Distressed murmurs and hushed whispers emanated from the denizens of the city as Titan and Seth raced down the streets to the hangar bay where Titan kept his ship, a fighter he called [i]The Winged Death[/i]. “That is a...nice name.” The Exo had told him. “It has wings and it causes death,” He replied, “it fits.” The trio had quickly pushed through the crowd of worried spectators that gathered to look at the 3 Star Destroyers that had entered their atmosphere. The roar of TIE fighters echoing off of the sides of the mountains only hastened their pace. Titan looked back at them. “Why isn’t the defense force mobilized?” “I don’t know.” Seth replied. “They haven’t opened fire yet. Perhaps they are negotiating.” “They have not attacked because they have no reason to.” The Exo spoke in a low tone. “They do not have any quarrel with Lore. They are looking for [i]me[/i].” “Why?” Titan asked. “I do not know. All I know is that they are looking for me.” Titan punched in the code for the hangar bay he’d rented. The large bay doors opened with a scraping groan and revealed a bes’uliik fighter. the large craft was shaped like a V, making its hull mimic the T-shaped visor of Mandalore’s famed warriors. “You have a beautiful ship, Mandalorian.” The exo said, admiring the design. “So, what is our plan?” “Well, if these guys want [i]you[/i],then the logical thing to do is to get [i]you[/i] out of here.” Titan hopped inside the ship and inspected its interior. “I think I have enough room. I just have to make sure that-“ The sound of an explosion erupted in the distance. “What was that?” Seth spoke. “I think that was the sound of negotiations.” The exo answered. “Lets go.” Outside, the awe and curiosity of the people had now turned chaos and panic. People fled the streets, pushing through each other in a desperate attempt to escape whatever lay behind them. Only when the group rounded the corner did they discover what they were running from. “Chicken walker! Hit the deck!” Titan cried, diving into a nearby bazaar, The other two following suit. The armored walker’s cannons lit up the dark streets, blasting the ground and leaving ruin in its wake. “We need to split up!” Titan shouted over the noise. “Seth, go prep my ship for takeoff! Our metal friend and I will keep the walker busy.” Seth nodded, then reached into his pack. “I think you’ll be needing this.” He said, throwing the Exo a silver hand cannon. He took the gun in his hand, inspecting it. “Thank you, but I don’t think-“ “Fine.” Replied Seth, taking out another identical hand cannon from his pack. “Two. Take it or leave it.” He said, tossing the other one. The Exo’s mouth moved slightly, and his eyes narrowed a bit. It was like he was trying to form a smile. “I accept your gift with gratitude.” “You’re welcome.” Seth said, running back to the ship. “Have fun you two!” Even though the walker kept the two pinned down, the Exo could not help but admire the two weapons’ design. Both were nearly identical. They had a sleek, silver design, with a thick rectangular barrel, and the word “Tex Mechanica” etched on the sides. They were almost the same thing, except one’s grip looked like it was designed for the left hand. “Magnificent.” The Exo whispered, taking the weapons in each hand. He looked back to Titan. “Alright, Mandalorian. What is our plan?” Titan looked around, examining their situation, then turned back to his companion and motioned him to look at him. He made a series of hand signals, pointing at the Exo, himself, and the walker to tell the Exo who was doing what. The Exo made a small nod to communicate he understood. Titan made a small “go” sign with his hands, and blasted up into the air with his jet pack, getting the walkers attention. “Hey! Ugly! Come and get me!” He taunted. The walker fired at Titan, but the mandalorian flew around effortlessly like a small fly, dodging the laser shots. While he was busy distracting the walker, the Exo had moved into the nearby building next to the walker, and made his way up the stairs to the outside balcony. The walker moved forward, trying to get a better shot at Titan, who looked at the Exo standing on the balcony and gave a small nod. With a giant leap, the Exo was upon the walker. He gripped the hatch with his arms and ripped it off the hinges with his powerful arms, exposing the pilots inside. The men screamed as the metal warrior grabbed them both by the collar and threw them out of the large vehicle. “The walker has been neutralized.” The Exo shouted to Titan. The mandalorian touched down on the roof of the walker. “Multiple squads inbound.” He reported, gazing off in the distance. A dozen or more troopers clad in white body armor were advancing on their position. “Stormtroopers.” The Exo flicked a few switches and pulled the walker around. “Let us see what this walker can do.” He said, his mouth curling into a grin. “You go high, I go low.” Titan nodded, boosting himself up into the air. The advancing line of troopers balked at the sight of their own AT-ST turning towards them. Their bewilderment then turned to terror when the walker fired its laser cannons at them and headed straight towards them on its two giant legs. The Exo boomed with laughter as he rained down fire upon the doomed squad. “Run! Flee little storm troopers! Ha ha!” Within minutes, the entire regiment of stormtroopers were either fleeing or were incinerated by the AT-ST. Titan landed on top of the walker with A dull [b][i]clump[/i][/b] and popped his head into the cockpit. “Having fun?” He said. The Exo just laughed and said “Yes, it is very enjoyable to fight an enemy that does not fight back!” “Good. Because there’s a TIE heading straight for you.” The Exo looked out the of transparasteel windo and, sure enough, a TIE fighter was flying towards the walker, evidently preparing to make a strafing run. He turned the walker around and started firing off shots in an attempt to either scare it away or affect its aim. Luckily the latter occurred and the the fighter only managed to hit a few glancing shots. “Some assistance would be nice!” The Exo shouted to his armored friend. Titan watched as the TIE wheeled around for its second run. He braced himself as it unleashed its barrage and the walker returned fire, and leaped into the air the second it flew past. He fired a cable at the fighter’s rear, the grappling hook landing with a satisfying [i][b]clunk[/i][/b]. The cable yanked him around in the air as he struggled to reel himself in. Finally reaching the ship’s hull, he pulled out a sword and pried the hatch open, and popped his head in. “Hello.” He said, grabbing the two pilots inside and yanking them out, the men screaming as they fell to their deaths. Having taken control of the fighter, Titan spun it around and headed back to the walker. “I think I just found our ride.” He said as the fighter hovered next to the walker. “This one’s a special forces variant, with a gunner seat. We can use its access codes to infiltrate the lead ship and stop this invasion at the source.” “But what about the walker?” The Exo asked. “Blow it. The less weapons these guys have the better.” With a mournful sigh, the Exo activated the self-destruct function and hopped into the fighter with Titan. “Are you sure you are capable of piloting this fighter?” He asked. Titan shrugged. “Shouldn’t be too different from other ships.” He engaged the throttle, and the engines roared as it ascended up towards the 3 Star destroyers looming in the distance. [spoiler]Special thanks for the magnificent members of the Fan Fiction Unite Discord who helped by providing suggestions and feedback for this entry. You’re all breathtaking![/spoiler]