Force Effect: A Star Wars/Mass Effect Crossover

BONUS Chapter 5: Rancors, Vulkars and Swoops Oh My!

Matthias poked his head out past the side of the door and saw a sight. The rancor monster had its back to him and was scratching and snuffling at another door farther down the cavernous room where the rancor had its nest. He leaned back to face the others

"There's no way in the nine hells of Corellia you're gonna make me fight that thing. I've seen what rancors are capable of and if you think for one moment..." He was cut off as Zaalbar slapped his hand over Matthias's mouth.

"Sssh."

"Guys, maybe this can help..." started Mission but Carth cut her off.

"Well we have to think about something! What about grenades?"

"No good," replied Matthias, "That thing's hide is thicker than bantha leather. You'd just piss it off."

"Guys?"

"What if we tried a couple of those Cryoban grenades we picked up and just blast it until our power packs run dry?"

"I told you, we need something on the order of a laser cannon here!"

"Guys?"

"As soon as you find one let us know."

"Well why don't we just head back up to the Upper City, there should be something up there that we could buy?"

"With the amount of credits we..."

A soft bark of alarm from Zaalbar alerted the others to the fact that Mission was now making her way stealthily across the grated floor of the nest.

"Mission, come back!" Carth called as softly as he dared. But Mission continued on and began to pick her way across a pile of bones and rotten carcasses that was heaped in one corner of the cavern-like space.

"If she snaps one of those bones, that monster will be all over her inside of three seconds," Matthias whispered fiercely. They watched fearfully, blaster rifles and bowcaster at the ready. But Mission made not so much as a rustle. She bent down in the center of the pile and fiddled with something they couldn't see that had been in her hands. Grinning like a madwoman she practically skipped back to their hiding spot behind the door.

"What were you thinking of? You could've gotten killed!" said Carth.

"Haven't we had this discussion already old man? You ain't my father, now just watch." For a full minute nothing happened. Then Zaalbar began to sniff at something in the air. The rancor began to sniff too, taking in great snorting lungfuls of the mysterious odor. It then stomped over to the corpse pile and rooted around in it for a minute and then popped one of the corpses in its mouth. There was a muffled thump and the creature let out a gurgling roar and fell to the ground, dead as a stone. Carth, Matthias and Zaalbar stared at Mission, dumbfounded. Carth then swept her up into a joyful embrace.

"I take it back Mission. You aren't a kid, you're the luckiest, canniest, most reckless Twi'lek I ever knew!"

"Yeah that's great Carth," said a startled Mission, "Wanna put me down now? I ain't a pilot and I don't fly real well."

"Oh, right sorry," said a thoroughly embarrassed Carth.

"Hey what's going on here?" called out a voice. Two Black Vulkars were standing in the doorway at the far end of the nest.

"Our work is never done," quipped Matthias as she took aim with her rifle and fired.

-KOTOR-

Infiltrating the Vulkar base was laughably easier than what they'd had to do to get there. Half of the resident Vulkars were drunk stupid in the base's canteen and the other half were busy playing a rather violent game of pazaak in the barracks; It was child's play to avoid them. The only real danger came from patrolling battle droids, but these were so old and rusty that Carth and Matthias took a few out with their vibroblades.