Chapter Three
One Hour Earlier …
Chop was right about me standing out.
Depa couldn't help but feel like she was being watched by … well, everyone. There wasn't a single Twi'lek in sight, and there weren't any green skinned humans walking around either.
So every person she passed on the busy streets gave her a confused look, while some people, mostly men, outright stared.
If there was one word to describe the situation, it would be uncomfortable.
That was when Depa had decided to take a detour down the series of alleyways connecting to the different roads. Detour to where, she couldn't quite say. She was still lost.
Maybe Chopper should've came with me.
Depa immediately turns down the idea. A Twi'lek was suspicious enough; one with a cranky, old droid would draw attention.
A loud, strung out whine overhead makes her flinch, and she looks up to see the underside of an Imperial TIE fighter pass.
These things are everywhere. She sighs. I can't find any information just walking around. I need to … ask someone?
Depa stops when she hears a metallic cling to her right. She turns to see a man standing on the top of a ladder leaning against a ship, which was small enough to stay inside the open garage it rested in.
"Can you hand me that?"
The man at the top of the ladder doesn't even look at her as half his body is inside the cockpit, hands working on something.
Depa hesitates before stepping forward, grabbing the tool before raising it up to the man.
His outfit was oil stained, like her mother's was after she worked on the Ghost for only a few minutes. A pair of goggles sat on messy dark brown hair.
It takes a moment for him to realize she'd grabbed the tool, and he finally climbs out of the cockpit and accepts the object.
Depa watches as the man carefully climbs down the ladder. He looked middle-aged, but he moved as if he were elderly.
"Thanks. Name's Baric. Rys Baric."
Depa's mouth opens to speak, but she stops when she sees the color of the man's eyes. Sort of … cloudy.
"Depa." Karabast. She didn't intend on using her real name, but it was too late.
"You new here? Don't think I've met you before, Miss Depa."
Depa raises an eyebrow mark. He's blind … just like Daddy.
"I … I just got here, yeah."
Rys' look turns shocked. "You made it past the blockade?"
"Uh … no. I mean yes. It's hard to explain. Or … I can't explain it." Depa shifts awkwardly as she tries to think of what to say.
Rys has a confused look on his face for a moment, then offers a small smile. "Good luck … with whatever you plan on doing."
"Thank you."
Depa leaves as quickly as possible without trying to seem rude. She hadn't planned the conversation to go that way, giving out that much information, so she'd left. She'd have to ask someone else, but she doubted that anyone here would show that much generosity.
I still don't see how he was fixing that fighter. How can you replace half a cockpit without seeing what you're doing?
Her curiosity almost got the better of her back there, though. She'd raced starfighters before, when her mother had allowed her, and she thought she'd seen a ship like that before. Maybe she was just imagining things.
Depa turns down one of the streets next to the main road, and finds herself next in line at an Imperial checkpoint.
"— Identification."
The man in front of her had three others with him, most likely his family.
Maybe I can go back the way I came …
Depa doesn't even make it a meter away until a stormtrooper spots her.
"Halt!"
She curses under her breath and stops walking.
Two soldiers move from the troop carrier on the other side of the street and advance toward her.
"Where are you going?" asks one trooper, blaster rifle in hand. Depa couldn't help but notice the safety was off.
She searches for some kind of excuse, anything that will give her a chance.
"Um … I'm heading back to my ship."
Shouldn't have said that.
The white armor clad Imperials glance at each other before facing her again. "All non Imperial transports are grounded."
The one to her right extends a gloved hand. "Let's see some identification."
Depa pretends to search for it in the inside pockets of her jacket, but knowingly comes up empty. "I … left it back on the ship. If you let me go get it —"
"Take her in," says the soldier to her left, ignoring her fake statement.
The one to her right grabs her arm and gives her a shove toward the transport.
Karabast … if they bring me to their base, they'll interrogate me. And then they'll know I'm with the Republic.
She tries to convince herself that she wouldn't talk, but she hasn't been trained for that. There has to be another option.
Depa allows the soldiers to place her inside the troop carrier, and they set her down on one of the benches.
As the stormtrooper in front of her moves to place restraints on her wrists, she sees her chance.
She reaches forward and grabs the thermal detonator off of the stormtrooper's belt, who yells in surprise.
"What are you doing?!"
She kicks the soldier in the abdomen with both feet, involuntarily calling on the Force for more effect. The stormtrooper slams into the opposite wall, and there's a crack sound when his back hits the extended bench.
Depa hears the other troopers move outside, so she activates the bomb in her hands and drops it to the floor. Then she runs out with her blaster pistol drawn.
"Fire!" a stormtrooper with a orange shoulder armor shouts, speaking to his startled men.
Depa ignores them and jumps behind a parked speeder nearby. What comes next is a flash, then a loud explosion. She can't differentiate between the stormtrooper's screams or the people walking around, and that's when her heart stops for a moment.
She raises up and tries to see through the smoke and fire, attempting to locate the family that had just been at the checkpoint.
The smoke is too thick!
She reaches out with the Force instead, sensing the panicked civilians running away, and the confused stormtroopers that stumbled around. Finally, she finds the unharmed group of four and lets herself breathe.
She immediately starts coughing as she inhales the smoke.
Depa shakes her head and stands, looking at the damage she'd caused.
Five stormtrooper lay on the ground, bodies immobile. Then there was the one who'd likely disintegrated inside the wrecked troop transport.
I need to get out of here.
Depa could already hear the whine of TIE fighters heading her direction, which meant reinforcements were already on their way.
She sprints toward an alley on the opposite side of the street and jumps, calling on the Force to propel her onto the rooftop. Luckily, the thick smoke kept anyone from noticing the jump.
The whine of the TIEs gets louder right after Depa slides behind one of the roof vents, concealing herself from the enemy above.
It takes thirty seconds for a TIE to respond. Depa observes the scene around her and makes a mental note. Forty-five for ground reinforcements.
She honestly thought it was impressive, but the short response times were only around because there were so many checkpoints and outposts scattered around the city, some even just a block away.
That's not exactly a good thing. If Depa ran into this problem again, the response time would be even shorter.
She glances down at the street to see multiple stormtroopers walking around, blasters raised.
Gotta move. Just as she stands and turns, a large object knocks her off of her feet.
What the …?
Depa pulls out her blaster and aims it at the black object, which happens to be a hovering droid with at least a dozen arms hanging from the bottom of it.
Probe!
She fires once, and the droid spins around, seemingly unaffected. She fires again, then again, and again. Then the Imperial droid collapses to the roof.
Unfortunately for her, the fight had drawn the attention of the TIE fighters passing by.
Depa curses again and runs, just before a TIE blows a hole into the roof where she'd been standing.
This is not going well!
The fighters have her running for about a block and a half, and then she sees her savior. An open window.
Depa dives in, using the Force to soften her fall, and quickly notices that the house is empty.
She looks back out the window to find that the fighters have taken the bait, and they all fly right over her hiding spot.
Depa falls to the floor and leans against the wall, careful to not hurt her lekku.
When she wipes her forehead, sweat comes off on her hand.
"That was a close one …"
The first action scene! Sort of. More like survival scene. This chapter just explains how there's a bounty out on Depa, and that she's on the run. So long for now.
