//------------------------------// // Fighting monsters and making friends // Story: Of War and Friendship // by DocDelray //------------------------------// The members of Epsilon squad were used to getting the odd jobs the galaxy threw their way. They’d seen and done some strange things and faced down everything from Sith lords to megalomaniacal AIs that gained self awareness. But saving four legged beings from a five headed monster was a new one. Kad stood his ground, the emotionless visor of his helmet glaring into the five sets of reptilian eyes that now leveled themselves with him. Behind the mask he couldn’t help but smirk, granted it was an intimidating sight but it was also a challenge. He ventured a glance over his should at the bewildered pair of quadrupeds, offering them a quick mock-salute before lighting up an acknowledgement light on his HUD. Arkanna and Zex rose from their cover in the bushes, blaster bolts burning the creature’s hide as they fanned out into a wider formation, careful to not cross their fields of fire. The sudden appearance of more opponents threw the heads into an angry confusion sending them snapping and lunging in all directions in the hopes of snatching up at least one of the attackers. “Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah, come on you big ugly freak, get you some!!!” Arkanna excitedly taunted the monster as his weapon sent bolt after bolt of energy into the scaly hide. The confusion was all the opening the force wielding Mandalorian needed. The world around Kad seemed to move at a snail’s pace as he rushed forward into the tangle of necks and tooth-filled maws. His aim was to put this creature down quickly before this fight dragged on, all he needed was a clear shot at the wide stocky midsection. Kad’s movements were fast and fluid as he ducked and dodged through the chaos, his saber burning shallow cuts against any part of the beast that got too close. A mere four feet from his target he brought his saber up to stab into it when a stray head scored a hard blow into his side, sending the Mandalorian airborne. Kad hit the ground with a loud crack as his armor plates scraped against the rocks and dirt. What small bubble he could create at the time with the force softened what could have been a far worse fall. The landing had knocked the wind out of him, leaving him sprawled on the ground. Kad’s vision was a bit hazy but quickly returned in time to look up and see rows of sharp teeth about to clamp down on him. His hand instinctively went to ignite his saber but there was nothing, several yards away the weapon laid in the dirt. In the midst of weighing his options a sizeable stone knocked against the beast’s head just above the eye followed by two more similar blows. One jagged stone managing to dig into eye and cause enough pain for the hungry mouth to reel back in pain. Kad looked to the direction the stones came from and saw the white four legger’s horn glowed with a soft blue light, several more jagged stones floated in the air around her surrounded by this same glow. He nodded a quick thank you to her as he pushed himself back onto his feet. It dawned on Kad that she probably had the right idea - he just needed to find a bigger rock. Looking to the side Kad spotted a sizable boulder half-buried in the dirt. Holding a hand out towards it, he reached out through his mind till he felt the huge stone in his grasp. With a subtle motion it lifted itself from the ground and hung motionless in the air. His hand made a quick motion in the direction of the center head of the monster sending the boulder hurtling through the air swiftly and crashing into the targeted head. The force of the blow shattered the stone and sent the beast off balance, it tumbled backwards uncontrollably crashing onto its’ back. Kad reached out once more summoning his weapon back to his hand and igniting the energy blade once again. Tapping deeper into the force around him he leapt high into to the air. The Mandalorian warrior brought his blade downward stabbing through scale and bone as it plunged into the monster’s chest and pierced the heart. There was a loud chorus of shrill cries of pain before the whole creature went limp and lay still. Kad stood atop the massive corpse looking down at the pair of awe struck natives. There wasn’t time to drink in the thrill of victory though, “Zex, wounded.” With no hesitation the Zabrak medic made a quick beeline in the direction the flier had been thrown. His weapon quickly slung over his shoulder as he produced the suitcase-sized med case from his pack. Zex came to a sliding stop as he knelt over top of the sky blue creature as he set about examining her condition in busy silence. He paid her companions no mind as they approached the scene, the soldier was switched off and the doctor back on. Healing his patient was his only concern right now. With a heavy sigh Kad slid off the belly of his fallen foe and steadied himself against the carcass as he stumbled a bit. That heavy blow coupled with pushing his body with force augmentation left him feeling like he had just gone several rounds of sparing with Traycn. Glancing toward the pair of quadrupeds, he could feel their unease pouring out around them. Regaining his composure the lead member of Epsilon approached the two, “Don’t worry,” He kept his voice at a calm smooth tone, “Corporal Zex is one of the best medics in the Neo Protectors. Your friend is in good hands.” Arkanna lowered his weapon, making his way up to the dead monster and poking it with the muzzle of his carbine, lightly kicking it in one of its necks. “Well, that sucked a lot less than I’d thought it would have.” The Mandalorian let his weapon hang from its sling, patting Kad on the shoulder as he left him to play diplomat and marched over to where Zex was working on the blue native. “So, what’s the prognosis? Is it gonna live?” “SHE,” Zex corrected him with a healthy dose of annoyance in his tone, “,has multiple lacerations on her hind legs and quarters, left wing looks to be broken it’ll need to be splinted and soon, there’s a fracture on her front left leg and I don’t like the look of that knot she took from the fall.” He quickly stated as he began disinfecting the cuts and applying bandages. Arkanna watched him work, “Shoot ’er up with some bacta and let’s move on.” Zex gave a sigh, “Where do I begin with how that’s a bad idea? Firstly we don’t know how long we’ll be on this planet and I don’t want to squander our finite medical supplies. Secondly, her physiology is completely alien and there is no telling what kind of reaction our medications could have on her system. Even a small dose of bacta could cause anything from a mild allergic reaction to full-on organ failure.” The young Mandalorian couldn’t help but feel a bit more concerned for the small creature’s well being, “So what can we do for her?” “All I can do for now is patch her up and keep her comfortable.” He replied in a somber tone. Glancing over his shoulder at his younger comrade he added, “She’s in very good health, I’m confident she’ll pull through.” As Zex and Arkanna discussed the fallen one’s injuries Kad had thankful he’d managed to keep the attentions of their new friends on him while Zex worked. The good doctor tended to get rather snippy when pestered, “My name is Captain Kad Skirata of the Mandalorian Neo Protectors.” He stated an air of pride in his voice as he bowed his head to them, “I trust the two of you are alright.” They seemed to calm a bit as it became clear they weren’t going to hurt them as the orange one was the first to address him with a tip of her hat, “Mighty fine’a y’all ta come when y’did Cap’n,” That accent was a bit hard to place but it’s drawl was starting to grow on him, “Name’s Applejack.” “Yes, we are sincerely grateful for the timely rescue Captain Skirata.” The horned one’s voice hinted at a well-educated background. Something about this creature invoked memories of a brief time on Coruscant under the employ of Fel nobles, “I am Rarity, a pleasure to meet you.” She stated with a bow of her head, “Though I do wish it were under better circumstances.” Applejack gave a concerned look over her shoulder at the busy medic, “We’re both fine an’ all, but we’re powerful worried ‘bout our friend Rainbow Dash.” With a nod Kad called over to Zex, “How’s the patient looking, doc?” “Honestly I was expecting her to be in a lot worse shape than she is,” Zex replied, not bothering to look up from his work, “I expect her to make a full recovery, provided she stays off her wing for the next few days.” “Heh, ah don’t see that goin’ too well,” Chuckled Applejack, “Probably have’ta hogtie ’er afore that one stays on the ground.” “Thank heavens she’s alright…” Rarity said with a sigh of relief, “Now if you wouldn’t mind answering one more question, what are all of you? I don’t believe I’ve seen anypony quite like any of you. “Well like I said before ma’am, we’re Mandalorians.” Kad stated as his visor reflected her eyes back at her, “Though, if ya wanna get into specifics,” He began pointing out as he slid the helmet off, “I’m what’s called a human.” Kad tucked his helm under his arm as he surveyed the bewildered looks of the two, “Epsilon, buckets off.” With the order given the other two members of the team removed their helmets to reveal the flesh and blood beings beneath the armor plates. Zex of course received the majority of the stares being only somewhat humanoid in appearance. “Ah guess it’s safe ta assume y’all are the owners of that there metal thingy we found.” Her answer came in the form of a shared laugh between the men. “We are very sorry for that, ladies.” Kad said with a bow of his head to the two, “We had a bit of a mishap and ended up crash landin’ on your lovely planet. We hope to be able to call for a ride soon and be out of your, uh, hair.” “My word, then Twilight’s theory was correct, you really are from another world?” Rarity stated with a hint of shock and awe, “Well that would explain your “unique” appearances.” Her gaze began to shift up and down Kad as she began circling him. The seasoned warrior began to feel a bit awkward as she sized him up and down, “Uh, is something wrong ma’am?” “Oh darling, these colors are just atrocious.” She stated flatly, “You really should consider something a bit less drab-looking, especially when using gold.” Without missing a beat Arkanna quickly took the initiative to point a finger towards his commanding officer, “Hah!” “Private Arkanna,” Kad’s attention swiftly changing to his subordinate, “I don’t believe the perimeter is going to secure itself, do you?” The joy of his small victory crushed before he could truly enjoy it. Arkanna hung his head in defeat for a moment before slipping his helmet back on, “No sir, I’ll get right on that sir…” Unslinging his weapon, he began to move about the edges of the clearing. Kad returned his gaze to Rarity and Applejack, “So what was that thing chasin’ you two?” He asked glancing over his shoulder at the massive carcass, “I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of anything like it before.” “That there is, or least was, a Hydra.” Applejack informed him, “Real nasty critters, but aint’ ever heard’o them travelin’ so far from the swamps an’ bogs like that feller did.” Kad rubbed the stubble of his chin as he tried to phrase his next question, “Well, now comes the slightly uncomfortable question, what exactly are all of you?” “I’ve been wondering that myself.” Zex chimed in as he splinted the injured wing, “There are no known quadrupedal species with your obvious levels of intelligence.” “Oh-ho, you are too kind sir,” Rarity stated with a strong hint of pride in Zex’s comment, “You certainly are in luck, we happen to be three prime examples of pony-kind.” Her hoof motioned toward Applejack, “Firstly are of course the hard working Earth ponies.” She then motioned toward the bandaged up Rainbow Dash, “Next, are the airborne Pegasus ponies.” She then motioned to herself, “Finally are we magically graceful Unicorns.” Her voice softened to silk as her eye lashes fluttered with a tilt of her head. The three warriors were clearly still very dumbfounded by this new information as they stared blankly at Rarity. Arkanna of course spoke what was hanging in the minds of everyone else, “What in Sith’s blood is a pony?” Zex broke the awkwardness with clearing his throat, “Excuse me ladies but do you happen to come from the settlement past the forest here?” “Sure do sugar-cube!” Applejack happily replied, “Ponyville, mighty fine town.” “Do you have any medical facilities in, erm, Ponyville?” Zex asked as he re-equipped his helmet, “I’ve done all that I can with my field kit and would prefer it if I could get her to a medical staff more familiar with your physiology.” “Nurses Redheart an’ Tenderheart run a clinic back in town.” Applejack replied as she trotted over to her friend’s side. Zex fished around his pack a moment before producing a collapsible gurney before closing up his field kit before returning it to its’ place on his back, “Kad, I’d like to take her into town for further treatment.” “Sounds like a plan doc, get ’er ready to move and we’ll head out.” Kad replied with no hesitation. A gasp from the unicorn drew their attention, “The rest of our friends are still back at, at, well whatever that metal box thing is, our friend wanted to stay behind and examine it further.” Kad and Zex exchanged a look before his gaze rested on Rarity, “Friends?”