Johnny laid out his new blaster ahead of him. It was the first time he'd wielded an E-5 since his desertion four years earlier. Thomas was close-by, speaking to B-35 about the end of the war. He struggled to put the blaster back together. It was part of his combat protocols, but it had become corrupted in his time away from combat. He knew more about planting seeds and herding animals nowadays than staying in formation and firing a blaster.
He felt a painful electric current course through his body at the thought of his organic saviors. He replayed the memory of their first encounter, over and over again until the pain went away. His combat protocols kicked back in. The pieces of the blaster before him suddenly fit perfectly together. The parts clicked together, a pleasing sound to his CPU. It almost frightened him.
'I don't want to go back to that life, but it's necessary to fight, isn't it?' He thought to himself. Thomas' voice waded into his audio-receptors, 'Yes, of course it's necessary. The organics will always want to control us. We will always have to fight'
He picked up the blaster and holstered it onto his back. Thomas' towering figure was hard to miss and more-so his booming voice. He cautiously stepped into his line of sight, "Have you told him about Antamont yet?"
"I have not," Thomas replied, he carefully moved his bladed arms away from Johnny, stepping further towards the curved wall behind him.
"I'd like to tell him all about it, if you don't mind"
Thomas went silent, "You told me on Antamont that you dislike speaking about the war"
"I know, but I've changed my mind. Everyone here should know about it"
"Go ahead"
"Alright. It all started before the battle had even begun…."
R-7B and R-23E sat at opposite ends of the table in the barracks. A cable ran from their abdomens all the way to their respective charging pods.
"You learn quick. Even Dornan was impressed," R-23E said.
"Every droid can learn just as fast. I'm no different. It only looked like I was learning quicker than you because you're an assassin droid," R-7B replied.
"It was still impressive," R-23E, laid out his vibroblade against the side of the table sliding it against the edge in an attempt to sharpen it. The rhythmic sliding of metal against metal filled the room.
"We improve so easily. It makes me wonder how we lost the war," R-7B said.
"Our commanders wanted full control of us. If they'd allowed us more freedom, we would've won. Ron tells me the Confederacy is still out there, using our brothers to holdout against the Empire. I don't see the Empire still using the clones. They're either dead or abandoned, replaced by other organics"
"When you say it like that...it sounds like they had a similar fate to us"
"We're all soldiers, we are treated the same. That's all that is similar between us and them"
R-7B mimicked R-23E's attempt at sharpening his blade, "I wonder, who would be able to stop us if we had teamed up with them"
"The clones?"
"Yes, they're organics and all, but they're good fighters"
"They are...or were. An army of clones and droids? I don't think that would've worked, but that is an interesting idea," R-23E's head whipped up at the sound of metal feet entering the building.
Ron and Rev strode in, their blasters holstered on their backs.
"You two, are you done charging?" Ron said, stopping just short of the table where they sat.
"Almost, why?" R-7B said.
"Dornan proposed the idea that you operate under his command, but first we must train you both on how to operate as a team together. Us B1 models aren't made for this sort of thing but with the new armor R-4V is creating, it might be doable," Ron replied.
"I've seen you two train. I know that you two fight more than you work together. We can fix that," Rev continued.
"As long as R-7B is not in command, I will do it," R-23E said.
"The idea is, you will work together, neither of you will be in command. You will head into combat as one unit with Dornan commanding where you go and what your objective will be but the rest will be up to you"
"I see…" R-23E looked down at the blade in front of him.
"R-23E, I've improved. I promise. You've seen it yourself," R-7B said.
He had. Specifically, in their training spars together, he had seen less of the anger that once consumed him and more patience but still with the same ferocity as before. He controlled his movements, and was mindful not to hurt him.
"Let's try it out," R-23E said.
Ron sat down with Rev at the side of the table after hooking themselves up to a charging pod, "I am pleased to see you both improving in your close-quarter combat skills. Especially you R-7B. Our initial operation on Akiva was a great test of skill"
"It was. Has Dornan taught both of you yet?"
"No, I don't believe we need it," Ron said.
"I don't think he'll agree with that"
"We'll see," Ron dropped his blaster onto the table, "Anyhow, we will begin your training with a short mission. C-37 spotted a large furry animal, big enough to be considered a viable threat, on the outskirts of the sanctuary a few days ago. The day afterwards he found bite marks on the door to our storage facility. We will be tracking this creature down and eliminating it. Rev and I will guide you through the initial stages of this…" Ron scoured his database for the right word, "hunt, but afterwards you will both decide on how to take down this animal"
"Sounds easy enough," R-7B replied.
"The difficult part would be the fight itself," R-23E said.
"Yes, we need to evaluate your skills first. We will step in if the need arises," Ron said.
"Alright, I'm assuming we're going directly after we recharge?" R-7B said.
"Correct," Ron replied.
A long silence followed, "So...do you guys think we'd be unstoppable if we had teamed up with the clones?" R-7B said.
The day went on, R-4V came in for a brief recharge before heading out immediately after, "Silver, he's been a great help," was all he said before hurrying for the door.
R-7B and R-23E were the first to leave and make preparations for the mission. Their storage lockers were close together in the armory of the headquarters. Dornan watched them from afar.
"Good luck," He said.
"We're prepared, thanks to you," R-7B replied.
"Ron and Rev will teach you the rest, listen to them"
They passed by C-37, C-05, and R-56V on their way out.
"Moving up the ranks?" C-05 said.
"Not exactly. We're becoming our own unit supposedly," R-23E said.
"We haven't even gone on another mission as a squad since last time," C-37 complained.
"Don't worry, I think it'll be specific to each mission. Most likely we'll still work as a squad for the most part," R-7B reassured him.
"You better be right, I still haven't seen your new sword skills. Dornan just started teaching us three," C-37 continued.
"We could duel once we come back if you want"
"I'd rather you fight the enemy than your own squad-mates, besides Dornan hasn't finished teaching us yet"
"Good luck with that," R-7B said, leading R-23E out into the clearing.
Ron and Rev stood at the outskirts of the sanctuary and waved them over.
"Ready to go?" Rev said.
"Of course," R-7B replied.
"We'll start with the general area where the creature was first spotted and where it damaged the storage unit," Ron said leading the group over to the storage facility on the far side of the sanctuary.
"Go ahead and take a look," Rev stood by the chewed up door.
R-7B inspected the size of the bites. He put his hand next to the sizeable trail of chew marks on the door. It had left three indentations. Each bite mark almost matched width and length of a blaster pistol. The metal that had been damaged was flaky and was left a brighter shade of gray than the rest of the durasteel.
"I think we should keep our distance from whatever this thing is, but ready for a close-encounter. If it's teeth are this damaging, it probably likes to stay close to whatever it's attacking," R-7B surmised.
"Yes, like a wookie without its blaster," R-23E continued.
"If you're finished here, we'll show you where C-37 first spotted the creature," Ron said.
"I think that's all," R-7B replied.
Ron led the group further out into the forest, where the overgrowth threatened to trip them with every step they took. The trees extended high into the air and outward with thick leaves covering most of the light that attempted to come through. The temperature dropped as they ventured further in, satisfying their internal systems. Ron pointed to a set of old footprints left indented into the mud, still preserved thanks to the cold and obscure location. The trail was short and ended almost as soon as it began.
"This is all OOM could find when he investigated the path," Ron commented as he let R-7B and R-23E get as close as they could to the footprints.
R-7B planted his hand directly into the center of the indentation. His fingers could just about reach where each toe of the foot began.
"This will be a difficult fight," R-23E said.
"Are we all going to attack it?" R-7B said.
"You two will begin the assault, if we see you need help, we will step in. But I want this mission to simulate how you two would act alone as a unit. The important aspect is how well you work together," Ron replied.
R-23E followed the trail to its end, noting how each print became messier thanks to the drying mud. His CPU kicked up in power as he calculated each possible route the creature could take.
"I say we go east," He said.
Ron and Rev were silent. They watched R-7B continue to examine each print.
"If that's where you think it went," R-7B stood up from his crouched position.
"Very well, we will go east," Ron said. He went ahead of the group, but gestured for R-23E to lead instead. He went back to Rev's side, crunching bundles of leaves underfoot, "R-7B is still too dependent on others' commands," He said privately to Rev.
"Whatever trail we find next, I'll push him to think a little more," Rev replied.
The group wrapped around the edge of the base until they began heading eastward. The hills rolled upwards all around them. There would be no quick response from the rest of the crew if anything were to happen. Ron's CPU calculated the odds of them encountering the beast as being high. They trudged upwards, until they hit the peak of the hill. Down the slope was another dense forest, with each tree covering enough space in between each other that they let no light inside. It extended for miles on end, only coming to a stop against other hilltops.
"The temperature will drop, that'll benefit us," R-7B commented, "The dark won't be a problem either, but that thing could go into hiding"
"Our sensors should be able to pick it up and maybe even our thermal vision," R-23E said.
"Should we head in? Or maybe stay on the outside?"
"I don't think it would be possible to stay outside"
"Inside the forest it is, I'll check the ground"
They marched their way into the darkness of the forest head-first. Rev sped up to be beside R-7B.
"R-7B, try to look more closely at the forest next time. I think you could've seen something R-23E didn't," Rev said.
"Like what?"
"A better vantage point, maybe even another trail on the outskirts of the forest"
"Oh...should we go back?"
"No, it's too late for that now. Just keep that in mind. You're both in command of your own actions, remember that"
Rev slowed down once again.
All around them was nothing but green and brown. The group's woodland camo blended nicely but their body's natural sounds betrayed their stealthy approach.
R-7B halted the group upon seeing movement in the distance, "I think that could be it. It looked big"
"Let's see," R-23E pulled out his rifle and peered through the scope. He placed his chin before the scope, readying his usual automatic aiming programs. The huge trunks of each individual tree obscured his view. Far in the distance, a large mass filled in the spaces between the trees, lumbering from side to side. His finger went to the trigger but Ron pulled him back before he could fire.
"I don't think that would be a good idea. That rifle would easily start a fire. C-5B and C-6C are skilled at handling a fire but I would rather not cause such needless destruction near the sanctuary," Ron said.
"Let's follow it," R-7B said, charging ahead of the group.
"R-7B!" Rev called after him.
"What? We're going to lose it"
"Slow down, that thing can't walk that fast," Rev pulled on his arm.
"I guess you're right"
"Stay as a group, the enemy wants you to separate," Ron reminded him.
They marched along, sidestepping any loose branch or bundle of dead leaves on the ground, "I'm used to approaching things quietly, you rush in. Let's try it my way this time around" R-23E said.
R-7B hesitated. His CPU nearly overheated at the thought of constraining himself anymore than he already was. There were a few times he had let his artificial emotions get the better of him during Dornan's training. Dornan had given him a few deep scratches in return, "I'll try"
Their pace sped up as the lumbering mass grew larger for every meter they advanced. The trees abruptly ended at the foot of a tall cliff. A cave had formed in its underbelly. A jagged rocky protrusion stood out from the rest of the natural formation above the entrance, like the finger of a rancor extending out towards its prey.
"Would it be fine to shoot at it once it gets inside of that cave?" R-23E asked Ron.
"Yes, but we must get closer," Ron replied.
Their steps quickened. A system of vines extended outward from within the cave. A wave of cold air blew out from inside. The creature slowed down considerably.
"Now's our chance," R-7B said, walking ahead once again.
Rev grabbed at his shoulder and pulled him to a halt, "Stop and think, R-7B. Don't be so impulsive," he said.
He heeded his words and stepped back with the rest of the group.
The furry creature turned back towards the group as if it had known they were following all along. It began circling them, it's leathery nose moved from side to side, trying its best to smell their scent. The creature's nose prickled and its brow furrowed once it realized they were made of metal. The lumbering mass of hair and claws began to move directly towards the group.
Ron and Rev took a few steps backwards.
"Take it out. Work together," Ron reminded them.
"I'll try to take a shot at it with my rifle, keep it distracted," R-23E said.
"I'll lead it away from you," R-7B crept to the left, opposite of the creature. He fainted a step forward in one quick motion. It drew no reaction. The beast continued to hone in on R-23E.
He set up a good shot on the animal's head and pulled the trigger.
It leapt a few steps to the side, dodging the shot.
"This thing's quicker than it seems," R-23E said.
R-7B's circuits screamed at him to charge but he ignored it as best he could, "Let me get closer, maybe that'll get it's attention. I need it to look away from you"
Suddenly, the creature charged forward directly to R-23E, bearing its fangs. It's barreling mass set R-23E's circuits alight. His pistons pushed with all their mechanical might, sending him leaping towards R-7B just as the furred creature's claws struck out at him. It tore straight through a tree behind him, sending it crashing down, separating Ron and Rev from R-7B and R-23E.
Rev pulled out his blaster.
"Hold, if it gets on top of one of them, shoot. Let's move to a better angle," Ron said.
The beast recovered quick from its attack. It leapt forward once again, pouncing on R-23E, sending his rifle flying to the side. The speed of the creature betrayed it's size. It raised one clawed hand above R-23E and slashed downward.
R-7B caught its hand with the pointed end of his vibroblade. The beast recoiled, dragging R-7B along with it. He pulled his blaster while in the air, as he fell down he pushed it into the creature's neck and held the trigger. The creature jerked backwards but R-7B clung onto it's foot. He drove the blaster deeper until the beasts neck began to glow. It roared one final time before falling on its side.
Ron came around the fallen tree, "Good work, R-7B"
"If I save your life one more time, we'll be even," R-7B said, pulling R-23E back up onto his feet.
"I doubt you'll need to be saving me again anytime soon. But I do appreciate it," R-23E replied.
"I just want to return the favor"
"I think we can call this mission a success," Rev said turning to Ron.
"I would say so," Ron kicked away strings of stripped wood blocking their path, "Let's get back to the camp. You two have shown me that you can work together. I will plan for another mission, be prepared for it"
Rev handed the disruptor rifle back to R-23E, "Keep it safe"
R-23E gladly took it and slung it back over his shoulder.
Ron looked to the group of three lagging behind him, "Let's go, we're going to be visiting our old employer and she doesn't seem like the type to forgive a late arrival"
The freighter hovered over the planet of Jumina. It was a mixture of unending grassy plains periodically dotted with mountains.
"This reminds me of that mountain planet we found on that Confederate map," Rev said.
"There better not be anymore hostile animals. The wildlife in these places are always so irritating," Ron replied, pushing forward the throttle.
"I'm sure she's taken care of that problem"
The ship dipped into the upper layer of the planet, taking in the sight below. The coordinates led further south, where the snow lessened in frequency. On the plains, Ron could already spot movement, "I'm not lowering the ship whatsoever until we get to her shop. I have had enough with these animals"
Rev's photo-receptors honed in on a mass of dark-colored mammals moving below, "They don't look hostile"
"That does not matter to me, I don't want to deal with them right now"
He throttled the ship to full speed, heading straight for the coordinates given to him by Lokah. The wind whipped against the hull. Out in the blue expanses of the sky, flocks of birds roamed around the tips of the mountains below. Rev watched as two birds flew around each other. They rolled around in the air, flying in circles.
"I've never seen any animal do that before…" Rev muttered.
"Do what?" Ron asked, peering over to where he was looking.
"They're...I don't know," Rev searched his database for the right word, "Playing, dancing, why are they doing that? Won't they just get tired out?"
"Organics are strange beings. I don't think we'll ever be able to understand them," Ron pulled on the throttle, watching the playing birds himself, "Interesting...Johnny said something about taking care of animals for a short time on the farm where he was rescued. I will ask him about this, maybe he will understand their behavior"
He pushed the throttle forward, zooming ahead of the flocks of birds. Off in the distance, greener mounds of flora grew in frequency and size until eventually the snow and dry plains disappeared. A circle of flourishing life had grown in the southern hemisphere of the planet and somewhere in the middle, Lokah had built an underground facility.
Ron slowed down and descended into a crude landing pad made of wood supported by beams of steel. A small dirt path led south of the landing area. Directly ahead was a conspicuous mound of dirt with overgrown trees blanketing the top. The area was nearly swallowed up whole by the systems of roots and vines growing all along the sides.
"How long has she been here?" Ron said.
"Since we last saw her a year ago, or at least that's what she told me when I talked to her," Rev replied.
"This structure must have been here for a long time before her arrival," Ron commented. He unstrapped himself from his seat, running a check on his own gear.
Ron's head shifted, his photo-receptors staring at a piece of flayed bark on one of the nearby trees, "T-this p-place reminds me of another battle..."
Rev's head whipped around, "Are you alright? Your vocalizer's acting up"
"Yes, I'm fine. It's just a corrupt memory that's all," Ron caught up to Rev halfway out the doorway, "Thinking about Naboo tends to do that to me"
They gathered their small crew in the cargo bay. R-7B and R-23E stood near the front.
"We'll be gathering defensive units today. I'm not sure if our former employer has what I am seeking but be prepared to do some heavy lifting," Ron glanced over to B-35 and OOM, "Let's move, stick close. I don't want to bother dealing with the wildlife this time around"
They marched as one unit, without their disguises, only wearing their visors.
Lokah appeared at the foot of the entrance. A vine graced her freshly polished shoulder pads. Her helmet was visibly cleaner than the last time they'd seen her.
"Back so soon?" She called out.
"We said we would see you again. We never said when," Rev said.
"I know, just teasing," She waved them into the shadows of her new base, "Never said thanks for helping me out back on Zygorath – well, I guess those credits served as a good thank you. What did you all do with it anyways?"
"That's none of your business," Ron said.
Lokah put her hands up, moving one to turn on a light on her helmet, "Sheesh, I was just curious. Guess I should've figured you wouldn't want to share too much about yourselves. I know how everyone feels about droids nowadays"
"Do you still have those rifles?" Ron said, ignoring her.
"I do, stored away just as you wanted. You know, I should start charging you a fee for making me keep them," Lokah said, her tone of voice was nearly as monotone as Ron's. They passed through the underside of the entrance, the air dropped a few degrees. Lokah's light was made nearly useless by a thick blanket of dust particles from the dirt all around them.
"We'll buy something today, could that work for our fee?" Rev said, smacking Ron on the shoulder.
"Sure, but it might not the next time," Lokah said.
"What was that for?" Ron said privately.
"You're making her angry. How can you not see that? You can see it so clearly with R-7B," Rev replied over their comms-line.
"I can't read organics so easily like you do. I didn't realize. I can correct my error"
"No, just let me do the talking," Rev replied.
"Here we are," Lokah said. A bright assortment of artificial lights were sprinkled across the ceiling of the new shop like stars in the sky. The walls were made of a gray metal along with the floors. There was almost enough room to fit two fighters in the center which appeared to have once been the case. A dark outline of some sort of craft stained the center. The walls were lined with an assortment of products that put Lokah's last inventory to shame. Her workshop had grown as well. An entire corner had been dedicated to it. The nose end of a Separatist dreadnought sat in as her current project.
A band of heavily modified construction droids awaited her arrival, "I know you droids might not like my new security team but I promise you all, I treat them well"
"We appreciate you telling us that," Rev said, restricting Ron by his arm. He'd felt Ron's CPU heat up the second the droids had appeared.
"Now, what are you looking for today. I know you aren't here just to visit me," Lokah waved off her security team.
"Anti-air turrets or any other anti-air weapons you might have"
"Ah, you came just at the right time. I have a few laser turrets I just scavenged from this Separatist ship, don't ask how I got it," She led them over to her work area.
Lokah's droids followed close behind.
C-05 faced one of them at his side, "Hello"
The droid didn't respond or make any indication it had heard him.
"Not very talkative? That's alright, I met a B2 who never spoke even though his vocalizer was fully functional," C-05 said. He waited for any sort of gesture from the droid. With a metallic sigh of defeat he sped up back to the group.
"I've got four," Lokah gestured at the turrets situated at the far end of the building behind a set of smaller turrets, "How many do you need?"
Rev turned to Ron.
"How much?" Ron said.
Lokah sighed, "Fifty thousand each and I'm not budging on that price"
"We'll take two"
"You've really got that many credits? Where did you—Ah, what do I care. I'll take this as repayment for all the credits I lost back on Zygorath"
Ron faced his squad, "All of you, help me load these into the ship"
They prepared their joints for the incoming heavy strain.
"So when will you two buy all of these rifles?" Lokah pointed over to a locked up armory set.
"Soon...before you die of old age. I promise," Rev said.
"That's a wide time frame"
"I'll just say soon"
"Right, now let's see that payment"
Thanks to the turrets tremendous size, it had taken two full trips between Lokah's base and the sanctuary to transport their new defensive units.
OOM looked the turrets up and down, "And what will power them?"
Ron, Rev, and OOM were situated on the outskirts of their base, nearby the freighter.
"A solar powered generator," Ron said.
"Really? Do you know what type of reactor a standard dreadnought uses?"
"R-4V tells me its possible. I trust his word"
"Is that right? I don't know much about energy but I don't think it's going to be that simple"
"It won't be," R-4V said, coming up behind OOM. Rags was close behind him, "It'll take a very large solar panel to keep it charged. I've debated it with Rags and R-U5, and we all believe a fusion generator paired with a solar panel only for backup power would be suitable"
"I'll leave the technicalities up to you all," OOM said, "I have no interest in any of it. Just make it work"
"Of course," R-4V replied.
"This will be a good time to start planting trees in between our facilities," Ron scanned the tree-line on the outskirts of the base, a small pack of furry creatures with long tails watched them from afar, "How is the progress going on the armor upgrades?"
"It's going well. I have finished planning out upgrades to all parts of our bodies. Our first abdominal armor upgrades will be exiting their prototype phase soon. It's the first piece of armor I've created," R-4V said, his visor struggled to keep up with his voice as he excitedly rattled off.
"I will have R-23E test it once you are finished, will that be fine?" OOM said.
"Of course, I will run my own tests on it beforehand"
"R-G2, have your squad begin planting those tree saplings. I will mark the designated locations on our local map" Ron said over the radio.
"Copy that," R-G2 replied.
Ron led Rev back towards their headquarters.
"Ron?" R-7B said, approaching from their left.
"Yes?"
"Are we going to be continuing our rescue operation? With that map you created?"
Ron stopped in his tracks, "We will be stopping for some time. It was risky to invade the Imperial's territory twice in a row. We were lucky to have made it out of the Geonosis system. In place of the map we will be checking all of our hideouts. The signals may have attracted one or two droids. We'll be heading out at midnight"
"I'll get the crew ready," R-7B said, marching off to the barracks.
"He seems eager to get back to fighting," Ron said, turning to Rev.
"I wouldn't say fighting. Seems like something else…" Rev replied.
"He's not the same as before, that's for sure," Ron said, continuing back on the path to the headquarters.
The base was full of activity, OOM watched silently from the southern edge. He spotted R-23E heading over to the armory.
"R-23E," OOM said establishing a line with him.
"Yes?" He replied.
"Come over here," OOM waved him over.
He reluctantly complied, kicking up rocks that littered the path to OOM.
"R-4V will be finishing our armor upgrades soon and I want you to be the first one to test them," OOM said.
"Why me?"
OOM looked around, and checked their connection, ensuring no one was listening, "Don't tell anyone this, but I still believe you are our most valuable unit. Your accuracy is unmatched even by B-35 and Dornan"
R-23E took a moment to fully register his words, "Thank you, I know I'm not part of your security squadron anymore but your strategies have been a great help"
"I spent much time creating those, since before you were even created. I hope they will continue to be of use to you. If there's anyone that can use them to their full capacity, it is you. Go ahead and get back to what you were doing, I will notify you when the armor is complete"
R-23E nodded and resumed his walk to the armory, 'Why is he so infatuated with me?' He thought before spotting R-7B in his peripheral vision.
"Oh, there you are. Ron says we're deploying at midnight, let's get ready," R-7B said.
"I was just about to grab my blaster," R-23E replied.
OOM watched them from afar, 'I miss the days of commanding an attack unit...If I were in charge of them, we would be unstoppable,' He replayed an old memory of his mission on Naboo, laying siege to the palace.
Krunnoh watched the Republic light-cruiser before him. His hand curled up into a fist at the sight of it, "He got a damn cruiser while we were gone," He tried his best to restrain his voice, resisting the urge to shout at the top of his lungs. He panted heavily, his breath fogged up the cockpit window.
"I know, I know, I'm pissed off too. Hold your temper, remember what to do if he tries to pull something," Nakssa said.
Krunnoh could only grunt in response, his breathing too labored to say something.
With the click of a button, Nakssa activated his on-board comm-link, "Tessk, this is Nakssa"
A blast of white noise erupted from his speakers, "Nakssa? What are you doing here? Finally crawling back to us because you couldn't find any good jobs?"
"Not at all, we've got a job for you all actually. It'll be worth more than this entire ship"
"Really? I've opened up the hangar, I'll let Crultekss know you're here"
Krunnoh groaned.
"I'm not going to babysit you Krunnoh, either you keep yourself in check or I leave you here to wallow"
"Just go in, I'll follow you," Krunnoh said with a sigh.
Their fighters dipped to the side of the cruiser. The turrets were deactivated thankfully, none of them turned to them but just the sight of them were enough to Nakssa on edge. His time with the Separatists was still fresh on his mind. He'd spent his whole life with them practically. Old scars were always susceptible to reopening.
They made the slow approach. A group of four trandoshans awaited them at the very back of the hangar. Turrets sat on either side of the hangar, much larger than the others.
"I don't like this," Krunnoh said.
"Remember what to do, focus," Nakssa replied.
Their fighters landed on the floor with a soft thud. The hiss from their cockpits destabilizing filled the room.
Nakssa was the first to throw his cockpit window open.
"I'm surprised you came back," One of the older trandoshans said.
"Crussk, the only one here who knows what he's doing. I thought you were going off solo," Nakssa descended from his fighter, meeting Crussk with a short bow.
Crussk returned the gesture, "I had a change of heart. I went back to Trandosha to hunt game for awhile but that life was too simple. This," He threw an arm out, "There's nothing else like this, the mercenary life"
"That's right, hunting wookies gets boring quick doesn't it?"
"It does," Crussk turned to Krunnoh as he hopped down to the floor, "I suspected you two would still be working together"
"Yeah well, everyone else I've worked with had a habit of stealing all the money for themselves," Krunnoh said, glaring at one of the other trandoshans behind Crussk.
"You're still mad about that?" Khrigi said, a smile creeping onto his face.
"It wasn't just you, it was all of you, you're all-"
"Krunnoh!" Nakssa swatted at him from afar, "I didn't bring you here to argue," He turned back to Crussk, "Let's talk business already"
"Come," Crussk said, retreating back into the hangar entrance.
Nakssa stepped through, glancing back at Krunnoh who walked at a leisurely pace.
"Stop being such a child," Nakssa whispered to him.
"I'm just thinking of what to say to him after all this time," Krunnoh muttered back.
"Think faster"
Crussk kept a close eye on them through the entire system of hallways they walked through. They passed by other members. Some were familiar, others were entirely foreign to Nakssa's old eyes. Krunnoh scoffed at all the hard looks he received, 'I never did like any of them,' he thought.
Soon enough, they'd made it to the bridge of the cruiser.
Crultekss stood at the farthest end of the bridge, overlooking the planet of Skarish below.
"Crultekss, the two good-for-nothings are back, and they say they've got a job for us," Khrigi said.
"I didn't recognize your voice, Crussk, say that again," Crultekss said, turning around slowly.
Khrigi hung his head.
"Nakssa and Krunnoh have returned and supposedly with a lucrative job," Crussk said.
Crultekss strode closer to Nakssa and Krunnoh. He was the tallest out of all the trandoshans and the burliest as well. The founders of the cartel held great respect for him even back during their zenith at the very end of the war.
"I'm a busy man, explain yourself quickly," Crultekss said.
Krunnoh held back a snarky comment, clenching a fist behind his back.
"We believe we found the gang behind the downfall of the cartel. Not only that, but they're in control of a titanium mining operation," Nakssa said, putting on his best poker face. A faint tinge of fear lingered in the back of his mind. If he so wanted to, Crultekss could kill them on the spot. They were far outnumbered.
'Maybe we should bring a third just to make sure he's really dead afterwards,' Nakssa thought, 'He doesn't seem like the type of man to let two people get away with trying to murder him'
Crultekss laughed, the rest of his crew joined him, "That's a funny joke, but please tell me why you're really here"
Nakssa's face stayed stoic.
Crultekss hummed, "Do you have evidence?"
"I took a picture of their base and the titanium they sold"
"Send it to Crussk, I'll see if you're telling the truth. You already know what happens if we catch you lying"
"Does it look like I'm lying?" Nakssa said, staring intensely into Crultekss eyes.
Crultekss smiles, "This is why I like you old timer. You have passion, spirit, unlike the others of your age who die at the sight of a wookie"
In a flash, he grabbed him by the throat and threw him to the floor. Krunnoh drew his blaster and pointed it directly at Crultekss' head. It took all of his strength not to pull the trigger.
"Put it down," Crussk said, point a blaster at Krunnoh. The rest of the crew around them watched the situation unfold. The air was thick with tension.
"Calm yourself, Krunnoh," Nakssa said from the floor. He grunted as he stumbled back onto his feet.
Crultekss' rumbling laugh filled the silence of the room, "This is how a trandoshan should live. Do you feel that? That pumping of your blood? The shaking of your limbs? I can see the anger in your eyes," He said, strutting up closer to Krunnoh, "Do as Crussk says. Everyone here already knows how good of a shot you are. Do you really want to embarrass yourself again?"
Krunnoh's hands began to shake, his blaster wobbling along with him. He reluctantly put his weapon back into its holster. The second his arm withdrew from his waistband he threw a punch, striking Crultekss on the jaw.
Crultekss grabbed him by the opening in his leather jacket and picked him up into the air.
"This is why you never made it past being a squad commander," Crultekss rumbled, his voice laden with venom.
"Crultekss. Just look at the damn pictures and give us a date," Nakssa interrupted.
Crultekss threw Krunnoh sending him stumbling backwards, "We'll be ready by the end of the week. Give us the coordinates and be on your way," He said, turning back to the view outside.
"We'll give you the coordinates the same day of the attack"
Crultekss scoffed, "Have it your way. We'll be keeping a close eye on you two, don't run off"
Nakssa helped Krunnoh to his feet and practically ran out of the command bridge back to the hangar.
Krunnoh paced between their fighters, "We should've asked Skisi for help instead, I'm sure the rebellion on Daphermil has a fleet large enough to-"
Nakssa stopped him in his tracks, grabbing him by the shoulders, "It's done, we're locked in now. Don't tell me you're afraid"
Krunnoh swallowed, "I'm not"
Nakssa stepped back, "There was no one else that could help us with this, just accept that already"
His talons clicked against the metal floor of the hangar as he walked back to his fighter.
Krunnoh stood in the same spot, looking at nothing in particular, 'I have to do this. I have to kill him. Not just for Nakssa, but for dad too,' He trudged along back to the cockpit of his fighter, his heart still pounding.
A/N: Went to go watch The Creator yesterday. If you're a fan of Scifi and robots then it's a must watch, which, I mean, if you're reading this you're probably already a fan of both. Highly recommend, it's great, especially in theaters. Welcome to the all the new readers by the way. I'm glad there's this many people that love droids/robots as much as I do.