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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Before - Legends Sith Politics: A Series of Short Stories and Spin-offs

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by PlanetSmasher, Oct 5, 2017.

  1. Cowgirl Jedi 1701

    Cowgirl Jedi 1701 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 21, 2016
    What a great insult! I'll have to file that for possible future use.
     
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  2. PlanetSmasher

    PlanetSmasher Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Mar 14, 2017
    I'll try to come up with some more insults. ;)

    When I originally started this story, I had intended it to be no longer than three chapters.... The idea behind this story was to explain the origins of the scar on Yehw'reh'nomai's cheek. In the original story, "Sith Politics: Fun and Games," there was a scene where Nox was speaking to her via holo-transceiver. He told her to take her helmet off, and he saw "the scar he'd given her as a reminder for her to remember to at least to remember to address him as "Dark Lord." But I couldn't get to that scene in three chapters...

    So, I think I can wrap up this story next chapter....
     
  3. PlanetSmasher

    PlanetSmasher Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Mar 14, 2017
    So, uh... Any suggestions on how I can improve on my writing style? Things I can do differently to improve my delivery? I'd like to read your thoughts... Thank you.
     
  4. gizkaspice

    gizkaspice Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 27, 2013
    I quite like that Nox and Ashara scene in this last installment. :)
    In terms of writing advice…. I’m not sure if this is helpful, but I personally like shorter chapters. Also, you could consider just focusing on a few characters for each chapters so the reader can get to know the characters better.
     
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  5. PlanetSmasher

    PlanetSmasher Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Mar 14, 2017
    Wrehn, The Great Hunt Champion – For A Reason – 12​


    The Imperial Army forces loyal to Darth Nox and the legitimate Sith Emperor had cleared some of the rubble at the bottom of the crater and established a temporary command center in a prefabricated insulated building. It was easier to build the temporary headquarters in the crater. Outside of the crater was a mountain’s worth of rubble and dust, totally unsuitable to build anything on top of. It was a wonder Nox’s forces were not buried under the literal mountain of rubble that settled around the crater for kilometers.

    Wrehn sat in an exam chair with a surgical grade droid, hovering over her, repairing the considerable damage to her face.

    The droid praised her, “The kolto you self administered, along with the topical ointment you applied to your wound, helped to keep the inflammation to your face down, and it helped to keep infection from setting in. You have done well, Patient 2461-KR32.”

    Wrehn had refused to give the droid her name. She’d been in that chair for nearly an hour when the droid completed its surgical repairs.

    The surgical grade medical droid told her, “You will regain full use of the muscles in your cheek. However, the wound will scar. You may wish to seek elective surgeries to repair the scaring that will result. So, follow up with your favorite medical treatment facility at your leisure.”

    The droid inspected the micro sutures before spraying a thin coating of an ointment that promoted fast healing and then applying an adhesive antibacterial bandage which also promoted rapid healing to her left cheek.

    The droid stepped back allowing Wrehn to get up from the exam chair. She walked to her powered armor suit, and suited up again. Mako helped Wrehn get the suit assembled together and powered up. Picking their helmets up off the floor, the two women stepped to the door, holding their helmets in their hands.

    Wrehn said, “Thanks for your help, Mako. I’m glad to have the armor back on. It’s kind of chilly in here.”

    “Yeah, sure. Glad to help. That bastard really did a job on your face. Should we do something about him?”

    “Nah. It was my fault. I knew he was being watched by his people, and I tried to make him look like any stupid ol’ client.”

    Mako complained, “My face is freezing!”

    The climate controls for the prefabricated building heated the interior to just over nineteen degrees Celsius. The army engineers were still working on increasing the heat.

    Wrehn and Mako stepped out of the med center and into the corridor. Torian, Skadge, and Gault were in the corridor waiting. They picked their helmets up from the floor and accompanied Wrehn as she made her way to the conference room.

    Skadge told Torian, “I don’t see no difference. These guys were smart. They knew when to quit. Them other scrubs were dumb. They didn’t get a clue, and I had to kill ‘em.”

    Gault added unhelpfully, “Torian, when Skadge’s argument makes more sense than your argument, then you have to know that your argument stinks.”

    Torian countered, “That was a different sport, with different rules!”

    Skadge pointed out, “I followed the rules. I quit when I was beat. And the rules said I could keep my money. So, I did, and they booed the hell out of me instead of cheering the winner!” He added, as though revealing a bit of wisdom, “They were dumb, Torian.”

    Torian shook his head in frustration and spoke disgustedly, “You’ll never understand. You’re…”

    Wrehn cut in, asking in surprise, “You guys still talking about that?”

    Gault filled her in, “Skadge made a good point, comparing his matches on Mandalore and this match we had a few hours ago.”

    Skadge cut in, “These guys were smart. They quit when they was beat, not like them other scrubs.”

    Mako chimed in, “Give it up, Torian. That ‘die honorably when you don’t have to’ crap is just pathetically stupid.”

    Torian stopped in his tracks, clearly angered.

    He told Mako, “You don’t understand because you aren’t Mandalorian.”

    Wrehn stopped and turned to face Torian adding her two credits.

    “I’m Mandalorian, and I don’t get it, either.”

    Torian pursed his lips, forcing himself to keep silent. He didn’t want to tell Wrehn what he really thought about her being ‘Mandalorian.’

    She turned and proceeded down the hall. Rounding the corner, the group saw a door guarded by two Imperial Army soldiers.

    Stopping before the helmeted armed guards, Wrehn told them, “I’m Yehw’reh’nomai. The, uh, dark lord wants us here for the meeting.”

    One of the guards motioned the group in while the other guard pushed a contact that caused the door to slide open.

    The expansive conference room was filled with armored Imperial Army officers cradling their helmets in their arms. A dull roar filled the air as many dozens of conversations and impromptu meetings were held. Wrehn and her crew made their way to the back of the room and leaned against the wall after setting their oversized helmets down on the floor.

    A short while later, the door slid open and a soldier shouted, “The dark lord approaches!”

    The door slid shut again as the room crashed into silence.

    The officers rushed to their places, as Colonel Fruntz ordered, “Command! Fall in!”

    The officers, already moving into position, quickly arranged themselves into ranks and files standing at attention.

    The door slid open again and a soldier shouted, “The dark lord enters!”

    Colonel Fruntz commanded, “Command! Salute!”

    In marched Darth Nox with his apprentice, Lord Xalek trailing him in. Nox and Xalek in their space suits and carrying their helmets, walked briskly to the front of the conference room. Xalek turned towards the left and stood in the corner of the conference room while Nox walked to the only military office furniture in the large space set at the front and center of the room.

    Stepping behind the desk, Nox sat on a metal army field chair behind a metal army field desk. He set his space suit helmet on the desk on the left side of it. Xalek stood in the corner of the room, behind Nox and to his right, setting his helmet on the floor at his feet.

    The military command staff all stood at attention while saluting, sixty men and women, standing in ranks and files, with the senior most ranking officers at the front ranks. The officers all cradled their helmets in their left arms. At the side of the room was a long range intra-galactic holo-transceiver. The holographic image of a single admiral ranked officer was projected above it.

    In the back of the conference room, Wrehn and her crew leaned against the back wall, their helmets on the floor at their feet.

    After scanning the faces of the men and women arrayed before him, with his eyes and with The Force, Nox finally waved his acknowledgment.

    Colonel Fruntz ordered, “End salute!”

    The command staff officers all snapped their arms back down to their sides.

    Nox spoke a single command.

    “At ease.”

    The officers relaxed their stance, but remained silent.

    “Colonel Fruntz, report.”

    Colonel Fruntz stomped his boot as he snapped back to attention and said, “Dark Lord! Before I begin my report, may I recommend that we clear the mercenaries from the conference room? There are many details in the report that are secret, and…”

    Nox interrupted.

    “Noted. Yehw’reh’nomai, step forward. I’ll conclude my business with you, first.”

    Wrehn signaled her crew to stay put as she walked alone to Nox’s desk. Her heavy powered armored suit assisting her movements, she seemed to stomp across the floor until she came to a stop before his desk.

    Nox asked, “Have you thought of a tribute for me?”

    Wrehn blinked. Confusion expressed in her eyes.

    “Huh?”

    Nox seemed surprised as he asked, “Did you forget what we discussed on the shuttle ride to here? I told you to think of a tribute to appease my anger.”

    Wrehn tilted her head in genuine surprise, as she asked, “You’re still mad about that?” Belatedly adding, “Uh… Dark Lord.”

    “Well what did you think I called you up here, for?”

    “Um, to pay up. You owe me three hundred million credits, and I’m not going to give you that as tribute, either, Dark Lord.”

    Mako rolled her eyes and shook her head, thinking, “She learns nothing...

    Wrehn suggested, “How about I do another job for you, and charge half price? Only one job at half price, though. All other jobs after that, I’ll charge regular rates.”

    Nox looked at Wrehn in wonderment and shook his head. Suddenly, he burst out laughing.

    After a moment of laughter, he complemented Wrehn, “You are fearless! You know what I can do to you. That wound on your cheek is nothing.” Nox pointed to his right, adding, “My apprentice is seething with fury. He’s barely containing himself. He wants me to order him to slay you where you stand. You know all this, yet you stand there, defiant!”

    Wrehn gulped back her fear and remained silent.

    Nox told her, “I can feel your fear, but I can also feel your resolve.”

    Wrehn said, “Yeah. My line of work is dangerous. Sometimes the hardest part is getting the client to pay up after a job’s done. It usually ends up in a fight. After I kick the crap out of ‘em, they pay up, though. But I know you’re not like that. Being a dark lord and all of that, you wouldn’t want it getting around that you don’t pay your bills. You have a reputation to maintain.”

    Xalek took his weapon into his hand and spoke, pleading, “Please, Master, let me kill her!”

    Nox flicked his finger and Wrehn’s bandage ripped from her face, exposing the healing scar that remained on her face after her initial treatment. Wrehn was surprised by this and flinched. The disturbance to her wound stung her cheek, but she stifled back a yelp.

    Nox said, “Our medical droids do good work. Don’t they?”

    Wrehn kept silent.

    Nox said, “That shall be your tribute to me. The scar I gave you. Every time I hire you for a job, I want to see that scar, so don’t heal it any further. Leave the scar on your cheek. If you heal it, I shall have you hunted down and killed.”

    Wrehn knew if she refused, Nox and his apprentice, and every officer in the room would attack her and her crew. She knew she was seriously outnumbered.

    Wrehn spoke facetiously, attempting to make a mockery of Nox’s proposal, telling him, “Oh, yeah. A keepsake about our good times together. Something to remind me of you every time I look in the mirror? Yeah. Let’s go with that. I’m sure it’ll make you feel big every time you see it on my face. Yeah?”

    Nox replied frostily, “Yeah.”

    He didn’t know why he should spare this mercenary, except that his wife and apprentice, Ashara was very certain that her usefulness to him would outweigh her obstinate nature. Ashara hadn’t given him any faulty advice to this point, and she had shown every indication of her unyielding support to his cause up to this moment. Nox decided to trust Ashara and put up with Wrehn’s willfulness.

    To Xalek’s consternation, Nox told Wrehn, still in that frosty tone, “Good. So we are in agreement. The scar on your cheek is your tribute to me.”

    Immediately, he pulled out his datapad and typed something on it.

    Then he asked, “Where should I deposit this three hundred million?” He added, “I feel like I’m the blind being robbed, here. Don’t think I’ll pay such exorbitant prices again.”

    Wrehn was completely taken off guard, she stammered, “Well, uh... Um...,” before taking out her own datapad and forwarding her business account info, for this transaction, to his datapad.

    Nox fiddled with his datapad a bit more after that, before securing it to his utility belt. Shortly, thereafter, Wrehn’s data pad vibrated. She read the message on it.

    “From: Cignos Statti Bank of Nar Shaddaa. To: Yehw’reh’nomai. Esteemed banking customer, 300,000,000 credits, Imperial currency, have been deposited to your account, which is 278,952,312 credits, Hutt currency, and bringing your total to 967,790,462 credits, Hutt currency. Have a bountiful day!”

    After securing her datapad, Wrehn put on her best customer service smile, and declared, “It’s been a real pleasure doing business with you, Dark Lord! If there’s nothing further for us to discuss, I’d like to take my leave, since our business is now concluded.”

    Nox, amazed at her complete change in attitude, replied simply, “Yes. You may go.”

    Xalek, tilted his head downward, but kept his thoughts to himself, as Wrehn turned about and stomped her way to the back of the conference room, where she picked her helmet up from the floor and signaled her team to follow her out of the conference room.

    ______________________________________________________________________​

    Wrehn, in civilian attire, was in her guest officer’s quarters aboard the Razor’s Edge, which was in orbit over Mandalore’s moon. The Razor’s Edge was the frigate Wrehn had hired out from the Mandalore’s Hammer Naval Group. She sat behind her desk having a drink with Captain Tartan and Commander Grommy, the frigate’s commanding officer, celebrating the completion of a successful job.

    Wrehn’s two subcontractors had been paid in accordance to the agreements in their contracts, and her subcontractors were very happy. Neither of them knew how much Wrehn had made from this job, however. Had they known, they most certainly would have attempted to renegotiate their contracts. That usually involved a few battles, but no battles broke out. They didn’t know how much Wrehn had made from this job.

    Wrehn’s crew, also in civilian attire, had been busy loading their weapons, gear, and armor into a dropship of Mandalorian design, which would ferry them down to the moon’s surface. Tartan’s company had also packed up their gear. They were loading it all unto two other dropships that would ferry them down to the surface of Mandalore after the Razor’s Edge had established its orbit over Mandalore.

    Wrehn told Commander Grommy, “I’ll keep your contact information. You never know when you have to transport a bunch of rowdy fighters to another job. Just don’t expect to get paid as much.”

    Grommy replied, “Civil wars. Prices go up for everything.”

    Tartan added his observation, “At least we didn’t have to fight our own on this job, just the Imps.”

    Wrehn added snarkily, “What do you mean? You picked a fight with another Mando down there and nearly got your men killed over it.”

    Tartan, shook his head in frustration and in disgust at how that turned out for him.

    Before Grommy could ask, Tartan told him.

    “Me and some of my troops wanted a bit of sport, so we challenged the Great Hunt Champion to a match. She fights hard and dirty.”

    Wrehn asked, surprised, “Is there any other way to fight?”

    An over head chime sounded out a signal.

    Commander Grommy told Wrehn, “Your dropship’s loaded and your crew’s aboard.”

    The three stood on their feet, shook hands all around, genuinely smiling at each other.

    As Wrehn left the table, she told Captain Tartan, “You’ve got a decent crew. I got your contact information too. I hope you don’t mind doing business with me again.”

    He replied, smiling proudly, “I’d be honored.”

    ______________________________________________________________________​

    On the launch pad on Concordia, Mandalore’s moon, Wrehn told the slightly built cybernetically enhanced human female, “Hey, Mako, get us a ground crew to unload the gear and move it all to a temporary staging area, then hire a transport cargo speeder to take it to the ship at the shipyard.”

    “You got it, Boss.”

    Although, Mako didn’t seem to be doing anything, she used her cybernetically enhanced direct connection to the Holo-Net to find the cheapest labor and transport on Concordia. Then she filled out an electronic order form for services from each company and paid the deposit for each company.

    All this, while she held Torian’s hand and whispered in his ear, “I want you, SO bad.”

    Torian smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss on her lips.

    Wrehn looked at her crew affectionately, and decided to make a speech.

    “You guys rock. You make me look real good. You made me crazy rich. I’m gonna pay you fifty million each.” She added quickly, “That’s final. Not negotiable.”

    Mako quipped, “Hell! I could retire on this,” and instantly regretted it when she realized Wrehn was eyeing Gault.

    Wrehn, looking straight into Gault’s eyes replied, “Yep. You sure can, if that’s what you want.”

    Gault looked at Torian, and asked, “You gonna retire?”

    “Nah. I’m young, strong. Have lot of fight left in me. I’m sticking around.”

    Gault asked the Houk, “How about you, Skadge?”

    The Houk replied laughing, “Retire? Ha! This jobs too much fun! I ain’t quitting!”

    Before Gault could ask Mako, Wrehn cut in with her own question.

    “How about you, Gault? You gonna call it a career?”

    The Devaronian cast his eyes down, a slight melancholy look on his face, and said, “Yeah. I am.”

    Wrehn was going to speak, to ask him to reconsider, but Gault cut her off, adding, “In about ten or so years. As long as you keep pulling in the jobs with the big paydays, I’ll stick around to get my cut of the action.”

    The melancholy was gone, replaced by an impish grin.

    Mako clapped her hands together, happily.

    Torian clapped Gault on the back of his shoulder and said something in Mando’a, then explained, “That means, “A Warrior knows when he’s had enough glory, and when he wants more of it!”

    Wrehn shook her head smiling at Gault, thinking, “Blast him, he almost made me make a fool of myself again.

    Gault observed, “Torian, remember, say it in Basic the first time, every time.”

    Torian laughed declaring, “I’ll teach you Mando’a, yet!”

    Skadge, thinking to poke fun of Wrehn, said, “Wrehn, now you can fix your hunk of junk ship! Ha! Ha!”

    She told him, “By the time I’m done with it’s overhaul and refit, it’s going to be the fastest starship in the galaxy!” She squealed with glee, adding, “I’m gonna splurge on my baby!”



    The End​
     
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2018
  6. Cowgirl Jedi 1701

    Cowgirl Jedi 1701 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 21, 2016
    Wren and her crew are fun. I'd totally read more stories about them.
     
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  7. PlanetSmasher

    PlanetSmasher Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Mar 14, 2017
    I'm glad you enjoyed it.