Star Wars The Clone Wars: Cuy'Val Dar#Wattys2016

Twenty-Six

Sarge tensed immediately and reached for his weapon as Galen took the cigar out of his mouth, then bent down and picked up the thermal detonator, inspecting it.

"Put your gun away, Sarge," Galen said, his dead eyes flicking up to meet Sarge's, even though the sergeant's eyes were hidden by his visor, then they returned to rest on the detonator.

"Put the detonator down," Sarge said, continuing to draw his weapon. Suddenly his blaster was shot from his hand and Sarge's gaze darted up to see Galen holding a smoking blaster in his other hand, his eyes still directed towards the thermal detonator.

"I said, put your gun away," Galen repeated. Sarge scowled but didn't retrieve the weapon yet. He didn't stand a chance against Galen right now. He glanced at his comm. Maybe he didn't need too. He silently activated his helmet comm and, using the old static morse code, sent and SOS to Null and the men with him, then he shut the comm off.

"What do you want?" Sarge asked Galen as he was sending the SOS, trying to keep the old trainer talking. Galen's dead eyes again moved to lock gazes with Sarge. He stuck his cigar back in his mouth and grinned.

"I'm not here to talk," he said. Sarge tensed as the old man began pacing around, making sure to keep his eyes on Sarge.

"I didn't ask what you were here not to do, I ask what you were here for," he restated.

Galen chuckled. "You don't get it? Do you?"

Sarge was quiet, tracking Galen's slow almost deliberate movements around him as best he could.

Please let Null and the others get here soon, he prayed silently, keeping his cool outwardly, but inwardly he was completely unnerved by Galen.

"I'll take that as a no," Galen finally said in reply to Sarge's silence.

"What didn't I get?" Sarge finally asked, eying Galen as the man came back into view. Galen holstered his blaster and grabbed Sarge's wrist. Sarge jerked it back, but Galen's vise-like grip just tightened. He set the detonator in Sarge's hand and smiled again. Sarge's eyes drifted down to the detonator and he saw the red light blinking, three seconds left. His eye's slowly to rose back to Galen's as the man let go of his wrist and backed off a couple of feet, again taking the cigar out of his mouth. Galen's lips twisted into a demented smile as he spoke in a deadly even voice.

"This time, Sergeant, I'm here to kill you all."

////

Null received Sarge's message instantly and he looked over at the three other troopers, Bogie and Dover, and Skid, who were clearing away an old droid transport.

"Bogie, Skid, grab Dover and get back here!" Null yelled. The younger man looked up, then tapped Dover and the Commando straightened up, looking back at Null.

"C'mon you two! Sarge needs backup!" Null added.

They had little to no time to waste and needed to get over there quickly. Sarge had sent an SOS in static morse, which meant he wasn't able to speak, which mean things were serious.

Bacsa and Galen, was the first thing that came to Null's mind. He started up the speeder quickly as Bogie and Dover left the droid transport, running over. Bogie vaulted into the back of the speeder and Dover climbed in quickly, Skid following him.

"Did he say what for, sir?" Bogie asked, looking around as they sped past the buildign over to Sarge's location.

"No, he didn't. But he sent an SOS in static morse," Null answered, letting the trooper figure out the rest for himself. Bogie frowned and watched as they sped past more buildings, rounding the corner.