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AstralProjection

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re: Peer Review - Smuggler Part 9

And now, without further ado, the next installment in the Smugglers' story. What Star Wars tale would be complete, after all, without a high speed chase?

And so, we say our goodbyes to Vrolik "Joker" Arcturus. I let Kevin do the honors, it just seemed right. Hasta la vista, baby.

____________________________________________________________________________

The lift car ride across the complex was one of the roughest journeys of my life. Each member of our group clung to the railings of the vehicle with all of their strength. It wasn’t that Dash was a poor driver; on the contrary, the alluring Twi’lek girl was doing a remarkable job navigating the service tunnels below WeatherNet at high speeds. The lamp joker had affixed to the front of the car was a poor substitute for the track lightning that normally would’ve illuminated these passageways clearly, and Dash was navigating by memory, with very few visual cues to help her. The situation made for plenty of rough stops, starts, and turns, however, and all of us were beginning to feel a bit of motion sickness after a few minutes onboard.

I was leaning over the back railing of the lift car next to Joker, whose cigar smoke still drifted off behind the car into the darkness. It certainly wasn’t helping the queasy feeling in my stomach, and I leaned forward a bit more to attempt to catch my breath. At least my nausea was distracting me from my nagging intuition that had the hair on the back of my neck incessantly standing at attention. The humming sound of the repulsors moving the car and the wind rushing past us in the tunnel were the only other stimuli to accompany us. As I leaned over the railing, wondering when the next sudden stop or turn was going to happen and hoping my stomach was prepared for it, my ears picked up on another sound coming from the tunnel. It was subtle at first, but once I was aware of it, the more I focused, the easier it was to hear. We’re being followed.

It was hard to make out, but it almost sounded like a turbine or jetpack’s metallic whine, subtly blended in with the noise emanating from our vehicle. I tapped Joker on the wrist, waking him from what must have been a rare moment of peace for the rowdy, one-eyed pirate. “Yeah, what is it, Kurik? Can’t it wait until we’re out of these damned tunnels?” he asked me, straightening up a bit. The light from the burning tip of his cigar was just enough to illuminate the man’s dissatisfied scowl.

“I don’t know if it can, Joker,” I whispered to him, not wanting to cause a panic unnecessarily, “I think we’re being followed. Listen, I hear something else in the distance, another engine of some sort.” Joker turned to face the same direction as I, and seemed to concentrate for a few moments as he squinted into the darkness. Eventually he nodded.

“You’re right, kid, someone’s out there alright,” he began to whisper, “but I don’t know what we can do about it…it’s not like we can put up much of a fight like thi—“ Joker’s sentence was cut short, as right before our eyes, the tunnel behind us lit up with the telltale muzzle flash of rotary carbines. “Everybody get your heads down!” Blaster bolts scattered around us, and I had already long since taken Joker’s advice by the time he managed to bark his order into the dark tunnel. Several shots narrowly missed members of our group.

Dash was too busy driving our turbolift to turn and see the source of the commotion, and shouted back to us, “What’s going on back there, boys?! Get this situation under control, I can barely drive this thing in the dark without the distractions!” Coincidentally, sparks sprayed forth from the walls of the tunnel as the edge of the car’s platform made contact with it. The sudden shock of blasterfire and shouting had caused a twitch reflex in the normally focused Twi’lek girl, and I felt Tika Vast fall to the ground behind me as the the lift was shaken by the slight impact. Had we hit with any more force, several of us could’ve been violently ejected from the vehicle. In the meantime, the slight jostling had allowed our pursuer to gain a bit of ground on us, and now I could clearly make out the metallic scream of a jetpack, and see a small illumination where the fire that trailed behind it cast light against the tunnel. It was just enough light to catch the familiar silhouette of the figure that was nipping at our heels.

“Gragus Prax! I’d know that armor anywhere. Stars be damned, how did he find us?! I thought you rookies finished him off! Looks like if you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself!” Joker shouted into the rushing wind as he drew his pistol. We stayed crouched behind the railings of the car, which provided very little protection against the bounty hunter’s heavy firepower as Joker returned fire on the Mandalorian. Thick red bolts traced through the blackness, and I watched as the armored hulk of a man easily weaved between them and continued his pursuit. Gragus Prax was as unexpectedly nimble in flight as he was on foot.

Damn Mandalorians and their battle prowess. Why aren’t they ever on my side? I lamented. My scattergun was too short range of a weapon to be of use in the firefight at the moment, so I stayed low and patted Tika Vast on the back as she crouched in fear. Finx helped Joker return fire with his pistols, but our target was hard to hit, and even if you managed to, his armor was so thick it would take several shots to penetrate. All we could try to do was slow him down. Cross and DC were in the front of the car with Dash, but there was little they could do without risking a hit on Joker or myself. Cross seemed upset about his inability to help, and shouted “I can’t get a clean shot on him, fellas; I don’t want to drop one of you in the process!”

“Don’t worry about it, this is between me and the flying tin can…Just tell that sweet little girl behind the wheel to keep this damned thing steady so I can get a clear shot!” Joker shouted back to them, in tones barely audible in the front of the car over the raucous din being raised by the vehicles and blasters in the dark tunnel. I wasn’t sure if Dash heard him, but it didn’t matter; Joker had a knack for requesting the obvious, as if the rest of the world wasn’t gifted with his godlike reasoning capabilities. I was certain that she was already doing her best to get us there in one piece. If Joker hadn’t made so many enemies across the galaxy we wouldn’t have been in such a mess in the first place, after all. To me, blame for the entire situation rested squarely on the pirate’s shoulders.

As I was blaming Joker for all of my woes in the universe, another salvo from the Mandalorian’s rotary carbines narrowly missed ending my brief career as a smuggler several times. We can’t go on like this forever…his weapons are terribly inaccurate, but eventually he’s going to start making contact with some of those shots, and I’m low on medical supplies already. This is bad, very bad, my thoughts raced through my head like our turbolift careening through the darkness, and the chaotic fire and screaming engines only made it harder to focus. They were interrupted by Dash shouting back to us, “Everybody hang on, we’re going to make a quick detour!” In the spotty lighting of the firefight, I could make out some stenciled writing on the permacrete walls of the tunnel that indicated the West Wing was straight ahead. It was not without some surprise, then that I followed Dash’s instructions and felt momentum throw me to the left, as she banked hard to the right and turned down a different tunnel, sending a shower of sparks out from the edge of the lift car as it scraped against the tunnel wall.

“Dash, what are you doing?!” I shouted, “The West Wing was the other way!”

“Trust me!” was the only response I received from our Twi’lek pilot. I did, but it wasn’t very comforting to not know what she was up to.

We sped onward, but unfortunately not long after we had made the turn I saw Gragus whip around the corner with far greater ease than we had, barely letting off the throttle of his jet pack. We’re at a huge disadvantage in these tunnels. He’s probably tracking us with low-light optics, and we're basically flying blind and far less maneuverable. Joker and Finx loosed another barrage at our pursuer and my lamentations were cut short by a metal clattering sound and a heavy drag on the turbolift car. The Mandalorian’s grappling hook had wrapped around the railing of the car, and we were dragging him along through the tunnel. He was slowly pulling himself up the tow cable toward the rear of the car as he swung behind us. I began fumbling with the grappling hook, trying to free it from the railing, but the immense weight of his armor had it pulled so tight that it wouldn’t budge. As the bounty hunter got closer, Joker and Finx were able to land a few good shots on him that seemed to only anger him further.

“You won’t be getting away this time, Arcturus!” his voice cut through the din of the high-speed chase, telling me that he had pulled himself close enough for me to hear his voice now, and that my companions’ hits did little besides scarring his heavy armor. I turned in time to see one of his massive gauntlets swing past a dodging Joker, and narrowly miss striking me in the course of his desperate grab. Remembering what the warrior’s stun gauntlets could do, I pushed backward into a cringing Tika Vast, and out of instinct more than anything else pulled my scattergun from my hip and fired it right into the man’s chest.

I heard Gragus’ angry roar get pulled backward with him into the darkness of the tunnel as my blast knocked him off the back of the car, and could see him dangling from his tow cable several meters behind us as he glanced off the tunnel walls and struggled to restart his jetpack. Dash made another sudden turn, this time sending us all slamming into the railing on the right side of the vehicle. As she turned, I saw Joker produce a vibroblade that glinted in the darkness from the deep, ruddy glow of his still-lit cigar and slash downward with all his strength. The car kicked forward and sped up noticeably as the cable was severed, cutting the furious Mandalorian loose from our vehicle and sending him skidding across the tunnel floor until he came to a stop far behind us. “Nice work, boys, that ought to lose him!” Dash called back to us, hazarding a brief glance behind her to make sure that we were finally free of the crazed bounty hunter.

“Persistent thing, isn’t he?” DC said cooly. “I was certain he wouldn’t be escaping his little burial plot in the sub basement any time soon. I don’t like being wrong,” he added.

“Then you don’t know the lengths a Mandalorian will go to over honor and dignity and all that nonsense, kid,” Joker explained. “He’s got a droch up his suit over one stupid game, and he’ll either finish me off, or die trying-Forget that he could’ve easily made the credits back in the time he’s spent hunting me. These Mandos live and breathe battle; I just wish their breath smelled better if I’m going to be getting this up close and personal with them. He definitely coulda picked a better time to drop by for a visit.” Dash made another left turn down a branching tunnel, this time a little more controlled than her previous turns had been with the bounty hunter chasing us. We were almost back on track, if my internal compass was right.

“Well, poor timing aside, you certainly have a way with people, Joker, I’ll give you that,” was all Finx said to the pirate. I wasn’t sure if he meant that as a compliment, insult, or simple assessment. Something told me that this Finx was a heck of a card player, just like some of my other teammates. There were several ways to take that statement, and it would be easy to explain around if taken the wrong way. At least we had lost Joker’s would-be killer, for the time being. Even with low-light vision, we should’ve put enough distance between us that he wouldn’t be able to track us.

“So I’ve been told, mate, so I’ve been told…Dash, how far are we from the West Wing, do you think?” Joker asked, possibly hoping to change the subject. It was already a touchy one with me. The car banked once more to the right, turning down what might have been the original tunnel we were traveling in, and then sped up. Dash was obviously hoping to keep Gragus Prax as far in our past as she could. She had already felt the sting of his weaponry.

“According to the maps we studied and the markings in this tunnel, the West Wing is straight ahead, not much farther now. Just sit tight and I’ll have us there in no time,” Dash replied to Joker. It’s nice to hear a bit of good news, for a change. Even nicer to think we’ll be free of this darkness soon. I don’t like not knowing what’s waiting for me out there, I thought as I gazed off the back of the lift car once more, surveying the tunnel for any signs of Gragus Prax. Unfortunately for us, I was watching the wrong direction.

From the right side of the car, out of a connecting tunnel, the bounty hunter came hurtling toward us at full speed, bellowing a battle cry that I hoped to not hear again for a long time. “For Mandalore!!!” echoed through the tunnel as the darkness came ablaze with the fire from his jetpack. Apparently being cast away like rubbish for a second time didn’t sit well with a proud warrior, and he was back once again with a vengeance. Gragus struck the side of the car at full force, tipping it to the left as he grabbed hold of the railing.

“How the hell did he find us, we should’ve lost him back there!” bellowed an angry Joker, who also clutched the railing of the car to try to maintain his footing. The rest of us were doing similar balancing acts. Tika had once again been cast to the floor, this time Finx along with her, and the two of them were just able to pull their limbs inside the safety of the car before it struck the left side of the tunnel. Another shower of sparks covered us, and they cast enough light across the tunnel with the help of the Mandalorian’s jetpack that Dash caught a glimpse of yet another obstacle in our path.

“Umm…you’d better hang on ladies and gentlemen! There’s a cave in up ahead. I’m going to have to go full speed and try to jump it…We don’t have another choice!” Dash shouted back to us over the cacophony of battle that had just retaken our vehicle. She was right, we didn’t have another choice. Not with a bloodthirsty warrior boarding our vehicle and the cave-in just ahead. We were going too fast to stop, and it was very likely we were all about to die. At least it’s going to be over quick, I thought to myself cynically. Time seemed to stand still, as it so often does when the sum total of your existence flashes before your eyes, making it all seem so fleeting, the struggles, the triumphs, the love, the hate, the passion, the peace….in the end we were all just the particles we were about to be broken back down into.

Dash boosted the throttle and gave the turbolift as much juice as she could, and I felt the wind intensify, whipping my long black hair around my face and making it difficult to see. Through it, I watched Gragus produce a tiny pistol that looked oddly out of place in the massive gauntleted hand of such a brute. I didn’t even have time to wonder what his game was before he was firing. Joker’s left arm gripped the railing, attempting to keep himself inside the car and balanced, while the right was cocked back to deliver a punch to the Mandalorian’s helm. The punch never made it to its destination. A dart appeared in Joker’s neck, and his body went limp instantly. Prax cast his dart pistol aside and lunged forward to grasp the crumbling pirate’s body with one massive hand. The bounty hunter let out a triumphant roar, and hoisted Joker up over his shoulder with a great heave. His other arm still gripped the railing to keep him steady. He was totally unaware of the problem ahead with the tunnel.

I fought off the urge to close my eyes during what might be my final moments. Finx and Tika Vast had been thrown to the floor next to me, and though they each clung to the car’s railing with one hand, their free hands appeared locked in an inseparable grip. I looked toward Cross and DC, who had braced themselves against the corners of the vehicle. Even my boisterous first mate looked like he had resigned himself to his fate. Dash was only one of us with the courage to watch the tunnel ahead, maybe because she thought we could make the twenty or so meter jump across the broken tunnel, maybe because she was our pilot, and would do her duty until the end. Either way, at that moment I made a choice; a choice that I’ve carried with me the rest of my life.

Her life, my life, all of my new friends’ lives, they all hung in the balance. Why should so many lives be ended for the sins of one man? Give the beast its prize, and it will leave you to your business, I thought grimly. I gave one last glance at my friends; all of them were huddled over with their heads down, hoping for a miracle. I was going to give it to them whatever the cost. “Goodbye, Joker, and good luck. You’re going to need it,” I whispered into the howling winds of the tunnel. My words were lost to any ears but my own. Joker’s unconscious body was in no condition to respond, but perhaps he’d carry them with him wherever he would end up.

I brought my scattergun to bear on Gragus Prax one final time. The Mandalorian really should’ve learned from his mistakes, instead of letting his lust for revenge blind him. It was too late for lessons learned, though, I was going to give him one more taste of my firepower. My blast rang out in the tunnel as the turbolift hurtled forward at reckless speeds. Gragus Prax and Joker’s unconscious body were knocked backward off the lift car just as we reached the break in the tunnel. With the enormous weight of the armored soldier and Joker lifted from the vehicle it lurched forward, giving it the extra boost of speed we would need to clear the gap ahead. The sound of my shot was sucked behind us into the darkness along with the bounty hunter’s startled cry, where he would not be seen or heard from again.

My breath caught in my throat as the car hovered over the break in the tunnel and time seemed to come grinding to a halt. After what felt like eons we were all rocked by the impact of the turbolift on the tunnel floor below us. Another shower of sparks rose up from the ground until the vehicle’s backup power was able to jump start its repulsors and lift us off the ground once more. We kept speeding onward for what felt like a long time, until Dash finally overcame her shock to realize that we were still alive somehow and backed off the throttle. The turbolift slowed to a more reasonable pace. “We…we made it,” she said in an incredulous tone. “Is everyone still in one piece?” The others began to lift their heads and look around with the same disbelief expressed in Dash’s voice.

“Yes, a little worse for wear but otherwise fine,” Damek replied, dusting himself off as he rose to his feet once again.

“Yeah, I…I’ll be okay I think,” Ms. Vast stammered. “This is certainly going to be a day I never forget.”

“I don’t think any of us are gonna forget this one, Ms. Vast,” Finx replied. “Least of all Joker Arcturus. Seems that Mandalorian got what he was looking for,” he added with an unreadable expression as he pulled himself upright and nodded toward the rear of the car where Joker had been standing next to me during the ride. A look of realization dawned on the faces of my companions as they all realized the pirate captain that had united us was no longer onboard the turbolift car.

“Joker’s gone?” Cross asked. “Did anyone see what happened to him?” I cast Cross a subtle look that tried to say ‘let it go’, but I didn’t want to blow my cover, and wasn’t sure if he even noticed. Nobody needed to know the judgment that I made. That was business between me, Joker, and the galaxy. It was an easy choice in my mind, though I didn’t feel like explaining it to the others who suddenly felt less familiar to me than they had moments earlier when we were all sharing a near-death experience. One guilty man, sacrificed so the innocent can live on. Besides, who knows what’s going to happen to Joker. He’s more slippery than a captured muttamok. I tried to rationalize my decision, but couldn’t help but feel guilty nonetheless. Part of me truly had liked the roguish pirate captain Joker Arcturus despite all of his reprehensible qualities.

“No, but I think the bounty hunter finally claimed his prize,” I told them all. Nobody had been terribly close with Joker, especially after he had almost cost us our lives multiple times, but he was still the man that brought us all together, and still the de-facto leader of our band of misfits. Our path suddenly seemed less clear, for some reason. “There is no use lamenting, not now, with us closer than ever to our goal. Dash, you said we were almost there, how long until we reach the access point for the West Wing? We should continue with the mission, just as we would’ve if Joker was still here. Nothing’s changed.”

Dash nodded. “It’s just up ahead, according to the markings, fifty meters or so.”

“Good, then get us there. We’ve come too far to give up now.” The others all knew I was right, but it was clear that the loss of one of our number still weighed heavily upon them. In only a few moments, we were pulling up to a access shaft that looked just like the one we had entered on the other side of the facility. It was unsure what was waiting for us up above, but one thing was certain; I was wrong when I said that nothing had changed. With Joker gone, the game had changed drastically. I just had to make sure that nobody was going to fold until the job was done.


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