No Rest for the Wicked

[Chairdor]

Hiro looked at the Zeltron, his healthy pink now a ragged looking white, summoning his speeder bike he carefully put the convict inside, then ripped a piece of his tattered coat to wrapped his hands before tying them to the steering wheel. Putting him in a sitting position, he configured the route they used to get here from the government station to avoid the group of thugs they had encountered earlier then sent him off, swiftly, but not so fast that he'd be at risk of falling. Once that business was taken care of he looked to Tabatha and gave a nod of thanks for being so prepared, as a droid Hiro seldom thought of bringing along medical supplies as robots don't tend to heal very quickly.

Looking out to the falling suns of Zonju V he began to scan the horizon before looking down and saying,

"Guess we better hoof it,"

 

[Sophia McLaren-Cobb]

Tabatha showed a smile at Hiro. As the suns were setting, Tabatha thought about where she would sleep. "Yep, we better go. It's getting dark and I am getting hungry. We will get the other guy tomorrow."

 

[Chairdor]

The Droid nodded and began to walk noting Tabatha's growing hunger and lack of energy, organics and droids were both similar and dissimilar in their energy needs. They both needed fuel, but while a human or otherwise could recharge their battery by merely sleeping, Hiro and other droids merely lost power over time. Luckily the droid had prepared in this instance charging himself for an anticipated three day hunt. So when the two came to a shallow cave, the droid swiftly made a fire within to contain the smoke and sat on a nearby rock, Zonju had no moons, but like every other planet it had the stars. Many planets with their lights and their noises caused their night sky to fade, but in the endless wild of the wastes here, the sky was free to bath this world in its fuel and pure light. The droid scanned constellations he hadn't scanned in ages across every world he had been to from Nar Shadaa to Tatooine, it was truly amazing.

"I'll take watch lil missy, you get some shut eye," Hiro said as he walked over to a nearby bit of vegetation and produced a small vibroknife. Sitting back down with the bit of wood, he began to whittle away as he allowed part of his logic motors to wander, a droids closest way of dreaming. Meanwhile part of him kept alert, scanning every few seconds to ensure no creature, or fiend escaped his sight.

 

[Sophia McLaren-Cobb]

Tabatha went to sleep as she was very tired. She kept having nightmares through the night. When sunrise came, she woke all better. Now hunger was on her mind. She needed to eat.

 

[Chairdor]

As the night progressed, Hiro whittled away at the branch and the time, by sunrise there was nothing but shavings as the bot slowly reactivated his major awareness systems and stood once more. Tabatha seemed to be having nightmares of some kind so he gently shook her awake then walked away awaiting for her to rise with the sun. As she rose he noted her hunger and remembered he still had some travelers tack, small biscuits for people to eat on the move. He had nicked them off a young boy who had been throwing them at passengers on the train he took.

As he hefted them to his partner, Hiro scanned the horizon searching for any sign of the raider. Finding none he pondered how exactly he was going to find this man. Then he realized he didn't need to find him. Taking a moment to scan local com traffic, he heard a mixed garble coming from the waste out east, a caravan. It was a long shot, but the droid figured it was the best shot they had,

"Eat quick lil lady," he said as he began to move, "We got us a criminal to russle,"

 

[Sophia McLaren-Cobb]

Tabatha ate everything she could. She ate it quickly, so that Hiro and Tabatha have time to catch the criminal. "Let's hussle. He can't get very far if we chase him."

 

[Chairdor]

Hiro moved on quickly through the open wastes, if their raider was intelligent, he might have taken the opportunity of shooting at the exposed pair, but it seemed the criminal hadn't seen his hunter, or simply didn't have confidence in his marksmanship to warrant revealing himself. As Hiro moved through the endless drifting sands, the razor winds buffeting his sides, the droid suddenly noticed a much larger cloud of dust in the distance, a caravan.

Activating his com Hiro thought to contact the group to let them know his reason for approaching them, but then he realized if the raider was listening in to that signal, he would be dissuaded from launching his attack. Laying his hand by his side, the droid looked ahead to see a small outcropping of large desert plants, spines coming out of their sides. Motioning to Tabatha, he took cover right next to them, hidden in the shade he watched as the cloud grew larger and closer to the pair. As he waited he produced his revolvers ensuring they were clean and ready to fire. A malfunction in the coming fire fight could spell his doom, or worse the death of an innocent. Turning to Tabatha he said with confidence,

"He'll be here soon and then we can head home heads held high and pocket books not quite as light,"

 

[Sophia McLaren-Cobb]

Tabatha heard the confidence in Hiro's voice. She thought of an intelligent, yet risky plan. "If we can find out where he's headed, we can cut him off before he gets far and stop him in his tracks. But we need a much larger and faster vehicle though."

 

[Chairdor]

Hiro continued looking as Tabatha spoke, the caravan eking it's way through the waste like sand through a sieve. As it moved he spoke,

"No need for speed lil missy, if everythans right in the world, he should be coming to us very soon,"

As he said this he noticed some commotion from the front beasts of burden, some large off-world stocky creatures with monstrous jars. All of the sudden the docile creatures began to rear and rip at their haunches before charging wildly creating a thick cloud of red dust. Hiro attempted to use his thermal vision to see exactly what was going on, but the sensors were nearly overloaded when a series of charges began to go off underneath the caravan. One by one chunks of earth flew into the sky intermixed with boxes, wheels, and gore. Hiro ducked as the horrid sounds of the continual explosions continued to rip through the unsuspecting traders. Their lives and livelihoods burning away in an instant. If there was any solace in this vile act, it was the fact that these people at least did not suffer. One moment alive, the next another skeleton in the waste.

Rising to view the remains of the people, the droid immediately recognized what had occurred,

"Tarnation...the raiders ain't raiders a'tall. They're scavengers, they just mine the hell outta places then blow any fool unlucky enough to step on their work to kingdom come,"

As he moved from cover, Hiro wondered how they knew their explosives would hit on the caravans. As his logic cores processed this perplexing query he approached the charred wreckage of bodies and objects, wondering what would possess these thieves to take this approach. Viewing everything before him, Hiro saw nothing of value left amongst the ashes and rubble. His wondering was cut short by a stray shot from the hillside that took the droid in his side. Falling flat and running a diagnostic, Hiro noted he had taken some structural damage to his chassi, but no vital functions were cut off by the stray shot. Rising again he called to Tabatha,

"He's on the hillside, take cover,"

Leaping behind the remains of a wagon Hiro produced his weapon and immediately recognized his mark was far out of it's effective range. So he began to move, leaping and jumping through the wreckage drawing shots from the man above in hope that in his distraction Tabatha might be able to get a good shot in. Hiro only hoped she remembered it was imperative to take these men alive.

 

[Sophia McLaren-Cobb]

OOC: Thread will end here, since I will be removing Tabatha off the Waste Rangers and will be looking into find a newer job.

 

[Chairdor]

Hiro looked to his back calling again to Tabatha, he noticed she suddenly wasn't there, looking out to the far waste, he saw no sign of her, perhaps she had slipped away when the explosions began, whatever had occurred the Droid realized no shot was going to come from her rifle, so he'd have to take the task into his own steely grip. Turning his attention to the hillside, he ducked behind the carcass of half of a beast and waited for a flash, a sign of where his enemy was hiding. Swiftly he ducked as the flash of a shot roared from a rifle, an instant later the carcass splattered dotting the droid's hat and jacket with gore.

Lifting himself, Hiro wondered how he could cross the distance without taking a shot, when he heard a distinctive roar. Looking back he noted his silver speeder had finally returned from taking the raider's Zeltron apprentice into custody. Ducking and dodging a series of pot shots from the pot bellied old man above, the droid awaited his chance to strike. Eventually after ducking, dodging, dipping, diving, and dodging, he noted his speeder was in range. Leaping over a particularly close shot the droid got onto his speeder and revved it into top gear.

Soaring across the sands, Hiro watched as the man slowly magnified, at first he fired ineffectively at the droid, his speeder merely dipping an inch or two to avoid the shots. Then as he grew close the man rushed back and as Hiro ascended the ridge, he saw the man had dove into a cave. Activating his heat vision he was at first going to dive into the deep dark of the villains hideout, then his processors came up with a better course of action. Taking out his trusty smoke grenades he threw the trio deep into the cave. Thick musty coughs erupted from the hideaway and soon the fiend was stumbling out, falling to his knees at the feet of the droid.

Hiro noticed the gun he held, and noted that it was pointed not at the droid, but at himself. Quick drawing his revolver Hiro shot swiftly his bullet hitting its mark, the bearded man's gun flying into the sand. A cry of pain came from the man as he gripped his now bleeding mandible, a solitary finger left on the trigger of his gun, a tribute to the scavengers of the waste.

Wasting no more time, Hiro approached the man who swore and spit at the droid before he was cold cocked with twenty five pounds of steel to the face. Hiro dragged the unconscious villain to his speeder, cauterizing his wound in the explosive fires he had just earlier caused. While the droid was programmed to feel disgust at his diabolical actions, he had his duty and his promise to keep. So tying the man down he set off back to the looming capital of Zonju V.

After a day's ride the droid heaved the man onto his shoulder, a whine of effort as Hiro noted he was well due for an oil change. Approaching the familiar steel door he rapped once and saw the eyes of the Cathar behind it open wide with surprise seeing the droid returned in one piece. Again a series of clicks came and after a few minutes the door wheezed open and the feline women took the droid into a hug,

"You did it...thank you...thank you!"

Hiro couldn't quite return the gesture with two hundred and fifty pounds of scoundrel on his back but he managed to pat the woman then as she let go he said,

"Ain't no trouble ma'am all in a good days work,"

Inside the droid deposited his catch into a cell next to his old partner, still quivering, but looking healthier after his shot to the leg. Hiro looked to the Cathar women who gushed,

"You don't know what this means to me, my brother is a caravan worker, I was so worried every time he went out...this...this is gonna held me get some sleep I....I think I'm gonna do that...now,"

With that the woman retired to another room and Hiro walked to the door, being sure to pick up a bag of his meager earnings and a kind hand written note of thanks on the table, being sure to lock the door on his way out, Hiro returned to the Wastes where he belonged.