Star Wars 1. Chapter 1

A Dark Path

A deep breath fills my lungs. Slowly I exhale as my eyes weigh heavily. Its amazing what stress can do to you. No rest for the weary tonight. My mind simply won't shut up. Am I right? Am I wrong? I re-adjust myself on the leather sofa and simply stare at the cold steel ceiling. Flashbacks just won't let me sleep. I never knew bombs and blasters could be so loud in the dead silence. Screams of the dying seem as loud as though they are laying on the floor right now. Will they ever be as silent as their corpses? Does a soldier every truly leave the battlefield? How did I survive the nightmare? And what do I do with the ones that never end? Hopefully home will help to quell the memories and not just add to the screaming silence.

Home seems so far away now, especially if you measure distance in time and not parsecs. Five years of war seems like a lifetime. Home seems the only logical choice for me now. I couldn't stay with Victor on Nar Shadda. It's been too soon. He is my brother in arms, and god only knows how many times that veteran saved my hide. I owe him more than my life. I intend on catching up with him later. Now is not the time.

We agreed to go our separate ways for now anyway. It seems so hard to deal with myself by myself though. I just want to cut the memories from my mind with a vibro knife. I wonder how he is taking all this in. I need another drink.

Shawn rose from the dewback sofa that just about filled the small lounge of the Cargo transport that he had newly renamed the "Iron Raven". His hand held the wall as he walked the few short feet to the drink cabinet. A bottle of Duro whiskey was almost empty. He knew it was a bad idea to poor himself another glass full. But sometimes one evil seems to out weigh another. He sipped his fresh glass and walked zig-zaggedly into the cockpit. The Chronometer read three standard hours and change to Carpolia. Plenty of time for a soldier to relive an entire war again.

"What the hell?" Shawn thought as he heard the ear-piercing scream of the hyper drive warning. He rolled off his couch and into a sprint toward the cockpit. Nothing will sober you up faster than a good shot of adrenaline. The chronometer counts down in the double digits as Shawn takes the pilots seat.

That could have been close. Who knows if this piece of rebel heap has an emergency dis-engage. I could have blown right into the atmosphere and into a billion particles. Fitting. Save the rebels the trouble of hunting me down and bringing me back for a court marshal. At least that might be what happens to a spec-force deserter. Of course the Lt. may just send Koth to silence me instead. To Hell with the Lieutenant, to hell with that self righteous Jedi wanna be Koth, and to hell with the rebellion. I've given them more than my life. I've lost part of my soul thanks to them.

Shawn watches as his home comes into real space. A short conversation with the Space controller gets him clearance to land to land at a spaceport in Jarconia. Its daytime as he makes his approach over the Kinscale mountains, and settles the freighter down on the landing pad. The Iron Raven is classed as medium freighter but he assumes its still much too large to land at his fathers house for now.

I wonder how much this is gonna cost me, Shawn grumbled to himself. The credits I sold that rebellion contraband for on Nar Shadda should help me get through until I can get established. My Rebellion credit account isn't gonna be worth womprat spit now anyway. The supplies Me, Victor, and Reek loaded up is a fair trade for our credit accounts. Especially once you throw in the Iron Raven. Though I doubt The Rebellion is gonna agree with me. Oh well, They have enough to deal with anyway. Especially since they destroyed the sphere o' fear and the Emperor along with it.

Shawn grinned slightly at the pun of the death star. He gathered up his important gear and glanced at his damaged speeder bike in the cargo hold. He lowered the ramp and proceeded to rent a land speeder. He was in no mood to haul himself the 50 kilometers up into the mountains to his fathers house.

Nothing smells as good as home, Shawn thought as he drifted the speeder up the lane. I wonder how the homestead has held up since my father died. I know that technically its my homestead now, but it will always be my fathers house in my eyes. Perhaps I should have stayed when he died, but I know how much he hated Palpatine and it felt like the right thing to do. Besides I'm sure the galaxy is better off without a few Imps.

Shawn pulled up to the overgrown drive and shut the speeder down. He grabbed a Duffle pack full of his stuff and began making the trek up the weed filled drive. Perhaps some of the maintenance bots still work Shawn thought as he looked around the place some good memories had come from. He didn't even notice that there was finally a cease-fire in his mind. If only for a short time.


	2. Chapter 2

A Dark Path Pt. 2.

Darkness is all that stares back at him. Shawn stares into it as memories flood his mind. He snaps on his glow light and watches the stagnant dust filled air dance around the beam. Silence. Something that rarely comes cheap. Its all that greets him into his home. Shawn sets down his duffle bag and looks around at the living space. With a soldiers instinct he pulls his Blastec Desert Raptor from his thigh. Its what a man on the run does after all. Wondering if a moment of complacency is going to be his last.

Shawn finds no such grisly fate awaiting him. Instead he find the power control panel and breathes electric life back into a place called home. The scrubbers begin to filter the air. The Running lights of the house start to flicker. Shawn stares around the garage at the piles of droid parts that stand like a twisted wreckage. An homage to his fathers work. Memories cut through like a hot bladed vibro knife. All the times his father had worked in here. Or how many times he had called on Shawn to pick up some obscure part the minute it arrived on planet. Or the countless hours performing maintenance at the shop in Jarconia. But droidworking was his fathers trade. Shawn was little more than a solider with no more war to call his own. Sure he had learned much from his father. And his own skill with machines was considerable. But the adrenaline of passion seemed to come from the placement of a beautiful shape charge, or the silence of a vibroblade slipping through someone's ribcage. Shawn salivated with his blood lust for a moment. Then just stood staring at his father's assistant. R7-G4 stood as silent as the day Shawn left. He walked over and flicked the power button for the black and silver astro-mech. Shawn wondered if it would even still fire up after five years. His fathers craftsmanship did not disappoint him. R7-G4 hummed back from the dead. As common as astromechs have been across the galaxy, Shawn's father had programmed this one for an affinity of repairing other droids. Shawn could use him to get the homestead up to a comfortable place.


	3. Chapter 3

A Dark Path Pt 3.

A standard week had passed on Carpolia. R7-G4 had gotten the maintenance droids up and running. A patch of land on the side of the house had proved to be adequate enough to land the Iron Raven on. Shawn pulled the wreck of his speeder bike out and into the garage. It was time to get to work on it.

Shawn stared at the black Imp bike for a few moments taking in an assessment. The bike had been heavily modified throughout the war. Shawn stood thinking of how he had commandeered the bike on Revis 4 when they had hit some nameless Imp logistical base. Through many missions Shawn started picking up more parts for the bike and modifying it in between missions. Besides half of their mission was to alleviate weapons and equipment from imperial control and turn it over to the alliance. The old Lt. never had a problem with him keeping parts for the bike, or Victor and Reek keeping parts for their power suits. They had been priceless assets in some of the sorties. Dual Speeder grade repulsor lifts. Rear mounted swivel cannon. Upgraded dual chin turret. A six pack of Merr-sonn K55 Anti-vehicle rocket launchers. Jury welded armor plating. And a small Shield generator to handle small arms fire. The thing was heavier than a Hutt and drank more fuel than a star destroyer, but it had come through when it counted. If it hadn't, Shawn wouldn't be here now.

He stood still looking over the damage the blast had caused. The shield generator had burned out. The right side repulsor was shot. Shrapnel had ripped through two of the rocket launchers on the right side. He could only imagine what would have happened if he had not already fired them out. And he wondered where he would be without the bacta packs, or Victor.

R7 helped Shawn cut off the two useless rocket launchers and weld some more plating in their place. They diagnosed the shield generator and found that it had suffered an overload and the generator itself had been saved because a relay burned out instead. With so many droid parts lying around a suitable relay was not hard to come by. The repulsor had a fuel line cut, a compression chamber had a piece of shrapnel tear through it. And it also had suffered relay damage from an overload. The fuel line and relay was again no problem but finding a good compression chamber would prove to be difficult. Not to mention the trouble of pulling the repulsor out and tearing it down to get to the chamber. Especially without a loader droid. This speeder was so hot and so illegal that theres no way he could just take it down to the Bespin motors dealership and ask them to handle it.

Shawn looked around the garage at the droid parts. He found a chassis for a loader droid but its memory core had been stripped. He wheeled the bench tester over to it and found that some servos were bad in the right arm. Almost like a machine himself he went to work replacing the servos and digging through a pile of cores looking for one that would suit the droid. His searches yielded no results for the core but he did find enough parts to make an interface for R7. The astromech was proving to be worth his weight in spice.

Two days worth of work had the repulsor on the floor and the compression chamber removed. Shawn Took his father's speeder truck down the familiar road to Jarconia. The dirt trail wound down the mountain to the valley floor where the bustling town rested. Carpolia is located just outside of Hutt space. It is an independent planet that has self sustaining government and military force. It is ruled by a monarch but has a democratic council that voices for the people. It relies mostly on tourism and Ore mining for commerce. But like most civilizations it has its darker elements. Gambling is legal which always brings it own form of crime. Even sport gun fighting is legal. Though the Hutts don't control Carpolia their influence can be felt. The beautiful lakes and mountains offer a plethora of activities for the adventurous tourist, and plenty of work for the natives. The giant asteroid that orbits Carpolia yields plenty of ore that can be exported for trade, and work for those brave enough to mine it.

Jarconia isn't near as large as the capital city of Carvonicis But it still offers plenty of commerce and opportunities. Shawn pilots the stone streets to a place called Novock motors. It looks like a hole in the wall garage where he can probably get parts without too many questions being raised. He parks then takes himself and his part into the worn building. The place smells of lube as soon as he opens the door. Its no wonder. The floor and walls look as if they have painted with the stuff. Miscellaneous parts lay all over the floor except for a small path up to a long counter that is full of parts itself.

A middle aged Duros male stands behind the counter covered in lube and smoking a spice stick. "Cun hel you" he says in a broken commen. I simply place the compression chamber on the counter. The Duros looks over it for a moment then looks back up at me. "Kuat Mitary grage seeder enjun. How you get?" He asks. "Not your concern" I reply as I lay eight hundred credits on the counter. More than double what an average compression chamber would cost. "I see" he replies and looks over the part again. He doesn't bother with his data pad and motions for me to follow him as he picks up the credits. The Duros steps down from his counter and stands much shorter than I. The spice from his stick wafts into my nose to mix with the lube. We walk row after row of parts racks until he turns down an isle. He climbs onto a ladder and starts to hand me compression chambers. "Pook on flur" he says. I do as he asks for several minutes until he gives what sounds to be a happy sigh. "Here you go" he says in his raspy version of common. "You no get dis from me" he says. "I understand" was my reply. I look over the part to find it in rough but good shape. Needs a little cleaning before I put the engine back together. I decide to help him pick up his parts from the floor before leaving the shop.

Instead of heading straight home I head to the local arms shop. The kind of the legal variety. I pick up some supplies that I know I will be needing soon. Night vision goggles. And ammunition top my list. However I couldn't resist the nice shiny Malaxan FWG-8 Flechette cannon. As if I don't already have enough guns to start a small war of my own.

I head home before someone who recognizes me spots me. Its been too soon and the alliance is probably still actively looking for me. They probably already have a nice quiet bounty posted on my head. I don't know if they truly know where I lived before I joined their efforts, but I'm not taking any chances. Especially not with Koth. I would put nothing past that scum.


	4. Chapter 4

A Dark Path Pt. 4

Shawn Sat atop his speeder starring at the dusty trail. The wind blew gently over his face. He dropped his thumb to the trigger and squeezed it gently. The bike shuddered slightly as the crimson bolt ejected from the chin barrel. It made a small explosion of dirt and pebbles about seventy five meters up the trail. Before anymore thoughts could enter his mind he violently shoved the throttle up to full speed. Quickly the mountain trail became a blur. In the silence of his mind the only thing that mattered was to react to his instinct. One slip and death would fall on him without mercy. Shawn didn't really care if he lived or died. Nothing really mattered. His soul fell empty of life years ago. Only by pushing himself to the edge of mortality could he feel a slight reminder of what life was.

He pulled the throttle back as he approached a sharp turn. He leaned over to his left and hammered back on the throttle. The engine whine was all that broke through the scream of wind. For a moment he contemplated simply steering the bike over the cliff and falling the two thousand meters to the valley floor. A few moments to feel life again.

As soon as the moment faded he pulled back on the air brake as hard as he could. He had to squeeze his thighs together to the point of shear pain to keep from throwing himself off of it. When the speeder came to a rest he just sat there breathing for a moment. Then he screamed as loud as his lungs would let him. Nobody listened. Another moment passes. Or was it an hour. Time is irrelevant in the wild. He steps off his speeder with a concern for the machine that surpassed his own life. After looking it over he decides the bike has held up to the repairs. He climbs onto it again then kicks it into a hundred and eighty degree turn as he heads home. Clouds fill the trail in his wake.

The metal gates open for him as he approached his estate. Instead of going to the garage Shawn steers the speeder toward the cargo section of the Iron Raven. He pulls his datapad from his pocket and enters a code that lowers the loading ramp. He drops the datapad back into his pocket and rides the bike up the ramp. A few straps later and the bike is ready for the trip to Nar Shadaa. Old feelings of life enter him as he goes into the house. Its as if he can feel himself walking through the house. As if he can feel the presence of everything in the room without looking at it. He closes his eyes and starts to see the room. Its not the colors of the normal spectrum. Intead everything seems to illuminate in black, blues and purples. He walks across the living room turning his head to look at everything with his second sight. He opens his eyes then proceeds with his task.

He enters his bedroom and walks to the closet. He enters a code on the door and the panel slides open. Light illuminates the cabinet full of weapons. He straps on his Desert Raptor and begins to fill a bag with his flechette gun, Blastech E-11, and several pounds of plasteel explosives. The bag quickly fills up with ammo and detonators. Another bag holds Night vision goggles and other breach equipment. He carries the Arsenal to the Iron Raven and throws it in the small Footlocker in the captains room. R7-G4 loads up as well. Shawn Activates the security system at his house then fires up the Iron Raven for another day at work.


	5. Chapter 5

A Dark Path pt 5

Shawn sat in the cockpit of the Iron Raven looking over the bow his ship. He could hear R7-G4 bewooping about something in the equivalent of droid swearing. "I hear ya G" shawn shouted toward the hatch at the droid. "Just let me know when you got that astrogation figured out". Shawn could pilot just about anything with a repulsor, but he wasn't too good at plotting jumps through hyperspace. Sure the newer computers and software could calculate the fourth dimension down to a nano second. But a human error rarely came with second chances. And this freighter was such a tramp that he really didn't trust the navi-computer with his life. A few beeps later and R7 practically shouted that the plot was set. Shawn held is breath sub-consciously as he pushed the lever. The stars faded into a flash and they were en-route to Nar Shadaa.

Shawn climbed down the ladder and out of the cockpit. R7 sat there starring at him. "what's with the sudden attitude from you?" Shawn asked the droid. Beeps came from the droid. "Security? Your worried about the house?" more beeps. "Look I know you've been in charge of security over the estate but I need you with me now. Besides you checked the system before we left". More Beeps. "Maybe the security system is a brain dead piece of poo doo but theres nothing we can do about it now. Just calm down and enjoy the ride". More beeps. "Listen hear, you keep talking to me like that and I'll make you forget you ever knew the word security". More Beeps. "Yeah back at ya you over grown floor sweeper" More Beeps as Shawn went to the cargo hold to check that everything was still secure.

The trip was only about a days journey to Nar Shadda. During that time R7 and Shawn rarely spoke. Most of their communication was low grumbles or beeps about how stupid the other was being. But R7 did his job to a perfection. When the Iron Raven exited hyperspace they were looking right at the moon that orbited Nal Hutta. There was no real planet security to clear before landing. Anyone who came to Nar Shadda knew that if you caused trouble for the Hutts it was bound to cause trouble for you. Shawn took the ship into the atmosphere and began searching for a suitable docking platform near where Victor lived. After finding one only 2 kilometers away from Victors apartment Shawn settled the ship down. "Now listen here Robo cop. You are in charge of security of the Iron Raven. If I come back and this ship is gone I'm gonna be pissed beyond the scope of your circuitry. Do you understand?" R7 beeped a wise ass response. "And don't leave the ship. I need you here. Not at some droid auction. Oh and search the holonet for reliable navicomputer please" The droid beeped something that Shawn took to mean as praising royalty. He Slipped his light armor on and covered it with a shirt and trench coat. He made sure his stun grenade was secure on his belt then exited the ship as if he were walking into Imperial Center itself.

Shawn paid the Rodian platform attendant and declined his exceptional brokering abilities for the freight he was hauling. Instead he found the nearest public access terminal and called for a shuttle. He opened his datapad and sent a message to the last ID he had for Victor. He hoped that victor hadn't lost his data pad in a drunken stupor somewhere. A few moments later a name appeared. "The Thirsty Traveler". Speaking of drunken stupor Shawn thought to himself. When the shuttle arrived Shawn instructed the driver to take him there. A few minutes later Shawn was paying the driver and stepping out of the shuttle in front of a Tavern that bore the essence of Nar Shadda. Shawn walked through the door into a fog of spice smoke and loud music. The smell of urine was the only thing stronger than the alcohol. Pieces of music posters hung tattered on the dingy walls. After his eyes adjusted to the darkness he began searching the room for his friend among the hoard of various beings. He got several glances from scum that was sizing him up through alcohol laden eyes. Soon he spotted the large two hundred and fifty pound fram of Victor playing Pazaak with a Chadra-Fan. Shawn Slowly walked toward the table behind the small alien. He watched the aliens hand drop down to his side and start pushing buttons on a small devise. Shawn reached under his coat and pulled his Desert Raptor from its holster and placed the barrel on the Chadra-Fans neck where it meets his collar. Shawn immediately pulled the trigger followed by a loud fleshy explosion. Blood and innards poured from the bottom of the chadra-fan's chair. Victor Immediately jumped from his chair brandishing two Sorosuub firebolts. Both soldiers looked around quickly sizing up the crowd. Beings looked in there direction but none made a threatening movement. "What did you do that for? I had a good hand" Victor asked. "What were you playing?" "Blind pazzak". "Your friend here was cheating you. Look on his belt. He is changing the value of the cards as their drawn". Victor slowly looked over to the chadra-fan and seen the card bot straped to his side. "So he was" victor said as he placed one of his firebolts into its thigh holster. "He wont mind if I take these" Victor says as he starts picking up the credits. "Leave a hundred for the Bartender that has to clean up this guys entrails. Besides it might make him forget he seen anything if anybody asks." Shawn says as he still holds the Desert Raptor to the lifeless corpse. Shawn and Victor leave the tavern with little more than a few glances.


	6. Chapter 6

A Dark Path Pt 6

Shawn and victor walked through the hot night. The Tall buildings of Nar Shaddaa glimmered brightly in the darkness. "Don't you think clippin him over cheating was a little harsh?" Victor asked. "Maybe but it was principle. You see if we are going to operate off of Nar Shaddaa we need to be established. Every low life scumbag in that pub would have been happy to find a way of ripping us off when the opportunity arose. Now they and all the people they are going to tell will think twice about it." "Yeah okay but why did you have to shoot him with that arm cannon? Its not like he was in an AT-AT." "True. But it got the point across nonetheless." A few moments of silence passed between them before Shawn spoke again "Have you made any useful contacts?" "Some. I've done some low level enforcer work for a Hutt named Shoova. My Huttese is even improving. I don't know what all this Hutt is up to, but I think we can find work through him. Hows the Raven holding up?" Victor Asked. "It got me here. I don't trust the nav computer. I got my droid looking for a new one." "Oh yeah. What kind of droid?' "Astromech. I made get some upgrades for him while I'm here." "Did you fix your bike?" "Good enough. Lost a couple of rocket pods but it seems to be in useful condition. I've got it in the Raven now." Shawn and Victor soon arrived at Victor's apartment. The lights illuminated the apartment entry as they walked in. Victor poured a couple of drinks and walked over to Shawn who was standing on the balcony. "There is a large smugglers guild here on Nar Shaddaa. It wouldn't be hard to use the Raven for some goods relocation once you get a new nav computer." Victor said as he handed Shawn a drink. "Maybe so but it has no weapons. We would be the easiest prey in the galaxy." Was Shawn's reply. "True. Maybe we can get some weapons for it once we get some more capital built up. Anyway you can crash here tonight if ya want. We'll go see Shoova tomorrow." "Sounds good Victor. And thank you."

"The next morning Shawn awoke after another restless night of reliving some nameless battle. As usual he awoke with a deep sense of helplessness that was left over from his dreams. He pulled out his datapad and checked with R7 to make sure that he and the Iron Raven were where they belonged. The droid seemed to be in a rather cheerful mood because he was handling security again. The grudge he held from being shut down for five years seemed to slowly be wearing off. After a short time in the refresher Shawn and Victor took a transport for some breakfast, then got dropped near their destination. They got into a turbolift that would take them to the entertainment district. Shoova's club was located there. Shawn stood about two inches taller that Victor at height just under six foot. His black hair was cut short with slight sideburns. His skin slightly paler than most. And his face almost always wore a mask of seriousness. He wore his one hundred and eighty five pounds on a medium frame. Enough to be in shape, but far from a power lifter. Victor on the other hand was hairy enough to be part wookie. All except for his head. He kept his retreating black hair practically scalped. Victor's round face almost always wore a joker's grin, even moments after executing an Imp officer. His two hundred and fifty pounds were deceiving. To most he looked slightly obese, but he had the strength of a bull bantha. The two men soon exited the lift. They walked down the path past various street corner pharmacists, Spice paraphernalia shops, and tattoo parlors. They entered a club that was surprisingly busy to be so early in the day, but on Nar Shaddaa something was always going down. Victor led them past a stage of a music jockey cranking out tunes and slave girls dancing for their owner. They came to a male Deveronian who was armed and guarding a door. "Hello Victor. See you brought a friend" the horned alien said through sharp smiling teeth. "Yep this is Shawn. Shawn meet Vortoni." The two nodded at each other. "Is Shoova accepting audience today?" Victor asked. "Of course" Vortoni replied as he stuck a key card into its slot. The door slid open and Shawn and Victor walked through. Just past the doorway stood a female Zabrak of medium height and build. She had light tan colored skin with thin olive green tattoos that matched her eyes. She wore only body armor on her chest that stopped just above her navel. And low riding military style cargo pants. She had a vibo blade shethed under her right arm and a heavy blaster pistol on her left hip with the grip turned out to the front. She smiled and asked "Gentlemen please remove your weapons." As she eyed both of them. Shawn and Victor did as she asked before she felt them down for any they may be hiding. When she was satisfied she led them up the stairs to Shoova's chamber. The room had ample space to accommodate the Hutt. It was dim lighted with a large one way window that looked down into the club. Shoova sat atop his skid with an animal chained to each side. They appeared to be Nek battle dogs Shawn surmised from their tan hides, thick tails, and clawed toes. The dogs stood up anxious as Shawn and victor approached the Hutt. Shoova eyed the men as well. "Thank you for audience you excellency." Victor said as he bowed slightly. Shawn bowed with him. "This is my associate Shawn Kivner I told you about." Victor said as the Hutt fixed his large bulbous eyes on Shawn. "We request to offer our services to you". The Hutt drew a deep breath then started to speak in huttese. The Zabrak woman translated "Do you have access to a starship?" Shoova asked. "Yes your excellency. We have a medium size freighter, though admittingly it needs a reliable Nav computer." Victor answered. Shoova inhaled deeply again before speaking. "This could work perfectly. There is a man who runs a shipping company on Nubia. He has openly crossed me and cost me a great deal of credits. I set this man up in buisiness, and brokerage. He now owns a fleet of twenty seven freighters, and brokers quite a bit of freight from Cloud Bus. This man has refused to pay me for several shipments of spice that he profitably fenced for me on Nubia. This mans premise is that I charged him too high of an interest rate on his loan. Six years ago he was a nobody smuggler looking for a score. I set him up and he repays me like this." Shoova would have turned red with anger at this point if his species was capable of such an emotional response. He continued speaking in a loud and thunderous voice "I want this man dead. I will pay you fifty thousand credits to see that this happens. Minus the cost of a new nav computer that I will supply you with up front as a token of my good will. Additionally I will give you a load of legitimate freight to get you on the planet with no questions asked. Whatever you make off the transportation fees will be yours to keep as well." Shoova sat there for a moment trying to regain his composure. Victor looked at Shawn who simply nodded. "We graciously accept your most generous proposition." Victor said to Shoova. "Excellent" was Shoova's only response.


	7. Chapter 7

A Dark Path pt 7

Shawn and Victor received information they needed on a datapad from the Zabrak woman. They left Shoova's and called for transportation to the Iron Raven. Shawn contacted R7 and asked him to do systems diagnostics check and get the repulsor and sub light engines started. Shawn paid the lot attendant and ignored his inquires into their travels.

The pointed flat nose of the Iron Raven came into view. The sensors, life support systems, and crew cabins were kept in the bow of the ship. The cargo compartment ran the center of the ship. It had an engine pod on each side that had a sloping design almost the length of the ship. The cockpit sat on top just behind where the slope of the ship's nose ended. And of course the cargo ramp was located in the stern. The entire hull was painted various patch work colors in standard bland shades of gray. Shawn and Victor entered the freighter through the captain's door on the starboard side.

"Lemme see what you brought" Victor said. Shawn pointed and said "In there. Two duffle bags." Shawn began checking the rest of the ship. When he was satisfied that everything was in order he took the ship off of the landing pad. They dropped the Iron Raven at the shop that Shoova had provided. Victor and R7 took a speeder and Shawn took the bike to a temporary storage unit. "We gotta rent a larger place soon" Shawn said to Victor when they met back up. It would take a full day for the new nav computer to be installed with a bill of six thousand credits. Shawn and Victor used the time to pick up supplies for the trip to Nubia. After a stop in with a gun smith Shawn added a Merr-Sonn LD1 sniper rifle to the arsenal. A few hundred more credits got a night vision scope screen mounted on the weapon with galvanized coils for better velocity. Shawn and Victor spent the rest of the day on the holonet researching information on Nubia. The next morning Shawn, Victor, and R7 took their supplies to the repair shop to pick up the Iron Raven. They inspected the work and loaded their items into the ship when satisfied with the work. They took the Iron Raven to be loaded with crates of fungus from that had been brought in from Nal Hutta to support the pallet of Hutts on Nubia and close by planets. Soon thereafter the Iron Raven and its occupants were lifting off of Nar Shaddaa.

The trip to Nubia would take four days and several jumps. Even though the new nav computer would make sure they stayed on course and receive the latest chart updates Shawn let R7 make the astrogation calculations as he still didn't have enough skill to be confident in his own abilities. Shawn and Victor spent time in the small lounge brushing up on their pazzak skills when Victor asked the question that was hanging between them "Do you consider what were doing as murder?" Shawn took a breath before replying "Yeah. But I think of it this way. Shoova ordered the hit and asked us to do it. Now he has enough credits and power to have a warrant issued to classify him as a criminal and therefore a legal target. Then he would be probably be picked up by planet security and killed in jail, or some bounty hunter would track him down and get paid. Anyway you look at it the guy is gonna wind up dead. He signed his own death warrant when he pissed off the Hutt." "So did you figure all this out while we were sitting here?" Victor asked. Shawn laughed lightly and played another card "No no. Its something I've been thinking about since we took this job. I mean its not like I'm new to killing. Who knows how many Imps we killed with spec force. Even if it was for a cause it was still killing." Oh I agree. But is contract killing something you want to do for a living? By the way I'm staying with eighteen. Catch me if you can." Victor said. Shawn played his next card then said "I'm busted. Your Hand." He paused for a moment as he picked up the cards to separate the side deck. "No. Nor do I want to be a career criminal. But I can't see myself running a droid shop like my father. I really don't know where my future is."

They had to jump outside of Toydaria then Osarian, and Rhommaool. They put them on the Hydian way. A frequent shipping lane that took them to apart of the galaxy known as the core worlds. One more junction put them on another ancient and very busy route known as the Correllian Run. Nubia was located directly on this trade route. Victor joined Shawn in the cockpit before they were due to exit hyperspace. Shawn checked the systems of the sub light engines and did a pre warm. The buzzer went off to announce that only a minute remained until they were supposed to exit the clouded blue tunnel of hyperspace. Shawn rested his hand on the hyperdrive lever and watched the chronometer count down to zero. A feeling of dread overwhelmed Shawn just as he was pulling the lever to dis-engage the hyperdrive As the stars faded into view with the planet Nubia Shawn's dread was warranted. Off the port bow about thirty kilometers was the distinctive wedge shape of an Imperial Star destroyer. Shawn's eyes widened as adrenaline flooded his body. He yelled "R7 get me an exit vector". "Those are imperial customs cruisers with that SD" Victor said speaking of the three ships supporting the Star Destroyer. "Wait a sec" Victor said. "Look, there's a bulk tanker tethered to that SD. Its fueling. And I bet those customs ships are waiting their turn for a drink. This could be better for us. Just punch those sub lights and get us planet side. I don't feel like an Imp inspection today and if we sit here any longer its just gonna draw attention to ourselves. We can do this." Shawn throttled the ship up and said "Okay." "Listen Shawn, we knew this place had an Imp presence and we've been in Imp territory a hundred times over." "Yeah but it never hurts to have an exit strategy before they can get a tractor beam on us." Shawn replied.

Shawn contacted planetary control for clearance to enter the atmosphere. After transmitting their cargo manifest they were cleared. Next he contacted the receiving port and got instructions to land at an unloading dock. The Iron Raven punched through the fiery entrance of atmosphere and they found themselves soaring over an ocean of Nubia. As they descended through the upper cloud cover Nuba City and the mountains that bordered the eastern side came into view. Skyscrapers and air speeders littered the smog filled sky of Nubia's capital city. The Iron Raven dropped into a traffic lane and Shawn piloted the ship toward their co-ordinance. The repulsor engines kicked in as Shawn leveled the freighter off. A large set of doors opened below the ship. Yellow and purple marker lights flashed around the opening. Shawn lowered the ship down inside of the warehouse. A controllers voice came over the comms and instructed Shawn to keep the repulsors at five percent. The Iron Raven sat suspended just over the floor with its landing gear down. It pitched and rolled slightly while a droid powered by its own repulsor circled the freighter. It attached itself with magnetic clamps to the front of the Iron Raven. It slowly tugged the ship into a docking area with about sixty other freighters getting loaded and un-loaded. The droid maneuvered the ship gently between two other freighters. Shawn was asked to shut down his engines, open the cargo hold, and bring his manifest to a dockworker. While Shawn dealt with the freight, Victor was on the holonet researching.


	8. Chapter 8

A Dark Path pt 8

When the cargo hold was empty Shawn made his way back to the cockpit. He fired up the repulsors and watched the droid steer them to the exit. The doors opened and the Iron Raven rose into the Nuba City sky. "What did you find?" Shawn asked. "Go here. It's a major spaceport where we can re-fuel and leave the Raven." Victor replied. Shawn looked at the display screen then moved the freighter into a traffic lane. The Iron Raven cruised several thousand feet over street level in between buildings with traffic above and below them. "What else did you find?" Shawn asked. "Well the Nuba City Armadids are hosting the Bartov Sand Panthers at the industrial Automation arena tonight. I can get us tickets if you want." What kind of sport are they playing?" Shawn asked. "Grav ball. There are two teams each with six players. Now these players wear hover boots and play on a three dimensional court with a goal at each end that moves around in what is called The Goal Zone. Now as the name suggest these hover boots allow the players to basically fly around the court. The ball can only be held by repulsor sticks that each player has. The players can pass the ball to each other or try to get it past the goalkeeper to score. But this is where the brutality comes in. The players try to knock each other out of the air, or black somebody out with a baton and steal the ball from the other team." He paused for a moment before continuing "You know this hit is gonna take a few days, and who knows when we're gonna get back to Nubia. We might as well have some fun." Shawn was silent for a brief time before responding "Why not. We'll let Mr. Garnet live one more day."

Shawn and Victor left the Iron Raven docked at the spaceport. They took a public underground monorail into the city core. They watched the grav ball game and even screamed at the violence a few times. When the beatings were over they found their way to a popular night club called "The Dark Side of the Planet". Stout drinks and some exotic cuisine later the two were ready to call it a night. Rather than trying to pour themselves into a speeder back to then Iron Raven they found a nearby hotel to bunk down in for the night.

The following day was all business. They got back to the Raven and started putting their plans together. Victor spoke up saying "The first thing we need to do is scout. We have Mr Garnet's home and business address as well as his picture thanks to the data Shoova provided us with, but we need particulars. Where does he eat, what routes does he take ect. However A short but effective way would be to go to his business under the pretence of picking up some freight. If the opportunity presents itself then we can just pop him and get out." "It at least sounds like a start." Shawn replied. "Alright. I'll go get us an airspeeder" Victor said with a grin. "Legally" Shawn replied with an exceptional emphasis. Victor just smiled and left the Iron Raven. Shawn started checking his guns.

About a standard hour later Victor showed back up with a nice four-person airspeeder. It was black with almost a mirror finish and dark tinted windows to match. The front was pointed with two intakes sloping underneath. The operating lamps were a sweeping triangle design. The roof was low with small rectangle windows and a cargo trunk in the rear. Victor ran the window down and asked "Wanna go for a ride?"

The engine revved loudly as they sped out of the spaceport. Victor pulled the speeder into a large upward arc. Shawn sunk into the white leather seats under the G-force that wasn't compensated. He looked at the indigo blue instrument panel and the mirror metal fixtures around the interior before asking "So. Should I be worried about that the former owner may have called planet security, or worse yet the Imps to retrieve this machine?" Victor just gave his typical smile as he pulled the speeder straight to the sky. He throttled the speeder down and it started to fall toward its back. As the front fell toward the ground Victor throttled the speeder full and put it into a spin. The ground seemed to be screaming toward them. Victor pulled out of the spin and arced the speeder level. "Rental" Victor finally replied.

They landed next to the Iron Raven then went aboard the ship. They slipped on armor and ammunition like it was an everyday regularity. Weighted down with guns and explosives they loaded up the airspeeder to go pay Mr. Garnet a visit. A short time later they were flying toward the building where Garnet logistics was held. It was a large industrial skyscraper that had many businesses in it. Mostly freight warehouses, logistical companies, and a few small production factories. Freighters flew in and out of the structure on a regular basis from various points. The sun glared brightly on the building that was covered mostly in blue transparasteel. Victor dropped out of the traffic lane and started descending toward the entrance that Mr. Garnet's freighters used. They were just about to enter when Shawn yelled "Abort! Abort!"


	9. Chapter 9

A Dark Path Pt. 9

Victor swerved the speeder away and accelerated. "What" Victor said loudly. "Its not like we're in spec-force anymore. We won't be going in there with sneak suits and armor on. We'll be in street clothes. I'm sure that place will have some surveillance. And after we murder this guy you know there will be an investigation. I don't think it's a good idea to have our faces plastered all over the holonet on Imp wanted posters." Shawn replied.

Victor swung the speeder around and hovered across the traffic lane from the entrance to Garnet logistics. They sat there for a few moments when Victor said "I rented the speeder with a false ID. Reek made sure that we all had a few before we left spec-force." "You even have one for me?" Shawn replied. "Four" was Victor's answer. "Well I.D.s still won't hide our faces." The speeder hung in the air for several more moments before Victor hit the accelerator and said "You're right. Lets go stake out his residence."

They flew toward the housing building Mr. Garnet lived in. They landed in the garage and walked into the building. They soon came to a security checkpoint for residence. Rather than bother with security that they had no intel about they started looking for another solution. They struck Ore when they found a hotel that overlooked the garage entrance to Mr. Garnet's building. They checked into the hotel after requesting a balcony room.

They unloaded their gear and got down to forming a strategy. After they were pleased with the plan Shawn found himself sitting in the speeder inside of the garage of Mr. Garnet's building. With the dark tinted windows he didn't expect to draw too much attention to himself. Shawn and Victor had already looked over the location of Mr. Garnet's residence and determi8ned which entrance he was likely to use.

By the end of the day their research had paid off. Shawn watched a speeder approach that looked very similar to the one Victor had rented. A gentleman opened the door and stepped out of the pilots seat. He was larger than Victor and obviously wearing body armor under his expensively tailored jacket. Shawn sat still as a statue watching the man look around before opening the door for Mr. Garnet. He escorted Mr. Garnet into the building hurriedly before taking off in the speeder again.

Shawn went back to the hotel and met with Victor who had been recording the garage traffic. Shawn pointed out the speeder as it entered and exited the garage. The next morning they sat on the balcony watching the garage through macro binoculars. They made a note of what time the speeder arrived and departed. They watched for three days noticing that the morning speeder was more consistent than the evening speeder. The following morning they were ready to put their plans into motion.

Shawn sat with his senses in hyperdrive behind the controls of the speeder. He was parked about thirty meters away from the walkway Mr. Garnet would use to enter the garage. Victor sat in the back seat of the speeder. The front passenger window was down. Victor rested the LD1 sniper rifle on the top of the front seat. He sat looking at the scope screen patiently waiting.

Finally the long awaited moment arrived. The silver airspeeder came into the garage and turned around. The speeder would provide some cover for Mr. Garnet as he came down the walkway. Victor would have to be precise. He would only get one shot at Mr. Garnet and would have to be quick to take out his driver. The large man stepped out of the speeder and looked around the garage. Their vantage point seemed to work. The driver walked toward the doorway. Seconds passed slowly. Then the driver led Mr. Garnet toward the speeder. Victor took a deep breath and held it. He gently squeezed the trigger. The speeder filled with a thunderous crack and a bright flash as the bolt screamed toward its target.

Mr. Garnet didn't have a chance to scream before his head exploded in a fine crimson mist of skull and brain matter. Before the body could collapse on the ground or Victor get another shot, the driver had taken cover. Shawn started the engines of the speeder. To exit the garage they would have to drive right past Mr. Garnet's speeder and personal thug. Victor dropped the LD1 and grabbed his E-11.

Shawn pulled the speeder out and gunned the accelerator. The speeder rocketed down the path and leaned into a left turn. The driver pointed a blaster over the hood of Mr. Garnet's speeder and opened fire. Red bolts filled the area as Victor Returned fire. Shawn couldn't help but notice the large scorch mark on the wall where Victor's sniper shot splashed after passing through Mr. Garnet's head.

The speeder screamed out of the garage. Shawn pulled back on the steering yoke and moved them into a traffic lane. "You okay?" Victor asked. "Yeah you?" Shawn replied. "Yeah. But hey I think we got Mr. Garnet." "You think? I've never seen a prosthetic head that can replace that mess." Shawn did his best to fly normally as his adrenaline cooled so as not to draw attention from planet security.

"Did you get the driver?" Shawn asked just before the speeder was slammed upward out of the traffic lane. "You know I was just about to say that I don't think so." Victor said as the speeder rolled over and the engines died. The speeder fell upside down rapidly toward the traffic lanes with a trail of black smoke pouring out of it. Shawn immediately focused himself on survival. "Well this is some unexpected fun." Victor said. Shawn watched as a freighter veered out of the way and created a narrow opening for the speeder to fall through.

The emergency repulsors fired up and Shawn tried rolling the speeder right side up. The speeder came back over though it was still pitching, rolling, smoking and falling. Shawn spotted Mr. Garnet's silver speeder heading toward them with the front end smashed in. The repulsors slowed their decent but Shawn maintained no real control over the speeder.

He pressed the ignition button to try and gain engine power. The engines hummed and chugged as they tried to start. "This isn't so much fun anymore" Victor said as the silver speeder raced toward them. Chug Chug Chug the engines spun faster. With a loud bang and a roar the engines fired to life. Shawn stomped on the accelerator and pointed the speeder down. The silver speeder barley missed them and they shook in the engine wash. The speeder rocketed toward the speed limit and Shawn spotted the real trouble.

A planet security speeder was on an intercept course with its lights flashing. "Isn't that just flogging great." Shawn mumbled as the speeder was pushed near its limits. Victor looked out the back window and seen the silver speeder coming around but still a good distance behind them. Shawn ignored the security speeder, traffic lanes and pretty much any other traffic law that was an inconvenience. Shawn dove the speeder closer to ground level. The security speeder gave chase. Shawn put the speeder into tight turns, dives and climbs that would make the manufacturer jealous.

They were starting to out maneuver the security speeder, but the thug in Mr. Garnet's was gaining on them even with another security speeder chasing him as well. Shawn pulled the speeder into a vertical climb very close to a building. One of the engines buckled under the pressure and shut down. Shawn rolled the speeder into a dive that allowed their pursuers to gain space on them.

The security speeder bumped them from the side shaking the craft violently. Shawn leveled them off then veered wildly between two buildings. The security speeder blew past the narrow turn, but the hired gun in the silver speeder followed them. With only one engine they were practically sitting still compared to how fast the other speeder was catching them. Just as they were about to clear the alleyway Shawn spotted another security speeder pull in front of them to cut them off. With lightning reflexes Shawn dove the speeder just below it. The silver speeder was going too fast to change course. It slammed fully into the security speeder. The two vehicles melded together in a fiery explosion. Victor watched out the rear window as the flaming wreckage scattered toward the ground.

Shawn thumbed his datapad then tried to get the second engine started again. "Company is back." Victor said referring to the security speeder that resumed its chase. The engine fired for the second time and Shawn gunned the throttle. Minutes later they were heading into the spaceport. Shawn weaved in and out of the large ships arriving and departing. "He's staying with us." Victor said.

The Iron Raven was a welcomed sight hovering in the air. The cargo door was open and Shawn prepared for a nerve-wrenching maneuver. Shawn aimed the speeder toward the opening at full throttle. He judged his distance and slammed on the braking thrusters. The speeder pitched slightly as they passed into the opening. They hid the deck and slid across the floor dumping sparks all over the cargo hold. The speeder gently hit the bulkhead as R7 closed the cargo door.

Shawn and Victor exited the speeder and ran toward the ladder that lead them to the cockpit. "Thanks R7" Shawn shouted as he flew up the ladder. Shawn dropped into the captain's chair and threw the throttle forward. He yanked back on the yoke and headed toward space. The security speeder soon broke off its chase. As the sky darkened Shawn asked R7 to plot them an exit vector. As they burst into space more trouble was heading toward them. An Imperial customs cruiser was moving in on them. Over the comms the Imps were ordering them to shut down their engines and prepare to be boarded. Of course Shawn was unwilling to comply with Imp law.

The cruiser fired an ion bolt at them. They were still out of range and the shot missed by sever kilometers, but it was meant as a warning and probably their last. R7 beeped and trajectory co-ordinance came up on the display. Shawn rolled and arced the ship to its port side toward the Imperial cruiser. Moments later he was pushing the hyperdrive lever and the stars faded into hyperspace.


End file.
