shock of it galvanised him into action.

Two buttons on the console before him opened a private comm to Reyn.

::Reyn:: Vevut began.

::Have monitored the situation.:: Reyn's voice was calm. Vevut was glad he'd been able to steady his own. It was said you couldn't give Mandalorians orders, just make sensible suggestions they wanted to follow. Vevut decided to take that course.

::Run fast and shoot straight.:: The younger brother said to the elder.

Reyn's answer was a double comm click. Vevut opened a holofeed from his brother's beskar'gam. A nearby feed showed a view from above, from one of the gunships.

Two lightsaber blades could be seen through the trees, slashing and deflecting blasterfire, concealed from above and from distance by the thick jungle and canopy. A red clad warrior could be seen running in that direction. Reyn, Vevut knew. Two blades were sheathed across his back and a heavy looking pistol dangled from his belt.

It was the first time Vevut had ordered one of his own family into danger.

Vevut watched entranced as Reyn drew first blood against his Dark Jedi opponent down on Wayland below. He had sent his brother in as best to deal with the threat, and his brother hadn't objected, which filled the younger Australis with confidence that he had done the right thing.

The Iktotchi reeled from the deep cut to his back, but came up without his blades faltering, protecting himself as he and Reyn began to circle one another once again.

At least you'll give me an honourable death in battle. Single combat was a way many warriors, good and bad, preferred to go out. Dying as they had lived, so to speak. Reyn didn't intend to give the scum that preference.

::Brother, I need a favour.:: Reyn commed to Vevut.

::Go ahead.:: Vevut replied quickly. The response was a shock, but he held himself together, trusting his brother as his brother was trusting him.

::Turbolaser blast, my position, on my mark:: On the command ship's bridge in orbit, Reyn ordered the main battery to target the planet below.

The Iktotchi was wary now, having been wounded by what seemed to be no Force user. Reyn's silence seemed to be goading him into speaking freely.

I can't sense you, but you're no Jedi.

Reyn tapped the tip of one blade to his helmeted head. Epicanthix.

All the explanation he was going to give, he was half Epicanthix on his mother's side, his natural resistance to mental coercion providing a shield against Force users and their mind tricks.

::MARK!:: Reyn shouted into his comm, feinted twice, then thrust once into the Iktotchi's stomach, striking true. Then he leapt backwards as a scream filled the world. The scream got louder until it was louder than a freight hauler, and then the world exploded.

Reyn's comms were knocked out for several seconds following the blast, the static of the turbolaser blast's near miss scrambling everything, including his own senses, as he looked up to see the tree above him on fire. The Iktotchi was gone.

::... come in ner vod:: Reyn heard.

::Nice shot.:: He managed to croak, and Vevut visibly relaxed, as the bridge crew broke into cheers on hearing Reyn had made it through. Cerani clapped Vevut on the back.

Good job.

The after action report didn't take too long, once the ground force had finished mopping up and returned to orbit above Wayland, the enemy ostensibly destroyed. Vevut had overseen the relatively simple logistical task of ensuring the Clan's forces returned in good order, as a good commander should. Reyn rode back up with the grunts, seeing to his troopers before reporting to the bridge to face his brother and the Twi'lek on the command deck.

Reyn motioned to the two of them. Not here. And he nodded his unhelmeted head towards the Captain's day cabin, currently unoccupied. When the three of them were inside, Reyn sealed the door.

What's up? Vevut asked. Reyn opened a belt pouch. Found something on a couple of the enemy down there. I don't think any of the troopers recognized these.

He took out some small, dead, coral-like seeds that were almost crystalline in appearance, and still coated with drying ichor. Vevut screwed his face up as Reyn held the gory things out to him. On them or in them?

Reyn grinned grimly at his brother's reaction. Embedded in their heads. You know what these are? He asked his younger brother. Vevut didn't but Cerani did. She identified the horrible things. Slave seeds.

Vevut breathed out heavily. Yuuzhan Vong. This was bad, and something to be brought to the Alor's attention. When he found out, he would go supernova.