Chapter Seventeen: Looking For A Ship

Once I existed the portal, I found a good size piece of scrap tan fabric that I wrapped around me, partially concealing my armor. I pulled the makeshfit hood over my helmet and found another piece of fabric to wrap my left arm so the Doomblade and red paint was concealed. I also put all of my weapons in the Inventory except for my Bryar pistol. Before I left the alleyway, I remembered that I still had a suit of clone commando armor in my inventory so I sold it for 6,500 credits which brought my total to 61,262 credits. I existed the alleyway and gazed upon the city of Sundari.

I was impressed as there were bridges and cube shaped buildings all over the place. As shown in the Clone Wars, I attempted to ask some of the citizens for directions to whoever is selling ships here. But most of the citizens just ignored me so I just walked around for a while. People would moved to the side as they passed me. I don't know if it was due to my hulking figure or my partially exposed armor. As I was walking, There was a path that went to the right and I saw a small marketplace. If anyone knows where I can buy a ship, it would be here. So I went into the marketplace and asked the first merchant I saw. He just stared at me so I moved onto the next person. They gave me the same answer so I thought about what to do next. I went into an alleyway to head back to the Fortress of Doom. I went into my room and pulled the normal looking guitar out of the three there. Then I went back to the alleyway and went to the center of the marketplace.

I sat on a stone bench and started playing the guitar. Thanks to my max proficiency in guitars, I could think of any song that I've heard and play it. So I chose to play a guitar cover of Just Like Heaven by The Cure. People around me turned to listen to me playing. Then a crowd around me started to form around me as I played the song. After three minutes when I finished the song, people started to cheer and some of them dispersed as I noticed a little boy walk up to me. He looked slightly scared but asked if I knew any other songs. I nodded and played a cover of Ich Will by Rammstein. The guitar had some special electronics in it that I was able to figure out that they were capable to add extra notes to making the guitar electric. So it was another three minutes of me playing the song. When I reached one of the low notes of the song and repeated it, unknown to me, Duchess Satine had entered the marketplace with some of her guards. She had heard the songs while walking around and came to see what was going on. As she got closer to the crowd, some of the people had bowed and let her pass them. At that moment, I had reached one of the high notes and she was shocked. She never heard music like this before and kind of unconsciously was vibing to it. It was also the ending of the song as everyone disperse again. I'll admit, it was fun playing but hopefully, they'll trust me a little bit now.

I stood up and held the guitar under my arm while people were leaving the crowd when I heard a voice. "Your music is very interesting..." Said Duchess Satine as I turned to face her as the last of the crowd left. She was shocked at seeing me wearing a tattered robe over armor. I was also surprised to see her here but maintained my composure. I was thinking already about making her an ally but personally, her sister was hotter than her. So I just gave her a bow as she got over her shock. She asked for my name and I thought about what to tell her. I risk her telling the Republic about me but than again, they're independent so I decided to take the risk. I told her that I was called Doom and she looked at me funny. I told her that it was given to me by someone else and it was all I had. She looked like she had more questions but I interrupted her and asked where I could buy a ship.

She said that she knew a place if I was willing to walk with her and talk. I agreed and her first question was if I was from off world. I told her yes and she said that she figured that was the case. She was leading me to another part of the city. "Why have you come here"? Asked Satine as I made up a lie. I told her that I and another person was stuck on a planet and was able to barter for passage. I wanted a ship since it would be cheaper to find one then to try and pay for a long trip. She asked where I was trying to go and I told her Coruscant since I had no reason to lie about the location. She seemed to think about something as I mentioned Coruscant. She was probably thinking about Kenobi since she still had feelings for him. We were walking along a long bridge when I noticed something off.

I looked around as Satine noticed it too, she asked what was wrong when suddenly we heard jetpacks. A group of Mandalorians had flew up from under the bridge and immediately killed the guards. Satine shouted that they were Deathwatch as I pulled out the Bryar pistol. I was shooting at them while trying to get Satine to safety. I got her down an alley and covered her with the robe. I told her to stay down as I left the guitar with her and ran out the alley. The Mandalorians had landed on the bridge and were getting ready to come my direction. But I rushed them, pushing two to the ground as I holstered the pistol. I was curious how I would handle them without weapons. I also saw that there was 6 of them total, two were on the floor while the rest took to the air. I looked down at one of the Mandalorians who was trying to get back up. I went over to him and lifted my foot to stomp on his head. What I didn't expect was the helmet to be crushed in and the Mandalorian to die instantly. I was shocked myself along with the other Mandalorians at this.

My best guess was that with my current strength, beskar alloy was no match for me. Good for me that pure beskar was fully used at this time for some reason. I turned to the other Mandalorian who tried to get away when he saw me. The other Mandalorians started shooting at me and it was a interesting experience to go up against real soldiers as my armor stats dropped.

500/540...

491/540...

I ran over to him before he could jetpack away and snapped his neck. I shot at the other Mandalorians who were flying through the air. My armor continued to get hit as I tried to return fire on them but I was waiting for the right opportunity.

489/540...

Then they started to land since their fuel was running out. So they had no choice but to land on the bridge where I was waiting for them. Once the first one landed, I got close and started pummeling him as his armor was getting dents in it. The other Mandalorians were getting their knifes out and coming over but I picked up the Mandalorian I was fighting and threw him at them. Most of them fell down but one of them in the back managed to use the little fuel they had to hover over the others to reach me. He held out his knife and made small jabs in the air towards me. I just stared at him as I held up my left arm and the Doomblade came out, ripping the fabric wrap I had on my arm. He tried to rush me but I managed to side step to the left and as he passed me, I managed to stab him through a gap in his armor that was on his side. I grabbed his shoulder and lifted the blade up while it was still in his side. He bled all over the bridge as I threw him to the side when the three other Mandalorians all shot their ropes at different parts of me. There was a rope on each of my arm and the third wrapped around my neck.

I barely felt it as they tried to pull me but I barely moved. Then I pulled the two Mandalorians attached to my arms to the side, causing them to fall of the bridge as I felt the ropes on my arm disconnect and I grabbed the last one. I started pulling the last Mandalorian towards me. He was trying to stop himself and disconnect the rope but it seemed to be jammed. Then he pulled out his blaster and started to shoot me as I pulled him closer.

480/540...

475/540...

470/540...

Once he got close enough, he tried to hit me but I grabbed his hand and broke it as he fell to his knees. I just stared at him as he groaned in pain. I waited for him to beg but he didn't which impressed me. I pulled the Bryar pistol out and pressed it against his throat before firing. I let him fall as I looked over the bridge to see where the other two went. I didn't see anything but I heard groaning as I turned around to see the Mandalorian who I stabbed in the side. I walked over to him as he tried to crawl away, trailing blood behind him. I lifted him up and brought him to the edge of the bridge. I looked over to see if Satine was still in the Alley, once I confirmed that she was still hiding. I looked at the injured Mandalorian and watched as I took his armor and jetpack into the Inventory before dropping him off the edge. There was nothing below the bridge except for some bridges and passing vehicles but there wasn't a lot of them. I left the other dead Mandalorians alone as I headed back to where Satine was hiding.

As I turned the corner, I narrowly dodged a blaster shot as Satine almost shot me. Once she saw it was me, she said sorry as she came out of the alley. I got my guitar as Satine gave me the robe back. I told her to lead me to her castle and I'll keep a eye out. She agreed and we made our way to the castle as fast as we could. We managed to make it to the castle without anymore ambushes as Satine was received by her guards. I said good bye to her but she asked if I would stay for a meal as thanks. I told her that I appreciated the gesture but needed to go. So she thanked me again and gave me directions to the nearest star port where I can find a merchant to talk about a ship. So I made my way there which took a about two hours to reach. When I did, I saw the port where new ships were arriving and departing. Near them was a small building with a row of various ships behind it on a lot so I headed over there and walked inside.

Wasn't sure what I was expecting to see. Maybe something similar to Watto shop in Phantom Menace but instead it was like a mini car dealership. There was a table with a receptionist, a holoviewer table that showed different ships, a back door that presumably led to the lot, some chairs, and a blue metal protocol droid that stood next to the receptionist. The wall was dull metal and the floor was white. There wasn't really anyone inside as the receptionist who was a black human that seemed to be in his 40s was asleep. The protocol droid tried to nudge him awake but nothing happened so he came over to me. "Welcome, dear customer, I am Azure...how may I assist you today"? Asked Azure as he gave a slight bow. I pointed towards the holoviewer and walked over as Azure followed. "Ah, well, you'll be pleased to know we have some of the finest here from fresh off the line to used but I assure you that the used ships while cheap are reliable".

I scrolled through the ships available as Azure just droned on. They had a new G-1A Heavy Starfighter for 130,000 which was too expensive for me and a used Kom'rk "Gauntlet" for 47,500 which was probably leftover from a Death Watch attack. There was also a used Belbullab-22 Heavy Starfighter for 42,000, a new Koensayr AD-15 Modular Multi-Role Starfighter for 25,000 which was very bare bones and had no weapons and a Cutlass-9 Patrol Fighter for 10,000 which was only single pilot. So far, I saw no ships that fit my budget and had adequate room. I told him my needs and if he had anything like that. He computed the request and scrolled through the holoviewer before stopping on one ship. "We do have a used ship but there are issues with it". Said Azure as I read the details. Aggressor Assault Fighter for 40,000, this was the ship that IG-88 flew and Mandalorian Protectors were known to fly it. It was complete with fore and aft shields, nav computer, a sensor with short range, twin medium laser cannons for close range, twin medium ion cannon for short range, and a light tractor beam. Plus the hyperdrive, which was a Class 2, was in good condition along with the Class 8 backup. So I asked Azure what the issue with it was as I readied the credits for the payment.

"The safety limiters on the ship are damaged so once you reached a certain speed and attempt a maneuver, the strain on the body is deadly". Said Azure as I was slightly confused than figured that he was talking about something similar to G-force. I'm pretty sure that with my endurance that I could withstand it and that was a risk I'm willing to take. I'll give it a test before I leave as I told him that I would take it. Azure exclaimed happily as he went back to the desk. While his back was turned, I ripped a piece of fabric and made a makeshift bag for the credits. Which brought my total down to 21,262 credits, I was fine with it but it would be nice to have more money. Than I thought of something, the DH-Omni Support Vessel, if the Republic haven't taken it yet. It's probably worth a lot of credits. As I came up to the receptionist desk, Azure had entered something into a computer and than pulled out two things. An activation cylinder for the hyperdrive and some data pads with information.

"Now I would like to say that if there are further problems, that we are not responsible for any incidents". Azure said as I walked out the back door. I walked around before finding the Aggressor Assault Fighter at the end of the lot. It had a unique shape to it and the color was faded silver. The shape of it was like a old style caliper with pincers attached to the back. The cockpit was right in the middle of it. There was some people in mechanic clothing nearby, I showed them the papers. Once they were satisfied, they gave me some fuel while I was reading one of the data pad which was pretty much a user manual which was handy for me since I heard the ding again.

Pilot Proficiency: 25/100...

As I read through it, I saw a entry for inputting a passcode so no one else could hijack the ship. I read extensively into it and happened to finish it just as the mechanics finished fueling my new ship. I thanked them as I boarded it through a ramp that opened under the cockpit area, I walked around it and explored the interior. There was a storage locker, seats for passengers, a holoviewer, and a small med station. I made my way to the cockpit and sat down in the main chair as I worked on the passcode. Once I got it, the passcode I chose was 3666 which may seem satanic but I got it from the old telephone dials with letters on them. After I got it set up, I got another ding.

Tech Proficiency: 20/100 (Can operate average level technology)

I got buckled in as I contacted Cortana and told her to send me the coordinates for the Fortress of Doom. Once I got them, I started pressing buttons to fire up the ship. But it was a little trial and error, figuring out what buttons were what. But I had issues figuring out the controls then I received a ding from the System.

Due to your unfamiliarity of this particular ship and the controls, would you like to transform the controls to modern version for easier handling? (To others, the original controls will still be there)...

Huh, I guess it'll kinda be like the chameleon circuit in Doctor Who. It'll be handy to switch to modern controls so I said yes to the System. Then the controls morphed to where on my left side was the throttle for speed and in the middle was a joystick with a trigger like what they would have in a fighter jet. There was also a button on top of the joystick which probably was for one of the two weapons. The throttle on the left also had a button on the side that had a power switch on it so I pressed it and the main ion drive engine in the back on the back of the ship fired up. I pulled the joystick back to angle the ship up before pushing the throttle a small amount forward. The ship started to move as I was able to navigate my way out of the dome. Once I existed, I level the ship and flew around for a little bit. Luckily, in my old life, I bought one of those external controllers designed to look like fighter jets controls for a game I had. So flying this was kind of like riding a bike as I started to increase speed and zoom over the desert of Mandalore.

My mind wandered as I was thinking about how it used to look before the centuries of war. I looked around and didn't see any signs of civilization except for what was behind me. "Lets see what you can do". I said as I pushed the throttle forward, instantly zooming faster than I thought I would go. I was pushed back into my seat by the high Gs but managed to resist the strain. I could feel every muscle in my body tensing up and being pressured at the same time. If I didn't have high endurance, I probably would never survive this. I flew around the desert, testing some different maneuvers. When I looked down at the gauges, I saw something that I missed before. It seemed like a gearshift but only went back and forth. Out of curiosity, I reached for it and pulled it back which didn't seem to do anything till I turned the ship to the right. Then I started to spin rapidly before stabilizing the ship. I was surprised as I slowed down and looked out the window to see the two pincers like objects in the back was now fully extended straight out.

I pushed the shift forward and the pincers closed. I landed the ship and turned it off to pull the manual out. The one I read gave basic info so I checked the others and found a blueprint for the ship. The pincers in the back were the Extendable Maneuvering Vanes which was a long name so I'm just gonna call them pincers. They can help me do tight turns or complex maneuvers. "Ok, let's make sure there's nothing else that's gonna surprise me". I said as I looked around the console. There didn't seem to be anything else but I did find the slot for the activation cylinder for the hyperdrive. I restarted the ship and headed up through the atmosphere, I got the hang of flying as I made my way to the Fortress of Doom.

Ding, Pilot Proficiency increased to 35/100...

Once I reached the Fortress of Doom, I was about to ask Cortana where the hangar was when a portion of the stone under the Fortress opened up. I flew towards it and saw a blue ray shield that led to a massive space with metal walls. I flew inside it and landed, I got out and looked around the space. This hangar had fueling stations but it was currently empty, it also had a workbench with various mechanic tools, and a elevator at the back of the hangar. Once I was done looking around, I got in the elevator and went up. I exited out into the area between the bridge and the forge area. I went to the bridge and told Cortana to get us close to Coruscant but far enough that I can fly the rest of the way there.