Let there be Light

[Grug]

Grug had lacked motivation to join the trip in the first place. Now that the Jedi transport ended up in this horrid system with no contact, he was a bit annoyed. The Gamorrean was motivated by food adventures not abandoned space station adventures. Jubba was at least here with him, but his mind still drifted to thoughts of Cora (@Sreeya) and whether or not he would get to see her again. Her latest injury was bad and now he couldn't be there yet again. She likely hated Grug by now. He knew he had helped save her life, but it did not make him feel good inside. She still got hurt.

"Jubba, think Cora ok?" He asked his friend who had arrived in time to see the damage. "Not am stop think."

The ones responsible were dead. It was not the Jedi way to go for revenge, and it wasn't revenge necessarily, but it felt good. She could maybe rest easy knowing that her valiant defense saved younglings or weaker Jedi from their attacks. Grug was thinking about everything except the briefing they were just given. 'Go to the power station and get power back up.'

The iconic pair had been chosen to go get the job done. It seemed weird to send the two perhaps dumbest Jedi to do a technical job, but that was the decision made. Droids would be guarding the station, but a pair of Jedi could handle that battle. Grug was not one to sneak and Jubba was a giant fething slug. This would be a battle. A battle that Grug intended to win for the sake of his fellow Jedi in order to restore power and call home. To check on Cora's status.

"Come Jubba, big fight now."

@Xorism @Wit

 

[Jubba the Mutt]

Jubba felt bad for his friend, being dragged away on business so soon after their most recent ordeal and leaving their mutual friend Cora behind had put Grug in a bad way. Still, the Jedi were masterful at taking care of the sick and injured and there likely wasn't anywhere better to be than a proper Jedi temple when one needed assistance, although this wouldn't help Grug too much.

"Cora fine Grug, Jedi best." thinking back to the fateful day, it wasn't pretty but it wasn't fatal either. "Grug very brave, she saw."

The pair would be fine for sure with Grug's nose for battle and Jubba's oversized appetite for an adventure they would surely overcome any obstacle with the aid of the force. The only problem was finding where they were supposed to go, they were to look for a power station and turn it on, that's all about they remembered.

"Grug look, droids. Ask them where station."

@Cazar

 

[The Storyteller]

As the odd pairing of Jedi entered the interior of the seemingly deserted western portion of the shipping yard, they would be greeted by nothing more than an eerie and all-consuming silence, punctuated by slight fizzles of disconnected wiring and the occasional clatter of metal as one of the moved through the abandoned station. At first, it truly appeared as though they were alone and this had been nothing more than a green milk run. However, the instant they began to make conversation and move in the slightest since their ship's departure, the working lights in the area began to flicker and crackle. From the darkness behind them, a pair of crimson glowing eyes hummed into being, the grinding and screeching of rusted gears could be heard activating as the remote sentry began to shuffle forward, still bathed in the half light.

"Statement: You are unauthorized to access the shipyard. In the name of the Engineering Corps and through the authority of pecuniary privatized, et cetera, et cetera... you are hereby commanded to forfeit all rights and privileges, and so on. Resistance is a forfeiture of compliance."

The security droids began to whizz and sputter to life one by one as the single rusted brass leader spoke his piece towards the two Jedi. The walls, lined with even more of the deactivated defenses, seemed to begin to hum in response and issue a sound warning that the Knights were far from alone, however if they were perceptive the reactivation would light the way to their destination. What stood before them was none other than S1 Infantry Droids, slightly modified with additional armaments meant for close quarters combat. The reactivation protocols were still in process, and it was not until an additional two units awakened and leveled their blasters that the lead droid continues his schpeel about the continued security of the derelict station. They would do as programmed and attack, that was obvious enough, but how soon was dependent on the Jedi's response. All three droids had their blasters leveled at chest height, only a few meters from the Jedi, and their mechanical reflexes would act on instinct should a move be made to attack.

"Statement: Obligated warning delivered and witnessed, sealed, signed, and disregarded. Command: Begin defense protocols."

 

[Grug]

A being like Grug did not have patience. The large Gamorrean Jedi did not like big words and this droid was nothing but fancy talk. Before the first statement was halfway done, Grug had heard enough. He knew his mission, this droid was trying to stop it as expected, and he did not need it to keep talking. An annoyed Grug simply lifted his rifle and fired two shots for the torso at the talking droid mid speech.

"Stop talk." He grunted in an upset tone. "Fight."

At this range the droid would be hard pressed to step side, it would need to find another way to truly handle these if it handled them at all. Grug was ready to launch into battle against these droids. Talking was not his strength. The Jedi would never be an emissary for the Order but he was loyal to the end and a fierce warrior. While controls for the power generator might be tough, a battle was just what he wanted.

Due to the early timing of his shots, the other three droids would not be out until well after he shot. Grug had time to toss the rifle over his back via the strap and draw his green lightsaber before they'd be able to fire. By then he would be in their playing field so he would have to see what they did before he could launch another attack or even be sure the boss droid got hurt. Maybe Jubba would have a smart idea.

@Xorism

 

[Jubba the Mutt]

Jubba didn't have a smart idea.

The funny droids blocked their way and interrupted the mission, ugh. Grug was not the talker in the pair for this mission and so Jubba waited patiently. He expected a fight to break out shortly before Grug thusly made up his mind about how to negotiate with them.

Jubba didn't have a blaster rifle like his friend but instincts kicked in as Grug opened fire and the Hutt immediately pulled his lightsaber into his hand igniting it en-route while moving into melee range and striking out toward the droids that now threatened them.

@Cazar @TheMorrigan

 

[The Storyteller]

The brass clockwork soldier's soulless and unforgiving crimson eyes stared blankly at the Gammorean as he was so rudely interrupted mid sentence, with two pocketed blaster burn on it's chassis. The first bolt did little but cut the droid off, to which he began to raise his arm mounted blaster, only to have the second bolt melt directly through the durasteel exterior of his chest, damaging the internal components and causing the voice to sputter and malfunction until it keeled over and shut down. Usually, the droid would be able to power through the second blast, but the close proximity meant the impact had much more power and the droid had no time to adjust to the incoming projectiles. The reactivation protocols began to speed up, and the first of the two drones would mount off their repair station with blaster raised and firing a small volley of three blaster bolts towards the Gammorean Jedi, as their leader fell. A preliminary test of defensive capacities.

"Statement: CEASE HOSTILITIES"

A second and third security droid's reactivation protocol stopped seconds later as they tore from the stations, raising their arms towards the Hutt Jedi that was closing the distance with saber in hand. The second droid would rely on a similar three bolt volley to keep the Jedi at bay, while the third droid began to pick up it's pace and almost mock charge Jubba, blasting at him while sprinting as fast as the mechanical legs could carry him. The droid's right arm was held at chest level so he could move and hip-fire at the same time, while his left arm bent downwards and revealed a wrist mounted vibro-knife, meant to engage in a close quarters stab at blinding speeds should the Jedi reach the droid before his blaster bolts hit their mark. This quadrant of the shipyard continued to hum with the melancholy beat of rustic technology coming to life, the remaining twelve reactivation stations flickering with power. The doorway ahead, which seemed slightly bent inwards but otherwise functional, was only guarded by a single one of these stations. The rest of the droids were located on the far right wall, between them and the twenty meter stretch to what might possibly lead to another, tighter hallway; or a more advantageous tactical position.

"Statement: CEASE HOSTILITIES"

@Cazar @Xorism ​

 

[Grug]

Grug was satisfied to see the first droid collapse into ruin from his shots. He was less satisfied to see yet more droids coming for the pair. A frustrated Gamorrean Jedi was not something to be taken lightly. Droids, he had been told, were generally things to be destroyed with the force without remorse. Rather than enjoying the slow meltdown of his first enemy, Grug was forced to turn his attention to the droid coming off the wall to shoot him. It would be simple enough to deal with it, but annoying nonetheless. Grug liked dirty battle not fighting droids in some weird hallway. This was not nearly as fun as being in the mud.

"Bad droids." Grug grunted sadly as he raised the fat fingers from the trigger of his rifle to send a force push into the droid right as it began to shoot.

The Gamorrean Jedi stepped to one side to avoid the first shot, but the rest would likely not come as the droid was thrown violently backwards. While the droid fell he would swing the rifle around to fire two shots into its center hoping to destroy it like the last one. Grug's rifle was becoming one of his favorite tools. It could destroy things from a distance with ease before he had to put real effort into a fight. The girth didn't stay there if he had to do too much work.

@Xorism

 

[Jubba the Mutt]

Jubba moved slightly toward the right of the second droid that was shooting at him, moving the blade to be held defensively in front of him to deflect the incoming blaster rounds preferably in the direction whence they came. Every deflection Jubba slipped forward gaining ground on the droid until he was within melee distance and would strike it down in between shots if it wasn't already down.

The third droid would be dealt with similarly although if they fired together, Jubba would alternate his deflections and movements to keep the droids guessing what he was doing. While he wasn't super nimble, the droids were slower and weren't terribly intelligent. Assuming both were taken care of, Jubba would point out the way forward for the pair to continue on, lest they be caught in the open again by the next batch.

@Cazar @TheMorrigan

 

[The Storyteller]

To the surprise of the remaining assailants, two of their number were quickly dispatched. The droid that had been charging Jubba collapsed in a pile of sparks and cinders as his verdant blade carved through it's chest, after having deflected a number of shot into it's cervos. The Droids seemed to be handling the damage well, abnormal for these models, but nonetheless the second droid that took Grug in its sights was thrown unceremoniously by the Gammorean, spinning and scraping across the floor with a loud screech. The bolts fired and struck true, marking the chasis and metallic cranium with scorch marks and a small billow of smoke. The third droid had the sense to kneel and continue it's barrage, bracing it's arm to aim. It too dropped, muttering a haunting computerized phrase and clutching it's melting face-plating as the plasma was redirected to deadly effect. A second later, it would clatter to the ground from it's kneeling pose.

The shipyard was undeterred. The stations continued to reactivate the droid models along the walls, five of the S1's hummed to life and leveled their internal blasters as one. No warning was issued as they began to tear at the Jedi with streaks of crimson light, screeching to and from across the mock battlefield. A number of durasteel plating had come loose from the walls, and the droids began to advance and use it as cover, firing from the position to avoid the deflections. This, however, meant the Jedi were not being bombarded with constant blaster fire, rather only a volley of five bolts arced towards them in unison.

"Warning: INTRUDERS DETECTED. NEUTRALIZATION PROTOCOLS IMPEDED. ACTIVATE <<BETA PROTOCOL>>"

The sentry droid that was being reactivated adjacent to the hallways entranced was thrown aside prior to completion, and a secondary chassis took it's place. This droid appeared to be stronger, more agile, and altogether modeled far superior to it's S1 counterparts. Beta Protocol utilized a highly popular model of battle droid - the JX Series Commando. It appeared to be retrofitted and modified to boot, as though the staff had made this a love story art project. It held a compact blaster over a shoulder swing and brought it forward as it tore itself free. Priming the blaster as it strode with terrifying speeds across the shipyard. It also came equipped with a vibrosword, and a custom chasis venting glow. QUEUE reactivated his heads up display for the first time in many cycles, a single command echoing through out his mind. There were intruders in the Shipyard.

"Statement: INTRUDERS WILL BE NEUTRALIZED."

Spoiler: OOC

Mini-Boss activated?

@Cazar @Xorism ​

 

[Grug]

Grug was again happy to see droids become piles of junk after his efforts. Once again, more droids seemed to keep coming. The Gamorrean wondered how many he would get to destroy before the night was over. Many shots came down range at the Jedi, but Grug had a genius idea. He hid behind a piece of durasteel as well. Nothing would hit him for now. Then Grug got a second genius idea. He set down his rifle for a moment before slamming his hand forward to use the droids' cover against them. It would send the metal flying back violently and hopefully taking down some of them. This would open it up for Jubba to maybe deflect shots back easier too.

"Droids bye bye." He grunted from behind his cover as he peeked out. "But more come."

The big bad droid was coming and would be more of a fight probably. Grug would be ready for it. He liked big fights and big enemies. His mind got ready for a real battle hoping to be able to enjoy this one. The Gamorrean would keep his cover for now, but had his weapons ready to strike.

@Xorism

 

[Jubba the Mutt]

Jubba was tiring of this mission quickly, Grug had promised him that it would have been over by now and they would then be off to the markets for lunch. He didn't blame his friend for being so eager to take on so many droids but if they waited too long then all the best foods would be long gone and they would have to settle for some third rate rubbish that might ruin the whole trip.

Jubba reached down to pick up a blaster from the now recently departed droids scattered around him. Lightsaber in one hand and blaster in the other Jubba was ready to face down whatever was coming their way.

Infrequent blaster fire was reasonably easy enough to deflect and in between, he could then return fire at the S1 droids, hopefully disabling them one by one while Grug prepared whatever surprise it was down there. Soon they would both find out.

@Cazar @TheMorrigan

 

[The Storyteller]

"Statement: They are using cover. Advance."

The S1s immediately rose from cover in unison, bracing their arms and releasing a hail fire of blaster bolts. Some droids aimed at the durasteel itself, intent on destroying the cover, while two among them worked to flank or shoot around the cover, moving to the Jedi's far left.

"Stateme:-- Whaaa-- Shutttinnnnnggggg--"

To the droid's surprise, however, the one's attempting to flank were thrown pinion against the nearby wall by their own cover. A resounding crack and the static of crackling cervos resounded. QUEUE, who had activated behind the barrier, very suddenly burst into the air, clearing the thrown cover with ease. His optics spun and zoomed to lock onto the target who had taken out two of his operational battle droids (@Grug). Allowing it's weight to carry the automaton back to the ground, QUEUE fired a volley of six blaster bolts, maintaining suppressive fire even as he fell. The S1's continued to pelt the cover and separate as more of their cousins whirred to life from their stations.

The remaining three active droids spread out and began to circle the Jedi, with two flanking right and one flanking left. QUEUE remained with the lone S1, joining the left flank, blaster leveled to it's metallic shoulder. Suddenly, the droid's left arm raised at a strange angle, before a small black compartment opened beneath the wrist and fired two metallic canisters. While tiny in size, the objects flew with a pop to gracefully fall behind the pair of Jedi, landing on the ground with a metalling clang. The second the unidentified cylinders launched, the droid snapped his rifle back into both hands, having held it stable with only one but moments before. They began to spin as a haze of white smoke filled the shipyard's hangar. If QUEUE could have smiled, or felt joy, he would have in that moment. The hunt had begun - finally he could preform the purpose for which he had been manufactured.

@Cazar @Xorism​

 

[Grug]

Grug left his rifle on the floor as he moved out of cover seeing the boss droid open fire. His lightsaber ignited with a classic snap hiss and he began deflecting shots back in hopes of taking out the droid. While not super precise in his reflection of the bolts, Grug did make sure they at least went in Queue's general direction. When it finished firing for a moment to launch canisters, the Gamorrean instantly assumed they were grenades. He swung his freehand haphazardly forward to fling them back behind the droid who fired them. The smoke would block the other droids from helping rather than the Jedi.

If the enemy droid stuttered from the attacks, Grug would take the opportunity to barrel forwards full speed into the smoke. He wanted to reach the target and figured if he blindly rushed the blinded droids, he could make it through. His green lightsaber would still act as a good defense plus his focus on the force. The path Grug took would not be close enough to Queue for him to strike with the lightsaber, but that also meant Queue would be hard pressed to stop him while fighting Jubba still.

@Xorism

 

[Jubba the Mutt]

Jubba now took aim at the large battle droid and fired several times at its face, hoping to distract it and perhaps even blind it if lucky before he noticed Grug rushing in toward it and thusly stopped shooting. Jubba instead now moved to find the other slower droids before they could get around the pair, shooting them with the blaster or slashing at them with his saber depending on the range.

Naturally, if they tried shooting him, he would deflect the shots with the lightsaber.

There were only a few droids left to deal with hopefully as Jubba's stomach started rumbling louder indicating that it had been at least an hour since his last meal.

@TheMorrigan

 

[The Storyteller]

"Statement: Jedi Inferior, QUEUE superior!!"

QUEUE landed steadily on the durasteel plated flooring even as Grug deflected the blaster bolts haphazardly across the hangar, the commando droid gently weaving to prevent damage to his extremities. The instant the Gammorean Jedi's force powers reached to grasp the grenades flying forth, they burst on the slightest impact and ejected all the smoking contents. The haze was between both droids and Jedi, making it incredibly difficult for either side to gain a direct line of sight. But not so for QUEUE, who activated his thermal and auditory sensors to locate his targets. Falling to one knee, the droid's rifle rested at the Jedi's (@Grug) center mass and opened fire. Five bolts, and a darker metallic cannister fired in tandem.

"Statement: What is happ- ning---"

As the small unit of S1 droids circled around the cover and through the newly formed haze of smoke, they clattered about blasters raised. Unlike their more advanced cousin, these units didn't possess any advanced sensors and could only rely on their cheap optical and auditory preceptors. They only noticed the hiss of green flame bursting to life before them, as the Huttese Knight carved and blasted his way through a their ranks. Though the station was still churning out droids, they seemed to be losing them much faster. Nonetheless, the remaining two surviving B1s immediately snapped to the Hutt's location (@Jubba the Mutt) and launched a massive volley of blaster fire. It was almost like a blind and panicked firing in their general direction, however, as opposed to actual skilled shooting.

The door and hallway ahead were relatively unguarded, but the stations along the wall would begin to pump out more combat units soon enough.

"Statement: Tactical superiority achieved."

@Cazar @Xorism​

 

[Grug]

Grug's strategy had almost worked. He was amazed at getting this far. Smoke filled the air but the force would guide the Gamorrean Jedi. His lightsaber swung forward to deflect the shots out of instant, not able to get them directed back to target but that wasn't his goal. A droid was not invisible in the force and Grug was happy to continue fighting it through the smoke. The canister that came with the bolts landed near where Grug would have been, but the Jedi decided to rush ahead while blocking the shots to close the small gap. A loud squeal could be heard as the Gamorrean let loose his battle cry.

"Grug!" He said his own name as his battle cry.

The battle droid had just finished firing by the time the Jedi closed the gap. It would be hard pressed to get a melee defense ready for what was coming in hot. Grug swung the lightsaber hard and fast right for the droid's chest. He wanted to destroy it and end this. Jubba was clearly handling the rest while the Gamorrean wonder was handling the big one. A sentient enemy would likely be intimidated by the combination of screams and smells.

@Xorism

 

[Jubba the Mutt]

Jubba couldn't see the droids exactly through the smoke but he could see the incoming blaster bolts coming through the smoke and so he shrugged his shoulders and fired back at their sources until they stopped. Afterward, he would move up through the smoke to the droid bodies and sit on them for a moment as he pondered his next move while Grug battled the big droid.

Jubba knew that droids were dumb and could only follow orders like big dumb dumbs but all droids had to be told what to do. Jubba moved over toward the wall where the droid stations were and looked for something that might give a clue as to where they were receiving their instructions from. Some kind of device or controlling beam would send out instructions and alert the droids to leave their station..

Jubba just couldn't figure out what it could look like as he turned back toward Grug and sighed. What was the point in being intelligent if he couldn't figure out a simple problem like that? Jubba fell backward onto the station wall to rest and ponder their problem more closely, his massive weight crushing something behind him but otherwise, he waited for Grug to finish up.

@TheMorrigan

 

[The Storyteller]

-The Force is With You-​

QUEUE moved faster than even a Jedi might have expected. The Gammorean emerged from the plumes of smoke, mere seconds after the last of the bolts left his rifle. The droid had little choice but to drop and barrel forwards, it's metallic head striking the Jedi's chin with resounding force. The saber would carve through the droid's right arm regardless, severing it and causing the limb to writhe and convulse in a shower of sparks and electricity. As the droid's metallic skull struck, it would pivot on it's left foot and drive it's durasteel fist into the Jedi's chest (@Grug). The remaining battle droids found themselves blasting in the general direction of the Huttese Jedi, unable to pinpoint his exact location due to their relatively poor ocular tech. They fell one by one, unable to counter the Jedi's blaster hand with any degree of efficiency.

"Statement: CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE IMMINENT!"

Jubba's eyes glanced over the derelict walls of the shipyard's repair stations. The large, circular domes moved in constant succession to place each limb in the correct order, before inserting the cervos and restarting the droid unit. The stations themselves appeared to be made with protection as a top priority. The visible wiring, however, had absolutely no way to defend themselves from the power of the Force. The Hutt would have no difficulty in reasoning this, as their species is known for it's witty and on the spur intelligence, combined with outside the box solutions. That was, of course, not taking into consideration the natural boost in perception the Force provided them, and as such Grug would notice much the same in the damaged design of QUEUE's chasis. The stations continued to repair the droids in the current array, and would deploy them in mere moments. Time was growing shorter still, and the doorway awaited eagerly ahead.

"EXCLAMATION: YOU SHALLL NOT TAKE THIS SHIPYARDDD!!"

Spoiler: OOC Note

QUEUE is going to become a PC soon enough, so disabling the droid will give him a really good backstory. If you wanna total him we can work that into the backstory too, and give him a Jedi grudge.

@Cazar @Xorism​

 

[Grug]

Grug saw an opening now that the arm was off. Despite taking a bit of metal to his body, the fat Jedi would be able to move on. He almost enjoyed taking the hit as it fueled his battle adrenaline. One arm was hitting him in the chest while the other didn't exist anymore. Grug still had his lightsaber out and had the force at his side. This droid would get a taste of both. The blade would come up as the Gamorrean grunted from the damage he was taking. It would hope to take off the other arm as well. Meanwhile, the force presented a nice opportunity for Grug. A pull at the exposed circuits would attempt to rip the delicate insides out of Queue violently.

"Ugh." He grunted as he stepped back from the blow and delivering his own. "Get to power room. This dumb."

Following his own instruction, Grug would abandon the fight as long as the enemy droid went down even temporarily. He would run for the power station with the lightsaber ignited in a valiant effort to get inside to finish this job. While he was no mechanics expert, there would probably a big button for him to push. The Gamorrean hoped it would be simply enough. Jubba could handle the basic droids if more popped up while Grug worked.

@Xorism

 

[Jubba the Mutt]

The intricate wiring came from each and every station and was the lifeline that brought power to the stations currently repairing the droids that were fighting them. Jubba focused intently looking for where they all came together from the individual stations and collected along the wall into a large bundled cable running along the wall before disappearing somewhere inside. Jubba tried but was unable to pull the cable out of the wall which made Jubba consider a new course of action.

Standing up Jubba walked up to the wall and brandished his lightsaber to cut it causing all kinds of sparks to erupt around him but fortunately, he didn't explode himself.

Jubba would while defend himself against any droid still active, move toward the door and wait for Grug and cover him while they were completing their top secret mission.

@TheMorrigan