> Disclaimer: Star Wars and all of it's Intellectual Properties is owned by George Lucas and Walt Disney, This fictional work and all of it's original characters are however mine.
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The Stellar Envoy landed a safe distance from the raider camp, hidden among the rocky outcroppings that blanketed the rugged terrain. Mira had chosen a spot that kept them well out of sight, ensuring that even the keenest of the raiders wouldn’t catch a glimpse of their approach.
As the hatch opened, Kado quickly took charge, his voice low and steady. “Alright, here’s the plan. Tarek, you stay here with Nick-03 and keep the ship secure. We’re not getting stranded in this dustbowl.”
Tarek gave a mock salute, trying to play off the nerves that lingered just under his skin. “Got it. I’ll be here holding down the fort. Just… you know, make sure you come back.”
Kado nodded, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder before turning to Jake, who was already checking his gauntlets and securing his blaster. Jake had also programmed Skew-01, one of the stockier, tank-like Quids, to guard the ramp as an extra layer of defense. The droid’s sturdy frame and heavy plating gave it the perfect presence as a guard.
Once outside, Jake turned his attention to the others as they armed themselves. Everyone did a quick check on their wrist energy shields, with blue sparks flashing briefly as each one powered up. Jake felt the familiar weight of his gauntlets, an added bit of insurance he appreciated having in a firefight.
Mira slung her sniper blaster rifle over her shoulder, adjusting the strap and securing the scope. “Okay,” she said, a calm determination in her voice, “I’ll take the high ground and find a good vantage point. I’ll have Skew-02 with me to cover my back.” The Skew unit whirred to life beside her, its stocky form ready to keep Mira protected.
Kado nodded in approval. “Good. Mira, we’re counting on you to keep an eye out for any surprises.”
She gave him a quick, confident nod, then glanced at Jake. “Try not to get in too much trouble,” she said with a smirk. “I’d rather not have to pick off any raiders you ‘accidentally’ rile up.”
Jake grinned. “I’ll try my best not to be a distraction. But hey, maybe they’ll just be scared off by my charm,” he quipped, tapping the side of his gauntlet for emphasis.
Davik rolled his eyes, chuckling as he secured his own blaster. “If you mean your ‘charm’ of drawing blaster fire, you’ve got that covered, Jake.”
The group laughed, and the bit of levity cut through the tension as they each readied themselves. Jake took a steadying breath, grateful for the banter. Missions like these could go sideways in an instant, and while they’d all been through their share of close calls, it was these lighter moments that held them together.
Kado raised a hand, signaling the final plan. “Alright, listen up. Mira, you’ll take position with Skew-02. Jake, you’re with me, Davik, Nick-01, and Nick-02. We’ll head toward the camp on foot and stick to the rocks to stay out of sight. Remember, we want the leader alive if possible, but if they engage, we’ll return fire.”
Mira gave one last glance toward the rocky slopes, already scanning for the best sniping spot. “Got it. Just give me the signal when you’re in position.”
With that, the two groups separated. Jake fell in line behind Kado and Davik, with the Nick droids trailing close, their servos humming softly. Mira and Skew-02 took a different path, slipping into the shadows as they began their careful climb to higher ground.
The walk was quiet but tense. Each footstep seemed to echo against the stone walls, and Jake felt his senses heighten with every step closer to the camp. He kept his hand hovering near his blaster, ready for anything, and occasionally glanced over to Kado, who was moving with a calm, almost effortless precision.
At one point, Jake broke the silence with a whisper. “So, Kado, what’s the plan if this goes south? I’m asking for… totally hypothetical reasons.”
Kado gave him a sidelong look, lips curving in a barely-contained smile. “The plan is for you to keep your head down and follow orders. Hypothetically, of course.”
Davik chuckled softly, chiming in, “Jake, if things go south, just don’t accidentally rile up a whole camp. That’s all we’re asking.”
Jake smirked. “Rile up? Who, me? Never. I’m just here for moral support and maybe a few clever one-liners if things get dicey.”
They pressed on, keeping low and moving carefully through the canyon, the camp now coming into view below them. From their position, they could see the raiders milling around, weapons slung over shoulders, talking and laughing, unaware of the approaching danger. It was a sprawling setup, with rough tents scattered among speeders and supplies, clearly cobbled together without much thought to defense.
As they neared their target, Kado stopped and raised a hand, signaling them to crouch low. He tapped his comm, speaking quietly. “Mira, we’re in position. Anything to report?”
Mira’s voice crackled through the comm in response. “All clear from up here. I’ve got eyes on most of them. You’ve got a path to the leader, but watch for the group near the south tent—they’re pretty close.”
“Understood. Keep us covered,” Kado replied, glancing back at Jake and Davik with a nod. “Let’s move in.”
Jake took a breath, adrenaline simmering just beneath the surface as they started to descend toward the camp.
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Jake’s pulse hammered in his ears as the group made their way toward the raider camp, trying to stay as quiet as possible on the rocky terrain. He kept his senses sharp, every crack of rock beneath his boots seeming like a loud announcement to anyone nearby. It was a simple approach, or at least it was supposed to be. But knowing his luck, Jake couldn’t help but feel like something would go wrong. And sure enough, just as they were getting close to their target, a sharp whistle cut through the air.
“Crap,” Jake muttered under his breath, ducking behind a large boulder as a voice from the camp shouted, “Hey! You hear that?”
Too late. The raiders had spotted them.
“Damn it!” Kado hissed, his hand shooting up to signal the team to split. “We’re going loud!”
Jake didn’t need to be told twice. He pulled his blaster from its holster, cursing his bad luck as the familiar rush of adrenaline flooded his system. He had barely moved a step before the first round pinged off a nearby rock. They were in the firefight now, no turning back.
He darted behind cover, narrowly avoiding another blaster bolt, and fired back. The raiders had scattered, taking positions behind crates and tents, but the Nick models—Nick-01 and Nick-02—moved like a well-oiled machine. Jake had heard plenty about their efficiency in combat from Kado and Davik, but seeing them in action was something else. They were relentless, moving with precision, their blasters blazing as they cut down the raiders one by one.
The droids didn’t flinch, didn’t hesitate. One shot, one kill. Nick-01 took out two raiders taking cover behind a stack of barrels, while Nick-02, slower but no less deadly, wiped out another group trying to flank them. Jake couldn’t help but be impressed. These droids were everything he had hoped for, and more. He’d read the specs and seen the practice runs, but this was the real deal, and he couldn’t deny how well they performed.
"Cover me!" Kado shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos. He was moving ahead, trying to get closer to the center of the camp where the leader was.
Jake fired another shot, hitting a raider in the chest as they tried to duck behind a wrecked speeder. The shot hit hard, and the raider dropped like a stone. He didn’t know if it was his accuracy or just blind luck, but either way, he wasn’t going to dwell on it. He had more pressing issues.
Mira, who had positioned herself on a high ridge with Skew-02 for cover, fired off a well-placed shot, taking out a raider from afar. Jake saw the dust kick up around the target as the bolt hit home, sending the raider into a heap. Her sniper rifle was deadly accurate, just like Kado had promised.
Then, in the middle of the chaos, something unexpected happened. A speeder in the middle of the camp exploded with a deafening crash, sending debris flying in all directions. Smoke and fire erupted in a sudden wave of heat and force, momentarily throwing off their aim.
Jake looked around, eyes wide, trying to piece together what happened. He could’ve sworn he saw someone on the far side of the camp near the wreckage, but he couldn’t be sure. What was certain, though, was the explosion had taken down a raider and disoriented another. No one would ever find out if Jake had any involvement in that blast, and he intended to keep it that way.
While the raiders were scrambling to regain their composure, Davik spotted the leader near a speeder, preparing to make a break for it. “Kado! I’ve got eyes on the leader,” he called out, his voice steady as he aimed. “Cover me!”
The leader made a dash for the vehicle, but before they could climb inside, Davik took the shot, hitting the raider square in the chest. The leader dropped to the ground, stunned but alive, just like the bounty stated. Eight other raiders in the camp were stunned as well, thanks to a well-placed shot from Kado, who had made his way to the far side to intercept.
In the midst of it all, Jake managed to find another opportunity. A raider had grabbed a rocket launcher, aiming it at the Nick models. But before he could fire, Jake’s blaster shot hit him square in the chest, sending him toppling backward. The rocket launcher clattered to the ground, useless.
“Nice shot, Jake!” Davik called, ducking behind cover as he fired a few more rounds.
Jake didn’t answer. He was too busy watching the droids clean up the rest. Nick-01 and Nick-02 had taken care of most of the remaining raiders, their blasters spitting bolts of energy with ruthless efficiency. Kado, meanwhile, had made short work of the last few, his blaster blazing as he ran forward to finish off the rest.
Jake’s heart raced as the dust began to settle. The fight wasn’t over yet, but it was close. The leader had been stunned and was now in custody, along with the eight other raiders who’d been knocked out of the fight.
The rest of the raiders had been taken out either by Davik’s sharpshooting, Mira’s potshots, the Nick models’ unrelenting fire, or Kado’s precision. Surprisingly, Jake had scored a few kills of his own. One of his shots had hit something explosive near one of the speeders, and the resulting explosion had taken out one raider and disoriented another just enough for them to be stunned without trouble.
Jake would never, ever admit to being the cause of that explosion, though. He wasn’t about to take credit for what he was sure was just another fluke in his series of unfortunate (but surprisingly lucky) shots.
“Looks like we’ve got them all,” Kado said, breathing heavily but clearly satisfied as he approached the stunned leader. “Tie them up, and let’s get moving. We’re not out of here yet.”
Jake and the others quickly set to work, securing the raiders and making sure they were well and truly tied up before starting the trek back to the ship. The atmosphere was a mix of satisfaction and relief as they gathered the bounties and began to move toward the Stellar Envoy.
As the crew approached the Stellar Envoy, Tarek stood up from the cockpit, his expression a mixture of excitement and curiosity. "So, how’d it go? You guys get them all?" he asked, the tone of his voice eager but with a trace of uncertainty—he hadn’t yet been involved in any actual fieldwork.
Kado gave him a quick nod. "We got them, all tied up and ready for the bounty hunters. Some went down hard, but we handled it."
Jake, still a little winded from the firefight, wiped his hands off on his pants and added with a half-grin, "We left a few scorched marks for you to enjoy. The Nick models really lived up to the hype."
Tarek's eyes lit up at the mention of the Nick models, but he didn’t seem entirely sure of how to respond to the mention of "scorched marks" and actual combat. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "That’s, uh... good to hear. Guess I’ll take your word for it."
Jake looked at him, reading his hesitation. "You’ll get your turn, don't worry. Once we get the ship all set up, you’ll see how all this works."
Tarek’s shoulders relaxed slightly, his usual nervous energy making a return as he bounced lightly on his heels. "Yeah... yeah, I’m looking forward to it." He tried to sound confident, but his words betrayed a certain uncertainty. The pilot still had a long way to go before he could start thinking of himself as one of the crew in terms of field operations.
As the group moved to unload the bounties and make sure everything was secure, Tarek watched them with a quiet intensity, hoping that with time, he’d fit in as naturally as they had. For now, he was content to keep his focus on flying the ship—and maybe leave the more dangerous parts of the operation to those who knew the ropes.
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