What a Piece of Junk

[Cassius Droma]

The entire complex was dark - perhaps this was when the owner slept. While the young Jedi was glad to be out of the toxic precipitation, there was still a sense of worry that had settled in his stomach. They could be found out at any moment, and if they were, they would be surrounded by battle droids in a locked-down fortress.

He took Ar’ekk’s advice and went through the half-open door leading into the rest of the compound. Cassius tried to extend his senses with the Force, but it was difficult. He’d been taught to sense life… and battle droids weren’t alive. The smallest hints of sentient life could be felt - the owner and possibly a few guests, but other than that, he couldn’t tell where any other threats were.

Once they climbed a winding stone staircase, they made it to a rather large chamber - the main one, Cassius had to assume. The only light came from the large, circular window facing out the front, the sickly atmosphere casting an eerie light across the floor and walls. A step up lead to a long dining table next to the window, and just beyond that, under the window, was another table, this one with trinkets and odds. Even in the low light, Cassius could see the item he needed - the second half of the map.

Reaching out with his left hand, he could feel the object with the Force, and called it to him. He figured that the less they walked around and risked tripping sensors, the better. He was proven wrong, however, when red lights and a loud siren activated the moment the map left the table - it must have been pressure-rigged. The item hit his palm, and he placed it in his belt, but now they had bigger problems.

The hard stomps and clanking of battle droids heading up the stairs came their way. Cassius activated his lightsaber once again, getting into a defensive position. Briefly, he looked over his shoulder to the window. Wouldn’t be a terrible way to escape...

[member="Ar'ekk"]

 

[Arekk]

"I have a bad feeling about this." Ar'ekk said when they triggered the alarm, unaware of how many enemy forces were coming their way. The loud sound of the droids stomping on the metallic ground were a good indication that they were in inminent danger and things would turn nasty in a couple of seconds. The Jedi duo ignited their lightsabers and stood behind each other's backs as they adapted the Soresu stance although an escape route was spotted by Cassius at first that would mean it wasn't necessary to engage in a battle at all. Run to live for another day, the quote said.

"Or maybe not. Where you want to go?" He asked in a rushed tone, the blue beaming plasma of his blade reflecting upon the half-mask he wore.

As he finished saying that, a blast door opened in front of them with a squad of B1 droids firing everything they've got to finally put the Jedi down for good. Ar'ekk provided protection for his fellow friend and in the meantime he would scan the best place to escape, laser bolts deflecting off his lightsaber as they continued to talk loudly.

"Think fast!"

[member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

The blaster bolts started firing, and Cassius’s mind started working. All synapses fired to make a singular decision. Transferring his lightsaber solely to his left hand, he grabbed his blaster with his right, deactivating the saber and clipping it back onto his belt as he pointed his ranged weapon at the glass window. Firing three shots, the heated tibanna gas blasted through the glass, sending it shattering out into the dreary environment beyond the threshold.

“Let’s move!” he yelled, running for the window, shooting over his shoulder at the battle droids. He opened himself to the Force, letting it flow through him as he allowed it to enhance his movements. Leaping up to the table, he pushed off of it and twisted, reaching his hand out back towards the long counter next to the window. A large tray flung towards him and he caught it, twisting back around and using the Force to put the tray at his feet.

Cassius hit the rocky decline and started to slide down it on the tray, kicking up bits of rock as he went. Blaster bolts few past him, and Cassius skidded around, now heading backwards down the hill, and fired off a few shots. One of them actually hit, and a battle droid fell out of the window, clanking down the hill next to them. Once at the bottom, Cassius skidded to an ugly halt, falling off of the tray and rolling to a stop. Grunting, he managed to get back up. He’d gotten beaten up a lot more than he thought he would on this little mission – and they’d been to Nar Shaddaa.

He wasn’t sure how Ar’ekk would follow suit, but one thing was for sure: he had confidence that the masked man would be able to make it down to the bottom of the hill safer than he did.

The two eventually made it back to the Ebon Hawk, and as Cassius lifted the ship off and into the upper atmosphere, Cassius eagerly reached into his belt, pulling out the second piece of the map. Picking up the first piece from the console where he’d left it, he combined the pieces. The now fully formed piece glowed blue and sprung to life, projecting a map full of… numbers.

It was encrypted. There was no way he could read this thing now. At least, not without spending time to try and decode it.

“What a piece of junk,” he muttered angrily under his breath.

[member="Ar'ekk"]