The Rebel Twins

by GradGirl2010

For 15 years I was alone. Fixing spacecrafts to numb the pain. The Clones' betrayal of the Jedi stole my brother from me. At the time, it seemed as if it would be forever. Reunited through this war of Imps and Rebels, Caleb...huh...Kanan wants me by his side again. The problem is...the idea of fighting again terrifies me. The screams...they won't stop.

15. Droid on a Walk

Droid on a Walk

Moving on

xxx

"WHAT'D YOU SAY?!" A portly Twi'Lek man threw a Yogan at a vendor who effortlessly dodged with his eyes closed. He used to this. "THESE PRICES ARE OUTRAGEOUS!"

"And what you see is what you get!" The Gran vendor forewarned as the last straw. "Now either pay for something, or get the Hell away from my stand!"

"Why you little…!"

Lecosta is as shrewd as it is lively. But mostly a shrewd place of business. Though it is a fun tourist trap from time to time, the constant roars of vendors and customers kind of steal away from the thrill. Where Capital City is concerned, Lecosta makes the metropolis seem docile and pleasant by a wide comparison. Not to mention methods of travel have been augmented and applied for a better means of expedient travel through the constant cluster of rush hour. Needless to say, at certain peek hours, that goal is trampled into paste. The buildings were tall enough to scrape the sky, that much is certain, but they were spaced by a reasonable margin to limit the cluster. And yet still, with the thousands of people coming and going, topped by the millions who live there, Lecosta is considered anything but spacious. Inconvenient at times, yes, but perfect for a wandering droid looking to avoid attention.

Dayve was hiding behind a large trash bin, oscillating his head side to side, scouring for Stormtroopers intermingled with the rampaging crowd. Normally, Imperials stand out like sore thumbs among ordinary people. But the idling and moving people were bunched together so tightly one could be standing two feet away and he'd never see them. "Ooh...I have to move!" He dart from crates, to behind people, and went so far as to rocket up to fire escape. He found it was too exposed and cannonballed into a dumpster of styrofoam. The vendor selling it raised all sort of Hell, accusing Dayve of ruining his product. Not everyone can understand Astromechs, so Dayve kept the insult towards the tattered and poorly kept material to himself. "I have to find Grim!" He pleaded for the mechanic to randomly appear out of nowhere. Take him to Katerina so he can see her. Also, Dayve isn't one for crowds. He becomes claustrophobic.

"GRIM! WHERE ARE YOU?!" He cried at the top of his air filter. How could he have lost Grim and that devious Devonian so easily? And all because of that stupid drive in his storage port. "Should have known that guy would have caused us nothing but trouble!" And to think it happened faster than a Chandrila minute.

Dayve and Grim have been running Kendril's Workshop on their own since Katerina left with her brother and his rebel friends. Business was booming as it usually does, with a few extra rushes and jumped due dates arriving in hordes. Mentioning how stressful it was would be an affronting understatement. Grim's anxiety levels rose to new heights, especially when the rookies he approved for hire were constantly in need of babysitters. Dayve was being run beyond his normal capacitors, driving his circuits on overdrive in order to maintain the inventory list, the waste logs, vehicles that were brought in or due to be finished or were long term projects, and much, much more. They were being torn in half trying to keep up with everything. Dominique and Katerina were two of the best around Chandrila. With them gone it really set the Garages back dramatically. So when they heard over the holonet of a band of rebels matching the description of Kanan's Crew, the two packed up their things and raced for Lothal. It's where most of the complaints were coming from. Upon their arrival, Grim and Dayve went for Dominique's shop thinking Katerina might be there. When we got there, Dominique was in a panic, screaming that Katerina was injured and lying in a coma at a farmhouse. Which is where Vizago came in to offer his services. He said he knew of the farmhouse that Katerina might be staying at. There was a loud commotion during one of his routes and he saw a battle taking place. Vizago offered to take Dayve and Grim to that farmhouse, but only after he does some business in Lecosta.

Vizago dragged Dayve and Grim around Lecosta for about three hours, constantly looking over his shoulder, and making crude hand gestures at random. A couple of times he knocked on surfaces, or tired to obscure markings he was drawing. Grim and Dayve aren't fools. They never ogled, lingered, or so much as hinted they were suspicious. From the moment they met Vizago, this man struck them as trouble. His shifty smile, the lecherous gleam as he ogled Dayve, and his ever so stain but purest silver tongue. When they finally reached Vizago's intended destination, he revealed a small drive to a vendor at a modest shop nestled in Lecosta's upper class side. The irony that no one batted an eye as three obviously out of place people sauntered through was astonishing. The vendor was intrigued by the treasures Vizago had on that drive and was willing to over him top credit. Of course Grim and Dayve went on the defensive, staying as far in the background as they could. Vizago was drooling at the mouth, and kept haggling for more credits. He was about to strike it rich. That's when the Vendor's sights fell on Dayve, and suddenly the transaction took a frightening turn. His actions until Dayve was nearly sold proved he was invested in the black market, or at the very least affiliated with the criminal ne'er do wells. As such, Vizago was already slating Dayve up for his next quick buck. Grim found his voice and intervened, slamming Vizago to the side, enraged by how he dared to pawn off his friend. The vendor was about to step in, reaching for a firearm behind his counter. Dayve tased the man, dismantling the gun. Vizago overpowered Grim, throwing him to the ground and dropping his drive. In the heat of the moment Dayve stole the drive and disappeared into the city, soon losing Grim and Vizago entirely.

Dayve has been on his own for a day and a half now, unable to raise Grim on their communicators. There was a plethora of static interfering with his com. Dayve was sure it was a jamming frequency. Either that or the towers allowing communications were suffering from issues. Either way, Dayve has no way of letting Grim know where he is or if he's alright. And with the number of Stormtroopers growing by ten almost every hour, it's only a matter of time be-

"Hey you! Droid!" He cringed. He twisted around. Two Stormtroopers were jogging for him. "STOP!"

"Time to go!" Dayve ignited his jets to full power, rocketing to the rooftops.

"HEY! STOP!" One of the troopers barked. Dayve was already gone. "Dammit! Come on! Let's head him off!" The two ran around the building, watching the roof and ground for the droid's trail.

Dayve raced at top speed across the roof, activated his rockets and leapt to the adjacent building. He skipped across two more rooftops, stooping under and jetting over crazy drivers overhead. His tread knocked against the top of a pole, sending him flipping out of control. Firing his rockets once more on full blast, Dayve steadied himself, drifting down into an alleyway. "That was close." He revved in relief.

"I think it went this way!"

"Hurry! It may know where he is!"

Dayve grimaced at how close their voices were. Their racing footsteps echoed in the alley as they neared. Dayve's head spun like an out of control top. Which way, which way, he was panicking. Any direction that doesn't bring him within breathing distance of those troopers. Unfortunately the alley was a dead end. Dayve tried for one more jump to the roof. Sparks and a pop rooted him in place. Wires were bleeding from his left repulsor. Must have been damaged when he hit that pole. The Stormtroopers were getting closer. There was only one thing left to do. Dayve ducked behind a stockpile of garbage, lying at an angle. He heard the Stormtroopers stop at the alley, muttering heatedly amongst themselves about where Dayve had gone.

"He can't have gotten far! Find him!"

"SIR!"

Dayve listened as they took off, inwardly patting himself on the back. That was too close for comfort. But he has to watch his step - er, treads - from now on. He can't risk being captured by Stormtroopers. His hard drive contains damaging information that would destroy the lives of very important people if it made it into the wrong hands. He needs to find Grim and Katerina fast. But how when he doesn't know where he is, or where that farm is? "This is quite the fix you're in D8." He moaned. Also, there's one more thing that's bothering Dayve. Granted, droids on their own are suspicious. But for Stormtroopers to chase him so vehemently. Something must be going on. 'It may know where he is,' Is what one of them said. "Where who is?" He hummed pensively.

xxx

Vizago's hover car flattened the planes racing for Lecosta at breakneck speeds. He wrapped himself in a hood and cloak, driving with his head low enough to obscure his features as Stormtrooper presence became more frequent. He may operate from the shadows, but he doesn't take the high chance that one of those armored morons will recognize him. Grim was bracing himself, holding on for dear life as the car launched into staggering arches, skipping violently across the brown blades of grass. He understands the urgency on both ends, but Grim isn't one for these high speed races. He'd appreciate it if Vizago would take it easier. Katerina, riding in the backseat, her chair hooked to prongs on the very back, wore a red bandanna over her bunned up hair, and a cyclops visor. The Empire is looking for a fully capable girl matching Katerina's description. Not a paralyzed blind woman. That aside, that visor will help mask her cryptic glares.

As Vizago will testify, the Stormtrooper presence is strangely thicker than usual. Checkpoint and most Troops are stationed at entrances and exits to monitor who comes and goes. During rush hour, getting through is more tedious than waiting at a busy clinic. But rare is it to find checkpoints several miles from the city. They don't normal stretch their radius unless some sort of emergency was in place. Or they're looking for someone. Whatever the case may be, Katerina and the others are going to have to give them a wide berth while staying under their radar. Luckily, suspicious people are a commonality in Lecosta, so they should be left alone for the time being. And with that, there is a far more pressing matter to discuss.

"YOU TOLD ALYSS YOU AND I WERE GOING ON A DATE!" She screeched in his ear, almost causing Vizago to drive off Lecosta's on ramp. Grim couldn't help the small smile at his pain. And she's not even angry yet.

"And it worked out perfectly!" He cringed, wiggling a finger in his ear. "Although she was a little disappointed it was you and I, instead of you and Garazeb. Apparently she knows about you two as well." He chuckled teasingly, wiggling a wolfish brow. Katerina's cheeks exploded cherry red. Grim hummed curiously. "In the event you and I don't work out, the dear Mrs. Sumar recommended the Lover's Wake hover boating near the lake for when you and Garazeb finally seal the deal."

Katerina pulled herself forward by his seat, driving a punch into the side of his head. "MORON! ZEB AND I AREN'T DATING!" Grim grasped the wheel to keep the car steady. He waved contritely to the car in the next lane, enacting for them that Vizago was a bit tipsy from the devil's drink. And what's with the when?! There is no when! There's not even an if! Why the Hell do people keep assuming she and Zeb like each other! "And he hates boat rides! The bugs from the water attack his fur!" That time on Pantora produced bug bites galore when they came back.

"Huuh…" Vizago's teasing commenced once more, "For someone who claims to not be dating him, you seem very knowledgeable of his likes and dislikes." Her blush stretched to her eyes, her eyes glossing. Grim gawked in amazement. It's true. "The way you get worked up is adorable."

"SHUT UP!" She shrieked. Vizago laughed obnoxiously. He focused back on the road, bringing his speed to a slow down as the stretching highway into the city lead onto a crowded overpass. Grim was honestly surprised. He didn't think someone like Zeb was her type. The gruff, machismo guy with a one track mind that make it their life's mission to appear immovable and unburdened, constantly acting tough and scary in order to keep others at bay. Not to mention very proud of their physique, and their brutish skills in combat. Grim figured she liked people more like Kanan. Not the doting brother, but the strong knight in shining armor type with a sense of integrity. "And I sincerely doubt you have the luxury of joking with me, Vizago!" Katerina's tirade continued. "My friend is in danger because you got greedy! What the Hell were you doing taking them to a black market vendor anyway?!" Grim laughed partially embarrassed. He's older, but Katerina always treats him like her child.

"Business, dear, business! Something you should be very familiar with!"

"My side job aside, my work as a mechanic only brings in the criminal element when they are deluded that I won't kick their ass for causing my friends trouble!" She doesn't refer to her employees as such. They are her friends first and foremost, and only become workers when they continue to screw up. "And in this chair or not, I'll leave your friend as a stain on the ground if Dayve is hurt!"

"What makes you think my friend is even bothering with that droid?!"

"Because he knows how much that drive is worth to you and that you were willing to charge extra for Dayve." Her eyes narrowed to dots. "And seeing as how this guy is familiar with your business, he can only drool at the thought of what Dayve and that Drive hold, and how much the right buyer would pay to acquire them." Her brow knit with a mild irritation, "Considering your last friend turned rat so easily for the Empire, who do you think will pay this guy the most for anything related to the elusive Cikatro Vizago?"

Vizago growled rabidly through gritted teeth. "THAT BASTARD!" He slammed a fist. How could he not anticipate this? Traffic was nearing a standstill ahead. Vizago wrenched at the stick, activating his car's free hover and darting at a sharp angle off the highway.

Vizago, Grim, and Katerina arrive in town, go to bazaar where Dayve was last seen. Chair connected by prongs. Vizago wrapped under hood, Katerina wearing bandanna. Grim walks Katerina through, says Dayve vanished into crowd going towards the highway on ramp. In the midst of the terrifying take off, Grim took a moment to admire Katerina's detective skills. Her attention to detail usually applied to the vehicle she's working on. To think she's extended it to people. Could Kanan be a benefit to her growth?

xxx

The sun reflected off a pair of binocular lenses hundreds of yards from the crowded highway. The green tinted scopes narrowed to the vehicle taking off abruptly from the highway, causing several approaching vehicles to part down the middle and nearly crash. The person on the other side of the binoculars grinned animally, licking his dry lips. "Tha-a-at's right, Vizago. Ta-a-ake me to that payload."

xxx

The vendor Vizago visited was in a wide space at the local bazaar. The traffic they endured aside, the street was relatively empty. Allowing Grim and Vizago ample means of walking Katerina through past events.

"This is where you lost him?" She asked, approaching the closed shop.

"Yes. He disappeared into the crowd that way." Grim pointed for the opened street. "We lost him almost instantly."

Katerina arched a brow at the guard rail. "I wonder…" She moved towards it. Past the guard rail was another level to the city. "Dayve must have went over the railing to get away. The crowd made it hard to follow him."

"Dammit, Rurri!" Vizago roared. He hammered at the steel shutters sealing the shop. "He must have realized we'd come back and left to find the droid on his own!"

"He can try." Katerina dared. Grim and Vizago ogled her strangely. She took out her own personal tablet, tapping on a GPS locator synced to Dayve. The pinger stalled for a few seconds to accommodate to the region she was in, then attempted to isolate Dyave's signal. As she expected, results came up zero. His tracer was off. "Dayve turned his internal locator off. Even if by some chance your friend was looking for him by model, he won't be able to."

"Wait a minute!" Grim froze, nightmares of when the garage was first attacked by the Empire a couple years ago came to mind. "Dayve only turns off his locator when trouble's afoot! Meaning The Empire or Vizago's friend are on his tail!"

"GRR! Have either of you tried calling that droid of yours!" Vizago was losing patience fast.

"I've tried three times." On her holo-com, Katerina tried several more times to raise Dayve. Gargling static interfered with her signal. Her brow knit curiously. "Grim…" Grim tried his comlink. The same static appeared. Katerina was seeing a pattern, but vetted the passing crowd to eliminate the possibility of it being a coincidence.

"Hey, is your holonet working?"

"No. It has been working for two days."

"Mine either…" A group of young women groaned.

"What's up with this thing?!" A man furiously shook his communicator.

"Isn't that brand new?"

"Supposed to be."

Amid the complaining, the discernible sound of gargled static touched Katerina's ear. She bit her lower lip. "Communications are being jammed." She concluded.

"They're what?! Why?!" Grim gasped.

"No idea." She grimly touched her chin. "The only reason you'd jam communications is to isolate an area, or so the person you're chasing doesn't make arrangements."

"Chasing someone? Are you sure?"

"Only partially." But it's the only explanation there is. There's no way all this can be for her, the Sumars, Dayve, or The Ghost Crew. No doubt Lyste was dragged back to his superiors and ripped a new one, telling them of what he encountered. But if he was after either of them, he would have brought an army to to ransack the Sumar home and arrest everyone. Kanan and the others are still on a run for Fulcrum. As for Dayve...they wouldn't go to so much trouble for a droid. Who are they looking for?

"Not that you spinning gears aren't fascinating," Vizago interceded, shoving himself in the middle of their banter, "But how does any of this find what is mine?!"

"You had better mean the drive and not Dayve!" Grim warned. "And as for locating him, the drive model you have is the latest one, yes?"

"Yes! Why do you ask?!"

"Then that must mean you know the serial number and model number of this drive!" Grim accused.

"I see…" Katerina grinned. Vizago was lost. "Vizago, you'd never have something so important without a means of keeping a lengthy hand on it." She boldly approached him, grinning maliciously. "Even if you did sell it to your friend, you've likely arranged to know where he's at and what he plans to do with it. What with it having that which is most importatn to you on it." Vizago growled as the corner she was foricng him into. "Grim, do you know the model?"

"It's one of those drives that comes with a code to initiate a self-destruct, or a location." Vizago clamored at Grim wrneching him by the collar. "And the heavens as my witness, Katerina's wrath will pale to mine if you harm Dayve!"

"Calm yourself, my good man!" Vizago gruidglingy plucked Grim's hand off. "If I destroy Dyave then I destroy my investment!" A less than noble reason to help. He grunted preturbed. "I must admit, I'm impressed you identiifed my drive's model from such a brief glance."

"Grim has a didactic and photographic memory." Katerina boasted for him. "A passing glance or fast occurence, he can remember every detail." Vizago was starting to become unnerved by the company he was keeping. Nevertheless, he told Grim the serial and model numbers and watched astounded as Grim input them to his tablet.

Meanwhile, Katerina diverted her focus to the jammed communicators. She's been on too many missions with Kanan and the others to not know the difference between normal static and a jamming frequency. Listening to the gargled static, she was 100% certain The Empire was jamming communications. The past dtwo days given what someone said passing by. She and Sabine were able to talk without issues, meaning the interference wasn't near the Sumar home. Eliminating the possiblitly The Ghost Crew or Sumars are the targets. Dayve isn't likely. Who are they looking for?

BUMP! Katerina's chair jerked suddenly. "AH!" Someone fell hard.

Katerina whipped her chair around, gasping scared at the yellow skinned Rodian lying flat on the ground. He was in a daze. "Oh man! Are you alright?!" She extended a hand to him. She flinched when she sat up so suddenly. He dizzily bobbed his head, muttering something in his own language. She didn't mean to stare, but she was shaken by the large headgear stretching ear to ear on the back of his head. "Um...sir...are you alright?" She asked again.

He sputtered animatedly, fidgeting like an electrified fish. His senses seemed to come back with the light in his starry eyes. He turned to Katerina, gazing at her as if he was in a dream. He looked exhausted. "Tseebo sorry. Please forgive." He bowed his head.

"Oh no! You're alright." She was startled when he started to stand on his own. He tripped over himself, flailing his arms like noodles. Katerina moved her hands to at least seem like she would catch him. He had another weird fit, sputtering frantically before standing stiff as a board. "Um…" What's wrong with him? The stiffness faded. He lurched forward, wobbling uncontrollably as he started to walk away. "Hey! Wait! You should go see...a doctor?" The Rodian bobbed and weaved between people who never so much as batted an eye to him. Katerina was about to go after him.

"Katty! We've found him!" Grim cheered. He and Vizago ran over, showing her the ping on Dayve. "He's in the Rono District of the city! We can get there in 15 minutes and hopefully catch him!"

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Katerina raced them back to the car. Her mind drifted back to the Rodian she had met, focusing on the device fastened to the back of his head. "What was that thing?"

xxx

Dayve was pulling it close, darting from one street to the next. The Stormtrooper presence was at its thickest in the Rono District. Dayve added lib to his skulking by walking in the shadows of Troopers and then hiding behind corners in order to reach adjacent streets. The deeper into the dirtsict he went, the greater number of Stormtroopers he encountered. No surprise considering at least five faces Dayve recognized as escaped felons of The Empire. There has to be dozens of offendees within a one block radius. And now Dayve is intermingled amongst them, looking for his friend and a convict to go visit his other friend who happens to also be wanted by The Empire. This just isn't his day. And he sure knows how to pick the most interesting of friends. But his taste in companions is the least of his worries.

"This is LRS-110. Have you found him yet?!" Dayve pressed his back to a trash droid, imploring it to stay still for a minute. Using his receiver, he was able to hack into the Stormtroopers' communications.

"Not yet. We're not even sure he's here in Lecosta." He, he, he. That is the favored pronoun at the moment. Who is this he the Empire is searching for? What has he done to warrant this sort of action? Could it be Vizago?

"Keep looking and provide updates! That Rodian has to be there somewhere!"

"Rodian?!" Dayve gasped. Not Vizago! The Stormtroopers dispersed, jogging back into their search. "They're searching for a Rodian. That's good news." Not Vizago, not Grim, and definitely not Katerina or anyone associated with her. "What did this Rodian do?!"

"And just what do we have here?!" An obnoxiously accented voice crooned behind Dayve. The second he whipped around, a mass of electricity sent his circuits to critical, frying his wiring from the inside out and dropping him like a cold lump of coal. Chuckling with malicious victory, taunting the downed droid with a couple presses of his taser, Taskmaster Miles Grint placed a hand to his hip with pride of his work. Couldn't have been any easier if the damn thing was paying attention. "I heard on the two way of some bucket rolling around without an owner. You must be it!" He roughly tapped Dayve with his toe. "I'm gonna love seeing what you have on that harddrive of yours!"

"Grint, you know that is not the process!" Commandant Cumberlayn Aresko scolded his gruff companion. He meandered to Dayve with his hands folded back in his usual posture, casting a judgmental leer at the rather poorly kempt droid. "This droid is to be taken in and dismantled - parts sent to various locations. Modefications, extra content, etc are to be logged." His face twisted with a sinister grin. "Then, after we've stripped it, we are permitted to see what treasures its memory core and drive contain."

Grint chuckled, rubbing his palms together greedily. "I wonder whose day we'll be ruining!" He can't wait to see.

xxx

Katerina and Grim pondered Dayve's route of travel while Vizago broke every road law in place. He might have The Empire invent new ones. So far, the trail made sense to them. Had Dayve gone over that railing from earlier, and given how long it's been since he was lost, it isn't at all impossible that he'd find his way into the Rono district eventually. He must have tried calling and failed, and since he doesn't know the area he's likely running in circles in hopes he'll come across a friendly face.

"I'm sorry, Katty." Grim moaned miserably. "I should have kept a better eye on him."

"Hey, you know better than that." She nudged his shoulder with a fist. "Remember when we first found him? How he would take off for days at a time and come back worse than usual."

"Oh yeah! Like that time we found him in the bar trash!"

"And that one time when he hid at the power plant!" The two flew into a fit of laughter, slapping at the car. Vizago pretended to not hear, when he was inwardly admiring their back and forths. "Eventually he learned we'd always come looking for him. That we wanted him."

"Yep. And when he gave up running away, he'd make trouble on the errands we'd send him on." He stroked his tied head tails pensively. "And we'd have an even bigger mess to clean." If he's honest, he'd be sad if he can't have that with Dayve anymore.

Vizago exhaled irately through his nostrils. Then he gasped, going pale. "DAMMIT!" He yanked his hood over his head. He sharply wrenched the wheel. Grim and Katerina held on for dear life as he parked at a screechign halt to the side of the road.

"What are you-"

"Shut up and keep your head down!" Vizago forced Grim down. Katerian sank in theb ack. The source of his apprehension flipped her stomach as well. In a rather funny looking patrol vehicle, Commandant Aresko and Taskmaster Grint were speeding in their direction. She was about to flip onto her side to avoid making eye contact when a large object in the back seat caught her attention. An offline D8 model droid strapped to the back.

"That was…" Katerina turned with the passing Officers, locked onto the droid in the backseat. There's no mistaking it. "DAYVE!" She screamed. Vizago and Grim gasped. Katerina frantically snatched the tablet from Grim. The ping was moving with the car. "DAYVE! HE'S RIDING WITH THOSE IMPERIALS!"

That's all Vizago needed to hear. He jerked the driving stick. "HOLD ON!" He swung the car in a winding U-Turn, throwing more people askew and into poles. "You're sure that was your droid?!"

"POSITIVE! I could pick Dayve out of a line up!" She showed him the tablet. "Plus, your drive in moving with that car!"

"Well then it's a good thing there's only one Imperial Station in Rono! If your droid is going anywhere, it's there!"

"How do you know?" Grim tested.

"Because that station also holds the contraband brought into the city, and sidelines as a scrapyard." Grim and Katerina paled. Now that they think about it, Rono does reek of melted metal.

"Dayve…" Grim and Katerina moaned.

xxx

"ALRIGHT! HEAVE-HO!" Grint threw Dayve out of the car, laughing as he skipped on the cement. "Woopsie! Sorry! Lost mah grip!" He held his protruding stomach, dragging Dayve by a bar on his neck. Aresko ignored his companion, plus the hazardous leers, and meandered inside the station. The main building was regular sized for pencil pushers and those who don't regularly work out in the field. The next two buildings attached on the other hand were enormous. The one on the left had smoke coming out of the stacks, a massive cylindrical vent exhausting the carbon monoxide. The building on the right was a storage warehouse filled with years of contraband confiscated by Stormtroopers.

"THIS IS VERY BAD!" Katerina cried. Aresko and Grint disappeared inside, leaving Katerina to sink in her misery. "Of all the people, why do Aresko and Grint have to be here?!"

"You know them?" Grim arched a brow. Vizago snorted under his breath.

"My alias does." She cast the Devonian a hard glare, warning him to keep his mouth shut. "They're supposed to be stationed in the Capital! What are they doing all the way out here?"

"Does it matter?" Vizago grumbled.

"Kind of, seeing as how they're the ones with Dayve!" And the door was flooded with Stormtroopers exiting and entering in groups. Causing a scene or bulldozing her way in isn't an option. Or wise. "They may or may not give him back to me. Dayve's permit is under Kendril and KATERINA! They'd never give him to Anastasia. Did you ever put your name on him?" She asked Grim.

"No I did not! I should have done that before we got here!" He smacked his face.

"We can do it when we find him! But we have to get him fast!" Katerina pleaded. "If they run Kendril's name, it will lead to Mon in the senate and who knows who else from there." He could inadvertently blow Katerina's cover, or worse lead The Empire to others who don't wish to be found.

"I sense a plan." Vizago purred.

"Yes…" It's improvised and not exactly fully thought out. But Dayve's time is running out. I guess I do share something with Kanan. "But you aren't blowing anyone up this time!" She warned.

"Sounds boring, but I've learned that you possess a means of making things interesting." He grinned. She scrunched her nose at him. She removed her visor, handing it to Grim. It's a risk, but for Dayve she'll risk everything.

xxx

Lurking in the distance, a drooling Gran man chuckled darkly. The trio whispered amongst themselves, outlining the refinements necessary for their, no doubt, ingenious plan to liberate the small droid. The trio shared a nod, and Vizago and his new Nautolan friend darted off in a random direction. The crippling girl wheeled herself into the station. The game is afoot. "That's it...that's it…" He can practically feel that drive in his hands. It's just a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

xxx

Katerina took in a deep breath, and knit her brow. "OYE! YOU TWO!" She blurted brazenly. Receptionists on calls, workers moving pallets of crates, and a few Troopers including Aresko and Grint froze in place. The two officers in question gasped at her arrival. "What the Hell are you doing here?!"

"You! Anastasia Stark!" Aresko snarled, shoving the report he was filing aside. "I should be asking you that!" He stomped over to her. Grint sat back, wanting to enjoy the carnage to come. Aresko towered superiorly above her, hands on his bony hips. "What is the meaning of your disturbance?! And why are you crippled?" He dumbly inquired.

"If that was any of your business I'd have friended you on Social-Pire!" A popular media site for the Empire. They are a very lonely people. "Right now, I'm here because a friend said they saw you and tubby here with my droid!" Grint grimaced at being called tubby. He bobbed his stomach. He's a little on the rotund side, but he's not tubby. "He's the D8 model brought in!"

Aresko growled rabidly at her blatant disrespect. He can charge her with treason on the spot and watch her be carted off, chair in all. His attention was strained by the unusual silence in a very busy lobby. Half the room literally stopped on a dime, heads and eyes partially glancing in their direction, failing to be inconspicuous in their light murmuring. "WHAT YOU ALL STANDING AROUND FOR?!" Grint's outburst jumped them from their skin. "GET BACK TO WORK!" He swung his hand. Bumping into one another, the rampage of the lobby recommenced. "HMPH!" Grint leaned back to the reception desk, arms folded. He can't stand lookie-loos.

Before the crowd dissipated, Aresko vetted their reactions. They half expected Aresko to deal switch and brash justice by arresting her, as is his way. And inevitably proving he can't handle a crippled girl with a sharp tongue. In order to save face, Aresko cleared his throat and returned to his composed posture. "I do know of the droid, and I will not be returning him to you." He stated with a snarky grin.

"Why-not?!" She hissed, veins popping in her brow.

"Because, Stunted Mechanic," She refused to let that bother her, "I don't know if the droid truly belongs to you." He cooed mockingly. Katerina cringed at the expected roadblock. "See, hundreds of people claim droids belong to them and then return to commit acts of terrorism. You may very well be the same way."

In spite of him being on the mark, Katerina remained unphased by him backing her into a corner. "A terrorist?! Really?! That's the best you've got?!" She grinned like a mischievous kitten. "Or is someone still sore about the shop I've arranged in direct spite of your meddling?"

"A minor victory for a wretch such as you!" He latched onto the chair arms, leaning in close with his foxy shaped eyes. Katerina's refusal to retreat irked him to no end. "But rest assured, Ms. Stark, no amount of paperwork or babble from your silver tongue will release that droid into your custody." He declared and etched it into stone. "Taskmaster!" Grint snapped to attention. "See to it the D8 Astromech's dismantling is expedited, and that it is searched and scrubbed immediately!"

"Yes sir!" Gritn saluted, then darted for the door on the left side. A glass tunnel led to the scrap house.

Damn! Katerina grit her teeth, glaring hard at the escaping Taskmaster. Please hurry. "Unless, of course," Aresko's purring tightened her chest, bringing her glossy aquamarines to meet his irritating smirk. Grint paused at the door, "Is there something on that droid you do not wish for us to discover? Secrets of your sordid past perhaps?" It took literally every muscle in her body to not react to hard he was hitting that nail. If it drives any deeper he'll spring a leak. "Well, Ms. Stark? I'm right aren't I?" Katerina's eyes narrowed to slits, her entire body tensing. Sparks surged through her waist. "YOW!" Aresko yelped, jumping back. He grabbed onto his leg, bouncing on one foot. Katerina blinked confusedly. Aresko rubbed at the bone of his calf, massaging a swelling lump. "YOU'VE JUST ASSAULTED AN OFFICER OF THE EMPIRE! ARREST HER!" He ordered nearby Stormtroopers.

"HOW?!" She barked, raising her hands as the troopers encroached.

"YOU KICKED ME!"

"KICKED YOU?!" She screamed. She pounded a fist at her legs. "I'M PARALYZED, YOU MORON!" This made the Troopers stop and nervously grumble. They looked at Aresko like he was insane.

"A rouse, no doubt, to take advantage of unsuspecting victims!" Aresko hissed, pain induced sweat beading to his brow.

"Aren't you paranoid!" She hissed. She and Aresko engaged in a heated battle of insults and accusations. A crowd and Grint gathered around, watching the spectacle like a true fight to the death. It was hilarious. Meanwhile, in the back of Katerina's mind, Please, you guys! I don't know how long I can stall!

xxx

Stormtroopers were escorting a number of workers hauling confiscated metals due for processing and melting. None of them hid how tedious an assignment this was. Babysitting glorified trash collectors. What a waste of their training. The only consolation is they are paid for every hour they spend monitoring these has been who lacked the fortitude to make the cut. As an added bonus, the little haulers are skittish like loth-cats. So scaring them brightens their jobs here and there.

A pair of haulers stopped at the incinerator door. They entered their identification numbers followed by a code. The double sided doors ground their way open. The haulers and their escorts winced as a bombarding wave of heat washed over them, bringing on an immediate sheet of sweat to their heavily clothed bodies. Entering into the scrapping facility was equally unbearable. They practically envied the workers wearing shirt overalls and work boots.

Half a dozen massive pots of molten metal, continuously filled by the tireless conveyors stretching through the warehouse, pooled into vats that split off four ways. The molten magma is recycled through a grueling process. Each vat would lead to a smith operator who would arrange a variety of armament shaped plates. Turrets for tanks and prison transports, guns, staffs, and many other weapons currently under development. The process used with the molten magma adds minerals gathered from The Empire's vast search parameters in an effort to create a more indestructible form of weaponry. Thanks to Rebels, they learn every time that their efforts were wasted and begin anew.

The two haulers and their Trooper escorts meandered their way through the facility, guiding their haul to its designated incinerator. Then, while the workers were characteristically engrossed in their work, the four made a sudden detour into a maze of hard plates and crates of freshly made weaponry. Sauntering past the first towering walls of hardware, the temperature drop was already drastically felt. A ways more was a refrigerating unit to cool the item and allow them to finalize their shape. How that happens is beyond those who don't work there, but for now it served a purpose.

The group stopped at a concealed end, scanning the area for anyone that may have followed them. The four each knocked once on the crate, then swiftly took their leave. Once they were out of earshot, the lid to the crate popped off, hissing with fresh air. So to speak. Vizago and Grim burst their way out, choking on the air flooding their lungs. Any longer and they would have suffocated.

"You have a Stormtrooper on your payroll?!" Grim snarled.

"You'd be surprised who I have on my payroll." Vizago boasted, climbing out. Grim doesn't care so long as it isn't Katerina or her friends. "Now then, if I am not mistaken, droids scheduled for dismantling are taken to customs right through here." He pointed down the aisle around the corner. Panel windows could be seen a ways down.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Grim charged blindly. Vizago tried to stop him but he was already out of range. He clearly doesn't exercise as much restraint as he attests. Grim had to get Dayve back at any cost. He can't lose another friend to these monsters. As he drew closer to the windows, he gasped in amazement. Dayve was being wheeled on a dolly down the corridor. "DAYVE!" He cried. Vizago mind went blank at hearing the droid's name. He was just on the other side of that glass. Grim came to an abrupt halt, desperately searching for a door into the corridor. "We have to find a way inside, and then work on a way to get him without raising-"

"GRRAAHH…" Vizago raored animally, charging at full speed for the glass window.

"VIZAGO WAIT!" But it was too late.

Vizago drew his pistol, shooting at a controlled area of the glass. The haulers moving Dayve screaming, hitting the ground as glass and bullets shrieked. Vizago crossed his arms in an X and crashed his way through the window. He twisted and stamped his feet firmly, lunging almost immediately with a balled fist. The two haulers scrambled to draw their weapons. Vizago dealt swift punches to their noses. The heads bashed against the wall, their bodies collapsing limply to the ground. Vizago panted heatedly, steam hissing from his gritted teeth. Grim arrived at the window, gawking deadpanned at the aggressive move. No self restraint by him.

"Alright, droid!" Vizago pried Dayve off the dolly and started violently shaking him. "COUGH UP MY DRIVE! COUGH IT UP!"

"STOP IT! NOW!" Grim wrestled Vizago off, throwing him aside. "He's offline! I won't have you breaking him!" Vizago snarled venomously, demanding Grim either get the drive or he will by his own special means. By this time, Grim was already connecting his table to Dayve's exposed jack, watching the bar fill as the syncing process completed. "Dayve's compartments automatically seal when he's forced offline. Let me get him started again." Grim's fingers gracefully danced on the tablet, inputted codes and keys politely opening his numerous firewalls, and gently activating his powercore and bringing the dorid back online.

"COME AT ME! I'M CRAZY! BRING IT, BASTARDS!" Dayve flew into hysteria, chopping his prongs wildly for the animal who took him offline. A coward's move to come at someone from behind. "I'LL USE YOU AS A TREADMILL!"

"DAYVE! DAYVE! IT'S ME!" Grim maneuvered his hands, blocking Dayve's rampage to his chagrin. He was going to feel those glancing blows in the morning. "IT'S GRIM!"

"G-Grim?!" Dayve gradually relaxed. His processor caught up with his current surroundings and registered the two people standing in front of him. "Grim! It's you! Ugh! What the Hell are you doing here?!" He snarled at Vizago.

"Getting back what's mine and leaving this place before anything else happens!" Vizago shot an open palm at him. "Now hand over that drive and I'll be out of your wires!"

"After you tried to sell me?! Not a chance!"

"Why you little…" Vizago pulled the pistol hammer back.

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING BACK HERE?!" The trio's spines stiffened and they whipped around. Three officers raised pistols to the arguing trio. "This area is off limits!"

"Hey, that's the droid scheduled for dismantling." The second officer stated. Grim and Vizago hissed through gritted teeth.

"You two, explain yourself at once!" The third officer demanded. "What are you doing with that droid?!"

"DAMMIT! GAME'S UP!" Vizago blindly fired at the officers, forcing them back into their adjacent hallway.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Grim barked.

"SAVING OUR ASSES!" Vizago, through pure adrenaline, lifted Dayve and threw him out the broken window. He bounced into leaning beams, bowling them over in a perfect strike. Vizago clawed his way past the broken glass, sprinting for his life into the recesses of the warehouse.

"HEY! WAIT!" Grim heaved Day's upright. "Can you run?"

"As much as the next droid!"

"Good enough!" Grim pushed him to a start, both chasing after Vizago.

"SOUND THE ALARM!" The lead officer ordered. "We have intruders on the premises!" The second officer broke the glass of an alarm and pulled the switch down.

xxx

BREE...BREE...BREE...BREE! Heads snapped up to the spinning red lights flooding the lobby. From the incinerator to the storage warehouse, the alarm shrieked ear piercingly loud, halting all production and stopping workers and troops in their tracks. Katerina and Aresko's heated argument even cooled to an abrupt halt. "ATTENTION! INTRUDERS ON THE PREMISES! ATTENTION! INTRUDERS ON THE PREMISES!" Grim...Dayve! Katerina paled.

"Taskmaster! Locate the source of the alarm immediately!" Aresko ordered. Katerina knit her brow. Her sights fell on his I.D. badge, noting the metallic ridges on the bottom. Grint jumped behind the receptionists desk and pressed a button, followed by his authorization code on the key panel. A three dimensional schematic of the three buildings projected fullscreen. A search program scoured for the facility, zeroing in on the incinerator. "Well?!"

"The alarm is coming from the incinerator! Location...near customs!"

"QUICKLY! SEAL ALL THE EXITS!" He leered venomously at every in the lobby. "No one leaves until we find the intruders!" Grint saluted to his superior, and activated the lockdown. The front, back, and all side doors leading in or out of the three locations were sealed tight by blast doors. "And that goes double for-" Aresko gaped dumbly. Anastasia was gone. He whipped around, glaring murderously for the crippled girl. After a few second he put her in the back of her mind. As far as he's concerned, she turned tail and ran when the alarm blared. Not that he's surprised. The crippled, especially young women, are often cowards. "For all your boasts you are a scared child! Well, at least you're out of my hair." He chuckled. "Alert the troops at the incinerator! Find those intruders now!"

"SIR!" Grint saluted.

xxx

Katerina lingered with her chair pressed to the first door, listening over the alarm as Aresko barked orders. Hisses of air above her got her to inch forward a ways. Solid metal doors slammed down on both sides of the tunnel's two doors, sealing her inside. "Vizago…" She hissed.

Off to the side of the sealed door, Katerina noted the keypanel other troops and haulers used to get in and out. Under the panel was an emergency override slot. Katerina rushed her chair to the opposite door. There was a matching panel with an emergency key slot beneath it. Given their rank, Aresko and Grint should be privy to badges that sideline as keycards for emergency situations, or when they don't feel like going through proper channels. She took a deep breath and slipped the badge inside. There was a beep to register the badge, and then a pleasant trill. The blast doors and the sliding doors whisked open, permitting the smirking mechanics to waltz in unhindered. "Kanan would be so proud…" She purred. She wet a cloth she had in the sink by the door and quickly lathered the keycard in it. No trace of her should be on it. She hung it on the door, then raced to find her two friends and a thieving moron.

xxx

The facility was larger than they thought, Vizago and Grim got turned around so many times they felt like they were aimlessly running in circles. Dayve's communications and GPS locator were down because of the taser Grint used on him. None of his trinkets were working properly. If they survive this, he'll need Grim to give him a once over. And that's a huge IF.

The blaring alarm kicked their legs into overdrive, as well as gave the workers the perfect excuse to put away hammers, torches, and drills and take up the guns they had strapped near their machines. Everyone knows how to wield a gun these days. Operations were brought to a grinding halt, vats flipping right side up or staying poured over as stations were abandoned. Coordinated barks of which direction to take echoed across the warehouse. Their rampant footsteps reverberated the mounds of cooled metals, the anticipation of catching them some rats turned them into blood hounds.

Three workers darted past slabs of metal propped to a wall, cackling like maniacs over the bonuses they'll get for catching thieves. The vacation time was a nice incentive as well. Little did the men realize, hiding behind that slab were the very intruders they were searching for. Vizago and Grim crept from either side, staring hard at the long aisles glancing with shadows of rampaging workers. Grim motioned a hand at the barrels of toxic waste. Dayve came from behind them. The trio lingered in their places a moment longer to catch their breath, and to figure out which direction actually led out of incinerator that doesn't take them to the lobby of Stormtroopers.

"This is getting too hot for me." Vizago hissed. He'll pardon himself for the pun later. "Geez! Every time I get involved with her…" He growled, crawling out of the space. "Alright, droid! Hand over what's mine and we can avoid further ugliness!" He threatened with a curling palm.

"Excuse me?! It's because of YOU we're even in this mess!" Dayve snarled. "I should destroy that damn device and call it even!"

"Do that, you glorified trash collector, and I'll sell you for spare parts!" Vizago raised a fist.

"Enough!" Grim barked. "Dayve, just hand it over so we may put this man behind us!" He implored. The sooner they part ways with Vizago, the healthier their lives will be.

Dayve was reluctant, whirring angrily. He saw Vizago's reaction towards that drive, and the profuse amount of drool dripping down his jaw. Something dangerous, destructive, and or devastating is on the drive Dayve is holding, and it may very well cause someone incredible pain and suffering if sold. And who's to say Vizago would let the buyer keep it. He more than likely might kill his buyer and re-claim the drive with the money. Such power in the hands of Vizago, and the money he'll get will make him a force of equal reckoning to the Empire. If not worse. With that in mind, if Vizago is so dangerous, tempting him to display his wrath would be unwise. So he gave in and extended the prong holding the drive.

"FOUND THEM!" The three gasped. Two workers were waving Stormtroopers over. "WE FOUND THEM! THEY'RE OVER HERE!"

"Dammit!" Vizago hissed. Dayve tucked the drive back into his port. His wheels screeched shrilly at their max speed, and he ran over Vizago's toe escaping. "OW! YOU ROTTEN DROID!" A laser bolt shrieked, grazing the side of his head. He winced, clamping hands to the wound. Grim isn't one to abandon people to a horrible fate, but Dayve was getting away. He shoved his way past Vizago, chasing down his friend. "GET BACK HERE!" Two more bolts whisked by, the intense heat brushing his skin. He didn't have a choice, and he ran in the opposite direction.

"STOP!" Stormtroopers barked, rounding the corners in a sprint. They charged for Vizago while the other two workers went after Dayve and Grim. "This is LRS-700 in aisle 6-B0 of the incinerator! We are in pursuit of one Devonian Male, and Nautolan male, and a D8 model Astromech!"

xxx

"Astromech and Nautolan are heading due east towards 5-Z! The devonian due north for 7-G! All units converge!" Katerina listened intently to the chatter on the comlinks. She snickered inwardly in pride of herself. She's sure Aresko won't miss his communicator too much. She'll give it back eventually. "Get the cadets involved! Make them earn their keep!" Cadets? Katerina muttered. They have rookies working here? Makes sense. At least something will be easy to handle around there.

"5-Z…" She hummed. The lots at the garage on Chandrila are marked in a similar way. She glanced up. Sure enough, she was under a sign labeling her current location as 5-T8. Searching the area further, the aisle were labeled as T, and their designation number rising and falling going left or right. Beyond the T label, the next row was U and so on and so forth. "Alright…" It was a long shot, but Katerina drove herself for the next several rows, darting her head side to side, hoping to spot either Grim or Dayve as she whisked by.

The workers were shouting at the top of their lungs, barking like mad dogs to get their co-workers to get the lead out. Finding not one but all three intruders will be a feather in their cap, and will undoubtedly bring shame to the armor clad soldiers. Meanwhile, Stormtroopers were screaming over their comlinks for each other to impede the grunts from bagging their quarry. Hold on! How come their coms are working?! One mystery at a time! Katerina found the rivalry between occupations very interesting. In all likelihood, the Stormtroopers and incinerator workers will wind up killing each other in order to claim credit for capturing Dayve, Vizago, or Grim. Maybe she can use that to her advantage. Right now, she needs to find Grim and Dayve and get out of there. Vizago can take care of himself. And if he can't...Katerina can't say his final moments didn't make her life interesting.

"Come on!" She groaned, already in the W's, coming close to X. "Where are you?!" She's gone from one row to the next, risking an extra minute or two to scan the aisles for her friends. Nothing, no one, zip. "Damn...legs…" Searching for them would be much easier if she could run! The chair's top speed was 15 MPH. And the narrow aisles made her think thrice about using the full throttle button Norio installed for kicks. She nearly flung herself out of the chair coming to abrupt halts. She'd have to hold her breath and pray whenever Stormtroopers or those sweaty workers came by. If she's caught, she won't get far in that chair and who knows what will happen afterward. If it seriously wasn't for the fact that Dayve HAD to be the droid with Vizago's drive, Katerina would still be at the farm with Alyss, Sumar, and Norio, sipping tea and wasting the day away believing her legs would suddenly come back to life. To be honest, that sounded amazing.

'You kicked me!' Aresko accusation clicked. Katerina couldn't' help pondering his words. She remembers feeling a slight pinch in her hips - which comes and goes every so often. But to have kicked him? That's impossible. Katerina's pinched and punched her legs all day. She can't walk, let alone kick him in the shins. She saw the surrounding troopers' reactions. Even they thought Aresko was crazy. But then, if he is crazy, why was Katerina's boot imprinted by the sensation of a kick? Her foot was throbbing enough.

"HOLD ON!" Katerina chair screeched to a halt. Throbbing! Her toe was throbbing! "But I can't-" BAM, "GAH!" Katerina was rammed from the side, jumping at the loud thud that followed. She wrenched herself to the side, and gasped gleefully, "DAYVE!"

Dayve shook himself back onto his wheels, bouncing ardently. "KATTY!" He rushed into her embrace, snuggling his head against her.

"Oh, Dayve! I'm so glad I've found you!" She wept elatedly, holding him tight and never letting go. I found you...I found you!

"Katty! You're alive! AND YOU'RE IN A CHAIR!" She saw that coming from a mile away. "What the heck happened to you?!"

"A long story. I'll tell you about it later." Grim was report to be with Dayve. He can't be far behind. "Right now we need to find Grim and get out of-" She barely brought her chair around to meet Grim. A high flying, devastating sucker punch to the cheek sent her flying out of her chair, skipping until her back cracked on the large shelving.

"KATTY!" Another taser was jabbed into Dayve's back, blackening his world once more.

Katerina held her swollen cheek, snarling animally at the person who hit her. She gasped confusedly finding a male Gran standing over Dayve instead of a Stormtrooper or one of the workers. He sniggered triumphantly at the crippled girl, shoving the taser into his pocket. "You must be Rurri!" She hissed.

"The one a-a-and only!" He saluted mockingly. He lifted Dayve onto a pallet jack, strapping him firmly down. A splitting migraine stifling Katerina's rousing protests. "Tha-a-nks for finding my-y-y payday, kid!" He bowled her chair over. He placed his pistol point blank at the turbine and emptied half his ammunition into it. The bolts tore the insides to tatters, shrieking out of the seat. Katerina paled as stacks of smoke rose, the chair being eaten away into atrophy. "Enjoy prison!" He laughed victoriously, running with his long awaited haul in hand.

"HEY! COME BACK! DAYVE!" She crawled on her elbows, screaming for him. He was gone. Dayve...was gone! "GET BACK HERE YOU BASTARD!"

"D-DON'T MOVE!" A high pitched voice warned. A hammer clicked. The voice chilled Katerina to the bone. She slowly turned around. Her face went blank as stone. On the opposite end of the trembling barrel, scrawny arms and emaciated fingers desperately trying to maintain their grasp, was a boy. Barely older than ezra. He was dressed similar to the Stormtroopers, only his helmet was missing. There were fresh burns on his tanned face, and scorch marks on his armor. His violet eyes were glossy with fear ridden tears, his entire body shaking. "Who-who-who are you?! Are you one of the intruders?!"

Katerina didn't answer. Her mind was blank, her voice lodged in her throat at the appearance of the boy. "That's what they meant...by cadets…" They call them cadets now?

xxx

Flashback

Dense, grey clouds glided aimlessly across the ebony sky, remnants of a down pour fading to a gentle sprinkle. Luminescent rays of the full moon poked through, the spanning light reflecting off the evergreen canopies. The dampened leaves glistened like the emerging stars above. Large puddles on the forest floor projected the night's light amidst the dark forest. The light spreading widely, coating the bloodied corpse of a boy - eyes forever frozen open to the terror that claimed him - and running up the figure of Katerina. Her aquamarine eyes locked open, the pupils narrowed to horrified dots. Her panicked, hyperventilating breaths visible on the frigid air. Spattered from her thigh, scaling up to her paling face, the blood of the boy was stained to her, clothes to skin. Every muscle in her body wavered, her legs and arms trembling uncontrollably. Her staff, drenched in the young man's blood, hit the grass. Her red colored hands twitching, the life of that boy extinguishing within her grasp.

"What...what have I done?!" She breathed in a choke. She dropped to her hands and knees, hanging her head. She clenched at the grass. Strained breaths hissed past her grounding teeth, tears spilling to the grass. "What have I...done…?"

"It is not difficult to decipher." Katerina practically screamed as an arm wrapped to her arms, and a hand clamped to her neck. Golden yellow eyes glowed in the night. Rows of sharp teeth came close to Katerina's ear as the figure whispered. "You're a murderer…"

Flashback end

xxx

Tears escaped her petrified eyes, shuddering breaths wafting past her drying lips. The cadet lowered his gun in bewilderment, staring at the weeping girl with notable remorse. "Um...hey…" He reached out for her, "Are you-" A pipe swatted on the back of his head. He hit the floor with a loud thud, succumbing to the black claiming his world.

"KATTY!" Grim cried. She blinked in response to his voice, but her attention fell with the unconscious boy. A nostalgic shaking came to her hands. She gazed upon them in terror, seeing the blood from so long ago return to her flesh. She crushed her palms closed, proceeding to claw at her scalp as the nightmares came flooding back with The Inquisitor riding the waves. Grim exhaled somberly through his nose. He knelt down, helping Katerina into his lap and holding her close. He listened to her fervent apologies in between her heavy sobs, feeling his own tears on the horizon as hers soaked to his shirt. "It's been six years, Katerina...it's alright now…" He ran his hand up and down her back, holding her tight. "I wasn't there when it happened…" He moved her back, shaking her to meet his stern gaze, "But you've more than paid for your mistake."

"I'll never pay for that, Grim." She sniffled. "I robbed that boy of his life…" She shakily turned to the unconscious boy beside her, slowly slipping into hysteria. "And he wasn't even a soldier."

xxx

Rurri cackled maniacally loud, not bothering to be stealthy since he isn't being sought after. He knocked against everything and anything as he darted for the same exit he used to enter the facility. He mapped the route he used to sneak in perfectly, not diverting from a single turn. "Stupid Soldiers! Unless ordered, they leave the exits wide open!" And their superiors continue to ask why their quarry escapes under their noses. The people they employ lack even the most basic of common sense. And he won't have to worry about the blast doors. Thanks to the badge hanging by the other door, he'll literally be able to walk right out without issues. "I'm sure explaining to your superiors will be a treat, Commandant Aresko." He cackled.

He direly wanted to take a victory lap. Everything has literally fallen into his lap. The droid was his. The drive was his. And soon, everyone and everything affiliated with both will be under his thrall. The money he'll accumulate, the lackies he'll have under his thumb, it was all so delicious that he was drooling. And by the time anyone catches on, or finds him lurking in the shadows, he'll have dozens at his mercy.

Rurri arrived at his exit, not surprised to find it sealed shut. He snickered triumphantly, pulling out Aresko's badge. "It serves you right, Vizago!" Rurri boasted, holding the badge up to the door. "Taking over my operations?! Not splitting the profits of those disruptors!" The panel registered the badge, then asked for it to be inserted at the bottom. He placed a hand over Dayve, caressing him as he dreamed of the possibilities to be had. "Once I have what I want, I'll be calling the shots again! And you'll be the one stomped under my foot!" He moved to slip the badge inside.

"You're going to need feet for that first!" Rurri whipped around, drawing his gun. The blind bolt he shot tore the air asunder, piercing the hull of a metal box. He cringed at the crouching Vizago, shrilly whirring sending chills down his spine. Vizago's arms swung with all their strength. Violet glowing laser blades sliced cleanly through Rurri's ankles. Rurri screamed in agony, writhing to the floor like a fish out of water. Blood gushing from his amputated ankles, pooling to the severed feet. He screamed profanities at Vizago, cursing him to rot in the darkest parts of Hell. Vizago rose to his feet, shutting off the power to the laser saw he borrowed.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU THINK THIS WILL STOP ME?! YOU'RE DEAD! DEEAAD!" He frothed like a dying animal, the color fading from his skin to the blood under him.

Vizago huffed apathetically at his innocuous threats. The mad barkings of a dying dog. He set the saw aside, drawing on a poker meant for breaking apart large parts of debris yet to melt. He approached the writhing Gran, dispensing with long winded speeches of his plans, or how idiotic Rurri was to think he could one up him. Instead, he pinned Rurri in place with one foot, piercing the man with his damning glare. "The last person to mistakenly betray me ended up in thousands of pieces!" Vizago drew the poker back, aligning it with Rurri's black heart. "I'll leave you in one as you take a one way trip to Hell!"

"NO!" The poker drove forth.

xxx

Grim carrying Katerina, running to find Dayve and Rurri. Hear fighting, and then hear Stormtroopers. Running out of time. Grim picks up pace. Stormtrooper attacks out of nowhere.

"AARRGGHH…!" Katerina broke out of his bloodied stupor, shooting her head up. "Did you hear that?!" She gasped to Grim, her fingers squeezing his shoulders.

"Yeah…" Grim's brow knit, picking up his running speed. Katerina held on for dear life by his shoulders, feeling uncomfortable in Grim's choice to carry her piggy-back. Her cheeks were flushed in admiration of his incredible speed and strength. He held her legs at his bag as firmly as could. Hauling 100 pounds of metal parts for years on end, carrying half dead weight was nothing to him. "Sounded like someone in pain. Vizago must be close!"

Katerina referred to the tablet, hoping the drive's GPS locator was still active. She pumped a fist in victory, then pointed diagonally from them. "They're on the other side of this pile!"

"Okay! Hold on tight!" Grim firmed his body, wrenching on a sudden sharp turn. The butt of a rifle came from round the corner, shattering Grim's nose. In one slow motion his feet left the ground, his arms loosening from Katerina's legs. The warehouse was spinning aloof, his vision blurring to a haze. Grim hit the ground with a loud thud, landing on top of Katerina. The room span for a bit, then she gasped at the unconscious man atop her.

"GRIM!" She cried. Numbing pain reverberated in his skull. Blood was spilling from his broken nose, leaking down into his throat. "Grim! Get ahold of yourself! GRIM!" She begged, shaking the dazed man. Mostly because he was heavier than he looks and he was crushing her. She cringed as five Stormtroopers surrounded them. If their helmets weren't on, she'd swear they were grinning. Two yanked Katerina from under Grim, throwing her like a ragdoll. She crashed into aligned chairs, lying amongst the toppled chairs in agony.

"PFFT! A crippled woman! What an eyesore!" A trooper mocked. Katerina winced through one eye, venom dripping on her snarls. "We can deal with her later! Right now…" The Stormtroopers chuckled at Grim. Shock from the trauma made him shiver, hands bracing to the ground to flip or at least sit up, "Time to teach this trash what happens when you CROSS US!" He jabbed a foot in his ribs. Grim coughed up blood, coughing in pain.

"Aw! Does that hurt?! Here's another!" The second trooper joined in.

"And another!"

"AND ONE MORE!" The Stormtroopers were howling with laughter, battering Grim like the dying dog he was. One after the other they took turns kicking and stomping on him, lifting their helmets enough to spit on him. One or two hoisted him upright by the head tail, drilling jabs into his stomach and face.

"No...no…" Katerina extended a hand, "Please...stop…" Through blurred eyes she watched them brutalize Grim, trampling on him like he was a bug. "No more…" She lurched herself forward. Her shifting weight moved the chairs, dropping her on her stomach.

Grim managed to tilted his head forward. His vision faded from black to blurry. Katerina's disable form trying desperately to wiggle to him. Was it the kicks making him go numb? Or is he so far gone he's no longer mentally there? Either way...he smiled a distant smile. If he was going to die there, at least he got to see Katerina one last time. Forgive me, Kendril. I can no longer watch over her from here. He closed his eyes, going limp under the tramplings.

The frail glass of Katerina's soul shattered. The light fading from her eyes as Grim's final breath drew closer. Bump-bump, bump-bump! Her heart hammered in her chest. Her adrenaline caused massive tingling to shoot down her spine, feeding into her supposedly dead waist. The muscles twitched on reflex, toes and feet fidgeting wildly. "No…" It's happening again. They're going to take another from her again. "You can't…" Kendril, gone. The Jedi, dirven to the brink of extinction. "You...won't…" Her trembling muscled strengthened under her boiling rage, her arms pushing her up. "I won't...let you…" Kanan, Kendril, The Jedi, "Not again." Her foot twitched. Her knee gradually bent. Her waist bucked up and down. "You won't take anyone else from me...do-you-HEAR?!" She snarled shrilly. The fire erupting from her soul made the heat within the facility feel like a pleasant breeze. Electricity surged through her waist straight to her toes. Her feet snapped to the ground, digging in. The Ground slipped at her soles, but inevitably she burst into a top sprint, grabbing hold of a metal pole close by. The Stormtrooper hummed confused at the rushed footsteps, then gasped in terror. Katerina drew the pole back. "YOU WON'T TAKE ANYONE ELSE FROM ME!" She leapt high in the air, axing the pole down hard on one Trooper, rooting him instantly. She flashed demonic daggers at the next Trooper. She twisted swiftly, connecting the back of her heel to the side of his head, sending him crashing to an unstable stack of crates. They toppled on him, leaving him with a few broken bones to answer for. Katerina planted her feet, flourishing the pole, and in three fast strikes rendered the remaining Troopers unconscious. "You think you can take them from me…" Tears clung to the corners of her rage filled eyes. The Inquisitor, Kallus, The Clones, The Stormtroopers - every last one of them have stolen something from her, leaving her like the scared child she is.

Grim stirred from the abyss, feeling returning at the behest of the imprinted throbbing in the form of kicks. Violently pounding roused him further. His eyes bounced open and closed, his vision clearing to see Katerina sitting on top of a limp Trooper. "Kat...er...ina…?" He moaned, grunting as he propped on his elbows. "Katty...what…" He then gasped in horror. Her face was in a craze.

"I...won't...let you…" She pried the helmet off one and pounded her fist repeated to his face, splitting skin and breaking his nose. Her fist thrusting back and forth, drenching itself in the blood of the man falling under fast.

"KATERINA!" Grim ignored the damage to his body, lunging forward.

"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ANYONE ELSE FROM ME!"

"KATERINA! THAT'S ENOUGH! STOP!" Grim wrestled her off the bloodied, unconscious trooper, restraining by a wrist and her waist. She roared like a rabid animal, frothing at the mouth with vulgarities. "KATTY! He's down! They're all down! They won't get back up!" Katerina's blood filled with ice. Never getting up?! That boy...the blood...his frozen face! She clawed at her scalp, writhing at the nightmares evoked.

"There you two are!" Vizago bellowed from atop a stack of crates. "You want to put your drama on hold?! We've got Stormtroopers incoming!"

"What about Dayve?!" Grim groaned.

"I'm right here!" Dayve peered from the corner, waving his prongs. Grim beamed with relief. He was alright.

"Good! We're reunited!" Vizago stifled the mush. He placed a hand at his head like a visor, hissing as Stormtroopers drew closer to their position. "Time to go!"

"How can we?! Everywhere is locked?!"

"Not a problem." Vizago boastfully showed them Aresko's badge. "Rurri has secured our exit." Katerina gasped in utter disbelief, her stomach curdling at the blood staining the badge. What has he done now? "Grab the cripple and let's go!"

Katerina growled in the back of her throat. She pushed on Grim, balancing her other hand to a stool. Her knees clamored as she rose, weakness taking a strain on the muscles due to the amassing weight. Grim, Vizago, and Dayve were at a loss for words as Katerina literally stood before them, locking her famously defiant glare to the aggravating Devonian. "Who the Hell are you calling crippled?!" She snarled. Her fingers crackled as she made fists at him. "And you'd better damn well pray I never why there's blood all over that bagde! Otherwise you will join you friend in that special place in Hell!"

Vizago swallowed a massive lump. He hoped it was the heat causing this massive sweat. Grim and Dayve inched back, trembling at the return of their Katty. "Th-then…!" Vizago cleared his hoarse throat, bringing on his best smirk, "Allow me to clean up house before we go."

xxx

One hour...two hours...finally after three hours Aresko and Grint called off the wild man hunt throughout the incinerator. The blast doors were raised, and an automatic record was recorded to the system. Grint wasn't looking forward to explaining this to his superiors. This sort of excessiveness with not much to show for it is going to tear him a new one. As per protocol, Aresko and Grint demanded a thorough search of the warehouse next door in the event the culprits managed to hideaway there. Searches were also conducted within a five mile radius with all highways and roads blocked leading to the station. Three hours of man labor and the results yielded nothing probative to warrant the full lockdown.

"NOTHING?!" Aresko screamed at the five troopers who dared to show their faces. The two officers who sounded the alarm took the brunt of the tongue lashings. "Three hours, two dozen troops and workers, an enclosed area," He yanked the pair by the collar, "AND-YOU-FOUND...NOTHING?!" He shoved them back. The troops were kind enough to save them from a fall. "Or perhaps this is a sign there were never any intruders! In which case an inquiry needs to be called!"

"THERE WERE INTRUDERS!"

"WE SAW THEM!"

"IT WAS A NAUTOLAN AND DEVONIAN!"

"THEY STOLE THAT DROID!"

"A likely story!" Aresko scoffed. The officers looked to the Stormtroopers for support. Surely one of them saw the intruders. They glanced away in shame. They weren't able to find anyone. "I trust you both have no further objections!" Aresko grinned bloodthirsty.

"Commandant!" A captain raced to the commandant with the supervisor of the incinerator right behind him. The muscular man was drenched in sweat from the marathon throughout his facility. He planned to have his bushy mustache when he gets home. "Sir! We've found something! Several of our men were found unconscious!"

"What did you say?!" Aresko gasped.

"Those who are awake don't remember who attacked them, but they recall encountering the droid, and having the Nautolan on the ground!" The two officers exhaled with relief. Their jobs aren't lost. "There is also shattered glass near the customs wall where the droid was rumored to have been stolen from. Needless to say, the droid is nowhere to be found." Aresko expected as much. It's never that easy. "And we've found this…" He produced a baggy, handing it to Aresko.

"What is it?" Aresko and Grint squinted at the contents. "My badge?! And comlink?!" Aresko patted himself down, searching for the items. They were gone! In that bag! "Where did you find them?"

"Inside with the unconscious troops. Which we find odd seeing as how you were in the lobby the whole time." There was a hint of doubt in his tone.

"Of course I was in the lobby the whole time!" He snarled venomously. "Clearly my badge and communicator were stolen off my person!" When that was is a mystery he'd better solve. Also, who's blood it is on the badge.

"Maybe the person I saw took them off you." The supervisor suggested, stepping forward. Aresko and Grint put him in their scrutinizing spotlight. "I couldn't make out his face or species, but I definitely saw someone throw a body into one of the vats." It happened right as he was coming back to check that operations were halted during the search. He didn't want to cause an incidental overflow, or provoke the death of one of his employees. That's when he saw someone near one of the vats, throwing a body, and two other objects into the vat.

"We have forensics examining the vat now." The captain reported. "We should have results momentarily."

"Not only that…" The supervisor reached for his holoprojector, "This chair was in there. It's completely wrecked too." The image of a hoverchair materialized. "It may be nothing but we didn't have anything on the manifest for it."

"This chair…" Aresko hummed pensively, studying it closely. He knows this chair. But from where? "Wait a moment…" The lobby! When she came in. "THIS IS ANASTASIA STARK'S!"

"The cripple?" Grint's head tilted confusedly.

"The very same!" Aresko crushed the projector with his bare hand. The supervisor and captain were frightened back a short ways. He should have known she was behind this. First her scam in acquiring her permit for that shack of hers - which he's yet to ascertain how she accomplished it. Now, right as she arrives to demand her droid be returned, this bru-ha-ha transpires. The droid is missing, his men are lying unconscious, and now there are reports of a corpse disposal. On top of that, Stark's chair is at the crime scene, meaning she must have entered there at some point to retrieve her droid. At which time she had an accomplice with her eliminate a witness. There can be no other conclusions drawn. "Anastasia Stark! The owner of the Unique Fix in Capital City! I want her brought in immediately! And if she resists…" Aresko sprinkled the shattered projector to the ground, then stomped on them, "It will not be just her legs that have lost their life!"

To be continued.