I noticed people put disclaimers on their stuff. Sooooo...
I do not own an enormous sci-fi universe with millions of loyal fans. Darn. You've discovered my shameful secret.
Atton
Okay, now I'm panicking.
It's been a half hour. I'm shut out of the computer, completely. Can't even contact T3, not that I want to. The comlink still isn't working, feels like someone is watching me; swear I just felt a Jedi try to dig into my head, Jaq is throwing a fit, headache...
And Liran's probably dead. One silly little job, and I messed up. Empath must be disappointed. All her work, for nothing.
Been turning on the comm every few minutes, just in case. Got my weapons and pack out of jail storage, might have some use for it.
If nothing else, I can shoot myself if Jaq won't shut up.
Hey! I can hear you.
Good. Wouldn't want you to die not knowing who killed you. That would just be inhumane.
Your mercy would make the Empath proud.
She knows how much 'mercy' I'm capable of. You want a taste?
It's a low shot, but it shuts him up. Makes me a little sick inside for thinking it.
Thumb on the comm, think of anything else...
Crackle "Atton?"
You have got to be kidding me.
Looks like we're not quite dead yet. Thanks for that tip about the turbolift.
He spits a few curses at me.
Smile, it's always nice when Jaq is disappointed. When one of us is suffering, it makes the other's day. Look at the map, locate her life signs.
Er, it isn't working right. Oh well, Liran is alive, that's good for now.
"Hey, how's it going, Angel?" Casual. "I lost your signal after that explosion, great job, by the way, almost destroying the tunnels... again."
"Good. Can you still track me?"
"Well, I should be able to, but it's malfunctioning. Says you're on the outside of the asteroid, that can't be right."
There's a hiss, then a clunk over the comm. She's breathing hard now.
"Angel? What's going on? Did you get to the docking level?"
Liran catches her breath, then I hear clanging footsteps. "Are you alright?" She sounds amused now. What's so funny? "You look a little... flushed."
"Huh?"
"Look outside."
This woman gets herself in the oddest of situations.
Liran is standing on a catwalk, in a bulky environmental suit, outside the window.
"What- How-"
"I just decided to go for a stroll." Liran stands on her boot-toes and hops back and forth, twisting her arms awkwardly. What in the name of all that's holy is she...?
The Exile is dancing a jig. On a catwalk. In heavy vacuum. In an asteroid field.
Dancing. It's official, Liran Ericho has flown off her fragging lightsaber hilt.
Jaq whistles, impressed.
Even he wouldn't do something so...so... "You're crazy, even for a Jedi. Come back in here!"
"It's the only way to get to the dormitories. If there are any survivors, they can help us. Maybe end the lockdown." She stops dancing, thank the Force. I was afraid she'd float away.
Check the sensors outside. Great. More bad news.
"The superheated gas that flooded the mining tunnels is spewing out of a breach to the asteroid's surface. Have you seen anything?"
"Oh, that's what that pretty purple stuff was." She giggles. What is going on?
"Did it get on your suit? It could burn right through."
No answer.
"Liran?"
"On this tube thingy. And now I feel all wobbly."
One of her oxygen tubes. After the breach, the suit would switch to the emergency backup, but not before she took in some. She's acting stupid because she inhaled Peragian fuel. It's a miracle she's still conscience.
"You really need to come back inside." Now I'm the reasonable one?
"Can't. The door sealed behind me." She sounds more serious now. Good.
"Alright. Get to the dormitories, fast." Nothing. Still standing there. "Now."
She turns, walks out of sight. Just stay in contact until I know she's inside...
Wait. I don't believe this. There's a ship, coming in to dock.
Read it's transponder code. A Republic cruiser, the Harbinger. Wonder if it's here for Liran.
I've got a bad feeling about this.
Liran
After I'm inside, do some deep breathing, use the Force to oxygenate my blood faster, push the taint from my lungs. This time, it works, must be getting stronger.
The world clears. Would comm Atton back, but it's static again.
Groan. Atton. How humiliating. I hope he enjoyed the show, because he's never going to see it again.
Open a door. A red light skims past my nose.
Lash out with my vibroblade. Shower of sparks. Looks like the mining droids made it over here too. Not good.
Even the fire extinguishers are trying to kill me. Two swivel my way, spurting white goo. Not so threatening. Dodge. Stumble, manage to catch myself and avoid most of the flame retardant chemicals.
A bit sprays on my leg, it burns. Okay, maybe a little threatening, judging by the acid-eaten body I just tripped over.
Break one extinguisher off it's base with a kick.
Should get used to the Force again. Haven't used it in combat yet.
Stand out of the other's range, concentrate. It spews more acid my way, falling too short to even splatter me. Feel the metal between invisible fingers. Squeeze. The extinguisher whines, but not even a dent in the stupid thing.
Try again, several times. Nothing. I can't even crush a little droid. So weak, so pathetic so...
"Useless!" Heat, flowing down my arms like blood, to my fingers. Without thought, they move, shoving something away.
Sreeeeeeech. The extinguisher rips out of the floor and flies across the room, smashing into a wall.
I'm sucking in air, the burning in my fingers fading slowly.
It's been so long since I've lost my temper, since before my exile. This place is getting to me.
Or could it have something to do with regaining the Force?
Breathing slows. The heat is gone.
"There is no emotion, there is peace." Talking to myself helps. Need to focus, or I'll go mad before I make it back to the administration level.
My leg still burns. Look down, the acid chemical has eaten a hole through my skin the size of my palm. Surprisingly little pain for such an ugly injury. And somehow, it doesn't bother me that much. Should be upset, but I've been through worse.
Limp my way to the nearest storage room, use a medpack, try not to think about the 'Dark Side Voodoo' Rev, Alek and I used to mock when Vrook finished a long-winded lecture about insidious emotions.
Considering what happened to my fellow comedians, it doesn't seem so funny anymore.
Use a few more medpacks on the arm burns. Shove the rest in my belt for later. I can feel the medpack's kolto patch binding my skin together, slowly.
Sit on top a lab station, look at the materials spread across the counter. Read the datapad next to it, a manual. Someone was putting together an ion grenade.
Follow the instructions, pouring the liquid and powdered substances into a round shell.
Hm. Not enough of one powder. Read the manual again, find out what it is.
Detonation agent? How much detonating powder do you need? The recipe, if you can call it that, calls for an awful lot of the stuff.
Don't want it to explode on my belt, so less is good. Add the powder, mix it all together, seal the grenade.
"Yep. Now I'm packing ordnance. Come get some, spiders." Not that I plan on wasting it. I'll save the grenade for something with better aim.
Move on. A few more droids, no more injuries, to the dormitories.
They're locked. Of course.
Comm is still down. No help from the snark, then. Fiddle on the nearest console. Know I can unlock the doors from here.
After skipping through the menus for a while, I'm considering that 'Dark Side Voodoo' again. A little Force Lightning would do wonders for my mood, but I need the console in one piece, even if I can barely get a computer to cooperate when it's not trying to bring about my death.
Fine. Different tactic then.
Press random buttons, try my best to look like I know what I'm doing.
I feel like such an idiot. Maybe if I destroy the thing, emergency protocols will open the dorms...
"Emergency lockdown overridden." A prissy female voice interrupts.
Got lucky. That works too.
Move into the dorms, no droids. Smoke, or something else, clogs the air, can barely see. There's a funny smell, though, and it's making me dizzy.
Poison. Fierfek, there's no way I can go in there without a rebreather.
Back to the storage room, dig through plasteel cylinders and lockers, pick up a spare blade while I'm at it. Strap it to my belt. Could use it, but my melee skills are a little rusty, better go dueling style for now.
Ah, there. Pick it up, run back to the dorms. Strap the thing to my face.
Hate it. All I can hear is my breathing, can't smell anything, it covers my ears, muffles the sounds, the goggles restrict my vision. I feel like I'm suffocating.
Walk in, slow, watch my step. Over the bodies, too cloudy to see much about them, except they're not moving, and that's all that matters.
Work my way around the dormitories, try not to trip. It's so crowded in here, can't take a step without my boots brushing against someone.
Okay, it's Jedi mantra time. "Don't puke in the mask. Don't puke in the mask. Don't puke in the mask..."
My foot catches, and I fall right on another corpse.
After a few moments, eyes squeezed shut, get back to my feet, keep going.
I may or may not have squealed like a little girl. The mask is making me jumpy.
Search each room, don't find anything besides a spice stash shoved under a mattress. Everyone is dead.
Look at the dorm console. The miners put their journal entries in here. Nothing to end the lockdown. How am I going to get back to the administrative level, much less off Peragus?
Leave the dormitories, fast as I can without tripping.
Stand out in the hall, rip the rebreather off, gasp for fresh air.
I think I might be sick. Close my eyes, calm down, just get back to the admistrative level, then I'll be too busy trying to get a straight answer out of Kreia, and trying to get Atton to shut up, to lose it.
Start walking.
Stop. I feel... danger?
Wait. Suddenly I know, somehow, Kreia's friends are here. And I can taste their hatred.
Need to get out of here. Run.
Destroy any droids that bother me, work my way to the turbolift. There's only three bodies in this room.
Turn on the computer by the lift. It's locked. Frag. Need to learn some hacking. Might come in handy, since every lock within a parsec of me activates the second I come near.
Find the security recordings. Pull up the last sign of activity.
"Coorta, the lift isn't opening. Try the code again." One holographic miner stands by the turbolift.
The one at the computer mutters the numbers aloud as he types.
"Something's wrong. Why isn't it working?" Coorta slaps the computer. Pretty sure the miner's computer is shut down, his expression is comically identical to Atton's when he hacked the administrative console and immediately got thrown out of the system on his shebs.
"Miner Coorta, you have outlived your usefulness and become a liability. I am sending several droids to correct the problem." This voice doesn't belong to any of the miners. They all stare at the computer.
Holographic droids appear in the room, all three are shot down.
Know that voice. HK spoke the security code in it. Was the Maintenance Chief responsible? No, wait. Oh, of course. So stupid.
"Mocking Query: Coorta, Coorta, are you dead yet?" Fierfek, I let him live. He must have locked me out on the surface. I got high on fuel fumes and danced a jig in front of Atton because of him. And almost died of course, but...but... a jig! Going to kill that droid. "Smug Statement: I forgot to mention I reversed the code, in case you actually made it this far."
Shut down the recording, enter the code the miner muttered, backwards. Turbolift opens. Once again, HK's arrogance saves me.
His programmers really need to fix that.
Atton
After Harbinger docks without asking any permission, this place is somehow creepier than before. Something evil is coming, and I'm not just being dramatic.
It's getting closer. Jaq whispers. Watch out.
Hush, you.
Concentrate. Footsteps, two pair. Shoulder my pack and draw both blasters. If one pair of feet are Liran's, something might be chasing her.
"Good, you have weapons. Atton, Kreia. Kreia, Atton. Let's go." Liran. She points to a hooded old woman.
Look her over. That robe...
Jaq hisses. One attracts another. This is a mistake.
Quiet. Liran's not one of them anymore.
"What, another one? Do Jedi reproduce through cell-splitting, like amoebas?" Have to make a good impression on the crone, right?
Look at Liran. Wait for it... there.
I missed that death glare.
She reaches down, peels a kolto patch off her leg, through a hole in her pants. "We have to go. Something is coming, and it's not friendly."
"Maybe from the huge Republic cruiser that just docked," I suggest, pointing out the window.
She stares."The Harbinger."
"Okay, guessing that ship is bad news."
Kreia the crone decides to contribute to the conversation, since Liran is mooning at the cruiser. "I hope your ability for understatement is offset by your skill with a blaster, otherwise our time together will be short indeed." Her lips are pressed in a skinny dark line. "Unless you have another use I cannot glean."
Feels like something's wiggling around in my brain. Jaq crushes it before I can deal a game of pazaak.
That Jedi witch tried to get in my head. Pretend I didn't notice. She didn't get anything out of there. Well, nothing from me. Jaq uses some interesting stuff to shut people out. Heh heh. Wonder what she thought of that.
"I'm also good at running and drinking, your Majesty."
Never seen someone's face shrivel with disdain like that. Looks like someone sprinkled salt on a slug.
Kreia and I will get along just fine.
Liran snaps out of it, notices the rather chilly vibes in here, and turns. "I saw a fuel line from the Harbinger to another part of the facility. Maybe we can get to the docks from there." She unclips an extra sword from her belt, hands it to Kreia.
It's the best option, even though the fuel line might be in vacuum, or full of toxic fumes, or collapse under our weight. Or full of 'that pretty purple stuff' Liran was giggling about an hour ago, which would melt us into a puddle of crone, ex-jedi, and scoundrel. I don't want to die from my cells mixing with Kreias'. Shudder.
Aw, worry about it later."We should get moving."
"Emergency lockdown overridden." a cold female voice. Turn towards it.
A tall, silvery droid clunks in. From the shut down turbolift. Only one way it could have used it. Should have known a droid was responsible for this mess.
"Threat: Master, I told you to stay put, shut down and wait for rescue." It walks towards Liran.
Fierfek. It's a Hunter Killer assassin droid. Personally designed by Darth Revan to take down Jedi Knights and deserting Jedi Hunters in the War. Tough machine. Good at it's job. Very good. But not invincible.
"I just don't listen to assassin droids. And stop calling me Master." Liran.
"Correction: Assassin droid is such an unsophisticated term, Jedi. Our function has been better described as 'wanton slaughter'.
Not after us. He's relieved. I'm not. It's after Liran, we'll be in the way. HKs don't care about collateral damage.
Is it a bad sign I'm not surprised Liran has one of these things out for her head?
Yeah. She's even more troublesome than she is pretty.
Sigh. Hate it when I agree with Jaq.
"Complement: You are difficult to catch, Jedi. Eager Threat: I will enjoy torturing you."
She's my prey. Scrap the metal shabuir! Jaq's furious.
Liran is no one's prey. Your's or HK's. But, yeah. Let's scrap the metal shabuir. Always hated that copper-toned psycho.
This one's silver. Someone else produced it? There was only one unit in the war.
Must be a newer model. Who knows what nasty surprises will come out?
"I don't think you'll be enjoying much of anything when I'm done with you." Liran looks awfully eager with that blade. She's thinking of jumping him.
No, no, no! She'll just get herself killed fighting like that.
What do you care?
I think the Exile will have plenty of people around her that need killing. I'll help you keep her safe... for now.
Think I might be sick, but if this is the only way I get his cooperation, go with it. Jaq can relish all the dying enemies he wants, as long as he stays quiet and out of my way.
"Warning: this is your last chance to come peacefully, Jedi. If you return to the kolto tank, I will dispose of these two organics quickly, and you will be unharmed. If not, it will be highly unpleasant for all of you."
"I don't think it will be pleasant for you either."
It might be easier if she did go back to the kolto tank. Then I could take care of him without Liran getting in the way with her up-close-and-personal vibroblade. But she's not going for it. Great, the only Jedi I'm supposed to help is determined to get herself killed. Kind of the opposite from how it's always been for me.
"Eager Statement: Very well, Jedi." HK's blaster rifle comes up.
BZZZZZZZZT.
The droid staggers, electricity dancing on it's armor plates.
Kreia lowers her hand.
Liran tosses something with a flick of her wrist. It bounces off the assassin's chassis and clanks on the ground between it's feet.
All four of us look at it.
"Taunting Statement: That is a pathetic makeshift ion grenade, Jedi. You should just use lightsabers."
"Fierfek," Liran mutters. "That's why they use so much of the detonation powder."
Then it explodes.
Start shooting. HK's jerking, trying to bring the rifle around. Liran steps forward and neatly cleaves it's head off. Wait, that was way too easy. This model's of a cheaper material.
The severed chunk of metal spins in the air. It's hypnotic...
Thunk.
"Fierfek!"
I promise, next chapter there will be actual combat. I'll overcome my laziness and write a real fight scene. *sigh*
toby, Random Tigerz of Lily, billiejoeischrist: Thanks for taking the time to review.