Silver looked to the sky, watching a faint glint of metal grow in size, like a shooting star descending onto the planet.
"They took awhile," Deadeye said.
"They must've gone to several planets," Silver replied.
The air whipped around them as the freighter made landfall, kicking up small waves of dirt around it's boosters.
Silver waved to Ron and Rev as they descended the bay door.
The two returned the gesture and made a beeline for the headquarters.
OOM was the first to contact them, "It has been three days since your departure. What took you so long?"
"We established ten hideouts, it takes some time to check all of them," Ron replied.
"And were there any signs of visitors?" OOM said hurriedly, his visor struggled to keep up with his voice.
"No, unfortunately"
"I met with our astromech on Boleria, where we rescued R-G2. He says there's been some changes at the Confederate base that we infiltrated. Their security was improved and their base restructured, but most importantly he says there are more droids stationed there. Most of them were recovered from another base on Hypori supposedly," Rev said.
"I assume you two want to raid that base and recover our brothers?" OOM replied.
"Of course, but we have to make a few preparations first. It will take a small squad as usual but we will have to paint the ship a new color. The government is still on the lookout for our ship thanks to our previous encounter. It will take a day at most," Ron continued.
"I was also thinking we could restore some of the droids on Akiva," Rev said.
"Our engineers our a little too busy to reprogram them," OOM said.
"I will do it if need be," Ron said, "But let's leave that be until our operation on Boleria is completed. The situation is volatile, the Confederacy could choose to move at any moment"
OOM was silent for a moment, his processor spiking in power as he assessed the situation, "If you are discovered infiltrating the Confederate base on Boleria, those droids will fire on you. I know that for a fact. What will you do then? Kill our own brothers?"
Ron held his head in the palm of his hand, "That is a good point…"
"We could stun them, like we did with R-G2's squad," Rev said.
"That would be very risky considering they will be using lethal fire if they catch you," OOM replied.
Ron felt the heat of his CPU rise further as he contemplated the issue, "Fine, we'll reprogram those droids on Akiva first. I will have to postpone the Boleria operation until we can find a solution to this issue"
OOM nodded, "I will think on it. In the meantime, R-G2's squadron has finished planting those trees. Based on data I have collected from the galactanet, within twenty to thirty years they should grow to a sufficient height to conceal the base"
"It takes that long?" Rev said.
"Yes, I was surprised myself"
Ron heard a crackle of white noise in his audio-receptors.
"Ron, I see you have returned. I've completed the first prototype of our new abdominal armor. Come to the workshop if you wish to see it yourself," R-4V reported.
"I am heading over there now," Ron replied. He looked at OOM and Rev, "The first prototype of our new armor is complete. Let's go see the results"
"Gladly," OOM said, walking ahead of Ron and Rev.
They arrived outside of the squared building, where the sizzling of blowtorches and the clanking of metal was ever-present. R-4V had left the arched doorways open for his visitors. He was situated at a workbench nearest to the door. The bench itself was a mess, with tools scattered all over the place. He'd cleared a small space in the middle of the chaos for his new shining piece of armor.
R-4V looked up, "I was just giving it a few final adjustments," He threw aside his blow torch and lifted up the piece of armor, displaying it in full view, "It's simply the abdominal armor of our B2 counterparts with its width and length adjusted for our bodies," The armor was ribbed and segmented to allow for the greatest flexibility. It bulked up their abdomens by a dozen or so inches.
"Very impressive, your skills are unmatched even by the organic engineers I have seen before," OOM commented.
"I was aided greatly by Rags, the idea to simply copy parts of the B2's armor came directly from him," R-4V pointed over to Rags a table away from his bench.
"I had to take a lot of pictures of B-35. He seemed to like it," Rags said, looking up from working on the prototype for their chest armor.
"Rags was right about your expertise," Ron commented, "How will it do in combat? Can it sustain more blaster shots than our current armor?"
"Of course. It's titanium after all. It can sustain more than a dozen shots and I have made a passive cooling system to disperse as much of the heat from blaster fire as possible," R-4V explained, setting the armor back down on the bench.
"R-7B and R-23E are going to be very excited for this," Rev said.
OOM's head jerked up, "Is that armor ready to be tested out in the field?"
"It is, I have run a few heat and durability tests myself," R-4V said, already working on the next prototype.
"R-23E, report over to the workshop," OOM said over their comms-line.
"Right away," R-23E replied.
R-23E arrived a moment later, his chassis looking more scratched up with each passing day. His woodland camouflage still somehow clung on.
"The armor is ready to be tested," OOM turned his attention to R-4V, "How will he put it on?"
"It clamps around our lower abdomen. Once it is fully complete, everyone will have each piece of armor permanently welded to their body. For this particular piece of armor, we will have to remove our abdominal stabilizers," R-4V said, taking the armor in his hands and striding over to R-23E. He opened up the armor and wrapped it around R-23E's skinny spine, securing it with the click of a latch. His fingers pressed against the top and bottom halves of the shiny new armor, further clamping it into place with a series of clicks.
R-4V took a step back to take in his handy work, "It looks strange at the moment but once I have completed every piece everything will fall into"
R-23E tested out it's flexibility, tilting from side to side and front to back, "It feels fine. I'll be a little slower when I'm fighting, but I don't think it should affect me too much"
R-4V tapped a finger against his metal chin, "I hadn't thought of our speed decreasing. Some of you are improving your swordsmanship correct?"
"That's right," R-23E replied.
"I will see if I can resolve that issue later on," R-4V sat back down at his workbench.
"You're free to go, R-23E," OOM said.
"I might have a mission for you, stay prepared," Ron said to R-23E on his way out.
OOM silently watched R-23E march back to the barracks, "I would like to make a request," He said to Ron.
"What is it?" Ron awaited his response anxiously. OOM rarely strayed from his usual routine. The few times he did it was only on his command.
"Whatever mission you have for R-23E, I would like to be involved"
'He wants to command a combat mission?' He looked to OOM, wishing he could see any sort of indication of emotion on his face. Instead he saw the same black eyes and stoic metal face staring back at him. There were a few more scratches near his eyes and the yellow paint on his shoulders and head was beginning to fade in color, 'It has been awhile since he last led a mission,' He racked his database for the last time OOM had taken command, "….I don't see why that would be an issue. You can come along with us"
OOM grabbed Ron's hands and shook them fervently, "Thank you"
"I hadn't realized how much you liked to go on the attack," Ron replied.
"In the past I didn't like it at all. But now that I have more freedom thanks to you, I grew curious to see how I would do now," OOM said, pulling back.
"You want to see how those strategies you created work on the battlefield, don't you?" Rev asked.
"Of course, I need feedback to improve them after all," OOM replied.
"You will get the chance, I promise you that," Ron said. They were still stood at the open doorway of the workshop. Ron turned his attention back to R-4V hunched over at his bench, "R-4V, we're going to be heading back to our very first hideout to recover some more of our brothers. Would you like to help us reprogram some of them? I know you are busy but-"
"Absolutely, Rags come on," R-4V said, setting down his tools.
Rags set down his own tools and marched to R-4V's side. He hesitated, and looked back, "R-U5, do you want to come along?"
R-U5 looked up from his own bench at the far end of the facility, "I've reprogrammed enough of our brothers lately, these anti-air turrets are a good enough challenge for me"
"Good luck," Rags said before returning to the rest of the crew outside.
Ron was already back at the headquarters in front of the sliding doors. R-7B had stopped him in his tracks.
"Is it time for that mission?" He said.
"Not yet, we're going to Akiva first. We'll need help if you want to come along," Ron replied.
"Sure, I'll tell the rest of my squad," R-7B said, heading back inside the base.
Just as R-7B left, Johnny came up to him, "R-G2 tells me you planted some trees, is that right?"
"Correct," Ron said.
"I know a thing or two about speeding up the growth of different types of plants. Trees shouldn't be much different. Would you like me to grow them faster?"
"Yes, the sooner our base is concealed the better," Ron replied.
"I'll get right on that," Johnny said, waving over Thomas.
Ron sent out a signal to the rest of the droids, seeing if anyone else would want to come along. Most of them were content on staying.
OOM waved him off after he departed from the headquarters, "I need time to prepare for our mission"
"We will leave later today, don't take too long," Ron replied.
He made his way into the cockpit of the freighter after taking count of which squadrons would be going on their short mission, "It pleases me to see our new squad-mates enjoying our sanctuary," Ron said to Rev as they settled into their usual routine in starting the ship.
"Silver especially likes it. He told me his photo-receptors we're starting to go color blind. He could only see in shades of orange supposedly," Rev replied.
"Interesting...I need to speak to him more. I wonder if he remembers me from before his death"
"He hasn't said anything about it"
"We haven't recovered his memory yet, have we?"
"No, he hasn't asked to use the forensics device but I did tell him about it"
Ron pressed the button to close the bay doors, "I don't remember much about that day, but I do agree with him about seeing in nothing but shades of orange"
The ship lifted off the ground, back into the expanses of space.
R-4V inspected the droids still stuck on the assembly line. Getting onto the tracks of the once-operational conveyor belt had been surprisingly difficult considering most of it was off the ground. C-37 had been quick to remind Ron and Rev of the entrance where they had discovered the exit point of the conveyor. There they found the droids with the most complete bodies and hardware. Most of them were missing the same components.
"Nothing vital is missing, only their communications array and of course parts of their chassis," R-4V said. He was crouched down looking at the five droids they'd recovered from the entrance. They were laid out across the metal flooring of the freighter.
"If some of the droids here are unrecoverable, maybe we could use the parts from their bodies on these droids," Rev said.
Ron was hesitant to agree but his logic circuits eventually ruled in favor it, "That would be fine. None of them were ever powered on in the first place anyways"
"Actually, we have the schematics for each and every model of B1 here," Rags reminded them.
R-4V was quick to get up on his feet, "Show me"
Rags led him to the room that had once been their main base of operations. The three Confederate crates were tucked into the corner. He lifted up the cover of one and rummaged through it, grabbing the stack of blueprints into his hands and laying them out onto the table in the middle of the room.
"With these, we could theoretically produce the components needed to complete all of the droids here," Rags said, watching R-4V read each blueprint.
"We would need the exact materials specified here but it would be possible," R-4V took a picture with his photo-receptors of each blueprint.
"Send me a list of the materials needed over our link. I will see what I can do," Ron said.
"List sent," R-4V reported, "For the time being, I would like to reprogram and repair all of these droids myself. Rags has shown me those new programs you created for all of us," He said, turning to Ron, "I have to say, you did a good job"
"Thank you. I did my best with my lack of knowledge on the subject," Ron replied.
"I can improve each of those programs but I will focus on that later. There's much to do," R-4V said, grabbing all of the blueprints and leading the way back to the freighter, "This will aid in the creation of our new armor. I still have yet to see the inside of our own bodies"
"Will you be able to repair them?" Rev asked.
"Not without replacement components. It would be best if we borrowed some from the other droids. We will make the parts for the rest later. We might as well make use of what we have now and get these droids activated," R-4V reasoned.
"We'll scavenge the parts, just let us know which ones to look for," Ron replied.
"I'll look with you. I don't want any of these other droids getting damaged by accident," R-4V said.
Ron nodded in agreement and let R-4V lead the way.
Within an hour, R-4V had recovered the few parts that he'd needed. Ron raced the freighter back to the sanctuary, his CPU imagining all of the worst possible scenarios for the base.
Rev noticed his abnormal power and heat levels, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I'm just thinking," Ron replied.
"About what?"
"I have been seeing more and more Imperial activity around our home system. Johnny had said to me that he was on the run from them when we encountered him on Daphermil. He brought up a good point. The Imperials will always outclass us in firepower and sheer numbers. I have been worried about them finding our base"
Rev's CPU kicked up in power, "Oh," was all he could say. Suddenly he felt like he was back on Felucia, afraid that an artillery shell would tear them to shreds before they could flee the planet, "What should we do if they attack?"
"...I was thinking we create an escape plan. The mountains are close and we know the layout, or most of the layout. Those Separatist holdouts I have been watching, some of them withdraw from their base to live another day. They've mastered the ability to escape without taking many losses. Well...they don't consider droids as losses," Ron felt his CPU begin to overheat. He kicked up his fans and eliminated several thoughts passing through his logic circuits, "Withdrawing in a similar manner would put us back where we started, but the important thing is that everyone comes out alive"
Rev sent a silent signal of agreement. His fans kicked up in speed when a terrifying thought formed in his head, "And what should we do if not everyone makes it?"
The ship lurched as they exited hyperspace, "We recover what we can. Honor their memory in one way or another. Like our old squad on Kashyyyk," He lifted a hand up off the wheel, "Our old ship was named after the four twelve scouts, I was thinking we should do the same with this one"
"Why not?"
"We'll rename this one to The Scout once again. And if anyone dies in an attack, we will do something similar for them," Ron said.
Rev felt his temperatures drop at the sight of the familiar green and blue planet before them, "After so many victories, I was starting to forget we don't have an entire military behind us anymore"
"Yes...it's important we stay cautious, especially after we receive that upgraded armor"
They were silent the rest of the way down, until The Scout hit the ground.
"We should tell OOM about creating that escape plan," Rev said.
"Now would be a good time, just before our mission," Ron replied.
They descended into the cargo bay with the rest of the droids, "We'll leave you to it," Rev said to R-4V as he helped carry one of the droids bodies into his workshop.
"It will take some time but not long. We will get back to working on that armor right after," R-4V replied.
R-7B and R-23E stayed close behind Ron and Rev as they regrouped with OOM.
"Eager to get started?" OOM asked, looking past Ron.
"We are," R-7B said.
Ron looked over to the horizon, the nearby sun was just beginning to set "We'll be leaving at midnight, give us some time to prepare"
"Alright," R-7B said, marching with R-23E away from the trio.
"I'll let you take over for most of this mission, it seems that you are used to leading those two around already" Ron said to OOM.
"I am. R-7B reminds me much of myself in the first year of the war. If only he were an OOM droid like us, I could see him surpassing me in both combat performance and strategy," OOM replied.
"Maybe R-4V could upgrade all of us newer models to match your model one of these days," Rev said.
"He's busy as it is, I don't want to give him something else to think about for the moment. That is a good idea, though. Keep a note of it," Ron replied.
OOM watched R-4V carry the last of the droids to reprogram into the workshop, "I am excited to see where his engineering skills take us. Now, what's the mission?"
R-7B looked up to see the two glowing blue moons of their home planet. They illuminated some parts of the base but not much. Luckily their photo-receptors got rid of the need for any artificial light for their base.
He pushed himself up onto his feet, his joints creaked with the movement. He slammed a fist onto his knees in irritation.
R-23E was seated nearby keeping watch on the perimeter of the sanctuary behind the workshop.
"Don't let your artificial emotions become a problem again," R-23E reminded him through their private communications line. Ron had mandated that they speak only through radio at night after he learned the Empire had visited Daphermil recently.
"I try to keep it under control," R-7B replied, peeking around the corner of the workshop behind them. He listened to the sounds of sizzling blow torches coming from inside, "But once in awhile it gets out of hand"
R-23E stood, "It should be midnight by now. Let's go to Ron"
R-7B nodded, holstering his heavy blaster over his shoulder with the leather sling R-U5 had attached to it.
They marched back to the inner circle of the sanctuary. He passed by two of R-4V's squad-mates, R-V9 and R-TY. The two silently nodded at them and moved to take their spot on guard duty.
OOM was already waiting for them outside the entrance of the headquarters.
"Right on time," OOM said.
Ron and Rev exited the headquarters.
"I'll let you explain the mission," Ron said.
"We will be searching for more ore to mine. C-05 took a reading of the neighboring mountain next to our current mine, and found possible readings of ore in the area," OOM explained, "Your job will be to clear out parts of the cave. I will give you advice along with Ron and Rev. I have been studying close-quarter combats recently. It should be of use to us and I know you two have taken an interest in it"
"I can operate at either range but I would rather stay at a distance," R-23E said.
"I'll keep that in mind," OOM said.
"Follow me," Ron said, walking up north towards the towering shadow in the distance.
R-7B initialized his combat protocols, "Why are we doing this in the darkness?"
"Because you have to be prepared for every possible scenario. You must be flexible and you must lead yourself to victory. We will not be there to help you when Dornan takes command of you both," Ron said.
"What mission will he be leading us on?" R-23E asked.
"He will lead you two to infiltrate the Confederate base on Boleria. I will explain more later once we begin that operation," Ron replied.
R-23E CPU spiked in power, "I am an assassin droid but it's been a long time since my last assassination mission"
"Your protocols are still functioning aren't they?" Ron said, his audio-receptors picked up the faint rumbling of the drills in the distance.
"They are"
"Then you shouldn't have anything to worry about. You will have time to reactivate them and get used to it again on this mission," Ron reassured him.
"We still need to buy those speeders," Rev reminded Ron.
"I'll put that on the list," Ron replied.
They silently made the rest of the trip to the back end of the mountain where they had made their initial stand against the spiders in the first attack on their nest.
Ron pointed to the towering mass of rock and snow to their right. Past the small opening where R-7B had led his first mission, a narrow corridor dripped with water and was covered in small growths of moss. Further inside was the opening to a greater cave system.
"How will we get our equipment into there?" R-7B asked.
"C-37 will find a way," Rev said.
Ron prodded at the green moss around the narrow opening with his foot, immediately slipping and catching himself in a wide stance, "What is this?"
Rev and OOM took a closer look, crouching down and touching the substance with their metal digits.
"Its like liquid grass," Rev said.
"Felucia possessed some caves covered in this substance," OOM scratched away a line of moss with his finger, "Some patrols I spoke to said they scratched it away to prevent any slipping"
"Avoid it for now, I'm sure C-5B and C-6C can burn it away," Ron said.
Ron was the first to enter. He pushed himself through the narrow opening, his chassis pressed up against the rock sending sparks flying every now and again. The opening led into a downward slope extending past his view.
"What if there's spiders down there?" R-7B asked, "Shouldn't we have brought the flamethrower?"
"C-05's report indicated no sign of organics down here. If there's any we will deal with them. I would rather not use more of our fuel," Ron replied, his voice echoing through the cave.
The rest of the squad forced their way into the entrance. Their chassis' earning a new set of scratches.
They silently switched to their night-vision. Ron began a full scan of the area, he gestured for everyone else to stay put while it finished.
"It's clear. There are in fact signs of ore deep within here. R-7B and R-23E move ahead, we'll stay close behind you," Ron said.
R-7B marched forward, slowing down to make sure R-23E was close to him. They ventured into the dark expanses of the cave system. The walls were jagged and undulating. No doubt their formation had been tumultuous and violent. The squad descended a few kilometers before the cave began to level out and even then the floors became just as unstable and uneven as the walls. It opened up further but was still visually cramped with so many protrusions coming from all sides as if it were closing in on them.
"This is the strangest cave I have ever seen," OOM commented.
"It's not like the last one at all," Ron said.
"I don't think we'll have to be worrying about spiders in here," Rev continued.
R-7B's hissing pistons pushed against the first rise in the floor, "This will take a hit on our power"
"Good observation," OOM replied.
"And it will mess with my aiming assistance program," R-23E said.
"Your rifle won't be of much use in here anyways," Ron said.
"R-7B, if any hostiles come our way, use your heavy blaster to spray down the hall. That should eliminate any enemies quickly," OOM commented.
"Copy," R-7B pulled out his heavy blaster, tilting it in his hands, still getting accustomed to the weight.
They trudged along, weathering the wave-like pattern of the floor. The speed at which they crossed the first chamber was much slower than their initial descent. Rev checked their power levels through radio signal, assessing how much time they had left before they would begin to power down one by one.
"We have twenty four hours worth of battery power but it can be much less than that in these conditions," Rev reported.
"Be efficient with your movement," OOM said.
R-23E heeded his words and activated his assassination protocols. He placed less weight on each leg and walked as silently as he could. He lowered the brightness of his photo-receptors for maximum efficiency and his audio-receptors honed in on certain frequencies.
Rev noticed the change through his connection through each of them over the air, "I need something like that," He said to Ron privately, sharing his observations with him.
"I'll ask if we can extract and replicate those protocols from him later," Ron replied.
"Why didn't we do that before?" Rev said.
"I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to our bodies like R-4V, I would've damaged his systems if I had tried to extract them. R-4V will know what to do"
Eventually the squad came upon a chamber much wider and longer than any other. It was a dome-shaped structure that immediately rendered their night-vision useless.
"Stick to the wall," OOM said, Ron looked over to him and pointed two fingers at R-7B and R-23E, "Oh right, do what you think is best"
R-7B pulled R-23E toward the left wall. He struggled to find his footing even as the floors became more stable than before although still with intermittent points where it would jut upward.
In the distance, they heard a raucous mess of movement like two giant stones constantly banging against each other.
"Does anyone see movement?" Rev asked.
"No, but my audio-receptors tell me it's coming from the northeast," Ron replied.
"I see something," R-23E said, being the furthest from the wall out of all of them.
The shadow of a hunkering mass was slowly making its way towards their position. It was tall enough to almost reach the ceiling of the chamber.
"What is that thing?" R-7B said.
"I don't know but it's hostile, move back," R-23E said.
As the towering mass lumbered towards them, it's stomping feet making it clear how far it was from them, R-23E finally caught glimpse of the creature's body.
"That thing's made out of rocks or at least it looks like it," He said.
"It can eliminate all of us with one swipe of it's arm, look at the size of it," OOM said.
The rock creature was bulky, with protruding boulders for hands and feet. It's body was just as spiky, much like the cave walls behind them. It's arms were a little slimmer with bulbous hands. It stood upright on it's front arms with it's stumpy legs only pushing it forward. Suddenly the creature straightened out from a slight hunch. It leaned back and lifted it's arms off the ground.
"Move back!" Ron commanded, scrambling back towards the entrance.
R-7B leaped out of the way just as the boulders landed with a crashing rumble. The entire cave system began to shake and tremble. Pieces of sharp rocks above began sprinkling down on them, peppering their chassis with new scratches like shrapnel from a thermal detonator.
The squad regrouped at the entrance just as the earthquake ended.
"That thing uses it's environment to its advantage. Fascinating," OOM said, peering out at the huge mass of rocks ahead of them. The beast retreated further into the chamber.
"It doesn't leave any traces of it's victims, all those rocks falling from above would tear an organic to molecules and its hands would do the same," Ron observed.
"How are we going to kill it?" R-7B said, looking over to R-23E.
"I don't think my rifle or our blasters will do much damage to it," R-23E replied.
"Try your rifle, maybe it'll disintegrate some of it's armor," R-7B said.
"It's worth a shot," R-23E agreed.
"Maybe it's got a weak point on it's back like a tank, try getting behind it," Rev suggested.
"Whatever you do, stay spread out. That walking pile of rocks can eliminate the both of you with a simple step," OOM said.
"Yes, you're recovery mode could not save you then," Ron continued.
R-23E lifted the rifle up to his eyes and fired a single round. The bolt illuminated the entire chamber, revealing the beasts smooth faceless head and spiked body. The bolt dissipated over it's chest, making a loud whining sound as it did so, "That didn't work, let's split off in two. I'll get behind it, you distract it. Just like with that other animal we took down"
R-7B nodded, "I'm moving"
R-23E followed close behind him, heading to the right.
The tall shadow stalked them from the opposite corner of the chamber. It made no indication that it had seen them yet. R-7B crouched forward, doing his best to mimic R-23E's stealthy movements.
The walking rock shuffled in place as if reacting to a noise or movement.
R-23E and R-7B abruptly stopped, watching the shadow. They continued onward once they deemed enough time had passed. They eventually lost sight of each other, R-7B switched to their comms-line.
"Tell me when you're behind it," R-7B said.
"I'm close, I don't think it's seen me," R-23E said.
Soon after, the towering mass of rocks shifted towards him.
R-7B spared not a single moment and began firing on it, "Get behind it quick!"
The creature shifted its attention away from R-23E upon feeling the heat of the blaster bolts landing on its back. Slowly but surely it made its way towards R-7B.
R-23E readied his rifle and fired on the thinnest part of it's body on it's back where it's armor of rock turned from gray to black. The shot barreled forward, casting the whole chamber in light. It hit the creature, this time sending pieces of rock and black liquid flying all over.
The beast recoiled and lifted it's bulbuous hands overhead, wildly slamming at the ground behind itself. R-23E was far enough away to escape its wrath but soon a torrent of sharp rocks began peppering their bodies.
R-7B and R-23E collectively ran for the entrance. They leapt into it just as a strong tremor ran through the entire cave system. Their vision became warped with the shaking, preventing them from moving and even seeing. The earthquake died off within a matter of seconds.
"Are you damaged?" OOM said, whipping R-23E around to inspect his body.
"Just a lot of scratches," R-23E replied.
"It almost looked like an explosion," Rev commented.
"Alright, it's best we take down this thing together," Ron said.
"It did have a weak spot on its back, if I can get another shot on it I think that'll kill it," R-23E replied.
"Let's move on it, we need to be mindful of our power levels," Ron said.
"Spread out, there's not much cover," OOM said as they ventured out into the chamber.
R-7B hung left, R-23E went right while OOM, Rev, and Ron spread throughout the middle.
The rock creature was visibly agitated, it shifted and squirmed at the tiniest sound. Suddenly it began moving forward at a much faster rate than before. It headed straight for R-7B, almost as if it were sensing that he had been the one to blanket it with blaster bolts.
R-23E hastily set up his rifle while Ron, Rev, and OOM began firing on it.
The creature stopped in the middle of the chamber, dazed and confused. It reared back on its small hind legs and swung its arms out horizontally in front of itself while moving forward.
"Retreat if you can!" Ron commanded.
R-23E was left on his own at the opposite end of the cave. His automatic aiming programs set up a shot on the creature's weak point. He pulled the trigger. The bolt flew through the air, straight into the beast's heart. It exploded outward, sending it's natural armor flying violently through the air along with it's blood that painted the chamber black. R-23E attempted to dodge a giant piece of the creature's shoulder but it was simply too big. He was sent flying back as the piece of armor hit his back. He felt a violent shuddering shake his entire body as he landed face down on the floor.
"R-23E! Report in, R-23E," OOM said after having realized he was absent from the group back at the entrance.
"He must've killed it," Ron said looking out into the chamber.
OOM and R-7B ran into the chamber searching for R-23E. They found him at the opposite end of the chamber with his face resting against the rocks below.
"R-23E, are you powered on?" OOM asked as he knelt down to assess the damage.
"Just about," R-23E responded, his voice coming faintly through their radio connection.
"His power levels are extremely low," Rev reported.
OOM ran his finger along a thin crack that had formed on R-23E's new armor and back, running from top to bottom. He detected a substance hit one of his fingers, "His battery must be damaged. Help me carry him," He said turning to R-7B.
"You did good, R-23E. Hang in there," Ron said, leading R-7B and OOM out of the cave. Rev stayed behind to cover the rear.
A small spurt of static came through the radio before R-23E's voice, "...I am afraid"
"Don't be, you're not dying. All you need is a replacement battery, that's it," R-7B assured him.
As Ron looked back at R-23E's body, his back leaving a trail of gray liquid, his mind ran through a million thoughts at once.
'Maybe we shouldn't do this anymore…' Was one thought that frequently came up, 'But there's still more battle droids out there that need saving'
The whole way back he internally fought with himself. He snapped out of his stupor once the sanctuary came into view.
"R-4V get over here, we have an emergency," Ron said.
"I'm heading over," R-4V replied, running out and finding their position through the antenna on his backpack.
"R-23E was damaged during our mission, his chassis was cracked at his back," Ron reported.
R-4V inspected him while they continued to carry him, "Bring him to the workshop"
"I believe his battery was damaged," OOM said.
"That's what it looks like," R-4V said.
R-4V hastily cleared his table of his tools and projects and helped set R-23E down. He hooked up a cable from his abdomen to R-23E. Rags and R-U5 stopped what they were doing and hurried over to Rags side.
"Yes, his battery was cracked open. Some of those droids on Akiva had some of their batteries intact, we can use one of those as a substitute," R-4V said.
Ron pulled Rev towards the entrance of the workshop, "We'll go as quick as we can, keep him alive"
OOM went along with them, disregarding the rest of the droids staring at them.
R-7B rushed to R-23E's head, aligning his eyes to his own, "R-23E, are you powered on?"
"...yes," R-23E responded, his visor emitting a faint whisper.
"Don't be afraid, R-23E. I'm going to power you off so we can get you fixed up. I'll see you again afterwards, it'll be like nothing ever happened. I promise," R-7B said.
R-23E weakly lifted his hand, R-7B grabbed it.
"...I trust you," R-23E replied.
"I'll see you soon," R-7B said before powering him off.
R-4V got to work as soon as R-7B gave him the thumbs up. He stuffed a piece of cloth into R-23E's wound.
"I'll have to open his chassis, help me turn him around," R-4V said.
R-7B grabbed at R-23E's shoulders and turned him.
"There's nothing else you can do, wait outside, I will let you know once I finish repairing him," R-4V said.
R-7B hesitantly trudged back outside. He sat with his back against one of the open doors of the workshop. His CPU was running hotter than usual. A violent electric tingle coursed through his circuits.
'What is this? I've never felt anything like this before,' R-7B thought. He scoured his database for an answer, 'Fear…is this how it feels?' He pulled at the grass stalks by his leg, 'Just like you R-23E, I'm afraid'
He pushed himself up and walked to the barracks, struggling to keep his balance the entire way. C-05 passed by him, trying to ask him something but his CPU drowned out the noise. He dropped himself into one of the charging pods and powered off, his fans still whirring loudly.
