Chapter 4: Hero on the Horizon

Chapter 4: Hero on the Horizon

“Ev Khar, this is the Scaper 7, we could not spot you or any of your men alive at the Corellian Transport. Please reply, over.”

“Scaper, this is Ev Khar-kag,” panted the sprinting Huk into the radio, “My team was slaughtered by a couple of Kaleesh and a human I think. I’m currently being under pursuit and have the Czerka chip. Request urgent evac!”

“Roger Ev. We are pinpointing your position as we speak. Stay sharp.”

[hr]

Xiom’s ambition and hate for the creature blocked out every aching muscle, every bleeding gash, and every doubt in his mind, which kept him chasing after the creature; non-stop and extraordinary grace. His yellow eyes fixing hungrily upon the blue blur in front of him. He couldn’t explain the sudden urge of his absolute persistence nor did he care; he mad it his mission to not loose the Huk.

It was a ping of that greater being and essence shining upon him once more, that feeling in the back of his head that what he strived for benefited something larger at play, his purpose being expanded to deeper regions of the galaxy that he had to unfold. His Kaleesh warrior-pride fusing with that newer, embraced feeling made him stronger and more strong willed. He would not give up.

Minute after minute, stride after stride, mile after mile, the two continued on for more then half an hour before reaching a familiar place that made the essence watching over Xiom feel even greater and more real. It was a place that not only Xiom, but many other Kaleesh warriors held notable and magnificent. Xiom’s fixed gaze managed to linger among his new surroundings as he confirmed his location.

The tall lingering temples, the colorful decorated flora, the countless of graves and monuments: it all came back to Xiom and his previous visits. A violent anger rushed through Xiom as he realized his most fouled enemy had set foot on the Kaleesh sacred monumental grounds. He roared in fury and his pace sped fluently after the Huk.

Just as Xiom felt himself gaining up on the insect it leapt and crawled up onto a tall marble monument. Xiom gazed upward and admired in awe the most treasured monument in the sacred grounds.

“Grandfather,” Xiom mumbled as his angered eyes turned into a mesmerized gawk at the ten foot tall monument of his grandfather, General Grievous. The pose of the lofty statue was a dangerous combat strike that the General took, all four arms extended and widespread dramatically. In each cybernetic hand of the statue were the General’s actual lightsaber trophies, retrieved by the CIS from Utapau.

Xiom’s will to pursuit the Huk upon the statue was restrained from a disciplined reaction of knowing the dishonor and disrespect of treading upon the monument. His eyes went into a furious offended glare as the Huk pursued higher upon the statue.

Before Xiom gave up on the pursuit the same aura that had fueled him urged him to continue on, to avenge the image of the hero that had been tread on. Xiom looked up towards the monument once more and his eyes found the General’s lightsabers, and then towards the Huk whom appeared to be going after two of the trophies.

Xiom’s persistence burned inside of him once more and he leapt upon the monument of his grandfather and pursued after the Huk. His claws bore into the marble of the statue and he began his climb upward for the Huk.

[hr]

“Engines beesa back online,” chimed Mart Ma Frungo.

“Everything else seems to check out as well,” Ben stated, examining the rest of the controls alongside his Gungan co-pilot, “Time to take off then.”

The humming of the engines sounded throughout the entire ship creating a low rumbling throughout its interior.

“Any word from Xiom?” Jomaen asked, accompanying the two pilots in the cockpit.

“None yet. We’ll make contact with him in a moment, though,” Ben reassured.

[hr]

Xiom continued his climb upward, seeing the Huk go straight for the General’s left arms.

“Get down from there, vermin,” Xiom growled to his pursuing enemy, “And I may spare you an agonizing demise.”

Then there was an twin ominous sizzle followed by a constant humming that caused Xiom’s eyes to go wide.

“Oh, I don’t think so,” hissed back the Huk whom was now holding two light sabers in hand: one green the other blue.

Xiom swallowed all doubts of him being overcome by his enemy as he brought up a point, “You don’t even know how to use those. They are Jedi tools…not some play toys for you worthless Huks.”

The Huk cocked his head at the Kaleesh’s remark and Xiom raised his new found vibrosword offensively and to his surprise the Huk made a strike.

The force of the saber colliding with the vibroblade was enough to make Xiom flinch and loose control of his own weapon. Xiom gazed up upon the Huk whose pincer mouth snapped vigorously and raised both sabers dangerously towards Xiom. Xiom backed away and quickly lashed his claws into a new segment of the statue as the two blades came crashing down at where he had once been.

There was a muffled crackling that slowly cleared up into a clearer more recognizable sound of Xiom’s Corellian ally, “Xiom…Xiom this is Ben, do you read me?”

Xiom swung his body once more to the statue’s right appendages, avoiding another sloppy yet still effective strike by the Huk. Xiom paused to activate the comm. link’s responding mode and spoke, “Make this quick Ben I’m a little preoccupied at the moment.”

Xiom made another swing over to Grievous’ right arms and pulled him self up onto the Statue’s upper right arm, avoiding another sloppily coordinated strike. It was clearly obvious that the Huk did not know how to use the sabers, yet the scum had enough guts to use it dangerously.

“Xiom, give us your position and we’ll be ready to assist and evacuate you,” Ben’s voice crackled over the comm. link once more.

Xiom climbed his way to the Statue’s wrist and snatched one of the two remaining lightsabers that the statue had bared. The Kaleesh warrior turned to the Huk whom was still in pursuit of the warrior and his fingers found their way to the emitter button on the saber. A blue glare arose in front of Xiom’s masked face giving a dynamic blue tint to his Mumuu mask.

“Tell Jomaen I’m at Grievous’ monument. He’ll tell you where to go from there,” Xiom replied, his eyes now tearing into the Huk’s.

“Roger that. On our way.”

Xiom held the magnificent blade squarely in front of him, at his defense for the next strike. Slowly the Huk approached, both blue and green sabers clutched tightly in his feeble arms, and in his back claws resided the desired chip. Xiom waited for the move, and reared up his blade the Huk’s two sabers came crashing down on his. The force of the two striking his lone blade made Xiom recoil slightly and was enough to make him loose his footing.

The Kaleesh warrior slipped and tumbled off his grandfather’s upper right arm. With excellent agile, however, Xiom managed to dig his claws into the lower right arm just in time. His body jilted and hung loosely while he clenched onto the statue’s lower arm direly.

The Kaleesh glanced up at the Huk; it nimbly jumped down to the same appendage as Xiom and hissed dangerously at him while bringing up both blades to strike down on Xiom’s hanging arm.

Xiom’s eyes went into a glare at the creature and he went to strike before the Huk could amputate him. A wild swing upwards at the Huk had crossed its toeless foot, leaving a searing amputation upon its ankle.

“KRAYRG!” It screamed and took a fall off the statue’s arm.

While the Huk plummeted for the ground, Xiom carried himself up onto the arm and reached out for his grandfather’s second saber. Xiom flicked it on and a green blaze emitted from the handle along with that satisfactory hum. Having the rest of his grandfather’s weapons he leapt to the ground, landing gracefully on his strong yet worn feet.

His gaze immediately swerved towards the injured Huk whom began limping off.

“Is that your choice?” Xiom called out to the insect, “To die a coward?”

The Huk’s oval cyan eyes glimmered with anger and it turned to face its enemy. The insect grasped onto each saber tightly; the data chip still gently clamped within his back claws.

“Those will be your dieing words, you son of a sith!” Screeched the Huk.

Xiom’s eyes narrowed dangerously, “He was not a sith.”

“Oh, it appears I’ve hit a tender spot,” the Huk replied with sadistic glee.

“Enough talk. Let’s finish this!” Xiom roared.

The Huk made a circling motion with his blades in both hands, trying its best to anticipate where the Kaleesh would strike first. His eyes squinted in both pain and anticipation; having lost a foot was slowly wearing down on him.

Xiom put his blades squarely in front of his mask, making an X like configuration with his blades. Both the blue and green illuminating blades gave color to his ambitious golden eyes. He continued his charge up until he was in striking distance.

The Huk made the first move however.

A green blur crashed across Xiom’s shielding technique, successfully blocking the blow yet causing Xiom to break his blades’ intersection. Xiom saw the second blue blade strike diagonally towards his neck. He pulled up with his green and the blades collided magnificently. With his free hand he targeted the Huk’s and went to cleave it.
Surprisingly, the Huk had foresighted the counterattack and managed to dodge his head out of the way. Unfortunately for the Huk, Xiom’s miscalculated attack had managed to take off its back claw. The Huk’s eyes went wide with pain again and it screeched in agony.

Xiom gave the Huk a final kick to the Huk’s chest and it toppled over. It retreated both sabers and staggered off, clumsily backwards, avoiding the Kaleesh’s wrath.

Xiom picked up the data chip that the Huk had dropped, and stuffed it away in his belt, “This is where it ends, Huk.”

A low rumbling and gust interrupted Xiom’s finishing move as he peered above the squirming Huk. A large, unidentifiable transport with a large red double ‘C’ logo on its hull began to descend in their area; its bay door slowly opening.

With out hesitation, the Huk made a sudden slash at the Kaleesh and clumsily sprinted for the ship. Xiom flinched and recoiled from the unanticipated strike to his thigh and contemplated going after the Huk however the sight of two armed human guards standing in the bay made Xiom think otherwise; besides, he already had what he wanted.

Xiom watched the Huk stumble into the bay, turned to meet the Kaleeshs’ final distant gaze and shouted over the transport’s rumbling exhaust, “We’ve yet to finish this fight, Kaleesh! Ev Khar-kag, remember it; it’ll be your demise.”

And with that the back bay door closed and the transport ascended, exiting the planet’s atmosphere in record time.

“We’ll see who comes out victorious,” Xiom replied to himself, glaring upon the now empty sky.

“Hey Xiom!”

The blood stained, battle scarred warrior turned hearing the familiar voice of his hunting partner and the humming of another transport.

Jomaen stood, urgently motioning him from an open bay door in the back of the ship, “C’mon! We’ve gotta go!”

“Now? Where?”

“The human said something about completing a trade on that planet he mentioned before: Coruscant. He’s in a bit of a rush so we must leave now.”

Xiom looked down at the dirt and soil of his home, his origin, his memories. This would be it. Leaving Kalee…possibly forever, for a fate or destiny that he could not foresee.

“What about my mother and father? Can’t I say good-bye to them?” Xiom questioned.

“Xiom…” Jomaen’s gaze took disappointment in Xiom’s hesitation, “We have to leave. This is what you wanted wasn’t it? What you dreamed of?”

“But…to leave Kalee and everyone we know…”

“XIOM!” A voice boomed from the interior of the ship and out stepped, onto the loading bay, was Ben, “It’s now or never! We’ve got to go!”

Xiom closed his eyes, inhaled possibly his last breath of home, and swallowed all doubts reminding himself of an incentive…a goal…a legacy to uphold and live for.

He stepped upon the transport, the bay closing behind him, his loyal friend, and new ally. And as the bay doors closed slowly he took his last look at a beautiful sunset on the horizon that his beautiful planet bared.