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(2.7) Winds of Change (Part Four)
Winds of Change (Part Four)
Northern Highlands Region
Baklid 6
The war in the northern and southern regions of Baklid 6 have been raging for nearly two whole years now. The Republic has now been directly involved for nearly six months now. The elite 501st has been on world now for almost five of those months. Together the 9th Grand Army and the elite 501st has won every battle that the rebel forces has tried to lunch against them. It was because of their successes on the battlefield which had caused the changes in the Rebels combat tactics . Instead of fighting a traditional military campaign, the Republic and Royal Forces have ended up fighting more and more counter guerrilla actions. The Republic has fought less stand up battles for a town or city and more hit and run tactics. This has started to drain on the troops and added stress on the units involved.
This type of combat has also had an ill effect on moral within the troops of the Republic. One such unit that was suffering from the low moral was the impressive 121st Infantry Battalion. Given the important task of keeping their region clear of guerrilla activity. They based their operations out of the Jedi temple which had been taken under force almost two months ago. Talon knew that the Temple held the high ground in the valley and was able to be defended well under the right conditions. Those conditions that she made sure would happen. She petitioned heavy for and received an armor company and two Transport Companies to be added to the location. The 193rd Infantry Regiment moved its headquarters to the Temple due to the added units now assigned to it. In the end that was Talon's over all desire. With the added units in the area, the Temple would be well defended and a prefect base to lunch operations deep in to the Northern Highlands.
Which was what Talon did with extremely effective results. The enemy forces had been forced to change their operations based on how Talon forced them. She controlled the scope and means of the combat in her region which caused a great deal of concerns with other Army Commanders. She would send her companies out on deep patrols to make sure that her forces were seen by local and rebel forces alike. These patrols would normally last days or weeks at a time. But the end result was what she wanted, fear. Fear from her enemies. They feared her and her units in the field. Talon knew the value of fear on the battlefield and she used it to her advantage completely. Reports from POWs showed that among the Rebel forces Talon had earned a nickname. They called her the Phantom Demon, because of her ability to show up on any battlefield and cause havoc on the Rebel forces.
Despite many other battalion commanders leading their units from the field Talon loved to lead her troops from the front. While her companies would spend one rotation in the field, then two on guard duty at the Temple. They would spend their last week on ready reserve, so they could support the company in the field. She would personally skip the rotations of ready reserve and guard duty so she could spend more time in the field. This had a great impact on her units moral and gave her a better understanding of the changing situations in the field. With all of her tactical and strategic knowledge Talon was not above learning. She would spend hours with one of her Jedi Advisors, Jedi Master Visst, talking about all things from Religion to the future. Has her time with the her Jedi Advisors had an impact on her? The events that happened on that fateful day could be linked directly to a change of heart in Talon.
While on deep patrol in the northern highlands, a platoon of Bravo Company and Talon's Command Squad had a chance to encounter a village that had been a nest bed of Rebel activity in the past. Talon gave a harsh order to her troops, no one was to even aim a weapon at a villager or else she would shot them personally. As they made their way through the village, they were able to learn that this village was made up of mostly farmers and herders. Since the war had been pushed in to the highlands, the rebels had been taking supplies from the villagers. Talon took the time to walk around the small mountain side village and she actually tried to get to know the people of this village. It was clear by those who knew her that what she saw in this village had touched her deeply.
They came upon a villager who had been wounded and had suffered from infections within his wounds. Talon set down beside the man and called for a Corpman. Together she and the unit medic helped clean the wounds of infection and gave him shots to help him recover from them. Then they dressed the wound. Talon gave the village leader the Corpman's medical bag and ordered everyone of her troops to half their rations which she gave to the villagers. When one of her Army soldiers addressed her by name in questioning her actions, she turned to her soldiers and addressed them all. She pointed out that unless they showed compassion to the innocent victims of this war, then they would never win in the long term. She further ordered that this village held no threat to the Republic Forces or the Planetary Government.
As she was walking back from the wounded villager, someone leaped out from a nearby hut at her. Before anyone could react, he screamed, “Die Demon!” and drove his weapon in to her gut and pulled the trigger. The loud bang filled the air as Talon was thrown backwards as the second round of the gun jammed. It was because of his lack of respect for his weapon which allowed the dirt to jam the load mechanism and truly save Talon's life. Even as she fell backwards from the first shot that ripped through her lower gut, her attacker realized that his weapon had jammed. He tossed it aside and activated a lightsaber and brought it up to finish Talon off. It was fire from Zya and Lefty which did the attacker in. Before anyone else could react it was over.
Zya rushed to her friend's side ripping a first aid pouch off of her armor. She hurriedly tried to control the bleeding. “Medivac! Call for a Damn Medivac NOW” she yelled as she looked at Talon's wounds and blood. It was bad and Zya could tell. “Not like this Talon, Not like this baby!” Zya said in her clearly fear for Talon's life.
Talon reached up as her body shook uncontrollably and looked in to Zya's eyes, “Not their fault..” She struggled to get out.
Zya held the bandage over the wound. Another result of the Republic's actions on this world had been the degrading of the enemies equipment. Before they were using blasters and more modern weapons. Now the enemy was forced to use less modern weapons like slug throwers and booby traps. “shhhhh Don't worry, you will be fine.” She said trying to dismiss Talon's comments. “Whats the ETA on that Medivac” She questioned.
Talon looked up at Visst with blood breaching her mouth, “Not their fault...” she said reaching out to him.
In the distance the platoon Sargent yelled, “Medivac, ten minutes out. We are making an LZ over there in that field” he said pointing to a near by field.
Zya looked at Visst who had done his best to stabilize her through the powers of the force once more. Her wounds were very deep but he gave her the time she needed to get to a medical unit. “Lets get ready to move her. Roach, get me two ponchos and lay then together, we are going to make a stretcher.” She said letting Visst hold the bandage on Talon's wound. Zya and three other soldiers work with the local villagers who had not forgotten Talon's kindness. They placed two long rods atop of the ponchos dividing the ponchos in to thirds. Then they pulled the outer sides up over the rods and used boot laces to secure them to the rods.
With the sounds of the Medivac making its approach, they moved Talon to the stretcher. Then with the help of everyone, they moved their wounded leader to the Medivac craft. With Talon on board, Visst leaped up on the craft to make sure that she survived the trip back. While over a year ago, Talon had killed mortally wounded troopers instead of having her unit carry them. The situations here were different. Zya gave the order this time to save her life and she knew that Talon didn't want to die at the hands of an assassin. She knew that Talon wanted to die in battle earning honor for her family and people. All these things plus the fact that getting Talon of the field was only minutes away seemed to make the choice logical for Zya.
For the next twenty four hours, Talon was touch and go. But thanks to Visst's help and the hands of medical driods and a bocatank, Talon pulled through. During her recovery she had many visits from her troops but none were as common as Zya. Zya had many long and private conversations with Talon over the next forty eight hours. It took a direct order from Talon to get her unit back out on patrol. She wanted to make sure that everyone knew the assassin had failed to keep the 121st from their duties. Reluctantly, Zya got the unit back out on normal patrols. But everyone knew that the 121st was angry at the assassination attempt. The 121st was looking for blood and many thought that they went out and found it.
Four days after the assassination attempt on their leader, another unit from the 193rd entered the village that Talon and her unit had visited four days before. This time however, what they reported was truly an atrocity. The villagers had all been murdered, their corps burned, live stock slaughtered, and the wells poisoned. The entire village had been burned to the ground. The platoon Lieutenant went on record saying, “It was if someone wanted to wipe this little village from history.” The destruction of the village was complete and total. The affects spread through the region casting fear among the locals as the story spread of who everyone thought was behind it.
From the reports, everyone had believed that the Demon ordered the destruction of the villagers even though the man who had tried to kill her wasn't a member of the village. He had been hiding there from Republic Forces. It was Daz who looked through the force and saw the events of that sad night. It was clear that the attackers were Republic soldiers. There was no doubt in anyone minds of this fact. All the evidence proved beyond any doubt that Republic soldiers committed the crime. Zya's unit had been on patrol in the area of the village that night. But even through the Force, no one could prove it was her unit that was involved. When questioned by both the Jedi and military investigators, Zya did prove that she was telling the truth about not being involved in the attack on the village. However it was learned when questioned about her conversations with Talon that she was hiding something. Had this horrible war finally taken a toll on even the Elite Immortals? Some had their reasons to believe it did.
The Immortals were officially recalled from their operational duties and transferred back to the Capital City for administrative duties. Once back at the Capital City, an official review was called. It was the Grand Army's stand that Talon had from her medical bed, gave the order for Zya and her unit to assault the village and massacre the villagers. There were issues in the interviews of Lefty, and Holiday as well as Talon regarding conversations that happened in private that showed that the three were hiding something. It was proven that they were not lying about the Village, but they were hiding something. And no one knew what that something was. Finally after being pressured by the Grand Army's reviewing Officer, they all claimed religious privileges and asked that they be advised by a Azgardian Priest. Once more Captain Pryde was called to Baklid 6, this time to assist in the interviews. After speaking with the four privately in a secured area, Captain Pryde informed the commander of the review that what the four had talked about had nothing to do with the village or the assault and was protected. The commander of the review was not satisfied with this and asked for an official inquiry about the massacre. This act of disregard for Azgardian law outraged many of the loyal 501st and Marine units within the system. The Grand Army had over stepped its bounds and friction was starting to show.
During the weeks of the inquiry, Visst had horrible nightmares. Because of these nightmares he spent hours working with Nezial. He wanted her help to focus on the voices that she claims are spirits. He could almost feel that he was making progress. It was thanks to this progress that he was able to gather what he could from the last nightmare, he was walking down a corridor with large red arches that ran from the floor and reached up to the center of the hallway. He was alone walking through the decks of some strange ship. He had been here before but could not understand the meaning right away. He walked in to the room he had expected at the end of the corridor. But to his surprise he stepped in to a void. He saw an image of Talon blind folded singing upon some large cliff. She was singing that song again. He could hear her voice clearly as if she was right next to him.
“now that I know what I’m without, you can't just leave me, breathe into me and make me real
bring me to life” She sang out loud to those watching her on stage. With each movement of her body he saw black mists of something lurching at her and grabbing her. They were trying to pull her over the edge of the cliff in to the darkness of unknown. Visst could see bright blue lines of hope holding out from him and others keeping her on this side of the cliff.
As she sang, Visst could see other images of her. Not the woman who had a voice that beckoned others to listen to. He saw the warrior that he knew all too well. Each image showed her at different ages within her life. From the days after her mechanical birth, he saw the first words spoken to her by some Warrior. “This one is too small, she will never survive training” he said walking past her. He saw her training as a child warrior and how she was pushed to the point of near death. He could see her life as others wanted her to fail but she refused to let them be right about her. Her entire past was nothing but training for war and killing. It was something that she had become very good at. Visst saw her first kill as a young child. He watched her first combat mission as a teenager and watched as she become the woman that he knows now.
He saw her through her enemies eyes, how she was truly a terror on the battlefield. But her song played on. He was blasted with dozens of images at one time of her killing, fighting, killing, fighting. Being the warrior that she was trained to be. One by one all the images faded till all there was, was her voice singing and the image of her tossing Daz over a old truck. He saw that day back on Yavin IV in its complete and detail horror. He could feel the rounds rip through her body as if it was his own. he watched as her life left her body as coldness slowly came over him. He saw the grips of the black mist things become loss as her spirit broke free from them. Her spirit drifted from those black mist things to join the force. He saw his own actions, but they were not only his. He was added by his force guide. Together to two of them pulled her spirit back in to her body and breathed life back in to her. He could feel a book that had been completed become opened once more.
Once more the images of her actions filled the void about him. Her actions and suffering right up to the review and inquiry. As she moved from one day to the next, those black mist things attacked her spirit once more trying to pull her over the edge of the cliff. Once more those bright blue lines of hope holding her on this side of the cliff. Visst looked around to see a very think line of hope. It was just there out of her reach. He could see her reaching for it as she sang but each time she moved closer it moved further away.
It was then he heard her song change, Something else. Something he had heard before. He tried to focus on the words but the sounds of the other images drowned out her words. He looked at the image of her singing only to see her face before him. He could see her tears washing down her face as she felt herself losing the battle and being dragged ever closer to the edge of the cliff. He knew this song, but not here. He had heard it a hundred times. It was a favorite of his late Master's. Even the voice was right within it. This was the link he had been looking for!
“To cross out what I've become, Erase myself, And let go of what I've done” She sang on as her tears washed down her blind folded face. Her feet now at the very edge of the cliff with more of those black mist like things gripping her tightly and pulling her backwards. Does she know this was the end for her?
Visst took a moment to look at all the images before him. None of them were the truth of what he was seeing. They were only what the moment was showing him. He knew in that second what was the truth!
Waking from the nightmare vision he rolled from his bed in a rush. He reached under his bed and pulled out the case that he guarded with his life. He opened it and lifted up one of the holocroms and activated it. He knew what he was looking for. The reason why his master loved the song was because of the story of the singer. He smiled as he found what he was looking for. She was a famous singer from the world of Mandalore who had a gift in her voice. As he looked more deeply now he saw the connection between Talon and this singer. Fiolla Sarkin was her name and the two could be twins. She had angered a Hutt and had fallen in to the cross hairs on one of his assassins. The Jedi were asked by a Senator to over see her protection while the Hutts could be reasoned with. During this time, a young Jedi Knight by the name of Daye Mayn was assigned to her as protection.
During the crisis, Ms. Sarkin and Jedi Knight Mayn had become very close. When the assassin had finally come to claim the singer's life, the Jedi was able to protect her and kill the assassin. It was much later that the scandal finally broke. The two had become secret lovers and had made ever effort to keep their affair secret from everyone. Sadly, she was a famous singer and he was a Jedi Knight. It was bound to come out. The young Jedi had been given a choice, the Order or his lover. Knowing that his love for her was greater then his dreams of being a Jedi, she preempted his choice by forcing an argument. She knew that being a Jedi was all he had ever wanted. So she made sure he would keep his dream by breaking it up with him. She vowed never to see him again and during the nasty break up she never let a single tear show. The two never saw each other again, nor did he ever let go of his love for her. When he was killed on a mission, she was at his funeral. The next morning she was found dead in her resort suite. She had taken her own life the night before. In a letter she left behind, she confessed her love for the one man that held her heart. She begged for forgiveness for lying to him.
Many had wondered if the actions of the council were justified in breaking the lovers up. But they had remained true to the ruling of the council till their deaths. Visst looked up the Jedi's name and was sad to find, there were no such persons in this universe that matched who he was looking for. However he found something else very fascinating. Daye Mayn had been a war orphan and adopted by a childless Kel Dorian couple. The father who raised and helped Daye get in to the Order was named Ord Murl.
Visst was pulled from his readings by his comlink, “Visst! Oh My God” he heard Angel say, “Its Daz he is missing!”
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It had only been a a couple of weeks since the Immortals had been recalled to the Capital City. Things within this war had gone from bad to worse over night and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He hated this feeling of being out of control of such chaos. To past the time, he had been doing research on the assassin back in the core worlds. Surprisingly, the assassin had not made any new hits during the nearly six months Daz had been away. This unto itself was a clue, but Daz could not put his finger on what it meant. Frustrated with the lack of information he headed out for a walk through the market place. He remembered how this was where he and Angel first meet the Shadow Stalkers in that shop.
While walking he was going over every little detail he knew. Hoping that maybe he had forgotten something. His comlink buzzed, “Yes?” he answered. The ID showed it was his contact.
“I have some news for you. First off, I found your contract on Captian Fiolla Heartman. No wonder why I missed it. No one took it seriously because of its low amount. Only a few credits. I would think that someone of her notoriety would bring in at least a few hundred credits if not a few thousand. Anyway, the name on the contract is a local Baklidian named, Sherre Dounia. At first I thought it was a joke but then I....”
Daz cut the man off, he already knew, “I know what it means. Thank you. Let me know if you have anything else on that Core Worlds Assassin.” Daz said. He heard the man answer but he was not listening. He just turned off his comlink. Sherre Dounia was Kel Dorian for 'He will come.' 'Shite' he thought to himself. All this time everyone thought that Talon was the target but the contract was meant for him to pick up. He opened up his data pad ad brought up the contract that his contact had just sent to him. He looked over it carefully. He knew what he was looking for and it didn't take long for him to find it. Hidden very nicely within the payment details was the message he was looking for.
Thanks to the help that Lysire had given him in the art of cyphers and codes, he was able to pick up the message. It was very cleverly hidden. Only one person would know him so well to send such a message. It was, Adi Terrik. She was a classmate of his back at the academy. They shared a number of classes together and even helped each other out during tests and projects. Like him she was an investigator at heart but unlike him she started out as a guardian and then moved up from there. She was very clever and very devoted to the study of the Unifying Force. He had not seen or heard from her since the Jedi Civil war broke out. He nodded looking at the message, 'the rumors were true, you did join them' he thought about her actions.
It was in that moment that he got a feeling. He turned just in time to see a man level a blaster at him. Daz reached for his lightsaber but it was too late. The man had the drop on him. The weapon fired and hit Daz with the full force of the stun setting. Daz fell backwards to the ground. He heard someone scream out as he fought to maintain consciousness. He felt the man searching his body and pulling things off. A second man yelled, “Hurry up!” Daz heard the sounds of a lightsaber deflecting blaster fire. The man searching Daz flipped him over and bound Daz's hands and then lifted Daz up over his shoulders. As the men ran down the streets Daz could see a dead Royal Soldier in the street. Daz's eyes slowly closed as they carried him down the street.
He was not sure how long he had been out, but he was surely bound to some chair. Daz opened his eyes to see he was in some unused kitchen. He saw cobwebs near the ceilings and the place had been ransacked. He could tell that there was allot of moisture in the air. It was uncommon for the location of the city. Daz also noticed that under a large tarp was crates of military grade explosives and other modern weapons. He took in ever detail he was see, hear and smell. As Daz looked around he saw the man that stunned him. The man put down his paper and got up. He walked to a door and opened it slowly, “He's awake now” The man said in to the other room.
Daz was not surprised to see Adi walk in with three other Jedi. She shook her head, “I am sorry about all this Daz but we have to talk. It is really important” she said then motioned to the others, “Untie him.” She then looked back to Daz, “All I ask is that you hear me out. If you wish, once we are done you are free to go. You have my word, my friend” she said. There was dread in her voice. Over a year ago, her word would have meant something. But that was before Jedi killed Jedi. Daz was not sure if he could trust her or not. They were close friends before. He trusted her before. But that was then and this is now.
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