Freelancers

Blood

The sun rose over the horizon as Tonn awoke in his bed. The soft rays of morning danced across the crystal blue surface of Alderaanian waters, and flocks of thranta meandered among the wispy clouds. He sat up and rested his back against the soft white pillows and looked around at the familiar surroundings of his childhood. The soft laughter of his mother and sister echoed through the halls and poured into the room he was in. He gingerly scooted to the edge of the large bed and swung his legs over. His bare feet resting softly on the cool decorative stone floor. He stood up and walked cautiously to the large, open, floor-to-ceiling window. The white drapes waving gently in the soft wind.

Am I dreaming?

Something caught the corner of his eye and he turned his head to face it. An odd familiarity came flooding back to him in a rush of emotion as remnants of his past materialized instantly. His body was sent reeling backwards as if he was punched in the gut. He winced in pain. The joys of childhood, the pain of abandonment, and lastly, the sting of overwhelming addiction. He was struck with sudden, burning pain in his shoulder and he tried to reach it but could not. No matter how much he willed his arm to lift, it would not obey his commands. He looked up at the open window and out towards the sunny blue Alderaanian skies and watched as it quickly turned black. He let out a gasp as darkness appeared at the edge of his vision, marching inexorably inward to complete blackness. The darkened Alderaanian sky eventually faded and in its place, an otherworldly sinister smile wiped across it and replaced the wispy clouds. He heard the faint familiar droning hum of a lightsaber, and then suddenly, he remembered. He looked down and saw the red lightsaber blade cleave him diagonally from shoulder to waist. His eyes glazed over and he crumpled to the ground. No longer was he at peace in his childhood home on Alderaan. Instead, he lay dying on the metallic floor of Coruscant's underbelly, alone.

--

The pulsing red lightsaber blade cut easily through Tonn's body, entering his left shoulder and exiting at his right hip. He fell over in a heap and let out a stifled scream. Jag looked on in horror as the saber missed him by mere inches. He activated his jetpack and jumped back to create distance between himself, the Sith warrior, and the newly deceased smuggler.

"Tonn!" cried Nai'riss.

She struggled to unsling her blaster rifle from behind her as adrenaline coursed through her veins. The rush of anxiety and endorphins shut down her macro abilities as she fumbled with her weapon system if it were her first day at the academy. She finally regained her mental and physical faculties to raise her rifle to the low ready position and looked for her companions. Jag and Veriss, already standing and alert, had their weapons trained on their adversary. Crimson laser bolts flashed out from their pistols as they began to suppress her. They moved separately in a semi circle to surround her and provide overlapping fields of fire. The loud deafening explosions of Jag's wrist rockets were thumping against her eardrums as Saiphyrr effortlessly deflected each rocket into the steel supports and walls around them. She saw him fly off to a new position overhead. Her attention quickly turned towards Veriss who began laying down a wall of flame with her flamethrower. However, the flames danced harmlessly around Saiphyrr when she raised a hand to manipulate the air around her. A strong gust of wind, aided by the Force, knocked Veriss backwards as she flew off of her feet and bounced off of an alley wall with a thud. Immediately, a flurry of crimson bolts launched overhead by Jag at his new perch prevented Saiphyrr from advancing towards the red-haired woman. The majority of the bolts missed their mark and glanced harmlessly off of the red lightsaber blade, redirected to nearby garbage containers, storage boxes, or the floor. One laser bolt reached its intended target and pierced through Saiphyrr's leg, causing her to stumble and brace herself on the floor. She scowled in anger and looked up at Jag.

"Come on!" he yelled, gesturing to Nai'riss and beckoning her to join the fight.

He fired another laser salvo from his pistol at the injured Sith warrior. It had all happened quickly that she did not realize she was a spectator and not a participant.