They had an early start on the day. Nadi liked to be on the move once the sands and earth had started to heat up enough to hide her journey from watchful eyes above. There was a fair distance between the entrance to the Jundland Wastes and their campsite, but it was still well before noon and they were making good time. The ground grew increasingly littered with protrusions of brown stone as they approached the cliffs and canyon lands. Nadi reached into the recess next to her seat, absent-mindedly assuring the rifle was still there, having already re-holstered her blaster. She would need both soon.
Val and HK had been chatting the morning away. After breaking silence the previous night, there was no shutting them up. Nadi had decided to allow it, as it kept Val from prodding her, and HK from his normal malicious commentary. The girl was inquisitive, wanting to hear all about HK's previous exploits, most of which were violent in nature. Instead of being horrified or shying away, Val seemed intrigued, much to Nadi's surprise.
Nadi also listened in, though she pretended she was engrossed elsewhere. HK had led an impressive career in his service to previous masters. If his stories were to be believed, he had been involved in a fair number of political conflicts amongst the Republic's bureaucracy. His most recent master had been a collector of rare artifacts, and he regaled Val with tales of dangerous heists as he padded his master's collection. It explained how he had come across Nadi. She had been moving a Rakatan relic, and HK's master likely lost the bidding war.
"You had so many masters," Val started, interrupting another story, "Why would they give you up if you were so effective?"
HK looked at Val, "The most common was high stakes gambling. Rich men like to put more than money on the table, it excites them." Then, loudly, so he could be sure Nadi would hear. "This would mark the first that I've been stolen in my memory. I'm actually a much more amicable servant when in command of my extremities."
Nadi ignored the challenge. His frequent comments did nothing to help his case, and she wasn't interested in finding out if his attitude changed if she gave his limbs back. Being wrong, yet alive, was much better to her than being right and dead.
"Wait, so you're saying you go along when you get a new master?" Val asked, surprised.
"What's a master?" HK mused. "As part of the glorious HK series, my purpose is assassinating targets and performing dangerous missions. A master is simply the one that directs me. Completing my purpose brings fulfillment, not who I do it for."
"I don't buy that." Val said. "Lots of droids form bonds to masters that goes beyond loyalty programming. Even astromechs develop personal connections."
HK tilted his head. "You know more than I would expect a child to."
"I'm not a child!" Val snapped, the way adolescents always did about the matter.
HK waited for an explanation, completely unphased by the outburst. Strangely, it seemed his comment was not meant as an insult. Nadi was surprised. HK was normally quick to move on a potential source of grief for those around him. Such an opportunity to needle at the girl seemed too good for him to pass up, yet he ignored it.
Nadi had only seen him interact with few others, and it was near the same to the way he treated her. This was a first. Perhaps he was genuinely interested in the girl, as she was the first to show genuine interest in him. Nadi hadn't worked with droids much, so the possibility of one advanced enough to have...feelings, or something similar enough, had not occurred to her.
She felt a small pang of guilt, which surprised her. She had not done anything to be purposefully cruel. Her actions regarding HK were all out of self preservation. Everything she did was about her own survival, but more so, that she could continue to lead the life of her choosing. She took her eyes off of the dirt and sand the speeder raced over, and looked at her passengers, only slightly turning her head. Freedom was so central to her, yet beside her were two captives, and they remained such because of her. Apathy had been her most trusted companion in this job, but she sometimes felt her muted guilt clawing at her from within. A small part of her wished it could be different for these two, that-
No!
She shook herself. She had forged her own path with no aid from others, and the girl could do the same. If she managed to free herself from her buyer, then all the best to her. Nadi had a job to do, one she had worked very hard to get, and she wasn't about to let it go for some girl. As for the droid, he sealed his own fate when he had made a great effort to shoot Nadi in the head. She repressed a chuckle. For a moment, she almost felt sorry for a droid that specialized and delighted in murder.
"My father was a droid mechanic." Val said, after a pause. "I used to help him out a lot. Spent a lot of time working with behavior and program problems, since he preferred working with his hands."
It seemed she was reluctant to share about herself, and to Nadi that was as it should be. Sharing as much as she had could already be used to compromise her, and with her captors no less. Trusting people was an excellent source of getting stabbed in the back. No one has a better vantage over you than one in your trust. Val had yet to learn this lesson, though she likely had many opportunities in her future.
HK gave this some thought. "So you think I should regard my master beyond simply the orders they give?"
"Of course." Val replied. "I mean, you obviously have feelings about...your current situation, that goes beyond simply following orders. You've never had a master that you liked?"
"That I liked?" HK seemed surprised by the question, as though the concept were odd to him.
Val took note of his confusion. "Or respected, maybe?"
HK nodded, the word rang more true to him. "I have never had a master that I respected, though this is the first I have given it thought. Weak men using me to kill those they fear, mostly. One actually used me to hunt game on Felucia. While the hunt was rewarding enough as a fulfillment of my purpose, he was afraid to do it himself. So no, not a one"
Nadi's understanding of the complexity of droids had grown increasingly uncertain over the course of the morning. Most droids she met had been suited for simple tasks like repairing starships or serving drinks. She had never even heard of a droid advanced as HK.
Before them the gateway to the canyonlands opened up. The entrance was small, like a knife cut into the rocky cliffs. Its size was the reason Nadi chose this way. Most major paths into the Jundland Wastes were straddled by some sort of outpost, be it Republic or Imperial. Moving goods through such points was of no concern, as she never gave cause for a search. Live cargo, on the other hand, was certain to arouse more than suspicion if they had a mind to cry for help. For those in trades of ill repute, canyons like these were the only way to avoid authorities.
And the bandits knew it.
Without a doubt, there was a group of thieves awaiting at the entrance, knowing full well those with illicit cargo had no choice but to brave the passage, and thereby would bring their valuables through such an entrance. Nadi hated the Wastes, as dealing with a band of thieves was nearly a guarantee on such runs.
She let off the throttle, allowing the speeder to approach at a light cruise. The thieves would try to gauge when she was in their trap, and leap from the shadows at the last possible moment. If they went too early, their victims would turn around and make an escape. Too late, and they would miss their chance and need to give chase. Nadi was counting on the latter. The speeder's turbines housed more power than they looked, and they looked formidable. If she approached at what seemed fast for a normal craft, she could punch it at the last moment, and throw off their timing.
"You can't possibly expect this to work every time." HK broke his conversation with Val. He had been on two runs through the wastes since his time with Nadi, and this route was taken both times. "This speeder is fairly distinct, they won't be fooled every time."
Nadi smiled under her scarf. Normally, she would agree with HK's analysis, but this was different. "You're giving them too much credit. Raiders and bandits are more stupid than you think, that, added with the likely amount of infighting they do with other groups, I doubt it's even the same band."
"Underestimating people with blasters is a good way to get us killed."
"It's really sweet of you to look out for me, but we'll be fine."
"I would happily observe your death, but I fear I would quickly be scrapped for parts. Call it self-preservation."
While she held to her position, he wasn't wrong. Much of this banked on their compounded stupidity and treachery; but she had no choice. There was no other good way into the Wastes within reasonable distance not hosted by some form of government. She could only hope.
Val looked back and forth between the two. "What's going on?" She asked, curiosity mixed with a little worry in her voice.
"It's important you remember that I'm taking you someone who considers you very valuable." Nadi said. "They bought you, yes, but whatever happens, you do not want to trade company up here." If the girl attempted an escape in the confusion, it could mean death for all of them.
Val turned HK, "What does she mean?" Much more concerned than before.
"There's bandits in the rocks ahead. They're going to try to kill us and steal anything of value in the speeder. She's asking you not to do anything stupid unless you're keen on becoming a concubine." HK had a special affinity for morbid bluntness. Nadi, in her instinctive way of always keeping her knowledge closely guarded, was often more cryptic than she intended. HK was a, sometime, welcome antithesis. "The threat would be significantly less if we only had someone incredibly skilled with a blaster that could fire back while she drove." He added sarcastically.
Again, he wasn't wrong. Having a gunner would be extremely useful on some of her runs, but there was no time to regret. The mouth of the crevice that entered the wastes rose high above, obscuring them from the light of both suns. The approach was at an incline; layered sandstone worn smooth by centuries of the heavy footfalls of pack animals. To this day, there were travelers that preferred domesticated wildlife for transportation and sustenance.
The walls of the canyon on either side were heavily pockmarked from windblown sand; perfect for hiding any number of vagrants in the shadows. The speeder passed through the center of the canyon floor. While it looked little more than a crack from afar, it was quite wide, enough for several medium-sized speeders across. Nadi looked forward, while her goggled eyes scanned the cliffs from their corners. She could tell how tense Val was by the grit of her teeth. Thankfully, the girl played along with HK's illusion of nonchalance, idly chatting with her loud enough to be heard.
Nadi was unable to locate any threats in the cliffs, but she had no doubts. The canyon was fairly straight for a couple hundred meters, then took a sharp curve obscuring its path. They were approaching the halfway point between the mouth and the curve, and that would be where she would do it.
"Hold on to something." She said quietly.
HK made a metallic scoff. "I'll get right on that. You know, I'm entirely unable to tell if you have a sense of humor, or you're just sadistic."
Nadi slammed both pedals to the floor. The speeder lurched powerfully forward. From the corner of her eye, she saw Val, who clearly underestimated the speeder's power, experience what would soon be terrible whiplash.
The report of two blaster shots, timed so closely they were hard to distinguish, echoed off the canyon walls. The rocky floor just behind the speeder erupted, sending dirt and rubble skyward. Nadi had thought as much. A sniper on each side with a high powered rifle, aiming for her engines. As much as she loved them, they were horribly vulnerable jutting out from the body. Were it not for the sudden surge in thrust, they would have shortly found themselves as corpses on the hot sand and rock.
Yells of excitement rose from the canyon, and bandits spilled from the sides like insects from a nest. Small blaster fire filled the air, red bolts landing around the speeder. Some struck the hull, but the modified armoring deflected them easily. The powerful rifles would be trouble, but most of the smaller stock posed little threat, as she and her passengers were well recessed into the armored sides. Val ducked down anyway with a cry of surprise as bolts flew overhead, and it was probably for the best.
Four swoop bikes pulled into the path of the canyon, blocking her progress. Each had a driver and passenger, the latter group firing blasters as she approached. Nadi expected this, and there was likely a similar group behind her at the entrance. She smiled, and squeezed the triggers on the hand grips. Sky blue bolts raced forward from the speeder's cannons like rabid lightning, striking the middle pair of bikes. The force of the explosion threw the pair of remaining riders from their vehicles, blasters still firing wildly. Chunks of bike and bandit showered outward as a plume of flame and smoke reached to the sky. Val yelped as the concussive shock splashed over the speeder like a ship cresting a wave. Nadi drove straight through the flaming wreckage, barely feeling the heat of the roaring flames.
She wouldn't have much time before they rallied and followed. The canyon curved sharply to the left, but instead of slowing, she let off the left pedal and pulled on the same hand grip. The speeder heavily banked without losing much speed, the passengers' inertia attempting to violently tear them from their seats. The canyon was wound tightly, and the speed at which Nadi braved its turns bordered on suicidal, often relying on the repulsorlifts pushing off the walls to stop them from slamming into the rock. Any other speeder of similar size would have been flaming scrap by now, but Nadi's modifications were tooled for situations just like this.
"I don't know how to convey in your words exactly how exhilarated I am!" HK shouted, with uncharacteristic glee, over the whipping wind and roaring engines. He looked at Val, "I think a piece of them actually hit me! Look, look, is there any blood?"
A little shaken, Val offered him a weak laugh. "You're really strange you know that?" She said, her voice almost lost in the din.
"You're right. It's not oft you meet dismembered droids still in service."
Nadi somehow found time to roll her eyes while focused on navigating the curves of the canyon. The force of each bank forced her down into the floor of the craft, and it took considerable effort to remain upright and in control. She was unsure of how long the bandits would mourn their fallen comrades, but knowing their types, it likely wasn't long.
The tight crevice opened into the Jundland Wastes. Much of the wastes were rocky, with winding turns through the numerous earthen formations. The bed of the canyon continued on, winding lazily between the rock, but much wider than before with multiple branches into the surrounding cliffs. A man-made incline was carved into the left canyon wall, forming a ramp to its top. Nadi backed off the throttle and directed the speeder on to it, the canyon floor quickly falling away.
As the speeder crested the ramp, the expansive Wastes came into view. Hundreds of kilometers of rocky canyon lands spread out before them, a varied mixture of tightly woven brown rock interspersed with wide spaces of arid and sandy earth. It would be beautiful to behold from their vantage were it not for the dangers Nadi knew it held. The clifftop was wide, the edge overlooking the canyon mouth they exited blow, though it was far from the highest point. Rocky spires and ridges stood over the wide opening, offering a small area of shade beneath them away from the cliff's edge.
Nadi maneuvered the Speeder into the small patch of shade and powered it down, settling softly onto the dry ground. Reaching under the console, she removed a small power coupling required to start it and jumped out of her seat.
"Where are you going, shouldn't we still be running?" Val asked.
"We can outrun them in a straight race, but there's too many alternate paths and shortcuts in here that their bikes are small enough to use and we aren't." Nadi reached into the recess beside her seat and retrieved a long rifle. It looked primitive, with a wooden stock and iron sights. "I'm going to convince them not to follow."
She didn't give time for further discussion. The bandits would be arriving quickly, and the window she had to safely deter them was narrow. She jogged over to the edge of the cliff, Val and HK continued to chat, but quickly fell out of discernable earshot. She reached the edge, and laid on her stomach, resting the rifle's barrel in a small notch of the ledge, its end over open air. It was a Cycler rifle, recovered from one of her many scuffs with Sand People. She preferred it as it fired slugs, making it hard for her targets to determine where the shots came from. That, and the small fact that spilling someone's brains all over the ground served as a much stronger deterrent than a clean blaster burn.
"Sniping is one of the most powerful tools for engaging a larger force." He said, hefting the large blaster rifle and holding it out to her. She took it, nearly stumbling forward from the weight, struggling to keep a grip on the polished metal with her small hands.
"Not for the obvious removal from danger that it offers; but the panic. When people can't see their foe as death rains down upon them, their base survival instincts kick in and they buck and run like animals." He gestured to the crowd below. "Go on, you'll see what I mean."
Nadi exhaled, lining up the sights on the canyon mouth and slipping her finger over the trigger. The rifle only carried a few rounds before requiring a reload, she had to make every shot count.
THe bandits didn't keep her waiting. Shortly their swoop bikes poured out of the narrow canyon mouth. Two to a bike, and six bikes, her work was cut out for her. The bikes spread in loose formation and slowed as they entered the wide space, unsure of what path to follow.
Nadi sighted on the center bike's driver. At this distance, and with only irons for sighting, it was impossible to make out any real features beyond his brown wrappings. He was more cautious than his excited whooping passenger, his head held low beneath the transparent windscreen as he scanned the canyon.
"That won't save you." Nadi said, squeezing the trigger.
The rifle kicked heavily into her shoulder and a loud crack rang out against the rock. There was a moment's delay, and the heavy slug found its mark, shattering the windscreen. The passenger's whoops quickly turned to screams as spouts of blood covered him and the driver's body slumped against the controls. The speeder banked heavily and nosed down, catching the ground with its front. Both occupants were thrown to the dirt, their bodies crushed under the bike as it flipped forward, crashing end over end before sliding to a stop.
The other bikes panicked, the passengers shooting blindly at the rocks around them. Nadi wasn't waiting to see if it was sufficient. She ran the rifle's bolt, the large smoking cartridge ejecting onto the sand, and sighted on the next bike. Another loud crack from the weapon, and the bandit fell from his seat, a gaping hole in his chest. The bike sped forward undeterred, the frantic passenger lunged at the controls in a vain attempt to stop it. A plume of fire and smoke went up as the bike slammed head-on into a jutting boulder.
That seemed to be enough. The remaining bikes routed, speeding to the safety of the narrow canyon. Nadi ran the bolt again and sighted in.
"Oh, you don't get off that easy."
In retreat, the bandits offered a rare opportunity, lined up as they were. Nadi grinned and squeezed the trigger. The slug found its mark and tore through the middle of both passenger and driver, coating the bike and surrounding earthy in sticky red. The speeder crashed into the ground, flinging their limp bodies, leaving red streaks in the dirt with their landing.
The remaining bikes disappeared into the canyon's mouth, safely out of her reach. Nadi ran the bolt again, always keeping a round chambered, and surveyed her work. It looked like a small warzone, bodies and smoking wreckage littering the wide canyon floor. Smears and spatterings of blood accompanied them, a stark contrast to the earthen tones of their surroundings. She nodded, it should be good enough that they won't reconsider giving-
"NADI!"
Nadi rolled to the side without hesitation abandoning her rifle, the ground where she had just been erupting in a cloud of dust and sand. She flowed from her roll into a run, deftly unholstering her blaster. The cry had been from Val, the urgency and fear in her voice telling Nadi all she needed to know.
They stood on the ledge above the parked speeder, raising their rifles in a bloodlusted battle cry.
Sand People.