Star Forge - Chapter 14

Note:
Thank you for waiting. I'm getting back into the swing of things. It's still rough.

The entire group followed me into the Warehouse. Rather, the mansion. I made sure to close and lock the door once we were all inside. It wasn't optimal, but they wouldn't be able to leave if they started to act shifty.

"What is this?" Anakin asked in awe.

"This is the living quarters," I explained.

"Where are we?" Shmi asked a moment later.

"Somewhere outside of known space," I shrugged. "I think."

"You think?" Shmi shot me a hard look that made me feel like I had just tracked mud on the carpet.

"I don't know," I replied. "I don't really know how any of this works. It's just something that I've been allowed to access."

"What else?" Shmi asked.

I gave them a short tour of the Mansion before we went down to the hidden headquarters. Queen stood and shouldered her rifle as we stepped out of the elevator. I raised my hand. Her weapon jumped out of her hands to fly quickly over to me. She glared at me for a moment before turning her attention back to Rain.

"That is Alice," I had to adjust the name in my head. "The woman in the bacta-tank is Rain. We were working together on Alderaan."

"Mandalorians?" Anakin asked with bright eyes.

"No," I shook my head.

His shoulders slumped.

"They are still pretty awesome," I ruffled his hair.

Anakin shook his head and stepped away. He tried to glare at me, but his little smile was too powerful.

"Alice," I said as we approached. "This is my crew. Shmi, Anakin, Mette, and Adyan." I motioned at each of them in turn. "How is she doing?"

"Stable," Queen, Alice, whatever replied. "There's nothing to do but wait." She paused. "Give me back my blaster."

I ejected the powerpack and shot the extra couple of residual charges into the charred remnants of the Warthog. The repair timer above the wreckage ticked up a few minutes. With that done, I offered the weapon to her. Her jaw went tight as she watched. She held out her hand without saying anything more.

Queen snatched it from me the moment it was in reach.

"Do you want to join the tour?" I asked ignoring her obvious frustration.

"You already show me around," she rolled her eyes.

"Not everything," I replied simply.

Queen stared at me for a long moment. She slung her blaster over her shoulder and waited for whatever was next. My brief conversation with her was enough time for Anakin to slip away. He was currently examining the Warthog wreckage. Thankfully, he hadn't seen the Armory first which held the gear for the sleeping commandos.

"There are twelve bedrooms, including the master," I explained as we returned to the ground level. "There is other space that can be converted into sleeping quarters."

"Why are we sleeping on the ship instead of here?" Anakin asked.

"This place needs somewhere to anchor," I answered. "Right now, it's the door to my quarters on the ship. We could stay here, but we don't know what's happening on the other side of the door."

I opened the front door. The metal version from the ship had changed to the wooden double-doors that matched the mansion. I stepped out to the true Warehouse instead of opening onto the lounge area as they expected. It was easier to reason the Warehouse was inside the Droid Ship rather than the other way around. I was just glad that the ridiculously large ship no longer stretched the space beyond reason. Truly, it gave me a headache for my mind to try to comprehend.

They all stared in wonder at the Droid Ship aesthetic with hints of Earth Industrial. I led them passed the two windows displaying the research area and production line. Currently, one side was meticulously assembling a selection of Generation-3 Battle Droids while the other examined a holographic schematics of the same machines.

"There isn't much here yet," I said as I turned to face them. "If it wasn't for the Mansion it would just be an open, empty space."

I motioned to the Mansion behind them. It looked like someone had plucked it from some rich neighborhood back on Earth and placed it here. There was even a nicely paved walkway leading to the front door that simply ended after a stretch.

"There might be more added later," I shrugged. "I can't say."

"You can't say?" Shmi didn't raise her voice, but she was clearly unhappy.

"I don't know how this is happening," I chuckled. "I get the chance to roll the dice sometimes. When I do, it can be useful, pointless, or just random." I led them over to the cryo-pods for the commandos. "Like these people."

"Who are they?" Anakin asked staring at the row of sleeping Sith.

"Soldiers," I replied easily. "I've never met them before, but I'm not the last of my kind anymore."

"What exactly are you?" Adyan asked.

"A long, long time ago in a galaxy not that far away," I smirked at her. "We were called Sith."

Only Shmi and Anakin managed not to flinch.

"Probably should change that," I said. "I'll have to see if they have suggestions."

"Are they dead?" Mette asked.

"No," I shook my head. "Just sleeping. I haven't woken them up yet. There wasn't anywhere for them to live until the Mansion showed up."

Anakin counted them.

"There are more than twelve of them," he said.

"Yeah," I nodded. "Most of them are going to need to share. Even after I convert the extra rooms too."

"Prove it," Queen snapped.

"Hm?" I arched my eyebrows at her demand.

"Prove it," she repeated.

I waved a hand around at the Warehouse. She crossed her arms and glared at me. I shrugged.

ROLL.

[COST: 100 FP]
[ITEM: FENRIS Mech]
[Designed by Hahne-Kedar specifically for security, this robotic canine is very friendly to its owner and their allies, while being a terror to its enemies. Their advanced sensors can detect weapons and narcotics, used in the same manner bomb and drug-sniffing dogs would, and this one is not hackable, meaning that pesky programmers won't be able to turn your beloved pet against you.]
[Purchase – Bookmark – Dismiss]

A robo-dog? Sure, why not.

PURCHASE.

[Balance: 400 Forge Points]

The quadrupedal robot appeared in front of me. Its default white armor plates and red highlights were crisp and clean. Anakin's eyes went wide when he saw it. Shmi caught him before he could dash forward to get a closer look at it.

"It's safe," I smiled at Shmi. "For us."

A quick flick of a look at Queen was enough for her to get the message.

"What is it?" Anakin was doing his best to slip out of Shmi's grip without making it obvious.

"Fenris Mech," I replied. "It can detect weapons, drugs, and bombs. They also make great pets when access to food and water is limited. Robots don't need to eat."

"Mom?" Anakin looked up at his mother with weapons grade puppy-dog eyes.

Queen looked at the mech without really seeing it. She slowly turned her attention to the rest of the Warehouse. I didn't need my helmet to scan her biological data to see she was on the edge of a mental breakdown.

"Queen," I spoke in a firm, even voice.

She blinked like her name smacked her in the face. In a frankly impressive speed, she unslung her blaster, loaded in a powerpack that I didn't know she had, and aimed it at me. I held up my hands to show I didn't intend to hurt her.

"You had all of this," she growled. "You could have saved One, Kaplan, and Medic."

"Queen," I kept my tone calm. Not for her, but for Anakin. "I need a door to get here. Did you see any doors when we were down there?"

"We were in the towns," she snapped.

"And the bugs had destroyed the doors to get at the people inside," I replied.

"What about the droids?" She growled.

"It can't make any until it knows how," I said. "It's documenting the schematics. Do you think I'd put myself through all of that if I could just send down droids? Not only would it have saved your crew, it would have made me rich. They were so desperate that I could have charged Alderaan per droid."

I was under no delusions that she thought I was a good person. Money, though, that was something she could understand. A mercenary is a mercenary regardless of the galaxy.

"Where did you get the powerpack?" I asked.

"Your armory," she narrowed her eyes at me.

I nodded.

"And those commandos?" She motioned to the sleeping soldiers.

"They weren't here until the second assignment," I replied. "By then we didn't have access to a door that worked."

I could see the muscles in her arm tighten. My hand moved to intercept the burst of blaster fire. Blaster Manipulation stopped the bolt of compressed plasma splashed against my palm. I waved my other hand, trying to pull her blaster out of her hands. Queen had looped the strap on her rifle under her other arm preventing it from moving as far as I wanted. She was a fast learner.

Her hands latched onto the rifle and wrestled it back under her control. She may have had a good handle on the abilities that I had shown her, but she didn't count on my crew. Adyan stepped closer to her, cocked back her fist, and rocked Queen's head to the side with an impressive punch.

A burst of Force pushed me into a blur as I crossed the space between us. I snapped the strap holding her blaster in her grip, then yanked it away from her hands. The metal let out a skittering sound as it slid along the cement floor. It was way to close to the sound of those damned bugs for my liking.

Queen was sent sprawling with the use burst of Force Push. She skidded a little across the cement. After a moment, she tried to stand. The FENRIS mech rushed forward, hitting her with a sonic-stun blast. Queen flopped back to the ground.

"Nice punch," I said giving Adyan a nod of appreciation.

"You've been good to us," she shrugged.

Queen rose into the air as I used the Force to lift her. Her arms were locked down against her side and her legs were straight down. I waited a moment for her to recover from the early signs of what was probably a concussion. Was that something a medical droid could treat?

"You didn't have to do that," I said once her vision was clearer.

"You could have saved them," she mumbled.

"No," I shook my head. "I couldn't. We'd all be having a drink in the canteen on a space station if I could."

Queen didn't reply aside from glaring at me like she could set me on fire with her mind.

"Well," I turned to the others. "Let's see if there are holding cells."

"Why?" Anakin asked.

"She needs some time to cool off," I replied. "And I'm not releasing her like this."

Anakin took a deep breath. He looked at Queen, then at his mother. She nodded. This was more than just Queen being mad at me, it was about keeping everyone safe. The mercenary had seen that I valued my crew, using them as leverage would be a valid tactic to get what she wanted. I floated Queen in her bound state back into the Mansion and down to the lower level. There was not any sort of cells for holding people. I didn't think putting her in the Storage Room was a good idea since I had no idea what was in there.

As a last resort I consulted the medical droid.

"Can you treat brain injuries?" I asked as Queen still floated off to the side.

"Yes," the droid replied. "It is a time intensive and delicate process. The patient must be sedated to prevent possibly harming themselves."

"She has a concussion," I motioned to Queen.

The medical droid scanned her.

"Your assessment is correct," the droid pointed to a reclined chair that would have fit perfectly in a dentist's office. A rather high-end one, but still. "Place her here."

Queen tried to struggle as I set her into the chair. The droid methodically applied some nodes across her forehead. It held a hand in front of her face. A spritz of some sort of fluid made her reflexively gasp. The sedative made her eyes droop. She was nearly unconscious when the droid injected her with something. Queen went limp in my grasp, and I let go of my hold. Her arms and legs flopped a little to the side now that they weren't being forced straight. The droid went about applying more things I didn't recognize for the treatment. Thankfully, that also came with some restraints as well. It wouldn't be good for her to thrash around and accidentally hurt herself.

"Keep her unconscious until I tell you otherwise," I ordered the droid.

"She has a minor concussion," the droid replied. "Bacta, even full immersion, will not heal it. She will be unconscious for a minimum of seven days. The treatment may last up to twenty days depending on how her body handles the process."

"What about Rain?" I asked.

"Her leg was the most severe of her injuries," the droid explained. "Treating a broken bone is less complicated than an injury to the brain. Her body is handling the Bacta well, she should recover in a day or two. Less if she follows instructions to rest."

"Doubtful," I chuckled. "Thank you. Please keep me informed of their recovery."

"Understood," the droid said.

"That ends the tour," I turned my attention back to the others.

The mech had padded along with us, sitting happily beside Anakin. I would say happy because the red-lights that functioned as the sensors were now a soft blue.

[Walk This Way]
+100 FP
[If You Look To Your Left]
+100 FP
[Pushy Pushy]
+100 FP
[The Power of Friendship]
+100 FP
[And Violence]
+100 FP
[Roll – Bank – Shop]

ROLL.

[COST: 400 CP]
[LOCATION: The Carnival]
[This carnival is a place you used to visit a lot in your past, and although it's abandoned it somehow still operates perfectly fine. It's got a Ferris Wheel, house of mirrors, game stands - all that fun stuff. It's a nice place to forget your troubles and relax, plus any dates you have here are much more likely to succeed.]
[Purchase – Bookmark – Dismiss]

A functional abandoned carnival. Interesting. How would that work? It didn't say anything about workers. I would assume there would be droids. Except, the descriptions usually mentioned that. An empty carnival. Tempting, but no.

DISMISS.
[Balance: 800 Forge Points]

"Now what?" Anakin asked as he continued to pet his new mech-dog.

"Any idea on how to explain to other people how we survived?" I asked the boy in reply.

"Uh," he looked at the mech-dog who looked at him.

They both shrugged. I turned my attention to Shmi, Mette, and Adyan.

"I have an idea," Mette said softly.

"Go on," I said with a gentle smile.

"You could say you managed to get a shuttle working enough to get into orbit and we picked you up," she offered. "The space stations were too busy getting the surviving mercs and refugees settled to notice another shuttle."

"They wouldn't just blast it to be safe?" I asked.

"I don't know," she replied.

"It's the best idea we've got," I winked at her.

She blushed deeply at me. Damn, she was cute. What was the etiquette on crew relationships? I would need to tread with care since she obviously had a crush on me. It was kind of disturbing that treating her like a person had such an impact on her.

"We'll head back to the ship and get in position," I said. "Do any of you have a problem keeping all of this secret?"

"Nope," Anakin replied happily.

Shmi sighed, looked at her son, then shook her head.

"Like I said, you've been good to us," Adyan said. "This just proves you're my best bet to stay alive."

"Set course to Alderaan," I told Adyan. "We've got a cover story to arrange."

~

It took about an hour in Hyperspace to get us back to Alderaan. That was enough time for my armor to get patched up. I had it on had managed to arrange a better cover story. The Zepplin had room for a little shuttle that would work perfectly. It was airtight and barely functional, but it would pass as a salvaged piece of scrap we used to escape.

Rain was still unconscious via a cocktail of pain medication. She had to be removed from the tank, which would slow down her recovery time. The medical droid wrapped her leg in what was basically an inflatable ring filled with bacta. Thankfully, Queen was transported easily enough. The headgear for her concussion was meant to be portable with the chair simply being there to stop the patient from moving too much. There was a mobile version that could be applied in the field which we swapped out for the stationary version.

After a bit, we were in the shuttle floating in a rough orbit around Alderaan. I had an emergency beacon going once the ship had jumped to hyperspace.

"Emergency Shuttle," a tense voice cut in over the comms. "Identify yourself."

"Mercenary Kiskin Aurelian as well as two injured mercenaries, Queen and Rain, hoping for rescue," I replied. "On a personal note, I didn't like bugs before, but now I hate them."

"How did you get off the planet?" The voice asked.

"The ants lost interest once the ships were gone," I explained. "We found a couple of busted shuttles in our previous mission. I was able to patch together enough workable parts to get us into orbit."

I watched as a larger ship that looked like a pleasure lot taken from the personal landing pad of some noble approached. The shuttle jolted as it locked us in a tractor beam. A set of cargo doors opened as we got closer. They opened just wide enough for the shuttle to get inside.

"You will power down the shuttle and disarm or you will be treated as hostile," a new voice said.

"I'm a Mandalorian," I replied. "Don't shoot me when you open the doors."