Flesh-droid
Slick had run his rounds. Some of the Christophsians he saw on a regular basis reported droids in the area and that was bad news. He wasn't sure whether to report to the command center first or to make sure Maruli was safely away from their meeting place. As it was, he compromised.
"Command, this is Rover 1. There are reports of heightening droid activity in sector three."
"Return to base, Rover 1."
Slick shook his head though no one could see that. "Negative, command. I'm going to check on one more contact first. My best one. I'll get specifics."
"Rover 1, denied. That is…"
Slick clenched his jaw on an abrupt refusal but there was no way he would leave Maruli near their crystal tower. That was too near where the reported activity was occurring. He heard voices in the background at the command center; a clear non-clone and not the general's voice saying, 'let him be the judge of that'.
"Rover 1, amend orders. Proceed towards contact, return to base immediately after."
"Affirmative." Slick leaned forward on his speeder, opening the throttle.
She was waiting for him by the tower, her heat signature evident in his helmet in the dusk. He manually overrode the standard and flicked to a combination of night vision and polarizing lens. Her life-flame narrowed, but the squad of droids were glowing in the sunset light.
They hadn't seen her yet but were drawing closer with each moment. There was no way to get to her without being noticed.
So, he'd make sure to be noticed. He slipped one hand down for a droid popper, clenching it in his two smallest fingers, and then pulled out his deece. Fek, there was an even chance he'd drop one or the other. At this speed, he hoped if he did drop anything, it would be the blaster. Though the BARC might be out of range before the popper hit the ground.
Maruli saw him coming and, at the speed he was going, knew it wasn't going to be the normal greeting. She ran out to a more open area then stood still.
Ah, was there ever a woman with more trust than her?
The droids had turned the corner and seen them by now; both him on the BARC and her in the broad plaza. They were firing their blasters at him, ignoring her. Leaning low over the BARC, firing his own weapon stabilized by the guide bar, Slick breathed slightly easier.
This might work.
One of their blasts hit the vane of the speeder but Slick hit one brake, sending the BARC slowly into a spin that had him nearly parallel to the ground as he and the BARC barreled into the squad.
The few droids remaining were tangled but rapidly untangling themselves as Slick pushed the speeder upright and gunned it forward. Right before grabbing Maruli, he tossed the droid popper behind him. He cussed as his deece went with it, but reached out his arm and pulled Maruli in front of him on the speeder then opened the throttle to full speed.
The BARC was smoking and Slick was nursing it to keep it moving by the time they were reasonably safe. Slick pulled the smoking BARC against a building. "Are you alright, Maruli?" Slick jerked off his helmet. "Mar, are you ok?"
She was panting heavily and shaking. Symptoms of shock, Slick decided and pulled the medical kit off his belt. She covered his gauntlet with her hand and he looked into her face. Her skin was red and there were tears in her eyes but she was smiling - abet slightly shaky.
"That was…" she blew out some air and her trembling fingers touched her lips to reassure herself. She slid off the speeder and tried to stand but her knees gave way and she would have collapsed if Slick hadn't caught her. "...some ride."
"There were reports of more droids in the area, Maruli." He put the kit up as he leaned his face against her cheek. "Are you alright, Mar?" His voice was a whispered plea. "Please let me know. I was scared they'd find you."
"I'm fine, Slick. Just a bit of windburn and a thrilling, scary ride." She hugged him and, for a moment, they were still, reassuring themselves that they were both alright and alive. She pulled away slightly and, knees still shaky, pulled herself onto the seat of the speeder. "I have some news you'll be interested in also," she was solemn. "I was in a bar eastside last night."
Eastside was separatist-held area and Slick worried when she went there.
"They're bringing in more forces. More droids and a loathsome general as well as a woman overall commander. 'She'll take care of the Jedi,' that's what they said."
Slick nodded, listening now as a trooper rather than as her lover. "Did they give any names?"
Maruli nodded. "No, but they going to blockade the planet." Her lower lip trembled. "They said he's going to starve out the Republic." Her eyes stared at Slick and her voice got softer until he could barely hear her. "Starve out the flesh-droids. I didn't know what a 'flesh-droid' was, Slick. I had to ask."
"It's a clone, Maruli. A flesh-droid is a clone. I am a flesh-droid."
"No," she hit him angrily on the shoulder bell. "Don't you ever - ever." She hit him again. "Refer to yourself that way. You are not a droid. You are a human being and I love you and I don't care what that stupid contract calls you."
There were tears in her eyes and, after a short patch job on the speeder, Slick set her in front of him and slowly made the way to her small home. He held her until dusk turned to midnight and then returned to base with the new information and more details.