Author's Note and Disclaimer: The Star Wars franchise does not belong to the author in any way, shape or form. This is not for profit. The setting begins roughly a hundred years after the Yuuzhan Vong Wars in the New Jedi Order series and summarily ignores any novels that took place afterwards. The plot and characters are all mine.
The Sith Insurgency – Chapter IX – Survival
Master Jarik was one of the three members of the Tatooine Council. He was a quiet human, with gray hair and a long beard that give him an air of wisdom. Something about his demeanor gave Master Jarik a constant look of worry, though Rel was assured that the Jedi Master had always been like that.
"I am impressed that you managed to kill a terentatek by yourself," the Jedi Master told him. "Our historical archives tell us that the best way to tackle a terentatek is with a pair of Jedi who are closely bonded with one another. I would like you and your apprentice to develop this bond and your ability to fight side-by-side. Terentateks are cropping up all over the Galaxy, and we will need many teams of Jedi who are prepared to tackle them."
"Yes, Mater Jarik," Rel acknowledged with a bow. The Jedi Knight had other reasons for wanting to train with his apprentice. His encounter with the Krath Warrior on Sinroc had opened his eyes to the dangers of the Dark Side, and Rel wanted to prepare his Apprentice for future encounters. Also, the Apprentice's confidence had fallen considerably after his capture at the hands of the Sith Assassins, and Rel needed to prove that Jason was still competent.
"Tomorrow morning," Master Jarik added, "I want you to take a speeder to the Anchorhead trading outpost. The jawas mentioned a problem with the local Sand People, and the Force tells me that you are best-suited to help them."
Rel bowed his acknowledgment a second time, and then left the Council Chamber.
Tatooine was a much brighter world than Dovac, and his corrective visor automatically darkened to protect against that light that shined off the Enclave's sandstone bricks. Near the entrance was a square that Rel found particularly peaceful, though other Jedi tended to pass through without notice. In the center of the square were four, small trees that lined up with the four corners of the room. Two sides were elevated by a series of steps that doubled as benches, which was where Rel's companions were currently seated.
"Hathes, Nic," he began. "We're going to be on Tatooine for at least a few more days. You won't be needed in that time, so feel free to do as you please." To his apprentice, he said, "You and I, however, have training to do. The Enclave doesn't have any obstacle courses, but there are many Jedi for us to train with. They say that the best is a Jedi Master named..."
XxxxX
The ship's main reactors were nonfunctional, but the repair droids were able to bring up auxiliary power. It was enough to access the main computers and recharge hundreds of droids. Nowhere in the Chiss Ascendency was a single artificial intelligence, and all of the droids on the shipwreck made her exceedingly uncomfortable. Even though she often encountered droids in the Galaxy, it was different to be completely surrounded by them. She felt like ghosts were in every direction.
IG-138, the battle droid she had picked out earlier, stood behind her with a cloak draped over one shoulder and a hood that disguised its robotic face. Like the generic, gray IG-100 droids that were also aboard the ship, IG-138 carried a long, metal staff that looked rather useless in combat. They were part of an elite unit that was designated the MagnaGuard, though Lorna had no idea which war they had been in.
Because of its distinctive cloak and blue coloring, Lorna made IG-138 into her de facto droid general, nicknamed Magnum. "Magnum, how many units are operational?"
"Seven IG-100 series MagnaGuards, eleven droidekas, three B2 super battle droids, forty-one B1 battle droids, and one BX commando droid." Magnum spoke in a voice that sounded more mechanical than even most droids. Nevertheless, its voice also carried a confidence that reassured Lorna. "Repair units have reached the dropships. Within the hour, thousands of additional battle droids will come online."
Lorna nodded, pleased with the progress of the repairs. There was still a lot to be done, but she felt safer with protection in place. She did not want to find out how many resources the Insurgents had at their disposal. "What are the capabilities of each droid type?"
"MagnaGuards have been trained in unarmed combat, blaster rifles, and in the use of lightsabers. The others lack combat experience, but this unit has killed three Jedi Knights and seventy-three clone troopers."
Her head snapped up at the kill count. Jedi Knights and clone troopers. This ship was a leftover from the Clone Wars, she realized. "This is a Trade Federation Battleship! Are there any Jedi or clones aboard?" Any possessions the Jedi had on their bodies would be considered invaluable by the Jedi Council, and the historical archives. The least she could do was help fill up any gaps in the records.
"Mistress Lorna is the only Jedi aboard, living and deceased." With the side question out of the way, Magnum continued its report. "Droidekas have mounted blaster rifles and personal force fields that are only vulnerable to heavy weapons. B2 super battle droids are heavily armored and also mount blaster rifles. B1 standard battle droids are shock troops with moderate accuracy and are the only units vulnerable to standard blaster fire. BX commando droids are designed for stealth and infiltration, and have greater speed, resilience, and processing power than other B-series battle droids."
She needed a plan, if she wanted to survive the expected cloaked ships and assassins. Perhaps she could convince the enemy that someone else killed the scout ship's crew. "Have the super battle droids and droidekas guard all entrances to the ship," she ordered. "I want the standard battle droids to assist with the repairs – and I want every battle droid aboard this ship fully operational, immediately." The necessary orders were relayed, and then Lorna gave the next commands. "Tell the repair droids that they are free to scavenge whatever parts necessary to bring one of the shuttles online.
"There is a crash site to the east, and inside the wreck is a disabled protocol droid. Send four MagnaGuards to retrieve the disabled droid and any usable parts, and then destroy the wreck. Leave nothing behind." Once the scout ship was burnt to scrap, there would be no way for the Insurgents to confirm whether or not Lorna had died in the crash. They would likely come to the battleship to investigate, however, and she needed a way to convince them that there were no survivors.
"Confirmed." Magnum relayed the orders to the other MagnaGuards, and four of them ran out of the room at a full sprint.
Lorna wished that it was possible to get the ship's weapon systems online, but there was a limited number of droids for sheer amount of tasks. If there was time, then perhaps she would try to repair the battleship. To bring the ship fully-operational would likely take resources that she did not have, along with much more time than she was prepared to spend on the planet. Her true hopes were on the hyperdrive-equipped shuttles.
XxxxX
Rel's speeder set down in Anchorhead, a small settlement that was little more than a trading outpost. The settlement was surrounded by scrap metal walls that were half-rusted, with jagged holes worn through along the top. A jawa sandcrawler rested outside the walls, its frame just as high as Anchorhead. "Do you speak jawa?" Rel asked his apprentice.
"I grew up on Tatooine, Master," Jason announced. "Of course I understand jaweese. The Enclave in Mos Espo is the place that first discovered I was Force-sensitive. They convinced my parents that my life would be better if I moved to Dovac, and so I moved."
This was news to Rel. He vaguely recalled the information from Jason's file, but he had been more concerned with the teen's potential than his background. "Where are your parents now?"
"A moisture farm, at the outskirts of Mos Eisley. I intended to visit them, as soon as I heard we were stationed to the Outer Rim. The incident at Sinroc took me out of the mood."
"It is a mistake to let our feelings be governed by everything around us, Apprentice," Rel quickly chided. If he had permitted the situation to dictate his moods, then he would have fallen to the Dark Side on Sinroc. Lessons of early childhood on Ivri taught Rel that all sentients had the ability to choose which emotions they expressed, if they knew how. A sentient's ability to control his emotions and actions was what the Ivri called Choice. It was Rel's buried feelings that had prevented him from going back to Ivri, feelings that kept a Choice from ever being made. Recent events in his own life had proven to Rel how important it was to stay connected with one's family. He would not allow Jason to make the same mistakes as Rel. "Your family will always love you, no matter your successes or failures. As soon as we have finished here, we will both go to visit your parents."
"Yes, Master." Jason sounded unsure of himself, but Rel was certain that the Apprentice's attitude would change as soon as they arrived at the Farlander home.
The two Jedi climbed out of the speeder and left the city walls for the jawa caravan. The jawa recognized the lightsabers that hung from the Jedi's belts, and one of the jawa approached them. It spoke its language in a voice that made Rel smile to hear. The jawa were a difficult species to take too seriously.
"Master, he says that the local tribe of Sand People has been behaving oddly. They... the Tusken Raiders have been on a search for slaves."
"Slaves?" Rel's expression turned serious. "Why would the Sand People have a sudden need for slaves?" The jawa answered with a long speech, and Rel turned to Jason for a translation.
"The Sand People are usually self-sufficient. He says that the only reason would be if many Sand People were dying."
Rel reached out with the Force. There was no sense of death that the jawa had alluded to. All he felt was the endless expanse of desert, and something else, something elusive. The Dark Side was always difficult to sense. "What do you know about the Sand People, Apprentice?"
"They're hunters and bandits. Very good at salvaging technology. They like their lifestyle and think of other species as barbarians. No one knows the desert better than the Sand People."
Of the things that Jason said, one jumped out at Rel. "Hunters? What do they usually hunt?"
"Anything," Jason answered with a shrug. "Sentients, desert wraid, krayt dragons. There are also herds of bantha that they protect religiously. They use them as riding animals, and also a source of food and milk."
Krayt dragons sounded fearsome, but Rel did not think that the Sand People would take such heavy losses from something they were used to killing. If there was another deadly prey, however, one they had not recently encountered... "Ask the jawa to take us to the Sand People village."
Jason looked at his master incredulously, but asked the question. As the Apprentice expected, the jawa emphatically refused. "Tuskens are known to take jawas as slaves. I do not think anyone is brave enough to take us there, even if we are Jedi."
"We need a translator," Rel told his Apprentice. "Get directions to the village, and record them in your datapad. I'm going back to Anchorhead, to see if I can find someone who speaks the Tusken language. Unless you know it?" he suggested, already certain of the answer.
"No, Master. Even protocol droids cannot translate their language. It is a serious of howls and grunts that all sound the same to us. A few sentients are rumored to have learned to speak with the Sand People, but I know of no one within my parents' lifetime."
The only other option was to wipe out the Sand People village, and Rel was unwilling to consider genocide. A peaceful solution was essential. "There is a technique that calls upon the Force to translate, but that ability is beyond me. If we cannot find a local translator, then we will return to the Enclave and find a Jedi to assist us."
XxxxX
"This protocol droid cannot be repaired," the B-1 repair droid announced. "The original schematics are not available, and the droid appears to have been highly modified."
"Can you salvage the programming and install it on another droid?"
"Affirmative."
"Good. I want you to go install the personality subunit on one of the BX commando droids." Sea-Pea was already well beyond its original specifications, and new abilities would increase the droid's usefulness. "Sacrifice redundancy in the computer core to include all of the protocol droid's programming, in addition to the BX's combat training."
"Affirmative."
"One more thing," Lorna cut in, before the droid could walk off. "Bring as many BX and IG-100 spare parts as you can find onto the shuttle, and do the work there. Magnum, how long until the shuttle is operational?"
"Approximately six hours and fourteen minutes."
In six hours and fourteen minutes, she would be ready to leave the planet. So long as the Insurgents did not find her first.
A battle droid ran into the room and saluted. "Sir," it said in a tinny voice. "Several battle droids have not reported in." Only one explanation could account for the communications failure: the assassins were already on the planet, and they were aboard the ship. The timing was too soon.
Strange, that she had failed to sense them. When it came to these cloaked ships and assassins, something blocked her connection the Force. There were two known ways to avoid detection from the Force: with ysalamirii, or Yuuzhan Vong soldiers. She wondered if the enemy used one of the known techniques, or if they had discovered something wholly new.
"Two MagnaGuards, with me. Magnum, gather all the remaining elites and guard that shuttle at costs. Have all standard battle droids stop assisting in repairs, and order them to begin patrols with regular check-ins. If any living being, other than me, is spotted in or around this ship, kill them." Even if she managed to escape the planet, leaving active battle droids could only benefit her. It would take the Insurgents time to figure out that she was gone, and the droids would slow them down.
"Battle records indicate that Jedi have most likely infiltrated the ship," Magnum told Lorna. It was strange that the droid still thought of Jedi as the enemy, despite its current master. "Do you wish to activate the C-B3 cortosis battle droids in Level 23, Section 14?" Cortosis was a well-known substance that was dense enough to withstand a lightsaber. Battle droids with such armor would be able to put up a good fight against Jedi, and almost certainly against the invisible assassins.
She briefly wondered why Magnum had waited until now to mention the C-B3s, and she concluded that she had simply asked the wrong questions. Activating the C-B3 droids would be a waste of time, if they identified Lorna as an enemy and attacked her. "Have our repair droids reprogrammed them, yet?"
"Negative. The C-B3 cortosis battle droids aboard this ship are currently programmed to destroy all sentient life with range. They cannot take orders from non-droids, and they cannot be reprogrammed."
Better to save the C-B3s as a doomsday weapon, then. "Keep them de-activated, for now – but send a repair team down to Level 23, Section 14 and prepare the C-B3s for combat." The chiss Jedi silently prayed that she would never find need to switch on hostile battle droids that she had no hope of defeating. Last resorts were a consideration for the future. In the meantime, there were boarders to deal with.
