Private Vengeance in the Desert (Lorrd)

[Lazrus Taine]

(Picture by Sergey Grechanyuk)

Epilogue:

City of New Shallos, Sith-Occupied Lorrd
Year 858 ABY

​

Even in the early morning, the sun shone hot in New Shallos. Waves of heat distorted the air as it rose above the large city situated in the middle of the desert that made up much of Lorrd's southernmost continent. Soon the markets would open and the streets would be filled with vendors selling their wares and customers looking to buy them. The arrival of the Sith hadn't done much to dampen the spirits of the people here, for they were a hearty folk and used to dealing with strife.

On one of the streets strode a single figure, clad in armor and bristling with weaponry. Now that was an oddity. The Sith had banned the use of weapons, except for the military and it wasn't common to see blasters displayed so brazenly. Of course, people did have them, but they're ownership were mostly confined to the small number of insurgent forces who operated against the Sith, and the tat-gangers who lived in the ghettos selling glitterstim and death sticks. The Sith didn't much care about the latter, as they were usually too busy trying to exterminate the former.

This was the first time Lazrus Taine had been back to his native world since it had fallen into the hands of the Sith. So far, his assessment was that it could have been worse. It had probably helped his world's case that the government hadn't fought against the coming of the Sith. It had been something of a forgone conclusion, even before he'd left that it was going to happen. It had been a simple matter of galactic geography. There simply wasn't any other major power in the area to help, so there was no point in waging a useless war. Sure there had been demonstrations and protests at first, but the Sith military machine had quickly stamped those out. Next had come the predictable wave of disappearances as troublemakers and potential troublemakers had been preemptively "dealt with."

By now life had reached its new, if subdued, normal.

But that wasn't why he was here. No, his return to this world had nothing to do with the Sith whatsoever. He was here to settle a debt. An old debt that predated the Sith on this world. It was a debt of family that would be paid in blood.

But first, a message needed to be sent.

Looking up at the black charred building in front of him, Lazrus' eyes ran over the still visible-though heavily damaged-sign that hung from it: New Shallos Orphanage. This was the place where his troubles had started, more than three decades ago, even though he'd never so much as stepped foot in here before. As he walked quietly through the open double door frame, the remnants of the wooden doors long turned to dust, he mused on how a place he'd never been could have created a being who'd go on to cause him so much trouble.

Making his way up the rickety stairs all the way to the top floor, he would walk passed several burnt-out bedrooms until he reached the one on the end. The door to this one, somehow, had remained intact and the plaque on it even remained readable.

"Rarr," He murmured out loud, his voice coming through his helmet's vox modulator as that of a toneless machine. With a single kick, he forced it open and entered the room. It didn't take long for him to find what he was looking for-a foot locker still intact at the foot of a child's bed. Pulling it open, he would look down at its contents-his expression hidden by his helmet. Good, it was all there. Quickly, he gathered up what he'd come for and stepped back out into the hall. He gave the room one last look before he left, speaking out loud once more.

"See you soon."

Beltran Rarr Valkren Calderon​

 

[Beltran Rarr]

Kashyyyk, Antarian Ranger Headquarters
​

Lieutenant Beltran Rarr walked through the busy hallways of Ranger Command, clad in his dark blue BDU's. A pair of non-coms saluted him as he walked passed each muttering a perfunctory "sir," as he returned it. The Lorrdian was still getting used to being an officer. At first, he'd hated it. He'd never wanted to take responsibility of anyone other than himself. But after Kintan, and most recently Mandalore, he'd slowly begun to feel a shift in his attitude. There were challenges to being a leader that he hadn't anticipated. It was more than babysitting recruits. He had a say now, albeit a small one, in how operations were planned. He had latitude to make decisions on the ground that he hadn't had as a Specialist. As it turned out, in addition to the responsibility, he also now had freedom.

But it wasn't freedom that brought him to the Command Wing of the Antarian Rangers today. It was responsibility, an old responsibility. Something that he had preferred to forget, hoping that it would never rise again to make itself a problem. He had only arrived back on Kashyyyk last night, following a three-week long leave he'd taken to Denon following his return from Mandalore. He hadn't even intended to check his messages until this morning, but the terminal on his desk was already open when he had entered.

And there, on the screen, was the responsibility that he had hoped never to have to face. It had stared at him, a few lines of simple text and a video. It seemed such a little thing, but it had completely changed Beltran's life forever.

Arriving at the office he needed, Beltran opened the single wooden door and made his way into the reception area. A young human woman, wearing similar BDU's and long blond hair wrapped up in a tight, professional bun, looked up at him. She had Sergeant bars on her arm and a no-nonsense expression on her face.

"What can I do for you, sir?" She asked.

"I need to speak with Commander Calderon." Beltran replied simply.

"The Commander is on a coms call right now, Lieutenant." The Sergeant replied. "And I don't see you on the registrar as having an appointment."

"That would be because I don't have an appointment, Sergeant." Beltran said slowly. "Please buzz the Commander and tell him that Lieutenant Rarr is here and that it is urgent."

"Define urgent, Lieutenant." She answered back, her tone that of iron.

"Urgent as in urgent, Sergeant."

She was too much of a professional to sigh audibly, but Beltran detected equal parts weariness and irritation in her body language as she keyed the intercom that connected her with Calderon. "I'm sorry, Commander." She said. "But I have a Lieutenant Rarr here for you. He says that it's urgent."

Valkren Calderon

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Valkren forced the spent cigarette down into its ash tray forcefully, twisting it as he did so to make sure the ember was properly put out. He'd lean back into his chair after taking his hand away, diverting his attention back to the two holo-figures that were beyond the desk. The figure projected on the right side resembled an average sized Duros, sporting almost shining brass across his chest pinned to a cleanly pressed dress uniform from the Antarian Rangers. The officer held a firm posture, with both hands clasped behind his back to give the idea that he was in fact- prim and proper.

Valk' knew all too well that his certain fleet officer wasn't prim and proper for whatever family-raised history he had, but more so for the image it portrayed of him. Many knew this particular officer to be more of a glory hog than anything.

Still, he held rank..

The figure to the left, which fazed in and out intermittently, was almost completely armored head-to-toe in katarn plating similar to that of the Antarian Rangers, but altered in several different ways. The major notifiable feature was the mechanical prosthetic arm that had replaced a missing right limb, this figure had the mechanical limb folded over its plated chest with its other arm. The gaze of the armored figure seemed directed at the projection of the fleet officer, awaiting a response.

"Like I stated before..Commander: the marines from the atlas are an effective task force that can be used as assets in your siege. It would be a more viable option to have them with your rangers at the front-" He'd motion across the room to their armored counterpart, before continuing on. "If we use my fighters to cover the refugees evacuation you'll surely have a stronger fighting force in your approach to your goal."

Valkren leaned forward to the desk, fishing out a cigarette after fiddling with the pack for a moment while the officer spoke. The almost distorted voice of the armored figure came through, with his voice also brought the sounds of shelling and explosions in the distance.

"With all due respect brother, flyboy' over here just wants to protect his fighters from the defense systems.. But we're gunna' need those birds for air support when things get hot. Besides, the commander obviously knows that those civilians need ground-side support to get out of there!"

The armored figure cut out, this time for a few extra moments. A moment longer- and the two others in the meeting might have gotten concerned about the situation where the ranger was situated. After the feed cut back to life they could breath easier.

Before Valkren could offer an answer to his allies, or light his freshly acquired cigarette for that matter, an alert from his secretary came through.

"I'm sorry, Commander. But I have a Lieutenant Rarr here for you. He says that it's urgent."

The commander quickly pushed back from his desk, sticking the cigarette behind his ear before walking around to the front of the desk so he'd be closer to the others. "Gentlemen, I'll be in contact with you." After this, the two figures vanished and the room lit up automatically as to adjust to no projections being present.

"Send him up, and don't hesitate next time." He spoke into the communications system before moving back to his chair pulling the top section of the BDUs he had resting on the back of the char so he could put it back on before seeing his friend.

Beltran Rarr

 

[Beltran Rarr]

Beltran stepped into Valkren Calderon 's office a few moments later. Generally speaking, the Lorrdian treated his friend with the deference that the gap between their ranks required. It wouldn't do for a mere Lieutenant to be seen palling around with the Commander of the Antarian Rangers, but in private Beltran had grown to know Valkren well enough that he let some of the formality drop. So as he approached his friend's desk, he didn't snap to attention and salute. Instead, as he came to parade rest.

"Thank you for seeing me, Commander." The Lorrdian said, meaning it even though he'd known that his admittance had been a forgone conclusion. "I'll make this as brief as I can. When we met on Alaris Prime, I agreed to join the Rangers and fight alongside you until the time came when I needed to move on. While I've been here, I've learned a lot from you and the other Rangers. Last night, I received a message from my homeworld. It is one that I must answer in person, and I suspect that I will not be in any condition to return once I've done so." He didn't add that he suspected he wouldn't be able to return because he would be dead. Instead, he let the implication of that hang in the air for a moment before continuing. "So, it is for this reason that I must tender my resignation to the Antarian Rangers, effective immediately."

Though his voice remained calm and even, Beltran was surprised to find that he felt a slight lurch in side of him as he spoke these words. His time in the Rangers had started out as a simple convenience, but over time it had become something more. It had begun to feel like home. More so, he mused, than any place he'd been since leaving Lorrd.

"I wanted to inform you in person," He said. "And to...thank you for all the opportunities that you've afforded me."

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Well..Looks like I will be needing this..

The commander reached back up for the cigarette. The flame from his lighter sparked several times over before it maintained a constant ember to light the object in between his fingers

Valkren had always known that Beltran's staying with the rangers was very much on a timed schedule. Even if he was contract-bound, the commander couldn't help but hope his new found friend would have found a place to call home with the rangers. Yet- everyone walked a different path, Valk' just had a habit of forgetting that not everyone walked his path.

Not everyone had the same death sentence.

The image of Lieutenant Rarr flying through the air towards a Sith Beast back on Kintan flashed through his mind, prompting him to take a drag from the stick while he listened on. A brow cocked on his face at the words '..not be in any condition to return..' and rightly so, but the commander let him continue til the end of his statement.

He'd make use of a free finger to rub something clear from his eye before releasing a sigh.

"Beltran- You have been, and always will be, a friend I'd love nothing more than to share a foxhole with." For him, that was rare. The rarity was the longevity of a friend's life in combat, yet here he was. "Despite the fact, I know you have other things other than whatever the kark our objective here might be... Your team will miss you, and so will the Silver Jedi as a whole..I'll miss you, Lieutenant."

He pushed back in his chair, letting it lean back as far as possible before continuing with his response. It certainly wasn't a comfortable situation, but Valkren felt as if something else was off. Something that he might be able to run with..

"Now that you've got me get all sweet and emotional, I suppose Its only right I tell you this." He chuckled, taking another drag from the cigarette before discarding it in the ashtray with the multitude of others. He brought his gaze back to his friend, almost staring right through him for the moment while he pondered his next words.

"I might have had alitttttle' bit of an involvement in your duration here with the rangers," Valkren used his index and thumb to represent a tiny space for emphasis, "You first leading a squad, to your involvement with your personal team."

He then cracked a slight smile behind his beard, "Lieutenant Rarr sure does have a nice ring to it doesn't it?"

The commander gave a sudden shrug, not wanting to let the usually silent warrior speak before finishing. He placed his hands onto the desk and pushed himself into a standing position.

"So now I've told you the truth. Think you might be able to do the same, brother? You say you won't be in the condition to return?"

Beltran Rarr

 

[Beltran Rarr]

Beltran nodded.

The revelation that Valkren Calderon had been a major contributor to his promotion hadn't really been that much of a revelation. With the exception of the Commander, Beltran was aware that he was almost universally disliked by the senior leadership of the Antarian Rangers. Part of that dislike stemmed from the brass' suspicions that Beltran was somehow tied up in illegal, or at least ethically questionable, business dealings outside of the Rangers. A bigger factor was that they had never been able to prove it.

Generals, in Beltran's experience, didn't like not getting their way.

But probably the most aggravating factor for them was the fact that Beltran was proving to be an exceptionally effective asset. First as an operator in Calderon's old special forces unit the 'Radama Raiders', and now as the commander of his own ops force: Icarus Platoon. In short, the Rangers' leadership were coming to understand what Calderon had already known all that time ago on Alaris Prime: They needed someone like Beltran Rarr.

Then Calderon asked for the truth.

Beltran had known that this conversation had been coming for some time, even before the message he'd received the night before. The other aspects of his life couldn't remain a secret forever, so in walking into Calderon's office he had made a choice to open up to the man.

"You know that I come from Lorrd," He began. "And between what I've mentioned in passing, the circumstances of our meeting on Alaris and what you might have been able to find from Lorrdian authorities prior to its fall to the Sith if you had gone looking, you can probably guess that I was involved in some criminal dealings there."

"I was a enforcer for a crime group based in Lorrd's Capital City called the Crinaldi Crime Family. They called me Mr. Night, because I liked to use stealth to take down my targets." Beltran shrugged. He'd always kind of hated the moniker, deeming it a little unoriginal, but nicknames rarely changed because the person so named didn't like them. "The family's patriarch, Saltore Crinaldi found me living on the streets in a southern city called New Shallos. I was probably about fourteen, an orphan, and running with a tat-ganger group called the Ravens. Anyway, Saltore had sent his son, Vincente, to pick up some product from the Ravens when he was ambushed by a rival gang called the Vultures."

"My boys all bugged out, having already made the hand-off and gotten paid-leaving Vincente to a more or less to certain death. I guess I wanted to prove myself, so I got involved and helped Vincente fight his way out. I went back with him to the Capital and we became close. His father took me into their household, gave me an education, money and trained me to fight. I looked to Saltore as the father I'd never known, and to Vincente as the brother I'd never had. I fought for them. I killed for them. And I was good at it."

"Time went on, and Vincente became jealous of me. He felt as if I was usurping him in the eyes of his father and the other elders. So he disappeared." By this point, Beltran wasn't really thinking about protocol anymore so he took a seat without asking and continued. "We figured he'd gone off world, and he had. He'd gone straight to the Hutts." This last word, Beltran all but spat with disgust. "We weren't good people, Valkren. We're not the heroes in this story. We stole, we sold illicit substances, we smuggled and we murdered. But we were still Lorrdians, and one thing Lorrdians don't do is slavery. The Hutt Cartels had tried to move on Lorrd any number of a thousand times in the past, and each time they'd been sent packing. But in his anger and jealousy, Vincente betrayed that. He built his own organization with money and support from the Hutts and he returned. He went to war with his father, with the other families and he burned it all down. He killed everyone. Except me. I got away, made it off world and disappeared as he had."

"I found some work on Jakku and a few other places, Tatooine as well. Built up enough of a reputation to get noticed and headed to Nar Shadda. If the Hutts had burned down everything I had loved, I would do the same to them. I was working for one of them as a fixer. He sent me to Alaris Prime to kill a certain Trandoshan Pirate you may remember before you and yours could get a hold of him. There I met you and you offered me work, which I took because at first because it was better than rotting in a Silver prison cell. I stayed because it gave me some disposable income to fund other ventures. One of those being my silent takeover of Obsidian Star Technologies on Denon. You might recognize that name, because they are the ones who manufacture the upgraded Katarn armor we now wear, and a good portion of our new weapons. Let's just say, while thinking up and producing new and better ways to kill Sith I also may have gotten ridiculously rich...like I could probably buy my own moon rich. And you can probably buy your own moon rich as well."

From inside his BDU pocket, Beltran produced what appeared to be an Obsidian Star Technologies high level executive ID card. It didn't have a name attached to it, but it looked very high-tech. He slid it across the desk. "This keycard grants you access to any level on any of the companies installations, including our headquarters on Denon. There is an office set aside for you there if you ever find you have need of it and unlimited access to the company's expense account. I've also encrypted the locations to several dead drops, which contain the flimsiplast documents naming you as my successor in the event of my death or a disappearance longer than two years. The current CEO, Debbis Endo will be expecting you in the coming weeks."

"He's capable of handling the day to day, and generally loyal so long as you threaten him from time to time." Taking a breath, Beltran pushed on. "Anyway, the reason all of this is happening now rather than at a more convenient time is that I received a message last night from someone who could only be Vincente. It was just footage of the orphanage where I lived before joining the Ravens. He was standing in my old room and had some of my old possessions. Things that I'd thought I'd lost decades ago. All that remains of my parents. It was a challenge, a dare for me to return and face him. And I am going."

"He was the best fighter I'd ever seen, and possibly the only man that I expect could take me down with ease. Though hopefully I've picked up a few tricks since then... At any rate, I probably won't live through the encounter. So...that's basically it."

Sitting back, Beltran regarded his friend evenly and allowed the Commander all time he would need to process all this new information.

Valkren Calderon

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Valkren was not surprised at the mention of his criminal dealings back on Lorrd. It was clear to the commander who exactly he was recruiting when he met Rarr on Alaris Prime. The commander shifted in his standing position, his posture almost noticeably relaxed now that his friend was telling him what he truthfully wanted to hear.

It was correct that Commander Calderon had attempted to pull as many strings as possible directly after the recruitment of Beltran, simply to dig up some solid knowledge of what he held in his past. Even then- intel could only go so far. Plus after he had grown closer to Rarr, it made Valk' feel guilty for attempting to find out what the man might not have wanted him to know- so he backed off.

Still, he had hoped a time where Beltran would need to tell him the truth would arise- just not like this.

He could see it all unfold as Rarr spoke it into exsistance. It seemed as if it could have been ripped straight from some holo-drama his mother and sister would watch back at Alderaan in between chores. From growing up on the streets, to rescuing a families son to prove one's own worth, only to become a part of that said family. Yet this was much more real opposed to some drama on the net- this had been Beltran's life.

His friend's life

What actually did take him by surprise though- was the man's description of his takeover of Obsidian Star Technologies, the surprise obvious in his eyes as the commander glanced over towards the three sets of armor that were on display behind the two holoprojectors in the room. The first set was an obvious homage to his Galactic Republic days, the second a set of mark one Katarn armor which he used when first joining the rangers, the third happened to be the Obsidian Star Technology produced Katarn plating that the rangers widely used now.

One thing that Valkren couldn't quite grasp though..If Beltran had gained so much wealth in his time here- why now? Why not leave as soon as his takeover of Obsidian Star was complete. The question that bounced around in his head was soon answered by Rarr. A direct call out from the one he had originally saved.

He watched as he slid the Identification card across the table, Valkren's fingertips tapping as he thought about his next set of words. His face seemed somewhat blank behind his beard after the surprise from the Obsidian Star comment wavered.

After several silent moments of thinking, he reached his hand to the identification card and pulled it into the top drawer of his desk. Soon after shutting the drawer he'd press the intercom to reconnect with the secretary of this branch of the command wing.

"Have Lieutenant Harris pick up a package from my office- Top drawer of my desk, it's to be delivered to my mother and sister at Silver's housing." He released his finger from the intercom and glanced back up at his friend, his brow furrowed as if he was still had at thought.

At this point, he had really already made up his mind.

"When do we leave?"

Valkren never really considering the danger of his life when charging down the ramp of a gunship, or bracing for impact in the coffin-like-shape of a drop pod..The next few moments after had always been about the combat, and more importantly: the survival of his team. If the mission was to be his end, then so be it. He would still be sure that at least some of his soldiers would make it beyond the breach, out of the kill zone, and into the objective.

This would be no different.. If Beltran denied his request to come along- then he would explain to the best of his ability that he simply wouldn't take no for an answer. Twelve years of constant fighting for the commando, and he was almost sure this wouldn't be the end.

For either of them..

Beltran Rarr

 

[Beltran Rarr]

Beltran could see the silent battle that was occurring within his friend as his story finally came out. It was slight changes, second to second, in Valkren Calderon 's body language that told him that the other man was working hard trying to decide something. Beltran figured that Valkren was simply trying to decide whether or not to allow him to go, or to arrest him, so he was surprised when the other man made the choice to go with him.

Surprise wasn't a feeling that Beltran felt very often, but in this case it was welcome. So often within his life he'd been betrayed by those he'd allowed himself to trust. It was nice, for once, to have his trust and faith rewarded.

"I have a ship prepped and ready to go, crewed by contractors that I trust to be discrete." He replied after a moment. "I was planning on leaving immediately, but if you require more time we can leave in the morning."

Beltran would wait for his friend's answer. Whenever Valkren was able to leave, Beltran would give him the docking information for the Shadowfax, a brand-new fresh off the line Specter-Class Stealth Transport that had been recently making its way, slowly, into use with the Silver Navy. Beltran would arrive at the assigned docking bay a few minutes early in order to meet with the crew.

"Damn baldy!" Called out the familiar voice of Jost Cal Dayne, the almost comically short and rotund Corellian gambler and degenerate who had been the long time co-pilot and friend of the ship's pilot, the excessively large Wookiee space captain, Lupewaurreg. "The hell happened to you?!"

Beltran hadn't seen, or even really spoken with, either of the beings since he'd been kidnapped and held at a secret location for more than a year. They had been the ones who'd actually flown him to Alaris Prime for the fateful mission that had brought Beltran and Valkren together. They'd also, through happenstance, had fought with him on the front line when the Sith had attacked Kashyyyk. They were honorable beings, as much as any were truly honorable.

"I had a slight disagreement with some want-to-be surgeons." Beltran replied evenly, referencing the strange and still somewhat unknowable cybernetic implants that had been forced upon him while he'd been held captive.

Lupewaurreg moaned low and growled, expressing his hope that Beltran had made them pay.

"Not yet," Beltran told the Wookiee. "But soon. One vendetta at a time."

"I gotta say," Jost spoke after a second of silence. "This ship is a beauty, much better than that other piece of junk that you had us flying the last time."

The "other piece of junk" was Beltran's other ship, The Imperialis, a replica off the personal yacht of one Sith Emperor Palpatine who'd ruled over the galaxy centuries earlier. He'd found it on Jakku, in an ancient bunker and it had served him well enough for the earliest parts of his career. Now it sat in a hangar bay on Denon until the Lorrdian could find the time to upgrade it's dangerously aged power distribution system.

"I'll have you know," Beltran replied shortly. "That ship is a classic."

"Yeah yeah," Cal Dayne responded, not even a little bit cowed. "Classic is just another word for old. Anyway, you good to go? Your buddy is already here and inside."

Beltran crooked his eyebrow a little. "What...buddy?" He asked, knowing that Valkren hadn't arrived yet.

"Just me, El Tee." A familiar voice sounded from the top of the boarding ramp. Leaning against a wall with his arms crossed stood Specialist Paxton Reece from Icarus platoon. "I heard you were leaving, something about a life or death mission to kill some badass or another. Wasn't about to let you leave me here with all the goody-goods."

Beltran opened his mouth to ask just how Reece had gotten that information, but then he closed it again. The Nar Shaddan native just might be the only man Beltran had ever met that was better at gathering information he wasn't supposed to have than he was.

"Plus," Reece added. "Seems like a chance to blow some poodoo up."

When Reece wasn't dealing death sticks on the side, he was Icarus platoon's demolitions expert. The man had a knack for making things go boom that had left the Lorrdian in awe on more than one occasion. He would definitely be an asset.

"Alright," He told the Specialist. "You can come too."

With that, Beltran proceeded up the ramp and began to get everything ready. In addition to all the normal amenities that the Specter ship came with, Beltran had had an armory installed. It contained multiples of every weapon that Obsidian Star made as well as sets of each of it's armors in addition to several crates of various types of explosives.

He would wait for Valkren to arrive and then the group would begin their journey.