Chapter 161: A Sunny Day in the Void
When all seems hopeless, a true hero gives hope.
Recap: Secret weapons! The Jedi Council deploys a squad of droids on a desperate mission aboard a Separatist cruiser. Under the guidance of Colonel Meebur Gascon, the droids succeed in stealing a crucial encryption module. Now the colonel and his droid squad must return the module to the Jedi Temple to crack a Separatist code detailing an impending terror plot against the Republic.
After pulling off their heist, the colonel and droids were looking to head home. WAC and TS-01 were in the cockpit, with the former at the helm; meanwhile, R2 and the other astromech were in the back as they attempted to fix up BZ. The colonel ejected from the top as he groaned before getting up and looking at the droids.
"How long until my command center is operational again?" asked the colonel as R2 gave a beep. "Okay, fine. I meant, how long until BZ is operational again?" This time, R2 gave a less angry answer. "Well, make it fast. We must get this encryption module back to the Republic as soon as possible."
Twilight's droid was recording herself in the cockpit as she spoke about the adventure she'd gone on for her creator to study. As she recorded her tale, the pit droid was in the driver's seat when he noticed something. The screen showed their shuttle traveling through hyperspace and some rocks approaching them.
"Uh-oh," said WAC as he put the ship on autopilot and left to inform the others.
At that moment, R2 and the other astromechs managed to get BZ back online as the astromech stood up. The door opened as the pit droid walked in.
"Oh, BZ, you are all better."
"WAC, what are you doing back here? Who is flying this shuttle?" asked the colonel.
"I have good news and bad news, Colonel. The bad news is, scans are picking up giant ice formations, commonly called comets, heading straight for us," explained the pit droid as that got the other droids concerned.
"What? Wha... What in the world is the good news?" asked the colonel as he was still processing what was said by the droid.
"At least you have a good excuse if your mission is a failure," said the droid as he seemed to think that was good.
"Get out of my..." shouted the small officer as he ran past WAC to see it himself.
Twilight's droid had picked up on the alert as she hopped onto the co-pilot seat and looked to see the screen as it was indicating they were heading for comet field. She pressed a button on herself as she began to record her journey.
"Update to journey for creator to study and listen. We're heading for a field of comets. Comets are small, irregularly shaped bodies of nonvolatile grains and frozen gases. They have body structures that are fragile and diverse..."
"Quick, drop us out of hyperspace!" shouted the colonel to the princess' droid as he hopped onto the dashboard to look outside.
"Will finish recording later," said TS-01 to herself as she did what the tiny military officer instructed and made them drop out of hyperspace.
However, when the ship exited hyperspace, they nearly came into contact with one of the comets. The shuttle was directly in the middle of these ice rocks as Twilight's droid attempted to steer through it all; the shuttle moved from left to right to avoid the bigger rocks but took some damage from the ones floating about. Eventually, they couldn't steer out of the way of one of the comets and crashed into it as it broke into pieces. The ship was now floating about in the field of comets.
"The shuttle's power system has been knocked out," stated WAC.
"I can see that," stated the colonel as he held on.
R2 gave a beep as he and the other astromech left.
"He says he can fix it," translated TS-01 to the colonel.
R2 and the other astromechs were now outside the shuttle as they began to work on repairing the damages. The glass on the shuttle started to crack as the colonel worried.
"And swinging right," said WAC as he carelessly moved the ship out of the way of an incoming comet. Eventually, the astromechs managed to restore some power. "Auxiliary power has been restored, but it is not enough to get us moving."
"We need the primary motivators reestablished now," stated the colonel.
"Forget that. We need the engines to come on," said the pit droid.
"That's what I'm saying!" shouted the military officer as the droid didn't understand what he just said using his technical terminology.
R2 was still trying to get the engines to work as some smaller rocks hit him in the back.
"Uh-oh. They just got bigger," said TS-01 as they all looked out the window.
"Come on, you lousy mechs!" said the colonel as R2 quickly moved out of the way of a large rock before returning to fixing the engines.
"Uh, Colonel, we are headed for that comet," said WAC.
"Brace yourself!" stated the small military officer.
At that moment, R2 managed to reroute the power and get the engines to work again. The screen inside the cockpit lit up.
"The engines are back online!" stated TS-01 as the pit droid began to take control of the wheel.
The droid was now piloting the shuttle while trying to avoid the comets. At the same time, R2 and the other astromechs started to slide with the shuttle's sudden shift. They were almost flung as each one fired their cable and attached to the droid in front of them as they were all hanging on in a chain. However, when they turned to avoid one, one of the sides was scrapped against the rock. The anchor BZ managed to roll back and get R2 onto the platform as the others did. The four astromechs quickly got in as their shuttle spun out of control and headed toward a distant planet.
"We have lost the stabilizers and primary control of the engines," said WAC.
"We are going to have to put her down on that planet," instructed TS-01 as she pointed out of her side as the pit droid began to turn the ship in that direction.
"What planet is it? Is it Separatist-controlled?" asked the colonel.
"Who cares?" responded the pit droid.
"I care. We can't jeopardize the mission!"
"I think we are past that point, sir," stated TS-01 to the colonel as she braced herself for the incoming crash.
"We're going down!" shouted the colonel as they entered the planet's atmosphere and proceeded to let gravity do its thing.
The shuttle entered the planet and was going down past the upper level and, within seconds, hit the ground hard as they skidded to a stop. Everyone was all flung about the room as they were rocked when the ship crash-landed.
"Ugh. Oh. I think I ruptured my gizzard," responded the colonel as R2 got up and put the module inside him.
The droids and military commander got out as they looked about their surroundings. There was nothing but a bare wasteland.
"Well, this is a fine mess you mechs got us into," stated the colonel as R2 projected the map and the planet they were on. "Look at this. All the database says is, "Abafar. Information void."
One of the astromechs gave a response.
"Don't be absurd. We can't just go rushing off like fools into this... this void. We need to stay put, consider all the facts, and then I'll, uh... I'll draw up a reconnaissance plan, and we can... hey, hey!" shouted the colonel as he saw R2 rolling away. "Where are you going, soldier?"
R2 gave his response as he continued to roll forward.
"He says we have to finish our mission," translated WAC.
R2 then pulled the module he had to show off to the colonel while taunting and continuing to roll.
"Hey! Where did you get that? That is classified material. I will not stand for insubordination!" shouted the small military officer.
"Do not worry, Colonel. I can lead the mission from here and return the module. Maybe they'll give me a promotion." said WAC as he began to walk toward where R2 was in the distance.
"Over my dead body. BZ, pop your top!" said the colonel to the astromech as he did that, and the small military officer hitched a ride. "I will not let you droids commandeer my mission."
"Entry log. Stranded on a deserted planet after successfully achieving our mission. Surroundings: Barren wasteland. The name of the planet is Abafar. The light on this planet is strange. No shadows, meaning impossible to see tracks." stated Twilight's droid as she was recording her entry into her databanks. The small droid took a step as her observation of the light made it impossible to see any true tracks as they had no shadows. "Further information will be reported."
The droid then began to follow the others before they got too far.
The group of mechs was shown traveling over the hot desert as the environment was taking a toll on some of them. Bits of dust were shown on R2 and the others, as some parts of them were hanging off. As for TS-01, with Twilight designing and making her droid with bits of Equisim, her metal coating wasn't affected by the sand or slowly rusting.
"Ugh, so hot. Ugh, I can't believe I came this close to completing my first mission only to get lost in this detestable desert," said the colonel as he was inside BZ and taking a sip of water to avoid the intense heat.
"Look on the bright side, Colonel. At least it is a sunny day," said the pit droid, trying to remain optimistic.
"What sun? I don't see any sun," said the colonel. "It's just hot and oppressive."
"Hmm. No directional guidance to pinpoint our location," said TS-01 as she recorded that detail into her databanks.
"Wait a minute. There's no sun. How do we know which direction we're going?" stated the colonel as he hopped out and looked about.
R2 rolled by him and gave a response.
"You set your directional guidance to "straight"? That's all we're going on, some rudimentary programming directive in a lousy astromech?" shouted the colonel as he jumped up and got in R2's face before hopping off. "Yes, I know you're designed for navigation, but that requires map coordinates and environmental input... something we are sorely lacking here."
"My databanks input our chances at 1.5%," said TS-01 as she ran the numbers.
"All right, we can't rely on technology. We have to rely on my training, something your droids don't have," said the colonel as he returned to BZ.
"How do you know, Colonel?" asked WAC.
"Because droids don't get training. You get programmed!" stated the colonel as he tossed his empty water bottle and bounced off one of the astromech's heads. "That's your weakness."
"So how will your training lead us out of this void?" asked TS-01 as she was interested in knowing what the colonel's plan was and studying it.
"Well, uh, my, uh, training as an officer tells me to use all available resources to, uh... to stay alive until help comes," stated the colonel as he stuttered over his words.
"So your officer training... how exactly did you learn that?" asked WAC, trying to press even harder.
"It was drilled into me by my superiors!" stated the colonel.
"If it was drilled into you... then technically, you were programmed. Just like us." said TS-01 as she came to a realization.
"What?" said the colonel as he took offense to what the princess' droid stated. "No, I am not like you droids in any way. I can think outside my program... I mean, my training. And I can make decisions based on a complex analysis of a situation, which is why I insist we return to the ship. Wait a minute. Why can't I find our tracks?" shouted the colonel as he was stumbling over his words to explain his justification to the mechs when he noticed something.
"There are not any," said the pit droid.
"What?" responded the colonel.
"I noticed it earlier, sir. This surface leaves no trace of us. The light seems twisted in some weird way that doesn't allow us to see our shadows." explained TS-01.
"You notice it earlier? Why in the world didn't you say anything?" shouted the colonel to the pair, moreso at the pit droid.
"I did not think we would want to go backwards when forwards seems to be the only way out of this void," explained WAC.
"Observation: The idiocy continues to grow, which is fascinating. Will study it further," said TS-01 as she silently recorded that detail to her memory banks.
"Why are you thinking? I don't want you to think. Thinking is my job. I am the commanding officer. You are just a pilot." declared the colonel.
"Oh, that hurt," the pit droid responded as he saw the small officer pass him.
"Ugh," stated the colonel as he kept on walking.
"I have been thinking, Colonel," stated WAC as he went after the military officer, leaving the others to follow behind.
"I told you not to do that."
"My programming keeps me focused on the task at hand, which means I do not have to worry about my health. I just have to worry about the mission," said the pit droid.
"Don't even go there," stated the colonel.
"So I think..."
"Don't do that!"
"When you die, I should lead D-Squad," said the pit droid.
"Oh no," said TS-01 as she said that to herself for several reasons.
"Stop!" shouted the colonel as he got all the droids to bump into each other. "You are what's killing me! I can't believe I am forced to justify my existence with a droid! Ugh! I'm at the end! I can feel it! All I ask is that you just let me die with dignity!" shouted the military officer as he dropped to his knees.
"Is that possible?" asked the pit droid to R2 and TS-01.
At that moment, R2's scanners picked up something as the blue astromech turned in that direction. In the distance, there seemed to be something, but it was hard to make it out. From just the shape, it looked like a ship.
"Pardon me, colonel. But we seem to be picking up something about 35 clicks northwest," said TS-01 as the military officer looked in that direction.
"What? Our ship? You... you stupid lucky droids. You have just taken us in a circle." said the colonel as he was happy and delusional. The rest of the droids all began to follow R2 as he led them toward the object.
However, as they got closer, they noticed something about the ship.
"Wait a minute. Is this really our ship? How long have we been gone?" asked the colonel as he jumped off BZ and sprinted to the destroyed remains of their ship, covered in whatever stuff the ground was made of. "Ugh. No, it is not our ship. No, no, no! No, no, no!"
WAC climbed up and peeked inside the ship. The droid looked at the destroyed insides as there was also a skeleton. R2 gave a whimper as he noticed a droid's head on the ground.
"R2 is right. This is what happens when you stay at the ship," said the pit droid.
"Why is this happening to me?" shouted the colonel as he screamed to the heavens.
"New entry log: Time unknown. Currently lost on the planet. After finding a destroyed ship, we are still unsure where we are or if help will arrive." said TS-01 as she recorded her journey.
Meanwhile, a few meters away from her were R2 and the rest of the droids trying to figure out what to do. The blue astromech had a hologram of the planet when they noticed the colonel climbing up the post of the destroyed ship they found. The colonel was looking about, hoping to find something.
"Maybe he is going to jump and put himself out of his misery. Well, I vote for myself as the new leader of this mission," stated WAC.
The other astromechs all disagreed with that statement before responding.
"You cannot vote for R2. He is just a mech. He cannot lead a squadron." said the pit droid as he offended the astromechs for saying R2 was a better fit to be their leader.
The blue astromech rolled up behind the pit droid and bumped into him. R2 then began to speak as he stated that Twilight's droid should be in charge. The other astromechs were about to agree with his proposal.
"Help! There has to be something out there! Show me a sign. A glimmer of hope!" shouted the colonel.
BZ looked at him before joining the others.
"I do not know who he is talking to. Maybe whoever programmed him," stated the pit droid.
The colonel had reached his wit's end as he flopped down. Something caught his eye as he noticed something while upside down and flipped right side up. There in the distance... was a town.
"There! I see something. Ooh, a village!" shouted the colonel as he pointed in the direction of the settlement, which the droids all looked in the direction.
TS-01 stood up from where she was sitting and pushed a button on the side of her eyes as they transformed into a vizor. The small droid was now using her lens to zoom in the direction of where the colonel spotted the village.
"I do not see anything," said the droid as she kept looking and zooming in, but there was nothing.
"What are you waiting for? We're saved!" shouted the colonel as he jumped down and began to run toward the village.
The droids all began to follow him as he let out a maniacal laugh that sounded like he was going insane.
"What exactly do you see, Colonel?" asked WAC.
"I don't know. Hard to say. An outpost. Maybe a cantina. Whatever it is, they can help us."
They soon arrived where the colonel spotted the village, but just like Twilight's droid noticed, there was nothing. R2 gave a response.
"I do not see anything either, R2. He should have jumped," stated WAC.
The colonel was stunned to see that the village wasn't there as he noticed something on the ground. He approached it as a water bottle, the same one he'd thrown away earlier, indicating they'd been here before.
"No. We're going in circles again!" shouted the colonel. He then began to laugh like a madman, acting all crazy-like while the droids watched.
"Vital signs show hallucination. Possible cause: dehydration," stated TS-01 as she noticed and scanned the colonel's life signs.
R2 gave a response.
"I agree. We cannot trust his training anymore. But I cannot trust your programming either, especially if you will not vote for me to be the new leader," stated the pit droid.
R2 gave another response as he rolled away with the other astromechs following him.
"Where are you going now?" shouted WAC as R2 responded to him. "Hey, that is not true. I am more than just a pilot!"
"Entry log: Update. After the colonel's delusion effect, I and the idiocy droid have been left with the colonel. R2 and the others have gone ahead to search for something."
TS-01 was updating her log as she had decided to stay behind with the colonel and pit droid as she was the only one suitable to care for the pair.
"We need a new plan, Colonel," said WAC as he sat before the colonel who lay on the ground before him.
"I just realized: What if I'm dead? Ooh, what if I died in that shuttle crash and now... now I'm stuck here in limbo?" said the colonel.
"Vital signs show that you are not dead. But losing sanity," said TS-01.
"Yes. I should have gone with the mechs," said WAC as he was seriously rethinking about staying behind.
"Think about it. Life. Life is a void. We search and search for answers, but there are none. Hope is just an illusion, WAC. Death is the only certainty." said the colonel as he was having a breakthrough and looking up at the sky with his hand extended upward.
"Mmm. Hope is just an illusion. Death is the only certainty. Life is a void." repeated TS-01, as she was fascinated by that. "Reminder, ask Twilight what does all this mean?" The droid could not comprehend what was spoken and hoped her creator could shine some light on her.
"Giving up is not in my programming," said the pit droid as his face appeared before the colonel. "I am surprised that it is in yours, Colonel."
The colonel stuck his hand out to wipe some of the dust on the pit droid's eye and saw his reflection before sitting up.
"Maybe... maybe you're right. I was taught to find a rational solution to every problem. But this void... this proves that that's not always possible. Maybe I need to change how I see things, and that will change my programming, my training." said the colonel as he got up and looked about the barren wasteland before him and then at the pit droid.
"You know what? You are more than just a pilot, WAC."
"I knew it! I knew it!" laughed the pit droid as he clapped his hands and picked up the colonel joyfully while spinning him about.
"All right, all right, calm down, soldier," said the colonel as he was set down.
Just then, Twilight's droid had its sensors going off. She looked to where her foot was and saw that the ground was vibrating a bit.
"Sizable tremors. Does anyone feel that?" asked the princess' droid as that got the pair's attention.
The water bottle a few meters away began to shake as it reinforced what was said by the small droid. The colonel then noticed something, as did WAC. All three were looking as coming toward them was a huge cloud, but in reality, it was moreso like a herd of creatures stampeding toward them.
TS-01 began to zoom in with its features and looked closer at the creatures approaching them. From just their appearance, they appeared to be nimble reptavian creatures with long, spindly legs and tail and thin necks. They stood only one meter tall; soon, TS-01 systems identified what the creatures were.
"It appears a herd of Void Striders is approaching us. They roam in herds in search of water. Which they detect using their hypersensitive sonar system. After sensing a water source, herds of Void Striders can sometimes sprint to reach it for days. Void Striders also have excellent capillary systems that allow this behavior to be possible. They can hold in water for days, giving them time to locate more. A Void Strider's hide acts as a solar panel, collecting energy to power them for their long runs." said TS-01 as she relayed the info her systems gave her about the creature to the pair before retracting her vizor.
The creatures squawked as they ran past the group.
"Whoa! Whoa!" said the pit droid as he curled up into a ball to avoid being hit by some creatures running by. All the while, the colonel was laughing.
"This is our way out of the void!" declared the colonel.
"You have lost your mind, Colonel!" stated WAC.
"No! This is our only hope! We've got to stop following my training or your programming and follow the birds' instincts! Grab hold!" instructed the colonel as he recalled what Twilight's droid said about the creatures running in search of water. He stuck his hand out to grab one of the legs from the creatures running by and was carried off.
TS-01 did the same as she was carried off before she got on its back.
"Like this? Whoa!" said the pit droid as he stuck his hand out and was carried off as he struggled to get on the creature's back.
The trio was hitching a ride on the Void Striders as they'd been traveling for quite a while. The creature WAC was on began to nuzzle against the droid as he petted it. Meanwhile, TS-01 was running tons of scans of the creature as she was learning more and more about it, knowing Twilight would be interested in studying the creature's info and recording it for history.
"Look. I can see a town from here!" said the colonel as he got on the Void Strider's head. "You can see that, right?"
WAC and TS-01 looked to where the colonel was pointing as there was indeed something there this time. It was hard to say whether it was a village, but at least it wasn't a mirage, like before.
"I sure can. How did you know, Colonel, that these creatures would get us out of the void?" asked the pit droid.
"You two got your programming. I've got my training. But these creatures, they have their instinct. They know how to survive out here." said the colonel as his ride picked up speed.
"If you say so," said WAC.
They began to approach a watering hole where more Void Striders were present and took sips of water. The ones the droids and colonel were riding on brought them to the edge where there was a hole and a town. They looked down as down below were R2 and the others as they had also arrived at the town. The blue astromech was talking with them before he looked up and noticed the others.
"I don't believe it. Those mechs beat us here," said the colonel as he crossed his arms.
"Stupid lucky droids. Just like you said, Colonel," said the pit droid.
"Tell you what, WAC. Why don't you get the squad ready to roll? I've got a second chance to complete this mission, and I intend to take advantage of it. After I rehydrate myself. That'll be all, Corporal." said the colonel as he felt like WAC had proven himself and decided to give him a promotion.
"Corporal?" said WAC as he was stunned by this revelation. "Yes, sir. The squad will be ready to roll."
R2 was speaking with the others when their attention was grabbed.
"Attention! Front and center, soldiers! I want us ready to roll pronto, pronto!" shouted WAC as R2 responded. "That is Corporal WAC to you, soldier. And I will not tolerate insubordination!"
The astromechs were stunned by this as R2 merely groaned before rolling away into town. The blue droid pulled out the module as he chuckled, knowing he still had the thing.
"Entry log, update. After being stranded in the middle of the desert, we managed to hitch a ride on some Void Striders. We now arrive at a sunken city. Population, unknown. Developing as we speak. Colonel Gascon has promoted WAC to the rank of Corporal. I can only conclude that that sudden promotion will not go according to plan. We are heading into the city, hoping to find a way off this planet. Will update as we go."
TS-01 finished recording her report as she walked down the small ramp into the city and saw the others waiting for them.
Author's Note: So this droid arc is George Lucas' favorite arc in all of Clone Wars. And this episode itself, happens to be his favorite. I know, hard to believe, right? He loved the idea of having these droids in basically nothingnessand wanted to know what they could do with that. They responded we can't do anything and he was like, "I know. Good luck." So that's the whole story behind this. He wanted to give the challenge to the writers and just left them to figure it out on their own. As for the chapter itself, it seems the droids have managed to find some civilization. As always, leave a review expressing your thoughts and comments, especially about all the facts I just revealed about George Lucas and this episode.