Small rant:
I will only say this once. This platform is not a chatting platform. Do not treat it like a chatting platform. If I see any rude or crude comments, I will delete them on the spot. Thank you for your understanding.
You don't have to curse at the story if you don't like it. Just unfollow, and be on your way :).
Now there is some valid concern to recruiting people from crime syndicates like the Black Sun or the Hutts. What if you look at it the other way around? Popular bounty hunters like Boba Fett took on many jobs from them. Samus will do the same, and even more so during the Imperial Era.
I dropped a hint that these two may be recruited. And that hint is the fact that the commander is a Twi'lek. They're under heavy suppression right now by the Separatists, and the Battle of Ryloth is a key event in the first season of Clone Wars.
While the Hutts are known for actual slavery, the Black Sun uses coercion and threats to reel people in. Enough to the point where it goes against their wishes, and forces them to do their dirty work. Granted not all of them, but it isn't unheard of to recruit them.
Hell, even Han Solo worked for several crime groups before he found his own path. What would happen if Samus meets Han early and decides to recruit him? Same logic!
Happy reading~
*
Now this is what I call a show. I had caused enough damage where most of the command center is now up in flames. All of the other goons have been shot dead by Vrax. And without hesitation. He probably didn't trust these guys one bit. That's the main problem working for crime syndicates instead of being individual contractors like bounty hunters. To them, it's a dog-eat-dog world. You can trust no one but yourself. And a lot of the time, you have to do work that you don't want to do, and have others decide how your life is going to play out, solely for personal gain or greed.
Some simply liked to sow chaos, while other syndicates had clear objectives. A lot of them will eventually join a collective group of people later on in the Clone Wars, which will come to be known as the Shadow Collective. I personally don't see myself becoming a part of that, as that aligns to Darth Maul's goals of taking down Darth Sidious to gain his own upper hand in the galaxy. A long, stretched out power struggle between Sith. I am not a Force User, and unless I become one, that simply doesn't interest me. If they do offer jobs for bounty hunters like myself, I will not turn them down. At the same time, I could turn them down. I have my own morals and standards to live by. It will be dependent on the job.
And I think these two might be a good fit~
Honestly, I was surprised to see a Vibrosword being used here. It is quite big, and was almost at eye level with Vrax's body. On top of that, it was the sword version, not the blade. He swung it around very easily, despite being such a heavy sword. Back in the Old Republic Era, they held additional enhancements that could easily deflect Lightsabers. Sadly, that was eons ago. By now, such enhancements aren't really seen anymore. If it is still around, the Techno Union probably has a monopoly on it. This Vibrosword was just a basic version of what it used to be. A powerful weapon that is seen within the Separatist Army, but not capable enough to take down Force Users anymore. Because of that, it's price isn't that much. Around five hundred to a thousand credits.
Using it skillfully, on the other hand, is an entirely different matter. I wasn't just surprised to see Vrax use it as easily as he could breathe. This sword amplifies its piercing effects by using high-powered frequency vibrations. Hence the name, Vibrosword. It can easily cut through metal and other durable items. And in the old times, deflect Lightsabers. That was why I was so surprised. My Power Suit easily blocked swings from it. It didn't cut through my Power Beam. Almost ironic, isn't it? I used the backside of my arm to deflect swing after swing after swing.
It created a thrilling battle, that was for sure. What made it even more intense were the blaster rounds from Darrik's heavy barrel of an arm cannon that I would nimbly dodge each time one tried to blast me apart. Because I dodged so much, the rest of the command center either had its metal crates completely torn to shreds, or the wiring went up in flames.
All of a sudden, I found an opening. Using my Grapple Lasso, I swung it not at Vrax but at Darrik, and swung hard around his arm. Igniting my Gravity Booster, I started to fly around toward Darrik's back, lifting me up into the air. I waited for an opportune moment to reveal that I could fly. Vrax suddenly found himself alone, and I was now behind Darrik. Darrik struggled, trying to break free, but I had my thrusters on full blast. It locked his giant arm cannon in place, failing to break out of my Grapple Lasso.
"...I was not aware you could fly.", Vrax said, cracking a smile.
"You never asked.", I simply responded, smiling beneath my helmet. "Any wrong move and I tear this guy's arm right off.", I said, warning him to not move an inch. The room was quite heated now thanks to all the flames burning around us. Drops of sweat were seen on both of their faces, but my Power Suit was actively filtering that heat. To me, it was still room temperature, which was nice to see. To my surprise, I heard Adam call out to me while the fight was ongoing.
[Plasma Beam is online.] Adam said. Hearing that, I paused.
Without hesitation, I switched toward my Plasma Beam. The yellow glow surrounding it soon switched to a fiery red. Its target? The gigantic biceps before me that was literally sewn into the arm cannon. I mean really, this guy is quite large. His face was mostly composed of slimy tentacles. But do not let that deter his strength. It wasn't just his arm cannon that made the guy unique. It was his full-plated armor. If Samus was a walking tank, then so was he.
"It's alright Vrax, I can take it. We Gen'Dai are warriors. We live and die by the battlefield. What is one measly arm? I can just attach a new one and it'll be good as new.", Darrik said, grunting in pain while I hoisted his arm all the way back. You could even hear the muscle start ripping apart. I didn't think I'd have that much strength, but color me impressed.
As for the Plasma Beam, it could easily render Darrki's arm useless. It'd just tear right through it. Both the wiring and blood vessels. And Darrik likely realized this. My Plasma Beam had already finished charging, and he could feel the intense heat my Plasma Beam was currently releasing.
"As much as I'd like to see another arm lossed today, I do not wish to see injury inflicted on Darrik. I'm sure as you can see, he isn't like these no-named losers. If the Black Sun didn't take us in back when they did, we likely wouldn't have survived up till now.", Vrax said, still keeping his sword steady.
"I can see that. This guy's a Gen'Dai, right? I'm sure you've had your circumstances, but was there really no other choice?", I asked, wanting to find an answer.
"Grrr. As if we'd tell that to a bounty hunter. If you're tasked with this base's destruction, then just do it. You'll get no information out of us. We're dead men already.", Darrik responded, still attempting to break free from my Grapple Lasso. That was another thing I'd like to point out. Once the Lasso latches onto its target, I could follow up with a shot from my Power Beam right after it. That's why I could use my Plasma Beam!
"I mean, I could do that. But as your leader said, we're in a stalemate of sorts. If I win, you're coming with me. Or would you rather die a warrior's death here?", I asked.
"That...", Darrik said, not giving me an immediate answer. Did he actually think of a possibility? I recall his race used to be peace loving, but once their homeworld was destroyed, they became violent, and are known to be almost indestructible on the battlefield. Samus is strong in her own right, so it's very nice to see that I can butt heads with someone like him. Losing an arm to him really probably is nothing. Doesn't his race have high regenerative powers too, so maybe he really hasn't lost an arm? Perhaps just enhanced it?
"I could say the same to you, bounty hunter. You've shown your strength tonight.", Vrax said, only to pull out his custom-built blaster gun, and place the vibrosword back on his back. Before I could do anything, he took aim. Not at my helmet, but at the spot where I held onto Darrik. Without hesitation, he let out a powerful blast, and I felt a strong impact strike against my arm cannon. It was enough to release my grip on him. I flew off, still hovering in the air a further bit away. Darrik took this time to regain his footing, but he didn't immediately fire back. He joined Vrax's side. I was now facing off against the two. "Putting Jedi aside, there are not many who can go against a Gen'Dai like this head-on. For that you have earned my respect. The duel is yours.", Vrax declared.
"You're seriously letting the bounty hunter go like this, Vrax?", Darrik asked, surprised.
"They won't be the only one to leave tonight, Darrik. We've caused enough destruction tonight to make it seem like it was a raid. We shall do our part and leave. All comms have been disabled. They will not be able to figure out who was left alive from this. To them, we'll be dead men. But to the rest of the galaxy, it will be up to us to figure it out. Like I said, you've proven tonight with your strength. I do not mind if we follow you. We live more like warriors than anything. All we need is a roof to live under.", Vrax said, putting away his blaster. I raised my eyes inside my helmet. Somewhat cringe, but I get what they mean. Darrik in particular should be a nomad. Not one particular place to settle down at. Very much like me in my present situation.
"Haha! Then I guess it'll be a pleasure working with you boys. Granted, we still have to escape from here. I already did what I was tasked to do. I still have to report it in so I won't immediately head back after. I'll give you the coordinates of my ship. And good luck trying to figure it out.", I said, safely landing nearby. Seeing Vrax put his blaster away, Darrik didn't immediately attack me. Guess he really did have the final say here, so Darrik simply followed suit, and entered an idle position. The crackling of flames echoed all around us. We really didn't have much time left.
It gave me those Metroid vibes of retreating off a planet or area with limited time once a mission is complete. The games enjoyed doing that to give more stress to its players. And well there wasn't a visible timer here, but the ongoing destruction was enough to give that sort of feeling.
"I'll catch you boys around. You should have more than enough strength to make it out of here since you have a Gen'Dai in tow.", I said while exchanging my ship's coordinates with the two. Shortly after, I enabled my Morph Ball again. Vrax raised his eyes seeing me change into a little ball of plated armor, swiftly disappearing from sight into a vent nearby.
"Well that's one way to move around. Guess I know how our phantom made it all the way inside this compound. It was right underneath our noses this entire time.", Vrax said, cracking a smile on his lips.
"Just what kind of tech is that? Not something I've ever seen the Union have access to.", Darrik said, also musing at my Power SUit.
"If you want to find out more, we still have to make it out of this burning building. I have the escape route memorized, so let us see to it.", Vrax said, urging Darrik to follow after him. It didn't take long for a large metal beam that was set on fire to drop right in front of him, only to burst out in flames. There really wasn't a whole lot of time left.
So just like that, the duo wiggled their way out of the command room. Its consoles were entirely offline, and their whole shipment delivery was ruined. But now, they didn't have to bark up the Black Sun any longer. The two hid within the shadows, being careful not to be spotted while they made their way from the blazing glory that lit up part of the lower level of Toydor.
And so, the night raid concluded, and the night pressed on.