» Bounty

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Advanced Recon Commandos were nearly perfect clones of the Mandalorian bounty hunter Jango Fett. That made them superior to regular clone trooper but ARCs also had a freer will than these. Unlike the other troops, ARCs absolutely could put orders into question and their obedience to the Grand Army of the Republic was not as strong as with other clones.

Thus it could come that an ARC wouldn't follow the ideals and policy of his existence and their purpose to serve the Republic unconsidered but also turn against it and even become rogue.

The rogue trooper A-Ψ2 Spar – who had announced himself to a new Mandalore and tried to reunite the Mandalorians – was not the only one.

A-52 Jaing was another clone who, like Spar, didn't want to know anything from the Republic and went his own way. But where Spar was very interested in Mandalorian culture and history – and re-create that – Jaing was more due to take Jango's legacy as a bounty hunter.

He kept his armor after his exit from the GAR shortly after the Battle of Kamino and modified it with several new features like a jetpack with rocket-launcher and a extendable vibro-blade out of Cortosis (in these times there were more and more bounties on Jedi). Moreover he painted his white armor with the blood-red emblem of the Mandalorians on his chest and as well blood-red “scars” on helmet and shoulder-plates.

His career led him to several planets and his jobs were as different as they could be. He found special pleasure in bounties on Jedi…


What a coward, Jaing thought, while pursuing his target through the icy, crusty landscape of Zen'Tarr. And I thought these Jedi have a least a little bit of courage...

The self-made avenger of Jango Fett loved such chivvies and made no excuses to land his modified Antec V-56 Blastboat and fight his target on foot.

His target was a horned Devaronian Jedi named Renn Fasarr, who betook himself to flight. But this was on this lonely planet totally useless.

It wasn't the first Jedi Jaing was even put on, but the former ARC-trooper found a certain pleasure in killing those he should actually obey to. Apart from that, with every Jedi he eliminated, he partially revenged Jango Fett's death through one of those Jedi.

Jaing turned back to the chase and noticed, that when it continued like that, the laser-canons of the Burning Vengeance, how he called his small and versatile ship, rather superheated before he hit the Jedi, who deftly dodged the laser-blasts.

"Time to die, Jedi," he said aloud and geared up. After about 200 meters he turned the ship 180 degrees and eventually landed after all. So much he liked that kind of pursuit, in the long run it bored him.

Jaing got out of his pilot-seat, went to the hatch, opened it and jumped outside, without extending the ramp. The low gravity of the planet let him nearly softly land on the uneven, with craters littered, frozen ground.

Now that is very bad, he noted in thoughts. The low gravity was a sure advantage for the Jedi, since, with the Force he could better suit to it in a fight. But I will benefit from your advantage. Wait and see, Jedi-scum.

Jaing strode – as far as you can say that because it was very difficult to stay on the ground without lifting off in doing so – towards the Jedi who had lifted his golden gleaming lightsaber to a defense-pose.

Next are anti-grav-boots due, Jaing thought. Otherwise I will lose ground under me feet next time again...

Already when he had entered the atmosphere of Zen'Tarr, Jaing had wondered what a Jedi wanted on such a drear, godforsaken planet in the Outer Rim. But a bounty hunter just had to do his job without asking such questions. When his client withheld such information – as long as not necessary for the mission – he obviously had his reasons for that matter. And as long as a bounty hunter had all necessary information, he should be content with that and keep out of things that weren't his concern.

Meanwhile, the Devaronian had approached far enough that Jaing could catch his facial features. The Jedi looked old. Far older than on the holo-profile I got. But this laddie is pretty fit for his age, so I better shouldn't underestimate him.

"What do you want from an old man who searches his peace on a remote planet?" Fasarr asked with a calm voice in that admittedly some exhaustion resonated as well. Exhaustion from that little chase, Jaing thought with a nasty grin.

"You can have your peace, old man," he replied. Not willing to continue the conversation, he drew his two DC-17 blaster pistols out of their holsters ...

... and just as he wanted to pull the trigger, both weapons flew in a high bow through the air, slithered over the ground and one of the blasters disappeared in a chink.

"Wait!" the Jedi said, his left hand lifted adverting. "Before you kill me, I must know who sent you and why he wants to see me dead. See it as a final request."

Jaing hesitated and felt a sudden urge to be responsive to Fasarr's plea. What is bad about when he gets to know why he must die?, he thought. But his instinct told him that weren't his thoughts but just another Jedi-trick.

"Get outta my head, Jedi," he said resolutely, strong-minded enough to defy the Jedi's mind trick.

Jaing could see how perplexed the Jedi was, that his trick hadn't worked with the bounty hunter. That expression held only shortly since Fasarr recollected fast and grabbed his lightsaber's hilt even tighter and determined to attack.

"Very well then, bounty hunter! However you want," he said and lunged at Jaing.

The rogue ARC just had time to catapult himself with his jetpack into the air and to draw his lightsaber-resistant vibroblade out of Cortosis Ore. The strike that would have taken Jaing's head off passed by closely under his feet.

The Jedi reacted quickly and jumped directly towards Jaing, advanced by the Force and the low gravity. Jaing parried the bash and the lightsaber extinguished suddenly. If Fasarr was surprised, he didn't show it. He grabbed Jaings weapon arm and just wanted to ram the lightsaber-hilt with his right hand on Jaing's chest when the jetpack overloaded under the additional weight and deactivated itself. Both fighters fell from about ten meters height down to ground. The low gravity prevented a fracture that would have happen to the two of them but let them land fiercely, though. By dint of the Force, Fasarr pushed Jaing away from him and the bounty hunter crashed once more to the hard ground.

The impact made him unconscious for a split second but when he straightened up again and raised his head, he saw a golden glow on a level with his throat.

Fierfek! How can the lightsaber of that di'kut still function...?, the bounty hunter thought, surprised. But then he understood: not the Cortosis in his vibroblade had deactivated the lightsaber – what usually should have happened because Cortosis Ore puts lightsabers out of action - but Fasarr himself. And then he made me think my blade would hit on resistance. Damnit! Without the automatic deactivation of my jetpack I'd have a nice hole in my chest!

"One last time," the Devaronian's rough voice brought him back out of his thoughts. "Who is your client and why does he want to see my head?"

Fasarr certainly wouldn't have expected the answer the elite-clonetrooper gave him.

It consisted in a blast out of Jaing's knuckle-mini-blaster what the Jedi could just in time deflect followed by a fierce kick in Fasarr's soft parts.

Jaing took the lightsaber that had been fallen out of the Jedi's hand and pressed it with the muzzle on the Jedi's throat, his thumb on the trigger.

"Time to say goodbye, Jedi," Jaing said and pushed his thumb through.

He surveyed the precise-made lightsaber one last time, the inimitable blade and said: "What a pity that my client wants the weapon and not the head of the Jedi. It would fit well to my little collection..." He thought of the showcase aboard his ship in which six lightsaber of killed Jedi were located.

He deactivated the weapon which seems to be from more civilized days, fastened it to his weapon belt, picked his DC-17 up and went on board of the Vengeance.

He activated his com-unit and the pale-faced, scarred face of an old man under a wide hood appeared on the screen.

"Target eliminated, milord" Jaing reported.

"Very well. Payment as usual. We already have the next job for you, if you are interested."

"Of course, milord."