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„Check your clips and hold fast, we´re going in!“, Crash yelled just a second before he corrected the LAART/i´s trajectory into a steep decent to evade the incoming missile, the projectile exploding just a few feet away from them and making the Republic gunship lurch sideways.
Fox cursed underneath his breath, his hold on the handle above him tightening even more as he used his other hand to keep Helio, a young trooper freshly transferred to the Guard because of an injury he´d sustained in a skirmish while fighting under commander Bly, upright.
“One hell of a first day, huh, Thire?”, Fox heard Thorn´s voice chuckle over the comms, just as another explosion made the LAART/i lurch sideways again.
“One could say so, commander.”, Thire answered, his shoulder bumping into Fox´s as Crash, the pilot, corrected the vessel´s trajectory again.
Fox just huffed. By now he should´ve gotten used to the shit Coruscant was throwing at them everyday and yet he found himself wondering once again if the universe had it out for him. Only yesterday night he´d promoted Thire to commander and just a few hours later a gang war had broken out on level 4378.
Sure, Thire was a capable soldier – that had been the reason why he´d promoted him in the first place – but Fox hadn´t had time to train the younger man nearly enough to really prepare him for his new role. And now – thanks to those gangs – they had an all hands on deck situation.
So yeah, Fox was pretty sure the universe had it out for him – for all of them.
“Approaching landing zone.”, the pilot reported, giving Fox the opportunity to give his final set of orders.
“Thorn, Stone. You take the western and southern quadrant. Thire and I will take the northern and eastern one. Stay together, find and eliminate the gang leaders. And be careful, they are in possession of a rather large weapons arsenal. Rendezvous at coordinates 34 point 82. Medical extraction team?”
“On standby.”, Flatline reported over the comms.
“Alright. Let´s do this, brothers.”, Thorn bellowed, so loudly that Fox´s comm nearly shortened out. Karking menace.
“Ready weapons.”, Fox ordered, feeling the LAART/i change its trajectory once more.
They touched down, the doors opened and they stormed outside, Fox leading them onto what was only to be described as a field of slaughter littered in debris, dirt and corpses. So much for only frontliners seeing battle fields.
“Alpha squad on me, Beta squad on Thire. Move it!”, Fox yelled, charging forward and using the debris as cover.
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The following fight could only be described as one giant slaughter, gang members not only fighting against and killing each other but also turning on the Guard.
The firefight was short but intense and left the Guard with more than three dozen wounded and luckily only one casualty, but they had done it, they had arrested most of the gangs´ thugs and just now Thorn reported over the comms that they´d managed to eliminate the leader of one gang.
“Copy that.”, Fox answered, making sure that the injured men were taken care of and helped them get into the LAART/i evacuating them, when suddenly another voice came through the comms.
“Fox, this is Thire.”, the freshly promoted commander said, his tone slightly stressed, “We´ve got movement in quadrant 53 point 3. Suspecting gang activities and…”
Thire´s voice got cut of by a blaster shot and before Fox knew it he was already running, his feet flying over debris and dead gang members.
Now he was not only hearing the shot fired through the comm but also heard them echo through the air. Thire was only a few streets away from his position. They had checked the perimeter before, how had this criminal scum been able to hide from them? How had they been able to lure Thire and his men into an ambush? Why had it had to be Thire? Sweet, young Thire with a heart of gold! He had to get to him fast!
Fox raced around a corner, DC-17 drawn only to freeze in his tracks. Because in front of him was Thire, the young commander kneeling helmetless on the ground and standing behind him was no other than the gang leader they´d been searching for, pointing a blaster at the back of Thire´s head.
“Drop it.”, the gang leader snarled, his clawed hand gesturing at Fox´s weapon, “Or I´ll blow out his brains.”
“Don´t, Fox!”, Thire exclaimed, only to grunt in pain when the gang leader delivered a vicious kick to his back, making the young trooper land face first on the hard concrete before the crime lord pulled him up by the collar of his blacks again.
Fox grimaced, then – slowly – he lowered his weapon. But he didn´t drop it.
“What do you want?”, the Guard´s commander asked, knowing exactly what the criminal was aiming at. This shabuir surely wanted to use Thire as a leverage to get out of here alive and free.
“I want a speeder and safe conduct. Now!”, the gang leader demanded and to emphasize his demand he shoved the barrel of his blaster against the back of Thire head with such force that the clone´s head got jolted forward.
Just like Fox´d thought. Those criminals were so predictable. Not that that made this hostage situation any easier.
Kark! He couldn´t give the criminal what he was asking for, he couldn´t let him get away or his men would pay the price for it. But he didn´t have a clear shot and he wouldn´t risk to accidentally hit Thire…
“Hey!”, a loud female voice exclaimed and through the door of the brothel left to the hostage taker stepped a Twilek lady. A beautiful, green tanned woman – holding a rather large shotgun in her hands, the weapon pointed at the gang leader. “Hands up, scum!”
The criminal gave her an derogatory look, an ugly snarl playing around his lips as he huffed. “I don´t take orders from anyone, especially not from whores.”
The Twilek hissed angrily. “Well, too bad!”
And before Fox could even ask the lady to step back two shots rang in rapid succession.
“Thire!”, Fox exclaimed, forgetting everything around him when he saw Thire double over, clutching the side of his neck. No, no, no, no, no! Not Thire!
“Stay with me Thire, stay with me!”, Fox pleaded, the plastoid of his knee armor crunching as it hit the pavement, “Thire!”
“Ow, Fox!”, the young commander groaned, using his unoccupied hand to swat Fox´s hands away before he straightened his posture, “It´s not that bad, see?” Thire lifted his hand from his neck to reveal an angry line of burned flesh shine through the molten blacks. “ ´bastard just glanced me.”
Kark, the gang leader! Fox had been so occupied with Thire that he´d almost forgotten about him.
But when he looked over to the criminal all his panic vanished into nothing because standing above the gang leader was no other than the green Twilek, shotgun leaning on her shoulder still smoking, while she spit on the pavement next to the corpse of the criminal.
“Didn´t think I´d do it, huh?”, she huffed, showing her sharp teeth as he delivered a nasty kick at the dead body, “Well, ya shouldn´t have messed with us.”
Satisfied with herself she turned away from the corpse, her eyes falling on Fox and Thire, the latter just stumbling back to his feet.
“Sorry to bust ya op.”, she said, shrugging nonchalantly, “But asshole here was causing trouble.”
Fox and Thire just stared at her.
“Ya look like shit. Come, we´ve stuff to patch ya up.”, she continued, giving them an amused grin.
Thire gave Fox a look.
“Why would you want to help us? And why did you rescue my friend?”, Fox asked carefully, eyeing the lady thoroughly.
The Twilek sexworker laughed. “Like I said. Asshole was causing trouble. And after all, the trash of Coruscant has to stick together, right?” She winked at them, her words carrying no heat, no hate, just sadness.
Fox was unable to answer something, so Thire stepped up, offering the lady his hand. “I am Thire. And this is Fox.”, he introduced them to her.
“Call me Gida.”, she answered, taking his hand and giving it a strong shake, “Now come, ya wouldn´t want to miss dinner. Sinya´s a good cook, you´ll love her stew.”
So both of the Coruscant Guards followed her and Fox found himself asking himself how they´d managed to get such an unusual ally. Not that he wasn´t happy about it.
It was a war. He would accept any help. Any ally.