Clearout

[Thresh Sken]

Location: Xal 3

That was what the navigation computer read. I had never been here, much less even heard of the place. It was split down the middle with two very distinct, very opposite biomes. One freezing cold, and the other searing hot.

We were heading to the searing hot place. More minerals there, apparently. But we wren't there for the minerals. Well, not directly. My companion and I were hired out by an independant contractor to clear out an abandoned mining facility left on Xal 3. Apparently it was overrun by droids.

No problem! I thought when I accepted this job. But boy, was it hot here. I could feel it through the starship's hull. This did not bode well for the mission already. Thankfully, we had parked only about a kilometer away from the station, so it wasn't that long of a walk.

The mission: Clear out every rouge mechanical presence in the station.

The reason: Credits. Well, for me. For the contractor, a re-boot mine of a potentially valuable mineral deposit.

I stood with my gear in front of the landing ramp, waiting for my companion to show up so we could disembark and start towards the station.

My echani ritual brand? Check. Environmental suit? Borrowed from the contractor. Blaster? Well.... Who needs those anyway? Looks like I was all ready.

[member="Jaster Starfallen"]

 

[Jaster Starfallen]

I get off the transport and step into the hot, humid, and thick heat. These credits better be worth it. I didn't come out here to die in the heat or get melted by a volcano. That'd be terrible. Imagine the grave. Here lies the soldier that jumped into a volcano. But the extreme temperatures and droids would kill me before I ever got close to a volcano. It's a good thing I brought along my nice refreshing environment suit to prevent the burning heat. For the somewhat deadly and deranged droids I brought my rifle. Hasn't failed me yet, and it'll be overkill for a bunch of scrap metal. I sling my trusty M19 Falcon rifle over my shoulder and trudge through the oppressive air towards the shadowy, yet somewhat familiar, figure in the distance. I do a quick rundown of my equipment in my head.

Suit, rifle, sidearm, ammo, four smart grenades, two ion grenades, padded environmental suit, knife, missing anything...? Only time will tell. Besides that I have my comm, datapad, flashlight, sample drill, some snacks, and a watch. Call me old school. Otherwise that's pretty much it.

I finally arrive next to my partner. I notice the dark fur, the familiar stance, and the double bladed sword at the person's side. Only one person I know uses that...

"Thresh? What are the odds?" I exclaim at the familiar face. It's good to see him. I'm glad I am working with a previous associate. I can't wait to get started now.

[member="Thresh Sken"]

 

[Thresh Sken]

I hear a familiar voice behind me. I turn with a smile on my face.

"Jaster! I can't believe it! You looking for some easy money too?"

I notice his military stance, the easy way his rifle is slung over his should and the bunches of grenades that he always brings with him. And his sidearm.

"Got any extra of those? I'm starting to regret not getting that E-11 I found at a junk yard. You could've fixed it right up." I had finally come to my senses and realized that I should probably have a blaster for long-ranged combat, just in case. You can't solve all your problems with a sword.

[member="Jaster Starfallen"]

 

[Jaster Starfallen]

"I can't make all my credits by special missions." It's mostly true. Plus I needed some time away from the military sometimes. Besides, this sounded like a really easy mission.

Thresh asks me if I have an extra blaster, which I don't. But I don't need my sidearm. I never use it. My rifle is just too good and special.

"You're in luck. You can have this." I pull my sidearm out and hand it to him. Then I undo my drop leg holster and give that to him too. "It's a DE-10 revolver. Here you go." I hand Thresh the gun, holster, and extra six mags.

"Now, how about killing some droids?" A wide grin spreads across my face.

[member="Thresh Sken"]

 

[Thresh Sken]

"Thanks, Jaster!" A sidearm was better than nothing. As I attached the holster to my leg and put the weapon in it, I asked, "Ready?"

I pressed the button to lower the ramp. A wave of heat hit me as hot air rushed in through the ever widening gap. It made me stumble just from the sheer intensity of it. It was sweltering even inside my environmental suit, something I had not expected. As I took my first steps onto the planet, I noticed the station in the distance. The heat was radiating off of the ground, obscuring my vision even in the UV spectrum. I started the long haul towards the station, thinking of nothing else but putting one foot in front of the other. Making progress. Getting out of this heat.

[member="Jaster Starfallen"]

 

[Jaster Starfallen]

I nod in reply to Thresh's thanks. It was no problem at all. I stand as the ramp lowers and the hot air rushes in and envelops me in a warm hug. I'm already sweating at the first wave of heat and we haven't even started. I walk through the even hotter air towards Thresh's small form, following him to the distant station.

A while later...

"Mother of moons, that was hot!" I exclaim as I step into the station. The air is cooler here and it's most welcome after the scorching heat outside. "Well, we're here now, now what are we facing?" I pull out my datapad. I scroll through the information I was sent. "Nothing here, ah. Here we are. It's Mark II mining droids. Slightly modified to their days' standards, but no wonder they went crazy. Extreme heat and their old age. Probably corrupted their code is my best guess. It doesn't say what they're equipped with though. Sooner or later we will find out. Let's go."

I walk through the second door that leads to a hallway. This place is big. I pull out my map and look at the large facility. It's got two floors and an entire mining, pit? If you could call it that. Mining here was abandoned because of the droids, but there was also a lava leak down in the mine. There's a pool of lava at the bottom of the 'pit' which probably caused a lot of damage. Lots of catwalks, abandoned tunnels, and a bunch of other stuff. I skip through the rest of the map history and description, because it's boring. Point is, find droids and kill them.

"How will we find ALL the droids? It'd be impossible to hunt them all down." I ask Thresh Sken.

[member="Thresh Sken"]

 

[Thresh Sken]

I let out a sigh as the cooler air in the facility washes over me. I listen intently to Jaster's run-down of the droids we're supposed to be facing, but it really doesn't mean much to me. I never really was interested in the mining industry. Although he has a point. How can we find all the droids? That was our job. Eliminate all of them. And I intend to get my credit's worth of this mission.

"Well," I say aloud "Did you bring any scanners? Thermal could maybe find their running engines, but the lava would obscure it the lower we get. Could X-ray work?"

To be honest I have no idea. What do you use to find a droid? All I really know is how to dismantle them. With ion charges or repetitive percussive techniques (that's where my sword comes in handy).

"Do you have any ides?" I ask him, hoping that we won't have to comb this place room by room, hallway by hallway. But you have do what you what you have to do.

[member="Jaster Starfallen"]

 

[Jaster Starfallen]

"Thermal wouldn't work. The entire area would be glowing red with heat. I didn't bring an X-ray scanner. Wouldn't help with all the tunnels around here." I think. What would a droid need or be attracted to down here. If they've been down here for years they'd need parts, power. And if their code is corrupted they'd be free to do what they need to survive. Which means they're probably scavengers! They'd take apart other machines to keep themselves alive.

I snap my fingers. "Got it. The droids must be scavengers right? They've been down here for years with no parts or power. They probably cannibalize other machines to power themselves. If we kill one or more of the Mark II droids more will come to scavenger their parts. All we have to do is kill one and wait for more to show up. But we need bait."

I grab one of my extra power packs and hold it up.

"This will work. Leave it in an easy to see place and droids will swarm. Let's go find a spot."

I remember seeing a hallway leading to the catwalks. If the power pack is left right on the edge visible to both hallway and catwalks, a droid should come soon. We just need to walk there.

[member="Thresh Sken"]

 

[Thresh Sken]

"Alright... Whatever you say, Jaster." I hunker down in the hallway while he positions the power pack. I hold my echani ritual brand in an experienced grip, ready to leap out and start hacking. I don't really know what to expect, these droids. Huge? Well armed? I don't have a clue. Jaster comes back and crouches next to me, shouldering his rifle. I am quiet. I know not to disrupt him while he's concentrating. We only have to wait about 15 minuets. I hear a mechanical whirring coming from the other side of the hallway. I don't know if Jaster has heard it yet. I flick my ears to let him know that I heard something. He remains motionless.

The noise is constantly getting louder. I guess Jaster's plan worked, after all. I see Jaster lean out into the hallway, sighting down his scope. I watch as he slowly depresses the trigger on his rifle.

[member="Jaster Starfallen"]

 

[Jaster Starfallen]

BLAM Blam blam blam blam

The sound of my rifle firing echoes across the mine. I knew it would happen, but it still surprised me. I get up from my kneeling position and inspect the body. I knew I hit it, right in the head. The droid is humanoid, with a drill for a hand on the right and well, a hand for a hand on the left. I kneel closer. Where I hit the head, right in between the eyes, the plasma still sizzles. From what I can tell the droid had infrared vision sensors, night vision filters, and normal spectrum sensors. Not unusual for a hot mining planet. I just wonder how this droid survived with just a drill for a weapon in what must be a scavenging community. Those are questions for later though.

I drag the body to where the power pack is and pocket the ammo. Might need it later. I set the body right where the pack was and settle in to wait for more droids. I whisper to Thresh, "These droids can clearly see us. They have all kinds of sensors. We just need to make it so the rewards outweigh the risks for them. Do that ear twitch thing again to let me know when a droid is approaching. One twitch, for each droid. If it's five or more tap me and I'll use an ion grenade. If none come for a while, we'll change position so we're less visible. Good hunting."

I hope the plan works. I hate wasting time.

[member="Thresh Sken"]

 

[Thresh Sken]

I settle in for a long wait. After a little while, I hear more motors incoming. It sounded like two or three, they were all whirring and overlapping, which made it difficult to distinguish one from another. I ask Jaster, "How many shots does this sidearm hold?" I don't wait for an answer. I leap out into the hallway, bringing my echani ritual brand. I rush to the other end of the hallway where the downed droid is, and leap out into the open. I wasn't about to let Jaster have all the fun.

Well, I wasn't prepared for this. The one in the front has a plasma cutter, which is pointed right at me. There is one other droid following close behind the first one, revving its drill. Mildly concerning, considering my current predicament. I waste no time in reacting. I swing my echani ritual brand up and over, slicing the plasma drill that was warming up. I bring it behind me, back up and around and plunge it through the droid, right about where I thought the main processor was. The blade also pierces the second droid, in its right shoulder. I yank my sword free and kick the now deactivated droid into its companion behind it. I hear a shot ring out behind me and see a blaster burn through the head components of both of the droids.

They fall over with a heavy metal thud. I turn my head and bear my fangs, looking at Jaster who is still sighting down his rifle.

"Come on, man! You're really letting all of the air out of my oxygen tank! You've got to let me have some fun here too."

This is starting to seem too easy. But I don't think about it. All that matters is evening the score with Jaster.

[member="Jaster Starfallen"]

 

[Jaster Starfallen]

"You'll get your fun kid. These are the easy ones. And the sidearm holds six shots." I say as I grin. "Two and two. Whoever wins buys drinks."

I drag the bodies to the pile and settle in for another wait. As I wait I turn to Thresh.

"So kid, tell me about yourself. Forceuser, warrior, not all that. Why?" I'd be interesting to see why for one thing, but understanding him is another.

[member="Thresh Sken"]

 

[Thresh Sken]

"Thanks, I say." I smile. "It's a deal. When we get out of here. How about we keep moving for now, and just try to clear this first floor?"

I prefer to walk and talk.

"Well, let's see. About me. Well, I'm one of the few members of my species that you'll ever see. It's very difficult to get off of my planet. It has valuable minerals on its surface, but it's no guarantee you'd be able to survive the entry and exit from the atmosphere. It's just too dense. Many have tried, and few have succeeded. My species dwells underground because of such harsh conditions. Hence, my appearance and abilities."

I hear a loud report over my shoulder, Jaster's rifle barking and releasing one hi-powered charge. I jerk up and notice a droid had just come around the bend, and I hadn't realized it. Jaster apparently had. I just smile and keep on walking.

"Is that what you wanted? I'm not quite sure if that's what u were looking for, but that's some about me."

[member="Jaster Starfallen"]

 

[Jaster Starfallen]

"Well it's certainly a start. Any family, friends, or other people in you life?" I say, just to keep the conversation moving. As we walk and talk I scan around us, especially the cieling and catwalks. I'm the only one of us two to reach up there.

"Oh and three to two." But as I say that I see two droids on the catwalk, trying to hide. I shoot both with two easy shots. Their lights give them away in these dark tunnels. "Make that five to two. Catch up kid!" I say in a friendly, but competitive way. As we walk we approach a hangar door. In the map it says it used to open up for spacecraft, but has long since stopped working.

I slip to the right side of the door. "Alright, we're gonna have to go in guns blazing. Their sensors would have picked us up by now. You open the door, I'll roll a grenade in. You go low I'll take high. Besides that you take close combat. I only have a knife."

 

[Thresh Sken]

"Nope." I say. "Nobody".

We walk in silence, broken only by Jaster's two droids down. I bear my fangs, but say nothing. I really need to stay on guard. We reach the hanger door. I trust Jaster's quick assessment, and crouch low. No use trying to stay in the shadows. They probably have visuals on me on over three different sensors.

"Ready." I say. The doors creak open, and I rush in. There are four droids hovering to the left side of the door, just staring at me. Not doing anything. I wonder if we've actually jumped the gun. Are these guys really just lost, harmless mining droids? Blasted fire lances behind me as Jaster starts firing away at droids along the other side of the room. I guess he didn't want to risk hitting me.

The droids in front of me perk up, and start advancing in a menaceing way. Probably are in full-on defense mode now. Ah well. Maybe another try later, if they haven't transmitted a warning of hostile a to every other droid in the place yet.

I swing my sword in front of me in a vicious pears cut, cleaving the first droid in two. I leap in between the falling pieces of metal, and thrust my blades parallel with the ground into the next two droids, taking hem out. The last droid reacts with a now-fired up plasma cutter, which lances past me into the ground. I spin and being my arm up, extending it for a finishing blow, when I feel a tickle on my elbow. I execute the manuver, imp along the droid, and pull back.

I shake the loose metal husk off of my blades, and look down at my left arm. Huh. I was actually singed by that droid. That shouldn't have happened. I look across at Jaster's progress, ano see a droid lurking in the corner. I ship out the sidearm Jaster gave me and fire a single shot, melting the droid's core circuitry. There. I feel a little better now. I call over to Jaster "The count's seven now. What's yours?"

 

[Jaster Starfallen]

We enter the room and I see Thresh hesitate to destroy the droids. I don't. I open fire on the three droids to my right, turn to the center of the room and gun down one on a catwalk. Thresh shoots a droid I missed behind a cargo container and I nod to him in thanks. I hear his question and I respond with a simple. "Nine."

The hangar has a bunch of boxes scattered around it making for a large maze. I enter through it and look for droids. The dangerous part is if they're hiding right around the corner. Their melee weapons and superior scanners could make for many ambushes. The thought gives me an idea.

"Thresh, can you climb on top of all these containers? Be my spotter and let me know where the droids are."

I have a really bad feeling about this. A maze with no droids, and not a single ambush. Seems a little too easy for the hordes of droids that want to kill us. If they really did want to...

 

[Thresh Sken]

"Sure" I respond. I scramble my way to the highest container I can find, and look around the hanger. Boxes, boxes and more boxes. And...

Wait. What was that? A glint of light off of a metal surface. My hunter's eyes register the momentary flare in my peripheral vision. I snap my eyes to the place where it occurred. It seems like...

"Jaster!" I call out, my voice beginning to rise with the urgency of the situation. "Large droids advancing at your... at your 8!" I glance backwards to judge Jaster's position from the droids. I do a quick run-down for him.

"Larger droids than the ones we just took down. Heavy. Use rollers to move. About eight feet tall. Bulky. But they look like they have some serious weaponry..." Then it dawns on me. A place this big needed security to make sure nobody could sabatouge the facility and make it collapse into the giant pit dug underneath of it. "Jaster," I say again nervously "these... these are the security droids. The real deal."

[member="Jaster Starfallen"]

 

[Jaster Starfallen]

"Bantha Fodder." I say. I'll be trapped in the maze if I don't act quickly. There's a tunnel at my 8:00, I think that's where they're coming from. There are also tunnels at my 6:00, 12:00, and 3:00. I look around, senses ready to detect even the slightest noise. Squeak. 8:00. Squeak boom. Boom. Two from the 12:00. That means either the 3:00 tunnel is trapped or the one behind me is. Or both. If I go backwards then I can probably set up a chokepoint for the droids. I'll just have to get past however many are waiting for me.

"I'm heading down the 6:00 tunnel! Just make sure nothing jumps down on top of me. I got ground, you take air." I hope Thresh understands what I mean, but the clock is ticking. No pun intended.

I rush down the 6:00 tunnel and there's a path branching off of it. Most likely spot for hiding. Sure enough, two security droids step out. But I'm prepared. I throw one of my ion grenades between the two droids. It goes off and the droids are stunned momentarily. I keep running towards them, full sprint. When I'm less than two feet away I slide between one of the security droid's legs. As I slide I drop one of my grenades, set to Explosive. I get up from my slide, now behind the droids, and keep running. Four seconds later there's a loud Ba-boom and then the sound of metal husks hitting the floor. Two down, a whole lot more to go. I reach the end of the maze and set up my own ambush. I set an ion grenade down in the maze, ready to blow when I want it to. Then I climb atop a container and lay down, giving me a good vantage point, but also good cover.

"Thresh, you go over there." I say pointing to a container not far ahead of mine, but on the opposite side. "On my mark, jump down and wreak havoc."

We lie in wait for the droids to fall, hopefully unsuspectingly, into our trap. I just have one fear. If they get behind us, we're most likely dead.

[member="Thresh Sken"]

 

[Thresh Sken]

I try to keep up with Jaster, climbing and running along containers, always keeping track of the larger security droids close behind. I see Jaster demolish two other droids, then set up camp on top of a container near mine. I climb to a container right below mine, where Jaster wants me to ambush the droids. I can only hope they don't see me. I now don't have the luxury of tracking their position, so I grip my double bladed sword in anticipation for their sudden appearance.

I see the security droids come around the corner quickly, no doubt hearing the destruction of their fellow droids and hastening to intercept the instigator of the incident. I see [member="Jaster Starfallen"] 's grenade go off, and the security droids temporarily shut down. But their systems are beefier, and they start a reboot almost immediately. I jump down from my perch and drive my sword through the top half of the droid, clinging to its back. I tug my sword out the side, causing even more damage and hopefully shutting the droid down. Jaster is pelting the other droid with laser fire, but I don't know if it's effective. The droid's armour is glowing with the heat, but no signs that it's armour has been pierced yet are showing. So I proceed to stab it in the side of the armour, where its processor is. I yank it out the top of the droid, so it peels in half and falls to the floor. All of a sudden, I feel something grasp my leg in a vice grip. It's the droid I thought I downed earlier. And it has its heaviest weapon pointed right at me

 

[Jaster Starfallen]

My blaster fire is useless. The security droid's armour is too thick, and too durable. Luckily for me, Thresh swoops in and slices one droid to pieces. I fire continuously at the second security droid trying to distract it. I see Thresh switch his focus from the downed droid to the one still standing. He manages to dismember it but I see him flinch and stare at his leg. I look towards the downed droid and see it's hand holding on to Thresh's leg in a death grip. The next thing I notice is it's heavy laser warming up. Not good. Not good at all. I switch from plasma fire to railgun. I aim for the head of the droid and quickly fire. The droid goes down and it's light shut off.

More droids are approaching and I hastily reload. "Thresh, to the trees! I mean the containers!" I say half-heartedly making a joke. I aim down the path to the line of droids. I line up a shot and fire through the line of droids, taking down some and only slowing down some. I look for Thresh, but I don't see him. "Thersh! Catch!" I throw a grenade, unactivated of course, for him to use. "Unarmed!" I say as an afterthought, just in case. He's got a better position to throw it.



[member="Thresh Sken"]