• Published 4th May 2020
  • 366 Views, 3 Comments

Scum and Villainy - The Mountaineer Brony



Amidst the Galactic Civil War, a Mandalorian named Tempest Shadow forges her own destiny.

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A Complicated Profession, Pt. 2

Though traveling through hyperspace usually makes good time, the sheer distance the freighter had to travel, along with detours to avoid celestial bodies, meant that Tempest and her new coworkers had been hurtling through the cosmos for almost a week straight. The time passed slowly, the other hunters trading stories and boasts or maintaining their gear; the tall, white alien that Vilrein had identified as a Givin liked to show off how he could complete calculations faster than the ship's computer, his species being known for their hyper-intelligence.

Tempest found herself sitting idly in one of the ship's halls, just outside the cockpit. The hunter known as Boushh leaned against the opposite wall, and not far from him, Bulgo Woog was performing maintenance on his droid partner. The orange-helmeted hunter almost seemed to be inspecting Tempest with curiosity, and buzzed at her in his quick, choppy language.

"...I don't know what you said." she replied with a glance.

"He's asking what exactly you are." Bulgo translated from down the hall. "Some kind of dog?"

"I'm a pony, from Equus." Tempest replied curtly. "And more than that, a Mandalorian. I don't need lip from you."

Boushh continued to remark in his native Ubese, glancing between Bulgo and Tempest; his general body language suggested disinterest, while his tone of voice, or what Tempest could hear of it through his helmet, suggested mockery.

Bulgo snorted. "I didn't think they minted Mandos that short, either."

Tempest's eyes narrowed behind her helmet. Slowly, she got to her hooves and went to approach her antagonist, but before she could say anything, the ship lurched violently forward, throwing them both to the floor. The metal creaked as the ship was abruptly pulled back into realspace.

"What in the hell was that?" Bulgo yelled down the hall in the direction of the cockpit. Tempest looked up as Harun Mekol, the tall, pale Givin stepped through the door.

"We've got trouble." he rasped out. "Pirate trouble."

The hunters convened in the cockpit to look out the glass. Below them was a large, wedge-shaped Imperial ship, though it undoubtedly had seen better days: many of its guns were in disrepair, some of its armor plating was straight-up missing, and it had been 'decorated' with various tags and insignia, sprayed upon its hull with no attention paid to artistic composition. Accompanying it were three smaller beaten-up ships, likely boarding craft, who had their guns trained on them.

"Those blasted pirates have a hijacked Imperial Interdictor." said one of the Black Sun pilots. "They've pulled us out of hyperspace with its gravity well generator."

"That must be what's been happening to the other Black Sun shipments." Tempest deduced aloud.

"Pulling them out of hyperspace, boarding them, stealing their cargo, then blasting them out of the sky, like we're about to be." added Bulgo.

"We should get to the cargo bay and protect the consignment." Harun said, readying his blaster rifle. "Vilrein said there were auto-defenses to help us secure the shipment."

Light laser fire from the boarding craft strafed their ship, causing it to rock slightly and trigger its emergency alarms. Boushh's speech scrambler buzzed with activity.

"He says our guests will be here before long. Let's get moving." Bulgo translated. He and RA-ZR grabbed their weapons from the hallway as the group of hunters made haste to the cargo bay.


The cargo bay was dingy, and only looked dirtier as lit from above by yellow lights. It was rather spacious, despite being packed full of various crates, some of which were 20 feet tall and almost as wide. Upon arriving, the hunters quickly took action to secure the room; the Givin sealed off the blast doors from a computer terminal, Bulgo ran a diagnostic on the auto-turrets, and the rest of the hunters tipped over some of the smaller crates to form barricades. Tempest felt her heart beat faster as she readied her gun, thinking back to her encounter on Celanon.

A great noise could be heard from outside as the boarding craft breached the outer hull of the ship, depositing their parties of raiders into its halls.

Tense moments of silence passed inside the cargo bay. The hunters fiddled with their straps and weaponry; the calculating Givin sighted in his rifle scope, Boushh readied a blaster pistol while keeping his pike loosely slung, ready to enter melee at any time, and Bulgo prepped a blaster rifle nearly as large as he was. His droid, RA-ZR, knelt behind a crate, his blaster leveled perfectly at one of the blast doors, eyes cold, aim precise; though he'd likely had his memory wiped by his new owner, Tempest had no doubt that the droid had done this before, during the Clone Wars. It was, after all, in his programming.

Tempest's horn sparked and popped as she held her blaster ready, trying to steady her breathing as well as her aim. She had no idea how many pairs of combat boots were running towards her right now, intent upon ending her life. She closed her eyes and focused: "It doesn't matter." she told herself. "You'll get through this. You are Mandalorian. You are a survivor." Though she didn't look forward to it, she had killed in self-defense once already, and she prepared herself to do it again.

Tempest gave a long exhalation before turning back to aim down her scope, her gaze steely and determined behind her mask.

Loud, gruff voices could be heard from behind the blast doors. It wasn't long before they were joined by machinery powering up, and the sound of plasma saws carving through the sets of blast doors. The hunters carefully watched the bright lights and flying sparks as they carved large, rough semicircles through the metal. Soon, they knew, a motley crew of pirates would come streaming in, opening fire.

"Get this door open!"
"Almost there!"
"Let's make this quick."

From each of the two sets of blast doors, a large hunk of metal fell away, pushed away by the burlier pirates. As marauders of various species came pouring through the newly-opened doors, they began exchanging blaster fire with the hunters. A few stray shots hit other pirates, but it didn't take them long to focus their fire on the five defending their soon-to-be plunder. The auto-turrets in the ceiling activated and began firing on the invading pirates, but they didn't prove incredibly effective; the more skilled shots among the crew destroyed them before they could cause very many casualties.

Tempest squeezed off a shot at the first pirate she saw enter, a human male; it hit him squarely in the chest and he fell backwards, dead. A couple of other pirates returned fire, which she managed to avoid. Her next shot missed slightly, hitting her target in the leg. He fell to the floor, injured but still fighting. Boushh quickly shot the second pirate, muttering something to the pony he stood beside, which of course went untranslated.

Harun Mekol, behind them, was lining up careful headshots and felling a number of pirates. When a rowdy Ishi Tib tried to rush him with a vibro-axe, RA-ZR leapt atop the crates, blocking the attack with his own vibrosword, standard issue for BX Commandos. After dispatching the assailant, he fired on the mass of pirates with his off hand while Harun took the opportunity to find a safer position for a marksman, higher, and behind more cover.

On the opposite side of the room, Boushh and Tempest were being overrun by encroaching enemies. A number of them decided to crest the barricade and engage their foes in melee combat, a poor decision on their part. Boushh grabbed up his pike, twirling it about with ease to bash or impale those pirates that approached him. Though Tempest tried to fire on the Weequay that approached her, he knocked her blaster out of her magical aura; it clattered to the floor as she barely managed to avoid a bludgeoning by the metal rod he swung at her. Fortunately, she managed to find her footing and charge him, barreling through his legs and knocking him to the floor. As the pirate tried to stand, Tempest slipped beneath him; using his own weight as leverage, she flipped him into the air and slammed him to the floor.

As another pirate tried to rush her, she spun quickly on her hooves and bucked him in the chin, her durasteel horseshoes cracking loudly against his jawbone. A third approached from the opposite direction; again, Tempest spun, her rear hooves this time firmly impacting the unsuspecting pirate's groin. As another Weequay took aim at her with his blaster, Tempest lit her horn, shooting a small magical spark into the pirate's eye. Shouting with pain, he tumbled backwards onto the pointed end of Boushh's pike.

Suddenly, Tempest felt a searing pain in her elbow. Looking down, her flesh was charred and her hair singed; she'd been nicked by a blaster bolt. Turning to look for the source, she was greeted by an IG-series droid approaching from behind her, its dull chassis painted with pirate insignia. The mare gritted her teeth. Before she could assault the tin can, however, she found herself saved by the other tin can; RA-ZR fell upon the lanky droid with his vibrosword, which cursed loudly in Huttese as it was hacked apart.

The Mandalorian hobbled over behind a large crate to tend to her wound and analyze the situation. Already, close to 50 pirates lay dead or injured on the floor of the cargo bay, but there were still 20 or 30 left that were putting up a good fight. Whatever they were transporting, these pirates sure wanted it. RA-ZR was almost too quick to be caught, nimbly flipping about the battlefield, cutting down pirates at will with his blade and his E-5 blaster. On the opposite side of the room, Boushh's sure aim and his skill with the pike were proving almost as effective, though he was starting to be overwhelmed by numbers. Bulgo Woog rolled behind a crate near Tempest before popping up over its edge to rapidly gun down three pirates in succession. While he waited for his blaster to cool, he reached inside his jacket and tossed a small blue canister to Tempest.

"It's bacta, use it!" he said, before turning his attention back to the fight.

Tempest already knew what bacta was. It was a blue, viscous liquid, consisting of two varieties of bacteria held in a mucous-like suspension, that could heal almost any injury on contact. Ideally, it would be applied with a patch or the wound would be submerged in it for some time, but on the battlefield, Tempest would have to settle for this small spray canister. The medicine was cooling yet still stung slightly as she applied it, but she knew it would help keep her in the fight.

"Thanks for that." She called over the din of battle. Tempest glanced back in the direction of Boushh; the Ubese was fending off multiple pirates with his polearm, but could definitely use some assistance. She looked up towards the Givin in his sniper's nest and whistled to grab his attention; as he looked at her, she gestured in Boushh's direction before charging down towards him herself. The marksman spun around to begin firing on the group of pirates across the room.

Tempest joined in the melee, attacking the brawlers with her hooves and helmet as she dodged Boushh's swinging pike. He said something to her- barely audible over the din of combat -to which Tempest replied "Just let me help, alright?" She spun her head around and rammed her jagged horn into an unprotected knee. While the pirate yelped in pain, Boushh whacked him in the throat. When the taller hunter knocked another pirate to the floor, Tempest punched him in the head with her horseshoes. As one of the pirates, an acrobatic Noghri, climbed some crates to attack Boushh from above, Tempest managed to grab a fallen blaster in her aura and shoot him out of the air.

Finally, after dispatching a number by themselves, there seemed to be just one pirate left for them to deal with: a massive, muscular Klatooinian, taller than anyone else in the room. He angrily gnashed his teeth, saliva dripping from his doglike jowls as he approached them, cracking his knuckles.

"You want to play, then?" He growled out. "I need a couple more toys to break."

Boushh taunted him in Ubese and stepped forward, swinging the pike at his head. The bruiser caught it in one hand; reaching forward with his other, he grabbed Boushh by the throat, raised him up, and slammed him to the floor. Tempest leapt up atop his shoulders, battering his skull with her hooves, but his knobbly pate proved too thick. He reached back, grabbed Tempest by her armor, and hurled her into a large stack of crates; this shook the sniper's nest, and Harun tumbled backwards off the pile.

Tempest managed to get to her hooves to see Boushh wrestling with the Klatooinian, trying for all he was worth to keep his weapon between himself and the crushing weight of his foe. After shaking some sense back into her head, she charged once again, her horseshoes rhythmically clattering against the metallic floor. The thuggish pirate looked up as the noise drew closer, and was greeted by Tempest uttering a mighty battle cry. She leapt forward from her run and rammed her helmet against his face.

The Klatooinian fell backwards, howling loudly in pain and clutching a hand over his face. Suddenly, Tempest's visor became clouded by a dark trickle of something; it quickly became obvious to her that her horn had stabbed him in the eye. Not letting the gruesome thought get to her, she leapt atop the pirate, trying to subdue him with her strength, but he was clearly stronger. He grabbed the Mandalorian by her throat and rolled over, pinning her to the floor beneath him. His non-bloodied hand reached to his belt and drew a knife, raising it slowly above his head for Tempest to see. Blood ran down his grimacing face and onto Tempest's armor.

"Nee choo, murishani!" He said, preparing to strike her. Tempest didn't know Huttese well, but she could easily figure he'd told her to die.

And die she might have, if it hadn't been for a certain Ubese.

Running in from the opposite side with a cry, Boussh slid the blade of his pike into the pirate's ribs, eliciting a cry and a gasp, as well as a distraction. Tempest managed to knock the knife out of his hand, buck him in the stomach, and roll over on top of him, once again turning the tables. The boorish pirate looked up fearfully at the cold, steely visage of Tempest's helmet.

"Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur." She said proudly in Mando'a.

Boushh lowered the forward end of his pike towards Tempest; she took it in her hooves and drove it into her adversary's throat. He was still.


Tempest took time to clean up and rest after the battle. She worried that cleaning the gore off her horn would prove difficult, but it wasn't anything that enough soap and water couldn't handle. The ship's medical droid cleaned and bandaged her blaster wound, and she cleaned and polished her armor in her private quarters. Afterwards, she spoke to the rest of the hunters, as well as the ship's crew, about the battle that had ensued both within and outside the ship. Once the boarding parties had latched onto the cargo vessel, the pilots and crew had managed to seal off the cockpit and repel a small attack of their own. Then, once the hunters had dealt with the forces in the cargo hold, they sent out a mock all-clear signal to the pirate Interdictor, which deactivated its gravity well. They pretended to bring the ship in for a landing just long enough to attach a tracking beacon and jump back into hyperspace. A Black Sun fleet, no doubt, would be along to destroy the remaining pirates shortly.

As she idly walked about the ship, Tempest was approached by Boushh, who had Bulgo and RA-ZR in tow. The hunter leaned on his pike and pointed to the Ugnaught, then to the pony.

"I don't make a living translating for you, buzz boy!" the small porcine hunter said gruffly.

Boushh threateningly reached for a thermal detonator on his bandolier.

"Alright, alright!" Bulgo conceded, turning to Tempest. "Tall, weird, and leathery over here wants to talk to you."

Boushh looked at Tempest; neither could see the other's eyes for their helmets, but she could tell he was trying to be respectful. His sentences were short and chopped, typical of his language, so Bulgo had to add a bit more meaning in his translation.

"He wants to say that he was foolish to judge you so quickly. He might not be alive if it weren't for your actions."

Tempest gave a succinct nod. Her actions still weighed heavily on her mind. She would simply have to get used to taking lives, though she told herself she would do so sparingly. Many of the pirates she'd downed had woken up after the battle and currently sat in the brig, but the anger she felt when fighting the big pirate captain... well, she was doing that to save a life, she told herself.

Boushh continued talking, and Bulgo continued translating.

"He believes that you have the potential for a great career as a hunter... if you improve your aim. Razor and I think so, too."

"A F F I R M A T I V E." added the droid.

Tempest couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Thank you." she said with a nod, which Boushh and Bulgo returned.


The next couple of days passed slowly before the ship reached its destination, the watery planet of Manaan.

The ship slowly made its landing, charred remains of boarding craft still clinging to its hull, as a pony, an Ubese, a Givin, an Ugnaught, and a BX-series droid commando gathered in the cargo bay, long since cleaned of bodies and debris. Soon, the great bay doors opened up and a loading ramp extended out, revealing a landing pad built on the ocean, its surface slick with torrential rainfall. Numerous workers, both organic and droid, ferried cargo about on hovering lifts, loading up a massive elevator which would transport it to the mines far beneath the sea.

"Heh. What are the odds it's raining on Manaan?" Bulgo said with a bemused snort.

"Nearly always 100%." replied Harun Mekol, half joking and half serious. "That tends to happen on a planet covered entirely by water."

Boushh buzzed something through his helmet. "I agree," said Bulgo "let's go see about getting paid."

The hunters made their way out into the rain as some men brought several load lifters up to the ramp to begin unloading cargo. Shortly, they were approached by several Selkath workers, the short, fish-like inhabitants of Manaan; some of them carried cases filled with credits, and one carried a holoprojector. He held it out in front of him and switched it on.

Tempest was expecting to see Vilrein appear in the hologram, but instead, she was greeted by a tall green alien with a long black ponytail; he had spikes running down his back, a fierce brow, and wore purple princely robes. She had learned that this was a species called Falleen, and they owned and operated Black Sun.

"Greetings, bounty hunters." The alien spoke with a smooth, enticing voice. "I see that Vilrein chose a fine crew to protect my valuable cargo. I am Xizor, and on behalf of Black Sun, I thank you. Please, enjoy your well-earned reward."

The Selkath stepped forward with attaché cases, each containing a hunter's share of the entire payment. Tempest cracked hers open to look at the glittering credit chips. She could hardly believe it: 10,000 credits, all hers. It seemed a little unfair to her that Bulgo and the droid each got one case instead of one between them, but in the world of bounty hunting, she supposed, droids were given more equality. She tucked her case under her foreleg and turned back to the hologram.

"I unfortunately must be going now, but thanks to your efforts, Black Sun will continue to prosper and provide employment to fine hunters such as yourselves. We will arrange for an unmarked shuttle to ferry you back to Ord Mantell." With that, Xizor's hologram faded away and the hunters turned to head back to the landing pad and await their transportation.
Boushh's voice buzzed through amid the rain, causing Bulgo and Harun to laugh.

"What did he say?" asked Tempest.

"He said working for Black Sun is gonna get him killed one day." Bulgo replied. "But hey, the way I see it, money is money."

Tempest looked over to where the workers were unloading the battered cargo ship. Among crates of supplies and tools were the giant crates she couldn't help but notice earlier; they were unloading one of them, which seemed to be rocking now. She could faintly overhear someone say something about 'sedation' before, out from the opened crate, stepped a great, hunchbacked reptile wearing raggedy clothes and manacles on its wrists.

"...What are those?" asked Tempest.

Bulgo stopped walking and looked in the same direction.

"Mantellian savrips." He said, snorting. "Mighty strong beasts from Ord Mantell. No doubt gonna be useful in a mining op like this."

Tempest's ears perked up. She was concerned.

"A-Are they sentient?"

Boushh looked back over his shoulder and spoke before he continued walking.

"Who cares?" Bulgo translated. "We weren't to ask questions, just deliver the cargo and get paid." He began waddling back towards the landing pad, but Tempest stood there for a moment, watching.

There were at least three savrips being unloaded, all of them shackled and wearing rags. They sounded rather unhappy as the workers prodded them with poles to move them towards the giant elevator. She couldn't get a close enough look at their faces from a distance, but she could tell the three were concerned for each other and tried to stick together.

Tempest looked back down at her case of credits, speechless. What did she just do?

Author's Note:

You can actually translate those phrases, by the way. :raritywink:
I also like how Boushh is referred to as "tall" despite being, according to Wookieepedia, 1.5 meters (4' 11"). Of course, it's tall relative to a little pony. :rainbowlaugh:

Sorry this took so long to come out. I wanted to make sure the first big fight scene was as good as it could be, plus I was sort of burnt out on Star Wars for a while there, but I hope you've enjoyed this story! More excitement to come, trust me.