The Legion’s Foil

Knibbec scrambles out of the way just as the large rodian tumbles down the shaft.

"The bigger they are, the faster they fall. Until terminal velocity anyway."

Now back on solid ground, he pulls his blaster out and hides behind the rodian's hover chair for cover. "Two down! You all should give up and join us! Or at least retreat."

It was not the Jedi way to cut down the retreating stormtrooper, certainly not out of fear of failure or anger at being discovered. If Hss'kas had to fight his way out again, he would confidently do so, but at this point it was crucial to get to Thorsh. The Trandoshan let the trooper go; instead he swiftly ducked into the lab that Thorsh had holed herself up in, surveying the room to see if he would have to deal with anyone else inside, and more importantly if there were any other exits apart from the one he entered through.

"Hello there," Hss'kas remarked laconically, observing to see what Ado Thorsh was up to, whether she was pointing a blaster in his direction. Could he tell what the lab work was all about, that was so important to the Alliance for them to want her? And were they closer to understanding how this outpost came to be here?

Plunking down into what almost seems like a cockpit for someone his size, Plok takes control of the repulsor-chair… and its blaster.

He says something* to Knibbec quickly, then glides the chair over towards where the Stormtroopers are trying to fight their way into the room, past Glarc and the other pirates who are already fighting back against the Imperial forces.

PEW-PEW flashes the chair blaster, sending heavy bolts of energy down that corridor! PEW-PEW! If he manages to take out a troopers or two, or a probe droid — great! And if one of the pirates flanking the door happens to get in the way, well…

* Did you get the codes?! Climb aboard! This thing is like a repulsor tank!

AC-D3 keeps swinging! "Let me at 'em! Let me at 'em!" He's determined to slash down anything that comes toward PQ. But, if he sees a discard blaster from a fallen foe, he will pick that up and switch to blaster mode!

"Yeah, I got the codes! I almost felt bad for blasting him after!" The jawa climbs aboard the hover tank.

PEW PEW PEW! goes the chair-blaster, and Plok shouts something* to the Jawa as he keeps firing! PEW PEW!

* For real?! NICE!

Hss’kas ducks into the room, and is greeted with an array of flashing red. Each of the consoles in the small laboratory signal warnings and catastrophic failures…

"You…" Ado Thorsh says, a blaster in her hand but not raised at the Jedi. She steps around a table, so at least that much is between her and the Jedi, should he choose to strike!

"Your kind… We had heard rumors." she goes on, and her eyes fall on the sword in the Trandoshan’s hand. It’s like competes with the consoles in the room…

Hss’kas looks beyond and behind the Imperial Scientist and spies another exit at the far side. An avenue for retreat, if she needed one.

"Come to take your revenge?" she says, moving about the room, but making sure to keep space between herself and Hss’kas. He gets the impression that she is trying to see behind him; to check if her cavalry was soon approaching!

AC-D3 watches Plok and Knibbec race off in the hover chair, but realizes their objective is down the other passage.

"Com'on, PQ! Let's go get this Thorsh lady. The Jedi has probably cut through that door by now."

He scoops the fallen blaster off the floor and hides it behind his bulky body. Just before they leave, he spits the mouse droid out of his trash compactor and into the shaft, where he can't cause harm (hopefully).

"That thing was useless! Alright, let's move out!"

PEW!
(Damage for the Chair Blaster. Also I am SO MAD about that blaster the droid just took!)

The doors swooosh open between the elevator room and the room now filled to the brim with Imperial Troopers; their sights set on hunting down a prized Jedi.

Several blasters turn towards the door, and then emerges C4PQ and AC-D3. Red light blasts from Greeg’s discarded blaster, as AC-D3 commits to the flank! Little did he know that he was buying Hss’kas precious time to grab the prize before they could make their way back to the ship!

The blast finds white armor, and a stormtrooper slumps down, before the others open fire on the droids!

One trooper’s shot finds AC-D3!

Atop their new heavy machinery, Knibbec and Plok zip towards the south-most exit back to the hanger. Pirates look back, with worry on the their faces, as the murderous rebels approach.

Then the Rodian Bounty Hunter lines up some shots to go between the pirates, and into the troopers beyond. Heavy pews ring out, and then a spark shoots out from someone in the dark room beyond. Plok had found his target!

As he pushes the advance, pirates open fire into the room also!

A torrent of laser fire! Redd, supporting a firing ZS-24, pour their weapons onto the white armor. Glarc charges in soon after the giant chair that held Knibbec and Plok, and goes at the troopers with his heavy and brutal melee weapon!

Where there had once been five troopers, there was now only one!

It would be small work for Knibbec to shoot the last trooper and free up this flank; giving both rebels and pirates an escape route back to the hanger!

Knibbec puts one foot on the top of the hover chair with one foot inside, in a power spread for maximum balance. He screams "Utinni!" as he opens fire at the remaining trooper!

"Revenge?" Hss'kas replied quizzically. "I bear no grudge against the likes of you. However, the Alliance has need of your knowledge. Call off the stormtroopers, now. And either come with me willingly, or I will not be as courteous." With that, the Jedi leapt into action over the table, closing the gap in a split second, saber flashing in a dizzying spin. He wasn't about to cut Thorsh down, but only wanted to knock Thorsh out if she didn't comply, but she didn't have to know that. "Now."

AC-D3 takes the hit square in the reactor. Black smoke billows out of the hole in his body. He looks up to PQ as his optical sensors fade "PQ, you gotta make it out of here alive..."His lights fade and blaster falls out of his grabber arm as he keels over...

Somewhere, over the sound of much pew-pewing, Plok can be heard sniggering.

C4PQ stands frozen for a moment, his photoreceptors dimming slightly as the small plumes of smoke rise from AC-D3’s motionless form. His servos click faintly as he tightens his grip on the blaster, but there’s no grand gesture, no dramatic cry. Just a faint, static-laced sigh.

"Oh, AC…" his voice crackles, softer than usual. "I did tell you to stay behind..."

He steps closer, nudging AC’s fallen blaster with the tip of his foot before stooping down to retrieve it. There’s no time for mourning — not properly.

"No sense in wasting good hardware," he mutters, more to himself than anyone else, before turning sharply toward the firefight ahead.

Even in loss, protocol must be maintained.