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Author Topic: Tales of the Galactic Empire: Survivor (Gen Veers Fic) [UPDATED 10/07/06 - CH 20.1 Added!]
CmdrMitthrawnuruodo  18056 posts
Registered: Jul '00
44424_Roan Fel
Date Posted: 10/25/05 8:51pm Subject: RE: Tales of the Galactic Empire: Survivor (Gen Veers Fic) [UPDATED 10/14/05 - CH 19.1 Added!] - Date Edited: 10/30/05 9:25pm (1 edits total) Edited By: CmdrMitthrawnuruodo
Here is the next part to the story.

Part 2 of ?


Chapter IXX – Ambush

“Why do you involve yourself with him?” she asked of him as they walked through the jungle. A woolamander trampled out of the jungle in front of them and took a moment to stare at the two humans before it continued on its path. Veers paused to watch it go before he answered Lana.

“He saved my life. The instructions for that fever reducing tea came from him.”

“I was wondering why you had not revealed that information before if you had known all along.” Lana was now walking along side with him. “But why would he save your life though? It so... un-Sith like.”

“Why do you ask so many questions? This is not an interrogation.” Veers replied. He glanced at her and noticed for the first time the injuries she sustained. “That should be taken care of,” he pointed at a blood-matted spot among her hair. Lana lifted a hand to feel around her skull and winced when she found the injury.

“It doesn’t feel too serious. Probably just a small cut.”

“Regardless, it still needs to be dealt with. Out here you can get anything as I learned the hard way,” he insisted. “Come on. I think I hear a stream nearby. We can examine each other better in the sunlight and clean out whatever wounds we find.”

Colonel Veers broke off of the direction they were going and headed the way he thought he was hearing the trickling of water. Lana agreed to his suggestion and followed him. Where along the last several minutes they had become partners of survival rather than captor and prisoner, she did not know. Nor did she care. It was not like he could leave this planet without the rebellion noticing anyway.

After a thirty-minute walk, the sound of the stream became more pronounced and started to sound more like a river. Another ten minutes and they both emerged from the jungle a few dozen meters from the nearest riverbank. Veers was the first to walk to the edge of the bank to get a better look. The river was slightly fast moving but he suspected it would not be strong enough to sweep a person away.

At least a healthy person.

He was not exactly the healthiest person on the planet right now. His ribcage and breastbone was hurting where the Lorrdian had kicked him and the Wookiee had struck. “We’ll have to boil the water before we use it to clean out the wounds.”

“After seeing you ill from what was in the water, I agree with you. But how? We do not have any cups.”

Veers sighed softly. He knew she was right. Without a container to hold the water there was no way they could boil it first. Then a thought struck him and he began patting down his dirty, flight jacket that he had taken from a rebel the first day he crashed in the jungle. He felt around and after a few seconds he found what he was looking for.

He pulled out a half-empty ration container the rebels had neglected to take from him. “This should work,” he said and emptied the contents into his hand. He shared half of the food with Lana and took the rest for himself. Together they built a small fire and he erected a shabby branch holder to place the container over the fire.

They ate what was left of the rations in silence while the first batch of water boiled. The sun was beginning to fall with the gas giant rising over the horizon. The creatures of the night began to emerge and fill the jungle with a soothing symphony of noises. The strange sounds did not bother the Imperial Colonel and it seemed they did not bother Lana either.

“Is it true you really tried to save my brother?” she suddenly asked of him. Veers was caught off guard by the question and took several long moments to find the effort to answer her. He merely nodded in reply and stood up to check the water. “Why?”

“Why?” he repeated, looking up from the ration container. “Do you want to the truth?”

“Yes.” He could see her look at him suspiciously and like she did not want to really know the real truth despite her curiosity.

“You won’t like it.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

“Very well. As you already know, I was one of the commanders of the stormtrooper detachment that was sent to deal with the marching activists,” he began to explain. Veers sat back down after determining the water was not quite ready yet. “The official story is that someone in the crowd had fired upon the troopers and my superior gave the order to return fire. The truth is, a rock or some object had been thrown at the command vehicle and the Lieutenant Colonel took it as a sign that the marchers were going to turn into a mob. He gave the order to open fire with stun blasts.”

He paused in his story telling to take the container off of the fire so that it could cool down for use. “What was suppose to be a peaceful march quickly turned into a panicked riot. People were running everywhere trying to avoid getting stunned and those who had been hit were being trampled to death. Then someone in the crowd actually fired on us and killed one of the stormtroopers. That’s when it turned into a massacre. My superior gave the order to set weapons to full power. I tried to countermand that order but angry rioters had overtaken our chariot and I had to flee to safety.

“Eventually the crowd was subdued or dispersed by reinforcing troops from the garrison. Several people were placed under-arrest. Among them was your brother.” He paused again to pull off his flight jacket and torn shirt. “Your brother was arrested because he was found armed with a blaster pistol. Under the investigation of the Imperial Army he was just going to be charged with aiding and abetting in the murders of Imperial stormtroopers. He was going to get a trial but the Imperial Security Bureau received word of the massacre and discovered that the march was organized and funded by rebel terrorists. In light of this new information, ISB took over the investigation.

“My brother was not a part of the rebellion. He was only sixteen when the Empire murdered him.” Lana angrily interrupted him. He held up a hand for her to stop before she said anything she would later regret.

“I know. I was unofficially a part of the investigation into the Chandrillian Massacre. You have to be nineteen in order to own a blaster and carry the license on you at all times. He was not old enough and did not have a license. Plus the weapon was registered to someone else who was killed during the riot. He most likely picked up the weapon during the riot and felt he needed to defend himself from other rioters. Your brother happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when the stormtroopers began arresting people. Help me with my arm, if you would please.”

Lana stepped over to him and began to clean the tear in his arm. “Is that why you tried to help him? You found out his role in the whole thing?”

“No. I did not learn about that until after he had been executed.”

“Then why?”

“Because...” he hesitated. “Because my career was on the line.” Veers hissed when she pressed too hard into his injury.

“You tried to save my brother just so you can save your own frelling arse!” Lana stopped tending to his injury and threw the remaining water into his face. It was not scalding hot and that he was thankful for but it was hot enough to make him uncomfortable.

Veers wiped the water from his face and glowered at her. “What the kriff was that for? Now another batch is going to have to be boiled!”

“What was that for? What was that for!” she hissed back at him. “You did not care a single moment about my brother. You only saw that if he died, your career as an Imperial officer would end! That is what that was for! You ungrateful, self-centered, arrogant Hutt!”

“You asked for the truth!” he shouted back at her. “I told you that you would not like it!”

“I should never have asked,” Lana sat herself down on the other side of the campfire and refused to even acknowledge Veers’s presence. The Colonel sighed and picked up the empty container and began to refill it with river water. He came back and placed it above the fire once more.

“I’m sorry.” She did not respond to his apology and he watched her cross her arms in silent resentment. He did not ask her again to help him with his injuries and tried to care for himself alone. After he finished with his arm, he unwrapped his head wound and felt around to see how bad it may have gotten over the last five days. Veers winced as he felt an infection having started on a part of it and tried to clean it out as best he could.

“If it helps,” he said after cleaning the makeshift bandage, “Lieutenant Colonel Haveres was arrested and charged with the murder of several of the rioters and Agent Trell was reassigned to some backwater world where I believe he still is. Your Uncle was very angry when he found out that his nephew had been executed by ISB. He wanted to have Trell shot but Colonel Salves convinced him instead to have the man’s career destroyed as an example to others.”

“Why didn’t he just let my Uncle shoot him?” Lana finally spoke up. “Or was this another one of those career saving moves?”

Veers winced at the tone of her voice and he did not immediately answer. “I do not know if that was Salves motive or not but it did save my career. Governor Corbel was too focused on destroying Agent Trell to pay any notice to me or Salves.”

“Sounds like it. What are you doing?” she asked of him when he stepped over and began looking at her head.

“Checking your injury. You want it cleaned and bandaged do you not?”

“I can do it myself. I do not need your help.”

“Suit yourself.” He handed her the fresh water and sat back down on his spot at the other side of the campfire. She did not move or tried to take care of her injury. Instead she was staring at him and he found it a little uncomfortable. After a few minutes she stood up and walked over him. “What now?”

“Here,” she handed him the water. “You were doing a terrible job on yourself.” Veers merely stared at her open mouthed and allowed her to undo his bandages and re-clean his wounds and the bandages again. He did not understand why the sudden change in mood. He had thought she would be angry with him for a few more hours and asked her.

“Because you were honest with me and willing to still help me despite my anger towards you,” she answered. Veers suspected it was not the whole truth, that there was something more behind her reasons.

TO BE CONTINUED...

 

-----signature-----
"Dyin' be the day worth livin' for!"
--Captain Hector Barbossa
PotC: Amuletum Angiti
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3635826/1/
http://s12.gladiatus.com/game/c.php?uid=48046
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Darth_Garak  430 posts
Registered: Jul '05
42321_Mandalore the Ultimate
Date Posted: 10/26/05 12:06pm Subject: RE: Tales of the Galactic Empire: Survivor (Gen Veers Fic) [UPDATED 10/25/05 - CH 19.2 Added!]
Cool fic.

 

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Jerjerrod-Lennox  26216 posts
Registered: Mar '05
42234_Venator-Class Star Destroyer
Date Posted: 10/26/05 4:03pm Subject: RE: Tales of the Galactic Empire: Survivor (Gen Veers Fic) [UPDATED 10/25/05 - CH 19.2 Added!]
An absolutley brilliant fic, more please. applause

 

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""Great men never hurry, great men cause others to hurry" Moff Jerjerrod
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CmdrMitthrawnuruodo  18056 posts
Registered: Jul '00
44424_Roan Fel
Date Posted: 10/30/05 9:24pm Subject: RE: Tales of the Galactic Empire: Survivor (Gen Veers Fic) [UPDATED 10/25/05 - CH 19.2 Added!]
Here is the next part of the Chapter...

Part 3 of ?


Chapter IXX - Ambush Cont'd

He did not question her any further. Instead he allowed her to continue to tend to his injuries. She had unwrapped the torn strips from his arm and once more delicately began to clean out the injury. The seeping blood from the wound had stopped hours ago and all that was left was a raw, open gash she knew was going to become infected if it was not stitched.

This much she told him.

“I have neither a needle or thread,” Veers replied and shrugged his shoulders in acceptance. “Besides, any day now the Imperial fleet will arrive and I can swim in bacta for a few hours.”

“I suppose so, but that is if we do not recapture again.”

“I do not plan on going anywhere near the main temple until after the army has taken over,” he pointed out.

“And what about me? I do not want to become a prisoner of war,” she asked of him. He did not know how to answer that. He did not want her to return to the temple and tell them where he was before the Empire could arrive. “Why am I asking anyway? It is not like you could stop me from leaving anyway.”

“I could if I wanted to,” he sniffed indignantly.

Lana gently poked him in the ribs and he hissed in response. “If we got in to a fight, one good blow there would take you down.”

“Point taken,” he retracted and then became curious. “Alright, you can easily overcome me in a fight eventually, so then why haven’t you tried to retake me prisoner?”

“Who says I haven’t?” Lana wrapped his arm tightly as she spoke. “Where would you go in your condition? How long will you survive out there alone? You are better off staying with me than going out alone.”

“I’ve survived this long,” Veers argued proudly and sat up a little straighter.

“If you are think that your ghost will protect you, than you are quite naïve for an Imperial of your rank.” He glowered at her for what he took as an insult. Certainly he had been considering that Exar Kun would help keep him alive and give him the strength he needed to heal, but he was not and have not been relying on the Sith Lord.

“He only helps if I cannot take care of myself,” he finally replied and then turned the subject to what they were originally discussing about before they could start arguing over his choice of allies. “Why do you care if I survive anyway? You are healthy enough to make it back to the temple on your own and in my current condition I would only be a hindrance.”

The rebel did not answer immediately. She only looked at him for a couple seconds before she looked away. In those seconds he thought he saw her turn a shade red before she glanced away. Veers titled his head to the side slightly in curiosity before he took her face in his other hand and gently forced her to look at him in order to confirm his suspicions.

He saw defiance and embarrassment in her eyes and face when he did that but she did not resist him nor look away again. The Colonel smirked slightly and then without thinking, he leaned forward to romantically kiss her on the lips. At first she did not resist what he had unexpectedly did. She was returning his kiss with as much fervor as he was giving.

As he expected, it did could not last and she broke the kiss by pushing away from him. What he did not expect was for her to slap him across the face. While he was recovering from the surprise and sting of her slap, she demanded why he had done that.

From behind a rubbing hand on his face, he answered; “You refused to answer my question so I took matters into my own hands to find out. I was merely confirming a suspicion I had about you and I was correct.”

“And what did you conclude, oh Herlock Sholmes?” she hissed icily.

“You have feelings for me.” She laughed sharply and he could detect the nervousness behind it. Veers waited for her to regain her composure before he continued. “Looking back, I now noticed all the signs of a woman who has come to like another man despite the horrible truths she has learned and the things she has gone through. You were attracted to me when we first met, you said so yourself.”

“I was only toying with you,” she argued defensively and he shook his head.

“Sure you were,” he played. “For a period of time, you hated me because of your brother but that hatred subsided when you learned the truth of my role in his death. You showed concern for me when I was ill and protected me from that Alderaanian blockhead. You could have left me to die after I had caused the death of your companions, but you didn’t. You came back for me and helped me out of the crashed shuttle. And now, you tend to my wounds as if we were friends.

“That is stretching it,” Lana said. She had begun to check his head in an attempt to distract herself from the subject.

“If you did not have any feelings for me you would not have allowed that kiss to last longer than it did.” He saw that he had her cornered with that fact.

“You’re head must be more damaged than I thought,” she quipped,” you’re becoming delusional.”

“You will know when I become delusional when I start speaking non-sense about my colleagues.” She had finished checking his head and had it wrapped up in the cleaned strips again.

“And when you keep on insisting I’m in love with you.”

“Uh huh, keep telling yourself that,” he replied with an amused smirk when he saw her smiling at him.

“Shut up and kiss me, mudfoot.”

And so he did.

TO BE CONTINUED...

 

-----signature-----
"Dyin' be the day worth livin' for!"
--Captain Hector Barbossa
PotC: Amuletum Angiti
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3635826/1/
http://s12.gladiatus.com/game/c.php?uid=48046
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neila_nuruodo  4871 posts
Registered: Aug '02
49344_Chiss (912092)
Date Posted: 11/13/05 9:08pm Subject: RE: Tales of the Galactic Empire: Survivor (Gen Veers Fic) [UPDATED 10/31/05 - CH 19.3 Added!]
Ooh. grin Please, continue. grin

 

-----signature-----
.E.v.i.l. My antidrug. devil
Is that an uzi or are you just happy to see me?
When life gives you lemons, squeeze them into the wounds of your enemies.
~*~
English regularly jumps out of dark alleys and mugs other languages for all their good words. -Anyara
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Darth_Garak  430 posts
Registered: Jul '05
42321_Mandalore the Ultimate
Date Posted: 11/24/05 10:49am Subject: RE: Tales of the Galactic Empire: Survivor (Gen Veers Fic) [UPDATED 10/31/05 - CH 19.3 Added!]
yes, do continue.

 

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Jerjerrod-Lennox  26216 posts
Registered: Mar '05
42234_Venator-Class Star Destroyer
Date Posted: 11/26/05 9:17am Subject: RE: Tales of the Galactic Empire: Survivor (Gen Veers Fic) [UPDATED 10/31/05 - CH 19.3 Added!]
Indeed, this is becoming more interesting....

 

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I have got to get me one of these!
See my sock Innox for profile details.
""Great men never hurry, great men cause others to hurry" Moff Jerjerrod
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CmdrMitthrawnuruodo  18056 posts
Registered: Jul '00
44424_Roan Fel
Date Posted: 8/23/06 12:24pm Subject: RE: Tales of the Galactic Empire: Survivor (Gen Veers Fic) [UPDATED 08/23/06 - CH 19.4 Added!]
Here's the next part...


Part Four of Chapter IXX - Ambush

Something wet and rough was licking at the edges of his bandages, moistening his face and awakening him with a start. The offending creature scurried off into the underbrush with an undignified twerp. He could still see the glow of its reflecting eyes between the leaves of the plants and could imagine how disappointed and upset it felt that what it thought was tasty food was still alive.

Veers turned his gaze away from the animal to study the unclothed form of his... captor, prisoner, companion, or lover? He did not know which of the descriptions to call her. Certainly the last one seemed to fit in the last several hours and he wondered what had come over him to give in to such primitive indulgences with the enemy. For a brief moment he seemed abhorred at the idea of an Imperial officer sleeping with the enemy. It was almost akin to conspiring with one.

Slowly he pulled himself apart from her tousled form and climbed to his feet with some difficulty. Stretching his sore muscles, he took a look at his surroundings. There was nothing different from last night other than a few new tracks of animals coming to the riverbank either for food or to drink the water. The jungle seemed to have left them pretty much along for the most part.

Veers walked over to the riverbank with the ration can so that they could have some clean water to drink. As he filled the container, he noticed movement underneath the steady moving surface. Some kind of aquatic animal was swimming about his submerged hand. It came close to see what he was and doing before darting to a safe distance. The creature was long and slender, almost the same length as his arm. It had a flat horizontal tail that it used to propel itself through the water. It’s dorsal fin ran down the length of its body while it’s ventral fin only went half it’s body and continued again just before it’s tail. It had no maneuvering fins like most other aquatics he had seen. This particular species seemed to move with it’s own body instead.

The skin shimmered in what little light came through the canopy as it again came close to investigate the disturbance he made in the water. But this time, two others had joined the first one. Like it’s brethren they too darted away to a safe distance when he moved. Not wishing to find out whether they were predators or not, the Imperial Colonel finished and left the riverbank.

Waiting for him back at the small camp they had made was Lana. The rebel was partially clothed as she stroked the fire back to life. As he approached, she looked up from the tiny flames and smiled at him in a way she would not have done the night before.

“You will catch something else other than Creek Fever dressed like that,” she commented and he looked at her with a puzzled look before it dawned on him. With his face turning a deeper shade of red, he grabbed his pants and slipped them on.

“Sorry,” he apologized as she stifled a giggle. “I was planning on bathing but decided to bring back some water for you to boil first.”

“You shouldn’t bath in your condition,” she reminded him.

“No worries,” Veers answered and began unwrapping and rewrapping his arm. “This wrap is watertight and will keep out anything that may be in the water.” His reassurance seemed to satisfy her and she did not try to stop him from carrying out his bath. Why he even bothered to reassure her he did not understand. Certainly she had feelings for him, but his own were still with his wife.

“You deceive yourself,” the voice of Exar Kun whispered into his ear as Veers made his way back to the riverbank.

“Why would you care?” the Colonel spat, annoyed that the Sith spirit was eavesdropping on his thoughts again.

“Dismissing your true feelings will only distract and hamper your development in the Force,” Kun harshly replied.

“I am not exactly sure what my feelings are on this situation so how can I deceive myself?”

“You love her, I can feel it.” The bushes rustled and both men ignored the animal that probably was rummaging through it for food.

“I do not,” Veers answered coldly. “Any feelings I may have for her stem from the need to survive. There is a war going on right now and we’re on opposite sides. We are enemies.”

“Strange relationships often form in a time of war. Regardless, you should not ignore your passion for her.” The Imperial Colonel slipped out of his cloths and walked into the steady river as the Sith Lord preached to him. “Even though she is your enemy, with the Force you can maker her yours and a loyal follower...”

Veers paused his cleaning to look up thoughtfully. After considering it, he answered, “There is little to no pleasure in forcing another into a union. They only come to hate you and become a threat.”

“For a while, yes they are a threat. But given time she will follow you to the ends of the Galaxy. Think it over, my apprentice. You will come to find the benefits of this power will be most useful.” With that said, Veers felt the Sith Lord’s presence fade away as the spirit went back to whatever dark cesspool he came from.

To his surprise he did consider what Kun had told him, but he did not consider it in the same way the Sith did. Instead he thought about how such an ability could grant him and his men the edge they needed to win battles. To take control of the enemy commander and make him leave a flank open to attack or commit his forces to the wrong location could decide the outcome of a battle. Any of those ideas would certainly benefit the Imperial Army.

And although he considered the possibilities for war, he could not help but stray his thoughts to what Kun suggested. The power certainly would allow him to have any woman he wanted in the galaxy, especially women of high position that could help his stagnated career. Although the idea was appealing, he did not like it too much. He had always been a man of hard work and earning his promotions. He knew it was the reason behind his lack of recent promotions. But if he were to ever play politics, much to his displeasure, he would then need to choose a woman with as much political influence as possible.

“Perhaps a Senator or one of the governors?” He suggested out loud. He noticed the aquatic creatures from before form a curious circle around him but came no closer than little more than a meter, so he ignored them as he continued to ponder the subject of mind control. “No, too high up and snobbish for my tastes. Or maybe a noblewoman instead, I have always wondered what became of Grand General Valorian’s daughter.” He sighed softly and shook his head. “She has probably married some younger officer or noble by now.” He ran a hand through his hair and considered a ridiculous thought, “Perhaps a holoactress then? I always have had a fancy for Wynessa Starflare...”

“What interest she would have in you is beyond my comprehension,” a familiar voice sneered and Veers spun around in the river...”

To Be Continued...

 

-----signature-----
"Dyin' be the day worth livin' for!"
--Captain Hector Barbossa
PotC: Amuletum Angiti
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3635826/1/
http://s12.gladiatus.com/game/c.php?uid=48046
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Darth_Garak  430 posts
Registered: Jul '05
42321_Mandalore the Ultimate
Date Posted: 8/23/06 10:59pm Subject: RE: Tales of the Galactic Empire: Survivor (Gen Veers Fic) [UPDATED 08/23/06 - CH 19.4 Added!]
Very nice. More pls?

 

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neila_nuruodo  4871 posts
Registered: Aug '02
49344_Chiss (912092)
Date Posted: 8/24/06 1:12pm Subject: RE: Tales of the Galactic Empire: Survivor (Gen Veers Fic) [UPDATED 08/23/06 - CH 19.4 Added!]
Ooh, the convolutions. grin Keep it up!

 

-----signature-----
.E.v.i.l. My antidrug. devil
Is that an uzi or are you just happy to see me?
When life gives you lemons, squeeze them into the wounds of your enemies.
~*~
English regularly jumps out of dark alleys and mugs other languages for all their good words. -Anyara
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CmdrMitthrawnuruodo  18056 posts
Registered: Jul '00
44424_Roan Fel
Date Posted: 8/25/06 5:17pm Subject: RE: Tales of the Galactic Empire: Survivor (Gen Veers Fic) [UPDATED 08/25/06 - CH 19.5 Added!]
Here's Part Five


Chapter IXX - Ambush Cont'd

“I see you survived the crash, a pity.” Colonel Veers held his hands up in surrender. He found himself in the most awkward of situations ever in his entire life. He stood waist deep in the river with his hands held shoulder high, staring unblinking at the young rebel who hated him and the Empire as the man aimed a blaster at him. He could see the joy in the young man’s face at how he had caught the Imperial off guard and alone. This time there was no Sid or Lana to stop him from killing Veers.

“A pity you will not be surviving this planet,” Jaxon sneered back. Veers could see a pain course through his features. He narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the young man more closely. Parts of his clothing were charred and where some of his skin was exposed and on his blaster hand, he could see red inflammations where the Alderaanian had been burned. He has to be in a lot of pain. He’ll be slower and weaker than normal.

“Yeah well, I’m still kicking,” the Colonel replied and reached out with a hand. He was disappointed when Jaxon’s arm failed to budge to throw off his aim. The only reason Veers was still alive now was the confusion and hesitation on the rebel’s part when he made the gesture. Veers took those precious seconds and dove under the surface.

Even beneath the water he could hear the blaster fire and the shots sizzle through the water after him. This part of the river was not deep and he knew Jaxon could still see him and aim. He barely heard the splashing of feet as Jaxon ran into the water after him, firing shot after shot.

Veers resurfaced a few feet away and threw a rock he had found at the rebel. Jaxon easily dodged the projectile and redirected his blaster. “Do you truly believe that by killing me will bring back the thousands that were killed by the Death Star?” In response, Jaxon fired again. The ruby bolt hit Veers in the shoulder and he spun around from the impact, crying out in pain. The Colonel re-submerged as more blaster fire hit the surface where he had fallen seconds before.

He had to get away or the rebel would get in another lucky shot and the next time he knew it would be fatal. But his problem was that he was trapped in the river. If he tried to swim to shore, he would certainly get shot as he climbed out of the water. If he tried to go deeper, the river’s current would sweep him away and he would have no chance of staying above water with his wounded shoulder and arm. He was fortunate he could swim at all. His only option was to attack Jaxon and hope for the best. And again he realized he had no safe way of getting near the rebel without getting shot.

And there was the problem of running out of air, which he was on the verge of doing at this moment. Once more the Colonel resurfaced to breathe in fresh air and once more Jaxon shot him at. “Nothing you can say or do will ever redeem the Empire for what it has done to my people and my family!” Jaxon hollered at Veers and he allowed the Imperial to swim a few more feet before he sent another bolt sizzling into the water next to him.

“I was an instructor on board!! A non-combatant! Are you going to blame every single person in the galaxy for Alderaan!” Veers cried as he chose to get closer to Jaxon. If he could keep the rebel from choosing to finally shoot him dead and continue to taunt him with each shot, he could get within melee distance of the young man.

“I will blame every officer of the Empire! I will blame the people who built that monstrosity and I will blame the people who funded it!” he shouted back.

“Then you blame yourself as well! Our taxes built that station and unless you claim you’ve avoided paying the Imperial Tax Bureau, you are just as much responsible for Alderaan’s destruction as I am!”

“You are good at twisting things into lies, Colonel.” A blaster bolt sizzled past his ear and electrified the air around where it had passed. Veers reacted instinctively and lunged the last few feet between them, reaching for the blaster. The two men struggled for control of the weapon, a couple more shots went wild into the air and river before Veers was able to knock the weapon out of Jaxon’s grip.

“One of us will die today and I intend for it to be you!” The rebel sneered and raced Veers for the sinking blaster pistol. Veers almost reached the weapon first when he felt Jaxon press down against him and keep him submerged. Forgetting about the blaster, Veers struggled to resurface before he ran out of air. Black spots began to form around the edges of his vision as he tried with all of his might to push Jaxon off of him. For a brief moment he feared that the rebel was going to succeed in drowning him when he heard two thunks in the water and the pressure release.

Immediately Veers surfaced and gasped for air, looking for Jaxon and wondering why the rebel had let go of him. To his surprise, he saw the young man holding his bleeding head, his back to him and shouting at something on the shore. Veers looked past Jaxon to see what he suspected was the reason behind his miraculous escape from death.

“Stop this at once!” Lana shouted at Jaxon. Veers figured that she had thrown rocks at him to stop the fight. “Don’t do this Jaxon! Sid wanted him alive for interrogation!”

“Then let’s interrogate him now or would you prefer to sleep with him one more time before he’s incapable?” Veers could see that the jibe had hurt her and it infuriated him. Quickly, the Imperial grabbed for Jaxon and the two men struggled for dominance over the other. They splashed through the river, unknowingly moving deeper and farther from the shore and Lana.

They both could hear her shouting for them to stop fighting but neither man paid head to her pleas. Before they knew it, they both found themselves being swept away by the river’s current. It took a force of nature to get them to stop fighting and work to swim closer to the riverbank where the current was not as strong and where they could get a sure footing. But the river was too strong for both of them and Veers was having a difficult time staying above the water.

Instead of fighting the current, Veers chose to swim with it and look for an opportunity to catch his breath and strength. He found one in the form of a boulder jutting out of the foaming surface and made for it. He grunted as he hit the formation hard and scrambled to get a good grip on it. He was barely holding on when Jaxon slammed into him and sent both of them down the river once more.

“This...your fault!” Jaxon gurgled between gasps for air and resurfacing as he struggled with Veers and the current. Veers pushed away from the rebel and grabbed the next boulder they came across. This time he held on tight even as Jaxon slammed into him and the boulder again.

“My fault? I’m not the blockhead here that is insisting on my death!” He shouted over the roaring water.

“At least when I die, I know you will be coming with me!” Jaxon replied with a triumphant smirk. Veers took notice of the river’s makeup for the first time. And for the first time since his arrival on this wretched planet, fear gripped him at his core. “That’s right! We’re heading for a waterfall and judging from the speed and strength of this river, it’s going to be a long drop!”

“Then you first!” Veers replied and peeled Jaxon’s grip from the boulder they were sharing. The rebel cried out in shock and tried to grab Veers, but the Imperial only shifted his body enough to avoid being caught. He watched as the river swept the rebel away and the young man struggle to stay above the water.

“Good, good,” he heard Exar Kun praise from somewhere. “He would have only dragged you to your death had you let him stay.”

Veers felt the warmth of shame rush his face and thought about what he had done. By shoving Jaxon off of the boulder he added one more Alderaanian to the numbers that were already killed by the Empire. He knew he was now a participant in the extinction of an entire culture.

“Do not shed a tear for that wretched boy,” Kun scolded. “He would have done the same to you and in fact had proclaimed that he would kill you one way or another.”

“I had the chance to show him the truth about the Empire...” Veers replied, he noticed his grip was loosening. “About me...”

“And he would not have listened.”

The Sith Lord was correct. The rebel would not have listened and even if he had, he would have dismissed everything Veers tried to explain to him. So what was the point in even trying to get through such a stubborn blockhead as Jaxon?

Veers grip slipped slightly on the drenched rock and his thoughts immediately turned to how he was going to escape this predicament. If he let go he would be joining Jaxon at the bottom of the waterfall. If he didn’t do something soon he would be joining Jaxon regardless.

“Do something!” He asked of the Sith Lord.

“No.”

“What?” replied a perplexed Veers.

“If you are to be my apprentice, you must learn to save your own skin and not rely on me or others to help you or perish,” replied the spirit.

“Don’t you pull that Arwin Theory sithspit on me!” Veers yelled angrily.

“It is the fundamental truth of the universe and the Force. I will not help you.” And with that, the Sith spirit vanished, leaving behind a cold and weakening apprentice hanging for dear life on a rock.

 

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"Dyin' be the day worth livin' for!"
--Captain Hector Barbossa
PotC: Amuletum Angiti
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3635826/1/
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reagan64  572 posts
Registered: Feb '06
18589_Missile Boat
Date Posted: 8/25/06 5:33pm Subject: RE: Tales of the Galactic Empire: Survivor (Gen Veers Fic) [UPDATED 08/25/06 - CH 19.5 Added!]
Ooh, things aren't looking too good now are they. And not a canon inconsistency in sight to save him.

 

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argan 
Registered: Sep '06
Date Posted: 9/24/06 11:32am Subject: RE: Tales of the Galactic Empire: Survivor (Gen Veers Fic) [UPDATED 08/25/06 - CH 19.5 Added!]
Ah, finally found it. A most excellent and exciting story. happy

 
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moff_Sammael  772 posts
Registered: Nov '01
13870_Admiral Daala
Date Posted: 9/30/06 12:25pm Subject: RE: Tales of the Galactic Empire: Survivor (Gen Veers Fic) [UPDATED 08/25/06 - CH 19.5 Added!]
Wow, this story didn't die after all! And I'm not dead, either happy . Things are starting to look good, just like old times wink

 

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CmdrMitthrawnuruodo  18056 posts
Registered: Jul '00
44424_Roan Fel
Date Posted: 9/30/06 2:02pm Subject: RE: Tales of the Galactic Empire: Survivor (Gen Veers Fic) [UPDATED 08/25/06 - CH 19.5 Added!]
I did say I would finish this... just not how long it would take me. tongue

 

-----signature-----
"Dyin' be the day worth livin' for!"
--Captain Hector Barbossa
PotC: Amuletum Angiti
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3635826/1/
http://s12.gladiatus.com/game/c.php?uid=48046
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