"We can't get too close," the Mandalorian warned over the comm. "I know," Amir replied. From afar, he could already see the mine surrounded
"We can't get too close," the Mandalorian warned over the comm.
"I know," Amir replied. From afar, he could already see the mine surrounded by Imperial assault troops.
"So, what's the plan?" the Mandalorian asked.
"Kill them all, then shout my friend's name. Sound good?" Amir joked.
"As much as I don't want to entertain that... this time you're gonna end up full of holes," the Mando muttered. "Maybe even vaporized."
"I trust my friend. He's not in the mine—he's outside," said Amir.
"Why?"
"Just a feeling."
"So, has your feeling told you which rock he's hiding behind?"
"Not my gut," Amir replied, lowering the Traveler toward a nearby clearing. "The Force."
"Right. When people are desperate, they turn to religion. But I still say you should try yelling his name."
"I'm landing. Cover me," Amir said as the ship touched down smoothly.
He could feel it—a calling in the Force, a voice whispering his name inside his mind. Someone was there, on this very ground.
He leaned back in the pilot's seat, closed his eyes, and reached out with the Force, letting its flow guide him.
Rango sat silently, staring at the commlink in his hands.
He was still young. Some emotions still clung tightly to his heart.
He knew he should call for help. Amir would come, no matter what. If he did, everyone here would have a better chance of survival.
But he also knew just how dangerous this place was. Imperial fleets could surgically destroy any enemy ship. And Amir—it would take time for him to get here.
This was his mission. He had accepted it, and he wanted to complete it on his own—not always rely on his friends to bail him out.
The explosion he triggered in the mine was supposed to be the start of his plan, but the Empire's arrival had ruined everything.
Suddenly, Chewbacca placed a paw on his hand.
Rango tensed up. In the darkness of the mine, he silently signaled the others to hide. The group scattered into the shadows behind rocks.
Then, voices echoed from outside the cave.
Rango's heart pounded like never before. He drew a knife he had taken from a guard, ripped off his tattered shirt, and his skin darkened to pure black, blending seamlessly into the shadows.
A trooper stepped to the entrance and flicked on the light of his blaster rifle, sweeping the beam through the cave.
Inside, jagged rocks lay scattered. People huddled behind them or pressed into the deepest corners.
The first sweep revealed nothing unusual.
"I don't see anyone in here, sir," the trooper reported.
"Go in and check," came the order.
He couldn't disobey. Sighing slightly, he moved slowly into the cave.
He didn't regret his words. He knew he wasn't supposed to say them, but the decency and humanity left in him couldn't ignore senseless slaughter.
It was that very defiance that had demoted him—from a pilot in the Imperial Navy to a disposable grunt on the frontlines.
Then he saw it—a leg, slightly sticking out, trembling. The pants were unmistakable: standard issue for the miners, slightly reflective, very visible under light.
Rango tensed. He was hidden by the cave wall just beside the entrance, and saw everything clearly.
He coiled like a spring, ready to strike and eliminate the trooper.
But then, the trooper turned his light away and said aloud, "No signs of life, sir. Just a cave."
"Good. Let's move."
The stormtrooper turned in place, made a show of checking the area, then walked out.
Inside, everyone exhaled silently.
Rango eased out of his killing stance.
"Well, that's that," said the officer outside. He looked at the trooper, pulled a thermal detonator from his belt, and pressed the activation button.
The soldier at the entrance froze—his pupils constricted.
His mind blanked. The image of the officer and the other stormtroopers stretched and distorted in his vision.
The detonator flew past him into the cave, clattering on the stone floor, flashing red.
Silence.
"Wiping out potential hideouts. Very effective," the officer said, brushing dust from his gloves.
The flashing quickened.
All the troopers turned around—except for one.
Suddenly, another spherical object flew past that trooper, bouncing to the feet of the others.
Flashing red. Clear as day.
"GET DOWN!!"
BOOM!
A blinding fireball exploded in the middle of the squad. The intense heat blasted outward, hurling soldiers through the air and igniting an inextinguishable blaze.
The trooper at the cave entrance raised his arms to shield himself, then yanked off his stifling helmet. He frowned deeply, watching the inferno before him, calculating.
The officer, now half-burned, struggled to turn over. His hateful gaze locked onto the trooper who had survived.
The rest were already on fire. Only this one had reacted fast enough to escape the blast.
Rango emerged from the cave. It had been him who threw the second grenade.
"Thanks," he said to the trooper who had spared them.
Then the young Falleen raised his blaster and aimed at the officer still twitching on the ground.
"Wait," the trooper said. "Leave him to me."
He raised his standard-issue blaster and aimed at his former commander.
A crimson bolt burned through the officer's chest.
"Now we're comrades," the trooper said, turning toward Rango. A strong, clean-shaven face under messy brown hair. "Hope you guys have a plan to get us out of here."
"Not yet," Rango replied, surveying the carnage. "I'm Rango."
"Han. Han Solo," he said. "So now I've lost my job, and I'm stuck waiting to die with a bunch of hot-headed rebels. What a day."
Rango instinctively looked at the commlink in his hand.
"Good! You called your friend, right? How long till we see a ship?" Han Solo grabbed Rango's shoulder.
"Don't tell me you didn't! Come on—who'd you call? Hurry!" He tilted his head. "Look, the galaxy's a dangerous place. We all need help sometimes."
At that, something shifted in Rango's heart. He had a strong feeling—Amir was already near.
He smiled. "You're right, Han."
"Alright, people inside—time to find a new hole. Stay here another second and we'll be roasted like the rest of 'em," Han Solo shouted.
Rango followed as the group moved out. He activated the commlink, typed in a familiar code, and placed the call.
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🌌 Star Wars: Relics of the Past
📢 A Galaxy Far, Far Away Just Got Closer! 📢
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