with a lucky shot to
the ships main generator. Lucien was glad he found the weakness in that
freighter, but it was the only one of its kind so getting that lucky again
wasn’t likely. His luck held out, he managed to pick off another one. Lucien
heard his father in his headset, “Great shot son, kill with honor!” Lucien
smiled and responded, “To victory or death!”
Lucien swore he could feel his parent’s ship being torn apart, the
Phoenix Blade was built to take a beating, but not a full assault from a fleet
of pirates.
Fale
received a transmission from the leader of the assault. A rather narcissistic
man was before him on the screen with a smug look on his face. “Good day to you
Fale Kane, I’m Captain Tank, I suggest you stop firing so we can discuss terms
of surrender.” Fale grit his teeth, he knew Tank to be one of Unra’s top paid
privateers, “Very well then.” Fale spoke to his son through the comm system,
“Lucien cease fire immediately.” Lucien was puzzled but obeyed, “I don’t
understand Dad we can take them!” Fale didn’t respond, he was too angry to
respond. Tank smiled “There that’s better, now we can talk.” Fale bared his
teeth and practically growled his response. “What do you want from us?” Lucien’s
anger was boiling, why was his father toying with this lowlife scum? Dawn,
Lucien’s mother, commanded him to follow her. Lucien obeyed begrudgingly; she
took him down to the escape pod launch bay. Lucien could hear a ship docking,
and boots hitting the deck of his parent’s ship. A man introducing himself to
Lucien’s father on behalf of a captain Tank Tarshing, though Lucien could only
hear bits and pieces. Lucien’s mother spoke, “Alright now son, get in the
escape pod.” Lucien shook his head no firmly, “No mom I will stay here and
fight with you.” Lucien’s mother smiled, “You are so much like your father, you
don’t have a choice here I’m afraid.” Lucien’s mother moved so quickly he
didn’t have time to react. She used a technique he knew too well, a precise
shot to the nerve cluster at the base of the neck that caused brief
unconsciousness.
Lucien
regained consciousness, as his mother activated the escape pod launch sequence.
She smiled and waved as the locks engaged and the pod shot into the depths of
space. The escape pod moved faster than Lucien had expected, he pounded the
hatch of his escape pod until his knuckles bled. He watched helplessly as his
parent’s ship exploded. This was supposed to be a routine mission, they had to
track down a known informant on Dantooine interrogate him and leave. Everything
went fine until the pirates showed up; Lucien immediately knew they had been
set up by one of the hutt cartels on Nal Hutta. Everything pointed to it, the
evidence was clear. Lucien may have only been an 11 year old Mandalorian boy,
but he knew in his heart who signed their death warrants. He would make it his
life’s work to see that sorry slimy hutt Unra killed at the end of his Bes’kad.
Dantooine, the planet they just left was well in view, but it would take his
tiny escape pod a standard day to reach the planet. Such lengthy escape pod
trips were risky, but better than being on a doomed ship. Lucien knew his
parents scuttled the ship, Lucien knew that they could have fought; they could
have at least died trying. Lucien also knew that his parents did it to save
him, and that was what made him so karking angry.
Tears
stung the boy’s face until he couldn’t even see; he just sat there in the
silence of the pod fuming, in rage and grief over his parent’s deaths. If they
had died in glorious combat he would have understood, he could accept that, but
they just gave up, they just stopped trying. Yet he knew they did it for him,
so that their family legacy would survive. So that the name, Kane would still
live on to strike fear in the heart of the galaxy, but even so, he sat there
for the full time that it took him to reach the planet in agony arguing with
himself. He didn’t sleep, and there was nothing to eat in the pod, his anger
kept him occupied. Lucien shook
violently as his escape pod entered the atmosphere, and gravity started
exerting friction on the tiny vessel. When the pod struck the ground everything
went dark, and suddenly nothing mattered anymore.
Lucien
woke up with a start, he was no longer in the cozy escape pod, and he was in
some sort of dingy home. He lay in a makeshift cot that smelled strongly of
whiskey and kolto, likely the medical supplies of a farmer. He tried to get up,
but when he moved sharp pain emanated from his collar bone. He rested his head
back on the folded blanket that served as his pillow, his weapons were removed
from his black flight suit, and he couldn’t find his datapad anywhere. He was
about as uncomfortable as he could be, no weapons, no supplies, and at the
mercy of a stranger. What a disgrace of a Mandalorian he was. Only revenge
could bring back his honor, he would track down that karking hutt, and then he
would go after the pirates who executed the job. He already knew their
captain’s name, they had hailed down their ship before boarding, the captain
had identified himself as Captain Tank Tarshing, he obviously used Tank as a
nickname, but any reputable informants would know the nickname well. He clearly
liked to leave an impression, and had a theatrical flair, so most spaceports
especially those on Nar Shadda would recognize him.
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