(OOC: Im guessing that you meant to spell Fraot Tnepres)

"What do you mean shes not here!" Kanderin slammed the frail man against the wall.

"She left....a...few minutes ago... please dont.... hurt me" The man gasped in reply, trying pointlessly to break Kanderins vice like grip. Kanderin stared deeply into the mans eyes. Shortly after he released his grip and let the man fall to the ground, content he was not lying.

He wandered over to the crudely barricaded window that looked out upon the main entrnace to the fortress. Well, what used to be the main gate. Now it was little more than a huge cloud of smoke and dead bodies.

"Im going after her" Kanderin said.

He turned around and scanned the group of people huddled in the opposite corner to him. Most were lying down or on crutches, but Kanderin still managed to pick out a man and a women to the front of the pack that seemed healthy. He beckoned them over. They approached somewhat nervously, afterall Kanderins greeting of the frail man wasn't what could be called friendly. He removed the vibroblade from his belt and gave it to the woman. He then took one of his decimator pistols from his pocket and dangled it in front of the mans face.

"You ever fired one of these before?" Kanderin asked.

The man shook his head, Kanderin sighed.

"Its simple" He explained "Ill leave the safety off so even you cant screw it up. You point the barrel at the target and fire. It can do a hell of a lot of damage, so i wouldn't stand too close to what your firing at though"

Kanderin dropped the blaster into the mans hands and briskly wandered over to one of the open side windows. He leaned out of it and checked to either side. It was clear, so he placed one hand on the bottom edge and vaulted out of it. He landed running, sprinting over towards the smoke cloud.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

".....Now lets see if i can expose your inner organs" Fraot smirked.

"Fraot! Stop!"

Fraot immediately turned to where the voice came from. Kanderin had just emerged from the cloud, but promptly dropped to his knees clutching his side. Fraot immediately dropped the gun and ran over to aid Kanderin, who waved her away.

"Im fine, i just... shouldn't run"

"You okay Kan...Xephilus?" Tnepres called over.

Fraot shot back around to stare at Tnepres.
"What was that you went to call him?"

"Nothing" Tnepres shook his head " I just stuttered"

"Dont lie to me" Fraot spat" What did you.."

"He called me Kanderin" Kanderin cut in weakly "Its my name"

(OOC: Dont think you need to hold back because im planning something. Ive just ran out of time to write anymore)
 
-----------------------
Lance Corporal Kanderin Draken
-=Wraith Squad=-


Wraith Squad Motto: When staring in the face of death we see our reflection

TRP/LCPL Kanderin/4SQD/1PLT/1COM/1BAT/VEA/VE/

Now! This is it! Now is the time to choose! Die and be free of pain, or live and fight your sorrow! Now is the time to shape your stories! Your fate is in your hands! - Auron, FF X

Kanderin was left at the Med hall while Arnaut went to check on the bases fortifications. So far, the flood of troopers outside had stopped pouring in, due to the fact that almost all of their squads inside had been cut down already. But they would have to come eventually. Arnaut had started rallying troopers together in an effort to secure the stronghold as strongly as they could. The remaining Imperial prisoners, who had been here ever since the place had come under Corsair rule, were released, handed weapons, and formed into their own rag-tag platoon. Arnaut didn't trust them, not by a hair, but every man was needed in this next fight. Every woman too, Arnaut added thoughtfully.

Arnaut hurried to the main mess hall where most of the last ditch fortifications were. His A280 swung gently at his side, and the spare ammo packs clicked together as he ran. His helmet, now firmly back on his head, made an almost silent rasping noise every time he inhaled, only audible due to the silence of the hallway. He caught a flicker of movement in the hallway ahead, but as he turned to look, Dodge loomed in his vision.

"Sir, it's good...I..." Words didn't form well in Dodge's mouth suddenly. It was most likely due to the fact that a large portion of his torso had suddenly gone missing. The crack of the sniper rifle sounded like a whip in the small confines of the hallway. By the time Dodge limply fell to the floor, blood bubbling from his parted lips, Arnaut was firing. And firing a lot. There was a scream, and Arnaut stopped, but only to run to where his would-be killer lay grasping an already bleeding wound through his abdomen. The man was not old, but not young either. Probably in his thirties with ice blue eyes, and a nose that looked like it had been broken a few times. The rest of his face and body were cocealed in a shadowsuit, which made him silent and stealthy. His rifle was almost as long as he was tall, and sat smoking where he'd dropped it.

As Arnaut approached, the man pulled his hand away from his mouth and grinned up at him. Arnaut pressed the barrel of his rifle against the man's forehead. He was ready to blow the man's head right off. Almost...

"Who sent you!?" Arnaut snarled in the man's face. The man gave a wheezing laugh that was cut off abruptly by Arnaut's fist landing where on the man's wound. He screamed, and his eyes welled up with tears of pain.

"H-he...he said...said you were important...had to be killed...knew...too much...,"the man coughed out, gritting with the effort of speaking at all.

"Who!? Who sent you?" Arnaut demanded furiously. The man's eyes widened as if just realizing what he'd said, but it was soon replaced by another grin. Slowly, the light from the man's eyes dimmed, and he died, the grin still on his face. Poison. Arnaut kicked the corpse, screaming in despair.

"Bastard, bastard, bastard!" Arnaut repeated, kicking the now bloodied corpse on the ground. And then he sunk down to the ground weeping. Because he knew he'd failed another trooper. Dodge...

Slowly, Arnaut made his way over to where Dodge lay. His eyes were open and lifeless, staring at the ceiling with a pleading look. Fresh blood dribbled down his chin. Arnaut slowly thumbed Dodge's eyes closed and laid the man's cloak over his face. He said a prayer to whoever looked over Dodge's soul and quietly stood up

Arnaut's eyes were rimmed in red, but sheer determination on his face. He knew who had sent the assassin, if he didn't know the man's name. Their Imperial traitor, who they'd followed to the Corsairs in an attempt to uncover, had decided to switch sides again, this time to the Blood Tusks. Because he knew Arnaut's squad had infiltrated the Corsairs, and because he knew the Wraiths were coming for him. At least Arnaut had some joy in knowing the man feared them already.

Arnaut slammed a fresh clip into his rifle, his other all but empty. The traitor would pay. Somehow, sometime, but he would. And Arnaut would be there to enjoy it. Grabbing his pack from where it had fallen, he started off at a run down the hall. But not toward the mess hall anymore. No, that could wait. He had business with the Mak'la.


-----------------------
Sergeant Arnaut
-=Wraith Squad=--=SL=-
SL/SGT Arnaut/4SQD/1PLT/1COM/1BAT/VEA/VE

"Take care of your equipment, and your equipment will take care of you"

"Life is a dream; we all wake up eventually."

"Do you have any idea how long it takes to dig graves for twenty-three oak trees?" - Davram Bashere

This was one mission Kanderin wasn't going to render himself useless on. Far too many missions had left him with injuries, and this one was going to be no different. He slowly massaged his side. It hurt like hell but wasn't holding him back too much. The adrenaline running through his body had rendered pretty much all pain Kanderin used to feel invisible.

He stopped at yet another junction in the path, trying to guess which way would be the better option. The entire prison was built like a maze, he doubted he would ever find his way out. Luckily out wasn't his goal.

Kanderin heard conversation coming from his right, so he instinctively headed towards it. The voices slowly came into focus. Kanderin recognised one of them and sped up. He came to a another turn in the path and leaned up against it, just enough so that one eye could see down the hallway.

Fraot stood talking with what could only be described as a huge monster of a man. Kanderin was tall, skinny and rather attractive. The only characteristic he shared with this man was the height, although calling this man tall would of been a huge understatement. His arms were as big as Kanderins entire body.

"How many more of that group are there?" The man grunted

"Well theres their leader, a small guy i beleive they called Arnaut. A tall man whos breath reeks of drink who they called Snipes, or Snyde or something.  Yoder you cant miss, hes covered in blood, i saw him earlier. And then theres.... no thats everyone" Fraot nodded and looked back at the man.

"What about that Xeph guy i saw you talking with earlier?" The man grunted, somewhat more aggresively than last time.

"Hes not with them" Fraot answered defiantly.

"I saw the way you looked at him"

Fraot took a step back, a nervous expression jumped across her face. "You what?"

"That Xeph guy, you like him dont you?"

Fraot broke eye contact with the man and stared at the ground. The man let out a scream of anger and punched the wall behind him, destroying part of the wall completely.

"Ill snap his pretty little neck" The man screamed, before storming off down the hallway away from Kanderin.

Kanderin took his chance and spun out from his hiding place, poitning his remained ahnilator at the pair.
"Wrong way big man" He smiled.

The man immediaely spun around to face Kanderin. He went to take a step towards him.

"Move and i kill the pair of you" Kanderin said.

"In your state" The man scoffed" Please"

"If you dont beleive me, try me" Kanderin winked back.
 
-----------------------
Lance Corporal Kanderin Draken
-=Wraith Squad=-


Wraith Squad Motto: When staring in the face of death we see our reflection

TRP/LCPL Kanderin/4SQD/1PLT/1COM/1BAT/VEA/VE/

Now! This is it! Now is the time to choose! Die and be free of pain, or live and fight your sorrow! Now is the time to shape your stories! Your fate is in your hands! - Auron, FF X

Fraot began a slow walk towards Kanderin. He reacted by turning the blaster on her.

"Dont think i wont shoot you as well Fraot"

"Kanderin" Fraot reached out with one hand, tears starting to well in her eyes" Please, i love you"

Kanderin fell back slightly and began to lower the gun. It had barely lowered a few inches before Kanderin dragged it back up to head height.

"I have to admit, the tears are a nice touch" Kanderin smirked.

"What?" Fraot responded, the tears now rolling down her face.

"You led me into a room filled with Blood Tusks, expecting that they'd kill me. But im no normal guy with a gun" Kanderin continued, the smirk still stretched across his face.
"Im highly trained, so is the rest of my team. Were quite probbaly the most dangerous men in this place. It takes more than a group of badly trained grunts to take one of us down"

"But more to the point. You leave me in a room to die, and then you expect me to beleive you love me? You tricked me once, not again"

Kanderin aimed the gun at Fraots forehead, and placed his finger on the trigger. He'd killed countless people, not to mention creatures, in his short life. Never had the victim been unarmed, yet alone looking him straight in the face crying.

He couldn't do it. His shaking hand dropped the gun, and he fell to his knees shortly after.
"Get out of my sight, i never expect to see you again" He said, his voice faltering.

The Blood Tusk man didn't need any more prompting, he disappeared down a side exit almost the moment Kanderin finsihed his sentence. Fraot however stayed frozen to the spot, staring at Kanderins defeated figure. He wasn't looking at her, he was staring at the ground. The spot of ground he was staring at was slowly becoming very wet.

She turned to walk away, but stopped herself. She looked down the hallway to the man her brain said she should follow, and then back to the man on the ground her heart said she should help.


 
-----------------------
Lance Corporal Kanderin Draken
-=Wraith Squad=-


Wraith Squad Motto: When staring in the face of death we see our reflection

TRP/LCPL Kanderin/4SQD/1PLT/1COM/1BAT/VEA/VE/

Now! This is it! Now is the time to choose! Die and be free of pain, or live and fight your sorrow! Now is the time to shape your stories! Your fate is in your hands! - Auron, FF X

Arnaut ran, his legs seeming to carry him down the halls on a will of their own. The doors flashed past, all closed and barred, no doubt prepared against a Blood Tusk incursion. But the hallways were still, as of yet, relatively clean. Few Tusks had made it this far.

He spun a corner and found him face to face with the door to the Mak'la's chambers. He pressed the button. Nothing happened. He pressed it again. Still nothing. He screamed, picked up a bench laying against the wall, and threw it at the door, with curses being uttered every second of the way. Surprisingly, the door didn't even move.

"Well this is just great," Arnaut mumbled.

"Yes, indeed. Great." Arnaut spun around to face the mysterious speaker. He was a tall man, though still not taller than Arnaut, with broad shoulders and a stern look. His dress was eloquent, to say the least, hemmed with gold and precious stones, and made from a fine blue silk. And he had about six knives hidden about his person, that Arnaut could see. Another knife enthusiast.

"You wouldn't happen to know the way in, would you?" Arnaut asked casually.

"No. Why would I?" the man asked back, innocently enough. He was most definitely the Mak'la, Arnaut decided.

"I don't know, maybe because you're the--" The knife that was thrown at Arnaut didn't come as a great surprise. Knocking it out of the air with one of his own, he sent two flying straight into the man's side. He screamed and fell to the floor, gasping for breath. A knife enthusiast, but not a knife user.

Arnaut grabbed the man by the neck and pulled his face right up to his visor. The man's breath came in short controlled gasps. His eyes were fear, his face pain.

"W-what do you want?" he stammered. Arnaut stared at him for a second, and he began to sweat. As the Mak'la he'd probably never even had to fight somebody. Even so, Arnaut pulled out his pistol and put the butt to the man's stomach.

"Tell me all you know on the Imperial informant. The one who set you up with the raiding jobs on the Vast Empire's supply lines."

"I-I have not idea what--" The gun pressed harder. "He never told us a name! Never! He took the alias of Raven's Wing. H-he approached us over a s-secure channel!" The man was sweating buckets, not to mention the blood leaking from his side. He was starting to shake and his face was pale. Arnaut dropped him to the ground, took a painkiller and a roll of bandages from his pack, and tossed it down on the man.

"Bandage yourself up," Arnaut said simply, retrieving his three knives off the ground and resheathing them. The Mak'la nodded , still shaking as much from fright as pain. Little did he know, Arnaut wasn't going to kill him. The information he'd provided was helpful. Arnaut had heard the name Raven's Wing before, but not openly. Drunk men told stories. Lots of stories. It was knowing what to listen for and remember that made them useful. It was about time they got off this planet and got back to the Army barracks. They had a traitor to uncover.

Arnaut walked down the halls, his face grim. Getting off the planet would be a problem of its own. And not to mention the squad was still scattered.  But for the first time since crashing, he felt they were getting somewhere. Finally.

* * *

The Mak'la picked himself off the ground. His side merely throbbed; the painkillers were fast acting. He still felt weak, mainly because of all his blood lying around him in a pool. But that didn't matter right now. He had a problem.

From the way that the soldier had stalked off, he definitely knew who and where Raven's Wing was. And he was setting out for him. The Mak'la scrambled over to his fallen comlink, and punched in his secure channel with the comm tower up top. Hopefully it was still operating.

"Hello, sir," came the quick response. The Mak'la smiled. One thing gone right.

"I need a message sent to Raven's Wing now. This is of utmost importance. Tell him...tell him the Wraiths are coming."


-----------------------
Senior Sergeant Arnaut
-=Wraith Squad=--=SL=-
SL/SSG Arnaut/4SQD/1PLT/1COM/1BAT/VEA/VE

"Take care of your equipment, and your equipment will take care of you"

"Life is a dream; we all wake up eventually."

"Do you have any idea how long it takes to dig graves for twenty-three oak trees?" - Davram Bashere

Arnaut stormed down the hallways, Tnepres close at his heels. Blaster bolts followed them, tracing through the air, destroying bits of wall and floor. Arnaut hit the ground just as another salvo ripped overhead.

"What'd you do to them!?" Arnaut screamed at Tnepres. He was already starting to run again.

"I don't know! They just...started firing!" Tnepres replied loudly, his voice carrying over the sound of blaster bolts. Arnaut dove around a corner, followed closely by Tnepres, and unslung his rifle.

The blaster bolts stopped. The stink of burning ozone and permacrete hung in the air. The hallway was clouded with dust, and fractures ran along every surface. Arnaut cautiously poked the muzzle of his gun around the corner. Nothing. He poked his head around and quickly brought it back as blaster fire tore through the air.

"They're really pissed off at you this time," Arnaut commented breathlessly. All Tnepres could do was nod his head.

"Any grenades?" Arnaut asked Tnepres while staring at the wall opposite them.

"No. Ran out a while ago," Tnepres replied sadly. Arnaut muttered a curse. Picking up a small piece of rubble off the ground, he lobbed it into the hallway. It exploded under withering fire until the enemy finally realized it was just a stone. Disgruntled oaths and cursing echoed up the hallway.

Arnaut was about to try again when blaster shots rang out, hundreds it seemed, and not in their direction this time. From the hallway where the enemies where, now screams and moans of the dying could be heard. Arnaut looked at Tnepres, who shrugged and motioned that they should peek out again.

Arnaut poked his head around the corner, and was relieved to not get it almost blown off. D'har and Yoder stood in the hallway, guns smoking, surrounded by a mass of dead bodies. Most of them had been shot in the back, unable to react from the duo's initial assault. The quicker ones displayed clean blaster holes through necks, torsos, and faces.

"Well. You couldn't have had better timing!" Arnaut said cheerfully, coming out into the hallway with Tnepres. D'har and Yoder chuckled.

"Couldn't let you two have all the fun," D'har said.

"What happened to you?" Arnaut asked incredulously, examining the blood splattered all over Yoder's armor.

"Oh, don't worry, it's not mine."

"I think that's why I am worrying," Arnaut muttered. D'har and Tnepres laughed.

"Well, we need to be leaving now. I've come across some information that will help us in our original goal," Arnaut said seriously.

"Unless it's the name of our traitor friend," Tnepres replied smartly, "your information hasn't got nothing on mine." He smiled smugly. Until Arnaut started speaking.

"I know not only who he is but where he is also. So it would do you good to follow me." Arnaut turned at that and began heading toward the exit. Tnepres' jaw dropped and his eyes widened a little, but all he could do was follow his squad leader.

Arnaut smiled as he walked along, recalling the first time he'd heard the name Raven's Wing. It had been in a cantina, a few months after being pulled into the Imperial army. It was not the experience someone like him would forget.


* * *

Arnaut set down the cup and ordered another Correlian ale. The cantinas near the academy didn't have the best of drinks, but it was enough to get you drunk, and that was good. Outside, snow sprinkled down, and the ground was already white. Few people were outside, and those who were bundled themselves up as best they could.

Next to him, one of his fellow classmates laughed outrageously as he took another swig of the ale he was holding. He didn't notice as half the cup splashed over and out, staining his shirt and pants with the dark colored liquid. Apparently the joke had been quite funny.

Arnaut sighed and turned away, in time to see another student enter. The man shook terribly, his face was pale, and he carried a beer bottle in hand. Arnaut had seen this before. Back in his pirating days, there'd been one guy who'd drink so much, he'd swear he started seeing ghosts. Scared the crap out of him. As he got older, he started having heart-attacks out of fright of his "visions" and eventually, they were forced to bring him to rehab for his drinking problem. Arnaut never saw him again.

The man sat down on the stool next to Arnaut and ordered a drink, letting the bottle slip out of his hands and onto the floor. The man's shirt and pants were covered in dirt, with tears and rips all the way through them. He stank of urine.

Arnaut started to get up, but the man grabbed him by the collar and dragged him close. His breath was the smell of liquor, so much it almost covered the pee.

"Yah gotta believe me man! He kay-zee! He gonna kill us all!"

Sort of interested, Arnaut turned his head away from the man's face and asked weakly, "W-who?" it came out as more of a wheeze as Arnaut was finding he was having trouble breathing. The stench was unbearable.

"His adjutant! Call's 'imself the...the...Raven's claw...or was it wing? Yeah, the Raven's Wing! He's gonna kill us. He got in a ring with dem pirates an' he's gonna attack us!" The man's voice turned dark and conspiratorial. "It'll start with deh supply lines. He'll cut out our resources frum undah us. Den, when he has a good force of pirates--WHAM! He'll break us apart!"

The man was drawing attention, as people started to turn an eye toward the ranting man. Arnaut struggled to get free, but the man's grip was firm and strong.

"Who's adjutant?" Arnaut asked again, hoping that if the man said all he was going to say, he'd let Arnaut go.

"Commander acorns...Askorn's! Navy commandeer he is. Landed last night. I dunned think he knowed what his adjutant's doin'..." The man's eyelids started to close, and his grip loosened on Arnaut. Arnaut fell to the ground with a thud as the man rested his head on the table and began to snore.

Arnaut walked from the bar, trying to wipe the stink off of his clothes. The next day, the man was dead, apparently he had slipped on a patch of ice and broken his neck. He was drunk, Arnaut reasoned. And it was just the ranting of a mad man. But for the 'ranting of a mad man', Arnaut never forgot them.

* * *

When Arnaut had met Raven's Wing for the first time, just briefly, he'd still been Adjutant for Commander Askorn. Askorn had saved them after they'd almost been killed in an asteroid field. Apparently, Snipes and Askorn had at least temporarily known each other after meeting on an earlier mission, and they were led aboard and treated the confines of Askorn's private lounge.

* * *

Arnaut stepped off of the boarding ramp leading up to the Bachelor's Pride. From inside the hangar of the Imperial Star Destroyer, he could see all the wear and tear the ship had taken from the last mission.

Those wraiths sure knew how to rip apart a ship, Arnaut thought sadly as he looked at the numerous holes, gashes, and cuts tracing the hull of the ship. He was happy though. They'd made it past them and gotten the treasure.

The wraiths had been ferocious. He'd watched them tear through bulkheads like paper. They'd been fast. They'd flown outside, in the void of space, faster than the ship at times. And they'd been deadly. The missing trooper from their squad could attest for that.  Arnaut's mood sobered when he thought of the late Striker. He'd been gorged by one of the wraith's claws. The memory and the pain was still too fresh and vivid. Arnaut scrubbed his sleeve in front of his eyes and walked over to where the squad was waiting.

Snipes and Askorn were talking quickly, discussing apparently what had happened in between the last time they'd met. Snipes grinned at something the man said, and Askorn laughed. Finally, he turned toward the squad.

"Apparently, you "pirates" just got buried treasure. Well, I'm sure you can come with me to my lounge, and we will discuss this so-called treasure."

"Oh, it's real, I assure you," Snipes said, still grinning.

The squad started to move after the two, who were conversing again. Arnaut followed, but something caught his eye, he looked over to the other end of the hangar, where a group of TIE pilots stood conversing with apparently a commanding officer. Something wasn't right about the man's uniform. Just something... Suddenly, Arnaut noticed the extra insignia patch added below the man's Imperial one. A patch of a small glittering, black wing. .Raven's Wing. So he is real, Arnaut thought, amazed, the memories of the far distant cantina coming back. But he soon shrugged it off. Raven's Wing could just be the guy's nickname, he figured. A lot of Imperial officers take on nicknames. He supposed, at least. He wasn't an officer. Plus, just because the drunk man in the bar had mentioned a "Raven's Wing" working under Commander Askorn, and that had been true, didn't mean he was in league with pirates.

Just the ranting of a mad man, Arnaut reminded himself. Looking around, he realized the squad was leaving the hangar and ran after them. He didn't think on Raven's Wing any longer.

* * *

As the four troopers -- Arnaut, Yoder, Tnepres, and D'har -- ran down the hallways, toward the exit, Arnaut paraphrased what he knew about their traitor. The members of the squad nodded along with him all the way to the end.

"Wow," Tnepres said, just a little shocked. "So you've known about Raven's Wing for all this time and not thought anything of it?"

"Yeah, just didn't seem important. Not until we started getting these pirate raids, and the Mak'la mentioned his name. And of course the fact that there are two very, very large pirate armies here, both of which this traitor has had dealings with."

"It all fits together," D'har muttered, lost in thought. "Except for why he attacked one of his own forces with another. Why? That's just doing him harm."

"Probably wanted us dead in the crossfire," Arnaut said. "Didn't want us to discover him."

"So what now?" Yoder asked, speaking up.

"We go kill our Raven."

(OOC: Alright, it was getting pretty long, so I posted what I had. We're not off planet yet, but this sort of explains parts of our "traitor's" mystery. Enjoy!)

-----------------------
Senior Sergeant Arnaut
-=Wraith Squad=--=SL=-
SL/SSG Arnaut/4SQD/1PLT/1COM/1BAT/VEA/VE

"Take care of your equipment, and your equipment will take care of you"

"Life is a dream; we all wake up eventually."

"Do you have any idea how long it takes to dig graves for twenty-three oak trees?" - Davram Bashere

Arnaut hated being shot at. He hated this planet. He hated the rain. Being shot at while running through the bone soaking rain of outside was not a perfect combo, in his book. He spun around, mud spraying wildly in all directions, and unloaded a clip on the 'Tusk behind him. The man reeled backward without so much as a word. Then again, he didn't really have much of a mouth anymore. Or a face. He also wasn't a 'Tusk, Arnaut realized after seeing him on the ground. Their welcome with the Corsairs was officially over.

A shot slammed into Arnaut's left shoulder and he ducked as a flurry of shots went over head. His shoulder burned, but he tried to ignore the pain as best he could. As best he could still didn't mean it didn't hurt a little. Arnaut gritted his teeth as he ran through, pain tightening his eyes. Okay, maybe a lot.

Yoder came out to him as a hazy shape through the sheets of rain. His previously red armor had been washed - thankfully - and it was back to its drab, dark, military colors. He had three blaster scorches along the torso of the armor, but nothing had punctured it. Unlike Arnaut's shoulder. Arnaut winced as new pain shot up through his arm. He'd have to remember to not move it.

"Sarge, sarge! There--" A grenade blast shook the ground a few feet behind Yoder, forcing him to get prone. Arnaut cringed, but no shrapnel hit him. 

"Yoder, hurry it up, we're leaving now!" Arnaut screamed over the roar of the rain and battle.

Yoder looked dazed for a second, but that was it. Grabbing his rifle, he darted off the ground so quick, Arnaut had to start running to keep in sight of him. D'har was trailing behind, laying down covering fire on the entrance the jail facility as they ran out. And Tnepres. Well, Tnepres was still in the complex, cutting  down every man that stood between him and getting to the other squad mates. Judging by the screams of rage coming over the comlink, he was having fun.

A man on the ground grabbed Arnaut's leg as he passed, causing him to stumble. Midway through the air, he spun around and pulled the trigger of his armor-piercing rifle, point-blank range on the man's head. Nothing happened. Grinning, the man started to draw a rusty blade from his belt. Arnaut wasted no time in swinging his rifle around to meet the man's head, resulting in a large crack, and one more corpse at Arnaut's feet.

Arnaut scrambled up just as a lone land speeder started zooming up in the distance. One of the gun man hanging out the side started to open fire on Arnaut. Bad idea. Arnaut's clip fit smoothly into his rifle, and after one shot, the man tumbled from the speeder. A second shot took out the driver, and the speeder lost control and smashed into the ground. Arnaut ran over to the wreck in time to see a familiar face poking out.

"You trying to kill me, boss!?" Yillis yelled, none too happy with almost having been crushed by a speeder. Arnaut hadn't even realized he'd been in the speeder.

"Since when did you get connections with the Blood Tusks?" Arnaut asked incredulously at Yillis, who was crawling out of the wreckage.

"Not...'Tusks...Corsairs," Yillis panted, getting to his feet. "I, apparently, am second in command for the entire group." Arnaut stared at him. His Assistant Squad Leader was also assistant to the largest pirating and smuggling operation on this planet? Unbelievable.

"W-wait...wha...?" Arnaut stammered.

"You didn't seriously think I had no life before the Empire, did you?"

"Well...I...just never..." An explosion nearby rocked the ground, and made both of them duck.

"I'll explain later! We just need to get out of here!" Yillis said hurriedly. Suddenly Yillis' eyes widened. Jumping to the ground, he started scrambling under the speeder, as if looking for something. Finally he dragged out a person. Or what remained of him. His body was broken, and burns from where the speeder had caught fire covered most of the face and upper torso.

"He was the leader of the Corsairs. I used to work with him," Yillis mumbled, staring down at the body.

"I'm...sorry, Yillis," Arnaut said sadly.

"He was a bastard who didn't deserve to live," Yillis replied as-a-matter-of-factly. "Alright men, let's move out!" Arnaut stared at his assistant's back. The man didn't even feel sad at the man's death! Maybe they weren't such good friends after all, he though wryly. His squadmates were getting ahead now and he hurried after so as to not fall behind.

Little by little, the devastation gave way to the fields as they remembered it: long, brownish-yellow grass, dotted by the occasional wind, swaying in the smoke filled breeze. The two barges they'd ridden to the fortress were still smoking and sputtering where they left them. A row of artillery positions, long, entrenched guns, could be made out on the horizon. For the most part they seemed abandoned. All the Blood Tusks were probably milling around in the jail still.

The familiar whine of a speeder started to rise in their ears and they turned back to see Kanderin, Snipes, Virius and...Fraot? They were riding one of the Corsairs speeders up, though it could scarcely be called a speeder anymore. The plating was, for the most part, missing, exposing jumbles of wires and electronics. The seats looked comfortable, though, especially after having run from the jail.

"Care for a lift?" Virius shouted at them as they swung pass.

"You bet!" D'har said, already lifting himself in. It was a little crowded with nine people, forcing Tnepres and Snipes to sit on the back with their legs dangling, but they didn't mind. Or so they said with a grimace.

"Where'd you find this lovely little gem?" Yillis inquired with mock awe as they started off.

"You'd be surprised how many choices the Corsairs had in their hangar," Virius replied back, playing along. "Let's see...there was the one that was a burning hunk of metal on the ground, the crater where one used to be, the one missing the whole front half, and this one. It was a close call between the crater and this, but this one's sleek look finally won out." Yillis gave a rueful laugh.

The ship still sat where'd the squad had left it. That was to say, buried ten feet deep in the ground surrounded by pressing forests on either side. It took two hours to reach it, not including the three times the speeder's engine kicked and they were forced to tinker with it to get it starting again. Arnaut took the time to explain the entire situation to the other squad members so they'd have an idea of what their up against.

"From what I've heard, he likes to work alone," Arnaut explained. "So we won't need to worry about guards. We will simply walk in and arrest him. We have all th necessary proof to charge him, and we'll let the courts handle him after that." The squad nodded in assent. They knew what they had to do now. They were focused and determined.

The ship wasn't as badly damaged as they had thought. Just...sunken. Shovels were procured from the ship, and digging commenced. After an hour, they had dug enough that the repulsorlifts could push the ship out of the ground and set it up right. The hull had minor scratches and a few holes from where the near anti-aircraft shot had exploded. If it had actually had been a direct hit, as Arnaut had first feared, then they would only have half a ship, and in ruins at that, to work with instead of the whole one hovering a few feet off the ground in front of him. Things were going right for a change. The sky even looked clear, meaning they could take off immediately. Arnaut hoped their luck kept holding out.

It was a while before they left the planet's system. As they pulled off the ground, they could still see the smoking, burning battle below, surrounding the solid gray fortress that was the prison. Arnaut sighed and offered a small prayer to the Corsairs down below. Even if they had tried to kill him. In the beginning, at least, they had been allies.

Soon enough, the familiar, and quietly comforting space came into view again. Arnaut had grown a fondness for space travel after his pirating career. It was quiet. Peaceful. It kept his mind off memories he'd as soon rather forget. The list had grown since then, but the calmness of space still helped. His comlink buzzed at about the same time a star destroyer came into view just over the planet's horizon.

"...ello is this the...leader? I repe...is this...aith squad leader?" The communication was full of static, and jumbled, but Arnaut managed to get the general meaning of it.

"Yes, this is he," Arnaut responded, his voice taking on the dignified and prideful tone that usually came when he spoke as squad leader. He did love his position. "May I ask who it is that inquires?"

"Arnaut! Don...cognize your ol...qaud leader's voice!?" The communication, getting better as they got nearer to the destroyer, could only have come from one person, Arnaut now realized.

"Slick! How're you doing! It's been such a long time!" Arnaut exclaimed.

"No time for tha...now. What's the situa...ike on surface."

"We're off surface, " Arnaut replied smugly. "In fact, we're headed to your ship right now."

"Good! Good. I think the navigator behind me just noticed your ship."

The docking bay of the Star Destroyer was clustered, crates filling every corner not occupied by a ship or personnel. Slick came down to meet them grinning. Obviously his vacation had gone well.

"How's it been?" he asked cheerfully after all greetings had been exchanged.

"Not bad, not bad," Snipes replied.

"Actually, we were just on our way to wrap up another lengthy mission," Arnaut said. "Care to join us?"

"Wouldn't want to miss it," he replied still grinning. Slick led the squad up to the bridge, and Arnaut immediately pulled aside the comm officer as the others began conversing again.

"I need an encoded message sent directly to Tadath. It needs to be secure." There was a slight twinge of fear in the officer's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by firm resolve as Arnaut dictated the message to him.

* * *

Major Communications Officer Larn al'Tarth walked nervously down the hallways, flinching at the sound of his boots ringing on the stone. His icy blue eyes darted around, as if looking for something, someone. But there was no one else in the hallway, just him and his loud...Did that shadow just move? He jumped with a small squeak. But no, it was just a shadow. Just a shadow. He pulled out his handkerchief and mopped his brow. Even if there had been someone else, it was unlikely that they knew. Yes, yes. Very unlikely. Or so he told himself.

Unconsciously he wrung his fingers. A nervous habit he'd picked up. One that he'd gotten today. It's not like he'd never gotten orders from his employer before but...intercepting and stealing messages. He'd surely be caught. Surely! No! The chances were too few. Yes, quite too few. He was quite safe. Still, he removed his handkerchief and mopped his brow again.

As he walked into the main Tadath Comm station, he was approached by one the junior officers almost immediately

"Sir! There's an encoded message you need to relay. I have it hear." Larn's breath quickened as the junior officer turned away. Had that man eyed him sideways? He suspected. He knew! No...He could ask for a favor. It would look like an accident, and no body would know it had been murd--NO! No. No, the man hadn't looked at him funny. No need to get over-worried. But he was.

He walked over to his station and started unlocking the message. Next to his desk sat a copy of the a few of the shipment details and charts that his employer had requested. So far, the pay off was immense from all the shipments they'd raided, and the Empire still hadn't a clue. But for how long? It was only a matter of time, just a matter of TIME! No, no. Stick to the task at hand. His employer would make sure they were never discovered. Make sure he was never discovered. After all, he was his employers best operator. Right? The handkerchief came out of the pocket again.

With a startling ding that nearly sent him jumping out of his chair, the message finished de-encrypting. Larn opened the message, still nervous, but a bit more soothed by his self-assurances. Until he saw the actual message, that is. As he read the first line, his heart skipped a beat. By the last, he was about ready to sick up.

[Encrypted Message: Transfer from Phuii system. SDII: Wrathful]

This comes directly from Sergeant Arnaut, Squad Leader of Wraith, Special Operations, Squad Four, Wildcard Platoon, Phoenix Company, Dragon Battalion, Osiris Regiment, operating out of the Phuii system. Classification delta. We require immediate apprehension of Commander Askorn's Interdictor Star Destroyer, the Vendetta on suspicion of a person on board. We require it held at the Tadath docks until we can arrive and take the person into custody.

[End]

It was a testament to Larn's sheer willpower that he managed to push the button and load the message onto a disk at all.

"What's wrong with you, Larn? You look like you're about make a mess all over yourself and the monitor," the officer said to him jokingly. This time Larn really did jump out of his chair, causing it and himself to fall to the floor. Wasting no time to look around at the people who were no doubt staring at him now, he grabbed the disk and practically flew from the room.

* * *

Arnaut strode confidently onto the bridge of the Vendetta flanked by his squad. Commander Askorn was on the bridge, and he turned around with a smile.

"Ah! Wraith squad! It's been a while! What event gives me the pleasure to have you aboard my ship?" Arnaut was flustered.

"Did...did you not get the message? I sent it, it should've arrived over four hours ago."

"Message? W-what message?" A hint of concern entered his eyes. "Was there something I was supposed to receive?"

"A message! An encoded message! It demanded that your ship be held here due to suspect of pirating and treason by your assistant. One Viril Albatross, or, as he likes to call himself, The "Raven's Wing"!"

"But...that...can't be! He just left not a minute ago. We never got a message! The only reason we're still here is because of a technical malfunction with some sensor equipment. Otherwise we'd have been long gone!" Askorn sunk to the ground muttering to himself. Everyone began talking at once, arguing amongst themseles.

"Well we can't just let him go! We need to capture him" Snipes cried, followed immediately by D'har.

"No, shoot him out of the sky he's too dangerous."

"His connections will die with him!" Another yelled.

"Send out fighters to bring him in!

"We can't let him escape!"

A young officer ran up to Arnaut holding a datapad.

"We're still in sight of his ship. It appears to have two people on board, Albatross and...a Comm Officer, name of Larn al'Tarth. We believe he was in charge of delivering the message. He was reported as having suspicious behavior earlier today"

"Well fire up the interdictor batteries, deploy fighters, shoot him out of the sky, do something but DON'T--LET--HIM--GET--AWAY!" Arnaut raged. The man flinched and started barking orders, barely recognizable above the din.

"Sir, the turbolaser batteries are offline. He must of sabotaged them!"

"We won't be able to put up the interdictor field in time! It's taking too long to charge up!"

"Command says the nearest fighters are over five minutes away! They won't be here in time!"

Arnaut ran over to the bridge's forward viewport, staring at the rapidly moving shuttle in the distance. Suddenly, it seemed to move in pseudo-motion, stretching out to the stars. And then it was gone.

"DAMMIT!" Arnaut screamed, bringing his fist down on the railing. So close. They had been so close. He stalked off the bridge, and wisely, no one followed.

* * *

Arnaut sat glumly in the seat of his office. Idly he tossed a knife into the air. It stuck into the ceiling, next to six others he tossed up there. It was two weeks since the end of their last ill-fated mission, and the squad was still feeling the repercussions. Even his recent promotion to Senior Sergeant hadn't lightened his heart any. They had come so close, had lost a good man in the fight, only to let him slip through their fingers. His door opened. Arnaut didn't look up, but he knew who it was.

"High Colonel Rizzit. What brings you to my office this dreary morning?" The bright sun shone through the window, but every day seemed dreary.

"Arnaut, I have another mission for you. This one's straight from the top." Arnaut looked up, slightly intrigued now. Slightly.

"You sure my squad's up to it?" He asked incredulously.

"Oh, I'm sure it'll be just what you needed."

THE END

(OOC: This story, as left off here, continues into 8.5 and then our next story after that. Which is already fully planned out and being written on, mind you. So never fear. Another story down, one to live in the history of Wraith's stories. Even if it did take so freakin' long.)


-----------------------
Senior Sergeant Arnaut
-=Wraith Squad=--=SL=-
SL/SSG Arnaut/4SQD/1PLT/1COM/1BAT/VEA/VE

"Take care of your equipment, and your equipment will take care of you"

"Life is a dream; we all wake up eventually."

"Do you have any idea how long it takes to dig graves for twenty-three oak trees?" - Davram Bashere