The Great War • Hunter

46.The Empire Doesn't Give Two Bantha Kicks

Night had come.

    The village had fallen victim to the Trandoshans' deforestation project, supported by the Galactic Empire. All buildings were burnt to the ground, ashes blowing in the breeze. Alona sensed the tragic ending of the living things from this small village. There was no longer a single soul in the ruins of the ash and smoke. The burnt wood scent was strong, haunting.

    Gungi walked ahead of the squad, examining the extent of the damage for himself.

    Hunter bent down and ran his gloved fingers across the indented soil, long tracks left behind from a machine of some kind. "Tanks came through here. The Empire incinerated the entire village."

    Gungi fell to his knees in the center of the ghosted village, dropping his head while grieving for the losses. Omega walked up beside him, leaning close to talk with him privately.

    Alona clenched her fists angrily, her eyes darkening. The level of hatred and heartlessness someone had to have to do something like this was unfathomable. Palpatine was a monster. Anyone who actively supported the Empire was a monster. Tarkin, Vader, Rampart, they were all monsters.

There was an aggressive rumbling past the small hill, catching the attention of everyone standing in the ashes of the village. The adults immediately went running in front of the kids, mostly Omega because Gungi had years of Jedi training in him, and prepared themselves for what they were about to come across.

Alona was the first up the hill, crouching down to hide in the milk grass and syren plants. Hunter and the others quickly joined her, camouflaged by the plants.

Flames were ablaze in the ancient forests of Wroshyr trees, the ground doused in the orange flames. Alona spotted a trandoshan equipped with a blaster, escorting a Wookiee hostage.

Hunter turned to Tech in confusion. "How did trandoshans get their hands on Imperial tanks?" He questioned.

Alona blinked, sucking in a breath. "News flash, the Empire doesn't give two bantha kicks about a single person in the galaxy except for themselves. They supplied the trandoshans with the tanks." She explained sharply.

The squad watched a trandoshan aim the tank at a plethora of ancient stones, burning them down and destroying any evidence that they were ever there.

    The hostage Wookiee growled and screamed in protest, slamming his shoulder into the trandoshan, who pulls out a whip and strikes the hostage aggressively.

    Alona flinched and choked on air, staring at the ground uncomfortably. How many times had she been struck with the same strength? Too many times to count, that was for sure. And she would be sure to not let this Wookiee feel the same way she had, like his only purpose was to act as an object, a piece of property.

    Before the others knew what she was doing, Alona had jumped up and pulled out her lightsaber, ignited the gray blade and had darted down the hill.

    But Gungi had done the same, running down with his lightsaber to put an end to this objectifying group of sentients.

    This was personal for both of them.

    Alona immediately took down the trandoshan with the whip, impaling him through his chest, and then gently broke the clasps of the Wookiee's cuffs. Gungi had engaged the trandoshan in the tank, driving his saber deep into the engine of the machine while deflecting bolts from the enemy's blaster.

    The Wookiee, now freed, ran for the woods, away from the chaos.

    Hunter, Echo, Tech, Wrecker, and Omega emerged from the hill, assisting in taking down the stray trandoshans after being left out of the Force-users' plans.