Chapter 30
Only a Droid
A shiver of fear rippled up and down Kael's backbone as he focused on the pair of red gleaming eyes that approached him little by little. Whereas he did not overly fear Exchange goons and Sith soldiers due to having plenty of experience with both groups throughout the past months, he unwillingly gulped when he was faced by this unfamiliar foe. All too soon the memories of his terrifying trials in the crystal cave came flooding back into his mind as he recalled the monstrous beasts that threatened to swarm over him.
As the enemy stepped forth a few steps into the moonlight, he immediately identified it as a droid, although he had never seen its kind before. Its body plating gleamed with a reddish-orange hue, and its steps, despite its undoubtedly heavy weight, were light as feathers, almost to an extent that it rendered Audrey an amateur Republic scout troop recruit with bumbling feet. One hand hung freely by its side, while the other sported a carbine blaster that was in between a pistol and a heavy repeater in terms of size and capability.
Not wanting to take any chances, Kael sought to take the initiative by sending a powerful blast of Force Push at the droid, the sheer power of his attack so great that he grunted, squinted his eyes and ground his feet on the ground in recoil. His entire surrounding area rumbled and shifted around him, the remains of the eviscerated rat sent flying about in the air. Seizing the opportunity to strike, Kael quickly activated his lightsaber and made a headlong charge, his blade pointed straight forward while his eyes focused on the part of the ground he expected the droid to be lying dazed on.
Except it wasn't so.
To his shock and dismay, the droid was completely unaffected, the barrel of its gun pointed straight at his face. Barely ten yards away from his target, there was no hope in hell of Kael reacting in time to deflect any blaster shot. He deactivated his saber and dove to his right just as the droid clicked its finger against the trigger, his reactions doing just enough to spare him from all pain save for a burning sensation on his left shoulder. The round was completely metallic and the shot emitted by the gun soundless, giving away the droid's status as an assassin droid.
With no time to waste, Kael scrambled onto his feet and tried a different approach, using the Force to pull the droid's weapon out of its hands. Unlike the droid itself, the gun responded to the power of the Force and flew towards Kael, who stepped aside to let it roll harmlessly behind him. The droid seemed completely unfazed, and if it were human, Kael could've interpreted its quaint stare at him as being one of amusement.
Ignoring the stinging pain on his shoulder, he bounded forward again and activated his saber, praying for his life that the droid didn't have any more tricks up its sleeves. The droid still remained unmoving, strangely unresponsive to the impending danger that threatened its very existence. It merely looked downwards a little as Kael's lightsaber came swinging hard against its torso, emitting burning sparks in all directions.
A pang of fear and doubt washed over Kael, who remained unmoving from his spot, his lightsaber being unable to budge while he willed it to cut right through the droid. The red beams of its eyes that drove such terror in him now loomed directly over him, and Kael struggled to even meet its gaze as he stared down at his lightsaber and the droid's torso, coming to a horrible discovery.
Cortosis-weave armor plating…Fuck…
Without a single warning, the droid gripped Kael's neck in a vicious stranglehold with its left arm, lifting him two feet off the earth. Taken aback, Kael gasped for air and grasped at the droid's powerful hand while his lightsaber deactivated and fell harmlessly to the ground. His face already red with pressure, it was only going to get worse as he saw the droid lift its right arm up in front of his face before a lethal-looking blade shot out of its wrist. The meat cleaver-like weapon gleamed against the moonlight, and Kael could see his own terrified face reflected off it before the droid swung its arm back, about to end Kael's life with one brutal swing.
Unable to do anything else, Kael kicked upward with all his might with his right foot, making clean contact with the droid's chin. Although his foot immediately began to throb with pain and a terrible bruise, it was a small price to pay when considering the fact that his drastic action had saved his life. After losing balance, the droid stumbled away and fell on its back, giving Kael the briefest of moments to recover and recall his lightsaber to his hand while gasping for breath and coughing uncontrollably. His skin felt hot and the color of his face was surely red after having the life almost wrangled out of him.
He cursed under his breath, knowing that neither the Force nor even his lightsaber could stand a chance when it came to affecting the droid. Whatever it was made of, it was certainly an invention that he had never had the opportunity to see before, much less face in combat. It rose to its feet, its head creaking and turning a little, looking at him as if it were glaring with sheer hate at the one who had caused it to tumble over.
Defying the boundless fear that caused his pupils to wobble uncontrollably, Kael stood as firmly as he could, assuming a purely defensive Soresu stance. With a foe as unpredictable and overpowering as this, it would've been suicide to try any of his personal hybrid forms.
'Unpredictable' was clearly an understatement, the droid craftily raising its left arm in front to shoot three dart-like weapons at Kael. Not willing to take a gamble, he quickly dove out of the way, whingeing at the fact that he was forced to abandon his footing once again as the droid bounded mercilessly towards him. He felt his muscles strained almost to the breaking point when the meat cleaver came down at him, his lightsaber emitting sparks once again as he struggled for dear life to keep the blade away from slicing at his neck.
Frustrated by Kael's stubborn defenses, the droid swiftly kicked at his arm by the elbow with great force, making Kael shout out with pain and wonder whether he had rolled it or not. His lightsaber deactivating as it sailed through the air and landed behind him, Kael gasped before rolling aside to dodge a downward swing that left a gaping three-inch-deep hole in the sand once the droid pulled back the blade. The right sleeve of his robe tore right off from the impact, but Kael had no time to grumble, instead dodging hit after hit from the now surely incensed droid.
Fed up with Kael's incessant rolling about, the droid stood upright and kicked him hard in the side, sending him flying up slightly and crashing against a market stall, completely trashing it. Despite his body and mind screaming at him that he couldn't go on, Kael called his lightsaber to his hand to continue the fight he knew was unwinnable.
His thoughts were confirmed when his weapon was knocked away by an almighty sideways swing of the droid's sword arm. With nothing else he could possibly do, he let out a sigh of defeat before once again being lifted off the ground by the neck. As he looked at the vengeful eyes of the droid, all he could think of was Elena, just as he had thought of her inside the crystal cave. He loved her more than anything in the world for reasons he himself couldn't even fathom.
The sword gleamed against the moonlight again as the droid held it up, the tip of the blade pointed straight between Kael's eyes. Not wanting to see his death delivered, Kael closed his eyes and instead thought of the loving way Elena looked upon him when they were about to kiss in Bastila's mother's residence.
But then, something incredible occurred. Instead of driving the blade right through Kael's head, the droid was forced to stumble back by another force, shades of green engulfing Kael's vision at the last moment before impact. Reduced to his hands and knees in fatigue after being dropped by the droid, Kael peered leftward, from which more green bolts of energy came flying in his direction, whizzing past him and striking the droid hard and true on the torso, forcing it back even further.
"Grraaah!" came a howling bellow, enabling a smile to form on Kael's weary face as he realized just who it was. The bolts from a Wookiee bowcaster packed such force that it would've blown a man's head off from within thirty meters. Even a sturdy and seemingly invulnerable droid as this one couldn't hope to stand ground against such savage energy.
"Zaalbar," Kael smiled, barely able to utter any words after having the living crap beaten out of him. Unwilling to risk letting the droid recover and potentially kill Kael before charging headlong at him, Zaalbar rushed at the enemy, completely emptying his bowcaster clip before taking out a broadsword from the backside of his utility belt, the blade so thick and dangerous-looking that it made the droid's cleaver look more like a fruit knife.
With the very first swing of his sword, Zaalbar completely knocked the droid backwards, its quick feet barely managing to keep it steady and upright as Zaalbar continued relentlessly. The tremendous clanging and clashing of the two swords surely must have woken up close to all of the residents of central Anchorhead, who were also understandably terrified to even peep out their windows to have a look at the commotion. Whereas once the droid had the undisputed upper hand against Kael, it was now reeling back constantly against the might of Zaalbar, who went as far as to literally snap its protractible sword in half with a ferocious swing. Stunned momentarily by the unbelievable feat that even Kael's lightsaber could not achieve, the droid was hurled by the neck into a market stall, destroying two more stalls behind it as it hurtled through the air. Dried meat, fruit and vegetables scattered about in a heap, and the droid looked all but spent.
"Statement," the droid said emotionlessly, slowly rising from its feet. "You have made a critical error, meatbag. Now prepare to die."
Zaalbar roared, bracing for another fierce bout of melee combat. But instead, the droid reached behind its body and grabbed at a small spherical object, clicking it before tossing it in their direction and running off.
Oh, no…
"Zaalbar! Move!" Kael hoarsely yelled, but the bulky Wookiee was in no position to do such a thing. Taking drastic action, Kael used the Force to get a hold of Zaalbar, literally hurling him behind a market stall that was tarnished as a result of the fight. Jumping over another stall and assuming a prone position while wrapping his head in his hands, Kael clenched his eyes shut as the grenade went off just five yards away from him and Zaalbar. The explosion was a small one at best, engulfing only the immediate radius of the grenade; however, countless tiny shards of shrapnel were scattered all around, with Kael and Zaalbar fortunate enough to escape unscathed thanks to their cover.
"Groooaah!" Zaalbar cried again, angered by the cowardly act of the droid as he leapt from his cover and faced the direction the droid ran away to. To his disappointment, the droid was nowhere to be seen, having slipped into the shadows. With the coast clear, he quickly bounded over to Kael, helping him up to his feet.
"Thanks, buddy. I owe you my life," Kael panted as he stood up, still not recovered at all from the brutal beating that was dealt to him. His elbow felt half-dead and was somewhat unresponsive, perhaps slightly rolled, but thankfully didn't suffer terrible damage.
Zaalbar groaned again, pointing his bowcaster impatiently northward after sheathing his greatsword.
"Yeah, we should get on the move quick," Kael replied, struggling to keep his bearings and stand upright, let alone run. "Juhani and Audrey still need our help."
"Grrmph!" the Wookiee growled again, more impatiently this time as he virtually shoved Kael onward.
"Okay, okay!" Kael whined, cursing the fact that he didn't have a moment's peace to catch his breath before beginning to run alongside his friend. "By the way, I'm sorry that you had to form up the rearguard. I know how desperate you are to find Mission. Hell, you probably want to find her more than Audrey and Carth do."
Zaalbar did not reply, and instead he looked onward with impatient eyes, keeping his bowcaster pointed straight ahead.
"Got it," Kael said, understanding his desire for haste. "Let's meet up with the rest of the gang as quickly as we can."
-o-
Despite knowing that he was treading upon the earth of Tatooine, all Carth could see ahead of him was a sea of raging fire. Screams and howls of pain echoed all around him near and far, but his eyes were focused on the one figure lying far away, motionless and quiet as death. His wife, battered and bloody, was hardly breathing beneath a pile of charred rubble, and his son was nowhere to be found.
The screaming was maddening, and the flames grew even hotter and more intense as he approached. The more he ran, the more he wanted to collapse onto his knees and clench his eyes shut, as if to convince himself that it was all a terrible nightmare. Except it wasn't. There was nothing fake about the loss he was now forced to deal with. His whole world was destroyed, right down to the one he loved most.
His wife's blood was everywhere, forming a small lake from her torso to her hair and feet. She was still breathing lightly, reaching out to that small sliver of irrational hope in Carth's head that told him that she could be saved. But she couldn't – she was destined to die, and there was absolutely nothing Carth could do about it.
Then, unlike how he clearly remembered it playing out, a gleaming red lightsaber flew sideways at his wife, the one from whom it originated from concealed behind stone structures. He cried out to her, begging in vain for her to gain a grip of herself and dodge out of the way.
Suddenly, just as he was about to lose all hope, the lightsaber stopped dead in its tracks, barely an arm's length away from killing the love of his life. The raging fires died down and so did the screaming, as Carth snapped back into reality. He looked directly to his right, spotting Elena who had her arm extended outward, suspending the lightsaber in midair through the Force before jerking it back the way it came. A bellowing male scream came from behind the building before the man dropped dead, flopping forward in a heap while the lightsaber died down and clattered to his side.
Fighting the urge to think of Kael, Elena ran onward, her eyes fixed upon the blue and red lightsabers that did battle in the darkness. Unable to help in such close-quarter combat, Carth opted to rush over Audrey's side, bemoaning his late arrival which almost cost her her life.
"Carth! Secure Audrey! Watch out for more!" Elena shouted, making a beeline for the Dark Jedi engaging Juhani while also being mindful of the third enemy who suddenly broke into action upon seeing her arrival.
"On it!" Carth cried back, creating a small dust cloud as he slid across the sand and fell to his knees by Audrey's side. Her sword lay to her right, its bearer far too weak to even muster up the strength to grab it. Carth picked up his beloved by her back and shoulders, resting her against his legs as he desperately shook her. "Audrey! Audrey, are you alright? Come on, answer me!"
Barely conscious, Audrey weakly blinked as she focused her eyes on him. The ruckus of lightsaber combat could be heard raging barely twenty meters away, with Juhani and Elena putting up a weakening resistance against their aggressors, ceding ground inch by inch.
"Darling," she managed a weak smile, her hand trembling as she reached up to stroke his face. "You're finally here. It was about time."
"Come on! You can't stay here!" he said, hurriedly picking her up and taking her over to secluded street corner around a bend. He took just a few seconds to inspect her condition; her dark blue pants were ripped from the knee down on the right leg, exposing a terrible bruise which colored her entire kneecap blue and purple. Her left arm was largely unresponsive, and on closer inspection was afflicted with a fractured shoulder and rolled elbow.
"Does…does it look bad?" she exhaled, blood seeping from the side of her mouth.
"You're…you're gonna be fine, honey. Just sit tight," he insisted, although he knew from tragic experience he was only deceiving himself by saying such things. Those were the very words he spoke to his wife as she bled to death in his arms, many months ago.
"Elena…Juhani…need your help," Audrey whispered, tilting her eyes sideways.
"No," Carth declared firmly. "No, no, I'm…I'm staying with you."
"I've got it. I'll be fine," she grunted, taking her holstered blaster pistol on her side with her good right hand. "Get going."
"No! No, I don't wanna lose you!" he cried, tears already forming as the memories came flooding back. He was snapped out of his distraught state, however, as Audrey slapped him hard across the cheek and looked at him with those fierce ice-blue eyes.
"Get the fuck moving," she glared, but could only keep up her serious and demanding look for a fleeting moment as her expression softened to one of pleading and love. "Please…"
Nodding in reluctance, Carth quickly kissed the top of Audrey's hand before shuffling back onto his feet and running out to see the battle that was unfolding. Incensed at the loss of his subordinate, the lead Dark Jedi was assailing Elena with a flurry of attacks which left Carth baffled, knowing that he didn't stand a chance in hell of resisting such an assault. Being the polar opposite of Kael when it came to combat proficiencies, Carth was hopeless with a vibroblade, feeling much more in control when wielding his dual blaster pistols. Unfortunately for him, he would not be of much help at all in this current encounter.
But then, he saw an opening at last. Locked in a fierce saber lock with Juhani, the lesser Dark Jedi's feet were pressed to the ground as he stood side-on to Carth's direction. Seizing the only opportunity he had to make himself useful, Carth aimed one of his pistols right for the enemy's torso and shouted to Juhani. "Juhani, heads up!"
A split second before Carth's blaster pistol unleashed a single, well-aimed shot which flew at the Dark Jedi's chest, both duelists turned their heads in reaction to Carth's yell. In that moment, Juhani felt the Dark Jedi's push against her blade intensify, signifying that he was aiming to shove her away in time to react to the oncoming blaster bolt.
That's it, she thought, her eyes showing a glint as a clever idea came to mind. It's over for you, Sith.
As brief as it was, her exchange of lightsaber combat techniques with Kael during the flight to Tatooine soon became invaluable. Taking advantage of the Trakata technique that was so effective as it was also one of the least expected in one-on-one combat, Juhani quickly deactivated her lightsaber as soon as the Sith surged forward, sidestepping out of the way to avoid his clumsy downward swing. Face-down on the ground and with no time to react, the hapless Sith was torn asunder by Juhani, who sliced right through his midsection in a horizontal line. One gasp later, the enemy was dead, his cold, dead eyes staring at Elena and his master while his blood drenched the ground beneath him.
After the fall of her foe, Juhani let out a small sigh, eternally grateful to Kael for sparing her in the crystal cave when he could've easily let her die in similar fashion. Setting her sights on the one remaining Sith, she initiated a two-pronged attack in tandem with Elena, who was visibly relieved after having to hold out solo against one of the toughest duelists she had ever had to face. Juhani's strong, solemn strikes complemented Elena's swift attacks which were aimed at harassing the Sith, and so far it was working. Their combined rate of attack followed no distinct pattern at all, frustrating the Sith who was forced back step by step by both Juhani's powerful swings and Elena's quick slices and stabs aimed at totally random points from head to knee.
Fumes of hot breath could be seen emanating from the incensed Sith who, after finally having had enough, angrily smashed away an upward-slash initiated by Elena, throwing her briefly off balance before he kicked Juhani hard in the gut just as she was about to bring her lightsaber crashing down in a high arc against his head. Following up his attack quickly, he used the Force to hurl Elena right into Juhani, sending both women flying against a building. Elena was largely unhurt, having had her blow cushioned by Juhani's body, but Juhani was a different story, suffering a concussion and barely managing to keep conscious after the back of her head bashed against the wall shortly upon her back making initial contact with it.
One brutal Force Push later, both Juhani and Elena were completely out of action, with no strength left to go on. Their backs pinned to the wall, they could only look upon each other weakly, as if to beg the other to make a last stand. The Sith walked over to them slowly, basking in his victory while virtually gloating at them with a sneering grin on his face. Although she knew it was hopeless, Elena mustered up what little energy she had to shuffle her body over so that the Sith would have to go through her before bringing any harm to the younger Juhani.
A string of blaster fire could be heard from the side, and the Sith effortlessly used his saber to deflect all five shots without even turning his head. He brought his left hand up, and soon the sound of choking and spluttering emitted by Carth filled Elena's heart with dread. Carth's blasters fell upon the ground, and the Republic pilot's hands flew up to his neck, struggling in vain to release the hold that could not even be touched.
A sinister grin stretched across the Sith's face before he pulled Carth towards him using the Force. Weaponless and immobile, Carth squinted his eyes, bracing for the end while his mind was so boggled that he couldn't even think of the future Audrey had to face without him. His vision grew redder as he approached the Sith, signalling his impending doom.
Carth blurted out in pain as he crashed hard against the Sith, but not in the way he thought he would. Instead of making contact with the Sith's hand which should have driven the lightsaber straight through his stomach, he pummelled the Sith's torso with his head, leaving him with a bruising ache on the temple. Realizing that he was still alive, he scrambled to pin down the Sith's wrists with his hands so that Elena or Juhani could finish the job.
Except, they didn't have to.
Staring up at Carth were the two dead eyes of the once imposing enemy, while a smoking hole sizzled through the forehead. Puzzled, Carth spun around to the corner in which he left Audrey. Despite his suspicion, Audrey had clearly not moved from her spot, too weak to fight. Just who was it then that saved him from certain death?
"You okay, flyboy?" a rough voice came from the transponder which fizzled into life with a static noise. "Holy shit, I love this damn sniper scope already. Best bargain ever, courtesy of my pal."
Carth sighed in a mixture of frustration and relief. "You could've at least given us a heads-up that you were in position, Canderous. And why the hell didn't you save Audrey before?!"
"Was still running across the outer perimeter wall and finding my spot. Damn, this princess is heavier than she looks. But anyways, to hell with giving you a heads-up; you would've made an even more half-assed effort in the fight if you knew you were covered," the Mandalorian grunted. "Bastila and I are in position now. Get your asses up and moving towards the compound." A red dot came into view at Carth's feet before darting across and down the sandy corridor. "Come on, we haven't got all night! That darn girl isn't gonna just come walking back to the ship!" The red dot hastily retreated back to Carth's feet again, urging him to move on by darting side to side.
"Elena, Juhani, are you alright?" Carth rushed over to the two Jedi, shaking them by their shoulders.
"I'm fine, just winded a bit after that horrid push," Elena moaned and got up, graciously accepting Carth's hand before helping Juhani to her feet with his aid. "How about you, Juhani? You took the brunt of that impact for me."
"My…my wrist is…," the Cathar winced, making an effort to roll her right wrist about, but unable to do so. She let out a hiss of pain as she tried to move it in an anticlockwise direction, giving a sign that it was rolled.
"It's all right. The wound is minor, and we can heal it together," Elena assured her in a calm voice. They both looked about in all directions while their hands glowed blue and hovered above Juhani's wrist, scanning the darkness for any oncoming threat. "Carth, where's Audrey?" she asked, looking at his face.
"I'm on it," he replied, then ran over to the corner in which he left her, picking up her sword from the ground. He found her breathing lightly, but at a much healthier rate than before, when she looked to be on the brink of death. Her yellow combat vest was dampened darkly in her own blood which continued to spill from her torn lip, and her weak hand could barely manage to keep a grip of her blaster pistol.
"Carth, honey," she grinned, showing her usually pristine, but currently blood-stained teeth. "Is Juhani safe?"
"Yeah, we're all good," he said, crouching down and holding her hands which were chilly from the frosty night wind. "Juhani and Elena are a bit battered, but we're all safe without any major injury."
"Heh…at least the three of you are okay," she chuckled, staring down at her own lower body. "Me? Not so much."
Far too relieved at the fact that their lives were safe for the time being, Carth completely forgot about Audrey's grievous wounds. The swelling around her right knee was now much more serious, and she couldn't budge her left arm even if she tried.
"Oh, shit," he cursed, dropping Audrey's vibroblade as he hastily picked her up in his arms again and rushed towards Juhani and Elena while kicking the blade frontwards as he went. His eyes didn't leave hers for a second, and he was ever so grateful that he didn't have to relive Telos all over again.
"Promise me something, baby," Audrey whispered, caressing Carth's cheek while ignoring the throbbing pain in her knee.
"Yeah? What is it?"
"Next time I'm about to try something as stupid as taking on a Dark Jedi in single combat, be sure to remind me that I'm a non-Jedi who's 32 years old, not 22."
Carth smiled. "Sure thing, sweetheart."
"Shit, I'm turning 33 in two weeks' time," Audrey remembered. "My days of prancing around in the shadows are coming to an end. I should realize that already. Damn, I miss those days…"
"You and me both, darlin'," he laughed. "Well, except for the prancing around part. Now, let's get you healed up and—" He stopped in midsentence and in his tracks, as he found a huge Wookiee standing right in his path, blocking his view of the two Jedi.
"Wrooooh!" Zaalbar howled quietly, expressing his relief at seeing Audrey safe. Both Carth and Audrey were smothered in his embrace which was a little too tight for liking, but nevertheless they were glad to see him safe.
"Hey, guys, glad you're alright," Kael said, drawing Carth and Audrey's attention as they turned away from Zaalbar and towards him while their Wookiee friend picked up Audrey's vibroblade. The fast-learning Padawan was in the process of having his own wounds healed. Luckily for him, they weren't as serious as those of Audrey, whom he promptly made a point of making Elena and Juhani's prime concern. "Holy crap! Audrey, you…you're…"
"Pretty fucked up – I know," Audrey scoffed, trying to hide the pain with a tough demeanor. The blue hue of her leg did the speaking for her, however, and Elena and Juhani quickly rushed over to her at Kael's silent gesture after Carth put her down on the ground.
"This is bad. Real bad," Elena gritted her teeth as she and Juhani began to work their magic on Audrey's leg while scanning her body for more possible injuries, with Juhani making short work of her bleeding lip. "This bruise we can take care of relatively quickly, but her arm is going to take several good minutes."
"We don't have that kind of time," Carth puffed. "The battle was so loud that probably half of all of Anchorhead heard us."
"But she can't fight like this!" Juhani insisted. "Blaster or sword, she cannot fight with one arm while the other slows her down!"
Kael sighed, hating the fact that he had to be the bearer of chilling news. "I'm afraid Carth's right, Juhani. I was attacked out there by a droid – a droid of the likes I've never seen before. It would've killed me if Zaalbar hadn't been there to bail me out. We all need to stick together, otherwise it'll surely come around to pick us off one by one."
"We have no choice to push on, guys," Carth said. "We have to finish this. Tonight. I won't rest easy until Mission is, and our best option is to go onwards while Canderous watches our back with his sniper."
"Their lightsabers," Audrey pointed weakly to the slain Sith corpses with her good hand. "Take them. We need them."
"She's right," Carth shrugged and peered over at the deactivated sabers of the dead. "Better to have Audrey use one if she goes against a Sith, heaven forbid. Might as well try to fool them for a while and prevent them from abusing the Force against her."
"They could come in useful for when we go to Korriban, as well," Kael noted while Carth collected the lightsabers. "Probably will make it easier for us to blend in."
"Carth, hand me one, please," Audrey reached her hand out towards him as she spoke, still panting lightly after the fierce bout of combat.
"You…you can't be serious," Juhani shook her head in incredulity. "You just can't be in a battle-fit condition right now – it's impossible."
"We don't have a choice," she groaned, heaving herself up on her feet after judging herself sufficiently healed up enough in the leg to walk on her own. She took the lightsaber out of Carth's hand and clipped it to her tattered belt. "My left arm is too fucked up to support my right for me to use my vibroblade. I'm better off with getting used to this lightsaber, so let Zaalbar hold onto my vibroblade for now."
"You're sure about using a lightsaber in close combat instead of keeping behind us and using your blaster pistol?" Kael asked. "It'll be a tough challenge, and those Exchange goons will probably try to ambush and shoot us in the dark."
"I'll manage," Audrey grunted. "I've done this kind of thing before with my vibroblade."
Back on Taris, she thought glumly, recalling the memories of over a decade ago. Back when I had just turned twenty, and I had such great adventures with Zaerdra. Sister…I miss you…
"You're not ready, Audrey – you need more healing," Elena implored her, holding her by her right shoulder. "If you just go on like this, your left arm might make you lose your focus when you need it most. Please, just take it easy and let Kael, Juhani and I take the lead."
"You saw them take Mission away on a goddamn speeder, didn't you?" Audrey glared, hot breaths fuming through the air. "If we stay here any longer, then we risk the possibility of Mission being moved to another place – one in which we may not be able to find her ever again if they catch wind of her tracking device. Now come on," she briskly walked towards the hideout, virtually ordering the others to follow after her while fighting the urge to cry out in pain, let alone tense her face as every step she took strained the lingering sores of her leg.
"Audrey," Carth said firmly, stopping her by grabbing hold of her right hand just before she could walk past him. "We'll all go, but let Kael, Elena and Juhani take the lead. Please. I don't want to see you get hurt any more than you already have been."
Her heart pounded with anger and impatience, but she saw the wisdom in his words. Getting killed as a result of recklessness wasn't going to help Mission one bit at all. She still remembered the terrifying two weeks she spent in the Lower City of Taris after the rape and murder of her mother, running from temporary shelter to shelter, eating dirty scraps of food which patrons of cantinas discarded onto the streets. Just when she thought all hope was lost as she was starving to death in a shadowy gutter, Gadon had found her, and soon she was met by the younger Zaerdra, and the rest was history.
But this was different. Mission was not a lost girl on the streets, but the prisoner of people whose moral character she didn't even want to think about. Unlike her, Mission would not find herself under the caring, protective wing of one such as Gadon, but in the hands of cruel, inhuman psychopaths who would commit terrible acts on her without caring one bit for her tender age.
She wanted to run, to slash through all of those bastards in a single swipe of her newfound lightsaber before taking Mission back to safety and making her feel safe and warm, almost as if this terrible night had never happened.
But she couldn't. All she could do now was to bite her lower lip and pray that she and the others would arrive on time to save her beloved Mission before she was lost to her forever.
Just hold on tight, Mission, my darling. Mummy will be there in just a short while. And I promise you that you'll get to hear that bedtime story again.
I promise…
A/N: I was considering stretching this chapter on right up to the final confrontation with Xor, but decided against it because it would've dragged on over 8000 words. Hope you've enjoyed this original section thus far.
I actually think that I've made HK-47 a bit too OP, especially with the cortosis-weave plating and his cleaver weapon. I guess it just came to mind while I was watching some scenes from Friday the 13th with Jason Voorhees, heheh.
I'm still very eager to get the plot out into the Dune Sea as soon as possible because I have two OCs that I want to get to, but I'll try my best to make this encounter with Xor as full-bodied and entertaining as possible. As always, your reviews and thoughts are very much appreciated.