This is a good prequel to Van and the Mercenary, which is another of my favorites, posted here. (Tim Seltzer, seltzer@seltzerbooks.com
Sakura's Disclaimer: I,Sakura Courage Solo,do not own Zoids,Star
Wars,or any other Television Show,Movie,Video Game,Song,Book, Comic,etc.featured
in this story and I do not get paid for writing these,so don't sue!This
goes for all
chapters,so I don't have to write this disclaimer over and over again.Thankyou!And
enjoy!
Oh,and many thanks to my best buddy Shadowwolf for posting these for me,seeing as my computer's a baka! Shadowwolf's fics are REALLY good!
I began singing silently to myself.It was a song I had come up with for really no reason.Sort of my theme song.Sounds sorta western.It goes like this,
Sakura's my name,
Mercenary's my game!
With War Wolf and I,
The limit's past the sky!
We travel far and wide,
>From the desert sand to the ocean tide!
Mercenary!
My name is Sakura Courage Solo.I'm a rough mercenary warrior who pilots a special Zoid called a War Wolf. And I've never lost a battle.I love my job.
I bet you're probably wondering how I,the first female mercenary warrior came to be.Well,I'll tell you.But fair warning.You may not like what you're about to hear...
You see,I was born 16 years ago,during the war between the Republic and the Galactic Empire.My parents were part of the Rebel Alliance.Smugglers for them,to be exact.
I remember what happened well,and I wish I did'nt.
This whole mercenary adventure of mine actually started when I was about 5.At the time,my parents were smugling a small army of Gun Snipers and Gun Blasters to planet Corellia.
I was on that starfreighter.My 7-year-old brother and I were rolling a red ball back and forth.I wish I could at least remember his name.But with what happened next,I guess it's understandable.
Alarms suddenly started going off all around. Frightened,I called out for my parents as my brother gripped my arm and pulled me down with him under a control panel.I was terrified.
That's when my life was turned upside-down.
Two people ran into the room,Imperial Stormtroopers soon following them and cornering them in front of the control panel.
I was shocked when I realized who they were.
"By Vader's law,you ae to be punished for leading a smuggling operation for the Rebel Alliance!" The lead trooper barked as blasters went up all around. "FIRE!!"
Crimson hot beams began scorching the air as they streaked towards their targets.
"Mommy!Daddy!" I cried as hot tears began to flow.My brother embraced me and buried my head in his shoulder.
The blaster fire ceased.I could'nt believe what had just happened.I
had seen my own parents murdered right
in front of me!
Two Stormtroopers reached under the control panel and grabbed my brother and I,seperating us.
"No,don't take him away!" I yelled through my gushing tears. "Please,no!Don't take him away!"
My brother struggled against his captor's rip,to no avail.What he said next remains in my memory to this very day.
"Callista,I promise I'll find you if it takes me forever!I promise!Callista!"
We were seperated after that.Yes,my real name is,or used to be,Callista.I've
since changed it to Sakura to
avoid certain people.
I was then taken to an Imperial concentration camp for children on planet
Sullust.I emained there for several
years,being fed nothin but bread and water, made to do hard labor,and
being taught how to pilot a Zoid.They
trained me in a bright red Command Wolf.But I did'nt want this.I wanted
to learn to pilot a Zoid, but not
for their reasons.
Finally,when I was about 8,a band of Rebels raided the camp and rescued
the other children and I.Man, was I
ever glad.
I was then taken back to Zi and sent to live with a foster family.I lived there happily until I was about 12.I thought that maybe I could finally put the past behind me and go on with my life.
I was wrong.
Imperials came back to Zi looking for me.I managed to somehow or other escape.I thought my family had escaped as well.But...they had'nt.They had been killed as well.
By now I had realized that I was a curse to anyone in close relationship.So when the Zoid Battle Commission tried to find a new family for me,I knew I had to escape.
The very night I arrived at the center,I snuck out of my room and down to the hangars,looking for a Command Wolf.I was used to piloting one after all.
Unfortunately,all I could find were a bunch of Gojulas and Pteras.
"Great.Just great." I muttered to myself. "All these Zoids and here I can't find a..."
I stopped in mid-sentence when something across the hangar caught my eye.Was it a Command Wolf?No.Not quite anyway.The Zoid had the body of a Command Wolf, as well as the tail.The head looked more like that of a Konig Wolf.And the legs...they resembled that of a Blade Liger.The whole thing was painted in Camouflage.Totally cool!
"What kind of Zoid is that?" I wondered aloud,walking over to it. "Oh,well.Still a Wolf-type.How hard can it be?"
The Zoid was rather dusty,as though it had'nt even been touched in years!
I climbed up into the cockpit.It was a rather spacious one,with lots of different controls.But theywere all labled,so I decided this would be my "Getaway Zoid".
I turned on the power and the Zoid hummed to life,a holographic status screen appearing in front of me. The Zoid stretched as though limbering itsself up.I guess I'd limber myself up too if I had been sitting long enough to gather an inch of dust.
"War Wolf,huh?" I read the name aloud. "Way past cool!All right,War Wolf!Ready to move out?"
The War Wolf growled in rsponse.Strangely enough,I understood it a yes.
"How can I understand a Zoid?" I thought in amazement. "I'll worry about
it later.For now,my main objective
is escape."
I brought the War Wolf forward,out of the hangar. Man,this thing moved almost twice as fast as a Command Wolf!Way past cool!
"All right!Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" I yelled in excitement. "War Wolf,I think you and I are gonna get along just fine!"
With that,the War Wolf and disappeared into the desert night.
Not long afterwhich,I became the mercenary that sits here today.I've become pretty rough,too.My blode hair hangs down to my waist,I wear a camouflage shirt, black jeans,combat boots,and a sheathed dagger at my belt.
My life seems to be back on track,though.I feel a lot better since I heard of the Galactic Empire's defeat at the forest moon of Endor a couple of years ago.
Maybe,just maybe,now I can live without so much burden on my mind.
Hi!Sakura here!Man,being a mercenary is great!I can do what I want,when
I want,how I want!And I get paid well for doing something I love:Zoid Battles!
Whoa!I've already got a job?!With who?!I won't let you down,Fleugal Team!But,one person is'nt much of a team...
Hey!Who does this Jack Cisco guy think he is,bad mouthing me because I'm a girl?!I'll just have to show him what 4'10" can do!
Next time on "The Lone Mercenary" -- "The First Battle:Sakura and Naomi VS. The Rapid Fire Team"
Ready,FIGHT!!!
And the next chapter is going to start from when Sakura first started out as a mercenary!Please review or e-mail me at cyndaquil16@yahoo.com if you have any questions or comments!
More thanks to my buddy,Shadowwolf!
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