The Rebel Faction

How delicious it was…seeing the youths fear as child realized he was about to meet his ancestors. Besk could have shot him right then, but he was enjoying the terror he was causing this kid.
That hesitance cost him, for the previously unseen Wookiee’s attack had caught him completely by surprise. The bolt struck him in the chest, knocking him off his speeder and his weapon going off. His vision was momentarily blackened as he nearly blacked out from the pain, but the seasoned warrior fought off his body’s desires to go unconscious.
Slowly he pulled himself back up and growled at the Wookiee that had shot him. He could see the shocked look on the Wookiees face and he chuckled.

It takes a lot more then that to kill one of us you stupid animal. He thought. Besk really wanted to kill that Wookiee, but the sound of the guns going off will no doubt bring out the deviants warriors, which he was in no condition now to face. Instead he got back on his speeder and sped away…

***

The bolt slamming into wall just above and next to him was what it took to snap Trissan out of his fear-induced state. With a shriek he scampered back the way he had came, back into the temple and didn’t stop running until he found someone he knew he would be safe with…

***

Naosha nodded. “I understand. Any help you are able to provide we would appreciate. I do not expect all of your people to go along with this proposed allegiance, as I don’t expect all of my people to go along with it: such a drastic change from what has been considered the norm for generations would be…unrealistic for many.”

She would have continued, but was interrupted when Rissonik was suddenly knocked over by Trissan, who had come tearing into the room. Both Naosha and Rissonik instantly knew that this act was no act of mischievousness on his part…for they both could see the terror in his eyes. Never before had they seen the normally fearless and bold Trissan so frightened.

“Trissan…” Rissonik said as he tried to loosen the child’s grip enough to where he wasn’t suffocating him. “What’s wrong?”

“Bad guy…” Trissan whimpered, his face buried Rissonik’s tunic. “Bad guy outside tried to shoot me…”

“Who would dare..!?” Naosha hissed, furious. It was never a good idea to threaten a mother’s, in this case grandmothers, brood.

A lower ranking warrior came running in then, looking a bit panicked. “Sha’tor!” He said, a bit winded. He looked nervously over at the Wookiees but continued. “There’s been a shoots fired just outside the compound and a speeder was spotted moving away toward the city.”

Rissonik noticed that the mention of a speeder made Trissan cling to him even tighter: it didn’t take him long to put the pieces together.

“Should I have someone give chase before he gets too far?” The warrior asked.

“No…to pursue him would confirm that we are hiding here.” Rissonik said grimly. “However…I have a suspicion that he already got the confirmation he needed…”

“How do you mean Sha’tor?” The warrior asked.

“Why else would this individual shoot at our grandson if he did not recognize him as such?” Naosha growled. “If this is so then we are no longer be safe here…for by now he would be too far away to catch."

---

Meanwhile up in space an additional Trandoshan destroyer was making its way to the battle. The captain of this ship however...wasn't so sure what side to aid. So he had the ship stop just out of sensor range of their fellow ships, while he sorted out the internal debate he had been fighting for several days now.

"Captain Tiosk." One of his officers called to him and he glanced over his way to regard the Trandoshan.

"Yes what is it?" He asked.

"Why are we just hanging here sir?" The officer asked. "The members of our fleet currenting engaged with the Wookiees are outnumbered."

"I am aware of that...but I am wondering who is more deserving of our help..."

The Officer blinked at him in disbelief. "Sir...isn't it obvious?"

"Not anymore."

"You've been listening to that Separatist nerf waste haven't you?" Tiosk noticed the officer's tone had a sharp edge to it now.

"So what if I have? Our general views on things have been stagant for many generations now. Healthy cultures change over time...we have not done that."

"Then...you are a traitor to our people." The officer growled, drawing his blaster and point it at him. "I demand that you relinquish your station!"

The rest of the crew on the bridge stopped what they were doing and stared at the scene. Tiosk knew they had heard the entire conversation and only the officer who was currently holding a blaster to his head was the one that was displaying any malice. Taking this into account, he simply smiled at the officer.

"You rely on your guns too much..." He said calmly. Before the officer could wonder what he meant by it, Tiosk snapped out with one hand, grabbing the blaster and forcing it away from him. At the same time he had not only drawn a simple blade from his belt, but drove it upwards into his chest, bypassing his ribs easily. The officer gasped as the blade tore through a lung and pierced his heart. Then he was dead, crumpling to the floor of the bridge. "Disloyality...is always frowned upon..." Tiosk, a former member of the K'Satikur Clan muttered, his path now clear to him. He glanced over at the rest of his crew on the bridge and saw no opposition there as before.

"What are your orders sir?" One of the other officers asked.

Tiosk looked back at the viewscreen. "Move us into the battlefield, target the nearest Trandoshan ship that is enaging the Wookiees...and fire." He glanced down at the dead officer beside him. "And someone get this mess cleaned up."

Naosha shook her head. "I am not ready to give up on this planet." She said stubbornly. "Our location here is compromised but we can find another location to continue to keep the pressure on our government." She sighed and her shoulders slumped. "Besides...I know little about the other planets out there...and we have yet to decide on a planet to retreat to should it come to that."

"However..." Rissonik intersected, who had managed to get back up to his feet by now but still have Trissan clinging to him. "It would be wise for some of our number to go with you. Not only to seek out such a planet, but to protect those of our number that would be too tempting a political target to knock off...like our grandkids."

Naosha gave him a look, but realized he was right and her gaze softened and she nodded. What better place for the remainder of her son's clutch to go then with the Wookiees? The last race they'd expect?

"The kids can't go with them alone..." She said, her motherly side coming out.

"Of course not...you're going with them." Rissonik said.

She looked at him shocked. "But I can't...I don't know their language!" She protested.

"Excuse me Mad'am" Silliss said with a polite bow. "But I know their tongue and I volunteer to go with you and the children."

"But I am needed here."

"You don't have to be here to remain an influence. I have served as your voice ever since we arrived at this temple...and I will continue to do so even if you are off planet." Rissonik said. "It will be safer for you to go anyway: you know the Council wants you dead."

"I den't wunt te bo sopurutod frem yea uguin Riss..." She said softly in Clan Dialect. "I safforod twonty yours net knewing whut hupponod te yea..."

"I know 'Sha..." Rissonik said with a sigh, recalling those long, dark and lonely days he was held prisioner in this very temple. But now is not the time for our personal feelings to get in the way of what we are trying to do for the sake of our people. We both chose this path...and we both have to accept the risks of taking it."

"You...you're right." Naosha said with a heavy sigh. "I'll go with them...along with the kids." She reached over and pried Trissan off of her mates chest and held youngster close. "How many others should I take with me?" She asked.
****

His semi-transparent third eye lids slid over his eyes from the glare of the first of the Trandoshan fleet his ship was engaging suffered from a serious blow in the wrong place and blew apart. The last two Trandoshan ships looked to be confused and rightly so having not expected a fellow ship to start firing on them. This brought a smile to Tiosk's face as he ordered his crew to target the next Trandoshan ship and start firing.

Stuck between a rogue Trandoshan ship and the four Republic Destroyers of the Wookiee fleet and being too close to the planet to jump to hyperspace, the two remaining ships didn't have a chance and quickly meet their doom as well.

"Stand down all weapons." Tiosk ordered. "And take us out of this area quickly before the rest of our former fleet finds out about this."

(ooc: I hate writers block! *snarls*)

"Councilor Naosha." One of the Trandoshans at the comm said. "I just got word of something you will be pleased to hear."

Naosha and Rissonik, both their interests captured, looked over at him. "Go ahead." Naosha said with a nod.

"A fifth Trandoshan ship had appeared on the battlefield, but instead of attacking the Wookiees, it helped them destory the other ships."

Naosha looked over at Rissonik, mouth agape. "Any idea who was in command of that ship?"

"No sir...but we did get an ID of the ship. It was the Bloodfang sir."

Rissonik's eyes closed, his smile wide: he knew who commanded that ship. Glad to hear you share my views Tiosk, my old friend. He thought. He remembered back before his brother Tnossok imprisoned him and took the Clan for himself, Tiosk was a K'Satikur Warrior in the Clan and good friend to him. His loyality could always be counted on then...and that old loyality never faded with the time.

"Is the ship in comm range?" He asked.

"No sir. It jumped into hyperspace as soon as the battle was over."

Rissonik nodded. "Probably a good thing...the remainder of the Councils fleet won't like the fact that one of it's on turned on them. I am sure we will have other opportunities to speak with the Bloodfang's Captain." He said. "Either way...it is still unsafe to remain here. Silliss."

"Yes Sha'tor?" Silliss replied.

"I need you to sought out through our ranks and find out who would be willing to go with our new friends for the time being. I would like nine other K'Satikur warriors and twenty of the warrior ranks if you can manage it. Also see about twenty of the new supporters: no doubt the Wookiees will have use of their trade skills. I will trust your judgement on this Silliss. This needs to be done quickly."

Silliss straightened up sharply and bowed, his hands crossed at the wrist in the Clan gesture. "I will not fail you Sha'tor. What will the remainder of our group do?"

"We will spread to the four winds so to speak." Rissonik said. "Until we can find a new place to base our operations. Go."

Silliss bowed again and quickly departed.

He looked over at Naosha, who had a sad look in her eyes.

"Ne muttor whut huppons...wo will ulwuys bo tegothor." He said to softly in Clan Dialect, stroking her cheek. "Wo will soo ouch ethor uguin."

Naosha nodded, accepting the hand fate had dealt them this day. "De net fergot Varcanna...sho noods te knew ef this dovolepmont." She said.

"I wun't. I will sond hor u mossugo bofero I louvo."

Inside, the temple was now a bussle of activity as members of the rebellion packed up as much of the essential items as they could for the evacuation. Naosha was rounding up her other grandchildren, as well as packing what personal belongings she had, which was not much. Among the items she took the star charts, thinking maybe the Wookiees could help her determine which planet to make their new home on if it came to that.

Mainwhile Rissonik was writting out a message to be sent to Varcanna, but he dared not send it from their equipment here when he was finished writing it. Instead, he intended to have it sent out through the main communcations center in the city, with the help of their allies there. He didn't know if Varcanna had deecryption equipment on her ship, so as a precaution he wrote it in their Clan Dialect, which would throw off most interceptors of the message. As well as telling her all that went on here so far...he had a task for her do as well once she finished securing his grandson Silonik in the Jedi Academy: to find the ship Bloodfang and fully enlist the assistance of it's commander, Tiosk, and his crew. This current alliagence with this Wookiee he had rescued would likely only be temporary at best, for the Wookiee was risking his own reputation by helping them. The sudden attempted assassination of the Wookiee proved: the would be assassinator was still laying dead not far away from him. Thus he intended to burden their new ally as little as possible, to avoid straining the tentive alliagence.

After about a half hour, Naosha emerged from the Temple for the first time in weeks, her eyes rapidly blinking as they adjusted to the sudden light. Behind her, Silliss, her grandkids, and the rest of the selected members to go with her came out as well. Her three granddaugthers stared up at the Wookiee before them, one of them tugging on his fur briefly before Naosha snatched her away before she could annoy the Wookiee. Trissan was behaving for once...though that was likely due to the shock he was still in from getting shot at earilier.

"We're ready." Naosha said. "Where are you...uh...parked."

Naosha frowned: she was a politican, not a marathon runner. However she realized that if they didn't get to the shuttle first, they likely wouldn't get off the planet at all. Subconsciously she put a hand on the holster of her pistol, fearing it may be put to use soon.

Beside her Silliss was barking commands, getting his warriors around Naosha and the childern. The few warriors and the non-clan members that were with them that had long range weaponary he positioned on the outer edges of the group, primarily to serve as cover fire for the rest of the group while they got into the shuttle. Four of the warriors were assigned to carry the kids, since they wouldn't likely be able to keep up with the adults on this long sprint.

***

Besk knew his chance at wiping out the rebellion was quickly fading when she saw Naosha and a bunch of others emerge from the Temple, all wearing traveling packs. He had no doubts that within the temple itself the rest of the members were disassembling their base and dispersing via exits he couldn't see. He so wanted to pick off Naosha right now, but he was both out of range and lacked a clear shot from his hiding spot.

Snarling he unhooked his radio and called his friends at the comm. This was on a secure military frequency, so there was little chance of the Rebels picking it up.

"You do have a unit proceeding to the reported cooridnates correct?" He said.

~Yes sir. They should be at the cooridnates in approx. 4 mins.~ Came a reply.

"Well you better make them move faster...as our main target is fixing to leave!" He snarled. He looked up and saw the group start to sprint away. "Correction...they are leaving right now!"

***

Naosha quickly decided she detested running. She hated the way her mouth went dry, her legs ached and her chest starting to burn. Of course she only had herselp to blame: having lived a 'comfortable' life as a politician, she didn't exactly get much exercise, nor was she motiviated too.

She wasn't exactly sure if she was grateful or annoyed at Silliss, who kept encouraging her after he noticed she was struggling. Of course...part of his 'encouragement' was basically threatening to carry her: how undignified for the proud former counselor...