Blaster & Blade 2: Worlds Collide

Chapter 12

Mal'dar

17 BBY

The new ship came out of hyperspace and flew towards Geonosis. It was a Guardian 344-class Light Cruiser. He had purchased it from the empire through the bounty hunters' guild. It had cost him well over a million and a half credits to purchase it and have it modified but it was perfect. Mal'dar called her, Ka'ra Yaim, Star Home. The crew had taken to calling her Kaya. The huts hadn't liked Mal'dar insisting that they wait until Kaya was finished but he had managed to persuade them by taking a pay cut. It would be worth it, business with the Hutts would mean work outside of Jedi hunting, which was spotty at best.

Mal'dar watched as Khura walked around the ship gazing at everything wide-eyed. "Khura," called Mal'dar.

She turned to him and walked toward him before hugging his leg and giggling. Mal'dar grinned and hefted her up, "You're getting big," he proclaimed.

"Mama," said Khura looking at him with eyes that were emerald green like his own. She grasped her tiny horns, "Mama," she repeated smiling.

Mal'dar picked her up and sit her in his crib, "No, no mama," whispered Mal'dar.

Khura smiled up at him obvious to the pain in Mal'dar.

Then the alarm began to blare and Mal'dar sprinted to the cockpit. He sat down in the co-pilot's seat, as Ras, rapidly pressed buttons. "What is it?!" yelled Mal'dar.

"Incoming TIE-fighters!" yelled Ras silencing the alarm.

Mal'dar looked at the sensor and his heart skipped a beat. Dozens of fighters, bombers, even cruisers moved towards them. Mal'dar activated the coms, "We are bounty hunters on Hutt business, we aren't here to fight you!"

Blast struck the ship which rocked wildly. Mal'dar looked at Ras, "Get us out of here!"

Ras spun the wheel narrowing her golden eyes as she did. The ship turned, the side thrusters that had cost quite a bit, more than pulling their weight. Blast continued to strike the ship which continued to rock, but the shields held.

"SLY, KAYSLEE GET TO THE ENGINES MAKE SURE THEY DON'T GO OUT IF THEIR HIT!" roared Mal'dar.

He heard Kayslee slithering away and Mal'dar began programming coordinates into the navicomputer. Ras put as much speed as possible into the engines and they zoomed forward, seemly the entire empire chased after them.

"Can we jump yet?!" yelled Ras.

"Not yet," said Mal'dar through gritted teeth.

The sensor began beeping wildly again and they looked at it. It appeared that they had several proton torpedoes speeding towards them. Ras tried to increase power to the engine but it was already maxed out. "Now?" she asked.

"Not yet," said Mal'dar.

"The engines can't keep up this speed much longer," said Kayslee over the coms.

The sensor beeped as the torpedos got closer.

The heating warning for the engine began to beep.

"Let off the engine before it blows!" yelled Kayslee.

"NOW?!" asked Ras.

The navicomputer beeped. "NOW!" yelled Mal'dar.

Ras yanked back the lever and they shot into hyperspace. She fell back in her chair and let out a long exhale. "What is the empire doing on Geonosis?"

"I don't know," said Mal'dar.

Mal'dar was cleaning his blaster trying to think when Ras walked up to him. "You'll want to see this," she said.

She led him to the holotable which projected Geonosis and it's moons.

"Notice anything weird?" she asked.

"No," said Mal'dar squinting at each moon and the planet itself.

Ras pressed a button and the holotable shrunk the hologram, then projected another one also of Geonosis and it's moons.

"What about now?" asked Ras.

Mal'dar narrowed his eyes but he still didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. "What are you talking about?"

"It's lost a moon," she said pointing to one in the old hologram.

Mal'dar pointed to a moon that was closest to the planet in the new hologram. "It's just moved, probably always does that".

Ras pressed a button, Geonosis lit up and some of the moons did. The moon Mal'dar had pointed to shone so brightly that Mal'dar had to avert his gaze from it. "Doesn't explain why it has enough energy in it to power a planet".