Against the Odds

Chapter 20: The Storm

Malik looked out into the horizon for too long, there was just something in the air. Something other than the smoky scent that usually hung around their base. The crew had long finished unpacking the ship and had all headed underground except for him. He was alone, which was what he preferred. There was no Jav and Ket bothering him with their meaningless arguments or anxious hunters asking when they'd get paid. And now, there was no Bimin to bounce ideas off of.

Alone he could truly allow himself to think. Usually all that came to mind was his rage. But now as he watched the sun slowly begin its descent behind a thick clouded sky, he realized there was more than rage. There was guilt, and pain. He'd been so fueled by his anger he hadn't thought about all the other emptying emotions he felt.

Thunder rumbled overhead as it echoed through the vast burnt fields. Large trees surrounded the fields as mountains corralled them in. The field was lower, and those thick clouds were getting darker as the sun sank below the horizon. Malik knew it'd rain soon and the base had the tendency to flood. Heavy blast doors rested deeper in the tunnel to not be seen from the sky. It was a perfect place for a hideout, a nowhere planet, barely inhabited, plenty of space. But he supposed the Separatists who'd made the base hadn't known how stormy this planet could be. There were some flooding countermeasures added to the hideout though he assumed that was after the fact because they took so much energy and were prone to malfunction from time to time.

Malik's mind drifted idly back to Kalena as it very often did. He'd had his love torn from his arms in the worst way he could imagine. She had been a big factor in helping him do the right thing. Though often she was more assertive to defending what that was, while he'd been a lot more hesitant. But they'd done a lot of good, and tried their best to continue that good even after the Empire's defeat.

Yet, in hindsight perhaps he regretted it.

Their goodness had depleted in the two or so years after the Empire. He noticed faintly that their morals were lowering as they cut corners and ended people who may or may not have deserved it. Malik remembered he, Jav, and Ket arguing plenty of times with Vella, Kalena, and Daxon about it but no one ever enforced anything. Bimin and Aslav remained neutral. Neither really felt comfortable with the drastic acts but they knew times would only get more difficult as a mad scramble for power would ensue.

Kalena and Malik had fought over it. Something he knew he wasn't proud of. But there was no going back. He'd become this not only by Vella's ignorance but by his own hand. Malik couldn't let go of the hatred and anger now, not after it'd been driving him for so long.

Something was bothering him, something other than the whirlpool of emotions. Though, he couldn't put his finger on it. There was a strong and unexplainable unease he felt, as he stood at the mouth of the cave with eyes scouring the area like a hawk. Looking. Watching. Waiting. He eyed the trees in the distance anxiously. There was danger and tension in the air and even if he was no Jedi, he could tell there was a threat out there. A threat to everything he worked for.

Yet, his eyes saw nothing—and being the practical man he was—he knew there was no reason to give mind to silly paranoia. He'd end up missing an opportunity. Without letting himself think any further, he turned on his heel and walked through the cave, closing the door behind him and walking down the tunnels.

Once inside, he found the place buzzing with low noise from rumbling thunder and the quiet voices of hunters scattered along the walls. It descended down a long hallway that angled slightly to the right with rooms for storage or living quarters. Malik's eyes lifted as he approached two hunters leaning against the wall idly. "You two patrol the area up top, if anyone approaches, shoot them," he ordered as he continued past them.