Star Wars - Artoo Detoo: Droid of a Kind (Volume 1)

by Mark A.J. Cristobal

  Qui-Gon buried his lightsaber on the creature’s chin and swam away as the creature violently trashed in pain. The Jedi returned to his seat and strapped himself in as Jar-jar closed the hydrostatic bubble on them and punched the drain button.

  They then deftly made their way beneath the screaming beast and headed off to the few remaining distance to the surface of Naboo in Theed.

  * * *

  The Gungan sub finally emerged at the Solleu River startling a few Naboo waterfowls.

  Qui-Gon Jinn and Jar-jar Binks saw a platoon of B1 battle droids marching by the riverbank accompanied by several AATs. One of the droid spotted them and the AATs turn their primary laser cannons and fired.

  Qui-Gon jumped into the water while Jar-jar ducked on the cockpit. The first barrage exploded on the waters around their sub but at the second volley the bongo was hit and its engines were destroyed. The current of the Solleu took the disabled Gungan sub and its remaining passenger drifting closer and closer to the Virdugo Plunge.

  Qui-Gon attempted to use the Force to pull the sub towards him but the AATs kept firing at him. Qui-Gon decided to dive under and swim his way to the other side of the river, where the Theed Hangar lies.

  Jar-jar was not idle, he collected all the stacked weapons of Boss Nass in the sub and took what he could sling and strap in his body and before the sub reached the edge of the mighty waterfalls the Gungan jumped into the water and swam against the current.

  The droids waited for a few minutes but when not a single person resurfaced from the river the entire platoon resumed their march and headed to the Palace Plaza.

  Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn made his way under cover through the low thick bushes at the riverbank a few meters from the steep walls of the Theed Hangar. Hidden under the canopy of leaves the Jedi rested and composed himself. He was about to start heading towards the palace when another movement alerted him, clutching at his lightsaber he watched as a Gungan emerged from the waters and scowled at him.

  “Youssa are not gonna get rid of messa that easily!” Jar-jar climbed up and started checking his weapons’ condition.

  “The invasion army arrived faster than I anticipated. We must hurry if we are to save the Queen in time.” Qui-Gon said as he peered by the wall to see if the coast is clear.

  “Go, messa gonna cover youssa.” Jar-jar nodded and the two moved in.

  Chapter 30: The Battle of Spinnaker

  Obi-Wan Kenobi watched in trepidation as more and more droid army joins the initial attackers of Spinnaker.

  He and his commando were on the power trenches of Spinnaker that stretches from the city itself and out into the grassy plains for fifty kilometers to the Spinnaker Power Plant situated on the center of the Witachee Basin.

  The trench was ten feet deep and three meters wide covered by metal brackets which in turn were covered with a two feet layer of rocks and three feet layer of soil with grasses that perfectly blended in the entire grass plains.

  Above them from all sides, marches the droid invasion army of the Trade Federation.

  Nym reached the first maintenance access chute, he double checked his weapons and bombs and gave salute to Obi-Wan and started to climb up. The rest of the commando moved onward until each and every one of them has climbed the following series of maintenance access chutes.

  Obi-Wan was the last in the group to climb up so he was expecting to emerge on the rear side of the invasion army but when he got a peek on the outside he was dismayed to see that at the distant horizon the droid army was still pouring out from beyond the hills.

  The first set of bombs exploded somewhere far ahead of the advancing droid army and Obi-Wan took that as a cue to swiftly move out of the access hatch and quickly made his way through passing AATs and MTTs.

  After a few seconds Obi-Wan decided he was finally in a better position to cause as many damage as possible. He began placing the bombs on the vital areas of the AATs and MTTs, each bomb were set on a ten second delay trigger.

  The moment his first bomb detonated, Obi-Wan Kenobi ignited his lightsaber and went on destroying as many battle droids as he can.

  The inner ranks of the invasion army broke formation as explosions after another forced the nearby droids and tanks to halt and concentrate on the enemy saboteurs.

  A droid starfighter suddenly came crashing down onto the fray and Nym was thrown by the explosion. Vana Sage darted towards the Freeorin to check on him as Rhys Dallows provided cover fire.

  Obi-Wan jumped into the converging battle droids and became a swirling blur of argent light and he decimated the throng like a wild Gelgacian tornado.

  “Captain Kael says the Dark Jedi have penetrated half of the city… they were being forced to retreat!” Sage shouted as she threw the comlink on Dallows.

  Dallows caught it and spoke to the captain, “I’ll tell the Jedi…”

  His words were cut off as the Bravo Squadron flew low over them and dropped proton torpedoes on the advancing MMTs and AATs that wasn’t damaged by the bombs of the commando team.

  Obi-Wan finally rejoined them and led them back to the access hatch leading back to the power trench below.

  Once inside, Obi-Wan asked them about their ammunition.

  “We’ve spent all of our bombs and most of us only have half depleted blasters.” Nym said to him.

  “Let’s get back to Captain Kael, I’ll handle Crimos, you get your men out of Spinnaker, there’s nothing more we could do here. Go straight to Theed and try to reach Captain Panaka. Have your underground fighters coordinate with whatever Captain Panaka has in mind. My Master might already be there, if you find him, tell him Sarc Crimos is on Spinnaker…” Obi-Wan instructed Dallows.

  “Wait, wait… how about you?” Sage asked.

  “I have to stall them. I’ll deal with Crimos. Don’t worry. I still have a few tricks up my sleeves. If I don’t make it, well, just continue with your guerilla tactics, it works better that way against armies of this size. No heroics.” Obi-Wan said to Vana Sage.

  “No heroics? What do you call what you’re planning to do?” Nym grunted.

  “If I don’t stall them none of you will make it to Theed.” Obi-Wan smiled.

  “You Jedi are crazy people. I like your style but still crazy for my taste. I am honored to finally meet a Jedi.” Reti shook Obi-Wan’s hands.

  “You talk like I’m gonna die or something, I don’t plan to.” Obi-Wan chuckled.

  “Whatever.” Reti shrugged.

  Vana Sage looked at Obi-Wan as if wanted to say something, shrugged and leaned over and gave him a light kiss on the lips and nodded at the others, “Let’s get moving.”

  Obi-Wan watched them go then climb back up to the surface and slashed a passing droid and took its STAP. He then made his way to Spinnaker past startled battle droids and dodging fires from blaster bolts to cannon lasers.

  * * *

  Captain Hoff Siege checked his armaments and saw he was down with five proton torpedoes. So far they haven’t lost wing but with the swarm of droid starfighters keep arriving, he knew it’ll only be a matter of minutes before they start losing pilots.

  Artoo Detoo bleeped loudly and Hoff looked down from his cockpit and saw a human riding a STAP and wielding a lightsaber making his way towards the city.

  “He must be the ambassador sent by the Senate. Artoo, do you think you could hail Captain Panaka with our short range communicator?” Siege asked as he flew up as several droid starfighters came blasting towards him.

  Artoo beeped and after a few attempts the droid finally reached Panaka.

  “Bravo Lead here, I just had a visual with a Jedi down on the battlefield here in the outskirts of Spinnaker.” Siege said.

  “Can you confirm that?” Panaka asked.

  “Affirmative!” Siege nodded.

  “The Queen has ordered us to stand down but I have received word that there are underground units operating there on Spinnaker, can you also confirm that?” Panaka asked.

  “During ou
r initial flyby I spotted several people fighting the droid army not wearing Naboo Security Forces uniforms, I would assume that those were the resistance you were referring to.” Siege said.

  “Very well then, in case the invasion army reaches here first, take Bravo Squadron to the Jafanara ruins and establish a base there. I’ll send someone there to coordinate and update you. Do not go to Theed, I can’t risk you all captured here. The more men we have outside the better chance we have on fighting these invaders.” Panaka ordered.

  “Copy that Captain.” Siege acknowledged.

  “Panaka out.”

  “Alright Bravo Squadron, listen!” Hoff opened the squadron channel as he vaporizes three more droid starfighters.

  “Once you are all out of torpedoes I want you to make a full retreat, lose your tails if there’s any and regroup on Jafanara. Our orders are to hole up there, wait for Captain Panaka’s men to contact us then hook up with the underground resistance group. We need to refuel and rearm so we need those people for the procurement of supplies.” Siege informed them.

  “Copy that Bravo Lead!” came the various assents of the other pilots.

  * * *

  “Captain Kael! Let’s go!” Nym shouted as he and his commando team found the captain pinned down on one of the abandoned buildings.

  “Who’s going to hold off this army?” Kael asked.

  The Spinnaker Archway before them suddenly collapse, tons of boulders and debris started to rain down on the wide street and began piling up like a wall between them and the droid army led by OOM-9 and the Lady Sarc Crimos.

  Captain Kael raised his macrobinoculars and saw Obi-Wan Kenobi leaped in the air and clashed his lightsaber with the pair of green and blue blades of the female Dark Jedi.

  “I think that just answered your question.” Dallows said and shouted the retreat order to the rest of the remaining Naboo Security Forces and of the underground resistance.

  “Speeders are ready, hurry!” Vana shouted at them.

  With one last look at his fallen city, Captain Kael sighed in resignation and ran with the others to their landspeeders.

  * * *

  Obi-Wan Kenobi finally reached the gates of Spinnaker, or what was left of it and left his STAP and darted to the side alleys away from the flood of battle droids and their tanks.

  As he reaches the center of the city, Obi-Wan halted and searched for the tallest building he could see nearby and spotted one some five blocks from him. He looks around and saw droidekas and AATs milling around and halted right where he was supposed to go.

  Rolling his eyes in exasperation, the Jedi ran and ignited his lightsaber.

  The droidekas saw him and activated their shields and opened fire. Kenobi deflected their bolts with his weapon and when he saw the AATs beginning to swing their cannons on him he rolled onto the buildings and made his way up deciding to take the roofs where there were fewer threats.

  Obi-Wan reached the end of the roof he was running and saw there were no longer any buildings between where he stood and to the tallest one some fifty meters from him.

  He looked down and saw swarms of the droid army. To his far left he saw the raging battle just on the other side of the Spinnaker Archway. The Lady Sarc Crimos was somewhere there, he could feel her presence.

  Obi-Wan ducked as several droid starfighters flew above him firing on the men of Captain Kael. As he turns to look, he saw Bravo Squadron came and fired at the droid starfighters. Obi-Wan suddenly had an idea and turn around and spotted on N1 Starfighter coming in low and dropped proton torpedoes on the throng of battle droids on the open ground before him.

  As the ship was about to pass by Obi-Wan nudged the pilot with the Force so he would see him.

  Obi-Wan saw the pilot looked out and spotted him and then made a wide arc and return on the other side of the building and hovered slowly.

  Obi-Wan waved and pointed at the pilot and then on himself then on the building across the open ground. The pilot repeated the gesture as if confirming it and Obi-Wan nodded. The pilot nodded and flew off as a cannon fire hit the building behind it.

  Before it reached him a droid starfighter attack it and the pilot engaged his enemy first before returning to a hover just at the edge of the roof where the Jedi is.

  Obi-Wan leaped on the ship and dropped into a crawl and held on the dome of the astromech droid.

  Artoo Detoo beeped at Captain Siege and the ship flew to towards the larger building but they were forced to veer away as the tanks below opened fire at them.

  Obi-Wan held the droid tightly as the ship awkwardly dodged the cannon fire. Siege was very careful not to drop his Jedi hitchhiker.

  The ship finally got close enough for the Jedi to jump off and landed on the roof of the larger building.

  Obi-Wan Kenobi raised his hand in thanks as the pilot flew away to engage another group of droid starfighters coming up fast.

  Obi-Wan looked out at the raging battle before him and scanned the surrounding, thinking fast how he could help Captain Kael and his men to retreat safely. His eyes rested on the wide and massive Spinnaker Archway that practically marks the center of the two battling forces.

  Obi-Wan studied the thick pillars of the Spinnaker Archway and looked around him again. He noticed several AATs firing, closing his eyes, Obi-Wan reached out to the Force and started re-envisioning all the AATs he saw below him and one by one he nudged their cannons to turn and hit the two pillars.

  The trick was tasking and it drew a lot of concentration and energy from Obi-Wan but the Jedi steeled himself and focused. When he finally estimated that the pillars were unstable enough, he uses the Force to literally destroy the pillars.

  The massive Spinnaker Archway fell and blocked the droid army from the retreating human soldiers.

  Obi-Wan dropped on his knees in exhaustion and passed out.

  When he opened his eyes he saw a half naked woman standing before him, blue and green lightsaber. He tried to stand up but she Force-shoved him and he fell off the building.

  The Lady Sarc Crimos leaped after him and the two dropped by happenstance on a passing droid starfighter. The impact jolted Obi-Wan to full alertness and rolled over the other side and ignited his lightsaber as Crimos menacingly advanced on him.

  “Scared, Jedi?” Crimos snarled.

  Obi-Wan was too busy to gave a smart retort, he made his way to the tip of the wing then use the Force to tilt the starfighter.

  Off-balanced the droid starfighter began to fly lower and lower. Before Crimos could reach Obi-Wan he let go and dropped on the central plaza fountain facing the fallen Spinnaker Archway.

  The Lady Crimos leaped and landed a few meters before the Jedi padawan.

  Obi-Wan leaped at her and their lightsabers clashed in a shower of sparks. OOM-9 ordered to fire at the Jedi but Crimos shouted back at the droid commander.

  “No, you idiot! I’ll handle him, go around the ruins. Get those blasted humans!” Crimos yelled.

  “Roger, roger.” OOM-9 nodded and led the droid army through the side alleys.

  The Lady Crimos strikes at him fluidly in a flurry of left and right slashes and several other deadly combinations, all aiming to keep him in a defensive stance. Crimos whirled as her pair of blades was always coming down hard and fast on the Jedi from different directions.

  Obi-Wan strained at the powerful blows of his opponent. The fact that he was also keeping himself from getting sliced by two blades who seems to be steadily attacking him from both sides made it even harder for him to counter the Lady Crimos.

  Around him he could see the entire invasion army rolling past them and into the side alleys and cursed himself for not being able to block those areas as well.

  The relentless battering of the former Nightsister drew him back from his straying thoughts.

  “Admit it padawan, you are not yet ready to face an enemy of my caliber.” Crimos grinned at him as she pivoted to the left swinging her left blade low towards Obi-Wan’s legs while her other
blade came crashing down fast to his shoulders.

  Obi-Wan dived away and rolled behind the Dark Jedi, got up and jabbed his lightsaber on her exposed back.

  Crimos quickly flung her arms behind over her shoulders and her blades blocked his thrust.

  Obi-Wan took the opportunity to Force-shove her, sending the Dark Jedi skidding on the road.

  He ran towards her but dozens upon dozens of rocks, droid pierces and various objects that littered the surrounding were suddenly hurled at him through the Force.

  Obi-Wan held his ground and deflected the objects.

  As the hurtling objects cleared the Lady Crimos appeared in the air with her blades swirling in each of her hands, her outstretched leg landed hard on Obi-Wan’s chest.

  The Jedi landed hard on his back and groaned as the black boots of the Lady Crimos stepped on his neck and started to crush it. Obi-Wan struggled but he was pinned down.

  Crimos clipped her lightsabers back on her belt as she use the Force to snatch Obi-Wan’s lightsaber from his hands.

  Obi-Wan tried to Force-shove her but Crimos also countered it.

  The Jedi saw black spots dancing in front of him until he passed out completely.

  “You, take this prisoner and put him on the ray shielded capsule.” Crimos ordered at the nearest battle droid.

  She then in turn went to an AAT and hitched a ride.

  The massive droid army of the Trade Federation led by OOM-9 marched past the deserted and fallen Spinnaker City.

  “OOM-9, once you reach Theed and capture the Queen contact the Saak’ak and inform the Viceroy of our victory.” Crimos said on the comm.

  Chapter 31: Silent Takeover

  Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and the Gungan outcast-turned-guerilla Jar-jar Binks took the narrow side alleys in the governmental compound leading to the Palace Security Dome. The path was clear of battle droids or even security personnel. By the sound of the commotion on the other side of the palace where the plaza was situated, Qui-Gon assumed that OOM-9 has already reached the outer stairs leading up to the main entrance of the Palace itself.

  When they got inside the palace walls, Qui-Gon saw familiar faces.

  The Lady Sarc Crimos, Viceroy Nute Gunray and Settlement Officer Rune Haako accompanied by several B1 battle droids including their distinctive droid commander OOM-9 stood before Queen Amidala, her Royal Handmaidens, Governor Sio Bibble, the Advisory Council and Captain Panaka.