> 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.
----------------------------------------
MULTI POV CHAPTER
Jake's P.O.V. :
The tension was suffocating, and it wasn’t just me feeling it—everyone was on edge. The sudden destruction of two scout droids had been a stark reminder of how complacent we’d become. Sure, I’d been saying all along that we were vigilant, but the truth was that the almost non-existent danger since landing on the planet had lulled us into a false sense of security.
Now, the stakes felt very real.
We scanned the area continuously, weapons ready. Despite having chosen positions with minimal risk of ambush, I couldn’t ignore the number of passages leading in and out of this spot. The wreckage of the scout droid wasn’t just a location; it was a nexus, a place where too many unknowns intersected.
Davik, the team’s resident expert on battlefield tactics—and yes, I was now considering this cavern a battlefield—was already working on a solution. His sharp eyes scanned the environment with practiced precision, and I could almost see the gears turning in his head as he planned our next move.
"This isn't defensible enough," Davik muttered, breaking the silence. "We need a better position, somewhere we can control the flow of any potential engagement."
No one argued.
He gave quick, precise instructions, and we started moving. Speed was a priority, but so was keeping alert. Every sound seemed amplified, every shadow a potential threat.
As we moved, I kept my attention split between following Davik’s lead and issuing orders to the remaining scout droid. I confirmed with Mira to have it rendezvous with us at the new location Davik had in mind. “Mira, have it adjust its route to avoid the area where the others were hit,” I added, my voice low but firm.
“Already done,” she replied, her focus as sharp as ever.
I felt a bit of relief at that. At least the droid was still functional for now.
Kado stayed close to the rear, his eyes darting back to the destroyed scout droid we were leaving behind. “This doesn’t feel random,” he said quietly, his voice just loud enough for me to hear.
“No,” I replied, keeping my voice steady. “It doesn’t. And that’s what worries me.”
The cavern loomed around us as we moved, its massive walls and ceilings more oppressive than awe-inspiring now. The vastness that had felt almost magical earlier now felt like a labyrinth designed to trap us.
I tightened my grip on Skew-01, the droid moving slightly ahead of me. “Keep your optics sharp,” I murmured, not sure if I was talking to the droid, myself, or the group.
Whatever—or whoever—was down here with us, I had a sinking feeling we weren’t going to like what we found next.
----------------------------------------
Jake's P.O.V. continued:
The quiet, almost suffocating tension we carried during the trek to the rendezvous point was shattered in an instant. The warning from Nick-02 about incoming fire was sharp, and just as the words processed in my brain, the hiss of blaster fire screamed through the air. Before I could fully react, Skew-01 moved into position ahead of me with its energy shield flaring to life. The distinct hum of its personal shielding absorbing the hit was oddly reassuring but also a stark reminder: we were under attack.
The first shot seemed to be a lucky or deliberate attempt on me, but whether I was the target or merely an unlucky bystander didn’t matter. My brain was already racing through possibilities as Davik’s voice barked out a sharp command.
“Move! We’re sitting ducks here!” he yelled, his tone sharp with urgency.
The sound of blaster fire began to multiply, sizzling past in streaks of bright energy. From my peripheral vision, I could see the others diving for better positions or scrambling to follow Davik’s lead.
Skew-01 and Nick-02 were returning fire with a controlled efficiency that made me grateful for my obsessive tinkering back in my workshop. The sight of Skew-01’s bulk shielding me and firing back with precision while Nick-02 flanked to cover our retreat was the closest thing to having my FPS fantasies turned real—minus the actual danger of death part, which I was very keenly aware of now.
I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as we moved, each blaster bolt hitting too close for comfort.
“Shields won’t last forever!” Mira shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos as she darted toward cover.
“Noted!” I called back, hurrying after her while trying to maintain some composure. My hands itched to grab something to repair or modify, but there was no time to think about that.
Rina and Arlos were close by, keeping low and moving in short bursts toward the rendezvous point Davik had chosen. Meanwhile, Kado was following Skew-02, providing what little cover fire he could. Davik, as expected, was already ahead, securing the route with calculated precision.
I couldn’t help but think of how much worse this could be if we didn’t have the droids and our upgraded shields. Every hiss and crack of blaster fire was a reminder of just how fragile our advantage might be.
We reached the edge of the rendezvous point—a rocky alcove with natural cover that Davik must’ve eyed for its defensive potential. Mira was already scanning the surroundings as we poured into the space.
“Droids, perimeter!” Davik barked.
Nick-01 and Skew-02 quickly moved to cover our rear while Nick-02 and Skew-01 took up positions at the front. The droids were invaluable, their shields absorbing fire as they laid down suppressive bursts to keep our attackers at bay.
“Jake! What do you see on their scans?” Davik snapped, his voice cutting through my racing thoughts.
I pulled up the data from the droids, my fingers trembling slightly as I navigated the interface on my wrist device. “Not much,” I admitted. “They’re staying just out of the scanner range—deliberately, I’d bet.”
“Of course, they are,” he muttered, his tone grim.
A stray blaster bolt ricocheted off the edge of the alcove, making me flinch and instinctively duck lower. My mind raced as I tried to think of a way to turn the tables.
“We’ve got to flush them out or figure out what they’re after,” Mira said, her eyes locked on her scanner.
Stolen novel; please report.
“They’re after us, clearly,” Rina muttered, her usually cheery tone edged with frustration.
“Not necessarily,” I countered. “We don’t know who they are or what they want. For all we know, we stumbled into someone else’s secret.”
“Not the time for theories!” Davik growled, already moving to reposition and check the perimeter.
As much as I hated being told to shut up, he had a point. Survival first. Speculation later.
----------------------------------------
Jake's P.O.V. continued:
The cacophony of blaster fire was relentless, everyone directing their shots toward the origin of the bolts coming our way. I raised my arm, activating the gauntlet-mounted blaster I had meticulously upgraded back on the Stellar Envoy. The familiar hum of energy coursing through the mechanism was almost comforting as I joined the fray. My shots added to the chaos, precise and steady, but something caught my eye.
One of our retaliatory bolts glanced off the darkness, leaving a faint ripple in the air—a distortion like heatwaves. My breath caught.
“What the—?” I muttered, squinting to make sense of it.
Another blaster bolt from Rina’s direction struck the same area, confirming my suspicion. The shimmering distortion was real, and it was moving.
Active camouflage.
My mind raced as I pieced together the implications. Active camouflage was bleeding-edge tech, something that theoretically existed in highly classified military research but was far from being portable, let alone available in the open market. My thoughts spiraled toward one unsettling conclusion.
Unless it’s a droid.
That realization made my eyes widen. My pulse quickened as the pieces clicked into place. The precision of the attacks, the lack of visible enemies, the shimmering distortions—all of it lined up. I wasn’t just facing any droids. These were designed for security, stealth, and lethality.
“Droids!” I shouted over the din, my voice cutting through the chaos. “It’s droids with active camouflage!”
That got everyone’s attention.
“What kind of droids?” Davik demanded, still returning fire with unyielding focus.
“Security droids, probably assassin-class,” I called back, ducking as a blaster bolt zipped past. “The active camo tech—it’s the only explanation! They’re designed to be invisible until they strike!”
Rina cursed under her breath. “Invisible killer droids? Fantastic.”
“Any ideas on how to fight them?” Mira asked sharply, her scanner working overtime.
My brain kicked into overdrive. The tech needed to make something like this work would rely heavily on optics and energy efficiency, meaning there had to be limits.
“Cloaking tech isn’t perfect,” I said quickly. “They’ll have to drop the camo when attacking or taking significant damage. Focus your fire on where the bolts are coming from or where you see distortions!”
“And if we can’t see either?” Kado asked, his tone grim but calm.
“Then we keep moving,” Davik cut in. “Staying still is death.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Another hiss of blaster fire streaked toward us, and Skew-01 shifted to intercept. Its energy shield flared as it absorbed the impact, but I could see the strain on the shield generator.
“Shields are gonna fail if this keeps up,” Mira warned.
“Then we don’t let it keep up,” Davik said. “Jake, can your droids track them?”
I grimaced. “Not directly. If they’ve got cloaking tech this advanced, it’ll fool most standard sensors.”
“But not all,” Rina chimed in, a gleam of determination in her eyes. “Your droids can track energy signatures, right?”
I blinked, then nodded. “Yeah, they can pick up power surges. If these droids are using cloaking tech, they’re outputting energy spikes. It’s subtle, but it’s there.”
“Then do it!” Davik ordered.
“Nick-01, Nick-02, skew units!” I barked, accessing their command interface. “Engage energy signature tracking. Prioritize disruptions and surges!”
The droids complied immediately, their optics flickering as they switched modes. Within seconds, Nick-02 let out a series of rapid beeps, indicating a lock on a target.
“There!” I shouted, pointing to the shimmering distortion now visible on the droid’s sensors.
The team unleashed a barrage of blaster fire at the spot. The distortion flickered violently before revealing a humanoid-shaped droid, its sleek frame bearing an unsettling resemblance to an upgraded IG assassin droid. The thing was heavily armed, its weapons glowing as it prepared to fire.
“Confirmed: security droids!” Mira yelled.
The realization sent another spike of adrenaline through me. These droids weren’t just here by chance. Whoever—or whatever—had designed this vault wanted to keep people out, and these sentries were the first line of defense.
One down, but how many more?
I didn’t have time to dwell on it. More blaster fire erupted, and another distortion appeared.
“Stay focused!” Davik shouted, leading the charge.
My hands flew over my gauntlet’s controls, redirecting the droids and reinforcing their shield algorithms. “We need to break through their numbers and get out of here!” I called out.
“Then stop gawking and start shooting!” Rina retorted, a mix of urgency and forced humor in her voice.
I smirked despite myself. Adrenaline had a funny way of sharpening your focus.
One thing was clear: we were in for a fight.
----------------------------------------
Davik's P.O.V. :
The moment the first droid fell, a technical victory by our standards but cold efficiency by theirs, the tide of blaster fire tripled. It was as though we’d kicked a nest of viper-wasps, and the swarm was now out for blood.
My blaster tracked the incoming fire, snapping off reactive shots more to suppress than to kill. It wasn’t enough. Jake’s droids were doing the heavy lifting, their energy shields absorbing the brunt of the assault, but even I could tell they wouldn’t last long under this level of concentrated fire.
“Jake!” I barked, dodging behind a jagged rock formation for cover. “How much longer can your droids hold out?”
“Not long!” he called back, his voice strained. “Focused fire drains the shields fast, and explosives will wipe them out completely!”
I clenched my jaw, suppressing a curse. Explosives. It wouldn’t surprise me if these damn droids had some tucked away.
A blaster bolt ricocheted off my shielding, sending a sharp, jarring pulse through my arm. Without the personal shield Jake had rigged up, I’d be a corpse by now. That thought did little to comfort me, knowing the others were in the same precarious situation.
“Mira!” I shouted, keeping low as I fired blindly in the direction of the enemy. “We need a fallback point—fast!”
She didn’t answer immediately, but I could hear her cursing under her breath as she scanned her device.
“Got one!” she finally yelled, her voice cutting through the chaos. “There’s a defensible position near the center of the cavern, but—”
“But what?” I demanded.
“It’s going to be a deadly run,” she said grimly.
I glanced at the others. Jake was frantically managing his droids, his gauntlet-mounted blaster firing in quick bursts. Rina was gritting her teeth, alternating between shooting and shouting taunts into the void—whether to throw off the enemy or keep herself focused, I couldn’t tell. Kado looked winded but determined, firing in measured bursts, while Arlos was barely keeping pace, panic flashing in his eyes as he glanced around for any sign of our attackers.
“Deadly or not, we don’t have a choice!” I shouted back.
I leaned out just enough to fire a few more shots, watching as one hit another shimmer in the air. A second enemy droid flickered into view, its sleek form glinting in the dim light as it crumpled under our combined fire.
“We move now!” I bellowed, turning to the group. “Run and gun! Droids, surround us and tank as much as you can!”
Jake gave a quick nod, and I could see him issuing commands through his gauntlet. The remaining Skew and Nick droids shifted positions, tightening their formation around us.
“Let’s move!”
I broke from cover, my legs pumping as I charged toward the center of the cavern. The others followed, their blasters firing wildly in every direction.
The sound of blaster fire was deafening, a constant barrage that seemed to come from every angle. I felt another shot glance off my shielding, the impact making my shoulder throb. Behind me, I heard Jake muttering something about the droids’ shields nearing critical levels.
We were halfway to the center when an explosion rocked the cavern, throwing up a plume of dust and debris.
“Explosives!” Mira shouted, confirming my earlier fear.
“Keep moving!” I roared, gritting my teeth as I fired blindly at the origin of the blast.
The center of the cavern loomed closer, a raised platform surrounded by jagged stalagmites. It wasn’t perfect, but it was better than being out in the open.
“Almost there!” I yelled, hoping to keep the group focused.
One of the Skew droids took a direct hit, its shield flaring brightly before collapsing. The droid staggered but kept moving, its chassis sparking from the impact.
“Skew-02’s shield is down!” Jake warned, panic creeping into his voice.
“Forget it! Just get to the platform!”
As we reached the edge of the defensible position, I turned and fired another burst, catching a faint shimmer as a third droid revealed itself. The thing crumpled under the concentrated fire of the team, but I knew there were more out there.
“Into position!” I ordered as we reached the platform.
Jake and Mira scrambled to the center, already setting up scanners and issuing commands to the droids. Rina and Kado took opposite flanks, their blasters trained on the cavern’s entrances. Arlos stuck close to the group, his hands shaking but steady enough to keep firing.
The droids formed a loose perimeter around us, their shields absorbing as much of the incoming fire as they could.
“This isn’t over,” I muttered, gripping my blaster tightly.
The enemy wasn’t going to let us off easy. But for now, we had a chance to regroup. A chance to survive.
----------------------------------------
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
75 Chapters are available on my patreon
you can support me and become a patron
P A T R E O N . C O M / TofferPlays
(but only if you want to, okay?)
This fanfic is also on:
SpaceBattles
SufficientVelocity
RoyalRoad
ArchiveOfOurOwn