FTL Chapter 5

Half a dozen smoke grenades explode as a detonator knocks the Bodyguard off her feet. She slams to the ground as the green bolts of blaster fire tear through the smoke. Her blaster rifle sparks and crackles, destroyed by the blast.

Smoke swirls around the Bodyguard as she gets painfully to her hands and knees.

A blaster bolt hits her in the back, knocking her back to the ground. Through the smoke, she sees Nar Uned lying motionless.

A Trandoshan gangster emerges from the smoke, his blaster held out at arm’s length. He adjusts his aim, but before he can fire a shot at the gap between breastplate and helmet, the Bodyguard pulls her Shrieker from the holster at her hip and fires twice, dropping the Trandoshan on the spot. She picks herself up and whirls to shoot a second attacker, whose form is only hazy in the smoke.

She fires back at the source of the shots, pulling a concussion grenade off her belt and throwing it. The explosion pushes away much of the gas, revealing the other Trandoshans.

The Bodyguard deploys the small Beskar shield on her gauntlet and rests her pistol in the niche on top, preparing to advance and fire back, but she hears a sound and turns, lifting the shield in time to block a blow from a massive shock stick. She staggers and the hulking Trandoshan comes in for another swing, but she knocks the stick aside with her shield and kicks him between the legs. In his moment of shock, she twists him between herself and the others. The Trandoshans hold their fire and start to spread out, hoping to flank her.

The Bodyguard presses the muzzle of her blaster to the big one’s chest and shoots him, shoving the body out of the way and launching herself into a dive, firing with one hand. Two more of the gangsters fall dead as she rolls behind cover, immediately emerging to shoot another one. She pulls back, expecting return fire, but none comes. She looks out to see the last Trandoshan trying to scurry away.

The Bodyguard steps out and lifts her blaster, firing two shots in quick succession. The gangster roars as his legs are shot out from underneath him and he topples to the synthetic street.

Blaster scorch marks sizzle and the quiet sounds of fear from the bystanders hiding just out of sight creep in as the Bodyguard pauses. Nar Uned is no longer where she was lying a moment ago.

A speeder engine starts. The Bodyguard runs forward, readying her blaster and shield, but another shot to the back sends her stumbling. She twists and fires a shot to finish off the wounded Trandoshan that just fired. She reaches the corner in time to see a large cargo speeder rocket away, rising to join the traffic above this city in the clouds.

The Bodyguard stalks back to the gangster whose legs she shot. She stands over him. Before she can even speak, she sees his eyes move. She spins and whips her blaster around, but a deafening shot rings out before she can draw a bead on the Trandoshan on the rooftop above.

She points the blaster, her finger on the trigger, and watches him drop his sniper rifle, then slump over lifelessly.

Behind him is a figure in black robes: the buyer from just minutes ago. Her black-gloved hand holds an antique blaster that fires lead.