Before - Legends Recruitment

Title: Recruitment
Author: darkpadawan11
Timeframe: Set just after KOTOR II
Characters: Davrel, dark Jedi, Bao-Dur, Dustil Onasi, Juhani
Genre: Action/Aventure
Summary: Alone on patrol in the jungles of Dxun, a Mandalorian recruit finds himself pitted against a dark Jedi in a contest that leads him to question the path his life ahs taken...
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars
Note: The Exile was Light-Sided and female for the purpose of this story


Recruitment

Part One: Always Be Prepared

The rain had made the paths muddy enough to swallow a boma whole. Davrel had to leap across the suspect sections, with far more agility than his heavy armour should allow, but he came dangerously close to falling into the bogged holes.

The last thing he wanted was to return to the encampment covered in muck. Not only would he get a mouthful of pride-wounding abuse from Captain Kral but he?d be laughed out of the recruit?s barracks. It was common knowledge that patrol wasn?t quite the life-or-death assignment it used to be. The Jedi and her companions had ensured that the paths were no longer crawling with vicious predators.

That combined with the fact the camp was at a quarter of its former strength meant that rookies like Davrel were sent to patrol the jungle paths now. It kept them usefully occupied while the seasoned soldiers were busy doing the real work.

It also kept the recruits from complaining too loudly about being left behind while others were earning enough honour to support a battalion.

Davrel kept his eyes on the path ahead, ears alert for any threatening sounds. The rain drummed a regular tattoo against his armour, a strangely comforting sound. The weight of the heavy rifle he carried was also comforting, so were the frag grenades he carried on his utility belt.

Rule number one-always be prepared-he?d been quick to learn, and Sarge was there to beat it into him if he hadn?t. The Jedi had also shown him the value of the lesson during their contest. He hadn?t been expecting her to be so strong, so quick.

Beneath his helmet, Davrel winced. The memory of the flogging he?d experienced at her bare hands was a sore one. He hadn?t stopped copping hell since everyone had witnessed the battle circle encounter. The older soldiers didn?t embarrass him over it-being veterans of the wars they?d likely seen their fair share of Mandalorians losing against Jedi-but his fellow recruits wouldn?t give it up. Even helping her group take down the zakkeg hadn?t stopped them. Most of them doubted he?d done much during that hunt.

What did they know? Davrel asked himself moodily, treading towards the clearing ahead. None of them had been there, so how would they know that he?d been the one to track it to its den? And he didn?t want them knowing what had happened during the fight against the brutal beast. He wasn?t sure that he wanted to know, and it was bad enough that the Jedi knew.

Thinking of the incident always made him more confused than ever, but he couldn?t help worrying at it, like an itchy kolto patch on a wound. The past month hadn?t done anything to help. The growing responsibility he?d been entrusted with hadn?t been the distraction he?d hoped for either. Instead of taking his mind off the matter, walking lonely patrols through the jungle only gave him the time to think?something Davrel hadn?t ever done much of, to tell the truth. He?d never needed to.

The Jedi had changed that. Davrel had no doubt in his mind that she was responsible for this. His grip on the rifle slightly tightened beneath his gloved hands. If she hadn?t come here, then he wouldn?t be considering leaving everything he knew.

The narrow path widened slightly to reveal an open space, the remains of an extinguished campfire in evidence. Without thinking, Davrel had his rifle up, scanning the nearby foliage. He knew that he was the only Mandalorian scout in the area, and it wasn?t one of his campsites.

He activated his comm. ?Control, Da