Confrontation in Bestine (cntd from The True Story Of...)

[Leviathen]

Things went quite well at first. Cell and I were assigned to the same squadron in the Imperial army, we had both joined the same guild, and were having fun with some of the new techniques in combat we were learning. However, when I received a message from my brother Drakon on Naboo, things went downhill.

Though my brother was not kind to me when I was young, he was still my brother and that tie is stronger than all other. He had taken over as mayor of the city of New Utapau and needed help. Now, I am not sure how many of you know Utapau, long it ago it used to be strong… it is also Rebel. After much thinking I decided the only thing I could do was resign my rank in the Imperial army and go assist my brother.

I had no thoughts of betrayal in my mind, only loyalty to blood ties. I had started processing the proper paper work and when the time was right I was going to resign from RID, but first I figured I should tell my Cell, after all I thought he was my close friend.
We met each other in the Bestine cantina, and I bought him a drink, had him sit down and I told him the whole story. I remember that day quite well, the cantina was roaring, the band piping out one of their usual tunes, the twi’leks seducing the lonely males, I miss how popular the Bestine cantina was.

Ask him what happened on that day and he will tell you that we had a grand fight outside the cantina in which he emerged victorious. The actual story of what happened went a little differently though. I could see he was quite pissed off, which was understandable. He sat quietly for a few minutes staring at me with this blank stare, completely lacking in emotion …if you can imagine such a stare. It looked as if he were about to say something, but he stopped himself. Instead I saw him reach down to his belt at which point I got quite worried. I started to say “Cell, what are you—“ but got interrupted by a laser bolt flying at my head.

Luckly he was a lousy shot at that time and missed my head. I shoved the table into him knocking him off his chair and onto his back. I grab my belongings and ran towards the door as the load roar in the cantina was replaced by shrieking from every direction. There was no way I was going to fight someone I considered my close friend, I couldn’t even believe he was trying to cause me harm. The screaming in the cantina was louder than a quenker hollering right next to your ear

As I ran towards the star port I heard Cell’s voice in the distance shouting “Come back and fight you coward.” I stopped in my tracks, you can shoot at me, spit at me, try to hurt me, but you never call a Trandoshan a coward. I put down my bag, unslinged my rifle and turned to face him. I saw him standing their with a grin on his face, but I could not do it. He may have had no sense of honour or loyalty, but I did. I threw my rifle in his direction and shouted “Have you no loyalty dear friend?! Have you never heard of ‘friends above all else’?!”

He obviously didn’t for upon hearing those words the grin upon his face quickly turned to a look of anger and he raised his pistol once again. I stood there as he shot at an unarmed man. What good is loyalty towards the Empire if you have none towards your fellow man?

I awoke in a Coronet medical centre. My wounds had been too severe for the Bestine medical staff and I had to be transferred. I received a communication from Lexx at the hospital informing me it was his decision to remove me from the guild, which was completely understandable.

So there you have it, Cell did not win any grand victory that day in Bestine, he simply shot at an unarmed friend. I came to terms with what had happened in the months that followed and eventually found my way back to the Empire, but that will be left for a later story.