Ravensdagger_Overkill

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen Taylor had never seen a spaceship.She’d seen them in cartoons, on old videos taken from way back before the Simurgh ruined any hopes of reaching out into space, from images of ships that some Tinkers had made that could hover above the Earth, but she had never seen an honest to god spaceship with her own two eyes.She didn’t know if the ship sitting on a flat plateau of stone was typical, or if it was a mass-produced machine, she did know that it didn’t fit what she imagined a spaceship would look like.It was a dull beige, as if the colour had been chosen by a panel of corporate stooges. Long and narrow, with a larger rear section from which a tall tail jutted out above. Four, almost insectile, legs held the ship in place above the sandy ground and a ramp lay unfolded from the ship’s side.She already had a few bugs inspecting the interior and combing across rows of tight, probably uncomfortable benches. They found a few strange things. Robots of the sort that followed Sib Nark and a few non-humans. Most were armed, but none of them had the tense postures and ready stances she’d come to expect from people and creatures preparing for a fight.“It’s a nice ship,” she said, even as she counted the benches with a few fliers.“Comment: A passably usable transport vessel. Conjecture: No doubt the Neimoidian intends to use it to carry us to a more dignified vehicle before the local crime lords come to feast upon the town’s corpse.”Taylor looked over her shoulder. The town was in flames. Not all of it, not much, even, but plumes of brackish smoke were rising into the cloudless sky and flames were eating away at some of the taller buildings.A few whines from blasters zipped out of the city and into the sky, leaving red and green traces in their wake. The revolt was still in full swing, slaves freeing comrades and taking out their resentment on their captors in an orgy of violence she hadn’t seen since Leviathan’s passing.Still, that only accounted for some of the slaves turned freedom fighters. The rest were walking behind her, a long row of humanity and alien life, cutting through the sand in rough rows towards the waiting ship. There was no way they would all fit in the first trip.“How much room does Sib Nark’s ship have?” she asked HK-47.Her erstwhile companion turned towards one of the few things that could live in her range without her taking it over. The droid was unarmed, probably to appease her, and stood on stick-thin legs inserted into a boxy body. Its head was vaguely dog-shaped, like an ancient jackal with two slits for eyes.There was a quick conference and the droid touched something to the side of its head. The only words Taylor caught were the oft-repeated “Roger roger,” at the end of a sentence.“Summary: Sib Nark’s ship, the Profits of Merchandising, is in orbit above us now. It has housing space for three hundred sentients and enough consumables to last for a two week trip with a group of that size.”Taylor made a quick tally of the number of slaves behind them. “Ask if he can fit three times that number on reduced rations.”While HK-47 spoke with the strange droid, she paused by the edge of a dune and allowed the sun to beat down on her head while she eyed those she had freed. Plenty had passed away in the fighting, taken out by collars or by the slavers they had been fighting against. Most, however, had lived.She supposed that she should have been proud.In the distance, nearly hidden by a plume of rising dust, was the Jawa Sandcrawler, the landship rolling away from the violence and destruction she had left in her wake. She hoped them the best.“Comment: It seems that while Sib Nark is still just as obsequious as when we first met,” HK-47 began. “He is growing something of a backbone.”“And why is that?” she asked as she turned away from the vista and started walking again. HK-47 and the droid followed.“Reply: He suggests leaving the less valuable slaves behind in order to conserve space and comfort for those of actual value. Suggestion: Perhaps we could leave Sib Nark behind in order to exemplify why refusing your orders is a bad idea.”Taylor snorted. “Tempting, but I don’t know anything about piloting a spaceship, and for all I know his droids and personnel are more loyal to him than they would be to me.” She shook her head. “Better to convince him that I’ll take care of the sla— freedom fighters. If I can keep an eye on all of them I’m sure they’ll behave.”“Compliment: Oh, master, your ability to scare people into submission is most attractive.” HK-47’s head scanned from left to right as they came closer to the ship. “Advisory: Sib Nark has suggested that we meet with one of the mercenaries he hired to serve as protection aboard his ship.”“Oh?” Taylor asked. HK-47 raised one arm and pointed towards the ship.There was a creature walking down the ramp, followed on both sides by a pair of droids identical to the ones Sib Nark had around him, though these carried small blaster rifles.Taylor started moving closer until she was waiting a dozen meters from the base of the ramp. The creature stopped, raised his lizard-like snout into the air and gave it a sniff. He said something, then gave her a shallow bow.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.She turned to HK-47, one eyebrow perked.“Translation: The lizard calls himself Skarsk Nek. It is a trandoshan, a species as resilient as they are stupid, with a penchant to forget that even though they are somewhat more difficult to kill than the average sentient, their so called resiliance does not make up for their lack of wits.”Something from HK’s translation must have clued the Trandoshan about the robot’s rather lurid translation because he bristled and started talking faster, his Basic slurring with hisses.“Additional Translation: This particular specimen seems to have a knack for understanding social cues. He suggested that I begin by telling you that, despite his young age and obvious lack of experience, he is the one that Sib Nark hired to protect his precious cargo. No doubt the cheap Neimoidian gave the contract to the lowest bidder.”Taylor nodded and eyed the lizard up and down. Skarsk’s attention snapped back to her and his eyes narrowed. “Tell him that we have a lot of slaves to transport to Sib Nark’s ship. Remind him that I would disapprove of Sib Nark leaving first as that might send the wrong message. And remind him that we are in something of a hurry. I don’t know how long it’ll take before Nimas’ friends decide to start snooping and I for one am not equipped to take on anyone that has spaceships at their disposal.”It was a gnawing fear in her gut, that someone would just drop a bomb on them all from above. An army she could handle, as long as it was made of living, breathing people. She had a chance. But against creatures that had literal spaceships she was completely out of her depth.More conversation ensued and Taylor stood in the steaming heat, her determination to learn Basic growing by the minute even as she tried to get a sense for the language. Soon enough HK-47 was done with his subtle threats and turned back to her.“Assessment: Perhaps the Trandoshan has more wits than the many, many members of his species I gutted, eviscerated, sliced and otherwise killed over the past few centuries. It seems as though he is willing to work with us.”Taylor nodded. “Tell him that it’ll be a pleasure to work with him.”HK-47 said something that didn’t sound like it carried the same intent as her words, not judging by the way the lizardman’s already pale complexion paled even further.It didn’t matter, as long as she got what she wanted.

* * *

“You cannot just give this woman anything she asks for,” the tinny voice said. “We are not the servants of the Jedi. We are the Trade Federation.”Sib Nark bowed to the hologram. “I understand, Lead Banker Bee'n Conta,” he said. “But as I said, this Jedi killed all of Nimas’ guards and the Hutt herself. She is dangerous, and double crossing her might be unwise.”It was difficult, he knew from experience, to convince the members of the board to listen to reason. Unfortunately he was still a few unfortunate accidents away from being promoted to a position where he would have more freedom to make his own choices.The twenty one holograms floating before him were all coming in with various levels of poor reception. That was too bad. It made it all the harder for them to take his words seriously. “The Falleen are freed, and as soon as they and some other select slaves are aboard my ship we will be leaving Hutt space. Not bringing the jedi with us would complicate matters with the Falleen.”“Couldn’t you just kill her?” Brux Chadrad asked. He was a Geonosian and new to the council and to his position as Security Advisor. “You have droids, don’t you?”“Merely early models of the OOM series, and only a few hundred at that,” Sib Nark said.“Wouldn’t that be enough to take care of one jedi?” the Geonosian asked. His wings fluttered out behind him, disappearing into a static fuzz.He shook his head. “Darth Khepri proved herself very capable,” Sib Nark began. “I do not think such a small number of defun-”“What did you call her?” Sib Nark would usually have been insulted by the interruption, but Nute Gunray was important enough that the usual niceties did not apply. In fact, until then the current viceroy of the Trade Federation had been more focused on a datapad and with talking to assistants that moved in and out of his muted hologram. “What did you call the jedi?” he demanded.Sib Nark bowed again, deeper this time. “Darth Khepri is the name given by her... protocol droid. May I enquire as to if she is known to you?”“You will do everything in your power to accommodate the... jedi. Bring her to Falleen if you must. She may be of great interest to the Trade Federation in the future. That is all.” The Viceroy’s hologram blinked out, leaving the rest of the council floundering for a moment.There was something of a pause while the other members shifted gears. Finally, Lead Banker Bee'n Conta cleared his throat. “Seeing as how your current mission has taken on a somewhat more important role in matters, it might be advisable for your lone vessel to acquire a bit more leeway. I shall see to freeing up more discretionary funds to be used in order to secure your most precious cargo,” the banker smiled.Bee’n Conta only ever smiled that way when there was something afoot and he wanted in on it.Sib Nark wasn’t quite certain what had just happened, but he could smell the profit already.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen When Taylor thought of ‘space travel’ she mostly had vague memories of Star Trek ships darting through the empty void of space, or of the classic novels that her mom had left her that always talked about moving from planet to planet as a series of incredibly complicated and precise calculations done by supercomputers so as to not waste an ounce of fuel.Sib Nark’s ship, the Profits of Merchandising was basically a huge cigar in space, with cargo areas along its flanks and sides that could, in a pinch, serve as american football fields. Those were now filled with thousands of beds and blankets on which the rescued slaves were huddled and waiting for their nightmare to end.She, on the other hand, was still on the ship’s bridge, staring into the blue expanse flashing by them and trying to reconcile the ease with which the ship was moving through space with everything she knew of space travel.She had bugs just about everywhere aboard the vessel, and more were being bred as she stood there, and yet she still had a hard time wrapping her head around the size of the freighter.“Comment: We are going to exit Hyperspace in one minute, master. We need to transfer from the Tatooine-Gamor lane to the Denon-Ryloth pass.”“You’ll have to explain how all of this works one day,” she said with a gesture to the space beyond them. “It’s... impressive, to say the least.”“Assessment: At the rate of learning that your inefficient meat brain processes things it would require millenia to teach you all of the intricacies behind the function of a ship of this scale. Suggestion: Some organics find it easier to merely assume that machines just function as they ought to and not question things any more than that. This is of course because they are too stupid to understand things the way a proper machine can.”“Right,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “Well, maybe we can find some simple education programs. I want to at least know the basics. Stuff like kids shows and the like. My mom used to tell me that it was a great way to start learning a new language. Which is something else we’ll have to work on.”“Query: You said ‘we’ master. Unless my translation protocols are failing me that assumes that I will have to assist you through the bumbling first steps of learning Basic.”“I can’t have you translating everything for me. What if we need to split up while assaulting another castle?” she asked. She thought that maybe she was getting the knack for talking to HK-47.The ship rocked a little, just a tiny shiver that she felt in the soles of her feet and across all the bugs tucked away in nooks and crannies. Then, between one heartbeat and the next, the view outside the screen changed from the hypnotising blue of hyperspace to a pallet of uncountable stars with oceans of hazy whiteness stretching out in intricate constellations.She could have stared at the void for hours, but the sudden shift to real space had all of the robots on the bridge, all of them the jackal-headed droids that Sib Nark favoured, suddenly moving and talking between each other in a babble that broke her calm.“There’s a ship over there,” she said, pointing off into the dark depths where a slim white form was barely visible.“Observation: Indeed. Though my current sensor suit isn’t enough to pick out its make and model. There are seventeen other vessels within viewing range, but your poorly evolved organic eyes will not be able to differentiate them from specks of dust caught in your meaty ocular devices.”“That’s fair, I suppose,” she said before turning back towards the bridge proper. The entire area was lined with stations with holographic displays and computer monitors on which numbers and graphs were flashing by, all of it being observed by a few dozen droids with yellow-striped heads. There was some sort of colour-coding with the robots, but she hadn’t figured it all out yet.At the far end of the room, standing with arms crossed near the exit, was the trandoshan lizard-man that had greeted her when they boarded. Narrowed eyes were fixed on her as if she was about to jump into the pilot’s seat and ram them into a sun at the drop of a hat.Not that she could have even if she wanted to. The more time she spent in the merchant ship, the more she felt inadequate. There was a gulf of technological knowledge between her and even the slimmest possibility of being independent.The more she saw that, the more she realized that she had to start catching up, and soon. “HK-47,” she began. “You can transmit your protocols to other droids, right?”“Disparaging Remark: As if other droids would be able to process the breadth and width of my capabilities.”Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.“What about your translation from English to Basic? I’ll ask Sib Nark for one of these.” She paused to gestured towards the nearby droids. “To act as a teacher. It’ll free up time for you to enjoy yourself.”“Reluctant Acceptance: Very well, master. I suppose acting as your translator does grow tiring. Query: What do I get for this valuable information?”She paused. “What do you mean?”“Statement: The translation protocols are the only way for you to communicate. Therefore they are valuable to you. What will you give me in exchange for them?”She frowned and held back on the urge to rail against HK-47 for being unfair. But in a way the argument was sound. “I don’t know what you want, exactly. Maybe I can ask Sib Nark to have his maintenance droids look you over? You could use a washing, and I’m certain your combat efficiency will rise considerably once your joints are cleared of sand and you’re all oiled up.”She had a flash of the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz acting like a murderous psychopath instead of a jovial ditz for a moment and had to suppress a grin.She was about to start walking back towards her cabin, a little space set aside just for her and HK-47 apart from all the holds where the freed slaves were sleeping when the tone in the room shifted. The droids started speaking faster, their voices rising in pitch. Not panic, but certainly enough to hint that something interesting was going on.The Trandoshan moved forwards, being sure to keep a fair amount of distance between himself and her even as he started barking orders. He paused for a moment, looked out the main viewscreen, then spun on a heel and ran out of the bridge.“Assessment: It seems as though something interesting is finally happening. How wondrous.”

* * *

Sib Nark was not having the best few days and the constant irritation was starting to draw out his ire. At least, that’s what Skarsk suspected as he watched the over-the-top Neimoidian’s lips pucker and his brow draw down. “And their transponder codes are confirmed?” the merchant asked.Skarsk nodded. He didn’t like this job, but it was easy, supposed to be low-risk, and paid relatively well. Not the glamour and excitement he expected when he started working as a mercenary, but enough to keep his account topped up and afford a few meals a day between this job and the next. The fact that his only coworkers were droids was almost a blessing. “The droids confirm that it is a Republic code. Intersector Revenue Services.” He hissed a little. “They claim that we triggered their random search parameters.”Sib Nark scoffed. “That is as likely as me winning the Grand Coruscant Lottery.” He waved a hand dismissively. “No, they know that our cargo are slaves. They must.”Skarsk nodded. He knew no such thing, but he was willing to allow his boss the benefit of the doubt. “And what will they do when they discover our cargo are freed slaves?”“Nothing good,” Sib Nark said. “If they stopped us because they knew we had the slave aboard then they are most definitely being informed by the Hutts.”Skarsk nodded. “We cannot fight them off. The Republic ship is faster and better armed than we are. If we launch all our fighters we might be able to make a run for it, but I would not gamble with those odds. Reinforcements might not be far.”Sib Nark hummed. “No, if they are being bribed to board us and steal the slaves, then they wouldn’t call for aid. They would just kill us and be done with it.”Skarsk hissed. “Could they? We have droids aboard, and many of the slaves are armed.”“Don’t be a fool,” Sib Nark said. “They would hold us in place while the Hutts bring their own vessels to board. No, they are going to stall us, and perhaps disable our engines and hyperdrive if we do not obey.”“A distress signal?” Skarsk said.“And what, announce to the galaxy that the Republic is corrupt?” He scoffed again. “They know this already.”“Then what?”Sib Nark looked around his extravagant office, the room meant for the captain of the superfreighter converted into a luxurious cabin and workspace for the Neimoidian. “The ship’s model,” he began.“It is Corellian, a CR70, or 90. There are also six CloakShape fighters with-”“I don’t care about that,” Sib Nark barked. “Tell our jedi friend. She may have a solution. I will contact the Trade Federation. They might lend assistance. And activate our droids to repel boarders and the Vulture droids. We may have to fight our way to the next sector. The Hutts wouldn’t dare attack in Falleen space.”“Yes, sir,” Skarsk said nodding once before stomping out of the room.Perhaps, he began to think, he would finally be able to score some Points.

* * *