11 Birth of Nightstalker

Dak slowly began to wake up to a sharp pain in his arm. As he opened his eyes, he noticed a scavenger pulling on his arm in an attempt to remove his gauntlet. Shooting awake, Dak jolted and kicked at the scavenger: "Hey, hey, woah! Not dead! Not dead!"

The scavenger started back and then ran, screaming something about a ghost Mandalorian. With the scavenger gone, Dak had a moment to clear his head; then he realized something: Not dead. Whether it was by some miracle or something else, Dak was alive, but he still had no idea how or where he was now. He managed to stand up, but his legs were slightly wobbly. Looking around him, he realized he was in some random pit in the middle of nowhere. At his left, he saw the protective dome that was the city. 'The Imps must have taken me and just threw me in some random pit outside the city,' he thought to himself, 'they thought I was dead. Hell, I thought I was dead. How is this possible?'

He took a look at himself and cringed; he was an absolute mess, his outfit and armor charred and damaged from the explosion. He also started to take notice of the long gash in his helmet made by a blaster bolt. He checked for his pistols; he found one in its holster, but the other was missing, most likely confiscated by the Imperials. Feeling around, he also felt wet spots on his clothing, but when he pulled his hand back expecting to see blood, but instead saw a dark blue liquid. After a few seconds of confusion, everything clicked. The bacta serum, he thought. He realized he was carrying a few of the vials on his belt, which must have broken when he hit the wall, their contents leaking onto him.

"Guess this stuff really is heavy duty." He said to himself. Brushing himself off the best he could, he turned toward the city. He had to get back somehow, the covert would be saddened by his being gone. And Sabine…She's probably heartbroken right now, he thought, I gotta get back to her, to the covert. But how? Just then, he spotted a small trading outpost a couple hundred yards away behind him. Maybe he could get a ride into the dome there. I was worth a shot; he began walking in the direction of the outpost.

It was a slightly rustic-looking outpost, the green paint on the walls was cracked from the elements. Walking inside, Dak realized the inside was only slightly better. I looked well enough, but it smelled incredibly musty and of alcohol, typical for trading outposts. This one was also a restaurant, as Dak also saw some tables and booths inside, some with traders and all kinds of travelers at them. Dak stumbled and sat down at a table, waiting to order a drink. After a few minutes, a blue-skinned Twi'lek waitress walked up and put a glass of blue milk in front of him.

"Compliments of the bounty hunter a few booths behind you." She said, "He says he wants to speak with you."

"Who?" Dak asked.

The waitress pointed to the hunter, and Dak followed her gaze. Sure enough, a man was sitting a few feet away. His back was turned to Dak, but it gave Dak a good view of the unmistakable blue jetpack with the missile on top. Another Mandalorian. Dak thought, maybe he'll help me. He thanked the waitress, took the glass, and went over to the Mando's booth and sat down.

"Been a long time since I've seen another Mandalorian outside of the city." The stranger said. He was wearing green Mando gear that was covered in silver scratches, evidence of having seen many battles. The helmet even had a small dent in it. An EE-3 blaster was slung over his shoulder.

"Who are you?" he asked.

Dak had to take a swig of the blue milk before responding: "My name's Dak. My family is of Clan Allistair." He said, "Who are you? I never expected to see another Mando this far outside of the city."

The Mando chuckled, "Not many are, kid. Call me Fett. Boba Fett.

"Wait, Fett, an in Jango Fett?"

"He was my father. You've heard of us?"

"Yeah, but nothing very good."

Boba Fett shrugged, "Figures. So, what are you doing all the way out here? You look like you went through quite some hell."

"That's cause I kinda did." After that Dak told Boba the events that occurred at the Imperial facility leading all the way to his waking up in the pit. Boba simply stared, listening intently the whole time. After dak finished, it was a few moments before Boba spoke

"So, let me guess, you need to get back into the city?" he finally said.

Dak nodded: "I was hoping I could try getting in without being seen by Imperials or anyone else. If they see me, they're bound to ask questions."

Boba nodded in agreement: "Definitely. Especially with all those Imps around. Now I can probably get you in there; they usually don't give bounty hunters a second thought."

Dak lit up but then sagged a bit: "Let me guess, you want me to pay you to do it."

Boba Fett chuckled: "Most cases, I probably would. But you seem to be different. Plus, it doesn't hurt to aid a fellow Mandalorian in need."

Dak lit up again, his luck was really pulling in this time: "Thank you." He said.

"Don't mention it." Boba chuckled, "Meet me at my ship in 10 minutes."

A few minutes later, Dak and Boba took off from the outpost in the Slave I. Sure enough, once they got to the dome entrance, they were let through without a single question. Once they were through, Dak showed Boba to a landing platform closest to where he could make it back to the covert on foot. As soon as the ship landed, Dak turned to Boba.

"I can't thank you enough, Boba." He said.

Boba grunted: "Once is enough. But I have to ask you: ever considered becoming a bounty hunter?"

"Once or twice." Dak replied.

"It's a pretty decent life. Pays extremely well too."

"I'll definitely consider it, then."

"In that case, take this." Boba handed Dak a small comlink, "Once you fully make up your mind, contact me. I'll tell you what you need to know. Good luck"

Dak nodded and exited the ship, only turning around to watch as the Slave I took off, heading farther into the city. Then, Dak ran into the alleyways, taking the turn after turn, each one he knew by heart. Finally, he reached the covert entrance, but something was wrong. The doors were seared and scorched black. Blaster fire. Worried, Dak ran inside, working his way through the tunnels. He didn't see anyone on the way, which worried him even more. Finally, he reached the main hall, and what he saw shocked him. In the center of the large hall was a pile of miscellaneous Mandalorian armor. Distressed, Dak ran to the pile and began sorting through them.

"No, please not her, please not her…" he kept muttering to himself as he went through the pieces. Luckily, he did not find Sabine's armor, so it was clear she was still alive. But then he held up another helmet, one that belonged to his father. Dak fell to his knees, tears welling up in his eyes.

"What happened here…?" he said to himself.

"The Empire happened." said a voice behind him. He whipped around to see the covert armorer walking up with an empty cart. She continued: "A day or so after we attacked the facility to raid the bacta serums, the Empire somehow found our covert. They attacked without warning, those who were not killed were either taken prisoner or forced to go into the Imperial Academies for…'disciplinary conditioning'."

Dak held up the helmet: "And my father…?"

The armorer studied the helmet, then looked at Dak, his identity starting to make itself clear to her. She gasped: "Impossible. Dak?"

Dak nodded his head: "It's a long story."

"You should come with me to Chief. He will definitely want to speak with you. First, help me load some of this armor into the cart."

After a few minutes, Dak and the armorer made it into the armory. The Chief was sitting on a nearby bench, his armor scorched and dented from the fight. A few other Mandalorians were also present. Dak removed his helmet and walked over to the Chief.

"Chief," he said, "Are you alright?"

The Chief coughed and then looked at Dak, recognizing him immediately.

"Dak?" he asked, "But how?"

Dak touched a blue stain on his outfit and held his hand out, showing the blue liquid.

"The bacta serum I was carrying broke and spilled all over me, healing my injuries." He replied, "How long have I been gone."

"Two days. Long enough for us to have had your funeral."

"And for the Empire to destroy the place it seems."

"Yes. They attacked just yesterday."

"My parents?"

The Chief shook his head: "Your parents fought bravely alongside me. We pushed back wave after wave of stormtroopers, but then something else walked in."

"A special kind of trooper?"

"No, this was something different. He carried a red blade and used a power I have not seen in ages. He started wiping us out, one by one. Your mother was one of the first to fall, and your father died soon after trying to protect her. Once the dark warrior entered, the fight was quickly lost. Many of us either hid or were taken."

"Sabine?" Dak asked.

"She was one of the taken few, last I heard. She was devastated enough at your supposed death. Losing the covert was too much. She was one of the first to surrender. Odds are she is at the Imperial Academy on Mandalore right now with the others."

Dak was relieved she was alive, but the thought of her being trained and brainwashed by the Imperials filled him with something he wasn't expecting: rage.

"I'm going to get her back." He said turning around.

The Chief put a hand on his shoulder: "No, the academy is too well guarded, especially if that dark warrior is there. Besides, you're in no condition to fight."

Dak looked at himself and realized the Chief was right. His armor was too damaged to take any more hits. Slowly, Dak fell to his knees, buried his head in his hands, and did something he never thought he would: he cried. He had come here, hoping to be reunited with his family and friends in the covert. Instead he realized that he had lost everything: his covert, his parents, his home, and his dearest friend. The only thing he could feel right at that moment was despair and pain. After a few moments, he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder. He turned to see the Chief.

"It pains me to say this, but I'm afraid that there might no longer a place for you here. All we can do now is help you recover some more before sending you out." He said.

Dak thought about Chief's words; he was right, there was no place for him here anymore, but there might be elsewhere. Slowly, an idea, a plan, began to form in Dak's mind. He wiped his eyes and stood up.

"No," he said, "I am not going to abandon this place. Not forever. It is my home, my people, and I intend to save them. After I recover, I'll leave here, but it will be to become better, stronger. Once I do that, I will return here and free every single Mandalorian under this tyranny that the Empire is."

"How do you intend to do this?" the armorer asked.

"Let's just say I made a friend who might be able to help with that." Dak replied, holding up the comlink Boba had given him, "But first, I'll need new armor, and a ship."

The Chief chuckled, "Fortunately, I think we might be able to provide you with both."

"I can get started on an armor for you." Said the armorer, "As for a ship, our secret hangar was left untouched in the attack. You might find something useful there. Shipmaster, show him the way."

One of the Mandos, this one in bule pilot gear, led Dak to the ship hangar, once there, he went to a secret panel in the wall, typed in a code, and then stepped into the secret elevator as a section of the wall slid open to reveal it. Once Dak followed him inside, the pilot hit a button and the elevator proceeded to descend into a chamber farther underground. Many ships of all kinds and models in near mint condition, recovered and restored from war sites, lined the floors of this hangar. The elevator then stopped, and Dak and the pilot stepped out.

"There a particular ship you had in mind?" The pilot asked.

"Any ship with stealth tech, guns, and a hyperdrive will do honestly. And possibly room for multiple people." Dak replied.

The pilot thought for a moment, then gestured for Dak to follow him: "There is one I can think of." He led Dak across the room to a large transport-like ship. It was about 50 ft long. The cockpit was mounted on the front and was a rounded shape, muck like what Dak saw on the Slave I. The wings were also slightly rounded and angled back. They were also thick, hosing the massive engine rows at the back. Looking inside, Dak noticed that there were multiple seats, enough to seat up to four in the cockpit.

"It used to be a normal Mandalorian freighter," the pilot explained, "but we decided to give it a bit of a makeover. It now carries four gun turrets, one on each side, one at the back, and one in front that the pilot can control if he wants to. Hyperdrive is also pretty decent. As for stealth, we modified it with the stealth tech like on our standard transport ships, so you should be able to pass unseen by practically everyone, even the Empire."

Dak looked it over. It was in pretty good shape, and he knew it was the ship he needed.

"Does it have a name yet?" He asked.

"Not yet," the pilot replied, "We had only recently finished the modifications. It was meant to be a new model of gunship, but it's all yours if you want it."

Dak nodded his head: "Sure, I'll take it. And I already have a name in mind, one I was already planning to give my first ship."

"Really? And what name is that?"

"Inception." Dak replied.

The pilot whistled: "That's a pretty kickass name. Inception it is." Then he turned back towards the elevator: "We should get back to the armory. They're probably done with your armor by now. I'll let em know what ship you want when we get back."

A few minutes later, Dak and the pilot arrived back at the armory.

"Did you find a suitable ship?" the Chief asked.

"He wants the gunship." The pilot replied, "He's decided to call it Inception."

The Chief nodded: "A fine name. The ship should serve you well, I'm sure. Prepare the gunship for takeoff."

The pilot nodded and ran out of the room. Meanwhile, the armorer had finished the last of Dak's new armor.

"I believe this should also serve you well." She said, placing the last of it on a pile on the table for Dak to see, "Try it on." A few moments later, Dak was fully outfitted in his new armor. It was a darker, almost black color with the Mandalorian symbol painted in red on the chestplate. The helmet was outfitted with a retractable rangefinder on the side. The gauntlets were solid black and carried all the tools and weapons he would need. To top it all off, Dak was able to fit his thruster boot attachments onto his new boots. For his weapons, he equipped himself with a blaster pistol to replace his missing one and two EE-3 blasters.

"It fits perfectly." he said.

"That armor was forged with the metal from many of our fallen warriors." The armorer said, "The fate of our covert lies with you now."

Dak nodded: "I will also need a new name if I am to do this, since I am technically supposed to be dead. My old codename will work."

"Nightstalker?" The armorer said, "Very well then."

Dak then turned to the Chief and the other Mandos: "I will return," he said, "And when I do, I will free you from the Empire, including everyone in that Academy."

The Chief nodded: "I know you will. Now go, and good luck to you."

Dak nodded in return: "This is the way."

"This is the way." The other Mandos responded in unison.

A few moments later, Dak walked into the hangar, where his new ship was waiting. The pilot saw him as he was standing by the entrance ramp.

"That's some nice armor." He said, "You know how to fly ship like this, right?"

"Yes, it was part of our training in the Rising Phoenix" Dak replied.

"In that case, ship's all yours. Good luck." The pilot said, standing aside so Dak could enter. Closing the ramp behind him, Dak walked up to the cockpit and sat down in the pilot's seat. Flipping a few switches, Dak felt the ship come to life under his feet, the engines roaring as it lifted off the ground. He waited until the pilot opened the hangar doors, then he guided the ship outside of the hangar and shout out into the sky outside of the city and through the atmosphere, activating his ship's stealth to successfully sneak past the Imperial fleet above.

Once he was past the fleet, he plugged in his comlink to the ship's com system and signaled Boba Fett. After a few minutes of static, a hologram of a Mando in green appeared on the projector.

"Boba, it's Dak, though you can call me Nightstalker from now on." Dak said over the com.

"Well, someone went through quite the makeover." Boba chuckled.

"I've made up my mind. I'm going to be a bounty hunter."

Boba nodded: "Well, alright then. Meet me at the Utapau system, I'll send you the coordinates as to where. There, we'll talk more." Then, the hologram went out and the com system received the coordinates. Plugging them into his nav computer, Dak turned to look at the planet of Mandalore one last time, the thought of Sabine still alive down there filling him with hope.

"I will come back for you, Sabine." He said, "I promise." Finally, pressing a lever on the controls, the ship Inception shot off into hyperspace towards the Utapau system.