Author's Note: CHAPTER 100! Well, this website's 100, it's only 60 really. Still, it's a milestone whichever way you look at it! Thank you all SO MUCH for all the support, praise and critiques, I listen to it all!
-Chapter 60: Three Little Separatists-
Location: Keldooine
"And now for something completely different..."
Wraith wasn't in a good mood.
Having returned to the Dominance earlier than anticipated, Wraith was still royally ticked off about the little stunt Sereva had pulled, kissing him... in front of Ahsoka no less. The super-soldier wanted nothing more than to explain everything to his crush, but after accidentally punching her during the ensuing fight and likely shattering her ribcage in the process, Wraith had a feeling it would be a long time before she would willingly hear him out.
Stepping out into the hangar, Wraith released a long sigh of frustration.
"I swear Doc, that's the last time Admiral Shak and I go anywhere al-" He said.
"Tell me later, my boy! We've got to be going!" Scipio interrupted, pushing past him and making to load some supplies into a nearby Neimodian Trader transport.
"What a piece of junk!" Wraith commented, looking at the poorly maintained ship.
"Hey! I take offence to that!" A B1 droid following Scipio remarked.
"Not you!" Wraith grumbled with a roll of his eyes, knowing he needed answers from the Pau'an and him alone.
"Yes, this particular assignment is a bit of a strange one, I will admit." The doctor mused, setting down a crate of supplies. "Our primary purpose is to retrieve the cargo of a downed Separatist shuttle." He stated, turning to face Wraith.
"Sounds like something I could do by myself." The super-soldier mused, crossing his arms.
"But there's the catch. This shuttle was shot down by an independent warlord on Keldooine." Scipio revealed.
"What the actual hell was it doing out there?"
"Believe it or not, my boy, the Outer Rim has some of the best trade routes. Fast and far away from regular Republic shipping lines." Scipio explained.
"But a higher probability of getting shot out of the damn sky." Wraith noted.
"Either way, our cargo is now in that warlord's possession and we need to get it back."
"What's the cargo?" Wraith asked.
"You'll know it when you see it."
"That still doesn't explain why there needs to be three of us."
"Well, we figured the best way to get in there would be to impersonate some sort of visiting regency with an entourage." Scipio clarified. Beneath his helm, Wraith raised an eyebrow.
"Doc, two isn't exactly an entourage."
"You should see our two man quartet." The droid quipped.
"It can be if you're from Agamar." Scipio responded. That made Wraith's head turn.
"Agamar? The backwater world notorious for hicks and people dumber than the Galactic Senate?"
"The one and only." The Pau'an affirmed. "We figured that, since nobody cares for Agamar, we could claim to be from there and whatever we say would fly!" He explained with growing enthusiasm. "We can act however we need to and know one would raise and eyebrow over it."
"I guess this means you have some 'improv' in mind." Wraith mused.
"The best kind, my boy. The kind that wears down anyone's defences; slapstick!" Scipio said with a smile. Wraith's head lowered in mild dismay.
"Slapstick? Slapstick improv." He repeated. Scipio nodded eagerly. "So you're telling me our best chance to rescue some cargo from a potentially dangerous warlord is to go in there dressed up and acting like total yutzes?"
"Yes!" The doctor stated, still smiling proudly. Wraith sighed.
"Oi vey."
Later that day, on Keldooine...
Keldooine was a world of savannas, the overall color being a mix of pale green and dusty brown. Located in the eponymous system on the edge of Hutt Space, Keldooine was something of a checkstop for ships entering and exiting Hutt Space, a fact Wraith determined was the likely reason for this ship being shot down. Someone was here, controlling the access, that they would have to get past in order to procure whatever was in this ship.
Fortunately, they had proper clearance, the Neimodian Trader touching down on an external landing pad outside a walled castle made of smooth and polished stones. Wraith, Scipio and the droid had finalized and were rehearsing their character roles for the majority of the flight, even picking out new outfits from a crate Scipio had dragged on board. It was the most gaudy assortment that would've been considered normal for people from Agamar, especially individuals of higher status as they were pretending to be. Leaving the boarding ramp first, Wraith couldn't help but grumble, "Doc, I swear, this is one of the worst ideas you've ever had. Not only are the outfits horrific, but the whole idea is completely out to lunch!" His preferred clothes were heavy armor with clips for deadly, fast-hitting weapons. Not this gaudy getup.
He was wearing a pointed cap, a pair of very dark optical sunshields and an ornately designed multi-coloured poncho, featuring a dark red base and gold trimming all over it. His loose-fitting pants were grey in color, yet they had a neatly-hemmed nature about them.
"Oh come now, my boy! This won't be so bad!" The Pau'an replied as he came down the ramp behind the battle droid. Of them all, Scipio's choice of fashion was the worst offender to public decency. He wore a bright white turban, tall and tightly wrapped, a long purple robe that dragged across the ground and pale blue criss-crossing pajama-like robes underneath, all of it tied together with a white satin belt that was lined with gold and fake gems. The droid itself was relatively untouched, save for a few special markings indicating it was a part of this entourage, but it was also devoid of any weapons. "Just remember; from this point on, we're in character."
"Fine. But I still feel naked without my helmet." Wraith grumbled. "Shut the door." Scipio did so, putting a little extra force into the old and slightly rusty component. But as soon as the doctor was on solid ground, first the landing gear collapsed, dropping the transport to the floor and then the entire shuttle fell to pieces in one big pile. The trio recoiled in surprise. "What's the idea slamming the door too hard?!" Wraith demanded, slapping Scipio across the face. He fell into character rather quickly.
"You told me to close it!" Scipio responded in a higher tone of voice.
"How did that thing get us here in the first place?" The B1 wondered, scratching its head.
"Aw, never mind that. Come on, we've gotta get into this palace." Wraith said, approaching the front gate. He called up to a guard above. "Greetings my good man! Might we have a word with your local regent?"
"You mean the governor?" The armored human called back. "One moment." He said before disappearing.
"There. We should get in without a hassle." Wraith mused.
"Just a moment." Scipio said with a raised hand. Reaching into his robes, he pulled out a pair of fake glasses.
"Glasses?" Wraith wondered, thinking his own sunshields were a bit much already.
"Why to complete the look, of course." Scipio remarked.
"You don't need glasses, they'll just complicate things." Wraith retorted, grabbing the glasses with one hand and holding up the other. "How many fingers am I holding up?"
"Two." Scipio answered.
"See?" The Pau'an still took the glasses and threw them on. "How many fingers am I holding up?" Wraith wondered, holding up his hand again.
"What fingers?" Scipio asked. Wraith was startled, jarred by the frightening notion.
"Nevermind, it's too late now. Come on!" He muttered, grabbing the doctor and shoving him forward as the front gate opened.
The trio were led from a guard to a servant, dressed in simple leather garments, who ushered them deeper into the palace. Beneath his shades, Wraith kept glancing back and forth, looking for guards, weapons and security measures along the way. Apart from armed guards carrying pikes and blaster pistols, there wasn't much around. Their biggest worry would be the perimeter anti-air turrets surrounding the castle.
So far so good.
A pair of massive wooden doors at the end of the hall swung open, revealing a smaller room where a mighty desk and an equally mighty chair contained a rather pudgy man with a thin, wiry moustache and greasy slicked back hair. He certainly wore the clothes of someone who worked for the Hutts, Wraith thought. It all depended on how he acted. Pushing Scipio ahead of him, the doctor tried to find his way, but his glasses were so terrible he wound up running into a wall outside the office.
"OOF!"
"This way..." Wraith growled, grabbing Scipio by the arm. The servant walked right up to the fat man as Scipio stumbled in with Wraith beside him.
"Governor!" The fat man looked up from a pile of datapads.
"Who are these three?"
"They come seeking a meeting with your magnificence, Governor. This is a trading regent from Agamar, the..." He trailed off, turning to the party. Evidently their communication to the surface had found its way through all the levels of staff.
"Jedd of Aye." Wraith quickly said. The governor raised an eyebrow.
"Aye? As in, Aye aye?" He asked.
"Aye yai yai is right." Wraith muttered in reply. Scipio executed a very complicated salute, including finger snapping and fist-rapping before spreading out his arm in greeting... and accidentally smacking Wraith across the face in the process.
"And his interpreter..." the servant continued.
"The Sigh of Ith." The battle droid stated, picking up on the improvisational aspect of this mission. Wraith did his best to copy Scipio's complicated salute, adding a little flair of his own.
"The regent brings gifts to honor you, your excellency." The servant stated. At that, the fat man's eyes widened.
"Well then, by all means, let him proceed!" He said, clearly excited.
"Of course." Wraith replied. Then he turned to Scipio. "Sit down!" He gruffly commanded. Appearing taken aback, the doctor found himself a nearby seat and set himself down, having a little bit of trouble thanks to the peculiar nature of his glasses.
"You keep your regent on a short leash, I see." The governor observed.
"He's young. One part royalty, one part child... one part imbecile." Wraith replied.
"Yes, yes. At any rate, what gifts does your master bring for me?" The governor inquired.
"We shall see." Wraith calmly replied, turning around and sitting opposite of Scipio, resting against the table between them. "Oh Jedd-Aye..."
"Aye aye!"
"You lika-to speak dat?"
"I lika-to talk dat!"
"Rasbanyas yata bene fuchi atimeni kharonchi, that, how do you say, that Hutt-lips, he asky-tasky what did you fertsaik, you gaddit?" He wondered.
"I wannit!" Scipio excitedly said.
"You gaddit." Wraith remarked, bonking him on the head.
"Oof! You can keep it!" Scipio said, rubbing his noggin.
"Now... you gaddit?" Wraith tried again.
"Yoks!" Scipio eagerly nodded. Wraith gave a nod and, with a sigh, stood up.
"Oh boy..." He muttered, wondering how they were ever going to pull this off. He approached the warlord's seat once more. "The Jedd-Aye-" Before he could continue, Scipio started up again.
"Aya aye! Rasbanyas yata bene fuchi atimeni-"
"Quiet!" Wraith interrupted, shooting him a firm glare from under his sunshields. Scipio took the hint and promptly sat back down. As he did, he fumbled around the inside of his robes before pulling out a small container of liquid sugar. Is was the kind of treat reserved for children, bright blue in color, and he wondered how it got in there. Wraith went on as he examined his find. "The Jedd-Aye says that he bears a rare jewel, known as the-"
"A sapphire!" The governor gasped, seeing the apparently encased gem in Scipio's hands. Wraith strode over and snatched from the Doctor, eyeing it with a shrug before returning to the governor's side. "A sapphire as big as Jag-cat's heart." The governor was in apparent awe as he beheld the canister. It was full to the brim and rather jelly-like, so there was no way to discern its true nature. Wraith could only assume people around here were as dumb as they were on Agamar.
"The Sapphire of... Sep-ratista." Wraith explained, quickly pulling out a name.
"It's cloudberry!" Scipio interjected.
"What brilliance! I have many Balmorran sapphires, but never have I been given the cloudberry!" The governor said in awe.
"Better not try to eat it, gems are bad for your teeth." The droid joked, seemingly understanding exactly what the 'sapphire' really was.
"Who asked your opinion?" Wraith demanded, instinctively whipping out his hand to smack the droid in the torso. He instantly regretted it as his hand bounced off solid metal. "Ow!" He recoiled, grabbing his hand. The droid started laughing, but Wraith quickly whipped a spanner out of his robes and bonked the droid on the head with it.
"Ow! So you did bring one...!" The droid muttered, rubbing its head. The governor seemed to take no notice of their display, but was inwardly chuckling.
These Agamarians.
"What other rarity does the Jedd-Aye have for me?" He asked, more concerned with the other offerings available to him.
"He had some breath mints, but I think he ate them." Wraith casually responded. Before he could go on, they were interrupted by a rather loud BRAAP! Both turned to see Scipio covering his mouth.
"Excuse me..." He quietly apologized.
"But we shall see what we shall see." Wraith mused to the governor. Pushing past the droid, he sat back down across from Scipio. "Oh Jedd-Aye!" He said again.
"Aye aye!"
"Ello Po!"
"Ello Wro!"
"Rasbanyas yata bene fuchi atimeni kharonchi, that, how do you call it, Rancor-breath, he asky-tasky what did you fertsaig, ingensommen. Gadda something else, kiddo?" Wraith inquired.
"Rasbanyas yata bene fuchi atimeni kharonchi, PARAMICHI ma'hiha!" Scipio replied, using a very shrill voice for the last part that pierced Wraith's ears. "I gonna see dat!" Reaching back into his robes, Scipio passed Wraith a roll of paper which the super-soldier quickly unfurled to reveal one of the many recruiting posters he'd seen around the HoloNet.
"Propaganda?" He muttered. The governor overhead him, but not entirely.
"Popaganda... what is that?" He wondered. Before Wraith could come up with anything, Scipio was on the ball.
"A popaganda and a mamaganda get together and have little goslings!" He excitedly announced, miming the motions of the water fowl with his hands. Wraith rolled his eyes, rolled up the poster and then bonked Scipio on the head with it. "OH!" The doctor grabbed his head as if in pain. "Listen you!" He started.
"Shut up before I shut you up." Wraith grumbled as he stood. Returning to the governor's side, he passed him the poster which was soon unfurled again.
"Ah, the art of other worlds...!" He observed.
"This is a one-of-a-kind original. Guaranteed forever." Wraith proclaimed, hyping up the exquisite nature of the design.
"You should live so long." The droid added over his shoulder. Wraith snapped up his arm and beaned the droid right in the face with the spanner. CLANG! "Ow..." The droid flinched, grasping its face. Setting down the poster, the governor beckoned Wraith closer.
"Ask the Jedd-Aye-"
"Aye aye! Rasbanyas yata bene fuchi atimeni kharonchi-" Scipio started up again.
"Sit down, you PHD Pinhead!" The super-soldier reprimanded.
"Oh, shut up, I don't have to!" Scipio shot back, hands on his hips. But he did sit down and went to lean against the table again. Unfortunately, his glasses had modified his perception so terribly that the doctor completely missed the table and fell headfirst to the floor, stuck with his legs sticking up in the air. Wraith and the droid rushed over, roughly helping him back to his feet, the super-soldier grumbling all the while. "Rasbanyas yata bene fuchi, I fall down!" Scipio remarked. Wraith bonked him on the head again, dropping Scipio right back into the chair.
"Your Jedd-Aye is a trade regent, yes?" He inquired.
"Oh most certainly." Wraith lied.
"Does he have more of these goods back on Agamar?"
"In bountiful qualities."
"Ask him if he would like to make a deal. I'm open to little exchanges like today, or a long-term deal as a show of friendship if he would like." The governor offered.
"Ah, a generous offer," Wraith praised, "I shall ask him and we shall see." Gliding across the floor this time, Wraith sat across from Scipio as they fell into routine once more. "Oh Jedd-Aye..."
"Aye aye!"
"Rasbanyas yata bene fuchi atimeni kharonchi a Nal Hutta, that wampa dropping, he asky-tasky what did you fertsaig, hendele bendele, you got a steal-deal?" He asked.
"Oh, a dealer, eh?! Rasbanyas yata bene fuchi atimeni kharonchi, PARAMICHI ma'hiha! I'd like to see if he has the ship myself." Scipio responded, Wraith rubbing his ears.
"Me too-..." He absentmindedly agreed. Suddenly he realized they were slipping and slapped the Pau'an as a reminder to stay in character.
"Oof! Hit a guy with glasses, huh?" Scipio remarked. Wraith promptly slapped him again. "Ow! All right, all right." He relented as Wraith shushed him.
"Keep 'em on." He said in a low voice. He then rose and returned to the governor, "The Jedd-Aye..."
"Aye aye! Rasbanyas yata bene fuchi-"
"SIT DOWN!" Wraith loudly demanded, rapping on the desk for emphasis.
"Oh, shut up, I don't have to!" Scipio retorted, but then did so.
"The Jedd-Aye says that in his domain on the islands of Lola and Sayu, there are many deals to be made and agreements to be signed. Should you make one with us today, you'll experience the wealth tomorrow." Wraith stated, hoping this was leading where he hoped it was leading.
"Excellent! Excellent! Come my guests, let us go and visit my stores so I might repay you for these treasures!" The fat man proclaimed, getting up from his chair and making for the exit. Wraith followed right behind, rubbing his hands together eagerly.
"Come along, Jedd-Aye." He said as he passed Scipio. The doctor rose,
"Aye aye! Yata bene- where are you?!" He wondered, his glasses fogging his vision and causing him to wander into another wall. "Oof!" This impact knocked him flat on his back, laying him out on the floor.
"Come on you...!" Wraith grumbled as he hauled Scipio to his feet.
Through the narrow corridors of the castle, the trio of goofball-impersonating Separatists followed the governor and his servant from polished stone rooms into an open durasteel hangar. Only this one had been modified to act as a warehouse, where crates upon crates full of goods were stacked. Many of them were likely removed from vessels trying to enter or leave Hutt space while others might be simple stocked items. There were ships too, smaller vessels that were stored here. Some of them were in bad shape, scorches staining their wrecked and fractured hulls. Others were fairly pristine, likely detained instead of getting shot down.
Wraith and Scipio knew they were looking for a heavily damaged one.
"Here we are, esteemed colleagues! Behold the wealth of Keldooine!" The governor announced with outstretched arms.
"If this is wealth, I'd hate to see poverty." The droid quietly remarked.
"Take a good look around. See what strikes your fancy!"
"The Jedd-Aye..." Wraith began, knowing what they were looking for.
"Aya Aye-OOF!" Scipio began, only to get beaned in the abdomen by Wraith.
"Never. Again." He growled, turning back to the governor. "The Jedd-Aye says he likes the cargo of ruined vessels, as it is a treasure only his eyes can see."
"Then he may go right ahead and look! As a matter of fact, I shot down an unresponsive vessel yesterday. Fresh stock for sure." The governor informed them. Wraith grinned at the revelation.
"Perfect. Come along you two." Wraith said, ushering his compatriots further into the warehouse. As soon as they were out of sight of the governor, they ducked behind a mountain of crates. "So far so good. He doesn't suspect a thing, only that we're a group of hicks from Agamar." Wraith mused.
"So good? Speak for yourself! The dents I'll have to buff out..." the droid bemoaned, rubbing its head. Wraith rolled his eyes.
"Alright Doc, what are we looking for?" He asked.
"A Sheathipede B-type, I believe. But I'm not certain." Scipio replied.
"Right. Droid, start scouring these ships, look for a Separatist emblem on one of them. Doc, you and I will check for a Sheathipede." Wraith suggested. With a nod of affirmation from all, they moved out... right into each other. BONK! They collectively recoiled, Wraith grabbing them both by the shoulder. "Spread out...!" He growled, shoving the droid in one direction and Scipio in another.
The trio fanned out, starting on either side of the warehouse as they combed over the ships, both the pristine and the wrecked. Scipio and Wraith started poking around old YT model ships and wrecked models that were beyond recognition. Scipio started poking around the back of a ship with its aft blown to pieces, exposing a series of wires, cables and tubing. Curious, the doctor started poking around, until he suddenly dislodged an active coolant system that sprayed him with a burst of fluid.
"ACK!" The doctor cried, shielding himself from the spray. It finally subsided just in time for Wraith to show up.
"What are you doing taking a bath?" He demanded as Scipio wiped his face off.
"It's Zhellday, isn't it?"
"Yes, but you take yours on Centaxday." Wraith said, slapping him. "Get going!" He growled, shoving Scipio onwards. The disguised doctor stumbled forward, right past another ship before looking up and freezing in his tracks.
"My boy, look!" Scipio hissed, grabbing Wraith and turning him around. Wraith followed his finger and sized up the elongated ship. "That's a Sheathipede alright." Scipio announced.
"It's an automated type. No wonder..." Wraith mused, eyeing the closed cockpit area with no transparisteel canopy. "Let's get in, start poking around." The pair quickly circled around the ship, spying holes peppering the hull and tearing clean through the upper wing as well as the scorched and ruined engines in the back, the whole assembly having been cleanly shot to pieces. "So their guns are accurate," Wraith mused, "that means we'll have to be fast when we leave." Whistling for the droid, Scipio and Wraith rounded the side and found a hole blown clean through the covered canopy. "That looks like a good entrance."
"As good as any." Scipio mused as the droid joined them.
"Now you're positive the cargo's in here?" Wraith wondered.
"I'm positive about the negative! But I'm a little negative about the positive." The droid joked.
"Your wires are crossed." Wraith grumbled, beaning him with the spanner. "You're on sentry duty until we get back."
"Good. As long as it keeps me away from that spanner." The droid remarked, rubbing its head and walking away. After a few paces, the spanner spun through the air and clocked the droid in the back of the head. "Ow! Not so hard!" The droid cried.
"Okay, Doc, I'll give you a boost up." The super-soldier said. Scipio scrambled up Wraith's body and atop his shoulders, hoisting himself clear through the hole and tumbling to a halt inside. Righting himself and shaking his head, Scipio looked around the ruined remains of the automated cockpit, seeing wires and broken electronics everywhere.
"One of these has got to be the bay door control." He surmised and went to work on attempting to find said controls. Each ship was symmetrical, even with the inclusion of an automated piloting system, so the controls for the cargo bay should be fairly easy to find.
Unfortunately, the amount of damage meant it wasn't easy.
"This is confusing!" Scipio remarked, hands on his hips as he examined the tangled mass of debris before him. "I'll have to start anew." He started fiddling with the electronics, wondering if the bay access needed power. Eventually, a spark shot out as a connection was made, but a nearby communications system came online instead, playing what seemed to be part of a radio broadcast.
"Do you want to keep the one thousand credits? Or try for the two thousand?"
"I'll try for the two thousand!" Scipio eagerly said, fiddling with the dials again. Having arrived, Wraith heard him and walked up from behind.
"Alright, why can't a chicken lay a loaf of bread?" He asked.
"She ain't got the crust!" Scipio replied, knowing the answer well.
"You win..." Wraith rumbled, fetching the spanner from his belt.
"Gimme! Gimme!" The doctor soon got it, a swift bonk on the head. "OOF!" He recoiled, grabbing his noggin.
"Come on, hurry up and find the cargo!" Wraith hissed, ready to be done here.
"Alright, alright," Scipio muttered, leaving the comms system alone and returning back to the other panel. After fiddling with the electronics some more, a shower of sparks erupted from within, startling Scipio before a rear door slid open, revealing the treasure within. "Oh!" He remarked in surprise, eyeing the series of silver cases marked with Separatist emblems, "Swigging swooty, I found the booty!" He exclaimed, rubbing his hands together.
"Nice work, Doc." Wraith congratulated. "I'll head outside, you drag them over to the hole and drop 'em down."
"Right!" Scipio set to work reefing the cases out of storage as Wraith crawled out through the same hole. "Hmm, stubborn, eh?" Scipio grunted as he reefed hard on the box.
Down on the ground, Wraith quickly filled the droid in on their progress.
"The sooner we get this stuff outta here, the better!" The droid remarked, more than ready to finish these shenanigans.
"Couldn't agree with you more." Wraith nodded. Figuring Scipio was ready, he looked up. "Alright, Jedd-Aye! Let us know when you're ready!" He called.
"Aye aye!" Scipio remarked from within. Carefully balancing a case in the middle of the hole, Scipio looked around for something to lower it with. But in the process, he accidentally nudged the case and sent it falling. "Whoops!" The case dropped like a rock and hit Wraith square on the head. BONK!
"OH!" The super-soldier cried, grabbing his head.
"Gee, did it hurt?" The droid wondered.
"No. Did this?" Wraith asked, banging him on the head with the spanner.
"Ow! Yeah..." the droid muttered, rubbing its head. Shaking his head, the super-soldier looked up.
"A little warning next time?!" He shouted.
"Rasbanyas yata bene-"
"Shut up you onionhead and grab the next one!" Wraith interrupted, rubbing his head again.
Eventually, Scipio finally had all four of the boxes down on the ground, three square ones and a longer rectangular one. They'd been stacked on top of each other to make for easier carrying.
"This was everything inside." Scipio announced, dusting off his hands. "Now we just have to get it outside."
"We pull this off and the entire ruse will have been worth it." Wraith commented. "I've got this end." He announced, grabbing the front.
"I've got this end." The droid said, grabbing the rear.
"I'll take the end in the middle!" Scipio stated, getting under the case and lifting it with his back. Ever so awkwardly, they carried the stack back to the waiting governor.
"Ah, you found something of interest, did you?"
"Yes. The Jedd-Aye seeks to profit off the material of these cases alone. Their contents should prove most interesting." Wraith responded, setting the case down. Scipio straightened up, and then sneezed, some dust on the crates having gotten to his sinuses. The ensuing action caused his turban and glasses to go flying, landing on the floor at the foot of the governor.
"My good sir!" The fat man bent over and offered them back.
"Oh, my personality, thanks." Scipio nonchalantly replied as he took the articles and straightened them out. But before he could don them fully, the governor was startled.
"Wait!" He cried, struck by a moment of recognition. The trio froze. "You're... You're a Pau'an!" He exclaimed, recognizing Scipio's species. "Since when do Pau'ans live on Agamar?" He demanded.
"Actually, we don't. We-" Scipio started to say, only to stop when the look in the governor'S eyes changed from suspicion to rage.
The jig was up.
"My boy, something tells me we need to take a walk." Scipio hurriedly said.
"Yeah, but run!" Wraith declared. The trio ran off sprinting for a hiding place behind the shuttles.
"Spies! Thieves!" The governor shouted, turning to his servant. "Call out the guards!" The armored men on site were summoned, four in total, while the message quickly made its way to the distant palace barracks. Wraith and the others quickly crouched behind a shuttle.
"Well, the Loth-cat's out of the bag." He grumbled.
"What now?" The droid wondered. "We've got no weapons, no armor, nothing!"
"Yes, but one of these shuttles that's been detained might still be in working order... and have weapons." Scipio suggested.
"Then we distract the guards, grab the crates and get!" Wraith determined. "You, go and take care of those guards." He ordered the droid.
"I'll go when I'm ready!" The droid retorted.
"Oh yeah?" Wraith wondered as he gripped his spanner. He started by striking him first in the torso, then bonking the top of his head then a whack to both sides of his head, each blow followed by a metallic clang.
"Ow! I'm ready!" The droid cried before scampering off to avoid any further punishment as Wraith and Scipio made to find a shuttle.
The B1 crept around a nearby shuttle, peering around the edge to see two guards approaching from afar. Grabbing a pipe from the ground, the droid waited until they had walked past him before whacking both on the head. They hit the ground unconscious.
"So that's what that feels like!" Chuckling, the droid backed up into a nearby shuttle, the collision promptly dropping a loose panel on his head. "OW! Why is everything against me today?!" He bemoaned, rubbing the dent.
Wraith and Scipio had jumped in a semi-decent YT-2000 and found the ship in perfect working order, the controls lighting up with the flick of a switch. No sign of an onboard weapons system, though.
"Unfortunate. But I think the occupant left something behind." Scipio mused, picking up a discarded blaster pistol from under one of the pilot seats. He passed it off to Wraith, the better shot of the two.
"Looks like a WESTAR Thirty-Four." He observed, noting the smooth and slender barrel as he checked the charge of the power cell. "Should get the job done. Power this thing up and maneuver us into position near the crates. I'll pull them aboard."
"Consider it done!" Scipio mused, taking the controls and coaxing the thrusters to life. The big ship slowly eased out into the middle of the hangar, Wraith deploying the docking ramp and spying the droid running towards them, a pair of guards hot on its heels.
"They have blasters! They have blasters!" He screeched, sprinting towards the ship while covering his head to avoid incoming fire. Tearing off his headpiece and sunshields, Wraith returned fire with single, accurate shots that struck the guards and put them down.
"Take this. Cover me!" He commanded, tossing the pistol to the droid as he jumped down and ran for the crates.
"Now this I can do!" The B1 mused, grabbing the pistol and taking aim as more guards arrived in the warehouse. "Back off, annaponatag!" He cried, opening fire. Wraith took advantage of the cover to lug a case onto the ship.
"Doc! Catch!" Wraith shouted, throwing it inside. Scipio did, quickly popping it open to reveal its handy contents...
"They're coming from sederscram!" The droid stated, firing away.
"Are we still in character?" Wraith wondered as he ran for the next crate.
"I don't know!" The droid replied, still firing. "Take that, bolsiax!" He shouted, gunning down guard after guard. "Eat senakonapon, meatbag!" Wraith quickly came to a conclusion after recognizing the droid's gibberish.
"Your vocoder's malfunctioning!" He shouted, lugging another case.
"My enot?" The droid replied. Scipio suddenly appeared, his robes discarded and a new weapon in his hands.
"Fly the ship you bucket of bolts!" He demanded, snatching the pistol from the droid. The B1 reluctantly complied as Scipio took the next case from Wraith. "My boy, take this!" He tossed the weapon over to him, Wraith catching it before pausing in stunned awe.
He'd never seen a weapon like this before.
"What in the universe is-"
"A TL series autogun, the Republic was manufacturing prototypes for their Clone commandos and we stole the designs to make one of our own." Scipio quickly explained, grabbing the crate from him. Wraith glanced at the triple barrels protruding from the tip and came to a realization.
"You mean to tell me this is a rotary cannon scaled down and jammed into the body of a rifle?"
"Precisely!" Scipio exclaimed, running for the next crate.
"Sweet." Wraith grinned, charging the weapon and training the sights on the nearest guards, opening fire with a steady stream of blaster rounds that killed the guards in droves, providing more than enough cover to buy Scipio the necessary time to haul another case onboard. "Come on Doc! We're wasting time!" Wraith shouted, blasting away at the guards.
"This last one's a bit-ngh... heavy!" Scipio grunted, struggling to drag the final, elongated case into the ship. Wraith took matters into his own hands and grabbed both Scipio and the case and dragged them both into the ship.
"Punch it, droid!" Wraith shouted, slamming the docking ramp controls. The droid did as asked and floored the thrusters, the ship shooting forward and crashing clean through the wall of the warehouse. Reefing back on the stick, the droid made for the skies, but Wraith knew the castle's guns were deadly efficient. They'd have to do this right if they wanted to survive. "Faster!" He demanded, sitting next to the droid.
"I got it wide open!" The droid replied.
"Well, open it wider!"
"I can't. I can't find the clutch." The droid smartly remarked. Wraith promptly beaned him with the spanner. "Ow..."
Later...
In the complete safety of hyperspace, thank the Force this ship had a hyperdrive, the trio of Separatists could finally relax. Wraith ripped off his disguise, glad to go about in his usual combat pants and shirt again.
"We are never doing that again." He sighed, leaning back into his seat.
"Well, at least, not for a long time." Scipio remarked.
"Doc..." Wraith growled dangerously.
"Fine, fine. But, we did succeed, didn't we?"
"I could've succeeded with a cloaking device and a pair of blasters." Wraith retorted. "By the way, what the hell were we trying to save with these crazy antics anyway?" Scipio looked up with a grin.
"I believe I can answer that for you." Leaving his seat, Scipio pulled over one of the cases and opened it up, Wraith rising to peer inside.
What he saw both surprised him and filled him with giddy eagerness.
"Oh sweet stars above... is that-?"
"Yes indeed." Scipio answered. "I had a feeling you'd like this."
"This just made this entire mission worthwhile." Wraith mused, grinning madly. "So the autogun was..."
"But a prelude of all the new things in these cases." Scipio replied, completing his thought. "Yes, I can't wait to see you wear it..."
Author's Note: If you didn't laugh at some point while reading this, I failed entirely.
