Star Wars: Voss

Just below the night sky, shining with bright stars with the great presence of Concordia, the city of Shuror shined bright with tall skyscrapers and gleaming spires rising above the surrounding hills. The streets were crowded with Mandalorian warriors, children, all the while Ray was just trying to get back home. The air was thick with the scent of smoky food and the sound of raucous laughter. The buildings were made of stone, with intricate carvings and patterns etched into their surfaces. The road was well-maintained, with smooth set stones into the surface. The road was set to facilitate the movement of speeder bikes making their way past the city.

As Ray made his way through the bustling city, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease. It had been years since he had been back to Mandalore, and the changes were both exciting and unsettling. He tried to focus on finding his way home, but the sights and sounds of Shuror were too overwhelming. Eventually, Ray found himself in a narrow alley, flanked with tall buildings on either side. The air was cool, yet damp, and the shadows were deep. He knew he was getting close, but couldn’t remember the way. He turned a corner to see a group of other mandos, seemingly peaceful. They wore tarnished gray with red outer tones, each equipped with vibroblades visible enough to catch Ray’s eye. Ray was told to stay away from red armor mandos, yet he approached with his knife in hand. Their armor was dimmed in the light as Ray began to walk forward.

“Are you okay?” One of the mandos asked.

Ray pointed his knife to him. “Don’t get any closer. I’ll rip your helmet off”

The Mando’s low, gruff voice rumbled through the air as he spoke to the young boy. “Listen kid, I don’t want any trouble, but you’re gonna have to put that knife down.” His gaze was steady on the boy, his expression serious. “We’re not here to hurt you, but we will defend ourselves if we have to.” Then began a long pause. The mando then spoke again.

“Your that Voss kid right? We’ve heard alot about you.”

“You know nothing about me” Ray says angrily.

“You’re right,” he says, his voice low and serious. “I don’t know your story, and I won’t pretend that I do. But I do know that we’re in a tough situation here, and we need to work together if we’re going to get out of it.”

He took a step closer to Ray, his hands still raised in a gesture of peace. “I’m not your enemy, kid. I want to help you. But I can’t do that if you’re holding a knife to me. So why don’t you put it down, and we can talk like civilized beings?”

Ray looked down at his knife and put it back in it’s holster. Ray then looked back up at the mando ready to ask him something, but got interrupted.

“Im Kael. I used to know your dad very well. We fought alongside Clan Wren against the Empire.”

“Clan Wren? What is that” Ray asked.

Kael fixed his gaze on Ray, his eyes narrowing slightly as he spoke. “You weren’t in Mandalore, were you?” he said. “Your father was smart to get you and your sister out of there during the war.” Kael gestured in the direction of Ray’s house. “Your home’s that way. You should get going.”

He paused for a moment, considering his words, before adding, “And tell your old man I said hello. He’s a smart man, and he raised a good kid.”

Ray began to walk in that direction without saying a word. As he made his way down the alley, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief, but also confusion. The alley opened up into a small courtyard, surrounded by several smaller houses. Ray saw a house, which was the was largest of them, with a stone façade and wooden door. As he approached the door, he heard the laughter of his mother echoing through his ears. He felt of rush of excitement as he opened the door.

“Hey sweetie, what took you so long?” Ray’s mother asked as she stepped forward to give him a warm hug.

Ray returned the embrace, feeling the tension in his body melt away in his mother’s arms. “Just some trouble on the way home,” he said, trying to brush it off.

His mother pulled back, concern etched on her face. “Are you okay? Did someone hurt you?”

Ray shook his head. “No, I’m fine. It was nothing, really.”

His mother studied him for a moment, her eyes filled with love and worry. “You know you can tell me anything, right? I just want you to be safe and happy.”

Ray nodded, grateful for his mother’s kindness and understanding. “I know, Mom. Thanks.”

“Were about to head off, need anything before we leave?”

“No, not really... Actually one thing, dad. A man in the alley way told me to say hi to you. His name was Kael, he had red armor.” Ray’s dad looked at him for a moment, his face inscrutable. Then he looked away, seemingly lost in thought.

Finally, he spoke, his voice low and measured. “Kael... I haven’t heard that name in a long time. He’s an old friend of mine.”

There was a note of sadness in his voice, a hint of a past that he didn’t want to revisit. But Ray could tell that there was more to the story than his father was letting on.

“What do you mean, ‘friend’?” Ray asked, curiosity getting the better of him. But his father only shook his head. “It’s complicated, son. Maybe one day I’ll tell you the whole story. But for now, just forget about it, okay?”

“We should really get going Renn, we can’t be late.” Both of his parents left the house in silence. Ray thought he said something bad, a rush of guilt fled him.

Suddenly, the ground shook beneath him. Ray stumbled, nearly falling, but hand grabbed him and pulled him up. It was his sister. She was alive, and she was here.

“We have to go now!” She shouted, pulling him towards the nearest spaceport.

Ray ran with her, his heart pounding with fear and adrenaline. As they ran through the streets, the passed by the bodies of fallen Mandalorians, their blue and green armor now stained with blood. The buildings beside them were destroyed, filled with rubble and debris. As ray heard the sounds of Imperial troops closing in on them, their boots bounding against the pavement, he knew they had to hurry to the ship. Ray kept his head down and followed his sister trying to avoid any blaster fire and explosives.

As they neared the ship, Ray caught his parents in the distance running to the ship. They too had been trying to make their way to the port. Ray and his sister yelled at them to run faster as they saw their parents wave their hands for them to get on the ship. We cant leave them, Ray thought to himself. Ray then grabbed out his pistol and returned fire to the imperials trying to shoot their parents. Ray landed a few shots, as well as his sister, but their parents were too late.

Ray caught a glimpse of gunfire from above, aiming towards their parents. Ray knew they couldn’t stay out any longer, so him and his sister ran to board the ship. As he looked back, an explosive landed directly infront of them. Quickly, his parents ignited their jetpacks to veer away from the explosion. As they flew to the ship, a blaster hit their jetpacks, exploding them and shooting them into the ground. The air then filled with flames and debris shooting everywhere. Ray just stood there. The soulless bodies of his parents lay on the ground, and Ray stood in shock.

“Dammit Ray we need to go!” Ray’s sister yelled into his ear pushing him onto the ship once more, seeming as if she too did not know what was going on. Ray began to look around frantically, trying to make sense of the chaos. As they neared the ship’s entrance, an explosive hit directly next to them, pushing them far off the ramp, landing hard and groaning in pain. Looping in and out of conscious, he saw glimpses of gunfire, explosions, his kind getting gunned down like animals, and imperials taking his sister away from him.

“d-d.. Dont! s-Stop!” Ray used all of his energy to yell out words, but the imperials ignored him and walked away. His sister spazzed in anger trying to get loose from their grasps, but had no luck. Ray knew he couldn’t let them take her.

Ray then began to pull out his pistol and fired at the troops, missing all of his shots. His aim was weak and shaky, just like an untrained weakling.

Then, Ray’s heart began to pound as he felt the presence of a trooper behind him. He slowly turned his head, dreading what he might see. The sight of the white-armored stormtrooper, its blaster trained on his head, made his blood run cold.

He froze, unable to move or even breathe. The trooper hesitated, its helmet tilting in confusion. For a moment, Ray wondered if it was going to spare him. But then, without warning, the trooper was blasted from behind, the force of the impact knocking it off its feet.

Ray whirled around to see Kael, his own blaster still smoking. The older man’s helmet was set in a grim expression, his stance hard and unyielding.

Ray stared at him, still reeling from the sudden violence. He had never seen anyone killed like that, let alone killed in his defense.

Kael hurriedly carried Ray back into the ship as blaster fire continued to rain down on them. Ray’s tears mixed with the sweat and pain on his face as he struggled to keep up with the Kael. His heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest.

Once inside the ship, Ray collapsed onto the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. His cries echoed through the small vessel, a stark contrast to the chaos outside. Ray was beyond words, beyond comfort. He had lost everything he had ever known and there was nothing anyone could say to make it better.

As the ship lifted off the ground and ascended into the sky, Ray couldn’t help but look back down at the devastation below. He saw the troopers moving in, the fires burning, and the buildings collapsing. He saw his world being torn apart before his very eyes. But most of all, he saw the still bodies of his parents lying on the ground, lifeless and broken. And in that moment, Ray knew that his life would never be the same again.

Ray felt the transport ship lurch as it broke through the atmosphere and into space. He clung to the inside of the ship, his knuckles white with fear.

“What were you thinking, boy!?” Kael shouted over his shoulder, his voice loud. “You could have gotten yourself killed.”

Ray struggled to keep his cool, but was too angry. “I had to save them,” he said, his voice hoarse. “But you don’t get it! Your family killed in front of your eyes! My sister...”

He trailed off, his anger and grief making it hard to speak. But he couldn’t let Kael think that he was reckless or foolish.

“And what do you mean I could have gotten myself killed?” Ray demanded, his voice rising. “I was doing my best to protect my family. You would never understand!”

Kael stopped abruptly, turning to face Ray. His eyes were intense, his expression unreadable. “Don’t be so sure of that, kid,” he said. “I’ve seen my share of death and destruction. But right now, the only thing that matters is getting out of here alive.”

Ray stood there with tears flooded in his helmet. Kael then led him to the ship’s cockpit where he met the pilot, waiting.

“Where do we go?” the pilot asked, his voice calm and steady.

“Anywhere but here,” Kael replied, his voice loud. “I can’t see my people die like this.”

The pilot nodded, his eyes flickering over the controls. “I’ll take us to a close rebel base. We need to regroup, get some support.”

The pilot began typing coordinates into the navigation system. Kael nodded as the pilot activated the ship’s hyperdrive. Ray felt a jolt as the ship jumped to hyperspace, leaving Mandalore behind. Ray looked out the viewport, watching as the stars streaked past.