Falling Apart

[Tear]

/ooc Finished.

High in the desert sky of tatooine burned its fiery twin suns. Licks of flame came flaring out from the large burning orbs, glaring down onto the dry planet. A small droplet of sweat beaded down the soft face of the young human as he made his way lethargically over the burning dunes. Spotting a small groika lizard as it scurried quickly through the sand toward a pile of rocks, seeking shade.

The young man could feel the sand searing at his feet through his boots with each step. A soft sigh creased over his parched lips as he crested the top of a dune. “I hope your not mirage number four.” He growled as he began his stumbling descent.

Careful. The human thought to himself again. If you start thinking of Mos eisly as a welcoming sight something must be very wrong. Grinning, the figure began a leisurely walk toward the settlement.

“You forget…things are very wrong.” The grin leaves his dry split lips as quickly as it had come. The familiar voice rang inside his head. He continued walking through the busy streets taking in the scenery.

“Traders.” I survey my surroundings, eyeing a handful of jawas wildly pointing and shouting, as they drag would be customers off the streets to a few broken down barely functioning droids.

“Thieves.” I Mutter quietly, watching a small Bothan lift a blaster pistol from a trandoshen, to busy shooing a few jawas away to notice the small rogue. The bothan makes a mad dash into an alley-way, followed by sounds of scuffling and a wet gurgling sound echoing out of the dark alley, the sound easily lost in the loud bustling background of the streets.

“Death.” The word escapes my lips easily. A large humanoid creature comes stomping from the alleyway. Wiping clean a bloodied knife, the familiar looking blaster slipped under his belt. Comically, the creature looked both ways down the sidewalk before stepping into the streets. “Safety first.” I mused.

“Suffering.” A group of humans huddled together in tattered sand warn robes begging for spare credits or food from anyone who would pass by.

I step inside a local gloomy cantina. The dampness of the place is an inviting change from the sensations of the burning desert. Gently sitting down in a booth, I lean sleepily on my elbow casually surveying the locals. Almost on cue, as if alerted by my wandering eyes. A growing argument erupts passed what I suppose is considered a playful boasting, between a fat drunk and what seems to be a young, scrawny man. The drunk barely has his pants cinched up with a dirty rope with what looks like a rusty blaster dangling from it. While the scrawny kid looks like a product of a rich family, having armor that would make an imperial storm trooper blush. His rifle was taller then he was. It’s the most I can do to keep from laughing as I bite my lip and watch. The fat drunk try’s to flex his intoxicated superiority as he moves to shove the rich boy, only to miss n stagger headfirst into the kid. The kid, so off weight by the boxes of armor clasped onto him, it’s the most he can do as he clasps the bar top with both hands to keep from toppling over. The fight ends abruptly when the drunk falls on his face passing out and the kid loses his grip flipping off his stool onto his back like a turtle. A trio of jawas seizes the opportunity and begins tugging and dragging the helpless kid’s rifle out the door.

I snap from the dream full gaze, as I look up to see a full-bodied figure of a young human waitress standing in front of me. Drumming her fingers along a clipboard impatiently. “What’ll it be?” she asks with a sigh, her pen tapping into the data pad.

“uhm…water please” I make a quick glance around to the fellow patrons with their dirt smeared glasses and who knows what sort of things floating freely in their drinks. “Fresh water, in a clean glass…” I add.

The waitress forces a routine smile. Skipping around, she saunters off to the bar. I can’t help but tilt my head and admire as she bends over the bar for a glass.

I lean back comfortably into the soft padded booth, stretching slightly as I do so. Usually I would be climbing the walls of this scummy joint but two weeks of trekking the dunes of tatooine helps one appreciate the little pleasures of life, like padded booths on ones backside.

[Tear]

She is late.

I know. She will be here.

You trust too often Ta'sath.

Dont call me that.

A small smile creases my dried lips as I brush my hands admiringly down the long sleeves of my krayt dragon skin jacket. The dark hide jacket reaches just slightly below my waist. The dull lighting shimmered off my studded leather belt hanging from my waist. Several straps smaller and slanting down from the main belt curved around my hips with holsters on either side. My casually fitting pants where a deep black, when I first arrived, but now seemed to be sand blasted a soft gray. I had lost the thick robes I mainly used to shield myself from harsh weather a few days earlier, after a small incident. My clothing had held up surprisingly well, through the blazing sun and roaring sandstorms that rage this planet.

The waitress set my glass down on the table looking at me curiously as I patted my pants watching the dust puff up. I pulled a few cred chips from my sand filled pockets and tossed a handful of sand onto the table. She picked through it taking the proper amount. When you’re exhausted you can find the smallest things largely amusing. I looked up thanking the waitress with a gentle smile and a nod as she again returns the forced smile and goes back to her patrol of tables and patrons.

I eye the condensation trickling slowly off the glass into a small ring of water around the base.

Remind you of something?

I suppose…The ice caves dripped just like…

A small droplet began to slide elegantly down the glass…zig zagging like lightning would in the sky. A sudden flash of images surge through my mind like a flood. The ice caves…dripping faster and faster until searing apart in a shower of sparks…a rain of blood, impacting the ground all around…the shadowy figure of a woman growing closer… oddly immune to the storm as the rain curves around her body… not daring to touch.

A loud clattering of dishes quickly snaps me out of my trance. I watch as the droplet slips smoothly into the pool of condensation. Glancing around the room quickly to gather my bearings again I notice a change in scenery…

[Tear]

The glass touched my lips as I took a generous sip letting some of the water drip down my parched and cracked lips. Unlike most things on Tatooine this small little bar was rather cozy. One of the female patrons, obviously a regular by the way the rest of the bar reacted to her, had brought in her young baby to show off. She had a large huddle as everyone ooo’d and awed at the new life. Most of the other patrons had a smile on their faces as they talked. Even a random laugh would rise up every few minutes.

I tilted back my head finishing off the glass of water. I dangled the cup between my fingers, hanging it over the table watching the water drip, waiting for the waitress to return.

My body tingled suddenly, the sensation rippling its way up from my toes and back. “What the…” A warning… I glanced quickly over the room my eye catching an object rolling leisurely over the floor to a pair of tiny feet. The baby picked up the small blinking sphere and giggled at it. The small pool of water that had gathered on the wooden table rippled as my glass slipped from my fingertips and shattered against the wooden table. A gasp was all that slipped from my lips as I reached into my body and the force, to give me enough speed to reach the baby…that’s not a toy…it was a thermal detonator! The laughs of the patrons turned deep and laggard as my body sped up, slowing my surroundings. It was too late…I barely had time to take two steps before the blinding light flashed over the room…and the sound… as if hell itself had been thrust into reality, breaking lose in a shock wave of debris and flame. My surroundings screamed passed me as I was thrown back.

My vision was blurred as I lifted myself up. Pieces of debris crumbled and slid from my body as I struggled to sit up. My left side searing in pain as I leaned against the remains of a charred booth. Flames were everywhere, dancing and licking wildly about the shattered bar. Bodies writhed and moved around the floor… and others lied still. Faces stretched in horror, others blank with shock as a woman rocked back and forth her mouth agape…probably screaming but I couldn’t hear anything. A badly bleeding man had struggled to his feet and was trying to carry the woman out the front door as she writhed in agony. They both fell limp as flashes of light ripped through their bodies impacting the walls behind them. The cold handles of my twin blasters were already sprung from my holster, their barrels trained at the doorway. I laid motionless my arms twitching slightly trying to keep straight. My hands were red with blood, several shards of glass were sticking out from both. The steady streams of blood from my hands twisted their way down my arms, a soft tapping of blood against me.

“I warned you…” The voice came echoing up from the depths of my mind.

“You were a little subtle about it Ta’sath.”

“Oopsy?” The voice rang with amusement.

I glanced at my surroundings briefly before looking back at the doorway. I was laying in broken glass and debris of all sorts…even body parts dotted the hellish scenery. Suddenly the doorway shattered and flew into the bar, followed by several red targeting beams bounced over the room. It was all happening in an eerie silence…I still couldn’t hear anything.

[Tear]

I waited…I waited until the first armored body slipped through the doorway into my sights. The bright blue flashes of my blaster's barrels lit up the room in an instant. The armored soldier turned just in time to catch the first flash, he may not have seen it but I’m sure he felt the pain, as several bolts ripped through his armored body. I rose quickly to my feet dashing over the bar top the blue flashes of my guns still lighting the room…it was an eerie feeling watching it all in silence. I slid down behind the bar just as a hail of blaster fire began tearing through the room. Their shots tore through my cover, red flashes zipping by, followed by stinging pieces of debris. A surge of panic welled up inside me as the hail of gunfire continued.

I couldn’t hear their shots, I couldn’t tell if they were flooding into the room, worst case scenarios began playing over in my mind. I couldn’t return fire, they would pin point my position, I thought teeth clenched as my left side continued to sear in pain. The room was dark with smoke as the fire snaked its way over the bar, enveloping it whole. My eyes shifted quickly over my surroundings trying to spot something… a bottle of liquor was lying on its side only a few feet away. I bit my bottom lip reaching back over the counter letting a few shots fly into the crowd of troops guarding the doorway. Quickly ducking back down and jumping for the bottle as blaster fire tore through my previous position. I holstered one of my blasters taking the bottle in my hand, leaping up onto the bar top. I waited until they’re laser sightings began painting over my body before tossing the bottle at them. Everything stretched and moved in slow motion as my other arm raised up following the bottle in mid air…a soft blue flash sparked from the muzzle of my gun, the bolt almost instantly shattered through the bottle igniting its contents, sending a spray of flame over the soldiers. Random bolts jumped from their weapons as they panicked and fired blindly. Dropping from the bar top I raced passed them, diving through the entrance, tucking my body into a roll as I spilled out onto the street smoke clinging to my clothes.

I felt the ground tremble, glancing back to the bar as a support beam split and fell, crushing one of the flame covered troops, the roof followed suit crashing inwards as spray of sparks and flame reached up into the sky.

“DON’T MOVE” The shout muffled slightly through a helmet.

I turned slowly to see two red tracing beams bouncing slightly over my chest as two more armored soldiers trained their weapons on me.

“Drop your weapons and kick them away.” The second soldier grunted sternly.

“Alright” I whispered softly, tossing the blaster in my hand as I slowly, upholstered the other, tossing it in the same direction. I held my hands out in front of myself in a helpless fashion. “Easy guys… don’t shoot I’m unarmed” Just as my tongue rolled to form the last word, I leaned forward and thrust my arms outward, feeling the force jump from my hands. The soldiers didn’t know what hit them, as their bodies slammed through the burning brittle wall of the bar, or what was left of the bar.

[Tear]

I leaned on my knees as a coughing fit hit me, shaking my body violently with each hack. I sat up with a groan, spitting the taste of ash out onto the sidewalk. “Time to go”, I thought to myself, slipping my weapons back into their holsters as I made for a dark alleyway. The light on the alley walls flickered and danced as the flames behind me continued to burn. I glanced back to the bar, remembering the few moments of a happy mother with her new infant and now they were both gone.

“Things can change in a blink of an eye, cant they?” The cold voice spoke throughout my mind, every syllable echoing faintly.

I reached around to the cylinder object clipped to the back of my belt and pulled it free, glancing down at it. “Yes they can…” my words whispered softly into the night as my bloodied hand clutched the metallic cylinder.

I stumbled slightly bracing myself against the alley wall as a high pitched ringing flooded my hearing. Hopefully this was a good sign and my hearing would return shortly. I took a sharp breath in as my free hand slipped under my jacket and shirt, testing my left side. I needed a quiet place to concentrate on healing. Pulling my hand back I held it up to the soft moon light, pieces of glass flickered as the moonlight passed through them. I grimaced; they were still bleeding badly. “Frell…” I sighed looking at the trail of blood that dotted the alleyway. Glancing at the bloodied palm print I left on the wall.

“Why don’t you make them a sign Tear?” The voice asked with obvious amusement.

I growled holding my hands to my shirt trying to stem the bleeding. I needed to get out of here….

[Tear]

***

“Command, this is scout team bravo, come in.” The trooper spoke into his helmet’s com system with an electronic click.

The gentle glow of flames reflected off the trooper’s cold tinted visor as he stared at the raging fire. This wasn’t supposed to happen, he thought to himself.

It was supposed to be simple flash and sweep operation. The team goes in acquires the target and engages with a lethal ambush leaving no retaliation. That didn’t happen. Somehow the target survived the initial attack and the sweep afterwards, that was just supposed to clear the area to confirm the kill. They only heard a few scrambled transmissions after getting clearance to clear the area. The first message confirming the target was still active and the second, urgently requesting back up. Slowly the trooper brought his hand up to his lips, speaking into the com system on the back of his hand. “This is command. Go ahead?”

“Target confirmed, heading away from point of engagement.” The trooper spoke slowly as he dabbed his fingers against a speck of blood on the alley floor bringing them up to his face. His helmet buzzed as colorful displays danced in front of his eyes, adapting the visor’s night vision to optimal efficiency. “Target is heading into grid tango six. Permission to pursue.”

The trooper in charge only differentiated by the solid red stripe down his left arm guard, Stood silently. He analyzed the situation, making quick risk assessments and strategic manuevers in his head as small armored vehicle floated down from the sky. The fire roared and spit sparks as the vehicle’s thrusters fired, stirring up a cloud of sand. The sand danced and spun around the mercenary's feet as the vehicle hovered a few inches from the ground. A door slid open with a dull metallic clang. With a flick of the commander’s head his troops poured into the vehicle, he glanced briefly back at the fire before stepping into the transport himself.

“Permission granted. Engage at grid sierra 5. We will be moving in from flanking positions and engage shortly, command out.” The com channel clicked as the last word fell from his lips. The large metallic door slamming shut as the transport lifted into the sky.

[Tear]

Hunched down in the shadows of an alley way, preceding an open four way intersection, a figure shivered violently plucking glistening red shards from his hands that fell like diamonds into the sand covered ground.

You enjoy this don’t you Ta’sath?

I have to admit feeling the pain and watching you pull glass from your hands sparks a happy feeling.

Tear sighed softly as a sharp pain seethed through his hands with the removal of another piece of glass. His hands were dripping with blood, the last piece pulled, he looked to the sand. Like red stars the moonlight glistened off of the blood covered shards of glass. Tears mind began to be pulled back into memory. The sound of heavy armored boots padding against the sand brought him back in an instant. The ringing in his ears had faded and his hearing was slowly returning to the superhuman ability it was before.

Tears eyes stared at the pool of dots of blood gradually dripping their way to the sandy ground as he ran over his choices: Run or fight. His side still ached in pain adding that with the near numbness of his hands, not to mention who knows what the explosion could have done to his internal organs, He could be bleeding to death right now and not know… Running seemed the logical choice but how far would he get before fatigue took hold and his injuries finally caught up? His body was still engorged with adrenaline and he could feel it…he would fight.

[Tear]

Standing, Tear slipped his blasters from their holsters and back into the middle of the intersection. His left shoulder facing the alleyway that the troops were coming from. Three barrels emerged from the shadows, drifting over the slowly emerging rifles then the armored troops. Let’s do this…

“Hello gentlemen…welcome to the bottle neck of your discontent.” Tear said with a grin as he watched the armored helmets turn to each other realizing their situation.

Tear raised his arms turning his body to face the three, training his weapons on them. The clicks of safety’s being switched off were heard before the inevitable…load roaring blaster fire erupted from both sides, blue muzzle flashes erupted from Tear’s twin blasters peppering the opening of the alleyway with streaks of brilliant blue bolts. Sporadic red bolts jumped out of the alley opening grazing over Tears right shoulder. He winced, pumping his fingers against the triggers his arms bolting back slightly with recoil, spewing blaster fire until his weapons clicked empty the energy cells spent.

His breath seen in the cold tatooine night as his chest rose and fell with labored breathing. Three armored corpses lay in front of him still smoldering with blaster burns and holes. Tear growled triumphantly letting the cell packs discharge from his guns to the sand below. Reaching behind his jacket he pulled two more cell packs out but before he could slam them back into his weapons the sound of thrusters firing roared over head.

The door of the transport slid open dropping down five armored troops the same as the three he had just downed. The transport flew over head to the other end of the road and dropped off six more personal emptying the craft.

“Tear!” One trooper with a red stripe down his left arm yelled, stepping froward from the other five behind him. “Under order of Lady Darana, your disobedience will not be tolerated you are to be terminated.”

I knew she had set you up Tear…you should have listened.

“Shut it!” Tear hissed to himself.

The lead trooper took that as his response and fell back into the ranks of his comrades both sides of which raised their weapons painting Tear in red targeting beams.

Time slowed as he let a yelled defiantly, reaching behind himself pulling a metallic cylinder from his belt, it ignited with a snap hiss emitting a brilliant golden blade. Tear stood straight twisting his neck slightly to glance over his shoulder and then back to the six in front of him. This wasn’t going to be easy…

[Jarek T'chort]

A rush of air greeted the ears of those gathered as the Imperial drop ship sunk to earth, quad cannons opening up on the gathered soldiers in the streets.

The ramp opened, disgorging a squad of sandtroopers, heavy blaster rifles ready for action. The lead tropper signaled to his men and charged the group of soldiers that blocked the way in the tiny street. The twin suns above glinted off their white armour, indicating the heat that roasted the planet.

The rival troops fell with burning holes in their chests as the sandtroopers ran toward a solitary figure in a defensive stance, holding a bright gold lightsaber in his hands.

Above, a squad TIE Defenders screeched as they swarmed the enemy drop ships, blasting away with linked cannon fire.

A young Colonel in a field uniform with blaster pistol in hand stepped toward the Dark Jedi Tear.

"Tear? I am here on request of Field Marshal Jarek Tchort, Supreme Commander of the Imperial Army. He has a message for you, remember Brentaal?"

[Tear]

Pin prickles rippled down my spine as the force whispered to me of danger. The sound of thrusters firing matched the timely gust of wind blew sand up the street. Their drop ship was returning? Tear glanced up to see a drop ship sink into the sand-covered street…an imperial drop ship. The instant the ship’s hull touched the sand doors dropped down slamming into the street with spitting up another gust of air and sand. The drop ship door fell to the sand covered streets causing a cloud of sand to billow up. White armored silhouettes emerged, a hail of blaster fire leading their way.

It happened so fast Tear was left standing there as the armored corpses of those that were hunting him but seconds before lay dead, still smoldering from blasters holes made in their armor. The group of Imperial storm troopers approached him, one in particular, an officer taking lead of the group as he spoke.

"Tear? I am here on request of Field Marshal Jarek Tchort, Supreme Commander of the Imperial Army. He has a message for you, remember Brentaal?"

The soft whispering hiss followed the retreating golden blade of Tear’s saber as he deactivated it. A large smile spread over Tear’s lips as his eyes floated briefly up to the two burning orbs in the sky before settling back onto the Colonel in front of him. “I do remember.”

The large drop ship door shuttered as hydraulics pulled the door closed with a dim hum. Thrusters fired blasting a blanket of sand over the street as the large drop ship lifted gracefully into the air. Tear peered through the small view port of the drop ship. Watching the settlement shrink with the acceleration of the armored craft into orbit… Glory to the Empire, Tear whispered softly his blue eyes falling from the view port that was now filled by the desert planet of Tatooine.