Labyrinth of Death | Chapter 2

Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2


Barras rubbed his tired eyes and fought back a yawn. Surely the champion of rocks should get at least one hour of sleep. He puffed out an irritated breath and thought about kicking Captain Moran in the behind. No chance of that. At least, not for a few more hours, when their flight would begin.
He shivered. This ship was even colder than the corridors in Korriban’s massive military grounds.
His eyes roamed along the circle of Sith troopers sitting on the floor in the freighter’s centreroom. Testing their weapons. Playing rocks. A proud smile alighted on his face for one second. It was too cold to smile.
“Oi! Remin! Got a blanket to spare?” he called.
Remin glared at Barras, gripping his blanket tighter. “Get your own, chatter-teeth.”
Barras rose with a grumpy frown on his face. “Oh, sure, depriving one. I hereby challenge you to a game of rocks when I’ve got my own blanket.”
Remin’s glare went even sourer, if that was possible. “I don’t gamble.”
Barras kicked the ground. “I saw you playing rocks with Dalfis only last night, you hypocrite!” He stalked off towards the supplies room, muttering about the injustice of being a rocks champion when no one would play with you.
He retrieved a blanket and pulled it about his shoulders. “My lips are going blue and I’m not even a Mirilian!” In right bad temper, he returned to the centreroom and sat down on a box. Maybe when the space travel began, he would go and sit on an engine to get enough warmth.
“Brr! It’s cold enough to freeze a wampa inside out!”
Falex laughed from the floor.
“Be quiet!”
Hirda, who sat only a few feet from Barras, leaned over and smacked him in the leg. “Do you think you could lighten up for a while?”
Barras directed a fierce glare towards Hirda and moved his legs around to the other side of the box. “Leg-whacker. No, I couldn’t.” He glared at the dismal grey walls of the centreroom. “Why’d Moran the morbid have to choose this freezing ship out of all the speedy cruisers in the Sith fleets?”
Dalfis tsked. “If the captain catches you speaking like that, Barras, you’ll get sentenced to the hold. And the hold, we all know, is far colder than the centreroom.”
“Hah!” Barras sulked. “Well, he’d better get a heater in this room quick, or he’ll have only nineteen out of twenty left in his detachment when we get to…wherever we’re going!”
“Eighteen out of nineteen,” stated grey-haired Perayn.
Barras cast Perayn a sour look. “What?”
Perayn tossed his blaster in the air and caught it by the barrel. “Don’t you remember, Barras? Captain Moran sentenced Igorn to five months of menial labour for cheeking a Sith lord. That penalty isn’t getting revoked any time soon.”
“Fine.” Barras drew his legs up to his chest and shivered. He pulled his blanket tighter around his shoulders. “Good night.”
“I hear the captain’s bringing in a replacement for Igorn,” said Perayn.
Barras hunched his shoulders, refusing to make conversation.
“Anyone know what we’re actually doing here?” asked Falex to no one in particular.
Silence.
“Some sort of assassination mission, I hear,” said Perayn after a while.
Groans echoed from most of the Sith troopers in the room at Perayn’s statement. Barras only huffed and tried to block out the conversation.
“Not the regular assassination,” Perayn said quickly. “Apparently there’s a rogue Sith who’s been causing some trouble, and we’re backing up a Sith sent to kill him.”
“What?” Falex groaned again. “We’re fighting our own?”
“He isn’t our own any more,” Perayn snapped. “He’s a rogue Sith. Get that into your head!”
“What’s this Sith’s name?” Hirda asked. “And how did you hear this?”
“I didn’t hear his name,” Perayn said. “And I keep my ears open. You never know when you’re going to need the information that you overhear.”
Silence.
“Barras, unplug your ears!”
Barras whirled on Falex, his blanket dropping from his shoulders. “They weren’t plugged in the first place, oddball!”
Naldon, a taciturn middle-aged man, harrumphed from his seat by the wall. “Barras, cut it out. Everyone knows you’re grumpy. Get it out of your system.”
Barras kicked the box he had been sitting on and picked up his blanket. “Yeah, not. I don’t need your advice, Naldon.” He stalked over to a corner and huddled there, shivering.
The door to the centreroom swung open. Captain Moran stepped in. “All right, boys! We’ve got the go-ahead to leave early.” He glanced out through the door. “I’ve brought Igorn’s temporary replacement in the detachment. Be nice, or I’ll chew your noses off.”
A figure in Sith trooper armour stepped through the door. Sharp green eyes regarded the Sith troopers gathered there. Barras’ mouth dropped open.
“Meet Raenen Mareth,” said Captain Moran. “She’s going to be joining our detachment for a few months.”

–––––––––––––––––––––––

Sorry this is so late. But I've had a pretty hectic week with Dad and Raptor gone.

Dmitri Pendragon
Blog Moderator