Survivor's Guilt - Choices - 2

–– Chapter II ––

Commander Karus Vorlan was a patient officer. He never complained about slow progress and never punished the men under his command for sloppy work. When the situation had become clear and the battle for survival imminent, he had calmly given the orders to start digging trenches and set up a command post. When some of his men hadn't done their part of the work neither quickly nor efficiently enough, he hadn't punished them.

After all, he hadn't had to punish them. The enemy forces seemed more than happy to do it, because every time a flaw popped up in the Imperial lines, people died. Commander Vorlan considered it unethical to punish someone, whose demise was already certain. And, of course, wasn't it certain already, that everyone's demise would come one day?

Maybe seconds ago, maybe hours, he had thought the renegade forces were finally going to break through his last line of defense – Ridget's Surrender, they called it. The Commander couldn't even begin to comprehend the number of times it had come to fighting there, where even one step back would mean certain defeat.

Every time, something had saved them. Now would be no different.

Three meteor-like gunships were descending towards the battlefield with what seemed a determination so fierce, it had captivated the entire sky. Green laser bolts from the renegade forces' anti-aircraft guns and TIE starfighters were hopelessly bombarding the three meteors, as if trying to crush the Imperials' last hope of survival.

Hope, however, was one of those things that just wouldn't die.

Commander Vorlan let a pleased smile spread through his face. His second-in-command knew that look all too well. "Now, commander?" He asked, a bit anxious himself.

Vorlan measured the incoming gunships for a moment longer, as if making sure they were really there. He then nodded confidently. "Now, lieutenant. Launch our starfighters and order the counteroffensive. The day will yet be won."

--

"Everyone ready?" Jarkiv asked hurriedly. Time was running out fast. Very fast. "Come on, vode, ten more seconds and we become debris."

That was, more or less, directed at the two Mandalorians opposing Jarkiv. He doubted neither Roya nor Burk'yc in the slightest, but he had been fighting next to them for as long as he could remember. The other two soldiers were an unusual unknown.

"Ready for what, exactly?" Chaab asked doubtfully. "Is there an escape pod on this thing or something?"

Roya snorted. "How about a shuttle?"

"He can do without the sarcasm, ner vod," Burk'yc said calmly. "Save it for the aruetiise."

Jarkiv nodded and turned his eyes to Kaden Magol, the other Mandalorian in their gunship. He was just sitting calmly, arms crossed – ready for anything. Kaden gave Jarkiv a determined nod and grabbed his blaster rifle from the bench. Less than a heartbeat later, Burk'yc hit the emergency lock and the gunship's ramp dropped.

It was a good thing everyone was ready. They didn't even have time to get up.

Their bodies got sucked out of the gunship in an instant and for a moment – brilliant irony in the making – it seemed as if they were flying, because they were going up and the gunship – down. A few seconds later, though, they realized the Prudii was just falling faster than them. So fast, in fact, that Mav – the ship's daring pilot – almost didn't have time to aim it towards the enemy lines before ejecting out of the burning wreck.

Almost, however, didn't cut it for the unfortunate renegades bellow. As if on cue, the three man-made meteors crashed into the opposing army's ranks, slowing their advance. Jarkiv couldn't help smirking at the fact the three Mandalorian pilots had aimed the ships towards the enemy lines the second laser fire had started hitting them. Teach you to give us an osik'la welcome, he thought.

The five Mandalorians opened their parachutes in almost perfect synchrony, slowing their descent and giving them a little time to take in the battlefield – and maybe a little too much time to wonder what would happen if a laser bolt hit any of them, as the rain of green-colored laser fire had only decreased – three gunships couldn't really do much against defenses, specifically designed to destroy them. The battlefield looked sloppy, Jarkiv decided, with trenches everywhere and dug at different depths. It was obvious the Imperial forces hadn't planned on being stranded. For some reason, however, the enemy forces still hadn't managed to overwhelm them.

Suddenly, Jarkiv heard the distinct sound of TIE starfighter engines. As if answering his unasked question, a few squadrons of TIE fighters and bombers – aimed almost directly towards the falling Mandalorians – came into view.

"Vode, we have a-"

"Yeah, mir'sheb, we all see them," Burk'yc said, interrupting Roya. "What the osik do you want us to do about it? Shoot them out of the sky?"

Roya gave a slight shrug. "Anyone packing a rocket launcher?"

Burk'yc gave him a wry smile, even though he knew Roya couldn't see it. "I'll put mine together on the double."

They were still hundreds of meters from the ground and falling way too slowly to reach it before the TIEs would reach them. Over their shared comm line, everyone heard an angry growl and a few seconds later Kaden Magol finally spoke – yelled, really – cold determination in his voice.

"Lose the parachutes."

"Are you shabla insane?" Roya retorted sarcastically, not really interested in Magol's answer.

"Now, ner vod," Kaden roared furiously, making the words sound like an insult. "Or I'll come over there and cut yours off myself."

Just as Roya was about to welcome him to try, a silent beep – which wasn't silent, really, but over all the yelling and laser fire it sure sounded that way – caught everyone's attention. Jarkiv clicked his teeth and an unfamiliar voice cried into their helmets.

"This is lieutenant Bradger of the Imperial army," the man identified himself quickly. "We saw your gunships crash into the traitors' lines, can we assume you're on our side?"

"That depends," Roya answered before anyone else could. "Are those starfighter squadrons going to fry us unless we are?"

The following silence was way too long for comfort and the starfighters were getting closer...

"Repeat, are you friendlies or hostiles?"

Burk'yc rolled his eyes. "Keep your uniform on, lieutenant," Roya said calmly. "If we were hostiles our ships would have crashed into your lines and we wouldn't have been having this colorful conversation."

"Affirmative," came the rushed reply, there was a battle to fight after all. "You can land safely behind our lines about a klick from where you're currently-"

"Negative, lieutenant," Jarkiv interrupted readily. "Just point us at the enemy and stay out of our way."

It took the lieutenant only a few seconds to realize what kind of support, exactly, the Empire had sent. He – along with the better part of the galaxy – had heard enough stories about elite soldiers for hire to recognize the tone of one.

"You're in luck," he said wryly. "You're almost right on top of them."

And then it finally hit Jarkiv – there were TIEs flying, white-armored soldiers fighting and green laser fire being spat on both sides. The Imperials were fighting themselves.

Aruetiise, Jarkiv thought wearily, traitors.