Beyond - Legends Have Blaster, Will Travel: First Chapter of the New Year!

The one flitnat in the bacta

Best Star Wars line ever!!!

Wow, the story's gotten a lot more complex than the first adventure, but it seems that in Eclan Graven's case, longer is better, and at any rate, things are always complicated when you go to Dathomir.

 

Sebulba2179

Great line - had me a-grinning. And I loved the whole exchange between Salis and Tekala Rey. Awesome dialogue here, and text as witty as ever! I'd love to see what kind of adventure, both plot-wise and textual, you take us on next.

Thanks. I thought it was nicely ironic that with all the gear he has, Graven could get results simply by throwing rocks.

YodaKenobi

Sounds like she likes him

Dang, too obvious.

More superb writing, Mandalorian Funny, great pacing, excellent form, and a very entertaining story. This is quickly shaping up to be one of my favorite fics It really feels like Star Wars humor and I can't wait to see what happens next!

That's high praise coming from yourself.

As to what happens next, me too.

Kenobi_Kid

Best Star Wars line ever!!!

Thanks. I almost think that's my favourite part of the chapter!

 

*punt*

 

ROFLMAO!!!! The Fett line was the best.

Poor biker trooper. 24 years in the wilderness....

 

I wonder if we will see any background story of this bountry hunter?

Enjoying the story so far.

 

Same here Crazydan, I hope QM will post a new chapter soon.

Whatever happens next though, I'm betting those nightsisters are in for it. A Mandalorian warrior, a Singing mountain clan witch and a disgruntled speeder-biker are all about to come calling at the same time.

As Max once said: Let the wild rumpus start!

 

First time poster here, I've been lurking for about a year and this story just screamed for me to sign up just so I could leave a comment about how good this fic is. I Love It!

 

This needs updated badly! Where are you, Mandalorian?

 

First time poster here, I've been lurking for about a year and this story just screamed for me to sign up just so I could leave a comment about how good this fic is. I Love It!

Whoah! I'm honoured.

YodaKenobi

This needs updated badly! Where are you, Mandalorian?

I spent most of the past week buried under a massive writer's block I'm afraid.

Believe it or not though, I managed to break through the creative fog and come up with the next chapter.

I wrote most of it this afternoon.

 

Salis? voice pipes up over the comlink.

?Are we there yet??

?We?ll get there when we get there? I comm back tersely.

Daylight?s fading fast, which is just as well in my opinion. According to Tekala Rey, the Nightsister base is still some ways ahead and I?m going to appreciate infiltrating under the cover of darkness.

Half a standard hour later, we?re at the rim of what Tekala Rey calls the Great Canyon, looking down on the Nightsister stronghold.

I scan the compound with my internal macrobinoculars for a few seconds. The cluster of buildings are fairly modern, which in Dathomir terms means they aren?t built out of rocks, tree-trunks and rancor-hide, and the main structure looks something like the unwanted offspring of a C.E.C. container ship and one of those Gamorrean-specific refresher facilities you find in the Outer Rim here and there. For a half-moment I wonder if it has a similar smell, then I stop. There are some memories I prefer not to dwell on.

The perimeter appears to be protected by what can only be a powered fence, as well as several guard towers and some long range scanning antennae located on the roof of the main building.

No internal or short-range sensors in evidence. I?m guessing that they probably think, or rather, feel their Force-sensitivity is good enough to warn them of intruders, an advantage the ysalimir on my back ought to help neutralize.

Getting over the powered fence is going to be an issue though. The simplest solution would be to simply walk through the front door all guns blazing, but having spent all this time trying to avoid that kind of confrontation I don?t really feel like it.

I?m just going to have to cause some kind of power loss or else find a weak area in the perimeter.

I glance at my chronometer and turn to Salis and Tekala Rey.

?In about twenty minutes, I want the two of you to create a disturbance at the mouth of the canyon. Hopefully that will keep their attention off any suspicious activity inside the perimeter?

Salis tilts his head.

?What kind of a distraction do you want??

?Anything you want as long as it gets their attention. Just don?t get yourself killed?

?Does this mean that you actually begin to care for us?? Tekala Rey inquires in a half-mocking tone.

?Let?s just say it?s good for my reputation if I bring my associates out alive?

?Well? Salis mumbles, ?It?s not like I have anything to lose, is it??

The two climb onboard Salis? bike and head back down in the direction of the canyon mouth.

As soon as they leave the ysalimir bubble they?re liable to be detected so I?ll have to move fast and get down into the canyon on the double.

This is one of those times when a rocketpack would be as welcome as water on Tatooine, but carrying the ysalimir precludes that option.

There?s more than one way to skin a nerf of course. In addition to weapons-holsters, my swoop bike has other additions that the manufacturer probably didn?t consider when they designed this particular model, one of the few non-lethal ones being a remotely-operated turbo winch on the back. Carefully turning the rear of the swoop over the cliff edge, I release the winch and start feeding rope down into the canyon. That finished I lock the repulsors and repel down the cliff face, hoping to all justice that the repulsorslift coils don?t suddenly decide to start playing chance with my life.

Fortunately, recalcitrant machinery doesn?t play a part in my furtive descent and I land on the canyon floor safely enough.

Now, to get past that fence.

The fence is a standard one-over-the-other overlapping laser type. Depending on the power setting, it can do anything from merely set off an alarm when the beam is broken to give you a bad burn to slice your arm off. Obviously, I?m not in a hurry to find out which category this particular model falls into.
It?s too high to jump over, and my jetpack?s in my ship, so I can?t fly over it. I?m going to have to look for a weak point, possibly a power shed or something similar.

Unless??..

Hugging the shado

 

Whoohoo! Hurray for QM! Great chapter.

I really enjoyed reading this one and I'm betting that next chapter things start to get hairy. Is Arani Hesas really evil or just mislead? Is she going to represent a significant problem for Eclan Graven? Will he fight rancors? Will he fight Nighsisters? Are there male Nightsisters? Are they called Nightbrothers? Will Salis and Takela get out alive? Will EG get out alive? How many Nightsisters are there? Am I asking too many questions?

*Blinks*

Oh yeah.

Hurray for Eclan Graven! On with the next chapter

 

Cool. I want a swoop like that! *froogles it*

 

?We?ll get there when we get there? I comm back tersely.

It's my dad!

The cluster of buildings are fairly modern, which in Dathomir terms means they aren?t built out of rocks, tree-trunks and rancor-hide, and the main structure looks something like the unwanted offspring of a C.E.C. container ship and one of those Gamorrean-specific refresher facilities you find in the Outer Rim here and there.

Great details, both visualy, and the way they continue to give us insight into the Mandalorian, just by the way he says it.

There?s a possibility that these could be used as footholds to scale the fence itself, provided the subject of the attempt is some small, annoying and unusually nimble pest like a hoojib or monkey-lizard.



I give a quick squeeze and she crumples to the ground, unconscious. Far simpler to kill her, but I?ve heard stories of Jedi feeling deaths through the Force and I?m not inclined to risk detection yet.

Aww, the compassion of a Mandalorian warrior

Another good post, QM, sorry I'm a day late. I continue to enjoy the style of this story and especially the gruff, complex main character. A great read, I look forward to more

 

Aww, the compassion of a Mandalorian warrior

Hmm, yes. Something that I've experienced firsthand. (RE: Jango Fett).

What I consider interesting about Eclan Graven is that so far, in both of the stories, he has shown that he is quite capable of causing mass mayham with all of his weaponry, but so far, he seems to have made several conscious decisions to take out his opponents in a non-lethal manner, (Urko Goonta and the the swoop bikers in the last story, Tekela Ray, Salis and now this Nightsister in this one) and all the while dismissing it as a either a logical thing to do or else insisting that "He's no good to me dead."

He's also frequently mentioning the fact that he would kill his opponents if he had to, but so far in the story EG hasn't even injured anyone.

A Mandalorian with a heart?

 

YodaKenobi

Great details, both visualy, and the way they continue to give us insight into the Mandalorian, just by the way he says it.

Thanks. Hopefully I can keep it up. [-o|

Valyn_Halcyon

Cool. I want a swoop like that! *froogles it*

I have to warn you, the cost of the additions is almost as much as the bike itself.

Kenobi_Kid

What I consider interesting about Eclan Graven is that so far, in both of the stories, he has shown that he is quite capable of causing mass mayham with all of his weaponry, but so far, he seems to have made several conscious decisions to take out his opponents in a non-lethal manner, (Urko Goonta and the the swoop bikers in the last story, Tekela Ray, Salis and now this Nightsister in this one) and all the while dismissing it as a either a logical thing to do or else insisting that "He's no good to me dead."

He's also frequently mentioning the fact that he would kill his opponents if he had to, but so far in the story EG hasn't even injured anyone.

A Mandalorian with a heart?

Your guess is as good as mine.

 

NEXT POST!!!!


I?m hanging upside down on the roof of the camp?s main building, the structure identified as the ?House of Krabeth?.

I?m assuming that Krabeth is the den-mother of this happy little sorority from the obvious fear that that Nightsister seemed to hold her in. At any rate I?m pretty sure she?s not the head cook. On the other hand though, maybe she is in charge of the food and trouble-makers are forced to eat the stuff like in that place back on Ylesia??.

Shaking off the superfluous reminiscences I open the ventilation access panel that I?m hanging in front of and check for security devices. There are none, probably, like I thought, because they?re confident they can detect intruders through the Force.

Reflecting on the fun that might be had disabusing them of that assumption, I lower myself down and crawl inside the duct.

Sneaking through ducts is about the oldest trick in the book of course, but it?s the quickest way to get to were I want to be without arousing attention.

I hope.

Despite being long, lanky and armoured, I?m more than capable of being quiet when I want to, although silently crawling around the ventilation system is a challenge. It?s a bit smaller than I would have liked, and I?ll have to be careful I don?t crush the ysalimir against the top or sides. While I?m trying to concentrate on doing that, keeping my boots from scraping and watching where my head is in relation to the ceiling, I run through the directions the Nightsister gave me. They?re pretty straightforward; Arani Hesas should be occupying the room across from Krabeth?s quarters which has two Nightsisters guarding it, but unfortunately, this information is mostly superfluous when you?re crawling around in a metal tube several meters above the floor.

I have an idea of the general direction of the room where my target should be located, but in choosing to try and avoid direct confrontation like this I?m going to have to spend extra time snooping around. The ducts, naturally, are not labeled, and they intersect any number of ways over and through rooms, as well as just following the corridors. I have a rough idea that Hesas? quarters should be a fairly large room at the south-east end of this floor, but, of course, I had to make my entrance through the north end of the building and I?m pretty sure I?ve got a lot of space to cover.

I check my chrono. Eight minutes till Salis opens up with his diversion, whatever that may be. I?m curious as to what the old Biker Scout has up his sleeve; he was carrying out some interesting gear when we made that stop back at his cave.

I can?t allow myself to get distracted though. I have to concentrate on where I?m going. I want to get there before the fireworks start, not after.

As I continue to shuffle along, I?m beginning to wonder how long I?ll have to be sneaking around this plasteel wamprat warren when I notice the air vents are starting to get thicker on the ground. I peer through one of them. Down below are two Nightsisters standing on guard in front of a door to the left.

I?m exactly where I need to be.

I look up and to my left. No duct leads in that direction, which makes it likely that Krabeth?s personal quarters have a closed-circuit ventilation system separate from the rest of the building, a typical precaution for V.I.P?s against dust, grit, biological attack and unpleasant smells, although on a planet as generally barren of technology as Dathomir, it might be a sign of paranoia, but that doesn?t seem especially likely given the fairly run-of-the-processor security precautions I?ve observed so far.

Now, according to my recently-acquired intelligence on the building?s occupancy, Arani Hesas should be in the room across from Krabeth.
Holding that thought I turn and edge into the duct on the right. The vent is about three meters ahead of me. I crawl up to it and look down. The room?s in darkness, which isn?t all that surprising considering it?s the middle of the night. From what I can see from above the vent, the room is large but fai

 

I should have stayed in bed this morning.

Of all the things to say...

More soon?

 

Valyn_Halcyon

More soon?

You're quick on the draw, Valyn.

As to your question: if all goes well, yes.

 

Crud, missed one...Great pair o' posts, though! I loved Graven's reflections on his past haunts, especially the containership/Gamorrean refresher. Yeah, I'd rather not think about that either.

The escape scene was grand-scale. Those Mandalorians are a resourceful bunch indeed, aren't they? Unfortunately, Ec does seem to be in a bit of a tight spot...

 

Sebulba

Crud, missed one...Great pair o' posts, though! I loved Graven's reflections on his past haunts, especially the containership/Gamorrean refresher. Yeah, I'd rather not think about that either.

Hey, Thanks!

Yeah, Graven seems to have led a pretty varied life. His constant anologies to this, that and the other thing are a lot of fun to write.

The escape scene was grand-scale. Those Mandalorians are a resourceful bunch indeed, aren't they? Unfortunately, Ec does seem to be in a bit of a tight spot...

No kidding. I wonder if/how he'll get out......

 

I check my chrono. Eight minutes till Salis opens up with his diversion, whatever that may be. I?m curious as to what the old Biker Scout has up his sleeve; he was carrying out some interesting gear when we made that stop back at his cave.

I'm wondering about that too. I'm surprised that our favorite bounty hunter didn't tell him exactly what to do, but I suppose it adds to the mystery, and the general confidence of the Mandalorian. That no matter what Salis does, Eclan will figure something out.

Any other man would have said she looked lovely lying there, with her hair flowing around her head, lit up by the nightvision display in a fluorescent halo, and the innocent, peaceful mask of sleep on her face, but I don?t have time for sentimentalities.

Uh-huh, sure I think he likes her

Dropping the hard merchandise to the floor as gently as circumstances allow,



As the Nightsister whirls again for the final touch, she finds, to her unpleasant surprise, that my torso is still in one piece, and the muzzle of my blaster is looking her in the face

I love the sarcasm in this fic and the way you craft each sentence.

If it wasn?t so scaly, and I wasn?t running for my life I could kiss it.



As I continue to put space between myself and the local population, I take note that two rancors have waddled out from behind storage sheds directly ahead.

This can't be good

Now, the one problem with the ysalimir?s bubble is that it?s a sort of Force-field, not a force-field, which means that, while the Grip, or lightning can?t affect you while you?re protected the bubble, objects can still be directed at you using the Force, and their momentum will carry them on once they get inside the bubble.



Then one of the flying stones hits the ysalimir. I hear a tiny sigh as it expires, and I can feel a twinge of regret creeping up on me. I was actually getting attached to the little lizard.



?I am Krabeth? she hisses, in a tone that screams ?you?re life is over.?
I should have stayed in bed this morning.

I changed my mind, this can't be good

Wow, what a great post! Loved all the action from the rescue/kidnapping (depending on your POV) and I think we saw every weapon ever mentioned in a Star Wars book or video game Anyway, it was fantastic! Can't wait to see what happens next

 

I'm wondering about that too. I'm surprised that our favorite bounty hunter didn't tell him exactly what to do, but I suppose it adds to the mystery, and the general confidence of the Mandalorian. That no matter what Salis does, Eclan will figure something out.

Well, he did accuse himself of being crazy at the beginning of the story.

Graven, I think, doesn't really worry too much about what Salis might have up his sleeve because he was originally planning on infiltrating the Nightsister compound totally alone. Salis and Tekala Rey are useful to him, but they're not absolutely indispensable to his mission.

Uh-huh, sure I think he likes her

Don't believe it. It's all part of a cynical ploy to build up female readership.

I love the sarcasm in this fic and the way you craft each sentence.

Glad you like it. There's something I find particularly appealing about that sort of dialogue/narration. Probably comes from listening to all those vintage episodes of Johnny Dollar, Richard Diamond, Private Detective and the like.

Wow, what a great post! Loved all the action from the rescue/kidnapping (depending on your POV) and I think we saw every weapon ever mentioned in a Star Wars book or video game Anyway, it was fantastic! Can't wait to see what happens next

Wow, thanks!

Oh wait, geeze, I think I'm getting addicted to praise.

 

?I am Krabeth? she hisses, in a tone that screams ?you?re life is over.?

I guess I can confirm her as the Nightmother, or whatever they refer their leader as.

I turn to study the current situation, a difficult thing to do since Krabeth?s holding my body more or less rigid. Hesas is still unconscious and lying on the ground about three meters away from me, with two Nightsisters standing over her and apparently deducing what her present condition is.

I?m currently in the unenviable position of hovering in the midst of maybe fifty or more Nightsisters gathered around to watch the fun. Krabeth is standing in their midst, enveloped in a robe of a dark purple color that gives me pause to recall some of the nastier bruises I?ve endured in the course of my work.

Unlike the Nightsisters of two decades ago, she?s neither old nor withered, but is instead stunningly beautiful, in a dark, twisted way, like some exotic carnivorous flower. The fact that the leader of the Nightsisters is seemingly so young carries the uncomfortable implication that she?s more powerful in the Force than I care to think about. Not a good sign.

It?s obvious though, that she?s aware of my scrutiny. I get the distinct impression she?s luxuriating in it.

?Now? she continues, ?Before I settle on the method of your death, I am curious to know whose life I will end.?

?Why? I cough, ?should that interest you??

?Oh, many reasons? her teeth flash in a smile that brings to mind a nexu that hasn?t eaten for a few months. ?You are obviously brave enough to risk intruding on our home, as well as more than a little foolish, as has been revealed painfully to you, I trust??

She doesn?t wait for a response. I don?t think she needs one. It?s more than likely she already knows the answer.

?I have heard of Mandalorians before of course, but until you came here I?d never actually seen one. Now, having done so, I can see the reputation of your race is not unwarranted. You?ve slain more of my people in one night than have been lost in a good year of strife with that accursed Singing Mountain Clan. And yet you will give no name, that you may be remembered, when the songs are sung and records are kept??

?I have been given many names, most of which I wouldn?t repeat in the presence of a woman.?

?Do not think to impose your patriarchal concern for a woman?s delicacy upon us. We have done well without it? she declares, smiling. ?But if you wish to die unnamed, so you shall.?

She motions with her hand, and I can feel my helmet straining against its seal, but then she seemingly changes her mind and allows her arm drop to her side.

?And you shall die faceless as well.? she announces, by way of explanation, ?But tell me, what could have driven you to risk your life to come here and steal away this girl? Surely not money alone? Love perhaps??

I smile grimly. Although it?s impossible to see it behind the visor, I can tell she?s aware of it.

?Her parents hired me to bring her back, and once I had agreed to this, honour demanded that I do so, regardless of the risk.? I offer, speculating on exactly how many different Force-assisted ways there are to realign my spine. ?You see, they feared she had fallen in with evil companions.?

Admittedly, her response to this isn?t quite what I was expecting. If anything, she looks more pleased than ever, and even the sporadic explosions of Salis? artillery in the background don?t prevent her from turning the full glare of an even broader grin on me as she speaks again.

?It is unfortunate that young Arani has not awoken from the state you caused her to fall into, for I can well imagine the disappointment, the disdain that any young woman would feel upon having such a thing revealed to her; a knight in shining armour comes to her rescue, and yet he is revealed to be no more than a mercenary, motivated not by honour, or love, or even duty, but rather mere material profit, causing his services to be sold to the highest bidder rather than serving a cause.?

I doubt that most young women would be so abs

 

I wish i had all that weaponry. But i shudder to think of the replacement cost for all the stuff that he's used so far.

Also, on a side note, there are far too many females on this planet with a keen interest in my future marital status.

I love it how you slip these hilarious comments in with all the action.

 

I read and wrote a review for this 2 hours ago but my internet went down while I was doing it, so I just had to wait to post it

Don't believe it. It's all part of a cynical ploy to build up female readership.



I?m currently in the unenviable position of hovering in the midst of maybe fifty or more Nightsisters gathered around to watch the fun.

Will be interesting to see how in the name of Yoda he get's out of this one.

I doubt that most young women would be so absorbed in romantic fantasies that they?d be overly angered to discover a rescuer was being paid for his efforts, but I make no claim to being an expert on the intricacies of female psychology, human or otherwise.

I make those claims all the time

?As indeed you shall. You shall die as befits failure, for you failed in your attempt to thwart us,

Ouch

?Yes, of course, our hostage. I suppose we might have trained her as a Nightsister, but I have a far more rewarding plan in mind for her. We intend to use her to lure more powerful Jedi, such as Skywalker to us.

Why did she have a lightsaber in her room?

Also, on a side note, there are far too many females on this planet with a keen interest in my future marital status.

Yes, I can see how that would be a problem

I shake my head. ?Wrong. Thermal detonators vaporize anything in their blast radius. It?s a quick, painless death, or so I?ve been told.?
It drops into her open palm and her long, elegant fingers close over it.
?Then we shall find something else for you. Something slower, and more painful.?



?First of all? I announce, with a faked grudging tone in my voice, ?it?s a concussion grenade, non-lethal unless it blows up in your face. Secondly, it doesn?t have a time detonator like most grenades do. Instead, it?s command-detonated? I finish, about a nanosecond before the shock-wave sends everything flying.



?YEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!?

Is that you, Han?

You might want to reduce that a bit, it messed up your margins

Great action with the Nightsister shoting lightning and the Mandalorian on the swoop.

And now he has to face a herd of rancors? And here I thought 50 Nightsisters would be difficult. You certainly aren't giving this guy many breaks

Another exciting post, Mandalorian Can't wait for more