STS. LOG-061. (Patreon)

LOG-061.

“My calculations were correct. The inquisitor has abandoned his soldiers.”

I considered Kraken’s words, even as I watched the alien in question carve his way through a nearby door, ignoring the cries of nearby clones and recruited soldiers alike, before disappearing into another section of the ship.

“You anticipated this?”

If an ST-series could sound smug, my superior was definitely doing his best impression of the tone, one hand rising up to clench into a fist as we both observed the surviving members of the boarding party huddle closer and closer, forming a rough circle of shields as each path they might have taken to escape was steadily flooded by more and more droids.

“Organics can be unpredictable, but certain strategies remain effective. Our records indicate that new commanders have a tendency to flag beneath overwhelming odds. The pressure brought forth by the destroyer droids ensured this. Combined with the typical Jedi nature of separating from a larger force to engage in independent operations, and it was a reasonable prediction to make.”

Some of the troopers were throwing down their weapons and raising their arms in surrender now, to the furious shouting of the obvious officer standing in their midst. Staring as Bacara attempted to bully the less than willing men to the front of the firing line, I tilted my head.

“We should offer them the opportunity to surrender.”

My counterpart paused at that, golden photoreceptors turning towards me, a hint of perplexity in his voice.

“You believe there is value in capturing them?”

Nodding, I kept one optic on the visual feeds being broadcasted from a team of commando droids that had been dispatched to hunt down the Fifth Brother, even as I idly lamented the lack of a proper bearded chin that I could scratch. Blasted metal body.

“In most cases, clone troopers may be deprogrammed following the removal of their biochips. Surrendering those same troopers to the Clone Underground will turn enemy combatants into allied guerilla units that may assist in a number of operations. I am certain the common enlisted soldiers may also have some use as well.”

The admiral remained silent in the face of my explanation, and for just an instant I could have been forgiven for assuming that he had elected to ignore me.

Then he turned, gesturing towards the same B1 comm specialist that had ordered the droidekas deployed in the first place.

“Very well. Broadcasting a demand for unconditional surrender. Order those units equipped with the appropriate armaments to swap over to stun rounds as well.”

“Roger roger!”

Resisting the urge to pump a fist into the air in victory, I turned my full attention back to the commando unit visuals, even as crimson bolts of plasma were quickly enough replaced by shocking stun rings, cries of pain and surrender ringing out over the surveillance feed.

That was the rank and file dealt with. Now we just needed to handle the two rats skulking about Kraken’s ship.

With any luck, they’d be taken down well before either of them reached anything important, though I wasn’t going to cross any mechanical fingers on that particular hope.

—

“And? Did they manage to break through?”

Her little helper let out a shrill whistle, the ID9 seeker droid’s spinning motion causing its limbs to flail about briefly, even as Sienna let out an exasperated sigh, the sound modulated slightly by the presence of her mask.

“The dolts have fallen already? Stars above, what’s the point of subordinates these days when you can’t even rely on them? Should have just stuck with droids…”

The construct’s agreeable warble earned it a quick pat, even as the inquisitor turned towards the other end of the hall she had found herself in, eyes narrowing at the rapidly approaching sounds of multiple footsteps. One pair organic, and multiple of a more metallic persuasion.

A brief probe through the force revealed the identity of the leading figure seconds before he burst around the corner, lips twisted into a snarl beneath his transparent faceplate and chest heaving slightly in exertion, no doubt after having sprinted across the span of a hostile dreadnought in favour of using its internal trams.

Smirking slightly at her counterpart’s state, the Mirialan known as the Seventh Sister quickly frowned as what exactly her ‘Brother’ was running from made itself apparent, an entire group of commando droids tearing around the corner right behind him, blasters firing full tilt.

For an instant, the former Jedi hesitated. Not out of fire but…nostalgia, surprisingly enough. If someone had told her she’d have come to miss her encounters with the overly acrobatic machines, she likely would have stabbed them clean through with her old saber. But now…

“Stop staring and assist me damn you!”

Rolling her eyes as the man slid to a stop next to her, she drew forth her lightsaber and activated it, the crimson blades spilling out to match his own. Another click prompted the innovative spin the newer models had been built around, and from there it was simply a matter of locking ranks with her comrade and turning the tables.

Blaster bolts flew and were deflected as the pair rushed at the dozen and change BX droids, some shots slamming into nearby walls and leaving sizzle marks upon their surfaces, even as others were redirected back towards those who had fired them.

The counter charge lasted all of a few seconds before the two forces reached one another, and then they were in melee.

Their battle didn’t last very long. The commandos evidently hadn’t been equipped with the appropriate measures required to deal with Force users, and so despite their attempts at fighting back, most were dealt with quickly, their frames either telekinetically smashed into the walls or ceiling, or sliced apart into various pieces.

Ignoring her counterpart’s victorious grin, Sienna luxuriated in watching the light flicker out of her latest victim’s photoreceptors, the shapely droid falling backwards and clattering to the ground in a heap as it slid off of her weapon.

Eyes briefly tracing over its form before she caught herself, the inquisitor twisted about, locking gazes with her fellow operative right as he finished slamming a boot down upon another BX’s head, denting it.

“It would appear that Lord Vader was correct once again. The bait worked perfectly…”

Her words earned an irritated grunt, with the Fifth Brother stepping past her, shoulder smacking against her own in a pointless show of hostility as he pressed forward, further down the hallway.

“At the cost of our fleet and our soldiers. We were supposed to survive to report the enemy’s position so that he could track them down. Now we have to either take the bridge and activate the self-destruct sequence, or find a way off of this ship and back to friendly territory.”

Briefly entertaining the notion of just letting him wander off on his own, she finally let out a grunt, drawing his attention with the sound while motioning behind her with a pointed thumb.

“...Then we’ll do so. And for the record, the bridge is this way, genius.”

Another snarl answered her ever so helpful advice, though the other inquisitor did turn around.

Watching in silence as the overly angry man stalked off without her, Sienna sighed, before rolling a shoulder as her little helper landed upon it, twisting about and moving to follow behind her fellow turncoat.

Honestly, acting like a padawan all the time…she wouldn’t be surprised if this was what her old master had experienced with her, back before everything had gotten so complicated…