“Raise the shields!” The commander shouted, parroting the command given above by Admiral Karath. Razick quickly performed the task as the vessel Stalwart would power up its shields alongside the rest of the fleet. “They’re coming…” There was a pregnant pause as the Mandalorian missiles fired. If he was to die here, he was ready. The Republic’s cause was just against the face of these invaders. The fleet would stand firm and turn them back here and now. Yet, there was a sinking feeling as the missile neared the warship[, it was likely the ship would be heavily damaged if not destroyed in the coming battle. But, the missiles swerved past it. “They’re aiming for Serroco!” As the commander exclaimed, the missiles moved past the Republic Navy fleet and rocketed towards the surface. There was a long pause as the crew was stupefied at the decision by their foes to ignore military targets to annihilate the civilians below them. There was a shudder from Razick as realization hit him that they failed those they intended to protect. His heart sank and soon fear fully gripped him. The Republic ships on the surface were annihilated leaving few in action. It wasn’t long before the retreat was called as the fleet moved toward the Core. As they made their escape Razick gasped as another missile rocked the ship, terror gripping him as he felt helpless in the face of the enemy onslaught. As the impact came he stirred from his day dreaming in the cantina.
Fear, a familiar emotion to him. Fear gripped him when word of defeat after defeat. Atrocity after atrocity had been shared as they went into battle after battle against a seemingly invincible adversary. Where were the Jedi? Would the Republic be able to survive much less be victorious over their bloodthirsty enemies? He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he exhaled, memories of the war returned painfully as did the mixture of feelings that came with them. He remembered when he had learned the Jedi came for him as a child, yet, his parents refused to allow them to take him away to be among them. Yet, he admired them from afar. Their ideals, their sense of justice, and the symbol they represented in the galaxy. But, most of them never came until the Revanchists arrived to save them from the merciless onslaught. Their just cause hampered by a lack of Jedi support as a whole and the Senate unwilling to make hard decisions for its security because of internal politics or so he felt.
He nursed his drink as he sat with the strange robed man. Razick was no Bounty Hunter Guild member, but, it was work a former soldier could handle. The robed human was middle-aged with a cropped beard. Razick had worked with him on occasion in the Outer Rim, knowing him as a traveling Jedi Knight. The Knight was looking for someone and Razick had told him his ‘friend’ left planet on a shuttle hours ago. In reality an assassin who gained the interest of this Jedi for one reason or another, Razick didn’t question his motivations. There was an unreadable look on the Jedi’s face, but he seemed intrigued and it was not about the man he sought. He offered a credstick and said. “You know, Viscara? I think you should pay it a visit. You can do such much better than this.May the Force be with you, Raz.” Razick gave him an amused scoff as the man took his leave. He watched the man go and finished his drink before shuffling out himself.
He had heard of Viscara before. The Mandalorian Wars may have ended, but, it simply gave way to yet another war. His contract with the Navy had ended not long after Malachor V and he had grown disenchanted with the corrupt Senate that underfunded the Navy that protected them from dominion. As he boarded the shuttle, he felt envy for the purpose and resolve the Jedi had in himself. His thoughts shifted back to his desire to fight for the Republic, to protect his family, his friends, and comrades against the Mandalorians.
He longed to believe in something again, to stand for something bigger than himself. Perhaps it was time for a new beginning, to turn the page from drifting in the Outer Rim. He had to take charge of his destiny. No one else would guide his hand, he would have to find his way and leave the past behind. But, deep within he knew he could scarcely let go of his emotions shaped by the events of the past. He side-eyed a fellow passenger wearing beskar as he sat down. The shuttle would soon arrive in Viscara’s orbit.