Bao-Dur looked up at Atton from the display, "We need a ship."
Atton frowned. After the riot, security was short handed, but paying much closer attention to clearances. It would be hard to bluff their way into a hanger.
"Can't you pull rank or something, borrow a restoration shuttle?" Atton suggested.
"Hello. Are you lost?" the librarian asked helpfully.
"Answer: no organic, I am where I wish to be," a metallic voice answered.
Atton turned around, spotting the gunmetal gray protocol droid from Peragus.
But… it had been presumably lost on the Harbinger. It wasn't on the Ebon Hawk when they escaped… Atton's paranoia began to churn restlessly.
"Query: do you have records pertaining to installations on the planet below?" the protocol droid asked politely, head tilted.
"Why yes. I was just helping these gentlemen in a similar search," the librarian smiled.
"Beware the machine," the dead Jedi hissed at Atton's elbow. He hadn't even noticed her.
"Reply: I see."
Atton ducked as something skimmed over his head, exploding against the bulkhead behind him in a burst of plastic and circuits. The droid threw the pad in its hand.
Atton palmed his blaster from the holster under his arm, concealed by his jacket.
That's no protocol droid. The precision and dexterity of the throw betrayed it.
"Assassin droid!" Atton shouted.
His snap shot hit the droid in the chest off center, missing the general location of the primary motivator but instead of passing right through, it only seemed to damage the servomotors in the shoulder slightly.
Damn. It has some armor.
The droid rushed at Atton, hands raised. Atton didn't want it getting anywhere near him. Atton fired again and ducked behind Bao-Dur's rising bulk, not bothering to take the time to see the results of his shots.
Bao-Dur cocked his mechanical arm back, and punched the droid in the chest. It didn't try to dodge, merely accepted the blow in exchange for coming to grips with Bao-Dur.
There was an angry sizzle, almost hidden by the crash of colliding metal, and the droid was thrown backwards, limbs jerking, chest plate dented.
Bao-Dur's metal arm hung limp though, unable to strike again after discharging it's power supply.
"Mission failure: contingency protocol activated," the droid warbled through a static laced vocabulator, and Atton could hear a mounting whine.
"It's on overload!" Bao-Dur snapped.
"The data!" the librarian shouted, yanking out a datapad and doing something to the nearest terminal.
"Hurry!" Bao-Dur snapped, pausing in the hatch, but stepped aside for Choy's utility droid to escape. The librarian skirted the crippled assassin droid, and Atton yanked him through the hatch by the front of his tunic.
They needed the data after all.
((()))
HK-50 stopped the simulated noise of a power core on overload as soon as the organics were outside of detection range. The tracker upon the iridonian was active, and all with the necessary knowledge to locate General Surik had been placed upon the trail of the target. Damage to the right shoulder actuator was significant, but could be repaired. Damage to anterior chest plating was mostly cosmetic in nature, with the servos and power supply beneath unaffected, but there was a seventeen percent loss in structural integrity of the plating.
An acceptable outcome.
It would take the organics time to procure transport, during which HK had heard of an organic with rather above average technical skills. Perhaps an arrangement could be made with Oppo Chan, for repairs, as credits were not an issue.
((()))
"I can't find any report of an explosion in the Archives on the TSF network," Atton said tightly studying his datapad, "I think the damned droid tricked us."
"Do you still need a ship?" the librarian asked, huddled next to them on the public transit tram. It was crammed with enough people coming off work to make the air a shade pungent.
"You have a ship?" Atton asked suspiciously, eying the man. There was something about him that annoyed Atton, but didn't necessarily trigger his paranoia. He was too eager to please, but artless about it.
"I have a few favors, I can get a shuttle, but… I'm not a fighter, or a pilot," the librarian admitted.
"Don't fancy your chances on the station with an assassin droid on the loose?" Atton quipped.
"Not particularly, no," the librarian smiled sickly.
Atton looked over at Bao-Dur, who was testing the connections as his arm's power supply recharged. The technician shrugged, "We need a ship."
We can always ditch him later if he becomes a problem.
"What's your name?" Atton asked, having to dig deep to bring a smile to his face, holding his hand out to the librarian.
"Mical."
Stupid name for a librarian.
"Jaq, and this is Bao-Dur," Atton said calmly. Bao-Dur blinked at the alias, but didn't bring attention to the name.
"I'll get started on the shuttle," Mical promised.
The man pulled out a comlink and spoke into it for several minutes, face tight with worry, but Atton couldn't hear anything, because of the tiny privacy field. Maybe the favors weren't all that big, Atton mused.
Mical had a shuttle for them though, by the time the tram reached the Docking module.
"It's in hanger Jay-six-six-two-four, ministry-class," Mical whispered, leading them through the hallways of the docking module.
"Security?" Atton asked pointedly.
"I have the codes," Mical answered, frowning faintly at Atton.
Not as dumb as he looks.
((()))
Atris sat cross legged across from her… friend… in the hydroponics bay, surrounded by false-sunlight and the gurgle of water. Both were deep in thought, studying data pads.
"Malastare?" Meetra ventured.
"No. The Republic cannot divert the fuel reserves from Coruscant, and the inner rim infrastructure," Atris sighed.
"The reconstruction was too soon," Meetra sighed.
"They should have waited to begin."
"Agreed, but at the time, the resources were available, and the politicians had the leverage needed, if barely," Atris nodded.
Fuel is meaningless so long as our enemies stalk us, the shade pointed out archly.
"Atris, how long does the station have with current reserves?" Choy asked.
"Six months, according to reported inventory," Atris said absently.
"Then we should turn our gaze upon the real threat," Choy suggested.
Atris frowned, looking up at Choy.
"Why must it always be battle? Why do you always seek out confrontation?" Atris asked sharply.
Choy shrugged, "Because the longer I delay, the more people die."
"But death is inevitable, it is part of the Force, just as life is. To interfere, is to obstruct the designs of the Force," Atris argued.
"You would have us do nothing? Then why should we seek to avert Telos's destruction?" Choy challenged calmly.
"We are correcting the damage done by the Sith. We serve as a check upon them, not on the galaxy itself," Atris reproved.
"You view the Jedi as apart from the galaxy?" Choy asked.
"We must be, to be impartial, and to obey the will of the Force. How can I serve the Force when I value my own desires above its design?" Atris countered.
Choy nodded slowly, "I cannot do that."
Atris looked away, "It is not an easy thing to do."
Choy looked up, "I cannot do that. I have held men little older than boys in my arms as they died. Died carrying out my orders. I felt their relief that I was near. I felt their fear held at bay by my touch as death came for them. I am not separate."
Atris frowned, "Although easing their fears through the Force is merciful, do not confuse that with—"
"I did not use the Force for that," Choy replied sharply.
Atris began to bristle, but instead breathed deeply and let the emotion slide from her. There were somethings that could not be agreed upon, but such did not pertain to their current situation.
"Still, as long as our enemy continues to strike, all of our gains are at risk," Choy said, returning to the original argument.
"What do you propose?" Atris asked.
"If we cannot find the enemy, we must make the enemy come to us, preferably at a place and time of our choosing," Choy said.
"A trap. But do not forget the risk of repeating Katarr," Atris cautioned.
"We know the enemy will strike at Jedi, but only if they seem… isolated," Choy said softly.
"Our greatest strength was upon Katarr, and it was destroyed regardless," Atris whispered.
"Perhaps. But if the enemy is so powerful, why did it not strike the Jedi Temple on Coruscant?" Choy pointed out.
Atris frowned.
"I don't know," Atris admitted.
"Neither do I, but it is interesting," Choy mused.
"Regardless, have your meditations given you any insight?" Choy asked.
Atris stirred uncomfortably, "I… I have been unable to perceive the future with any great success, which worsened after the destruction of Peragus, but I am all but blind after your arrival."
Perhaps such loss of sight works both ways, the shade whispered, intrigued.
"If we could gather the Jedi and lure the enemy into a trap…" Choy whispered.
"An ambush with a fleet?" Atris laughed.
"Katarr had Jedi, but it did not have a fleet. Coruscant had both and was not attacked," Choy suggested.
Atris struggled to keep her face controlled, but Choy saw her doubt.
"Do not underestimate those untouched by the Force. Our enemy clearly does not. Modern weapons can be as deadly as the Force," Choy said sharply.
"Regardless, how would you hide the trap from those that can see the future?" Atris asked.
"Because they don't see the future. They see possible futures, based on the decisions of those touched by the Force. I am not so touched. I think," Choy proposed.
"But those in any fleet are," Atris argued.
"True…"
Talk of uniting the Jedi is premature. First, they must be found, the shade pointed out.
"Do you have any idea where any of the others may be hiding?" Choy asked.
Atris shrugged helplessly, "The signal to return was to be when the enemy revealed itself, after it believed we had been eliminated. We did not discuss where we were to hide while waiting, incase we were captured… but I do have some leads," Atris admitted, summoning one of the Echani to fetch a datapad.
"I helped procure transport for Master Ell, to Nar Shadaa. He may have moved on from there, but it is a place to start," Atris said.
"He and Master Kavar were close friends. Master Ell may have a clue as to Kavar's final destination as well, as for Master Vash, I am at a loss," Atris confided.
((()))
Atton blinked the grit out of his eyes as he flew the shuttle, hand loose on the stick, despite his fatigue.
Bao-Dur was hunched over the sensor readouts on the shuttle, as they flew barely twenty meters above the surface, tracking the power readings. It was exhausting flying. Sensors were limited to fifty meters in the soupy atmosphere, and visibility was only about seventy meters.
"Adjust heading five degrees to starboard," Bao-Dur instructed.
"Another relay?" Atton complained.
Bao-Dur grunted an affirmative. They had already lost an hour trying to fly directly to the destination, but without navigational beacons it had been impossible to locate the concealed location in the murky atmosphere… so they had been forced to follow the signal emanations from the Restoration Zone power grid tap. The power conduits were buried, and already hard to detect as it was, but it was barely possible with the Ministry-class shuttle's basic sensor package.
Barely.
Atton had to keep his speed down too, or risk a collision. It had been a little hairy at times when they had to navigate through one of the countless ruined cities, but the terrain had begun to flatten out the closer they came to the pole, letting Atton risk increasing the shuttle's speed. A few times he'd overshot when the power conduit had abruptly changed directions, costing them minutes back tracking and following the new trail.
Tempers were short.
((()))
"Atris… why did you pick Telos to hide?" Choy asked, as they walked through the cold hallways to the mess hall.
"The Sith believe this world dead. Why would they return? The Darkside is strong here, and it felt right, that the seeds of our salvation should be hidden in such a place," Atris answered, smiling almost gently to herself.
"I have little experience hiding from Sith. My foes did not possess the Force," Choy admitted.
Perhaps the choice of hiding places for the other masters were similarly influenced. Old battle fields, and worlds touched by war, perhaps? the shade suggested.
"The Sith are a far more dangerous foe than the Mandalorians," Atris agreed,
"The mandalorians could only kill. But the Sith corrupt, and turn our strengths against us, like a disease. For every one of ours to fall, they gain," Atris said harshly, glancing pointedly at Choy.
"Why did you not listen to us? We sensed something lying in wait, on the edges of the Mandalorian conflict. Why did you disobey?" Atris complained.
Choy halted, staring at Atris incredulously, "You what?"
Atris also stopped a few seconds later, not realizing at first that Choy had stopped.
"The council sensed that something was amiss with the mandalorian conflict. Something wanted the Jedi involved," Atris repeated, raising her chin.
"You did not tell us that, you simply forbid us to aid the Republic!" Choy said, aghast.
"You did not need to know the reasons, you simply had to obey our wisdom," Atris sighed, "If knowledge of our suspicions spread, it may have caused panic—"
"—instead, it destroyed us. Our actions may have led to the war that followed, but if Revan had been warned—" Choy interrupted.
"We did warn Revan! He decided that his wisdom was greater than ours, that the gains outweighed the risk!" Atris exclaimed.
"The self-righteous fool led most of our youngest and most powerful Jedi off to war, and brought them right back as enemies, undoing all that he had achieved against the mandalorians!" Atris snarled.
((()))
"I think… is this it?" Atton asked, slowing the shuttle to almost a crawl, cutting in the repulsorlifts. Visibility almost vanished as the polluted snow was kicked up into a cloud by the downdraft. Bao-Dur looked up from the readout, "I think so. There is a faint magnetic barrier fifteen meters ahead.
"Alright. Kill the sensors and anything that emits a signal. I'll bring the shuttle in on repulsorlifts. Once across the barrier the atmosphere won't hide us," Atton said tightly.
One of those things to be deactivated would be the shields, but a few seconds wouldn't harm the shuttle too badly.
Bao-Dur complied. Mical wandered into the cockpit from the passenger compartment, silently standing at Bao-Dur's shoulder.
Atton edged the shuttle forward, blind without sensors, eyes glued to the transparasteel view ports. He felt the ship shudder slightly as the nose pierced the magnetic barrier, but released his breath when the cockpit also emerged into clear air. There was a bubble of space over an outcropping of stone and ice. Atton couldn't see any details, but he set the shuttle down once it had completely entered the barrier, and shut down the drive.
"Let's break out the survival suits. They're insulated," Atton said, rising gratefully from the pilot's seat.
"Alright Mical, moment of truth. You staying with the ship?" Atton asked, pulling the stained survival suit out from its storage locker.
"I'm coming with you," the librarian said.
"Why? She's not your friend," Atton asked suspiciously.
"No, but she's your friend, and I'll help if I can. Besides, if anything happens to you, where am I going to go?" Mical asked gently.
Point.
"Alright, but stay close to us. I can't watch you and my own back," Atton grumbled.
Bao-Dur dropped the cargo ramp for the shuttle, letting bone chilling air slice up into the bay like a knife. Atton felt the cold even through the composite plastics of the insulated survival suit.
"Let's go, big guy," Atton sighed, blaster in hand. Even the utility droid followed them across the ice.
Now the easy part. Find Choy, rescue her from at least one Echani, separate her from the herd, fly to Nar Shadaa, collect the bounty.
What could go wrong?
The plain was not as perfectly flat as it seemed. There were ridges in the ice, like the rippled surface of a frozen lake, which rose to about ankle height. Not really a problem for bipeds, but it led to a few curses and boosts for the utility droid. Atton voted to leave it behind. Bao-Dur ignored him.
It also turned out that the stone and ice they were walking on was the top of a cliff. Three hundred meters from the shuttle the surface dropped abruptly, and it looked like there was a magcon hanger bay built into the side of the cliff, about ten meters down. All well and good, but they didn't have ropes.
"There must be an access point up here," Bao-Dur shouted, with his helmet faceplate pressed against Atton's, to be heard.
"How do we find it under all this ice?" Atton shouted back.
In answer, Bao-Dur unzipped the front of his survival suit, and dug around inside. Atton winced, and didn't envy the cold air that had to be freezing the big iridonian.
Hastily the tech yanked out something and sealed his suit.
"The access is probably metal. I can scan for it," Bao-Dur chattered, visibly shivering.
Poor bastard.
A hand held scanner probably wouldn't be detected, but its range would also be limited.
It took twenty minutes to grid the top of the cliff and systematically scan the surface. They were half-way finished when the zabrak fell to his knees, scanning the ground intently. He pointed emphatically down, before he lit off a plasma torch and started melting the ice. Steam blasted off the ice angrily, obscuring everything. Atton jerked his head away from the after images of the too bright cutter, waiting for his vision to return.
Someone smacked his leg, and Atton turned around. Bao-Dur pointed at the revealed access hatch, and the security lock. Atton crouched closer, peering into the open panel. A few seconds of fiddling with his datapad, and the lock released. Atton unplugged his cables, and Bao-Dur heaved on the two-meter diameter hatch, slowly lifting it open. Atton dropped through the hole, blaster ready, but nothing moved in the dimly lit corridor. Mical joined him a moment later, using the rungs embedded in the wall.
How were they going to get the droid down—
The droid suddenly appeared, hanging from Bao-Dur's mechanical hand.
Hastily Mical grabbed the front end of the droid, and Atton reluctantly took the back half, lowering the surprisingly heavy droid to the deck. Getting it back out would be a bitch… but not Atton's problem. Might have to leave it behind.
Bao-Dur's boots appeared, coming down the rungs, mechanical arm supporting the heavy hatch as he descended. Then he popped the seal on his helmet, pulling it off and setting it by the base of the ladder.
Mical and Atton followed suit. The cold air ripped at Atton's nose, but it wasn't going to kill him.
"Now, the easy part," Atton whispered, hefting his blaster.
((()))
"Mistress, something has opened a maintenance hatch to the exterior. There may be intruders within the facility," the First of the Echani Handmaidens reported, appearing at Atris's elbow.
"Or the utility droid has escaped again," the handmaiden said uncomfortably.
So far every attempt to place a restraining bolt had proven ineffective in taming Jolee Bindo's droid.
"I will guard the repository, take your sisters and find the intruders. Send the Exile to me. I will guard her as well," Atris commanded, hand straying to the lightsaber at her side.
"At once, Mistress."
Atris sensed three minds above her. Two humans and an alien. The alien was difficult to read beyond a black stillness, but the humans though… she felt concern, and worry from one, the other was difficult to read, as his emotions were an unpleasant tangle to touch, but she felt that Meetra was foremost in his mind. Likely rescuers?
She did not tell the handmaidens, as it would be an excellent test for them.
((()))
The Last of the Handmaidens chivvied her charge through the hallways, staff in hand, checking at each intersection for danger. The Exile walked beside her, and it gladdened the handmaiden to see her stance. She moved with easy balance, centered. A far cry from the broken woman she had kept from hitting the deck.
This one has seen battle indeed, the handmaiden knew.
More, she did not walk as an enemy. She adjusted her position, whenever the handmaiden paused at intersections, to cover the handmaiden's blind side. It was smooth and certain, as one that knew the roles of battle.
Her sisters were the same, but their stance held no trust. She was the weakest link in their chain, and all knew it. She was not to be relied upon.
But the Exile did.
One of the facility's sensor drones floated past overhead, and the last of the handmaidens ignored the machine, until it spun and floated towards the Exile, beeping excitedly.
The handmaiden frowned.
The Exile reached out and cupped the sphere in her palm, looking at the machine closely. It appeared content to remain in her hand, still chirping.
She smiled slightly at the Handmaiden, "Droids like me."
Odd.
"And… I think the intruders might not be hostile," the Exile mused, staring closely at the drone. Two minutes later, they reached the repository, and the Last Handmaiden ushered the Exile inside, to Mistress Atris, as she turned to leave, Atris called out and bid her to remain.
"As you wish, mistress," the handmaiden bowed, securing the repository door.
Choy studied the chilly room crammed with the rows of shelves with tightly packed data cards set into them. This was likely the repository for the knowledge Atris had smuggled from the Jedi Archive. The room was crammed with shelves and datacards, but Choy knew this represented only a fraction of the archives that still remained on Coruscant.
((()))
Fifth gestured to Third, and both women lunged through the doorway into the corridor, shock staffs ready. The intruder had fled from them and jammed the hatch, forcing them to waste time sidetracking, but the hallways led to this junction. First was blocking the northern hall, and Second and Fourth had secured the north eastern hallway. The intruder would be funneled into one of the three hallways.
The lighting suddenly failed, causing both Echani to fumble at their belts, and pull on IR goggles to light the world in shades of green. Their quarry was close.
((()))
Bao-Dur led the way through the cramped access hallways, eyes glued to the datapad in his organic hand. A few times they had to back track, since the remote's signal only told them where it was, and not the path that would lead them there.
The dead Jedi leaned next to a closed door, and pointed to it, smiling nastily. Atton ignored her.
"That way will lead no where," the woman laughed as Atton followed Bao-Dur and the remote's signal.
Five minutes later, they returned. The dead Jedi hadn't moved.
"I'm telling you, I think it's this way," Atton argued, pointing to the door.
"There wouldn't be a stairwell to the lower levels this close to a pressure release valve. It would be in violation—" Bao-Dur argued.
Atton opened the hatch and looked inside.
Both men studied the stairs that led down.
Bao-Dur looked at the stairs, then studied the hallway again.
"Oh. There's a recessed emergency bulkhead," the technician said, noticing the housing that barely protruded from the ceiling six meters down the hall, that could potentially separate them and the stairs from a possible flood of water in the event of a conduit breach.
"Still, it's a stupid place for stairs," Atton agreed, smiling tightly. Bao-Dur shrugged and clambered down the staircase.
"Coming, Mical?" Atton called.
"What about the droid?" Mical asked, gesturing to the utility droid.
"What about it? The stairs are going down, it's got wheels," Atton shrugged.
The droid beeped something that didn't sound complimentary, and started to roll awkwardly down the stairs.
Getting the droid back up wasn't Atton's problem.
((()))
A trio of blaster shots slammed into Third's chest, dropping the woman into a wheezing pile of limbs, her chest smoking. Fifth slammed tight against the wall next to the hatch that the shot had come from. A storage room, with no exit.
Third crawled away from the opening, to cover next to the door, wincing, trying to recover her breathing. It was clearly painful, but not lethal. Both handmaidens lunged into the room, ducking low. Three more blaster shots flew overhead as they entered.
In the green lit darkness, Fifth saw a blaster pistol taped to a shelf, with some kind of sensor taped on, and wires leading to the trigger.
Motion activated? A quick glance around the storage room showed that it was empty, save for the shelves of mechanical parts and containers of labeled liquids. A delaying—?
The motion detector was triggered a third time, and the blaster's power core overloaded. The blast was amplified by the volatile cleaning liquids that had been stacked onto the shelf beneath the blaster.
((()))
Atris flinched as the deck plates shivered gently. Two of the handmaidens were badly injured.
This was no longer an exercise. Atris felt a flicker of fear. Clearly the Echani's training had not been sufficient to their task. How were they to serve as guardians to the Jedi, if—
No matter.
It was strange though. The three minds that had entered were nowhere near her handmaidens.
Droids, perhaps?
"Secure the door," Atris commanded briskly, lightsaber in hand but not active, as she left the repository.
((()))
Second and Fourth chased the gray droid, in close pursuit. First was ahead of them, and would be cutting off the droid's escape. It grabbed a stack of crates and pulled them down, some of the lids popped off and leaked their contents, leaving the mess behind as a flimsy delaying tactic. Neither Second nor Fourth were slowed as they vaulted the mess. The stun grenade's timer ran out as the two handmaidens passed over it, the shockwave throwing them hard into the wall.
A blaster bolt slammed into Second's chest as she struggled to rise. The woman ignored the discomfort, lunging towards the droid. The second shot entered through her left eye and blew out the back of her skull.
Fourth threw her shock staff like a spear, hitting the droid in the chest, the electrical current forcing the droid to seize. Fourth snatched up Second's shock staff and crossed the three meter space to her target, lashing out at the crippled droid.
The droid suddenly grabbed her shockstaff a few centimeters below the electrified portion, and redirected it into the wall behind it. Fourth felt something sharp slam into her chest, and was thrown backwards, staring at the hilt of a vibro-blade in her sternum.
The suits were meant to protect against energy, not—
First slammed her shock staff into the droid's back, her follow up knocked the fallen blaster rifle safely away from immediate use. The droid recoiled and First collapsed her staff down to its one meter form, wielding it like a long stun rod, jabbing the droid two more times, to the chest and head, avoiding the retaliatory strikes. As she dodged backwards from one of the blows, her foot came down near the blaster rifle, which promptly exploded, taking her leg out from under her, spilling First to the ground.
First saw her death come as the stiffened fingers of the droid drove towards her face. Then the droid froze, servo's seizing. First turned her head. A shock staff was wedged against the droid's lower abdomen, caught in the space between spinal column and a hip stabilizer. Fourth strained against the shock staff, blood flecking her gritted teeth, and trickled down the front of her white suit. Fourth held death in her eyes, as she discharged the shock stick's entire capacitor.
First grabbed her fallen shock stick, dragging her unresponsive leg, leaving a gory trail as she crawled towards the droid, and shoved her own weapon into the droid. She could feel her short cropped hair rising painful from the bleed off electricity that was arcing into the deck plating. With the two shock staffs a critical threshold was reached, and the droid began to jerk as internal components fried and popped with tiny explosions inside the chest cavity and skull. The photoreceptors died in a burst of sparks and acrid smoke. As the dead droid clattered to the deck, Fourth joined it, hand curled limply around the hilt in her sternum.
First gently pulled her sister into her arms, accidentally cutting herself on the centimeter of vibroblade that protruded from her sister's back.
Fourth's lips moved soundlessly, staring up at her sister in apology.
"Your service restores some honor to our father, your oaths unbroken. Hold your head high when you meet Yusanis," First whispered.
Then their Mistress arrived in a flurry of spotless robes.
Atris crouched next to the Fourth of the Handmaidens, holding the dying woman's gloved hand. Blood flecked pale lips, which moved in soundless apology. Atris could feel the woman's pain, almost as strong as her shame of failure.
"Rest. You have served the Jedi well," Atris whispered. The woman smiled in relief, before her face stilled. Atris's gaze fell across the Second of the Handmaidens' corpse, then to the First of the Handmaidens, eyes hard with unshed tears, but looking to Atris for orders, ever ready to serve.
Such a waste.
((()))
The door whined in protest, but slid back into its housing. Choy watched from behind a shelf, and was startled when the remote suddenly chirped and flew from her side, to hover happily around the giant Iridonian that stepped into the room, shield flickering on his mechanical arm, blaster in hand.
"Lay down your weapons and you will not be harmed," the Last commanded, stepping out of cover, shock staff humming.
"No," Bao-dur replied, leveling the heavy blaster in his fist.
"I will not warn you again," the handmaiden growled, tensing.
"Three on one, schutta, what did you do with Choy?" Atton demanded, slipping in behind Bao-Dur, blaster leveled.
A third man Choy didn't recognize lurked at the doorway, probably also armed.
"Stop, I'm right here," Choy said, stepping out of cover, hands raised in a gesture of placation.
"You okay?" Atton asked tightly, glancing between her and the handmaiden, but his aim didn't waver from his target.
An explosion of beeps and whistles made Atton flinch, but he didn't pull the trigger.
3C-FD clumped his way over the shallow lip of the threshold, speaking too fast for her to follow.
"Three-see, slow down," Choy said quickly, nervously glancing at all of the armed people about to fight over something stupid.
"Everyone just calm down," Choy cautioned.
"They are a threat. Until weapons are surrendered, they will be treated as such," the Last threatened.
"Bao-dur, Atton, do as she says," Choy said.
"Not much of a rescue if we surrender, Choy," Atton said tightly.
"I'm not a hostage. She's a friend," Choy growled.
Atton began to look distinctly uncomfortable.
"Well then. This is a bit awkward, huh?" Atton chuckled sickly, glancing at Bao-Dur.
"How many people came to rescue me?" Choy asked, as Atton carefully holstered his blaster, and held his hands out to the sides.
"Just us. And this guy," Atton said, jerking his thumb at the meek looking man that stepped into the room, placing his blaster on the ground.
"Did you shoot anyone?" Choy asked sharply.
"No. We didn't meet anyone," Bao-Dur frowned.
"Well someone was shooting," Choy said sharply.
"I told you I heard blaster fire," Atton complained.
"What if we didn't escape the assassin droid?" the meek looking man asked suddenly, his face pale.
Atton felt his stomach lurch, and lunged forward taking the echani's shock staff to the ribs (thankfully not the electrified part), "Choy, down!" Atton snarled, a blaster bolt missed him, and hit the echani in the chest, throwing her backwards.
"Door!—" Choy wheezed, pointing at the hatch as Atton tackled her.
Bao-Dur leaned out, red lightning sparking off the near invisible plane of energy from his shield, as he wrestled the hatch shut. The third shot didn't hit the shield, but the exposed ankle below it, as the hatch slammed home, filling the air with the smell of burnt skin and synthetics.
"We cut the locking bar to get in," Bao-Dur grunted, leaning heavily against the hatch, fumbling at his tool belt.
"Spot weld?" Choy asked, shoving Atton off of her.
"If we hurry. Won't have much strength without a binding solder, these metals aren't compatible," Bao-Dur hissed, yanking out his welding goggles,
"Look away, people," Choy shouted, grabbing the offered goggles and the plasma torch, twisting the controls over to welding.
She melted the door against the frame at three equidistant points along the latch side, then attacked the hinges. Enough to damage and warp them, melt a little, but not destroy them. Something strong hit the other side of the door, and Choy felt the force of the impact through the floor, but the door held.
Choy turned away from Bao-Dur and looked at the handmaiden. The white jumpsuit was blackened over the sternum, but didn't appear to have been penetrated, however the young woman's eyes were a little glassy. The meek faced man was crouched next to her, concerned. She glared at him, and tried to shove him away, but he tilted his shoulder, letting her hand slide along his back.
"Please, let me help. I was a medic," he said gently.
"I am fine," the woman hissed. Bao-Dur began tightly wrapping a roll of tape around his ankle as a binder, over his boot.
"I think she has a broken rib," the medic said, glancing at the location of the blaster bolt sympathetically.
"I can fight, the rib injury is old," the handmaiden insisted, climbing to her feet, her gaze distant as she focused on something other than her apparent pain.
"You said assassin droid?" Choy asked the medic quickly.
"Yes. It attacked us on Citadel Station. We thought we'd escaped, but it probably just used us to find you," the medic said guiltily.
"Me?" Choy asked, surprised.
"Choy. Exchange has a bounty on Jedi, remember?" Atton said, almost gently, leveling his blaster on the doorway. A door that was starting to deform in its frame.
He knows. It was an unpleasant, but not unexpected thing after the stunt with the power conduit.
"If I let it take me—" Choy started.
"Shut it, Choy. I owe you, now get to cover," Atton snarled, looking her in the eye.
She swam for a moment in the depths of those brown eyes. Loathing, guilt, despair. Each was its own filthy crust, breaking through to the one below. She felt like there were more layers to the core of Atton Rand, but she recoiled, knowing she didn't want to see the private hell that waited at the center. Atton swallowed, before looking away quickly.
Atton stared at the dead Jedi who was leaning next to the breaking door, her arms crossed smugly, and risked a quick glance at Choy, as she talked with Bao-Dur, their heads tilted together conspiratorially.
What was that?
He still felt cold from… whatever had just happened. It had only been for a second but… it felt like he'd been sucked into the depths of an ocean, crushed by pressure, cold, and darkness, before being spat back onto shore. Possibly with a few bites missing out of him.
"That is something called strength," the dead Jedi taunted. Before Atton could mutter a retort, the brain meeting ended, and Choy snatched the terahertz scanner from Bao-Dur, scanning the deck plating, while the giant continued to brace the hatch with his arms and shoulder.
"No last stand?" Atton asked tightly.
"We can't risk a firefight in here," Choy said tightly, apparently finding what she wanted, and pulling the welding goggles down, "Look away," she said sharply, before turning on the cutting torch.
"Contact Atris, handmaiden," Choy instructed, avoiding the bundles of power cables and piping in the floor. The hole would be a little tight for Bao-Dur to fit through.
"Three-see, go hide, and power down. You won't fit through the hole," Choy commanded. Reluctantly the utility droid disappeared deeper into the rows of shelves, chirping mournfully.
Choy was hoping the assassin droid wouldn't bother with anything beyond pursuing them. It was a slim hope.
((()))
HK-50 finally forced the damaged hatch from its frame with another carefully placed blow, to fall into the next room. The next thing into the room was a stun grenade. HK-50 followed the discharge of energy, light, and sound into the room and came to a halt.
A quick scan of the room showed it was devoid of thermal signatures, except for the glowing edges of the hole in the floor. A quick check of the tracker showed that the signal was on the move.
As to be expected of General Surik.
((()))
Choy led the way for Atton. Handmaiden was leading Bao-Dur and the medic to the faux council chamber, while Choy took another route. Hopefully, the droid would pursue Choy, and not the other, injured group.
Except Choy might have gotten a little lost. Choy was also tired of not having a proper weapon.
Atton jogged next to Choy, blaster ready, the hairs on his neck pricked for the barest hint of a blaster bolt.
Also, if his rough internal reckoning was correct, they were near the hanger he'd seen from the outside. Presumably, where the Ebon Hawk was hidden.
A moment later they passed a bank of windows that looked out over a hanger below, and Atton spotted the silhouette of the Ebon hawk, next to a ministry class shuttle.
"Choy, look!" Atton said, pointing to the ship. Reluctantly the mechanic turned.
"The droid wants you. If we hide on the Ebon Hawk, we can raise the shields, it won't be able to get in," Atton said, excited. Then I just stun you...
"Maybe. But if it can't get to me, it'll probably take hostages," Choy said, worried, "Let's stick to the plan."
A stun blast hit Choy in the chest, raising the hairs on Atton's left arm as it passed.
New plan!
Atton ducked, catching Choy as her eyes rolled up, and shamelessly used her body as a shield, slapping the door release to the hanger. He shot the door actuator after he passed through. It would buy him a minute. Maybe two. The gray droid glared from the other side of the overlooking window.
Suck on that, droid.
Atton sneered back, as he jogged Choy's weight onto his shoulder. She was surprisingly heavy for her compact frame. Then his eyes widened as he saw the explosive charge the droid slapped to the window.
Atton sprinted for the Ebon Hawk's boarding ramp, which someone had thoughtfully left down. An explosion shook the deck, causing Atton to stumble, but three strides later he was up the ramp, blaster bolts chasing his heels. Atton slapped the ramp control, pumping out several blind shots through the narrowing gap. A return bolt creased his right forearm, burning a strip of hair and skin from wrist to elbow.
Atton braced himself, and the pain hit a moment later, bringing cold sweat to his upper lip.
Shields. Gotta get the shields, before the crazy rustbucket puts a charge on the hatch—
Atton hesitated for a second in the main hold, setting Choy on the deck, before sprinting for the cockpit. He frantically brought the power core online, ignoring pre-flight checklists, then raised the shields. Atton studied the control panel for a moment, and saw the switch for external PA. Atton flipped the switch, tying the PA system into his comlink as he sprinted back into the main hold,
"DON'T YOU DARE BLOW THAT HATCH, RUSTBUCKET, YOU WANT THE JEDI ALIVE? I LEFT HER ON THE HATCH, LASER BRAINS!"
Atton hurdled Choy's unconscious form, headed for the ship's ventral turret station, just aft of the main hold.
"HELL, YOU EVEN LOOK AT THE HATCH WRONG AND I'LL SHOOT HER!"
Naturally, Atton couldn't hear the droid, but that wasn't the point. The rogue hung upside down from a rung of the short ladder that dropped down into the turret, just enough for his eyes to see through the transparisteel canopy, and spotted the droid, back to him, studying the hatch, and clearly fiddling with something attached to the ramp. Probably shaping the charge to just take out the ramp actuator, Atton guessed.
The rogue hit the button on the targeting yoke, still yelling into the comlink,
"I HATE DROIDS! CAN'T STAND'EM—"
The lasers started to power up, the distinctive whine hidden by the blare of the speakers, the power indicator on the yoke lit up and started to blink red as it charged.
"JUST A PALE KNOCK OFF OF REAL PEOPLE, YOU'RE JUST COPIES—"
The indictor flicked from red to green, and Atton smiled, dropping down into the gunnery chair, rotating the turret and depressing the twin laser barrels.
"PURE PAZAAK."
The droid's head whipped around, just in time to meet Atton's nasty smile as the rogue squeezed the triggers. The droid blew apart in a very satisfactory way, although the lasers didn't stop there, and punched into the hanger wall (missing the ship's right landing strut by half a meter). Probably not insignificant damage.
Not Atton's problem. Atton killed power to the turret and climbed up the rungs of the short one meter tube back into the ship's main deck, stopping on his way to the cockpit to pick up Choy, careful not to hit her head on the deck as he leveraged them up.
It was a shame really. Atton almost like the mechanic. Wasn't much of a Jedi, and that was all to the good for Atton.
Atton strapped Choy into the co-pilot seat.
When he turned to climb into the pilot seat though, the dead Jedi grabbed him by the throat and pinned him against a console.
She can touch me.
The surprise held him still for a moment longer than the pain.
The woman's dead eyes were cold, and several locks of hair tickled his chin, as she leaned over him. Atton clutched at the cold fingers.
So. This is how it ends, huh?
"Do you know why I saved you, all those years ago, murderer?" the dead Jedi hissed.
You didn't save me. You were just lying, to save yourself, Atton grinned, unable to speak.
"It was a trade. A life for a life," the dead Jedi crooned. She lessened her grip on his throat, forcing his head to turn, to look at Choy's unconscious face.
"I saved you… so you could save her."
"You are a wretched thing, murderer… but your diseased spirit gives you a kind of strength. She will need that strength as she walks the dark paths ahead," the dead Jedi whispered softly.
Atton glared hatefully up at his personal ghost.
"Relax, murderer. You have served far darker masters in the past. This one is worthy of your loyalty," the ghost chided.
"What do I get?" Atton wheezed.
"Sleep, my pawn. I will not stalk your dreams, and you will have that balm for your spirit which you crave more than credits, or pleasures of flesh," the ghost said, as if surprised that he could not guess.
Atton glared, "What's that?"
"Purpose," the ghost confided in his ear.
Atton hated her even more.
Because she was right.
"Besides. Someone will have to fly the ship," the ghost smiled.