Sunday 2 August 2020

Last of the Sith episode 5: Things aren't always as they seem

Incoming call.
Gin did not have time for this right now.  Track-u-bot had been in contact with T-91 Tacti-bot, who was estimating that even after the re-opening of communication lines, there was still a 91% chance of the destruction of all life on Listehol.

And then there was the transmission from one of the capital ship.  Everyone knew that the sith lord Odion was dea, with the apparent exception of sith lord Odion who was demanding that Master Reshi come out and fight him.  Weird, but unlikely to be a problem for Master Reshi.  A quick insulting message was dispatched as a reply, and the group got on with more important things.  A ride across the city by racing ronto, stopping off for a quick fight, and then the defense of the star port.  They'd won a decisive victory, marred only by this incoming call.

Gin stared at the holo device, resisting the urge to throw it across the room.  Accursed droid!  What did it want with her?  She took a deep breath, and answered the call.

"Hello, usurping bastard."

"You can't just do things like this, you know?"

She initially denied responsibility for the death of engineer LeForge, the damage to Khaljos Kind's ship, and the giant painting of human genitalia on the side, but given that her gang, presumably in an effort to please her, has added the words 'Gin sends her regards' around it, this was something she was going to have to deal with.

"If we're all still alive after this, you're going to be in serious trouble."

"Did you just call me to tell me it's in my best interests that none of you survive?"

Curse protocol droids and their artificial emotions!  If it had been a human calling her that might have got a reaction.  As it was she had one day to get Kind's ship spaceworthy again or a recording of this conversation would be on its way to the Baron.  At least she knew who to call.

"Dax?  I need help."

With no desire to go anywhere near Kind herself, she accepted Mnessas's offer of a racing ronto ride through the ground battle.  Much mayhem later, the four of them were reunited, Dax bringing the good news that not only was the ship repaired, he'd managed to delete the recordings at the same time.

Track-u-bot had bad news - Master Reshi had been kidnapped by two trandoshan bounty hunters named Gar and Yolo - and good news - he had tracked them down to a Firespray that had only recently left the planet.

That freighter they'd used to get to the hyperspace station was still there.  Despite a swarm of sith fighters they were pretty close to catching up with the Firespray when turbolasers disabled the ship and tractor beams started pulling both ships into the star destroyer.

Still, Gin reflected, at least it was taking them where they wanted to go.

She didn't have a plan to help the others out with, but she did have an idea.  If she could just get Lord Odion to let his guard down a little...  A sweet smile and some very insincere compliments didn't sound like much, but it was enough to put him off balance while the others repeatedly relieved him of his light saber, and ultimately, his head.

Track-u-bot seemed pretty sure this was not the real Odion, but an imposter, which certainly made more sense to Gin than him being the very dead real one.  She was quite keen to remove his mask to reveal who he really was (with a strange conviction that his name would turn out to be Old Man Henderson) but ultimately there were more important things to worry about.  Like shoving enough freighter parts into the Firespray to get it spaceworthy again and getting Master Reshi to safety.  If nothing else, she might be able to explain why they had a dead fake sith lord on board.

Once they were clear of the star destroyer, Gin took care of the one remaining piece of unfinished business.  Dax had done her a big favour with Kind's ship.  It seemed only fair to give him his sister's missing ring.

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